The morning was normal.

If by normal, that meant that Jin was extremely clingy to Namjoon, always wanting to hold his hand or sit on his lap or "help" Namjoon with whatever it was that he had to do, although Jin usually ended up making things more difficult to do.

"I can put it in the dishwasher, Daddy!" Jin said, jumping up but Namjoon had to follow him and take it back out.

"Sorry, Jin. This one has to be hand-washed because it's more delicate, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy!"

And a few minutes later...

"No, Jin, you can't microwave that because it's plastic, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy!"

And a few minutes after that...

"Jin, did you just add bleach instead of softener? Please tell me you did not just add bleach instead of softener. Please, Jin..."

"Okay, Daddy!"

Namjoon finally sighed and stopped Jin, pulling him aside. "Is everything all right, Jin?"

Jin squirmed in his grasp. "Yes, Daddy!"

"Jin."

Jin cringed. "Yes, Daddy?"

"The truth, please?"

Jin frowned. "I just don't want Daddy to work too hard."

"But Jin, I do this stuff every day."

"But..." Jin's eyes teared up. "I don't want Daddy to get tired of us and leave us like Mommy did."

Normally, Namjoon would have melted, but this time, he just sighed and rolled his eyes. "Why are my kids so stupid?" He gave Jin a look. "I send you to school, don't I? Answer the question please."

"Y-yes, Daddy."

"School is supposed to make you smart, right?"

"Y-yes, Daddy, I guess so..."

"So how on earth did you come up with a stupid idea like that?" Namjoon smiled softly at Jin, brushing his hair back with his fingers. "You just worry about doing well in school. Let me worry about the dishes and the food and the laundry, okay?"

Jin's eyes met the floor. "B-but the kids in school...never mind, Daddy..." Jin turned to leave, but Namjoon snaked an arm around his waist and scooped him into his lap.

"You're not getting out of this, Jin. Tell me what's going on. I want to hear what you have to say, okay?"

Jin briefly met Namjoon's eyes before staring back at the floor and shaking his head violently. "Everything's fine," he mumbled, but his voice sounded thick with unshed tears, and Namjoon wasn't going to just let him get away with that.

"Oh, I see...this like kid doesn't want to tell his Daddy...well, then his Daddy has no other option..." Namjoon said, holding Jin still before he started wiggling his fingers and tickling Jin's sides.

Jin squirmed, trying to hold his laughter in, but he gave up after five seconds, struggling to escape Namjoon's grip. "Let me go, Daddy!"

Namjoon eye-smiled. "Sure. As soon as you tell me what's going on in school." He stopped tickling, waiting to hear what Jin had to say.

"It's noth-" Jin started to say but then he saw Namjoon's fingers moving, ready to tickle it out of him, and he quickly shook his head. "The kids in my class don't like me," he said quickly, still watching Namjoon's fingers.

But Namjoon's hands dropped when he heard that. Then he understood and grinned. "Is it because you're always stealing their juice boxes? Jin, you know that-"

"N-no, Daddy, those were all lies," Jin said, his eyes shifting around but never meeting Namjoon's.

"What?"

"I j-just said that to make you happy," Jin said, ducking his head. "The k-kids d-don't really talk to me...they d-don't like my b-backpack...I d-don't know, Daddy," Jin said, already crying, and Namjoon had no idea what to do.

He's been lying to me?

This whole time?

To make me happy?

Jin?

"Baby..." Namjoon hugged Jin out of instinct, but his mind was whirling. "Baby, why did you think lying to me would make me happy?"

"B-because you're always t-telling us t-to make f-friends and h-have fun b-but none of the k-kids want to b-be friends with m-me and it isn't v-very f-fun and I d-didn't w-want you to b-be upset with m-me," Jin choked out turning so his face was buried in Namjoon's chest.

Namjoon just hugged him tighter. "Jin? Can you hear me?"

He felt Jin's head nod against his chest.

"Baby...I don't want you to lie to me about this kind of thing, okay? It doesn't make me happy if it isn't the truth. I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong, can I? And whoever doesn't want to be friends with you is stupid. You're handsome, you're funny, you're smart, you take care of all of your other brothers, and you even try to take care of me even though I'm the adult here. The kids in your class have to be stupid not to see all of that." Namjoon sighed, angry both for his child for suffering and at his child for hiding it. "Baby, how long has this been going on?"

He felt Jin shrug. "Always...?"

Namjoon's heart hurt. "Baby, you can't lie to me like this...I can't know if you're telling the truth because I'm not in your class."

"B-but what can D-daddy do? You said it. Y-you're not in my c-class."

Namjoon's frown tightened. "I know, sweetie, and I wish I could be, but...I don't ever want you thinking that you have to lie to make me happy."

"But that's what you did about Mommy."

Namjoon froze. I want to deny it but...I did lie about it, have been lying about it...

"You lied to make us happy. Right, Daddy?" Jin asked, looking up finally, his puffy red eyes meeting Namjoon's. "Isn't it the same?"

Namjoon opened his mouth to deny, but he found himself stuck. After a moment, he sighed. "There's a difference, baby. I'm an adult, and I can make adult choices. But you're still a kid. You shouldn't have to make big decisions like that. I want you to honest, and I want you to be happy. Lies don't do that. Okay?"

Jin just shrugged, looking away. "When I told you I had friends, you were happy, but now you're upset."

Namjoon sighed. "Only because you lied to me. You've never lied to me before, Jin. It hurts me."

"Your lie about Mommy hurt me," Jin whispered.

Shit.

"But-"

"You told me not to lie to you. So Daddy has to do the same." Jin met Namjoon's eyes. "You need to tell everyone."

Namjoon wanted to say no, the timing isn't right, we can wait a while longer, but then he saw the pain in Jin's eyes and he sighed. "Fine. Tonight. But, Jin..."

"Yes, Daddy?"

"Tell me something."

"What do you want me to tell you, Daddy?"

"Was your flower Lala a lie too? It's actually a girl, isn't it?" Namjoon asked, smiling slightly. "I knew it all along."

"No! Lala is a boy! I was telling the truth!" Jin insisted intensely.

"Why was that the one thing you had to tell the truth about?"