Chapter Text
Jungkook was sitting in the waiting room. They had intended to punish him and put him in another room but since two men had pulled up and asked about him, the foster care workers had no choice but to put him in the waiting room.
He hated the waiting room, he hated the small dots on the wall he'd counted time and time again, he hated the leaflets sitting on the coffee table showing off happy perfect families. He hated the waiting room because he'd been there so many times and it never brought him luck.
So he sat, tapping his fingers on the armrest of the chair. He looked down at the table where some of the leaflets were laid out on the table and sighed. He picked one up and turned it over in his hands. The words "Happy Ever After" stared back at him. His heart sank as he flipped through the pages.
Nothing like this would ever happen to him.
Jungkook knew his predicament, even if some of the nicer workers lied and told him one day he'd find a family, that he was getting old. And getting old meant he was no longer a good candidate for adoption. He was only thirteen but had been passed around so many homes he couldn't even recount them.
He sighed, this couple wasn't going to be any different.
Meanwhile in the social worker's office, Namjoon and Seokjin were sitting there and were about to listen to all the information she had to say about Jungkook. Neither of them knew it would have Namjoon gripping the chair hard while Seokjin would look away, both in shock as to how harsh some people could be especially to a child.
"Jungkook had a rough past," She says adjusting her glasses, "His mother got neglectful after remarrying and his stepdad wasn't the kindest man, if you get my gist."
"We stepped in once the police was called, he tried to jump off the roof of an abandoned building."
"How old was he?" Seokjin managed to ask.
"Eleven, he's thirteen now as you know."
She sighed and looked at the file before her, taking in everything she was about to tell them.
"After this, we took him in and he was passed around a few families but kept coming back everytime."
"Why so?" Namjoon was the one to speak up this time.
"Behavioral problems, Jungkook isn't a violent kid per-say but he lashes out sometimes."
Namjoon shook his head and sighed. Seokjin was about to ask what she meant by "lash out sometimes" when the woman spoke.
"The last place that we placed Jungkook was with a couple with two kids, they came back a week after claiming Jungkook had attacked one of their children. Jungkook said he was only defending himself but it was their word against his."
She took a look at them, thoughtful eyes analyzing the couple before them.
"It's okay if you wanna back out, Jungkook is a hard kid to handle especially to people who have never had children before, correct?"
"Yeah, we don't have any kids yet."
"We can give you other profiles you might like more or that'll settle more easily in your home-"
Namjoon brought a hand in the air, silencing the social worker while Seokjin talked:
"We wanted to see Jungkook and now that we know his profile, it's him that I want to adopt. I'm sure my husband feels the same."
"I do. Jungkook will come home with us today."
The social worker sighed and leaned back into her chair.
"Alright then. I just need you to sign this and this.” They signed the papers without another word.
Once they were done, the social worker got up and guided them to the waiting room where Jungkook was sulking.
The boy was thin and had a bad posture, it felt like he was trying to make himself as small as possible. It made Namjoon's and Seokjin's hearts sink simultaneously. Seokjin was the first one to approach, gently going up to the boy while Namjoon was right behind him.
"Hello there." Seokjin said softly, crouching down to meet his eye level.
Jungkook didn't respond for a moment and just looked at the social worker, as if he was asking for permission if he could speak.
"Jungkook, these two gentlemen are Kim Seokjin and Kim Namjoon."
Jungkook held his breath, when she uttered the next sentence:
"They're here to adopt you."
"I'm Seokjin and this is my husband, Namjoon . We're glad to meet you, Jungkook."
Jungkook kept silent just staring at them with wide almost scared eyes, he stood up and Seokjin put a hand on his shoulder. The child flinched and Seokjin took his hand away.
"I'm sorry." Seokjin muttered and looked at the boy who looked back with frightened sorry eyes.
"It's okay." Jungkook managed to utter, already knowing he fucked it up.
He was definitely coming back here, there was no way this couple was going to accept him after this, he was going to make the same mistakes and he would end up back here again. Just like every time.
"Come with us." Namjoon stated and the three of them began walking towards the front door after saying their goodbyes to the social worker.
She kept her eyes on Jungkook the whole time, he didn't know whether she was pitying him or not knowing he would be back soon enough.
Jungkook trailed behind the couple in the parking lot, his hands is his pockets. He was surprised when Seokjin opened the door of the backseat for him with a smile, he looked genuine. But Jungkook knew to not trust appearances.
He climbed inside the luxurious car and realized there was a stash containing his stuff next to him, they had touched his things. He felt disgust deep down his gut.
"So Jungkook," Namjoon started as Seokjin began to drive, "Did you eat anything this morning?"
He glanced at him through the rearview mirror. Their eyes met for a few seconds and Jungkook promptly looked away first, uncomfortable.
He shook his head no, ignoring the pain of having his stomach empty. He hadn't felt like eating breakfast at the center, it tasted too bland and felt more like prison food more than anything.
"What would you like to eat, Jungkook?"
Jungkook shrugged, not really wanting to talk anyway. But the adults seemed willing to chat with him, not bothered by his unresponsive demeanor.
"Well, Jin here is a chef and he can make you any meal you like." Namjoon continued, a grin on his face and two dimples appearing on each side of his mouth.
He looked like a nice golden retriever, Jungkook liked dogs so this made his tense muscles relax.
"Any meal I like?" He repeated, dumbfounded.
"Yeah, anything from Korean to western, sweet or salty, Seokjin does it all."
Namjoon enquired and the latter slapped at his arm gently.
"Ya, stop with the flattering, Mister."
"But I'm only telling the truth, Jagiya."
"Your stomach is speaking right now, you want something too."
Namjoon laughed and Seokjin's tone wasn't actually harsh, just teasing. Jungkook was confused by their dynamic but they seemed fond of each other. He wondered if they really needed a child when they seemed so happy with each other.
"Can I have some ramen?" Jungkook asked, the few times he'd been allowed meals at the other foster families he'd grab a package of instant noodles.
"Kids these days, they love instant noodles so much." Seokjin said, shaking his head.
Namjoon chuckled, turning back to look at the younger.
"Okay then, we'll stop at a supermarket and you can get some instant noodle noodles and anything else you want."
The use of we threw Jungkook off. He wasn't part of their family yet, they had just met and they were already treating him like they'd known him for years. He wanted to let his guard down but a voice in the back of his head told him not to.
They always started out like this, nice and gentle and then once they realized what Jungkook was like, their facade would change completely. Even though these two were the kindest ones so far.
But a part of him hoped Seokjin and Namjoon were different because he already liked their company, they were a funny pair.
They stopped at a grocery store, where the backseat door was once again opened by Seokjin instead of letting Jungkook do it himself. It gave him a foreign sensation, something he'd never felt before. Or at least not in a long time.
He stepped out of the car and began to walk behind them, they insisted on having him walk in front of them.
"To keep an eye on you, we don't want you to get kidnapped or something," Seokjin joked but also seemed serious at the same time.
Jungkook nodded and walked inside the grocery store, the doors opening with a light tune as he stepped inside.
His eyes widened immediately. There were so many things. Aisle after aisle full of different products and brands. So much that he couldn't take it all in, all he wanted to do was sit down and go into a trance of the new world he suddenly found himself in. It must be a dream, that's how much Jungkook felt.
Everything was too bright and all the snacks even ones he didn't even know existed were in his vicinity, he grabbed one random one and stared at it in absolute awe.
"Marshmallows?" Namjoon enquired, he almost put a hand on Jungkook's shoulder but retracted said hand and simply stood next to him.
Not behind him but next to him, Jungkook felt less threatened by his presence like this.
"You could grab some crackers and chocolate and we could make some s'mores, you know." Namjoon added, clearly he was a sweet tooth kind of guy.
But the words s'mores was unknown to Jungkook, he glanced at Namjoon curiously and then back at the marshmallow bag.
"I don't know what s'mores are." He said calmly, then added a quick, "Sorry."
Namjoon frowned slightly then smiled immediately to reassure the poor boy.
He figured Jungkook must've lived without proper foods his whole life judging by his small stature and appearance. And it pained Namjoon's heart to think this little kid lived such a deprived, difficult childhood until now.
"No worries, it's when you put chocolate and a marshmallow between crackers," He made signs with his hands, "Like a sandwich, you know? And then you toast it."
Jungkook imagined it, the marshmallow and chocolate melting together and forming a beautiful tasty mixture. His stomach growled loudly or at least loud enough for Namjoon to hear.
"We should get going and get you food, you must be hungry."
They went to the aisle where the packaged noodles were, Jungkook grabbed his favorite brand, just one package and Seokjin was quick to intervene.
"You seem to like them, get some more!" Seokjin assured, "I don't know what you like eating yet so you can have this as a treat."
"But it's your money, I don't wanna waste it-" Jungkook tried arguing back but Seokjin was smiling and already placing a few packets of instant ramen inside the shopping cart.
The marshmallows from earlier were also there and so was some chocolate and crackers, Namjoon seemed really keen on making Jungkook try out s'mores.
He was grateful but didn't know how to express it, just fidgeting around trying to ease up and breathe properly. He was overwhelmed by all this, never a foster family had done this for him once, none of them had ever bothered to ask what he liked or gotten him treats.
"Thank you," He mumbled and Seokjin was about to ruffle his hair but stopped himself, his hand just touching Jungkook's for a few seconds on the handle of the cart.
His hands were warm, his touch was nice. Jungkook almost wished he hadn't flinched earlier when the man had put a hand on him.
"Of course." He replied, giving him a smile then walking away.
Jungkook sighed as he watched the couple go further ahead, seemingly having groceries of their own to get.
He was thankful but at the same time he felt uneasy, his senses were on alert. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing up while staring at nothing in particular. He walked towards the drinks aisle and spotted banana milk, he grabbed a bottle and went back to walking towards the cart.
"You're a fan of banana milk?" Namjoon tried to stir up a conversation again.
Jungkook just nodded yes, and the couple smiled at him.
"That's good to know." Seokjin said, "Anything else?
"Just banana milk." Jungkook mumbled and looked down at the ground, they continued walking through the aisles getting stuff here and there before getting to the cash register.
The cashier greeted them nicely and took their orders, handing them plastic bags so they could put all their purchases inside, before asking them if they wanted anything else from the store.
Jungkook stared at the area near the register for a while, looking at the small snacks and keychains hanging up there. There was one in particular that caught his eye, it was a small white bunny wearing a spider-man costume with a toothy grin. He hadn't read many comics or owned any but he'd managed to get his hands on some Marvel ones a few times and he'd been a fan ever since.
Namjoon noticed and nudged him, causing him to snap back to reality.
"Do you want that one?" He asked, pointing to the superhero themed item.
"You don't have to-"
"How much does this cost?"
The cashier seemed unsprised and answered absentmindedly as she handed over the machine Seokjin used to pay with his card, she added the keychain before doing so.
Once they had paid everything and gotten their card back, the couple walked back Jungkook to their car and made sure he stayed inside while they put the groceries in the trunk.
Namjoon handed him the keychain he'd chosen and Jungkook muttered a thank you, he held onto it tightly, afraid to lose it in case of any danger. He was less afraid than he was at the beginning but that didn't mean he could let get his guard down completely yet.
The couple got back into the car and continued to make small talk, trying to get Jungkook involved in it too but with little to no success. It didn't seem to bother them though, the car ride was giddy and if anything, hopeful.
Once they arrived at their home, Seokjin pulled over and parked the car into their driveway. He then opened his door followed by Namjoon and the two started taking out the groceries. Jungkook didn't know if he was supposed to stay in the car or get out, until Namjoon opened the door for him.
"Here," He said with those dimples on display, "We're home."
The use of we felt foreign to Jungkook again, they'd only just met him and they were already treating him like he'd always been part of their lives. Unknown warmth seeped into his bones, something he hadn't known in years.
He didn't want to feel too special or uncomfortable and it's true that he felt somewhat special already, but he wasn't sure if he deserved all this. He hadn't been treated this way in a long time, he barely remembered what being treated with kindness was like, so it might just be wishful thinking, and maybe he was just dreaming.
He got out of the car and was met by a fancy house, something you'd see in a magazine or a movie. This was why Namjoon and Seokjin didn't seem bothered with spending money on groceries, especially groceries chosen by Jungkook.
Gratefulness filled him, he didn't know how to thank them so instead he just stood by their side.
"Welcome home, Jungkook-ah."
"We hope you'll like it here."
And just like that, the first day of his new life finally began.
"Well... Welcome home." Seokjin
repeated, smiling warmly towards Jungkook as they entered their house.
Seokjin saw Jungkook as an angel; someone pure, innocent, pure as snow no matter what his past might say. The child's eyes lit up when he saw the big, white door open and reveal the large living room and kitchen.
He took off his shoes at the front door and then looked at Seokjin who was still grinning happily.
"It's a nice place, right?" Seokjin asked and turned to look at Namjoon who was standing nearby, smiling softly as he admired Jungkook.
"Yeah," Jungkook responded shyly, "thank you."
"This is the living room," Namjoon indicated and then pointed to the left, "That's the kitchen and everything else is on the first floor, including your room."
"My room?"
"Well yeah, did you think you were crashing on the couch?" Seokjin joked and Jungkook just shrugged much to the couple's dismay.
"Nothing like that will ever happen as long as you're with us, your room is upstairs."
The three took the stairs and Namjoon showed him his office, his and Seokjin's bedroom, the bathroom and finally Jungkook's own bedroom. He couldn't remember the last time he had a bedroom for himself, especially one as big as this one.
Its wall were paper white and it wasn't decorated aside from a bed and a desk in the corner as well as a wardrobe, he stepped inside and sat down by the bed. Namjoon and Seokjin took it as their cue, they approached the boy and kneeled down to face him.
"Look, Jungkook, whatever you faced before, you won't face it here ever." Seokjin declared, his face stern and serious for a change.
"We'll never hurt you or do anything bad to you, you're part of our family now."
Seokjin and Namjoon seemed to get emotional as they uttered the next words, holding onto each other's hands.
"You're our son."
Jungkook's heart started beating faster again and this time he couldn't stop it, his breathing picked up speed and tears formed in his eyes.
They rolled down his cheeks and he wiped at them with his sleeve.
"Okay." He sniffled.
"You can always come to us, whenever you need us, or anything, we're here to take care of you." Namjoon continued, tears of his own in the corner of his eyes.
"We're here to love you." Seokjin added. "Whatever you do, we'll always love you."
A loud sob tore from Jungkook's throat
“Can we?” Namjoon asked, and Jungkook muttered a “Yes”.
He felt strong arms wrap around his body, the warmth of them spreading across his skin.
"Thank you," Jungkook managed to choke out, his grip tightening a bit when he realized how much this meant to him.
The couple hugged him like no tomorrow, he wondered if they'd been wanting a child for a while now, because they seemed really eager to have Jungkook with them. He hugged them back, despite a part of his mind going bonkers and telling him to run away and fight back.
But it didn't work. Instead of trying to resist, he closed his eyes.
When he heard the couple pulling apart, he glanced towards them and his gaze softened when he saw how much the couple cared about him. Namjoon had tears running down his face and Seokjin gave him an empathetic expression.
"I'm so glad you're here with us," Namjoon said between a sob, "Our beautiful son."
"Baby," Seokjin called out and wiped away at Namjoon's tears who laughed lightly.
"Sorry for getting so emotional," Namjoon croaked out, "I just always wanted to be a father and-"
"I get it." Jungkook said, putting his hand over the adult's hand, "I always wanted a dad too."
His mind was running wild, part of it telling him to shut up and to stop being so vulnerable while the other reeled in how nice his new family was. He tried to ignore all the bad thing, focusing on his new parents.
Namjoon and Seokjin just stared at him for a while in calm silence until Jungkook's stomach grumbled amidst it. They seemed to get out of a daze, and they were quick to get up.
"I think it's about time we make you your noodles." Seokjin suggested, and after receiving a nod from Jungkook, they left the room.
After watching the couple leave, Jungkook slowly crawled on top of the bed, resting his head against the soft pillow as he looked up at the ceiling.
He then got up and looked at the stash containing his stuff, it was mostly clothes and some toys he'd managed to keep out of his other foster families' vicinity.
He started placing his toys, mostly a bunch of figurines, atop of the shelf on his desk along with his new spiderman keychain. It looked good, all of them sitting aligned perfectly on the nicely crafted shelf.
He put his clothes inside the wardrobe, he mostly had hoodies and sweatpants, not really anything that stuck to the eye but it was comfortable and warm on the worst days.
Once he unfinished unpacking, he sat back on the bed and soon enough heard his name being called and he almost rushed downstairs.
He walked up to the kitchen where a bowl of instant noodles was awaiting him on the table, the familiar smell brought comfort to him and he sat into the chair eagerly. Seokjin and Namjoon sat down across from him, smiling at him softly with a plate of fruit between them.
They passed him a fork and a glass of water and Jungkook thanked them quietly. He took a bite and couldn't help but moan, it was the best meal he'd had in a while and he knew that he'd probably be able to eat these for the rest of the week.
"Glad you enjoy it." Seokjin said sincerely while munching on a grape.
Jungkook nodded his head, looking down as his mouth started to fill with food and he swallowed his bite quickly.
"Did you go to any school with your previous caretakers?" Namjoon asked carefully.
"Only my last family did, they enrolled me in some middle school for a while but I only stayed one month with them."
"So you're in eighth grade, correct?"
Jungkook bowed his head yes, and Namjoon hummed. Seokjin smiled and quickly added:
"We'll look for a school for you once you're ready."
"Yeah, we don't wanna rush you or anything. You still need time to adjust."
"Thank you."
"Do you like your room? We didn't want to decorate it, we wanted you to do it yourself."
"Tell us if you wanna buy posters or anything." Namjoon said then trailed off for a little, "You seem to like Marvel, right?"
Jungkook's eyes lit up.
"Yes, Spiderman and Iron man mostly."
Seokjin chuckled at that and so did Namjoon, Jungkook wondered for a second if they were making fun of him until they spoke up:
"Well you could watch the movies if you want, anytime you want."
"Can I?" He prodded carefully.
"Of course, TV's all yours." Namjoon commented and Jungkook could feel his heart pounding with excitement.
"Thank you." He repeated.
"Jungkook, you don't have to thank us for everything. We're just doing the minimum here." Seokjin explained, his voice comforting.
"I know..." He tried to explain, shame running through his veins, "Sorry, I'm just used to it."
Both men smiled at him and shook their heads at his remark. The younger didn't understand why they were being so understanding, it felt weird to them, he'd just met them less than 24 hours ago and they already acted like he was part of their family. His stomach twisted nervously as a thought ran through his head; what would happen if they didn't end up liking him once they got to know him?
That made him shudder with fear and anxiety and Seokjin suddenly reached over, grabbing his now empty bowl.
"So how about watching Iron Man?" He asked with a smile, he had a handsome face.
This couple felt unreal, they were nice, rich and pretty. Maybe Jungkook was dreaming the entire thing.
"Okay." He answered and they walked him to the living room where he sat down on the couch while Namjoon grabbed the TV remote and picked the movie.
It didn't take long for the movie to start and soon enough Jungkook found himself laughing and enjoying every single second. Seokjin and Namjoon were next to him, cuddling close to one another.
Before he knew it, drowsiness was taking over him and he was falling asleep as the credits rolled. Jungkook was deeply asleep and didn't feel the hands lifting him up and taking him upstairs to his bed, but he did feel the two kisses pressed to his forehead, easing him in his slumber.