Orphaned

nine

Jungkook decided that he didn't mind if Minjoon went shopping with him after work. 

The young boy was feeling tired from the physical exertion that he'd faced from learning to defend himself, and honestly, he wanted to go home and rest. But the older boy had simply given him a look and that was the end of the debate. 

Rina needed a few groceries, so Jungkook collected a cart from the front of the store and nodded to Minjoon to start looking through the aisles for what was on the list. 

"Why doesn't Rina get groceries during the day?" Minjoon asked. Jungkook's eyes were shifting through the shelves. He wasn't certain what kind of spices she wanted, so he'd just have to make a guess. He'd get her the most expensive brand and hopefully, she'd like it. 

"I told her not to leave the house," Jungkook said, his fingers gripping a small container of garlic powder and he inspected the quality. 

"You're kind of crazy, you know that?" the younger snickered. Jungkook rolled his eyes. 

"Yeah, whatever. Grab some soy sauce," he mumbled, continuing down the aisle. 

"How did you know that you loved her?" Minjoon asked. Jungkook stopped walking, turning to give the boy his full attention. 

The young boy had been staying with Rina and Jungkook for a couple of weeks at that point. He'd been going to school every morning and going to learn self-defense every afternoon with Jungkook. He'd been eating all of his meals and doing his homework with Rina when he got home. 

She'd even given him a haircut after a couple of days, his eyebrows now finally visible to the world. He was a handsome kid, that much was obvious. It seemed that the pair had collected a child that was going to be just as beautiful as they were. 

Over a couple of weeks, Jungkook had learned to tolerate the boy pretty well. Minjoon would follow him for the most part, even wandering the halls with him at lunchtime. It seemed that he was thriving to be just like Jungkook. 

"I don't know when it started. It just happened. She's always looked out for me," Jungkook said. Then he tilted his head to the side and gave the boy a small smirk. "Why? Is there someone that you think you love?" 

"Maybe," Minjoon mumbled, looking at the ground. He glanced up and tossed a bottle of soy sauce to Jungkook, who caught the glass bottle and placed it in the cart. 

"Ask her out," he said. 

"It's not really that easy."

"Why isn't it?"

"Because it isn't a her."

"I see the problem," Jungkook said, pushing the cart through another aisle. It was an unspoken rule in their city that gay relationships weren't viewed very well. Jungkook had thought for a while that Minjoon may have been interested in boys, but he hadn't really wanted to ask him about it. 

Although why he cared about the boy's personal life at all was beyond him. 

Jungkook supposed that he more than just tolerated the boy. 

He didn't mind his presence all that much. 

For some reason, he found himself truly thinking about what to say to Minjoon's predicament. 

"Is he into guys?" he asked. Minjoon stayed quiet for a second as he sifted through some vegetables. He knew that Rina liked Brussels sprouts, so even though it wasn't on her list he figured he'd still get her some. 

"Yeah."

"Ask him out, then. If you like him, go for it. You're learning how to defend yourself. You'll be able to look out for him, too. It'll be okay," Jungkook said, picking out some carrots. Minjoon stopped sifting to turn and look at the older boy.