Blended

A Stressful Start

Yoongi was...overwhelmed. He had seen Jin interacting with all four babies yesterday and he hadn't made it look hard at all. Yet Yoongi couldn't even calm down Jungkook. The poor thing had stopped crying as hard as he had been and crying out for his Appa but he was still sat at the front door, keeping watch.

Yoongi knelt down in front of him, "Sweetie aren't you hungry?"

"Don't worry about him. He'll get over it eventually," Hoseok said finally going to comfort Jimin who was still upset from watching the rest of the littles cry. "He does that every time Jin leaves."

"That doesn't mean he's not upset," Yoongi said, flabbergasted that the man could excuse away Jungkook's sobbing like that.

Hoseok shrugged and sat Jimin down at the table before leaving the room. "I have work to do."

Yoongi was...confused. Yesterday he thought that it was just favoritism but even now he'd left Jimin here still visibly upset.

Yoongi decided to change tactics as Jungkook and Namjoon once again rejected his attempts at comfort, both seemingly set on waiting for Jin at the door. Instead he went to sit next to Jimin, Taehyung following him closely and crawling into his lap.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?" he asked Jimin as he wrapped his arms around Tae's waist. Jimin, the poor thing, looked confused when Hoseok had left, obviously used to the man taking care of him when Jin was at work.

"Daddy doesn't like crying," he said softly trying to make sense of Hoseok's abrupt departure. "Reminds Daddy of his Daddy. Daddy's Daddy mean."

Yoongi doesn't know what exactly to make out of that but he doesn't know Hoseok's history or really Jimin's history with Hoseok. The only thing Jin had told him was that Hoseok and Jimin had known each other since childhood and Hoseok had always taken care of him, volunteering to be his caregiver when the little presented. He wondered if Jin knew more about the third caregiver or if he was in the dark as much as he was.

"I'm sure your Daddy will be back out soon," he told him, patting his hand. He could tell by the way Jimin kept glancing down the hallway that he was confused.

"How does Kookie usually calm down?" he asked the little. He was really the only one who could give him guidance right now.

"He just cry for long time then come get food Appa left." He told him pointing to the leftovers in the oven that Seokjin had put aside for Jungkook.

"By himself?" he asked, knowing full well Jin was under the impression Hobi was getting the food for him. He wouldn't have left it in a warm oven otherwise.

"Yeah," Jimin bit his lip and Yoongi recognized that look in his eyes. It was the same one Tae gets when he's admitting to a lie. Yoongi would bet money that Hoseok told Jimin not to tell Jin Kookie was getting his own food.

Yoongi couldn't believe the negligence, Kookie's headspace was a toddler's, barely that at some points. The baby was in a diaper for heaven's sake, it wasn't safe for the poor boy to be getting into a hot oven.

That baby was sitting there crying, Namjoon too and Kookie was just normally left there? God. If Seokjin had seen this he would flip out. The man had been so quick to comfort all the boys when they needed it. Tae had tripped yesterday and Jin had scooped him right up. Though Yoongi suspected Tae's tears were mostly to get attention the elder had been so attentive and given the boy what he needed. The fact that Kookie was left there to cry himself out and then fend for himself would break the eldest caregiver's heart.

Yoongi made a decision then, taking Tae and Jimin to the little activity table Jin had set up yesterday for the littles in the living room and giving them crayons and paper, asking them if they could draw some pictures for the fridge. Something to keep them distracted so he could tend to Jungkook and Namjoon.

"Jungkookie," Yoongi approached the crying boy. He knelt down so he could see the baby in the eye. "Sweetie it's okay. Your Appa will be home tonight."

"Appa," the baby said sadly, tears dripping down his face and pointed at the door.

Namjoon seemed to agree with that sentiment, reaching out to grab the door handle. Yoongi quickly intercepted him, taking his grabby hand in his.

"No Namjoon," he tried firmly like he had seen Jin do with Namjoon when he had gotten into something he shouldn't have the day before. "We stay in the house."

"No!" the baby screamed at Yoongi and tore his hand away from the caregiver and reached back out for the door knob again.

"Naughty," Kookie told him, matter of factly. "Appa say naughty. Give Kookie pankin."

Yoongi was sure Jin had to enforce that rule strictly or Jungkook would be running down the street after him every morning.

Namjoon's pout deepened, obviously affected by the fact that his Appa would think he's a naughty boy and he didn't want a spanking. He'd never received one but he'd seen Taehyung get swats and he always cried and he didn't want anything to do with that. Even though he didn't think Yoongi would do it. He always relented when he got upset. He wasn't Yoongi's baby like Taehyung was, he hadn't ever disciplined him.

Namjoon looked at Yoongi and then back to the door before looking the man in the eye. "Go out Yoonie. Go find Appa."

Namjoon tugged on his hand, deciding he wouldn't break Appa's rule about going out alone but he was more than happy to drag Yoongi out there.

"No Namjoon," Yoongi said, still trying to be firm. It was hard for him with Namjoon. He'd known him as his partner in crime for so long. It wasn't that he didn't love and accept him being little but being an authority over him was a hard change for him. He just wanted to give him whatever he wanted and appease him like he would when he was big.

Namjoon wailed, not believing he was being told no. He threw himself back and kicked at the door, punching the ground in a fit. Yoongi just watched, Namjoon definitely hadn't done this when Jin told him no yesterday.

The only good thing that came out of it was that it shocked Jungkook out of his crying. He wasn't used to seeing this kind of fit. It wasn't something his Appa put up with and Jimin never had to go this far with Hobi, the man was always ready to give him whatever he wanted before he threw a tantrum. Stomping your feet at his Appa was enough to get you sent to the timeout step and Jimin and Jungkook definitely knew what Jin expected of them. It wasn't that they never threw tantrums but they usually didn't get to the point where Namjoon was, kicking the door repeatedly and screaming his head off. Appa never let it get that far.

"Come here honey," Yoongi said, using the opportunity to scoop Jungkook up now that he was distracted from his heartbreak and carried him to the kitchen, letting Namjoon get his tantrum out of his system. "Let's get some food in you."