Home Is Where the Heart Is

Chapter Twelve

He should have known something was going to go wrong.

He was Kim Seokjin. A harbinger of misery even when his life was finally happy. He should have known his luck was going to run out, eventually — Taehyung, then Jimin, then Hoseok? His children, who got along so well and so sweetly, who brought out the best of each other and cuddled together for afternoon naps, who each had stamped their hands on the twins' bedroom wall and begged to wear matching onesies during Hoseok's birthday? It was March now. They'd celebrated Hoseok's birthday with the boy's first-ever birthday cake. They were planning an early summer trip. He'd been vetting public schools for the boys to go to in the fall.

He should have known.

"What?" Seokjin couldn't even breathe.

"Jin, I'm so sorry," Jenna said, her voice soft. "I am so, so sorry."

Jeongguk was playing with the boys in the living room, helping them construct a couch fort that they all could sit in to watch their weekly family movie. Hoseok hadn't had many chances to see anything; certainly, none of Taehyung's or Jimin's favorites, which the boys found blasphemous and something that needed to be fixed immediately. Jeongguk, in his brilliance, had convinced the boys to spread the movies out instead of trying to cram every single princess movie and animated musical into the span of a week.

His boyfriend, Jeongguk. His three sons — his threesons — Taehyung, Jimin, and Hoseok.

His heart was breaking. "No," he whispered, his throat burning. "No, Jenna. You can't take him."

"Jin, I'm sorry," Jenna repeated. "She has the legal rights, and she wants Jimin back."

Seokjin shook his head. "No."

"Jin," Jenna tried again. "I know. I'm sorry."

It was a joke, right? The first time Jenna would prank him, ever, and this was what she'd chosen?

"It's not funny, Jenna." His voice cracked. "This isn't funny."

Jenna didn't answer for a long time. There were some shuffled papers. "They want you to drop him off. Here. They sent me a missive about concerns of agent safety because of JK. They're requesting you bring him here."

"To abandon him?" Seokjin hissed. He couldn't even see his hand grasping the kitchen countertop, the tears were so fast and thick. "They want me, me, to bring my son up there, my son, Jenna, and leave him there like some toy I got tired of playing with and want to return to the store? That's what they want? They want him to see his own Appa leaving him there, let him leave him there crying and scared and not understanding anything about why because you didn't even tell me this was possible, you didn't even tell me—"

"She got out early on good behavior, Jin. Or something. I don't know. She was supposed to be in for a minimum of three years, and statistically, parents forgo their rights by then. I didn't think it was something we even had to consider—"

"We never even considered it, and now you want me to drop him off and say goodbye to him tomorrow?" Seokjin exploded. "He's my son! He's my son, Jenna. He's mine. You can't do this. Please. I don't know what you can do, but please. Jenna, please, I—" he couldn't breathe. He couldn't breathe because it hurt so much.

Jenna had his papers. Seokjin knew she had them because she'd been helping him file Jimin's adoption paperwork, getting it neat and tidy and ready for the moment Jimin's mother signed away her rights. His father had given Jimin up the first day he'd been taken into custody, and Jenna had assured him Jimin's mother was following suit. That's what she'd told the agency. All those months ago, that's what she'd said she would do.