Single Father • Namjoon + BTS!Kids

lxix.

"Jimin," Lisa greeted warmly, crouching down and patting Jimin's head before looking up at Namjoon. "Thanks for bringing him in," she said, her voice soft.

Namjoon, his left hand together with Tae's and his right hand together with Kookie's, nodded, avoiding her eyes. "Just- be quick, please. It's Christmas Eve and I want to spend time with my family."

Lisa nodded. "I'll do my best." She turned, taming Jimin's hand, and took a few steps towards the interrogation room.

"And- be gentle with him, please. This is hard for him," Namjoon added, and Lisa looked at him over her shoulder.

"I know, Namjoon." Then Lisa took Jimin away.

"What's she going to ask him?" Jungkook asked, biting his lip.

"Just a few questions," Namjoon answered vaguely, and Tae pursed his lips.

"What if she makes Jimin cry?" Tae asked, and Jungkook laughed.

"If? When."

They both laughed but as soon as they realized the other was laughing as well, they cut off. The silence wasn't hostile, just somewhat uncomfortable, foreign, like they were just getting to know each other again.

It was a start. Or at least, Namjoon really hoped so.

Namjoon let the two of them go and mess with Lisa's desk like they'd formed a habit of doing over the past few years during their frequent trips to the police station.

Namjoon just began pacing, wondering if Jimin was all right and hoping so.

***

"Jimin, before we begin - is your head all right?"

Jimin reached up and tentatively felt the back of his head, wincing slightly before nodding.

"What happened, Jimin?"

He was quiet.

"Jimin, you can tell me anything. You know that, right? I'm a police officer. I'm here to help you," Lisa said. She didn't really think Namjoon was the kind of guy to hit his child, especially not since Jimin had been gone for 5 years, but she couldn't just ignore that Jimin had come in with a head injury and was trying to not talk about it.

"I tripped," Jimin said, avoiding eye contact. "And I hit the table. That's it." He looked up suddenly. "Can you just ask the questions now?" he asked, and Lisa frowned, worried.

Namjoon didn't do this, right?

But then why is Jimin lying about it?

Who is he covering for?

Sighing, Lisa decided to just get the questions out of the way, and she'd try to find an answer to the source of the injury as she went.

"All right, let's get started," she said, taking out a notepad, and Jimin swallowed. "Do you remember how it happened?"

"How what happened?"

"How you were abducted?" Lisa bit her lip. "I'm sorry, I know this is a sensitive topic, but it's important that we figure everything out, all right? It's like a mystery, and we need your help to solve it."

Jimin nodded, looking down and playing with his fingers. He didn't really like thinking about it. It had been a part of his "old" life, the part that his "mother" had convinced him was all a dream.

Or a nightmare.

"I was in class, playing with the blocks by myself...and I remember...getting hungry because it was almost snack time...only my teacher said we were going to play a game of hide and seek...she said she had found the best spot and that she'd show me if I wanted. I wasn't sure...but she asked me if I wanted to win...she said that Tae would be proud of me...so I said okay...and I followed her into the closet...she had one of those rolling cart things that teachers have, only it was empty...she told me that I could hide inside of there and that it would be cramped but that I could fit...so...I got inside...and she said to stay there, that I had to be quiet, that I couldn't make any noise or else they'd find me and I would lose...I remember being really hungry...I wanted to come out and have snack with everyone...but she said no, that I had to stay..It felt like a long time that I was in there...but then she came in and said that I had almost won but that there was still someone looking for me and she was going to help me. She said they were going to check the closet, and that she was going to move me where they couldn't find me...But I said I didn't want to play anymore...But she said to just be quiet, that it was almost over...and then she zipped it up so no one could see me...and when she unzipped it, I got out, only it was in a place I'd never seen. It was a house. Her house." Jimin was staring at his hands, looking completely zoned out, caught in a blank stare. "And I remember asking her if...if I'd won, and she smiled and she said yes, I won. And I asked her what the prize was, and she said she'd tell me tomorrow. I asked her where Daddy was and she said that he was playing hide and seek too, only he was it, and she couldn't let him find me. I said I wanted to go home, but she just told me that it was time for bed. They already had a room for me. And when I woke up, they both pretended that we were a family, and when I said I wanted to go home, she pretended to be confused and said that I was home. I was really confused, but they kept telling me every day until I just started to believe it I guess." Jimin looked up at Lisa, clearly shaken and disturbed. "Can I go now?"