UNDER THE MISTLETOE [YM]

042

"Wanna go out for lunch?" Taehyung hopefully asked.

"Sure" Jimin chuckled.

Jimin checked his wrist watch for the time and to his alarm, it was eleven fifty. He jumped up from the chair he was sitting.
"Gotta go Tae"

Taehyung pouted but nodded. "We have no more time for anything huh? With the kids?"

"But I wouldn't be without Lilly"

"True. They've got us wrapped around their chubby fingers"

Jimin was still chuckling at this conversation when he parked at Lilly's school at phew, exactly twelve twenty five. The traffic jams were a headache of course, but he'd already learned to manage his time with them.

He got down and stood by the gate and he heard a bell ring. It made him think of the old days, when he went to school, and his first ever friend, Tae.

A few minutes later, little kids were running down the path and Jimin bit his lip beacuse seriously, that was dangerous. These kids could hurt themselves.

He saw the familiar brown pigtails swishing through the gate and out came Lilly, the little girl who was now one of the two main people in his life. He bent down and Lilly jumped up to his arms almost as if this was a rehearsed act. But the truth was, they were just so attuned to each other now.

"Hey princess. How was school?" Jimin inquired as he walked to the parked car.

"Good! I colored a biiiiiig flower in pink! Mrs. Kim said it was reaaalllyyyyy nice!" Her smile was infectious.

"Good girl. Did you play today?" Jimin opened the passenger side door and planted the girl's butt on the seat firmly. He took the girl's bag and before closing the door, tucked the seatbelt in. After keeping the bad in the back seat, he himself got into the car and gunned the engine.

"Papa?" Lilly started. "Papa, Alicia didn't come to school today..."she had the most down hearted tone in her voice.

"Oh? Why is that?" Jimin vaguely asked as he concentrated on getting the car safely out of this traffic.

"She has the-the chicken pops!"

Jimjn chuckled. "Chicken pox, Lilly, not pops"

"Pops!" Lilly obstinately said, reminding Jimin very much of his mother. He laughed softly.

"Lilly! Lilly! Get back here!"

"Papa can't catch me! Papa can't catch me!" Lilly shrieked in happiness as she ran down the stairs, completely naked. She had stayed a good girl till Jimin had toweled her body and then had abruptly started to run without wearing clothes. Jimin ran after her worried because Lilly could trip over anything. Or she might get a cold because she was butt naked and it was night for dears sake!

It was already eight in the night, and Lilly was energetic after her evening nap which Jimin regretted now. This kid could be a real handful.

"Lilly! Come here! You won't get ice cream if you don't stop running!"

Lilly paused in mid run in the middle of the living room, and her eyes began to moisten. No ice cream was the worst threat Jimin could make.

Jimin walked over to the sniffling girl when a sudden knock startled them both. Lilly reacted quickly and ran to the front door and Jimin Followed frantically because whoever that was, it was not Yoongi, and Lilly had to be dressed decently. He managed to run to the door when Lilly started jumping up and down squealing "daddy!"

"Lilly it's not daddy, he won't come home this early-" Jimin had ansent mindedly opened the door and aish he forgot to dress Lilly!

"Hey"

Jimin's head whipped to the arrival at the door so fast, he heard his neck crack.

"Yoongi!" He exclaimed.

"Daddy!" Lilly shrieked and at once ran up to the older and made grabby hands. Yoongi chuckled, lifted the girl up and smiled at Jimin.

Of course, Jimin's hearts reacted the same way it reacted four years ago. Yoongi was home early! Yoongi was home!

"And why aren't you dressed Lilly?"

Jimin blinked at that. "Honey, she refuses to wear her pajamas!"

Yoongi laughed. The Park babies indeed.

"Lilly, be a good girl and wear your pajamas"

"Okay daddy!"

Jimin pouted as he put on the pajama top on the little girl held by Yoongi. "How come she listens to you and not me?" He then proceeded to put on the pajama pants. Lilly turned to Jimin's side then.

"Papa I put on my pajamas! You will give me ice cream?" The hopefulness was tangible as the girl started pleading.

"Okay Lilly, but only today. If you don't listen to papa, I will never give you ice cream"

Lilly's chin trembled. She turned to Yoongi.

"Papa is being mean!"

"No baby, papa is being mean because you were being mean to papa"

"I-I wasn't being mean!" Lilly protested.

"You weren't listening to papa, and that is mean"

Lilly seemed ashamed. She turned to Jimin, a downcast look in her beady eyes. "I'm sowwy papa"

"It's okay. Will you be a good girl?"

"Yes papa" she nodded eagerly and Jimin cooed. Yoongi chuckled at the sight. The Park babies indeed.

"Now then , Lilly, go and bring the new doll you bought today so that daddy can see it!" Jimin's excited exterior made the small girl excited.

"Okay!"

Yoongi set the girl down who at once ran out of sight.

"You really came home early" Jimin's eyes sparkled. "Welcome home"

Yoongi leaned in and pressed his lips against the smiling younger's.

"Hmm. It's nice to be home"

"It's nice to have you home" Jimin replied, intertwining their fingers. Yoongi closed the door behind them. "And you finally ate everything I made you"

"I was hungry" Yoongi shrugged. And then yawned. Jimin at once turned fussy.

"Are you tired? Do you want to sleep now?"he inquired and Yoongi laughed.

"I'm fine"

"Daddy look!"

Lilly waved the latest edition of the malibu barbie doll collection.

"Very nice, princess. Let's go and eat now? And then let's play with barbie?" Yoongi suggested and Lilly let out an eager 'okay' and ran into the kitchen.

"I feel like I don't say This enough love" Yoongi smiled at Jimin. "I love you"

Jimin chuckled. "You said that two times today, when you texted" he gently squeezed the older's hand. "I love you too"

After another quick kiss, they followed Lilly into the kitchen.