Too Young || Three

too young || three

summary: jungkook tells you the truth about his “daughter” and the girl’s mother

word count: 3,003

genre: parent!au, single dad!jungkook fluff/angst/slow burn

one || two || three

“Jungkook, look!” Lifting your head up from your book, your eyes watched Jules drag Jungkook into your direction. You bit your lower lip to stop yourself from laughing as he and Jules stumbled onto the light blue checkered blanket. “Wow! Small world, am I right?”

“Indeed,” you joked. 

Jungkook was wearing a long-sleeve yellow button up with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His shirt was tucked into his ripped light jeans. His outfit matched Jules; she was wearing a white t-shirt with yellow checkered shorts. For the first time in forever, her hair was down. 

“Do you mind if we join you?” He asked while Jules put her hands together and gave you a begging look. He ran his left hand through his brown hair as his other hand held a large picnic basket. “If not, it’s cool.” 

You let out a small laugh and rolled your eyes at his attempt of being a cool guy who didn’t care. “I mean I suppose if I get something from the basket.”

“Yay!” Jules cheered as she sat down right away across from you. “I’m glad the three of us are having a picnic.” 

“What are you reading?” Jungkook as he sat down. He put the basket lightly in front of him and opened the lid. He gave you a teasing look. “Let me guess: E. L. James?”

“I’m sorry to disappoint.” You lifted the book from your lap to show him the cover of the book you were reading. It was a graphic novel that documented a life as a refugee escaping the Great War. He stared at your book for a while before taking out the first container out of the basket. “Not what you expected?”

“I don’t know actually.” He opened the lid of the container, revealing chocolate covered strawberries. “I mean, I don’t really know you.” 

“You will soon,” Jules whispered under her breath. She shoved a strawberry in her mouth. “Soon.” 

“What was that, kiddo?” Jungkook asked as he grabbed hand sanitizer and squeezed some onto his hands. 

“Nothing.” Jungkook then started parting Jules’s hair into three sections and began braiding her hair. “I’m eating strawberries.” 

“Who taught you how to braid?” You asked, getting a strawberry from the container. Once you tasted it, you knew you couldn’t stop; they were that good. “I feel like you can braid better than most people.” 

He laughed, and just like Jules’s laugh, it was like hearing the most precious sound ever. You just wanted to listen to it over and over again, and you would never get tired of it. “I asked Jin to teach me how to braid when Jules started living with me, but then I taught myself how to do the fancy ones.” 

Trying to hide your confused facial expression, you closed your book. Jules didn’t always lived with Jungkook, and he had moved and changed his job in order to fit around Jules’s schedule. Did that mean Jungkook and Jules’s mother were divorced? Did her mother suddenly not want her anymore?

You watched as Jungkook carefully and gently braided Jules’s hair without hurting her. “I wish I knew how to braid.” 

“You don’t know how?” Jungkook asked as he grabbed the brown hair tie from his left wrist and wrapped it around the end of Jules’s braid. Again, he put santizer onto his hands and then reached to grab a strawberry. “You never learned?” 

“I’m just really bad with my hands,” you said without thinking. 

“Oh god,” Jules mumbled as Jungkook bit his lower lip, trying not to laugh. “What does that mean?”

“That’s not what I meant.” You let out a laugh. “I just couldn’t braid, so my mom or my friends would always do it for me.” 

“Maybe one day, I’ll teach you.” Jungkook offered. Jules gave him a ‘what is this’ kind of look. You watched Jungkook nudge her, and Jules got back to eating the strawberries. “Perhaps, I’ll be the teacher, and you’ll be the student.” 

Before you could reach for another strawberry, Jungkook reached for one and handed it to you. “Thank you.”

“I’m glad you like them,” he said. “Jules and I made them.” 

“They’re delicious.” Jules smiled and patted herself on the back.  

“Do you like coming to the park to read alone?” He asked. 

“I’m fine by myself.” You shrugged. “Even if I didn’t want to be alone, I couldn’t invite someone. No one would want to come just to be with someone who’s reading.”

“I just think you haven’t found the right person for that.” Jungkook’s alluring eyes met yours. He was looking at you as if he was trying to look into your soul and understand what was going on in your head. “I know you said you were okay with being alone, but don’t you feel lonely sometimes?”

You knew that he asked with concern and wonder, not with the intent to hurt you, but somehow, it did hurt a little. You never thought too much about it, but you were amazed he could read you that easily. 

“And what makes you think that?” 

“I mean, you’re reading a book alone where someone is seeking asylum in a new foreign place, and I just had this feeling,” he explained. “Do you feel like you’re alone?”

You didn’t like depending on anybody else, but there were times where you did feel alone, even when you surrounded yourself with a bunch of people. You just distracted yourself away from that feeling by talking to other people. The feeling of loneliness eventually does go away, but it eventually did come back. It was just a cycle you had to deal with. 

“Way to go, Kook,” Jules gritted through her teeth. “You know how to make a person feel good about themselves.” 

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to be nosy or anything. Or sad. I wouldn’t want that on you.” 

“I’m fine, really. I’m just thinking.” Jungkook was practically a stranger to you, yet you felt comfortable enough to share personal information with him. Your feelings towards Jungkook were changing. You knew that you started to like him and trust him. “I think that’s why I wanted to work in a school environment. I’m able to connect with a bunch of people who have different stories, so it makes me feel less lonely and alone. And I want to help them, so they don’t feel like that.” 

“Did you feel like that growing up?” He asked.

“I mean, a little.” You thought about your childhood. “I was an only child, and I didn’t have a big family. I grew up with my parents and spent a lot of time at school with some friends, so when I wasn’t with them, I did feel alone. But I knew there was always someone there.”

“I get it.” Jungkook gave you a small smile and reached your shoulder to rub your upper arm in soothing circles. His touch felt like a thousand bolts went through your system. It was like he made your senses stronger. “Thank you for being comfortable enough to share that. Especially with me.” 

He had the kind of energy where you felt like you were at home; you felt comfortable, safe and at peace. You were so used to being that type of person that you weren’t used to seeing other people like that too. As much as you didn’t want to admit it, you needed that. “Thanks Jungkook. For listening. For not judging.”

“Are you always that brave?” He teased. “Like I’m glad you trust me and all, but you took a risk by telling me. What if I run away this instant and tell the whole world how you felt?”

”Ha.” You released another laugh. “My mom owns a casino, actually.”

“Oh?” He said, not getting your point. “You go to casinos, and that’s why you like taking risks?”

You rolled your eyes and playfully shoved him. “She told me to always take the chance even when I’m afraid and don’t know. She didn’t think I would want to lose what I could have had,” you explained. “I took the risk to tell you, and hopefully you don’t run away from me.” 

He smiled. “She’s smart.” 

Jules then cupped her hands around Jungkook’s ear and whispered into his ear. She was terrible at it as you heard her ask, “Jungkook, when are you going to do it then?” 

He looked at you and said, “Monday.”

___

That following Monday, you looked up from your laptop once you heard a knock on your office door. 

There, at the door, Jungkook, in a cotton candy blue long sleeve button up and white pants, had a bouquet of purple Alstroemerias in his left hand. He gave them to you, and before you could say anything, he asked if he could cook you dinner at his house on Friday night. 

You didn’t have to say anything. The smile on your face was your answer, and Jungkook knew it.

“I took the risk.”

“Are you glad?”

“Hell yeah.”

____

“Yeah, so I actually can’t cook.” You were with Jungkook at his home theatre room. You two were lying on your sides, facing each other under the big pillow and blanket fort that Jules was still setting up. Just like kids, you three were having a sleepover.

“I can tell,” you joked as you looked down at the leftover pizza on the paper plate that outside the fort. You arrived earlier than what Jungkook told you, and he tried to rush you into the theatre room. As you went into the room, you saw the pizza delivery guy come to the door with a box of pizza in his hand. You kept teasing him about it as you both ate the pizza. “It’s okay. I like it still.”

“Jules, do you want to join us?” Jungkook asked.

“I’m still setting this whole fort up, Kook!” She yelled from outside the fort, adjusting the sheets above your head. "I’m almost done! One more thing!"

“Do you guys always make forts?” You heard loud footsteps run towards the other side of the room, and the lights are turned off. Then, a switch is turned on, and you looked up to see stars through the blankets and sheets. "Fancy."

“Probably every other weekend.” You nodded. “Just to keep things interesting.”

Jules then got into the fort and laid between next to you and Jungkook. Jules then wrapped her arms around Jungkook's body. He laughed, rubbed her back and quietly sang her a soft lullaby. You couldn't help but to smile at how precious they both were.

"How's work?"

“Bearable,” he joked. "I get to see Jules in the morning and after school now, so I'm glad."

Despite the fact that Jungkook forgot to pick up his daughter, you knew he cared about her deeply. There was no way he couldn't. He took the time to learn to braid her hair, sacrificed his career and always made sure she was okay.

"Look at you being a cuddler."

“I like you a lot, ya know?” You let out a small giggle.

"I sure hope so," you teased back. “The pizza really shows.” 

“I want to get to know you better.” Jungkook began asking questions. He didn't ask you the simple things like  your favorite color, food, movie or any of small talk. He knew he could always ask those later. Instead, he asked you questions that made you think and see what kind of person you were; he really wanted to get to know you and how you see life. He asked questions like lyrics that stood out to you the most, what you thought your purpose was, your worst habit and more.

You told him that you always wanted to help kids. To you, kids were special, and you wanted them to be on the right path as they grow up and develop their own ideas. You wanted them to be in a safe environment, wanted them to learn and be happy. You thought your purpose was doing that: making others live happy and shaping their lives, so they choose the path to do something great.

Jungkook told you that he had a similar purpose. He told you that he thought his purpose was to make art with words and sounds; making music was perfect for him. He loved the idea that people turned to music in times of happiness, sadness, needing of comfort and more, and he wanted to make all kinds of music that people could turn to. It was a small thing, but he believed he could help people.

You liked that about him a lot. He wanted people to be happy, just like you did.

"Do you think your purpose changed with Jules in your life?" You asked. “Do you think it shifted towards to Jules instead of your career?”

He looked down at Jules who was peacefully sleeping in his arms. "A little. I still make music, but I still want the world's happiness for Jules. I guess it’s having multiple purposes in life."

You couldn't help but to ask him. “Why does she call you Jungkook?”

He raised his eyebrows, scrunching them together. “Because that’s my name? Is she supposed to call me Martin or something?”

You rolled your eyes causing him to smile at you. “You know that’s not what I meant.”

He took a deep breath, and his facade of being happy and a joker came off. He became serious. “Ask me what you really want to know.” 

“Why doesn’t she call you Dad?”

"Because I’m not her dad." He started stroking the back of Jules's hair. "I thought you knew that."

"What do you mean?" You tilt your head, confused. “How would I know?” 

“I just thought Jules would have told you by now, or you looked into her file at school.” He started to explain. “"When I was growing up, my family was close to Jules's mother's family. They had a daughter about four years younger than me. Her name was Sarah."

"That's Jules's mom's name?"

He nodded. “Jules looks just like her. Brown hair, hazel eyes, and the dimples.”

“Same personality too?” 

“I think she’s more like you.” He chuckled, having a small smile on his face. “Jules has a big heart, is smart and knows what she wants. For her age, she’s not afraid of anything. Sarah wasn’t quite like that. She struggled a lot in school and really was more of a follower than a leader.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“Right, but I think it just led her to make the wrong choices. She partied a lot, argued with her parents and wasn’t responsible. I was like her older brother. I had to take care of her and made sure she was coming home at night, alive and breathing.”

“So what happened?”

“Sarah told me everything. Seven years ago, she told me the night before her graduation that she was pregnant.” He paused. “But she didn't know who the Dad was. It was a one night stand." 

You felt bad for Sarah already, having to raise a child at such a young age and all alone. Although Jules seem to not mind about not having a Dad, you felt bad that she never had the opportunity to meet him. She was left with a lot of questions not answers.

“I already graduated university and had my own career ahead of me.” Jungkook continued his story. "I didn’t do much, but I tried and helped Sarah here and there once Jules was born. I bought diapers, paid for babysitters and visited like once a month and on birthdays.”

“You did that even though you didn’t have to.” 

“I cared for the both of them.”

“Where is she now?” This story could go anywhere, and you weren’t prepared at all. Did she become an alcoholic and was deemed unfit to parent Jules? Did she leave Jules? Did she just give Jungkook a baby and walked away?

He took a deep breath. “A couple months before you were principal, Sarah was on her way to pick up Jules and got into an accident. Nothing could have been done to save her.”

“How did you get Jules then?” 

“Jules didn’t have any other family but her uncles, and in Sarah’s will, she entrusted me to be Jules's guardian."

"Oh, Jungkook." You knew Jungkook adored Jules, but it wasn’t the life he planned or wanted; it just happened. “I’m so sorry.”

"You have nothing to be sorry about, Y/N." He kissed the top of Jules's head and held her a little tighter. "I'm glad Jules is in my life, but there are some days where they are harder than others."

"I mean, that's still a big adjustment." Jungkook agreed with you. "You had a whole life already, and now you’re living a life you didn’t think you were going to live.”

“It wasn’t something I wanted to choose, but there was no other choice.” He sighed. “Life is crazy and works in mysterious ways.” 

“You asked me if I felt alone.” He nodded. “Do you feel like that?” 

“Sometimes when I am lost and confused,” he answered. “I have the boys, but sometimes, I don’t know what I’m doing with Jules. I feel like it would have been better for Sarah to raise her, and I wouldn’t have to be hard on her sometimes when she misbehaves.”

“You’re just doing your job,” you assured him. “She loves you and knows you love her.” 

“But on good days, I’m glad I have Jules. I know then I’m not alone.”

“But you still miss what you had before.” 

“Missing my old life won’t change anything. It’s not going to bring me back my old life or bring back Sarah. It’s better just to move on,” he said. “Besides, I’m really happy with what I have now and Jules. And I am definitely happy that I met you.”

the most beautiful smile~

Jungkook couldnt sleep so he sang Nothing Like Us

Jungkook couldnt sleep so he sang Nothing Like Us

whenever they talk about I NEED U 😭

Better part 2???? It’s soooo good 💜

coming soon! i am a senior in high school so i just have a lot going on and haven’t written it yet