Single Father • Namjoon + BTS!Kids

cxlii.

"That was a nice thing," Jungkook said. "That you did with the football. It was, um, very good. Very skillful."

"Mmhm," Tae said, nodding and trying to look like he knew what he was talking about. "You were the best one out there."

"If you're talking about the fumble, then no, that was not a good thing, that's actually a bad thing, and the fact that I fumbled three times is proof that I'm definitely not the best one out there," Jin said with a sigh, adjusting his duffel back to rest more comfortably on his shoulder while his two brothers tagged along behind him on their way to the car.

"Well, you looked like you were working hard," Jungkook offered.

Jin sighed again. "I wasn't focused," he mumbled. "That stupid scholarship..."

Jungkook looked over at Tae with a raised eyebrow. They weren't supposed to know about the scholarship, but Namjoon had told them about Jin's source of stress, and they'd decided to try and help support him. Although, at the moment, it didn't seem like they'd managed to help at all.

But it certainly didn't help that neither Jungkook nor Tae knew a single thing about the sport between the two of them.

Jin's phone started to ring, and he sent it a brief glance, prepared to ignore it, but then he saw the caller and fumbled to pick it up. "Hi, Dad, what's up?" he asked, leaning slightly sideways to keep his balance as his duffel slipped from his shoulder to his elbow. "What? What is it?" He blinked. "All right, we'll be home in fifteen minutes then..."

Jin struggled end the call before dropping the phone in his duffel. "Dad said there's a surprise waiting for us at home."

Tae clapped his hands. "Oh, goody. I bet the new toaster came in."

Jungkook just laughed as the three got in Jin's car and headed home.

***

"Ta-da," Namjoon said weakly. "Surprise..."

Jimin looked up from the couch, where he was sitting next to Namjoon. "Hi guys," he said before taking in Jin's duffel bag. "How was p-practice?"

"Not great," Tae announced bluntly before wincing at Jungkook's glare. "I mean, that's another way of saying not bad, and not bad means pretty good, right?"

Jimin blinked. "Okay..."

"So you're the surprise?" Jungkook asked, smiling as he sat down next to Jimin. "Not that I'm complaining. But don't you have speech therapy today?"

Jimin pauses before shaking his head, a small smile appearing on his lips. "M-Mom told me I could stop g-going."

Jungkook's eyebrow raised. He wasn't sure which surprised him more; that their mother had actually won over Jimin or that she'd let him quit speech therapy after several unsuccessful years of appointments. "That's cool," he finally said, still unsure. He didn't understand how someone who had caused them so much pain at a young age was just wriggling her way back into their lives.

Maybe it's just Jimin because he's a softie, Jungkook thought to himself. Surely Hobi and Yoongi don't like her...impossible, right? Yoongi hated her the most...

"Your mom..." Namjoon started, but the words felt weird on his tongue. Still, he had to finish what he started, so he trudged onward. "She's letting us borrow Jimin for a few hours while she runs errands."

"Why would she do that?" Jungkook mumbled. "I thought she kept them on the shortest leash there was so they didn't come running back to you."

Namjoon gave Jungkook a look but sighed while Jimin just frowned, his lips pouting downwards. "I asked her for a favor, actually, and she was very generous in letting Jimin come over today."