Single Father • Namjoon + BTS!Kids

lxxiv.

"See? Told you," the second boy said, grinning at the first boy, who still had no readable expression. "But this kid was a freak before that. He just got freakier after."

What would Yoongi do? Punch him, probably. Or stab him with something and wind up in the principal's office. And then Dad would get a phone call and he'd have to leave work early to come in and-

What would Hobi do? Probably just laugh it off. He's good-natured like that. As long as everybody else is happy, he's happy.

What would Jimin do? ... Cry, probably. I don't want to cry. My sandwich will get all soggy and gross.

What would Tae do? Probably scare him somehow or threaten him.

What would Jungkook do? Probably make friends with him, somehow.

But I'm none of them.

I'm Jin.

I'm me.

And I don't pick fights or make trouble or cry or make friends or any of that.

I just sit here quietly, and I take it.

That's what Jin decided to do - to sit there, keep eating his lunch, and ignore the two boys.

But then something unexpected happened.

"Hey, man. Lay off. What's wrong with you?" the first boy asked, turning to the second with a frown. "You're messed up, seriously."

"Me? Messed up? This kid talks to a freaking ghost!"

"Not a ghost," Jin interrupted quietly, still staring down at the desk with unbroken intensity. "Jimin is alive. He's alive," Jin repeated. He felt like if he said it enough, eventually it would really sink in.

It was just hard to accept, after being told it for 5 years. Not in so many words. The adults didn't say stuff like that in front of the kids. But he'd seen the looks they'd given each other and Namjoon. He knew what they thought.

But they were wrong.

Jimin is alive.

"Just leave the kid alone. He's had it rough, okay?"

"Whatever, man. You're lame," the second boy said with finality, glaring at the first boy before pushing Jin's desk slightly. Jin felt the vibrations travel through his elbows and up his arms. Then the boy left.

"Hey," the first boy said again after the room had returned to silence. "Hey. I'm talking to you."

Jin finally looked up to see the boy leaning over his desk, watching him. Jin couldn't read his emotion because he didn't really have any on his face.

Is this funny to him?

Is there a big joke that I'm not in on?

Why is he still here?

"What's your name?" the kid asked, and Jin wanted to look back down at his desk, but something about the boy's eyes held him.

"Jin." I'm Jin. I'm me. And I don't pick fights or make trouble or cry or make friends or any of that.

There was a long moment of silence before the kid's face lit up in an extremely out-of-place, cutesy smile. "Want to be my friend?" he asked in a high-pitched voice, completely different from his previous rough tone.

Jin blinked and blinked some more. "Um...I don't really...what are you doing?" he trailed off, distracted by the boy's aegyo.

The boy's cute smile drifted into a devious smirk and he gave Jin a light punch on his left shoulder. "I'm Jooheon. We're friends now." He looked over at the clock. "Ah, I have to go. Finish your conversation with yourself or your brother or whatever. See ya."

And then the boy was gone, and Jin was alone.

Jin shook his head slowly, shocked but containing his surprise with a mask of indifference. "Jimin? I think I have a friend."

just a heads up - wattpad has stopped letting me view comment notifications so if you asked me something and i haven't replied, that's why. if you need to contact me in the meantime, try dropping me a message on my conversation board or commenting on this chapter (since this is the only one i'll be manually checking)