How to Steal a Heart

Chapter 1

It’s a snowy day in December when Yoongi finds himself responsible for a child for the very first time in his life. The thing is, Yoongi decided many years back that he doesn’t want children of his own because it just seems like way too much work and trouble. He also happens to really enjoy his job and is often busy, so to bring a kid into his home would be a really bad idea. 

Especially a little baby, because Yoongi doesn’t have time for his sleep to be interrupted by screaming and crying. He is not interested in getting himself a girlfriend, he likes men, and he doesn’t have time to even think about applying for adoption. That type of stress isn’t what he needs, so he has settled with the only kids in his life being those of his friends and family members.

Yoongi really likes children though, he grew up with them being everywhere - baby cousins, younger siblings, family friends’ babies, and so on. When Yoongi was fourteen, he wanted his own kids, but that dream is long gone. He just doesn’t have time. 

Yoongi is currently on his way home from a long day at the office, as usual scrolling through his For You Page on TikTok. He doesn’t find it amusing, his page is filled with weird stuff and he has no idea why. He doesn’t like any video, except for the occasional male thirst traps. He leans back in the bus seat, squinting at a video about astrology bullshit when he notices the sound of sniffling from a few seats ahead of him. 

As a key reaction, Yoongi looks up, only for his eyes to land on a little boy that is curled up on a seat. Yoongi rolls his eyes, hoping that the kid’s mom will tell him to be quiet soon. A whining kid is not what his headache needs. He keeps watching the boy nonetheless and realizes that the kid actually seems to be sitting alone - the man and woman behind him don’t seem to belong to him. 

The boy rubs his nose with the back of his hand, he's wearing red mittens, before climbing down from his seat. Yoongi must have caught his attention because soon the boy is walking towards him, determined.

"Excuse me," the boy whispers and Yoongi removes his earbuds.

"Mmh?" 

"W-when is the street where daddy's job is?"

"Sorry?"

"When is daddy's job street?" 

Yoongi sighs, because how is he supposed to know that? He glances around in the bus - it's crowded and the floor is wet from snow and dirt, and it's really not a safe atmosphere for a child to be all alone. The boy is dressed in a pink jacket and grey sweatpants, red mittens, boots that look a size too big, and some thick, brown curls are sticking out from underneath his black beanie. His cheeks are puffy and red from crying, and most likely the cold, but Yoongi thinks he's adorable. 

"Do you know what the street is called?" he tries. 

The boy nods, slipping his hand inside the pocket of his jacket and pulling out a wrinkled piece of paper. He hands it to Yoongi who raises his eyebrows when he reads what's written on it. It's only the name of a street, but the boy is so far off. This bus goes further out of the city, while this address is one that's located in the city center. Yoongi’s heart aches once again when the boy looks at him with pleading eyes. 

"Ah," Yoongi says, glancing at the small screen that shows all the streets ahead. "This bus won't stop there. You’re very far off." 

The boy’s eyes widen in horror as Yoongi hands him the note back. 

“What?” the boy whispers. 

“I think you took the wrong bus.”

The boy’s bottom lip trembles and Yoongi feels like the shittiest person in the world for no apparent reason. The boy bows before he walks back to his seat and grabs his backpack. He then presses the stop button and walks up to the bus doors. Yoongi curses under his breath as the bus soon slows to a stop. He stands up.