Single Dads Club | ym & nj

Chapter 5

Namjoon sat across from the director of Wings Early Intervention Childcare Center, Eonjin on his lap, Jeonggyu in the corner with some toys the director had provided, and Taehyung in the seat next to him with his phone as he intently watched some dinosaur documentary. Taehyung had been formally screened by the therapists at the center a few days prior, and now was when Namjoon spoke with the director about the diagnosis and plan for the wellbeing of his oldest son. The director cleared her throat before speaking. "It has been determined that Taehyung is on the spectrum."

"You mean like autism?" Namjoon asked for confirmation, trying to wrap his head around the fact that he hadn't just been paranoid about his son.

The director nodded. "Lucky for you, we do have an open spot in one of our preschool classrooms. If it's what you want, as soon as you fill out some forms and put down an enrollment deposit, Taehyung can begin receiving necessary therapeutic services integrated with his daily education. Our therapists will also work with you on what you can do at home to make life easier for everyone in your household." She offered, already pushing the application towards the young father.

Namjoon glanced over at the four-year-old next to him, suddenly wishing his wife were still there to help them through this challenge. "Yeah, this is definitely what I want." He looked back at the director and, after adjusting his hold on Eonjin, accepted a pen and began filling out the application.

~~~

Jin placed a pancake on his daughter's plate before grabbing the syrup to drizzle over her breakfast. "Are we gonna see your friends today?" Ara asked, holding her fork as she patiently waited for her meal.

"Yes, we are~" Jin answered as he slid her plate in front of her. "We're going over to Namjoon's house after we finish getting ready."

Ara quietly ate her pancake as Jin made his own plate. As he sat down to start eating, the five-year-old swallowed the bite she had been chewing. "Is Namjoon the tall one?"

Jin chuckled quietly before responding to her. "Yes, Namjoon is the tall one."

Ara looked thoughtful for a second before speaking again. "I like him. He's pretty." Jin laughed at her statement, which caused her to look at him in confusion. "Don't you think he's pretty, Daddy?"

Jin chewed a bite of pancake as he thought about the dimpled man. "Yeah, I guess he is."

"You're pretty too, Daddy!" Ara insisted, and Jin thanked her for the compliment. "Pretty people should always be friends. Namjoon should be your best friend, Daddy."

Jin had recently been trying to explain to Ara that friendships should be based on more than superficial things, but he knew that it would be a while before she understood, as she was still in the developmental stage of ego-based friendships. Instead of having another discussion, he just said, "I'll try my hardest, princess."

~~~

"Kookie, please calm down~" The morning had been going okay up until after breakfast when Jimin took Jungkook to get dressed for the day instead of opening his toy box in the living room like they normally did on Saturdays. Now, Jimin was watching helplessly as Jungkook kicked his legs enough that Jimin couldn't put his pants on, screaming so much that his face was turning bright red. "We're still gonna have play time, just not in the living room." Jungkook just started tugging at his shirt like he was trying to rip it from his body, as he always did when he was uncomfortable or upset. "Do you want to brush? You like to brush~" At Jimin's suggestion, the toddler calmed down a small amount, just enough to nod in agreement.

Jimin stood up from the floor, leaving Jungkook still crying in his spot on the floor so he could retrieve the sensory brush from his own bedroom, where he had used it the night before to calm Jungkook down after an overstimulating trip to the grocery store. Jungkook's screams had started to pick back up by the time Jimin returned, so he was quick to pull Jungkook into a standing position. "It's okay, Kookie~" He said in a calm, quiet voice as he began to stroke the brush along Jungkook's right arm.

Jungkook gradually calmed down as Jimin moved the brush along his arms and legs. By the time Jimin had moved to start brushing his back, his sobs had been reduced to just hiccups. "You feel better now?" Jimin asked.

Jungkook rubbed his eyes and nodded. "Yeah~" He said in a small voice before leaning forward to rest on his dad's chest, still sniffling quietly.

Jimin wrapped his arms around the toddler, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. "I know it's hard when we do something differently and that you don't like it." Jimin squeezed Jungkook reassuringly. "But don't worry, it'll be okay. We're just gonna go see Jinnie and have playtime with him and Daddy's other friends. Okay?" Jungkook nodded against Jimin's shoulder. "Good, now let's finish getting dressed." Jungkook reluctantly stood back and stepped into the pants his father was holding out for him.

***

"No!" Hoseok stood in the middle of his room at Yoongi's apartment in nothing but his lime green briefs as he threw every piece of clothing Yoongi handed him across the room. "I'm not going!"

"Yes, you are." Yoongi replied, pulling another shirt and pants out of the five-year old's dresser. "You can't stay here alone, so you're going."

Hoseok tried the slap the clothes out of Yoongi's grip before he even handed them over. "Just take me back to Mommy!"

"Mommy's at work." Yoongi explained, taking the rejected clothes back to the dresser before Hoseok could throw them. "And it's Daddy's week, so you're spending the day with me." He started searching for a new outfit for the boy.

"I don't wanna go!" Hoseok insisted as Yoongi turned back to him, new outfit in hand.

"It'll be fun!" Yoongi tried to assure him. "There'll be other kids there, including a little girl your age. And Dawon will be there for you to play with-"

"I don't wanna play with that bitch!" Yoongi tensed up and his eyes widened as that statement left his five-year-old son's mouth.

Once he got over the shock, Yoongi cleared his throat and tossed Hoseok's clothes onto the bed before crouching down to be eye level with his son. "You wanna repeat that?" The young boy just crossed his arms over his chest and glared at his father. Yoongi pursed his lips and nodded. "Okay, then~" He reached over to grab the discarded clothes as he spoke. "I know that your mother and I splitting up has been hard on you, which is why I've let you have your bratty moods and your tantrums. But there are some things that are completely unacceptable, and speaking that away, especially about your sister, is one of them." Even though Yoongi was completely calm and collected while talking to the five-year-old, Hoseok's eyes still widened in fear and his lip started tremble slightly as he'd never seen or heard his dad so upset before. "So, here's what you're going to do. You're going to put these clothes on and finish getting ready, then you're going to march your little rear end down to that car and we're going to go to my friend's house. You're going to be on your best behavior, not yelling, not hitting, and you're going to be respectful. And when we get back home, we'll talk about your punishment."

Hoseok silently took the clothing from Yoongi's hands, knowing better than to argue at that point. That brief moment soon passed as the second Yoongi was out of the room, the five-year-old was yelling again. "I hate you!"

Yoongi ignored it as he moved into the living room, where Dawon was sitting on the couch. One look at her face and Yoongi knew she had overheard the conversation with Hoseok. Yoongi sat on the couch next to her and opened his arms, at which point she immediately crawled into his lap and buried her face in his chest. "He didn't mean it, Bug." Yoongi tried to assure her, but he soon found it hard as his heart broke over the sobs leaving his baby girl.