Family of Four

Last Goodbyes

Seokjin was distracted. He knew forcing himself to work wasn't the best decision, especially with what was going on at home but he still didn't know what to say to Namjoon. His thoughts kept going back to what his husband had told him. It made him feel so selfish and downright childish...

All in all, his distraction wasn't doing a good job of actually distracting him. It just made him more stressed. Go figure.

Seokjin wanted to make sure he thought about this carefully too. He'd never been the best at apologising, usually letting his pride get the best of him by deflecting and being passive-aggressive. This time however, he was determined to make sure that didn't happen.

His stress hadn't gone unnoticed of course. Everyone knew Seokjin for being focussed and well-articulated and when he was sloppy it was very apparent. So a friend offered to take him out just so he could clear his head, something that was beyond appreciated by Jin.

"Thank you again Seonghwa," Jin said quietly. The pair sat in a small cafe just outside the park that Seonghwa just so happened to own. It was a quiet day, per usual, but Jin preferred it that way.

"Of course sunbaenim, I hate seeing you so stressed." The younger said genuinely. Seokjin only hummed, staring out the window as a light sigh escaped his lips.

"How do you do it?" He asked suddenly. Seonghwa tilted his head, wordlessly asking for an explanation. "How do you raise six kids without falling apart? How do you do it and keep your marriage stable while running a business of all things?"

"Ah, I see," Seonghwa hummed. A small smile stretched across his thin lips as he leaned into his hand. "Honestly, I'm not sure." The blonde responded truthfully. "So far, it's been nothing but trial and error but that's just how we learn. It can be stressful of course, but throughout I've learned that we just need to communicate and understand each other. Hongjoong and I have had our struggles, yes, but we talk to one another and try to see the other's point of view."

Communication is key. It's so simple yet Seokjin always seemed to forget it. They weren't mindreaders after all, but he still expected Namjoon to know how he was feeling, and that just wasn't fair on him.

"And the children?"

Seonghwa chuckled. "That's where most of that trial comes in, but I wouldn't want it any other way. It's about understanding the child's perspective I suppose. They're still young and trying new things. Sometimes you need to let it happen."

"Mhm, and with six kids 'trying new things' how are you still functioning?"

"Who said anything about functioning Jin Hyung?" They both grinned. Seokjin took a sip of the hot chocolate Taehyun had made for him as he thought.

Perhaps Seonghwa was right. Maybe he should just stop avoiding Joon and just talk. There was no use pretending that night hadn't happened. Especially when Seokjin was the one who needed to do the talking.

"Thank you Seonghwa, I think I really needed to hear that." Jin said once again, only this time with a smile.

Seonghwa returned with the smile with a small grin of his own. "Anytime," He said before looking rather unsure about something. "Um, sunbaenim?"

"Hm?"

"Are...either of your sons looking for a job at the moment?" Jin couldn't help but chuckle at his uncertainty.

"Feeling overwhelmed?" The older asked with a grin.

Seonghwa sighed as he gave Seokjin a nod. "Hongjoong and I have both been extremely busy lately. He's always at work and more people have come across the cafe lately and...well...we can't find a babysitter. So I was wondering if maybe...Jungkook or Jimin could help?"