Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Hobi! Be careful! Remember what we said about going down the slide backwards?” Namjoon calls up to his son, who is preparing to go down the biggest slide at the park. Head first. Again.

“It’s a good way for my brains to come out of my skull and meet the ground!” Hobi recites proudly.

Namjoon sighs, glancing around the park. He’s glad it’s empty; that particular phrasing was probably not his finest moment, but at least the message stuck. He put it in much nicer terms after he calmed down, but Hobi held onto the original version. 

“That’s right,” he says resignedly. “And we want to keep your brains safe and sound inside your head.” 

Hobi nods happily and goes down the slide sideways instead. 

Namjoon always had a plan for his life, even at a young age. He would select outfits for school the night before, write out lists of toys he wanted for birthdays and holidays, and make sure his backpack was organized by the door. Anything unknown could be conquered by planning or through careful inquisition. It made him feel good, having a place for everything and everything in its place. 

As an adult, he was much the same. He knew that he mostly wanted simple things; a comfortable home, a financially stable career––if not one that fulfilled him in other ways––and time to partake in his hobbies. If he really let himself dream, he’d imagine publishing a story. He didn’t need fame or fortune, just comfort and a creative outlet or two. And…deep down, he hoped to one day be in love. Just average, human desires. 

Something that was not part of his plan, however, was becoming a single parent at age 27.

Namjoon had waffled about the idea of kids over the years. Growing up, it seemed to be an expectation, something that everyone did. It was on the checklist of How to Become a Successful Member of Society. Get a job, buy a house, have two kids and a dog. Of course he would have kids; doesn’t everyone? 

One of his first jobs was at children’s summer tennis camp, instructing short lessons and dodging stray balls fired from the rickety old ball machine. There were a few tournaments throughout the season too, and he liked the variety each day brought. He found the job to be full of endless amusements and looked forward to seeing his group of kids each morning. They could be pretty hilarious; telling jokes that made no sense, farting loudly and without shame, celebrating their successes with unbridled excitement. 

But he got to send those kids home to their parents after a few hours. And he realized that was comforting, to not have the full burden of their lives in his hands. 

The more he thought about it over the years, the more worrisome and stressful the idea of kids became. But if he ever mentioned those worries, he’d receive responses like, oh, they’ll change your life, nothing will ever be the same! and being a parent is who I am, I can’t imagine my life without them. 

And Namjoon…well, he wasn’t sure he wanted that level of responsibility and change. It was hard for him to envision a life with his own child, someone he was entirely responsible for molding and guiding through the world. He was constantly astonished at how people minimized the enormous amount of energy and work parenthood involved. If he even began to list out all it entailed, the feeding and scheduling doctor’s appointments and playdates and education…well, he’d quickly get overwhelmed. It seemed to Namjoon that parents were possibly the most underappreciated job in the world. 

He didn’t even have a steady partner, and he would definitely need support to even consider raising a kid. And truthfully, ever since he realized he was bisexual in his early twenties, he’d been a little more focused on…embracing his sexuality than developing emotional connections. 

So sue him if he wanted to sleep around before he settled down. It was for the good of his own personal science! Maybe he could make a little diagram about what his dick responded to best, and use that towards determining who he’d be most compatible with in the future…

Yeah, actually, he just liked sex. 

So it wasn’t part of his five year plan to have a child. It might not even have been a part of his ten year plan; kids just weren’t something at the forefront of his mind. 

Until Hobi showed up at his door. 

When Namjoon answered his apartment door five years ago and found a firefighter holding a baby, he thought he was being pranked. He almost blurted out, “Are you a stripper?”, but realized that a stripper probably wouldn’t show up with an infant. 

“Are you Namjoon Kim?” the firefighter asked, shifting awkwardly on the step. 

Namjoon nodded slowly. “I am. Can I help you with something?” 

“Well, this baby was dropped off at our station last night. And he came with a birth certificate, but it only has the father’s information filled out. And…that’s you,” the firefighter adjusted the baby on his hip to hand Namjoon a slightly crumpled piece of paper. Namjoon examined it, still half-certain that this was a joke. But it looked disturbingly real, just like his own birth certificate. Except with no maternal information. Hoseok Kim.  

“How is this possible? Wouldn’t the hospital have to know who the mother was?” Namjoon asked, his mind spinning fruitlessly. 

The fireman shrugged. “Probably, but if there was some sort of mixup, or if she intended to give up the rights…I can see it slipping through the cracks. Or maybe she got a new copy made. But it’s legit, so…it looks like you have a son now.” 

How is this happening? Namjoon was stunned, no words coming out of his mouth. Could a child really be handed off like this? Was it legal? Had the police been contacted? What about the hospital? Were there cameras at the firestation? Couldn’t they give him anything more than, here’s a kid?  

But Namjoon wasn’t able to coherently form any of those questions. Instead, he was handed the child, staring at his tiny face while the firefighter rambled off some information about how to go about getting paperwork filled out to officially claim his parental rights, and if he didn’t want to do that, he’d have to do some more paperwork…

It all went right over Namjoon’s head. 

Eventually, the firefighter walked back to his truck, and Namjoon was left with a baby, a birth certificate, and a five year plan in need of some serious alterations. 

Of course, Namjoon looked into the baby’s background. He had a DNA test performed, just to be sure, and Hoseok was indeed his son. But Namjoon still had no idea who the mother was. He’d hooked up with plenty of women, some of whom he didn’t know beyond the night. He wasn’t ashamed of his sex drive, but…it still felt a little weird, to have a child and not know quite where he came from. And why didn’t the mother just reach out to him? Or at least try? Why did she leave the baby behind at a safe haven, with nothing but a half-completed birth certificate? 

Hoseok. It seemed too serious a name for such a soft, hopeful-looking baby. Hobi will be a good nickname, Namjoon thought. Until he grows up, at least. 

After a few months of searching, he had to accept that he was probably never going to have all the answers. He had other things to focus on, like how the fuck to take care of a baby. 

While Namjoon had been around kids before, he really had very little experience with babies. So the first few years of Hobi’s life were…interesting, to say the least. 

There were a lot of nights spent awake, his head between his hands, Hobi’s cries echoing against the walls, the never-ending wails of a baby that needed something but couldn’t tell anyone what . Namjoon was frustrated with himself every time he guessed wrong, especially when it finally became clear what Hobi needed. 

Of course he was upset because the tag of his onesie was rubbing his skin the wrong way. Of course he needed a new diaper only twenty minutes after being changed because he had pooped again. Of course he was crying because Namjoon was holding his head facing the right side of the room instead of the left. 

Sometimes, Namjoon could do nothing but laugh in exhausted amazement at his son. 

Namjoon also worried constantly about money. He thought tracking his own expenses was a bit stressful, but adding on a kid? It was never-ending. 

Formula.

Diapers.

Daycare.

Bottles.

Clothes.

Toys. 

No wonder he hadn’t accounted for a kid in his five year plan. 

After he got past some of the horrors of fatherhood (the poopy diapers and occasional spray to the face while changing said diapers was…an experience), he had to admit that he was charmed by Hobi more often than not. He had such an expressive face, and Namjoon could always tell when he was enjoying something versus plotting Namjoon’s demise over giving him jarred carrots. 

Hobi also gave him a sense of purpose in his days; Namjoon got a lot more done when he knew he was caring for someone else’s needs and not just his own. It made him account for his own time better––if he wanted to do any of his hobbies, it had better be during Hobi’s nap or after he was in bed for the night. Otherwise, he wanted to be involved in absolutely everything Namjoon was doing. 

“Dada, what that?” he would ask, pointing at Namjoon’s notebook, or his laptop, or his plate of delicious, overpriced cheese. 

And when Namjoon explained that was where he wrote down his words, or typed up stories, or that this was his snack, and maybe he could fix something else for Hobi…well, he inevitably ended up sharing a page of the notebook or turning on a video for Hobi to watch or giving him far too many pieces of cheese. 

The year Hobi turns five, Namjoon decides to make a change. He’s tired of everyone in town knowing that Hobi’s mother abandoned him, of the speculation and judgment over Namjoon being a single father. Maybe the whispers and looks are in his imagination, but he just feels out of place, stagnant and trapped. He doesn’t want Hobi to grow up with a father that’s constantly on edge, in a small town that treats him differently. Plus, there’s always the lingering uncertainty of Hobi’s mother. Will she appear one day, wanting to be a part of his life? How would he handle that? And will all those whispers follow Hobi around if they stay? Would it make him a target for bullies? 

Namjoon isn’t willing to find out. It’s his responsibility to give Hobi the best life he possibly can, and he knows instinctively that isn’t going to happen in this town. 

So, Namjoon starts searching for a new job. He wants to go somewhere fresh, somewhere Hobi can make lots of friends and grow up with classmates that don’t know about his mom. He’ll be able to share that information at his own discretion, rather than being the subject of incessant whispers and sidelong glances. 

And for Namjoon? Well, all he needs in a new city is a place to live, a job, and a nice library. The essentials. 

He finally finds something in Indigo Springs, which is far enough away to feel like a fresh start, but not so far that it’s overwhelming to consider the move. After months of job hunting and resume tweaks, he’s only had a sparse handful of interviews, so when the listing for a tech support position at a library pops up, it seems too good to be true. Namjoon doesn’t have specific experience in libraries, but he’s worked in various IT and tech positions over the last decade. It’s the perfect line of work for a single parent; a steady paycheck, regular hours, and something he can easily leave behind when he clocked out. It’s an added bonus that working in a library might offer him a sense of community, of belonging. 

He submits his application after triple-checking all the details. He makes sure to emphasize his appreciation for the institution of libraries in the cover letter and tailors his resume carefully to fit the bullet points on the job description. He researches the possible interview questions for similar positions in case he gets a call. He envisions what it might be like to walk through the doors of a library and spend the day surrounded by books. He even considers manifesting. 

He’s a little surprised when he actually gets an interview, but excited nonetheless. 

After two phone interviews and making the three-hour drive to Indigo Springs for the final round––who knew how rigorous library job selection processes were?––Namjoon anxiously checks his phone over and over to see if he’s received a call or email notification about his status. When two weeks pass, he has to assume he didn’t get the job, and resignedly reactivates his employment profile. 

But only a day later, he finally receives the phone call offering him the position. He immediately accepts, scribbling down the start date and training schedule, and realizes he has to start planning to move. 

He manages to figure it all out in time, though he’s never made a major move on his own before, let alone with a kid in tow. He has to find a rental with room for both of them, ideally close to school and daycare and work. He has to find a daycare that seems trustworthy and clean. He has to enroll Hobi in school and get his records from the doctor transferred and make bags of items they can donate. He also has to pack for both of them and determine what items should be left until last versus which can be boxed a bit early. 

Luckily, Namjoon is very good at making lists and labels for these sorts of things. 

Unluckily, Hobi is very good at unpacking boxes Namjoon has already taped closed and labeled. The items will mysteriously appear in other rooms, the boxes haphazardly torn open and Hobi looking innocently up at him. 

Namjoon tries talking to him gently about it, asking him to please leave Dada’s boxes alone because they need to stay closed up so they can take them on their trip! Hobi nods seriously with his best listening face, but the boxes keep getting opened up. Namjoon is near losing his patience over it. He’s frazzled and tired from working his last couple of shifts at his old job while also trying to manage packing up their entire apartment and getting the electricity canceled and figuring out what wifi companies are available at their new place. 

“Hobi! Why do you keep opening up the boxes? We still have everything we need, there’s no reason for you to get out…the Halloween candy bowl, or the old alarm clock, or the pan holder!” Namjoon asks exasperatedly. 

Hobi looks up at him, nervous. He doesn’t usually do anything to get in trouble, so he’s not used to Namjoon being impatient with him. Sure, he’s made plenty of messes, sometimes gets a warning for being too chatty at daycare during naptime, but he doesn’t purposefully misbehave like this. 

“I don’t want to go on a trip,” he says quietly. 

“But it will be fun! There’s a library, and a park, and I’m sure you’ll make lots of new friends right away,” Namjoon tries to soothe him. But this only seems to make things worse, because Hobi’s face crumples immediately at the mention of friends . “Oh, bud, what’s wrong?” 

“I don’t want new friends! I like my friends!” Hobi wails, and then carries the alarm clock into his room and shuts the door. 

Namjoon sighs. He was a little worried about this when he explained to Hobi that they’d be moving at the beginning of summer. But Hobi had seemed okay when they sat down on the couch to talk about it a few weeks ago. He asked some questions, like if there would be a playground, and if there were any places to get ice cream. And once those important details were sorted out, he went back to his usual self. Or so Namjoon had thought. 

But apparently, he’s been too busy with his own stress to realize that his son is feeling out of sorts too. 

After taking a moment to collect his thoughts, Namjoon follows Hobi to his room and knocks softly. He hears quiet sniffles from behind the door, but no response. 

“Hobi? Can I come in? I want to talk to you,” he says. There’s a mumbled “I guess”, so Namjoon opens the door. 

Hobi is curled up on his bed, the alarm clock sitting on his nightstand. Namjoon has no idea why he’s suddenly so attached to it; they haven’t been using it much since they both wake up naturally at the same time every day. It is a cute one, shaped like a bear with the numbers glowing in the belly, but Namjoon had nearly put it in the donation pile before Hobi got so fixated on it. 

“Are you worried about moving?” Namjoon asks him gently. 

Hobi looks at him sideways, then slowly nods his head. “Don’t wanna move. Why can’t we stay here?” 

“Well, you know that I go to work, right? I got a new job where we’re moving, and I think it will be a nice place to live. It isn’t so far that we can never come back to visit if you want to see your friends. And we can still call them, or even send letters,” Namjoon tells him. 

Hobi frowns. “But…but you have a job here. Why didn’t you keep it?” 

Namjoon doesn’t know how to explain any of this to a five year old. He doesn’t know how to say that he wants to go somewhere new for Hobi’s sake. That he doesn’t want this cloud of abandonment and judgment to follow his child everywhere he goes. That he feels confined and stuck here, that some instinct is pulling at him to get away. 

“Well…” Namjoon considers how to explain without fully going into the more grown-up details. “Remember how at your old daycare, you started to feel upset about going, and you’d cry when you had to stay? And when we found you a new daycare, where you made some friends and felt more comfortable, it was much easier? That’s sort of what this is like. I think a new town could be good for us.” 

“But, Dada, it’s nice here. There are parks and the yummy fries at our favorite restaurant and my friends and the library,” Hobi says, trying to be convincing in the best way he knows how. 

Namjoon sighs. “I know, Hobi. But I promise there will be all of those things in our new place. And remember, Dada is even going to work in the library! Won’t that be fun? You’ll get to come see it all the time! I bet there will even be some times when you can see parts of the library none of the other kids get to.” 

Hobi looks a little interested in that prospect. “Like what?” 

Namjoon thinks about what might be feasible. Maybe the offices? But that wouldn’t be too exciting to a kid…the technical areas are probably going to be off limits, but maybe…“How about the book sorting machine?” 

Hobi’s eyes light up. He loves to watch their books go back into the slot when they make returns and seeing the magic happen up close would be very exciting. Honestly, Namjoon thinks it’s pretty cool too. Whoever designed that machine and software is a genius. He just hopes this is a promise he can actually keep. 

“What about fries? And ice cream?” Hobi asks. 

“I bet they have those too. But in order to figure out the best ones…I think we will probably have to try quite a few. Do you think you’re up for that?” Namjoon asks. Hobi nods seriously. 

“For fries. I think I can do anything,” he tells his dad. Namjoon has to hide his smile. 

“Me too, bud.”

The handful of weeks before their move fly by, a constant flurry of checklists and packing tape and takeout dinners. There are a few more tears, Hobi clinging to his friends when they leave their last playdate, but Namjoon is able to soothe him with the promise of an ice cream cone on the way home. They take a final walk around the block, Hobi gently patting the head of the neighborhood cat, Hot Wheels, and promising that she’ll still get plenty of treats and attention from the other neighbors. The cat gives a prim mew and flounces off, leaving Hobi giggling in her wake.

The morning they leave for Indigo Springs, Hobi insists on buckling the bear alarm clock into the seat beside him. He doesn’t nap like Namjoon hoped, since every bump in the road causes the alarm clock to jingle cheerfully, but at least Hobi seems happy watching the fields and cows out the window. 

Namjoon is incredibly glad to be able to afford movers, since much of the heavy lifting and arranging of furniture is done the day of their arrival. It’s still exhausting, finding ways to successfully unpack all the other boxes and keep Hobi entertained, but the house quickly starts to feel like theirs. 

Of course, the alarm clock is one of the first items put into place, a reminder that together, they can make this place home. 

Namjoon starts his new job only a few days later, glad that he researched and arranged so many of the moving details ahead of time so he can focus on learning the ropes. He knows he’s qualified, but he also knows there will be a lot to absorb. Where the bathrooms are, how long breaks run, which computers are a little slow, regular visitors that might be a bit troublesome. Namjoon knows the drill; he’ll adjust as the weeks go by. 

It doesn’t stop his brain from feeling a bit nervous, and it doesn’t stop his sleeping mind from conjuring up various stress dreams. Namjoon forgetting that he’s supposed to be at work and showing up with his fly unzipped. Namjoon trying to help an old lady with her email account only to cause a virus to pop up on the computer when he accidentally clicks a spam link. Namjoon having to work late and not being able to go pick up Hobi, so he gets left in the daycare all night alone. 

He loves his anxious brain. 

But on the whole, he thinks that he’s learning quickly, slotting himself into the swing of the library. He gets to spend most mornings in the IT office, quietly working through emails, chat requests, and account issues that have come in overnight or that are ongoing. He doesn’t mind this sort of work; it’s actually a pleasant start to the day, to be able to go at his own pace and investigate the issues thoroughly. 

It’s a bit more difficult once the library actually opens and there are three people wanting his assistance at once, none of them displaying any modicum of patience. This often happens right after there’s been a lull and he’s assured his coworker that he’ll be fine if she goes on lunch. 

Isn’t that always how it goes, Namjoon thinks woefully to himself as the man at computer four waves him over for the five hundredth time. 

Once he has solved all the world-ending IT problems for the day, he helps the other staff walk through the building and ensure everything is tidied away at the technology stations. He checks that the various electronics available for rental are plugged in to charge, that any urgent IT requests have been attended to or flagged for the morning, and that the computers are all logged out. 

And then he gets to go pick up Hobi. 

While the first couple of daycare drop-offs did not go entirely smoothly (there were a few tearful goodbyes and one very pitiful attempt at faking illness), Namjoon is pleased to see that Hobi does seem to be making friends, just as he predicted. There’s a little boy with dark, wavy hair that Namjoon notices at Hobi’s side just about every day at pickup. They’re always huddled close, whispering and arranging their toys in new formations. The first day, it was a lineup of colorful plastic frogs. The next, they had built an impressively sturdy castle out of blocks to place the frogs on. It seems as though there’s some sort of organization to the chaos, but when Namjoon asks Hobi about the frogs, he just smiles and shakes his head.

“That’s a secret for me and TaeTae, Dada. We don’t talk about the frogs,” he tells him. 

Kids are strange. 

“Is TaeTae your new friend?” Namjoon asks instead. 

Hobi nods excitedly. “Yes! We are best friends. TaeTae says that at his house, there are real frogs! They make noises and hop and everything! Do you think that we could go see them?”

Namjoon laughs. Who knew his son was so interested in amphibians? He’s mostly been interested in bugs until now. “We’ll have to find out who TaeTae’s parent is, and see if that’s okay with them. It would be a lot of fun to see a real frog, wouldn’t it?” 

“Yes! I bet I could catch one if I was really fast!”

“I’m not sure frogs like being caught, Hobi. They like to swim and hop freely. You wouldn’t like it very much if someone snuck up on you while you were playing and scooped you up, would you?”

“I might! If they had something awesome…like a frog! But…what do frogs like? I have to make sure they like being caught,” Hobi says thoughtfully. 

Namjoon thinks maybe they need to talk a bit more about stranger danger, but he’ll worry about that later. For now, they have a frog catching mission to plan. 

At the next daycare pickup, Namjoon looks around to see if he can spot Tae’s parent. He’s usually so focused on getting his own child, he doesn’t notice much else around him. But today, he sees a tall man looking around, then squatting to greet Tae as he runs over. There’s another little boy with him, maybe a handful of years older than Tae and Hobi. Namjoon isn’t sure if he’s seen him at daycare before; he seems a bit shy. It’s possible that he doesn’t go to daycare, or maybe he’s in another activity while his parents are at work. The daycare is mainly for younger kids, and they offer a couple of summer camps for older kids to attend too. 

“Do you want to go ask about seeing the frogs?” Namjoon asks Hobi, making sure he still wants to partake in his new activity. Hobi nods excitedly, tugging on Namjoon’s arm as though he could forget where they were headed. 

“Hi, are you Tae’s dad?” Namjoon asks. And…oh. Oh wow. He did not realize how attractive this man was. 

The man stands up, nodding his head. His shoulders are incredibly broad, and he’s dressed in business casual clothes that seem expensive. Tailored. Maybe when your shoulders are that wide, you need custom fit clothes, Namjoon thinks in awe. 

“I’m Seokjin. Taehyungie is my son, and so is Yoongi. He goes to the music camp down the hall. And you’re Hobi’s dad? We’ve heard a lot about TaeTae’s new friend!” Seokjin says, offering his hand to shake. 

“I’m Namjoon. Hobi has been really excited to have a new friend. He was telling me that you have frogs by your house, so I wanted to see if maybe we could set up a day to let them play?” Namjoon says. 

“We do have frogs. They sound like this,” Yoongi speaks for the first time. And then he lets out an enormous, incredibly accurate frog croak. 

Everyone stares at him for a couple of seconds, surprised, and then they all burst into laughter, which only causes Yoongi to make the sound again. 

“Dada, I want to hear the frogs that make that sound!” Hobi says excitedly. Soon, all three kids are making the frog sound, with varying levels of success. Namjoon is sure they’re making a bit of a scene, but then again, the daycare staff must be used to the antics of kids. 

“Well, it sounds like we should make a plan. I didn’t realize everyone was so interested in our pond!” Seokjin says. He and Namjoon exchange numbers so they can make arrangements for “frog day”. Hobi skips happily out of the building, talking Namjoon’s ear off about how many frogs he’s going to catch, and how maybe they can bring one home, and can they get a pond too? 

Namjoon is happy his son is making friends; he knows it was probably his biggest worry going into the move. The other things, the ice cream and library and fries, could be more easily replaced. Namjoon knew all along that his little social butterfly was going to be popular no matter where they ended up, but Hobi hadn’t been as confident. 

Namjoon on the other hand…well, he hasn’t had a lot of opportunity to socialize just yet. He likes his coworkers, but many of them already seem to be friends, and it’s hard to find his footing in an established group. They’re all friendly, have even invited him out for drinks after work a couple of times, but he has to pick up Hobi. And there’s no one else for him to rely on to do that. 

People always get a little awkward when they realize he’s a single father without much of a support network. They pity him, or they wonder what he did to scare off Hobi’s mom, or why his family isn’t involved. It’s too much to explain the entire story to everyone, so he usually sticks with a brief “it’s just Hobi and me”. 

As for his family…well, they’ve never been close. When he told them he had a son, they just…didn’t show much interest. He didn’t expect offers of help, but…he also didn’t expect cold indifference. Maybe subconsciously Namjoon held onto a small sprout of hope that this would bridge the gap between them, but instead it only widened. 

He doesn’t want Hobi to ever feel the chill of that relationship. He doesn’t want him to wonder (the way Namjoon often has) what it was about him that was so unlovable. What it was that made his own family not want to spend time with him. What he needed to change in order for them to really want him. 

But that’s a lot to explain to a coworker he’s only known for a few weeks. So instead, he continues to graciously decline invitations, saying maybe they can figure something out once he’s a bit more settled. 

One afternoon, when Namjoon is heading out to eat his lunch at the picnic benches in the library courtyard, he notices a new listing on the bulletin board by the entrance. 

MYSTERY WRITING WORKSHOP NOW OPEN

Please join us for an 8-week course on the nuances of mystery writing! We will spend time discussing how to craft your own mystery, with an emphasis on the elements used in Sherlock Holmes. We will investigate narrative style, point of view, setting, tone/mood, illusions, allusions, effective protagonists and antagonists, and creating tension.

Though there will be no length or completion requirement, participants will be asked to write their own mystery throughout the duration of this course, implementing the elements we discuss from popular mysteries in the Sherlock Holmes series. There will be time dedicated to workshopping each student’s writing at the end of each class and individual readings at the end of the sessions. 

Writers of all skill levels are welcome; participants must be 18 or older. The course will run from 6:30-8:30 pm on Tuesday evenings, beginning on June 15. If needed, the library can provide access to computers during the class, though participants are welcome to bring their personal devices as well. 

Namjoon reads over the details twice, then takes a photo of the flyer so he can check the signup link later online. He feels a flutter of excitement, a long-lost eagerness to pick up his laptop and fall into an entire world of his own making. 

He hasn’t been able to spend much time writing in recent years, though it used to be something he loved to do. As a child, it was one of the only activities he could truly lose himself in. He felt self-conscious about voicing the stories he created for his toys in the moment. But if he wrote them down and then quietly played, he didn’t worry that someone would look in and laugh at him. Not that it had ever happened; he just felt funny about someone hearing his thoughts in that raw, unfiltered way. 

But writing…creating the stories and crafting them exactly as he wanted, that gave him a safety net. He could change things after he wrote them down, adjust until he liked it. 

Still, he isn’t sure if this class is something he can do. He likes to read mysteries, enjoys trying to figure out the twists and turns. It makes him feel smart when he’s able to see the direction the plot is going (but sometimes, it’s frustrating, because it seems so obvious ). And it makes him want to continue sharpening his skills when a book manages to fool him. 

But writing a mystery? He’s never attempted that before. He’s stuck mostly with short stories or essays, a poem here and there. The length and time commitment that a novel, especially a mystery novel, would require is…a lot to consider. But perhaps he could do a short mystery? The course does say that they’d go over all the important elements, so it could be a fun learning experience, something to get his writing energy going again. 

He’s seen a handful of episodes of Sherlock (though Hobi always seems to know when Namjoon is watching something that’s too scary for his young eyes and emerges at just the wrong moment) but he is a little ashamed to admit he’s never read the actual stories. Maybe he should start there? Surely the library has plenty of copies. Most of the time, older books aren’t as likely to be checked out or have holds on them, so he feels hopeful that he can snag at least one. 

Namjoon spends his lunch hour looking up information about Sherlock Holmes, and he has to admit…he’s intrigued by what he finds. He can’t believe there is so much lore and actual mystery surrounding the books. There’s an entire fandom. He wonders what it might have been like to be around at the time of original publication, to eagerly await the next installment, to be so entranced by stories that he might mourn the loss of the character by dressing in all black. To feel like a part of something that wove together so many people. 

He really wants to do this workshop. 

But what will he do about Hobi during those hours? The listing clearly states that participants have to be eighteen or older, and he doesn’t really think Hobi would want to be stuck in a room of people writing and talking about literary devices for two hours. He loves coming to the library, but he’s understandably more interested in the kid-friendly parts of the building than the conference rooms and computer labs that would likely be used for a class like this. 

But…maybe he can find a babysitter? Maybe one of his coworkers knows someone? Or Seokjin might? He’ll have to ask. 

It’s just been a long time since he’s done much besides work, take care of Hobi, sleep, and repeat. And it’s not bad. He loves spending time with his son, loves seeing him grow and learn about the world. And he loves a lot of elements about his work, too. He likes that he gets to help people, even if it’s in ways that don’t seem particularly huge or exciting. Sometimes, those small moments, the ones deemed innocuous or irrelevant, are the ones that matter most to someone. He tries to keep that in mind when a patron is being especially obstinate or difficult. 

But…those things don’t entirely fill Namjoon’s cup. He’s okay, he’s not unhappy, but he feels…unfulfilled. He feels like he’s just a composite of roles: IT professional, father, mediocre homemaker…but not a dynamic person. He doesn’t have the energy for much outside of those necessities, nor the support system in place to really allow him to explore hobbies or interests. He reads a bit, but it takes him much longer now to finish a book than it once did (he’d like to blame an interrupting five-year-old for that, but it’s also probably that he has trouble settling his brain enough to focus). He watches TV and sometimes makes a trip to the garden store. He takes walks and enjoys time outdoors. But it’s not enough. 

He wants to feel energized. He wants to fill himself with new stories, perhaps stories that would be worth writing down. He wants to be a person with layers again; an origami koi fish rather than a flattened postcard.

Maybe learning the elements of a good mystery will help him learn himself again too. 

Because Namjoon has to admit he is not the same person he was five years ago. He’s not a confident twenty-something with a five year plan and no knowledge about what it means to be responsible for another life besides his own. That version of him had never known what it was to be a parent, to constantly sacrifice, to lack the time or energy or desire to look inside himself anymore. 

He lost track of himself, of who he is outside of being a father, somewhere along the way. But for the first time in a while, he’s finally feeling ready to explore his identity again. 

At Hobi and Tae’s next playdate, he asks Seokjin if he has any recommendations for babysitters that might have availability on Tuesday evenings, ideally one that won’t charge too much. The boys have insisted on regular playdates at least twice a week since their first frog day, and in that time, Namjoon has begun to see Seokjin as a friend, someone he can trust. He sees how gentle Seokjin is with the boys, how he can expertly turn the beginnings of a meltdown around in the blink of an eye, how he’s always ready to encourage the wildest imaginings and games. He knows he’ll have more peace of mind hiring someone with Seokjin’s recommendation. 

But when Seokjin hears the reason Namjoon needs someone to watch Hobi over the next couple of months, he offers him something even better. 

“Why don’t I just pick Hobi up on Tuesdays, and you can get him after the class finishes?” Seokjin suggests. Namjoon stares at him, shocked that someone he’s only known a short while would easily offer something so kind. It was hard for him to make parent friends before, so he’s still adjusting to having Seokjin.

It’s been strange, yes, but also…nice. It’s nice to sit on the porch together and watch Hobi and Tae inspect the pond for tadpoles. It’s nice to have someone that understands what it’s like to fill the calendar with someone else’s activities, hardly thinking of themselves. It’s nice to have another father that does daycare pickup and dinner preparations and bedtime stories. It’s nice to have someone to compare crazy stories with and to celebrate some of the small milestones.

It’s nice to have a friend.  

“I…I couldn’t ask you to do that. You really want three kids running wild in your house every week?” Namjoon says. He knows firsthand that Hobi and Tae can be a bit rambunctious when put together, and while Yoongi may appear to be the calm one, he can get just as hyperactive when he’s in the right mood. And there’s definitely a waterfall effect when Tae and Hobi are wound up. 

“You’re not asking, I’m offering. What’s one extra kid? Plus, it’s nice for them to spend more time together outside of daycare. Gives them a chance to run around outside and play with the frogs and make all those secret plans they’re always whispering about,” Seokjin chuckles. 

Namjoon is still hesitant, but in the end he gives in. He really wants to try this workshop, to see where it might take him. He loves to learn, and it’s been a while since he’s taken an opportunity to do so at his leisure. Usually, the things he’s learning are more urgent needs; what to do when your kid rips a wart off his toe and won’t stop bleeding, the best children’s books for early readers, how to get paint out of your kid’s hair. 

He signs up for the workshop that very night, grateful that there are still slots available. He’s not sure of the level of popularity for things like this; it seems to be hit or miss with a lot of library programs. Sometimes, they’re bursting at the seams, hardly enough room for everyone that shows up. Other times, it’s a bit sad, a room full of empty seats and unopened cans of soda, an author that was enthusiastic until the start time arrived and hardly anyone was there. 

Namjoon hopes that this class is a happy medium; he doesn’t want to be completely packed into a room, but he also doesn’t want it to be so small that he stands out in some way. Will it be mostly younger people? More seasoned writers? College kids? He has no idea. He hopes for at least a few people his age; it couldn’t hurt for him to make a couple more friends here.

Hobi is more than enthused about the news that he’ll be spending Tuesday evenings at Tae’s house. 

“We’re gonna catch so many frogs!” he says happily. Namjoon hopes that the frogs are fast, or at least have the good sense to dive under the water when they hear the boys coming. 

The time preceding the workshop flies by, and before Namjoon knows it, the first day has arrived. He has a small gap between his shift and the workshop, so he goes home to freshen up, swapping out his clothes for something more casual. Even though it’s only June, it’s already starting to get hot, so he opts for a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Comfortable, but not too shabby. 

After a light dinner, he decides to walk to the library, since it isn’t too far from his house. He does usually drive to work, since he also has to drop Hobi off at daycare and walking would definitely be too much for both of them in the mornings. 

He still manages to arrive early, though it would appear that he’s still not the first one there. A few others have already sat down at the large table, and there is a man at the front of the room, organizing packets of paper. He smiles at Namjoon when he enters. 

“Are you here for the writing workshop?” he asks. 

“I am,” Namjoon replies. 

“Wonderful! You can take a seat anywhere. I set out a few loaner laptops from the library for anyone that needs one, so if you’d like one of those, take one of those seats. If not, you can sit at any of the empty spots!” the man gestures around the table. 

Namjoon did bring his laptop with him; it will just be easier to work on any writing exercises at home that way. He glances at the open spots, not wanting to crowd anyone’s space, but also not wanting to seem like he’s antisocial by sitting too far apart from the other early arrivals. He sees one man that looks friendly enough, big curious eyes looking around the room and a pen twirling between his fingers. Namjoon takes a seat at the open spot beside him. 

And then those eyes are looking at him. 

“Hi, I’m Namjoon,” he introduces himself, holding out an awkward hand. The man takes it, his gaze slipping down to their fingers briefly before snapping back up to Namjoon’s face. 

“I’m Jungkook, nice to meet you,” he says softly. 

Jungkook is…well, Namjoon has to admit it, hot. 

Beyond the big eyes and the fluffy hair, his jawline is sharp and his arms are completely tattooed––at least the parts Namjoon can see outside his oversized t-shirt. His hands are slender but rough at the palms, like he’s been lifting weights or boxing or cutting down trees…some sort of manual labor. He seems…strong. And now that Namjoon is looking more closely, he also has about ten visible piercings, including one in his nose and what looks like a flash of silver in his eyebrow as well. 

Namjoon didn’t even consider that there might be a hot man in the writing workshop. He thought about all sorts of other variables: talented writers, new friends, people he could learn from, but…not someone who’s absolutely going to claim his attention at every glance. How is he supposed to focus on mysteries when he is sitting next to this man? Maybe he can write about the mystery of how some people are given all the most beautiful traits. The mystery of why Jungkook is so hot. The mystery of whether Jungkook is single. The mystery of whether he’s into men…

“Namjoon?” 

Namjoon quickly realizes that he’s still holding onto Jungkook’s hand and drops it immediately. Jungkook giggles at him. Giggles . Oh no. 

Namjoon is thoroughly fucked. 

“I was just asking if this is your first writing workshop?” Jungkook says, now that he’s managed to interrupt Namjoon’s ogling. 

“Oh, uh, I took a few in college, but nothing since then. So it’s been…wow, almost ten years. How about you?” Namjoon asks. Please don’t let me be too old for you…I know I just made myself sound ancient, why couldn’t I have just left it at the not since college part? But maybe he’s into older men? Or maybe he just looks young for his age? 

“Nice! This is my first one, so I have no idea what to expect. I just got really into watching Sherlock recently, and I saw this workshop open up, so I thought why not? It’s always fun to try something new!” Jungkook says. “Also, I would never believe that you’re ten years out of college.” 

Namjoon relaxes a bit at that. At least Jungkook doesn’t think he looks like a grandpa. But then…

“I bet you would never believe I’m a single dad, too.” 

Why? Why does his mouth do that? Why can’t it just hold on for three seconds while his brain processes if the words are good to say? Even if Jungkook wasn’t deterred by his age, surely he will be by a child. 

But Jungkook doesn’t seem fazed. “Really? My best friend has two kids, so I love being around them. They’re pretty fun to hang out with. How old is yours?”

“He’s five. His name is Hoseok, but he goes by Hobi,” Namjoon says, and then, just like the dad that he is, he pulls out his phone to show a photo. 

“Aww, look at his smile! He looks so happy, you must be doing a great job. Does he like mysteries, or is that still a little too old for him? My friend’s kids are always trying to sneak in and see movies they aren’t supposed to watch,” Jungkook laughs at the mental image. 

Namjoon can feel his cheeks heating even though he wills them not to, wills himself not to think too much about the fact that Jungkook thinks he’s a good dad, that he likes kids, that he didn’t even blink an eye when Namjoon called himself a single dad.  

“Hobi is more of a…fairy tales and fantasy kind of kid. He doesn’t seem drawn to the mystery content, although he definitely does sneak out of his room whenever he thinks I’m doing something fun without him,” Namjoon says. 

They fall into conversation easily, and Namjoon is very grateful that his anxious brain causes him to be at least fifteen minutes early to everything. Maybe it’s some sort of fate, allowing him to make another new friend. 

The instructor calls for everyone to quiet down once 6:30 arrives. The room is comfortably filled by about fifteen people or so. Namjoon is happy with that size, and it seems to be quite the mixed group. He is always most excited to be a part of diverse workshops because it means no two writing styles will be the same. 

“Hello, everyone, and thank you for signing up for this workshop on mystery writing elements. My name is Jimin, and I’m a local writing instructor at the university. The library was looking for volunteers to do some workshops this year, and it seemed like the perfect opportunity for the summer. I am excited to get to know all of you, and to teach about one of my favorite topics. Now, I’d like to go around the room and introduce ourselves. Why don’t we give name, occupation, and your interest in the course or writing in general,” Jimin selects one person to begin, and they all go around introducing themselves. 

When they get to Jungkook, he seems a bit shy, despite all the piercings and tattoos. “Hi, my name is Jungkook, I’m a licensed professional dog trainer, and I used to write short stories when I was a kid. Recently I’ve gotten into watching the show Sherlock , so I thought this course might be a good way to reconnect with that childhood interest.”

A professional dog trainer? Wow, yeah, he fits that vibe, Namjoon thinks, and then realizes it’s his turn. “I’m Namjoon, I actually work in IT here at the library, and I’ve written in my free time ever since I can remember. But I haven’t had as much time in recent years, so I’d like to take this class as an opportunity to reconnect as well.” 

The last handful of people introduce themselves, though Namjoon is sure he’s not going to remember a single name besides Jungkook. 

“Alright then! Now that we’ve all gotten acquainted, let’s get started!” Jimin says enthusiastically. He hands out the pile of packets and starts up a presentation on the interactive whiteboard. It’s mostly images; Jimin seems to know the content he wants to go over by heart, no need to refer to blocks of text on the screen. It’s impressive, truthfully. Namjoon has seen far too many presenters that either don’t feel confident in their material or have no idea how to make an engaging slideshow. 

“So, what are the elements that make a good mystery?” Jimin asks everyone, looking around for volunteers. 

The group comes up with quite a number of ideas. Some are more general: tension, characters, plot twists, atmosphere. But others seem to be more specific, like the overall feel of the mystery, the use of specific literary terms, and the length of the story. 

Namjoon prefers his mysteries to be more on the cozy side, rather than terribly gruesome or violent. Most of the class seems to agree, although a few seem to think a good mystery requires a fight or weapons. 

“Do you feel that way because that’s the element you associate most with tension, with danger? Or because those are genuinely elements that need to be present?” Jimin asks. He doesn’t seem to be biased one way or another, but Namjoon thinks he makes a sharp point. Perhaps that is why he prefers mysteries that don’t rely on excessive violence and death; it feels…lazy? Or at least like it takes less skill. He’d much prefer psychological twists and turns over bodies and blood. 

Once they have a solid list of the elements the class thinks comprise a good mystery, Jimin starts to offer examples of these in renowned stories. Namjoon writes down a few on his packet to refer back to later; he’s going to have lots to read this summer.

“We’ll begin with one of the most important aspects: setting,” Jimin tells them. “For your first writing exercise, I’d like you to consider the place you would like your story to take place. Feel free to take any avenue with this; it can be something classically mysterious, like a small town with a dark history. Or you can take a different route, perhaps a beach or somewhere mundane, somewhere one wouldn’t expect anything out of the ordinary.” 

Namjoon opens his laptop, considering. He doesn’t want to overextend himself with the course, so he plans to stick with a short story. That means he’ll need to develop every element of his story carefully to ensure it comes together tightly. He would prefer to use the second option Jimin suggested, to take a mundane place and turn it into something intriguing and mysterious. He’s not sure where exactly, though. Maybe a garden of some sort? That could provide a lot of opportunity for symbolism and imagery, with plants and flowers and herbs…

“What kind of setting are you going for?” Jungkook asks him quietly, startling him out of contemplation. 

“Oh, I’m not sure yet. Maybe something outdoors though, like a garden? I want to keep it contained, I’m going for more of a short story,” Namjoon replies. “What about you?”

“I think I want to do something short too. I don’t know if I have the attention span for something really long and complicated, you know? I’m not great at keeping a ton of details straight even when I’m not the one writing, so that seems best. Maybe…I kind of want to do something cozy? Like you know those mysteries with the goofy titles? I could incorporate dogs, since that’s my expertise,” Jungkook says, seeming to think aloud. 

“A is for Afghan Hounds Abscond,” Namjoon jokes. Jungkook giggles again. 

“That’s…quite an obscure dog breed,” he says. “But that would be a funny premise. Like an alphabet series, but it’s just dogs doing minor crimes.”

“Beagle Burglary, but it’s just biscuits,” Namjoon says. 

“Collie Crooks, but they’re just refusing to go outside in the rain,” Jungkook adds. 

“I think you’re onto something with this,” Namjoon says. And honestly, he probably would pick up stories with those titles. Just…for Hobi, not for him. But he doesn’t tell Jungkook that part. 

“So is your setting going to be a dog park? Or a training facility? Or will they all be in different places?” he asks, steering them back to the setting assignment. 

Jungkook hums. “I like both of those ideas…I think a dog park could be a cute location. It would give lots of opportunities for multiple characters, and probably some good red herrings?” Namjoon hums in agreement. He’s never read a mystery set in a dog park, but he can envision it being very cozy. 

They both type away in silence for a while, though Namjoon can’t help but glance over at Jungkook now and then. He looks more… cute than hot when he’s focused, with his nose scrunching here and there as he presses the backspace, his leg bouncing beneath the table as he types. 

“Alright, everyone, that brings us to just about the end of the time for today. I’d like you all to write at minimum one scene that you think brings your setting to life. Feel free to write more, or to begin outlining your overall stories. You will just need one scene for workshopping next week,” Jimin instructs before beginning to close down his presentation and collect his supplies. 

“Wow, the time really went by quickly,” Jungkook comments. 

“It did, didn’t it? I remember in college, sometimes it felt like the lectures went on forever, and those were less than half the length of this one,” Namjoon says. He distinctly recalls signing up for a 9am course his freshman year. He thought that it would be easy, considering how he woke up at 6am for high school. He quickly learned that he was wrong, and that fifty minutes in a lecture hall at 9am felt like fifty hours. 

He and Jungkook naturally fall into step together, slinging their bags over their shoulders and walking outside into the evening air. 

“Ah, I’m so glad I decided to walk over, it’s beautiful out,” Jungkook says. 

“Oh, you live nearby? I walked here as well!” Namjoon says, surprised. 

“Yeah, about fifteen minutes away in the neighborhood by the park,” Jungkook says. “It’s really convenient to meet clients there for training sessions, since we can usually work on whatever it is they may need. Plenty of other dogs and people to look at for socializing, but also quiet spaces for more fearful dogs, you know?” 

Namjoon nods, though he really doesn’t know that much about dog training. He taught his family’s dog to shake when he was little, and then the dog was constantly pawing at everything, so…he’s definitely no expert. 

And then he realizes…that’s his neighborhood. 

“Wait, we must live really close together. What street are you on?” Namjoon asks. “Sorry if that’s creepy, you definitely don’t have to tell me…”

Jungkook laughs. “It’s fine, it seems like we’re heading the same way anyhow. I live on Baker Street. How about you?”

Namjoon gulps. That’s his street . The hot man from his writing workshop lives on his street . 

“I…also live on Baker Street,” he says. “This is weird, right?”

Jungkook shrugs. “Maybe not so much? It’s not that big of a city, and people that live near the library might be more likely to sign up for a course? Plus, there are a lot of rentals in that neighborhood, so it makes sense.” 

Namjoon nods. But…now he’s going to have to think about how he looks when he’s outside. What if Jungkook sees him when his hair is all messy, or he has paint on him from Hobi’s art projects, or he’s sweaty from going on a bike ride?

They walk along in companionable silence, Namjoon trying to conquer his unreasonable anxieties. But strangely, after a minute or two, Namjoon doesn’t find it all that awkward. Yes, part of him wants to babble on about something, anything , but then he glances over at Jungkook and he looks so peaceful, just enjoying the walk. He seems happy to just admire everything around him, smiling softly at the flowerbeds along the sidewalk, the rustling leaves of the trees, even a roly poly crawling into the cracks of the cement. 

Namjoon is probably imagining the way that Jungkook’s eyes also seem to skim across his bare legs. 

When they get to Namjoon’s house, he nods towards the walkway. “This one is me.”

Jungkook stops too. “You…you’re kidding, right?” 

Namjoon is confused. Why would he kid about where he lives? It’s not a bad house, two bedrooms, a nice little garden space, plenty of big windows and a fresh coat of pretty yellow paint. It’s not spooky or dilapidated, so he’s not sure what’s so strange. 

Until he turns back to Jungkook, who has taken a few steps further down the sidewalk and stopped outside the house next door. 

“ This one is me,” he says, gesturing to the house that is literally twenty feet from Namjoon’s. 

They stare at each other. And then they both burst into giggles. 

“Okay, now it’s weird, you have to admit,” Namjoon says after they’ve composed themselves. Jungkook nods, but he’s smiling. He doesn’t seem at all bothered by the weirdness. And honestly, Namjoon can’t say that he is, either. 

He’s got a hot neighbor now.

Chapter Text

Seokjin brings Hobi home about fifteen minutes after Namjoon has walked through the door. Namjoon offered to come get him, but Seokjin claimed that they were all out anyway getting ice cream. 

“Ah, I see, you wanted your kids to have a chance to run off the sugar rush before going back home,” Namjoon says, watching fondly as the three boys chase each other around the backyard. 

“Guilty,” Seokjin laughs. “How was the workshop?” 

“It was…really nice, actually. I didn’t know exactly what to expect, since I haven’t done anything like this before. But…I think it’s going to be really fun,” Namjoon says. He pauses, wondering if he should tell Seokjin about Jungkook. He decides against it for now. He’s going to keep the hot neighbor to himself, at least for a little while. Jungkook is just part of the class, something that Namjoon is finally doing for himself. Or…he’s not doing anything with Jungkook. Except writing. And maybe walking to and from class. But that’s all. They’re neighbors . 

Once Seokjin manages to corral Yoongi and Tae back into the car, Namjoon is left with a very sleepy Hobi. This is his favorite time of night, when Hobi is just about ready to crash and feeling cuddly and sweet. He is often cuddly and sweet, but it just makes Namjoon feel proud when Hobi so naturally leans into him for comfort. 

Namjoon has never been the comforting one. He is logical and always thinks first. He provides reason and options and plans when his friends are upset, maybe throws in a joke or two. But he doesn’t naturally move to hug or cuddle; he doesn’t feel like he’s a warm person in that way. It doesn’t feel intuitive, even though sometimes he wishes it did. 

But with Hobi…with Hobi, it’s different. It is Namjoon’s instinct to hold him, to protect him, to keep him warm and pull him into his chest at the slightest hint of pain or sadness or worry.

“Dada? Are you going to read me a story?” Hobi asks sleepily. Namjoon isn’t sure that he’ll be able to stay awake for a single page, let alone an entire story, but of course he can’t say no to reading. There’s always time for a story. 

Namjoon and Hobi are running a few minutes later than usual to get Hobi to daycare the next day. The sugar crash must have really taken it out of Hobi, because he still isn’t out of bed when Namjoon finishes his coffee. Hobi usually wanders out of his room at the first hint of noise from Namjoon, eager to get his day started. He’s also usually eager to try and convince Namjoon into letting him have a poptart instead of a nutritious breakfast. 

But today, Namjoon has to lure him out of bed with the promise of half a poptart if he gets up now and also has a piece of fruit and yogurt. 

It must be because they’re off schedule that they also run into Jungkook for the first time. Or rather, they run into Jungkook’s dog. 

“Watson! Come here!” 

Namjoon is just opening the car door to put Hobi’s bag in when he hears Jungkook’s voice frantically calling. And then he sees the basset hound bounding towards Hobi. 

Watson doesn’t seem to have any desire to listen to Jungkook, not when there is a child ready to pat his ears and accept all his slobbery kisses, which is exactly what happens when he reaches Hobi. 

“Watson! We’ve talked about this! It scares kids when you go running at them like that, and you’re supposed to wait, ” Jungkook says exasperatedly. “I’m so sorry Namjoon, he listens really well, I swear, except when he sees kids. Usually everyone has headed out for work by this time so I thought he’d be okay to come into the yard without his leash.” 

“It’s okay, Hobi likes dogs. I don’t think he’s scared at all, are you bud?” he asks. Hobi is too busy being licked by the dog to pay any attention. 

“He really likes kids. I don’t know why exactly, maybe because they sometimes have snacks for him? Or their hands taste like people food? But he just has to say hi when there are kids around. You probably think I’m awful at my job now,” Jungkook sighs dramatically. 

“Not at all. We’re usually on our way by now, but we were just running a little behind. I’m sure Hobi would love to hang out with Watson any time if he wants to have a new friend,” Namjoon offers. “But we do need to run, or else I’m going to be late to work.” 

“Oh, of course! Watson, come on! Come on, I’ll give you a piece of cheese if you come back inside,” Jungkook says, trying to lure the dog away from Hobi. If possible, Watson’s ears seem to become even droopier, his wagging tail slowing as he mournfully watches Namjoon lift Hobi into his booster seat. 

“Bye Watson!” Hobi waves to the dog, and his tail starts to thump wildly again. Jungkook rolls his eyes. 

“You know I’m the one who feeds you, right?” he asks. Watson ignores him. 

“Dada, can we go see Watson tonight?” Hobi asks as Namjoon gets into the car. 

“I’m not sure, bud. I don’t know if Jungkook will be around, and I don’t want to just invite ourselves over,” Namjoon says. He does, actually, want to invite himself over to Jungkook’s, but not just to see the dog. 

Hobi wiggles in his seat, twisting to watch the dog fade out of sight. “I’ll invite us over, and then you don’t have to!” 

Namjoon laughs. “We’ll see, okay?” 

In the end, Jungkook invites them over himself. 

“Namjoon!” 

Namjoon turns to see Jungkook waving at him from his front porch. He and Hobi got home not long ago, and Namjoon came out to check on his little flower pots. He hasn’t been able to get the garden going just yet, but he did want to add some color to the yard. He picked out several begonias and asters to begin with, and he tends to them carefully each evening. 

“Hi, Jungkook. How was your day? Any more Watson mischief?” he asks teasingly. Jungkook wrinkles his nose cutely at that, shaking his head. 

“He really is mostly well behaved. But I think he just got too excited, seeing a new kiddo. He can usually contain himself with other kids in the neighborhood since he’s gotten to say hi before. So hopefully next time will be better!” 

“Actually…Hobi really wants to see him again. So, I’m sure he wouldn’t complain if you ever want to bring Watson by. Or we can come to you! It’s not much different, I suppose,” Namjoon chuckles to himself. He feels a little…not awkward, exactly, with Jungkook, but…nervous? 

“Of course! Any time! Watson will never say no to visitors,” Jungkook says. 

“You are welcome to say no to us, though. If you let him, I think Hobi will probably be over there every night. And every morning. Every spare second. He wants to get a dog, or a cat, or any pet, but…we just haven’t found the right time yet. It’s a lot of work,” Namjoon sighs. 

Jungkook nods. “Trust me, I know. But…I would be out of work if people didn’t get pets despite that! They can really be worth it. But until you guys decide it’s the right time, Watson will be available for rental.” 

Namjoon laughs at that. “Did you need something else? I was about to get dinner started for us, you’re welcome to join us if you like pasta and a minimal quantity of vegetables.”

Jungkook…is he blushing? Probably not, he was most likely just out in the sun for work today. “Oh, I actually meal prep, so my dinner is all set, proper amount of vegetables and all. I just wanted to apologize again for this morning. I hope you weren’t late for work because of us.”

Namjoon shakes his head, smiling. “There’s really nothing to apologize for. I wasn’t even late. But the library doesn’t mind if we come in a few minutes late or stay a little over, as long as everything gets done and we’re available when patrons need assistance.” 

Jungkook nods, looking a little more relaxed. “Well, tell Hobi I said he can come over whenever he wants. Maybe after you have dinner? Or this weekend? I usually have a couple of training sessions in the morning on Saturdays, but I’m free in the afternoon!” 

“That sounds good, I’ll let him know,” Namjoon says. He gives his flowers one last glance as he watches Jungkook walk back over to his house. He seems almost bouncy, reminding Namjoon of Watson prancing over when he was happy to see Hobi. Cute.  

When Namjoon comes back inside, Hobi is plopped on the couch, sifting through a book they got at the library the week prior. It has all sorts of animal illustrations, and even though they’ve read through it several times, Hobi is entranced by the pictures. He’s constantly pointing out new ones to Namjoon, asking him to read the names beneath and trying to remember what each one is. 

“Dada, this one is…a tree frog, right? And that one is…can toad?” Hobi asks, pointing out the pictures on his favorite page. 

“Close! The tree frog is right, but it’s called a ‘cane’ toad, not can,” Namjoon corrects gently. “How about this one, do you remember?” Namjoon taps the photo of a bright blue frog with black speckles. 

“Ummm…a poison frog?” Hobi guesses. They had talked about how many of the frogs with bright colors were actually signaling their poisonous nature to predators, so it’s a good guess. 

“Mostly right! It’s a poison dart frog. I think one of the toys at daycare looks like this guy, right?” Namjoon says. The daycare has plastic frogs of every color, which Namjoon thought was just for fun, but apparently blue frogs do exist. 

“Yeah! Do you think that the frogs are poisonous to each other too? How do they hug?” Hobi asks, looking up at Namjoon with wide eyes. 

“Well…I don’t think frogs hug,” Namjoon answers slowly. Hobi’s eyes get even bigger. 

“No hugs? But…aren’t they sad?” 

“I don’t think so, bud. Frogs do lots of other things that make them happy, like eating and swimming!” Namjoon says, trying to cheer Hobi up. But it doesn’t seem to work. 

“But I like eating and swimming, and I would still be sad without hugs. Do you think TaeTae and I could teach the pond frogs how to hug?” Hobi asks, starting to look determined. Namjoon has to contain his chuckle at the thought of the two little boys trying to demonstrate hugs to a bunch of croaking, confused frogs. 

“Well…I’m not sure if that’s a good idea. You know how you’re allowed to say no if you don’t want to give someone a hug?” Hobi nods slowly. “Well, the frogs can’t tell you yes or no. So it wouldn’t be very nice, would it?”

Hobi sighs. “I guess not. Maybe we can get more books on frogs at the library? I just want to see if any of them hug.”

“Sure, bud. I bet they have ways of communicating that we haven’t even thought about.” 

(Namjoon has a sneaking suspicion that he’s in for a conversation about frog “affection” that he is not quite prepared to have with his five year old). 

The next week, when it’s time for the writing workshop, Namjoon spots Jungkook loitering outside on his front porch, sneaking glances towards Namjoon’s house. 

Is he…waiting for me? Maybe he wants to walk together? Namjoon wonders. If that’s the case, he doesn’t want to squander the opportunity. He rushes to gather all his things––laptop bag, keys, phone, wallet––before stepping out the door. He waves to Jungkook, who looks relieved to see him. He trots over to Namjoon’s driveway, smiling broadly. 

“Hi, Namjoon! Did you want to walk to the library together? I wasn’t sure if you just stayed after work, or if you were home…I realized I don’t have your number, so I couldn’t text to check,” Jungkook rambles. He looks pink again. 

Maybe I should get him some sunscreen, it really can’t be good for him to keep getting sunburns, Namjoon thinks, then scolds himself for trying to father everyone that crosses his path. 

“Hi, Jungkook. You’re right, we should exchange numbers. It would be good to be able to contact each other, since we’re neighbors and all,” Namjoon says lightly. Smooth. 

Jungkook hands over his phone, and Namjoon types in his number, sending himself a quick text to save Jungkook’s number as well. 

“I wish there was a basset hound emoji for you,” he says. Namjoon is the type to save all his contacts with emojis, even if it feels a little goofy. He likes to know who is texting him from a quick glance, so he can tell if it’s important or not. 

“I’ve been telling Watson that for ages. He deserves an emoji representative of his glorious ears,” Jungkook jokes. “Maybe for yours I’ll put…a magnifying glass for mystery?” 

Namjoon snorts. He doesn’t think he’s especially mysterious. He lost that quality as soon as he became a parent. He might have been mysterious at one point, but now he doesn’t have the energy for the facade. He wants to be obviously, authentically himself; that way, he doesn’t have to deal with anyone that isn’t interested in the real version of him. “I’m not sure I qualify as a mystery.”

“A book, then? Or…” Jungkook seems to be scrolling through his entire emoji library, looking for just the right one. “How about these yellow flowers? They look kinda like the ones in your yard, just a different color.”

Namjoon nods shyly. He hasn’t ever been associated with something pretty like that. Him, a flower? Of course, he does like flowers and plants in general. He feels proud, in a way, when he’s able to sustain their fragile lives. To protect them from all the harms of the world, to water them appropriately and trim away their broken bits, to pull out any weeds that wander into their soil. It reassures him that he is capable of great responsibility, of holding something delicate in his hands and not allowing it to break. 

“What emoji are you going to use for me? Since there’s no basset hound?” Jungkook asks after he’s saved Namjoon’s contact. Namjoon stares at the screen, uncertain. He was thinking about using the generic dog emoji; it’s close enough to Watson’s coloration, though the ears and shape aren’t right at all. But…now that Jungkook has thought so carefully about Namjoon’s emoji, he wants to offer the same amount of effort. He swipes through the screens, searching for the right fit, until…

“How about this one?” he asks, stopping at the animal section once again. 

“The butterfly?” Jungkook looks nonplussed, but not offended, so Namjoon forges ahead. 

“Yeah, I thought it went well with the flowers. You know, butterflies come by to see the flowers and all…” he trails off, feeling silly. It sounded better in his head, more…metaphorical? Meaningful? But now it just sort of seems like he’s trying too hard. 

“Oh. Oh, I like that,” Jungkook says softly, gazing at the blue emoji on the screen. “It’s cute that they go together, but only we would know.” 

Namjoon gulps. Cute? “Yeah,” is all he can come up with in response. 

They chat a bit about their days for the rest of the walk, Namjoon updating Jungkook on the latest in library IT drama and Jungkook explaining the puppy training session he had earlier in the day. 

“Do you like working with puppies or adult dogs more?” Namjoon asks curiously. 

“It depends on the day. Puppies tend to be pretty easy; they’re too young to have many behavioral issues, so it’s more about getting them a good foundation, making sure the owners have the tools they need. Sometimes it can feel a little repetitive, but of course they’re super cute. The adult dogs…well, they can be more challenging, which I enjoy. It’s fun to think of new ways to engage with them, you know?” Jungkook pauses, glancing over at Namjoon. “You can tell me if I’m going on too long. I can get carried away when it comes to dogs.”

Namjoon shakes his head. “Are you kidding? Your job sounds so interesting. It’s me that doesn’t have anything exciting to add.” 

Jungkook frowns. “Of course you do! Any job that works with people is sure to have some interesting stories. And you’re more than just your job. I’m sure you have plenty of funny stories about Hobi.” 

Namjoon smiles; that is entirely true. He does encounter some quirky characters, especially via the help desk chat. But even more entertaining than that is certainly Hobi. 

“You’re not wrong there,” he admits a bit sheepishly. Jungkook grins triumphantly. 

When they arrive at the library, it’s only natural for them to take their original seats beside each other. It feels nice to have a friend to sit and chat with for the extra handful of minutes before class begins. Namjoon has missed this sort of camaraderie. 

It’s been hard, if he’s being honest. He loves having Hobi, and even though he wasn’t part of the original plan, he’s part of every plan Namjoon makes now, and will be part of every plan he makes for the future. But he still has to admit how hard and often isolating that adjustment was. 

He used to be a lot more social, doing all sorts of activities and making plans and…and dating. He’d be out getting drinks on the weekends, or going to art museums, or attending book club meetings. He had so many hobbies, so many people that felt like friends. 

But in the end, most of them weren’t the kind of friends that stick around, especially when there’s a kid in the picture. So Namjoon had to do a lot of things alone. And not just the raising a kid parts, but also everything that he once enjoyed doing with friends or on dates. If he even had time for those hobbies in the first place. He could sometimes read for a few moments, but his eyes were often too tired. He’d never be able to finish a book club pick on time. He might have an hour or two to write in the evenings, but his ideas felt meaningless. He rarely had a day to himself, and if he did…well, there was no one left to call. 

So now, it feels almost monumental to be making a new friend. Did it used to feel like this? The giddy excitement of small talk with someone he’s interested in getting to know? The swoop of appreciation when Jungkook acknowledges his humor or his hard work? The anxious energy that swells in his chest when he thinks about how to start up their next conversation? It must have, right? It’s just been a long time, so he’s forgotten. 

When Jimin strides into the room, Namjoon hardly notices, too focused on listening to Jungkook’s story about how his most recent client greeted him by peeing on his leg. Too entranced by the way Jungkook makes little voices for the animals, like he can read their minds and hear just what inflection and tone they would have. 

“Alright, everyone. I think we’re all here, so why don’t we get started?” Jimin announces, and Namjoon reluctantly turns towards the screen at the front of the room. 

Once everyone is quiet and settled in, Jimin begins. “Today, we’ll be discussing characters. Does anyone have thoughts on whether the protagonist or the antagonist in a mystery is more important?” 

The class delves into a lively discussion on the topic, and they seem to be truly torn. Half the class thinks that the protagonist is clearly more important; they are the one everyone is rooting for, after all. But the other half of the class argues that without a good villain, there’s not a mystery to be had. The antagonist is what brings the interest to the story. 

“But no one wants the villain to win!” one of the women says.

“Sometimes…I think people do. Or at least, they understand the villain’s intentions. I think those can be the most interestings kinds of stories, when you’re not sure who to root for entirely. Morally gray characters, you know?” Jungkook says. 

Namjoon nods along with him; he has to admit, he agrees. Some of the characters he finds most compelling are morally gray, or at least have some sort of checkered past. It feels too simple, too straightforward, when a character doesn’t have any flaws or is only flawed. A story becomes more thought-provoking when there are questions about morality, about intent, about right and wrong. Namjoon finds himself most at home in these areas, in the nonbinary expanse of gray. 

Jimin eventually winds the conversation down; Namjoon doesn’t think he intended for them to reach a conclusion, but rather to delve deeper into why they might choose to write their characters in one way or another. For a cozy mystery, it might make more sense to have a protagonist that is generally just good . But for a psychological thriller, having characters that fall in the middle could more effectively build tension. 

“Let’s start working on outlining the characters you’d like to include in your stories. I’ve put a basic character study list on the screen for you to refer to. Even if some of these elements don’t appear important, having them written down can be helpful as you’re writing,” Jimin says. 

Namjoon glances over the character sketch bullet points. Age, physical description, job, relationships, role in story, habits…he doesn’t know if he’ll need much for all of the items, but Jimin’s right, it would be nice to have it all written down as a reference if he gets stuck. Plus, since he plans to write a shorter story, he’ll need to be sure all his characters are well-constructed. He starts tapping out some details on his laptop, chewing his lip absently as he does so. 

After a few minutes, he notices that Jungkook isn’t typing beside him. He glances over and…Jungkook is just watching him. He quickly glances back at his screen, but Namjoon can see that he hasn’t written anything yet. 

“Everything okay?” he asks. 

“Yeah…just, I’m not sure where to start. I haven’t thought a lot about the characterizations I want to use just yet,” Jungkook mumbles. 

“Did you want to talk it out? Sometimes that helps to get the ideas flowing,” Namjoon offers. He remembers the first class, when Jungkook started a conversation before writing anything down. Maybe that’s how his brain works; he needs to hear the ideas aloud before they can take shape for him. A few other people are also talking softly, so Namjoon thinks it’s fine. They’re all adults, they’re allowed to brainstorm in whatever way is most productive. 

“I think that might help. Remember how I said I’d like to do a dog park as the setting? So I’m wondering if the protagonist should be a person, or if it might be fun to write from the dog’s perspective?” Jungkook says tentatively. 

“Oh, that could be really interesting! There are a lot of popular books that come from an animal perspective, I think people really enjoy that,” Namjoon says encouragingly. 

“You don’t think it would come across as…childish?” Jungkook asks. 

Namjoon frowns. Why would it be childish? Just because it’s animals? He wonders if Jungkook has been told this before, that loving animals and stories about them is something for kids, not adults. 

“No, I don’t think so. I mean, you could make it approachable for general audiences, that would come from the tone and content of the story. But just because it’s about dogs doesn’t immediately make it for kids. There’s plenty of ‘kid’ stuff that’s been turned into adult concepts. Look at all the cartoons made for adults!” Namjoon says, starting to get into the topic. “And anyway, I don’t think you have to outgrow things just because you enjoyed them as a kid too. It’s about what makes you happy, not about generalizations other people make.” 

Jungkook smiles a bit at that. “You’re right. I just…I’ve been told certain things aren’t for me, you know? It’s like…why does loving animals have an age limit? A lot of people underestimate me because they think that it doesn’t take much to do my job. But I have a license, and it takes a lot of time and education to be really good at it, so that’s frustrating.”

Namjoon nods. He has no idea what goes into being a dog trainer, didn’t even know that you could get a license for it. “I’m sure you’re great at it. I’m sorry that people aren’t more appreciative.” 

“It’s okay, I’ll just have to keep educating people. Maybe that can be part of this story! So, what do you think of having a basset hound as the main character? Is that too cliche?” 

They chat about dog options for another ten minutes or so, and then both return to typing out their character sketches. By the time they reach the workshopping portion of the class, Namjoon feels pretty good about his ideas, and by the look of Jungkook’s grin, he does too. 

“Alright everyone, we have time to workshop three of your setting assignments today. I assume you’ve all done your comments on the pieces already, since they were sent out over the weekend to your emails. Is there anyone who would like their setting workshopped today? If not, we’ll just pick randomly. Everyone will also receive their comments via email, so you all get feedback on your work,” Jimin says. 

A few people do raise their hands, though Jungkook and Namjoon both remain quiet. Namjoon thinks he’d rather have a different aspect of his story workshopped during class, something he’s less confident in. Maybe the pacing of the action, or the cohesion of the plot? It’s nice that they get to go by each aspect though; that way, everyone can get feedback on elements they are most interested in working on. 

Once they wrap up with the final piece, Jungkook and Namjoon walk out the doors together. They’ve already fallen into a routine, and Namjoon knows he’s going to miss it once the course ends. It’s peaceful, hardly anyone else on the streets, just the two of them in the setting sun. Admiring the flowers and the houses along the way, smiling when a dog trots past with its human. 

“Is Hobi at home? Do you think he’d want to say hi to Watson before bed, or is it too late for him? I was gonna take him for a short walk around the neighborhood,” Jungkook asks as they approach their houses. 

“Ah, he’s supposed to go to bed around 8:30, but since the class doesn’t end until then, he gets to stay up a bit late. He’s at a friend’s house, but he gets dropped off around the time I get back home,” Namjoon explains. He’d tried to convince Jin that he could just as easily come get Hobi after class (it’s only about a five minute drive), but Jin insisted on bringing Hobi home himself. 

“Namjoon, you need to have time to yourself too. Just take this one night to enjoy a couple of hours doing something you enjoy, and let me worry about Hobi,” he’d said when Namjoon tried to protest. 

It is nice, being able to take the extra fifteen minutes to walk to the library and back with Jungkook, to not have to rush out right at the end of class to get Hobi home. He wonders if this is what it’s like to have a support system, a partner of some sort in all of this. He’s never had anyone that wanted to help him unless he was paying them for the service. 

“Ah, that’s okay. He needs his rest! Maybe tomorrow he’d like to spend some time with him after you’re done at work?” Jungkook suggests easily. 

Namjoon nods. Hobi will be excited about the idea, he’s sure. He’s always asking Namjoon when they can get a pet, promising he’d take such good care of it and love it with all his heart. He doesn’t even seem to care what species of pet they get, as long as it’s something he can cuddle and spoil. Dog, cat, ferret, chinchilla, goat, chicken, gecko…he’s asked for all of them and more. Namjoon just isn’t sure he’s quite ready to add another living creature to their household; he worries enough about the one he has to take care of already. 

“That sounds good. We usually get back a little before six and then have dinner, so maybe after that, around seven?” he suggests. 

“Sure! Just text me and I can bring Watson out. He’s going to be so happy!” Jungkook says, grinning. “He hasn’t gotten any cuddles from kiddos since…oh, probably two days ago, so he’s feeling very deprived.” 

“Oh, do you bring him to see your friend’s kids?” Namjoon asks. 

“I do, but we also volunteer for the local humane association as a therapy animal team. Since Watson does so well with kids, we go to a bunch of different places. The hospital, a counselor’s office, schools, and the library for reading programs with kids. And he still acts like I never let him see a single child ever,” Jungkook chuckles. 

Namjoon just stares at him. How…how can someone be so soft ? Jungkook is just so good. He’s never met anyone quite like him. 

“How do you even have time for all of that?” he asks, awed. He feels overwhelmed most days between work and taking care of Hobi and himself. He’s barely had time for a hobby in the last few years, let alone multiple volunteering roles. 

“Oh, my schedule is pretty flexible since I can do training sessions in a lot of different time slots,” Jungkook says. “So I usually just account for a couple of those volunteer spots every month, it works out well!”

Namjoon nods listlessly; maybe he needs to take a page out of Jungkook’s scheduling book. 

“You should bring Hobi to one of the library sessions!” Jungkook suggests cheerily. “Does he like to read?” 

“He does, but he’s really just starting to do it on his own,” Namjoon says. He’s actually pretty proud of Hobi figuring out the shapes and sounds of letters at his age; they read stories together so often that Hobi seems to be picking up a few things early. Hopefully it will give him a good start when kindergarten begins this fall. 

“That’s a perfect time to bring him for the reading to dogs program! It’s a great, non-judgemental space for kids to read. Dogs don’t know if they say the words wrong or skip a sentence, they’re just happy to be there,” Jungkook says. Namjoon has to agree that it sounds pretty nice, and he’s never known Hobi to turn down a library trip or a chance to pet a dog. 

“Do you know when the next one is? I can also just check next time I’m at work,” he says. 

“I think there’s one coming up this weekend, actually. Do you work weekends?” Jungkook asks. 

“I have a rotating weekend, but mostly I’m off. I was lucky; since I have Hobi, they were a little more flexible with my schedule. It’s not always negotiable; apparently they have trouble covering Saturdays and Sundays,” Namjoon explains. He was a little nervous going into the interview, asking for the weekends off, but when he explained about Hobi, the interviewer softened a bit. “We should be able to make it!”

“Perfect! I will let Watson know all that he has to look forward to this week,” Jungkook says as he heads to his front door. Namjoon smiles as he watches him go inside, just moments before Seokjin pulls up with Hobi. 

“Dada!” Hobi comes running up to Namjoon as though they’ve been apart for months. It’s kind of nice to be greeted with so much enthusiasm. He likes feeling needed. 

“Hi, sweet boy,” he says, arms still wrapped around Hobi. “Did you have fun tonight?” 

“We did! We went to the playground and Mr. Kim almost threw up,” Hobi says excitedly. Namjoon glances over at Seokjin, who winces. 

“We may have gone around a few too many times on the merry-go-round, but I did not throw up,” he explains. 

“Well, it sounds like you must be tired and ready for bed,” Namjoon says, speaking to Hobi but grinning at Seokjin. “Why don’t you go inside and start getting ready? I’ll come in and read your story in a few minutes.” 

Hobi happily skips up the front steps and into the house, still giggling. Namjoon waits for Seokjin to speak. 

“He was just having so much fun, how was I supposed to tell him that old people get dizzy more quickly than kids?” Seokjin grumbles. 

“Please, you’re barely any older than I am, and I can handle the merry-go-round just fine. Where are Tae and Yoongi?” 

“They're in the car, both exhausted. I’m sure I’ll have to carry them inside when we get home,” Seokjin says. “It’s nice having Hobi to play with them too. I’m sure they get tired of boring old me.”

“You’re not boring. Hobi always gets excited for his nights with you, and he talks about Tae and Yoongi constantly,” Namjoon reassures him. “But if you want me to come get him next week, I can definitely—”

“Namjoon, it’s really not a big deal. Yoongi’s bedtime isn’t until nine or so anyway, and Tae is always trying to talk me into letting him stay up later in the summer, despite being sleepy by eight. It’s really not a bother, don’t worry about it,” Seokjin says firmly. “I’m happy to help. I know what it’s like to be on your own a lot; my partner travels, and I have the kids on my own for weeks at a time. So I’m well aware how much an extra fifteen minutes can mean to a parent.” 

Namjoon stops trying to argue. Seokjin isn’t wrong, it’s just…he hasn’t been seen this way by someone else, not really. Most of the time, when he interacts with other parents, he feels either judged or pitied. Not understood. Not supported. Seokjin is the first person that’s recognized not only all the hard work Namjoon puts into being a good parent for Hobi, but also how little time he’s set aside for himself . 

“Thanks, Jin,” he says softly. “If there’s anything I can do to repay you, really, let me know. I’d be happy to watch the boys sometime for you too!” 

Jin smiles and nods at him. “Yeah, maybe when my partner is back you can take them for date night. Although don’t say I didn’t warn you; Yoongi can be a little troublemaker!” 

Namjoon just shakes his head and laughs. “Trust me, I am well acquainted with the innocent face and not so innocent behavior,” he says, thinking about the many times Hobi has made a mess and then claimed he had no idea how it happened: wide eyes, shoulders shrugging, pouty lips. 

He waves as Seokjin drives away, then heads inside to see if Hobi is ready for his bedtime story. The house is suspiciously quiet, no running water or padding footsteps in Hobi’s room. Namjoon pokes his head in and finds his son fast asleep with a book on his pillow. He really must have been tired out if he didn’t even wait for his story. Namjoon quietly picks up the book and sets it on the shelf, then tucks the covers more securely around Hobi before turning out the light. 

He makes his way into the kitchen, wanting a quick snack before he too gets ready for bed. His laptop seems to call to him, so he settles in the chair beside the window to continue working on his character sketches. He’s getting more settled into his idea, a combination of a murder mystery and literary fiction set in the garden of Eden. He wants to explore the imagery and symbolism there, but with a bit of a twist. He thinks it has potential, as long as he plans all the elements carefully. 

When he glances up about twenty minutes later, he notices a light on in Jungkook’s house too. He can see his silhouette, curled up on the couch with Watson, watching something on TV. He looks so cozy, absently flopping the dog’s large ears around, dressed in a baggy t-shirt. Jungkook always looks comfortable, at ease in himself, but there’s something about this specific moment that Namjoon finds incredibly endearing. Maybe the way that Jungkook interacts with Watson, so gentle and soft. Maybe the way he looks in the flickering light of the TV. Maybe the way he’s…looking over at Namjoon’s window right now . 

And…yup, they’ve made eye contact. Namjoon has been caught spying on his neighbor. He didn’t even mean to spy, he was just looking around for a break from his laptop. Enjoying the evening scenery. His eyes just happened to wander towards the light in the window. And then linger. 

Jungkook gives him a tiny wave, then lifts Watson’s paw to wave at him as well. Namjoon can’t help but laugh at the dog’s dopey expression. He doesn’t seem bothered at all, just letting Jungkook do what he wants with his foot. Namjoon waves back at them, then lifts his laptop into view, as though to say, just working on the assignment.  

Why am I being so awkward? he wonders to himself. He’s allowed to sit at the window in his house. He’s allowed to look across the yard to Jungkook’s house. He’s not being weird. Neighbors see each other all the time. If they were doing anything secretive, then the curtains would be closed. But Jungkook doesn’t close the curtains. He just goes back to watching his show. 

Namjoon is thoroughly distracted now, so he closes his laptop for the night and shuts his own curtains. He brushes his teeth and washes up before finally curling up under his quilt. It’s been a long day, so he should be tired. Most nights, he falls asleep within minutes, sleeping soundly until his alarm goes off. But tonight, his mind feels wound up, thoughts circling through his brain at high speed, unable to shut down. 

Did Jungkook think I was being weird, looking through the window like that? It was kind of awkward. And we’re supposed to see each other tomorrow, so hopefully it doesn’t make things uncomfortable. I didn’t even get to tell Hobi about seeing Watson tomorrow, so that will be a good surprise for him. He was so tuckered out, I wonder how Seokjin does it. All three boys at once is a lot, I’m really grateful to him. I’ll have to find a way to thank him, once the class is over. I wonder if he likes wine? Is wine too romantic? I don’t want it to seem like I’m hitting on him…maybe a gift card instead? But is that too impersonal?

His thoughts finally swirl their way into silence and he manages to drift off. 

“Dada! Watson is outside! Can we go see him, please please?” 

Namjoon glances out the window. Sure enough, Jungkook has Watson out in his backyard, and they’re playing fetch. It’s pretty entertaining to watch Watson lumber after the ball, his ears flopping all over yet somehow not tripping him. He proudly carries the ball back to Jungkook, sets it down primly, and then looks up for the next throw. Jungkook has one of those plastic throwing sticks so he doesn’t have to pick up the slimy ball each time it’s returned to him. Smart. 

“Sure, let’s just put our shoes on and go see if you can say hi. Remember to ask before you pet, okay?” Namjoon reminds Hobi. Even though they’ve met Watson before, he wants to make sure that Hobi knows not all dogs are friendly or want to be petted by indelicate young hands. It’s always better to ask each time than to have anything happen that would damage his love for animals. 

Namjoon discreetly texts Jungkook to let him know they’re coming over in a few minutes, just to make sure it’s still okay. Jungkook replies with three thumbs up and a smiley face, so it seems they are more than welcome. He barely manages to get Hobi’s shoes securely on his feet before he’s darting out the door and over to Jungkook’s gate. 

“Hi Mr…umm…Watson’s dad! Can we pet Watson?” Hobi says, stumbling over what exactly to call Jungkook. Namjoon realizes they didn’t really do introductions before, since he already knew Jungkook and they were kind of in a hurry. 

“Um, what do you want him to call you? He calls his friend’s dad Mr. Kim, so I’m not sure if you like last name, or…” Namjoon asks awkwardly. 

“Oh, how about you call me Mr. Kookie? I just feel too young for Mr. Jeon, you know?” Jungkook laughs. “I’ve never been one for formalities, though. And of course, he’s been waiting all morning for someone to pet him!” 

I’m not gonna think it, I’m not gonna think it…oh my god that’s so cute. Damn it. How is Namjoon supposed to control his thoughts when Jungkook asks his kid to call him Mr. Kookie? That’s the cutest nickname he’s ever heard. He is going to have to focus really hard not to call Jungkook “Kookie” now. 

Namjoon opens up the gate for Hobi, and Watson immediately makes his way over to the little boy. Hobi kneels down in the grass and Watson promptly flops over to offer his belly for scratches. 

“Poor Watson, no one ever pets him,” Jungkook says. Hobi looks up at him, stricken. “I’m just kidding! He gets more pets than any dog I’ve ever known, and he still thinks it’s not enough.” 

He and Namjoon settle into two patio chairs, watching Watson and Hobi in the grass. Jungkook has a glass of iced tea on the table, and he motions towards it, asking if Namjoon would like one too. 

“Oh, sure. Do you have any creamer?” Namjoon asks. He can drink plain tea, but he doesn’t prefer to. He likes all the fun flavored creamers at the store, especially when there are seasonal ones for coffees. And he has lots of opinions on those. He will firmly argue that the best winter flavor is gingerbread, not that awful peppermint mocha. Why couldn’t they leave mocha alone? It’s a perfectly good flavor all by itself. 

“I do! I have sweet cream and vanilla, if you have a preference?” Jungkook asks.

“I’ll take a bit of sweet cream, thank you,” Namjoon says. 

“Make sure that Watson doesn’t lick Hobi’s face while I’m gone. He’ll usually behave himself if he knows I’m watching, but if he thinks he can get away with it, he’ll go to town,” Jungkook warns. 

“Got it,” Namjoon says. The dog is completely blissed out, upside down in belly rub heaven, so he doubts it will be an issue. 

Watching Hobi with Watson does make it very tempting to get a dog of their own. Hobi would always have a companion, someone to tell all his stories to, someone to play and run around the backyard with. He’d make so many good memories, and he’d stop begging Namjoon for a pet every other day. 

But you really don’t have time to take care of a dog, and it can get expensive too, Namjoon reminds himself. He’d done some research, and found that veterinary care prices have only been increasing alongside everything else in recent years. Even a healthy pet can cost thousands of dollars a year once a vet visit, preventatives, food, toys, and grooming were added up. And that’s just not something Namjoon feels comfortable taking on right now. 

Plus, we have a dog that loves Hobi right next door, Namjoon reassures himself. It’s like the best of both worlds. All of the fun and petting and none of the medical costs. 

“Here’s your tea, let me know if it needs more cream,” Jungkook reappears beside him, setting down a glass of iced tea. Namjoon takes a sip, humming in satisfaction. 

“Just right,” he assures Jungkook, who settles back into his seat upon Namjoon’s approval. 

“Any rogue face licking while I was gone?” he asks. 

“No, he’s been on his back the whole—”

“Watson! You know the rules!” Jungkook calls sternly to the dog, who, at some point, had flipped over and started licking Hobi’s face. 

“When did he do that?!” Namjoon says. He was just looking at them, and Watson seemed perfectly content to be getting his belly scratched. No sign of face licking. 

“I told you, he’s sneaky. Very clever guy hiding underneath those floppy ears,” Jungkook chuckles. 

“I guess so. Silent, too. I didn’t even hear him move!” Namjoon says, bewildered. He’s really not terribly concerned with the dog licking Hobi; he probably encounters just as many germs in the toy box at daycare or in the dirt at the park, but since it’s Jungkook’s rule, he does want to respect it. 

They watch the pair for quite a while, easily entertained by the way Watson lets out dramatic huffs and paws at Hobi’s hands for more pets. He has the little boy wrapped right around his tail. 

“Mr. Kookie, do you have any treats for Watson? He says he’s hungry,” Hobi calls over to them. Namjoon and Jungkook exchange a look. 

“He said that? He must have whispered it really quietly, I didn’t hear Watson say anything,” Jungkook calls back. “Did he say what kind of treat he wants?” 

Hobi whispers into the dog’s large ear, and Watson thumps his tail. 

“He says that bacon sounds good, but he’ll also take sandwich meat or cheese,” Hobi reports. 

“Wow, he’s talking a lot to you! He never says that much to me,” Jungkook pouts. “I’ll go see if we have any of the requested items. If not, he’ll have to settle for a pupperoni.” 

Hobi and Watson consult once again. “He says that will do,” Hobi says importantly. 

“I didn’t know you could talk to dogs, bud,” Namjoon says when Jungkook disappears into the house to fetch rations for Watson. 

“Of course I can, Dada. Can’t everyone?” Hobi says. 

“I suppose everyone can talk to them, but not everybody is able to listen to what they say back,” Namjoon says. 

“Very philosophical,” Jungkook replies from behind him. He has a couple of string cheeses and a handful of dog treats. “Now, the cheese is for people only, and these treats are for Watson only. Don’t get them mixed up, okay? I don’t want any upset bellies.” 

Everyone nods; even Watson seems to incline his head at Jungkook’s words. After they’ve enjoyed their snacks, Hobi finds Watson’s ball and starts to toss it for him. He seems unbothered by the slimy goo the ball is covered in once Watson has picked it up a couple of times. We are definitely going to need to wash his hands after this, Namjoon thinks to himself. But he can’t bring himself to tell Hobi not to play, can’t tell him that he shouldn’t throw the ball a few more times. He looks like he’s having so much fun, and so does Watson. And who is Namjoon to stop them? 

“He’s gonna be tuckered out after this. He never wants to play with me for that long. He knows he’s supposed to get his exercise, but he’d much rather lounge on the couch or do a treat puzzle,” Jungkook says quietly. 

“I’ve seen him out playing with you before. He doesn’t like it?” Namjoon asks, watching the dog joyfully prance across the yard with his slobbery ball. 

“It’s more that…he seems to know I have other stuff he wants more . But with kids, he’s happy to play as long as they want,” Jungkook explains. 

“How did you discover that he likes kids so much?” Namjoon asks curiously. So far, he hasn’t seen any kids visiting Jungkook’s house. He thought maybe he had nieces or nephews that Watson liked, or maybe the friends he mentioned. Of course, it’s not like he’s watching Jungkook’s house constantly. Hell, he’s not even home most of the day, so he could easily miss plenty of visitors. 

“Oh, well, my friend has two boys, and when I adopted Watson, they wanted to meet him so badly. I didn’t want to overwhelm him, you know, going to a new home is already a lot of change. So I waited a couple of weeks, just to make sure that he was settling in, not feeling too stressed. And then I had the boys come over, went over all the rules…let him come to you, don’t pet too hard, no grabbing ears or tail or paws, toss the treats to him…and Watson was over the moon the moment he saw them. It startled me a little at first, since I thought maybe he was reacting badly, but he was just so excited. And he knew just how to be gentle with them too, it was adorable,” Jungkook smiles, remembering the moment. “After that, I looked into getting him into the therapy dog program, and the rest is history.” 

Namjoon has to admit, it’s very endearing to hear how much thought Jungkook put into the safety of his friend’s kids. He likes that Jungkook had their needs at the forefront of his mind, and that he seems so comfortable being around Hobi. It’s sweet. 

“He’s pretty amazing. I bet he’s helped a lot of kids, maybe even their parents too,” Namjoon says. Jungkook looks a little flushed, a little shy at the compliment. 

“Thank you, I’d like to think he has too,” he says. 

After another half hour or so, Namjoon manages to convince Hobi that they need to head home. Hobi says a dramatic goodbye to Watson, whispering that he’ll make sure he gets plenty of pets and treats next time they visit. They wave to Jungkook and head back home, Hobi talking a mile a minute about how good Watson is, and how soft his ears are, and how he can’t wait to have a dog just like him one day. 

That weekend, Namjoon takes Hobi to the library to surprise him with the dog reading program, which is adorably described as “Book Buddies”. They come to the library pretty often on the weekends, so there’s nothing out of the ordinary when Namjoon suggests it. Hobi has no idea that there will be dogs waiting when they get there. 

“Dada, do you think there will be any new books on frogs?” Hobi asks, swinging Namjoon’s hand as far back and forth as he can. 

“I’m not sure. Maybe there will be some new animals you can learn about if they haven’t gotten more frog books. We could read about insects, so you can name the ones we see outside! Or sea lions, or…” Namjoon is trying to come up with some more creatures they might not have covered yet in Hobi’s impressive reading history when the dogs come into view. 

“WATSON!” Hobi shrieks, temporarily forgetting the library noise policy and how to use his indoor voice. Namjoon rushes after him, trying to keep him from getting any louder. Luckily, the kid’s section is usually a bit more hectic than the other parts of the library, so no one seems terribly offended. 

Watson gets in one big kiss to Hobi’s face before a glance from Jungkook has him containing himself once again. Hobi, as usual, doesn’t mind at all, patting the dog’s head and ears, telling him how much he’s missed him (it’s been three days). 

“I’m glad you guys could make it!” Jungkook smiles up at Namjoon from where he’s kneeling next to Watson, making sure no rogue face kisses occur. 

“It was clearly a good surprise, even better than a new frog book, right Hobi?” Namjoon says. Hobi nods happily. 

“It would also be really good if there was a new frog book and I got to pet Watson,” he says. 

There’s a pile of books on a table nearby for the kids to choose from, and several cushions to sit on with the dogs. A few children are already gathered around a Saint Bernard, taking turns reading pages from a book while the dog lounges, thumping her tail here and there as though she’s listening. Namjoon starts to sort through the books, looking for any that Hobi might be familiar with or able to sound out some words from. No frog books, but there is a cute one about a pond and all the creatures living in it that seems approachable. 

Namjoon offers Hobi the book, and he happily settles down to read with Watson. There’s definitely more petting happening than reading, but Namjoon really can’t be upset. Hobi is already ahead of the curve by being able to sound out words at all, so any attempt is excellent in Namjoon’s eyes. 

“Have lots of kids come by yet?” Namjoon asks Jungkook. 

“It’s been pretty steady. Sometimes we hardly get any takers at all, other weeks it’s like this, with regular groups coming and going. The Saint Bernard, Emma, is always popular, but Watson is just as cute, don’t you think?” Jungkook glances over at Watson, who has his head resting on Hobi’s little shoe and an ear flopped over his knee. 

“Definitely,” Namjoon says. He sneaks his phone out to take a quick picture of the scene so Hobi can always remember learning to read with Watson beside him. 

“How has your writing been going?” Jungkook asks. 

“It’s been okay. I have a lot of ideas, but I’m not sure if all of them fit into this story. I did a bit of outlining, just so I can see it all together and figure out where to go. How about yours?”

Jungkook sighs. “I feel kind of stuck with mine. I know the vibe I want to go for, but I’m just…not sure how to create it. Every time I try, I feel like my ideas are stupid and I just delete it all.”

Namjoon frowns. “You delete it? What if you try keeping it and looking at it with fresh eyes the next day?”

Jungkook crinkles his nose. “I don’t know…maybe you’re right. I guess it couldn’t hurt anything to leave it, but I get so…annoyed, I guess, when it doesn’t turn out the way I planned right away.” 

Namjoon chuckles. “Well, that’s what editing and workshopping is for. If I deleted everything I wasn’t happy with right away, I’m not sure I’d ever finish a story. Sometimes I need those ideas to get me to wherever I’m supposed to be. And sometimes I don’t, and it’s just as easy to delete them later if they really don’t work.” 

“Maybe I need your editing expertise, tell me if my ideas suck,” Jungkook says, sounding half-joking. But Namjoon is more than willing to help, especially if it boosts Jungkook’s confidence. His idea seemed so soft and sweet, and Namjoon thinks it could turn out great. Maybe Jungkook just needs a bit of encouragement. 

“If you want, I can look over whatever you have so far. I know we don’t get to workshop everyone’s pieces in every class, so I’m happy to help,” he offers. He’s usually up for a few hours after Hobi goes to sleep anyway, so it would be no trouble to help Jungkook in the evenings if he wanted. 

Jungkook looks hesitant, but interested. “Really? You’re not too busy? I know you’ve got work and your own writing and Hobi, so it’s not a big deal if you can’t…” 

Namjoon nods emphatically. “I would love to read what you have! I usually have a bit of time after Hobi goes to bed, so you could come over if that’s not too late for you.” 

Jungkook chews his lip, looking over at Hobi and Watson while he considers. “Okay, if you’re sure. Maybe…Thursday? Or we could do it next weekend too, I was just thinking somewhere in between the classes so we have time to work on the assignments.”

Namjoon flips through his calendar, just to make sure he doesn’t have anything else going on. “Let’s do Thursday then; I have my Saturday shift next week, but if weekends generally work better we can do that next time.” 

It feels weird to add plans with a…friend? to his calendar, but Namjoon really does not want to forget that Jungkook will be coming by and have on his ratty sleep shorts or something when he shows up. That would be…uncomfortable. He doesn’t need Jungkook to see him like that. Or worse yet, with his shirt off, since that’s how he prefers to sleep…yeah, that would definitely be awkward. 

After Namjoon convinces Hobi to let another child have a turn reading to Watson (he only has to remind him three times that Watson lives right next door, and they’ll be able to see him again so soon ), they peruse the book options in the children’s section. No new frog books, but Hobi does pick out about thirty other options for them to read, including four on insects and one on sea lions. It’s a good thing Namjoon got one of those sturdy branded library tote bags when he was hired, because he’s not confident in his ability to balance that large of a stack in his arms. 

“Dada, when can we see Watson and Mr. Kookie again?” Hobi asks on their way out. 

“Oh, I’m sure we’ll be able to see them soon, bud,” Namjoon assures him. 

And in fact, they do seem to start seeing a lot more of Jungkook in the following weeks. More often than not, Jungkook is out with Watson in his yard when Namjoon and Hobi get home on weekdays, and it’s difficult to convince Hobi that they should have dinner before going over to play with him or accompany him on his evening walk. Jungkook reassures Namjoon that he doesn’t mind watching Hobi while Namjoon makes dinner, but Namjoon is still a little hesitant even though he likes and trusts Jungkook a lot. 

It’s just…a little difficult to leave Hobi, even for thirty minutes, even when he’s right next door. He knows it’s a bit silly, that he needs to trust people, but…it’s tough. He’s taken care of him all alone for so long, it just became the natural way of things. He even worked from home for a while in the beginning, so he never had to leave Hobi with someone else. And maybe that’s part of his hesitancy; he got into the habit of relying only on himself, so it’s hard to allow anyone else to step in.  

But Namjoon knows that this also puts him into a difficult position. He needs to interact with other adults, needs to be okay with leaving Hobi with people he can trust. He’s able to do it a little more easily with daycare, since he can rest assured that the staff is trained and able to care for his son. And he’s been able to do it with Jin because he knows Hobi is with his best friend in the world, and Jin obviously knows what he’s doing; he’s got two great kids to show for it. 

So…he knows he can get there with Jungkook. He lets Hobi call him Mr. Kookie , for fuck’s sake. There’s no way anything would happen to him. And Jungkook never pushes, never acts offended when Namjoon doesn’t accept his offers to keep Hobi until dinner time. He just nods and backs up Namjoon’s decision, even in the wake of sad, pouty Hobi. And that is a mission in and of itself. 

Jungkook also starts coming over in the evenings once or twice a week to work on their stories. It feels a little weird at first, to have someone coming over sort of late, as though they’re being sneaky or secretive. Namjoon in his comfortable sweatpants and a t-shirt, Jungkook in athletic shorts and a hoodie. They sit in the living room or outside on the patio if the mosquitoes aren’t too bad, laptops open, murmuring quietly about syntax and word choice and character development. 

And it’s so nice . Namjoon had no idea how much he missed being able to workshop with someone, how good it would feel to bounce ideas around. It’s almost as though he’s able to think better when he has someone to talk with. Namjoon doesn’t know if he’s equally as helpful to Jungkook, though he tries his best to provide valuable feedback and ideas, to compliment and encourage at each juncture of the process. He didn’t know how important validation was until he started receiving it regularly from Jungkook. 

And it’s not always just about the writing either. 

Jungkook often compliments Namjoon in more general ways too. 

“Oh, I loved the way you explained that idea to Hobi. I would have never thought to phrase it like that, and I could tell he understood just what you meant!”

“You’re so good at being a dad, Namjoon. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen someone as patient as you.” 

“Have you been working out? I need to get some shorts like yours! They’d be perfect for running.” 

“This pasta is so yummy! Hobi, did you teach your dad to cook? He’s really good!” 

Yes, Namjoon has invited Jungkook over for dinner. Just a few times, it’s really not a big deal. It feels rude not to invite him, especially when Namjoon and Hobi are over at his house so often to see Watson, especially when Namjoon knows Jungkook lives alone and probably has no one to enjoy dinner with most nights. It’s the polite thing to do, honestly. 

Namjoon certainly isn’t a master chef by any stretch of the imagination, but he had to spice up his regular rotating menu of ramen, mac n’ cheese, frozen pizza, and spaghetti when Hobi came into the picture. Kids need nutritional meals, and honestly, so did Namjoon to keep up with a kid. So he learned a new rotation of solid meals, things he could make in batches so there were leftovers, meals that were quick and easy and tasted okay even if they were a little overcooked or underseasoned. 

His creamy tomato pasta is one of these meals, just a simple sauce with noodles and a veggie of Hobi’s choosing (Namjoon has found that letting Hobi pick the vegetable leads to a lot fewer arguments about whether he has to eat it or not). Apparently, it’s impressive enough for Jungkook to ask for the recipe. 

“It’s really nothing special, I think it just came up on google when I searched easy dinners,” Namjoon says, his cheeks feeling a little warm from the steam of the meal (not the compliment, Jungkook can compliment him and it’s totally fine, not at all blush-worthy, he feels nothing of the sort). 

Jungkook insists, though, so Namjoon texts him a link to the recipe. A few days later, he receives a picture of the same dish, with Watson in the background, nose raised to sniff the plate. 

“Watson approves too,” is the caption. Namjoon laughs to himself. 

I thought Watson wasn’t allowed to have people food, he texts back. 

Smells don’t count , Jungkook replies a few moments later. 

And that leads to them texting more often too. Sometimes about the writing workshop, or when Hobi can come by to visit Watson, or if Namjoon heard the weird noise last night at 3 am (he did not, he sleeps hard once he’s out and has a white noise machine). 

But other times, it’s just photos of their days, or of Watson doing something silly, or a bird on the sidewalk strutting around with a slice of bread. It’s updates on how their jobs are going, or the frustrations of the day, or when they feel tired and need an energy boost. 

Namjoon doesn’t know when he started feeling like Jungkook was the person he could turn to for all of that, but…it seems that they’ve become friends. 

Which is all fine. Namjoon doesn’t have many friends, so he’s glad to be growing his support network. He’s happy to have made even one friend in the handful of months since moving, let alone two. 

But…there’s a small problem. 

He’s not sure if the way he sees Jungkook is…entirely friendly. 

He could dismiss the idea at first. Honestly, it’s been so long since he even encountered someone he was mildly interested in, he nearly forgot what attraction felt like. He’s spent five years focused entirely on fatherhood, on the necessities of life, on how to provide and protect and nurture. He had no time for the rustles of a crush blooming, no time to consider the appeal of romance, of dates and hand holding and kisses. 

And in many ways, he still feels like that. Hobi is his number one, always will be. He knows that he will prioritize his son for the rest of his life, and he couldn’t do otherwise even if he tried. He doesn’t want to change that. 

But…recently, as Hobi is getting closer to school age, Namjoon has started to feel more like he should reconnect with the person he used to be. With his old interests, hobbies…maybe with romance. 

The idea of dating the way he used to doesn’t appeal to him at all. He would never just bring someone home to hook up with, not with Hobi in the house, probably not at all. He wouldn’t want to even entertain someone that didn’t also love Hobi. He needs a partner if he’s going to be with someone again, a partner that wants to spend as much time with Hobi as Namjoon does, who wants to help support him and let him grow. 

And Jungkook…well, without trying, without ever being pushy or acting as though he’s pursuing anything beyond friendship…he’s been sort of perfect. It’s like he’s been dropped right into Namjoon’s lap ( don’t think that, don’t think that ) to force him into reconsidering his stance on romantic entanglements. 

Because for a long time, he’s felt that he started out as a single parent, and that’s just the way it’s meant to stay. 

Then there’s Jungkook, who makes him think and imagine all sorts of things he hasn’t thought about, either at all or in recent years. He makes him think about how dogs see the world, how coincidence is sometimes the best sort of magic, how a glass of wine and good company can turn a bad day around. He makes him think about how the traditional route isn’t necessarily the right route for everyone. He makes him think about how brown eyes are the most beautiful, soft and warm and comforting. 

He makes Namjoon think that maybe having a partner isn’t so impossible after all. 

But isn’t it still? Namjoon isn’t sure if what he feels for Jungkook is romantic. He hasn’t experienced much romance, so it’s just hard to say. He will begrudgingly admit that there’s attraction. How can he continue to deny it when Jungkook prances down his driveway in shorts and no shirt, stretching his limbs for a morning run? How can he deny it when their hands brush on the walk to the library, and his instinct is to grab hold and slide his fingers in between Jungkook’s? How can he deny it when more often than not, his body flares at even the slightest compliment, the briefest glance from Jungkook? 

But romance? How does he identify the delineation between friendship and…more? How can he know if Jungkook would be interested in him? What if he’s just a nice neighbor, wanting to keep things on friendly terms with someone he has to see regularly? What if he’s not interested in men? What if…

Honestly, Namjoon could drive himself insane with all the what-ifs. It’s so much easier to just put it out of his mind, to pretend the problem doesn’t exist. Even though Jungkook makes that very difficult sometimes. 

It’s difficult when their thighs press together beneath the patio table, the string lights above them casting a soft glow over their features, glasses of wine half-full and laptops forgotten as they talk. 

It’s difficult when Jungkook shyly asks for Namjoon to stand in for a training session when his usual assistant is out of town. The dog has stranger danger, and Jungkook needs an unfamiliar person to assess exactly what the dog is nervous about, and how readily he’ll accept treats from a new person. Jungkook assures Namjoon over and over that he won’t be in any danger, that he can say no if he wants, but of course Namjoon agrees. And when the dog warms up to him quickly, Namjoon following Jungkook’s every instruction to a T, there is definitely a moment between them. Jungkook’s gaze on his, just a few moments too long, a blush filtering across both their cheeks, the client looking on knowingly. 

It’s difficult when Namjoon finally asks Jungkook to watch Hobi for an hour while he makes dinner. In truth, Namjoon had a hard day at work, and he really needs the extra moments of quiet to gather himself and take a quick shower. When he goes to pick Hobi up, he finds his son curled up against Jungkook, Watson leaning in from the other side, all looking at a book of frogs Namjoon has never seen. A book that Jungkook apparently bought ‘just in case’. Because you never know when you might need a book on frogs, right? 

It’s difficult, because Namjoon doesn’t know how to engage in romance. But he does know that Jungkook is the kind of man that deserves certainty, and if he goes for this…he wants to be romantic, and he wants to be certain. 

It’s a little unconventional, the moment that provides him this certainty, but he thinks it’s going to be a memory he looks back on for a long while. 

Hobi has always been an energetic child, and Namjoon had to get creative with ways to appropriately expend all that energy. He didn’t have tons of money or the ability to enroll him in many activities, but he did notice that even as a small child, Hobi would groove and wiggle when he heard music. So of course Namjoon encouraged him, wiggling around with him and playing all sorts of different genres and playlists to see if Hobi had any favorites. It probably accounts for the eclectic music taste his son has developed. 

At some point, Hobi came up with a game he calls “Dada Dance Battle”, which sort of reminds Namjoon of Dance Dance Revolution, only with less technical prowess. They each pick a song, and the other has to dance to it. It started out…perhaps not serious , but not nearly as silly as it’s become. Now it’s much more about who can pick the most ridiculous song to dance to than anything else. 

Hobi doesn’t know that many song titles, and sometimes Namjoon has to take several guesses in order to figure out exactly what song his son is requesting. 

“Do you mean this one?” he asks, starting to play one that sounds slightly similar to what Hobi was humming. But Hobi just shakes his head. 

It takes three more tries for Namjoon to finally parse out “Baby Shark”, which is ridiculous, because the tune couldn’t be simpler, or more obnoxiously catchy. And also…impossible to dance to. 

“That one, Dada! I want you to dance to that one!” Hobi giggles, knowing he’s picked a good one. Namjoon sighs, but he really doesn’t mind. Who cares if he looks goofy in front of his kid? If it makes him laugh, if it creates good memories and shows him that it’s okay to be silly, then it’s definitely worth the few seconds of embarrassment he feels. 

As he pretends to think about his choreography (though really, how can one plan a dance to Baby Shark? There’s just no winning there), he wishes he’d thought to record this moment, just to have something to look back on when Hobi is too old to dance with his dad in the backyard on a summer evening. But then again, he doesn’t want to break these sorts of moments with a camera. Sure, it would be nice to rewatch it, to see the way Hobi grows and changes over the years, and he has plenty of videos and photos to do just that. But sometimes, it’s nice to just live those moments. Maybe he can write this down later, so he remembers how it felt. Like something worth remembering forever. 

“Okay, bud, are you ready for this?” Namjoon says, dramatically stretching out his limbs. Hobi nods enthusiastically. Namjoon presses play on his phone (which he’s very strategically placed in a cup to increase the volume) and begins the dance performance of his life. 

He kicks. He pirouettes. He leaps dramatically across the lawn. He makes chomping motions with his arms and shimmies his hips. He’s only egged on by Hobi’s increasing giggles, catching glimpses of his little body all curled in on itself in laughter. And on his final turn to a glorious winning round of Dada Dance Battle…he sees Jungkook. 

Who, at some point, came out onto his patio, as he often does in the evenings. And who Namjoon didn’t even notice over the noise of the song and the chaos of the dancing and all of the giggling and twirling. Jungkook…who definitely just stuffed his phone into his pocket and pretended that he wasn’t recording the whole thing. 

Well. At least Namjoon doesn’t have to forget about this moment, because it’s on video forever. 

“Mr. Kookie! Do you want to play with us?” Hobi shouts across the yard, completely oblivious to his dad’s embarrassment. 

“What are you playing?” Jungkook asks, trying to hide his grin. “Do you think Watson could play too? I don’t want him to feel left out.”

“Yes! We’re playing Dada Dance Battle, you just have to dance to a song we pick!” Hobi calls out. “I can dance with Watson!” 

“Okay, we’re coming!” Jungkook says, patting his leg to encourage Watson to follow him across the yard. Once Watson realizes he’s going to visit Hobi, he’s much more enthused about getting up from his comfortable spot on the grass. He happily plants himself on a new patch of grass next to Hobi, who has already knelt down to greet him. 

“How about we let Mr. Kookie pick a song for you and Watson, and then you and I can pick a song for him?” Namjoon suggests to Hobi. Hobi considers, and then shakes his head no. 

“If I dance with Watson, you should dance with Mr. Kookie. So it’s fair!” he declares. Namjoon and Jungkook exchange a glance. Namjoon doesn’t want to make Jungkook uncomfortable, doesn’t want to make things weird, but…

“Can’t argue with that logic! What song should I pick?” Jungkook says, ostensibly to himself, but clearly allowing Namjoon to have a say. They settle on “What Does the Fox Say?” and Hobi and Watson make a valiant effort to come up with moves that match it. There’s a lot of interpretative moments, Namjoon’s favorite being when Watson actually lets out a howl as Hobi leaps and twirls beside him. 

When the song ends, Jungkook shakes his head dramatically. “Well, I’m not sure how we’re supposed to top that. It’s supposed to be hard to dance to the songs, how did you do it so easily? And when did you teach Watson those moves?” 

Hobi giggles. “He was born with them!” 

Jungkook sighs. “Well, what song are you going to give us? It hardly matters, I suppose, but we’ll give it our best try!” 

Hobi contemplates for several minutes, and they spend several more minutes trying (once again) to figure out exactly what song he’s asking for. 

“Oh! I think I know the one!” Jungkook finally says after listening intently to Hobi. “Is it this?” He scrolls through the app for a few moments, then plays “Can You Feel the Love Tonight ”.

“That one!” Hobi claps happily, settling himself onto the patio chair with Watson beside him. 

“Are you sure? You don’t want to pick something…faster?” Namjoon tries, unsure of how he and Jungkook are supposed to dance together to this song. 

“Nope!” Hobi says. “Slow makes it extra hard!” 

It will definitely be hard…but probably not for the reasons Hobi thinks, Namjoon thinks to himself. He and Jungkook exchange helpless shrugs, unable to say no to Hobi or to explain why it might be awkward for two grown men to dance slowly together when the most space they’ve shared before is a brush of thighs or a hand on the lower back in passing. 

“Okay, I guess we should…go,” Namjoon says, walking to their makeshift stage in the center of the grass. Jungkook follows him, standing in front of Namjoon only a foot away. They wait for Hobi to press play on the song, and then Jungkook has one hand on Namjoon’s waist and the other intertwined with Namjoon’s own fingers.

“I guess you’re leading?” Namjoon mumbles, as Jungkook starts to guide them to the beat. 

“I guess so,” Jungkook chuckles, and then Namjoon is spinning. Spinning. Before he can process, Jungkook has pulled him back, and they continue to move around the yard. It feels dramatic, probably looks dramatic too, as they dance through the yard, the fairy lights making it feel…almost romantic. 

It’s not romantic, it’s just a game, he’s playing it up for Hobi’s sake, Namjoon chastises himself. 

But that doesn’t change how it feels. 

It doesn’t change that Jungkook’s hands fit so comfortably against Namjoon’s body, a gentle pressure to guide him, preventing him from tripping over his own feet. 

It doesn’t change the way Namjoon wants to just look into Jungkook’s eyes, to see the soft warmth and comfort he always finds there. 

It doesn’t change the way his stomach flips each time Jungkook spins him away, only to pull him back with such firmness, such confidence. 

It doesn’t change the fact that, for the first time in approximately five years, Namjoon feels comfortable letting someone else lead him. Handing over control just for a few minutes, something that would generally terrify him, happened so naturally with a simple touch to his waist. 

It doesn’t change the fact that when the song ends, Namjoon wants to kiss Jungkook. 

“That wasn’t very funny, Dada. Slow dances are boring!” Hobi says, then hops down from his chair to pick up Watson’s ball and throw it for him. 

“Well, I guess we didn’t win the game,” Namjoon says, trying to laugh it off. 

“I guess not,” Jungkook replies quietly. 

Namjoon realizes that they’re still holding onto each other and quickly steps back, dropping Jungkook’s hand. He doesn’t want him to feel as though he has to stay close to Namjoon, although he would happily hold his hand all night if he could. Jungkook looks a little disappointed at the increased space, though Namjoon could just be imagining things. 

He hopes he isn’t, though. Because he thinks…he thinks he’s nearly ready to ask Jungkook on a date. A real one, not something small or spontaneous like they often seem to do now. Editing and tossing around story ideas, going to grab boba before their class, hanging out in their backyards or at the park with Hobi and Watson…those aren’t dates , though they certainly have spent a lot of time together in the span of a few weeks. 

Namjoon didn’t envision himself falling for his neighbor, didn’t even envision himself developing feelings for anyone until Hobi was much older and didn’t need him as much as he does now. But…something about Jungkook makes him feel like maybe it could be okay. Maybe it would be good to have a partner, someone that could also be involved in Hobi’s life. Maybe it would be good to have one more thing for himself. 

Maybe it could be good to have someone just as willing to play Dada Dance Battle with Hobi as Namjoon is. 

So…now Namjoon just needs to come up with a plan. Because there’s no way he’s going to insult Jungkook by doing the bare minimum, like dinner and a movie. It has to be better. 

It has to be romantic and clear and beautiful. 

Chapter Text

Namjoon has never made a grand romantic gesture before. He doesn’t know exactly where to start, so he goes to the best place he can think of: the library. 

There are hundreds of romantic comedy movies, all with varying levels of grand gestures and date ideas. He’s seen plenty of them, but he checks out a handful of DVDs as sneakily as possible on his way out of work one night. He stays up watching them several nights in a row, thinking about what Jungkook might like. He seems to enjoy music, so maybe Namjoon should make him a playlist? Or, he likes dogs…could he incorporate Watson somehow? He’s not sure how he would get Watson out of Jungkook’s house without him knowing, though…it seems too complicated. He also likes food, so maybe if Namjoon could cook something he’d enjoy? 

But then it comes to him, a stroke of pure genius. They met because of the writing workshop, and they both enjoy mysteries. So what if Namjoon created a little mystery scavenger hunt for Jungkook to solve? He could write clues and lead him to different things or places that mean something to them, and in the end, he would find Namjoon waiting to ask him on a date. 

Namjoon starts plotting right away. He has lots of ideas, but he doesn’t want to make it overwhelming. And what if Jungkook says no? Or what if he thinks it’s too much? Romantic comedies aren’t necessarily supposed to represent reality, but Namjoon thinks that a lot of people would appreciate the level of effort…right? 

He considers lots of location options, but decides that it would be best not to spread things out too far. The library is a must; he can probably include multiple clues there. One of their houses should probably also be included, maybe as the end point. But should he add somewhere else in between? They haven’t spent a lot of time in other places, but maybe the park, or the shop they like to get boba from? 

Namjoon finds himself lost in writing the clues, mapping out exactly how he wants things to go. He thinks that if he enlists Hobi’s help, they might even be able to sneak Watson out of the house for the final clue. But…he definitely can’t pull all of this off alone, or even with just Hobi. He needs a grown-up accomplice.  

The next time he goes to pick Hobi up at daycare, he awkwardly brings up his idea to Seokjin. 

“So let me get this straight…you want to ask your neighbor out? And instead of doing something like dinner or drinks or I don’t know, anything that most people do on a first date…you want to do a Sherlock Holmes inspired scavenger hunt?” Jin says as they walk to their cars, the kids giggling and skipping ahead. 

“...Yes?” Namjoon replies. He isn’t second-guessing his plan, but when Seokjin says it aloud like that, it does sound like…well, a lot. But Jungkook deserves a lot. He deserves to know that Namjoon really wants this, that he’s serious, that it would never be just a date between them. That’s why something simple didn’t feel right. 

Because when a single parent dates someone…well, it comes with a lot more than just a single person. It comes with Hobi, and probably a lot of canceled plans, or staying in, or odd hours for dates. It comes with the mess that is Namjoon’s home most days, and the interesting food palette that a single dad and a five year old boy can agree on. It comes with Namjoon’s anxieties and stresses and worries. 

But Namjoon thinks that he can also offer a lot of things that a non-parent might not. He’s got a pretty good sense of humor and can laugh at all sorts of situations, because sometimes that’s all he can do. He’s great at time management and prioritizing. He can take care of himself, and more importantly, he can take care of Hobi. He’s good at handling illnesses and schedules and questions that don’t necessarily make sense. 

He’s really good at showing he cares through his actions. So that’s what he’s going to do. 

“Alright, just make everyone else look bad with your romantic gestures. I hope you know that if this is how you go about the first date, it’s only setting the bar extremely high,” Seokjin says. 

Namjoon nods. “Good. He deserves that, and if I forget it, I want him to be able to remind me.” 

Seokjin shakes his head. “You haven’t even gone on a date yet and you’re already gone for him, aren’t you?” 

“Yeah…I guess I am. So you’ll help?” 

“I’ll help. Just let me know what you need, and I’ll be there. Maybe Tae and Yoongi will want to help too,” Seokjin suggests. The boys are too busy discussing…something by the car to notice they’ve been mentioned. That’s probably for the best; Namjoon is happy to have their help, but kids aren’t always the best at keeping secrets. Better to let them in at the last second, so there’s no chance anything will be spoiled. 

His next request will be a bit more difficult to pull off. He wants Jimin to help get the scavenger hunt started, but it will be hard to talk to him alone since Namjoon and Jungkook pretty much always walk to and from class together. Maybe he has an email address or something Namjoon could use, but it seems like the sort of request best made in person. Plus, Jimin probably gets tons of emails, so it would be too easy for him to miss it, or worse, to bring it up to Namjoon in class and spoil the entire thing. 

Namjoon is starting to get antsy about how to pull Jimin aside, since they only have a few classes left. What if he doesn’t get a chance? Is there another way to present the first clue? But luck must be on his side, because he actually spots Jimin in the library during the day, browsing the romance section as Namjoon is heading out for his lunch break. 

“Jimin! Hi!” Namjoon calls out to him. Jimin looks up, recognizes Namjoon and smiles. 

“Namjoon, hello,” Jimin replies, tucking the small stack of books under his arm as he straightens up from examining one of the lower shelves. “How are you?”

“I’m doing well! I was actually hoping to ask you about something, but just hadn’t gotten the chance. Um, you know Jungkook?”

“Yes, your friend in the class,” Jimin nods, looking a bit perplexed. “What about him?”

“Ah, well…I wanted to…you know, we’re just friends right now, but I thought maybe…” Namjoon wishes he’d known he was going to run into Jimin today so he could have figured out how to phrase the request. Why didn’t he think about this earlier? Can you help me ask my friend on a date? I want to perform a romantic gesture and I don’t know that many people here so I’m asking you, a writing instructor that I’ve barely known for over a month? Yeah, none of that is exactly right. 

Jimin waits patiently, seeming used to people getting tongue-tied around him. Namjoon takes a deep breath, and then tries again. The worst he can say is no, right? Or he could kick me out of the class for overstepping boundaries…

“I want to ask him out, and I have an idea, but I need some people to help me. Would you be willing to help?” Namjoon asks hurriedly. Jimin pauses, then grins at him, gesturing with his free arm.

“You see what section I’m in, right? I love romance! Of course I’d be happy to help. What do you need from me?” Jimin asks. Namjoon breathes a sigh of relief, then explains his plan. 

Namjoon and Jungkook continue to see each other often, and Namjoon does his best to pretend that nothing has changed, that there hasn’t been an irrevocable shift in his feelings towards Jungkook over these last few weeks. They still walk to their class together, still spend several nights a week writing and editing, still eat a meal together here and there. Hobi insists on seeing Watson at least three days a week (he’s been angling for daily visits, but Namjoon doesn’t want to impose on Jungkook that much). 

And at every turn, Namjoon has to pretend that he isn’t falling for Jungkook. 

Just a little while longer, and it will all be out in the open. It will be worth the wait, he tells himself when the itch to grab Jungkook’s hand or text him something cute or pull him down into Namjoon’s lap gets too strong. He deserves the romantic gesture, he deserves being swept off his feet first, not just being hauled into your lap and kissed…

His plan is all set up for the day of the final writing workshop. Instead of being on a Tuesday evening, the last day is on a Saturday afternoon, so that they’ll have time for a piece of everyone’s story to be read aloud and then a small reception afterwards. Everyone is encouraged to invite their friends and family to the reception, though the reading will remain closed; the class took a vote, and several people didn’t feel comfortable sharing outside of their workshop just yet. 

Namjoon thought that he would feel most nervous about the readings, but now it’s hardly even crossed his mind that he’ll have to read part of his writing to the class. He’s more focused on all that comes after. 

Jungkook, on the other hand, is very jittery about that final step. 

“What if no one likes it? It will be so embarrassing if no one laughs at the funny parts and it’s just silence…what if I’m not funny?” he frets the week before, as he and Namjoon are going over the final details of their selected sections. 

“You’re funny! Hobi laughs at things you say all the time,” Namjoon says somewhat absently, internally going over his plan again and again. 

“Hobi is five ! Am I only funny to a five year old audience? No one in the class is younger than, like, twenty two! That’s a big humor gap, Namjoon. Am I writing at the level of five year olds?” Jungkook is only getting himself more worked up, and apparently Namjoon is not helping. He shakes himself out of his planning mode and goes into soothing mode instead. 

“Jungkookie, listen to me. How many nights have we laughed over your story?” he asks gently. And it’s true; he can’t even count the number of times they just giggled endlessly over a line Jungkook had written. Sure, sometimes it was more over their conversations, or some silly typo, but they definitely woke Hobi up several times with their antics. And it only made things funnier when they were trying to be quiet, trying not to get the other started, biting their lips and holding onto the edges of the couch or burying their faces in the cushions to keep from being too loud. 

“A…a lot, I guess,” Jungkook mumbles, not meeting Namjoon’s eyes. 

“Yeah, it’s been a lot. Almost like it’s too many to count, right?” Jungkook hums noncommittally. 

“I guess. I’m just nervous. It’s weird, I talk to people all the time for work, and even in class when we workshop. It feels different reading though, more personal,” Jungkook says. 

Namjoon nods; he understands that, would probably even feel the same way if he weren’t more focused on other plans, which, in the scheme of things, are simply far more important. But…if Jungkook doesn’t go to the last class, or if he gets too nervous, or if things go badly…well, they might not even get to Namjoon’s plan. And he can’t have that. The plan is vital.  

“Do you want to practice? Maybe in front of just me, and then we could see if Hobi wants to listen?” Namjoon offers. Jungkook chews on his lip, thinking. Namjoon waits patiently. 

“I’m not sure that will help…not because I’m uncomfortable reading in front of you! Kind of the opposite, actually. I don’t feel nervous around you at all,” Jungkook says, the last part coming out so quietly Namjoon barely hears him. His heart beats faster, his limbs feeling all wriggly and soft at the admission. He makes Jungkook feel safe. He makes Jungkook feel safe . 

“Okay…well, maybe we could find someone else to practice with? I…I don’t have too many friends here yet, but maybe Hobi’s friends’ dad could listen next time he drops him off from a playdate?” Namjoon suggests. 

Jungkook just shakes his head. “It’s okay, Joon, I’m just overthinking it. I’m not sure if practice will change anything, but I appreciate the thought.” 

Namjoon nods, watching Jungkook carefully. He’s not sure if he believes him, but he doesn’t want to push. Plus, they don’t have much time between now and the final day, only about a week remaining. He’s not sure what he’ll do with himself on Tuesday nights; he’s gotten so used to walking to class, spending a few hours thinking about words and mysteries and plot devices. He’s a little sad to lose that routine. But maybe he can find something new to try. 

When he told Seokjin that he didn’t have to take Hobi this week, though, he was met with an affronted stare. 

“But we already made plans,” Jin tells him. 

“You…as in you and Hobi?” Namjoon asks, puzzled. He thought Jin would be fine with having one less kid to watch for the evening. 

“Yes, as in Hobi and me!” Jin exclaims. “We are going to do karaoke and play Frogger against Tae and Yoongi, so you really can’t just cancel on us. We need all four players.” 

“Uh…okay, I guess I’ll just…not pick him up on Tuesday?” Namjoon half asks, half says. 

“I should expect so!” Jin replies. 

So Namjoon has an entirely free evening and no idea what to do with it. 

He makes his way home from work slowly, no rush to make a quick dinner or change his clothes. Maybe he’ll order delivery? Something that wouldn’t be appealing to Hobi? He usually picks their meals based on what they’ll both eat, or something he can make a large batch of and heat up as leftovers. But it might be nice to try something different. 

As he’s pondering his options, he sees Jungkook in the front yard with Watson. They seem to be…inspecting the grass? Namjoon really can’t tell what they’re doing. Watson is sitting slightly behind Jungkook, who is kneeling and staring at the blades as though they’ve offended him. 

“Uh…what are you doing?” he calls as he gets closer. Jungkook glances up, and then back at his dog. 

“Well, Watson was eating something in the grass, and I wanted to make sure it wasn’t anything bad,” Jungkook says, glaring at Watson, who looks entirely unbothered. 

“And…was it bad?” Namjoon asks. He can’t see anything, so it couldn’t have been too terrible. He’s heard plenty of horror stories about dogs finding dead animals in the yard and parading around with them in their mouths, their owners desperately trying to prevent them from traipsing into the house with such a terrible prize. There’s no feathers, no fur, so… 

“It was rabbit poop,” Jungkook says grimly. “AKA the richest chocolate in the dog world.” 

Namjoon stares at Jungkook, then at Watson, who just pants happily, clearly satisfied with his snack choices. And Namjoon bursts out laughing. 

“It’s not funny! He licks your child with that mouth!” Jungkook pouts indignantly. “He knows he’s not supposed to eat it, but it’s like he can’t resist. He’s like a kid in the cookie jar, except the cookie jar is the whole yard, and it’s filled with poop-late chips!” 

That does not make Namjoon laugh any less. 

Finally, Jungkook gives in and starts laughing with him, giving Watson a begrudging pat on the head. “It’s really not funny,” he tries to protest, but it clearly is. 

“You called them ‘poop-late chips’,” Namjoon giggles when he catches his breath. And that just makes Jungkook laugh more. 

“Well, what am I supposed to call them? Shit morsels? Poopoo beans? Special raisins?” Jungkook starts listing, each option more ridiculous than the last. 

“I don’t know, Watson probably just thinks they’re tasty treats!” Namjoon tries to defend the dog, who really does look entirely innocent of any crimes, poop-related or otherwise. 

“I’m sure he does, but he was raised better than that! Weren’t you, Watson?” Jungkook asks, facing the dog. Watson replies by going in for the face kiss. 

“ACK! Watson, no! Not after what you just ate!” Jungkook yelps, shoving himself backwards and away from the dog, but also towards the pile of…chocolate. Jungkook lays in the grass for a moment, contemplating. “I definitely just laid in poop, didn’t I?” 

“Yeah, I think you did,” Namjoon says, trying to contain his giggles. “You know, I was going to see if you wanted to have dinner with me tonight, but I’m not sure now…it seems like you might be a little…dirty.” 

Jungkook scowls up at him. “I can take a shower. You’d really rescind your dinner invitation after the terrible things that you just witnessed happen to me? The poop slobber? The bunny chocolate that’s all over my nice, comfy t-shirt?” 

Namjoon pretends to consider, folding his arms and taking in Jungkook sprawled in the grass. He really is pretty, even in an old t-shirt, even covered in various forms of rabbit poop and dog drool. How could Namjoon ever turn him down? 

“I guess you’re right, it wouldn’t be very polite of me to kick you when you’re down and all,” he pretends to relent. Jungkook grins up at him, and Namjoon can’t help but reach to help him up. “Do you have any preferences? I was going to order delivery.” 

“Ooohh, have you tried that new Mexican place? I’ve heard they have really good carnitas,” Jungkook suggests. 

“Sounds perfect. Text me what you want and I’ll order while you shower. And give Watson a talking to about the world’s cookie jar and how he shouldn’t be caught with his snout in it,” Namjoon says sagely, biting back his grin as he heads inside. He just knows Jungkook is scrunching his nose cutely behind him. 

Namjoon might go a bit overboard on his delivery order, but he’s just eager. He wants to have a nice dinner with Jungkook. Even if he hasn’t asked him out yet, he loves spending time together, and they don’t get to do it like this all that often. Usually there’s some pretext, some reason for their hangouts. Editing their stories, working with one of Jungkook’s clients, watching Hobi and Watson run around the grass. It’s not as often that they share a meal together just because. 

So he might have ordered appetizers. And desserts. And possibly several beverage options, and an extra entree. It’s not like he won’t eat leftovers. He can totally make use of all the food. There’s probably something that Hobi would like (the desserts, mostly), and Jungkook is welcome to take anything he wants home too. Namjoon is just making sure they have enough. And that there are lots of options. He’s good at providing, that’s all. 

When Jungkook arrives, Namjoon is arranging all of the food on the kitchen counter. 

“Uh…are you expecting anyone else?” Jungkook asks, staring at the (lack of) space on the fairly large counter. 

“No?” Namjoon says. 

Jungkook bites his lip, looking amused. “Do you just think I can eat five portions of food, then?” 

“I…I might have gone a little overboard. Everything sounded so good, and I wanted to make sure we got to try all of it! Plus, leftovers are never a bad thing, it just means one less meal I have to cook,” Namjoon says reasonably. 

“Okay, I don’t mind extra food either,” Jungkook says, going to get a plate from the cabinet as though he’s done it a hundred times. Which…maybe not a hundred, but definitely a handful. It’s nice to see someone else so at home here , Namjoon thinks. He likes seeing Jungkook so at ease. Serving himself a bit from each container of food, making sure there is plenty of everything for both of them to try. 

“We’ll have to come back for the desserts, there’s no more room,” Jungkook says once he’s gotten a bit of each dish onto his plate. He’s definitely right, and Namjoon likes using a new plate for desserts anyway. It makes him feel fancier, even if it is just takeout. 

“Do you want to eat at the table, or in the living room?” he asks Jungkook. The table would feel more…well, more romantic, more date-like. The living room would be more casual, and they could watch a show there, maybe have an excuse for their hands or thighs to brush together…

“Let’s do the living room, we can watch something while we eat!” Jungkook suggests, and Namjoon nearly sighs with relief. He’s not sure he’s ready for a romantic atmosphere yet, not with his grand romantic plan still looming in the future. He doesn’t know if he would be able to hold it in, if he were sitting at a table, across from Jungkook, with nowhere to look but into his eyes. Sitting side by side seems much more manageable. 

“Sounds good! What do we want to watch?” Namjoon asks. 

Jungkook hums. “I’ve been watching Modern Family, have you seen any of that?” 

“I have, but not in ages,” Namjoon replies. “Maybe only the first season or two?” 

Jungkook wiggles excitedly. “Oohh, okay! I was the same, and then my friend recommended it since all the seasons can be streamed now!” 

Namjoon suppresses his endeared smile at Jungkook’s enthusiasm. Honestly, it’s one of his favorite traits in Jungkook; the unbridled excitement about the small things. He doesn’t see that in adults very often; it’s so easy to forget how to find joy in the little moments, especially when adults are often weighed down by so many big things. Rent payments and jobs and taxes and meal prep. All of it pulls so much energy and time, it’s hard to save any for a good episode of a TV show or a great line in a book or a delicious meal with someone you (might) be falling in love with. 

“How many seasons are there?” Namjoon asks as they settle down together. 

“Umm…twelve, maybe?” Jungkook says. “If you want to pick something else, that’s okay too, I know that’s a lot…”

“No, no, it’s fine! I don’t mind at all,” Namjoon reassures him. Twelve seasons sounds perfect. Twelve seasons sounds like a lot of hours he might get to spend curled up with Jungkook, listening to him laugh and seeing what parts of the show he enjoys. Twelve seasons might not even be enough. 

“Let’s see…I think I just got to season three? Do you want to start at the beginning, or do you want me to give you a rundown of everything that’s happened?” Jungkook asks. 

Now that’s quite the choice…on one hand, two seasons is a lot of hours to be missing out on, but on the other…it would probably be very entertaining to listen to Jungkook’s summary. 

“Why don’t you give me the summary, and I get a free pass to ask questions if anything is confusing?” Namjoon proposes. 

“Okay, so the show started in the early 2000s, and obviously there was still a ways to go in terms of making it representative. There are some pretty cringey jokes that walk a fine line in those early days, but it does get better. Personally, my favorite character is…” 

Jungkook has made it halfway through his dinner before his winding synopsis reaches the third season. But Namjoon thinks it was equally (if not more) entertaining than the show itself. Seeing certain moments come back to Jungkook, his excited bounce and giggles when retelling a good joke, his rush to finish a bite of food so he can continue, those are the best parts to Namjoon. 

As they finally begin an episode, Namjoon notices that they’ve migrated closer to one another on the couch. It must have been natural, just shifting and getting comfortable, since he didn’t actually notice it happening. Their thighs are brushing each time one of them reaches for their drink or readjusts their posture, and neither of them seems inclined to move apart. Now that they have something to look at, their gazes remain fixed on the TV, though Namjoon can’t help but glance at Jungkook, seeing his cute cheeks full of food and his muscular quads mere centimeters from Namjoon’s thighs. 

Namjoon hesitates to get up for the desserts once they’ve finished eating, but he also can’t deprive himself of Jungkook’s happy face when he eats something delicious. And the options are sure to be just that. So he forces himself to stand, collecting their dishes and assuring Jungkook he doesn’t need help; he’ll be right back with dessert. 

He puts the best pieces of everything onto Jungkook’s plate: a large slice of flan with beautifully crusted caramel, two cream puffs, and sopapilla cheesecake. He doesn’t know if Jungkook will be able to eat all of it, but it makes him happy to see him eating well. He takes a piece of the flan and a cream puff for himself as well, avoiding the cheesecake. While he doesn’t mind it, it’s not his favorite kind of dessert. And also, it’s possible he’ll explode if he eats much more. Trying to keep up with Jungkook is no joke. He’s sure that Hobi will be willing to eat any leftovers of the desserts anyway. 

“Alright, here’s most of the dessert menu from the entire restaurant!” Namjoon presents the plates to Jungkook. His eyes go wide, hands eagerly reaching for the plate with fewer options. 

“Whoa, that one is mine, this one's for you,” Namjoon corrects, handing Jungkook the full plate. 

Jungkook frowns. “Why do I have more? Was there not enough? I can share, I don’t want you to not get to try everything!” 

Namjoon laughs. “It’s okay, there’s plenty, I just don’t really like cheesecake that much. There’s more, so you’re welcome to it, but I can’t protect you if Hobi finds out we didn’t leave him any.” 

Jungkook pouts a bit. “And to think I thought you were perfect. But no, not liking cheesecake is a definite red flag.” 

Namjoon opens his mouth in mock outrage. “Excuse you, it’s perfectly normal. It’s usually way too rich, and there are plenty of other delicious desserts in the world for me to eat. Like this flan,” he takes a big bite. “And I have plenty of red flags, thank you very much.” 

Jungkook scoffs. “Like what?” 

Namjoon begins to list on his fingers. “I have a child and no relationship with his other parent, I like mysteries, I work in IT, I only got my driver’s license five years ago…” 

Jungkook shakes his head. “Those are all so subjective. There are plenty of awesome single parents in the world, and just as many good reasons not to have a relationship with the child’s other parent. Mysteries are great, IT is a stable job, and anyone that’s lived somewhere with a good public transit system doesn’t need a driver’s license. But I applaud your effort.” 

Namjoon just stares at him. Does Jungkook really not think he has any red flags? Namjoon has been told plenty of times that his lifestyle is abnormal, that he could hardly call himself an adult if he couldn’t drive, that only nerds who no one wants to fuck work in IT. 

To be fair, Namjoon doesn’t really think Jungkook has any red flags either, though. He’s good with animals and with kids, he seems to be fully financially responsible, he likes to write and read, and he doesn’t think Namjoon is a failure or a reject because he’s a single dad (yes, he’s heard that more than once too). 

“Thanks, Jungkookie,” he says softly. “I guess…sometimes I forget that I’m actually doing okay, all things considered. Even if my life isn’t exactly what I once pictured, it’s pretty good. I’ve overcome a lot of obstacles, and it’s good to be reminded of that.”

“I’m happy to remind you anytime,” Jungkook says. Then he pauses, looking uncertain. “Namjoon…you don’t have to explain it, but I…I was wondering, about what you mentioned. About Hobi’s mom, and why you moved here…” he trails off. 

Namjoon considers. He hasn’t really explained the whole story to anyone here. He’s made brief allusions to his old life, to the way that Hobi came into his life and how his mom isn’t involved. He wasn’t sure how much of it he wanted to share, honestly. He wanted Hobi to have a life outside of that, beyond the stigma of basically being a fire station baby. 

But…he also thinks that it’s worth sharing with people he wants to keep in their lives, people that he can trust. It’s part of who he is, part of why he became the person he is now. A father, an independent man, and very chronically, achingly single. And who better to confide in than Jungkook, someone who he wants close to him at an increasingly alarming rate? 

“Well…it’s kind of an odd story,” Namjoon begins. 

And so he tells Jungkook all of it. How he was hooking up with a lot of different people in his twenties, men and women. And it was great; he had a healthy relationship with sex and he enjoyed that phase of his life. But Hobi was an unexpected result of that, and he’s not entirely sure who his mother is. He has his suspicions, of course, but there were plenty of people he slept with that he didn’t know well, maybe didn’t even exchange numbers with. So it wasn’t completely unbelievable that maybe she didn’t know what to do, or panicked, or just thought he’d be the better parent. 

Whatever the case may have been, Namjoon ended up with Hobi. And anyone that has seen Hobi’s soft puppy eyes…well, they were ten times more powerful on his fuzzy little baby head. Even through the uncertainty and the fear and the frustration of the situation, Namjoon knew he could never give up the little boy. He was a piece of his heart, and he needed him more than he’d realized. 

“Of course, there were a lot of mistakes and a huge learning curve,” Namjoon tells Jungkook, who has abandoned his dessert to fully focus on Namjoon. “I had hardly ever even held a baby, let alone changed diapers or done feedings or figured out why they cry. So I’m sure everyone from the grocery store to the daycare thought I was a mess. And I was. Plus, they all heard about the whole fire station, mother-abandoned-him story. I just…I didn’t want Hobi to have to grow up with that lingering over his head, you know?” 

Jungkook nods. “Of course, that makes a lot of sense. And if it was a smaller town…that sort of thing is really hard to shake. You didn’t have any family to help you either?” 

Namjoon shakes his head. “No, I don’t have much of a relationship with my family. That seems to be a trend for me, not having relationships. Hobi’s the most consistent person that’s been in my life in a long time,” he tries to chuckle, but finds himself feeling choked up instead. 

Jungkook looks slightly alarmed, but he doesn’t hesitate to hold his arms open to Namjoon. Laughing through the sudden tears, Namjoon leans into him gratefully. He’s a bit taller, a bit broader than Jungkook, but it’s nice to be held anyway. He mostly does the comforting in his life, so it’s a foreign feeling to be comforted for a change. 

“You’re doing a really good job, Joonie,” Jungkook says softly against his hair. “I mean it. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed when I have to take care of Watson, and he’s not even a human. Like if I don’t feel good, but he still needs to go outside and have his food and water bowls filled, that seems like a lot. But you have a whole human depending on you, and you’ve figured it out on your own for years. That’s amazing.” 

Namjoon huffs against Jungkook’s chest. “Lots of people do it, it’s really not that big a deal––”

“You will take the compliment, or…or I’ll tell Hobi you ate all the cheesecake!” Jungkook threatens imperiously. Namjoon pulls away to look at him, and Jungkook is already crumbling. He can barely keep a straight face, but Namjoon gives in to him anyway. 

“Fine. I’m doing great, sweetie,” he intones, and Jungkook breaks immediately. 

“You are! ” he giggles, pushing on Namjoon’s arm. “You better believe it, or I really will tell Hobi about the cheesecake.”

“You mean you aren’t going to leave him a piece?” Namjoon asks, feigning horror. “You’d really do that to a sweet, innocent little boy?” 

Jungkook purses his lips, looking deep in thought. “Hmm…cheesecake, or Hobi on a sugar rush. It is a very difficult decision. I’ve put a lot of thought into this, and I’ve come to the conclusion…what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. Unless you make me tell him, in which case you’re really the one making him sad.” 

Namjoon just shakes his head. “You are devious, aren’t you?” 

“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jungkook says, popping the last bite of cheesecake into his mouth. 

They spend the rest of the evening giggling at episodes of the show, Jungkook pointing out where the humor surrounding the family dog could be better, Namjoon noting places where the show didn’t quite age well. All the while, they stay close together on the couch, their hands or thighs or sides always touching. 

Neither of them makes a move to do anything else, nothing beyond the soft warmth of two bodies sharing a space, but Namjoon doesn’t mind. He has plenty of plans for that later. 

When Hobi gets home, Jungkook does give him the other piece of cheesecake, and Namjoon beams. 

The time between Tuesday night and Saturday afternoon both stretches and flies by before Namjoon can blink. He’s confirmed all the pieces of his plan several times over, to the extent that Jin told him he wasn’t allowed to text him anymore unless there was an emergency. 

Namjoon : what are you classifying as an emergency?

Seokjin : if you have to ask me that, it is not an emergency

Namjoon sighs. Who else is he supposed to text his stream of anxious thoughts to? Jimin isn’t an option; although he’s part of the plan, it doesn’t exactly seem appropriate to text him about whether he thinks Jungkook will like this or if it’s romantic enough or if it’s too romantic or if he’ll have to move all over again if Jungkook turns him down. But he won’t turn him down…right? 

Yeah, he definitely can’t text that to Jimin. 

He’s been both stressed and excited about this day ever since he came up with the plan weeks ago. And truthfully, he’s probably been subconsciously stewing over the best way to ask Jungkook out for far longer than he’s willing to admit. So he really just needs this day to go well. 

He hopes that he can play off his nerves as being related to the readings today instead of related to secret romantic musings. And honestly, what reason would Jungkook have to suspect him of anything? 

Well. 

There is one wildcard in play. Actually, if he wants to get technically, there are three wildcards in play, but only one that’s really at risk of spoiling anything. 

Namjoon finally explained to Hobi what would be happening last night, because he needs him to help get Watson involved. 

“So…you want Mr. Kookie to be my Dada too?” Hobi asked after Namjoon explained that he wanted to ask Jungkook on a date. 

“No, not exactly, bud. I want him to go on dates with me, and if that goes well, he might be around more often, but he won’t be replacing me or becoming your Dada. Does that make sense?” Namjoon asked. He wasn't sure exactly what sort of understanding Hobi had about romantic relationships, since Namjoon hasn’t had any to speak of, and they don’t have family to model those concepts either. 

“Oh. That doesn’t sound bad!” Hobi said. “I like Mr. Kookie, and if he’s here more, I can pet Watson!” 

“And that’s where you come into the plan,” Namjoon said, smoothly moving onto the important part. “I want to make the last clue of Mr. Kookie’s scavenger hunt to lead him to Watson, but since he’ll be starting at the library, Watson will be at home. So we need to get Watson out before he gets home, and I bet you can help me with that.” 

“Okay!” Hobi said excitedly, eager to help. “What do I do?” 

Namjoon explained his idea, Hobi nodding along seriously, and it felt like the plan was really falling into place.

It all truly begins when Namjoon and Hobi end up on Jungkook’s front porch on Saturday, just before they need to leave for the final writing class. 

“Hi, Hobi, hi, Namjoon. Am I late?” Jungkook asks. His hair is still a little ruffled, maybe from pulling on his dress shirt, and he’s only wearing socks instead of shoes. 

“No, not at all. Hobi just realized that he’s missing one of his stuffed frogs, and he wanted to check if he left it here? We might have brought it over the other day when we came to see Watson. Can he go look real quick?” Namjoon asks. 

“Sure, of course. I haven’t seen it, but sometimes if you’re not looking for something it just doesn’t catch your eye,” Jungkook says. Hobi skips into the house, and Namjoon quickly calls Jungkook’s attention back to himself. 

“Are you still nervous for today?” he asks. 

Jungkook nods. “Yeah, a bit. I think the story is good, or as good as it’s going to get, but it’s nerve-wracking to read it in front of everybody. Especially when there are so many good writers in the class.” 

Namjoon nods. “Yeah, it makes sense that you want it to go well. But I know you’re going to be great. Your story is different, sure. I think you’re the only one that did a cozy mystery. But isn’t it good to stand out?” 

Jungkook shrugs. “I guess we’ll see. It feels like I always choose the sort of thing that people look down on, and it sets me up to second-guess myself. Sometimes it’s hard to stay confident.” 

Namjoon grips Jungkook’s shoulders. “I am infusing you with all the confidence right now. It will be simply impossible for you to have misgivings from this point on. Not just because of my magic hands, but also because your story is genuinely good, and anyone that doesn’t think so is…is stupid.”

There’s a gasp from behind them, and they turn to see Hobi watching them. “Dada, you shouldn’t call people stupid. You said it’s not a nice word.” 

Jungkook tries to hide his grin with a cough. “Yeah, Namjoon, it’s not very nice to say that. You should set a better example.” 

Namjoon scowls briefly at Jungkook, but he can’t be mad at him. Or at Hobi. They’re both just too cute. 

“You’re right, Hobi, I’m sorry. I should have thought of a better way to say what I was trying to convey. No luck finding your frog?” Namjoon asks. 

“Nope. Is it time to go now?” Hobi asks. 

Namjoon checks his watch and nods. “Yeah, we should probably head over. Jungkook, you’re coming with us, right?”

Jungkook nods. He calls over his shoulder, “Be good, Watson! I’ll be back later!” and grabs his keys from the dish beside the door. 

Jungkook doesn’t bother going to make sure his porch door is locked. Why would he? He couldn’t know that Hobi would never lose his stuffed frog, or that what he was actually doing was unlocking the back door. What he doesn’t know can’t hurt him. 

And hopefully, what he doesn’t know will be a part of a successful plan later today, so he won’t even have a moment to wonder how his dog got out of the house to participate. 

When they get to the library, Namjoon drops Hobi off in the children’s section. Luckily, there were several other parents in the class, so the library offered to provide childcare for those that needed it during the readings, and then everyone could gather afterwards for refreshments. 

“Be good, and maybe I’ll let you have an extra cheesecake bite,” Namjoon says as he waves goodbye to Hobi. Hobi has already turned his focus to the librarian, asking about any “new acquisitions” in the frog department. 

“How does he know that word?” Jungkook whispers as they walk away. 

“Oh, I guess he heard me use it a few times when I was talking about work and just picked it up. He does that with a lot of words, so sometimes I have to watch what I say around him, or next thing I know he’s dropping curse words,” Namjoon explains. He learned that lesson the hard way after he dropped a yogurt cup and it spilled all over the carpet. Hobi must have been hidden away somewhere in the room, because he definitely started using the word ‘shit’ as an expression of frustration. 

Jungkook giggles. “Honestly, it’s kind of funny when kids do that. I know I shouldn’t laugh, but…” 

“Okay, note to self: go grab Hobi if you get nervous today, and he can say one free curse word to make you feel better,” Namjoon offers. Jungkook smiles and shakes his head. 

“I think I’ll be okay. I’ll just read to you and pretend no one else is there,” Jungkook says. 

Oh. That’s…that’s very cute. How is he so cute? Namjoon has to contain himself and not coo over Jungkook being endearing. Just a few more hours, and then it will be acceptable to tell him how cute he is. 

“Sounds like a plan,” he manages to get out. “Just don’t imagine me in my underwear!” 

Why did I say that? Why couldn’t I just leave it at a normal place? Plus, I would be fine with him imagining me in my underwear. Should I take it back? No, that would be even weirder…I hope he doesn’t think I meant I wouldn’t ever want him to think of me like that, because I would…  

Jungkook just looks at him a little funny, clearly not sure what to make of the comment. Luckily, they’ve reached the small auditorium and the conversation shifts to greeting the others, making small talk about their nerves and the way the class has flown by. 

“Alright, everyone, let’s all take our seats so we can get started! I know you’re all excited to share your work today, and I want to be sure we have time to hear each reading. But first, I just wanted to take a moment to say how much I’ve enjoyed teaching this class, and how proud I am of all the work you put into it. Trusting your peers and engaging in workshops is no easy process, so I’m very pleased with you all. Now, do we have any volunteers to go first?” 

A few hands go up, though several people also look apprehensive now that the moment is finally here, including Jungkook. Namjoon wants to reach over and squeeze his hand, but he’s not sure if that would help. They haven’t been very physical thus far, only brief touches in passing or on the couch, sometimes a brush of feet or calves under the table. But even those moments feel sizzling to Namjoon, who has hardly touched another man (at least one he’s romantically interested in) for…well, probably over five years. 

If he thinks about it too much, it’s kind of sad, actually. And maybe that’s part of why he doesn’t feel like he’s the best at physical comfort, either. It’s not been a huge part of his life, not something that he feels well-versed in. But maybe he can change that soon. 

After a few of their classmates have finished reading, Namjoon nudges Jungkook. 

“Why don’t you go next? You’re only going to psych yourself out waiting for everybody else to go,” he whispers. But Jungkook just shakes his head. 

“Why don’t you go next?” he whispers back. Namjoon shrugs and raises his hand to go up to the microphone. 

He’s not terribly worried about reading the segment of his story; it’s probably not his greatest work, not a shining accomplishment, but nevertheless he is proud of it. He worked hard, and he found time for a hobby that he had lost touch with for years. So it doesn’t really matter to him if his story is the best in the class, or if it’s incredibly well written. It just matters that he finished it, and that he did his best. 

“Hello, my story is called Lilith’s Garden . I went with a short form mystery and focused more on building tension within a smaller space. I’ll be reading the prologue.” 

Namjoon feels a bit pretentious giving that explanation. He wishes he’d just said, “I have a son, so a short story seemed most approachable.” But it’s too late now. He unfolds his copy of the section he chose and begins to read. 

In the garden where we had everything, I rise. 

There was a time when I believed kneeling here might grant me reprieve. Amongst the rocky clay and beside the flowing river, there are certainly scraps of my skin, my blood. Take them as the only offerings my body will ever leave here. I will not lower myself to him again. 

There was a time when I knew not of my capacity, of what I was designed for and what I could become. After all, were we not created of the same earth? By the same hand? Were we not made in the image of something holy? Were we not made for the same purpose?

An empty vessel longs to be filled, and surely I was born empty. Surely I was born filled with nothing but this ache, this ache that only grows worse when he is near. The safest place was always beneath the fig tree, where the quiet music of the snakes blanketed my mind. 

The serpent whispers sinful secrets. She is my only friend. 

If only he’d subdued me then, if only he’d succeeded in filling my mouth with dripping fruit, let me choke on the seeds, filled me with something heavy enough to hold me down.  

I suppose he thinks that was his fatal mistake. 

But no, I don’t think it was. I think the worst mistake was assuming I wouldn’t be back for you. 

There’s a bit of applause, low murmurs and a few wide eyes when Namjoon finishes. He knows the symbolism of the story is a bit dark, a bit controversial, but that’s what he loves about it. He loves taking well-known images and turning them upside down. He thinks he’d be hooked by that prologue in a book. 

Once he’s back in his seat, he feels both relieved for himself and eager to hear Jungkook’s reading. He’s already heard Jungkook’s story, of course, and has read it backwards and forwards at least ten times. But he just knows he’ll feel the most proud when Jungkook is up on that stage, conquering his nerves and sharing his work with the class. 

As the volunteers begin to run out, Jimin starts to call the names of the students that remain. And of course, Jungkook is the first one he spots. 

“Jungkook, why don’t we hear from you next?” Jimin motions him up, and Jungkook gives Namjoon a quick, wide-eyed stare before scurrying up to the podium. 

“Ah, hi everyone. My story is called Of Basset Hounds & Burglaries, and it’s a cozy mystery featuring a dog named Watson,” Jungkook introduces. The audience coos, everyone already endeared. Namjoon knew that Jungkook’s story would be a hit; no one can resist dogs and their silly antics. Jungkook takes a deep breath and begins reading.

It’s been two weeks, and the mystery of the dog park toy thief has yet to be solved. 

At first, the citizens of the park assumed it was a coincidence; sometimes toys get broken, chewed too intently or coated in a thick layer of drool that nary a human is willing to throw anymore (no one is accusing Lilac the Labrador, but…). Sometimes the human staff forgets to return items to the communal bin after they’ve been sanitized, or an insistent beagle carries home a ball in exchange for leaving the park in a timely manner. 

But after a few days of all the toys being missing, and a few days more of the replacements being absconded with in the night…the dogs realize something is amiss.

Enter Watson, Dog-tective Extraordinaire and his trusty leash holder. Familiar with every scent and every patch of dirt in the park, Watson is sure to discover the thief. His nose is unmatched, capable of detecting the slightest whiff of nefarious intent. His claws are brutal weapons, ready to protect and defend, to dig and destroy (and to never be sullied by nail clippers). His ears are attuned to every rustle of branches, every whisper of thievery, every crunch of cookies.

The last one may not be relevant, but one never knows. 

Watson enters the dog park, head on a swivel. He can’t move too quickly lest he smack himself in the face with his ears or worse, trip over them––this has, unfortunately, happened more than once. It really wrecks his credibility, so he’s had to take measures to prevent a loss of trust from his clientele. The trusty leash holder keeps him clipped until he gives a huff of composure, ready to begin his work. 

His meandering pace and low-riding body allow him to take in details other dogs may miss. Instantly, his gaze is drawn to a spot of dirt that’s a bit more worn down than the rest, just at the base of a tree. It almost looks as though something has been dragged along the ground, causing a slight divot. Maybe multiple somethings.

The leash holder kneels beside Watson, examining the evidence. 

“I think you’re onto something, bud. What do you smell?” 

Watson breathes deeply. He smells pee, with a hint of feet. He’s sure that the strange leash holder has been over here, the one that insists on taking her shoes off in the park. He doesn’t know why; there is a place for the scent of feet, and it is not here, amongst the pee-mail.

But beyond that, beyond the messages laced into the dirt, Watson detects something else. 

An enemy. 

Watson smells…a squirrel. 

And with that incredible cliffhanger, Jungkook bows his head slightly and steps down from the stage. The room is filled with murmurs and giggles, and Namjoon knows that it will easily be the most popular reading of the afternoon. Jungkook’s cheeks are pink when he settles back into his seat, and Namjoon can’t resist putting an arm around him for a quick side hug.

“It was amazing, just like I told you,” he whispers as Jimin calls for the next student. Jungkook just smiles at him, and Namjoon feels far more flustered than he did actually being on stage. 

As the class filters out of the auditorium, chattering loudly and basking in the relief of completing the most nerve-wracking portion of the class, Namjoon immediately looks around the reception space for Hobi. Of course, he spots him at the snack table already, perusing the cheesecake options. 

“I suspect he’s going to have far more than one piece of that,” Jungkook giggles, watching as Hobi surreptitiously looks around before grabbing a handful of the cheesecake bites. 

“I suspect you are right,” Namjoon sighs. He really does not need Hobi on a sugar high today, but there’s not much to be done when he’s already got the desserts in his mouth. 

“Dada! Did you do a good job?” Hobi finally spots them, trotting over with crumbs on his shirt and pretending like he didn’t just eat three cheesecake bites in just as many seconds. “Can I have my cheesecake now?” 

“It looks like you already had some, bud,” Namjoon says gently, motioning to the crumbs. Hobi looks down, quickly brushing them away. 

“Okay…but can I have another? I was really good, and I even showed the librarian how many words I can read in the frog book!” Hobi says proudly. 

“Hmm…well, why don’t I go check with her, and then we can see if you still want another after a few minutes, okay?” Namjoon says. 

Hobi nods, and Jungkook easily steps in to keep an eye on him while Namjoon walks over to the children’s librarian, who coincidentally is talking to Jimin. 

“Ah, Namjoon, great job today! I think your story turned out quite well. The use of an unreliable narrator was an especially powerful choice,” Jimin greets him.

“Thank you,” Namjoon nods his head appreciatively. “It took some work to get back in the swing of writing, but I’m really grateful for the class. You did a wonderful job leading it.” 

They talk for a few moments with the librarian, who does confirm that Hobi read a handful of the words in his frog book with her. When she sees another coworker, she excuses herself and Jimin turns to Namjoon conspiratorially. 

“Well then, are you ready?” Jimin asks. Namjoon nods, and Jimin giggles. “Oh, I just love a good romance. I’ve never gotten to be a part of something like this! Is your friend here yet to get your son? I don’t want to start things off too quickly.” 

Namjoon peers around, looking for Seokjin. Usually, he’s kind of hard to miss. Not just because he’s strikingly handsome, but also because he generally has at least one noisy child clinging to him like a wild monkey. 

He doesn’t spot him right away, with all the people milling about for the reception, but finally he picks him out of the crowd. He’s sitting at a table just on the edge of the foyer, and his features are mostly concealed by a baseball cap. Namjoon has never seen Seokjin wear a hat; he wonders vaguely if he bought it specifically for today. Probably. Namjoon can just hear him saying, “Do you want all eyes on me, Namjoon? No? Then the hat is a must to remain incognito!”

“Yes, he’s the one at that table, with the hat. Do you see him?” Namjoon discretely motions towards Seokjin, and Jimin clocks him immediately. 

“Good thing he’s in disguise, look at his bone structure,” Jimin murmurs. 

“Relax, he’s married,” Namjoon grumbles. “And this is supposed to be my romantic moment, remember?” 

“You never know who might be open to a third,” Jimin says cheerfully. “But you’re right, let’s focus on you going to get your man!” 

Namjoon glowers at Jimin for being just a little too loud, but he obediently heads back over to Jungkook and Hobi. Hobi appears to have cajoled Jungkook into giving him another cheesecake bite in the ten minutes Namjoon was gone, which is honestly a record time. 

“Where did you get that?” Namjoon says in a falsely accusatory tone. Hobi glances at Jungkook, then at the tiny remaining piece of dessert before shoving it into his mouth. 

“Get what?” he says around the mouthful of pastry. 

Jungkook looks half amused, half guilty. “He might have talked me into giving him another one.” 

Namjoon rolls his eyes. “He’s very convincing, isn’t he?” Jungkook nods emphatically. “Oh, Jimin said he wanted to talk to you when you get a second.” Namjoon hopes he sounds casual. Luckily, Hobi’s mouth is too full of cheesecake to give anything away, so there’s a plus side to excess sugar after all. 

“Oh…okay. I’ll go see what he needs!” Jungkook says, looking a little confused, but at least not suspicious. 

“Ready to start The Plan?” Namjoon whispers to Hobi. 

“Ready!” Hobi whispers (much more loudly) back. Namjoon takes his hand and turns towards where he last saw Seokjin. He’s disappeared somewhere, hopefully to take his place near Jimin for the handoff. 

Since Namjoon has to head towards the final stage of the scavenger hunt, he needed someone else to make sure Jungkook didn’t get stuck anywhere. He wrote out the clues carefully, hoping that each place, each moment he found so meaningful felt the same to Jungkook, but just in case…Seokjin has the answers to all the clues and can step in from the shadows. Namjoon can only hope that Seokjin remains incognito, and that Jungkook doesn’t notice the guy in a baseball hat surreptitiously following and filming him (since, obviously, Namjoon wants to see Jungkook’s response to each clue). 

As Namjoon hustles Hobi back to the car, he goes over the plan one more time in his head, hoping that it all falls into place the way he imagines. 

First, Jimin will bring Jungkook into a quiet hallway and tell him there’s a surprise prepared for him. Jungkook will be a bit confused but agreeable, taking the folded clue from Jimin’s hand. Of course, it will lead to the classroom they spent so many hours in over these last few months––it seemed like the perfect starting point, somewhere they’ve already had one beginning.

THE ADVENTURE OF THE NOBLE BACHELOR

The game is afoot, one might say.

This moment marks a special day!

A mystery, with clues and all

lies ahead, for you to solve.

The first hint, though not in a bouquet,

(forgive me if that’s too cliche)

is commonplace, beneath a chair 

where you & I became a pair.

Next, Jungkook will find the clue that leads to the little park near their houses. They’ve spent so many afternoons there riding their bikes, walking with Hobi and Watson, pointing out various caterpillars or new plants sprouting from the local garden plots. Jungkook has even suggested that they rent a plot together to grow vegetables––”Maybe Hobi would like eating vegetables he’s grown himself!”. When they finish wandering or walking, Jungkook always likes to curl up under this specific tree, just enjoying the sunlight filtering through the branches and laying quietly together. 

THE ADVENTURE OF THE SOLITARY CYCLIST

Someone is waiting to continue your quest

beneath the branches of a tree you like best.

We wandered there atop our bikes for one

I’m hoping next time, we can watch the setting sun. 

Though Sherlock once denounced romance

I think for us, it might enhance

the bond between you and I;

My fondness cannot be denied.

The third clue will lead Jungkook to the little boba shop they discovered on one of their walks, just a few blocks away from the park. It’s almost never crowded, which is great, considering it only has a handful of tables and usually only one staff person. They often treat themselves to boba or ice cream for the smallest of accomplishments; finishing a walk, writing a few hundred extra words, finishing a training session early. It’s just a nice way to decompress for an hour or so, sitting together in the tiny shop. 

A STUDY IN SCARLET

Whether bread crumbs or a string of fate,

this next clue leads to a perfect date.

Boba, coffee, pastries, dear––

we’ve had them all together here.

It’s hard to know how many times

I sat here looking in your eyes

Yet somehow didn’t know all along

It’s with you that I belong. 

The final and cleverest of the clues, in Namjoon’s opinion, will lead back to Watson, who will be holding a single flower in his floppy jowls. Or…now that Namjoon thinks about it, maybe he should tuck the flower stem into Watson’s collar to avoid all the drool. Watson is a very drooly guy. And Hobi will be holding his leash, and Namjoon will finally be able to ask Jungkook out. 

THE HOUND OF INDIGO SPRINGS

Dear Watson holds the final piece

of this puzzle; the hunt shall cease.

Please proceed to the place you reside

& there you can read the other side.

*Please see reverse upon arrival to the final destination*

“How far away do you think he is?” Hobi asks after about fifteen minutes of waiting with Watson on the front lawn. “Mr. Kookie is really smart, so I bet he’ll figure everything out really fast.” 

“I bet you’re right, but he still has to make it to each location. So it will probably take him at least a half hour or so. And we’ll be ready when he gets here, right, Watson?” Namjoon says. Watson thumps his tail once, then noses at the daisy sitting beside him. “No, don’t eat that!” 

“Did you get Mr. Kookie any snacks to go with his flower? I would like it if TaeTae gave me a flower and snacks,” Hobi asks, plucking up some blades of grass to braid while they wait. 

“No, I guess I could have had his favorite tea waiting at the boba shop but I thought it might get melty…wait, what does TaeTae have to do with anything?” Namjoon asks, confused. Sometimes it’s hard to keep up with Hobi’s thought processes.

“TaeTae is my boyfriend,” Hobi explains, like this is common knowledge. 

It’s a good thing Namjoon doesn’t have any snacks, because he probably would have choked on them. 

“Since when?” he manages to ask. He didn’t realize Hobi even knew what the concept of boyfriend was, let alone had any interest in having one. 

“Since always! We love each other,” Hobi declares. 

“I know you love TaeTae, I just didn’t realize you were… boyfriends . Why didn’t you tell me?” Namjoon asks carefully. 

“I thought it was obvious,” Hobi says, reaching to scratch Watson’s ears. “TaeTae and I are always together, like you and Mr. Kookie.” 

“But Mr. Kookie isn’t my boyfriend…yet,” Namjoon refutes weakly. Has Hobi noticed that Jungkook is around more recently? When did he get so intuitive? 

“He will be,” Hobi says confidently. 

Namjoon wishes he had a similar level of confidence, but he can’t quite get rid of the anxiety swirling in his belly. 

They sit together, Namjoon with his head on a swivel, watching for Jungkook, and Hobi alternating between petting Watson and venturing around the yard to look for bugs. Sometimes it’s really obvious that he’s Namjoon’s son. 

“I see Mr. Kookie!” 

Namjoon whips his gaze away from Hobi to look down the sidewalk. Sure enough, Jungkook is making his way towards them, with a (very obvious) Seokjin skulking along about a block behind him. Namjoon quickly stands and brushes off his legs, motioning for Hobi to come back to the porch. He looks one more time at Watson’s drooly lips and opts to slide the daisy stem into his collar. It sort of looks like he’s wearing a bowtie. The dog hardly seems to notice; not surprising, given how many neck crinkles he has. 

When Jungkook finally reaches them, probably only thirty seconds later, Namjoon fidgets and racks his brain for the exact words he planned to use. 

“Did you read the other side of the card?” he asks nervously. 

Jungkook shakes his head. “Should I?” 

Namjoon nods, watching as Jungkook takes the card out of his pocket to read the other side. 

Here I stand, before you now

Hoping my efforts did wow

Jungkook, all of this I did today

to ask you out, what do you say?

I dream you answer something soon,

perhaps with “Elementary, Namjoon.” 

Namjoon doesn’t know how long he waits for Jungkook to finish reading the card. Maybe two seconds, maybe two hours. It feels like everything is moving in half-speed, making it harder to take full breaths or inhabit his own body. 

Jungkook finally looks up at him, and Namjoon is relieved to see that he’s smiling. 

“Elementary, my dear Namjoon,” he says, just like Namjoon envisioned. The perfect romantic moment, the one that he’s never had, never even dreamed of having before he met Jungkook. The only person that’s ever made him want to be romantic. 

“I got that on camera!” 

They both turn to see Seokjin, disguise and secrecy discarded, grinning at them from the sidewalk. 

“I knew he was following me!” Jungkook exclaims. Watson woofs, trotting up to Seokjin to give his legs a good sniff before deeming him acceptable and meandering back to Hobi. 

“Just in case you got stuck on any of the clues. I wasn’t sure…you know, I didn’t know if those places meant as much to you as they came to mean to me, so…” Namjoon starts to ramble. His heart is racing all over the place, not sure which direction to follow. 

“Of course they meant something to me. I just didn’t want to…I didn’t know if you were open to any of this,” Jungkook says softly. 

“To any of what?” Namjoon asks. 

“Dating, specifically dating a man…and you’re a parent, I know that can complicate things…” Jungkook says shyly. 

“It does, and it has, but…but Hobi loves you, and I can tell that you love him,” Namjoon says. “Part of the reason I haven’t…been with anyone since Hobi is because I haven’t felt safe or confident enough, I think. Not just in someone else, but also in myself as a parent. I know that he’s my priority, and that anyone in my life will have to be part of his support system too for it to work. I know that’s a lot, so if you want to think about it…”

“No! I mean…I’ve already thought about it, is what I mean. I don’t need more time,” Jungkook rushes to say. 

Namjoon smiles at him, then glances over at Hobi and Jin, who are doing a very poor job of pretending to pay attention to Watson instead of the two men standing near them. 

“I want to kiss you, but I also would kind of like our first kiss to be somewhere we aren’t being watched,” Namjoon says softly. Jungkook bites his lip but nods. 

“Did you have a date planned already too, or have you exhausted your romantic gesture quota for a while?” Jungkook asks, taking a step back. 

“Well, I did have some things in mind, but I didn’t want to get too far ahead of myself in case you said no,” Namjoon says, and Jungkook laughs at him, his nose and eyes scrunched happily. 

Namjoon doesn’t think he’ll ever get tired of making Jungkook laugh.

Chapter Text

Though Namjoon would happily have taken Jungkook out that very night, that very moment even, he wanted to make sure their first date was planned just as carefully as the scavenger hunt. He didn’t want to just take Jungkook to the boba shop, or somewhere they’d already been a hundred times together, even if the familiarity would have been comforting. Jungkook deserves to be spoiled, to have nice food and drinks and to be complimented all night long. 

And Namjoon really did plan all of that. He made a reservation at a restaurant that felt romantic but not too stuffy, and made sure there were plenty of items on the menu that Jungkook would like. He packed a little basket of mini wine bottles and sweets for a picnic under the stars and brushed up on his knowledge of constellations so he could point them out to Jungkook. He envisioned them slowly turning towards one another, their lips finally meeting and a shooting star bursting through the night sky at that very instant…

And then Seokjin got sick, so he couldn’t watch Hobi. 

“I’m so sorry, Namjoon, I know how much planning you put into this date, and I really wish I didn’t have to cancel,” he says when he calls. Even through the phone, he sounds croaky and terrible. “I don’t want Hobi to get sick, though, and I’m not sure I could even keep my eyes open to watch him for a few hours.” 

Namjoon can’t be mad at him; Seokjin does so much for him, and of course he doesn’t want to make him feel even worse than he already does. Plus, if Hobi does get sick, it will be even longer before he and Jungkook can finally go on their date. 

“Don’t worry about it, you just rest and feel better. Do you need anything, like soup or medicine? Someone to take the boys to daycare?” Namjoon asks, trying to think of what helps him when he’s sick. 

“No, no, I keep a stock of at least thirty soup cans and packets in the house at all times, so we’re never caught unawares,” Seokjin says, as though this is normal. Maybe it is? Namjoon has no idea; he’s just not the type to stock the pantry as though the apocalypse is coming. 

“Okay, let me know how you’re feeling tomorrow?” Namjoon asks. Seokjin agrees, and then hangs up. Namjoon sighs, staring at his phone. He doesn’t want to call Jungkook and cancel only hours before their date, but he really has no choice. 

“Hi, Joon. You know I’m going to see you in three hours, right?” Jungkook answers. 

“Yeah…about that. Seokjin just canceled, so I don’t have anyone to watch Hobi. I’m really sorry, Jungkook, but I’m going to have to reschedule. I’m sure I can get us another reservation, and once Seokjin is feeling better, we can––”

“Why don’t we just have dinner at your house?” Jungkook interrupts. 

“Well, we…we could, but we’ve done that before. A bunch of times. And I wanted to do something special for you…” Namjoon says. “And Hobi would be here, and I’ve already cooked almost everything that I’m good at for you, so it wouldn’t be very impressive…” 

Jungkook giggles at his rambling. “Namjoon, none of that matters to me. I make the same couple of meals on rotation and have for ages, so everything you make is spectacular. Hobi gets sleepy at, like…eight o’clock, so he’d really only be up for an hour or two. I’m really good at reading bedtime stories too. And then we’d have the rest of the night to ourselves. None of that sounds bad to me. And it would be special just because it’s our first date, not because it’s somewhere fancy or new.” 

Namjoon is quiet for a few seconds, processing all of that. 

“You really don’t mind?” he asks quietly. He’d love to spend a night in with just Hobi and Jungkook, with the promise of a few quiet moments between them, maybe some hand holding and kisses…

“I really don’t. I also just don’t want to wait another day or another week for the sole purpose of making it fancier. I don’t need that. I just want to spend time with you,” Jungkook emphasizes. 

Namjoon swallows and nods. “Okay. Okay, I can make us pasta with the sauce you and Hobi like, maybe some chicken…I’m sure I have a bottle of wine here that will work with that too…” 

“I’ll be happy with whatever you have,” Jungkook assures him. “So I’ll see you in a few hours, okay?” 

“Okay,” Namjoon says softly. He ends the call and sits in silence for a few minutes. He feels a little sad about the lost opportunity to truly wine and dine Jungkook, but there will be other nights…right? As long as tonight goes well, he reminds himself, and then throws himself into motion. 

He makes sure he has all the ingredients he needs for dinner, a few bottles of wine to choose from…what kind of wine does Jungkook like? Usually they have red, whatever sweet stuff Namjoon has sitting in the pantry, but what if Jungkook actually prefers white? And if they’re going to have chicken, white is probably better anyway, but he’s not sure how long it will take to chill…

He feels his phone vibrate in his pocket and quickly pulls it out. Is Jungkook changing his mind after all?

Jungkookie : are you panic cooking right now? 

Namjoon : …not yet

Jungkookie : you know we’re neighbors, right? And that if i want, i have a very good view through your kitchen window?

Namjoon : creepy

Jungkookie : i’m just saying, i’ll know if you’re freaking out. and i’ll be forced to come over early and ruin any romantic surprises you might have up your sleeve. so don’t freak out. it’s just me :) 

Namjoon frowns and glances out the window. Sure enough, he can see Jungkook in his own house, waving and grinning at him. Well, I better make a good show of being calm for the next few hours. Or maybe just close the blinds…

Somehow, he manages to get through his preparations without any meltdowns. He calmly gets all the ingredients ready and sets the table. He uses the actual glass plates that he normally never bothers with because plastic is a much safer bet with a five year old in the house. He even manages to find a few electric candles to (safely) set the mood, and one lightly scented candle for the kitchen, far out of Hobi’s reach. 

He makes sure that there are blankets ready by the patio and turns on the fairy lights. It’s still light out, but they’ll look nice once it’s darker out, and maybe Jungkook will want to sit outside. 

“Dada? What are you doing?” 

Namjoon is broken out of his haze by Hobi wandering out of his room and into the kitchen. 

“I’m getting dinner ready. I know you were supposed to go to TaeTae’s house, but his daddy is feeling sick, so you’re going to have dinner with me and Mr. Kookie instead. Doesn’t that sound fun?” Namjoon explains while checking on the chicken for the third time. How can you tell if it’s done? Are meat thermometers really accurate? Has he been doing this wrong for years?

“Is Watson coming too?” Hobi asks excitedly. 

“I don’t think so, not tonight. Maybe we can go see him tomorrow though!” Namjoon offers. Hobi pouts but nods. 

“What are you making?” Hobi looks around for the little step stool they keep in the kitchen so he can help when he’s in the mood (which is usually only if Namjoon is making something sweet that he can taste test). Namjoon pulls it out and sets it up for him, reminding Hobi to not touch anything on the counter without asking. 

“I’m making creamy tomato sauce to go with this chicken and pasta,” Namjoon shows Hobi all the elements of the meal. “And for the vegetable––”

“Do we need a vegetable?” Hobi interrupts. “I think tomatoes are enough for vegetable!” 

Namjoon chuckles. “Actually, tomatoes are fruits, bud. And yes, we need a vegetable! I thought that we could do brussels sprouts…”

“Nooooo!!” Hobi moans dramatically, starting to climb down from his stool. “I hate brussels sprouts, they look like alien heads and they smell like farts!” 

“I was just kidding! We’re going to have a salad and some green beans, and you like green beans! You don’t have to have salad if you don’t want any, how about that?” Namjoon proposes. 

Hobi considers, then nods his head and stays on his stool. “Okay, no salad and just a few green beans. Do we have any bread?” 

Coincidentally, Namjoon did pick up a baguette this week at the grocery store, and it seems the perfect occasion for it. “We do have bread!” 

“I love bread,” Hobi says approvingly. Namjoon laughs. 

“Me too, me too.”

They finish preparing the meal, Hobi taking charge of putting all the chopped veggies and croutons into the salad bowl and Namjoon completing the sauce and chicken. 

“Okay, now we just need to get dressed!” Namjoon says when he’s satisfied with the meal. “What do you think we should wear?” 

“Mr. Kookie likes wearing black, so you should wear something that looks nice with black,” Hobi says. 

“So…literally anything,” Namjoon says. 

“Yep! I’m going to wear my smiley face shirt,” Hobi says, and prances off to his room. He has at least four smiley face shirts, so Namjoon has no idea what to expect when he emerges. 

“Something that goes with black…very helpful,” he mumbles to himself as he heads to his own room. Jungkook has seen plenty of his outfits, from his work clothes to his comfy sweats, so he isn’t too worried about making an impression with his style choices. Still, he wants to look nice. Maybe a good pair of jeans? And…a button up? Or is that too formal? It’s not like he would be wearing a blazer over it, but still. They aren’t going anywhere, so it feels like a bit much. But what if he dresses down too much and Jungkook looks really nice? Should he text and ask? 

Namjoon : what are you wearing? 

Jungkookie : that’s forward

Namjoon : not what i meant!!!

just…i don’t know what to wear

Jungkookie : *photo attached*

does this help? 

Namjoon : oh. okay. got it. 

Why does Jungkook look so good in jeans and a t-shirt? It’s really not right. Namjoon could put on a full suit and he still wouldn’t feel up to the same standard. But he’ll adhere to the dress code and put on his own t-shirt. A nice one. Maybe…maybe he should wear one with a smiley face? And then at least he can say Hobi wanted to match. 

Once he’s semi-satisfied with his outfit, Namjoon makes his way back out to the living room. The kitchen table is set, the food is in the oven to stay warm, and he even turned on a soft playlist. Now all that’s left is to wait for…

There’s a knock at the front door. 

“Mr. Kookie!” Hobi is already on his way to the door, giving Namjoon hardly three seconds to remind him that he is not supposed to answer the door, even if he thinks he knows who’s there. 

“Hi, Hobi! Are you excited for dinner?” Jungkook greets him, kneeling down to catch the little boy barreling towards him. 

“Yes! We are not having brussels sprouts!” Hobi informs him. 

“Oh. I like brussels sprouts, but that’s okay, maybe next time. What are we having instead?” Jungkook asks. 

“Brussels sprouts are icky, you should get your taste buds checked. We’re having bread!!” Hobi says, tugging on Jungkook’s hand to lead him to the kitchen. 

“Oh, bread is good too! If only we had some brussels sprouts to eat with it,” Jungkook says. 

Hobi frowns back at him. “I don’t wanna be invited to dinner at your house if you eat brussels sprouts with bread.”

Jungkook laughs. “Why don’t you sit at the table while your Dada and I get the food? I’ll make sure there’s not any brussels sprouts on your plate.” 

“Okay!” Hobi hurries to sit himself down at the table, and Jungkook turns to Namjoon. 

“Hi,” he says softly. “You look nice.” 

“Thanks. So do you, but I already knew that, since you sent me a photo…” Namjoon says, then curses his awkward nature. 

“Well, I couldn’t have you getting yourself all worked up about your outfit, could I? Now, show me where this delicious bread is,” Jungkook giggles. 

Namjoon helps Jungkook make three plates, one small plastic one for Hobi (with an entirely reasonable quantity of green beans) and two nice plates for them. 

“The bread and salad are already on the table, so we’ll see if there’s any left when we get there,” Namjoon says, only half joking. There have been several learning experiences for Hobi when he eats too much of a good thing and gives himself a tummy ache. 

“If there’s no bread, I’m afraid I’ll have to go home,” Jungkook teases. 

“And leave me to eat this delicious pasta and drink this nice wine all by myself?” Namjoon plays along, though he would definitely be drinking sadly if Jungkook did leave. 

“Well, if you insist, I suppose I can stay,” Jungkook says. He carries Hobi’s plate along with his own and Namjoon follows him to the table. To no one’s surprise, Hobi has a mouthful of bread already. 

“I fomnd th bremmd,” he says around the piece in his mouth. 

“I can see that,” Jungkook says. “I hope you saved some for us!” 

Hobi glances at the bread basket and nods slowly. That bodes well, Namjoon thinks. Hopefully there will be no bread-induced tummy aches later. 

Besides the meager amount of remaining bread, dinner actually goes well. Jungkook is complimentary as always of Namjoon’s basic cooking skills. Namjoon doesn’t run out of things to say. And Hobi eats all of his green beans. What more could they ask for? 

“Dada, do we have dessert?” Hobi asks. And who is Namjoon to say no, especially to a vegetable-eating angel? 

“Well, we have ice cream, and we also have some—”

“Ice cream!” Hobi cries excitedly, racing off to the kitchen. He’s hardly tall enough to reach the freezer, so Namjoon isn’t too worried about him actually getting it himself, but nevertheless he hurries behind him. 

“Jungkook, do you want ice cream?” Namjoon asks, turning to see Jungkook already carrying the dishes into the kitchen. “You don’t have to do that, you’re our guest!” 

“I don’t mind, I’m pretty good at dishes. And ice cream sounds good,” he replies, smiling at Namjoon with that cute nose crinkle. 

“Dada, I want cookie dough!” Hobi declares. 

“I think we have cookie dough, vanilla bean, and maybe some mango sorbet?” Namjoon says. 

“No mint chip?” Jungkook asks. Namjoon whips his head around to see if Jungkook is serious. He can’t tell, and he needs to know if this is the first real red flag. 

“You…like mint chip?” he asks cautiously. 

“It’s kind of refreshing, don’t you think? Like, it makes the ice cream taste twice as cold?” Jungkook says, rinsing off the plates before loading them into the dishwasher. 

“No! It’s terrible. It tastes like toothpaste,” Namjoon says, horrified. 

Jungkook just giggles at his outrage. “Got it, no mint chip in this house. I’ll take cookie dough too, then.” 

Namjoon ponders whether he’s being unreasonable, or if liking mint chip ice cream really is a sign of taste bud degradation and/or insanity. Then Jungkook squeezes in front of him to open the freezer, and his back presses warmly against Namjoon’s chest, and…yeah, he can forget about ice cream flavors. 

“What bowls do you like to use?” Jungkook asks. Namjoon realizes he’s still just standing aimlessly in the middle of the kitchen and rushes to get out bowls, spoons, and the old metal ice cream scooper he found at a garage sale years ago. 

“One scoop for Hobi, one scoop for me…” Jungkook says, then glances at Namjoon. “Did you want cookie dough too?” Namjoon nods, watching Jungkook easily scoop from the carton despite just having taken it from the freezer. Does he have ultra-strong hands? How is he doing that? Namjoon usually has to either wait for the ice cream to thaw or run the scoop under hot water, with Hobi anxiously staring at him all the while. “One scoop for Namjoonie!” 

Hobi giggles. “Hobi, Mr. Kookie, and Namjoonie! They all sound the same!” 

“Do we want to eat outside, or at the table?” Jungkook wonders.

“Outside!” Hobi cheers, so outside they go. The sun is beginning to set, but for now there’s still plenty of light. Hobi immediately finds one of the blankets and pulls it out onto the grass, plopping down with his ice cream. Namjoon and Jungkook follow, managing to just fit themselves onto the blanket beside him. Except Jungkook is very much in Namjoon’s space, his leg and hip lined up with Namjoon’s, their shoulders brushing together. 

“Do you think after ice cream we could read a story?” Jungkook asks Hobi. “I heard you had some new library books, and you always pick the best ones!”

“Okay!” Hobi agrees, and then starts to list all of the books they currently have checked out from the library. Namjoon doesn’t know how he remembers all of them; he certainly can’t keep track. He can barely remember the titles of the three books he has for himself. 

“Hmm. Well, I like the sound of the one with the mice and the castle, but we can read whichever one you want!” Jungkook says after Hobi finishes. 

Namjoon watches them quietly. He loves seeing how easily Jungkook fits into their routine, how he falls into conversation with Hobi effortlessly. And Hobi seems perfectly content with Jungkook being there, never questioning his presence or asking why he’s around so much. On the contrary, he is continually excited when Mr. Kookie is outside, or when they get to visit Watson. He usually takes to new people pretty well, but he seems especially attached to Jungkook, wanting to impress him with his books and interests and stories. 

“Dada, let’s get ready for bed so Mr. Kookie can read me my book!” Hobi says as soon as he finishes his ice cream. Namjoon is a little surprised; usually there’s a bit more resistance about bedtime, especially after ice cream. But the promise of a new storyteller is apparently an excellent bargaining chip, so Namjoon dutifully helps Hobi pick out his pajamas, wash up, and brush his teeth. Jungkook waits for them in Hobi’s room, perusing all the book options. 

Hobi leaps across the room and tumbles into his bed, pulling his covers over himself and snuggling up to his plushies. “Ready!” 

Jungkook laughs, endeared by his excitement. “Okay, you still want this one?” He shows him a book with a castle on the front, and Hobi nods happily. 

Jungkook opens the book and scoots his chair closer so Hobi can see the pictures while he reads. “Once upon a time, there was a royal horde of mice…” 

Namjoon leans against the door frame, watching the two get engrossed in the story of the queen mouse ruling justly and fairly over her subjects. Hobi’s head starts to droop, resting partially against Jungkook’s shoulder. By the end of the book, his eyes are closed, his arm wrapped loosely around his stuffed frog. 

Jungkook carefully maneuvers his way out from under Hobi, letting him settle more comfortably against his pillows. Softly, he sets the book down on the floor and pads over to Namjoon on his tiptoes. Namjoon flicks on Hobi’s noise machine and turns off the lamp, leaving only the glow of the nightlight illuminating Hobi’s sleeping face. 

“You’re really good with him,” Namjoon says quietly as he closes the door to just a crack. 

“Thanks, he’s an easy kid to spend time with,” Jungkook says. “You raised him well.” 

Namjoon feels unexpectedly choked up at this. He likes to think that he’s done a good job with Hobi, but there aren’t a lot of people to reinforce that perception. Hobi’s not in regular school yet, so there are no teachers to praise Namjoon’s parenting, and he doesn’t have family to affirm him either. And even though he wants to be confident in his parenting skills, it’s nice to hear that he’s doing well from someone else too. 

“That means a lot,” he says. Jungkook reaches out and squeezes his hand, not letting go as they make their way back out to the kitchen. 

“Do you want wine? I have a couple of options, I wasn’t sure what you’d want,” Namjoon offers. 

“I’m not too picky, but white sounds nice tonight,” Jungkook says. 

Namjoon pulls the white wine from the fridge and pours two glasses. “We could go back out to the blanket, it’s still a pretty nice night.”

Jungkook nods and they make their way back outside. Despite the extra room on the blanket, Jungkook doesn’t sit any further from Namjoon than he was before. In fact, he might be even closer, his legs turned so they’re basically in Namjoon’s lap. 

They sip their wine, chatting aimlessly until their glasses are empty and Jungkook lays back on the blanket, gazing up at the sky. 

“Do you know any of the constellations?” Namjoon asks him, scooting back to lay next to him. He’s so close, we’ve never been this close before…

“Umm…I know some constellation names , but I’m not sure I could actually point any out,” Jungkook says. “Let’s see…there’s the big and little dipper, and the North star, and some sort of belt? But those are the only ones I can think of.” 

Namjoon looks around, trying to spot any of the constellations he practiced. But…they just don’t seem as obvious in the actual sky as they did in the photos. 

“Well, I know the names of a few more and I thought I’d impress you by pointing them out…but honestly, it’s harder than I thought,” Namjoon admits. “I think that the little dipper is…there?” He points upwards at a cluster of stars. 

“I don’t think I see it,” Jungkook says, squinting up. 

“Here, let me just…” Namjoon takes Jungkook’s hand in his and directs him to the (possible) constellation. “See, right there?” 

“I’m not sure…maybe? But it also kind of looks like it could be…there?” Jungkook motions to the right, shifting his head to look at Namjoon to see if he’s following. 

And their faces are very close now, closer than their hands or their thighs or any part of their bodies have been yet tonight. 

“I’m really restraining myself from saying something terribly cheesy here,” Namjoon whispers. 

“You can, if you want,” Jungkook whispers back. 

“I’d rather look at you than the stars anyway,” Namjoon tells him, and he means it, regardless of if it’s cheesy and silly and…

Jungkook kisses him. 

There are a few seconds where Namjoon starts to overthink, where he remembers just how long it’s been since he kissed anyone, where his brain starts to loop and question every miniscule movement. Is this right? Do I always tilt my head this way? How do I breathe? Oh fuck, I need to kiss him back…

But then Jungkook slides his hand into Namjoon’s hair, guides him so gently, leaves a small space between them for Namjoon to catch his breath. “Okay?” he asks softly against Namjoon’s mouth. And Namjoon nods, because it is, it’s more than okay. 

Jungkook presses his lips against Namjoon’s with so much care and caution. He tastes like sweet wine and ice cream, a perfect sugary flavor for these first gentle kisses. He lets Namjoon get his bearings, lets him figure out exactly how he likes to slot their mouths together, when he’s ready to slip his tongue into Jungkook’s mouth to look for more of his sweet taste. 

Luckily, his body remembers exactly what to do, even when his mind wants him to freak out. 

He wants to nibble on Jungkook’s lips, his tongue, to taste every bit of him. He wants to savor the way it feels to lick into Jungkook’s mouth. He wants to admire the way the moonlight traces across his pink cheeks, wants to hear the names of constellations falling from his lips. Wants to hear his own name falling from his lips… 

“Namjoon,” Jungkook whispers. 

“Hmm?” he murmurs back, still looking at the beautiful man in his arms. 

“Why did you stop kissing me?” Jungkook says, his lips forming a pout. 

“Just…taking in the moment,” Namjoon says, tracing his fingers across Jungkook’s hair, his neck. 

Jungkook takes advantage of his distraction by swinging his legs over Namjoon’s, effectively pinning him to the ground. He fits very comfortably against Namjoon. He should just stay like this always, in my lap, a perfect fit, Namjoon thinks. But he can’t help teasing Jungkook a little more. 

“I can’t see the stars anymore,” he tells him, all the while holding Jungkook’s hips so he can’t move away. Not that he’s trying, but just in case. 

“Thought you’d rather look at me,” Jungkook teases back. 

“Yeah…you’re right, I would,” Namjoon says, reaching up to pull Jungkook’s mouth back down to his. 

He feels a bit more confident now, biting gently at Jungkook’s lip, curling his fingers into Jungkook’s hair. He doesn’t think about breathing or where his nose should be or if it matters whose lips are on top. None of it matters, only Jungkook’s warmth, his taste, his hands against Namjoon’s chest. He hopes that his body feels as good to Jungkook as Jungkook’s does to him. Namjoon might not be quite as chiseled, not lithe and athletic in the same ways as Jungkook, but he’d like to think that his broad chest and shoulders are somewhat appealing. Jungkook seems to agree, if the way his fingers keep pressing into Namjoon’s pecs is any indication. 

Jungkook has moved from licking into Namjoon’s mouth to kissing down his neck, biting softly here and there, making Namjoon shiver and grasp at the base of his hair, desperate for something to hold on to. 

“Fuck, why does that feel so good?” Namjoon wonders aloud. Maybe it’s just been a while, maybe he’d forgotten what it felt like to be kissed like this, to have someone’s tongue against the sensitive column of his neck, teeth on his collarbones. 

Or maybe it’s just Jungkook’s mouth. 

He feels the breath of Jungkook’s laughter against his skin, but that doesn’t stop the sucking, the gentle nibbles on his skin, the hands that have somehow slid beneath Namjoon’s shirt. He’s so warm, it feels like the sun must have come out instead of the moon, like there’s heat all over his body, his chest, his cheeks, and definitely…

Jungkook’s thigh slides perfectly between Namjoon’s legs, pressing against his embarrassingly hard cock. Because he can’t forget for too long exactly how much time has passed since he’s been touched, and apparently that means his body reacts much faster. 

Namjoon isn’t sure if Jungkook notices, not at first, but he definitely doesn’t move his leg away, doesn’t stop covering Namjoon’s neck in bites, doesn’t stop letting his hands roam across Namjoon’s nipples. And then he’s pressing his leg down, and he has definitely noticed, because he groans at the feeling of Namjoon hard against him. 

“Sorry, I just…” Namjoon tries to explain; he’s not normally this easily worked up, it must be the timing or Jungkook or some combination of those factors. 

“Why would you be sorry?” Jungkook finally manages to tear his mouth away from Namjoon’s skin, though he looks like he might be magnetized at this point, already glancing at the small bruises he’s left behind. 

“Just…’m hard already and we haven’t done anything, it’s embarrassing…” Namjoon mutters, cheeks warming even further. He doesn’t want to add on that he hasn’t been touched by another man in…well, he’s not even sure. He always tries to avoid adding up the years when he thinks about it, because having an actual number would probably feel even worse. 

Jungkook looks at him, his eyes soft, taking in every detail of Namjoon’s face. And then he very deliberately presses his thigh harder against Namjoon’s cock. 

Namjoon can’t decide if he wants to squirm away or pull Jungkook down more firmly onto him. It’s embarrassing, sure, but apparently Jungkook doesn’t mind. Apparently he likes rubbing himself against Namjoon, likes teasing him, likes it so much that he’s whining into Namjoon’s mouth as he does it. 

And that’s when Namjoon realizes that Jungkook isn’t just trying to rub his thigh against Namjoon’s length. He’s also rubbing his own cock against Namjoon’s leg. 

There’s no controlling his hands anymore, no stopping the way he absolutely has to have Jungkook’s ass gripped firmly between his palms. Their bodies are flush together, and Namjoon is still so warm, but there is no universe in which he could ever try to move further from Jungkook’s heat. He presses his own thigh experimentally up and Jungkook’s hands tighten in his hair. 

“Fuck, Namjoonie, do it again,” he whispers against his mouth. 

Namjoon pulls on his hips, guiding him to rut against his thigh. Jungkook returns to suckling at his neck, though with far less purpose now that he’s been distracted by other sensations. It seems like he just wants his mouth occupied, preferably by some part of Namjoon’s body. It’s probably for the best, because Namjoon doesn’t know if he could focus on kissing Jungkook back right now anyway, not when he can feel how hard he is, not when there’s so much of this beautiful man in his lap to look at. 

Namjoon wonders if Jungkook’s cock is leaking as much as his, wonders if he could come just from rutting against Namjoon, wonders what it would feel like to just slide his hands under Jungkook’s waistband and touch more of his warm, soft skin…

Could he? Would that be taking it too far? They’re more or less in private, and it’s not like he’d be getting naked in the backyard, just…just touching a little more. 

“Jungkook,” he says, voice ragged. Jungkook doesn’t seem to hear him, busy licking and sucking more bruises into Namjoon’s neck. “Kook, can I…”

“Yes,” Jungkook mumbles into his skin. “Can do whatever you want, Joonie.”

“Just…just wanna feel you better,” Namjoon manages, resting his hand just above Jungkook’s waistband, waiting for him to understand, to give permission. Jungkook wriggles in his lap, and when Namjoon still hesitates, Jungkook reaches back and shoves Namjoon’s hand into his pants. 

“Touch me wherever you want, Joonie,” he says, sighing happily when Namjoon finally grips his ass. He can feel the muscle there, but Jungkook is also satisfyingly soft in all the right places, perfect for Namjoon to cup in his hands, to continue guiding Jungkook’s movements. 

He finds himself missing Jungkook’s mouth on his, though, and manages to pull him back up into a kiss. He’s a bit more confident now, licking into Jungkook’s mouth right away, savoring the way Jungkook whimpers against him. He sucks on his tongue and Jungkook seems to go nearly boneless against him, which only makes Namjoon want to do it again and again. He loves the weight of Jungkook’s body on top of him, loves having him weak and whining for Namjoon’s hands to wander further. 

He could probably do this all night, kissing Jungkook until his lips go numb, until he can’t do anything but form the shape of Jungkook’s mouth against his. He doesn’t think that would be so bad. But…

“Jungkook,” he finally breaks away from the kiss. “We…we should probably stop.”

Jungkook freezes against him, then tries to roll back onto his part of the blanket. “Sorry, was this too much? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, I know it’s only our first official date…”

Namjoon holds him in place, though he does slide his hand back to the outside of Jungkook’s pants. “No, no baby. It’s not that at all, I’m very comfortable. I just…I don’t think either of us wants to come in our pants, and we are outside…” 

Jungkook mumbles something into Namjoon’s chest that sounds suspiciously like “I don’t mind cumming in my pants,” which Namjoon chooses to bypass. 

“It might sound kind of silly, but I just want to take my time with you,” Namjoon tells him, gently running his fingers down Jungkook’s back, resisting the urge to palm his ass again. “Want to have you nice and relaxed in a bed, want to be able to spend hours touching you.” 

Jungkook whines. “You’re not preventing me from cumming in my pants when you talk like that.” 

Namjoon laughs. “Sorry, Kook. Why don’t we go back in, watch a movie? I’m sure the mosquitoes will be out soon, and they love biting me almost as much as you do.” 

Jungkook crinkles his nose at the teasing, then inspects Namjoon’s neck. “That’s some tough competition. Unfortunately for you, I don’t think those are going to pass as mosquito bites.” 

Truthfully, Namjoon can’t really find it in himself to mind Jungkook marking him up too much. He has concealer, or he can just wear his fleece with the high neck for the next few days. He sort of likes having bruises, and he likes it even more knowing that they came from Jungkook. 

They lay together for a few more moments in silence, Namjoon’s arms still wrapped around Jungkook, his head resting on Namjoon’s chest. Namjoon would be tempted to stay there, but he really does get eaten alive by mosquitoes every time he’s outside in the summer without copious amounts of bug spray. 

“What movie do you want to watch?” he asks Jungkook, who slowly detaches himself from Namjoon and sits up, running a hand through his hair and looking very attractively mussed. 

“Something cute,” he says, eyes tracing along Namjoon’s equally mussed hair and clothes. He offers Namjoon a hand and they manage to get up at last, making their way back inside. 

“I’m just going to check on Hobi real quick, you can look for a movie,” Namjoon says. He doubts that they woke Hobi; he tends to sleep hard once he’s out, and his little noise machine dulls any sound Namjoon might make while he’s rustling around the apartment after Hobi is asleep. Still, he just wants to check. 

He peeks into the room and sees Hobi exactly where they had left him, his little hands curled under his pillow, fast asleep. One of his frog plushies must have shifted at some point, because it looks like it’s holding him. 

Adorable, Namjoon thinks. Frogs do hug after all. 

Satisfied that his son is safe and sound, he pads out to the kitchen to refill their glasses of wine before joining Jungkook on the sofa. He’s still scrolling through movie options, seeming undecided on any particular genre, but pausing more often on the rom-coms. 

“Did you want any snacks? I brought more wine,” Namjoon says, sitting beside Jungkook and placing the glasses on the table in front of them. 

“I’m okay, but thank you,” Jungkook smiles softly at him. “Do you want to pick the movie? Nothing is really jumping out at me, and I think I’ll probably just fall asleep anyway.” 

Namjoon nods and flips back to one of the rom-coms he saw Jungkook pause on. “How about this one? It seems like an easy watch.” 

Jungkook nods happily and they settle into the couch. Namjoon leans against the arm and opens his legs enough for Jungkook to wriggle in between and lay against his chest. 

“Comfy,” he murmurs, nuzzling into Namjoon’s shirt. Namjoon reaches to tilt his chin up and kiss him softly, enjoying the slow press of lips, the fast beat of Jungkook’s heart against his chest. As much as he enjoyed the heated moments in the yard, he thinks he could also get used to this. Just lazy kisses, learning the way Jungkook likes to be held and touched, feeling his weight against Namjoon’s chest. 

“When you said you were going to fall asleep, did you just mean you were going to spend the whole movie kissing me?” Namjoon mumbles when they pause for air. 

“No?” Jungkook says, but without much certainty. Namjoon chuckles, running his fingers through Jungkook’s hair affectionately. 

“Well, you’d better pay attention then. Otherwise we’re going to have no idea what’s going on,” Namjoon tells him. 

They do manage to pay some attention to the movie, though Namjoon suspects they’ve missed most of the jokes and a third of the plot. It’s just so easy to get distracted when Jungkook is right there , his neck begging to be bitten, his lips begging to be licked, his waist begging to be held. It’s a lot to take in, the fact that he’s able to touch Jungkook at all. He’s spent a lot of time restraining himself from reaching out to feel Jungkook’s hair, his hands, his cheeks, and now that he doesn’t have to restrain himself, it’s far too easy to tumble headfirst into exploring every inch of his body. 

Namjoon manages to settle himself by playing with Jungkook’s hands, inspecting the calluses on his palms and the scars on his knuckles, the perfect shape of his nail beds and the surprisingly soft pads of his fingers. He draws shapes on his palms, fits their fingers together, admires the way that Jungkook’s hands make his own look so elegant, while Jungkook’s look a bit more rugged. 

“Are you going to suck on them next?” Jungkook finally asks him, watching with amusement as Namjoon stares at him. 

“What?” he asks, confused. 

“My fingers. You just seem very into them. You can, if you want. I think it would probably feel good,” Jungkook offers casually. 

Namjoon considers taking him up on it, just to spite him for the teasing. In the end, he only laces their fingers back together and rests their intertwined hands on Jungkook’s stomach. It’s another very nice place to touch, one he’s definitely going to explore further at some point. 

Once they’ve settled down, Jungkook does start to doze off. He puts a valiant effort into keeping his eyes open, but he can’t seem to do it by the end of the movie. Namjoon would happily let him sleep there all night, except he knows from experience that it’s a bad idea to sleep on the couch. He does not want to wake up with neck pain. Part of getting older, he supposes. He needs his memory foam pillow if he wants to be functional. 

“Kook,” he says, gently tugging on their connected hands. “Wake up, the movie’s over.” 

“Mmmm sleepy,” Jungkook grumbles, wriggling his way closer to Namjoon’s chest. 

“I know, but you don’t wanna sleep like this, you’ll be sore in the morning,” Namjoon tells him softly. 

“Won’t be sore, we didn’t fuck,” Jungkook mutters into his chest. Namjoon nearly chokes. 

“That’s…that’s not what I meant, but I’m glad you can handle sleeping on a couch. My elderly body cannot, though.” 

“Five more minutes,” Jungkook says. 

So they lay together for probably more than five minutes, until Namjoon is finally able to coax Jungkook into waking up enough to move. 

“You can stay, if you want,” Namjoon tells him. “I just didn’t want to fall asleep on the couch and wake up needing a chiropractor.” 

“I would love to, but I don’t think I’ll want to fall asleep if I get into bed with you. Plus, Watson probably needs to go out one more time anyway,” Jungkook says.

“Ah, the age-old excuse of needing to take care of the dog,” Namjoon teases. It’s very clear, based on the way Jungkook is still attached to him, that he isn’t actually making excuses to leave. But it’s also probably for the best; Namjoon likes the idea of taking things a little slow. Especially if it means he gets to take his time when he finally does get Jungkook in bed. 

“Hey, if you want to sacrifice a good night’s sleep and have the guilt of poor Watson not getting his evening potty break, I’ll stay,” Jungkook teases back. “But you don’t strike me as the type to compromise sleep for a dog’s well being.”

“It’s tough, being a good person,” Namjoon sighs dramatically. 

It still takes them a good half hour to actually say goodnight, between Jungkook not wanting to let go of Namjoon’s waist and a lot of kisses in the kitchen. And the hallway. And by the door. 

“I’m glad this was the way our date turned out. I couldn’t have kissed you nearly as much in a restaurant,” Jungkook says. 

“You could have, we just probably would have gotten kicked out,” Namjoon says. 

Jungkook giggles. “It was perfect. So, am I planning our next date?”

“Oh, we’re planning another date already?” 

“I am. How does next Friday sound?” 

“Maybe if Seokjin is feeling better he can watch Hobi?” Namjoon suggests. 

“Sure! But it’s not a big deal if he can’t. I don’t mind spending time with him too,” Jungkook says, and he looks so genuine. Namjoon’s heart swells; he loves that Jungkook is so open to his little family. But also…he does want to spend time with just Jungkook at some point. 

“I’ll check in with him next time I see him. Get home safe,” Namjoon says. 

“You can watch me walk there,” Jungkook laughs. 

“I just might.” 

It takes them several more dates to actually get much alone time. Coordinating their schedules plus Hobi’s plus Seokjin’s proves to be more challenging than they originally anticipated. But to Jungkook’s credit, he never seems to mind spending parts of their dates with Hobi, or that they can’t go to a fancy restaurant, or that Namjoon continues to turn down the prospect of sex with Hobi in the house.

It’s Namjoon’s personal nightmare that Hobi would wake up with a tummy ache and walk right into the room. He doesn’t want to traumatize him. 

He also doesn’t want to have the sex talk with a five year old. He’s hoping to put off that conversation for at least a few more years. 

So they keep having their small dates, picnics in their yards and dinners with Hobi and trips to the park or the boba shop or the library for new reading material. There are a lot of stolen kisses, a lot of hand holding (which Namjoon thought he might need to talk to Hobi about, to explain why Dada and Mr. Kookie hold hands now,  but he seems entirely unbothered). There are also a lot of heated makeout sessions on the couch, or in the patio chairs, or against the kitchen counter. Truly, Namjoon is amazed at his own self-restraint. A weaker man would have Jungkook naked a hundred times over now. But not Namjoon. He’s managed to keep him (mostly) clothed for weeks. Months, really, if you count all the time he spent pretending not to have feelings for him. 

When they finally manage to arrange a night all to themselves, Namjoon isn’t sure what to do with himself. He wants to spend time alone with Jungkook, of course he does, but it’s also been a bit of a safety net to have an excuse to keep things slow. And tonight, he won’t have that. What if he doesn’t remember how to put on a condom? Or what if he comes before they even get that far? What if Jungkook doesn’t like how he looks? Sometimes clothes can be deceiving, he might not think he’s as attractive naked…and also, what if Jungkook thinks he’s not good in bed? Would that be the end of them? Would he give Namjoon another chance to improve? He can take constructive criticism… 

Logically, he knows he’s overthinking. He knows that Jungkook would never pressure him, would never walk away even if their first time isn’t stellar. And honestly, when is the first time with anyone that great? He probably isn’t expecting it to be perfect. But Namjoon can’t help wanting to give him perfect anyway. 

Jungkook insisted on making dinner tonight, since Namjoon often cooks for them to make it easier to include Hobi. 

“I want to take care of you for once,” Jungkook told him. “You always have to cook, even if you don’t feel like it, because someone else depends on you for meals. So let me worry about all of that tonight.” 

And that…well, that is pretty sexy to Namjoon. 

There may have been a time in his life that he was taken care of more often, but it’s so far in the past that he hardly remembers it. He’s spent years making sure that Hobi is okay, that he has everything he could need, that there are meals on the table and daycare arranged and toys and books and…yeah, it would be nice not to think about every detail of the evening. 

It’s actually a bit difficult for him to turn off that part of his brain. Maybe concerningly difficult. There are just so many aspects to a date, and he doesn’t know what to expect. How long will the date last? Are there activities outside of dinner planned? Perhaps a board game? Are they going to spend the whole night together? Do people their age have sex more than once in a night? Is Jungkook a hot or cold sleeper? There are so many considerations, and most of them are not things Namjoon thinks a normal person asks before a date. 

So he does his best not to overthink, to not think at all, and just let the night be what it will be. 

It’s a lot easier to stop thinking when Jungkook opens his front door looking beautiful. 

“Hi,” he says softly, looking at the way Jungkook’s hair curls around his cheeks, the way the curve of his waist is evident even in oversized clothes, the slight flush to his skin, presumably from being in the kitchen. 

“Hi, dinner is almost ready! I hope you like it,” Jungkook says, taking Namjoon’s hand and leading him inside. 

They’ve spent a bit of time at Jungkook’s house, but not nearly as much as Namjoon’s, so he still likes to look around and catch glimpses of Jungkook that he doesn’t see quite as often. The coloring book and markers on his end table (apparently, it was a gift selected by one of the kids he and Watson read with; the mother apologized for not getting him something more age appropriate, but Jungkook assured her that he still loves to color), the glasses case beside the couch, the overflowing basket of Watson’s toys. 

“What are you making?” Namjoon asks as Jungkook positions him at the table. There’s already a glass of wine at his place and a bowl of salad in the middle of the table. 

“Well, I didn’t want to be too ambitious, so I just did a pork loin and some potatoes, plus some sorbet for dessert. It felt a little fancy,” Jungkook explains. 

“Pork loin does sound kind of fancy,” Namjoon says, peering into the kitchen to see what Jungkook is up to. He’s slicing what looks like a perfectly cooked cut of meat, steam brushing against his curls and cheeks. He’s already put potatoes on two plates, and his own wine glass is on the counter beside him. 

“Nah, it just goes in the oven! It might have been better if I marinated it in the spices overnight instead of just a few hours today, but I think it turned out okay,” Jungkook replies, adding meat to both of their plates and bringing them over. 

“It looks amazing,” Namjoon tells him earnestly. And it does. There’s a crispy layer to the meat, and it smells divine. And there’s simply no way to go wrong with potatoes. 

“The salad is just a premade mix, I hope that’s okay. I didn’t know what kind you’d like, or really what went with the dinner…” Jungkook says nervously. 

“I think most salads taste the same. I’m sure it’s perfect,” Namjoon says, taking a big scoop from the bowl. He doesn’t care much about vegetables; he just has to come up with ways to make them tasty enough for Hobi to consume, so salad isn’t something he puts a lot of thought into. He’d happily eat the entire bowl if it made Jungkook smile, though. 

For all of his talk about not being much of a cook, Jungkook really made an excellent dinner. He continues to worry over the details, like if the seasoning on the pork is too much, or if he should have made a separate vegetable alongside the salad. And Namjoon continues to assure him that everything is just right, that it’s even better than the meals he normally makes. Nothing with artificial cheese or hidden vegetables or animal-shaped chicken nuggets. 

“Do you want to have dessert now, or wait a little while?” Jungkook asks him as they begin clearing up the table. In his efforts to fully enjoy every bite of food Jungkook prepared, Namjoon didn’t even consider saving room for dessert, so his belly is definitely already full. 

“Um…maybe later? Everything was so good, I’m not sure I have room for anything else,” Namjoon says sheepishly. Jungkook smiles happily at him. 

“I like seeing you eat well,” he says. 

Namjoon feels a little flushed at the comment; he’s not sure anyone has ever said that to him before. It will have to go on the long list of firsts he’s creating with Jungkook. 

Once they’ve tidied up the kitchen, Jungkook flitting over to intercept Namjoon every time he tries to do more than lift a single plate, Jungkook offers him another drink and they head to the couch. Watson has been mysteriously absent from dinner, and Namjoon sees now that he’s curled up on a bed with a bone, chomping away slowly. He looks like he’s tiring out, probably from spending the last hour working on his treat. 

“Good boy, Watson, that’s a special treat, huh buddy?” Jungkook praises. Watson gives a thump of his tail, but otherwise remains focused on his important mission. 

“I wondered why he suddenly didn’t have any interest in our food,” Namjoon chuckles. While Watson is a very well trained boy, he can’t help but be interested in any and all possible snacks. His nose always leads him to the weakest link. Namjoon suspects that when no one is looking, Jungkook might be a bit more lenient about giving him goodies than he pretends to be. 

“Yeah…I didn’t want his nose on my leg all night, so we picked out that bone especially for him to have tonight,” Jungkook explains. 

Namjoon does not think about how he would also want to put his head in Jungkook’s lap if it were constantly at eye level. 

“Do you want to watch a movie? Or I also thought we could play a game, if that sounds fun,” Jungkook says, fiddling with his hands. 

“What kind of games do you have?” Namjoon asks. 

“Well, I have a couple of video games, like Mario Kart, or I have some regular ones, like Connect Four and Battleship…you can look and pick one, if you want,” Jungkook says. 

“How about the winner of the game gets to pick what we do next?” Namjoon suggests, rather boldly, if he does say so himself. Jungkook nods, somewhat nonplussed but agreeable. 

Namjoon sorts through the options and ends up deciding on Guess Who, since it’s always amusing to see how people will describe the characters. 

“I’m pretty good at this one, so prepare yourself,” Jungkook warns, giggling as he selects his card. 

“Okay…does your character look like they’d oppose the existence of zoos?” Namjoon begins. Jungkook stares at him, then glances at his card. 

“Umm…that’s kind of subjective, but I would say yes?” 

That sets the tone for the style of play, and it seems that they’re both trying to come up with more ridiculous questions than the other, rather than actually narrow down the character choices. 

“Would your character agree to go skydiving on a first date?”

“Does your character seem like the type of person to start a Youtube channel?”

“Does your character make Pinterest boards for major life events?” 

“If your character had to choose between saving a stranger or their cat from drowning, which one would they choose?”

Eventually, Jungkook does somehow win, though Namjoon would attribute it to pure luck more than anything else. They are both giggling away at the absurdity of the game, talking about whether they should print off a set of different characters to try next time. 

“So…I won,” Jungkook reminds him. And Namjoon remembers his suggestion, that the winner gets to choose the next activity. He tenses up a little. He isn’t sure what Jungkook will choose; he hasn’t made any particular moves tonight, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been on his mind. Then again, it doesn’t mean that it has been on his mind either. 

“You did,” Namjoon says, waiting for Jungkook to show his hand. Is he going to suggest a movie? A moonlit stroll? Or…or is he going to take Namjoon to his bedroom? 

“And I don’t want you to feel like we have to do anything, just because I won. But…but I thought maybe tonight would be a good night to try something new?” Jungkook says, watching Namjoon’s face. 

“Okay,” Namjoon agrees. Jungkook moves closer, putting himself in Namjoon’s lap. 

“Okay as in…?” 

“As in, I’m hoping you want to fuck me tonight,” Namjoon replies against Jungkook’s lips, feeling a strange mixture of shyness and courage. 

Jungkook pulls him closer, pressing their mouths together eagerly. “Fuck, yes Joonie, of course I want to.” 

With their thighs pressed together, Namjoon can feel the strength of Jungkook’s legs bracketing his, can imagine how well he’ll fuck him with all that muscle and strength. Maybe he could even hold Namjoon in place, hold him up against a wall…but a bed would be a great place to start. 

“Can we…can you…take me to your room?” Namjoon manages to say between kisses. 

Jungkook seems to have a hard time pulling himself up out of Namjoon’s lap, and Namjoon has the sneaking suspicion that if their positions had been reversed, Jungkook may very well have just picked him up. Which…would be an experience. Hopefully one that he will get to have at some point. 

As it is, Jungkook tugs his hands to get him off the couch and pulls him down the hall, Namjoon stumbling after him, hardly having his bearings after being kissed so thoroughly. When they get to the bedroom, part of Namjoon wants to look around, to take in the details of the room, but Jungkook doesn’t give him the opportunity. He has Namjoon on the bed and back under him in seconds. 

There will be time later to see what he has on the bookcase, Namjoon tells himself before going back to being completely lost to Jungkook’s mouth. 

Jungkook can’t seem to decide where he wants to put his hands, tracing them through Namjoon’s hair, along his neck, down his torso and waist, back up to feel his biceps. And he follows all of that up with his mouth, licking and biting every inch of exposed skin he can find. Namjoon is pliant for him, as if he could be anything else. As if he could ever move an inch when he has Jungkook on top of him, nipping and sucking marks on his neck. 

Jungkook’s hands find their way to the hem of Namjoon’s shirt, imploringly pressing it up to expose his belly, then his pecs, until Namjoon wriggles upright enough to take it off entirely. Jungkook follows suit eagerly, but Namjoon has little time to appreciate the sight that is Jungkook shirtless before he’s gone back to biting and sucking, this time on Namjoon’s nipples. 

“Ah, Jungkook…” Namjoon whimpers, his fingers going to weave into Jungkook’s hair. He hasn’t had many partners that were interested in his nipples, so the feeling of Jungkook’s lips around them is…new, and surprisingly pleasing. The sensation shoots straight to his cock, little electric shivers coursing through him at every press of Jungkook’s tongue, every gentle tug of his teeth. So, okay, he likes nipple play. Another first to add to the list , he thinks to himself, trying desperately not to get too turned on too fast. 

He lets his hands explore all the newly exposed skin of Jungkook’s body, the warmth of him radiating against his palms, against his own chest. Jungkook is so soft beneath his hands, and he’s also so very muscular. Namjoon thinks he can feel each individual muscle group, the lats and deltoids and a lot of abs…

He doesn’t get to spend too long touching, though, because Jungkook has ventured beyond his nipples and on to his stomach, his hip bones, pausing at his waistband. His eyes seem even bigger than usual, gazing up at Namjoon from this angle. 

“Joonie,” he says, voice lower than Namjoon is used to. “Can I take these off?” 

Namjoon nods silently, unable to form words or thoughts beyond Jungkook Jungkook Jungkook. 

It’s an incredibly satisfying experience, watching Jungkook take off his pants and underwear, like Namjoon is something to be revered, worshiped. He is both delicate and ravenous, staring at every new inch of skin as though it’s made of gold. And when he finally gets them past Namjoon’s cock, he freezes in place, mouth only inches away. 

Namjoon squirms, wanting to be rid of his clothes and also not knowing what exactly Jungkook is thinking, staring so intently at him. “Jungkookie…”

Jungkook snaps out of it, finally freeing Namjoon of his clothes before returning to his cock. “Sorry, just…was thinking that you’re gonna have to fuck me at some point too, wanna have this inside me.” 

Namjoon feels pink and flushed all over at that, thinking about fucking Jungkook, thinking about him riding Namjoon and whining to have him deeper, his pretty eyes on Namjoon, his hair sweaty and messy…but it’s not what they agreed on tonight, so he’ll have to save those thoughts. For tonight, he’s eager to see Jungkook naked, to see his cock all hard and slick with precum, to feel it against his body, bare and warm. 

“Are you gonna take your pants off too?” Namjoon asks, surprised at how impatient he sounds. But…he’s been waiting to see Jungkook for so long, been teased with glimpses of his skin, with touches in the dark and the comfortable weight of him in his lap. He wants all of it, wants Jungkook naked and heavy on top of him, wants to feel their skin pressed together, wants to be sticky with their sweat and lube and cum. 

“Sure, Joonie,” Jungkook says, before sliding off the bed and very slowly taking off just his pants, leaving his underwear on. It’s not as though it hides much, just short little briefs that barely contain his obviously hard cock. Namjoon is sure that if they weren’t black, he’d be able to see precum leaking through where Jungkook’s tip is pressed against the material. 

Namjoon frowns when Jungkook doesn’t move to take those off too, just stands there smirking at him. 

“You just said pants,” Jungkook tells him. 

“You knew what I meant,” Namjoon grumbles. Jungkook giggles and finally takes off his briefs, tossing them dramatically away and settling himself back between Namjoon’s legs. Once again, Namjoon definitely does not get enough time to admire, but he can’t complain when Jungkook starts kissing his inner thighs. 

“So…beautiful,” Jungkook murmurs against his skin, nudging Namjoon’s legs open further as he moves upwards. “Wanna have my mouth on you all the time, it’s just not fair to have thighs like this.” 

Namjoon wants to protest, wants to tell Jungkook that he’s the one with the impressive muscles, so lean and strong, calves toned and quads flexing every time he’s outside in shorts, walking Watson or working out. But he is rendered speechless when Jungkook gently nips at the meat of his ass, licking and kissing gently on the spot before Namjoon can complain of the sting, and then…

“Oh,” Namjoon breathes as Jungkook starts to eat him out, his tongue hesitant at first, but when Namjoon doesn’t stop him, he becomes more eager. Namjoon can’t help but pull Jungkook closer, trying to get his tongue at the perfect angle. Jungkook moans against him, holds Namjoon open with fervent hands. He can feel the spit dripping between his cheeks, knows he must be soaked with it already, but he can’t bring himself to care. He loves knowing that Jungkook enjoys how he tastes, hearing him sigh and groan at being held in place as he presses his tongue inside. 

Namjoon wants to take the opportunity to admire Jungkook, to see the way his back muscles tense and the way his perky ass is visible even in this position and the way he can’t seem to keep his legs still while he’s buried between Namjoon’s, but…to be honest, he’s not seeing much of anything beyond the haze of pleasure. It’s hard to even keep his eyes open, though he wants to desperately. He forces himself to focus, to think about anything other than coming too fast. 

“Kook…fuck, Kook, do you have lube?” he asks, needing something other than the absolutely maddening pleasure of Jungkook’s tongue against his hole. 

“Mmm…in the bedside table,” Jungkook says quickly, before returning to his mission of driving Namjoon insane. 

When Namjoon does finally manage to wriggle over and reach blindly into the drawer, Jungkook stays halfway down the bed, panting. He looks for all the world as though someone has taken away a piece of candy from him instead of Namjoon giving him a chance to breathe for a second. Namjoon finds the lube, turning onto his side to hand it to Jungkook. His ass feels suddenly cold, which he initially thinks nothing of, since until a minute ago he has a warm tongue there. But then he feels a tongue that is definitely not Jungkook’s against the back of his thigh. 

Namjoon yelps and scoots further into the bed to escape the mystery tongue, his brain not processing anything other than weird weird what was that weird. 

“WATSON!” Jungkook screeches, and Namjoon realizes exactly who licked him. 

Watson is sitting at the side of the bed, panting happily and gazing up at both of them. He seems to have no qualms about interrupting them, no recognition that both humans are naked and now annoyed with him. 

“Fuck, I’m so sorry, I thought he’d be tired from working on his bone all night, and he usually sleeps out on his bed, not in here,” Jungkook says, rushing to guide Watson back out of the room and shutting the door firmly. There’s one sad whine and then the tip-tap of his nails parading back to bed, presumably. 

Jungkook turns back to Namjoon, and he’s still so beautiful, even when he’s flustered and pink and embarrassed over his dog’s antics. Namjoon can’t help but giggle at him. Jungkook sighs and returns to the bed, flopping down with his face against Namjoon’s stomach. 

“So…did that ruin the mood?” he asks timidly. 

“I mean…kind of, but I think you can get it back,” Namjoon tells him honestly. It usually only takes Jungkook about ten seconds to get his cock interested anyway, so he doubts this will be any different. 

“Thank god,” Jungkook says, and then he’s on the move, mouth skimming over Namjoon’s half-hard cock, licking at his length until he’s fully hard again (as expected, it doesn’t take long). He flips open the cap of the lube, carefully coating his finger before pressing experimentally at Namjoon’s hole. Even with the brief interlude, he’s still relaxed enough for Jungkook to slide a finger inside. 

And while Namjoon still holds to his belief that Jungkook’s mouth has magical powers, and that’s the reason everything he does with it feels so good…now he’s going to have to add to that theory, because just a single finger also feels incredible. 

Jungkook is gentle with him at first, just sliding halfway in, getting Namjoon adjusted to the feeling, but he’s already planning to beg if Jungkook doesn’t speed it up. He wants to feel him fuck the lube and spit back into him, wants to be slippery and warm and wet for his cock. 

“Kook, wan’ another,” he demands after about thirty seconds. 

“Are you sure? You feel pretty tight to me,” Jungkook says, tracing Namjoon’s rim with his tongue while he continues to give him only one finger. 

“Koooook,” Namjoon whines. Jungkook only laughs, continuing to lick at him teasingly, fingering him so fucking slow it could drive a weaker man insane. 

Actually, Namjoon is weak, because he’s going insane. 

It’s not as though he never fingers himself; sometimes it feels nice, satisfying even. But it’s so much work, and it’s messy, and he doesn’t like that as much when it’s just him. He wants to be called messy, not to just sit in a shameful puddle of his own making. And also, it’s so difficult to finger himself, trying to bend his arms in all sorts of shapes, testing his own mobility, that he rarely comes from fingers alone. 

But of course, Jungkook has to prove that he’s superior. Because with just one finger, one stupid finger that isn’t nearly enough, he finds Namjoon’s prostate. 

“Ah! Please, please Jungkook, there, that…” Namjoon nearly yelps as his body trembles from the pleasure. He has the hardest time finding his own prostate, and even when he does, he can’t seem to consistently hit it. There’s some sort of disconnect, his body wanting to wriggle away from all the pleasure, unable to force himself to continue pressing against it. 

Jungkook has no such qualms. 

“That feels good, baby?” he asks, rubbing insistently against the spot, showing Namjoon no mercy even as his whimpers increase. “Still think you need more fingers, when you’re already so whiny from just one?” 

“Ye…yes, want more,” Namjoon insists weakly, though he’s not entirely sure how ready he is for more at this point. Maybe Jungkook knows best, maybe he was right to tease and keep things slow, because Namjoon is really on the brink of coming already and Jungkook hasn’t even gotten close to fucking him yet. 

“Alright, you can have another, since you’re sure,” Jungkook tells him, pressing another finger against his rim. 

Why does it feel like so much? Why are his fingers so intense? Namjoon wonders absently. Has he really been this touch starved? He knows the answer is yes, but it’s still embarrassing to realize that sex feels brand new again, that every sensation has him on edge. 

“It’s…it’s a lot,” he admits as Jungkook slides the rest of the second finger in. 

“Bad a lot, or good?” Jungkook asks, pausing his hand immediately. 

“Both? I…just, feels so good, but…embarrassing,” Namjoon tries to explain, tries to tear his brain away from the waves of pleasure and shame. 

“Why are you embarrassed?” Jungkook asks, kissing gently against Namjoon’s stomach, his hips. He still has his fingers pressed inside of Namjoon, motionless and calm. 

“I…I’m in my thirties, I shouldn’t be so…so easy,” Namjoon says, able to slightly catch his breath now that Jungkook isn’t teasing his prostate. 

“Why does your age matter? And what do you mean, easy? You’re allowed to feel good in any time frame, any way that you want. It doesn’t have to be something specific, there’s no rules,” Jungkook tells him adamantly. “I want you to feel good. I want to be able to make you come, maybe more than once, and I don’t want you to feel bad about it. It’s hot.” 

Namjoon looks at him skeptically, but Jungkook seems earnest. “So you don’t care if I come in five minutes?” 

“Just means I’m that good,” Jungkook says cockily. 

Namjoon laughs in disbelief. “Okay, so you don’t care if sex doesn’t last long?” 

Jungkook shrugs. “Like I said, I’m happy if you come. You can come a couple of times, I bet. But no, the time frame isn’t a major factor to me. It’s probably not healthy for your dick to stay hard for hours anyway.” 

Namjoon just stares at him. He…can I come a couple of times? I don’t know if I’ve ever tried with a partner…but I bet I could, with him. 

“Do you want me to keep going?” Jungkook asks him, and Namjoon realizes that he’s still knuckles-deep inside of him, patiently watching Namjoon for the okay to continue. 

“Yeah,” he decides. Because fuck it, who cares if he comes first? Apparently not Jungkook, and that’s all that matters. 

Slowly, Jungkook starts stretching him, interspersing kisses and sucking on Namjoon’s thighs, his rim, distracting him from any discomfort. It’s probably the most thorough prep Namjoon has ever received, and also the most pleasurable. Jungkook seems to know just when to back off his prostate, just how to press against his walls and keep him relaxed and floaty. His hole feels slick and wet, just how he likes it. 

“Think you’re ready,” Jungkook finally declares, giving one last press against Namjoon’s prostate before sliding his fingers out. Namjoon whines, feeling the lube dripping against his thighs, his muscles already demanding that Jungkook get back there right now. Jungkook smiles at him, running his clean hand against Namjoon’s chest soothingly. “Hang on, just let me…” he reaches into the bedside table again, rummaging for a condom. 

Namjoon is honestly very glad he’s not topping tonight, because his brain is complete mush and he would not be capable of the dexterity required to put one on. He does feel a little sad that Jungkook won’t be adding his come to the mess of spit and lube between his legs, but…maybe another night. He definitely doesn’t know how to explain the appeal of it, but he hopes that Jungkook is into it, will call him messy and loose and…

“Ready?” Jungkook asks him, and Namjoon looks up at him. Jungkook’s lips are swollen, his cheeks pink and hair tousled. His cock, which Namjoon suddenly realizes he’s hardly gotten to admire, is inches away from Namjoon’s hole, ready to finally be touched. 

“Ready,” Namjoon confirms. He’s anxious in every way, wanting desperately to have Jungkook inside him, wanting to be good, wanting to last at least five minutes regardless of what Jungkook says about it not mattering to him. He deserves so much more than five minutes, especially after spending who knows how long making sure Namjoon felt good. In fact, he feels more than good, his brain and belly dizzy with desire. It’s how he knows he’s most turned on, when he feels nearly nauseous with pleasure. 

Jungkook presses the tip of his cock against Namjoon, then seems to decide he wants to tease him a little more, reaching for the lube and dripping more over them both. He lets his cock slide between Namjoon’s cheeks, seeming lost to the glide, the squeeze of Namjoon’s glutes, the slick sounds of their skin meeting. 

“Jungkook, please ,” Namjoon finally complains, pressing his hips forward, reaching down as though he might just grab Jungkook by the cock and drag him inside. 

“Okay, sweetheart, okay, just…feels good to touch you,” Jungkook says, letting his cock slip out from between Namjoon’s cheeks and guiding it to his hole. “Deep breath, okay? Tell me if I need to stop.”

Namjoon nods, breathing and watching as Jungkook finally, finally presses his cock inside. It feels a little scary at first; he’d forgotten just what the girth of a real cock could feel like in the beginning, but then he remembers to breathe, to relax, to trust that Jungkook knows just what to do. 

And he does, he really does. His cock is just as good as his mouth and his fingers, stretching Namjoon and pressing against every taut muscle inside of him, making his stomach flip and his brain short-circuit. The extra lube is definitely a plus, making Jungkook’s cock move so effortlessly inside of him. 

As usual, Jungkook has to be an overachiever, and within moments, he finds Namjoon’s prostate. He’s even more relentless about it while he’s fucking him, grinding hard against it, holding Namjoon’s hips in place while he shakes and trembles with the pleasure. Yeah, I’m definitely asking him to hold me down more often, Namjoon thinks deliriously. 

Jungkook is less talkative when he’s got his cock inside of Namjoon, entirely focused on Namjoon’s responses to his movements. He reads him so easily, adjusting his angle and speed until he has Namjoon near drooling. 

“Jungkook, baby, gonna cum,” Namjoon says, reaching up to pull Jungkook down to him, to kiss him and lick into his mouth, to feel the way he’s panting and groaning at the way Namjoon tightens around him. Jungkook reaches down for Namjoon’s cock, but Namjoon pulls his hand away. “Wanna come from just you, just your cock.” 

Jungkook moans into his mouth and grips Namjoon’s hip harder, fucking him at just the right angle, hitting his prostate over and over until he shakes with the feeling, overwhelmed with everything his body is feeling. 

“Go ahead, Joonie, come on my cock, that’s right,” Jungkook encourages him lowly, and that’s all Namjoon needs to hear. He loses most of his brain capacity, his hands holding on tightly to Jungkook’s hair, his back, nails probably leaving marks, but he can’t bring himself to loosen his grip. It feels like he comes for far longer than usual, his body unused to being so full, having something to clench down on, and every part of him feels so warm and floaty and glorious. 

It takes him some time to come down, and he realizes absently that Jungkook is still inside him, his body laying heavily on top of Namjoon’s. He finally releases his death grip on Jungkook’s hair, tugging him to look at his face. 

“Kook…did you…?” Namjoon asks, starting to feel worried that Jungkook still hasn’t come, that he’s being a bad partner. He’s honestly kind of still numb from the pleasure, can’t quite tell if Jungkook is softening inside him. 

“Fuck yeah I did, felt like you were gonna keep squeezing me until I came a second time,” Jungkook mumbles against his neck. Namjoon laughs in relief. 

“Do you wanna shower?” Namjoon asks. 

“Wanna lay here with you,” Jungkook replies, showing no signs of getting up. 

“But…messy,” Namjoon protests weakly. 

“Like it when you’re messy.” 

Oh. Well…that will be something to explore, then, Namjoon thinks happily. But he has to admit, he prefers being messy during sex, not as much after. 

It takes a bit of coaxing, the promise of a head massage and the reminder of dessert in the freezer, but they eventually get cleaned up. Namjoon is a little uncertain, not positive if Jungkook wants him to spend the night, or if they’ll be ending the date in their separate houses. He hopes they’ll spend the rest of the night together, but he knows that could be a lot, maybe too fast…and does Jungkook even like sharing a bed? Will he mind if Namjoon moves around too much? Or if he’s too warm? He might also grind his teeth; he’s not sure if he’s outgrown that or not, and…

“Joonie, do I need to fuck you again to get you out of your head?” 

Namjoon snaps his head around, wide-eyed at Jungkook’s statement. Is he that obvious when he’s overthinking? Jungkook giggles and tugs him over to the couch, settling down with his head in Namjoon’s lap. 

“Joonie. What are you freaking out about?” 

“I just…do you want me to stay the night?” he asks, running his hands through Jungkook’s damp hair. “I can go back to my place, it’s not a big deal, I just didn’t…”

“Of course I want you to stay, as long as that’s what you want,” Jungkook says easily. “We might need to change the sheets, or at least put down a towel, though…” 

“You could sleep at my house and then we wouldn’t have to do either,” Namjoon offers. 

“Sounds perfect,” Jungkook smiles up at him. “And there will be no chance of Watson trying to steal you away from me there.” 

Namjoon huffs at that; he’d nearly forgotten Watson wandering into the bedroom despite it being only an hour ago. Jungkook has a way of making his brain turn off. No thoughts, just Jungkook. 

“The curious incident of the dog in the night time,” he quips. Jungkook just smiles and snuggles closer to him. 

“If we’re quoting Sherlock, you know that one where he says some people are light conductors?” Jungkook asks. Namjoon nods, wondering where he’s going with this.

“That’s how I feel about us. I felt…dull, I guess would be the word for it? There wasn’t anything particularly wrong or bad about my life, but there wasn’t anything luminous about it either. And then you moved in next door, and you and Hobi made everything seem so much brighter. I think that you’re the light conductor. You make me feel luminous.” 

Namjoon just looks at him, speechless. He doesn’t think there’s anything special about him, nothing that would change anybody’s life, certainly. He’s just an average man in his thirties, doing his best to take care of himself and his son. 

But Jungkook? Jungkook, who takes his dog to help children read and cares for animals so gently? Who buys books just in case Hobi needs something to read when they visit his house? Jungkook, who crinkles his nose in happiness every time he has boba and always offers to share despite his enormous sweet tooth? Who reminded Namjoon what being cherished could feel like?  

“That’s…that’s exactly how I feel about you. I was okay, making things work, but it was all so…monotonous? Stagnant? It’s been hard to even want to feel like more than a dad these last couple of years. But meeting you, it reminded me that I can be more than that, and that I deserve to be. You make me feel luminous, too.” 

Namjoon hopes, as he looks into Jungkook’s eyes, that this feeling will last. He has a hunch that it will. 

It’s just elementary.