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Namjoon always knew that sweet, intensely sensitive Taehyung’s first broken heart would be bad, but he never expected Jungkook to text him while he was at work and ask him to come home and bring dinner because fifteen-year-old Taehyung and Jimin had locked themselves in Taehyung’s room to cry. Namjoon had, suitably, been very worried by that news, so he had left work early and come home with chicken since it was all he could think to stop and get.
When he got there, sure enough, Jungkook was sitting in the hall outside Taehyung’s room. “Kookie? What happened?” he asked, sliding to sit on the floor beside him, regardless of the creases he was making in his suit.
Jungkook grimaced. “That girl that Taehyung has been talking about all year? He finally got the nerve up to talk to her and it was going well until he asked her if she wanted to go out on a date and she told him she doesn’t date spoiled rich boys like him.”
Namjoon’s heart sank. “Oh no.”
Jungkook nodded. “And you know Jiminnie. He’s a sympathetic crier.”
“Yeah, I know,” Namjoon said, listening closely to his son’s bedroom. He didn’t hear much so he sighed. “I’m gonna go get changed. You see if you can coax them out with chicken. You know TaeTae loves chicken.”
When Namjoon came back, Taehyung was sitting at the kitchen table with Jungkook but he had tears on his cheeks that looked fresh and Jimin stood behind him, hugging him loosely, lips pressed to his head. Namjoon smiled sadly when he saw tears slipping down Jimin’s cheeks into Taehyung’s hair. “Are you okay, TaeTae?” Namjoon asked gently as he approached him.
Taehyung looked up at him with those big, beautiful eyes that Namjoon loved more than words could say because they were his baby’s eyes. There were tears in them and his bottom lip wobbled just enough to break Namjoon’s heart. “I really liked her and she was so mean, Appa,” he whimpered, and Jimin clutched him closer, kissing his head again.
“Oh, my Baby,” Namjoon cooed, sitting down in the chair beside him and pulling Taehyung into his arms. He cuddled him close, closing his eyes when Jimin shifted to side on Taehyung’s other side. “I know how scary it is to get up the nerve to ask somebody out, so I can’t imagine how that must have hurt.”
“I spent all day planning what I was gonna say,” Taehyung whimpered, clinging to him. “I even practiced in the bathroom mirror. I was so excited because I thought she liked me back.”
“What a mean, stupid girl,” Jimin said in his growly little angry voice that made Namjoon smile. “You’re perfect and wonderful and she’s dumb if she doesn’t see that.”
Jimin was so protective of the kids. Namjoon loved that about him. Namjoon was upset but he was more used to the way some people responded to the children of billionaires, having grown up that way. Girls like that probably thought boys like Taehyung thought they could buy any girl he wanted and was treating her like that. It was obvious some people doubted that ‘rich boys’ had real emotions sometimes. It was upsetting someone made his child cry but it wasn’t like he didn’t grow up around boys who totally thought the way that girl probably thought Taehyung was. Half of Namjoon’s cousins thought being rich meant they were entitled to any girl they wanted so he couldn’t blame the girl for just being wrong and not seeing that his son was wonderful instead of an entitled rich kid.
“Well, while not everybody has to like back the person who likes them,” Namjoon started gently, ignoring the way Jimin’s head popped up and he glared at him like Namjoon had personally offended him. “It was very cruel of her to dismiss you because you’re a ‘spoiled rich boy’,” he finished, kissing Taehyung’s temple.
“I’ve only ever been nice and tried to make her laugh,” Taehyung said in a warbling voice. “It would still hurt if she was nice about it but she was just mean! I thought she would still be my friend even if she didn’t like me, but I really thought she liked me,” he choked out. His shoulders started shaking again and Namjoon rubbed his back in soothing strokes. “Does it always hurt so bad?” he sobbed.
“Oh, TaeTae,” Namjoon sighed, rocking him back and forth like he was a baby again. “It always hurts, but if she had been nice I’m sure it would have been less overwhelming,” he said diplomatically. “But hey, at least a girl talked to you,” he encouraged. “I was two years younger than all the girls I knew, so they treated me like a cute little kid. I didn’t get a girl to like me until I went to University. And even then, the only one who liked me for more than being a billionaire Kim was your mother. You’ve got a big step up from me. You’re handsome and funny and just because this girl didn’t like you, I’m sure tons of girls at school secretly like you.”
He sniffled, looking up at Namjoon with big, sad eyes. “But I like her.”
“Oh my poor baby,” Jimin cooed, petting Taehyung’s hair. “I’m so sorry. If she wasn’t a little girl, I would go give her a piece of my mind for hurting my baby TaeTae.”
“Hey, you should really eat the chicken, TaeTae, you’ll feel better.” They all turned around at the muffled sound of Jungkook’s voice and Namjoon rolled his eyes when he saw Jungkook had a chicken leg in each hand, chowing down at the other end of the table while his brother cried and his parents consoled him across from him.
“Wow, Jungkook, it’s called tact,” Jimin said flatly. “Do you not see your brother is having an emotional crisis?”
Jungkook shrugged, not looking even slightly guilty. “I’m a growing boy and there’s food. Blame puberty,” he defended.
Miraculously, and to both Jimin and Namjoon’s relief, Taehyung suddenly laughed, as wet and tearful as it was. “Kookie, you’re so predictable,” he said, sounding fond instead of sad finally. He took a shuddery breath and smiled as he looked berween his parents. “I guess I am kinda hungry,” he said, and Namjoon grinned.
“Well I got tons of food. You eat up.”
Jimin got to his feet immediately, puttering around to apprehend the chicken from Jungkook and load up a plate for Taehyung. “Here you go, Baby. You eat up.” He gave him the plate and then kissed the top of his head. “If you need anything, just tell me and I’ll get it for you. You need a drink? I’ll get you a coke,” he said, going to the refrigerator without waiting on Taehyung’s answer.
Taehyung smiled brightly. “Thank you, Jiminnie!”
Namjoon rubbed Taehyung’s back and then kissed his temple one more time before going to get a plate of his own. As he sat, watching Jimin continue to baby Taehyung even though he looked a lot less upset as he ate half a chicken all on his own, he couldn’t help but smile at the thought that though his poor baby boy had a terrible day and suffered his first broken heart, their family was seriously equipped to handle anything. Jimin was the best parent Namjoon had ever known, himself included, and they had been at least successful to raise teenagers who were unafraid of showing their emotions in a healthy way.