Chapter Text
Beer bottles were strewn around the table and the floor, laying in a pool of half eaten chips and pizza boxes with crusts and night old pizza on the floor and tables. The smell of smoke and stale alcohol permeated through the carpet being swept away by the breeze coming in through the french windows that Yoongi inevitably forgot to close last night.
Soft snores echoed through the house as the sun was just at its peak in the bright blue afternoon light.
The house was peaceful. It was quiet even in all its mess. Even so, it was a familiar environment, one that Yoongi and Namjoon loved waking up to every morning, loved going to sleep in every night.
They had a routine. One that wasn’t very detailed, or strict, but still, it was something that they did every morning that gave them just that little extra comfort.
It started like this : They would wake up, walk to the kitchen where the other person was already there drinking coffee (if you were Yoongi), and whatever special blend of tea that Namjoon had wanted to try. They would nod hello, a quiet acknowledgement to begin the day as they went about their breakfast routine in pin drop silence - Namjoon would scroll through twitter like the morning newspaper while Yoongi would pick up a digital copy of the newspaper on his ipad. Once they finished with breakfast, dishes would be placed in the sink to be done by whosoever's turn it was and out the door they would go for the rest of the day.
It ended with dinner on the table, maybe a couple of beer bottles if they were up for it, but always with conversation about how their day went.
But today was different. Because today would be the day that their carefully curated routine would be disrupted in a way that they never thought that it ever would.
The ring of the doorbell echoed throughout the house, making Namjoon twitch in bed. He ignored it and buried himself further into the blankets and pillows of the comfy bed, hoping that whoever was outside would just get the hint and leave.
Another ring of the doorbell, this time more frantic, more forceful, reverberated through the walls until it reached Yoongi’s room. He simply grumbled and pulled the sheet over his head, feeling the onset of a slight headache from the copious amounts of alcohol that he consumed last night and into the early morning.
As soon as the last chime of the doorbell dissipated into thin air, being swept away by the breeze from the open french window, there were knocks on the door. Rapts of fists against the wood - again, and again, and again, and again-
Until Namjoon finally got annoyed. He huffed as he tore the blanket off of his body and grumbled the entirety of the way from his room, all the way to the front door.
One last chime of the doorbell rang around the house and Namjoon couldn’t help but yell out, “I’m coming!”
He unlocked the two metal locks and all but ripped the wooden door from its hinges as he stopped himself from yelling out a curt, short, and angry, “What?!”
But there was no one there.
“Stupid kids with their dumb ding dong ditch pranks. Ruined my perfect Saturday-”
He stopped mid grumble as he heard a tiny sneeze coming from the floor.
Namjoon peered down to see a tiny human in a navy blue car seat with his hands in little fists and a letter clutched so close to his chest that it was being crushed. The human looked up at him and gurgled, spit bubbles forming on his pink little lips combined with his doe brown eyes, twinkling underneath the afternoon sun, his hair falling over his eyebrows, just short of reaching his eyes.
“Umm…” was all Namjoon could think to say.
He looked down at the child in the car seat, and decided that it was appropriate to say, “Would you just excuse me for one second?”
Namjoon didn’t think that it was wise for an adult to leave this child unattended, so he kept his eyes on the child while he slowly backed away, little by little, as to not alarm the child and then turned his head to scream out, “HYUNG! YOONGI HYUNG!”
He could hear him grumble and swear under his breath in his room but he didn’t care enough about what would happen if he woke him up, Right now, Namjoon needed back up, even if that back up came in the form of a sleepy, grumpy, little man with blonde bedhead and swear words tucked underneath his tongue like little daggers.
“Hyung if you don’t get your ass out here right now-” Namjoon threatened.
Yoongi walked out with half lidded eyes and fingers running through his messy hair, “Wha-do-’ant-”
Namjoon took his hand and led him forward to the front door. He pointed at the child and stood there while he watched Yoongi sober up completely.
“That’s a child.” Yoongi said, looking at what he could only assume was a toddler in a car seat.
“Yes thank you, Sherlock.”
Yoongi pointed at the child, “He’s at our doorstep.”
“I can see that.”
Yoongi looked at Namjoon, “Why is he here?”
“You know I never really got the chance to ask him,” Namjoon said as he put his hands on his hips.
Yoongi looked from Namjoon, to the child, and back at Namjoon.
“Umm…” Yoongi said, ever so wise.
“What are you thinking?” Namjoon asked.
“Do we….invite him inside?”
Namjoon looked at him incredulously, “He’s a child!”
“Oh yeah, no, of course, yeah….” Yoongi cleared his throat, scratching the back of his neck as he blinked a couple more times, “So…we don’t invite him inside?”
“Jesus fu-” Namjoon swore under his breath.
He picked the car seat up from the ground and walked over to the living room. He could hear the soft click of the door followed by the distinct sounds of the metal clicking into the lock. He managed, by some miracle, to find a clear space to put the car seat and the babbling child in it.
“There’s a letter,” Namjoon said as he gently reached into the car seat and pulled the letter away from the toddler who didn’t seem all too bothered by it, more interested in playing with his fingers than he was the piece of paper.
“What does it say?” Yoongi asked, walking over to Namjoon.
“I’m sorry to do this to you. I know that it’s unfair of me to leave Soobin here without any explanation. But I can’t do it anymore. Being a mom was never in the cards for me. You’ll be able to give him a life that I never would. Maybe one day I’ll come back and explain myself. But for now, please, look after him. Give him all the love that he deserves. He really is a sweet boy, just like his father is. Give him a hug and a kiss from his mom and when he’s older, tell him that I’m sorry. Please take care of Soobin for me. Thank you.”
“Soobin,” Namjoon repeated, looking at the boy who seemed to have recognised his name.
The baby babbled at the name and giggled to himself, opening and closing his tiny little fist at them.
“Whose baby do you think he is?” Yoongi asked.
Namjoon skimmed the letter again, “It doesn’t say.”
“Well,” Yoongi cleared his throat, “When’s the last time you had sex with a woman?”
“Two days ago.” Namjoon deadpanned.
Yoongi looked at Soobin and then back at Namjoon, “I don’t think that’s enough time for this baby to be born.”
Namjoon opened and closed his mouth, baffled, “How are you a top producer?”
“Bro, I wish I knew,” Yoongi said.
Namjoon pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Oh!” Yoongi said, a lightbulb going off over his head.
“I’m genuinely afraid to ask.” Namjoon mumbled.
“Okay new plan!” Yoongi said, “List out the women that you've had sex with in about the last 3 years!”
“Wow hyung, that’s a great idea!” Namjoon said sarcastically, “Let me go get my log book and I’ll check one by one.”
Yoongi lowered his voice down to a whisper, “You have a log book?”
“Really hyung? Really?” Namjoon groaned, “of course I don’t have a log book what kind of stupid ass question is that! I don’t know how many women I’ve had sex with!”
Yoongi thought back before saying, “I haven’t had sex with a woman in…I think 10 months?”
“But you have over the last 3 years?” Namjoon asked.
“Yeah.”
“So, this kid could be either one of ours…” Namjoon said, the reality of the situation dawning on him as he looked at the child in the carseat who seemed like he couldn’t keep still.
There was a whine coming from the child, high pitched and loud as he flailed in the car seat, fussy and fidgeting with the belt on his waist. His bottom lip trembled, eyes filled with water as the biggest tear fell from the right eye.
“What now?” Namjoon asked.
“I don’t know!” Yoongi said, frantic.
“Is he hungry?” Namjoon said, looking down at Soobin who was pouting with a wobbly bottom lip.
“Do I look like I know what I’m doing?!”
“It’s his diaper! It’s probably his diaper? Is it his diaper?” Namjoon shoot off.
Yoongi looked at the kid in the car seat, “Hey, does your diaper need changing?”
“Why are you asking him?! He’s a child! He doesn’t know how to speak!” Namjoon said.
“You don’t know that! Maybe he’s just shy and needed some encouragement,” Yoongi said,
Just as Soobin opened his mouth and was about to let out the loudest cry, Yoongi picked up a tissue and tossed it at Soobin.
“Was that clean?” Namjoon asked.
“Dude I have no idea,” Yoongi mumbled.
Soobin looked at the tissue falling from the air slowly drifting down into the car seat, mouth rounded in an O shape as the tissue fell, and fell, making a glacial descent from the air onto his nose. He giggled as he grabbed the tissue and started playing with it in his chubby little hands.
“Hyung.” Namjoon said as he sighed in relief, “We need a plan. We can’t just...we can’t raise a baby. I mean look at this place! It’s a dump! We’re not equipped for fatherhood.”
“What can we do, Joon-ah?” Yoongi said, looking down at the child, “We don’t have a choice do we?”
“We should call the rest of the guys,” Namjoon said, “Maybe they know what to do.”
“Jin hyung’s a lawyer,” Yoongi said, “Maybe he can help.”
“What are you thinking?” Namjoon asked as he watched Yoongi pick his phone up, “Adoption?”
Yoongi looked up from the screen, “Isn’t that the best option? Neither of us can handle ourselves, let alone the responsibility of a child. Adoption is a good way to know that the kid is being taken care of. He lives his life, and we go on living ours.”
Something wasn’t quite sitting right with Namjoon. It was an unrest of sorts right in the pit of his stomach. He couldn’t quite pinpoint the source of it, or the reason for this feeling, but it was there, and it wouldn’t let him forget.
It gnawed at him slowly.
When the door knocked this time, both Namjoon and Yoongi were expecting it.
“I’ll get the door,” Yoongi said.
“I’ll get the carseat,” Namjoon said, getting off the couch, looking at the gurgling baby in the carseat playing with his own fingers and whatever was left over from the tissue.
“Don’t bring him out just yet,” Yoongi told him, “Just…wait for my cue.”
“What’s the cue?”
“You’ll know when you hear it.”
The knocks on the door got louder, followed by a few rings from the doorbell.
They froze, looking at Soobin just in case he would cry, but he didn’t. Instead, the baby looked around the room as if he was discovering it for the first time.
“Go, quick! Before they ring it again!” Namjoon ushered.
Yoongi ran to the door and opened it.
“Hey Yoon!” Jin greeted immediately, “I brought the guys like you asked.”
“What’s the big emergency, hyung?” Hoseok asked.
“Did you commit a crime? Do we have to get rid of the body?” Jungkook joked.
“Don’t worry, Yoon! I’m a lawyer. I won’t let you go to jail.” Jin added on with a grin.
Yoongi shifted his weight from his left foot to his right foot.
“Hyung?” Jimin asked, cocking an eyebrow, “You okay?”
“There’s something Namjoon and I need to tell you.” Yoongi said,
“What’s going on, hyung? You’re scaring me.” Taehyung said from behind Jimin.
“Come in.” Yoongi told him, “I don’t think we should be doing this outside.”
“Jin hyung, I’m starting to think there’s really a body we need to get rid of,” Jungkook stage whispered over Jin’s shoulder.
“How long do you think it’ll take? I have an eyebrow threading appointment in two hours,” Jin said.
“Umm, hyung?” Jungkook said, legs frozen on the spot in the hallway between the living room and the passage leading from the front door.
“Yeah, Jungkook?” Jin answered, blinking at the sight before him.
“Hyung, I’m no lawyer, but I think, and I’m like 78 percent sure about this, but I think that kidnapping is a crime.” Jungkook said when he saw Namjoon stood next to the now fussy baby in the carseat.
“You know, I might have to check on that,” Jin said, eyes never leaving the baby.
“Tae, you’re seeing this right?” Jimin said.
“Blue clothes on tiny human?” Taehyung answered.
“In a carseat.” Hoseok added on.
“Yeah.” Jimin answered, “Just checking.”
Jungkook slowly put his hand up.
“Yes, Jungkook?” Namjoon said.
“That’s a child.” Jungkook supplied.
“Thank you, Jungkook.” Namjoon said.
Jungkook slowly put his hand up again.
Yoongi sighed, “Is there a question this time?”
Jungkook nodded with his hand up.
“If it has to do with what the child is doing here, the answer is I have no idea, and neither does Namjoon.”
Jungkook slowly lowered his hand down.
“Yoongi, you have to walk us through this.” Jin all but begged. “Look, coming from a purely legal perspective, this situation does not look good.”
“I don’t know what happened, hyung!” Yoongi said, desperately, running his fingers through his already messy blonde hair, “One second, Joon and I were asleep, and the next there were rings to our doorbell and boom! Soobin appeared.”
“Soobin?” Hoseok asked.
Namjoon nodded, “That’s his name.”
“You named him?!” Taehyung shrieked.
“Shh! He might start crying again!” Yoongi warned.
Taehyung lowered his voice, “You named him?!”
Namjoon shook his head and slowly stepped forward, knowing that Soobin’s eyes were on him. That same feeling gnawed at him again, sitting right at the pit of his stomach, moving upwards.
“There was a letter.” He said, extending his hand and giving it to Jimin who was the closest to him.
They were silent as Jimin read out the letter slowly, letting everyone take in the words one by one, trying to see if there were any clues that Namjoon and Yoongi might have missed.
“So, either of you might be the dad,” Jungkook said.
Namjoon nodded.
“And you don’t know who it is?”
Yoongi shook his head.
“Do you remember who you slept with over the last…maybe two years?” Hoseok asked.
“I don’t even remember what I had for dinner last night.” Yoongi scoffed.
“Well, I’m no detective, but I’m inclined to say pizza judging by the boxes on the table.” Taehyung said.
“Thank you Sherlock,” Yoongi rolled his eyes.
Jin stepped forward, “What do you want to do?”
“What option do we have, hyung?” Yoongi asked.
Namjoon looked down at Soobin whose eyes were getting heavier, struggling to stay awake as his body went limp. He brought his chubby thumb up to his pink lips and started sucking on it, opening and closing his eyes, refusing to go to sleep.
“There’s always adoption?” Jimin suggested.
Jin shook his head.
“No?” Yoongi asked, surprised.
“It may seem like adoption is the best option in theory, but reality is completely different.” Jin started to explain. He peered over to look at the kid in the carseat, “Soobin is still young, so yeah maybe his chances are better at adoption, but we don’t know who’s going to adopt him, or when, or even which adoption centre he’ll get placed in. Let’s say that we maybe bribe our way to get him the best adoption agency in the country. It still doesn’t account for where he’ll end up, or with who, or even when he’ll get adopted.”
“So, what you’re saying is…” Yoongi said, stopping to take a breath, “No to adoption?”
“I’m saying that if you want to take the chance, you’re going to have to be okay with the reality and the practicalities of the situation.” Jin told him, “I want you to make an informed decision. I don’t want you to be ignorant to what adoption is really like. At the end of the day, this is a child’s life we’re talking about.”
“What about the police?” Jungkook suggested.
Jin shook his head, “They’ll file a report only to put Soobin in a shitty government run adoption centre with little to no funding, do a paternity test and bring him right back. Or, if you decide not to keep him, then back to the adoption centre he goes.”
Namjoon looked down at Soobin who was fighting a losing battle with sleep. His hair was falling over his eyes as Soobin slumped down in the carseat, glistening thumb sticking out of his pink lips, accompanied by chubby cheeks as he sucked on his thumb with his droopy eyes.
He couldn’t help but reach out, ignoring the background noise as he gently swept Soobin’s brown hair away from his eyes, cupping his pink, chubby cheek in his hand. Soobin made a soft noise as he reached up and held Namjoon’s finger with his entire hand, gripping onto it tightly.
Just like that, the feeling went away and everything seemed right. Namjoon couldn’t help the way his heart beat faster. He reached down with his free hand, not wanting to let go, wanting to let Soobin know that he was right there for him, that he would protect him.
For the first time since he saw him, Namjoon reached down and picked Soobin up, holding him in his arm, letting the baby clutch onto this finger.
Soobin put his head on Namjoon’s shoulder, and finally let sleep win as he held onto him.
“Hyung.” Namjoon whispered.
Yoongi turned around and tried not to show just how surprised he was.
“Hyung, I want to keep him.” Namjoon said with so much conviction, so much sincerity, standing his ground as he held Soobin tightly in his arms, both terrified of the decision that he was making, and also the very real possibility that he might just drop the child. He had never held one before.
All of these experiences were absolutely terrifying. But it was one that Namjoon was ready to take.
“I know that you might not want a kid, and that’s okay. Just….just give me a few weeks to get a place and I’ll get out of your hair-” Namjoon started to ramble.
“If you’re doing this, then so am I.” Yoongi said.
Namjoon’s jaw dropped, “What?”
Yoongi took a step towards Namjoon, equally as scared, “There isn’t a chance in the world that I’m letting this kid out of my sight. The world is too scary, and the possibility that he’s mine is too high.”
“Hyung, this is going to be hard.” Namjoon whispered, the reality of the situation dawning on him.
He was going to be a dad. Not just a father.
“Eh, I’ve worked with divas and the most demanding singers in the world. It can’t be worse than that.” Yoongi said.
“You’re not going to be doing this alone,” Jin told them, “Not a chance in hell.”
“I do want to see this trainwreck though, so count me in.” Jungkook said with a grin.
“I have a dog, so really it can’t be more different than that.” Taehyung said.
“I’ll be the cool uncle!” Jimin declared.
“I’ll supervise?” Hoseok offered.
Namjoon bounced Soobin on his hip very lightly, making the baby pull his finger closer to his chest as he resettled on Namjoon’s shoulder, “Hear that, Soobin? You have an entire army that’s going to be raising you.”
Yoongi looked from Namjoon to Soobin and back to everyone else, “Now what?”
Jin sighed as he looked around the room, wincing at the mess that was crumbs, empty beer bottles and cans strewn all over the room, and half eaten pizza in boxes, “Now we clean your house and then get it ready for a baby.”
Jimin walked over to the fridge and opened it, “Umm, what can we make a baby out of gochujang, expired baking soda, half drunk bottle of coke, and I want to say that this is an egg, but I think that it’s growing something…on second thought,we might have to call NASA about this egg.”
“NASA is for space matters only,” Hoseok said.
“This egg is definitely otherworldly,” Jimin muttered, “I’m pretty sure it’s glowing.”
Namjoon caught a glimpse of himself in the reflection of the french windows, and never in his life did he think that he would be in this position - in the middle of a room, carrying a baby that he didn’t even know was his.
But he knew one thing, the gnawing, uncomfortable feeling in his gut was gone.
Something warmer replaced it.
He caught Yoongi’s eye as he rocked Soobin in his arms.
Yoongi shot him a smile, and Namjoon found himself smiling back. He knew Yoongi enough to know what this smile meant - no matter what happened, they’d be okay.