⊱┊ᴘᴀsᴛ ɪɴ ᴘʀᴇsᴇɴᴄᴇ ༊*·˚

There's crying from kids before their voices combine in a relatively melodious melody. His shoulders have yielded and his hands are buried in his yellow and dark blue sweatshirt. Eyes flitting from the ground to the kindergarten teacher and to the children from his group who sit in a chair circle around him. Briskly, his brown eyes flit back and forth between his fingers, a nagging feeling of unease burning through him as they sing.

"Happy birthday to you, dear Minjun!~"

"Happy birthday to you!~"

His kindergarten has a tradition of celebrating a child's birthday with the group and the birthday child receiving a present from the kindergarten teacher. Now, Minjun isn't one for being the centre of attention, but that's exactly what's happening right now; all eyes are on the small human, making him squirm and feel nervous.

But admittedly, that isn't the main reason he doesn't feel at ease. Since they’ve begun celebrating, his gaze has wandered from time to time to the purple wooden door of the room, allowing his gaze to wander around the room and question where Jungkook is.

The smaller is puzzled as to why Jungkook isn't present. After all, it is his birthday. Kookie pinky promised… Did he forget? 

Solely that notion makes him sadder, and he scarcely acknowledges the gift he receives. 

All he wishes for is for the certain male to enter through the door as he closes his eyes to blow out a candle. Please let Kookie appear...

Jungkook does, in fact, not appear until shortly after the celebration. His bag is slung over his back, black boots that complement his outfit touch the ground with every step. Jungkook's hair is dyed now light brown and it bounces as he walks along the corridor, determined and confident. When Jungkook walks into the room and sees Minjun sitting alone at a table, sulking and staring at the pencil in front of him, his lips twist into a dazzling smile. Oh, how he hopes he is sad for the reason he has in mind.

Slowly approaching him, Jungkook opts for a surprise hug or perhaps to start with his birthday surprise right away. The student observes the slumped posture of the smaller one with curiosity, his chest expanding with a new emotion that he can't quite put a finger on. It's when Minjun’s gaze drifts away from the paper and meets Jungkook's, shimmering and filled with an entirely new emotion.

Ecstatic.

"Hi there, little one." Jungkook's voice is soft as he greets Minjun. The former doesn't expect that his greeting would lead to being embraced by a sobbing child within the following seconds. He is shocked to say the least; so shocked that he is overwhelmed to react.

His eyebrows draw together as he hears a soft sob, coming from the younger. Jungkook thought Minjun would be happy to see him. What should he do? Take him into his arms? Put an arm around him? Cheer him up and tell him something funny?

The wheels in his head spin as the little one squirms in the taller one's arms and snuggles tighter against him. Eventually, he settles with the idea of laying an arm around him, whereas he pulls the smaller against his chest, a deep breath leaving his lips. Jungkook's fingers run in a gentle manner over Minjun's back. Once the smaller has calmed down, glistening eyes meet Jungkook's and an underlying relief can be seen in them. 

"K-kookie here." Minjun stumbles over his words and wipes his eyes, pouting. Jungkook suppresses the sudden desire to poke Minjun's cheek and do things that only parents would do. He does not know where the sudden thoughts come from. Minjun is not his son and Jungkook is a person who does not know how to deal with children.

Well, okay—maybe there is one small exception.

“Of course, I am. I wouldn’t want to miss your birthday.” Jungkook grins and strokes through Minjun’s dark brown hair. So soft.

"What's that?" Minjun's soft voice interrupts his thoughts, and he shakes his head with narrowed eyes and looks at the smaller man with a questioning look. Only when Minjun points his little chubby finger at the exposed skin does Jungkook realise what he means. The jumper has ridden up, exposing his few tattoos.

A feeling of insecurity comes over him as Minjun traces the lines of a tattoo on his arm with one finger. Even though this is not the first time someone strokes the tattoo and examines it closely, it is different when a child does it and a child who may not even be aware of what a tattoo is.

Jungkook decides against explaining it to him. Instead, he simply states that the small orchid tattoo is special to him and reminds him of his grandmother. He has a tattoo—or, as he calls it in front of Minjun, a body drawing—that he adores. A small daisy flower on his other arm represents his mother. When he first began getting tattoos, one of his goals was to have something that represented his mother and grandmother. No matter how small it is, they are there and always with him.

With a quick flash of his gaze, Jungkook has to swallow the words that tumble out of Minjun's mouth.

“Want that too.” 

How do you explain to a child that tattoos must be carefully considered and are not appropriate for young children? They can be excruciatingly painful, and they can also become infected.

What if his father finds out and Minjun informs him that he wants a tattoo? He'd be in big trouble.

Jungkook needs to distract him in some way.

Ah! The perfect solution enters his mind, and his lips curl into a slight grin.

His gaze travels down Minjun's soft-looking cheeks, to his hands, which are still gently placed on Jungkook's arm. How pure and young Minjun is.

"What was your favourite animal again?" 

"Cat!" Minjun exclaims enthusiastically, raising his head with a perplexed expression. His pupils are dilated, which Jungkook might not have noticed if he hadn't crawled onto his lap in the meantime. Jungkook’s other hand is still hidden behind his back with the small gift he holds in his hands, not that Minjun would have noticed at any time. 

"Then luckily for you, that's what I have with me... more or less," he mumbles, even though Minjun no longer appears to be listening to him when he notices the small stuffed cat in Jungkook's hand. Enthrallment runs through his body as Minjun clasps it in his arms with complete joy. 

“Happy birthday to you~” Jungkook sings while Minjun reaches with his free hand for the milk packet that was handed out at lunch. A few giggles follow before Jungkook finds him intently listening, the second a cute melody about cats erupts from Jungkook’s thin lips which he has secretly learned on the side.

Will his father mind if he gives him the stuffed cat as a present? The student still wonders if the young man who picked Minjun up the other day is really his father. The person, as attractive as he was, seemed so young and.... he doesn't know either. He certainly didn't seem stern, quite the opposite—his rosy cheeks, which also resembled Minjun's, looked so soft and his plump lips or deep brown eyes... something about him captivated Jungkook. He wonders if he is already taken. 

Jungkook catches himself asking this ridiculous question in his head again. It's none of his business and he shouldn't care in the first place. That's what he tells himself over and over again.

If only he knew that life has a different plan.

،   𖧵  ˖

"Minjun, I love you a lot, baby, but sometimes I wonder why you don't speak as much as you should or if I am to blame and made a mistake at some point." These were the exact words Jimin had muttered to himself when he saw Minjun drawing in his room. As he leaned against the doorframe, he crossed his arms briefly in front of his chest and let his head fall back. 

The young father often ponders why Minjun spoke so little, whether it was due to his nightmares or something more profound, which led to the said person blaming himself a lot. Jimin raised him with his father until Minjun was about one and a half years old. It wasn't easy, but with his father's help, it made it a lot easier.

Not to forget, Jin also helped him when he wasn't busy himself.

After a short wait, Jimin moved from the doorway and ran to his son's wardrobe, where he then pulled out a jacket.

"Come on, baby. We have to leave. Are you finished with drawing?"

He got a small pout in response before Minjun moved from his spot on the floor. His small feet hesitantly ran across his room's soft carpet before he slipped into his jacket and ran ahead into the hallway to put on his shoes. Earlier in the day, Jimin told him that they would celebrate his birthday with his grandfather since Minjun said he doesn't want to celebrate with anyone from kindergarten. 

Was it something Jimin expected? Absolutely not. Was he surprised? Partly, partly. He thought that even if he doesn't talk much, Minjun will surely have at least one person he would like to invite. That was not the case. So Jimin quickly decided to rethink and thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to go to Jimin's father, Seongho, and maybe stay there for the weekend. It's been a few weeks since they've seen each other. Seemed like his son was excited to go.

Upon arrival, Jimin gives his father a gentle smile and a hug as they enter his house. Jimin has often told him that a house might be too big for him alone, but his father always denies moving into a flat. Here he has neighbours as friends. 

“Woah you have grown a lot since the last time I saw you. How have you been Minjun?” Seongho kneels in front of the little one who grins broadly and literally flies into his grandfather's arms. Contentment and joy flash through Seongho's face as he spins the boy in his arms. "How's my birthday boy doing?" 

Minjun nods. Seongho places the former back on the ground, shifting to help him take off his jacket and shoes. Taking his hand, he leads them to the living room where everything has been already prepared. A cake was placed on the coffee table with decoration. His favourite dinosaur figures couldn't be missed on this special occasion. 

"You made too much, appa," Jimin mumbles once he sees what is placed on the table besides the cake. It looks far more than for three people.  

"Ah, no. It's not a problem. Whatever will be left, I'll share it with my neighbour."

"Alright." As long as Jimin can think his neighbour and his father are friends. He doesn't know their story in detail, but he'd like to think that it was due to a broken car that they became friends. His neighbour had just moved there a week ago when his car broke down. His father helped him get it started. Later on, when Jimin was born, he brought him over to play with his son. 

Come to think of it, he hasn't seen him in a while.

Later in the afternoon Jimin and his father are inside the house, drinking a cup of tea and holding a casual conversation about the latest updates in their lives. Meanwhile, Minjun decided it’s the perfect time to play football in the garden, randomly shooting the ball somewhere. Birds chirp from the branches of the green trees, lifting the atmosphere. 

His short legs carry him across the freshly mown lawn to the football he accidentally kicked over the border to his grandfather's neighbour. He stops his movements shortly afterwards, however, when he notices the soft mewing of what appears to be a young and small cat—or rather a kitten, that catches his attention. Amazed and inquisitive, he looks around as his gaze falls on a bundle of fur under bushes and shrubs. 

In no time at all, his legs carry him there, the now three year ,kneels on the ground and thereby ignores all the dirt that gets on his clothes. With each step the mewing of the multicoloured fur ball got louder, big round eyes mustering his every stride for the time being. Once Minjun gathers the small cat in his hand, he frees it from the shrubs and takes it into his arms. Small fingers begin to caress its fur, cradling it deeper into the embrace as soon as the little being starts to purr. Amazed by the sounds of the cat, Minjun sits down at the nearest tree and leans there in the shade with his back against the bark.

“Small kitty~ Oh, small kitty~” The little boy sings softly and observes how the kitten’s eyelids flutter shut. Pouty lips form into a big grin when the cat, his favourite animal cuddles him and he receives the incessant sounds of meowing and purring back. “I have you so dear~”

Fully occupied with singing a song to the cat, he does not notice the person watching him from a distance with wide eyes. Jimin feels as if he is watching a stranger's child in the neighbour's garden. That's not Minjun. His son doesn't sing and his son certainly doesn't sneak to the other side of another property to cuddle quietly with a cat.

What the hell is going on? Jimin feels like his eyes are deceiving him, this is the first time he has heard his son sing a song and one he doesn't even know himself. Did he learn it in kindergarten?

“Minjun, where did you learn this song?”

“Kookie.” Kookie?

What is Kookie? 

This new behaviour reminds him of what Jimin found in his son's backpack earlier. It makes him frown as he thinks again about where he could have got it.

“Baby, I found this earlier in your backpack. Where did you get this from?” In his hands, Jimin holds the soft material of a stuffed cat. 

"Kookwie." Minjun smiles, sparkles twinkle in his eyes. Enough for Jimin to see that this has some greater importance for his son. The latter reaches out with his arm to take the stuffed animal from his hand and place it next to the living cat.

Again this ‘Kookie’?

Jimin hums. "Baby, what or who is Kookie?" 

"I like Kookie." Is Minjun’s only answer, disregarding the topic with it. That… is not the answer Jimin expected nor wanted to know. 

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