Namjoon's eyes stared blankly at the television screen as his children finished up their breakfast.

"A word of caution to any pregnant women," the announcer said, holding the microphone and looking at the camera ardently. "A certain pharmaceutical drug has recently been shown to result in possible miscarriage. Testing is still underway, but for anyone currently expecting, please take care to avoid products from the following brand."

Namjoon sighed, turning off the television and rubbing his eyes. The news was always depressing, and it always hit home. He couldn't stop wondering what would have happened if one of his kids hadn't been carried to term, if any one of them had died along the way. If Jin had died as a fetus - Namjoon shuddered at the thought - would Yoongi have inherited his personality, his heart, his soul? What if it had been Yoongi? Would Hobi be cranky and sleepy all the time? Or if it had been Hobi, would Jimin be more outgoing?

Would Jimin be taller?

Or would Jimin ever have been abducted? Would they still be triplets? Would Tae and Jungkook even exist? Or what if Jimin hadn't made it. What about Tae? Would he still be so...weird? Or would he be a normal child? Did Namjoon want a normal child? He wasn't sure that he had any normal children. But without Tae, would Jungkook be the strange one? Would he be obsessed with aliens instead of bad American boy bands?

Actually...that doesn't sound so bad.

"DAD! Hurry up! We have to get to school!" Jungkook yelled, an oddity in itself until Namjoon remembered why Jungkook was so eager.

A smile crossed his lips, and Namjoon looked kindly towards his younger son, happy to see Jungkook coming out of the moody, dark shell he'd been in for years. "That's right. You have a field trip today, don't you?"

Jungkook tried to hide the excitement in his face and shrugged, but he was still buzzing with energy. "I mean, maybe. Yeah, I think you're right."

Namjoon chuckled before grabbing the car keys. "All right. Everyone in the car. Jimin-"

"Can I come with?" Jimin asked, his face lighting up hopefully. He never got to go with.

"I don't..." Namjoon began, but his resolve crumbled the longer Jimin stared at him. "I guess you can... but we have to get back in time for your tutoring."

Jimin nodded happily and followed Jungkook out to the car, skipping after him and slipping his hand into Jungkook's.

Namjoon watched and smiled as he saw that Jungkook didn't pull away.

***

Jungkook and Tae went into their class and sat in their desks as the teacher took attendance. Then they all had to get on a bus to go to a nearby secondary school. They were going to see a theater performance of Romeo and Juliet.

It was strange being on a bus, though, since neither Jungkook nor Tae had ever been. For all the fear Namjoon seemed to have of them, they seemed...anticlimactic. Nobody threatened them about sitting in the wrong seat. Nobody made them hand over their lunch money. Nobody teased them for holding hands.

Rather, the bus was loud and cramped, nothing at all like Namjoon's car, moreso since there were five people missing but sixty people who didn't belong.

They got off at the high school and stared at the whole line of buses, some from other schools who had come to see the performance. Then they all got shuffled into the auditorium and guided towards seats. Jungkook and Tae were on the end since they'd gotten off the bus last, not sure what the procedure to exit was, and they ended up sitting right next to another school.

Jungkook and Tae sat down, and as Jungkook looked up and to the side, he stared at the kid who occupied the seat next to him. "You!"

The boy looked over. "Yeah?" His eyes widened. "Purple crayon kid."

"Kid who didn't want my purple crayon," Jungkook replied, and Tae leaned out past Jungkook to see him.

"Oh, it's whatshisface. Didn't Yoongi steal all your crayons?"

"Which one was Yoongi?"

"The one that looks like a turtle."

"Then, yes." The boy stared at the two of them. "I know we said our names when we met, but I didn't think I'd ever see you again so I didn't bother to remember them."

Jungkook looked slightly hurt that anyone wouldn't remember him while Tae just shrugged.

"Yeah, I don't know your name either," Tae said straightforwardly. "I'm Taehyung and this is Just-"

"Jungkook," he quickly corrected, smacking Tae's arm without looking. "I'm Jungkook."

The boy blinked. "O-kay? I'm Sehun."

They were shushed by the teachers as the show began, and they fell quiet, occasionally whispering small jokes, and Jungkook realized that maybe Sehun wasn't as uptight and aloof as he had seemed.

"Thus with a kiss I die," the character onstage said, and Sehun snickered.

"It's like an anime," Sehun muttered. "You have to announce your attack so it takes effect. I bet if Romeo didn't announce his own death, the poison wouldn't have worked."

Jungkook laughed and quickly slapped a hand over his mouth, and Tae's lips twisted into a smile.

***

After the show finished and the curtain was drawn, Jungkook looked over to see Sehun frowning, and not a little frown but as though his entire mouth were sagging.

"What?" Jungkook asked, and Sehun turned to him, brows furrowed.

"I don't know, they both died? What kind of ending is that? Didn't Romeo collect a 1-Up or something? He should have tried harder."

Jungkook laughed, and Tae slung an arm along behind his neck.

"C'mon, our class is leaving. Bye, Purple."

"Bye, Boxsmile. Bye Bunnyteeth."

Jungkook rolled his eyes. "Bye, Sehun."

Tae dragged him away, muttering a "Why are you so nice" as they boarded the noisy bus.