Chapter Text
“Jinnie?” Jimin asked, his arms looped around Seokjin’s neck.
“Hm?” Seokjin hummed as he carried Jimin and Taehyung back to their shared bedroom. He had just given them both a bath, and now it was bedtime. Jeongguk had gone to bed a half an hour ago. Everyone’s pajamas were fresh from the drier –all warm and snuggly- but Taehyung and Jimin’s hair was still a little damp. Seokjin’s shoulder was wet where Taehyung’s head was resting.
Jimin squirmed a little, his chubby fingers gripping at the hem of Seokjin’s neckline. “Do we have to go to sleep now?” he asked, his eyes wide.
Seokjin snorted at the hopeful look on Jimin’s face. “Yeah, buddy. It’s bedtime,” he said.
Jimin whined. His arm flew out, his fist balled up and ready to punch, but Seokjin bounced him on his hip before he could hit him or Taehyung. “Hey, hey, hey, gentle, gentle. Everything’s okay,” he said, pressing a kiss to Jimin’s cheek. “It’s fun to fall asleep, remember? I’m gonna read you a story, and then give you lots of kisses, and then you’re going to dream about all kinds of things.”
Jimin pouted and Seokjin kissed his stuck out lip. He smiled when Jimin pulled back, surprised.
“Do we have to read a story?” Taehyung asked. He looked absolutely wiped. He’d been exhausted lately –probably due to his most recent seizure- and Jin’s smile softened with one look at Taehyung’s droopy eyes.
“We’ll read in your bed,” he promised. “And then you can just fall asleep if you want to.”
Taehyung let out a pained huff into Seokjin’s neck. He certainly had a flair for dramatics. But fortunately for Taehyung, that was one of Seokjin’s favorite things about him.
Seokjin managed to kick open the door to Taehyung and Jimin’s room. He set Jimin down on his feet while he tucked Taehyung into bed. The poor little thing was limp against the sheets the second Seokjin laid him down. “Oh, Taehyungie, oh no,” Seokjin cooed, brushing a few damp strands of hair off his forehead. “You’ll get to sleep so soon.”
“Got a book!” Jimin cheered from the opposite side of the room. He pulled out his picture book from the shelf, accidently pulling out a couple of other books with it. They toppled to the floor.
Jimin ignored them in favor of running over to Seokjin, his knees knocking into his book with every step. “Let’s see what you picked,” Seokjin said, catching Jimin easily when he jumped into his arms. The book got stuck between them. Jimin wiggled it out so Seokjin could read the title. “A Bad Case of Stripes.” He gasped. “My favorite!”
Jimin giggled. “You always say that.”
Seokjin shrugged. “Maybe you always pick really good books,” he said, settling back against Taehyung’s headboard. He balanced Jimin in his lap. The book rested open on Jimin’s knees so he could flip the pages, and Seokjin used his free hand to play with Taehyung’s hair as he fell asleep.
“’Camilla Cream loved lima beans,’” Seokjin started.
“I like lima beans!” Jimin exclaimed.
“Like cereal,” Taehyung muttered, and Seokjin knew just what he meant. He usually gave the boys lima beans in a little bowl with milk poured over top.
“Lima beans are good,” Jin said, kissing the back of Jimin’s head and giving Taehyung’s hair a ruffle. He kept reading. “’Camilla Cream loved lima beans, but she never ate them. All of her friends hated lima beans, and she wanted to fit in.’”
As Seokjin read, Jimin started to slump against his chest. He always made a fuss about going to sleep, but as soon as Seokjin had him in his lap, he started to get drowsy. Seokjin rubbed one of his cute, pudgy arms.
The book started to reach its climax, and the boys started growing more and more sleepy. Everyone was winding down. Seokjin was just about to wrap up the book, when Namjoon threw open the door.
“Jin,” he practically shouted, startling a very sleepy Taehyung upright in bed. “Look.”
Seokjin blinked, just as surprised as Taehyung was. Namjoon didn’t even give him a moment to process, just shoved his phone into his face. It took him a minute to register what he was looking at.
He snatched the phone out of Namjoon’s hands. “Is this-?”
“Read the email, Jin! Read it,” he exclaimed. His hands were clenched in excitement, knuckles white as his nails dug into his palms.
Jin read aloud. “Dear Mr. Seokjin and Namjoon Kim, we are happy to inform you that you have received a hearing to place seven-year-old Min Yoongi in your custody-“ Seokjin looked up sharply. “Joon,” he breathed.
Namjoon’s smile was so wide it nearly split his face in half. “I know, I know.” He paused, trying to regain his cool before another smile splayed across his face. “God, I know.”
“Have you told him?” Seokjin asked.
Namjoon shook his head. “No, I came straight to you.”
Taehyung made a disgruntled noise. “Why is everyone shouting?” he asked, hiding his face in Jimin’s leg. Jimin patted his head.
Seokjin looked down at the two of them –his boys- and couldn’t help but pull them into a massive hug. “Because we’re all going to be a family,” he said.
Jimin frowned. “But we’re already a family,” he said, pointing to all the pictures he had drawn hanging above his bedframe. They all featured Seokjin, Namjoon, Yoongi, and Jeongguk. Some more recent pictures had Hoseok in them as well.
Seokjin laughed, too joyful to do anything else, and squeezed Jimin a little tighter. “You’re right, you’re right, but now it’s going to be official.”
They had waited so long to have a court date set to adopt Yoongi. The paperwork had taken hours, and the processing had taken months. But finally –finally- they were going to be interviewed by a judge to have Yoongi placed permanently in their care.
And if they could do it for Yoongi, they could do it for all the other boys.
“I’m gonna get him,” Namjoon said. “Wait right there, hold on.”
Seokjin was happy to stay where he was, even when Jimin seemed to find his second wind. He laughed when Jimin tackled him, forcing him into the pillows. “Help me tickle, Tae Tae!” Jimin yelped.
Taehyung threw an arm out, but it only laid flat against Seokjin’s stomach, he was so tired. Jimin, meanwhile, tried (key word: tried) to tickle Seokjin’s neck. Seokjin laughed anyway.
Namjoon came back quickly with Yoongi and Hoseok in toe. “Okay, okay, hold on boys, let Jin up,” he said, always the knight in shining armor. Seokjin was grateful to be saved, even if Jimin and Taehyung’s tickling usually felt more like scratching. “Who’s gonna tell him? Do you want to?” Namjoon asked, swooping Yoongi up to sit on his shoulders. Yoongi seemed confused as he clutched at Namjoon’s hair for stability.
Seokjin snorted at the pleading look on Namjoon’s face. “I think you ought to tell him, babe. It seems like you want to.”
Namjoon lit up at that. “Okay!” he chirped. He tilted his head back to look at Yoongi. “Guess what’s finally happening kid!”
Yoongi frowned. “I don’t know, but can you put me down?” he asked nervously.
“Sure, sure,” Namjoon answered. He set Yoongi on the bed next to Seokjin. Every movement Namjoon made was a little too much, a little too overexcited. “But okay, so, it’s still not official, and I’m not actually sure, so I don’t want to promise anything, and we have to answer a few questions before it’s all said and done, so don’t think of it as final quite yet, and-“
“Namjoon, spit it out!” Seokjin demanded.
Namjoon ran his hands through his hair real quick before grabbing both of Yoongi’s knees. “We’re going to get to adopt you,” he finally finished.
Yoongi blinked. “What?” he asked.
“What?” Hoseok echoed.
Namjoon looked flustered. Seokjin felt the same way. He had expected Yoongi to be more excited. “What do you mean ‘what’? We’ve been talking about it, remember? Your caseworker finally approved Jin and me as your parents. We’re going to adopt you,” Namjoon said.
Yoongi’s bottom lip wobbled. “What?”
“Yeah, Jinnie, what?” Jimin asked, tugging on Jin’s sleeve.
“Hold on, boys,” Seokjin said, not ready to answer all the little ones’ questions yet. He put a hand on Yoongi’s shoulder and turned him so they were making eye contact. “Adoption means you don’t have to go to any new houses, remember? You can stay here. It’s supposed to be exciting. We thought you’d be happy, Sugar,” he said, worried. If Yoongi didn’t want to be theirs, then-
“But I am happy,” Yoongi said before Seokjin could start worrying. His voice was wet with tears. He sniffled. “I’m really, really happy,” he said before his shoulders started wracking.
Namjoon looked alarmed. “What’s wrong?” he asked, but Yoongi couldn’t answer.
“I think he’s just relieved,” Seokjin said, awkwardly side-hugging Yoongi with Taehyung clutching to one arm and Jimin squirming in his lap.
“Relieved...” Namjoon said. He blinked owlishly. “Oh, Sugar. Me, too!” he promised, swooping Yoongi up under the armpits and spinning him in a circle. He hugged him close, and Yoongi’s feet dangled in the air. “I’m so relieved you get to stay with us.”
“Wait,” Hoseok said, shuffling over to Seokjin as Namjoon snuggled Yoongi. “’Adopshun’ means staying?” he asked.
Seokjin smoothed Hoseok’s hair flat on his head. “Yes,” he answered. “It means that Joonie and me get to be your parents, and you get to be our kid, and you can live here for as long as you want, and we’ll get to help you and be there for you your whole life long.” Hoseok looked nervous, and Seokjin was quick to reassure him. “Namjoon and I are going to take care of you no matter what, but adoption makes it official.”
“I want to be official,” Hoseok said, his tiny mouth having trouble fitting around the big word.
Seokjin nodded. “Okay,” he said because he fully intended on adopting Hoseok the second the courts allowed him to. However, he wanted to make sure Hoseok felt the same way. “You want to be here? You don’t miss mommy?”
Hoseok’s wavered. “Um... Um...” A crease appeared his eyebrows, and Seokjin reached out to hold Hoseok’s hand. “I miss mommy,” he started, “But... but I don’t think I like mommy.”
Hoseok might as well have kicked him in the chest; the feeling would have been the same. Seokjin squeezed his hand. “Okay. That’s okay,” he promised. “I wish your mom had been nicer to you,” he said honestly. Not for the first time, he wondered just what Hoseok’s last home had been like.
“So I can stay?”
Seokjin threaded his fingers with Hoseok’s tiny ones. “Of course,” he promised. “I’m going to do everything I can to make sure you get to stay with me for as long as possible.”
It would be hard to adopt Hoseok, considering his circumstances. It was doubtful they would be able to get custody unless Hoseok’s mother stepped forward. They had no other way to find and contact her or her relatives otherwise.
But Seokjin had meant it when he said he would do everything he could to keep Hoseok as long as possible, and if that meant jumping through bureaucratic holes, he would do it.
Hoseok seemed happy, but Jimin seemed distressed. “I don’t wanna be left alone,” Jimin said, pouting. His big bottom lip stuck out, and Seokjin nudged it with nose.
“That won’t happen,” he promised. “Namjoon and I want to adopt you, too. And Taehyung.”
“Me?” Taehyung asked.
“Yes, you.”
“What about Gukkie?” Jimin demanded, kicking one of his feet. His heel slammed into Seokjin’s shin.
Seokjin reached out to grab Jimin’s toes. “Gentle,” he reminded him again because Jimin had been a little more aggressive than usual tonight. Maybe tomorrow morning they would do some more of their exercises before the other boys woke up. “But Gukkie, too. All of you, honest. Namjoon and I have even started the paperwork, it’s just going to take a little while for your social workers to look over it.”
Jimin’s nose crinkled. “Annie?”
“Yes, that’s your social worker,” Jin said.
Jimin settled down then. He relaxed against Seokjin’s chest and stared at the wall. “Okay,” he agreed. “I’m not going anywhere else,” he said, like he had any say in the matter. Seokjin wished he did, that would make this all a lot easier.
“Okay. Are you okay?” Seokjin asked. Jimin nodded, shifting a little to get comfortable in Seokjin’s lap. “And is Taehyung okay?” Seokjin asked, turning to find Taehyung half asleep on his arm.
“I’m never okay,” Taehyung pouted. “My tummy hurts.”
Seokjin huffed out a laugh. “Okay, well that’s probably because of your medicine. It’ll get better when you go to sleep,” he promised. “But do you wanna stay here? With me and Namjoon.”
Taehyung blinked, waking up a little at that. He nodded. “Mhm. Yes,” he said, lifting his arms like he wanted Seokjin to pick him up. Seokjin used his free arm to pull Taehyung into a side hug instead, his arm wrapped around his tiny shoulders.
“And how is Yoongi over there?” he asked, checking up on everyone.
Yoongi was too busy laughing at something Namjoon had said to answer, and Namjoon shot Seokjin a smile. “Of course!” Namjoon answered. “He’s with me, we’re having a great time.”
Seokjin rolled his eyes. “Okay, well why don’t all the big boys have a great time somewhere else, so us little kids can go to sleep.”
“I’m not little,” Jimin argued, his head lolling back into the crook between Seokjin’s arm and ribs. All the excitement was catching up to him.
Namjoon took one looked at him and cracked a smile. “Okay, right, yeah. Out we go. Come on, Hoseok. Show me that block tower you were building. It looked really cool.”
Hoseok scurried off, following Namjoon like a duckling as he carried Yoongi out of the little boys’ bedroom. Seokjin stood up with Jimin and tucked Taehyung in. He quick pressed a kiss to his head before getting Jimin settled in bed as well.
“Goodnight, boys. I love you,” Seokjin said. He flipped off the lights. As he closed the door, he heard two little voices call back to him.
“Love you, too!”
“Night, love you!”
Seokjin’s heart swelled. It was crazy how much he could love such little people, but standing on the opposite side of Jimin and Taehyung’s closed bedroom door, he was positive he would give up everything just to protect his kids.
The whole house smelled like cinnamon. Whenever Seokjin was in a good mood, he felt like baking, and as it was, he currently had three loaves of zucchini bread in the oven. Every time he thought about finally getting to adopt Yoongi, he felt so excited he just had to do something.
Jeongguk stood with his hands and nose pressed against the glass door of the oven. His eyes were wide as he watched the bread rise.
“Watch out, Gukkie. That’s hot,” Seokjin said, moving him away from the oven. He put him up in the Learning Tower he had set up next to the island. Seokjin gave him a pinch of the pizza dough he was kneading. “Here, why don’t you help?” he said.
Jeongguk stuck a little ball of raw dough in his mouth and spit it out. “Yuck.”
Seokjin crinkled his nose, copying Jeongguks’ disgusted face. “Yeah, it’s not good when it’s not cooked,” he agreed. Folding and flipping the majority of the pizza dough for dinner, Seokjin thought about what he would put on it. Maybe pesto and chicken, Namjoon liked that. Yoongi liked spinach and tomato sauce.
“I’m squishin’ it,” Jeongguk said, interrupting Seokjin’s thought process. Seokjin looked over to Jeongguk’s station. He had dough oozing through his fingers as he squeezed it as hard as possible.
“You are,” Seokjin agreed. He grabbed a piece of pizza dough and rolled out a snake for Jeongguk. “See what other shapes you can make.”
Jeongguk held up the snake. Very focused, he pulled it apart into tiny sections. Seokjin smiled.
Jeongguk was so cute. Today, Seokjin had dressed him in a big t-shirt that could probably still fit Taehyung and short pinstriped overalls that hugged his cute diapered bottom. His hair was messy from where it had pressed up against the oven door, and he now had flour around his mouth from trying to eat the pizza dough. His tiny hands fought to carefully tear his snake apart, despite their lack of dexterity.
“Look!” Jeongguk said, holding up his broken pieces. Seokin was already looking.
“I see!” he said. “You made lots of little snakes.”
Jeongguk shook his hands and the dough stretched out.
As Seokjin started stretching the pizza dough out into circles over his knuckles, he glanced at the timer on the oven. His zucchini bread still had ten minutes. He was running perfectly on time.
Yoongi and Hoseok had helped grate the zucchini and level off measuring cups while the other boys took their naps. It had been nice to see them getting along, and if Seokjin listened carefully, he could hear them coloring together in the other room.
(“Hobi, you gotta put the caps back on the markers.”
“M’kay.”
“No, that’s the blue marker. You need the blue cap, not the yellow one.”
“Uh-oh, whoopsie daisies.”)
Jeongguk seemed to hear the boys, too. He turned and stilled for a minute, looking over the half-wall to try to see into the living room. “Hobi...” he said.
Seokjin smiled. Jeongguk had been the one to start using Hobi. He had a hard time saying Hoseok, and most of the other boys had cutesy nicknames, so it had stuck. It was cute that even Yoongi had taken to using it. “Do you wanna go play with Hoseok and Yoongi?” he asked.
Jeongguk turned around and blinked. “... No.”
“Okay. Just let me know if you want to get down,” he said.
Jeongguk lifted his arms. His sticky hands made grabbing motions at Seokjin. “Up.”
Seokjin frowned and pressed a kiss through Jeongguk’s hair. “Not right now, lovie.” Gotta finish making dinner.”
Seokjin finished stretching out the dough onto two cookie sheets. He searched his pantry. “I think we’re gonna have to do tomato sauce on our pizza today,” Seokjin said just as Jimin and Taehyung rolled through the kitchen.
They were both on Fisher-Price riding toys, although Jimin was a little too big for his. Taehyung still fit well (he had trouble eating with most of the medicines they had tried, and it was affecting his growth). Neither of them let their respective sizes slow them down, however, and they circled around Seokjin’s feet.
“Trapped you!” Jimin exclaimed.
“Oh no, I’m caught!” Seokjin said. He dramatically laid one hand over his heart and another on his forehead.
Taehyung smiled, for once seeming energetic. “Got you!” he said, happily.
“No, I got you,” Seokjin corrected before picking Taehyung up and planting a million kisses to his tummy. Jimin stood up quick, whining. He pulled on Seokjin’s pant leg. Seokjin put Taehyung down once he had him giggling and picked up Jimin instead. “Got you, too!” he exclaimed, slinging Jimin over his shoulder and bouncing him a few times. Jimin squealed laughing.
Seokjin put Jimin down when he asked, and went back to searching the pantry as soon as he and Taehyung raced away. He returned to his workspace with a jar of tomato sauce, mozzarella, and leftover roasted chicken from the night before. There was frozen spinach draining in the sink.
Jeongguk reached for the cheese.
“Hold out your hand,” Seokjin instructed, sprinkling some cheese into Jeongguk’s hand. Jeongguk ate it with a smile as Seokjin spooned tomato sauce across his pizzas. Hoseok and Yoongi seemed to be getting along well in the living room still.
(“Yoongi, what are you drawing?”
“A dragon. What are you drawing?”
“You!”
“What?”
“See, it’s you playing baseball.”
“I haven’t played baseball.”
“But I think you could.”
“Oh. ...You’re a good drawer, Hobi.”)
Seokjin smiled as he finished sprinkling toppings all over the crust. The timer went off, and Seokjin watched for any wandering kids before opening up the oven and taking out the zucchini bread. “Can we eat it?” Jeongguk asked. He sounded a little stuffy, and Seokjin grabbed a tissue.
“Not yet. Tomorrow for breakfast,” he answered, holding out the tissue for Jeongguk. “Blow!” Jeongguk blew his nose, his round eyes looking up at Seokjin. He was so unbelievably cute. “Kid, you’re killing me,” Seokjin cooed. “Let’s wash our hands and get cleaned up, okay?”
“Okay,” Jeongguk answered. As the youngest of five, he was usually pretty agreeable. Seokjin pinched his cheek. He was so lucky to have such great kids, and Jeongguk was one of them.
Seokjin squeezed Namjoon’s hand. “Okay, are you nervous? I’m nervous,” Seokjin said, wringing his hands together.
He’d been excited all week for Yoongi’s adoption hearing. Seokjin had been almost frantic, cleaning and baking and being productive. He had been in such a great mood; he’d turned the house over, looking for things to clean and laundry to wash. Every time he thought about finally having custody over Yoongi, he was filled with energy.
But now that he was here, he was so worried about something going wrong. What if he said the wrong thing? Or what if Yoongi changed his mind and said he didn’t want to live with them? What if they weren’t fit parents?
“Why are you nervous?” Yoongi asked.
Seokjin looked down at him. Yoongi was dressed up in his new suit, about to see a courtroom for the first time. Not for the first time, Seokjin was struck with how much he had grown in their short time together. Seokjin bit his lip. “I’m... Well...” he trailed off, unsure of what to say. He didn’t want Yoongi to be worried, but he also didn’t want to lie to him. “I’m just scared I won’t be able to explain how much I love you when the judge asks.”
“Yeah, we love you more than words can say, Sugar,” Namjoon promised, and Seokjin elbowed him in the side for being corny.
“But you think it’ll be okay, right?” Yoongi asked. “You think it’ll be okay?”
“Of course. We’ve made a good home for you, Yoongi. They’ll see that,” Namjoon promised.
“They’ll see that,” Seokjin echoed, trying to convince himself. He knelt down and fussed with Yoongi’s hair, trying to make it lie perfectly against his head. “And you’re sure you want to live with us, right? You’re positive?”
Yoongi nodded frantically. “Yes. Forever,” Yoongi said. He squirmed. His little suit looked stiff on his body. “And you think it’ll be okay? This is gonna be okay?”
Namjoon snorted and ruffled the hair Seokjin had just spent so long fixing. “Listen to both of you guys, double-checking over and over. Everything is going to be okay, I promise. We all want to be a family, and as long as we say that, it’ll be okay. I promise you,” he said.
Yoongi took a deep breath, seeming assured. Meanwhile, Seokjin couldn’t help but notice the tension in Namjoon’s shoulders.
“But you think it’ll be okay?” Yoongi asked, compulsively asking again.
Seokjin managed to pull himself together. “Yes, Yoongi, it’ll be okay.”
Yoongi grabbed his shirtsleeve. “I don’t want to get moved.”
“I know, Yoongi, it’ll be okay,” Seokjin promised.
They waited in the hallway for a while before they were called into the courtroom. Yoongi kept asking over and over if everything was going to be all right, and Seokjin felt terrible for mentioning he was nervous. Yoongi had already been worried, and Seokjin had known that before he spoke up, and now Yoongi was twice as scared.
Fortunately, the first half of the trial went smoothly. The judge reviewed their paperwork one last time and made sure that everything was in order. Yoongi was –in fact- up for adoption, and his caseworker had confirmed that Seokjin and Namjoon had a suitable house for Yoongi to stay in.
Seokjin had been relieved that everything had been filed correctly, but he hadn’t been worried about whether or not the judge would verify their petition.
He had been worried about the short answer portion of the process.
“Now why is this adoption in the child’s best interest?” Judge Baker questioned.
Namjoon fielded the question easily. “Yoongi has lived in five homes before coming to ours, three of which were state-assigned housing that were unsuitable. My husband and I agree with Yoongi’s caseworker that it would be helpful for him to have a stable home.”
“And what about his parents?” Judge Baker asked.
Seokjin cleared his throat. “Dead, your Honor. He lived with his grandparents for a while, who have now died as well.” Yoongi gripped at the table next to him, his eyes wider than Seokjin was used to seeing. He rubbed his back to help him relax.
The judge nodded, confirming with her notes. “And from whom were you awarded custody?”
“The state,” Seokjin answered.
Namjoon nodded. “Yoongi has been living with us for three years now.”
The judge grunted and leaned over her desk. She looked at Yoongi, her face open and friendly now that she was talking to a kid instead of adults. “And have you liked living with your foster parents, Yoongi?”
Yoongi nodded and clutched at Seokjin’s arm. He seemed pale. “Yes,” he squeaked nervously. Seokjin patted his head with his free hand, hating how pale Yoongi looked.
The judge smiled at Yoongi’s answer. “Okay, that’s good. You should like living with the people who want to adopt you,” she said. Her gaze lifted to Namjoon and Seokjin. “And why would you as parents like to adopt?”
Seokjin and Namjoon looked at each other, both ready to answer. Namjoon nodded at Seokjin, and Seokjin floundered for a second before speaking. “Ah, well, honestly, your Honor, we’ve both fallen in love with Yoongi during the course of his stay. He had a hard time of things before coming to our house, and I hate the idea of him going to another house that is unable to care for him properly. I think we know what Yoongi needs, and we want to be able to give that to him.”
“Plus,” Namjoon said, straightening his tie. “Growing up, I had a similar experience in foster care as Yoongi. So personally, I can relate to what he’s been through, and... and so I think I can be helpful to him, especially considering how much I care about him.”
“But you have four other foster children,” Judge Baker mused, flicking through their paperwork.
“Right,” Namjoon said.
“But it wouldn’t impede on our ability to take care of Yoongi,” Seokjin promised. “We’re very purposeful about spending individual time with all of our boys.”
Namjoon put a hand on Seokjin’s elbow. “And Seokjin has done a great job of setting up a very structured household. The boys all have set responsibilities and schedules, so it’s very organized how we, like..., care for all of our kids, including Yoongi,” he assured.
The judge hummed. “Okay. Well, it seems as though everything is in order. Your caseworker has written you a glowing review, so as long as Yoongi is happy with the decision-“
“I am!” Yoongi helped, interrupting.
The judge looked at him. “Are you sure?” she asked. “You want Namjoon and Seokjin to be your parents?”
Yoongi nodded confidently. “Yes, I’m sure,” he promised.
The judge nodded. “Then it’s decided,” she said, taking out a pen and the proper form. Yoongi was still clinging to Seokjin, and Seokjin wrapped and arm around him in an awkward hug. “Congratulations Seokjin and Namjoon Kim. You’re parents.”
“I feel like we should be drinking champagne, not milkshakes,” Namjoon mused, stirring his strawberry shake with his straw.
“It’s what Yoongi wanted,” Seokjin said. “We can do champagne and sparkling cider later. Maybe we can throw a party with my parents, and my sister, and her husband and kids.”
Namjoon smiled. “Her kids... Yoongi’s new cousins.”
“New cousins,” Seokjin repeated, smiling around his milkshake straw. He had gotten chocolate covered-banana.
Yoongi had asked to go to Sonic for milkshakes and mozzarella sticks to celebrate his adoption. They had picked up all the other boys –who had been home with a babysitter- and took them to the park before giving them their snacks. (Seokjin would not have spilled milkshake all over his car.)
Currently, Yoongi was standing at the top of the playground, peanut butter milkshake in hand as he waited to go down the slide. Taehyung was taking up the bottom of the slide, sprawled out and giggling as Jimin tickled him. Hoseok was trying to climb the little rock wall on the play set, and Jeongguk was at Seokjin’s feet, pulling grass out and piling it up on the toe of Namjoon’s sneaker.
Hoseok jumped off the wall and ran over to take a big sip from his milkshake. His cheeks were already flushed.
“What’s it taste like, Hobi?” Seokjin asked, smirking as Hoseok chugged it down eagerly.
“Strawberries! And... and... And bananas!” he said. His hands barely fit around the mini-sized cup.
“That’s good. It is a strawberry banana milkshake after all. It should taste like strawberries and bananas,” Namjoon said, bending over to share some of his milkshake with Jeongguk. They had been taking turns. For every sip Namjoon had, Jeongguk had one too.
Jeongguk’s eyes crinkled up happily at the taste.
Hoseok took a big breath before going in for another long sip. Meanwhile, Yoongi made an upset noise and Seokjin looked up. Taehyung was still lying at the bottom of the slide.
“Hey, Taehyungie, come have some milkshake,” Seokjin called from his spot on one of the park benches. Taehyung looked confused, but as soon as Seokjin held up his drink, he ran over. Yoongi slid down the slide and followed after Taehyung, Jimin hot on his heels. “Here you go, TaeTae,” Seokjin said, holding the drink out to Taehyung.
“Where’s mine?” Jimin asked.
“Right here,” Namjoon answered, holding up Jimin’s drink before he could get upset. Jimin had gotten chocolate peanut butter, and he had been very excited about it. He had almost crushed the paper cup in his hands when Seokjin had passed it to him.
Seokjin smiled at his boys. “All right, this is exciting, huh? What a big day!”
“The biggest!” Yoongi exclaimed.
“Yoongi is adopted,” Jimin double-checked, looking to Namjoon for confirmation.
“Yep. And you’re next kid,” Namjoon answered, reaching out to tickle Jimin’s tummy. Meanwhile, Yoongi climbed up into Seokjin’s lap. “Where are we going to have to take you to celebrate, Jimin? Yoongi wanted milkshakes.”
Jimin tapped his chocolate-covered chin. “Um... Target.”
Seokjin snorted, his arms looping around Yoongi. “That’s so silly. Jimminie, you love Target, huh?” he asked.
Jimin tried to answer, but Taehyung talked over him. “Can we go to the library when it’s my turn?” Taehyung asked, stumbling over the word ‘library.’ “I like books.”
Seokjin nodded. “I’ll do you one better, kid. I’ll take you to the bookstore, and then you can keep your picture books instead of giving them back after you read them.”
Taehyung gasped, eyes disproportionately wide. “Wow,” he said seriously, before stretching his mouth open to try to find his milkshake straw without looking. Seokjin laughed into Yoongi’s shoulder.
“And I get to have a party, too? I’m gonna have a turn, too?” Hoseok asked over the sound of Jimin giggling. Namjoon was still tickling his tummy.
Seokjin looked at Hoseok, smiling when he realized how at home he looked standing in the center of all his other boys. Hoseok simply fit. And even if Seokjin knew the paperwork would be tough, he also knew how much work he was going to put into adopting Hoseok. “Definitely, Hoseok,” Seokjin promised. “Definitely.”
Because even if Hoseok came last, even if his mother hadn’t wanted him-
Even if Hoseok had been abandoned, and even if Yoongi’s parents were deceased. Even if Jimin had been abused, and Taehyung had been neglected, and Jeongguk had been addicted to drugs when he was born. Even if Namjoon had been bounced around and hadn’t known what family felt like before making his own-
In spite of all of it, no matter what, they were one big, happy family.