Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

 “J-Jungkook! Stop! You can’t use those glasses for that drink!”

You look up at the sound of your manager’s voice, exasperation and an unspoken plea tinging his tone. Namjoon stood, hand outstretched as though to stop the younger male from committing a hospitality sin from several feet away. The barista in question blinked, two fingers on one of the tall glasses Namjoon always specified were only to be used for iced coffees and other such beverages.

A pout moved onto Jungkook’s lips, hand remaining where it was by the glass. “But it will look cool?”

A great sigh left Namjoon’s body, and idly you wondered if the remainder of his will to live had gone with it. “Jungkook, you can’t put espresso shots in the big glasses no matter how cool you think it will look— look how big the glass is! The shot is going to look tiny!”

“Then I will just put more shots?” Jungkook blinked, hand beginning to lower as bit by bit what Namjoon was trying to convey began to trickle into his mind. You winced. Jungkook was smart, but also sometimes painfully slow—watching him catch on to whatever Namjoon was telling him at the time was usually pretty amusing but after several hours of working already you just felt bad for him.

“How many shots are you going to give to the poor customer just to fill it halfway!” Namjoon burst, and finally a look of realisation began to sink over the younger’s features.

“Ah, I see,” he said, hand dropping to his side. “Too many shots.”

Namjoon visibly sagged in relief and you tried not to laugh as you continued wiping down the table you were at. He looked ready to let out a tear at the fact Jungkook had finally caught on to what he was saying. “Yes, it would be too many.”

Jungkook hummed, looking towards the cupboard once more. He lifted his arm. “Then, how about these ones—”

“Jungkook, no! Just use the espresso glasses!”

You snickered, slipping the cloth in your hand back into the pocket it had come from on your apron. In a way, you were thankful for the distraction. Your shift mightn’t have been very long today, but it had started straight after an exam you’d had early in the morning, and you’d been up late studying the night before. Put simply, you were tired as hell and eager for a nap. That had been the last exam for the semester, so you were officially on holidays, and it felt good— but it would feel better when you went for a nap and woke up feeling refreshed and well-rested. You smiled dreamily at the thought. Ah, your bed was calling you, and you could hardly wait. You’d changed the sheets and blankets yesterday to commemorate the change in seasons, so when you slept you were going to feel like you were floating on a cloud and ensconced in comfort.

At that thought the door to the café swung open, bell chiming softly, and a cool breeze swept across the space to caress your form. You shivered slightly, pleased at the cool but also annoyed you’d forgotten your cardigan this morning. Autumn had officially faded into winter and it was most definitely a welcome change from the sweltering memory of summer. These were your favourite months, but even so it was easy to find yourself uncomfortable and stuck in the weather if you didn’t prepare and dress for the day accordingly.

You were stopped by a grinning Jungkook as you moved back over to the counter, slipping behind it and depositing your cloth with the others in the basket.

“You had your last exam this morning, didn’t you?” he tapped his fingers against the small glass in his grasp; it seemed as though Namjoon had finally managed to coerce him into using the right one for what he was making. He flashed his trademark bunny grin at you full-force. “Does it feel good to be free?”

You couldn’t help the smile that slipped onto your face in response, “Yeah, I’m a new woman,” you said, moving over to the pastry display to rearrange some of the cupcakes. “Never felt so free in my life.”

Jungkook followed you like a lost pup, still grinning. “Ah, I know what you mean. Ever since my last exam ended on Saturday it’s like I’m in a dream.”

You squinted at him playfully. “I wouldn’t go that far, I mean, you still work in your dreams?”

The male halted, doe eyes shifting to the side as he pondered that. “You’re right,” he amended. “If I was still working in my dreams it would be more along the lines of a nightmare. So really, it’s like I’m in a very mild nightmare with more good aspects than bad ones.”

A loud laugh escaped you at that. Jungkook was always funny, and it was always a plus when Namjoon rostered you on with him. He went to the same University as you but was studying in a different area. From memory, it was either music or film—maybe both. Either way, it was starkly different to your own health degree— he always laughed at you when you came to work complaining about placements, but you let it slide for now. One day he’d see how much you really suffered, and one day he was going to suffer just as much; and on that day, you were going to be the one laughing.

“I don’t know, as far as jobs go this one isn’t too bad,” you hummed, finishing with the baked goods and dusting your hands. “I mean, my first ever job was at a large, big brand supermarket and they threw my ass on the register without any training. Not fun for an awkward fourteen-year-old.”

Jungkook made a thoughtful noise, reaching in to adjust one of the cupcakes. You shot him an annoyed look. “Yeah, you’re right. That would have sucked. You’re awkward enough now, fourteen-year-old you must have almost had an aneurysm when someone talked to you.”

You snorted, slapping his arm playfully, and diverted your gaze to the clock. You were off in a few minutes, and the knowledge filled you with a special kind of joy.

“I want to argue with you, but you’re right,” you said, glaring playfully. “Someone asked me for help on my second day and I nearly made a run for it.”

Jungkook lifted his hand to his face, wiping a tear that had never had the pleasure of falling in the first place. “Look how you’ve grown, into a strong capable woman who only stutters and goes red a little when cute customers come up to the register.”

You wrinkled your nose at him, already untying your apron and making your way to the back room where the lockers were. “Shut up, coconut head. I might be too tired to retaliate now but I’ll get you next time— wait, when’s your next shift?”

The tall brunette chortled at your lacklustre response, nearly choking on his own amusement as you rolled your eyes and pushed the door to the back room open. He was clutching his abdomen, fingers gripping his black t-shirt so hard you feared it might finally give up and rip as he laughed at your expense. He was polite enough to wait for you to retrieve your things and change from your uniform, returning through the same door, before he poked more fun at you.

“Coconut head? I don’t even have coconut hair anymore, and you’ve been calling me that since I first started here!” Jungkook laughed once more, reaching a thick arm to ruffle your hair as you walked past. You shot him a glare but couldn’t muster any heat to put behind it. “If you don’t come back with something more original next time I’m gonna be disappointed, y/n.”

“If it weren’t for the laws of this land, I would have slain you where you stood,” you said, smacking his hand away dramatically. It only made the male chortle more, and you couldn’t help but smile.

“Jungkook! Stop harassing y/n and make the damn espresso! That poor customer has been waiting more than ten minutes!”

The male jumped in fright at the sound of your boss’ voice, Namjoon’s head sticking out of the kitchen to deliver a firm, reprimanding glare.

“Yes, sir!” he squeaked. fuelled by alarm and fear of Namjoon removing his end-of-day cupcake privilege as he’d threatened to do so many times, he spun and made a beeline for the coffee machine, listing off a half-hearted goodbye as he went.

You turned to Namjoon to see him looking just as amused as you felt, and offered him a wave. “I’m off now, Namjoon! I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He was nodding, returning the wave before movement from the side caught his attention once more and he was squawking. He lurched from the kitchen, hand outstretched, “JUNGKOOK, NOT THAT LEVER—!”

Snorting at the scene you were sure was going to unfold as a result of Jungkook’s incessant need to push Namjoon to the very brink of insanity, you made sure to quickly leave before you could be called back to clean up the aftermath. Perhaps on another day you would have stayed a bit longer, but you were so damn tired you couldn’t be bothered. You were going to save the energy you did have for the walk home.

Humming to yourself a little, you hoisted the strap of your backpack a little better on your shoulder and started off on the trek home. At least it was a nice walk— the path you preferred took you around the pretty buildings in the area, and led you straight through the large, flourishing park that you often enjoyed visiting on the odd afternoon. There were a few spots you often found yourself gravitating to— the seats by the pond, the large, curling tree to the west of the pond, and the forest-like area to the east where there was an abundance of picnic tables and playgrounds for children. You’d gotten lucky when choosing an apartment, as this was one of the nicer areas, one of the nicer suburbs that didn’t go for too much rent-wise. You were pretty content here.

You were still humming as you reached the park, crossing the road and grinning once your feet sunk into the plush grass. In the distance, towards one of the many playgrounds decorating the large area, you could hear children screaming and squealing with glee as they chased each other around. The side of the park that you were currently on, was one that was more open and barren of playgrounds and metal. it was like a field, and sometimes people took their dogs here, but more often than not children or teens used it to play actual, structured games. You moved quickly to the path that wound around it to avoid being hit by a ball— in your experience, each visit to this park was celebrated with at least one near-miss from a football.

You couldn’t help but smile at how pretty everything looks, bathed in the early afternoon sun and glowing rich, verdant, and fresh. You’d long since tuned out the sounds of children in the distance, for the sake of your eardrums, and were instead enraptured in the beauty of your environment. At least, you were until a certain sound pierced your ears that was not distant.

Your head whipped over, eyes wide in alarm as you searched for the source of the sound, halting in your steps for a moment. Something in the back of your mind told you that you had more chance of being hit like this, but you ignored it, eyes searching. Your heart nearly broke when you found the source of the sound that had caught your attention, and your feet were moving, carrying you over before you even needed to direct them.

Two children who couldn’t have been older than three, huddled against the trunk of a tree that threatened to swallow them with its size as they sobbed loudly, wailing cries that clutched your heartstrings and urged you to move faster. Your mind instantly raced through all the possibilities, all the worst-case scenarios, but you pushed them from your mind in favour of slipping a gentle smile on your face. The children seemed to hear you coming well before you were within normal hearing range, what with your soft footsteps on the grass, and huddled against the trunk of the tree in slight fear and apprehension. Surprise filtered through you as your gaze caught their heads, and the slight movements in their hair, before you saw the tails curled around their legs. Hybrid children? Concern immediately followed the previous emotion— where was their parent, their mother? It was well known among humans and hybrids that hybrid children were at risk for a number of things, and it was dangerous for them to be alone. Your area might have been nicer, safer, but there was always a risk.

You offered another soft smile as you slowed your pace, approaching carefully and trying to judge whether they were going to run or not. When they didn’t show any signs of fleeing, you allowed yourself to draw as close as you dared. Slowly, you lowered yourself into a crouch in front of them so you didn’t continue seeming so big and imposing— they relaxed a slightly immediately after your action.

“Hello,” you started softly, offering what was hopefully a gentle smile. They blinked, tears still dropping down their round, flushed cheeks even without the sobs to accompany them. A boy and a girl, with the boy angling his body slightly so that his sister— his twin, as you noticed from a closer inspection of their features— was more protected behind him. Your heart warmed and clenched at the same time. “Are you okay?”

They seemed to hesitate, sniffing the air and sniffling to contain the snot attempting to leak from their noses. After a brief assessment of your smell, they decided you were somewhat trustworthy. The boy, rounded ears flattened against the dark, golden hairs atop his head, opened his mouth to talk, chin wobbling slightly. He sniffled, fresh tears welling, and he brought a tiny hand up to rub his face in a fit of distress.

“N-no,” he sobbed, the sound melting into a wail as he continued, fresh tears tumbling down his plush cheeks. “L-lost d-daddy.”

The girl, whose hair was only a little longer than her brother’s and thrown into a somewhat sloppy ponytail atop her head, was quick to reach a similar state of distress at the sight of her twin so distraught. Her chin wobbled violently, large chocolate eyes welling with fat tears that soon began dribbling down her own cheeks— her nose was a little worse for wear, more snot beginning to trickle. You balked for a moment; these children were in a greater state of distress than you’d anticipated.

“Hey, shhh, it’s okay,” you cooed softly, reaching out gently but not touching them. They didn’t even notice, too busy bawling. “You lost your daddy? Did you come here with him?”

They both nodded, sniffling, and you did your best to soothe them while finding out what you needed to. “How did you lose him?”

“The p-path,” the girl tried, voice shaky with the aftermath of her sobs. “We followed…”

Where she left off, the boy continued, his large, doe-like eyes meeting yours and welling with even more fresh tears, long lashes still wet from the previous batch— you were slightly panicked at the sight of them so distraught, at this point. The two twins were clinging onto each other as they cried.

“Follow, d-den… daddy gone!” he wailed then, incredibly upset as he was reminded of the fact he’d gotten lost from his father. You hurried to soothe them and patch the situation a bit.

“Hey, that’s no good,” you said, reaching out and allowing your hand to gently brush his shoulder, wary of how he’d react. To your surprise, he leant into your touch, shuffling the tiniest bit closer. “But you know what? It’s gonna be okay! This is a big park, but your daddy wouldn’t leave you— he’s probably looking for you, yeah? I’ll help you find him!”

The girl used her sleeve to wipe the snot from beneath her nose, a somewhat shy look crossing her features as she too shuffled a little closer, ears flicking. “You… you help?”

You nodded, and she burst into a watery smile, relief clear on her tiny features. The boy moved once more, clutching the sleeve around your wrist with his significantly smaller fist like a lifeline.

“Yeah, I’ll help you find him,” you said, offering a comforting smile of your own. The two children relaxed a little more, drawing even closer. “What are your names, little cuties? I’m y/n.”

It was like a switch had been flipped the second you’d agreed to help them, their current rainy state easily pushed aside for what you suspected to be their true personalities to shine through.

“I-I’m Haru,” the girl said confidently despite the slight, remaining tremble in her voice, stepping forward and pointing to her twin. “This my twin, Hansol.”

You smiled at them both, and were only a little surprised to see them smile back at you almost full-force. “Hello Haru, Hansol. It’s lovely to meet you.”

The boy, Hansol, stepped forward and clutched the material of your sleeve closer to your shoulder. His large eyes sought your own hopefully, “Our friend?”

You noticed he had slight trouble with his r’s, the sound coming out more like a ‘w’ sound, and couldn’t help but be even more endeared than you already were with him and his sister. You were certain at this stage that you would die for them without even so much as a blink.

“Yes,” you agreed, holding your hand out and trying not to squeal when he latched onto that instead. “Your friend.”

The looks they both shot you would have been enough to melt even the stoniest of hearts, and you felt yourself becoming weaker to their charms already.

“Yes!” they both cheered softly, and you let out a light laugh.

“You’re too cute,” you cooed, smiling when they beamed at the praise, cheeks flushing delighted pink. “But come on, let’s go and find your daddy!”

You rose from your crouched position, letting out a soft grunt at the protesting of your joints— you’d been in that position perhaps a little too long. They eagerly went to move, but halted as one of them let out a soft whimper. You gaze fell upon their forms once more, and realisation filled you as you caught sight of the graze on Hansol’s knee that you hadn’t noticed before.

“Oh no, what happened here?” you asked, bending a little to inspect it closer. It wasn’t that deep, but would have stung nonetheless. You knew hybrids healed faster, but you also didn’t want the healing to start when the wound wasn’t clean. You could see the tiniest bits of dirt and dust in there.

“I fell,” Hansol supplied readily, shooting you a wide-eyed look. “On the path…”

“Oh no,” you tsked playfully, “That’s no good, is it? It’s lucky you’re a big, strong boy, huh?”

He nodded feverously, smiling at your words— Haru giggled softly, sniffling. You crouched once more.

“Still, even for big strong boys it must hurt a bit, huh…” when he nodded sheepishly, you continued with a smile. “We’ll wash it out so it’s nice and clean, and can heal quickly while we go find your dad, does that sound good?”

They both nodded once more, and you got the sense that they were just relieved to have the security of an adult directing them and taking care of big decisions once more. You smiled at them. “Excellent. Do you need to be carried?”

You’d half expected him to refuse, but before you could blink he was throwing himself at you, arms outstretched and eyes wide. “Yes, please! Up, please!”

You laughed taking him into your hold and rising to a stand. He adjusted quickly, letting out a happy sound as he positioned himself securely on your hip and in your arms, shoving his face into your neck. You snorted at his sheer enthusiasm, holding your hand out for Haru to take so she didn’t feel left out. You were just now noticing that they had matching outfits on, Hansol in a little sailor themed suit and Haru sporting a complimentary dress. You could have wept.

Haru quickly took your hand, smiling up at you, and you tried not to let your heart combust at how small her hand was in yours. God, kids were so cute; this really was going to be the death of you.

Hansol’s tail wound securely around the arm holding him in place, and you analysed their features as you walked down the path, searching for a bubbler. You were trying to pinpoint what kind of hybrid they were, before realising it was probably a bit easier to just ask.

“So,” you started, a playful lilt to your tone. “What kind of hybrids are you? Wait! Don’t tell me… are you snake hybrids?”

Both children burst into a fit of giggles, sending you looks like they were questioning how smart you were. “Ew!” Hansol giggled, wrinkling his noise. “No!”

You let out a thoughtful noise, playing it up for them— you didn’t want them to worry again about finding their dad, and distraction seemed to be the best route. “Hmm… then, are you… giraffe hybrids?”

More squealing giggles filled the air, Hansol delivering a weak, scolding hit to your shoulder despite the amused grin on his face. Haru swayed your hands, correcting you, “No! We’re too small!”

“Ah, I see,” you said, grinning. “Then… you must be mice hybrids!”

The two twins erupted into peals of laughter once more, Haru nearly tripping in her glee. “Not that small!” she burst, her tail flicking up behind her as she made a claw like shape with her tiny hand. “We’re lion hybrids! Big and strong!”

She then let out a playful roar and you laughed happily. Hansol pulled back from where he’d planted his face in your neck once more, nailing you with a completely serious, wide-eyed gaze.

“And- and daddy too!” he informed you, like it was of the utmost importance. “Biggest, most strongest lion!”

You made a shocked face, “No way! The biggest and strongest?”

Hansol nodded furiously, and, having said his piece, promptly planted his face back in your neck. He must have found your scent comforting, because his body relaxed in your hold as he inhaled softly.

“I can’t believe it,” you teased. “Are you sure you’re lions? You’re so cute…”

Haru beamed. “Daddy says we’re the cutest.”

You felt something akin to pride well within you— that was a pretty long utterance for a child her age. You marvelled silently; these kids were smart.

“I think he’s right,” you said, locating a water bubbler and beginning to lead them over. “You two have to be the cutest little lion cubs I have ever seen.”

Haru seemed pleased at your confession, and ran forward to get a drink of water from the tap before you used it to give her brother’s knee a quick wash. You cleaned his knee up a bit, talking with them the whole while— their father sounded like he loved them a lot, and you could only imagine how worried he must be to have lost them in a park of this size. Especially since, from what you were gathering from their stories, this seemed to be their first time visiting it.

You’d travelled a fair way from where you’d found them, through an area decorated with trees and more towards the side of the park that had more playgrounds. When you asked how they got all the way over here, they told you they saw a butterfly go down the path and followed it without thinking. Of course, they were now filled with regret at the action, and most definitely wouldn’t be chasing anything down a strange path again.

With Hansol’s knee clean and already beginning to heal, you started on your trek once more, keeping an eye out for anyone that seemed to be a distressed father in search of their missing children.

“What does your daddy look like?” you asked, trying to get a better idea of what you should be looking for. Haru was quick to answer.

“Handsome!” she burst, hand clutching yours tightly. Her dress swished as she skipped along next to you for a brief moment, red boots slapping happily against the path. “The most handsomest. Old ladies always look… but always mean.”

You let out a soft gasp. “That’s no good! No one should be mean to someone else.”

The two children nodded at you, impressed that you were so knowledgeable in the area of morality. In all honesty, ‘handsome’ wasn’t that helpful of a descriptor when looking for someone, since the term could be quite objective, but you couldn’t bring yourself to ask anymore. You figured you were just looking for someone with the same sort of features, maybe hair— wait, shouldn’t you be looking for another lion hybrid?

You shook your head mentally at your own slow brain, peering around the park once more. You didn’t get a full sweep in when Hansol squirmed in your arms, clutching the material of your shirt tighter. He was growing restless with each minute that passed and your search remained fruitless. You hushed him softly, bringing your arm up to play with his hair and pet his head softly. He nearly purred when you scratched behind his ears, and you deemed him sufficiently distracted for now. You didn’t want him to worry more than he had to. You were sure you were going to find their father soon; this park might have been big but it still had its limits, and as long as he hadn’t ventured outside it, thinking his children had gone that way, then you were bound to find him eventually. Oh no, but what if he had gone outside the boundaries? Your mind raced— what was the likelihood? If you were a parent, would you think to go outside the park?

“Daddy!”

Your somewhat troubled musings were cut short by a loud cry from the girl beside you, and your head whipped to follow the direction she’d tugged you in before breaking from your hold. Up a hundred or so metres away, a man was leaning against a tree, hands covering his face. Realisation and relief welled within you as you caught the tail flicking anxiously behind him and the rounded, restless ears nestled between deep caramel locks atop his head. At the cry that had filtered into the air just moments ago, his ears whipped in your direction and he lurched from the tree, hands dropping from his face. You were close enough that when his eyes caught sight of his daughter, you saw the sheer, unadulterated relief that broke upon his features.

He ran quickly to meet her halfway, sweeping her into his arms and spinning her around, her tiny form clutched close.

“Haru!” his voice was deep and low, and broke with the emotion within it as he cradled the girl in his arms. “I thought I lost you, god where did you go? Where’s your brother?”

You noticed a curl in his tone, a shift in sounds as his voice caressed the syllables, and belatedly you realised it was an accent, although not very strong. You didn’t have much time to ponder it when the male’s large, chocolate eyes suddenly fell upon you, before his daughter could even spill the details. A part of you feared he might get angry at the sight of a stranger holding his child, but to your surprise and relief he only looked thankful, and— god, was he about to cry?

Hansol squirmed in your arms, urging to be put down, and you carefully did so. The second his feet touched the earth he was off, darting forward to latch onto his father’s leg with a loud wail. You followed at a slower pace, approaching carefully and allowing him time to embrace his children before he had to talk to you.

“Hansol,” the male choked, crouching down to take him into his arms as well. When he rose next, he had both twins held close, their tiny hands clutching the material of his white button-up tightly. His shoulders were broad, but his hips were too narrow for both of them to rest on, so he was supporting them largely with just his arms.

“Daddy,” Haru prodded him lightly, calling for his attention. “We made friend. This y/n. She halp-helped us.”

She struggled with the last word, the beginning coming out awkward, but quickly self-corrected. You were ceaselessly impressed with her speech— she was incredibly smart for what you assumed her age to be.

“She helped you?” the male echoed, tone soft but still impossibly deep. If you weren’t already so taken by the heart-warming sight before you, it might have affected you. He hadn’t cried, but the long lashes framing his eyes were wet nonetheless, and when he turned his gaze to you his eyes almost glistened. You nearly tripped; you hadn’t really believed Haru before, knowing children can tend to have a bit of an… idealistic view of their parents, but he honestly was one of the most handsome people you’d ever seen in your life and it was taking all your self-control not to become flustered.

“Hello,” you greeted to break the ice a little, offering a smile, “I’m y/n, like she said. I found them on the other side of the park, lost and confused, so I helped them look for you.”

“y/n,” he echoed, and you ignored the way your heart fluttered at how his voice caressed the shape of your name. A soft smile tugged his lips, and you honestly thought he could blind someone with it if he really wanted to. “I’m Taehyung. I… really can’t thank you enough. I turned away for one second to find a seat and when I looked back they were gone, a-and I was so… so worried that they…”

He didn’t need to continue for you to know what he was saying, and the reminder of the way things were for hybrids saddened you a little. It was a very common thing for hybrid children left unattended to be snatched up by shady individuals, to be sold on dodgy markets to other dodgy people or industries. For him, that was probably the first thing his mind went to, and you couldn’t imagine how he’d felt in the time his kids had been missing.

“Ah, yeah,” you responded, pausing for a moment before you continued. “Well, they’re here now, safe and sound! Well, almost— I think Hansol had a bit of a tumble before I found them, and got a bit of a scrape on his knee. I washed it out though, and it seems to be healing nicely.”

At the mention of the injury, Taehyung’s head immediately whipped down, gaze analysing the scrape on his son’s knee. True to your word, it was already beginning to heal, and when he lifted his head to nail you with another grateful smile the sheer warmth of it had your stomach flipping a little. His twins nuzzled into him, also flashing you bright smiles.

“Thank you,” he said, voice thick. He looked dangerously close to crying again, and you couldn’t figure out why until you remembered what Haru said about people being mean and realised that not everyone would have been this kind and helpful to him. “Really, thank you.”

“It’s no problem!” you said brightly, returning his smile. “I’m happy to help— on that note, I remember them saying this was your first time coming to this park… do you need help getting back to wherever you entered?”

Taehyung blushed, and you had to fight a grin at the sheepish way he peered around before nodding his head. “That would be very helpful, if, uh… if it’s not too much trouble.”

You assured him it wasn’t, and asked where he’d come in. To your pleasant surprise, it was the same area where you were headed to go home. You told him this, and happily began to lead him the short way to your shared destination.

It didn’t take you long to reach the edge of the park, and it saddened you that you had to part ways so soon. A warm smile from Taehyung and another profuse round of ‘thank you so much’, as well as some furious waves from the twins, and they were walking off in the opposite direction. You let out a slightly saddened sigh, hoping they made it home okay. This was a nice area, but you never knew.

You waited until they were completely out of sight before crossing the road and entering the lobby of your apartment building. Briefly, you wondered if your roommate was home, before deciding you’d just find out soon anyway. Thoughts of the cute lion twins and their handsome father filled your mind the entire trip to your floor, and it was only as you entered your apartment and your phone went off with a reminder that they left you in peace. Oh, right. You still had a fair bit to do before you could sleep today. Grumbling, you got started. Soon, you’d get the nap you deserved.

x     x     x     x     x     x     x     x     x

Brushing his hand over his daughter’s head, mindful of the ponytail he’d attempted to pull her silky hair into earlier in the day, Taehyung couldn’t help but let his mind wander as his twins rattled off an exciting recollection of the day to him. Despite the emotional stress that had come from the whole ordeal at the park, he was more than content with how things had turned out; you, the woman at the park— he didn’t know if he would ever have the words to convey how grateful he was to you. He’d heard all the horror stories about what happened to hybrid children left on their own in the open— and he could tell from your expression that you had too. He was lucky his two little troublemakers had run into someone so caring and kind. He honestly… he didn’t know what he would have done if his worst fears had come to life.

But the reason he’d been at the park to begin with… he fought the frown that tried to slip onto his face at the reminder. The side of town that he resided in was not as nice, well-kept and accommodating as where he had taken the twins today. This was one of the only areas that provided accommodation for hybrids, but demand was much larger than supply; there was a high homelessness rate in the hybrid population, and hybrids on the street were at much higher risk of being picked up and kidnapped as night fell over the city. It wasn’t a fate he wanted to face himself, and he was doing everything in his power to ensure that it wasn’t one his children would ever face either.

But just because the buildings here allowed hybrids and provided accommodation largely for them, didn’t mean they were exactly accommodating. He urged his kids back into the apartment as they arrived at the front door, all three of them stepping diligently over the puddle in the carpet from a leak in the ceiling that had been there for months. The musty smell of the building carried into their home, obscured just barely by the flowers and other scented items Taehyung made a point to keep, but his sensitive nose still picked it up. He could only hope his kids were a bit more oblivious— he didn’t want them to think such poor living conditions were exactly normal.

He was reminded of his previous train of thought as he moved to the kitchen to get the two three-and-a-half-year-old’s some juice, gaze falling upon the letter that had been slipped under his door a few days ago. The owner of the building, the landlord, was upping the rent. It wasn’t the first time it had happened, and each other time the amount had been increased it was only slightly. This time, however, it was a large amount, and it meant that Taehyung was going to have to search for a second job to cover the expenses of everything. He’d known he would probably have to for a while, it had been getting harder and harder to pinch pennies and make ends meet. Cost after cost— there was always more costs to be found and he was the only one he could rely on to cover them. He didn’t mind being alone, wouldn’t trade his twins for anything in the world, but it was hard… It had always been hard, but even now it was still getting harder.

Just last week, he’d lost the one person he’d been relying on for a while. A lovely older woman across the hall, a seasoned domestic cat hybrid, who had taken to watching the twins of an evening while Taehyung worked the night shift. She’d been struggling herself to keep up with the constantly raising price of living in this building, and had been forced to leave as a result. Taehyung understood, of course, and his heart went out to her— but for him, it was a big blow. He’d had to ask one of his few close friends, a human named Namjoon, to babysit in the meantime until he found another alternative.

He needed a second job to ensure that however shitty the place, they still had somewhere to live. Today he’d gone for an interview early in the morning, and Namjoon had watched the twins for an hour or two at the cafe while he went. He wasn’t sure what the outcome would be, he knew people were still reluctant to hire hybrids in many areas of practice and that this made it especially hard for him to find a first job let alone a second one. That, on top of the fact that he was a single father? If potential employers ever found out for whatever reason, he seldom heard back from them.

The shrill ring of his phone wrought him from his thoughts, and he realised a little belatedly that he’d been standing in the kitchen staring at the two plastic cups on the counter, deep in thought. He hurried to fish his phone from the back pocket of his slacks, fingers grasping the plastic before it could slip deeper into the fabric.

“Namjoon?” he’d been surprised to see the name illuminating the screen. “How are you?”

“I’m good,” the older male’s voice greeted his ear warmly through the speaker, “I do have some news though.”

Instantly, Taehyung’s stomach dropped— he wasn’t quite prepared but he did appreciate Namjoon being upfront about it. “Did something happen?”

“Yeah, sort of,” the male responded, tone somewhat sheepish. “My sister is in the hospital— you remember how I told you she was due a while ago? Well, they’re gonna be inducing labour soon so…”

Taehyung let out an understanding sound, tugging a smile onto his face even though the other couldn’t see it. He held the phone in one hand, switching it to the other ear and using his dominant hand to pour juice into the two cups. “Ahh, I see. I’m guessing you’re calling to let me know you’re not gonna be in town to look after the twins tonight?”

Namjoon let out a regretful sound of affirmation, and Taehyung allowed a soft laugh to fall from his lips. He could feel the way his tail had stilled as thoughts raced through his mind. “That’s okay, this is important! You’ll have to take photos, I can’t wait to see how cute the baby is.”

The older male let out a laugh of his own, a slight ruffle coming from his end of the line, “Will do. Thanks for understanding, Tae. I’m sorry to pull out on you at such short notice.”

Taehyung hummed, shifting to put the juice back in the fridge. “It’s alright, I understand. I’m sure I’ll be able to find someone to watch them.”

“Ah, right! About that!” at the sudden outburst, Taehyung nearly jumped out of his skin— he’d half been expecting Namjoon to hang up soon. “I do have someone that I can recommend! They won’t charge much, and I can attest they’re trustworthy.”

A grateful warmth filled the hybrid’s chest, the smile now tugging his lips in relief more genuine than the last. “Oh? Who do you have in mind? If it’s that kid Jungkook, I’m going to have to reassess your definition of trustworthy— I’ve seen him in the kitchen, Joon.”

Namjoon laughed, and the sound filled him with a sort of content. Pinching the two cups by the rim so he could hold them both at once, he took them to the dining room table where the two twins in question were drawing and chatting happily amongst each other. Taehyung had to roll some crayons aside to make room for the cups.

“No, it’s not Jungkook— although he is better with children than he is with kitchen utensils,” Namjoon said, and Taehyung allowed a giggle, beaming at his kids when they smiled up at him and chirped their thanks for the juice. Namjoon continued chattering in his ear, happy to help out even though he wasn’t able to take the twins tonight, and Taehyung listened eagerly.

He would always be thankful he had friends like Namjoon.

x     x     x     x     x     x     x     x

“Did you remember to wipe your shoes by the door?”

Looking up from the paper you were currently filling out, you sent Jimin a glare where he sat smugly behind the reception desk. Your grip on the pen tightened to try and diffuse the urge you had to throw it at him. It wasn’t worth the whining you’d hear about ink getting on his pristine clinic uniform.

“Why do you have to remind me of that every time I come here?” you whined, stomping your foot slightly. “That was one time— I was almost late getting here and wasn’t looking where I was going.”

Jimin snickered, rolling his eyes playfully— it was late in the afternoon and at this point in the day you were likely his only form of entertainment. He was a demon when bored, usual angelic disposition be damned— that persona was only applicable for potential clients and his employer.

“You trekked it through the whole~ clinic,” Jimin giggled, resting his chin on his hand, elbow on the desk. If he wasn’t careful, he was going to accidentally knock off the stack of papers he was leaning on. “y/n, the girl whomst stepped in doggy doo doo and didn’t realise for a whole day—”

You groaned, fighting the urge to slam your head onto the high bench that skirted the reception desk. Your saving grace came in the form of one Kim Seokjin where he was walking out of his room, coat on over his button-up and bag over his shoulder.

“Jimin, stop teasing her,” he said, and while half-hearted and spoken with an amused grin you appreciated it nonetheless. “Also, is there a reason you’re still here? Your shift finished half an hour ago.”

Jimin balked for a moment, “No? I finish at six today?”

Seokjin was amused, “No, that’s mondays… are you ok?”

The receptionist in question blinked for a moment, before diving to his computer to pull up the calendar and verify the information he was currently being told. His eyes flit across the screen, a long, drawn out groan climbing from his throat.

“Ugh,” he bemoaned, “I am… boo boo the fool.”

You reached over the counter to pinch his cheek with a bright grin. “Yes you are.”

He smacked your hand away half-heartedly, turning from the two of you to begin packing up his things while grumbling. Seokjin, grinning at the younger’s antics, turned to you.

“Are those the forms you were meant to hand in last week?” he asked, brow raised. You could only offer a sheepish grin.

“Yeah,” you admitted, hoping a bright smile might be enough to get you off the hook. “But in my defence, I’ve had a week of early exams so…”

Seokjin snorted, “Ah, university days… I almost miss them sometimes.”

He was silent a moment, for effect, before he laughed. “Kidding! Sucks to be you! But I remember you said your last one was today, so you’re probably feeling a lot better huh.”

You rolled your eyes, unable to help the laugh that escaped you at your mentor’s childish antics. You didn’t know how you’d survived the semester that had just passed with him. “Yep! I’m looking forward to several weeks of nothing but rest, now that I have officially done my last item on the to-do list.”

You completed your words by grasping the forms and handing them over— log-sheets of the clinical hours you’d completed during the semester and other such items. “I’ll send the remaining reports tonight, I have them all done and ready to go.”

“Excellent,” Seokjin praised, taking the forms and flicking through them. “I’ll sign and file them later— don’t forget to send those reports or I’m going to have to chase you up, Miss y/n.”

You rolled your eyes again, grinning. “Yes, sir.”

He nodded at you, playful gleam still in his eyes, and reached a hand to ruffle your hair. “Good pupil. Right, I’m off— I didn’t get lunch and you know how hangry I get, so there’s a fast food restaurant nearby calling my name. Have a good weekend, y/n. Get homes safe.”

“Will do,” you waved as he began towards the door. “See you!”

He offered a brief wave of his own over his shoulder, then he was out the door and making a beeline for his car. You snorted— that man and his love for food. You thought he might have an actual breakdown if he lost access to food of any kind for more than a day.

“Are you going now, y/n?”

Your attention was pulled back to the raven-haired receptionist as he spoke, now completely packed up and ready to leave. He was shooting you a winning smile.

“Yep,” you said, popping the ‘p’ sound. “You finally gonna leave?”

Jimin groaned again dramatically, already moving to the door. “Yes. Ugh, I should have known something was up when Yeri came earlier— I sent her to the staffroom because I thought I was still on shift but it turns out my life’s a lie so…”

You laughed, enjoying this small dose of karma as you stepped outside of the clinic and waited for him to join you.

“You going straight h— oof!” your question was cut off by a violent vibration in your pocket, your thigh growing warm just from the feel of it. You sent Jimin an apologetic look as you fished for the device crammed in your jeans pocket, and he laughed.

“I’ll be off then,” he said, beginning to turn with a wave. “See you, y/n!”

“Bye!” you said, before turning your attention to the still-vibrating device in your grasp and sliding your thumb across answer before you had an opportunity to check the caller. “Hello?”

“Hey y/n.”

Surprise filtered into your tone as you responded, making your way to your car. “Oh, Namjoon? What can I help you with? Am I in trouble?”

Your boss laughed at the questions you fired off at him, warmth seeping into his tone as he spoke, “No, I actually have a favour to ask. I remember you were saying how you were looking for a bit of extra income, at the start of your shift? Something about rebuilding savings?”

You let out a groan at the reminder. “Yeah, this semester really gave me a run for it— I paid over three-hundred dollars for a textbook they said was required and we didn’t use it once.”

Namjoon snorted, and continued, “Well, I might just have something that will work out nicely for you.”

You beamed, “I’m listening.”

x     x     x     x     x     x     x     x

With a mild sense of hurry, you circled around your living room once more. The mess you’d cleaned up was all yours— your roommate hadn’t been home for a few weeks now, so you had no one else to blame it on but yourself. Namjoon had called a few hours ago, and had informed you of someone he knew that was in need of some babysitting— both short-notice, tonight, and in the future if tonight went well. Your child-loving heart had swelled and you’d instantly agreed, even though you’d been planning on sleeping the evening away. The extra income you were needing plus the opportunity to look after some cute kids? You were sold the instant the offer left his mouth.

You’d happily sent Namjoon your address and he’d said that they’d be there around eight o’clock. True to his usual fashion, he’d neglected to tell you the name or even whether it was the mother or father that you were meeting tonight, and you wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d done the same to the person you were meant to be meeting. You wondered if they would even know your name.

You’d expected, since you didn’t know them, that they might be a little late— and it would seem as though that was the case. It was now almost quarter past eight, and you regretted not having thought to ask Namjoon for the parent’s number to check up on what was happening and even exchange details.

Leaning back from the couch, where you’d hastily rearranged the cushions to make it look like you hadn’t been occupying the exact same spot for three weeks and the fabric hadn’t moulded to the shape of your ass, you assessed the room around you once more. Your apartment hadn’t looked this clean in weeks— your living spaces tended to get exceptionally messy when you were in times of stress, like exams and other school-related things.

Namjoon had forgotten to tell you anything about the children, aside from the fact they were twins (and what were the chances, you thought, after the events of the day?) so you didn’t know what age-group you were meant to be catering to. It was fine though, you had experience with kids of all ages so you were sure you’d be able to wing something.

Just as you began to wonder whether they would be much longer, or if you should perhaps call Namjoon, there was a knock at your door. The sound could have almost been described as timid, a certain element of hesitance hanging between each rap of the person’s knuckles against the wood.

“Coming!” you called, excited to meet the person you’d be babysitting for. The knocking ceased and you scrambled from your place in the living room, darting to the door so they weren’t left waiting too long.

“Hi, sorry I took a while— oh my.”

Two very familiar looking children brightened from their stormy mood at the sight of you, squealing in joy. “y/n! It’s you!”

You didn’t even have time to blink before two lion hybrids were firmly attached and clinging to your legs, chattering away incoherently as they screamed into your skin through your jeans. Bewildered, you turned your gaze to their father, who you’d met earlier in the day and was currently looking a cross between surprised and mortified at how his children had launched themselves at you the second you opened the door.

“Hello,” you said with an amused smile, your hands coming to ruffle the twins’ hair. “Long time no see.”

The tension that had accumulated in his shoulders eased at that, a smile slipping easily onto his own lips. He looked beautiful when he smiled, and you marvelled at how lucky his children were to see it every day. His children— you stopped yourself at the sudden thought that ran through your mind. He had kids, the kids had a mother, which meant he most likely had a partner. You shouldn’t let your thoughts run too array.

“I didn’t realise you knew Namjoon,” he said with a smile, eyes dark and warm— oddly, you’d almost missed the low, rich timbre of his voice. There was an undercurrent of urgency still in his form, and you wondered why. “What a small world, huh?”

“Truly,” you agreed, shuffling aside as best you could with two small children attached to your legs, a silent invitation inside. He realised your intention, and a slightly apologetic expression crossed his fine features.

“I’m sorry to show so abruptly and leave just as suddenly, but I’m actually going to be late for my shift,” he said, tone betraying how he hoped your reaction would be one of understanding— you wondered how many people beforehand had shown him that wasn’t the reaction to expect, and the thought saddened you. The male gestured to the twins still wrapped around your limbs, tail flicking. “They weren’t too happy when I told them we weren’t going to see Uncle Namjoon, and they put up a bit of a fight on the way here— although I think they might be over it now that they’ve seen it’s you.”

“Hopefully they don’t mind it’s me! And that’s perfectly okay,” you said with a smile, gesturing for him to go. “We can sort everything out later, I don’t want to make you even more late.”

Taehyung, you remembered his name with a flutter in your chest, shot you a grateful look, already beginning to turn and angle his body back down the hallway. It was only now you noticed the high-vis vest over his shoulders as well as the boots and cargo pants— ah, he must work on night fill for one of the nearby supermarket chains.

“Thank you again,” he said, and the sincerity that wove through his words had your stomach fluttering. “I really… You’ve done a lot for me today, thank you.”

You couldn’t help your gentle smile. “Again, it’s no problem— now go before you’re even more late.”

Taehyung nodded, going to move for a moment before he halted and spun back around. He stepped closer to ruffle his kids’ hair. “Bye, little lion cubs. I’ll be back soon— be good for your new friend, okay?”

“Yes, daddy,” they agreed in easy unison, waving as he retreated once more.

“Good,” he smiled, before turning his gaze to you once more. “I’m not sure what time I’ll finish, but Namjoon forwarded your number so I’ll text you to let you know…?”

“Sounds good,” you said easily, and his face fell into another grateful smile.

“Thank you,” he said once more, beginning to move down the hall. “I’ll see you later.”

“Bye!” you called, returning his light wave, and then when you blinked he was gone. Well, he definitely moved fast.

There was a sniffle from below you, Hansol pressing his face harder into your leg, and you were quick to assume damage control. You shifted, closing and locking the door and ruffling their hair once more. “Say, do you guys know what my favourite thing to do is?”

At the sound of your voice, both children looked up at you with wide eyes. Haru was quick to attempt an answer, “Play in the park?”

You gasped, beginning to shuffle towards the living room. “Ah, so close! That’s my second favourite thing!”

Hansol giggled, encouraged by your reaction to his sister’s attempt. “Singing?”

“Hmm,” you answered with a thoughtful look, before turning to the young boy once more. “I’m not a very good singer, but you’re right! That is fun to do too!”

The little hybrid beamed, clutching you tighter in his happiness. You were nearing the couch that signified the edge of the living room. You slowed to a waddle, the two children still firmly attached.

“But no…” you said, slowly stilling. Two large sets of eyes stared up at you curiously. “My absolute favourite thing…”

You waited a moment for suspense, and you suspected that this was a game their father might have played with them because something akin to realisation lit in their eyes and their forms began to coil.

“Is…” you held your breath, arms beginning to raise; their tails flicked madly, massive grins on their faces. “Tickling cute little lion cubs! Roar!”

They squealed as your fingers came to tickle their sides, freeing you at last as they threw themselves from your legs and scattered, giggling. You let out a laugh of your own and, still in character, moved towards Haru, who had stopped in the hope you’d catch up and chase him some more.

He squealed once more when you moved quicker than he expected, loud peals of laughter ringing delightfully against your ears as your fingers grazed his sides and he was wriggling away, eyes turned to crescent moons in his glee. Haru, who had thought she was safe on the other side of the couch, was quick to learn that was not the case when Hansol ran her way and you after him. She shrieked, a massive grin on her face, and leapt onto the couch, tail lashing playfully.

You decided very quickly, that this was much better than spending your evening sleeping.

Chapter Text

“y/n, if you didn’t work here and I was stuck handling Jungkook all by myself I really think I’d be insane by now.”

The earnestly spoken words coming out of Namjoon’s mouth, in combination with the deathly serious look on his face, were almost enough to have you spitting out the water you just sipped in an abrupt laugh. Thankfully, you managed to hold the fluid down and swallowed heavily before you let your snickers loose.

“Oh?” you prodded, untying your apron and slipping out of it. It took you a moment to locate the hook as you placed it away. “What did he do this time?”

The tall male let out a sound that was eerily similar to a sob, yet it only had more laughter beginning to bubble and climb your throat. Now that your shift was over for the day, you felt a lot lighter and more energised—especially since each hour of your shift that passed meant you were one hour closer to seeing the two twins that, in an alarmingly small amount of time, had managed to intertwine themselves very firmly around your heartstrings. Tonight was one of the nights you were scheduled to babysit them, and frankly you couldn’t wait—some people might think of babysitting as a chore but honestly you didn’t think there was anything you wouldn’t do for those kids.

“He made a waffle tower for one of the customers that ordered four waffles,” he said, lifting a hand to massage the bridge of his nose. His voice nearly cracked on the next sentence. “A waffle tower, y/n! We don’t do those! Now everyone is asking for one!”

You couldn’t help the snort that escaped you as you pressed your thumb to the scanner and logged off for the day, moving to gather your small backpack and slipping your water bottle inside.

“You know he’s shit-stirring you right?” you queried, meeting your distraught manager’s gaze. “I mean I know he does it the first time because he’s dumb, but after that your reactions are too funny for him to resist doing it again.”

At this new enlightenment, Namjoon let out a long, torturous groan, cradling his head in his hands.

“I’m not paid enough for this,” he sobbed morosely into his palms, shaking his head of wavy hair. “I never ask to suffer, and yet I always do.”

You patted his shoulder to show your sympathy for his plight, and moved past him to exit the backroom. He followed after you somewhat sulkily, likely regretting putting himself on a shift with only Jungkook.

“Oh, y/n is leaving?” Jungkook’s voice broke you from your thoughts, halting in your journey to the exit. He seemed to have just come back from serving a group of students in the corner, the likes of which were staring at him with hearts in their eyes. You turned, watching as it registered in Jungkook’s head that he was going to be alone with Namjoon for the next few hours until closing. A shit-eating grin began to pull his lips and you resisted the urge to laugh as Namjoon sighed.

“Yep!” you chirped, flipping the water bottle in your grasp. “I’m off! It’s been a long day and I’m thinking I might stop for bubble tea or something on the way home. I have a few hours to do nothing before I babysit later after all.”

Jungkook nodded, approving of your plan, and opened his mouth—probably to add something annoying—when he was cut off by the abrupt tinkle of the bell above the door as it burst open. The three of you turned, and you felt your eyes widen at the sight that greeted you.

Taehyung, the man you’d recently grown familiar with and whose children you had now begun to regularly babysit, was standing in the doorway, looking remarkably dishevelled. He didn’t seem to see you, gaze zeroing straight in on Namjoon, and it took you a moment to register the two small forms standing by his feet. They had tiny little backpacks over their shoulders and another matching set of outfits, this time in a fruit-onesie theme; the sight of it made you coo internally before you returned your attention to the situation at hand. Taehyung had come to the café with his kids in tow, but the state of his appearance told you something wasn’t quite right.

The lion hybrid ran a hand through his wild caramel locks, mindful of his ears, and fiddled with the rumpled cuff of his sleeve as he spoke rapidly with a sense of panic permeating his low baritone, “Namjoon, I’m so sorry to burst in like this but I—they called me in to work early, and they’re looking for any excuse they can to drop me I can feel it so I can’t—I can’t afford to—”

Namjoon quickly strode forward, a comforting hand brushing the tall male’s shoulder. Hansol and Haru looked up at their father with concern swirling in their eyes, gazes flitting from Namjoon to their dad then back again.

“Tae, pause for a second. Take a breath,” he instructed, waiting for the hybrid to follow through before continuing. “Now take a deeper one. It’s alright. What is it you need?”

Somewhat calmer than earlier, Taehyung’s features twist into a peculiar mixture of remorse and a plea. “I have to go in, but I have no one to watch the twins until…”

He trailed off, and you had a feeling it was because he observed the regretful expression that slipped onto your manager’s face.

“I’m sorry Tae, I’d offer to watch them for a bit but it’s going to be too busy and I won’t be able to keep a proper eye on them,” Namjoon apologised, sincerely remorseful.

Your chest physically pained at the way Taehyung’s face fell, and you were stepping forward before you could think it through. “Hey, Mr Kim, if you need I can take them early?”

The hybrid started, having not even realised you were there, and you could have sworn his cheeks coloured a little in embarrassment. His hand seemed to reach to fiddle with his hair before he controlled the urge and it dropped back to his side. At the sound of your voice, the kids clinging to his pants and hand whipped around and adopted the biggest grins you’d ever seen. “y/n! Daddy, it’s y/n!”

“I—y/n— I couldn’t—" the hybrid fumbled over his words, accent growing thicker for a moment, his eyes wide as you drew closer and allowed the twins to launch themselves at your legs. Their grip was stronger than expected and the force nearly had you stumbling, but you held fast somehow. You made a point to shoot the stressed father the most comforting and reassuring look you could summon.

“It’s alright, my shift just finished— I don’t mind at all!” you said, quickly shuffling forward and outstretching your hand in a placating gesture while the other was busy scratching behind Hansol’s ears. The little cub purred in delight. “And please don’t worry about paying extra, think of it as a playdate!”

You missed the fond look Namjoon sent the two of you as Taehyung deflated, still looking somewhat hesitant.

“A-are you sure? It is fine, I will pay the extra—” He stumbled in his speech again, fingers fiddling anxiously. By chance your gaze strayed to his fingers and you noted a lack of ring on his left hand before you tore your eyes away respectfully.

“Mr Kim, if you even think of paying the extra I will send it back with these two little angels,” you said, laughing to soften it and ensure him you meant it. You could see the gratitude in his eyes even though he seemed a little bit regretful still.

“I… okay,” he acquiesced, stepping forward. His energy had taken a drastic turn from when he’d first entered the café, now much more sedated—the customers that had turned upon his entry had long since lost interest and turned back to their meal. “Are… are you sure it is okay?”

You nodded fervently, shooing him with your hand and slipping an amicable smile onto your face. “Of course! I’m happy to help, plus I’m pretty sure if it came to it I would die for these kids so…”

Taehyung cracked a smile at that, while the twins by your feet let out horrified gasps. Hansol tugged your pant leg, glaring up at you with wide, watering eyes as his bottom lip trembled. “No, y/n don’t die!”

Sheepish at the fact you should have known better than to say something like that in front of the young hybrids, you rush to perform some sort of damage control. You hush them softly, taking a moment to assure them you weren’t going to die anytime soon before turning to their amused father.

“I got this!” you said, shooing him once more. “Go on, please don’t be late!”

Taehyung adjusted his shirt and took the moment to send you a genuine, appreciative smile that had your chest fluttering dangerously.

“Thank you, y/n,” he said, and you felt every single word and its sincerity. His gaze finally broke from where it held yours to the two kids by your feet, a fond smile unable to keep from rising to his lips. “You two behave, I’ll be back around the normal time, alright?”

The twins nodded, placated despite your earlier slip-up, and chorused, “Yes, daddy!”

You felt the warmth of the smile he sent them. “Okay, well I’ll be off. Thank you again, y/n. I’ll see you later.”

You and the twins waved him goodbye, and as per usual he was gone in the blink of an eye. You felt bad, since he always seemed to be under a lot of stress, always leaving in a rush. You were so focused on watching him go that you didn’t even remember where you were until you heard Namjoon tell Jungkook to go serve customers instead of making faces at the twins like a fellow toddler. Jerking back into the present, you were relieved to see none of the customers had spectated but blushed at the sly, knowing look on Namjoon’s face.

“Don’t say anything,” you warned him, but the male only laughed and turned on his heel to return to the kitchens.

“I didn’t! See you later, y/n!”

Grumbling under your breath at the male, you were brought back to the current moment at the feeling of the two twins by your feet growing restless and tugging your pants.

“Gah, it’s been so long since I’ve seen you two!” you burst suddenly, dropping into a crouch and letting your mouth fall open as you whipped your gaze between them. “Oh my, have you grown taller?!”

They giggled in sync, eyes bright despite the fact they’d had to part from their father earlier than usual.

“You saw us yes’day!” Hansol bumped your arm softly, hiding his face with his free hand in a shy manner. As per usual with anything these two delights ever did, you were immediately endeared. You watched as their tails lashed playfully, ears flicking in anticipation for your speech and deviating every so often at the background sounds of the café.

“Oh, you’re right…” You reached to ruffle the dark golden hairs on their heads affectionately; they nuzzled their heads into your caress. “I still missed your cute little faces though!”

Haru smiled so brightly you were worried that she wouldn’t be able to see from the way her cheeks were all bunched up in glee. “We miss you too, y/n!”

The two of them were quick to shift closer and hug your arms at her words, smiling at you like your presence had made their days. You couldn’t lie, it made your chest glow with warmth and a sense of pride. God, you loved these kids too much already.

You cooed at them, rising to your feet and offering your hands for them to grab; each of them were quick to snatch a grip of your thumb or finger, small hands clutching tightly. “Cute little lion cubs, what did you do today?”

Beginning to lead them out of the café, you listened as they recounted the events of their day so far to you—they went to the park early in the morning to avoid the rush, and then later they’d done some drawing and painting while their dad had a little nap. They were ecstatic at the opportunity to tell you more about their day, and eagerly filled you in on every single detail they could think of.

By the time they ran out of things to tell you, you’d come up with an idea of sorts of what to do in the extra time you were looking after them this afternoon.

“Hmm… how do you feel about ice cream, little cubs?” you asked, expecting excitement but still taken aback at the way the twins whipped to face you with stars of hope in their eyes.

“Love ice cream!” Hansol cheered happily, his r’s still gliding into w’s in a cute manner that was absolutely disarming to your poor, susceptible heart. “Love it, love it!”

“Me too!” Haru joined her brother’s cheers, tugging on your hand to get your attention. “y/n, you like it too?”

You offered her a bright smile, “I do! You know what, I have an idea… but first of all, does your daddy let you have ice cream? Are you allowed?”

You wanted to be sure that you weren’t getting them something they weren’t meant to have or something along those lines, but at the mention of it the twins seemed to deflate a little.

“Daddy get us ice cream but n-not— not lots…” Hansol offered tentatively in response, his sister adding to it with a slightly sad tone. The look that flicked through her gaze was a little too mature for her age.

“Money… ice cream is lots of money?”

Your lips formed an ‘o’ as you nodded in understanding. You got the sense that Taehyung was kind of, well…struggling. It wasn’t in the way his children presented, but in the way he did—you could tell already that he was the type to put his children first above all else, something that you respected, but at the same time… You knew that this city still wasn’t as kind to hybrids as it should be. There are some in higher positions of power, but things like that… it was almost impossible to rise to such ranks from the very bottom where most hybrids start. You knew Taehyung must already face a lot of discrimination for being a hybrid, but a parent too…

You still didn’t know what the deal was, whether the twins’ mother was still around, or what had happened, but you were also very aware of the fact that it wasn’t your place to pry about such a thing. Even so, you knew that if Taehyung was indeed a single parent as you suspected, then it made his circumstances that much more difficult to navigate. Your heart ached for him in that sense.

It ached a little for his children as well—not necessarily because they were suffering (you knew Taehyung was making sure that wasn’t the case), but because you got the impression that no matter how well their father hid how hard things were they still could sense he was stressed.

“Sometimes, ice cream is a lot of money…” you agreed, heart wringing painfully when the two children dropped their gazes, shoulders sagging and ears pressing against their skulls. “But…”

At the sound of that last word, they looked up at you with wide eyes. You paused in your trek down the sidewalk for a moment, swinging your hands where they were joined. You exaggerated your expression for their sake, fighting a smile as they began to look hopeful once more. “For my favourite little lion cubs, I think I know a place where I can get it for only a little bit of money…”

The twins let out simultaneous gasps, scooting closer. You could see the urge to question you fighting with the urge to hold back and prepare for disappointment swirling in their eyes. You waited a moment before asking the question they were no doubt anticipating.

“Do you guys want some ice cream?”

Immediately they burst into cheers and happy screams, jumping up and down on the spot in the very image of excitement.

“Yes yes yes yes yes!”

They clung to you, chanting affirmatives in a mantra of sorts—you couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled in your throat in response.

“Alright then let’s go! Hold my hands please, we don’t wanna get lost on the way!”

x     x     x

“Daddy doesn’t like mint ch-choc-choco-let… don’t like it,” Hansol chattered endlessly, taking over the role that usually belonged to his sister as the three of you plodded further along the footpath, recently acquired ice-cream cones in your hands. He paused between words to steadfastly devour the treat lick by lick. “But… he still eat it.”

You chuckled at that, taking a small lick of your own berry ice-cream into your mouth. Haru was too invested in consuming her own cone and savouring each bite to even think of attempting to converse, something you found oddly endearing. It was cute finding out exactly what she prioritised.

The trip into the ice cream parlour had been somewhat… uneventful, contrary to what you’d cautiously anticipated. When you’d entered, and you’d caught one of the patrons giving you and the twins a dirty look, you’d thought there was going to be a disagreement of sorts. However, the second the twins started chattering excitedly and asking them politely and in the absolute cutest and most disarming manner which flavour was best and what their favourite was, any hostility or dislike the server behind the counter might have held for hybrids dissolved for these two little cubs. By the end of it they were going above and beyond for the two cute little kids, piling an extra scoop onto their cones free of charge. The look of complete and utter wonderment as the twins saw the size of their ice cream had made you want to scoop them into your arms and coddle them endlessly. God, you really loved these kids. You think that by the time you were leaving the parlour with the twins in tow, the server might have felt the same way.

It wasn’t a long trip, from your work or the parlour to your home, but the pace you’d set was admittedly a bit of a dawdle. It was a lovely day and you wanted the twins to enjoy it. Even so, you could tell they were beginning to grow a little bit tired from the way their feet started to scuff a bit more and they looked around, searching for something familiar to tell them how much longer it would be. You hurried to soothe them before they could grow upset—not that you thought they’d even kick up a fuss about something as small as that. Not once while in your care had they ever kicked up a real tantrum about anything, and you considered yourself lucky; you weren’t about to push that luck.

“We’re not too far now!” you announced cheerily as you rounded a familiar corner, marking only one more block before you would be reaching the one that contained your apartment building. The twins gave answering cheers and jumped on the spot, a skip entering their steps. You giggled at them, opening your mouth to say something silly and elicit a laugh from them when your eyes caught sight of the grocery store on the corner and you paused, a sudden idea entering your head.

“Hey, sweet cubs, what do you say we go get some snacks, huh?” you proposed, already steering them towards the store opening. You seemed to have chosen just the right time too, since the twins were finishing up their ice creams and shoving the cone ends into their mouths as you spoke.

“Yes! Yum!” Haru cheered as soon as she finished chewing and swallowing the waffle cone she’d forced into her already-full mouth just moments earlier. “Can we get uh… get stawberries?”

At his sister’s words, Hansol let out a delighted, if muffled, cheer of agreement, his mouth too full for him to consider speaking yet. You allowed your gaze to drift down, taking in the ice cream smudged around their mouths with a fond smile and an affectionate throb of your heart.

You guided them into the grocery store before pulling them to the side near the flowers that lined the entrance, hand baskets and small, child-sized carts next to them. You paused, crouching down as you slung your bag from your shoulders and reached in to fetch the small pack of wet wipes you often carry ‘just in case’.

“Absolutely,” you assured her, grinning at the way their whole faces lit up, dark eyes blowing wide and glimmering with excitement. Their little rounded lion ears twitched and swivelled excitedly, tails curling and lashing with restless energy behind them. You tugged them closer by the hand and gently held their face in place one at a time. “But first, let’s get this sticky ice cream off your cute little faces! Don’t want anything else getting stuck there, do we?”

The sheepish grins they seemed to mirror as they shook their heads and allowed you to gently wipe away the ice cream that had smeared over their chins and cheeks—and even Haru’s nose— had you cooing internally. “Did you get it all, y/n?”

“Of course!” you exclaimed, huffing playfully. “I’m an expert at getting ice cream off cute little lion cub faces!”

They giggled softly, beaming at you once you finish up with the wipe. Locating a bin, you disposed of it quickly before returning to their sides and eyeing the small child-trolley next to the baskets. You didn’t even have to ask whether they wanted to give them a go, because their eyes were already boring longing holes into the small metal contraptions. They turned back to you, eyes big and hopeful and tail swishing, and let out loud squeals when you nodded your permission.

Excitedly, they moved and grabbed a miniature cart each, their small backpacks bobbing as they bounced along, pushing them with more zest than you’d ever seen before. It was absolutely adorable, the way they imitated how they’d seen adults shop—they’d push the trolley along and then pause somewhere in the aisle, looking up and surveying the products with a hand on their hip, as in Hansol’s case, or fingers tapping their chin, as in Haru’s case. Then, they would return to pushing the trolley with a shake of their head and continue on, eyes sweeping the aisle. You trailed after them with a handbasket, trying not to laugh at how cute they were acting. You were going to have a heart attack one of these days for sure.

“Okay, how about this,” you began after letting them wander for a while, grinning when they hastily turned their trolleys around and scuttled back to you to hear what you had to say. Hansol, in his baby-blue blueberry onesie, nearly tripped on the loose material gathering by his feet on the way back. Haru managed to save him just in time, bending down to tug his pant legs up away from his heels and then doing the same for herself with the material of her own soft peach themed onesie. You honestly could have wept. You waited until you were sure they were okay and they were looking up at you with wide eyes once more before you continued. “Each of you can choose two snacks to get, one to share and one just for yourselves. Then, I have another idea…”

You’d trailed off, hoping to capture their attention—when they scrambled closer and leaned up to listen better, you knew you had it. “Do you two want to choose something for your daddy, too? It can be a surprise!”

Hansol gasped, bouncing giddily on the balls of his feet. “L-like a present?”

You nodded, unable to contain your fond smile as they let out happy squeals. “Yes, it can be a little present from you to him. Do you want to do that?”

Both twins nodded furiously, rushing back to their carts and waiting for you to give them the go-ahead. Laughing at their eager movements, you gestured for them to go and told them to stay where you could see them. They nodded obediently and followed your instructions as best as they could as they scoured the aisles for something that stood out to them.

About half an hour and several hard decisions later (Haru grew a bit teary-eyed when she had to choose between a savoury snack and some gummies), the three of you were leaving the store with small bags of goods in tow. You’d gone ahead and bought some of the fruit they wanted, so that they could use their choices for some of the other snacks that they didn’t usually get. They hadn’t stopped spewing thanks to you ever since you’d told them they could get what they want, eyes wide in open admiration that they directed your way in between handfuls of snacks both inside the store and now on the remaining walk home. It didn’t take long from the store to reach your apartment.

“I’m thinking we watch something for a little while, and then have dinner,” you said as you arrived at your home and swung the door inwards, allowing the twins to trickle in with their little reusable bags of snacks in tow—you’d let them use your favourite patterned ones when you caught them shooting them longing looks. Your roommate was still absent, and so the inside of your home had remained untouched ever since you’d left earlier in the day. Moving into the kitchen, you pondered what to do for the meal. Usually you just whipped something up, but you’d never really asked what kind fo food they normally had. “What do you guys usually have?”

The twins seemed to be deep in thought as they dutifully deposited their bags on the table, slipping off their backpacks and shoes and placing them carefully and neatly by the door. You cooed softly, their ears twitching slightly at the noise. Hansol turned around first, hands fiddling together and tail swishing slowly in thought behind him.

“Uh… sometimes soup, sometimes meat and veggies.” He reached up to play with a lock of his hair, averting his eyes as he mulled over an answer. “Daddy makes lots of rice food.”

“Eggs and meat!” Haru contributed helpfully, eyes bright and smile wide. “And rice! Sometimes with yummy sauce…”

“Your daddy likes egg and meat dishes, does he? He must eat lots when you have dinner, huh?” you joked, letting out a soft giggle. The smile that had slipped onto your face left just as quickly however, as the two of them paused and shared a look. You turned to Haru, who seemed to be considering whether to say something or not. At your prompting look, she let out an unsure huff.

“Daddy… sometimes daddy doesn’t eat dinner with us,” she said, voice soft as she reached up in a similar manner to her twin to fiddle with a lock of her hair. “Says s’not hungry.”

Your heart gave a sudden, painful clench as the realisation her words prompted really sunk in—Taehyung was going without food so that his kids always had something to eat. You didn’t really know how often, but you knew that even having to do it at all meant that the situation he seemed to be stuck in… was not great at all. Your chest ached at the thought, lungs constricting in your empathy. By this point you were beginning to gather that there wasn’t anyone else in the picture helping Taehyung—if there were another partner, you didn’t think that he would be struggling this much, even with how notoriously cruel society could be to hybrids.

“Hmm,” you hummed in place of speech for a moment as you pondered how exactly to respond in a situation like this. “I see. Well, do you know what his favourite food is? We can make that and save some for him in case he gets hungry later! Adults get hungry at silly times, don’t they?”

The twins nodded, eyes lighting up at the thought.

“They do!” Hansol giggled, running forward with his socked feet thudding happily against the hardwood. He latched onto your leg again, tail lashing excitedly. “Can we help? Can we? Can we? Please y/n!”

Haru, having clued in to her brother’s plan, hastily rushed to join him in clinging to your leg and bartering for a chance to help cook. “Please! Please! Pleeeeaaase!”

Laughing, you waddled into the kitchen with them firmly attached to your legs. “Of course you can, cute little cubs. What is your daddy’s favourite food?”

They didn’t take long to come up with the answer, chorusing with only a little stumbling, “J-japchae!”

Well. You had no idea what that was, but…

Looking at their big-eyed, hopeful faces and massive grins, you wouldn’t have had the heart to say no even if you wanted to. Alright, it looked like you were going to be looking up a certain dish and maybe making another trip to the grocery store.

Well, at least you had something to do with all the extra time now!

x     x     x     x     x     x     x

Easing into his apartment as carefully as he could with two sleeping toddlers in his arms and their bags over his back, Taehyung did his best to shut and lock the door quietly. A struggle, considering its hinges were in dire need of grease and were prone to squeaking like nobody’s business. He managed though, pushing on further into the house once he was confident the front door was shut and locked up tight. He was almost sweating, oddly enough. Had his kids gotten that much bigger? He didn’t think so, but he could have sworn their backpacks were heavier than usual.

His feet moved with routine ease to the twins’ bedroom, carrying the two small children to bed a common ordeal considering more often than not they were already passed out by the time he picked them up from the babysitter’s house. Not wanting to disrupt them, he didn’t deposit their bags in the kitchen on the way but decided to do it afterwards.

The twins’ room was a bit cool as he walked into it, the air slightly chilly against his skin, and he made a note to check the heating and make sure they were bundled up nice and warm with the window shut. One by one, he deposited them onto their respective beds before quickly slipping them into their pyjamas with practiced ease. One changed, he moved them ever so gently beneath the covers and tucked them in. Usually he would grab a wet wipe and clean their faces, but ever since you started babysitting them he’d found they’d always come home in a clean state and he didn’t need to. He appreciated that, the littlest things you did to take care of his children. It made his chest glow with warmth in a way that he quite frankly refused to decode. He was too stressed to consider dwelling on how your kindness made him feel sometimes.

Dutifully, he gathered their dirty clothes and put them in the hamper, cleaning up their toys so he could see the floor again and making sure their beds were clear as well. Work had been even more gruelling than usual and he was completely and utterly exhausting, joints aching and stomach glaringly empty, but still… he knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep until this was done. He didn’t want his kids to wake up to mess, he wanted them to start their mornings feeling fresh and awake and without the cluttered feeling mess often brought with it.

Once he’d done the best he could with the room at this hour without waking them up, he moved to the beds and double-checked that they were tucked in. When he was satisfied, he leant down to press a soft kiss goodnight to Haru, and then Hansol’s forehead. His tail brushed the bed as he did so, and he felt his ears shift as he moved back a moment before he registered that Hansol had woken and was blinking, blearily. Immediately, he felt bad.

“Hey, little cub,” Taehyung cooed, struggling to keep his own eyes open. He leaned down, brushing a hand through his son’s soft hair and rubbing the spot behind his ear. Hansol melted into the mattress, letting out a soft, cat-like huff as his eyes fluttered. “Go back to sleep, sweetheart.”

Hansol let out a soft noise, nuzzling further into the pillow and allowing his eyes to close. His small hands grasped across the mattress and Taehyung hastily eased his favourite lion plushie inside his hold—curiously, his son seemed to have inherited his need to sleep with something in his arms.

“Dad,” the small child seemed to be intent on staying awake just a moment longer, despite the fact he couldn’t even keep his eyes open. “We… we got… you pres’nt…”

Surprise and curiosity filtered through him at his son’s soft mumbles, his hand brushing over his head gently once more. Hansol slipped even more into sleep, breathing beginning to even.

“Is that so?” Taehyung asked, voice ever so soft so that his other child wouldn’t be woken. “Thank you, little cub. I’ll open it straight away.”

This seemed to be the answer the little lion hybrid was looking for, as he let out another soft huff and nodded, before burying his face into the pillow and clutching his little lion plushie closer. His voice came out sleepy and slurred, “Wove ‘ou, Daddy…”

Taehyung couldn’t hold back his tender smile as he brushed back the golden hairs from Hansol’s face one last time, giving him another soft kiss to the forehead as he fell completely into the gentle embrace of sleep. He murmured the words back, chest warm. Leaning back and hovering a moment to make sure both of the twins were going to remain asleep, at the sound of their slow, even breathing as it reached his flicking ears, he allowed a soft breath to escape him. As it usually did when he gazed upon the two little lion hybrids, Taehyung felt his heart flood with warmth and affection. He loved them more than anything, his little lion cubs. His moon, his stars, his world… in this little haven he’d carved out for them, it was as though only they existed—only him, and them…

Ignoring the slight pang of anxiety in his abdomen at the barest thought of anything to do with his current living situation, Taehyung gathered their little backpacks in his hold and moved to the door, flicking off the light so that only the little kitty nightlight remained to illuminate the space. He left quietly, closing the door a little bit so that the light from outside rooms didn’t filter in and wake them, but still leaving it slightly ajar in case either of them had a bad dream and needed to come find him. Waiting a beat to be sure they were sound asleep, he then adjusted his grip on the bags and proceeded into the kitchen area. He wanted to fill their water bottles up and put them in the fridge for tomorrow.

His stomach gave a painful twinge on the way, reminding him of the alarming lack of meals he’d taken in today, but he did his best to push it to the back of his mind. He didn’t get a chance to get groceries since he was called in early, and the little food that was still in his cupboard was strictly for the twins. He refused to be the reason they had to eat less.

So for now he would bear with it—it wasn’t anything unusual, after all. Times were always tough in some way or another and he was no stranger to skipping meals or going without things so that his kids would receive it instead. It was only what was right, after all. He helped bring them into this life, and it was his responsibility to care for them and make sure they were able to live it well.

Humming softly to himself a tune he’d heard on the radio at work that had since lingered in his head, he plopped the backpacks onto the bench and went about unzipping them. He shook his arms slightly; he could have sworn they were a little heavier than usual.

To his complete and utter surprise, he quickly found the reason why as soon as he unzipped the backpacks. Both of them were full of different little clear lunch bags, filled to the brim with fruit and some little snacks. Absolutely puzzled, he proceeded to pull the contents of each bag out completely. Hansol’s bag contained only fruit and snacks—the brand was one that he recalled the twins enjoying a lot—but Haru’s bag contained fruit in combination with two sets of containers that he was, quite frankly, surprised even fit in the tiny bag. Pulling them out, a slip of paper fell to the bench and he quickly realised that they were full of something that looked startling familiar; clear noodles, vegetables, meat—

His mouth positively watered, and he felt his tail flicking excitedly. Japchae. But where had it come from?

He remembered suddenly the paper that had fallen and, after placing the containers gently onto the bench and ignoring the way his stomach rumbled longingly, reached for the small blue slip. It looked like a small post-it note without the sticky side, folded in half. With fingers that shook perhaps just a little from his exhaustion, he unfolded it and allowed his eyes to sweep over the contents.

‘Hello Mr Kim!

Sorry if this is a bit out of nowhere, but we made waaaay too much when making dinner tonight! The twins really liked it, and they said you did too, so we saved some for you and I put the leftovers in these containers! Please enjoy it freely and use it however you need! There should be enough for all of you.

The twins were a delight as usual. I hope you have a lovely night too :)

—y/n

p.s. some of the snacks are for you too, the twins chose them out!’

By the time he realised that his eyes were stinging, it was perhaps too late. The first tear had already fallen and he hurried to sniff, wiping his nose and screwing his eyes shut to prevent more from falling. He succeeded, for the most part, but still the damage had been done and his chest ached painfully in a curious blend of gratitude and incredulity.

Aside from Namjoon, he didn’t think he’d ever met another human so intent on being kind to him and his children. It was hard to believe and accept, the fact that you were willingly doing so much for him and expecting so little in return. He wondered if you even knew how much it meant to him, all the ways you’d helped him out so far in the little time since he met you.

Sniffling once more, he folded the note up and tucked it into his pocket, before picking up one of the containers and moving to the microwave. For a moment, it seemed the overwhelming stress and weight of the world that usually rested upon his shoulders had eased, and he could breathe.

He wondered if one day he would ever be able to thank you, and if it would ever be enough.

Chapter Text

“Ah— no— Haru! Don’t touch that please!”

You sat back, content to watch the chaos as it unfolded; Seokjin had sent you some small reports to write and you were making the most of the moment and finishing them while Jungkook and Namjoon helped watch the twins. It was nearing eight o’clock and the cafe had long since closed, the lights dimmed but still on— Namjoon had been counting the tills in peace until the two hybrid twins had grown curious about what was happening on the other side of the counter and darted around to investigate. Jungkook snickered at the scene as he swept the floors, not being shy about his laughter since Namjoon was too caught up to reprimand him right now.

Ordinarily, you didn’t babysit the twins at the cafe— but you’d brought them to get a hot chocolate since the weather was getting cooler and they’d been behaving so well lately you wanted to give them a treat. You’d already texted Taehyung to ask if they were allowed it, and he’d told you yes. The twins had been ecstatic the second you told them where you were going and why. Apparently they were big fans of Uncle Joon and Uncle Koo, despite spending a majority of their time with you these days.

“But Uncle Joon!” Haru whined, big eyes pointed right at the poor male in question. You did feel a little bad for him; he was just trying to count the tills and finish closing after all. “Wanna help!”

“Yeah!” Hansol chorused, popping up from behind his sister. “Wanna help!”

Namjoon seemed like he was absolutely lost for how to handle the situation, standing crowded with the tills held to his chest, and when he finally caved and sent a pleading look your way you couldn’t help but chuckle. You supposed you could put him out of his misery.

“Hey, cutie cubs! I have something over here that I really, really need your help with! Could you come help me?”

Of course, the answer was yes. At the opportunity to help one of their favourite people ever, their eyes lit up and you stifled a laugh as their tails flicked and whipped excitedly. They were scrambling around the counter within seconds, big eyes directed at you now as they clung to the leg closest to them.

“Yeah, y/n?” Hansol inquired, patting your thigh excitedly. “Need help?”

“I absolutely do!” you confessed dramatically, leaning closer. “It’s something only you two can do.”

They almost vibrated in their excitement, making you think maybe there was a little too much sugar in those hot chocolates. They leaned in closer, Haru whispering with wide eyes, “What is it?”

“Well,” you started, pulling out two pieces of blank paper. “I have something important I’m writing for one of my jobs, and it needs some pictures… but I don’t have any! Do you think you could draw me some pictures to send with it? I don’t know anyone who can do it as well as you…”

The twins gasped, sold immediately on the idea. You’d learned very quickly that of all their hobbies and things they like to do, anything to do with painting, drawing, and colouring— they liked that the most. Eagerly, they climbed onto the free seats at the table where you were perched, looking at you obediently and patiently. Their ears betrayed their excitement though, flicking and twitching restlessly. You passed them a piece of paper each and let them choose one of the markers from your pencil case. Haru chose blue, while her brother went for a light green.

“What do we draw?” she asked after a moment, marker looking very oversized in her tiny hand. To her credit, she had it in an expert grip.

“Anything you want,” you answered immediately, unable to help but laugh at their excited gasps.

“Weally?!” In his glee Hansol’s ‘r’ glided into a ‘w’ sound even more than usual and you almost clutched your chest in fear that you had a literal heart attack. They’re so cute, they’re so cute it’s over for me!

“Yup!” you nodded, waving your hand for them to go ahead and do whatever they want. They didn’t need to be told twice; they launched into their efforts, markers meeting paper eagerly. You could have sat and watched them all night, so endeared by the way their tongues stuck out in concentration and their ears flicked every so often. Unfortunately, you still had a report to finish and so begrudgingly you returned to that as they scribbled artfully across the pages, having granted Namjoon time to escape to the staff room and for Jungkook to grab the mop and bucket and begin sanitising the floor.

Like that, the cafe settled into a nice ambiance— the radio still played soft tunes across the store and the only out of place noises came when one of the twins dropped a marker or Jungkook bumped into a table or chair due to his shapely rump.

It lasted a good five minutes, and you suspected it would have lasted longer if Namjoon’s phone didn’t start ringing on the counter. The twins barely spared it a glance before returning to their works— man, you chose the distraction well, huh. There was the slight sound of cluttering and something falling in the direction of the backroom before Namjoon emerged with tousled hair and wide eyes, a note sticking to his cheek as he looked around hurriedly for his phone.

“Who on earth…” he muttered to himself as he searched; you pointed to your cheek when he caught your eye and he reached up to remove the note, appearing sheepish. It didn’t take him long to find the phone after that, hurrying to pick it up before passing it over to you on the bench. “Y/n, can you answer that? I think I flicked a coin in the sink and I don’t know if it went down the drain or not— thanks!”

Bewildered, you hurriedly scrambled to the counter, grabbing his phone and seeing that he’d already answered the call and just left it running. You didn’t have time to see who was on the other end before you brought it to your ear, not wanting to leave them hanging any longer than they already had been.

“Hello?” you said, sounding somewhat hesitant. Any caution you might have had was quickly thrown to the wind when a familiar dulcet tone greeted you from the other end, though.

“Wh— y/n?” Taehyung sounded surprised to hear your voice, and you didn’t blame him considering he’d called Namjoon’s phone. “Uh, hello. But, um… why…”

“Hey, Mr. Kim!” The change in your attitude was instant, something fluttering in your abdomen at the knowledge of who you were talking to. “Sorry to surprise you, but Namjoon is counting the tills and kind of dumped his phone on me. Is everything okay? Did you want to talk to the twins?”

Taehyung made a sound of understanding before hurrying to reassure you, “Ah, no! No, that’s okay, I’ll see them soon anyway. Um, I was actually calling because…”

He faded off for a moment, an awkward tone slipping into his voice when he resumed. “Um, all the buses near my work were cancelled because of maintenance or something and, um… I don’t really have a way to get home… so I was just…”

It took barely a second for you to realise what he was getting at. “Ah, you need someone to pick you up? No problem! I’m with the twins at the cafe right now, so I can come pick you up while Joon and Jungkook watch them for a few minutes if you’d like!”

The hybrid on the other end seemed flustered at your easy agreement and instant offer.

“I, um… that’s fine, if that’s not too much trouble? I’m sorry to be bothering you— I’ll pay y—”

“Nope, it’s okay!” you were quick to reassure him, making sure he knew that you didn’t expect compensation just for being a decent person. “Don’t even think of paying me extra, I don’t mind at all! Just text me the address and I’ll be there as soon as possible!”

The line was silent for a few moments before Taehyung spoke once more, sounding slightly choked up. “Thank you, y/n.”

“No problem,” you assured, saying goodbye before hanging up and placing Namjoon’s phone down. A few moments later your own buzzed in your pocket, most likely with the address you’d requested.

Ducking into the backroom, you let Namjoon know what the call was about and he easily agreed to watch the kids while you went to pick up their dad. Once you secured his blessing, you returned to the main area to see Jungkook currently being subjected to the twins and their marker, scribbles and drawings beginning to make their ways up his forearms. Hansol had managed to land the arm that already had some tattoos on it and was having the time of his life colouring them in. As soon as he saw you, he pointed excitedly, “Look, y/n! Uncle Koo’s a colouring book!”

The male in question seemed absolutely endeared by the twins and of course easily agreed to continue watching them while you went to pick up Taehyung. The twins were excited to see their dad again soon and so let you go in peace when you told them what was happening.

Fifteen minutes later found you on the road and nearing the destination that Taehyung had texted you. Apparently it wasn’t at his actual workplace, since there weren’t any bus stops there and he usually had to walk twenty minutes to the nearest one, but it was still in the general area. You were thankful that you’d driven the twins to the cafe instead of walking earlier, since it meant your car was already outside and waiting. You were also thankful one of your friends had bullied you into cleaning it the other day because you knew you’d be embarrassed as hell if Taehyung climbed in and found all the bueno bar wrappers that had been on the floor of the passenger side. What could you say? You had an addiction.

As the GPS on your phone told you that you were growing closer, you began to scan the streets for the golden-haired male in question. It didn’t take you long to spot him, because even in the dark he stood out as a spot of beauty in his surroundings, hair gleaming flaxen in the streetlights. He was only in a white button-down and slacks, but still he looked incredibly good. Honestly, if you saw an image of him you would have sworn up and down that he was a model. The flick of his ears as you neared the curb where he stood told you that he’d heard you from afar, but he waited until you were alongside him to shoot you a sheepish smile.

He was somewhat shy as he climbed in, tentative in his movements as he placed his bag down by his feet and shut the door, resting his hands in his lap. “Thank you,” he murmured again, low tone making your heart skip a beat. What was it about him that seemed to make you so… giddy?

“It’s not a problem!” you assured him again, making sure he caught your smile before you set the destination in your phone and turned to the road; you knew vaguely where you were, but you didn’t travel often to this part of town so you’d need a little bit of guidance to get back to Namjoon’s cafe. It was too dark to tell for sure, but you could have sworn the hybrid’s cheeks flushed slightly.

You didn’t think that the silence would have been all that awkward, but you didn’t want to really risk it—there was still a bit of distance between the two of you, understandably. He was basically your employer right now. But you couldn’t deny the urge sparking to life deep inside you that pushed you to get a bit closer to him. Inexplicably, it was something you wanted.

“When I left, the twins were having the time of their lives,” you informed him, unable to keep the smile from your voice. Your eyes were on the road but you caught his head lifting in your peripheral. “Originally I had them drawing something on paper, but when I came back they’d turned Jungkook into a canvas and discovered his tattoos. I think they were overjoyed to have a living colouring book.”

At your words, Taehyung couldn’t help the laugh that tumbled from his throat at his kids’ antics. “They love colouring,” he murmured in response, letting his head fall back against the headrest. Your brief glance over reveals his form, slumped slightly and wrought with exhaustion. A shard of concern wriggles its way into your chest, unsettling you slightly. Was he eating enough? Sleeping enough? You felt so bad for him that you wished you could lift every single worry from his shoulders and give the world to him on a silver platter. His twins deserved it, and so did he. You weren’t sure exactly when, in the past month or so of looking after his kids, that such feelings had had time to bloom, but they had. “I wish I could get them more things, since they go through materials so fast, but… paints are getting more and more expensive these days.”

You hummed, trying not to let the sadness currently permeating your chest to show on your face. “That’s true,” you responded softly. “I imagine they’d go through paints and markers faster than you can blink.”

Taehyung chuckled, the sound soft and low, eyes closed as he sank into the seat. “Yep. I have boxes full of drawings at home. They refuse to part with any of them.”

It was your turn to laugh now, able to imagine it all too easily. “I think they’d never talk to me again if I ever lost the ones they gave me.”

Soft melodies drifted through the car as you drove, your phone’s playlist still on the one you used to lull the twins to sleep. Endearingly enough, it seemed to be working wonders for their father, too. Every time you glimpsed over, it seemed like he was that bit closer to completely dozing off next to you. You were sure he’d be embarrassed about it later, but you honestly didn’t mind. It relieved you a bit to know he was getting at least a little bit of rest.

Well, he was until a low, rumbling sound echoed in the small space. You bit your lip to contain the laugh that attempted to bubble in your throat, but were unable to help the glance you gave to the side. Taehyung looked mortified, gaze averted out the window and cheeks red as his hand rested over his stomach, as though to muffle it should it make any further incriminating noises. His tail curled beside him in embarrassment.

“Well, I suppose that’s good timing,” you said, unable to keep the smile from your voice. “Are you in the mood for a noodle dish or something soupy? Or rice? I was gonna stop by somewhere and grab something for dinner anyway.”

Taehyung’s hands quickly rose, waving awkwardly. “Oh, no, it’s okay— we can just—”

You hummed, pinning him with a look as the car drew to a stop at a set of traffic lights. “Have you eaten today?”

He might have been embarrassed, but you could tell he wouldn’t be able to lie to you. You were proven right when he simply blushed, averting his gaze with his ears angling down.

“It’s okay,” you said, reaching to pat his leg before you had to return your hand to the gearstick. “I haven’t had dinner yet either, and we can grab something to take back for the twins too! Is there anywhere you’d like to go in particular?”

Perhaps it was the hunger, but he didn’t take long to give in and acquiesce to your gentle nudging. His voice was soft when it brushed your ears in response. “I don’t mind, anywhere is good.”

You pondered his words for a moment before speaking what came to mind, “I think I know a place that you’ll like.”

— x — x —

“Woah.”

You smiled at the wonderment in Taehyung’s voice, glancing over to see him looking around in awe. You’d decided to take him to your favourite fusion restaurant, since you remembered that they actually made that dish that he liked— japchae?— and it seemed you’d made the right choice. The restaurant was underground, and the ceiling sprinkled with woven trains of fairy lights. The walls of booths and along the tables were somewhat porus and absolutely covered in layers upon layers of scribbles and drawings from people who had visited over the years. A bowl of markers rested by the door and you were sure to grab one on the way past.

One of the table staff saw you and grinned, making her way over immediately. Her gaze didn’t even linger on Taehyung as it swept over him, something you appreciated.

“Y/n!” she burst, moving forward to bring you in for a quick hug. “It’s been a while! I feel like I haven’t seen you in years.”

You rolled your eyes, blushing slightly. “It’s only been like, a week, Jihyo. What, you weren’t there when I ordered last time?”

“I had placement,” she said, sighing dramatically. “We can’t all finish the semester on time, y/n.”

You laughed in response, and the brunette was quick to get back on track. “Table for two? In the usual spot?”

“Yes please!” you answered with a smile, feeling Taehyung shift in confusion behind you. You wonder if he thought that you were only coming for take away. Originally you were, but as you entered the restaurant you’d read a text from Jungkook saying that they’d taken to twins back to your house, so you felt less pressed to get there sooner.

The two of you follow Jihyo towards the back of the establishment, taking a seat when she gestures to do so in the booth furthest from the front and closer to the kitchens. She left you with menus and told you to press the button when you were ready to order.

“We’re eating here?”

You looked up to catch Taehyung’s gaze, and the expression you find there wasn’t upset or antsy, more confused. It occurred to you a moment later that maybe you should have asked for his opinion before deciding all on your own.

“Oh… Sorry, Mr. Kim.” Your cheeks heated in embarrassment at your own audacity. “I should have asked you— I just got a text from Jungkook saying they took the twins to my place so I figured we didn’t have to rush and could relax a bit. Would you like to get takeaway instead…?”

At your explanation, the male relaxed in his seat, shoulders releasing the small amount of tension they’d held. “No, it’s okay. And you can call me Taehyung, you know. I don’t think you’re that much younger than me, actually.”

Your head tilted in surprise as your hands opened the menu automatically. “Wait, how old are you?”

Taehyung hummed, opening his own menu and looking down, visibly growing happier at the sight of some of the dishes. “Twenty-four,” he answered distractedly, finger trailing over number 37 on the menu. “Are the pancakes good? I wonder if the twins would like them…”

It took all your willpower to snap your mouth closed and swallow your shock— twenty-four?! That’s so young! It wasn’t like he looked old, but to have kids… you thought that he was late-twenties or early-thirties and had just aged really well. You were left reeling at the fact he really wasn’t all that much older than you at all.

It made you even sadder, actually, as you realised that he must have been only twenty-one or so when the twins had first come into his life. It can’t have been easy, especially if the situation was as you suspected with the twins’ mother.

“Wow, you’re young,” you couldn’t stop it from rolling off your tongue, and coughed before continuing, ignoring his amused look. “And they are! I like both the spring onion and the kimchi one. For the twins though, they might like the spring onion one better. I’ll get some to take back to them so they can try it, actually. Maybe some of the chicken too… I’m craving chicken.”

You’d started off talking directly to him, but as you went on you had ended up talking more to yourself. You missed the soft smile that Taehyung sent your way. It was silent as the two of you ruminated over what to order, and neither of you spoke until it was time to order and the waitress (not Jihyo this time, unfortunately) was walking away with your meal ticket and the menus.

“Thank you.”

It caught you by surprise, his sudden words. You looked to him with wide eyes, mid-sip of your water, and blinked in confusion. He chuckled at the sight you presented before leaning back in the booth, taking the permanent marker into his grasp and fiddling with it between his fingers. You continued your sip, waiting for him to continue in his own time. You didn’t have to wait too long.

“For caring so much about Hansol and Haru,” he explained, eyes flicking to the side before rising to meet yours. His ears were lowered slightly, bashful, as he continued. “It means a lot to me, and I know that it means a lot to them. They…”

He cleared his throat, reaching for his own cup of water. He still looked exhausted, but the smell of food in the air had livened him considerably since you entered. “They’ve never really said anything, or asked about their mother, and I don’t know for sure whether they have put you in that role… but I’m glad they have someone else that they can trust and feel safe with. I know whenever I leave them with you that they’ll be okay, and I don’t have to worry, because you always spoil them and they’re always happy. So thank you, for that.”

You blinked, surprised at the sudden sting to your eyes. Flustered, you waved your hand at him, blinking rapidly to ward away the tears. “You should warn a girl before you spring something heartfelt like that on her, Mr. K— Taehyung. I might cry and then our food will be ruined.”

He was still for a second before your words sank in and he laughed, tipping his head back from the body of it. It was a joyous sound, and it made your heart sing to hear it— after the mushy way his earlier words had made you feel, you didn’t know if you were in a good place to handle it. You waited until he calmed to continue, wanting to respond properly now your thoughts were in order.

“But you’re more than welcome, you know.” His eyes met yours as you spoke, fingers fiddling with the marker. “Those two are so beautiful, Taehyung. I can see you give them everything and they really deserve it. I’ll have you know that if I could and they asked for it, I’d climb up and pluck every star out of the sky just for them. Everything I do for them is really the least I can do. I’ll always care for those two, even if you were to move away and forget all about me.”

He snorted at that last part, but you could tell he was touched from the tender look in his eyes. “Don’t worry, that’s not happening any time soon.“

A few moments of silence followed his words, but it wasn’t uncomfortable, and it was soon broken by the arrival of some of your meal. Your mouth started salivating the second your plate touched the table, but you held off until you asked the waitress for some plastic containers and she brought them back for you. Once you’d put some of the food aside for the twins, you happily dug in to the meat dish you’d ordered.

You didn’t catch Taehyung’s fond look as you put some food aside, but you did hear it when, moments later, he let out a soft sound that echoed surprisingly like a moan. Your head shot up and he blushed bright red, cheeks so full of food he looked more like a chipmunk than a lion. He chewed and swallowed the majority of it down before offering a sheepish explanation, “Sorry, it just tastes so good… it’s been so long since I had bulgogi.”

You couldn’t help but laugh at that, almost choking on your own mouthful. You didn’t say anything though, mind wandering to other things— namely, the mention of the twins mother. You wanted to know so badly what the situation was, but you were also painfully aware it was absolutely not your place to ask. But at the same time, the twins were young, and what were you meant to do if they ask difficult questions about their mother as children tend to do? You were torn, but you didn’t realise the extent to which your thoughts were playing across your face.

“You want to know about their mother.”

Freezing, you shot him a guilty look, mouth full of spring onion pancake. You feared that you’d look over and see an upset expression on his handsome face, but it was surprisingly neutral— if anything, he seemed amused at the mess you were making as you struggled to keep the food in your mouth.

“It’s okay,” he chuckled, taking a bite of his meal and humming at the flavour. “It’s only natural to wonder since you haven’t seen her. It’s not hard to tell that she’s not around.”

You finally managed to swallow the entire contents in your mouth, shooting him a look of apology. “I’m sorry, you don’t have to say anything if it’s painful…”

The hybrid shrugged, pushing the food in his bowl around with his chopsticks. “It’s okay. It’s been three years, the wound is old…” He picked out a piece of beef, munching it before continuing. “Their mother was another lion hybrid— I met her in an adoption shelter we’d both ended up in until we were of the legal age that we could leave. She was my first love. I thought the world of her. It wasn’t planned, when she got pregnant. She didn’t really want the a baby but, well… you know how it is.”

Something sharp stabbed in your chest at his words, your expression softening. Hybrids still faced a lot of discrimination in more ways than one, and they didn’t have access to all the same types of resources that humans often took for granted. So if she’d wanted to abort the pregnancy, you doubt she would have been able to…Taehyung cleared his throat, continuing.

“When she became pregnant, and after she had the twins, it became clear that she wasn’t really the woman I fell in love with… When I saw those two, my beautiful little cubs, and held them in my arms— I knew I would love them for the rest of my life. But she… it wasn’t a sentiment we shared. She grew cold and fought with me, saying I’d ruined her life. And then one day she left, before they’d even been weened. I haven’t seen or spoken to her since.”

“I’m so sorry…” it was all you could think to say, your heart aching for him. You couldn’t imagine the amount of betrayal that must have felt like, the hurt that would have resulted. And on top of it, how difficult it must have been to be on his own from the very beginning.

He wrinkled his nose, sniffling slightly before shooting you a reassuring look. He waved his hand through the air, returning to the meal more heartily. “Don’t be— like I said, the wound is old. Besides, I thought you should know since you spend so much time with the twins. They’re curious, and they’re kids… I wouldn’t want to put you in an uncomfortable situation if they asked something difficult.”

“I appreciate that,” you said, sectioning off another piece of pancake to put in your mouth. Your thoughts ran a mile a minute at the information he’d given you, but you did your best to push them to the backburner for now— you didn’t take him out and force food down his throat for the sake of hearing about his partner. “I am still sorry, though… It seems like a lot of things have happened to you that you don’t deserve.”

“That’s how it always is,” Taehyung shrugged, nonchalant. Something about how accepting he was of his own misfortune bothered you— he shouldn’t have had to be accepting of the way the world has treated him like dirt. You allowed your eyes to wash over him, taking in the slight bags under his eyes and the somewhat pallid quality to his skin. In that moment, you decided to do whatever you could to help him— both for him, and the twins. If it meant you continued sending home little care packages with the twins, then so be it.

Despite the somewhat depressing start the conversation had, it soon melded into more comfortable, relaxed topics. Taehyung seemed interested to know a bit more about you, apparently wanting to corroborate the many things his twins reported back to him with facts straight from the source itself— you. He asked about your schooling, what you wanted to do— eventually he allowed himself to verify some of the things the twins apparently told him, like if you really had a giant gudetama plushie in the corner of your bedroom. You’d blushed at that one, especially considering that it was true. In turn, you’d gone ahead and asked him about some of the things the twins had told you— like if he really didn’t like mint chocolate chip icecream, and if all the older ladies in the building really pinched his cheek and called him handsome every time they saw him.

At that he had cleared his throat and blushed too, before quietly admitting it was true. It seemed the twins were very good at digging up dirt on the both of you.

You didn’t linger in the restaurant all that long, making your way up to the counter after you’d eaten your fill. The conversation continued right up until you reached the register, at which point Taehyung promptly froze. You turned, in the middle of pulling your card out, and caught him looking with white eyes at the total, like he’d completely forgotten that he’d have to pay at the end of it. It wasn’t hard to guess the direction that his thoughts had gone, and when Jihyo read out your total for the table you left it barely a second before moving.

“Boop!” you said, smacking your card on the reader and relishing in the confirmation beep that sounded a second later. “Paid!”

Taehyung looked at you with wide eyes, hand coming to grip your sleeve. “Y/n, that was so much! You didn’t have to—”

“It’s okay, I got paid today,” you smiled at him, holding up the bag of takeaway containers before passing them to him. “Plus, it wasn’t just our meals— now we have some food to take back for the others, too!”

You were oblivious to the fond, amused smile Jihyo was sending your way, especially since she slapped a brighter one on when you faced her. “I’m glad you two enjoyed yourselves! I’ll see you next time y/n, make sure you bring him too! The chefs apparently liked watching his expressions as he enjoyed the food.”

You laughed, bringing your arm up in a mock salute as Taehyung blushed red beside you, risking a sheepish look back at the kitchen. Two chefs were peeking out the doorway, and waved when they saw him looking. Embarrassed, he tugged your sleeve and began moving towards the door, urging you to leave. You couldn’t help the laughter that escaped you on the way out, waving to Jihyo as you went and promising you’d be back soon.

— x —

Later, when Taehyung was laying in his own bed after Namjoon had dropped him home, the twins cuddled next to him — they’d been so ecstatic at the special food they’d gotten that they hadn’t left his side all night, clinging to him like never before— he couldn’t help but reflect once more on the changes in his life, however big or subtle. The most noticeable was you, and oddly enough, when he thought of you now, gratitude wasn’t the only feeling swirling in his chest like it had been before. There was something else there, something new and warm and even though he didn’t look any closer at it, scared to see its name, it comforted him all the way to sleep, sending him off to cozy dreams of the sun, the twins, and you.