Chapter Text
“He’s been to five different schools in the past two years? That's an awful lot at six years old, was there any behavior problems?”
Jihoon does well to maintain a fake smile, posture straight, and hands in his lap as he sits before a beta principle. He's uncomfortable, but he's not going to let that show, especially when he was depending on this school to accept his son. “My work requires me to move around, but I’ve settled on moving to this town to try and give Seungkwan some stability. It hasn't been fair for him, being bounced around from school to school.” He would keep the pup home permanently if he could, just out of his own anxiety and protectiveness. But that wasn't fair to his pup, the boy deserved a normal life.
“He’s not behind developmentally if that's a concern,” Jihoon continues, still holding the woman's gaze. “I was always on top of his education to make sure his reading and writing skills were where they should be. He's a sweet boy, truly, and I think a school like this would do him some good.”
“Well, all of your paperwork is in order, I’ll just have to get back to you later on what teacher he will have. Since he's a late entry most of the classes for his grade are filled, so we will have to do some readjustment. Meaning that I can't guarantee the teacher you wanted.”
There were three teachers for Seungkwan’s grade, a beta, an omega, and an alpha. The other two teachers would be fine, but he couldn't do an alpha, there was no way he was letting his pup near one again. The thought alone makes the side of his neck tingle, a phantom reminder of everything he's been through.
“That's okay,” Jihoon lies, not wanting to give the impression of being picky. “Seungkwan will be excited no matter what, he's eager to be around other children again.”
“I'll email everything over to you once we've settled on things,” The woman states, giving Jihoon a kind smile. “I don't want to hold you up any longer, and I'm sure Seungkwan might be bored inside the office. In the meantime here is a list of standard school supplies that we ask parents to buy.” She pushes over a sheet of paper, and Jihoon has to do his best to not grimace at the idea of buying things again. Moving constantly did put a strain on his finances.
But still, he accepts the sheet, standing up and giving a small bow to the principal. “I look forward to hearing back from you, and we’ll get started right away on his supplies.”
Jihoon is escorted back into the main office, finding his pup in the same spot he had originally left him. Seated in a chair by the front desk so he could stay within eyesight of the receptionist. But the moment the pup spots Jihoon he is out of his seat, quickly moving to take hold of the omega's hand.
“Alright, love, let's go home.”
Home was a studio apartment, one bedroom, one bath, and a tiny kitchen and living room piled into one space. But it was all that he could afford, and he thanked the universe for blessing him with a son who seemed to understand that. Seungkwan never complained and was even excited that his bed was going to be next to Jihoon’s. The omega had brought along a twin mattress and was able to fit it into the one bedroom, giving Seungkwan his own place to sleep. Though more often than not the pup abandoned his bed in favor of cuddling up with Jihoon.
“Alright puppy,” Jihoon calls as they walk into the apartment. “How does ramen sound for dinner?”
“Are you going to add vegetables to it,” Seungkwan questions, looking skeptically at Jihoon. Most of their meals for the time being were what Jihoon could buy on a low income, but he always made sure frozen or canned vegetables made their way into Seungkwan’s diet. Even though the pup heavily argued against it.
“Yep,” Jihoon states, popping the p for emphasis. Already going to the freezer to show Seungkwan his options. “Broccoli, or green beans?”
Seungkwan just scrunches up his nose, disliking both options. But he doesn't fight Jihoon and ends up pointing to the broccoli before retreating to the living room. One of the few items they brought from their last apartment was an assortment of coloring books, which Seungkwan was happy to sit silently and draw while Jihoon cooked.
There was no TV, mainly because they couldn't afford it, and it was a hassle to move big items when they often had little time to prepare for moves. So often times Jihoon surrendered his phone to Seungkwan, allowing the pup to watch YouTube when he was well-behaved, which was always.
“Tomorrow we’ll go to the store and start picking up school supplies, okay?” Jihoon calls over his shoulder from the kitchen. Adding broccoli and eggs to their ramen pot, trying to pack in as much nutrition as possible.
“Can I get a new coloring book too?” Seungkwan calls, never looking up from his artwork. “This one is almost empty.”
“We can do that, I think you’re due for new crayons too.” Jihoon looks at the ones Seungkwan is using, most of which are on their last limbs, dulled down after months of use, some of them broken in half too.
“No, it's okay,” Seungkwan announces, lifting his head and giving Jihoon a shy smile. “These ones still work, you don't have to buy a new set, you can save the extra money.”
Jihoon digs his nails into the flesh of his palm, smiling at his son while trying not to cry. He doesn't want his son to consider money in decisions, not when he was so young. “Love, it's okay, I promise, you need a new set. How are you going to keep making me pictures if you run out?”
The pup hesitates before eventually agreeing, getting up a moment later to wash his hands when Jihoon announced that dinner was ready. Seungkwan’s bowl holds the most food, and Jihoon intentionally eats away from him so the pup can't notice. So he gives the boy his phone, allowing him to watch videos as a distraction while they eat.
Their meal is quick, and Jihoon finishes first, as usual. Taking hold of their bowls to wash them while Seungkwan stays with the phone, eyes glued to the screen while occasionally letting out a laugh at the content. The number of notifications that Jihoon got in a day, all of which were from YouTube, letting him know that whatever channels Seungkwan was subscribed to had uploaded a new video.
“You are not taking that to bed with you,” Jihoon states, which earns him a pout from the pup, but he does hand it back over when bedtime approaches. Even if school hadn't started yet Jihoon tried to keep Seungkwan on a schedule, once again striving for normalcy and consistency for his son. So once 8 pm rolled around there was no more phone time, leaving room only for changing into pajamas and brushing teeth before laying down.
Since both of their mattresses were in the same room Jihoon also opted to lie down, already exhausted at the idea of how much preparation he would need to get Seungkwan ready for school.
“All ready?” Jihoon questions as Seungkwan comes out of the bathroom, watching as the boy lifts up his arms in a silent plea. One that Jihoon is all too familiar with, wordlessly scooping the pup into his arms, brushing his nose against the boy's cheek. Seungkwan goes docile at the touch, sleepily purring in Jihoon’s hold.
“Can I sleep in your bed?” Seungkwan mumbles, now nuzzling against Jihoons neck. The answer is already yes, it will always be yes. And even if Jihoon said no Seungkwan would still crawl into his bed in the middle of the night. Plus Jihoon secretly preferred this, keeping Seungkwan close. It made his nightmares lessen, that no one could take Seungkwan from his arms.
So the duo cozy up in Jihoon’s bed, which is truly no bigger than Seungkwan’s. But the boy is still small enough that he doesn't take up much space, curling up against Jihoon’s chest and falling asleep within minutes.
But Jihoon remains awake, the same thoughts always plaguing his mind. How were they going to afford rent and groceries, when would he hear back from job offers? He only had so much saved up from their last move, using most of it on the deposit for the apartment.
And more importantly, how long would it be till this place was no longer safe too?
By mid-afternoon Jihoon and Seungkwan are at the store, getting all the boy's school supplies ready. Seungkwan was running up and down the aisles, buzzing with excitement from the new coloring books and crayons that Jihoon had added to the cart.
“Stay close,” Jihoon calls, looking at a wall full of backpacks, wagering which one was the cheapest that he could use. But his thoughts were interrupted by his phone vibrating a few times, pulling it out of his pocket with a look of surprise, it was from the school.
“Thank you so much for enrolling with us…. The school year will start within three weeks, we are all so excited…”
Jihoon reads aloud, not caring for the little details. There was only one thing he was looking for, and his heart dropped when he reached the part of Seungkwans teacher.
“Your pup's teacher for the year will be Kwon Soonyoung, our alpha teacher for second grade.”
An alpha.
Fuck.