[november]

My daddy is awesome. He the bestest daddy in the whole wide world.

But, he doesn't play with me anymore, and I am sad now.

He plays with Jinnie hyung more.

Jinnie is nice to me. He is awesome too. He brings me candy sometimes and he colours with me.

But Daddy likes him more. Daddy plays with Jinnie more.

I don't want Jinnie to take Daddy away from me. Daddy is mine first.

I don't want Daddy to leave me. I love him the mostest.

Jin hyung is a supervillain. He's trying to take Daddy away from me.

I have to defeat the supervillain.

I have to battle Jin and save Daddy from his evilness.

-

"Is Young-Jae okay? He hasn't talked to me at all, today," Jin whispered to Namjoon, as the teen came into the living room with some snacks.

Sure enough, Young-Jae was sitting on the couch, pouting. Usually, he would be animatedly talking with Jin, or coloring with him. Today, he sat there, arms crossed, staring straight at the television, completely ignoring the older man.

"Hm. I dunno. Maybe he's upset about something that happened at school? I'm not sure. Maybe just don't talk to him for a bit."

Young-Jae wasn't deaf.

In his mind, his father just told Jin to ignore him.

Will Daddy ignore me too?

In truth, Namjoon was scared that Young-Jae was angry about something, and in his anger, he would have a 'daddy' slip-up.

He looked at the little boy, concerned, before he sighed, handing a bowl of fruit to Jin.

"Why don't you go up and wait in my room, and I'll see what's wrong with him."

Jin nodded, kissing Namjoon's cheek before heading upstairs with his backpack and the fruit.

Once the older boy was gone, Namjoon sat on the couch next to Young-Jae. He tried to reach out and ruffle the little boy's hair, but the three year old grunted. Scooting away from his father, he resumed his pouty position.

Namjoon was shocked. He'd never seen Young-Jae mad at him.

"Baby, what's wrong? Are you mad at me?" he tried again, scooting slowly towards the boy.

"Hmph," Young-Jae refused to speak, turning his head upwards.

"Okay, so you're mad at me. What did I do to make you mad at me?" Namjoon asked, in a soft voice. He could see that the little boy was clearly upset.

"Unh unh," the three year old said, shaking his head.

Namjoon sighed.

Young-Jae had never kept something from him. Even when he was mad or sad, he always told Namjoon why. This was definitely new, and Namjoon didn't know what to do.

"Young-Jae, please tell me what's wrong. We don't hide things, remember?"

Young-Jae didn't say a word, only continuing to pout.

He didn't want his daddy to know that he thought Jin was a supervillain. Then, Jin may find out and keep Daddy! Or Daddy may get mad and leave Young-Jae.

Namjoon sighed, when he realized he wasn't going to get an answer out of the little one.

"Okay fine. Don't tell me. Just remember, I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong."

The teenager kissed Young-Jae's forehead before standing up to find Taehyung. He wanted his brother to watch the little boy while he and Jin hung out.

Young-Jae's lower lip began to tremble, as he watched his father walk away.

He's leaving! He's going to go play with evil Mister Jin.

He doesn't love me anymore.

-

"I don't wanna!" Young-Jae whined out, as his uncle tried to help him in his seat next to his father's.

"Young-Jae, come on! You're actually kinda heavy," Taehyung complained as he tried to contain the wiggling three year old.

Young-Jae didn't want to sit in the seat next to Jin. He didn't want to be turned evil! So, he continued to kick and push himself away from the seat.

Hopefully, Uncle Tata would get the point and let him sit somewhere else.

"But I dun wanna! I dun wanna sit there!" he shouted, pushing the seat away, making Taehyung stumble back.

The teenager sighed, before dropping the child on the floor. He put his hands on his hips.

"Well, where do you want to sit?" the little boy pouted, arms crossed as he glared at the table.

"Next to Daddy," he grumbled.

Taehyung threw his hands up.

"You are! Look, I'm here on this side, Jin, you, and then Da-"

"No! I dun wanna sit next to Jin! I wanna sit next to Daddy!" he cried out, tears starting to well in his eyes.

Taehyung's expression softened. He was pretty sure Young-Jae was upset by more than just the seating arrangement.

He crouched down to look directly in his nephew's eyes.

"Jae-Jae, what's wrong?" he whispered, running his hands through the sniffling boy's hair. "You can tell me. I promise, I just want to help."

Young-Jae's eyes were glossy, as he looked up at his uncle. Holding his arms out, Taehyung reached down to pick the boy up. He quickly buried his head in the older boy's neck.

It was silent for a while as Taehyung simply swayed back and forth, waiting for Young-Jae to calm down a bit.

"Jin is evil," Young-Jae finally mumbled out.

Taehyung stopped moving, furrowing his eyebrows. He couldn't believe that Jin had a single evil bone in his body.

"Um, what do you mean by evil?"

Young-Jae paused again for a moment.

"He steaws."

Taehyung was taken aback, his whole body tensed, expecting the worst.

"You saw him steal something!?" he whisper shouted.

He could practically feel the little boy pouting, tears starting to drip onto his shoulder.

"He stole my daddy. Daddy plays wif Jin mowle than me now!" he started crying, burying his face in Taehyung's neck.

The older boy let out a small sigh. So he didn't actually steal anything.

And then he understood.

Young-Jae was jealous.

He was so used to it just being Namjoon and Young-Jae 24/7, he didn't quite understand the emotions he was feeling when he couldn't have his father's attention all the time.

"Aw, baby, it's not like that," Taehyung tried to soothe the little boy, hoping the two teenagers couldn't hear him from upstairs.

"B-but he doesn't pwa-ay with m-me any mowle! I-is only J-Jin! B-but he can't d-do that! He's my daddy! N-not Jin's d-daddy!"

Taehyung favored keeping his mouth closed, almost sealing his lips shut to keep from giggling. In any other situation, he might've made a joke about innocent little Young-Jae's choice of words, but the three year old seemed really upset.

So he just settled for a small smile.

Just a teensy one.

"Aw, Young-Jae, don't cry. It's not like that. Here, sit down in your chair and I'll explain it to you."

And so, after a lot of tissues, and convincing Young-Jae that Namjoon did in fact love the three year old probably more than anything else in the world, the two of them played a board game until Mrs. Kim called everyone for dinner.

-

Namjoon sighed, staring up at his ceiling blankly.

His head felt like it was practically spinning with all the thoughts and worries swirling around in his brain.

His mother had complained about Young-Jae's hair getting long, so Namjoon had a moment to himself as he waited for his son to come out of the bathroom.

He sighed again, putting his arms behind his head.

What was he thinking about?

A lot.

How his parents had pulled him aside after dinner and asked if anyone knew about Young-Jae...specifically Jin who was in the next room over.

Or how he still hadn't actually told the older.

Or how he said he wanted to come out, but came to the conclusion that his dad probably wouldn't like that very much.

Or maybe how his son wouldn't talk to him and he was angry. Like, what was up with that? He was all pouty and not talking, and then at dinner, acting like nothing was wrong.

Or maybe remembering that basketball season had just started, and how he missed playing, but was also plagued by all the memories of the horrible things that his teammates did to him.

Or all the other stressful school-related crap that he had to do.

He rolled over, burying his face into a pillow, and started groaning.

When did his life get so complicated and confusing?

"Daddy? What awle you doin?"

Namjoon quickly whipped his head around to see the little boy, hair damp, slightly shorter, in his fire truck pajamas.

He was holding on to the doorknob like he was scared to step in.

"Hey, baby. All done?" Namjoon rolled off, walking around to sit at the foot of the bed.

The little boy nodded shyly, before running into his father's arms. "Yah! Look at this handsome little man!" Namjoon explained, ruffling Young-Jae's hair, and earning a few giggles.

"Don do dat Daddy! Mimi jus cut it!" the little boy squealed as his father tossed him on the bed and began tickling him.

They played around for a bit before Namjoon started to get tired. He huffed, sitting up, on his knees.

"Hey, baby. Can I talk to you for a minute? I want to talk about your attitude earlier."

Young-Jae's face immediately dropped, a frown replacing his smile. He tilted his head down.

His father smiled slightly, going to comb through the little boy's hair, "I'm not mad, I just want to know why you were angry."

It was quiet as Young-Jae seemed to think. He eventually moved, crawling into Namjoon's lap, going in to hug him tightly.

"'M sowwy Daddy. I think you didn't want me anymowle."

It shocked Namjoon. So much so, he went stiff for a moment, not quite understanding how his son could believe that. Had he unknowingly been ignoring him?

Namjoon pulled the little boy away so he could look him in the eyes.

"Why would you think that? Young-Jae, you know I love you very much. More than anything."

Young-Jae just nodded.

"Iss okay now. Uncle Tata told me I was jenlous-"

"Jealous?"

"What?"

"Did you mean, jealous?"

"Yeah, dats what I sayin'."

"Um, well- okay, yeah. Continue."

"He said I was jenlous-"

"Jeal-"

"Daddy! Stop intuwupting me!"

"Um, nevermind."

"He said I was jenlous cuz Jin gets to pway wit you mowle, and I think he is evil. But Tata said that is just my feelwings. And dat you wuv me a whole wot. So is okay now cuz I'm just jenlous."

Namjoon sighed, pulling the boy into a tight hug. It all made sense now. He cursed himself for not understanding the situation sooner.

He was surprised that even though Young-Jae could not say the word 'jealous', he handled the situation very well. It was very mature of him.

"Young-Jae, next time, just tell me what's going on. I'm sorry I made it seem like I wasn't spending a lot of time with you. You just have to understand that I have friends just like you do, and I would like to play with them, just like you play with your friends. We used to spend all day together, but now, because I'm away more, I know it seems like we don't spend any time together. But I promise I love you, and I don't want to leave. Okay? Make sense?"

The little boy nodded into his father's chest.

"Okay. I love you too."

Namjoon smiled, petting the little boy's hair.

"Alright, let's get you tucked into bed, shall we?"

"Mh hmm. Stowly?"

"Of course."

-

"Daddy! Look! Is snowin'!" Young-Jae jumped on top of his sleeping father, sniffling lightly as he tried to wake Namjoon up.

"Mmm," the older grumbled, burying himself deeper into the covers.

"Daddy, you haf to get up! Is snowin', and is Satuwday! That means, we get to pway!" he exclaimed, jumping once more, making Namjoon groan at the interruption.

"Young-Jae, please get o-OFF," he attempted to call out, just as the boy landed hard on top of the man, arms and legs spread out in every direction.

He sighed, as the little boy started giggling, rolling around.

All of a sudden, the door swung open, a body racing towards the bed.

"Guess whaaaat!"

"Taehyung, don't-"

"IT'S SNOWING!" he exclaimed, jumping on the bed as well, effectively trapping both Young-Jae and Namjoon.

The little boy squealed as Taehyung went in to tickle him, only making Namjoon groan even more.

Now, instead of a small weight laying gently on top of him, two different weights were now wiggling around, and basically crushing the air from his lungs.

A random knee or elbow would poke him, as he tried to roll out from under the two.

"Hey. Hey! Stop! Enough!" he shouted, finally breaking free of the blankets.

Taehyung and Young-Jae both stopped, looking at the older with wide eyes.

Standing up, he realized he probably looked insane. Hair in every direction, and a crazed look in his eyes because he was abruptly woken from a pretty good sleep.

"You-" he pointed at his brother, practically glaring. The younger threw his arms up in surrender. "Out. Go get dressed for the day." Taehyung was quick to leave, the little boy left all alone to defend himself. "And you, mister. You know, I'm not a trampoline..." Namjoon shook his head, hands on his hips, trying to look as parent-like as he could in his silk Ryan pajamas."You better go into the bathroom, brush your teeth and get ready. Now." he commanded.

Young-Jae quickly scrambled off the bed. He didn't want to be in trouble.

"So we can go play out in the snow!" Namjoon finished, a smile on his face.

The little boy's eyes lit up, a huge, toothy grin gracing his lips.

"Weally??"

"You better hurry...we don't have all day."

-

"Ahhh! I'm coming to get you!" Taehyung shouted, as he chased Young-Jae around the yard, a snowball in hand. The little boy was screaming in delight, nose and cheeks red from the cold.

"Nooo! Tata! Stop dat!" the boy squealed, trying to run away, but his uncle just wouldn't let him go.

Finally, the two seemed to get tired, both dropping back into the fresh snow to catch their breath.

Jin giggled as he and Namjoon practically sat shoulder to shoulder on the porch. He knew about the 'not yet out' situation, and was very respectful of boundaries.

"Taehyung is really good with Young-Jae, isn't he?"

"Yeah...they're like the same person sometimes..." Namjoon responded.

Anytime Jin brought up Young-Jae now, a weight seemed to drop into his stomach. He knew it probably had something to do with him still lying to his boyfriend, but...

Boyfriend.

It was such a foreign concept to the younger.

He didn't want that to go away.

Before he could think too far on the topic, Jin leaned his head on Namjoon's shoulder. Even if only for a second, the gesture sent shiver's up his spine.

He missed the warmth already.

"You okay? You look a little lost in thought."

Namjoon shook his head, giving Jin a weak smile.

"It's nothing. Just stress is all."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"It's okay. It's mainly just about school work..."

And there it was again. The obvious lie that Jin wanted to demand more out of the younger. He considered himself a very understanding person and didn't want to push Namjoon, but the way his thoughts seemed to be all-consumed by this issue worried Jin.

Whatever the matter, he let it slide, changing the topic into something more pleasant.

"So...you gonna tell me what we're doing for my birthday?" the black haired man smiled wide, setting Namjoon's heart aflutter.

"Nope," he chuckled lightly as Jin pouted.

"Not even a hint?"

"Absolutely not. You'll figure it out. I know it."

"Hmph."

"Jin, babe, you're not getting a word from me. So, pout all you want. I'm not giving it up until it's all planned out."

Jin stared into the younger's eyes for what seemed like hours. Namjoon felt like he could get lost in them. They were a warm, chocolate color, so cozy and inviting.

The older broke out into a wide smile.

"I'm just kidding. It's in two weeks. I'm excited, and I know it's going to be great! I really appreciate you, ya know. I've never really had something special done for me like this," he smiled, a slight pink tinting his cheeks.

He could blame the color on the cold, biting at his skin, but he and Namjoon both knew how grateful he truly was.

"Babe, it's no problem at all. I'm doing this because I like you and I want you to have a great time. It's your birthday. Let me treat you, okay?" Namjoon looked around before interlocking their hands together.

Jin smiled at the action.

Glancing around again, Namjoon leaned forward and placed a quick kiss on the older's cheek. Jin laughed just a little at his frantic actions.

"Why are you laughing?" the younger pouted like a child.

"Ew! Cooties!" a voice screamed from farther away.

Namjoon turned towards it, only to be met with a face full of snow. He could hear Young-Jae, Taehyung, and even Jin laughing at him, as he spat out the frozen water, and tried to wipe his face.

"Aish! Don't laugh at me!"

This only made Jin laugh harder.

Pretty soon it was contagious, and Namjoon was chuckling too.

-

"Hey, Jae," Jin said, crouching down next to the little boy. He was definitely more friendly today than yesterday.

"Yes?"

"I just wanted to know if I made you upset or something yesterday? You didn't want to colour or talk to me. I thought, maybe you were mad at me?"

"No, I not mad. I was just jenlous of you, but is okay now!" he said, with a smile.

The older, bewildered by his sudden confidence, laughed a little.

Jealous? Of what? Probably all the time he was spending with the little boy's older brother.

"Um, okay. That's alright I suppose..."

"It's jealous, Jae-Jae! And you don't need to tell every person you come in contact with. Come on, let's go find you a bigger coat. You look like you're turning into a popsicle," Taehyung sighed, as he came over to help the poor child, whose lips were starting to turn blue as he sniffled a little.

Thank god Young-Jae hadn't felt the need to elaborate why he was jenl- jealous.

-

"Do you think he's hiding something?" Jin spoke.

He was talking to Jimin and Hoseok on a group video call, late that night.

Hoseok was laying on his bed with a peel-off face mask on, while Jimin was sitting in a spin chair, one leg propped up, one dangling.

"Honestly? He's always been a little mysterious. Like the whole situation with changing schools just seems suspicious. And how he never would hang out with us at the beginning of the year? Like...maybe he was bullied and didn't have a lot of friends or something, but I dunno." Hoseok sighed, before changing positions so he was laying on his back, phone held above his face.

"It really could be nothing," Jimin mumbled, as he spun in his chair, pulling his sweater over his hands. "But sometimes at lunch, he does this thing where he, like, looks in his bag and shoves something into his pockets before he pulls his food out. I dunno...maybe his mom just writes him cheesy notes. Ahhh. I shouldn't be assuming." He stared at the ceiling as he spun.

Watching him go round and round was making Jin dizzy, so he quickly put his face in his hands, rubbing it lightly. Very lightly.

He didn't want wrinkles of course.

"Ugh. I really don't want to talk about him behind his back, but I just feel like he's not telling me something, and I don't want to bring it up because I feel like he'll think I'm being too nosy."

"You're not though! You just think he's being sus. If I were