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"baby steps," 

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"ARE YOU SURE THIS IS SOMETHING YOU WANT TO DO?" Hwan questioned, hands tightly gripping his coffee mug. Jimin didn't like the way his knuckles were starting to turn white, but he was no better. He felt like if he held on any tighter to his own mug, he might break it. Hwan did not like this plan, and neither did Jimin. "I know you mean well Chim, but-"

"I can't put it off any longer," Jimin sighed, setting his mug down on the counter and running his fingers through his hair. "I'm more afraid of what'll happen if I keep denying Yuri what she wants than I am of her being in her life,"

Jimin glanced at the clock. It was almost noon. Yuri would be arriving any minute now, and even though he'd been preparing for this day for almost two weeks, he still wasn't ready for it. His nerves were getting the best of him. "I know I'm not her father but-"

"Hwan, you are her father, regardless of blood. You've been around since the beginning, and I don't care what you think. As far as I'm concerned you're her parent too. That's why I consulted you about this in the first place and why I wanted you to be here today. I don't want Jae to be uncomfortable with everything that's going on. I don't want her to think I'm replacing you with Yuri."

Hwan made a nervous expression - almost like he was nauseous - and set his mug down. He didn't think he could finish drinking it. They stood silently in the kitchen, listening to the faint sounds of Taehyung and Jae giggling from her room while Tae helped her pick out an outfit.


The unmistakable sound of a car pulling up into his driveway drew the attention of both men to the door. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Jimin set off towards the front door. He beat Yuri, having the door open before she had even made it out of her car. She smiled up at him as she got out. Her long hair was pulled back into a tight bun, and she wore a light pastel yellow coloured shirt with blue jeans. He assumed she was wearing yellow because of Jae. He mentioned to her how much she loved the colour.

Yuri bounded up the front of the steps to greet him. JImin forced a smile onto his face, hoping it was good enough to mask his nervousness. "Morning!" She chirped, pulling him in for a hug. Unlike the three men, Yuri was not nervous at all about today. She seemed overly excited, but he didn't blame her. A small part of him felt guilty for being so nervous, but it couldn't be helped. He was afraid of what it meant, letting Yuri into his daughter's life.

Jimin gave her an awkward hug back before stepping aside to let her into the house. "Would you like a cup of coffee?" Jimin asked as she removed her shoes. "Or tea?"

"Tea would be nice," Yuri responded. She followed Jimin into the kitchen, lips pursing when she spotted Han standing in the corner. "You must be Hwan," she said. She didn't move to shake his hand. It was obvious that Yuri was not a fan of Hwan being there. She would have tolerated Taehyung's presence, but Hwan was different, because Yuri knew that no matter what, Jimin would always see him as Jae's parent over her. It bothered her greatly that Jae might favour Hwan over her, even though she was her mother.

Hwan didn't know what to make of the woman in front of him. He gave her a once over - she was pretty, like Jimin had said, but she didn't seem friendly. He understood Jimin's frustration. He too, couldn't tell what her intentions were. She seemed so guarded, with her arms crossed over her chest, and head tilted to the side.

Jimin felt awkward standing there as he put the kettle on. He wanted to say something, to diffuse the situation but he didn't know what to say. Thankfully, Taehyung came out with Jae in that moment, breaking up the silence for them. "Daddy look!" She cried, running up to him. Jimin immediately picked her up into his arms.

"Don't you look gorgeous!" he exclaimed, kissing her forehead, and brushing some of her hair out of her face. Taehyung had dressed her in a sunshine yellow dress, and had managed to get her to sit long enough to braid her hair.

"Uncle Tae Tae did my hair for me," she said, rather seriously.

Hwan smiled at how cute she was. "He did a good job," Taehyung beamed at the praise.

"Daddy who's that?" Jae whispered quietly. She had finally noticed Yuri in the room.

"Remember when you asked Daddy if you had a mommy?" Jae nodded her head. "Well, this is her. She really wanted to meet you,"

Yuri looked like she wanted to cry upon seeing Jae, which Jimin understood. He wanted to cry every time he saw her too, she was just so pure and lovely.

Jae, however, looked a little confused.

"Are you and daddy getting back together?" she asked, pouting. Jae did not like the idea. Hwan almost choked, Taehyung's eyes widened, and Jimin stammered over his words, trying to find a response. But it was Yuri who came to the rescue.

"No, sweetie, your dad and I aren't getting back together," she replied, casting a glance at Jimin. She then looked back to Jae. "We're just going to stay friends,"

"Like you and papa?" Jae said, looking up at Jimin.

"Yeah, like papa and I," Jimin agreed. Jae made a face, like she was thinking, before wiggling around in Jimin's arms. He set her down on the ground, to which she wandered over to where Yuri stood.

"I like your shirt," Jae murmured. She then pointed to her dress. "We match!"

"Yeah! We do!"

"Do you want to colour? Daddy got me new colouring books,"

"I'd love to,"

Jae made an excited noise, and grabbed Yuri's hand, pulling her towards the couch. The three men watched as Jae pulled out her crayons and books. Taehyung moved into the kitchen, pouring himself a cup of coffee. He snickered at how concerned they seemed. "You two look ready to fight Yuri. Stop stressing, she isn't going to try anything. Not with the three of us here. If she does, she's got two overprotective daddies and me to go through," Taehyung told him.

Hwan picked up his discarded coffee cup, and down the rest of the cold liquid. "Tae's right," he replied. "She's going to have to go through us first. Now, where do you keep your wine?"














this took me so long to type out. I apologize for not updating consistently, I went away for the weekend, and it was very much needed

I hope all of you had a good weekend (:

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