Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Taehyung finished placing the table for breakfast as he hummed some random melody. Yes, it was early in the morning and the sun was barely up, however, the young male with blonde and pink hair loved that time of the day, because he could spend some quality time with his “little sunshine”, his young brother Hoseok, and his best friend in the whole world, Yoongi, while sharing a delicious meal, a meal his red-haired best friend always insisted on making since it was their tradition, not that Taehyung was a bad cook, Hoseok was just slightly picky when it came to food, apparently, he wasn’t a master chef like Yoongi.

Taehyung averted his attention to Yoongi, who was busy preparing breakfast – pancakes, bacon, scrambled eggs and toast –, wondering how he wasn’t a big round ball for eating so much sugar and consuming so many calories. Taehyung wasn’t exactly skinny, but he wasn’t fat either, he was curvy, he didn’t have the six-pack or the chiselled chest like his ex-boyfriend had and he didn’t mind, because Taehyung loved the way he was and he always made sure to let Hoseok know how beautiful he is inside and out, no matter his sexual orientation, his gender, his body type or his likes and dislikes.

“If I were you, I would wake-up Hobi…” Yoongi said calmly while focusing on finishing the last pancake “You know what today is, don’t you, Tae?”

Taehyung knew perfectly well what that day was and just thinking about the subject made him sigh heavily in frustration.

That day happened to be the day of Hoseok’s math test. Just like any kid, his younger brother hated the subject, he was the best in the Korean subject, because he loved to write. Hoseok, sometimes, wrote small and cute messages for him, Namjoon, their older brother, Yoongi and his classmates, which adored Hoseok’s friendly personality. For a six-year-old, Hoseok was a pretty amazing kid and that made Taehyung proud, his younger brother had a rough past, in reality, Hoseok was his half-brother, he was a result of a relationship between his father and his mistress, who got pregnant and wanted to get rid of the baby, however Taehyung, with Namjoon’s help, made sure that didn’t happen and, as a legal adult, he decided to adopt Hoseok and give him a nice and safe home, where he could be loved.

“If he doesn’t get up from the bed, I’m going to kick his cute little ass” Taehyung stated sweetly as he made his way to Hoseok’s bedroom, smiling brightly. Even though he wasn’t kidding about his intentions and Yoongi knew he wasn’t kidding either “I love my little sunshine, but he’s getting more stubborn as he gets older, can you imagine when he gets to his adolescence years, I’m screwed”

Yoongi burst out laughing, listening to his best friend walking towards the end of the hallway where Hoseok’s bedroom was. “Says the guy who was a troublemaker when he was a teenager, you know, Hoseok is just like you – stubborn, childish and ready to cause trouble – so, don’t be too hard on the boy”

“You’re forgetting how cute, handsome, energetic, adorable and friendly your best friend is, Yoongles” Taehyung retorted wittily, before opening the door to Hoseok’s bedroom “And my baby brother is exactly like me so, don’t be a sour puss”

“Call me that again, Tae, and this is the last time I cook for you”

(Yeah, right, as if…)

Taehyung rolled his eyes as he walked inside Hoseok’s bedroom. He carefully made his way to the big covered windows and slowly pulled the curtains apart, letting the morning sunlight come inside the bedroom. The moment he did, he heard a groan coming from the bed.

“Close the curtains, Tae Tae…” Hoseok whined loudly, covering his head with his blankets “The sun is hurting my eyes…”

Taehyung cooed with Hoseok’s grumbling and sat down on the side of the bed, trying to pull the blankets down. “My little sunshine, it’s time to wake up, today is a big day”

“I don’t want to…” Hoseok muttered as he tightly gripped the blankets, not letting his big brother win “I hate math, it’s poop”

“Hobi, you need math in your life to do the simple calculations, don’t be like me, baby” Taehyung reassured Hoseok, not wanting to kick his cute little ass, however, he was going to do it if his young brother insisted on being stubborn, maybe Yoongi was right “Didn’t Joon hyung help you out with your studies in this last week? And won’t you get the grade from your Korean test? Maybe that could be an incentive”

Hoseok momentarily peeked from his big blankets, he blinked cutely at his brother, contemplating his words and thinking about a way to be rewarded after his enormous effort. “Will you get me ice cream after school, Tae Tae, if I try my best?”

(This brat…)

Taehyung couldn’t resist his younger brother, even if he tried, Hoseok was a smart kid and he didn’t always get his way, but he surely knew how to pull his heartstrings with his adorableness and his big doe brown and beaming eyes that were staring right at his soul.

Taehyung sighed once again and unwillingly nodded his head, knowing he was spoiling Hoseok too much, however, he loved his younger brother dearly and he would do everything in his power to make him the happiest kid in the world, his baby brother deserved it.

Hoseok swiftly pulled down the blankets and threw himself at his older brother, hugging him firmly as he giggled out loud. “Tae Tae, you and Joon hyung are the best”

Taehyung held on to Hoseok’s small body, stroking his blonde hair while smiling at his baby brother’s hectic behaviour, thinking about what Yoongi said earlier, how Hoseok was exactly like he was when he was younger, which he couldn’t deny. Taehyung saw a lot of himself in the blonde boy, he was charismatic, lovable, sweet and selfless, on the other hand, he could be a little devil and a troublemaker. Hoseok’s teacher was always praising him for his good grades, but at the same time, complained about the boy’s enthusiasm, sometimes, he interrupted classes just for the hell of it.

Taehyung pulled away from the hug and cupped Hoseok’s small face. “You are our little sunshine, Hobi, I’m proud of you and I have a good feeling about this test, I know you studied a lot with Joon hyung, and I know you are going to do your best, Tae Tae loves you very much, baby”

“I love you too, Tae Tae, and I promise I’ll do my best, but…” Hoseok pouted as he played with the hem of his pyjama shirt “I’m not smart like the other boy in my class, he gets straight A’s, except in Korean…”

The younger with pink and blonde hair knew exactly how Hoseok was feeling. He himself was never that great in school, he was always distracted by something and he couldn’t really focus that well during classes. He resorted to Namjoon, Yoongi and his parents, they were the ones who helped him get through school. Taehyung never wanted to be a lawyer, a doctor or a big businessman, he was simple, he wanted to have a job that he would love and he had, the younger male worked as a kindergarten teacher, he adored the little ones and teach them about the small things and do fun and entertaining activities with them.

“Hoseok, sweetie, just because someone gets better grades than you, it doesn’t mean you’re not smart” Taehyung comforted his younger brother the best he could, giving him a meek smile “Everyone is different in their own way, like you said just now, the best student in your class struggles with Korean, is he less smart?”

Hoseok shook his head sheepishly, still pouting.

“You see, Hobi, you aren’t less smart just because you struggle with math, you are awesome in the other subjects” Taehyung gave a tender kiss on Hoseok’s forehead and tousled his hair a little, making his brother smile “And maybe you can help the boy with his Korean, you guys can help each other, how about that, baby?”

Hoseok stayed quiet for a moment, thinking about his older brother’s words. He honestly wanted to talk to the boy for some time, since he always seemed sad and lonely. He didn’t speak much, however, Hoseok was the type of kid who liked to make friends and play with everyone, more the merrier, and the small boy from his class wasn’t an exception.

“I like him, Tae Tae, but he’s always sad…” Hoseok spoke quietly, fidgeting with his fingers “I don’t know if he likes me, what if he doesn’t want to help me? Or, or play with me?”

“Well, I don’t think he doesn’t like you, my little sunshine, that’s impossible, you’re the cutest baby ever” Taehyung picked up his younger brother, who was heavier than he thought, and placed him on his lap, glancing at him softly, “I think he’s shy and doesn’t know how to talk to people, maybe he needs a little push…” Taehyung pondered about that possibility while seeing Hoseok slightly frowning. The younger male understood the fear of not being accepted, it happened not only with the kids but also with the adults, Taehyung, like Hoseok, never had problems fitting in, he was a social butterfly, and he always had been. The male with colourful hair tried to think about a solution for Hoseok’s predicament and he decided to choose a fun way to deal with this kind of issue. As a kindergarten teacher, Taehyung had to deal with some cases of the “shy bug” as he usually called when a little one had trouble making friends “Okay, Hobi, I’m going to give you a mission”

Hoseok tilted his head as he looked at his older brother with confusion. “What’s the mission, Tae Tae?”

“Your first mission is to talk with the boy and make him smile” Taehyung attempted to sound serious as he raised a brow, pretending to be one of those guys from the spy movies “Can I count on you with this mission?”

Hoseok nodded firmly with a determined expression on his face.

Taehyung saluted, for some random reason, and smacked Hoseok’s thigh gently, telling him to leave his lap.

Hoseok happily jumped from Taehyung’s lap to the floor and watched his big brother getting up from his bed. “Tae?”

“Yes, baby?”

“If I complete my mission, will you buy me snacks?”

(This kid, I swear to God…)

“Jung Hoseok, I’m giving you ice cream already, I don’t want you to be fat, you’re just a little boy” Taehyung remarked, not surprised by his brother’s request. He noticed how Hoseok was flashing his eyelashes cutely and pursing his lips like a baby, however, Taehyung knew when to draw the line, his little sunshine couldn’t have his way all the time “Stop acting like a cute baby, I’m not going to say yes, and hurry up, Yoonie finished making breakfast for us”

“No snacks, no math test” Hoseok stuck his tongue out and quickly jumped on his bed, hiding under the blankets again “You meanie!”

“Yoongi!” Taehyung shouted, feeling frustrated with Hoseok’s bratty behaviour “Come here and help me, or I’ll kick Hobi’s cute little ass for sure!”

***

After much convincing from Yoongi, Hoseok finally got up from the bed and got ready for another day of school. Of course, Taehyung wasn’t happy about the deal that he made with his younger brother, however, he needed to budge because Hoseok was going to arrive late so, as an agreement, the younger male, with Yoongi’s help, promised to buy the young boy any type of snacks he wanted for a week in case he got a better grade in today’s math test. Taehyung was at a crossroad, on one hand, he didn’t like the idea of buying snacks for a week to please his baby brother, on the other, he truly wanted Hoseok to have a better grade in math because he knew how happy he was going to be for finally kicking that subject’s ass.

After a frantic morning, Taehyung and Yoongi were able to get Hoseok to school on time, they were now standing at the entrance gate, making sure the blonde boy was ready for his challenge.

“Jung Hoseok, if you want those snacks, you better do your best” Taehyung crouched down, brushing a few hairs from Hoseok’s face, noticing his smug smile displaying on his heart-shaped lips, the kid surely was a rascal “And I’m not only talking about the test, remember your mission?”

“Yes, Tae, talk to him and make him smile” Hoseok repeated Taehyung’s words from that morning with a cheery tone as he sneakily gazed at the said boy, who was being dropped by his dad, and he couldn’t help but feel sorry for the small boy, he had that sad look on his face “I’m going to make you and Yoonie hyung proud”

“Ready to go, little sunshine?” Yoongi asked, smiling widely at the young blonde boy as he stretched his arm for Hoseok to hold his hand “You don’t want to be late”

“Hyung, I’m a big boy, I don’t need you to hold my hand” Hoseok complained as he made his way inside the school ground, leaving behind a frowning Yoongi and a laughing Taehyung “Let’s go or you’ll be late, Yoonie”

“That brat…”

“Careful, sour puss, I’m the only one who can call him that” Taehyung remarked cautiously as he lifted himself up, watching his baby brother smiling along with his friends from his class “He’s a brat, but a very sweet kid…”

Yoongi gazed at Taehyung, noticing the intense sparkle in his eyes and his unique boxy smile adorning his lips while observing Hoseok talking and smiling with his school friends. The red-haired male could see how proud Taehyung was of Hoseok, just like he himself was proud of his best friend from childhood for coming forward when his father’s mistress decided to get rid of an innocent child, just because she didn’t want a baby to mess up her new life.

Yoongi knew Taehyung and Namjoon for two decades and he witnessed the many tragedies that hit the Kim family. First their mother’s death and then the knowledge about their father’s affair with a younger woman which was a really hard thing for Taehyung to accept, especially when the affair was going on while his mother was still alive and having the mistress pregnant was the last straw for both Taehyung and Namjoon. Even though Hoseok was the son of the woman who basically destroyed their family, Taehyung and Namjoon decided to embrace baby Hoseok and raise him, Yoongi helped as well and he was truly amazed at how Taehyung, at the age of nineteen, took care a small child without knowing what to do, Yoongi admired Taehyung.

“You’re right, Tae, he’s a very sweet kid, he gets it from you” Yoongi said amusingly, seeing Taehyung turning his attention to him “Just like he gets his bratty side from you”

“Dear Yoongi, if we weren’t in front of a school, I would curse at you” Taehyung stated joyfully as he glared at Yoongi “Don’t you have cute second graders to teach? I bet they are dying to learn about Mozart”

Yoongi briefly nodded as he fixed the strap of his backpack. “Yes, I have and they aren’t as annoying and bratty as my best friend, he’s a pain in the ass”

Taehyung grunted, clicking his tongue. Yoongi really enjoyed messing with him, he guessed the sour puss wasn’t nice until he had his cup of coffee from his favourite coffee place.

“What ass, Yoongi? I hope you are not talking about yours because is non-existent” Taehyung smirked, hearing Yoongi cursing under his breath “Unlike my magnificent ass that brings all boys to the yard”

“Kim Taehyung, I’m going t-“

Before Yoongi could finish his empty threat, Taehyung heard a sound coming from his phone. He took it from the pocket of his jeans and looked at the screen, noticing a message that made him roll his eyes right away.

“Taehyung, baby, I miss you, please give me another chance❤️”

“Talking about bringing all boys to the yard, this one wants to come back to mine...” Taehyung put his phone back inside his pocket, dismissing the desperate message “He wants me to give him a chance again, does he think I’m stupid?”

“Is it Hongseok again?” Yoongi questioned wittingly, watching Taehyung nodding and sighing. The red-haired male wasn’t very fond of Hongseok, Taehyung’s ex-boyfriend aka the cheating asshole “I told you to block his ass, you better not come to him, you know what happened last time”

“Yes, dad, I know, dad, don’t worry, dad” Taehyung said boringly, not having the patience to be scolded “How about you go ahead and go to class, I’m going to be late”

Yoongi gave Taehyung a small smile as he wrapped his arms around his slightly taller best friend’s body, feeling him snuggling his head on the crook of his neck. Despite the bickering between them, both he and Taehyung shared a strong bond, a brotherly bond that the red-haired male cherished with all his heart, he loved his best friend and always made sure he was safe and sound, that was why he was really protective of him, just like he was of Hoseok. Yoongi would kill anyone who try to hurt any of them and he almost killed Hongseok for cheating on Taehyung and attempting to allure him to go back to him again.

“Have a good day at work, Tae” Yoongi uttered caringly as he parted from the hug, still smiling at his best friend “Be a good boy”

“You too, Yoongles” Taehyung said back with an enthusiastic tone, returning a smile to Yoongi “And I’m always a good boy, now hurry up”

The school bell rang piercingly, making the kids run towards the big glass doors of the building.

“That’s my queue, I’ll see you later, Taehyung”

“I’ll see you later, Yoongi”

Taehyung observed Yoongi walking inside the school and he immediately noticed a couple of kids running towards him, greeting him by bowing their heads. The younger male couldn’t help but chuckle at the adorable view, kids were really special and they should be treated with respect and care, they should be loved and feel safe. Taehyung found repulsive all of those who mistreated the little ones or simply neglected them, children were precious beings and they didn’t deserve to feel like a burden or misplaced by their parents or anyone else for that matter. The younger with colourful hair witnessed his father’s mistress almost aborting baby Hoseok and he couldn’t stand the thought of someone killing a human being just because she never wanted to be a mother, well, there are ways to prevent pregnancy, if she wasn’t so dumb and superficial, maybe she should’ve thought about that before making her son pay the price with his life.

After watching Yoongi and a couple of kids entering the school building, Taehyung went to his pocket and took his phone again. He looked at the screen, seeing the message unanswered and, against his better judgement, he decided to reply, knowing if Yoongi found out he would be killed for sure, along with Hongseok, just for saying something. However, Taehyung needed to make a point that he didn’t have any intentions of going back to him, especially after what Hongseok made him go through.

Taehyung and Hongseok dated for two years and during that time, his ex-boyfriend cheated on him three times – yes, three times – and as the loving, bubbly and forgiving person he was, Taehyung forgave Hongseok two of those three times. The first time was at the seven-month mark, Hongseok wasn’t physical with the guy, but it still counted, Taehyung decided to not dwell on the matter and keep it in the past. The second time was a little over a year after they started dating, Taehyung found out Hongseok went to someone’s party with his group of friends without even telling him, not that it mattered, and quickly discovered that his ex-boyfriend had the time of his life with some slut, once again, Taehyung being the patience and nice person he was, he forgave Hongseok. The third and last time, now that was impossible to forgive since Taehyung witnessed it with his own eyes, it was his and Hongseok’s second anniversary and he wanted to surprise his boyfriend, but he ended up the one being surprised when he saw Hongseok completely naked with some guy riding him on the couch, just the memory of that day made Taehyung’s skin crawl.

Although Taehyung went through a lot with Hongseok, he should’ve learned his lesson after being cheated on three times. There were some occasions the young with pink and blonde hair couldn’t resist temptation and those times happened to be when he got himself drunk, which was rare. After all, he had Hoseok to take care of and Taehyung was unpredictable when he was under the influence, the majority of times he was clingy and obnoxiously cheerfully, other times he was horny, just like it happened the last time he drank too much and that resulted on having a one-night stand with his ex-boyfriend of whom he broke up almost four months ago.

Taehyung began to type his response to Hongseok, making sure the guy got through his head that he didn’t want anything else to do with him, neither romantically nor in a friendly way. He was done and as Yoongi said, he didn’t want to make the same mistake twice, he didn’t want to end up in Hongseok’s bed.

“Hongseok, honey, I have no intention of giving you a chance, because you ran out of them, do you think I have dumb written on my forehead? I don’t and I can do a lot better than you, I deserve someone who loves me and cares about me and that someone is not you.
I hope your dick falls off,
Goodbye forever, you fucking jerk”

Taehyung smiled to himself as he send the message to Hongseok, hoping his ex-boyfriend would finally let him alone for good, and he proceeded to block his ass as Yoongi bluntly put it.

Taehyung was about to put his phone inside his pocket when someone bumped into his shoulder, making him lose his grip on the device, and it ended up falling to the ground. He looked behind and threw daggers at the asshole as he picked up the phone, checking if everything was alright, luckily it was. Taehyung caught a glimpse of the man who bumped into him and that was when Taehyung’s mind clicked, the guy was the same one who had been bumping into him for the last weeks, without even apologising, but today was not a good day to piss him off so, he decided to confront the rude ass.

“YAH!” Taehyung yelled out at the man, who basically ignored him, as he walked tremendously quickly. He instantly jumped in front of the tall and broad-shouldered man and placed a hand on his chest, getting his attention “Hi there, Mr. asshole, who has been bumping into me for the last couple of weeks, you look like a smart guy and I’m certain that you know the word “sorry”, didn’t your dad teach you good manners?”

“Little boy, I’m a very busy man, shouldn’t you be in school?” The man asked sternly, taking the young male’s hand from his body “Young people these days are a disgrace, they don’t respect their elders and neglect their studies, no wonder this country doesn’t go forward, the future generation is hopeless”

(This guy is fucking lucky if he hadn’t a pretty face and if I wasn’t in front of a school, I would do something I would probably regret)

“First of all, I’m not a kid, it’s none of your business, but I’m twenty-five years old, I have a job that deals with kids…” Taehyung retorted wrathfully, crossing his arms “And you’re quite the hypocrite, aren’t you? Talking about the young people like that, old man, you’ve been bumping into me for days and don’t even apologise, who are you? The most important man in the country just because you’re rich and wear a fancy suit that doesn’t even look good on you? Please, the little ones from the kindergarten where I work are far more respectable than you, I guess the old generation is our doom with your old-fashioned mentality” Taehyung spoke coldly, scowling at the frustrating man in front of him “What’s next? You’re against the LGBTQ community and technology”

“For a twenty-five-year-old, you seem quite immature for your age, I guess working with children all day might do that to someone and, please, don’t talk to me with disrespect and don’t tell lies about my outfit, I see myself in the mirror every day and one thing I’m sure, I look stunning with anything I wear” The man said arrogantly, buttoning one of the buttons of his dark-blue blazer as he saw the younger’s eyes squinting “As for my old-fashioned mentality, I advise you to not go there, I have my own opinions which I’m not obliged to share with some strange kid with a ridiculous hairstyle”

Taehyung was losing his patience with the guy, he just wanted a freaking apology, not the moon, was it so much to ask?

“I really don’t care about your suits or your opinions, I just want your apology and reassurance that will not happen again, is it too much to ask, Mr. big shot?” Taehyung questioned peevishly, feeling like he could jump on the guy and smack him, not really caring about his handsome face. How could someone be beautiful on the outside and hideous on the inside at the same time? “Are you too egoistic to apologise to someone younger than you?”

The man let out a sigh as he stared at his watch, he was already late and he didn’t have time to deal with some brat who wanted an apology. An apology for what? He wasn’t the one standing in the middle of the sidewalk.

“Look, I don’t have time to play around, I have a business to run, if you excuse me, I’m leaving”

“I bet that was what your wife told you, right?” Taehyung knew he was stooping down at the same level as the asshole, who just froze in his place after professing his malicious words. He couldn’t help it, he was already pissed off with Hongseok, the last thing he needed was some random guy getting on his nerves “No wedding ring, she probably left your ass because you only care about your business, that, or you were too cold in bed”

The man cleared his throat while trying to control the anger that was building up inside of him, however, he wasn’t going to give satisfaction to the younger with the atrocious hair colours, he was just provoking him to get his away and one thing he didn’t tolerate was someone who went against him. He didn’t even let his own son talk back at him, it was a matter of principle, children should respect their parents and their elders, and treat them with respect, the same was for young men like the one who was speaking with him so informally.

The man turned around and locked his gaze with the enervating younger. “Someone like yourself shouldn’t be around children, especially with that foul mouth of yours, I wondered what type of education you are giving to the child you dropped off at school today, you should be more careful with your language and your tone, now like I said, I’m already late, I wish you a good day”

Chapter Text

“Here you go, Hoseok, very well done” Myungsoo remarked proudly as he gave the sheet of paper to Hoseok, who grabbed it as quickly as possible “I’m sure your brothers are going to be very happy for you as they should”

“Thank you, teacher Kim…” Hoseok bowed his head to his teacher and gave him a big bright smile “Can I go to recess now?”

Myungsoo nodded, getting up from his chair to clean the blackboard with the information about the math test his students did earlier. “Yes, you may go, enjoy recess”

“Yes, teacher Kim!”

Hoseok merrily left his classroom to join his group of friends who were outside of the building, enjoying recess after their math test. As per usual, he was the last one leaving because he, once again, had trouble with the stupid divisions, even though he tried hard to remember what Namjoon hyung explained to him during their study time. Maybe he was too distracted by what he was going to eat that day or what he wanted to do the moment he would arrive home. Hoseok simply couldn’t understand math, it was really boring and it always made him feel bad, after all, a lot of his classmates got good grades in the subject. However, the blonde boy recapped the words Taehyung spoke to him that morning, he wasn’t less smart than the others just because he struggled with that particular subject.

While Hoseok walked along the long hallway, heading to the back door that led to the playground. He stared at the sheet of paper he had in his hands and he instantly smiled widely, feeling excited to tell his friends and his brothers about the grade he had in his Korean test – an A –, which wasn’t a surprise to him. Hoseok loved to write small stories with the few words he knew, they were simple, but according to his hyungs, Seunghee, Yoongi and his friends, he was really good at it. Hoseok also enjoyed reading with Taehyung’s help, he still had some difficulty pronouncing some words since he only started learning when he was five, there was so much more he needed to learn before being as good at reading as his hyungs were.

Hoseok opened the big door and walked outside, immediately spotting his friends who ran towards him. He met them halfway and happily, showed them his Korean test with a big red A written at the top and a small encouraging message underneath it.

“You did it again, Hobi!” Eunkwang chirped gleefully, linking his arm with his blonde friend “You’re really good at Korean, you read better than Changsub, he sucks”

“Shut up, you poopy head” Changsub whined, feeling offended by his friend’s comment “I asked my sister if she could help me out, but she says she is always busy with her Barbies, she’s a meanie”

Hoseok laughed faintly, making Changsub stick his tongue out at him and, as the badass he was, he stuck his tongue out too as retaliation.

“I wish I was a genius like you, Seokie…” Jaehyun said gloomily, slumping his shoulders as he pursed his bottom lip, forming a pout “Reading is hard…”

“Reading and writing is not hard, my dear friends” Byeongkwan tried to cheer up his distraught friends by making a heart with both his arms, seeing them smile “You just need to read more, right, Hobi?”

“Yes!” Hoseok giggled, loving Byeongkwan’s reassuring words to the others. The blonde boy adored his friends very much, they were always playing with him and making him laugh “My brother Tae Tae told me that we are different in our own way and we aren’t less smart just because we struggle with a subject, I’m not good at math, but I try my best…”

“I don’t like Science, it’s weird” Changsub stated repulsively, remembering the odd plants and animals they were learning about in class “Tae Tae is really smart too, Hobi, he’s like the second smartest grown-up I know”

“I hate History, it’s boring, they didn’t have games” Eunkwang added dully as he took his arm from Hoseok, not really being interested in what happened zillion years ago, he wasn’t even born, neither were his parents, what was the point? “I think that too, Chanie, what about you, guys, who is the smartest person for you?”

Byeongkwan rubbed his chin thoughtfully, trying to think about the smartest person he knew. “Uh, well, my mom knows a lot of stuff, she’s ah, hum, ah, I don’t know the word, psychology something, she talks about the mind a lot”

“Well, I think the smartest person for me is…” Jaehyun hummed while scratching his head, not really knowing anyone who was smarter than Hobi “I still think is Hobi”

“I think we’re all smart” Hoseok giggled once again, making his friend laugh. The young boy averted his attention to the small boy sitting at one of the benches, as always he was all alone and he seemed sadder than usually, maybe his grade wasn’t that good and he felt as bad as he did when he knew the grade of his math test “And I think Jimin is smart too, he gets straight A’s at everything, well…” Hoseok focused on the big red A on his test again “Almost everything…”

The group gazed at the light brown-haired boy and they couldn’t help but agree with their friend. Jimin was the top student in their class and he was praised for his good behaviour and good grades, he was really quiet and shy and he never spoke to people and people didn’t speak to him because they felt intimated.

“Are you still going to talk to him, Seokie?”

Hoseok nodded vigorously, answering Jaehyun’s question. He wanted to accomplish the mission Tae gave to him, and get the snacks, of course, however, it was more than that, and he also wanted to make Jimin happy. The small boy needed a friend who could cheer him up, or better yet, he needed a group of friends.

“I want to help him…” Hoseok confessed timidly, avoiding eye contact with his group of friends “And be his friend…”

“I want to be his friend too, he’s cute like me” Byeongkwan cupped his own face, squishing his chubby cheeks “You guys want to as well, right?”

The rest of the boys answered yes and Hoseok was happy that everyone was willing to be Jimin’s friend. He didn’t like being alone, it was boring and made him sad so, he assumed the small boy didn’t like it either and that was why he was sad.

“Okay, I’m going to say hi”

Hoseok slowly headed to the bench where Jimin was sitting, mentally rehearsing what he was going to say to his, hopefully, new friend, “hi” was the only thing he had to say. Normally, the blonde boy didn’t have problems talking to people, whether it was kids or adults, he was a very sociable kid and he liked to make a good first impression, however when it came to Jimin, he felt slightly nervous, he was afraid the brunette boy wouldn’t like him or would think he was annoying. Hoseok also didn’t know if he and Jimin had similar tastes, for example, if the small boy liked to play video games or liked snacks and ice cream as much as he did, he didn’t know if Jimin liked the swings better or the slide. Those were the type of questions that were bothering the blonde boy and, maybe, he could start by asking Jimin what he indeed liked.

When Hoseok reached the bench, he noticed Jimin with a little pout adorning his plump lips, staring at the piece of paper he had in his tiny hands, his eyes were really big and sparkly like he was on the verge of tears, a very familiar scenario for Hoseok. It made him feel pity for his classmate, as the curious kid he was, he wondered what Jimin’s life was like. He vaguely knew Jimin only had a dad and he was very rich, apart from that, Hoseok was completely clueless, but he didn’t care if Jimin was rich or not, he just wanted to help the small boy and become his friend.

“Hi, Jimin” Hoseok greeted happily Jimin with an inviting smile as he waved one of his hands while the other was on the trap of his backpack “Can I sit next to you?”

“H-Hi…” Jimin replied back nervously, feeling very confused about why one of his classmates was talking to him, no one usually approached him, unless it was to mess with him and make fun of him for appearing weak “Y-Yes, i-if you w-want to…”

Hoseok joined Jimin by sitting close to him on the bench, he took his backpack and placed it on his lap. He saw the piece of paper the brunette boy was holding was his Korean test and a big C was written at the top, now Hoseok understood part of the reason why Jimin was feeling blue. “Are you sad because of your grade?”

Jimin just slightly moved his head up and down in response.

“You did your best, Jimin, I know you did” Hoseok cheered up Jimin, trying to make the boy with the adorable tiny hands smile, he wasn’t giving up “You’re smart at the other subjects, I wish I was smart as you, the only A I get is in Korean…”

Jimin sneak peeked at Hoseok’s test and briefly read some of the words the jolly blonde boy wrote and he thought he would never be able to be as good as him. He had so many difficulties with the subject, his father even hired tutors to help him and when Jimin couldn’t get the A he desperately wanted, he would fire them immediately. The young boy felt bad, people were dismissed because of him and no matter how hard he tried his father was never happy, nor even when he was the top student in his class.

“M-My father is going to be mad at m-me…”

“Why?” Hoseok asked in disbelief when he saw a tear rolling down Jimin’s puffy cheek, wanting to comfort the upset boy “Is it because of your C?”

And Jimin nodded again, answering the curious boy while feeling more tears forming in his eyes.

“Your dad is a meanie, I don’t like him” Hoseok made sweat paws with the shirt he was wearing and cleaned Jimin’s tears, if he didn’t like seeing the smaller sad, he also couldn’t stand seeing him cry. Hoseok, in the midst of wiping Jimin’s tears, had an idea, he remembered what Tae Tae usually did when he got the grade of his math test and he was going to do the same with the brunette boy so, he quickly opened his backpack and took one of the crayons from the box of colouring pencils “Give me your test, Jiminie”

Jimin furrowed his brows, not understanding why Hoseok wanted his test. “W-Why?”

“Whenever I’m sad because of my math test my older brother Tae Tae draws something to make me happier” Hoseok said sweetly, flashing his heart-shaped smile “I want to make Jiminie happy so, give me your test”

Jimin didn’t know who Hoseok’s brother was and yet he felt a little bit jealous of his classmate, he was an only child and he didn’t have people to cheer him up. He spent most of his days in school and at home, studying with the many tutors his father had hired for every subject he had, there were some days of the week when he had piano lessons, which he enjoyed very much, he liked teacher Min and how nice he was with him. Aside from that, Jimin didn’t have any excitement, he didn’t travel or go places with his father, who was always busy working, and he barely saw the only parent he had, in the end, Jimin felt alone in the world, especially after his mom’s parting.

Jimin shyly gave his Korean test to Hoseok, feeling ashamed of himself. He didn’t like showing his failures to people, especially his father. “What does your brother do, Hoseok?”

Hoseok turned the piece of paper horizontally, he drew two eyes above the C, with big eyelashes, then he drew a line uniting the two ends of the letter, basically forming a D, which in reality was a mouth, and finally drew some lines inside to portrait really big teeth. When he was done, Hoseok glanced at his masterpiece and chuckled, loving the cute face he just drew, he decided to show it to Jimin, hoping his gesture could make him feel better.

“See, it’s no longer a C, it’s a big smiley face, just like mine, look” Hoseok placed the paper next to his face and tried his best to imitate the huge smile he drew. However, he wanted to take it up a notch so, he did some random funny face to make Jimin laugh and Hoseok was caught by surprise when he saw a cute smile on the brunette’s features “Oh, Jiminie, you’re smiling, so cute”

Jimin lowered his head, feeling embarrassed by Hoseok’s compliment. “N-No, I’m n-not…”

“Yes, you are, you’re cuter than me” Hoseok retorted as he gave Jimin back his Korean test, feeling really proud of himself for making someone happy. The blonde boy put the red crayon and his test inside his backpack “I think you’re cuter than Byeongkwan, but don’t tell him that, okay? Promise?”

Jimin couldn’t help but giggle with Hoseok’s remark. “Okay”

“You have to promise me, Jiminie” Hoseok carped, lifting his pinkie finger “If you promise, I share my snacks with you, I stole them yesterday when my brother wasn’t watching”

“You really did that?” Jimin inquired astonishingly, thinking how Hoseok was really brave for pulling a stunt like that, if it was him, he would probably be grounded for misbehaving. The brunette boy lifted his finger and intertwined it with Hoseok’s, both of them smile with the simple, but meaningful gesture “I pinkie promise, Hoseok”

“Yeah!” Hoseok squealed enthusiastically, picking up his backpack as he lifted himself up from the bench “C’mon, let’s play, Jiminie”

“Do you really want to play with me?”

“Of course, I want to play with you, you’re my friend” Hoseok responded nonchalantly, placing his backpack behind his back once again, preparing himself to go to the swings “You’re my friend, right?”

Jimin didn’t know how to respond to Hoseok, no one ever talked to him, there were some kids who called him “goodie two shoes” and he wasn’t sure what that meant, however, this was the first time someone really took time to talk to him. He was very timid and not good at approaching the other children so, he didn’t want to be alone anymore, he liked Hoseok and how nice he was.

“Your friends don’t mind me joining you?” Jimin asked unsurely as he carefully got up from the bench. He put the backpack behind his back, just like Hoseok did a moment ago and spotted four of his classmates talking among themselves “Are they nice like you?”

“They’re nice and funny, Byeongkwan even said you were cute, don’t worry, Jiminie, Hobi is here” Hoseok chortled as he gently grabbed Jimin’s adorable tiny hand, thinking about how Tae was going to react the moment he would meet Jimin, he was probably going to be as excited as him. Hoseok saw his group of friends waving, all of them glad for seeing Jimin with him “Guys! Let’s play with Jiminie!”

***
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(Earlier that day)

The man turned around and locked his gaze with the enervating younger. “Someone like yourself shouldn’t be around children, especially with that foul mouth of yours, I wonder what type of education you are giving to the child you dropped off at school today, you should be more careful with your language and your tone, now like I said, I’m already late, I wish you a good day”

Before the guy had a chance to walk away, Taehyung grabbed his arm, preventing him from leaving, probably irritating the other even more, the younger with blonde and pink hair didn’t give a damn about that and what the man thought about him, however, he wasn’t going down without a fight and surely, he wasn’t going to let the asshole have the last word.

“And someone like yourself shouldn’t be a parent, especially with that smugness of yours, I wonder what type of education you are giving to your child, unlike you, I taught my baby brother manners and how to apologise when he does something wrong, that’s saying a lot about the way I raise my child” Taehyung counter-attacked, giving the man a murderous look “About my foul mouth and my tone, this is a free country, I can speak the way I want when I want unless I’m at work, teaching small children or with my baby brother” Taehyung let go of the man, who immediately brushed the spot where he just grabbed him, still sending him dirty looks “Now, you can go to whatever hell you were going to…”

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“Hey, Tae, are you okay?”

Taehyung was deep in thought when he heard Soonyoung calling for him. He sighed heavily as he leaned his head against the pillar behind him, trying to forget about the unpleasant encounter he had that morning with Mr. asshole.

“Yes, I just had a hectic morning…” Taehyung responded casually, observing the numerous children who were playing at that moment in the playground “Hobi didn’t want to go to school unless I bought him snacks, I swear, that kid is always extorting me and, apparently stealing, I have to buy more snacks for me, he took mine to school without me knowing, that brat…”

“That kid is really smart, it gets it from you and Namjoon…” Gunhak couldn’t help but laugh with his own remark, it was the truth Hoseok used his intelligence to get away with his mischievous behaviour or to extort Taehyung, nonetheless, that six-year-old kid was really impressive “But, we can tell something else is bothering you, don’t tell me your ex showed up at your door again?”

“I have to admit that guy is hot, no wonder he’s a model, I wish I had a body like him, instead I have a flat stomach, no six-pack in sight” Soonyoung commented amusingly, rubbing his own belly “Although, I prefer my flat stomach than being a cheater”

Taehyung couldn’t deny Soonyoung’s words, Hongseok had indeed a hot smocking body and he was really attractive, however, his attitude and personality were the worst, he was so self-centred, always wanting to be under the spotlight, he asked himself what the hell did he see in the guy that made him fall in love with him. One day, Taehyung was just scrolling down Instagram, seeing other people's photos, and all of a sudden he caught a glimpse of a random guy, posing with some sports clothes. The outfit looked good on him so, he decided to comment on the post, not so long after, he got a message from the said guy, it was Hongseok. Taehyung knew how cliché it was, to meet some random guy through social media, Yoongi right way said that it wouldn’t work out and even after he started dating, his red-haired best friend didn’t change his mind, apparently, Taehyung should trust Yoongi’s instincts, instead of his.

Taehyung pulled his phone out of his pocket and showed both of his friends the desperate and pathetic message Hongseok sent to him that morning. “The pitiful man sent me a message begging me to come back to him, do I look dumb?”

“The nerve of the guy, I want to beat his as- tooshie, I want to beat his tooshie” Soonyoung quickly corrected himself, remembering that he was near little innocent children who shouldn’t hear grown-ups cursing, the poor little angels didn’t deserve it “Tae, you deserve someone who treats you like royalty, not like garbage”

“I agree with Soo, you’re an amazing guy, quite the catch, not only that, you deserve someone who not only loves you for you but also who loves your baby brother as much as you do” Gunhak said caringly as he handed the phone back to Taehyung “By the way, your phone is all scratched in the back”

Taehyung turned the phone to see the back and as Gunhak said, it was all scratched, probably because of the asshole he met that morning. He didn’t know the man, his name or the kid he dropped by at school that morning and he didn’t want to know, however, he was going to demand for a new phone and the apology the guy owed him.

“I want to curse out loud so badly, I’m going to make him pay the next time I see him” Taehyung angrily put away the phone back in his pocket, almost letting it fall to the ground again, once was enough “If you think Hongseok is unbearable, I don’t know what you would think of the guy who keeps bumping into me, you know I only wanted an apology and he started lecturing me, not without calling me little boy, who the fudge does he think he is?”

Soonyoung and Gunhak looked at each other, and then they averted their attention to their annoyed friend and smirked.

“So, Hongseok is not the reason why you are angry…” Gunhak stated playfully, trying to tease his friend a little “Is the guy single? Is he attractive?”

“I bet he’s a daddy and I’m not talking about him being a parent” Soonyoung wiggled his brows, hearing Taehyung growling under his breath “What? You need some action, my friend, Hongseok might’ve been amazing in between the sheets, but you can’t go there again”

“Kim Gunhak, I’m angry because my ex decided to act like a lost lamb, knowing perfectly well that I don’t want anything to do with him, plus, I don’t know if he’s single, he probably is, I noticed he didn’t have a wedding ring, wife probably left his as- tooshie, his tooshie, and yes, he is very attractive, he’s like the older version of Hongseok, but without the hot bod” Taehyung snapped, not wanting to talk about Mr Big shot, who annoyed him and basically ruined his morning, well, more like he ruined his whole day “As for you, Kwon Soonyoung, he’s not a “daddy”, the guy is colder than the north pole and I would prefer going back to Hongseok and have fun with him all night long than to go with that guy, I think he just had S-E-X to procreate”

“I can see the two of them already going on a date”

“Gu, I can see it too”

(Morons…)

“Tae Tae!”

Taehyung breathed out of relief when he saw one of the little girls running towards him with the most adorable smile on her lips, the kid was beautiful, she had those green doe eyes, and cute ponytails and her dress was so pretty, her mother had really good taste.

Taehyung crouched down when the little girl was just in front of him, she had her arms behind her back, hiding a piece of paper, he thought how naïve little kids were and, that innocence was amusing and endearing. “Soojin, sweetie, are you hiding something from me?”

The little girl called Soojin nodded her head sluggishly as she showed Taehyung her new drawing. “It’s for you, Tae Tae”

Taehyung gladly accepted the drawing from the four-year-old girl, his eyes admired the version of himself recreated by the little one and, at that moment, all his bad feelings disappeared. “Soojin, I’m going to put it on the board I have in my house, thank you for your beautiful drawing, sweetie, Tae Tae loves it very much”

Soojin giggled very loudly and simply went away, returning to her playtime with the other kids.

“If kids can’t resist you, how can the mystery guy?” Soonyoung asked cheekily, observing his friend with pink and blonde hair rolling his eyes “He just can’t”

“Soo, what colour should I choose for the flowers?” Gunhak questioned his copper-haired friend indifferently, trying once again to tease Taehyung “We should start planning the wedding…”

“Usually, I’m the childish one, I guess my younger friends wanted to take my place today” Taehyung glanced between his two friends who were acting like clowns, feeling like his patience with them was already gone “How about you guys call the kids and head inside, it’s lunchtime, do you want me to set you a plate with the little ones, rusty and smurf?”

Chapter Text

"Mommy, this is my new friend, Jiminie" Byeongkwan introduced Jimin to his mother, before leaving school for the day "He's cute like me and he's very smart, he knows how to count to 100, he knows how to talk in different languages and, he also knows how to play the piano, isn't he smart, mommy?"

"Oh my goodness, honey, you need to calm down before you pass out from all the excitement" Byeongkwan's mother placed her hand delicately on top of her son's head and began to stroke his dark-brown hair, attempting to soothe Byeongkwan "And yes, Byeonggie, Jimin is smart, by the way, nice to meet you, honey, I'm glad my son made a new friend"

Jimin got up from the step of the stone stairs in front of the big glass doors of the school building where he, Hoseok and Byeongkwan were waiting to be picked up after classes ended, and bowed his head to Mrs Kim. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs Kim"

"What a gentleman you are, Jimin, I hope one day, you, Hoseok and the rest of the gang can go to our house for a sleepover, okay?" Byeongkwan's mother said politely, watching the brunette boy nodding his head as he sat down on the step again. She averted her attention to Byeongkwan when she heard him screech from happiness and she couldn't help but lift her son and give him a big kiss on his cheek "Sweetie, we need to go home, say goodbye to your friends"

Byeongkwan wrapped his arms around his mother's neck and gazed at his two friends. "Bye Seokie, bye Jiminie, see you tomorrow!"

"G-Goodbye, B-Byeongkwan"

"Bye, Byeonggie, see you tomorrow, bring your new toy!" Hoseok shouted the last part, making sure his friend had listened to him and by the nod he gave him, he got the message. The blonde boy glanced at Jimin, he, once again, noticed a big pout on his lips, indicating his friend was feeling gloomy "Jiminie, are you still sad because of your grade?"

Jimin just shook his head. "I-I miss my mommy..."

"I never met my mommy..." Hoseok confessed dishearteningly, lowering his head. His brothers never told him about his parents, because they always said he was too young to understand the situation "Tae Tae just told me my mommy loved me very much, but couldn't keep me so, he and Joon hyung kept me instead, I love Tae Tae and Joon hyung, oh, I also love Seunghee, Yoonie and Hyunjoon" Hoseok counted by the fingers all the people he just named, making sure he didn't forget anyone "Seunghee is like my mommy, but better, she gives me candy when Tae Tae and Joon hyung don't let me have any"

Hoseok was lucky for having so many people in his life, unlike Jimin, the only people he had were his father and Jungkook, his father's best friend and the only one who spoiled him and talked to him from time to time, then there was teacher Min, who, before leaving after their piano lesson, took a few minutes to talk to him and ask him about school and how things were at home, Jimin barely spoke because he didn't have anything to tell, but now he could finally say he had friends who liked him and play with him during recess.

"My mommy said that she had a big tummy ache and she needed to go to the hospital, I visited her sometimes, but one day, Kookie told me I couldn't see her anymore because she transformed into an angel, it was the only way to get the tummy ache to go away..." Jimin spoke quietly, fiddling with his thumbs "I love Kookie, he looks like a big strong bunny, he also gives me candy without my father knowing"

"Tae Tae says angels are always inside our hearts, I don't know what that means..." Hoseok said indifferently, shrugging his shoulders. He wanted to make Jimin feel better so, he decided to share that piece of information with him, even though he didn't understand it "Your mommy is inside your heart, so she's always with you, Jiminie..."

Jimin also didn't understand what Hoseok's brother's words meant, he was still sad for not having his mommy with him. She took care of him, played with him and read to him before going to sleep, his father never did those things, Jimin didn't like him, but for some reason, he felt better, maybe because he knew his mommy, despite being an angel, didn't forget about him.

"You're nice, Hoseok" Jimin admitted bashfully as he stared at his own lap "I'm happy you're my friend..."

Hoseok wrapped his arms around Jimin's small one, getting the brunette's attention.

"I'm happy you're my friend too, Jiminie..." Hoseok stated warmly, giggling as he saw Jimin's squishy cheeks really red "And call me Hobi or Seokie, you're my friend, you can call me by my nicknames and, oh, I almost forgot something, wait..." Hoseok quickly went to his pocket, took a small crumpled piece of paper and gave it to Jimin "I wrote this during our history class, I hope you like it..."

Jimin grabbed the piece of paper and carefully unfolded it, revealing the message written inside.

"Jiminie is smart and cute, his cheeks are chubby and squishy, he's really small and has tiny hands, but it's okay because he's my friend"

"Do you like my message, Jiminie?"

A big smile erupted on Jimin's lips when he read the short, but sweet message Hoseok wrote to him. He didn't like how his friend was distracted during classes, but still, he treasured those words. "I-I l-like it a lot, Hobi..."

"Oh!" Hoseok's mouth formed an "o" when he noticed how Jimin's eyes completely disappeared when he smiled "Your eyes disappear when your smile is really big, Jiminie is cute!"

Jimin folded the piece of paper, a small smile replaced his big one and placed it on the side pocket of his pants.

"Little sunshine!"

Hoseok gazed at the school entrance, watching Taehyung making his way towards him and Jimin. He was thrilled to tell his older brother about his grade on his Korean test and how he completed the mission, well part of the mission, he still had to wait for the math test, Hoseok wasn't looking for it to that day.

"Tae Tae!" Hoseok screamed at the top of his lungs, glad to see his older brother again. He let go of Jimin's arm and quickly ran towards Taehyung, hugging him the second he saw his brother's arms stretched to greet him "I did it, Tae Tae! Jiminie is my friend! Come meet him!"

Before Taehyung had a chance to speak, Hoseok instantly broke the hug and grabbed his hand, guiding him to the stone stairs in front of the school building. "Baby, you're eating too much sugar, you are too energetic, I can only imagine when you grow up"

Hoseok simply ignored what his older brother was saying and just giggled, the moment he waited all morning long was finally here, and Hoseok could finally introduce Taehyung to his new adorable little friend with tiny hands. The blonde boy stopped in front of the stairs and skipped the steps cheerily, making his way to Jimin.

"Tae, meet Jiminie, my little cute and smart friend" Hoseok said adorably, softly grabbing one of Jimin's hands "Look, he has tiny hands, my other friends and I compared our pinkies and Jiminie's is the smallest"

Jimin got up from the step again to introduce himself to Hoseok's brother, knowing how his new daring friend was eager for him to meet him, however, the brunette boy was more nervous than delighted because the only grow-ups he met were from his father's work. Jimin didn't like them, they were mean and cold, except for Jungkook, and that was why Jimin didn't like to go to his father's company. The grow-ups from school treated him nicely and cared for him, like teacher Kim, he was always making sure his classmates were paying attention or had any problems with the subjects they were learning. The brunette boy enjoyed school, even though he didn't have any friends and stood alone a majority of the time, however, it was better than being alone with the maids back home or with his tutors and now was even more pleasant because he finally had friends.

"H-Hello, m-my name is Park J-Jimin..." Jimin slightly bowed his head, respectfully greeting the older male with the funny hair colours, while holding Hoseok's hand "Nice to meet you, sir"

(He is the most adorable baby I ever laid my eyes on, he's so small that he resembles a cute little doll...)

Taehyung cooed at the innocent and polite young boy with light brown locks, noticing his plump lips, reddish cheeks and big doe eyes that were staring back at him. The boy seemed fearful for some reason, maybe he was just nervous to meet older people, after all, he remembered Hoseok telling him how lonely and sad he usually was and Taehyung didn't like hearing that, even if Jimin was a shy boy, certainly should have been kids who approached them, Hoseok couldn't be the only one.

Taehyung climbed the steps towards Jimin, thinking how cute it was seeing his brother so over the moon with being friends with the smaller boy and, what was even cuter was the fact they were holding hands, maybe they were doing it unconsciously, still it was a very lovely view. Taehyung crouched down and smiled gently at the little boy with tiny hands like his brother called Jimin, he slowly reached for the brunette's hand, not wanting to surprise or scare him.

"Very nice to meet you, Jiminie" Taehyung remarked calmly, even though he wanted to squeal because of the boy's cuteness, he already thought Hoseok was the most adorable baby in the world, and he still was, however, he tied with Jimin for sure "No need to call me sir, cutie pie, call me Taehyung, Tae or Tae Tae, I don't mind"

"B-But my father says is disrespectful to treat older people by their first name..." Jimin commented confusingly, not wanting to be rude "I don't want to be impolite..."

It bothered Taehyung how distressed Jimin was just because he wanted him to treat him by his first name or nickname, not only that but also how he referred to his parent as "father", which meant Jimin's dad was probably one of those cold and strict parents that demanded a lot from their children and prevented them of enjoying their childhood.

Taehyung sat down next to Jimin, he glanced at Hoseok, noting how his brother was furrowing his brows, meaning he was worried about his new small friend. So, as a kindergarten teacher, it was his job to make the little one feel comfortable and create a safe space for him. He patted his thigh, indicating for Jimin to sit on his lap, however, the only thing he got was an oblivious child tilting his head.

"Hoseok, do you mind if Jimin sits on my lap for a while, I want to make him company until his parent comes to pick him up"

"It's okay, Tae, I don't mind" Hoseok let go of Jimin's hand, giving him a heartening smile "Jiminie, Tae Tae and I will be with you until your dad shows up, okay?"

Jimin just nodded, still feeling a little jumpy with Hoseok's brother, not because he was scary, but for how nice he was being with him, not many older people were like that.

"I-I used to sit on my mommy's l-lap, b-but she's a-an angel n-now"

Taehyung's heart broke while hearing those words from Jimin, no child should lose a parent so soon. He lost his mother when he was barely an adult, however, he desperately needed guidance from her, just like he needed it from his dad. Unfortunately, his mother lost her life in a car accident and from there, Taehyung's life was turned upside down, luckily, he had Namjoon and Yoongi to support him in his darkest times.

"Sit down, Jiminie, don't be afraid, okay? Tae doesn't want to hurt you..." Taehyung patted once again his thigh, trying to convince Jimin to trust him. Reluctantly, the small boy ended up sitting down on his lap, his cute small legs hanging on the side. The older watched his baby brother sitting next to him, holding Jimin's hand again, probably to make him feel more secure "You know, Jiminie, this might be hard for you to understand, but Hoseok and I don't have the same mommy, still, we are brothers" Taehyung obviously wasn't going to explain to both Jimin and Hoseok, especially Hoseok, about the deviousness of his dad and his mistress, who he refused to call step-mother, it was too much for him so, he could only imagine how confusing it was for two young boys "My mommy is an angel too, Jiminie, she went to a better place..."

"D-Do you think our mommies met each other?" Jimin questioned hesitantly, happy with the possibility of his mommy not being alone like he was before meeting Hoseok, he didn't want her to be sad "D-Do you think they're friends like me and Hobi?"

"Yes, I do, cutie pie, I believe our mommies are friends and never forget, as long as you always remember her, she will be with you" Taehyung carefully grabbed Jimin's hand again and placed it in his chest "She will always be here, baby, you are never alone"

"Why is Jimin's mommy inside his chest, Tae Tae?"

Taehyung chuckled at Hoseok's silly question, along with Jimin, who was giggling. "Inside his heart, little sunshine, in the left side of your chest..."

"The heart pumps our blood, Hobi" Jimin explained innocently, clarifying his blonde friend "That's why we are alive"

(Is this kid a genius? Maybe he is like Namjoon...)

"Jiminie, you're so smart, I hope you can teach me new things..." Hoseok said dejectedly, wanting to be as smart as Jimin. He liked to learn new things, especially from Taehyung and Namjoon, he was now learning how to play the piano because Yoongi loved music "Will you help me? I can help you with Korean..."

Jimin, with Taehyung's help, got up from the lap and timidly poked Hoseok's nose, making the blonde boy look at him. "You're my friend, Hobi so, let's help each other"

Hoseok got up as well with a big smile adorning his lips. "Can I give you a hug, Jiminie?"

Jimin bit his bottom lip as he nodded his head sluggishly. "Y-You c-can..."

Hoseok gave Jimin a big bear hug, smothering him tightly, however with care, because he had no intention of hurting his smaller friend. "I like Jiminie very much..."

Seeing Hoseok comforting Jimin and trying to help him because he was a lonely child and had his struggles with a subject from school made Taehyung feel relieved and also proud, like he always was, of the child he was raised on his own with the help of Namjoon and Yoongi. For a moment, Taehyung actually doubted his parenting skills and the education he was giving to his baby brother after talking with the unpleasant man from that morning, however, there were many different ways to raise a child, and some were not the right ways. Still, Taehyung witnessing his six-year-old brother hugging Jimin who didn't have any friends, who lost his mother at a young age and probably had a very restricted dad, almost brought tears to his eyes and reassured him that, despite not being a perfect human being with a magical formula to raise a child, Taehyung was happy that his own formula was turning Hoseok in a good and kind-hearted human.

"I think it's unfair that Hoseok gets a hug and not me..." Taehyung pretended to whine like a kid, pouting as he crossed his arms "I should get a double hug, if I don't get one, I'm going to be sad..."

Hoseok chuckled as he parted from Jimin, finding it amusing watching his older brother acting like a child. Sometimes Taehyung did that when he was having temper tantrums or was really mad at something just to make fun of him. In the end, Hoseok always ended up laughing out loud, because his brother made stupid faces or tickled him on his belly.

Hoseok sat down next to Taehyung and wrapped his arms around his older brother's body, snuggling his head on his neck. "I like Tae Tae very much too..."

"I love my little sunshine..." Taehyung placed his arm around Hoseok's waist, bringing his baby brother closer to him. He looked at Jimin, who seemed conflicted, maybe he wasn't used to skin ship or demonstration of affection, which was really revolting for Taehyung, a child should feel loved "Jiminie, without another hug, Tae can't be fully happy, do you want to see Tae sad?"

Jimin immediately shook his head, not wanting to make Taehyung sad. The brunette boy sat down on the opposite side and shyly scooted closer to the older male with funny hair colours. He didn't know why he had two different colours, but Jimin didn't care, he kind of liked how uncommon Taehyung's hairstyle and hair were, just like the male himself.

Taehyung placed both hands on top of the boy's heads, patting them to help them relax a bit. As young children, they probably had a tiring morning, especially after a test, so he wanted them to take a breather for a moment. Without proper resting a child can't do much and has difficulty concentrating on their homework later, the same was for adults, if they don't rest properly during the night, the next day they feel tired and, if it was like Taehyung, they would be extra grumpy.

"What are you doing with my son?"

Taehyung gazed at the school gate when he heard a familiar voice. A growl instantly left his mouth when he saw the same annoying and cold man staring at him with a condemnatory look on his face, like he was judging him and, like that morning, Taehyung suddenly realised that man was referring to Jimin as his son and he immediately felt even more pity for the sweet angel who tensed up the moment he heard his dad's stern voice, no wonder the boy was so shy and scared, if Taehyung was in his place he would probably feel the same way.

"Jimin, sweetie, is that your dad?" Taehyung asked fondly as he took his hand from Jimin's head, watching the younger nodding "Can you tell me his name?"

Jimin nodded again, slightly frightened by his dad's voice. "Kim Seokjin"

(Not the same last name, but they seemed similar...)

"Thank you, Jiminie, now let's get you to your dad before I do something I regret to him..." Taehyung said absentmindedly the last part, although he was fuming inside, not only the guy from that morning tried to scold him and criticised the education he was giving to his baby brother, but he was also tormenting an innocent child. The only thing Taehyung regretted from that morning was accusing Mr Kim's wife of running away, now he knew the real reason he didn't have a wedding ring "Don't forget your backpacks and brush the back of your pants"

The young boys did what Taehyung told them to do as he got up from the stone step. He proceed to brush the back of his jeans as well, his eyes glaring at Mr Kim, who was making his way towards them. Taehyung was happy to know the man's real name because if he didn't, he was probably going to refer to him as Mr. asshole, maybe he should still do it when the kids weren't around.

Taehyung casually made his way to Mr Kim, who didn't look too amused to see him again, the same was for him, although he was happy he met Jimin. The young boy lacked affection and love from his father, the young male with colourful hair betted that the company where Mr Kim worked had more love than his own son and that was the true disgrace, a father putting work first, instead of his children, no wonder Jimin was always sad and lonely, his life back at home wasn't the best. Taehyung was hoping Hoseok's friendship could help Jimin, along with the rest of the cheerful gang and he, himself, was going to make his best to give Jimin a little warmth and love.

"Don't worry, Mr Kim, your son is safe with me" Taehyung remarked assuredly, giving the man his best fake smile "As you can see, Jimin doesn't have a scratch and all his bones are in their place, the little one is perfectly fine and, like I told you this morning, I work at a kindergarten, cute kids is my speciality" Taehyung tried to disguise his mocking tone, but it was stronger than him, especially when the guy was shamefully looking at him with disdain "By the way, I didn't have the pleasure to introduce myself this morning, it's complicated to do it when you bumped into someone and preach about the young generation, my name is Kim Taehyung, call me Taehyung, Mr Kim is my father"

"I wish I could say it's a pleasure to meet you, but I would teach my son how to lie, Mr Kim" Seokjin retorted bluntly, attempting to control his temper, the last thing he wanted was repetition from that morning and he didn't want to create a scene inside the school grounds "About my son, I would appreciate if you didn't approach him, you're a bad influence"

"Me? A bad influence?" Taehyung lightly chuckled at Mr Kim's ridiculous, yet funny remark about him being a bad influence, said the guy who treated his son poorly to the point the little one was miserable and lonely "You know, Mr Kim, I was right this morning, you're a hypocrite, according to my little brother, your son is usually lonely and appears sad, if I'm such a bad influence, like you just said, why did Hoseok approach your son, befriended him and even agreed on helping him with his Korean?" Taehyung inquired audaciously, almost losing his patience with the man again, the only ones preventing him to go full beast mode were Hoseok and Jimin "I guess the type of education I'm giving my brother is the right one..."

"Is this true, Jimin?" Seokjin questioned strictly as he averted his attention to his son, who nodded in response. The older man sighed, feeling frustrated "Apparently you didn't have a good grade again, what you need is a new tutor, not a child who barely knows vocabulary and grammar"

Taehyung mentally counted to ten to help him deal with the poor excuse of a father who was standing in front of him, he always stopped himself from judging the way parents taught and raised their children. It wasn't his business to dictate how others educated their kids, we were all humans and humans tended to make mistakes, however, he couldn't forgive Mr Kim for making a child miserable.

Taehyung was about to talk when he heard a sniffle, he turned to Hoseok, and noticed his head lowered and his small hands grasping the strands of his backpack tightly, turning his knuckles white.

"B-But I want Jiminie to teach me new things, he's really smart, I want to be smart like him..." Hoseok sniffled as he slowly took his backpack with his brother's help, he opened it and took his Korean test to show Jimin's mean dad that he could help his little friend. The blonde shyly gave the test to Mr Kim "Y-You see, Mr Kim, I-I got an A, Tae Tae teaches me new words and I try to memorise them, I want to help Jiminie and Jiminie said he would help me with math and teach me new things..."

"My brother might be a child, but he's kind and selfless, like your son..." Taehyung said coldly, crouching down to Hoseok's level to wipe his tears "I don't like you, but I don't lash out at your son so, please, don't do the same with my brother, he's trying to help his new friend and Jimin wants to do the same, I bet your son will have the A you desperately want him to have with Hoseok's help, the same goes for Hoseok with his other subjects..." Taehyung picked up Hoseok, feeling his legs wrapping around his waist, he didn't like to pick him up to not create bad habits, however, after seeing his little sunshine crying because of a selfish man, he decided to give in just this once "Mr Kim, there are multiples ways for a child to learn, it could be through games, images and documentaries, maybe your son can't get a better grade because the method you are trying to impose is not working, you might be surprised with what a child can learn during their play time, like my little sunshine here, Jimin taught Hoseok that the heart is the organ that pumps blood and makes us alive, in an informal environment "

Seokjin didn't like the younger male with those obnoxious hair colours, however, he couldn't disagree with the words he just spoke to him about the different learning methods that existed that helped a child. Seokjin didn't know how Taehyung taught his younger brother how to write, whatever method he choose, the child in his embrace was remarkable when it came to Korean, despite the simple words, he could express himself extremely well.

"I hate to agree with you, but I have to, children have different ways to learn, although I'm still hiring a new tutor for my son that's my decision, however, I will let your brother help Jimin get an A, I want my son to have a perfect score" Seokjin clarified his intentions to the scowling younger, not liking the way he was throwing daggers at him. He gave back the Korean test to the blonde child, who gently grabbed it "Can I ask how you study for your Korean test?"

Hoseok went to the pocket of his pants and took a blue post-it, he intended to give it to Jimin, but he forgot about it, just like he almost forgot to give him the message. With Taehyung's help, the upset blonde boy gave the small blue piece of paper to Jimin, who offered him a small smile, despite not looking very happy.

"I ask Tae Tae what the word means, how to say it and how to write it, then he explains it to me and I write the word on small papers, I have a notebook where I write the words to help me remember..." Hoseok explained almost inaudibly as he snuggled his head on Taehyung's neck "Tae Tae does like Teacher Kim does, he says the word out loud and I write it by myself, he gave me a dictionary to look for new words..."

"Very well..." Seokjin uttered expressionlessly, but deep down he was quite impressed with the way the blonde boy learned Korean, it helped him write and read at the same time, maybe if he experimented with the same method with Jimin, his son could finally get a perfect score, he was hoping the new friendship between the boy and Jimin wouldn't be a distraction "Jimin and I have to leave, he will see you tomorrow"

"Bye H-Hobi" Jimin waved at Hoseok, who waved back at him, he still wasn't smiling, which made him sad again, he liked his friend's smile. The brunette boy looked at the blue small paper in his hands, he tried his best to read the words written in there and, in the end, he managed, seeing that the word was "friend" "And after I do my homework, I will write "friend" on my notebook and ask my tutor's help, maybe when I know as much as you, I can write a cute note like yours..."

"Tae Tae, Jiminie is going to write a note for me..." Hoseok giggled faintly, feeling a tiny bit better after hearing Jimin's words "Bye, Jiminie, see you tomorrow"

Seokjin noticed how Jimin was smiling, a rare sight for him, it had been so long since he actually saw his son's smile, maybe the Hoseok boy wasn't so bad for him and he even encouraged Jimin to learn new words, it could be a win-win situation.

"Mr Kim..."

Seokjin stopped momentarily, before leaving the school, when he heard Taehyung calling for him, whatever it was the younger wanted, he was hoping it wasn't one of his preposterous speeches like the one from that morning. He might let his son socialise with Hoseok, however, he didn't have any intention of socialising with the bizarre young adult who kind of was smart, but very disrespectful.

Seokjin turned around, noticing the deadpan expression on Taehyung's features. "Yes, Mr Kim?"

"I want to apologise for my remarks about your wife, it wasn't my place to make such comments, just like I said earlier, you don't like me, but you shouldn't lash out at my brother, the same goes for me, I don't like you, well, don't like is an understatement, still just because I was mad this morning, I shouldn't have lashed out on you so, I hope you accepted my sincere apologies..." Taehyung said genuinely as he briefly bowed his head to Mr Kim. When he made eye contact with the man, he gave him a small mischievous smile "You see, Mr Kim? I admitted I did something wrong so, I apologise for my wrongdoings, it's not that hard, by the way, you still own me an apology and a new phone"

"I accept your apologies, it turns out you are not as rude as you seemed this morning, but still..." Seokjin wasn't really surprised by the younger's insolence which was pretty enervating, he couldn't believe he had to endure it just to have his son get an A "I'm not going to apologise and I will definitely not going to give you a new phone, you were blocking the sidewalk, that's an inconvenience for the people who are in hurry like myself, I hope you learned your lesson, Mr Kim"

(The guy is a fucking nightmare, he's lucky he has a son who resembles an adorable angel, if not, I would punch him in the face, well, maybe his stomach, his face is too handsome...)

"This is not over, Mr Kim..." Taehyung said playfully as he left the school grounds "I mean, Seokjin, if you keep calling me Mr Kim, I will call you by your first name, there can only be one Mr Kim and it's not me..." Taehyung heard his younger brother laughing as he professed his words, he could only imagine how annoyed the man was "I'm twenty-five, not fifty like you..."

***

Taehyung let out a heavy sigh as he carefully closed the door of Hoseok's bedroom. It had been a long and agitated day for his young brother, not even the sugar from the ice cream could keep him energised throughout the rest of the day. After Hoseok did his homework, he fell asleep on top of his desk with his notebook still open, Taehyung didn't remember the last time his younger brother took a nap, he usually was a feisty boy full of life, there were nights he had trouble making Hoseok fall asleep, it seemed like his new friendship with Jimin drained out his brother's energy.

Taehyung went back to the living room, feeling exhausted. He himself had a long day, first Hoseok's bratty behaviour for not wanting to go to school because he refused to give in to his younger brother's command of buying him snacks, then he had to deal with Hongseok and his pathetic attempt to get him back. Deep down, Taehyung was praying that his ex-boyfriend wouldn't show up at his doorstep like the last time and, finally, Seokjin, the loathsome man he encountered that morning who happened to be Jimin's father, who was probably the cherry on top of the horrible cake. However, not everything was bad, Taehyung, despite knowing he had to deal with Mr Kim, was looking forward to seeing Hoseok and Jimin's friendship blossom.

Taehyung lazily walked towards the big L-shaped couch in his living room, flopped down next to Namjoon and held on to his big brother as he glanced at Yoongi and Seunghee, who were planning what to do for dinner. "Guys, we can order out, you are as tired as me, and I don't want to be a burden to you..."

"You know I like to cook for you and Hoseok and after the crazy day you both had, it's not a problem for me..." Yoongi said nonchalantly, looking for a simple and quick receipt to do with Seunghee "Also, you might know how to cook, but you can't compare to Seunghee and I"

"My wife is an amazing chef, I love every single one of her meals" Namjoon commented charmingly, noticing a small smile appearing on Seunghee's tempting lips. He got a glimpse of Taehyung, normally he would be completely worn out, Hoseok was a child with too much energy to spare, however, he wasn't difficult to deal with "You seem more tired than usual, Tae, something happened?"

(What didn't happen, that should be the question...)

"I agree with Joon, you look more drain than usual" Seunghee remarked worriedly, placing her phone on the island counter "What happened today, Tae? Did the little ones give you trouble?"

"No, the little ones were angels today, a sweet four-year-old girl even gave me a drawing, I put it on the board, in my bedroom..." Taehyung responded amusingly, remembering Soojin with her cute ponytails "My problem was the adults..."

"Apparently Hongseok decided to beg for another chance, luckily my best friend blocked his ass, freaking finally..." Yoongi was glad that Taehyung put an end to Hongseok attempt's to get him back, however, knowing how the cheater was, he would probably make an appearance which worried Yoongi "That's not all, Taehyung met Jimin's dad, one of the students I give private piano lessons to, such an adorable kid, but his dad is awful, Seokjin shouldn't be a parent..."

"Seokjin? Like Kim Seokjin?" Namjoon asked suddenly, getting Taehyung's full attention "He's the CEO of one of the biggest companies in the country, the company where I work is about to be bought by him, technically he's my future boss"

"That's why he's so damn infuriating and acts like he owns the freaking world instead of a company, what an asshole..." Taehyung grunted, now understanding the condescending tone Seokjin used to address him, rich people were the worst "I feel for his son though, Jimin is really an adorable kid like Yoongi said, I'm happy Hoseok and the rest of the gang befriended him, he needs people around him..."

"What about his mother?" Seunghee questioned curiously, feeling sorry for the young boy both Taehyung and Yoongi were talking about "Is she in the picture?"

"She died, I don't know when, but the little one told me his mother was an angel, maybe she was the one who cared for him..." Taehyung uttered softly, recalling the words Jimin said to him about his mother. The little brunette boy spoke so fondly of her maybe because she was the one who was beside him every step of the way, unlike his husband who probably was busy with his damn company "He refers to his mother as mommy and calls the guy father, I already saw children in kindergarten addressing their parents in a formal way, that usually isn't a good sign..."

"I try to talk to him about school and how his life is at home, but he doesn't open up much..." Yoongi said as he went to the fridge to pick up the ingredients he and Seunghee needed for dinner "But I know is comfortable with me, maybe tomorrow I'll get a different reaction from him, he must be excited for having new friends"

Taehyung felt more at ease knowing Yoongi was the one teaching Jimin piano, at least he knew his best friend could keep an eye on the brunette boy and help him be more vocal about his feelings not only related to his new friends, but also about his father. Taehyung wanted to try to comprehend Jimin's life at home to make sure the boy wasn't being completely neglected by his father. If that was the case, Taehyung wouldn't have a problem expressing his concerns related to Jimin and the way he was being treated, for now, he wanted to keep his cool, or at least try, and focus on the adorable boy and his asshole of a father, Taehyung was going to bring his A-game and have fun messing with the pompous Mr Big shot.

"I'm going to keep an eye on Jimin and the asshole, just to make sure..." Taehyung mumbled, getting comfortable on the couch after a long tiring day with the company of the most precious people he had in his life, well, not everyone "Yo, Yoongles, where's Hyunjoon?"

Yoongi was taking a pot and frying pan from one of the cabinets when he heard Taehyung's question. "My baby bro went out with his friends tonight, he's seventeen and he thinks he's already an adult"

"Let the boy enjoy the last months of adolescence..." Taehyung grinned weakly, attempting to imagine his cute baby brother as a seventeen-year-old young man "I wonder about how Hoseok is going to be when he's a teenager, I love my little sunshine so much..."

"If he's like me and you, then he's going to be a fine young man, Tae..." Namjoon wrapped his arms around his exhausted brother, who had his eyes close, but still was smiling, which made him smile as well. The older male observed Taehyung and he couldn't help but feel lucky for having caring and loving baby brothers who he adored from the bottom of his heart. When he was comforting Taehyung, he noticed little Hoseok entering the living room, walking slowly as he rubbed one of his eyes, being cute as always "Hobi, baby, want to rest next to me and Tae?"

Hoseok nodded drowsily, heading to the big couch. "Yes, Joonie..."

Hoseok climbed up, sat down with his legs bent to the side and hugged his hyung's body while snuggling his head on his chest, feeling comfortable in Namjoon's embrace.

Yoongi paused for a moment to admire the view in front of him – the three brothers sitting on the couch, comforting and snuggling with his each other – and the red-haired male felt emotional, especially after knowing all of them while he was growing up. Yoongi met Taehyung when both of them were living in Daegu, he was just a year older than his best friend, however, they connected the moment they met each other and, ironically, their friendship started similarly to how Hoseok and Jimin's did, Yoongi was happy Taehyung approached him that day, the day he gained a best friend and a brother for life.

Chapter Text

Jimin was staring at the ceiling of his bedroom while waiting for the maid to knock on the door to wake him up and warn him to get dressed, prepare himself for the day and meet his father downstairs, in the dining room, to have breakfast. That was his daily routine, his tedious and indifferent routine that Jimin didn't like and made him uncomfortable because he didn't like to eat with his father, he was always reading some newspaper or on his phone, either at breakfast or dinner time and didn't give Jimin any attention.

Jimin didn't spend time with his father, his only parent was always busy with his responsibilities or was at the company where he worked with the mean grow-ups and Jungkook. He didn't do the funny things his friends did with their families and that made Jimin miss his mommy even more because she was the one who made him company during the days. He faintly remembered some memories of her and every time he did, Jimin felt like crying, she was no longer there, however, the brunette boy now knew his mommy had a friend and was always inside his heart, accompanying him.

Despite not enjoying the little time he spent with his father, Jimin, unlike the other days, was truly excited to go to school, he even woke up earlier than he usually did, his mind was filled with the numerous things he and his friends were going to do during recess, he couldn't wait to see them again and play with them. Jimin was more excited to see Hoseok again, after the day before, he wanted to make sure his blonde friend was happy and not sad, he didn't like to see him crying, and he also wanted to see Hoseok's brother, the nice grow-up whose hair was really pretty and colourful. Jimin wanted to tell Taehyung how he liked his hair and ask if he could touch it, but he was too nervous and didn't want his father to get mad at him and make him cry as he did with Hoseok.

"Master Jimin, it's time to wake up..." the maid softly knocked on the door as she opened it, ensuring he didn't scare the little boy. She peeked from the door, noticing how the brunette was rubbing his eyes while sitting at the side of the bed "Good morning, master Jimin, I see you were already awaked, Mr. Kim wants you downstairs in ten minutes"

Jimin got up from the bed, nodding as he listened to the same instructions the maid gave to him every single morning.

The maid couldn't help but notice the young boy's change of pace, he seemed more excited that day than the other days. Even the day before, when he was having his tutoring lessons, the small child was more attentive than he usually was and, for once, the maid was glad the boy didn't have the same melancholic expression he always had, but who could blame him, he didn't have the normal and happy life like a child at his age had.

The maid bowed her head to her younger master, excusing herself, and closed the door again.

After the maid left, Jimin started to choose what clothes should he wear that day, it was rather cold yet sunny so, he wanted a fluffy and warm outfit to protect him from the cold weather and one that his friends would like to see on him.

***

Jimin carefully climbed down the last step of the huge flight of stairs, and at the end of it, stood one of the maids to receive his backpack and his jacket. He proceed to bow his head to the said maid and gently gave her his things for her to keep until it was time for him to leave the house with his father and go to school. After handing over his backpack and his jacket, Jimin nervously walked towards the scary and spacious dining room where he and his father had breakfast and dinner together during weekdays. At lunchtime, the brunette ate at the island counter, in the kitchen, with the company of the chef and a few maids, who were always trying to talk to him, however, Jimin was too shy to talk to people older than him.

Jimin reached the dining room and saw his father reading a newspaper.

"G-Good morning, father..."

"Good morning, Jimin" Seokjin responded sternly as he placed down the newspaper to acknowledge Jimin's presence in the dining room, noticing him bowing his head "You can sit down and have breakfast..."

Jimin simply hummed and sat on the chair the maid, who went to his bedroom earlier, was pulling back for him to get comfortable and eat his breakfast.

Jimin stared at the dishes on top of the table, just looking at them made him feel full. He didn't have the habit to eat much, however, his father made him eat the majority of the dishes, even though he didn't want to so, at breakfast and dinner he forced himself to eat while during lunch, he almost skipped the meal, and he barely ate. Jimin unwillingly picked up the big spoon that was on his side and started to eat the small bowl of rice that was in front of him.

"I'm letting you be friends with that boy because he's going to help you with your studies" Seokjin picked up his metallic chopsticks, taking some radish strip kimchi to put on his bowl of rice "You have to keep focusing on your classes and your tutoring lessons to maintain your grades"

Jimin nodded in response, feeling anxious about his father's harsh words that were making him upset.

"Regarding the drawing on your test, I hope to never see something like that again..." Seokjin added firmly, trying to make his son understand that just because he had a friend it didn't mean he could disregard his responsibilities "That boy and his older brother are not good influences on you, the last thing I want it's for you to slack off, understood?"

Jimin nodded once again as he finished his bowl of rice, not feeling hungry anymore.

"Can I be excused, father?" Jimin asked timidly, not making eye contact with his father "I'm not hungry anymore..."

Seokjin sighed when he noticed Jimin had only eaten the bowl of rice, he didn't know why his son didn't eat properly, he had to force him to eat. "Eat the soup and a little of the kimchi first, then you can be excused from the table"

Jimin slumped his shoulders, pouting as he picked up his chopsticks to eat a bit of the kimchi against his will.

***

When his father opened the door of the car, Jimin grabbed his backpack and cautiously got out while eyeing the school entrance. He placed his backpack behind his back and held on to the straps, feeling his anxiety being replaced with excitement, he couldn't wait to see his new friends again.

Jimin walked toward the school gates, not being able to ignore the other parents seeing their children off, smiling and hugging them. He didn't know what that felt like, his father never hugged him or smile at him, he was mean and demanding, like he was earlier, at breakfast, he didn't know how it felt to be hugged until Hoseok, Byeongkwan, Jaehyun, Changsub, Eunkwang hugged them after his blonde cheerful friend introduced him to the group, the memory made Jimin smile weakly.

"I will come to pick you up after classes, Jimin..." Seokjin walked towards the school gates, watching his son by his side biting his bottom lip as he smiled "Don't forget you have your History and Science tutoring lessons in the afternoon and your piano lesson with teacher Min at the end of the day, did I make myself clear"

"Yes, father" Jimin responded monotonously, knowing perfectly well what tutoring lessons he was going to have that afternoon to his dismay. He wished he could just make his homework and play freely without worrying about having a perfect score on every test "Can I go now?"

"Yes, you may go" Seokjin dismissed his son, who bowed his head before going inside the school grounds "Pay attention to teacher Kim"

Jimin nodded for the hundredth time that morning, he preferred nodding as a response than talking to his father.

"Jimin!"

Jimin turned his head to see where the voices were coming from, noticing Changsub and Jaehyun running towards him with bright smiles on their faces which made him automatically smile as well. "Good morning, Jaehyun, good morning Changsub"

Both Jaehyun and Changsub waved happily until they saw the grow-up not very far away from Jimin who looked scary. They knew it was Jimin's dad so, they bowed their heads in respect, greeting the older male and immediately returned their attention to their friend.

"I missed you..." Jaehyun whined shyly, linking his arms with Jimin's small one as they started walking along the path that led to the stone stairs "I told my mom I had a small friend and she laughed because she thinks you are a cute doll"

"Nuh-uh, I missed him more" Changsub linked his arm with Jimin's other arm and stuck his tongue out to Jaehyun "My mom said I should be like you, Jiminie, she knows you are the top student in our class"

Jimin couldn't help but blush at his friend's complimentary words, he didn't know his friends liked him that much. "I m-missed both of you too..."

"JIMINIE!"

Jimin instantly turned around, seeing Hoseok's big smile. "H-Hi, Hobi"

"Hi, guys!" Hoseok greeted Jaehyun and Changsub, who were clinging to Jimin, making him giggle "I want to hug Jiminie, then Jaehyun and then Changsub"

"Why am I the last one?" Changsub complained, not being fair that he was the last one to get a hug "You are a big meanie..."

"You can go first if you want..." Jimin offered bashfully, trying hard to smile as widely as yesterday when Hoseok gave him the sweet note "I don't mind..."

Jaehyun, Changsub and Hoseok saw how Jimin's eyes disappeared when he flashed his adorable smile and squealed at how cute their friend was.

Seokjin was observing his son and his new friends from a distance, Hoseok wasn't the only one, which deeply concerned him, because he didn't want his son to deviate from his objectives, like him when he was younger. Jimin had to start at a young age to build his character and knowledge, and for that, he needed to focus solemnly on his studies and school responsibilities. As his only heir, Seokjin had the mission to prepare Jimin to be the next CEO of the company, it was a family's legacy, and he had to put behind his mischievousness from his high school and university years, study and work hard to get to where he was now. He had to succumb to his father's wishes by abandoning his dreams and suppressing part of himself, he was obligated to settle down and marry to please his family, who was very strict and religious, even if he didn't love and desire the person who ended up being his wife.

Seokjin never made part of his son's life until his wife's death two years ago, he never wanted to be a parent and he never had the intention of being one, however, for the sake of his father and the fear of being disinherited, he had to comply, at the time, Seokjin didn't think it was fair, although he didn't have any other choice. After his wife was diagnosed with a rare type of cancer, Seokjin prepared himself for the inevitable, he was going to be the only one responsible for a child he barely raised and his wife, despite not liking the marriage arrangement, made sure Jimin was comfortable, after all, he was her son, Jimin even had her last name, she wasn't fond of his family and she never had a problem of expressing her opinion.

As the only parent, Seokjin educated and raised his child as he saw fit so, the moment Jimin began the first grade, he hired the best tutors to help his son with school and to teach him English, Chinese and Japanese, a businessman needed to speak more than their native language to be able to get attention from foreign business partners. Furthermore, he also hired a music teacher to teach Jimin how to play an instrument, in this case, it was the piano, the same instrument he learned how to play when he was a teenager.

Just like his father, Seokjin decided to be assertive with Jimin while he was a child. When he was a young boy, he wasn't a troublemaker or a bad student, he was a normal child, at least he thought he was until he went to high school. People looked at him and they never thought Seokjin was the type of person who went to parties during high school and university, however, that was exactly the type of person he used to be – reckless, misbehaved, careless, a free spirit – and his father wasn't fond of his conduct like he wasn't fond of his sexual orientation. Seokjin experimented, like any ordinary teenager, and he found males being more attractive than females, the only person who knew the truth about him was Jungkook, his best friend, his father later found out about it when he was caught in a middle of a make-out session.

Seokjin sighed heavily, placing his hands inside his pockets. His eyes focused on his son and his friends as he reminisced about the bad decisions he made while he was growing up, he didn't want the same to happen with Jimin.

Seokjin sighed once again when he felt a presence right by his side and through his peripheral vision he could see those bright and atrocious hair colours. "Is this your new tradition, Mr Kim?"

"Good morning to you too, Seokjin" Taehyung greeted the older man, who was in a bad mood first thing in the morning, did the asshole ever smile? "How's the person I dislike the most doing? Still acting like a seventy-year-old?"

"For your information, I'm thirty-three, not fifty or seventy, my smooth and glowing jovial skin should be a clue, unless you are not smart enough to come to that conclusion" Seokjin retorted, unfazed by the usual mocking tone of the younger, without even spare him a look "Also, can you, please, stop calling me by my first name, your logic from yesterday is as ridiculous as your choice of hair colours"

Taehyung just laughed out loud, not feeling insulted by Seokjin's remarks in the slightest. "Nice try, Seokjin, but your ability to insult me can't compare to mine and, as I told you yesterday, I will not address you by your last name until you address me by my first, you see, I don't like my family name"

"I wasn't insulting you, I was stating a fact..." Seokjin stated composedly as he, finally, glanced at the enervating younger's hair "Why couldn't you dye your hair a normal colour, like mine, people don't take you seriously"

"People take me seriously, you are the one who doesn't, I'm quite respected, not only by children but also adults," Taehyung said nonchalantly, locking his gaze with the asshole "I like the person I am and the beautiful colours I chose are fun, just like me, as for your dark brown hair is, ah, meh..."

"Meh? That's the expression you chose to criticise my natural colour? You are as childish as your brother and my son" Seokjin snickered lightly, not believing what he was hearing "Also, given my profession, I can't adventure myself with ridiculous colours on my hair, I'm professional"

Taehyung disregarded Seokjin's attempts to look down on him just because he didn't have a conventional profession as he did, or a common hair colour. He didn't believe that the definition of the word normal applied to him, after all, his life was completely out of ordinary, like himself and he rather enjoyed being different from others, he saw himself as unique, not like a regular guy, like the asshole who was standing by his side.

"I can already imagine, Kim Seokjin, the CEO of Kim's Information and Technology, with purple hair, shocking every single one of his employees and his business partners" Taehyung imitated one of those news reporters that dramatized every piece of information, smiling impishly, just to provoke Seokjin "That's an interesting occupation by the way, now I understand why your ego is so big, you're a narcissist, Seokjin"

"No need to insult me, Mr Kim, after all, I didn't insult you or your bizarre character, you already went too far yesterday when you called me a hypocrite twice, now who owes who an apology?" Seokjin asked cleverly, raising a brow "And don't tell me you were curious about me to the point you looked me up on the Internet, I don't know if I should feel creeped out or honoured by your curiosity"

Taehyung burst out laughing, getting the attention of a few parents nearby who were just dropping off their children at school. It wasn't his intention to make a scene, he just couldn't help himself, how ironic that Seokjin had a sense of humour, so out of character.

"First of all, Seokjin, I wasn't insulting you, not now or yesterday, I was stating facts, as you did earlier, you are a hypocrite and a narcissist, and the words you spoke now are the prove" Taehyung explained, using the same logic Seokjin used before "I would never waste my time researching about you, Seokjin, I have principals, like I have my way of knowing information about you, my little bird told me you about to make a big purchase, a small tech company perhaps..."

"How do you know that? Not even the media knows about it" Seokjin questioned suspiciously, wondering how the intolerable younger knew information about one of his business deals "Unless you are connected with someone from my company or the company I'm about to acquire"

"TAE TAE!" Hoseok screamed loud and clear, making everyone outside and inside the school look at him "I'm going to class, see you later!"

Taehyung chuckled seeing not only his brother waving at him, but his group of friends as well, including Jimin, and he couldn't help but find it adorable how his tiny hand shyly moved to say goodbye to him.

"It's like I told you, Seokjin, I have my ways, also, my other little bird told me your son has piano lessons..." Taehyung said smugly, enjoying the confused look written all over Seokjin's handsome face, he had to give that to the man, however, he wasn't going to say that out loud "Musical education is important to a child, my baby brother is also learning how to play the piano, I guess our children have the same teacher, he's amazing"

"You know too much about me, Mr Kim, that's upsetting, but about your view on musical education, I agree" Seokjin honestly didn't like how the male next to him knew so much about him and it bothered him immensely, making pondering if he should research on the younger, maybe that was too much. Seokjin decided not to dwell on that matter and thought about Mr Kim's statement about musical education, he knew that music could be a tool to help a child relax, among other advantages, so he decided to hire a piano teacher to assist his son, the older male was quite surprised to know the little blonde boy was also attending piano lessons "Mr Min is an astounding teacher, for once, you made a right decision"

(Here we go again, questioning the education I'm giving my baby brother, asshole...)

Taehyung bit the inside of his cheek to prevent him from exploding like he did the previous morning, not wanting to give Seokjin any more reasons to criticise him and condemn the way he was raising Hoseok. "You're right, Yoongi is definitely an amazing teacher, you should've seen him when he was at school, he would perform in talents shows and win every single one of them, but that's nothing compared to when he was in university, I guess music really is his first love"

"So you know him on a personal level, I see..." Seokjin commented blankly, not expecting a person like Mr Min to be associated with an immature twenty-five-year-old "I find it odd someone like him socialising with you, you are too immature and temperamental..."

"You seriously have to stop aggravating me, Seokjin, and provoke me, you know my trigger, do you like me to trigger you too? You have the nerve of criticising the way I'm raising my brother when you don't know how to care for a child who doesn't feel comfortable with you, I wouldn't be surprised if Jimin ran away from home" Taehyung spewed those malicious, but truthful words, it didn't take an expert to see Jimin was a child who wasn't happy, for what he witnessed when he was dropping off Hoseok, Jimin barely talked with his father "And about the people I'm acquainted with is none of your business, but I'm happy to tell you that Min Yoongi is my best friend since I was five-years-old, he wouldn't have a problem to beat your ass, you see, he has a temper"

Seokjin didn't like the tone the younger was speaking to him, however, what else was new? Taehyung didn't know how to control his temper as well as his apparent best friend could. The information he just heard didn't change his opinion about Jimin's piano teacher, but what did catch his attention was the statement about his son, Seokjin knew best when it came to his son, after all, his father used the same methods of education with him and, despite his high school and university years, he straightened himself and was now one of the most successful businessmen in the country.

"You leave me no choice, Mr Kim, you are the one who is provoking me, I'm Jimin's father, not you so, how dare you accused me of being a bad parent and implying that my son would run away from home, why would he? I attend to every necessity he has, I hire the best of the best for my son to succeed in school and life, and I make sure he doesn't make the same mistakes I did"

Taehyung placed himself right in front of the man who he now despise with all his being, and tightly grasped the sides of his blazer. His eyes focused only on the asshole's, glaring at him, wishing he could kill him with a glance, and he clicked his tongue, stopping himself from pushing the man, the last thing he wanted was a lawsuit on his ass.

"Listen, and listen well, Mr Kim, just because your daddy imposed that type of education on you, it doesn't mean it will work on your son and don't give me the fucking excuse about the mistakes you did while growing up, you are human, like me, I made mistakes, you know a way to not make mistakes? You learn with them" Taehyung muttered furiously, still grabbing the annoying asshole's blazer "What your son needs, Mr Kim, is a loving parent like your wife was, may her soul rest in peace, not an asshole as a father..." Taehyung gazed defiantly at Seokjin as he got slightly closer to his face "If you continued "raising " Jimin the way you do, the little boy could suffer severe repercussions in the future and, one of two things can happen, scenario number one, Jimin will grow up, resenting you, and when his eighteen he might leave home and do God's knows what to survive, he's better living on the streets instead living with a controlling and strict father, scenario number two, and this one might be your son's case, Jimin grows up with anxiety to live to his daddy's expectations, develops depression and shuts down, or worse, kills himself" Taehyung let go of Seokjin, not wanting to deal with the man, who was quite irritated with his boldness, but he didn't give a damn "Or, scenario number three, you contemplate on what it is best for Jimin, and change for your son's sake, not your daddy's, not for yours"

Seokjin was reaching his limit, he didn't know how long he could handle the younger's impudent behaviour, he couldn't let him get away with his ridiculous scenarios, practically underlining how he was doing a poor job educating his child.

"You're not even a parent, Mr Kim, who the-"

"I might not be a parent, Seokjin, but believe me, if I didn't put my foot down, I probably wouldn't have a brother today, the bitch my father married wanted to get rid of an innocent child just because she didn't have any intention of being a mother, she should've married you instead..." Taehyung blurted out, feeling happy there weren't people around, especially kids "People like you and her shouldn't have kids, there are people who desperately want them but can't have them that easily, you know what the real disgrace is, selfish people like you have whatever you want without thinking about the consequences, without thinking about the people you hurt..."

Taehyung turned his back on Seokjin and went on his way, not wanting the older man to see his tears. He hated how people took for granted what they had, thinking about what the woman his father married almost did and thinking about how Namjoon and Seunghee were having problems starting a family just enraged Taehyung even more, now seeing Seokjin speaking with his almighty tone, like he was more special than any other human in the world, and saying he attended to every necessity Jimin had, it made things worse because there was no way the little brunette boy was happy with the life he had and with his stern father.

Chapter Text

Jimin tilted his head as he got his brush closer to the big canvas in front of him, however, he instantly stopped, feeling clueless about what he wanted to paint. He enjoyed painting and drawing and when it was plastic arts' day, Jimin was particularly happier, even when he used to be all alone, he could resort to colouring pencils and paints to express himself and his feelings. The small brunette tried to recollect some memories he had of his mommy when she painted, he remembered some paintings of her, she used pretty colours, like the ones on Taehyung's hair, Jimin wanted to use pretty colours as well on his drawing and showed it to his friends.

Jimin glanced at the window, next to his seat, he saw the playground – the swings, the slide, the seesaw –, he noticed the bared trees shaking with the wind, the skies were slightly covered with grey clouds and the sun was peeking out every once in a while. The view was the perfect representation of winter and Jimin liked winter, it was his mommy's favourite season like it was his.

"Jiminie, you didn't paint yet?"

Jimin averted his attention to Hoseok, who was staring at him curiously. "I didn't know what to paint, but now I know..."

"What are you going to paint, Jiminie?" Byeongkwan asked absentmindedly as he cleaned his brush on the water to paint with another colour "I'm painting my dog"

Jimin saw the animal Byeongkwan was painting and he smiled when he noticed how big the dog was. "I like it, Byeongkwan, it's a cute dog"

"Jiminie, do you like mine?" Changsub stopped painting for a second to let Jimin admire his drawing "I'm trying to paint my family..."

"Your painting sucks, Channie"

"Language, Eunkwang!"

"Sorry, Teacher Kim" Eunkwang mumbled as he turned around and bowed to his teacher as a sign of regret for his "explicit" language. "Teacher Kim, do you like my painting?"

"It's really nice, Eunkwang, very good" Myungsoo gave a gentle smile to Eunkwang and ruffled his hair a bit while he observed the young boy's colourful canvas. The teacher then turned his attention to Jimin "Jimin, having trouble finding what to paint?"

"No, teacher Kim, I already have an idea" Jimin answered gaily, dipping his brush in the colour red, the same colour as the slide "I'm going to paint the playground..."

Myungsoo noticed the happy tone in the brunette's voice, feeling a change in his mood, usually, Jimin was very reserved and quiet, he didn't talk or play much. Myungsoo had a clue that Mr Kim was a very tough and strict father who barely gave Jimin the freedom to live a normal life, like any other kid. However, as an educator and a professional, he couldn't bring that problem up unless the young boy's grades were affected or there was evidence of neglect, which wasn't the case so, Myungsoo couldn't do anything, his hands were tied.

After Hoseok and his friends approached Jimin, Myungsoo saw how the brunette boy was a lot happier and excited, although Hoseok and the rest of the gang still were little devils, Jimin remained attentive during classes and he still had exemplary behaviour.

"I can't wait to see your beautiful painting, Jimin" Myungsoo uttered softly, watching the younger focusing on his painting. The older male also took notice of Jimin's art skills, he was still very young, but he already had shown how dexterous he was, every month since the beginning of the school year, Jimin's paintings had been chosen to be on display for a week, it was the school's way to incentive the children to pursue arts and help developed their creative side "I think your painting is going to be chosen again, Jimin, does your father paint?"

Jimin shook his head as he carefully finished painting the red slide. "Mommy painted pretty paintings with pretty colours, I want to be like my mommy when I grow up"

"Woah, Jiminie!" Hoseok stated surprisingly as his eyes moved between the slide outside and the slide Jimin painted "How did you do that? It's the same..."

Jimin cleaned his brush, then he switched to one thinner to paint the yellow step ladder of the slide, feeling happy that Hoseok liked his painting. "T-Thank you, Hobi..."

"I hope you can be like your mommy when you grow up, Jimin" Myungsoo already knew Jimin's mother had died a couple of years ago through his school file so, it was probably harder for the young boy to be without his mother, who was probably a lot gentler with Jimin than his father. He was hoping the brunette boy would accomplish his goal of being an artist in the future, but knowing the type of man Mr Kim was, Myungsoo doubted Jimin was going to be able to pursue his dreams. Myungsoo took a peek at Hoseok's painting, seeing six figures on the canvas, one of them was particularly smaller than the others and he couldn't help but chuckle "Hoseok, can you explain your painting?"

Hoseok nodded his head eagerly, smiling widely. "I painted my best friends, you see, there's Byeonggie, Jaehyun, Channie, and Eunkwang, and then I painted me and Jimin at the centre, the small one is Jiminie because his cute and small"

"Very good, Hoseok, I like it a lot, I bet your friends like it too, right?" Myungsoo asked the group of children, who were busy concluding their paintings and nodding "Do you like Hoseok's painting, Jimin?"

Jimin stopped painting his canvas, he glanced at Hoseok's painting, noticing himself in the centre with Hoseok, which made him smile sweetly. "I like it very much, Teacher Kim and the other ones too, even yours, Channie"

"Oh, Jiminie, you're so nice" Changsub screeched, feeling proud of himself for impressing his little friend "I hope your painting gets chosen, you are really good, like really good, like a million times "more good" than us"

"It's "million times better", Channie, not "more good"" Hoseok corrected his friend, who just frowned and stuck his tongue out at him "Right, Teacher Kim?"

"Yes, that's right, Hoseok, you've been studying your Korean" Myungsoo praised the keen blonde boy, knowing he was one of the best students in the subject "Is it true you are going to help Jimin?"

"Yes, it's true, Jiminie needs my help so, I'm going to help him, as Tae Tae and Joon hyung help me," Hoseok said nonchalantly as he watched Jimin's every move, he was very fascinated with his small friend's painting "Jiminie is helping me too, he taught me that the heart pumps our blood and keeps us alive, he's so smart, I want to be like Jiminie when I grow up"

Jimin stopped painting once again when he heard Hoseok's words and he gazed at his cheerful blonde friend, seeing his bright smile that he liked very much. He decided to return the smile, showing how truly glad someone wanted to be like him, showing how truly glad he was to have friends who enjoyed being with him. Because of Hoseok, Jimin wasn't the lonely and sad boy who sat at the bench, far away from the playground, instead, Jimin was the boy who had a group of friends, who played with him and made him smile.

***

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(Early that morning)

"You're not even a parent, Mr Kim, who the-"

"I might not be a parent, Seokjin, but believe me, if I didn't put my foot down, I probably wouldn't have a brother today, the bitch my father married wanted to get rid of an innocent child just because she didn't have any intention of being a mother, she should've married you instead..." Taehyung blurted out, feeling happy there weren't people around, especially kids "People like you and her shouldn't have kids, there are people who desperately want them but can't have them that easily, you know what the real disgrace is, selfish people like you have whatever you want without thinking about the consequences, without thinking about the people you hurt..."

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Seokjin took his glasses off and threw them at his desk, grunting, not being able to focus on his work because of the words the bad-mannered younger said to him that morning and his behaviour towards him. He practically assaulted him in the middle of the day, in public, Taehyung even had the nerve to walk away without letting him riposte his daring comment.

"Just because I'm rich, it doesn't mean my life has been easy..."

Seokjin wasn't the type of person who reflected on his past doings, especially the ones he committed while attending high school and university. According to the words his father professed to him when he gave him an ultimatum he was "out of line" and "an embarrassment", his repulsive lifestyle was going to bring shame to the family name, the older male didn't know how many times he heard that during his adolescent and young adult years. Seokjin knew that being homosexual wasn't ideal, people were close-minded and judgmental, and the last thing someone wanted was to have a male boss who enjoyed being with men, once again, according to his father that was unprofessional and showed how depraved he was, of course, for the dark-haired male that was a ridiculous argument, since when sexual orientation was a criterion to measure someone's intelligence? Since when sexual orientation was a way to evaluate someone's qualities and capabilities? Homosexuality didn't make a person less competent, however, his father thought otherwise and because of that, Seokjin ended up being in an arranged marriage just to keep up the charade.

Seokjin leaned his back on the chair and rubbed his eyes, feeling annoyed with Taehyung and his blunt remarks about him and the way he was raising his child. Maybe Seokjin was out of line when he mentioned, or wanted to mention, how the younger with the atrocious hair colours wasn't a parent, if what the male said about Hoseok's mother was true, then he definitely cross the line. Seokjin never wanted to be a parent, he knew for a fact that his late wife didn't want to have a child with him, however, she signed a contract where she needed to provide for an heir, preferably a male which ended up happening, still, he didn't support abortion, that very act was vicious and unhuman.

"Why did my son have to befriend a kid whose brother is rude and obnoxious?" Seokjin asked frustratingly to himself, thinking how unlucky he was. He knew he should be happy about Jimin finding a friend, after all, having friends was the first step to building a net of connections, however, Seokjin couldn't handle Taehyung, that insolent young male who was all over his son "That young man is impossible to handle..."

"Are you talking to your imaginary friend? I guess you don't need your best friend anymore..."

Seokjin straightened himself on his chair when he saw Jungkook at the door with two cups of coffee. He gestured for him to come in and close the door. "Are you here to give me a much-needed cup of coffee or to mock me? I already have someone who grinds my gears and I don't need you too"

"Oh, are you talking about the impossible young male you were just telling about your imaginary friend?" Jungkook questioned jokingly as he sat on the seat in front of Seokjin's, teasing his unamused best friend, who, once again, didn't look too happy "Jokes aside, what's your problem with ah, Taehyung, right? What's your problem with him?"

"You mean what are my problems with him, Jungkook" Seokjin replied grumpily, reaching for the coffee cup, he desperately needed to calm him down, coffee was his drug "I only know him since yesterday and I already was insulted and accused of being a bad parent, who is he to tell me how to educate my son, I'm Jimin's father and the one who knows what's best for him"

Jungkook sipped his coffee while hearing Seokjin venting about the young male who his best friend came across. Personally, the black-haired male thought his best friend was too relentless and strict with Jimin and he already expressed his opinion several times, however, Seokjin shut him down almost instantly, using the "you're not a parent" card. Jungkook decided to give up and not make his best friend mad, even though Seokjin was in the wrong, because he was acting the same way his father acted when he found out about him being gay, basically the man forced his son to follow a path he didn't want for the sake of the family name. Seokjin was behaving the same way his father was and Jungkook didn't like it, especially when it was affecting Jimin, that little angel was miserable and he tried to do everything he could to make him smile.

Jungkook placed his cup on the table as he licked his lips, he glanced at Seokjin, who was glancing back at him expectedly, making him sigh. "What do you want me to do, Seokjin? Take your side? You know my opinion on the matter and it's not different from Taehyung's, although, I don't think you're raising your child in the wrong way, you are just putting a lot of pressure on a six-year-old"

"How am I pressuring my son, Jungkook? Jimin has classes, he does his homework and has his tutoring classes to help him with his school subjects" Seokjin retorted bluntly while playing with the plastic lid of his discardable cup "It was what my father did to me, from my point of view, I'm allowing my son to succeed, not only in school but in life, I'm making sure that one day he's the one sitting in this chair, the one conducting this company"

"Sometimes I wonder why I remain your best friend, Jin, seriously, you're the only one who can't see what you are doing to your son..." Jungkook stated genuinely, averting his eyes from his best friend. The black-haired male remembered how Kim Seokjin was before his best friend's father threatened to disown his son just because of how he lived his life and liked men. It was so absurd that pissed Jungkook off, however, there wasn't much he could do, he just stayed on the sidelines, watching Seokjin changing his personality, still, Jungkook didn't want to let go of his best friend "But it's like you said, I'm not a parent, I don't understand what it's like to raise a child, I don't need to have a child to know what you are doing is wrong, it only takes common sense"

"So, you agree that Jimin is going to run away from home when he turns eighteen because he is going to resent me while growing up or he's going to become depressed because I have too many expectations for him? Is that a bad thing? To have expectations for my son?" Seokjin questioned ruthlessly, increasing his tone of voice as he became more annoyed with the subject "I don't want to see my son partying and slacking off, I don't want my son to become the person I used to be, I want him to have a bright future"

Jungkook knew every time Jimin's education came to the surface, the air between him and Seokjin would be tremendously tense because both of them have different opinions on the matter. However, unlike his best friend, the black-haired male was mature enough to hear his arguments and refute them with logic, as for Seokjin, he always used the same words, or better yet, the same lame excuses to prove a point.

Honestly, Jungkook wanted to meet Taehyung and his young brother named Hoseok to have a better understanding of the situation and the young male's point of view on education, because, in his opinion, it was remarkable for someone as young as him to take responsibility for a baby.

"I liked the person you used to be, Jin, you were true to yourself, I might not understand what you've been through because my family accepts me the way I am, unlike yours, I might not understand the sacrifices you had to do to keep this ridiculous façade that everything is fine, it's not fine, you're miserable and you making your son miserable, I miss my best friend, the one I used to hang out with, to talk freely, the one who had dreams but had to put them aside to marry someone, who you also made miserable, that woman was a saint and was as much as a victim as you..." Jungkook spoke sternly, without making eye contact with Seokjin. It had been a while since he wanted to express his feelings about his best friend and what he was doing, not only to his son but also to himself as well. Jungkook grabbed his cup of coffee as he got up from the chair, finally gazing at Seokjin "She's gone, Seokjin, which means you no longer have to abide by the contract you and your late wife signed before getting married, you have a son who needs you, you can live your life the way you want, without worrying about your father, you are not twenty, you are thirty-three years old, you are the CEO of this company, it's the twenty-first century, you like guys, so what? Your father no longer has power over you, even if he goes to the board members and forces them to vote for your leave, that's not going to happen, I'm starting to lose respect for you..."

Jungkook knew how to dig deep and struck him where it hurt, however, he was the one who stuck by him when Seokjin needed someone the most. The truth was he was afraid to live his life again, the older male was so used to his daily routine that he lost track of who he used to be, not the crazy party guy, but the man who stood by his ideals and morals, the man who had dreams and hopes, the reality was that the man Seokjin was once was completely gone and it was useless to bring back the part that was already missing, the part Jungkook desperately wanted him to recover.

"Well, I'm no longer that person, Jungkook, that part of me is dead and buried, it was my father who killed it and you're right, you can't understand what I've been through, your family doesn't care if you like men because they don't have to worry about their family name, I have, I'm representing this company and my family, you don't understand how hard it was for me to start again, to straight myself up, to come forward and raise a child that I never wanted, a child that I had with a woman I didn't love, still that child is my flesh and blood, that child is my son and I'm the one who knows what's best for him, not you, not that insolent male who purposely annoys me" Seokjin refuted expressionlessly as he picked up his glasses from his desk, he needed to focus on his work, not in the past, that was long gone and he couldn't turn back and correct his mistakes "And you are wrong, as long as my father lives, I have to live according to his will, even if I don't want to, Jungkook, and I'm sorry if you feel disappointed with me to the point you're losing respect for me, but this is who I am now, the twenty year old Seokjin doesn't exist"

Jungkook already knew his words were in vain, but what else could he do, besides encouraging his best friend to break out of the cocoon he got himself into when his father tightened the leash on him? He couldn't do anything, however, he wasn't the one to quit and he had a feeling Taehyung could be someone who could bring the side Seokjin persisted that was dead back through his boldness and provocations.

"Suit yourself, Jin, but I'm loyal, that's why I never left your side and I'm not going to, even when you pissed me the fuck off, after all, what would Jimin say if his favourite bunny ran away? The boy would be crushed" Jungkook said light-heartedly, trying to lighten the mood between them "One more thing, I like that Taehyung guy, I hope he kicks your ass one of these days, when he does, call me to congratulate him"

"Thank you for standing by my side, even when we disagree, but I like that in you, I like your honesty..." Seokjin didn't show his emotions often, he wasn't the emotional type and that led to people misunderstanding the person he was, like Taehyung did to him, however, he didn't care what the young male thought of him, all he cared about was what Jungkook thought, even when he didn't like to hear it "And you like him because he likes to provoke and insult me, Jungkook, that young man is as obnoxious as the colours of his hair, who the hell dyes their hair blonde and pink? "

"Maybe he has a secret crush on you, is he single? I know he's attractive, I kind of checked his social media, I would go for him, but I like his best friend more, he's my type" Jungkook said amusingly, trying, once again, to tease his best friend who was grumbling under his breath "And I know his best friend is Jimin's piano teacher so, you know who's going to your house after work? This guy, but I want to see my little angel as well, I have a plushie I want to give to him"

"You have to stop spoiling my son, he already has a lot of toys, I want him to be humble, I'm not that bad of a parent and, please, don't flirt with Mr Min at my house, he's an amazing teacher, even though his best friend is disrespectful..." Seokjin clicked one of the keys of his laptop to turn it on again to continue his work, he needed to focus on what he was doing and not focus on the gibberish Jungkook was talking about "And a crush? Don't make me laugh, Taehyung seems like the type of person who doesn't want a commitment, he seems like your type, the one who likes to go out and flirt with whoever crosses his path, and I say whoever, I don't know if he's gay or not"

"He's your son, but he doesn't like you, he likes me though so case close, I'm going to give my baby mochi a teddy bear, the boy finished his tests and he did amazingly well, I'm proud of baby Jimin" Jungkook stated proudly like he was talking about his son. He loved Jimin to bits and he knew how the young boy cared about him, his adorable smile and his doe gleaming eyes were the proof "Oh my dear best friend, you really should go to social media, I know for a fact that Taehyung dated some guy for two years, yes, you heard it right, two years, and the guy cheated on him three times, Taehyung is really vocal, and you know what? No way he would be interested in you, after all his ex-boyfriend is a model, really manly"

"Jungkook, don't you have a meeting to prepare, I don't care about Taehyung's sexual orientation, his ex-boyfriends or his relationships, I don't want to have any type of relationship with that young male, are we clear?" Seokjin was tired of hearing about Kim Taehyung, although, secretly, he was kind of amused to know some information about the said insolent male, he was no longer at disadvantage "If I let you give candy to Jimin, will you shut up and got to work?"

"I need to stop by the convenience store on your way home, that's me answering yes" Jungkook flashed his signature bunny smile at Seokjin as he happily walked towards the door of the office. He opened it and left the place, but before going back to work, he wanted to annoy his best friend again "You really should check out Taehyung's social media, he likes to wear really daring outfits, you're missing out, Seokjin"

"Get out!"

Chapter Text

"What's wrong, Tae Tae?" Hoseok asked quietly, noticing the gloomy expression on his older brother's face "Was someone mean to you?"

Jimin stared at the two brothers, frowning because he also noticed how Taehyung wasn't as happy as he was the day before, instead he looked like him when he was at home or when his father was a big meanie to him and the brunette boy didn't like seeing the funny grow-up so down. Jimin wanted to see the smile he saw that morning when he waved goodbye to Taehyung.

"I'm just tired, my little sunshine..." Taehyung said reassuringly as he placed his arms around Hoseok and Jimin's bodies, not wanting to worry the little ones "Tae Tae had a long day"

Hoseok hugged his brother's body tightly, hoping a hug from him could help Taehyung feel better. When he was tired or not feeling well, both his brothers would hold him close and tell him some jokes to make him happy, but Hoseok didn't know any jokes or other ways to make Taehyung happier.

"If we give you a double hug, will you be happy, Tae Tae?"

Taehyung smiled dimly at Jimin's attempt to comfort him, he cherished both boys for trying to make him feel happy. He knew he shouldn't show how troubled he was, however, Taehyung didn't have the strength to hide his real feelings, it wasn't him. The younger male with pink and blonde hair was usually very upfront when something or someone bothered him, whether he was sad, happy, angry, or jealous, it didn't matter what emotion he was feeling, Taehyung couldn't cover up.

After the conversation he had with the pompous asshole, Taehyung felt broken because he couldn't stop thinking about the time when he found out how his father's affair, it was a couple of months after his mother's death and he couldn't deal with it. It all started when Taehyung saw the lock screen of his father's phone, he noticed a young woman with him, smiling like they didn't have a care in the world – a woman who wasn't his late mother – and that upset Taehyung, how could his own father move on without mourning properly? How could his father mess with a woman who was twenty years younger than him? Taehyung felt repulsed and yet curious to know more about the relationship.

The moment Taehyung was about to confront his father, a message popped up on the screen and through the picture of the contact he assumed it was the same woman who was standing next to his father on the wallpaper of his lock screen. The young male didn't like to pry on his father's business, however, he couldn't help but read the message that basically said how his father was finally free to be with her without having the "annoying woman" to worry about and how lucky they were for her death. That was how Taehyung discovered his father had been having an affair with a younger woman while his mother was still alive, making him sick to his stomach.

Not long after that, Taehyung and Namjoon heard from his father that he was going to get married, needless to say, he was pissed off and immediately refused to accept it. Not even a year after his mother's death and he was about to witness his own father, the man who raised and cared for him, alongside his mother, the man who was his role model, like his hyung was, get married to a bitch, however, the wedding wasn't the shocking part. What really drove him to the edge was when the woman announced she was pregnant, but didn't have any intentions of keeping the baby, of course, Taehyung being the person he was came forward and threatened the bitch, obligating her to have the baby, the baby he happily wanted to raise, it wasn't the child's fault, he didn't have to pay with his life just because a grow-up fucked up.

All of those emotions came to the surface when Seokjin almost accused him of not being a parent but did it matter if he wasn't a parent? Was Taehyung doing a poor job raising Hoseok just because he was a guardian and not his father? Obviously, Taehyung didn't think so and he never regretted his decision of taking Hoseok under his wing, as a matter of fact, raising his baby brother felt rewarding.

"If I ask you for a hug, will give me one, Jiminie?" Taehyung questioned calmly, seeing Jimin smiling as he nodded "Then, I want a hug from you and Hobi..."

Jimin wrapped his small arms around Taehyung's body, trying to use all his strength to make the older male with colourful hair glad. "I think your hair is pretty..."

"You really like it?" Taehyung was caught by surprise by how Jimin was so comfortable with him, maybe he was getting through to the cute brunette boy and that was something to be pleased about. The younger male with colourful hair really had the objective to be closer and friendlier with Jimin, after all, the young boy's father was a living nightmare so, Taehyung wanted to show Jimin affection "Which colour do you like the most, yellow or pink?"

"Tae Tae, I like the yellow" Hoseok giggled as he pulled his older brother's shirt to get his attention "It's the same colour as my hair"

"I like the pink..." Jimin responded shyly, looking between Taehyung and Hoseok. He bit his bottom lip and felt nervous, because he really wanted to touch the older male's fluffy hair "C-Can I, ah, can I touch your hair?"

Taehyung chuckled with Jimin's request and cooed when he gazed at his doe eyes that were staring at him hesitantly. "Of course, you can, Jiminie"

Jimin smiled bashfully as he parted from the hug, still nervous, however, he was excited to have the opportunity to feel Taehyung's hair. The brunette boy slowly rose his arm, and with his tiny fingers he touched the older male's hair, it was curvy and fluffy and it tickled his small hands, making him giggle out loud. "It tickles!"

(This kid is the sweetest baby, his giggles are adorable...)

"Tae Tae's hair is so soft" Hoseok uttered, running his fingers through Taehyung's blonde locks "Jiminie is right, Tae Tae, your hair is pretty..."

(Is it possible to die of cuteness? Such adorable babies...)

Taehyung was having fun watching Jimin and Hoseok entertaining themselves with his hair, the truth was he didn't mind, it actually made him forget about his past and bad thoughts. Sometimes, the smallest things were the ones that made Taehyung smile, or the simplest things, like seeing Hoseok and Jimin playing and touching his hair, that was also one of the reasons he decided to keep and raise Hoseok, his baby brother, despite being a six-year-old child, could tell miles away when he was feeling blue, Taehyung didn't need to say a single word.

"Guys, should I dye my hair orange?" Taehyung asked randomly, feeling like he needed to change his hair colour, it had been a while since he dyed it "Or maybe purple?"

"You really like obnoxious and ridiculous colours, don't you? I think you should keep the ones you have now"

(He's the last person I wanted to see...)

Taehyung sighed heavily in frustration, feeling angry again just because Mr. asshole was standing right in front of him, looking at him with those frivolous eyes that were dull and dead, similar to fishes' eyes when there were on display in the supermarket, now that was a funny analogy in Taehyung's opinion.

Taehyung decided to ignore the obnoxious and ridiculous man and turned his attention to the children, who went quiet the moment Seokjin opened his mouth. It was like every time the older male was present he sucked the fun out of everything, well, if the man was capable of making him cry, because of the frustration and anger he felt towards Mr. dead fishes' eyes, Taehyung could only imagine the effect he had on kids, especially Jimin, the little cutie pie's silence and anxiety were the proof Seokjin ruined everyone's mood.

"Don't you have anything to do, Seokjin, besides frustrating people?" Taehyung inquired drearily, glaring at the enervating man "Oh, sorry, I meant, frustrating nice people like me? And my hair is none of your business, if I want to dye my hair with the colours of the rainbow, I will do it, I don't need your permission"

"Yes, I'm a very busy man, Mr Kim, you already know that and I'm here to pick up my son" Seokjin answered in the same tone as the younger as he placed his hands in his pockets, noting the murderous look the younger was throwing at him "And as an elder, I should give my opinion on the matter, like your ridiculous hair, do you really want to look like a clown?"

(I think pissing me off his Seokjin's new hobby, what a major asshole)

"You already aggravated me today, Seokjin, I won't let you do it again..." Taehyung remarked brusquely, not wanting to make a scene in front of Hoseok and Jimin, one thing was in the morning when the little ones were already inside the school, and another was losing his temper in front of the children and being a bad example. Taehyung turned his attention to the little ones, seeing them slightly confused with what he just said "C'mon, babies, brush the back of your pants and put your backpack on your backs"

Now it was Seokjin's turn to sigh, not because he was irritated with Taehyung's aggressive tone, but for coming to the conclusion that his words from that morning might have been too harsh. Just because the younger male with those bright hair colours wasn't a parent, it didn't mean he didn't have an insight about education and parenting, proof of that was when Taehyung talked about musical education and the different learning methods, of course, it was debatable if Taehyung was or wasn't giving the proper education to his young brother. Truth be told, Seokjin, at the age of nineteen, would have never taken responsibility for a child who wasn't his, that alone showed that he had a tiny bit of respect for Taehyung, although he still wasn't fond of him.

Seokjin observed how Taehyung was solemnly focusing on Hoseok and Jimin, practically avoiding him, he knew he had to be mature and acknowledge his mistakes, no matter how hard it was. He might come off as narcissistic, but Seokjin saw it as self-confidence, however, he went too far, he needed to be a man and take the first step like Taehyung did the previous day when was out of line when he mentioned his late wife without knowing anything about the subject, he guessed the same applied to him.

"I was out of line..." Seokjin spoke assertively, finally making Taehyung glance at him "This morning, I shouldn't have said that..."

Taehyung stopped in his tracks when he heard Seokjin's words, thinking the man was playing a trick on him because there was no freaking way the annoyed asshole was admitting guilt for what he almost said to him, even though Seokjin didn't finish his remark, it still hurt. Taehyung suffered and sacrificed so much to raise Hoseok, but his efforts and hard work were worth it, everything he did was for the sake of his baby brother who was becoming such a remarkable young man, despite not wanting to, Taehyung was curious to see his baby brother turning into a man and witness him following his own path.

Taehyung awoke from his trance, he stared between Hoseok and Jimin, he didn't want to tell his life story to the older man, however, since he already knew an intimate detail about him regarding his wife, he guessed it was fair of him to clarify his comment about his father and the bitch he married. It also was a way for Seokjin to understand that he wasn't playing around with Hoseok, he took his job of raising his younger brother seriously like Seokjin took seriously Jimin's education.

"Can you guys go play for a while?" Taehyung requested sweetly, patting both boys' heads "I need to talk to Mr Kim about adult stuff..."

Hoseok nodded excitedly as he gently grabbed Jimin's tiny hand. "Yes, Tae, Jimin and I are going to see the flowers, let's go, Jiminie!"

Taehyung chuckled when he saw Hoseok dragging Jimin by the hand for them to see the wild yellow flowers spread all over the playground.

"You're right, you shouldn't have said those words to me, Seokjin, all I said to you was the reality that happens not only in our country, but the world, kids can resent their parents, kids can be anxious because they can't live to their parent's expectations, however, it doesn't mean you shouldn't have expectations for your child, that's just wrong so, it's necessary to balance things..." Taehyung expressed his opinion, realising how he was too frontal with Seokjin that morning, he had to admit his mistakes as well like a mature adult "You almost accused me of not understanding the job of a parent just because I'm not one, well, technically I am, the moment I came forward and demanded that my step-mother had the baby, I became not only Hoseok's brother, but his guardian and parent, you hurt me on purpose and made me relive those awful days..."

Seokjin couldn't refute Taehyung's words, even if he wanted to, however, he was surprised to hear the younger saying how having expectations wasn't a bad thing, that was exactly what he told Jungkook that morning.

"I think we have similar opinions about that subject and it's true, children can turn against their parents and become anxious and develop depression, I just think it won't happen to my son, but that's beside the point, you might think otherwise, but I would ask you to keep it to yourself to prevent more unnecessary discussions between us..." Seokjin stated firmly, not wanting to argue again with Taehyung, it was kind of exhausting and the younger showed the will to solve things peacefully "Did your step-mother really want to abort your brother?"

"For now, I will, but let me tell you, I'm very straightforward when it comes to my feelings, but I also don't want to have unnecessary arguments with you, you're so tiring..." Taehyung said scornfully, trying not to maintain a heavy atmosphere between him and Seokjin, it was true he didn't have the patience to deal with the man, however, he hated to have serious conversations, it was totally the opposite of how he was like "And yes, it's true, that bitch got pregnant and she was going to get married, she didn't want a child to get in her way so, abortion was the solution"

"I'm the one who's tiring? You must be joking, but I won't fall for that, you just enjoy riling me up..." Seokjin gazed at Taehyung, who was pressing his lips into a thin line, indicating he was right about the younger's intentions and how amusing he thought it was to rile him up, what a childish thing to do "Can I ask how your step-mother and your father got together? No need to answer, if it is too evasive"

(Acting like a gentleman all of a sudden, maybe I'm driving him crazy...)

"I don't know when exactly, but their relationship started when my mom was still alive, they got married after she gave birth to Hoseok, it was a little over a year after my mom's death, I hate them, I hate my father..." Taehyung confessed, not wanting to break down in front of Seokjin, he didn't want the man to see his vulnerable side "That's the reason why I don't like when people call me Mr Kim, it's cringy and reminds me of my father so, I prefer when people treat me by my first name..."

"I'm sorry for your mother, I'm sure she was a nice person, after all, her son might not know the definition of the word boundaries and how to control his mouth, but still he took responsibility for a child who wasn't his, if I were you, I wouldn't have done it, I didn't have the maturity to raise a child on my own when I was nineteen" Seokjin stated frankly, kind of complimenting the younger, however, it was the truth and was praiseworthy how such reckless boy was more mature at the age nineteen than he was "And it's understandable, unfortunately, I can't relate, my family name carries a lot of responsibility, people treat me by last name the majority of times so, it's weird when you call me by my first name, Taehyung"

"Well, well, well, Mr Kim, a compliment and you treated me by my first name, is this a special occasion, is it your birthday? Or maybe you went completely nuts? Which is it?" Taehyung asked eagerly, making the man roll his eyes. He couldn't help but laugh at him, despite not liking him, he had to admit, he respected him "I still don't like you, Mr Kim, but I respect you because it's not every day I meet someone who sticks to their principals, you're, ah, meh"

"Meh is not a word and no, it's not a special occasion, this is me being mature and apologising for crossing the line, I guess we shouldn't bring our personal lives into the conversation" Seokjin wasn't expecting Taehyung to say he had respect for him, now that definitely caught him off guard "The feeling is mutual, I respect you too, Taehyung, you are loud mouth who has atrocious colours on his hair, however, I respect you and your loyalty to your principals, whatever they are"

Taehyung came closer to Seokjin and leaned forward, making the older male move slightly back. "Since you are being mature, how about apologising for yesterday morning, uh? You still owe me, Mr Kim"

"I still don't owe you an apology for what happened yesterday morning, Taehyung, that was all you, now I'm in a hurry" Seokjin cleared his throat, feeling like Taehyung was invading his personal space. He averted his attention to his son, who was smiling while Hoseok was putting a flower behind his ear "Jimin, we need to go, say goodbye to Hoseok and his brother and let's go"

"Don't take the flower, Jiminie" Hoseok said lovingly, giggling as he admired the yellow flower behind Jimin's ear "You look really pretty"

Jimin blushed with Hoseok's compliment while he delicately touched the flower his friend picked up for him. "T-Thank you, Hobi"

"Give me a hug, Jiminie, I'll be careful with the flower" Taehyung stated, crouching down and opening his arms to hug Jimin. He immediately was hugged by the small boy, finding his blush cheeks really cute and his brother's gesture very endearing "See you tomorrow, cutie pie"

"Bye Tae Tae" Jimin muttered, waving his tiny hand to the amused adult and Hoseok "Bye Hobi, see you tomorrow"

"Oh, Mr Kim before you go..." Taehyung tilted his head as he crossed his arms, smirking widely "I will get that apology, you don't know how persistent I can be, I'm a strong opponent"

"And you don't know how patient I can be, Taehyung, my behaviour towards you should be enough proof" Seokjin didn't like Taehyung's challenging tone, however, he wasn't one to back down easily, he still believed he didn't do anything wrong so, his conscience was cleared and he didn't feel guilty like he felt that morning when he was out of line "Enjoy your day and see you tomorrow"

(Patient my ass! You'll see, Seokjin, I'm going to get that apology, it's a matter of pride now...)

***

"You're still learning, Jimin, don't be sad, you just start playing the piano, don't pressure yourself" Yoongi stroked Jimin's brunette locks as he tried to encourage the small child. The red-haired male could see how frustrated the young boy was, it wasn't the first time he watched Jimin lose focus or make simple mistakes which were pretty normal for a child his age, however, something told Yoongi that the excessive hours of schoolwork were exhausting Jimin "You know, Hoseok isn't very good either, but he doesn't give up, he tries again"

Jimin glanced at teacher Min, who was sitting right next to him on the piano bench, with wide eyes. "Y-You know Hobi, Teacher Min?"

"Yes, I do, since he was a cute little baby" Yoongi replied kindly, still fondling Jimin's hair to appease him "Taehyung is my best friend, I met him when I was your age, we've been together ever since"

"I like Tae Tae, teacher Min, he's really nice, like you and Hoseok..." Jimin admitted diffidently as he swung his small legs because his feet couldn't reach the ground like teacher Min's "His hair is fluffy and it tickles, it's pretty too..."

This was the first time Jimin was actually speaking to Yoongi, he would barely share a word with him after the previous lessons, however, today, it seemed like the young boy was excited to tell him about Taehyung and Hoseok, Yoongi had a feeling that Jimin's friendship with the blonde boy and the rest of the group was going to be something positive in his life. Jimin was the typical son of a chaebol – quiet, focused on his studies, shy, sad, lonely –, he lived according to his father's rules and expectations, he had to do whatever his father would tell him and follow the path his father was already paving for him, without caring if his son had dreams or hopes, without knowing if his son wanted to be more than a CEO, basically, the young brunette boy didn't have free will, well, almost none so, Hoseok's approach was what could bring happiness to Jimin's boring life.

Yoongi was about to talk when he heard a door closing and a few voices, one of them he recognised as Jimin's father, Mr Kim. Normally, Yoongi would have already ended the lesson and left the mansion, however, he always enjoyed spending some time with Jimin, the little one needed someone gentle who could incentive him to speak about any subject. The problem was Jimin wasn't the chatty type, like Taehyung and Hoseok, it was hard to know the child, although Yoongi never forced him to talk, he just stayed with him until his father got home, even though he couldn't stand the man.

"I guess your father is home..." Yoongi stated calmly, not wanting to see the man who hurt his best friend and made him cry, if only he could beat the hell out of the man, he would do it in a heartbeat. The red-haired male stared at Jimin, who was pouting and clearly upset to see his father again, he guessed the little boy preferred being far away from the only parent he had which was sad "Will you accompany me to the door? I heard you give really good hugs, I want one before I leave, can I have a hug?"

Jimin gave teacher Min a small smile as he nodded his head, agreeing to give him a hug before leaving his house.

"That's very nice of you, Jimin" Yoongi said amusingly as he got up from the piano bench. He reached for his backpack and helped Jimin get up from the bench, stretching his hand to lead Jimin to the big hall where his father probably was standing "Let's go then..."

Yoongi walked towards the entrance hall with Jimin, his eyes immediately landed on Mr Kim, who, as he expected, was waiting for him and his son, probably wanting to know if the little one was making progress, amazing how the man was more eager to know about the lessons than his son's day or wellbeing, Kim Seokjin was one of the best businessmen in the country, on the other hand, he was the worst father in the world.

Yoongi let go of Jimin's hand and bowed his head, greeting Mr Kim, the fewer words they exchanged, the better. "Good evening, Mr Kim"

"Good evening, Mr Min" Seokjin said politely, slightly bowing his head. The dark-haired male averted his attention to his son, who was almost glued to the red-haired male "How did my son do today?"

"Jimin is still a beginner, obviously he still needs to practice, overall he's good for someone who just started to play the instrument" Yoongi explained as he placed his hand on top of Jimin's head, lightly sugar coating Jimin's abilities, however, the boy only started no long ago and he was slowly making progress "It's normal for a child his age to have trouble in the first months, however, I believe he will get better with time"

"Does Hoseok have the same problem?" Seokjin asked indifferently, although he felt curious about the blonde child's progress, not only that, he also had a secret agenda with his question "His older brother told me that you are teaching him as well"

"Well, I-"

"Are you seriously trying to compare your son's progress with Taehyung's young brother, you're shameless, Jin, you should be proud of Jimin regardless of his progress" Jungkook stated nonchalantly as he suddenly walked out of the living room, catching what his best friend was trying to do. Seokjin couldn't fool him and the beautiful red-haired male who was gazing at him probably knew what type of game his stern best friend was playing "You're Min Yoongi, right, Jimin's piano teacher? Pleasure to meet you, I'm Jeon Jungkook, Seokjin's best friend and co-worker"

"Hum, yeah, I am..." Yoongi responded puzzlingly, not understanding how the hell Seokjin's best friend knew him, he swore he never met the guy before, if he did, he surely would remember. Jungkook was a pretty attractive man, however, Yoongi wasn't dumb and he didn't fall for sweet talk, he imagined the cheerful black-haired male was that type of guy "Nice to meet you too, Mr Jeon"

"Hi, Kookie!"

"Hi, baby mochi, come here and give strong bunny a hug" Jungkook placed his briefcase on the floor, watching Jimin running towards him. He quickly lifted up the small child and momentarily twirled him around, making Jimin giggle, Jungkook could hear that adorable sound more often "Mr Min said you doing very good, I also heard that you made new friends, I'm proud of you, sweetheart so, with your father's permission, I bought you some candy and I have a teddy bear to give my precious little cutie"

"You did? Really?" Jimin asked enthusiastically, giggling once again as he wrapped his small arms around Jungkook's neck "Thank you, Kookie"

"You're welcome, sweetie..." Jungkook held on to Jimin tightly, feeling how the boy was lighter than the last time he picked him up. He suspected the little one wasn't eating properly which was worrisome, Jungkook didn't want anything bad to happen to Jimin and he had the knowledge that Seokjin was completely oblivious about Jimin's mental health state "But you can only eat candy if you eat everything on your plate, mochi, okay? Will you do that for bunny?"

Jimin nodded as he bit his bottom lip, wanting to eat the candy Jungkook bought for him and see the teddy bear.

"Please put my son on the floor, Jungkook, he's six years old, not two and he's not a doll" Seokjin said bluntly, seeing Jungkook glaring at him, but he just ignored it. The dark-haired male focused on Mr Min again, despite his best friend's words, he still wanted to know how Hoseok was doing at his piano lessons "As I ask earlier, Mr Min, I want to know how Hoseok is doing, I'm just curious"

Yoongi followed Taehyung's advice and counted to ten, hoping he couldn't stop himself from saying something he would regret later. It didn't seem like it, but he was more hot-headed than his best friend, the difference between them was Yoongi could actually control his temper, the question was for how long he could remain quiet about Seokjin and the way he treated his own son, just the moment he witnessed showed how the man was more interested in Jimin's results, progress and grades than Jimin himself.

Despite Seokjin's lack of care for his son when it came to demonstrating affection and emotion, Yoongi was glad that Taehyung walked into Jimin's life like he was happy for seeing the ruthless man's best friend caring for Jimin, that child had been living a lonely, sad and depressed life since his mother died, Yoongi was afraid that could harm the little boy, physical and mentally.

"Mr Kim, with all due respect, you should focus on your son and his progress, not the other children" Yoongi responded solemnly, forcing himself to hold back. Honestly, the red-haired male didn't notice how much of an asshole Seokjin was until Taehyung told him about what happened that morning, even though they were on good terms, well, kind of, Yoongi still didn't like him "Mr Kim, every student I have is different, there are second graders I teach that struggle more than Jimin, every child is different, I'm sure you know that, like I'm sure you know I can't disclose the progress of my students, this is not a competition"

"I make your words my own, Mr Min, I share the same opinion as you" Jungkook commented, still holding on to Jimin, not giving a damn about what Seokjin told him earlier. The black-haired male saw the brunette boy almost every day, all he wanted was to make his baby mochi comfortable "Baby mochi, I want you to play for me one day, I bet you really good"

"Teacher Min is teaching me "twinkle, twinkle, little star", I will play for you and father when I get better, I promise, Kookie"

"I'm happy to hear that, your father and I are going to enjoy your small performance" Jungkook could see how motivated Jimin was to improve and he admired him for that, but like always, concerned him because sometimes he felt the small child worked too hard, Jimin barely had free time "Right, Seokjin?"

"Yes, Jungkook, I will, now, as I said before, please put my son down" Seokjin remarked unemotionally, placing his hands behind his back as he turned his attention to Mr Min "I know it's not a competition, Mr Min, I just want my son to succeed in everything he does, my intention is not to compare the other students to him, I'm just curious since your best friend shared that information with me this morning"

"I don't want to sound rude, but your tone insinuated otherwise, Mr Kim, if it's your curiosity, I guess I can satisfy it by giving you my impartial opinion on Hoseok" Yoongi retorted coldly, not deviating his eyes from the man "Hoseok is slightly advanced comparing to Jimin, I started teaching him a couple of months before the beginning of school so he can play two or three basic pieces, however, he was just like Jimin, he struggles a lot, but practice makes perfect, the same goes for your son, I believe in a couple of months he will be able to play the basic songs, did I satisfy your curiosity?"

Seokjin didn't actually want to know about Hoseok's progress in his piano lessons, what he wanted to do was test Mr Min, his curiosity was towards the recollected red-haired male, Seokjin now could see how similar the best friends' personalities were and how they enjoyed dying their hairs with atrocious colours. Honestly, Seokjin was quite impressive by how Mr Min could control his temper, maybe that was one of the fewer aspects that distinguished the two best friends, from the small yet annoying experience he had with the bold younger, Seokjin could see Taehyung was a lot more troublesome than Mr Min.

Seokjin was being sincere when he said to Taehyung that the information about his childhood friendship with Mr Min didn't bother him after all the red-haired male was competent and responsible and he was an amazing teacher, that was all Seokjin cared about, it also would be petty of him if he decided to dismiss Mr Min just because he was Taehyung's best friend.

"Yes, you did, Mr Min, thank you for your input, I appreciate it"

"If that's all, Mr Kim, then I'm leaving" Yoongi bowed his head again, excited that he was finally leaving the intolerable man's mansion. The red-haired male smiled softly at Jimin, who was walking towards him, he squatted down and wrapped his arms around the small boy's body "Goodbye, Jimin, see you tomorrow at school, okay?"

"Yes, Teacher Min" Jimin answered respectfully as he parted from the hug, his eyes glancing at his hair "You have pretty hair too"

Yoongi lifted himself up, still with a smile on his lips, Jimin certainly was as adorable as Hoseok. The red-haired male, before leaving, glanced at Jungkook and bowed his head. "Once again, Mr Jeon, it was nice to meet you"

"I would prefer if you call me Jungkook, Mr Min" Jungkook said charmingly, smirking mischievously "I hope we can meet each other again"

"And I would prefer calling you by your last name, Mr Jeon, after all, we just met, I'm not comfortable being so familiar with you" Yoongi quickly shut down Jungkook's attempts to flirt with him, he knew that type of men all too well, Hongseok was proof enough of that, not only that, Yoongi himself already had experienced how cheeky man could act up "With all being said, I'm leaving, see you next week, Mr Kim"

And with that, Yoongi finally left the mansion.

"He surely is a feisty one, isn't he?" Jungkook questioned curiously, already thinking of a way to get the red-haired male's attention, maybe he came out too strong, however, that was how he did things, and apparently, he needed to have a different approach. Jungkook had a feeling Yoongi wasn't like the other men he encountered which made the younger a lot more appealing "I want to get to know him better"

"No, he's not, he actually very polite, Jungkook, if you want someone feisty, you can take advantage of your time and get to know Taehyung, this way you will make the two of us a favour"

Jungkook patted Seokjin's broad shoulder, earning a sigh from his best friend, probably he knew what he was about to say to him. "Dear Jin, I don't know Taehyung, but he seems quite the guy and you know him better than me so, you can have him, as for me, I like Yoongi, he's smart and talented, he also doesn't like you"

Seokjin sighed once again as he took Jungkook's hand from his shoulder, he didn't want to talk about Taehyung or his best friend's attempts to seduce Yoongi, especially when Jimin was present, it wasn't the type of talk he liked to have when his son was with them. "Jungkook, this is not the type of conversation to have in front of Jimin so, please, don't talk about that subject anymore and it's getting late, shouldn't you go home?"

"You're so rude, at least you could invite me to dinner, ungrateful as-, I mean, meanie, I'm going to give your son the teddy bear and the candy I bought for him and then I go" Jungkook went to his briefcase that was still on the floor, he took the small teddy bear and showed it to Jimin "Baby mochi, here's your teddy bear!"

Jimin ran towards Jungkook and instantly grabbed the teddy bear with a cute red bow. "Thank you, Kookie"

Seokjin thought Jungkook spoiled Jimin too much, however, his best friend dealt better with his son than he did, sometimes it bothered the darker-haired male because his lack of sensitivity and warmth prevented him to be closer to Jimin so, he focused on the more important matters which were the ones related with his son's education and his future. For that same reason, Seokjin made sure Jimin thrived to be the best, not only it reflected how hard his son worked, but also a way to show his parenting skills, hoping to compensate for his absence of emotion and his difficulty of demonstrate affection.

Chapter Text

Seokjin was walking back to his car after he dropped off Jimin at school when he heard a sound coming from his phone, making him briefly stop to check the message he just received, it could be work-related like it was the majority of times. The dark-haired male went to the inside pocket of his blazer, took his phone out and gazed at the screen, letting out a long and heavy sigh as his eyes read his father's name and the notice about his visit to the office that week to discuss some matters about the business. Seokjin just stared at the screen, not having the will to reply, especially after the conversation both he and his father had during the weekend, the same subject both of them had been arguing about since Jimin's mother's death.

Every weekend Seokjin went to his parent's house with his son to have lunch and talk about the company and his work with his father, basically it was more like a weekly report than a family gathering, however, Seokjin was used to it. There wasn't much more he could discuss with his father rather than his business partners and the deals he closed, the same didn't happen with his mother, who was the opposite of his other parent.

Seokjin had a deeper bond with his mother and he could sort of express himself with her, even though he was cold and stern, she could see through him and try to reach the deepest part of him that was long gone. His mother was like Jungkook, she accepted Seokjin the way he was, despite her religious beliefs, and regretted not saying a word when he got married, besides him, his mother knew how unhappy he was to compromise himself to someone who didn't mean anything to him, the same was for his late wife. Neither of them wanted to commit to a loveless marriage, but what choice did they have back then apparently, both of them were a potential disgrace to their families – Seokjin liked men and his late wife was in love with a man who attended the same major as her when she was in university and was just a mere struggling artist.

That particular weekend the conversation Seokjin had with his father wasn't related to the business or the company, it was related to Jimin. After his wife's death, Seokjin's father came to him and practically forced him to change Jimin's last name from Park to Kim which he refused to do, because his wife asked Seokjin, on her deathbed, to keep Jimin's last name. That way a part of her would be carried by her son, who she loved very much and didn't want to leave behind and he complied with her last request, both of them lost and sacrificed a lot because of their families' selfishness. Jimin was their son and as the only parent he had, Seokjin had the task of upholding his word for as long as he lived.

Seokjin knew his father was still going to persist, however, he wasn't going to change his mind or back down, no matter how many times his father would mention the topic or force him to act, Seokjin would always fight back.

"Uh, daddy is upset, Jinnie didn't eat his vegetables, bad Jinnie"

Seokjin furrowed his brows when he saw Taehyung staring at his phone. He immediately placed it inside the pocket of his blazer again, not wanting the younger one to invade his privacy.

"First of all, don't call me that, we're both adults, not children, second, you shouldn't invade other people's privacy..." Seokjin said petulantly as he buttoned one of the buttons of his blazer while teaching some manners to the immature younger "And third, it's rude to see other people's messages without permission"

"Congratulations, Mr Kim, you know how to count to three, daddy must be proud of you" Taehyung mocked Seokjin as he placed himself before the man, studying his facial expression. The older male seemed to be bothered by the message he just received from his father "And you are the one to talk, you asked Yoongi how my little sunshine was doing with his piano lessons, you know, Hoseok has a lesson today, if you want, you can hire a team and install cameras in Yoongi's apartment to spy on them, it's easier"

Seokjin decided to ignore Taehyung's first remark, knowing the younger was riling him up for the fun of it, he guessed annoying him was the other male's new tradition. "Like I told your best friend last week, it was my curiosity, Taehyung, I didn't mean to offend him or you with my question, no need to feel threatened, I know my son will catch up in no time"

"Your curiosity my cute tooshie, Seokjin, just because I'm childish, it doesn't mean I was born yesterday" Taehyung didn't believe Seokjin wanted to know about his brother's progress because of his curiosity, for what he was able to see during the last days, the man was obnoxiously competitive when it came to Jimin, no wonder he desperately wanted the little one to have the perfect score "I don't feel threatened, you know why? Because I love Hoseok no matter what, I know he works hard in everything he does, the same doesn't apply to you with little Jiminie"

"You met me a week ago, how can you possibly know me and my son, Taehyung? I tell you how, you simply can't" Seokjin retorted, checking his wrist watch, he already entertained the younger for too long "Well, some of us have important business to attend to so, I'll be going now"

"Not so fast, Seokjin, before you go, I need something from you" Taehyung delicately grabbed Seokjin's wrist, preventing him from leaving, he could see how eager the man was to get away from him without saying a proper goodbye, what a rude ass "I need Jungkook's number"

Seokjin glanced between Taehyung and the hand that was holding his wrist, the younger with those horrendous hair colours was too touchy for his liking and he didn't appreciate it. However he was kind of interested in knowing the reason behind Taehyung's request, after all, Seokjin didn't know how he knew his best friend. "You never met Jungkook, why do you want his number?"

"Don't be jealous, Jinnie, if you want you can give me yours, or not, I don't care" Taehyung couldn't ignore Seokjin's tone when he asked him about his reasons, it wasn't none of his business, however, he didn't have any problems explaining why he wanted Jungkook's number "He messaged me during the weekend, by the way, if he was my type, I would be all over him, but he-"

"Taehyung, get to the point, I don't need to know if Jungkook is or not your type, does it look like I care?"

"Rude! This is why you are going to end up alone, insensitive jerk..." Taehyung mumbled the last part, pouting "Anyway, I want his number because I'm going to be cupid between Jungkook and Yoongi"

"Your best friend doesn't look like he's interested in Jungkook so, why bother?" Seokjin asked, honestly not understanding why Taehyung wanted to go through so much trouble when he knew perfectly well Mr Min didn't show any interest in Jungkook, he noticed how the red-haired male instantly dismissed his best friend's advances "And I heard what you call me, very mature of you, Taehyung"

"Look, I know Yoongi might have shut down Jungkook completely because your cheeky best friend was too blunt, he doesn't like the type, reminds him of my ex-boyfriend and I can't blame him, my ex is a cheating asshole and a player, he's more unbearable than you, take it as a compliment" Taehyung didn't want to beg for Jungkook's number, in fact, he was only doing it because he just remembered that morning that he forgot to ask the attractive older male for his number, he could have requested through social media, however messing with Seokjin in the morning was fun, this way he had an excuse to annoy the man and get what he wanted "C'mon, Jinnie, give me his number, I know what I'm doing, he has been single for longer than you, he needs to live his life and find love, he deserves someone who loves him and Jungkook seems the perfect match"

"You have poor taste in men, but what else is new? And should I consider that a compliment? I don't think so, you know-"

"Oh my God, Kim Seokjin, stop preaching, the quicker you give me Jungkook's number, the quicker I get out of your way, I thought you were smart" Taehyung rolled his eyes, not having the patience to hear Seokjin's speeches about his taste in men and his poor choices in life, he already knew that he didn't need someone to rub salt on the wound "I'll find someone for you too, no need to be scared of losing your best friend, now, give me, give me, c'mon"

"I'm smarter than you and I have better taste in m-, I mean people..." Seokjin quickly corrected himself, Taehyung didn't need to know every single personal aspect about him, he probably knew too much already. The older male took his phone again and gave it to Taehyung, who instantly grabbed it "Hurry up"

Taehyung stuck his tongue out at Seokjin for being rude again as he went to the contact list, looking for Jungkook's number. When he found it, the younger copied the contact to his phone, feeling excited to help Yoongi, who he knew was giving the black-haired male the cold shoulder. Taehyung understood, no one wanted to find love and later on be cheated, it was humiliating and heart-breaking, and the younger with pink and blonde hair knew the pain all too well.

After doing what he needed to do, Taehyung had another idea, he smirked slyly as he tapped his number on Seokjin's phone, and then he sent a message to his phone and saved the annoying male's number.

"Here you go, Seokjin" Taehyung said wittily as he gave the phone back to Seokjin, who was eyeing him curiously "By the way, I saved my number on your phone and I have yours as well, that's all, thank you!"

Taehyung burst out laughing as he walked backwards, seeing Seokjin's facial expression, the man didn't seem happy about what he had done.

"Why did I give him my phone? I could've just done it myself" Seokjin cursed himself for not predicting what Taehyung did as he saw the younger smiling widely while tapping on his phone. The older male sighed and proceeded to put his phone inside his pocket again, but before he had a chance, he heard a ding coming from it so, he checked it out, noticing Taehyung just sent him a message "You got to be kidding me..."

"You gave me your phone because you are dumber than me 😝😁😉 and yes, you could've done it yourself, who's the smartass now, Jinnie? I am so, you know, stop treating like an infant, old man😜"

***

Yoongi was sitting at one of the booths of his favourite coffee shop that wasn't very far from the school, enjoying a hot cup of coffee and a blueberry muffin during the break he had between classes. It was like a safe haven for him when he needed peace and quiet, it was also the perfect place to rest his mind from the chaotic and busy schedule he had, despite loving children and sharing his passion for music with them, Yoongi, sometimes, just needed a moment to himself.

Yoongi cupped his cup of coffee to warm his cold hands, sighing happily as he admired the view from the window while noticing the sun shining brightly and the sky clear of clouds. It was the perfect winter day, cold but pleasant, good enough to go for a walk in the park, maybe after his piano lesson with Hoseok, Yoongi and the blonde boy could spend some time together, allowing Taehyung to rest, his best friend desperately needed some time alone as well, handling a major asshole like Seokjin probably exhausted him.

"Why look at the window, when you can look at yourself, you're more beautiful than the street"

"What are you doing here?" Yoongi asked slightly irritated, not liking how his quiet and alone time was interrupted "Are you stalking me, Mr Jeon?"

Jungkook chuckled as he sat down on the opposite side of Yoongi's seat, observing how the red-haired male's feline eyes were glaring intensively at him, however, he didn't feel intimated or scared, he actually thought it was funny and adorable. "No, I'm not, I buy my coffee here, I usually come later and ask for coffee to go for me and Seokjin, I decided to be different today"

"I think your asshole of a boss and a best friend probably won't like to know how you are flirting with someone during office hours..." Yoongi retorted upsettingly, wishing the older male would just go away to let him enjoy his alone time in peace "You should go back to work, Mr Jeon"

Jungkook took a sip of his coffee, not being able to avert his eyes from Yoongi, who was a lot more appealing and attractive when he was all worked up because of him. He honestly liked to have that effect on the younger male, besides that, Jungkook also found it amusing how the red-haired male wasn't fond of Seokjin. The black-haired male placed his discardable coffee cup on the table and leaned forward, seeing Yoongi's expression change from annoyed to confused.

"When we met you seemed confused, you were probably asking yourself how I knew you, well, social media is a wonderful thing and it makes it easier to know people, like you and your best friend..." Jungkook explained casually, his eyes remaining on the now frowning male in front of him "I must confess when I saw Taehyung's profile, I immediately had the will to message him and talk to him, but then I saw you in one of the photos and I was mesmerised by you"

Yoongi didn't know if he should feel creeped out or embarrassed so, he tried to keep a deadpan expression to not give away his true feelings. That was his defence mechanism, he knew what the other male was doing and he didn't like it, Yoongi didn't want to be taken advantage of.

"So, you are a stalker, let me guess, Mr Jeon, you saw my profile next, thinking I would make the perfect victim to mess around with and discard when you would be satisfied, also you must think that I seem fragile and naïve, but you're wrong" Yoongi spoke with conviction, trying to tell, as nicely as he could, to Mr Jeon to take a hike, because he didn't want anything to do with him "I don't like men who only have one thing on their minds, I know how your type works"

"When you mean your type, are you talking about Hongseok, Taehyung's ex, right? If you are, let me clarify something, Yoongi, I'm not like him, what I mean is, I don't go around picking naïve and innocent men to date and cheat on them after, that's despicable, however, I like to flirt and yes, I like having sex, but with single men with no strings attached" Jungkook remarked assertively, not liking to be seen as a creep who went around spying someone's social media page with ill intentions "But when I really like someone, I give it try and I go all out, I had relationships before that didn't work out, not because I cheated on them, actually one of my relationships ended badly for that same reason, my partner cheated on me, see, I'm not like Hongseok and find it offensive how you assume I'm like that, is it because I have a good body and I'm blunt? I thought you were nicer, but I guess I misjudged you too, you are not the person Taehyung described to me"

Jungkook grabbed his cup of coffee and got up from his seat, deciding it was best if he didn't pursue Yoongi, who, apparently, was judgemental and cold, and not caring and nice like Taehyung told him. He didn't like to be seen as a flirt with a hot body, he had a lot more qualities besides those, he was loving, smart, romantic and strong-minded. Jungkook tried his best to be a gentleman, even when he had one-night stands, he thought people deserved respect. It was unfair of Yoongi to accuse him of being a player and cheater without giving him a chance to show him who the real Jeon Jungkook was, however, Yoongi wasn't interested and Jungkook wasn't the one to pursue people who jump to conclusions and were rude towards him.

"Mr Jeon!"

Jungkook stopped and turned around when he heard Yoongi calling for him. "Anything else you want to share with me, if you don't, then I'm going back to work and I will not bother you again, I might look for my next "victim", maybe Taehyung, he sounds perfect, don't you think, Mr Min?"

Yoongi felt bad for making Jungkook uncomfortable and for basically insulting him, however, it was stronger than him. He already had experience with cheaters and he wasn't talking about Hongseok, he didn't like when people looked at him and instantly thought he was gullible and easy to deceive, Yoongi once was like that and he had to get stronger and be more assertive to not be fooled again.

"I'm sorry, I just-"

"A piece of advice, Mr Min, be careful with what you say, you never know if the next person who shows interest in you likes you for real and gets shut down immediately without having a chance to get to know you, as you did with me" Jungkook didn't want to interrupt Yoongi, even though he knew what his intentions were, he probably wanted to apologise for his insulting and judgmental speech. He would be more comprehensive if the younger male had motives that justify his defamatory words, but he didn't, Yoongi just plainly accused him of being a person who was only interested in fucking people and cheating on them "No need to apologise, I got the message, please give my regards to your best friend and his cute baby brother, see you around, Mr Min"

Yoongi cursed himself and his straightforwardness as he saw Jungkook leaving, probably hurt because of his demeaning and spiteful words towards him. It would be a lie if he said it wasn't his intention to be so cruel, Yoongi acted coldheartedly because it was automatic and had the purpose to drive away all those men who tried to get something from him, or at least that was what crossed his mind every time a guy approached him, it was a bad habit and a defence mechanism to protect his weak heart from breaking again.

***

"You see, a plastic bottle of water can be used to make cute animals, like this piggy here" Taehyung smiled warm-heartedly, showing his class a water bottle painted in pink, with plastic corks as cute feet and nose, and with a small tail and ears to represent a pig "I want you to choose an animal and use the water bottle to make one, it can be a cute piggy like this one in my hand, or a cat, or dog, it's your choice, if you need help you can ask me for help, understood, sweethearts?"

"YES, TAE!"

Taehyung couldn't help but chuckle at his class' enthusiasm, however, he loved how the kids were always ready to work and do the fun assignments he gave to them, like that one with water bottles. It was a simple and entertaining way to learn about recycling and taking care of the environment by reusing materials to do other things, like cute plastic animals as decoration.

"I wish I had good ideas like that" Soonyoung commented impressively, always surprised with the awesome and creative ideas Taehyung came up with "Using water bottles to do animals as art décor, childish, but fancy"

"Please, don't stop complimenting me, Soo, I'm enjoying it a lot" Taehyung retorted smugly, leaning against the wall while he observed the little ones talking among themselves, trying to figure out what animal they were going to choose "I know I'm super smart, thank you"

"So humble" Gunhak remarked sarcastically, finding suspicious Taehyung's insufferable good mood "Did you have fun during the weekend? Did you finally get some action? If you did, we should celebrate"

"Tae Tae! Can I make a sheep?"

"Yes, Ah Ra, you can, there's a box with cotton, you can use it as fluffy hair, but ask me for help when you use the liquid glue or your fingers will be all sticky" Taehyung told the sweet four-year-old who instantly giggled, probably excited for the project. The younger with pink and blonde hair glanced between his friends, wanting to enlighten them about his wrongful assumptions "And no, I didn't have fun during the weekend, I didn't get some action, unfortunately, I'm just happy, can't I be happy without a reason?"

Soonyoung and Gunhak stared at each other, not buying the lame excuse Taehyung just gave to them, they knew their friend for a few years and there was always a reason behind the bubbly younger's mood.

"No, you can't, you know why? Because Kim Taehyung always has a reason to smile, I don't give Hoseok as an excuse, I'm not four" Soonyoung saw Taehyung rolling his eyes, probably not liking how right he was about him "Don't tell me, the "asshole" confessed his love for you? I notice that it's been a while since you complained about him to us, the last time was last week when he upset you, you agree with me, right, Gu?"

"I agree with you, Soo, something happened between Tae and Mr. big shot" Gunhak added jokingly, trying to provoke Taehyung and it was working, because he was throwing daggers at him "Don't look at me like that, Taehyung, it's your fault so, c'mon, spill the beans"

(What the fuck is happening right now? Are they really accusing me of being happy because of the annoying asshole?)

Taehyung closed his eyes for a second, not believing his friends were really assuming his good mood was related to Seokjin, his friends were dumber than he thought, probably more clueless than four-year-old children.

"Seokjin and I are on good terms, I still don't like him, because he still thinks he's the owner of the world, just this morning he didn't want to give me his best friend's number, I had to beg for his phone" Taehyung reminisced about the events that unfolded that morning, he couldn't forget Seokjin's facial expression while reading his fun message, served him good, the man thought he was superior when he actually wasn't "I even put my number in his phone and sent a message from it to mine to get his number, I annoyed him for an hour, just to show him I'm as smart as him, maybe that is the reason why I'm happy"

Once again, Soonyoung and Gunhak stared at each other, dumbfounded by what they just heard, but also very amused, their friend gave them a reason to mess around and make fun of him.

"Ah so, you are happy because you finally have his number, now you can talk to him any time of the day, no need to use the cute little boy as an excuse"

(I said too much...)

"No, Gunhak, I'm happy because I taught him a lesson, not because I have his number, I would rather message Jungkook than him, but he's destinate for Yoongi, not for me" Taehyung said nonchalantly, trying to explain to his friends the motive for his happiness, but knowing how his friends were, the younger shouldn't say too much, or he was going to be even more mocked "We made truces and agreed that bringing personal business or insulting each other during our conversations was wrong so, we decided to stay in our lanes, I like to mess with him because I like to piss him off, I don't have ulterior motives or the will to be with him, are you kidding me? We are the total oppositive of each other"

"You know what they say, opposites attract, and if I'm correct Jungkook and Yoongi are total opposites as well so, you know where I'm going with this, don't you, Tae?" Soonyoung asked mischievously, smirking knowingly at his annoyed friend "Gu and I are going to prepare our speeches for the wedding, did you guys already choose the venue or-"

"So what Jungkook and Yoongi are opposites? It doesn't mean anything, and that rule is ridiculous, Hongseok and I were opposites as well, look how that turned out, not good I remind you" Taehyung refuted, crossing his arms, not believing his friends' presumptions, for him it was subjective "Seokjin isn't even my type and too old for me, well, not too old, his personality makes him older, spooky"

"Yeah, yeah, Taehyung, talk to me in a few months, and we'll see who is right here, you or us" Soonyoung still was convinced that something was going to happen between Taehyung and Seokjin, it was like those romantic comedies, love always began with hatred, the copper-haired male thought that was cliché, nonetheless it was kind of sweet "We should make a bet, Gu, what do you think?"

"Uh, I like that, let's do it" Gunhak quickly agreed with his friend's suggestion, feeling truly elated about the bet they were about to make "So, let's bet about the time that it's going to take until Taehyung falls in love with Seokjin, I think, maybe three months, since they are already close"

"Two months, I know how Taehyung is so, it won't take long, by Yoongi's birthday, he will be over the moon with Seokjin" Soonyoung sniggered quietly, loving making fun of Taehyung, who was groaning inaudibly, however, he could hear it which made it more fun for him "Do you want the join the-"

"Zero days, zero weeks, zero months and zero years, that's my bet, you guys will have to buy snacks for Hoseok and me for a year, in case any of you win, which it's not going to happen, I'll be the one buying the snacks"

"And be your best man"

"And be my bes- Wait, what? No!" Taehyung looked at Gunhak in disbelief, yearning to smack the back of his head, however, he didn't want to be violent in front of the children, that was a bad example for them "You know what? I have cute little four-year-olds to help, you guys should do the same, it's your work after all"

Chapter Text

Jimin spread the colourful post-its Hoseok gave to him these last few days over the dining room table to show his Korean tutor what his friend did to help him to get better at the subject as per his request and the brunette boy was happy to oblige because he was excited for having Mr Nam as his new tutor. He seemed more friendly and approachable than the other tutors Jimin had previously so, he wanted to get an A on his next test to not lose the kind older male, who was considering following Hoseok's study method to improve his grade.

"So, your friend Hoseok gives you these small papers with a word for you to study its meaning and write on your notebook to help you memorise it, is that it, Jimin?" teacher Nam questioned curiously, watching Jimin biting his bottom lip as he nodded which made him smile "Your friend is very smart and I think we should do the same, but I'm not only giving you a word for you to know its meaning and memorise, I also want you to make a sentence with it, this way you will improve much faster, don't you agree?"

Jimin nodded again, but this time he gave Teacher Nam a small smile, feeling happy his new tutor was as nice as Kookie, Taehyung, Teacher Kim and Teacher Min and for existing more adults who weren't like his father and other people who worked at his company, they were all meanies.

"My friend Hobi wrote me a cute note, I want to write one too to give to him, Teacher Nam, will you help me?" Jimin requested sweetly as he stared at his new tutor, hoping he would say yes "My father made Hobi sad so, I promised I would get better in Korean to write him a note and make him happy"

"You can call me Woohyun, Jimin, no need to be formal with me, I want you to be comfortable with me" Woohyun reassured the polite brunette under his care, already knowing what type of child Jimin was since he was a close friend of his teacher, Myungsoo, and he was bothered by how demanding Mr Kim was towards his son and how he quickly dismissed the former tutors before him just because his son couldn't get an A. For that exact reason, Woohyun was very reluctant to accept the job, however, he decided to do it for Jimin's sake "And yes, of course, I'm going to help you, but you need to learn the basics first for you to be able to write a note, a really meaningful one to impress Hobi, is it okay with you, Jimin?"

"Yes, Woohyun!" Jimin giggled because he thought his tutor's name was funny to pronounce and that made him happy. He, then, glanced at the words written on the small colourful papers Hoseok had been giving to him and he wanted his tutor to help him with the sentences "Can you help me make a sentence with these words? I already memorised their meaning and wrote them in my notebook"

"Really? Can I ask you the meaning of one of these words, Jimin?" Woohyun asked, wanting to check if Jimin was making progress as he saw the young boy nodding his head again "Okay, let me see, how about butterfly?"

"Butterfly is a very pretty insect with two wings, they can have multiple colours, and they differ from moths, I don't know what that is, because they're active during the day" Jimin replied cheerfully to his tutor as he remembered drawing a butterfly while he was studying the word "I saw one last week during recess when I was playing with my friends, Hobi said he didn't know how to write butterfly so, the next day he gave me this pink paper with the word, he said it was super easy to learn"

"That's very good, Jimin, well done" Woohyun praised Jimin for doing an amazing job as he stroked his hair, seeing how bashful the brunette was for his words of encouragement. He didn't believe Jimin had positive reinforcement from his father and that alone could be disconcerting for a child, positively speaking to children could motivate them to do a better job and improve their work "Okay, you prove to me that you've been working hard so, we're going to start with the words your friend gave to you and make sentences with them, alright? With which one do you want to start?"

Jimin hummed as his eyes rummaged for the right word to use in a sentence, maybe he could use it on the note he was going to write to Hoseok in the future and with that thought in mind, the brunette found the perfect word to initiate his Korean tutoring lesson.

Jimin smiled brightly as he pointed at the small blue paper on top of the table. "Friend"

***

"What are you doing here?" Jungkook asked astonishingly as he saw Seokjin walking inside his office, not understanding why his best friend and the boss decided to come to see him during office hours. Usually, he was the one who went to Seokjin's office to annoy him, not the other way around "I'm the one who goes to your office, not only to mock you but to talk about work, not the other way around, did something happen? Is it Jimin?"

Seokjin calmly sat down on the chair in front of Jungkook's desk. He crossed his legs and placed his hands on his lap while his eyes never left the black-haired male, noticing how surprised he was by his random visit, however, it wasn't random. Seokjin had a purpose and, as amazing as it seemed, he was inside that office not as a boss, but as a best friend.

"Well, I'm not a fan of your little escapades to my office when you intend to mock me or lecture me, which has been a lot more frequently than usual and I know the reason, but I'm going to keep quiet to not screw myself, I already did that this morning" Seokjin stated bluntly, noticing how Jungkook was now smirking because he mentioned the not so funny episode that occurred that morning "And no, nothing happened to Jimin, he's fine, actually he was very excited with his new Korean tutor, but that's beside the point, I'm here as your best friend, not your boss, I know what happened at the coffee shop..."

Jungkook was still a little surprised by Seokjin's attitude, it wasn't typical of him to discuss personal business at work, and his best friend thought it was unprofessional of him. However, it didn't stop him from doing it, his favourite thing in the world was to make fun of Seokjin, just like he did that morning when he asked him the reason why he was so grumpy. Jungkook already knew the answer, still, it was fun to hear Seokjin bitching non-stop.

"Let me guess, your new friend told you what happened and insisted that you should talk to me to make me feel better? Did I get it right?" Jungkook questioned vacuously as he returned his focus to the presentation he was preparing for a meeting he had to attend later that week. He knew from the small conversations he had with Taehyung how thoughtful and genuine he was and how he cared about people, he guessed he wasn't an exception to his kindness "Look, you don't need to worry, Seokjin, I'm fine, I'm a big boy, I barely knew him so, it doesn't matter, now if that's all, you can go away and let me work"

Jungkook's last remark was all Seokjin needed to conclude that his best friend was truly bothered by what happened that morning between him and Yoongi at the coffee shop and by the words spoken to him by the said male. The dark-haired male couldn't understand what Jungkook was going through at that moment, however, he always tried his best to be sympathetic and affable towards him. Seokjin knew perfectly well how he was seen – cold, stern, ruthless and insensitive –, not the type to express his emotions, not because he didn't want to, he just didn't feel comfortable showing the most vulnerable part of himself.

"Yes, Taehyung told me and annoyed me to talk to you, I was going to, you're my best friend, Jungkook, I might not be the most expressive person in the world, but I'm here for you like you always are there for me" Seokjin spoke calmly, trying to appease his miffed best friend the best he could "You telling me to leave because you have work to do shows me how upset you are with what happened, just talk to me, I don't understand the situation, but I want to help you the best I can"

Jungkook felt odd because it looked like he switched places with Seokjin, normally he was the one who attempted everything to get his best friend to talk to him, even though he knew he didn't feel comfortable speaking about his emotions or if something was bothering him. Seokjin kept to himself and Jungkook, despite being the opposite when it came to demonstrating and expressing his feelings, also didn't like to expose himself when something or someone hurt him or upset him.

Jungkook ran his fingers through his hair as he huffed, feeling frustrated with Seokjin's stubbornness. He had to do a better job of annoying his best friend in the future, luckily Taehyung was always a good topic to bring up in the conversation, it instantly pissed Seokjin off and Jungkook loved nothing more than seeing his dark-haired best friend irritated, it was pretty amusing.

"Yes, Seokjin, I'm upset, it's not every day someone insults me by calling me a predator, who checks people's profiles to look for a victim to seduce, fuck, date and then cheat afterwards just because I'm playful and blunt, I find that offensive and judgmental" Jungkook explained what Seokjin probably knew already, however, he wanted to emphasize how harsh Yoongi was towards him without giving him the benefit of the doubt and that was what hurt the most "I really liked the person Taehyung described to me, I wanted to be closer to Yoongi and know him properly in person and not through Taehyung, I didn't take it personally when he answered me coldly, but when he accused me of being like Taehyung's ex, assuming the only purpose I had to approach him was to fuck him, I realised he was rude and derogatory, with that said, there is nothing you can do to help me"

"You know what I think, Jungkook? I think you really like him and that's the real reason why you are so mad, you have every right to be, I would react the same way, actually, I, sometimes, lose my patience with Mr. atrocious colours because he judges me right away so, I do the same thing, but this is about you, not me" Seokjin had his fair share of experiences when it came to the judgment of character, people looked at him and immediately reached the conclusion he was cold-blooded and too straightforward, like Taehyung. He also admitted he judged people, and he wasn't a saint, however, there was a lot about him outsiders didn't know because Seokjin didn't want to get too attached, he was used to being in his comfort zone, he wasn't spontaneous as Taehyung, maybe he should try to be "This is just a suggestion, but you should give Yoongi a chance to explain himself, I'm sure he has a reason to act the way he acts, maybe it's a defence mechanism, maybe someone hurt him and he doesn't feel comfortable when people who are blunt like you approach him"

"I appreciate your suggestion, Jin, I really do, but right now, I don't want to see Yoongi or talk to him, I'm hurt and the last thing I want is to step to his level, for now, I'm going to maintain my distance, it's better this way" Jungkook didn't stay at the coffee shop because he didn't want to hear Yoongi's lame attempt to apologise, it wasn't that easy so, he preferred giving some time to cool himself down "As for you and Taehyung, let me retribute your generous words by making a suggestion of mine own, you should be nicer to him, my dear best friend and don't give me the same bullshit you've been giving me these last few days, this is the first time I see you livelier and more vocal since your father sucked the fun out of you, I know you don't want to admit, but Taehyung has an influence on you"

"You are having fun at my expense so, you're all better now which means I can go back to work..." Seokjin rolled his eyes as he got up from the chair, noticing the cheeky bunny smile on Jungkook's features, at least, he successfully made his best friend happy "And why should I be nicer to him? He took advantage of my generosity, I willingly gave him my phone because he wanted your number, Taehyung should have just asked you instead, that way I wouldn't have a tone of messages in the morning, what's next? He's going to call me in the middle of the night?"

Jungkook chuckled, not being able to contain his amusement, he surely loved to see Seokjin all rile up just because Taehyung saved his number on his phone and vice-versa.

"If he calls you in the middle of the night, maybe it's because he wants some action, if that happens, remember to use protection, Kim Seokjin, we don't-"

"I'm leaving!" Seokjin interrupted as he headed to the door of Jungkook's office, not wanting to give his best friend more reasons to mock him "Also, I'm starting to think that I have to retaliate, you know me, Jungkook, I'm a patient man, but there's so much I can take"

Jungkook was seeing a glimpse of the old Seokjin and he wished he could see more because he missed his nonchalant best friend who didn't have a care in the world. Maybe there was hope for Seokjin after all and maybe Jimin could finally have a parent who dedicates himself to him, the little one deserved to be happy and live his life without having a tone of pressure to exceed his father's expectations.

"Bring it on, old man, there's no way you can mess with me" Jungkook incited Seokjin, feeling complacent and confident about himself, his best friend was out of practice "And remember, I know your weakness"

Seokjin turned around, before leaving Jungkook's office and he gave his best friend a small smirk. "Maybe I can use my weakness against you, by the way, you're older than me, but I'm smarter than you, now, get back to work, if you don't want to stay after hours"

***

After taking a shower, Taehyung threw the towel he just used to dry his hair behind his shoulder, not caring where it landed. The bathroom was already a mess and he was going to deal with it after relaxing for a bit, he desperately needed a break from his hectic routine. Taehyung loved Hoseok from the bottom of his heart and every day he spent with his little sunshine was amazing and fulfilling, however raising a child was still tiring, it was hard work and, sometimes, it took a toll on him. That was why Taehyung enjoyed his free time which he rarely had to rest, lately, he had been feeling more exhausted, he didn't know if it was because of Hoseok's energetic behaviour or the fact he had to deal with a man who seriously pissed him off, but at the same time, was a good source of entertainment.

Taehyung headed to his closet, he opened it, eyeing his clothes as he looked for a comfy hoodie to wear, it was slightly cold inside his apartment, nothing the heating system couldn't resolve. It also didn't help that he was only wearing underwear, however, Taehyung was the type of person who liked to feel comfortable while hanging around the house and he couldn't simply wear just a hoodie and underwear when Hoseok was with him, there were boundaries so, he took advantage of his time alone to walk around the house the way he wanted. Taehyung caught a glimpse of a grey hoodie hiding in the back, among his numerous colourful and diverse outfits, he grabbed it and examined it for a few seconds, trying to figure out where he had seen that particular piece of clothing, It seemed familiar to him, but he couldn't grasp the last time he wore it or who it belonged to so, Taehyung just shrugged his shoulders and put the grey and big comfy hoodie on, concluding that it probably was Namjoon's.

Taehyung went to his dresser to check himself in the mirror that was just above it, not that he was full of himself or cocky, but he liked to admire his body, even though he wasn't muscular and didn't have the perfect body, Taehyung loved the way he was, inside and out, he loved himself. Taehyung lifted the big hoodie to see his underwear, a piece he bought when his second anniversary with Hongseok was approaching. It was a laced pink pair of boxers, he, like any other man, wore boxers, however, being the extrovert and bubbly person Taehyung was he preferred wearing women's boxers which were more colourful, comfortable and sexier than men's boxers, those were dull and boring, nothing like his cheerful personality.

"Yoongi was right, these laced pink boxers looked good on me, they are kind of cute too, I wish I could show them off"

When he was dating Hongseok, Taehyung always liked to show his ex-boyfriend his new acquisitions, of course, being the horn dog he was. Hongseok loved every single pair of boxers he wore, not minding if it was women's or not, he just loved to see him parading around half-naked in his apartment. Taehyung, despite suffering a lot from the cheating and his break-up, still had fond memories of him and Hongseok, after all, they dated for two years.

Not wanting to dwell on the past, Taehyung decided to take a selfie of himself just wearing the hoodie and the underwear, maybe he could get the attention of some hot guy and have some fun. Soonyoung and Gunhak were annoying, especially with their assumptions about him and Seokjin, which made him cringe, however, they were right about him needing some fun, it also had been a while since he and Yoongi hit the town and went out clubbing, Taehyung deserved a night out and a few drinks.

Taehyung went to his bedside table, grabbed his phone and immediately jumped on the bed, sitting on his knees, he opened the camera app while thinking about what type of photo he wanted to take. He tilted his head as he glanced at the mirror, smiling mischievously, already having a plan. Taehyung pointed the phone to the mirror, slightly spreading his legs on the bed as he pulled down the hem of the hoodie and finally tapped the button, taking the naughty and suggestive photo to post on his social media profile, now he just needed a good description to go with it, something as sexy as the photo and Taehyung knew just the perfect one.

"This baby needs a new daddy, any volunteers?"

"Was that too slutty? Maybe it was, but I don't give a damn" Taehyung said, unbothered, not caring about the way he looked, it was his profile, he could post and write anything he wanted about himself, it wasn't anyone's business. The younger with pink and blonde hair posted the photo as he got up from the bed to go to the living room "I think this is one of my favourite photos, glad I posted it.

Reaching the living room, Taehyung felt the phone vibrating in his hand, he saw the notification popping up on his screen, it was a comment from Soonyoung.

"You already have a daddy💦😏 sorry, a sugar daddy, because the man is rich 💲💲💲"

"Annoying..."

Taehyung knew perfectly well who Soonyoung was talking about and, once again, he cringed just thinking about what his friend said.

Taehyung felt his phone vibrating again, it was another comment, however, it was from Jungkook and it made him chuckle.

"If I knew you were looking for a daddy, I would have volunteered, now it's too late, what a shame🥵"

"If Jungkook wasn't so perfect for Yoongi, I would've jumped on him"

Taehyung flopped down on the couch, wondering why Yoongi was still holding on to the past, he knew his best friend went too far that morning when he met Jungkook at the coffee shop. The younger with colourful hair didn't know how Jungkook knew that particular coffee shop, it was Yoongi's favourite place in the whole world, well, except for the bed, if his red-haired best friend hadn't a job, his bed was probably the only place he would rather be. Taehyung didn't blame him, he also enjoyed spending his weekends in bed with his baby brother watching movies or videos on Youtube, especially on cold days.

The ordeal between Jungkook and Yoongi was still bothersome to Taehyung, he didn't want to force his best friend to move on or date, however, he needed to go out with someone just to keep his mind busy from the heartbreak he experienced. Taehyung wasn't the only one who had to deal with a cheater, Yoongi, four years ago, was in the same place he was, although his situation was worse than his. That was the reason that made it so hard for Yoongi to start again, his best friend was stubborn and suspicious of every guy that crossed his way, his excuse was he was being careful, at the same time, Taehyung could see Yoongi was quickly shutting himself from the world, his only consolation was teaching and music.

While reflecting on a way to bring Jungkook and Yoongi together, Taehyung heard the doorbell. He frowned as he gazed at his phone to see the time, it was still early to be Hoseok and Yoongi, his little sunshine's piano lesson was almost over, however, he knew his best friend wanted to spend some time with his baby brother, Hoseok was like family to him.

Taehyung reluctantly got up from the couch, cursing whoever was at the door, completely forgetting he was only wearing underwear and a hoodie, not exactly the right attire to greet someone. But who the hell was visiting him in the middle of the afternoon, it could probably be a neighbour, the majority of them were elderly, really nice and kind people.

Taehyung lazily opened the door and he instantly regretted doing it after seeing the person standing on his doorstep, making him sigh heavily as he leaned again the frame, ready to kick someone's ass.

"What the fuck are you doing here, Hongseok?" Taehyung questioned exasperatedly as he saw a smirk erupting on Hongseok's plump lips while practically devouring him with his eyes, making Taehyung feel uneasy "I thought I made myself clear when I blocked your number, don't tell me, your dick fall off and now you want to sue me, be my guest, now leave"

"Taehyung, baby, I missed you so much so, I decided to stop by, knowing Hoseok and Yoongi wouldn't be here, I could've warned you, but you block me..." Hongseok said casually as he got closer to Taehyung, enjoying the marvellous view in front of him "Also, I saw the photo you posted a few minutes ago while I was on my way here, it's brave of you to ask for a daddy when you are wearing my hoodie, I thought it was in the trash"

(Fuck my life, why did I have to post a photo with the guy's hoodie? Damn it...)

"First of all, I don't want you here, second of all, I will keep your hoodie because it's comfy and big and I like it, last, but not least, I'm single and I do whatever I want, if I want someone to have fun with, it's my problem, not yours" Taehyung retorted, not having the patience to deal with Hongseok, he completely forgot about his ex-boyfriend and his attempts to persuade him to go back to him, he was the epitome of pathetic "And if you are here to ask me for another chance, you can turn around and leave"

"I gave you that hoodie after my first photoshoot, Taehyung, I don't want it..." Hongseok remarked soothingly, gently cupping Taehyung's face "I want to talk to you, at least, let me come inside, or do you want your neighbours to see you like this? Please, for old times' sake"

Taehyung gazed at Hongseok as he felt his soft thumb running over his cheek, the right thing to do was to push him away and close the door on his face, however, Taehyung couldn't do it. Dealing with Hongseok through text messages was easy, but now having him standing at his door, made everything harder, Taehyung hated how nice and forgiving he was and, despite complying with his ex-boyfriend's request, he was still on high alert. Whatever Hongseok wanted to speak to him about or whatever excuses he had to give to justify a naked guy on top of him, riding him, Taehyung wasn't budging, he didn't want to have a relationship with the other male.

Taehyung sighed in frustration as he opened the door wider to let Hongseok come inside his house, noticing the big smile plastered on his features, that alluring smile that doomed him from the start. He proceeded to close the door and returned his attention to the very tempting yet asshole man who was looking at him fondly, however, his eyes told another story, Taehyung knew that stare and it wasn't good.

"I broke up with you through text message because I didn't want to see you and you deserved to be dumped like that after what you did to me, it's been four months, Hongseok, why can't you stop coming after me?" Taehyung asked solemnly as he saw Hongseok getting closer to him once again. He felt vulnerable and talking about that matter just made it worse, the younger with colourful hair gave too many chances to the other male, although it was very tempting in the first few weeks after the breakup, of course sleeping with Hongseok when he was wasted didn't help his case "When I slept with you a month ago, I told you it didn't mean a thing, still you come to my house and make a fool out of yourself, what else do you want for me, Hongseok?"

Hongseok slowly grabbed Taehyung's hands, amazed how the sweet boy didn't stop him, aware of how much damage he did when he was in a relationship, he wasn't the perfect boyfriend, obviously, he was weak and apparently, he didn't deal very well with commitment. However, he never fell out of love with Taehyung, that was impossible, how could he when he was the most generous, beautiful and kindest human in the world, it might not seem like it, yet he still treasured him and loved him, it was wicked of him coming back and maybe stupid, Hongseok couldn't help himself.

"Baby, I meant it when I said I missed you and wanted another chance, even though I'm not worthy of you and probably the dumbest guy in the world, because you are wonderful" Hongseok spoke tenderly as he pulled Taehyung towards him, feeling the other fighting against his advances, nonetheless, he was letting him come even closer "Tell me, did our night together really mean nothing to you, for me meant a lot, having you again in my bed, close to me, reminded me of the nights we cuddled with Hoseok"

(Why is he doing this to me? He knows how vulnerable I am, he's taking advantage of me and I'm letting him, do I still have feelings for him?)

Taehyung shook his head, not letting his heart and his emotions influenced him, however, it was pointless. It wasn't the first time Hongseok tried to bring down the wall he built around himself, the thing was, every time Taehyung let his ex-boyfriend get closer, a little of that wall would break down, exposing his weaknesses.

"Okay, it wasn't meaningless to me, we dated for two years, Hongseok, I loved you so much and yes, you are the fucking dumbest guy in the whole universe, you fucking cheater..." Taehyung mumbled, placing his hands on Hongseok's chest, maybe letting him inside his house was a mistake "You should go..."

"I know that look, baby, you don't want me to go..."Hongseok said quietly, his hands gliding down Taehyung's sides, feeling his slightly curvy body "And I don't want to go either..."

"I don't want to make the same mistake again..." Taehyung admitted timidly, almost surrendering himself to Hongseok "We shouldn't..."

Hongseok pulled Taehyung by the waist, glueing their bodies together, yearning to feel his rosy plump lips against his and touch his body again. His eyes were capturing the beauty in front of him, the desire he felt for Taehyung was growing, and the way Hongseok felt about him didn't change, he was just allured by others and he truly hated how he fell for it.

"Let me show you how much I want you..." Hongseok requested, knowing perfectly well he didn't have the right to come back and mess with Taehyung's feelings, but he honestly missed him and couldn't bear to be apart from him, it was selfish and yet, he was there, almost begging him for a chance to show his true feelings "At least, give me a chance to do that, Taehyung, let me love you..."

"You know I can't do that, Hongseok..."

"A kiss..." Hongseok whispered desperately as he tilted his head, sneakily moving his hands underneath the big hoodie to feel Taehyung's body while focusing on those big doe eyes that were hypnotising him just like the very first time he saw the other male in person, the photos didn't do him justice, even though there were provocative "At least, let me kiss you..."

(Should I kiss him?)

It would be a lie if Taehyung said he wasn't tempted to kiss Hongseok, knowing it would be a huge mistake, basically encouraging his ex-boyfriend to keep chasing him and making his life unbearable. He already made a mistake by having a one-night stand with him, a one-night stand that never should've happened, but Taehyung felt lonely back then and he still was because he hadn't proper closure with Hongseok, his little stunts, like the one he was pulling now, were his condemnation and prevented him to move on.

Taehyung bit his bottom lip as he felt Hongseok's hands caressing his body, moving slowly and gently towards his lower back. He was trying to resist temptation and fight against his urges, however, it was hopeless, he couldn't help to succumb to Hongseok's touch, to his intense gaze, to his eyes that were sparkling vividly with lust. Taehyung was weak, he knew it, that was the reason he avoided seeing his ex-boyfriend in person, and that was why he tried to listen to Yoongi's wise words to get some sense in his head. After all, his best friend was a better judge of character than he was, Taehyung thought he had himself under control, especially after blocking Hongseok's number, even though he knew that his ex-boyfriend could show up at his doorstep. Taehyung was hoping Yoongi would be with him, like the other times if that happened, and there he was now, in Hongseok's embrace, not being able to control himself.

Taehyung absentmindedly tilted his head as he shortened the distance between him and Hongseok, he grabbed the sweatshirt his ex-boyfriend was wearing and softly pressed his lips on Hongseok's, not wanting to prolong their kiss, however, the cheeky male instantly bit his bottom lip, making him whimper. Taehyung slightly opened his mouth, letting Hongseok's tongue entangle his, devouring him and dominating the heated kiss that quickly was overpowering the voice of reason that kept screaming at him for being so feeble and naïve, like when Taehyung found out about Hongseok's affairs.

Hongseok sucked Taehyung's plump bottom lip as he moved his hands down to the back of his thighs, enjoying the feel of the laced underwear that turn Taehyung even sexier than he already was. When he reached the back of his thighs, Hongseok swiftly picked Taehyung up, immediately feeling his legs around his waist and his hands in the back of his head, stroking his hair as their kiss became more sloppy and fiery. Hongseok groped Taehyung's thighs, making him moan against his lips as he moved the make-out session to the couch, he carefully laid down the breathtaking male on it, momentarily breaking their kiss to admire the ethereal beauty that stunned him.

Hongseok lifted his body a little while feeling Taehyung's legs squeezing his waist. He took off his sweatshirt and threw it to the floor, then he placed his hands on the other male's thighs as he leaned down again, noticing Taehyung's swollen lips that were appealing and sweet. Hongseok kissed Taehyung again, his lips moved slower than before as his hands made their way up to the elastic band of his laced boxers, wanting nothing more than to please him.

Taehyung shamefully moaned loudly when Hongseok sank his teeth into his bottom lip as he pulled it, gradually travelling down, kissing his chin and his neck, feeling his lips sucking and nipping on his skin.

"Hongseok~"

"I missed you so much, baby, I missed your beautiful body..." Hongseok uttered gently against Taehyung's neck, loving the lewd sounds coming from his lips "I can't wait any longer, I want you..." Hongseok's eyes landed on the pink boxers, his fingers restlessly playing with the band, yearning to possess Taehyung and drive him crazy "Can I take them, baby?"

Taehyung bit his bottom lip again, questioning himself and his poor decisions, however, it was already too late and he didn't want to pass the opportunity to have some fun. Nobody needed to know the person who was going to make him feel blissful and give him immense pleasure, especially when that person was his ex-boyfriend. Taehyung was already embarrassed by himself for being easy prey, an easy and horny prey, he had no intention of talking about what he was going to do next, it was his dirty little secret.

Taehyung was about to nod his head when he heard the doorbell ringing, completely waking him from his naughty thoughts.

"Hongseok, I need-"

Hongseok slammed his lips against Taehyung, predicting what he was going to say, he didn't want their private time to be interrupted. "Just ignore it, baby, it isn't important"

The doorbell rang again.

"Taehyung, it's me"

Chapter Text

Taehyung pushed Hongseok from him and got up from the couch, he grabbed the sweatshirt that was on the floor and threw it at Hongseok, not wanting the person who was at the door to see his ex-boyfriend shirtless. He was already half-naked, however, he was at his own place so, he could wear whatever he wanted without being scrutinised by a pain in the ass, a pain in the ass who wasn't supposed to know his address.

"Do you know the guy?"

"Yes, I do, I wish I didn't..." Taehyung answered honestly as he made his way to the door, noticing Hongseok's curious look, he probably was pissed for being interrupted. The young male with colourful hair didn't know how to feel, maybe it was a blessing in disguise that stopped him from making another mistake "You have to go, Hongseok..." Taehyung reached the door, he took a deep breath as he prepared himself mentally for what was yet to come, and finally opened it, giving the other a forced smile "Seokjin, what do I owe the pleasure? Because I don't remember giving you my address..."

Seokjin cleared his throat as he deviated his eyes from the almost naked younger, who was nonchalantly talking to him without feeling bothered by the lack of clothes. "Can you please put some clothes on? It's not appropriate to greet someone like that"

"Look, Seokjin, this is my house, Hoseok isn't here so, I wear whatever the hell I want" Taehyung said assertively, however, he was enjoying seeing Seokjin nervous with his lack of clothing, it must have been a while since he saw someone wearing nothing or almost nothing "Tell me what you want, that's the least you can do for coming to my house unannounced"

Seokjin placed his hands behind his back and cleared his throat again, trying to focus on Taehyung's face and ignore his comfortableness with him while wearing almost nothing. However, he couldn't force the younger with ridiculous hair colours to put some clothes on, Taehyung was right, he was at home, without Hoseok so, Seokjin couldn't argue with him, he had to suck it up for the time being, he was there with good intentions, not to start a fight with Taehyung.

"I'm here because-"

"Taehyung, baby, I'm going..." Hongseok remarked as he placed his phone in the pocket of his jeans, completely ignoring the man who was standing at the door who didn't seem Taehyung's type but awoke his curiosity. He grabbed the beautiful younger's hand and gazed into his eyes, he didn't want to go, but Hongseok didn't want to aggravate Taehyung and he really had to leave, he had a job to do "I just got a text from my agent, my photoshoot was rescheduled, I have to be there in half an hour..."

Taehyung felt awkward for having Seokjin there to witness him and his ex-boyfriend talking and being touchy, he didn't want to be more judged than he already was.

"Hum, okay..."

"Taehyung, baby, I meant every word I said to you, I want us to talk properly about things, we can meet in a public place for you to know that I don't have second intentions so, please, unblock me, okay? I don't want to be cut out of your life..." Hongseok said caringly as he placed his hands on Taehyung's waist, never breaking eye contact with him. He leaned forward and captured the male with colourful hair's lips, tasting him one last time before going on his way, against his wishes "Think about what I said, alright, Tae? I see you soon..."

Taehyung hummed in response, not knowing what else he could say to Hongseok, he wasn't expecting to see him that day, let alone be intimate with him, well, almost. For the first time, he was glad Seokjin was there, because of him Taehyung stopped himself from choosing the wrong path, however, he still didn't trust himself and he didn't know if he should keep Hongseok in his life. It seemed so obvious the answer to his problems, Taehyung could simply ignore Hongseok and move on with his life, but part of him continued to struggle because he probably was hurt and maybe he still had feelings for his ex-boyfriend, Taehyung truly thought he was totally fine and ready to put the past behind his back, now he wasn't sure.

"Are you alright?"

Taehyung let out a breath he didn't know he was holding as he nodded, even though his mind and his heart were a complete mess, he decided not to wonder about what happened earlier and focus on what led Seokjin to his house, after all, the man didn't know his address so, he had to have a good reason to be there.

"Sorry about that..." Taehyung finally spoke as he opened the door wider to welcome his second surprise guest of the day, the little free time he had gone down the drain, maybe it was best if he had someone with him, rather than being alone questioning his life's decisions and letting his emotions cloud his judgement "Please, come inside unless you are afraid of my house or me"

Seokjin wanted to comment on Taehyung's amusing remark, but seeing how the younger seemed troubled with the other male, who was probably the cheating ex-boyfriend. He decided to remain quiet to not upset Taehyung even more than he already was, he was trying to disguise it, but it was clear to Seokjin.

Seokjin walked inside the apartment per Taehyung's request, still feeling slightly uneasy with the fact the younger wasn't wearing proper clothing, but he disregarded that detail.

"Welcome to my humble home, Mr Kim" Taehyung said cheerfully as he closed the door, eyeing the older male who was looking around "Do you want anything? I swear, my food doesn't have poison"

"No, thank you..." Seokjin replied, seeing Taehyung walking towards one of the cabinets of the kitchenette. The dark-haired male lived in a mansion so, he wasn't used to being inside an apartment, however, Taehyung's place despite being small was very cosy "I need to talk to you about something..."

"Kim Seokjin wants to talk to me, that's interesting..." Taehyung stated, surprised by Seokjin's words, as he opened the cabinet. He stretched his arm, trying to grasp the jar of cookies, he didn't eat anything since lunch and he was dying of hunger, however, he couldn't grab the thing because Yoongi, as the joker he was, pushed the jar inside the cabinet, making it harder to take it out. Taehyung glanced at Seokjin and gave him a wide smile "Tall man, can you give me a hand? I can't reach the cookie jar, Yoongi must have pushed the jar for me to not reach it"

"If you're hungry, you should eat something that's healthier and more nutritious than cookies, Taehyung"

"It's oatmeal cookies, Yoongi made them for me and Hoseok, they are healthy, I used to eat a lot of chocolate chips cookies so, as an alternative to those, he decided to do oatmeal, they're sweet but healthy..." Taehyung whined, pursing his bottom lip to convince Seokjin to help him out "If you want to talk to me about something, you better help me out here, I get grumpy when I'm hungry, if you think I'm annoying on a daily basis, you don't want to see me starved, Jinnie"

In the short period of time Seokjin had been dealing with Taehyung, he came to the conclusion that the younger was more childish than his son and Hoseok combined. He never met someone like Taehyung before and he was still figuring out if it was a good or bad thing, it was too early to tell, however, he had to admit he wasn't as bad an influence as he thought he would be. Jimin sounded a lot more happier and motivated about his Korean tutoring lessons since Hoseok offered his help, although, Seokjin was still cautious, he didn't want any unnecessary distractions that could jeopardise Jimin's education and perfect grades.

Seokjin sighed, not really wanting to handle a starved and more annoying Taehyung, every day was already tough enough. He went to the open cabinet, and easily took out the jar, giving it to Taehyung who giggled childishly while grabbing the glass jar full of oatmeal cookies, asking himself if the younger with those horrendous hair colours really was twenty-five years old, it didn't seem like it. "I think you spend too much time with children, you resemble one and, just because it's oatmeal cookies, it doesn't mean you can eat a bunch of them, you'll gain weight"

(Did he just call me fat? I hope he didn't, because if he did, he won't leave this house alive...)

Taehyung clicked his tongue as he placed the jar on the island counter, Seokjin liked to provoke him, even when he did it unconsciously, but knowing how attentive and perceptive the man was, there was no way he did it by mistake. The older male wanted to rile him up, maybe it was payback for what happened in the morning and that certain event made Taehyung remember a piece of information Seokjin was trying to hide, although he wasn't as dumb as the other thought he was.

"That's insulting, Seokjin, don't tell me, you don't like chubby guys? You know, guys that have a nice ass, thick thighs and curves, maybe your type is guys like you..." Taehyung said teasingly, noticing Seokjin's eyes widening, probably because he was on to him and he didn't even realise it. The older male had a misconception about what type of person he was, Taehyung might have had a childish and bubbly personality, however, he was smart and had an excellent memory "What's the matter, Seokjin? You seemed surprised, did I say something wrong? You like guys, right? You told me this morning, well, not exactly..."

"How, ah, how do you-"

"How I found out? It was easy..." Taehyung remarked indifferently as he picked up the cookie jar, and headed to the couch. He placed the glass jar on top of the table that was in the centre of the living room and sat down, making himself comfortable "You said you had better taste in people, if you liked women, you wouldn't have a problem saying it, after all, you were married and you had a child with her so, you would've stated the obvious, but you said people, which means you are either gay oy bisexual and you want to hide it, well, you probably didn't want me to know that personal detail about yourself, understandable, you must have your reasons" Taehyung took an oatmeal cookie from the jar and munched on it while seeing Seokjin having a mental breakdown, he seemed conflicted "Seokjin, relax and sit down, also don't look at me like that, before adopting Hoseok I was a psychology major, I concluded the first year, but I dropped out, my priority was my little sunshine so, I have some knowledge about the human behaviour, I might resemble a child, but I have a brain..."

Seokjin didn't know what to say, although he felt vulnerable in Taehyung's eyes because he knew about the part of himself he was trying to hide for so long, only Jungkook and his family had knowledge about his sexual orientation. It was like the younger said he had his reasons to keep it a secret, especially from him, the last thing he wanted was Taehyung to tease him and rile him up using his homosexuality, maybe Seokjin was panicking for nothing, still, he felt on edge.

"Seokjin, as I said, you must have your reasons to hide it, I messed with you because you insinuated I'm fat and I wanted to be sure, this conversation doesn't leave this house, I guarantee you that, it's your business, not mine, however, I want you to keep my secret too..."

Seokjin frowned as he joined Taehyung, completely forgetting now how the younger was dressed. "What secret?"

"Don't talk about Hongseok being in here, I mean it, Yoongi will kill me if he knows about what Hongseok and I were about to- I mean, ah..." Taehyung chuckled awkwardly as he scratched the back of his neck, feeling really weird talking about what he and his ex-boyfriend were about to do before Seokjin showed up at his doorstep "I promised Yoongi I would stay away from him and I even block him so, just don't say anything, and I'm not blackmailing you or anything, I'm asking you a favour..."

"It's none of my business and I wasn't going to comment with anybody, it's your personal life, and I have no right to meddle, the same applies to you, my sexual orientation is a personal matter and it would mean a lot to me if you respected my wishes, I do not want to speak about this matter..." Seokjin said strictly, happy to know that both he and Taehyung, despite their bickering and their differences, were on the same page, using personal information against each other was the wrong way to deal with a problem. Seokjin learned that when he met the annoying male the previous week "Just a word of advice if you don't want Yoongi to find out, I suggest you put some foundation on your neck, there's, ah, mark on it..."

Taehyung immediately picked up his phone, which was right beside the cookie jar, he went to the camera app and switched to selfie mode to see the red mark Seokjin just told him about. He ran his fingers over the hickey that was in plain sight, cursing Hongseok for screwing him which was ironic, they didn't have the opportunity to go that far. Then Taehyung looked at himself and recalled that the big grey hoodie he was wearing was from Hongseok's, he didn't know if Yoongi knew about that particular detail, Taehyung was hoping he didn't, it was comfortable and warm.

"Dumbass couldn't control himself and I can't cover this up with clothes, make-up it is, I guess..." Taehyung muttered as he placed his phone back on the table, exhaling, feeling frustrated for the mess he got himself into, he knew it was a bad idea to let Hongseok come inside his house. Taehyung decided to focus on Seokjin, who was averting his gaze from him again, he couldn't help but laugh, now he understood why he was acting so defensively "So, we already had fun at each other's expense and we learned how to not call people fat, right, Seokjin? Because if you do, next time I won't spare you, now you were about to tell me the reason why you stop by before my asshole ex-boyfriend interrupted you, what's on your mind?"

"I didn't call you fat, I just said you could gain weight if you keep eating too many cookies, you just put words in my mouth" Seokjin quickly refuted, watching Taehyung sticking his tongue out, as always, the younger was behaving like a child so, he decided to go straight to the point "I'm here because of Jungkook and Yoongi, I talked to Jungkook this afternoon, not because you were annoying me to do it, I did it because he's my best friend and he was obviously hurt with what happened, which is not typical of him, he usually doesn't stay mad if men ignore him or dismiss him so, I know Jungkook really likes Yoongi..."

"Who the hell ignores or dismisses Jungkook? The man is like a demi-God, he not only has a hot body, he's smart, caring and polite, he's the perfect guy, not exactly Yoongi's type, well, sort of..." Taehyung really thought highly of Jungkook, even if he never met him in person, nevertheless, by the small conversations they had been having, the attractive male was kind-hearted and had a sense of humour, he also was very flirty and straightforward with good intentions, however, those traits weren't exactly a bad thing "Yoongi feels bad for what he said, it's like an automatic thing, he personally attacks a guy like Jungkook without knowing him first to not get hurt, like in the past, I still think Jungkook is the perfect match for him, not because of his body, but his personality, I'm glad he likes Yoongi, did he say anything about the matter?"

"He feels offended by your best friend's insinuations, I would be too in his place, it's not pleasant when someone accuses us of being predators, who have the objective to go online and search for people to hurt them intentionally, that's despicable and nothing like Jungkook..." Seokjin explained, trying his best to enlighten the younger before talking about the plan he formed to help Jungkook and Yoongi. He hated to agree with Taehyung, but both males were a match, even though he doubted that in the beginning, now he could see Jungkook sincerely cared for Yoongi "I suggested Jungkook give Yoongi an opportunity for him to clarify and apologise, but he said he didn't want to talk to him and he doesn't seem too keen to do it in the future, so I, ah..." Seokjin paused for a moment, not believing he was about to profess those words to Taehyung "I want to help you by being cupid between them, I have a plan..."

Taehyung burst out laughing, throwing himself on the couch, not believing what he just heard – Kim Seokjin wanted to team up with him to be cupid –, that was the most hilarious thing the man ever told him, who would've thought?

"Why are you laughing? You're so childish..." Seokjin commented matter-of-factly, regretting talking about that subject, however, he had to be patient, he was doing it for Jungkook "Do you want to know the plan or not?"

"I must admit, I never expected that Kim Seokjin would join forces with me to make our best friends happy, you're full of surprises, aren't you, you big softy?" Taehyung mocked Seokjin, straightening himself again as he sat down with his legs bent to the side "Yes, grumpy old man, tell me what's your plan? I'm really curious to know honestly"

"It involves our children, Jungkook is always pampering Jimin and nagging me to give my son more free time during the weekend so, I thought about something simple that will make them talk to each other, Jimin will probably introduce Hoseok to Jungkook..."

"Okay, that's really clever actually, and don't you dare gloat or act like a pompous jerk if it works, I will annoy you until your last day on this earth" Taehyung squinted his eyes at Seokjin, who scoffed back, was he making fun of him? "Don't tempt me, but I will feed your ego just a tiny bit..." Taehyung took a cookie from the jar and merrily offered it to Seokjin, who unenthusiastically accepted it as he looked at him completely confused "Seokjin, you're a good boy, you deserve this cookie for having a brilliant plan, I hope you get fat"

"You really can't take matters seriously, can you?" Seokjin asked the happy younger, who instantly furrowed his brows with his remark. He took a bite of the cookie and, surprisingly, it tasted good, apparently, Yoongi was a great cook, but not as good as him "This is good, but I think your best friend needs some cooking tips from me, they are a little dry..."

"Mr Kim, you cook? That's impressive..." Taehyung was genuinely impressed to know that information, he thought Seokjin was like those rich men who didn't like to get their hands dirty and preferred being served by a chef, probably was the man's case, still, at least he knew how to cook "Now, you just need a better personality to go your body, your intelligence and your skills and we'll have the perfect man that anyone would be lucky to date"

"Why do I need to gloat when you do that for me, even though I don't need praise, I already know how handsome, smart, attractive, intelligent and skilful I am" Seokjin said smugly, crossing his legs as he leaned back on the couch "And I didn't finish telling you my plan..."

Taehyung rolled his eyes, not standing for Seokjin's smugness, the man really thought he was some sort of God on Earth. Yes, he was good-looking, rich, and smart and his body was normal, however, his personality was too repulsive and his ego too big that even hid the flattering traits Seokjin had, what was the point of having beauty, if people didn't have a kind heart?

"You really are a pompous and smug asshole, you are lucky to have Jungkook, now he is a fine man who I would like very much to have fun with, but he's taken" Taehyung pestered Seokjin again, feeling curious about what the man had in mind to help Yoongi and Jungkook, he was telling the truth when he said to Seokjin that resorting to Jimin and Hoseok was a good idea, the man couldn't get a compliment without acting all arrogant, what a jerk "Okay, in all seriousness, what's your actual plan, besides using our babies?"

"So, you can have serious-"

"Seokjin, I swear, I'm trying to have a decent conversation with you and I really want to help with your plan, can you stop messing with me?"

"Now, you know how I feel every day, but that doesn't matter now so, about the plan, this is what I have in mind, feel free to make suggestions..."

***

"Tae Tae, I finished my homework, Hyunjoon helped me..." Hoseok said joyfully as he ran towards his brother, who was sitting on the couch with his arms open to hug him. The blonde boy climbed up and sat on Taehyung's lap, immediately snuggling his head on his brother's neck while being hugged "Yoonie, will you make more cookies this weekend, Tae Tae ate them all..."

(Little sunshine is too young to understand the definition of stress eating...)

Taehyung glanced at Yoongi, noticing how his best friend was lost in his thoughts, he didn't even hear Hoseok talking to him. The younger with pink and blonde hair could see how distraught Yoongi was with the whole situation with Jungkook, his best friend blamed himself for being too defensive, preventing him to give anyone a shot because he was too caught up in the past. Taehyung knew the feeling, after seeing Hongseok, he was more confused than he was before, he couldn't stop thinking about what almost happened between him and his ex-boyfriend. Taehyung didn't want to get hurt again, the same was with Yoongi, he went through so much and was unworthy of having his heart broken, the red-haired male was one of the nicest people he ever met in his life.

"Little sunshine, you shouldn't go to Yoongi hyung to babble about the missing cookies, I told you a big mouse came today and took all of them" Taehyung shamefully lie to Hoseok, probably knowing it was in vain because despite his baby brother being a six-year-old kid, he wasn't dumb, on the contrary, "I'm telling the truth"

"No, you're not, you ate them all and didn't leave any for me, you big meanie..." Hoseok whined, feeling upset, he loved Yoonie's oatmeal cookies, they were delicious "Hyunjoon, Tae ate all the cookies and didn't save me one"

"Is that so?" Hyunjoon asked as he stroked Hoseok's blonde hair, giving him a small smile "Don't worry, I'm sure Yoonie is going to make more just for you, isn't that right, hyung?"

And, once again, Yoongi was too distracted to pay attention to the conversation.

"Earth to Yoongi, are you there?" Taehyung spoke loudly, making sure his best friend heard him and, thankfully he did, because he was about to scream, not only to get his attention but the attention of the whole building "A penny for your thoughts, my best friend?"

Yoongi sighed as he walked towards the couch, and sat down next to Taehyung, feeling a lump in his throat that he couldn't get rid of. He was too frustrated with himself, he already appeared to be cold and unfriendly, which wasn't the case, however, he couldn't help to act blunt and defensively to protect his emotions and his heart. It had already been four years since Yoongi broke up with his ex-boyfriend, who was his first love, his first relationship, his first everything, he gave himself completely to someone he thought he would end up marrying.

Yoongi felt the tears forming in his eyes, feeling bad for being rude to Jungkook. He barely knew him and he hadn't the right to judge and insult someone just because they were frisky and audacious, it didn't mean he wanted to hurt and use him, but the wounds Yoongi had from years ago were still healing, reminding him of the pain he had to endure that somehow remained inside of him.

"Baby, can you and Hyunjoon go to your bedroom for a while?" Taehyung requested tenderly, cupping Hoseok's chubby cheeks "I need to talk to Yoonie about adult stuff and about the cookies..."

Hoseok nodded eagerly as he carefully got up from Taehyung's lap. He grabbed Hyunjoon's hand, forcing him to get up from the couch. "Hyunjoon, I learned a new word today, I want to show you my notebook"

"Oh yeah, then I want to see it"

Taehyung watched Hoseok pulling Hyunjoon by the hand as they headed to the hallway to go to his baby brother's bedroom, he wanted to make sure they were inside the bedroom, before talking to Yoongi.

After hearing a door closing, Taehyung grabbed Yoongi's hand, feeling him shaking as he sobbed quietly. It broke his heart to see his best friend crying for someone who wasn't worthy of his tears. "I know you didn't mean to hurt him, Yoongi, it was your pain talking..."

"I-It's been four years, T-Taehyung, why c-can't I move on? H-He d-did..." Yoongi slurred, leaning his head against Taehyung's shoulder as he felt more tears rolling down his cheeks "I w-will never b-be h-happy if I continue to a-act like this, I-I hate this..."

Taehyung let go of Yoongi's hand and wrapped his arms around him, trying to console his best friend. Now, more than ever, he wanted Yoongi and Jungkook together, the black-haired male was the right person for him, the one who could make his best friend smile and prove to him that true love existed in the world.

"I know how it feels, Yoongi, it fucking sucks that we had to deal with heartbreak because the people we loved decided that we weren't enough..." Taehyung hugged his best friend tightly, feeling his excruciating pain. It wasn't easy to move on from a long-term relationship, Taehyung thought he could forget about Hongseok and the love he felt for him, however, it was easier said than done, he knew why Yoongi wanted him to not talk or see his ex-boyfriend, he was a constant reminder of what he did throughout their relationship, Taehyung was aware of that and yet he was still hanging on to Hongseok's words from that afternoon "Hongseok stopped by this afternoon..."

Yoongi lifted his head and saw Taehyung's facial expression that scream confusion and regret, afraid his best friend would walk on the same path as he did. "T-Taehyung, please, don't end up like me, you deserve someone better than him..."

"I know, Yoongi, I know I deserve better, he just keeps insisting and I don't know what to do..." Taehyung said softly as he avoided making eye contact with Yoongi "Part of me still loves him and wants him back, another wants to kill him and cut him into pieces, we almost had sex, I was supposed to hide this from you, but I care about you too much to cover this up and I always cherish your wise words, I just didn't want you to be disappointed with me for being weak..."

Yoongi cleaned his tears with his sleeve, smiling dimly at Taehyung.

"You weak? You must be kidding me, Taehyung, even though you talked and almost went all the way with Hongseok again, it doesn't mean you are weak, you're the opposite, I wish I was like you sometimes – strong-minded, confident, caring, loving, generous –, I feel like I'm a big block of ice, who judges and scares people away..."

"You're not, Yoongi, you're amazing, talented, cute, friendly, and you have many qualities, you're just too protective of yourself and who can blame you after what that guy did to you? You deserve to be happy..." Taehyung ran his fingers through Yoongi's red hair, reassuring him the best he could. He thought his best friend was brave for enduring so much, Taehyung admired him "That's why I think Jungkook is the perfect match for you, you need someone who makes you laugh, who makes you forget the pain and sorrow you've been feeling, you need to explain to him what happened four years ago and apologise for what you said to him..."

"He doesn't want anything to do with me, Taehyung, I screwed everything up..."

"Well, your best friend has a feeling that you and Jungkook are going to sort everything out, I'm kind of psychic, you know..." Taehyung stated wittily, snuggling his head on Yoongi's arm "I always got your back, Yoongi so, don't worry about a thing..."

"My life wouldn't be the same without you, Kim Taehyung..." Yoongi whispered sweetly, leaning his head on Taehyung's, feeling lucky for having someone like his wonderful best friend in his life "You are the most amazing person I ever met, I love you, you know that, right? You and Hoseok are like my other younger brothers..."

"Thank you for being there when I need you the most, you and Joon are my rocks, I love you like I love my brothers, Seunghee and Hyungjoon, Yoongi, you're special..."

Chapter Text

Seokjin grabbed the papers his secretary gave to him regarding the acquisition of the small tech company, as a businessman, he was always careful with the companies and the businesses he invested in. For that exact reason, Seokjin liked to know all the information relating to the companies that piqued his interest, in this case, it was a company that was similar to his, despite having some irregularities and few problems with money management that were easily fixed with some more restricted measures. For being so cautious, Seokjin resorted to his legal team and chose a few people to research the businesses he intended to acquire and this one wasn't an exception. However, Seokjin had a secret agenda in this particular case, he wanted to know if there was someone in the small tech company related to Taehyung since the younger with obnoxious hair colours mentioned his deal that only people on the inside knew of, Seokjin knew he was obsessing with small detail, nevertheless, it was enough to awake his curiosity.

"I brought you the balance sheets, the information regarding the bank accounts of the company, a list of their clients and the businesses deals, I also asked the research team to give me a list of their employees and the employees of their cleaning company" Seokjin's secretary explained politely as she saw her boss attentively studying the information she gave him, something told her Mr Kim was being slightly paranoid this time around, he never asked her or the research team about the employees of the company, just if they had a criminal record and their performance evaluation "Do you need anything else, Mr Kim?"

Seokjin was reading the many names on the list of employees, but it was hard to tell if any of them had any relation to Taehyung, Kim was a pretty common last name in South Korea. However, he knew for sure one of the people from the list was connected to Taehyung somehow and he needed a way to find out, preferably before the date the small company would be officially under his name.

"Thank you, Ms Jang, for now, I won't be needing anything else..." Seokjin placed the papers on his desk as he took his glasses, taking a deep breath "You can tell my father he can come in and, please, if Jungkook shows up, tell him to wait"

"Alright, Mr Kim" Ms Jang bowed her head and walked over to the door. She opened it, seeing the older Kim sitting on one of the black leather couches, immediately feeling a chill going down her spine, like father, like son. The young girl cleared her throat, getting the attention of the stern male and gave him a small smile "You can come in now, Mr Kim, I apologise for the wait"

"No need to apologise, Ms Jang, work is more important, I know my son has been busy with the new acquisition..." The older Kim got up from the couch as he buttoned one of the buttons from his blue navy blazer and made his way to where the secretary was "Thank you for assisting him, he chose the right person, you are quite competent"

"Thank you, Mr Kim, it's an honour to hear those words from you..." Ms Jang said intimidatingly as she bowed her head in respect, avoiding making eye contact with the older Kim "Now, if you excuse me, I need to go back to work, pleasure to see you"

The older Kim proceeded to walk inside his son's office and closed the door after the brief yet pleasant conversation he had with the secretary, she was young but skilled and reverential, two qualities he rarely saw in young people nowadays.

"I'm glad my son is taking his responsibilities seriously, I wasn't expecting anything less from you..." the older Kim sat down in front of his son's desk, his eyes gazing at the glass plaque with his son's name, which made him feel proud, after all the hardships he had to endure to turn Seokjin into a fine and decent man, who represented not only the family but also the company, he was relieved to see his son behaving accordingly "I heard you are going to close the deal officially next month, why the delay, as far as I know, you have all the information to go forward"

"You know me, father, I take business deals with caution, sometimes we think we have all the necessary information to advance, but there are certain details that can be problematic, like the CEO's drinking problem and his lack of knowledge about how to manage and negotiate..." Seokjin stated firmly as he placed his hands on his desk, hating when his father doubted his methods, he wasn't as carefree as he was when he was in charge. The dark-haired male despite not wanting to be a businessman in his younger days, did his best to be more exceptional than his father "I also want to know what kind of people are working under the company, I don't want to dismiss anyone, but if I see someone who doesn't match my requisitions, then I have to discard them"

"As you should, Seokjin, you want the business to thrive, and so do I, I taught you to be thorough, not only with your own company, but also the business deals you close, that's the basics on how to conduct a business" the older Kim added, glad that his son learned from his mistakes, when he was the CEO, he wasn't as watchful as Seokjin "Still, I don't want you to waste time, focusing on a single business takes your attention from yours, I know you're smart and you know how to deal with any adversities that might come across you, I just want you to concentrate on the big things, instead of concentrating on the small details"

Seokjin remained expressionless as he heard his father's words, however deep down he felt frustrated and annoyed because he was constantly criticised for his business decisions. It seemed that every approach he had and the way he did business was never the correct way to his father, well, Seokjin was the one appointed to be the CEO, it was a family legacy and, according to his father, it was a privilege and his obligation to step up and represent his family. It was the least he could do after the embarrassment he made his father go through during his younger days, Seokjin didn't have an option, except to comply.

"I prefer concentrating on both big and small details, father, I like to be well-prepared when I'm about to acquire a company, small or big, it can bring problems, but I understand your concerns and, as always, I'll consider your words" Seokjin decided to not dwell on the matter for much longer, wanting nothing more to see his father out the door, he was starting to feel impatience and he had work to do "This weekend, I can bring you all the paperwork related to this business deal for you to study, I know you like to give me your opinion on the subject, it gives you peace of mind"

"Your tone suggests that I don't trust your judgement, Seokjin, I want you to understand that your grandfather and I worked very hard to make this company grow, the young man you once were no longer exists, you are a family man and an excellent businessman, there is always space for improvement" the older Kim clarified his son, sensing how defensive he was getting, however, Seokjin should always be opened to criticism, he wasn't perfect "But I would appreciate if you shared with me your views on the deal and what you are thinking of doing when you officially detain the company this weekend when you come over the house"

"I can do that right now if you want, my next meeting is in about an hour..." Seokjin opened the folder with the information his lawyers and the research team gave to him, everything he needed to know was in there and he was happy to share with his father, if that meant he would leave his office quicker "Or better yet, you can take it and read it, then we can discuss the deal"

"I will take it home and read it, I don't have anything better to do, except play golf..." the older Kim watched Seokjin closing the folder and placing it in front of him, without making eye contact with him, his son liked to avoid him "I also came here to discuss a different matter, I want you to hear me carefully before speaking, you tend to jump the gun and I don't appreciate that behaviour from you, it's related to your late wife and Jimin..."

Seokjin had a feeling that his father's visit wasn't only to discuss business, but also to meddle in his personal life when he didn't have the right to do it. In the past, Seokjin succumbed to his father's wishes, afraid of dealing with the consequences of his reckless behaviour, and followed whatever path his father had in mind for him. Now, he was a grown man who had the capability of making his own decisions, either related to himself or his son, Seokjin didn't need his father's input, he already did enough while he was growing up.

"I will listen first then, before jumping to conclusions..."

"Very well so, Seokjin, it's been two years since your wife died, you already mourned her death, you're still young, I thought about this and even discussed with your mother, apparently we have different opinions, however, I would like you to give it a try, I also want Jimin to have female presence with him, with this being said I want you to give dating a chance, I know a beautiful girl who would be right for you, she is a paediatrician and loves children, she has the same age as you, perfect fit" the older Kim said sternly, studying his son's deadpan facial expression, hoping he would listen to him, instead of fighting him, as a father he knew what was best for his son "That's the first matter, the second is a subject we have been discussing for far too long, it's about Jimin's last name, he's my grandson and a Kim, not a Park, your wife already passed, she doesn't have a saying, I want Jimin to sit on that chair as one of us to continue the family legacy, he's your heir, you might get married someday and have more, but he's your first child, you should think about his future and your family name"

Seokjin stayed quiet for a moment, letting the words his father professed to him sink in. He already had Jimin's life and future taken care of and he didn't want to adventure himself again in a relationship just because his father was afraid he would go back to his devious and shameful life and show off his "gayness" to the world. Seokjin was sick and tired of hearing the same speech over and over again, he misbehaved back in the day and had a preference for males, he was almost disinherited, and he, along with his late wife, was punished for no reason whatsoever. They compromised and stayed together, always doing what their fathers told them to do, and forcibly they had a child just to consummate their marriage and appease their families, Seokjin didn't want to go through that again, he didn't want to feel restrained again.

"I value your words, father, I really do, but I have no intention of dating anyone right now and probably I won't do it again, Jimin doesn't need a female presence and if you are worried about him turning out like me, that's for me to worry about, not you, I'm his father, just like you did with me, I have my ways to deal with it, the point is my son and I don't need a woman in our lives..." Seokjin retorted coldly, noticing his father's features harden with his words. He knew his father didn't like when he talked back at him and he didn't enjoy it either, however, Seokjin wasn't a teenager or a young adult, and he didn't need his father to dictate every aspect of his life, as he did in the past "Regarding the change of Jimin's last name, I already told you I'm not going to change it, you can bring the subject up every time, but I won't budge, all I care about is if Jimin is doing well in school and fulfilling his responsibilities, I want him to succeed, his last name doesn't prevent him of taking my place, he's my flesh and blood, he's my family, he's my son and, as such, I'm the one who knows what's best for him, those were the exact same words you told me while I was growing up..."

"I can see you are not receptive to my suggestions, you're as stubborn as your mother, but with time I'm sure you will consider them, Seokjin, you can't only think about yourself, you have to think about your family and the name you uphold, you are a Kim, you need to raise your son as a Kim and you can't do that if Jimin still has your late wife's last name..." the older Kim got up from the chair as he grabbed the folder, already done discussing the matters with Seokjin, who wasn't capable of hearing what he had to say, it seemed his son needed more time to reflect about his suggestions "I'll be going now, I hope you contemplate about what we talked about, remember, Kims are strong and assertive people, we have a reputation to maintain, Seokjin"

Seokjin got up and bowed his head, without saying anything else, because if he did, he would probably say something he was going to regret and at that moment, he didn't need more conflicts with his father, he already had enough.

Seokjin saw his father leaving his office as he sat down, faintly hearing Jungkook's voice from outside while greeting his father, who didn't like his best friend too much for obvious reasons. Seokjin picked up the glasses as he leaned his back against his chair, feeling emotionally drained from the conversation he just had with his father.

"If a look could kill, your father would be a murderer, he didn't look too happy..." Jungkook closed the door of the office, not liking how stressed his best friend was because of the older Kim "Do you want to talk about it, Seokjin?"

"No, Jungkook, I don't want to talk about it, I'm irritated enough, speaking about what my father and I discuss will only upset me more..."

***

"I'm sorry, Hoseok..." Myungsoo said apologetically as he handled the blonde boy his math test, already knowing how upset he was going to be after seeing his grade "I know how hard you study and I'm sure with Jimin's help your grade will be better next time, you just need to keep up, okay?"

Hoseok sluggishly nodded his head as he looked at his math test, feeling disappointed in himself for having another bad grade. He studied hard because he wanted to improve and make his older brothers, Yoongi, Seunghee and Hyunjoon proud, however, Hoseok didn't understand the subject and struggled a lot, which was why he asked Jimin to help him, his small friend always had A's in math.

Hoseok bowed his head to his teacher, tears threatening to fall for not being able to complete the mission Taehyung gave to him when he wanted to befriend Jimin which meant he wouldn't get the snacks his older brother promised in case he fulfilled his two objectives, still he was more upset for not having a better grade. Hoseok left the classroom, sniffling as he felt his tears falling from his eyes, he quickly tried to clean them with his sleeves, not wanting his friends to see him cry.

"Hobi!" Jimin called Hoseok, noticing how his friend was gloomy and crying, probably because of his math grade. The small brunette frowned as he walked towards his friend, peaking at his grade, seeing a big D written in red "Don't be sad, Hobi, I'm going to help you"

Hoseok pouted as he rubbed one of his eyes, trying to stop himself from crying, but it was pointless, he still felt like a let-down. "Tae Tae p-promised me snacks if I-I became your friend and did well on my test, I'm happy you're my friend, J-Jiminie, and I love snacks, b-but I wanted to make Tae Tae and Joon hyung proud, now they are going to be sad..."

Jimin didn't like to see his blonde friend sad, especially when his father was the one who upset him, this time it was the math test and he knew how distressing it was to have bad grades. Jimin himself had to make sure he had the perfect score, if he didn't, his father would be mean to him and make him study even more, that wasn't Hoseok's case, Jimin knew Taehyung was a nice and funny adult, he wouldn't be mad at his friend.

Jimin shook his head as he grabbed Hoseok's hand, catching his friend's attention. "Tae Tae is nice, I bet he's not going to be sad or angry with you, Hobi, he likes you very much and I can ask Kookie to give me snacks to share with you and our friends"

"Do you think that, Jiminie? Do you think Tae Tae is not going to be mad at me?" Hoseok asked doubtfully, watching Jimin nodding his head enthusiastically while smiling widely, making his eyes disappear "I'm still sad, I hate math, it sucks..."

Jimin hummed, thinking about a way to make Hoseok smile and make him forget about his bad grade. He wasn't as original and creative as his friend was, Hoseok was the one who cheered up the group the majority of times with his words of encouragement and his cute doddles, making everyone laugh with his silliness and his good mood.

Jimin's eyes landed on the math test, particularly on the big red D marked on the paper and an idea popped up in his mind, making him smile with the fond memory. The brunette boy pulled Hoseok by the hand and headed to one of the benches that were on the hallway, nearby their classroom, both he and Hoseok took their backpacks before sitting down.

"Give me your test, Hobi"

Hoseok pursed his lips even more as he gave Jimin his math test, seeing his small friend taking something from his backpack. "What are you going to do, Jiminie?"

"Remember last week when I gave you my Korean test?" Jimin asked cheerily as he turned Hoseok's math test horizontally to do a funny doddle to try to make his friend smile, contemplating what he wanted to draw, Hoseok did a smiley face, however, Jimin wanted something different "I want to do the same, I don't want to see you sad, Hobi..."

"Are you going to draw something?" Hoseok questioned curiously, slightly excited, wondering what Jimin had in mind "Is it a funny face?"

Jimin shook his head as he draw an inverse D, right next to the red grade. He drew some lines inside both letters, then he drew a thicker line between them and two antennas, finishing his simple drawing in the hope to make Hoseok happier.

"Do you like it?" Jimin lifted the test to show Hoseok his drawing, smiling brightly "It's a pretty butterfly, like the one we saw during recess"

"It's really pretty..." Hoseok said quietly, observing the red butterfly Jimin drew on his test, thinking it was similar to the one the both of them, along with their group of friends, saw while playing and picking up flowers. The blonde boy gave a small smile to Jimin as he wrapped his arms around his small arm and rested his head on his shoulder, his eyes never leaving the drawing "Thank you, Jiminie, I feel a lot better..."

"I wanted to make you happy, Hobi, as you made me..." Jimin stated sheepishly as he put his red crayon inside his backpack, still with a smile adorning his lips "I like y-your smile, it's cute..."

"Jiminie is cuter than me" Hoseok retorted amusingly as he snuggled his head on Jimin's shoulder, feeling happy for having a good and smart friend like the brunette boy, even if he didn't get the snacks he loved so much, at least he still had Jiminie and the rest of his group of friends with him "I like Jiminie more than snacks..."

Jimin giggled at Hoseok's silly yet sweet comparison, feeling glad and thankful for having a friend like the blonde boy. If it wasn't for him, the small boy would still be miserable and lonely, without having someone to play with or to talk, now he had a group of cheerful and goofy friends who were always saying how they missed him and Jimin missed them too because he preferred being with them and the nice grow-ups instead of being with his father.

"Jiminie! Hobi!"

Jimin and Hoseok looked in the direction where the jolly voices came from, noticing Jaehyun, Changsub, Eunkwang and Byeongkwan running towards them with bright smiles on their faces.

"Hobi, are you okay?" Jaehyun asked worriedly, pouting when he noticed Hoseok's eyes a little red "Did you have a bad grade again?"

Hoseok lifted his head and nodded, responding to Jaehyun.

All the friends gazed at each other, feeling sympathetic for Hoseok because, like his gloomy friend, they also had difficulty in math and they tried their best to improve their grades.

"I had a worse grade in this one..." Changsub spoke quietly, showing his math test to Hoseok and Jimin "I got a D..."

"Well, I had a good grade, but my mom helped me study..." Byeongkwan commented nonchalantly, catching a glimpse of the test that was on Jimin's lap. He carefully grabbed it and saw the butterfly, making him giggle loudly "Cute butterfly! Did you draw it, Hobi?"

Hoseok shook his head vigorously. "Jiminie did it to make me happy, I feel better now"

"Can you make a cute drawing like this one on my test?" Eunkwang asked thrillingly, giving Jimin a wide smile "I want a flower, like the one I gave my mommy"

"I want a butterfly..." Changsub added, still upset for having a worse grade on this math test "Can you draw one like Hobi's, Jiminie? I want to show it to my grandma, she has a big garden, and sometimes, I see pretty butterflies flying around, I like to chase them"

"If you want, I can draw a flower too..." Jimin uttered softly, wanting to see his other friends happy. After all, all of them made him smile every day, even when he felt tired from studying too much or when he was sad and anxious because of his father, the brunette felt more at ease with his group of wonderful friends "You know, there a lot of different flowers, my Science tutor told me that..."

All of the boys stared at Jimin fascinated, they didn't know much about Science, especially Changsub, he still didn't like the odd animals and plants their teacher spoke about in class, however, he and the other boys of the group, were very interested in knowing more about flowers with Jimin.

"I want a flower too, Jiminie!" Byeongkwan shrieked wittily as he sat down on the bench, next to Jimin. He gave Hoseok his math test with the butterfly covering the bad grade and placed his on Jimin's lap "You can make a different butterfly with my B"

"That's not fair!" Jaehyun whined ominously as he crossed his arms, pouting "Channie and I got the same grade as Hobi, we should go first, you meanie, and Eunkwang asked Jiminie first..."

Byeongkwan stuck his tongue out as he happily moved his legs back and forward while making funny faces, teasing his angry friend. "You snooze, you lose, and you're the meanie!"

Jimin lightly laughed at his friends' arguments and their eagerness to get a drawing from him, he usually was very shy and reserved so, he wasn't used to being the centre of attention, but he liked his friends' attention, it meant they cared about him and enjoy being with him.

"Don't be upset, Jaehyun, I'll make a different and prettier flower for you..." Jimin suggested, intending of making every single one of his friends feel better about their grades, good or bad. He also wished he could draw a flower on his test, however, he knew his father was going to be mad at him for having another doddle on his paper "I can draw a sunflower, it's big and yellow, I think I have a yellow crayon"

"Jiminie is going to draw a prettier flower for me" Jaehyun stuck his tongue out as Byeongkwan did earlier to mock him, now it was his turn to retaliate "I can borrow you my crayon if you want"

"Can you draw a blue flower for me, Jiminie?" Eunkwang requested to his small friend, flashing his eyelashes cutely "It's my favourite colour..."

"Boys!"

The group of friends glanced at their classroom door, seeing their teacher standing in front of it with his arms crossed, looking slightly intimidating.

"You know you can't stay inside the building during recess, you are disturbing other students" Myungsoo warned the group of friends, secretly amused for seeing the young boys seeking Jimin's attention, the brunette was a good influence on those mischievous little devils "There's a lot of flowers on the school garden and tables nearby, all of you should choose a different flower to draw and then you have to show it to me, I will give you a candy, but only after the end of the class, it's a secret between us, do we have a deal?"

All the boys nodded their heads, enthusiastic to get candy from their teacher, especially Jimin, who couldn't wait to draw flowers for his friends and see what blooms they wanted to draw themselves.

Jimin carefully got up from the bench with Hoseok and Byeongkwan's help, he put his backpack on his back and then bowed to Teacher Kim. "Sorry for disturbing the other students, teacher Kim, we'll be quiet next time, thank you for not being mad at us"

The other boys imitated Jimin, apologising for being too loud and reckless, they didn't want to cause trouble, even though most of the class time they would play around and do shenanigans just to make their classmates laugh.

"It's okay, Jimin, and I accept your apology..." Myungsoo said calmly, smiling at the group of boys in front of him, who seemed excited with their secret assignment, hoping his students would entertain themselves outside and learn something new about flowers "You have fifteen minutes, use your free time wisely and behave outside, alright?"

"Yes, Teacher!"

"Very well, now off you go"

The group of friends chuckled quietly as they walked towards the big doors at the end of the hallway that led to the playground, not wanting to make unnecessary noise and anger teacher Kim again.

***

"Little sunshine, you tried your best, I know you did so, don't be sad..." Taehyung said sweetly as he brushed a few threats of Hoseok's blonde hair from his baby brother's eyes, comforting him after hearing about the grade on his math test "You still completed the mission, you said you wanted to befriend Jiminie and help him with his Korean and you did, next time, you are going to have a better grade in math, right Jiminie?"

Jimin nodded his head, giving his biggest smile to Hoseok and Taehyung, knowing how his friend was still a little sad because of his grade, however, he wanted to help Hoseok improve his grade, he just didn't know how to do it yet, still, Jimin wasn't going to give up.

"I promise I'll get a better grade next test, Tae Tae..." Hoseok murmured as he snuggled his head on his big brother's neck, making himself comfortable on his lap "I'm going to have a B, like Byeongkwan, I'm going to study hard and pay attention to Joon hyung and Jiminie..."

Taehyung wrapped one arm around Hoseok's body and the other around Jimin's, bringing the smaller boy closer to him. The younger with colourful hair was proud of the two children in his embrace even though his brother's grade wasn't that great, however, what mattered was Hoseok's will to do better. It showed him how much of a fighter he was and Taehyung felt like his baby brother was a lot similar to him and Namjoon, Hoseok, despite the adversities and the barriers that came across him, didn't give up and wanted to improve, not only for himself but also for the others around him, motivating them.

"I'm glad to hear that, little sunshine, I have faith in you, I'm sure it's going to go well next time, you need to push forward" Taehyung encouraged Hoseok and gave him a kiss on his forehead, earning a few muffled giggles from his cute brother. The older male turned his attention to the small boy, next to him, noticing him slightly down "What's the matter, cutie pie? Why are you sad? You did amazingly well, I'm sure your father is going to be happy..."

(That ruthless asshole can only be happy when the little one has a big freaking A, poor baby, he must be exhausted...)

Against his will, Taehyung tried to keep quiet about how Seokjin was educating his son. He just didn't want to create pointless arguments between them, he already knew the end result and honestly, Taehyung wanted to avoid any conflict with the man because he wasn't all that bad, like any other normal human being, he had his flaws and made mistakes, however, those mistakes had repercussions which affected Jimin. Taehyung noticed how the brunette boy seemed more tired in the last few days, he asked Jimin if he was sleeping well and the only thing he got out of the boy was a brief nod, making him worry about the small boy's condition. He also noticed how Jimin was slightly thinner than the other boys from the group, Taehyung was hoping it was some genetic thing, after all, Seokjin was quite slender himself, and he didn't want to jump to conclusions.

Taehyung was waiting for Jimin's response, however, the small boy just had his head lowered and a big pout on his lips, making the younger with blonde and pink hair more concerned. "Jiminie, tell Tae Tae what's wrong, Hoseok and I will keep a secret..."

"I-I j-just w-wanted my f-father to be n-nice l-like y-you and K-Kookie..." Jimin stuttered as he glanced at Taehyung, wishing his father would tell him if he had done a good job and say encouraging words to him, but he didn't and that made him sad. The brunette faintly remembered doing some drawings when he was younger with his mommy, she was always smiling and telling him how he was doing great, unlike his father, who barely spoke to him, he just talked about school, his tutoring lessons and his grades "B-But he's mean..."

"Did he ever hurt you, Jiminie?" Taehyung asked tenderly, stroking Jimin's light brown locks as he attempted to make the boy feel calmer "If he did, you can tell me..."

"H-He never hurt m-me, b-but o-one day he shouted at me for not having a good grade in my first Korean test..." Jimin confessed fretfully, averting his gaze from Taehyung "H-He told me to stay in my bedroom all day, I-I couldn't leave or play with my t-toys, my maids brought my meals, but I-I wasn't hungry..."

(I'm going to kill that son of a bitch...)

"Your dad is a big meanie, Jiminie..." Hoseok retorted sullenly as he grabbed Jimin's adorable hand, consoling him "I don't like him..."

(That makes two of us, little sunshine...)

"Cutiepie, you can always count on Tae Tae and Hobi, okay?" Taehyung cupped Jimin's face with his free hand, cautiously pinching his chubby cheek "You're a really smart kid, Jiminie, if your father doesn't tell you that, I will, you deserve praise for your hard work, you are like Joon hyung, you're a genius"

"Uh, Joon hyung is really smart, he knows a lot of numbers" Hoseok added, still holding Jimin's hand, noticing his small friend a tiny bit happier "But he's very clumsy, he broke my pencil once"

"Joon hyung?" Jimin asked puzzlingly, recollecting some of the times Hoseok mentioned that name, but he never had the courage to ask who was that person "Who is that, Hobi?"

"He's my other older brother" Hoseok answered indifferently, forgetting to tell Jimin about his other older brother, who he also loved very much "Namjoon hyung is really tall and has a dimple in his cheek, I poked it sometimes, it's fun..." Hoseok giggled as he pulled Taehyung's jacket, really wanting Jimin to meet his other brother "Tae Tae, I want Jiminie to meet Joon hyung"

"I want Jiminie to meet Namjoon too, baby, he and Seunghee will probably gush over how cute the little one is" Taehyung cooed, seeing Jimin's puffy cheeks turning pinkish, the boy surely was adorable and sweet. It was a shame he shared the same DNA with the pompous and strict asshole the brunette boy called father, he probably resembled his mother more, Taehyung wished he could've had the opportunity to meet the lady, she probably was as nice and kind as his own mother "Jiminie, I'll try to talk to your-"

"Jimin! Grab your backpack and let's go!"

Taehyung saw Jimin flinching on the spot the moment Seokjin opened his mouth, his tone was aggressive and spooked the poor small boy who was sitting next to him. The man had some nerve walking inside a school and talking, or better yet, ordering his son around so harshly, without greeting Jimin or him for that matter, ironic how the jerk told him not so long ago that young people didn't have respect for their elders, Taehyung thought it was the other way around.

"Seokjin, can you please-"

"I'm not in the mood to hear your preposterous comments and deal with your obnoxious behaviour today, so please keep it to yourself and don't aggravate me, that's all you can do anyways" Seokjin interrupted brusquely, not having the will to listen to Taehyung and whatever he had to say to him, it probably wanted to rile him up and annoy him like every weekday, Seokjin didn't have the patience to handle the younger "Jimin, hurry up! I need to get back to the office"

(Oh hell, no, he just didn't talk to Jimin and me like we were dogs...)

"Hoseok, baby, do me a favour, can you get up from my lap? I need to solve some issues with Mr Kim" Taehyung spoke peacefully as he tried his best to control his anger, not wanting the little ones to see him even more pissed than he already was. Hoseok did as he told and sat down next to Jimin, holding his hand, understanding how the brunette boy was frightened, while Taehyung got up from the stone step, glaring at Seokjin "Babies, listen to me, I want you to cover your ears, Tae Tae might say something he shouldn't in front of you and, right now, I don't have the ability to censure myself, okay?"

Both Hoseok and Jimin nodded their heads, not comprehending what Taehyung meant by those words, still, they obeyed his request and covered their ears.

Taehyung softly ruffled both Hoseok and Jimin's hair and gave both of them a kiss on the head, before teaching a lesson to the asshole who thought everyone was underneath him, including his son.

Taehyung turned around, calmly making his way to where Seokjin stood while he glimpsed at the man who was seriously irritating him. Maybe he was wrong, maybe the asshole was really evil and arrogant and Taehyung just used human nature to excuse the elder and the behaviour he had towards him, Hoseok and Jimin to justify his insufferable personality. He thought underneath the self-righteousness and the strictness, Seokjin was, in reality, a good man, Taehyung was mistaken.

"Taehyung, I alre-"

"Shut the fuck up, Seokjin, I listen to me, I know you love the sound of your own voice, but it's quite annoying and obnoxious like yourself, but for once, just keep your mouth shut and hear what I have to say because I swear to God if Hoseok and Jimin weren't here, I would probably do something that would lead me to jail and a lawsuit..." Taehyung spoke quietly to make sure the children didn't hear him cursing, they weren't at fault, however, his patience ran out and he really hadn't the ability to stop himself from saying whatever was crossing his mind "Jimin might be your son, but who the hell gave you the right to talk to him like he was your dog and treat him like that? I don't know who the fuck or what the fuck pissed you off, but you shouldn't lash out at Jimin, especially Jimin, the poor boy flinched the moment you spoke, if had evidence of neglect I would call child's services in heartbeat to take that angel from you"

"And who are you to talk to me like that? Who are you to threaten me? And neglect? Seriously? I don't neglect my child, I might be emotionally distant, but I don't hit or hurt my son, that's despicable" Seokjin immediately retorted, not liking Taehyung's tone with him, he was the last person he wanted to deal with, he already had enough for one morning "Maybe I should be the one threatening you with child's services, should you be around children, Taehyung? You have quite the temper, it could turn ugly if you let your anger take control, you might do something you'll regret to your brother, maybe he should be with his parents..."

Taehyung's eyes widened, not believing Seokjin would be so wicked to the point to accuse him of hurting a child just because he had a bad temper. Furthermore, he also couldn't believe the man just said Hoseok was better off with his father and the bitch who wanted to abort him, the worst thing was Seokjin knew about that and he decided to use personal information against him to purposely upset him and he succeeded.

Taehyung felt a tear sliding down his cheek, anger still lingering inside of him, however, he didn't want to let his emotions take control anymore. He didn't want the man to use what he willingly told him about his past to hurt even more, that day, Taehyung, for a spilt second, trusted Seokjin with something he didn't share with people, he did it because he thought it was fair since he knew the truth about the asshole's late wife.

"You know, for a second I thought you were not that bad, especially after the conversation we had about bringing our best friends together, I honestly thought you were kind of okay, but you are despicable, you make me sick, how dare you? How dare you use my past to hurt me? How dare you say that because I have a bad temper, I might hurt a child, how dare you, Mr Kim?" Taehyung stated upsettingly, giving the man a murderous look as he quickly cleaned his tears "You're an unscrupulous monster and I take back what I said last week, I don't have respect for you, I also don't know how Jungkook is still your best friend, he probably stays by your side because of that little angel, who despises you, just like I do, I hope you're happy now because I will never talk to you again, I will never make preposterous comments and annoy you, Mr Kim, burn in hell..."

Taehyung turned his back, not giving Seokjin the opportunity to reply to his remark, he also couldn't stand to see the man, he truly made him sick to his stomach. He kneeled in front of the little ones who were gazing at him, with a preoccupied expressions on their faces, Taehyung tried his best to give them a smile as he took their hands from their ears.

"I'm sorry if I scared you, babies, it wasn't my intention..." Taehyung said as he grabbed Jimin's small hands, taking a notice of the melancholic look on his features "Jiminie, sweetheart, I'm really happy about your grade and I'm sure your mommy would be proud of you, like Hoseok and I are, right, little sunshine?" Taehyung asked warmly, letting a small chuckle leave his lips when he saw his baby brother nodding his head firmly "I'm going to ask Kookie to come by your house and leave a gift, but you can't tell your father that is from me, okay, can you keep it a secret?"

Jimin nodded as he let go of Taehyung's hands, he instantly got up and hugged the older male with funny hair, knowing he was sad because his father was mean to him. He didn't hear the conversation, however, he seemed like Hoseok when he received the grade on his math test. "I can, thank you, Tae Tae, you're so nice..."

"You're welcome, sweetheart..." Taehyung parted from the hug and kissed Jimin's head, giving him a reassuring yet forced smile, not wanting to worry the small boy and his brother. The younger with pink and blonde hair helped both boys get up from the stone steps and put their backs on their backs, then he picked up his brother, who wrapped his legs around his waist and his arms around his neck, needing to feel Hoseok closer to him to comfort him, the memory of the first time Taehyung held baby Hoseok in his arms flashed on his mind, making him want to cry again "Say goodbye to Jiminie, Hoseok, we need to go..."

"Bye Jiminie..." Hoseok waved his hand to his friend while holding on tightly to his big brother, who Mr Kim upset, he didn't like Jimin's dad and how he mistreated his small friend and Taehyung "I really liked your butterfly, it's pretty..."

Jimin waved his hand back, saying goodbye to Hoseok, feeling displeased for seeing Hoseok and Taehyung leaving. He didn't want to be with his father alone, however, he was glad he could see Jungkook later that day, he missed the strong bunny.

"Bye Hobi..."

Jimin frowned as he glanced at his father while walking towards the school gate, he didn't want to be near him or talk to him, he already barely spoke a word to him.

***

Jungkook covered Jimin's small body with the fluffy and warm blankets, tacking the adorable and sleepy boy as he saw him blinking lazily. Jimin was probably tired after a day of school and an afternoon filled with tutoring classes and homework, not leaving a lot of time for his baby mochi to play or draw, something Jungkook knew he loved to do, unfortunately, that didn't happen because of Seokjin's demands and high expectations. Jimin's busy schedule worried Jungkook immensely, the brunette boy seemed more exhausted each day that went by, he also wasn't eating properly, at least according to what he witnessed during diner and that made the black-haired male feel uneasy about Jimin's physical and mental health. He already had taken notice of it, however, after talking to Taehyung during the afternoon, Jungkook decided to be more attentive.

Another thing that was bothering Jungkook was what Taehyung told him while they were talking online, he couldn't believe Seokjin, his best friend he knew over ten years, was capable of threatening and accusing Taehyung of hurting a child for having a bad temper. Jungkook never had the pleasure to meet the younger personally, nevertheless, he trusted Jimin's judge of character even though he was a six-year-old child, his baby mochi was shy but sincere. Moreover, Seokjin had the indecency to bring personal business into the conversation, a subject that was sensitive to Taehyung, who, momentarily, put his trust in his best friend and told him about Hoseok's story without having the obligation to do it, he just wanted to be fair since he knew personal information about Seokjin.

The events of that day caused by Seokjin had a reason and it was clear as water who was the one responsible for his rude behaviour – the older Kim –, Seokjin's father, who insisted on controlling every aspect of his son's life, even though he was an adult and knew perfectly well how to live his life and what decisions were better for himself. Regarding Jimin, Jungkook wasn't sure anymore, he hated to witness the small boy getting further and further away from Seokjin. He obviously didn't like his own father, and Jungkook couldn't blame him, his best friend wasn't the most present and affectionate parent, and neither he was kind and righteous, in those times, Jungkook missed the old Seokjin the most because he didn't know the man he called best friend.

Jungkook watched Jimin snuggling his head on the pillow as he held on tight to the plushie Taehyung gave to his baby mochi, the boy was so sweet he even asked him if he could sleep with his new plushie instead of his, but that was Jimin, an adorable angel with a gentle soul and pure heart, he resembled his mother in that department, as for his looks, he definitely had Seokjin's features.

"Are you comfortable, baby mochi?" Jungkook asked fondly, delicately caressing Jimin's puffy cheek as he saw the boy nodding. The black-haired male leaned down and gave Jimin a kiss on his head, hearing quiet giggles "Okay, baby mochi, strong bunny wishes you a good night and I hope you have sweet dreams, take care of Tata..."

"Goodnight Kookie, I love you very much..."

"Good night, sweetheart, I love you very much too..." Jungkook whispered as he got up from the bed, smiling widely with the adorableness of the small boy. He quietly made his way to the door of Jimin's bedroom, checking the little one one more time, before closing the door slightly "Sleep tight, Jiminie..."

Jungkook walked down the hallway to the stairs, he climbed down the long set, noticing Seokjin waiting for him in the entrance hall, however, he didn't want to speak or deal with his best friend, at that moment. He already was mad at Yoongi's assumptions, but now he had to see Seokjin maltreating others because instead of talking about his issues, he bottled them up and lash on innocent people who shouldn't be blamed for how mess-up the Kim family was, including Seokjin, who was completely unaware that he was doing the same mistakes his father did while growing up and pushing Jimin away.

Jungkook walked past Seokjin, without giving him a glance, and headed to the door.

"Are you really going to ignore me, Jungkook?"

Jungkook stopped in his tracks, letting out a heavy sigh as he turned around to confront his best friend, who didn't know the definition of the silent treatment.

"Yes, Kim, I'm going to ignore you, you didn't want to talk about what happened before the meeting this morning, I respected your wishes and didn't insist..." Jungkook answered grimly as he glared at Seokjin "Not wanting to talk about what was bothering you doesn't give you the right to lash on innocent people, apart from your mother, your family is messed up, you are messed up, you are like your father, you're lucky you have that sweet baby with you, you really are..."

"There's no excuse for my behaviour this afternoon, I'm aware of that, I was distressed from the conversation I had with my father, still you're right, it doesn't give me the right to lash out at people..." Seokjin confessed and acknowledged how brutal he was, once again he committed the mistake of using personal information to defend himself "But you have to understand my position, Jungkook, I have a lot of responsibilities, not only as a CEO but also as a Kim, I'm representing my family, I c-"

"You're right, there are no excuses for you to make to justify your actions, but you're doing exactly that, you are giving me the same fucking excuses you have been giving since I remember and don't you dare give me the same bullshit that I don't understand your position just because my family isn't as rich as yours, or my family accepts me for who I am, or the fact I'm not a parent which doesn't give me the right to express my opinion about how you educate your child, I'm done, Seokjin, I'm so freaking done of hearing those words, it's been eight years, I can only take so much from you..."

Jungkook grabbed his jacket from the coat rack, averting his eyes from his best friend, who kept giving him the same damn and annoying speech about him not being understanding, however, Jungkook was sympathetic. Even though he was lucky enough for having a tolerant family, he saw firsthand how evil and stern Seokjin's father was and how discriminatory he acted towards his best friend, and Jungkook felt for him and knew he needed him by his side, however, it was hard sometimes.

"I know I can't have the old Seokjin back, I'm fully aware of that, I don't miss my drunk best friend who attended every party, who slept around without caring about a thing, what I miss about him is how he stood by his principals, I miss his sense of humour, his smile, his mischievous side, his stupid jokes, I miss the Seokjin who could express his feelings towards people, the only person I see when I look at you is your father, I don't like it and the person who you became, but I like Jimin and I won't stay quiet about the way you are treating him, you can say whatever you want about Taehyung, but he's right about your son despising you, no wonder, you don't take a second of your day to ask how that angel is doing at school or about his friends..."

Jungkook put his jacket on, feeling glad for expressing what was crossing his mind, without caring if Seokjin took his words harshly, now he knew how Taehyung felt, he just was fed up with everything his best friend was doing and saying. It was frustrating for Jungkook because part of him wanted to fight for their friendship no matter how difficult it was, however, the other part just wanted to give up and move along. There wasn't a way to make Seokjin realise how much damage he was doing to the people around him and to himself too, Jungkook clearly could see his best friend was shutting himself down from everyone, even him, he thought Taehyung could be the one to bring back the Seokjin he knew, but it was hopeless, his best friend couldn't be saved.

"You are disappointed with me, you have been for years, I know that, I can see it in your eyes every time we talk, I'm sorry for that, Jungkook, this is my life, whether I like it or not, I don't have a choice, except to accept my fate..." Seokjin spoke expressionlessly, however, he felt embarrassed and selfish for not being as a good friend as he was in the past, for not acting like a normal parent, that was the person he was now, a person who he unwillingly had to become "It's ironic, you know, my father told me I was an excellent businessman, it's the only thing I'm good at, because I suck as a friend and I can't show my own son affection, I'm used to be in my comfort zone, Jungkook, what do you want me to do? My father wants me to date again, probably expecting me to remarry to have more children and wants me to change Jimin's last which I refuse to do it..."

"What I want is for you to be happy on your own terms, to enjoy life, to be the father your son wants you to be, to be the person who used to be before your father got his hands on you, I want you to accept the person you are, Seokjin, stop making the same mistakes over and over again, you are hurting yourself, your son, me, Taehyung and other people who may cross your path..." Jungkook advised, wishing nothing but the best for Seokjin, he deserved to live his life the way he wanted, however, his father still had the younger Seokjin engraved on his mind, preventing him to enjoy his free will, Jungkook could see his best friend was bound to the older Kim "Your life, your path, your choices, Seokjin, and I hope you won't succumb to him again, if you date, at least date someone you truly loves you and cares for you, don't be your father's puppet, don't let him ruin you completely..."

Chapter Text

It was Saturday afternoon and Yoongi, as per Taehyung's suggestion, decided to take Hoseok to the park nearby his best friend's house. The park was quite big, it had a lake with swans and ducks, it had picnic tables, big trees, open spaces and a playground, where Hoseok usually went after doing his homework and studying a random subject from school. The majority of the time it was Yoongi who took the blonde boy to the place since Taehyung needed some alone time, he could imagine how stressful and tiring raising a child was so, as a way to help his best friend, he spent some of his time with the little sunshine.

"Yoonie, let's go, you're too slow..." Hoseok whined as he pulled Yoongi by the hand, walking as fast as he could through the park to reach the playground to play with other kids "I want to slide down the slide and see the duckies"

"Hobi, sweetie, we're almost there, okay?" Yoongi didn't know if he was getting old or if it was his mind playing tricks on him, but he couldn't keep up with Hoseok's fast pace, the blonde was too energetic, exactly like Taehyung was when he was his age "The slide and the duckies are not going anywhere so, you don't need to run"

"You like that funny animal, the one who is very slow..." Hoseok commented boldly, giggling as he thought about the funny and slow animal he didn't remember the name "It's a cute animal, but he barely moves, Tae Tae calls you that..."

"Are you talking about snails?" Yoongi asked suspiciously, not liking the idea of Hoseok and Taehyung calling him that "I mean they are not cute, but they are very slow, I hope your brother doesn't call me that because if he does, I have to have a serious conversation with him"

Hoseok stopped momentarily as he let go of Yoongi's hand, thinking about the animal Taehyung compared to Yoongi. "Snails are yucky, I don't like them, and no, Tae Tae doesn't call you that, he says that the cute and slow animal it's always hanging on trees and moves slowly like they take a billion years to move their finger..."

"Are you talking about sloths?" Yoongi questioned as he crossed his arms, not believing his best friend had the audacity of telling his baby brother that he seemed like a sloth, that was so not true "I thought you said Hyunjoon and I looked like kitties, now you're calling me a sloth..."

"You looked like cute kitties, you have kitty eyes, pretty!" Hoseok said wittily as he grabbed one of Yoongi's hands, giggling once again "Tae Tae told me he called you lil meow meow when you were little because you're tiny, hyung"

Yoongi smiled at Hoseok, however deep down he was fuming, it was such an embarrassing nickname that he didn't hate, he just didn't like to be called that in public.

"How about we continue to go to the playground, don't you want to go to the slide?"

Hoseok simply nodded as he started to walk towards the park, already in sight, dragging Yoongi once more.

Yoongi sighed heavily, however, he couldn't help but smile at Hoseok's eagerness and amusement, it reassured him of how the blonde boy was living a healthy and happy life with Taehyung. His best friend was the right person to raise and educate Hoseok, the young boy needed positive reinforcement and love in his life after what his biological mother intended to do after knowing she was pregnant. Yoongi felt nothing but hatred towards the woman, she destroyed a family and wanted to abort an innocent being because she was careless and self-centred, only caring about herself and her needs.

Thinking about that matter, reminded Yoongi of how dejected Taehyung had been feeling in the last couple of days because of Mr. asshole's remarks. It was still unbelievable to him because he knew the man was cold and emotionless, however, Yoongi never thought he would cross the line by speaking about personal business, which his best friend willingly told Mr Kim about, which was incomprehensible to Yoongi, to purposely hurt him. The elder went too far and the red-haired male wished he could do something about it, although he couldn't without risking going to jail or getting a lawsuit, it wasn't worth it. The only thing Yoongi could do was console Taehyung and made him laugh, Namjoon, Seunghee and Hyunjoon did their best to amuse his best friend, Taehyung was a resilient and strong-minded person who had that aura that attracted people, he was a good and selfless person, his best friend didn't deserve to be treated so poorly by Seokjin.

"Yoonie! Look!"

Yoongi awoke from his thoughts and noticed how Hoseok was smiling widely as he pointed to the swings.

"It's Jiminie!" Hoseok squealed excitedly as he let go of Yoongi's hand, feeling happy for seeing his small friend during the weekend. The blonde boy started running towards Jimin, while calling the brunette's name, catching his attention and the attention of the grown-up who was with him, Hoseok didn't know him "Jiminie!"

"Hobi!" Jimin said loudly, surprised yet glad to see Hoseok in the playground, as he swiftly got up from the swing to greet his ecstatic blonde friend. The moment he was face-to-face with Hoseok, Jimin was immediately hugged by him, making him giggle "I miss you..."

"I miss you too, Jiminie, I like playing with you" Hoseok retorted as he broke the hug, grabbing Jimin's small hand, he wanted to slide down the slide with his friend, however, he wanted to know who was the grown-up Jimin was with "Jiminie, who is that? Is he mean like your dad?"

Jimin shook his head, giving Hoseok a big eye smile. "It's Kookie, he's my father's best friend, the one who gives me candy, he's super nice and funny, do you want to meet him?"

Hoseok nodded in response and let Jimin guide him to meet the nice adult, completely forgetting about Yoongi.

"Kookie!" Jimin glanced at Jungkook, who was crouching to be at his level since he was shorter than he was, feeling thrilled to introduce one of his friends to the black-haired male, this was the first time he had a chance to do it, he never had friends "This is Hobi, one of my friends, he's helping me with Korean and I'm going to help him with math"

"Nice to me you, Hoseok, I already heard a lot about you from baby mochi and your big brother, Tae, he's my friend, I'm Jungkook, but you can call me Kookie..." Jungkook uttered gently as he carefully reached for Hoseok's hand, noticing some similarities with Taehyung "Did Tae bring you to the park, little one?"

"No, Yoonie hyung brought me, I like to come to the park with him and Tae Tae..." Hoseok answered indifferently as he turned around, seeing Yoongi right behind him "Yoonie, you know Jiminie, right?"

Yoongi felt awkward about seeing Jungkook again, last time he saw the older male was at the coffee shop when he basically insulted him, and he still felt bad for judging and saying those harsh words to Jungkook. Yoongi hadn't the right to demean someone for being flirty, confident and blunt, he made a mistake and he truly wanted to apologise for his shameful behaviour and make amends with Jungkook, he was hoping it wasn't too late.

"I do, little sunshine, it's nice to see you again, Jimin..." Yoongi replied softly, placing his hand on top of Hoseok's head as he gazed between Jimin and Jungkook. The red-haired male wanted to take the opportunity and speak to Jungkook alone, he wanted to follow Taehyung's advice and explain why he was defensive and rude to men similar to the black-haired male, it was the least he could "Hi, Jungkook..."

Jungkook lifted himself up, not expecting to see Yoongi at the park, although something told him their meeting wasn't so random. He thought Seokjin's suggestion to take Jimin to the park was rather weird and suspicious, however, he decided not to question him and enjoy his time with baby mochi, the little one deserved to play freely without having to worry about school work and his studies.

"Mr Min..."

"Yoonie hyung, you also know Kookie?"

"Yes, little sunshine, I also know Jungkook, I met him last week after Jimin's piano lesson..." Yoongi gladly clarified Hoseok's curiosity, offering a small smile as he crouched down "How about you and Jimin go to the slide and play together? I know how much you wanted to go to the slide"

"Yes!" Hoseok threw himself at Yoongi, hugging him briefly before going on his way, then he went to Jimin, quickly grabbing his tiny hand to lead him to the slide "Jiminie, let's go to the slide!"

Yoongi lifted himself up as he saw both boys heading to the big slide, laughing enthusiastically. He kind of envied them for being so naïve and clueless about the real world, he wanted to preserve that innocence for as long as he could, Yoongi did the same with his younger brother and, luckily, he never saw him suffer as he and Taehyung did. However, the worst moments that occurred in life were the ones that taught people precious lessons to prevent them to make the same mistakes, although, sometimes people were afraid to move on, not wanting to go through bad moments again, that was what happened to Yoongi, he stopped living his life because he was still stuck in the past.

Talking to Jungkook was not only a way to bury the hatchet and make amends, but it was also a way to help Yoongi to move on and forget about the past, forget about the unbearable pain of his broken heart. He wanted a chance to be happy again, he needed to be a good example for Taehyung, Yoongi knew how hard it was for his best friend and Hongseok showing up didn't help him, it only confused him and upset him more.

"Can we talk?"

***

Jungkook was sitting next to Yoongi on one of the park benches that was right in front of the playground to make sure both he and the red-haired male could keep an eye on the two cheerful children playing and talking mainly with each other. He discretely glanced at Yoongi, who was fidgeting with his thumbs and biting his bottom lip, probably trying to find a way to start the conversation. He decided not to pressure the younger since he had the decency to approach him and ask him if they could talk and being the softy and lenient person he was, Jungkook gave Yoongi a chance to apologise and explain himself. The black-haired male didn't want to admit it, however, he still wanted to know the red-haired male better, despite being insulted and judged because of his cheeky personality.

"Do you think our meeting was random?" Jungkook asked suddenly, attempting to lighten the mood, he hated the awkward atmosphere between him and Yoongi "Because I don't think so, I mean, Seokjin is never too keen to let me take Jimin out to the park and, all of the sudden, he asked me to take Jimin out"

Yoongi thought it was strange too because he wanted to take Hoseok to the city instead of the park, Taehyung insisted that he should go to the park anyway and Yoongi decided to comply, Hoseok always loved to go to the place. "I wanted to take Hoseok to another place, but Taehyung insisted that I should take him to the park so, no, I don't think it's random, I guess they did it on purpose for us to talk which is weird I never thought Taehyung would team up with your asshole best friend..."

"Indeed it's weird, especially after what happened between them, but that's beside the point..." Jungkook stated truthfully, his gaze still on Yoongi, not being able to take his eyes off him, he couldn't help but feel mesmerised by the red-haired younger "So, you want to speak to me to apologise, right?"

"Yes, I want to apologise to you and I also want to explain why I acted so rudely towards you to help you understand my side..." Yoongi confessed diffidently, finally making eye contact with Jungkook "It's my past, I don't have the obligation to tell you, but it's a way to make things right between us and help me find some peace of mind and move on from everything, you seem a good person and the reason I know that it's because you immediately defended yourself and didn't say those smug comments, like how I was missing out on sleeping with you"

"I think it's unnecessary and, yes, you're not obligated to tell me your life story, but you are willing to and it's also a way to help you, so I will listen" Jungkook appreciated Yoongi's honesty, sometimes he could be too sincere, but he preferred it like that, well, unless it was to insult him "You are always mentioning Taehyung's ex and guys who basically are looking for sex, right? So, I imagine there's a guy who did quite the damage for you to resort to a defence mechanism to push away people, nice people like me, may I add, who was it, Yoongi?"

It had been a while since Yoongi said his ex-boyfriend's name out loud, for some reason he stopped himself from saying it like it was a way to summon him. The red-haired male thought it was ridiculous, however, his biggest fear was encountering his ex-boyfriend again, he didn't change his entire life to see him again, Yoongi was already in pain.

"His name is Changkyun, he and I met in high school, we were sixteen at the time, I wasn't much different from who I am now – shy and reserved –, I didn't have a lot of friends, I had some classmates and Taehyung, unlike him, Changkyun was popular and attractive, everyone liked him, not because he was part of the sports time, but for being genuine and outgoing..." Yoongi reminisced about the days he would see Changkyun walking down the school hallway, girls always glued to him, he honestly never imagined himself being with someone like him, but it happened against all odds "I always went to the music room after my lunch break, I wasn't as social as Taehyung, he was pretty popular too for obvious reasons, so as usual, I was focused on my music, trying to get away from the world outside when Changkyun just walked into the room and sat by my side, I was stunned because I didn't understand why a person like him was in there with me, I'll never forget that day..."

Yoongi felt his heart aching and tears forming in his eyes as he talked about the first time he saw Changkyun, that day in the music room was memorable, he wasn't able to forget the person his ex-boyfriend used to be before everything went wrong, he wasn't able to forget the charming smile, those alluring brown eyes and his husky, but sweet melodic voice.

"After that day, he would always spend the lunch break with me in the music room, I got to know him, he liked music as much as me, he also played the piano, but preferred rap music, I always love classical music, we talked about everything and anything, one day we even lost track of the time and we missed our afternoon classes" Yoongi took a deep breath, feeling a lump forming on his throat, he was fighting his emotions and he knew he shouldn't "Weeks went by and without realising it I fell for him, I didn't know how he felt for me, I wasn't his type, or so I thought, because one of the days we were in the music room, he just kissed me out of the blue, it was my first kiss, and that was when our relationship bloomed, we started dating in secret first, nobody knew, except Taehyung, not long after, his best friend found out and Changkyun decided to go public, of course, there were people who weren't happy, but he didn't care, neither did I..."

"So, this guy was your first love and your first boyfriend?" Jungkook asked astoundingly, seeing Yoongi lazily nodding his head. He could see how broken he was with whatever happened between him and that Changkyun guy, it must have been something pretty fucked up to leave so many scars on Yoongi "How did he go from a sweet and loving guy to a cheating asshole?" I know people can dramatically change themselves, Seokjin being a good example of that, but it still is hard to believe"

"That's why I don't trust people easily and I know it's hard to believe, sometimes I ask myself what the hell made him change his mind about me and our relationship, after so many years together..."

"For how long did you date?" Jungkook questioned curiously, averting his attention to Yoongi's hand, the younger male was trembling, maybe it wasn't a good idea for him to continue, even if it was a way to help him deal with the past, Jungkook couldn't see Yoongi torture himself by going back "You don't have to answer or continue, Yoongi, I can see is too much..."

"I need this, Jungkook, I need to let go of the past and this is my way of doing it, maybe it's weird because we don't know each other well and our only conversation was me insinuating that you were creepy and a pervert who likes to go to social media to hunt for victims, for that exact reason, I want to confront my past and avoid those situations, it's like you said, I don't know if the next guy I meet might have a real interest in me, I don't want to push people away, well, people who seem decent..."

Jungkook gently grabbed Yoongi's cold hand, catching the younger by surprise, he just wanted to offer his emotional support. After all, the red-haired male was telling him about what happened between him and his ex-boyfriend, it was the least he could do. "Alright then, go on, but if you feel like you can't talk about it, just stop, okay?"

Yoongi briefly nodded, feeling Jungkook's hand warming his.

"We dated for seven years-"

"Seven years?" Jungkook exclaimed loudly, probably too loud because he attracted unwanted attention towards him and Yoongi, however, it was shocking to know how a long-term relationship ended because of infidelity "You broke up with him four years ago, compared to the time you were together, no wonder you still suffering, that guy probably changed too much and led him to hurt you..."

"Now, you understand why I'm so defensive, everyone might act nice and polite, but then, when we least expect, people reveal their true colours, but not every person who approaches me is like that, you are the perfect example of that, Jungkook..." Yoongi sighed, feeling emotionally exhausted, still, he wanted to continue, even when Jungkook insisted he shouldn't, nonetheless it was the correct thing to do and, amazingly, despite opening his old wounds, he didn't feel the pain as intensively as before "Throughout our relationship, Changkyun was the perfect boyfriend, he showered me with gifts, he sang and played the piano for me until our fifth anniversary, the last two years of our relationship were a roller-coaster of emotions and I ignored the signs, thinking I was imagining things..."

Yoongi let his guard down and let the tears slide down his cheeks, reminding him of how his fairy tale turned into his worst nightmare.

"I-I, ah, I started to notice some changes in him, they were small things, but still I noticed, he began to be more distant in our last year of university, I never thought too much about it because I assumed it was the pressure of graduating and finding a job after so, I didn't mention anything about the subject..." Yoongi cleaned his tears with his sleeve and took another deep breath, before continuing "He acted like that for about a year and, all of the sudden, he went back to the same person he used to be – sweet and kind –, this was after he found a job at some company, at the time, we were already living together for about two months, I was working at a record label, I wanted to be a producer..."

"He went back to normal just like that?" Jungkook asked suspiciously, finding it weird how someone changed suddenly and then went back to normal, he assumed that was the time when everything got worse "Let me guess, the guy he cheated with was working at the company?"

"Y-Yes, as I said, he came back to normal, but it wasn't because of the job, it was because of the guy, at the time I had no idea, I was twenty-two and still very naïve, thinking I found my prince charming, except I was totally wrong..." Yoongi paused, trying to find the courage to go on, however, he had to push through the pain, he desperately needed to move on, he didn't want to be judgemental and weak, that wasn't the person he was "Anyway, we lived our lives normally, he didn't act suspicious or nothing of the sort, he, sometimes, had to go to his grandmother's house, she wasn't from Seoul, I went with them a few times, she was a sweet lady and liked me a lot, she was very open-minded, other times he went with his family or alone, I trusted him, I had no reason not to, our relationship was back on track, I was happy again and I was even happier when he proposed to me..."

"I'm sorry, did you just say he proposed to you? While he was cheating on you?" Jungkook questioned, completely dumbfounded, understanding the reason why Yoongi was so brutal to him, now he knew and he couldn't blame him, who the hell did that to a person without feeling remorse? That guy was an idiot, and probably still is "For how long were you engaged?"

"I know, right, I was so gullible and blind, he made me think I was the only one for him and when he proposed to me I was over the moon, but that didn't last long because everything came crashing down, you asked how long I was I engaged, well, one month..." Yoongi answered to Jungkook, who was with his mouth wide open "That is not the worse, Jungkook..."

"How could things be worse than this? He can't get the guy pregnant, the only thing I can think is he proposed to the other guy after- No way!" Jungkook felt Yoongi squeezing his hand and saw him nodding while crying his eyes out, not believing a guy like that existed, that was pure evil "That son of a bitch proposed to the other guy, how did you find out, he obviously didn't tell you..."

"One day he was in the shower, I was in the living room, and I heard a phone ringing which was weird because I was on my phone at that moment and Changkyun's was next to me, on the couch, I decided to see where the noise was coming, it was from the bedroom, it came from one of the drawers, I looked for it and grabbed a phone I never saw in my life, the caller ID said "Baby" so, I-I answered the call a-and a r-random guy s-sa-said h-how excited h-he was to get m-married and h-how people were reacting about the news on social media..."

Yoongi began sobbing uncontrollably, not realising how severely damaged he was until he started talking with Jungkook about his troubling past, maybe his decision of keeping to himself and pretending that everything was fine hurt him more, it helped disguise the pain but not totally erased it. The old wounds were wide open and Yoongi wished nothing more than to close them to be able to focus on the most important things and be there for the people who needed him, like his younger brother, Taehyung, Hoseok, Namjoon, Seunghee, even little Jimin. Yoongi wanted to live his life without having the events from his past and the person who destroyed him to be in the back of his mind. Yoongi needed to get up again, confront his inner demons and devasting emotions, that only pushed him down, and look forward to the future, he truly wanted to find happiness again, however, he couldn't do that without facing himself and his past.

Jungkook gently cleaned Yoongi's tears with his thumb, still holding the younger's hand tightly to comfort him, he could see the anguish flashing in his beautiful gleaming brown eyes. It was unfair how much he had to suffer after giving all of himself to someone so selfish. "It's okay, let it out, Yoongi, let out that weight you've been carrying for too long, you didn't deserve it, I'm sorry that guy took you for granted, he was a dumb son of bitch for letting you go..."

"I was supposed to be the one apologising, not you..." Yoongi chuckled weakly, feeling slightly better with Jungkook's company, he couldn't describe it, but he enjoyed being with him, he completely misjudged the older male "And you shouldn't apologise for him, and yes, he was the biggest dumb son of a bitch and he wasn't the one who let me go, I did, I let him go because I wasn't going to be the stupid and clueless person, I didn't want to fight for him, why should I? He cheated on me for two years with some guy, he had the nerve to propose to both of us, and he was probably leaving me at the altar for sure..."

"I think you already went through enough and I understand the reason why you were so frontal with me, I still feel insulted though, I mean do I look like a pervert? Seriously, do I look like one, because if I do, maybe I need to change my style or dye my hair" Jungkook said jokingly, making Yoongi smile, it was a small smile, but he was glad he could brighten up his mood after the overwhelming conversation they were having "Glad you didn't, Yoongi, did you confront him about the cheating? Tell me you kick his ass"

"Well, I didn't beat him up, but if it was now I probably would, but back then I decided to keep my cool, it was the smart thing to do, that night, I also found out that he had other social media accounts, that phone didn't have a password so while he was in the shower I did some digging, the photos went almost two years back, the same time he started cheating on me, it made me sick just seeing them, there were all types of photos, some of them matched the days he would "visit" his grandmother, the days he would go alone or with his family, it was a lie and I was too blind and in love to notice, I also saw a video of Changkyun asking the guy to marry him, his proposal was a lot more elaborate than mine..."

Yoongi calmed himself down before telling Jungkook what happened next, talking about the past, made him reflect on the person he was now and the person he used to be, he changed a lot in four years, however, he wasn't as strong as he wanted to be.

"As I said, I decided to be smart and I came up with a plan so, the next day, after he went to work, I packed my bags and his, I talked to Taehyung and explained to him everything that happened, and he immediately told me to go to his place for a while, I accepted it, then I talked to our landlord and I said to him that he could rent the apartment, he asked me why and I was honest with him, the guy confessed to me that he never liked Changkyun, he even helped me carrying his suitcases..."

"Damn..." Jungkook uttered impressively, liking Yoongi's style to get revenge "How did he react?"

"How would you react if you find your stuff in the garbage? Probably not happy, I imagine, he called me, wanting me to meet him and explain what was happening, I gladly met him, and told him that I knew everything about the affair and how ashamed he should be for making me go through all of that shit, he basically answered by saying he was happy things between us were over, he just proposed to me for the hell of it and I retorted by saying the money I got from his engagement ring wasn't enough to rent an apartment, after that, I left and immediately blocked him on every social media I had, but his fiancé was always sending me messages, telling me I owe his future husband money because of the ring, I blocked him too and changed my phone number..."

"I like you more now, Yoongi, that's a pretty savage way to get revenge, it was better than screaming and beating his ass" Jungkook smiled brightly, hearing how Yoongi solved the situation, when he found out his ex-boyfriend was cheating on him he didn't react as casually as Yoongi did "So, what happened next?"

"Well, I heard from an acquaintance that Changkyun married the guy in the States a month later, I quit my job at the record label, I wanted to start again so, I applied for the music teacher job at Hoseok and Jimin's school, I stayed for a while with Taehyung, I got used to making them breakfast, I still do it, it's our little tradition, I found an apartment not very far from the school and began giving private piano lessons, I held on to what made me truly happy – music –, but I took too long to pick up the pieces from my broken heart, I'm still picking them up, I guess I never truly recover from it and the fear of being hurt again remain inside of me, that's the reason why I acted like that towards you, Jungkook, I know it's not an excuse and everyone gets hurt from time to time, I just can't let go the past, but it's not your fault, I'm sorry for what I said and, if it makes you feel better, you don't look like a pervert, the opposite actually, you seem like a gentleman"

"I admire you, Yoongi, seriously, I dated my cheating ex for a year and I wasn't the most mature person, but you, you dated him for seven years, you were engaged to him while he was playing around with another guy, I truly admire you and I don't judge you for being so cold and defensive..." Jungkook stated frankly as he cupped Yoongi's hand, looking at him with fascination "I'm really glad you started again and I don't hold what you said to me against you, truth be told, I was pretty angry at you for making me feel so worthless, but I still wanted to know you, I still wanted a chance to show not all guys are as fucked up as Changkyun, that didn't change so, I'm asking you to give me one, I want to know you and I want you to know me, you might be surprised"

"We barely know each other, Jungkook, I don't understand why are you so attached to me, I'm not complaining and I'm happy you want to know me, still you said you saw me on one of Taehyung's photos, what, ah, what did you see in me? You never spoke to me until last week..."

"W-Well, ah, I wasn't completely honest with you at the coffee shop, I told you I saw you in one of Taehyung's photos and I was mesmerised by you, the truth is, I already knew you before, I always go to that coffee shop and you are always there, sitting at the corner, right by the window, drinking your cup of coffee and eating your blueberry muffin..." Jungkook admitted embarrassingly, noticing Yoongi's amazed expression, he was completely oblivious "I tried to gain the courage to talk to you, I didn't know why I was struggling so much, I'm bold and I don't have problems getting what I want, but with you, it was really hard so, I just admired you from afar until Seokjin met Taehyung, I was curious to know the funny guy who was pissing off my best friend, that's when I saw his photos, I approached you that day because I felt brave, you instantly shut me down and hurt my pride..."

Yoongi felt flattered and shy by Jungkook's confession, he was probably blushing because of his honest and sweet words. He didn't know he made quite the impression on the black-haired male and felt bad for never noticing him before, weirdly they crossed paths through Taehyung and Seokjin, it was unpredictable which scared Yoongi. However, he didn't want to hide from the world anymore, his goal was to move pasted his pain and his broken heart and live freely, without being restrained by Changkyun and his memories, it was time for Yoongi to enjoy himself and rely on the people who willingly wanted to help him, like Jungkook.

"Mr Jeon, you're always surprising me and it's scary yet exciting, I'm, ah, I-I'm flattered..." Yoongi retorted bashfully, his eyes focusing on his and Jungkook's intertwined hands, making his heart flutter slightly faster, he was so absorbed in telling his story, he didn't realise Jungkook was still holding his hand "My intention was never to hurt you or your pride, I apologise again and, yes, I will give you a chance, that's the least I can do for my behaviour and for your kindness and patience..."

Jungkook lifted their holding hands and kissed Yoongi's hand, his gaze was on the mesmerising red-haired beauty. He smiled softly, watching the younger's cheeks turning as bright as the colour of his hair, finding it amusing how much effect he had on him. Jungkook's intentions were truthful, all he wanted was to show Yoongi there were generous and loving people out there and Jungkook vehemently believed he was one of them.

"I'll keep surprising you then, Mr Min, it's my pleasure, and I'm thankful for the opportunity you are giving me, trust me, it's going to be worth it..."

Chapter Text

Taehyung sighed in frustration as he was dragged by Soonyoung and Gunhak along the lively and noisy streets of Seoul, wishing he was at home, sitting on the couch eating chocolate chip ice cream. He didn't want to adventure himself in the city, he was too tired and annoyed to go shopping, however, his friends insisted and forced him out of the house, promising to take him to a new bakery shop he badly wanted to go to for so long. Taehyung was too weak when it came to food, especially snacks and sweets, and easily persuaded, his friends knew that and decided to take advantage of his feebleness.

"Guys, where are we going? We've been walking for hours..." Taehyung whined as he walked slowly, not having the will to continue "My feet hurt..."

"Such a drama queen, I swear, yah, we've been walking for ten minutes, you man-child" Soonyoung retorted annoyingly, wanting to help Taehyung to relax and forget about the events that unfolded a few days ago between his friend and Seokjin "There's a clothing store nearby that sell cute and daring outfits, right at your alley, Gu and I wanted to pamper our friend, but he's acting like a pain in the ass, so ungrateful..."

"I saw online a cute pair of black short shorts, I wanted to check them out because I know you like that type of outfit, maybe he could find a top and a sexy pair of stockings for you to wear next time you go out..." Gunhak added, losing his patience with his childish hyung who he and Soonyoung were trying to distract and make feel better "You desperately need some dick in your ass and I'm not talking about Hongseok's, I still can't believe you are were about to have sex with him..."

(I should've stayed at home and watched some lame drama with my precious ice cream...)

Taehyung rolled his eyes and stopped in his tracks, making his friends stop too. He crossed his arms, acting like the little kid he was and glared at them. "Are you going to buy me the sexy outfit to wear the next time we go out or are you going to scold me and lecture me about me almost sleeping with Hongseok, I didn't unblock him and I have no intention of doing it, like I have no intention of sleeping with him, okay?"

"For some reason, I don't believe that you are weak when it comes to him, but I imagined how hard it must be to confront your ex after what happened between you two, you dated for two years, that's quite some time..." Gunhak stated sympathetically as he made his friend with colourful hair uncross his arms, then he grabbed his hand, reassuring him "You know, Soo and I just want you to be happy, I'm sure the one is out there, I still think it's Seokjin"

Soonyoung burst out laughing, along with Gunhak, both of them glimpsed at Taehyung, who was fuming, probably just because they said the man's name.

"Maybe I should unblock Hongseok and ask him to meet me at my place, I prefer going back to him than being with that asshole who made ridiculous accusations..." Taehyung took Gunhak's hand from his and reached for his pocket to grab his phone "You guys went too far, I'm leaving..."

Taehyung simply turned around and focused on his phone, knowing what he was about to do was probably the biggest mistake he was going to make. Nonetheless, he didn't care anymore, why should he protect himself from his cheating ex-boyfriend when other people were willing to hurt him without knowing him, as Seokjin did to him? At least, Hongseok didn't accuse him of the possibility of hurting children because of his bad temper and look down on him.

While he was tapping a message to Hongseok on his phone after unblocking him, Taehyung bumped into someone, almost making him fall to the ground. However, one of his friends came to the rescue and held him, preventing him from hurting himself, although he was still mad at them for making fun of him.

"I'm sorry, sir, I di-" Taehyung stopped mid-sentence when he saw the person who he bumped into, he wanted to laugh at the crazy coincidence, had he been a bad person in his past life? Taehyung was starting to think he had been because he didn't have a break, the universe was playing with him "I take it back, I'm not sorry, I should've bumped hard to make you fall on the freaking ground..."

"I'm sorry, sir, my friend is in a bad mood..." Gunhak apologised in Taehyung's stead, who was never that rude towards people, as he bowed his head "Please, don't mind him..."

Soonyoung elbowed Taehyung's arm, giving him a disapproving look. "We're sorry for him like my friend said, please don't mind him, he's cranky..."

"Yes, I'm in a bad mood and cranky because of this asshole right here..." Taehyung uttered unamusingly, feeling upset with his friend for apologising to Seokjin, but he couldn't blame them, they never met the guy so, he decided to go easy on them "Oh, right, you guys never met him, guys meet Kim Seokjin, the guy who threatened me with child service's because I have a bad temper, now that you know each other you can talk, I'm going home..."

"Taehyung..." Seokjin carefully grabbed Taehyung's wrist, stopping him from leaving "I, ah, I want to clarify that matter, please give me a chance to explain myself..."

"No, I don't want to clarify-"

"Yes, you should have a serious conversation, your accusations were pretty severe, and you owe him an apology" Soonyoung remarked hastily, discretely pulling Gunhak's sleeve as a way to tell him to follow his lead "You should talk somewhere nice, not in the middle of the street, right Gu?"

"Y-Yeah, yeah, that's right, Soonyoung..." Gunhak said as he nodded his head, looking between Soonyoung and the man, who was Seokjin "There's a new bakery shop not very far from here, we were going to take Taehyung there, but how about you take him and buy something sweet, it's the least you can do after what you said to him"

(I'm going to kill those guys, I already see Seokjin during the week and I hate it, now I have to spend some of my precious time with him on a Saturday...)

"Thank you for your suggestions, by the way, it's nice to meet you" Seokjin said politely, greeting Taehyung's friends, who also had weird hair colours, however, he was caught by surprise because he wasn't expecting them to be so respectful and helpful since he hurt their friend. The dark-haired male glanced at Taehyung, the younger was huffing, perhaps annoyed to see him "I sincerely want to clarify the situation, Taehyung, I will gladly take you to the place your friends just mentioned"

Taehyung couldn't believe his friends were forcing him to go with Seokjin, furthermore, they were encouraging the man to take him to the new bakery shop, knowing perfectly well how eager he was to go there. Taehyung felt betrayed by Soonyoung and Gunhak leaving him with Seokjin all alone just because they had that strange and upsetting bet and had a sick fantasy of seeing him with Mr. asshole like that was going to happen.

"I'm only accepting your offer because I want a sweet right now and my dear friends are going to buy me that outfit they were talking about, right, guys?" Taehyung asked knowingly as he took Seokjin's hand from his wrist, averting his eyes to his friends who were sluggishly nodding their heads "Very good, in exchange, I will block my ex again and I want you to send me photos of the outfit, feel free to buy me more, you own me for this..."

"As you wish, Gu and I will make sure we choose something sexy..."

"It's our treat for our dear friend..." Gunhak commented innocently as he shared a look with Soonyoung "Before leaving with our friend, Mr Kim, can I ask you what type of flowers you like? You see, I'm helping with the decorations for a wedding, one of my friends is going to get married soon-"

"Stop, you making me cringe right now, so annoying too..." Taehyung mumbled as he grabbed Seokjin's wrist, not wanting his friends to take advantage of his situation to have fun at his expense, Taehyung loved them, but they were too reckless sometimes "Let's go to the freaking bakery shop before I change my mind..."

***

Taehyung was pouring some tea on the cute pink cup in front of him that matched the teapot the nice waitress placed on the table with the plate with the piece of cake he was dying to taste. Of course, he had to hear Seokjin's lecture about him eating too much sugar and how he should be careful with his health like Taehyung stuffed his mouth with cakes and pastries every single day, he guessed Seokjin liked to maintain his weight, as for the younger with pink and blonde hair, he couldn't care less, he loved his curvy body.

"You know, you could simply add some sugar or some cream on the coffee to make it sweet..." Seokjin spoke as he observed Taehyung pouring the lemon tea into the cup, for him it was odd to hear how someone didn't like coffee, everyone he knew enjoyed that beverage, of course, Taehyung had to be different "You are not obligated to drink black coffee, personally, I liked better like that"

"Typical of you, Mr Kim, maybe that's the reason why you are so sour and bland, you need some sugar in your life..." Taehyung retorted bluntly as he cupped the warm cup of tea, slightly frowning "I already tried drinking with sugar and cream, but I still didn't like it, the same goes for you, no matter how much sugar I can add to you, you always act like an insensitive jerk... "

"Look, Taehyung, I know I was out-"

"Out of line, yeah, yeah, no need to repeat your speech from a week ago when you shamefully said to me I wasn't a parent and therefore I didn't know how to raise my brother, I don't need a reminder, after all, that day I told you the information you used against me to insult me a few days ago..." Taehyung remarked taciturnly as he brought the cup to his lips, he cautiously took a sip to not burn his mouth "Save me your apologies, Mr Kim, they don't mean a thing to me, you know why? Because in a few days, you are probably going to do the same thing..."

"How do you know that, Taehyung? How do you know I'm going to the same?" Seokjin asked as he stared at his cup of coffee, understanding the younger's reservations, still, he thought he had the benefit of the doubt, but apparently, he didn't "You caught me on a bad day and, unfortunately, I took my frustrations on you which is wrong, I know that"

"So, from here on out I'm going to be your punching bag whenever you have a bad day, oh I'm flatter" Taehyung said sarcastically, placing the cup on the table. He couldn't believe Seokjin was justifying his behaviour from a couple of days ago with the excuse of having a bad day, well, he also had bad days but didn't lash out at people "Don't tell me your son was the old punching bag by the way you talked to him that day, poor baby..."

"No, I didn't say that, you're distorting my words, I would appreciate it if you didn't, I'm trying to show how regretful I am..." Seokjin felt frustrated, however, he wasn't in the right so, he needed to be patient and maturely deal with the subject, at least until he and Taehyung could get to an agreement "And you didn't answer my question, Taehyung? How do you know I'm going to do the same thing to you? I'm not your favourite person, and you aren't mine either, but both of us know the line we can't cross and we can co-exist in the same space, I know I went too far, but I'm not the type of person who likes to purposely hurt people and that includes my son..."

"I don't, Mr Kim, it's just a hunch I have, and when I said in a few days, it might be in a couple of weeks or a month, I'm not a psychic so, I can't tell you exactly when it's going to be, now let me ask you a question, do you truly feel regretful with what you said?" Taehyung questioned curiously, really wanting to understand the man who was in front of him, because he already saw Seokjin's kind of good side and the bad side and it was confusing for the younger "I honestly don't get you, one day you are kind of alright, the other you are the biggest asshole on this Earth, something tells me you were normal at some point in your life, so I have my doubts about you and your intentions, that's why I don't believe your apologies, they don't reassure me"

"Once upon a time I was, like you said, a normal person, however given the circumstances I had to change and mature to be where I am now, that's how my life is and I can't do anything about it" Seokjin stated casually as he took a sip of his coffee, reflecting about the conversation he had with Jungkook a few days ago, he couldn't help but feel unsettled about his best friend's words, Seokjin wished he could be the person he used to be and not be a disappointment to him "Despite my attitude towards you, I'm genuinely sorry for what I said to you, I don't know how can I prove my repentance to you, Taehyung, this is the best I can do"

"You can't do anything about it or you decide not to do anything about it? I believe it's the second option, Mr Kim, but I barely know you so, it's just my assumptions and it's none of my business..." Taehyung commented straightforwardly as he picked up the small fork to taste the cake. He took a small piece and stared at it, thinking about a way to make Seokjin prove his remorse and an idea instantly appeared in his mind "I have an idea for you to prove your repentance, it's pretty simple, and I can apply this method every time you act like a son of bitch towards me"

"Can we be civil, Taehyung? I really don't like when you call me an asshole or son of a bitch, I'm receptive to discussing whatever idea you have, can you do that?" Seokjin watched Taehyung entertain himself with the cake, he was hoping the sweet could be a way to appease the younger "And what's your idea? Don't tell me you want me to take you here every weekend..."

"I don't want to make this a tradition, I tolerate you because I like Jiminie, but you could bake me some oatmeal cookies, you're smart tooshie told me Yoongi's were dry, I should've told him that, be glad that I didn't..." Taehyung said in a slightly threatening tone, before putting another piece of cake inside his mouth, Hoseok and Jimin would love that place, he needed to bring them there someday "About my idea, instead of an apology, you, Mr Kim, are going to owe me a favour, every single time you hurt me or make me cry you will be owing me, with those favours, I can request whatever I want and you have to accept, I think it's the perfect way to prevent your outbursts"

"I don't like the idea of you having so much power over me, but if I accept, I'm only going to owe a favour because of what I said a couple of days ago, I have no intention to lash out at you again" Seokjin remarked confidently, placing his coffee cup on the table "With that said, I guess I owe you a favour..."

"Glad you are on board, Mr Kim, let's see if you are a good boy and don't aggravate me, I'm quite reasonable, but you, apart from my ex-boyfriend, annoy the hell out of me..." Taehyung stated wittily as picked up his cup of tea again while looking at Seokjin "So, what about my oatmeal cookies?"

"I'm not going to bake you oatmeal cookies, I'm a busy man, I have more important things to worry about" Seokjin replied, not indulging the younger again, he already compromised to the said favour. The dark-haired male took a long sip of his coffee and something about what Taehyung said earlier and a couple of days ago came to mind, making him think "Can I ask you something, Taehyung?"

"I should say no because you're a big meanie, I can't call you worse because we have to be civil" Taehyung mocked Seokjin making the elder sigh, he had to admit, it was very fun to mess with the pompous asshole "What do you want to ask, Mr Kim?"

"What you said that day about me not being that bad, was that true?"

Taehyung didn't understand why Seokjin wanted to know if it was true or not, he had the impression the older male didn't care about his opinion, especially his opinion about his character so, it was surprising to him to hear those words from his mouth.

"Yes, I meant those words, Seokjin, I acknowledge both the good and the bad, personally, the majority of the things I see in you are bad, but there are these rare and brief moments when you show me another side of you, I guess the normal version of you is in there somewhere and wants to get out, but you don't want it to come out, as I said earlier, you decided to keep it inside, I think you made the wrong decision, maybe the real Seokjin is cooler"

"The real Seokjin..." Seokjin said absentmindedly while he stared at his blurry reflection in the coffee "That person doesn't exist anymore..."

"Yes, it does, you chose to ignore it, if Jungkook stayed all these years by your side must be because he has the hope to see the real you again, Jimin isn't the only one who keeps him around..." Taehyung remarked indifferently as he focused on the half-eaten cake "You should be thankful for having a best friend who is loyal and understanding, you're a lucky man, Seokjin"

"Did Jungkook tell you that? You know about the part about hoping to see the "real" me?"

"No, he didn't, he just vents about you, no wonder you are frustrating" Taehyung tilted his head, noticing the change in Seokjin's facial expression "Why are you asking?"

"It's nothing, I just thought he mentioned something like that" Seokjin thought it was bizarre how Taehyung could see through him, even if it was unconsciously, the younger did tell him he was a psychology major in the past, maybe he resorted to logic and human behaviour to analyse the people close to him "I prefer being frustrating than childish"

"I prefer being childish, people think I'm adorable" Taehyung smiled sweetly and flashed his eyes lashes cutely to prove a point "And I'm more handsome than you"

"That's debatable..."

"No, it's not, deal with it, Seokjin, I'm the most handsome Kim, it can be only one..."

Seokjin shook his head in disbelief, Taehyung truly resembled a child, his logic to refute that type of argument was ridiculous, but he decided to not comment about it, for once he let the younger with those atrocious hair colours have his way.

Chapter Text

"Do you like it?" Jungkook asked sweetly as he cupped Yoongi's warm cheek, loving to see his unique gummy smile "There's a million more I want to give to you..."

Yoongi smiled widely as he admired the yellow hibiscus in his hand, not being able to hide his bashfulness and his cheerfulness. He always acted like that when Jungkook offered him a pretty and colourful flower with a deep meaning, like the one he was holding, apparently the hibiscus symbolised delicate beauty.

It had been a few weeks since Yoongi and Jungkook talked about his ex-boyfriend and his past relationship, it was a difficult conversation for the red-haired male to have. Nevertheless, it was necessary not only to make Jungkook understand the reason behind his rudeness and bluntness but also a way to confront his anguish and move on. In the days that followed, Yoongi and Jungkook became closer, the black-haired male, since the very first day they started to hang out together, would give him a flower, they would share a blueberry muffin and chat for a few minutes at the coffee shop, they exchanged messages and called each other often. Yoongi enjoyed spending time with Jungkook, the older male made him feel special and cherished him and Yoongi couldn't fight his emotions, he was starting to develop feelings for Jungkook.

"I-I do, Jungkook, I really do..." Yoongi shyly glanced at Jungkook as he felt the older male's soft touch "How do you know so many flowers? You've been giving me a flower every single day since our talk, how do you do that?"

"I had help from two little birdies, I can't get all the credit" Jungkook chuckled as he briefly looked at Jimin and Hoseok, who were already inside the school, appreciating the help of those two little angels. The black-haired male grabbed Yoongi's free hand, intertwining his fingers with his. He was trying to find the courage to ask something to him, but he decided to save it for later, for now, he wanted to enjoy the little time he had with the delicate beauty in front of him "And how do I do that, well, when we have someone we really care about it's easy if I choose a flower and I can't find it, I will do everything I can to look for it, you are worth it..."

"Jungkook, you really are a gentleman..."

"Glad to hear that..." Jungkook said amusingly as he lifted Yoongi's hand and kissed it while he locked his gaze with the red-haired male "I prefer being a gentleman than a creep..."

"You will never let that go, will you?" Yoongi stated jokingly, finding it funny how Jungkook was still holding on to the words he said to him weeks ago, something that caused trouble between them was now a happy memory, after all, that was what drove Yoongi to tell Jungkook about Changkyun "What do I have to do to make you forget those mean words?"

"I'll think about something, my delicate beauty..." Jungkook leaned forward and kissed Yoongi's forehead, hating to let him go, however, he had to go to work and the red-haired male had a class to teach "The bell is probably going to r-"

The school bell started ringing loudly, indicating classes were about to begin.

"You must have magic powers, Mr Jeon, the bell indeed was about to ring which means I have to go..." Yoongi hated saying goodbye to Jungkook, even though they would meet later at the coffee shop, still, it was hard to let him go, he was too attached "Talk to you later?"

Jungkook softly let go of Yoongi's hand, wishing he could kiss the red-haired male on his lips, however, he didn't want to be hasty. He was taking things slow, knowing the younger was moving on from his troublesome past, the last thing he wanted to do was to make him feel uncomfortable or move too fast to the point he could scare Yoongi off. Jungkook preferred to be cautious, and for that exact reason, he was conflicted about the question he wanted to ask the other, even though it didn't seem a big deal, however, for Jungkook, it was.

"Yes, I'll meet you later..." Jungkook uttered gently, giving a smile to Yoongi "Have a good day, Mr Min"

"YAH! Jungkook!" Taehyung screamed his lungs out, catching the black-haired male's attention, no way he was letting the man cower and run away from his mission "Aren't you forgetting something? Do you want me to remind you of your important task?"

Yoongi gazed at Taehyung, who had his arms crossed and seemed a little impatience, not understanding what his best friend was talking about. "What is Taehyung talking about, Jungkook? Do you want to ask me something?"

"W-Well, I actually do have something I want to ask you, I was going to do it later, but I forgot Taehyung was watching me..." Jungkook admitted awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck "Please feel free to say no, I don't want you to feel pressured or anything of the sort, I want to make sure you-"

"Jungkook, I don't have all day, just ask"

"Yes, you're right, I'm sorry..." Jungkook laughed nervously, gathering all his courage to ask what he wanted Yoongi. Somehow, the younger had some sort of power over him that made him lose his confidence, Jungkook honestly didn't mind, it meant Yoongi was special "Valentine's Day is coming up and I want to take you out on a date, if you want, of course, I don't know if it's too early for us to-"

Yoongi snickered as he covered Jungkook's mouth, loving how nervous he was while he was asking him out, well, trying to ask him out, the red-haired male thought the elder was cute when he talked non-stop. "Yes, Jungkook, it would be a pleasure to go on a date with you on Valentine's Day, I thought you would never ask..."

Jungkook took Yoongi's hand from his mouth, completely dumbfounded by Yoongi's response, nonetheless, he was over the moon to take Yoongi on their first date, he was going to plan the perfect night. The black-haired male kissed Yoongi on his cheek and gave him a brief hug. "I'm going to do everything in my power to make that night unforgettable, Yoongi, you deserve the world..."

"Stop being so cheesy..." Yoongi lightly smacked Jungkook's shoulder as he parted from the hug, feeling quite embarrassed by the older male's caring words " I need to go, okay? I'm already late..." Yoongi quickly gave a kiss on Jungkook's cheek and smiled brightly at the stunned man "I'll see you later..."

Jungkook just stood there, speechless, seeing Yoongi walking inside the school.

Taehyung smiled as he observed the sweet interaction between Jungkook and Yoongi, feeling thrilled for his best friend and happy for having the opportunity to see him moving on and giving the nice black-haired male a chance, Yoongi was finally enjoying his life without being haunted by his former boyfriend and his past relationship, Taehyung was certain Jungkook was the one for his best friend and he was right like he always was.

"If it wasn't for me, they would never be together..."

(Smug motherfucker...)

Taehyung glanced at Seokjin, furrowing his brows, not believing the man was taking all the credit, he truly was a pompous and smug asshole who thought he was better than everyone else, how wrong he was. "Excuse me? I'm the one who always said they were perfect for each other, I was the one who asked you for Jungkook's number, and I was the one who gave you the idea of the park, what the hell did you do? Oh, wait, you just suggested we used our babies, don't be so full of yourself, Jinnie, it doesn't look good on you"

"I admit I was doubtful at first, but I convinced Jungkook to give Yoongi a chance by suggesting to him to talk to your best friend, he wasn't too keen, yes, but I was the one who had the plan" Seokjin retorted cleverly, glancing back at the enervated younger "So, you see, it isn't a matter of who did the most, but who was the smartest and that was me, I could've done everything by myself, but I want to have my revenge on Jungkook by resorting to you"

"I'm sorry, did you just say having revenge on Jungkook? Did I hear it right?" Taehyung asked amazingly, chuckling "And I'm the childish one, can I ask you why did you want to have revenge on him? That doesn't seem like you, Seokjin"

"Yes, you heard me and I'm not disclosing-"

"I was talking about you and giving Jin some suggestions on how to deal with you, I advised him to be nicer to you, but he immediately said he wouldn't..." Jungkook interrupted Seokjin, trying to retaliate for what his best friend did to him, he never expected to see him and Taehyung teaming up to bring him and Yoongi together, he was thankful for both males, however, he wanted to make Seokjin pay "And the reason for that was because he was mad about you giving him your phone number, he might have suggested that you could call in the middle of the night and added that if you did that was because you wanted to have some action, I hope I clarify your doubts, Taehyung"

"Hm, you did, and there's no way I would call Seokjin in the middle of the night to have some action, are you kidding me? He probably doesn't know how sex works, it has been quite a while, hasn't it?" Taehyung felt a chill going down his spine with Jungkook's remarks, he would never go to Seokjin for sex, that was out of the question, he wasn't even his type "I don't have a problem finding a suiter to satisfy me in bed, a suiter who is my type"

"You don't have to worry about that, Taehyung, I would never sleep with you, you're not my type either..." Seokjin commented firmly, feeling abashed for what Jungkook just professed, he knew it was a bad idea to introduce his best friend to Taehyung, they were kind of alike "You and I are incompatible, it would never work"

Jungkook looked between Seokjin and Taehyung, bursting out laughing with their conversation, it was funny to see the both of them go against each other and, personally, he thought they were right for one another, despite being opposites they completed each other, like him and Yoongi. "Just because you're not each other's types, it doesn't mean anything, Yoongi and I are different, I'm more outgoing and sociable, and he's reserved and shy, weirdly we complete one another, and he's my other half, the same can happen to you, you know what they say, opposites attract"

"Opposites attract, blah, blah, blah, so stupid..." Taehyung mocked, not wanting to hear the same words his friends kept saying to him when they reminded him of the stupid bet they made, a bet that wasn't going to come true, they were as crazy as Jungkook "If that happened to me, I would ask Yoongi to put me in a psychiatric ward because that would mean I had lost my mind..."

"Your argument doesn't make sense, Jungkook, it's absurd to think that opposites attract, two people can be opposites and don't get along and the other way around..." Seokjin added, not liking Jungkook's presumptions about his relationship with Taehyung "Stop talking nonsense and let's go to work"

"Look at you two agreeing with each other, I guess my argument it's not that absurd or stupid" Jungkook stated arrogantly as he walked towards his car, smirking mischievously "You guys would look good as a couple"

Taehyung felt queasy with Jungkook's words, it was official, the black-haired male had lost his mind. "Maybe your best friend is the one who should go to the psychiatric ward because he's completely nuts"

"I hate to say this, but I think you're right, he must be out of his mind because I would never date someone childish with ridiculous hair colours"

"And I would never date a pompous asshole who refused to bake me oatmeal cookies and who called me fat" Taehyung quickly retorted, giving Seokjin a murderous look "Good luck dying alone, old man, I have to go now" Taehyung stuck his out tongue at Seokjin, seeing him frowning. He averted his attention to Jungkook, who seemed like he was having fun witnessing him and Seokjin bickering "Bye, Jungkookie, please make your best friend suffer for me, see you later"

***

Myungsoo was walking around the classroom, attentively watching his students solve the math exercises he told them to do, of course, the little ones weren't too happy about their task and instantly whined and complained which was adorable and entertaining to him. Myungsoo treasured their innocence and naiveté because there were worst things in the world than math, however, his students were still very young to understand how real life worked and the struggles that came with it.

Myungsoo calmly walked towards Hoseok's desk, discretely checking how he was doing with the exercises. From what he could see, the blonde boy was doing pretty okay which was good news to him, it showed him that Hoseok was improving and doing his best to comprehend the subject, it was probably related to the help Jimin was giving him as well. "I can see you're studying hard, Hoseok, still you have to see the timetables better, multiplications and divisions are more difficult"

"Joon hyung is helping me and Jiminie too..." Hoseok said absentmindedly as he focused on the exercise he was doing "I told Tae Tae I was going to have a B in the next test"

"Glad to see you are motivated to have a better grade, Hoseok, and to know your brother and your friend are helping you" Myungsoo stated cheerfully, patting Hoseok's head while he saw the young boy working hard "If you keep studying and working hard like you are now, I'm sure you are going to have a B, you still have time until our next test"

"I want to have a better grade too, teacher Kim..." Jaehyun whined, feeling frustrated with the math exercises, however, he understood the subject better after Jimin came up with the game to help him and the group out "But math is hard..."

Myungsoo smiled kindly at the troubling boy sitting at the desk next to Hoseok and crouched down to verify if Jaehyun was doing well with his exercises. "Well, you improved a lot since the last math test, Jaehyun, and if you have any doubts, you know I'm always here to help, okay?"

Jaehyun pouted as he nodded his head in response, trying to concentrate.

Myungsoo patted Jaehyun's head as well as he lifted himself up and eyed the classroom once more, he went to almost every desk to check the progress of his students, he started with the ones who had more difficulty with the subject and then he went to the others just to make sure they were doing the exercises correctly or if they had any doubts for him to clarify.

Myungsoo's attention landed on Jimin, who seemed slightly lethargic and it was worrisome the condition of the brunette boy. In the last couple of weeks, he had been keeping an eye on Jimin, noticing how he was less energetic and paler, his mood wasn't as cheerful as when Hoseok and the rest of the little devils welcomed him in their group, Myungsoo guessed Jimin was probably dedicating too much time to his studies, he had the acknowledge that Mr Kim was a very strict parent and demanded that his son had a perfect score in every test which was a lot a pressure to put on a child, he didn't like it, however, he couldn't express his opinion to the man, unless he had a reason to.

"Jimin..." Myungsoo called the young boy sitting at one of the front desks, who was chewing on his bottom lip, as he checked the exercises he already had solved and noticed simple mistakes which were uncommon "Do you need to take a rest? The first exercises are wrong and there are the easier ones, it's okay to make mistakes, I just want to make sure you're doing well, you seem tired..."

Jimin quickly saw the calculations he did to solve the first two exercises, feeling panicky for making simple mistakes, he didn't want to have a bad grade in math, knowing his father was going to be mad if he did. "I-I'm fine, t-teacher Kim..."

Myungsoo noticed how the boy was shaking, his eyes were glossy and his lips were quivering, Jimin seemed exhausted and anxious just because he made mistakes and he wasn't happy with his reaction.

"Jimin, how about you rest your head in your arms for a few minutes, then you continue doing the exercises, hm?" Myungsoo suggested, knowing Jimin was too distraught to focus on his work, the best thing to do was to have a little break, hoping he could get some rest, even if it was for a few minutes "No need to worry, I can give you more time, I know how smart you are and how hard you work inside and outside school, just stop for a moment..."

Jimin shook his head as he grabbed his rubber to erase the first two exercises to do them again, not wanting to stop because he knew some of his classmates were probably going to pick on him for having extra time and he also didn't want teacher Kim to tell his father he made mistakes, he preferred doing his work now.

"Alright, I'm going to respect your decision, but if you feel unwell, call me right away, okay?"

"Y-Yes, teacher K-Kim..." Jimin responded quietly, making an effort to stay focused on the exercises "T-Thank you..."

***

Seokjin had just finished a meeting with his legal team to discuss the last details of the acquisition of the small tech company, the business deal was going to be closed in a few days and he needed to be prepared and make sure everything was in order to go forward. The dark-haired male had already spoken to his father about his plans and the goals he wanted to achieve, it wasn't a pleasant conversation, because like always, Seokjin had to endure his criticism, it wasn't even constructive criticism, his father basically was doubting his management skills and his way of doing business, so typical of him.

During the last weeks, Seokjin had been also carrying his secret mission of finding the person who was connected to Taehyung, who he suspected was someone close, like a brother or other member of his family, he scratched the father, knowing how the younger with those atrocious hair colours had cut ties with him so, he decided to focus on the brothers and the reason why he did was that Jimin and Hoseok mentioned Taehyung's older brother a few times, he didn't catch the name, but it was something he could work with.

The dark-haired male, despite not having a lot of information and having his suspicions, was close to finding the said person and managed to identify seven men who worked at the small tech company that had Kim as their last name and had more than one brother. Of course, Seokjin didn't directly ask them about personal information, he had his ways, and he also didn't want to be seen as intrusive, he didn't have the right to pry into people's private lives. As the one who was going to be in charge of the company, Seokjin decided to interview some of the employees, including the ones who he suspected were linked to Taehyung.

Seokjin knew perfectly well he was obsessing over little details and perhaps he was being slightly petty, however, his intention wasn't to harm the person, he just wanted to play with Taehyung, after all, Seokjin was always mocked by the younger and he didn't find it funny.

"Seokjin!"

Seokjin turned around, seeing Jungkook out of breath with a stern expression on his features which meant his best friend was either angry or worried, maybe it was both. "What happened? And did you seriously run here?"

"Of course, I ran here, I tried to call you, but you turn off your phone, you dimwit, glad to know you are always available in case of an emergency..." Jungkook answered sarcastically, not in the mood to handle Seokjin's obnoxious behaviour "Taehyung has been trying to call for half an hour, he even sent messages, but you weren't answering so, he gave up and called me instead"

"You know I always turn off my phone when I'm in a meeting, I don't like to be disturbed" Seokjin retorted, feeling confused with what was happening, why in the hell did Taehyung call him and send him messages "Why did he call anyway, was it important?"

"I don't know, is your son important, Kim? I hope so because he's in the school infirmary right now" Jungkook responded in the same sarcastic tone as before, glaring at Seokjin "Your son fainted when he was about to go to recess, the teacher tried to call you, but you didn't pick up so he called Taehyung, apparently they know each other, but that doesn't matter now, get your ass to the school immediately and go see your son, I can handle things while you're gone..."

Chapter Text

(Poor baby…)

Taehyung couldn’t stop staring at Jimin, who was sleeping peacefully on the infirmary’s bed, feeling his heart breaking little by little as the seconds went by, the brunette boy was so pale and seemed so fragile like he never saw him before. Seeing Jimin in that state, pissed Taehyung off because he knew something was wrong with the small boy and tried to ask him several times if everything was fine at home and if he was eating properly. Taehyung never got a concrete answer from Jimin and he didn’t want to pressure him or make him nervous, knowing the young boy was already frightened of Seokjin, he didn’t want to make things worse. However, now, Taehyung regretted not insisting on the subject and regretted not speaking to the asshole, who was responsible for putting little Jimin through hell just because of his grades, it was ridiculous.

Taehyung averted his attention to Hoseok, who was sobbing and crying his eyes out, and hugged him tighter as he kissed his head, trying to console him and making him feel more at ease after the shock of seeing his small friend falling on the floor when they were walking along the hallway to go to recess. The younger with pink and blonde hair was in shock as well, he wanted to cry, but he had to be strong for his baby brother who was suffering at that instant. Even though it was hard, Jimin didn’t deserve to be in the infirmary’s bed, the brunette boy should be outside, enjoying the sun and having fun with his friends, not caring about tests, homework or tutoring lessons, he was just a child, Taehyung thought Jimin shouldn’t have so many responsibilities at a such young age.

“Tae Tae, is Jimin going to wake up?”

“Yes, baby, he’s going to, don’t worry, okay?” Taehyung reassured Hoseok, hating to hear the pain in his voice, he shouldn’t have witnessed that moment, it was traumatic for him “Jiminie is just sleeping, he was probably too tired and now he’s resting…”

Hoseok sniffled as he carefully grabbed Jimin’s small hand, not wanting to hurt him, he just wanted his cheerful friend back. “Jiminie, you need to sleep well to be strong, I miss playing with you…”

Taehyung felt a tear rolling down his cheek and he immediately wiped it, not to upset Hoseok even more, although it was painful to see his baby brother so concerned.

“Hey, Tae…”

Taehyung tried his best to smile when he saw Yoongi walking inside the infirmary with worry written all over his face, just like his. “Hey, Yoongi…”

“I’m taking Hoseok outside while you stay here with Jimin, he might wake up in the meantime…” Yoongi stated gently as he stroked Taehyung’s hair, knowing how stressed he was with the situation and probably irritated for seeing Jimin like that, he was feeling the same way. Yoongi, then, crouched down, looking at a devastated Hoseok and gave him a tender smile “Little sunshine, I brought more oatmeal cookies, do you want to go outside for a while to eat?”

“I don’t want to leave Jiminie alone, Yoonie…” Hoseok responded upsettingly, cleaning his tears with his sleeves “I want to make his company…”

“Baby, it’s been a long time since you ate, you need food in your tummy” Taehyung uttered soothingly, cupping Hoseok’s face “And I’ll be here by Jiminie’s side, he’s not alone, okay? And Tae Tae is going to buy a lot of snacks for you, for Jimin and the rest of the cuties, don’t worry, my little sunshine”

Hoseok nodded as he wrapped his arms around Taehyung’s body, snuggling his head on the crook of his big brother’s neck, asking himself how long it would take until his small friend would wake up from his deep slumber, the blonde boy missed Jimin and his cute big smile that always made his eyes disappear. Hoseok broke the hug, still feeling dejected, and, with Yoongi’s help, he got up from Taehyung’s lap. He grabbed his hyung’s hand, hearing his stomach grumbling aloud, he couldn’t wait to eat Yoongi’s oatmeal cookies.

Before leaving the infirmary with Hoseok, Yoongi glanced at Taehyung, watching his best friend blinking his tears away and he couldn’t help but feel destroyed by the view. He hated seeing Taehyung hurt, especially when Seokjin was the culprit of his misery. “We’ll be going, will you be okay on your own?”

“Yes, don’t worry, Yoongi…” Taehyung tried not to show his sadness, Yoongi already knew him since they were kids so, he couldn’t hide his true emotions. He grabbed Jimin’s tiny hand delicately, wanting the little one to know he wasn’t all by himself “I’ll be fine, now take Hoseok and give him some cookies, my baby needs to eat…”

Yoongi nodded briefly, averting his attention to Hoseok, who was focused on the small sleeping boy, and he lightly squeezed his hand, making him look at him. “There’s a small shop nearby that sells cute things, how about I take you there to choose something to offer Jiminie when he wakes up?”

“Yes, Yoonie, I want to give something to Jiminie, I want to see his cute smile…”

“Let’s go then, say goodbye to Tae first”

Hoseok waved his hand with a small pout on his lips, he still didn’t want to leave Jimin, however, he was excited to buy him a gift to make him feel better.

Hoseok walked alongside Yoongi as he left the school infirmary, tighteningly grasping the older male’s hand, excited with the thought of getting a gift for Jimin. He didn’t know what he should give to his small friend, however, he was hoping Yoongi could help him choose something nice and meaningful to make Jimin smile. While making his way with Yoongi to the big glass doors that led to the school entrance, Hoseok came to halt when he spotted Jimin’s dad heading in their direction. He pulled the red-haired male’s sleeve, pouting, as he pointed to the mean man who mistreated his friend and shouted at him.

“Yoonie, he’s a big meanie, he hurt Jiminie…”

Yoongi picked Hoseok up when he noticed how disturbed he was for seeing Seokjin, he couldn’t blame him, he himself was bothered and had the will to kick the man’s ass for harming a child. It wasn’t physical, still, did more damage mentally, Jimin was just a six-year-old boy, and he was very young to be able to endure the workload Seokjin was putting on him and for pressuring him, the man truly wasn’t father material.

“Mr. Min-“

“Don’t talk to me and just go…” Yoongi said angrily, not caring if he sounded rude towards the man or if he was going to be dismissed as Jimin’s piano teacher, he was too upset to deal with Seokjin “You’re a disgrace as a parent, you should be ashamed of yourself…”

Yoongi held Hoseok protectively as he turned his back to Seokjin, leaving the man by himself.

Seokjin remained speechless as he continued walking towards the school infirmary, even if he wanted to refute Yoongi’s comment, he couldn’t because he didn’t have a reasonable explication to justify what happened to Jimin. He never thought he was that bad of a parent, however knowing that his own son fainted in school made him question the type of education he was giving Jimin, was he really too demanding? Seokjin honestly didn’t know, he was just following his father’s steps and he never had problems with his methods when he was younger. The dark-haired male just wanted the best for his son when it came to his education, he wanted Jimin to succeed, to be the best, but was it worth it when he was putting his son’s health at risk? Seokjin didn’t think so, still, he thought hiring the best tutors for Jimin was the right thing, and it was the only way to show his son he cared about him because he couldn’t express his emotions and act like a normal parent, his late wife was the one who attended to Jimin’s emotional needs, not him.

Seokjin walked inside the infirmary and right away saw Taehyung sitting at his son’s side as he slowly got closer, noticing how pale Jimin was. For some reason, he felt his heart racing with the view in front of him, it was the first time he felt like a failure as a parent and Yoongi was right he should be ashamed of himself.

“I would never date someone who is so cruel towards a child…” Taehyung kept his gaze on Jimin, who was shifting in the bed, still holding his tiny hand. He cleaned his tears with the back of his hand and narrowed his eyes at Seokjin “You always think you’re the best father in the world, oh yeah, you certainly are, because great fathers send their children to the infirmary, great fathers put immense pressure on their children to have perfect scores, great fathers act coldly towards their children, great fathers forced their children to spend their time in tutoring lessons, to study non-stop and to do their homework without letting them breath and play freely” Taehyung fought the tears that were forming in his eyes, thinking about how Jimin had been living the few years without a loving parent, poor child deserved so much love and he was willing to give him more “Look at him, Seokjin, look at your son, I couldn’t believe when Myungsoo told me Jimin was shaking and scared just because he did two easy math exercises wrong, he didn’t want to stop, knowing his father was going to be mad at him for having a B in math instead of an A, I hope you’re proud of yourself…”

“Taehyung, I-“

“Shut up, I don’t want to hear your voice right now or see your face, but I won’t leave your son alone with you…” Taehyung interrupted Seokjin, getting closer to the bed when he felt more movement coming from it. He noticed Jimin sluggishly opening his eyes and stretching his arms while making grabby hands. Taehyung cooed with his cuteness as he helped the brunette boy sitting down to be able to hug him “My cutie pie…”

“Tae Tae…”

Taehyung stroked Jimin’s hair as he hugged him with care while continuously kissing his head, wanting nothing more than to make the brunette feel safe. He didn’t trust Seokjin to be with him alone, not that he was going to hurt Jimin, he just couldn’t believe the man’s exigencies were more important than the well-being of his own child.

Taehyung pulled away and smiled, softly putting his hand on Jimin’s cheek. “Is my cutie pie thirsty? I have water and Yoonie’s oatmeal cookies, you're probably hungry too, right?”

Jimin nodded his head excitedly, his stomach hurt from hunger and he liked Yoongi’s cookies, they were sweet.

Taehyung grabbed the bottle of water that was on the bedside table with a little straw to be easier for Jimin to drink from it and picked up the small bag with a few oatmeal cookies that Yoongi left. He carefully placed the bag on Jimin’s lap, gave the bottle to the adorable young boy who seemed tired, and he guided the straw to his mouth.

“Drink slowly, Jiminie, okay? You don’t want to upset your empty tummy…” Taehyung stated gently as he saw Jimin sucking on the straw while drinking water, the poor baby surely was thirsty. When Jimin finished drinking half of the bottle, the younger with colourful hair took it from him, not wanting the little one to fill his stomach with water he needed to eat so, he placed the bottle back on the bedside table and opened the bag with the oatmeal cookies, he took one and gave it to Jimin “One bite at a time, chew slowly, your tummy is weak, baby, alright?”

Taehyung smiled once again when he saw Jimin nodding as he bit the oatmeal cookie he was holding with both hands, he looked adorable as always. The younger ran his fingers through Jimin’s light brown hair, discretely glancing at Seokjin, it was the first time he saw him so worried about his son’s condition. Taehyung was mad as hell, however, as the nice person he was, he felt sympathy for the annoying man, Seokjin didn’t have a clue on how to raise his son and he was in denial because he didn’t want to be seen as weak or just admit how hard it was to be a single parent. Something told Taehyung that Seokjin himself hadn’t had the best male role model when he was growing up, in a way, he pitied him.

Taehyung had a very happy childhood with his parents, Namjoon and Yoongi, he had fond memories of those times. Unfortunately, reality slapped him in the face and when he least expected everything turned upside down, the only good thing that came out of it was his baby brother.

“Jiminie…” Taehyung whispered, earning Jimin’s attention, who was finishing his first cookie. He gazed at Seokjin again and he didn’t want the same thing that happened to him to happen to the little boy and his asshole dad so, against his better judgement, he decided to do his best to preserve their father-son relationship which barely existed “Can you offer your father a cookie?”

Jimin turned his head and saw his father standing right beside his bed, he didn’t want to give him a cookie because he was mean to him, however, he learned how to share with the nice grown-ups and his group of friends. The brunette boy took a cookie from the bag and shyly stretched his arm in his father’s direction.

Seokjin grabbed the cookie his son was giving him, surprised by the offer, even though he heard Taehyung requesting Jimin to give it to him, he thought he would say no, he didn’t know his son at all. “Thank you, Jimin…”

“I’m proud of you, baby, for sharing your cookies with your father, even though he doesn’t deserve it…” Taehyung said sweetly as he focused on Jimin, however, he was still mad at the incompetent man standing across the bed “Also, he is owning me three favours now so, I make sure I’m going to use them to our benefit…”

Seokjin almost choked on the cookie he was eating, not understanding how suddenly he own two more favours to Taehyung. “I owe you one, where the other two came from?”

“I told you if you made me cry or upset me you would owe me a favour, well, you upset me and made me cry so, automatically you owe me another favour”

Seokjin couldn’t refute Taehyung’s remark, he knew perfectly well he wasn’t in the right and the least he could do was to oblige the younger, still, he wasn’t going to let the younger with those ridiculous hair colours undermine him. Jimin was still his son and there were a lot of ways to get perfect results without jeopardising his son’s health the thing was he couldn’t think of any.

“How about the third?” Seokjin questioned curiously, not recollecting upsetting Taehyung in the previous weeks, as a matter of fact, their interactions never got out of hand and, despite the constant bickering between them, they actually were getting along miraculously “Unless the favour is worth double, I don’t understand where the third comes from?”

“I didn’t forget, Jinnie, it’s been a while, but I didn’t forget, it’s been annoying me how could I make you pay…” Taehyung smirked mischievously, knowing Seokjin wasn’t waiting for what he was about to say next “You owe me for bumping into me when we first met, you didn’t apologise to me so, this way, you can compensate me, I’m so clever, aren’t I?”

“You are, Tae Tae…” Jimin remarked innocently as he munched on his third cookie, he didn’t know what was going on, but he knew Taehyung was smart and he looked up to him, as he looked up to all the nice and caring grow-ups who care for him “You know a lot of stuff…”

“You must be joking, Taehyung, I’m not going to owe you a favour for that, I didn’t even know you, let alone knew we would interact in the future, I might be a great businessman, but I’m not a psychic…” Seokjin quickly retorted, seeing how his son was already influenced by Taehyung, he didn’t know if it was a good thing, he always imagine his son to look at him with respect and saw him as an example, however, he did that with his father and he felt nothing more that resentment towards the man, maybe Jungkook was right when they talked a few weeks ago, maybe he was his father’s reflection “Your arguments are as ridiculous as your hair colours…”

Seokjin mumbled the last part but Taehyung clearly heard every single word he professed and he didn’t feel insulted because he honestly thought it was amusing how the man was always bothered by his hair colours. “Maybe I should dye my hair with the colours of the rainbow and even if I resemble a clown, I would be more handsome than you, wouldn’t you agree with me, Jiminie? Do you think I would look good?”

“Tae Tae is pretty…”

“I don’t think it’s fair to use my child, he’s obviously biased” Seokjin was asking himself how the conversation deviated so much, one moment they were talking about favours and now they were discussing hair colours “And by the way, if I dyed my hair with any colour I would look more stunning than you, I dyed my hair blonde when I was in university and I was pretty popular…”

“Jiminie is not biased, he’s being honest and tells me you are not as bad as a parent as I thought, good for you, Jinnie” Taehyung mocked Seokjin, trying to rile him up, like always, it was fun to laugh at the man’s expense “And you blonde? No, way, I don’t believe it, do you, cutie pie?”

Jimin bit his bottom lip and timidly glanced at his father, shaking his head.

“I should make a bet with you to make you dye your hair blonde…” Taehyung chuckled, not believing a word Seokjin was saying, he needed to confirm that information with Jungkook “Or better yet, a colour of my choosing, but I can’t think of anything right now, you are lucky, Jinnie”

“Don’t call me that and, as ever, it would be ridiculous to make a bet with you to indulge you”

“Don’t call you what?” Taehyung teased the man who seemed like he was about to have a mental breakdown with the conversation they were having, at the same time, it was a way for him to help Seokjin and Jimin to interact more, Jimin definitely need the presence of his father and see the many sides of him. Taehyung truly thought Seokjin wasn’t as bad as he seemed, the older male was unintentionally funny when he tried to refute his arguments, he got enervated for the stupidest things which made Taehyung wonder where all that anger came from “You’re just scared to lose, Jinnie, yes, you heard me, I called you Jinnie again, it turns you less scary, sue me”

“I’m not afraid to lose a bet, I just think it’s preposterous that’s all…” Seokjin argued logically, already exhausted from dealing with Taehyung, the younger had weird and outlandish ways of getting what he wanted, so childish, which didn’t surprise him in the slightest “And that nickname or whatever you call it demeans my character, I’m an adult, not a child”

Taehyung burst out laughing at Seokjin’s attempt to contest his words.

“Who is been preposterous now, Seokjin? I call my best friend Yoonie and also Yoongles when I want to rile him up, and I call your best friend Jungkookie and Kookie, having a nickname isn’t childish, having a nickname means you are close with a certain someone and you cherish them, it’s endearing, that’s why I call your son cutie pie, look at him, he’s one of the most adorable boys I have ever seen” Taehyung tilted his head, happy to see Jimin eating the oatmeal cookies, the young boy didn’t seem so pale as before “Jiminie, do you like the cookies?”

Jimin nodded his head while chewing a cookie, it was rude to speak with his mouth full.

Seokjin sat down on the end of the bed, watching Taehyung patting Jimin’s head while his son was eating while thinking about the younger’s words about nicknames and he pondered if his remark applied to him. “Maybe you are right, but you just call me that to get on my nerves…”

“Says who? Ah, I forgot I was talking with a pompous meanie who thinks I’m always out to get him which couldn’t be furthest from the truth…” Taehyung instantly remarked as his gaze landed on the man who thought he hated his guts, well, he didn’t hate him, he just dislike him “I think it’s the other way around actually, Seokjin, and I gave you a nickname because it was random, it just flew out of my mouth, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing, for example, I never gave my ex a nickname, does that mean I didn’t love him? No, it doesn’t, so you see, I don’t call you Jinnie just to make you angry, I have a lot of ways to get you, like the favours I will certainly use for my own benefit”

“Nothing happens randomly in life, Taehyung, everything has a purpose, I don’t know the real reason why that nickname flew out of your mouth as you said, but there’s one for sure” Seokjin felt confused with Taehyung’s intention towards him sometimes, he couldn’t grasp how the younger felt about him, maybe it was his own fault, after all, Taehyung told him a few weeks ago how he couldn’t understand him, in reality, Seokjin had his difficulties understanding himself. Since he and Jungkook had that talk, Seokjin had been reflecting on his personality and his attitude not only towards his son, but also toward Taehyung, and he could see why his best friend said he was similar to his father, they were almost the same person, however, that was how he was raised, to follow his father’s steps and become like him, except, he didn’t become like him, he became him and Seokjin didn’t like it, although he didn’t have a choice, perhaps he had, he just was too afraid to choose his own path “About the favours, don’t be greedy”

“I’ll be as greedier as I can be, Jinnie, and there’s nothing you can do about that, we made a verbal agreement, and as a businessman, you have to comply with my demands, besides you don’t know if my favours could also benefit you too, don’t be too hasty in disagreeing with me, just keep an open mind…” Taehyung said wittily as he winked at Seokjin, giving a small smile to the man, even though he deserved murderous looks instead “I don’t share the same opinion as you, I think there are some moments in our life that happen randomly, maybe to teach us a lesson…”

“I thought you were going to agree with me because I think every moment in our lives has a purpose for that exact reason, everything and everyone that crosses our paths have something to teach us, I might not be the best person or parent, but me having Jimin as my son has a purpose, me crossing paths with you has a purpose, for example, if you and I didn’t meet, Jungkook and Yoongi wouldn’t probably be together, our meeting triggered a chain that in turn influenced others around us”

Taehyung was utterly amazed by what Seokjin just told him because he never saw things from that perspective and it was actually nice to know his opinion on the matter and see how he faced the world around him and the people who came across his path. Maybe it was true, maybe there was a purpose for meeting Seokjin that wasn’t linked with Yoongi and Jungkook, he questioned himself about that same purpose, did he meet the annoying man to teach him how to care for his son? Taehyung didn’t know the answer to that question, but he wanted to believe that he did. Jimin didn’t deserve to be treated the way he was, he wasn’t a robot, he was a small child who needed to enjoy his childhood, maybe Seokjin never had that chance and now he was inadvertently punishing his son for it.

“You know, you’re right, I can see your point of view, Seokjin, maybe there’s a purpose that explains why people or certain things happen in our lives, you really surprised me with your remark, I thought you would be sceptical and I wasn’t expecting to have such a philosophical response, but I’m glad you share with me, you see, we can have a mature conversation, I’m still an adult”

“An adult who behaves like a child…”

“Jiminie, your father is smart, now I know why you are such a cute little genius” Taehyung spoke childishly as he nuzzled his nose on Jimin’s neck to tickle him, earning loud giggles from the brunette boy “But he also likes to provoke me when I’m trying to be mature, I can’t win with him and upsets me, I’m charging another favour, do you agree with me?”

Jimin nodded his head enthusiastically as he giggled, feeling ticklish because of Taehyung.

“It’s decided then, you owe me four favours, Seokjin, I’m going to make you pay”

Seokjin sighed heavily, not believing he was at Taehyung’s mercy, however, he decided to not comment and accept his fate, not knowing what were the younger’s intentions with those favours. He was hoping Taehyung wouldn’t cross the boundaries, but he was talking about Taehyung so, he was already expecting some odd requests that he was obligated to comply with.

Chapter Text

Taehyung was watching Jimin sitting on the swing with Hoseok and the other boys surrounding him while they were staring at their matching friendship bracelets that Yoongi had bought. Apparently, his baby brother suggested buying something for all of his friends since he didn't want to upset them by just giving a gift to Jimin and, of course, Yoongi complied because he loved Hoseok to pieces and he was really upset for seeing Jimin laying down on the infirmary's bed. Taehyung couldn't take Hoseok's big bright smile off his mind when his baby brother saw Jimin awake, the moment warmed his heart and gave him peace of mind, knowing the brunette boy was recuperating and his brother was happy again. The younger male hoped Hoseok and the rest of the gang could put behind the incident, it was an unpleasant memory that just should be buried and never remembered.

After his conversation with Seokjin, Taehyung took both Hoseok and Jimin to the playground, behind the school, until the older male finished speaking to the school psychologist and Myungsoo. Since classes were over and the rest of the group was outside, waiting for their parents to come to pick them up, he decided the little ones wanted to see Jimin again and talk to him, they were as worried about him as Hoseok and he were.

"They seem so happy..."

The sight of the six boys giggling and showing off their colourful bracelets, which represented the colours of the rainbow, put a smile on his face, feeling truly happy for the cuties being all together to make Jimin feel safe and assure their small friend was doing better. Taehyung glanced at his purple bracelet, since the boys were only six, Hoseok and Yoongi agreed that he should have the last one because they saw him as their guardian living angel and thinking about how he was viewed made his smile widen.

While distracted by the group of boys and his bracelet, Taehyung heard the doors that led to the playground open, watching Seokjin leaving the building, the younger with colourful hair noticed his facial expression, he seemed troubled and conflicted.

"It looks like you were scolded..." Taehyung pulled his legs up and sat down Indian style on the bench and patted the seat next to him, gesturing Seokjin to sit down "Sit down and tell Tae Tae all about it, after all, I'm like Jimin's responsible guardian, can't say the same thing about his father..."

Seokjin disregarded Taehyung's comment and decided to comply with the younger's request. He sat down next to the annoying male with colourful hair and leaned his back against the bench, observing Jimin laughing with the other boys. His son seemed happier when he wasn't in the picture, which never bothered him, but now that he was hit with the reality of how he was being careless with his son's health, both physically and mentally, he understood him, still, he didn't have a clue on how he could show how he valued Jimin. Seokjin knew he was cold and stern, maybe he wasn't fit to be a parent, he wasn't as comfortable, gaily and loving towards Jimin as Taehyung, the older male might not be fond of the younger, although he had to admit he had a lot of qualities that he didn't have, qualities that made a difference in raising and educating a young child.

"The psychologist said Jimin's lack of appetite may be because of stress and anxiety for being under pressure..." Seokjin spoke solemnly, his eyes never averting from the group of boys surrounding Jimin "He's malnourished and exhausted and being a young child his body couldn't take it anymore..." Seokjin never understood why Jimin never ate, he just forced his son to eat more to prevent this type of situation from happening, but months went by since the beginning of school, Jimin started eating less and less and as the oblivion and demanding parent he was, Seokjin never realised he was actually harming his son. In his head, he wasn't doing anything wrong, it was just his way of expressing how much he cared about Jimin because it was the only way "At breakfast and dinner he barely eats, but I always forced him to eat a little more before I excused him from the table, I don't eat lunch with him if he's been skipping it, I'm not aware of it..."

I told you so..." Taehyung stated quietly, already predicting the outcome of Seokjin's reckless way of raising his child, he was putting his own interests in front of Jimin's real needs "I don't understand why you are so obsessed with the fact Jimin has to be the best in everything, your son is one of the kindest and sweetest babies in the world and you should cherish him, Seokjin, but instead you take him for granted and put a heavy workload on him, he doesn't deserve it, no child does, I don't know what education you had, but it wasn't the right one..."

"Would you believe that I do what I do because I care about my child?" Seokjin asked as he focused on the younger sitting next to him. He didn't want to seem weak in Taehyung's eyes or let his guard down, men in his family were very proud people and they were known for being strong and perspicacious, no one dare to mess with a Kim "I don't know how to show affection to my own son, his mother took care of him day and night, it's been two years since her death and I'm still getting to know my son, who is part of me..."

"His mother was probably a nice woman, I can see how Jimin is similar to her, his strength, his kind heart, his gentle soul, his artistic side, his empathy towards others, all of it is proof of that, but as you said, Jimin is part of you, and not only his physical traits come from you, you certainly are the most annoying man I ever met, but I have to admit, you are smart, your son inherited that from you, his sense of responsibility as well..." Taehyung said firmly as he locked his gaze with Seokjin, who seemed surprised with his words "Answering your question, I believe, you care about Jimin's education and you have your expectations, it's your way of showing him you want to be part of his life, but you are doing it wrong, Seokjin, do you think hours upon hours of studying and doing homework is going to make your son the best? No, it's not, it's just part of it, he needs motivation and positive reinforcement no matter what grade he has, Hoseok had a D on his math test and I didn't get mad at him, why should I be? He's a child, he still learning and he studies hard, I'm proud of him for that, you should be proud of Jimin for being the top student in his class..."

"Jimin's mother was a terrific person, it was a shame she didn't have the chance to live her life as she desired, but I'm glad she was there for Jimin, even though she didn't want to have a child with me, she instantly fell in love with him the moment he was in her arms, that's why I agree Jimin should have had her last name instead of mine, as for Jimin's education, I'm proud of him for being the top student of his class, I just don't know how to express it, I might not be sentimental or vocal about my feelings, but I'm always up to date with my son's school progress, but now that I know that I sacrifice his health just for him to have excellent grades I don't know what method should I rely on to still keep his grades and give him a break, I still want him to succeed"

Taehyung sighed, feeling a little bit frustrated because Seokjin still desperately wanted Jimin to have a perfect score on every single test, however, he was also pleased to know the man was considering another method to not overwork Jimin. Despite that, there was still a matter of motivation and positive reinforcement on Seokjin's part, Jimin wanted his father to acknowledge his achievements and support him no matter what and that indicated that there was a communication problem between father and son. Seokjin needed to improve himself in the emotional department if he didn't want to lose his son.

"You're so annoying for focusing on his grades, but I'm glad you also realise you shouldn't put so much pressure on him to accomplish that goal, I'm also glad you are being frank with me, you should let down your guard more often..." Taehyung confessed, giving Seokjin a gentle boxy smile "And you don't have to worry about a method, I actually have an idea that it's going to make both of us very happy"

"This is an exception, I'm not going to show my weakness to you, I barely know you..."

"Barely know me? Are you for real, Jinnie? It's been almost a month and a half since you bumped into me, you pompous meanie, that's quite a while if you ask me" Taehyung retorted as he crossed his arms, feeling slightly offended by the man's remark "And letting your guard down it's not showing weakness, boy there's a lot you need to learn to become a normal human being, but one thing at a time, do you want to know about my idea or not?"

"I'm afraid to ask, but what do you have in mind, Taehyung?" Seokjin questioned curiously, honestly hoping Taehyung's idea wasn't nonsense, he didn't trust him "And a month and a half is a short period..."

"And in that short period you upset me more than Hongseok ever did, the guy cheated on me three times, Seokjin, you broke his record" Taehyung replied smugly, seeing Seokjin rolling his eyes, his official new hobby was messing with older male "Okay, my idea is a combination of our methods, when it comes to Hoseok, he does his homework after a brief break after lunch, then he chooses randomly a subject to study since a child has trouble to focus for a long period, the same goes for adults, I tell Hoseok to study for about an hour, hour and a half, as you can see my baby brother doesn't have A's in every subject, but B's are pretty good for me"

"Okay, it's not a bad method, but how are you thinking of combining yours with mine, since I can't let Jimin have tutoring lessons"

"It's simple and yes, your son still can have his tutoring lessons, but instead of having two hours of two tutoring lessons, he can only have one tutoring lesson for about an hour" Taehyung explained confidently, expecting Seokjin to accept his plan, in case he didn't, he had a backup plan "Here's my plan, every other day I take Jimin to my house to study with Hoseok, this way he focuses on his school work in a relaxing environment, then he and my baby brother can choose a subject to study together, the days Jimin isn't with me, he is at home having a tutoring lesson for a subject he didn't study that week for about an hour, this way, the hours he dedicates to his studies decreases, he feels more comfortable and has time to play, he needs to have free time as well, the thing is you don't know how to balance your son's schedule"

Seokjin pondered Taehyung's suggestion and he honestly thought it wasn't a bad idea. "It's a nice way of balance Jimin's responsibilities, I'm not sure my son is going to keep his grades with that method, but for the time being I'm going to accept your suggestion"

(He's such an annoying human being, his late wife was a saint...)

"I wish I could curse at your right now, I really wish, you're so freaking frustrating..." Taehyung mumbled while trying hard to control his tongue because he was so close to beating Seokjin's ass for being ungrateful, especially after the hardships his son had to endure for his stupidity, obliviousness and irresponsibility "You know what? Let's make this more interesting, let's make a bet"

"I find that insulting, Taehyung, I'm not the one frustrating here and about the bet, are you really suggesting we bet on my child's grades? You're out of your mind, do you really want me to dye my hair that much?"

"If you win, I dye my hair black or dark brown, I thought you would be happy to see my hair in a normal colour, it's lame, but if you agree to this bet I'll make it happen and I will abolish the favour system" Taehyung said assuredly, smirking haughtily "If you lose then you have to dye your hair with a colour of my choosing, don't worry, I'll be considerate, I shouldn't because you are a pain in my tooshie, I'll pick a colour that isn't too flashy I don't want your daddy and your employees thinking you are a freak, although you kind of are"

"Do you have to insult me every time you open your mouth?"

"You didn't hear the first part so that means you don't care what colour I-"

"Taehyung, if I lose and you pick a flashy colour, you are going to regret it..." Seokjin remarked nonchalantly as he loosen the knot of his tie, not bothering to glance at Taehyung "I might be more understanding regarding my son's situation, but that's it, I'm not your friend, so don't threaten me"

"Or what?" Taehyung asked daringly, glaring at Seokjin, they were having a nice conversation and the man ruined it "I really don't understand you, no wonder nobody likes you, and talking about nobody liking you, I want you to let your son have a sleepover in my house, I still don't want him alone with you"

"I prefer when people respect me and admire me, Taehyung, I don't need people to like me, about my son that's out of the question"

Taehyung wasn't surprised by Seokjin's weird change of humour, every time the man showed just a tiny bit of emotion or let his guard down momentarily, he immediately started to be defensive and insulting and Taehyung didn't like it. However, he enjoyed it when Seokjin shared his opinions with him like when they spoke in the infirmary and even in that instant when they were discussing his idea, it was a shame not seeing Seokjin's true self, Taehyung knew for sure the real Seokjin was more pleasant to hang with.

"That's good, but it's worthless when your own son doesn't even look up at you or admire you, you don't mean a thing to him, Seokjin, he probably would prefer having his mother with him, how is that? Is it insulting enough? You know I like talking and messing with the guy who rolls his eyes and retorts to my comments in a funny way and he doesn't even do it on purpose, I kind of like him, but you..." Taehyung let out a sarcastic chuckle as he uncrossed his legs "You are unbearable..." Taehyung got up from the bench, feeling utterly annoyed with the man with a thousand faces and humour "About the sleepover, I'm going to use one of my favours, remember what I said? You have to do it, it's our deal, now be a good boy and keep your word"

Taehyung walked away from Seokjin, not wanting to spend a single moment with him, at least that version of him, and decided to join the group of boys who were chatting with each other.

***

Taehyung smiled widely as he closed the door of Hoseok's bedroom, feeling happy for seeing Jimin giggling with his brother and Hyunjoon's silly behaviour just to make the brunette boy comfortable since it was the first time Jimin was going to spend the night out. Taehyung was still bothered by Seokjin's behaviour and his quickness to refuse his request of having little Jimin at his house, thankfully he had the favours the man owed him to have his way, even if he didn't have them, Taehyung was making sure the small boy wouldn't be with Seokjin. Jimin needed a break from his father's strictness and coldness, his house was the perfect place to help bury the unpleasant moment that he, along with the little ones, had to experience.

Jimin wasn't the only one so cheerful, as he walked towards the living room Taehyung could hear Yoongi and Jungkook laughing, it had been a while since he saw his best friend so happy and carefree. Yoongi finally broke free from Changkyun's spell and was enjoying his life without thinking about the past or the pain it caused, his damaged heart was finally being fixed, ready to love again.

When Taehyung reached the living room, he noticed Jungkook and Yoongi in the kitchenette, close to each other, the younger could see how the black-haired male looked at his best friend so fondly – pure adoration –, he could see how gentle Jungkook was, how caring and respectful he was towards Yoongi.

"I'm waiting for Seunghee to help me with dinner..." Yoongi was searching for a certain recipe he came across early that day and he wanted to cook it for dinner, however, he didn't save it and now he was hoping he could find it "I thought I saved that recipe, now I don't know what to do, help me out Jungkook"

Jungkook wrapped his arms around Yoongi's body and hugged him from behind, seeing the recipes Yoongi was searching for on the internet. "Why don't you do something both adults and kids enjoy? How about making pizzas from scratch?"

Yoongi hummed as he turned his head to meet Jungkook's gaze, wondering about his suggestion. It could be something fun to do with everyone, his brother, Hoseok and Jimin would certainly love that idea and it was different. "Strong bunny is really smart, that's actually a great idea, we need to buy some things, but it's doable"

"Were you doubting my smart brain, Mr Min?" Jungkook asked teasingly, twirling Yoongi around to be face-to-face with him. He cupped his face and caressed his pinkish chubby cheeks, loving to be so close to the younger "I can be smart and creative too, you know?"

"I hope you are creative and smart to plan our date..." Yoongi murmured bashfully, excited to spend Valentine's day with someone after four years of being alone. He placed the phone on the counter and took one of Jungkook's hands from his face, holding it tightly "But no matter what you do, I'm sure I'm going to love it, Jungkook..."

Jungkook slowly leaned forward and kissed Yoongi's forehead, then he smiled softly at the blushing younger. "Are you sure you are going to love it no matter what I plan? What if I plan the most cheesy and cliché date ever?"

"I'm going to love it either way, you know why?" Yoongi questioned gently as he intertwined his fingers with Jungkook's, a shy smile suddenly appeared on his features as he felt the black-haired male's thumb running over the back of his hand "Because it's from you..."

Taehyung was leaning against the wall, observing the sweet interaction between Yoongi and Jungkook, at the same time, he wished he had someone who would treat him the same way the older male treated his best friend, he wished someone looked at him like he was the only one in the world, someone who only needed him and made him forget the pain he had to suffer from his past relationship. The younger with colourful hair was aware that Hongseok wasn't the right one for him and he shouldn't resort to him, that was why he never unblocked or talked to him, it was for the best, on the other hand, Taehyung couldn't help but feel lonely and miserable. He missed having someone by his side who would show him that true love really existed, he didn't want to stay on the sidelines and see others falling in love, Taehyung too wanted to feel the excitement of being in love – the feeling of his beating heart going through the roof when he was face-to-face with the person he loved, the bashfulness, the caring words, the sweet gestures, the butterflies in his stomach –, Taehyung missed all of it and he wondered if he was going to have a hard time moving on from Hongseok as Yoongi did from Changkyun.

Taehyung's thoughts were interrupted when he heard the doorbell ringing.

"I'll go, love birds, go back to your fantasy world" Taehyung joked with both males, noticing Yoongi lowering his head, probably to hide his crimson cheeks. The younger hurriedly headed to the door, already knowing who was ringing the doorbell. He quickly opened it, seeing Namjoon and Seunghee, he didn't waste time and threw himself at his big brother "Joon!"

"Tae..." Namjoon hugged his brother firmly, comforting him from the stressful day he had, along with the little boy who ended up in the infirmary and Hoseok, he couldn't imagine how someone could push a child so far to the point of making them faint. Namjoon pulled back as he cupped his brother's face, noting his glistening and tired eyes "Are you alright?"

"I am..."

"This baby thinks he can fool us" Seunghee ruffled Taehyung's hair while giving him a reassuring smile, knowing how the younger liked to seem strong just to appease everyone around him "Nothing food and good company can't solve and talking about company, I heard from Joon you have a surprise, is Yoongi and Jungkook dating? Or, don't tell me, you met a nice man and want to introduce him to us"

"I heard that!" Yoongi shouted from the kitchenette when he heard Seunghee talking about him and Jungkook dating, her words made him feel embarrassed, they were going on their first date, and it was too soon to jump into a relationship. The red-haired male saw how Jungkook was chuckling, he gently smacked his shoulder, not finding it amusing as him "It's not funny..."

"Yes, it is, it's pretty amusing and, one day, I'll make that happen, for now, I want to focus on our date" Jungkook retorted as he patted Yoongi on his head, loving watching him pout. The black-haired male averted his attention to the couple and Taehyung, who was walking inside the apartment and smiled at them "Hey, guys"

"Hi, Jungkook" Namjoon greeted Jungkook as he helped Seunghee take her jacket off, then he fixed her hair that was all over the place because of the windy weather, loving her long pink hair that suited her perfectly "Oh, Jungkook, I need to ask you something, why Seokjin wants to interview me and my colleagues? Is it a regular thing he does when he acquires a new company?"

Jungkook shook his head, snickering. "Seokjin doesn't do this regularly, but, apparently someone awoke his curiosity and the ironic thing is, he's doing this because of you, he wants to know who told Taehyung about the acquisition"

"You must be joking..." Taehyung remarked, not believing Seokjin was being as childish as him just because he mentioned he knew about the acquisition of the company where his brother worked, so pathetic "I wanted to mess with him so, I mention that information, I didn't know it wasn't public yet, now he's going around interviewing people to find who was the one to tell that information, if he fires my brother, I'm going to make his life hell"

"If that happens, Taehyung, it's my fault for disclosing that information, although we weren't prohibited to talk about the subject, it was public knowledge that the company was going to be bought, however, no one knew it was going to be Seokjin"

"No, it's not, Joon, you don't deserve to be fired because I opened my mouth and it's stupid if that happens, it doesn't mean you are not a good employee" Taehyung said upsettingly, not wanting his brother to be dismissed, sometimes he spoke without thinking about the consequences and it was unfair if Namjoon pay for his recklessness "You are amazing, Joon"

"You guys don't need to worry, Seokjin isn't going to fire Namjoon" Jungkook spoke assuredly, already knowing Seokjin's intentions "He just wants to be ahead of Taehyung and catch him by surprise, he wouldn't dismiss someone as valuable as Namjoon, he's a great accountant, by the way, he delayed the acquisition because of this, I guess he doesn't like to lose against Taehyung"

(Seokjin is so dumb, he likes to be respected but doesn't have allies, even Jungkook is on my side...)

Taehyung truly thought Seokjin was too obsessed with being more steps ahead of him, just to show off his intelligence and how perceptive he was, well, for the younger, the man only made a fool of himself, he was too presumptuous and rude, always looking down on people, thinking he was superior than others, including Taehyung himself, the younger with colourful hair hated that type of behaviour, usually was the reason why people were so blind and oblivious, they were self-centred and egotistic to acknowledge the others around them, that was how Taehyung viewed Seokjin, at least the more ruthless version of him.

"Well, I guess he has to get used to losing against me because his smugness and obliviousness blind him and make him dumber, feel free to tell him that, Jungkook, I don't give a damn and I also don't want to talk about that asshole..." Taehyung already was fed up with Seokjin, especially after that day and what he did to drive Jimin to exhaustion and even though he agreed with his idea, Taehyung still wasn't fond of the man, the enervating man "I thought you want to know about the surprise and no, Seunghee, I didn't meet a new man, but I'm going to introduce to you and Joon one of the cutest babies in the world"

"Are we finally meeting little Jiminie?" Seunghee asked enthusiastically, wanting to meet Jimin since the moment Taehyung talked about him "Bring the little sunshine and Jiminie, I want to see my sweethearts"

Taehyung knew Namjoon and Seunghee were curious and restless to meet Jimin, like himself, both his big brother and his wife shared their love for children and they were trying to start their family which was proven to be more difficult than they imagined. Taehyung was hopeful that any day Seunghee and his brother were going to have the little girl they always dreamt of, he also wanted to have a cute niece.

"Little sunshine! Joon and Seunghee are here!"

It didn't take long until Taehyung heard the door of his baby brother's bedroom opening and cute giggles coming from the hallway. He saw Hoseok happily running towards Namjoon, who immediately picked up the little one, making him giggle even louder. While he was watching Hoseok and Namjoon interacting, he felt someone pulling the sleeve of his hoodie, he smiled when he saw Jimin hiding behind him, shyly staring at him.

"Jiminie, remember when Hoseok and I talked about Joon hyung?" Taehyung asked sweetly, seeing the brunette boy nodding his head sluggishly. The younger male crouched down and held Jimin's tiny hand as he pointed to his older brother "That's Joon hyung and the pretty girl with pink hair is his wife, Seunghee, do you want to meet them?"

Jimin nodded once more, feeling more at ease after knowing who were the two grow-ups.

Seunghee slowly approached Jimin, she didn't want to scare the cute little boy and also crouched down to be at the same level as the boy, then she extended her arm, carefully grabbing Jimin's incredibly adorable tiny hand. "Hi, sweetie, it's nice to meet you, can I give you a hug?"

"Y-Yes..." Jimin responded timidly as he came closer to the nice girl with pink hair, she reminded him of his mommy. The brunette boy wrapped his small arms around Seunghee's neck, snuggling his head on her neck "You're pretty like my mommy, she's an angel..."

"Thank you, Jiminie" Seunghee broke the hug, smiling fondly at Jimin "She must be the prettiest angel and you are one of the cutest boys I ever met, you and little sunshine melt my heart with your adorableness"

"Joonie, isn't Jiminie cute?" Hoseok asked cutely as he pulled his big brother's shirt while glancing at Jimin "When I give him a pretty flower, his smile makes his eyes disappear, I like seeing Jiminie smile..."

"Yes, he is, Jiminie is as cute as you, my little sunshine" Namjoon responded wittily as he put Hoseok on the floor, loving to see his baby brother so ecstatic. Namjoon went to his wife and crouched down next to her. He gazed at Jimin and smiled widely with the petite brunette boy, who seem really shy in their presence "I'm Namjoon, Jiminie, but you can call me Joon or Joonie, I'm Hoseok and Taehyung's older brother, nice to meet you, do you like lollipops?"

Jimin smiled weakly as he nodded, he loved candy and snacks, but he had to be careful because he didn't want to have rotten teeth, Jungkook was always telling him to brush his teeth to not let the tiny monsters ruin them.

Namjoon took two lollipops from the pocket of his jeans. "Sometimes I bring candy to Hoseok, even though Tae and Seunghee always give him candy when they shouldn't so, one is for you and the other is for Hoseok, but you have to promise me that you'll brush your teeth after dinner, okay?"

"I-I promise, Joonie" Jimin uttered as he grabbed one of the lollipops, feeling happy for meeting Namjoon and Seunghee "I like strawberry flavour, it's my favourite"

"That's mine too, Jiminie" Hyunjoon added, seeing Jimin's eyes sparkling intensively as he stared at the candy in his hand "By the way, Joon, didn't you bring one for me? I deserve a lollipop too"

"Are you a small child, Hyunjoon?" Yoongi inquired his younger brother as he tapped on the notes of his phone the rest of the ingredients he needed to buy to make the pizzas "You're turning eighteen next month, you're practically an adult, and no candy until after dinner, Jungkook suggested that we should make pizzas from scratch, by the way, Hyunjoon, move your tooshie, we are going shopping for the remaining ingredients"

"Why me, old man? I had school and I had to study all afternoon, I'm tired..." Hyunjoon whined like a small child, trying to have his way "Can you and Jungkook go? That way you guys can make out without having us around"

"What does make out mean, Hyunjoon?" Hoseok questioned, confused, not understanding what Hyunjoon meant "Is it a special hug?"

"Min Hyunjoon, when we get home we're going to have a serious talk..." Yoongi said threateningly, scowling at his brother for talking so freely without having the notion small children were in the room, not only that but for embarrassing him in front of everyone "Be more careful when you open your mouth, little baby, also don't call me old man, I'm your hyung, show me respect, now stop being so whiny and let's go"

"You're so lame, hyung, and mean..." Hyunjoon commented, sighing in frustration because he didn't want to go out neither he wanted to witness the lovey-dovey moments between his older brother and Jungkook, they were so sweet that made him nauseous, of course, he was happy for Yoongi, he deserved to be happy with someone who truly cared about him "I'll go, not because you told me to, it's because I want to..."

"Kookie, can I go with you?" Jimin asked quietly, still holding the lollipop tightly in his hand "I want to help..."

"Me too, me too!" Hoseok mumbled, while having the lollipop in his mouth, he didn't want to wait until after dinner to enjoy his candy "I want to go, can I go, Tae Tae?"

Taehyung chuckled with Hoseok's enthusiasm, it was good to know that both his baby brother and Jimin were a lot cheery after the events that unfolded that day. He knew Jimin being in a more comforting and healthy environment after what occurred in school was the right option, even though he had to deal with Seokjin, however, it was worth it just to see the brunette boy smile widely, he could only imagine the hard times he had to go through because of his father, Jimin was so strong and resilient at such young age, he was a fighter, just like Hoseok.

"Yes, you can, little sunshine, but you and Jimin have to put your jackets on, it's cold outside" Taehyung told gently, bopping Hoseok's nose while his baby brother was sucking on the lollipop, the kid surely was stubborn and a rascal, just like he was when he was his age "And stay by Yoongi and Jungkook's side, don't go anywhere alone and don't talk to strangers, the same goes for you, Jiminie, understood?"

"Yes, Tae Tae!"

Taehyung softly pinched both Jimin and Hoseok's cheeks, giving them a warm smile. "Go get your jackets then, babies, Yoongi, Jungkook and Hyunjoon will be waiting here"

Hoseok grabbed Jimin's small hand and carefully dragged him as they walked to the hallway, not wanting to hurt his small friend as his mean dad did. "Let's go, Jiminie!"

Chapter Text

“So, any plans for Valentine’s day, Tae?” Yoongi asked nonchalantly as he cut a piece of the pancake while looking at Taehyung, who suddenly stopped eating. The red-haired male didn’t know if he should ask or not, maybe it was still a sensitive subject for his best friend, this was the first Valentine’s day he was going to spend alone since he broke up with Hongseok, nonetheless, Yoongi was worried about Taehyung and what he intended of doing, despite having a clue “Are you going to stay at home?”

Taehyung placed the fork on the plate, sighing heavily, not expecting Yoongi to ask him about his plans for Valentine’s day. He honestly didn’t know what he should do, maybe going out with Gunhak and Soonyoung could be a way to forget how depressed and lonely he had been feeling since he saw Hongseok a few weeks prior. Taehyung was aching and confused about his ex-boyfriend which was nonsense and absurd, why should he feel like that when he was the one who was cheated on and had to deal with Hongseok’s infidelity? It was unfair in Taehyung’s opinion to suffer after everything he had been through, he sincerely thought he was going to have no difficulty forgetting about Hongseok, however, it was the opposite, and Taehyung hated how weak and dumb he seemed for almost falling for his ex-boyfriend’s sweet talk.

“Don’t know…” Taehyung simply responded as he stared at the half-eaten pancake on his plate, picking up his fork “Maybe I’ll go out with Gunhak and Soonyoung to blow some steam off if you know what I mean, it’s been a while since I went out…”

“Okay…” Yoongi uttered, noticing how Taehyung seemed a little down for mentioning Valentine’s Day “If you want, I can tell Jungkook to cancel the-“

“No way, Yoongi, you are not going to postpone your first date with Jungkook because of me, I would be selfish if I did that to you” Taehyung stopped Yoongi mid-sentence, knowing what intentions he had, he couldn’t let his best friend cancel his date just because he felt down “You’ve been so happy in these last few weeks and I don’t want to ruin that for you, Jungkook is really excited about the date, so do you, I’ll manage”

“You know I just want to make sure you are fine, you can hide it from everyone, but not from me, Taehyung…” Yoongi spoke tenderly, focusing on his best friend who he could see was in pain, he recognised the sad glint in his eyes, it was the same one he had until Jungkook showed up in his life “And I know he didn’t make things easier for you, you’ve been struggling lately, I know the feeling”

Taehyung was happy Jimin and Hoseok were in the bathroom brushing their teeth at that moment, that way they couldn’t see how vulnerable he was which would concern the young children. “It’s been five months, I’ll get over him, I just want to go out, drink and maybe meet a guy who can show me a good time, that’s all, don’t worry about me, and I’ll ask Mrs Shin if she can take care of him, she loves little sunshine”

“If you say so…” Yoongi wasn’t convinced that Taehyung was going to forget Hongseok so easily, he wanted to believe, but he just couldn’t. However, the red-haired male understood what his best friend was doing, he was acting like the stubborn and proud person he was. He always refused to show his weaknesses to not worry the people around him, Taehyung didn’t like being a burden “I want you to have fun and forget about everything, you deserve a night out after the bullshit you’ve been through”

“Language, lil meow meow the kids might suddenly show up and hear you” Taehyung said amusingly as he put a piece of pancake in his mouth, munching on it like a little kid “And you’re right, I’ve been dealing with so many things, or better yet, I’ve been dealing with the most annoying pain in the tooshie, luckily, that pain in the tooshie has a cute baby as a son”

“Don’t eat with your mouth full and hurry-up, Jungkook must be on his way so, c’mon, little baby” Yoongi quickly crumpled a paper towel and threw it at Taehyung for not having manners at the table. He picked up his plate as he got up from the chair, seeing his best friend sticking his tongue out at him, making Yoongi roll his eyes “And can you imagine how someone was married to Seokjin for so long, poor woman…”

Taehyung got up from his chair as well and grabbed his plate to take it to the sink. It also crossed his mind how someone had been able of putting up with Seokjin for a few years unwillingly, clearly both the man and his late wife were forced to marry. Taehyung thought it was weird how there were still arranged marriages between rich families and how they used marriage to hide someone’s sexual orientation, that was obviously the reason why Seokjin didn’t want to disclose his sexual preference which was understandable for Taehyung and, despite not liking the man very much, he respected his decision.

“She was probably miserable during their marriage, maybe both of them were, I don’t know, Seokjin told me yesterday he wasn’t present in his son’s life until his wife died, they didn’t marry for love that’s for sure…”

“Did you ever see yourself marry someone you didn’t love?” Yoongi questioned while thinking about the mistake he was about to make four years ago, before finding out about Changkyun’s unfaithfulness “I almost marry someone who didn’t love me, but hypothetically speaking, imagine your father would force you to marry, uh, I don’t know, Seokjin, and you had to comply to his demand, what would you do in that situation?”

“I would puke and run away with my baby brother, I think I’m going to do that now” Taehyung felt repulsive just imagining that hypothetical scenario as he placed the plate inside the sink, giving Yoongi a disgusted look “Well, I’m going to brush my teeth and-“

Taehyung was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell and he knew who was standing outside.

“Before I do that, I’m going to open the door for your prince Charming” Taehyung teased Yoongi, who was already blushing at the simple mention of Jungkook, his best friend was completely whipped and the younger with pink and blonde hair couldn’t blame him, the older male was a true gentleman. Taehyung quickly went to the door and opened it, seeing Jungkook elegantly dressed to go to work, the black-haired male looked stunning in a dark blue suit, in reality, he looked good with anything he wore “Woah, Jungkookie, you really like to dress up for your man, don’t you? I will sue you if you kill my best friend with your looks and your politeness”

“Shut up, Kim Taehyung!”

Both Taehyung and Jungkook burst out laughing at Yoongi’s words and his attempt to sound intimidating which didn’t work.

“I don’t want to kill my delicate beauty, I have to give him my daily flower” Jungkook glanced at the bright red amaryllis in his hand, hoping Yoongi would appreciate the bloom that was as beautiful as the red-haired male himself “Can we come inside? I want to see Jimin as well”

“Yes, of co- Wait!” Taehyung was opening the door wider to let Jungkook come in when he saw Seokjin standing behind Jungkook, looking frivolous as usual. He wasn’t counting on seeing the man so soon, especially after behaving like a smug jerk, but what else was new? “You can come in, about Mr Kim, I’m still pondering, so who do I have in front of me, is it the arrogant jerk? Is it the kind of alright guy? Is it the guy who is hated by everyone, including his son? Which version are you, Seokjin?”

Seokjin cleared his throat, not wanting to aggravate Taehyung or anybody else for that matter, he was there peacefully, without wanting to cause trouble as surprising as it seemed, nevertheless, it was true and he also wanted to check on Jimin to make sure he was doing fine, his son was probably a lot happier without him.

“I just want to check on Jimin, he still is my son and I’m sure you took care of him, I was not happy with this arrangement, but maybe it was for the best”

“Oh, look who gain a conscious after driving his son to exhaustion” Taehyung stated sarcastically as he let Jungkook come inside his apartment while glaring at Seokjin, at least the man acknowledge that Jimin staying with him was for the best “Apparently I know what’s best for your son, unlike you, I’m still pissed at you for acting so almighty and grand”

“Taehyung, he comes in peace, that’s why I let him come with me”

Taehyung wanted to believe Jungkook’s words, however, he was still doubtful of Seokjin’s intentions and his behaviour that messed him up. One second he could be mindful and pleasant to talk with, in other he could be arrogant, cold and stern, the typical Kim Seokjin who was afraid of showing emotion because he probably thought if he showed his true self he was going to be severely judged, one thing it was his sexuality, another was what made a human being rational – their feelings.

Taehyung rolled his eyes as he let out a heavy sigh, gesturing Seokjin to come inside, however, he was going to throw the man out the second he acted like the obnoxious douche he was.

“Thank you, and, ah…” Seokjin was apprehensive about how he should behave towards Taehyung or what to say, he knew he was confusing, but he was trying to understand what type of person he wanted to be and if he should hold on to the shell that covered up the person he used to be. Deep down, Seokjin was figuring himself out, after being a disappointment to Jungkook for many years and endangering his son’s health, he seriously needed to be more thoughtful about the people who surrounded him, including Taehyung who, somehow, could see through him “I know I was unpleasant yesterday, but I appreciated your suggestion, I was hoping we could discuss on how we should proceed”

“Jungkook, did you break Seokjin?” Taehyung asked suspiciously, narrowing his eyes at Seokjin because he was sceptical about his behaviour, any moment now he was going to act like the complacent asshole he was “I think he has a malfunction”

“I told you he comes in peace…” Jungkook chuckled, seeing Taehyung examining Seokjin, making his best friend slightly uncomfortable with the closeness “And I gave him a piece of my mind yesterday after I left here”

“Look, Taehyung, I didn’t come here to argue with you, I’m dealing with a lot right now, I’m trying to be reasonable and comprehensive, I’m trying to be a good parent, there are certain things that are difficult to me, I also came here to check on Jimin, after all, I’m his father…”

Taehyung didn’t trust Seokjin, especially after everything he had done and said to him and how he treated his son, again he was doubtful, but at the same time, he wanted to give him a chance and help him be the father Jimin wanted Seokjin to be. Taehyung didn’t want to see the relationship between father and son fall apart even more than already was, he didn’t want to see Jimin cutting ties with Seokjin. The younger with colourful hair had a hard time pushing his own father away for everything he had done to his family, however, the annoying man wanted a chance and Taehyung, being the softy he was, was going to give him one.

“Seokjin, I never wanted to argue with you, you are the one who acted defensive towards me, even though you were the one who bumped into me and made me drop my phone, you’re the one who hurt me by using personal information against me and made ridiculous accusations, at least when I talked to you, I had my reasons to doubt your way of parenting and your methods, I know you aren’t the most expressive guy in the world and you truly want Jimin to be the best, that’s why you hired all those tutors, which it’s great, but you have problems balancing Jimin’s schedule and yours too because you barely spend time with your own son, I’m not telling you this because I’m attacking you, I’m stating facts”

Seokjin had to agree with everything Taehyung bluntly said to him, it hurt his pride and he already knew he was going to be scolded by his father for not being more strict with Jimin. For that exact reason, he was seen as weak in his father’s eyes, but still, he wanted to try to be a “normal” parent to Jimin, he was the only one in his life.

“We had our disagreements, you found a way to, ah, how should I put it? Control me, and it’s been working so far, more or less…” Seokjin mumbled the last part, however, he was kind of right since he was monitoring his outbursts, it was unfair lashing out at other people. The day before he didn’t do that, but he was slightly frustrated with everything that happened which led him to act defensive, Seokjin didn’t like to let his guard down “I want to make truces with you, Taehyung, my son likes being with you so, I can’t avoid you, the best next thing is me trying to get along with you”

(I think I ate too much sugar at breakfast because no way this is happening…)

“Jungkook, should I believe your best friend’s words?” Taehyung asked unsurely, feeling weird while listening to Seokjin’s speech “And I also want an apology for bumping into me when we first met”

“You have to apologise to me too then, you bumped into me that weekend, and your friends apologised on your behalf, it doesn’t count”

Jungkook and Yoongi were laughing quietly as they saw their best friends bickering non-stop, they seemed like children, and it was really amusing for them.

“Why are you laughing? It’s not funny, he owes me” Taehyung retorted upsettingly as he crossed his arms, not finding the situation funny. The younger with colourful hair averted his attention to Seokjin again and poked his chest “Because of you, my phone almost broke, luckily, it didn’t”

Seokjin attempted to keep his calm, even though Taehyung was making everything harder for them, was it that difficult to make truces and try to get along? Seokjin didn’t think so, however, his patience for the younger with those atrocious hair colours was as thin as a thread of hair. “How about this, instead of charging the favour for letting Jimin sleepover at your house, you keep it, if I do that, will you, please, give whatever this is a try?”

(He seems so desperate…)

Taehyung would be lying if he said he wasn’t enjoying seeing Seokjin so desperate to make truces with him. On the other hand, he thought how praiseworthy it was to see the man get along with him, they had their differences, however, Taehyung was willing to give Seokjin the chance he badly wanted, he was doing it for Jimin’s sake.

Taehyung instantly grabbed Seokjin’s hand and shook it.

“I like that deal and I will give “whatever this is” a try, for your son’s sake, Seokjin, so you better not insult me or aggravate me…” Taehyung spoke sweetly while threatening Seokjin as he pulled the man towards him, shortening the distance between them “Because if you do, I’m going to make your life even more hellish, mark my word, Jinnie”

“Are Tae Tae and Mr Kim making out?”

Taehyung immediately let go of Seokjin’s hand and slightly pushed him away after what Hoseok asked out loud, he was making sure Hyunjoon was going to pay after teaching his baby brother what “making out” meant, the younger, soon to become an adult, needed to learn his lesson.

“Yoongi, your brother is not a very good influence on my little sunshine, I’m going to have my revenge soon, just wait…”

***

Seokjin ran his hand through his hair as he bit the inside of his cheek while being scolded by his father on the phone, losing his patience as the minutes went by, he already had a lot on his mind, not only about Jimin but also about work. The dark-haired male preferred having a conversation about what happened to Jimin at school in person with his father, maybe they could discuss alternatives to Taehyung’s idea, however, apparently, it was out of the question, his father wanted him to continue Jimin’s tutoring lessons without reducing the hours or the workload that led to his son’s exhaustion and lack of appetite.

Seokjin’s education was similar to the one he was giving his son, maybe he was more lenient than his father was, even though it didn’t seem like it, he actually had an interest in Jimin’s studies and his well-being, he just didn’t know how to demonstrate his emotions. For that reason, people, like Taehyung, thought he was completely ruthless and demanding, maybe Seokjin was because he was just following his father’s steps. It had been two years since his wife’s death, and Seokjin was still completely lost and clueless about raising a child on his own, he was struggling and feeling inadequate as a parent, he should know better and he was too proud and stubborn to ask for help, Seokjin didn’t want to seem weak, especially to his father.

“I understand, father, but I can’t continue putting Jimin through hours of tutoring lessons, it’s too much for him” Seokjin argued when he finally had a chance of speaking, feeling frustrated with the whole situation that he created “And you can’t compare Jimin to me when I was his age, it was a different time”

“Seokjin, he has been having tutoring lessons for months, this never happened before, he probably is not sleeping well or spends too much time playing in recess, he should be fully focusing on keeping his grades, not playing around, we have to build his character while he still young” the older Kim retorted impatiently, wishing Seokjin was more strong-willed like him “I wish I was firmer with you when you were younger, maybe if I did, you wouldn’t end up being such a disgrace when you were a teenager and a young adult, I blame Jungkook, I don’t know why you still attach to him or why he’s in the company, I disprove of him and I disprove that ridiculous idea that you told me, Seokjin”

“Father, I spoke with the school’s psychologist, I also spoke with the best psychologist in Seoul to get a second opinion, both of them told me the same thing, my son is overworked, he needs more free time or it can damage his health, not only physical, but mentally as well, Jimin is still suffering with his mother’s lost and maybe that’s affecting him” Seokjin was trying really hard to reason with his father, making him understand that Jimin wasn’t like him when he was six years old, unlike his son, he didn’t lost a parent or someone important at such a young age “As a parent, I’m the one who thinks it’s better to reduce his work load and his tutoring lessons, it doesn’t mean he’s going to slack off or drop his grades, I won’t allow it and I’m also looking for better alternatives that won’t pressure my son” Seokjin added assertively, not letting his own father dictate how he should educate Jimin “I’m not going to comment about your remark about my past, I made mistakes, I grew up and assumed my responsibilities as the heir of the Kim family, I’m the face of the company and our family, I know I have a reputation to uphold, as for Jungkook, he’s my best friend and one of the best employees in the company, without him, this business wouldn’t be the same, he was the one who advised me to buy the small company I’m about to acquire in a few days”

“Don’t give me excuses, Seokjin, his mother died two years ago and he was too young to remember her, the truth is your son is weak and you don’t want to admit it, now I’m glad you didn’t change his last name, he clearly isn’t a Kim, Jimin is just like your late wife” the older Kim commented straightforwardly, not liking Seokjin’s tone with him “As your father, you should show more respect for me, you should listen to me and my suggestions, I partook in your education and despite your devious and shameless behaviour you indeed grew up and assumed your responsibilities, you did it because I was strict since you were a child, about Jungkook, I don’t care who had the idea, I don’t like him and how close you are with him, the last thing I want is to see my son acting up like when he was younger”

Seokjin was at his limit and he was using all his strength to remain calm and not disrespect his father, who was purposely irritating him to get a reaction from him, it wouldn’t be the first time he provoked him just to prove a point. However, Seokjin was smarter than that and he didn’t want to deal with his father anymore, Seokjin was stressed and fed up, the only priority in his life right now was to figure out a way to be a normal parent to Jimin, he wanted to be someone who his son could rely on and look up to, maybe Taehyung was right, why be respected and admired by everyone when his own son didn’t like him and was scared of him?

“Father, I have a lot to do right now, I have a meeting in a few minutes, we can discuss this later”

“Yes, we can, but I’m losing patience with you, Seokjin, lately you’ve been more stubborn and impatience, you don’t listen to me and that upsets me, your mother thinks I’m overreacting, but she wasn’t the one who had to straight you up and guide you to the right path, I also would appreciate if you and your son would go to church with me and your mother on Sunday mornings, you’re losing your way”

“As I said, father, I’m busy…” Seokjin spoke coldly, desperately wanting to end the call and focus on work “I don’t know if I’m going to be able to go to your house this weekend, I have a lot to do regarding the acquisition…”

“That’s okay, but bring Jimin, you know how your mother gets if she doesn’t see him”

Seokjin hummed and agreed on bringing Jimin to his parent’s house over the weekend, maybe it was good if his son would spend time with his mother, she was kind and affectionate, Jimin needed to be with people who were capable of expressing their emotions and made him feel safe. The dark-haired male wasn’t trying to avoid his son, he was just giving him a break from him.

Seokjin finally hung up the phone and threw it at the desk, then he leaned his head back and close his eyes, trying to calm himself down.

“That human being who you call father disgusts me…” Jungkook remarked sternly, feeling truly revolting with the older Kim’s attitude, the man was the devil in person “How can he call his own grandson weak? How can he insist that Jimin is better off having tutoring lessons non-stop after what happened? Is your father sane, Seokjin? It doesn’t seem like that…”

“You know, I feel like I’m nineteen again, Jungkook, he’s trying to undermine my parenting skills and my own son, who is part of our family, he’s trying to control me all over again…” Seokjin stated still with his eyes closed, feeling himself calming down, he wanted to discuss things with Jungkook to help him control his frustrations, preventing him to lash out at people, mainly Taehyung and Jimin “Back then, he stopped me from socialising with you and going to parties, now he wants me to date again with some woman who probably isn’t interested in me, just because he thinks Jimin and I need a female presence, apparently he’s afraid Jimin will end up like me, he wants me to keep the tutoring lessons fully and he wants me to go to church, my father is doing it again…”

“The question is, Seokjin, are you going to let him control you again?” Jungkook asked as he looked at his enervated best friend, hoping this time around he could break free from his father’s shackles and live life the way he wanted by making a stan, instead of complying and submitting “I told you weeks ago to not make the same mistakes, you are trying to change for your son’s sake, you are accepting suggestions from Taehyung and attempting to get along with him, which amazed me, nevertheless, I’m glad you did it, your father is out of his mind and he really thinks he can control you, standing up for yourself, Seokjin, it’s not disrespecting him, it’s an opportunity for you to embrace your true self, you need to live your life according to your rules, not your father’s, I hope you act differently this time around”

Seokjin opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling of his office, reflecting on what Jungkook just told him, wondering if he really should step out of his comfort zone and live freely without thinking about the repercussions of his actions and his words towards his father. He was never frightened of him, he just felt unloved and because of that he rebelled against his father during his adolescence and the beginning of his adulthood to grab his attention, however, everything came crashing down when his family found out he was homosexual, it was the last straw for his father.

Seokjin straightened himself and placed his arms on his desk, his eyes gazed at Jungkook, who was waiting for him to give him some type of answer, an answer he didn’t know if he had or not, but one thing was for sure, Seokjin wasn’t going to behave the same way he did all those years ago. He was a responsible adult, a respected businessman, and a struggling father who didn’t know how he should demonstrate his emotions towards his son, he had the right to choose, he was no longer under his father’s command, Seokjin needed to break free.

“I’ll do what I can to appease him, Jungkook, but I will not go down that path again, he can’t threaten me, I’m the one in front of this company, without me, this business wouldn’t go forward” Seokjin said undoubtfully, asserting his priorities which didn’t include his father or whatever plans he had for him “Right now, Jimin needs a parent who cares about his needs, his emotional needs, I will try my best to give him motivation and positive reinforcement like Taehyung said, I’m not the best when it comes to express my deep emotions, it should be easier, right, he’s my son”

Jungkook smiled brightly at Seokjin’s answer, a few weeks ago when he left his best friend's house the day he lashed on Taehyung, he thought there wasn’t hope for Seokjin, but seeing him, in that moment, contemplating what type of person he wanted to be and his will to be a good parent to Jimin made Jungkook proud, in time, maybe he could recuperate part of his old best friend, it was still early to tell.

“Do what you got to do, but don’t surrender yourself to him, it’s the only thing I ask of you, Jin, you deserve so much more than following his orders, you are his son, not his dog and about Jimin, take a day at a time, your son isn’t fond of you which is understandable, you were barely with him and you still make that mistake, I know you are giving the two of you some time after what happened yesterday, I also am surprised to hear you agreeing with Taehyung, it’s becoming a regular thing, Jinnie, is he growing on you?”

“I’m going to do that, take a day at a time, I have to be patience and approach Jimin carefully…” Seokjin uttered slightly nervous and afraid Jimin wouldn’t give him a chance to show him he could change, he just needed time “About Taehyung, no, he’s not growing on me, I still find him very childish and annoying, and don’t you dare call me that”

“Oh, so Taehyung is the only one who can call you that, I get it, it’s a thing between you two” Jungkook mocked Seokjin, loving infuriating his best friend “By the way, you seemed really close this morning, in front of the school, were you asking Taehyung about his plans for Valentine’s day?”

“You’re as immature and childish as Taehyung is, I can’t get a break, and I would appreciate it if you stop saying those types of comments, they are preposterous” Seokjin retorted unamusingly, not liking Jungkook’s frisky behaviour towards him, he was pushing it “What you saw this morning, Jungkook, was Taehyung and I planning Jimin’s study session for this afternoon, he insisted my son should go to his house today, I’m going to pick Jimin up afterwards”

“If I’m as childish and immature as Taehyung and you like me, then you’re contradicting yourself which means, in reality, you like Taehyung, am I wrong? Also, you should take advantage of that opportunity and spend quality time with him”

Seokjin let out a heavy breath as he got up from his chair while picking up the folders from his desk, not having the patience to deal with Jungkook, he was already tired from having a frustrating conversation with his father, he didn’t need his best friend’s jokes and insinuations about his current relationship with Taehyung if that could be called a relationship. Seokjin thought of himself and Taehyung as acquaintances, that was enough for him and it wasn’t too personal, the last person he wanted to get himself involved with was the younger with those obnoxious hair colours.

“I think the pollen from the flowers you are giving to Yoongi is affecting your mindset, Jungkook, I may not hate Taehyung, but I still have my reservations about him” Seokjin said indifferently, focusing on the people he was about to interview “Now, if you’re done making fun of me, leave my office, I’m going to the conference room and interview the employees from Yoon’s company, along with HR personnel”

“In the future, when you give Taehyung flowers, I’m going to annoy the hell out of you, Jinnie, oh sorry, forgot that nickname is exclusive to Taehyung” Jungkook sniggered, finding Seokjin’s reactions to his provocations hilarious “Also, do you mind if I join you, I want to see my potential colleagues, even though they are not going to work in the company”

“Actually, I was going to ask you to join me, I was thinking of transferring some of the more qualified employees to this company and, in the future, I would hire others to fulfil their places, for now, I don’t think it’s necessary”

“Do you already have someone who you want to transfer to this company?”

Seokjin nodded as placed the folders on top of his desk and opened the first one that had the profiles of the employees he was about to interview and transfer to his company. “I have only seven which include four of the males who I suspected are connected with Taehyung”

Jungkook flipped the pages, seeing the few names written on the top of the sheets of paper and the photos attached to the profiles, until he reached the last one, encountering a familiar face to him. “Our accounting department is already strong, why do we need another accountant, Seokjin?”

“It’ll be stronger than already is, I spoke to HR to request his résumé and he’s adequate and very professional, I want Namjoon to work in my company, you can read it, I’m sure you’ll agree with me, Jungkook”

Jungkook closed the folder, feeling happy about the thought of seeing Namjoon daily at the company, he was also excited to know how his best friend was going to react the moment he would find out about who Namjoon really was, Jungkook couldn’t wait. “I don’t need to read his résumé, I trust your judgement of character when it comes to working and your employees, Seokjin, you know best, now we better go”

Chapter Text

Seokjin reached Taehyung’s floor after climbing the endless flight of stairs, the building where the younger lived had an elevator but was currently under maintenance. He calmly made his way to Taehyung’s apartment as he thought about the conversation he had with his father that morning, still feeling enraged with the words spoken to him related to his son. Seokjin had to remind himself he couldn’t lash out his frustrations at people and talking with Jungkook actually soothe him and reassure him, even though he knew he had very hard decisions he needed to make in the future regarding himself and Jimin, decisions that were going to anger his father. However, Seokjin couldn’t let him decide every aspect of his life as he did in the past when he was young and reckless, when he didn’t know what to do, except to submit himself to his father.

Seokjin recalled the conversation he had with the younger the day he confided in him the information about Hoseok’s situation and his father’s mistress. He thought about the two different scenarios he explained to him, one of them was related to Jimin’s mental health and Seokjin hated to agree with Taehyung, but maybe the possibilities he presented to him weren’t so farfetched after all, Seokjin didn’t run away from home when he was a young adult, although the thought crossed his mind.

Seokjin rang the doorbell, he faintly heard Taehyung’s voice and he was hoping he didn’t catch him in a compromising situation like the last time he went to his house all by himself. When Taehyung finally opened the door, Seokjin averted his eyes from the younger, sighing heavily, once again, he had to see Taehyung only wearing a hoodie and what seemed like laced boxers, he wasn’t sure, but he wasn’t going to check to see if he was right or not.

“Are you seriously going to avert your gaze from me, Jinnie?” Taehyung said wittily, leaning against the doorframe while observing the older male looking everywhere, except at him “You know, guys usually have their eyes all over me, but, of course, you had to be the one in a hundred who doesn’t, what’s the matter, Jinnie, you are not used to seeing attractive young men, not counting Jungkook, because he’s your best friend”

“This is not a matter of your attractiveness, Taehyung, it’s a matter of principle and politeness” Seokjin countered, slightly embarrassed to have another conversation with a half-naked Taehyung, the younger with those bright hair colours was too reckless for his age “You’re too reckless, what if my son-“ Seokjin finally glanced at Taehyung, seeing his mischievous, but unique smile plastered on his face, wondering why was the younger wearing almost nothing “If you’re wearing almost nothing it means Hoseok and my son aren’t here”

“That’s correct, Seokjin, and to clarify any doubts you still may have, your son and Hoseok already did their homework, they studied math and Yoongi decided to take both babies to his house, it’s Hoseok’s piano lesson today so, I suggested Jimin should go along and practice since he’s slightly behind” Taehyung happily enlightened Seokjin, before the man made any assumptions or accused him of something, despite making truces with Seokjin, the younger with blonde and pink hair had to watch his back, Taehyung didn’t trust the kind of alright man “So, now that I clarify everything, would you like to come inside, Jinnie or are you afraid your eyes will focus on my ass?”

Seokjin cleared his throat and averted his eyes from the daring younger who insisted on embarrassing him just for the fun of it. “I prefer waiting downstairs, I’m not in the mood to socialise with you while you are half naked, it’s wrong and uncomfortable”

Taehyung chuckled as he got closer to Seokjin, attempting to intimidate him with his half-nakedness which he found hilarious, usually, men glanced at him with lustful eyes. However Seokjin seemed fearful and uneasy when he was wearing just a hoodie and pretty and colourful underwear, Taehyung had to admit he had fun messing with the older male.

“You act all pure and innocent, Seokjin, but I bet you were wild when you were younger, were you not?” Taehyung asked friskily, already knowing how Seokjin was when he was younger, Jungkook gladly told him about his and his best friend’s past during high school and university, it was shocking but amusing at the same time “You probably saw more naked men than I did and sex is part of life, Jimin wasn’t brought by a stork”

“My past hasn’t nothing to do with my present, Taehyung, I was young and I liked having fun, that was the old me, now I’m a parent, I have to focus on my work and my son” Seokjin said solemnly, remembering the days when he was free of doing what he wanted without thinking about the consequences or the responsibilities he had to inherit from his father related to the company “I have to be mindful and conscious about my words and my actions so, I’m limited to do what I want”

Seokjin was letting down his guard and Taehyung felt sorry, or maybe it was pity for the man, who was standing in front of him. He probably felt trapped because he couldn’t act freely without having a millions pair of eyes watching his every move, maybe there was someone, Taehyung guessed Seokjin’s father, who was controlling him from backstage, ordering him around, telling him what he should do and how to behave. For that reason, Seokjin was convinced that just because he was an adult, he couldn’t have a little fun, even though he had a son and an important job.

“That damn elevator is always broken, I’m too old to climb stairs”

Taehyung peeked over Seokjin’s shoulder, seeing his neighbour climbing up the huge flight of stairs while carrying heavy shopping bags.

“Mrs Shin, you shouldn’t climb the stairs while carrying heavy bags, you should’ve called me to help you” Taehyung quickly headed to Mrs Shin, took her heavy bags as he kissed her on the cheek “You know I’m always available for you and also thankful for taking care of my little sunshine when I ask you, you’re the best neighbour”

“My dear Taehyungie, I didn’t want to bother you, you deserve to rest, but thank you for helping an old lady and I love Hoseok, such a nice young boy, reminds me of my son when he was a child…” Mrs Shin uttered caringly as she linked her arm with Taehyung’s, walking slightly slowly given her age and the huge effort she made to climb the stairs. As she and the younger made their way to her apartment that was right in front of Taehyung’s, Mrs Shin noticed a young male “Dear, is that your new boyfriend? He doesn’t seem your type, he’s too stiff”

Taehyung couldn’t help but laugh at Mrs Shin’s bold remark about Seokjin, it was the truth, the man was always so composed and serious, the younger didn’t remember if he ever saw the older male smiling since they met each other. Taehyung put down the heavy bags on top of the welcoming mat that was in front of his neighbour’s house when an idea popped into his mind. An idea that wasn’t going to make Seokjin very happy, but the guy needed to learn that just because he was a grown man, it didn’t mean he had to live a dull life, he could have some fun for a change and that was exactly what Taehyung intended on doing with his crazy yet slight cringy idea.

“Ah, well, you’re the first person I’m going to tell this…” Taehyung went to Seokjin as he smiled maliciously while seeing Seokjin’s eyes widening, probably knowing what he was about to say which made things a lot more fun. The younger with colourful hair shamelessly wrapped his arms around Seokjin’s neck, he gathered all his courage and kissed the man’s cheek, Taehyung felt goosebumps with what he just had done “Jinnie is indeed my new boyfriend, it’s quite recent and I know he’s not my type, but I know he’s faithful to me, isn’t that right, Jinnie?”

Seokjin completely froze, it was like his brain stopped working for some reason. He definitely wasn’t expecting Taehyung to bluntly throw himself at him and kiss his face without consent, the dark-haired male should be surprised, however, he wasn’t. Seokjin was already accustomed to Taehyung’s unpredictable behaviour and his straightforwardness, even though he never thought he would be capable of pulling a stunt like this.

“I, ah, we, ah, we are-“

“We are not in a good place right now, Mrs Shin, that’s why I didn’t say anything…” Taehyung pretended to be upset and pouted as he let his hands glid down to Seokjin’s chest, he was caught by surprise when he felt the man’s upper body, he seemed in shape and not scrawny “Jinnie here is too honest sometimes, he was mean to me, I ask him to make me oatmeal cookies and, indirectly, he called me fat…”

Seokjin frowned, not believing Taehyung was still keeping the charade and insinuating that he insulted him. “Taehyung, that never happ-“

“Listen here, young man, you should treat that boy nicely and respectfully, he’s not only beautiful, but he also has a kind and pure heart, you should be lucky so, don’t you dare call him names, I wish I had an ass like his when I was his age” Mrs Shin stated angrily, putting some sense in the young male’s head “If you hurt my Taehyungie, I will beat you with my slippers, I’m not lying, ask his cheating ex-boyfriend if I am”

“Are you going to treat me right, Jinnie?” Taehyung asked innocently as he tilted his head, fixing Seokjin’s tie knot, having the time of his life at the man’s expense. He surely was having fun, even though it cost his dignity, it was weird pretending he loved someone, especially Seokjin. Taehyung gazed at the older male, still seeing his conflicted and confused facial expression, he was trying to take Seokjin out of his comfort zone and let him be his true self, wanting him to focus on playing a role, instead of being the cold and strict person he usually was “Or do you want to break up with me a few days of Valentine’s day, that’s cruel…”

Seokjin stared between Taehyung and the elderly woman, not wanting to play along with whatever the younger was trying to do. He guessed it was some type of punishment he didn’t know like he didn’t know what to do in the situation he was currently taking part in, except to go along with the not-so-funny joke against his will. The dark-haired male shakily placed his hands on Taehyung’s waist, guessing that was what people who were dating did to demonstrate their closeness and their intimacy in a respectful way. Seokjin wasn’t an expert in relationships, he never actually dated and his marriage was a sham to hide his real self from the world and appease his father, then he slightly pulled Taehyung towards him, closing the gap between them.

“Taehyung, you misunderstood me that day, I didn’t insult you, I’m not the type of person who purposely hurts others, I try my best to please people and I guess I tend to hurt the ones close to me…”

“That’s what I like to hear, at least you are man enough to admit your wrongdoings, maybe you are not so bad to my Taehyungie” Mrs Shin stated cheerfully, finding it odd that Taehyung would commit himself to someone who seemed cold and distant, although his ex-boyfriend was more his type, he wasn’t compatible with the younger “Now kiss the boy and show him how much you care about him”

“Mrs Shin, ah, my Jinnie has some difficulties demonstrating his emotions in public, he probably doesn’t feel comfortable kissing me right now, but a hug will do” Taehyung didn’t want to kiss Seokjin, even though they were pretending to be a couple, that was the last thing he wanted to do, nonetheless, he was curious to know if the older male was a good kisser or not, it was cringe thinking about that matter, but he couldn’t help it. Taehyung also had the purpose to force Seokjin to be more affectionate, he was doing it to prove to the man that expressing emotions wasn’t a weakness and it was important if he wanted to get closer to Jimin “Will you hug me, Jinnie?”

Seokjin was lightly panicky about the fact he had to hug Taehyung, especially when the scary elderly lady was watching them, she was very protective of the younger and he didn’t want to provoke her.

Seokjin sighed, feeling like he didn’t have a choice, it was better to comply than to suffer the consequences later, whichever they were. The older male unwillingly pulled Taehyung closer until they were glued to each other and awkwardly wrapped his arms around his body, feeling extremely uncomfortable for being touchy with someone who was half-naked in public. If Seokjin was the younger’s real boyfriend he wouldn’t allow him to parade around in those garments or the lack of them.

“Happy now, Taehyung?”

Taehyung was shocked that Seokjin was playing along with his theatrical performance, even though he was kind of teaching the man how he should behave towards Jimin and he honestly was enjoying being hugged by Seokjin, as bizarre as it was. Nevertheless, a hug was always welcomed, even one from the annoying man, who slowly, but surely, was going to be more at ease with physical contact in the future and with his emotions.

“Yes, I am, very happy” Taehyung said sincerely, feeling kind of proud of the man, who he before couldn’t stand the sight of him and despite their relationship or whatever they had was still brand new, he felt like he really should help Seokjin out, not only with his son, but the man himself, he was struggling with something. The younger released his hold on Seokjin and grabbed his hand, smiling childishly “Mrs Shin, if you excuse us, Seokjin and I need some alone time before my little sunshine and my Jinnie’s cute son come back, it was a pleasure seeing you and if you need anything give me a call or knock”

“My dear, don’t worry about me, I might be old, but I can manage by myself, I’ve been doing it since my husband died, now off you go” Mrs Shin dismissed the youngers, wanting them to enjoy their youth while they could and each other’s company “That boyfriend of yours is probably more handsy and touchy in private, don’t forget to use protection though”

“We will, Mrs Shin, thank you for the advice” Taehyung remarked hastily as he dragged Seokjin by the hand, heading to his apartment to have some “alone time” with Seokjin “I can’t wait to be alone with you, Jinnie…”

***

“You shouldn’t have done that, Taehyung…”

Taehyung rolled his eyes for the millionth time as he poured the peppermint tea into his big mug, losing his patience with Seokjin and his non-stop bitchiness that was seriously getting on his nerves. He guessed that was the price to pay when he tried to help someone and be comprehensive.

Taehyung put down the tea kettle, grabbed the two mugs that were on the counter, made his way to the couch where Seokjin was sitting and he gave the older male his mug of hot coffee while glaring at him and fighting the will to pour the hot beverage on his lap for being so ungrateful and unbearable. Taehyung sat down next to Seokjin and cupped his warm mug as he blew the steam off, smelling the pleasant fragrance of the peppermint somehow calmed his nerves which he needed at that instant, he predicted that Seokjin was going to keep on complaining and whining like a little kid.

“You shouldn’t have lied to your neighbour, Taehyung, or put me in an awkward position” Seokjin said upsettingly while focusing on the mug with coffee, he thought Taehyung didn’t like the beverage “It made me uncomfortable, especially when you’re dressing like that”

“Cry me a river, why don’t you, Seokjin? By the way, you’re welcome for the coffee, you grumpy old man who does nothing more than complain and whine because he had to touch me and hug me, it’s the end of the fucking world” Taehyung replied sullenly as he pulled his legs up, sitting down Indian style “Do you ever thought that I did what I did because I had a purpose? And I actually had one, I was trying to help you, you meanie…”

“How lying to your neighbour and pretending being in a relationship was going to help me?” Seokjin asked, muddled, not understanding how he could be helped with Taehyung’s not-so-funny performance “It doesn’t make any sense”

“Of course, it doesn’t, for you, you condescending ice sculpture…” Taehyung mumbled annoyingly, wondering why Seokjin wanted Jimin to have the perfect score on every single test when he was so dumb to comprehend something so simple “By pretending we were a couple, which wasn’t easy for me, believe me, it was the cringest thing I have ever done, I tried to show you, as a grown man, that you can have fun with the simplest things, not only that, I also did my best to get you out of your comfort zone when it comes to your lack of affection, your son needs you to be more expressive, how are you expecting to improve your relationship with him, if you don’t make an effort”

“It’s not like I’m not making an effort, Taehyung, I just don’t know how to act as a normal parent that’s all” Seokjin retorted as he brought the mug to his lips, carefully taking a sip “And if it was cringy as you said, you shouldn’t have done it then, I’m sure there were other ways to help instead of pretending to be in a relationship, also you would be lucky to end up with a man half as good as me”

Taehyung almost choked on the hot tea when he heard Seokjin’s last remark, making him slightly coughing. “D-Did you seriously say that I would be lucky to end up with a man half as good as you? Which part of “I would never date someone like you” you didn’t understand, Jinnie, I want someone completely different from you, someone who isn’t afraid to have a little fun and doesn’t feel uncomfortable around me”

“I’m not uncomfortable around you, I’m uncomfortable with the lack of clothes you wear, Taehyung, next time I’ll send a message, telling you I’m on my way to prevent this from happening” Seokjin gave a glance to Taehyung, before taking another sip of the coffee “And I think we are deviating from the main subject here, can we discuss ways for me to be more expressive to improve my relationship with my son?”

Taehyung sighed as he placed the tea mug on the small table in front of the couch, it wasn’t like he didn’t want to help Seokjin with Jimin, he just didn’t know how committed the man was. The younger already witnessed how ruthless, demanding, strict and obnoxious Seokjin was so, the man seriously had to show him his will to change, maybe the episode from earlier wasn’t the best way to aid the older male, but it was a start.

“Seokjin, I’m willing to help, but you have certain things you need to change or meliorate, your attitude is one of them, and your personality could have a few adjustments, for now, I want to focus on your relationship with Jimin” Taehyung explained assertively, wanting Seokjin fully committed, Jimin couldn’t keep living his life in fear because of his frivolous and stern father, he deserved being loved, especially by the only parent he had “You need to do small gestures to gain your son’s trust, like greet him when you pick him up from school, help him putting his backpack on his back, wave at him when you drop him by at school, pat his head and hug him, you know what they say, gestures speak louder than words”

“Even if I do that, I know Jimin is still going to be afraid of me, what if I try to do what you just told me and he just denies me?”

“That’s why I’m here and I don’t believe he will do that, yesterday I ask him to give you the cookie, I could see he wasn’t too keen on doing it, but he still did it” Taehyung stated amusingly, feeling proud of little Jimin for being so generous and sweet “You don’t know your son, Jinnie, and you should try to do it because Jimin is one of the sweetest kids I ever met if you give it a chance, I’m sure he will change his mind about you, it will take time, are you up for the challenge?”

Getting to know his own son was going to be a hard task for Seokjin, but not an impossible one, after all, he changed dramatically all those years ago to please his father, and now he was doing it to build the foundations of his and Jimin’s relationship, to form a fatherly bond with his son. Seokjin felt vulnerable and a little bit insecure, probably because he was counting on Taehyung to help him, despite thinking reaching out was a sign of weakness and feeling restless about relying on the younger with those horrendous hair colours, deep down Seokjin knew Taehyung was the only one who could truly help him get through Jimin.

“I’m willing to do it, yes, after all, I’m the only parent Jimin has, even though I might not be as caring as his mother was…” Seokjin was usually a confident man who didn’t fear any challenges, he was proud of his achievements and his work, however, the matter about Jimin made him doubt his ability to develop a more sensitive side. The older male locked his gaze with the younger next to him, noticing how he was watching him, or better yet, analysing him “I never ask for help, I’m a proud man so, you can imagine how difficult it is for me to rely on you, but I don’t have any other choices and I also know you are doing this because of Jimin”

“Asking for help is not a matter of losing pride, it’s a matter of acknowledging our limits and realising that not always we can manage by ourselves, that’s why we have relationships with our friends and our family, a human being can’t be isolated from other human beings, even if we want, it’s part of us, Seokjin” Taehyung remarked nonchalantly as he grabbed his tea mug, getting himself comfortable on the couch again “And you’re wrong, I’m not only doing this because of Jimin, I’m doing this for you as well, I know, it’s rather weird if you ask me, but it doesn’t make sense if I only help your son, in the process I need to help you first, then I help you with the cute baby”

Seokjin was stunned by Taehyung’s remark, he wasn’t only going to willingly help him form a bond with his son, but he was also going to help him express his emotions by working on his more sensible side which made Seokjin even more confused, why was the younger, whom he mistreated, insulted and judged, going to go all through this work? Surely, there was a reason behind Taehyung’s generosity and empathy, however, Seokjin wasn’t going to meddle, he wanted to respect the boundaries between him and the younger with colourful hair.

“I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t apply your knowledge about psychology to me, it’s disturbing how you can see through me, I feel like you are analysing me” Seokjin requested, noticing a wicked smile erupting on Taehyung’s lips. He shook his head, realising he couldn’t say how exposed he felt in the younger’s presence, Seokjin probably gave him more reason to gloat “Also I’m grateful for your help, I’m probably not worthy after everything I’ve done and said to you, you’re not as bad as I thought, and, ah, thank you for the coffee, now don’t call me an ungrateful or old man again…”

“Jinnie, you’re my guinea pig, I never used my knowledge on anyone before, you were the first and I guess I’m smarter than I thought” Taehyung said smugly as he leaned his head on the couch while taking a small sip of his warm beverage “I’m not as bad as you thought is the best compliment you ever gave me and I’m still going to call you old man because you act like one, I bet you were going to stay home on Valentine’s Day with a blanket over your legs while reading some lame book”

“I don’t find it as amusing as you the fact I’m your guinea pig as you said and also calling me old man, about Valentine’s Day, it’s a normal day for me, I don’t see the excitement, people shouldn’t cherish and give gifts to their loved ones once a year, they should do it every day, that’s why I never celebrate it, my wife didn’t like the day either so, I just did what I wanted and your idea isn’t that bad”

“You truly are an old man, that or a vampire, you must have five hundred years old, Jinnie” Taehyung laughed childishly, watching Seokjin’s rolling his eyes as he sipped his coffee “You know since I start dating my first boyfriend, I’ve always loved Valentine’s Day, this year I guess I’m in the same mood as you, I don’t want to celebrate the day, but I definitely won’t stay at home, it just will make me more depressed…”

Taehyung never was the type of person to rely on others to be happy, he was naturally cheerful and charismatic, he was sociable and hated being alone for too long, despite enjoying occasionally his free time at home while binge-watching his favourites dramas and eating ice cream from the container without being judged. However, Taehyung felt empty and lonely since he broke up with Hongseok, not having proper closure made him question his own feelings for his ex-boyfriend, the younger hated how befuddled he was about the subject.

“Weirdly, we are on the same page about not celebrating the date, but you're obviously a romantic, unlike me…” Seokjin observed the younger closely, seeing his conflicted gaze on the tea and a pout forming on his lips, maybe it was a sensitive subject, nevertheless, the older male wanted to try to retributive the help Taehyung was going to give him, even though he wasn’t an expert on relationships or how to move on from them “I clearly don’t know how it feels to be in a real romantic relationship, however, I want to give you a word of advice, Taehyung, I think you should talk to your ex-boyfriend, instead of ignoring him, you’re still hurt, that’s understandable, but speaking about the matter it’s better than keeping it inside, it’s easier said than done, but you should give it a try, you need closure…”

Taehyung let out a heavy sigh, knowing that Seokjin was right, it was better to confront and solve the matter once in for all, instead of running away and avoiding it. However, it was difficult to admit he was in pain and suffering because of someone who decided that he wasn’t enough and, at the same time, loved him and gave him pleasure, once again, it was confusing. The human species had the habit of taking each other for granted and they only realise the mistakes they made when it’s too late, Hongseok took Taehyung for granted and looked somewhere else, in the end, Taehyung was the one with a broken heart and wounds that refused to close.

“You’re right, I need closure…” Taehyung mumbled as he rested his head on Seokjin’s shoulder, knowing the man wasn’t the right person to console him, but his words sort of comforted him and he needed to be close to someone, unfortunately, the older male was the only one he could rely on at that moment “For a guy who doesn’t know how to express his feelings, you actually give good advice and I value your words, Jinnie, I’ll do it when I’m ready, I promise…”

Seokjin decided not to reprimand Taehyung for being too touchy again, even if it made him feel slightly uncomfortable with the closeness, he needed to get used to it because of Jimin, it didn’t feel bad, it was just different. Seokjin was only a tiny bit expressive when he was alone with his mother, she didn’t deserve to deal with his cold and strict side being the only one who showed him kindness throughout his life, especially in the troublesome years. He guessed the same applied to his son, who wasn’t at fault for being born into a loveless family, but, like him, Jimin could always count on his mother while she was alive.

***

“Baby, I’m home!” Namjoon shouted from the entrance hall as he walked inside his house, feeling completely drained from the tough day he had. The male switched his shoes with the slippers that were nearby the wooden step, placing his car keys on the bowl on top of the small table near the door “Seunghee, sweetie, are you home?”

Namjoon took his blazer and hung it on the coat rack, he headed to the couch and threw his briefcase on it, not worrying about if the thing bounced and landed on the floor, he was too exhausted to care. The male loosened his tie, still thinking about the interview he had with Seokjin, he was caught by surprise when the man told him he was pleased with his work and had the objective of transferring him to his own company. Namjoon was utterly confused with the information because he initially thought Seokjin only wanted to interview him to find out if he did or did not have a connection with Taehyung, he probably knew now that he did, however, it didn’t bother Namjoon, whatever was going between Seokjin and his younger brother was their business.

“Baby, are you in the kitchen?”

Namjoon called Seunghee again, finding it odd his wife’s lack of response, usually, she answered him right away, however, this was the second time he was calling for her and as a result, Namjoon didn’t obtain an answer which made him concerned. Lately, Namjoon took notice of Seunghee’s mood – it was inconsistent – some days she would be happy, in others she would be depressed. As a man, Namjoon avoided commenting on the subject, afraid of offending his wife or being careless, women were unpredictable after all, although in this case Namjoon had an idea that could explain his wife’s mood swings and he hated seeing Seunghee frustrated and hurt.

As he walked, Namjoon faintly heard a sound that appeared coming from the kitchen, he quickened his pace, wondering if Seunghee was there, but didn’t hear him calling for her which he doubted. When Namjoon reached the kitchen, he saw Seunghee’s phone on the floor and his wife crouching against the cabinets while sobbing, he immediately went to her and helped her lift her up.

“Baby, tell me what’s wrong?” Namjoon questioned worriedly as he cupped Seunghee’s face, hating seeing her tears rolling down her adorable cheeks “What happened?”

“I-I’m s-sorry, Joon, I-I’m so s-sorry…” Seunghee said sorrowfully as she lowered her head, not being able to look her husband in the eyes “Y-You d-deserve b-better…”

Namjoon gently grabbed Seunghee’s chin and lifted it up, obliging his wife to look at him. “Baby, I love you so much, you’re my first love, you’re the only one for me, I’m so lucky for having you as my wife, I never regretted asking you to be mine for eternity, and I never will, because you’re my other half so, don’t tell me I deserve better and speak to me”

Seunghee felt more tears forming in her eyes as she heard Namjoon’s beautiful words, she was the one who felt lucky for finding such an amazing man when she was at university. The pink-haired girl never forgot the first time she saw Namjoon, he was the quiet and shy type, but also the smartest and the funniest person she ever met in her life. Seunghee knew the first moment she laid her eyes on Namjoon that they were meant to be together.

Seunghee cleaned her tears and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. She hated crying in front of Namjoon, especially when the subject was the same as always.

“M-My m-mother called me earlier, s-she told me m-my s-sister is pregnant a-again…” Seunghee spoke quietly, resting her head on the crook of Namjoon’s neck, feeling his arms wrapping around her “S-She i-is always asking m-me when I am going to g-get pregnant, my sister i-s been married for five years, two more y-years than us, and got pregnant almost right way after the marriage, I want to give you a baby, Joon, I know how much you want to be a parent…”

Namjoon hated himself for putting so much pressure on Seunghee and it was true he wanted to be a father more than anything, he wanted to have a child of his own. However, after various attempts, they were unsuccessful, although, despite being so frustrating, they were not going to give up.

“Seunghee, baby, I really want to be a parent, but I don’t want to pressure you or make you upset, sometimes it takes time, you heard the doctor, we are perfectly healthy, we have to be patient” Namjoon comforted Seunghee the best he could while hugging her tightly “And I have a feeling your sister was already pregnant when she got married, she was always saying marriage wasn’t for her and all of the sudden, she announced she was engaged, also she dated the guy for eight months”

“It was six months, Joon, and that could explain why she was always complaining about being fat while trying out her wedding dress” Seunghee retorted, chuckling weakly with the funny memories of her sister acting like a spoiled kid, well, not acting, she was a spoiled brat and mother’s favourite. Seunghee broke from the hug and placed her hand on her stomach, wishing she could get pregnant as easily as her sister “I think we should go to the doctor again, we went so long ago, something could be wrong with me…”

“I don’t think it’s necessary, baby, I know we probably should schedule a check-up, it’s been a while since we got one and I might be the one with the problem, not you…” Namjoon spoke softly, pondering if he was the one who had problems, that was the reason why he didn’t want to go to the doctor, he was frightened about not being able to do his part. Namjoon admired the beautiful woman in front of him as he cupped her wife’s cheek, imagining Seunghee carrying their child, despite his fears, he was positive that any day now, they would fulfil their goal of being parents “How about we wait until after Valentine’s Day? I don’t want you to be stressed or pressured, I want us to take it easy and let things run their course, if after a few weeks you still aren’t pregnant, then we are going to the doctor, okay?”

Seunghee glanced at Namjoon as she nodded, wrapping her arms around her husband’s neck, he was truly a remarkable and caring man who always soothe her and made her nerves and anxiety disappear, Seunghee’s life wouldn’t be the same without Namjoon. “I trust you, Namjoon, and I don’t believe there’s something wrong with you, maybe I'm having trouble getting pregnant because of the restaurant, I opened it a few months after we got married, that was when we started trying, I was really stressed because of the lack of clients…”

Namjoon placed his hands on Seunghee’s waist, bringing her closer to him. “Stress can take a toll on our bodies, maybe you should take it down a notch, I know you love your restaurant and things are finally going the right way, I wish I could take time too and we should go on vacation, but I can’t do it, especially now”

Seunghee was actually wondering if she could take some time off, maybe it could be an opportunity to let her body rest and try getting pregnant. However, she hated not being in the restaurant, it was more than a business, it was her dream and she didn’t want to see the fruit of her labour going down the drain, even though she trusted the second in command, who was also her closest friend. Another thing Seunghee hated was taking time off and not spending it with Namjoon and she thought it was weird how he couldn’t take a break, he rarely did it and his boss never had any problems.

“Why not, honey? We could spend more time trying to get me pregnant…” Seunghee said provocatively, letting her hands slide down to Namjoon’s chest as she smiled mischievously “You know, in the next few days I’ll be ovulating, it’s the best time for us to make our baby…”

“I would love nothing more to take the next few days off and make love to you, my darling, but I really can’t…” Namjoon shortened the distance between them and pecked Seunghee’s lips, excited to tell her the good news “And the reason why I can’t is that I don’t think my new boss he’s going to be very fond of the idea of me taking a few days right when I’m about to start working in his big company”

“New boss? Is Seokjin going to hire another person to replace Mr Yoon?”

“No, baby, remember when Jungkook told us that Seokjin wanted to interview some of my colleagues to try to find the connection between Taehyung and me?” Namjoon asked, seeing Seunghee nodding her head sluggishly “Well, turns out that wasn’t the only reason he wanted to interview me, starting next week, I’ll be working at Seokjin’s company, he’s going to transfer me when he officially detains the company”

“Are you telling me that you are going to work as an accountant in Seokjin’s company? Like in his accounting department after the acquisition?”

“Yes, baby, that’s-“

Seunghee instantly squealed as she jumped on Namjoon, wrapping her legs around her husband’s waist and her arms around his neck. “Joon, I’m so happy for you, I lost count of the times I told you that you should apply to another company because that Yoon guy never cared about your amazing work, if it wasn’t for you and your colleagues his business would probably go bankrupt, almost did if it wasn’t for Seokjin, oh God, I’m so excited, I think I’m going to cry again”

“I don’t want to see you cry, sweetheart…” Namjoon stated fondly as he carefully sat Seunghee down on the countertop, still feeling her legs around his waist “We should celebrate, the champagne I bought for Valentine’s day is in the fridge, I can always buy another bottle, what do you say?”

“I have a better idea, baby…” Seunghee whispered as she grabbed Namjoon’s loosened tie, pulling him closer to her face “How about me, you and the champagne in the bedroom? How’s that sound?”

Namjoon slowly moved his hands to Seunghee’s thighs as he tilted his head, he softly kissed his wife, caressing her sweet and irresistible lips that he yearned all day long to taste and feel, while feeling Seunghee’s hands travelling up to the back of his head, pulling him down to deepen their breath-taking kiss. Namjoon moved his hands to the back of Seunghee’s thighs, lifting her again without parting his lips from her, he loved those intimate moments between them, they didn’t need words, they just needed a simple gesture of affection to show their deeps feelings for each other.

“That sounds amazing, baby, but I prefer having you all to myself…” Namjoon whispered against Seunghee’s lips, gazing right into her beaming brown eyes that screamed lust and love “I have another suggestion, how about you and me in the shower?”

“You’re such a naughty boy, Joon” Seunghee giggled, tightening her grasp on Namjoon, she was becoming impatient “I want you so badly, baby, I don’t care where we do it, I just need you, I love you…”

“I love you too, my sweetheart…” Namjoon briefly kissed Seunghee’s lips as he started walking out of the kitchen to please his beautiful wife “Let’s go to the shower then”

Chapter Text

Taehyung discretely took a sneak peek at Yoongi and Jungkook, who were walking behind him and Hoseok, and silently giggled, noticing his best friend tightly grasping the black-haired male’s arm as he admired the rose he had in his hand. He could see how Yoongi was falling harder in love each day for Jungkook, and Taehyung was relieved that his red-haired best friend was finally moving on from the terrible times he went through. At the same time, he felt slightly envious because he too wanted to get rid of the pain once in for all and start again with someone new, but how could Taehyung do such a thing when his mind was focused on Hongseok and the emotions that were lingering inside of him and consuming him, opening his wounds and preventing him from glueing the pieces of his broken heart?

Taehyung wanted to disclose how he had been feeling in that last week to Yoongi, knowing his best friend already went through the same pain. However, he didn’t want to concern him, especially now that he was getting more intimate with Jungkook. Taehyung wanted to follow Seokjin’s advice and confront Hongseok, but he didn’t feel like it was the right time to do it or maybe that was just an excuse he was telling himself.

Taehyung sighed, still happy for Yoongi and Jungkook, trying to not feel guilty for being jealous of their happiness and closeness, and gazed at Hoseok, who seemed conflicted and anxious, he had a clue about the reason why his baby brother was acting like that and he couldn’t help but smile.

“Everything’s okay, little sunshine?” Taehyung asked quietly as he gently patted Hoseok’s blonde hair, seeing how his baby brother was pursing his lips and staring at him with his big doe eyes “Are you nervous, baby?”

Hoseok nodded his head as he fidgeted with his fingers, feeling antsy and hesitant about giving Jimin his simple yet thoughtful gifts. It wasn’t much, however, he adored his small friend with tiny hands so, he wanted to do something special for him since it was Valentine’s Day.

“My baby is so cute when he is all flustered” Taehyung cooed, slightly pinching his brother’s pinkish cheek, finding it adorable how his little sunshine cherished Jimin, he wasn’t sure, but maybe Hoseok was developing a crush on the small brunette boy “Don’t worry, Jiminie is going to love your gifts, my baby, they come from the heart”

“Are you sure, Tae Tae?” Hoseok questioned uncertainly, pursing his lips even more “I want Jiminie to love my gifts, I want to see his big smile that makes his eyes disappear, it makes him super cute”

(So freaking sweet, I might die for real with his adorableness…)

Taehyung stopped when he was nearby the school gate and crouched down as he held Hoseok’s hands, seeing his baby brother, once again, looking at him with those bright eyes.

“I’m sure he is going to love it, little sunshine, Jiminie likes you very much so, he’s also going to love your meaningful gifts, don’t worry okay?” Taehyung said surely, smiling tenderly at his nervous baby brother while watching him nodding his head, however, he could still see how apprehensive Hoseok was “Now, give Tae Tae a hug and a smile before entering the school”

Hoseok tried to smile as widely as he could when he hugged Taehyung, despite still feeling a little bit concerned, he wanted to show his big brother that he was brave. “Thank you, Tae Tae…”

“You’re welcome, baby, Tae Tae is always here to help you…” Taehyung uttered softly as he broke from the hug and cupped Hoseok’s chubby face, bringing him closer to kiss him on his forehead “Now, let’s go, your friends must be waiting”

Taehyung lifted himself up and grabbed Hoseok’s hand, walking alongside him towards the school gate, noticing how his baby brother seemed more bright after their conversation, even though he still thought it was sweet of him to think about Jimin’s reaction. When the young male reached the school entrance, he saw the group of boys waiting, among the cuties, there was Jimin and, of course, Seokjin was not far behind while standing still like the ice sculpture he was, making Taehyung feel chills running down his spine, he truly needed to help the man act like a real human being, instead of a statue.

Before annoying Seokjin, since it was his tradition, a pretty amusing tradition that he got used to. Taehyung approached the group of boys, who were talking and giggling, something was going on for sure. “Hi, babies, why are you so happy today? Is it because it’s Valentine’s day?”

“HI, TAE TAE! HI, HOBI!”

Taehyung chuckled when the group of boys greeted him and his brother in unison, sounding so cheerful. “You really are more energetic today, can you tell me why? I’m really curious”

Hoseok laughed cutely as he let go of Taehyung’s hand, feeling excited about what he and his group of friends planned for his big brother. Apart from Jimin, Hoseok wanted to do something meaningful for his friend and Taehyung, they were special people in his life and he was happy for having them, just like he was happy for having Namjoon, Seunghee, Yoongi and Jungkook, obviously he did small gift cards for all of them, every single one of them was unique and had a brief message dedicated to each person.

“Tae Tae, we have something for you!”

“You do, little sunshine?” Taehyung asked sweetly with a hint of curiosity, thinking about his baby brother’s words that morning when he said he had a surprise for him, apparently this was what Hoseok was talking about “Care to share?”

“I-It’s from all of us, but I told Hobi I wanted to be the one to give you the gift…” Jaehyun responded shyly as he got closer to Taehyung. The young boy slowly took his hands behind his back, unveiling what he was hiding, hoping the older male would love their gift “It’s pretty flowers, like you…”

Taehyung was in complete awe when he saw a small bouquet of colourful flowers wrapped in a red bow with mini hearts. He carefully took it from Jaehyun’s hands, slightly shocked, he wasn’t expecting to receive such a beautiful gift from the group of boys.

“We have a card too” Byeongkwan remarked cheerily, extending his hand towards Taehyung to give him a Valentine’s day card that he and the rest of his friends did and decorated with glitter to make it prettier “We love you, Tae Tae, you’re super special”

Taehyung gently took the handmade card from Byeongkwan and slowly opened it up, seeing on one side a drawing of a person, who he assumed was himself because of the colours of his hair, and on the other were the little ones’ names written inside a huge heart sprinkled with pink and red glitter. Taehyung was speechless by the kind-hearted gesture from the group of boys, he treasured every single gift they gave him, like the handmade keychain, the drawings and the paintings they did for him and all the other gifts he got, those children had the tendency of amazing him when he least expected, this time wasn’t an exception.

“It looks like you have a fan club, Taehyung” Jungkook joked, staring at the adorable thrilled children standing in front of Taehyung “You guys are really nice and very talented”

“You already have yours, Jungkook, Yoongi is worth like a million cuties” Taehyung retorted, teasing Jungkook and Yoongi, his best friend was blushing and glaring at him, personally he thought it was cute. He averted his attention to the small children, who were looking at him with the biggest smiles “You guys made my day, I’m thankful for your gifts, I love all of you, and you are very special to me as well”

Taehyung truly felt touched by the young boy’s gifts, those last few weeks hadn’t been easy for him, he felt emotionally exhausted and he put up a front to not upset the little ones. It was hard to pretend that everything was okay when he was in shambles and trying to gain the courage to confront Hongseok, however, Taehyung didn’t want to reflect on that matter, it only did more damage than good.

“Do you like my drawing, Tae Tae?” Jimin questioned nervously, wanting to make the older male, who sometimes seemed sad, smile, he also loved Taehyung’s unique boxy smile “Eunkwang helped me with it…”

“I love the flowers and the drawing very much, Jiminie, it’s a really nice gesture…” Taehyung remarked as he crouched down to be on the same level as the group of boys, looking at each and every single one of them while smiling weakly at them “Now, I want a big bear hug from all of you before you go on your way so, c’mon”

Taehyung opened his arms wide to make sure he could hug the group of boys, he almost got tackled when they threw themselves at him, making him chuckle at their eagerness.

“Can I have a big bear hug too?” Jungkook asked friskily, staring at Yoongi, who was biting his lip and nodding sluggishly which made him laugh. The black-haired male wrapped his arms around the younger male’s body as he felt the other resting his head on the crook of his neck, enjoying being so close to Yoongi “I hope I can have more than a hug tonight…”

“A-Ah, w-well, I have to go…” Yoongi stuttered as he immediately released himself from Jungkook’s embrace with caution to not destroy the beautiful red rose “I’ll see you tonight, Jungkook, have a great day at work”

Jungkook just chuckled and waved as he saw the nervous and blushing red-haired male walking at a fast pace through the school gate. The older male averted his attention towards the children who still were hugging Taehyung. “I think you guys are going to kill Tae with too much love”

“I think I’m dead already with so much sweetness…” Taehyung parted from the group of boys as he lifted himself up, loving how caring the little ones were “Alright, my babies, you need to go to class before the bell rings, you should go now, except Jimin”

“Why do you need, Jiminie, Tae Tae?” Hoseok questioned, gazing between his big brother and his small friend “You aren’t going to tell him about my secret, are you?”

“No, little sunshine, don’t worry about that…” Taehyung spoke assuredly, patting Hoseok’s head “As I said, you guys need to go, Jiminie is going to join in a minute, now say goodbye to Kookie and off you go”

“BYE TAE TAE! BYE KOOKIE!”

“Goodbye, guys! Pay attention to teacher Kim” Jungkook remarked aloud, observing the children waving to him as they walked inside the school grounds. He looked at Taehyung and Jimin, wondering the reason why the younger with colourful hair wanted the brunette boy to stay behind “What’s on your mind, Taehyung? If you ask Jimin to stay behind, you must have a reason”

Taehyung glanced at Seokjin, then at Jungkook, giving the black-haired male a hint about what he intended to do, even if he didn’t have a clue about his plan of helping the enervating man be more affectionate and human. He just wanted to let Jungkook know he was going to annoy his best friend, but also assist him in doing what he should do as a “normal” parent.

“Oh, dear Jungkook, I do have a reason, just watch me” Taehyung stated mischievously as he reached for Jimin’s tiny hand, noticing his look of confusion “Jiminie, let’s go to your father and say goodbye properly”

“But I don’t want to…” Jimin said fearfully, already knowing what his father was going to say to him, he made him feel uncomfortable and frightened because he was always mean and cold “He scares me and he’s a big meanie…”

(I hope Seokjin makes an effort because if he doesn’t, I’m kicking his ass…)

“Do you trust me, my cutie pie?”

Jimin just nodded briefly as an answer to Taehyung’s question, not knowing the older male’s intentions by making him say goodbye to his father properly. However, Taehyung always cared about him and did everything to make him comfortable, even when he was in his father’s presence.

“Good, I promise you, Jiminie, there’s nothing for you to worry about…” Taehyung soothed Jimin and caressed the back of his hand with his thumb, appeasing him before going to Seokjin “I’m here, right next to you, sweetheart”

Taehyung led Jimin to Seokjin, he could see the little one lowering his head and feel the strong grip on his hand, despite being smaller than the normal kids and being weaker, the brunette boy surely had a lot of strength. Maybe it was because of nerves and doubt, after all, Jimin didn’t have any idea he was trying to help his father behave like a loving parent and develop his sensitive side to accomplish that goal. Taehyung knew it wasn’t going to be an easy task, especially when he had the knowledge that the dark-haired male had some issues, probably because of his strict education, to express his emotions, nevertheless, the younger wasn’t going to give up, even though the task seemed impossible.

“Taehyung…” Seokjin was confused about why the younger with those ridiculous hair colours was holding his son’s hand, Jimin should have gone with the other children to class instead of standing in front of him “My son should be inside the classroom, not here”

Taehyung sighed heavily, not believing Seokjin was already screwing up his plan, the man was really an idiot when he wanted to.

“Good morning to you too, you insensible old man who I’m trying to help, but you are too dumb to understand my intentions” Taehyung said frustratingly, feeling Jimin’s head nuzzling against his hip “And I’m here because you didn’t say goodbye to your son properly, dropping him at school without assuring him is like dropping a package at someone’s house, your son isn’t a package, Seokjin, in case you didn’t know, also, you said it wasn’t a matter of making an effort, it was a matter of not knowing what to do so, here I am trying to help and you already are shutting me down…”

Seokjin gazed at his son, who was holding on to Taehyung and staring at him with fearful eyes, that was probably the first time he noticed the intense fear Jimin had of him, the same intense fear that the dark-haired male felt when his father discovered the truth about him and when he was threatened to be disowned from the family. Seokjin was so focused on making sure he was following his father’s steps, afraid his own son would end up like him – a rebellious teenager and young adult who only wanted to drink and party and ignored his responsibilities after years of trying to please and get his father’s attention –, and, on doing so, he was actually driving away his son, sacrificing his health and scaring him, basically weakening the ties that were bounding them, jeopardising losing Jimin permanently.

Seokjin carefully got closer to Taehyung and Jimin, the moment he did, he saw his son flinching and nuzzling his head. He glanced at the younger, not knowing what to do to calm down Jimin, he really needed to be more gentle if he wanted to get results.

“Remember what I told you the other day? About gestures speaking louder than words? Well, a simple gesture, like patting your son’s head, can mean a lot to him…” Taehyung stated firmly, slowly letting go of Jimin’s hand as he smiled reassuringly at him “Jiminie, your father wants to say goodbye to you, don’t be afraid, okay? He’s not going to hurt you…”

Jimin didn’t understand why his father wanted to say goodbye to him, the majority of the times he didn’t say anything or reminded him of the tutoring lessons he had without hugging him or kissing his forehead, like the other parents did, however, the brunette, despite his doubts and fear, he was putting his trust on Taehyung.

Jimin parted from the younger with colourful hair, he looked at him, making sure that was safe for him to approach his father.

“I’m here, cutie pie…” Taehyung tried to assure Jimin once again, knowing how puzzled and scared the little one was, he wasn’t used to seeing his father staying behind and taking the time to say some words before letting him go on his way. The young male’s mission was to make Seokjin change his annoying habit of dropping by Jimin and treating him like he was nothing, Taehyung was hoping he could strengthen their relationship “So, c’mon, go to your father and say goodbye”

Jimin gave Taehyung a nod and, finally, carefully approached his father, who was staring at him in an intimidating way, which made him feel even more scared, nonetheless, he wanted to comply with the younger with colourful hair’s request and let his father say goodbye to him.

“Father…”

“Jimin, I, ah, I…” Seokjin stammered, feeling slightly nervous because he was completely clueless about what to say to his son, he was willing to improve his behaviour, however, he needed a little push. The older male heard the sound of snapping fingers and saw how Taehyung was gesturing him to crouch down, probably to be at the same level as Jimin, so he followed the younger’s instructions, then he glanced at Taehyung again to see what he should do next. Seokjin shakily rose his arm and delicately patted Jimin’s head, trying his best to not frighten his son even more “I, ah, wish you a good day at school, Jimin, pay attention to teacher Kim and, ah, be careful…”

When his father took his hand from his head, Jimin quickly grabbed it, catching his father by surprise. He didn’t understand why the sudden change, but he was happy to have some sort of goodbye and hear nice words, instead of the same ones that were cold and stern. “I-I wish you a good day too, father, can I go to class now?”

“T-Thank you, Jimin…” Seokjin said absentmindedly as he stared at Jimin’s tiny hand grabbing his “And yes, you can go…”

Jimin let go of his father’s hand and quickly went to Taehyung. “Did I do good, Tae Tae?”

“Yes, baby, you did, I’m proud of you” Taehyung remarked gleefully, ruffling Jimin’s hair “Now, Hobi and the others are at the stairs waiting for you, you better hurry, cutie pie, and have fun”

Taehyung saw Jimin running inside the school and meeting his baby brother and the rest of the group as he walked towards Seokjin. He momentarily averted his attention to Jungkook, who seemed dumbfounded and shocked, probably because he wasn’t expecting his best friend to show his affection to Jimin, and neither was the younger. However, he was proud of himself and also of Seokjin for putting aside his pride by accepting his help and following his instructions, the man, for someone who didn’t feel comfortable expressing himself or his emotions, truly did a good job.

Taehyung waved goodbye to the group of boys before they entered the school building and elbowed Seokjin to do the same, teaching him, once again, that small gestures spoke louder than words. By waving goodbye, Seokjin was demonstrating how he cared about his son and was making sure he was safe until the very moment he would walk inside the building.

“Bye Tae Tae! Bye Kookie! Bye, Mr Kim! See you later!”

“Did your brother just say goodbye to Seokjin, Taehyung?” Jungkook questioned astonishingly, not believing what was happening that day, it seemed he just entered the twilight zone or was in a different dimension, did the children like Seokjin because he finally showed some emotion, even though it was just a tiny bit? “Are you helping my best friend connect with Jimin?”

“You bet you sweet tooshie I am, Kookie, your best friend kind of asked me for help, but he will deny it because of his pride” Taehyung replied amusingly, mocking Seokjin who, as always, was rolling his eyes, he just laughed it off as he grabbed the annoyed man’s arm, deciding to not give the other a hard time just this once “Jinnie, even my brother waved at you, I’m really proud, but the next time you shut me down, I will not help you“

“I appreciate your help, Taehyung, but do you have to touch me?” Seokjin asked, not liking how Taehyung was crossing the line yet again by grabbing his arm, the younger with those ridiculous hair colours was too comfortable in his presence “You know I don’t like when you act like this, the other day with your neighbour was an exception…”

Taehyung rested his chin on Seokjin’s broad shoulder just to aggravate the man even more and tightened his grip on his arm while giving him his sweetest smile. “You’re such a party popper, Seokjin, it was cringy for me, but I had fun, maybe I should ask Mrs Shin to beat your tooshie with the slippers, now that would be pretty entertaining”

Seokjin sighed in frustration, regretting playing along with Taehyung’s not-so-amusing game of pretending the other day, even though it had the purpose of helping him be more connected with his sensitive side to be able to bond with Jimin. It was a sacrifice he was willing to make, however, he wasn’t too keen on letting Taehyung be touchy with him often, especially in public, he still had a reputation to keep.

In spite of that, Seokjin, while looking at the young male’s pleased expression, could see how Taehyung was genuinely content with his attempt of saying goodbye to Jimin. He acknowledged that he wasn’t expecting the other to help him right away so, as per usual, he was stern and almost lost a chance to show his son that he had the intention of getting closer to him. Seokjin admitted that he could have done better, however, it was just the beginning, in time, he wanted to improve and be more expressive for Jimin and their relationship’s sake.

“I think this one it’s the best one I took…” Jungkook said as he stared at the screen of his phone, chuckling, if people saw the photo he just took, they would probably think the same thing as him “You really look like a couple…”

“What are you talking about, Kookie?” Taehyung frowned, not liking Jungkook’s enthusiastic tone and how he was intensively gazing at his phone. The younger immediately let go of Seokjin’s arm, not wanting to make the black-haired male even happier “Did you take a photo of us? If you did, you’re dead…”

“Jungkook, give me your phone…”

“I did take a photo of you and I’m going to show it to Yoongi, Gunhak and Soonyoung, I bet your friends are excited to see this, Tae” Jungkook teased both Taehyung and Seokjin, who didn’t seem to thrill with his fun little stunt, he just like to provoke them from time to time. As for Yoongi, he also enjoyed doing it, but he didn’t have the courage to do it in front of the younger with colourful hair “And I’m not going to give you my phone, Jin, I have the right to do what I want with my property”

“Seokjin, we have to team up, unless you want to be mocked by my friends for eternity…”

Seokjin looked at Jungkook, seeing the playful smile plastered on his features and he didn’t have a choice. “I’m going to ruin my hair, but I don’t want anyone to see that photo so, just this once, let’s steal his phone and get it over with”

“You guys are serious?” Jungkook asked, caught off guard by the other males’ sudden partnership. The black-haired male placed his phone inside his blazer and began to walk away from Taehyung and Seokjin “Now, I’m definitely posting this on social media…”

“Oh, hell no!” Taehyung shouted, maybe too loud because he grabbed the attention of a few parents nearby, he quickly bowed his head, not letting Jungkook out of his sight and started running after the elder, mindful of the bouquet and the card he had in his hand, he couldn’t ruin the cuties’ gift “Seokjin, I’m going to kill your best friend if he posts the photo and you will owe me one more favour, that’s five…”

Seokjin shook his head, feeling so childish about what he was going to do next, running like a crazy person in the middle of the street just to prevent his best friend from spreading false rumours, he was going to do it because he didn’t want his father to find out, not like he had social media or anything, still, he didn’t want to risk it.

Against his better judgment, Seokjin started running as well, trying to catch up to Taehyung and Jungkook.

***

“You so mean, Channie…” Eunkwang whined as he rubbed the back of his head, groaning from the pain that was throbbing from it after being hit by Changsub, who was glaring at him “I’m going to tell Teacher Kim…”

Changsub just stuck his tongue out in response, not caring if Eunkwang was going to tattletale on him. “You and my sister are yucky, I don’t like it…”

“Your sister is pretty, Channie…” Jaehyun commented shyly, hiding behind Byeongkwan afraid of being hit by Changsub like Eunkwang “And she likes Eunkwang and his flower…”

“No, she isn’t…” Changsub swiftly retorted as he crossed his arms and pouted, not caring about his friends’ opinions “And Eunkwang’s flower is ugly, like him…”

“I’m not ugly, you are, Channie, take it back!”

“My friends, are you forgetting our mission?” Byeongkwan interrupted his friends’ meaningless fight, trying to get back to the main goal before Eunkwang mentioned the gift he offered Changsub’s sister, in that moment there were more important things to think about, like Hoseok’s approach to giving Jimin his special gifts. The young boy glanced at Hoseok, who was focusing on the small paper brown bag closed with a pink ribbon and the red card in his hand “Hobi wants to give Jiminie his gifts, we have to help him…”

Hoseok discretely peeped at Jimin, who was sitting at one of the tables near the school garden, his small brunette friend was smiling as he admired the colourful flowers. The blonde boy wanted to give Jimin flowers, but he was always giving them to him so, he wanted something different and memorable, yet simple, for his friend with tiny hands to cherish.

This was Hoseok’s first time offering someone a special gift, apart from Taehyung and the other people who were dear to him, not even his friends received such gifts from him, they always got a handmade card because the blonde boy loved his friends very much. However, Jimin, for some reason, felt different, Hoseok felt a stronger and deeper connection with him and, as a child, he couldn’t grasp that odd yet warm feeling he had when he saw his small friend and his cute smile that made his eyes disappear.

“Hobi, are you okay?”

“I am…” Hoseok answered quietly to Jaehyun, who was staring at him, feeling anxious again to give Jimin his gifts. He recalled the words spoken by his big brother that morning, he didn’t want to let Taehyung down or his group of friends, who were pretty excited for him, Hoseok just wanted everything to go well and make Jimin smile “Do you think Jiminie is going to enjoy what I made for him?”

“Yes, of course, he will!” Byeongkwan immediately replied in a cheery tone, giving Hoseok a bright smile as he linked his arm with his nervous friend “Jiminie is cute and your present is cute so, he’ll surely love it, right, friends?”

Everyone nodded their heads, even Changsub, who was still angry with Eunkwang for approaching his sister and giving her a lame gift, in the end, the group of boys cared about Hoseok and his good intentions towards Jimin, they were confident their small friend was going to be grateful for the sweet gesture.

“If I was brave to give Changsub’s sister a flo-“

Changsub smacked Eunkwang in the back of the head for the second time, not wanting his friend to babble about that episode again, it was pretty annoying. “Shut up, you poopy head!”

“I’m going to tell Teacher Kim!” Eunkwang yelled at Changsub as he made his way to the doors that lead to the school building “You are going to be grounded…”

“Hobi, don’t mind those dumb dumbs, just go to Jiminie” Byeongkwan said sweetly as he let go of his blonde friend’s arm, still smiling at him. The young boy saw Changsub heading towards Eunkwang he needed to help his two friends too before both of them ended up being grounded by teacher Kim for making a ruckus “Channie! Eunkwang! Stop being meanies!”

Jaehyun gently gave Hoseok a quick hug to not ruin the card and parted from him. “You can do it, Hobi, now I’m going to help Byeonggie”

Hoseok saw his two friends waving at him while attempting to catch up to Changsub and Eunkwang, he smiled at them, feeling more at ease with the task he had in his hands. The blonde boy decided that was time to accomplish his special mission, he also didn’t want to let Jimin alone for longer so, he hid his gifts behind his back and slowly walked towards the table where his small friend was, feeling his hands slightly sweaty, which it was weird for Hoseok. He was never that nervous around people or when he gave special gifts to his brothers and the others, however, that was the effect Jimin had on him since the very first time he approached him, Hoseok remembered how ecstatic yet jittery he was the moment he decided to befriend Jimin.

Hoseok reached the table where Jimin was sitting, making sure he was hiding his gifts to surprise his friend with tiny hands. “H-Hi, Jiminie…”

“Hi, Hobi” Jimin greeted amusingly as he swung his legs back and forward because his feet didn’t reach the ground, smiling weakly at Hoseok “Byeonggie told me to come here, he didn’t tell me why…”

Hoseok bit his bottom lip as he lowered his head momentarily, trying to think about something to say to Jimin, but nothing crossed his mind, it was completely blank which made him even more apprehensive, so he just took his hands behind his back and stretched them to show Jimin his gifts. “It’s for you…”

Jimin stared at the small brown bag with the cute ribbon and the card that was similar to the one he and his group of friends gave to Taehyung completely astounded. “I-Is it a gift from you, Hobi?”

Hoseok pouted as he nodded, afraid that Jimin wouldn’t accept them.

Jimin blushed as he softly grabbed the bag that felt a little heavy and the card, not really expecting something from Hoseok, this was the first time he was getting a gift on Valentine’s day. The brunette boy placed the card on his lap, he unwrapped the pink ribbon carefully to not rip the paper bag, he opened it and gasped when he saw what was inside – cookies in a shape of a heart with colourful sprinkles.

“Yoonie helped me with the cookies…” Hoseok muttered as he sat down next to Jimin on the bench attached to the table, fidgeting with his fingers with his head lowered “Do you like them, Jiminie?”

“I-I do, they are pretty…” Jimin responded bashfully as he grabbed a cookie from the paper bag, he looked at it, loving how colourful and pretty they were, then he took a small bite to taste them, humming in contentment “A-And really sweet, l-like y-you…”

Hoseok secretly smiled at Jimin’s words, he was relieved and glad that the brunette boy was enjoying the cookies that he and Yoongi baked the day before. He had the idea, however, he couldn’t make them by himself, he needed help and supervision and since Yoongi was the one who baked the oatmeal cookies that were sweet and delicious, Hoseok asked the red-haired male’s assistance. The blonde boy sneakily glanced at Jimin, watching him check the card he did for him, he noticed the big smile on his plump lips that made his eyes disappear and his rosy chubby cheeks that earned him the nickname “baby mochi” by Jungkook, Hoseok thought that his brunette friend was the smartest and cutest boy in the entire school.

Hoseok discretely scooted closer to Jimin, his eyes still on the brunette boy, he cautiously leaned forward and pressed his lips on his cute friend’s chubby cheek, giving him a quick kiss.

Jimin was caught by surprise by Hoseok’s sudden kiss, at the same time, made him smile widely, despite being unexpected.

“You’re a cute mochi, Jiminie…” Hoseok confessed shyly, averting his gaze from the cute boy sitting right by his side “A cute mochi with tiny hands…”

Jimin giggled cutely when he looked at Hoseok, noticing how his reddish cheeks matched the colour of the card he was still holding in his hand. It was rare the moments he saw his blonde friend so shy and reserved, usually, he was outgoing and daring, still, Jimin loved Hoseok’s cheeky personality that brought happiness to the group. The brunette boy wanted to reattribute the gesture, he had something to give to Hoseok as well, it wasn’t anything special, but he knew it was going to put a smile on his friend’s face.

Before he had the chance to take from his pocket what he was going to give to Hoseok, Jimin saw two boys approaching the table where he and his blonde friend were and he immediately felt scared because those two boys were older than him by two years and they had the habit of messing with him during recess. Sometimes, they took his bag and kicked it or threw it to the floor, other times, they pushed him while calling him names like weak and crybaby, although, they stopped after he started spending time with Hoseok and his other friends.

“Look, Inseong, the crybaby is sitting on our table” Youngkyun smiled wickedly as he gazed at Jimin and the boy who was sitting next to him “And he has a boyfriend, look at the ugly card”

“It’s ugly like him…” Inseong added mockingly as he got closer to the weak boy. He stood in front of Jimin, who was grasping tightly to the card, he laughed and took it from his small hand “This should be in the trash”

“Give it back!” Hoseok shouted angrily as he got up from the bench, despite being slightly smaller than the other kids, he didn’t want them to frighten Jimin or ruin the card he made to him “It’s not yours! It’s Jimin’s, you meanies!”

Inseong and Youngkyun looked at each other, finding entertaining the young boy’s bravery.

“Do you want it back, crybaby?” Inseong asked knowingly as he shook the card in front of Jimin, who was nodding and on the verge of tears, teasing him. When the brunette boy was about to grab it, Inseong threw it to the ground “Go fetch it, dog!”

Jimin sniffled, placing the bag of cookies on the bench as he got up, not wanting the older boys to damage the card Hoseok made for him. He carefully kneeled on the ground, since it was gravel it hurt his knees, and got a hold of the slightly crumpled card, however, when he was about to rise his hand, Inseong stepped on his hand, hurting him and making him cry.

“Stop hurting Jiminie, you meanies!” Hoseok screamed once again, feeling the tears forming in his eyes. He wanted to protect Jimin, but the other boy was gripping his wrist with a lot of strength, preventing him from reaching his small friend “Let me go!”

“You heard what he said, let him go and the small boy too!”

Hoseok flinched when he saw another boy approaching, he seemed taller than the other boys who were hurting him and Jimin, he was afraid the strange boy was ruthless and wanted to harm them like the other ones.

“You are not the boss of us, Seokwoo, and this is our table, they shouldn’t be here”

“Yeah, like Inseong said, this is where we hang out”

“They didn’t know that this table is where you guys sit, you just using that as an excuse to mess with the small boy” Seokwoo retorted unsympathetically as he walked towards Inseong, who was slightly smaller than he was, despite being third grader he was taller for his age so, he, when his classmates used to bully and mess with the small brunette boy, had leverage over them to drive them away. Seokwoo glared at Inseong, basically threatening him to take his foot off the small boy’s hand “Inseong, take your foot off, and you, Youngkyun let go of his wrist, you are hurting them”

“And if we don’t, what are you going to do?” Youngkyun asked in a daring tone with a hint of fear, knowing perfectly well how Seokwoo was the strongest and tallest boy in their class “Are you going to beat us?”

“I’m not like you, I don’t mess with kids younger than me to feel important like you two, dimwits” Seokwoo answered playfully, not wanting to resort to violence to deal with the other boys, if he did, he was just a bully like his classmates “I’m going to tell teacher Moon about what you did, your parents are going to ground you for misbehaving and, because you’re mean boys, our classmates won’t want to play with you”

Inseong took off his foot from Jimin’s hand and Youngkyun released the hold of Hoseok’s hand, both of them quickly ran away without saying a word to Seokwoo, afraid his taller classmate would tell their teacher about their mischievousness.

“I’m still going to tell teacher Moon that you were bullying first graders!” Seokwoo shouted really loud for everyone nearby to hear what the two shameful boys did. The third grader looked at the brunette boy, who was still holding tightly to the card while crying, and crouched down to help him “It’s okay, little guy, they won’t hurt you again or your friend…”

“Jiminie!” Hoseok ran towards Jimin as he cleaned the tears with his sleeve, seeing his small friend sobbing quietly, probably because his tiny hand hurt. The blonde boy gently lifted Jimin’s hand, noticing redness and a few minor cuts, then he shyly glanced at the taller boy, who seemed caring “T-Thank you f-for helping my f-friend…”

“You’re welcome, now, we should go to the infirmary to treat your friend”

***

Taehyung sighed heavily for the millionth time as he rolled his eyes, already sick of hearing his two friends’ giggles and their teasing, all because Jungkook decided not to post the photo he took that morning on Instagram for everyone to see, which was what he and Seokjin wanted. However, the black-haired male didn’t settle with their agreement, according to Jungkook, the word “lose” wasn’t in his dictionary so, the second best thing was to send the photo to Gunhak and Soonyoung.

“You guys are so annoying, I swear…” Taehyung spoke dully as he picked up his cup of tea, already fed up with his friends’ childish behaviour, all morning he had to listen to their comments and insinuations, this was only a way to motivate them “It’s just a photo and I was messing with Seokjin, nothing new…”

“That excuse is getting old, Taehyung” Soonyoung provoked his friend with colourful hair while placing his phone on the top of the table “If I didn’t know the card and the flowers were from the kids, I would’ve thought you and Seokjin were dating in secret”

“First of all, it’s not an excuse, it was what really happened” Taehyung retorted, feeling annoyed for being under scrutiny by his delusional friends, who desperately wanted him and Seokjin to be a thing which wasn’t going to happen. The pink and blonde haired younger was happy and grateful that he didn’t tell his friends about him role-playing as Seokjin’s boyfriend, Taehyung would be even more mocked “And can you imagine Seokjin giving anyone flowers and a card on Valentine’s day, the man barely shows emotion to his son, I doubt he would be capable of showing some type of emotion to someone, especially me”

“That’s funny coming from the person who decided to help Seokjin as per his request” Gunhak teased Taehyung as he carefully observed his friend, who was sighing once again, already predicting the argument he was going to use to refute his remark “And don’t you dare say you’re doing this mainly for the cutie pie, you also want to see the man expressing his feelings in general”

Taehyung couldn’t rebut what Gunhak just told him, he indeed was helping Seokjin mostly because of Jimin, the child didn’t deserve to live in fear and was constantly distant from the only parent he had. On the other hand, the younger was doing it also for the frivolous man, he himself said so to him and Taehyung was being one hundred per cent honest with Seokjin because he didn’t want to see their relationship breaking, like his with his own father, despite the circumstances not being the same or even similar. Taehyung felt lucky for having Namjoon as an older brother and Yoongi as his best friend, without them, he would have succumbed to the pain of losing his mother and the rage and hatred he felt for his father and his mistress, he felt lucky for having good people to guide him in his darkest hour, unlike Jimin, who, even though was a child, was very perceptive, just like his father.

Taehyung looked between Soonyoung and Gunhak and saw both of them smirking wickedly, probably waiting for him to say something else that could help their teasing, absurd comments and bothersome insinuations. However, Taehyung didn’t have the patience to discuss that subject anymore, he had another thing that was more exciting to talk about.

“As I said before, I’m helping both Jiminie and Seokjin, let’s leave it at that before I decide to go out tonight all by myself…” Taehyung countered unamusingly as he glared at both of his not-so-funny friends. He carefully blew the steam coming from his tea and took a long sip “Maybe I should do that since my friends are always nagging me about a certain person”

“You need your boys with you, Tae, drinking alone on Valentine’s day is depressing”

“Soo is right, Tae…” Gunhak said absentmindedly while checking the Instagram page of the club he and his friends were going to that night, he felt curious about the place “Talking about tonight, who told you about this place again?”

Taehyung gently placed the cup of tea on the table and hummed, trying to think about the person who mention the club he choose, it was quite recent, but very popular in Seoul. The younger couldn’t recall who spoke about the place, however, he was as curious as his friends to check out what all the fuss was about.

“I actually don’t remember, if you or Yoongi didn’t talk about that club, then I don’t know who told me about it, but that’s not important, all I want is to drink, dance and be fucked, I badly need to have fun”

“You badly want to forget your unrequired love for Seokjin…”

Soonyoung burst out laughing at Gunhak’s sudden remark, making everyone from the coffee where they were stared at them weirdly.

(They can be such annoying bitches sometimes, I swear…)

“I’m leaving…” Taehyung got up from his seat, without finishing his tea, and grabbed his things, not having the patience to deal with his friends anymore, maybe they needed to have some fun in between the sheets as well, it could keep them quiet for a while, but realistically speaking, Taehyung wasn’t counting on that “I need to get Hoseok, see you tonight, or not, maybe I’ll go by myself and find some hot guy who will buy me a drink”

Chapter Text

Seokjin was walking towards the school gate, wondering what he was going to say to Jimin, he still was learning and trying to do the best he could to conquer his son and make him less frightened of him.

Seokjin didn’t want to be seen as a monster in Jimin’s eyes, like he himself saw his father while growing up and, even now, the dark-haired male still thought of his own father as a ruthless and emotionless person who was never satisfied with his achievements, who was never satisfied with the person he became, even though he sacrificed his true self and had to hide from the world, not that Seokjin had any other choice back then. However, now he was a successful grown man and, despite feeling a bit hesitant about breaking free from his father, he needed to focus on living his life as he wished, as Jungkook advised him, and amending his broken relationship with Jimin to not let what happened between him and his father with his son. Seokjin didn’t want to make the same mistakes as him and he was relieved it wasn’t too late to correct his wrongdoings.

Seokjin went to the inside pocket of his blazer, making sure he had what Jungkook handed to him before leaving the office. It was nothing much, but his best friend told him the same words Taehyung had been telling him all week long – gestures spoke louder than words –, he honestly didn’t understand that premise, maybe because he wasn’t attentive to people’s gestures, another thing to add to the list for him to improve. Seokjin let out a deep breath, feeling slightly nervous as he got closer to the school, he wasn’t accustomed to expressing his own emotions and being touchy with his son, nonetheless, he had to make the effort, he was a man of his word and had to be fully committed, Seokjin assured Taehyung of that, after all, he needed his help.

“Jinnie!”

Seokjin stopped on his track momentarily and looked behind him, seeing Taehyung waving while heading towards him, making him sigh for being called by his apparent nickname in public.

“Can you not call me that in public, Taehyung?”

“Can you not be a sour puss, Seokjin?” Taehyung retorted jokingly, smiling playfully as he grabbed the man’s arm just to mess with him like that morning “There’s no one here so, no need to feel ashamed, remember, it’s endearing which means you’re not that much of an asshole to me, you should feel proud”

“I think I need to help you respect your elders, this way I can return the favour…” Seokjin’s eyes landed on Taehyung’s hands, the younger with those ridiculous hair colours was being touchy again. He knew he had to get used to physical contact to be more friendly towards Jimin, however, he felt like Taehyung wanted to provoke some sort of reaction “And, apparently, you didn’t learn anything from this morning, you’re touching my arm again”

“I hope you are more gentle dealing with Jimin, you cold-hearted man…” Taehyung remarked upsettingly, pouting as he let go of the annoying man’s arm. He was trying to help Seokjin to feel more at ease by being touchy, the younger guessed he needed a different approach, or maybe not, Seokjin wasn’t the boss of him “As for this morning, you better say goodbye to Jungkookie, he’s going to die by my hands, my friends were mocking me and teasing me…”

“Why are you sulking? I was the victim here, you touched me without consent”

“Can you not say it like that? It sounds so wrong, it seems like I did something with you” Taehyung cringed at Seokjin’s weird way of phrasing what occurred that morning, he literally felt chills going down his spine “How about we go pick up our babies, huh? You need to work on your sensitive side and your way of speaking”

Seokjin didn’t comprehend what Taehyung was talking about when he mentioned the way he spoke about what happened that morning. The younger indeed touched him without permission, he was stating facts, however, the older male tried to put behind his back the events that unfolded in the morning and concentrate on his important task of getting closer to his son.

“I don’t understand what you mean by that…” Seokjin spoke as he started making his way towards the school gate, alongside Taehyung, watching the younger rolling his eyes at him “But I do not wish to speak about what happened…”

“If I had to explain to you the reason why your manner of speech was wrong you would blush, Jinnie…” Taehyung said bluntly, not having the will or the patience to explain to Seokjin that people who were sexually victimised were the ones who tended to speak like that and with reason. He also didn’t want to talk about what happened that morning, not because it was wrong what he did, but because of his friends’ teasing. The younger walked inside the school grounds, excited to see Hoseok and Jimin, he missed them and was really curious to see the small boy’s reaction to his brother’s gifts, however, when he saw the two children sitting on the stone steps, Taehyung noticed the gloomy expressions on their faces “Seokjin, something’s wrong…”

Taehyung quickly went to his baby brother and the small boy, as he got closer to them, he felt his heart breaking with the sorrowful view in front of him – Hoseok was holding Jimin’s tiny patched hand –, he also noticed his brother’s wrist slightly bruised, Taehyung was upset for seeing the most adorable babies hurt and his instinct kicked in.

“Little sunshine, what happened?” Taehyung asked worriedly as he quickly climbed the steps to reach Hoseok and Jimin. He crouched down and softly ran his thumb over Jimin’s patched hand while his eyes travelled down to the brunette boy’s knees, his pants were lightly tainted with blood, it was barely noticeable, however, it made Taehyung even more enervated with the culprits who caused Jimin and Hoseok pain “Hobi, baby, tell Tae Tae who hurt you and Jiminie?”

“I-I was with Jiminie near the school garden, I gave him the card and the cookies…” Hoseok explained unhappily, still holding Jimin’s wounded hand “Then some mean older boys showed up, and one of them threw the card to the ground, Jimin was going to get it, but the mean boy stepped on his tiny hand and made him cry, I-I wanted to help, Tae Tae…”

“M-My h-hand h-hurts…”

Taehyung cupped Jimin’s face, feeling the tears falling down his chubby and rosy cheeks and hearing his sniffles. He himself wanted to cry, the children didn’t deserve to deal with bullies, and the younger with colourful hair was going to give the parents of those older boys a piece of his mind. “Did you tell teacher Kim, Jiminie?”

Jimin nodded slowly as he pursed his lips.

“There was a really tall boy who helped us, Tae Tae, he took Jiminie and me to the infirmary, he was very nice…”

“I’m glad to hear that, baby…” Taehyung stated gently, cupping his baby brother’s face with his other hand. He looked over his shoulder and briefly peeked at Seokjin, who seemed frozen. He probably was shocked, the man barely had knowledge about Jimin’s life, then he glanced back to the boys and attempted to give them his biggest reassuring smile “Babies, I’m going to talk to Mr Kim, I’ll be back in a second…”

Taehyung did his best to maintain his composure, he was pretty infuriated with the whole situation and he couldn’t believe how some kids were so selfish and evil, however, the younger didn’t blame the children, he blamed the parents who had the responsibility of raising their sons and daughters properly, of course, some parents ignored and neglected their children and that type of behaviour would only motive the little ones to misbehave, driving them to hurt and upset other kids or to create problems to grab their parents’ attention.

“What happened?”

“Our babies were bullied by older kids…” Taehyung spoke solemnly, thinking about a way to soothe the troubled children, it was the perfect opportunity to strengthen the bond between Seokjin and Jimin. Taehyung hated that it was in those circumstances, however, those were the crucial moments for them to establish their relationship as father and son “You have to console your son, Seokjin, he’s hurt, Jimin needs you more than ever and it’s a way to demonstrate to him that you care and love him…”

“H-How do I do that, Taehyung?” Seokjin questioned slightly anxious, feeling even more nervous now with the task Taehyung was giving him “This morning, I almost ruin everything by acting the same way as always do, if I barely know how to say goodbye to my son, how do you expect me to console him? Don’t get me wrong, I want to be there for him, I just don’t know how…”

“Your concern tells me that you have good intentions towards your son, Seokjin, that shows me you really trying and how committed you are…” Taehyung was truly glad to hear Seokjin and see how he wanted to do the right thing, he understood his worries and his nervousness since he wasn’t used to showing emotion “And I don’t know how many times I have to tell you, but I remind you that I offered my help to you, did I not? I told you I would be there for you if you showed your commitment and will to change, to be a better parent, I know it’s not ideal and maybe too soon, but I can’t be the only one by Jimin’s side, he needs his father…”

Seokjin knew he wasn’t worthy of Taehyung’s help and generosity, he was still doubtful of himself because he wasn’t completely comfortable with physical contact and expressing his emotions, however, Seokjin had to be persistent and mindful of the fact he had a child under his care who needed him.

“It might not look like it, but I’m grateful for your help, I really am, even though it upsets me how comfortable and touchy you are with me, I know you have a purpose, besides annoying me and getting on my nerves”

“I’m glad you can see beyond my attempts to annoy you and get on your nerves, I’m sincerely trying to help you, remember that, okay?” Taehyung remarked wittily, smiling weakly at the enervating, but kind of alright man, who was finally opening up to him and letting his guard down, however, the pink and blonde haired younger decided to not say a word about that, afraid Seokjin would feel exposed “Okay, so now let’s focus on your cute baby, Hoseok told me one of the older boys stepped on his hand, Jimin also hurt his knees, maybe he kneeled down on the ground when he went for the card, poor baby…”

“So, what should I do then to make him feel better?” Seokjin inquired uncertainly as he caught a glimpse of his son and Hoseok, observing how the children weren’t as enthusiastic as always and, deep down, that perturbed him. The dark-haired male was always seeing his son smiling when he was with the blonde boy and the rest of his friends, he wasn’t the source of Jimin’s happiness, nevertheless, he enjoyed watching him happy “Should I do what you did? Can you show me, you know, for me to have an idea of what to do, I don’t want to upset my son even more…”

Taehyung nodded, slightly astounded by Seokjin’s eagerness, it was still odd to see the older male so apprehensive just because he wanted to form a bond with Jimin. He made him think about the man he met all those weeks ago, the man who bumped into him, who treated him poorly and looked down at him.

The younger knew Seokjin had a long way to go, but his will and perseverance were praiseworthy.

“You need to grab your son’s hand, you have to be gentle with him…” Taehyung delicately reached for Seokjin’s right hand which was just a bit bigger than his as he locked his gaze with the elder, the younger could see some uncomfortableness, however, the man had to suck it up if he wanted to make his son feel better. Taehyung, then, gathered all his courage, because what he was going to do next wasn’t something he was looking forward to doing, although he had to do it, so he shakily cupped Seokjin’s cheek, never breaking eye contact with him “To, ah, to get closer to him, you should cup his face and wipe his tears, this way he will see that his father is trying to make him feel better…”

Seokjin stared right into Taehyung’s eyes while feeling the warmth of his hand against his face and his thumb running over his cheek, it was a different type of touch, it felt unusual, probably because his mother was the only one who showed him affection, and yet, at the same time, it was soothing coming from the younger, perhaps he was getting accustomed to him. The dark-haired male gently took Taehyung’s hand from his face, wanting to give it a try, he didn’t know if he was crossing the line or not, but still, he had to experiment on someone. Seokjin basically imitated Taehyung’s moves, he cupped the younger’s face as he took a step closer to him, not averting his gaze from him, he, then, slowly ran his thumb over his cheek, feeling how heated it was.

“Like this?”

“Yes…” Taehyung responded absentmindedly as he felt Seokjin’s hand on his warm skin, not expecting to feel comfortable with his touch, the man was always driving him away when he tried to be closer to him, so it caught him by surprise when he decided to “practice” with him “I’m sure your son will appreciate having you by his side…”

“Tae Tae!”

Taehyung awoke from his trance and cleared his throat, reality stroke again and all of the sudden, Seokjin’s light touches felt awkward and made him feel weird for some reason. He let go of the older male’s hand and took the other one from his face, Taehyung felt his cheeks warmer than usual, however, he disregarded that detail and focused on Hoseok, who had just called for him.

“Yeah, baby? Do you need something?

“Can you buy snacks for me and Jiminie?” Hoseok requested sweetly, wanting some snacks and candy to make his small friend with tiny hands smile widely, like before the older boys showed up “I want to see Jiminie smile…”

“Of course, little sunshine…” Taehyung usually didn’t like to oblige Hoseok when it came to candy, but since it was Valentine’s day and two bullies ruined the moment between his brother and Jimin, he was making an exception this time. The younger with colourful hair glanced at Seokjin, seeing the man reaching for something that was inside the pocket of his blazer “Did you lose something?”

“Jungkook gave me something at the office, he knows I’m having some difficulty connecting with Jimin…”

“That’s cute of him, Jungkook really knows what he does, well, most of the time, exceptionally, I’m going to forgive him…” Taehyung commented merrily, not feeling like forgiving Jungkook, however, the black-haired male, despite irritating him that morning by sending the photo to his bitchy friends, had the same goal as him “I think we need something else, apart from what Jungkook gave you, technically it’s not from you so, you are going to pick two flowers – one for Jiminie and one for my baby brother –, this way you kill two birds with one stone, what do you think about my plan?”

“It’s not bad and you’re right, technically, these don’t come from me…” Seokjin didn’t take the heart-shaped lollipops from his pocket yet, as per Jungkook’s advice, he wanted to surprise Jimin, given the circumstances, he thought it was a good plan now “And I’m going to do that, at least comes from me and I know he likes flowers”

“Look at you, Jinnie, so adorable and thoughtful, you’re making progress really quickly, but don’t act like an asshole, okay? I’m genuinely pleased with your actions, now off you go to pick flowers for our babies”

“Can you stop insu-“

“I said off you go to pick flowers for our babies, I didn’t tell you to complain and whine like a kid…” Taehyung mocked Seokjin, lightening the mood, especially after the little experiment that made things slightly awkward between them, as he softly pushed Seokjin towards the playground where the bright wildflowers were “Don’t take too long…”

After dealing with Seokjin, Taehyung headed to where Hoseok and Jimin were, he still was heartbroken to see the small brunette boy so gloomy, he surely was going to treasure his father’s attempt to make him feel better.

“Tae Tae, why are your cheeks red?”

Taehyung frowned at Hoseok’s sudden question. “My cheeks aren’t red, little sunshine…”

Jimin shyly poked Taehyung’s cheek, agreeing with Hoseok, he pondered if his father made the younger with funny hair blush, since they were really close earlier. “They’re warm…”

(I can’t possibly be blushing just because Seokjin touched my face, that’s unacceptable, it probably is the cold, yes, it’s the cold without a doubt…)

“Y-You see, when it’s cold and our skin is more sensible, it tends to be reddish…” Taehyung was making an excuse based on common sense, it wasn’t a lie, Gunhak and Soonyoung sometimes had red cheeks during the winter because their skin was very fragile “I just need to apply more moisturising cream to hydrate my skin, t-that’s all…”

“Were you and Mr Kim making out, Tae Tae?”

“Jung Hoseok, I already told you not to use that expression, from now on, every time Hyunjoon teaches you a new word, you should come to me and ask me if you can say it out loud, okay?” Taehyung really had to think about some kind of revenge to get back at Hyunjoon, he needed to have a conversation with Yoongi and find out any type of information he could use against the young male who was about to become an adult, he seriously needed to gain some sense in his head “You lucky I love you to the moon and back, little sunshine…”

Hoseok got up from the stone step and immediately hugged his big brother, snuggling his head on his neck. “I love you too, Tae Tae…”

Taehyung smiled as held on to Hoseok, happy to see his brother a lot better than earlier, it still was upsetting for him to think about the whole ordeal the two young boys had to go through. They didn’t deserve to be messed with or be bullied, especially if it was for no reason, Taehyung didn’t know what drove the two older kids to act recklessly, he was just relieved that someone, apparently a tall boy was there to protect him.

Taehyung released his hold on Hoseok and noticed Jimin staring at his patched hand with a pout, he decided to sit down on the stone step to distract the little ones while Seokjin was busy picking the flowers. He glanced at the older male and couldn’t help but chuckle, Seokjin seemed he was struggling for some reason and that made things even more hilarious. Taehyung gave the older male an easy task, for a smart and smug man who before had the nerve to look down on him, now he seemed like he was having difficulties with the simplest things.

“Tae Tae…”

Taehyung placed his arms around the children’s shoulders bringing them closer: “Yes, Jiminie?”

“Why does my father have flowers in his hand?” Jimin asked innocently as stared at the younger with funny hair, feeling a bit disarrayed by his father’s actions, was he trying to give Taehyung flowers? Did his father like Taehyung? “Are they for you, Tae Tae? Is that why you’re blushing?”

(Mental note to myself: Never let Seokjin touch my face while we are in front of the little ones)

“N-No, cutie pie, nothing of the sort, it’s a surprise from your father, I’m hoping he will do it today and not next year because he’s taking too long…” Taehyung responded nervously, patting Jimin’s head while asking himself why the two boys were giving him a hard time “Seokjin! Will you hurry up? I will be as old as you in no time if you don’t move quicker than that, old man”

“Can you stop calling me an old man, Taehyung? You should be praising me for my effort and commitment, not insulting me for the second time…” Seokjin retorted as he finally picked a decent flower, if he was going to offer flowers, he wanted to offer the ones he thought were livelier. The older male lifted himself up, carefully put one of the flowers inside the pocket of his jacket, along with the lollipops, making sure neither Taehyung nor the young boys saw him and made his way to the stone steps “I didn’t take that long”

“I probably gained a few grey hairs because you took too long picking two simple flowers, the kids would take less time, right my babies?” Taehyung questioned as he looked between the two young boys who were nodding their heads eagerly “So, old man, you know what to do, right? Or do you want me to explain again, your me-“

“I’m not going to give you the satisfaction, Taehyung, and you’re not that young by the way…” Seokjin countered, yearning a glare from Taehyung, however, it wasn’t his fault, he was just doing what the younger was doing, maybe his behaviour was childish, still he needed to show the other he wasn’t letting his insults slide. The older male climbed the stone steps while holding the two bright yellow flowers, he crouched down in front of Jimin and observed his son’s reaction, he wanted to see if he was frightened of him like that morning. Seokjin’s goal was to gain his son’s trust to demonstrate to him he was trying to get closer to him, to demonstrate to him he wanted to be a normal parent to him. Before giving a flower to Jimin, Seokjin, glanced at Hoseok, the blonde boy had the same curious look as his son, probably wasn’t expecting to receive a flower from him “Here, Hoseok, I, ah, I-I want to thank you for, ah, for taking care of Jimin…”

Hoseok sneakily looked at Taehyung, making sure it was okay to accept a gift from Jimin’s dad. He still wasn’t very fond of the man who was always mean to his small friend, making him sad and scared.

“It’s okay, baby…” Taehyung reassured Hoseok, who was looking at him hesitantly which he understood, Seokjin wasn’t the type to make grand gestures, especially towards the little ones, namely Jimin. He smiled widely once again when he saw Hoseok accepting the older male’s flower, he was proud of his baby brother for being kind, Taehyung knew he didn’t like Seokjin, but maybe now he could change his mind like he did “What do you say, my little sunshine?”

“T-Thank you, M-Mr. K-Kim for the pretty flower…”

Seokjin was caught by surprise by Hoseok’s acceptance, he still remembered the words the blonde boy spoke to him a few days ago when Jimin fainted. He knew he wasn’t his favourite person, nevertheless, the elder was hoping Hoseok could give him a chance to redeem himself, the same was for Jimin.

Seokjin, then, averted his attention to Jimin, who was still staring at him with those big doe and bright eyes, in a way, his son reminded him of his late wife. However, back then, her eyes screamed hatred and bitterness, she held a grudge against him for being part of the Kim family, the ones who drove her away from the man she truly loved, she resented him for not even trying to be a family man. His late wife used to be very vocal and, weirdly, Taehyung kind of resembled her personality-wise, they were practically the same – rebellious, gutsy, straightforward, courageous – traits Seokjin didn’t have because he was a coward and, as a result, he let his father control every aspect of his life, until now, Seokjin was going to finally live his life as he saw fit, and the first step was to reconcile with Jimin.

Seokjin gently and slowly reached for Jimin’s patched hand while thinking about the times his son must have been bullied and he didn’t have a clue, his focus was on Jimin’s grades, not his well-being, now he was trying to balance the two, the last thing he wanted was to see his son laid down on the infirmary bed.

“Jimin, I-I, ah, this flower i-is, ah, for you…”

Jimin took the flower from his father’s hand, feeling his thumb caressing the patch that was covering the minor cuts and bruises. The brunette boy didn’t know what to say, his father hadn’t the habit of making him feel better when he was hurt and upset, Taehyung, Jungkook and his group of friends were the ones who made him smile and laugh. Jimin thought that his father’s behaviour was odd, he wasn’t been that mean to him since the day he ended up in the infirmary, now he could study with Hoseok and play with him, and he could still see his favourite tutor, Woohyun, and his father wasn’t pressuring him to have good grades, like before.

“Can you put it on my ear, as Hobi does?”

Seokjin nodded, completely dumbfounded, he truly didn’t know his son, and for some reason, he wasn’t expecting to have the same luck as that morning, he guessed he needed to trust Taehyung’s words, Seokjin needed to know his son better. The older male delicately took the flower and placed it behind his son’s ear, earning a small smile from him, that was the first time Jimin was smiling because of something he did and his reaction made Seokjin feel like a normal parent.

“T-Thank you…” Jimin spoke bashfully as he straightened the flower on his ear, making sure it didn’t fall, he wanted to keep it for a long time and cherished it “It’s pretty, like Tae Tae…”

“Y-You’re welcome, Jimin…” Seokjin said quietly, admiring the cheerful expression on his son’s face. He softly cupped Jimin’s chubby cheek, just like Taehyung taught him, and unlike the younger, Seokjin felt comfortable touching and expressing his affection towards his son “I have one more thing for you and Hoseok, it’s from Jungkook, but he wanted me to give it to you”

“What, Mr Kim?”

Seokjin noticed how excited Hoseok was, again, it was weird seeing the two young boys at ease with him, he knew he had a lot of work to do in that regard and there were certain things he really needed to improve as well, not only with himself and the children but Taehyung too. After all, Seokjin was already owing him five favours, in his opinion, the fifth didn’t count, it was the younger with those ridiculous hair colour's fault, if it wasn’t for him, Jungkook hadn’t taken the photo and sent it to his friends.

Seokjin took from his pocket two heart-shaped lollipops, they were strawberry flavour, his son’s favourite flavour according to Jungkook. He gave Hoseok and Jimin the lollipops respectively, making the two boys giggle and cheery.

“You can only have the lollipops after lunch, alright, babies, no candy before eating, it will hurt your tummies” Taehyung said wittily, loving to see Hoseok and Jimin more upbeat after receiving the flower and the lollipop, he couldn’t believe Seokjin was the one who put a smile in their faces after everything they went through that morning, however, it was thanks to him, Taehyung had to pat himself on the back for teaching the ice sculpture how to connect with little kids “I have to say, Jinnie, I wasn’t expecting you to have such an effect on my little sunshine and my cutie pie, for an ice sculpture, you did well…”

“I like Mr Kim now, Tae Tae, he isn’t mean to Jiminie anymore…”

“You do, my baby?” Taehyung remarked astoundingly, noticing Hoseok’s bright smile widening with the simple offerings, he seemed as enthusiastic as he usually was “Do you forgive Mr Kim for hurting Jiminie?”

Hoseok nodded his head vigorously as he got up from the stone step once again and hugged Seokjin while glancing at him apprehensively. “T-Thank you f-for being n-nice to J-Jiminie…”

Seokjin started to panic like that morning, not seeing coming Hoseok’s hug and his soft-hearted words. “Y-You’re welcome, H-Hoseok…”

“Now, now, little sunshine, you better not hug Mr Kim for too long, he might not handle your cuteness as I do” Taehyung snickered as he got up from the stone step and cleaned the back of his jeans, then he helped Jimin getting up “Jiminie, your dad is going to carry your backpack, okay? Let’s go!”

Taehyung cautiously grabbed Jimin’s tiny hand as he carried his bag with his free hand while he was going down the stone steps, admiring the yellow flower the brunette boy kept on straightening up to make sure he didn’t lose it and the heart-shaped lollipop, absentmindedly making the younger with colourful hair smile, just a simple gesture from Seokjin was enough to put behind the awful memory from that morning and Taehyung felt slightly relieved for that, however, he still was going to have a little talk with the kids’ parents, he could only imagine what there were like.

Taehyung was about to give to Seokjin Jimin’s bag when he noticed the older male reaching for something in the inside pocket of his blazer.

“Do you have a magic pocket or something? What are you going to pull out of there now? An apology for the time you bumped into me? You know, you would be owing me one less favour if-“ Taehyung suddenly stopped talking when he saw Seokjin taking a yellow flower and lollipop from the “magic” pocket. The younger carefully placed Jimin’s backpack on the ground, his eyes still focusing on the wild bloom and the candy, was he having a hallucination, maybe one of his friends put something in his tea earlier, because there was no way Seokjin was giving him a gift, especially after asking Gunhak and Soonyoung if they could imagine the ice sculpture giving someone flowers “I-Is that, ah, i-is that for me?”

“Ah, yes, it is…” Seokjin simply responded, thinking that maybe he was going crazy, he himself couldn’t believe he was taking Jungkook’s advice, his best friends gave him the three lollipops and suggested that he should do something nice for Taehyung since he was the one who was helping him connecting with Jimin. At first, Seokjin wasn’t too excited about Jungkook’s idea, however, he decided that it could be a way to not only thank the younger for everything he was doing for him but also to cheer him up, Taehyung probably was struggling with the ex-boyfriend’s situation “Jungkook kind of suggested that I should give you one of the lollipops as a way to thank you for what you are doing for me and I also know that you are not feeling Valentine’s day this year so, well, I thought a flower could remind you of the good times you had on this day in the past if you don’t want it-“

Taehyung gently grabbed the lollipop and the bright yellow flower, having a hard time comprehending Seokjin at that moment, he didn’t seem like the person he usually dealt with which wasn’t exactly a bad thing, it was just odd and yet surprising. The pink and blonde haired younger smiled bashfully at the gesture, if he wasn’t expecting the cute kids’ gift, he surely wasn’t expecting something from the elder, still, he was grateful for the consideration he had for him, especially when the last weeks had been so difficult for him because of Hongseok.

“I appreciate your words and your gesture, Seokjin, I mean it…” Taehyung spoke sincerely as he stared at the simple and bright yellow flower while delicately touching one of its petals, questioning himself if Seokjin in the past was more warm-hearted than he was now “When you want, you can really be a gentleman...”

“I already told you that you would be lucky to find a man half as good as me” Seokjin stated complacently, grabbing Jimin’s backpack “I might have issues expressing myself, but I’m polite and I try to not step out of boundaries, I can’t say the same for you when it comes to the last part”

(He was doing so well, but, like always, he had to behave like a pompous asshole)

Taehyung couldn’t help but roll his eyes at Seokjin for switching to the douche version of himself, the man couldn’t simply do a good gesture and keep his mouth shut. “You were doing great, Jinnie, but you had to ruin the moment which doesn’t surprise me...”

“Tae Tae, you’re cheeks are red again...”

(Damn it...)

“W-We need to go, little sunshine...” Taehyung said hurriedly, not wanting the focus to be on him and his red cheeks. He patted Hoseok’s head as he looked at his baby brother who was trying to reach his face, if he wasn’t adorable and feeling gloomy because of the events from that morning, he would deny his baby brother the snacks and the candy he promised “Say goodbye to Jiminie and Mr Kim”

***

“Tae…” Yoongi said dully as he lifted himself up from his best friend’s bed, already tired of waiting for Taehyung to finish getting dressed for his night out. He also needed to get home and prepare for the date that night with Jungkook and the last thing he wanted was to be late “It’s been twenty minutes, is the outfit that hard to put on or did you fall asleep on me?”

“Give me a minute, okay, grumpy meow meow, I know you’re excited for tonight, you seem like a high school girl going on a date with her crush” Taehyung shouted jokingly from the bathroom as he momentarily stopped putting the lip balm, knowing that his best friend was probably cursing at him for taking a lot of time, however, he needed to be stunning if he wanted attention “I had a little problem with the stockings and the garters…”

“Instead of having fun at my expense, shut the fuck up and move your ass…” Yoongi retorted grouchily as he checked the time on his phone, feeling thankful Hoseok wasn’t there, that way he could curse as many times as he wanted aloud. Thinking about the blonde boy, made Yoongi recall what happened with Hoseok and Jimin that morning, he was truly enraged, maybe because he was bullied when he was a child, for that reason, he despised people who pinpointed others’ weaknesses and made fun of them “By the way, your little sunshine was very cheerful before you dropped him off at your neighbour’s house, did you promise the boy candy and snacks again?”

“I kind of did, yes, but there are other reasons for his cheerfulness…”

Taehyung chuckled when he remembered what happened after Hoseok innocently and bluntly stated that he had red cheeks again after Seokjin’s odd yet sweet gestures towards him and the little boys, the younger with colourful hair never saw his brother so flustered as he saw him at that moment.

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(Earlier that day)

Taehyung walked out of the school while hearing both Jimin and Hoseok giggling because of his red cheeks, making him feel even more exposed and embarrassed for his reaction to Seokjin’s offerings. However, he was really caught off guard by the older male’s gesture, after all, the man had problems expressing his emotions towards his son and demonstrating affection so, the last thing on Taehyung’s mind was receiving something from Seokjin. Although, he was genuinely thankful for what he did and his caring words, it also gave him hope for the future when it came to Seokjin’s efforts to get closer to Jimin.

“Jiminie, do you want to touch Tae Tae’s cheeks again?” Hoseok asked merrily as he jumped once again to try to reach Taehyung’s face, wanting to squish his reddish cheeks “Let me touch your red cheeks again, Tae Tae”

“Little sunshine, we don’t have time for that, Mrs Shin is waiting for us...” Taehyung was, once again, averting the attention away from him and his blushed cheeks, he didn’t want Seokjin to use that moment against him “She told me she had your favourite ice cream so, we need to hurry up, say goodbye to Jiminie and Mr Kim”

“Ice cream!” Hoseok laughed cutely, despite wanting to touch his brother’s cheeks, he really was craving ice cream and was also excited to go to Mrs Shin’s house, the older lady treated him nicely and always made his favourite dishes every time she took care of him. The blonde boy waved his hand vigorously, saying goodbye to Mr Kim, who he kind of liked now, and Jimin “Bye, Mr Kim, thank you for the lollipop, bye Jiminie, I hope you eat the cookies I gave you”

“Bye Hobi!” Jimin give his biggest eye smile, even though he was hurting because of the mean older boys, he still was happy for the moment he spent with Hoseok. While thinking about the moment he shared with his jolly friend and his gifts, Jimin remembered that he had something to give to Hoseok as well, however, they were interrupted and he forgot “Wait, Hobi, I have something to give you, but I forgot...”

Hoseok tilted his head and stared at Taehyung, who was smiling at him fondly, feeling curious about what Jimin wanted to give to him. “What is it, Jiminie? Is it a pretty flower like the one your dad gave us?”

Jimin shook his head slowly as he reached for the side pocket of his pants. He shakily took a small folded reddish piece of paper, not sure if Hoseok was going to be happy with his simple gift. Jimin was hoping he would, because he made a promise to Hoseok at the beginning of their friendship, a promise he truly wanted to keep.

Jimin timidly handed the reddish piece of paper to Hoseok, smiling weakly. “H-Here, Hobi, I hope you like it...”

Hoseok accepted the colourful paper with a bright smile, he wasn’t expecting something from his small friend with tiny hands, Jiminie being his friend was enough for him.

“What does it say, baby?”

Hoseok gently unfolded the piece of paper and showed it to Taehyung as he started reading the message inside.

“Hobi is my friend. He is cute and has a bright smile, like the sun. I like playing with Hobi and my other friends and seeing the pretty flowers and butterflies.

I love all my friends, but Hobi is my favourite because he’s super nice to me and gives me oatmeal cookies”

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After helping Hoseok read the note, Taehyung noticed how his baby brother was very shy and quiet, nothing like his usual behaviour. It also didn’t help when Jimin kissed his chubby crimson cheek right before leaving with Seokjin which led Taehyung to softly pinch his burning cheeks and embarrassed him, that was what he deserved after implying that he and Seokjin were making out, the thought alone made him cringe once again.

“Jiminie gave Hoseok a note with a sweet message, then the cutie pie kissed my little sunshine’s cheek, he was so shy, it was adorable...” Taehyung stated nonchalantly as he closed the cap of the lip balm, preparing himself to show his grumpy best friend the outfit Soonyoung and Gunhak bought him “But that’s not all, believe it or not, Seokjin is also one of the reasons my baby brother was smiling...”

Yoongi couldn’t help but smile while imagining little Jimin kissing Hoseok’s cheek, it was a loving gesture between the two children and sort of unbelievable because the brunette boy before befriending Hoseok wouldn’t profess a single word and was very bashful. However, now that he had a group of friends, Yoongi thought that Hoseok and the other boys were a good influence on Jimin and helped him develop his social skills.

Another unbelievable thing to the red-haired male was knowing that Seokjin was one of the reasons why Hoseok was very cheerful, especially after what he and Jimin went through that morning. “That’s really hard to believe, Tae, the ice sculpture, like you amusingly call the man, can only make people miserable, but now I’m curious to know what he did”

“Your man gave Seokjin heart-shaped lollipops and suggested that he should give them to his son and my baby brother, originally was a small surprise but after what happened, the babies needed something to make them feel better...” Taehyung explained as he checked himself in the mirror, loving how his friends knew him so well and what he liked to wear on their nights out, still, they were annoying, especially when it came to Seokjin and him “Then I told him to pick some flowers from the playground since the lollipops technically weren’t from him and amazingly he complied”

Yoongi glanced at the small bouquet of flowers on the glass vase that the group of boys gave to Taehyung and in the middle, he saw a yellow bright flower, like the ones that grew in the school playground which immediately caught his attention. He was only guessing, but something told the red-haired male that the little ones weren’t the only ones to receive something from Seokjin. Yoongi could be jumping to conclusions, however, he felt like Taehyung purposely hid the fact that the unbearable man gave him a flower as well because he didn’t want to be interrogated.

“I guess Seokjin’s “generosity” wasn’t only towards the kids, by the way, nice flower, Tae, it kind of stands out of the bouquet with the reddish and orange flowers...”

“I don’t know what you mean by that, grumpy meow meow...” Taehyung remarked indifferently as he got out of the bathroom to reveal the amazing outfit he was wearing, not having the will to speak about Seokjin’s gestures “So, do I look hot or do I look super hot? Which is it, Yoongles?”

Yoongi sighed in frustration, not understanding what was the problem in talking about Seokjin and the fact that the man actually was able to express himself through the small gifts, he had a feeling that Jungkook also gave the lollipops to Seokjin for him to offer not only the little ones but also to his best friend.

“You know what I mean and, by ignoring my remark, it makes me think that Seokjin’s kind gesture meant something more than it should be…” Yoongi quickly retorted, tilting his head as he carefully studied Taehyung’s facial expression “Don’t tell me that Seokjin made your heart flutter, Tae?”

“I think before you go on that date, lil meow meow, you should go to the doctor, maybe you hit your head somewhere because you clearly aren’t thinking straight…” Taehyung stuck his tongue out at Yoongi for being preposterous, however, despite thinking it wasn’t a big deal, in reality, it was, because it showed that Seokjin was making an effort, not only towards the children but also towards him. For some reason, Taehyung felt weird about it, maybe he was witnessing Seokjin’s true self coming out to the surface “About Seokjin, it really caught me by surprise, I was really not expecting to receive something from him, you know how he acts, Yoongi, but honestly, it was nice and thoughtful, now, can we go back to me and my amazing outfit? I thought you were in a hurry…”

Yoongi knew Taehyung, in the last few weeks, was putting up a front, just because he was excited about his first date with Jungkook and happy about moving on from the past, it didn’t mean he forgot about his best friend and the melancholic look in his eyes. It truly concerned Yoongi since he already had been in Taehyung’s place and he knew the pain he was feeling, however, the red-haired male was hoping the younger, in the future, could find the same happiness he did, he wondered if Seokjin could be an option? Yoongi wasn’t very fond of the man and he didn’t trust him completely, after all, the guy never really cared about Jimin’s wellbeing until the little one ended up in the infirmary. On top of that, Seokjin was always looking down and criticising Taehyung and the way he was raising Hoseok, despite that, it seemed the dark-haired male wasn’t so bad, giving Jimin, Hoseok and Taehyung the lollipop, even though they weren’t from him, and the blooms, proved to Yoongi that Seokjin had a good side, maybe Taehyung was the one who was bringing it to the surface.

“I’m glad he was nice to you and the little ones, I really don’t want to kick his ass, Jungkook would probably love it, but I don’t want to indulge him…” Yoongi said amusingly, making Taehyung chuckle, probably his best friend would love it too. The red-haired male got up from his best friend’s bed to have a better look at the outfit Taehyung was wearing and he had to admit, that was probably one of the most daring outfits he ever saw the younger with colourful hair wearing “I thought you were joking when you said you had a problem with you stockings and your garters, you are really wearing them, aren’t you uncomfortable?”

Taehyung shook his head while admiring himself and his outfit in the mirror, above his dresser. He was currently wearing the ripped black short shorts Gunhak said he saw online, Taehyung didn’t wear those types of shorts on the daily basis, it was inappropriate, especially when he was a kindergarten teacher, however, when he went out with Yoongi or his friends, he liked to go all out and put the sexiest clothes he had in the closet. Along with the shorts, he was wearing stockings with garters that were connected to his underwear, which matched the design from the stockings, and a crop top with black and white stripes.

“I think this is my favourite outfit, Yoongles, Gunhak and Soonyoung actually blew my mind, I’m happy because they were owning me big time, those bitches left me all alone with S-, I mean…” Taehyung smiled innocently, pretending that he wasn’t about to mention Seokjin and the time he took him to the bakery shop as per his friends’ request, maybe he should use the favour system with them too “Shouldn’t you go home and prepare for your date? If you want, I can make fun of you again, high school girl”

“Very funny, Tae…” Yoongi playfully pushed Taehyung, not finding it funny how his best friend was mocking him, he was honestly nervous about the date, it had been a while since he went on one “Because of that, I’m leaving and I will not let you help me choose my outfit for tonight, I hope you have fun, don’t drink too much to the point of passing out, call me in case of an emergency and, what else? Ah don’t talk about Seokjin all the time, Gunhak and Soonyoung will probably start a fan page for you guys”

“Your sense of humour sucks, grumpy meow meow, I hope Jungkook shuts your mouth, preferably with his lips, I guess is too early for you to suck his di-“

“I’M LEAVING!” Yoongi abruptly interrupted Taehyung as he made his way to the door of the bedroom, feeling embarrassed by his best friend’s assumptions. The red-haired male was quickly falling in love with Jungkook, however, he was still not comfortable going that far and he knew the black-haired male was a gentleman and wouldn’t force him to do something until he felt ready “I would say fuck yourself, but I’m sure someone is going to do that for you…”

“You’re bet your non-existing ass, someone is going to do that for me…” Taehyung yelled unashamedly as he grabbed his phone that was on the dresser to message his friends that he was ready while hearing Yoongi mumbling a goodbye, before leaving his house “GOODBYE TO YOU TOO, GRUMPY MEOW MEOW!”

Chapter Text

"Jungkook..." Yoongi looked at his surroundings, feeling completely speechless by the scenery in front of him. He was already caught by surprise when Jungkook decided to bring him to one of the most known restaurants in the city and asked the owner to close the place just for the two of them to enjoy their time together, however, where they were now was beautiful and out of this world "I-It's beautiful up here, so many lights and roses..."

Jungkook was ignoring the other few people and the beautiful roses and lights spread all over the place, his eyes were focused only on Yoongi, who seemed over the moon. The black-haired male was having doubts about where he should take the younger after dinner, he didn't want to be cliché or just have dinner and go home, he wanted to make a good first impression and give Yoongi an amazing first date. Although Jungkook felt that was a lot of pressure, knowing it was Valentine's Day and, most of all, the red-haired male had been dealing with his past and the pain that it caused for the last four years, still the older male was hopeful and feeling confident about his choices for the night and Yoongi's reaction assured him of that.

"The Sky Rose Garden is indeed beautiful, I knew you were going to enjoy it since you loved the rose I gave you this morning and the bouquet..." Jungkook stated softly, noticing Yoongi's eyes sparkling brightly and his small gummy smile adorning his tempting lips. He sneakily reached for the younger's hand which was slightly cold and pulled him closer to him "You're the most beautiful rose in this garden, Yoongi..."

"And you really are cheesy, aren't you?" Yoongi retorted jokingly, chuckling lightly as he rested his head on Jungkook's shoulder, still admiring his surroundings while walking around the garden "Thank you for bringing me here, I never thought a place like this would exist in the middle of the city, it's staggering..."

"You don't have to thank me, my delicate beauty, it's a pleasure bringing you to a place as beautiful as you..." Jungkook remarked sweetly as he intertwined his fingers with Yoongi's, loving to be so close to him "And answering your question, yes, I'm really cheesy, get used to it, baby"

Yoongi smiled bashfully, feeling his cheeks getting slightly warmer because of Jungkook's cheekiness, he not only had to get accustomed to his cheesy lines but also his playful side which he adored as well. The red-haired male loved all Jungkook's sides, all of them were appealing to him and made the older male the unique person he was, that only made Yoongi reflect about his own self, what did he have that drove Jungkook to him? Yoongi asked the same question when Changkyun started to have feelings for him, maybe he underestimated and doubted himself, or maybe he felt he wasn't worthy of such attention. However, he felt lucky, at least he did when he was with Changkyun, Yoongi truly thought that he was the one who was going to be by his side forever, apparently, he was wrong.

Despite the damage Changkyun caused him, Yoongi wanted to focus on the present and where he was now. He felt proud of himself for coming forward and acknowledging the pain that he kept so well hidden inside of him in an attempt to forget all of those memories from the past which harmed him even more, luckily, Jungkook crossed paths with him and, ironically, his rudeness brought Yoongi and the older male closer and helped him move on.

Yoongi kept looking around, seeing the other people happily walking with their loved ones, apparently, that place was pretty popular which made him wonder how Jungkook had the idea of bringing them to the Sky Rose Garden.

"So, strong bunny, I want to know..." Yoongi spoke wittily as he averted his attention to Jungkook, who immediately smile at the mention of the sweet nickname "How did you come up with the idea of bringing us to this mind-blowing place? I'm sure your best friend wasn't the one who suggested it..."

"Well, Seokjin wasn't exactly the most romantic guy when he was younger, and neither was I, however, I changed the moment I went to university, I matured, Seokjin not so much, but that's beside the point..." Jungkook decided to not talk about the past, in a way, it was a reminder of how much his best friend had changed his personality, however, he was hopeful now that Taehyung was trying to reconnect Seokjin and Jimin. The black-haired male made eye contact with Yoongi, finding it cute how his pinkish cheeks contrasted with his porcelain skin "Namjoon was the one who gave me the idea, he told me he brought Seunghee here several times when they were dating and, apparently, he proposed not very far from here"

"I still can't see Seokjin as a party animal..." Yoongi mumbled, trying to see where the path he and Jungkook were taking led them "Namjoon never told me where he proposed to Seunghee, but I knew it was somewhere as romantic as this..."

Jungkook noticed how Yoongi's smile quickly faded away, probably because he mentioned Namjoon's proposal. According to what the red-haired male told him, his ex-boyfriend not only didn't put effort into his request for marriage but also proposed to him while cheating on him, Jungkook could only imagine how hurtful it was to go through a situation like that.

"He didn't deserve you, Yoongi, he wasn't worthy of your love so, don't think about that son of bitch, it was his lost anyway..."

"I know, I just wished I could have seen it sooner, you know..." Yoongi said dejectedly as he tightened his grip on Jungkook's hand, his touch comforted him "But, you know, I'm starting to realise that everything I had to put up with wasn't in vain, my pain somehow led me to you, Jungkook and, I am thankful for that and for you too..."

"Well, I never thought I would be happy for being called predator, but that's a hell of a story, don't you think?" Jungkook tried his best to bring the mood up and, fortunately, he managed to make Yoongi smile brightly again with his funny yet truthful comment "Now, I hope you love the place where I'm taking you, Namjoon said it was beautiful"

"Is that place full of lights?" Yoongi asked curiously as he pointed in the direction he was looking at not so long ago while seeing Jungkook nodding his head "Can you tell me what those lights are?"

"I prefer showing it to you, instead of telling you, baby, I bet you are going to love it" Jungkook responded amusingly, chuckling when he saw Yoongi pouting. He leaned forward and kissed the red-haired male's heated cheek "You're adorable when you pout, you know that?"

"N-No, I'm not, shut up..." Yoongi stuttered nervously as he tried to be slightly distant from Jungkook, although the black-haired male was pulling him closer once again. The younger male didn't know how to explain it, but every time he was with Jungkook he felt vulnerable, in a good way, at the same time, he felt more confident and assured "Let's go see the mysterious lights..."

Yoongi began to drag Jungkook along the path that led to the well-lit place, attempting to ignore his cheeks which were probably on fire because of the black-haired male's straightforwardness and impudence that always affected him. As he got closer, Yoongi slowed down his pace, his eyes widened with the marvellous view while noticing a few couples and groups of friends taking photos. He admired the beautiful sight in front of him as he approached the ledge, seeing hundreds of LED roses lighted up, contrasting with the darkness of the night.
Yoongi was completely speechless, he was already astonished by everything Jungkook did for him throughout their date, he didn't have any idea of what the older male had planned. Yoongi was certainly going to love anything he would do because it came from the heart and, so far, he was having a wonderful time, especially where they were currently, the Sky Rose Garden was truly romantic, the perfect place to go to on Valentine's Day.

"They light up automatically when the sun sets..." Jungkook spoke softly, seeing Yoongi's eyes focused on the LED rose garden. He was caught by surprise at how stunning the garden was, he only saw the photos Namjoon and Seunghee took of the place "It was supposed to be a temporary exhibition, but because it was so popular, they decided to make it a permanent fixture"

"It's gorgeous, Jungkook..." Yoongi said absentmindedly, not being able to avert his gaze from the roses "It's breath-taking..."

"Now, you know how reacted when I saw you the first time at the coffee shop..." Jungkook confessed bluntly, finally getting Yoongi's attention. He let go of the younger's hand and placed his own on the other's waist, pulling his body closer to his as he stared deeply at the red-haired male's beaming eyes "Yoongi, I was being honest when I said I was totally mesmerised by you when I noticed you, the cute red-haired male, sitting by the window with his cup of coffee and his blueberry muffin, this scenery isn't as gorgeous and breath-taking as you, you surely captured my heart"

"Jungkook..."

Yoongi felt his heart racing against his chest, fluttering with every word that pierced right through him, making him feel loved and appreciated. He thought he knew what real love felt like when he was dating Changkyun, despite the pain the male caused him, the red-haired male had the chance to experience his ex-boyfriend's sweet gestures and his endearing confessions to him. However, Jungkook's speech and his actions towards him didn't compare with Changkyun did and said, maybe it was an unfair comparison, still Yoongi had to be honest with himself and confront the feelings he had for Jungkook. Yoongi truly felt lucky to have someone as amazing as Jungkook by his side, after years of pushing everyone away to protect himself and his fragile broken heart, he was finally happy to be embraced by love again, having a second chance with the older male.

Yoongi gently grasped Jungkook's coat, momentarily breaking eye contact with the older male, he bit his bottom lip as he gather the courage to do what he waited so long to do. He boldly glanced at Jungkook again, his eyes landed on the black-haired male's smile, the smile that made his heart beat even faster than before, he slowly tilted his head while pulling Jungkook down and, finally, connected his lips with the older male's.

Jungkook wasn't foreseeing Yoongi's kiss, ironically, the younger male was reading his mind, because for so long he longed for those thin and rosy lips against his, he longed to feel his sweet and tender lips against his and, now that the moment finally came, he couldn't be happier. The black-haired male reciprocated right away as he squeezed the younger male's hips, glueing their bodies together, wanting nothing more to feel the warmth radiating from the other while his lips caressed Yoongi's, enjoying the sudden yet mind-blowing kiss. Jungkook pressed his lips against the younger's bottom lip, he carefully pulled it and slid his tongue inside, making the delicate beauty whimper, Jungkook had to be mindful that the both of them were in public, he didn't want to lose control of himself, even though it seemed an impossible task.

Yoongi let go of Jungkook's coat, and his hands made their way to the older male's shoulders, not wanting a single particular to be between them. He wrapped his arms around the other's neck, feeling the cold of the night dissipating whilst their kiss became more fiery and fierce, Yoongi was getting breathless, nonetheless, he didn't want to part his lips from Jungkook's tempting ones.

Jungkook broke the kiss against his wishes, he opened his eyes and gazed at Yoongi, his parted lips were swollen and his cheeks were bright red, brighter than his hair colour. He couldn't help but smile at the view, the younger indeed captured his heart, making him fall even more in love.

"Jungkook, I-I, hum, I-I want you t-to spend the night with me..."

"Did you enjoy our kiss that much?" Jungkook asked impishly, noticing Yoongi's enthralling eyes widening with his audacious remark "Yoongi, baby, I thought you wanted to take things slow"

Yoongi smacked Jungkook's shoulder, not liking the elder's playful tone, maybe he should've phrased his intentions in a more clarifying manner. "Of course, I want to take things slow, this is our first date, and I'm not ready for that yet, you know that, what I meant by spending the night was something else, I'm enjoying our time together, I don't want to be apart from you..."

"I was messing with you, my delicate beauty, I'm a gentleman after all, I would never go that far so soon, I have tremendous respect for you" Jungkook remarked as he cupped Yoongi's face, smiling widely with the younger's adorableness "I also don't want to be apart from you, I would love to cuddle you all night long"

***

Namjoon was finishing lightening up the scented candles spread all over the bedroom, he carefully brought closer one of the container candles, smelling the pleasant fragrance of jasmine coming from it. Seunghee loved scented candles, she basically had a cabinet full of them with various fragrances, jasmine was her favourite, apparently, it was a sweet scent that helped relax and its perfume infused a sense of calm, furthermore, it was romantic and set the mood. Namjoon placed the container on top of the nightstand, along with the lighter, he observed his bedroom, seeing the many candles lightening the place and the multiple rose petals spread on the floor and the bed, feeling proud of himself. He successfully set up the mood without breaking anything or setting the bedroom on fire, the last time he tried to light up candles, he almost burned down the house, that was why Seunghee decided to buy container candles, they were safer.

Namjoon sat down on the end of the bed, waiting for Seunghee to get out of their shared bathroom. Despite knowing his wife for years, the male still felt the need to impress Seunghee, he always felt the need to do something special on Valentine's Day, but this year was a bit different. Namjoon didn't forget the promise he made to Seunghee about going to the doctor in case he didn't get his wife pregnant, it was frustrating and nerve-racking, and he didn't want to pressure Seunghee, it had a negative effect on her body. He enjoyed making love with his beautiful wife, however, he was getting impatient to start a family and he felt guilty, Namjoon thought it was his fault.

A noise awoke Namjoon from his pessimistic thoughts, he saw Seunghee shyly coming out of the bathroom with a small smile on her pinkish lips. He immediately got up from the bed, not being able to avert his gaze from the beautiful woman and the daring outfit she was wearing.

"I bought this negligée last year for our third wedding anniversary, but I felt like it was too much..." Seunghee said diffidently, checking the see-through red negligée she was wearing. She bit her bottom lip and glanced at Namjoon, who couldn't stop staring at her and had his mouth completely agape "Glad my hubby likes it because he's practically drooling..."

"Seunghee, baby..." Namjoon spoke softly as he walked towards Seunghee while his eyes remained focused on her. He carefully brushed her pink hair from her shoulder, still not believing his wife went the extra mile by dressing in sexy lingerie "Did I ever tell you that you are the most beautiful woman on the planet?"

"Well, yes, you did" Seunghee giggled with Namjoon's compliment as she placed her hands on her husband's bare chest, sliding them down to feel his strong upper body "And did I ever tell you that you are the sexiest man on the planet?"

"Plenty of times, baby..." Namjoon snickered with Seunghee's friskiness, loving to feel his wife's touch on his skin, it just drove him even more insane. He gripped Seunghee's hips, feeling her silhouette, and shamefully gawked at her body "I hope our baby is as beautiful and smart as you, Seunghee, you are going to be the most wonderful mother..."

Seunghee wrapped her arms around Namjoon's neck, feeling slightly anxious with her husband's remark, she desperately wanted to get pregnant, not just because she wanted to give Namjoon a baby, but also to accomplish her dream of being a mother. She honestly didn't care if she didn't get as easily pregnant as her sister and she didn't care if her mother was always pressuring her to start a family. All Seunghee cared about was Namjoon's input on the matter, he always wanted a little girl, and so did she, the pink-haired girl was feeling optimistic, despite her anxiety.

"I have a good feeling, Joon, I know we are going to fulfil our dream of being parents, I'm sure of it, you know, I think I felt pressured because of my mother's annoying meddling and my sister's bragging about having a second child, but I don't care about them, I care about you, sweetie, you mean the world to me"

"Look at me, baby, no matter what happens during these next few weeks, I'll be by your side, I'll do everything in my power to reassure you and make you comfortable" Namjoon stated surely, cupping Seunghee's face, noticing the tears forming in her brown eyes "When I married you, I promised you that I was going to be there for you, in the good and bad moments, I was there for you when your restaurant was struggling at the beginning like you were there for me when I was having a hard time at my job, now look at us, Seunghee, your restaurant is a success and I have a job on one of the most well-known companies in the country, things are going pretty well for us, I'm confident that we are going to be able to start a family..."

"Joon..." Seunghee whispered, trying to stop herself from crying her eyes out with Namjoon's sweet words "I'm confident too, sweetie, I love you so much, I couldn't have asked for a better man and husband, Kim Namjoon, I'm so happy that you chose me as your wife..."

"The same goes for me, my darling, I couldn't have asked for a better wife, you're a remarkable woman..." Namjoon uttered fondly as he tilted his head, yearning to taste his wife's lips and make love to her "I love you, Seunghee..."

Namjoon slammed his lips against Seunghee's sweet ones, tasting her passionfruit lip balm that reminded him of the first kiss he shared with his wife, an unforgettable kiss since it was the first time he was kissing someone.

Namjoon always had been an introvert, he was shy and didn't have any social skills like Taehyung had, in some way, he envied his younger brother for being a social butterfly and for having the ability to get along with everyone without second guessing himself or thinking too much about what people thought about him. When he went to university, Namjoon was nervous because he had to get accustomed to a new environment and new people, one of those people was Seunghee, the male never forgot the day his eyes landed on his wife, she was the total opposite of him - she outgoing, smart, generous and incredibly beautiful. For that reason, she always had some guy after her, Namjoon never thought he had a chance with a girl like that so when Seunghee talked to him the first time, he was utterly confused and dumbfounded as well, she could have had any man she wanted, but, in the end, Namjoon was the lucky one who conquered Seunghee's heart.

Namjoon passionately kissed Seunghee as his hands travelled to her lower back, slowly making their way to her bottom. The pink-haired girl whined against his lips, letting him take control of the heated kiss. He bit Seunghee's bottom lip, wanting to hear his wife's moans, while feeling her hands stroking his hair, pulling him down to deepen the kiss.

Seunghee briefly parted her lips from Namjoon, feeling the desire for her husband growing, the anticipation was killing her and making her feel more aroused, Namjoon's naughty hands were driving her crazy. She jumped, and her husband immediately caught her while she wrapped her legs around his broad waist, not being able to wait any longer. Seunghee pecked Namjoon's lips and stared at the man for whom she was madly in love with, the same love that grew over the many years she and Namjoon had been together.

"Baby, I can't take it any longer, I want you..."

Namjoon didn't say a single word and just complied with Seunghee's desperate request, feeling exactly the same way as his beautiful wife, he couldn't wait to make love to her and, hopefully, have the possibility of starting a family at last, like Seunghee, Namjoon was positive about the near future. Namjoon didn't waste time, he headed to the bed decorated with rose petals, he didn't bother putting nice sheets since it was unnecessary, then he carefully placed Seunghee on it, admiring her pink hair sprawled on the duvet with the petals surrounding her. He leaned down and gently kissed Seunghee's neck while his hands travelled along her slim and smooth bent legs, his fingers reached the matching red laced panties.

Seunghee unconsciously spread her legs as she threw her head back, loving the feeling of Namjoon's plump lips caressing her neck while feeling his fingers fidgeting with her underwear. As Namjoon's lips moved to her chest, Seunghee felt her husband's hands sliding her panties down her legs, noticing the lustful glint in Namjoon's eyes. She never had a problem exposing her body to her husband, he always made her feel comfortable, beautiful and confident, not only in a physical way. Namjoon gave Seunghee the strength and the courage to follow her dreams when she was frightened of opening her restaurant and like her husband said earlier when she thought she was a failure because she didn't get almost any clients in the first months, Namjoon was there by her side, giving her the motivation and the hope she desperately needed, now she had a successful business, the only thing missing was a baby.

"Seunghee, darling, you're truly mesmerising and sexy..." Namjoon commented huskily as he disposed of Seunghee's laced underwear. His eyes were solemnly focused on the woman beneath him as his hands kept exploring his wife's body, earning a few lewd whines from her, he could sense how impatient she was getting, and the same went for him. Namjoon slightly lifted Seunghee's negligée, exposing her stomach, and softly kissed it, giving a sly smirk to her wife "Let's make our baby..."

Seunghee smiled back, feeling her heart thumping with excitement. "Let's make our beautiful baby..."

***

Yoongi finished brushing his teeth, he quickly cleaned his toothbrush and closed the faucet, placing the toothbrush on the small cup in the right corner of the sink. He grabbed the small towel that was hanging on the rack and cleaned the remaining toothbrush from his mouth. Yoongi stared at his reflection in the mirror, recollecting the events that unfolded that night – the dinner at the amazing restaurant, their walk on the Sky Rose Garden, their first kiss –, his first date with Jungkook was memorable and unbelievable to him, just thinking about everything the elder did for him made his heart pounding as fast as the moment they kissed, Yoongi couldn't help but blush with the fond memories he made with Jungkook.

Yoongi let out a deep breath as he fixed his hair, brushing it slightly to the side as he examined the pyjamas he chose to wear, at the same time, he felt nervous about Jungkook spending the night at his house. The red-haired male didn't know why he suddenly asked the older male to stay at his place, maybe the kiss had indeed an effect on his brain because he would never make such an invitation to someone after a first date. Nonetheless, Yoongi already was infatuated with Jungkook and he was being honest when he said to the other how he didn't want their time together to come to an end, his emotions basically took control, now that he was brought back to life once again after years of being buried under his pain, Yoongi wanted to hold on to that feeling that was rapidly taking over his heart.

Yoongi opened the bathroom door and made his way to his bedroom where Jungkook was, he decided to land some of Hyunjoon's clothes, his younger brother had a similar build as Jungkook's. The red-haired male had always kept some of his brother's outfits, Hyunjoon, sometimes, spent the weekend at his house, luckily, this upcoming weekend wasn't one which meant Yoongi wasn't going to deal with his younger brother's teasing about him and Jungkook.

When Yoongi reached his bedroom, he stopped in his tracks, immediately noticing Jungkook sitting on the side of his bed, glancing at his phone completely shirtless, now the red-haired male was even more panicky and his cheeks were heating up again.

"J-Jungkook, w-why are you n-not dressed?"

Jungkook momentarily took his eyes off his phone, seeing Yoongi fidgeting with his fingers while avoiding making eye contact with him. He smirked as he admired the red-haired male's bordeaux pyjamas that made the other seem younger and smaller than he was.

"And why are you stuttering, my delicate beauty? I thought you would love to see me shirtless"

"Y-You really like to mess with me, don't you, strong bunny?" Yoongi said timidly, still not making eye contact with Jungkook "Just put the t-shirt on..."

"I very much enjoy messing with you and you like it, Yoongi, you just pretend that you don't, now come here, I want to show you something..." Jungkook retorted cheekily as he patted the bed, noticing Yoongi biting on his bottom lip, the black-haired male didn't know if the younger did that intentionally or not, either way, he was naturally a flirt without even knowing "Unless you are afraid of being near me while I'm shirtless? Or afraid of losing your cool?"

Yoongi frowned as he made his way to the bed, not liking how the older male took advantage of his bashfulness, even though he sincerely enjoyed Jungkook's playful side, however, Yoongi would never admit that out loud.

"Looks like someone is going to sleep on the couch..." Yoongi muttered as he sat down on the bed, next to Jungkook, earning a shocked look from him "Don't look at me like that, Jungkook, now show me whatever you wanted to show me, I don't have all night"

Jungkook smiled at Yoongi's assertiveness, knowing he was just acting defensively because he was embarrassing him for the second time that night. He placed his arm around Yoongi's waist, bringing him closer, and showed him his phone. "Seokjin's mother sent this to me earlier, Jimin, sometimes, stays at his grandparents' house, Mrs Kim is the kindest woman in the world, the same can't be said about the older Kim.

Yoongi saw photos of Jimin hugging the teddy bear Jungkook offered to the little one the day he met the black-haired male, noticing the small boy's hand and the teddy bear's hand with matching colourful patches, making him smile widely. The red-haired male focused on the photo, loving the beautiful smile on Jimin's face, the small child seemed so cheerful, he wondered if Seokjin's implausible gestures from that day towards his son had something to do with the little one's happiness.

Yoongi scrolled down the chat to see the other photos, and one of them caught his eye.

"This is a flower from the playground of the school..." Yoongi pointed to the yellow flower Jimin had on his ear, pondering if it was the same flower Seokjin gave to his son, the younger male knew Hoseok had the habit of offering those flowers to Jimin "Taehyung told me that your annoying best friend picked up flowers from there as per his request since the lollipops weren't exactly from him, I saw one mixed with the flowers Taehyung received from the cute babies today, apparently, your best friend gave him one as well"

"Are you sure of that?" Jungkook questioned, not believing Seokjin would give Taehyung a flower. The black-haired male, that morning, suggested that Seokjin should offer a lollipop, not only to Jimin, but Taehyung as well as a way of showing gratitude for everything the amusing male was doing for him, of course, as usual, his best friend looked at him like he was crazy "I kind of suggested Seokjin give Taehyung one of the lollipops, I gave him three to offer to Jimin and also Hoseok, he rolled his eyes at me and kicked me out of his office"

"Yes, I'm sure, I asked Taehyung about it and he deviated from the conversation like he didn't want to admit that Seokjin gave him a flower and a lollipop" Yoongi giggled, remembering the conversation he had with his best friend when showed him the daring outfit he was going to wear that night "In the end, my stubborn best friend confessed that Seokjin gave him and the kids the lollipops and the flower, although he was very defensive which means, he was caught off guard and embarrassed with the kind gesture"

Jungkook couldn't believe the words Yoongi just professed to him at that moment because Seokjin already had serious issues demonstrating affection and expressing himself towards his son. However, now he had knowledge that his best friend wasn't only trying to reconnect with Jimin with Taehyung's help, but he was slowly bringing to the surface the person he was in the past, Seokjin was probably clueless about it. Jungkook thought that his best friend didn't want to show any emotion since the Kim men couldn't show any weaknesses, apparently, expressing their true feelings was a sign of being weak, the black-haired male had never heard of such a ridiculous premise.

"I didn't have a chance to speak with Seokjin, he probably was going to deviate from the conversation and act defensive, just like Taehyung" Jungkook stated wittily as he locked his phone, then he placed it on the nightstand closer to Yoongi "It's funny how they are opposites but behave in the same way, I think they complete each other in some manner, don't you think?"

"I still don't like your best friend, Jungkook, in my eyes he still is an asshole, however, he kind of redeem himself with what he did towards the kids and Taehyung, but I have to agree..." Yoongi thought about that when he was talking to Taehyung when he revealed his outfit to him, hearing his best friend speaking about the man and his actions that day made him ponder if he could be someone Taehyung could have an interest in the future which sounded unlikely to him. On the other hand, Yoongi was certain that his cheerful best friend would have dumped Hongseok the first time he cheated, Yoongi was wrong. Yoongi wanted Taehyung to speak to him about the pain he was feeling, if his conversation with Jungkook helped him, he knew Taehyung would probably feel better if he didn't burry those hurtful feelings inside of him "You know, I like making fun of their relationship, but I'm afraid, what if Taehyung gets too close to Seokjin and the unthinkable happens, I mean, I was sure he would dump Hongseok when he found out about the first time he cheated, I was sure he wasn't going to have a hard time breaking up with him and he's falling apart, Taehyung is vulnerable right now..."

"Yoongi..." Jungkook wasn't expecting the younger to reflect on Taehyung's and Seokjin's relationship in a profound way, nevertheless, he understood his concerns, even when he thought how odd it would be to see Taehyung feel some type of way towards Seokjin, but nothing was impossible "Well, I can't assure that will never happen, incompatible doesn't always mean that two people who don't see eye to eye can't get closer and develop feelings, some relationships begin with hatred, look at us, baby"

Yoongi glanced at Jungkook, pouting. "I didn't hate you, I made wrongful assumptions about your character, you meanie, now you definitely will sleep on the couch..."

"I know you didn't, Yoongi" Jungkook spoke tenderly, cupping Yoongi's pinkish cheek. The black-haired male thought back to the day he decided to talk to the red-haired beauty at the coffee shop, an unfortunate meet drove him and Yoongi together "Even though things between us didn't start off in the right way, I'm really glad you decide to trust and confide in me, I'm grateful for that and I don't regret flirting with you that day"

Yoongi gave a small smile to Jungkook while feeling his thumb caressing his blushing cheek. "Jungkook..."

Jungkook tilted his head as his eyes solely focused on Yoongi's sweet lips. He slowly leaned forward and brushed his nose on the younger's just to tease him a little, feeling their breathings mixing with each other. Jungkook got even closer, ready to kiss Yoongi's pretty lips, when he was about to kiss his delicate beauty, he felt a pillow going against his head and Yoongi's loud giggles.

"That's for messing with me twice this evening and not putting the t-shirt on when I told you to" Yoongi chuckled as he got up from the bed to escape any sudden counter-attacks from Jungkook, however, the moment he was about to get away, he felt the older male's hands on his waist, making him sit on his lap "Hey, that's not fair, Jungkook, you're stronger than me, you should give me a few seconds to run away"

"I don't play fair, baby, and I love having you on my lap..." Jungkook whispered provocatively in Yoongi's ear, feeling the younger in his embrace tensing up "And because of your pillow attack, I'm not going to put on the t-shirt, it's your job to keep me warm at night..."

"I-I'm starting to think that you want to flex your body, Jungkook..."

"I kind of do, I want to show off my body to my baby..." Jungkook softly kissed Yoongi's neck as he tightened his grip around the younger's waist, feeling the other trembling "Now, how about we go to bed and cuddle? I know you invited me over because you wanted my strong arms around you..."

Yoongi nervously placed his hands on top of Jungkook's as he leaned on the elder's shoulder, feeling his body heating up with the sudden proximity and with the black-haired male's husky and frisky tone of voice. He closed his eyes and was caught by surprise when Jungkook pressed his lips against his, it was a brief kiss, however, made his heart skip a beat with the gentleness of the older male.

"Can we stay like this for a while, strong bunny?"

Jungkook kissed Yoongi's temple and rested his head on the younger's. "Of course, we can, my delicate beauty..."

Chapter Text

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(Earlier that day)

"I-Is that, ah, i-is that for me?"

"Ah, yes, it is..." Seokjin simply responded, thinking that maybe he was going crazy, he couldn't believe he was taking Jungkook's advice, his best friends gave him the three lollipops and suggested that he should do something nice for Taehyung since he was the one who was helping him connecting with Jimin. At first, Seokjin wasn't too excited about Jungkook's idea, however, he decided that it could be a way to not only thank the younger for everything he was doing for him but also to cheer him up, Taehyung probably was struggling with the ex-boyfriend's situation "Jungkook kind of suggested that I should give you one of the lollipops as a way to thank you for what you are doing for me and I also know that you are not feeling Valentine's day this year so, well, I thought a flower could remind you of the good times you had on this day in the past if you don't want it-"

Taehyung gently grabbed the lollipop and the bright yellow flower, having a hard time comprehending Seokjin at that moment, he didn't seem like the person he usually dealt with which wasn't exactly a bad thing, it was just odd and yet surprising. The pink and blonde haired younger smiled bashfully at the gesture, if he wasn't expecting the cute kids' gift, he surely wasn't expecting something from the elder, still, he was grateful for the consideration he had for him, especially when the last weeks had been so difficult for him because of Hongseok.

"I appreciate your words and your gesture, Seokjin, I mean it..." Taehyung spoke sincerely as he stared at the simple and bright yellow flower while delicately touching one of its petals, questioning himself if Seokjin in the past was more warm-hearted than he was now "When you want, you can be a gentleman..."
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Taehyung was stirring his colourful cocktail with the straw while his mind kept replaying the events that unfolded that morning. He didn't know if the blush on his cheeks was because of the alcohol he already had drunk that night or the thoughts about Seokjin's unexpected gesture towards him. Taehyung didn't want to linger on the subject, especially after the conversation he had with Yoongi, namely, the suggestion that the ice sculpture made his heart flutter which the young male vehemently denied, even though there was some truth behind that statement.

Taehyung guided the straw to his mouth, resorting to the alcohol to forget about the embarrassment he went through that morning and also forget the upsetting emotions that were swirling inside his heart. He finished his drink, yearning for another one to drown his sorrowfulness and loneliness, not wanting to reflect on anything, neither from that day nor the weeks prior. Taehyung wanted to have fun with his friends and let himself go, he was far gone from sobriety and feeling the alcohol settling comfortably inside of him, slowly transforming his depressive state into cheerfulness.

Taehyung glanced to his left, and his eyes landed on one of the bartenders, the one with blonde hair, he couldn't help but stare, noticing how the white t-shirt the attractive male was wearing was hugging his biceps and his sculptured upper body, his black skinny jeans were outlining his perfect bottom. The younger with colourful hair parted his mouth from the straw, observing the blonde bartender, who was distracted with some giggling and excited girls, as he unconsciously licked his lips. While he watched attentively to the handsome man's movements, Taehyung was caught by the said man, who immediately smiled and winked at him, now he knew why his cheeks were burning up and the alcohol wasn't the one to blame.

(All of a sudden, this place got even hotter, damn...)

"So cute!" Soonyoung squealed joyfully, however, his voice was muffled because of the loud music and the small talk from the people who were sitting near them at the bar counter were having "Tae, look at the photo, aren't they adorable together?"

Taehyung crossed his left leg over the right, leaning down to see Soonyoung's phone as he tilted his head. He saw a photo of Yoongi and Jungkook posted on the black-haired male's Instagram, and he smiled proudly, recognising the scenery behind them, Namjoon and Seunghee had already shown him a few photos they had taken when they were dating. The place was mesmerising according to his older brother and his wife and it was worth the visit, unfortunately, Taehyung never had the chance to go there with any of his ex-boyfriends, however, he was planning on going with his first boyfriend.

"I'm proud of myself since, you know, I'm responsible for their happiness" Taehyung commented smugly as he averted his attention to his empty glass, wishing for another drink, preferably, something stronger than the last few cocktails he had "I should put cupid on my résumé..."

Soonyoung and Gunhak noticed how upbeat Taehyung was with Yoongi's and Jungkook's relationship. They stared at each other, remembering the time their friend and Seokjin teamed up to help the two males reconcile.

"Well, Tae, you can't take all the credit..." Gunhak said indifferently, kind of predicting how Taehyung was going to respond, however, his friend was already slightly inebriated "Seokjin also helped Yoongi and Jungkook, you guys were a pretty good team"

"Gu is right, Tae, Seokjin partook in the plan, don't be a credit hog..."

Taehyung smiled against his will, maybe the alcohol was already affecting his judgement and his brain. "Jinnie and I work well together, but, I'm certainly not the one who is a credit hog, the man basically said it was all thanks to him, he's such a meanie"

"He's really drunk" Soonyoung laughed loudly as he looked at Gunhak, who was chuckling while placing his phone in the side pocket of his jeans "Because there was no way he would call him Jinnie in front of us if he wasn't"

"I think he didn't have enough, I meant of Seokjin and the alcohol" Gunhak snorted with his remark, making Soonyoung burst out laughing once again. The blue-haired male glimpsed at Taehyung, who was frowning and pouting at them while playing with the straw "Why are you looking at us like that, you are the one who blabbed, not us, also we are going to make fun of you for the rest of your life, a life you will spend with Jinnie"

"You know what you also are going to do?" Taehyung asked, not understanding completely what his friend said because of the loud music coming from the speakers "You two are going to buy me my next drinks, you still owe me..."

"Owe you for what?" Soonyoung questioned, confused, seeing his friend with pink and blonde hair searching for the bartenders, he could see the one Taehyung had his eye on "I think that's an excuse to talk with the blondie, am I right?"

"Bingo!" Taehyung practically shouted as his eyes spotted the blonde bartender, who instantly looked his way, making him smile foolishly. The younger with colourful hair noticed how the bartender with brunette hair was heading towards him, but the one he wanted to stop him and went to him instead, Taehyung was glad the blondie, as Soonyoung amusingly put it, was coming to him. He saw the good-looking blonde male approaching as he leaned slightly on the counter to be closer to the other "Hi, handsome!"

"I wish my mother named me that..." the blonde male remarked playfully, not being able to avert his eyes from the interesting male in front of him, he was foxy "Unfortunately, I have a boring name, it's Minhyuk, by the way, what's yours? It's not cutie, is it?"

"M-Minhyuk?" Taehyung stuttered while his head travelled far back into the past with the familiar name. He shook his head, not wanting to remember memories from that long ago, the past was the past and he was having a good time, especially when a hot bartender was staring at him with shameless eyes "Ah, sorry, my mind went blank for a second, and, ah, my name's Taehyung"

"Beautiful name..." Minhyuk complimented, seeing how Taehyung's cheeks were scarlet, maybe it was from the alcohol, or maybe he was having some sort of effect on the gorgeous male "What can I get you, Taehyung?"

"Well, I would happily have you, but you aren't on the menu..." Taehyung answered provocatively as he glided his fingers on one of Minhyuk's veiny forearms "What do you suggest?"

"I'm might not be on the menu, but I wouldn't mind making an exception for you..." Minhyuk responded in the same tone as Taehyung, loving how dashing he was being, despite not acting differently from the girls that continuously threw themselves at him and gave him their number, something about the male with unique hair colours awoke his curiosity "We have a lot of cocktails, depending on what you like, I bet you like sweet and strong drinks, right? I have a couple of suggestions, care to hear them?"

Taehyung nodded his head sluggishly, moving his fingers up and down while biting his bottom lip.

""Sex on the beach" and "Between the sheets"" Minhyuk suggested, smirking at Taehyung's reaction "The first one is sweet, it has peach schnapps, orange juice, cranberry juice and vodka, the second one is slightly stronger, it has cognac, rum, triple sec and lemon juice, personally, I prefer in between the sheets, but sex on the beach is really good too..."

Gunhak and Soonyoung giggled, covering their smiles with their hands as they watched the interaction between Taehyung and the hot bartender, apparently named Minhyuk, both of them knew their friend was enjoying the conversation, especially when sexual innuendos were being thrown back and forward, it was pretty amusing for both males.

"Are you talking about your cocktail preference or your favourite place to have fun?" Taehyung asked boldly as studied Minhyuk's defined physique through his white t-shirt, smiling mischievously "Because if it's the second one, I'm curious to know how amazing it is to have sex on the beach, I never tried it before..."

"You're a naughty one, aren't you, cutie?"

"I'm really, really, really naughty, Minhyuk..." Taehyung said softly with a hint of sexiness, feeling how strong the blonde male's arms were "But I'm even naughtier when I drink, with that said, I would love a "sex on the beach", like I told you before, I never tried it..."

"I'm happy to satisfy your curiosity and I'm not only talking about the cocktail..." Minhyuk delicately took Taehyung's hand from his arm, he brought it to his lips and kissed the back of his hand while his eyes dawdled on the other's hazed ones. The blonde male took his phone from the back pocket of his skinny jeans and placed it on the counter, in front of Taehyung "Let's make a deal, cutie, if you give me your number, your and your friend's drinks will be on me, what do you say?"

Taehyung picked up Minhyuk's phone from the counter and happily gave his number to the attractive male. He returned the phone to the blonde with a cunning smile. "Here you go, hot stuff, message me or call me whenever you want, no matter the reason, I'll clear my schedule for you"

***

After having an amazing conversation with Minhyuk and getting to know him better while drinking the delicious, strong and sweet cocktails prepared by him, Taehyung and Gunhak decided to adventure themselves on the dancefloor to have some fun, leaving behind Soonyoung, who was being entertained by the brunette bartender, the one who Minhyuk stopped earlier, before attending him and his friends, Taehyung thought the male was attractive too, however, not as much as Minhyuk.

Taehyung was in the middle of the sea of people, making sure he was standing closer to Gunhak. Both he and his blue-haired friend were dancing and laughing at each other movements, sometimes, they made some comments about some drunk guys and girls who couldn't stand up straight while dancing, overall, they were having the time of their lives together. The pink and blonde haired male felt at ease, relaxed and cheery, for the first time in weeks. He didn't have to worry about upsetting feelings towards his ex-boyfriend, and he didn't focus on whatever happened that day which was sort of blurry, the alcohol did its job and helped Taehyung let himself loose and forget, for a short period of time, the chaos that was taking control of his life.

Gunhak grabbed Taehyung's hand, pulling him closer to him and leaned in on his ear. "You're disappointed, aren't you?"

"It's fine, Gu, Minhyuk and I will have an opportunity to have some fun in the future" Taehyung yelled just to make sure his friend could hear him through the obnoxious music. After talking with each other for a while, the younger with colourful hair learned that Minhyuk worked as a part-time bartender to afford his tuitions fees, apparently, the blonde male was taking his master's degree, and as much as he wanted to satisfy him sexually, he had a long shift and a lot of work to do during the day. Taehyung understood and respected him for wanting to achieve his goal no matter what, a man with objectives for the future was a turn on "I'll just have to find someone to have hot, steamy and mind-blowing sex with, and for the looks of it, there are a few candidates, also, we have to find someone for you, you need to have some fun, you cranky smurf"

Gunhak smacked Taehyung's arm playfully, feeling embarrassed for his friend's boldness, he should have already been used to the older male's attempts to set him up for a hot date, however, the last time he let Taehyung choose someone to take home, it was a disaster.

"No fucking way, Tae, the guy who set me up with last time was a cocky bastard who kept pinpointing my flaws..." Gunhak retorted firmly, remembering the unpleasant experience he went through with the guy, he was a pretty confident person and the complacent man had the nerve to insult his strong body, saying he preferred males with a feminine side, what a jerk "I trusted your judgment, my friend, how could you get it so wrong, I'm bi, there's a minor chance to fuck things up"

"I apologised a million times, Gunhak, maybe I was more his type than you were, but, if it makes you happy, I apologise again for my assumptions about the son of a bitch who told my beautiful friend that he wasn't attractive enough, I gave him a piece of my mind to make it up to you" Taehyung remarked honestly, hating how some random guy made his friend feel like he was nothing just because he didn't like wearing more revealing and feminine outfits, people like him should take a good look at a mirror "Putting that unfortunate episode on the back of our minds, I was serious about finding someone for you, particularly, that girl near the stairs, the one with the short black dress, she can't stop staring at you, my friend..."

Gunhak discreetly caught a glimpse of the girl Taehyung was talking about, noticing her subtle dance moves, she wasn't messy and crazy like the other ones who were dancing near him and Taehyung, she seemed like she was there to have some fun and enjoy the night, instead of getting drunk and make a scene, like some other people in the club. The blue-haired male saw the girl glancing straight at him, even though it was partially dark and really loud, he could see the small smile adorning her purplish plump lips.

"She looks like a model, Tae, she doesn't fit in this environment for some reason..." Gunhak felt fidgety all of the sudden with the mesmerising girl who had her eyes on him, usually, he wouldn't mind about someone's physical features, not only the body but also the face, he cared about the person's personality too "I must say, she's, ah, very beautiful and not crazy drunk, like you"

Now, it was Taehyung's turn to smack Gunhak on his arm, nonetheless, he had a wide smile on his face. "Well, I'm drunk, I could probably go home with a fucking annoying guy without even knowing, but-"

"You mean, you could go home with someone who looks similar to Seokjin..." Gunhak teased Taehyung, who was unfazed by his comment, maybe he was drunker than he thought "You have his number, I bet he isn't doing anything important, why don't you give him a call, Tae?"

"You're right, I could go home with someone similar to Seokjin, c'mon, the man is attractive and his body isn't as scrawny as I thought, he has a temper, but he isn't that bad, and he was super nice to me today, but that doesn't matter now, Kim Gunhak" Taehyung placed his hands on Gunhak's shoulders and gave them a little squeeze, and stared at his friend's eyes with conviction like he was a man on a mission "If you don't go to the girl, I will drag you to her and embarrass you until you die of cringe, is that what you want?"

"Ugh, I hate when you have something on your mind and don't rest until you make it happen, Kim Taehyung, you are too determined for your own sake" Gunhak stated grumpily, even though his curiosity about the girl was taking control of his mind, all of that thanks to his rather merrily friend, who he knew wouldn't stop annoying him until he made a move. The blue-haired male groaned as he took Taehyung's hands from his shoulders, accepting defeat "Fine! I'm going to her, in the meanwhile, behave yourself, you horny and drunk ball of fluff"

Taehyung stuck his tongue out to Gunhak as he saw his blue-haired friend hesitantly heading to the girl whose smile widen when she noticed him going to her. He stood there for a few seconds, watching Gunhak interacting with the girl in the black tight dress, according to her body language, Taehyung could see she was definitely interested in his friend which automatically brought a smile to his face, he completed his mission by providing his two friends, who kept mocking him, some entertainment for tonight, now he could take a breather and find someone willing to show him a good time.

When he was about to walk to the other side of the club, Taehyung felt two hands grasping his waist, pulling him until his back hit the stranger's torso.

"Finally I found you..." the stranger whispered in the male with colourful hair's ear, feeling his body slightly tensing with his touch "You can't run away from me, Tae..."

Taehyung slowly turned his body around to face the other male, who still didn't take his hands from his waist, his eyes widened because he was caught by surprise, he didn't know what freaky coincidence that was, regardless of that, Taehyung was happy that neither Gunhak nor Soonyoung were nearby, at least, he was hoping they weren't.

"Hongseok..." Taehyung was able to say, still shocked by his ex-boyfriend's abrupt appearance, having difficulty expressing his feelings at that instant, being under the influence of alcohol didn't help so, he couldn't tell if he was happy or angry "W-What are you doing here?"

"People from my agency decided to have a party to commemorate a deal made with a clothing line, thanks to yours truly..." Hongseok explained as he cupped one of Taehyung's cheeks with his hand "You probably don't remember, but I kind of talked to you about this a few weeks before you broke up with me, you were really excited for me..."

For some bizarre reason, Taehyung faintly recalled something about a business deal that was about to go down in Hongseok's modelling company, apparently, it was at an early stage. However, it seemed promising at the time, his ex-boyfriend was excited about that deal and, as the supportive boyfriend he was, Taehyung was rooting for Hongseok. "Yeah, I kind of remember, but I don't think it was a few weeks before I broke up with you, I think it was much earlier than that, or maybe I'm too drunk"

"Was it?" Hongseok asked unsurely because he was tipsy, not totally drunk, if he was smashed, he wouldn't be able to recognise Taehyung in the middle of the crowd, even though he had unique hair colours, the blinding lights and the hundreds of people made it almost impossible for him "It doesn't matter, really, what matter is that it finally came through, I wanted to celebrate with you, baby, when the time would come, but you're still running away from me, I thought you were going to give me a chance to talk..."

"I..." Taehyung was at a loss for words, not knowing what to say because he still didn't process the fact his ex-boyfriend was standing right in front of him, his brain was completely shut down and his thumb caressing his cheek wasn't helping him. For a long time, Taehyung tried to put behind his back everything Hongseok did towards him and coming to his house just made things worse, he wanted to get closure, but he couldn't because he was struggling with the situation "I, ah, I wanted to talk to you, but, ah, I was trying to find a wa-"

Taehyung's eyes widened for a second time that night when he felt Hongseok's lips slamming against his, taking his breath away instantly. He felt his ex-boyfriend's hands sliding down on his body, his touch on his bare skin sent shivers down his spine and he hated how astoundingly good it felt to be this intimate and close with someone he had once loved, or still loved, his mind wasn't the sharpest at that moment so, he wasn't able to fully acknowledge what was happening within his messed-up heart. The younger with pink and blonde hair reciprocated Hongseok's desperate kiss by moving his lips against the other's, tasting the strong flavour of alcohol in his mouth while he let his ex-boyfriend's tongue entangle with his as he explored every crook and cranny.

Taehyung whimpered against Hongseok's lips when the said male's hands reached his bottom and strongly squeezed one of his buttocks, making his once troubled mind go completely blank. As Hongseok's naughty hands kept roaming on his bottom, Taehyung's slowly travelled up and grabbed his ex-boyfriend's shirt as he nibbled on his bottom lip, feeling breathless.

Hongseok briefly parted his lips from Taehyung's delicious ones as he locked his gaze with him, not only to let the ethereal beauty breathe and recuperate from their kiss but to capture the current moment, despite being under the influence, he was extremely happy he found Taehyung in the middle of the club.

"I miss you so much, my baby..." Hongseok confessed fondly, feeling Taehyung's grip on his shirt tightening "I want you back in my life, Tae, I want to show you how much I love you..."

"Hongseok..." Taehyung could hear the vulnerability in his voice which made him feeble, however, he was completely blind because of the alcohol he consumed that night and he normally didn't make the best decisions of his life while under the influence, he was going to make a huge mistake, although Taehyung wasn't conscious of it yet "I want to be alone with you..."

Hongseok softly pecked Taehyung's slightly swollen lips and smiled at him. "Let's go to my place..."

***

Seokjin sighed heavily as he threw to his desk the folders holding the documents for the transfer of the employees from the small tech company he was going to officially acquire on Monday morning, feeling completely drained after the stressful day he had at work. On top of that, he was still dealing with his father's criticism about his decisions regarding the negotiations which made everything more difficult for him to handle, thankfully, Jungkook was always there, by his side supporting him and, unlike his father, giving him helpful advice.

Seokjin rested his head on the chair as he checked his wristwatch to see the time, making him sigh once again, it was almost midnight, however, he wasn't sleepy, despite the hectic day he had. Amid the messiness and the tiredness of the day, the dark-haired male's mind went back to the moment he picked Jimin up from school, remembering his son and Hoseok's gloomy expressions on their faces after being bullied. It made him upset, at the same time, he freaked out because he knew almost nothing about Jimin's school life, apart from his grades, and knowing about the serious matter made him feel even more incapable as a parent, luckily, Taehyung was there to guide him and put a smile on both Jimin's and Hoseok's faces.

Regardless of his self-doubt, Seokjin wanted to persist, he wanted to know more ways to make Jimin happy and demonstrate to him that he could behave like a normal parent, for that to happen, he desperately needed to learn how to express his emotions towards his son, whether he was happy or sad, physically and verbally, and to give positive reinforcement, no matter how Jimin did on his tests or school in general.

All of that sounded frightening to him and challenging as well, of course, being the proud man he was, Seokjin would never say that out loud, he would basically confess how much of a failure he was, and even though Jungkook and Taehyung were convinced him otherwise. Personally, he still saw himself as weak, maybe because he was taught that way, maybe because his father was ruthless and emotionless. Seokjin definitely thought that following his steps had been a huge mistake, in the end, replicating his father's behaviour did nothing but bring misery to the ones who were close to him – his late wife, Jungkook, and, more importantly, Jimin.

At first, Seokjin was reluctant to let Taehyung help him with Jimin, he was certain he was doing a terrific job, but that was an illusion, nevertheless, now, he was grateful for the younger with those atrocious hair colours and he genuinely wanted to show Taehyung how much he appreciated his aid, that was why he decided to offer him the heart-shaped lollipop and the yellow flower he picked up from the playground. For some reason, the dark-haired male thought Taehyung was going to mock him, but that never happened, instead, he acted sheepishly, perhaps that moment was a rare view of the younger male since he was completely speechless for some time, Seokjin had to admit, he liked that, for once, he had an effect on Taehyung.

Whilst lost in his thoughts, Seokjin heard a ding coming for his phone. He picked it up and saw a message from Jungkook that instantly made him roll his eyes.

"Happy to know that you gave Taehyung the lollipop and a flower of your own free will, Jinnie, I guess, starting today, I can make fun of you. If you want, I can help you choose the next flower you want to give Taehyung, I bought a book with their meanings, this way, you can make his heart flutter again"

Seokjin calmly placed the phone on top of the desk, groaning as he got up from the chair, maybe he needed to distract himself by reading a good book, instead of thinking about the nonsense Jungkook just told him through a text message. He needed new approaches and ways to thank Taehyung without Yoongi and Jungkook thought he had other intentions towards the younger male, from then on, flowers were out of the question, it was something very intimate to give someone.

Chapter Text

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(A couple of years ago...)

The moment the door of Hongseok's apartment was slammed shut, Taehyung was instantly pushed against the wall. He giggled, finding amusing Hongseok's desperation, maybe he was being a little mean, however, the other male never complained, in fact, Taehyung thought that challenging Hongseok was a fun game for him, although playing hard to get wasn't his forte. Taehyung smiled bashfully when he felt Hongseok brushing a blue lock from his eyes, his heart almost leapt from his rib cage with the gentle gesture, he couldn't deny how enthralling he was with the other male, it wasn't only physical, Taehyung felt a connection, a deep connection he only felt once with his first love.

"It's been two months since I met you, Tae..." Hongseok tilted his head, mesmerised by Taehyung's eyes that, even in the poorly lit apartment, sparkled brighter than the sun. He grasped the gorgeous blue-haired male's hips, his eyes roaming the outfit he was wearing – jean short shorts and a black t-shirt -, so simple and yet, made him go insane "You took my breath away when I first landed my eyes on you and ever since, I've been going crazy, I want you, not only your sexy body, I want your heart..."

"H-Hongseok..."

"I know you feel the same for me, baby, I can feel it when I kiss you, when I hug, you when I cuddle you, when I caress your body..." Hongseok confessed, noticing the blush creeping on Taehyung's cheeks. He took a deep breath as he grabbed the male's hands, gathering the courage to ask the question that had been bothering him for a few weeks "I want a relationship with you, I want you to be my boyfriend, Taehyung, I want to be the one to make you happy"

Taehyung was caught by surprise by Hongseok's confession because he felt it was his imagination or maybe Yoongi's warnings were getting to him, preventing him to see Hongseok's true feelings for him, nevertheless, he was happy about the outcome.

"A-Are you asking me to be your boyfriend or are you just confessing?" Taehyung questioned just to be sure what was happening, Hongseok, when he was nervous, couldn't express himself very well "Because if it is the first one, my answer is yes, I want to be your boyfriend"

"Yes, I was as-" Hongseok stopped mid-sentence, realising what Taehyung just told him. He ran his fingers through his hair, smiling stupidly "For real? You are not playing with me, right?"

Taehyung shook his head as he wrapped his arms around Hongseok's neck, shortening the distance between them just to be able to see his now boyfriend's brown eyes completely widen, it was a pretty sight to admire. Hongseok was attractive and manly, but his facial features were soft and boyish, which made him sexy and adorable at the same time.

"But, ah, you know I'm a package, right?" Taehyung asked assertively, seeing Hongseok's brows furrowing together "What I mean is, if you love me, you have to love Hoseok too, because if you don't, this relationship won't work, I'm sorry for being so blunt about this, but my ex-boyfriend didn't-"

Hongseok pecked Taehyung's lips as he pressed his body against him, shutting him up before he had the chance to talk about his last relationship that, according to the blue-haired male, wasn't very pleasant because the guy he dated wasn't very fond of children and got upset easily when Taehyung needed to take care of Hoseok.

"I love Hoseok, Taehyung, that kid is adorable and so bright, I can see part of you in him..."Hongseok whispered against Taehyung's lips as he slid his hands on the other male's sides, loving how curvy his body was "You have nothing to worry about..."

If Taehyung's heart wasn't already all messed-up before, it surely was now with Hongseok's sweet words. He could hear the honesty in his voice, which somehow reassured him because Taehyung was truly crazy about Hongseok and he wanted to pursue a relationship with him. However, he had to make sure Hoseok was in his plans too, the last thing the blue-haired male wanted was for his baby brother to be an "inconvenience" to the person he was dating.

Taehyung pulled Hongseok down and immediately kissed him fiercely and desperately, making his body burn up with such intensity, maybe it was the desire and the lust he felt for Hongseok that was fuelling the powerful fire inside his heart that was quickly spreading, turning the kiss even more breath-taking. The blue-haired male whimpered when Hongseok's lips travelled to his neck, his fingers strongly gripping the other male's hair, feeling his naughty hands exploring his body as they went down to his lower back, probably to his bottom.

Hongseok was adoring the quiet sounds coming from Taehyung's lips as he gave him feathery kisses on his neck. He lifted Taehyung without parting his lips from him, feeling the enchanting male's legs tightly around his waist, his fingers still stroking his hair. Hongseok couldn't handle it anymore, since the moment he laid eyes on Taehyung that he wanted to please him, he wanted to feel every single curve of his body, he wanted to feel his hands and his lips enthusiastically exploring him. He stumbled to the table nearby, despite yearning for Taehyung and not liking how much torture he made him go through since the start, Hongseok enjoyed the foreplay.

"H-Hongseok~" Taehyung squeezed his legs around Hongseok's waist as he felt the other male's tongue caressing his skin. He slowly glided his hands to the buttons of Hongseok's shirt, wanting to see his insanely hot body, he was definitely ready to have sex with him "I've been waiting for this for so long..."

"Me too, baby, me too...
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Hongseok clumsily closed the door of his apartment and turned the lights from his living room on while Taehyung was clinging to him, feeling his plump lips kissing his neck eagerly, probably leaving marks all over it. However, he couldn't care less about that, if the next day his body was full of love bites made by the playful male, Hongseok wouldn't care, even if he had a photo shoot in a few days. The male took control of the situation by pressing Taehyung against the wall, nearby the door, he noticed his dazzling brown eyes sparkling under the dim lights, his pupils dilated, his lips swollen, and his cute cheeks tainted with a shade of pink. Hongseok was stunned by the view in front of him that simultaneously reminded him of the night he asked Taehyung to be his boyfriend and the first time they were intimate. It had been a little over two years since that night, a memorable night engraved on Hongseok's mind, even though he was under the influence, he still could remember every detail – the slightly loose black t-shirt, the jean shorts short, Taehyung's fears for not accepting Hoseok, the beautiful sounds that came from him as he touched every single part of his body.

"It's been two months since we were together intimately, Tae..." Hongseok said quietly, taking his time admiring Taehyung and his daring outfit. He not only wanted to give pleasure to the male with pink and blonde hair, but he also wanted to make a statement and remind Taehyung of how much he loved him, despite the fucking mistakes he made along their relationship "I've been going crazy, I want you, not only your sexy body, I want your heart again..."

Taehyung remained speechless, his heart was beating loud and clear, but not like the night Hongseok asked him to be his boyfriend. It had been too long since then, however, he could still feel the love lingering inside him, beneath the pain and the wounds caused by Hongseok's deception and cheating. Aside from that, he couldn't grasp anything else at that moment, his mind was completely shut down because of the alcohol he consumed back in the club. Taehyung wasn't himself, he could hear the same voice that screamed at him when Hongseok went to his house a few weeks ago, yelling at him to go home, although it was useless.

Taehyung wrapped his arms around Hongseok's neck and pulled him down, he momentarily stopped, however, his ex-boyfriend attacked his lips right away, making the beat of his heart fasten its pace with anticipation. He threw himself at Hongseok, forcing him to catch him, he clanged to his ex-boyfriend like his life depended on it, he opened his mouth to give better access for Hongseok to explore, his tongue entangled with his, their lips moving eagerly and sync, teasing each other. Meanwhile, Taehyung could feel Hongseok's hands strongly gripping the back of his thighs, making the temperature of his body increase rapidly.

Hongseok instantly placed Taehyung on the table, his lips moved to the male with colourful hair's neck, now it was his turn to provoke him, while doing it, Taehyung tilted his head to the side to expose his neck, it was a sign that he wanted this as much as he did. As he pampered Taehyung's neck with soft kisses, Hongseok's fingers gently ran over the garters that were connecting the stockings and the underwear, touching his bare thighs, the more he felt, the more he wanted to see Taehyung's bare body.

"Take your shirt off, baby" Taehyung managed to say between his whimpers as he spread his legs, feeling desperate to see Hongseok's well-defined torso "I want to see your hot body..."

Hongseok parted from Taehyung's neck, happy to oblige the impatient male, he too was becoming restless as the seconds went by. He didn't want to waste time, even though he enjoyed the foreplay with Taehyung, it was a process to make him yearn for him, although, Hongseok wasn't in the mood to go slow, he wanted to take his time exploring and satisfying Taehyung's sexual thirst, he intended to do just that, no matter how many times he wanted him to, however, he wanted to be rough and animalistic, just like the other male enjoyed.

Hongseok started unbuttoning the buttons of his dress shirt when he was almost halfway, and Taehyung stopped him.

"Tae, baby-"

"Too slow"

Taehyung immediately grabbed the piece of clothing and ripped it open, making the buttons fly everywhere around them, finally exposing Hongseok's perfect body. He bit his bottom lip as he let his hands travel down the other's male torso, the feel of his muscles against his fingertips was driving him crazy. It had been two months since the last time he had sex, Taehyung had needs and, after the events that had been unfolding in the last month and a half because of Seokjin and his lack of emotions, he truly needed hot, steamy and mind-blowing sex, Hongseok was perfect for the job, or so he thought while being inebriated.

Hongseok disposed of his ripped shirt as he noticed the lustful glint on Taehyung's eyes while he touched his abs, making him smirk mischievously with the sudden stunt, but he wasn't one to complain, it was just a piece of clothing, he could easily replace it. Hongseok's hands went to Taehyung's spread legs, he gave his thighs a good squeeze as he focused on the stockings and the garters, he never saw the cheerful male wearing such a thing before. He had to admit, it aroused him seeing Taehyung so comfortable with his body to the point of wearing accessories that were intended for females, however, the male with colourful hair didn't care about those details and Hongseok didn't either, he respected his choices, he always did, besides, Taehyung looked sexy in anything, of course, he preferred when he wasn't wearing a single piece of clothing.

"It's your turn, Tae..." Hongseok spoke sensually as he brushed his nose on Taehyung's, feeling the other's breathing hitch "I want to see my baby's sexy naked body..."

Taehyung smiled maliciously, pushing Hongseok's hands away from his legs. He got up from the table, surprising the other male, who was attentively watching his every move. He guided his hands to the button of his ripped black shorts and quickly unbuttoned it, he pulled them down, unveiling his laced underwear with criss-cross details, thick sides, an oversize satin bow with rhinestones and his matching lace top stockings, that Hongseok couldn't stop touching earlier. Taehyung kicked the ripped shorts to the side, placed his hands on the hem of his crop top and lifted it up, throwing it to the floor, he locked his gaze with Hongseok, who was licking his lips, probably thinking about the many things he wanted to do to him, however, Taehyung didn't want him to think, he wanted him to take action and make him pant and scream, make him sweat and hold on to him while being pleased.

Taehyung grabbed Hongseok's hand, intertwining his fingers with his, he began to walk towards the bedroom, without taking his eyes off his ex-boyfriend. "Hongseok, baby, are you enjoying the view?"

"I really am, baby, but, I'm sure seeing you underneath me completely naked is going to be a better view for me to enjoy"

***

Taehyung moaned as he buried the back of his head on the pillows when Hongseok added a third finger, feeling slightly painful, it had been a couple of months since the last time he had sex, and the pain was inevitable. Nevertheless, the male with pink and blonde hair was enjoying himself and the way Hongseok was moving his fingers inside of him, regardless of the sting he was currently feeling. Taehyung spread his legs even more as he bent them up to give Hongseok a better view, he could see he was having fun as he was preparing him, his eyes and his cocky grin were the proof.

"I love when you and your body respond to my touch..." Hongseok stated enticingly, watching Taehyung's body quivering under him as he kept thrusting his fingers inside the aroused male who couldn't stop moaning. He sneakily averted his attention to the male with colourful hair's member, noticing how hard he already was, the same went for him "I know you like it rough, baby, do you want me to fuck you all night like that?"

"YES~" Taehyung answered louder than he wanted, however, he couldn't control the volume of his moans, it was only Hongseok's fingers, apparently his body was even needier of attention than he expected. The male with pink and blonde hair felt his ex-boyfriend's fingers almost hitting his prostate, he was kind of embarrassed to admit that he was on the verge of an orgasm when they were only in the beginning "Hongseok~, i-if you don't stop, I'm going to cum"

Hongseok decided to stop, not because he didn't want to see Taehyung reaching his climax, on the contrary, however, the night was young and he had a lot of ideas for them to enjoy each other's bodies fully, Hongseok honestly didn't want to stop until they were covered with sweat and cum. The male slowly took his fingers out, and as he did, a good amount of lube oozed from Taehyung's entrance, he smirked as he grabbed the other male's calves, feeling the lace fabric of the stockings against his fingertips, Hongseok wanted Taehyung fully naked, but seeing him only wearing the stockings without clothes on, it was a turn on. Hongseok pushed Taehyung's legs to his chest, still with his legs wide open for him, he leaned down, fixing the male with pink and blonde hair's eyes, and slowly licked the rest of the lube, instantly feeling Taehyung's body quivering while hearing him call his name in a very lewd way.

"Does it feel good, Tae?" Hongseok taunted, moving his hands up to the back of Taehyung's thighs to be able to spread his legs a little more. He licked the remaining lube, tasting the peppermint flavour as he briefly let his tongue linger on the other male's orifice "It seems like it feels good, your hole is pulsating against the tip of my tongue..."

"I-I love feeling your tongue on my body, it turns me on" Taehyung admitted restlessly, longing for Hongseok to make him feel good, he couldn't take it anymore "Just like I love to feel your big dick inside of me while you fuck me..."

"I love how naughty you are, Taehyung..." Hongseok retorted cheekily, seeing Taehyung chewing on his bottom lip. He gave the male one last teasing lick just to hear his breathless moans, then he reached for the condom that was by his side, he decided to have flavoured condoms as well, Taehyung was a demon in between the sheets, even though he enjoyed his lips around his hard member, he preferred keeping things clean, Hongseok didn't like to taste himself on Taehyung's lips. With his teeth, Hongseok ripped the condom wrapper, he carefully took it and put it on himself, he moved slightly up on the bed, sinking his knees on the mattress, he placed his hands on Taehyung's waist as he lined his member with his entrance, and slowly pushed himself inside, making the male with pink and blonde hair let out another loud moan which, once again, made him smirk "Y-You are slightly tighter than last time, baby, but I'm about to change that..."

Taehyung felt Hongseok's hands massaging his sides as he got used to his size, making him arch his back, at the same time, he could feel the heat radiating from his ex-boyfriend. The male with colourful hair placed his hands on Hongseok's shoulders, he lifted himself a little bit and connected his lips with the other male's, the moment he did, he automatically blushed, he could taste the refreshing peppermint flavour on his lips and inside his mouth while kissing him, for some reason, the taste made their kiss fierier and hungrier.

As he kissed Taehyung, Hongseok began to move, earning a muffled whine from the male beneath him, who quickly wrapped his legs around his waist and dug his nails into his skin. He could feel the scratching on his back as he went deeper into Taehyung, his sweet lips moving franticly against his, his tongue trying to fight for dominance. Hongseok missed being intimate with Taehyung, not only because of his body, he missed the closeness between them, he missed the connection that once they both shared, but now was broken because of his unfaithfulness. Hongseok hated himself for being so weak and, more importantly, he hated himself for taking for granted one of the most beautiful and remarkable people in the world.

Hongseok squeezed Taehyung's thighs as he pulled himself out and vigorously thrust inside of him again, making the male with colourful hair moan so loudly that Hongseok was convinced that not only his neighbours heard Taehyung's beautiful voice, but also the entire building. Hongseok buried his face in Taehyung's neck, kissing his skin while gently sucking on it, then he travelled down to the other's males chest, feeling the beat of his heart against his lips, he smiled and planted a lingering kiss on him, loving how their hearts and their bodies were in tandem.

"H-Hongseok~" Taehyung felt Hongseok's hands squeezing his thighs, making him even more breathless than he already was, he was pretty sure he was going to be bruised the next day, however, he honestly liked how rough his ex-boyfriend was when they were having sex. The younger with pink and blonde hair gasped, suddenly feeling Hongseok's tongue tortuously licking his hard bud, his teeth nibbling on it, making him throw his head back again against the pillows and his toes curl with the immense pleasure Hongseok was giving him "Faster~, go faster~"

Taehyung noticed Hongseok's smug grin adorning his lips the instant he spoke, he didn't like how desperate he sounded, however, it was stronger than him. He wasn't a nymphomaniac or anything of the sort, he just loved sex and he didn't have a problem admitting it, it was a way to alleviate his frustrations and the last few weeks had been really tiring, emotionally and mentally, and being physical with someone was a coping mechanism, maybe not the best one or suitable one, but at least it distracted him.

"G-Getting impatient, my baby?" Hongseok asked provocatively as he gazed at Taehyung, seeing his cheeks completely reddish and his forehead slightly sweaty, even when he was a total mess, Taehyung was stunning "I-I guess I'm doing my job pretty well, aren't I?"

Taehyung hummed as an answer, not being able to speak a single word, his throat was hurting, not only because of the amount of alcohol he drank that night that burned his insides but also his constant gaudy moans and whines. Taehyung was seriously getting agitated with Hongseok's teasing, especially when his body was reaching its limit – he couldn't stop panting and moaning, he was insanely warm, his heart was racing so fast that was almost jumping from his chest, his stomach was untangling the knots that were tightening to the point of breaking. In spite of that, he wanted to keep going until his body was numb because of the pain and the pleasure, Taehyung just wanted to be satisfied and make up for a lost time, two months was too long for him.

Hongseok momentarily stopped moving inside the exhausted male beneath him, despite his tiredness, he knew Taehyung wanted them to explore each other's bodies all night long. He had last-longing stamina as incredible as it seemed, even though he was out of breath he pleaded to him to keep going, Hongseok always complied with him, not only because of his physical needs but also for his profound love for Taehyung. Hongseok swiftly grasped the male with pink and blonde hair's wrists, and pinned them on the mattress, right next to his, making his eyes widen with the sudden abruptness. If he wanted him to go faster, then Hongseok was going to comply with Taehyung like he always did in the past, he started to move again, this time at a much quicker pace, slamming his crotch against Taehyung's plump ass, earning another defeating whimper from him.

When Hongseok began to move once again, Taehyung felt the air escaping from his lungs, his heart was madly beating to the verge of exploding, and his body went to shock with the other male's powerful thrusts, before, the younger was always accustomed to him and his rough ways in bed, after the breakup, his body was basically starving. Taehyung felt pain, but, at the same time, it was blissful, even though it felt like he was being ripped apart from Hongseok, the mixture of pain with pleasure was astonishing and, it was slowly feeding his starved body. He buckled his hips up against Hongseok's, helping him go even deeper inside of him, making him tremble from the aggressive thrusts that were driving him into madness, Taehyung didn't want the night to come to an end, he wanted to lose his head completely, he wanted to be possessed.

Winded, Hongseok held Taehyung's wrists so firmly, that he probably was going to leave a bruise on them, as he continuously hit Taehyung's sweet spot while his eyes roamed his body. The feeling of the male with colourful hair's walls clenching around him was mind-blowing, having sex with Taehyung was always amazing, fucking him to the point the only sounds resonating in the bedroom were the skin slapping, the headboard slamming as hard as he was slamming inside Taehyung and his whimpers were a stimulant and music to his ears.

"H-Hongseok~, I-I'm close~" Taehyung stammered, curling his fists so tightly that he was sure they were completely white while feeling his muscles contracting "D-Don't, ah~, d-don't s-stop!"

Hongseok smirked as he kept pounding Taehyung's ass, knowing perfectly well that he was quickly submitting to him, he wanted to make the other male climax and hear how sexy and sweet his whines were, he couldn't get tired of them like he couldn't get tired of Taehyung's body and his outstanding personality.

Taehyung squirmed under Hongseok's body, he couldn't hold it any longer, that feeling inside of his stomach was increasing quickly, and his body was succumbing to the intense desire and Hongseok's sweltering touch that made him melt when he was in his embrace. Despite not getting in his ex-boyfriend's rhythm, he could feel his insides being abused, the heat growing again, along with the strong knots dismantling with each thrust. Taehyung screamed his lungs out as he arched his back to be as close to Hongseok as possible, he moaned, feeling a wave of pleasure washing over him, finally pushing him to the limit when he climaxed, releasing himself all over him and Hongseok's stomachs while riding his high, letting out all the tension that had been building up.

Hongseok let go of Taehyung's wrists, he gripped his hips and lifted him up from the bed when he sensed his own body reaching his orgasm, making the male with pink and blonde hair gasp in surprise. He sank his knees deeper on the mattress as he placed Taehyung on top of him, still breathing heavily and completely dizzy from his release. Hongseok put a hand on the other male's bottom and with the other, he gently pulled his hair, making him tilt his head back, exposing the front of his neck. Hongseok moved his hips upward, thrusting wildly once again against Taehyung's bottom, his lips found the male with colourful hair's Adam's apple and began sucking on it while chasing his own climax.

Hongseok kept moving, not needing to wait much longer for his body to respond to Taehyung's languid and quiet moans and his hands caressing his chest. He grunted against Taehyung's neck as he let the hand that was on the back of his head slide down his spine, his fingertips tracing an invisible line while travelling to the breathless male's bottom, feeling him shuddering with his simple touch as he bounced up and down on his member, impaling himself. Hongseok cupped Taehyung's buttocks and gave them a light squeeze as he brushed his nose off the other's jaw, closing his eyes to absorb his whines and smell the intoxicating fragrance that was emanating from him, such sweet aroma, as sweet as Taehyung himself.

"H-H-Hongseok~"

Hearing Taehyung whispering his name in such an endearing voice made the crazy fire inside of Hongseok burn so sturdily as it spread through his body, consuming him, he was so close, feeling Taehyung's hands now on his back, scratching him once more, his walls pulsating around his member, stimulating him. Hongseok was quickly losing his mind, despite the many times he and Taehyung had been intimate, none of them felt as pleasurable and enjoyable as at that moment. "Don't fucking s-stop calling my n-name, baby, y-y-your voice is so smooth and s-sweet..."

"H-Hongseok, baby, I-I think am-" Taehyung involuntarily let out a lecherous moan when he felt his body reacting to Hongseok's thrusts, the sensation deep inside his loins was becoming even more excruciating than before, he knew he was about to have another orgasm "F-Fuck~ I-I'm, hm~, I-I'm cumming again!"

"I-I want you t-to- fuck~" Hongseok hissed as he felt Taehyung's nails craving on his skin, it didn't hurt that badly and he genuinely didn't care about having scratching marks on his back, quite the opposite, he loved all those scratches and hickeys on his body, a reminder of how much he and Taehyung enjoyed themselves during intercourse "C-Cum with me, baby~"

Taehyung threw his head back, a broken moan left his mouth when he felt Hongseok digging his nails into his bottom and heard him growl against his neck as he sucked on it. He already was sensitive from earlier and there was no way he wanted to stop on round one, however, he still didn't feel totally satisfied, not that Hongseok couldn't give him what he needed, that wasn't the case if he had to pick someone who knew his body from inside and out and what he loved in bed, it was definitely Hongseok.

When he felt his body surrendering itself to lust, Hongseok picked up his pace as he pulled Taehyung's body against his, feeling like he was on the verge of madness. He kept chasing his climax, waiting for a sign from Taehyung to let himself go, alongside the enticing male on top of him, who was clinging to him and didn't stop shouting his name in a sensual way, which only provoked him even more. Feeling Taehyung's walls clenching around himself and his muscles tensing up, Hongseok thrust one last time, making him and the male with pink and blonde hair moan in unison while they reached their orgasms, the beautiful sounds coming from Taehyung sounded like a symphony, a symphony that he wouldn't mind listen every single night.

Hongseok slowed himself down, letting him and Taehyung enjoy their highs as he laid the panting male on the bed again, completely wrecked, his upper body was sticky, drops of sweat were falling from his temples to his face. Hongseok carefully got out of Taehyung, he needed a few minutes before resuming their "play time", he still was hovering over him, and the effect of the alcohol he consumed that night was fading away, allowing him to see Taehyung more clearly.

"Do you want to keep going, Tae?" Hongseok asked kindly as he brushed a few threats of pink hair from his eyes, smiling at him "I want to pleasure you, but-"

Gathering the remaining strength he had, Taehyung pushed Hongseok to the bed, with some difficulty, he lifted himself up and crawled onto the other male's lap, noticing the look of surprise on Hongseok's face, he probably wasn't expecting him to do that, especially when he was a lot stronger than he was.

"You know me, Hongseok, baby..." Taehyung tilted his head as he gazed at Hongseok's hot body painted in white, making him smirk widely "One round isn't enough to satisfy me and there's a lot of places I want you to fuck me so, you better prepare yourself because I'm good to go again..."

Chapter Text

When Taehyung opened his eyes, he instantly placed a hand on them to protect them from the sunbeams coming from the window, despite the sun being hidden behind the enormous greyish clouds adorning the sky, he still had difficulty adjusting to the bright light that almost blinded him. The male with pink and blonde hair tried to lift his body from the bed, the moment he did, he groaned under his breath as he felt agonising pain shouting from everywhere, mainly his wrists, his thighs and his lower back, wondering what the hell had happened the night before. It was kind of a blur since he drank too much for his own good, the thought that immediately came to mind was that he found someone at the club who didn’t have a problem showing him a good time.

Taehyung attempted to ignore his soring body, not only did his wrists, thighs and lower back hurt, his head was killing him, his throat was burning and he felt sick to his stomach. That was probably one of the worst hangovers ever, feeling like his current state forced him to make the empty promise of never drinking again, but knowing himself, Taehyung wasn’t going to keep that promise for long. The male sighed heavily as he shifted on the bed, he wanted to get out, but an arm was around his waist, he frowned, noticing scratches on the stranger’s forearm, apart from that, he also noticed the clothes he was wearing – a simple blue t-shirt that was way too big for him and the stockings he had last night –, then his eyes landed on the bedroom he was at, somehow the place seemed familiar to him.

Taehyung looked over his shoulder to check who was the person who he had gone home with, he knew he couldn’t be the attractive blonde bartender from the club, Minhyuk, if he remembered correctly, he faintly recalled how the said male was working until late hours and was busy with his master’s degree. When he finally was able to see the male who was sleeping next to him, Taehyung covered his mouth in shock and gasped, even when the other’s face was buried in the pillows and his messy brown hair was covering his features, he could easily identify the supposed “stranger”.

Hongseok.

(Fuck, I can’t believe this, it happened again, but, I don’t-)

The memories slowly began popping up in Taehyung’s mind – he and Gunhak dancing on the dance floor while commenting on people’s hilarious dance moves, Gunhak and the mystery girl who couldn’t stop staring at his blue-haired friend, him encountering Hongseok, or better yet, Hongseok finding him in the middle of the club. He felt completely mortified and ashamed for falling into temptation once again, not only that, Taehyung was already having a hard time getting through his confusing feelings for Hongseok, sleeping with his ex-boyfriend for the second time since their break-up was another dent in his broken and messed-up heart.

“I have to get out of here, I need to find my phone to call-“

Taehyung paused when his mind suddenly clicked, anxiety and fear immediately took over him, he had to call Yoongi to pick him up and that meant his best friend was going to find out what he did with Hongseok. Taehyung knew Yoongi was going to be disappointed in him for being weak, not only him, but Namjoon and his friends as well, still, he didn’t have a choice, he didn’t want to bother his older brother and Seunghee, and he definitely didn’t want Soonyoung and Gunhak to see him like this and be scolded, even though he deserved it for making a stupid mistake for the second time.

Gently, Taehyung gripped Hongseok’s arm and took it from his body, as silently as possible, he got up from the bed, seeing the mess that was on the floor – Hongseok’s jeans and underwear, two boxes of condoms, the lube and, also, his lace underwear and the garters. The male with pink and blonde hair picked up his underwear from the floor, carefully put it on as he attached the stockings and the laced panties with the garters and adjusted the straps.

(Where the hell are my clothes and my phone?)

Taehyung tip-toed his way to the huge living room, it had been a while since he stepped foot inside Hongseok’s luxurious apartment, and he swore he would never come back again because he didn’t want to be dumb and had the urge to go back to his ex-boyfriend. He already had given him a lot of opportunities to amend himself, apparently, Hongseok thought he would stick around forever and let him play with his heart and his emotions. The male with colourful hair was able to find his clothes spread on the floor, near the table, along with Hongseok’s shirt, he momentarily glanced at the couch and cringed with the memory of seeing a random guy riding his ex-boyfriend, which made him feel even more regretful than he was already feeling.

When he was about to pick up his clothes from the floor, Taehyung hissed, feeling something hurting his foot, he checked under it, seeing a couple of buttons behind his toes. A blush suddenly appeared on his cheeks, remembering how he ripped Hongseok’s clothes because he was horny and impatient to get some from his ex-boyfriend, which only made him feel worst and made it more difficult to forget the nightmare he was living. He quickly took the buttons from his foot, grabbed his clothes and put them as fast as he could, discarding the loose blue t-shirt, then he went searching for his phone, Taehyung’s instinct told him that he might have lost it, however, he spotted it on top of the shoe cabinet, right next to the door, his snickers where there too, maybe he took them off when he went inside.

Taehyung was freaking out with the fact he had to call Yoongi, he didn’t want to, but at the same time, he wasn’t in the best shape, the last thing he wanted was to go outside and have people staring at him. He was wearing a daring outfit and he had bruises on his wrists and his thighs, Taehyung didn’t want unwanted attention so, that meant calling Yoongi was his only option and a dignified one too, this way he couldn’t hide his fucked-ups from his best friend, not that he could do that anyway. Taehyung went to his contacts since he saved Yoongi’s number as “Grumpy meow meow”, it wasn’t very difficult to find it, even though his head seemed like a freaking bomb ready to explode. He saw the word “grumpy” and tapped on the name, he leaned his phone against his ear, hearing the ring as he mentally prepared himself for what was about to happen, Taehyung just wanted Yoongi to listen to him and not say a single word, he didn’t want to be scrutinised right away, he was feeling too much guilt already.

Taehyung’s heart almost stopped when Yoongi answered the call, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

“Yoongi, it’s me, please don’t say anything and listen to me, I-I…” Taehyung briefly stopped, trying to gain some courage, however, he heard a sound coming from the other side and he just couldn’t let him talk, he needed to get it out of his system “I-I went home with Hongseok last night, I know, I know, I’m stupid, but I don’t have time to talk right now, please come pick me up, I’ll explain everything later, j-just, please, pick me up, that’s all, I’ll send you the address, in case you don’t remember, h-hurry up…”

Taehyung ended the call as he felt tears forming in his eyes, hating himself for being easy prey. Last time, the male with pink and blonde hair was fully aware and yet he almost fell for Hongseok’s touch and his endearing words, not only that, Seokjin showed up at the right time, preventing him to make another mistake. However, the previous night, Taehyung didn’t have obstacles to stop him, being drunk and vulnerable and facing Hongseok when he was still figuring out a way to talk to him about how he felt and what he wanted, it only made more damage.

“Tae…”

Taehyung flinched when he heard Hongseok’s sleepy voice calling for him, he didn’t have the energy or the will to confront the other male, especially after what happened between them the night before.

When Hongseok reached the living room, Taehyung unconsciously took a step back as he saw his ex-boyfriend’s bare torso and his arms full of red marks and scratches. His anxiety was going through the roof, he desperately wanted to leave that house and not come back ever again, that was a promise he was surely going to keep, it was for the best.

“I don’t want you near me, Hongseok…” Taehyung warned as he noticed how Hongseok was approaching him, however, his words did nothing to stop him from coming closer “I’m serious…”

“I just want to talk to you…” Hongseok spoke calmly, knowing that Taehyung was probably confused with everything that occurred last night, he was more mindful of their actions than the male with pink and blonde hair was since he was drunker than him “You won’t give me a chance and before accusing me of something, I didn’t do anything against your will, I wasn’t expecting to meet you, I guess I was lucky…”

“I might have a huge hangover, but I know you wouldn’t do anything against my will and, ah, kind of remember being me the one who motivated you last night…” Taehyung mumbled, feeling slightly sick with his desperate behaviour and his impatience, he felt like he made a fool out of himself “As for you wanting to talk to me, we don’t have anything to talk about, I already made myself clear”

“Taehyung, I was honest with you when I said I wanted to speak to you, I just want a chance to make it up to you, to gain your trust again, I’m being selfish and I don’t deserve a chance to be with you again, but I love you, I really do…” Hongseok confessed as he got closer to Taehyung, who kept walking backwards. He didn’t have malicious intentions against him and he surely didn’t want to step out of boundaries like last time, but he couldn’t help himself “I fucked up, yes, I got myself drunk and went home with some guy, it wasn’t the first time it happened either, but my feelings for you never changed, I never fell out of love with you, Tae, you were and still are special to me…”

Taehyung didn’t want his vulnerability and naivety to get the best of him, he wanted to cry and slapped the hell of Hongseok for reminding him of the night he walked inside that same apartment he was currently at five months ago, excited to see the love of his life at the time and celebrate their second anniversary together. Back then, Taehyung was eager and happy that, after everything Hongseok did to him, all the cheating, he was behaving himself and making up to him for screwing up and hurting him, however, seeing him with some guy on the freaking couch, having so much fun, it completely destroyed him. After that night, Taehyung broke up with Hongseok through text message, threatening him to not come to him or begging him for another chance, and shut himself down from the world, the pain he was feeling wasn’t as big as the pain he felt when he lost his mother but still was unbearable.

Taehyung was enraged with Hongseok’s lame attempt to get him back, just because he slept with him twice didn’t mean he was getting soft or regretting his decision of ending his relationship. He would be insane to give Hongseok a chance, a small part of him yearned for him, nevertheless, Taehyung wasn’t going to succumb to his ex-boyfriend or his weak side, he had enough.

“If you really loved me, you wouldn’t have cheated on me three times, if you really loved me, you wouldn’t get yourself drunk on our anniversary, go home with some horny guy and fuck him on your couch” Taehyung retorted angrily, almost shouting, noticing Hongseok biting his bottom lip “As for me? I loved you with all my heart, and part of me still does, but I’m done being fooled, you have some nerve asking me for a chance to explain yourself, what the fuck do you have to explain rather than you got yourself drunk and fucked a guy? You have nothing to say, besides that, Hongseok, I already gave you too many opportunities for you to see that you took me for granted, well, now that you lost me, you finally realised how much I mean to you, too late…”

“I know the fucking messed-up things I did, Taehyung, I’m very aware and, you’re absolutely right about me taking you for granted, still, I was honest when I said I was in love with you, now and in the past, you admitted that you still love me, I know I have a tone of work to do before deserving your heart again, the only person I’ve slept with since our break-up was you, believe it or not, it’s true, I’m asking just for one more chance, unless…” Hongseok was basically pleading, he didn’t deserve a person as amazing and thoughtful as Taehyung in his life, he knew he wasn’t the only one who had interested in him, that was for sure, the male with pink and blonde hair was a star “Unless there is someone else, is that guy, right? The guy that showed up at your house when I stopped by that day, with the suit? Are you and him a thing? Do you have feelings for him?”

“What are you talking about? A guy in a-, wait…” Taehyung realised that Hongseok was referring to Seokjin, if he wasn’t so exhausted, sore, pissed and sick, he would laugh his ass off because of his ex-boyfriend’s assumptions. Despite the ice sculpture having difficulty expressing his emotions, he was caring in his own way, maybe Seokjin wasn’t that wrong when he said he would be lucky to date a man half as good as him or maybe Taehyung finally lost his mind completely “You mean Seokjin? No, we aren’t a thing and I don’t have feelings for him, even if I did, it was my personal business, I’m single, Hongseok, and I can do whatever I want with whoever I want, with that said, no, I won’t give you a chance…”

Hongseok felt simultaneously frustrated and relieved, he didn’t have the right to demand Taehyung one last chance after everything he made him go through, he also knew the male with pink and blonde hair was tired and dealing with a hangover so, it wasn’t the best time to have a serious talk. “Please, Tae, reconsider, maybe this isn’t the best time for us to have a conversation about this, we-“

“I can’t do that, Hongseok, I just can’t, put yourself in my position…” Taehyung interrupted Hongseok, not wanting to hear any more excuses “If you love me, like you said you do, you have to let me go and let my wounds heal, maybe, when I feel ready, we can try to be friends, for now, just, j-just let me be for the time being…”

***

Taehyung got out of the elevator, his heart was thumping furiously against his chest as he prepared himself to see Yoongi and the disappointment flashing in his feline eyes, he truly wasn’t mentally ready to have a conversation about the matter, not yet, especially after the talk he had with Hongseok that made his heart hurt even more. He headed towards the entrance of the building, he pushed the door open, feeling a shiver going down his spine when the cold air hit his body, Taehyung wasn’t expecting the drastic change of temperature, he wasn’t exactly wearing the appropriate clothes to that type of weather.

Taehyung stared at the sky above him as he felt the wind ruffling his hair, grey clouds rapidly moving, momentarily exposing the winter sun, letting the weak and slightly warm rays comfort his trembling and aching body. He sighed in frustration, wishing so badly to go home and wear something cosy and avoid the bad weather, Taehyung wasn’t fond of the rainy days, and neither he was fond of the thunder, he guessed it wasn’t his lucky day, again.

Taehyung started walking, trying to calm himself down and his nerves, however, he was failing miserably, then he gazed at the street hoping to find Yoongi near his car with a frown, instead, he was caught by surprise when he saw someone else, someone he wasn’t hoping to meet in front of the building where his ex-boyfriend lived.

(Am I still drunk? Or maybe this is a nightmare?)

“S-Seokjin? W-What are you doing here”?

Seokjin glanced at Taehyung, who was just staring at him weirdly, and, of course, he wasn’t wearing a proper outfit, he reminded himself that the younger with those ridiculous hair colours had gone out the night before, apparently what he was wearing was suitable for clubbing.

“I came to pick you up…” Seokjin simply responded as he straightened himself out, understanding why Taehyung was puzzled by his unexpected appearance, and opened the passenger’s seat “I know you are probably asking yourself why is it me and not Yoongi, but I’ll explain everything”

“That’s exactly what I’m asking, how did you know where I was?” Taehyung asked curiously as he made his way towards Seokjin. As he got closer, he noticed the outfit the older male was wearing – brown cropped pants, a white dress shirt underneath a green sweater and a long beige coat –, Taehyung had to admit that it looked good on Seokjin, it was different from the suits he wore on the weekdays “I don’t remember calling you…”

Seokjin let out a deep breath, questioning why he was hoping Taehyung would listen to him in the first place. “Why can’t you be cooperative for once, I just told you I was going to explain, now, can you please get inside?”

“I’m always cooperative, unlike you, Jinnie…” Taehyung retorted smugly, sticking his tongue out at Seokjin, who rolled his eyes at him, like always “Jungkook was right, you should be nicer to me…”

***

It had been a while since they were driving and Taehyung hadn’t heard a single word from Seokjin, the older male assured him that he was going to clarify the situation by explaining the reason why he was the one waiting for him, instead of Yoongi, how did he know about him being in Hongseok’s apartment in the first place? The only thing Taehyung could think of was Yoongi telling Jungkook about it and, because he was so upset with him, he requested the black-haired male to speak to Seokjin for him to pick him up and that made Taehyung feel worse about himself and his foolish behaviour, he hated when he let Yoongi down.

“So…” Taehyung broke the maddening silence between him and Seokjin as he stared through the car window, watching the streets passing by “Care to explain why were you the one who picked me up and not Yoongi? Did Jungkook ask you to come?”

“He did so, he gave me the address…” Seokjin answered as he briefly averted his eyes from the road to look at Taehyung, feeling like the younger male wasn’t going to believe what he was about to say “You called me by mistake, I wanted to say it was me, but you hanged up before I had the chance…”

“W-What?” Taehyung questioned loudly, looking at Seokjin in disbelief. He leaned his back against the car seat as he took the phone out of the side pocket of his shorts, he went to the contact history, seeing that his last call was to Seokjin’s number. The male with pink and blonde hair let out a frustrating sigh, he forgot he had the elder’s number saved as “Grumpy old man”, another dumb mistake he made, one that made him feel embarrassed “I probably was still in shock for finding out Hongseok was the one I had sex with last night, Yoongi’s number is saved as “grumpy meow meow” and yours is saved as “grumpy old man”, I only saw “grumpy”, thinking it was Yoongi…”

“I shouldn’t be surprised by the fact you saved my number with an absurd nickname and, let me remind you, you aren’t much younger than me…”

“Yes, I am, I’m younger than you by eight years, that is quite the age gap, Jinnie, and talking about nicknames, I think I’m going to change the name to “Jinnie”, that way when I want to talk with my best friend, I won’t disturb your beauty sleep, you pain in the tooshie” Taehyung said merrily as he changed Seokjin’s contact name, mocking the older male, who inaudibly groan under his breath “Okay, now I understand the reason why you were waiting for me, you also said that Jungkook was the one who gave you address so, that must mean-“

“You sent Yoongi the address, not me…” Seokjin quickly intervened, his eyes solely focusing on the road “I decided to call Yoongi to tell him about the situation, but Jungkook was the one who answered, I explained everything and he asked me to pick you up, since Jimin is at my parent's house, and gave me the address”

Taehyung bit his bottom lip, kind of feeling bad for being an imposition to Seokjin, who didn’t have the obligation to pick him up. At the same time, he didn’t understand why the older male simply accepted Jungkook’s request, despite thinking that Seokjin was owning him big time for helping him reconnect with Jimin, still, it was yet another sweet gesture from him that made Taehyung ask himself, once again, how the older male used to be in the past.

“I shouldn’t meddle, because it’s your personal life, Taehyung, but when I said you should talk to your ex-boyfriend, I did mean you should have slept with him” Seokjin added, having a hard time comprehending the reason why Taehyung was constantly making himself suffer, it was true that he didn’t like talking about people’s personal lives, however, he knew that the younger, in the last few weeks, had been less enthusiastic because of the situation with the ex-boyfriend and after hearing the tone of his voice on the phone, Seokjin realised that Taehyung had been putting up a front all along “I might not understand what are you going through, but I know how troubled you are with the situation, you have been since you saw him at your house…”

(Did Seokjin just reprimand and patronise me for sleeping with Hongseok?)

Taehyung wasn’t expecting Seokjin to invade his privacy and admonish his behaviour from the night before, if he was the one who answered his phone call, he ought to know that he wasn’t exactly proud of himself or what he did with his ex-boyfriend. He had been trying to keep his distance from Hongseok – he blocked his number to prevent himself from falling into temptation, to prevent himself from hurting, to prevent himself from making the same mistakes he did two months ago –, apparently Taehyung’s attempts to be as far away as possible were hopeless because, for some wicked reason, his ex-boyfriend could always find the way to him which was upsetting and enraging. In addition to the invasion of privacy, Seokjin was also acting like he could relate which he couldn’t and the man himself told him that so, why touch the subject when he didn’t know how he truly felt? Why mention the fuck up thing he did?

Taehyung chuckled sarcastically, not believing Seokjin truly crossed the line, it was surprising, especially coming from someone who defended people’s privacy and respected it as well, now it seemed like out of nowhere, the dark-haired male gained an interest. Well, Taehyung wasn’t in the mood to discuss the matter, he was already beating himself up for being imprudent and careless, and Seokjin was only rubbing salt in the wounds.

“Yeah, you’re right, you shouldn’t fucking meddle in my personal life, who the hell gave you the right to judge me or my actions? It seems to you that I willingly opened my legs and let Hongseok fucked me, let me remind you that both of us were drunk so, excuse me if I didn’t stop what we were doing to speak about my feelings” Taehyung replied coldly as he deviated his attention from Seokjin, not feeling bad about imposing anymore “And if you know how troubled I have been in these last few weeks, Seokjin, why are you making me feel worse that I’m already feeling? Did you think I’m happy about sleeping with Hongseok? Did you think I had fun? Probably I did, because I wasn’t in my right mind, but, apparently, Seokjin, you think otherwise”

“Taehyung, I-“

“Don’t say another word, please, you’re just going to annoy me even more…” Taehyung interrupted sharply, not having the energy or the will to deal with Seokjin “Pull over, now!”

Taehyung was beyond mad with Seokjin’s prying, he didn’t understand how in one moment they were friendly bickering and in another he was basically attacking him, insinuating that he willingly put himself in that situation, which was far from the truth. his encounter with Hongseok was purely coincidental, unfortunately for him because, in the end, Taehyung had to deal with the repercussions of his poor life decisions, he didn’t want people, mainly Seokjin, to pinpoint what he did wrong, that was the last thing he needed.

“Taehyung, look, I truly didn’t want to-“

“If you don’t stop the fucking car, I will freaking open the door, I’m not kidding, Seokjin!”

Seokjin stepped on the brake, slowly stopping the car against his will, however, he knew he made a huge mistake by talking about a sensitive subject to Taehyung, which was not his intention. In reality, he wanted to advise him or try to help the best he could, except, Seokjin wasn’t that great when it came to emotions or dealing with them, not only he had issues expressing himself, but also he had major difficulties showing empathy.

Taehyung unbuckled his belt, quickly opened the door and got out of the car, not allowing Seokjin to apologise, he already had enough for one morning with Hongseok’s attempts to get him back and his futile confessions of love. The male with pink and blonde hair wanted to cross the road, he checked if cars were approaching, and when the coast was clear, he went to the other side of the street, noticing a few people staring at him. Taehyung bit the inside of his cheek, feeling completely exposed and frustrated with the turmoil that was going on inside of his heart, he hated how everything was chaotic, he hated how guilty he felt for letting himself fall into another trap when it wasn’t completely his fault, or maybe that was what he told himself to make him feel better. He hated how he let Yoongi down by not listening to his words of wisdom yet again and he hated how Seokjin, who never talked about his personal life with him, scolded him and judged him for sleeping with his ex-boyfriend.

Taehyung walked faster towards an alley, his eyes burning with tears, all the emotions he had been keeping inside were coming up to the surface, suffocating him. He leaned against the wall, hiding from the people who were on the sidewalk, he slid down, crouching as he placed his arms on top of his knees, burying his head in them to scream because of the excruciating pain he was feeling, not only physically, but also emotionally, Taehyung needed a break from everyone.

Seokjin ran his fingers through his hair as he came to a halt, he had been trying to catch Taehyung, but he suddenly disappeared from his sight, he swore he saw him walking in that direction. While thinking about the possible ways Taehyung must have taken, he heard a few noises that sounded like sobs coming from an alley, near where he was, he started to walk at a fast pace, knowing it could only be the younger male.

Seokjin carefully entered the alley, seeing Taehyung crouching down against the wall, he couldn’t see his face because it was in between his crossed arms. He carefully approached the younger, noticing a few bruises on the side of his thighs which made him furrow his brows, he didn’t seen them earlier, Seokjin wasn’t exactly looking at Taehyung’s legs, he also noticed goosebumps on Taehyung’s skin, it was pretty cold and he was only wearing a crop top and some shorts.

Seokjin’s biggest problem now was to speak with Taehyung, unlike the younger male, he wasn’t very good with words, and he barely could display affection towards Jimin, he was learning from Taehyung. He remembered how the other said to him how gestures spoke louder than words, maybe if put to use the few things the male with atrocious hair colours taught him the day before when he had to make Jimin feel better, he could demonstrate to Taehyung how he wanted to make amends, it was a shot in the dark, however, Seokjin had to try, after all, the younger liked when he made an effort.

Seokjin cautiously crouched down in front of Taehyung, he shakily rose his hand and softly placed it on the other male’s wrist, grabbing his attention. He locked his gaze with Taehyung, seeing him scowling, his eyes red and puffy, tears sliding down his slightly red cheeks and his pout, the younger resembled a child which was ironic. Seokjin was always comparing Taehyung to a child, he wasn’t completely wrong, however, it wasn’t the time to reflect on trivial matters or odd comparisons.

“G-Go away…”

“Taehyung…” Seokjin spoke soothingly, just like Taehyung did when he saw both Jimin and Hoseok sitting at the stone stairs with gloomy expressions, hoping the younger could give him a chance to remediate the situation “I was out of line, my intent wasn’t to intrude in your personal life or judge you”

“W-Well, it didn’t seem like it, you talked to me in a such condescending way, like I didn’t know what the hell I was doing…” Taehyung muttered angrily, glaring at Seokjin for making him upset yet again. He rested the side of his head on his arm, averting his eyes from the older male “I know perfectly well what I did, I don’t need you to rub it on my face, thank you very much”

“I wasn’t, ah, rubbing it on your face, Taehyung” Seokjin retorted calmly as he tilted his head, noticing how Taehyung was tightening his arms around his knees, shivering. The dark-haired male wasn’t the best person to comfort someone given he was lacking in the emotion department, nonetheless, he tried to imitate what he did the day before when Taehyung showed him what he should do regarding Jimin by gently grabbing the younger’s cold right hand “As I said earlier, I know how troubled you have been with the situation and, despite your childish and thoughtless behaviour, I’m certain that you wouldn’t purposely meet your ex-boyfriend to sleep with him”

Taehyung lifted his head again, a frown plastered on his face. “Is that how you apologise to people? By insulting them? Just because of that, you owe me another favour, you big meanie…”

“You’re missing the point, Taehyung, I’m trying to sympathise with you and show you how regretful I am for making you think that I was judging you, I didn’t make myself clear that’s all…” Seokjin sounded slightly frustrated because Taehyung was ignoring his efforts to correct his misunderstanding “And I don’t think it’s fair of you to collect another favour from me, it’s an abuse of power, you already collected two extra favours without a reasonable justification, if I recall correctly, the fourth was just for the hell of it”

Taehyung stared at Seokjin for a few moments, carefully studying his facial expression, it reminded him of the day when the older male brought him to the bakery shop, as per his annoying friends’ request, to apologise to him for making preposterous accusations about his bad temper and the possibility of hurting a child because of it. The male with pink and blonde hair couldn’t help but giggle, noticing the change in Seokjin’s expression to confusion, probably he thought he was mocking him, but Taehyung wasn’t. He just found funny the differences between the person who was standing in front of him and the person who was with him in the bakery shop, it didn’t look like Seokjin had changed, however, Taehyung could see beyond him.

“This reminds me of the day you took me to the bakery shop to apologise, I was really infuriated with you for using the information I willingly told you against me, I knew you were just doing it because you felt bad for your behaviour, you were, ah, out of line…” Taehyung stated wittily as he cleaned his tears with the back of his free hand, smiling weakly “I know you are trying to do the same, but it feels different now, maybe because you want to make me feel better in the process, I appreciate that, Seokjin…” Taehyung discreetly glanced at Seokjin’s hand on his, liking how the elder was breaking free of his uncomfortableness when it came to physical contact “As for the favours, I will forgive you this time, and for the record, I’m not abusing my power, now, how about being a gentleman and help me get up? My legs are wobbly and freezing…”

Seokjin kept staring at Taehyung, who had a pout on his purplish lips, trying to process what he just heard from the younger’s mouth. He was speechless with the stubborn male’s honesty and bluntness, typically, Taehyung didn’t have a problem expressing himself and his feelings, whether he was depressed or content, he didn’t have a problem saying what was on his mind. Seokjin had that knowledge, the thing that was unusual for him was the fact Taehyung just admitted to him that he was different, in a positive way.

“Jinnie!” Taehyung grumbled as he snapped his fingers on Seokjin’s face, awakening him from whatever trance he was in, it was starting to freak him out the way the older male was staring at him “Can you, please, help me? I’m really cold and my body hurts…”

Seokjin cleared his throat as he grabbed Taehyung’s other hand, feeling embarrassed for being caught staring, it wasn’t his intention. He lifted himself up and, carefully, pulled the younger with him, when he did it, Taehyung lost his balance and ended up tumbling against his chest.

“Are you alright?” Seokjin was slightly startled when Taehyung lost his balance, clearly, the younger was exhausted and extremely cold “I should probably take you home for you-“

“Please, no!” Taehyung pleaded as grabbed Seokjin’s coat, feeling warmer with their nearness “I don’t want to go home, I can’t face Yoongi, especially after what happened with Hongseok, I-I can’t bear to see his disappointment…” Taehyung let go of Seokjin’s coat and placed his hands on his face, frightened of seeing his best friend and the look on his face. The male with pink and blonde hair remembered the first time he slept with Hongseok, Yoongi wasn’t mad at him and even if he didn’t express it through words, he could see how disheartened his best friend was with him ”You can drop me off somewhere, anywhere, I don’t care, I just, I don’t want to go home…”

Seokjin had already seen Taehyung crying and at his lowest point, however, he never saw him behaving in such a desperate way, somehow, he could relate to him. The dark-haired male was young once, he had the habit of going to parties, which meant he drank a lot of alcohol to the point of losing consciousness or making terrible and stupid mistakes, that behaviour earned him a few scolds from Jungkook so, Seokjin understood Taehyung’s fear of letting down Yoongi.

Seokjin decided to comply with Taehyung’s pleads, even though he personally thought it was best for the younger to see Yoongi and confront the situation, although he was already upset with the matter relating to his ex-boyfriend and Seokjin didn’t want to go against Taehyung by insisting on him talking with Yoongi.

“Okay, I won’t take you home, but I’m definitely not dropping you off in some random location, you are not wearing an appropriate attire for the cold, you are exhausted, full of bruises and shivering, almost hypothermic, if I also did that, Yoongi and Jungkook would probably be furious with me for leaving you alone in this state…” Seokjin said assertively as he took his long coat, then he helped Taehyung put it on for him to warm up, thankfully the piece of clothing was long enough to cover the majority of Taehyung’s legs, this way he wasn’t exposed like before. The dark-haired male buttoned the coat, staring at the younger, who was averting his stare from him “I have an idea, but before telling you about it, I want to make a deal with you…”

Taehyung timidly glanced at Seokjin when he finished buttoning down the coat that was really comfortable and warm, he could sense the strong fragrance of the elder’s cologne on it, it was strangely pleasant and made him calm down. “A-A deal? What type of deal, Jinnie? Wait, are you going to ask me to stop calling you Jinnie, because if it is, I refuse…”

“I already tried to stop you, but you still call me that so, no, I’m not going to ask you that, instead…” Seokjin remarked confidently, noticing Taehyung tilting his head, probably questioning what could he possibly want “If I take you to this place, I want you to take one of the favours, after all, the last one wasn’t my fault and the one before that was, like I said earlier, for the hell of it”

“You really are a big meanie, but you’ve been nice to me so, I can’t act like an asshole towards you…” Taehyung complained grumpily, thinking how unfair was of Seokjin to use the favour system against him, even if he was right, it didn’t matter “You’re lucky I’m adorable and I have compassion, I’ll take one of the favours down, now, you officially own me four, who’s abusing his power now?”

“I’m not abusing my power, I’m trying to seek fairness, I didn’t do anything to you for you to earn two more favours from me, I’m behaving accordingly” Seokjin refuted Taehyung’s groundless argument about him abusing power which was far from the truth, the younger just didn’t like when he was right “Now that we already solve this issue, we should go, it’s getting colder…”

Taehyung stuck his tongue out at Seokjin, who rolled his eyes as an answer, like he always did, making him smile widely. The male with pink and blonde hair looked at the coat the older male borrowed from him as he snuggled himself on it while following Seokjin out of the alley, feeling grateful for his help and sympathy. It was kind of weird seeing that side of the elder, a side Taehyung knew he had been hiding underneath the layers of frigidness, austerity and bitterness, layers that probably had something to do with his relationship with his father.

Taehyung focused on Seokjin, wondering what life he had been having to make him turn into the person he was, to make him put so much pressure on his own son, did he want to catch his father’s attention? Did he want to prove something to his father? Or maybe to himself? Taehyung wasn’t sure about Seokjin’s reasons and he honestly didn’t care, his goal was to bring the real Seokjin to the surface by teaching him to express himself and display affection to strengthen the bond between him and Jimin.

Taehyung caught up with Seokjin, and wrapped his arms around Seokjin’s arm, still with a smile on his face, surprising the older male with the sudden physical contact, he wasn’t doing it because he wanted to rile up the other, Taehyung just liked to demonstrate his gratitude on his own way.

“Thank you, Seokjin, despite your meddling, you actually made me feel better which it’s kind of impressive, but then again, you gave me a flower, but that’s beside the point, I just wanted to thank you, that’s all…”

Chapter Text

After replying to Seokjin's message, Jungkook placed his phone back on the bedside table as he sighed in distress, thinking about Taehyung and how he was feeling at that moment. He imagined the younger wasn't doing so well, especially after a surprise encounter with his cheating ex-boyfriend and having, for the second time, a one-night stand with him. Jungkook wasn't sure how Yoongi was going to react to the situation, but if he knew his delicate beauty well, the red-haired male was going to be certainly preoccupied with Taehyung, as he always was.

Jungkook glanced at Yoongi, reflecting on the words he was going to say to the younger to explain what happened between Hongseok and Taehyung, he wasn't going to be happy, as a matter of fact, Yoongi was probably going to try to call his best friend to make sure he was fine. Well, Jungkook hated to tell the red-haired male how Taehyung was so remorseful that he was afraid of facing him and speaking to him, at least, that was what Seokjin told him through a text message a few minutes ago. Jungkook was leaving the bruises out of the conversation just not to motivate the younger to go after Hongseok, he himself was tempted to do that, however, he had to be mindful that both Taehyung and his ex-boyfriend were intoxicated so, he couldn't just barge into someone's house and beat the crap out of them because they took advantage of another person, that was not the case.

Jungkook suddenly awoke from his reflective state when felt Yoongi stirring in his sleep, his shimmering brown opened lazily and stared right back at him, making his heart pick up its pace, even when he was drowsily he was beautiful, Jungkook wished he could wake up next to Yoongi every single day.

"Good morning, baby..." Jungkook uttered gently, almost whispering, as he ran his fingers through Yoongi's red hair, taking the mesmerising view in "Did you sleep well in my big strong arms?"

Yoongi nuzzled his head on Jungkook's bare chest, softly smacking his defined stomach.

"Is that a yes, my delicate beauty?" Jungkook teased Yoongi as he placed his hand on the back of the red-haired male's head, delicately pulling his hair to be able to admire his cute face "I think it is because you can't keep your hands away from my torso and I love that"

"Jungkook, can you shut up? You're embarrassing me and I just woke up..." Yoongi whined, gazing at Jungkook's playful smile that made his cheeks heat up "I will beat you with the pillow again instead of kissing you..."

With his free hand, Jungkook cupped Yoongi's scarlet cheek, feeling like the mere touch burned him, he tilted his head and slowly pressed his lips on the younger male's, who instantly reciprocated his kiss, funny like one second ago Yoongi was threatening him and now he was melting in his embrace while moving his rosy lips against his, caressing them. Jungkook parted from Yoongi's lips as he released the grip on hair, he maintained eye contact with the younger as he brushed his nose on his, their breathings mixing with each other, their gazes solely on one another, enjoying the brief moment of silence between them.

"What was that about a beating with a pillow?"

"I still can go through with it, if you don't stop being mean to me, naughty bunny" Yoongi threatened as he wrapped his arm around Jungkook's torso, not feeling like getting up from the bed that day, he wanted to spend his day with the older male, however, he needed to check on Taehyung "You're lucky I like you so much..."

"The feeling is mutual, baby, I like you so freaking much that I don't want you to leave my side today" Jungkook leaned down and kissed Yoongi's temple, making him giggle "As a matter of fact, I think I'm going to make you my hostage today, let's spend the day in bed"

"That's funny because I was actually thinking the same thing" Yoongi said joyfully, bopping Jungkook's nose "But, we can't, I need to check on Taehyung, I want to make sure he didn't drink himself to death or ended up in some nuts' house, I need to call to have some peace of mind"

Jungkook wrapped his arms around Yoongi, stopping him from reaching his own phone, he knew from Seokjin that Taehyung had turned off his phone because he needed time to calm himself down and to rest as well. For that reason, Jungkook was going to talk to Namjoon for him to pick up Hoseok from Mrs Shin's house.

"Yoongi, don't..." Jungkook stated solemnly, tightening his hold on Yoongi "I know for sure that he won't pick up, he turned off his phone..."

"Why did Taehyung do that? I always called him after a night out, I do the same with Soonyoung and Gunhak to make sure all of them are well" Yoongi retorted puzzlingly, not understanding what the hell was going on and why Jungkook was acting so mysteriously "Jungkook if something happened to my best friend, you better start talking or else..."

Jungkook exhaled heavily as he let go of his grip on Yoongi's body, he placed his hands on the mattress to help him straighten himself on the bed and sit down. The black-haired male already knew that the conversation he was going to have with Yoongi wasn't going to be an easy one, given the circumstances. However, it was necessary for the red-haired male to understand how fragile Taehyung was at the moment and how he vehemently believed that Yoongi was going to be disappointed, Jungkook didn't believe such a thing.

Jungkook saw Yoongi sitting down on the bed with a deep frown on his face, he grabbed one of his hands and kissed it, trying to comfort the one who was enchanted with, already predicting how the younger was going to be upset, not with what Taehyung did the night before, but with the thought of his own best friend being frightened of him for following the same path Yoongi followed in the past.

"Yoongi, something happened at the club yesterday..." Jungkook started, still having no idea how he was going to explain the events that unfolded the night before "Taehyung, ah, he crossed paths with Hongseok last night..."

"W-What?" Yoongi exclaimed loudly, widening his eyes at the information Jungkook just told him. He immediately felt a pang in his heart, knowing that something really upsetting had occurred and Yoongi had a pretty good idea of what that was "H-How did that happen? Did Hongseok stalk Taehyung? Did he trace him somehow?"

"Yoongi..." Jungkook uttered softly, hating to see Yoongi so stressed out "I honestly don't know, Taehyung didn't mention anything about that to Seokjin, I'm sorry..."

"Don't apologise, Jungkook, it's just, Taehyung has been feeling really down lately, that was why I wanted to go with him, but he said he would be selfish of him if I cancelled my first date with you, I didn't want to do that, of course, but Tae is my best friend..." Yoongi said sorrowfully, leaning his head against the headboard of his bed. He glanced at Jungkook, knowing there was something else he wanted to speak to him about, the look in his eyes was enough to make him reach that conclusion "What happened to Taehyung? Did he go with Hongseok? Did he-, did they-?"

"I don't know the details, but both of them were quite drunk and, ah, Taehyung went with Hongseok, one thing led to another and, I think you can see where this is going..." Jungkook could see the conflict flashing in Yoongi's eyes, along with concern, the younger was looking at him and was chewing on his bottom lip, like he was processing the information he just told him "Taehyung tried to call you this morning, but instead he called Seokjin by mistake, something about the names of his contact list, Seokjin called you because Taehyung sent Hongseok's address to you, you were asleep so, I picked up and he explained the situation, I asked him to go to Taehyung, he is with him right now..."

Yoongi bent up his legs and wrapped his arms around his knees, thinking about how Taehyung was feeling right now and asking himself why didn't his best friend say anything else since he find out about he had called Seokjin by mistake. The red-haired male was hoping he could at least talk to Taehyung and comfort him, like he always did when Hongseok would suddenly show up at his best friend's apartment or after the first one-night stand so, being left out in the dark made Yoongi feel uneasy and even more worried.

"W-Why didn't he want to talk to me? I'm his best friend, he always comes to me..."

"Taehyung didn't want to upset you, Yoongi, he knows what you went through with your ex, he knows how you want the best for him and how you want him to not follow the same path as you..." Jungkook comforted as he scooted closer to Yoongi, wrapping an arm around the younger's shoulders "Taehyung doesn't want to disappoint you since you are always protecting him and doing everything you possibly can to not let anyone, especially Hongseok, hurt him, on top of that, he's upset for sleeping with the guy for the second time as you said earlier, Taehyung has been feeling down lately, conflicted, what happened last night just made things worse"

"I-I should've, I should've talked to him sooner, knowing how he was feeling, I just thought i-if, ah, i-if gave him some space, he would come to me eventually..." Yoongi lowered his head, feeling the tears forming in his eyes. As Taehyung's best friend and his hyung, he felt he was the one to blame, even though Taehyung was an adult, he felt the need to always be there for him no matter the circumstances, this time, Yoongi wasn't there when his best friend needed him the most "He should be the one disappointed with me for not being a good best friend, for not protecting him and let anyone hurt him as you said, I didn't do it-"

"Yoongi, baby, listen to me" Jungkook cupped Yoongi's wet cheek as he cleaned his tears with his thumb, making the younger shyly glance at him "You and Taehyung are always there for each other, always protecting and helping each other, you, Namjoon and Seunghee have been there since forever, all of you have been there when the worse happens, imagine Taehyung not having your support when he lost his mother or when he had to raise Hoseok by himself, without you, Namjoon and Seunghee, Taehyung wouldn't be the amazing person he is, without your love and care, without you, Yoongi..."

"D-Do you really think that?"

"I do, my delicate beauty..." Jungkook leaned down and kissed Yoongi's lips briefly, tasting the saltiness of the tears in them "You are a kind-hearted person, who always puts other people above yourself, you are a beautiful star who illuminates the darkest room, you are really special, Yoongi..."

"Jungkook..." Yoongi wrapped his arms around Jungkook's body, mainly to hide his blushed cheeks, and snuggled his head on the crook of the older male's neck, reflecting the words Jungkook just spoke to him, the sweet words that poured from his soft lips that appeased his agitated heart "You're such a wonderful person, strong bunny, you always make people feel better, even a certain someone who accused you of being a monster"

"What can I say, I'm a softy for that certain someone, you know, he's really cute, especially when he eats his blueberry muffin, his cheeks get really puffy" Jungkook stated cheerfully as he heard a muffled giggle from Yoongi that made his body tremble against his "Talking about blueberry muffins, want to make some? I bet Taehyung and Hoseok would love some treats from you"

Yoongi lifted his head and gazed at Jungkook, who was focusing on him with a gentle smile displaying on his features, feeling so lucky for meeting the black-haired male, despite the rocky start of their relationship, somehow, it was destiny for him and Jungkook to end up together because the older male already knew him, Yoongi wished he would have seen sooner, maybe their love could have blossomed earlier. The red-haired male smiled weakly, the trace of his tears immediately dried with the warmth Jungkook was providing him, he raised his hand and delicately ran his fingers through the elder's dark hair.

"I would love to make some blueberry muffins with you, Jungkookie, but, can we stay in bed for a while? I really like to be in my naughty bunny's strong arms..."

Jungkook placed his arms again around Yoongi's body, glueing their bodies together. He felt the red-haired male's leg intertwined with his, his hand on his chest, right above his heart.

"We can stay like this as long as you like, my soft kitten..."

***

Taehyung sluggishly got out of the car with Seokjin's help, as he rubbed one of his eyes, he didn't know for how long he was asleep, but the warmth of the long coat was enough to lull him to sleep. Despite the brief nap, Taehyung was still exhausted and his body was aching from lack of rest and from the "fun" playtime from the night before. The male with pink and blonde hair grasped Seokjin's arm after the elder closed the passenger's door and locked the car, his dozy eyes roamed around the enormous property he was currently decorated with so many types of trees. Some of them already had some small colourful flowers blooming, others were still naked from the winter, the chirping of the birds brought glee to a depressed and cloudy day, and the light wind brushing on the foliage complemented the soothing melody mother nature was playing for him, maybe she was trying to lift his spirits up.

Taehyung felt like he was one of those places described in the fairy tale books, he didn't have a clue where the hell he was, however, it was mesmerising and stunning, it took his breath away.

As he and Seokjin made their way along the property, Taehyung spotted what it seemed like a mansion, his eyes widened at the gracious structure. The male with colourful hair glimpsed at Seokjin, completely dumbfounded, wondering how the older male knew such a remarkable place and also why he was still letting him hold on to his arm, Taehyung thought Seokjin didn't want him to trip and fall, he kind of felt he couldn't walk straight in the state he was in.

"Hum, Jinnie..." Taehyung spoke tenderly, tiredness lacing his voice, as he averted his attention to Seokjin "Where are we? This place is really beautiful..."

Seokjin felt the light squeeze Taehyung gave to his arm when he talked, he decided not to comment on the excessive physical contact coming from the younger, knowing how reassuring it could be to him if he was close to him, furthermore, Taehyung was still weary so, Seokjin viewed that like training of some sort, he needed to be more comfortable with human contact.

"This my property, I live in the mansion..." Seokjin replied indifferently, walking at a slow pace to not strain Taehyung's last remaining energy. He stopped instantly when he felt the younger pulling the sleeve of his sweater "Is something wrong?"

Taehyung stared between the mansion and Seokjin, his mouth was agape with the information the dark-haired male just casually told him, like it was completely normal for the average person to live inside a mansion located in the most beautiful place he had ever visited, saying Taehyung was astonished was an understatement.

"You said you live in a mansion like is the most normal thing in the world, Seokjin, I'm shocked really with your coolness about this..." Taehyung was not only surprised by Seokjin's manner of speech but also by the fact that the older male had just brought him to his home, which sounded unbelievable. Although Taehyung, in the short period of time he had been dealing with Seokjin's mellow side, learned that the usually smug man had a caring side "Also, I can't believe you took me to your home in exchange for taking out a favour, it's too much..."

"The reason why I sound so casual about where I live is that I'm used to people making assumptions, my family and I are rich, therefore I must live in some ostentatious place, personally, I would prefer something simpler, but my grandparents offered this property to my wife and me when we got married, my father forced us to live here..." Seokjin elucidated Taehyung, probably he said too much, however, apart from Jungkook, nobody else knew this particular information about him. The dark-haired male assumed that since Taehyung shared with him about the events from the previous night, it was fair of him to share as well "And I took you here because I could tell how you needed to be far away from everything you know, to have a moment to yourself and momentarily forget about the real world, if you're bothered about staying in my house, I can- Why are you crying?"

Taehyung didn't know why he was crying again, his eyes were as sore as his body, and it wasn't ideal to let himself be caught in his emotions. However, he had been feeling so fragile and feeble since the moment he realised that he and Hongseok spent the night together since he realised he had to tell Yoongi about his gigantic and dumb mistake. Everything came crashing down when Seokjin inadvertently rubbed on his face what he did with Hongseok, his overflowing emotions were so overwhelming, Taehyung couldn't control them.

"I-I'm sorry, I don't you t-to think that I'm not grateful for your kind gesture, Seokjin, I'm just struggling with everything that happened and it's been a minute since I'm here and I feel lost for words, that's all..." Taehyung quickly cleaned his tears, feeling bad for putting Seokjin in an awkward position since he was a noob at making people feel better, nevertheless, he was truly making progress. He wrapped his other arm around Seokjin's, sensing he was crossing the line "I-I'm not bothered, it's the opposite, I feel at ease here, thank you for taking me here, Jinnie..."

"Ah, y-you're welcome, Taehyung, it's my pleasure..." Seokjin murmured, feeling Taehyung snuggling the side of his head against his arm "We should get going, you need to rest..."

***

If Taehyung was thunderstruck with the property and the beautiful scenery, now he was literally speechless with the inside of Seokjin's house, or better yet, mansion, it was so bright and everything shined under the dim light of the gorgeous, and probably super expensive, chandelier hanging above the entering hallway, that had a glass table in the middle, a vase on top with various flowers. Taehyung felt like he was inside a museum and the paintings decorating the walls of the entrance gave him that vibe as well, he knew it was just a small portion of the mansion, but still, he felt intimated and slightly curious to explore the rest of it if Seokjin wouldn't mind him.

Taehyung was still clutching to Seokjin's arm while he visibly admired the interior of the mansion, he was probably bugged eye for the wonderment he was experiencing, he couldn't help it, it was like he was transported to a place far away from his dreadful reality, a whole new world.

"Welcome home, Mr Kim!"

Taehyung awoke from his dazing state when he heard a soft female voice, apparently, it came from the girl standing in front of him and Seokjin, who, despite thinking she was being stealthy, had big doe eyes and was discreetly glancing between him and Seokjin, she probably wasn't accustomed to seeing her boss taking other people home, apart from Jungkook and Jimin.

"Ms Yang..." Seokjin greeted politely as he prudently took Taehyung's arms from him, finding it funny how the younger was somewhat shy, or maybe he was intimidated by his surroundings. He gazed at Taehyung, watching him playing with the sleeves of his coat "It's better if you take the coat upstairs, Taehyung, I don't want to make you uncomfortable..."

Taehyung hummed, nodding his head, the last thing he wanted was for the nice girl to see his daring outfit and his bruises, she would probably have the wrong idea about his relationship with Seokjin, and he knew how secretive the older male was about his sexuality, even though his employees didn't have the right to meddle or judge him because of that particular matter.

"Ms Yang, tell Mrs Lim that I need her upstairs in a bit, I will call her from my bedroom" Seokjin spoke assertively, placing his hands behind his back as he saw the young maid nodding her head "Also, I want you to inform the rest of the staff that today you will leave earlier than usual, you still get paid the full wager, I don't want you to worry"

"A-Ah, yes, Mr Kim, as you wish..." Ms Yang replied, taken back by Mr Kim's sudden decision, it wasn't the first time he dispensed the staff, he did it because he wanted to be left alone while working, except this time, he seemed like he was doing it because of his guest, another rare occurrence in the Kim mansion. The young maid timidly averted her attention to the male standing next to her boss "Sir, if you need anything, just call for me"

Taehyung blinked for a brief moment as he pointed his finger to himself, he wasn't used to being treated in such a formal way, it kind of reminded him of Seokjin when he met him, the older male called him by his last name and made him cringe.

When he saw a polite smile on the girl's features, Taehyung realised that she was actually addressing him, it honestly made him feel odd for relying on other people to get him what he needed when he was perfectly capable of getting it himself, however, he was in unknown territory. "H-Hum, if it wasn't too much to ask, I-I, ah, I would appreciate it if you brought me an aspirin, my head is killing me..."

"I can ask Mrs Lim to bring it to you upstairs, Taehyung, you need to warm up and rest..." Seokjin intervened, knowing that Taehyung needed time to recuperate from everything that had been happening since the previous night "Ms Yang, thank you, you can go back to work..."

Ms Yang bowed her head in respect and made her way to the kitchen, when she got there, she decided to be a little sneaky, she hid behind the wall, watching the interaction between Mr Kim and his guest, she just wanted to satisfy her curiosity. According to what the weekdays staff told her, Mr Kim wasn't exactly an affectionate and caring man, he didn't even behave like a normal parent to his son so, watching him being thoughtful towards the male with interesting hair was a novelty to her. Ms Yang knew she was stepping out of boundaries and she could risk her job if she was caught red-handed, however, it didn't hurt to see if her boss was indeed a cold-hearted man or if he was just putting up a front.

Ms Yang shamelessly stood behind the wall, completely hidden, listening to Mr Kim's and the other male's conversation.

"She was nice..." Taehyung blurted out after the nice girl went on her way to whatever part of the mansion she headed, observing Seokjin taking off his shoes "And seems slightly younger than me..."

"She is younger than you, Ms. Yang is twenty-one years old, currently majoring in Education" Seokjin, contrary to what people thought of him, cared about others, he just had tremendous difficulties expressing his emotions in words, however, he resorted to his capabilities, like his excellent memory, to get to know his staff, it was unprofessional of him to socialise with them so, he decided to rely on their résumés, he did the same thing with Namjoon "The majority of my weekend staff are part-timers, I hired them because they needed some income to help their families, my regular staff are full-time, some of them worked for my grandparents and my parents"

Taehyung watched Seokjin talking as he put on his slippers, his voice was monotonous and stern, nonetheless, the male with pink and blonde hair could see how warm-hearted he was, even if the older male didn't show it straightforwardly and that was another indication that old Seokjin was still alive. Taehyung wanted to meet that version of the elder, the version Jungkook had the habit of speaking, the black-haired male's eyes would instantly sparkle when he told him about stories from the past. Taehyung could see a fraction of old Seokjin in the present Seokjin, he was truly hoping he could bring to the surface that side, he knew the dark-haired male was sceptical and he confessed that part of him didn't exist, Taehyung didn't think that was the case, Seokjin just found it easier to ignore it, maybe he was insecure or was frightened of confronting the part he vehemently believed he lost.

"Taehyung?"

"Sorry, I- Why are you on one knee? Oh, don't tell me, are you going to propose, Jinnie?" Taehyung joked, making Seokjin roll his eyes, an obvious reaction to his mockery "But, seriously, what are you doing?"

"I'm taking your sneakers off, given your current condition due to what happened last night, I don't think you can crouch, scratched that, I'm sure you can't, you are unsteady..." Seokjin gently placed a hand on Taehyung's heel and took off his sneaker, he did the same to the other foot, then he picked up a pair of slippers and put them in front of Taehyung's feet as he lifted himself up "They might be slightly bigger, but I think they fit you"

Taehyung placed his hand on Seokjin's shoulder and put on the cosy and fluffy slippers, his aching feet felt like they were on top of two tiny clouds. He smiled as he looked up at Seokjin, feeling sincerely thankful for his atypical gentleness and chivalry, never thinking that the older male could be the one to rescue him from his desperation and pain, Taehyung was slowly seeing Seokjin in a different light.

"I hope you can give me a house tour, oh sorry, I meant, a tour of your museum because your big ass mansion resembles one" Taehyung giggled, swearing he heard someone giggling as well, along with him "But, ah, I'm too tired to do anything right now"

"The idea of you exploring my home is quite fearsome, however, I will think about that, in the meantime..." Seokjin took Taehyung's hand from his shoulder and grabbed it, guiding him to the flight of stairs that was right past the short corridor "I'll take you to my bedroom for you to have privacy, you can take a shower and rest, I will land you some of my clothes, Mrs Lim will take yours to the washing machine and bring you the aspirin"

(Damn, I never thought Seokjin would invite me to his bedroom, that sounds weird...)

Chapter Text

“I appreciate the information you just gave me, I really do…” Seokjin said as he searched for a specific book in his study, holding his phone between his shoulder and his ear “There isn’t much I can do, you and Yoongi are the ones who know Taehyung and his preferences…”

Seokjin heard Namjoon’s faint laughter from the other side of the line as he kept searching for the book he had been secretly holding on since he was younger, a book not even Jungkook knew about. He wasn’t ashamed of people knowing about that book, however, it was the only connection Seokjin had to the times he still believed he could break out from his responsibilities that were waiting for him further in the future, the only connection to his past self and what remained of his dreams that he, one day, thought he was going to pursue, but his life wasn’t so simple, especially when he was a Kim man.

“Mr Kim, you don’t need to thank me, I’m the one who should be grateful…” Namjoon retorted amusingly, hearing some shifting noises from Seokjin’s side “I’m sorry if this offends you, but you are the last person who I thought could make Taehyung happy, I say this because I’m protective of my baby brother”

“It doesn’t offend me and I understand where you are coming from, I was disrespectful and judgmental when I met your brother, we clashed a few times and I learned from my mistakes, I say the same about Taehyung” Seokjin uttered nonchalantly, crouching down. He opened the last drawer of his desk, probed the top of it, feeling a book glued with tape, carefully peeled it off, not to ruin the book, and took it off “We aren’t exactly compatible, but we get along, I’m thankful for his help, this is the least I can do…”

“I know you mean well, Mr Kim and, if I’m being honest, you and Taehyung aren’t that incompatible, I thought the same about me and my wife, I used to be shy and conservative, she was, and still is, outgoing, social, caring and friendly, we lived in two different worlds, and yet, we dated for eight years and we’ve married for three, sometimes, the ones we think are completely different from us, are the people who make us feel fulfilled…” Namjoon stated, finding interesting the relationship between Seokjin and Taehyung “I hope you don’t think I’m implying something, Mr Kim, that is not my intention, I just want to clarify the misunderstanding human beings often make”

Seokjin was staring at the book with the red cover, in the middle of it was written “My receipts”, while his thumb delicately ran over the worn-out book where he had the habit of writing down the receipts his grandmother and his mother cooked, they willingly shared that knowledge with him, even though his grandfather and father disapproved of his interest in cooking, again, it wasn’t the type of behaviour a Kim man should have. Seokjin didn’t comprehend why the men of his family behaved so manly and cold, so old-fashioned, he acted similar to them, even with Jimin, shouldn’t he be the exception? Shouldn’t Seokjin be the one to break the messed-up pattern? Shouldn’t Seokjin be the one to encourage his son to be the person he wanted to be without him or his father dictating every aspect of his life? Shouldn’t Seokjin be the one to make the difference?

“You sound like Taehyung, did he teach you about human behaviour while he was majoring in psychology?”

“He actually did, but our mother was a psychiatrist so, she would talk to us about her work, when she died, she was making research for her book, and Taehyung was always glue to her, trying to know more about the subject, that was why he pursued psychology…” Namjoon enlightened Seokjin, probably telling more than he should, however, he thought it was good for the older male to understand his younger brother better “He never wanted to quit his studies, I even told him that Seunghee, Yoongi and I would take turns taking care of Hoseok to help him during his major, but he felt he was a burden to us, I hope he goes back to university one of these days…”

Seokjin was quite surprised by Namjoon’s revelations about his and Taehyung’s mother, he knew about her death and the younger with ridiculous hair colours dropping out of university because of Hoseok. Apparently, the matter was a lot more complex than he thought, still, he was happy to know that Taehyung decided to major in psychology to follow in his mother’s steps, it was a noble thing to do.

“I hope he applies to university in future too, Taehyung has potential, underneath his cheerful behaviour, I know he still struggles and, maybe going back to his major can, somehow, keep him connected to your mother, I think Jimin is somewhat the same, he enjoys painting, he used to do it with his mother, maybe he feels closer to her when he does it…”

“I guess Taehyung’s knowledge rubbed on you, Mr Kim” Namjoon smiled weakly as he looked at a framed photo of his family and Seunghee in the living room, a photo of the day he graduated from university, a year before his mother’s death “And about your son, maybe that’s why Taehyung likes Jimin so much, I heard he is helping you reconnect with him, I hope you are open-minded about his approaches, he has good intentions towards you, I guess he doesn’t want your relationship to end up like his own with our dad”

Seokjin was aware that Taehyung had probably a reason for helping him establish a stronger bond with Jimin, it never occurred to him that the younger’s motivation behind his assistance with his son was his broken relationship with his father, something Seokjin could relate to as well, which was shocking to him. Seokjin recalled the words Namjoon spoke to him a few moments ago about him and Taehyung not being totally incompatible, about the fact two people who were different could make each other fulfilled. The dark-haired male used to have a solid idea of his relationship with Taehyung, first he didn’t want to socialise with him, then they were acquaintances and, presently, Seokjin couldn’t define what type of relationship he had with the younger with atrocious hairs colours, maybe because he hadn’t the interest to get know Taehyung before or maybe he didn’t want someone else getting through the walls that he built so high, the only people who had that power were his mother and Jungkook.

“I’m trying my best to follow Taehyung’s instructions and put them to use, I admit it’s hard, but after seeing Jimin smile at my simple gesture, it encouraged me to do better” Seokjin confessed as he sat down on his chair, placing the receipt book on his desk. He grabbed the phone with his hand, replaying Jimin and Hoseok’s smiles on his mind “I think part of the reason why I’m helping Taehyung is to show him my appreciation, when it comes to my emotions, I struggle…”

“Mr Kim, I don’t think you are helping him just because of your gratitude, in my opinion, you are helping him because you, deep down, care about him, and you said you struggle with your emotions, I believe my brother already told you that gestures speak louder than words, what you intend to do is your away to comfort him, you don’t need words to show how you feel for someone” Namjoon advised Seokjin, sensing the older male’s rawness, he probably thought he was lacking because he couldn’t express himself through words, sometimes, words couldn’t truly express what was going inside someone’s heart “Probably your gestures today towards my brother made him see you differently, and the reason for that is that you wordlessly are telling him that you sympathise with what happened to him and care about how he feels about the situation”

Seokjin’s eyes widened with what Namjoon had just told him, he never saw things from that perspective, as a businessman, he was eloquent and had a way with his words, however, when it came to his feelings he was a disgrace. Seokjin even had trouble saying how much he loved his mother because he didn’t want his father to look down on him for being emotional, the brief hugs and forehead kisses between them were the only ways to express how he cared a great deal for his mother and she understood the message he was trying to convey.

Seokjin wasn’t a fan of Taehyung’s clinginess and his childish behaviour, but after seeing him so flimsy and vulnerable, he couldn’t help but let the younger resort to him, even if it meant he had to have Taehyung’s grip on his arm, or his arms wrapped around his arm, if it was a way to make him feel reassured and make him forget about what happened, then Seokjin wouldn’t mind, no matter how uneasy it was for him. Seokjin still felt conflicted regarding him caring for Taehyung and how he truly felt towards the younger, they weren’t that close per se, but they weren’t strangers, they spend a good amount of time together, mainly to discuss Jimin’s progress and his well-being that drastically changed after he started studying with Hoseok, apart from that, Seokjin and Taehyung rarely were together to socialise.

“I’m not quite sure about that, but I appreciate your input, Namjoon, I truly do” Seokjin said sincerely, content about his decision about hiring Namjoon as his new accountant. It was amusing how the dark-haired male at first wanted to know the identity of the person who was connected to Taehyung just to have leverage over him, now Seokjin felt Namjoon was a great addition to his company and a thoughtful person, he could see why Taehyung admired him so much “And you can call me Seokjin, no need to be so formal with me outside of work…”

***

Seokjin assured that everything was nicely placed on the island counter, he thought eating in the dining room could be too intimidating for Taehyung, his objective was to make the younger comfortable and not overwhelmed like he was when he arrived at his property. Seokjin went to one of the drawers, he picked up two sets of metallic chopsticks and two spoons, placing them on the right side of the big steamy bowls. Then, he went to another drawer and took a corkscrewed to open the wine, the dark-haired male didn’t know if it was a smart choice to drink alcohol after what Taehyung went through the previous night, however, he was there to keep an eye on younger in case he went overboard with the wine.

After checking if anything else was necessary, Seokjin gazed at his wristwatch to see the time, it had been a few hours since Taehyung fell asleep, and given how exhausted the younger was, he was already expecting him to doze off for quite some time, however, Taehyung needed to eat, especially after consuming a great amount of alcohol.

Seokjin left the kitchen, passing by one of the big windows, he stopped momentarily, observing the weather outside – it was completely dark and the sky was bursting with massive clouds that kept being pushed by the sturdy and noisy wind –, a great storm was on the horizon and Seokjin was concern about Jimin. He wasn’t sure if his son was afraid of thunder and lightning bolts, he fainted remembered a few nights when his late wife would get up in the middle of a stormy night to check on Jimin, Seokjin, after dinner, needed to call his mother to make sure Jimin was fine.

Seokjin continued making his way, he reached the flight of stairs and when he was about to climb up, he saw Taehyung yawning as he rubbed one of his eyes. The dark-haired male immediately sighed, averting his eyes from the stubborn younger male, who insisted on wearing as little as possible, even when he was kind enough to borrow him some clothes to ensure Taehyung didn’t get himself a cold, or worse, the flu, apparently, it didn’t matter, because the younger with those ridiculous hair colours was only wearing the sweater he gave him before Taehyung took a shower and the stockings with the garters that were obviously attached to his underwear.

“Jinnie…” Taehyung uttered wearily, noticing Seokjin avoiding making eye contact with him. He came to a halt and tilted his head, then he looked down on himself and his outfit, concluding that Seokjin wasn’t very happy about what he was wearing, however, Taehyung had a reasonable explanation for the lack of pants “The sweatpants you lent me are too big, they were always falling, I’m might be curvy, but I don’t have a broad waist like you, also, you can see I’m drowning in your sweater, it’s kind of cute and I like it, I’m just saying to prove a point, furthermore, they aren’t people here and, despite knowing I’m not in my apartment, I feel comfortable with what I’m wearing, unless you have pants that fit my beautiful body”

Seokjin let out another heavy sigh as he slowly glanced at Taehyung, who was walking down the stairs with a small smile, probably knowing he was right and Seokjin couldn’t refute his argument, however, amid the younger’s rant, he grasped the part he confessed how comfortable he was, the older male decided not to say anything back, it was for the best.

“What’s the matter, Jinnie?” Taehyung asked playfully, seeing how the sleeves of Seokjin’s dress shirt were pulled back, making him wonder what the older male had been planning while he was taking his much-needed nap. The male with pink and blonde hair boldly placed his hands on Seokjin’s firm chest “Feeling shy for seeing me half-naked at your big ass mansion, huh?”

“Can you not joke around, Taehyung? I’m used to seeing you wearing almost nothing, it is not the first time” Seokjin retorted matter-of-factly, gently taking Taehyung’s hands off his chest. The younger started laughing and Seokjin was utterly confused by his reaction “Why are you laughing? None of what I said is a lie”

“If someone else was here, they would probably think that you and I have some sort of intimate relationship since you said that you’re used to seeing me wearing almost nothing, that implies that the majority of the times you see me half-naked” Taehyung explained merrily, finding Seokjin’s shocked expression extremely funny “Take it easy, Jinnie, and don’t look at me like that, your words not mine”

“That’s true, but, like always, you had to distort my words or interpret them in an inappropriate manner…” Seokjin tilted his head, still holding Taehyung’s hands unconsciously “And if I recalled correctly, Taehyung, weren’t you the one who told me that the thought of being close to me was cringy? Apparently, being with a man half as good as me is acceptable to you now”

(Okay, he’s kind of right… Is Seokjin messing with me?)

“A person can change their mind, can’t they? Maybe after the conversation I had with Hongseok this morning, I realised I deserve someone who is faithful and loving towards me, maybe that type of person is someone half as good as you, so what?” Taehyung remarked defensively, feeling awkward for admitting how someone half as good as Seokjin could be the right person for him, after his two last boyfriends, Taehyung was fed up with the manly type of guy, maybe he needed a down-to-Earth man. The younger male shyly peeked at Seokjin, noting how the older male was pressing his lips into a thin line “Kim Seokjin, are you really that amused with what I just said? Ugh! Now, you won’t stop mocking me for this, I should have just kept my mouth shut”

“I think it’s fair, don’t you think? Since, you know, you are always making a mockery out of me, let me remind you about the not-so-fun nickname you have for me” Seokjin countered, feeling victorious for finally having the opportunity to get back at Taehyung, who was chewing on his bottom lip “What’s the matter, Taehyung? Feeling shy for admitting you want someone more mature?”

(Okay, now he’s definitely having fun at my expense and it actually isn’t that bad, I kind of like sassy Seokjin)

Taehyung never had the chance to see Seokjin’s feisty side, it was somewhat bizarre, seeing a stern and cold man having the time of his life at his expense, on the other hand, it was quite entertaining. Like that morning, Taehyung couldn’t help but chuckle at the uncommon interaction between him and Seokjin, genuinely having fun with his company.

“I guess you aren’t as grumpy as I thought, old man, you have a sense of humour, one I didn’t know you had, that’s refreshing” Taehyung smiled brightly at Seokjin, happy to see the other sides of the older male was probably covering “I wish you would have showed me this side of you before, you are a box full of surprises, Kim Seokjin, I guess, your true self is dying to come out, I truly want to meet your good sides...”

And once again, Taehyung mentioned the part of Seokjin that he believed was dead and buried, maybe it wasn’t, he didn’t know for sure, probably because he still felt he was shackled to his father, maybe it had to do with his fear of being finally free, a fear that wasn’t rational for the simple fact of being a grown adult who had a son and was conducting the family business. For years now, Seokjin had been living under a dictatorship of some sort, every single detail about him and what he did was controlled, he felt stuck in the beginning, however, as the years went by, Seokjin accepted his fate and decided he couldn’t fight the injustice that was his life, at least until now. It was odd how Seokjin felt the need to free himself from his father’s “claws” after lashing out at Taehyung unfairly and realising how much harm he was causing to Jimin, maybe life was giving him a chance to choose his path, choose if he wanted to keep doing the mistakes over and over again or choose if he wanted to break the rut.

Seokjin was going to reply to Taehyung’s remark when he heard a strange noise coming from Taehyung, more specifically, his stomach, which was normal, it had been more than a full day since he ate.

“I’m hungry, Jinnie…”

“I knew you would so, I prepared something I’m sure you are going to like” Seokjin said calmly, freeing one of Taehyung’s hands as he began to make his way to the kitchen “I bet the last thing you ate was oatmeal cookies”

“Am I that predictable?”

***

Taehyung sat down on the chair and crossed his right leg over the left as he let his eyes rummage over the simple table setting, or better yet, island counter setting – light blue tablecloth, the embroidered napkins, the sparkling wine glasses, the side dishes in front of the two warm bowls with his favourite dish, the beautiful silverware and the expensive Pinot that was poured by Seokjin into the decanter to let the wine breath. Once again, he was completely caught off guard by Seokjin’s generosity and kind-heartedness, the care he had while arranging this setting was visible and Taehyung appreciated the gesture.

“D-Did you, ah, d-did you cook my favourite dish?” Taehyung asked astoundingly as he saw Seokjin sitting next to him, speechless for the millionth time that day “How did you know japchae is my favourite? Did you call Yoongi?”

“Let's just say a little bird told me about your favourite dish…” Seokjin responded nonchalantly as he grabbed the decanter, swirling the wine “I know wine probably isn’t the best due to the amount-“

“Shut up and pour some wine in my glass, Jinnie” Taehyung picked up his glass the moment Seokjin grabbed the decanter, he wasn’t going to waste the opportunity to drink some good wine. The older male poured a small quantity into his glass, typical of the rich to act adequate in the middle of drinking alcohol, Taehyung was the total opposite, however, since he drank excessively the night before, he preferred being moderate “Thank you for not fighting me on this, I appreciate the concern though”

Seokjin saw Taehyung taking a tiny sip, he carefully poured some of the wine into his glass, and he heard the younger humming and smiling as he parted his glass from his lips.

“Wine isn’t a strong beverage, I didn’t think it’ll hurt to drink it and, apparently, goes well with japchae” Seokjin put down the decanter and took a small sip as he saw the smile adorning Taehyung’s lips widening “Why are you smiling like that?”

“Well, I never thought I would be drinking wine with you at your mansion, Seokjin, it’s a nice change of pace, I guess…” Taehyung admitted, slightly shy, as he placed the glass carefully on top of the silky tablecloth. He picked up the metallic chopsticks, curious to taste the japchae Seokjin cook, he scooped a small portion of the noodles and brought it to his mouth, the moment he did, Taehyung briefly paused “T-This is delicious…”

Seokjin noticed the change in Taehyung’s mood, despite his compliment, he seemed distraught with something. “If you like it, why do you look upset?”

“It just, hum, i-it tastes like the one my mother used to make…” Taehyung answered quietly, putting down the chopsticks “The only one who can make this dish almost as perfect as my mother is Yoongi, he tried to replicate the recipe, but this, this tastes exactly like hers, it kind of reminds me of my childhood…”

“I-I’m sorry, my intention wasn’t to trouble you, Taehyung…” Seokjin had some knowledge about Taehyung and his relationship with his mother, he knew they were really close while she was still alive, and he felt for the younger male, he couldn’t imagine his own life without his mother, she was his guardian angel “I cooked this dish to bring you comfort, not sadness…”

“It’s strange hearing those words coming from you, Seokjin, you wanting to solace me when before you kept hurting me and looking down on me, but that is in the past, right?” Taehyung said as he took another small portion of the noodles to taste “And, ah, don’t apologise, I’m not upset, I’m actually happy you cook this for me, I’m shocked, but you accomplished your goal, Jinnie, I officially feel comforted, the wine helps as well…”

Seokjin remembered the conversation he had with Namjoon before asking him what was Taehyung’s preference when it came to food with the purpose of helping him forget the events that unfolded the previous night and that morning, particularly, the moment the younger male confessed how he was the last person to make Taehyung feel better. Seokjin really didn’t take any offence to that statement and he understood the reason behind Namjoon’s truthfulness. When he met Taehyung, Seokjin viewed himself as an assertive and proud man, who focused solely on his work and the education he was giving Jimin, apart from that, there wasn’t much going on in his life – his dull routine that he got accustomed to over the years –, Seokjin’s fateful encounter with Taehyung was a disruption, it brought chaos to his once calm world.

Despite not seeming like it, Seokjin’s objective was never to offend or attack Taehyung on a personal level, maybe he did it because he felt somewhat jealous about the way the younger with the ridiculous hair colours lived his life without having people controlling him, pinpointing his mistakes and more importantly, forcing to hide part of himself. Maybe, he felt frustrated for everything he gave up to become the person he hated the most – his father –, simply seeing someone behaving as a free spirit, who didn’t have the same concerns that he did, who didn’t have trouble expressing himself, who wasn’t afraid to be his true self triggered Seokjin, for that exact reason, he couldn’t help but act defensively, even though Taehyung wasn’t at fault.

After what happened to Jimin at the school, Seokjin started to reflect on the person he was, both in the past and the present, wanting to blame his father for the damage he caused to him and his life by maintaining him a prisoner. However, Seokjin was the one to blame and he seriously contemplated what was best for him and Jimin, for the first time, Seokjin was focusing not on his needs, but his son’s, he thought about the repercussions of his actions on Jimin’s life, recollecting the scenarios bluntly explained to him by Taehyung.

When he made his decision of paying attention to Jimin’s emotional needs and acting like a normal parent, Seokjin knew only Taehyung could help him to accomplish those goals, that meant he had to put aside his pride and apologise for his reckless behaviour so, in a way, he needed to have some kind of relationship with the flashy younger male. Seokjin understood Taehyung’s amazingness about his present demeanour, after all, he successfully put a smile on Jimin and Hoseok’s faces the day before when they were gloomy and he also succeeded to comfort Taehyung, even when he still was lacking in the sentimental department, that honestly made Seokjin proud, because he was quickly making progress.

Seokjin sneakily stared at Taehyung, who was happily eating the sweet potato noodles, which, again, was strange to him, he rarely cooked for himself nowadays and now that he did it for someone else, made him feel fulfilled, maybe Namjoon was right when he said two different people could fulfil each other. As he shamelessly stared at the famished younger, Seokjin noticed how messy Taehyung was while eating, it made him roll his eyes, the younger’s mouth was covered with black bean sauce, maybe his comparisons between the other male and children weren’t so far-fetched.

“Taehyung…” Seokjin called Taehyung as he grabbed one of the napkins, noticing how the younger stopped eating like he was starved for days. He carefully cupped Taehyung’s pinkish cheek, seeing his eyes widening, and cleaned his mouth gently “I know you are hungry, but you shouldn’t eat at a quick pace, you seem like a child, I guess my comparisons aren’t far from the truth…”

(A/N: When I found the gif, I knew it would be perfect for this chapter, am I right or am I right)

Taehyung stood there, his mind completely blank as he felt Seokjin’s hand on his face while the other was busy cleaning his mouth, sensing his cheeks heating up with the mere touch and his heart beating stupidly fast, glad that there wasn’t a single soul watching him at that moment. The younger male hated to admit how pleasant it was to feel Seokjin’s gentle touch, it was unthinkable to him to be in a situation where he would be so close to the older male, especially when he knew his difficulties in expressing his emotions, nevertheless, it weirdly reassured him.

Seokjin finished cleaning Taehyung’s mouth, the younger was blankly gazing at him with big doe eyes, he realised how he might have crossed the line, however, he didn’t have the intention of making Taehyung uncomfortable. “I shouldn’t have done that…”

“I-It’s okay, don’t worry…” Taehyung mumbled as swiftly picked up his wine glass and drank the rest of the beverage in one shot, trying to ignore how his cheeks were on fire. He placed the glass down and shyly grabbed the bowl of rice, thinking about a random topic to bring up to break the ice, the atmosphere was quite awkward between him and Seokjin “H-Hum so, who taught you how to cook? Was it your mother?”

Seokjin could sense Taehyung’s nervousness through his words, he felt truly bad for making the younger uneasy, it was uncharacteristic of him to act that thoughtlessly, he never cleaned his son’s mouth so, his gesture towards Taehyung could be defined as unusual. Despite the awkwardness, Seokjin decided to satisfy Taehyung’s curiosity, that way he could appease the restless younger with some personal information.

“Both my mother and my grandmother taught me how to cook when I was younger…” Seokjin explained as picked up his metallic chopsticks, smiling weakly with the few good memories he created with his mother and grandmother “I spent some time at my grandparent’s house, my parents went to a lot of business events together so, my grandmother would take care of me, despite being rich, she always loved to cook, especially for me, I liked to watch her doing the various dishes and listen to her explaining the steps of the cooking process…”

(He's smiling…)

Taehyung caught a glimpse of Seokjin’s small smile, he didn’t remember if he ever saw the older male do such a thing, the man had a horrible habit of acting cold and stern, and now he was slowly opening up to him which was nice.

“I can imagine now a tiny Jinnie running around his grandmother while she was cooking…” Taehyung said wittily as he poked Seokjin’s bare forearm, teasing him “So, did you ever think of pursuing a career related to cooking?”

“When I was young and naïve I intended to go to culinary school, I wanted to be a chef and open my own restaurant, I knew my father and grandfather wouldn’t approve, but still I held on to my dream anyway, until…” Seokjin hesitated momentarily, letting out a frustrating sigh “Until I started high school, that was the time my father began to be more exigent with me, waiting for his only son to be the spitting image of him, however, the opposite happened, Jungkook already told you about our youth, we were irresponsible and immature, we went to multiple parties, got ourselves intoxicated, we slept around, basically, I was shameful to the family name, and after my father discovered my sexuality, my life became a nightmare…” Seokjin placed his chopsticks on top of the bowl, picked up his glass and had a big sip from his wine, not making eye contact with Taehyung. The dark-haired male wasn’t the type to speak about his past, he preferred keeping things inside instead of sharing “My dream of going to culinary school was shattered and I was forced to go to business school to inherit the family business, it was, and still is, a legacy, that only made me rebel even more, however, it didn’t last long, my father gave me an ultimatum, if I didn’t stop partying and relating myself with males, I would be disowned, after that I did my best to endure the life that was destined for me, I was pointed CEO months after my graduation and the announcement of my arranged marriage was made…”

Seokjin’s voice was solemn, however, Taehyung could grasp the frustration enlaced in his cheerless words, it truly broke the younger’s heart to hear how many hardships the older male had to go through to end up where he was now. Taehyung kept asking himself what reasons drove Seokjin to act so coldly, so bitterly, so sternly towards people, including Jimin, now he understood and confirmed his suspicious – Seokjin’s father turned his own son into a ruthless monster by forcing him to follow a path he didn’t want to and, on top of that, prevented him to be himself, just because of his sexual orientation –, Taehyung was enraged with the matter, however, he tried his best to not demonstrate his true emotions to not upset Seokjin even more.

“After Jimin fainted at school, I started to have more clarity about the person I truly was, I continued to recall Jungkook’s words to me, the words you spoke to me on several occasions, I saw so many similarities with my father, which was ironic, I finally became him and I only realised it after harming my son…” Seokjin kept talking as he looked at the red liquid inside his glass, remembering Jimin’s figure laid down on the infirmary bed “ I started questioning what type of life I wanted to give to Jimin, did I really want him to suffer the same fate as me or did I want him to have the chance to follow his dreams, even though I know I would be breaking the tradition of our family? I was struggling with an answer until yesterday when I saw Jimin’s melancholic expression because of his wounded hand, it reminded me of the gloomy expression he always has on his face because of me so, I thought I was no better than the bullies that tormented my son…”

“Seokjin…”

“I-I, ah, apologise for my sudden ranting, Taehyung, you asked me one question and I-“

“N-No, don’t apologise…” Taehyung shook his head vigorously, swallowing the lump in his throat. He was still trying to forgive how careless Seokjin used to be with Jimin, despite everything he heard from the older male, his behaviour towards his son was still inexcusable, however, it wasn’t too late to make amends, both he and Seokjin were working on the main issues that were preventing father and son to have a normal relationship “I’m happy you entrusted me with this information, it helps me understand you a lot better, even though it doesn’t excuse you for the way you treated Jimin since your wife’s death, but it’s never too late to repent and start again, you are a better father, Seokjin, if you are pondering about what is best for your son it shows that you putting him first”

“Do you really think I am a better father?” Seokjin questioned doubtfully, placing the wine glass on the island counter “Do you think the damage I did is fixable, Taehyung?”

Taehyung grabbed Seokjin’s hand and fiercely gazed at him.

“I really do, Seokjin, and do you know why? Because I believe in people, until a certain point, of course, for some reason, I won’t give Hongseok another fucking chance, but that doesn’t matter now” Taehyung cupped Seokjin’s hand, feeling him slightly anxious, he didn’t know if it was his touch or the topic of the conversation, maybe it was both “What does matter is the effort and the work you are putting on your relationship with Jimin and, in case you forgot, you have an adorable and compassion cutie to help you out, that cutie being me, obviously”

Seokjin knew Taehyung was doing his best to reassure him, however, he still felt uncertain about his capability of restoring his relationship with Jimin, although he had to remain hopeful and try to place his trust in the younger male, who, for some reason, was very positive about him being able to correct his wrongdoings and behave like the parent his son wanted him to be.

“You really think highly of yourself, don’t you?”

“You really enjoy messing with me, don’t you? It must be your new hobby now” Taehyung retorted joyfully as he let go of Seokjin’s hand, truly liking to see the older male more upbeat. The male with pink and blonde picked up his glass once again and leaned it in Seokjin’s direction “Now, be a good host, Jinnie, and pour me some wine”

Chapter Text

Yoongi was trying to concentrate on his simple task of cutting the garlic heads to add to the spaghetti aglio e olio receipt that he and Jungkook decided to cook for their dinner with Hyunjoon, who both of them invited since Yoongi wanted his younger brother to get to know the older male, especially knowing that his relationship with Jungkook was going well and getting stronger with each day that went by. The reason why Yoongi was having a hard time focusing was that Jungkook had the not so brilliant and funny idea of cooking shirtless, he was just wearing an apron to cover his body. The red-haired male already felt bashful the previous night, even though sleeping in Jungkook’s arms and resting his head on his bare chest felt amazingly comfortable and warmed him while being in his embrace.

While he finished cutting the garlic heads, Yoongi felt Jungkook’s arms wrapping around his waist and his soft lips caressing his neck. The black-haired male’s daring gesture made Yoongi’s heart speed up his pace and forced him to stop what he was doing because the last thing he wanted was to hurt himself with the knife.

“Jungkook, can you let me finish doing this? I’m almost done…” Yoongi said assertively as he placed the knife down on the cutting board, attempting to control the will to smile with Jungkook’s neediness “Did you already put the pasta in the water?”

“I just put the pasta in the water, it will take some time until it's cooked…” Jungkook whispered in Yoongi’s ear provocatively, enjoying touching the red-haired male’s body “And no, baby, I won’t let you finish that until you fulfil my needs…”

“J-Jungkook, I-I think you should get dressed before the dinner is ready, instead of spewing nonsense” Yoongi uttered nervously, taking Jungkook’s hands from his body. He turned around and shyly made eye contact with the cheeky older male who was smirking widely “Hyunjoon must be on his way, I don’t want him to have the wrong idea of us…”

“Do you not want to appreciate my body, my soft kitten? I thought you enjoyed feeling it with your hands…” Jungkook retorted amusingly, cupping Yoongi’s slightly crimson cheek that burned to the touch “And what do you mean your brother will have the wrong idea of us? Are you thinking about something else, something naughtier?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, J-Jungkook, and it’s impolite to have dinner shirtless, especially with my brother present, so go to my bedroom and put on your dress shirt while I finish cutting the garlic…” Yoongi tried, once again, to show his assertiveness to not let Jungkook’s friskiness get to him, already embarrassed with the older male’s speech and his delicate touch. He took Jungkook’s hand from his face and softly pulled him away “ But first, I need to go to the pantry to fetch the red pepper flakes…”

Yoongi was about to head to the pantry when he felt Jungkook’s hand on his hip, he immediately was twirled to face him, and all of a sudden the older male slammed his lips against his, catching him by surprise. The red-haired male closed his eyes as he wrapped his arms around Jungkook’s neck, allowing the older male to kiss him so passionately, like he was desperate for him, to the point of getting him almost out of breath. Yoongi gasped when Jungkook’s big hands sneakily moved underneath his sweatshirt, making him open slightly his mouth, the older male’s tender touch, his lips caressing and nibbling on his bottom lip and his tongue crashing into his were driving him into insanity and increasing the temperature of his body, or maybe it was the kitchen that felt too hot, Yoongi honestly didn’t know, he was too lost in the moment.

Jungkook let his hands carefully slide down Yoongi’s torso, swallowing his soft moans as he felt the younger’s body quivering with his touch. The black-haired male’s hands slowly travelled to Yoongi’s lower back while kissing his sweet and desirable thin lips that almost made him lose his mind in the last few weeks, his longing for Yoongi was growing, like the love he felt for him, however, he was doing his best to control his urges since it was too early for them to get involved sexually, until then, Jungkook was going to take care Yoongi and respect his wishes.

Jungkook briefly broke the fierce kiss, swiftly lifted Yoongi, sat him down on the counter, right next to the cutting board with the garlic, and captured the younger’s tempting lips once again, feeling Yoongi’s hands softly caressing his shoulders and his chest, igniting the already vivid flame inside his heart that didn’t make things easier for him, nevertheless, having Yoongi like that was enough for him, he didn’t need anything or anyone else. The older male placed his hands on Yoongi’s thighs and gave them a strong squeeze, earning a louder whimper from him, he pulled the red-haired male’s bottom lip and kissed his chin as he made his way to the neck.

“J-Jungkook~”

Yoongi tilted his head to expose his neck while he moved his hands to Jungkook’s hair, fondling it as he shamelessly enjoyed how provocative and audacious he was being with him. He kept feeling Jungkook squeezing and caressing his thighs while his lips kissed him and bit him gently on his skin, tightening his grip on Jungkook’s hair, feeling completely overwhelmed yet pleased with what was happening between them.

“Oh my eyes! My beautiful and delicate eyes!”

Yoongi pushed Jungkook away from him when he heard Hyunjoon’s voice echoing in the kitchen, already predicting that his younger brother could have caught him and the black-haired male in a compromising situation, like making out with him in the middle of cooking dinner. Yoongi, with Jungkook’s help, got down from the counter, he frowned at the elder and strongly smacked him on his bare arm to teach him a lesson, even though he was partially blamed since he let himself fall for Jungkook’s mind-blowing kisses.

“T-This is not what you think, Hyunjoon…” Yoongi stuttered anxiously as he saw his younger brother covering his eyes with his hands, making him roll his eyes because of how dramatic he was being “And why are you acting like this is a big deal? You never saw two people kissing?”

“Are you done? Can I take my hands from my eyes?” Hyunjoon questioned hesitantly, not trusting his older brother and Jungkook, especially after catching them red-handed “And you really are an old man, Yoongi, I don’t consider that kissing, I consider that second base on the verge of third, I can’t believe you would be able to do that in the kitchen, hyung, have some respect for the food”

Jungkook chuckled as he stirred the past that was half-cooked. “Hyunjoon, I care too much for your brother to have my way with him in the kitchen, and do you think I would go that far, knowing my future brother-in-law was on his way? You really should know me better, don’t you agree, my soft kitten?”

“Can you both stop embarrassing me and shut the hell up?” Yoongi asked frustratingly as he crossed his arms, not liking how his brother and Jungkook were having fun at his expense “Hyunjoon, take your freaking hands from your eyes, you looked ridiculous right now and Jungkook, go to my bedroom and get dressed once in for all or I’m kicking you and my annoying brother out of my house”

“Hey, you are the one who invited me to get to know your boyfriend, oh sorry, your future husband” Hyunjoon argued, outraged, not believing how cruel Yoongi was being, maybe he shouldn’t have interrupted the moment he was sharing with Jungkook, he glad he did because he had a reason to mock in front of the rest of the group “Don’t be rude, hyung”

“This is my house, I’m entitled to do whatever I want and, as such, I can throw you and the naughty bunny there out” Yoongi snapped smugly, faintly hearing Jungkook’s annoying chuckles “So, behave yourself if you want to eat dinner”

Jungkook took the wooden spoon out of the slightly salted water and placed it next to the cooker hobs, smiling at Yoongi’s attempt to sound strict, he was too adorable to look frightening. The black-haired male, before going to the younger’s bedroom to fulfil his order, grabbed his hand and kissed it, noticing him averting his eyes from him, probably still embarrassed for being caught making out with him by his young brother.

“I’ll go get dressed right away, my baby…” Jungkook said happily as he untangled the knot of the apron, he took it off and handed it to Yoongi, who was blushing immensely. He decided to be bold, once more, and gave the red-haired male a peck on his lips and a sweet smile “I won’t take long, my baby, don’t miss me too much, alright?”

“J-Just move your tooshie and hurry the hell up or I will keep my promise of throwing both of you out, don’t push it, Jeon Jungkook, now off you go…” Yoongi pushed Jungkook towards the kitchen door, where his younger brother was just standing speechless, probably because he wasn’t accustomed to seeing him so demanding “And when you come back, you will finish cooking dinner while I’m going to have a glass of wine, I desperately need one…”

“Hyung, can I have some wine too?”

After getting rid of Jungkook, who was laughing at Hyunjoon’s dumb question, Yoongi smacked the back of his younger brother’s head, hearing him whine. “Min Hyunjoon, just because you are about to turn eighteen, it doesn’t mean you can drink, you have to wait two more years until you can touch a drop of alcohol, until then, be a good boy and don’t ask stupid questions, now while Jungkook is getting dressed, you will watch the pasta”

“Hyung, you are so mean to me!”

“I love you too, baby brother, now do what I told you to do or no dinner for you”

***

After dinner, Taehyung asked, or more like, demanded Seokjin to give him a mansion tour, of course, the older male wasn’t too keen to do it, probably because he felt slightly exposed since a lot happened inside those walls, however, Seokjin ended up yielding to his request, maybe because he wasn’t feeling his best and the older male wanted to do something that could distract him from the chaotic reality he had to go back to the next day.

Taehyung was already mesmerised with the outside of the property and, despite being cold on the inside, it still was beautiful – the many chandeliers lighting up the multiple rooms, the colourful and diverse paintings decorating the upstairs hallways, the vintage furniture, the refined tapestry –, the mansion truly resembled a museum and the younger male was enchanted. Taehyung’s eyes stared in adoration at everything Seokjin showed him, but there was a particular room that he grew fond of – Seokjin’s late wife’s atelier –, the older male was reluctant to let him explore that part of the mansion, Taehyung understood and didn’t insist, even though he was disappointed, in the end, Seokjin felt bad and took him to the attic, where the said atelier was located.

Taehyung walked around the place, slowly, admiring the few finished paintings, others were unfinished, and others were covered with white sheets. Paints, brushes, and canvas were scattered all over the slightly darkish attic, somehow, the dimly lit space made the beauty of the many paintings protrude.

“All the paintings hung up in the house are painted by her…”

Taehyung awoke from his spellbound state and glanced at Seokjin. “Really? Because they are gorgeous…”

“It’s true…” Seokjin affirmed as he looked at the attic, which was more like an art cemetery than an atelier, walking towards where Taehyung was “After her death, I came here to see her work, it was the first time I ever stepped foot in her atelier, we both had separate lives so, I never intruded her personal space…” Seokjin placed his hands behind his back, observing the same painting Taehyung was “I decided to hang up the numerous paintings that were spread all over the attic, they were beautiful and I thought I owed to her, I wasn’t the best husband and father, neither I made the effort to be…”

Taehyung carefully listened to Seokjin’s words while admiring the painting of a man, it was difficult to see the detailed features because of the hazy light, he was sure the person wasn’t Seokjin, the younger’s active imagination kicked in and the first thing that crossed his mind was the man portrayed was a lover. Taehyung knew it was rash to think like that, however, Seokjin himself told him that he wasn’t the best husband and, on top of that, the marriage was arranged so, his late wife surely wasn’t happy about said arrangements.

“Was he her lover?” Taehyung asked curiously as he delicately brushed his fingertips on the unknown man painted on the canvas, feeling a wave of sadness hitting him “This painting stands out among the others for some reason, maybe she painted it because she knew she was dying…”

“Actually, he was the man she was in love with, her first love…”

Taehyung turned his head to the side to face Seokjin, who seemed emotionless, wondering how he knew that specific information.

“You probably are pondering how I know this information, well, a few days before my wife died she told me about her relationship with someone she met while majoring in Fine arts, although she never mentioned his name…” Seokjin continued, studying Taehyung’s facial expression “When I saw this painting, I had the intention of giving it to him, I felt bad for the anguish I made her go through, as did our families…”

“So, if the painting is here, you were never able to find him, right?” Taehyung questioned eagerly, noticing the change in Seokjin’s mood, something told him that the mystery man didn’t have a happy ending as well “O-Or did something happen to him?”

“I did find him, but it was too late…” Seokjin sighed as he took his hands behind his back, not being able to meet Taehyung’s gaze. He always knew his late wife despised him and his family for separating her from the love of her life, the only man she truly loved and wanted to build a family with, she held a grudge and Seokjin didn’t blame her, the only thing that made her happy in the middle of the sorrow was Jimin “Without my father knowing, I tracked the man, I discovered his identity and found out he was a struggling artist, his paintings weren’t selling, the only family he had was his sister, he was an alcoholic, his life wasn’t what I call easy, but, what drove him to the edge was the news about my wife’s death, I don’t know how he got that information, through her family maybe, but, it was the last drop, he, ah, he committed suicide…”

Taehyung bit his bottom lip, preventing himself from crying, he thought he already shed too many tears that day, however, hearing the tragic story between the mystery man and Seokjin’s late wife pulled his heartstrings and made him hate the older male’s father, even though he never met him. It was so unfair for both Seokjin and his late wife to be forced to marry just to protect their families’ name and their reputation, it was incredible how human beings cherished superficial things and cared about the opinions of outsiders, obligating others to succumb to their selfish wishes by sacrificing their happiness. In Seokjin’s case, he had to go along with the arranged marriage because of his sexual orientation and his late wife probably was in a relationship with a man who wasn’t suitable to continue the lineage, Taehyung honestly found those reasons absurd.

Taehyung’s sadness turned into rage, he unconsciously curled his hand into a fist, thinking about the unfairness and the selfishness of Seokjin’s and his late wife’s families reminded him of his own father, who willingly related himself with a woman half his age while still married with his mother, who had the freedom to love someone, unlike Seokjin, and decided that the love he felt for his mother was no longer there, except his father stubbornly convinced him that he still loved her, that only made Taehyung even more pissed.

Then, Taehyung’s mind went back to that morning, recollecting the words Hongseok professed to him, how he still loved him and wanted a chance – empty promises spoken with tenderness –, Taehyung didn’t believe it, maybe the romantic in him was dead, maybe love wasn’t for him and that mellowed down the younger’s bubbling wrath that was quickly surrounding his heart, replacing it with pity. Taehyung pitied himself for not being desired truthfully, he didn’t know how that felt anymore, the only person who loved him deeply was his first boyfriend, who was also his first love.

“People take love for granted, you might not understand it since you never were in a relationship, but thinking about what I went through, what Yoongi went through, what your wife and the man she truly loved went through, revolts me…” Taehyung spoke quietly as he stepped back from the beautiful painting that carried so much misery “Remember when you said you were a proud man and therefore was difficult for you to ask me for help? And my response was something like human beings resort to others because our species can’t isolate themselves and that’s why we work on our relationships, well, there are people out there who don’t know how valuable those relationships are, I’m not only talking about romantic relationships, but I’m also talking about friendly and familiar relationships, it enrages me how people don’t care about the ones close to them, it pisses me off so much…”

Seokjin could sense the anger and frustration coming from Taehyung, love was definitely a sensitive subject for the other male, the dark-haired male already knew the younger male’s situation with his father and the mistress and the ex-boyfriend, they were two different cases, however, the common subject between them was love – romantic and familiar love –, he also had the knowledge of how upset Taehyung used to be when the both of them met because how careless he was with Jimin, his son was a lonely and sad child who didn’t receive any love from him, just from his mother when she was alive, again, it was a sensitive subject to be discussed.

“People can take love for granted, I agree with that, however, it isn’t something definitive”

Taehyung furrowed his brows, confused by Seokjin’s argument. “What do you mean it’s not something definitive?”

“What I meant was people can learn how to treasure love as well” Seokjin clarified, watching Taehyung slowly unfurrowing his brows “You’re correct, I don’t understand love as you do, I think I never did and, yes, there are people out there who don’t mind the feeling, although, it doesn’t mean people will always take love for granted and I’m the perfect example, I admit, Jimin wasn’t my priority before, I didn’t see him indifferently, I just didn’t know how I felt about him, now I’m learning how to cherish him and love him”

“I guess you’re right, I mean, the opposite happens too, people cherish love and then, for some reason, they are so comfortable that they forget to make the effort to keep it alive...” Taehyung commented, amazed by Seokjin’s input about a matter the older male didn’t have any knowledge about “You know, Seokjin, I like having these types of conversations with you, I like knowing your perspective about things, even matters you might not have any knowledge about, I can see the subject differently”

“Glad to know…” Seokjin said, noticing a small smile creeping on Taehyung’s lips, no evidence of anger or gloominess displaying on his features and in his voice anymore “At least, I know I can have a serious conversation with you, a conversation that doesn’t have to do with oatmeal cookies, your offensive words towards me and your half-nakedness”

Taehyung pouted and smacked Seokjin’s arm. “I’m helping you, grumpy old man, so, you have to deal with my love for oatmeal cookies, my beautiful half-naked body that you are starting to get accustomed to and my loving offensive words towards you, like ice sculpture”

“You just prove my point, Taehyung, amazing how you just mentioned all the subjects I named before in only one sentence” Seokjin retorted as he massaged the spot where Taehyung smacked him, he had a lot more strength than he thought “And I’m not getting accustomed to your body, I just have to find some other outfit that fits you properly”

“You keep telling yourself that, Jinnie, don’t tell me you don’t want me in your bed just with what I’m wearing now, because if you do, you’re not a real man” Taehyung said cheerfully as he walked towards the door of the attic, wanting to explore the rest of the mansion, especially Jiminie’s bedroom. He saw the horrifying expression on Seokjin’s face, probably saying how he wanted to sleep in the older male’s bed was a shock, however, he wasn’t joking, Taehyung had a good reason to spend the night in Seokjin’s bedroom, it wasn’t only the fact that the king-sized bed was soft and cosy, like a big cloud “And, ah, yes, you heard right, I’m going to sleep in your bed, you need a living teddy bear to make you company”

“Taehyung, you will not, I repeat, you will not sleep-“

“Can’t hear you, Jinnie, the stairs make a lot of noise”

***

Taehyung was wandering around Jimin’s bedroom and gazing carefully at his surroundings all alone, since Seokjin had to speak to his mother to check on the little one, the older male’s attitude put a smile on Taehyung’s lips and the other’s will to know about Jimin’s well-being made him believe that Seokjin was taking his help seriously and putting into to use everything he was teaching him to get closer to his son. Taehyung was genuinely content about Seokjin’s commitment to strengthening the bond with Jimin, he knew it wasn’t easy for the dark-haired male to admit his wrongdoings and come to him but, as he said a few days ago and earlier, in the attic, it wasn’t about pride or being seen as weak, it was a matter of not letting go the only one connected to Seokjin. The older male already had a problematic relationship with his father, opposite to his relationship with his mother, however, Jimin was his family too, and the young boy needed his father and his guidance.

Taehyung strolled around the bedroom, a smile automatically reached his lips while he imagined Jimin sitting at his desk, studying the various colourful post-it Hoseok had been giving him since the beginning of their friendship and drawing what it was written to help him memorise the words and their definition. Taehyung saw said post-its, cautiously organised, on top of the desk, his books piled up and his notebooks at the centre, curious took the best of him and the male with pink and blonde hair grabbed the first one. He opened the notebook and saw a beautiful drawing – a blue butterfly –, making his smile widen to the point of hurting his cheeks.

Taehyung walked towards Jimin’s bed as he flipped the pages of the notebook, he sat down on the end of it, glancing at the fascinating drawings the young boy had been entertaining himself with, Jimin obviously was influenced by his mother and that thought made Taehyung’s mind go back to what Seokjin told him during dinner.

“I started questioning what type of life I wanted to give to Jimin, did I really want him to suffer the same fate as me or did I want him to have the chance to follow his dreams, even though I know I would be breaking the tradition of our family?”

Taehyung didn’t know what was like to be part of a family that forcibly made others follow a certain path, not minding people’s personal dreams and goals, instead, those people had to comply with what was dictated to them, not having a chance of refuting or dedicating themselves to what really excite them or make them thrive. Seokjin was the perfect example of how deranged his family was, or in this case, how deranged and controlling his father was. The male with colourful hair felt for Seokjin, the older male had a vital decision to make regarding Jimin’s future, a decision that couldn’t be made lightly given the importance it had to the Kim family, namely, the repercussions that were going to have on the legacy and Seokjin’s frail relationship with his father.

Taehyung continuously flipped the pages as he saw drawings of Jimin with the rest of the group of mischievous boys, drawings of himself, drawing of Jungkook and Yoongi, and drawings of some random flowers, every single drawing Taehyung admired touched his heart, feeling how caring and loving the young boy was. While appreciating the many drawings in front of him, Taehyung suddenly came to a stop when he came across one of Jimin’s recent drawings, his eyes widened as he gently ran his fingers over the unique portrait the brunette boy drew and, despite being a children’s drawing, Taehyung found it so beautiful.

(This is how Jimin views Seokjin…)

Taehyung hurriedly got up from Jimin’s bed and walked out of the bedroom, wanting to show Seokjin the portrait his son drew of him.

Chapter Text

"Is everything okay?" Seunghee asked worriedly, stroking sleeping Hoseok's hair as she cuddled him in the bed "You seemed quite cheerful on the phone earlier..."

Namjoon smiled widely as he finished buttoning the buttons of his pyjamas shirt, thinking back to his conversation with Seokjin, the man surely didn't seem approachable when he was interviewed by him and was rather expressionless, maybe because they were in a formal environment which was understandable, his boss to be was very professional as he should when he was conducting a very promising and profitable company.

"Believe it or not, Seokjin called me because he wanted to know what was Taehyung's favourite food..." Namjoon responded gleefully as he headed to his side of the bed, catching a glimpse of his wife's features. The male himself couldn't believe how concerned and thoughtful Seokjin was being towards his younger brother, especially after Taehyung described him, for that exact reason, he confessed to Seokjin that he was the last person who could make his brother happy "And we talked a little bit about my family and Taehyung, Seokjin caught me by surprise, Seunghee, he's more emphatic than I thought..."

"Are we talking about the same person who made Tae cry his eyes out for two days straight because he accused our baby of being temperamental and possibly being aggressive towards children?" Seunghee questioned doubtfully as she stared at the sleeping boy lying down on her side with his arms around her torso "I still can't believe he said Hobi was better off with his parents, it's your family, Joon, I shouldn't be disrespectful towards them, by given our situation, it upsets me, they were heartless..."

Namjoon gently climbed the bed to not wake up Hoseok, he sat down on the mattress, pulling the duvet and the blankets over him and his baby brother. He scooted closer to Hoseok, remembering how the little boy was as a newborn – his sparkling eyes, his parted lips, the blonde threads of hair sticking everywhere scruffily – and Taehyung's first time holding him as he gazed at him fondly, with the tears rolling down his eyes, but he had one of the biggest smiles Namjoon ever saw, maybe the first honest smile since their mother's death. Namjoon ran his fingers through Hoseok's hair, reminiscing about the blonde boy's light-hearted yet gloomy words a few hours earlier, when he confessed how he missed Taehyung, he himself missed Taehyung, as did Seunghee, Jungkook and Yoongi, especially Yoongi, his brother never cut communications with them for this long and, despite knowing he was safe and sound, Namjoon wanted to hug Taehyung and provide the security he needed to talk about what happened, without judging, he never judged him, no matter the circumstances.

"Seokjin genuinely cares about Tae's wellbeing, I know it's shocking, but it's the truth, his well-mannered tone couldn't disguise how concerned he was with my brother..." Namjoon leaned his back against the headboard, sighing softly "About my family, you are not being disrespectful, sweetheart, you are just being honest and I can't reprimand you since I share the same opinion as you, I don't know what drove my father to have an affair, it was easier to file for divorce and do his own life, but instead, he cheated on my mom while she was still alive, the worst of all, I suspected that she had that knowledge, the day she died, her car was nearby my father's wife's neighbourhood..."

"Really? You never told me that..." Seunghee tried to keep the volume of her voice down, another sigh escaped Namjoon's lips "Baby, do you think your mom was going to confront them?"

"Maybe, I don't know, I just hate to think that she lived the last months of her life knowing that her husband didn't love her anymore..." Namjoon spoke sullenly, thinking back to when he and Taehyung heard their father was going to get married again, less than a year after their mother's passing, it was cruel and insensible, he took it hard, however, Taehyung was completely destroyed "I suffered a lot with her death, but Taehyung, he was devastated, he and she had a strong connection, I hated seeing my own brother so depress, he didn't leave his bedroom for weeks and when Yoongi told me that he met his ex-boyfriend again and had shut himself down, I was afraid the same was happening, although I'm still worried about him..."

Seunghee extended her arm and cupped Namjoon's face, her thumb slowly caressing her husband's cheeks, making him look at her with a such pitiful gaze. "My love, Taehyung is one of the strongest people I ever met, amazingly, Seokjin is taking care of him and making sure he's comfortable, don't think about the worst, I'm positive that when he comes tomorrow, he will talk to you and Yoongi and sort everything out, okay?"

Namjoon hummed as he took Seunghee's hand from his face, he brought it to his lips and planted a lingering kiss on the back of her hand. "I love you, Seunghee, I hope Taehyung finds someone who loves him as much I love you, you are so important to me..."

"I love you too, Namjoon, to the moon and back, sweetie..." Seunghee reciprocated, giggling quietly with the tickles Namjoon was giving her with his feathery kisses on her hand "Do you, ah, do you think, Seokjin would ever be interested in Taehyung? I don't know if he's straight or not, he could be bi for all we know, either way, do you think he's a match?"

"You know I prefer to not pry on my brother's personal life, Taehyung feels more at ease with Yoongi and I don't mind that, if he wants to talk to me about a particular subject I'm always there for him, but if I'm being honest..." Namjoon paused, reflecting on the words he spoke to Seokjin earlier when they were on the phone, he truly didn't like invading Taehyung's life like that, but he had a formed opinion "Seokjin isn't Taehyung's type, but after the last two boyfriends my brother had, I think he's done with the "dating the relaxed and manly type of guy" phase, Minhyuk, his first boyfriend was really mature for his age and very dedicated to his studies, Seokjin reminds me of him for some reason..."

"Oh, I remember Minhyuk, he was such a gentleman and very nice boy..." Seunghee recalled a few moments when she was hanging out with Namjoon during the winter break, it was snowing and incredibly cold outside, Taehyung was fidgety about spending his first Christmas with Minhyuk, that unique smile of his was so wide and bright, it could melt the entire snow surrounding the neighbourhood. The pink-haired female missed that Taehyung, despite the younger with colourful hair being the liveliest and most energetic person she knew, the person she saw almost every day, wasn't so cheerful and lively like the old days "Seokjin is not the same so, your comparison is kind of odd, sweetheart, although I admit, they looked very well together, did you see the photo Jungkook took of them yesterday, they seemed like a couple, I think we took a photo similar to theirs..."

"If you say something like that in front of my brother and Yoongi, you better prepare yourself to buy a tone of snacks for them" Namjoon chuckled lightly, making Seunghee laugh as well "But in all seriousness, I want to talk to Taehyung about Seokjin, I know my brother is going to talk about Hongseok with Yoongi, that is already a lot of pressure for him, I just want to make sure Seokjin didn't do anything to disturb my baby brother, I don't care if he's my boss, my family comes first"

"I love how protective you are towards Taehyung..." Seunghee said sweetly, gazing at Hoseok, who seemed to be restless during his sleep "And towards Hoseok as well..."

Namjoon admired Seunghee as she watched over Hoseok's sleeping form while praying to be blessed with a child of his own, his wife was gentle and nurturing, and she was going to be the perfect mother. Seunghee helped Hoseok or Taehyung when they weren't feeling themselves or were upset and bothered with a specific matter, she cared deeply for them and accepted them for the people they were. Namjoon was truly a lucky man for being married to the most beautiful and kindest woman on the planet, Seunghee was understanding and deserved the entire universe.

A loud sound came from outside, startling both Seunghee and Namjoon, who looked around the bedroom when the lights went down with the violent thunder. Both of them felt movement from their sides, probably the noise awoke Hoseok.

"Joonie!"

"Hobi, baby, I'm here..." Namjoon soothed Hoseok as he helped him sit down on the bed, patting his head "Want to sit on my lap?"

Hoseok nodded his head, not being able to see Namjoon very well because it was really dark and he wasn't a big fan of the dark, especially during stormy nights. He carefully crawled towards Namjoon, with his big brother's help, he sat down on his lap, with a leg on each side and leaned forward, resting his head on the crook of Namjoon's neck, ignoring the frightening racket playing outside.

"I'm scared..."

"I know, baby, I know, but Joonie and Seunghee are here with you, okay?" Namjoon reassured calmly as he placed a hand on Hoseok's lower back and the other behind his back, feeling his baby brother's body trembling fearfully. The male glanced at Seunghee, who was getting up from the bed as she grabbed the phone "Are you going downstairs to get the candles?"

"Yes, I know Hoseok doesn't like thunder, maybe candles can appease him, at least he wouldn't be in the dark..."

"Do you like pretty candles, Hobi? They smell really good too, like flowers..." Namjoon asked cheerily, holding Hoseok protectively in his embrace as he carefully ran his fingers through his blonde locks "They seem like little fireflies flying in the bedroom..."

"What are fireflies, Joonie?" Hoseok inquired curiously as he heard another scary sound coming from outside "Are they made of fire?"

Namjoon chuckled wholeheartedly at Hoseok's innocent question, he couldn't help to think how adorable was his baby brother. "No, baby, they are normal bugs that fly during the night and glow in the dark, their bodies produce their light through their oxygen"

Seunghee left the bedroom as she turned on the flashlight from her phone, smiling while hearing Namjoon explaining to Hoseok everything that he knew about the fireflies, probably to distract him from the pouring rain and the excruciating noises resulting from the thunder. The pink-haired female wondered if Taehyung was coping with the stormy night, knowing that he was probably as scared as Hoseok at that moment, she knew the reason for his fears and she understood, although, she remembered when Taehyung told her about him being up at night to hear the soothing melody made by the rain, the ranging thunder piercing through the sky and the lightning bolts that resembled fireworks, the younger male saw beauty in everything back in the day, now, they were lost memories he tried to put in the back of his mind, memories that made him recall the most disturbing day of his life.

***

Taehyung stealthily entered Seokjin's gigantic bedroom with Jimin's notebook in his hand, he immediately was welcomed by the large glass windows that presented him with the dark scenery of the back side of the property – the wild wind shaking the trees violently, almost ripping the few leaves attached to their branches, and the heavy clouds embellishing the non-visibly sky –, the frightening sight made the younger feel restless. Before Taehyung loved to hear the whistling of the wind and the sound of the rain hitting the windows, however, his adoration for the rainy and stormy days and nights transformed into fear after that day, the noises relating to rain and storms brought back unpleasant memories, memories that kept tormenting him after years.

Taehyung inhaled calmly, then exhaled, making himself focus on the purpose that drove him to Seokjin's bedroom, he really wanted to see the expression on the dark-haired male's face the moment he would see what Jimin drew, it was a sign that the young boy was slowly accepting his father's advances. He searched around the ridiculously humongous master bedroom, hearing a few noises coming from the farthest part of the place, his eyes landed on the king-sized bed where a white t-shirt was lying there on the end of it.

Taehyung placed Jimin's notebook on one of the nightstands, he reached for the white t-shirt, thinking Seokjin had left it there, as he heard a shrieking noise that made him frown. He walked towards where the noise came from, encountering Seokjin's walk-in closet, of course, he forgot how the rich and powerful couldn't have a normal closet like normal people, they needed a special room to store their expensive designer clothes, among other outfits and accessories.

Taehyung approached the walk-in closet, the moment he did, he froze and rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't dreaming or imagining what he was seeing in that instant – Seokjin was shirtless and only wearing a pair of grey sweatpants while nonchalantly taking off his wrist watch in front of some kind of vitrine that had other watches that were sparkling under the light shining above them –, Taehyung had to admit, that was quite the view and he didn't hate it.

(I already had a clue that Seokjin wasn't scrawny, but this is surprisingly pleasant...)

Seokjin didn't have the same body type as Hongseok's, however, he still had a fit body without having the chiselled chest, the perfect six-pack and the excessive muscular arms. Taehyung, contrary to what people thought of him, didn't solely focus on the bodies of the men who approached them, he also cared about the personality of those who caught his eye because he found how some specific men acted all almighty and important just for having an attractive body, or face if it was Seokjin's case. Taehyung couldn't forget how smug the man used to be, well, he still was pretty smug and full of himself, but now he had a better understanding of the reasons.

Taehyung smirked as he observed Seokjin, neatly placing the wristwatch on the velvety red pillow, next to the others, something told him that particular watch had significance for the way the older male was handling it. The male with pink and blonde hair silently tip-toed towards Seokjin, still holding the white t-shirt that the older male probably intended of putting on.

Taehyung cleared his throat to grasp Seokjin's attention. "Forgot something, Jinnie?"

Seokjin sighed heavily as he closed the glass vitrine, wondering why Taehyung was sneaking around his bedroom. He purposely let him explore Jimin's bedroom by himself to give him time to talk to his mother to assure his son was fine because of the near storm that was about to break out and to get dressed, apparently, it wasn't enough to entertain the younger male.

"Taehyung, can you, please, give me my t-shirt back and some privacy?" Seokjin asked, already predicting what Taehyung was going to answer, still he wasn't going to let the younger with those obnoxious hair colours get the best of him, he wasn't ashamed of his body, he just valued his privacy "Unlike you, I don't enjoy parading my body around in front of people..."

"I will give you the t-shirt back if you let me sleep on your bed..." Taehyung suggested amusingly, making Seokjin roll his eyes at him. He couldn't help but giggle at the dark-haired male's expression "Seokjin, you already slept with guys, right? This is no different, except for the sex part, and I wouldn't ask you this if I didn't have a good reason"

"I only shared my bed with the men I slept with to be physical with them, nothing more" Seokjin responded indifferently, catching a glimpse of Taehyung's playful smile "And if you have a perfectly good reason, just tell me which is it and I will ponder about it"

"Jinnie..." Taehyung whined as daringly shortened the distance between him and Seokjin, pouting. He looked up at the older male and blinked his eyelashes cutely "Am I not worthy of sharing a bed with you? Is it because I'm wearing sexy lingerie and you are afraid of losing control?"

Seokjin sighed once again as he ran his hand through his hair, starting to regret his decision of bringing Taehyung to his house, even though the younger was happier than he was that morning and was acting like his usual self, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing, he honestly preferred seeing Taehyung smile than seeing him crying, however, it didn't give him the right to invite himself to his bed.

"You are so difficult to handle sometimes, you know that?" Seokjin asked knowingly, seeing Taehyung raising a brow "As a matter of fact, you are more childish than Hoseok and Jimin together"

Taehyung wanted to laugh at Seokjin's attempt to upset him, his "insults" were nothing that he already hadn't heard from the older male's mouth, however, he couldn't simply let Seokjin think that he could say random things to him and get away with it so if Taehyung was hard to handle and more childish than Hoseok and Jimin then he was going to behave exactly like that.

"So, I'm difficult to handle and more childish than Hoseok and Jimin, aren't I? Okay..." Taehyung pretended to be angry with Seokjin's nonsense by throwing daggers at him as he took the t-shirt he was holding and put it on, probably looking ridiculous, still, it was better than seeing Seokjin getting what he wanted. He took a step forward, practically glued to Seokjin, he gathered all his strength to not laugh at the older male's face and poked his bare chest "Because of that, I'll keep these two pieces of clothing and I won't help you with Jimin anymore, being difficult to handle and more childish than our babies doesn't make me qualified enough to help a big meanie like you"

Taehyung turned around, feeling pretty good about his brilliant and convincing performance, however, the second he did, he felt Seokjin's hand gripping his and twirling him around to face him, making him go against the older male's bare torso.

"Taehyung, you know very well what I told you it's true, but I didn't say you weren't qualified to help me, quite the opposite, actually, you are probably the only one who can do it, especially after today..." Seokjin spoke gently as he fixed Taehyung's hair which was all messy after swiftly putting his t-shirt on, he looked silly, but he preferred not to comment to not worsen the situation between them "I tried my best to make you forget about the hardships you went through last night and this morning, you needed to cheer up and for a person like me, that was a tough task, but I have a feeling that I was successful with said task and, at the same time, you helped me too, I was never able to speak about what happened with my wife's true love, not even with Jungkook so, I, ah, truly enjoyed our conversation"

Taehyung was slightly shocked by Seokjin's hearting speech and his sudden actions that, once again, had an influence on his stupid cheeks and his heart, making him curse at himself mentally, although he couldn't help it, Seokjin, despite being an annoying man most of the times, could be charming as well.

"I-I was kidding, Seokjin, I really didn't mean what I said..." Taehyung stammered sheepishly, feeling Seokjin's tight grip on his hand as he barely could make eye contact with the older male "You placed your trust in me and showed me that you genuinely had an interest in connecting with Jimin, you guaranteed me that you would be committed to exchanged for my help, it was a kind of verbal agreement between us, like the favours, I wouldn't go back on my word unless I had strong motives for that..." Taehyung added, smiling weakly at hearing Seokjin saying how he wanted to make him feel better in spite of not being an expressive person when it came to his feelings, for some reason, that made Taehyung's heart even more hectic than it already was "A-And, ah, hum, a-about helping me, I appreciate everything you did for me, Seokjin, I don't remember the last time someone when the extra mile for me..."

"I don't know why I'm surprised, I should have known, and now I embarrassed myself for nothing..." Seokjin complained, hearing Taehyung's quiet giggles. The dark-haired male gazed at the younger in front of him, basically glued to him, his cheeks were tainted with a dark shade of pink and his eyes were oddly sparkly "By the way, you look ridiculous with the t-shirt on, can you please take it off, I was serious about not liking parading my body around"

"Wow, first you said you were used to seeing me half-naked and now you are asking me to take off a piece of clothing, Kim Seokjin, you are naughty, no wonder guys loved to "share" a bed with you" Taehyung teased, seeing how Seokjin was preventing himself for rolling his eyes yet again, a habit he gained because of him, although the younger preferred seeing him smile again. The male with colourful hair raised his arm, and gently brushed Seokjin's hair, fixing it after he made puppy eyes to convince the other to let him sleep on his bed, he was going to do it either way "Instead of rolling your eyes at me, you should smile, I bet Jiminie would love to see it... "

"You really like to distort my words and make me queasy about my past..." Seokjin retorted absentmindedly, noticing a big smile adorning Taehyung's lips, he never saw the younger smiling so much in his presence "About me smiling, well, I don't have the same ability as you, I can't smile if I don't have a reason to do it, not even if it's to make my son more at ease in my company..."

"Jinnie, everyone has a past and either it was good or bad, it teaches us to make better decisions and improve ourselves, if you want to get a stronger bond with Jimin, you have to slowly accept yourself, not only your present you, but your past you, it could help you be more affectionate too..." Taehyung let his hand slide down to Seokjin's face, cupping his cheek as he stared at his eyes, eyes that allowed him to see the dark-haired male's true feelings – uncertainty and fear. The younger kept smiling assuredly, thinking how the day before he wasn't comfortable with being so touchy towards Seokjin, at least, not at this level, his relationship with the older male changed so much in a short period of time, although Taehyung was truly joyful, his impression of Seokjin wasn't so negative anymore "And you want a reason to smile, well, I have one and I'll be happy to show you, however, I want to make a deal with you, Jinnie"

Seokjin staggeringly stared at Taehyung while feeling his warm hand caressing his cheek, absorbing the words spoken by the audacious younger with ridiculous hair colours about him accepting the person he was in the past and his present self to improve himself to strengthen his connection with Jimin. The dark-haired male didn't like to talk about his past deeds and the person he used to be, it reminded him of the time he had to succumb to his father's threatening words to him, forcing him to behave a certain way just because he didn't want him to be a disappointment and ruin the family's reputation, he also didn't like the person he was now, he was viewed as cold and stern, the reason he acted as such derived from numerous reasons, from his father's education to his shattered dreams.

To Seokjin, it was difficult to comprehend Taehyung's attitude and cheery behaviour, especially when he knew about the younger male's past and his relationships, Taehyung too went through a lot and, currently, was one of the most cheerful people he knew. Seokjin couldn't grasp what was Taehyung's motivations to keep on smiling, even when he was struggling to forget his cheating ex-boyfriend in the last few weeks and dealing with his complicated demeanour, Taehyung still was there to help people, independently of his state of mind. Seokjin wouldn't admit it out loud, nevertheless, he thought it was impressive and selfless which didn't help him understand Taehyung, he knew the reason why he was helping him improve his relationship with Jimin and helping him, however, Seokjin didn't know how he was so forgiving, especially towards himself.

"I don't know if I will ever be able to do that, Taehyung, accept the person I was and the person I am now, as you know, I'm not the most pleasant man out there..." Seokjin said dishearteningly, feeling bothered about himself. He wanted so badly to change to demonstrate to Jimin and Taehyung as well that he could act differently, even though it was a challenge for him "The person I used to be was immature and irresponsible, deep down, he didn't care about anyone else rather than himself, as for me, I hurt my own son and put him on the side since my wife died..."

"Seokjin, I must admit, you really aren't the most pleasant man in the world, you are quite the nuisance sometimes, but aside from that, I do believe you are going to be able to accept the person you once were and the person you are now, in fact, you are gradually accepting the person you are now already" Taehyung held Seokjin's hands firmly, wanting to encourage him and make him realise his progress "You told me yourself at dinner that since Jimin fainted at school that you been thinking about the person you wanted to be for your son and what path should he follow, right? That alone is a sign that you changed, about your past self, I don't believe you were selfish, Jungkook adored you, he still does and he misses you, Seokjin, not the reckless and drunk best friend, but the companion and supportive best friend, the person who made him laugh with the stupid jokes, the person who showed emotion, not the guy who has frivolous eyes..."

"Still, I don't think I can-"

"Stop it, Seokjin! Stop fucking doubting yourself!" Taehyung involuntarily shouted at Seokjin as he freed his hand from the older male's grip, cupping his face "Instead of thinking about what you should do towards Jimin, you should just do it, I already told you we made a verbal agreement, I'm here for you, as is Jungkook, you are not alone in this journey and you should really value the few changes you already made, you should be proud, tiny changes are better than nothing..." Taehyung gave the most warm-hearted smile to Seokjin, despite his aggressive speech, he intended to get through the elder's thick skull that he was capable of getting closer to Jimin, he was going to make sure of that "And how the hell did this turn into a serious conversation, I wanted to make fun of you, can we go back to the deal we were going to make? I bet any worries you may have will vanish in a heartbeat"

"I doubt that Taehyung, but, I appreciate your kind words, what I don't appreciate is your hands on my face, I already did my skincare and you just ruin it" Seokjin grabbed Taehyung's hands and took them from his face again while watching Taehyung glaring at him "So, the deal, let me guess, you'll only show me what you want to show me if I let you sleep in my bed, right?"

(How can he be nice and a jerk at the same time? Now, I really want to make fun of him...)

"Right, and I'll give you your t-shirt back, and before you refuse, I know for sure you are going to love what I'm about to show you, also..." Taehyung remarked amusingly, tilting his head as he observed Seokjin's facial expression, he was certain the dark-haired male was going to be offended by his next statement "You don't have to worry about my hands in your stupid and ugly face, Jinnie, I know someone much more attractive and with much better skin than yours..."

Taehyung started laughing when he saw Seokjin's eyes widening, he knew how the older male cherished his beautiful face and perfect skin, however, he didn't like how the other sometimes thought he was the only handsome man on the planet.

"Taehyung, take it back..."

"No need to be so serious, Jinnie, I was joking, well, not about me knowing someone much more attractive and with much better skin than yours, besides me, of course" Taehyung retorted complacently, finding hilarious the facial expression Seokjin had, he was still pissed for accusing him of not being handsome, he could be pretty superficial sometimes, even though the male with colourful hair thought Seokjin was good-looking "Don't look at me like that and we are diverting the conversation again, I want to show you the thing, Seokjin, c'mon just accept the deal..."

"How can I let you sleep on my bed when I don't know the reason for your outrageous request?" Seokjin asked assertively, trying to understand what were Taehyung's motives to stay in his bedroom instead of the guest bedroom "I let you stay in my bedroom in the afternoon for you to have privacy, no one enters in here without my permission"

Taehyung didn't want Seokjin to find out about his phobia of the rain and the thunder, it was caused by traumatic events and he wasn't mentally prepared to share that information with the older male, maybe it wasn't fair since Seokjin shared so much throughout the day. Still, Taehyung didn't feel comfortable speaking about that specific day, although he promised himself he was going to tell Seokjin one day when he felt ready.

The faint sound of the drizzle tapping the large glass windows could be heard by Taehyung, panic progressively grew inside his gut. He had to remain calm to not let himself get swayed by his fears, for once, he was infuriated with mother nature, who was now making him recollect the memories that he so desperately buried inside his mind.

"I-I have a perfectly good reason for my outrageous request, I just can't tell you why, that's all..." Taehyung spoke timidly, slightly flinching with the howling of the aggressive wind "But, if you feel uncomfortable with me, I'll sleep in the guest room..."

Seokjin sighed heavily yet again as he studied Taehyung's body language and facial expression, the younger was fidgeting with his fingers nervously while pouting – the embodiment of a child basically –, making him wonder what reason could drive Taehyung to make such a request, despite the younger having the hobby of messing with him and mocking him. Seokjin believed whatever the reason the other male had was indeed a good reason, if it wasn't, Taehyung wouldn't seem so melancholic and restless, as he was at that moment, although the thought of sharing his bed with another person bothered him. In the past, Seokjin wasn't fond of the idea of having males in his bedroom, not only because he was afraid of being caught by his father – which ended up happening –, but also because he didn't like to get too attached to them, after all, he had one-night stands, not relationships.

The tapping in the window got louder, indicating the rain was becoming more aggressive and the storm was picking up its pace.

Seokjin noticed how Taehyung shied as he wrapped his arms around himself protectively when the soft drizzle transformed into a ruckus. It was uncommon for the older male to see the other acting so fretfully and nervously, Seokjin already knew that Taehyung wasn't a scaredy-cat, his audacious and intrepid personality was the proof, however, everyone had their fears, no matter how irrational they were, maybe Taehyung didn't like storms and it was connected to his past if that was the case then, it explained why the younger didn't justify himself.

"If you are telling me that you have a good reason for your request then I believe you, after all, you trusted me when I requested you to help me with Jimin, the only thing you asked me in return was my commitment" Seokjin said in defeat, observing Taehyung slowly relaxing with his words "With that said, I, ah, I will let you sleep in my bed, BUT, you have to respect my personal space so, you know, no touching, and I want you to give me back my t-shirt now"

"Thank you, Jinnie!" Taehyung squealed happily, as he threw his arms around Seokjin's body, completely ignoring the fact the older male was shirtless. The younger male parted from the hug, smiling in relief "And do you seriously not want to spoon me? I told you, you need a living teddy bear to snuggle at night"

"I'm going to pretend that I didn't hear what you just said, Taehyung..." Seokjin remarked unwaveringly as he extended his hand, gesturing to Taehyung to give him what he asked him a few moments ago "Now, take my shirt off and, please, do not say unnecessary comments, if you don't want me to regret my decision of letting you stay here tonight"

"Meanie..." Taehyung muttered, not enjoying dealing with a cranky Seokjin, especially during a stormy night. The younger stuck his tongue out as he placed his hands on the hem of the t-shirt, carefully lifting it off, then he finally gave it back to Seokjin in the hope he would be more content, Taehyung guessed Seokjin truly didn't like parading his body around, he didn't understand why, however, he preferred not focusing on that matter "Alright if you don't have anything else to complain about, I can finally show you the notebook"

Seokjin furrowed his brows as he put on his stolen t-shirt, not knowing what Taehyung was talking about. "Is that why you wanted me to a make deal with you? Because of a notebook?"

"It's not just a notebook, you grumpy old man, it's Jimin's notebook" Taehyung explained to the clueless man as he held his hand to guide him to the bed to finally show Jimin's drawings to Seokjin, doing this was a way to help the older male see what his son really appreciated and wanted to purse in his life, instead of having his path already laid down for him to follow. Taehyung let go of Seokjin's hand and pushed him to the bed, obligating him to sit on the side of it, then he proceed to grab Jimin's notebook and gave it to the older male "You want to know your son and what's best for him, right? Then, you should open that notebook and see what Jimin likes and the people who are precious to him..."

Seokjin stared intensely at the notebook with the black cover while hearing Taehyung speaking, already having an idea of what Jimin liked and the people he treasured the most, the people who had a positive effect on his life, who supported him, who were kind to him, who were there for him whenever he needed them, Seokjin couldn't relate to those people, Seokjin couldn't relate to Jungkook or Taehyung, who dealt with Jimin and satisfied his emotional needs.

Seokjin was being honest with Taehyung when he said he doubted himself and his abilities to connect with his son, a feeling he never had to deal with since he was always self-confident, a trait people mistook with smugness and presumptuousness. Seokjin had a lot to learn about emotions and how to express them because, there were times he expressed himself incorrectly, like that morning, Jimin wasn't completely comfortable around him which was understandable since he hadn't much interaction with him so, if wanted to bond and earn his son's trust, he needed to keep working hard to become a normal parent.

"Aren't you going to see what this notebook is all about?"

Seokjin felt the bed sinking by his side when Taehyung harshly sat down next to him, he gazed at the younger and his usual bright smile, having a feeling that there was something in the notebook Taehyung wanted him to see, something specific so, he decided to indulge the younger and finally opened the notebook to explore its content.

Chapter Text

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(Almost seven years ago...)

Taehyung was biting the end of his pen while reading the notes in one of his classes to prepare himself for the upcoming exams, feeling frustrated because his brain kept reminding him of Minhyuk and their last date, not letting him fully concentrate on his studies. It had been almost three years since he and Minhyuk started dating which was unbelievable for Taehyung because he never expected to find someone so special who could love him unconditionally like his dad loved his mother or like Namjoon loved Seunghee, the young male considered himself lucky for being with a person who didn't mind his quirkiness and his chaotic behaviour.

Taehyung placed the chewed pen on the desk as he got up from the chair, taking a much-needed break from his studying. He walked towards the slightly opened window that was close to his bed and crossed his arms on the ledge, looking up at the greyish clouds spread all over the sky, hiding the afternoon sun. Taehyung just stood there, listening to the calming and melodic breezy whispering in his ear, announcing that the rain was coming, unlike the majority of people, he loved the sound of the rain tapping the windows, the rushing wind brushing against the semi-naked trees, the flashy lightning bolts and the thunder, the melancholic scenery was beautiful in Taehyung's eyes.

A soft drizzle suddenly began to fall from the darkish clouds, gently drumming against the window. Loud thunder roared in the distance, indicating a storm was approaching.

Taehyung smiled widely as he stretched his arm to be able to feel the cold droplets on his skin while hearing the majestic thunder resonating all over the city. He closed his eyes to listen carefully to the various sounds that resulted from the rainy weather – the enchanting wind that made the foliage dance, the rain drops that played different notes when they touched a different surface, the sound of the splashing made by the cars when they drove on a huge puddle of water –, Taehyung loved every single one of those spellbinding sounds that made him adore even more the stormy and cold days and nights.

Humming in contentment with the current weather outside, Taehyung heard his phone ringing, awakening him from his relaxed state. He retrieved his arm from the window was practically numb from the coldness, and quickly went to his nightstand where his phone was, checking the caller ID.

Taehyung grabbed the phone and answered the call immediately. "Hi, mom! Everything's okay?"

"Hi, my baby bear, everything's okay, I just wanted to tell you that I'm done doing research for my book today..." Taehyung's mom stated happily, loving to hear how cheerful her son was on the phone, maybe the rainy weather was responsible for his good mood "I just wanted to tell you that I'm going to take care of some business and then I'll go straight home, okay?"

Taehyung frowned, not understanding what his mother meant by "taking care of some business", she always went back home when she was done in the library. "Did something happen? Do you want me to call dad?"

"No! Don't call your father, I'm only going to talk to someone, ah, an o-old friend..." Taehyung's mother responded hastily as she focused on the road while driving, the drizzle was turning into torrential rain "You don't have to worry about me, sweetie..."

"Hum, okay..." Taehyung mumbled puzzlingly, not liking how his mother was behaving "Well, don't take too long, okay? Joon finally remembered our existence and he's going to come over later, dad is going to work late so, I was thinking we could order out, I'm not a master chef like Yoongi and my brother tends to set things on fire"

"Your father is going to work late again?" Taehyung's mother asked suspiciously, biting her bottom lip as she stepped her foot on the accelerator "Sorry, honey, he didn't tell me, as for your plan for tonight I'm in, I actually need to talk to you and Joon alone..."

Taehyung headed to the window again and stretched his arm to feel the now sturdier rain caressing his skin, sensing that something was definitely wrong, especially after knowing that his father didn't warn his mother about working late which was unusual, his parents shared everything, and then there was the conversation his mother wanted to have with him and Namjoon, it sounded serious.

"Mom, is everything alright? You seem concerned about something..." Taehyung questioned worriedly, faintly hearing cars honking on the other side of the line "You know you can talk to me about anything, right?"

"Everything's going to be okay, Taehyung, I'll make sure of that, that's why I want to talk to you and your brother..." Taehyung's mother said reassuringly, trying to not alarm her son because of the situation that was unfolding in the last few months, however, she knew she had to be honest with both Taehyung and Namjoon, they deserved to know the truth "Don't worry, okay? Now, I have to go, my baby bear, I love you so much"

"O-Okay, we talk later then..." Taehyung remarked hesitantly as he retrieved his arm once again before it froze because of the cold wind and the fierce rain that was playing louder in his eardrums "Bye, mom, your baby bear loves you very much too..."
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A lightning bold suddenly flashed from the ominous skies, awakening Taehyung from his painful memories that endlessly kept replaying inside his head as loud as the thunder that was roaring not so far away. He felt his heart heavily thumping as he took a few steps back, withdrawing himself fearfully from the large windows that portrayed the horrifying scenery outside, the same scenery that once brought him joy and comfort in the busiest days and the sleepless nights. The music echoing from the raindrops against the glass, the harsh whispers from the wind, the glitzy lightning bolts and the dreadful thunder made Taehyung relive the worst day of his life – the day of his mother's death –, the day he continuously tried to erase from his memory, however, it was useless because of the agonising pain that was still inside of him.

Taehyung hugged himself protectively as he sobbed quietly to not wake up Seokjin, his eyes remained on the large windows, not knowing the reason why he couldn't avert his gaze from them, actually, he didn't understand what drove him to go near the windows in the first place. He continued to watch nature dancing along with the storm and hear those sounds that summoned the memory of him speaking to his mother for the last time, remembering her solemn and enigmatic tone of voice telling him that she needed to have a conversation with him and Namjoon, a conversation Taehyung knew perfectly well what the topic was about.

Taehyung never shared this with anyone, not even with Namjoon, but, deep down, he felt like he had some fault in his mother's death and the reason behind his partial guilt was the mention of his father on the phone. Maybe that thought was preposterous, how could he have known back then that his own father was having an affair with a younger woman, how could he have known that his mother had been suffering in silence for months? Taehyung didn't have a way to know, so he decided to open his eyes and confront the real world, the same world his gullibility and blindness prevented him to see and that was how he ended up finding out how his father, who once was viewed by him as righteous and kind, was, in reality, a selfish and cruel man.

The world Taehyung knew wasn't black and white or full of sunshine and rainbows, instead, the world was as grey, pitiful and frightening as the thunderstorm that was blowing out of proportions on the other side of the glass in that instant. Nevertheless, Taehyung promised himself that he wouldn't change the person he was, no matter how unpleasant his life turned out to be after his mother's death, the male with colourful hair remained the cheerful fluff ball he was with the mission of bringing happiness to those who needed it and helping the ones closest to him, because, even though he didn't change the world in an impactful way, at least, Taehyung could make someone's day.

Taehyung sniffled as the tears rolled down his cheeks while tightening his arms around himself in an attempt to escape the coldness of the weather and the memories that incessantly tormented him and reminded him of how life was precious yet unpredictable. Everything could change in a split second and that was why Taehyung did his best to not take for granted the people he cherished the most and enjoyed every single moment he spent with them.

As Taehyung was immersed in his thoughts, a deafening sound resonated on the other side of the large windows, accompanied by ferocious lightning bolts that briefly illuminated the scary scenery of the back side of the mansion.

Taehyung let out a sharp scream, automatically closing his eyes while covering his ears to block the enervating noises that were rumbling vividly outside. As he took a few steps back to distance himself even more from the living nightmare that was unfolding, Taehyung stumbled on his own feet in the middle of his panic attack, however, instead of landing on the floor, he felt two arms wrapping around him, securing him.

"S-Shut up! Please, shut up!" Taehyung pleaded not surely to who, wishing the storm could just pass and the silent night could come to comfort him and make him forget about the torturous memories that haunted him every time he hear the sound of the rain and the thunder. He tried to control his breathing, inhaling and exhaling calmly, however, Taehyung wasn't able to do it "M-Make it stop..."

"Taehyung..." Seokjin spoke soothingly as he took Taehyung's hands from his ears, realising now that he was right about the younger being frightened of storms and that explained why he didn't want to be alone. The dark-haired male gently twirled the younger around to not scare him even more, as he thought about what he should do to help him, after all, Seokjin wasn't the ideal person to deal with Taehyung's predicament "You're not alone, I'm here, now try to breathe in and out slowly..."

Taehyung opened his eyes, which burned intensely because of the warm tears that slid down his cheeks and immediately threw himself at Seokjin, wrapping his arms around his neck as he snuggled his head on the older male's broad shoulder. The male with pink and blonde hair closed his eyes once more, letting the tears cascade like a waterfall, and despite being Seokjin the one who was there with him, Taehyung felt reassured because he wasn't completely alone. Thinking about the elder who was with him, made the male with colourful hair recall the nicer and more pleasant memories he had, memories of the people who were there for him every day – memories of his family and best friend, memories of Gunhak and Soonyoung, memories of little Jimin and the gang of little devils –, those quickly replaced the traumatic ones, it was like a ray of sunshine suddenly illuminating his head to keep away the bad memories that clouded his mind.

The thunder began to fade away and the sound of the torrential rain mellowed down just like Taehyung's heartbeat, it seemed mother nature was finally giving him a break, nonetheless, he felt uneasy. Taehyung began to control his breathing, inhaling and exhaling slowly to soothe the crushing and disquieting emotions that were whirling inside his heart, letting one of his hands glide down to Seokjin's chest while the other was cleaning the fallen tears. The younger with pink and blonde hair bashfully made eye contact with Seokjin, feeling bad for awakening him in the middle of the night and practically forcing him to console him, and Taehyung also felt embarrassed for crying helplessly, screaming and throwing himself at the older male, knowing perfectly well how upset he would be when he had too much skin ship with him.

"Are you alright?"

"I-I am, s-sort of..." Taehyung responded unsurely, his body was slightly trembling with the prospect of the weather worsening once again, having a breakdown in front of Seokjin was enough, he didn't want to have another if possible "Y-You, ah, y-you probably think I'm being childish, y-you know, for being scared of the rain and the thunder..."

"I don't think that Taehyung, everyone has their phobias, some are caused by traumatic events and others are caused by bad experiences..." Seokjin tried to rationalise Taehyung's fears just for him to feel that he wasn't judging him, he truly didn't think the younger was being childish just because he was afraid of rain and obnoxious thunder "I-I, ah, I have a phobia too and you probably will think I'm outlandish..."

"Y-You do?" Taehyung questioned astonishingly, not believing the almighty Kim Seokjin had any fears, besides not being able to be more affectionate towards Jimin and connect with him. A faint sound rang from the sky, making Taehyung shroud and glue himself even more against Seokjin "W-What, ah, what are you afraid of, Jinnie?"

Seokjin felt Taehyung's strong grip on his white t-shirt when the almost inaudible sound came from outside, noticing his eyes glittering in the darkish bedroom while staring blankly at him like he was wordlessly begging him to tell him about his phobia to distract him from the bad weather and the horrific noises that were provoked by it. He wasn't very fond of the idea of sharing his weaknesses with Taehyung, however, after everything they had been through the day before and their frank conversations with each other, Seokjin decided, once again, to satisfy Taehyung's curiosity by being as truthful as possible with him, maybe he could also provide some sort of consolation, even though he didn't have enough emotional abilities to do so.

"Well, believe it or not, I have coulrophobia, in other words, I have a phobia of clowns..." Seokjin admitted ashamedly, as he cleaned the remaining tears from Taehyung's cheek "It happened when I was seven years old, my mother, without my father knowing, took me to the circus, my classmates were always talking about the performances, especially the clowns, I wanted to feel included, so I asked my mother if we could go..." Seokjin continued, noticing a small smile sluggishly erupting on Taehyung's lips "We got front-row seats to the show for me to experience better the performances, that turned out to be a mistake, I ended up getting the attention of the troupes of clowns, they called me to the stage, blindfolded me and started to pop balloons in my ears, spraying water and do random noises for me to guess, it was all so confusing and frantic that I got scared, it made my skin crawl, overall, that was the first and last experience I had with the circus and clowns, probably it wasn't a big deal, but having dozens of people laughing at my misery and four clowns surrounding me and behaving frighteningly, certainly did a number on me..."

"I don't think it's outlandish, Jinnie, it's comprehensible, a seven-year-old surrounded by scary clowns who were basically harassing you, I would be afraid too..." Taehyung commented logically, understanding where Seokjin was coming from "So, how did Jungkook react? Did he make fun of you?"

"Jungkook had fun at my expense for a while, yes, it started when he suggested to me that I should wear a clown wig on Halloween for being the funniest one of our group of occasional friends..." Seokjin explained, feeling chills running down his spine while remembering that particular memory, despite him definitely being the funniest person and the one who could always make Jungkook laugh with his lame jokes "He was always asking me if I was serious then, one day, he showed me a photo of a clown and I literally had an anxiety attack, after that, he never tried to push the clown concept on me"

Speaking about a clown wig made Taehyung recall the conversation he had with Seokjin about the colours of his hair, how the older male was always insulting him and his peculiar choices of hair colour. Taehyung had the urge to question Seokjin about that matter, he wondered if the chats they both had come from the elder's phobia, maybe he wasn't comfortable with his hair colours because somehow made him reminisce about the memory of him going to the circus, or maybe, he was just wanted to quarrel with him and annoy the hell out of him, that sounded more like the Seokjin Taehyung knew.

Despite wanting nothing more than to argue with Seokjin about the past out-of-term comments he made about his beautiful hair, Taehyung decided it was best if he kept quiet, especially when the dark-haired male just shared an episode from his childhood, indicating that, at some point, Seokjin was a normal child who desired to be accepted by the other children. Taehyung knew that Seokjin wasn't a big fan of exposing himself, the older male felt weak because he shared his stories and the emotions that came along with them, even though, expressing himself wasn't his speciality, either way, Taehyung was pleased seeing Seokjin at ease with him to share his past with him.

Taehyung smiled light-heartedly at the older male who needed some kind of consolation for being tormented by his best friend in the past, he and Seokjin were phobia buddies now.

"Poor Jinnie!" Taehyung momentarily frowned, pouting as he slightly leaned forward. He planted a feathery kiss on the tip of the dark-haired male's nose, trying his best to return the favour by comforting the other about his phobia of clowns "Jungkook shouldn't have mocked you for your phobia, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind, don't you worry, Jinnie, Tae Tae got your back"

Seokjin was completely frozen by Taehyung's unforeseen gesture towards him, already knowing that the younger with those ridiculous hair colours was the type of person who said and did whatever he wanted without needing confirmation from others no matter how absurd his actions could be. Another thing that left Seokjin befuddled was how Taehyung could easily smile when just moments ago he had had an anxiety attack and cried because of the thunder and the heavy rain, maybe he was looking too much into it, however, he couldn't understand how people could change their state of mind in mere instants.

Seokjin unconsciously stared at Taehyung, who was still tightly holding on to his t-shirt and gazing back at him with his big and doe brownish eyes tainted with tiny shiny orbs that resembled stars, as his hand suddenly gained a mind of its own and moved towards the younger's face, gently caressing his slightly wet cheek with his thumb, just like he did with Jimin when he attempted to console him. It had been almost a couple of months since Seokjin met Taehyung, and he still had some difficulty understanding how the younger with those atrocious hair colours could be so cheery and forgiving when people hurt him and betrayed his trust constantly, people including himself.

Seokjin still found it unbelievable how Taehyung decided to help him in exchange for his commitment to Jimin. The younger male not only was playing the role of some sort of a mediator between him and his son for them to connect and strengthen their bond, but Taehyung was also slowly bringing the emotions that were stuck inside of Seokjin to the surface for him to express and demonstrate how he truly felt towards Jimin. The dark-haired male had the knowledge Taehyung was aiding him mostly because he didn't want his relationship with his son to end up like his broken one with his father, regardless, Seokjin was still grateful, at the same time, still made him wonder about Taehyung's personality and his behaviour towards people.

"You know, you are a mystery to me, Taehyung, you just experienced your biggest fear and you ended up having a panic attack, now you are smiling and comforting me when it's you who should be comforted..." Seokjin spoke soothingly, noticing Taehyung's smile widening, his cheek heating up and the tiny dots decorating his eyes sparkling brighter than before "Not only that, you are so optimistic, encouraging and generous towards people, even the ones, like myself, who cross the line and hurt you, the majority of time you always have a smile plastered on your face, like you want to reassure the ones close to you and make them happy..."

"You know why I'm smiling right now, even though I'm terrified of the weather outside? Because you are here with me, you didn't push me away when I hugged you, instead, you let me hold on to you and in doing so, I was able to recall memories of the most important people in my life, you comforted me and helped me calm down, you also shared a memory from your childhood with me, you shared with me your biggest fear, you entrusted me with that information, so I returned the generosity and did my best to console you too..." Taehyung explained softly, still not believing that Seokjin just uttered those words to him. The younger truly felt flattered and, he couldn't deny how the dark-haired male's warmheartedly speech made his heart flutter, it was bizarre yet so surprising, especially knowing how Seokjin wasn't an expert on expressing his feelings towards people "And, after I lost my mother and found out about my father's affair, I promised myself that wouldn't change the person I was, even though the world wasn't as I thought, that's why I'm optimistic, encouraging and generous, that's why I was able to forgive you and slowly trust you, and I'm happy you trust me too, I'm happy that, despite our differences, we can see eye to eye and can be there for each other, and I can't hold grudge against you, Jinnie, especially after today, after everything you did for me, you were truly kind and sweet..."

Taehyung averted his gaze from Seokjin's, sensing that he probably went too far with his remark, maybe he was too honest regarding the way he felt towards the older male and the implausible gestures he made throughout the day to make him at ease, reassure him and to help him forget about the dreadful reality that was waiting for him the next day. Taehyung was grateful and also amazed by Seokjin's behaviour with him that day, the younger certainly wasn't expecting to see a clearer version of the old Seokjin because there was no way the man he had met almost two months ago was the one standing in front of him – the man who annoyed hi, who looked down on him and made him doubt the education he was giving to his little brother.

Taehyung closed his eyes, secretly enjoying Seokjin's meek touch that resembled a soft feather against his cheek while listening to the almost noiseless drizzle tapping the large windows. However, he wasn't as frightened as he was earlier thanks to Seokjin's kind-heartened words and his honesty, apparently, the older male had some calming effect on him, ironically. The younger male with pink and blonde hair attempted to control his uneven breathing to soothe his troubling heart that for some reason had some difficulty slowing down, Taehyung truly didn't understand why he was acting in that manner, maybe his vulnerability and the hurt he was feeling for committing the mistake of sleeping with his ex-boyfriend for the second time was making him weak, or maybe Seokjin being kind towards him made him feel more comfortable, it had been a while since Taehyung was treated with care, so being solaced in a time like this felt nice and, for a change, he didn't have to go through the nightmarish storm all alone, like he usually did.

Taehyung's heartbeat skyrocketed when he felt Seokjin's thumb making its way down to his chin, except it didn't go towards his chin, but his bottom lip. Taehyung tightened his grasp on Seokjin's t-shirt, unconsciously pulling him closer to him, even though they were practically glued to each other, feeling his breathing mixing with his. Seokjin's thumb delicately pulled his bottom lip down, sluggishly letting it fall to his chin, making Taehyung feel somehow anxious because he hadn't any idea of what was crossing the older male's mind at that moment, on the other hand, he strangely felt curious since Taehyung knew Seokjin wasn't the type of person who was fond of being touchy with others, especially him.

Taehyung was about to open his eyes and tell Seokjin that both of them should go to sleep, he already felt bad for invading the dark-haired male's privacy by staying in his bedroom and awakening him in the middle of the night with his sobs and his screams, however, whatever he wanted to say or do instantly vanished from his mind when he felt a pair of soft lips pressed against his bottom lip, pulling it delicately.

Taehyung was stunned by Seokjin's unexpected kiss, however, he didn't pull away from him, instead, he just let go of the older male's t-shirt and wrapped his arms around his neck as he tilted his head, opening slightly his mouth to reciprocate the kiss. The moment he let himself go, Taehyung immediately felt Seokjin's plump and luscious lips against his, caressing and nibbling his bottom lip, probably teasing or maybe he didn't want to cross boundaries, well, it was too late for that. Taehyung slowly began moving his hands up to the back of Seokjin's head, fondling his hair as he pulled him down to deepen their kiss that was gradually becoming more heated and ferocious to the point of making him almost breathless.

Taehyung gasped when he felt both of Seokjin's hands strongly squeezing his waist as they clumsily began to walk backwards without detaching from each other, the male with colourful hair was too dazed to notice Seokjin was pushing him against one of the large windows. Taehyung's back hit the cold surface of the window, the sound of the rain drumming against the glass was louder in his ears, and the melody coming from the leaves was more soothing, it seemed like the storm was drifting away, just like Taehyung himself was drifting away from his surroundings and kept focusing on the enticing lips that were providing him inconceivable pleasure. The younger male leaned his head against the window, feeling Seokjin's hands travelling to his lower back while his lips were gently biting and pulling his bottom lip, making him whimper quietly between kisses, at the same time, it was an incentive for the older male who swiftly parted his lips from his and started kissing his neck.

Taehyung bit his bottom lip, preventing himself from moaning to not embarrass himself even more, he already was easily submitting to Seokjin's touch and his tender kisses, feeling his lips travelling along his neck, making his skin tingling and burning, melting the coldness of the bedroom. However, despite the amazing sensations and the abruptness of the moment they both were sharing that he couldn't deny how much he was enjoying, Taehyung felt overwhelmed and doubtful. The younger male was still reliving the events that unfolded the night before, he was under the influence of alcohol which tampered with his judgment, so he couldn't distinguish between right and wrong. In that instant, Taehyung let his guard down and was cognisant of his actions, maybe he and Seokjin weren't doing anything wrong, nevertheless, he couldn't help but feel guilty, because he knew the older male was going to regret it, and he also felt edgy with the possibility of things getting too far between them, even though it seemed unthinkable.

"S-Seokjin, s-stop..." Taehyung uttered breathlessly as he placed his hands on Seokjin's chest, pulling him away from his neck. When the dark-haired male parted from him, the younger male fidgeted with his fingers, unable to lock eyes with him after what they just did "I-I think, ah, I think w-we should go to sleep..."

"Taehyung, I-"

"P-Please, d-don't say anything, we, ah, we need to rest..."

Taehyung lowered his head and passed by Seokjin, walking towards the bed to properly rest after confronting his ex-boyfriend, isolating himself from the outside world, recalling his harsh and painful memories of his mother and her death because of the dreadful and brutal storm that was finally calming down. On top of that, Taehyung now had to deal with the consequences of what happened between him and Seokjin and understand the reason behind his sudden and daring gestures. Taehyung climbed the soft and comfortable bed, got himself underneath the fluffy duvet and the blankets and laid down securely with his back against the windows, reflecting on everything he had to face the next day, he already had so much on his plate, being kissed and embraced by Seokjin just complicated his situation.

Taehyung let out a long and frustrating sigh as he closed his eyes, hoping everything that happened that day could just disappear or that he could just run away. Of course, he knew that he needed to confront his problems, whether he wanted or not, he didn't know how yet, however, what Taehyung knew was that he wasn't looking forward to the next morning to come.

Chapter Text

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“S-Seokjin, s-stop…” Taehyung uttered breathlessly as he placed his hands on Seokjin’s chest, pulling him away from his neck. When the dark-haired male parted from him, the younger male fidgeted with his fingers, unable to lock eyes with him after what they just did “I-I think, ah, I think w-we should go to sleep…”

“Taehyung, I-“

“P-Please, d-don’t say anything, we, ah, we need to rest…”

Seokjin felt Taehyung’s shoulder brushing softly against his arms while he just stood in front of the large glass windows for a moment without professing a single word, not that he could have. The dark-haired male was slowly coming to his senses, realising what he had done towards Taehyung, at the same time he was trying to fathom his abnormal behaviour and the reasons behind it. Seokjin lifted his arm and restlessly touched his slightly swollen lips, making the feeling of remorse grow, he acted mindlessly and without Taehyung’s consent, knowing well that the younger male had already expressed his thoughts about kissing him and being closer to him when he pulled that not so amusing stunt a few days ago.

Seokjin reflected on the day he shared with Taehyung and how he felt comfortable with the young male, maybe too much that even he himself didn’t realise how he was speaking about moments of his life that he was never too keen to talk about with someone, Jungkook included. however, Seokjin did that to distract Taehyung from everything he went through with his ex-boyfriend the night before, seeing him flash his bright smile at him just because Seokjin momentarily confined in him his doubts as a parent, his phobia, the tumultuous past with his wife and the small episode of his childhood proved that what the attempts to make him feel better were working, maybe that could explain the reason Seokjin did what he did.

Seokjin turned around and glanced at the bed, noticing Taehyung snuggling himself under the duvet and the blankets, he sighed thinking that maybe it wasn’t a good idea for him to sleep on the bed, he didn’t want to make the younger even more uncomfortable in his presence.
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Seokjin exhaled heavily while writing a note to Taehyung since he didn’t want to go out and just leave him on his own, the younger with colourful hair already was troubled by what happened the previous night, he didn’t want to worsen the already awkward situation between them.

Seokjin finished writing the simple note, placing the pen on the small table in front of him as he got up from one of the couches in his master bedroom while staring at the few words he scribbled. He, then, gazed at the bed, observing how Taehyung had his eyes covered with his hair and his arms were tightly hugging the pillow, the younger was probably exhausted after everything he underwent with his ex-boyfriend and now with him. That was why Seokjin didn’t wake him up, he also wasn’t ready to face Taehyung after kissing him, he didn’t know what he was supposed to do in those circumstances and he certainly didn’t want to ask Jungkook about it, Seokjin was still ashamed with his odd behaviour.

Seokjin carefully picked up the long beige coat that he borrowed from Taehyung the prior day when he was on the verge of hypothermia and headed to the bed, placing the piece of clothing on the end of it, along with the note. The moment he did, Seokjin heard the stirring movements coming from the younger with those ridiculous hair colours, who was changing his sleeping position. Seokjin noticed a predominant reddish mark on his neck, among the few purplish fainted ones that weren’t so visible like yesterday when he went to pick up Taehyung at his ex-boyfriend’s apartment, that sight just made Seokjin’s regrets come back stronger than the night before. However, Seokjin decided, despite not knowing how he should resolve the issue between him and the younger male after basically embarrassing himself, to not speak to Taehyung, at least until he was sure that the other was comfortable with him.

Seokjin exhaled once again, this time, out of frustration as he walked towards the door of the master bedroom, he was finally doing progress with Jimin thanks to Taehyung’s help, now he didn’t know where they stood, even though the younger told him that he always would be there for him.

Before leaving the master bedroom, Seokjin gave one lost glance at the sleeping young male.

“I’m sorry, Taehyung, I guess you can have that favour back…”

***

Taehyung briefly opened his eyes, immediately being blinded by the shimmering light coming from the sun, simultaneously cursing with the intense brightness that almost melted his pupils, and groaning for the mild soreness coming from his body for not being able to sleep comfortably because of the thunderstorm that roared in the middle of the night. The younger with colourful hair blinked a few times for his eyes to get accustomed to the strong sunlight invading the bedroom he was currently on, as he placed his hands on the bed to help him straighten himself and sit down on it, feeling somewhat disoriented for the lack of a good rest and a bit muddled about the events that unfolded in the last two days, if they really happened, Taehyung wasn’t sure of anything, his mind was a huge mess.

Taehyung gazed at the large glass uncovered windows portraying a different scenario from the previous night – the sun was shining so brightly, showering him with the early spring warmth, the half-naked trees devastated by the fierce gusts of wind that undressed the beautiful garden, the leaves spread on the green grass and the remaining droplets of water that resembled diamonds under the sun –, it was mesmerising and breathtaking the sight that welcomed him that morning, at least, Taehyung thought that it was still morning. He picked up his phone that was on top of the nightstand, he decided to turn it on and face the reality that was waiting for him, the younger couldn’t run away from his problems, no matter how troublesome his life was, Yoongi and Namjoon were probably worried sick about him, especially when so long had gone by, two days didn’t seem much, however, for Taehyung felt like an eternity.

In the middle of his distressing thoughts, Taehyung realised that he was completely alone in the humongous and sophisticated master bedroom, his mind began to replay what happened, remembering the deal he made with Seokjin and showing him Jimin’s notebook after the older male kept his promise of letting him sleep next to him because he knew a storm was going to break out and Taehyung was too scared to go through it all alone. Taehyung’s mind also reminded him of how restless he was when the storm blew out of proportion which led him to get up from the bed and go to the large windows to see the almighty rain pouring down and tapping against the glass and the thunder screaming from the darkish skies, the memories of his last conversation with his mother and her death popped up as the lightning bolts flashed, making him upset, and it was in that moment Seokjin suddenly appeared and comforted him.

Taehyung was starting to see everything cleared and rearrange the messy puzzle pieces that provided him with the perfect picture of what occurred amid the night – Seokjin not only solaced him, but also told him about his phobia of clowns and, more importantly, he kissed him out of the blue. Taehyung’s eyes widened as he sluggishly ran his fingertips on his slightly dried lips, not being able to forget how gentle and passionate Seokjin was while he kissed him and his hands strongly gripping his hips, reviving that moment made Taehyung’s cheeks heat up and feel a bit bad for his behaviour afterwards, however, him feeling doubtful was justified since Taehyung didn’t want to make the same mistake he did with Hongseok, even though it was a completely different situation.

Taehyung took his fingers from his lips and placed his hand on top of the mattress, letting it wander around for a second on the other side of the bed while contemplating if he was too harsh with Seokjin, who probably had a reasonable explanation for his actions – maybe he wasn’t expecting to do such thing, both of them were vulnerable and, in the spur of the moment, Seokjin kissed him to find some comfort or wanted to distract him from the nightmare that was unfolding outside – whichever the reason, Taehyung honestly didn’t mind the kiss, he just felt awful for the way he dealt with the older male because he was caught off guard and scared with the possibility of things getting too far, just like it went with Hongseok.

Taehyung sighed in dismay as he tried to come up with a way to confront Seokjin and talk to him about what happened between them, they couldn’t just ignore what they did, and grabbed his phone, hearing several dings coming from it. He looked at the screen lightening up as the messages began to pop up from Yoongi, Jungkook, Namjoon, Soonyoung, Gunhak and two unknown numbers that he didn’t bother checking who were they from, he needed to answer the rest just to give them peace of mind and assure that he was doing fine, well, assure them he was safe and was going home.

When he was getting up from the bed, Taehyung’s eyes landed on the long beige coat at the end of it with a folded paper on top of the piece of clothing, making him furrow his brows. Taehyung tilted his head, as he noticed the coat was the same one Seokjin borrowed from him the prior morning when he was almost dying of cold and picked up the note, unfolding it to read what was written in it.

“First of all, I want to apologise for what occurred between us last night, my intent wasn’t to make you uncomfortable and upset, I just want to clarify that I didn’t have any ill intentions towards you, especially knowing what you went through with your ex-boyfriend, it was thoughtless of me.

I would also like to apologise for my absence this morning, I had to leave early to go to my parent’s house and pick up Jimin, furthermore, I know you didn’t rest properly, so I decided to give you privacy and let you sleep, instead of waking you up and disturb you.

I left you my coat for you to wear when you go home, you probably feel self-conscious about the marks on your body, I don’t you to feel exposed, you can return it to me afterwards, it’s not a problem and I asked my staff to prepare you breakfast and call you a cab when you ready to go home.

-Kim Seokjin”

Taehyung stared blankly at the piece of paper and the caring and frank words written on it, finding it hard to believe that Seokjin was actually the one who wrote them to him. The younger never in his wildest dreams thought the other would be capable of showing any emotions, namely, regret and apologise for his wrongdoings, well, kissing wasn’t exactly what Taehyung considered wrongdoing, but putting that aside, was still a kind gesture. Maybe Seokjin could also apologise for bumping into him when they first met, Taehyung didn’t forget about that and he surely wasn’t going to let that go until the man admitted he was the one in the wrong and not him, once again, it was a matter of pride.

Taehyung folded the note back with a small smile adorning his lips, liking how Seokjin was getting out of his shell and embracing his emotional side, the side he vehemently believed dictated that he was a weak man because of his father and his retrograde mind that truly enervated Taehyung. He was going to bring back those hidden sides and demonstrate to Seokjin that he wasn’t the person he thought he was, to demonstrate that, despite committing mistakes in the past with Jimin, he still could fix them and learn with them.

“Oh, Jinnie…” Taehyung mumbled as he sat down on the end of the bed, right next to the long beige coat. He softly ran his fingertips over the piece of clothing, making his smile widen “You actually are a sweetheart, you just didn’t realise it yet, but don’t worry, I will keep helping you until you do…”

***

Taehyung got out of the elevator as he dragged his feet, breathing out of relief for knowing the freaking thing was fixed, saving him the trouble of climbing the several flights of stairs to his floor. Taehyung didn’t have the will or the patience to endure such a hard task, especially when he wasn’t feeling like his true self, who could blame him after everything he went through? The younger male desperately needed to see Namjoon and Hoseok, mainly Hoseok, his little sunshine was the one who recharged his batteries when he was feeling down.

As he sluggishly walked along the small hallway towards his apartment, Taehyung snuggled himself with the long beige coat that was similar to a fluffy blanket that provided him so much warmth, even though the day outside was pleasant, despite the cold breeze, and being inside the building, he enjoyed the cosiness the simple piece of clothing was giving him.

The younger with pink and blonde hair stopped momentarily in his tracks and reached for the pocket of the coat, verifying if he still had Seokjin’s note. Taehyung felt foolish for keeping it, however, he couldn’t help it, just like he couldn’t help to think about the intense moment he shared with Seokjin. It still bothered Taehyung the way he handled the situation with Seokjin, he had his motives, he was overwhelmed, startled and slightly nervous about how the both of them were completely losing themselves in the moment, a moment Taehyung still didn’t deny he was truly relishing. However, when he decided to put an end to it, he wasn’t only thinking about him, but Seokjin as well, he didn’t want to make the older male uncomfortable since the first thing he thought was him regretting kissing him and, for some reason, Taehyung didn’t want him to regret, he himself didn’t regret reciprocating it, in that instant, the younger male just wanted to understand the reason behind Seokjin’s unexpected moves on him.

Taehyung sighed heavily, putting the subject of Seokjin in the back of his mind as he began to walk to his apartment again, he needed to clarify what happened with Hongseok first, so speaking about his and Seokjin’s kiss was out of the question, at least until he and the older male had a conversation about that specific topic and make sure the other was fine about them talking about it, Taehyung wanted to tell Yoongi, he didn’t want to hide anything else from his best friend.

Taehyung lifted the pad and inserted the code into his house, knowing Namjoon and Seunghee were inside to bring Hoseok back, the young male felt like he was neglecting his baby brother, he never spent so much time apart from him. Taehyung promised himself and Hoseok when he was holding his baby brother after he was born that he would never leave his side and being away for two days didn’t exactly mean he abandoned Hoseok, nonetheless, Taehyung felt bad for not speaking to his younger brother, especially after the storm from the night before. Like him, Hoseok was scared of the thunder, thankfully, the reason for his fears wasn’t because of bad memories, his little sunshine just didn’t like loud noises. Taehyung closed his eyes for a second to gather all his strength, he still felt like he had not only disappointed Yoongi, but Namjoon and Seunghee as well, after all, they also knew what he went through when he found out Hongseok was fucking some random guy in his couch on the day of their second anniversary, so automatically they weren’t expecting him to sleep with his cheating and pathetic ex-boyfriend, let alone twice.

Taehyung slowly opened the door of his apartment, immediately seeing Namjoon sitting on the couch simply staring at him, and Seunghee in the kitchenette.

“I-I’m home…”

“Tae…” Namjoon swiftly got up from the couch and made his way towards Taehyung, who seemed weary and melancholic, and hugged him tightly as he felt his worries melting away. It had been a couple of days since he spoke to his younger brother on the phone, so obviously Namjoon was losing his mind for not having the chance to be close to Taehyung and console him. Namjoon broke the hug as he cupped his brother’s face, feeling his cold and rosy cheeks against his palms “Please don’t you ever do this again, we were so worried about you…”

“Kim Taehyung, I want to be mad at you for basically disappearing…” Seunghee grumbled as she made her way towards Taehyung and Namjoon, almost on the verge of tears for not hearing about the younger in the last two days, if it wasn’t for Namjoon’s calls with Seokjin and Jungkook, she probably would think the worst. The pink-haired female ran her fingers through Taehyung’s messy hair because of the sturdy wind as she stared at the younger’s marked neck, seeing a particular red one that stood out from the other fainted ones, it looked recent, however, Seunghee prevented herself from questioning Taehyung “But, you know I can’t, sweetie, I love you too much…”

“I-I’m s-sorry…” Taehyung uttered quietly, feeling guilty for cutting communication with everyone dear to him, however, he needed a break from everything and despite enjoying said break, Taehyung still was upset. The younger with colourful hair shyly gazed between Namjoon and Seunghee, hating how he made them and the rest of his loved ones so preoccupied “A-After what happened, I-I couldn’t face you…”

“Tae, neither of us is angry or disappointed with you, you are a human being, human beings make mistakes…” Seunghee tried to assure Taehyung the best she could, giving the younger her brightest smile “We missed our merry fluff ball, we glad he came back safe and sound…”

“Seunghee is right, Tae, everyone makes mistakes, please don’t be too harsh on yourself and don’t worry about Yoongi, he probably is more concerned that Seunghee and I together…” Namjoon remarked calmly as he studied Taehyung’s face and his body language, seeing the awfully large coat he was wearing, he guessed Seokjin borrowed it because his brother didn’t have proper attire for the cold weather and that view made him chuckle “Did Seokjin borrow you that coat? Seriously, I really wasn’t expecting him to be the one to take care of you, if I hadn’t talked to him myself, I wouldn’t believe it”

(Wait, how did Namjoon know I was at Seokjin’s property? And why did he talk to him?)

“Y-You spoke with Seokjin? Why? When?” Taehyung questioned nervously, not remembering an occasion Seokjin called Namjoon, maybe the older male did it when he was having his nap “And how did you know I was with him, did Jungkook and Yoongi tell you?”

“Of course, they did, Tae, I was trying to reach you, but you had your phone turned off, so I just called Yoongi and, to my surprise, he told me you were staying with Seokjin” Namjoon answered nonchalantly, observing how Taehyung was biting his bottom lip. He wondered what happened the previous day between Seokjin and his younger brother, he wasn’t the one to invade Taehyung’s privacy, however, he needed to be reassured that everything was fine, Taehyung’s gloomy demeanour and the red mark that didn’t escape his eyes were good motives for him to talk with Taehyung, Namjoon was hoping being with Seokjin could have cheered him up “Taehyung, after changing clothes, I would like to talk to you about what happened at Seokjin’s, my call with him kind of awoke my curiosity…”

Taehyung furrowed his browns, trying to understand the reason why Namjoon and Seokjin spoke to each other, he assumed it could be about their professional relationship since his older brother was going to work for Seokjin starting the next day as an accountant, however, apparently, Taehyung himself was the subject of the conversation. He truly didn’t remember a time when Seokjin called Namjoon, or if it was the other way around, he was also curious to know about the conversation both of them had and Taehyung had every right to know about it.

“Tae Tae!”

Taehyung’s inquisitive thoughts quickly dissipated from his mind when he heard Hoseok’s sweet voice calling for him, accompanied by his loud and heart-warming giggles that filled the house and lightened his mood. He automatically headed towards Hoseok, who, like always, seemed so bright and cheerful, and spread his arms widely to welcome his baby brother in his embrace, wrapping them around his body and picking him up from the ground, feeling Hoseok clanging to him like his life depended on it.

Taehyung felt his troubling emotions, that were haunting him since he slept with Hongseok, leaving his mind and his heart, he knew it was temporary, nevertheless, being able to hold Hoseok again and having him close to him was enough to drive away his sorrowfulness and his concerns.

“My little sunshine…” Taehyung muttered warmly, seeing one of the brightest smiles Hoseok ever gave him. He kissed his younger brother all over his face – his cute rosy cheeks, his nose, his forehead, his eyelids –, earning another fit of melodic giggles from him “My baby, Tae Tae missed you so much…”

“Tae Tae, I missed you too…” Hoseok said quietly as he nuzzled his nose against the crook of Taehyung’s neck in an attempt to escape his ticklish kisses, happy to receive hugs and cuddles from his brother, who he hadn’t seen for what seemed like an eternity “Tae Tae, last night Joon hyung taught me what fireflies are, they’re insects, but they aren’t made of fire, I drew one, want to see?”

“Of course, I want to see your amazing drawing, baby” Taehyung answered amusingly, making Hoseok lift his head from his neck. He kissed his little sunshine’s forehead and smiled light-heartedly, loving to see Hoseok so upbeat and energetic, his good mood was so contagious “After changing my clothes and talking to Joon hyung, I will see your firefly, okay?”

“Okay, Tae Tae!” Hoseok replied cheerfully, excited to show Taehyung his new drawing and tell him everything he learned about the interesting insects that produced their own light. The blonde boy rested his head on his brother’s shoulder and saw his neck full of marks, one of them was reddish, those reminded him of the marks he had on his wrists made by the mean boy who hurt him “Tae Tae, was someone mean to you? You have a red mark on your neck…”

Taehyung frowned for a brief instant until he realised what Hoseok meant by red mark, he completely forgot how his lips weren’t the only place where Seokjin kissed him. A sudden blush crept on Taehyung’s cheeks when he replayed what happened between him and Seokjin, namely, the part when the older male’s lips travelled from his own to his neck and how much both of them were enjoying the moment, despite the feelings Taehyung was struggling with and the disturbing thoughts crossing his mind at the time.

(Oh God, how am I going to explain to a six-year-old what hickeys are?)

“Hoseok, baby, d-don’t w-worry about those m-marks, okay? Tae Tae wasn’t hurt by anyone, t-they j-just, a-ah…” Taehyung retorted nervously, trying to think of an excuse that was believable enough just to satisfy Hoseok’s curiosity. The male with pink and blonde hair averted his attention to Seunghee and Namjoon, the couple was shamelessly chuckling, probably mocking him with his failed attempt to justify himself, well, Taehyung could also play that game “Baby, do you see the purplish mark in Seunghee’s collarbone? Well, mine are the same, so if you want to know what they are you should ask Joon hyung and Seunghee”

“H-Hoseok, honey, don’t you want to draw another firefly with Tae Tae’s help?” Seunghee asked edgily, taking Hoseok from Taehyung’s embrace before the younger male had any funny ideas. He sensed the blonde boy’s reluctance to be in her arms, Seunghee understood, after all, Taehyung and Hoseok were apart for quite some time “I know you want to be with Tae Tae, but let’s go to your bedroom and wait for him”

“Okay…”

Taehyung’s smile widened when he saw a small pout adorning Hoseok’s heart-shaped lips, probably disappointed because he couldn’t be with him right away, however, Taehyung desperately needed to change clothes, not that he minded wearing Seokjin’s coat for longer, it was really warm and he could smell the older male’s cologne in it. Although, it wasn’t an option and he missed wearing his comfy clothes to warm him from the cold outside, furthermore, he had to tell Namjoon about what happened the day before with Seokjin, not that Taehyung felt like it, however, like he had to do with Yoongi, he needed to reassure his older brother, even though his life was slightly messier after Seokjin and he kissed, but that was a conversation for another day.

Taehyung cupped Hoseok’s face and ran his thumb over his chubby cheek. “I won’t take long, my little sunshine…”

***

After changing from his bold outfit to a comfortable hoodie and sweatpants, Taehyung unwillingly made his way to the living room to have the conversation Namjoon requested earlier to talk about what transpired in Seokjin’s mansion the day before. Taehyung didn’t actually comprehend his older brother’s reasons to speak about that particular matter, however, he suspected Namjoon’s concerns were the main ones. After all, he himself told Taehyung how he couldn’t believe Seokjin was the one who took care of him, the younger with colourful hair was also trying to grasp the elder’s uncharacteristic demeanour towards him, specifically the motivation that drove Seokjin to kiss him.

Taehyung sat down on the couch, right beside Namjoon, who had his head tilted, he pulled his legs up and bent them to the side as he scooted closer to his older brother, feeling his arms wrapping around him securely. Every time he was struggling, Taehyung resorted to the people close to him to be comforted, the majority of times, Yoongi was the one who stood by his side, however, in that instant, Taehyung desired to be in Namjoon’s embrace, just like when Hoseok was feeling blue or was upset, his little sunshine came to him to be cuddled and assured.

Taehyung let out a heavy sigh as he snuggled himself with Namjoon, feeling the urge to cry because he couldn’t stop recalling everything that happened from the moment he left the house until earlier when he arrived after hiding from everyone. Taehyung felt so frustrated with himself for falling for Hongseok’s trap the day he let his ex-boyfriend come inside his house all those weeks ago, it seemed like he opened Pandora's box and all hell broke loose inside his being. Taehyung’s life became a nightmare, his unresolved feelings for Hongseok and the conflict between the hatred and the rage and the love he felt for him kept messing with his mind that eventually making him feel more vulnerable and hurt, confused to understand why he was having so much difficulty to move on and encountering Hongseok again while fighting those troubling emotions and being intoxicated didn’t help Taehyung’s predicament, it just made it worse.

For an instant, Taehyung was able to temporarily forget the embarrassment he was feeling for sleeping with Hongseok a second time when he was at Seokjin’s property, the different occasions when he and the older male had the opportunity to bond and create a connection between them, the multiple conversations they had, the moments they shared, all of those were meaningful to Taehyung, even Seokjin’s kiss that, unconsciously, awoke those puzzling emotions that were buried deep inside of him, waiting for the right time to come out.

“I thought you would come back more cheery after taking some time for yourself, but you seem gloomy…” Namjoon broke the deafening silence between him and Taehyung wanting to go straight to the matter, he was certain that Seokjin wouldn’t be capable of hurting his brother after knowing about the events that occurred between Taehyung and Hongseok, however, as an older brother, Namjoon had to be sure “If something happened at Seokjin’s house, I want you to tell me, I don’t care if after tomorrow he’s officially my boss, you are my brother, Tae, so if he did anything that might-“

“H-He didn’t hurt me, Joon, on the contrary, Seokjin treated me really nicely, from the moment we arrived at his property until I left his house, even though he wasn’t there, he made sure I was comfortable…” Taehyung interrupted soothingly, not wanting Namjoon to think Seokjin hurt him in any way, despite being a judgmental asshole when he picked him up, however, he understood his older brother’s assumptions since the other had already behaved rudely towards him and made ridiculous accusations. The younger with pink and blonde hair wanted to reassure Namjoon and tell him about what underwent between him and Seokjin, even if he didn’t say exactly what truly happened, his brother deserved to know and Taehyung couldn’t keep everything inside of him, it was suffocating him “W-Well, the reason why I-I’m gloomy is, a-ah, I-I was having a hard time last night because of the storm and S-Seokjin sort of tried to help me, b-but I-I think I was too harsh on him…”

Namjoon hummed, questioning what could possibly have happened between Taehyung and Seokjin in the middle of the night. He knew for a fact that the dark-haired male wouldn’t cross the line and attempt to be physical with Taehyung, especially knowing his brother’s situation with Hongseok, so he wondered what could it be, of course, Namjoon respected Taehyung’s privacy and he didn’t seem at ease to share that piece of information yet.

“How do you know you were too harsh on him, Tae? Did you talk to him about it?”

“I-I didn’t have the chance, like I said before, he left to pick up Jimin when I was still asleep…” Taehyung murmured, recalling how Seokjin was trying to explain himself and he just shut him down because he was too ashamed at the time to acknowledge what the older male did and, not only that, the fact Taehyung reciprocated the kiss, even though he was stunned with his gesture. The younger diffidently glanced at Namjoon, feeling his brother’s arms losing their grip around him “He was trying to speak to me, but I stopped him and just went to sleep, still I feel like he decided to avoid me this morning to not upset me…”

“You don’t know that for sure, maybe you are just assuming he’s avoiding you, Taehyung, or maybe whatever he did catch you off guard and he feels like he should give you some time which I admit it’s strange, it doesn’t sound like Seokjin at all” Namjoon chuckled lightly, seeing Taehyung pursing his lips, whatever happened really did a number on his brother, however, Namjoon believed that Seokjin, in his odd manner, was looking out for Taehyung “I’m certain he had good intentions and just wanted to distract you…”

“Yeah, I know, it just bothers me how cold I was towards him, believe it or not, Joon, he did everything to make me feel better and forget for a moment what happened between Hongseok and me, even when I was annoying him and being childish…” Taehyung already felt guilty, but remembering every single thing Seokjin did for him since picking him up to leaving him a note to apologise and inform him of his absence that morning, increase that smothering feeling “He went the extra mile for me, he dismissed his staff for me to be more at ease, he let me shower and sleep in his bedroom, he arranged the island counter so beautifully with a light blue cloth and shiny silverware and even cooked my favourite dish, you should’ve tasted it, Joon, the japchae was exactly the one mom used to make for us…”

Namjoon smiled warmheartedly when he heard Taehyung saying how Seokjin cooked his favourite dish and tasted exactly like their mother’s, as he gazed at his younger brother who still had a pout adorning his lips and his brows furrowed like that piece of information just made him feel worse for mistreating Seokjin for whatever he had done. Namjoon ran his fingers through Taehyung’s hair, getting his attention and taking note of how his frown deepened, maybe he was questioning why he was smiling when he was perturbed with the situation he was currently facing.

“Joon…” Taehyung whined as he took Namjoon’s hand from his hair, not understanding why his brother was smiling so widely with his misery, he betted if he told him what really happened between him and Seokjin, Namjoon wouldn’t be smiling like that “I'm really upset, why are you smiling at my misery?”

“I’m not smiling because you are upset, Taehyung, I’m smiling because I’m happy Seokjin called me asking me what was your favourite dish, I didn’t have any idea he was personally going to cook it” Namjoon retorted nonchalantly, observing how Taehyung’s brows suddenly arched and his eyes widened, apparently Seokjin didn’t inform his younger brother that he called him and inquired him about his favourite dish “For your reaction, I guess he didn’t tell you about that, well, now you know the reason he called me, he wanted to make you feel better after your unexpected encounter with Hongseok…”

“H-He called you to ask about my favourite dish, seriously?” Taehyung asked, flabbergasted, as he straightened his position on the couch by unbending his legs and placing his feet on the cold floor “I-I thought he called Yoongi, you two never talked casually, you aren’t friends, but still…”

Taehyung couldn’t believe that the same person who mistreated him when they first met, the same person who saw his son so indifferently that didn’t care about his well-being and his workload, the same person who accused him of the possibility of hurting a child because he had a bad temper, the same person who looked down on him, in one day did more than Hongseok ever did in their relationship. Not that Taehyung was unhappy, he just felt like there was something missing, like Hongseok could have done more to show him how important he was to him and now, Seokjin, a person who requested his help to build foundations and strengthen his father-son bond, a person who struggled immensely to express his feelings towards people, decided to call his brother just to know his favourite dish to cook it for him.

Taehyung bit his bottom lip to prevent himself from crying, his frustration was already eating him from the inside out and torturing him, now it was his guilt’s turn to make him feel ungrateful, maybe he was exaggerating since he willingly reciprocated Seokjin’s kiss and he had the right to push him away. However, the least Taehyung could have done was listen to whatever he wanted to say to him, he felt he was selfish, especially after Seokjin opened up to him about sensitive matters that he clearly wasn’t comfortable speaking about.

Taehyung got up from the couch, he didn’t know what Namjoon specifically wanted to know about his time at Seokjin’s place, nevertheless, the younger told him the gist of things and even talked about how disturbed he was with his lack of sensibility towards Seokjin, the older male was probably as stunned as he was for acting so differently from his usual self.

“I-I, ah, I’m going to spend some time with Hoseok and probably get some rest after, I couldn’t sleep properly because of the storm, is it okay if we talk later?”

“Yes, of course, Tae, maybe Hobi wants to take a nap with you as well, he couldn’t sleep either…” Namjoon got up from the couch as well and instantly hugged Taehyung, placing one of his hands on the back of his brother’s head. He parted from the hug, seeing Taehyung’s eyes watering, he knew a lot was going on in his brother’s mind, he was hoping he could ease his burden with Yoongi’s help “Yoongi is coming later, okay? Don’t stress yourself…”

Taehyung shakily sighed and reluctantly nodded his head to reassure Namjoon, however, he still didn’t know how he was going to face Yoongi despite missing his best friend very much. He was aware of the fact that the red-haired male only wanted the best for him and wanted him to move on from his ex-boyfriend to not end up following the same path as him, the longer he kept reflecting on the sharp pain that resulted from his broken heart, the more difficult it was for Taehyung to get up again and start walking a new path that eventually could lead him to true happiness, just like it happened with Yoongi.

Taehyung decided to ignore those depressive thoughts and turned around to go to Hoseok’s bedroom to spend some quality time with his baby brother, in that moment, Hoseok was the most important person in his life and he needed him as much as Taehyung needed his baby brother.

After Taehyung left for Hoseok’s bedroom, Namjoon pulled out from the pocket of his jeans a piece of paper and carefully unfolded it, reading once again the words that were written on it, still finding it unbelievable that Seokjin left Taehyung a note and his coat for him to wear because of the marks on his body. When Taehyung left to change clothes and Seunghee took Hoseok to his bedroom to give him and his brother some time to talk, Namjoon noticed a piece of paper falling from the pocket of the long beige coat when he was hanging it on the coat rack, he truly didn’t like to meddle in Taehyung’s private life, however, this time he needed to understand what happened between his brother and Seokjin since Taehyung seemed really troubled with the situation.

Namjoon already knew Taehyung was putting up a front in the last few weeks – dealing with Hongseok and his attempts to get his brother back and Seokjin’s impertinence were taking a toll on Taehyung –, very rarely Namjoon saw his younger brother gloomy. Whenever Taehyung was having a hard time, Namjoon had to step in and understand whatever was bothering his brother, this was one of those moments, he hated seeing the same Taehyung from all those years ago when they lost their mother, Namjoon refused to see him isolating himself and hurting all over again and that was why Namjoon needed to know what occurred between Taehyung and Seokjin the previous night and, if necessary, intervene.

Chapter Text

“Seokjin, tomorrow is an important day for the company, you can’t make mistakes, you are the CEO, you are the one conducting the business and, as such, you have to be the example” the old Kim stated strictly as he stared at Seokjin, who was sitting in the chair right in front of his desk, not liking how his son was distracted during their brief meeting to discuss the details for the next day’s event “You have to be more attentive, the acquirement of the company is an important occurrence for us, your mind needs to be sharp”

“I know my role, father, you don’t need to remind me about my responsibilities and tell me how important the business deal is for the company every time we meet…” Seokjin responded blankly, attempting to sound as polite as he could, the last thing he wanted was to experience his father’s wrath for his distraction “I might be distracted today, but I’m mindful of my duties as a businessman and the CEO of the company, so please don’t treat me like my former self, I’m grown man”

“That’s your problem, Seokjin, every time I advise you about the business, it seems like I’m attacking you which it’s not true, I just want the best for the company your grandfather and I built, this is the Kim legacy and I want to make sure you know your responsibilities and take them seriously” the older Kim retorted, straightening himself on his chair as he placed his elbows on top of his desk “I told you countless times that there is always room for improvement, you are fine businessman, I never said otherwise, I’m just restless because I don’t want you to act like this tomorrow, it makes our family look bad”

Seokjin had the urge to laugh out loud and respond accordingly to his father’s remark, it was funny how the patriarch of the Kim family was speaking so fondly about the company, but when it came to his family, the only things that mattered were its image and reputation. In the past, Seokjin knew how significant it was to his father for him to behave and act like the perfect son and heir of the Kim family. However, the fantasy his father had didn’t come true and he felt ashamed to have someone like Seokjin as his son, so he decided to forcibly change him by threatening and obliging him to hide his true self from the world. In addition, to change his personality, his father also wanted him to distance himself from Jungkook, the only honest friend Seokjin had that wasn’t interested in his money or his looks.

After suffering for so long, Seokjin still let his father order him around and complied with his suggestions, whether it was about business or his personal life, however, the dark-haired male was starting to get annoyed by his father’s meddling and his negative criticisms that were disguised as advice.

“Don’t you think you are aggrandising this matter, father? You’re speaking to me like this is my first time closing a business deal, like you said, I’m a fine businessman and CEO, none of my employees and business partners ever complained about my professionalism, on the contrary, the only one who has problems in how I conduct my business it’s you, father” Seokjin commented matter-of-factly as he got up from the chair, sensing his patience running out. He buttoned one of the buttons of his blazer nonchalantly, not caring if his father took offence to his statement “About the family image, you don’t have nothing to worry about, I’m too busy dealing with the company and caring about my son’s education and well-being to ruin our perfect family’s reputation, now if you excuse me, I want to see Jimin”

“Seokjin!” the older Kim shouted indignantly, smacking his hand on the desk as he got up from his chair “You shouldn’t talk back at me and disrespect me like this, I’m your father and I know what’s best for you and for the company, I’m concern you aren’t taking your work seriously when you are distracted while we are conversing about important matters and don’t mock our family’s image and reputation, especially when you were such a disgrace when you were younger, you should be thankful for everything I did for you and our family”

Once again, Seokjin wanted to laugh in his father’s face after hearing him say how grateful he should be towards him for everything he had done for him, but what did he do for him? He didn’t do anything, instead, he humiliated him for the simple fact he was homosexual and didn’t have any interest in inheriting the family business, his dream was to open a restaurant and satisfy people with the various recipes his grandmother and mother taught him. Seokjin abdicated his dreams to please his father and be the perfect son he always wanted him to be, even though that meant giving up his true self and his happiness.

“Correction, I should be thankful for what you did solely for our family because you never did anything for my sake and you telling me how concerned you are about tomorrow because I’m distracted proves my point, you only cared about the company and how people view our family, you never care about me or your grandson” Seokjin snapped, not letting his father having the last word, he already had enough of the conversation and he truly wanted to see Jimin “Now, if you are done, Jimin needs to see his father”

“Kim Seokjin! Come back here, I’m not done talking!”

Seokjin ignored his father’s outbursts, turned around and just left the study without caring about the consequences of his actions at that moment, knowing perfectly well that the next time he would see his father, he was going to be scolded because of his insolence and his disrespect. Seokjin sincerely didn’t care about that, he was fed up with his father’s conduct towards him and Jimin, always undermining him, reminding him of his irresponsible behaviour when he was in high school and in university and treating him like he wasn’t aware of what he should and shouldn’t do regarding the company and the business deals he closed. The dark-haired male walked along the corridor, heading towards the flight of stairs as he thought about Jungkook’s words throughout the years and his encouragement for him to live his life as he saw fit and not live according to his father’s ruthless and absurd rules. It was time for Seokjin to break free from the outdated manner of thinking the Kim men had and start walking a new path, be an example for his son, who deserved to be whoever he wanted to be and not have his future all planned out, and Seokjin was going to support whatever he decided to do, unlike his father.

Seokjin climbed down the stairs as he loosen the knot of his tie, regretting dressing so formally just for his weekly meeting with his father, his objective was to see his mother and Jimin and spend some time with them, however, his father insisted on talking to him about the preparations for tomorrow’s meeting with Mr Yoon to finally officialise the acquisition of the man’s small IT company, even though he wasn’t in the mood to speak about that subject.

Seokjin came to a halt and sighed deeply, feeling frustrated with everything that was presently happening in his life, he already had to deal with his shameless actions towards Taehyung and he was still struggling about how he was going to face the younger the next day, he didn’t intend to speak to him just yet, however, he couldn’t totally avoid him since Jimin was fond of Taehyung and he was Hoseok’s friend.

“Seokjin, honey, are you okay?”

Seokjin gazed at the end of the flight of stairs, noticing how his mother was staring at him with a concerned expression while holding Jimin’s hand, his father raising his voice was a rare occurrence, so of course his mother was startled.

“Yes, everything is fine…” Seokjin basically sugar-coated the small quarrel he had with his father, knowing it was in vain because his mother could see through him. He climbed down the remaining stairs, wanting to reassure his mother “My father and I just had a minor altercation, don’t worry”

“Seokjin, you and your father don’t have altercations, so you understand why I’m worried” Mrs Kim stretched her arm and cupped her son’s face, taking note of his tired eyes and the slightly blackish bags under them “You seem exhausted, honey, did you work late last night?”

“Ah, no, I didn’t, I just had trouble falling asleep because of the storm, I know you don’t like when I work until late hours” Seokjin hated lying to his mother, however, he didn’t have a choice, it wasn’t like he could simply say he had a male guest, who slept in the same bed as him and kissed him all of the sudden. The dark-haired male grabbed his mother’s hand and held it tightly “About father, well, I can’t always keep my mouth shut, he is always belittling me and my son and doubting my work, this time I had to say something”

“Seokjin, dear, I wish I could say that your father didn’t mean any of what he said to you, both in the past and now, but, unfortunately, I can’t, and I feel so terrible about it, you and Jimin shouldn’t hear those unpleasant words coming from him, you are his family…” Mrs Kim said sullenly as she lowered her head, not being able to face her precious son. She understood her husband wasn’t fond of Seokjin being interested in people of the same gender and, as I devoted catholic, he was against the idea of homosexuality, so he tightened the reigns around Seokjin to prevent him from being an embarrassment for the Kim family, she personally thought that was an absurd premise, she was also religious, however, she was open-minded and supported Seokjin no matter what “Your father wasn’t like this when I met him, he was affectionate and caring, always gave me flowers and took me on dates, but since he inherited that damn company, he forgot he had a family…”

“Mom, it’s not yours or the company’s fault that my dear father became the man he is today, it’s mine for not being the perfect and heterosexual son he always wanted to control to make me his puppet and parading me around as the heir of the Kim family” Seokjin retorted indifferently, not wanting his mother to feel guilty for the way his father mistreated him and Jimin “It would have been best if I wasn’t born at all…”

“Kim Seokjin, don’t you dare say that! You’re a blessing from God to me, your mother loves you and I hope my love is enough to compensate for your father’s neglect and judgmental character” Mrs Kim exclaimed upsettingly as he squeezed Seokjin’s hand, trying to comfort his son. She, then, glanced at Jimin, who was staring between her and Seokjin with his big doe eyes, probably not understanding the subject of the conversation “The same goes for my Jimin, grandma cares so much about you, sweetie, you are really precious to me and I enjoy your visits, I just wish your father would bring you here more often”

Jimin smiled weakly with his grandmother’s words, unlike his grandfather, she was always nice and loving towards him when he visited. He liked spending time with his grandmother and talking to her about the many things he had learned that week with Hoseok and his group of friends and also talking about teacher Min and Taehyung. Today, while he was dedicating himself to his drawing, he spoke to his grandmother about his father picking flowers for him, Hoseok and Taehyung and how he gave them lollipops to cheer them up after he and Hoseok were hurt by the mean older boys.

Seokjin brought his mother’s hand to his lips and kiss it, not wanting to distress her because of his father. It wasn’t worth it, having her by his and his son’s side when they needed her and her unconditional love was more than sufficient to Seokjin and he was grateful for his adoring mother who did everything to protect him and make him feel better, even though most of the times her assurances didn’t quite assure him.

“Your love for me and Jimin isn’t compensation, mom, at least from my point of view, you don’t have to compensate for anything, it’s father's fault for wanting his son to be something he isn’t…” Seokjin remarked assuredly as he thought about himself and the way he was educating and raising Jimin, committing the same mistakes his father committed when he was younger, now he wanted to redeem himself, Seokjin was allowing his son to follow his dreams in the future “And I don’t want to make that mistake with Jimin, I don’t want him to be raised with the sole purpose of inheriting the company and become CEO, I want my son to have the opportunity I didn’t have – the opportunity to follow his dreams”

“Oh, Seokjin, I’m so glad to hear that, I can’t bear the thought of my grandson going through what you did, I’m your mother and I cherish you, but you have been so harsh with Jimin, no wonder the poor boy fainted, my adorable baby” Mrs. Kim cooed as she let go Jimin’s small hand and placed his own on top of her grandson’s head, gently patting it. She felt Seokjin retrieving his hand from hers and saw how dejected his son was “Honey, I’m proud of you for changing your ways, I guess Jungkook finally put some sense in your head, oh, and that young man Jimin is always talking about, Taehyung, is that his name, Jimin?”

Jimin hummed as he nodded his head excitedly, giving his grandmother a big smile. “Yes, Tae Tae is very nice, grandma, because of him, father lets me study and play with Hobi at his house”

Seokjin couldn’t ignore how joyous Jimin was with the simple fact of going to Taehyung’s house every other day to study with Hoseok, he guessed his harsh and strict manners were probably preventing his son from truly enjoying his childhood. He still care about Jimin’s studies and his grades, however, he didn’t want to sacrifice his son’s health and mental state anymore just to demonstrate to his father that he was following his steps and raising Jimin to be like him and his father, to be the future heir of the Kim family and the CEO of the company that was – as his father kept repeating every time they met – the Kim legacy, it seemed for Seokjin that the only important things to the Kim men were reputation, image and the company, what about family?

Seokjin glanced at Jimin as he crouched down in front of his son, grabbing his small patched hand while questioning himself what his late wife would say if she saw him and Jimin slowly getting along and creating a bond if she saw him going against his father’s wishes and confronting him for mistreating him and their son, she would probably be proud for once. Seokjin was finding his voice and breaking the shackles that were restraining him from living his life, from acting like his true self and embracing the sides that he swore were gone, however, after the events from the previous day and hearing Taehyung’s kind words to him made Seokjin believed that nothing was lost yet, he could still enjoy life to the fullest by being the father Jimin desired him to be, by being the best friend Jungkook deserved, by being someone who wasn’t frightened of being himself, like Taehyung.

“Father?”

Seokjin stared deeply into Jimin’s big and shiny eyes, noticing how his son was looking back at him probably confused by his behaviour, he wasn’t accustomed to seeing him so friendly when Taehyung and Jungkook weren’t around. Seokjin wanted to prove to Jimin that he could express his emotions physically and verbally, even when he was still doubtful about his capabilities.

“Jimin, do you know what you want to do when you grow up?”

Jimin blankly blinked, slightly shy to answer his father’s unexpected question since he never showed interest in knowing what he enjoyed doing in his free time, what he, back then, the thought of doing instead of enduring the many boring hours of tutoring, Jimin loved to paint and draw just like his mother.

“I-I want to be l-like mommy…” Jimin replied quietly as he felt his father’s thumb softly running over his patch, appreciating how he was curious to know about what he wanted to do when he grows up “I-I like drawing and p-painting l-like her…”

“If that is what you want then I will support you, Jimin, and I’m sure your grandmother will do it too” Seokjin said undoubtedly, already having a clue about Jimin’s interests, nevertheless, he wanted to hear it from his son’s mouth and, of course, show to him that he actually cared about his likes and dislikes. The dark-haired male lifted himself up, his eyes still focused on Jimin, who was just looking at him puzzlingly, understanding he was too young to truly think about the future “You might not be a Kim, but you are my son, you deserve to do whatever you want, Jimin, so from now on, when you study, I want you to work hard, not for me, but for you, alright?”

Jimin nodded once more as an answer, despite liking how his father was nicer than he was before, he still felt intimated by him.

“Sweetie, why don’t you show your father the drawing you were making?” Mrs Kim asked amiably, grasping her grandson’s attention as she patted his head again “I’m sure he is going to adore the beautiful yellow flower you drew”

Jimin tilted his head and looked at his grandmother, feeling nervous about asking his father if he wanted to see his drawing, he never had the opportunity to display the numerous drawings he did in his special notebook because his father was always cold and strict towards him, barely spent time with him and his only concern was his grades, his homework and his tutoring lessons. Jimin averted his attention to his father, who was still holding his hand, and bashfully glanced at him, afraid he wouldn’t want to see his meaningful drawing.

“F-Father, w-would y-you like to see my drawing?” Jimin questioned hesitantly, mindlessly squeezing his father’s hand “I drew a pretty yellow flower like the one you gave to me, I-I liked i-it a lot…”

“I-I, ah, I-I would love to see your drawing, Jimin…” Seokjin responded, thunderstruck, feeling Jimin’s small hands now cupping his hand and seeing a smile erupting on his plump lips, his son seemed genuinely content with his answer. Since the moment he saw his son’s notebook filled with drawings, Seokjin was curious to see Jimin’s masterpieces, maybe, one day, his paintings could decorate their house, along with his mother’s “And, ah, maybe, you can draw the flowers in our garden when they blossom during the spring”

***

Taehyung momentarily stared at Hoseok, who was sleeping soundly next to him in his bed, stroking his blonde locks as he remembered how enthusiastic the little one was when he walked into his bedroom after the conversation he had with Namjoon, his baby brother clearly missed him in these last two days, the same was with Taehyung, despite enjoying his brief stay at Seokjin’s property, he was crazy missing Hoseok and his bright smile that instantly drove away his worries and conflicted emotions.

While resting his hand on Hoseok’s head, Taehyung gazed at the diary that was on his lap, the same diary he avoided reading after his mother’s death for the simple fact that belonged to her. After her death, Taehyung, along with Namjoon and his father, collected everything that pertained to his mother, that included her research, her many diaries that reported the advances she made throughout her work and several notes for her book, like subjects that needed to be perfected, however, the one Taehyung was currently reading didn’t have anything to do with his mother’s work. That particular diary allowed Taehyung to see the picture his once perfect family was full of cracks because of his father’s deviousness and his disgusting adventures with his mistress, from that moment on, Taehyung started to look at the world with a whole different view, it wasn’t as black and white as he thought it was, his innocence and naivete completely blinded him when he was younger.

When Taehyung found out about the existence of the special diary, he firstly thought it was work-related because the first ten pages or so talked about some theories that his mother was thinking to add to her book, but as he began to read the next pages, Taehyung discovered that the diary was sort of a log about his father’s movements, apparently, his mother already had the knowledge about his father’s affair with a younger woman before dying in the car crash and the topic of the conversation she wanted to have with him and Namjoon was about their father’s affair and the fact she was going to file for divorce after confronting him.

“January 4th, 20XX

I can’t believe he had the nerve to lie to my face when I asked him about his whereabouts on Taehyung’s birthday, how could he arrive late to his own son’s birthday – his 18th birthday – our younger son finally became an adult and I know he is going to be a remarkable individual, like his older brother, how could he prioritise that vicious woman and leave his family waiting?

I don’t know how long I can be quiet about the subject, Namjoon already suspects something, and I can’t blame him. Lately, I’ve been burying myself in my research in an attempt to create some distance between Young Chul and me. I can’t bear to see his face when he arrives late at night, the nauseating smell of the perfume of that woman makes me sick, his tousled hair and the faint lipstick marks on his collar, it seems like he’s doing it on purpose.

For the sake of my boys, I will endure this for a while, at least until my book is done, but I have to confront that woman first, I don’t care about my marriage, all I care about is my Taehyung and my Namjoon, my babies deserve to know their father’s true nature, especially Taehyung, he adores him.”

“Why did you have to confront her that day, mom?” Taehyung whispered as he closed the tormenting diary, feeling a lump in his throat “That bitch drove you to your death, i-if s-she…”

Taehyung didn’t have the courage to continue his train of thought as he kept reflecting, once again, about the last conversation he had with his mother, who was driving above the speed limit to go to that bitch’s house to confront her about the affair, in a way, Taehyung was glad she didn’t have the chance, knowing his father’s mistress, she would probably humiliate and offend his mother, he just hated how his father’s affair drove her to her death. It was unfair how everything played out, the one who should have died was his father for betraying his family, but in Taehyung’s eyes, he was already dead, his only family was Hoseok and Namjoon.

Taehyung picked up the diary, placed it on his nightstand, and focused on Hoseok again.

(My little sunshine, your evil mother ruined my family, but in the end, she brought you to this world, I’ll forever love you with all my heart)

Taehyung never held a grudge against Hoseok, even if he was the fruit of the relationship between his father and the bitch he married, he loved him unconditionally no matter what and was going to do everything in his power to protect him from his biological mother, she didn’t deserve such adorable baby, after all, Hoseok wasn’t even born yet and he was already fighting for his existence because the woman who was carrying him didn’t want a baby to ruin her life.

(Selfish bitch)

Taehyung sighed silently as he leaned his head against the headboard, trying to clear his mind from his upsetting thoughts from the past, not wanting to go there again, the night before was troubling enough, he didn’t need anything else to make his life even more complicated than it already was. The male with pink and blonde hair glimpsed at the window of his bedroom, observing the sun fading away and being engulfed by the darkness and the heavy clouds decorating the sky. Taehyung would be lying if he said he wasn’t nervous about the unforeseen change of weather for the worse and the possibility of him enduring another stormy night, once more, the events from the previous night popped up in his mind, making him sigh a second time as he wondered about what was going to happen the next day with Seokjin. Should Taehyung approach and speak to him about his defensive behaviour and clarify the reason why he acted in such a manner? Or should he let Seokjin come to him and let him explain why he kissed him so suddenly? Taehyung was completely lost and his anxiety was making him feel even more frustrated, he honestly thought they were progressing forward, not only with Jimin but also his relationship with Seokjin was improving a lot, both of them, despite having their differences, were slowly getting comfortable with each other, maybe too comfortable.

“Tae…”

Taehyung turned his head away from the enigmatic scenery unfolding outside his window and glanced at the door, feeling his heart being painfully squeezed, knowing who was standing at the entrance of his bedroom – Yoongi –, his best friend seemed solemn yet concerned for him.

“Y-Yoongi…”

When Yoongi heard the pity laced in Taehyung’s voice, he instantly barged inside the bedroom and sat down next to his best friend on the bed, he grabbed Taehyung by the shoulders and pulled him towards him, wrapping his arms around his trembling body. Yoongi placed his chin on top of his best friend’s head, moving one of his hands to his colourful hair, stroking it as he began to hear muffled sobs coming from Taehyung.

“H-How could you think I would be upset with you, Taehyung? We’ve been best friends since childhood, I would never be mad at you without a valid reason and sleeping with your cheating ex doesn’t count as one, especially when you weren’t mindful of your actions” Yoongi uttered silently to not wake-up Hoseok, feeling Taehyung’s hands tightly grasping his body “I-I couldn’t believe when Jungkook told me you encountered Hongseok at the club, I can only imagine how hurtful you were after realising what happened between you two, I wanted so much to be there for you, Tae…”

“I-I’m sorry, Y-Yoongi, I-I’m so sorry, I-I j-just, I d-didn’t k-know how to tell you, I w-was so scared…”

Yoongi gently pushed Taehyung away from his body and cupped his reddish cheeks, cleaning the tears that were rapidly falling from his eyes with his thumbs, hating to see his best friend so miserable because he truly assumed that he was going to be disappointed or angry with him for sleeping again with Hongseok. In reality, Yoongi was more preoccupied with Taehyung’s state of mind after encountering Hongseok and being swayed by his sadness, all the emotions his best friend had been feeling in these last few weeks drove him to make the mistake of following his cheating ex-boyfriend, and being intoxicated didn’t help his case.

“Don’t apologise, Tae, you did nothing wrong, you hear me? Even if you went home with Hongseok and slept with him, you were drunk, you didn’t go while cognisant about the choices you were making” Yoongi argued softly as he stared deeply into Taehyung’s glinting eyes, giving him a small smile “Can you tell me how you two met each other? I found it fishy how coincidental your encounter was and you know I don’t believe in coincidences”

Taehyung nodded his head sluggishly, it was the least he could do after ghosting everyone for so long, Yoongi deserved an explanation, even though he still felt ashamed about his hastiness and mindless decision of going to Hongseok’s apartment with the intent of sleeping with him, nonetheless, Taehyung already faced the consequences of his actions by talking and making his ex-boyfriend understand that they couldn’t go back to be in a relationship, despite part of him still having feelings for Hongseok.

Taehyung took a deep breath in an attempt to calm down his racing mind and his wild heart rate and began to tell Yoongi the events that unfolded that fateful night at the bar. He started with Minhyuk and his brief but amusing conversation with him, slightly breaking the ice, knowing how their chat was going to end, then he said he decided to go dancing with Gunhak with the excuse of finding some hot guy who could show him a good time and take him home not realising he was going to meet Hongseok at the dancefloor. He proceeded to speak about Gunhak and the beautiful girl who was checking him out, Taehyung vaguely remembered how he threatened his blue-haired friend to go meet the girl himself or he was going to introduce the both of them and embarrassed Gunhak in front of her, that was sufficient to make both he and Yoongi laugh, imagining the scenario where Taehyung would actually go to the girl and simply talk about the most embarrassing things Gunhak said and did while drunk which, unfortunately, were a lot, pity Taehyung never had the chance to do it. At last, Taehyung told Yoongi about the eventual encounter with Hongseok, he was just walking to the other side of the bar to meet a random person, instead, he felt his ex-boyfriend’s arms hugging him from behind and his husky and sultry voice echoing in his ear.

“A-Apparently he was there because his modelling agency was celebrating some business deal that underwent that day…” Taehyung mumbled regretfully, cringing at the images of him and Hongseok at the club, now that he was no longer hungover, he could recollect some of his memories from that night “O-One second we were talking and the next we were making out and feeling his hands all over me, we left the bar not long after that, we got a cab and we went to his apartment, the next day I was baffled and overwhelmed with everything that happened, I barely recalled I went home with Hongseok when I realised I was in bed with him, I panicked, the first thing I thought was I had to call you, b-but I-I was scared you would be disappointed at me…”

Yoongi hummed, understanding now how Taehyung and Hongseok met each other at the bar, still, he wasn’t amused by the idea of Hongseok throwing himself at his best friend in the middle of the bar, it showed that the guy didn’t know the definition of boundaries, especially knowing Taehyung was trying to distance himself from him, Yoongi didn’t care if Hongseok was drunk, he blamed him for alluring Taehyung and worsened the already messy situation between them.

“Well, I’m glad you tried to call me, even though you mistakenly called Seokjin instead of me, I wanted so much to go to you and be there for you, but Jungkook told me Seokjin was with you…” Yoongi was still curious about Taehyung’s whereabouts, he just knew Seokjin was with Taehyung, apart from that, it was a total mystery for him, however, said mystery was about to be unveiled because Namjoon didn’t tell him anything when he arrived at Taehyung’s house “And talking about Seokjin, where the hell did he take you? I want to know everything, Tae, I don’t trust that man after what he did to you last month”

“Y-Yeah, apparently I named your contacts with grumpy and I just called the first I saw, it happened to be Seokjin…” Taehyung commented shyly, remembering how he was surprised when he saw Seokjin in front of Hongseok’s apartment, at the time, he was being a pain in the ass because of what he went through with his ex-boyfriend moments earlier, but he, now, was honestly thankful for having Seokjin there, despite what happened after “B-Believe it or n-not, Seokjin actually took me to his property, I was able to see his big ass mansion in exchange for a favour, he totally used my own system against me, meanie…”

“Wait, what?” Yoongi asked loudly as she stared at Taehyung, shocked by the information he just heard from his best friend “Are you for real, Tae? Did the man seriously drive you to his mansion?”

Taehyung lightly smacked Yoongi’s arm when he felt Hoseok’s head snuggling against his hip and his arm around his waist, inaudibly murmuring his name during his sleep, he understood how astounding it sounded since he was talking about Kim Seokjin, the ice sculpture, the man who had the habit of demeaning him for his hair colour choices and his quirky personality.

“Can you keep it down, Yoongles? Hobi couldn’t sleep last night because of the storm…” Taehyung cautioned softly, carefully pulling the blankets over Hoseok’s body to cover his little sunshine better “Yes, Seokjin actually took me to his mansion, I didn’t want to go home because I knew all of you would come here in an attempt to find me, I suggested him to take me somewhere else, anywhere, but he told me he wouldn’t leave me alone, especially with the outfit I was wearing, and also I was freezing my tooshie off, so he took me to his property, he was really a gentleman, Yoongi, in his own way, he took care of me…”

Yoongi furrowed his brows as he saw a wide smile appearing on Taehyung’s lips, still feeling perplexed about what he was hearing from his best friend, it was unbelievable to him and he was certain if Jungkook listened to Taehyung, he would react the same way as him, even though the black-haired male knew him since his high school years. Despite seeing a smile on Taehyung’s face, Yoongi also noticed a hint of sadness in his voice which told him that something significant had happened at Seokjin’s mansion, no matter how hard Taehyung tried to hide his true feelings, Yoongi could always see through him.

“If he treated you like a gentleman, why do you sound so sad? Did he say something he shouldn’t have said, or…” Yoongi squinted his eyes at Taehyung, already thinking about the worse “Did he try to pull some funny stunt, Tae? I will kill him if he hurt you, you know I will”

“I love how protective my brother and my best friend are towards me, they are always ready to kill people who mess with me which it isn’t the case with Seokjin, he didn’t say anything hurtful or d-did, so please don’t kill him, Yoongi…” Taehyung cursed himself internally for stuttering, not capable of making eye contact with Yoongi, knowing that Seokjin indeed did something to him, despite being a harmless kiss. Unconsciously, the male with colourful hair’s hand went to the collar of his hoodie, he slightly pulled it up to cover the reddish mark on his neck that stood among the others made by Hongseok, he suspected Namjoon and Seunghee noticed it too, but decided to refrain themselves “Overall, Seokjin was very helpful if he had done something, do you think Namjoon would be here? He wouldn’t, so don’t worry, I honestly enjoyed staying with him and I wouldn’t mind if he cooked for me every day, he’s an amazing cook”

“He cooked for you?!” Yoongi exclaimed very noisily, once again stunned by what Taehyung was telling him, it seemed like his best friend spent a day with a person who resembled Seokjin but didn’t behave like him. It was implausible for the red-haired male that Seokjin could truly cook and, most of all, he willingly cooked for Taehyung, furthermore, he felt slightly insulted for hearing how his own best friend preferred the smug man’s cooking to his “And excuse me, you ungracious brat! Maybe you should ask Seokjin to come to your house every morning and night to cook for you, I can’t believe this…”

“Tae Tae…” Hoseok called drowsily as he lifted his head, rubbing one of his eyes “Why is Yoonie yelling?”

“I’m sorry, little sunshine, I didn’t want to wake you up…” Yoongi said caringly as he tenderly cupped Hoseok’s chubby cheek, feeling bad for waking up the little one with his justified outburst “It just, Yoonie won’t be cooking breakfast and dinner for you and your ungrateful brother, but don’t worry, I will still bake you the oatmeal cookies, you just can’t share them with Tae Tae”

“B-But, I like when Yoonie cooks breakfast, it’s yummy…”

“I will continue to cook for you and your brother if he apologises to me, apparently, I’m not his favourite cook anymore…” Yoongi scowled at Taehyung, who was covering his mouth, probably mocking him for acting jealous, well, he wasn’t jealous, he didn’t appreciate his best friend’s ingratitude “And also, Kookie and I baked some blueberry muffins earlier, they probably still warm, so if your brother wants to eat one, he has to say sorry to me”

“Are you seriously turning my brother against me just because I said I would like Seokjin to cook for me every day? Who’s the childish one now, Yoongles?” Taehyung chuckled, finding Yoongi’s childish act very amusing “And you didn’t tell me how your date went, I’ll apologise if you tell me the details, Yoonie, c’mon…”

“It doesn’t work that way, Kim Taehyung, and right now, I’m the one who has all the trump cards” Yoongi retorted nonchalantly as he got up from the bed, giving a taunting smile at Taehyung “Hey, Hobi, do you want a blueberry muffin and a cup of warm milk?”

“Yes, Yoonie!” Hoseok shrieked merrily as he kicked the blankets off himself, feeling his stomach already complaining about the lack of food. The blonde boy crawled out of the bed and immediately ran towards Yoongi “Do you have oatmeal cookies too?”

“Yes, I have, and I also have chocolate chip cookies I made purposely for you and your brother since I was missing you so much, I thought you guys were going to enjoy a little treat” Yoongi responded, cooing with how cute Hoseok look with his pyjamas. He placed his hands on the young boy’s waist and lifted him up, kissing him on his cheek “I guess you were the only one who missed me, I’m giving you all the cookies, my little sunshine”

“I want chocolate chip cookies as well, you grumpy cat, don’t be mean to me” Taehyung protested as he got up from the bed, frowning at Yoongi’s insensitivity, they spent two days apart and that was how his best friend was welcoming him, just because he commented how he wanted to eat Seokjin’s food every day. Taehyung quickly made his way to Yoongi and hugged him from behind, secretly happy for having his best friend back after the roller coaster of emotions he had been through “No matter how tasty Seokjin’s food is, Yoonie, I’ll forever love your cooking more, so don’t be angry at Tae Tae, give me your delicious baked goods and tell me all about your weekend with the strong bunny”

“Glad you understand how ama- Wait!” Yoongi turned around and gazed at Taehyung, who was smiling mischievously, making him huff in annoyance “I might not kill Seokjin, but I’m going to kill Jungkook for blabbing, I guess you and the as-“ Yoongi stopped mid-sentence when he glanced at Hoseok’s happy facial expression, realising he was holding a child in his embrace and completely forgot he needed to be careful with his words in from of him “You and the ice sculpture can keep secrets better than the naughty bunny, he needs to be grounded for misbehaving”

“Don’t worry, Yoongi, I need to give him a lesson as well, I kind of promised Seokjin I was going to do it” Taehyung spoke indifferently, not forgetting the promise he made to Seokjin when the older man confined him about his phobia of clowns. The male with pink and blonde hair took Hoseok from Yoongi’s arms, missing having his little sunshine in his embrace, feeling his brother’s head nuzzling against his neck “And before you ask why I have to give your boyfriend a lesson, I can’t disclose that information without Seokjin’s permission”

“We really need to continue our conversation about what happened yesterday at Seokjin’s property, Taehyung, I don’t believe you guys became so friendly overnight without something meaningful occurring between you two, and Jungkook and I aren’t dating, why are you and Hyunjoon so annoying?”

“You aren’t dating yet, but you will soon, don’t you agree, little sunshine? Don’t you want to see Yoonie and Kookie together?” Taehyung questioned teasingly as he tightened his grip on Hoseok’s small body, sensing his baby brother nodding “You see, Yoongi, Hobi agrees with me, and I know by the time of your and Hyunjoon’s birthday, Jungkook will ask you for sure until then keep baking oatmeal cookies, as for my little sunshine and I, we are going to feed out tummies”

“I’m hungry, Tae Tae…”

“I guess Gunhak’s and Soonyoung’s bet inspired you, maybe they aren’t wrong about you and Seokjin…” Yoongi remarked casually as he opened the door of Taehyung’s bedroom, tilting his head and seeing his best friend’s brows creasing with his comment. The red-haired male wasn’t sure before about the possibility of a relationship flourishing between Taehyung and Seokjin, however, after witnessing his best friend today and how mysterious he was about the events from the prior day, it could actually happen “Don’t look at me like that, Taehyung, do you think I don’t know Gunhak and Soonyoung made a bet about you two? I’m your best friend, I know everything too, Jungkook isn’t the only snitch”

(After dealing with Seokjin and our situation, I need to handle my dearest friends, who don’t know when to shut up)

“I knew I should have gone out by myself, instead of taking smurf and rusty with me…”

Chapter Text

Taehyung was chewing on his bottom lip as he stared at his tea, observing his dejected expression reflected in the brownish liquid and feeling his hands being warmed by the beautiful porcelain cup decorated with pinkish flowers while watching the steam waves dissipating in mid-air before hitting his face. He sighed in frustration as he mindlessly ran his thumb over the rim of the cup, completely ignoring the conversation between Gunhak and Soonyoung, his mind was too busy thinking about what happened that morning when he dropped Hoseok off at school.

When he arrived at the school, Taehyung saw Seokjin dropping Jimin off as per usual, he panicked about what he should do – should or shouldn’t he approach Seokjin and talk about what happened –, however, Taehyung was still doubtful about his decision and was completely lost, he hated the tense atmosphere between them, even Yoongi and Jungkook knew something was wrong since he usually would go to Seokjin and annoy the hell out of him like he always did. Taehyung was hoping to solve the awkward situation as quickly as possible, but apparently, Seokjin decided to avoid him and walk away from him, he didn’t want to jump to conclusions and think the older male was hurt because of his harshness towards him, therefore he purposely ignored him and instantly left the school after saying goodbye to Jimin, maybe it was like Namjoon said, maybe Seokjin was respecting him by giving him some time to process, if that was the case, Taehyung didn’t want that, he wanted his relationship with the man to go back to normal, they were finally getting somewhere.

“Hey, Tae, are you okay? You seem off today…”

Taehyung lifted his gaze from his tea and glanced at Soonyoung, who was sitting next to him, eyeing him worryingly, not knowing what he ought to say to appease his friend.

“Ah, yeah…” Taehyung responded expressionlessly, turning his attention to the porcelain cup once again “I just have a lot on my mind right now…”

“Taehyung, you turned off your phone and disappeared from this Earth for two days, now you are in a staring contest with the cup and I think you’re winning, I know something happened while you were missing and it’s bothering you” Soonyoung retorted as he stroke Taehyung’s pink locks, noticing his friend pouting, a pout meant that something definitely was wrong “You can talk to me and Gu, right, Gu?” Soonyoung asked surely, averting his attention to Gunhak, his blue-haired friend seemed lost in his thoughts “Gu, I could use a little help here with our baby”

Gunhak remained quiet for a moment as he lowered his head, suspecting about the subject that was upsetting Taehyung, he was afraid to ask to confirm, not wanting to do more damage, however, seeing his friend like that – his friend who usually had a big smile on his face, who was always talking so cheerfully about Hoseok and having fun at Seokjin’s expense –, Gunhak needed to make sure and, if it was indeed what he was thinking about, then he, along with Soonyoung, had to do everything in his power to bring the real Taehyung back to the surface.

“You saw him, didn’t you?” Gunhak inquired solemnly, still not making eye contact with Taehyung “You saw Hongseok at the bar that night…”

Taehyung instantly looked at Gunhak, questioning how did his friend know about his encounter with Hongseok in the bar that night, Yoongi wouldn’t talk about that matter without telling him because, despite being best friends, both of them respected each other private lives, so there was no way Gunhak got that information from him, the only explanation Taehyung could come up with was his blue-haired friend witnessed him acting shameless with Hongseok, that thought just made him regret his drunken actions even more.

“How is that possible? Unless he was stalking us, there is no way Hongseok would know we were at that bar” Soonyoung retorted incredulously, looking between Gunhak and Taehyung “Tae, d-did you see him that night? Is that why you ghosted us?”

Taehyung slowly nodded in agreement, still feeling embarrassment for his desperation and eagerness to involve himself sexually with Hongseok for a second time. Like it was with Yoongi, Taehyung was restless speaking to Gunhak and Soonyoung about that particular night, knowing perfectly well he was going to disappoint them and be scolded for not making better decisions, he was drunk at that moment, nevertheless, for Taehyung, it still wasn’t an excuse.

“Y-Yes, I-I saw Hongseok at the bar that night, and y-yes, he was the reason why I turned off my phone, after what happened, I-I couldn’t face you, guys, I-I d-didn’t have the courage to tell you how I slept with that asshole again and disappoint you, Yoongi and Namjoon, it was t-too much for me…” Taehyung stuttered quietly, feeling his eyes already burning with tears yet to be shed. He awkwardly gazed between his two friends whose faces clearly express their concern, trying, simultaneously, to control his urge to cry in the middle of the coffee shop “D-Did you see us together, Gu?”

Gunhak reached for one of Taehyung’s hands and gently held it in an attempt to comfort Taehyung, understanding now why he was so reticent about that subject and he didn’t blame him, the blue-haired male could see how troubled he was for sleeping with Hongseok a second time.

“I didn’t see you together, but remember the girl who you so fervently insisted for me to meet and talk to?” Gunhak questioned knowingly, seeing Taehyung nodding his head as a response. He wanted to remind his friend of that not-so-amusing moment, hoping he could cheer him up, luckily, Gunhak was able to put a small smile on Taehyung’s face “Well, we were talking about ourselves and she said she was a model in Japan for a big clothing brand, apparently the company where she works at closed a business deal with a modelling agency here, in South Korea, it’s the same one where Hongseok works at, so I immediately asked if she knew him and she answered yes and added that he was there too if I wanted to speak to him…”

“I swear, it’s like the guy can sniff Taehyung, I mean, there were easily hundreds of people in that bar, how could Hongseok find him in the middle of the dancefloor that was flooded with people, unbelievable” Soonyoung groaned in discontentment, having a really hard time to believe that Hongseok just happened to be there coincidently, what were the odds? “Tae, you told us someone spoke to you about this place, maybe it was Hongseok and you didn’t remember, or he talked about it with you, something like that…”

Taehyung recalled telling his friends the very same day they went out to the bar they were going was mentioned to him by someone, however, he didn’t remember back then who was that person. Now, that Soonyoung brought that subject back, Taehyung actually could grasp the moment when he heard about that place, it was indeed Hongseok who told him about it the time he announced that his agency could possibly make business with an important foreign clothing brand and if that eventually happened, his ex-boyfriend wanted to through a big party in the bar, since the place was really popular in the city.

“I was drunk at the time, but I vaguely recollect a conversation we both had before we, ah, kissed, he told me about the business deal when we were still dating, he even said he wanted to through a huge party to celebrate if that happened and he truly did it…”

“Yeah, he truly did it and it wasn’t enough, so he decided to take advantage of your fragile and drunken state and get you in bed, but I don’t want to talk about that anymore, you probably spoke to Yoongi about it, I don’t want to make things worse, so let’s change the topic, okay?” Gunhak added apathetically, squeezing Taehyung’s hand to reassure him “How about we talk about the matter regarding your disappearance, Yoongi didn’t tell us anything, he just said you were kind of in good hands, so you weren’t alone…”

(Hongseok is already an upsetting matter, now they want to talk about my whereabouts? If only they knew…)

Taehyung sluggishly took his hand from Gunhak’s embrace to be able to drink his lukewarm tea, bringing the cup to his lips to take a sip as he thought about another subject to chat about instead of his adventures in Seokjin’s mansion and the awkward situation between them.

“I know about a more interesting subject, how about my little sunshine’s birthday, huh? My baby is turning seven tomorrow”

“He’s diverting the conversation, you know what that means, Gu…” Soonyoung tilted his head to observe Taehyung’s expression, noticing his cheeks getting slightly reddish, honestly, he didn’t know if his friend was blushing or if it was the cold temperature of the place “He was with Jinnie, now that’s an exciting topic to be discussed, how in the hell did you end up with him, Taehyung?”

“W-Who said I was with S-Seokjin?” Taehyung faltered, once again, cursing himself internally for showing how fidgety he was about Seokjin, he just made his two annoying friends’ day. He nonchalantly took a big sip of his tea, ignoring the curious looks Gunhak and Soonyoung were giving him “Why are you looking at me like that, you are freaking me out…”

“You just asked who said you were with Seokjin, well, Yoongi saying you were kind of in good hands, I assume you had to be with someone he doesn’t fully trust which it’s understandable, so I automatically concluded that it was Seokjin”

“What Gu said, but also you just stuttered, thus ending up telling us indirectly that Seokjin was the one” Soonyoung stated indifferently, secretly enthusiastic about knowing the details of Taehyung’s time with Seokjin “Spill the tea, Tae, c’mon, it’s not like you slept with the man”

(Kissing each other was already shocking enough for both of us, I can only imagine how Gu and Soo would react, they would probably start planning a wedding for real)

Taehyung sighed once again, this time out of frustration, not really having the will to tell Gunhak and Soonyoung about the day he spent with Seokjin, knowing his friends were going to act like high school girls just because they still had the crazy fantasy of him getting together with the older male. “I already shared too much with you guys today, so don’t get too excited, also I need to pick up my little sunshine from school in a bit, not time to indulge your absurd fantasies…”

“You know, Tae, when you act defensively, it tells us that something truly happened…” Gunhak taunted, smirking playfully “So, what’s the big deal you are trying to hide from us?”

“There’s no big deal, you are the ones that have a wild imagination” Taehyung claimed rationally, as he placed the almost empty cup of tea on the table, preparing himself to leave the place, not that he was running from Gunhak and Soonyoung, Taehyung just didn’t want to speak about the subject because he was still struggling with the awkward situation between him and Seokjin “I should go, instead of talking with children, I should focus on my actual child and his birthday which is tomorrow and I would love my friend’s help, but they are busy being dicks”

“Alright, alright, for someone who is calling us children, you’re behaving like a whiny baby…”

“Well, you called him baby earlier, Soo, so he’s just acting the part”

“You’re right and, as our baby, we should accompany him to Hoseok’s school” Soonyoung suggested, pretending to be indifferent when in reality he wanted to see the interaction between Seokjin and Taehyung, and also see Hoseok and meet Jimin “What do you think, Gu?”

“I think it’s the best idea you ever had” Gunhak answered cheerily as he got up from the chair, noticing Taehyung’s eyes widening “And we finally are going to meet the little cutie, win-win situation”

“I think both of you need to get laid to get off my back…” Taehyung mumbled as he got up from his seat as well to get on his way, grabbing his things. He was preparing himself mentally for the uncomfortable moments he was going to share with Seokjin, or maybe the older male was going to avoid him and simply leave like he did that morning “Now, shut up, and let’s go”

“So grumpy, maybe Jinnie will put a smile on your face” Soonyoung stated wittily, bopping Taehyung’s nose “And ah, I already got laid this weekend with the hot brunette bartender, you are the one who needs to have fun, preferably sober and with someone who isn’t an asshole”

Taehyung decided not to answer to Soonyoung and just scowled at him and Gunhak for coming along with him to Hoseok’s school, now he definitely wasn’t looking forward to seeing Seokjin.

***

Seokjin flopped down on his office chair and unbuttoned one of the buttons of his blazer, sighing heavily as he leaned his head back in an attempt to rest his tortured mind after a chaotic morning filled with so many responsibilities. He already knew how significant the acquisition of the small IT company was to his own company, however, he still felt pressured to make sure everything was perfect and to keep appearances, of course, having his father around to control his every move and observe him like a hawk didn’t help his racing and troubled mind. On top of that, Seokjin was doing everything in his power to remain focused until the business was officially closed, not wanting his father to notice how his head was reflecting on other matters that weren’t related to the business, especially having the knowledge that he was still furious with him for disrespecting him the previous day.

Seokjin ran his fingers through his hair, pulling it back as he let his mind wander about the events that unfolded when he dropped Jimin off at school, somehow, thinking about that morning made him feel even more strained. He still had the mental image of Taehyung and his conflicted expression vivid in his mind, Seokjin truly wanted to solve their situation, although he didn’t know how he should approach the younger, especially when he was the culprit, he shouldn’t have crossed the line between them, even if he had good intentions towards Taehyung. A few weeks ago, Seokjin would have appreciated the distance and the lack of interaction coming from the younger male with those atrocious hair colours, but now that the both of them were finally establishing some sort of relationship and getting along with each other, Seokjin sincerely felt strange for not having Taehyung speaking to him before going to work, maybe he was already accustomed to his lively and quirky personality in the morning.

“Was it me or your father was grumpier today?”

Seokjin straightened himself from his chair when he heard Jungkook entering his office and glowered at him from coming inside without knocking on the door. “For the millionth time, Jungkook, knock on the door next time, I could have been on the phone with a business partner…”

“I asked your secretary if you were busy, she said no and I came inside” Jungkook explained amusingly, closing the door of Seokjin’s office. He headed towards his best friend’s desk and sat down on the seat in from of it, studying Seokjin’s body language “You seemed more stressed than usual…”

“Of course, I’m more stressed than usual, I just acquired a new company and I had to make preparations for our new employees!” Seokjin retorted frustratingly, slightly raising his voice. He instantly regretted how he spoke so rudely towards Jungkook, it wasn’t his fault he had some much he had to deal with “I’m sorry, Jungkook, I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that, it’s just I have a lot on my mind…”

Jungkook had known Seokjin for years now and even though his best friend changed so suddenly just to please his father and diminish his fury, he still could see through Seokjin and understand what was bothering him. Jungkook was certain that the new acquisition and hiring of new employees weren’t the real reasons that were stressing Seokjin out, his best friend could deal with stressful situations related to business, whether was the business itself or the parties involved. Personally, Jungkook was always amazed at how Seokjin could handle so much, his father included, however, when it came to matters outside the company, his best friend didn’t have the emotional aptitudes to solve whatever was troubling him.

“When I said you seemed stressed, I wasn’t talking about matters related to the company, but related to your personal life, I have known you for years, Seokjin, you can handle anything that is business related, you are CEO for a reason and it’s not only because you are Kim…” Jungkook enlightened, giving Seokjin a gentle smile “Let me guess, your father and Taehyung are the subjects that are driving you insane, I would like very much to start with Taehyung, but I know what you are going to say, so tell me what happened between you and your father? Did he demand you to go on another date with some woman?”

Seokjin sighed heavily once again as he placed his arms on top of the desk, not really knowing how he was going to explain to Jungkook the altercation he had with his father the previous day, he was sure his best friend was going to be over the moon with the fact that he finally gained the courage to confront him, Seokjin only did it because he wanted to protect Jimin.

“Yesterday, I went to my parent's house to see my mother and Jimin, as per usual, my father insisted on talking to me about business, I was distracted with something and he just kept criticising me and treating me like my old self, lecturing me about how important the legacy is and how I should appreciate everything he did for me” Seokjin explained the gist of the events from the prior day, feeling enraged again just replaying his father’s words on his mind “I couldn’t stay quiet and listen to him speaking how the company is important for him and how grateful I should be towards him, so I just confront his absurd arguments, now he’s furious at me for talking back”

“I’m sorry, did I hear it right?” Jungkook questioned doubtfully as he raised a brow, wondering if he indeed heard what Seokjin told him right since he never talked back at his father, not even in his rebellious days “Did you just say you told your father to fuck off in a polite way? Seriously?”

“Yes, you heard it right, Jungkook, and it’s like I told my mom, I can’t keep my mouth shut, not anymore, especially when he undermines Jimin and me, especially Jimin, we are his family and he mistreats us, my mom included, I just can’t take it anymore, so I made a decision” Seokjin stated assertively, glancing at Jungkook “I don’t want Jimin to go through what I went through, I want him to have a chance to follow his own path instead of the one that my father already paved for him, if my son wants to be an artist, I’m going to support him every step of the way”

Jungkook was completely speechless, not expecting to see the old Seokjin again, the same Seokjin who refused to follow his father’s rules and obey him, who refused to turn like him and follow his steps, unfortunately, his best friend never had a real opportunity, instead his own father forced him to abandon his dream of opening a restaurant, since it wasn’t a reliable business and it wasn’t very “manly”, threatened him by disinherit him if he didn’t hide part of himself and married the girl he wanted Seokjin to marry.

For the first time in years, Jungkook was truly proud of the Seokjin who was in front of him, his firmness and bold demeanour were floating to the surface once again, and he could actually see his best friend standing up for himself and Jimin, see Seokjin embracing his old self again and fight for his son by behaving like a true parent. Jungkook admitted that he was losing hope of recovering the Seokjin he once knew back in high school and university, however, since Taehyung walked into his and Seokjin’s lives, Jungkook noticed a few changes in his best friend, maybe the day they spent together during the weekend awakened some part of Seokjin that was still restrained.

“I never thought I could see my best friend again, I’m not talking about the cold, strict and bitter man your father created, but the man I met all those years ago, I guess my prayers were answered” Jungkook spoke half joking, half serious, feeling truly surprised, but also happy to see Seokjin going back to the person he was before, the person who wasn’t afraid of his father “I should reward Taehyung, after all, he’s probably the one who encouraged you, so now I’m even curious to know the reason why you two aren’t talking”

Seokjin always knew Jungkook was hoping for him to go back to the person he was when they first met – the relaxed, trustful and hilarious person he used to be before his father gave him an ultimatum –, however, he honestly believed his old self was dead, the part of him he was obliged to kill and bury to make his father happy and show him he was willing to become the son he always wanted him to be, even if Seokjin was acting against his principles and was disappointing Jungkook. After all the years under his father’s dictatorship, sacrificing his own happiness and hiding his sexual orientation because he was considered an embarrassment to his family, namely, his father, Seokjin was finally breaking free and, despite being slightly frightened by the thought of living his life according to his own rules and making decisions behind his father’s back to ensure Jimin had a fair opportunity, unlike him, made Seokjin feel unfettered.

Ironically, Seokjin’s decision of going against his father resulted from the conversation he had with Taehyung during dinner when he stayed at his home, even though he basically spoke absentmindedly, he was glad he shared his thoughts with the younger male, as a consequence, he was able to get some good pieces of advice from Taehyung and hear some reassuring words from him. Seokjin was truly grateful for that, but at the same time, made him feel regretful for acting so carelessly with Taehyung, he really needed to make amends with the other male, even if he was going against his decision of not approaching him.

“About myself, you were right, I shouldn’t have let my father control me and treat me the same way he did in the past, I shouldn’t hide just because he thinks my sexual orientation is going to bring shame to our family name, I’m done living according to his rules” Seokjin stated assuredly, choosing to live the life he always wished to live instead of living under his father and acting like him, he needed to go back to the person he was before, Seokjin didn’t have anything to lose “As for Taehyung, I wish I could discuss the reason why we are not speaking, but I can’t”

“Now that you were finally making progress, you won’t tell me why you and Taehyung don’t speak, you did something to upset him, didn’t you?” Jungkook asked matter-of-factly as he carefully observed Seokjin’s facial expression, already knowing the answer to his own question “What did you do, Seokjin? I know it’s not something as serious as the other times because I could see how Taehyung was conflicted about approaching you, I’m good at reading people and you two aren’t an exception”

Seokjin averted his gaze from Jungkook, truly not knowing what to say, however, he didn’t want to tell his best friend how he crossed the line and simply kissed Taehyung without consent. It might be just a kiss, but still Seokjin didn’t want to confess his disgraceful action because he was ashamed of what he did and in the process, he upset Taehyung while the younger was trying to deal with his phobia.

Before Seokjin had a chance to profess a single word to Jungkook, a soft knock on the door was heard, making him frown as he glanced at his wristwatch to check the time, the dark-haired male was sure he didn’t have any appointments scheduled during lunchtime.

“Come in!”

“I’m sorry for interrupting, Mr Kim…” Ms Jang said respectfully as she walked inside Mr Kim’s office, letting the door slightly ajar “One of the new employees wants to speak to you, it’s Mr Kim, the new accountant”

Seokjin didn’t know why Namjoon wanted to speak to him, he was truly hoping it had nothing to do with his new job, he himself made sure every single one of his employees was welcomed to the company by the head of the departments, he even chose the best employees from each department to guide and mentor the new employees in the first couple weeks.

“Tell him to come in, Ms Jang”

Ms Jang gave her boss a simple nod, bowed her head before walking out of the office and informed Mr Kim that he could go inside as she smiled politely, pointing towards the door.

“Thank you, Ms Jang” Namjoon headed towards the office door, briefly bowing his head at Ms Jang. He, then, slowly walked inside Seokjin’s office and closed the door, noticing Jungkook was also there “I didn’t know Jungkook was here, I would’ve come later”

“Don’t worry, Namjoon, we aren’t discussing business, as a matter of fact…” Jungkook remarked mischievously as he smirked at Seokjin, who was rolling his eyes at him “We were talking about Taehyung, so perfect timing”

“My apologies, Namjoon, Jungkook likes to come to my office from time to time to speak about personal matters, even though I pay him to work and not to invade my privacy, so you are not interrupting” Seokjin retorted straightforwardly, glaring at Jungkook for bluntly telling Namjoon that they were conversing about Taehyung “In fact, Jungkook was just leaving, I assume he has plans for lunch with Yoongi, this way, we can talk in private”

“Actually, I came here to ask you if you were available, Mr Kim” Namjoon said casually, as he placed his hands inside the pockets of his pants, smiling weakly “I wanted to invite you to lunch, it’s my way to thank you for the job and for taking care of Taehyung…”

“Namjoon, that’s not necessary, I just tried to help Taehyung the best I could…” Seokjin’s tone was semi-firm, however, he was somewhat nervous to be around Namjoon, especially when his relationship with Taehyung was currently unstable “Regarding your job, I hired you because you have an excellent résumé, it would have been a waste if I didn’t value your abilities, so you don’t need to thank me for that”

“Nonsense, Jin, and as the boss you should accept the invitation it demonstrates to the other employees that you are reachable” Jungkook intervened, as he got up from his seat, and walked towards Namjoon. He placed a hand on the young male’s shoulder, gazing in amusement at Seokjin “Also, you took Taehyung in, Namjoon here just wants to show his appreciation, so don’t be stubborn”

Seokjin had a feeling Jungkook was forcing him into going to lunch with Namjoon to make him talk about the events that occurred while Taehyung was staying at his house and, being his younger brother, Namjoon probably had suspicions, at least that was what Seokjin thought, Taehyung was pretty upset that night, he assumed the younger wasn’t in the best mood the next day, not only with what happened between them, but also with what had happened with his ex-boyfriend, and maybe leaving a note wasn’t the smartest idea, it seemed a cowardly gesture.

Seokjin prevented himself from sighing a third time as he got up from his chair in defeat, not wanting Namjoon to think that he was going to accept the invitation just because Jungkook was insisting on having his secret agenda. In reality, Seokjin was curious to know how Taehyung was doing given the circumstances, and soon or later, he had to come forward and face what he did.

“I’m going to accept your invitation, Namjoon, but I’m going not because Jungkook is basically forcing me to go, I don’t you to think that I’m going against my will”

“Now we are talking, I’m happy you accepted the invitation willingly, Seokjin” Jungkook said cheerily as he gave a gentle pat on Namjoon’s shoulder, looking at his watch “Well, I’m leaving, I don’t want to make my delicate beauty wait, you boys go and have fun, I know I will”

***

After lunch, Seokjin decided to join Namjoon on a walk around a park before he had to go pick up Jimin from school, at the same time, he wondered if the younger man was going to ask something about Taehyung and his staying at his house. Earlier, Seokjin really had a feeling that the lunch was more than a thanks for taking care of Taehyung and the job offer, Namjoon seemed the type of person who acted protectively towards his younger brothers, in fact, during their interview, the younger man mentioned how grateful he was for having his younger brothers and how proud he was of both them.

Seokjin managed to conclude that Taehyung got the information about him buying the small IT company from Namjoon because said male couldn’t hold himself during the interview when he talked about Taehyung and his lively and peculiar personality, and how his young brother liked to be different from everyone else, not because he enjoyed being the centre of attention, but for standing out for being the person he was, Namjoon might have mentioned Taehyung’s preference for outrageous colours for his hair as well, Seokjin didn’t remember how that came up in the conversation, maybe Jungkook was the one who gave some sort of hint, Seokjin wouldn’t be surprised if his best friend already knew Namjoon was Taehyung’s older brother.

Seokjin placed his hands inside the pockets of his pants as he observed the scenery surrounding him, the greenery of the blossoming foliage and the rushing cold breeze hitting his face truly calmed him down and his worries regarding his unresolved matters with Taehyung. Seokjin wasn’t the type of person who was self-aware of his emotions and he couldn’t deal with them, Jungkook was right, he could always handle everything that was business related, however, when it came to personal subjects, Seokjin didn’t have the emotional abilities to solve predicaments connected to his feelings, in reality, he hated to reflect about himself and his life, he hated to reflect about what he was feeling because Seokjin learned from his father that showing emotion was a sign of weakness, not only in the business world but also in his everyday life.

“It seems that you really needed some time away from the office, Mr Kim…” Namjoon broke the silence between him and Seokjin, noticing his new boss completely lost in his thoughts, he had a clue about the reasons that were upsetting the older man “This morning was a little hectic, even for me, so I imagine how you must feel being the CEO”

“I truly needed some time away from my work, Namjoon, but I also needed to get rid of Jungkook, he can be really irritating sometimes, especially because he knows no boundaries when it comes to my personal life” Seokjin said solemnly as he continued looking around the park where he and Namjoon were currently at, honestly enjoying the place, maybe he should take Jimin there someday “And I already told you, you can call me Seokjin outside of work, I don’t mind”

Namjoon smiled widely as he took a brief glance at Seokjin, still not used to seeing his new boss acting so carefree around him, it was a nice change of pace. Before, Namjoon believed Seokjin was an emotionless and self-centred man who didn’t care about anything else except his company and knowing the hardships Jimin had to go through during his young life after his mother’s passing, Namjoon could only imagine how difficult it was for the small child to have a parent who didn’t give his time or love, who didn’t care about his well-being and his emotional needs. As someone who was struggling to build a family of his own, Namjoon couldn’t believe there were people in the world who mistreated and neglected their own children, who took their families for granted, so for him, hearing Taehyung and how upset he was for the way Seokjin was educating Jimin, it actually made him feel frustrated.

“So, was it true what Jungkook said before, were you talking about Taehyung?” Namjoon asked curiously as he tilted his head, checking Seokjin’s reaction. He didn’t want to pry into the older man’s private life, and the same was with Taehyung, nonetheless, Namjoon had to put aside his professional relationship with Seokjin and try to understand the situation between his boss and Taehyung, he hated seeing his brother so distraught “My apologises, Seokjin, It’s not my business to pry into your private life, it’s the same with Taehyung, however when I see my brother so fraught about a certain matter, I don’t have a choice but to intervene and try to comprehend the motive for his gloomy state”

Seokjin sighed, not being comfortable speaking about the subject of Taehyung, however, he couldn’t blame Namjoon for being concerned, the male with those horrendous hair colours was his younger brother, so he had every right to question him about the events that unfolded between him and Taehyung.

“No apologies necessary, Namjoon, Taehyung is your brother, so it’s perfectly understandable if you want to know the reason why he’s troubled” Seokjin retorted, not knowing if he should actually tell what really happened that night with Taehyung, it was an enervating matter to discuss with Namjoon, Seokjin didn’t want the other to think that he was trying to take advantage of his younger brother “And it’s true, Jungkook and I were talking about Taehyung, he wanted to know why I and him are not speaking at the moment, I assume you are wondering the same thing which is reasonable”

“After speaking to you on the phone, I was already curious to know what had happened between you two, but after seeing this falling from the coat you borrowed Taehyung, my interest peaked” Namjoon said in amusement as he took the note from the pocket of his coat, watching Seokjin’s eyes widened with the simple piece of paper, probably he wasn’t expecting Taehyung to keep it “I was placing the coat on the rack when the note fell from one of the pockets, I didn’t know what it was, so I read it, then I realised why my brother seemed so gloomy, something happened between you and Taehyung is struggling with it, I had to talk to him about it…”

Seokjin continued to blankly stare at the note he left Taehyung that morning, questioning himself why the younger decided to keep it, he just did it because he couldn’t face him after what happened and it also wasn’t pleasant to leave Taehyung alone, completely clueless, without, at least, knowing where he had gone.

Seokjin immediately came to his senses when he processed the information Namjoon said, awakening his interest. “Did Taehyung tell you what happened?”

“He didn’t, I could see he wasn’t comfortable sharing the details, but I was still bothered because I wanted to know if you had done or said something hurtful to him…” Namjoon answered truthfully, gently giving Seokjin the note back, hoping the older man could give it back to Taehyung, it could be an excuse to get the two of them to converse with each other, instead of avoiding one another, at least that was what Yoongi told him before he arrived at the company “Apparently, that wasn’t the case and despite not telling anything, my brother explained that something happened between you two and he confessed he was feeling bad about the way he acted towards you, he said he was too harsh with you…”

If Seokjin wasn’t amazed about the fact that Taehyung kept his insignificant note, now he was with the new information he heard from Namjoon, he was also confused with why the young male thought he had acted harshly towards him, Taehyung didn’t have a reason to feel bad, Seokjin was the one who felt restless about the situation for his unforeseen gesture and for crossing the line, he was the one responsible for acting wrongfully towards Taehyung.

“Why does Taehyung feel bad about acting harshly towards me? I’m the one at fault…”

Seokjin ran his fingers through his hair frustratingly, feeling even worse now for kissing Taehyung, however, he finally knew the real motive that explained the younger’s male behaviour that morning. He spotted a bench nearby and decided to sit down on it, truly pondering about the possibility of disclosing the truth to Namjoon, even though he wasn’t impartial for being Taehyung’s older brother and, in reality, Seokjin thought it was odd to talk about that particular occurrence with Namjoon, but maybe it was best if it was him, instead of Jungkook, his best friend would probably freak out and ask him a bunch of uncomfortable questions.

Namjoon sat down next to Seokjin, basically watching the older male having a mental breakdown, he suspected that Seokjin, like Taehyung, had kept what happened a secret, so keeping to themselves maybe wasn’t the greatest idea.

“Seokjin, I shouldn’t meddle, even though Taehyung is my brother, but it seems to me that you need to talk about it, as does Taehyung because both of you are too stressed out with this situation…” Namjoon stated worriedly as he placed his elbows on top of his knees, his gaze solely on Seokjin “Taehyung didn’t talk to me because I’m his brother, so he probably thought I would be displeased with whatever you did to him, but if he told me you didn’t do anything to offend him, why are you so concern about?”

“I’m concerned because what I did clearly upset him and, given he was still trying to recuperate from what happened with his ex-boyfriend, I shouldn’t have done what I did, I-I shouldn’t have-“ Seokjin stopped speaking briefly and anxiously met Namjoon’s gaze, as he rubbed his hands nervously against each other, preparing himself for the consequences of his words “I shouldn’t have kissed Taehyung, knowing how fragile he was in that moment…”

Namjoon was completely silent after hearing how Seokjin had kissed Taehyung, he was definitely not anticipating a kiss being the root of the problems between his boss and his younger brother, it was obvious how the lack of communication was getting in their way and creating some distance, furthermore, there was also a misunderstanding that desperately needed to be resolved, however, instead, both males decided to avoid or ignore each other because of said misunderstanding.

“I think both you and Taehyung need to have a serious conversation and clarify the situation because I honestly think you are both jumping to conclusions and mistaken each other feelings about what happened” Namjoon advised sympathetically as he got up from the bench, giving a reassuring smile at Seokjin just to show him he wasn’t holding grudges against him for kissing Taehyung or thinking the worse of the situation. He carefreely placed one of his hands inside the pocket of his coat, observing how Seokjin was gawking at him in disbelief “You’re going to pick up Jimin from school, right? Maybe I’ll tag along and give both of you a little push, knowing Taehyung, he’s probably conflicted about the whole thing”

“I appreciate your help, Namjoon, I sincerely wasn’t expecting you to react so positively about the kiss, in fact, I thought I was going to be bombarded with questions about my reasons and my sexual orientation, again, I wouldn’t blame you if you did…” Seokjin was flabbergasted by Namjoon’s nonchalant reaction to his confession, waiting to be threatened or something of the sort, even though his new employee had a peaceful demeanour, he wouldn’t judge him if he asked some personal questions “I also wouldn’t blame you if you were angry about this whole ordeal, I practically took advantage of him…”

Namjoon couldn’t help but chuckle lightly at Seokjin’s statement and his wonderment at his reaction. “Seokjin, I told you earlier that I don’t like to pry into your and my brother’s private lives, you are both grown-ups, so why would I bombard you with questions about personal matters, especially your sexual orientation, it’s not my place, and also you didn’t take advantage of Taehyung, him being upset about the way he treated you is proof of that, now we should go before it gets too late”

Chapter Text

Taehyung was sitting on one of the stone steps with his elbow on top of his knee and his head resting on his hand, smiling softly as he watched the little ones having fun with his two annoying friends – Hoseok, along with Gunhak, was happily picking the usual bright yellow flowers and few poppies and daisies that were gradually blooming, brightening the colourless and dull playground, and Jimin was getting entertained by Soonyoung and his amusing tiger impression that always got the children from the kindergarten laughing. Taehyung observed how the two children were casually enjoying their time and giggling loudly every time Gunhak or Soonyoung did something humorous to make them happy. It seemed like the little ones didn’t have a care in the world at that moment and Taehyung actually felt somewhat envious of their jollity and liberty, being so young without having responsibilities and worrying about complex emotions, he too wanted to be free from those, unfortunately, Taehyung, despite having a childish behaviour in certain occasions, had to face the real world every day and deal with its challenges.

Ever since he stayed at Seokjin’s property, Taehyung started to seriously reflect on his life decisions, mainly his decisions related to his lovers. In all honestly, the male with pink and blonde hair preferred focusing on any other matter, namely, Hoseok’s birthday party, however, the birthday itself could also be problematic since his father, when he didn’t have to go on business trips, had the habit of stopping by in an attempt to see Hoseok and give him his gift personally, something Taehyung always refused to do it. The subject of his once perfect family and his obliviousness and naiveté regarding his father’s affair was related to his poor choices in love. When Hoseok was born and Taehyung decided to take care of his baby brother and raise him, he and Minhyuk concluded that their relationship wouldn’t work, especially when his first love was majoring in Medicine, Taehyung didn’t want to let him go, at the same time, he didn’t have the right to demand his former boyfriend to give up on his goals for his future, breaking up was one of the hardest things Taehyung had to do, even though it was a mutual decision, it was for the better.

Despite promising each other to keep in touch and stay friends, Taehyung and Minhyuk eventually went on their separate ways and grew apart, although, his first love never forgot his birthday, neither he forgot Hoseok’s and Namjoon’s, Minhyuk made sure all of them received a gift. After Minhyuk, Taehyung had trouble finding someone who shared a connection with him, his main priority was Hoseok at the time, however, Taehyung felt lonely, so whoever showed him interest, he just gave himself away and his poor judgement of character landed him his two ex-boyfriends who only thought about themselves and their needs. Taehyung truly believed Hongseok could have been the one to give him true happiness, their relationship began in such a cliché manner, but it was exciting for him, now knowing his true colours made Taehyung think about what Seokjin had told him a few weeks ago, maybe he really needed a more mature man, like Minhyuk, or maybe love wasn’t in his stars.

“Tae Tae…”

Taehyung straightened himself up and took his hand underneath his chin, noticing Jimin standing in front of him holding two poppies and staring at him perplexingly, like his eyes were piercing through his soul, trying to figure out what was going on inside of him, even children could see his true feelings.

“What’s the matter, cutie pie?” Taehyung questioned curiously, noticing Jimin gazing at the reddish blooms he had in his hand “Are you tired of the big and ferocious kitty who sometimes speaks nonsense?”

“N-No, I just w-wanted to give you this…” Jimin uttered gently as he climbed to the step where Taehyung was sitting at, timidly placing the poppy behind the older male’s ear. The brunette boy smiled light-heartedly, doing his best to cheer Taehyung up, the funny adult, who usually was always so elated seemed gloomy for some reason today, he didn’t even speak to his father that morning “You look pretty with that flower, Tae Tae…”

Taehyung’s heart completely melted with Jimin’s simple yet thoughtful gesture towards him as he lifted his free hand to feel the colourful flower setting behind his ear, making him instantly smile once again after being immersed in his depressive thoughts.

“Thank you, Jiminie, you are such a sweet baby that you almost kill me with your adorableness” Taehyung cooed as he delicately grabbed Jimin’s small hand and helped him sit down next to him on the stone step. The male with colourful hair placed his arm around the little one’s body, as he noticed the other poppy Jimin was protectively holding in his hand, wondering if he was saving that particular flower to give to Hoseok “Are you going to give that one to Hoseok?”

Jimin shook his head sluggishly, carefully touching one of the poppy’s soft reddish petals.

“I’m going to give this one to my father, Tae Tae…” Jimin averted his gaze from the poppy to Taehyung, feeling the male’s hand stroking his hair. The brunette boy couldn’t forget how his father was upset the previous day because his grandfather screamed at him “Grandfather was a big meanie to father, he screamed at him and made him sad, so I want to give him this flower to him to cheer him up…”

“That’s very nice of you, cutie pie…” Taehyung spoke absentmindedly, thinking about the possibility of Seokjin being distant towards him, not only because of what happened between them but also having to deal with his father the prior day. He already knew how ruthless Seokjin’s father was to his own son and his grandson, Taehyung remembered the day when the ice sculpture arrived at the school and acted so cold to him and Jimin, he even made his son flinch, the male with colourful hair suspected the older Kim was the reason behind Seokjin’s bad temper “I bet your father is going to appreciate the gesture…”

“Do you truly think he’s going to like it, Tae Tae?”

“Of course, he will, Jiminie” Taehyung replied sweetly, as he pulled Jimin closer to him, trying his best to reassure the small boy. He kissed Jimin’s chubby cheek, earning a few giggles from the adorable child “You know your father can be shy sometimes, but he likes everything you do for him, he just has trouble expressing his true feelings, that’s all, so don’t be nervous, okay?”

Jimin nodded his head excitedly as a smile erupted from his lips, eager to give the colourful flower to his father, hoping he would like it just like Taehyung told him. Despite being nicer to him, Jimin still felt intimated by his father, he wasn’t completely comfortable with him, however, he felt slightly more at ease when the both of them were alone at home, his father even helped him with Hoseok’s birthday gift and was encouraging him to follow his dreams, paying attention to him, instead focusing only on his work.

Despite his current relationship with Seokjin, Taehyung was really glad the older man and Jimin were finally bonding with each other, he hated to think about the events from all those weeks ago and how Seokjin was such a brute towards his own son, mindlessly destructing the already weak connection between them, now Seokjin was trying to demonstrate his emotions and learning to express himself to Jimin. Looking at Jimin at that moment and seeing the little one’s sweet and wide smile as he stared deeply at the poppy in his hand truly warmed Taehyung’s heart and assured him, he knew Jimin was nervous about giving the reddish blossom to Seokjin, probably hesitant about his gesture, maybe the small boy was getting accustomed to Seokjin’s “new” character and was attempting to get closer to his father. Taehyung was frankly hoping that one day, Seokjin and Jimin could finally have a normal relationship as father and son, until then, Taehyung had a lot of work to do with the older male, of course, before that, he needed to clarify their situation, he just didn’t know how and if he should be the one to make the first step.

A shrieking noise came from the school gate, awakening Taehyung from his reflective state and making him automatically glance to the entrance. The younger male with the colourful hair was caught by surprise when he saw Namjoon casually walking side by side with Seokjin, who briefly locked his gaze with him, apparently, Jimin wasn’t the only one restless about facing his father, Taehyung himself was already having difficulty on how he should approach the dark-haired male, however, now that Namjoon was in the picture, Taehyung assumed his older brother had some type of conversation with him regarding the events that unfolded between them, not easing his situation.

“Joonie!”

Namjoon instantly smiled when he saw how Hoseok was running towards him with a bright smile adorning his lips. He quickly crouched down and opened his arms, wrapping them around his baby brother’s body as he felt the little one snuggling against his neck. “Hi, my little sunshine! Did you miss me?”

“I missed you, Joonie” Hoseok responded quietly as he parted from the hug, still smiling brightly. He turned his head, noticing Soonyoung and Gunhak coming closer to him and Namjoon, the blue-haired male had a few of the flowers that they were picking up from the playground “Joonie, Gu and I picked some pretty flowers, do you want to see them?”

“I really want to see them, and maybe we should bring them home and do a pretty arrangement, do you want to do that?” Namjoon asked warmly, cupping Hoseok’s pinkish and chubby cheek as he nodded his head excitedly. He momentarily averted his attention to Taehyung, who was helping Jimin get up from the stone steps, his younger brother seemed as conflicted as the day before, Namjoon was glad he knew the reason behind Taehyung and Seokjin’s misunderstanding, the two of them needed to have a conversation and clear the situation “Before we go, baby, Joonie needs to talk to Taehyung, alright?”

Hoseok nodded his head again, letting go of Namjoon, he shyly stared at Mr Kim and waved. “H-Hi, Mr. Kim”

Seokjin apprehensively waved back, reciprocating the simple yet kind gesture. “Hi, H-Hoseok…”

“How nice to see you again, Mr Kim…” Soonyoung greeted cordially, smiling innocently like he wasn’t there to see the interaction between Taehyung and Seokjin “It’s been a while since we last saw each other…”

“You’re right, Soo, our encounter was so sudden, it’s a shame we didn’t have the opportunity to talk more last time…” Gunhak added, pretending to be disappointed for not having the chance to get to know Seokjin better back when he and Soonyoung first met him “But resolving your disagreement with Taehyung was more important, he was really happy when you sorted things out, he had this hug-“

“Can you shut up? You guys should go back to the playground and pick up more flowers with the little ones…” Taehyung stated uncomfortably after smacking the back of Gunhak’s head, feeling embarrassed not only with his two friends’ behaviour but also with the remainder of the time when they met Seokjin the moment he unconsciously bumped into him. The male with pink and blonde hair sneakily took a small glance at Seokjin before making his way to Namjoon, averting his eyes almost immediately “Joon…”

Namjoon gently cupped Taehyung’s face, observing how his brother’s cheeks were as reddish as the delicate poppy hanging behind his ear, probably embarrassed with Gunhak and Soonyoung’s behaviour. He fixed the red blossom as he made sure the flower wouldn’t fall, knowing that Jimin was probably the one who gifted it to Taehyung since he was holding another in his small hand. “I need to talk to you, Tae…”

(I knew he coming here with Seokjin wasn’t a coincidence…)

“O-Okay…” Taehyung stuttered, already having a clue about the topic of the conversation, he knew how Namjoon always respected his privacy, however, his older brother always intervened when it was necessary, like the time when Taehyung broke up with his boyfriend before Hongseok, the guy was too possessive and selfish, and refused to let him go. The younger male took Namjoon’s hands from his face and told him to give him a second, he didn’t forget how Jimin was nervous about offering a flower to Seokjin, he just wanted to reassure him and encourage him. Taehyung turned around and caught a glimpse of Jimin staring at the poppy he had in his hand, his eyes were so sparkly yet full of reluctance, and the younger couldn’t help but smile with the small boy’s adorableness “Look at me, cutie pie, you have nothing to be nervous about, okay? Remember what I told you…”

Jimin bit his bottom lip and simply nodded at Taehyung’s words, and despite still being anxious about the task he had, he truly wanted to surprise his father with a flower and make him forget about what happened between him and his grandfather.

Taehyung patted Jimin’s head as he admired the brunette’s kind heart, loving how he was trying to cheer Seokjin up, especially after everything he went through with his father since the death of his mother, who was basically the only caring parent he had, nevertheless, that wasn’t a reason for Jimin to resent Seokjin and disregard his attempts to bond and connected with him, probably because the little one yearned to have a normal father.

***

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(Earlier)

“S-Seokjin t-told you about what happened?” Taehyung questioned incredulously, trying his best to keep his voice down, however, he was too shocked “H-He t-told you w-we kissed that night? Seriously?”

“Yes, he did tell me about the kiss, now I know why you have that hickey on your neck” Namjoon teased, watching Taehyung lifting his sweatshirt to cover the hickey, even though the said mark was already covered with foundation, along with the other ones made by Hongseok. He ran his fingers through Taehyung’s colourful hair, as he gazed fondly at his younger brother, who was still clueless about the true reason behind Seokjin’s behaviour “But jokes aside, Tae, Seokjin told me because he is clearly upset with what he did, he knew you were still struggling with what happened with Hongseok, he felt he crossed the line and worsened your situation”

Taehyung’s eyes widened with Namjoon’s words, not realising the motive behind Seokjin’s behaviour was due to his supposed recklessness towards him. He truly believed the older male was bothered by him because of the way he treated him when they parted from the kiss, in the end, Seokjin was only being considerate by wanting to explain himself and apologise, however, Taehyung honestly thought the other didn’t have anything to be sorry about, after all, he himself reciprocated the kiss willingly.

“S-So, h-he isn’t upset with me because I acted harshly towards him?” Taehyung asked unsurely, discreetly looking at Seokjin, who was receiving the poppy Jimin was so protectively holding earlier “So why he’s avoiding me?”

“Taehyung, I already told you Seokjin isn’t avoiding you, he just giving you your space, he doesn’t want to upset you, the thing is, he thinks you are dismayed with him because he kissed you, not because you feel bad with the way you treated him afterwards…” Namjoon said calmly, finally enlightening Taehyung about the reality of his situation with Seokjin “I’m going to tell you what I told Seokjin, both of you are misunderstanding each other feelings regarding this situation, you two need to have a conversation to clarify everything, I know you want your relationship to go back to what it was before, Tae…”

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Taehyung was, once again, staring at the cup of tea in front of him, feeling the heat emanating from it warming his slightly cold hands, while the buzzing that came from the various people inside the bakery shop echoed in his ears, along with the sounds originated by the many working coffee machines. Despite the current loudness and the cheerfulness of the almost fully packed place, the maddening silence between Taehyung and Seokjin was becoming more awkward as the seconds went by. However, the younger with pink and blonde hair was trying to gather his courage to start the conversation, still not knowing what he should say to assure Seokjin he wasn’t bothered about their kiss, he just was dealing with a lot of overwhelming emotions, Taehyung couldn’t afford to make any more mistakes, for his own sake.

While miserably trying to gather his courage, Taehyung reflected on the words spoken by Namjoon to him before timidly approaching Seokjin at the school grounds to greet him and, again, he couldn’t profess a single word. Instead, the older male was the one who offered to take him to the bakery shop where he took him the last time he tried to apologise since he enjoyed going there, even though Taehyung was extremely pissed off with Seokjin back then and with reason, nonetheless, both of them ended up resolving the situation, all thanks to Taehyung’s amazing favour system. At the time, the younger with colourful hair wasn’t very confident about Seokjin obliging with his terms, thinking the man would never have the will to behave himself, he was always belittling him and criticising him for being unique, or better yet, being different from the “normal” people, so Taehyung wasn’t hopeful from the start, Seokjin wasn’t going to be able to realise the many mistakes he was committing, especially the ones involving Jimin and the education he was giving him.

Almost two months went by since he met Seokjin and Taehyung was speechless with the man’s evolution during that time, maybe joining forces was a necessary step to push Seokjin to change himself, maybe seeing Jimin lying down in the infirmary was the moment he realised that his ways weren’t as ideal as he thought they were, maybe contemplating about his own past and his own education led him to properly ponder about the life he wanted his son to have, the life Seokjin didn’t have the chance to have when he was younger because of his irrational and cruel father.

“T-Taehyung, I-“

Taehyung was caught off guard when Seokjin addressed him, making him flinch which led him to lose grip on his cup and accidentally flip it, spilling the hot liquid all over his left hand. The younger male wailed quietly to not draw unwanted attention as he felt excruciating pain radiating from his hand, the burning coming from it was unbearable, almost driving Taehyung into tears.

“I’m so sorry, Taehyung, I didn’t want to frighten you…” Seokjin went to the inside pocket of his blazer as he carefully held Taehyung’s injured hand, noticing how red it was turning. He quickly took a handkerchief from his pocket and began to clean the younger’s hand gently to not cause any more harm to him, while simultaneously searching for one of the waitresses there, luckily, Seokjin spotted one right way and called the young girl who was near their table “Excuse me, miss, can you do me a favour? Can you bring me ice, a new cup of tea, a cloth to clean the spillage and a slice of your red velvet cake?”

The young girl nodded vigorously, seeing the person who was accompanying the man who just called her burnt himself with the hot tea. She bowed her head and excused herself, swiftly making her way behind the counter to fulfil the urgent request, trying to understand why asking for a slice of red velvet, and what that could do to ease the pain.

Seokjin gazed at Taehyung, who was obviously on the verge of tears, and he couldn’t blame him, the younger male with those atrocious hair colours was probably experiencing tremendous pain because of his first-degree burn. Seokjin observed how Taehyung’s hand was bright red and slightly swollen, indicating the burn needed ice and some kind of ointment.

“I-I’m s-sorry…”

Seokjin furrowed his brows, not understanding why Taehyung was apologising to him since he was the one responsible for harming him. “You have nothing to be sorry about, Taehyung, why are you apologising?”

“N-Namjoon told m-me you f-felt bad about kissing m-me and that w-was why you weren’t t-talking to m-me, b-but it’s my f-fault…” Taehyung mumbled, as he let his tears slide down his cheeks, his eyes focusing on Seokjin’s hand that was holding his “I d-didn’t let you talk or gave you a c-chance to explain y-yourself, i-instead I-I was so cold and unpleasant t-to y-you, y-you d-didn’t d-deserve that, especially a-after w-what y-you did f-for me, Jinnie…”

“Again, you don’t have to apologise, I was the one who crossed the boundaries by kissing you and I was fully aware of the situation between you and your ex-boyfriend, it was thoughtless of me…” Seokjin retorted, still feeling guilty about his insensitivity and his irresponsibility while being perfectly conscious of Taehyung’s predicaments. The dark-haired male placed the handkerchief on his leg and with his free hand, he shakily cupped the younger’s wet cheek, remembering how upset the other was that night because of the thunder and rain, Seokjin just made things worse and he felt like he betrayed Taehyung’s trust “I’m sorry for what I did, Taehyung, I didn’t want to upset you, let a long kiss you without your consent, it was in the spur of the moment, I truly feel bad about what I did, I hope you can forgive me…”

“I-I have n-nothing to forgive, Jinnie, I-I was never mad at you for kissing me, I-I j-just was g-going through a-a lot a-and I-I d-didn’t w-want to act recklessly a-again, I-I know you w-would never t-take a-advantage of m-me, s-still I-I w-was afraid…” Taehyung confessed, as he shyly made eye contact with Seokjin, concluding that indeed there was a misunderstanding between the two of them, still he wanted to clarify something “L-Let me ask you this, do you regret it? D-Do you regret kissing me?”

Seokjin stared deeply at Taehyung’s glinting eyes that screamed curiosity and eagerness for his answer to his question, a question he wasn’t expecting to be asked him, however, after acting so imprudently and doing so much damage, Seokjin felt like he owed it to Taehyung, so he decided to reply as honestly as possible.

“I-I don’t regret it, even though I shouldn’t have kissed you given the circumstances…”

“Good! Because I-I don’t regret reciprocating your kiss either, so it’s pretty dumb of you to think I was mad about that…” Taehyung uttered gawkily as he noticed Seokjin’s eyes widening with his statement, making him feel even more embarrassed with his frankness, nevertheless, the young male didn’t have a problem admitting his lack of regret. He bashfully placed his hand on top of Seokjin’s, delicately removing it from his face as he scooted closer to the older male, never taking his eyes from him “Don’t you ever avoid me again, I don’t care what Namjoon said, you were definitely doing it, you meanie…”

Seokjin just remained speechless as he kept his gaze on Taehyung, who, like always, was pouting and behaving like a child, not believing how bothered the younger was by the lack of communication on his part. In the beginning, Seokjin decided of keeping his distance because he vehemently thought it was the right thing to do in that situation, even though dealing with those types of quarrels, if it could be called that, wasn’t his expertise, and yet, Seokjin still wanted to give Taehyung his space and by doing so he was avoiding confrontation with him, that was the sole reason why he left the note that morning.

Seokjin came to the realisation that he still had the note in his possession, he intended to give it back to Taehyung back at the school. However, the younger male with those ridiculous hair colours was having some difficulty talking to him which was understandable and his friends were strangely observing their interaction, or maybe he was misinterpreting their intense gazes and all they were doing was being protective of their friend, which made more sense to him.

“Taehyung, I, ah, I have something to give you, I don’t know if you want it back…”

“Want it back?” Taehyung asked puzzlingly, tilting his head as he watched Seokjin searching for whatever he wanted to give him back, he honestly didn’t have a clue what it was “What are you talking about?”

While Seokjin was looking for the note in all the pockets he had, the young waitress from earlier came back with the tray with the things that were requested of her.

Firstly, the young girl used the damped cloth to carefully clean the puddle of spilt tea, making sure she was cautious of the liquid to not drip on any of the gentlemen’s clothes, one of them was already injured, and she didn’t want to make a mess or worsen the situation. Then she substituted the cup that flipped with a clean one, grabbed the warm kettle and slowly poured the tea into the new cup and finally, placed the glass with the ice and the plate with the slice of red velvet cake and a small fork on the table.

“Here you go, if you need anything else, just ask for me, okay?” the young girl said politely, giving a small smile to both men “I hope your boyfriend isn’t seriously injured and I wish him a quick recovery, now if you excuse me…”

Seokjin was about to clarify to the young waitress that he and Taehyung weren’t a couple, however, she was already attending to another table near theirs.

“W-Why did she assume we were a couple? We're sitting closer to each other because this is a circular booth and there aren’t any chairs on the other side of the table”

“W-Well, you, ah, you have been holding my hand since you asked for her, maybe that gave her the wrong idea, but for your information, you would be lucky to have someone cute like me as a boyfriend, ice sculpture…” Taehyung stated diffidently as he grabbed the small fork to take a bite out of the delicious and appetising red velvet cake in front of him, using that as an excuse to not look at Seokjin at that moment for him not see his blushed cheeks, the young male hated how easily flustered he could get “Now, can you tell me what do you want to give me back? I sincerely don’t know what you are talking about”

“I’ve been holding your hand because I don’t you to hurt yourself again and using my logic against me is really childish, you know, you should value maturity more in a partner than their cuteness” Seokjin explained logically, as he took the note from the side pocket of his pants, glancing at Taehyung, who was staring back at him again with a deep frown, ready to snap back at him for his blunt yet truthful remark. Before he allowed the younger to speak, Seokjin placed the slightly crumpled piece of paper in front of him “And I was talking about the note I left…”

Taehyung was already embarrassed for admitting he didn’t regret reciprocating Seokjin’s kiss that night and for being mistaken for the other’s boyfriend, now he was completely mortified and also stunned because he didn’t know why the hell Seokjin had the note he swore was inside the pocket of the coat he landed him that morning, Taehyung even made sure the piece of paper was there before inserting the code to his apartment.

“H-How did you get that? I-It was inside the pocket of the coat you borrowed me, unless…” Taehyung remembered how he gave Namjoon the coat to hang on the rack, maybe his brother noticed the note and read it, however, he wouldn’t do that because Namjoon wasn’t the type of person to snoop on another people’s business, not intentionally anyway, so there was only one way to explain the situation “U-Unless, somehow, the note fell down on the floor, maybe when Namjoon was putting it way, that could explain why he decided to intervene…”

“Yes, that’s what Namjoon told me, he also said that the note awoken his curiosity more which led him to talk to me about what happened between us…” Seokjin admitted, as he gently placed Taehyung’s hand on top of the now clean table, sensing him tensing up. He proceeded to grab the handkerchief that was on his leg and put it on the table, next to Taehyung’s hand, then he picked up the glass with ice and poured it on the handkerchief, making an improvised ice pack to help with swollenness. Seokjin softly placed the ice on top of Taehyung’s hand, noticing how the younger was biting his lip while staring at the note “You’re kind of right about me avoiding you, that’s why I wrote the note, I didn’t know what to say or how to confront you after what I did, however, I didn’t want to leave you clueless, so I felt the necessity of leaving a note with my apologises and whereabouts, it was also cowardly of me on doing so and that just makes me wonder why would you keep it, it’s worthless…”

With great difficulty, Taehyung attempted to unfold the piece of paper with his right hand, wanting to read Seokjin’s kind words to him written on the note, the same note he described as worthless, but for him, it was living proof that the man sitting next to him wasn’t as cold or ruthless as he thought at the beginning when they first met and the following weeks when he used the information he told him willingly against him and when he accused him of potentially hurting a child because of his bad temper.

“It’s not worthless, Jinnie, you know why? Because this note right here proves that you changed yourself, not only for Jimin’s sake but for yours too, I know you still feel guilty about everything you did to Jimin, as you should, however, you shouldn’t be hard on yourself, especially after speaking to me about your plans for your son and how you want to fix your relationship, that’s praiseworthy…” Taehyung spoke soothingly, wanting to ease the burden Seokjin was carrying because he still was punishing himself for the mistakes he had made since the moment he was the only one responsible for Jimin “Leaving this note made me realise how much of a sweetheart you can be towards people, you might have left me alone, but as you said, you didn’t want me to be clueless, you wanted to reassure me, especially after what happened the night before, so if you acted like that towards me, I believe you can do it with Jimin too, you don’t need to be so doubtful, that’s the reason why I kept the note…”

“It staggers me on how much faith you have in me, Taehyung, I think you were, and still are, the only one who believed that my old self was still alive, I know Jungkook believed too until a certain point, and my own mother wasn’t hopeful about me changing my ways and going back to the person I used to be, you, on the other hand, kept mentioning that side of me, making me think if I truly could go back to my old self…”

“Oh, Jinnie, that’s the benefit of having one persuasive cutie by your side, you’re welcome by the way” Taehyung said wittily, secretly happy for being the one who convinced Seokjin that his old self was just lingering, waiting for the chance to come out, ironically, the first time he mentioned that subject was in that exact same place, maybe it was a good presage. The younger with pink and blonde hair turned his attention to the yummy red velvet cake once again, feeling less embarrassed about the note, then he glanced between the handkerchief with the ice and Seokjin, before eating the delicious dessert “And the note wasn’t the only thing that proves you are an empathetic and caring person deep down, you helped me with my hand and even asked a slice of cake, knowing it was going to ease my pain”

Seokjin couldn’t help but roll his eyes at Taehyung and his excessive cheeriness, however, he was caught by surprise once again with his actions towards the younger, he mindlessly requested the slice of cake, knowing sweets were a way to cheer up Taehyung. Apparently, the moments their shared and the unsettling yet insightful conversations they both had allowed Seokjin to get to know Taehyung and have a better understanding of the type of person he truly is, maybe taking the younger to his house that day was the right choice to make.

“I still think you shouldn’t eat too much sugar, it isn’t healthy for you, and neither are the oatmeal cookies, just because they have oatmeal, it doesn’t mean it’s a healthy food”

(It was too good to be true, he just had to lecture me again…)

Taehyung took a piece of the slice and placed the fork in front of Seokjin’s lips. “You have two choices, Jinnie, the first one is eating the cake with me and not talking about how sugar is poison, the second one is, if you refuse to eat it, you have to bring a red velvet cake to my little sunshine’s birthday party tomorrow and bake me oatmeal cookies, and before you answer, I warn you that refusing both choices obliges me to use one of my favours to enforce the second choice, so what’s it going to be?”

“You really are childish, Taehyung, I lost count of how many times I said this to you” Seokjin remarked bluntly, taking the fork out of Taehyung’s hand, he would never permit the younger to feed him, especially in public “And you know, I already ordered a cake to bring to your brother’s birthday party, me not eating the cake wouldn’t change anything”

“I also lost count, but I know you secretly love my childishness…” Taehyung quickly retorted, giving Seokjin a mischievous smile, he really missed messing with the older male, not being able to do it that morning because of their misunderstanding was untypical for him, he got accustomed to Seokjin’s morning grumpiness and Taehyung knew the other missed his quirky personality as well “I bet you missed my morning nagging, didn’t you? Deny all you want, Jinnie, but I know it’s true, you can’t fool me”

“You are the one to talk, Taehyung, I noticed the way you were looking at me, you were the one who missed importune me in the morning”

“I never said otherwise, Jinnie, and I’m not ashamed of admitting that I missed annoying you, even though it was just for one day…” Taehyung uttered almost inaudibly as he took the handkerchief full of ice from his hand, feeling it quickly freezing. He rested his head on Seokjin’s shoulder and gently wrapped his arms around his arm, not caring about the people surrounding them, they were already mistaken for a couple “I was being honest before, Seokjin, I don’t want you to avoid me again, no matter the circumstances, I was really upset, so I want you to promise me you won’t do it again…”

Seokjin didn’t feel comfortable being so close to Taehyung like that in public, however, he decided to let the younger be for the time being, it was the least he could do for everything he had done towards him in the last couple of days. The dark-haired male still didn’t understand why was Taehyung always so attached to him, maybe he was wondering about the subject because Seokjin tended to drive people away, being the only exceptions, besides Taehyung, his mother and Jungkook, so he didn’t know how he should behave when someone was close to him and genuinely appreciated his company.

Before Seokjin would have been thankful if he didn’t have to put up with Taehyung and his hectic behaviour first thing in the morning, however, since he met the peculiar younger male with those ridiculous hair colours, Seokjin realised that maybe his once peaceful yet tedious world needed some chaos and eccentricity to broaden his horizons and to help him grow as a person and a parent as well.

Seokjin bit down a smile he didn’t even realise he had and, for the first time that day, he felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

“I promise, Taehyung…”

***

“Don’t be such a baby, Tae, last year I broke my foot and I didn’t whine like you are now” Hyunjoon mocked as he watched Taehyung recoiling while Namjoon was putting the ointment to help treat his burn “I still don’t know how you manage to burn your whole hand, I guess Seokjin is distracting”

Taehyung glared at Hyunjoon, even though he was suffering a bit with his injured hand, according to the nice lady from the pharmacy where Seokjin insisted on taking him, his burn was nothing serious, however, for the next couple of days or so, it was going to be reddish and sensible, so he needed to apply ice to the burn and put the ointment.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that, in my opinion, it’s weird to burn oneself when they are caught by surprise, I think you are hiding the real reason because you don’t want us to find out that you were staring at the gorgeous man, admit it, Tae, you have a crush on him” Hyunjoon taunted Taehyung once again, enjoying messing with his brother’s best friend from time to time “Tae and Seokjin sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g”

Hoseok giggled loudly at Hyunjoon’s weird tune. “What does the end part mean, Hyunjoon?”

“I spelt the word “kissing”, Hobi, because I think your brother wants a kissy from Mr Kim” Hyunjoon happily enlightened Hoseok, who was smiling widely at him. He stroked the little boy’s blonde hair, as he gazed between him and Taehyung “Do you want Tae Tae to get a kissy from Mr. Kim?”

“Do you want Tae Tae to put some duct tape on your mouth, Hyunjoon?” Taehyung asked threateningly as he took Hyunjoon’s hand from Hoseok’s head, pulling his baby closer to him with his arm, not wanting him to be exposed to Hyunjoon’s bad influence “Yoongi, control your brother, he can’t stop spewing nonsense today, he strangely in a good mood too and it’s really annoying”

“Oh, I know why my little brother is in a good mood today, I confirmed my suspicious this afternoon,” Yoongi said indifferently, as he helped Seunghee and Jungkook prepare the ingredients for their dinner tonight. He took a brief glance at Hyunjoon and noticed how his younger brother didn’t seem as enthusiastic as he was a second ago “My dumbass brother forgot his PE bag at my parents’ house, so I had to go fetched it before meeting Jungkook for lunch, while I was waiting, I saw him speaking with a cute boy”

“Maybe it was the same boy he was on the phone with the day we invited him to have dinner at your house” Jungkook suggested, finding it amusing how Hyunjoon that night in one moment was traumatised from seeing him and Yoongi kissing in the kitchen and in the other, he was all smiles “Hyunjoon was a bit disturbed because he saw Yoongi and me kissing, but after getting dressed, I wanted to check if the pasta was cooked, that was when I heard him on the phone”

“I still don’t call that kissing, you were on second base, going to third, you guys don’t have any respect for the food…” Hyunjoon retorted quietly, crossing his arms as he pretended that his good mood wasn’t because of the cute boy he had a crush on “A-And the cute boy, I mean, the boy, who is definitely not cute, is the childhood friend of one of my friends, we met a few weeks ago”

Everyone stared at Hyunjoon and then at each other, reaching the conclusion that the young male had indeed a crush on the unknown cute boy, making all of them chuckle with his denial.

Hoseok didn’t understand why everyone was laughing, however, he saw how Hyunjoon’s cheeks were as red as Taehyung’s when Mr. Kim gave his older brother a pretty yellow flower. He stretched his arm and pocked one of Hyunjoon’s cheeks. “Your cheeks are red, Hyunjoon, and really warm too, like Tae Tae’s cheeks on Valentine’s Day…”

“T-That was different, baby, remember, it was because of the cold” Taehyung uttered nervously, attempting to avert the attention from him, he also didn’t want Hoseok to spill the beans about him acting embarrassed after receiving a flower and a lollipop on Valentine’s Day “So, Hyunjoon, tell us more about the “boy, who is definitely not cute”, what’s his name?”

“It’s none of your business…”

“That’s an interesting name, don’t you think guys?” Taehyung asked nonchalantly, already creating his plan of revenge against Hyunjoon, he didn’t forget how the cheeky young male explained to his little sunshine what “making out” meant, ruining his innocent mind “Maybe you should invite him to your birthday party, Yoongi since you have the same date of birth, this way all of us can meet him, isn’t it a great idea?”

“Actually, I would love to meet our Hyunjoon’s crush, he seems nice” Seunghee admitted absentmindedly as she watchfully cut the mushrooms for the stew she and Jungkook were making for dinner “And, if I’m not wrong, he might be your first love, first loves are always exciting and, if you’re lucky, they can be in your life forever”

Yoongi momentarily stopped what he was doing after hearing Seunghee’s words about first loves, it was a sensitive subject for him given his situation, however, when he thought about Hyunjoon and the possibility of his younger brother having a first love, it triggered Yoongi, because even though he enjoyed teasing him about it, he still had the need to protect Hyunjoon, no matter how cute or nice the boy in question was, maybe Taehyung’s idea of inviting said boy to their birthday party wasn’t such a bad one.

Yoongi knew he shouldn’t be so overzealous with his younger brother, who was becoming an adult in less than a month, he trusted Hyunjoon and his judgment of character, nevertheless, as his older brother he had the duty to protect him and prevent him to go through what he went through in the past, even though making mistakes was part of life and important to teach a valuable lesson whichever it was, Yoongi still didn’t want Hyunjoon to feel the pain he felt, he didn’t want his baby brother to feel the same pain Taehyung felt when he had let go Minhyuk because circumstances prevented them to be together, losing a first love, no matter the reasons that drove to the end was unbearable and took time to heal the unfathomable wounds caused in the process.

“W-Well, not everyone is lucky enough to end up with their first love…” Yoongi mumbled, resuming his task of preparing the ramen noodles that they were going to add to the Budae Jjigae stew “If Hyunjoon really likes him, maybe Taehyung is right, maybe I should invite him and get to know him…”

“Y-Yoongi, I’m sorry, I spoke without thinking, I know how delicate the subject is for you and Tae…” Seunghee said regretfully, not being able to make eye contact with Yoongi, knowing the hardships both Yoongi and Taehyung went through in the past because of their first loves, in a way, the red-haired male’s remark wasn’t wrong. In spite of Yoongi’s words, Seunghee also believed that some people didn’t match their first love because there was a better one waiting, in Yoongi’s case, Jungkook was definitely the perfect match “But, you know, first loves aren’t always the right ones, sometimes the perfect match is out there, other times are people we never thought that could be the right fit, like Tae and Seokjin”

“Even you, Seunghee…” Taehyung grumbled upsettingly, hearing Namjoon laughing at him, the worst was that his older brother knew about his peculiar situation with Seokjin “It’s not funny, Joon, and for your information, I don’t have feelings for Seokjin, so stop you meanies…”

“For someone who doesn’t have feelings for Seokjin, you surely get flustered easily by him, I guess that’s the effect my best friend has when he gives you a flower unexpectedly” Jungkook retorted amusingly, as he wrapped his arms around Yoongi’s waist, seeing Taehyung throwing daggers at him, while the others were chuckling. The black-haired male leaned forward and kissed Yoongi’s cheek, wanting to comfort him “Seunghee is right, my delicate beauty, and I might not be your first love, but I definitely want to be your last…”

Yoongi took Jungkook’s hands from his waist, smiling shyly as he turned around to face him. He stared deeply at the wonderful man in front of him, who always gazed at him so fondly like he was the most precious person in the entire world, feeling his heart beating frantically against his chest. Yoongi considered Jungkook an outstanding and loving human being, sometimes it was hard to believe that someone like the black-haired male truly cared so much about him, especially after making assumptions about the type of person he was. Yoongi, despite the way his relationship with Jungkook started, was glad about their encounter at the coffee shop that day, if it wasn’t for that, he wouldn’t have found his path to happiness.

“Jungkook, I want to be your last too…”

Jungkook cupped Yoongi’s cheek, tilted his head and gently pressed his lips on the younger’s, briefly kissing him. “Happy to hear that, because you don’t have any other choice, my soft kitten…”

“Not again! Stop making out in the kitchen!” Hyunjoon protested loudly, covering his eyes to protect them from his brother and Jungkook’s indecency “Have respect for the food, you guys”

“Yoonie and Kookie are making out!”

“That’s it! I’m going to find out who the cute boy is and I’m going to invite him to your birthday party, Yoongi, your brother needs to learn a lesson” Taehyung stated frustratingly, wrapping his arms protectively around Hoseok as he glanced at him endearingly “Baby, that word is a “no-no” word, okay? You can’t say it and if you do, Yoonie won’t make us cookies, do you want that?” Taehyung asked calmly, seeing his baby brother slowly shaking his head “Very well, my little sunshine, now, Yoonie and Kookie, move your tooshies, I’m hungry, kissy kissy on your spare time and preferably not in my kitchen”

Chapter Text

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(Seven years ago...)

Taehyung let the tears roll down his cheeks as he admired the small bundle of joy in his embrace covered with a blue blanket with a little sunshine stitched on one of the corners, trying to grab with his adorable tiny and chubby hand his index finger. He couldn’t take his eyes off the sweet baby boy who didn’t stop kicking his legs, he was definitely energetic and it seemed that Taehyung was going to have his hands full with him. However, he had made a promise to himself and to the bitch who eagerly wanted to abort the human being growing inside of her womb the moment she found out she was pregnant, Taehyung wasn’t going to let that happen, so he decided to raise his half-brother alone, even though it was going to cost his relationship with Minhyuk.

Both Taehyung and Minhyuk were university students and, unlike him, his boyfriend, given he was attending Med school unwillingly because his father wanted him to follow his path and become his successor as the Director of the hospital, couldn’t simply quit his major and help him raise the child, so they both decided to have a conversation about their relationship. Taehyung already knew what was going to happen, there was no way Minhyuk was going against his father and Taehyung didn’t want that either or prevent him to achieve his goals, even if it wasn’t what Minhyuk really wanted to pursue.

Taehyung discretely glared at the selfish woman who, not only ruined his family but also ruined his relationship with his first love just because she didn’t want a baby to spoil her new life as his father’s wife, something Taehyung refused to call the bitch. She didn’t deserve to be treated with respect after having a relationship with a married man, driving his mother to her death, ruining his family and almost killing a sweet baby. Taehyung gazed, once again, at the baby boy in his embrace, who had a few blondish hairs sticking out, big doe brown eyes and the happiest expression on his roundish face, instantly making him cry again.

(Jung Hoseok, my little sunshine…)

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“Happy birthday, my little sunshine!” Taehyung said enthusiastically, immediately scooping Hoseok from the floor the moment he appeared in the living room, feeling the little one holding onto him tightly. He smouched his baby brother all over his face and his neck, earning the sweetest, most heart-warming giggles he ever heard from him, making Taehyung’s heart explode with unconditional love for the boy in his embrace, his baby boy who amazingly was turning seven that day “My baby is growing up too fast, don’t you think, Yoongi?”

“He’s becoming a little man, Tae, I think he’s going to be as tall as Namjoon when he grows up, I still remember when Hoseok was just a tiny baby, a chubby one too” Yoongi answered cheerily as he stopped mixing the batter for the especial chocolate chip pancakes he was going to make, they were special because he only did them on special occasions, like birthdays, even though they ate pancakes every day, it was a tradition, just like Yoongi cooking breakfast for his best friend and his little sunshine. The red-haired male carefully placed the large bowl on the counter and headed towards Taehyung, he kissed Hoseok’s cheek and gave the cute boy a huge smile “Happy birthday, Hobi, Yoonie hyung is making the special pancakes”

“Are you going to make the chocolate chip pancakes? Really?” Hoseok asked avidly, seeing Yoongi nodding his head as a response, making him more excited about the pancakes “Tae Tae, Yoonie hyung is going to make my favourite pancakes, so I won’t say the “no-no” word anymore”

“I hope not, my little sunshine, you are such a nice boy and Tae Tae is very proud of you” Taehyung praised, feeling honestly proud of his baby brother and the person he was becoming, and also relieved for properly raising and educating him throughout these seven years. The young male admitted that he sacrificed a lot to be able to raise Hoseok, like breaking up with Minhyuk and dropping out of university, and despite not being completely happy about giving up part of his life at the time, Taehyung didn’t regret his decision to take Hoseok in, especially when he had the greatest people by his side to help him with the little one “Baby, while Yoonie is preparing breakfast, you go to your bedroom and get dressed, okay? Tae will call you when everything is ready”

“Okay, Tae Tae…”

Taehyung, against his will, had to put Hoseok down, but before letting his little sunshine go on his way to his bedroom, he cupped his cute and chubby cheeks and gave him a big kiss on his forehead. In return, Taehyung received a big bear hug from Hoseok, which almost drove him into tears, not really understanding why, maybe being able to see his brother celebrating another year of his life made him remember how much he had to fight just to have the opportunity to see the world and not die in vain because of selfishness and malevolence.

“I love you, Tae Tae…”

“I love you very much too, my little sunshine…”

After exchanging those sweet words, Taehyung watched Hoseok running towards the hallway and heard, once again, those delightful and joyful giggles that filled his heart with happiness and drove away any hint of sadness that was swaying him a moment ago.

“I’m proud of you too, Tae, that boy is smart, cheerful and bright because of all the hard work you did to provide him a good life, I know it wasn’t easy what you did, but it was worth it at the end…” Yoongi comforted Taehyung, knowing well that Hoseok’s date of birth was not only a happy day but also a day ladened with bad memories. The red-haired male pulled his best friend and hugged him, soothing him “You’re an astonishing person, Kim Taehyung, not many people would have done what you did, you should be proud of yourself too…”

(I’m proud of myself…)

Taehyung let a tear slide down his cheek and instantly cleaned it because he didn’t want to taint that day with nightmarish memories from the time when he had to deal with his father and the bitch he married. Even though he despised them for basically abandoning their unborn child, Taehyung despised his father for choosing a vicious woman over his sons, his mother would never put her needs above her children.

“I couldn’t have done it without you, Yoongi, without Namjoon and Seunghee, all of you were here when I was having a hard time…” Taehyung remarked fondly as he parted from the hug, giving Yoongi a weak smile “I just did what my mom wanted me to do, she would have loved Hoseok, even if he was the result of my father’s fucked up relationship, that’s how kind and selfless she was…”

“You and Namjoon took that from her, I know you miss her, Tae, I miss her too…” Yoongi said softly, cupping one of Taehyung’s cheeks as he stared at his best friend’s sparkling and reddish eyes. He leaned forward and delicately kissed the younger’s forehead, attempting to reassure him and make him forget about the dark memories that he knew were still hunting him “I’m sure your mother would’ve wanted you to smile today, after all, we are celebrating our little sunshine’s birthday, so with that said, I need to go back to my task of making the chocolate chip pancakes that you and our baby are dying to eat”

Taehyung’s smile widened as he watched Yoongi going back to the back of the counter and taking the small glass jar full of chocolate chips from one of the cabinets to continue preparing the so desirable breakfast that, as his best friend said, he was so desperately dying to taste. The young male with colourful hair cheerily headed to the counter, deciding to spend some quality time with Yoongi while Hoseok was getting dressed, deep down feeling somewhat anxious about the possibility of his father coming to his house since it was his baby brother’s birthday. Taehyung was hoping that wouldn’t happen, even though the odds were against him, either way, he tried to focus on his skilful best friend and observed him as he mixed the batter for the pancakes.

“Do you need help with anything, Yoongles?”

“No, Tae, I don’t need any help and even if I did, I wouldn’t ask you, you injured yourself yesterday, and speaking of it…” Yoongi stated amusingly as he grabbed the small glass jar with chocolate chips, opening its lid. He carefully poured the chocolate chips into the batter, briefly glancing at Taehyung, who was staring at his slightly swollen hand “Seokjin’s handkerchief is on top of the small table, don’t forget to give it back to him, unless you want to keep it and add to your collection”

Taehyung sighed in frustration as he scowled at Yoongi, starting to feel like everyone’s main hobby now was messing with him just because he and Seokjin were getting along pretty well, especially after they spent time together during the weekend. Now, he was pondering if he should tell his red-haired best friend about the kiss, Taehyung hated hiding information from Yoongi, especially something big as this matter, however, he already was going through hell with his dumb friends who were too obsessed with his relationship with Seokjin to the point of accompanying him to Hoseok’s school to watch him interact with him, they were so obvious he was sure the older male caught Gunhak and Soonyoung staring at them.

“A weekend with Jungkook and my dear best friend is acting like a smartass like his future husband, how nice” Taehyung retorted sarcastically, noticing Yoongi’s cheeks a little bit flushed, he probably reminded him of the numerous moments he shared with the cheeky black-haired male and, despite being annoyed with his best friend’s insinuations, the younger was sincerely happy to see Yoongi opening his heart again “About Seokjin, I didn’t have the chance to give his coat back, I will give it back after Hoseok’s party, so stop being a meddling meow meow”

“Mock me all you want, Taehyung, and for some reason, I think you are going to purposely forget to hand Seokjin the coat just for you to have an excuse, you know, he stops by every once in a while, no need to keep his stuff”

Taehyung rolled his eyes as he clicked his tongue, no matter what he would say about the subject, he knew his best friend was probably going to use his own words against him and ridicule him just for being close to Seokjin. The pink and blonde hair male didn’t respond to Yoongi’s senseless remarks and headed to the couch to not listen to more absurd comments, leaving his best friend alone while he was preparing breakfast, preventing them to discuss Seokjin and the things he apparently was collecting from him. He sat down Indian style on the couch, catching a glimpse of the whitish handkerchief on top of the small table in the centre of the living room as he remembered the events from the previous day and how Seokjin was alarmed when he burned himself with the hot tea, truly not expecting him to behave in that manner, he guessed he wasn’t yet accustomed to the man’s true self.

Taehyung gently picked up the beautifully embroidered handkerchief and simply gazed at the folded piece of fabric, noticing some details sewn on it. He carefully unfolded the handkerchief and placed it on his thigh, letting his eyes roam and his fingers ran over the different and colourful drawings portrayed in the cloth – the perfect frame made with red thread, Seokjin’s initials stitched in blue in one of the corners and the pretty flowers so perfectly sewed in the opposite corner of the initials –, noticing how similar the technique was to the embroidered napkins Seokjin used during their dinner. Taehyung had a clue that the one responsible for the mesmerising needlepoint was the older male’s mother, he could see the care and love poured into that handkerchief, making the younger feel bad for driving Seokjin to resort to it to clean his hand.

“Taehyung…”

Taehyung immediately averted his attention to Yoongi, who was glancing at him with a frown, not understanding why his best friend had such a stern expression on his features. When he was about to question him about the sudden mood change, Taehyung heard someone knocking softly on the door and there was only one person who knocked instead of ringing the doorbell – his father.

“I can’t believe he had the nerve of coming here today after I told him countless times that I wouldn’t let him see Hoseok…” Taehyung muttered angrily as he folded the handkerchief again delicately and placed it on top of the small table. He got up from the couch, feeling his heart beating insanely fast and his blood boiling with fury, and headed to the door “Ah, wait, I forgot, the man engaged in a relationship with a younger woman while being married, I shouldn’t be so surprised, right?”

“Tae, do you want me to answ-“

“My father is my responsibility, Yoongi, I’m the one who has to teach him for the millionth time he’s not wanted here…” Taehyung interrupted Yoongi as he reached the door, not really caring if his father was hearing his harsh words or not, he wasn’t exactly considered of him after everything he made him and Namjoon go through, what he almost allowed the bitch he married to do to his baby brother. He opened the door, seeing the man he once called father standing in front of him with a colourful bag in his hand probably with Hoseok’s gift, the small smile plastered on the older man’s lips just increased his bubbling wrath. Taehyung closed the door almost all the way and cautiously approached his father “Apparently I wasn’t clear when you showed up last time on my birthday, I told you to never come back here again, but here you are again”

Taehyung’s father already knew he shouldn’t have come to his son’s house, however, no matter how many times he tried to comply with his request, he just couldn’t stay away from him, either from Namjoon and Hoseok. That was why he sent a text message to Taehyung during the weekend, he was already expecting not to have an answer since his son blocked his other number, so the elder didn’t have a choice and had to send a message with a new number.

Young Chul stared at Taehyung as he attempted to cup his face, but his son grabbed his arm before he had the chance. “I know you will never forgive me for what I did, but, please, son, at least, let me look at you properly, I miss you, I miss my beautiful boys…”

“I stop being your son the moment you got together with that woman, I stop being your son the moment that woman said he wanted to abort your unborn baby whom you abandoned to marry her…” Taehyung retorted cruelly, harshly realising his hold on his father’s arm “And you damn right I will never forgive you, you drove mom to her death, you ruined our family, and for what? To chase that bitch who doesn’t care about anything else than herself and your money?” Taehyung asked knowingly, watching his father’s eyes watering, he probably touched a nerve, but he honestly didn’t care “I don’t know how you can live with yourself after everything you’ve done, you should be ashamed of yourself…”

“Tae…” Young Chul spoke quietly as he dropped the bag he was holding, reaching for his son’s hands. He stared deeply into Taehyung’s eyes, seeing nothing but pure hatred for him and he couldn’t blame him for feeling that way towards him, everything his son said was the truth, and he regretted it, despite being happier in his current marriage, he missed his sons very much “You know I always loved you and your brothers, I hate being distant from all of you and I also know it’s not fair to ask you for a chance to get along with Ri Hye, especially after she wanted to abort Hoseok, but she changed herself, she’s not the same person she was all those years ago…”

Taehyung didn’t know what hurt the most – his injured hand or his father’s words, probably both –, he didn’t understand how his father had the courage and the audacity to ask him to give the bitch an opportunity after the damage she had done to his family. He always gave seconds chances to people who truly deserved one, like Seokjin, however, in that case, he was doing it to prevent exactly what happened with his father, Taehyung couldn’t bear to see Jimin in his place, he couldn’t bear seeing a child not having his father to guide him in life.

Despite his father’s attempt to reach his heart and make him accept his relationship with the woman he married by giving her a chance, Taehyung wasn’t swayed in the slightest, he didn’t care if she was or wasn’t the same person and he certainly didn’t want to have any sort of communication with the man he once he considered a role-model, he once considered his father, let alone permit him to have any contact with Hoseok. There was a reason Taehyung didn’t want Hoseok to meet his parents, he didn’t want to give hope to his baby brother and see him getting hurt. The thought alone made him recall what Seokjin told him the first weeks when they met, implying Hoseok was better off with his parents than him, the pain Taehyung felt that day was indescribable, back then, he sincerely didn’t want to deal with Seokjin ever again after that, and yet, he still forgave him for his hurtful words, astoundingly.

“You say you hate being distant from us, whose fault is that, huh? Whose fault is that? No matter how many years that go by, I will never understand what the hell drove you to do what you did, you were selfish and you betrayed our trust, you betrayed your family…” Taehyung forcibly broke free from his father’s grip, not wanting to be near him for another second, he already had enough “And I will definitely not give a chance to that woman and if you knew me, you wouldn’t ask such a ridiculous thing, do you really think I would give a second chance to the person who almost killed her own son? Of course not, but what could I expect from you…”

Once again, Young Chul couldn’t refute Taehyung’s ruthless yet straightforward words to him, it was indeed his fault for not having his beloved sons whom he missed very much, he missed being part of their lives, especially Hoseok’s, his youngest son didn’t even know he was his father because he made the wrong decisions in the past. Young Chul should have been more assertive, now it was probably too late to amend his wrongdoings and establish a relationship with Hoseok.

“I admit, I wasn’t expecting to be a father again back then and the news came as a surprise, a pleasant surprise, I didn’t want Ri Hye to get rid of our son, she just wasn’t ready to be a mother so suddenly, either way, I wasn’t going to let her proceed with the abortion, Taehyung, you know I wouldn’t be that cruel, despite everything I made your mother go through, despite what I did to our family…” Young Chul confessed, not really knowing what could he say to Taehyung to convince him that he and his wife had changed, even though Ri Hye had a peculiar personality and not everyone could see it, she was a caring person in her own way “That’s why when she told me a few years ago that she wanted to have a baby girl, I asked her if she was sure because I wasn’t going to let her do what she almost did with Hoseok, she gave me her word and she followed through, that’s the reason I’m telling you she changed, after giving birth she realised the mistake she was going to make and she was happy she didn’t do it…” Young Chul added, noticing Taehyung’s eyes widening, that wasn’t the way he wanted to tell his son that he had a half-sister. He had been trying to gather the courage to do it, however, he needed to gain his sons’ trust first and showed them that both he and Ri Hye had matured “Look, I didn’t want to tell you like this, but I’ve been trying my best to reconnect with you and Joon, again, I know it’s unfair of me, I can’t go back and undo my mistakes, if I could, I would’ve done things differently, I wouldn’t have hurt you, Joon and your mother, especially your mother”

Taehyung’s mind went blank after his father’s speech, not believing that the woman, who once wanted so badly to get rid of the human being growing inside her womb, who once wanted to end a human life just because she wasn’t ready to be a mother for being too young, which Taehyung still thought it wasn’t an excuse, was a mother. The younger with colourful hair slowly walked backwards, wanting some distance from his father, he was having a hard time processing the information he just heard. Nevertheless, Taehyung needed to know how old his supposed half-sister was, he needed to establish a timeline because if the woman gave birth a little after Hoseok was born, the chance of him forgiving her and his father was null.

As he walked backwards, Taehyung’s feet stumbled on something. He looked back, seeing a package standing right by the side of his door. He saw the information of the sender and when he read who the package was from, the anguish and the pain Taehyung felt back when he decided to raise baby Hoseok and commit himself to the woman his father married came back with such strength that almost knocked out the air from his lungs.

Taehyung stared at the name on the package as he reflected on what his father said just a moment ago, feeling pretty infuriated by the unfairness of the situation. Part of the reason Taehyung couldn’t forgive his father, besides him blaming him for taking away his mother from him, was the fact he had to sacrifice so much at a such young age just for his father to have the life he had now, he had to sacrifice his studies because he didn’t want to be a burden for Namjoon, Yoongi and Seunghee and, of course, he sacrificed his relationship with the person who still remembered his baby brother’s birthday, who was the first and greatest love of his life.

(Lee Minhyuk, I guess you are still a sweetheart…)

“Taehyung, baby, are you okay?” Young Chul asked worriedly as he reached for Taehyung’s hands, stopping him from falling back and hurting himself. He run his thumbs over the back of his son’s hands, seeing one of them slightly reddish and swollen “Did you burn yourself? Do you nee-“

“How old is she?” Taehyung asked solemnly, avoiding his father’s eyes and ignoring his attempts to care for him “How old is my half-sister?”

“My little Yoo Nah, she, ah, she’s turning five in a few months…”

(Only two years…)

Taehyung sluggishly broke free from his father’s grip and leaned against the wall, next to the door to his apartment, praying that Hoseok wouldn’t come to the living room any time soon and saw him so broken. One thing Taehyung wanted to make sure of was protecting his baby brother from any harm, and it still killed him the fact that a couple of boys hurt him and Jimin, Taehyung was going to handle that matter later that week with Seokjin, there was no way he was going to forget about it and move on with his life, the same applied to the situation he was currently trying, once again, to process.

Unlike Hoseok, Taehyung didn’t feel anything towards his half-sister, who apparently was named Yoo Nah, and he loved children so much, he loved being able to work and teach the many children that were under his care in the kindergarten, it wasn’t the little girl’s fault, however, that was Taehyung’s decision, he still didn’t want to have any type of relationship with his father, the woman she married and his half-sister, he couldn’t forgive either of them, they were living their perfect family life at his expense and that thought just enraged Taehyung even more.

“I don’t want anything to do with you, that woman or my half-sister, and I stand by what I said earlier, I don’t want you here ever again, I’m done dealing with you and your excuses, I’m tired of everything…” Taehyung uttered expressionlessly, feeling his eyes burning with his unshed tears. He was still recovering from what happened between him and Hongseok, he didn’t have the mental capabilities to deal with his father and the baggage from his past “Get out…”

“Taehyung, please, I ju-“

“GET OUT NOW! This conversation is over…”

“Okay…” Young Chul didn’t want to aggravate Taehyung even more, he could see how troubled he was with the news about his half-sister, he also understood that the period between Hoseok’s birth and his little girl’s wasn’t so far apart, so he could only imagine how upsetting it was for his son. For now, Young Chul decided to comply with Taehyung’s request and leave him be for the time being, however, he couldn’t give up on his boys so easily “I love you, Tae, please give Hoseok my gift, you can tell it’s from you…”

Taehyung didn’t reply, knowing this wasn’t the last time he would see his father, he himself was resilient and he never backed down from a challenge, those traits he inherited from his father.

“Tae Tae!”

Taehyung gazed in the direction where the sweet voice came from and saw Jimin getting out of the elevator and running towards him, followed by Seokjin, who was carrying the little one’s backpack, and Jungkook. The pink and blonde haired male noticed how Jimin was dressed in a cute red beanie that matched his blushing cheeks, probably because of the cold weather outside, and a fluffy scarf. Jimin had the biggest smile adorning his lips and his eyes formed crescent moons, the adorable sight and the small boy’s cheerfulness just warmed Taehyung’s heart and appeased his mind filled with dark thoughts.

Taehyung tried his best to calm himself down and regain his composure to not concern Jimin, he crouched down and instantly opened his arms to welcome him in his embrace, wanting to hold on to the sweet boy with tiny hands.

“My cutie pie!” Taehyung said fondly as he noticed how his voice came out slightly cracked, attempting to ignore his father, who, for some reason, was still standing there awkwardly. He hugged the brunette boy briefly and kissed him on his chubby cheek “How is my Jiminie doing today? Are you excited to taste Yoonie’s chocolate chip pancakes as much as I am?”

Jimin nodded his head vigorously as an answer, excited about having the special pancakes and celebrating Hoseok’s birthday, he was hoping his friend would enjoy his handmade gift. The little one shyly glanced at the other grown-up, who he had never seen before, and pulled Taehyung’s sweatshirt, grasping his attention. “Tae Tae, who is this grown-up?”

“Don’t worry about the grown-up, Jiminie, he was just leaving…” Taehyung reassured Jimin, giving him his best force smile, if he wasn’t there, he would scream at his father again because, apparently, he didn’t know what “get out” meant. The younger lifted himself and gently placed his hand on Jimin’s head as he saw Seokjin and Jungkook with curiosity and confusion written all over their faces, probably questioning themselves the same thing Jimin did “I told you to leave, how many times I have to repeat myself? You already did enough damage…”

Young Chul sighed heavily and gave a short nod to Taehyung, deciding it was time to head back, before he upset his son once again. He was about to walk to the elevator when one of Taehyung’s acquaintances caught his eye, he wasn’t sure if the gentleman was who he thought he was since the last time he saw him he was a young adult.

“I’m sorry, but are you the son of the former CEO of Kim’s Information and Technology? Seokjin, right?” Young Chul asked politely, probably coming out as intrusive, his intention wasn’t to meddle with the people connected to his son, he was honestly interested “I didn’t want to bother you, you probably don’t remember me, but a few years ago, me and my wi-, I mean, my first wife attended one of the events your father hosted at his home, I was closing a business deal with him at the time, he introduced you to us, you weren’t too happy to be there and faintly remembered your father looking for you when we left”

Seokjin momentarily glanced at Taehyung, observing how the young male was disturbed at the moment by what appeared to be his father. He stared at the man and resorted to his great memory in an attempt to remember that specific event his father hosted, there were so many and Seokjin hated everything single one of them. However, as per usual, he was obliged to attend every one of them as a way for him to make his business connections and display himself to his future business partners. As carefully, and discreetly as possible, Seokjin studied the man’s face, noticing that Taehyung had inherited some of his physical features, and astoundingly, the dark-haired male indistinctly recollected the event the elder was mentioning earlier because Seokjin left the event that night without his parents knowing and went to some party with Jungkook, of course, before he disappeared, he had to play his part of the perfect son, so he had to greet the guests and take some photos against his will.

Taehyung’s parents were surely part of the guests and the reason why Seokjin remembered wasn’t only because of him leaving and getting scolded by his father the next day, it was because the woman accompanying the man, apparently Taehyung’s mother, had a stain on her bright red dress, near the strap, she was truly apologetically and even admitted that it was her youngest son’s fault, Seokjin never forgot the nice woman’s wide smile while talking about him.

“Y-Yes, I’m Kim Seokjin, I’m the current CEO of the company…” Seokjin responded incredulously, bowing his head respectfully “A-And I also remember the event you just mentioned, I also remember greeting you and your wife, she was wearing a red dress if I’m correct, she had a stain on it…”

“You really have an impressive memory, no wonder you are taking your father’s place as the CEO, I heard great things about you, Mr Kim” Young Chul said wittily, feeling somewhat sad for recalling his first wife’s red dress, it was her favourite, and even when Taehyung stained with black bean sauce, she wasn’t mad at him and refused to change her outfit, she was a free-spirit, just like Taehyung was “It was a pleasure to see you and I’m also surprised that you are acquainted with my sons, is it true that my Joon is working at your company?”

It was a simple question, however, Seokjin felt uncanny to answer it, he was obviously caught in the middle of an unpleasant moment between father and son, and knowing the story behind Taehyung’s father and the woman he married, he felt he shouldn’t entertain the older man any longer, the younger with those atrocious hair colours’ facial expression screamed annoyance.

“He is, Namjoon is a great asset to Seokjin’s company, it’s a shame he was working under someone who didn’t appreciate his value” Jungkook answered reverentially instead of Seokjin when he noticed his best friend was trying to grasp the fact he was speaking with Taehyung’s father, he too was trying to surpass the shock, especially knowing what the man did all those years ago “I’m sorry for interrupting, I’m Jeon Jungkook, Seokjin’s best friend and co-worker, and probably the culprit behind Seokjin’s disappearance from the event that night, nice to meet you”

“Nice to meet you, Mr Jeon, and boys will be boys, am I right? My Taehyung used to slip out sometimes with Namjoon’s help, without me and his mother knowing, but we knew, we just let him be…” Young Chul remarked in a bittersweet tone, smiling gloomily as he reminisced about the many memories from the happy times he lived with his family, every time he thought about the past he felt remorseful for his foolish actions “I’m glad my sons have good people by their side, and apparently, my Hoseok has an adorable little friend with him too…”

Taehyung huffed as he crossed his arms over his chest, already sick of hearing his father’s voice. “Are you done interfering with my personal life? Because if you are, you can go on your way and let us be”

Young Chul tried his best to not seem dismayed by Taehyung’s eagerness to see him leave, however, he was entitled to feel like that after the mistakes he made in the past that drove the remaining of his family away.

“Well, it was nice to see you again, Mr Kim, and nice to meet you, Mr Jeon…” Young Chul shook hands with both males, then he turned back to see Taehyung, watching him caring for the little one who kept staring at him with his doe eyes “Goodbye, Tae, and please give what I say some thought, I hope to see you soon…”

Once again, Taehyung didn’t waste his time replying to his father, apparently, the men in his life thought they could just take advantage of his kind nature, Hongseok and his father were the perfect examples of that, and honestly, it annoyed Taehyung how they took him for granted in the past and now they were expecting him to just forgive and forget, well, he wasn’t to going to do that for sure.

After his father left for good, Taehyung let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, a huge lump was stuck in his throat, his conversation with his father always brought those horrific memories to the surface which made him more vulnerable and after being reminded on one of the fond memories he kept safe inside his heart, Taehyung was fighting himself to simply not to break down in front of Jimin, Jungkook and Seokjin, especially Seokjin, the man had already watched him shed so many tears in the last few days, he didn’t want to make him uncomfortable again.

“Can you, guys, please, take Jimin and that bag inside?” Taehyung requested kindly, running fingers through his hair as he gathered all his strength to not break down “I-I, ah, I need a moment by myself”

“No worries, Tae…” Jungkook answered softly, understanding that Taehyung was trying to deal with whatever his father spoke to him. He grabbed the colourful bag and headed to the restless younger, reaching for the hand that wasn’t injured “Take as long as you like, we are always here for you…” Jungkook uttered worriedly as he gave Taehyung a weak smile, seeing him nodding sluggishly. He released the younger with colourful hair’s hand and subtly took Jimin’s backpack from Seokjin’s hand, leaning forward on his best friend’s ear “I’m taking care of Hoseok and Jimin and help Yoongi with breakfast, in the meantime, you stay here and console Taehyung, and before opening your mouth, just do what I told you if you don’t want me to annoy you again about your day with Taehyung”

Seokjin rolled his eyes at Jungkook’s supposed threat, knowing that his best friend wasn’t going to let go of the matter until he satisfied every ounce of his curiosity which he wasn’t too keen to do, whether he complied with the request or not. Despite Jungkook’s words, Seokjin didn’t intend to leave Taehyung alone, even if it was the younger’s request, he couldn’t just abandon him when he was having a hard time.

After Jungkook and Jimin went inside the apartment, Seokjin noticed how Taehyung had gone to the small window that was at the end of the hallway, where he could see the numerous grey clouds covering the winter sun. He calmly approached the disheartening younger as he heard those quiet yet familiar sobs from him, the same ones he heard the night he spent at his house, trying to figure out what he was going to say or do, afraid of upsetting Taehyung even more, so he decided to choose the safe route.

“If it makes you feel better, you can talk to me about it, Taehyung…”

Taehyung hurriedly cleaned his tears with his sleeves as he shook his head, the last thing he wanted was to discuss the news about his half-sister, that day was supposed to be an amazing day for him and Hoseok and, as difficult as it was for him given the circumstances and the memories related to that day, Taehyung intended to provide his baby brother the best birthday ever.

Knowing that he probably was going to cross the line, even though he and Seokjin had kissed not so long ago, Taehyung timidly got closer and suddenly wrapped his arms around Seokjin’s neck, burying his face on his broad shoulder, just like he did when he was having a panic attack because of the dreadful and frightening thunderstorm that night, as he let the tears roll down his cheeks again, wanting nothing more than make his misery and the memories that came with it disappear.

Chapter Text

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"Mommy, mommy!" Taehyung exclaimed loudly as he ran towards his mother, who was walking inside the kitchen while putting on a shiny earring, smiling brightly "Joonie broke the cup when he took it out of the cabinet"

Jung Eun couldn't help but chuckle at Taehyung's enthusiasm and at her older son's clumsiness when it came to the tableware, it was the second glass Namjoon had broken that month, besides the three plates and one tea cup. She carefully crouched down, smiling as widely as Taehyung, and swiftly lifted his thrilled younger son from the floor and kissed his forehead, earning another fit of giggles and smiles from him.

"Joon, baby, did you hurt yourself?" Jung Eun asked worriedly, despite finding amusing how his son was clumsy, she didn't want him to hurt himself severely, especially with glass "I already told you to be careful when you take something from the cabinet, particularly when it's too far for you to reach, honey, you might be tall, but you are only thirteen"

"No, mom, I didn't hurt myself, it just slipped from my hands..." Namjoon responded wearily as he cautiously went around the broken glass to fetch a broom and dustpan to clean, he didn't want Taehyung to cut himself "And I was careful, I even grabbed it with two hands, but slipped anyways..."

"Joonie is clumsy!" Taehyung squealed cheerily as he placed his small hand on his mother's shoulder, chuckling piercingly while observing his older brother sweeping the floor. The nine-year-old boy gazed at his mother, his mood suddenly changed when he remembered that his parents were going to some party "Mommy, do you and daddy really have to go?"

"Yes, sweetheart, mommy and daddy really have to go to the party" Young Chul answered wittily instead of his wife when he walked inside the kitchen as he tried to make a decent tie knot. He briefly glanced at Taehyung and patted his head "We won't take long, I promise, now can I borrow mommy, I need her to help with my tie"

Taehyung frowned as he shook his head, snuggling it on his mother's neck, not wanting to be apart from her.

"How about we make a deal, baby bear?" Jung Eun suggested as she whispered gently at Taehyung, noticing how her son was upset for having to let her go "Tomorrow, I will make japchae again with black bean sauce on the side and daddy will buy ice cream for you and Joon, how's that sound?"

Taehyung lifted his head, pouting, as he stared between his mother and father. A small smile erupted from his lips, he immediately nodded his head heartily, eager to eat his mother's japchae and ice cream the next day.

"My baby is such a nice boy, mommy is proud of you, sweetie" Jung Eun said warmly as she placed Taehyung down, seeing his doe brown eyes sparkling so intensively and his unique boxy smile that he inherited from her, she didn't want to leave her babies alone, however, she trusted Namjoon, despite being a teenager, her oldest son was really mature and responsible, still she hated to be apart from them. Jung Eun cupped Taehyung's face, running her thumbs over his chubby cheeks while having a good look at her son "Baby, your sweatshirt is all dirty because of the black bean sauce..."

"Mommy's dress is dirty too..." Taehyung retorted innocently as he pointed at the spot near the strap of his mother's dress where a small dark stain was "But you're still pretty..."

Jung Eun looked down at her favourite red dress that she normally would wear on special occasions, that specific dress was given to her by her mother, it initially belonged to her, however, she decided to gift it to her when she went on her first date with Young Chul. At the time, Jung Eun thought she was too dressed up for a simple date and she didn't believe it would go well, it turned out to be the opposite. For being special to her, Jung Eun rarely wore the dress, afraid of ruining it, she was emotionally attached to it, not only for being a gift from her mother but also for being a reminder of the day she realised Young Chul was the one for her, despite being their first date.

Jung Eun honestly felt slightly upset for seeing her favourite red dress stained with black bean sauce, a stain extremely difficult to come out of, especially since the dress was satin, nevertheless, Taehyung's sweet compliment to her just brighter her mood and made her forget about the disappointment of having her dress ruined, at the end of the day, it was just a piece of clothing.

"Joon, can you help your brother wash his hands, preferably without breaking anything else, like the faucet" Young Chul teased his older son as he watched him scowl at him as an answer, making him chuckle. He averted his attention to Jung Eun, taking note of how disheartened she was because of her dress "You can change if you want, we still have time, darling"

"It's fine, really..." Jung Eun responded nonchalantly as she got a hold of her husband's undone tie, not minding wearing the dress even if it was stained, she was only going because Young Chul was closing a deal with Mr Kim, Jung Eun didn't like the vicious man, however, his wife was kind-hearted and humble "And you heard your son, Young Chul, I'm still pretty..."
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Taehyung was staring at the school entrance, specifically at the group of little devils accompanied by their respective mothers as they wished Hoseok a happy birthday, and despite being slightly far away from them, he still could hear the excitement in the children's voices because of the birthday party he was going to throw that afternoon and see how curious they were about the gifts his little sunshine was going to receive. The thought about the gifts reminded Taehyung of the package he got from Minhyuk that morning, he was already accustomed to his ex-boyfriend's gesture, however, this particular year he felt more gloomy than joyful, the news about his half-sister ended up bringing the unpleasant emotions he experienced when he and Minhyuk decided to break up.

Gazing at Hoseok in that instant and the huge smile adorning his heart-shaped lips somehow diminished the excruciating ache coming from Taehyung's heart, facing his father and all the memories that came with him was just mentally and physically exhausting. The last few days had been a roller-coaster of emotions for Taehyung, from dealing with Hongseok on Valentine's Day while being drunk to being kissed by Seokjin, his life seemed a huge mess and when he barely could think straight, his father had to show up and make everything even more chaotic, Taehyung was hoping during the birthday party he could get a break and make sure Hoseok was enjoying every moment of it.

"Do you feel better, Taehyung?"

Taehyung glanced at Seokjin, who was standing by his side, and momentarily nodded. "I-I'm sorry for, ah, hugging you like that, Jinnie, I know you don't like when I'm touchy towards you, especially without consent, but, ah, I needed it, I guess we are even now..."

"Well, you're right, I don't like physical contact, however, I need to learn how to be comfortable with it if I want to demonstrate to Jimin how I feel about him through gestures, after all, gestures speak louder than words, according to you" Seokjin stated casually as he observed Taehyung, wanting to cheer him up, since the younger had been tremendously quiet during breakfast "And what do you mean we even?"

"If that's the case, I'll give you more hugs in the future for you to get used to it, I bet Jimin would be pretty happy to have one from his father, again, my job is to help you and your son to bond and strengthen your father-son relationship" Taehyung retorted in a more upbeat tone, smiling weakly with Seokjin's remark, not knowing if he was saying that for his sake or if he truly wanted to be more at ease with physical contact because of Jimin, either way, he was glad the dark-haired male was showing initiative "About us being even I was referring to our kiss, despite not regretting it, you did it suddenly, I did the same this morning, I also don't regret it..."

Seokjin never had the chance to tell Taehyung that he could have the favour he took from him in exchange for bringing him to his property back after kissing him so abruptly, not only for that but also for making Taehyung's life messier.

"We were already even, Taehyung, you can have your favour back, it's the least I can do after kissing you" Seokjin said slightly embarrassed as he focused on the group of boys, who were walking inside the school, noticing Hoseok grasping Jimin's small hand "About this morning, I let you hugged me because it helped you when you were struggling during the storm, I guessed it could have the same effect and, apparently, it did"

Taehyung's weak smile widened with Seokjin's unexpected words, he knew he was being a bit childish about exchanging one of the favours because at the time he didn't have a clue about the older male's plan to take him to his property, however, the moment Taehyung realised he was going to Seokjin's mansion he felt a favour wasn't enough. After what they had been through in those last days, Taehyung had a feeling that maybe they weren't even, maybe he was the one who was owing Seokjin for what he had done for him – welcoming him into his house, plus cooking his favourite dish and the tour guide to the mansion, the apology for kissing him, taking care of his burn hand and being there for him that morning when Taehyung was trying to digest the information about his five-year-old half-sister.

"You know what? You can still keep that favour, Seokjin..." Taehyung uttered soothingly, giving Seokjin a playful shove with his elbow "As I think about everything you did for me, I feel like maybe I'm the one owing you, and speaking about owing you..." Taehyung reached one of the pockets of his jacket and took the nice folded handkerchief from it, at first, he thought he was going crazy because he left it on the small table, however, when he wanted to give it back to Seokjin it wasn't there, turned out, Jungkook enjoyed messing with him, so he placed it inside the pocket of the jacket he was currently wearing. The younger with colourful hair hooked one of his arms around Seokjin's arm and gave the beautifully embroidered handkerchief to him "You shouldn't have used it as an ice pack, Jinnie, I bet it took a long time for your mother to sew it..."

Seokjin furrowed his brows as he grasped the handkerchief from Taehyung's hand.

"How did you know my mother embroidered my handkerchief?"

"TAE TAE! MR. KIM!"

Taehyung lightly chuckled as he watched Hoseok, Jimin and the rest of the little ones energetically waving at him and Seokjin, taking note of how his little sunshine refused to let go of Jimin's tiny hand which he secretly found endearing. He averted his attention to the dark-haired male just to confirm if he was waving back and not acting like the ice sculpture he was and, amazingly, Seokjin was awkwardly doing it. Taehyung knew the older male was still learning how to be comfortable expressing and demonstrating his emotions towards Jimin publicly, it wasn't his nature, nonetheless, for the short period of time Taehyung had been guiding and teaching Seokjin, the man was doing pretty well.

"Look at you, Jinnie, conquering the children's hearts, they don't seem so scared of you..." Taehyung remarked amusingly, wrapping his other arm around Seokjin's arm while keeping an eye on the group of little ones entering the school building, still really joyful, he wished he could feel as genuinely happy as them, however, Taehyung wasn't as innocent and gullible like them "You're a quick learner, but I still have a lot to teach you, you seemed more like a robot than a person when you waved at the little ones"

"Do you always have to insult me? I think you should choose a hobby, Taehyung, you have a lot of free time on your hands, you should do something productive instead of writing a list of the possible insults you may call me" Seokjin argued matter-of-factly, hearing Taehyung huffing as he clicked his tongue. He stared at the handkerchief in his hand, still wondering how the younger knew about being his mother the one who embroidered it "You didn't answer my question from earlier, how do you know my mother sewed my handkerchief, I never told you that"

"And do you have to be such a meanie to me when I'm trying to express how pleased I am with your progress? Just because of that, I'm using the favour you gave me back to force you to help me and Jungkook decorating the house for the party, we need an extra pair of hands either way, my hand is still recovering..." Taehyung pouted as he observed his injured hand, it was still sensible from the burning and still stung a little bit when he applied the ointment on it "About the handkerchief, it was obvious that it was embroidered by your mother, I could see the love she poured in every detail she needlepoint and, ah, also the napkins you used they have a similar design"

Seokjin sighed in frustration as he glimpsed at Taehyung's content expression and his cunning smile, suspecting that the younger already had the idea of asking him for help to decorate his apartment for Hoseok's birthday, of course, instead of requesting him politely like a normal adult, Taehyung decided to behave childishly and play games by resorting to his injury and the favour system he kept abusing to get his way. The dark-haired male knew he didn't have a choice, except to comply with his "demand", after all, he and the younger had made a verbal agreement and Seokjin was always a man of his word.

Seokjin, then, glanced at the handkerchief in his hand once again, studying the details stitched by his mother, that, just like Taehyung stated, were similar to the ones embroidered on the napkins he decided to use that night when the younger spent the day with him while reminiscing about the time his mother offered him the handkerchief, despite being a simple piece of fabric with some embroiders, it carried a lot of sentimental value for Seokjin. Because his mother married a Kim man, she had to change her entire life by giving up her hopes and dreams just to be able to fulfil the role of wife and mother, she couldn't do much at home so, she began to sew and knit to pass the time while Seokjin's father was busy handling the company.

The Kim family, namely, the Kim men were very old-fashioned and were taught to abide by outdated ideals, for example, in Seokjin's family, they believed a woman shouldn't work, instead, she should stay at home, take care of their children and respect their spouses, Seokjin's mother, grandmother and the women before them had to oblige to those preposterous rules, just like his late wife had to in spite of their arranged marriage, however, being the type of person she was, she immediately refused to behave like that and Seokjin couldn't blame her. As he admired the handkerchief, the dark-haired male couldn't help but reflect on what his mother had to go through during her life, she had to give up part of herself for love, and it seemed like everyone who got associated with the Kim family, had to give up part of them just to follow some outdated standards, bringing nothing but misery – his late wife, his mother and Jimin were proof of that – and Seokjin was determined to break those standards, in a way, he already was breaking because of his sexual orientation that threatened years of family history.

"I wish I could meet your mother..." Taehyung murmured as he noticed how Seokjin was intensively looking at the handkerchief, seeming lost in his thoughts. The younger with colourful hair unwrapped his arms from Seokjin's arm and gazed at the handkerchief "You know, I'm still surprised by the fact that you met my mother all those years ago, but, in a way, I'm glad you did..."

"I think my mother would want to meet you too, Jimin is always speaking of you..." Seokjin put the handkerchief in the inside pocket of his blazer, like it always did when he would get dressed to go to work, and took a deep breath, still recuperating from the shock of getting recognised by Taehyung's father "I'm stunned as well, however, I'm glad I met her too, I should've known it was your mother, she had this unique smile when she was talking about you, Taehyung, you have the same unique smile"

(For a meanie ice sculpture, Seokjin can be really charming...)

Taehyung bit his bottom lip, preventing himself from smiling, as he pulled up the fluffy scarf he was wearing in an attempt to hide his crimson cheeks, luckily, that particular day was one of the coldest days so, he could easily pretend that the cold was the culprit, just like he did when Hoseok and Jimin implied that he was blushing, of course, Taehyung would never admit that out loud, even if that was the truth. The pink and blonde-haired male still couldn't understand why he reacted like that to certain remarks Seokjin made to him, especially when they were flattery comments, not only that, but sometimes, the older male, for someone who wasn't comfortable with expressing himself and demonstrating his emotions, was so caring towards him and was genuinely concern about him, like that morning, apparently, Taehyung wasn't the one only who was a mystery, Seokjin was a mystery to him too.

"Taehyung, dear!"

Taehyung noticed how Byeongkwan and Changsub's mothers were coming towards him and Seokjin with bright smiles on their faces, they probably wanted to speak to him about Hoseok's birthday party since he invited not only the devilish little ones but also their mothers. Taehyung enjoyed talking and spending time with the mothers occasionally, it had been a while since the last time they were together and the party was the perfect opportunity to catch up.

"Mrs Kim, Mrs Lee, nice to see you again" Taehyung greeted politely the two older women as he gave them his unique boxy smile, feeling slightly self-conscious because of Seokjin's comment earlier "I hope to see you two this afternoon, it's been so long since we sat down and talk"

"It really has been that long, sweetie, unfortunately, my schedule has been so chaotic lately and now that one of my colleagues is on maternity leave, I don't have as much time" Mrs Kim informed wittily, glad to have the opportunity to see and talk to Taehyung again "And, of course, we'll be there this afternoon, we wouldn't miss this happy day"

"Exactly, and it will give us a chance to catch up properly, I miss our little get-togethers, and not only that..." Mrs. Lee added, noticing Mr. Kim was accompanying Taehyung as per usual "We can get to know Mr. Kim here, you will be there, right, Mr. Kim?"

Seokjin, dumbfounded, stared between the two women, who apparently were the mothers of two of Jimin's friends, and Taehyung, not knowing what he should say, he wasn't the most social person when he wasn't with Jungkook or dealing with the enthusiastic younger next to him, he was at home, in his study, busy with his work.

"Mr Kim here will definitely be at the party, he even volunteered himself to help with decorations since I injured my hand, he's such a gentleman" Taehyung answered in Seokjin's stead, wrapping his arms around the older male's arm once more as he watched his reaction to his non-consensual physical contact, this time, the young male was doing it to rile him up "He also would love to join us, after all, he never had the chance to meet you and the other mothers, it's the least he could do..."

Seokjin tried his best to not sigh and roll his eyes in front of the two mothers, not wanting to appear rude, however, once again, Taehyung didn't leave him a choice, even though he surely was going to be present at the party, he needed to be there to show Jimin he wanted to be part of his life. Regardless of that, Seokjin still thought that Taehyung was behaving in that manner just to mess with him, it was probably payback for being a "meanie" to him earlier when he was demonstrating how pleased he was with him for waving back at the children, again, Taehyung was being childish.

***

Taehyung needed to distract Hoseok while he, Jungkook and Seokjin were decorating the living room so, Yoongi, Hyunjoon, Gunhak and Soonyoung agreed that they were taking his little sunshine and Jimin to the park nearby his apartment until preparations for the birthday party were done. At first, Gunhak and Soonyoung weren't happy about their task of distracting the children, instead, they wanted to help him and the other males decorate his place, however, Taehyung knew perfectly well that his friends' sudden generosity and their excuses for him having an injured hand were just a cover for their secret agenda of observing his and Seokjin's interaction which, once again, was extremely creepy.

After finally getting rid of his two annoying friends, who, apparently, were also entertaining Yoongi and Hyunjoon because lately, everyone enjoyed mocking Taehyung's close relationship with Seokjin, the younger, Seokjin and Jungkook began decorating the living room. Taehyung placed a beautiful darkish blue tablecloth filled with stars that glowed in the dark and settled the table with the many pastries, like the birthday cupcakes, the chocolate chip cookies made by the one and only Min Yoongi, the cake batter rice krispies and the colourful doughnuts, there were also a different variety of cakes and pies, one of the cakes was the red velvet cake that Seokjin said he had ordered and, finally, there were several candies spread along the table, like big rainbow lollipops and gummies. With Jungkook's help, Taehyung hung the strips that said "Happy birthday" and "Hoseok" across the drapes covering the large window of the living room, the pink and blonde haired male also placed multicoloured lights around just to brighten up the place, and the last, but not the least things that were missing were the balloons, the majority had been filled by Seokjin, who didn't stop complaining about the excessive quantity.

"Is it necessary to fill so many balloons?" Seokjin questioned wearily as he knotted the end of the balloon he had just filled, starting to feel the soreness of his lips and his fingers "The place isn't that big and the party will only last a few hours, I don't think having these many balloons is going to make a difference"

Taehyung exhaled heavily, trying hard not to lose his patience with Seokjin and his whining, he needed to remind himself that the older male wasn't accustomed to attending birthday parties, let alone helping with preparations, so the younger with colourful hair was doing his best to be comprehensive, however, his sanity was quickly dissipating and Jungkook wasn't helping much, probably because he already was immune to his best friend's crankiness or he enjoyed when him and Seokjin bicker just to prove the "opposites attract" argument.

"Jungkook, what's the secret?" Taehyung asked curiously, as he gave one of the balloons to Jungkook for him to put on the string hung above the kitchenette island, noticing the older male's signature bunny smile, like he knew he was about to complain "You know, the secret to putting up with your best friend who argues that I'm the childish one, but then he acts like a brat"

"Well, I already have practice in doing this but you just need to block it or simply ignore" Jungkook responded playfully as he attached the knot of the balloon to the string, sensing Taehyung's patience running out because the only thing Seokjin knew how to do was being annoying. He carefully got down from the ladder after filling the entire string, then he looked around to see where the rest of the balloons were going to be placed "Any idea where to put the rest of the balloons, Taehyung, we still have a few..."

"You are both mocking me, but, as always, I'm right" Seokjin grumbled as he tied the end of another balloon unwillingly, hoping Taehyung would come to his senses and stop this madness "Jungkook has a point, Taehyung, where are you planning to put the rest of the balloons? We have those hung above the counter and a few on top of the table, next to desserts"

Taehyung leaned against the island counter, pretending he was searching for places to hang the rest of the dozens of different and pretty balloons that were spread all over the floor of the living room, simultaneously controlling his will to just burst out laughing in Seokjin's face. Taehyung's original plan was to hang up as many balloons as he could since he bought a variety of them, however, Seokjin began to criticise everything, so he decided to give the older male a lesson by telling him to fill the majority of the balloons.

"Who told you I was going to hang every single one of the balloons you filled, Jinnie?" Taehyung questioned in a mocking tone, smiling maliciously as he watched Seokjin furrowing his brows "So, to answer your question, I'm not going to hang any more balloons, I think the living room is perfect like this, don't you agree, Jungkookie?"

"I totally agree with you, Taehyung, I think we did a good job..." Jungkook was doing everything in his power to not laugh in Seokjin's face, his best friend spent an hour filling balloons and tying them, so he probably wasn't too happy to know that his hard work was in vain. The black-haired male was still glancing around the place, loving how the decorations brought Taehyung's living room back to life, he always wanted to do something similar for Jimin, but the baby mochi never had friends, it was pointless throwing a party if there weren't children to invite "When I said "we", I was talking about you and me, Seokjin didn't do much, except bitching"

Seokjin wasn't surprised by both males' immature behaviour towards him, knowing that every time Taehyung and Jungkook were together they normally would team up against him and make a mockery out of him, seemingly, they enjoyed having fun at his expense, however, the dark-haired male wasn't too keen about the situation, especially when he was the rational one of the three. Seokjin crossed his arms over his chest and glowed at Jungkook and Taehyung, not letting both of them take advantage of his solemn and assertive character, just because he was respectful, it didn't mean he couldn't give them a piece of his mind.

"You two really enjoy laughing at my misery, don't you? Well, I don't find your scornful comments amusing, especially when I'm giving part of my valuable time to decorate this place" Seokjin remarked firmly as he gazed at the two males who didn't seem to take him seriously as per usual. He not only was decorating the living room because of the favour Taehyung conveniently used for him to help out with the preparations, but he was also doing it for Hoseok, Jimin and the rest of the children, despite still having difficulty being affectionate, Seokjin wanted to do everything possible to show his interest in his son and his close friends "My lips and my fingers are sore for wastefully blowing balloons for the last hour"

"Oh, c'mon, Seokjin, don't be so grumpy and, if I remember correctly, in our high school and university years, you used to be an expert in the blowing department, or was it the other way around? Oh yes, it was the other way around" Jungkook retorted teasingly, noticing Seokjin's brows furrowing deeper, probably he was out of line for mentioning the old times, times his best friend preferred to put in the back of his mind which it was understandable, nonetheless, all Jungkook wanted was Seokjin to get loose "Also, if it wasn't for your phobia, you could have been a clown, Jin, you're really good with the balloons and a colourful wig really suits you"

One of Taehyung's favourite things was to partner up with Jungkook and just make fun of Seokjin, sometimes he just preferred standing on the sidelines and watching the black-haired male bicker with his best friend, it was entertaining and he honestly enjoyed seeing Seokjin all riled up, maybe because Taehyung secretly liked to see the older man getting out of his comfort zone, allowing him to witness the other sides he, for some reason, was hiding under the recollected and firm character. However, despite their interaction being a source of entertainment and enjoyment for him, Taehyung didn't find it amusing how Jungkook was resorting to Seokjin's phobia to get a reaction from him, not only because he himself struggled with a phobia of his own which he still considerate ridiculous, but also because Taehyung could see how damaging it had been to Seokjin when he decided to confine in him about the terrifying experience he had when he went to the circus with his mother.

Taehyung glared at Jungkook as he remembered the promise he made to Seokjin on the night he stayed at the property that consisted of him giving the "hilarious" black-haired male a lesson for messing with his best friend in the past after telling him about his phobia of clowns and for now for using that information once again just for the fun of it. He swiftly grasped one of the colourful balloons that were on the floor and started to smack Jungkook with it, Taehyung knew how silly he seemed, nevertheless, it was the only weapon at his disposal at that moment.

"Jeon Jungkook! Apologise to your best friend right now, you meanie" Taehyung exclaimed upsettingly as he kept smacking Jungkook with the balloon, even though the elder was trying to protect his face with his hands "You don't make fun of people's phobias, you bad bunny"

Jungkook did his best to shield himself from Taehyung's sudden "attack" with the balloon, not understanding why the younger was acting so protective towards Seokjin, unless he already knew about his phobia and the stunts he tried to pull in the past just to confirm that his best friend wasn't messing with him, however, a photo of a clown was enough proof to him, Jungkook still found odd. Another thing he found odd was the fact Seokjin shared that information with Taehyung, Jungkook knew how sensitive his best friend was when it came to his personal life and how defensive he could get if someone would go too far, that particular moment was the perfect example, apparently he not only touched a nerve with Seokjin, he did it with Taehyung as well, not realising how much the younger cared about his best friend.

Without many options to choose from, Jungkook began to run away from Taehyung, carefully watching where he was going, given the number of balloons that were spread around the living room, not wanting to damage anything, the decorations took a great amount of work to put on. He went around the table and momentarily stopped, staring at Taehyung, who was still on the other side, slowly moving to his right, noticing the dangerous glint in the younger's eyes which meant he was seriously trying to get an apology out of him, Jungkook was happy to do it, but not before mocking Taehyung a little bit.

"I never thought you were so protective towards Jinnie, Taehyung, that's adorable" Jungkook taunted, attentively observing Taehyung's movements to make sure he wasn't going to be bombarded again with the balloon, despite not looking like it, it kind of sting a little when the younger smacked him in the face "Now I understand the secrecy, neither you nor Seokjin told me or anyone for that matter what happened between you and him, you seem oddly close after spending time together"

Taehyung briefly crouched down, picking up another balloon from the floor. He scowled at Jungkook for speaking about his staying in Seokjin's mansion, at the same time, he felt relieved that the older male didn't mention anything about the kiss with his best friend, probably Seokjin had the same reason as he did for not sharing with Yoongi, not that Taehyung didn't want to tell, he just believed the timing was off since everyone thought his close relationship with Seokjin was something bizarre, it seemed two people who didn't get along in the past couldn't get to know each other and become friends. Taehyung kept a close eye on Jungkook as he planned his next move, he noticed how the black-haired male was moving towards the direction of the L-shaped couch, the younger with pink and blonde hair wanted to surprise Jungkook and catch him, so he decided to trick him by sluggishly walking the opposite side.

"You know silence means consent which indicates that you guys are hiding something for sure" Jungkook continued to provoke Taehyung, trying to predict the younger's next move "If any of you tell me what happened, I will apologise to Seokjin"

As soon as he professed those words, Jungkook saw an enraged Taehyung immediately heading towards him and he couldn't help but chuckle at the younger's facial expression, despite being angry, he also seemed adorable, especially while carrying two colourful balloons. He moved closer to the couch with the objective of using Seokjin as a shield, however, the last thing Jungkook wanted was to be scolded by his best friend for being smacked on his beautiful face with two balloons. As he saw Taehyung approaching, Jungkook quickly made his way to the front of the living room, nearby the small table between the couch and the television, however, when he was about to go towards the island counter, Jungkook was pushed to the couch, landing face first on it, then, he rolled down and hit his bottom on the cold floor, next to the many balloons Seokjin had been filling up in the last hour.

"Remember when I went to your office to try to cheer you up because Yoongi upset you? I told you I was a patient man, and I still am, but there's so much I can take, Jungkook..." Seokjin said calmly as he placed his hands inside the pockets of his pants, smirking weakly, just watching Jungkook getting up from the floor, the look on his face was priceless, maybe because his best friend wasn't used to seeing him acting so casual, like when they were younger "I've been too lenient with you, Jeon, just because I'm calm it doesn't mean I can't retaliate, I guess letting you say and do whatever you want without repercussions was a mistake"

"Bad bunny!" Taehyung mumbled frustratingly, smacking once again Jungkook with both balloons. He didn't appreciate the black-haired male's provoking comments about the time he spent with Seokjin, that matter was between him and the older male "Apologise right now, preferably without spewing nonsense, and for your information, nothing happened between Seokjin and me, you guys just have a wild imagination"

When Taehyung finally stopped smacking him with the balloons, Jungkook had the opportunity to regain his composure and have a good look at both males standing side by side, the view actually made him laugh light-heartedly because he was right about the possibility of Taehyung bringing Seokjin's true self to the surface, the person he met when he was starting high school – the outgoing, relaxed and self-confident person who didn't care about people's opinions and how he was viewed by them, especially his father.

"Alright, alright, don't need to beat me up with the balloons again..." Jungkook retorted nonchalantly, lifting his hand as a sign of admission of defeat "I apologise, Seokjin, for using your phobia to make fun of you, I also apologise for upsetting Taehyung, I didn't realise he cared so much about you"

"I think the silly bunny didn't understand what I said a minute ago..." Taehyung remarked vexingly as he got a step closer to Jungkook, not liking his insinuations, even though he slightly cared about Seokjin, again, like his blushing, the younger wasn't going to admit that out loud "I said apologise, preferably without spewing nonsense, how about you try again, huh, Jungkookie?"

"It's okay, Taehyung, I'm sure Jungkook already learned his lesson, unless, he wants to be smacked again, this time by me" Seokjin said complacently, enjoying, once again, Jungkook's astounded facial expression, however, he needed to show his best friend that he couldn't simply spew nonsense, like Taehyung amusingly put it, and joke about his phobia without facing any consequences. The dark-haired male gazed at Taehyung, who stubbornly didn't let the balloons go while throwing daggers at Jungkook, feeling also stunned for seeing the younger fulfilling the promise he made to him. He averted his attention to Taehyung's left hand, noticing it slightly redder than that morning, probably going around smacking Jungkook with a balloon wasn't exactly the smartest idea, still he appreciate the gesture "Your hand seems a little bit swollen, Taehyung, does it hurt? Do you need to apply ice?"

"Hum, no, I mean, it still is sensitive..." Taehyung was caught off guard, not only by Seokjin's concern for his injury, but also by his casual conduct towards Jungkook, especially when not long ago he was bitching about filling up the balloons, it was interesting to see the older male's other sides, or maybe, this was Seokjin's true self, that could explain how surprised the naughty bunny was in that instant "A-After the party, I'm going to apply ice and put the ointment, d-don't worry..."

Jungkook was quietly observing the interaction between Seokjin and Taehyung, feeling like a third wheel of some sort as he saw his best friend delicately grasping the younger's hand, who absentmindedly let go of the balloons he was holding. The black-haired male couldn't ignore Taehyung's body language, noticing his cheeks sprinkled with a light shade of pink, his lips pressed together, his shining eyes staring at his slightly swollen hand, probably avoiding locking his gaze with Seokjin. Jungkook found it interesting how the relationship between the two males was blossoming, guessing the time they spent together during the weekend was indeed the reason behind their closeness which made him believe even more that something meaningful had occurred, not only that, Taehyung's defensiveness was also a hint.

The sight itself made Jungkook reflect on the conversation he had with Yoongi on the night of their first date, particularly, the conversation about the possibility of Taehyung developing feelings for Seokjin. Jungkook himself told Yoongi that incompatibility didn't mean two people, who had different personalities and views of the world, couldn't get attached to each other, and, eventually, fall in love, and apparently, in Taehyung and Seokjin's case, the probability of that scenario coming true, in his opinion, was higher than he thought, not because the younger was acting bashfully with his best friend's caring demeanour, but also the way Seokjin was treating and worrying about him, how he was genuinely concern about his injury, it simply didn't match this best friend's character.

Jungkook knew that maybe he was jumping to conclusions and probably looking too much into the two males' interaction, however, Seokjin was slowly stepping out from his father's shadow and embracing the person he truly was, if his best friend was finally coming to his senses, Jungkook believed Seokjin could potentially show interest in Taehyung.

"Are you okay there, Taehyung, your hand doesn't seem the only thing bright red, you look a little bit flushed, is that because of you chasing me?" Jungkook questioned wittily as he tilted his head, attempting to provoke Taehyung once again, maybe it was a mistake, nonetheless, it was stronger than him, he was playful by nature. The black-haired male was able to grab the younger's attention, seeing his cheeks turning crimson and his brows creasing "Or maybe Seokjin's kindness and his touch made your heart flutter again, just like when he gifted you a flower, that c-"

Jungkook stopped mid-sentence when he saw Taehyung harshly breaking free from Seokjin's grip and fetching two more colourful balloons from the floor and, unlike the younger's eyes earlier, the gaze cast upon him was deadlier, resembling the stare of a wild animal as it hunted for its prey.

"I guess we are having silly bunny for dinner tonight..." Taehyung professed menacingly, squinting his eyes at Jungkook, who was smiling at him just to taunt him, as he slowly walked towards him "You're so dead..."

Once again, Jungkook started running away from Taehyung, maybe Seokjin wasn't the only one showing his hidden sides, perhaps the younger with pink and blonde hair was a force to be reckoned with as well and the black-haired male made the mistake of messing with him without pondering about the consequences, now he was paying the price for his recklessness and, honestly, Jungkook didn't care because, in the corner of his eye, he managed to catch a glimpse of Seokjin's smile, so whatever punish was waiting for him, it was worth it, just to keep that wide smile on his best friend's face.

Chapter Text

The ecstatic giggles and the euphoric squeals coming from Byeongkwan, Eunkwang and Changsub filled the living room. The three children were running around all over the place trying to escape Soonyoung, who was wearing his headband with tiger ears and doing, as per usual, his best tiger impression to entertain them, since they were a bit restless and also excited to celebrate Hoseok’s birthday, it was the first time Taehyung planned a birthday party and invited the children. While Soonyoung was chasing the three little rascals, Gunhak was helping Hoseok, Jimin and Jaehyun count the dozens of balloons spread on the floor, the blue-haired male knew the reason why he and Soonyoung had the task of entertaining the group of little devils until Yoongi, Jungkook and Hyunjoon came back with Hoseok’s birthday cake was the same reason Taehyung send them to the park, Gunhak guessed his cheerful friend didn’t want to be mocked because of his close relationship with Seokjin.

Both Soonyoung and Gunhak didn’t forget about their bet and they actually found it interesting how Taehyung felt comfortable around Seokjin so suddenly, the same man who aggravated their friend so many times, however, they could see a change in their interaction. The bet started just for fun, Soonyoung and Gunhak were trying to rile up Taehyung, now they seriously believed the possibility of their friend catching feelings for Seokjin and they were waiting for Yoongi’s birthday to confirm their suspicions, especially Soonyoung.

Meanwhile, Taehyung was sitting Indian style on the couch with the children’s mothers, humming excitedly as he took a big bite of one of the strawberry cupcakes made by Mrs Seo, Eunkwang’s mother, who always brought the most delicious and sweetest pastries from her bakery shop, where she was the pastry chef, to their little get-togethers, and even though Taehyung was a big fan of the bakery shop where Seokjin took him, Mrs Seo’s shop was still his favourite. Taehyung gave two thumps up to Mrs Seo as he munched on the pastry, demonstrating that her cupcakes were incredibly delightful, the mom had asked him earlier if he could try out her new recipe for the strawberry cupcakes and, of course, he was thrilled and honoured for being her “guinea pig”.

“These are really yummy, Mrs Seo, you have nothing to worry about” Taehyung said merrily when he finished munching on the piece of cupcake, reaching with his free hand for a paper napkin to clean the remaining creamy frosting from the corners of his mouth “Every time you have a recipe you want to try out, you can count on me”

“Taehyung, you are such a sweetheart, I’m happy my cupcakes are to your liking” Mrs. Seo retorted amusingly, softly stroking Taehyung’s hair. She adored the younger male and admired him for the amazing work he was doing by raising Hoseok “And I’m grateful for your help, I know how much you like pastries, so you were my obvious choice”

“Mrs Seo, I think whatever recipe you want Taehyung to try out, he will always say it’s delicious” Mrs Kim, Jaehyun’s mother, remarked amicably as she took one of the blueberry scones, offering a smile to the elated younger who was taking another bite of the cupcake “And I can’t blame him, everything you bake is out of this world”

“I completely agree with Mrs Kim, in fact, I will stop by your bakery shop this week to buy some of your butter pecan cookies, my Changsub loves them”

“You’re too kind, Mrs Lee” Mrs Seo responded politely, giving Mrs Lee a small smile “Maybe I can bring some in our next get-together, we should start this tradition again, the last one was a little gloomy…”

Taehyung momentarily stopped munching on the cupcake, remembering the last time he and the mothers had been together, it was a few days after he had the first one-night stand with Hongseok. At the time, the pink and blonde younger didn’t feel in the right state of mind to go forward with the little meeting and he did his best to explain the situation, deep down, Taehyung felt comfortable with the older ladies, so he didn’t have an issue telling them what had happened between him and his ex-boyfriend. In the end, the mothers insisted on having the get-together and Mrs Seo brought his favourite pastries, even though Taehyung was feeling blue, they were able to put a smile on his face.

Before he had the opportunity to apologise for bringing down the mood the last time he was with the mothers, Taehyung saw Seokjin approaching and carefully placing down the pot on top of the coaster that was in the middle of the small table. Taehyung himself wanted to prepare the tea, every time he got together with the mothers, he always choose some unique tea to go with the pastries Mrs Seo brought, this time, Taehyung chose the licorice root tea that was naturally sweet, however, Seokjin didn’t let him prepare the tea as he usually did because of his injury, the older male believed that Taehyung could hurt himself again, despite being nice gesture from Seokjin, the younger felt like he could have managed the simple task.

“I could’ve prepared the tea, Seokjin, I might be hurt, but I’m not an invalid…” Taehyung murmured, observing how Seokjin was lifting the pot again this time with the help of a kitchen glove and pouring the tea into the different cups that were also on top of coasters “And before giving me the excuse of the possibility of hurting myself again, remember, it was your fault…”

“You are right, Taehyung, and because I was involuntarily responsible for your injury, I should make sure you don’t hurt yourself again…” Seokjin said nonchalantly, pouring the tea into the last cup. He placed down the pot again and took the kitchen glove, as he sat down next to Taehyung, who was filling his mouth with the remaining strawberry cupcake “You should wait a little bit for the tea to cool down, it’s extremely hot”

“Thank you for the warning, Mr Kim, and please have a pastry, you probably are a man who likes to take care of himself, but today is a special day” Mrs Kim, Byeongkwan’s mother, grabbed the plate with lemon bars and extended in Mr Kim’s direction, she could see how the man was slightly hesitant, but, in the end, he took one of the pastries “We are so please to meet you, Mr Kim, we never had the opportunity to get to know each other, we understand you are a busy man, nevertheless, our boys are friends now, you should join us from time to time”

“I agree with you, Mrs Kim, Seokjin here should join us in our future get-togethers, he needs to socialise more and, he also needs to get over his aversion to sweets, he’s always scolding me for eating sugary treats…” Taehyung stated, as he pouted, recollecting all the times Seokjin reprimanded him for eating a sweet, sometimes it was quite annoying. The pouty younger glanced at Seokjin, who had abruptly stopped munching the lemon bar, noticing his eyes widening while blankly staring at the pastry and his facial expression was screaming astonishment “Seokjin, are you okay?”

“I’m sorry, I, ah, I don’t usually eat sweets or pastries, and the reason is not that I have an aversion to them, Taehyung, it’s like Mrs Kim said, I like to take care of myself, so I don’t like to consume products with too much sugar, but these lemon bars…” Seokjin noted amazingly, not really expecting to taste something so delicious. As a person who didn’t care much about cakes and pastries like Taehyung, the dark-haired male didn’t have the habit of eating any type of dessert, however, despite his uncertainty by tasting the pastry, he was caught off guard by Mrs Seo’s lemon bars “These lemon bars are just perfect, they are not too sweet and there’s this lemony flavour that isn’t too strong”

“Mr Kim, I’m truly flatter with your words, I’m glad you like it, especially for someone who normally doesn’t eat pastries, you are too kind” Mrs Seo spoke gracefully, smiling kindly at Mr Kim. Before she had the impression the man was rude and cold, there was always some gossip flying around about him and his son, not only that, a few weeks ago she witnessed an altercation between Mr Kim and Taehyung, catching a glimpse of the younger crying, in the end, Mr Kim was the total opposite, Mrs Seo guessed you should never judge a book by its cover “You know, a friend of my husband has a farm not very far from our district, I get the freshest fruit from there, they have the most beautiful fruit trees I have ever seen and they take good care of them”

“Fruit trees require a lot of work, I have a few of them on my property, I can’t take care of them, I have someone who does it for me” Seokjin added absentmindedly, reminiscing about the few times he and his grandmother had to go to the back of the property where he currently lived to get some apples for her apple pie, she was constantly saying that a recipe should have the best ingredients and it should be made with a lot of love “You know if you ever need fruit for your recipes, I wouldn’t mind providing them for you”

“You have fruit trees?” Taehyung asked mesmerizingly, staring at Seokjin excitedly. He never had the opportunity to explore the outside of the property, given the place was huge, still the younger male with colourful hair was extremely curious to explore the exterior and he was hoping Seokjin could take him to his property again and show it to him “Seokjin, you have to take me to your property again, you showed me the inside, I want to explore the outside”

“I knew it!”

Taehyung groaned when he heard Soonyoung’s loud voice coming from behind him, completely forgetting that his annoying friends were present and he didn’t actually confirm that he stayed at Seokjin’s mansion when he ghosted everyone, even though they were pretty confident about their suspicions, nevertheless, Taehyung wasn’t going to tell them about his stay, let along the events that unfolded during that time. He turned his head back, watching Soonyoung and Gunhak high-fiving each other and smirking, making him glare at them intensively, now he was sure his friends were going to continue their meddling and teasing, Taehyung was screwed.

“So, you already went to Mr Kim’s property, Taehyung, I didn’t know you were that close to each other” Mrs Lee pointed out very casually, observing Taehyung’s reaction to her remark “I usually see you two together in the morning, but I didn’t know you were close friends”

“You said Mr Kim isn’t very social, Taehyung, but it doesn’t seem like that…” Mrs Kim, Jaehyun’s mother, said suspiciously while trying to control her will to chuckle when she noticed Taehyung averting his gaze from them “Didn’t you say Mr Kim offered his help to decorate the living room for the party because of your injury? Also, Mr Kim said he hurt you unintentionally which means you were spending time together”

(I should keep my mouth shut sometimes, now I just made a mess…)

Taehyung chewed on his bottom lip as he thought about what he could say to remediate the situation and not give the wrong impression, Soonyoung and Gunhak already had that task, aside from the one that consisted in embarrassed him every time they could, especially when the subject involved Seokjin.

“Oh, Mrs Lee, Taehyung and Mr Kim are pretty close friends…” Soonyoung stated indifferently with a hint of mischievousness, as he crouch down, taking the headband with the tiger ears off. He placed the headband on top of Byeongkwan’s head, earning an excited squeal from the little one, who immediately started running after Eunkwang and Changsub, at the same time he smiled at the kid’s reaction. Soonyoung focused on Taehyung, and his gentle smile turned into a malicious one, he couldn’t see his friend’s facial expression, but he bet that he was probably dying from embarrassment at that instant “Did you know Tae refers to Mr Kim as Jinnie? I, personally, think it's adorable, don’t you think, Gu?”

“Oh, yes, I definitely agree” Gunhak played along with Soonyoung’s game, wanting so much to embarrass his friend as revenge for hiding the fact that he indeed had stayed on Seokjin’s property after ghosting them and refusing to tell them about it, now Taehyung had to face the consequences. The blue-haired male glanced at Soonyoung, neither of them could stop smirking, especially when they saw the mothers’ reaction to their remarks, they seemed caught by surprise, but also amused with the information revealed “And Mrs. Kim, Tae doesn’t like to admit, but he enjoys the time he spends with Mr. Kim, in fact, he thinks highly of him, the other day he even said Mr. Kim was attractive and, despite him having a temper, he considers him a very nice man”

“What!? There’s no way I said that out loud!” Taehyung exclaimed loudly as he turned around once again to face both Soonyoung and Gunhak, not believing the words pouring out of their big mouths that apparently they couldn’t keep shut. The younger male didn’t remember telling them how he referred to Seokjin as “Jinnie” and, more importantly, he would never comment on the older male’s appearance and how thoughtful he was towards him, especially to his meddling friends, unless he was out of his mind. Suddenly, something clicked inside Taehyung’s mind and regret quickly washed over him “U-Unless, I-I was…”

Taehyung averted his gaze from Soonyoung and Gunhak, who had the most obnoxious smiles, and placed his hands on his face as he groaned for the second time that day while trying, simultaneously, to hide his bashfulness. It seemed that Taehyung was a blab mouth when he got himself drunk, he usually let go of his inhibitions and just had fun without thinking properly, like he couldn’t control his brain and every single thought he kept safely hidden inside his mind would simply fly out of his mouth and that was exactly what happened with Taehyung when he was drunk out of his ass the night he went to the bar with Soonyoung and Gunhak which ended up in him telling them, somehow, about the nickname he had for Seokjin and how he truly thought about him.

Saying he was embarrassed was an understatement, Taehyung was mortified and hearing the mothers’ giggles didn’t help his case, not only that, Seokjin was right there by his side. The male with pink and blonde hair slowly uncovered his face and shyly glanced at the dark-haired male, who seemed unbothered while enjoying the lemon bar.

(Why is he so relaxed about this?)

“Taehyung, sweetie, you have been hiding so much from us” Mrs Kim, Byeongkwan’s mother, remarked cheerfully, attempting to contain her amusement to not upset Taehyung even more, the poor boy seemed flustered “Any comments about the matter, Mr Kim, I’m curious about your opinion?”

“Taehyung likes to express what goes on his mind quite frequently and I'm no exception, he doesn’t have a problem pinpointing my qualities and my flaws, mainly, my flaws, so I’m not surprised he spoke to his friends about me, the same is with me, I don’t have a problem expressing my opinion about him” Seokjin responded calmly, not understanding why Taehyung’s friends decided to mention that information, not that he didn’t know what the younger with those ridiculous hair colours truly thought of him, the other himself shared his opinion about him when he told him he knew how to cook. Either way, Seokjin decided to have some fun at Taehyung’s expense since the younger, while they, alongside Jungkook, were decorating the living room, was mocking him and his hard work “About the nickname, I also told Taehyung I wasn’t fond of it and I didn’t like when he called me that publicly, however, he explained to me that having a nickname means you are close to someone, it’s endearing, so I let him be”

“Endearing, you say?” Mrs Lee remarked curiously as she cautiously picked up the teacup, wanting to check if the tea had already cool down enough to drink it. The older lady took a sip of the tea and hummed with its sweet taste, discreetly glimpsing at Taehyung who seemed stunned, maybe he wasn’t expecting Mr Kim to be so honest “Well, Taehyung, I think we all agree with your friends, the nickname is adorable”

“You see, Tae, now you can call Mr Kim by his nickname since he doesn’t mind you doing it in front of other people”

“Yes, like Soo said, Tae, and now you don’t have to pretend like you aren’t close to each other and don’t spend time together” Gunhak stated amusingly, having the greatest time of his life, even though he knew he had to deal with Taehyung’s grumpiness in the near future, he still thought it was worth it and, seemingly, Mr Kim didn’t have a problem with his and Soonyoung’s comments “You should tell Mrs Seo about the bakery shop you usually go with Mr Kim, remember the one I advised him to take you when both of you weren’t in good terms?”

“Gunhak, I don’t think it’s the appropriate time to talk about that matter right now, this is a birthday party and I should be catching up with these lovely ladies here, not talking about my nickname for Seokjin or where I spent my time with him” Taehyung retorted as peaceful as possible, as he grabbed another delicious strawberry cupcake, not wanting to discuss anything related to his and Seokjin’s relationship which seemed to be the topic everyone liked to talk about “And talking about a birthday party, maybe I should call-“

Before he was able to finish his sentence, Taehyung heard the sound coming from the pad outside, meaning Yoongi, Jungkook and Hyunjoon were finally back with Hoseok’s birthday cake, it also meant he could have a break from the awkward conversation they were having, thankfully.

***

Taehyung smiled as he began to light up the pretty and colourful birthday candles that spelt “Happy Birthday” on Hoseok’s cake, admiring how simple yet beautiful it was. It was a double-layer chocolate cake with chocolate frosting between the layers, covered with white frosting and decorated with buttercream swirls and rainbow sprinkles that were both on top and on the sides. When Yoongi and Jungkook unveiled the cake, Hoseok squealed and giggled, along with the other little ones, and Taehyung swore he never saw his little sunshine smiling so brightly as he did in that instant, even right now while finishing lightening up the candles, the younger with colourful hair through his peripheral vision could see that gorgeous smile adorning Hoseok’s heart-shaped lips.

Taehyung placed the lighter on top of the table, right next to the cake, and took a glance at Hoseok, who was in Namjoon’s embrace with his small arms around their older brother’s neck, staring eagerly at his cake, once again, the scenery almost brought tears to the younger’s eyes. Even though he promised himself and that vicious woman that he would raise his baby brother, knowing the sacrifices he had to make, Taehyung was glad he had the opportunity to rising Hoseok with Namjoon, Yoongi and Seunghee’s help, and have the opportunity to witness his little sunshine grow up into the beautiful and astounding person he was today. Taehyung admitted that at the beginning he was pretty doubtful about his ability to take care of a newborn at the age of nineteen, nevertheless, he didn’t want to go back on his promise afraid of the possibility of the woman getting rid of Hoseok. In the end, after everything Taehyung went through while rising Hoseok and despite the sacrifices he had to make along the way, it was worth it, every single one of them was worth it just to see Hoseok living his life happily in a healthy and loving home.

“Happy birthday, my little sunshine, Tae Tae loves you to the moon and back…” Taehyung uttered fondly as he picked up Hoseok from Namjoon’s arms and put down his baby brother on top of one of the chairs from the living room table, because according to him he was a big boy today, although he still enjoyed being in his and Namjoon’s embrace, Taehyung thought he wanted to be seen as a “grown-up” in front of everyone, especially Jimin, since he was turning seven that day. The younger with colourful hair carefully wrapped his arms around Hoseok’s small body, giving him a big kiss on his chubby cheek “Now, everyone is going to sing “Happy Birthday” for you to blow out the candles and make a wish, and when I say everyone that includes you, Seokjin”

Taehyung gazed at Seokjin and lightly chuckle when he saw the older male trying his best to not roll his eyes at him as per usual, it was an automatic response to him and his attempts to mess with him, however, since Seokjin was in the middle of a birthday party and he probably didn’t want to come off as rude, he decided it was best to stop himself from reacting like he always did when they were together. The pink and blonde haired male acknowledged Seokjin was still getting accustomed to being around children and participating in those types of events, Taehyung himself, in spite of being comfortable around kids, didn’t have the habit of throwing parties, this was the first time, and the reason for that was the young male, unlike now, couldn’t get along with the parents of the children who were friends with Hoseok back in kindergarten, Seokjin hadn’t been the only one who accused him of not understanding how to raise a child just because he wasn’t a parent and overall judging him.

“I love you too, Tae Tae, and I love Joon hyung, Seunghee, Yoonie, Kookie…”

While Hoseok was numbering all the people he loved dearly, Taehyung and the rest of the guests attending the birthday party couldn’t help but laugh out loud at his baby brother’s cuteness and the fact he was counting his loved ones with his fingers. When he was about to tell everyone that they were going to sing “Happy birthday”, Taehyung felt someone pulling the hem of his sweatshirt, probably to get his attention. He looked down and saw Byeongkwan staring at him and smiling, the younger with colourful hair had to admit, the little one seemed even more adorable while wearing Soonyoung’s tiger headband.

“What’s the matter, little tiger?”

Byeongkwan roared as he tried to imitate Soonyoung when he was running after him, Changsub and Eunkwang, making Taehyung and the rest of the guests chortle with his tiger impression. “Tae Tae, we need to turn off the lights first before singing “Happy Birthday”, because if you don’t do it, Hobi’s wish won’t come true”

“Is that true?” Taehyung asked wittily, pretending to act amazed by Byeongkwan’s remark as he glanced between the group of little devils and his baby brother. He noticed the children nodding their heads vigorously like they actually believed if the lights weren’t off, Hoseok’s wish wouldn’t come true and Taehyung honestly found their innocence amusing. The younger smiled wholeheartedly as he turned his attention to Jungkook with the purpose of asking him to do him the favour of turning off the lights, however, when he was about to do it, he noticed Seokjin already heading towards the switches, making him genuinely happy to see the older male trying his best to include himself in the festivities “Thank you, Seokjin, but you still have to sing “Happy Birthday”, don’t think you can get away from that just because you are being nice and helpful”

This time, Taehyung was able to catch Seokjin rolling his eyes at him and, once again, he couldn’t help but chuckle at his reaction to his provocations that had the purpose of helping Seokjin to get out of his shell and be comfortable with the person he truly was, Taehyung was certain that people would enjoy seeing the older male’s true self and hopefully Hoseok’s birthday party could be a nice start. After the lights went out, Taehyung heard the group of children gasping and wowing because the strings of lights that were decorating the living room were sparkling brightly, turning the place even more magical than it already was. He tightened his grasp around Hoseok’s body, reaching for his small hands as he cautiously placed his chin on his baby brother’s shoulder, he couldn’t see his face, but Taehyung knew how thunderstruck his little sunshine was with the tiny lights surrounding them that resembled tiny fireflies.

“Look, Joonie, they look like fireflies, just like the candles!” Hoseok exclaimed excitedly, giggling out loud “So pretty!”

“Yeah, baby, they really look a lot like fireflies” Namjoon retorted merrily, enjoying seeing Hoseok and Taehyung happy, especially after the hardships they had to go through to reach where they were now. He admired Taehyung and he was proud of him for rising Hoseok with the same principles and beliefs their mother taught them “Little sunshine, you need to blow out the candles, if you want to eat cake and open presents, don’t you want to open the presents?”

Hoseok nodded, squealing as he turned his attention to the birthday cake. “Let’s sing “Happy Birthday!”

After hearing how Hoseok was excited to taste his birthday cake and open his gifts, Taehyung began to sing “Happy Birthday” and instantly people followed his lead by singing along with him joyfully while clapping their hands. As discreetly as possible, the younger with colourful hair took a peek at Seokjin, who was standing in the far back, near the island counter, awkwardly clapping his hands, Taehyung could see how the older male wasn’t completely at ease, once again, he knew he wasn’t accustomed to children, let along events that were related to them, but Seokjin was making an effort, not only he was doing everything in his power to improve his relationship with Jimin, he was also considerate of his son’s friends and, amazingly, their mothers.

Taehyung released Hoseok’s small hands when the song was coming to an end, sensing his baby brother’s excitement to blow out the cakes through his cheerful giggles that filled the living room, even though everyone was singing loudly and enthusiastically, the only sound Taehyung could capture were those beautiful and sweet giggles. The moment everyone finished singing “Happy Birthday”, Taehyung held on to Hoseok’s waist as he leaned forward to blow out the semi-melted candles, noticing the wax almost reaching the cake since they took a lot longer than he expected, nonetheless, the only thing that matter was that Hoseok, along with the people currently present in his house, was having a good time.

Hoseok blew out the candles as hard as he could to make sure every single one of them was out and smiled widely at his small accomplishment while people were clapping their hands once again. He turned his head back to face Taehyung, earning another kiss on his cheek from him.

“Tae Tae, can I make a wish, now, can I?”

Taehyung loved how eager Hoseok was to make a wish, along with the group of little cuties, who share the same keenness, not understanding why the children were asking him permission to do such a thing, like he was the one who was going to grant his little sunshine’s wish, however, whatever it was, Taehyung would move heaven and earth just to make Hoseok’s wish come true. The pink and blonde haired male momentarily stared at the purple bracelet on his left wrist that the group of children offered to him the day Jimin fainted as he reminisced about the words Yoongi spoke to him regarding the way the little ones viewed him – Taehyung was considered their living guardian angel – and he truly felt contented to be seen like that by the little ones, at least, in their eyes, Taehyung was someone they could count on and cherish, someone who was always there by their side to guide them.

“Of course, you can my little sunshine…” Taehyung spoke quietly as he wrapped his arms once again around Hoseok’s body, tilting his head forward to be able to see his baby brother’s cute face “Close your eyes and make a wish, but you can’t say it out loud, or it won’t come true…”

Hoseok nodded with conviction, really wanting his wish to come true, or better yet, wishes to come true. He closed his eyes and, as fast as he could, he whispered to himself the various wishes he was saving inside his heart, wishes about all the people who were currently in his life – his brothers, Seunghee, Yoongi, Jungkook, Seokjin, his group of friends, Gunhak and Soonyoung – and, also about his parents. The blonde boy didn’t understand the situation, but despite knowing that his mother couldn’t keep him, he still wanted to meet her and his dad, he guessed he was too young to fully comprehend the reason why his brothers were the ones who were taking care of him.

A brief moment passed and Hoseok finally opened his eyes, when he did, the lights turned on, making his eyes hurt a little bit, but only for a short while. “Tae Tae, I want to open my gifts now!”

Taehyung lifted Hoseok up, helping him to get down from the chair, finding it odd how his little sunshine was dying to open the gifts instead of devouring the cake he so desperately wanted to try earlier when Jungkook and Yoongi showed it to him, even Taehyung himself after munching on a few pastries Mrs Seo brought to their get-together, yearned to taste Hoseok’s birthday cake. He crouched down and gave his baby brother and the group of little devils a small smile, curious to know which present Hoseok wanted to open first, Taehyung had a pretty good hunch about the one his young brother was going to pick.

“Hobi, sweetie, which gift do you want to open first?”

“I-I want to open Jiminie’s gift first…” Hoseok responded timidly, pointing at the yellowish bag with smiling emojis, decorated with an orange ribbon “He said his dad helped him with it…”

“Is that so?” Taehyung asked in an astonishing tone, as he glimpsed at Seokjin, who was averting his gaze from him while clearing his throat, was he embarrassed? He lifted himself up, his eyes still on the older male, and apparently he wasn’t the only one, Yoongi and Jungkook were also surprised by Hoseok’s revelation “If that’s the case, why won’t Mr Kim join us on the couch while Hobi unwraps Jiminie’s gift? Is that okay with you, sweethearts?”

The group of children nodded their heads as they swiftly ran towards the couch, giggling ecstatically.

While Taehyung, along with Seokjin and the children’s mother, dealt with Hoseok and the little devils, Yoongi was responsible to cut the cake, and Seunghee and Jungkook had the task to fetch the plates from the cabinets and the silverware. Namjoon, however, was watching from the sidelines, Taehyung insisted that his older brother stayed input, afraid that he would move and break something, given his past experiences, Taehyung was certain if Namjoon touched something he shouldn’t, the probability of a disaster occurring would increase. Taehyung, with the help of Mrs Seo and Mrs Lee, brought a few of Hoseok’s gifts, the only one that wasn’t there was the gift his father gave to him that morning. Every single birthday, the younger decided to give that particular gift to his little sunshine in private and, against his better judgment, he always told him that came from their father, of course, Taehyung was bombarded with questions and every time he had to explain he was too young to understand and make the promise of telling him when he got older and, like the adorable baby he was every year, Hoseok would ask him if he was old enough.

Taehyung placed the different and colourful gift bags on top of the table as he watched the children getting comfortable on the couch. As he grabbed Jimin’s gift bag, he noticed the interaction between Hoseok and Jimin, seeing his little sunshine grabbing the brunette’s small patched hand in a loving manner, at the same time, he was trying to contain himself and his hysterical behaviour, there was no doubt in his mind that Hoseok cherished Jimin in a special way. Taehyung got closer to Hoseok and gave him the gift, he had to admit that the fact Seokjin helped Jimin make his baby brother’s gift made him feel really proud and also made him laugh at the image of the older male clumsily standing by his son’s side while attempting to express how much he cared about him, it was kind of cute.

“C’mon, little sunshine, I bet everyone is curious to know what Jimin made for you” Taehyung said amusingly as delicately pinched Hoseok’s cheek, watching him opening the bag with a smile. He glanced at Seokjin, who was acting like the ice sculpture he was and made his way towards him, giving him a playful shove “I can’t believe you actually helped your son with the gift, Seokjin, it’s pretty amazing if I’m being honest”

“My mother told me Jimin was having some difficulty with Hoseok’s gift, so she suggested that I should assist him…” Seokjin remarked casually, observing Hoseok carefully unwrapping the notebook Jimin prepared for him “She, ah, she also may or may not say that it was what you would want me to do to get closer to Jimin, even if I’m still struggling on doing so…”

“Yeah, I would have said that to you for sure, Jinnie, glad you follow her advice” Taehyung retorted in a cheery tone, as he glanced at Seokjin, hearing the children wondering about Hoseok’s gift “You are almost levelling up from ice sculpture to funny snowman, you should be happy with your accomplishment”

“I was serious this morning, Taehyung, you should find a hobby to entertain yourself instead of coming up with names that are as ridiculous as your hair colours” Seokjin commented nonchalantly, noticing Taehyung glaring at him “Or, if you prefer, I can always speak to your friends about your interests, they seem quite knowledgeable about your clothing preference, I imagine they know a lot more about you”

“Remember when I said I could be really annoying when I’m hungry? Try speaking with my friends about my interests and you will see what happens, Jinnie” Taehyung stated menacingly as stabbed a finger at Seokjin’s arm, seeing him pressing his lips into a thin line, maybe he already levelled up to funny snowman because he was being quite the comedian, not that Taehyung wasn’t enjoying that side of Seokjin, he just couldn’t let him be around his friends for obvious reasons “You know what I did to Jungkookie, I’m not afraid of doing the same to you, even with my injured hand, now, you meanie, if you already had fun at my expense, I’m going to see what your cutie pie gifted to my little sunshine”

Taehyung walked away from Seokjin, noticing the man trying his best to control his will to burst out laughing, his threatening speech apparently didn’t scare Seokjin in the slightest, well, he just told the older male he didn’t mind running after him with two balloons in his hands, in front of everyone, including his noisy and annoying friends, Hyunjoon and Yoongi, who had some sort of not so secret club where they discussed his close relationship with Seokjin, probably not the best idea ever. The younger with pink and blonde hair stuck his tongue out at Seokjin, before turning his full attention to Hoseok, who was still flipping through the several pages of the notebook, Taehyung could see how he loved Jimin’s gift, as expected.

“Tae Tae, Jiminie gave me a notebook full of new words for me to learn and with drawings underneath them for me to colour” Hoseok said enthusiastically as he flipped to the very first page of the notebook to show to Taehyung “Look, the first one has the word sunshine and below there’s a sun with a big smile”

(Is the grinning sunshine supposed to be Hoseok?)

“It’s a really nice gift, did you really make this yourself with your dad’s help, Jiminie?”

“Y-Yes…” Jimin replied bashfully, smiling nervously as he fidgeted with his fingers. He was frightened of the possibility of Hoseok not liking his gift or finding it boring, so he was truly happy to see his friend so thrilled “I-I didn’t have enough words to fill the notebook, so my grandma told me that father wanted to help me…”

“Well, you and your dad did an amazing job, and I’m proud of both of you, you are a great team” Taehyung said light-heartedly as he brushed a few threads of hair from Jimin’s eyes, watching them sparkling so intensively, knowing that Seokjin was responsible for his son’s smile at that moment. He looked at Hoseok and held one of his hands, giving it a soft squeeze “Baby, what do you say to Jiminie and Mr Kim for the gift”

“Thank you, Mr Kim!” Hoseok shrieked elatedly as he briefly looked at Mr Kim, flashing a wide smile at him. He, then, turned to Jimin and, like on Valentine’s Day, he felt somewhat nervous, especially when his cute friend with small hands had that big smile on his face that almost made his eyes disappear “And t-thank you, Jiminie, I really love your gift, it’s c-cute and p-pretty, j-just like y-you…”

“Y-You’re welcome, Hobi…” Jimin uttered fidgety as he gazed at Hoseok timidly, blushing with the endearing words his cheerful friend had just spoken to him. The brunette boy felt Hoseok, who still had a bright smile on his face, reaching for his hand again and slowly intertwining their fingers, making him even more nervous, but he was slowly getting used to it. Jimin leaned forward and kissed Hoseok’s cheek, just like his friend did on Valentine’s Day, catching him by surprise, he just wanted to show him how much he treasured him and his friendship “Y-You’re c-cute and pretty t-too…”

Taehyung couldn’t help but coo as he observed Hoseok’s reaction to Jimin’s unexpected kiss, already knowing that this wasn’t the first time the short boy kissed his baby brother’s cheek, still, it was surprising since Jimin was a shy and quiet child. Seemingly, the younger with colourful hair wasn’t the only one melting with the sweet interaction between Hoseok and Jimin, he could hear the other children silently giggling and their respective mothers whispering gleefully as they commented how cute his little sunshine and the brunette boy were and how their display of affection was truly heart-warming, Taehyung might or might not hear some of the mothers suggesting how Hoseok and Jimin would be an adorable couple when they grow up and the young male had to agree, even though he didn’t know what the future held for his baby brother, he was hoping the bond between him and Jimin could flourish into something more than friendship, but again, only time would tell.

Chapter Text

Seokjin was leaning against the wall, right next to the door of Taehyung's apartment, he had received a call from his father in the middle of the birthday party, so he had to excuse himself to take it. Even though attending a child's birthday party wasn't exactly his cup of tea, he was enjoying himself, especially if he had the opportunity to see Jimin's smile, a smile that he loved to see, it was a way to reassure Seokjin that he was doing the right thing for once, even if it meant he was going against his father's back. The dark-haired male didn't regret making his own decisions regarding Jimin, just like he didn't regret defending himself and his son, but according to his father, what he did was talk back at him and be disrespectful, and as he anticipated, Seokjin was going to suffer the consequences of his actions.

Seokjin let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, trying not to let his emotions get the best of him. Even after recently speaking to his father about him not wanting to go on dates and not needing a female presence in his home, he still went forward with the idea and told him, when they were talking on the phone, that he was making arrangements for him and the woman, the one he told him at the time, to go on a date in the near future, something Seokjin really wasn't looking forward, luckily for him, said woman had a busy schedule and wasn't available so soon, that or she wasn't interested in going on a date with him and was stalling, Seokjin was hoping for the latter.

The conversation between him and his father made the dark-haired male replay the moment Hoseok and Jimin shared when his son gave the other boy his handmade gift. Seokjin knew both of the boys were still children, nonetheless, the interaction itself and the comments professed by the mothers of Jimin's friends about his son and Hoseok being a couple when they grow up genuinely made him anxious and worried. He already went through so much when he was a teenager and a young adult and had to make so many sacrifices just to appease his father, who refused to accept him for the person he was now and in the past, Seokjin was able to endure it, but what about Jimin? If his son was already seen as weak in his father's eyes just because he fainted in school and for not having his last name, he could only imagine if Jimin actually turned out like him in the future.

Seokjin was still getting to know Jimin and trying his best to establish a relationship with him, it was too early to think ahead which was ironic since his objective as Jimin's father was to prepare him to take his place and continue the Kim legacy, something that definitely wasn't going to happen. He assured Jimin that he was going to support him no matter what and Seokjin was going to make sure he kept his word by not repeating the same mistakes his father made, he himself told Taehyung he wanted to be different, to break the pattern, break the old-fashioned mentality of the Kim family and their meaningless traditions, and be a role model for Jimin by giving him the courage and the strengthen he lacked when he was younger.

Seokjin ran his fingers through his hair, sighing heavily as he tried to calm himself down, the last thing he wanted was to lash out at someone and since he couldn't simply pull Jungkook out of the party to speak to him, he decided to stay outside for a few minutes until he was fine to go back inside the apartment.

While he was doing his best to distract himself from the overwhelming thoughts that continuously bombarded his mind and soothe the overpowering feelings of rage and frustration towards his father, Seokjin heard the sound of the elevator from the end of the hallway, announcing its arrival. When he saw who was getting out of the elevator, he instantly frowned, even though he didn't know him that well, Seokjin still couldn't believe the audacity he had to simply come and show up, especially after everything that unfolded a few days ago.

"What are you doing here?"

"I should be the one asking you that question, shouldn't I?" Seokjin questioned knowingly as he straightened himself, attempting to keep the conversation civilise, but apparently the other male's aggressive tone suggested otherwise. He casually walked towards the angry young male, who had a colourful bag in one of his hands, and stared at him right in the eyes "Hongseok, that's your name, right? I can see from the bag you are carrying that you want to give Hoseok his gift, but don't you think it's insensitive and, honestly, thoughtless of you to show up at Taehyung's house after what happened between you two?"

"What happened between Taehyung and I is our business, not yours" Hongseok responded angrily, strongly curling his fingers around the straps of the bag he was carrying. The first time he saw the guy in the suit, Seokjin, if he remembered correctly, he knew he should have been cautious of him, especially if he was around Taehyung frequently "Now, can you get the hell out of my way?"

Seokjin was having none of that, he didn't care if Hongseok was there only to give Hoseok his gift, but to do such a thing he needed to speak to Taehyung first and he knew the younger with those atrocious hair colours was going to be upset with his ex-boyfriend's sudden appearance for obvious reasons, seeing his father that day was already hard on Taehyung.

"Do really think I'm going to let you speak to Taehyung after what happened? You are mistaken" Seokjin retorted solemnly, noticing Hongseok get even more agitated. He truly didn't like to intrude on other people's private lives, but it was like Namjoon said to him the day before, sometimes, he needed to intervene, Seokjin was doing the same for Taehyung's sake, knowing how troubled he was after he had, for the second time, one night stand with his ex-boyfriend "Instead, I can give your gift to Hoseok in your behalf, this way, Taehyung won't be upset"

Hongseok was losing his patience with Seokjin, he didn't know the guy so, how dare he mess with him and prevent him from seeing Taehyung and Hoseok, especially Hoseok? He missed the little boy and he hadn't had the chance to see him since the break-up, not only because of his job, but also because he wanted to give Taehyung some space after everything that occurred between them. After the conversation he had with Taehyung after the night they slept together, Hongseok, at first, was certain that the beautiful male didn't have feelings towards Seokjin, that was until he saw through the window the man who was currently in front of him, standing outside his building, waiting for Taehyung, probably to give him a ride. Hongseok wasn't very happy, on the other hand, he needed to be understanding since he and Taehyung weren't a couple anymore, at least for now, he still was hopeful the other male would change his mind.

"It's funny, I asked Tae the morning after we slept together if the reason why he didn't want to give me another chance was because he had feelings for you, his answer was no..." Hongseok uttered forthrightly as he scowled at the man, who seemed confused by his abrupt remark "Honestly, I didn't believe it because he was too stunned after what happened, but I never considered that you could be the one who had feelings for him which makes more sense to me, Taehyung would never date someone like you"

Seokjin couldn't lie, he was genuinely caught by surprise by what Hongseok said about him asking Taehyung if he had feelings for him, that seemed so far-fetched, even when they shared a kiss and the younger unashamedly told him he didn't regret reciprocating it, Seokjin still didn't believe such a thing could happen, for several reasons. Not wanting to dwell on that matter, he decided it was best to clarify his current relationship with Taehyung to the annoyed male, not that he had the obligation to do it, Seokjin just wanted to clear any misunderstandings.

"I don't think it's funny to meddle in Taehyung's business or ask him if he has feelings for someone when you are no longer in a relationship and, not that I have to justify myself, but my relationship with Taehyung is not the romantic type, although..." Seokjin pondered if he should say what was crossing his mind at that instant since he was always holding back, nevertheless, he had the right to share his opinion on the matter, if Hongseok could make insinuations, he could speak truthfully "He would probably be happier if he dated a person like me, someone who has maturity, who is loyal, and above all, who is faithful"

"Don't act like a smartass with me, Seokjin, that's your name, right? And I might have cheated on Taehyung, but it doesn't mean I don't love or care about him, quite the opposite, I'm still in love with him and I know, deep down, he still loves me too, I could see the sparkle in his beautiful eyes" Hongseok stated in a threatening tone, already having enough of the conversation, he was there to see Hoseok, not to talk with that arrogant son of a bitch "And your relationship with Taehyung might be friendly, but I don't believe that you see him just as a friend, you are being so protective of him, makes me think otherwise"

"I couldn't care less about what you do or do not believe and, once again, I don't have to justify myself, especially to you, but I will humour you, the reason why I'm being so protective towards Taehyung like you so cleverly put it, it's because what happened between you two upset him and you are the last person he wants to see right now" Seokjin argued logically, hoping Hongseok, who apparently was dumber than he thought, could finally understand why it was a bad idea for him to speak to Taehyung. He knew how devastated and fragile the younger was after he picked him up, and that was why he felt regretful about kissing Taehyung, at least, he felt that way until the other male with obnoxious hair colours told him he didn't regret reciprocating it "Another thing, how can someone claim that loves another person and cares for them after cheating on them? If you truly loved Taehyung, you wouldn't have cheated on him, so it's quite hypocritical of you to profess those words to me"

Hongseok sighed heavily as he momentarily closed his eyes, attempting to stop himself from punching the stuck-up asshole who was in front of him, not knowing how much of that he could take because he was seriously reaching his limit. His true intentions were not to stir the delicate situation between him and Taehyung, against his wishes, Hongseok decided to comply with the beautiful male's request and keep away from him, however, he had a purpose for coming to Taehyung's apartment, and Hoseok's birthday wasn't the only one, he truly needed to speak to other male and assure him.

"Look, I really don't give a fuck about what you think or say about me or about my feelings for Taehyung, like a stuck-up and narcissistic guy like you would know how love feels, also like I said before, what happened between Taehyung and me it's our business and I don't remember asking for your opinion..." Hongseok spoke gallingly as he got closer to Seokjin, clenching both of his fists. He wasn't a violent person, he actually abominated people who resorted to violence to resolve a certain matter, however, his patience was running out, as was time, Hongseok needed to hurry up "Now, step aside, I really need to speak to Taehyung and give my gift to Hoseok, I'm on a schedule right now, so I can't stay for long anyway, not that I have to explain myself"

Seokjin simply stared at Hongseok with a deadpan expression, trying his best to control his temper as he shortened the distance between them, he was already in a bad mood, he didn't need to deal with a stubborn young male who was getting on his nerves. Despite not liking the younger man's tone, he couldn't deny what Hongseok just said to him, Seokjin was talking according to logic, not personal experience, he didn't know anything about being in a relationship or loving someone, nevertheless, he believed if someone cheated on their partner was because they no longer loved them and didn't have an interest on being in a relationship with said person.

When he was about to teach Hongseok how to properly address their elders, Seokjin heard the door of the apartment opening, making him turn his head back.

"Seokjin is everything o-" Taehyung stopped talking abruptly as his eyes widened when his gaze landed on Hongseok, wondering why the hell his ex-boyfriend was at his door after their conversation of a few days ago. He quietly closed the door behind him, not wanting anyone, especially Yoongi, to know Hongseok was there, and slowly headed towards the two males who were looking at him attentively. The younger got closer to Seokjin, standing by his side, as he absentmindedly placed his hand on the older male's back, grasping a hand full of his dress shirt "H-Hongseok, w-what the h-hell are you doing here? If it's H-"

"Tae, look..." Hongseok uttered quietly, as he tried to get near Taehyung, but the other just took a step back, glueing himself more against the asshole. He sighed in frustration this time as he ran his fingers through his hair, not wanting to cause any more problems or hurt Taehyung even more, even though it pained him to see him so close to the annoying man "I want to give the little sunshine his gift, but I also want to speak to you about something, preferably in private..."

Whatever Hongseok wanted to talk to him sounded important, nonetheless, Taehyung didn't trust him enough to be with him alone, not after the many times he got caught up in his confusing feelings and let himself be dragged by them to the point of making out with him and actually having a second one-night stand.

"A-After everything, I-I can't be alone with you, Hongseok..." Taehyung retorted calmly, despite being a nervous wreck inside, he was still recuperating from their night together. Aside from that, the younger was dealing with his father's visit as well and the news of him having a five-year-old half-sister, and trying to process that information. He glimpsed at Seokjin, who was staring back at him with an unreadable expression, needing him by his side again "If you want to speak to me, then Seokjin has to stay, otherwise you can simply give your gift to Hoseok and go away..."

"Tae, please-"

"Take it or leave it, Hongseok..." Taehyung interrupted as he spoke more firmly this time, catching Hongseok off guard "You really can't expect me to be with you all alone, do you remember the first time we slept together after our breakup? Or a few weeks ago when I let you inside my house and you wanted just a kiss? Or a few days ago? I don't trust you or myself right now, but I trust Seokjin, so whatever you want to say, just say it..."

Hongseok wasn't very fond of the idea of Seokjin being present while he spoke to Taehyung, but apparently, he didn't have another choice and he honestly needed to speak to the younger with colourful hair, even though the matter of the conversation was kind of personal to him, at least, one of the topics was and yet, he decided to compromise and tried his best to ignore the infuriating man, who, for some reason, seemed stunned.

"Alright, it's fair I guess, even though I'm not happy sharing my personal life with a stranger, but that's not important..." Hongseok rambled as he cautiously took a step forward, glaring intensively at Seokjin. He briefly closed his eyes as he gathered his thoughts, at first glance, what he had to say didn't seem important, but given the situation between him and Taehyung, he felt the necessity to enlighten him "First of all, I want you to know that everything I said to you the other day was true, I still love you and I still want us to give it another try, but you asked me to be apart from you and, despite being difficult for me, I want to respect your wishes, so I, ah, I accepted to have a few photoshoots outside of the country, my agency has been begging me, especially now after the deal was closed, so I'll be gone for a few weeks..."

"O-Okay, I'm glad you decided to accept it..." Taehyung said awkwardly, not knowing exactly what to say. He was genuinely happy for Hongseok, his ex-boyfriend had been working hard to be a model, he went from an Instagram model who posed with simple outfits to a professional model who worked for an agency that only hired the best of the best, and Hongseok was definitely worthy of his current position "So, where are you going and when are you leaving?"

"My first stop is Italy, then I will be going to Paris, next New York for Fashion Week and a couple of other states, New Zealand and my last stop is Japan..." Hongseok stated soothingly, not breaking eye contact with Taehyung as he noticed the curious glint in his enthralling brown eyes "And, ah, I'm leaving in a bit actually, I have a car downstairs, waiting for me to take me to the airport, I just came by to give Hoseok his gift, it's been a while since I saw him and I miss the little guy..."

"R-Right now? That's kind of sudden..." Taehyung exclaimed shockingly, not expecting to hear that Hongseok was about to leave the country in a bit, it seemed so surreal "You should've told me that morning, that way instead of coming here at such short notice, you could have given me Hoseok's gift to save you the trip..."

"I know it's sudden, but I didn't have a choice, Tae, if I wanted to keep my word of staying away from you, I needed to be as far away as possible, so after our conversation, I called my agent and accepted to do the photoshoots outside of the country, that's the reason why I didn't tell you that morning..." Hongseok confessed as he stared at Taehyung fondly, feeling his heart ache with the thought of being so distant from him, but it was the only way because he knew, soon or later, he wouldn't be able to resist temptation and he would go after Taehyung again, the ethereal beauty made him lose all self-control "And besides giving Hoseok his gift, I also wanted to tell you another thing and it had to be face-to-face..."

Taehyung was completely staggered, not believing that Hongseok's only option to stay away from him was to leave the country. This was the first time since the breakup that his ex-boyfriend was being considerate and respectful of him and his feelings and Taehyung really appreciated that. "All right, what, ah, what do you want to tell me?"

"After you left, I also decided to sell my apartment..." Hongseok remarked straightforwardly with a hint of sadness, watching Taehyung's eyes widening "I remember how happy you were the first time I took you there and you said how amazing the place was, I only bought it because you liked it so much and I was thinking about asking you if you and Hoseok wanted to come live with me on our second anniversary, but I fucked everything up, so having that on my mind, I just couldn't live there anymore..."

Taehyung chewed on his bottom lip as he attempted, once again, to not break down after hearing how Hongseok had the intention of asking him to move in together on their second anniversary. A couple of weeks after meeting him in person, the younger, per his ex-boyfriend's request, went with Hongseok to help him look for an apartment, he had just signed his contract with the model agency and he needed a place of his own instead of living with his best friend from high school, who was also the person who helped him with the Instagram photoshoots and his make-up, Hongseok wanted privacy. The first apartment they went to check out – the apartment Hongseok was going to sell –, Taehyung might have said how bright and spacey the place was and how perfect and beautiful it was, Hongseok even playfully asked him if he wanted to move in with him, along with Hoseok, the younger was caught off guard, especially since he already had deep feelings for Hongseok at the time.

It hurt remembering the numerous moments Taehyung shared with Hongseok in the apartment, along with Hoseok, moments that were tainted with the memory of his ex-boyfriend and a random guy, both naked on the couch, having the time of their lives. After Minhyuk, Taehyung honestly believed Hongseok was the one for him, the one who was going to show him that true love truly existed in this world, the one with whom he was going to share his life with, but that had been just a fantasy, a stupid fantasy.

"Glad you decided to sell the apartment, it doesn't mean anything now..." Taehyung mumbled expressionlessly, not wanting to show how upset he was. Seeing Hongseok once again after they had a second one-night stand was more painful than he thought, however, hearing now what his ex-boyfriend intended to do on their anniversary just opened up his wounds even more, although, that was what Taehyung needed – closure to finally move on from Hongseok. The younger took a deep breath and released his grip from Seokjin's dress shirt "I'm going to call Hoseok, you are in a hurry and I don't want you to lose your flight..."

Before he had a chance to walk away, Taehyung felt Hongseok unexpectedly grasping his hand and pulling him closer to him which didn't make things easier for him. That day was already hard enough as it was and Hongseok had that knowledge because he told his ex-boyfriend, when they started dating, about what had happened with his family. So, on top of having to deal with the day itself and his father's visit, Taehyung had to deal with his ex-boyfriend and his delusions of getting back together in the future and his clinginess when it was so obvious that their relationship had come to an end a long time ago, their relationship was definitely over, Taehyung realised that the moment he saw Hongseok with the guy on his couch, finally understanding that his ex-boyfriend couldn't redeem himself anymore.

Taehyung reluctantly turned around and stared Hongseok dead in the eyes, wondering what else he wanted from him, he already had given his body, heart and soul, and too many opportunities while foolishly believing Hongseok could have changed.

"It does mean something, for both of us and you know it, Tae..." Hongseok said lovingly as he carefully placed the colourful bag he was carrying on the ground, not averting his gaze from him. He delicately cupped the beautiful male's face when he noticed a tear rolling down his cheek, hating to see the hurt in his eyes "I know I shouldn't ask anything from you, but can I, at least, have a hug before I leave?"

Against his better judgment, Taehyung nodded, allowing Hongseok to have one last hug. He immediately was pulled by the other male and smothered into a tight hug, feeling one of his hands moving to the back of his head and the other on his back. Taehyung apprehensively wrapped his arms around Hongseok's body and rested his head on his shoulder, briefly enjoying the warmth emanating from him while reminiscing about the hectic and stressful days he sometimes had, however, a simple hug like that one was enough to melt away his worries and recharge his batteries. After a good minute, Taehyung broke the hug, not wanting to waste Hongseok's time since he was in a hurry, and without looking at the other male, afraid of breaking down, he just headed towards the pad to insert his code.

As Taehyung inserted the code to open the door of his apartment, Seokjin couldn't help but see the younger's watery and reddish eyes and his teeth sinking deep into his bottom lip, like he was resisting the will to cry in that instant. The dark-haired male wasn't emotional and had difficulty deciphering feelings, whether regarding his own or other people's, however, at that moment, he was feeling exactly the same way when he found Taehyung in the alley and when he was having a panic attack because of the bad weather, Seokjin wasn't the most emphatic person and yet, he honestly didn't like watching the younger so gloomy, he preferred dealing with a bubbly and annoying Taehyung, at least, during those moments, he was smiling.

"Not the romantic type my ass..."

Seokjin rolled his eyes and ignored Hongseok's snarky remark, apparently, he couldn't observe Taehyung without the other male misunderstanding the reason why he was gazing at the younger with those atrocious hair colours, he was doing it because he was concerned.

"Hoseok, baby, there's someone here to see you..." Taehyung called Hoseok as discreetly as possible, not wanting to draw attention. He forced a smile when his baby brother came to him with an inquisitive expression, holding his hand as he pulled him into the hallway "Hongseok came by to give you your gift..."

Hoseok swiftly freed his hand from his brother when he spotted Hongseok standing in the hallway and a colourful bag on the ground, right next to him. He ran towards the tall male as he giggled loudly, happy to see him after so long.

"Seokie!"

"Hey, little Seokie!" Hongseok exclaimed joyfully as he crouched down, picking Hoseok up from the ground. He felt his small arms wrapping around his neck when he kissed him on the cheek, he proceeded to give him one as well on the forehead, loving to see the energic child in his embrace "Happy birthday! Did you miss big Seokie?"

"I missed you very much, big Seokie" Hoseok replied in the same cheery tone as Hongseok, smiling widely at him "Did you miss me?"

"Of course, I missed you, little sunshine, how could I not?" Hongseok answered quietly as he bopped Hoseok's nose, making him giggle once again "Big Seokie is sorry for not coming to visit you sooner, baby, but I was busy with work and, unfortunately, I won't be able to visit again for a while..."

Hoseok furrowed his brows and pouted. "Why? Are you going somewhere?"

"Yes, sweetie, I'm leaving the country for a few weeks, but I promise I will bring you lots of souvenirs"

Taehyung was observing the interaction between Hongseok and Hoseok as he smiled weakly hearing his ex-boyfriend explaining to his baby brother what the word "souvenirs" meant, finding it funny how their names sounded so similar, that was why his ex-boyfriend came up with the "Little Seokie" and "Big Seokie" thing, it was like their own inside joke. The pink and blonde male was happy to see that, at least, Hongseok and Hoseok still had a close bond and, even though his relationship with the other male was over, he didn't want to separate the both of them, unfortunately, it ended up happening, Taehyung was too focused on the pain caused by the heartbreak to be around Hongseok.

"I brought something for you..."

Taehyung averted his attention from the loving scene unfolding in front of him as he tilted his head, glancing at Seokjin with curiosity. "Y-You brought something for me? But, you didn't have to do it just because it's Hoseok's birthday"

"I brought you a gift not because it's Hoseok's birthday, actually after writing you the note, I thought about what I could do to compensate for crossing the line, so an idea came to mind..." Seokjin clarified casually as he placed his hands inside the pockets of his pants, seeing the baffled expression on Taehyung's face "In all honestly, I didn't know when was the appropriate time to give it to you, but after the events from yesterday and today, I thought you needed something to cheer you up, I truly hope you enjoy it, although it's nothing extraordinary"

Taehyung was completely speechless at the moment, not really knowing what he could say to Seokjin, apart from telling him how grateful he was for being so thoughtful towards him and, again, it was odd to think about how the older male was when they first met comparing to the man who was standing by his side and staring at him, not with frivolous eyes like he always did, but with such warmth, unfamiliar warmth.

Taehyung lowered his head as he felt his cheeks heating up for some dumb reason, trying to hide his now wide smile. He fiddled with his fingers, contemplating ways to handle Seokjin and how charming he was, and questioning himself if he was doing it unintentionally or on purpose, the older male was, without a doubt, a mystery.

***

Seokjin reached Taehyung's apartment after fetching the gift he told him he brought for him, he was being honest with the younger when he told him it wasn't something extraordinary, nevertheless, he really believed Taehyung was going to enjoy it after he witnessed his reaction while exploring his house. The older male momentarily stopped before inserting the code and gazed at his wrapped gift, genuinely hoping Taehyung would like it, he initially had the intention of giving that certain gift to the young male because of his phobia of the rain, thinking it could help him cope with the bad weather whenever he was alone, however, after the events that unfolded in the last few days involving Taehyung, Seokjin could see the male with those absurd hair colours needed something to distract him and cheer him up, he wasn't an expert in that department and yet, he was doing his best.

Not wanting to waste any more time, Seokjin finally inserted the code to Taehyung's apartment, taking advantage of the opportunity that Yoongi and Jungkook were out of the house to drive Hyunjoon home, since it was getting late and dark and it was a school night, the only people present, aside from Taehyung, were Namjoon and Seunghee who were taking care of Hoseok and Jimin. He genuinely preferred having privacy with the younger, knowing he needed a moment alone to process everything that had happened during that day. Seokjin still didn't know why was the younger's father there in the morning or the subject of their conversation, not that he had the desire to invade Taehyung's privacy, he already had felt intrusive while the other was speaking to his ex-boyfriend, despite the younger being the one who asked him to stay.

When he opened the door of the apartment, Seokjin came to a halt and exhaled deeply, not believing what he was seeing at that moment – Taehyung sitting down on the countertop, swinging his legs as he munched on the remaining strawberry cupcakes baked by Mrs Seo. He carefully closed the door without taking his eyes off the younger, noticing how he was blankly staring at the cupcake he was currently eating, probably lost in his thoughts and for Taehyung's melancholic expression, they didn't seem pleasant.

"Taehyung, I leave for a few minutes and the moment I come back you are stuffing yourself with more pastries" Seokjin remarked as he walked towards Taehyung, who stared at him and took a big bite of the cupcake, probably just to rile him up. He cautiously placed the wrapped gift on the floor, leaning it to the countertop, and snatched the cupcake from Taehyung's hand, not expecting to earn a growl from him "I know sweets make you feel better, but you can't always resort to them"

"Yes, I can, you know why? Because emotional eating is a thing and I'm doing it right now" Taehyung retorted upsettingly as he grabbed another strawberry cupcake from the plate that was right next to him, glaring at Seokjin "Now, instead of lecturing me, show me what you brought for me, I want to see it..."

Seokjin placed the almost-eaten cupcake on the plate where Taehyung had taken the one he was eating at that moment as he sighed in frustration, not believing stuffing himself with the pastries left from the party was going to comfort him. Once again, he removed the strawberry cupcake from Taehyung's hand before he had the chance to take a second bite out of it, simultaneously, grabbing the plate with the said pastries and moving it away from him, Seokjin swore he heard another growl escaping the younger's lips, however, he ignored it.

"You might think eating sugary treats is a way to suppress or soothe your negative emotions, but it's not, Taehyung, you are consuming unnecessary amounts of food to fill the void inside of you..." Seokjin stated unwaveringly as he grasped one of those colourful party napkins for Taehyung to clean his nose and mouth, which were covered in pink frosting, giving it to him, or at least, try. He just waited for the younger to accept the napkin, however, he had his arms crossed over his chest while scowling at him as he pouted – the embodiment of a child "Taehyung, don't be difficult, I'm trying to help you and speaking of helping you, did you put the ointment on your hand? If you didn't, I don't mind putting it on you"

"No, I still didn't put the ointment, I will do it later..." Taehyung remarked defensively as he uncrossed his arms, reluctantly accepting the napkin Seokjin offered to him "And I know stuffing my face with cupcakes won't help me, Seokjin, so like I said I don't need you to lecture me, that's the last thing I want to hear today..."

After Taehyung cleaned his mouth and his nose, Seokjin watched how the other was furiously crumpling the napkin he just used with his right hand, wondering if he crossed the line by mentioning to the younger his wrongful manner of dealing with his negative emotions, his intention wasn't to upset him. Honestly, despite having their differences, Seokjin didn't enjoy seeing Taehyung in that gloomy state and, lately, it seemed like everything around the younger was bringing him down, and he couldn't help but feel guilty for contributing to his misery, even though it was temporarily, still it bothered him. Seokjin always admitted he wasn't good with people, but he oddly was able to connect with Jungkook, probably because his best friend in high school wasn't the charismatic and confident man he was today, just like Seokjin wasn't cold and strict like he was now, however, with the help of Taehyung, he began to learn how to connect with people, namely, Jimin, to build the foundations for their father-son relationship and strengthen their bond.

The knowledge that he obtained from Taehyung allowed Seokjin to understand people and their emotions, he wasn't an expert, so he didn't find himself quite adequate to help others in that department which was ironic, Seokjin, somehow, was able to solace Taehyung when he was having a panic attack, the only thing he did was letting the younger hug him. It was obvious to the dark-haired male that physical contact was the key to comforting someone, not only from his own experience with Taehyung, but the moment he witnessed earlier between the younger and Hongseok confirmed that assumption, so whether he like it or not, Seokjin had to get accustomed to physical contact.

Seokjin decided to take the initiative this time and resort to physical contact to cheer Taehyung up, just like he had to do with Jimin the prior week when he was bullied by older children. He carefully clasped Taehyung's left hand, he first observed how it was and saw how the hand was still swollen and reddish, probably smacking Jungkook with balloons didn't help with the other's recovery, however, he couldn't help but find it amusing that particular scene and smile weakly with the remembrance. Seokjin averted his attention to Taehyung, who was staring at the hand he was holding, having his bottom lip pinned between his teeth, the younger sounded unbothered before with his injury, but he could see how hurtful it still was for him.

"Taehyung, I wasn't lecturing you, I was showing concern because I honestly believe talking about the matter is more helpful than eating..." Seokjin spoke calmly, not wanting Taehyung to think he was trying to lecture or even judge him, he was just giving the younger the option of speaking about the subject that was troubling him "I'm going to tell you what I told Jungkook when he was upset with Yoongi, I might not understand what you are going through, but you can speak to me about it if you wish, it doesn't have to be right now..."

Seokjin titled his head as he pondered if he should let Taehyung alone with his thoughts again, not wanting to upset him even more than he already was, nevertheless, he was being truthful with the younger with those ridiculous hair colours, knowing that, sometimes, it was better talking about the problem itself than bottling it inside. Seokjin learned that lesson the hard way, he couldn't forget how vicious and inconsiderate he was towards Jimin and Taehyung, mainly Taehyung, a little over a week after he met the younger, he completely lashed out at him just because his father insisted on matters that he already had talked about and expressed his opinion on, just like it happened that day during the party.

Seokjin decided to leave Taehyung alone for the time being and go ask Namjoon where the ointment he bought was to apply later on the younger. When he was about to release his hold on the other's hand, Taehyung firmly squeezed his hand, stopping him from letting go and made eye contact with him, the older male saw his eyes sparkling brighter than usual, however, the sparkle wasn't the same one Seokjin had the opportunity to see on a daily basis when Taehyung smiled widely, the sparkle he was seeing in that instant carried a lot of pain and sorrow.

"I-I'm sorry, Jinnie, I'm doing exactly the same thing you used to do to me and it's not fair of me to treat you like this, it just a lot happened today and I know it's not an excuse..." Taehyung uttered sullenly, feeling his eyes watering "Hearing Hongseok saying how he wanted to ask me on our second anniversary to move in with him, along with Hoseok just broke my heart, I wasn't expecting that, the only thing I was focusing on back then was the fact Hongseok was finally straightening himself and not cheating on me..."

Taehyung paused when he felt a tear sliding down his cheek, but he took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, not wanting to cry anymore for Hongseok, he didn't deserve it, even though he confessed to him how much he loved him, once again, it was empty promises spoken out of desperation, and he didn't believe in them, why should he after what his ex-boyfriend made him go through during their relationship? Taehyung, besides Minhyuk, loved Hongseok unconditionally, the second greatest love of his life, who actually loved him for him and not because of his body, who equally loved his baby brother and cherished him so dearly, who made Taehyung believe in a future where the three of them could be a family, despite Yoongi's warnings.

"You better than anyone know how difficult it is to be gay in this country, so it makes it harder to find someone who actually cares about us, not for our bodies, but for our personalities and I came across some guys who wanted to take advantage of me and take me to bed..." Taehyung stated grimly as he cleaned another tear with his used napkin, momentarily breaking eye contact with Seokjin "Hongseok wasn't like that, even though I knew he liked my body, he never made me feel uncomfortable and he was respectful towards me, he was perfect and I'm not talking about his body, I'm talking about his personality..." Taehyung lowered his head, gathering all the strength in his body to not cry, he should be happy for finally having the opportunity to move on instead of being stuck "I-I really thought he was the one, Seokjin, I really thought I found someone who could show me that true love still existed, I guess, he kind of did, but apparently I'm not worthy of it because the ones I love with all my heart, either I have to let them go or cheat on me..."

"First of all, Taehyung, you don't need to apologise to me, I understand you went through quite the ordeal today with your father and Hongseok and, on top of that, you needed to be there for Hoseok and do your best to make him happy which you did, despite how troubled you were..." Seokjin stated honestly, truly admiring Taehyung for providing Hoseok with a great birthday party while he was dealing with a lot of negative emotions "Second of all, I knew it wasn't a good idea for you to speak with Hongseok, so I tried my best to stop him for approaching you because I had a feeling if he talked to you, you would be upset, unfortunately, I was right, on the other hand, this is your opportunity to move on and focus on you and your brother" Seokjin added as he treacherously cupped Taehyung's cheek, wiping another falling tear "And last, but not the least, you are worthy of love, Taehyung, everyone is, you just haven't found the right person to not only show you that true love exists but to also care for you and treat you like you deserve to be treated, and not be taken for granted"

Taehyung was caught by surprise by Seokjin's docile tone of voice and the words he just professed to him, it wasn't the first time the older male was being sympathetic and caring towards him and yet, to him, it still was shocking to see Seokjin being so reassuring and sweet to him. Since he was picked up by the man that morning and taken to his property, Taehyung slowly started to notice some changes in Seokjin despite having a lot of work ahead, however knowing that the other was truly making an effort to not only get closer to Jimin but also getting along with him as well, assured that the younger with colourful hair was guiding Seokjin on the right path.

It had been a roller-coaster between Taehyung and Seokjin, and the younger, even after everything he had to deal with the ice sculpture, didn't regret meeting him. It was like what Seokjin told him the day Jimin fainted at school – nothing happens randomly in life, everything has a purpose – and Taehyung was starting to believe in that premise, maybe his accidental encounter with Seokjin had a motif.

Taehyung delicately grabbed the hand Seokjin used to wipe his tears and took it from his cheek, lovingly holding it, just like the other did with his left hand. He didn't meet the older male's gaze, afraid of seeing signs of discomfort in his eyes, honestly, Taehyung was hoping Seokjin was at ease with him holding his hands, acknowledging that the mere touch between them wasn't totally familiar to him yet. The younger with pink and blonde hair also wanted to console Seokjin since he had a hutch about the reason why he momentarily stepped out of the apartment during that party, the dull expression on his face was enough for him to conclude that Seokjin's father was the one on the other side of the line.

"T-Thank you, Jinnie, not only for comforting me and worrying about me but also for everything you have been doing for me in these last few days, you can really be a sweetheart when you want you..." Taehyung spoke softly, smiling timidly as he finally glanced at Seokjin, who was focusing on their holdings hands. He tilted his head as he felt the older male's thumbs sluggishly caressing the back of his hands, secretly enjoying his touch "You know, I'm glad I mistakenly called you instead of Yoongi, I really liked spending time with you and getting to know you better, it gave me an opportunity to see other sides of you..."

Seokjin lifted his head to meet Taehyung's gaze, not expecting the younger male to say those words to him, especially after everything he made him go through. Once again, he noticed the vivid sparkle in Taehyung's eyes, but this time it was that familiar sparkle he had a chance to see when the other was genuinely happy. Earlier, Seokjin decided to run the little experience to verify if he could see through Taehyung's eyes how he was feeling deep inside, Hongseok avowed that the younger was still in love with him just because he was able to see it through his gaze and Seokjin thought it was nonsense, how could someone determine other's true feelings through their eyes? Apparently the common saying "the eyes are the windows to the soul" wasn't completely preposterous to him, there was some truth behind those enigmatic words.

"Taehyung, you don't need to thank me, in fact, I'm the one who is grateful to you, for helping me with Jimin and for putting your trust in me..." Seokjin retorted as he watched Taehyung's smile widening and his cheeks turning pinkish "I was being honest earlier, whenever you feel like speaking about a certain matter, you can always share with me, even though I don't understand your struggle"

"T-That's really nice of you, Seokjin, and I hope you know I'm always available for you too, no matter what..." Taehyung said gently, feeling strangely happy for having Seokjin in his life. The younger's mind went back to the beginning of the conversation, remembering asking the dark-haired male about the gift he supposedly brought to him "Now, can you help me get down? I'm curious to see the gift you brought me, Jinnie, I bet it's something specular"

"I told you it wasn't something extraordinary, Taehyung..." Seokjin remarked nonchalantly with a hint of nervousness, hoping Taehyung wouldn't be too disappointed with his gift, especially when he had high hopes. He held on to the younger's hands, making sure he descended from the countertop safely, not that it was a big distance from the floor "I still hope you like it..."

Seokjin freed himself from Taehyung's grip and grabbed the wrapped gift he had placed carefully on the floor when he saw the younger munching on the strawberry cupcakes. He didn't want to admit it, however, Seokjin was honestly nervous, it wasn't the first time he was giving someone a gift, although for some reason when it came to Taehyung, he couldn't stop fretting about it, sounded so absurd to Seokjin and he felt a complete idiot for the way he was currently feeling. Hesitantly, the dark-haired male turned to Taehyung, who seemed as excited as the moment he allowed him to explore his wife's atelier which was quite amusing to Seokjin and appropriate, given the gift he was offering to the younger.

"The only thing I ask of you is to unwrap the gift carefully, Taehyung" Seokjin requested kindly, delicately handing over the wrapping to Taehyung, who swiftly took it from his hand as he squealed enthusiastically, "I said carefully, maybe I should have given you a dictionary instead"

Taehyung stuck his tongue out to Seokjin, who, as always, rolled his eyes at him, making him giggle with his reaction, he wouldn't say it out loud, but he enjoyed it when he had an influence on the older male. He turned his attention to his gift, which was wrapped with a simple brown paper wrapping and it was shaped like a rectangle, cautiously felt with his fingertips what could possibly be inside and, surely, Taehyung was able to find out. As Seokjin requested, the pink and blonde haired male started to carefully unwrap his gift as he teared up the brown paper, slowly unveiling what was inside.

When he finished, Taehyung smiled widely as he admired the painting he was holding, knowing it was one of the paintings that belonged to Seokjin's late wife, he was certain of it for the simple signature on the bottom right corner. He ran his fingers over the colourful canvas, observing in adoration the breathtaking scenery recreated – the cherry blossom trees that seemed so realistic like he could actually feel the texture of the bark and smell the sweet floral fragrance, the lively green bushes sprinkled with small berries resembling blackberries and, in the middle of the painting, there was a distracted small child laying on their belly on the grass, underneath one of the cherry blossoms, drawing something with crayons. Taehyung already had seen Seokjin's late wife's paintings and all of them were stunning and outstanding, that one in his embrace wasn't an exception, however, somehow, it felt more meaningful.

"It was one of her favourite places to paint during springtime, she would take Jimin with her to show him the cherry blossom trees when they flourished..." Seokjin explained as he watched Taehyung admiring the painting in awe, feeling relieved and also proud because he was able to lift the younger's spirit "This was the first painting she did after finding out her diagnosis, she only had a few months to live and knew it was the last spring she and Jimin would be together, so she decided to paint him as a way to immortalise the moment..."

Taehyung was admiring the scenery through Seokjin's late wife's eyes, imagining how heart-breaking it was for her to know she didn't have too much time to spend with Jimin, that she wouldn't have the opportunity to see her own son grow up, that she wouldn't be there for Jimin whenever he needed her, especially when she had the knowledge how ruthless and strict Seokjin was and what were his intentions with their son. Even though she was no longer there, the younger with colourful hair was certain that the talented woman would be equally proud of Jimin and Seokjin and would definitely love to see how her husband was finally coming forward as a father.

Taehyung placed the mind-blowing painting on the countertop, far away from the plates with the leftover pastries and sweets to not ruin the art piece, instantly headed towards Seokjin, still with a smile, and hugged him so tightly.

"Jinnie, it's such a beautiful painting, I love it so much..." Taehyung stated excitedly as he leaned in, giving Seokjin a lingering kiss on his cheek. He shyly placed his hand on the elder's chest as he snuggled his head on his neck, being able to smell his strong cologne "Thank you for giving me the painting, I really appreciate your gesture and your kindness towards me..."

Seokjin stood there completely frozen as he incredulously gazed down at Taehyung, who seem comfortable in his embrace. It wasn't the first time he was hugged by the younger, but in those moments either Taehyung was pretending to be in a relationship with him or was bawling his eyes out and needed someone to soothe him. The only person who hugged him frequently was his mother every time he visited her on the weekends, Seokjin was accustomed to her loving nature, although when it came to the younger with those ridiculous hair colours, Taehyung was always being touchy and usually he wasn't fond of the closeness between them, especially when they were in public.

Once again, physical contact was the key to connecting with people, and Seokjin wanted to connect with Taehyung, so putting aside his uncomfortableness he shakily wrapped his arms around the younger, just like he did back when joined the not-so-funny roleplay, however, this time the older male did it willingly instead of forcibly. Seokjin tipped his head to the side, watching Taehyung with his eyes close and with one of the biggest and brightest smiles he ever saw displaying on his lips.

"You're welcome, Taehyung, I'm glad you enjoyed my gift..."

Chapter Text

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(Earlier that night)

Seokjin stared at Taehyung, who was sitting next to him Indian style on the couch, noticing how the younger was fidgeting with his fingers and biting his bottom lip, probably mentally preparing himself to speak about the topic of the conversation with his father that morning. Talking to Hongseok had already been difficult for Taehyung and Seokjin could see how the other was doing his best not to cry, but in that instant, it was clear the younger was on the verge of tears. Seokjin suspected the matter was a lot more serious than he initially thought which, once again, made him reconsider Taehyung’s decision of letting him and Jungkook hear what he wanted to say.

“Taehyung, if you don’t feel comfortable sharing the subject of the conversation while I’m here, I understand” Seokjin spoke softly, grabbing Taehyung’s attention “It’s a personal matter and it’s related to your family, so I can step outside for a moment…”

“Seokjin is right, Tae, you know I cherish you, but this is about your private life…” Jungkook added, as he gazed at Taehyung, who was glancing between him and Seokjin with big and doe eyes “Just say the word and Seokjin and I will give you the privacy to talk with your brother, Yoongi and Seunghee”

“I-I didn’t tell you to leave because both of you are trustworthy and are part of my life, part of Yoongi’s life, part of my brother’s life, and I’m certain they don’t mind you being present for this conversation…” Taehyung mumbled, not wanting either Jungkook or Seokjin to leave, especially Seokjin, who lately had been there for him, helping him deal with his chaotic life. He averted his attention to Namjoon and Yoongi, who nodded in agreement, knowing his best friend wanted Jungkook by his side, the news he was about to disclose wasn’t only going to harm Namjoon, it was going to harm Yoongi as well because he was family to him “With that said, I-I guess, I-I should finally disclose what my father and I discuss this morning…”

Taehyung hesitated for a moment and tried his best to take a deep breath, however, tears immediately began to roll down his cheeks.

Seokjin went to the inside pocket of his blazer and pulled out the handkerchief the younger had given him that morning while hearing him crying helplessly. He carefully placed his hand on Taehyung’s shoulder as he extended his arm, offering him the handkerchief for him to clean his tears, but the younger refused by shaking his head.

“Take it, Taehyung, you need it more than me right now…”
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Seokjin gazed at Taehyung, who was asleep next to him with his head against his shoulder and with one of his hands tightly gripping the sleeve of his dress shirt, not being able to forget about the state the younger was earlier while explaining the conversation he had with his father, who, apparently, insistently kept coming back when it was one of his son’s birthdays. He noticed Taehyung’s reddish and puffy cheeks, his brows furrowed and his uneven breathing and felt his hand squeezing his arm from time to time, it seemed, even in his sleep, the younger wasn’t capable to rest properly after the hardships he had to endure throughout that day. As he observed the sleeping male, Seokjin pondered about the information previously unveiled by Taehyung and, personally, he believed it was shocking how the younger and Namjoon’s stepmother could change her mind so lightly about having children in a such short period of time, especially when before coming to that realisation she wanted to abort Hoseok.

Seokjin didn’t blame Taehyung for being extremely upset with the situation and he, now, more than ever, regretted the words he professed to the younger that fateful day when he accused him of possibly being violent towards children and how Hoseok was better off with his parents. He spoke out of frustration and clearly, he was mistaken regarding Taehyung, the stubborn and quirky younger, despite having his flaws, he was the right person to raise his brother.

Seokjin and Taehyung were never on the same page when it came to education, both of them shared different opinions and approaches about the best method for a child to learn the many subjects they had, on the other hand, they sometimes agreed on some aspects, like musical education. He never wished to be a parent, however, he, along with his late wife were obligated, by the contract that established the clauses of their arranged marriage, to conceive a child, preferably male, to continue the Kim lineage and the family legacy. Seokjin didn’t have knowledge about fatherhood which, at first, wasn’t an issue since, according to the outdated and preposterous values of the Kim family, it was the woman’s job to stay at home and raise the child and his late wife only abided by those because she loved Jimin profoundly. One of the reasons he was despised by his late wife, besides his family driving her away from the love of her life, was the fact Seokjin didn’t make an effort to play his role as husband and father, instead, he was always focusing on his business, just like his father used to do when he was a child until he finally enrolled in school.

The moment he found out about his late wife’s diagnosis, Seokjin felt lost and anxious, he already knew he had to step up and start educating and raising Jimin, or better yet, preparing him to take the business when he was old enough and continue the family legacy, like himself and his father, however, what he wasn’t expecting was to take that role so soon, Seokjin definitely wasn’t ready for the task, like the other men from his family, he wasn’t exactly father material. Not participating or showing any interest in Jimin in the early years of his life made Seokjin’s job of parenting a lot harder than he thought, nevertheless, he was certain that he was doing great and, despite not knowing how to express or demonstrate to Jimin how much he meant to him, he vehemently believed hiring the best of the best to help his son with his studies and following up with his school progress was Seokjin’s way of compensating for his past mistakes, although, in the end, it backfired.

In doing what he thought was the best for Jimin, Seokjin went too far and endangered both his son’s physical and mental health, he pushed his son to the limit until he wasn’t able to keep it up which led him to faint during school hours and eventually almost break the bond they shared as father and son. Thankfully, it didn’t completely break because of Taehyung and his will to help him and Jimin to reconnect, even though he was doubtful, not only about his own capabilities but also about Taehyung, in addition to that, he was a proud and tenacious man as well.

Seokjin never truly understood the reason behind Taehyung’s help, especially after the harmful words he spoke to him, after making him cry so many times, he wasn’t worthy of such kindness. He finally came to a conclusion when he talked to Namjoon on the phone, Seokjin had a better understanding of what type of person Taehyung was and why he wanted to help him – to prevent his relationship with Jimin to end up like his own with his father.

Even if he wasn’t the greatest father yet, Seokjin was glad to have the opportunity to be part of Jimin’s life, no matter how uncomfortable he sometimes was or how he had to learn to rely on physical contact, he was willing to do anything to finally have a normal father-son relationship with Jimin.

Seokjin’s gaze was still lingering on Taehyung’s sleeping figure, feeling him trembling and deeply digging his nails into his arm, as he noticed a lonely tear sliding down the younger’s face. As cautiously as possible, the dark-haired male delicately wiped the tear with his thumb, since Taehyung had a strong grip on the handkerchief he had borrowed from him earlier.

“Joon, sweetie, say something…” Seunghee asked worriedly, as she rubbed small circles on Namjoon’s back, knowing how stunned both her husband and Yoongi still were at that moment with Taehyung’s news about the five-year-old child “I’m worried about you…”

Namjoon straightened himself up and leaned his back on the couch, honestly not knowing what he should say or do, given the circumstances, saying he was astonished by the fact he had a five-year-old half-sister was an understatement. He ran his fingers through his hair as he sighed heavily, eyeing both Taehyung and Yoongi, the red-haired male, as expected, was taking the news as badly as his brother and him. The younger male was really close and cherished by both his parents, Yoongi was even trying to teach his father how to play the piano, however, his father wasn’t very good in the music department and was very clumsy, a trait he apparently inherited from him.

“I still can’t believe it…” Namjoon blurted out quietly, having a hard time asserting his thoughts. He stared at Seunghee, who swiftly cupped his face and was gazing back at him, knowing, deep down, his dear wife was hurting, someone who was cruel and selfish decided, all of a sudden, to be a mother again, a little over a year after wanting to abort “Seunghee, I can’t believe he allowed her to have a child, especially after Hoseok, and according to Taehyung she wanted a baby girl, imagine she didn’t have one, what would have she done then? Abort the baby, just like she almost did with Hoseok?” Namjoon rarely showed his disapproval of his father’s relationship, he wasn’t as vocal as Taehyung was and he was starting to regret it. He sighed once more as he held Seunghee’s hand and gave it a sweet kiss “I won’t forgive him this time, I’ve been doing my best in that regard, knowing my mom would have wanted us to be on good terms with him, but I can’t do it now, sweetheart, especially when he knows how hard we are trying to start a family…”

“Baby, I won’t judge you if you don’t forgive him, no one will…” Seunghee uttered softly as she felt one of Namjoon’s arms wrapping around her body, bringing both of them closer. She leaned her head on her husband’s shoulder, hugging him back “Joon, you’ve been speaking to him on the phone for a couple of years now without Taehyung knowing because you believed you could repair your relationship with him, if he didn’t have the nerve to disclose that information to you first then don’t feel guilty for not forgiving him, you gave him a second chance and he blew it…”

“Have you seriously been talking on the phone with him?” Yoongi asked suddenly, dumbfounded, not understanding why Namjoon had done such a thing, especially behind Taehyung’s back. He knew he shouldn’t meddle, even though the red-haired male used to be treated as part of the family, however, he truly thought the man didn’t deserve a second chance after what happened with Hoseok “Joon, you should’ve told Taehyung about that, I shouldn’t intrude since I’m not truly a part of the family, but your brother should have a saying in the matter, you know he wouldn’t be happy with you dealing with your father like that…”

“Yoongi, baby, listen…” Jungkook remarked soothingly as he grabbed Yoongi’s hand, feeling him shaking, probably from anger, he wasn’t very pleased to know Namjoon had been talking with his father. The black-haired male knew how protective Yoongi was of Taehyung, so he could imagine how infuriating it was to hear how Namjoon was considering giving his father a chance, particularly when his best friend didn’t have that knowledge “I assume Namjoon did what he did because he didn’t want to hurt Taehyung, so he probably wanted to act as a mediator between his father and his brother, people deserve second chances, you know that…”

“That man doesn’t deserve anything from his sons, Jungkook, not after almost permitting his trophy wife of aborting their unborn baby, not after choosing that woman over his children, that’s despicable…” Yoongi retorted upsettingly as he got up from the couch, freeing his hand from Jungkook’s grip “So, no, he, of all people, doesn’t deserve a second chance after everything he did towards his sons, especially Hoseok, and he has the audacity of asking Taehyung’s forgiveness while being mindful of the sacrifices he had to make just to raise his baby brother, how selfish can he be?”

Jungkook hated to see Yoongi so worked up, nonetheless, he was trying to be understanding since he already had the knowledge of how much Taehyung had to sacrifice at such a young age to make sure Hoseok would be able to come to the world and have a chance to live a proper life. Despite knowing Taehyung and Namjoon’s familial situation, Jungkook still believed everyone was entitled to a second chance, maybe it was naïve of him to believe people could change and improve themselves, to believe people could reflect on their wrongdoings from the past and make smarter decisions to guarantee a better future. It wasn’t the same and it was probably absurd of Jungkook to compare the two situations, however, he gave Yoongi an opportunity to explain himself when he treated him so poorly, even when he stubbornly wanted to move on, again, it wasn’t the same thing and yet, Jungkook thought Namjoon had good intentions by remaining in contact with his father, hoping, as he said earlier, to be a mediator between his brother and his father, besides that, didn’t Hoseok have the right to meet his father or have the possibility when he would be older?

Jungkook attempted to hold Yoongi’s hand once again, but his delicate beauty immediately moved it away as he averted his gaze.

“I understand, Yoongi, but-“

“D-Don’t, Jungkook, just don’t talk to me, don’t say anything else…”

Yoongi didn’t want to hear another word about the subject and there was nothing Jungkook could say to change his mind, he already was disturbed by the news, so the last thing he wanted was to listen to Jungkook justify Namjoon’s actions. He probably was being unreasonable, however, over the years, Yoongi had been by Taehyung’s side through both the good and the bad moments, he viewed his best friend as a younger brother and, like Namjoon, he had the need to protect him and that included protecting him from his father. Yoongi was truly upset with Namjoon’s decision of keeping in contact with his father in the last couple of years, he didn’t approve of that, especially when it was done behind Taehyung’s back.

Yoongi turned around and quickly left the living room, needing a moment to himself. He didn’t know if Namjoon had the intention of telling Taehyung about him and his attempts of keeping in contact with Young Chul, one way or the other, Yoongi was going to tell him, his best friend deserved to know.

“I’m sorry, Joon…”

“Don’t apologise, my darling, Yoongi is right, I should have told Taehyung about the subject, as a matter of fact, I should have told them both, unlike what Yoongi said, he’s part of my family too…” Namjoon stated dishearteningly, giving Seunghee a weak smile. He glanced at Jungkook, who seemed completely crushed by what just happened, he hoped the older male could be patient with Yoongi “Don’t take it to heart, Jungkook, you know Yoongi doesn’t seem like it, but he can be pretty sensitive sometimes and given the circumstances, I don’t blame him for acting the way he did, like I won’t blame Taehyung for not talking to me after he finds out about the situation…”

“I don’t, Namjoon, it just pains me to see Yoongi suffering like this, I guess I shouldn’t have intervened, maybe I wouldn’t upset him even more than he already was…” Jungkook said dejectedly as he averted his eyes to Taehyung, pondering about the words Namjoon just spoke “Do you really believe Tae will not speak to you just because you were talking with your father behind his back? I don’t see him do that, he loves you a lot”

Both Namjoon and Seunghee snickered with Jungkook’s comment, noticing the black-haired male and Seokjin as well looking at them with cocked brows.

“I know Tae loves me a lot, Jungkook, but my brother has a very strong opinion when it comes to our father, believe it or not, there were plenty of occasions when he didn’t talk to me for a while” Namjoon chuckled light-heartedly, along with Seunghee, finding amusing the shocked expressions on both Jungkook and Seokjin’s faces. He glimpsed down at his smiling wife and gave her a soft kiss on her forehead “Sweetheart, do you remember the last time Tae didn’t speak to me, I think he broke the record”

“Yeah, I remember, it was last year when you suggested to Tae a possible meeting between your father and Hoseok, he didn’t talk to you for a week, I guess, it will be for longer now and he won’t speak to me either since I knew what you have been doing…”

“Well, like I said a moment ago, I won’t blame Tae if he doesn’t speak to me, especially after the awful week he has been having, my baby brother can’t catch a break…” Namjoon grew serious for a moment as he observed Taehyung, who was clinging to Seokjin’s arm while being restless during his sleep. When his brother was under tremendous stress, he knew he couldn’t sleep properly and had a hard time keeping up with his cheerful character “I think I should get Tae to bed, it seems like he won’t be able to rest, he probably is having that nightmare again…”

“You should let Seokjin do it instead, Namjoon” Jungkook commented nonchalantly as he smiled innocently, watching Seokjin frowning, probably not feeling comfortable with his suggestion. The weather outside was getting gruesome and while his best friend and Taehyung were speaking about the painting Seokjin gifted to the younger, Jungkook talked to Namjoon, Seunghee and Yoongi about staying at the apartment, since it was dangerous to drive on slippery roads because of the snow. The black-haired male found amusing the idea of Seokjin and Taehyung sharing a bed, maybe it was childish, however, he truly believed Taehyung would feel, astoundingly, at ease with his best friend, especially after everything that had unfolded “C’mon, Jinnie, don’t look at me like that, we both know how Tae feels comfortable around you now, he even spent a day at your property, so taking him to his bedroom it’s not a big deal, unless, you think otherwise”

Seokjin could hear the quiet giggles coming from both Namjoon and Seunghee and see Jungkook’s wide smile that hid his true intentions whatever they were, not understanding the reason why everyone seemed so amused with his best friend’s idea, however, he frankly wouldn’t mind doing it if he could appease Taehyung’s mind, the young male apparently was having a recurrent nightmare.

“Do you mind taking Taehyung to his bedroom, Seokjin?” Namjoon asked in a calming manner, knowing what Jungkook was trying to do, he guessed Seokjin still hadn’t told his best friend about what happened between him and his brother, just like Taehyung hadn’t told Yoongi, they had their reasons and he was respectful of their privacy “Jungkook’s right, ever since Tae spent the day at your property he has been more at ease with you”

“First of all, I don’t believe taking Taehyung to his bedroom is a big deal as you humorously put it, Jeon, unlike you, I find the bedroom to be a private place, that’s why I don’t let my staff enter mine without my permission” Seokjin explained logically as he noticed Jungkook’s smile widening, seemingly his best friend enjoyed when he was daring towards him. He, then, pondered Namjoon's request as he gazed at Taehyung, he actually didn’t mind doing it, Seokjin was just unnerved about being alone with Taehyung in his bedroom, what happened between them still haunted him “And, despite what I said just now, I, ah, I don’t mind, Namjoon, if it reassures you, Taehyung needs to have a good night sleep and he won’t have it while sleeping on the couch”

“It truly reassures me, Seokjin, and thank you for looking out for my brother” Namjoon uttered gratefully as he watched Seokjin carefully grasping Taehyung’s hand that was stubbornly latching onto his arm, even in his slumber, his young brother resorted to the older male and that genuinely put a smile on his face “There are blankets in Tae’s closet, inside the first section, take a couple of them, his bedroom is usually cold in the winter, especially during snowy nights”

Seokjin nodded as he slowly got up from the couch to not wake-up Taehyung, not really wanting to go to the younger’s closet, nevertheless, he had a clue he was going to have some difficulty pulling down the covers and laying down Taehyung without waking him up. As cautiously as possible, Seokjin picked up Taehyung bridal style, immediately feeling his head snuggling against his neck, and stared at him for a brief moment, noticing how the younger was tightly clutching his handkerchief with his injured hand.

“Are you going to stare at Taehyung all night or take him to his bedroom, Kim?”

Seokjin decided not to give Jungkook an answer, instead glared at him for making preposterous questions just to get a reaction from him, however, he was too smart to fall for his best friend’s traps. Without saying another word, Seokjin securely held Taehyung in his arms, thinking to himself how the younger was heavier than he thought, something he was definitely not commenting out loud, already knowing what the younger would say, or better yet, accused him of, and finally left the living room and headed to Taehyung’s bedroom.

“That was adorable, don’t you think?” Seunghee asked in a quiet tone to make sure Seokjin wouldn’t hear her, glancing between Namjoon and Jungkook “I’m starting to believe you, Jungkook, something absolutely happened between them and my hubby here knows for sure, my guess, Seokjin told him yesterday when he invited him for lunch because he needed advice to resolve whatever problem they were having”

“That was why I convinced Seokjin to accept Namjoon’s invitation, I know the subject was related to Taehyung and I usually give him a hard time when it comes to him, so I’m certain he wasn’t comfortable sharing his predicament with me, probably he thought I was going to make fun of him, I don’t blame him…” Jungkook retorted, trying to think about what could possibly have happened with Seokjin and Taehyung, it couldn’t be as serious as he initially thought, both of them quickly solved the problem “Namjoon, can’t you give us a hint, I’m not asking to break Jin’s trust, I know how you dislike invading your brother’s personal life, but whatever it was, it had repercussions on their relationship”

“I wish I could give both of you a hint, Jungkook, and Seunghee knows how I hate to hide things from her, so you can imagine how sensitive the subject is for me to not disclose to her, however, I can confirm what you just said, what happened between them changed their relationship completely and, don’t quote me on this, but I think they will grow a lot closer in the near future”

***

After laying Taehyung down on the bed and closing the door of the bedroom, Seokjin made his way to the closet to take out the blankets Namjoon asked him to because of the cold temperature, he had to admit, it was extremely cold inside the room, probably as cold as the weather outside. He opened the closet as quietly as possible, it was dark inside the bedroom, and Seokjin didn’t want to take the risk and turn on the light from the nightstand, afraid he would wake up Taehyung, however, since the curtains were pulled aside, the yellowish dim light coming from the street lamp was enough for him to see the huge tower of folded blankets inside the closet.

Seokjin took the first two blankets on top, which were heavy and soft, and closed the closet, finally heading to the bed to cover Taehyung, who was probably freezing, even though he was wearing a big sweatshirt and a pair of sweatpants, he didn’t believe it was sufficient to warm him up. The dark-haired male sat down on the side of the bed as he placed the blankets next to Taehyung, his eyes focused on the younger, who kept whimpering and moving around, wondering if he should wake him up. While losing himself in his thoughts, Seokjin noticed, once more, tears rolling down Taehyung’s cheeks, he wanted to clean them with the handkerchief, but the younger still had a strong grip on it, so instead he decided to just delicately clean them with his thumb, hoping whatever was disturbing Taehyung could evaporate from his mind and let him rest properly, especially after the exhausting day he had.

When he cupped Taehyung’s face and ran his thumb over his slightly cold cheek to clean the tears, Seokjin saw the young male’s eyes lazily fluttering open and staring right into him. He was about to retrieve his hand from Taehyung’s face, feeling sort of embarrassed for being caught trying to reassure him while he was asleep, however, the younger with those atrocious hair colours immediately grabbed his hand and leaned his cheek against it.

Since Taehyung was awakened, Seokjin softly took the handkerchief from the younger’s hand, wanting to do what he intended earlier. Once again, when he was about to use it to clean Taehyung’s tears, the other stopped him as he pouted at him.

“D-Don’t…” Taehyung uttered quietly, moving away from Seokjin’s hand that was gripping the handkerchief, as he let go of the elder’s other hand. With a bit of effort, the male with colourful hair placed his hands on the mattress to sit down with his back against the headboard “I-I told you to not use your handkerchief, Seokjin, it was a gift from your mother, I-I don’t want you to ruin it…”

“Well, it’s my handkerchief and, despite being a gift from my mother, it has a purpose, also it’s my belonging, so I do with it whatever I please…” Seokjin retorted informally, as he watched Taehyung turning on the light from the nightstand, recollecting a particular moment. He didn’t know if it was going to be insensible or not, since he was clueless regarding cheering up people, nevertheless, he learned from Jungkook that, sometimes, humour could be a good way to break the ice, Seokjin knew it was a risky move, but it didn’t hurt to try “It’s just like you and your hair, Taehyung, no matter how odd I find your taste in hair colours, I don’t have a saying unless you decide to dye it with the colours of the rainbow, that would be truly ridiculous”

“You meanie!” Taehyung exclaimed outrageously, bumping his foot on Seokjin’s thigh, while the man was nonchalantly placing his handkerchief inside the pocket of his pants. The younger male with colourful hair stopped when he caught a glimpse of the older male’s small smile, asking himself if the other purposely mentioned his hair colours to distract him. He decided to play along as he smiled weakly, finding Seokjin’s attempt to cheer him up adorable “You are just jealous, Jinnie because you know you wouldn’t look as handsome as me with two different colours”

“We both know I would look more handsome than you, Taehyung, so that’s a discussion you wouldn’t win”

“Well, we will never know that will we? Because Jinnie doesn’t like fun colours like me” Taehyung taunted as he let out a yawn, not wanting to go to sleep, frightened of having the same nightmare again “Maybe I should dye my hair with a normal colour, or something of the sort, for us to come to the conclusion who is, indeed, the most handsome Kim? Remember, it can only be one”

Seokjin couldn’t help but roll his eyes at Taehyung’s remark, not believing he was still resorting to that preposterous logic as he heard the younger chuckling in a childish manner, apparently, Taehyung enjoyed mocking him and getting a reaction from him. Despite that, Seokjin was still curious about the reason why Taehyung opted for flashy hair colours, he didn’t know if it was a tradition of his or a personal preference, either way, he stopped himself from judging the younger and the peculiar colours he chose as he did before, however, the dark-haired male couldn’t help but wonder how Taehyung would look like with a normal hair colour.

Seokjin gazed at Taehyung, who was yawning once again and blinking wearily, seeing how the younger could barely keep his eyes open because of the exhaustion that was rapidly taking over him. It was for a brief instant, nonetheless, Seokjin was able to make Taehyung laugh, maybe now he could rest properly, instead of having nightmares.

“I think you should go to sleep, Taehyung, you need to rest”

“But I-I don’t want to…” Taehyung responded gloomily as pulled his legs up against his chest, bending them. He stared at his feet, biting his bottom lip as he pondered about the request he wanted to make to Seokjin, already knowing what he was going to say, however, he had a trick under his sleeve “Can you cuddle me, Jinnie? Unlike you, I need a living teddy bear sometimes to help me fall asleep…”

“Taehyung, I don’t think it’s appropriate of me to lay-“

“Seokjin, we already shared a bed, so don’t come at me with that excuse, especially after what happened between us, I don’t feel uncomfortable with you, it’s the opposite actually, that’s why I politely asked you to cuddle me” Taehyung interrupted abruptly as he made eye contact with Seokjin, refusing to hear whatever excuse he was going to throw at him “With that said, I’m going to give you two options: 1) you lay down next to me voluntarily or 2) I will use one of my favours and make you my living teddy bear, so which one?”

Seokjin’s eyes widened with Taehyung’s assertive tone, not expecting the younger to be so straightforward and demanding about him laying down next to him and cuddling him, not only that but also for confessing how comfortable he was with him, even after crossing the line between them by suddenly kissing him. Taehyung had a point – they already had shared a bed –, the thing was, Seokjin, after they kissed that night, didn’t think it was appropriate to lay down next to Taehyung, especially when the younger was so upset with his daring yet thoughtless gesture, at least he thought he was at the time. After that, Seokjin swore he wouldn’t cross that line again, no matter the circumstances, even when Taehyung reassured him and told him he didn’t regret reciprocating his kiss, the dark-haired male still had his reservations, deep down, he was terrified of losing control again. Seokjin prevented himself from reliving that specific memory, despite not knowing the reason that drove him to do such a thing, once again, he hated to reflect on his own emotions, because every time he did, part of him reminded him of the words his father had the habit to profess to him while he was growing up – showing emotion was a sign of weakness, a sign people could use his own feelings against him to get an advantage in life.

“Do I make you feel uncomfortable?” Taehyung questioned quietly, as he folded his arms on top of his bended knees, understanding he didn’t have the right to just force Seokjin to stay with him. He honestly thought the older male had already moved on from what happened between them after solving their misunderstanding and admitting to him how he didn’t regret kissing him back, apparently, his attempt to assure him was in vain “I’m sorry if I’m being pushy, it just these couple of nights I have been having the same nightmare, y-your p-presence kind of s-soothes me, ironically, s-so I thought you could help me…”

Just like when he heard Taehyung saying to Hongseok he trusted him, Seokjin felt completely stunned by the younger’s words once again, not realising he had such an effect on him, especially after everything he did and said towards Taehyung since the moment they bumped into each other, it was unfathomable to him how he cherished him and his presence. He gazed at Taehyung, truly not knowing what he should do as he pondered about his options – should Seokjin listen to the voice of reason, telling him he should respect the boundaries he secretly established between them to prevent him to cross the line again or he should just comply with Taehyung’s request?

Seokjin was apprehensive because, on one hand, he relied on Taehyung and his help to bond with Jimin and, overall, improve in the emotional department. On the other, he felt like he could be himself when he was with the younger with those ridiculous hair colours, maybe Taehyung’s presence soothed him as well to the point he was comfortable sharing information that he never shared with anyone before, not even Jungkook, who had been his best friend since high school, to the point of letting himself go without always thinking about the pressure he was under because he had to maintain his image to not taint the family’s reputation and because of his position in the company, with Taehyung, Seokjin felt somewhat free.

“Taehyung, I, ah, I don’t feel uncomfortable with you, I’m just respectful towards you, I don’t want to upset you in any way, you already went through enough as it is, not only today but with me as well, I don’t want to make the same mistakes as before…”

“Seokjin…” Taehyung whispered as he lifted his head, feeling his cheeks heating up with Seokjin’s kind words. He slowly moved closer to the older male and sat down next to him with his legs bent to the side, as he wrapped his arms around the other’s arm, resting his head on his broad shoulder. It was funny how Seokjin was always recoiling himself every time he would be physical towards him, although in this case, Taehyung didn’t sense uneasiness coming from him “You know, if someone said to me a week ago that you would take me to your property, or you would kiss me, or stay by my side to make me feel better, I would probably call that person crazy and laugh in their face, maybe because a week ago, I didn’t know how sweet and kind-hearted you could be towards me, but now I know, you showed me a part of yourself and you entrusted me…” Taehyung stated sheepishly as he looked up, seeing Seokjin’s conflicted facial expression, it seemed like the older male needed some more assurance and he was happy to do it “You might think that I said I trusted you in front of Hongseok because I didn’t want to be alone with him, but that’s not the case, I genuinely trust you, Jinnie, if I didn’t, I wouldn’t request you to stay with me, knowing there would be a possibility of you hurting me, also we have the favour system, so I can always get a favour if you decide to misbehave”

“I guess I would react the same way as you if someone suggested those hypothetical scenarios that aren’t so hypothetical anymore a week ago which it’s comprehensible, I guess, we weren’t as close as we are now…” Seokjin mumbled softly as he locked his gaze with Taehyung, who had a small smile adorning his lips, while continuously wondering why did the younger think so highly of him “I know you already told me that night how you were slowly trusting me, you professed those words earlier as well and yet, I still have difficulty to believe it, maybe because people aren’t usually so forgiving as you, Taehyung, or maybe I feel guilty for everything that I made you go through, however, despite that, I’m glad you consider me trustworthy” Seokjin added, seeing Taehyung snuggling his head against his shoulder, on the verge of falling asleep, but his unique smile was now wider “Also, misbehaving? Why use that term? It seems like you are speaking to a child and, as far as I know, you are the childish one, not me”

Taehyung felt wide awake the moment Seokjin opened his big mouth to call him childish as he rose his head to have a proper look at the man, who, as per usual, was doing so terrifically well and being so sweet and honest, but always had to screw things up.

“I was going to be nice to you, old man, by giving you the choice of not staying, but I’m not doing it now because you are a big meanie who is always spewing nonsense like the bad bunny” Taehyung countered threateningly, squinting at Seokjin as he released his grip from him “So, I will use one of my favours to force you to cuddle me and act like the living teddy bear, so move your tooshie, unless you want me to drag you…”

Against his better judgment, Seokjin decided to comply with Taehyung’s demand, even though he still didn’t find it appropriate to share a bed with him, however, he was a man of his word and accepted the younger’s conditions when they implemented the favour system, something Seokjin was deeply regretting. Although back then, he acknowledged he was sort of desperate to make amends with Taehyung, not only that, he needed to assume and compensate for his wrongdoings, that was the solution the younger came up with, so Seokjin was going to respect it.

“This is the second one, Taehyung, so you only have two left, are you sure you want to use it?”

“Who told you that there were two left, Jinnie?” Taehyung asked knowingly with a hint of mischievousness, loving to fool Seokjin with his own system, the pretentious older male deserved it “It’s true I wanted to give you back the favour when I said we weren’t even, I ended up changing my mind, I kept it and used it for you to decorate the living room, but I reached the conclusion that decorating for the party was your obligation since you unintentionally injured me, so instead of using two, I’m using only one – the favour I initially wanted to use for the decorations –, with that logic, I have three left”

“Taehyung, that’s unreasonable, you simply cannot change your mind so suddenly, that is not what we agreed on” Seokjin remarked sternly as he got up from the bed, watching Taehyung happily sticking his tongue out at him, practically mocking him. The truth was the dark-haired male had already chosen to comply with the younger’s peculiar request, even when he wasn’t completely at ease, not only for himself but also for the fact there were other people inside the apartment and they could easily mistake the situation and yet, in spite of that, Seokjin wanted to save Taehyung a favour, now he was feeling regretful for his generosity “And technically, if I didn’t allow you to add another two favours, I wouldn’t own you anything, I think it’s unfair how you accused me of abusing my power when it’s you who do it”

“Boo-hoo, Jinnie, I wouldn’t suggest the favour system in the first place, if you weren’t constantly hurting me and making me cry, I didn’t trust your apologises, so I needed a way to teach you a lesson which I did, so my method was effective, the proof is that I trust you now” Taehyung claimed rationally as he positioned himself in front of Seokjin, sitting down on his knees on the mattress. While smiling brightly, despite his tiredness, the younger with colourful hair lethargically began to loosen Seokjin’s tie for him to be more comfortable and slowly pulled it down, placing it on top of the nightstand “Now, if you have any more complaints, they have to wait until tomorrow, my brain isn’t functioning properly and I’m not in the mood to deal with your whiny ass, old man”

Seokjin sighed heavily as he took his shoes off, deciding it was best not to retort to either of Taehyung’s remarks, especially the first one because the young male was right, between upsetting him by almost saying he wasn’t a parent thus he didn’t understand parenthood and using personal information to lash out on him, he could only imagine the harm he had done at the time, which, once more, made it so hard to believe how forgiving Taehyung was and how he trusted him now. After taking his shoes and placing them side by side, Seokjin edgily climbed on the bed while Taehyung was fluffing up a pillow for him, and awkwardly crawled to the empty side, right next to the windows.

When Taehyung turned off the light from the lamp on the nightstand, Seokjin grabbed the two soft blankets as he laid down to cover both his and the younger’s bodies to protect them from the freezing bedroom, he had a hunch that was about to snow outside. Seokjin tried his best to make himself comfortable, he admitted he was slightly restless with the fact he was sharing a bed with someone, even though it wasn’t the first time he did it, however, in this case, it wasn’t about sex, it was about him getting out of his comfort zone to cuddle Taehyung. Seokjin knew the young male was an affectionate person who always resorted to physical contact to express his emotions, whether was a hug or a kiss on the cheek, and normally it was reciprocated by other people, like Yoongi, or Namjoon, even Hongseok, now regarding him, Seokjin was still learning to express himself through gestures and reciprocate them as well because it was a way to show others how he valued them and he wanted to do that with Taehyung, the thing was, he didn’t know how to do it.

Seokjin was about to ask Taehyung what he needed to do to cuddle him, it probably sounded absurd out loud, however, before he had the opportunity to do it, he sensed the younger gently grabbing his arm and placing behind him, as he curled himself against him under the cosy blankets. The closeness between them wasn’t unfamiliar, nevertheless, as Seokjin stared incredulously down at Taehyung, watching him wrapping his arm around his waist and snuggling his head on his chest, he felt like their current position was too intimate which made me feel a little bit tense.

“Jinnie, can you relax? You really seem tense, I promise I won’t bite, unless you want me to” Taehyung spoke almost inaudibly, chuckling groggily as he glued himself more against Seokjin. He sighed contentedly, enjoying the warmth coming from the older male, a warmth he was starting to get accustomed to “I know this is not common for you, so I hope you know how grateful I am…”

“I will ignore your first comment, Taehyung, because like you said earlier, your brain isn’t functioning properly, so I’ll take that into consideration” Seokjin retorted in a scornful tone, hearing the younger grunting under his breath, probably he was too weary to argue back. The dark-haired male noticed Taehyung’s eyes closed, but he knew he wasn’t sleeping yet, perhaps he was still fearful of the nightmare he was having before “Taehyung, do you want to talk about your nightmare?”

“Not really, it’s too upsetting for me…” Taehyung responded drowsily as he momentarily opened his eyes to look at Seokjin, promising himself that he needed to tell him about the nightmare when he wasn’t so worked up and exhausted. The male with colourful hair’s mind went back to the party, namely, the moment the elder had to excuse himself to take a call, he knew for a fact that the other was on the phone with his father, even if he didn’t speak a word about the subject. Taehyung wondered if Seokjin was willing to tell him about the conversation they had, he assumed it was a troubling one “What about you, Jinnie? Do you want to talk about the conversation you had with your father?”

“I don’t feel like talking about that matter, at least for now, maybe some other time, Taehyung…” Seokjin answered dully, wondering how Taehyung figured that his father was the one on the phone with him “How did you know it was my father who called me during the party?”

“I was a psychology major, remember? I’m good at analysing people’s body language, yours wasn’t so hard to read…” Taehyung remarked as he closed his eyes again, feeling Seokjin’s arm around his body slightly tightening which was strange, still, he decided to not comment or joke about it “And besides, I know your father is a triggering subject for you, you speak about him in such negative manner because it bothers you and I assume talking to him brings out the worse in you and you tend to lash out on people, so when I saw you frowning at your phone, it could only be him calling you…”

Seokjin averted his attention to one of the windows, watching the snowflakes slowly fall outside, contrasting with the dark and cloudy sky, as he let his mind wander about Taehyung’s insightful words to him. It was true he wasn’t fond of the young male’s enjoyment of applying the knowledge about psychology he once obtained on him by making him his “guinea pig” as the other enthusiastically called him that time they were discussing options for him to get closer to Jimin. Nonetheless, despite the younger’s bizarre personality, Seokjin was truly fascinated by how easily Taehyung could read him, Jungkook could too, maybe because they had been best friends for more than a decade, unlike the merry male with colourful hair who he fatefully bumped into proximately two months ago, that wasn’t a lot of time.

Truthfully, Seokjin was conflicted with how Taehyung could see through him, see through the walls he built so high to protect himself and his emotions from others who had the intention of taking advantage, or at least that was Seokjin thought deep down. Little by little he was letting himself go by breaking free from his father’s claws and stepping out of his shadow, the dark-haired male was proud of himself for finally moving forward and yet, he still felt part of him was still stuck, restrained, although not by his father, but by himself, Seokjin hated to admit that his fear, or better yet, his apprehension and anxiety didn’t allow him to be entirely free.

Seokjin was mindful that the damage made by his father during all these years couldn’t simply be erased or forgotten, he needed time to unleash his true self completely to be able to live his life freely without second-guessing himself or remembering the frivolous and harsh words his father had the habit to state during his childhood and adolescent years, the words that were part of the reason he decided to rebel against him, besides his lack of attention.

In the middle of his inner turmoil, Seokjin sensed Taehyung’s body trembling against his. He pulled the blankets up to cover the younger’s shoulders, thinking the other was having difficulty warming up, but apparently, it wasn’t the case. He prudently study Taehyung’s hard facial expression and, even if the bedroom was poorly lit, Seokjin was able to catch sight of his brows deeply furrowing, his eyes squeezing shut like he was trying to find his way to the real world, his nose was scrunching and his lips were forming a pout. Shakily, he stretched his hand and reached Taehyung’s colourful locks, languorously and timidly running his fingers through his hair, as he did, the dark-haired male noticed the young male’s facial features softening and his body gradually relaxing with his unexpected touch, he was probably trying to fall asleep again, however, his recurrent nightmare was disturbing his slumber. Seokjin moved his hand from Taehyung’s hair to his face and delicately cupped it, caressing his now heated cheek with his thumb, just like he did earlier before the male with colourful hair woke up, in an attempt to appease his troubled mind.

“Taehyung…” Seokjin whispered hesitantly as he listened to Taehyung murmuring incomprehensibly during his restless sleep, even though he seemed more soothed than a moment ago. The older male began stroking the younger’s hair once again, knowing it was a good way to comfort him as he continuously observed him, questioning himself why he was always so keen to brush Taehyung’s uneasiness and bring out his cheerfulness to the surface, it was like he couldn’t bear to see him so upset “I want you to know that you aren’t alone, I just wish I could do more to help you…”

Since Taehyung wasn’t soundly sleeping yet, Seokjin could see him reacting to his heartening words that seemingly were easier to profess when he knew the younger with atrocious hair colours wasn’t paying attention to him. He stared at him, watching the tiniest tight-lipped smile adorning Taehyung’s lips as he snuggled his head, squishing his cheek even more against his chest, the view itself actually made Seokjin smile earnestly as well.

Seokjin wasn’t able to take his eyes off Taehyung for some unknown reason, even when he was being lulled by the warmth coming from the blankets and the younger’s body, and by the howling of the wind that was becoming more and more audibly outside. He kept running his fingers through Taehyung’s smooth and colourful hair as he finally closed his eyes, succumbing to the tiredness that was consuming his body, Seokjin admitted it had been quite the exciting day, both in a good and a bad way, however, in the middle of it, he was able to experience so many things he hadn’t been able to throughout his life.

The more Seokjin got enwrapped in Taehyung’s life, the more he realised how miserable and trapped he was before, how his dull routine and his “loyalty” to the principles established by his family were controlling and overwhelming him to the point he was losing his true self, almost letting it vanished, almost letting the real him die, thankfully, Taehyung was the one who showed him that his true self wasn’t dead, it was only burry deep inside of him, encircled by those tall and shielding walls. Seokjin hoped, one day, he could embrace his true self and be the person he used to be before his father threatened to disown him – the person who didn’t have fears, who didn’t hold back and who didn’t pretend to be someone else to please others.

Chapter Text

Taehyung sighed heavily as he observed the interaction between Jungkook and Yoongi, feeling bad for how his family problems had gotten between the two males, who were at a pretty good distance from the school entrance probably to have more privacy. Apparently, after Taehyung fell asleep on the couch, Seunghee kind of blurted out to the open how Namjoon was trying to reconnect with their father for the last couple of years and, as expected, Yoongi reacted poorly to the news and to Jungkook’s suggestion of giving his father a second chance. Taehyung appreciated how his best friend was loyal to him and how he was looking out for him, at the same time, despite having his reasons to be upset, Yoongi shouldn’t have lashed out at Jungkook for being reasonable, it was true everyone deserved a second chance, the thing was his father had already wasted his a long time ago.

The morning of the previous day, Taehyung got to learn the information about Namjoon contacting their father in more detail from him and Yoongi, who had threatened his older brother to spill the beans or he would do it himself. Thankfully, the children weren’t present given the topic of the discussion because Taehyung was beyond furious, knowing his own brother, along with his wife, were hiding something so massive from him, something truly upsetting, which made him realise the sudden eagerness of Namjoon wanting Hoseok to meet their father last year. After the conversation, Taehyung, as per usual, needed time to process what had unfolded, meaning he was giving both Namjoon and Seunghee the silent treatment until he was able to forgive them, it was a childish manner to deal with the subject, as Seokjin bluntly pointed out to him, nonetheless, Taehyung believed it was a better option than lashing on people like Yoongi did to Jungkook. That was another problem Taehyung had in his hands – the small altercation between Yoongi and Jungkook –, his best friend kind of did the same thing he was doing and even though he understood how equally angry he was with the situation, Jungkook wasn’t at fault for acting like the kind-hearted and sweet person he was, so Taehyung had a frank talk with Yoongi and convince him to put an end to their senseless lover’s quarrel which ended up happening, fortunately.

Now, even if Taehyung was far away from the couple, he could see how loving Jungkook was towards Yoongi – the way he was cupping his best friend’s cheek while looking at him adoringly with a gentle smile plastered on his face, seemingly whispering something to him. He knew Yoongi still felt guilty for his outburst, despite Jungkook being understanding, which resulted in him being so clingy after apologising to the older male, Taehyung honestly found his behaviour quite adorable.

Apart from still feeling bad for involuntarily creating conflict between Yoongi and Jungkook, Taehyung had another matter that was making him anxious yet even more furious than he was with Namjoon and Seunghee. Today was the day he and Seokjin were going to speak to the parents of the two older kids who bullied Jimin and Hoseok the prior week. Taehyung was relieved for having both Myungsoo and the third-grade teacher, who taught the mischievous children, as mediators because he was certain that the parents of said children were the presumptuous and rude type, similar to Seokjin, and surely they were going to bring his peculiar situation, namely, him being Hoseok’s guardian, to the conversation, just to excuse their children’s actions, or just to be malicious. Taehyung had already dealt with a lot of judgement only because he was the one raising Hoseok instead of his parents, people didn’t know what his baby brother went through, people didn’t know what he went through, however, it wasn’t important, people just felt the need to feel superior and use others weaknesses or disgraces to make themselves better than they were, Taehyung wouldn’t say that was Seokjin’s case when he did it to him, but maybe being repressed by his father and not being able to be himself drove him to act imprudently towards him.

Taehyung sighed once again as he averted his attention to Seokjin, who was accompanied by the group of mothers, making his mood lighten a little bit while watching the older male being overwhelmed and fidgety with the attention from them. He smiled weakly, feeling glad that the group of mothers were so accepting of Seokjin, like a good amount of people, they probably heard about the different rumours and gossip surrounding the man and his lack of care for Jimin, especially after the small brunette boy fainted, nevertheless, the older ladies were respectful and decent people, they weren’t judgemental like the parents Taehyung came across in the past. He was very grateful to have met that particular group of mothers, the male with colourful hair confessed he was nervous when Hoseok told him about his new friends and how excited he was to invite them over, something that didn’t happen when his baby brother was in kindergarten. In the past, Taehyung attempted his best to please and be polite to the mothers of the little children who attended Hoseok’s kindergarten and eventually befriended him. He hadn’t the same luck as his little brother regarding him befriending the little ones' mothers, who, instead of trying to get to know him and the person he was, decided to judge him by his appearance and by his family situation, they even went as far as saying to his face that he wasn’t mature enough to take care of a toddler.

It had been a couple of years since then, but Taehyung never forgot the harsh words told to him, words that really hurt deep inside. That was another reason that pissed him off when Seokjin almost accused him of not knowing about raising a child just because he was a guardian, besides the recollection of Namjoon and Seunghee’s situation. Taehyung managed to move on from that period of his life and from the awful and judgemental women, and yet the fear of not getting along with Hoseok’s friends’ mothers and not being able to provide him with a normal experience where he could just invite or be invited by his friends to have playdates with them profoundly haunted him, luckily, Taehyung had a new whole experience that helped him to put the horrific memory in the back of his mind and hang out with the coolest moms he ever met.

“Tae Tae!”

Taehyung’s thoughts were abruptly interrupted when he heard Hoseok calling for him with his sweet and extremely high tone of voice, as he quickly ran towards him, along with Jimin, who was smiling softly, even though he seemed a little out of breath, the poor baby couldn’t keep up with his little sunshine’s energy.

“Oh, my little sunshine, my cutie pie!” Taehyung exclaimed loudly as he crouched down, opening his arms wide. He immediately was hugged by the two giggling children, almost being knocked down to the ground, maybe they had a lot more strength than he thought. The male with pink and blonde hair parted from the hug and glanced between both boys, who seemed eager for some reason “What’s up, babies? Do you need something from Tae Tae?”

Hoseok nodded his head vigorously, flashing his bright smile at Taehyung. “Tae Tae, can Jiminie come with me to my piano class after study time?”

“Of course, he can, my baby, but…” Taehyung responded amusingly as he lifted himself up, taking a glimpse of Seokjin “You need to ask Mr. Kim for permission as well, okay?”

Hoseok just hummed and grabbed Jimin’s small hand, the hand that was hurt by the mean older kid last week, feeling happy that his short friend didn’t need a patch anymore. “C’mon, Jiminie, let’s ask your dad”

Taehyung watched Hoseok practically dragging an apprehensive Jimin with him, it was obvious the brunette boy still wasn’t completely comfortable with Seokjin, however, progress had been made since the week before, Jimin smiled more around his dad and was a lot more talkative with him, the little one didn’t look as gloomy and anxious like he once did. The young male observed how Hoseok pulled Seokjin’s sleeve to grab his attention, the dark-haired male’s expression was priceless while perplexingly staring between his baby brother and Jimin, probably not accustomed to Hoseok’s straightforwardness, a trait he definitely inherited from him. Taehyung lightly chuckled, seeing Seokjin blinking as he nodded his head, giving Jimin permission to attend the piano class with Hoseok, the simple gesture was enough to make the small boy relax and smile weakly, his body language earlier indicated that he wasn’t hopeful about his father’s answer.

Slowly, but surely, Taehyung was noticing changes between Seokjin and Jimin’s relationship, especially in Seokjin, however, he was able to conclude that something was preventing the older male to be more affectionate towards his son which was odd, in his opinion. There were multiple occasions when Seokjin showed Taehyung a part of him that he rarely had the opportunity to see, examples of that were when he stayed at his property and during Hoseok’s birthday party, but there were two moments that were stuck in Taehyung’s brain – the moment Seokjin kissed him the night of the storm and the moment Seokjin was staring at him when he woke up the morning of the prior day. Just reminiscing about the latter made Taehyung’s heart flutter, and despite hating reacting in a bashful manner, he couldn’t forget the fond gaze cast upon him by Seokjin, at one point, the younger male thought he was dreaming, he even closed his eyes for a brief instant, however, when he opened them again, the other male was still watching him, not only that, Taehyung recognised that look, it was the same one Seokjin gave to him before he kissed him.

The whole moment should have been weird to Taehyung, although, it was far from that. That morning he had the possibility of experiencing a more gentle and sweet Seokjin, a more comfortable Seokjin, who wasn’t afraid of running his fingers through his hair while he was trying to understand what was going on, Taehyung even acted as clingy as Yoongi was acting with Jungkook, and just like that, he felt himself blushing as hard as he did on that morning.

“Taehyung?”

Taehyung furrowed his brows when he heard a familiar voice calling for him, but he couldn’t grasp from who or where he had heard it. He began to look around for the source of the voice among the sea of people who were dropping their children at the school entrance when he noticed an attractive man with bright neon red hair waving in his direction. Taehyung being Taehyung couldn’t help but gawk at the gorgeous male and the outfit he was wearing – a white t-shirt that perfectly hugged his narrow torso, a black leather jacket and a pair of slim-fitted jeans that outlined his muscular legs –, suddenly coming to the realisation who was that specific person and where he had met him.

Wasn’t he blonde when I met him or was I too drunk?

Taehyung waved back as he started heading towards the hot man, who was smiling at him, well, he personally thought it was more of a smirk, after all, they kind of had unfinished business. When he was face-to-man with the other male, Taehyung’s gaze went to the small child, who was shyly hiding away and staring at him with big doe brown eyes, the cutie seemed familiar to him.

“For a moment there I thought you didn’t remember me, Taehyung, but I wouldn’t blame you, since it was a pretty hectic night and neither of us was exactly sober”

“It would be pretty hard to forget someone like you, Minhyuk…” Taehyung retorted mischievously as he got closer to Minhyuk, despite his deplorable state that night, he couldn’t forget how cheeky and flirty both of them were acting with each other, plus the other male was quite attractive and nice “Although, I don’t remember you having red hair, did you decide to do a make cover?”

“I say the same about you, especially with the outfit you were wearing that night” Minhyuk remarked wittily, reminiscing about that particular night and how frisky Taehyung was behaving towards him. Throughout the weekend, the red-haired male couldn’t stop thinking about Taehyung, which was pretty unusual for him, he didn’t have the habit of becoming obsessed with someone he barely knew, even though he had the opportunity to speak and get to know the other male “Oh, the hair, yeah, I was blonde, but I made a bet with my friend, the one bartending with me that night, and the loser had to dye their hair with the winner’s choice of colour, as you can see, I lost…”

Taehyung bit his bottom lip, not realising he made such an impression on Minhyuk, even though he was wearing a daring outfit that night and was acting in such an unashamed manner. However, part of the reason he was being flirtatious was because he was intoxicated and desperate to be under someone to make him forget his confused feelings and how lonely he was, unfortunately, things didn’t go his way that night. Despite Minhyuk’s charm, the words spoken by him awoke his curiosity, Taehyung wanted to know what kind of bet Minhyuk made with his friend, who, unsurprisingly, was the brunette bartender, in a way, it reminded him of the bet he made with Seokjin not long ago, regarding Jimin maintaining his grades.

“I’m curious, what kind of bet did you and your friend make?”

“Ah, well…” Minhyuk laughed awkwardly, as he broke eye contact with Taehyung, scratching the back of his neck nervously. In all honestly, the bet was related to Taehyung and the red-haired male didn’t know how to tell the other that information without feeling embarrassed, still he decided to do it “Actually, the bet was about you, I sent you a text the next day after we met, my friend said I was being desperate and you wouldn’t reply, I didn’t believe it, so we made a bet and he told me if you didn’t reply the next 48 hours, I needed to dye my hair with a colour of his choice…”

Oh, so the other unknown number I saw was from Minhyuk, now I feel bad…

When he turned on his phone last weekend, Taehyung noticed he had two messages from unknown numbers. At the time, he prioritised the people who were closer to him and who were worried about him after ghosting them for so long, eventually, Taehyung forgot all about the messages, however, he later found out that one of them was from his father, since the man himself told him that information. Apart from that, Taehyung had been feeling overwhelmed, especially with Hoseok’s birthday and the events that had unfolded on that day.

“I-I’m really sorry, Minhyuk…” Taehyung uttered gloomily, feeling truly bad for not responding to Minhyuk “It’s a long story, but after that night everything went downhill for me and I needed time for myself, that’s why I didn’t respond to your message, well, I didn’t even know it was your message in the first place, I really feel bad now…”

“Hey, Taehyung, no need to apologise to me or feel bad about it, and I’m actually happy to see you again…” Minhyuk smiled gently, noticing Taehyung’s expression brightening up slightly, he was hoping the feeling was mutual. The red-haired male felt his jacket being pulled by his younger brother, who was basically hiding behind him “Oh, and I’m not the only one, my baby brother apparently recognised you and told me to call you”

“Hi, Tae Tae…”

Taehyung and Minhyuk spoke about a lot of topics the night they met and he vaguely remembered a few of them, however, he didn’t remember if the other male mentioned having a younger brother or not. In addition to that, how did the adorable child know his nickname, he certainly didn’t tell Minhyuk about that, that particular nickname was given to him by one of his first kindergarten students. The pink and blonde haired male crouched down to have a better look at the little boy, who now had a tight-lipped smile on his face and his eyes were sparkling so brightly, he could definitely see some similarities between him and Minhyuk.

“I don’t think I told you about my brother, if I did, I don’t recall it…” Minhyuk chuckled, along with Taehyung, as he crouched down as well to be at his brother’s level. He didn’t know how his brother knew Taehyung, so it came as a surprise when he requested him to call the other male “Soobin, sweetie, how do you know Taehyung?”

Soobin slowly and shakily reached for Taehyung’s hand, delicately grasping it, as he glanced at his older brother. “Tae Tae was my kindergarten teacher, Minnie, he called me “little squirrel” because of my chubby cheeks”

“Was Taehyung the teacher you were always talking about?” Minhyuk asked curiously, looking between Soobin and Taehyung. When his younger brother started kindergarten, the red-haired male knew how he was struggling to talk to the other kids in his class since he always had been a shy kid, until Soobin spoke to him about a nice teacher who was spending time with him and encouraging him to befriend the other children “The one who spent time with you during recesses?”

Soobin simply smiled weakly and nodded his head.

Taehyung, with his free and injured hand, cupped Soobin’s face and softly caressed his chubby cheek, coming to the realisation that the small boy in front of him was indeed the student who first named him “Tae Tae”, so that was why he seemed familiar to him earlier. He smiled wholeheartedly at Soobin, recollecting the first class of adorable kids he had to teach, Taehyung was on edge that day, even though he adored and cherished children, he still was frightened of doing something wrong or not doing his work properly. On his first day, during recess, he saw a lonely boy sitting far away from the playground, so Taehyung decided to keep the young boy company and spoke to him to understand the reason why he hadn’t joined the others, in the end, Soobin confessed he was scared the other kids wouldn’t like him. In exchange, Taehyung told the cute kid how he was scared the other teachers wouldn’t like him either, back then Soonyoung and Gunhak still weren’t working there, so he truly felt intimated, despite his charismatic and gleeful personality. Furthermore, Taehyung had to care for a two-year-old Hoseok, he had to deal with a lot during those times, he often didn’t feel like his real self, probably because he was getting accustomed to his new life, especially after everything that he went through after his mother’s death.

“I remember you now, you were always puffing your cheeks, that’s why I called you “little squirrel” and in returned, you started to call me “Tae Tae”…” Taehyung gently squeezed Soobin’s cheek, making him giggle so joyfully “You grew up so well, my little squirrel, so tell me, in what grade are you now?”

“Third grade!” Soobin answered excitedly as he took Taehyung’s hand from his face, clutching it “And I have lots of friends now”

“Third grade? You’re a big boy now, I’m so happy for you, sweetie” Taehyung said cheerily, feeling honestly proud of the small boy in front of him. He focused on Minhyuk, who seemed surprised by the whole situation, Taehyung felt the same, it was a small world “You know, Minhyuk, I don’t think we ever crossed paths before, neither in the past nor here for that matter, do you usually drop your brother at school?”

“If we had crossed paths before, I would have definitely remembered, you are quite unique, Taehyung” Minhyuk responded audaciously, watching Taehyung’s cheeks matching the pink colour of his hair, the other male was certainly mesmerising, if he had the opportunity, he would pursue a relationship with him “And no, my mom is the one who drops Soobin at school in the morning, but she is working the night shift at the hospital this week, she’s, ah, she’s a nurse…”

Taehyung had the urge to ask about the father, but if Minhyuk didn’t mention him, it was because he didn’t feel comfortable sharing and he was completely fine with that and, to some extent, he could relate to him, if that was the case. Another thing that got his attention was that if Minhyuk and his mother were the only ones taking care of Soobin then Taehyung had a lot more respect for Minhyuk since he was studying, working and caring for his baby brother when their mother was working.

The bell started ringing loudly, indicating classes were about to begin.

“Little squirrel, you better hurry or you will be late, okay? But before you do, can you give me a hug first?” Taehyung requested sweetly, seeing Soobin eagerly nodding his head with a slight smile on his features. He pulled the young boy and wrapped his arms around him, carefully smothering briefly. He parted from the hug, not wanting Soobin to get late for his classes “Bye, sweetie, have fun”

Soobin threw himself at his older brother and hugged him as well before entering as well. “Bye, Minnie, bye Tae Tae”

Minhyuk kissed Soobin’s forehead and lifted himself up, letting go of his younger brother against his will. Between writing his thesis for his master’s degree and working part-time at the bar, Minhyuk barely had time to spend with Soobin and his mother, which sometimes took a toll on him, physically and mentally, however, it was worth it, the red-haired male was investing in his education to give his family a better life. As he watched Soobin reuniting with his friends and walking towards the stone stairs to enter the school, Minhyuk heard an elated voice calling for Taehyung, which made him glance in the direction where the voice was coming, apparently, it came from a smiling blonde kid, who was waving energetically and holding another boy’s hand.

“I guess that’s your baby brother?”

“Yeah, my little sunshine, Hoseok…” Taehyung saw Hoseok and Jimin walking inside the school building, accompanied by the rest of the troublemakers, who, as always, were making a ruckus. The male with colourful hair turned his attention to Minhyuk, now that they were alone, there was another question that he wanted to know “So, going back to the beginning of the conversation, can you tell me why did you send me a message? I didn’t see it, so you could enlighten me…”

“If I’m being honest, Taehyung, I wanted to know if you were available this week…” Minhyuk stated teasingly, shortening the distance between him and Taehyung. He boldly grasped the other’s male hand and locked his gaze with him “Or better yet, I want to know if you are available, my brother is having a sleepover tomorrow and my mom is working, so I’m wondering if you would give me the pleasure of having dinner with me?”

Taehyung was sincerely caught off guard by Minhyuk’s invitation since they didn’t know each other very well, their relationship initially should have been a casual one, he wasn’t looking for a romantic relationship right away, Taehyung was still fragile with the whole situation with Hongseok. The pink and blonde haired male knew resorting to sex to help him forget the ache from his broken heart and help him close the wounds caused by his ex-boyfriend wasn’t exactly a great solution, however, it was a mechanism to cope with his overwhelming emotions and his hurt. Simultaneously, Taehyung refused to go through with what Yoongi went through with Changkyun, he didn’t want to hide from the world and be afraid of any guy who would show interest in him, besides that, Taehyung didn’t want to waste any more tears for someone who didn’t deserve him and took him for granted.

Taehyung flashed his unique boxy smile and nodded his head. “Yeah, I would love to have dinner with you tomorrow, Minhyuk”

“I’m glad you accepted my invitation, can’t wait to cook for you…” Minhyuk smiled light-heartedly as he brought Taehyung’s hand to his lips, kissing it sweetly. He noticed the male with colourful hair’s eyes widening, probably not expecting him to cook dinner for them, he wanted to show off his culinary skills. He softly let go of Taehyung’s hand and returned the smile “I will send you my address and the time, so you know, keep an eye on your phone”

Taehyung chuckled lightly at Minhyuk’s remark. “Don’t worry, I won’t ignore you for sure, especially when dining with an attractive man is at stake”

“Maybe I’ll be on the menu this time too, you’ll never know…” Minhyuk whispered seductively, as he winked, watching Taehyung’s cheeks now turning completely red “I need to go now, Taehyung, but I’m really happy I got the chance to see you again, see you tomorrow”

Taehyung simply stood there in the same place, murmuring some kind of goodbye while watching a smirking Minhyuk going away, clearly, he couldn’t be as flirtatious and naughty as he was when he was intoxicated. In spite of that, Taehyung was also content for the chance to see Minhyuk again and was truly excited to have dinner with him the next day, and maybe something more.

“Why are you blushing, Tae?”

“Why are you still here, Yoongles?” Taehyung questioned mindlessly, trying to recuperate from Minhyuk’s daring words, the exact words he professed to him that night at the bar. He looked at his best friend, who seemed panicky, probably didn’t hear the bell ringing earlier because he was distracted by Jungkook “You know the bell rang a couple of minutes ago, I guess strong bunny distracted you with kisses”

“Damn it, Jungkook!” Yoongi grunted as he glanced at his wristwatch, sighing heavily while hearing Jungkook and Taehyung laughing at him. He quickly pecked Jungkook’s lips and kissed Taehyung’s cheek, and started running as fast as he could “SEE YOU LATER!”

Taehyung continued to laugh at his flustered friend, who kept cursing under his breath as he ran inside the school building, it wasn’t typical of Yoongi to arrive late to classes.

“You didn’t answer him, Tae, why were you blushing? Was it that guy with neon red hair?”

“Now, now, silly bunny, it’s none of your business” Taehyung stated merrily, taunting Jungkook as he walked away from him “I’m going to annoy your best friend before leaving, you are welcome to join me!”

***

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(Earlier that day)

After Myungsoo and teacher Moon explained the situation to the mothers of the two children who bullied Hoseok and Jimin and introduced Seokjin and him to them, Taehyung patiently waited for the older ladies to express their thoughts, however, he could see that they seemed completely caught off guard with the events that had unfolded in the prior week. The younger male couldn’t take the image of Hoseok’s bruised wrist and Jimin’s patched hand off his mind, recalling their miserable facial expressions that day just made his blood boil. He still didn’t blame the children for what happened, he blamed the women sitting in front of him and Seokjin. The only thing Taehyung wanted out of the conversation was an apology and the guarantee that the two boys wouldn’t bully Hoseok, Jimin or any other kid, they were still young and they needed good role models in their lives.

“I’m sorry, teacher Moon, but I’m having a hard time believing that my Youngkyun would be capable of doing such a thing unless he and Inseong were provoked by those children”

“I’m having a hard time too, my Inseong is such a good boy, he always behaves at home” Inseong’s mother stated outrageously, not appreciating the accusations the young man with an odd hairstyle was making about her son and his friend “And I would prefer to talk to the child’s parents instead of the young man who proclaims to be his guardian”

The moment Taehyung professed he was Hoseok’s brother and guardian he could see the condemnatory stares given to him and he honestly thought he would be stronger now and able to handle the judgment. However he couldn’t, perhaps his mental state hadn’t been so great in this last week to deal with the situation and yet, when it came to Hoseok, Taehyung always found his strength to fight back and defend himself and his little sunshine from snobby people and their disapproving looks.

“Are you-“

“With all due respect, Mrs Kim, I don’t think Taehyung being Hoseok’s guardian is an issue for us to resolve this situation” Seokjin interrupted abruptly in a polite manner, sensing Taehyung’s discomfort when the woman mentioned Hoseok’s parents “Furthermore, both teachers here explained what occurred that day, your children’s classmate came forward and took both my son and Hoseok to the infirmary to take care of their wounds and bruises, personally there’s no reason to doubt my son and Hoseok’s actions”

Taehyung briefly glanced at Seokjin, who had a deadpan expression plastered on his features, not believing the older male just defended him, maybe it was baffling to him since, not very long ago, Seokjin was the one in that position, he was the one doubting his parenting skills just because he wasn’t a parent. The younger male stopped himself from smiling, given the circumstances it didn’t seem appropriate, but he was pleased that Seokjin was the one who spoke instead of him, Taehyung didn’t know if he could control himself.

“Mr Kim is right, Taehyung being Hoseok’s guardian has nothing to do with the situation we have in our hands” Myungsoo added assertively, not liking both ladies’ attitudes and, apparently, neither Tae Il did, his colleague who taught one of the third-grade classes “The child who helped both Hoseok and Jimin talked to teacher Moon and I and explained to us what happened on that day, neither of them provoked or even spoke to Youngkyun and Inseong in a threatening manner”

“Seokwoo also told us that this wasn’t the first time that happened, apparently your children bullied Jimin at the beginning of the school year, I only got the information now since he thought Youngkyun and Inseong had stopped their bullying” Tae Il said sternly as observed the mothers’ reactions to his and Myungsoo’s words “Both boys are still young and according to the school’s rules we can’t suspend or apply any type of punish to your children, however, as they grow older they will face the consequences if their behaviour doesn’t improve”

“What do you want us to do then?”

“For starters, I want both of your children to apologise to both Jimin and Hoseok for what they have done, especially Jimin, I didn’t know he had been bullied by them before” Taehyung responded indignantly, noticing the looks both mothers were giving him – pure disgust –, as he attempted not to flip the table and chock their necks for thinking of themselves as superior to him “I also want a guarantee that this won’t happen again, obviously your kids need to be raised and educated better, they have no matters and they clearly are being neglected, so they lash out on innocent children, like my brother and Jimin” Taehyung added, now glaring at both ladies, who seemed like they wanted to contest his arguments, but he wasn’t going to let them step all over him “And for your information, I might be Hoseok’s guardian, but at least I’m raising my baby brother properly and teaching him to distinguish between right and wrong, unlike your children”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Taehyung was picking the slice of carrot cake with a fork as he stared at it, reflecting on what happened earlier when he confronted the two infuriating ladies, who, unsurprisingly, treated him like he was inferior. He noticed how the women addressed Seokjin with esteem and were polite, unlike the older male, Taehyung wasn’t someone rich or influential, therefore he didn’t deserve the same conduct, aside from that, he was also Hoseok’s guardian and, for some preposterous reason, it didn’t make him qualified to discuss the subject about the bullying.

It wasn’t the first time Taehyung was under scrutiny for his unique familial situation and he knew for certain that it wouldn’t be the last time either. Yet, it still was difficult to deal with the discrimination from people who didn’t have any idea of how many obstacles he had to surpass, the hardships he had to go through to be in the place he currently was, his life hadn’t been easy since his mother’s death.

Taehyung sighed deeply as he quickly cleaned the lonely tear rolling down his cheek with the back of his free hand. He was fed up with people who preferred judging him without understanding the circumstances that led him to be Hoseok’s guardian, not that they had the right to know that information and Taehyung wasn’t willing to explain how his father and his wife’s shameful and selfish actions drove him to step forward and take responsibility for them, forced him to make sacrifices at such a young age.

In the end, Taehyung felt so frustrated that, sometimes, he just wanted to keep quiet and let people walk all over him and say whatever they wanted, what was the point of fighting back every time when his words didn’t mean a thing?

“I’m sorry, Taehyung…”

Taehyung lifted his head and made eye contact with Seokjin, who was staring at him with concern, not understanding why the dark-haired male was apologising to him, for once, he wasn’t the one to blame for his frustration and gloominess. “Why are you apologising to me, Jinnie? The only ones who should apologise are those arrogant women who think are better than me…”

“That’s why I’m apologising to you, Taehyung, because I behaved in the same way they did in the past” Seokjin uttered calmly, feeling sincerely regretful for the words he professed that particular day, moreover, that day Taehyung placed his trust in him and told him about his family situation. As time went by, the older male realised the many mistakes he made, not only with Jimin, but also with Taehyung, he was gradually learning, thanks to the younger with those ridiculous hair colours “They didn’t have the right to use the “you are not a parent, thus you don’t know how to raise a child” argument, just like I didn’t, it’s ignorant and disrespectful, especially when they don’t have the knowledge about the circumstances that led you to be Hoseok’s guardian, and if it comforts you, you are a great guardian and brother to Hoseok”

Taehyung was completely dumbfounded by Seokjin’s remark, it was like the older male read his thoughts, the same thoughts that continuously hunted him and brought him down. He averted his attention to the partially destroyed carrot cake, attempting to hide his smile, Seokjin was too charming for his own good sometimes, he surely came a long way since the day they met.

“Thank you, Seokjin, that means a lot to me, it’s just like you said, you used to have that same mindset and I was really upset with your words that day, but you understood my point of view and the reasons that led to me being Hoseok’s guardian, those two annoying ass women just wanted to judge me and feel superior to me, like everybody else…” Taehyung took a small piece of cake and put it in his mouth, making him hum at how delicious and sweet it was. Now, he was happy Seokjin took him to Mrs Seo’s bakery shop instead of the other bakery, he missed Mrs Seo’s delicacies “And if I remember correctly, you apologised to me that very same day, glad you came to your senses, you really pissed me off that time, as per usual, aren’t you happy I came up with the favour system?”

“You’re welcome and I was just being honest, now regarding that day, I told you I was out of line, I recognised I made a mistake, so technically I didn’t apologise to you, I did it now, given the circumstances” Seokjin enlightened Taehyung, as he took one of the lemons bars Mrs Seo brought earlier to the table and took a little bite out of it. He stared at the younger, who was devouring the cake, shaking his head, noticing cake crumbs falling to Taehyung’s clothes and frosting in the corners of his lips, so childish “And I’m regretting the favour system, I should have imposed some conditions to prevent you from abusing it, Taehyung, even though I was at fault at the time although I don’t think it’s fair in my opinion…”

“Oh, Jinnie is trying to seek fairness again, is Jinnie going to cry?” Taehyung mocked Seokjin, pouting as he flashed his eyelashes cutely just to rile him up. The pink and blonde haired male chuckled as he put down the fork, he took a napkin and cleaned his mouth, his eyes remaining on the older male, who was enjoying the lemon bar, something told Taehyung that Seokjin wanted to go to Mrs Seo’s bakery shop just for him to eat that specific sweet. Taehyung crossed his arms on top of the table and smiled weakly at Seokjin as he leaned forward “Because you were a nice boy, Jinnie, I will try to act accordingly when it comes to the favours, emphasis on the “try”, I trust you, so I know you won’t hurt me again like you used to do it back then”

Seokjin gazed at Taehyung and saw his red and puffy eyes, probably the younger was trying his best not to break down once again, it had been a rough week for him. He turned his attention to the younger’s unique boxy smile, despite being a small one, it seemed as bright as always and Seokjin preferred watching Taehyung’s smile, even if he was smiling because he was making fun of him or mocking him.

Seokjin hated to admit it, but Taehyung’s smile had an effect on him, in fact, the simple view almost made him smile as well which reminded him of the conversation he and the younger male had the night he stayed at his property – the one about him having a difficulty to smile or finding reasons to make him.

To Seokjin, Taehyung and his childish behaviour were enough reasons to make him smile. So, he also smiled as he put down the lemon bar on the plate, and reached for the cup of coffee near him.

“I hope you really try to act accordingly, or I will have to come up with a system of my own, Taehyung, because, as you said, I’m always trying to seek fairness”

Taehyung giggled heartily as he placed his chin on top of his crossed arms, enjoying seeing Seokjin’s feisty side coming to the surface. “Is that a threat, Mr. Kim? I hope not, I’m a worthy opponent”

“Does it matter? Knowing how sly you are, I doubt you are going to commit to what you said earlier, Taehyung”

Taehyung squinted his eyes at Seokjin, despite his solemn tone, the older male’s smirk didn’t come unnoticed by him, so him being sly, as Seokjin nicely put it, was amusing to him. “Game on, grumpy old man, you’ll see if I’m not able to keep my word, how dare you?”

Seokjin lightly chuckled at Taehyung’s reaction to his “threat”, for someone who once was majoring in psychology, the younger didn’t know the definition of reverse psychology.

“We shall see, then…”

Chapter Text

Seokjin and Jungkook were in a high-end champagne bar located on the 81st floor of one of the most prestigious and well-known hotels in South Korea. The place had a widespread and expensive champagne collection where the most influential and the rich could sample the various liquors in an intimately luxurious environment. Both males were currently sitting down at one of the tables next to the big windows, enjoying the marvellous and breathtaking view of the skyline of the city. Outside, the sun had already set, the soft yellows, purples and oranges were being swallowed by the darkness of the night and the shining stars, and the crescent moon was peeking out and becoming brighter as the light slowly fainted. Inside, the magnificent installation hanging above the space, which depicted the floating bubbles in a champagne glass, made the various bottles of liquor exposed behind the bar counter sparkle, people’s murmurs and soft laughter filled the air, along with the sound of the champagne glasses clinging. Overall, the atmosphere of the bar was soothing and pleasant.

Seokjin gazed out the window, observing how the night was quickly falling down on the city. The silhouette of the numerous buildings and skyscrapers was disappearing, mixing with the darkness. People were tiny from his point of view, however, he could see some enthusiastic groups, probably because it was a Friday night and another tiring work week had already come to an end.

“If I were you, I would make a move now, Kim”

Seokjin averted his attention from the stunning view of the city and glanced at Jungkook, who was smiling too widely in his opinion while checking his phone. “What do you mean, Jeon?”

Instead of answering his question, Jungkook handed him his phone, which only confused Seokjin even more. He just furrowed his brows and looked at the screen of the phone, seeing a photo Taehyung had posted on social media of his outfit, probably taken by Yoongi. The younger male with ridiculous hair colours was wearing tights with garters, similar to the ones he had on last week when he went out on Valentine’s Day, a pair of grey jean shorts and a pink crop top with long sleeves with a rainbow on it.

“Look at the comments…” Jungkook uttered wittingly as he took a sip of his Taittinger champagne, carefully watching Seokjin’s reaction “Apparently, someone has his eye on Taehyung, the same attractive man I saw speaking to him yesterday morning, they seem really close…”

Seokjin rolled his eyes and sighed in a frustrated manner, as he gave back the phone to Jungkook, not wanting his best friend to have fun at his expense. He didn’t like to meddle in Taehyung’s private life or get dragged into it, the situation with Hongseok had been an exception, whoever the younger spent his night with or spoke to was none of his business, of course, Jungkook was still stuck to the idea that opposites attract, therefore, he and Taehyung were a perfect match. Seokjin admitted that his relationship with Taehyung had changed a lot in a short period of time, they had gotten closer after the younger spent the night at his property and yet, Seokjin couldn’t define what they had, especially after what occurred between them.

“Jungkook, you and Yoongi have to stop with the absurd premise that opposites attract, it’s as absurd as Taehyung’s hair colours,” Seokjin remarked as he fetched his beautiful cherry blossom-decorated Epoque champagne flute, taking a small sip from his bubbly beverage “Yes, Taehyung and I are different people with different points of views, however, that isn’t an indicator that we are meant to be a couple”

“It also isn’t an indicator that you aren’t meant to be together either, you know what they say, love works in mysterious ways, so you never know” Jungkook retorted in amusement, watching Seokjin taking another sip of the champagne. The black-haired male pushed the charcuterie board to the side and placed his arms on top of the table “I’m still curious about what happened between you and Taehyung while he stayed at your place, Seokjin, clearly something important unfolded or you wouldn’t act so defensively like Taehyung, aside from that, I know you told him about your coulrophobia as well…”

Seokjin already made the decision of keeping the kiss a secret from Jungkook, Namjoon knowing was too much for him to handle, although he was quite helpful when he wanted to resolve the apparent misunderstanding that existed between him and Taehyung. Furthermore, Seokjin was still struggling with what happened and how he felt about the whole situation, he was stunned at how Taehyung nonchalantly told him that he didn’t regret reciprocating the kiss and how he admitted he liked it, he himself enjoyed the kiss and the warmth of the younger’s body against his.

Seokjin instantly stopped reminiscing about that moment, it had been a one-time thing and he certainly didn’t want to cross the boundaries between him and Taehyung again, even though he shared a bed with the younger a few days ago. The dark-haired male placed the flute on the table, next to the prawn brochettes, and proceed to loosen the knot of his tie, suddenly he felt the place was getting warmer.

“Nothing of importance happened between Taehyung and me, I simply cooked his favourite meal since he had endured a lot from his ex-boyfriend and gave him a tour of the mansion per his request…” Seokjin stated casually as he picked a green olive from the charcuterie board, making eye contact with Jungkook, who could easily read him like a book “And yes, I told him about my phobia and spoke to him about Hae Yoon when I showed him the atelier…”

“You showed Taehyung the atelier? Are you serious, Kim?” Jungkook asked mesmerizingly, not believing that Seokjin really took Taehyung to his late wife’s atelier. He always wanted to go to the attic, especially after Seokjin hanged all those beautiful paintings, Hae Yoon was a wonderful artist, even when she was in the hospital, she insisted on drawing something, art was her passion “You hid some much from me, what’s next, Taehyung saw you naked or something?”

“Well, he didn’t see me naked, but caught me shirtless when I was putting the watch away, I thought him seeing Jimin’s bedroom would give me enough time, Taehyung doesn’t know how to respect my personal space…” Seokjin turned his attention to the silver watch around his wrist, which probably sounded slightly hypocritical of him, saying how Taehyung didn’t respect his personal space, but at the same time, it was a fact. He glanced at Jungkook again, his best friend seemed shocked by what he just said, which confused him, since Seokjin and Taehyung shared a bed, driving his best friend to mock him “Why are you so shocked, Jeon, you better than anyone know how Taehyung is, it’s not that surprising”

“The reason why I’m surprised is that you are talking about the subject in such a casual way…” Jungkook chuckled as he straightened himself on his seat, observing attentively his best friend “Don’t tell me that you were fine about Taehyung gawking at your body, Jin?”

“Of course, I wasn’t okay, you know how cherished my privacy, Jungkook” Seokjin stated, noticing the smirk on Jungkook’s face “And as you can see, I wasn’t hiding much from you, whatever happened between Taehyung and I was a misunderstanding which we already resolved and moved on from, now will you stop talking about the matter?”

“No, I won’t, because I know you better than anyone, I know you better than you know yourself as a matter of fact, I will find out eventually what exactly led to that misunderstanding” Jungkook counterattacked assertively, feeling slightly frustrated with Seokjin’s stubbornness. The black-haired male could sense some defensiveness coming from his best friend, obviously, the misunderstanding was related to something serious and, probably, unexpected “So, what else did you tell Taehyung about Hae Yoon, I saw that you gave one of her paintings to him, did you tell him about the watch?”

Seokjin stared at the silver watch once again, recollecting the time when his late wife, Hae Yoon, gave it to him, it had been a few days before she died. Knowing the cancer was almost taking away her life, his late wife remarked that she didn’t want to leave the world without making peace with herself and the people in her life, Seokjin included, which surprised him. Despite not being a good husband to her throughout their marriage, Seokjin did everything to make her comfortable while she was being treated and observed in the hospital. He would bring Jimin to visit her and stay with her for as long as he could before going back to work, after all, Seokjin still had the responsibility of conducting the business and his father wasn’t very fond of the idea of him “wasting” his time with someone who was on the verge of death.

A week before her death, Hae Yoon confessed to him how she wanted to make truces with him, so both of them spoke to each other with honesty, they talked about their deepest fears, their regrets, their dreams and so on. Seokjin learned about his late wife’s first love during their conversation, the memories she shared with said man, and he actually felt sorry for her and he truly understood where her hatred for his family came from. In the end, both of them admitted how they felt a weight being lifted from their shoulders, Hae Yoon told Seokjin how she misjudged him, he wasn’t a malicious monster like his father which amazed him, in addition to that, she gave him a dark blue velvet box that she had asked her mother to bring to her. The box had a silver watch inside, one similar to the one she gifted her first and only love, it seemed odd at first, but Seokjin accepted and also apologised for not acting like a proper husband and father, Hae Yoon just smiled and reassured him, telling him there was a way to make up to her – she wanted Jimin to keep her last name, no matter what –, and Seokjin, until this day, kept the promise she made to Hae Yoon.

“No, I didn’t…” Seokjin spoke softly as he picked up his champagne flute again, his eyes looking through the window, the night had already settled in the city and the moon was embellishing the sky, next to the little shining stars that were sparkling brightly. He caught his reflection in the window and took a sip of the champagne as he reminisced about those times that motivated him, even more, to break free from his father’s chains “I told him about a painting that is in the atelier – a painting of the man Hae Yoon truly loved –, I had the intention of giving it back to him, but I never got the chance, he, ah, he died on his own terms after knowing of her death…”

Jungkook was caught by surprise, Seokjin never shared that information with him, not that he had the obligation to do it and he understood, it was a sensitive matter. Despite the tragic story of Seokjin’s late wife and her true love, Jungkook didn’t want the same to happen again and after his best friend told him how his ruthless father wanted him to date some woman, just for him and Jimin to have a female presence around, infuriated him, as a parent, the older Kim should treasure his only son, no matter his sexual orientation. Probably that was the reason why Jungkook was so insistent about a possible relationship between Taehyung and Seokjin, putting aside the “opposites attract” premise, he vehemently believed they were a match. Every time Jungkook witnessed an interaction between his best friend and the jolly younger male with colourful hair, he could see sparks flying around, even when they were bickering, there was something for sure.

“I’m not a religious man, but I hope they have a happier time in the afterlife, especially after the hardships both of them went through while they were alive…” Jungkook stated solemnly with a sad smile on his lips, tilting his head “Life is short, Jin, and I know your father has a tight leash on you, but don’t let him control you, I already told you this several times and I mean it, you deserve true happiness and love too, don’t succumb to him and his ridiculous demands to “straighten” you up, literally”

Seokjin gulped the rest of the champagne as he heard Jungkook’s words, usually, he dismissed his best friend’s attempts to motivate him to reach for a better life, a life where he could be happy on his own terms without having to hide his true self and indulge his father’s demands. Seokjin had a taste of freedom and yearned for more, he needed to put himself and Jimin first, especially Jimin, his son and his wellbeing were his top priority. Regarding love, Seokjin wasn’t an expert on the subject and, honestly, it wasn’t something he was thinking about, in fact, Jungkook always taunting him with Taehyung and the possibility of the two of them ending up together, actually put him off, love was probably the only area he lacked the most.

“Don’t worry, Jungkook, I have learned my lesson, I’m done hiding and feeling ashamed for being who I am, there’s nothing wrong with me and I have the right to live my life the way I want to, without my father’s meddling…”

***

Breathless, Taehyung tightened his grip on Minhyuk’s hair and kept riding him at a considerate pace, as he felt the other male’s hands slowly gliding down his sides, exploring his warm and exhausted body, while his soft lips were eagerly kissing and playfully biting his neck. Lewd and loud moans escaped Taehyung’s lips, making him throw his head back as he felt Minhyuk increasing the rhythm of his thrusts, no matter how many times they had sex earlier and how worn out his body was, Taehyung still felt immense pleasure.

Meanwhile, Minhyuk kept hearing those beautiful sounds coming from Taehyung as he felt his curvy body moving up and down on him and his hips jerking forward, probably looking for some friction. The red-haired male already suspected that Taehyung was a naughty and seductive cutie when they first met at the bar, however when they moved their make-out session to his bedroom and the other male pushed him to his bed and began to strip his clothes right away, he was able to confirm his suspicions and Minhyuk was pretty pleased, especially since Taehyung, despite being sexy as hell, was endearing, honest, charming, sweet and incredibly generous, moreover, his smile could light up a whole room. Minhyuk was doing everything in his power to control himself, he wished nothing but to ravage Taehyung and be rough on him and the other probably wouldn’t have minded and yet, he decided to go against his desires, knowing Taehyung’s body already had endured a lot in these last couple of hours.

Minhyuk’s hands landed on Taehyung’s waist and then moved them to his bottom, groping his butt cheeks as captured the other’s plump lips, swallowing his whines. He harshly kissed him, immediately feeling Taehyung’s tongue entangled with his, fighting for dominance which Minhyuk truly found amusing, the male with colourful hair liked to challenge him and provoke him, motivating him to go further and further, until both of them reached their limits. In spite of sensing Taehyung’s exhaustion throughout their play time, he continued to beg him for more, his sexual thirst was practically insatiable, and Minhyuk didn’t mind having Taehyung in his bed for the rest of the night, feeling his body moving against his, the heat radiating from him while they fiercely kissing each other until their lungs screamed for air, just like they were doing in that instant.

Taehyung carefully pulled Minhyuk’s hair, tilting his head back for him to kiss him deeply and hungrily, enjoying the feeling of his thin lips against his and his tongue playing with his. The male pink and blond hair started to bounce his body at a much quicker pace, allowing him to impale himself deeper in Minhyuk’s member. He couldn’t take it anymore and he knew for certain that he was almost reaching his orgasm for the third or fourth time that night, Taehyung was so far gone that he even lost count of how many times Minhyuk pushed him to the edge.

Taehyung broke the kiss, letting go of Minhyuk’s hair. He placed his hands on the red-haired male’s shoulders and dug his nails into his skin, whimpering uncontrollably when Minhyuk squeezed his butt cheeks and tugged his ear lobe, licking it. “M-Minhyuk~, I’m really c-close”

“F-Fuck~, Tae, y-you are d-driving me insane…” Minhyuk groaned huskily, attempting, once again, to keep his urges of fucking Taehyung into oblivion in check, his cries for pleasure weren’t helping, and neither was his body’s movements “I-I really want to fuck you hard and hear your sweet voice begging me to cum”

Taehyung couldn’t help but smirk at Minhyuk’s words, he had a suspicion that the red-haired male had some kind of “beg” kink. Every time he begged him for more and to go harder on him until his body would go numb from all the pleasure, Minhyuk always went the extra mile and made his wishes come true. He bounced harder on Minhyuk’s member as he leaned on his ear, smiling mischievously while hearing him grunting.

“What’s s-stopping you, baby? Are you afraid of ruining my ass?”

“I-I think I r-ruined your ass p-plenty of times tonight, Tae” Minhyuk responded amusingly, now feeling more eager to lay down Taehyung on the bed and drive him crazy, just like he was doing it to him “But if I fuck you really good, you might not walk for a week…”

“Hum, Minhyuk~, p-please” Taehyung moaned against Minhyuk’s ear, instantly feeling the red-haired male’s nails digging into his butt cheeks “I-I don’t mind not walking properly for a w-week, i-if that means I can feel that big dick of yours so deep inside of me that makes me cum twice, I-I’m all for it”

Instead of replying to Taehyung’s provocations, Minhyuk placed his hands on the other male’s hips, tightly grasping them, and quickly rolled them, changing their positions without disconnecting their bodies. He gazed at Taehyung, who now was underneath him, seeing a cheeky smirk adorning his swollen and tempting lips and his legs bending as he pulled them to his chest, giving him a wonderful view for him to admire.

Taehyung chuckled when Minhyuk simply froze and stood there, unashamedly staring at his body, he seemed so eager to fuck him to the point he couldn’t walk for a week and now he was speechless, just like when he undressed earlier. He already was accustomed to men gawking at his body and finding him irresistible, and probably sounded complacent, however, Taehyung loved himself and how he looked, which gave him confidence. The male with colourful hair wrapped his arms around Minhyuk’s neck and pulled him down for a kiss, awakening him from his trance. The moment their lips touched, Taehyung immediately felt Minhyuk's strong grip on his waist as he began to thrust aggressively, making him arch his back.

Minhyuk held on to Taehyung, feeling his body quivering as he hit his sweet spot repeatedly. He could feel the other male trying to get into his rhythm, his hands moving to his back, scratching him as he went deeper. He parted his lips from Taehyung to be able to listen to his melodic moans and pleas, he buried his face in the other male’s neck and began to leave feathery kisses on his warm skin. Hearing Taehyung constantly screaming and whimpering his name with his sexy voice was driving him closer and closer to his climax, feeling the gorgeous male continuously bucking up his hips against him and his body glued to his as they both moved together was heavenly, despite their sinful actions.

Taehyung buried the back of his head against the mattress as he panted heavily, not being able to handle the sweet torture anymore, he was so freaking close and his lungs, like his body, were almost giving up. He could feel that amazing feeling inside of his stomach tightening, on the verge of exploding, his blood was boiling from excitement, and every single thrust was sending him into a spiral of lust and intense pleasure. He dug his nails into Minhyuk’s back when he felt one last vigorous and deep thrust hitting his prostate, making Taehyung whine so loud that probably Minhyuk’s neighbours could hear him while he was gasping for air as he reached his orgasm, cumming all over Minhyuk’s defined stomach.

As he kept pouncing Taehyung’s bottom, Minhyuk could sense the other’s walls clenching around his erection, stimulating him even more. He squished Taehyung’s waist as he gazed at him, feeling his hands now travelling from his back to his arms, his fingers outlining his tired muscles while staring back at him, gently moaning with his movements. For a brief moment, Minhyuk stopped moving and grabbed Taehyung’s hands, pinning them on the mattress, on each side of his head, and began to thrust once again. If Taehyung wanted him to fuck him so hard and get too deep inside of him to the point of cumming twice then Minhyuk didn’t mind obliging to his request. He kept moving at a fast pace as his impatience grew, not only he needed to chase his high, but he also wanted to see Taehyung melting in his embrace and hearing his gaudy whimpers, asking him to increase the speed, the cutie seemed desperate to climax again and Minhyuk couldn’t help but smirk with the view beneath.

Minhyuk groaned as he submitted to the pleasurable waves washing over him while listening to Taehyung’s croaky and sensual cries echoing in the bedroom, as both of them reached their orgasms and ride their highs, enjoying, once again, the incredible sensations coursing through their bodies. Winded, Minhyuk let go of Taehyung’s hands and carefully got out of him, laying down on the bed next to the equally exhausting male.

Taehyung lay on his side, scooting closer to Minhyuk’s glistening and warm body as he felt the other male’s muscular arm wrapping around him. He smiled tiredly and placed his hand on top of Minhyuk’s chest, his heart was thumping as fast as his own.

“I really enjoyed our dinner, you are an amazing cook, but I have to say...” Taehyung uttered, still trying to recuperate from the mind-blowing sex. He lifted his head, locking his gaze with Minhyuk as he gave him a smirk “You are definitely the most appetising item on the fucking menu, Minhyuk”

“I’m glad I made an impression, both with my cooking and my skills in between the sheets” Minhyuk laughed, running his free hand through his slightly sweaty hair. His laughter died down shortly after when his mind travelled back to the conversation he had with Taehyung. It wasn’t a surprise how much he yearned for the other male, it was more than his body, his personality shone so much brighter, Taehyung was so captivating and loving, Minhyuk wished he could establish a relationship with him and properly court him “Tae, are you really okay with what I told you earlier? I usually don’t care since it’s a one-night stand, but you are different, I mean, I know this was a one-time thing and we barely know each other, but still, I want you in my life...”

Taehyung cupped Minhyuk’s face and gave him a gentle smile. During dinner, Minhyuk confessed to him how he wasn’t looking for a relationship at the moment, he already had his studies and his part-time job at the bar to worry about. On top of that, there were times he needed to take care of Soobin, leaving him almost without free time left to dedicate to another person. Besides that, Minhyuk also told him that he tried to have a relationship with someone when he started his master’s degree and things didn’t end well.

Taehyung understood Minhyuk perfectly, however, unlike him, he had a support system, and he had people around him that were willing to sacrifice part of their lives to help him with Hoseok. He sincerely didn’t know how he could have handled so much without Namjoon, Seunghee and Yoongi when his little sunshine was born, clearly, his father and the bitch he married didn’t give a damn. That was another thing, Minhyuk said that his father, after Soobin was born, simply left them and since then, the red-haired male never heard of him again, not that he wanted to, he vowed that he would never forgive him and Taehyung could relate to him.

“Minhyuk, I can relate to you to some extent, I know what it means to make sacrifices for the good of others, in my case, I sacrificed my studies and you sacrificed your love life, so I completely understand why you prefer keeping things casual and I’m okay with it” Taehyung responded quietly as he took his hand from Minhyuk’s face. He hugged the red-haired male’s torso as he ignored the bodily fluids on it, and rest his head on his chest, feeling a painful pang in his heart that came from his guilt “And I should be the one asking you that, I practically used you to forget my cheating ex, you said you were fine and yet, I feel guilty for doing it, I mean, I’m not saying I didn’t want to have sex with you, I already wanted it even before I encountered Hongseok that night…”

“Tae…” Minhyuk whispered as he placed his thumb and pointing finger underneath Taehyung’s chin, forcing him to look at him. He gazed deep into those brown eyes, which seemed a lot darker in his poor-lit bedroom, and smiled reassuringly “We might have had an ulterior motive to have sex with each other, but at the end of the day, we wanted it for no reason as well, not just because I wanted to blow some steam off or you wanted to put your dumb ex in the back of your mind…” Minhyuk added as he moved his fingers to Taehyung’s damp and dishevelled hair, delicately brushing it “I really enjoyed our time together and I would love to have you again, but since being friends with benefits is out of the question because I know you are still healing from that motherfucker, I want, at least, your friendship…”

“You can certainly have my friendship, Minhyuk, you’re an amazing person and you seem trustworthy to me, besides, your little brother is adorable, so that’s another point in your favour” Taehyung leaned forward and kissed Minhyuk’s cheek, catching the other male by surprised “And thank you for listening to me at dinner, the words you spoke to me meant a lot…”

“Glad to hear that, I hope you know you can count on me for everything and anything, I will always have time for you no matter what” Minhyuk spoke caringly, running his fingers through Taehyung’s colourful hair as he remembered how the other male sounded hurt at dinner when he was talking about his relationship with his ex and everything that unfolded after they met that night. He didn’t know Hongseok, however, knowing someone like him just screwed up so many times and hurt a kind-hearted and empathic person, a person who willingly opened up his heart and soul to him, it really infuriated Minhyuk “You don’t have to thank me, Taehyung, I was just telling you the truth, you deserve someone who loves you unconditionally and is faithful to you, someone who will comfort you when you are feeling down, someone who will do everything to put a smile on your face, someone who cleans your tears and listens to you, someone who does whatever it takes to make you the happiest person in the world…”

As Minhyuk described the perfect man, Taehyung closed his eyes and ponder about what happened this last week. Between dealing with Hongseok and with the snobby and rude parents, and everything in the middle, there was one person who stood out the most to him, a person who he would never consider as a partner, but recently had shown him that he was wrong, or at least, Taehyung thought so, especially after enduring so much. He sighed heavily as his heart pounded against his chest, the male with colourful hair felt flustered for some reason, maybe because he was enjoying Minhyuk’s company while his mind was focusing on someone else, someone who comforted him when he was feeling down, someone who did everything to put a smile on his face, someone who cleaned his tears and listened to him throughout this tough week.

(Seokjin…)

Chapter Text

Namjoon cautiously climbed the last step of the stairs as he securely carried the breakfast folding tray, attempting to not trip or stumble anywhere. A few weeks ago, on Valentine’s Day, Namjoon did the whole “breakfast in bed” situation, wanting to be romantic and show his love and appreciation for Seunghee, however, when he was climbing the last couple of steps, he stumbled on one of them, making him drop the tray. He swore the floor carpet was still sticky because of the poured orange juice, even after he cleaned it a bunch of times.

The last few weeks hadn’t been easy for both Namjoon and Seunghee, once again, their attempts to start a family were in vain and he was seriously getting worried, especially with Seunghee’s mental state. To cheer up his loving wife and help her forget about their predicament, Namjoon decided to adventure himself and try to cook dinner for himself and Seunghee, luckily no accidents or fires happened. Despite having a pleasant evening the previous day, Seunghee woke up feeling sick to the point of throwing up, Namjoon was afraid that his wife had food poising because of his cooking, but weirdly, he was feeling completely fine.

Namjoon headed towards his bedroom, which thankfully wasn’t far from the flight of stairs, and walked inside. The moment he entered the room, he caught Seunghee swiftly cleaning her tears, his wife didn’t need to hide her tears from him, Namjoon had been able to see the frustration and the sadness twinkling in her eyes in these passing weeks. To make the matter worse, today was the day Seunghee decided to take one last pregnancy test before they made an appointment to do the said check-up that they had discussed days before Valentine’s Day. He caught a glimpse of the pregnancy test as he placed the folding tray with the food above Seunghee's legs, preventing himself from sighing or showing any negative emotions, Namjoon wanted to be supportive and soothe Seunghee.

Namjoon sat down on the side of the bed, next to Seunghee, and delicately cupped her face while caressing her pinkish cheek with his thumb. He tilted his head as he got closer, and softly kissed Seunghee’s sweet lips to console her. Before he had the chance to deepen the kiss, Seunghee slowly pushed him away, however, that didn’t stop Namjoon, he moved his lips to her jaw and gradually travelled to her neck.

“Joon, baby, I love you, but I threw up half an hour ago…” Seunghee uttered, chuckling weakly as she felt Namjoon’s lips tickling her neck “I mean, I washed my teeth and gurgled some mouthwash and yet, I still feel disgusting”

“You smell wonderful to me, sweetheart, and your lips tasted minty fresh” Namjoon muttered between kisses, loving how cheery Seunghee sounded. He was hoping he could lighten the mood after everything they were going through. Namjoon stepped back from Seunghee’s neck and glanced at her, she was pale, her eyes were puffy and reddish, her pink hair was messy, and despite all of that, she was still the beautiful woman for whom he fell in love “I love you so much, Seunghee, and I don’t care if you threw up half an hour ago, you are still gorgeous in my eyes”

“Joonie…”

Seunghee felt her eyes watering once again with Namjoon’s words as she rested her head on her husband’s shoulder, feeling completely drained and broken. She didn’t know how much she could endure – the disappointment, the frustration, the rage –, it was so exhausting to keep up the façade that everything was fine, to be positive about her wish of becoming a mother was going to come true any day now, however, her hopes and positivity were quickly running out, and even with Namjoon’s unconditional love and support, Seunghee couldn’t do it anymore. As she felt the tears rolling down her cheeks again, Seunghee thought about her sister, who couldn’t stop bragging about her pregnancy on social media, she thought about her mother constantly calling her to help out with the preparations of her sister’s baby shower, she thought about the woman Namjoon and Taehyung’s father married and how she randomly wanted to be a mother again after almost aborting an innocent child. Seunghee was scared about something being wrong with her, what if she had some condition that prevented her from being a mother? What if she was infertile now for some reason? She knew how Namjoon blamed himself and she hated that, Seunghee hated how Namjoon was always apologising for not doing his part because she was the one who felt like that.

“I-I’m sorry…”

“You have nothing to apologise for, Seunghee…” Namjoon remarked quietly, hugging Seunghee tightly the best he could without accidentally flipping the folding tray and making a mess. He looked down and locked his gaze with his gloomy wife “I promised I would make an appointment for us to do a check-up and I’m going to do it on my way to work, I know it will reassure you, sweetie, so please don’t stress yourself and rest, you already had a lot to deal with this morning”

“I feel like I do, Joon, you want to be a parent as well, and I know you are always saying how I shouldn’t think about what you want, but what I want, still I don’t like it, it’s unfair to you” Seunghee whispered tiredly, wishing she and Namjoon could stay at home and snuggled, completely forgetting about the world outside “And I need to go to work in a bit too, honey, I can’t stay at home”

“I want to be a parent, it’s true, but I don’t want you to feel pressure because of it, it’s teamwork, but you are the one who can create life and protect the baby, I don’t want to strain your body…” Namjoon leisurely parted from the hug, not liking how Seunghee intended to go to work after not feeling well, thankfully he already had that covered for her “And no, you aren’t going to the restaurant today, I called Yu Jin about you being sick and she told me to put you in house arrest and if you dare to show yourself at work, you would be owing her lunch”

Seunghee couldn’t help but giggle, Yu Jin was a long-time friend and always found excuses for her to cook some type of meal or treats for her. “Okay, okay, I won’t go, but we still are going to Tae’s house for dinner or I’ll be extra annoying during my period”

“Did I ever tell you how much I love your bossy side, baby? It turns me on” Namjoon retorted amusingly, smiling widely as he noticed Seunghee in a better mood “And, of course, we are going to Tae’s house, that was never out of the question…”

“Did I ever tell you how much I love your naughty side?” Seunghee asked knowingly, making Namjoon laugh. In the middle of their chat, the pink-haired girl heard her stomach growling, Seunghee was starving, especially now that she emptied her guts “I’m feeling better now, so I’m going to eat the breakfast my hubby made”

Seunghee turned her attention to the food on the folding tray and tried her best not to laugh. The tray had a bowl with sliced strawberries and bananas, a glass of orange juice and a plate with two toasts, which were almost black, and scramble eggs that looked a little overdone, she suspected the latter had a few shells in them since Namjoon didn’t know how to properly break an egg.

“You know I’m not a master chef like you, sweetheart, so I tried my best, but I feel like I did some progress since Valentine’s Day”

“Not dropping the tray of food is an improvement, baby, I’m proud of you” Seunghee kissed Namjoon’s cheek, hearing her husband laughing in amusement. She grabbed the spoon and scooped a little of the scrambled eggs and tasted them, the second she chewed on them, she immediately felt the crunchy shells hitting her “I need to teach you how to break an egg…”

“Okay, baby, I don’t want you to eat any more of that, just eat the fruit…” Namjoon took his phone from the pocket of his suit pants and went to the take-out app to order a decent breakfast for Seunghee. He wanted to improve his culinary skills to impress Seunghee, however, he didn’t want to ask her, especially now that they were going through quite the ordeal. He scrolled down the app, trying to find Seunghee’s favourite place “Pancakes with syrup, delicious scrambled eggs and a large cappuccino for my beautiful wife coming right up”

“I’m kind of in a mood to eat waffles with a bunch of blueberries and raspberries and lots of whipped cream on top and a berry milkshake…” Seunghee said strangely as she noticed the look Namjoon was giving her, understanding why her husband was questioning her food preference. Seunghee only enjoyed blueberries and raspberries in cakes, never as fruit, strawberries were an exception “I’m oddly craving it right now for some reason, Joon, please”

Namjoon chuckled light-heartedly as he searched for another place to order what his wife was craving, feeling Seunghee’s arm wrapping around his and her face resting on his bicep.

“Thank you, Namjoon, I love you so much…”

“No need to thank me, baby, and I love you too…”

***

Taehyung happily waved at Mrs Lee, Minhyuk and Soobin’s mother after the nice lady dropped Soobin at school. After spending the night with Minhyuk, Taehyung had the opportunity to meet the red-haired male’s mother the next morning, he admitted it had been slightly embarrassing, given the circumstances, regardless, Mrs Lee was a very open-minded, cheerful and kind-hearted lady, he could see part of her in Minhyuk and Soobin, especially Minhyuk, the little squirrel, however, was the shy and quiet type, the complete opposite of Hoseok, his energetic little sunshine.

After saying goodbye to Mrs Lee, Taehyung turned around and saw Seokjin a little further back from the school entrance watching with a deadpan expression Jimin, Hoseok and the rest of the little devils giggling as they had fun with the headbands with cat and bunny ears Yoongi and Jungkook had bought to entertain the children. Taehyung smiled weakly, knowing the reason behind the older male’s emotionless state – Seokjin was anxious about his current task.

A couple of weeks ago, Taehyung gave Seokjin a challenge which consisted of him hugging Jimin. At first glance, it didn’t sound like a difficult task to accomplish, however, Taehyung acknowledge that Seokjin wasn’t the type of person who easily expressed his emotions and demonstrated affection towards others or, at least, he didn’t know how to do it properly, luckily Taehyung was there to guide him and reassure him. The reason behind the young male’s challenge was the fact that Jimin was a lot more comfortable in Seokjin’s presence and, according to Seokjin himself, the brunette boy would speak and smile regularly when they were alone. Despite the dark-haired male’s doubts about himself, Taehyung fervently believed that Seokjin would be capable of showing his sensitive and caring side, he already had the chance to experience those sides of him, so he was confident that Seokjin could do it, and today was the day for the older male to prove himself that he could be a normal parent and demonstrate to Jimin how much he cared about him through gestures because gestures spoke louder than words.

On the other hand, Taehyung understood why Seokjin was concerned, the older male didn’t want to upset Jimin and ruined the progress he had been making in these last weeks. In all honesty, Taehyung could see big changes in Seokjin’s demeanour, the eldest didn’t seem so stern and cold anymore, and he would smile often and behave playfully. Taehyung was sincerely pleased to see Seokjin embracing his true self, although he sensed some resistance like there were boundaries Seokjin didn’t want to cross like obstacles were preventing him to reach the person he truly was. Taehyung recalled the conversation he had with the dark-haired male when he stayed at his property, how Seokjin confessed to him about what type of person he wanted to be for the sake of his son, how he confessed about his difficulty to accept the person he used to be and the person he was now, how he told him about the possibility of him not accepting himself. Taehyung never had the chance to meet Seokjin’s father and, despite his progress, something told him that the older Kim was one of the reasons, if not the sole reason that stopped Seokjin from accepting the person he was now and his old self, especially the old self.

Taehyung walked enthusiastically towards Seokjin and wrapped his arms around the other’s arm, attempting to calm down his nerves.

“It’s going to be fine, Jinnie, don’t be nervous...”

“How can you be sure, Taehyung?” Seokjin questioned apprehensively, not bothering to ask Taehyung how did he know how fidgety he was at that instant. He made eye contact with the younger with those atrocious hair colours, noticing his unique boxy smile that somehow appease his mind and cleared all the doubts brewing inside his mind “When it comes to Jimin, I’m always on edge because I don’t want to say or do the wrong thing and hurt him in any way, I’m being successful lately because I have you to help me, but it’ll come a time where I need to do this on my own...”

“Seokjin, you can’t put so much pressure on yourself…” Taehyung expressed kindly, unwrapping his arms from Seokjin’s arm. The younger with colourful hair reached for the dark-haired male’s hand, lacing his fingers with his as he stared deeply into his eyes “Remember when I told you that we make mistakes because we are human and the only way to improve ourselves is to learn from said mistakes? Well, you are learning from your wrongdoings and you are definitely a better person now than you were a couple of months ago, your relationship with your son is the proof, you should be proud of your progress” Taehyung added cheerfully as he kept holding Seokjin’s hand, finding funny how the older male finally got accustomed to his touch “And who says you aren’t doing this on your own, Jinnie? I’m not always with you and Jimin seems happy regardless of me being there or not, stop undermining yourself, where is the narcissistic asshole I met so long ago?”

“I was never a narcissistic asshole, Taehyung, although, I would prefer being one than having horrendous hair colours” Seokjin retorted in a playful tone, seeing how Taehyung was throwing daggers at him for his comment as he strongly squeezed his hand, however, he decided to ignore the younger’s attempt to counter back “In all seriousness, I truly appreciate your words, Taehyung, and your support, I know I have a lot of work to do and I’m please with my progress but, above all, I’m pleased that Jimin finally feels comfortable with me, he seems so much happier now”

“You know, I’m going to the hairdresser today and I was thinking of dying my hair in a different colour, but I won’t do it now because you are a big meanie” Taehyung grumbled upsettingly, pouting “I shouldn’t help you anymore, ungrateful ice sculpture”

“You completely ignored half of my speech, Taehyung, especially the part where I said that I appreciated your help so how am I being unkind to you?” Seokjin questioned in a teasing matter as he watched Taehyung sticking his tongue out at him, proving to him how childish he was when he didn’t have arguments “And I thought you wanted to make a bet to see which one of us was going to dye our hairs in case of Jimin’s grades stayed the same?”

“Mocking my beautiful hair is being unkind to me, no matter what words follow next, you arrogant old man” Taehyung stated defiantly as he stabbed a finger at Seokjin’s chest, noticing enjoyment written all over his face. One of the things Taehyung had realised was that Seokjin had the most fun mocking him from time to time, aside from Jungkook “And I decided to not go through the bet because I’m certain Jiminie is going to maintain his grades and get that big A he wants in Korean, it would be a guaranteed win, Jinnie”

“You are calling me arrogant when you are acting arrogant yourself, but I’ll allow it because I believe in my son’s success...” Seokjin averted his gaze to Jimin, seeing him running around with the bunny ears while giggling. He deep down wished Hae Yoon was there to witness their son growing up, be the person she always wanted him to be, and be completely free from the responsibilities trusted upon him as a Kim. The Kim legacy was going to end with Seokjin and he was glad about his decision. The dark-haired male felt a squeeze on his hand and glanced at Taehyung, who was staring back at him and smiling so widely. He tenderly cupped the younger’s face, feeling how soft and warm his skin was “Can ask you something?”

“Y-Yeah, of course, what is it?”

Before he had the chance to request what he wanted, Seokjin felt someone pulling his blazer. He broke free from Taehyung’s grasp as he looked down, being caught by surprise when he saw Jimin wearing the bunny ears while gazing back at him expectantly with a big smile on his face. “Is everything okay, Jimin? Do you need something?”

“Hum, ah, I-I want to know if you and Tae Tae like my bunny ears?”

Taehyung immediately cooed at how adorable Jimin looked while wearing the grey and pink bunny ears that amusingly matched Seokjin’s grey suit and pink tie. An idea popped into Taehyung’s head, an idea that could help the dark-haired male conquer his goal of hugging Jimin. Before, Seokjin wasn’t a fan of physical contact, especially if it was without “consent”, but after Hoseok’s birthday party, Taehyung noticed how the older male started to be less defensive when he approached him and had some physical contact, it was like Seokjin finally understood that he needed it to build the proper foundations and strengthen his relationship with Jimin. Taehyung wouldn’t admit it out loud, however, he enjoyed how Seokjin was a lot more at ease with him in that department.

Quickly, Taehyung held Seokjin’s arm, preventing him from saying a word to the little one, and leaned on his ear to tell him about his idea, hoping he would be on board. The older male probably was going to be and Taehyung was certain, he just needed confirmation. When he finished whispering the plan and pulled back, the pink and blonde haired male saw how confused Seokjin seemed, which Taehyung honestly found hilarious.

“Jiminie, you look so pretty with your bunny ears, so adorable” Taehyung exclaimed wittily as he crouched down to be at Jimin’s level, pulling Seokjin with him. The moment he saw the brunette boy flashing his smile, Taehyung’s heart almost melted with the sweet boy’s reaction. He gazed at Seokjin and squeezed his arm in a comforting manner “And your dad likes them a lot too, right, Jinnie?”

“Y-Yes, you look really pretty with those bunny ears, Jimin, they really suit you...” Seokjin spoke anxiously, admiring Jimin as he reached for his small hand “Did Jungkook give you the bunny ears?”

Jimin vigorously nodded his head. “Yes, Kookie told me I could wear the bunny ears until the end of the day”

“So today your dad and I will call you bunny Jiminie” Taehyung bopped Jimin’s slightly rosy nose, earning a few giggles from him. He slyly observed Seokjin from the corner of his eye and decided to put the plan into action “You know, cutie pie, as your dad said, he thinks the bunny ears suit you, but you see, he’s sad because he doesn’t have ones, so he needs to cheer up, remember how you and Hoseok usually cheer me up?”

“Yes, Tae Tae!” Jimin remarked enthusiastically, reminiscing about the day he met Taehyung and befriended Hoseok. Despite knowing what he should do to make his father happy, Jimin was a little nervous about hugging him and yet he had the will to do it, his father had been nice to him and spent more time with him “Hoseok and I give you a double hug to make you smile”

“That’s right, little bunny, you’re so smart” Taehyung retorted as he softly pinched Jimin’s flushed cheek, not being able to handle so much cuteness “So that means that you and I need to hug your dad to make him feel better, want to go first?”

Jimin peered between Taehyung and his father, feeling slightly reluctant. The young boy always wanted to have a normal father who spent time with him and said goodbye properly with a hug or a kiss on the forehead, like Taehyung and Jungkook did, however, his father was cold and barely spoke to him in the past, so he got frightened of him and kept his distance. Although, lately, Jimin slowly had been getting closer to his father, who now showed interest in some of the activities he usually occupied his time doing, like playing the piano and drawing. During breakfast, Jimin would speak about what he intended to do that day at school with his friends, promising his father he was going to work hard to be like his mommy in the future and he always gave him his support, which was something his father didn’t use to do. During dinner, Jimin would happily talk about what he and his friends did during recess and about what he and Hoseok studied that afternoon and his father always gave him positive reinforcement.

Jimin averted his eyes to the hand that his father was holding, enjoying how gentle he was being with him, a side of his father he was still getting accustomed to, despite that, Jimin was happier he wasn’t as cold, stern and demanding as before. The brunette boy slowly released his hand from his father’s grip and simply wrapped his arms around his father’s neck, hugging him tightly. No matter how many times his father made him cry, screamed at him and barely spoke to him in the past, Jimin didn’t want to be mean to him. As Taehyung said to him on several occasions, his father had trouble expressing himself and demonstrating affection, Jimin never comprehended what the funny grow-up meant and yet, those words were engraved on his mind.

When he felt a pair of arms wrapping around him, Jimin smiled widely as he nuzzled his nose on his father’s neck, savouring the unique moment he was experiencing in that instant.

Meanwhile, Taehyung couldn’t help but pull his phone out of the pocket of his jeans and take a few photos, feeling proud of both Jimin and Seokjin for finally reaching another level in their father-son relationship.

Jimin broke free from the hug, still with a big smile on his features, and took the headband with the bunny ears from his head. He momentarily stared at it and, then, carefully placed the headband on top of his father’s head, catching him by surprise, which made him giggle.

“I don’t want you to be sad, father so, instead of using the bunny ears today, I decided to give them to you…”

Seokjin was completely dumbfounded by Jimin’s kind gesture, not expecting it at all. He always had the fear that his son wouldn’t forgive him for the terrible things he made him go through in these last two years, he wouldn’t forgive his neglect and absence, and he wouldn’t forgive him for not being the parent he always him to be. The dark-haired male had difficulties admitting his poor parenting skills in the past and, even now he wasn’t perfect, especially when he was a very proud man, a characteristic he certainly inherited from his father, typical of the Kim men.

“T-Thank you, Jimin, that’s, ah, that’s very nice of you…”

“Well done, Jiminie, I’m so proud of you, sweetie” Taehyung stated proudly, placing the phone inside the pocket of his jeans again. He lifted himself, along with Seokjin, who still processing what just unfolded moments ago, and brushed Jimin’s hair to see those beautiful brown eyes that seemed gleaming even more after he gave his father the headband “I’m sure your dad appreciates the bunny ears, don’t you, Jinnie?”

“Hum, yes…” Seokjin responded absentmindedly as he straightened the headband with the bunny ears, ensuring it was secure to not fall from his head “Y-Yes, I’m very grateful for the bunny ears, J-Jimin, I-I feel better now…”

Jimin’s smile widened as he heard his father’s nice words, making his eyes turn into crescent moons. “Now, Tae Tae needs to give you another hug, father”

Taehyung stared at Seokjin, trying his best not to laugh at the older male’s face, afraid he would think he was mocking him, which he wasn’t, the opposite actually. The pink and blonde haired male found it amusing in all honesty, the formal suit and the cute ears somehow worked on him, not only that but the colours of the suit Seokjin was wearing and the bunny ears matched quite well.

As he attempted to control his will to burst out laughing, Taehyung approached Seokjin to keep his part of the deal, not wanting to let Jimin down, the small brunette boy was glancing at both him and his father, probably because he wanted to make sure his father would feel better. He loved how sweet and naïve Jimin was, even though being naïve wasn’t exactly a positive thing majority of the time, however, personally, Taehyung believed a child’s naivete protected them from the horrendous events unfolding around the world and allowed them to see the beautiful and wonderful things in life. The younger male approached Seokjin and delicately gave him a side hug, placing his hand on his chest as he smiled blithely. He immediately felt the dark-haired male’s arm wrapping around his waist, bringing him closer, as he noticed the way Seokjin was looking at him – pure fondness –, which reminded Taehyung of the morning when he woke up in Seokjin's embrace and, just like then, his fond gaze just made his heart flutter excitedly.

As the days went by, Taehyung felt more comfortable around Seokjin, the older male was part of his life and he couldn’t imagine not having him by his side. It was true that in the past they couldn’t be in the same space without having some sort of argument, they were two different people, they had different views of the world, they had different ways of thinking, and they were opposites. Taehyung learned how to deal with Seokjin and Seokjin learned how to deal with him as their relationship grew, and now, they were almost inseparable.

Taehyung lifted his head and gently and lingeringly kissed Seokjin’s cheek, catching him off guard. He pressed his lips on the dark-haired male’s ear, still with a bright smile.

“I’m really proud of you as well, Jinnie, I knew you could do it…”

Chapter Text

Taehyung was walking down the street towards Hyunjoon's high school while carrying the younger's PE bag, which he had once again forgotten at his parent's house. Yoongi intended to drive to the school and drop the bag during lunchtime, but since he had plans to have lunch with Jungkook, Taehyung volunteered to give Hyunjoon his PE bag, of course, he was not only doing his best friend a favour, but he also had an ulterior motive – wanting to meet the "not so cute boy" who Hyunjoon clearly had a crush on.

After checking the road for cars, Taehyung crossed the crosswalk and ahead to the school gate, noticing the cement benches and tables near the entrance, where he could see some students alone and others in groups. A fit of laughter caught his attention since he recognised one of the voices – Hyunjoon –, so Taehyung decided to nonchalantly stroll to where the amused younger was and apparently, he wasn't alone, which made the male with colourful hair extremely happy. The other boy who accompanied Hyunjoon was definitely the cute boy he spoke about all those weeks ago, finally, Taehyung could have his revenge.

Taehyung approached the two young males and the moment Hyunjoon made eye contact with him, it seemed he was ready to run away from him, well, now it was too late to hide, Hyunjoon was going to pay for being a bad influence to Hoseok and for mocking his relationship with Seokjin. He cautiously placed the PE bag on top of the table as he sat down on the bench right in front of them, smiling innocently at Hyunjoon and the other boy, who seemed quite confused about his presence.

"T-Tae, what are you doing here?" Hyunjoon asked hesitantly, not expecting Taehyung to be the one who was going to drop his PE bag at school. He spoke with Yoongi on the phone in the first period, letting him know that he, once again, forgot his bag at his parent's house, so he was waiting for his older brother, not Taehyung, which wasn't a good sign "I talked to Yoongi and he said he was going to drop by..."

"Well, dear Hyunjoon, Yoongles couldn't come, he had more important stuff to do, aka, lunch plans with his future boyfriend, so he requested me if I could come instead" Taehyung clarified Hyunjoon, who was running his fingers through his hair, probably feeling embarrassed about the whole situation, as he should. He focused on the boy sitting really close to Hyunjoon and gave him a small smile, wanting to understand what was going on between the cute guy and Hyunjoon "I'm sorry, how rude of me, my name is Taehyung, I'm Yoongi's best friend, Hyunjoon's older brother, you probably know him, it's nice to meet you"

"Huh..." the young boy faltered as he glanced at Hyunjoon, not really knowing what to do, except to introduce himself "My name is Yoo Joon, nice to meet you too..."

"Yoo Joon, that's a pretty name" Taehyung retorted joyfully, placing his crossed arms on top of the table as he tried to think about a way to continue to embarrass Hyunjoon. Unfortunately, he needed to "sacrifice" Yoo Joon as well "So, Yoo Joon, you and Hyunjoon seem pretty close, did he tell you about his and his older brother's birthday this coming weekend? I bet he would love to have you there"

"Tae..."

"You and your brother share the same birthday? You never told me that, Hyunnie" Yoo Joon questioned surprisingly, playfully shoving Hyunjoon as he chuckled "Were you going to invite me to your birthday party or were you going to leave me completely in the dark, huh?"

Hyunjoon discreetly glared at Taehyung for opening his mouth, but the worse was that he now knew the nickname Yoo Joon had for him and he was sure the older male with colourful hair was going to tell everyone at dinner tonight. He turned his attention to Yoo Joon, who was gazing at him with those big doe eyes of his and with a teasing smile on his tempting plump lips. "Of course, I was going to tell you, Yoo, in fact, you were going to be the first person I was going to invite to my party, I would love to have you there..."

Yoo Joon giggled as he wrapped his arms around Hyunjoon's arm, finding his bashful demeanour adorable. "Thank you for inviting me, glad that Taehyung mentioned that party of yours or I would be left out for sure"

"Yeah..." Hyunjoon squinted his eyes at Taehyung, throwing daggers at him. He was already mentally preparing himself to invite Yoo Joon to his party, his intention was to invite some of his closest friends, but the thing was he was frightened about their reaction the moment he would tell them about his feelings for Yoo Joon, especially Yoo Joon's childhood friend "Thanks, Tae, you're the best..."

"No need to thank me, Yoon Joon, I'm always here to help, by the way, cute nickname" Taehyung remarked casually, getting up from the cement bench " Well, Hyunjoon, I won't disturb your alone time with Yoo Joon any longer, I'm going to meet Joon at his workplace to have lunch with him, so see you later, okay? Be a good boy"

"See you later, Tae" Hyunjoon said in a mocking tone, thinking about a way to get back at Taehyung "And don't forget to say hi to Jinnie for me"

(The damn brat...)

Taehyung walked away as he cursed under his breath, hating how Seokjin was a weakness to him before he was constantly teased for his closeness with Seokjin, but now it was getting worse. After leaving the school grounds, Taehyung leaned against the wall and placed his hand on his chest, feeling his heart beating as fast as that morning when he hugged Seokjin. He couldn't explain what was wrong with him, Taehyung admitted that there were a few times when he felt flustered because of the dark-haired male – when Seokjin gave him the flower and the lollipop on Valentine's Day when he cooked for him the time he stayed at Seokjin's property, when Seokjin kissed him and when Seokjin stared at him the morning after Hoseok's birthday.

Every time he thought about those moments, Taehyung felt his heart pounding like crazy to the point of almost taking his breath away, and that morning was a perfect example. The younger with colourful hair bit his bottom lip as he reminisced about Seokjin holding him close and gazing at him in such an endearing manner, knowing exactly what he was feeling at that moment, however, he refused to accept it. It had been a few weeks since he and Hongseok went on their separate ways and Taehyung was grateful for finally having closure and the opportunity to move on without worrying about his ex-boyfriend popping out randomly in his life. Despite the time that went by, Taehyung still felt it was too early to adventure himself, that was one of the reasons why his encounter with Minhyuk had been a casual one, furthermore, he cherished his friendship with the red-haired male too much and he respected his wishes of not wanting a relationship right now.

Taehyung sighed heavily as another thought bombarded his racing mind – the stupid bet Sooyoung and Gunhak had made when he met Seokjin –, it wasn't possible to be fond of someone he was now starting to get to know. Taehyung guessed his weird emotions were a result of his break-up and he probably felt lonely so, he held on to Seokjin to make him forget about his unpleasant feelings, the question was did Taehyung really feel lonely or something else was happening to him?

(Am I? It can't be... Yeah, it can't be, I'm mixing up my feelings, that's it...)

***

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(A few weeks ago...)

The moment Seokjin woke up his eyes were immediately blinded by the daylight coming from the window. He blinked several times to get used to the bright sunlight, recalling that neither he nor the younger male with those atrocious hair colours closed the drapes. The dark-haired male rubbed his eyes with his free hand since the other arm was around Taehyung's body, and stared at the other male in his embrace, who was still resting peacefully with his leg on top of his, his hand clutching his wrinkled dress shirt and his head was on his chest.

Seokjin noticed how the sunbeams brightened Taehyung's blonde hair and highlighted his honey-coloured skin. He tenderly cupped the younger male's face, focusing on his features – his long eyelashes, his button nose and, most of all, his pinkish-plump lips. Seokjin slowly moved his thumb to Taehyung's bottom lip and carefully pulled it down, just like he did before daringly kissing him, watching the other male's brows furrowing and his nose scrunching as he felt Taehyung snuggled himself more against him.

Since the night he kissed Taehyung, all Seokjin could think about was the other's soft and sweet lips against his, the warmth of his body against his, his fingers stroking his hair, pulling him down to deepen their kiss. He still couldn't explain what happened to him that night, it was like some kind of force took over his body and drove him to kiss Taehyung, or he was under a spell and was utterly hypnotised by the other male's beauty. No matter how many times he denied it, his mind couldn't change the way he viewed Taehyung, the male with the unique smile and ridiculous hair colours was without a doubt gorgeous, Seokjin never met someone as beautiful as Taehyung was, aside from himself, of course.

As he observed him, Seokjin moved his hand to Taehyung's head and slowly ran his fingers through his hair, feeling odd for being so attached and dependable on the younger in his embrace. Taehyung definitely was a force to be reckoned with and the proof of that was his endurance and strength during these last few days, dealing with a lot and still showing his cheerful and positive side, it surely wasn't easy and took a toll on him. This just made Seokjin feel worse about his conduct with the younger male with absurd hair colours, it was like he said to Taehyung the prior night, the dark-haired male couldn't believe how forgiving Taehyung was and how he trusted him, especially after all the harmful things he said and did towards him, and Seokjin wanted to reattribute all the good deeds Taehyung was doing for him.

As he caressed Taehyung's hair, Seokjin couldn't take his eyes off him. Once again, he felt bewitched by the younger, who was now slowly waking up. The younger male with those ridiculous hair colours was rubbing his eyes to get used to the daylight when he suddenly stopped when he caught him gazing at him. He seemed surprised for some reason, and Seokjin found it amusing how Taehyung closed his eyes for a brief moment and opened them again, still with astonishment written all over his face.

"G-Good morning, Jinnie..."

"Good morning, Taehyung..." Seokjin retorted calmly as he mindlessly kept stroking Taehyung's hair, staring deeply into those big doe glittering amber-coloured eyes "Did you sleep well? You were having trouble falling asleep last night"

"I-I did, I told you I needed a human teddy bear to snuggle with..." Taehyung spoke quietly, hugging Seokjin's torso as he smiled hazily "You are a great human teddy bear, Jinnie..."

"Well, of course, I am, I'm great at most things, Taehyung, although you shouldn't get accustomed to this, I won't be your human teddy bear so soon" Seokjin stated, watching Taehyung glaring at him "You are just like a spoiled child, you get upset when you don't get what you want"

"Wow, I woke up a minute ago and I'm already being insulted, you meanie ice sculpture, no breakfast for you..." Taehyung grumbled as he squished his cheek against Seokjin's chest, still scowling at Seokjin "And talking about breakfast, what time is it?"

Seokjin parted his hand from Taehyung's colourful hair and checked his wristwatch. "It's almost 8, I need to go home now or Jimin will be late for school"

"Do you really have to go, Jinnie?" Taehyung questioned quietly as he slightly lifted his body, not wanting Seokjin to leave just yet "Can't you stay for breakfast?"

"Unfortunately, I can't, Jimin and I need a fresh change of clothes, even if we wanted to come back and have breakfast after, it wouldn't give me enough time to take Jimin to school" Seokjin explained, seeing the disappointment in Taehyung's eyes, which surprised him "D-Do, ah, d-do you really wanted me to stay?"

Taehyung sighed sadly as he nodded his head, pouting. "Y-Yeah..."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Seokjin sighed heavily as he leaned his back against his chair, frustratingly throwing his glasses to his desk. He ran both hands through his hair and gazed at the ceiling, attempting to erase the numerous thoughts crossing his mind at that instant, thoughts that weren't allowing him to concentrate on his work, thoughts that had been tormenting him in these last few weeks. Seokjin huffed once again, as he stopped himself from closing his eyes, not wanting those thoughts to take over his mind, but maybe it was too late, maybe trying to erase those thoughts was an impossible task, those thoughts, those moments were probably already engraved to the point he couldn't pretend that they didn't exist anymore or weren't effecting him in a deep emotional level.

Seokjin never had been the type of person to reflect on his emotions, he never had been the type of person to be emotional and be deeply connected with his feelings, at least, until Taehyung came into his life. Until the younger with those bright colours entered his life, Seokjin only felt rage and bitterness that led him to hold a grudge against his father, against the legacy and mostly, against the family name that he had to uphold, along with Jimin. He was too engulfed in his negative emotions to properly care for his son, and to assess what he needed, not only regarding his studies but also regarding his mental and emotional state.

Seokjin was careless and he was perfectly mindful of that, Taehyung ensured he knew what he was doing wrong by pinpointing his mistakes and, as selfish as it sounded, the younger male's words hurt his pride and his ego. Since the moment he crossed paths with Taehyung, Seokjin's life changed suddenly and, despite having problems settling his differences with the unique male, he quickly got accustomed to his presence, his energy, his comforting words, to his smile, Seokjin got accustomed to Kim Taehyung.

Against his instincts, Seokjin briefly closed his eyes, his mind wandered between the kiss and the morning he woke up by Taehyung's side. Those moments were the ones that haunted him the most, the ones that rose to the surface unknown emotions, something he could feel deep in his core, in his heart, although he had trouble explaining and describing what those emotions were. Still with his eyes closed, Seokjin revisited the memory of him waking up next to Taehyung for the second time that day, and stunningly he could feel the appeasing warmth and calmness that radiated from the younger male again, see how the sunbeams kissed his skin and how his blonde locks seemed like strands of shining gold however, what stood the most to him were his doe eyes, those caramel coloured eyes that allowed Seokjin to peek at Taehyung's sweet and selfless soul. When he recalled the moment when Taehyung lazily opened his eyes and locked his gaze with him, Seokjin couldn't help but smile weakly, thinking how cute Taehyung looked.

Cute...

Seokjin groaned as he opened his eyes, straightening himself on his chair. His gaze landed on his phone, which was the furthest part of the desk, Seokjin didn't want his odd state to distract him from doing his work any longer, but, once again, against his better judgment, Seokjin reached for the device and let himself be controlled by those unfamiliar emotions. The dark-haired male unlocked his phone and before tapping the only social media app he had, he stared at it, pondering if what he was doing was too much, maybe he was reluctant because his behaviour had been unusual lately or perhaps he was finding excuses to justify what he was about to do next.

Seokjin tapped the app and went on his profile, he wasn't too keen on having any social media, only the ones related to work that helped him increase his network, however, after his wife's death, Jungkook insisted that he should create a dating profile and a social media profile to find someone in the future. Seokjin's answer was obviously a no for different reasons, but the main one was Jimin, his sole objective was to shape his character while he was young and provide his son with the necessary tools for him to succeed, thinking, at the time, that what he was doing for Jimin was enough to prove that he cared and worried about him and his future. In the end, Seokjin ended up yielding about the social media, letting Jungkook help him out, although he wasn't very active, despite having a lot of people from high school and university reaching out to him, or at least he wasn't very active until Jungkook showed him a photo of Taehyung when they were in the champagne bar.

Seokjin went to his inbox and saw the two photos Jungkook had sent him after he left for his office – photos of the moments when Taehyung was hugging him and kissing his cheek, and Taehyung smiling and whispering in his ear –, noticing not only Taehyung's bright smile but also his small smile. He didn't remember the last time he smiled so widely and sincerely, it had been so long since he was truly happy that Seokjin completely forgot how he looked with a smile displaying on his lips. He averted his attention to Taehyung and, like before, through the photo, he could feel his soft lips against his cheek, his hand right above his chest and his lips curling against his ear when he smiled.

Seokjin went to Taehyung's profile, feeling uneasy with what he was doing, which was basically online stalking. He checked the last couple of photos the younger male posted on his profile – in the first one he was in the middle of Soonyoung and Gunhak and in the second one, Taehyung stood alone with his eyes closed, making a V's with his fingers as he flashed that unique smile of his. The dark-haired male stared at the second photo and studied Taehyung's pose and, absentmindedly, his body, focusing on his daring outfit. The younger was wearing a pair of jean short shorts, fishnet stockings and a white crop shirt with "Leave me alone" written across his chest, Seokjin noticed the photo had been taken when Taehyung went out with both of his friends during the weekend. He glimpsed at the comments and he saw the same name popping up – Lee Minhyuk – the same young man Jungkook always talked about when he wanted to tease him about the said male wanting to steal Taehyung away from him, which, hypothetically speaking, wouldn't be possible since he, despite not knowing the other man in question, was a lot more handsome and he certainly had more appealing qualities in comparison, but, regardless, Seokjin refused to take Jungkook's bait.

"Hey, Seokjin-"

"Jungkook how many times do I have to tell you to knock on the damn door? Plenty of times, I'm sure..." Seokjin interrupted impatiently as he quickly locked his phone, glaring at Jungkook, who was smirking way too widely in his opinion. He watched his best friend sitting down on the chair, in front of his desk, with his head tilted to the side "I hope this is about work and not our personal lives..."

"Actually, it's both, but first..." Jungkook took a good look at Seokjin as he crossed his leg over the other, leaning his body slightly forward "Why are you acting so defensive, Jin? Were you doing something not related to work? Did I catch you red-handed? Don't tell me, you were glancing at the photos I sent you this morning, weren't you?"

"I'm not acting in a defensive manner, Jungkook, I'm just annoyed about how my second in command is smart enough to oversee my business, but not smart when it comes to simple things like knocking on the door, also no, I wasn't looking at the photos you send me, you know I'm not a fan of social media" Seokjin retorted casually, hoping his tone was enough to deviate any suspicions Jungkook might have had, but knowing his best friend he probably was only putting more fuel into the fire "Okay, now that you had your fun, talk to me, work first, is this about the manufacturing company?"

"You sound pretty defensive to me, Jinnie, I didn't know you were that shy, I can only imagine if Taehyung kissed you on the lips" Jungkook chuckled, seeing his best friend with a deadpan expression on his face, which indicated that Seokjin was probably trying to hide his true emotions. The black-haired male enjoyed mocking Seokjin, however, there were serious business issues he needed to resolve with Seokjin first "And yes, after I got back from my lunch break I was approached by the head of the manufacturing department and she told me the company is delaying the delivery of the new laptops"

Seokjin picked up his glasses from his desk and took a deep breath, not liking what Jungkook just told him. This wasn't the first time it happened and it probably wouldn't be the last either if he didn't resort to some extreme measures to deal with the company's owner and his lack of professionalism. When he was appointed CEO and faced a similar issue, Seokjin spoke to his father about the possibility of doing a partnership with a different manufacturing company, one that would be adequate and had the proper resources that could keep up with his company's rhythm, however, as per usual, his father disregarded his suggestion, defending that the owner was a big friend of his and was always updated to ensure their family business thrived.

As the CEO, Seokjin always kept in touch with every business that had any type of relationship with his own company, not because he was controlling, but to be able to predict future issues that could jeopardise his business, no matter if it was a single person or an entire department.

"Seokjin, this is the third time Yeo does this, we already delayed the release of the new line of laptops twice, and according to the sales personnel, close to a million people pre-ordered the merchandise" Jungkook stated worriedly as he attentively observed Seokjin, knowing that his best friend, despite seeming calm on the outside, was fuming on the inside. He knew the owner of the manufacturing company had been providing his services since the older Kim was in charge, which meant if Seokjin wanted to discard said company, he had to deal with his father's stubbornness "If I tell the stores that we don't have the laptops, they will force us to return the money to their clients for not being on schedule, we had a lot of costs with this new line and if we don't do something to solve this situation, the company will face a big loss and, despite our other products doing well at the moment, it won't be enough to cover the costs, we would still be in trouble, not to mention, the company's reputation..."

Seokjin couldn't help but smirk, maybe that was the argument he needed to finally have his way and change the manufacturer, one who wouldn't put his business in jeopardy, one who wouldn't make him act against the company's goals and mission. Loyalty, integrity, quality, trust and commitment, were a few values that the family business advocated, which was ironic, the Kim household didn't have any loyalty, integrity, trust or commitment, and Seokjin's father was proof of that.

"I will call Yeo this afternoon about this matter, I won't stand for this any longer, if the man can't commit to my business and keep up, then he needs to go, I'm done, I gave him enough opportunities and even offered him help to restructure and help upgrade the assembly line, but he refused" Seokjin uttered indifferently as he saw Jungkook's eyes widening, probably surprised for his reaction. In the past, he would be lenient because he didn't want to go against his father, however, now that someone was tarnishing the reputation of the company, Seokjin had an excuse to make a decision on his own, after all, if his father would argue against him, then he would be a hypocrite, although, he already was one "I have been keeping an eye in one particular manufacture, the company is located in another district, however, their factory has top of the line machines, their workers are extremely qualified and they are quick and punctual with their deliveries, the perfect fit"

Jungkook was in complete awe of Seokjin's demeanour, even though his best friend's feisty attitude wasn't foreign to him. He remembered when he met Seokjin in one of the hallways of their high school, he emanated confidence and charisma, Jungkook desired to be like his best friend and, as he grew up, alongside Seokjin, he gained self-esteem and blossomed into the person he currently was today. Little by little, Jungkook saw Seokjin getting out of the cocoon he got himself into, in order to hide his true self to fulfil the older Kim's demands, which still was despicable to Jungkook, nonetheless, he was pleased to see his best friend acting against his father, not fearing whatever the consequences that were in store for him for being rebellious.

"You got to do, what you got to do to keep this company going, Jin, that's what your father wants you to do, and if you feel like changing manufacturer is the solution, you should go for it, you have my support, as per usual" Jungkook chirped, flashing his bunny smile "Do you want me to call for an emergency meeting with the board to discuss this matter in more depth? They deserve to know your next move, even though, I'm certain that they will support your decision, no matter whether your father agrees or not with you"

"No need, I'm going to ask Ms Jang to send an urgent email to the board members when you leave..." Seokjin responded reassuringly, smiling weakly at Jungkook. He was happy for having such an amazing and supportive best friend like him, who had been the only one by his side in his younger days, even when they didn't see eye to eye sometimes "I appreciate your support, Jungkook, I truly do, it means a great deal to me and you know that, now, since the work-related matters are out of the way, what personal issue do you want to discuss with me? If it is about Taehyung and me, you know where the door is, Jeon"

"Damn, Taehyung is right, you act all nice and sweet, but then you ruin the moment, and no, you and Taehyung aren't in my order of business today, so you can relax, Kim, I'm actually here to talk to you about Yoongi and me"

Seokjin rolled his eyes, ignoring Jungkook's first remark, however, his best friend's words piqued his interest. "What do you want to talk about you and Yoongi? Something happened between you two?"

"No, nothing happened between Yoongi and me, in fact, things between us are better than ever..." Jungkook answered, not being able to forget the wonderful times Yoongi and he spent together in these last few weeks, especially on their second date "As you know, I took Yoongi on our second date a couple of weeks ago, I wasn't expecting him to enjoy the amusement park so much, but he loved it and the grumpy cookie plushie as well, so now I want to go to next level and I'm not talking about being intimate with him, I know Yoongi isn't comfortable in that regard yet and I respect him and his wishes, still I want to do something memorable and today at lunch I made up my mind..."

Seokjin cocked a brow, wondering what was crossing Jungkook's mind at that moment. In all the years he had known his best friend, the dark-haired male never saw him as joyful as he was now with Yoongi. Jungkook deserved someone who loved him for him and his personality, not only for his body, his best friend was a lot more than that, Seokjin admitted that, sometimes, he was slightly jealous of Jungkook for being so free and straightforward in the emotional department.

"So, what do you intend to do, Jungkook? You seem quite excited"

"I am excited, but I'm also anxious about my plan..." Jungkook leaned forward as he placed his arms on top of Seokjin's desk, finding a way to tell him his intentions. He sighed heavily and looked at his best friend straight in the eye "I'm going to ask Yoongi to be my boyfriend this weekend, during his birthday party, I know he's the one, Seokjin, I know he's my other half and I want him to be officially mine"

Seokjin's eyes widened, caught off guard by Jungkook's plan to ask Yoongi to be his partner. Despite his astonishment, the dark-haired was happy to know his best friend was ready to take the next step, Seokjin could see how in love Jungkook was with Yoongi, in all honestly, he never saw his best friend so thrilled before, at least, not as much as he was now with Yoongi.

"Jungkook, I'm genuinely glad to hear that, I know how much Yoongi means to you..." Seokjin spoke amicably, smiling mischievously "It's funny, you know, when Yoongi told you off and you were mopping, saying you wanted to move on and you didn't have any interest in talking to him, I know you were just being a drama queen"

"Hey, I had every right to be upset after what Yoongi told me, how dare you call me drama queen, and I wasn't mopping, you were the one mopping after Taehyung spend the night at your house, you seemed really depressed"

"You could have just thanked me for my congratulative words to you, instead you decided to act childishly and defend yourself with poor arguments" Seokjin retorted complacently, comfortably leaning his back against his chair "I thought I taught you better than that, Jeon, but you can barely knock on the door, so I shouldn't expect much from you"

Jungkook couldn't help but laugh at Seokjin's attempt to mock him, he had to admit, it was cute how his best friend was trying so hard to embarrass him, however, he was a lot more experienced in that department. "Oh, you are so unbearable when you are in a good mood, Seokjin, I guess Taehyung acting all cute and flirty this morning had an effect on you, are you excited to see him after he comes back from the hairdresser?"

Excited wasn't exactly the word to describe Seokjin, however, he couldn't deny he was curious about Taehyung changing his hair colour, it was such a mundane topic to ponder about and yet, he couldn't stop thinking about what the younger male was going to look like with his new hair colour, was Taehyung going to choose another atrocious colour to dye his hair? Seokjin tried to pry that information out of the younger, but he decided to keep it a secret from him since he mocked his hair colours therefore he didn't have the right to know. Once again, Seokjin stopped himself from smiling while remembering Taehyung's threats of dying his hair with the colours of the rainbow, not wanting Jungkook to tease him, however, seeing his playful smirk, Seokjin knew it was too late.

Seokjin squinted his eyes at Jungkook and pointed a finger at him. "Jungkook, don't-"

"No need to explain, Jinnie, for your expression, I can see you are pretty excited to see him again" Jungkook said amusingly as he got up from the chair, hearing Seokjin groaning "Well, Kim, I have work to do and you probably need a moment to yourself, thinking of Taehyung can be distracting, I know the feeling, Yoongi drives me crazy"

"Jeon, if you don't shut up and leave my office in the next ten seconds, I'm going to make you stay after hours" Seokjin stated assertively, as he leaned forward, glaring at Jungkook "And since you are so motivated to go back to work, you can tell Ms Jang to send the email to the board members, now go and don't let the door hit you in the ass"

Chapter Text

Seokjin leaned against the wall, next to the door of Taehyung’s apartment, as he glanced at his wristwatch, listening to his mother on the phone. While he was waiting for the younger male, Seokjin received a phone call from his mother to speak to him about the emergency board directors’ meeting and how furious his father was for not discussing the matter with him first, which he was already expecting since he purposely excluded his father, not wanting him to interfere in his business and dictate what he should do, Seokjin didn’t need his father’s opinions and criticism, especially when he knew he was a much better businessman than his father ever was. Unlike his father, Seokjin could think outside the box and not resort to outdated ideas to implement inside the company, and that was the main problem the Kim family had, his ancestors as well as his grandfather and his father vehemently believed in those old-fashioned principles – the old-fashioned principles Seokjin refused to follow, the past wasn’t the answer, the future was.

After his mother explained how his father was beyond furious for not being included, she told him she had another topic she wanted to talk to him about, a topic Seokjin brought up after he encountered Taehyung’s father on Hoseok’s birthday. The dark-haired male didn’t believe in coincidences and after recalling how he met Taehyung’s parents during one of his father’s events, he pondered the possibility of Taehyung’s mother and his mother being close acquaintances or, even friends, so out of curiosity, Seokjin asked her about her relationship with Taehyung’s mother and if she had been the one to share the japchae recipe with his mother and, to Seokjin’s amazement, Taehyung’s mother had indeed shared the recipe with her.

“Really?” Seokjin questioned incredulously, after hearing what his mother just told him “You have the paper where she wrote it?”

“Yes, sweetheart, I have it right here in my hand, I told you I had it somewhere, it was inside my very first recipe book...” Seokjin’s mother replied gently as she stared at the yellowish piece of paper she was holding, smiling sadly. She remembered the particular event Seokjin mentioned when they spoke about her relationship with the Kims, namely, her friendship with Jung Eun, apparently, Namjoon and Taehyung’s mother “We were already close back then, but when I noticed how people were putting aside because of the stain, I felt the need to come over and talk to her, we chatted for a while and she ended up telling me about the black bean sauce incident, that was when I asked her if she didn’t mind sharing the recipe with me and the next time we saw each other, she brought this piece of paper with her...” Seokjin’s mother added, placing the piece of paper on her lap “I should have known the young man Jiminie has been talking about was Jung Eun’s younger son, I fetched the photo album from that event and compared the photo we took that night with the ones Jungkook sent to me of you and Taehyung, he has the same unique smile his mother had, not only that, but he’s also a kind-hearted person...”

Seokjin slowly started to reminisce about some episodes from his past, which he avoided doing, he was still trying to accept that part of him, personally, he believed he wasn’t the best person when he was younger, however, hearing Jungkook and his mother speaking about him during those times, gave Seokjin an entirely different perspective. Among the many unpleasant memories, which the majority were related to his father, Seokjin was able to bring to the surface a few regarding Taehyung’s mother, one of them was from that particular event, when he was about to leave the property to go to some party with Jungkook, without his parents knowing.

Seokjin smiled mindlessly when he listened to the words his mother professed, finding it funny how she noticed similarities between Taehyung and his mother through their unique boxy smile, just like him.

“Yes, Taehyung’s unique smile was one of the first physical features I took-, wait a moment...” Seokjin paused abruptly, rewinding the conversation a bit. He straightened himself and frowned, feeling slightly agitated “Mom, did you just say Jungkook sent you the photos of Taehyung and me?” Seokjin ran his fingers through his hair while hearing his mother’s laughter in between his grunts. The dark-haired male made a mental note to keep Jungkook in the office after hours “I have to teach Jungkook a lesson, he shouldn’t have done that...”

“Seokjin, honey, I’m glad he did it, it’s been so long since I saw you smile so genuinely, the bunny ears suit you but most of all, I love how happy you seem in the photo...” Seokjin’s mother remarked with a hint of sadness, feeling her eyes watering once again as she recollected the moment she saw the photos. She hated how her son had to sacrifice so much, not only his true self, but also his happiness, his dreams and his hopes, just like she had to do, however, she did it voluntarily, unlike Seokjin “Sweetie, you know you can trust me, your father will never see these photos, and I approve of Taehyung, apparently, his smile conquered your heart”

Seokjin sighed heavily, not wanting his mother to have misconceptions about his current relationship with Taehyung. It was true he had difficulty defining their relationship, even before they shared a kiss, regardless of that, Seokjin couldn’t deny how close both he and the younger with ridiculous hair colours were, especially in these last few weeks.

“You sound like Jungkook and I don’t like how his behaviour is rubbing on you” Seokjin spoke quietly, attempting to hide his annoyance with Jungkook, oh his best friend was definitely staying at the company after hours “And my relationship with Taehyung is not the romantic kind, mom, we just enjoy each other’s company and he still is helping me with Jimin...”

“Sweetheart, mothers have a sixth sense, so a mother always knows, and as your mother, Seokjin, I can see some sparks between you”

“I think you need to put your glasses on, that or you need to go the optometrist for a new prescription, and Jungkook too, apparently...” Seokjin commented dryly as checked his wristwatch, noticing Taehyung was running late. He sighed once again not understanding why he was so fidgety to see the younger so badly, despite being curious about what colour Taehyung chose to dye his hair “Since you have Mrs Kim’s recipe, my intention is to give it back to Taehyung, so this weekend I will-“

“Oh no, Kim Seokjin, you can’t insult your mother and expect me to simply give you back Jung Eun’s recipe without anything in exchange” Seokjin’s mother interrupted sternly, despite feeling amusement with Seokjin’s denial “I won’t give you this piece of paper until you introduce me to Taehyung, Namjoon and Hoseok, especially, Taehyung, I want to properly meet the young man who enchanted my son and brought back his adoring side”

Seokjin stopped himself from sighing once more, not believing his mother was seriously requesting or better yet, demanding to meet Taehyung, Namjoon and Hoseok before giving him the recipe. He knew how priceless that piece of paper was to Taehyung and after the younger male told him that Yoongi wasn’t able to replicate his mother’s japchae recipe, the dark-haired male thought that the recipe should go back to the family. Seokjin realised that was his mother’s intention, in addition to meeting Taehyung, perhaps she wanted to do that to remember her friend.

As always, Seokjin surrendered to his mother’s “request”, knowing she would be happy to reminisce about Mrs Kim by interacting with the Kim brothers. Apart from that, Seokjin also knew his mother didn’t have a lot of opportunities to socialise with people, especially after his father retired from the company.

“Very well, I will speak to Taehyung and Namjoon about your request, and arrange a meeting on my property” Seokjin spoke in a defeating tone, emphasising the word “request”. The main reason why Seokjin wanted the encounter to occur inside his property was that Taehyung enjoyed being there the last time, furthermore, since the warm weather was approaching he thought Hoseok and Jimin would like to play nearby the cherry blossom trees “And I also need a copy of that photo you mentioned earlier, I imagine Taehyung and Namjoon want to cherish that particular memory of her”

“Thank you, honey, and I will take care of the photo first thing tomorrow morning, so don’t you worry” Seokjin’s mother remarked cheerfully as she smiled widely, loving how Seokjin sounded more empathic and human “I’m certain that both Namjoon and Taehyung will be grateful for what you are doing for them, even though, you are probably doing it more for Taehyung”

Seokjin rolled his eyes at his mother’s remark, not liking how Jungkook was being a bad influence on her, now he had to deal with his mother’s cheeky comments regarding his relationship with Taehyung “I appreciate your call, mom, but I need to go...”

“Alright, sweetie, I’m happy I was able to talk to you, you are always so busy...” Seokjin’s mother uttered calmly, still smiling “Oh, and Seokjin, I was serious about what I said earlier, you don’t need to be afraid of who you are, I love you, my son, and I want to see you happy...”

Seokjin smiled dimly as he listened to his mother’s warm-hearted words, feeling somewhat reassured for having at least, an open-minded and loving parent who put his child above everything else, including their religious beliefs and the family name, for having a parent with whom he could share the deepest part of him without feeling judged or seen as weak, just because he was sharing the most vulnerable side of him. The dark-haired honestly couldn’t imagine living his life without his mother by his side and the simple thought of losing her automatically broke his heart. Seokjin’s mind went to Jimin and Taehyung, both of them had lost their mother and their deaths clearly had an impact on them and their lives, however, unlike Taehyung, Jimin didn’t have a support system, someone who could comfort him and help him deal with the pain that came with the grief. Two years had gone by since Hae Yoo’s death and Jimin was still struggling with her absence and that made Seokjin feel even more guilty for neglecting and dismissing his son, namely his emotional needs.

“I, ah, I truly appreciate your words, mom, thank you for reassuring me and being by my side, I know it’s not easy going against father...” Seokjin muttered earnestly, placing one of his hands inside the pocket of his suit pants “I’m happy I was able to speak to you as well, I’ll make sure to video call you later, before dinner, for you to see Jimin with the bunny ears I bought him, okay?”

“I hope you do, or I’ll ask Jungkook to take more photos of you and Taehyung, Seokjin, he’s right, you look good as a couple, you both are handsome men” Seokjin’s mother chucked light-heartedly, hearing her son silently groaning on the other side of the phone “Goodbye, honey, talk to you later, love you”

“Goodbye, mom, love you too...” Seokjin uttered gently, waiting for his mother to end the call. After finishing the call, the dark-haired male looked at his phone, clicking his tongue, not believing Jungkook was playing dirty by approaching his mother “Jeon, you are going to pay for this...”

Seokjin shook his head as he put his phone in the inside pocket of his blazer, trying to understand the reason why Jungkook wanted him to end up with Taehyung so badly, his best friend was never so insistent when it came to romantic relationships. After his wife’s death, Jungkook was always motiving him to go out and meet people with the hope of finding someone who could possibly show interest in him, however, dating hadn’t been exactly Seokjin’s priority at the time and now he was more focused in improving his relationship with Jimin.

Seokjin finally heard the sound coming from the elevator as he checked the time on his wristwatch, wondering what was taking Taehyung so long, the younger was pretty late by this point. He glimpsed at the elevator at the end of the hallway, watching its door opening and the moment they did, Seokjin’s heart stopped for a second when his eyes landed on Taehyung.

Taehyung hadn’t noticed his presence yet, giving Seokjin the opportunity to admire the younger’s outfit and his new hair colour, which wasn’t as flashy as the ones he had previously, in fact, the colour chosen was close to normal, at least, it wasn’t in the spectrum of atrocious colours. His eyes roamed all over Taehyung’s body starting from his black boots, gradually going up, noticing the dark tights the other was wearing, the grey short shorts that hugged his thighs pretty neatly and the beautiful white shirt with grey stripes, despite loose-fitting, accentuated his figure perfectly. He already had seen Taehyung wearing daring outfits or being simply half naked, however, nothing could be compared to the view he was appreciating at that moment. Once again, Seokjin couldn’t describe or even explain what those overwhelming and unknown emotions were doing to him, especially to his frantic heartbeat.

Another thing Seokjin took notice of was how Taehyung seemed a little gloomy, which made him muse if it was related to Namjoon’s melancholic behaviour this morning. He actually intended to ask Namjoon about it, but he felt like he was stepping out of boundaries by prying into the other male’s life and the last thing he wanted was to upset Namjoon even more.

Seokjin awoke from his reflective state when he and Taehyung locked gazes, the younger looked stunted for an instant before his frown transformed into a small and bashful smile, making Seokjin feel self-conscious for gawking at Taehyung.

“Jinnie, I’m sorry, my appointment got delayed and I needed to clear my head...” Taehyung spoke quietly, expecting Seokjin to lecture him about his tardiness, instead, he was staring at him, completely amazed “You know, y-you could have just got in-“

“That wouldn’t be appropriate of me, Taehyung...” Seokjin interrupted gently, his attention landing on the blue-coloured contact lenses the younger had on, which suddenly made him miss his hidden gleaming brown eyes “I already told you, I will only enter your apartment if I know you were there...”

“And I told you I wouldn’t mind because I trust you, Jinnie, but I know how stubborn you can be...” Taehyung giggled wholeheartedly as he got closer to Seokjin, feeling restless as he wondered about the dark-haired male’s opinion. He hesitantly placed his hands on Seokjin’s chest, tilting his head “S-So, ah, t-tell me, what do you think about my new hair colour? It’s not quote on quote a normal colour, but it’s different and not “ridiculous” as you amusingly put it...”

Truth to be told, Seokjin was struggling to find the right words to express his sincere opinion on Taehyung’s makeover, however, no matter how much he wanted to answer his question and satisfy his curiosity, he simply couldn’t because his mind was racing and a million thoughts were bombarding him. He never had difficulties voicing his views, especially when it came to Taehyung, the dark-haired male was a businessman and eloquence was one of his strongest qualities, if he didn’t master the power of speech, he couldn’t negotiate properly with his business partners or owners of potential companies he wanted to obtain. For the first time since he met Taehyung, Seokjin finally understood what the younger meant with the premise “gestures speak louder than words” because, at that moment, simple words couldn’t describe how beautiful Taehyung was, not only his curvy silver hair but also his outfit that outlined his body so flawlessly that he couldn’t stop gaping at him.

Seokjin remained speechless as he absentmindedly took his hand from his pocket and placed it on Taehyung’s hip, feeling the younger glueing his body against his. With his free hand, the dark-haired male brushed the hair from Taehyung’s eyes and put a silver lock behind his ear, not being able to avert his gaze from him, even if he wanted to, Seokjin simply couldn’t. He felt like he was trapped in some kind of hypnotic state, like the very same night he kissed Taehyung, sensing those overpowering and unusual emotions rushing through him, dangerously increasing the beat of his heart. As he tilted his head, Seokjin cupped Taehyung’s face and caressed his cheek with his thumb, noticing it turning crimson with his touch.

Kiss me...

Taehyung strongly grabbed Seokjin’s blazer as he unconsciously pulled him down, yearning for a kiss. He didn’t understand the reason behind his desperate desire to be kissed once again by Seokjin, maybe he was letting himself get swayed by his heart, his weak and easy-to-be-manipulated heart that the silver-haired young male could hear thumping quicker as the seconds went by, clouding his judgement more and more. Regardless of his desire, Taehyung in all honesty, was frightened, however, he wasn’t as consumed by fear as he was the night Seokjin kissed him, although the possibility of ruining what he had with the older male haunted him. Taehyung asked himself if it was worth putting at risk what he currently had with Seokjin, the last thing the silver-haired male wanted was a repetition of what happened between him and Seokjin after they kissed.

Maybe...

All reason went through the window when Taehyung felt the tip of Seokjin’s nose gently nuzzling against his, making him stop breathing for a moment, not only that, but the silver-haired male couldn’t help but notice how intensively the older male was staring at his lips. Taehyung wondered if Seokjin was craving him as much as he was craving him, was the older male willing to handle the consequences of their actions, just like they did before?

I will...

Without thinking twice about the matter, Taehyung let go of Seokjin’s blazer and sluggishly wrapped his arms around the older male’s neck, getting as close as possible to him as he felt the hand that Seokjin was using to cup his cheek on his hip, secretly loving how tightening his grip was on his body. Taehyung tilted his head and closed his eyes as shortened the already small gap between him and Seokjin, preparing himself to feel the older male’s soft lips against his.

“Taehyungie, dear, I-“ Mrs Shin said merrily as she left her apartment, catching Taehyung and his boyfriend in a “compromising” situation. She noticed how the two youngers immediately detached from each other after hearing her voice, which allowed her to have a proper look at Taehyung’s new makeover “I’m sorry, I didn’t want to interrupt, you love birds”

“I-It’s o-okay, Mrs Shin, Seokjin and I should have been more mindful of our surroundings…” Taehyung stuttered as he slid his hands to Seokjin’s chest again, feeling completely mortified for being caught red-handed when he was about to kiss the older male. Despite being caught in a vulnerable moment, the silver-haired male could still feel Seokjin’s tight grip on his waist, he truly thought the other was going to push him away “It’s nice to see you, I hope everything is well with you”

“I’m doing wonderfully, sweetheart, don’t worry about little old me” Mrs Shin retorted casually as she got closer to the two younger men, who seemed very bashful, finding them adorable. When she first met Taehyung’s boyfriend, she was doubtful about their relationship, afraid that the cheerful young male would be hurt again. Seokjin didn’t seem the right fit for him, since he was cold and stern, however, as she observed the interaction between the two of them, she could see she was mistaken back then “Taehyungie, you look so stunning, honey, no wonder your boyfriend can’t take his hands off of you, I hope he complimented you”

“T-Thank you, Mrs Shin, that’s so nice of you” Taehyung uttered gently as he smiled weakly, sensing his cheeks heating up. He glanced at Seokjin timidly, remembering that he never got an answer from him about his new hair colour “Huh, well, my Jinnie-“

“Beautiful…” Seokjin blurted out as he cupped Taehyung’s cheek once more, finally having the ability to say what was crossing his mind when he first saw the younger. On the other hand, he still couldn’t forget how ruthless Taehyung’s elderly neighbour was and her threat of smacking him with slippers, regardless of that, Seokjin was being truly honest “He looks beautiful…”

Still, with a smile on his lips, Taehyung lowered his head, not being able to look Seokjin in the eyes. “Jinnie, t-that’s very sweet of you…”

“I’m pleased to hear those words, young man, I had my doubts about you, so I’m glad you are proving me wrong” Mrs Shin stated in a slightly assertive tone, watching how Seokjin was staring at Taehyung so fondly, something she didn’t notice the time she met the young man in question he sincerely seem more approachable and she was happy “My Taehyungie should be treated like the beautiful prince he is, so I hope you keep treating him right and don’t take him for granted, I might be old but I’m not afraid to teach you a lesson”

“No need to worry, Mrs Shin, Jinnie takes good care of me...” Taehyung spoke soothingly as he grabbed the hand Seokjin had on his face, holding it. The silver-haired male intertwined his fingers with Seokjin’s as he rested his head on the other’s shoulder, feeling his heart frantically beating against his chest again “We were about to get inside, do you need anything?”

“I can see that, Taehyungie, you deserve happiness after everything you went through, sweetheart” Mrs Shin remarked, noticing a big grin appearing on Taehyung’s features, it had been a while since he saw Taehyung so happy “And yes, my dear, I was actually about to go to your apartment, I’m sorry for being a bother, but my son send me a laptop for us to video call I think that’s what young people do these days, the problem is I don’t understand how that machine works, can you help me?”

“If you want I can help you resolve any issue you might have” Seokjin intervened before Taehyung had the chance to do it, taking advantage of this opportunity to process the events that unfolded between him and the younger earlier. The idea of being alone with Taehyung’s neighbour was slightly frightening to Seokjin, although he was willing to do it either way “Technology is my field of expertise”

“Oh, yeah, Mrs Shin, my Jinnie owns a technology company, I’m sure he will be a better help than me” Taehyung stated enthusiastically as he lifted his head from Seokjin’s shoulder, gazing at Mrs Shin “Do you mind if Seokjin gives you a hand instead of me?”

“Of course, not, and I appreciate your help, young man, thank you for your generosity and your kindness” Mrs Shin said gratefully, offering a smile to both younger men “And you don’t mind if I steal your boyfriend for a few moments, do you, Taehyungie, dear? I can see how comfortable you are in his embrace”

“Only if you promise me you will give him back to me, Mrs Shin” Taehyung remarked playfully as he giggled warm-heartedly, making the elderly chuckle. He, then, turned his attention to Seokjin and, sheepishly kissed his cheek, simultaneously feeling the elder’s hands squeezing his waist. The silver-haired male leaned his forehead against Seokjin’s temple, smiling sweetly “Jinnie, don’t take too long, I want to spend some time alone with you...”

Chapter Text

Taehyung grunted as he rubbed one of his eyes, feeling his body slightly sore, maybe sleeping on the couch hadn't been the greatest idea or maybe Namjoon and Seunghee's situation was weighing on him. Despite not being directly involved, Taehyung still felt like he was carrying his brother's burden, especially when Namjoon was hiding his pain and sorrow from everyone, namely, Seunghee, he understood that his older brother didn't want to upset his wife even more. However, when Taehyung watched Namjoon simply breaking down in tears in front of him, completely shattering his heart into little pieces, Taehyung couldn't do anything more than be supportive and hope that his older brother and Seunghee's situation had a happy ending soon.

Yawning, Taehyung straightened himself on the couch and stretched his sore muscles, noticing a blanket covering his body, which he didn't remember bringing from his bedroom. As a matter of fact, the silver-haired male didn't even remember when he fell asleep on the couch, the only thing he recalled was laying on the couch and letting his mind wander about the kiss he almost stole from Seokjin, contemplating if it had been the figment of his imagination or reality.

"Mr Yeo, you can explain the situation as many times as you want, I already told you those aren't excuses especially when I offered my company's services to upgrade your assembly line which you refused"

Taehyung turned his head, seeing Seokjin on the phone talking to someone and by the look on his face, the older male didn't seem pleased, in fact, his facial expression screamed pure annoyance. He took the blanket off of him, the warm weather was approaching and walking around the house wearing solely his colourful underwear and a simple shirt was the best feeling. The silver-haired male bit his bottom lip, pondering if Seokjin had been the one to cover his body because he didn't want him to be half-naked or maybe he was just worried about him being cold, or both.

As quietly as possible, Taehyung turned around and carefully sat on his knees on the couch, not wanting to perturb Seokjin while he was dealing with his business, he already felt bad enough that he was listening to the conversation without him realising that he was awake.

"Mr Yeo, I hate repeating myself but since you didn't understand what I spoke to you earlier, I will remind you" Seokjin stated sternly as he placed his hand inside the pocket of his pants, looking through the window, already fed up with the conversation "Or you deliver my order on the day we established or I'm taking you to court for the financial damages you will cause my company, either way, I'm going to terminate our contract I just want to protect my business"

Taehyung placed his arms on top of the couch and rested his chin on them while observing Seokjin. He already knew how cold and stern he sounded, however, regarding his business and his own company, the dark-haired male could be ruthless and Taehyung, ashamedly, found that pretty attractive in Seokjin.

(Is he as dominant and assertive in bed as he is conducting his business?)

The instant that thought crossed his mind, Taehyung and Seokjin locked gazes, making the young male's eyes widen as he wondered if he had said that out loud. The silver-haired male cleared his throat and deviated his stare from Seokjin, feeling his cheeks flush.

"Are you seriously threatening to speak with my father about this matter? Let me clarify something, Mr Yeo, the company might belong to my family, but I'm the CEO, I'm the one with whom you are doing business, not my family, furthermore, I already spoke to my board of directors about this situation and they already expressed their opinions, so I will oblige to their will as well" Seokjin remarked firmly as he walked towards the couch to check on Taehyung, feeling awful for being the one who awoke him up during his slumber. Before responding to the frustrating man on the other side of the line, the dark-haired male observed how Taehyung was sitting on his knees, with his head lowered, fidgeting with his fingers, the younger seemed embarrassed, was it because of the moment they shared earlier before his neighbour interrupted them? "One more thing before I end this call..." Seokjin added in a slightly calmer tone as he stood in front of Taehyung, catching his attention when he ran his fingers through his beautiful silver hair "Just because you and my father are old friends, it doesn't mean I'm going to bend the rules for you, I will not put your friendship before my business, if you talk to my father, you can go ahead and tell him that and the fact that you are about to cost millions to his precious family legacy"

Without wanting to hear the man's pointless threats or his baseless arguments, Seokjin ended the call, not caring if the other was going to tattletale on him to his father or not.

"Is everything okay? You seemed really annoyed on the phone"

"Yes, everything is fine, nothing I haven't dealt with in the past, so please don't worry" Seokjin answered calmly as he placed his phone back in his pocket, noticing how Taehyung was staring at him with his big doe brown eyes, he was happy that the younger decided to take the contact lenses "I'm sorry, Taehyung, I didn't want to awake you while you were resting, you still seem tired, you should go back to sleep"

"I can't go back to sleep now unless a certain living teddy bear cuddles me..." Taehyung whined childishly as he hugged Seokjin's torso, pursing his lips. Mrs Shin was right when she said he was comfortable in Seokjin's embrace, especially feeling his arms wrapped around his body, his body close to him and his strong cologne invading his nostrils, all of that gave Taehyung a sense of security and comfort, ironically. In the past, he couldn't stand being in the same space as Seokjin and now he couldn't imagine his life without the older male's presence "And I'm worried, even though it's work-related, people shouldn't use your father to intimidate you, Jinnie, that's wrong..."

"When people don't like my business decisions or don't like when I want procedures to go a certain way, my older business partners tend to use my father to intimidate me, because they know I won't go against him, well, I didn't want to go against him, now it's different..." Seokjin said casually, watching Taehyung pursing his lips even more, so childishly yet so endearing. He gazed at the younger male for whom he had so much appreciation, he admitted that at the beginning he saw Taehyung as a nuisance, as someone who was going to be a bad influence on his son, fortunately, it turned out to be the opposite, Seokjin cherished Taehyung and everything he ever did for him "I told you, Taehyung, I wouldn't be your living teddy so soon, did you like when I cuddle you?"

"Still, your business partners shouldn't take advantage of you like that, they should respect you and your decision regarding your company, it's your business after all..." Taehyung retorted slightly upset as he parted from Seokjin's embrace, not knowing the ins and outs of corporate like Seokjin and yet, it still bothered him how the other male was viewed. The silver-haired male tilted his head and grasped the older male's loose tie as he pulled it down, shortening the distance between them "And you know very well that I did, Seokjin, you are a great living teddy bear..."

"It's ironic how you are telling me that my business partners take advantage of me, but you are doing the same..." Seokjin commented playfully as watched Taehyung wittily untying his tie and taking it off, taking note of his wide smile "I think I should charge for my cuddling services, as you say, I'm seeking fairness"

"How is that fair, Jinnie? I already did so much for you, the least you can do is cuddle me when I ask you to..." Taehyung stated enticingly as he threw Seokjin's tie to the table in front of the couch, smiling widely. He wrapped his arms around Seokjin's neck and bit his bottom lip, pondering if he was acting too flirty with the older male "And besides, not everyone is lucky enough to cuddle a hottie like me, Jinnie, you should be grateful"

Seokjin unwrap Taehyung's arms from his neck and held his hands, taking note of the younger male's flirty tone of voice as he attempted to focus solely on Taehyung's face instead of his body. It was proven to be a difficult thing to accomplish since the silver-haired male was only wearing a pair of light pink laced underwear that didn't leave much to the imagination and the loose-fitting white shirt with grey stripes he had on had a few bottom buttons unbuttoned, allowing him to see his uncovered stomach. It was true he had already seen the younger male wearing almost nothing in his presence, however, unlike the other times, Seokjin was completely enthralled with Taehyung to the point he couldn't avert his gaze from him. He stared at the silver-male male and as per usual, he got lost in his gleaming brown eyes, those shiny orbs that always cast a spell on him, a simple glance was enough to enslave his heart, making it race like it never raced before, and brought those emotions to the surface with such strength, those emotions Seokjin had difficulty to decipher, those emotions that literally made him speechless just like earlier and at that moment.

"Remember the deal we made when you wanted to sleep in my bed?" Seokjin asked knowingly, already anticipating Taehyung's answer to his question. He saw the silver-haired male nodding his head and a blush creeping in his cheeks "How about we do the same? I will cuddle you, but, in exchange, you have to tell me the reason why you seemed gloomy earlier, I know it's something related to your brother..."

Taehyung momentarily broke eye contact with Seokjin, pondering the matter. He kept thinking about Namjoon's words and how devastated he seemed when they were talking, maybe discussing the subject could appease him and help him come up with ideas to cheer his older brother up. After all, Namjoon had been always a supportive and protective brother, he stood by his side every time he was feeling low and needed a pick-me-up, Namjoon was an altruist person, who deserved the world, at that moment, Taehyung just wanted to find a way to make Namjoon smile and alleviate the burden he was currently carrying.

Taehyung gazed at Seokjin again, feeling his overwhelming yet affectionate stare on him, which he secretly adored. "I'll accept the deal, Jinnie, you are always telling me how speaking about the matter usually helps"

"Glad to hear that, Taehyung, it definitely will, I assure you" Seokjin said soothingly with a hint of smugness as he let go of Taehyung's hands, watching the younger male getting comfortable on the couch "You should follow my words of wisdom more often, you would learn more"

After laying down on the couch Taehyung reached for a pillow nearby grunting in annoyance with Seokjin's presumptuousness, and threw it at him, however, the older male was able to catch the pillow in time before it had the chance to hit his head, which made him grunt even louder.

"Can't you stop being a meanie and cuddle me, before I make you?" Taehyung complained as he lay on his side, and glared at Seokjin, who was smiling weakly, cursing him for flashing his smile that instantly soften his demeanour "We have a deal!"

Seokjin chuckled light-heartedly at Taehyung's hectic and childish behaviour as he placed the pillow on the couch again, finding it funny how the younger continuously glowered at him for his failed attempt to hit him with a pillow while pouting at him, like a child throwing a temper tantrum. He carefully climbed onto the couch to fulfil his part of the deal and laid down on his back, the moment he did, he instantly felt Taehyung getting comfortable by hugging his torso and resting his head on top of his chest as he wrapped one of his arms around the younger male's body, bring him as closely as he could. With his free hand, Seokjin began stroking Taehyung's smooth silver hair slowly and gently as he admired the unique male in his embrace whose eyes were closed and his smile was wide and bright.

"I'm keeping my part of the deal..." Seokjin spoke in a hushed tone as he ran his fingers cautiously through Taehyung's locks, watching his eyes fluttering open with his words, replacing his smile with a frown "It's your turn..."

Taehyung sighed as he snuggled himself more against Seokjin, enjoying the warmth radiating from him. He reluctantly gazed at the curious older male, recalling how he had mentioned this topic before, not long after he met Seokjin who, at the time, was indeed a condescending and inconsiderate asshole. Despite not being him dealing with the situation, Taehyung still was troubled, especially seeing both Seunghee and Namjoon rapidly breaking down.

"Remember when I mention how my brother and Seunghee were having trouble starting a family that time you almost accused me of not understanding parenting for not being a parent?" Taehyung inquired solemnly, not liking to reminisce about those particular times as he heard a low hum from Seokjin "Well, they have been trying since they practically got married, both of them wanted, and still want, children, they always dreamt of having a baby girl..." Taehyung added gloomily as he smiled weakly imagining his brother and Seunghee bringing to the world a cute baby girl. He knew how discouraged and depressed Namjoon was with the possibility of not being a parent and how both he and Seunghee were losing hope, however, the silver-haired male was still rooting for them, any day now, Taehyung had a strong feeling about it. If he had to carry Namjoon and Seunghee's burden, he was going to do it gladly, both of them, besides Yoongi, did so much for him as well "Namjoon promised Seunghee days before Valentine's Day that he would make an appointment to do a check-up in case Seunghee didn't get pregnant the following weeks, she took her last pregnancy test today..."

"So, I'm guessing they weren't successful this time either, which led Namjoon to make the appointment to do a check-up..." Seokjin concluded as he briefly stopped running his fingers through Taehyung's hair, seeing him nodding, confirming what he just had said "Your brother is blaming himself, isn't he? And, on top of that, he probably is maintaining his composure in front of Seunghee, afraid of upsetting her even more, right? "

"Yeah, Joon is blaming himself and he shouldn't, like he shouldn't bottle his feelings, knowing I'm right here for him whenever he needs me, I'm his brother..." Taehyung spoke sorrowfully as he squeezed his cheek against Seokjin's chest, grabbing a hand full of his dress shirt. The memory of Namjoon speaking to him and breaking down in front of him because he couldn't handle the frustration any longer popped into the younger male's mind, almost driving him into tears "H-He spoke to me during lunch and he simply broke down in front of me, my brother doesn't cry easily, Jinnie, there weren't many occasions where I saw him cry, I just, I-I just wish I could do something to help him and Seunghee..."

"Taehyung, remember what you said to me this morning? That's a lot of pressure you are putting on yourself, I understand you want to remediate their situation and erase their frustrations to make them happy, but, unfortunately, there are matters that are out of our hands, matters we can't control..." Seokjin remarked sympathetically as he cupped Taehyung's cheek, catching his attention. He noticed how the younger male's eyes were sparkling, probably because of the unshed tears, and how a pout was, once again, adorning his sweet lips "I'm certain that both Namjoon and Seunghee appreciate your support and care for them, especially Namjoon, you are always telling me how gestures speak louder than words, you should follow those words, they are surprisingly wise"

Taehyung furrowed his brows and lightly smacked Seokjin's chest for mocking him, which was ironic since the older male decided to follow his wise words his relationship with Jimin improved significantly. The dark-haired male should show his appreciation more instead of insinuating that he couldn't be wise on his own. However, Seokjin was right, Taehyung was so desperate to drive away all the negative emotions his brother and Seunghee were feeling with the intent of giving them happiness and making them forget about their predicament that he was pressuring himself by attempting to resolve a situation that was out his hands. Still, Taehyung wanted to do something thoughtful towards Namjoon and Seunghee, showing them that they weren't alone in this journey, they had great people surrounding them to support them, to give them strength and to console them.

An idea popped into Taehyung's head, an idea that would surely bring comfort to Namjoon and Seunghee, particularly Namjoon. The silver-haired male knew there was a way to lift Namjoon's spirit and only Seokjin knew how to do it.

"Jinnie, I'm going to use one of my favours, although this is for my brother, not for me..." Taehyung stated sweetly, seeing Seokjin cocking a brow at him, probably curious to know what was crossing through his mind at that moment "I want you to stay for dinner and cook the japchae, the reason why I'm requesting you this is because, despite being my favourite dish, it was also Namjoon's comfort food, he loved our mom's japchae too..."

Seokjin wasn't expecting Taehyung to make such a request, nor he was expecting to hear that japchae was also a meaningful dish to Namjoon, now he was even happier that his mother had found the recipe, which he was delighted to share with the Kim brothers. "Taehyung, there's no need to use a favour, I will willingly do it, after all, Namjoon was the one who told me that japchae was your favourite dish..."

"I want to use one of my favours, I know you would do it with or without me using one, but see it as a token of my appreciation, Jinnie, for always being there for me..." Taehyung retorted assertively as he placed his hand on top of Seokjin's chest, offering a small smile to the other male "Also, I told you I would try to act accordingly regarding the favours and I'm doing it, so stop being stubborn and be thankful for my kindness"

"And here I thought you had already forgotten about that conversation, I was going to come up with my own system to seek fairness since you are always abusing your power" Seokjin said amusingly, stroking Taehyung's beautiful hair once again as he heard the younger male giggling wholeheartedly "Well if you really want to use the favour, I will accept it, although, you are right, I would have done it either way for the same reason – as a token for my appreciation – and for your help as well, thanks to you, I finally have a proper relationship with Jimin, despite having a lot to learn in that regard"

(Why does he have to be so freaking sweet and so charming? And why is my heart ready to jump out of my chest?)

"Jinnie, I can't have all the credit, you said you would commit and you did, you have been improving so much during these last few weeks, it's visible how Jimin is more comfortable with you and how he cherishes your efforts, this morning was the proof..." Taehyung flashed his unique boxy, attempting to reassure Seokjin. He was truly proud of Seokjin's progress over the last few weeks and witnessing that precious moment between father and son that morning made Taehyung happy, maybe because his priority when he decided to help Seokjin was to guarantee that they wouldn't end up like him and his father, despite the circumstances being completely different. The silver-haired male stared at Seokjin for a moment, reflecting on the older male's change of behaviour from the moment they met until the present day, it was like night and day, Taehyung had already known Seokjin was hiding part of himself and now, having the possibility to see his true self coming to the surface and watching him act so carefree and being playful it warmed Taehyung's heart. He went back to the moment from that morning, reminiscing about how Seokjin was nervous about accomplishing his task of hugging Jimin, he seemed so vulnerable when he was doubtful of himself, a side Taehyung hadn't the chance to see before, perhaps, because the older male was always acting defensively every time he demonstrated a shred of emotion, probably thinking he was weak for doing so. As he recalled that particular moment from that morning, something awoke Taehyung's curiosity "Talking about this morning, Jinnie, before Jimin interrupts us, you said you wanted to ask me something, what was it?"

"Oh, yes, I-I wanted to ask you something..." Seokjin responded hesitantly as he placed his arm behind his neck, averting his gaze from Taehyung's curious one "It was nothing important, no need to be concerned about that, Taehyung"

Taehyung noticed how Seokjin was behaving in an evasive manner with him, especially after breaking eye contact with him, which the younger secretly found adorable. "C'mon, Jinnie, now you got me even more curious, tell me what you wanted to ask me, pwetty pwease?"

Seokjin closed his eyes momentarily as he sighed heavily, not wanting to disclose his request from that morning. In reality, he was relieved and happy that Jimin had shown up at the right time, preventing him to embarrassed himself or, at least, he personally thought he was going to, despite being a simple request. He glimpsed at Taehyung and watched him just staring back at him while flashing his eyelashes cutely and pouting, wondering if the younger already knew how his endearing side was a weakness to him.

"It truly wasn't important, but since you fulfilled your part of our deal, I will satisfy your curiosity" Seokjin remarked, seeing a wide smile decorating Taehyung's plump lips once again "I-I just wanted to ask you for a final hug as practice before hugging Jimin, it was a precaution measure..."

(Seokjin, you're such a sweetheart...)

"It was important, you see, you are worrying and putting your son's needs first, that's the reason why you accomplished your little mission and, despite being something trivial for some, I know it was a difficult task for you to complete, however, as you stated earlier, you are still learning..." Taehyung utterly sheepishly as he gently cupped Seokjin's face, feeling the older male's hand tightening his grip on his hip "And your request is important to me, so do you still want a hug from me?"

"I do..."

Taehyung smiled comfortingly as he caressed Seokjin's cheek, staring intensively at him while attempting to process his immediate response to his question and his soft and quiet tone of voice that melted his heart. The younger male bit his bottom lip, as he slowly parted from the dark-haired male's face, and changed his current position to another that allowed him to be even closer to Seokjin. He excitedly moved up on the couch, laying on his side again, and nuzzled his nose on Seokjin's neck as he wrapped his arm around the older male's body as strongly as possible, smothering him in a hug. Taehyung sighed contentedly as he felt one of Seokjin's arms glueing his body more against him and his fingers slowly running through his hair as he quickly drifted to sleep. The strong and sweet aroma from Seokjin's cologne, the warmth emanating from Seokjin's body and the calming yet fast thumping coming from his heart, were quickly lulling Taehyung back to sleep and he couldn't help but smile at the moment, loving to be in Seokjin's embrace, that was probably his favourite thing to do with the older male – cuddling and resting while being embraced by Seokjin.

"You really are a great living teddy bear, Jinnie..." Taehyung spoke drowsily as he closed his eyes, not being able to fight the tiredness anymore "I love being cuddled by you..."

Seokjin felt Taehyung's nose tickling his neck as he watched him falling asleep on his arms, smiling weakly at the younger's remark.

"And I love cuddling you, Taehyung..."

***

Taehyung was sitting down on the countertop of the kitchenette as he swung his legs back and forth, attentively watching Seokjin cooking the japchae. When he stayed at his mansion, the silver-haired male never had the opportunity to see the elder cooking since he was resting at the time and yet, the moment he tasted his favourite dish made by Seokjin, Taehyung had been curious to observe how amazing the dark-haired male was in the kitchen. The younger male already knew how cooking was a Seokjin's big dream in the past and Taehyung was truly sad with the fact that he never pursued his goals, hopes and dreams just because he had to carry on with the family business or, as Seokjin called it, the legacy. That afternoon Taehyung could grasp how nerve-racking and stressful it was to conduct a big corporation, especially one of the most well-known in the country, the younger male could only imagine how much pressure Seokjin was under while he was growing up, however, despite that, Taehyung could also see how Seokjin had the capability to handle any type of situations regarding his business, he was hoping the older Kim was appreciative of his son and his hard work, especially after all the sacrifices Seokjin had to make.

No matter how amazing and skilful Seokjin was in the corporate world and, unlike that afternoon, Taehyung had the chance to watch how passionate Seokjin was about cooking and it was visible by the way he prepared the different ingredients of the japchae, his posture while cutting and cooking the ingredients, the attention to detail and to the cooking times that Seokjin was definitely in his element.

Taehyung tilted his head and smiled dimly, staring at both Yoongi and Jungkook who, as per usual, was hugging his best friend from the back, while Yoongi was trying to learn the recipe by observing, even though Seokjin reassured him that he was going to give it through him, which genuinely confused Taehyung because, despite being pretty similar to how his mother used to prepare it and cook it, he didn't have any idea how could he help in that regard, once again, Seokjin piqued his interest.

Taehyung looked over his shoulder and saw Namjoon cuddling Seunghee, who was devouring a package of berries, which was odd in his opinion. He recalled the day when his older brother introduced Seunghee to the family and their mother had baked a cake that she decided to decorate with blueberries, raspberries, cherries and strawberries and Seunghee shyly confessed how she didn't appreciate berries, being strawberries the only exception. Taehyung smiled fondly at the memory, knowing that at the time, Seunghee was frightened of admitting such a particular detail about her likes and dislikes because she didn't want to insult their mother, who, unsurprisingly, couldn't help but chuckle, finding her adorable.

(I wish you were here, mom, Seunghee and Namjoon would have appreciated your words of comfort...)

As he discretely observed the wordless interaction between Seunghee and Namjoon, Taehyung could see how different their demeanour was, they clearly were suffering and it truly upset him how they wouldn't come forward and speak about their current predicament with everyone. Maybe it was hypocritical of the silver-haired male to think like that since he didn't exactly share how difficult and hurtful it was to deal with his broken heart and the few encounters he had with Hongseok, which led him to ghost everyone when he stayed with Seokjin, however, Taehyung was happy, on one hand, about his decision at the time, it gave him the opportunity to bond with Seokjin on a completely different level.

"Hyunnie, do you like my kitty?" Hoseok asked absentmindedly as he titled his head, colouring the scenery he drew around the cat "Jiminie and I saw a kitty at the park, kitty was white and had a few brown and orange spots, it was cute"

Taehyung smiled mischievously as he gazed at Hyunjoon, who was sitting down between Jimin and Hoseok at the living room table, making them company while Seokjin was cooking dinner. As expected, the moment Yoongi and Jungkook walked inside the house, Taehyung instantly spilt the beans about what had happened when he dropped off Hyunjoon's PE bag that afternoon, telling them how he had the chance to meet the "not-so-cute boy" named Yoo Joon and how he basically embarrassed Yoongi's baby brother in front of the boy he clearly had feelings for. Furthermore, the silver-haired male requested Hoseok to call the nickname Yoo Joon had for Hyunjoon and obviously, Hyunjoon wasn't very happy, well, this was a way to show the young male that the next he wanted to teach his little sunshine a new word, it should be appropriate for his age.

"Your kitty is really cute, Hobi..." Hyunjoon gave a brief yet forced smile to Hoseok and immediately averted his attention to Taehyung, glaring at him "Maybe next time, you can draw your brother kissing Mr Kim's cheek..."

(That brat doesn't give up, does he? I need to step up my game...)

Now, it was Taehyung's turn to glare at Hyunjoon for continuously provoking him and riling him up by resorting to Seokjin, which, didn't make things easier for him since he was attempting to decipher the emotions he had towards the dark-haired male and control them because, despite wanting to find true love and someone who could love him for him and not for his body, Taehyung, deep down, didn't think he was emotionally ready to handle strong feelings for someone and adventure himself in another relationship after Hongseok.

"Jiminie, what are you drawing?" Hoseok questioned curiously as he lifted his head, watching Jimin quietly colouring his drawing that he wasn't able to see. He giggled, finding it funny how the bunny ears his small friend was wearing were a little bigger than the ones he had this morning "Are you drawing a cute bunny?"

"No, I'm drawing something else..." Jimin responded excitedly as he stopped colouring for a moment, looking at Hoseok. He stared at his drawing and smiled widely as he picked it up, showing it to his curious friend "I'm drawing my father and me wearing bunny ears, like we are now, Hobi"

"It's pretty and cute, Jiminie" Hoseok complimented, flashing his bright smile at Jimin. He looked at Taehyung, seeing how his older brother was watching over them "Tae Tae, don't you think Jiminie's drawing is cute?"

Despite not being able to see Jimin's drawing, Taehyung nodded, agreeing with Hoseok's opinion. He turned his attention to Seokjin, who was carefully dropping the cut vegetables on the sizzling frying pan, as recalled the moment he showed to the older male Jimin's special notebook where he did his drawing, namely, the portrait that the little one had made of his father. Taehyung couldn't forget the wonderment plastered all over Seokjin's face as he flipped the several pages embellished with Jimin's simple masterpieces, however, the shocked expression on Seokjin's features was the moment that stuck with Taehyung maybe because the dark-haired male could finally see how impactful the small changes he was doing had a positive effect on his relationship with Jimin.

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(A few weeks ago...)

Taehyung made himself comfortable and sat down on Seokjin's bed Indian style as he observed how delicately the dark-haired male was flipping between the pages of Jimin's special notebook. He felt slightly bad for taking the small child's notebook without his permission, Jimin probably kept it a secret or didn't have the intention of sharing his simple yet mind-blowing masterpieces with his father because he didn't have the availability to do so. However, Taehyung contemplated that he needed a way to reassure Seokjin and demonstrate to him that his efforts in making his relationship with Jimin were blossoming into something beautiful, it just required a little more affection to nurture it.

Taehyung couldn't help but smile as he watched Seokjin explore the different drawings and how he momentarily stopped to admire his son's art while running his fingers over it.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Taehyung asked quietly as he saw Seokjin flipping to another page, noticing how the man was so close to the intended drawing "Your son is still a child, but the way he grasps the world around him and draws it, it's magnificent, clearly he's passionate about art, just like his mother..."

"They are amazing..."

Seokjin was almost speechless and could barely express himself in a more clarifying manner, he was dumbfounded by Jimin's talent, a talent he never realised he had, not even when he spent his days by his mother's side painting. He slowly flipped the page and he immediately saw the drawings of a yellow flower and a heart-shaped lollipop – the gift he gave to Jimin, Hoseok and Taehyung – and there was a short message next to them.

"Father was nice to me, Hobi and Tae Tae, I like him now, but he still is scary."

Seokjin wanted to laugh at Jimin's message, even though he admitted how frightened he was of him still, nonetheless, the fact that his son had written in his notebook that he liked him just because he truly made an effort to comfort him and Hoseok, it honestly made him happy. He flipped to another page and the moment his eyes landed on his portrait, Seokjin froze.

"That's what I wanted you to see..." Taehyung spoke gently as he titled, wanting to see Seokjin's expression a little better. He smiled weakly when he saw the older male bringing the notebook closer for him to admire the version Jimin had drawn of him "It's true that you have a long way to go, Seokjin, but your commitment and your attitude during dinner prove to me that you are taking the right path to improve yourself and your relationship with Jimin, you should be proud of yourself, no matter how little progress you have made until now, you have the rest of the way to learn and I'll be right by your side to help you, I'm a man of my word too..."

Seokjin briefly averted his attention to Taehyung, staring stunningly at the younger with those atrocious colours. Once again, he was at a loss for words, not truly knowing how he could show his appreciation because there was nothing he could say that could express how grateful he felt towards the younger. It was during these times Seokjin wished he was more eloquent when it came to his emotions.

"Taehyung, I-"

"No need to thank me, Jinnie, I know I'm awesome..." Taehyung stated complacently as he uncrossed his legs and flopped down on the bed, enjoying how comfortable it was "Awesome and cute, don't forget how cute I am"

"And I am the arrogant one..."

Taehyung frowned as he lifted his body, hitting Seokjin's arm with his foot, not liking how the older male was accusing him of being arrogant. "For your information, I'm not being full of myself, I'm just stating facts, Jinnie"

Seokjin rolled his eyes instead of answering Taehyung's attempt to defend himself and disguise his arrogance. He turned his attention to the portrait drawn by Jimin and, as he admired it once again, he absorbed the words Taehyung spoke to him a moment ago about being on the right path to bond with his son and how he should feel proud about his progress, no matter how small it was. The thought that he still could salvage his relationship with Jimin and knowing he was doing his best and his efforts were being recognised made Seokjin a lot more confident.
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"Isn't the honey going to make the noodles a lot sweeter?" Yoongi questioned curiously, attentively watching Seokjin adding the tiniest bit of honey to the mixture of noodles, beef and vegetables "And you said you had a trick to make the noodles soft? What is it?"

Smiling light-heartedly, Taehyung jumped down from the counter to join the group, finding it adorable how Yoongi was eager to learn in more detail the japchae recipe. He never saw his best friend acting so friendly towards Seokjin before, especially knowing the strong opinions Yoongi had of him, despite loving to mock him and his close relationship with the older male. When he joined the group, the intoxicating aroma coming from the japchae immediately invaded his nostrils momentarily bringing him back to his childhood, namely, the many memories he had kept hidden in the depths of his mind, along with the pain he still felt for not having his mother with him. The silver-haired male gazed at Namjoon and Seunghee again, hoping the japchae could give them some comfort.

Taehyung averted his attention to the pan and noticed how Seokjin was focusing on his task of mixing the noodles with the beef and the many vegetables, he hated to disturb the older male however, he was dying to taste the food once again.

"Jinnie, can I get a taste? It smells really good and I didn't eat all afternoon, so please, can I taste it?"

"Taehyung, it needs a little more time to cook and it has to cool down first before we can eat" Seokjin responded absentmindedly as he stirred the ingredients together with the chopsticks, deciding not to add the black bean sauce this time because he didn't know how the rest of the group liked their japchae, unlike he did with Taehyung "Being patient isn't one of strongest points, I already knew that much about you, but remember patience is a virtue"

(Isn't he seriously saying that I'm not patient? You must be kidding me right now...)

Taehyung scowled at Seokjin, who was discreetly smirking with his no-so-funny remark, not believing the man had the nerve to insinuate he wasn't patient or virtuous, after enduring his insolent and obnoxious behaviour and deal with his ungrateful and judgemental ass for such a long time. In reality, Taehyung deserved a prize for putting so much effort into his current relationship with Seokjin, as the dark-haired male told him on several occasions in the past, he was an optimistic, encouraging and generous person, besides that, Taehyung always found a place in his heart to forgive Seokjin and his absurd accusations and malicious words towards him.

Despite feeling slightly offended by the older male's words, Taehyung decided to mess around with Seokjin, not only because he refused to let him taste the japchae, but also for insinuating, or better yet, boldly describing him as an impatient person. The silver-haired male glimpsed at Yoongi, wanting to use his best friend as a trump card to get what he wanted – a taste of the japchae and teach Seokjin a lesson –, it was probably childish of him, nonetheless, the dark-haired male already knew how he rolled.

"Oh, so you are pinpointing people's flaws now, Jinnie? Interesting..." Taehyung retorted innocently with a hint of mischief as he leaned on the counter, next to the cooking plate plaque, crossing his arms. He noticed how Seokjin briefly glanced at him and frowned, probably knowing how he was scheming something in his mind "Do you mind if I tell Yoongi the flaw you pinpointed when I gave you one of his oatmeal cookies?"

"What's your problem with my oatmeal cookies, Seokjin?" Yoongi inquired upsettingly as he took Jungkook's hands from his waist, preparing himself to jump on Seokjin for criticising his oatmeal cookies, he not only was offending him but also his mother, it was a family recipe "Just because you took a tiny bite you think you are a better cook than me? Or better yet, my mom?"

"C'mon, my soft kitten, I bet Seokjin didn't say anything bad about your delicious oatmeal cookies..." Jungkook remarked amusingly as he turned Yoongi around, cupping his face. He caressed the younger male's cheek as he smiled gently at him, sensing him relax with his touch "But if he did, I hope he lets Taehyung taste those noodles because I will make everything in my power to annoy him for the rest of his days on this Earth for insulting my delicate beauty..."

"You heard the strong bunny, Jinnie" Taehyung commented complacently as he tilted his head, smiling playfully at Seokjin, who had stopped mixing food which indicated that the japchae was ready and he could finally taste it "Let Tae Tae taste the noodles before I change my mind about you know what"

"First of all, I didn't pinpoint a flaw, I simply made a comment about the cookies being slightly dry and that was it, I didn't say they weren't good, actually, after my mother's oatmeal cookies, those were the best I ever tasted..." Seokjin retorted casually as he turned off the cooking hob, briefly peeking at Yoongi and Jungkook, apparently, his truthful comment was able to appease the couple, which made him feel victorious since Taehyung didn't accomplish what he wanted "And are you forgetting what I told you a few weeks ago, Taehyung? I told you I was going to come up with my own system to prevent you from abusing your power, furthermore, I said that I didn't have a problem cooking the japchae as a way to show my gratitude, not my fault you decide to waste one of your "you know what?" so thoughtlessly" Seokjin argued logically with a hint of mockery as he saw Taehyung sticking his tongue out at him from his peripheral vision, making him smile. Regardless of the silver-haired male's childish behaviour, he chose to comply with Taehyung's will, probably because he wanted to see his bright and unique smile, and also, fulfil his wish of comforting Namjoon and Seunghee with his food. He grabbed the small plate next to the cooking plate plaque as he carefully took a small portion of the noodles, placed them on the plate, and proceeded to give it to Taehyung, who instantly smile with his simple gesture "I hope you know I'm doing this as a way to thank you for what you did this morning and not because you are throwing a temper tantrum..."

(He's lucky he's wearing those cute bunny ears, I can't even be mad at him...)

"Because my tummy needs some food, I'm going to ignore your last remark, Jinnie" Taehyung stated enthusiastically as he felt his stomach growl just with the small portion of the noodles on the plate Seokjin gave him. With the chopsticks, the silver-haired male took half the portion and tasted it, immediately bringing to the surface so many moments of his childhood, however, the one memory that stood out the most was the one where he unwillingly ruined his mother's satin red dress when he was nine years old. Taehyung glanced at Namjoon, knowing for certain that his older brother was going to feel a lot better after trying this recipe, that it was still a mystery to him, it couldn't be a coincidence, right? "Joon, you need to come here and try this..."

Namjoon couldn't help but smile at Taehyung's eagerness for him to try the japchae, knowing that his brother probably wanted him to taste it to see if it was the same recipe their mom used to cook for them while they were growing up, not only that, he also knew Taehyung wanted to comfort him as well after the conversation they had at lunchtime. He quickly kissed Seunghee's cheek as he got up from the couch, still finding it odd how his dear wife was craving berries, and walked towards the kitchenette to comply with Taehyung's request. He nonchalantly took the plate that his younger brother offered to him as he noticed how Seokjin, Yoongi and Jungkook were staring at him, probably interested in his opinion, namely Seokjin, who had been cooking. He took the rest of the japchae and ate it, feeling the softness of the noodles and the tenderness of the meat blessing his taste buds, which instantaneously reminded him of his mother's japchae recipe.

"It tastes exactly the same as mom's..."

"Right?" Taehyung questioned excitedly as he saw wonderment written all over Namjoon's face, already guessing that he was going to agree with him "The first time I had them I was immediately hit with the nostalgia feeling, it truly made me recall all the times she would cook for us or when I begged her to do it..."

"Okay, I need to taste the japchae or I will go crazy..."

After Taehyung and Namjoon's reactions, Yoongi was now curious to taste the japchae now, especially after years of attempting to replicate Taehyung's mom's recipe and not being successful about it, which was truly disheartening since he wanted to do it to offer some kind of consolation to both his best friend and Namjoon. He knew the japchae was Taehyung's favourite dish, but it was also a comfort food for the Kim brothers and, in a way, for him too. The red-haired male grabbed a pair of chopsticks from one of the draws and a small plate from the cabinet, and delicately took a small portion of the noodles from the frying pan, tasting them as he tried to match the flavours between the food Seokjin cooked and Taehyung's mom.

Yoongi slowly placed the plate with the chopsticks on the counter as he stared at Jungkook, who was eying him with concern, probably because he was completely shocked to know that Seokjin was able to do what he tried for years to accomplish.

"It can't be..."

"Hey, Yoongi baby, is everything okay?" Jungkook asked restlessly as he grasped Yoongi's hand, ensuring he was doing fine "You seem a little paler than usual..."

"I'm fine, Jungkook, I really am, I just..." Yoongi mumbled as he averted his gaze to Seokjin, wondering how could he replicate the recipe just like that. That wasn't the weirdest part, the other male told him he was going to get the recipe through Taehyung and Yoongi was honestly confused with that statement "You said earlier that Taehyung was going to give me the recipe, but as far as I remember, Mrs Kim never left a written recipe, if she did, Taehyung and Namjoon had given it to me..."

"Yoongi is right..." Taehyung stated quietly as he attempt to understand what Seokjin meant, looking at him. It was true his mother had a smaller folder where she kept some old recipes and he went through it to see if the japchae recipe was there, it turned out it wasn't, which was disappointing for Taehyung, so he just assumed his mother knew the recipe by memory and she didn't need to write it down "My mom had a folder with some recipes after she died, I searched for the recipe because I was missing her a lot and Yoongi wanted to cook the japchae for me and Joon, but I didn't find it anywhere, I guess she never wrote it, that's why I found it odd how you were able to replicate the recipe so easily, Jinnie..."

"Well, I technically didn't replicate your mother's recipe, I actually cooked her own recipe, I was going to tell you this at the dinner table more calmly, but it seems like this is a perfect time" Seokjin informed casually as he noticed how everyone was staring at him incredulously, especially Taehyung "Before you arrived, Taehyung, I was speaking to my mother on the phone, I told her about me cooking the japchae for you when you stayed at my house and your reaction, and since your mother attended a few of my family events, I thought they were acquaintances and I was right, so I asked her if your mom shared her japchae recipe with her and today she told me she did and she has it on paper"

Taehyung felt a tear rolling down his cheek while listening to Seokjin's explanation, still finding the situation so unbelievable to him. "S-So, t-that's w-why when I-I tasted it r-reminded m-me of h-her, r-reminded me of m-my childhood..."

"My mom wants to give the recipe back to you and your family, especially knowing how much you and Namjoon enjoyed her japchae so much and how much both of them cherish it..." Seokjin spoke gently as he cupped Taehyung's face, cleaning his fallen tears with his thumb while gazing at his twinkling eyes full of sorrow "I was going to get it this weekend, but my mom insisted that she wanted to meet you, Namjoon and Hoseok and give it to you personally, would that be fine?"

Taehyung simply nodded and threw himself at Seokjin as he wrapped his arms around his torso, just like he had done that afternoon when he was cuddled, burying his face in his neck. He honestly wasn't expecting Seokjin's mother to be a friend of his mother since he never had the chance to meet her when he was younger, regardless, Taehyung was so happy that he was going to recover part of his mother's legacy, even though it was just a simple recipe, a very important recipe for him, Namjoon and Yoongi, and, Taehyung wanted to be an important part of Hoseok's life as well.

"I-I told y-you I wanted to meet your mom, didn't I?" Taehyung muttered as he felt Seokjin's arms wrapping around his body, feeling comfortable in the older male's embrace "And I'm sure Namjoon wants it too, right, Joon?"

"Yes, Tae, I do..." Namjoon responded as he carefully watched the interaction between Seokjin and Taehyung, smiling weakly. He was caught by surprise when he felt Seunghee side hugging him, knowing that she was there next to him to console him, especially after everything they were undergoing "It would be a pleasure to meet your mom, Seokjin, and I appreciate what you did for us, I truly do..."

"Thank you, Jinnie..."

"You don't need to thank me, Taehyung, neither you nor Namjoon, I'm happy I'm able to return part of her to you, I know how much you miss her and how fondly you remember her..." Seokjin uttered softly as he tipped his head to the side, making eye contact with Taehyung "As you said a moment ago, when you ate the japchae I cooked for you, you were hit with the feeling of nostalgia and I want you to hold on to that in a healthy way to help you deal with the grief, I want you to keep the memory of your mom alive in your mind and your heart..."

Seokjin's words almost made Taehyung cry all over again, especially hearing how the older male wanted him to deal with pain and sorrowfulness for his mother's absence from this world and this small yet meaningful gesture coming from Seokjin just brighten him up and show him how thoughtful and empathic he could be towards people. The silver-haired male knew how the older male had difficulty accepting the person he had been and the person he was now, which was contradictory in a way since Seokjin always valued his qualities more than his flaws to the point of acting arrogantly and obnoxiously, driving him crazy in the beginning when they first met. Taehyung wanted so badly to see Seokjin accepting himself and he always did everything he could to accomplish that goal, even though it was a challenging thing to do, he didn't want to give up.

(I wish you were able to see and acknowledge how amazing and loving you are, Kim Seokjin...)

Taehyung placed one of his hands on Seokjin's chest as he stared deeply into his dark brown eyes, hearing his heart thumping rapidly against his chest. He was quickly losing control of his own emotions and after what Seokjin did for him and his loved ones, the feelings he had were getting stronger, which was both scary and frustrating for him, especially since he was still healing from his last relationship.

As he was focused on Seokjin, Taehyung felt someone pulling his sweatshirt. He averted his gaze from the dark-haired male and look down to see Hoseok glancing at him with his big doe brown eyes, carrying the drawing he was colouring earlier. Taehyung parted from Seokjin as he swiftly cleaned his tears with the back of his hand and crouched down to see what his baby brother wanted, finding it funny how Jimin and Hoseok pulled his and Seokjin's clothes to grab their attention.

"H-Hey, little sunshine, do need something?"

Hoseok shook his head as he stretched his arms, giving Taehyung his drawing. "I want to give you the kitty drawing to make you smile, Tae Tae, I don't like seeing you sad..."

"Oh, my baby, that's so sweet of you, I love it so much" Taehyung said wittily as he wrapped his arms around Hoseok's small body, hugging him tightly. While he was hugging Hoseok, the silver-haired male heard a growling sound coming from his baby brother's stomach, making him chuckle wholeheartedly, so he broke free from the hug and peered at him "My little sunshine is hungry, right? Well, the food is ready, all we need to do is set the table, but we can't because there are pieces of paper and colouring material on it, so I need you and bunny Jimin to put everything in its place if you do that, Seokjin and I will reward you tomorrow with snacks, is that a deal?"

"Yes, Tae Tae!" Hoseok exclaimed loudly as he giggled loudly, excitedly running out of the kitchenette "Jiminie, Tae Tae said we get snacks if we put everything back!"

Taehyung couldn't help but laugh at Hoseok's enthusiasm to tidy up the place just because he promised him and Jimin snacks, despite not liking to indulge and spoil his baby brother too much to not create bad habits, nonetheless, it was impossible to resist Hoseok's adorableness sometimes.

Taehyung watched Hyunjoon helping Jimin and Hoseok gather the material for them to be able to set the table for dinner and, as he did, he felt grateful for having a group of people surrounding him – a strong support system. There were times he thought of the past and all the miserable times he had to endure – all the judgement, all the weird looks given to him by strangers, all the sacrifices he had to make –, in the end, Taehyung resorted to the fond memories he had of his mother and the wise words she had often spoken to him to brighten up his mood and it worked. Taehyung was happy to have Seokjin by his side to help him keep the memory of his mom alive and, despite missing her immensely and having a hard time dealing with the grief every day, every moment, no matter how small or insignificant it was, he cherished it, especially if he shared those moments with the most important people in his life.

Chapter Text

Yoongi smiled widely, briefly touching the soft piece of fabric that was being used as a blindfold as he allowed Jungkook to guide him to whatever part of the house where his birthday gift was. Since it was his birthday, Jungkook had told him that he wanted to surprise him by giving him something that had usefulness and that he could cherish for the rest of his life, however, Yoongi immediately retorted by saying that he didn’t need a gift from Jungkook and, despite being a typical cheesy remark, Yoongi emphasised that as long he had his strong bunny by his side, he didn’t need anything materialistic. As always, Yoongi wasn’t able to convince Jungkook to not give him a gift and he mostly blamed Taehyung for encouraging the black-haired male to do it, he also suspected that Seokjin was in the mix as well, which he truly found odd, either way, Yoongi was grateful for having considerate and supporting people by his side.

Another reason why he knew Taehyung was actively helping Jungkook with the birthday gift and the party was that this was the first time in four years that he was celebrating his birthday properly, the only reason he still did it was that he and Hyunjoon shared the same date of birth. He didn’t know if breaking up with Changkyun so close to his birthday could be one of the motivates that led Yoongi to stop caring about his birthday, of course, besides sharing his birthday with his younger brother, the red-haired male had his enthusiastic best friend, who always ensure that he and Hyunjoon had some kind of celebration, even if it was a more intimate one with their loved ones and family.

“Jungkook, tell me where are you taking me…” Yoongi uttered softly as he felt Jungkook’s arms wrapping around his waist, making him smile even wider “That’s the least you could do for waking me up so early on a Sunday morning”

“My soft kitten, I was too excited to show you your gift, which I’m certain you will love, apart from that…” Jungkook said amusingly as he momentarily stopped in his tracks, leaning his lips on Yoongi’s ear “You didn’t complain when I had my hands all over your body while I was kissing those irresistible lips of yours…”

“Jungkookie…” Yoongi whined as he smacked one of Jungkook’s hands, hearing the taunting older male chuckling with his bashful reaction “Stop mocking me and tell me, please, or I’m going back to your bed”

“Baby, I would love nothing more than take you to my bed and cuddle with you, but your birthday gift is more important” Jungkook retorted wittily as he guided Yoongi to one of the rooms of his house, being able to see the younger male’s gift shining with the bright sun coming from the tall windows. That particular room was what Jungkook called his entertainment room and it was where he could relax and read a book or even play videogames, basically, it was his slice of heaven on Earth and when he showed it to Yoongi, the red-haired male told him it seemed empty and now, Jungkook was able to fill the void “Your gift is in my entertainment room, you told me it seemed empty when I first showed you my house, so I decided to take your advice and fill the space”

Yoongi was utterly confused by Jungkook’s remark as he tried to figure out what had Jungkook done to fill up the empty space, a space that he absolutely adored because not only the sun shone brightly during the day, which warm up the place, but the room also had a great view that allowed him to see the city from afar. At night, Yoongi loved to be cuddled by Jungkook while admiring the gorgeous view of the dark sky embellished with twinkling stars and the bright moon, staying silent to absorb the beauty of the nature surrounding them. It was a pretty romantic place to spend with Jungkook, especially when the black-haired male brought him closer and kissed him passionately under the moonlight.

Meanwhile, Jungkook walked inside the entertainment room, leading Yoongi closer to his birthday gift. He turned the red-haired male around to face him and carefully untied the knot of the blindfold, uncovering his gleaming brown eyes, and the moment he did, he immediately earned a frown from the blushing younger male, probably because he was only wearing a pair of sweatpants without a shirt.

“Jungkook, I thought I told you to wear a shirt…” Yoongi mumbled as he felt Jungkook’s hands grasping his hips, glueing him against his body “You are a grown-ass man, so I don’t need to tell you to put something on”

“Baby, you are always complaining about me being shirtless, but I know how much you love it, I notice the way you gawk at my body…” Jungkook spoke enticingly as he felt Yoongi burying his face in his neck, making him laugh light-heartedly at the younger male’s behaviour. He looked down as he cupped Yoongi’s face, caressing his pinkish cheek with his thumb. Jungkook stood there for a fleeting moment as he stared at the breathtaking male in his embrace, who conquered his heart, feeling nervous yet again when his goal of making Yoongi his boyfriend cross his mind “Before I showed you my gift, I just want to tell how glad I am to celebrate your birthday with you, my delicate beauty, the fact that I can share this day with you it fills my heart joy”

“My strong bunny…” Yoongi said soothingly as he locked his gaze with Jungkook, having a hard time controlling the fast pace of his excited heart that probably was going to melt with the older male’s sweet words “The feeling is mutual, I’m so happy you are by my side on this day, you mean the world to me, Jungkook…”

“You are my world, Yoongi…” Jungkook whispered as he tilted his head, getting closer to Yoongi. He captured the red-haired male’s lips and slowly kissed him, enjoying the loving moment between them as he heard Yoongi’s quiet whines that always drove him into insanity. The black-haired male parted his lips from the younger male’s, noticing how his crimson cheeks matched his hair “Want to see your birthday gift now?”

Yoongi bit his bottom lip as he nodded his head, attempting to recuperate from Jungkook’s caring and sudden kiss that certainly took his breath away.

“Okay, my baby, as I said earlier, I’m sure you are going to love it…” Jungkook remarked sweetly as he placed both of his hands on Yoongi’s waist again, smiling brightly. He twirled the beautiful male around and finally showed him his birthday gift that was a pain in the ass to get, however, for Yoongi, he would travel to the end of the world to find whatever the greatest love of his life needed or wanted “So, how did I do with my gift?”

The moment his eyes landed on his birthday gift, Yoongi completely froze, not being able to respond to Jungkook’s question because he didn’t want to believe what he was seeing at that moment. The red-haired male cautiously approached the beautiful and mesmerising piano standing in the middle of the room, however, the piano Jungkook gifted to him wasn’t an ordinary piano – it was the Heitzman Crystal piano –, it was one of the most expensive pianos in the market since it was made by Heintzman Piano, a well-known company in the industry.

“J-Jungkook, y-you didn’t…” Yoongi stuttered as he admired the transparent masterpiece in front of him, attempting to process what was going on. He wondered how Jungkook was able to buy the piano, even though he had mentioned a couple of weeks ago that it was about to be auctioned, besides that, he didn’t provide any information that would allow Jungkook to purchase the piano “T-This is t-too m-much…”

“When it comes to you, Yoongi, nothing is too much…” Jungkook retorted gently as he reached for Yoongi’s hand, pulling him closer to him. He was already expecting him to be completely baffled by his gesture, but when he saw a lone tear rolling down the younger male’s face, the black-haired male knew he had exceeded himself. Jungkook cupped Yoongi’s face and wiped his tear with his thumb, staring deeply into his eyes “I know how much you love pianos, especially the unique ones, and when you said the Heitzman was going to be auctioned, I immediately did everything I could to obtain it, I wanted to give you something meaningful for your birthday…”

“J-Jungkookie, you didn’t have to give me the piano, you could literally give me anything because I know everything you give me comes from the heart…” Yoongi uttered as he lightly chuckled, feeling more tears running down his cheeks. He took Jungkook’s hands from his face and looked at the crystal piano, thinking about the amount of work and money the older male had spent just to gift it to him, Yoongi was so grateful and yet, deep down, he felt like he would never be able to compensate Jungkook for what he did, regardless of being a birthday present “I-I just, I w-will never be able to repay for your kindness towards me, you are so patient and loving, I feel like I don’t show you how much you mean to me enough…”

“But you do, my soft kitten, you show me how meaningful I am to you every single day, just a simple kiss or hug is enough to prove to me how you care about me, as you said to me when I told you I was going to give you a birthday gift, all I need is having you by my side…” Jungkook remarked assertively, offering a small smile to Yoongi “And about the piano, yes, I needed to give it to you because you love it and that was the only reason that led me to buy it…”

“S-Still, J-Jungkook, t-that’s a lot of money to spend on m-me, you shouldn’t have-“

“Min Yoongi, can’t you stop being such a stubborn cutie? I honestly don’t care about the money, I’m blessed for having a job that pays well and, despite having my endeavours, I don’t spend a lot of money, so I spend it with the people who are dear to me and you are one of the dearest people I have in my life, I cherish you so much…” Jungkook interrupted merrily as he got closer to Yoongi, giving him a kiss on the forehead “Although, if you want to repay me, you could play something for yours truly, how about that? I never watch you play…”

Not that he didn’t want to do it, however, just the thought of playing the piano in front of Jungkook made Yoongi nervous because every time he played by himself the only one on his mind was the enchanting male for whom he was in love with and now that Jungkook was going to be next to him, Yoongi was frightened of disappointing him. Despite his fears, the younger male decided to accept Jungkook’s request since he already had done so much for him – between giving him the opportunity to explain himself and the reason that drove him to be rude towards him at the coffee shop in the beginning and the sweet and kind gestures he did on a daily basis –, the least Yoongi could do was to show his appreciation and love for Jungkook through his music.

Yoongi timidly pecked Jungkook’s lips, catching the older male by surprise, and flashed his gummy smile at him. “I would love to, Jungkookie, baby…”

Without breaking free from Jungkook’s grip, Yoongi led both of them to the piano bench, feeling the nervousness taking control of his body, although, the fervent will to confess and demonstrate how important Jungkook was to him was stronger than his anxiety and fears. He sat down with his back straight and played a few keys just to ensure that the piano was tuned, which it was, loving to hear the domineering and sturdy sound of the tune echoing in the room, it had wonderful acoustic. Yoongi took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he felt the black and white ivory pieces under his fingertips, being able to recognise each and every single one of them by heart, part of that was because he had been playing the instrument since he was a child, unlike Hyunjoon, Yoongi had always a fascination for music and the piano was the one instrument that awoke his curiosity.

Yoongi emptied his mind and carefully listened to the quick beat of his heart, deciding to not follow any particular musical piece, instead, he wanted to play along with the soothing and mellow melody coming from his heartbeat. He pressed several keys and slowly his fingers flew over the piano as he felt the vibrations of each note running through his body, like music was possessing him and spreading in his bloodstream. The notes were swirling around Yoongi’s head while the black and white keys were gently caressed, making his fingers respond to the tempo established by the beat of his own heart that sang so loudly into his ears, a sweet song he solely wanted to share with Jungkook and no one else. Just as an artist that used colours, shades and textures, musicians work from an incredible pallet of sound and, instead of painting on a canvas to express their emotions, musicians used chords, dissonance, harmonies and rhythm to create masterpieces that expressed their deepest emotions and Yoongi wanted to use his talent and the notes to create a harmony that expressed his love for Jungkook.

With every set of keys he delicately pressed, Yoongi thought of the most memorable moments he had spent with Jungkook, from their first kiss to the most intimate times they spent together, each one led him to create the most beautiful masterpiece he ever played. Not even the well-known classical pieces written by the most famous musicians like Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and others who dared to reach their level could compare to the melodies that were coming from the various cords his heart requested him to play to be able to convey its endearing message to Jungkook.

Yoongi played a final set of cords and harmonies to end the improvised piece, feeling like his heart could burst at any second because of the emotions that were guiding his fingers. They were so overwhelming and powerful, nothing similar to what he felt for Changkyun in the past, Jungkook surely awoke a part of him that not even Yoongi realised he had. The red-haired male stopped playing and opened his eyes, letting his fingers linger on the keys while feeling the vibration still moving across his body that increased the speed of his heart, almost making him as breathless as when Jungkook kissed him so intensely.

“That was beautiful, Yoongi…” Jungkook mumbled as he put a red lock behind Yoongi’s ear, tipping his head to the side to see the younger male’s face. He smiled widely when he noticed the red-haired male’s cheeks turning a dark shade of pink, finding him so stunning, especially when the sunlight lighted it up his porcelain skin, his vivid red hair and his brown eyes “My knowledge of classical music is practically none, baby, so can you tell me what piece you just played?”

“I-I didn’t play a classical piece, Jungkook…” Yoongi responded sheepishly as he fidgeted with his feet, not being able to make eye contact with Jungkook “I just thought of you and let my fingers follow the melody sang by my heart…”

“Yoongi…”

One of Jungkook’s strongest traits, besides being eloquent, was being outspoken and having the capability of expressing himself and his emotions, of course, there were exceptions to the rule whether he was extremely hurt, like when he attempted to approach Yoongi at the coffee shop, or he was extremely touched with a particular gesture, and, at that moment, Jungkook was completely speechless, not only with Yoongi’s talent but also the way he took advantage of his talent to confess his love for him. The black-haired male had his fair share of relationships and in none of them, he felt such strong emotions for someone as he did for Yoongi. It probably sounded cheesy and exaggerated, nonetheless, it was true and Jungkook was genuinely grateful for encountering a person who was beautiful, not only on the outside, but also on the inside, and was also very loving and selfless.

Prudently, Jungkook cupped Yoongi’s heated cheek and stared at him so lovingly as he caressed his smooth skin with his thumb, thanking whatever God, entity or even the universe that guided the outstanding younger male to his life. The instant he caught a glimpse of Yoongi at the coffee shop, Jungkook couldn’t get him out of his mind and, thinking back, it probably didn’t sound good out loud, however, since that moment, the older male was secretly excited to go back to the coffee shop in hopes to see the beauty with red hair, sitting by the window as he drank his coffee and ate his blueberry muffin.

“And you earlier said that you didn’t show me how much I mean to you enough…” Jungkook whispered kindly as he momentarily brushed Yoongi’s hair out of his eyes, feeling completely bewitched “Yoongi, you not only show how important I am to you, you also expressed your deepest emotions for me through your music and that was the most beautiful confession I ever heard…”

“Jungkookie…”

Yoongi’s docile tone of voice, his warm gaze and his puckered rosy lips were having an effect on Jungkook, as they always had, however, after the sweet moment they just shared and knowing that the younger male just played something to express how he felt about him just strengthened the love Jungkook fell for Yoongi. Jungkook gradually got closer to the red-haired male as he tilted his head, pausing for a brief moment to take in his beauty, noticing how the sun was creating some kind of halo around Yoongi – the embodiment of an angel –, the view in front of him was magnificent.

“You are the most beautiful person I have ever met, not only on the outside but also on the inside as well, it’s so difficult to resist you, you are too addicting, my love…”

Yoongi couldn’t resist Jungkook’s charming character any longer and shortened the distance between them, slamming his lips against the older male’s lips while feeling a sense of urgency taking over him. The red-haired male quietly whimpered when Jungkook gently bit his bottom lip, practically asking for his permission to invade his mouth and Yoongi allowed it in a heartbeat, yearning more and more to be under the older male’s dominance and feel his deep and strong love for him through their kiss. Yoongi slightly parted his lips and instantly melted when Jungkook’s tongue crashed into his, sending him into a spiral of desire and pleasure like he never experienced before as their kiss gradually became so fierce and heated, almost taking his breath away.

Despite still having his reservations regarding himself, Yoongi, day by day, was becoming more confident and comfortable with Jungkook and their relationship. He acknowledged that he was very watchful when it came to certain aspects and, part of it, was because the trust he put in his previous partner was broken and for years he ran away from men, not having to deal with unfaithfulness and betrayal all over again, it was mentally and physically challenging for him. Being with Jungkook was different and yet Yoongi still doubted himself and his ability to express and show his love for the older male, he didn’t want Jungkook to think he didn’t appreciate him or that the emotions he felt for him were weaker than his. Another topic he felt he was lacking was intimacy, Yoongi was aware that physical attraction wasn’t the only reason that drove people to bond and to fall in love, nonetheless, it played a big part in the relationship as well and, despite wanting to give his body to Jungkook, he still was fearful of not being enough or not being able to satisfy in that department.

Maybe he was putting pressure on himself or he had high expectations regarding himself, however, Yoongi couldn’t stop pondering about these matters when he was alone and longing for Jungkook late at night. Regardless of his thoughts that constantly made him doubt, Yoongi wanted to embrace the beautiful bond and strong connection that was growing between him and Jungkook and nurture it to allow it to blossom inside their hearts and souls.

Already running out of air, Yoongi parted from Jungkook’s lips and instantly got up from the piano bench, wanting to challenge himself to take it to the next step, since he always let the older male have the power. He gently straddled Jungkook’s lap as he placed his knees on the piano bench, on each side of his body, quickly feeling the older male’s hands grasping the back of his thighs as he noticed that lustful glint in his eyes. Probably only wearing a pair of boxers and Jungkook’s shirt while being on his lap was enough to fuel the ranging fire burning sturdily inside of the black-haired male and Yoongi enjoyed it when Jungkook was a little possessive towards him.

Yoongi bit his bottom lip as he let his hands wander on Jungkook’s naked torso and his shoulders, feeling his strong and muscular body as he travelled upwards towards the back of his head. He delicately ran his fingers through his smooth hair as he tilted his head, capturing Jungkook’s lips once more, but this time, he wanted to convey his confidence and comfortableness even more to the older male through his kiss. Yoongi hungrily and ferociously moved his lips against Jungkook’s and gave him permission to explore his mouth once again, as he felt his big hands sneaking under his shirt, the warmth and the caresses were doing things to him, making him feel like he had never felt before.

Not being able to control himself, Jungkook broke the kiss and got up from the piano bench, feeling Yoongi’s legs squeezing his waist while he gasped, but also giggled with the sudden move. Earlier, when he was losing himself in Yoongi’s quiet whines and whimpers, and sensing his hands exploring his body, Jungkook stopped himself from getting too far and decided to show Yoongi his birthday present as a way to calm down and cool his mind, wanting to respect the younger male’s boundaries, although, it was becoming more difficult and Yoongi didn’t help his case.

“We still have time until the brunch…” Jungkook stated casually as he walked out of the entertainment room, already planning what he wanted to do with Yoongi in his mind “How about we continue what we were doing before I showed you my gift, baby?”

“Jungkook…” Yoongi whined as he nuzzled his face on Jungkook’s neck, feeling embarrassed when the images of him being passionately kissed by the black-haired male popped up in his mind, however, he wanted more. There was obviously a strong physical attraction between them and Yoongi was having a difficult time resisting Jungkook, yearning for a more intimate moment with him “I-I want you so badly…”

“Me too, baby, and I’m going to show how much I want you right now…”

***

Yoongi glanced at his living room as he observed the many people who were attending his and Hyunjoon’s party, realising how livelier his apartment seemed in comparison to prior years. He took a sip of his wine as he smiled weakly, feeling so glad that he decided to let Taehyung plan a small gathering that ended up not being as small as he thought, probably because he wasn’t expecting his best friend to invite half of the people there, despite being people that were close to him as well like the little devils’ moms, Gunhak and Soonyoung, which had an ulterior motive and they were pretty obvious about it, they couldn’t stop staring at Seokjin and Taehyung.

Yoongi averted his attention to Hyunjoon, watching him talk to his friend as he stayed close to Yoo Joon and, he could read his younger brother like a book and see how infatuated he was with the cute boy – Hyunjoon’s first love. Before the party, his younger brother shyly came to him and officially confessed how in love he was with Yoo Joon, in addition to that, he asked him for advice to come forward to his group of friends about his feelings and Yoongi, as the older brother, advised Hyunjoon the best he could about the matter since he had been hard for him as well to accept he had feelings for someone of the same gender. Unlike that time when Seunghee mentioned first loves, Yoongi quickly started to realise that what she had said was true – first loves not always are a match – and after the wonderful times he had been spending with Jungkook, he was more certain that the black-haired male was definitely the one and only for him, his last love.

“I’m the best or I’m the best, Yoongles? This party is awesome thanks to your best friend!” Taehyung exclaimed merrily as he joined Yoongi, giving him a playful shove “I successfully organised a brunch and a party, I think I exceeded my own expectations, maybe I should change careers”

“It’s a great party, Tae, thank you for doing this for me and Hyunjoon…” Yoongi said gratefully as he flashed his gummy smile at Taehyung, sensing some extra presumptuousness in his best friend’s voice “Although you usually aren’t as full of yourself as you are being now, you are spending too much time with Seokjin in my opinion…”

“No one asked you for your opinion…” Taehyung mumbled as he took a quick sip of his wine, trying to not think about Seokjin or those odd feelings that had been increasing in these last few days, which was hard to do when you had two vulture friends constantly keeping an eye on him and Seokjin “And you are welcome, my nosy best friend who I love from the bottom of my heart”

“I love you too, Tae…” Yoongi uttered amusingly as he noticed how Taehyung was looking at his wine glass, wondering if his best friend was acting shy because of him mentioning Seokjin “And am I wrong about my last remark? Since Seokjin started to hang out with us at the end of the day, you have been a lot closer to him and you even volunteered to help us cook dinner, which I find extremely odd”

“W-Well, what’s the problem with that, huh? Yes, we couldn’t stand each other in the past, but now we are close friends, there’s nothing wrong with that…” Taehyung retorted defensively as he furrowed his brows, pouting “Like there’s nothing wrong with being late to the brunch your best friend prepared because you were busy playing around with Jungkook in the bedroom…”

“Taehyung!” Yoongi whined as he lowered his head, blushing at his best friend’s words. He bit his bottom lip, replaying the endearing moments he shared with Jungkook and some not-so-endearing ones that expressed how much he and the black-haired male wanted each other physically, however, he knew Jungkook stopped himself from crossing the line between them because he thought he wasn’t comfortable exploring that territory, which Yoongi initially wasn’t, although, not anymore “W-We didn’t do anything like that, w-we just cuddled for a while and we e-ended up falling asleep…”

“Yeah, sure, I totally believe that, Yoongles” Taehyung said sarcastically as he smiled mischievously, carefully eyeing a particular mark on his best friend’s collarbone that wasn’t very well hidden “So, that mark on your collarbone just appeared out of nowhere, it wasn’t perhaps Jungkook who went wild on you and devoured you this morning”

“You know what? I’m going to speak to Gu and Soo, they probably want to know more details about your close friendship with Seokjin” Yoongi commented nonchalantly as Taehyung took a sip of his wine, laughing when his best friend started coughing because of his statement “Maybe, I’ll ask Soonyoung which snacks he will want for a year…”

(Oh, hell no…)

“H-Hey, t-that’s not fair, Y-Yoongi…” Taehyung stuttered as he watched Yoongi casually walking away from him, grasping his shirt to stop him from heading to Gunhak and Soonyoung “A-And no one is going to get snacks, well, except for me, you hear me!”

“Yeah, sure, I totally believe that, Tae!”

“Shush, meddling meow meow!”

Meanwhile, Jungkook and Seokjin were on the other side of the apartment, observing the humorous scene unfolding between Yoongi and Taehyung, even though they couldn’t understand very well the conversation they were having because of the music playing in the background, people chatting and the merry giggles from the group of little devils.

Jungkook took a sip of his wine as he turned his attention to Seokjin, who, unsurprisingly, had his eyes glued on Taehyung and was smiling weakly at the best friend’s interaction. It wasn’t the first time the black-haired male noticed Seokjin staring at the bubbly younger male like that, in fact, in these last few days, Jungkook always saw his best friend catching a glimpse of Taehyung or just staring at him, but there was an unknown sparkle in Seokjin’s eyes, one he never witnessed before.

“You should take a photo, Jin, it lasts longer…” Jungkook commented playfully as he grabbed Seokjin’s attention, hearing his best friend clearing his throat and looking around the place so casually like he just didn’t catch him staring intensively at Taehyung “You can’t fool me, you haven’t been stealthy lately with your glances, or should I say stares, huh?”

“I don’t understand what you mean by that, Jeon…” Seokjin retorted indifferently as he placed his hands inside the pockets of his cropped pants, averting his gaze to the joyful children “I was just watching Jimin playing with his friends”

“You know, if I didn’t catch you red-handed, I would be able to know that you were actually staring at Taehyung and not your son either way, Kim” Jungkook said amusingly as he laughed light-heartedly, seeing Seokjin rolling his eyes “So, tell me, what is it? His eyes? His body? His personality? All of the above? What do you find attractive in Taehyung?”

“Right now, I’m wondering what did Yoongi find attractive in you, it certainly wasn’t your stubbornness and annoying character” Seokjin mocked as he weirdly noticed a small smile adorning Jungkook’s lips, maybe his comment didn’t have any effect on his best friend “I’m starting to question his taste in men…”

“Right back at you, Seokjin, I wonder what Taehyung could possibly find attractive in you” Jungkook taunted as he chuckled loudly, seeing Seokjin glaring at him “I mean, he dated a model for two years…”

“You mean, Taehyung dated a man who was unfaithful to him throughout their relationship and kept harassing him after the breakup, is that how low we are establishing the bar here? If that’s the case, I would be the perfect partner then… ” Seokjin spoke matter-of-factly as he cocked a brow, watching Jungkook pressing his lips together. He sighed heavily, realising how his best friend just tricked him, probably to make him say how he was a more suitable partner for Taehyung, something he already had expressed to the younger male not so long ago “Don’t say a word, Jeon, you already are on thin ice with me for brainwashing my mom, instead of mocking me shouldn’t you be preparing for your big moment later?”

“You truly have a talent to divert our conversations, especially when is regarding your relationship with Taehyung, Kim, but since I know you already have a punishment for me, I’ll abide by your will” Jungkook remarked cheerfully as he took another small sip of his wine, letting his eyes wander to where Yoongi was. For a brief moment, the black-haired male gazed at the younger male, who was chuckling with something Soonyoung had said to him, mentally practising the words he wanted to speak at the end of the party as he felt nervousness taking over his body, which was unusual “You know I’m always a charismatic and confident man on a daily basis, but when it comes to Yoongi, I can’t explain it, even in the beginning when I tried to approach him, he always makes me feel so nervous, but in a good kind of way…”

“I remember when you were genuinely angry with Yoongi after you tried to approach him at the coffee shop, your reaction was undoubtedly an indication that you cherished him, even when you didn’t know him that well…” Seokjin uttered gently as he placed a hand on Jungkook’s shoulder, getting his attention “I already watched you going into relationships with people who didn’t care about you, Jungkook, and, unlike then, I can see Yoongi is definitely the one for you, not only for what you told me about this morning, but also for everything he is been doing for you”

Jungkook chuckled wholeheartedly at Seokjin’s words and he couldn’t help but agree with his best friend, even though at the time, he was in denial because he was deeply hurt by Yoongi’s presumptions, especially when the beautiful male didn’t even give him a chance. As he briefly glimpsed at Yoongi, Jungkook realised how lucky he was for having such a supporting, endearing and loving creature by his side and, as Seokjin said, he already got himself into relationships that were worthless or maybe his partners had made him worthless back then, nonetheless, Jungkook didn’t want to focus on his past when he was looking forward for the future, a future he envisioned himself with Yoongi, not only as his boyfriend but also as his husband.

Then, his eyes went to Taehyung, who was pouting, probably because Soonyoung, Gunhak and Yoongi were mocking him and his current close relationship with Seokjin, and immediately averted his attention to his best friend, wishing he could feel the same happiness as him. Jungkook acknowledged how forceful, demanding and annoying he could be when he joked about Seokjin and Taehyung’s close relationship, particularly when the both of them denied the “opposites attract” premise. However, he did it because he honestly wanted to see his best friend falling in love and being loved by someone who cherished him and viewed him as a whole and not just his physical features, but also his personality that was buried deep in his core for so long and now was coming to the surface once again and Jungkook was hoping that Seokjin’s true self could finally be free forever.

“I truly appreciate your support, Jin, it means a lot to me, especially when I see a future with Yoongi and not only as my boyfriend but also as my husband…” Jungkook spoke calmly as he watched Seokjin’s eyes widening with his remark, smiling dimly at his best friend’s reaction “You seem stunned, Kim, even though you just told me Yoongi was the one for me”

“Yes, I did, but I wasn’t expecting you to mention marriage when you haven’t even asked him to be your boyfriend, Jeon, don’t you think is too early for that?”

“No, I don’t because I’m deeply in love with Yoongi and I can’t imagine my life without him, Jin, when you find that one person who completes you and makes you whole, you can’t see yourself without them…” Jungkook replied assertively, observing how Seokjin lowered his head and stared at the floor, seemingly he was reflecting on what he just told him “I truly want you to experience that, Seokjin, and yes, I know I have been annoying you about this matter since Hae Yoon died, I want you to feel love and be loved and before you roll your eyes at me and tell me that you are not interested, I ask you to give it a chance, Taehyung or no Taehyung, I want you to do it…”

Seokjin genuinely hadn’t been interested in love or anything related to that subject because he couldn’t be himself since he was abiding by his father’s rules, frightened of suffering the consequences in case he disrespected his will. Between inheriting the family business and having an arranged marriage and everything in the middle, Seokjin never had the opportunity to chase real love. Back then, that was a trivial matter that didn’t deserve any attention from him and he strongly believed he didn’t need it, however, Seokjin quickly changed his mind in these last few weeks.

Seokjin contemplated Jungkook’s words and his desperate request, understanding why his best friend did it – Jungkook wanted him to be happy and find someone who he could share that happiness with –, nonetheless, it was a complicated thing to accomplish, especially when he didn’t know how true love felt. Hearing how Jungkook spoke of Yoongi so fondly and stating how he couldn’t live his life without him felt odd to Seokjin, a good kind of odd, because he had those exact feelings towards Taehyung. It was true that it had been a few weeks since the dark-haired male started to see the younger male in a different light and that drove him to feel those unknown and indescribable emotions that were gradually increasing as time went by and Seokjin wondered if those emotions were what people called love.

Absentmindedly, Seokjin lifted his head and his eyes instantly landed on Taehyung, who was leaning on the wall on the other side of the room, staring right back at him. As the silver-haired male looked downwards to his wine glass, Seokjin was able to see a small and bashful smile adorning his plump lips and his cheeks dusted with a dark shade of pink. Throughout the evening, Seokjin couldn’t help himself and would momentarily steal some glances at Taehyung and he noticed how the other male did the same, and every time he caught a glimpse of him or heard his giggles or laughter, Seokjin wished more to be near Taehyung and speak to him, however, the younger was basically hosting the party alongside Yoongi and Hyunjoon and they barely had exchanged a word. On the other hand, Seokjin sensed that Taehyung was purposely keeping his distance from him, probably because of Soonyoung and Gunhak, who, for some reason, continued to watch him and the younger male like hawks, were they keeping an eye on him?

“You two haven’t talked to each other all evening, maybe you should go to him…” Jungkook said with a hint of playfulness as he caught Seokjin and Taehyung bluntly staring at each other from across the room, so cliché “You seem calm and collected, Jin, but I know you are giddy to speak to Taehyung”

“We haven’t been talking because he’s helping Yoongi and his brother host the party since he was the one who planned it, Jungkook” Seokjin clarified rationally, suspecting that Jungkook was riling him up on purpose to make him go speak to Taehyung, which he was gladly going to do “But now that he is by himself, I’m going to talk to him like a mature adult, unlike my best friend…”

Seokjin didn’t let Jungkook retort his argument and simply left, not wanting his best friend to mock him even more just because he and Taehyung were close, that was preposterous.

Jungkook stood there, attentively observing the interaction between Seokjin and Taehyung and he swore he never saw the silver-haired male smiling so widely when his best friend approached him. Taehyung was over the moon, even though he seemed a little bit shy, and Seokjin immediately lighted up when the younger male reached for his hand, which turned the scene a lot cuter between them.

Jungkook honestly didn’t have any idea if Taehyung and Seokjin could become a couple, however, he was hopeful and the small yet meaningful interaction between them was a clear indication that something was definitely blossoming.

“Opposite indeed attract…”

***

Taehyung took another bite of one of the cakes Mrs Seo had baked for the party as he hummed happily, savouring the sweet chocolate-flavoured pastry. He never needed a birthday party or a celebration of some sort to have some pastries, cakes, pies or any type of sugary treat, however, he liked to have an excuse to serve himself without people judging him, not that particular thing occurred very often, but Taehyung, despite being a free-spirit and a spontaneous person, felt self-aware and self-conscious sometimes. As he was about to take another small piece of his slice and eat it, the silver-haired male noticed Seokjin glancing at him, although it wasn’t the type of gaze the both of them exchanged earlier, instead, it was the “you shouldn’t eat too much sugar” gaze and Taehyung couldn’t help but sigh.

“Say I shouldn’t eat too much sugar, Jinnie, and I swear I will ask Mrs Seo to never bake those lemon bars you enjoy so dearly again…” Taehyung threatened as he scowled at Seokjin, who was smiling teasingly at him, seemingly the older male already knew he was going to comment on his judgmental stare “You are smiling, but you know what I am capable of, remember when I told you how cute I am? Well, people are weak to my cuteness and sometimes I use it as a weapon”

“You shouldn’t eat too much sugar this late at night, Taehyung, you won’t be able to sleep as a result and that’s a proven fact” Seokjin taunted as he saw Taehyung taking a bit of the piece of cake and putting it angrily on his mouth, controlling his will to laugh with the younger male’s behaviour, which he truly found humorous “And yes, I remember the countless times you stated how cute you are, but are you forgetting how charming and attractive I am? I could easily resort to those qualities and weaponised them too”

Taehyung decided not to retort to Seokjin’s complacent comment and just stuck his tongue out as a way to argue against him, turning his attention to the group of children, who were sitting on the couch and eating birthday cake next to Soonyoung, Gunhak and Namjoon. The silver-haired male frowned as he looked around the place while wondering where Seunghee was, finding it weird how his sister-in-law was always standing by Namjoon’s side, furthermore, Taehyung hadn’t seen Seunghee since they sang “Happy Birthday” to both Yoongi and Hyunjoon. He was seriously concerned about Seunghee and the state she had been in these last weeks and, according to Namjoon, there were a couple of mornings when he woke up and heard his wife throwing up in the bathroom. Seunghee was constantly reassuring Namjoon and the rest of the group, stating that probably she got some stomach bug and was going to recover in no time and, in case she didn’t, she could always speak to the doctor on the day of the check-up which was going to be in this upcoming week.

Despite sounding nonchalant about her health condition, Taehyung didn’t feel assured about Seunghee so, he had been keeping an eye on her and even offered a piece of cake, but she quickly refused and after that, Taehyung never saw her again, maybe she was somewhere in the house and needed some time alone. He understood how his sister-in-law wasn’t very cheerful lately and was doing her best throughout the party to not let her negative emotions get the best of her and yet, Taehyung could easily see how they were taking a toll on her.

“Taehyung, are you alright?”

Taehyung awoke from his reflective state and gazed at Seokjin, who was now standing closer to him and staring back at him with worry written all over his face, as he placed his plate on the table, wanting to look for Seunghee. “I am, I just, well, I was looking at the group of cuties and realised Seunghee isn’t with Namjoon, in fact, I haven’t seen her in a while and I’m worried, Jinnie…”

“Seunghee has been having a difficult week, maybe she decided to step out for a bit and get some rest, Taehyung” Seokjin spoke soothingly as he reached for Taehyung’s hand, not liking to see the younger male so restless “Do you want me to help you look for her?”

“Yeah, you’re right, but I’m worried about her being all alone when she is so fragile and gloomy, I can’t let her be by herself right now…” Taehyung stated sullenly, feeling a strong squeeze from Seokjin, who was probably trying to comfort him since he was concerned about Seunghee. He smiled shyly as he took a peek at Gunhak and Soonyoung, knowing what he wanted to do was risky, especially when his vulture friends were creepily on the lookout for an interaction between him and Seokjin and yet, he still wanted to go forward. Taehyung leaned forward and quickly gave Seokjin a kiss on the cheek, catching the dark-haired male off guard with his sudden gesture “I appreciate your words, Jinnie, but I don’t need help, I’m sure she is in Yoongi’s bedroom, I’ll go look there, see you in a bit”

Unwillingly, Taehyung slowly broke free from Seokjin’s tightened grip, immediately missing feeling that warmness and solace from his gentle touch and, he believed the older male felt the same way since he sensed some reluctance from him as well.

As he made his way towards Yoongi’s bedroom, Taehyung took a deep breath and attempted to calm down his racing heart that was thumping too excitedly against his chest, seriously questioning if his heart could take so much from such a brief moment like that. He was aware he was completely in denial about his emotions, however, Taehyung wanted to be certain about them, like he was expecting some sort of sign to show him that he was indeed walking in a risky and sensitive territory, that what he was feeling was indeed love. His logic perhaps sounded preposterous out loud and yet Taehyung was just looking out for himself and his feeble heart that was still trying to heal from all the shit Hongseok had done to him during their relationship and after the break-up.

In the end, Taehyung was being cautious because love was a sensible matter to him and he already went through a lot in that department to let himself be caught up in his emotions and be hurt again. He simply didn’t have any more strength to handle heartbreak and disappointments, not only that, his relationship with Seokjin was something Taehyung truly treasured, despite being brave enough to almost kiss him again, he was conscious about the many things at stake for them, being one of them his part in helping Seokjin to bond with Jimin.

Taehyung sighed heavily as he placed his hand on his chest, still feeling the strong beating of his heart while reaching the hallway to get to Yoongi’s bedroom and the moment he did, he noticed Hyunjoon and Yoo Joon at the end. The silver-haired male quietly and stealthily walked inside Yoongi’s bedroom and carefully peeked his head to observe what the younger males were doing, realising how creepy he was acting, nonetheless, he was curious if Hyunjoon was finally taking the step and finally confessing to Yoo Joon and, being the hopeless romantic he was, even though love was a complicated subject for him, Taehyung couldn’t resist his urges. He saw Hyunjoon with one hand on Yoo Joon’s hip and with the other he was brushing the hair out of his eyes while saying something to him, whatever it was, it definitely brought a smile to Yoo Joon, who momentarily lowered his head, probably processing the information Hyunjoon just told him. Taehyung watched Yoo Joon slowly nodding his head as he timidly wrapped his arms around Hyunjoon’s neck while staring into his eyes, which led Hyunjoon to speak or ask something else to Yoo Joon and, once more, Taehyung saw the younger male nodding his head and, gradually, Hyunjoon shortened the distance between him and Yoo Joon, and gently kissed him.

Taehyung instantly averted his eyes from Hyunjoon and Yoo Joon and leaned his back against the wall, covering his mouth as he silently giggled at the scene he witnessed. He sighed happily, genuinely feeling happy for both younger males, despite enjoying mocking Hyunjoon a lot, Taehyung wished him the best and prayed that he didn’t have to go through what he and Yoongi went through with their first relationships. The silver-haired male vehemently believed the words Seunghee spoke a few weeks ago about first loves not being always a match, however, he also believed that life circumstances could also be an important variable to consider regarding romantic relationships, which ended up being his case with Minhyuk.

As he was getting lost in the labyrinth of his complex mind that always led him to overthink some issues, Taehyung heard a sound coming from the bathroom inside of Yoongi’s bedroom and quickly headed to the door when he realised it was Seunghee who was there.

“Seunghee, sweetie, do you need any help?” Taehyung asked worriedly as he knocked on the door, listening to Seunghee throwing up. He knocked again when it was silent and when he didn’t get any answer from her, without any hesitation he opened the door, and the view in front of him completely shocked him and made him even more worried. Taehyung saw Seunghee with her head on the edge of the toilet seat, her complexion was completely pale, and her eyes were closed while she panted “Oh my God, Seunghee, are you conscious? Please say something or mumble, just give me a sign that you are conscious!”

“T-Tae…”

“Oh, thank God that you are conscious, sweetie, you scared me, we need to take you to the hospital as quickly as possible…” Taehyung remarked alarmingly as he kneeled down on the floor next to Seunghee’s unmoving body, cupping her face while tears ran down her pale cheeks. He didn’t want to leave Seunghee alone and, at the same time, he needed to call for help, so he decided to reach Hyunjoon and Yoo Joon who were closer to the bedroom “Hyunjoon! Yoo Joon! I NEED YOUR HELP!”

Taehyung decided to not move Seunghee’s body all by himself, so it was preferable if he did it with someone’s help, not wanting to harm her any more than she already was, furthermore, Seunghee seemed weak and she would go in and out of consciousness, the last thing he wanted to do was hurting her more. It didn’t take long until Hyunjoon and Yoo Joon got to the bathroom and, like him, the younger males seemed quite shocked by Seunghee’s condition, especially Hyunjoon, who was accustomed to seeing the pink-haired female so lively and cheery.

“Tae, what happened?”

“I don’t know, Hyunjoon, but right now, we can’t stand here and talk…” Taehyung spoke assertively as he carefully moved Seunghee’s head to his chest and wrapped his arm around her body for her to be more comfortable, instead of being with her head on the edge of the toilet seat. He noticed Yoo Joon holding Hyunjoon’s hand, probably to give him some consolation, knowing Seunghee was someone important to him and he found the younger male to be so thoughtful “I want you too to discretely tell Namjoon and Yoongi to come here, we don’t need to worry everyone and create chaos, could you do that for me?”

“Yes, of course, Taehyung…” Yoo Joon replied softly as he tightened his grip on Hyunjoon’s hand, understanding how shocked he was with the situation “Let’s go, Hyunnie, she needs our help…”

“Yeah, babe, you’re right…” Hyunjoon retorted dully as he intertwined his fingers with Yoo Joon’s, leaving the bathroom “We will be right back, Tae, and hang in there, Seunghee…”

Taehyung saw Hyunjoon and Yoo Joon walking out of the bedroom door, smiling weakly at the short interaction between the two youngers and averted his attention to Seunghee, who, despite being weak and motionless, was aware of what just unfolded.

“You heard that, Seunghee?” Taehyung whispered as he ran his fingers down Seunghee’s ponytail, sensing her sluggishly nodding her head, which made his smile widen “Our Hyunjoon is dating the “not so cute boy”, he’s all grown up…”

(I remembered when Yoongi told me that Hyunjoon had just been born, we had just become friends back then…)

There were a lot of significant moments Taehyung kept safe inside his mind and one of them was when Yoongi came to school on his birthday, the first thing he said was he finally had a baby brother with whom he was going to play with in the future, but also with whom he was going to share a birthday and Taehyung found Yoongi’s reaction truly endearing and sweet. Despite the bickering between them, Yoongi and Hyunjoon had a close and deep relationship, just like he had with Namjoon and Hoseok, brotherly love was the only type of love that never failed Taehyung, no matter what, he could always resort to Namjoon, Hoseok and Yoongi, who he considered an older brother as well when he was feeling blue or needed some kind of comfort.

“Seunghee!”

Taehyung glanced at the bathroom entrance and saw Namjoon swiftly approaching him and Seunghee, noticing the broke expression written all over his face. “Joon, I just found her with her head on the edge of the toilet seat barely conscious, I don’t know what’s wrong but we need to go the hospital…”

Namjoon was gathering all his strength to not break down in front of Seunghee, Taehyung and Yoongi, hating to see his dear wife in that poor state as he missed her joyful character. With Taehyung and Yoongi’s help, Namjoon cautiously lifted Seunghee bride style and laid her down on the bed as he sat down next to her to give her some comfort and support while they cleared out the apartment, not wanting to draw everyone’s attention to the situation. Namjoon attentively gazed at Seunghee, who lethargically reached for one of his hands, holding it as she close her eyes, watching her lips quivering and the tears sliding down her face.

“I-I, ah, I will stay with Seunghee until people leave, I need a moment with my wife…” Namjoon spoke upsettingly as he kept his stare on Seunghee, using his free hand to pat her head “I’m sorry to do this to you and your brother, Yoongi…”

“Joon, you don’t have anything to apologise for, all I want is for Seunghee to get the help she needs and we are taking care of it…” Yoongi said reassuringly, as he wrapped his arm around Taehyung’s shoulders, sensing his best friend almost on the verge of tears “Hyunjoon and Yoo Joon are speaking with their friends, Jungkook and Seokjin are talking with people and Soonyoung and Gunhak are going to take care of Jimin and Hoseok, so don’t worry, okay?”

“T-Thank you so much, Yoongi…”

“You’re welcome, Joon…”

Yoongi glanced at Taehyung, who was trembling in his embrace and headed outside to the hallway, giving Namjoon and Seunghee some privacy while the others were resolving the situation for them to take Seunghee to the hospital. The moment he and his best friend stepped their feet in the hallway, Yoongi hugged Taehyung tightly, immediately hearing him breaking down and sobbing quietly. He already knew how stressed and anxious Namjoon was with everything that was occurring with Seunghee, however, Taehyung also was carrying a huge burden, especially when his best friend wanted so badly to help them forget about the bad times they were experiencing.

Yoongi ran his fingers through Taehyung’s hair as he let his best friend cry his eyes out, trying his best to comfort him and be there for him in this troubling time.

“It’s going to be okay, Tae, Seunghee and Namjoon are going to surpass this, you’ll see, we just need to have faith…”

Chapter Text

It had been two hours since they arrived at the hospital and there wasn't any news about Seunghee's condition. Namjoon was trying to remain calm and be patient while staying positive during that all process, however, it was getting more difficult as time went by and not having any news at all, not even something that could make him feel slightly relieved, was taking a toll on him and the worriedness kept growing as the annoying ticking sound coming from the clock played in the background. He leaned forward as he ran his fingers through his hair, sighing heavily while he waited for the doctor, who had gone inside Seunghee's private hospital room, to come out and speak to him about what was happening to his dear wife.

Namjoon was afraid that Seunghee's body had finally succumbed to the stress, anxiety and immense pressure she had been putting on herself these last few months because of their constant failed attempts to start a family. He had been scolding Seunghee this past week to not go to work and simply take a break from everything, knowing how all her negative emotions were bringing her down and Namjoon blamed himself for not doing more to help his wife and her feelings regarding the circumstances they were going through.

"Thank you once again, Director Lim..." Seokjin remarked politely as he talked on the phone with the hospital's director, who was one of his company's clients and someone close to the Kim family. He momentarily stared at Namjoon, only imagining the pain he was undergoing at that moment "I know it's late, so I'm grateful for this favour, I wish you a good night..."

Seokjin waited until director Lim ended their call as he walked towards where Namjoon was, watching how Yoongi was rubbing his back and professing some words of comfort, alongside Jungkook. He put his phone inside the pocket of his cropped pants, wanting to reassure Namjoon that Seunghee was being taken care of by the best of the best and that whatever they needed he would do everything in his power to provide the necessary services and professionals.

"Namjoon..." Seokjin uttered quietly as he awoke Namjoon from his reflective state, noticing how broken down and exhausted he seemed "Please, don't worry yourself, whatever you need, you just speak to me and I will take care of the matter"

"Thank you, Seokjin, but you already did so much for me and Seunghee, I-I d-don't want to take advantage of your generosity..." Namjoon stated gloomily as he made eye contact with Seokjin, genuinely grateful for his help and support. He turned his attention to Yoongi and Jungkook, who was sitting down next to Yoongi, smiling weakly at them "Thank you all of you for being here with me right now, I can't imagine if I was all alone here..."

"You don't need to thank me..." Seokjin muttered as he placed his hands inside the pockets of his pants, giving a reassuring smile to Namjoon. On several occasions, Namjoon had been there to give him advice about certain matters, whether was about Jimin or Taehyung, and Seokjin valued his wise words and his help "I'm happy to help with whatever I can, it's the least I can do for you and Seunghee"

"You are my friend, Namjoon, and my soft kitten here considers you as an older brother, we want to be here for you and give you and Seunghee support" Jungkook said calmly as he wrapped his arm behind Yoongi's body, seeing the red-haired male resting his head against his shoulder, he seemed mentally and physically exhausted "As Seokjin said, anything both of you need, you can come to me as well"

Despite feeling overwhelmed with his current situation, Namjoon genuinely felt blessed for having such a supportive and thoughtful group of friends and family by his side in his and Seunghee's hour of need. He was regretting his decision of not discussing his feelings regarding the struggles both he and Seunghee had been having to conceive a child, not wanting to be a burden, especially to Taehyung, who was already going through so much on his own, even though his younger brother thought he could fool him into believing he was perfectly fine. Although, lately, Namjoon had seen a change in Taehyung's demeanour, noticing how his heart and soul screamed happiness, mainly when Seokjin was around, the numerous moments he witnessed between them were proof of that.

Namjoon heard the sound of the elevator and glanced at the end of the hallway, watching Taehyung getting off of it as he swiftly cleaned the falling tears with the hem of his sweatshirt, probably not wanting to seem upset in front of him. Earlier, Taehyung decided to step outside and call Soonyoung to ensure Hoseok and Jimin were already in bed since it was almost midnight and the next day was a school day. Aside from that, Namjoon also knew Taehyung needed a moment by himself, understanding how his situation with Seunghee was affecting his younger brother as well, furthermore, being in a hospital was triggering to Taehyung.

Taehyung sat down on the hospital chair, next to Namjoon, not professing a single word as he tried to process his emotions regarding that whole ordeal while gathering all his strength to not break down just like he did when he was on the phone with Soonyoung. He couldn't stop thinking about Seunghee's unmoving body on the bathroom floor, her pale face screamed excruciating pain and discomfort, and Taehyung hated how that imagery was stuck in his brain, it made him miss Seunghee's cheerful and lively personality that brightened everyone's day, especially Namjoon's.

Taehyung glimpsed at Namjoon, who was running his fingers through his hair, finding his simple gesture relaxing, nonetheless, it didn't help calm down the raging turmoil roaring inside of him. He lowered his head and fidgeted with his fingers as he wondered what else he could do for Namjoon and ways to show him his support and comfort him, even though his older brother knew how much he wanted to stand by his side and yet Taehyung felt useless in that situation. The silver-haired male bit his bottom lip when he felt tears sliding down his cheeks, hating to feel so weak at that instant, acknowledging that he was, once again, putting a lot of pressure on himself to make everything he could to cheer up Namjoon since his older brother was always next to him and supporting him whenever he needed him.

Seokjin decided to gently sit down next to Taehyung and looked at Namjoon, who stared back at him and briefly gave him a nod, probably allowing him to take the reins and console his younger brother. He suspected that something else, besides Taehyung being upset with the current situation, was troubling his mind, Seokjin guessed he was putting pressure on himself again, like a few days ago, and wanted to do everything to help Namjoon forget the ordeal he was experiencing. Seokjin truly admired Taehyung for being kind-hearted and selfless towards the people who were dear and close to him, him included, which, still was unbelievable to him since Seokjin felt like he was getting so much from Taehyung, but he wasn't giving him anything back to compensate for his generosity or, at least, he felt that way.

Softly, Seokjin reached for Taehyung's hand, catching his attention, and gazed at his teary and reddish eyes and his small pout adorning his lips, a view that, unfortunately, wasn't unknown to him. With his free hand, the dark-haired male cupped the younger male's cheek and wiped his fallen tears, feeling a strong squeeze coming from the upsetting male. In the midst of cleaning his tears, Taehyung simply let go of his hand and unexpectantly threw himself at him, hugging his torso tightly and nuzzling his face on his neck. Seokjin wrapped one arm around Taehyung's body, tipping his head to the side as he tried his best to calm him down.

As discretely as possible, Namjoon focused on Seokjin's interaction with Taehyung, watching him whispering soothing words of comfort to his younger brother, finding it sweet yet odd, perhaps because he wasn't accustomed to seeing Seokjin's soft side often, especially when everyone was together. A small smile reached Namjoon's lips when he observed how Taehyung lifted his head and locked his eyes with Seokjin and, for a brief moment, the both of them just stared into each other's eyes and stay quiet, it seemed like they were in their own world.

After all the suffering and the heartbreak Taehyung had gone through, not only with Hongseok but also with his ex before him, Namjoon fervently wished his brother could find someone who could genuinely care for him and love him for the wonderful person he was. He knew his brother was still recuperating from what happened between him and Hongseok, still trying to move on and keep his emotions in check. However, it was as clear as water how Taehyung cherished Seokjin deeply, it was so visible just by the way he gazed at him, a gaze he never saw in his brother's eyes, not even for Minhyuk, but it was also obvious how Taehyung vehemently denied those feelings and Namjoon understood him.

The sound coming from the automatic door that gave access to the VIP rooms suddenly opened, catching Namjoon's attention almost immediately. He rapidly got up from the chair and headed towards the doctor, who was reading something from the tablet in his hands, feeling extremely anxious to find out what was going on with Seunghee.

"Doctor Cho..." Namjoon spoke hesitantly as he made eye contact with the doctor, who, weirdly, had a smile on his face, feeling slightly relieved "So, is everything okay with my wife? Did you find out why she is been so sick this past week?"

"Well, we had a suspicion about your wife's condition and because of that we decided to run some basic tests to confirm it..." Doctor Cho said casually as he briefly checked the table once again, smiling widely "The results came in half an hour ago, your wife is in perfect health, although her blood pressure was a little high when she was hospitalised, moreover, we were also able to confirm our suspicions through the results, Mr Kim, and I have some good news"

Namjoon frowned at Doctor Cho's enigmatic words to him, not understanding what he meant, particularly when he just told him that Seunghee was in perfect health and everything was going to be fine with her. "Suspicions, Doctor Cho? What do you mean by that?"

"When your wife's condition was improving, she was able to explain her symptoms this past week – nausea in the morning, weird cravings and sensitivity to sweet aromas –, she told us she felt sick when your brother offered her a piece of cake, that was why we ran the tests" Doctor Cho explained logically, realising that Mr Kim still wasn't connecting the dots, unlike the other people who were standing behind him "Mr Kim, congratulations, your wife is pregnant, you are going to be a father"

Namjoon's eyes widened with the unforeseen news, not believing what he was hearing, especially when Seunghee took several pregnancy tests and the result was always negative, even the last one she took was negative and it had been a few days since then. Obviously, he and Seunghee knew that there weren't 100% reliable, there was a small percentage of error and, in the beginning, when all they saw were negative results, both of them were aware of the possibility of not being correct or they kept having hope their situation could change, which it didn't for so long.

"D-Doctor C-Cho, h-how is that possible?" Namjoon questioned astoundingly as he was on the verge of tears, not wanting to believe that he and Seunghee were finally going to start a family "S-She took a pregnancy test a few days ago and was negative..."

"Ah, yes, she explained the situation, apparently, your wife usually buys pregnancy tests in bulk and the brand she bought belonged to a faulty stock that they had to recall a couple of months ago, people were complaining that there were always getting inaccurate results"

"S-So, it's true..." Namjoon whispered as he smiled brightly at the extremely good news, reaching for one of the doctor's hands to give him a handshake "Thank you so much for everything, Doctor Cho, can I see my wife now?"

"You're welcome, Mr Kim, and yes, you can see her now if you want, however, we are going to keep her tonight" Doctor Cho remarked politely, parting from the handshake "When she gets discharged tomorrow morning, we will make an appointment to our OBGYN, I'm assuming Seokjin will take care of it, he's quite familiar with her"

"Yes, Doctor Cho, I will ask Doctor Yoon to be appointed as Mrs Kim's OBGYN during her pregnancy" Seokjin commented respectfully as he helped Taehyung get up from his seat, noticing how shaken up he was with the news "Thank you so much for coming this late, I know it wasn't your shift"

"You're welcome, Seokjin, it was a pleasure to help you and Mr Kim, especially under such joyful circumstances" Doctor Cho retorted merrily as checked his smartwatch, smiling softly "Well, I will take my leave now, anything you need, you can contact me any time, pleasure to meet you, Mr Kim and nice to see you again, Seokjin"

Namjoon stood there in complete silence as he still tried to process the information the doctor just told him, feeling like he was in a dream, not in reality. He immediately felt tears running down his cheeks as he covered his face with his hands, quietly sobbing since he felt like a weight was lifted from his shoulders. For so long he thought he was preventing himself and Seunghee from having a family, for so long he watched his loving wife being under stress, constantly blaming herself for not being able to get pregnant and, after struggling for so many years, Namjoon and Seunghee were finally going to start a family of their own.

"J-Joon..."

Taehyung quickly went to Namjoon and softly grabbed his hands, parting them from his teary face. He couldn't stop crying as well with the wonderful news he just heard, even though it was difficult to believe, however, at the same time, it was a blessing, especially after the many obstacles Namjoon and Seunghee had to deal with, after the endless frustrations, doubts and stress that were weighing both of them down. Despite feeling like a mess and not being able to stop the tears from sliding down his cheek, Taehyung gave one of the biggest smiles to Namjoon as he hugged him tightly, feeling his older brother's body relaxing in his embrace while he sobbed on his shoulder.

"I-I'm g-going t-to be a d-dad, T-Tae..." Namjoon's voice came out muffled as he held on to Taehyung so firmly, feeling finally relieved after pretending to be strong for so long while he and Seunghee were going through so many adversities "F-Finally, I-I'm g-going t-to s-start a-a-a f-family..."

Taehyung ran his fingers through Namjoon's hair while attempting to calm him down as he watched Jungkook embracing a crying Yoongi, who was pretty much a big mess as he and Namjoon were. He couldn't stop himself from smiling to the point his cheeks were already hurting and they were probably going to be as sore as his eyes the next day and yet, Taehyung didn't care, it was a delightful and blessed occasion and his heart was so full that was on the verge of exploding with so much love and happiness.

"J-Joon, e-even t-though y-you and S-Seunghee lost hope i-in the end, I-I n-never d-did..." Taehyung stuttered as he kept slowly running his fingers through Namjoon's hair, his smile never leaving his lips "I-I w-wish m-mom w-was h-here w-with u-us..."

(Mom, you will finally be a grandma like you always wanted, I bet you would have been a great grandmother to that child, just like you were a great mother to me and Joon...)

***

Namjoon walked along the hallway towards the VIP room where Seunghee was staying as he replayed the conversation he had with Taehyung earlier, already knowing it was a sensitive topic of discussion for his younger brother, however, he wanted to do it anyway, it was only fair he shared what was going through his mind regarding that subject. After being informed that he was going to be a father, Namjoon carefully reflected on the role he was going to partake in the near future, realising that being a parent was a huge responsibility and he was aware of that, the thing was, the idealisation and reality were two different matters and Namjoon, despite feeling blessed and happy for finally seeing his dream come to fruition, was a nervous wreck and he was honestly afraid – afraid of not being a good father figure and role-model to his unborn child.

Obviously, Namjoon knew he was putting a lot of pressure on himself and he didn't want to make the same mistake he and Seunghee made in these past weeks – bottling his feelings inside and not sharing his burden with his family and loved ones –, instead, he wanted to be transparent and vocal about his fears and worries because Namjoon wasn't perfect and perfection didn't exist and his family was so far from being picture-perfect, at least, until his mother died. He sighed heavily as he got closer to the room, unable to forget the disappointment and sadness in Taehyung's teary and red eyes that also portrayed so much hatred the moment he professed the words neither his younger brother nor him were expecting him to say out loud, mainly when he had already expressed his opinion not so long ago.

Namjoon stopped momentarily and looked through the window as he focused on the clear dark blue sky, noticing a particular star flashing and sparkling brightly like it was calling for him. On these occasions, Namjoon wished he still had his family together, he wished his mother was alive to witness her dream of being a grandma come true and he also wished he had his dad with him, despite everything that he made him and Taehyung go through, despite everything that he made his mother go through.

Not wanting to keep contemplating matters that weren't a priority at the moment, Namjoon quickly walked towards the designated room and opened the door, feeling the gloominess and sombreness of the subjects discussed with Taehyung being replaced with a mixture of excitement and nervousness. As he entered the room, Namjoon's eyes immediately landed on Seunghee, who was sitting down on the hospital bed with a hand over her stomach while admiring the city skyline embraced by the dark and starry night. He gazed at his loving wife, noticing how her complexion wasn't as pale as it was before, her pink hair, despite being messy, still flattered her so perfectly and the beautiful smile adorning her lips was the biggest and the happiest he ever saw since they had been together, Namjoon didn't even remember seeing Seunghee smiling as widely on their wedding day. On top of that, Namjoon could see a bright glow surrounding Seunghee, even though he believed his dear wife always had that kind of glow that attracted and enchanted people, the same glow that pulled Namjoon closer to Seunghee when they first met back in university, although, at that moment, the glow that was embracing his wife was a distinct and unique glow he never witnessed before.

As he quickly approached the hospital bed, Namjoon locked his gaze with Seunghee, immediately seeing a tear rolling down her flushed cheek, a tear that carried so much relief and gleefulness, that led him to quicken his pace and hold Seunghee in his arms. Namjoon gently cupped his wife's cheek, losing himself in those dark brown eyes of hers that were as glittery as the stars outside, those eyes that now screamed hope and cheerfulness. He slowly leaned down as he tilted his head and, without wasting time, Namjoon softly captured Seunghee's slightly dry lips and kissed her passionately, being able to demonstrate his deep love and admiration for her, furthermore, with the many ordeals that continued to interfere in their everyday life, Namjoon could savour the moment with Seunghee.

"J-Joon..." Seunghee whispered tenderly against Namjoon's lips as she kept staring at Namjoon, smiling foolishly. She was attempting to catch her breath because she wasn't expecting her husband to kiss her to the point of sucking the air out of her lungs, just like the very first time they kissed "Y-You need to stop kissing me when I'm not decent, my breath must be so bad right now"

Namjoon pressed his forehead against Seunghee's as he chuckled light-heartedly, not believing his wife was more concerned about her breath than the wonderful news they had gotten that night. "Baby, I already told you, I don't care about that and we have something more important to think about..."

Seunghee giggled as he parted from Namjoon's forehead and ran her hand over her stomach, already envisioning herself with a big pregnant belly in a couple of months, despite being enthusiastic about her dream of being a mother coming true, she was beyond scared. With her free hand, Seunghee patted the bed, indicating Namjoon to sit next to her, yearning to speak with her husband about her feelings that she still was trying to process and, even though she didn't want to focus on the negativity, especially now that she was carrying the biggest and most important treasure of her life, she needed to be honest with Namjoon and not make the same mistake again.

"M-My love, I'm s-so h-happy, w-we finally are going to b-be parents, I-I'm finally going to be a mommy..." Seunghee uttered quietly as she felt Namjoon's arm enwrapping her body when he sat down next to her, resting her head on his shoulder. She closed her eyes momentarily and sensed Namjoon laying his hand on top of hers "I-I'm s-so scared, what i-if I-I c-can't raise our c-child p-properly? W-What i-if t-they g-grow u-up to hate m-me? W-Wh-"

"I'm scared too, darling, I'm scared too..." Namjoon interrupted sweetly as he leaned his head against Seunghee's, understanding what she meant by her dreadful words since he too was uncertain about his ability to be a father, probably because he used to see his own father as a role model and someone he admired and, in the end, everything came crashing down "But you know what? It's completely normal to be frightened and nervous, we are going to be responsible for a tiny human being, however, we have so many good and loving people surrounding us, and we have our friends and family to help us during this time of our lives, sweetie, we won't be alone"

Seunghee couldn't help but giggle wholeheartedly at Namjoon's truthful yet endearing words as she affectionately glanced at her belly which was going to grow in the upcoming weeks. She was glad that she and Namjoon were terrified about the next chapter of their lives, the chapter both of them were patiently waiting for so long that they practically lost hope during the insufferable path they had been walking in these last three years. Seunghee felt her eyes tearing up once again as she reminisced about the words the doctor had told her earlier, thinking that all the struggles, the suffering, the anxiety and the stress were all worth it in the end. Furthermore, Seunghee, while she was by herself, contemplated the urgency of starting a family and the emotions she underwent in these last four weeks, finding it ironic how in the midst of her troubles, she already had her little bean growing inside her womb.

The number of attempts to get pregnant and the several failures might have brought her and Namjoon down, nonetheless, Seunghee learned an important lesson along the way. By watching her own sister and even the woman Namjoon and Taehyung's father married being mothers, Seunghee honestly felt enraged for not being blessed as well with a child, so she couldn't stop comparing herself with them and her lives, completely forgetting that every person was different which meant every person had their own path, every person walked at a different pace and every person had different experience throughout life. Another thing that Seunghee realised during her self-reflection moment was that, sometimes, just because a person had to take the long path didn't mean they were being punished, it meant that they needed more time to prepare themselves and learn more to be ready to the next chapter of their lives and that was how Seunghee was viewing her journey, her strenuous journey that, in the end, had a happy ending.

"Y-You're right, Joon, no matter how scared I am right now, I know we have the best people around us to help us with whatever we need and, for that, I'm grateful..." Seunghee spoke softly as she cleaned her tears with the back of her free hand, sighing happily while keeping her eyes on her and Namjoon's hand "Little bean, you will be loved unconditionally, not only by your parents but by all of our family and loved ones, you have a special place in our hearts..."

"Little bean sounds adorable, but I can't wait to know if we will have a baby girl or baby boy..." Namjoon said proudly as he lifted his head, tipping it to the side to look at Seunghee "If I know you well, my love, you probably have been thinking about potential names to give our little bean, right?"

"Sweetheart, I have been thinking about names since the moment we started trying to get pregnant" Seunghee retorted merrily as she locked her gaze on Namjoon, having a good feeling that her husband was going to adore both names "Do you want to me to tell you or should I keep a secret from you?"

"I love it when you act all playful with me, baby, but don't keep me in the dark" Namjoon stated soothingly as he caressed Seunghee's hand, smiling brightly "Whichever name you have chosen for our child, I know it's beautiful and meaningful, although, you piqued my curiosity and I truly want to know"

"I always love to pique your curiosity, Joon, but I won't be a meanie to you, just this time" Seunghee commented wittily as she laughed, poking Namjoon's nose "Well, if we have a baby boy, I want us to call him Ji-Ho, like my grandfather, you know how much he meant to me and how much impact he had on my life and, in case of being a baby girl..." Seunghee paused briefly and gazed deeply into Namjoon's eyes, cupping his face with her free hand "We will call her Jung Eun, like your mother, as a tribute to her and her memory..."

"Seunghee..."

Namjoon simply grabbed the hand Seunghee was using to cup his face and kiss it softly as he leaned his head against her once again, feeling blessed and thankful for having a remarkable woman like Seunghee by his side. He smiled weakly as he attempted to not spill any more tears, especially after hearing how Seunghee wanted their child to have his mother's name, Namjoon found that so thoughtful and such a beautiful homage to her and Taehyung was definitely going to appreciate the gesture.

***

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Earlier...)

Taehyung was sitting on one of the hospital's seats, right next to Namjoon, fidgeting with his fingers as his head lowered, anxiously waiting for his older brother to speak to him about something that he refused to tell him until the others left. After everyone congratulated Namjoon for finally becoming a father and starting his own family, his brother asked him to stay behind and respectfully requested the group for a moment of privacy with him, not disclosing what he wanted to discuss with him, however, Taehyung could see through Namjoon and suspected that the matter they were going to speak about wasn’t an amusing one.

While distracted by his thoughts, Taehyung felt Namjoon reaching for his right hand, catching his attention. He stared at his older brother and, despite noticing that joy sparkling in his eyes, there was doubt and guilt in them as well, which deepened Taehyung’s concerns even more. The silver-haired male sighed heavily as he felt Namjoon squeezing his hand, already knowing what they were about to discuss and his worriedness quickly transformed into rage.

“Is this about dad, Joon?” Taehyung asked expressionlessly as he averted his gaze from Namjoon, attempting to hide his negative feelings, however, like him, his brother could read him so easily “It must be because there aren’t many subjects you have a hard time talking to me…”

“It is, Tae…” Namjoon responded quietly as he tipped his head to the side, sensing Taehyung’s muscles tensing up with the mention of their dad “I know how you will react to what I’m going to tell you, but I’m begging you, please hear me until the end, I want you to understand my reasons first…”

Taehyung wasn’t interested in the slightest to hear what Namjoon wished to tell him about their father since he thought they already had made a decision regarding that matter, especially after the knowledge of them having a half-five-year-old sister. Nevertheless, Taehyung, reluctant, decided to listen what were Namjoon’s reasons, knowing whatever they were, they were probably justified.

“Okay, Joon, I will listen…”

Namjoon just smiled dimly as he stroked Taehyung’s silver hair with his free hand, seeing his younger brother glancing at him again. He stared at him for a lingering moment, noticing an odd melancholic aura embracing him which turned the conversation they were about to have a lot more difficult and challenging, especially knowing how stubborn Taehyung was and yet Namjoon was thankful for having the opportunity to express his thoughts.

“Taehyung, as you know, I was trying to amend my relationship with dad in hopes to bring you and him closer, I was doing it, not only because I wanted dad to be in Hoseok’s life but I also did it for mom, despite everything, she would want us to be together as a family…” Namjoon spoke soothingly as he saw Taehyung’s brows furrowing deeply and his lips curling downwards, hating to upset his dear young brother “I was infuriated when I found out about our half-sister because he was irresponsible by allowing his wife to have another child after what she almost did to Hoseok that was what led me to not forgive him, but I don’t share that opinion anymore…”

“I-I’m s-sorry, J-Joon, but I don’t believe mom would want us to be together after what he did, not even her would be able to forgive such betrayal…” Taehyung mumbled as he felt the rage and the hatred he had for his dad floating to the surface, wondering why Namjoon had changed his mind “Mom would have never forgiven dad for abandoning his children to be with a younger woman who was beyond happy with her death, a younger woman who almost get rid of an unborn baby because a child was going to jeopardise her new life, so if you are going to ask me to forgive him or let Hoseok meet him then you already know my answer…”

“I understand, Tae, that’s why I’m not asking you to forgive him but to forgive me…” Namjoon retorted calmly as he watched Taehyung’s eyes widening, exhaling heavily “As you said, he abandoned us when he got together with that woman and I don’t want to do the same, what I mean is, I’m about to be a father, Tae, and I don’t want to exclude him like he did with us, regarding Hoseok, I made the mistake to act behind your back when you are the one who knows best for him, but when it comes to my future child, I’m the one who knows best…”

Taehyung stood there and stared deeply at Namjoon’s eyes while he felt himself tearing up with his words, not being able to argue against them because he was right. Honestly, he didn’t like the idea of Namjoon forgiving their dad, nonetheless, he couldn’t be mad at him for thinking about his future child and what was going to be best for them. Aside from that, Namjoon clearly didn’t want to follow their dad’s steps and be a hypocrite, instead, he was putting his family first and what would be more beneficial for everyone, well, not everyone.

Even though Namjoon wanted to forgive and include their dad in his life, Taehyung still wanted to keep his distance from him, being the one who had to make so many sacrifices and endure so much, even now he had to deal with the repercussions of his dad’s actions. Regardless, Taehyung didn’t hold a grudge against Namjoon or his decision, deep down, he understood why he was doing it, but, it still hurt him deeply.

“I’m not going to forgive you because there is nothing to forgive, Joon, I love you and I know you have good intentions, you always have, but I’m not the same, I can’t forgive him for what he did to me…”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Taehyung was sitting down on one of the benches from the hospital rooftop as he gazed at the city skyline engulfed by the immense dark blanket full of stars that resembled sparkling diamonds while recollecting the conversation he had had with Namjoon earlier. He sighed in frustration, questioning himself if he was being too harsh regarding his dad, however, every time the will to forgive him crossed his heart and soul, his mind would quickly rebuttal by remembering every single moment that led him and his family down from him cheating on his mom while she was alive to him almost letting his current wife almost aborting Hoseok. Maybe Taehyung wasn’t as forgiving and kind as he thought, maybe Seokjin was wrong when he said he always forgave the people who did him wrong and therefore he was incapable of seeing the good in them, like his father or Hongseok.

Taehyung lowered his head and took a deep breath, allowing him to process the tsunami of emotions that were swallowing him as a whole and overwhelming him. He felt completely lost in that instant and he truly didn’t know what he should do – should he give his father a chance and try to forgive him or let things run their course just like usual? In moments like this, Taehyung wished he had his mom with him, every time he felt lost or he didn’t know how to deal with a certain matter, he always counted on her and her wise words to see the silver lining in whatever situation he was going through to be able to solve it.

(Would you be able to forgive dad for what he has done to us, mom? For what he did do to you?)

Taehyung leaned his back against the bench as he stared at the night sky this time, attempting to empty his mind and simply enjoy the marvellous view from above. He noticed a particular star flashing in his direction which Taehyung found odd and yet, something about it called to him and sparked something inside of him like the star was trying to catch his attention for some reason.

“Taehyung…”

Taehyung averted his attention to Seokjin, who was walking towards him, noticing how he was carrying two cups of hot beverages because of the steam that was emanating from them while questioning himself how the older male was able to find him, especially when he didn’t tell anyone, not even Namjoon or Yoongi, about his whereabouts. The silver-haired male straightened himself as Seokjin approached, deep down, feeling both happy and relieved for having him by his side instead of being alone with his confusing and upsetting thoughts.

“Jinnie…” Taehyung said in a mellowed tone of voice as he got up from the bench, shortening the distance between him and Seokjin “H-How did you know I was here?”

“I asked a nurse if she had seen a young man with silver hair and she told me you caught the same elevator as her and she noticed how you pressed the button to the rooftop…” Seokjin responded calmly as he saw how gloomy Taehyung was, wondering if the subject discussed between him and Namjoon was the reason behind his current state “She also said the young man in question seemed upset, so I brought you this…”

“Oh, you didn’t have to…” Taehyung spoke softly as he took the medium-sized cup of hot chocolate from Seokjin’s hand, feeling the heat quickly reaching his cheeks. He took a small sip from his beverage and, despite not being the best hot chocolate he ever had, at least helped him warm up a little bit since it was quite the chilly night “Thank you so much, Jinnie…”

“You’re welcome, Taehyung, I know hot chocolate from a vending machine isn’t ideal, but it was the best I could do” Seokjin uttered as he watched Taehyung securing the cup with both hands with a small tight-lipped smile on his lips, sensing that something was bothering the young man “I can tell something is bothering you, Taehyung, you know I’m here for you…”

Taehyung’s tight-lipped smile transformed into a small one as he walked towards the ledge of the rooftop, loving how caring and available Seokjin was to erase any type of negative emotions. He took another small sip of the hot chocolate as he lingeringly admired the breathtaking view from the city, feeling jealous of its quietness and calmness, especially when he was being pulled to the bottom of the dark sea that represented the depths of his soul. Taehyung seemed calm and collected from the outside perspective but, unlike the city, there were too many noises interfering and influencing his judgement when regarding his father. He sighed heavily once more and took a glimpse at Seokjin, watching the older male observing him and staring at him with concern written all over his face and he couldn’t help but feel himself succumbing to the will of expressing his honest thoughts to Seokjin, hoping the other male could offer him some wisdom and guidance to ease the loud voices that were screaming at him.

“I feel lost, Jinnie, and I don’t know what I should do…” Taehyung whispered as he heard the vulnerability in his voice, avoiding making eye contact with Seokjin “I always consider myself a person who could see the good in people and accept their flaws, but now I’m questioning if I’m truly like this…”

Seokjin placed his small cup of horrible coffee on top of the ledge and grasped one of Taehyung’s hands that felt so cold to the touch as he kept his gaze on him, knowing whatever was troubling the younger male was clearly taking a toll on him. “Taehyung, speak to me and I will help you any way I can…”

Taehyung briefly glanced at his hand being caressed by Seokjin’s as he felt the warmth he got accustomed to spreading all over his body and reaching his already overworked heart and then, he timidly locked his gaze with Seokjin once again while he bit his bottom lip. It wasn’t the first time Taehyung expressed his feelings or spoke about his father with Seokjin and, despite being a difficult subject to discuss, the silver-haired male always found consolation and peace of mind with the older male’s sweet and thoughtful words.

“A-As you know, Namjoon wanted to speak to me about something, for the way he was acting, I quickly realised he wanted to talk about our father…” Taehyung said dejectedly as he turned to his side, standing in front of Seokjin without breaking free from his grip. He momentarily closed his eyes and immediately felt a gentle squeeze from the older male, probably wanting him to share his troubling and perplexing emotions “Namjoon just told me he was going to forgive him because he didn’t want to do what our father did to us – abandoned us and excluding us from his life – and I’m having a hard time accepting that, despite his reasons…”

Seokjin wasn’t expecting Taehyung to tell him that Namjoon was going to forgive their father, especially after his reaction on Hoseok’s birthday when he found out he had a half-sister, back then, he could see how difficult Namjoon took the news and how hurtful it was for him. Despite that, the dark-haired male understood the reason why Namjoon decided to forgive his father, he wanted to break the cycle and actually make amends instead of holding on to the grudge and Seokjin could relate to that feeling and was aware of how challenging that decision was and how its consequences could affect other people, in this particular case, it was going to affect Taehyung the most.

When he was struggling with the decision of breaking the Kim family’s legacy because he didn’t want to see Jimin going through what he went through during his childhood, adolescence and even young adult years, Seokjin pondered about his options, keeping in mind what would be best for Jimin in the long term. It wasn’t an easy decision to make since his father had the habit of controlling every aspect of his life, including the way he was educating Jimin and, after his son fainted because of the heavy workload, Seokjin quickly concluded that he couldn’t put such a heavy burden on Jimin, who was just a child and didn’t deserve having so many responsibilities at such young age. In the end, Seokjin preferred going against his father and the preposterous and archaic standards established by the Kim men than losing Jimin and not having the opportunity to have a true father-son relationship.

“Well, I understand why Namjoon decided to take that path because I can relate to him to some extend…” Seokjin spoke solemnly as he saw Taehyung furrowing his brows with his remark, noticing the curiosity shining in his mesmerising dark brown eyes “When I made the decision of not wanting Jimin to follow my steps, it meant breaking my family legacy, I did it because I was thinking what was going to be best for my son, the same with your brother, Taehyung, you have to understand that he is going to start a new chapter of his life and he has to think about what is going to be best for his unborn child” Seokjin added as he carefully studied Taehyung’s reaction, seeing him chewing on his bottom lip “Tell me something, Taehyung, when you decided to protect Hoseok from his parents, weren’t you thinking about what was best for him as well?”

Taehyung lowered his head as he contemplated Seokjin’s words, doubting his character once again because of his actions. He couldn’t deny that everything he had done in the past and the decision of keeping Hoseok away from his biological parents was because he had his little sunshine’s best interest. Apart from that, Taehyung had his own reasons to stay away from his father and, once again, he questioned himself if it was reasonable what he was doing. Did it make sense to feel such resentment because of the past? In his mind, Taehyung honestly thought it did and yet, he felt bad about the negative emotions that were consuming him.

“You know I was, Jinnie, everything I did and everything I do in that regard is to protect Hoseok from getting hurt, but…” Taehyung remarked quietly as he stared at the quiet city once again, breathing heavily “But after what Namjoon told me, I’m wondering if what I’m doing now for Hoseok is the right thing, I’m wondering if holding on to this grudge for so long is turning me into a malicious person that prevents me from forgiving people…” Taehyung muttered as he felt the slightly cold breeze bushing his hair while averting his attention to his and Seokjin’s holding hands “I always saw myself as a reliable and caring person, I always look into my heart and try to forgive those who do me wrong, I always give people second chances because I have faith in them…”

“Taehyung, you can’t compare your situation with Namjoon’s, especially after the sacrifices you had to make to give Hoseok a safe and loving home, you shouldn’t doubt your character just because you are unable to forgive your father and Namjoon is” Seokjin said with conviction, not liking to see Taehyung so down and doubtful as he delicately cupped the young male’s face with one of his hands. He sluggishly let his thumb caress the silver-haired male’s cheek, feeling his skin so cold to the touch “Forgiving someone is a process, Taehyung, you have to search inside of you and find the will to forgive the person who hurt you, and understand if you truly want to work towards that goal, is that what you want to do? Do you want to forgive your father?”

“N-No, I-I still can’t find in me to forgive him, Seokjin, n-not after w-what he did to m-me, to m-my mom, to m-my family, I-I simply can’t, but it crossed my mind multiple times…” Taehyung confessed shakily as he tried to control his will to cry once more that night, thinking about all the times he considered forgiving his father, not for his sake, but for Hoseok’s. He still found what he did justifiable, again he was looking out for his little sunshine and he would do everything to protect him. Despite that, Taehyung couldn’t help but wonder about something else – the possibility of Hoseok growing up and discovering that he kept him far away from his parents all his life “I already thought about the possibility of forgiving my father for Hoseok’s sake, you know, I don’t want my baby brother to resent me for keeping him away from his biological parents, regardless of what they did, that’s another reason that it’s making me doubt myself, doubt my actions, I don’t want that to happen, Jinnie, I-I d-don’t w-w-wa-want Hoseok to hate me…”

The moment he watched Taehyung breaking down in front of him, Seokjin felt a sudden painful squeeze in his heart, an unfathomable feeling crossing through his body which was odd since it wasn’t the first time he was seeing the younger male gloomy and struggling with matters regarding his father. He was always reluctant about his actions towards Taehyung when he wasn’t feeling his best because he was frightened of doing or saying something that could make the situation worse, however, this time, Seokjin felt such a strong urge to console and embrace Taehyung in that moment, wishing he could drive away those overwhelming emotions and thoughts that were troubling him and replacing his cheerful and thrilling personality.

Seokjin immediately released his grip from Taehyung's hand and pulled him closer as he softly embraced him in an attempt to soothe him, seeing the younger male resting his forehead against his shoulder. He sensed the silver-haired male’s body shaking in his arms as he heard him sobbing and sniffling, feeling him tightly gripping his coat, probably looking for more comfort. Seokjin wasn’t the most sentimental person, he still struggled with expressing his emotions and demonstrating affection to other people and yet, when it came to Taehyung, somehow, it wasn’t as difficult, despite the possibility of worsening the situation making him restless. As Taehyung strongly held on to him for support, Seokjin hesitantly rose his hand and began to stroke the younger male’s hair, knowing the calming effect normally had on him. Gradually, the dark-haired male was able to soothe Taehyung, the sound of his sobs and sniffles died down and the only noise that Seokjin could hear was the young male’s heavy breathing, Taehyung was probably exhausted and it was understandable, that day had been a role coaster of emotions and had taken a toll on everyone, emotionally, mentally and physically.

After a brief moment went by, Seokjin, unwillingly, parted from Taehyung’s body, not only because he felt the need to speak some words of solace after the young male shared his fear of being hated by Hoseok in the future when the truth would come out but also Taehyung didn’t stop shivering because of the ice cold night. He took his coat off as he watched Taehyung rubbing his eyes and cleaning the trail left by the tears, a trail of fear and sadness, and delicately helped the young male put it on since he was slightly lethargic. As he buttoned the coat, Seokjin stared deeply at Taehyung, who was averting his gaze from him once more, the devastation made by his negative emotions was so clear and Seokjin couldn’t help but feel heartbroken by the view in front of him which motivated him even more to cheer up and comfort Taehyung.

“Taehyung…” Seokjin spoke wholeheartedly as he caught Taehyung’s attention, allowing him to properly admire his facial features that still left him speechless from time to time and in that instant, the words he wished to say briefly vanished from his mind. He pulled Taehyung closer to him and cupped his face, unable to take his eyes off the young male because a single glance could cast a spell on him. No matter how tired and gloomy Taehyung was, Seokjin only saw the indescribable beauty that always had a strange effect on his heart “Hoseok will never hate you or resent you for what you did, you know why? Because he will understand the reason why you made that decision, it was for his own good and if he didn’t have his parents present to raise him and be there for him, he needed someone else and that person was you, you were and are the one who stands by his side, that shows me and everyone how loving and courageous you are, your generosity knows no boundaries, Taehyung, and I, better than anyone, know that”

Taehyung couldn’t help but smile weakly at Seokjin’s endearing and comforting words that brought some relief and reassured him. Very rarely the young male thought deeply and considerately about the numerous decisions he had made throughout the years that involved both Hoseok and his father because he vehemently believed his actions were suitable given the circumstances, nevertheless, there were times when Taehyung contemplated and lingered on the matter which ended up in him doubting himself.

“Thank you, Jinnie…” Taehyung uttered quietly as he took Seokjin’s hand from his face, grasping it tightly while staring at it. He was so grateful for having Seokjin with him to give him some clarity on the matter and allow him to see the silver lining of the situation, despite the negativity surrounding him and his destructive thoughts. He made eye contact with Seokjin and, unconsciously, his smile widened, putting behind the sorrowfulness and finally enjoying the private moment with the older male “I needed to hear those words, especially from you, you always go the extra mile to reassure me and console me by showing me the best of myself…”

“You don’t need to thank me, Taehyung…” Seokjin retorted calmly as he tilted his head, breaking free one of his hands. He brushed the silver hair from the younger male’s forehead as he got lost in those big and doe eyes of his that seemed more glittery at nighttime, making those feelings grow inside of him, those unknown and unfamiliar feelings that were quickly taking over him. Mindlessly, Seokjin leaned forward, gently kissed Taehyung’s forehead and proceeded to press his forehead against his, without averting his gaze “I will always be here for you to show you how amazing you are, Taehyung”

Taehyung remained speechless as he tightly grabbed Seokjin’s blue woollen sweater, not expecting to experience a more loving and selfless side from him. Either way, he knew he didn’t need words to describe how he felt at that moment, the wild and fast pace of his heart was singing loud and clear and spoke on his behalf. Taehyung silently stared longingly at Seokjin, who was staring back at him, not being able to deceive or deny himself anymore, especially after the heartwarming and enlightening moment they just shared on the rooftop, beneath the starry night that turned their time together a lot more memorable and meaningful.

Despite finally stopping being in denial and embracing his deep feelings for Seokjin, the fear and uncertainty were still pretty much alive inside of him, keeping him on his toes because he couldn’t handle another heartbreak, particularly when he was moving on from his long term relationship with Hoseok and all the other mistakes he made after the breakup. The silver-haired male was fragile and healing a broken heart, nonetheless, it didn’t mean he should stop living his life and prevent himself from falling in love again, despite being too soon. Unlike Yoongi, Taehyung didn’t want to hide from the world and drive everyone away, in this case, he didn’t want to drive away Seokjin, Taehyung was too attached to him and it was too late to go back, his heart was already yearning for Seokjin.

(What were Soo’s favourite snacks again? I guess I owe him a one-year supply…)

Chapter Text

The morning sun gently peeked through the curtains casting a warm, golden glow across the living room while Taehyung was finishing arranging the table for breakfast as he hummed some random tune cheerfully. As he placed the bowls with banana and strawberry slices and berries that were going to be served with the oatmeal, Taehyung admired the bright colours of the food, which made his stomach growl in excitement, and the intense sparkle of the glass cups and the cutlery illuminated by the sunlight. For the silver-haired male, breakfast had always been his favourite meal since he was a little child, maybe because his family was accustomed to the American-type breakfast instead of the Asian-type breakfast, which wasn't appealing to Taehyung. He adored the smell of the sugary pancakes drenched in maple syrup made by his mother that instantly reached his nose while he was asleep and the sizzling sound coming from the frying pan with the slices of crispy bacon that his father usually prepared with caution since he was as clumsy and inattentive in the kitchen as Namjoon.

Before he and Yoongi started their little tradition that eventually brought some childhood memories to the surface, Taehyung truly didn't care about breakfast as he did when he was a child. There were some particular occasions when reminiscing about moments from that time of his life broke his heart and made it difficult to feel the joy he once had. On the other hand, Taehyung wanted to share with Hoseok the happiness he used to feel when he ate breakfast with his family and demonstrate to him how important it was to start the day with delicious food and great people by his side to guarantee that the day was going to be an amazing one. When Yoongi unconsciously started to cook breakfast for them, Taehyung had the opportunity to have his favourite meal with the ones he loved the most – his best friend in the whole world and his little sunshine whom he loved from the bottom of his heart – and it was what put a smile on Taehyung's face.

In these last couple of weeks, Seokjin, Jimin and Jungkook had joined Taehyung and Yoongi's little yet meaningful tradition since they became important people for both of them. Of course, after Seokjin began to attend breakfast, he insisted that they needed to include healthier options besides the greasy bacon and the sweet pancakes they served, explaining how it would be best for the children and, seemingly, the older male felt brave enough to comment that Taehyung also needed to eat healthier and cut the sugar. Despite acting like the annoying and complacent man Seokjin was, Taehyung decided to comply and try oatmeal which he immediately disliked, no matter how much honey and fruit he added, it had an awful texture that he couldn't surpass.

"Shouldn't you check on Hoseok? Breakfast is almost done and he isn't ready yet" Yoongi questioned absentmindedly as he focused on the last couple of pancakes, waiting for them to turn a golden brown to flip them "I thought he would be here since I'm making the special chocolate chip pancakes to cheer him up, you know what day it is..."

Taehyung knew perfectly well what that day was and, unlike the other time, he simply smiled instead of sighing dishearteningly. That particular day was Hoseok and Jimin's math test and, despite knowing how his baby brother was restless about it, Taehyung was confident in Hoseok's capabilities, especially after witnessing him working extremely hard to get the B he kept promising him he was going to get. The silver-haired male never put pressure on his baby brother because he vehemently believed he could achieve whatever he wanted as long he worked hard and did his best to accomplish it. Apart from that, Taehyung knew that both Jimin and Hoseok were going to receive their grades from the Korean test they did last week and, as expected, he sensed some nervousness coming from the shorter boy, who, despite not having the obligation of getting straight A's on every single test, still wanted to make Seokjin proud and showed him how hard he was working to become like his mother in the future. Taehyung found the adorable young boy's attitude and perseverance praiseworthy.

Taehyung was about to answer Yoongi when he heard Hoseok's loud footsteps and his heartwarming giggles from the hallway which automatically made him and Yoongi smile. The moment Hoseok reached the living room, Taehyung crouched down as he saw his baby brother's smile brightening up the entire place, just like the sun itself, smothering him into a big bear hug.

"My sweet baby!" Taehyung exclaimed wittily as he parted from the hug, smiling widely. He cupped Hoseok's face, loving to see his little sunshine so excited, maybe the sweet aroma of the chocolate chip pancakes filling the apartment was the reason why he was so enthusiastic "Yoonie is making the chocolate chip pancakes you love so much, we want our little sunshine to do amazingly well on his test today"

Hoseok was more than excited to eat the delicious chocolate chip pancakes Yoongi was preparing, no matter how many times he ate them, he never got tired of them. However, the instant Taehyung mentioned the math test, Hoseok lowered his head and fidgeted with his fingers, feeling the anxiety returning.

"Tae Tae..."

"What's the matter, my little sunshine?" Taehyung questioned worriedly, not liking Hoseok's sudden change of mood. He grabbed his baby brother's hands and squeezed them, wanting to comfort him "Is this about the math test? Are you nervous?"

Hoseok nodded, pursing his lips. "I-I'm scared, Tae Tae, what if I can't do well again? I studied hard this time with Jiminie and Joon hyung..."

"Hobi, sweetie, it's normal to feel nervous about a test, especially a test about a subject we aren't good at, it happens to everyone..." Taehyung spoke calmly as he smiled reassuringly, seeing the uncertainty gleaming in Hoseok's doe-brown eyes "You have been working so hard lately, my baby, so I'm sure it's going to pay off in the end, everyone believes in you..."

Hoseok instantaneously lightened up with Taehyung's cheering words, believing in himself once again. Unlike the last math test, the blonde boy took his task of succeeding very seriously, he not only wanted to impress his family and friends, but he also wanted to impress Jimin and show him how grateful he was for his help. Hoseok threw himself at Taehyung once more, giggling wholeheartedly as he felt lucky to have such a supportive older brother who always provided him with positive reinforcement and gave him the strength to overcome any obstacles that crossed his way.

"I love you, Tae Tae..." Hoseok said sweetly, breaking free from the hug "If I do well, will you buy me and Jimin snacks?"

(I already owe Soonyoung a one-year snack supply, I will go bankrupt soon...)

"Hoseok, sweetheart, you already are going to eat chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast, you can't eat too much sugar, it hurts your tummy..." Taehyung explained logically as he lifted himself, noticing how Hoseok was blinking his eyelashes cutely at him and pouting in an attempt to change his mind regarding his decision. The silver-haired male momentarily glimpsed at Yoongi, who was smiling teasingly at him, probably because he knew he couldn't resist how adorable his little sunshine was so, he sighed heavily, accepting that he was powerless against Hoseok and his adorableness, who could blame him, Taehyung resorted to his cuteness as well "Fine! But instead of buying you snacks, Tae Tae will take you and little Jiminie somewhere else, do we have a deal?"

Hoseok nodded his head vigorously as he smiled brightly, feeling enthusiastic and curious about where Taehyung was going to take him and Jimin. "Where are you taking us, Tae Tae?"

"It's a surprise, my little sunshine" Taehyung spoke sweetly as he gently pinched Hoseok's chubby cheek, loving to see how cheerful his baby brother was in the morning "In the meantime, I want you to wash your hands and bring your backpack from your bedroom, okay?"

Unwillingly, Taehyung let go of Hoseok, who nodded his head and immediately started to run off to the hallway to do what he had told him, chuckling in amusement at his baby brother's morning hectic morning behaviour. As he watched his baby brother leaving the room, the silver-haired male just stood there, reflecting on how the days were passing by so swiftly to the point of feeling like Hoseok was growing up too quickly in his opinion. Taehyung acknowledged that growing up was part of life, however, the thought of seeing Hoseok becoming a little man was frightening for several reasons, one of which was having the responsibility of telling the truth about his biological parents.

Every time he started to doubt himself and reflect on the choices he had made while he was raising Hoseok, Taehyung reminded himself of the words spoken by Seokjin that night at the rooftop, those sweet words that provided him so much reassurance and calmness that warm him and his heart. He wasn't certain if it was the fact that Seokjin was always attempting to soothe him and showing him kindness when he was struggling the most or if his strong emotions for the older male were influencing his mind and heart, although, he had a pretty good hutch.

"I don't know why you are always trying to negotiate with your brother..." Yoongi said playfully as he grabbed the plate full of sweet, warm and fluffy chocolate chip pancakes to the table, noticing how Taehyung was lost in his thoughts "You won't give him snacks, but I bet you will take him to the bakery shop Seokjin took you, won't you? I bet you will ask Seokjin to go with you and the kids..."

"Hey! Being adorable is both a blessing and a curse, okay, grumpy meow meow? It's difficult to resist my baby brother when he pouts and flashes his eyelashes cutely at me" Taehyung protested as headed towards Yoongi, seeing a cheeky smile erupting on Yoongi's thin lips. The silver-haired male sighed heavily as he rolled his eyes, realising that he needed to be careful with his future interactions with Seokjin, if people were commenting on his close relationship with the older male when he wasn't interested in him, he could only imagine now "And about Seokjin, what if I ask him to go with me and the kids? Just because we have a close relationship, it doesn't mean I'm interested in him romantically, I just enjoy his company, what's wrong with that?"

Yoongi stared at Taehyung as he listened to his defensive remark, understanding that perhaps his playful comment was out of line. He and Jungkook had the habit of messing around with Taehyung and Seokjin and their close relationship because it was ironic yet amazing how they went from being unable to share the same space to spending so much time together that they were almost inseparable. Of course, it didn't give Yoongi and Jungkook an excuse to joke around and maybe it was wrong of them to cross the line, however, the red-haired male truly thought it was harmless, nonetheless, seeing how defensive Taehyung was being, made him realise that he probably went too far this time.

"Hey, Tae..." Yoongi uttered soothingly as he grabbed one of Taehyung's hands, noticing how his best friend wasn't making eye contact with him "You know I was just messing with you, I never said it was wrong, I just find your relationship with Seokjin staggering, especially after everything that unfolded between you in the beginning..."

Taehyung knew he didn't have the right to act defensively towards Yoongi and he was mindful that his best friend and Jungkook were always joking around with him and Seokjin, however, despite embracing his true feelings for the older male, Taehyung didn't stop being fearful of his situation. It wasn't easy to deal with strong emotions while moving on from a long-term relationship filled with unfaithfulness and uncertainty that ended up shattering his hopes of finally finding true love and, more importantly, ending up shattering his already feeble heart. Apart from that, Taehyung felt guilty for hiding so much from Yoongi, from the kiss he shared with Seokjin to the feelings he was currently experiencing and, despite not having the obligation to tell his best friend every single detail in his life, the silver-haired male still thought it was the proper thing to do, after all, Yoongi partook a huge role.

Taehyung exhaled heavily as he gazed deeply at Yoongi, giving him a small yet assuring smile. "I know how much you and Jungkook like to have fun at my and Seokjin's expense, sometimes it's annoying, but I know neither of you has ill intentions, although, I think I'm going to charge you and your future boyfriend, mocking me shouldn't be free, tiny meow meow"

***

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(Earlier that morning)

As he made his way to the entrance of the building where Taehyung lived, Seokjin discreetly glanced at Jimin, who was walking right by his side and holding on to the straps of his backpack, noticing how his son was quiet and probably lost in his thoughts. That morning, instead of sending a maid, Seokjin decided to go to Jimin’s bedroom to wake up his son and greet him, knowing that the simple gesture could help improve his relationship with Jimin and demonstrate to him that he cared about him, as Taehyung often said, gestures spoke louder than words. However, when Seokjin entered the bedroom, he saw Jimin awake, blankly staring at the ceiling with the same facial expression he had at that moment and he was truly concerned, wondering if he had done or said something that could have upset Jimin.

During the car ride to Taehyung’s apartment, Seokjin contemplated ways to approach Jimin to understand what was bothering him and help him overcome whatever predicament he was currently facing. Despite his relationship with Jimin being healthier in comparison with the past, Seokjin, sometimes, struggled to express his feelings, which wasn’t new and something he was working on. It was ironic how an excellent businessman like himself was having trouble expressing his emotions in words, especially when the ability to make a speech and eloquence were two strong skills he had. Even though he was struggling with his emotions and how to express them, Seokjin still wanted to speak to Jimin and reassure him the best he could, he was still learning and yet, the fact he was watching his son so anxious, it gave Seokjin the strength to surpass his feelings of self-doubt, wanting nothing more to make Jimin smile.

“Jimin…” Seokjin spoke soothingly as he stopped in his tracks, crouching down as he gently reached for one of Jimin’s small hands. He studied his son’s facial expression that screamed melancholy and nervousness, seeing a small pout adorning his plump lips while finding the right words to say “I know I wasn’t very nice to you in the past and I didn’t show concern about your problems, but I’m here now, Jimin and I can see something is upsetting you so, if you want to talk to me about it, please do, I will try to help the best I can…”

Jimin bit his bottom lip as he questioned if he should share or not his worries, still not being accustomed to his father’s kind and caring nature towards him, despite that, he was happy because he was a lot nicer and less frightening. The brunette boy momentarily gazed at the hand his father was holding, before averting his eyes to him, gaining the courage to express what was disturbing him.

“I’m scared, father…” Jimin uttered quietly, almost coming out a whisper, squeezing his father’s hand as he hoped he would understand his restlessness “I’m scared of the grade of my Korean test, I’m scared of disappointing you…”

Seokjin’s eyes widened when he heard Jimin confessing how he was afraid of his grade and disappointing him, especially after telling him that he should work hard to accomplish his goals and not do it for his sake, or his family’s sake for that matter. With his other hand, the dark-haired male shakily cupped Jimin’s pinkish cheek, realising that he should be more vocal about his thoughts regarding Jimin and his grades, which meant that he needed to profess those words more often to appease his son and show his support.

“Remember when I asked you if you knew what you wanted to do when you grew up?” Seokjin asked calmly as he watched Jimin nodding his head, feeling his son slightly relaxing, probably showing concern and interest for his emotions were an incentive “I told you that you should work hard for yourself, which you do so, no matter what grade you have, I won’t be disappointed at you, why would I be? You always give your best in everything you do, Jimin”

Jimin smiled brightly with the words his father professed in an attempt to cheer him up, helping him feel more at ease with his grade. Despite his father not being demanding and assertive with him, Jimin still felt the need to get excellent grades, not only to achieve his goal of being an artist like his mommy but also to make his father proud. The short brunette boy delicately freed his hand from his father’s grip and instantly wrapped his arms around his neck, hugging him tightly to show him how grateful he was for his nice words.

“Thank you, father, I feel better now…”
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Seokjin gazed at Jimin from the distance as he placed his hands inside the pockets of his suit pants, watching how his son was giggling so merrily and smiling widely with Eunkwang and Changsub’s bickering, the simple view automatically made him smile as well. While he watched Jimin and the group of children chatting among themselves, Seokjin replayed the moment he shared with his son earlier that morning, before joining Taehyung and the rest of the group for breakfast, a moment that led him to reflect on the person he used to be previously meeting Taehyung, which coincidently was on the day when Hoseok and Jimin received the grades of their Korean tests. Back then, Seokjin had a different mindset, a mindset that had been embedded and engraved by his father throughout his whole life to pass it along to his son for him to also inherit the company and continue the legacy of the Kim family, something that was certainly out of the question.

Despite being on the right path and relentlessly working on his relationship with Jimin, Seokjin was still haunted by his former self and the way he used to act towards his son. There were times when he would fall asleep on his study back at home and images of Jimin laying down on the infirmary bed would pop up in his mind, reminding him of the many mistakes he had made while raising and educating Jimin. Those terrifying memories were the motivation that led Seokjin to keep moving forward and try to embrace the person he was now, although, he had yet to fully accept himself, acknowledging that his father still had some power over him and the dark-haired male was hoping that he could release himself completely soon, something he couldn’t do alone.

Seokjin averted his eyes from Jimin and glanced at Taehyung, standing by his side, looking at the children while beaming brightly, probably finding the interaction between Jimin and Hoseok’s two friends amusing. As he admired the beautiful younger male, Seokjin reminisced about the first interaction between them. At that time, he was late for a meeting with Yoon, the former owner of the small IT company, and their respective legal teams to discuss the terms of the acquisition, so his focus was arriving at the corporation and being professional and not dealing with an eccentric twenty-five-year-old young male who had an odd taste for hair colours and apparently hadn’t proper manners towards his elders.

Despite their first encounter not being the most pleasant one, Seokjin couldn’t help but smile at the memory because if he hadn’t met Taehyung back then, he would have never had the opportunity to reconnect with Jimin and learn about proper parenting, the opportunity to bring to the surface his true self and, most importantly, the opportunity to live his life as he saw fit and not according to his father’s rules. Also, Seokjin realised how he was more deeply in touch with his emotional side by learning and experiencing emotions that he never felt before or couldn’t identify, as well as displaying and expressing them, like gratitude and love, especially love. Unlike Taehyung, Seokjin wasn’t as qualified as the younger male regarding the latter, on the other hand, he didn’t have an interest in knowing more about it because, deep down, the dark-haired male thought that he would never be capable of feeling love for someone, any type of love, mainly, romantic love, but he had a change of heart recently.

Seokjin had questions about what he was currently feeling for Taehyung, however, the more he replayed the conversation he had during Yoongi and Hyunjoon’s birthday with Jungkook, the more convinced he was falling in love which was astonishing and yet worrisome. Between working on his relationship with Jimin and dealing with emotions in general, the dark-haired male didn’t know if allowing himself to feel something for Taehyung was the correct thing to do, given the circumstances. He often remembered what Jungkook would tell him about finding someone who would love him and make him happy, but Seokjin didn’t think he was worthy of love or maybe the part of him that still feared his father was tempering and clouding his mind.

“It brings back memories, doesn’t it, Jinnie?” Taehyung remarked blissfully as he gazed at Seokjin, noticing how intensively he was staring at him. Through his peripheral vision, the silver-haired male caught the older male’s eyes glued on him which made him feel slightly bashful with the attention, he wouldn’t say it out loud, but he enjoyed it when Seokjin’s focus was only on him “You know when our babies became friends and your mean tooshie bumped into to me, by the way, I’m still waiting for an apology”

“I wouldn’t bump into you, if you weren’t standing in the middle of the sidewalk, being a nuisance, Taehyung, I was late that morning and I had important business to take care of, instead, I had to deal with a moody young man with ridiculous hair colours” Seokjin retorted scornfully as he saw Taehyung’s smile being replaced by a frown, finding amusing the younger male’s reaction to his remark “And, if I remembered correctly, you charged me a favour for that specific moment so, you can’t have it both ways”

(How dare he mock me and call me moody? I was in the right back then, well, not completely…)

One of Taehyung’s biggest regrets was stooping down at the same level as Seokjin by mentioning his late wife, despite feeling enraged at that moment, it wasn’t an excuse for his behaviour. Apart from that, he still found his reaction reasonable, Seokjin didn’t have the right to belittle and undermine him just because he didn’t exactly fit the definition of normal, Taehyung was faithful to his principles and morals and would always defend them no matter who dared to mess with him.

Taehyung clicked his tongue as he walked towards Seokjin, positioning himself in front of him. He gazed straight into the dark-haired male’s eyes, seeing a mischievous glint in them, the same one Jungkook had when he mocked him and his “suspicious” close relationship with Seokjin while stabbing his index finger on his chest. “I dare you to call me moody again, you big meanie, and you will see what happens”

“Let me guess, Taehyung, either you are going to abuse your power and use the favour system unfairly to get your way, or you will demand oatmeal cookies from me again, it’s been a while since you asked, correction since you begged me to do it” Seokjin attempted to guess as he reached for the finger Taehyung had on his chest, gently grabbing his hand. The simple act of holding the younger male’s hand was enough to mellow his demeanour, it seemed like his touch had some sort of power over Taehyung, ostensibly the feeling was mutual “Oh, I forgot about taking you to the bakery shop, you said you didn’t want to make a tradition out of it, but you enjoy it, don’t you?”

Whatever words he was trying to search to refute Seokjin’s remark quickly disappeared when Taehyung felt the older male’s slightly big hand grasping and caressing his. He already was weak when it came to Seokjin and his random acts of kindness towards him, even when he was an arrogant and cold-hearted man, Taehyung’s heart always reacted in some sort of way. The silver-haired male cleared his throat as he pretended that Seokjin’s touch wasn’t bewitching him and affecting him, wanting to contest his not-so-untrue observations.

“I-I wasn’t going to suggest any of those, but since you mention the oatmeal cookies, when I meet your mother, I’m going to tattle tale on you, Jinnie, she probably going to force you to bake them for me…” Taehyung stated matter-of-factly as he pouted, not appreciating Seokjin’s mocking expression plastered on his handsome face. He lowered his head and thought about what he had told Hoseok that morning, despite Yoongi’s truthful assumptions, the silver-haired male had the intention of inviting Seokjin to accompany him and the children to the bakery shop “A-And, ah, regarding the bakery shop, I would like to go there with you, in fact, I was going to ask you if you wanted to go with me and the little ones after lunch, I kind of promise my little sunshine…”

“You and Jungkook always play dirty by resorting to my mother and I don’t appreciate it, I already have something in mind for my dear best friend, should I reflect on a way to counterattack your move as well, Taehyung?” Seokjin questioned in a docile tone as he took his hand from his pocket and placed his index finger under Taehyung’s chin, lifting his head to admire his stunning brown eyes. He gave the silver-haired male a small smile, noticing a light hue of pink dusting his cheeks “I don’t have any important appointments this afternoon, so I will gladly go with you, Hoseok and Jimin to the bakery shop…”

Taehyung instantly smiled from ear to ear as he grasped the hand Seokjin was using to lift his head, feeling genuinely happy from having the chance to spend some time with him, along with the children. It was always heartening to see Seokjin willingly wanting to be with Jimin, appreciating any opportunity he had to work and strengthen their bond as father and son, not only that, but Taehyung enjoyed the alone moments he shared with Seokjin, especially now that his feelings were blossoming like the beautiful and colourful spring flowers.

“Thank you, Jinnie!”

With a radiant and warm smile, Taehyung let go of Seokjin’s hands and bashfully enwrapped his arms around his body, tightly hugging him. Despite knowing how cautious he had to be around Yoongi and Jungkook to avoid their mockery, the same with his annoying friends, Taehyung couldn’t stop himself sometimes, couldn’t stop himself from being loving towards Seokjin in public. It was true that there had been several occasions where the silver-haired male had shown his endearing and caring side when he was with Seokjin, however, since he decided to confront and embrace his feelings, it seemed like Taehyung’s gestures not only had the purpose of comfort and express his emotions towards Seokjin, but also capture his heart.

“You’re welcome…”

Seokjin placed his arms around Taehyung’s body as he reciprocated the hug, not expecting that the younger male would be so thrilled about him going to the bakery shop with him and the children, maybe the reason behind his reaction was his will to be there for Jimin and behave like a normal parent. As he tipped his head to the side, the dark-haired male ran his fingers through Taehyung’s silky silver hair, watching the younger male in his embrace making eye contact with him, allowing him to stare deep into his soul.

After Taehyung revealed his current hair colour, Seokjin had the curiosity to seek the meaning behind the colour silver and remarkably, he discovered that in psychology, silver could be seen as a reflection of someone’s innermost thoughts and feelings and represented the subconscious mind – what lied beneath the surface. Furthermore, silver was considered the rarest precious metal, even rarer than gold and other metals so, it made it a lot more valuable in comparison and, in some cultures, the colour was closely tied with the moon and water, which had a calming effect and brought protection from evil forces. At the same time, silver could also be a source of inspiration for greater creativity or intelligence through its associations with wealth, power, mystery or beauty. The last two adjectives caught Seokjin’s attention because both perfectly described Taehyung. Since his relationship with the younger male transformed into a friendly and close one, Seokjin always found the younger male a mystery, especially witnessing the kindness and forgiveness he often offered people who deeply hurt him and found him incredibly beautiful as well to the point of leaving him speechless, like he was in that exact instant as he lost himself in those gleaming brown eyes.

“Taehyung!”

Instantaneously, Taehyung broke his gaze from Seokjin and turned his head around, watching Minhyuk approaching him with a huge smile adorning his lips as he greeted him with a wave. The silver-haired male was truly thankful to Minhyuk for involuntarily interrupting the moment he was sharing with Seokjin because, despite enjoying being in the older male’s embrace, he was quickly falling into temptation and the urge to kiss him was increasing the more he glanced at him fondly. Taehyung reattributed the greeting with a brief wave as he attempted to detach himself from Seokjin’s grip, however, when he tried to do it, he felt the dark-haired male holding him tighter with his free hand, glueing their bodies even more.

“H-Hum, J-Jinnie, c-can you give me a moment? I-I want to greet Minhyuk, he’s a friend of mine” Taehyung requested timidly as he clutched the hand Seokjin was using to bring them closer, gently taking it off from his back while wondering why the other was behaving so strangely “I’ll be right back, I won’t take long, I promise”

Before he had the chance to profess a single word, Seokjin watched Taehyung letting him go as he flashed his unique boxy smile at him to greet the red-haired male who appeared to be the same one who was constantly commenting on the younger male’s posts on social media. He wasn’t proud of himself or the times he decided to sneak peek at the photos Taehyung usually posted, which was considered eerie behaviour, at least to him, nevertheless, Seokjin couldn’t stop himself. As always, he portrayed himself as confident, maybe too much because, like Taehyung, people often misunderstood his self-confidence with presumptuousness and yet, when it came to the red-haired male called Lee Minhyuk, Seokjin felt slightly uneasy. The dark-haired male didn’t know if Jungkook’s endless jokes about Minhyuk being a “threat” to him might have influenced him and damaged his assurance or, perhaps, Seokjin was simply jealous and refused to acknowledge the feeling.

Meanwhile, Taehyung was briefly smothered into a big bear hug and greeted with a sweet kiss on his forehead by Minhyuk, he loved how he was affectionate towards him. He quickly separated from him and gave him a gentle smile since it had been a while since they last saw each other in person, despite talking through social media or, on some occasions, videocalled one another shortly, given Minhyuk’s busy schedule, it wasn’t the same as meeting in the flesh.

“It’s amazing how you keep getting more gorgeous every day, Tae…” Minhyuk said friskily as he cupped Taehyung’s slightly cold cheek, seeing him biting his lower lip “I truly should find time for us to hang out together, I miss being with you”

“A simple hello would have been enough, but I always appreciate your compliments, Minhyuk” Taehyung retorted wittily as he grabbed Minhyuk’s hand, chuckling lightly “And I also miss being with you, but you have more important matters to focus on and worry about, the last thing I want is to bother and distract you”

“Don’t say that, Tae, it seems like you are an inconvenience to me, which you aren’t, I love your presence, you always put a smile on my face” Minhyuk spoke tenderly as he bopped Taehyung’s reddish nose, making him giggle. He sneakily gaped at the man with whom the silver-haired male was earlier, noticing a resemblance to someone he had come across in the past or, maybe he was imagining it “Talking about bothering and distracting, I guess I kind of did that, you were talking to that gentleman before meeting me…”

Taehyung playfully smacked Minhyuk’s chest, not being able to handle his charming and loving personality. The silver-haired male focused on the other male’s last remark and momentarily turned around, watching Seokjin standing almost completely still with his hands behind his back, which reminded him of how he used to look like an ice sculpture.

“Oh, you mean, Seokjin? Don’t worry, you di-“

“Now, I know why he seemed familiar, that’s Kim Seokjin, the CEO of Kim’s Information and Technology” Minhyuk exclaimed incredulously, recollecting the time when he met the chaebol, it had been last year when he was still deciding the theme of his thesis “He was the one who I was talking to you about, the one I needed to interview for my thesis”

(Damn, Seokjin is more well-known than I thought, first my brother and now Minhyuk…)

A few days ago, while Taehyung was on a video call with Minhyuk, the said male told him how he needed to interview a certain businessman for his thesis, confessing that contacting him was probably going to be impossible since he didn’t have any connections to anyone who was working inside the company, let alone the man himself. The silver-haired male was happy that he could provide the help Minhyuk needed, even though he knew the other would never ask him directly, apparently, he was a very proud man, something he ironically shared with Seokjin.

Taehyung quickly reached for one of Minhyuk’s hands and ahead towards Seokjin, who was eyeing him oddly, probably questioning the reason why he was dragging the red-haired male with him. He bigheadedly stood between Minhyuk and Seokjin with his distinguishing smile, staring at both males. When he realised how timid the red-haired male was, which he wasn’t expecting to see, Taehyung decided to introduce Minhyuk to Seokjin to break the ice, unaware that the older male was already familiar with him.

“Jinnie, this is Minhyuk, the friend I mentioned earlier, apparently he needs your help with something” Taehyung stated casually as he saw Seokjin cocking a brow at him, it seemed like he piqued his interest “Minhyuk here is taking his master’s degree in economics in the Seoul National University and is currently writing his thesis, he wants to interview you, will you help him?”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr Kim, you probably don’t remember me, we briefly met each other last year when you gave a lecture at my university, you spoke about the influence big corporations have in our country’s economy…” Minhyuk uttered respectfully as he bowed, extending his hand to greet Mr. Kim properly. He gave the older male a handshake and lifted his body, nervously making eye contact with him, Seokjin was slightly intimating, so he was caught by surprise how Taehyung acted so casually with him, did they know each other for long? “At the time, I was still wondering about the theme for my thesis and you inspired me so, I’m writing about the impact corporations have in our economy, focusing on certain industries, as well as studying and analysing the potential benefits and disadvantages it might have and I’m doing that not only by reading literature but also interviewing CEOs, being you the one who gave me the idea and it would be an honour to have your input on the matter again”

When Minhyuk became a constant in Taehyung’s life, Seokjin fought the will to investigate and find out everything he needed to know about the man who was currently in front of him. The only information he gathered had been through the red-haired male’s social media profile, once again, it wasn’t something he was proud of, although, it was the only way to get some intel without wasting necessary resources, not only that, but also if Seokjin had chosen that route, it would turn his slight restlessness into a big deal, if he could call jealously a big deal that is. Despite his personal opinion regarding the young male with a hair colour as atrocious as the ones Taehyung used to have, Seokjin admired Minhyuk and his pursuit of higher education, not because he received praise from him, but for being a positive influence on him, which led him to think about Jimin. Seokjin desired to be a role model to his son and encourage him to follow his heart, and knowing now how impactful his words and behaviour towards Jimin could be detrimental to him and his growth, as well as help with their father-son relationship, Seokjin was continuously working hard to accomplish that goal.

“Minhyuk, I’m glad I was able to help you in that regard and I would be happy to be interviewed by you as well, you probably remember me saying how this topic needed to be explored since there wasn’t a lot of information about it” Seokjin stated politely as smiled weakly, seeing Minhyuk’s eyes widening with his words. The dark-haired male realised the younger male with red hair was nervous in his presence, probably because he felt intimidated by him given his status – a feeling he was relishing –, but he wanted to sound more friendly, as strangely as it was, Seokjin sensed that was the better approach “Taehyung has my personal contact, he can give it to you, whenever you are available, please, call me to set up a date, I will clear my schedule for us to talk properly”

“Y-Yes, that was the reason why I picked the topic you discussed, I want to give my contribution” Minhyuk commented eagerly as he felt stunned by what was happening at that moment, thinking that he wouldn’t have the chance to reach the man even if he had sent an email to his company “Mr Kim, I’m truly thankful for your sympathy and willingness to help me with my thesis, it means a lot to me, I guess what people say about you isn’t true, especially if Taehyung is close to you, I know he wouldn’t befriend a cold-hearted and unkind man…” Minhyuk added as he grinned gently, catching the change in Seokjin’s demeanour, hoping he hadn’t insulted him. The red-haired male took his phone from the pocket of his coat, wanting to check the time, he was already late to meet one of his classmates “Well, I need to go now, but it was nice talking to you, Mr Kim, I hope we can speak soon”

“I’ll send you Seokjin’s number later, Minhyuk, I hope we can meet each other soon too,” Taehyung said merrily as he gently grabbed Minhyuk’s arm, giving him a quick kiss on his cheek “And next time I’ll go to the bar, I want free drinks, you hear me, that’s the least you can for my good deed”

“Alright, alright, I will give you free drinks for helping me out, but you need to wear a sexy outfit, that’s the only condition I’m imposing” Minhyuk whispered the last part on Taehyung’s ear as he carefully gripped the younger male’s hand, kissing it before leaving. He glanced at Seokjin, who seemed lost in his thoughts, maybe mentioning how people viewed him hadn’t been a good idea “Thank you again, Mr Kim, I wish you and Taehyung an amazing day”

Chapter Text

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(Earlier that morning)

Taehyung watched Minhyuk leave and go towards Soobin, who was speaking with some of his friends, probably wanting to say goodbye to his baby brother. The silver-haired male averted his attention from the attractive male and stared at Seokjin, noticing the astounded expression on his face. He guessed the older male wasn't expecting Minhyuk to profess those words to him, words that once upon a time had been the truth, but now they were mere rumours, fortunately, Seokjin put aside his pride and self-righteousness and grasped his true self that was well hidden.

"He's right..." Taehyung spoke calmly as he caught Seokjin's attention, giving him a small smile "I wouldn't be your friend if you were truly unkind and cold-hearted that was why I was serious that time when you said Hoseok was better off with his biological parents, I didn't intent to speak to you ever again..." Taehyung added kindly as he leaned his head against Seokjin's shoulder, intertwining his arm around the older male's arm "Despite not being as affable and emphatic back then, I decided to give you a second chance because you showed me you were worthy of one, you showed me you could be a kind-hearted and selfless person, and, as always, I was right..."

Seokjin couldn't help but chuckle lightly with Taehyung's smug last remark, even though he couldn't deny the truthfulness behind it. However, deciding to grasp his true self wasn't something that Seokjin did by himself, Taehyung partook a huge role in that as well, the unique younger male taught him so much and encouraged him to reach beyond, giving the expression "the sky is the limit" a whole new meaning.

"Thank you, Taehyung, for listening to me and allowing me to compensate you, even though I don't agree with your abuse of power regarding the favour system" Seokjin retorted teasingly as he made eye contact with Taehyung, hearing his melodic giggles filling the air "Apart from that, I'm also grateful for you, the reason I'm kind-hearted and selfless person as you say, the reason why my son is accepting me and giving me a chance, the reason why I'm comfortable with myself, all of it is because of you and the trust you place in me, you believed in me when no one else did..."
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Taehyung was washing several paintbrushes and small wooden palettes covered with the remaining colourful and bright paints that the little ones had used earlier to paint canvases for them to gift to their loved ones. As he mindlessly washed the dirty paintbrushes, Taehyung replayed what Seokjin had told him that morning and, as usual, the older male's sweet and charming words always softened his heart and enchanted him. The silver-haired male couldn't even maintain eye contact with Seokjin, how could he when the older male confessed he was the reason why he decided to embrace his true self? Taehyung bit his bottom lip as he felt himself blushing, betting that his cheeks were probably as pinkish as the reddish colour sliding down the drain along with the water.

With each day that went by, Taehyung was falling harder in love with Seokjin, it wasn't the first time he was so love-sick for someone; however, he was convinced that the love bug that had bitten him had been one with a much stronger power that he imagined and was hoping for. Everything he missed feeling while being in love had come true – the feeling of his beating heart going through the roof when he was face-to-face with Seokjin, the bashfulness that came with Seokjin's comforting, loving and sweet words, the meaningful gestures and the crazy butterflies in his stomach when Seokjin gazed at him with pure fondness. Yet, there was a small part of him that was afraid, not only because his weak heart decided to betray him by being easily swayed by Seokjin, jeopardising their current relationship, but also for getting himself hurt again. Taehyung was foolishly giving true love another chance, you would think the third time is the charm, but in his case, the third time he decided to welcome love into his heart, it destroyed Taehyung in a worse way than it did when he had to let go Minhyuk, unfortunately, back then, he didn't have a choice. Now, Taehyung was taking the biggest risks – compromising a deep friendship and his belief in love – which might not seem much, but choosing to embrace his emotions had severe consequences and he couldn't handle it if everything went wrong again. On top of that, Taehyung had to deal with Jungkook and Yoongi's mockery and Soonyoung and Gunhak's annoying comments. On one hand, the silver-haired male felt ashamed for not disclosing to his best friend his feelings, on the other, he didn't feel comfortable coming forward, especially when his relationship with Seokjin was viewed as a source of entertainment for the people who were close to him, Taehyung was grateful for having Namjoon in the loop.

As he placed the cleaned brushes on top of the slightly damp cloth, Taehyung grabbed a small wooden palette, sighing heavily when his mind reminded him how he wasn't a saint. It was true he was joking around with Hyunjoon and wanted to use his feelings to get revenge – not a very smart thing to do –, but, in the end, he gave the young male the push he needed to get the happy ending he was hoping for.

Taehyung wished with all his heart that he could have an opportunity to pursue real love, the question was, did Seokjin feel the same way for him? Or, at least, was there a chance of it happening? Taehyung wanted to remain hopeful and keep his heart open while he seized the situation, it was still too early to tell, and he also had to keep in mind that Jimin was Seokjin's main priority at that moment.

"Hey, Earth to Taehyung, are you here with us or what?"

Startled, Taehyung let the palette slip into the art room's metallic washbasin when he heard Soonyoung's loud and obnoxious voice calling for him, making him curse under his breath. He closed the tap and grasped the palette, placing it together with the already cleaned ones. "I thought you and Gu were cleaning the children's hands and placing the canvases outside for them to dry..."

"Yes and we did that already, it didn't take us long to do that, unlike you..." Soonyoung retorted curiously as he watched Taehyung grabbing a dry cloth to clean his hands, noticing how his normally jolly friend was frowning. He briefly changed a look with Gunhak, who shrugged his shoulder, questioning himself if something had happened with Taehyung "You have been here for like 45 minutes so, Gu and I wanted to make sure that everything is alright, apparently it's not because you are cranky today"

"Did something happen, Tae?" Gunhak asked worriedly as he stepped inside the art room, tilting his head "The last time we saw you like this was when you ghosted us and disappeared from the face of the earth because of Hongseok..."

Taehyung exhaled profoundly as he finished cleaning his hands, not knowing what to say to his friends to explain his sudden gloomy state since telling them the truth was out of the question for sure. He didn't want his current predicament to bring him down and ruin his mood, but there were times when Taehyung couldn't stop his troubling thoughts from affecting his demeanour which he hated, sometimes his emotions spoke louder.

"I'm not cranky and nothing happened, I was just thinking about some stuff that's all, I got distracted, there is no reason to be worried about me..." Taehyung responded indifferently as he put the cloth on top of the countertop, not wanting to worry his friends. He smiled weakly as he walked towards Soonyoung, putting his concerns about his feelings and the possibility of them being reciprocated in the back of his mind "It's almost lunchtime, we need to check if the tables have been set for the little ones..."

"Kim Taehyung, don't you dare divert the subject, clearly something is upsetting you and you refuse to talk to us about it" Soonyoung countered as he reached for Taehyung's hand, not understanding what was happening with his friend, especially since he seemed quite happy in these last few days "Did Hongseok contact you somehow? Did you argue with Seokjin again? Tell us why you are so distraught, you have been so happy lately that I was convinced that I was the winner of the bet, I was going to make a list of all my favourite snacks"

(Yeah, I will need that list because I still haven't learned my lesson when it comes to love...)

"Hey, we don't know that for sure, Soo, remember, Namjoon recently found out that he's going to be a father, that could be one of the reasons why Tae has been happy," Gunhak remarked childishly as glared at Soonyoung, crossing his arms "About our bet, you shouldn't jump the gun, it's fair game until our dear friend gives us a sign that he's completely smitten with his Jinnie..."

(I love them to death, I seriously do, but they can be dumbasses sometimes...)

Taehyung wasn't enjoying the conversation about the bet and that specific matter was troublesome for obvious reasons, however, he was grateful to Gunhak for bringing up Namjoon, he hadn't spoken about his older brother's intent of forgiving their father. Again, a lot had happened during that day, it had been such a roller-coaster of emotions for Taehyung himself – between discussing Namjoon's goal and finally acknowledging how deep his emotions for Seokjin were – that he didn't take a moment to ask his friends for advice. The silver-haired male realised that bluntly lying to Soonyoung and Gunhak was wrong and there was no excuse, but, as he was doing with Yoongi, he wasn't comfortable confessing his feelings for Seokjin out loud, especially when he was still trying to face them himself. Apart from that, Namjoon had told him a few days prior that he arranged a meeting with their father to personally speak to him about Seunghee's pregnancy since talking on the phone didn't seem, appropriate given the subject. Taehyung admired Namjoon for demonstrating decency towards their father, the man didn't deserve it after choosing his mistress over his children.

"N-No, Hongseok didn't contact me, and nothing happened between Seokjin and me..." Taehyung said quietly as he lowered his head, feeling a light squeeze from Soonyoung. He lifted his head again and looked between his two friends, biting his bottom lip as he gathered his thoughts "After the doctor told Namjoon he was going to be a parent, he said he wanted to speak to me about something, it turned out that Namjoon wants to forgive our father and already set a date to meet in person, and I'm having difficulty accepting his decision, despite knowing his reasons are justifiable..."

"Tae..." Gunhak uttered surprisingly as he hurriedly went to Taehyung, comforting him the best he could "I can't believe you have been bottling your feelings for a week and a half, you should have told us sooner, you know Soo and I play around, but we still your friends, you can talk to us..."

"Gu is right, Tae, you are our dearest friend, and you might be older and protective of us, we are too when it comes to you, we love our fluff ball..." Soonyoung remarked lovingly as he cupped Taehyung's face, giving him a cheery smile "After work, let's go to the coffee shop for you to tell us all about it, okay? Right now, we have dozens of children to take care of and feed"

Taehyung still hated himself for not disclosing the truth, which made him feel a slightly bit guilty, however, he was so happy and thankful for having dorky yet thoughtful friends who truly cared about him and his well-being. He grabbed Gunhak's hand and squeezed both of his friends' hands, wordlessly showing them his appreciation for him, despite them being younger than him.

"You know, sometimes, you guys can be truly annoying, but I cherish you, thank you for being there for me when I need you..."

"You don't need to thank us, Tae, that's our job as your amazing friends" Gunhak spoke complacently, smirking widely "But don't think you can escape the bet, right now we have more important business to take care of, so we are going to put you and Jinnie aside for today"

"Gunhak is right, our job is not only to comfort you and listen to you when you are feeling down, we are matchmakers as well" Soonyoung added gleefully as he heard Taehyung's almost silent grunts, wanting to cheer him up and distract him by resorting to Seokjin, with whom his friend probably already had talked to about that subject. The rusty-haired male didn't know for sure if that was the case, however, after discreetly witnessing Taehyung and Seokjin being so close at Yoongi and Hyunjoon's birthday party, he was certain that their relationship was evolving "Today, we are giving you a break, Tae, that's how kind we are..."

(They were doing fine until they ruined the moment, just like Seokjin used to, how ironic...)

Taehyung rolled his eyes as he clicked his tongue, letting go of Gunhak and Soonyoung's hands. He headed towards the entrance of the art room, focusing on organising the refectory for the children to have lunch. "You know what? I take back what I said a moment ago, minus the annoying part, you guys should take advantage of the free time you have and do something productive instead of talking about my relationship with Seokjin"

"You mean, your relationship with your Jinnie" Gunhak joked as he watched Taehyung leaving the art room, quickly going after him "And you don't mean that, you love us"

"Your life wouldn't be the same without us, Tae!" Soonyoung exclaimed loudly, realising that Taehyung was purposely ignoring him and Gunhak to punish them for their comments about his relationship with Seokjin "We better go, lunchtime is approaching and the tables haven't been settled, Tae is going to double kill us"

***

Taehyung was walking down the street towards Hoseok and Jimin's school as he slurped the berry smoothie from a new place Seunghee recommended to him a couple of days ago, enjoying the creaminess of the yoghurt mixed with the sweetness of the fruit. After leaving work, Taehyung requested Gunhak and Soonyoung to go to the smoothie bar, which curiously was close to the kindergarten, instead of the coffee shop and, since he always got his way, his friends humoured him and took him there. While he gradually headed to the school, the silver-haired reflected on the conversation he had with Gunhak and Soonyoung about Namjoon forgiving their father and he was glad he decided to share his thoughts about the matter, even though they basically told him what Seokjin had said to him that night, on the rooftop. He momentarily stopped slurping the smoothie and sighed in frustration, knowing that his emotions regarding that topic were completely valid and, as Seokjin and his friend pointed out, he couldn't compare his situation with Namjoon's since their father's actions had different repercussions on their lives.

One thing was for certain, Taehyung didn't feel guilty anymore for not forgiving his father, and deciding between forgiveness and holding on to his resentment wasn't a decision to make lightly, especially when Hoseok was mixed in the situation. Choosing forgiveness meant allowing his father to have a proper father-son relationship with Hoseok and he knew his baby brother was ready to meet his biological parents, given his persistence regarding the subject, and perhaps not letting his baby brother do it was selfish of him. However, Taehyung thought his decision was reasonable and intended to protect his little sunshine, at least, until he would be mature enough to understand the situation.

"Good afternoon, Taehyung" Seokjin greeted casually as he looked carefully at Taehyung, sensing that something was wrong with the younger male. He was closing his car's door when he saw Taehyung walking on the other side of the street while drinking his beverage and he seemed conflicted for some reason "Is everything alright? You seem lost in your thoughts"

"H-Hey, Jinnie, everything is fine, I guess I'm a little distracted today, don't worry" Taehyung responded slightly bashfully as made eye contact with Seokjin, offering him a small yet reassuring smile "So, how was work today? Did you have the chance to get revenge on Jungkook yet?"

"I'm glad to know you are doing fine but remember if you wish to talk about your troubles, I'm always here for you..." Seokjin spoke soothingly as he watched Taehyung's small smile widen, trying his best to drive away whatever thoughts were bothering the other male's mind. After hearing the silver-haired male's last remark, Seokjin smirked, feeling excited to have his revenge on Jungkook for playing dirty by resorting to his mother. Despite his plan, his quote-on-quote punishment was sort of an incentive for his best friend to finally come forward and ask Yoongi to be his boyfriend since he hadn't the chance given Seunghee's situation "My father came to the office today to show his disapproval concerning my decision of breaking contract with the company's former manufacturer, which is so hypocritical of him, apart from that, no, I haven't had the opportunity to do it but I'm going to get the confirmation of the meeting for this weekend tomorrow so, I'm almost there"

Taehyung chuckled with Seokjin's clear excitement for the revenge he was planning on Jungkook, a plan the older male refused to share with him because it seemingly included Yoongi as well, so he maybe was afraid of him ruining the surprise, whatever it was. No matter how often Taehyung tried to annoy him to make him spill the beans about the revenge, Seokjin wouldn't do it. He found it a tad insulting because the older male apparently didn't trust him with that information, on the other hand, Taehyung admired Seokjin's tenacity, and it proved once more how trustworthy he could be.

"I still don't know how your plan involves Yoongi, I'm so curious, you meanie, I can't believe you didn't tell me about it..." Taehyung whined as he gently smacked Seokjin's arm, briefly pouting at the injustice of not knowing, even though he was understanding. He quickly slurped a little more of his smoothie in an attempt to hide his flushed cheeks, enjoying seeing Seokjin's caring side coming out for him "And I know I can count on you, Jinnie, speaking to you always makes me feel better, and the same applies to you, whenever you want to vent about the devilish man you call father, I'm always here for you as well"

"Thank you, Taehyung, you know how appreciative I am towards you and how meaningful your support is to me" Seokjin said affably as he stared at Taehyung, who was sipping his smoothie through the straw while avoiding making eye contact with him, something that was becoming a habit, and he truly didn't understand why. Since he couldn't explain the reason behind the lack of eye contact coming from the younger male, Seokjin decided to play around with him, maybe he could soothe him somehow "I see you are drinking a smoothie, Taehyung, don't you think you are going to consume a lot of sugar today since we are going to the bakery, you know eating too much sugar is not healthy"

Taehyung swiftly stopped slurping his smoothie and scowled at Seokjin who, as usual, was pressing his lips into a thin line which meant the man was preventing himself from laughing at his face. The gloominess and the bashfulness that were tormenting him earlier vanished in a heartbeat, bringing his sassiness and confidence back from whatever dark pit they were hiding in, one thing Taehyung disliked was giving Seokjin the last word.

"You are mocking me, Jinnie, but my threat from this morning had its effect, you told me you were going to prepare one of your grandmother's recipes tomorrow night and something tells me it's a dessert, so don't act so funny, you funny snowman, unless you want me to tattletale on you to your mother for real" Taehyung remarked upsettingly, recollecting Seokjin's words from that morning that piqued his interest "And instead of mocking me, we should hurry up, I'm curious to know how the math test went and their grades from the Korean test, I have a good feeling about Jiminie"

"Well, since your mother shared her recipe with mine, I think it's fair if we shared one of my grandmother's famous recipes with you, and yes, it's a dessert, but before you began to question me about it, I'm keeping it as a surprise" Seokjin retorted playfully as he placed his hands inside the pocket of his suit pants, glimpsing at Taehyung, who furrowed his brows at him, maybe he wasn't expecting him to keep it as a surprise "About Jimin, I know he was quite hesitant about getting his grade back this morning and I did my best to reassure him, despite his concerns, I'm positive he was successful, my son has been working hard to achieve his goal"

Whatever words Taehyung was about to say to rebut Seokjin's first remark completely disappeared from his mind when he heard his thoughts about Jimin and his dread of receiving the grade from his Korean test. The silver-haired male was already proud of the amazing progress the older male attained in these past weeks, proof of that was what unfolded that morning. When Seokjin and Jimin arrived at his apartment, one of the first things the little one told him was how his father made him feel better about his Korean grade and recognised the hard work he was doing to accomplish his goal of becoming an artist in the future.

Taehyung stopped in his tracks and put himself in front of Seokjin as he grabbed his wrist, forcing him to take his hand out of the pocket. He glanced at the older male delightfully and flashed his unique boxy smile as he held his hand firmly, not believing that the person in front of him was the same one who made Jimin go through hell since his mother's death, the same person who belittle and undermine him, always provoking him and making him doubt the education he was giving Hoseok. If someone told him a couple of months ago, when he first encountered Seokjin that the man was going to transform himself from the cold-hearted, cruel and arrogant monster to the sweet and loving person who was standing in front of him, Taehyung would probably laugh at their faces, just like he did when his friends were constantly implying that he was going to develop feelings for the older male, well, he wasn't laughing now for sure.

"I believe Jiminie was successful as well, after all, one of the traits he inherited from you was determination, he's always determined to achieve his goals no matter what, I hope you are truly proud of your son, Jinnie, your cutie pie is an amazing child"

"Taehyung, of course, I'm proud of Jimin and the more I get to know him, the more I realise that we are similar in some manners, like his determination like you pointed out...." Seokjin stated presumptuously as he felt honestly proud of Jimin and his work, regretting wasting so much time in the past because he was so focused on his responsibilities with the company. Despite losing those precious years, it wasn't too late for Seokjin to start over and behave like the parent Jimin wished him to be "Another trait my son inherited from me was my intelligence, no wonder Jimin is the top student in his class"

"Jinnie, you can be so arrogant sometimes, I was talking about how amazing your son was, not you, but I'm allowing it because it's a fact, Jiminie is a little genius" Taehyung retorted merrily as giggled warmheartedly, not remembering Seokjin ever acting so pompously, especially regarding Jimin, which was amusing to him. When he noticed how the dark-haired male was about to respond to his remark, the younger male quickly let go of his hand and placed his index finger on Seokjin's lips, preventing him from speaking "Seokjin, I know you love to have fun at my expense and you are probably dying to retort to my comment, but how about we get on our way and see our babies, huh? Let's go!"

Before he had a chance to answer Taehyung, Seokjin felt the thrilled younger male grasping his hand again and dragging him down the street towards the school, watching him slurp the rest of his smoothie while attempting his best not to chuckle with his hectic behaviour.

Eagerly, Taehyung, along with Seokjin, entered the school and immediately saw Jimin and Hoseok sitting on the stone stairs while holding on to a piece of paper that he assumed were their respective tests and talking among themselves. The silver-haired male released Seokjin's hand as he silently observed the two children enthusiastically discussing something that he couldn't understand, however, the big smiles plastered on their faces were an indication that both Hoseok and Jimin did well on their Korean test. Taehyung briefly stared at Seokjin, who was intensively gazing at the little ones, and gently touched his arm, getting his attention.

"Look at them, Jinnie, they seem over the moon, I guess we were right about Jimin being successful" Taehyung whispered as he smiled broadly, not taking his eyes from the happy children. Since neither Hoseok nor Jimin noticed their presence, probably because they were too excited about their grades, the silver-haired male decided to catch their attention, wanting so badly to hear how great both children did on their test "Little sunshine! Cutie pie! Tae Tae is here, and he wants a big hug!"

"Tae Tae!" Hoseok bellowed as he peeled his eyes from his Korean test, instantly getting up to hug Taehyung. He giggled stridently and ran towards his older brother, who was crouching to his level and putting down the odd purple drink on the floor, feeling exhilarated to show his grade to him. The blonde boy threw himself into Taehyung's arms and broke free almost immediately, not being able to wait any more so, he extended his arms and proudly revealed his grade "I got another A, Tae Tae! Now, can you tell me where you are going to take me and Jimin?"

"My little sunshine, I'm so proud of you and your amazing work!" Taehyung spoke gleefully as he held Hoseok's small hand, loving the huge smile adorning his heart-shaped lips. He chuckled wholeheartedly as he peeked at Jimin, who was standing by his baby brother's side, the shorter brunette boy seemed more upbeat about sharing his grade in comparison with last time. That day was engraved in Taehyung's mind, not only for the unpleasant experience of meeting Seokjin but also for how the older male had made Hoseok cry when he was acting all demanding, it made his blood boil "Also, baby, before I tell you where we are going, you need to greet Mr. Kim and let Jimin tell us his grade, okay?"

Hoseok nodded his head vigorously as he freed himself from Taehyung's grip, still smiling brightly and widely. He glanced up and waved his hand to greet Mr. Kim, not wanting to be rude towards him, especially now that he liked the older man, who treated his friend with tiny hands with affection. "Hi, Mr. Kim! Do you know where Tae Tae is going to take us? I really want to know"

"Hi, Hoseok, and yes, I know where your brother is going to take you and Jimin since I'm accompanying you, but I can't tell you yet, it's a surprise" Seokjin answered amicably as he saw Hoseok pouting, finding it amusing since Taehyung did the same thing when he refused to tell him about his plan to get revenge on Jungkook and what recipe he was going to prepare the next day "Also, congratulations for your excellent grade"

"Thank you, Mr. Kim, but you and Tae Tae are still meanies..." Hoseok whined as he lowered his head, feeling Taehyung's arm wrapping around his body while pulling him closer to him and kissing his cheek. He looked at Jimin, seeing him holding his test with both hands "Jiminie, show Tae Tae and your dad your grade, they are going to be happy like us and our friends"

Jimin smiled weakly as he stared at his grade and the short message teacher Kim had written underneath, still not believing how well he did. After concluding his math test, teacher Kim requested him to stay in the classroom until every student was finished with their respective tests to speak to him regarding his grade on the Korean test. Jimin was scared and anxious, thinking that he had done poorly once again, which was a disappointment to him. In the past, no matter how many hours of tutoring lessons and how hard he studied, Jimin was never capable of improving his grade and that led to his father's scolds and exigencies for him to get better. Despite knowing that this time around was going to be different, Jimin still wished to be successful and make everyone proud of him for his progress, especially after Hoseok's great help and Wohyun's patience during their tutoring lessons.

When every student finished their tests and got their grades for their Korean tests, Jimin hesitantly approached his teacher's desk, seeing teacher Kim smiling at him. The instant he landed his eyes in the top right corner and saw his grade marked in red, the brunette boy was caught by surprise, but immediately smiled since he wasn't expecting such a huge improvement. After teacher Kim praised him and his achievement, Jimin quickly left his classroom and went to the playground, excited to share his grade with his group of friends, who were waiting for him by the door. Jimin bit his bottom lip as he recollected the nice words coming from his friends when he showed them his test, especially Hoseok, who, out of nowhere gave him a sweet kiss on his cheek and told him how happy he was for him. The little one glanced between Taehyung and his father as he shakily revealed to them the grade of his Korean test, smiling more widely this time.

"I-I did it, father..." Jimin uttered timidly as he watched his father crouching down, not knowing how he was going to react since he never acknowledged his accomplishments before. He remembered when he confessed to Taehyung that all he wanted was for his father to recognise his hard work and say nice words to him because Jimin felt like his efforts didn't mean a thing to his father, at least, in the past "I got an A"

"Jiminie, sweetie, that's fantastic!" Taehyung exclaimed elatedly as he grasped one of Jimin's tiny hands, softly kissing it "My cutie pie, you and Hoseok did amazingly well, we are so happy for you, aren't we, Jinnie?"

Seokjin stared stunningly at Jimin's grade, feeling completely speechless at that moment. Back when Taehyung suggested combining their methods, the dark-haired male was obviously doubtful, not believing that it could help Jimin maintain his excellent grades, however, his main focus at the time was not sacrificing his son's mental and physical health, and since he didn't have better options, he decided to give it a chance.

Because his father was ruthless and demanding while growing up, Seokjin didn't know how to continue raising and educating Jimin without resorting to the same ways he had been taught throughout his life, he never expected that kindness, motivation, patience and optimism could lead a child to succeed and be better. At the time, Seokjin was convinced that he needed to follow in his father's steps when it came to Jimin, however, the more he shared his thoughts with Taehyung, the more he noticed how miserable and unfulfilled his life was just because he chose to walk on the path his father paved for him, the path that had been paved by the men in his family. Seokjin didn't want Jimin to follow the same steps as him, instead, he desired to see his son walking on a different path – a path paved by Jimin and his own decisions –, Seokjin desired to see Jimin being himself and living his life as he saw fit.

So many things were crossing Seokjin's mind in that instant while he was trying his best to find the words to profess to Jimin. It was an important occasion and a crucial moment for their father-son relationship so, Seokjin was frightened of ruining the progress he had made and, more importantly, to make Jimin feel like his work and determination weren't being acknowledged. When he thought about his son's determination, the dark-haired male instantly remembered Taehyung's comment from earlier, specifically, the one where he mentioned how he should be proud of Jimin. He was learning how to be expressive and display his emotions, keeping in mind the younger male's words – gestures spoke louder than words –, nevertheless, Seokjin needed to express his current feelings to Jimin through his words and show him how much he cherished him.

"Jimin, I knew you were going to succeed because you are always so dedicated to your studies" Seokjin spoke quietly as he gathered the courage to continue, cupping Jimin's face. The older male stared deeply at his son as he resorted to his amazing qualities as a businessman, mainly his eloquence, noticing the uncertainty and anticipation sparkling in his doe brown eyes. Before speaking his mind, Seokjin gave Jimin a comforting smile, sensing a feeling that he never felt for his son, which was disheartening, but now he had the opportunity to express it properly "I'm so proud of you, my son, I know I never recognise your hard work, I'm sorry for that, but I will do better from now on..."

(I'm so proud of you too, Jinnie, you have come a long way...)

Taehyung slowly released Jimin's hand and placed it on Seokjin's arm, catching his attention. The silver-haired male didn't think he would ever see the older male express how proud he was of Jimin, the little one deserved to be praised, especially after enduring so much in these last months just to please his family, mainly his grandfather, who was the impersonation of evil. That was a milestone in Seokjin and Jimin's relationship, they already had a stable foundation, and their bond was getting stronger by the day, and Taehyung was genuinely happy to witness the moment and share it with Seokjin.

"Jiminie, why are you crying?" Hoseok asked puzzlingly as he watched Jimin's silently crying, not understanding why he was sad, especially since his dad had been nice to him. The blonde boy pulled Taehyung's jacket as he frowned, wanting to comfort Jimin "Tae Tae, why is Jiminie sad?"

"Jimin isn't sad, baby, he's happy because his dad is proud of him" Taehyung explained as he brushed Hoseok's blonde hair from his eyes, noticing how his little sunshine's facial expression screamed confusion "Hobi, sweetie, when people cry doesn't only mean that they are sad, they can also cry when they are happy, for example, when you were born, Tae Tae cried tears of joy because he was so happy for having his tiny baby brother in his arms" Taehyung added as he nuzzled his nose in Hoseok's neck to tickle him, hearing him giggling so cheerfully. He focused on Seokjin, who seemed frozen, probably the older male wasn't expecting Jimin to react like that to his words so, he decided to give him a helping hand "Jimin, sweetheart, do you want a hug from your dad?"

Jimin sluggishly nodded his head as he rubbed one of his eyes to stop the tears from falling, wanting to be embraced by his father, which was something he never had the opportunity to experience while growing up, only with his mother. After hugging his father for the first time, the brunette boy started to get accustomed to his endearing side and his attempts to be nice and loving towards him, watching his father transform from a scary and mean grown-up to a thoughtful and nice parent, it was all Jimin ever wanted. The little one extended his arms as he got closer to his father, wordlessly requesting him for a hug while making grabby hands.

The imagery of his son requesting him for a hug reminded Seokjin of the day Jimin fainted and ended up in the infirmary, mainly the moment when he extended his arms towards Taehyung for him to solace him with a hug and kisses. The memory of that day was still vivid in his mind to the point he had restless nights that didn't let him forget how inadequately he treated Jimin. However, now he had the opportunity to compensate for his mistakes, despite not erasing totally his wrongdoings, which was a relief for Seokjin. After giving Taehyung his son's Korean test, Seokjin automatically opened his arms, encouraging Jimin to come to him, and quickly wrapped them around his small body. The dark-haired male decided not only to give Jimin a tight and warm hug but also to pick him up from the floor, just like Jungkook usually did when he greeted his son when he stopped by his house, wanting to show him how much he cared for him.

Seokjin safely secured Jimin in his arms as he tipped his head to the side, seeing his son leaning his head against his shoulder while gazing at him with his puffy and reddish eyes that, unlike in the past, shone brightly with happiness instead of fear. He grabbed Jimin's hand and planted a feathery kiss on it, making his son giggle lightly.

"F-Father, c-can I ask you something?"

"Are you going to ask me where Taehyung and I are going to take you and Hoseok?" Seokjin questioned amusingly as he heard Taehyung chuckling, watching Jimin shaking his head "Then, what is it, Jimin?"

Jimin didn't like how he treated his father so distantly and formally, instead, he longed for a more relaxed and comfortable interaction when approaching and speaking to him. The brunette boy was taught by his father that addressing grown-ups by their first name or in a casual manner was very disrespectful so when he met Taehyung, who allowed him to address him by his name or nickname, and witnessed Hoseok being so carefree and familiar with certain adults, Jimin found that behaviour odd and was reluctant to do it. Since he enjoyed being with his father more often and noticed how different his demeanour towards him had changed over the weeks, Jimin sought to treat him with the same warmth he treated the other nice grown-ups in his life.

"Can I call you papa?"

"Yes, you can, Jimin, I would love that very much..." Seokjin answered faintly as he smiled at Jimin's unexpected yet sweet request, cupping his son's face. While he was focusing on Jimin and having the opportunity to see his son being comfortable in his embrace, he sensed his blazer being pulled, seeing Hoseok staring at him "Do you need something, Hoseok?"

Hoseok shook his head enthusiastically as he offered Seokjin a small smile, hoping he would say yes to his question as well. "Can I call you Jinnie? Tae Tae calls you by that, so it's okay, right?"

Seokjin blankly stared at Hoseok as he tried to process his request, feeling honestly confused about the reason why the straightforward young boy wanted to address him more informally. He momentarily glanced at Taehyung, who was giggling at the situation, thinking how Hoseok inherited so many traits from his older brother, especially his sincerity.

"H-Hum, if it makes you feel more at ease with me then, yes, Hoseok, I don't see a problem with it..."

***

Taehyung rested his chin on the palm of his hand as he skimmed around the bakery shop, sighing satisfyingly while he took in the inviting and comforting ambience of the place. The delightful and delicious aroma of the cinnamon-laced pastries, the warm bread and the buttery croissants mixed with the subtle notes of freshly ground coffee filled the air and provided an incredible olfactory experience. The gleaming glass displays presented the most intricate designated cakes with the most vibrant colours Taehyung had ever seen, it wasn’t only a reward for his nose and his stomach, but also for his eyes. The soft hum of the conversation and the occasional laughter of children danced through the bakery shop, baffling the soothing background music, and made the place a lot livelier. Despite not being as amazing as Mrs Seo, that bakery shop offered a friendly and solacing shelter for those who were searching for a place where they could savour the simple joys of life by indulging their sweet cravings while ignoring the world outside.

It was only the third time he had gone with Seokjin to the place and Taehyung couldn’t forget the moment when the older male asked him if he wanted to take him there from then on as a way to show his regret and offer his apologies for the ridiculous accusations he made against him. Back then, the silver-haired male truly meant what he said – he didn’t intend that to become a tradition – and, ironically, Seokjin chose to take him to the bakery a second time to resolve the misunderstanding between them. Taehyung smiled weakly at the memories he had made inside the place, memories that curiously only included Seokjin, at least, until that day, now he was happy that he brought Jimin and Hoseok along as well.

Taehyung momentarily averted his gaze to Hoseok and Jimin, who were happily drawing to entertain themselves to pass the time while all of them were waiting for their sugary treats and steamy beverages. Then, the silver-haired male switched his focus to Seokjin as he recollected how gentle he had been with Jimin at the school earlier, feeling proud of him for surpassing his awkwardness concerning him expressing his emotions out loud. Taehyung confessed that he wasn’t expecting Seokjin to make such swift progress at the beginning, however, after witnessing the older male committing and placing his trust in him almost instantly Taehyung realised that Seokjin indeed wanted to build the foundations for a proper father-son relationship, allowing him to have a deep and strong bond with Jimin. At last, Seokjin had finally learned that demonstrating and displaying his feelings openly to the ones he cherished the most wasn’t a synonym for weakness, but a sign that he was a human being like everyone else instead of the ice sculpture that behaved coldly and emotionlessly towards people.

“You seem lost in your thoughts again, Taehyung…” Seokjin commented playfully as he glanced at Taehyung, who was clearing his throat while looking away, wondering why the younger male was intensively staring at him “Is there something you want to share with me?”

“N-No, I-I don’t have anything to share with you, Jinnie…” Taehyung responded sheepishly as he looked at the cute kitty Hoseok was drawing, mentally cursing himself for being caught staring “Although, I have to say, it’s nice having a human being by my side instead of a mean ice sculpture with dead fish's eyes”

“I guess you didn’t follow my advice from last month, you know, the one about finding something useful to do with your spare time instead of coming up with nicknames like that one” Seokjin retorted as tilted his head to see Taehyung’s reaction to his remark, watching the younger male turning his attention to him again, this time with a scowl adorning his features “If you want, I can suggest some ideas for you to occupy your time”

“You truly live up to the other nickname I gave you, funny snowman, even though you aren’t as funny as you think you are” Taehyung mocked as he smiled tauntingly, seeing Seokjin cocking a brow at him “And no, I don’t need your suggestions, Jinnie, I like coming up with funny nicknames for you and there is nothing you can do to stop me”

“I bet you would change your mind if I bribed you with oatmeal cookies, you would accept my suggestions in a heartbeat” Seokjin remarked nonchalantly as he chuckled lightly, already knowing that oatmeal cookies would grab Taehyung’s full attention, which was pretty amusing to him. He attentively looked at the silver-haired male, watching how the sunbeams of the afternoon sun were enlightening the younger male’s caramel-coloured eyes, turning him even more stunning than he already was “And if I’m not that funny, why did I make you laugh so often, Taehyung? You won’t admit it, but you know I can easily drive away any negative thoughts and make you smile, not so bad for a mean ice sculpture with dead fish’s eyes…”

(I can’t deny that, whenever I need someone to cheer me up or comfort me, Seokjin is there for me…)

Taehyung chewed on his bottom lip as he contemplated Seokjin’s witty yet sincere remark, feeling his heart thumping against his chest while the countless memories he shared with the older male kept flooding in, memories of him being comforted and embraced by Seokjin on different occasions. Since the older male stepped into his life, Taehyung felt like Seokjin was always there for him when he was gloomy or going through a bad moment, always offering him sympathetic and comforting words and always embracing him, even when he had difficulty expressing his emotions towards people, whether was verbally or physically.

Despite his unpleasant and harsh demeanour that served as a shell to keep his true self hidden from the world, Taehyung was grateful for crossing paths with Seokjin and having the opportunity to experience his mellow and loving side, the side that he helped bring to the surface, the side that eventually drove Taehyung to fall in love with Seokjin. Ironically, the silver-haired male stated in the past that he would never date someone like Seokjin – someone who was self-centred, selfish and overall treated people like they were inferior to him, including his son – however, as he gradually got to know Seokjin, Taehyung was able to see his character in depth and discover a whole new person underneath.

Taehyung awoke from his reflective state when he heard the metallic tray being placed on top of the table with their order, watching a young girl picking up the plates with the pieces of cake with a wide smile plastered on her features. The silver-haired male tilted his head as he furrowed his brows, realising that the younger waitress was somewhat familiar to him, but he couldn’t pinpoint where and when he had seen her before.

“I’m so glad to see you again! I thought I scared you off after what I said last time…” the young girl uttered embarrassingly as she placed the three plates with the pieces of cake and the hot beverages on the table, laughing nervously. She picked up the tray and hugged it against her chest, momentarily averting her gaze from the two men she encountered a few weeks ago while feeling ashamed for prying into people's privates’ lives “I want to apologise to both of you for what I said last time, it wasn’t my place to make such assumptions, so as a way to compensate, your order is on me”

(Oh wait, she’s the nice girl who attended to us when Seokjin unintentionally burnt my hand…)

“Please, there’s no need to apologise, neither of us took it personally and we know you didn’t do it maliciously, Ms…” Seokjin remarked politely, not wanting the young girl to feel bad for what she had said, despite his reaction at the time to her assumptions “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name”

“Oh, Sihyeon, my name is Kim Sihyeon!” Sihyeon responded cheerfully as she swiftly bowed her head, respectfully greeting the older male who was a well-known personality in the business world “I still feel bad for what I said, especially after commenting on the incident with my manager, she told me I was wrong in making assumptions, especially since you are an important businessman, apparently, my manager’s sister works for your company, Mr. Kim…” Sihyeon added quietly, noticing the look of surprise on Mr. Kim’s face “My manager is, ah, judgemental, she is not very fond of people of the same gender dating each other, I didn’t know that until she shared with me her views on that matter, on the other hand, I’m open minded and I couldn’t help myself when I spotted you two in the booth, you seemed so adorable…”

Taehyung could see how flustered Sihyeon was at that moment while explaining herself, however, she wasn’t as flustered as he was, especially after she told them how he and Seokjin seemed adorable together, despite him being hurt and distressed back then because of the misunderstanding. He cleared his throat once again and tried to put his embarrassment in the back of his mind, giving Sihyeon a gentle smile to reassure her that no harm had been done.

“Sihyeon, as Seokjin said, you don’t need to apologise or compensate for anything, if that was the case then your manager should compensate us as well by assuming that we are straight and I’m not, so…” Taehyung commented merrily with a hint of frustration, still with a smile on his face. He was slightly irritated to hear how Sihyeon’s manager was scolding the young girl for assuming that he and Seokjin were a couple because they were both males so if they were a man and a woman, Taehyung betted that there wouldn’t be a problem, which made him sick to his stomach “In a more positive note, I want to thank you for being so helpful last time, I was in tremendous pain and you were an absolute gem, Sihyeon, and, ah, my name’s Taehyung, very nice to meet you”

“It’s nice to meet you too, Taehyung, and I only did my job, but I appreciate your words, I truly do, both of you are too kind,” Sihyeon said enthusiastically as she put a loosened black lock behind her ear, smiling back at Taehyung. She glanced at the two children sitting on the opposite seat of the booth, finding both of them so lovely, Sihyeon adored kids so much “I can see you brought two cuties with you, you know, I love kids so much, they are so precious”

“We are celebrating today, our babies did amazingly well on their tests, so we brought them here, by the way, the cutie pie next to the window is Jimin, Seokjin’s son and the little sunshine eating the piece of chocolate cake is my baby brother Hoseok” Taehyung introduced both Jimin and Hoseok, chuckling sweetly when he saw the children briefly stopping eating their desserts and waving their cute hands at Sihyeon “I’m a kindergarten teacher and having the opportunity to teach the little ones is so rewarding”

“Oh, really?” Sihyeon asked unexpectedly as she stepped closer to Taehyung, feeling excited to hear about him being a kindergarten teacher “At the moment, I’m preparing for my entry exams, I’m going to start university this year and I want to major in Education, that’s why I work part-time here, and I babysit to be able to afford my studies and be a primary school teacher in the future”

“That’s amazing, Sihyeon, we wish you the best of luck with your exams, I know we barely know each other, but you seem a smart and thoughtful person, in a way, you remind me of Taehyung, I’m certain that he would be happy to help you” Seokjin spoke calmly as he gazed at Taehyung, noticing how the younger male was picking up the cup with the hot lemon tea he enjoyed so much “Also, you said you babysit, do you have any contacts that you could give me? There are times I need someone to take care of Jimin, but I don’t easily trust people with my son so, if you wouldn’t mind, I would like you to come to my house one day and spend time with Jimin to make sure he’s comfortable with you”

“Oh, I want it too, I usually leave my little sunshine with my neighbour, she’s always available to take care of Hoseok, but she is elderly and I feel like my baby brother might be too energetic for her sometimes” Taehyung added as he licked his lips, placing the cup of tea on the table. He still was processing the words Seokjin spoke about him, he guessed the older male was starting to notice how much effect he had on him “A-And, ah, I don’t mind helping you if necessary, I was a psychology major for a year so, maybe the knowledge I got from that year combined with my experience of being a kindergarten teacher might be useful to you…”

“Seriously?! I truly wasn’t expecting you to be so considerate and nice, especially after what I have done, both of you are so generous, thank you so much” Sihyeon exclaimed loudly as she bowed twice to Seokjin and Taehyung, not being able to contain her excitement. She put the tray on top of the table and quickly took the notepad and a pen from the front pocket of her apron as he leaned forward to write down her phone number and her social page where she advertised her babysitting services. Sihyeon ripped the small page and joyfully gave it to Taehyung, who happily accepted it “That’s my phone number and my social media page, it’s my personal profile, but I advertise my babysitting services through there as well, follow me if you want…” Sihyeon said wittily as she grabbed the notepad and the pen, putting them inside the pocket of her apron again “I need to go now, but I liked talking to both of you, I hope to see you two again and, ah, I have already paid for your desserts and drinks, please enjoy”

And just like last time, Sihyeon swiftly went away to attend to another customer and Taehyung couldn’t help but smile at the young girl’s optimistic and friendly character. The silver-haired male agreed with Seokjin to some extent, Sihyeon truly reminded him of himself when he was her age and, deep down, it saddened Taehyung because he missed the life he had before everything turned upside down. He still was the cheerful, childish and energetic fluff ball everyone loved, however, Taehyung felt like part of him left when his mother died and ever since he felt incomplete, maybe that was why he relied on true love, love that couldn’t replace the same one his mother gave to him, but the love he was craving that could essentially make him feel whole, the love he felt for Seokjin.

“Taehyung…”

Taehyung looked at Seokjin and saw him holding the fork with a small piece of strawberry shortcake while smiling widely at him. He frowned when he noticed his cake on the older male’s side of the table, not finding it funny whatever stunt Seokjin was trying to pull, stealing his sugary treat was a bigger offence than insulting his choice of hair colour. “Why did you steal my cake, Jinnie? Give it back!”

“I didn’t steal your cake and just wanted to get your attention since you seem distracted today, is everything truly fine, Taehyung?”

“Y-Yes, I just had a tiring day today, you really don’t need to worry about me…” Taehyung answered softly as attempted to reassure Seokjin the best he could, wanting so desperately to focus on something rather than his crazy feelings for the older male. The silver-haired male leaned forward and quickly ate the small piece of cake that Seokjin was holding with the fork, humming contently with the richness of the strawberry cream and the softness of the cake. Taehyung intertwined his arms around Seokjin’s arm as he rested his head on his shoulder, pursing his lips at him “Can you feed me the cake, Jinnie? I had to scrub and clean paintbrushes and palettes, my fingers hurt…”

“My son and Hoseok are children and both of them can eat their cakes by themselves, Taehyung, you truly are more childish than them and, please, don’t be upset, sometimes, I find it endearing…” Seokjin confessed as he took another small piece of cake, feeling Taehyung snuggling his head on his shoulder. Before, the dark-haired male didn’t feel comfortable when the younger male publicly displayed affection towards him, not wanting people to misunderstand their relationship. However, after what Sihyeon told them about her manager and see how Taehyung reacted to the situation, Seokjin realised that other people’s assumptions truly didn’t matter, what did matter was to make the ones he cherished happy and, at that instant, Seokjin wished to make Taehyung happy “I can, Taehyung, I would be glad to…”

Chapter Text

Seokjin climbed the flight of stairs as he checked his wristwatch while heading to Jimin's bedroom to wake his son up for them to have breakfast. The prior day, before leaving for work, Seokjin spoke to Taehyung and informed him that he and Jimin wouldn't join him for breakfast that day to take advantage of the opportunity to spend more time with his son since he had been busy with the partnership with the new manufacturer. Despite the silver-haired male enthusiastic reaction and bright smile, Seokjin could see the glint of disappointment in his beautiful eyes, the same glint he spotted the morning he woke up next to him after telling how he couldn't stay for breakfast. He knew how much Taehyung relished the morning moments they had together, the same was for him so, Seokjin invited the younger male and the rest of the group to come by his house and have dinner that evening, promising him to teach him one of his grandmother's recipes to compensate his and Jimin's absence.

As he walked along the hallway, Seokjin couldn't help but smile at Taehyung's giddy response to his invitation, driving the younger male to ask him about the recipe constantly, at the time, he didn't disclose it was a dessert. He honestly felt excited to teach Taehyung and spend time alone with him in the kitchen, knowing that their closeness brought some unwanted attention from Yoongi and Jungkook, and probably Gunhak and Soonyoung. Seokjin had noticed how discreet and cautious Taehyung was with their interactions when people were in their presence which he understood. However, the dark-haired male sensed that there was some other reason behind Taehyung's carefulness besides not wanting people to invade his private life, it perhaps had something to do with his frequent lack of eye contact.

Seokjin reached Jimin's bedroom and slowly opened the door, peering his head inside to ensure he was still asleep. He entered the room as he carefully closed the door, and silently made his way towards the large windows, parting the curtains to allow the soft glow of the morning sun to invade the bedroom. Outside, the weather was welcoming and pleasant – the sky was bright blue, the birds were gleefully chirping, and the flowers and the cherry blossoms trees were ready to blossom and colour the dull winter scenery –, it was the perfect spring day. The dark-haired male turned around and walked to the bed, approaching the bedside with the utmost care to not startle his son while crouching. He leaned down and saw Jimin peacefully lying in bed, cocooned in his fluffy and soft blankets while snuggling himself with the Tata plushie Taehyung had gifted to him.

A smile formed on Seokjin's lips as he gently brushed a strand of hair away from Jimin's face while reminiscing about his son's reaction to his demonstration of pride and recognition of his hard work, still feeling terrible for neglecting him and his efforts. Despite being an absent parent while Jimin was growing up and being haunted by the several mistakes he made along the way, Seokjin didn't wish to dwell on the past and continuously felt remorseful for losing so many precious years of Jimin's life, instead, he wanted to grab the new opportunity that was presented to him and work hard to be a better person and father, and make happy memories with his son.

"Jimin..." Seokjin whispered lovingly as he tilted his head, attempting to delicately wake Jimin up. He noticed his son's eyelashes fluttering as he slowly aroused from his deep slumber, watching him rubbing one of his eyes lazily "Good morning..."

"Good morning, papa..." Jimin smiled weakly as he grasped his father's hand, feeling happy to be him to greet him in the morning. He placed his free hand on his belly as he timidly gazed at his father, pouting "I'm hungry..."

"Breakfast is ready, I just need to prepare the counter, I'm going to do it while you are getting dressed" Seokjin uttered calmly, cupping Jimin's face "Do you need help with something?"

"No, papa, I can do it by myself" Jimin responded merrily as he let go of his father's hand, smiling brightly. He neatly placed his Tata plushie on top of the pillow and crawled out of the blankets, sitting on his knees on the bed as he saw his father lifting himself. The small brunette boy quickly reached for his father's hand a second time, wanting something more before he left his bedroom "P-Papa, c-can you give me a hug before you go?"

"Of course, I can, Jimin..."

Seokjin parted from Jimin's hand and placed his hands on his son's waist, picking him up from the bed. Just like the prior day, the dark-haired male safely secured Jimin in his arms and tightly hugged him as requested, feeling his son's small legs and arms wrapping around him while hearing his sweet giggles that made his heart swell with pride and love. In the past, Seokjin couldn't show how much he cherished his son and his lack of knowledge on the matter manifested itself as indifference, apart from that, caring only about Jimin's responsibilities and being demanding only did more damage to his son and the frail bond they shared.

While holding on to Jimin, Seokjin felt a sense of protection and a desire to shield his son from life's uncertainties and adversities, feelings he never experienced before because he associated having emotions with being weak. Seokjin hated how the old-fashioned principles advocated by the Kim family and the ruthless methods used by his father while growing tempered with his mind and created distance between him and Jimin. Fortunately, Seokjin found his way and assorted his priorities, but he couldn't have done it without Taehyung's help.

***

Thrilled, Jimin warily climbed down the huge flight of stairs as he held on to the railing, smelling the aroma of food lingering in the air which once again made his stomach grumble and yearn for his father's delicious food. The brunette boy loved to go to Taehyung's house and enjoy breakfast with everyone, especially Hoseok, however, since his father started cooking for him and eating with him in the kitchen instead of the spacious and scary dining room, he felt more comfortable. At the end of the stairs, Jimin noticed a smiling maid waiting for him to receive his backpack and jacket.

"Good morning, Mrs. Kang!" Jimin greeted cheerfully, bowing to the older maid who always welcomed him home after arriving from school or the study sessions he had over Taehyung's house with Hoseok. He proceeded to take off his backpack, gently giving it to her, along with his jacket, for her to keep until it was time for him and his father to leave the house to go to school "I hope you have a nice day"

"Good morning, Master Jimin and have a nice day as well"

After the brief interaction with Mrs Kang, Jimin giggled warmheartedly as he promptly started running along the hallway that connected the entrance hall and the kitchen, feeling excited to have breakfast with his father and share with him the plans he had for that day, including fulfilling a promise he had made to Jungkook along time ago. The small brunette boy slowed his pace and entered the kitchen, watching his father speak to the chef about pie dough and apples.

"I checked the pie dough earlier like you requested, and you have nothing to be concerned about, Mr Kim, it's looking amazing" The chef commented politely, writing down the list of ingredients he needed to prepare and cook one of Jimin's favourite meals for lunch "Regarding the apples, I already inform the main maid and the workers are going to pick them before lunchtime" The chef added as he momentarily stopped scribbling, glancing at Seokjin, who was looking over the counter, probably checking if everything was in order. It had been over 20 years since he served the Kim family as the chef, during that time the older male witnessed Seokjin grow up and transform into the older Kim which saddened him since the young man, despite his rebellious side, had always been so joyful and full of life, fortunately, Seokjin found his way and seemed a lot happier now "I don't want to cross the line, Mr Kim, but I have to say, I'm glad you are cooking and baking again, I always knew you had a gift, maybe you can teach little Jimin one day"

While listening to Chef Ahn speaking, Seokjin reminisced about the times when he watched his grandmother and mother cooking and baking in the kitchen. At the time, he was too young to help, however, there were occasions when he would roll the cookie dough and use the different shaped cookie cutters to make the cookies. As he grew up, Seokjin began to have a more active role in the kitchen, along with his grandmother and mother, but mainly with his grandmother, since he feared being caught by his father and reprimanded simply for spending his time doing something that he loved instead of dedicating himself to his studies and learning about the family business. As he reflected on the past, Seokjin felt Jimin grasping his hand and smiling widely at him, his son's gentle touch prevented his thoughts from spiralling down and reminding him of how he had to sacrifice his hopes and dreams of having a career in the culinary world to fulfil his responsibilities as the heir of the Kim family against his will.

"You didn't cross the line, Chef Ahn, I appreciate your honesty and your complimentary words, it had been a while since I adventure myself in the kitchen, so I'm slightly restless about the pie, especially when I intend to share the recipe with someone, about teaching Jimin..." Seokjin spoke hesitantly as he focused on Jimin, contemplating what Chef Ahn had just told him. It never crossed his mind, but the recipe book he possessed was his grandmother and mother's legacy, the legacy they wanted him to continue, despite knowing his grandfather and father disapproved of such a thing. He cautiously bent down without letting go of Jimin's hand and gazed at him, noticing the curiosity sparkling in his eyes "Jimin, would you like to learn how to cook one day? You are too young now and the kitchen can be a dangerous place, but I would love to teach you in the future"

Despite feeling slightly disappointed for not being old enough to learn how to cook yet, Jimin vigorously nodded his head since his father was going to be the one to teach him which allowed them to spend more time together in the future. "Yes, I want to learn with you, papa, your food is really delicious"

"When you learn how to cook, little Jimin, I will buy you one of these chef's hats," Chef Ahn said kindly as he pointed to his chef's hat, a gift he received from his parents when he graduated from culinary school, watching Jimin's expression brightening up "Would you like that?"

"Yes, I would like that very much, Chef Ahn" Jimin responded softly as he offered a small smile to Chef Ahn, subtly staring at the big hat he was wearing at that moment "C-Chef Ahn, can I try your hat? I promise I will be careful with it..."

"Of course, you can, Jimin" Chef Ahn answered jubilantly as he took his chef's hat, chuckling wholeheartedly with Jimin's simple request. He headed towards the small child and delicately placed the chef's hat on his head, finding it amusing how the hat was slightly too big for him which was quite adorable "It's a little big, but looks good on you, mini chef"

Jimin giggled sweetly as he fixed the chef's hat properly, preventing it from falling from his head since he didn't want to ruin or stain the cap. He stared at his father, who was smiling at him while he lifted himself, wondering if he enjoyed seeing him wear the hat. "Papa, what do you think? Does it look good on me?"

"As Chef Ahn said, the chef's hat looks amazing on you, son" Seokjin replied truthfully as he grinned gently, loving Jimin's enthusiasm for wearing a chef's hat. He glanced at his wristwatch and checked the time, realising that he and Jimin needed to have breakfast and hurry up or his son was going to be late to school "Jimin, let's have breakfast, okay? We are running out of time, and I know you are excited to see your friends, you can tell me all about your plans for today on our way to school"

***

"I just checked my schedule, if it's fine with you, Minhyuk, we can meet next Wednesday afternoon, right after lunch..." Seokjin proposed as he looked at his schedule on his laptop, verifying if he had any important meetings on that day. As he discussed the arrangements with Minhyuk for the interview, the dark-haired male heard the door opening, watching Jungkook confidently walking inside his office and sitting down on the seat in front of his desk with his cocky bunny smile, probably because he was speaking with his supposed "competition" "Since it's fine by you, it's settled, I'm looking forward to our meeting, until then, if you have any questions or any circumstances prevent you from meeting me on Wednesday, I request for you to contact me, see you next week, Minhyuk..."

After Minhyuk said his goodbyes, Seokjin ended the call and placed his phone on top of his desk, crossing his right leg over the left one while glancing at Jungkook, who still had that presumptuous expression on his face, along with the enervating wide smile. Since he was preparing himself to deliver some bittersweet news to Jungkook, Seokjin decided to allow his best friend to mock him and make assumptions, already having a clue about what he intended to tell him. One of the arguments Jungkook was probably resorting to was how he was using his status as an important and well-known businessman to establish dominance over Minhyuk. Initially, Seokjin wanted to do just that – use his position of power to intimidate Minhyuk –, however, he preferred the friendly approach, the same one he chose back when Taehyung introduced the young man to him simply because he didn't have anything to be nervous about or feel threatened.

"So, next Wednesday is D-Day, Seokjin is finally going to be face-to-face with his opponent, how exciting" Jungkook spoke wittily as he leaned back on the chair, studying Seokjin's body language. He noticed how nonchalant his best friend was with his remark which told him that he was already expecting him to taunt him about the situation or he had some type of plan of action, either way, Jungkook still wanted to mess with Seokjin, in hopes of awakening his jealous side "And before you retort to my comment, I saw how possessive you were towards Taehyung yesterday, you wouldn't let him go when Minhyuk called for him, do have an explanation for that or are you finally going to admit how jealous you are of their interactions, Jinnie?"

Seokjin sighed heavily as he tilted his head, already expecting Jungkook to use what unfolded the prior day against him. While he had the younger male in his embrace and his beautiful eyes staring at him so sweetly, Seokjin effortlessly lost his coolness for a moment and couldn't help but act possessively towards the younger male when Minhyuk showed up, wanting him to stay with him for a moment longer, unfortunately, Seokjin made the mistake of behaving in that manner in public. Despite not feeling threatened by Minhyuk, the dark-haired male couldn't deny how bothered he was with Taehyung's interaction with said male, being certain that their relationship was merely friendly, nonetheless, Seokjin didn't enjoy how flirtatious Minhyuk acted towards the beautiful younger male.

Honestly, Seokjin didn't know how he was going to convince Jungkook that Taehyung and Minhyuk's encounter from the previous day hadn't been upsetting to him, once again, predicting that his best friend was going to be annoyingly stubborn about the matter. The dark-haired male still wasn't prepared to come forward to Jungkook regarding his deep and romantic feelings for Taehyung. He didn't have any knowledge when it came to the love department since he never felt such strong and maddening emotions before, emotions that constantly tempered with his heart and mind so, he clearly needed help and the only one who had been helping him with his emotions so far had been Taehyung. As he gazed at Jungkook, Seokjin felt a pang in his heart for hiding, once again, an important subject from his best friend. However, he didn't have a choice, since the moment he and Taehyung crossed paths, Yoongi and Jungkook couldn't stop insinuating how they were going to fall for each other, according to the opposites attract premiss, which ended up coming true, at least, in Seokjin's case.

"First of all, the only one who sees Minhyuk as my opponent is you, Jungkook, I, personally don't have any problems with him or his friendship with Taehyung, either way, their relationship is none of my business, it's Taehyung's personal life and I respect it" Seokjin responded casually as smiled warmly, not averting his gaze from Jungkook "About yesterday, you misjudged my actions, Jungkook, why would I be possessive towards Taehyung? I just hugged him too tightly and he was caught by surprise by it, nothing more"

"You hugged him too tightly because you didn't want Taehyung to leave your embrace, I saw that determined gleam in your eyes, Kim, the same one you have when you want business proceedings to go your way" Jungkook countered matter-of-factly as he offered a teasing smile to Seokjin, sensing that he was getting under his skin. The black-haired male decided to use a piece of information Yoongi had told him the day before, even though he wasn't proud of using it just to get a reaction from Seokjin. Jungkook always trusted his instincts and something told him that his best friend didn't see Taehyung the same way he did previously which reminded him of the words Namjoon had said to him and Seunghee – Seokjin and Taehyung's relationship took a turn after spending that weekend together "Well, you're right, I see Minhyuk as your opponent, especially after knowing how they spent a night together not so long ago and I'm certain they didn't watch movies and play games with one another, don't you think he wants something more, Seokjin? Minhyuk seems infatuated with Taehyung, do you think he won't pursue a relationship with him?"

Seokjin couldn't be certain if Jungkook was bluntly lying to him or telling him the truth, whichever the case, he still was respectful of Taehyung's private life, the younger male was a grown adult who had the liberty to do whatever he wanted with whomever he wished. Yet, that thought didn't stop the unpleasant feeling of jealously coming to the surface, at the same time, Seokjin did his best to remain calm and think logically, not wanting to display his true emotions, especially in front of Jungkook.

"I'm starting to question if you should continue to be my second in command, Jeon, because I'm starting to believe that you actually have trouble listening to me, I just said Taehyung's personal life was none of my business, and that includes Minhyuk's as well, if he's indeed infatuated with Taehyung then I hope he treats him better than his cheating ex-boyfriend and that is all I have to say about the subject" Seokjin spoke in a dismissing manner as he uncrossed his legs, not having the will to discuss Taehyung or Minhyuk anymore. The dark-haired male wanted to focus on Jungkook, being now his opportunity to mock his best friend "Now, I called you here to talk about business as I do the majority of the time, it's about the meeting with Lim and the partnership with his company"

"You know, Seokjin, the more you deviate from the conversation and act defensive, the more I suspect you, and if you continuously insist that you don't care, the more I think that you care or you wouldn't have held on to Taehyung the way you did, but I don't want to aggravate the big boss, so let's talk business..." Jungkook remarked amusingly as he straightened himself on the chair, watching Seokjin rolling his eyes. Despite his best friend's fake reaction, the black-haired male still thought he cared about Taehyung and Minhyuk's relationship, but for now, he decided to leave Seokjin alone "I assume Lim agreed to meet and informally discuss the terms of the partnership with the company so, when are you going to see him?"

"Yes, Lim called me earlier and confirmed the meeting with me which I was already expecting, he might be a couple of years younger than us, but he's a competent businessman..." Seokjin uttered steadily as he got up from his office chair, smirking widely at Jungkook. He headed towards his best friend, who was eyeing him oddly, and the dark-haired male was happy that he could finally retaliate and have revenge, well, a small part of it was revenge. Seokjin leaned down as he placed his hand on Jungkook's shoulder, loving the intrigued expression on his face, an expression he could enjoy instead of his arrogant one a moment ago "And I'm not the one who is going to meet him, it's you, Jungkook, and you asked when, right? Well, Lim is attending a conference this weekend and you are encountering him there"

"Kim, are you kidding me? Are you truly going to make me go to the conference just to meet him? Couldn't you have arranged the meeting for another date, did it have to be on a weekend? You know I made plans with Yoongi this Saturday; I was finally going to ask- Wait a minute..." Jungkook stopped mid-sentence as he squinted his eyes, understanding the reason behind Seokjin's intentions "And you call me childish, you are doing this on purpose as revenge for resorting to your mother and messing with you and Taehyung, aren't you? Don't you think it's kind of harsh, Seokjin, especially when you knew I intended to ask Yoongi to be my boyfriend?"

Seokjin chuckled lightly as he leaned against his desk, knowing how his plan of sending Jungkook to the conference to discuss the terms and conditions in a more relaxed environment with Lim seemed cruel, especially when he indeed knew about his best friend's plans of asking Yoongi to be his boyfriend. However, the dark-haired male, despite wanting to get revenge on Jungkook for everything he had said about his relationship with Taehyung, didn't dare to completely ruin what his best friend planned on doing this weekend, in fact, Seokjin was aiding him by making his request even more memorable and magical.

"You are childish, Jeon, you are always taunting me because of Taehyung, I think you deserve to be punished for everything you have been saying to me, but you are right, it would be too harsh of me if I ruined your plans with Yoongi, that's why I want you to take him with you to Busan, that's where the conference will take place..." Seokjin spoke kindly as he watched Jungkook's eyes widen with his words, truly not feeling capable of ruining his best friend's plans. The dark-haired male witnessed Jungkook giving his heart and soul to people who didn't truly care and love him for the amazing person he was, but seeing his best friend's relationship with Yoongi blossoming, it made Seokjin happy, and he would do anything to support them and their love "And I'm guessing you want some privacy with Yoongi so, I reserved the presidential suite, I hope you take this opportunity to go all out, Jeon, or next time I won't be this kind to you"

Jungkook stunningly stared at Seokjin, still processing the information he just heard from his best friend. The black-haired male already knew that Seokjin wouldn't be heartless to the point of jeopardising his plans of asking Yoongi to be his partner, especially after his original plan went down the drain because of Seunghee's situation which, fortunately, had a happy ending. Jungkook acknowledged that the plan wasn't the best one ever and thinking back, he was genuinely happy that he hadn't had the opportunity to come forward solely because it wasn't impressive enough in his opinion. It sounded dumb but after Yoongi told him about Changkyun's lame marriage proposal, Jungkook promised himself that he wanted to outdo himself when the time to ask Yoongi to be officially his would come and neither the original plan nor the arrangements he had made for the upcoming weekend seemed to live up to his expectation, which turned him into a nervous wreck.

It wasn't a secret that Jungkook wished to make an impression, even though Yoongi was always telling him that he didn't need to go big to demonstrate his love and appreciation for him. However, the beautiful red-haired male, for Jungkook, was one of the most precious and dearest people to him and if he could, he would gather all the stars of the universe and gift them to Yoongi, despite being the brightest star to him.

"S-Seokjin, I, ah, I don't know what to say, I mean, I'm still pissed at you for making me work on a weekend, but I guess I should know better, right? I shouldn't mess with Jinnie and his cutie" Jungkook chuckled wholeheartedly as he got up from his seat, proceeding to hug Seokjin tightly. Despite his words, the black-haired male was grateful for having Seokjin in his life and he was also grateful for Taehyung for bringing his best friend's true self to the surface "In all seriousness, Jin, I honestly appreciate what you are doing for me, you have been so supportive and helpful regarding my relationship with Yoongi, I hope I can return the favour in the future..."

"You are my best friend, Jungkook, you are the only one who stood by me throughout the years and stayed loyal, I would do anything for you to achieve true happiness..." Seokjin professed as he parted from the hug, gently placing a hand on his arm while smiling playfully "And I'm glad you are upset for working during the weekend, you need to learn your place and realise that your actions have consequences, Jeon, you think mocking me and my relationship with Taehyung is amusing, well, I don't share the same opinion so, I have to show that I can retaliate as well"

"I'm finally being rewarded for putting up with you all these years, you were and still are a killjoy, Kim, but I love you nonetheless" Jungkook stated friskily as he crossed his arms, watching Seokjin going back to his seat "And you prove me once again that I'm right, if you truly didn't care about my comments regarding you and Taehyung, you wouldn't have done this, your words don't match your actions, my dear best friend, which mean you are ranging about Minhyuk and Taehyung"

Seokjin rolled his eyes as he sat down, pulling himself forward while focusing on his laptop again. He didn't understand why Jungkook was constantly insisting on the subject, it seemed like he wanted to see him and Taehyung together and, despite his feelings for the breathtaking younger male, it wasn't Seokjin's decision, even though he wished Taehyung felt the same way about him, which it was something he couldn't control. The dark-haired male sighed in frustration as he leaned back on his seat, averting his attention to Jungkook while feeling like he and his best friend were going in circles with their conversation, a conversation he wasn't in the mood to have. One thing that hadn't changed about Seokjin was the fact that he still hated to reflect on his emotions, namely, the brand-new emotions he was currently feeling for Taehyung because, deep down, Seokjin didn't see him himself as the one for the younger male, despite the words he had spoken in the past, claiming that he would be the perfect partner for Taehyung.

"Jungkook, hypothetically speaking, what if I had feelings for Taehyung and felt jealous of his relationship with Minhyuk, what would you expect me to do? Stop him from seeing and socialising with him? Threaten Minhyuk to leave Taehyung alone for me to have a chance?" Seokjin questioned firmly, hoping his tone of voice wouldn't portray his vulnerability about the matter. The dark-haired male wished nothing more than to shove Minhyuk away from Taehyung, even though he didn't know the young man's true intentions "If that was the case, I couldn't do that to Taehyung, he already went through so much and love is truly a sensitive subject to him, that is why if Minhyuk had feelings for Taehyung and it was mutual, I wouldn't intrude..."

"That doesn't sound like the Kim Seokjin I know and love because the Kim Seokjin in front of me would fight and do anything to conquer Taehyung's heart, that's the person he is, he fights for what he wants and love wouldn't be an exception" Jungkook responded softly as he flashed his unique smile at Seokjin, sensing that his best friend was discreetly looking for some type of advice which gave him hope for the future "If you had feelings for Taehyung, I would tell you to continue to do what you are doing – making him laugh, being there for him when he needs comfort, offering physically contact and, most importantly, keeping him happy –, as you said, he already went through a lot so, showing him how you cherish him through the ways I just named, I'm sure he would reciprocate your feelings, hypothetically speaking, of course" Jungkook added, sensing his phone vibrating inside of the pocket of his blazer. He took the device and noticed a text message from Yoongi, reminding him to be on time for Jimin's piano class, apparently, the little one had a surprise for him and Seokjin "It's a message from Yoongi, I'm really curious about little mochi's surprise, I can't wait, like I can't wait for you and Taehyung to bake your grandma's apple pie, I bet you want him for yourself, I'm going to make sure that no one bothers you, Kim, something might happen between you two, like, for example, the hypothetical scenario you just presented to me coming true..."

"I swear if my son hadn't had a surprise for both of us, I would force you to stay overtime, which will happen tomorrow because you have an important meeting in Busan and you need to be well-prepared unless you want to be demoted" Seokjin retorted scornfully as he smirked mischievously, turning his gaze back to his laptop "Now if you are done annoying me, leave my office, I have work I need to finish today and if you keep disturbing me, I won't get home on time, the last thing I want is to upset Jimin"

"Okay, okay, I'm leaving, but if you think I'm going to stop annoying you with this subject you are wrong, you can continue to fool me all you want, remember, I know you better than anyone, even better than yourself, Jin..."

Chapter Text

The small group was gathered in the piano room while sitting on the beige curved sectorial sofa as they listened to Hoseok cheerfully singing along with Jimin, who was also playing the piano. The piano room had a different aesthetic from the rest of the house, it served as a sacred and relaxed place where Seokjin used to find a refugee when he stayed over when his grandparents still lived at the mansion. It was something private, but, in the past, every time he felt overwhelmed with the responsibilities that were waiting for him as the future heir of the Kim family or he was frustrated and annoyed with his father's behaviour and demands, Seokjin found himself in that exact piano room, playing tunes on the grand and shiny black piano, hoping the sweet yet random melodies would bring him peace of mind and wash away his troubling thoughts.

At some point, Seokjin viewed his musical education as a blessing. Like Jungkook saw the gym as a way to free his frustrations and release some leftover energy, for him, personally, playing the piano was his way to let go of negative emotions. However, playing the piano reminded him of all the bad moments he endured while growing up. One of the memories Seokjin still had vividly in his mind was the day his father discovered that he preferred men as partners to women. That day, Seokjin was so enraged that he almost broke the piano because, for the first time in his life, he didn't find comfort in music like he used to so, he distanced himself from that room, avoiding it as much as he could, even when Jimin had his piano lessons with Yoongi.

When Jimin requested him and the rest of the group to go to the piano room, Seokjin truly felt uneasy and the moment he got closer to the piano room, he was immediately hit with nostalgia and completely froze in place. The dark-haired male never shared his feelings regarding this issue with anyone and his nervousness was transparent for Taehyung, who gazed at him with concern, but quickly flashed his beautiful boxy smile and gave him his hand. At that instant, Seokjin finally understood what the younger male meant when he stayed with him that weekend – allowing Taehyung to hold on to him drove him to recall memories of the most important people in his life, comforting and helping him calm down when he was having a difficult time handling a gruesome storm. It seemed like Taehyung's touch and reassurance through his simple yet loving gesture brought back the most pleasant memories that unfolded inside of that room, like the time he was able to compose and write a song by himself, a song he hadn't shared with anyone, not even his mother or grandmother.

As the room resonated with the sweet sound of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" and the joyous voices from Jimin and Hoseok filled the air, Seokjin slowly released himself from the terrible memories and replaced them with the moment he was relishing currently, not letting his upsetting past ruin his mood. When Jimin told him he had a surprise for him and Jungkook, Seokjin wasn't expecting his son to play the song as a way to demonstrate the progress he was making in his piano lessons. Since he didn't pay much attention to Jimin before, the dark-haired male forgot how Jimin had made a promise to Jungkook which consisted of him playing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" on the piano after being more skilled. Discreetly, Seokjin glimpsed around the room, observing how everyone was smiling and silently commenting on the magnificent performance and the positive reactions made him feel even prouder of Jimin and his determination to succeed.

"They're so cute..." Taehyung whispered as he smiled widely, attentively staring at Jimin and Hoseok, who were almost finishing their small performance. He momentarily averted his attention to Seokjin, questioning why the older male was so hesitant about coming inside the stunning piano room, something told the silver-haired male that there was a lot to uncover when it came to Seokjin and his past "Jiminie has such a beautiful voice, it makes me wonder if his papa is as talented in the music department as his son..."

"Well, I suppose that my determination, intelligence, flawless physical features and sense of responsibility weren't the only traits Jimin inherited from me, Taehyung..." Seokjin murmured as he slightly leaned to the side, making eye contact with Taehyung, who rolled his eyes, but still had a bright smile adorning his lips "And, it might sound arrogant, but I'm actually quite good at playing the piano and singing, but I never sang in front of people, apparently, Jimin is more courageous than me..."

"You truly are a box full of surprises, Kim Seokjin, I remember you telling me how you had piano lessons when you were younger, just like Jimin, but you never told me you sang..." Taehyung spoke quietly as he stealthily reached for Seokjin's hand, sensing some sadness in his arrogant remark "Jinnie, promise me that one day you will sing for me, I want you to share your talent with me..."

Strikingly, Seokjin stared at Taehyung, who was glancing in anticipation at him, not expecting the daring younger male to make such a request. He didn't intend to share something so intimate with Taehyung, something he maintained a secret for the majority of his life since he never felt comfortable coming forward or he didn't consider it to be an important piece of information to be disclosed to people, at least, in Seokjin's opinion. However, every time he was with Taehyung, Seokjin was able to lower the walls surrounding him and allow the enchanting silver-haired male to explore his hidden persona – a more loving and thoughtful side of him that, along with his true self, was buried underneath the bitterness and fury that resulted from years upon years of being repressed by his father. Thinking back, the dark-haired male, even when he disliked Taehyung, had moments of weakness without realising it which eventually drove him to share some information unconsciously until Seokjin would get a grasp of himself.

While focusing on Taehyung's sparkling dark eyes, Seokjin couldn't help but feel grateful for the younger male's intrusive demeanour in the past because that was the reason why he slowly became more comfortable about sharing his feelings regarding the opportunity to build, bond and strengthen his relationship with Jimin, not only that but also being able to speak about more personal matters, like his coulrophobia and relationship with his late wife.

Seokjin smiled weakly as he cupped Taehyung's hand, feeling the younger male's affection spreading to his heart like a lightning bolt. "I promise, Taehyung..."

"Then the traveller in the dark

Thank you for your tiny spark;

He could not see which way to go,

If you did not twinkle so.

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

How I wonder what you are!

How I wonder what you are!"

After the performance, Jimin timidly got up from the piano bench and instantly felt Hoseok grasping his hand, making them take a bow to their family and loved ones, who stood up from the sofa and enthusiastically clapped their hands. At first, the brunette boy was truly nervous because he didn't want to make a mistake while playing and disappoint Jungkook and his father. However, after speaking to Taehyung and confessing how fearful and doubtful he was about his performance, the funny grown-up reassured him by telling him that he had been practising hard for that moment and even though he was frightened of making a mistake, Jimin should trust his talent and let the music speak through him.

Jimin let go of Hoseok's hand and ran towards his father as he giggled happily, seeing him crouching down and opening his arms to hug him. He quickly wrapped his arms around his father's neck and hugged him briefly, snuggling himself in his embrace. "Papa, did you like my surprise?"

"I loved it, Jimin, it was wonderful..." Seokjin responded soothingly as he parted from the hug, cupping Jimin's rosy cheek. The dark-haired male fleetingly went back in time and reminisced about the moment when he requested Yoongi to share Hoseok's progress in his piano lessons as a way to test his patience, remembering Jimin's enthusiasm of wanting to play the piano for him and Jungkook, mainly for Jungkook, it had been so long since that day. Seokjin was truly elated that Jimin was embracing music, not because it was part of his education, but for truly enjoying playing the piano and singing "I almost forgot you made a promise of playing for me and Jungkook, I'm happy how far you have come, Jimin, I hope you can sing for me again, you have a lovely voice..."

"Kim, you are always being praised for your excellent memory, I think you are getting older now or someone is messing with your head" Jungkook commented smugly as he placed his arm around Yoongi's body, bringing the red-haired beauty closer to him "I can't believe you completely forgot about the little mochi's promise..."

"Don't be too hard on him, Jungkook" Yoongi remarked amusingly as he smiled playfully, staring deeply into Jungkook's eyes while resting his head on his shoulder "You know your best friend was busy pissing me off by focusing on Hoseok's progress instead of Jimin's that evening and if I remember correctly there was a strong bunny who was being too confident and charismatic towards me like he was expecting something"

"Jeon, let me remind you that you are older than me by a few months so, your argument doesn't make sense and your attempt to make me look bad failed, or you would be working more weekends" Seokjin argued as he lifted himself, hearing people chuckling in the background for his counterattack. He decided not to comment on Jungkook's remark about someone messing with his head, he clearly was referring to Taehyung and Seokjin didn't want to fall for his best friend's trap. Instead, Seokjin wanted to take advantage of Yoongi's words and try to embarrass his arrogant best friend "You know, Jungkook, technically my son made you the promise, but I'm truly amazed, I wasn't expecting you to remember it since you were undoubtedly more interested in flirting with Yoongi that evening, even though you didn't know him that well yet"

"Yoonie hyung didn't like Papa and Kookie, but Kookie liked Yoonie hyung and said he was smart and talented" Jimin intervened innocently as he held on to his father's hand, recalling the events that unfolded that day "Kookie also said that Papa could have Tae Tae, but I don't know what he meant by that"

(What the hell did Jungkook mean by that?)

If Taehyung remembered correctly that specific period matched the week he encountered Seokjin or, better yet, when Seokjin bumped into him and acted like an asshole towards him because the older male senselessly thought that he was superior to him, Taehyung was still waiting for an apology, along with the desired oatmeal cookies. Back then, the silver-haired male intended to move past that small altercation and continue with his life, not realising that his path was already connected to Seokjin through Hoseok and Jimin's friendship. Even then, Taehyung didn't want to relate himself with someone judgmental, neglectful and ruthless, at least, that was the first impression he had. While attending university, Taehyung learned in one of his courses that when it came to first impressions, people tended to get attached to their initial impression and found it difficult to change their opinion afterwards, even when presented with evidence to the contrary. In Taehyung's case, he chose to keep his mind open and allow Seokjin to prove him wrong which, unfortunately, didn't happen until the older male crossed the line and finally showed him that he could be somewhat trustworthy by accepting his favour system.

"My little mochi has an excellent memory just like his papa, Kookie is impressed" Jungkook praised Jimin as he offered him a kind smile, not fazed about the words spoken by Jimin and Seokjin, especially Seokjin. Despite sounding foolish out loud, the black-haired male was already infatuated with Yoongi, and because of that, he decided to follow his instincts and tried to conquer the younger male's heart, even though his first attempts were failures "I still stand by those words, Yoongi is indeed smart and talented and you, Jin, should truly have Taehyung since you two seem perfect for-"

"My babies! Are you hungry? I bet you want some delicious food in your bellies, right?" Taehyung interrupted abruptly as he crouched down to be at the same level as the children, giving them a wide yet forced smile in an attempt to hide his will to kick Jungkook's ass. The silver-haired male watched Hoseok and Jimin vigorously nodding and smiling, feeling relieved for successfully diverting the conversation "Very well, babies, Joonie, Seunghee, Jungkookie and Yoonie are going to take care of you while dinner is being prepared unless you want me to feed your tummies some silly bunny right now"

"What does silly bunny taste like, Tae Tae? Is it yummy?" Hoseok questioned puzzlingly as he furrowed his brows, not understanding what Taehyung meant by that since he never heard about that dish before "Jiminie, did you ever try it?"

"No, and I don't know what it is either, Hobi..." Jimin responded naively as he shook his head, not wanting to find out what Taehyung meant because silly bunny reminded him of the nickname he gave Jungkook and Jungkook wasn't food. The small brunette boy gazed at the piano and since he had fun playing it while singing along with Hoseok, he wanted to do it again, but wanted his cheerful friend to teach him another song "H-Hobi, c-can you teach me the song you were playing the other day? I like playing the piano and singing with y-you..."

Hoseok giggled loudly as he delicately grasped Jimin's tiny hand, leading him to the piano once again. "Yoonie is teaching me "Mary Had a Little Lamb", I don't know the notes very well, but I can show you the ones I can play"

"Alright, now that our babies are entertained, we should go and start to prepare dinner, Jinnie..." Taehyung said steadily as he placed his hand on Seokjin's arm, feeling excited about helping the older male in the kitchen and finding out what dessert they were going to bake. He quickly changed his demeanour and menacingly stared at Jungkook, hoping the not-so-amusing male would keep his mouth shut instead of spewing nonsense like he usually did "The little ones might not like silly bunny, but I quite enjoy it so, if I put my hands on him, he will regret it..."

***

While Seokjin was busy preparing the ingredients for the soybean sprout side dish, Taehyung was delicately arranging the strips of the pastry in a woven lattice pattern over the top of the berry pie just like the older male demonstrated to him earlier. The original plan was to solely bake Seokjin's grandmother's apple pie recipe but since Seunghee had been craving berries because of her pregnancy, Seokjin decided to bake a pie, especially for her with a mix of blackberries, strawberries and raspberries. While preparing the berry pie, Taehyung was attentively watching Seokjin and learning as much as he could because the older male dared him to prepare the apple pie by himself under his guidance, of course. The silver-haired male had never been adventurous in the culinary department and the few simple dishes he knew how to cook he had learned with his mother and Yoongi, despite not being skilled in the kitchen and not being a master chef like his best friend, Taehyung still had the necessary skills to survive, unlike Namjoon, who shouldn't be near a kitchen unsupervised. After he finished arranging the pastry strips, Taehyung reached for the silicon basting brush and carefully dipped it in a pinch bowl that contained an egg and water mixture, proceeding to brush the top of the pie. Initially, Taehyung didn't understand why they needed to brush the pie dough with egg and water, but, according to Seokjin, the mixture was what turned the pie that beautiful golden brown and adding a sprinkle of sugar made it a tiny bit sweeter and crunchy as well.

Smiling, Taehyung cautiously set down the silicon brush on top of the pinch bowl and grabbed the washcloth, cleaning his hands that had remnants of flour as he turned around to see if Seokjin had finished his task. Since the dark-haired male was distracted draining the cooked soybean sprouts, Taehyung peeked at the glass bowl that had the apples with sugar and cinnamon that Seokjin had prepared a couple of hours ago, apparently it was a trick from his grandmother, and steadily dipped his hand inside to steal one of the sweet slices, taking a small bite to not draw Seokjin's attention. Earlier, the silver-haired male had stolen two or three slices and Seokjin wasn't very happy with his stunt, the apples tasted so good and sweet that Taehyung couldn't help himself.

"Taehyung..."

As he heard Seokjin assertively calling his name, Taehyung pressed his lips into a thin line and placed his hands behind his back to hide the semi-eaten slice of apple in hopes that he had been caught red-handed by him.

"I see you've already finished the tasks I gave you but I'm certain eating the apples wasn't one of them..." Seokjin spoke amusingly as he turned around to face Taehyung, taking the plastic gloves he was using to handle the cooked soybean sprouts. Without the mischievous younger male knowing, the dark-haired male would occasionally glimpse at him to check if he was secretly eating the apples and ended up catching him red-handed at the last second. Seokjin got closer to Taehyung, noticing his suspicious posture which indicated that he was certainly hiding something "If you keep eating the apples, Taehyung, I'm afraid we won't have enough to make the filling"

"Oh, c'mon, Jinnie, don't be so dramatic, we still have enough" Taehyung retorted cheerfully as he approached Seokjin while taking his hands from his back, not being able to hide his misdeed. He smiled cheekily as he placed his free hand on the older male's chest, showing him the half-eaten slice of apple "Since I'm a selfless cutie, I will share this one with you, Seokjin, it seems like you need some sugar on you"

As he let himself be fed by Taehyung, Seokjin couldn't help but recall the words the playful younger male had spoken to him the first time he took him to the bakery shop. Back then, the dark-haired male saw Taehyung's displeasure with coffee as odd since he never encountered someone who didn't enjoy the beverage. So, Seokjin told the younger male that he could simply add some sugar or cream to sweeten the coffee and Taehyung retorted harshly with reason, given the circumstances, and even called him an insensitive jerk.

"It's amusing how you are telling me that I need sugar, weren't you the one who told me that no matter how much sugar you could add to me, I would always act like an insensitive jerk?" Seokjin questioned knowingly as he mindlessly placed his hands on Taehyung's waist, watching the stunning younger male avoiding making eye contact with him and his smile widening which indicated that Taehyung still remembered that moment "To be honest, I don't think I need sugar, Taehyung, but if I ever need a sugar rush, I will gladly come to you"

(Is Seokjin flirting with me? Maybe I should flirt back...)

"Oh, is Jinnie calling me sweet? Because he's right, I am super sweet" Taehyung uttered seductively as he daringly gazed deeply into Seokjin's eyes, noticing an unknown yet alluring gleam in them, a gleam that was probably hiding his true intentions whatever they were. The silver-haired male tilted his head as he let his hands roam on Seokjin's torso, trying hard not to fall into temptation and focus on the first three buttons unbuttoned that partially showed the older male's chest "And, ah, I'm super spicy as well so, if you ever need something hot, don't hesitate and come to me, I will gladly satisfy your needs, Seokjin..."

"Sweet and spicy, huh? I think we should add naughty to the list, Taehyung, because you clearly have some naughty hands..." Seokjin replied enticingly as he grasped one of Taehyung's hands, gently kissing it while watching the younger male's pupils dilating. The dark-haired despite loving the fiery interaction between him and Taehyung, couldn't keep doing it without crossing the line. Hearing the beautiful silver-haired male saying he would satisfy his needs ignited something inside of him to the point Seokjin was on the verge of losing his cool again "Those naughty hands that keep dipping inside the bowl and stealing the apples, and speaking of apples, maybe we should start preparing the apple pie, dinner is ready, I'm just waiting for the rice to cook..."

"Yeah, you are right, we should..." Taehyung stated soothingly as he unwillingly freed himself from Seokjin's grip, slightly feeling disappointed for not being in the older male's embrace anymore. It was true the younger male was excited about preparing the pie and having fun, however, he truly missed being closer and cuddled by Seokjin "I guess I will put my naughty hands to good use and roll the dough just like you did earlier"

Despite seeing a weak smile adorning Taehyung's lips, Seokjin couldn't help but notice how upset he sounded, making him wonder if his abrupt decision to stop the flirting between them was the reason behind the silver-haired male's disappointment or if was there another reason that could explain his poor reaction? The dark-haired male softly cupped Taehyung's cheek and fondly stared at him, attempting to understand what was going through the younger male's mind, despite being unable to read people as easily as the other could. However, one thing was for certain Taehyung was disappointed and Seokjin wanted to follow Jungkook's advice from that afternoon – keeping him happy.

"It will only take a minute for me to finish the side dish, and then I will help you with the apple pie, after placing both pies in the oven, I will share with you the revenge plan I had for Jungkook, I know how curious you were yesterday..."

"I almost forgot about that, Jinnie, did you finally punish the silly bunny? Wait, don't answer, let's focus on the pie first" Taehyung said enthusiastically as he took Seokjin's hand from his face, curious to know the revenge plan and how it included Yoongi "Hurry up and move your tooshie, Seokjin, unless you want me to eat the rest of the apples"

Seokjin chuckled lightly as he watched Taehyung determinedly rolling up the sleeves from his beautiful dark-green sweater crop top he was wearing – that, as usual, fitted his figure so perfectly –, finding the younger male's excitement a sign that he had been capable of amending whatever he had done wrong earlier if he indeed had done something wrong in the first place.

After rolling up his sleeves, Taehyung turned his attention to the slightly messy island counter and spotted the plastic-wrapped pie dough destined for the apple pie, feeling a tiny bit nervous about the task he had in his hands. Deep down, the silver-haired male was terrified of messing up the dough by not rolling or maneuverer it properly which could potentially influence the pie, namely its consistency, and that was the last thing he wanted to do, especially when Seokjin was so kind to share his grandmother's legacy with him. As he took a deep breath to gather his courage and find his determination once again, Taehyung dipped his hand inside the bag of flour that was standing closer to the bowl of apples and delicately spread it along the counter. According to Seokjin, the pie dough should be rolled on a cold surface sprinkled with flour to prevent it from sticking. Taehyung followed the older male's instructions and replicated the same steps he had observed while Seokjin was preparing the first pie by dusting not only the counter but also the top of the dough and the rolling pin. Finally, he proceeded to set the rolling pin horizontally across the centre of the dough and began rolling upwards by pressing the kitchen utensil away from him, gradually stretching the dough.

Meanwhile, Seokjin focused on finishing the last remaining dish that was going to be served along with the kimchi his mother was always dearly preparing for him and Jimin, the bulgogi, the rice that was almost cooked and the soybean paste stew with pork and vegetables. He put the plastic gloves back on and grabbed the glass bowl, placing it right in front of him. Gently, he picked the cooked soybean sprouts from the drainer and put them inside the bowl, adding garlic, hot pepper flakes, green onion, fish sauce, sesame seeds and toasted sesame oil. As he mixed everything by hand, Seokjin smiled when he heard Taehyung gleefully humming some tune, maybe one of his favourite songs.

"Run run run kitty kitty run run

Already you, already you

Are falling for me more and more

The scent spreads more and more"

After preparing the soybean sprout side dish, Seokjin took his gloves off as he turned around to go help Taehyung with the apple pie, noticing how the younger male was rolling the pie dough while subtly swaying his hips to the rhythm of the song with the interesting lyrics. The dark-haired male leaned against the counter and held the edges with both hands, sensing that he was being bewitched by Taehyung since he wasn't able to tear his gaze away from him. As he attentively watched, Seokjin's eyes lingered on Taehyung as he traced the lines of his body while he effortlessly and gracefully moved his hips to the sound of his sweet voice that filled the kitchen like a warm embrace. At that moment, Seokjin felt a surge of longing coursing through him, a deep yearning to be closer to Taehyung, to place his hands on the enthralling younger male's waist and feel his warmth enwrapping him, the warmth he was drawn to. The dark-haired male bit his bottom lip as he tightened the grip of his fingers on the edge of the counter to the point of turning them white, attempting to fight the overwhelming desire. Then, Seokjin focused on Taehyung's dark green sweater crop top and noticed the fabric sliding down his shoulder, uncovering his honey-coloured skin like it was silently being invited. Seokjin couldn't help but imagine himself coming closer to Taehyung and wrapping his arms around his body, feeling the younger male leaning his head against him as he pressed his lips on his smooth and warm skin, leaving gentle and feathery kisses from his shoulder to his neck while hearing his sweet voice calling his name and begging him for more caresses.

Seokjin instantly averted his attention from Taehyung and stared at the floor, trying his hardest to calm down his heart that was thumping furiously against his chest. He momentarily closed his eyes and took a deep breath as silently as possible, hoping the younger male's melodic voice could disguise his attempts to soothe his racing mind and his enthusiastic heart. After he got a grip, Seokjin straightened himself and glanced at Taehyung, mentally gathering the strength to approach the younger male without losing control once again. Earlier, he was already stepping into dangerous territory by allowing himself to be bold and flirty, Seokjin chose to follow that route simply because Minhyuk and Taehyung tended to act flirtatiously towards each other. So, he pondered if Taehyung would be receptive to his more playful and enticing remarks and, astoundingly, he was, still, it didn't mean Taehyung was romantically interested in him, it just proved to Seokjin that he was willing to flirt with him.

"Cause I'm salty and sweet

You can't refuse, a whole

Different treat

You can't forget me

The feeling is real, strange feels"

As he finally approached Taehyung, Seokjin couldn't help but carefully hear the lyrics from the song, finding them quite relatable to his situation. He was falling more and more for Taehyung, and he definitely couldn't forget him and the interesting feelings he awoke in him, feelings that Seokjin was fully embracing, despite being a brand-new experience for him – being in love with someone. The dark-haired male decided to pay attention to the apple pie instead of his feelings and took a peek at the stretched dough on the island counter, finding honestly fascinating Taehyung's ability to dance and roll the dough at the same time, maybe because Seokjin solely concentrated on the task he had in hands which, ironically, wasn't something he was capable of doing since he caught feelings for the spellbinding younger male.

"Giving an entertaining performance while rolling pie dough must be one of your hidden talents, Taehyung, because not even I could do that but, again, I usually don't dance while I'm cooking..." Seokjin commented wittily after Taehyung began humming once again as he absentmindedly put a silver lock behind his ear, catching the younger male's attention. When he locked his gaze with Taehyung, the dark-haired male noticed his eyes widening with his remark, not understanding his reaction and yet, he still offered him a small smile "And I guess Jimin is not the only one with the lovely voice..."

"I-I'm sorry, Seokjin, I-I should be focusing on rolling the pie dough instead of singing and dancing..." Taehyung uttered embarrassingly as put down the rolling pin on the counter, not wanting Seokjin to think he wasn't taking seriously the task he had given him "I-I like to hum while I'm doing something to distract my mind, when it comes to singing, w-well, I-I usually don't it..."

"Taehyung, why are you apologising to me? You are doing an amazing job; you prepared the counter and rolled the dough exactly like I told you" Seokjin spoke soothingly as he reached for Taehyung's hand, hoping he could reassure him "And I don't have a problem with you dancing and singing, especially your singing, I was telling you the truth, you have a beautiful voice, in fact, you should sing more, why don't you do it?"

Taehyung let a brief sigh escape his lips as he lowered his head, debating if he should share with Seokjin the reason behind his unwillingness to sing in front of people. The silver-haired male didn't have a problem sharing personal problems since he already had shared so much with Seokjin. However, matters that were correlated with his mother's death were always challenging, not only because he still struggled with her loss, but also because the subjects were sensitive to him to the point of bringing to the surface the most precious memories he had of his family before everything turned upside down. It was true that Taehyung freely shared that he had astraphobia – fear of storms –, but he never explained the motive behind his phobia because it was connected to his mother's death. Since the night he stayed at Seokjin's house, Taehyung kept reflecting on the subject and considered telling Seokjin about the events that led to his mother's death and the repercussions it had on him.

"C-Can we make a deal? I-I'll tell you the reason why I don't sing anymore if you tell me why you were so reluctant to go inside the piano room..." Taehyung professed quietly as he sheepishly stared at Seokjin, noticing the astonished look on his face. He delicately placed his hand on top of the older male's, hoping he could offer some comfort to him, just like he was going to do after sharing his situation "I got worried when I saw your reaction earlier, Jinnie, you seem truly uncomfortable..."

Seokjin wasn't expecting Taehyung to use the same method he usually resorted to when the younger male was upset about a certain matter but refused to speak to him about it because he didn't want to bother him. Even though he wasn't too keen on sharing another depressing moment from the past, Seokjin acknowledged that every time he decided to talk about it with Taehyung a weight was lifted from his shoulders. It felt like every piece of information Seokjin shared, a little of his burden would be alleviated which allowed him to gradually move forward.

"You know, I don't like how you use my method against me, just like I don't like when you use your favour system to get your way, but I accept your terms..." Seokjin uttered softly as listened to Taehyung's sweet giggles, loving to see him more upbeat "As long as you don't mind working while we speak, I have a feeling that Jungkook and Yoongi will come to check on us if we don't hurry up"

"Well, I guess you aren't the only one who likes to seek fairness..." Taehyung said more cheerfully as he freed himself from Seokjin's grip, chuckling lightly. He reached for the rolling pin and decided to focus on the apple pie again, that way he had an excuse not to face the older male while disclosing sensitive information regarding his family and his childhood "I don't mind, Jinnie, and, in case Jungkook and Yoongi interrupt us, I will go after them with the rolling pin..."

Seokjin couldn't help but laugh at Taehyung's funny statement as he noticed how the younger male wasn't making eye contact with him, presuming that the reason why he didn't sing anymore was a delicate subject. "Alright so, why don't you sing anymore, Taehyung? Is it related to your family?"

"Hum, yeah, more specifically, my mom, after she died a lot of things changed in my life and my father's relationship with his mistress was just the tip of the iceberg..." Taehyung stated solemnly as he dipped, once again, his hand inside the bag of flour, generously sprinkling it on the rolling pin to prevent the dough from sticking while he transferred it to the ceramic pie dish "As you know, I still struggle with her loss, you would think I would find some comfort in the activities we used to do together like Jimin usually does to keep his mother's memory alive, but they just remind me of her absence instead..."

"Taehyung, everyone mourns and deals with the death of their loved ones differently, just because Jimin resorts to his artistic skills to keep closer to his mother doesn't mean the same thing works with you..." Seokjin spoke in a mellow tone as he gently ran his fingers through Taehyung's silver locks, observing the younger male's movements to check if he was having difficulty rolling the dough around the pin "Did you and your mother use to sing together?"

"Yes, my mom, like Yoongi, was a music enthusiast and loved classical music..." Taehyung replied as he cautiously finished rolling the dough around the pin, smiling weakly when a few memories of him and his mother came to mind. He transferred the pie dough into the ceramic pie dish that Seokjin kindly brought closer to him and slowly unrolled it, centring it in the dish "When I was little and I couldn't sleep, I would come downstairs to the living room and watch my mom playing the piano since I wasn't stealthy, she would always spot me..." Taehyung added as he bit his bottom lip, carefully pressing the dough with the pad of his fingers "I particularly enjoyed the summer holidays when I was at home, I would always join her and sing along to the song she was playing if I didn't know the lyrics, I would just hum but, after her death, I couldn't bare the sight of the piano, I hated it so much and all the memories that came with it so, knowing how upsetting it was for me, my father got rid of it and I stopped singing or humming from then on until Yoongi started our breakfast tradition..."

Taehyung momentarily stopped pressing the dough into the pie dish and quickly ran the back of his hand over his cheek when he shed a tear, not wanting to break down in front of Seokjin. For a moment, he contemplated the words the older male had spoken before about people mourning and dealing with the death of their loved ones differently. After losing his mother, Taehyung hoped that the sharp pain he felt in his heart could progressively disappear through the years and allow him to live his life in her absence but that never happened. It had been almost a decade since his mother's death and, despite the pain not being as strong as before, it was still residing deep inside of Taehyung, the same pain that overtook the side of his heart that completely fell apart.

"You're right, Seokjin, people have different ways to deal with the death of their loved ones, the thing is I don't have a way, I simply relive the moment of her death, even though it has been almost eight years since then..." Taehyung said gloomily as he grabbed the cloth to clean his hands, taking a moment to recollect himself "I know I need professional help not only to deal with my mother's death but also the traumas that came with it, I'm just not ready to speak about it yet..."

"Taehyung, it's completely fine if you are not ready to go see a professional, the healing process takes time and it's intricate, it takes a lot of strength, strength that I know you have inside of you, you just need help to bring to the surface, that's all..." Seokjin spoke encouragingly as he took the cloth from Taehyung's hands, catching his attention. He got closer to the silver-haired male and delicately pulled him into a hug to solace him, feeling the younger male relaxing in his embrace "And it's not true, you have your ways to deal with your mother's absence and your pain, if you didn't, you wouldn't be the person you are, Taehyung, someone who can't deal with their pain becomes bitter and cold, you are none of those things..."

(Kim Seokjin, I am so lucky to have you in my life...)

Instead of bursting into tears, Taehyung tightened his hold on Seokjin as he smiled weakly, feeling grateful for the older male's soothing and sweet words that had the purpose of appeasing his tormented mind and his wounded heart. Just like the moment he and Seokjin shared on the rooftop, on Yoongi and Hyunjoon's birthday, Taehyung felt a sense of relief and validation because, sometimes, he honestly thought he was doing the wrong thing, in this case, not resorting to a professional to aid him with his mental health issues and not choosing better coping mechanisms to deal with his feelings, like emotional eating. Taehyung was self-aware and acknowledged that, soon or later, he would need help because he couldn't continue to walk on a path of self-destruction, the same path filled with anguish and sorrowfulness.

"Speaking about my mother is always difficult for me, I missed her so much..." Taehyung uttered sweetly with a hint of sadness as he met Seokjin's gaze, finding the older male's spontaneous hug so thoughtful and wholesome "B-But talking to you about my feelings helps me deal with my grief and reminds me of the memorable moments I had with her so, thank you, Seokjin, thank you for being there for me"

"You don't need to thank me, Taehyung, you know I will always be here for you, no matter what, you have been there for me as well, even when I was sceptical of your methods" Seokjin professed affably as he cupped Taehyung's face, gently running his thumb over his pinkish cheek. He intensely stared at the silver-haired male's big doe eyes and noticed how they were sparkling much brighter now, seeing the agony being replaced by hope "You can rely on me until you find your strength, Taehyung, as you said, we, as humans beings, ask for help because we know our limitations, you don't have to deal with your upsetting feelings on your own, I will gladly help you go through them..."

"When you say sceptical of my methods, Jinnie, are you referring to my idea about Jimin's study sessions or my favour system? Either way, both of them were my idea and they were pretty effective because I'm not only a selfless cutie, but also I'm smart" Taehyung retorted cleverly as giggled warmheartedly while parting from the hug. Since he already had complied with his part of the deal, now it was the older male's turn to share why he was hesitant earlier, the silver-haired male had a hutch about the reason, however, he wanted Seokjin to rely on him too "And I make your words mine own, Seokjin, you don't have to deal with your negative emotions by yourself, I want you to rely on me so, now it's your turn to share, why were you so anxious about the piano room? I guess your father has something to do with it, right?"

"I learned my lesson; I will not overestimate Kim Taehyung from here on forward" Seokjin said amusingly, watching Taehyung working on the pie crust edges. He smiled dejectedly as he fetched the medium saucepan with the butter and sugar sauce to pour over the apples and a wooden spoon, preparing himself mentally to share one of the hardest moments of his life "And you are right, my hesitation from earlier is connected to my father..." Seokjin confessed sombrely as he carefully poured the sauce over the apples and placed the saucepan on the island counter, proceeding to mix everything with the wooden spoon with caution. As he focused on the apple filling, Seokjin, through his peripheral vision, could see Taehyung staring at him, probably waiting for him to continue "I wasn't very amused when my father forced me to have piano lessons when I was a child but after I started my lessons, I quickly fell in love with music and I saw it as a way to unwind from my busy schedule and my father's ruthlessness..."

"I guess you and Yoongi have more in common than I thought which is shocking, to say the least..." Taehyung uttered benignly as he reached for the cloth to clean his hands, listening to how warmly Seokjin spoke about music, however, he couldn't help but detect some gloominess in his voice. He put the cloth back and gently clutched Seokjin's wrist, stopping him from mixing the apples with the sauce "It seems like music was a big part of you, Jinnie so, what happened? And how is it related to the piano room?"

"Well, as I told you before, this mansion belonged to my grandparents and I preferred playing the piano here than at home because I didn't want my father to think that music was a distraction so, that piano room was a sanctuary for me, my safe haven, at least, it was until..." Seokjin stopped mid-sentence as he felt those unpleasant and overwhelming feelings coming back while reminiscing about that day, the hellish day that ruined his life. At the time, the black-haired male was gathering the courage to come out to his mother since she was the only one who truly cared about him, he didn't intend to tell his father for obvious reasons, but everything blew out of proportion so suddenly. While he was trying to find the right words to explain what transpired between him and his father, Seokjin felt Taehyung's arms wrapping around his body, hugging him tightly which gave him the strength to continue "U-Until my father caught me in a compromising situation with one of my male classmates..." Seokjin spoke quietly as he held on to Taehyung, finding the younger male's presence truly reassuring "Since I couldn't hide anymore, I finally told my father that I would never be the perfect son he always wanted me to be because I liked men, obviously, he wasn't happy about it and told me to get myself together unless I wanted to suffer the consequences, I couldn't deal with him so, I went here and decided to resort to music but every time I played the piano instead of remembering the good times, I could only focus on the worst moments of my life, I was so upset that I almost broke the piano..."

(So, after that day, he probably couldn't stand the sight of the piano, just like me...)

As he heard those devastating words, Taehyung felt his heart breaking for Seokjin, not being able to fathom the many hardships he had to endure throughout his life just because his father, on top of having inconceivable expectations, was a vile man who solely cared about the family name and the company.

"I'm so sorry, Seokjin, I'm sorry you had to grow up with that monster who you call father, that monster who made you go through hell..." Taehyung stated softly as he cupped Seokjin's face, gazing right into his brown eyes that allowed him to see his shattered soul. Despite being broken-hearted by the situation, the silver-haired male did his best to solace Seokjin and offered him a warm-hearted smile in hopes that he could shoo away the negative emotions "I'm so proud of you for embracing your true self and allowing Jimin to follow his own path, you are an amazing person and father, Kim Seokjin, I hope you know that, but in case you don't, this selfless cutie will be by your side to show you"

"Thank you, Taehyung, I don't deserve your kindness after everything I did and said to you, but I appreciate you and your heartening words..." Seokjin remarked benevolently as he delicately grabbed the hand Taehyung had on his face, feeling lucky for having the beautiful younger male in his life. Since he and Taehyung got closer and developed a bond, Seokjin started to share the darkest and saddest episodes of his life, episodes that he didn't dare to speak about with people because he was too embarrassed and disturbed to even mention them out loud "And even if I know I'm an amazing person and father, will you stay by my side, selfless cutie?"

(If Seokjin doesn't stop being the charming man he is, my heart will melt for sure...)

"O-Of course, I-I will, Jinnie, I will for as long as you want me to..." Taehyung stammered diffidently as he averted his eyes from Seokjin, not expecting the older male to use the nickname he came up with for himself, but he secretly enjoyed being called cutie by him. As he felt Seokjin lacing their fingers, the silver-haired male immediately sensed his cheeks heating up and his heart dangerously increasing its pace while cherishing the closeness between them. Unlike before, Taehyung couldn't go back to his sassy and flirty self, he was too flustered to even reply with a bold comment "W-Well, n-now that b-both of us already fulfilled our part of the d-deal, w-we should go back to the pie..."

When he took a risk and decided to act flirty with Taehyung, Seokjin genuinely intended to see if the gorgeous younger male was going to follow his lead and reply with an equally playful remark. Taehyung's reaction and willingness to play along didn't indicate anything unusual or help Seokjin understand if the silver-haired male could possibly reciprocate his feelings since his relationship with Minhyuk was based on flirting. Nevertheless, Seokjin, despite not knowing much about the nature of the relationship, realised that he had some sort of influence over Taehyung by attentively observing his reactions to specific comments he would make for example, calling him a "selfless cutie". Perhaps, he was jumping to conclusions, or it probably was wishful thinking, but Seokjin was certain that he, namely his words and gestures, affected Taehyung, which could explain the frequent lack of eye contact lately.

As he watched Taehyung averting his eyes from him and acting timid in his embrace, Seokjin couldn't help but smile softly at the view, it actually served as motivation for him to pursue the mesmerising younger male romantically. The dark-haired male replayed the words Jungkook had spoken that afternoon, in his office, particularly the ones about him fighting and doing anything to conquer Taehyung's heart no matter the circumstances. Seokjin was going to do just that; he was fighting for Taehyung no matter what and doing whatever he needed to do to show his appreciation and care for him. He knew the younger male already had suffered a lot in the past when it came to love so, Seokjin was going to resort to the same tactic he used with Jimin when he wanted to become the father his son wished him to be. However, this time, he was going to learn everything he needed to know to eventually become the partner Taehyung deserved.

"A moment ago, you didn't seem too enthusiastic to go back to the pie and now you seem eager..." Seokjin taunted Taehyung as he leisurely released his grasp from the younger male's fingers, allowing him to return to work and focus on the pie crust. Hilariously, the dark-haired male watched Taehyung clumsily placing his fingers on the pie crust, attempting to remember how to do the wave-shaped decoration to give the pie a more presentable look. Seokjin placed himself behind Taehyung, sensing him jolting with his sudden gesture, and delicately grabbed his hands to remind him how to flute the edges "With your left hand, you use your index finger against the inside edge of the pastry and with your right hand, you use your thumb and index finger to press the pastry from the outside, like this, Taehyung..."

Taehyung willingly allowed Seokjin to manoeuvre his hands and the respective fingers he needed to use to flute the edges of the pie, smiling shyly while enjoying working closely with the older male. Even when he started to flute the edges by himself, Taehyung could still feel Seokjin behind him, probably looking over his shoulder and watchfully observing his work, and he didn't hate how their bodies were glued to each other. In fact, Taehyung yearned for that type of closeness often, he yearned for that warmth that, despite making his heart almost shoot out from his chest, comforted and embraced him, especially during the hardest moments.

Chapter Text

Jungkook fetched the keycard from his blazer's inner pocket and swiped it effortlessly through the electronic reader, opening the door to the luxurious suite Seokjin so kindly reserved for him and Yoongi during their short stay in Busan. Sighing heavily, the black-haired male loosened the knot of his tie as he walked towards the living room area, relieved to conclude the negotiations with Lim regarding the partnership with Seokjin. Carelessly, he placed the suitcase on the couch and the keycard on the glass coffee table with a porcelain vase with different colourful flowers, and took off his blazer. As he pulled up his shirt sleeves and unbuttoned the first two buttons of his dress shirt, Jungkook eyes were glued to the floor-to-ceiling windows that presented him with one of the best views he had ever seen. The hotel was in the heart of Haeundae, the city's premier shopping and beach destination, offering the most sprawling ocean views and the famed Gwangan bridge, which was popular among tourists.

As he admired the marvellous scenario, Jungkook felt excited about coming back home and having the opportunity to take Yoongi to his childhood home to meet his parents and to take him to the beach which was the best part of Haeundae. During the trip, per Yoongi's request, Jungkook spoke about his childhood and how it was growing up in Busan. One of his most vivid and wonderful memories from those times was the picnics his family organised during summer break on the beach. The red-haired male shyly confessed to him how lucky he was to grow up in a beautiful city as Busan and added that he had never gone to the beach before and couldn't wait to feel sand against the soles of his feet and smell the salty and crispy fragrance from the deep blue ocean. Smiling widely, Jungkook reached into the pocket of his suit pants and took a velvet dark-blue box as he mused about the plan he had come up with for later that night, after dinner with his parents – the moment Jungkook would finally come forward and request Yoongi to be his partner. He decided to keep the box with him, instead of hiding it in the suite, frightened that Yoongi could encounter it by mistake and that would ruin the surprise.

While distracted with the box, muffled sounds and groans came from the master room. Jungkook chuckled as he made his way to the room, feeling curious about why Yoongi was at the suite instead of outside. That morning, during breakfast, the red-haired male told Jungkook that he didn't want to be all alone in the suite and wanted to explore a little, at least, the surroundings around the hotel until he was done with his meeting. When he reached the master room, the black-haired male suddenly stopped, noticing a mountain of clothes on top of the bed and Yoongi holding two hangers with two loose-fitting dark-coloured shirts in front of the mirror. One of them he recognised because it was the shirt the younger male was wearing the first time his eyes landed on him, as always, Yoongi looked stunning.

Jungkook leaned against the frame and stood there, watching Yoongi pursing his lips as he placed the loosen-fitting shirts in front of him, switching between them indecisively like he was checking which one would suit him better. Sneakily, the black-haired male headed towards Yoongi and caught him off guard when he wrapped his arms around his waist, burying his face on the younger male's neck as he planted a feathery kiss on his skin.

"Can I ask why your whole wardrobe is on top of the bed, my soft kitten?" Jungkook questioned wittily as he laid his chin on top of Yoongi's shoulder, watching the younger male swiftly throwing the shirts into the massive pile of clothes "I thought you wanted to explore the surroundings by yourself before I showed you the city..."

"Jungkookie, baby, you're back..." Yoongi uttered sweetly as he took Jungkook's hands from his body, turning around to face him. He wrapped his arms around the older male's body and rested his head on his shoulder, smiling weakly for finally having Jungkook back "Yeah, I was supposed to go out until you're done with your meeting, but then I remembered that I didn't know what to wear to dinner with your parents tonight..."

"Well, that answers my question, and I didn't know you had brought so many clothes, baby, you remind me of my mom" Jungkook commented amusingly as he laughed wholeheartedly, earning a playful smack on the arm from Yoongi, who was now frowning intensively at him, but at the same time, had a cute pout adorning his irresistible lips. He cupped the beautiful red-haired male's face and tilted his head, briefly kissing Yoongi as he ran his thumb over his warmish cheeks "Yoongi, sweetheart, you don't need to worry about your outfit for tonight, whatever you choose to wear, my parents are still going to love you..."

"It's easier for you to say, you can always turn your charm on and hypnotise people with your handsomeness, just like you did with my parents, my mom can't stop talking about you since you two met..." Yoongi spoke quietly as he rested his hands on Jungkook's chest, feeling his nerves coming to the surface again. He didn't know why he was so restless about meeting Jungkook's parents, seemingly, a tiny part of him was scared of them not liking him and not being enough for their son "When it comes to me, I have a little difficulty making good first impressions, the last thing I want is your parents to hate me and find me unsuitable for you..."

"Yoongi, I might be charming and hypnotise people with handsomeness as you say, but when I was about to meet your parents, I was a nervous wreck because I feared that they wouldn't approve of me, I feared that they would think I was going to hurt you just like Changkyun did..." Jungkook confessed soothingly as he noticed Yoongi's eyes growing bigger, offering him a comforting smile. He wasn't expecting to share that specific moment with the younger male because he was genuinely freaking out about being unable to demonstrate to Yoongi's parents how he truly felt for their son "If it makes you feel more at ease, my parents have been nagging me to introduce you to them so, when I told them I needed to go to Busan on business, the first thing they asked was if you were coming with me on this trip"

"Y-Yes, it makes me feel slightly better, I suppose, even though I still want to make a good impression, and show them how much I cherish and appreciate you, Jungkook, you changed my life..." Yoongi mumbled sheepishly, taking Jungkook's hands from his face as he lowered his gaze to hide his flushed cheeks "W-Will you help me choose an outfit for tonight? I asked Tae this morning, but, ah, he wasn't helpful..."

"I know, my delicate beauty, but since I told them how you played the piano so beautifully to me as a way to confess your love, they have been gushing over you so, not only have you conquered my heart, but you also conquered theirs" Jungkook remarked bluntly as he lifted Yoongi's face with the help of his thumb and index finger, loving to highlight that particular moment just to make the younger male all flustered "And let me guess, somewhere in the conversation, Tae mentioned you wearing your birthday suit-"

"It's not funny, Jeon Jungkook! You and Taehyung have the same odd sense of humour and I don't like it" Yoongi interrupted abruptly as he lightly punched Jungkook's shoulder, feeling himself turning the darkest shade of red while watching the older male rubbing the spot where he hit him. He crossed his arms over his chest, averting his eyes from Jungkook as he tried to gather the courage to make a move tonight, but the older male's frisky comments didn't help his case. The red-haired male took a peek at Jungkook and, despite seeing how hard he had punched him, the older male was still flashing his charming smile at him, the smile that had immense power over his heart. Still, he wasn't going to back down "Don't you dare give me that smile, silly bunny, like Taehyung, you should have kept your mouth shut..."

"C'mon, baby, you can't be mad at me..." Jungkook retorted gleefully as he reached for one of Yoongi's hands, making him uncross his arms. He placed his hands on the red-haired male's waist and pulled him against his body, leaning forward to steal a kiss. He gently pressed lips on Yoongi's and moved them slowly, feeling the younger male quickly reciprocating his kiss, which indicated to him that he had been successful in calming down his delicate beauty and hypnotising him with his handsomeness. Jungkook broke the kiss and leaned his forehead against Yoongi's, softly putting a red lock behind his ear "I will help you choose an outfit later, I promise, but now I want to take you to a small and cosy seafood restaurant by the beach and show you how magnificent Busan is, what do you say, my soften kitten?"

Yoongi smiled bashfully as he locked his gaze with Jungkook, not being able to be mad at him for long, especially when he was truly excited to go sightseeing with the older male and spend alone time with him. "That sounds amazing, strong bunny, I can't wait..."

***

In the early afternoon, the luxurious and modern living room bathed in the soft and warm glow of the sunlight sipping through the expansive windows that highlighted the sophistication and elegance of the room. The living room didn't appear to be like the typical grandiose and gleaming living rooms embellished with old wooden furnishings, plush velvety sofas with the most intricate hand embroidered pillows, lustrous marble coffee tables standing in the centre and fancy ornated crystal chandeliers suspended from the ceiling. Instead, the living room seemed a place for comfort, security and tranquillity, a place that, just like the piano room, stood among the other different rooms that were part of the mansion. As his gaze swept across the living room, Taehyung took in every meticulous detail surrounding him with wonderment, feeling completely breath-taken by the simplicity and the cosiness of the space that, honestly, added to his stunned reaction. It wasn't the first time the silver-haired male admired the space in question, but, back when he had the opportunity to explore the mansion, alongside Seokjin, he was more interested in other rooms, specifically, the attic, where Seokjin's late wife's atelier was set.

Taehyung's eyes landed on the small table positioned right by the large-sized windows and near the door that led to the greenery landscape where the majestic cherry blossoms arose, watching Hoseok and Jimin amusingly chatting with each other as they drew enthusiastically with the different colourful pencils and sharpies. After checking the children, Taehyung, as he crossed his legs Indian style, focused on the scenery on the other side of the window, realising that the view that he was currently admiring was the one on the painting Seokjin had gifted to him on Hoseok's birthday – the painting Seokjin's late wife worked on when she first found out about her diagnosis. Every time the silver-haired male stared at the painting, he couldn't help but feel the sadness washing over him, probably the same sadness Seokjin's late wife felt while looking over Jimin while she was immortalising the moment between her and her son, not only that but also the concern of handing Seokjin the full responsibility of taking care of Jimin, knowing what his intentions were for their son. Despite the gloominess of the painting, Taehyung considered it a source of calmness as well, as oddly as it was. According to Seokjin, one of the reasons why he offered the painting, apart from compensating for the misunderstanding that occurred between them, the painting had the purpose of soothing him when the weather became too aggressive and triggered him or, better yet, triggered the memory of the day his mother passed away, a piece of information that still was unknown for Seokjin.

At first, Taehyung doubted that the painting could have had the calming effect Seokjin hoped for, maybe because he had extreme difficulty controlling his emotions during thunderstorms. However, not long after hanging the painting on the wall, right beside the mirror on top of his dresser, a gruesome storm hit which immediately triggered Taehyung and led him to have one of the worst panic attacks he experienced in his life, it had been so bad that he couldn't even calm down Hoseok during the night. When a lightning bolt erupted from the dark skies, the flash of light slid through the curtainless window and emphasised the beautiful painting, hypnotising Taehyung and protecting him from the nightmare unfolding outside. Now, Taehyung wondered if the warm and comforting feeling he had while observing the painting was solely because of its beauty and meanings or was because Seokjin had been the one gifting to him because he wanted something to give him comfort through the darkest and frightening stormy nights since he couldn't do it himself.

The sounds of footsteps and amicable bickering awoke Taehyung from his pensive state, making him avert his gaze at the living room's entrance as he listened to Mrs Kim scolding Seokjin for some strange reason which amused him profoundly. He watched Mrs Kim walk towards the oak resting round coffee table as she carried a beautiful silver tray with ornamented handles, the most flourish tea set, and two matching plates with oatmeal cookies. As for Seokjin, the older male was carrying a 3-tier porcelain dessert stand display with several types of berry pastries. Oddly enough, Seunghee, because of the pregnancy, couldn't stand the sweet smell coming from desserts, it would immediately make her sick, the only exceptions were sweets that had berries, like the berry pie Seokjin had baked exclusively for Seunghee. Taehyung glanced at Seunghee and noticed the anticipation glinting in her eyes, which he understood because he felt the same way about the oatmeal cookies that had been baked by Mrs Kim, despite Seokjin being the one who owed him some after acting like an asshole towards him when they first met.

"You have to stop treating me like I'm fragile, Seokjin, I might be an old lady, but I still can carry a tray by myself, honey, your mother isn't weak, where do you think your strength comes from?" Mrs Kim questioned knowingly as she carefully placed the tray on top of the coffee table, offering a smile to Seokjin, who was frowning at her, understanding his son's worries, even though he didn't need to be concerned about her, she was the one with that responsibility. After placing the tray, she glanced fondly at Seunghee and reached for her hand "Sweetheart, since you can't stand the smell of caffeine, we made some rooibos tea to serve with the cookies and the pastries, we don't want to upset the little bean"

"Mrs Kim, that's so kind of you..." Seunghee commented politely as she flashed a bright smile at Mrs Kim, mindlessly massaging her belly that wasn't protruding yet, but she could feel a tiny bump already forming. She felt Namjoon's fingers running through her pink hair and his lips kissing her temple, making her heart burst with happiness "Thank you so much for everything you have done so far, you didn't have to go to that extent, I don't want to be a burden"

"You're welcome, Seunghee and, please, I reassure you that you are not a burden, you are carrying a life, you should be taken care of and spoiled, and I bet Namjoon does it all the time, he deserves a break too, especially after the ordeal you two went through..." Mrs Kim retorted sweetly as she released her grip from Seunghee's hand, gently sitting on the blue single-seat sofa chair, standing in front of the coffee table. She sat up straight as she smoothed her shirt, glimpsing at Seokjin, who was now sitting closely to Taehyung, while recollecting how arduous it had been the first couple of years of her marriage and how much pressure she had to endure from the Kim family "I know how you felt, sweetie, I didn't mention earlier because I didn't want to ruin such a happy occasion, but I struggled with getting pregnant as well..."

"Mom..."

"It's alright, my son, no need to be alarmed, I'm completely comfortable talking about this matter, I'm not ashamed..." Mrs. Kim said reassuringly to Seokjin as she smiled sadly, noticing the astonished expression on Taehyung's features "When I got married to Seokjin's father, I already knew the responsibilities I needed to uphold as his wife, the main priority was to bear a child, – the future heir of the Kim family – and so, I did what was expected of me, but after two years trying, I realised that something was wrong with my body, I supposed it was woman's intuition..." Mrs Kim uttered sorrowfully as she lowered her head, chuckling lightly with her situation "The doctor said I had irregular ovulation which decreased my fertility by a lot and therefore I had less probability of getting pregnant, I admit, I was frightened, not only because I couldn't fulfil my duties as a wife, but also I couldn't be a mother so, in my time of need, I prayed to God for a miracle, I prayed to God to allow me to carry a child and He listened to my prayers, gifting me my Seokjin..."

As he listened to Mrs Kim's story, Taehyung felt his heart breaking into little pieces, sensing his eyes watering while imagining how difficult it was for her to deal with her inability to get pregnant and the amount of pressure to fulfil her duties. The silver-haired male mindlessly curled up his hands tightly as he felt enraged with the thought of the older Kim mistreating his son, the son that had been provided by God and was indeed a miracle. How ungrateful and cold-hearted could he be? How could he consciously judge and belittle his son, knowing the hardships his wife had to endure to bring Seokjin into this world? Taehyung never encountered the man, and he was hoping he would never have the opportunity because he probably would spew some not-so-nice words to him, despite not deserving his energy.

Amid his inner turmoil, Taehyung sensed Seokjin grasping his curled hand and cupping it, soothing the ranging storm brewing inside of him. The silver-haired male leaned his head against Seokjin's broad shoulder and gave him a tight-lipped smile, feeling like he should be the one comforting the older male and not the other way around. Taehyung should be the one to express and reassure Seokjin, who he knew already had difficulty accepting the person he truly was to the point he felt the necessity to hide himself from the world.

"I-I'm s-so s-sorry, Mrs Kim, y-you w-went through so much..." Seunghee stuttered gloomily as she cleaned the trail left by the tears while being embraced by Namjoon "I'm s-so g-glad that everything turned out amazingly w-well for you..."

"Oh, sweetie, I didn't want to make you cry, here, take it..." Mrs Kim remarked alarmingly as she took an embroidered handkerchief from the pocket of her blazer, softly offering it to Seunghee while getting up from the sofa chair. She took the opportunity and picked up the handle of the pot, carefully pouring the hot rooibos tea into the cup. Mrs. Kim chose one of her favourite pastries from the stand display and placed it on the saucer, right beside the cup, giving it to Seunghee, in hopes that the tea could calm her down "Also, a nice cup of tea to comfort you and that little bean of yours who probably wants mommy to be happy and not sad" Mrs. Kim added as she began to pour the tea in the rest of the cups, immediately catching Seokjin parting from Taehyung and getting up from the sofa to help her serve everyone by distributing the cups. She took one of the cups and an oatmeal cookie, giving them to Taehyung, who happily accepted by slightly bowing his head "Well, how about I fulfil my side of the bargain? I requested Seokjin to introduce me to you, Taehyung, and your brothers, as you probably know, I have something in my possession that belongs to you and Namjoon..."

After he took a sip, Seokjin chocked on the tea and coughed a little when he heard his mother saying how she had requested him to bring Taehyung, Namjoon and Hoseok to meet her, when, in fact, it had been more like a demand. "T-That's not how the conversation went down, mom, but I'm certain that you know that you have an excellent memory, I inherited from you..."

"I'm pleased that you recognise that, my son or I would have to go to Jungkook and make him a special request, you might know what I'm talking about," Mrs Kim said wittily as she sat on the sofa chair, bringing the cup to her lips. She cautiously took a sip as she eyed Seokjin, who didn't seem happy to hear her remark, which was quite amusing, honestly "As I said, I want to return the recipe to your family, Taehyung, not only that, but Seokjin also requested something else from me..."

Taehyung knitted his brows as he averted his attention to Seokjin, who was casually drinking his tea, wondering what else could it be that the older male had requested on his behalf, nothing was crossing his mind at the moment. "Hum, what do you mean by that, Mrs Kim? Is there anything else you wish to give me and my brothers?"

"Well, I imagine Seokjin made his request while thinking of you, but Namjoon will surely appreciate his gesture, as will you..." Mrs Kim retorted bluntly as she looked between Seokjin and Taehyung, noticing how bashful both of them were and, truthfully, she didn't mind giving an extra push, especially when she, throughout the day, was able to witness the beautiful connection both Seokjin and Taehyung shared, a connection that was as clear as water. The older woman took another sip from her tea and peeked at the recipe book standing on the small table next to the sofa, where Seokjin and Taehyung were "I put the written recipe and the other thing inside my recipe book, it's on the table, next to the sofa, please take a look, Taehyung, it's bookmarked..."

Taehyung was about to place the cup and the saucer on the coffee table to check what was inside Mrs Kim's recipe book, but before he had the chance, Seokjin gently took them from him with a comforting smile and put them on the coffee table in his stead. Despite being an ordinary and simple gesture, it was enough to make Taehyung's heart skip a beat, guessing that no matter what Seokjin did for him, whether he came to him and solace him or reached for his hand and squeezed strongly to shoo away any negative emotions residing inside of him, he would always succumb to the charming dark-haired male.

While attempting to ignore his insane heart rate that translated into a plea for him to fall completely into the love he had for Seokjin, Taehyung delicately grabbed Mrs Kim's recipe book and opened it where the red silky strip stood cosily between the pages. When he spotted the worn-out and yellowing piece of paper, Taehyung quickly felt his eyes watering and a sense of emptiness consuming him. He carefully studied the scribbles written in the most beautiful handwriting, the same handwriting that, despite being a little all over the place, he didn't have difficulty understanding, unlike Namjoon, who, ironically, had messy handwriting, even Seunghee had trouble decoding it.

"T-Thank you s-so m-much, Mrs Kim, this means a lot to me, Namjoon and Yoongi..." Taehyung whispered as he kept his gaze on the japchae recipe, still finding it hard to believe that he had recovered part of his mother's legacy through Seokjin. Momentarily, the silver-haired male bit his bottom lip, preventing himself from breaking down in front of everyone, especially in front of Hoseok and Jimin "Japchae has been my favourite dish since I was a child, I remembered how delicious it was and since that moment forward, it became not only one of my comfort foods, but also my ultimate favourite dish, especially when my mom prepared it with such care and joy..."

"You don't need to thank me, sweetie, I'm just returning to you what belongs to your family, I'm certain Jung Eun would appreciate the gesture, even though she was the one who gave it to me and speaking of which, the thing I mentioned a moment ago was that photo..." Mrs. Kim uttered warmly as she fondly looked over Taehyung, seeing how much grief and sorrow the younger male was carrying. The older woman caught the silver-haired male's attention and offered him a smile as she pointed at her recipe book, watching him uncrossing his legs and shakily picking up the photo where Jung Eun and her husband at the time were posing next to her, her husband and a very grumpy seventeen-year-old Seokjin "The day it was taken, your mother and I officially became friends, people were putting her aside because of the stain and I found the type of behaviour preposterous so, I approached her and the first thing she told me was sorry, apparently, she thought I was going to scold her for not being quote-on-quote presentable, I laughed and told her not to worry, after that, Jung Eun spoke of her energetic and bubbly nine-year-old son, the responsible for the stain and her clumsy yet intelligent thirteen-year-old, who was always breaking the dishware..."

As Mrs. Kim explained what unfolded between her and his mom on that day, Taehyung faintly ran his fingers through the photo as he focused solely on his mother and the beautiful red satin dress she was wearing, feeling his lips quivering while the stubborn tears began to slide down his face rapidly. As he carefully observed the photo, Taehyung traced with both his eyes and fingers his mother's features, – mainly, her bright smile, the same one he inherited from her – as he recollected the moment he pointed out how her favourite dress was stained with black bean sauce but, despite that, she was still pretty. Sometimes, reminiscing about the happiest memories, not only with his mother, but also with his family, awoke a sense of longing inside Taehyung to relive those days and experience the cheerfulness that fulfilled his childhood and his adolescence, but, more importantly, to capture the person he used to be – the person who felt whole and had true joyfulness and love inside of his heart, instead of resentment, grief and anguish. Silently sobbing, Taehyung was unable to avert his eyes from his mother and her smile that brought to the surface the profound sadness that dwelled deep within him since the moment she left this world and took away part of him, leaving him partially empty and inconsolable until the present day.

Hating to see Taehyung so heartbroken, Seokjin gently placed his arm around his trembling body and pulled him closer as he tipped his head to the side, hoping he could offer the younger male solace, despite being mindful of how much Taehyung was still suffering with his mother's death and the traumatic repercussions that resulted from that tragic occurrence. As he attempted his best to comfort Taehyung, Seokjin briefly and discreetly glanced at Namjoon, noticing a lonely tear rolling down his cheek and a grief-stricken smile adorning his lips while Seunghee wrapped her arms around his torso and snuggled her face on the crook of his neck. The dark-haired male remembered when Taehyung told him that Namjoon rarely cried and, even though he had a smile plastered on his face, Seokjin could see how differently the Kim brothers dealt with their mother's parting and the emotions that came with it, which reminded him of what he had told Taehyung earlier that week about people and the way they mourned the loss of their loved ones.

"S-She was s-so beautiful..."

Seokjin turned his attention to Taehyung as he watched him resting his head against his shoulder, wishing he could tell him how truly beautiful he was as well, even when he cried his eyes out, Taehyung's beauty knew no boundaries. He softly leaned his head against the younger male's and looked between Jung Eun and his seventeen-year-old self as he recalled the sweet words she professed to him when she caught him running away from the event to go to Jungkook's party, finally understanding where Taehyung's wisdom came from, apparently his beauty and unique boxy smile weren't the only traits he had inherited from his mother.

One day, Seokjin wanted to share that episode with Taehyung. An episode he wasn't quite ready to talk about yet, given a particular subject that had been discussed. A subject that he never mentioned to either Jungkook or his mother, especially his mother, because if she knew what his father was truly capable of doing behind her back, she would be genuinely horrified.

***

Seokjin followed behind Taehyung with a broad smile, carrying a straw basket with apples and oranges that the younger male had picked up earlier while he was showing him the fruit trees, at the back of the property. After seeing Taehyung breaking down as he gazed at the photo of his mother, Seokjin pondered on doing something that could lift the younger male's spirits and soothe his achy heart that was still hostage from the grief by inviting him on a tour around the property and promising that he would bake some oatmeal cookies for him. Unsurprisingly, his words quickly caught Taehyung's attention and brought a small smile to his lips.

As they strolled towards the pool area, Seokjin attentively watched Taehyung walking as he glanced around with that type of childlike curiosity, like everything surrounding him piqued his interest and briefly pushed him to focus on a particular view, like the white marble statues that were spread across the property, representing the Greek Gods, or the several rounded bushes perfectly trimmed and the small flowerbeds decorating the place, giving it more live and colour. In the past, Seokjin was accustomed to calling Taehyung childish because he viewed that type of behaviour from a negative perspective coming from a grown adult. However, as he grew closer and fonder of the beautiful younger male and had the opportunity to know him on a deeper level, Seokjin realised that Taehyung's childish demeanour was connected to his personality and made him who he was.

Fleetingly, Seokjin averted his eyes from the beautiful younger male and glanced at the sky, noticing the immense blue canvas slowly being splashed with large-sized greyish clouds that were slowly being lulled by the slightly cold breeze rushing through the foliage, making the leaves sway from side-to-side to the sound of the wind. The sun was shining brightly and embracing the world with its golden glow and warmness, and the birds were cheerfully chirping and tweeting, creating a cacophony of melodies that filled the air with joyful energy. Seokjin glimpsed at Taehyung, who was humming some random tune that, oddly, matched the birds' merry chirps, and thought about the forecast for that night – torrential rain, strong winds and a high probability of thunder–, feeling concern for the silver-haired male and the possibility of a panic attack being triggered.

"This place is truly breathtaking..." Taehyung uttered gently as he thoroughly looked at his surroundings, smiling weakly while recollecting the first time Seokjin had taken him to his property. At the time, he felt so disheartened with what had occurred between him and Hongseok that the change of scenery brought him comfort, peace and tranquillity, making him fall in love with the place at first sight. The silver-haired male stopped in his tracks and turned around to face Seokjin, waiting for him to catch up as he wondered if the older male was standing further away from him to give him some space for what had happened earlier "When you brought me here the first time, I immediately thought about the beautiful sceneries described in fairytales, a magical world that only exist in fantasy books, it's so surreal to me that there's actually a place like this in real life..."

Mindlessly, Seokjin stared lovingly at Taehyung as he noticed his small yet bright smile while he spoke so warmly and highly of the property, wishing he could recuperate the wonderment he once felt for the place. While growing up, Seokjin always chose to go to the mansion, not only to play the piano for sheer pleasure but also to visit and spend time with his grandmother, in hopes she would share more recipes with him and bake her infamous and delicious apple pie. During the sunny summer days, Seokjin, along with his grandmother, would pick up some apples for the pie and, instead of going back to the mansion, they would wander around, appreciating the beauty emanating from the place. There were times when his grandmother would prepare a basket with cold dishes and beverages for them to enjoy, whether it was in the pool area or the main garden, Seokjin loved every moment he shared with her, even the silent moments where momentarily he could be himself, instead of the person his father wanted him to be for the sake of the legacy and the Kim family. After getting married, the wonderment and beauty Seokjin felt for the property quickly vanished, burying deep within the joyful memories he once held close to his heart.

After losing himself in his childhood memories, Seokjin swiftly averted his attention from Taehyung, frightened that the younger male would catch him staring for too long, and longingly glanced around, feeling the memories floating to the surface.

"While growing up, I thought the property was an endless world I could explore, a world where I could simply be myself, a place of beauty and freedom..." Seokjin spoke absentmindedly as he spotted two birds resting in one of the tree branches, one of them was tilting his head as he stared curiously at him "Unfortunately, my view of the property changed, instead of beauty and freedom, I saw the best memories I ever had vanishing and being replaced with resentment and anger, and it became like the piano room – a place where once I had the most beautiful memories, but quickly turned into a reminder of the worst moments of my life..."

Taehyung studied Seokjin's body language and took note of his fingers strongly twisting around the basket's handle to the point of turning them white, listening to the older male's gloomy words that reflected the struggles he had to endure while growing up. He didn't need to resort to the little knowledge he had of the psychology field to see how Seokjin's unresolved issues with his past and his unhealthy relationship with his father had severely damaged him and influenced the way he viewed the world around him. Before properly knowing Seokjin's true self, Taehyung truly thought he was presumptuous and smug by nature, but, as he had an opportunity to peek inside the older male's heart and soul, he concluded that those traits weren't embedded in him. The person Taehyung had encountered a couple of months ago wasn't the real Seokjin, it was a shielding shell, an armour of some sort to protect and preserve what was left of his true self, to protect and preserve what his father had progressively destroyed over the years because of the shame and discontentment he felt for his own son.

Slowly, Taehyung approached Seokjin and reached for his free hand as he leaned forward, shyly planting a sweet and lingering kiss on his cheek as a way to comfort him and help him find his way to the present day. The silver-haired male lowered his gaze and smiled foolishly when he sensed the older male tightening the grip on his hand, which came out as a plea to him not to let him go, otherwise, he would drift away and go back to the darkness of his past.

"Let me be it, Jinnie..." Taehyung whispered, every word laced with care and love, as he courageously made eye contact with Seokjin, seeing how the older male was staring at him again, but this time, his facial expression screamed confusion. The silver-haired male paused for a brief moment as he lost himself in those dark-brown eyes that carried a lot of sadness, sadness that he wanted to erase and replace with joyfulness. Taehyung reminisced about the night he stayed at Seokjin's mansion, particularly, the moment when he was struggling with his panic attack, and by holding on to the older male, he was able to recall the most pleasant memories he had and all the people who were there for him and, he wished to be that person to Seokjin – the person who could lead to the better moments in life and the most wonderful experiences to fight the negativity "Let me be your place of beauty and freedom, allow me to show you the world through my eyes for you to recollect the most beautiful memories you have of this place, the most beautiful memories you have from your past..."

Seokjin remained still and speechless, not expecting Taehyung to make such an endearing request. He had always questioned himself on how the mesmerising younger male was able to carry a heavy burden – that consisted of grief and anguish for his mother's death and bitterness and wrath for his father's betrayal –, while, simultaneously, having a big smile plastered on his face, eventually his doubts were cleared by the younger male on the night he stayed over. Yet, it was still astonishing for Seokjin how Taehyung could reach deep inside him and bring out the best of him, how Taehyung could spread happiness to everyone around him, even when he wasn't feeling his best, how Taehyung could forgive the people who had done him wrong and hurt him so badly like he did not so long ago.

"You always have the most beautiful perception of the world, Taehyung, no matter how hurt, sad or angry you are with something or someone, you have this unique ability to seek and pinpoint the beauty in everything..." Seokjin commented soothingly as he softly ran his thumb over the back of Taehyung's hand, watching the younger male biting his bottom lip, while noticing the corners of his lips going upwards, like he was preventing himself from smiling in his presence, which Seokjin tremendously hated "With that said, I want you to share that unique ability with me, I want you to be my place of beauty and freedom, which, in my opinion, it fits you perfectly..."

(I think my feeble heart just skipped a beat with Seokjin's sweet words, I swear he's going to kill me one day...)

"I-It's a deal, Jinnie, I-I will do my best to help you..." Taehyung stuttered as he delicately released his grip from Seokjin's hand, yearning to be closer to the older male. The silver-haired male wrapped his arms around Seokjin's arm and rested his head on his shoulder, smiling widely at him "Let's resume the tour, I want to see the pool area, but, most of all, I'm excited about the special place you spoke about earlier, it sounded so heavenly and gorgeous..."

Chapter Text

Listlessly, Taehyung unwrapped his arms from Seokjin's arm and approached the large stone steps leading to the open pool area surrounded by greenery landscapes, including small bushes and tall and majestic trees, finding the current scenery mesmerising. When Seokjin mentioned the pool area, Taehyung's mind quickly travelled to the top-of-the-line swimming pools that could be found at five-star resorts and private residences opened to the public. Pools stemmed from the use of luxury materials like marble, mosaic tile or other fine design elements. Pools that possessed top-end features like waterslides, fountains and sophisticated control systems – an attraction to be admired, not experienced. Instead of encountering a place that had the sole purpose of being photographed for those architectural magazines and travel blogs on the internet, Taehyung gazed at a place situated in one of the corners of the property, hidden by the enclosed nature that served as a barrier to the outside world. After having the opportunity to explore the mansion and everything around it, Taehyung concluded that they represented different worlds and told different stories, – both from the past and the present –, which forced Taehyung to pay extra attention to details in a way to find out more about the property and everything that had unfolded, particularly, the role that it partook in Seokjin's life story and how it became a reminder of the worst moments of his life.

Taehyung cautiously climbed down the steps as he attentively observed the comfortable and modern resting pool chairs, standing in front of the pool, and the cosy and friendly space with white single-seat sofas, feeling completely bewildered by the marvellous scenario. While looking around, the silver-haired male noticed an open area, near the beds with small-sized bushes, it was a space in the grass, begging to be filled with something extravagant to break the casual and simplistic atmosphere emanating from the place. Not only that, but Taehyung also glimpsed beyond the space with the single-seat sofas and noted a white gate leading to some other part of the property, which once again awoke the younger male's curiosity. The property was indeed a never-ending world to be explored, a place of beauty and freedom, as Seokjin had said earlier, during their heartfelt conversation.

Meanwhile, Seokjin silently followed behind with a small smile adorning his plump lips, admiring Taehyung and his beauty that stood out from the exquisite and lavish scenery. The dark-haired male couldn't help but find it ironic that Taehyung stood out, not only for being the most gorgeous creature circulating the space but also for his choice of outfit and its colours that, as usual, outlined and highlighted the curves of his body. Strangely enough and it might sound like an excuse for him to focus on the younger male's shape, Seokjin enjoyed the many outfits Taehyung wore. It was like another way to convey to the world that the word "normal" didn't apply to him and he was entitled to dress how he wished, not caring about how society could view his uniqueness and quirkiness. That day, Taehyung had chosen a dark blue sweater crop top, similar to the one he was wearing the other day, a pair of red faux leather shorts with a brown belt, high-knee dark-blue socks with a tiny satin bow on the hem and white sneakers. It wasn't a surprise how Seokjin loved every single outfit Taehyung decided to wear but, that particular one, for some reason, added something different to the younger male, something he couldn't quite pinpoint.

Seokjin placed the straw basket on top of one of the resting pool chairs and watched Taehyung crouching by the pool and ever so slightly dipping his fingers in the water. As he glanced endearingly at the fascinated silver-haired male, Seokjin reminisced about the words he had spoken to him earlier, requesting him to be his place of beauty and freedom. Since the very first moment he realised he was falling in love with Taehyung, Seokjin more and more understood the reason why Jungkook wanted him to find someone who would love him for the person he was; someone who would accept him, even if he was damaged goods; someone who would support him and help him be the best version of himself; someone who would show him the world wasn't as dark and cold as he thought it was. It was never his objective to find true love and give himself to someone emotionally, however, Seokjin was genuinely surprised that life had granted him the opportunity to feel something rather than resentment and anguish. Now, he could love people, and it wasn't only in a romantic manner, Jimin was the perfect example. Despite treasuring the strong emotions he felt towards Taehyung and being unable to describe the effects love of that magnitude manifested within him, the fatherly love that blossomed and he welcomed in his heart was far more precious than Seokjin realised. Maybe, because he was never the recipient of such love, but had the opportunity to break the cycle and freely offer his love to Jimin.

Every time he displayed love and affection towards Jimin, Seokjin couldn't help but feel grateful for Taehyung and his willingness to aid him build a relationship with his son, a relationship that, despite being under construction still, existed and was a lot stronger than before. The relief of not seeing the story repeating itself, the relief of not hopelessly witnessing his relationship with Jimin slowly and painfully crumbling down while he mindlessly walked further away from his son without being completely aware of the consequences. That same relief emerged because Taehyung looked inside his kind heart and gentle soul, and took a risk in helping him, knowing that, at any time he could simply shut down and summon his cold and defensive persona to prevent the younger male from reaching the deepest part of him.

Given his line of work and the people he dealt with, Seokjin developed the ability to predict certain situations and behaviours, although, ironically, he never envisioned that his profound gratitude could have transformed into this beautiful feeling that was currently residing in his heart. The dark-haired male saw Taehyung lifting himself and closing his eyes as he threw his head back, smiling brightly while he enjoyed the afternoon sun gracing him with a warm hug. At that moment, Seokjin envied the sun and how its beams were allowed to touch and kiss Taehyung's honey-coloured skin with its inviting warmth – the source of his envy –, yearning to be him the one to provide it for him. It would probably sound preposterous if he ever voiced his current thoughts out loud and Seokjin stunned himself for acting so possessive towards Taehyung, a feeling he wasn't yet entitled to feel because the beautiful and liberated younger male didn't belong to him or, better yet, his love didn't belong to him.

Suddenly, Seokjin felt his hands twitching and immense desire rising, a desire to swiftly come to Taehyung and embrace him in hopes he could retaliate and prove to the sun that only he could touch and kiss Taehyung, only he could provide warmth, accompanied by love and care. Just like he had done when he witnessed the enticing silver-haired male merrily swaying his hips while he was humming as he prepared the pastry for the apple pie, Seokjin imagined himself courageously making his way to Taehyung and wrapping his arms around his body from behind as he searched for his hands to gently hold while they swayed back and forth, wordlessly conveying how much he meant to him and how much he cherished him. Impulsively, Seokjin began to stroll in Taehyung's direction, giving his heart the power to command his every move, however, like himself, his heart was still not daring and brave enough to put his thoughts into action, no matter how maddening his longing for Taehyung was.

Since he wasn't daring and brave enough to envelop Taehyung in a warm and cosy back hug and hold him dearly, Seokjin opted for something simpler, something that could potentially trigger his heart and increase his already insane pulse. Now, more than ever, Seokjin wanted to guide Taehyung and show him the place he had mentioned earlier while they were wandering around the property – the main garden –, already expecting how the silver-haired male was going to react, given the way he had been acting throughout the tour. When he got closer to Taehyung, Seokjin saw a tight-lipped smile plastered on his face and his eyes closed, hating to disturb the younger male, but, instead of backing down, he selfishly grasped the hand Taehyung had dipped in the water, feeling it slightly wet and cold to the touch, and brought him back to reality.

Taehyung's eyes slowly fluttered open when he sensed Seokjin gently grasping his hand and bashfully glanced at him, seeing that pure and fond stare focused on him, like he was the only person in the world, making him smile with his tender gesture, despite not knowing the reason that drove the older male to behave in that manner. The instant Seokjin intertwined their fingers, Taehyung felt a strong gravitational force pulling towards Seokjin, a gravitational force that probably came from his racing heart that kept yelling to be set free from his self-doubt and fear. According to physics, gravity consisted of a fundamental interaction which caused a mutual attraction between all things that had mass and, at that moment, the attraction between him and Seokjin was undeniable. The way both of them were gazing at each other lighted up a tiny candle of hope that made him believe, even if it was for a single second, even if it was the figment of his imagination or wishful thinking, there was some sort of mutual attraction and love for one another.

Momentarily, Taehyung forgot about physics and decided to willingly seek shelter in Seokjin's arms without unlacing their fingers because for him, freeing himself from the older male's grip meant breaking the circuit that allowed the mutual attraction and the love circulating freely between their bodies. He rested the side of his head on Seokjin's shoulder and instantaneously felt his arm around his waist, wishing that they could enjoy themselves like that more often without worrying what the people close to them thought of the relationship – a relationship that it became more difficult to define as the time went by. As he snuggled comfortably in Seokjin's embrace, Taehyung let a soft sigh escape his lips, trying to block the "opposites attract" premise from his mind, finding it ironic how said premise clearly applied to Seokjin and him. He truly didn't care and yet, it bothered him how people, namely, his friends, Yoongi and Jungkook found amusement in his predicament regarding his feelings for Seokjin. He knew he was being unfair since he hadn't come forward and confessed to them how he truly felt for Seokjin, the constant mockery had led him to the fear of the "I told you so" and Taehyung was looking for someone who could guide him and not someone who intended to gloat about winning a bet or being right about their presumptions. The silver-haired male felt the necessity to share his feelings and his irrational fear of giving true love another chance with someone and the first person who popped into his mind was Namjoon, who, despite finding the kissing episode amusing, actually offered him good advice and helped solved the misunderstanding with Seokjin.

While he was on the verge of getting lost in the endless paths created by his mind, Taehyung watched Seokjin bringing their holding hands to his lips and kissing his. Any upsetting thoughts that were driving him away from Seokjin instantly burst like bubbles floating loosely in the air and forced him to concentrate on the person who persistently kept shoving away his undesirable and negative thoughts and feelings to protect him, as Seokjin had done earlier when he was painfully missing his mother and all the great memories he had created with her until she parted from the world.

"T-Thank you for comforting me earlier, Jinnie, sometimes my grief becomes too overwhelming for me to overcome it on my own..." Taehyung uttered quietly as he slightly lifted his head to face Seokjin, who was still gazing at him with pure fondness, offering him a gentle smile "I truly appreciate what you and your mother did for me and my family, I don't know if I will ever be able to repay you both for your generosity and kindness..."

"You don't need to thank me, Taehyung, I told you countless times that I would be there for you whenever you need me, no matter the circumstances" Seokjin stated matter-of-factly as he intensively stared at Taehyung's amber-coloured eyes shining brightly with the sunlight, feeling glad that he was successful in driving away the grief and the anguish, even if it had been temporarily "And I did what I did in hopes that recovering part of your mother's legacy would help you deal with your grief in a positive way, not for you or Namjoon to owe me something, however, if you truly want to repay me and my mom, all I ask of you is to continue living your life as the cheerful and kind-hearted person you are, Taehyung..."

"Jinnie..." Taehyung said affectionately as he unconsciously squeezed Seokjin's fingers, unable to control the volume of his heartbeat that was probably loud enough to cut the sound of the breeze brushing on the tree leaves "I-I will, I promise..."

"Good..." Seokjin smiled weakly as he parted his arm from Taehyung's body, cupping the younger male's coldish cheek that was starting to heat up with his touch "Now, I want to take you to the place that I mentioned earlier, it's my favourite place on the property so, I decided to save it for last, I'm certain you are going to enjoy it as well"

"Well, everything that you have been showing so far has been amazing and magnificent, Seokjin, but since it's your favourite place, I believe is going to be beyond my expectations" Taehyung commented wittily as he giggled wholeheartedly while safely securing that their hands were still attached "Shall we go then?"

Instead of answering, Seokjin flashed a smile at Taehyung and guided both of them to the white gate that represented the entrance to the place he, once upon a time, had considered his slice of heaven on Earth, where the multi-coloured and fragrant world stood among the other parts of the property, just like Taehyung himself stood among the other individuals living in the world. The dark-haired male opened the gate, knowing that it was unlocked since the gardeners and the maintenance people had been working on the garden all morning to be certain that the flowerbeds and the bushes decorated with colourful flowers were well taken care of, especially now that spring was upon them. When they stepped on the path that led to the main garden, Seokjin noticed Taehyung's familiar silence as he watched his gaze go from the arches enwrapped with vines and embellished with reddish and pinkish flowers to the columns standing on both sides of the path decorated with a curtain of fairy lights, guessing that the main garden was certainly going to surpass whatever expectations Taehyung had of the place.

(This place is the epitome of beauty and has such a romantic vibe as well...)

The thought of romance just pushed Taehyung even closer to Seokjin, despite them being already glued to each other and bonded by their holdings hands that neither of them seemed willing to let go. As he rested his head on the older male's shoulder, Taehyung envisioned himself walking around at that exact place with Seokjin and pouring his heart and soul by confessing how deep and strong his feelings were for him and, honestly if his bold side dared to come to the surface, Taehyung would have done it at that moment, but he simply couldn't. In the past, the silver-haired male didn't have a problem expressing his feelings and his opinions to Seokjin, however, those feelings and opinions were born from frustration, anger and, sometimes, bitterness because they were connected to Jimin and how Seokjin was treating him at the time. Regarding the love he felt, Taehyung was too engulfed in his fear, not only of giving true love a chance but also of his love not being reciprocated because Seokjin had Jimin and their relationship as the main priority in his life. Unlike the other times, he decided to take a chance and pursue love, Taehyung didn't have the luxury to act in the same way which saddened him because he had much more to lose now so, he preferred smothering his feelings and preserve the precious bond he and Seokjin shared. Taehyung was self-aware and realised that perhaps he was jumping to conclusions, for all he knew, Seokjin shared the same feelings and had also his concerns, especially since he never had a real relationship before, but, again, his mind was filled with too many chaotic thoughts to reflect on the subject rationally.

"I assume your silence is a confirmation of what I said earlier about your expectations, even though I haven't shown you the place yet" Seokjin commented amusingly as he noticed how oddly quiet Taehyung was, finding it adorable how easily speechless he would get while admiring a new part of the property, however, this time his silence appeared to be different "Something on your mind, Taehyung? You have been silent while exploring the property, but seeing how distracted you are, it seems like you are lost in your thoughts..."

(I'm becoming more and more transparent to Seokjin and that's not good...)

"H-Hum, I just have a lot on my mind right now, it's nothing serious so, don't worry, Jinnie..." Taehyung spoke amicably as he attempted to reassure Seokjin and whatever concerns he might have about him, gazing at him while smiling widely yet forcefully in hopes the older male wouldn't linger too much on his enigmatic words. The silver-haired male broke eye contact almost immediately and focused on the green landscapes that were slowly coming into view, feeling the excitement taking over him, especially when he realised that there was a sound coming from the place – the sound of water "A-Are you taking me to a garden, Seokjin?"

Before responding to the younger male's question, Seokjin briefly stopped and carefully observed Taehyung's facial expression, taking note of his pursed lips and furrowing brows. He always advocated for privacy and personal space because he wanted people to respect his private life and his personal space without questioning him and, despite being grateful for having an amazing best friend like Jungkook, Seokjin considered his meddling nature one of the most annoying traits he possessed. So, when he asked Taehyung if he had something on his mind, Seokjin hoped that Taehyung would share his predicament with him, share whatever intrusive thoughts were occupying his mind and were probably preventing him from enjoying the rest of the property, and it bothered Seokjin immensely when Taehyung kept his thoughts to himself. Evidently, Seokjin wasn't going against his principles just to make Taehyung blurted out what was upsetting him and, despite the numerous times, he professed to the mesmerising younger male that he would always be there for him, no matter what, he felt complied to do it over and over again, to show Taehyung that he would genuinely be there for him, to listen to him and make him happy, regardless of the situation.

Even if his words didn't have the effect he was expecting them to have on Taehyung, at least, Seokjin wanted to feel reassured that he was doing the right thing, despite the possibility of him coming out as annoying or repetitive. It was part of what he was trying to accomplish – be the partner Taehyung deserved – and he was following the few pieces of advice given by Jungkook, now if his message was being properly conveyed, Seokjin honestly didn't know.

"Taehyung, you know how much I value people's privacy and personal lives and, despite wanting to know what is troubling that mind of yours, I want to remind you that you can come to me whenever you want, no matter the issue, you understand?" Seokjin questioned firmly with a hint of desperation and concern, watching Taehyung's features soften with his words. When he saw the silver male's worries melting down, a sense of relief swiftly washed over him which calmed down his racing mind that somehow warned him that he might have been too meddlesome "As I said earlier, I will always be there for you..."

"I know I can count on you, Seokjin, and I know you are always there for me whenever I need someone to vent about my problems, and frustrations or seek advice, which I appreciate, I truly do..." Taehyung uttered as he timidly made eye contact with Seokjin, wishing he could simply say what was going through his heart in that instant, but he wasn't courageous enough to confess his love, not yet anyway "You probably notice how I have been caught up in my thoughts in this last week and, truth be told, something unexpected happened to me and I'm still processing it, it's something that I can't yet share with you, at least, for the time being..."

Taehyung's enigmatic words not only awakened Seokjin's curiosity but also made him worry about what could possibly have happened to the point the younger male needed time to process it. He didn't know if it was his curiosity that insistently kept poking at him or the possibility of Jungkook's nosiness being contagious that was pushing him to put aside his principles and cross the boundaries just to snatch the truth from Taehyung. However, he couldn't do it, especially seeing the younger male so troubled with his current situation, the last thing he wanted was to put pressure on him, Seokjin wasn't that type of person.

"What matters to me is that you know that you have me by your side in your hour of need, whether is now or later, it doesn't matter, Taehyung, and whenever you feel ready to disclose what happened to you that is troubling your beautiful mind, I'll be here, just like I always am..." Seokjin said soothingly as he slightly leaned forward, feeling the need to be closer to Taehyung. He gently ran his fingers through Taehyung's silver locks and brushed them away from his eyes that were shimmering, watching the younger male's smile slowly widening, hopefully with his comforting words "Shall we continue? I'm certain that the source of your distraction will immediately evaporate the second you see the place I want to show you..."

(You're the source of my distraction, Jinnie, and I don't want you to evaporate...)

Hearing Seokjin telling him how he would always be there for him fed the maddening and strong love Taehyung was currently trying to process, given it happened so suddenly and after he got out of a long-term relationship that made him question if what he was truly feeling was love in the first place. The possibility of mistaking his feelings for something else crossed his mind and Taehyung, at the beginning, was pleading for that to be the case because he genuinely didn't think he was strong enough to welcome new love in his heart. The silver-haired male recalled the words Seokjin spoke to him the day Jimin fainted and ended up in the infirmary – nothing happens randomly in life, everything has a purpose –, words that had been filling his head and making him wonder if his abrupt encounter with Seokjin was life granting him the opportunity to experience love again, even if it had been in the most unorthodox and annoying manner, but, again, Taehyung's life was everything, except conventional.

"I-I'm not sure about that, but, y-yeah, l-let's go..." Taehyung murmured as he allowed Seokjin to guide him once again to the mysterious place that he was guessing it was some sort of garden, using his free hand to hold on to the older male just to restore the closeness from before "So, you didn't answer my question earlier, Jinnie, are you taking me to a garden?"

"Yes, I'm taking you to a garden, but it's no ordinary garden, at least, for me, it's not, it's the property's main garden and there are a multitude of blossoms and uniquely shaped bushes..." Seokjin responded casually as he briefly glanced at Taehyung, noticing how the younger male was staring back at him with interest and excitement. He focused on the path again and saw the fountain soaring from the heart of the garden, enlightening the beauty and elegance of the place "My grandmother used to take me there during the summer when I was younger, one day, I asked her who had the idea to create the garden and she told me she had been the responsible not only for the idea but also the design of the place, then she requested my grandfather to turn this corner of the property into the main garden when my mother found out she was pregnant of me..."

"That was so sweet of your grandmother..." Taehyung mumbled as he smiled softly while hearing Seokjin sharing another piece of his childhood with him, demonstrating to him that the older male felt more at ease when he talked about his past, maybe it could be an indication that he was starting to accept himself – his former and present self "So, I'm assuming the main garden is a gift of some sort from your grandmother to you and your mother and I'm guessing she did it because of your mother's difficulty to get pregnant..."

"You are almost right, yes, it was a gift for my mother and me, but it goes deeper than that..." Seokjin retorted cautiously as he sighed heavily, not wanting to explain in depth the real reason why the garden came to fruition. However, by doing so, he was opening up to Taehyung and showed him the truth that lay behind his family and how their beliefs impacted his life, from his mere existence in his mother's womb to the present day. It wasn't a pleasant topic to discuss and there were a lot of nuisances that got to him, but Seokjin had the need to share more with Taehyung to help him understand the vile and cold-hearted person he was when he first met the younger male "The main garden was more than a gift for my mom and me, it was a gift to God for blessing her with an heir, that's how my family views it because the Kim family is tremendously religious and abides by extremely old-fashion principles dictated by the Bible, they are conservative and I supposed you were able to notice that when my mother spoke about her difficulty to get pregnant, as a woman, her sole responsibility was to procreate and take care of me and her husband, or an even more evident example – me and my sexual orientation..."

Taehyung paused abruptly and placed himself in front of Seokjin, catching him off guard with his brief halt. He cupped the older male's cheek and sympathetically stared at him as he looked deep into his eyes, seeing the sorrowfulness flashing through them which broke his heart just to think how long Seokjin had hidden his true feelings regarding his family, probably since the moment his father put his hands on him to quote-on-quote shape him to assume the responsibilities that were waiting for him in the future. Taehyung felt that there was a lot that Seokjin needed to unpack until he would be able to fully accept himself and having supportive people by his side, like him, his mother and Jungkook, could motivate him to step forward and do it. However, when the source of his distress and uncertainty prevented him from embracing his true self was constantly present and trying to impose principles and morals that contradicted Seokjin, Taehyung understood that was easier said than done and his role was to help baffle the negative voices that were stopping Seokjin to feel comfortable with himself.

"Now, I understand why Jungkook was so frustrated with your family, apart from your mother and your grandmother, you were and, still are, treated like the black sheep just because you don't fit in, you don't follow the same principles and it doesn't have solely to do with your sexual orientation, I think it comes from within you and, in my opinion, you should embrace it..." Taehyung advised lovingly as he rested his hand on Seokjin's chest, hoping his words could reach the older male and motivate him to chase a better life, if not for his own sake, for Jimin's, and embrace his status of black sheep. The silver-haired male never expected that he and Seokjin could have something in common like they weren't considered normal in their worlds, the difference between them was that Taehyung had always been accepted by his family and loved ones, while Seokjin was being judged and belittled "You are constantly saying that you are always there for me and the feeling is mutual so, you know I will be there for you every step of the way, whether I'm helping you with Jimin or helping only you, I want you to embrace the person you are, not only for you to make peace with your past, but also to learn that being different is not something negative, look at me, Seokjin, I'm the proof that you can be yourself and live according to your own rules, instead of living the way society expects you to live or, in this case, the way your family expects you to live..."

"I think you are right about me being different not only for my sexual orientation because since I was a child I always felt like I didn't fit in, I don't know if it was my intuition or the pressure my father was putting on me to succeed, either way, I felt like I didn't belong, no matter how hard I worked, no matter how hard I work..." Seokjin remarked solemnly as he briefly averted his gaze from Taehyung, now wanting to see the concern and pity tainting the younger male's enthralling eyes. He breathed heavily, realising that he had a lot of work to do to be able to behave like the person he truly was, but having Taehyung by his side, ready to give him a helping hand, assured him in some many ways and, his determination was contagious so, Seokjin was taking a chance. The older male glanced at Taehyung, who was still looking at him expectantly, probably waiting for him to say something that indicated that he was ready to step into dangerous territory if he hadn't done that already, acting defiantly towards his father wasn't the smartest decision. Still, it was the more beneficial one for him and Jimin "I'm doing this mainly for Jimin, I don't want my family to impose their principles on him, instead, I want my son to learn about himself as he grows up, for that to happen, he needs a role-model, he needs someone who he can rely on to figure himself out and that someone is me which means that I have to learn to accept myself, thankfully, I have a selfless cutie to guide me and help me see the beauty in this world..."

(Seokjin, I will never let you go, I will be your shiny star in the middle of the dark night...)

"I-I told you t-that I would always be by your side, even if you know how amazing you are as a person and father, for as long as you want me to, that's a promise, Jinnie, and y-you k-know I d-don't let go easily..." Taehyung spoke shyly as he felt his heart pounding furiously against his chest for the umpteenth time, blushing hard while remembering the complimentary words that Seokjin had professed to him when they were preparing the apple pie "W-Well, how about we make our way to the garden? W-We should be having a good time, right? So, l-let's stop talking about sad stuff and have some fun..."

Before he had the opportunity to say something in return, Seokjin watched Taehyung turning his face away, probably attempting to hide his incredibly crimson cheeks that actually made him cuter, and confidently dragging him to the end of the path for them to enjoy the remaining time they had together before returning to the mansion. As they approached the garden's entrance, Seokjin noticed Taehyung progressively slowing down the pace and, once again, the silence fell over him when he came across the main garden, having a better view of the enchanting world he had talked about earlier. It had been a while since he had visited the main garden so, Seokjin was honestly expecting that the magical place would bring back some of the wonderment he had lost when he permanently moved to the property, especially now that he had Taehyung by his side, in a way, his presence brought the garden back to live, his bubbly and cheerful personality highlighted the bright colours of the countless flowers sitting comfortably in their beds.

Taehyung sheepishly stepped into the main garden and blissfully eyed the magnificent and grandiose fountain, observing how the central structure crafted from stone and carved with intricated details stood proudly amidst the serene place while breathing life into its surroundings with its rhythmic dance of water. He carefully traced the lines and the curves of the fountain, admiring the water emerging from its core and the streams shooting skyward and bursting forth in a mesmerising display. As the jets attempted to stretch their watery arms, their arches presented and scattered a dazzling array of colours, fleetingly drawing graceful patterns across the sky before gently descending back and creating a soothing melody that filled the air. As he enchantingly watched the water dance and play, one of the biggest smiles erupted from Taehyung's lips, feeling, once again, a sense of wonder washing over him while his eyes feasted at the beauty and power of nature. The focus gradually moved to the numerous flower beds and, as Seokjin had mentioned earlier, the uniquely shaped bushes speckled with the tiniest flowers, sensing himself being hypnotised by the sweet and pleasant floral perfume blessing his nostrils and the multitude of colours painted all over the garden.

As he admired the scenery, Taehyung now understood why Seokjin had told him that a specific garden was no ordinary garden and went beyond the origin story that led to the creation of that wonderland filled with magic and beauty. An urge to explore swiftly arose from his being, Taehyung wanted to freely observe and admire both the flowers that had already bloomed and basked in the warming sunlight and the flowers that were lazily awakening with the arrival of the springtime and slowly unfurling their petals to ensure that the weather was optimal for them to come out completely. The silver-haired male turned his attention to Seokjin as he bit his bottom lip, the older male chuckled lightly, probably he could already tell what he wished to do and the fact that Seokjin could easily read him might have been something that frightened him from time to time, but it also showed him that both of them had a deep and strong connection that allowed them to communicate with each other through their body language. Once more, Taehyung saw Seokjin bringing their holding hands to his lips, his eyes solely on him when he softly kissed the back of his hand, making his skin shiver and his heart flutter. With a merry giggle, Taehyung unwillingly freed himself from Seokjin's grip and briefly walked backwards, lingeringly gazing at the older male, like he was memorising him before he went on his short adventure.

Forgetting for a moment that he was accompanied by Seokjin, Taehyung turned his focus to the garden as he slowly strolled around in silence, absorbing the noises coming from the water cascading down the fountain, the chirping birds and the gentle and chilly breeze that slightly tousled his hair and cooled down the heat emanating from his flushing cheeks. As he appreciated the view, Taehyung realised that he couldn't pinpoint the name of the majority of the flowers or their meanings. One of the things that he had learned while growing up with his mother, who, despite not being an expert when it came to gardening, was that every single flower had a meaning, and it could vary depending on the country or culture. Flowers were well-known for their beauty, but there was so much more to them than people realised and that was why Taehyung admired them so much. Flowers were the proof that no matter how beautiful a person could be on the outside, their beauty wasn't long-lasting so, underlining and valuing inner beauty and other traits that personalised each person, the traits that made them unique from everyone else were the ones that lasted for life and had a bigger impact on the people surrounding them.

Taehyung spotted an ensemble of flowerbeds full of different coloured roses – yellow, pink, white, red and orange –, all of them striking and distinctive in their own way. Stunningly, Taehyung approached the flowerbeds and watched a butterfly happily fluttering its wings as it flew in the same direction he was going, maybe the floral fragrance and the colourful roses were hypnotising the little flying insect like they were hypnotising him. The silver-haired male cautiously kneeled on the freshly mown grass and in wonderment observed the butterfly resting gracefully and delicately its thin legs on one of the white rose's petals, immediately making him smile and think of Hoseok and Jimin, the little ones would love to be there and see the bees and the butterflies flying energetically around the garden.

While Taehyung's focus was solely on the butterfly, Seokjin, once again, stood not far behind, admiring the captivating younger male while noticing how the afternoon sun was highlighting his silver locks in a way that created an aura around him. As he lovingly glimpsed at Taehyung, Seokjin carefully took his phone from his pants' pocket and opened his camera app. Deep down, the dark-haired male feared that his actions could come out as creepy and invasive since he truly wanted to preserve the moment by taking a photo of Taehyung and, personally, Seokjin wanted to remember that day fondly so, he decided to take the risk and just do it. He went down on one knee as he discretely pointed the phone at Taehyung, slightly zooming on the younger male and finally took a photo of him. Seokjin checked the photo of Taehyung smiling brightly as he mesmerizingly watched the butterfly flying away from him and he couldn't help but feel a heartwarming feeling piercing straight into his heart. The dark-haired male averted his eyes from his phone screen and admired Taehyung once more, seeing him gently touching the petals of the rose, treating the bloom like it was made of glass.

Seokjin envied Taehyung and his unique ability to search and see the beauty of the world surrounding him which was one of the reasons why he accepted his endearing request to be his place of beauty and freedom, besides having an excuse to spend more time with the younger male. At first, Seokjin honestly thought he couldn't stop and appreciate the beautiful wonders that the world had to offer him, but then Taehyung unexpectedly and chaotically entered into his life and gradually demonstrated to him that he was just blinded by the mist fabricated by his dark and resentful thoughts and feelings, a mist that prevented him from seeing the most precious person he had in his life – Jimin. Being constantly surrounded by darkness and not being able to find his way back – to his true self –, a ray of sunshine illuminated his world and allowed him to see clearly the path he had to take for him to change his life and therefore be able to build a relationship and bond with Jimin, a ray of sunshine called Kim Taehyung. Through Taehyung, Seokjin had been able to learn and experience so much, not only about Jimin, but also about himself and life, and he safely kept the younger male's wise words inside his mind and heart, wise words that often gave him comfort and warmth.

Seokjin stared at Taehyung, who was still studying and observing the white roses, and felt the desire to take more photos of him to immortalise, not only the moment but the immense happiness splattered all over his facial features.

"Taehyung!"

Swiftly, Taehyung looked in Seokjin's direction and saw him holding his phone towards him, assuming that he wanted to take a photo of him so, he made Vs with both of his hands and smiled as widely as he could. After that, Taehyung continued to make different poses, hoping Seokjin was still taking photos of him which sounded odd out loud, even though he was glad that he was able to see the older male more joyful, energic and spontaneous which was a breath of fresh air, honestly.

"Let me see them!" Taehyung shouted gleefully as he lifted himself, quickly joining Seokjin's side. Gradually, he watched the older male swiping through the few photos he had taken of him, and the silver-haired male felt his cheeks blushing a bit, maybe the realisation that Seokjin had been completely and blindly focusing his attention on him made him self-conscious, which, strangely, it didn't happen the moment he was being photographed "T-They ended up good, didn't they? I like them, Jinnie"

"I'm glad you enjoy them, Taehyung..." Seokjin commented casually as he gazed at Taehyung, noticing the pink hue tainting his cheeks while the younger male was examining the first photo he had taken of him "They actually turned out greater than I initially thought, I suppose I have other hidden talents"

Taehyung clicked his tongue as he rolled his eyes, glancing unbelievingly at Seokjin for his smugness and presumptuousness. In the past, when the older male had similar behaviours, Taehyung couldn't help but tease and rile him up and, at that moment, that was what he wanted to do, there was always a tiny amount of pleasure in bringing Seokjin's big ego down. "I'm happy your hidden talent helped us reach a conclusion at last, Seokjin..."

"What do you mean, Taehyung?" Seokjin questioned confusingly as he cocked a brow, sensing a note of mockery behind Taehyung's words "Conclude what?"

"Isn't it obvious? Your photos clearly demonstrate how insanely beautiful I am, Jinnie, which means..." Taehyung responded playfully as he placed his hands behind his back, knowing that the next words that were about to leave his mouth were going to trigger Seokjin, but he was already mentally ready for it "You, Kim Seokjin, are the ugliest Kim while I'm the most handsome, I told you, it could only be one Kim and that's me" Taehyung said tauntingly as he watched the emotions vanishing from Seokjin's face, making him chuckle victoriously "What's the matter, Jinnie? Are you upset about being called ugly? Do you want a hug?"

Seokjin knew Taehyung was purposely trying to get some sort of reaction from him, probably because he was acting complacent and the younger male disliked that type of attitude coming from him, but, once again, he wasn't being presumptuous, Seokjin was extremely self-confident. The dark-haired male stared firmly at an overjoyed Taehyung as he nonchalantly placed his phone inside his pocket again, not finding the words that left the younger male's mouth funny. Despite the type of behaviour he used to have in the past, there was one thing Seokjin held on to and that was his handsomeness, something that people frequently pointed out and it was probably one of the traits that he inherited from his family that he was honestly proud of. Perhaps it sounded superficial and arrogant out loud, but Seokjin never tried to humble himself in that regard and he didn't intend to, just like he didn't intend to do it towards his intelligence, his sense of responsibility and excellent memory. All of these were traits that he gladly claimed from his family and Seokjin wanted to pass them on to Jimin, he wanted his son to have something to be proud of when it came to his family.

"I highly suggest that you take those words back, Taehyung..." Seokjin uttered calmly as he watched Taehyung taking a few steps away from him, wondering if the younger male was going to take his request seriously. While looking at the bold silver-haired male and the cheeky smile on his lips, Seokjin guessed that he wasn't and, secretly, he found it amusing "And I'm requesting you nicely now..."

"If I don't take my words back, what are you going to do, Seokjin?" Taehyung asked daringly as he kept a safe distance between himself and Seokjin, suspecting that the older male was hiding something up his sleeve. He sluggishly walked further into the back of the garden, afraid that Seokjin could counterattack in some way, he was unpredictable at this point "Are you going to bore me to death? Or are you going to endlessly speak about your strongest points to make me realise how amazing you are?"

"Well, I tried to warn you, Taehyung, but I suppose it was in vain..." Seokjin retorted dauntingly as he rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt while staring directly at Taehyung, who seemed puzzled by his remark "I guess I have to resort to the not-so-nice way..."

"Oh, poor Jinnie, do you want me to- What are you doing, Seokjin?" Taehyung paused mid-sentence as he noticed Seokjin rapidly approaching him, seeing a wide smirk suddenly erupting on his lips. The silver-haired male started running as fast as he could, not wanting to be caught by Seokjin, despite not knowing what the older male's plan was, to begin with. However, Taehyung truly didn't care about what Seokjin had in mind, he just wanted to enjoy their alone time and have fun with him by provoking and mocking him "THAT'S NOT FAIR, SEOKJIN, YOU RUN QUICKER THAN I DO, YOU MEANIE!"

"I ASKED YOU NICELY, TAEHYUNG! SO, YOU CAN'T COMPLAIN NOW!" Seokjin shouted wittily as he ran on the opposite side from Taehyung, hoping he could catch him but the silver-haired male dashed backwards, towards the beds with the white roses again, now moving to the garden's entrance "FAIRNESS ABOVE ALL! DON'T YOU REMEMBER?"

Taehyung giggled excitedly as he reached one of the bushes located near the garden's entrance, feeling slightly out of breath. He momentarily stopped in his tracks as he prayed for Seokjin to cut him some slack since he wasn't the biggest fan of exercise, well, any type of exercise that didn't require a bed or some sort of surface for him to lean on while "working" out naked with someone, preferably, a man. The silver-haired male attempted to recuperate his breath as quietly as possible when he heard footsteps, knowing Seokjin was closing in, so that meant he had to run again and faster. Before he revealed himself, Taehyung gazed at the fountain and thought about using it to his advantage, maybe it could be a neutral point that prevented Seokjin from getting him.

"I know you are hiding behind the bush, Taehyung..." Seokjin said complacently as he ran his hands through his hair to brush it away from his face while slightly panting from the running. He smiled when he heard muffled groans coming from the bush, confirming his suspicions that Taehyung was indeed there "What's the matter? Are you too exhausted to run away again? You can always take back your words, you also may add how amazing I am taking photos of you that quote-on-quote "demonstrate how insanely beautiful" you are"

"Never!" Taehyung exclaimed with conviction as he peeked his head from behind the bush, glaring at Seokjin, who was coming closer once again. The silver-haired male did his best to ignore the fact that the older male, once again, had used his own words against him, making his cheeks as red as the marvellous red roses displayed in the garden "Catch me if you can, ugly Kim!"

Taehyung courageously came out of his hiding place and stuck his tongue out, foolishly teasing Seokjin. He gathered all his strength and started sprinting as he put his last-minute plan into action, being perfectly mindful that it was quite flawed, and probably wasn't a smart idea to use the fountain as leverage when there was a possibility of him losing his balance and hurting himself in the process. However, Taehyung was adventurous and obviously yearned to be victorious against Seokjin, even if he didn't have a follow-up plan after the fountain, in the end, what truly mattered was if he was having fun, and he was. As he kept pushing towards the fountain, Taehyung momentarily looked behind and saw how quickly Seokjin was catching up to him so, he fastened his pace until his lungs couldn't take it and moved forward.

Meanwhile, Seokjin quickly concluded that Taehyung was heading towards the fountain for some reason, finding his strategy off since the fountain didn't provide him with a decent hiding place. He slowed down and briefly contemplated the possibility of Taehyung using the fountain as a way to force him to go in circles to weary him out and make him give up on the silly yet fun pursuit. Since Taehyung had gone to the left side of the fountain, Seokjin chose to go to the other side and, as he did it, he could see the younger male through the jets that were falling to the water's surface, noticing him looking back to make sure he wasn't approaching. The older male smiled mischievously and decided to quietly get closer to where Taehyung was standing, the beautiful younger male in that instant had put his guard down which was a big mistake, in Seokjin's opinion. He stealthily crouched and placed his hand on the fountain's edge, doing his best to not let himself be seen or heard, Seokjin wanted to surprise Taehyung and show him that, despite being incredibly smart, his smartness couldn't be compared to his. As he glued himself to the fountain, Seokjin kept his eyes on Taehyung like a wild animal hunting for its prey, cautiously observing his every move. At that moment, the silver-haired male was carefully scanning his surroundings carefully with a perplexed expression, probably wondering where he was and Seokjin was relishing that view, not only because he enjoyed tricking Taehyung, but also because he could liberally admire him without feeling self-conscious about staring for too long.

"Jinnie! You can't hide for that long! That's cheating!"

"You truly don't play fair, Taehyung" Seokjin retorted playfully as he lifted himself, noticing Taehyung's eyes widening with his sudden appearance, maybe he wasn't expecting him to be so close to him "So, you can hide, but I can't? Why do I have to play by the rules, and you don't?"

"Yes, I can and why don't I have to play by the rules you ask? That's easy, Seokjin, not only I'm the most handsome Kim, but I'm also the cutest baby bear, that's why" Taehyung uttered enthusiastically as he took a couple of steps back to create some distance from Seokjin, pondering following his plan. He momentarily glanced at the fountain and then at Seokjin, who was closing in on him, like he was ready to "attack" so, he decided to take a risk and climb the fountain, making sure he wouldn't lose his balance while doing so, or he would end up taking a bath against his will "And because the rules don't apply to me, while I'm up here, you can't make a move, Jinnie, this is officially my territory"

"Well, technically, it's my territory, Taehyung, because you are in my property" Seokjin stated logically as he watched Taehyung alertly and gradually walking on the rim of the fountain, walking alongside him while hearing him giggling cheerfully. As he gazed at the alluring younger male, the dark-haired male felt his hand twitching again, wishing he could simply grab Taehyung's hand and be the one to guide him safely, instead, he surrounded to his fearfulness and curled his hand into a ball "So, are you going to be there forever or admit defeat? I'm not amused by you being there, it's not safe..."

Taehyung fleetingly glanced at Seokjin and smiled sweetly, detecting concern in his playful remark that warmed his heart. Even though he appreciated his worries, the silver-haired male decided to keep their casual and playful mood alive. "I would rather throw myself into the water and get myself wet before admitting defeat to you, Jinnie, I have my proud moments as well..."

"That's a bit extreme, don't you think?" Seokjin questioned teasingly as he stepped close to Taehyung, seeing him cautiously putting a foot in front of the other and his arms stretched to the side to help him keep his balance. The dark-haired stopped himself from retorting to Taehyung right away, pondering if his response would be too explicit, but he wanted to do it just to get a reaction from the younger male "And no need to throw yourself to the water, Taehyung, there are a lot of ways to make you wet"

"What?"

Briefly, Taehyung looked away and stared at Seokjin in disbelief, wondering if he had heard what the older male had said correctly. While distracted, the silver-haired male misplaced his foot and slipped on the wet stone of the fountain, windmilling his arms in a desperate attempt to regain his stability. Taehyung turned his body towards the direction of the grass and felt his heart pounding anxiously against his chest as he braced himself for an inevitable fall, already knowing that climbing the edge of the fountain had been a bad idea. Nevertheless, he didn't regret his choice and simply prepared himself mentally to kiss the grass. When his body moved forward, Taehyung watched Seokjin quickly approaching and wrapping his arms around him, securing him as both tumbled backwards. With a thud, their tangled bodies landed on the soft grass and rolled around beside the fountain. As they rolled around, a fit of laughter burst from Taehyung as he tightly hung on to Seokjin, who quickly joined in, even though it wasn't an appropriate time to be laughing and smiling, especially acknowledging that his dumb yet fun idea and lack of attention could have had a bittersweet ending. When their bodies stopped rolling, the laughter progressively died down on Taehyung's part as he noticed how his and Seokjin's bodies were currently positioned – Taehyung was lying on the grass while Seokjin was resting comfortably in between his legs – and, despite the realisation, a wide smile was still playfully adorning his lips.

"I got you..." Seokjin whispered smugly as he rested his left forearm right beside Taehyung's head, sensing the younger male's arms snaking around his neck. A sweet giggle escaped Taehyung's luscious lips, the same lips he was attempting to avoid staring at, knowing the effect they had on him. With his right hand, Seokjin gently brushed the tousled silver locks from Taehyung's eyes and slowly ran his fingers through them "Which means that I won, Taehyung..."

"Looks who's cheating again..." Taehyung commented playfully as he chuckled lightly, not truly caring about the game they were playing earlier, his attention was focused solely on Seokjin and how close their bodies were at that moment. However, he wanted to humour the older male and tease him for a bit because riling Seokjin up had always been Taehyung's favourite thing to do "Just because you save me doesn't mean it's an automatic victory for you, Jinnie, the game isn't over yet..."

"The only one who cheats is you, Taehyung, I always play by the book..." Seokjin retorted in the same playful tone as Taehyung, as he kept running his fingers gently through his hair, slowly feeling like he was being bewitched by the alluring and gorgeous younger male and his sweet voice "If you are not going to give me a victory, at least, you should reward me as your saviour, don't you think?"

"That's your problem, Jinnie, you always follow the rules, following rules is so boring and overrated in my opinion..." Taehyung said enticingly as he bopped Seokjin's nose, smiling broadly at him while enjoying their interaction. He didn't know if he was the figment of his imagination, but the silver-haired male felt something lingering in the air – sparkles flying around between him and Seokjin – which meant their interaction could lead them into dangerous territory and Taehyung was all up for it "And a reward for your heroic action, huh? Well, what about me? Am I not good enough to be your reward, Seokjin?"

When he heard the question flowing so easily from Taehyung's lips, Seokjin abruptly stopped running his fingers through the younger male's shimmering silver locks and stared astonishingly at him, not expecting him to profess those words so casually. The sultry tone of voice coming from Taehyung led Seokjin to conclude that he was probably attempting to flirt with him by suggesting himself as a reward or maybe the younger male wanted to use his knowledge of psychology to analyse him and his reaction which brought his hesitation to the surface. Honestly, Seokjin wished nothing more than to bluntly confess his strong love for Taehyung but since it was the first time he had fallen in love with someone, and he didn't have proper experience with romantic relationships, he couldn't find the strength to break free from his anxiety, not until he had strong hints that indicated that Taehyung felt the same way about him. The thing was Seokjin had been able to detect some interesting behaviours and reactions from Taehyung whenever they were together – the sudden shyness, the lack of eye contact, the eagerness to share physical contact, the flirty and seductive remarks. Regardless of the possible signs and his lack of confidence, Seokjin felt that it was too early to make a noticeable move and perhaps speaking to someone about the matter could give him reassurance and advice on how to deal with his situation. The problem was finding someone with whom he could freely confide and not be the subject of mockery, for that exact reason, Jungkook was still not an option for him, for now, at least.

As he lost himself in his thoughts, Seokjin noticed Taehyung expectantly staring back at him, probably curious to know his answer and he was simply going to be straightforward and play along.

"Then, I should abide by my rules to seek fairness because there's someone I know who likes to abuse the system," Seokjin remarked amusingly as he heard Taehyung giggling quietly, loving that melodic sound coming from the younger male "Regarding the reward, when I think about the definition of the word I immediately think about objects and you are not an object to me, Taehyung, but if you mean reward as having the opportunity to spend time with you and see you smile cheerfully and widely every day then, yes, I want you to be my reward..."

"S-Seokjin..."

Taehyung cupped Seokjin's face as he bit his bottom lip in an attempt to stop himself from smiling, but the corners of his lips bent upwards against his will and ultimately unveiled how much effect Seokjin's simple, yet complimentary words had on him. In the past, Taehyung had always been bombarded by flattering remarks that, over the years, had lost their merit and sincerity. It felt like people, namely his two last partners and the many men who had hit on him at clubs and bars, only used their silver tongues to get something from him or expect him to behave in a certain manner just to feed their frail egos. For that reason, Taehyung believed that actions spoke louder than words and, despite not being a bulletproof method to assess people and their intentions towards him, allowed him to peek at people's hearts and souls and know how they felt about him. When it came to Seokjin, Taehyung always found him brutally honest or, if you will, extremely rude, but either way, he was always transparent and didn't have a problem speaking whatever crossed his mind which could be a good or a bad thing, depending on the circumstances. Lately, Seokjin's flattering and sincere remarks had been too much for Taehyung to handle and left him completely speechless which made him wonder if his sudden change of demeanour could be an obvious sign that he felt differently about Seokjin.

As he delicately ran his thumb over Seokjin's cheek, Taehyung gazed intensively into the older male's eyes and felt his heart fastening its pace, slowly taking his breath away. For a fleeting moment, a world unfurled, and a bubble blossomed around them, quieting down the calming sound of the water cascading from the fountain, the merry tweets and chirps from the birds and the coldish breeze brushing against the foliage of the trees. The silver-haired male noticed something flashing in Seokjin's eyes, the same alluring yet unknown gleam he had spotted earlier that week when both of them were preparing the pies, but this time it seemed a much brighter and noticeable gleam, a gleam that reflected whatever Seokjin was feeling at that moment and Taehyung desperately wanted to find out what was hiding beneath.

Unexpectedly, the distance was shortened by Seokjin and Taehyung mindlessly moved his hand from the older male's face to his shoulder, wordlessly welcoming the more intimate closeness between them. He held his breath when Seokjin traced the ridge of his nose with the tip of his as he felt his right hand sluggishly sneaking underneath his crop top and touching his feverish skin, his fingers exploring his body like unfamiliar territory. Taehyung grasped a hand of Seokjin's dress shirt harshly as he slightly arched his back, sensing the temperature insanely increasing, despite the cool and cloudy weather, while noticing the older male's hungry eyes unashamedly focusing on his lips. He completely surrendered himself to Seokjin, excited yet anxious to know if the older male was about to cross the line between them – an invisible line, some sort of barrier they unconsciously established after their first kiss –, deep down, wishing he would make a move for them to finally come forward and confess properly to each other. If both willingly succumbed to their desires, like the last time Taehyung tried to kiss Seokjin, it was no longer a coincidence. If Seokjin courageously leaned forward and connected their lips, immersing themselves in a wave of passion and love then Taehyung would be certain that he felt the same way about him. It probably didn't make sense what Taehyung was doing. It seemed like he was tossing a coin and choosing it as the decision maker of his fate, or pulling the petals of a sunflower and humming "Does he love me? Or does he love me not?", hoping the coin or the petals would give him a hint about Seokjin's true emotions for him. So, Taehyung wondered if betting on Seokjin's daring attempt to kiss him meant or expressed how truly he felt for him or if was he looking for a sign to come forward himself, instead of putting that responsibility solely on Seokjin.

Whatever thoughts were crowding Taehyung's mind, quickly evaporated when Seokjin soothingly yet enthusiastically brushed his plump bottom lip over his lips, almost sending his heart into overdrive. Frankly, Taehyung felt so silly for his giddiness and desperation to be kissed by Seokjin when he had already been kissed by him before, but this time felt different. This time he was in love and if they decided to embrace their emotions, whether they were or not reciprocated, the risk of ruining what they had built over the last few months was tremendously higher. There were a lot of nuisances regarding his relationship with Seokjin and, despite not wanting to take the same route he had taken previously with his other partners, a deep part of Taehyung was begging him to take a step forward, to gamble and bet himself and the relationship he had with Seokjin to achieve what he had been searching for – true love. Countering back, Taehyung imitated Seokjin and boldly brushed his lips against the older male's while making eye contact, offering him an inviting smile.

Seokjin grasped Taehyung's hip as he tilted his head, leaning his forehead against the cheeky silver-haired male. He had been testing the waters and looking for any sign of discomfort or uncertainty from Taehyung, and he hadn't seen anything that indicated he was bothered by their proximity, quite the opposite. Seokjin didn't know where his sudden bravery was coming from, maybe his grand desire for Taehyung and the amount of fun they were having together heavily contributed to his decision to be so straightforward. Whatever it may be, he felt prepared to take the next step, he felt ready to follow the pleas coming from his heart, no matter how foolish it seemed. With his mind made up, Seokjin glimpsed at Taehyung and his earnest eyes one last time, diminishing the distance between them until there wasn't a single particle standing in the way.

A second way from capturing Taehyung's lips, Seokjin heard a piercing sound resonating from his phone – someone had chosen the wrong time to call him. Frustrated and utterly disheartened, the older male took his hand from Taehyung's hip and pulled the phone that was safely kept inside the pocket of his pants, checking the caller ID. With a heavy sigh, Seokjin swept the green icon, accepting the call as he led the device to his ear to hear the person from the other side of the line.

"Hi, mom..."

Chapter Text

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(Earlier, in the afternoon)

Seokjin scooted slightly behind, observing Taehyung smiling brightly as he spoke with an enthusiastic Hoseok on the phone while admiring the white roses that, undoubtedly, had caught his eye since the moment he had stepped inside the main garden. The reason why his mother had called him was because Jimin and Hoseok were missing them very much so, to indulge the children, she decided to call him. Obviously, the older felt rather frustrated with the unforeseen interruption and, perhaps that had been the opportunity to finally be honest with himself and Taehyung as well. However, Seokjin didn't blame his mother or the children, he blamed himself for not trying to overcome his doubts born from a lack of knowledge and experience and step forward. Aside from that, his frustration also resulted from the poor timing and circumstances that led to their private moments being disturbed. Seokjin wasn't a religious man, nor did he believe in the universe or any entity, but he had to confess that a higher power was surely working against him. That, or the perfect moment hadn't been presented to him yet.

Despite his frustrations and cowardice, Seokjin concluded that something definitely was blossoming between him and Taehyung. He wasn't completely certain, but it was unquestionable that both shared a deep connection that went beyond friendship; a bond that had formed over the last few months through the many solemn yet sincere conversations that uncovered rawer and more vulnerable personas, who hid in the depths of their core.

Seokjin smiled weakly as he gazed lovingly at Taehyung, feeling a sense of relief washing over him for the first time since he accepted his emotions and decided to embark on the journey of transforming himself without compromising his true self – a side of him he knew Taehyung cherished deeply – to become the partner Taehyung deserved. As he watched Taehyung warily touching one of the white rose's petals with his finger, Seokjin wanted to daringly demonstrate his affection for the spellbinding younger male and reassure him that he wouldn't forget the lovely moment that unfolded between them earlier. A bit of his courage still lingered inside of him, and he wanted to take advantage of it. So, while Taehyung was talking to Hoseok on the phone, Seokjin went to the back of the main garden, where the garden shed was, and walked inside, searching for a specific gardening tool.
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As his mother was focusing on the spicy kimchi stew, Seokjin was busy cutting the daikon radish julienne style to make a spicy radish salad to serve alongside the stew and the other dishes that were more suitable for Hoseok and Jimin, who still were too young to handle spice, despite being relatively mild. Regarding the spicy dishes, Seokjin had learned from Namjoon that Seunghee adored spicy dishes very much and were usually her favourite dishes, but the moment she found out she was pregnant, and even though spicy foods weren't an endangerment for neither the mother nor the baby, Seunghee's consumption of spicy dishes had decreased because they occasionally triggered some uncomfortable side effects, namely, heartburn and indigestion.

Furthermore, Namjoon added that Taehyung wasn't a fan of spicy foods and told him that Yoongi had secretly shared a moment from when he and Taehyung were attending high school. According to Namjoon, Yoongi and his boyfriend at the time, Changkyun, had invited Taehyung and Minhyuk, Changkyun's best friend, to have lunch together in a ramen shop, near their high school. Taehyung had a huge crush on Minhyuk, who reciprocated his feelings, but none of them dared to come forward and confess how they truly felt so, Yoongi and Changkyun decided to give their best friends a push. During lunch, Minhyuk offered a scoop of his noodles to Taehyung and Taehyung innocently accepted it, unbeknownst of the fact that the noodles were the spiciest ones on the menu. After lunch, Minhyuk invited Taehyung to a food truck that solely sold street food sweets and bought him dalgona candy, where the shape of a heart was imprinted in the middle, as a way to apologise for not informing Taehyung of his preference for spicy noodles. Namjoon also told Seokjin that particular day had been one the most precious days to Taehyung since it was the day Minhyuk finally found his courage and took advantage of the heart-shaped pattern in the dalgona candy to wholeheartedly confess how he truly felt for Taehyung. Additionally, Namjoon admitted that his younger brother seemed so timid when he arrived home that day that their parents spent the entire evening playfully messing with him and constantly pointing out how his cheeks turned crimson every time they mentioned Minhyuk's name.

While cutting the last daikon radish, Seokjin couldn't help but smile weakly at what Namjoon had told him about Taehyung and how his first love had confessed his feelings for him, finding it odd yet interesting how in the past – and now – the younger male was so easily swayed by candy to compensate for any distress caused to him, which, honestly, it was amusing. The first time he had done that, Seokjin just wanted to calm down Taehyung and show him that he was sorry but, looking back, he sounded so selfish and acted so superior, like he hadn't acted rudely at all and therefore, he didn't have any obligation to Taehyung.

Another detail that caught Seokjin's attention was how Namjoon had described sixteen-year-old Taehyung and his reaction to his family's playful remarks about Minhyuk, his first boyfriend. Earlier, at the main garden, Seokjin decided to embrace his courageous side and offer Taehyung a reward to demonstrate to him how valuable and stunning the younger male was and to remind him that he would always be loyal and trustful, knowing that his last boyfriend lacked these two traits, besides, faithfulness, obviously. When he gifted his reward to Taehyung, Seokjin visibly noticed the beautiful younger male's cheeks turning completely red as he lowered his gaze from him, smiling bashfully with his sudden loving and heartfelt gesture.

Meanwhile, Mrs Kim, after adding the squares of tofu into the stew and letting it simmer for a few more minutes, glimpsed at Seokjin and saw the big smile adorning his lips – a rare sight to her. She never understood why her son refused to smile in her presence. At some point, she thought she was the one to blame for not having a more active role when it came to protecting Seokjin from his father and preventing him from fully expressing his emotions because her husband vehemently believed that displaying emotion was a sign of weakness, which was preposterous, and he couldn't justify his argument with religion. Mrs Kim was debating if she should approach Seokjin and, somehow, convince him to talk about his and Taehyung's little adventure around the property, knowing that something significant had unfolded between them, and the white rose carried by Taehyung wasn't what gave them away – their wide smiles, their electrifying chemistry, their stolen gazes and overall unspoken love surrounding them were enough signs to tell how they felt for one another. If it was the case, witnessing Seokjin falling in love with someone was one of the most unexpected yet amazing moments for Mrs Kim and as a mother, she wished that her son would seek her and speak about the matter, understanding that this was a new experience for Seokjin, however, she was frightened of Seokjin's not trusting her enough to share his feelings, or potential feelings, for Taehyung, with her. Her faith in God had always been indestructible, no matter how many adversities crossed her way during her lifetime and no matter how much she had to endure during her marriage and with her husband, she stood strong and reached for the Lord in her time of need. The same couldn't be said about the faith and hope she had in Seokjin or, in this case, the lack of hope and faith. Mrs Kim felt her eyes watering as she felt ashamed for giving up on Seokjin so easily by losing hope and faith in him, believing that she was never going to see her son's true self coming to the surface, to see his broad smile adorning his lips while telling her one of his lame jokes, as Jungkook amusingly called them. She discreetly reached for her handkerchief and cleaned her eyes, not wanting Seokjin to worry about her, that would only make it more difficult to bring the topic of Seokjin and Taehyung's little escapade to the conversation.

Mrs Kim put the handkerchief inside the pocket of her blazer as she made her way to Seokjin, praying to God that Seokjin would forgive her for her lack of support and beg for a new opportunity to strengthen her bond with her son, even though she knew how Seokjin adored her which made her feel more guilty. She smoothed her blazer and her skirt, then she clasped her hands together as she got closer to Seokjin, a bright smile still on his lips. She cleared her throat as she watched Seokjin grabbing the julienned radish with his gloved hands and putting it inside the small bowl in front of him while witnessing the smile immediately vanishing like he didn't want her to see it.

"Do you need help with something, mom?" Seokjin asked casually as he felt self-conscious by being caught smiling, maybe too widely, dumping the last amount of julienned radish inside the bowl "I'm going to add the rest of the ingredients and finish up here"

"No, sweetheart, apart from the spicy stew, everything is ready to plate and serve..." Mrs Kim uttered calmly as she observed Seokjin adding the red chilli pepper flakes to the radish, feeling a sense of pride bursting deep inside while watching her son so dedicated to cooking, even if it was simple dishes. She rested a hand on Seokjin's arm as she leaned her lower back against the countertop smiling reassuringly while discreetly noticing a few green stains on her son's dress shirt "So, how did it go this afternoon? It seemed like both of you had a really good time together..."

"It went well..." Seokjin responded indifferently as he mixed the added ingredients with the cut radish with his gloved hands, carefully pondering what he truly wanted to share with his mother. The dark-haired male honestly felt disingenuous by choosing to hide information to prevent his mother from finding out that he was in love with Taehyung because it was already difficult to deal, not only with the overwhelming emotions but also with Jungkook and Yoongi's teasing "We walked around and talked for a bit, nothing extraordinary..."

Mrs. Kim smiled softly as she continued to watch Seokjin finishing the spicy radish salad and taking the plastic gloves off, not buying the vague words and the pretend indifference demonstrated by her son, especially when a moment ago he was smiling so broadly that his smile actually reached his eyes. While Seokjin was washing his hands, she thought about a way to bring the subject up without pushing too hard since the last thing she wanted was to frighten her son even more, given the circumstances. Another thing Mrs. Kim needed to take into consideration was the fact it was a brand-new experience for Seokjin and, maybe, teasing him about his relationship with Taehyung, along with Jungkook, had made her son feel reluctant to share anything that was related to them, and she couldn't blame him. She wanted to ease Seokjin into the conversation and be mindful of the boundaries, not wishing to invade her son's privacy and make him uncomfortable. The key words were patience and caution, and they could determine the success or failure of the conversation.

"Sweetheart, I know you are accustomed to interacting and speaking with people, given your line of work so, I understand why you see it as ordinary but there's a difference between speaking with businessmen and people you cherish" Mrs. Kim uttered amusingly as he saw Seokjin drying his hands on a clean cloth, noticing his brows furrowing "When you speak with people you deeply care about and shared a bond with makes your heart feel cosy, especially if you share something significant with them, you entrust that information because they are important to you, words have tremendous power and you, better than anyone, know that"

On one hand, Seokjin didn't know why his mother was so philosophical about conversations and the meaning behind the words shared between people who cherished each other. However, he couldn't help but agree with her on the matter since, despite believing Taehyung's mantra – "actions speak louder than words" –, words, indeed, were powerful and the best example that came to mind was when he told Jimin how proud he was of him and his hard work. On the other, Seokjin had a hutch that his mother was fishing for more specific information and mentioning people we cherished and with whom we could speak about everything and anything freely was her attempt to reach out to him. The dark-haired male still wasn't certain that he should mindlessly share what was blossoming in his heart for Taehyung, especially when he was constantly dealing with teasing remarks just because in the past he dismissed the possibility of falling in love with Taehyung and eventually having a relationship with him when people were using the "opposite attracts" premise and were continuously pushing for that narrative.

Seokjin replayed the moment when he and Taehyung were walking towards the main garden. Normally, speaking about sensitive matters like his family, namely his father, and how their religious beliefs had an impact on him while growing up was tough to share and discuss, but doing it so naturally when he was with the younger male felt like he was slowly revealing what had been underneath all this time and acknowledge the person he was and had been before.

"You're right, mom, but we are talking about relationships of a different nature – professionally and friendly –, obviously, speaking to people with whom we shared a close bond are the ones we seek to disclose more personal information" Seokjin stated casually as he grabbed another cloth to clean the dished he had taken from the cabinet where the nice dishware was kept, wondering if his mother was stopping there or trying to push it through the conversation "So, in my opinion, it doesn't make sense comparing, unless people have both a professional and friendly relationship, like Jungkook and I, even then, I don't share everything with him..."

"You forgot romantic relationships, honey, but, unlike what happens with people like you and Jungkook, who shared both a professional and friendly relationship, there are people who have romantic relationships who disguise them as friendly" Mrs Kim retorted confidently as she watched Seokjin almost dropping the dish on the floor, feeling like she had hit the bull's eye. She offered a warm smile to her son, who was placing the dish on the island counter as he glanced at her, allowing her to see that the words she just professed applied to Seokjin and Taehyung "I know there are couples who state that their partners are their best friends, personally, I don't believe two people in love can't be friends at the same time, just like I don't believe two people in love can't hide their love by pretending to be friends"

Seokjin slowly discarded the cloth and tried his best not to display his true emotions to not motivate his mother to dig deeper into the conversation, but he truly thought it was futile. Undoubtedly, his mother's intuition or "sixth sense", as she repeatedly called it, was working full force against him and Seokjin acknowledged that no matter how intelligent he was, he couldn't beat his mother and her neatness. It wasn't the ideal scenario that Seokjin had visualised, however, since he was a self-aware person and he needed help to sort out his many thoughts regarding his feelings for Taehyung, Seokjin needed to put aside his hesitancy of showing weakness which, to him, was the synonym of showing uncertainty and fright, feelings he wasn't allowed to demonstrate to people or he would be viewed as a weakling. Those had been the words his father constantly professed while he was growing up, words that, indeed, had power over his mind, progressively shaped a new personality as they buried his true self deep in his core, and surrounded it by tall walls that nobody had been able to knock down. Well, nobody until Taehyung came along.

One thing Seokjin had to keep reminding himself of was that his mother was the only parent he could count on. Even though, part of him felt bad for concealing how he honestly felt for Taehyung from Jungkook, Seokjin couldn't act the same way towards his mother. Misdealing, lying and omitting were actions he tried to avoid, of course, there were exceptions to the rule, like for example, when Seokjin told his mother he was working the night before which happened to be the same night Taehyung stayed with him. Regardless, Seokjin always made the effort to be transparent and honest with his mother and, unlike before, he was now perfectly mindful that he was in love with Taehyung – something that his mother already figured out by herself – which meant he couldn't run away from the kitchen until he came forward and told the truth.

Seokjin momentarily lowered his gaze and sighed heavily, unable to hide the small bittersweet smile plastered on his face. "Mother's sixth sense, I presume?"

Mrs. Kim chuckled sweetly as she headed towards Seokjin, already knowing her son was going to do the right thing, after all, she had taught him well. She gently ran her fingers through Seokjin's hair as she took a good look at him, knowing how difficult it was for her son to hide such strong emotions and, perhaps, going along with Jungkook's teasing hadn't helped much. She cupped Seokjin's face and attentively studied his expression for a moment, understanding that this was a whole new experience for her son since, during his adolescence and young adult years, his lifestyle didn't exactly express his will to settle down. Mrs Kim wondered countless times if she ever would see Seokjin finding someone and pursuing a relationship, not only because of her son's lifestyle, which she disliked but also because of her husband's ultimatum and revulsion for Seokjin's sexual orientation. As a woman of God, Mrs Kim believed in miracles, despite her lack of faith and hope of seeing Seokjin's true self floating to the surface again, she knew, one day, her son was going to come across someone, a kind soul with a heart of gold who would be patience and capable of dealing with his stubborn, proud and ruthless personality that had been created by her husband.

While gazing affectionately at Seokjin, Mrs. Kim noticed how her son's smile was no longer adorning his lips which concerned her. In the past, she hadn't been as supportive of Seokjin as she should have been. She allowed her husband to control every aspect of their son's life, whether personal or professional and never professed a word in Seokjin's defence. She witnessed Seokjin getting married to a person for whom he didn't have any sort of feelings – a person who was also a victim like her son – because her husband forcibly wanted to preserve the family image by sacrificing their son's happiness and she never professed a word in Seokjin's defence. This time, she wanted to compensate for her mistakes and step forward as a mother by showing her support and help to Seokjin in hopes of amending the wrongdoings from the past.

"Well, yes, sweetie, I told you mothers have a sixth sense and the instant my eyes landed on the photo of you and Taehyung, I could see the sparks flying in the air, just like I saw it today when you two came back" Mrs. Kim uttered soothingly as she took her hand from Seokjin's face, noticing how her simple remark had made her son even more troubled. She softly held Seokjin's hands to give her son some encouragement and glanced at him, hoping she could ease the burden he was carrying alone "Seokjin, honey, I know you are not fond of Jungkook's teasing, I guess that is the reason why you haven't told him yet, but whatever is troubling you, you can talk it with me..."

"This is the first time I ever felt like this for someone and the fact that love is an unknown subject to me, honestly scares me, mom, so you're right, Jungkook and Yoongi's constant teasing doesn't help at all, that's why I haven't told anyone..." Seokjin confessed as he lowered his gaze, pondering wisely about the next words he was about to spew. The dark-haired male had his doubts and fears, even though he had a hutch about Taehyung reciprocating his feelings, however, he needed to remind himself that the younger male was one of the rarest people he ever met which meant Seokjin wasn't the only one to see how unique, gorgeous, funny and smart Taehyung was. There were unknown factors to consider, factors that would only unveil themselves in due time and Seokjin hated the unpredictable "Taehyung has been through a lot when it comes to relationships, love is a sensitive matter to him so, knowing how much he struggled, I'm afraid of not being the partner he deserves, I'm afraid of drowning in my own uncertainty and fear that someone else will show up, someone who is more knowledgeable and has more experience..."

"Seokjin, sweetie, I understand, and your feelings are completely valid so, I don't blame you for not coming forward, but I'm glad you decided to share how you are truly feeling at the moment, not that you had any other choice" Mrs. Kim stated amusingly, hearing Seokjin chuckling, probably with her last remark. She cupped her son's face once again and delicately ran her thumb over his cheek, happy to see Seokjin smiling "My son, I know I'm biased, but I personally feel that you don't have anything to be afraid of" Mrs Kim added confidently as she brushed Seokjin's dark-brown hair to the side to see his handsome face, noticing her son cocking a brow, probably curious to know why she had said such thing "Seokjin, dear, I know how observant you are so, I'm certain Taehyung gave you some signs that allow you to find out if your feelings are or not mutual, right?"

Seokjin recalled the unforgettable and incredible moments he had spent with Taehyung that afternoon, the moments that helped him conclude that there were definitely feelings blossoming between them. He cherished and enjoyed watching Taehyung's duality coming to the surface, whether he was adoringly bashful or astounding flirty and he couldn't wait to see the younger male fulfil his deal of showing him the world through his eyes – to be his place of beauty and freedom.

"Yes, he already did which it's ironic since we met, Taehyung has been able to see through me, but recently, I noticed that I have been able to do the same as well" Seokjin stated wittily as he smiled more widely, remembering all the times he had some sort of effect on Taehyung "When I profess some complimentary words to him or emphasise his amazing personality Taehyung averts his gaze from me, smiles as brightly as the sun on a summer day and his cheeks turned the most beautiful shade of crimson, just like the red roses in the main garden, when I'm troubled or struggling, Taehyung offers sweet words and holds my hand in comfort..."

"Seokjin, sweetheart..." Mrs Kim whispered, almost on the verge of tears for listening to Seokjin describing in such detail how Taehyung reacted to her son's words and gestures. She had already experienced Seokjin's endearing side, however, she always felt something preventing her son from truly expressing his emotions towards her or, better yet, someone. Mrs Kim was proud of Seokjin, she always was, but witnessing her son speaking so fondly, so passionately about his and Taehyung's relationship made her prouder, Seokjin was finally embracing love and love suited him well "You see, my son, I told you that you have nothing to be concerned about, clearly, Taehyung reciprocates your feelings, but, you have to be patience, as you said love is a sensitive subject for him and he already went through with his former partners, I imagine that those men hurt him and broke his heart mindlessly" Mrs Kim spoke warmheartedly as she stared at Seokjin's eyes, understanding how Taehyung was feeling since, she had been in the same place as him a long time ago "I know you, Seokjin, I know you would never break Taehyung's heart, but put yourself in his place, that young man is probably frightened to give love another chance, especially give his heart to someone with whom he has a beautiful relationship, Taehyung doesn't want to lose you, son"

Seokjin sighed heavily as he gently took his mother's hand from his face, carefully contemplating her words. He already had considered the possibility of Taehyung being scared of giving love another chance after everything he went through with the last two men he dated. Seokjin didn't know much about Taehyung's second partner, apart from the fact that the man in question didn't like how much Hoseok occupied Taehyung's time. Regarding Hongseok, Seokjin had a better understanding, despite only having the opportunity to deal with him very briefly, on Hoseok's birthday. But, it had been sufficient to conclude that the young model was too confident, even more than him he dared to assume, and too obsessed with Taehyung. Whatever Hongseok felt for Taehyung was further from love and Seokjin sensed that Hongseok, after returning from his long overseas travel, would attempt his luck again. In the end, Seokjin, even though he had some difficulty controlling himself around Taehyung sometimes, wanted to follow his mother's advice for Taehyung's sake and continue to work hard to conquer his heart, even if it took him a lifetime to accomplish his goal.

"I don't want to lose Taehyung either, mom, I care too much about him so, I will be patient and continue to show him how important he is for me and Jimin and how much his presence makes a difference in my life..."

***

In the cosy, warmly lit kitchen, Yoongi moved around the dining table and methodically settled the plates and the metal chopsticks in their proper place as he sensed his stomach grumbling with the delicious aroma coming from the home-cooked food. The air was filled with the rhythmic jangle of dishes mingling with the sizzling sounds of the food cooking on the stove. Amid the comforting sounds of bubbling pots and mouthwatering food, a steady stream of grunts and muttered complaints echoed from Mrs. Jeon, who kept cursing her husband and Jungkook, who were upstairs, probably thinking that the culinary symphonies could disguise her frustration and outrage, but Yoongi was listening to every single word, and he couldn’t help but smile discreetly with her hectic behaviour.

After being properly introduced to Jungkook’s parents and attempting to shoo away the nervousness and bashfulness, Yoongi started to feel a lot more comfortable, even though the thought of making a good first impression was still nagging him in the back of his mind, no matter how many times Jungkook had reassured him that his parents would adore him for the amazing person he was. Since Mr. Jeon and Jungkook easily got lost in their conversation about the economy and the financial state the country was in – topics that certainly didn’t interest him –, Yoongi decided to go to the kitchen and help Mrs. Jeon with the dinner preparations, taking advantage of the opportunity to get to know each other better.

“I can’t believe they left us here doing all the work while they are discussing dull topics, but that’s not the worst…” Mrs Jeon said unamusingly as she stirred the pork soup, taking a peek at Yoongi, who was placing the last place on the table, to guarantee that he was doing fine “Yoongi, sweetie, you didn’t have to help me, you are my guest and as such, you should be resting and not slaving way in the kitchen with me”

“I don’t mind, Mrs Jeon and it’s a pleasure to give you a hand, you can’t do everything by yourself, besides…” Yoongi responded politely as he offered a small smile to Mrs. Jeon, grasping the napkins from the island counter. He truly didn’t mind helping out and he enjoyed the process, especially with Mrs Jeon’s dramatic complaints and exaggerated gestures that brought a touch of humour to the task “Between you and me, finance and economy are extremely boring, I prefer cooking and setting up the dinner table”

“Yoongi, you are not only a very polite and educated young man, but also very funny and kind, I appreciate your help, sweetie, and your cooking tips as well, you have immense wisdom when it comes to cooking” Mrs Jeon spoke wittily as she turned down the heat to let the pork soup simmer for a few minutes, cleaning her hands on dishcloth while hearing Yoongi laughing. She stared at the red-haired young man, who was carefully placing the napkins on the table with a smile on his lips, finding him adorable “My Jungkook is lucky to have someone like you, Yoongi, so I don’t understand how he could easily abandon you here to speak with his dad about those topics if you ask me, you are too good for my son, sweetie…”

Yoongi finished placing the last napkin, a small chuckle escaped from his lips as he listened to Mrs. Jeon’s humorous remark, knowing if Jungkook was in the kitchen, he would act possessively towards him and quickly rebuttal. The red-haired male was aware that Mrs Jeon was just being playful, maybe to help him relax in her presence, but despite her irritation from earlier, he could feel the warmth and affection lacing every word. Clearly, Jungkook was missed by both of his parents and Yoongi could only imagine how difficulty it was to be so far away from family. According to Jungkook, he had moved to Seoul when he was about to start high school, where he met and befriended Seokjin, because of his parents’ professions – professors at Yonsei University, the most ancient university in the country. Later, when Jungkook graduated from university, his parents decided to go back to Busan and leave the academic world to dedicate themselves to other projects – Mrs Jeon started her own catering business and Mr. Jeon worked in the local high school as a Chemistry teacher. Additionally, Jungkook had confessed to him that it had been more than six months since he had seen his parents in person which he hated because his life was in Seoul and work kept him pretty busy so, there weren’t many opportunities for him to come down to Busan and spent time with his parents.

“Why is my mother telling my sweetheart that he could find a better man than me, huh?” Jungkook questioned playfully as he walked inside the kitchen, along with his father, glancing at Yoongi, who, apparently, found the situation amusing. He headed towards the red-haired male and swiftly grasped him by his waist as he leaned forward, pecking his tempting lips “That’s slender, mom, you should be highlighting my strongest points to my baby…”

“Jungkookie…”

“Jungkook, honey, I’m not slandering you, I’m just stating facts, especially after you and your dad abandoned me and Yoongi and went upstairs to discuss the most boring topics on the planet, clearly, I failed both as a mother and a wife” Mrs Jeon retorted upsettingly as she turned off the stove, not willing to forgive Jungkook or her husband for being impolite to their guest. She spun around and was immediately kissed on the cheek and received a tight hug from Minsoo, her husband, in hopes of being forgiven “Don’t bother to bribe me with hugs and kisses, Minsoo, I’m upset with you and Jungkook for what you did”

“Alright, alright, I apologise for my behaviour, mom, I wasn’t a gentleman and, you’re right, I shouldn’t have abandoned my soft kitten, instead, I should have stayed by his side and helped you with dinner” Jungkook stated cheerfully as he delicately ran his fingers through Yoongi’s red locks, noticing how reserved he was behaving at that moment, probably because he just referred to him as “soft kitten”. He cupped the red-haired male’s face and lovingly kissed his forehead, then he stared at Yoongi’s shimmering brown eyes as he gave him a sweet smile, finding him so adorable when he was timid in his presence “Since you and Yoongi prepared the food and set up the table, how about dad and I clean up and wash the dishes after, is that a deal, mom?”

“Ji Woo, darling, please don’t be upset with us, as Jungkook said, we will do all the work after dinner, it’s only fair we do our parts after you and Yoongi did so wonderfully” Mr Jeon pleaded desperately as he endearingly gazed at his wife while holding her in his arms. He knew Ji Woo had already forgiven him and their son for their wrongdoings, but she didn’t want to go easy on them, especially when they were meeting Jungkook’s soon-to-be boyfriend “And I should apologise to Yoongi as well, I’m aware that Jungkook and I probably bored you to death and force you to run away from us, I apologise, my wife is right, you are our guest, you should be treated more nicely”

Yoongi wasn't fond of being the centre of attention, especially with Jungkook’s dad apologising to him. It made him a bit uncomfortable, though he wasn’t offended at all. Jungkook hadn’t seen his parents in a long time, and Yoongi understood how special this chance to reconnect was for him. Smiling warmly, he placed a hand on Jungkook’s chest, glancing between him and his parents. The last thing Yoongi wanted was for Mr. and Mrs. Jeon to think he felt unwelcome or wasn't enjoying himself. Earlier, Yoongi had admitted to Jungkook how nervous he was about meeting his parents, and now he realized they shared the same feelings because they wanted their son to be happy.

“Mr Jeon, you have nothing to apologise for, you and your wife have been treating me so nicely and kindly, I’m enjoying my time here with you and Jungkook…” Yoongi said respectfully as stared fondly at Jungkook, grasping the hand resting on his face. He intertwined his fingers with the older male’s and smiled widely at him, feeling his heart swelling up with so much love, it almost took his breath away “Besides, having the opportunity to visit Busan and meeting you have been such an amazing experience, and I know how much my Jungkookie was missing you, missing the place where he was born and raised…”

“Yoongi, my love…” Jungkook uttered astonishingly as he brought Yoongi’s hand without unlacing his fingers from his to his lips, kissing it without breaking eye contact “Sharing this part of me with you has been so fulfilling, baby, I’m so glad you came with me, I hope we can make more incredible memories here…”

“I hope we can make more incredible memories as well, Jungkookie…” Yoongi spoke quietly, wondering how his heart hadn’t exploded yet with the huge amount of love and care Jungkook had for him. Despite enjoying how expressive and loving the older male was towards him, the red-haired male didn’t want to continue acting so lovey-dovey, especially in front of Jungkook’s parents so, he decided to be a little mischievous “But, first, you need to clean up and wash the dishes, mister, don’t think you can get away with your sweet compliments and kisses”

“The same goes for you, Jeon Minsoo, don’t think you can’t get away with washing the dishes and cleaning up with your briberies, I’m not that easy” Mrs. Jeon reiterated as she listened to her husband and Jungkook laughing in amusement with her and Yoongi’s remarks, not being able to contain a smile. She softly kissed Minsoo’s cheek and untied her apron, not wanting to waste any more time and eat dinner to learn more about Yoongi and how he and Jungkook got together. Mrs Jeon knew Jungkook had been upset for being shut down right from the start, but she advised him to be patient and change his approach because if Yoongi was being defensive towards him, the young man had probably gone through a lot in the past. She was over the moon to see her son so happy. It hadn’t been a moment where he wasn’t smiling. Both she and Minsoo had the opportunity to meet Jungkook’s previous partners. They were always afraid of watching Jungkook being heartbroken, like any other parent, but witnessing Yoongi and Jungkook’s interactions and gradually knowing Yoongi on a more personal level showed her and Minsoo that, this time, they didn’t have to worry as much as they did in the past “Yoongi, honey, let us sit down and talk properly while Jungkook and my husband serve the food, we deserve to be pampered, don’t you think?”

***
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(Earlier, in the afternoon)

Taehyung thanked Mrs. Kim one last time for contacting him and Seokjin and said his last goodbyes, ending the call. He took the phone from his ear, stared at the black screen and smiled widely as he replayed the sweet words said by Hoseok and Jimin earlier, feeling his heart melting all over again with how adorable they sounded. At one point, Jimin requested him to speak to his father and when he turned around Seokjin was nowhere to be seen which was odd since he knew the older male wouldn’t leave him alone without, at least, informing him. So, he told Jimin that his father couldn’t talk to him because he had made him disappear and the little one giggled loudly, asking him to bring his papa back safe and sound to hug him.

After the call, Taehyung was hoping Seokjin would be back, but, unfortunately, it hadn’t been the case. He wondered if the interruption had something to do with his sudden disappearance since he noticed the disheartened and frustrating tone of voice when Seokjin answered his mother’s call and Taehyung couldn’t help but feel the same way as well. Even though they had been interrupted a second time, there was a silver lining in the middle of the situation – Seokjin clearly reciprocated his feelings – which was wonderful news to Taehyung and offered him some reassurance, and yet, didn’t quiet down the part of him that still made him doubt and fear.

Before losing himself further in his thoughts, Taehyung decided to focus on the beautiful white roses and ponder on speaking to Namjoon about what he was going through. He needed to come forward to his older brother and seek advice on how to deal with his current situation because the more engulfed he was with the negative emotions, the more he felt he was losing an opportunity to experience true love like he always wanted. Taehyung had thrown himself into two relationships because loneliness was too much to handle, along with the grief and the rage he was carrying in his heart. He ended up being hurt by two people who he once loved, two people who he once gave his heart, body and love and Taehyung couldn’t make the same mistake for a third time, even if it was Seokjin, one of the sweetest people he had ever met, ironically.

While admiring the stunning white roses, Taehyung sensed a hand gently grasping his and he didn’t need to turn around to see who was standing next to him, trying to pull him away from his depressing thoughts.

“Kim Seokjin, next time you decide to disappear, I would love to have some type of warning, if it’s too much to ask, there is” Taehyung whined as he turned to face Seokjin, pursing his lips “You are not a very good tour guide and, as a punishment, I should keep your phone as a compensation, you are still owning me one since mine is all scratch on the back because of you, you meanie…”

“Well, you were on the phone with Hoseok so, I couldn’t simply warn you where I was going on and, regarding the phone, I would like it back, please, because I’m certain that I don’t own you anything from the day that we met, I already promised you oatmeal cookies baked by yours truly, didn’t I?” Seokjin asked amusingly as he tipped his head to the side, noticing how Taehyung was sheepishly glancing at him “Instead of compensating you for your distress, how about I recognise your win as the most handsome Kim and give you a reward of my own? You know I’m a proud man, Taehyung, and as such, it’s always to accept defeat from my opponent”

“I will forgive you because you’re right, you promised me you would bake me cookies and talking to my little sunshine and cutie pie is priceless to me, so touché, Jinnie, regarding the award…” Taehyung spoke cheerfully as he flashed his unique boxy smile, feeling thrilled for witnessing Seokjin admitting defeat to him and curious to know what kind of reward he wanted to give him. He momentarily glanced at the tool the older male had in his hand, questioning if he needed said tool to reward him “It’s a wonderful day when I see Kim Seokjin, the proud man, admitting defeat to me, Kim Taehyung, who, without a doubt, is the most handsome Kim in the world so, what are you going to give me as a reward, Jinnie?”

“Give me my phone back and I will give your reward, Taehyung, fairness above all”

“Fairness above all, blah, blah, blah” Taehyung mocked as he unwillingly freed himself from Seokjin’s grip, handing him the phone back while watching him putting the device inside the pants’ pocket “Well, I gave you your phone back so, what’s my reward, Jinnie? I truly want to know…”

Instead of answering Taehyung, Seokjin gently grasped his hand once again and brought it to his lips, lingeringly kissing it as he attentively stared at the enchanting silver male who was smiling endearingly at him, a smile that could easily make his heart skip a beat. Without wanting to waste any more time and knowing that Hoseok and Jimin were waiting for them, Seokjin approached the flowerbeds filled with white roses and carefully glimpsed at them, searching for the most predominant and stunning white rose in the bunch, something that probably sounded odd out loud, but he wanted a rose that resembled Taehyung, a rose that, despite having similarities with the others white roses, was different for its uniqueness and beauty. Seokjin found a white rose hidden among the several ones and delicately grasped it by its stem, cutting the bloom with the help of a bypass pruner. He heard the gardening tool crushing the stem and swiftly obtained it, taking a moment to admire its beauty under the glimmering afternoon sun and smelling its floral scent that would keep the memory of that day engraved on his mind forever.

Seokjin turned around and faced Taehyung, who was standing not very far from him, watching his eyes widen as he got closer to him, already guessing what he was about to do. The younger male’s body language clearly indicated that he was very timid in his presence and Seokjin didn’t know why, but he enjoyed it when he had such power over Taehyung to the point he couldn't even make eye contact with him. Seokjin cupped Taehyung’s face and felt his warm honey-coloured skin against the palm of his hand as he looked right into the younger male’s eyes, his pupils completely blew out, not allowing him to swim in those amber orbs and lost himself in them.

“A beautiful white rose for the most insanely beautiful Kim…” Seokjin mumbled boldly, completely unaware that he just said what Taehyung had said about himself instead of the most handsome Kim and yet, even if he was mindful of what he had spoken, he wouldn't regret his words. He kept his loving stare on Taehyung, who was staring back at him and completely speechless, and offered him the white rose that was more than a flower to him, it represented a promise, apart from the reminder of the beautiful moment they had shared earlier “White roses have many meanings, they can symbolise purity, youthfulness and innocence, apart from those ones, they can also symbolise eternal love, a new start and fresh beginnings…” Seokjin explained quietly as he observed Taehyung smelling the white rose with a shy smile, feeling his heart almost burst when their eyes met once again “Taehyung, I know how much you went through, I know how much people hurt you, including me, but I don’t want to be labelled as such anymore, instead, I want to be loyal and truthful to you, I want to help you move on from the past and start a new chapter and, most importantly, I want to keep that smile on your face, this is a promise…”
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Taehyung sat cross-legged on the couch, a gentle smile gracing his lips as he gazed lovingly at the white rose in his hand, replaying the magical moments and tender words shared with Seokjin that beautiful, sunny afternoon. Bringing the rose closer, he inhaled its refreshing scent deeply, closing his eyes and allowing the powerful surge of love and happiness to flood his body. A pleasant shiver ran down his spine, reminiscent of the electric thrill he felt when Seokjin had boldly slipped his hand under his crop top and brushed his lips against his. Taehyung opened his eyes, grinning foolishly, feeling as though he was sixteen and falling in love for the first time all over again.

However, reflecting on his first experience with love also brought back the fears and doubts Taehyung had been trying to suppress. The negative emotions surged back, reminding him of the last two people he had given his heart to, people who had ended up hurting him in more ways than one and left a trail of destruction behind. Frustrated, Taehyung leaned his head back against the couch, his smile vanishing instantly. He sighed heavily, staring at the ceiling, feeling utterly lost in his current situation. For most people, falling in love was the most beautiful feeling in the world, as it had been for Taehyung when he was young, naïve, and clueless before the reality of the world where he lived slapped him and showed him how cruel life could be. Now, love to him felt like the bogeyman to children. Despite having a fair chance at true love once more, Taehyung feared that anything could go wrong, leading to another heartbreak. Even though he knew Seokjin would never hurt him intentionally, he had learned that life often had other plans.

“Taehyung…”

Taehyung slowly peeled his eyes from the ceiling and noticed Namjoon standing at the living room’s entrance with a small, reassuring smile adorning his lips. When he came back from the tour, Taehyung and Seokjin were enwrapped in their own bubble, in their own world. The previous awkwardness and tension lingering between them quickly evaporated and gave place to laughter, stolen glances, close physical contact and amusing conversations about the most random subjects. After yet another attempt to steal a kiss, Taehyung truly thought that it would have some kind of consequence on his relationship with Seokjin which, fortunately, didn’t happen. The younger male was slightly stunned because fear had had immense power over him and since the instant he admitted to himself he was in love with Seokjin, the self-doubt planted some not-very-nice thoughts and tormented him about the chance of losing the incredible relationship they had built together, the close bond he had formed with Seokjin. Upon his return, Taehyung was so distracted and enamoured that neither he nor Seokjin realised how Mrs Kim, Namjoon and Seunghee were staring at them with big smiles plastered all over their faces. The cheerfulness and brightness shot through the bubble that was surrounding them and protecting them from the piercing gazes coming from people, but, at the same time, it seemed like their racing and overjoyed hearts were singing so loud that drew people’s attention to them, nonetheless. The moment he realised people were staring at him and Seokjin, Taehyung unwillingly burst the bubble, deep-dived into the bashfulness from before and pretended that nothing important was unfolding between him and the older male because people’s opinions and comments about the relationship he had with Seokjin bothered him tremendously since he was still processing his strong feelings and doing it alone complicated everything.

In this case, Taehyung didn’t consider people’s attention as a bad thing and when he mentioned people, he was referring to Namjoon, who probably already knew how he felt for Seokjin. The silver-haired male had been seriously pondering on sharing his predicament and its struggles with Namjoon, hoping to seek some advice and find some guidance for him to be able to freely and completely embrace his feelings without thinking about the worst-case scenarios. As he watched Namjoon approaching him and sitting next to him, Taehyung averted his attention to the white rose in his hand and remembered, not only the beautiful meanings the flower held but also the promise Seokjin had made to him, focusing more on the wonderful gesture than his words, however, his heart had been bewitched by both. With his index finger, Taehyung gently caressed one of the petals and sighed in desperation, mentally preparing himself to say the words he had kept safe inside of his heart out loud, words that Namjoon was already waiting for him to say because, just like him, his older brother could see through people.

“I’m scared, Joon…”

Namjoon scooted closer to Taehyung as he opened one of his arms, welcoming his troubled younger brother into his embrace. With fondness, he watched Taehyung uncrossing his legs and bending them to the side to be more comfortable on the couch, and wrapped his arm protectively over his shoulders, noticing how his brother’s eyes were solely focused on the white rose he was delicately holding. Namjoon leaned forward and gently kissed the top of Taehyung’s head, planning how he was going to approach the subject since it was sensitive and clearly his brother was truly having trouble talking about it. As someone who once was scared of rejection and losing a beautiful friendship, Namjoon didn’t need more than the two words Taehyung had spoken to him to understand what he was currently going through. His younger brother’s admission of fear had been enough for him to conclude that he was in the same position he had been when he had fallen deeply in love with Seunghee, who was one of the closest friends he had at the time.

“I know you are, Tae, and I don’t blame you, it’s a scary situation…” Namjoon uttered adoringly as he felt Taehyung’s head resting on his shoulder, his attention still remaining on the beautiful and bright white rose “I went through the same, baby brother, I was afraid of ruining my friendship with Seunghee when I fell in love with her, I truly thought I didn’t have a chance because no one ever gave me one before so, what was going to be different this time around, except me losing such a wonderful person in my life…” Namjoon added tenderly as he tipped his head to the side, seeing a tear slowly rolling down Taehyung’s cheek. He cupped his younger brother’s face with his free hand and gazed at him, his eyes were sparkling in the poor-lit living room and his lips were trembling “You have been hurt so many times, Tae, I know it and I hate it so much, I hated seeing you cry for a guy who almost put his hands on you, I hated seeing you cry for a guy who cheated on you several times and now I hate to see you doubtful and fearful when you have a new opportunity to love again and, deep down, you know Seokjin is different…”

Listening to Namjoon mentioning his last two boyfriends and how they had behaved towards him – one man hated how his attention was focused on Hoseok so, he would resort to manipulation and, very rarely, violence to control him, and another man confessed his love and asked him to be his partner, but didn’t deal well with commitment –, led Taehyung to completely break down on the spot, realising that his mother’s death hadn’t been the only occurrence, despite being the main one, to erase part of himself. Or, maybe, his bubbly and jolly persona, the same one that had been alive when his mother was still in this world, the same one he missed terribly, was buried deep in the soil and was franticly digging to be released from the confinements of his soul, ironically, something else he shared in common with Seokjin. The silver-haired male did his best to keep his sobs as quietly as possible so as not to draw attention and closed his eyes, allowing the tears to slide down his cheeks. Taehyung remembered how conflicted Namjoon had been when he confessed to him how in love he was with Seunghee and how scared he was for coming forward because he didn’t want to lose her, just like he didn’t want to lose Seokjin, even though he was mindful that his feelings were likely reciprocated.

“I-I r-really like him, J-Joon, and I-I’m almost c-certain that h-he f-feels the s-same, b-but I-I d-don’t w-want to gamble w-what w-we have, I-I don’t w-want t-t-to p-put m-my h-he-heart on t-the l-line a-again, n-not af-fter b-being a-almost b-beaten up and c-cheated on m-multiples times…” Taehyung cried desperately, frustration and hurt lacing every single word leaving his lips, hating how people had made him go through so much that he was so broken that he wasn’t able to hug his love for Seokjin fully. He allowed Namjoon to clean his fallen tears as he tried to take a deep breath and calm down, not wanting to empower the negative emotions that resulted from his past trauma “Y-You’re right, S-Seokjin is d-different, he’s s-so k-kind to m-me and d-does everything t-to make m-me f-feel comfortable b-but I-I keep t-thinking about everything t-that I-I have b-been t-through a-and I-I d-don’t w-want to be h-hurt again, J-Joon…”

“I understand, Tae, I don’t want you to be hurt again either, but I also don’t want to see you shying away from the opportunity to love again…” Namjoon stated calmly as he cleaned the remaining tears with his thumbs, watching Taehyung averting his gaze from him “It’s not the same, but Yoongi was scared to put himself out there too, again I don’t blame him after what Changkyun did to him, and he almost lost the chance to pursue true love when Jungkook tried his luck and I don’t want that to happen to you, Taehyung, I don’t want to see you questioning yourself and be afraid of betting on true happiness with someone who actually cares and constantly demonstrates to you how meaningful you are to them, in this case, to Seokjin…”

I always told myself that I wouldn’t hide from the world if I had another chance…

After Yoongi harshly turned Jungkook down and confessed to him how scared he was to accept love in his heart again, Taehyung promised himself that he wouldn’t do the same thing, he didn’t want to be controlled by fear or any negative feelings if eventually, he had another chance to love someone again. However, Taehyung wasn’t counting on falling in love so soon after finally getting closure from Hongseok and putting to rest their long-term relationship, especially falling in love with Seokjin, which was the biggest shock to him. The silver-haired male admired the beautiful white rose in his hand and recalled the words Seokjin had professed to him in the main garden, strengthening the already overwhelming yet amazing emotions swirling inside of his heart. Taehyung grasped Namjoon’s hand, took it from his face, and met his older brother’s eyes while thinking about his solemn words as he questioned if he was strong enough to overcome his fears and self-doubt, but did it matter? Taehyung had been through so much during his lifetime, he had demonstrated that he was capable of everything and anything, no challenge was too big for him to surpass, no predicament lasted forever and even when he was affected by his negative emotions, he didn’t want to be swayed by them and, he didn’t want to stumble, fall and stay on the ground, licking his wounds.

“I don’t want to hide from the world, I-I always told myself I wouldn’t do it, Joon, and I won’t, I-I just need t-time…” Taehyung mumbled as he saw a smile creeping into Namjoon’s lips, feeling determined to win the war and allow himself to be loved again “Everything happened so suddenly, I-I need to process it…”

“I understand, Tae, I imagine it was quite astounding to you, especially after the way your relationship with Seokjin started,” Namjoon said in a more upbeat tone as he ran his fingers through Taehyung’s silver locks, admiring how strong and assertive his young brother was and how he had been throughout the last few years of his life “But as you process your feelings, baby brother, I advise you to attentively listen to both your heart and mind because the heart alone can mislead you and the mind makes you overthink everything, so work team is necessary in this case”

“I-I will do that, Joon, I will listen to my heart and mind” Taehyung uttered softly as he smiled weakly, snuggling comfortably in Namjoon’s embrace while feeling like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Perhaps, now, that he had admitted out loud to his older brother that he was in love with Seokjin could help sort his feelings and learn to accept them in due time “Thank you for listening to me, Namjoon, carrying these feelings and not having anyone with whom I can freely and confidently discuss them is suffocating…”

“No need to thank me, Taehyung, I’m your older brother, my job is to take care of you and Hoseok, and do whatever I can to help you, no matter the circumstances” Namjoon smiled widely as he bopped Taehyung’s nose, earning some giggles from his younger brother while observing his eyes glimmering once again with happiness “And, if I were you, I would ignore the comments about you and Seokjin, I know you haven’t spoken to Yoongi about the kiss and your feelings because of them and, I know you the courage to come forward as well but don’t feel obligated to do it, not yet anyway, take your time”

Taehyung hummed as a sign of agreement, knowing that he wasn’t ready to tell how he truly felt for Seokjin yet to the people close to him. Again, the “I told you so’s” and the bet didn’t make his situation easier. Time was what Taehyung needed to process his feelings and eventually be brave enough to admit, not only to Seokjin but also to the ones close to him how in love he was. Taehyung had been feeling so guilty for not speaking to Yoongi but, in the end, he knew his best friend was going to understand and not take it to heart, at least, that was what he was hoping for. For him to be able to fully embrace his love for Seokjin, Taehyung needed to solely focus on himself to overcome his fear and self-doubt which meant he needed to ignore the comments spoken by Yoongi, Gunhak and Sooyoung. At the moment, and even though he adored his best friends and close friends, Taehyung had to follow his heart and mind, as Namjoon wisely said, because he surely didn’t want his pessimist side to win and be miserable for the rest of his days.

“Am I interrupting?” Seokjin asked calmly as he approached the entrance of the living room, worriedness immediately taking over his body the moment he realised how distraught Taehyung seemed in Namjoon’s embrace, something definitely had happened, and he couldn’t help but wonder what was behind the younger male’s distressed “I just came here to say that dinner is ready, my mother and Seunghee are about to set the table, and I’m going upstairs to call the children”

“No, you’re not interrupting, Seokjin, in fact, Taehyung and I already finished our conversation” Namjoon responded cheerfully as he momentarily glanced at Taehyung, seeing his younger brother slightly shy in Seokjin’s presence while still holding the white rose. He kissed the top of Taehyung’s head once again and got up from the couch, offering a smile to Seokjin “And leave the children to me, you and your mother have been so kind towards my family so, let me help you, in the meantime, you can make Taehyung some company, it has been a long day for him…”

Seokjin watched Taehyung hurriedly placing the white rose in the tall glass vase on top of the coffee table and bending his legs on the couch as he grabbed a pillow against his chest, carefully studying the younger male’s demeanour. He repeatedly went over the day and tried to find out if he had done or said something that had unintentionally hurt Taehyung, but nothing was crossing his mind so, he wasn’t the reason why the enchanting younger male was upset. Regardless, Seokjin promised himself that he would always do whatever it took to make Taehyung happy and, most importantly, smile.

“I was going to ask if you are sure, Namjoon, given that you are my guest, but I imagine that you are as stubborn as your brother and you won’t accept a no from me, am I right?”

“You are absolutely right, Seokjin, and, as a guest, I should help the hosts, especially if they cooked dinner” Namjoon retorted amusingly as he met Seokjin halfway, chuckling lightly with the other male’s remark. He looked over his shoulder and noticed Taehyung chewing on his bottom lip, probably feeling a little bit anxious to be left alone with Seokjin after their conversation. Despite his younger brother’s anxiety, Namjoon knew it was the best course of action and Taehyung needed someone with whom he felt completely comfortable by his side and that someone was clearly Seokjin. Namjoon gently placed his hand on Seokjin’s shoulder and gazed at him, an inviting smile still hanging on his lips “Take good care of my brother, Seokjin, he needs some cheering up and you are the perfect person for the job, I know how much you care for Taehyung…”

After professing those words, Namjoon glimpsed one last time at Taehyung just to make sure he was comfortable and when he saw his younger brother sluggishly nodding his head, he gently patted Seokjin’s shoulder and finally left the living room. Before going upstairs to tell Hoseok and Jimin that dinner was ready, Namjoon stood at a safe distance from the living room to be able to briefly observe the interaction between Seokjin and Taehyung and satisfy his curiosity. Wittily, Namjoon smiled fondly as he watched Seokjin quickly sitting on the couch and welcoming Taehyung in his embrace as he cupped his younger brother’s face so delicately while speaking to him, probably asking if everything was alright. Having the opportunity, even though it might have been slightly creepy on his part, to see Seokjin and Taehyung’s close bond manifesting from afar had been enough for him to conclude that there was a deep love brewing between them, a deep love that was flourishing so beautifully but was being tainted by fear and uncertainty.

“They are perfect for each other, aren’t they?”

Namjoon averted his eyes from Seokjin and Taehyung for a moment to look at Mrs Kim, who was eying both males with an endearing expression while securing a handkerchief, like she was about to shed some tears.

“They certainly are, Mrs. Kim…” Namjoon responded joyfully as he focused on Seokjin and Taehyung again, noticing how his younger brother was laughing as he attentively examined Seokjin’s hand, maybe the other male decided to show him the small kitty and bunny drawings that Hoseok and Jimin had made, respectively. Hearing Taehyung laughter resonating through the mansion was another sign that Seokjin could be the source of happiness and love he was searching for and, hopefully, he could also motivate his young brother to gain the necessary courage to confess what was going through his heart, as a matter of fact, it could serve as a motivation for both of them because there was some hesitation written all over Seokjin’s face as well “They just need to realise that the love they feel for one another is stronger than their fears…”

“They will in due time, Namjoon, newfound love can be a frightening matter for young people, especially the ones who have been hurt before…” Mrs. Kim spoke as she gazed at Seokjin smiling so broadly while lovingly holding a giggling Taehyung in his arms, stopping herself from crying with the adoring view. Once upon a time, she had been in love with the sweetest man she had ever met, a man who had confessed his undying love for her, a man who had promised her the world, a man who had broken her heart in such a horrible way that almost drove away from loving again. When she was still picking up the pieces of her broken heart, Seokjin’s father came along and made her believe that she could be loved again and she believed for a really long time, until the truth gradually floated to the surface and showed her husband’s true colours. So much evil was hiding inside Seokjin’s father that she refused to believe that the Holy Spirit was residing in his heart, especially when a father couldn’t accept his only son, a son gifted by God Himself “But, if it’s God’s will, they will find the courage and overcome whatever feelings that are blinding them from the truth, Seokjin and Taehyung are meant for each other, Namjoon, and their love will continue to blossom like a beautiful rose and never whither, no matter how many years go by…”

Chapter Text

Gwangalli Beach was deserted. The crisp, salty breeze from the ocean whooshed against Yoongi's hair, and the sound of waves uncurling and kissing the sand was so calming and soothing to his ears. Yoongi nested against Jungkook's side, watching in astonishment as Gwangan Bridge's colourful lights flashed brightly, revealing the skyline that had been swallowed by the dark mantle adorned with millions of stars. He smiled enthusiastically as he leaned his head on Jungkook's shoulder and dipped his bare feet into the chilly, slightly damp sand, savouring how it felt against his skin. A soft and happy sight left his lips, Yoongi wished time could stop at that moment for him to properly and fully savour Busan and the wonders that had been gifted to him during his short trip with Jungkook. He honestly didn't remember the last time he had been this comfortable and cheerful. Yoongi had been hiding himself from the world for so long and allowing his pain to control his life that he hadn't been able to experience it as he should have. Letting his guard down had always been a difficult task for him, maybe because he had never come across someone who gave him the reassurance he was desperately searching for to bring down the walls he had built so high to show himself and not the persona that had been born from his coping mechanisms. In that instant, Yoongi felt grateful for finally taking a risk and embracing love because if he hadn't listened to Taehyung and kept being in the shadows while everyone was living their lives, he wouldn't be there, at the beach, watching that beautiful light's show in Jungkook's embrace.

While Yoongi was mesmerised by the light show, Jungkook focused on and admired the beautiful younger male. He pulled Yoongi against him to provide him the warmth he was looking for, the same warmth his large coat hanging on his back couldn't offer. As he lovingly gazed at Yoongi, Jungkook dipped his left hand in his pants pocket and felt the velvet box inside, feeling both the nerves and excitement accelerating the speed of his heart. Despite his feelings, Jungkook had never felt so ready to come forward and ask Yoongi to be his partner. His anxiety was certainly overwhelming, but what he was about to do felt right and not a mistake as it did in the past regarding his former partners. He took his hand from his pocket and delicately cupped Yoongi's face, drawing his attention from the light's show. The second their eyes met, Jungkook didn't want Yoongi to look anywhere else besides him. He wanted them to gaze at each other and forget about the world surrounding them. It sounded selfish, but Jungkook had to set up the mood and gather the courage to confess how wholeheartedly he loved Yoongi. Jungkook loved Yoongi with all his being, and he didn't find in himself to hide that love, neither from Yoongi nor the people in his life. Back at his parent's house, his father had pointed out that the love he felt for Yoongi seemed so much different from the love he had felt for his ex-partners, adding that there was a special glimmer in his eyes that confidently and endearingly portrayed how crazy he was for Yoongi.

Jungkook leaned forward and swiftly captured Yoongi's dry and cold lips, yearning to taste him. At first, it was a slow and tender kiss to convey how much care and love he felt for the younger male with red locks that possessed his heart and soul. He bit Yoongi's bottom lip and playfully pulled it, sensing the younger male quickly falling under his dominance as he gradually became more and more daring during their kiss. For a brief instant, Jungkook didn't move his lips. There was a second of stillness, a pause to savour the electric connection between him and Yoongi, an indescribable connection pushing him over the edge. Almost immediately, Jungkook deepened the kiss by sneaking his tongue between Yoongi's parted lips, earning a quiet yet excited moan from him. Their lips moved harmoniously, each movement expressing love, longing and affection. The sound coming from their racing hearts sang louder than the waves crashing against the sand. The cold breeze felt refreshing against their cheeks, cooling down the ranging heat radiating from their bodies that continuously kept pleading to them to be nearer and connected, not only emotionally but also physically. Delicately, Jungkook's fingers entwined in Yoongi's smooth and bright red locks, adding to their kiss another layer of intimacy. As gently as possible, the older male grasped Yoongi's hair and pulled his head slightly back. A fit of loud whimpers resonated through the beach. With every kiss, with every enticing sound, with every touch, Jungkook felt more and more comfortable and secure about declaring his love to Yoongi, in a way, he was setting up the stage and attempting to overcome his stage fright by seeking the spellbinding younger male, who was harshly grasping his sweater and melting in his embrace.

Jungkook finally pulled away, wishing he could lose himself in Yoongi's lips, body, and those provoking sounds that drove him crazy. He took a moment to attentively admire the marvellous view, wanting to keep that mental photograph engraved inside his mind for eternity. Once again, he cupped the younger male's face and glanced at him fondly, taking in every detail that made Yoongi the most beautiful creature in the universe.

"Did I ever tell you how insanely gorgeous you are, my love?" Jungkook uttered softly as he grasped the hand Yoongi had used to grab his sweater and brought it to his lips, kissing it "Your beauty leaves me speechless every time, Yoongi..."

Yoongi couldn't handle Jungkook's complimentary words, so he wrapped his arms around the older male's body and buried his face in his neck to hide his embarrassment. No matter how madly in love he was with Jungkook, Yoongi could not still deal with Jungkook's charming and endearing personality and the constant need to compliment him and his talented nature. He heard Jungkook's mellow laughter reaching his ears, a type of laughter that he rarely listened to because it was the type of laughter that uncovered Jungkook's more fragile and nervous side and that piqued his curiosity.

"Jungkookie, baby..." Yoongi whined as he rested his hand on Jungkook's chest, sensing his heart almost leaping from its ribcage. The adoring gaze cast upon him by Jungkook seemed oddly warm, warmer than usual, his kiss tasted sweeter, his embrace seemed more comforting, and his whole demeanour screamed something, and Yoongi couldn't tell what. Before asking Jungkook what was crossing his mind, the older male slammed his lips against his once again as he could read what he intended to do. Unlike earlier, their lips slowly melt into each other, brushing gently at first and then more fiercely. It took a few seconds, but it was enough to make Yoongi dazed and increase and strengthen the crazy love he felt for Jungkook "Is there something bothering you? You seemed nervous for some reason..."

Jungkook wondered if Yoongi's concern for him and the ability to identify his odd mood were signs that he should finally open his mouth and pour his heart out. The enchanting red-haired male could always spot the different mood changes, whether deeply upset or worried about a certain matter. Despite not defining him as much as Seokjin, Jungkook hid his negative emotions to prevent him from showing his weaker side.

"I am nervous, Yoongi I want to ask you an important question, a question that is going to change both of our lives, but before I do it, I have some words I want to share with you, words that I want to scream to the world, I want everyone to know how I feel about you..."

Yoongi remained quiet, unsure how to respond to Jungkook's remark. He couldn't resist a determined Jungkook, who strangely turned him on. He could see how serious Jungkook sounded, so something got caught in his heart that he desperately needed to transmit.

"Since the very first moment I laid my eyes on you, I was bewitched by you and your beauty, when I first told Seokjin about this, I felt so ridiculous because I never believed in love at first sight, but saying out loud to you now feels so right," Jungkook confessed straightforwardly as he placed his hand over Yoongi's, intertwining their fingers. He stared at the vast ocean that emerged from the darkness, the bright light of the crescent moon cast a shadow on the waves that loudly crashed into the sand, but he couldn't lower the volume of his heart, "My mistake was handling you as I did with the men I dated before. I thought being charming and seductive could work to my advantage, but it had the opposite effect, and despite being upset with you, I'm happy that the misunderstanding happened. I'm happy that Taehyung and Seokjin joined forces to put us together," Jungkook spoke as he gazed at Yoongi, who was looking back at him with the softest smile he had ever seen, finding him so adorable. "I have never been this happy before, I have never been with someone so selfless, so beautiful, so talented, so smart, I have never been with someone that truly cherishes me the way you do, Yoongi..."

Yoongi was at a loss for words with Jungkook's heartfelt speech. Once again, he decided to remain quiet to allow the older male to gather his thoughts because, for some reason, there were other words stuck in Jungkook's mind that meant to be set free and caught by him and his melting heart. Like earlier, there was something unusual about Jungkook's demeanour, and the nervousness mixed with the vulnerability was a strong indicator of that. Yoongi kept his eyes on Jungkook and stared lovingly at him, listening to the beautiful symphony created by his and the older male's beating hearts and the soothing sounds from the breeze and the ocean.

Still, his fingers intertwined with Yoongi's, Jungkook leaned against the younger male's forehead and stared at his brown eyes, which, unconsciously, were reaching the deepest part of him—the part he wanted so badly to unleash. There was a sprinkle of anxiety in the air, but Jungkook was more ready to break the chain and let the love he held so dearly fly freely. Eyes locked, fingers intertwined, and hearts sang. Jungkook smiled wholeheartedly, feeling he had set the mood perfectly for his heartwarming confession.

"I love you so much, Yoongi..."

For a whole second, Yoongi stopped breathing, and his heart skipped, not one, not two, but three beats. A world that before was full of misery, ache and loneliness had been reborn and transformed. A world full of colour, love, happiness and care blossomed like a flower in the springtime and unfurled like the fuzzy, greenish foliage of the trees that homed the tweeting birds. In the past, Yoongi truly thought that he wouldn't experience love like he had with Changkyun. After being hurt, the probability of finding a decent person who could be solely loyal and faithful to him seemed impossible, and maybe it sounded like an exaggerated statement. However, four years had gone by, and he was still picking up the pieces, the hope of finding wholesome love was like finding a needle in a haystack. Oddly –and following the same analogy – the needle had found Yoongi instead, the needle that provided the drug he desperately needed in his life – Jungkook's love.

Tears threatened to fall, but Yoongi didn't want to succumb to the fleeting sadness born from his past relationship to spoil the memorable moment of Jungkook confessing his love for him, despite being tremendously difficult to do so. "J-Jungkook, baby, I love you too..."

"I'm glad you feel the same, my soft kitten, or the question I'm about to ask you wouldn't make any sense, and it would probably be extremely awkward," Jungkook remarked cheerfully, seeing the corners of Yoongi's tempting lips going slightly upwards as he unwillingly loosened his fingers from the younger male's grasp and reached for the box of his pocket. He sat up straight and unveiled the velvet box to Yoongi, who astoundingly gazed at it. Jungkook slowly opened the box, and inside was the most beautiful silver ring he had ever seen – a customised silver ring that he had requested to emphasise Yoongi's uniqueness, beauty and talented nature. "Yoongi, my delicate beauty, I want everyone to know how much I love you. I want everyone to know that you are officially mine, so will you give me the pleasure of being my boyfriend and accept this ring as a symbol of our love and union?"

Tears began cascading from Yoongi's eyes as he carefully studied the silver ring engraved with staff – a particular set of five horizontal lines with four spaces between them, where each line and space represented a different musical note. Similarly to a music sheet, a clef resting on the left side of the staff appeared at the beginning of each line to help musicians orient themselves. Several musical notes spread across the line silently played the soundtrack of their love. There weren't enough words to describe the whirlpool of emotions occurring at that moment because there weren't any words in the world Yoongi could grasp to properly convey to Jungkook how he truly felt for his sweet gesture and his request. Music had been his safe haven ever since he discovered Changkyun's unfaithfulness, despite how their relationship grew and became something more when they were younger. However, witnessing Jungkook resorting to music to reach his heart and confess his love for him touched the depths of his soul and glued the remaining broken pieces.

Yoongi laughed brightly as he nodded vigorously. Tears still rolled down his flushed cheeks, and it felt like his euphoric state was preventing him from properly answering. He watched Jungkook taking the scintillant silver ring and putting the small velvety box on his lap and then softly reached for his right hand, running his thumb over his finger ring, a nervous yet exciting smile adoring his lips, a smile Yoongi was relishing.

"I-I want to b-be y-yours, Jungkookie..." Yoongi finally answered, gazing fondly at Jungkook, who was sliding the ring on his finger. After putting it on, the red-haired male extended his hand towards the horizon as he felt Jungkook's arm resting on his shoulders, admiring the symbol of love and union, as Jungkook lovingly had said, embellishing his right ring finger. He turned his head to the side and saw Jungkook looking at his right hand, sensing a proud and caring aura emanating from him while remembering a few words he had spoken a long time ago. "I-I want to be your last love..."

"You have been mine since the first moment my eyes landed on you..." Jungkook retorted soothingly as he grasped Yoongi's right hand, wanting to protect it from the cold weather. No matter how amazing the light show was or how gorgeous and romantic that night seemed, nothing could distract him from his beloved Yoongi. "And you are my last love, Yoongi, because I won't love anyone else as much I love you, you are my soulmate..."

***

Seokjin's eyes skimmed the lines, but the words failed to register, their meanings drowned out. Sighing heavily, Seokjin attempted, for the third time, to read the beginning of the page of his business book and his attention span was immediately shut down once again by his growing anxiety. The aggravation of the weather didn't help his case. Swiftly, the dreamy, pleasant day with a few passing and fluffy clouds and the bright sun painted on a beautiful blue sky had transformed into a nightmarish storm with raging winds, grey skies and haunting sounds from the dancing nature surrounding the property. Seokjin placed the bookmark in its place and closed the book, putting it on the bedside table, along with his glasses. He stared at the floor-to-ceiling windows that gave him a front-row seat to the mesmerising yet frightening show unfolding outside and couldn't help but think about Taehyung's well-being at that moment. Seokjin admired nature's power, viewing it as something to be revered rather than feared. Deep down, he wished he dared to do what Taehyung was doing for him – be his place of beauty and freedom to see the wonderful things the world had in store for him. However, he wasn't certain about what had caused Taehyung's astraphobia to come to fruition. Seokjin had a good guess and hoped Taehyung, one day, would be comfortable enough to open up about it so he could help him overcome his fears and show him that nature's ferociousness was among one of the most beautiful mysteries in the world. He didn't want to impose and force Taehyung to do what he didn't want to do because Seokjin had been in that position when Jungkook, during their younger days, kept pushing the clown concept on him and taunting him for it, however, if Taehyung were willing to seek his help, Seokjin would be there in a heartbeat.

The heavy rain aggressively tapped against the windows, laying down a hazy curtain that prevented Seokjin from seeing the trail of destruction left by the gruesome weather. Instantaneously, Seokjin threw the duvet and blanket to the side and got out of bed. An urge to check on Taehyung rushed through him, fueled by his worries. His heart was beating furiously against his chest like the rain was furiously tapping against the glass windows. The children hadn't awakened by the noises coming from the storm; luckily, he had his mother, Namjoon and Seunghee in case anything happened on that front. Just as he was about to leave his room, a soft yet pleading knock echoed through the master bedroom, and Seokjin didn't need to guess who it was. He hurried to the door and opened it, revealing a trembling and scared Taehyung.

"J-Jinnie, I-I c-can't sleep..." Taehyung stuttered frighteningly as he wrapped his arms around himself while doing his best not to break down in front of Seokjin, but he wasn't succeeding. He heard the wind blowing loudly outside, letting a whimper escape his lips. "I-I'm s-so scared..."

Briefly, Seokjin glanced at Taehyung and noticed the fear radiating from him through his body language – his arms tighteningly wrapped around his body. His luscious lips were pursed, and he couldn't stop quivering, and a solitary tear slid down his cheek, indicating that any second, Taehyung would completely break down and get lost in the mazes created by his phobia. Delicately, Seokjin reached for one of Taehyung's hands and pulled him inside, closing the door behind him. He calmly wrapped his arms around Taehyung and enveloped him in a comforting embrace, listening to his quiet sobs that were deafened by the screaming rain as the terrifying younger male desperately clung to him.

"Taehyung, try to breathe in and out slowly..." Seokjin whispered as he languidly ran his fingers through Taehyung's smooth silver hair, feeling the younger male snuggling the side of his head on his neck while harshly grasping his pyjama shirt. "You are not alone. I'm here with you, and I won't let you go..."

Earlier, when he was in one of the guests' rooms all alone, Taehyung closed his eyes and tried to shoo away the unpleasant and scary sounds coming from the whistling wind that kept mocking him and his phobia. Memories of him speaking on the phone with his mother began popping up, a lump emerged in his throat, his eyes burned so intensively because of the unshed tears, and the fastened beat of his heart was leaving him so breathless that it seemed like someone was suffocating him. Everything was becoming too overwhelming for Taehyung to handle by himself, and he was pondering on coming to Seokjin, despite not wanting to be a burden, but, in the end, his smothering fears won the battle and drove him to Seokjin, knowing he would stand by his side through the storm.

Sneakily, Taehyung felt his negative thoughts quickly catching up to him again, not allowing him to follow Seokjin's advice and control his breathing. It felt like he was spiralling and giving power to the trauma he always tried to push into the back of his mind whenever a storm would rise and remind him of the loss of one of the most important people in his life. Taehyung had his eyes completely shut, frightened that Seokjin's presence was a figment of his imagination, frightened that his brain was tricking him into believing that the man he loved was offering him the solace and shelter he was looking for to protect himself from the nightmare he was currently experiencing. The instant he felt Seokjin's big hand cupping his face and cleaning his tears, Taehyung's speeding heart gradually slowed down, and his hazy thoughts cleared. Soft lips pressed against his forehead endearingly and soothingly, pulling him out of his mind's dark corners. Taehyung's eyes fluttered open as he sensed Seokjin leaning his forehead against his. A kind stare graced him, a stare that could calm down the most ferocious seas and light up the darkest places. He focused on Seokjin, feeling him daringly reaching for his hands and lacing their fingers like they were creating a circuit for them to connect, a field force to protect him from the terrifying scenario unfolding outside.

"Focus on me and follow my lead, Taehyung..." Seokjin spoke quietly as he gazed deeply at Taehyung, hoping his voice could distract him. The heavy rain quickly transformed into torrential rain, and hail started coming down harshly and hitting the windows boisterously. "Listen to my voice – breathe in and breathe out slowly..."

Taehyung attempted to listen to Seokjin's comforting voice despite the fearful and loud noises coming from the brewing storm. As Seokjin took slow, deep breaths, Taehyung followed by mimicking the older male's breathing. At first, his breaths came out shaky and uneven because Taehyung had difficulty overcoming the commotion gradually breaking out, but he slowly synced in with Seokjin. Every time he resorted to Seokjin, Taehyung felt a sense of security and calmness emanating from the older male, which brought to the surface the most memorable and happy moments he had ever shared with his loved ones, something that had happened when he first stayed at Seokjin's mansion. Through their lacing fingers, there was a warmth circulating freely between them, unlike the last time Seokjin had to comfort him, the warmth felt a lot stronger, maybe the bond and the connection they shared allowed Taehyung to experience it with a lot more vivacity than before. In between the memories he safely kept in his heart, Taehyung could more clearly pinpoint moments he had with Seokjin, especially the moments they had that afternoon in the main garden. While he recalled every sugary word and caring gesture exchanged with Seokjin, Taehyung's breaths rose and fell in unison with the older male. Despite still looming around him, his distress and fright no longer held him completely hostage because, once again, Seokjin was there to fight alongside him, to show him that he always had the strength to conquer his embedded fears.

"Do you feel better, Taehyung?"

Taehyung sluggishly nodded as he slightly lowered his head, feeling, once again, ashamed for breaking down and panicking in front of Seokjin, even though he knew the older male was always ready to help him no matter what. As he looked at his intertwined fingers with Seokjin, Taehyung chewed nervously on his bottom lip, contemplating asking if he could stay in the master bedroom. After the night he spent at the mansion, Seokjin came forward and confessed to Taehyung that he hadn't been able to share either the bed or the bedroom with him and chose to stay in a different room so as not to make him uncomfortable or invade his personal space, especially after what occurred between them. Despite feeling horrible for forcing Seokjin to move from his familiar and private space, Taehyung couldn't help but find the gesture tremendously sweet. It also made him question whether he was putting Seokjin on the spot. Taehyung didn't want to compare now with what had happened that night. Many things had changed since then; the major one was their relationship and the feelings they harboured towards each other. Even if Taehyung wasn't certain, there was a strong physical and emotional attraction –a deep love that ran for one another.

Taehyung bashfully lifted his head as he freed himself from Seokjin's grip, resting his hands on the older male's chest. Right away, he felt Seokjin softly stroking his hair, probably to help him relax and ensure he was doing better. "C-Can I-I stay h-here, J-Jinnie? C-Can I-I stay w-with you?"

"Of course, you can, Taehyung, do you think I would be capable of sending you back?" Seokjin retorted affably as he watched Taehyung shaking his head with a small smile on his lips, finding him adorable. After witnessing the beautiful silver-haired male having a panic attack, Seokjin didn't have the courage or the will to send Taehyung back to his bedroom. Honestly, the dark-haired male wanted to wrap his arms around Taehyung, cuddle him and lull him to sleep, knowing how much he loved to be cuddled by him. Gently, Seokjin cupped Taehyung's face once again and ran his thumb over his heated cheek, admiring the beauty in his embrace while yearning to be even closer to him. "And since I'm generous, I will offer my cuddling services for free and be your living teddy bear tonight, how does that sound?"

"S-Seokjin..." Taehyung mumbled wholeheartedly as he sensed his smile broadening and his heart thumping against his chest, this time for the immense love he felt towards Seokjin. The thought of spending the night not only in the same bed as Seokjin but also in his arms sounded so perfect and romantic, Taehyung just wished the weather wasn't so dreadful to the point of triggering his anxiety. "That sounds lovely, in fact, that's what I call seeking fairness – being granted cuddles without increasing your big ego, Jinnie..."

Seokjin couldn't help but lightly chuckle at Taehyung's remark, feeling relieved that he had successfully distracted him from the bad weather while hoping Taehyung would sleep through the night. Taking advantage of Taehyung's good mood, Seokjin picked the sleepy silver-haired male bridal style, catching him off guard, and listened to his quiet, hearty giggles overpowering the sound of the torrential rain, hail and wind. As Taehyung held on to him, Seokjin secured him in his arms and stared fondly at him, a sudden stream of protectiveness and love floated in him, spreading from his heart to his entire body. He carefully placed Taehyung down on his side of the bed. Swiftly, Seokjin climbed into bed and lay down. He stretched his arm while watching Taehyung lie on his side and rest his head on the crook of his neck with a weak smile on his lips. He pulled the blanket and the duvet over his and Taehyung's bodies with his free hand while the younger male snuggled against him. Seokjin glanced at the beautiful human being in his embrace as he sluggishly ran his fingers through Taehyung's smooth silver hair, knowing how solacing his simple yet meaningful gesture was for him.

The frightening orchestra continued to play incessantly, but Taehyung focused on the warmness emanating from Seokjin's body and his long fingers running through his hair. A happy, almost silent sigh left his lips. There was no place Taehyung would rather be at that moment than Seokjin's embrace.

***

Yoongi took a sip of the Dom Pérignon champagne as he eyed the view from the master bedroom while rewinding the cassette that was his mind for him to replay every single moment he had experienced that night, especially the moment when Jungkook confessed his undying and unconditional love for him. Since then, Yoongi felt like he was a completely different person from the one who had left Seoul, and the world surrounding him felt different. The world seemed livelier, more colourful, happier and more forgiving. At first, the thought of him and the world being different just because Jungkook had confessed his love for him sounded so ridiculous out loud. However, as they walked out of the beach, holding on to each other, as they drove back to the hotel, smiling foolishly, like two teenagers in love, as they entered the suite and dozens of red roses greeted them with their bright red and soft petals, healthy green stems and floral perfume, Yoongi realised that, despite the love he was currently experiencing resembling the love portrayed in romantic movies, it felt real and overwhelming, in a good way, but also a turning point in his life.

Yoongi stared at the pale golden yellow beverage in his tear-drop glass and the dancing bubbles and smiled proudly while feeling almost healed from the sadness and the hurt caused by Changkyun. There was a lot of work to do in that regard, but Yoongi felt victorious for the first time in four years. He was grateful for Taehyung and Seokjin, the ones who granted him a second chance to love, the ones who drew a path that led directly to Jungkook and allowed him to seek the courage to share, not only with Jungkook but also the universe, the hurt he carried within him and held him, hostage. Yoongi's heart was finally repaired. All the broken pieces had gone back to their place, and the glue that stuck everything together had been the magic words Jungkook had spoken to him earlier at the beach - "I love you so much".

While admiring the view of the city and reminiscing about that particular night, Yoongi felt bold. Maybe the love between him and Jungkook made him stronger, maybe being mostly healed from the wounds caused by the past had given him the ability to overcome whatever fears or insecurities he had when it came to diving deeper into his relationship with Jungkook, more specifically, exploring their physical attraction. Yoongi already intended to step into the dangerous territory before Jungkook decided to make things official between them, however, going from being together to partners gave him a newfound courage and boosted his confidence. Or maybe whatever emotions he was feeling at the moment were a mere effect of the champagne he was drinking and awoke in him a blind strength and gave him the guts to make a move on Jungkook finally.

Yoongi took another sip of champagne, pondering about how he was going to approach Jungkook. But, before a single thought ran through his mind, he felt Jungkook's hand resting on his lower back. Despite not being directly in contact with his skin, Yoongi still sensed the coldness of Jungkook's ring against him, making him shiver pleasantly almost immediately. He couldn't help but smile when he remembered Jungkook grasping a green velvet box - similar to the one the older male had presented to him back at the beach - taking it as he requested him to put it on him, just like he had done. It hadn't been long since that moment. Nonetheless, Yoongi kept it safely inside, not only his mind and heart but also his soul. He felt Jungkook pulling him, and instantly, he curled himself against his body, finding comfort in his embrace. While Jungkook stared at him as he took a sip of his almost empty glass, Yoongi intentionally did the same, hoping Jungkook, despite being a long shot, could see through the loving and fond gaze the lust burning deep within him, within his core. The same lust that had been carefully cultivated throughout their relationship and had grown so strongly that Yoongi honestly didn't know if he was capable of taming it.

For a fleeting moment, Jungkook caught a shifting glimmer in Yoongi's eyes that definitely gained his full attention. He placed his glass on the service cart brought by one of the hotel's staff and fully focused on Yoongi, wondering if the beautiful younger male was purposely casting a spell on him because he couldn't stop gawking at him, even though he tended to do that daily, but, this time, it felt different. It felt like Yoongi was wordlessly allowing him to explore further. What needed to be explored was the question Jungkook continuously asked himself, and with a little digging, he managed to find out. With his free hand, Jungkook ran his fingers through Yoongi's bright red locks and watched the younger male shortening the distance between them as he drank the rest of the beverage in one go without taking his eyes off him. He entangled his fingers in the smooth hair and tipped his head to the side, slamming his lips against Yoongi's, able to taste the champagne on them, which quickly ignited a fire inside of him. Driven by desire, Jungkook pushed Yoongi against him as he softly kissed his luscious thin lips and thrust his tongue in between them, desperately wanting to taste more of him. Gradually, their kiss became a lot fiercer and hungrier, already paving a path to something new and more intimate.

Unwillingly, Jungkook broke the kiss, slightly panting as he noticed how swollen, wet and reddish Yoongi's lips were. It felt like those tempting lips were imploring to be kissed again, taunting and provoking him to take the next step. Jungkook sluggishly brushed his thumb over Yoongi's bottom lip, pulling it down, earning for more, but he had to be patient and assess the situation to see if both were feeling the same way. Once again, he noticed the shifting glimmer in Yoongi's eyes, but this time, it wasn't for a fleeting moment. It was there, in plain sight, exposed by Yoongi's mischievous and lascivious eyes.

"Yoongi, I'm so happy that I brought you along on this trip..." Jungkook whispered lovingly as he cupped Yoongi's face, gazing intensively at him to ensure that the special glimmer wouldn't fade away. He rested his forehead against the younger male's, having a wide smile on his lips as he remembered that day and everything he had done with Yoongi. "Today was the best and most memorable day of my life, baby..."

With a weak smile, Yoongi clutched Jungkook's hand, took it from his face, and placed his empty glass on the service cart. He rested his hands on Jungkook's chest as he bit his bottom lip, feeling the shyness and nervousness stealthily crawling back and slowly stealing away the boldness and the courage. But Yoongi didn't want those empowering emotions to slip from his grasp. It was too late to stop his desires to come to fruition. To allow his insecurities and fears to float to the surface and prevent him from finally giving himself to Jungkook. What he wanted went beyond mere sex. Yoongi wanted a strong physical connection to show Jungkook his more fragile and intimate side. Steadily, Yoongi reminded himself of how much he loved Jungkook and the burning desire he felt, and suddenly, his daring side stepped out from the darkness and positioned itself in the centre of the spotlight, enlightening Yoongi's true intentions.

"I'm happy I came with you because this has been such an amazing experience, Jungkook, not only that, but I was able to get to know you on a deeper level, know more about your childhood and the wonderful city that is your hometown, and now..." Yoongi spoke sweetly, pausing for a brief moment as he distractedly played with one of the buttons from Jungkook's dress shirt. Instantly, his demeanour changed from innocently harmless to dangerously seductive, unable to control the sexual tension that had been hovering over them in the last few weeks. Every time they were a step away from sliding into risky territory, Jungkook would stop and back away, and Yoongi knew he had to be the one to make a move to break the barrier between them. He tilted his head as he gazed deeply at Jungkook, his sheepish smile turning into a playful one. Yoongi cut the distance between them, noticing how Jungkook was wrapped around his little finger and paying attention to every single movement, making his intentions as clear as water. "I want you to know me on a deeper level, too, baby, and I think the bed is the perfect place to do it..."

A mix of shock and arousal came over Jungkook, maybe because he wasn't expecting to hear such enticing words leave Yoongi's lips in such a sultry voice. Earlier, he questioned himself about what needed to be explored, and now he had the answer. If Yoongi willingly wanted to take the next step into their relationship and allow him to freely explore his body and satisfy him in every way he could think of, who was Jungkook to oppose? For so long, he yearned for Yoongi, unable to control his attraction - emotional, physical and intellectual -, however, Jungkook, at the time, sensed some reluctance from Yoongi and Yoongi himself had told him that he preferred if they took things slow which Jungkook did, despite being so agonizing to him, Jungkook understood and kept his word. At least until now.

Jungkook firmly gripped Yoongi by the hips and pushed him against himself, never taking his eyes off the flirtatious younger man who was deliberately provoking him by sensually licking his lips. He captured Yoongi's lips once more, but this time, instead of starting slowly and gradually increasing the rhythm, Jungkook instantly devoured those rosy, sweet lips, eager for what was about to unfold between them that magical night.

Blithely, Yoongi hummed and whimpered with Jungkook's roughness and possessiveness, enjoying how their lips moulded into each other so perfectly and how their tongues danced with one another so flawlessly to the point it took his breath away. During the passionate make-out session, Yoongi began to unbutton the buttons from Jungkook's dress shirt and eagerly revealed his strong, well-built body by hurriedly and clumsily pulling the piece of clothing to the side and from Jungkook's body since he didn't want Jungkook to take his hands from him. Against his will, Yoongi parted from the kiss, heavily panting and extremely aroused while staring at Jungkook, who was as breathless as he was, but it was evident how much they desired each other, and that was just the beginning. The red-haired male placed his hands on Jungkook's muscular shoulders and kissed him again, more gently and endearingly, saving his lungs that were probably going to work overtime later that night. He sensed Jungkook's hands moving to the front of his pants, swiftly unbuttoning and unzipping them. Yoongi momentarily gasped with cold hair hitting his legs and Jungkook's tight grasp of his hips, glueing their bodies together.

Jungkook placed his hands behind Yoongi's thighs and swiftly lifted him, feeling his legs wrap around his torso tightly as if his life depended on it while hearing his faint giggles gracing his ears. However, Jungkook was far more excited about the lewd sounds and moans that were about to fill their master bedroom during their lovemaking. He moved to the end of the bed and sat down. Before allowing Yoongi to make a move, Jungkook took the reins and asserted himself, showing that he wished to take the lead that night. There would be plenty of opportunities for Yoongi to dominate and demonstrate what he was truly capable of, but given how long it had been since he had been intimate and had entrusted his body to someone, Jungkook not only wanted to express how deeply he longed for him but also to show him how madly in love he was with him.

Jungkook placed his hands on Yoongi's milky, soft thighs and slowly moved them upwards. He sneaked his hands under the dark dress shirt Yoongi was wearing - the same he was wearing the first time Jungkook approached him at the coffee shop -, sensing his smooth and warn skin. It wasn't something unfamiliar to both of them. Jungkook and Yoongi almost had a ritual regarding their private time. He glanced at Yoongi, seeing him biting his lip, anticipating what was about to happen between them. Jungkook slid his hands over Yoongi's sides, feeling his body trembling, probably because of the coldness of the ring. Honestly, Jungkook was a bit impatient since he had been waiting for that moment for so long. On the other hand, he wanted to provide Yoongi with the best experience ever by showing how much he cared for him, too. It wasn't only about establishing a physical connection but also demonstrating how trustful they could be towards each other. Sex was about pleasure and intimacy and displaying, literally and figurately, their bodies and souls to one another as well.

Calmly, Jungkook unbuttoned the buttons from Yoongi's dress shirt and discarded the piece of clothing by throwing it caressly on the floor. His eyes solely focused on Yoongi, mindful that he was almost fully naked on top of him. "I've been blessed with the most beautiful man on this planet. I wonder what did I do to deserve such a gift?"

"Jungkook...." Yoongi whispered, flattered by Jungkook's fond, loving words. He wrapped his arms around Jungkook's neck and kissed him tenderly while Jungkook's hands rested comfortably on his hips. He parted his lips and leaned his forehead against Jungkook's, unable to contain the sheer happiness bursting from his heart. "I'm the one who should be asking that..."

"My soft kitten, you deserve the fucking universe, and I wish I could give it to you..."

"I don't need the universe, Jungkookie..." Yoongi uttered merrily, smiling broadly. "You and your love for me are more than enough, baby..."

Yoongi endearingly nuzzled his nose against Jungkook's and kissed him eagerly and fervently, stopping both of them from falling into the lovey-dovey hole and ruining the mood by crying with Jungkook's flattering words. The atmosphere quickly changed from romantic and sweet to passionate and sensual. Yoongi ran his fingers through Jungkook's hair while he shared open-mouth kisses and straddled Jungkook's lap, acknowledging that Jungkook himself was reaching his limit because he was certain that he was pretty happy to see him and the bulge underneath him was solid proof of that. Yoongi tilted his head when Jungkook's lips travelled to his neck, almost ravishing him in the process. The moment he felt Jungkook's tongue brushing his skin, Yoongi moaned softly, already forgetting how true love and pleasure truly felt. He dug his nails into Jungkook's strong back, feeling his muscles flexing with every single movement. Yoongi whimpered out loud when Jungkook's hands moved to his lower back and dived inside his underwear, cupping his buttcheeks and gently groping them as he kept kissing his neck. He suddenly jolted when Jungkook's touch became a little more harsh, probably because he was losing control, and Yoongi couldn't blame him. He was losing his mind, and with every second that went by, the more he yearned to be beneath Jungkook's body and submit himself to him.

Yoongi pushed Jungkook from his neck and decided to show him that he was completely ready to take the next step. He captured Jungkook's lips with keenness and slid his tongue inside, a rush of adrenaline and arousal ran through his body in that instant, stealing every ounce of common sense and whatever negative emotions were hiding away in his heart. Yoongi bit Jungkook's bottom lip and softly pulled it, making eye contact with him, unveiling the ranging lust burning in his eyes. There was no longer fear and embarrassment in him. The feeling of not being fit for Jungkook, the feeling of not being capable of satisfying Jungkook sexually and, most importantly, the feeling of not being able to give himself and his heart to someone had completely vanished. Yoongi's true and last love was standing in front of him, kissing him and loving him for the person he truly was.

"Jeon Jungkook, I want you right now!"

The determination coming from Yoongi was enough to make Jungkook get up and lay the beautiful younger male on the bed. He crawled between Yoongi's legs and sank his knees on the mattress, wanting to fully undress Yoongi before taking the rest of his clothes. Jungkook smiled widely as he attentively studied Yoongi's face, noticing his cheeks as bright red as his hair. It was a trivial matter, but Jungkook knew one day Yoongi was going to change hair colour and as stupid as it was, he was going to miss it because it matched Yoongi's light skin tone and highlighted his gorgeous facial features. He brushed the red locks from Yoongi's forehead and mesmerisingly kept his eyes on him for what seemed like an eternity. He couldn't help but gawk at him and his body, which appeared fragile and shapeless, but it was further from the truth. Jungkook placed his fingers on the hem of Yoongi's underwear and kept his gaze on him to ensure that he had the green light to continue,e and Yoongi's nod was enough to proceed. He delicately took off the underwear and revealed his naked body, the body Jungkook so badly wanted to claim and love for the rest of his days.

"Yoongi, baby, I'm afraid of opening my mouth right now," Jungkook confessed while feeling almost speechless with the view. "You are so gorgeous, and I want you all to myself..."

"You don't need to say a word..." Yoongi spoke cheerfully with a hint of shyness, cupping Jungkook's face. As he stared at Jungkook, Yoongi truly thought he was going to be more frightened and self-conscious about unveiling his nakedness. However, he had already been half-naked in front of Jungkook before, so he felt comfortable and yet, during those times, Yoongi wasn't as vulnerable as he was now. He always felt somewhat vulnerable, but his vulnerability came from the trust and love he felt for Jungkook. "I just want you to love me, baby..."

Jungkook chuckled faintly as he took Yoongi's hand from his face, kissing it without averting his eyes from him. "No need to tell me twice, my delicate beauty"

Jungkook momentarily left the bed and watched Yoongi lifting his upper body from the mattress to see him properly and placing his hands on the side to support his weight. Something told Jungkook that Yoongi wanted to observe him and see him undress the rest of his clothes, which was no problem for him since both mutually enjoyed and admired each other's bodies openly. He relished the times when he would catch Yoongi not so secretly gaping at his shirtless torso, especially when he would get out of the shower only wearing underwear.

Jungkook positioned himself in front of the bed and licked his lips as he began to unbutton and unzip his jeans, already knowing how his tight boxer briefs were about to reveal how excited he was. He let the jeans fall and kicked them to the side, noticing Yoongi's hungry eyes looking up and down without a hint of timidness and embarrassment. Jungkook took a better look at Yoongi's hands and saw him grabbing the duvet underneath him like he felt it necessary to hold on to something or he would lose the battle against the desires that were driving him to insanity just like it was happening to him. If the circumstances were different, Jungkook would take his time and provoke Yoongi as much as he could to drive him crazy. However, he was already trying to stop himself from devouring Yoongi. Next, he took down his boxers briefs and calmly hopped into bed, carefully observing Yoongi, who was expectantly waiting for him and devouring him just with a glance as he lay down. Jungkook crawled onto the bed and delicately placed his hands on Yoongi's legs, bending them as he pulled his body slightly down, earning a gasp. He wrapped the slim legs around his torso and leaned down, urgently capturing Yoongi's warm, delicious lips, unable to control the power his desires had over him.

Yoongi messily ran his fingers through Jungkook's hair, softly clutching to it while Jungkook deepened their heated kiss, putting their long-waited sexual encounter to an end, which, once again, went beyond meaningless sex. At that moment, Yoongi surrendered himself completely to Jungkook. Finally, nothing was holding him back and preventing him from submitting himself to the true feelings and physical attraction he deeply felt for Jungkook. Yoongi threw his head back when Jungkook strongly squeezed the back of his thighs and moved his lips to his neck, licking and sucking every inch of it, making him more desperate and enthusiastic about what was about to happen. Yoongi panted and whimpered, feeling Jungkook's hands gaining a mind of their own and exploring his hungry, trembling body. The only word leaving his mouth in between moans and whines was Jungkook's name.

Jungkook continued kissing Yoongi's neck, getting completely drunk by his desperation and arousal. He smiled mischievously, loving to witness Yoongi turning into a hot mess, and it was because of him. Jungkook was reaching his limit, and, despite the sensual sounds coming from Yoongi, he wanted to officially break the boundaries between them and love each other fully.

"Baby..." Jungkook whispered lustfully into Yoongi's ear, listening to him humming in response. "Do you have any condoms? Or something to help me prepare you?"

Yoongi bit his bottom lip. He had only brought a bottle of editable lube in hopes of finally making a move on Jungkook. However, the condoms were a whole other situation because it had been a long time since he had bought some, and, honestly, he didn't want to embarrass himself by bringing the wrong size. This was such a big moment for them, and Yoongi didn't want a thing to ruin it.

"Under my pillow, Jungkookie..."

Jungkook smiled and fondly pecked Yoongi's lips as he reached under the pillow. He felt a bottle and retrieved its hidden, finding it amusing how Yoongi was already planning to move to the next level. When his eyes landed on the bottle of lube, Jungkook cocked a brow, wondering why there was half of its content left. He looked suspiciously at Yoongi, who was chewing on his bottom lip. Yoongi was hiding something from him. Jungkook knew Yoongi hadn't slept with anyone in the last four years, and the bottle looked brand new like it had been bought recently.

"Can I ask you why the bottle is half empty, my love?" Jungkook questioned curiously with a wide grin embellishing his lips. He leaned down, shortening the distance and watching Yoongi's cheeks turning completely crimson, which he loved. "Don't tell me you are getting shy now, Yoongi?"

"What's more important, Jungkook? Knowing the reason the bottle is half empty or making love to me?" Yoongi retorted matter-of-factly, already tired of waiting for Jungkook to pleasure him. He parted his legs a little more and arched his back as he explored Jungkook's upper body and biceps, never taking his lustful eyes from him. "If you want my opinion, the second option sounds more appealing, don't you think, my love?"

The second he felt Yoongi's body fully glued to his and his hands slowly exploring his muscles, Jungkook's mind went blank. He slammed his lips against Yoongi's and eagerly kissed him like there was no tomorrow. He sucked his bottom lips and sneaked his tongue inside Yoongi's mouth, swallowing every moan and whine coming from his beloved.

"I think you're right..." Jungkook uttered hoarsely against Yoongi's swollen, wet lips, seeing him breathing heavily. "Satisfying your every need is more important than satisfying my curiosity, sweetheart"

Chapter Text

Seokjin placed his elbow on the one-seat sofa chair armrest and stared intensively at the floor-to-ceiling windows displaying the destruction of the strong, vicious winds and the torrential rain. Now, the weather had calmed down - the wind was whistling seemingly to a lullaby, and the rain still poured but ever so gently, kissing the trees, flowers and any plant that had been harmed earlier - although, Seokjin took the opportunity that he hadn't been able to sleep to, once again, admire the terrifying yet indescribable power of nature. However, it wasn't the scenery depicted outside that he wished to admire - it was Taehyung. Sometime during the night, Taehyung had gotten up and left the bedroom without a warning. Seokjin easily detected his disappearance when he no longer felt the warmth coming from his body or listened to his soft snores.

A heavy sigh left Seokjin's lips as he leaned the back of his head against the sofa chair and closed his eyes, stretching both arms on the armrest. He wondered if he had done something unconsciously or mumbled any words that resembled a confession, ultimately driving Taehyung away from him, but it seemed so far-fetched. For some reason, Seokjin continued to blame himself every time he noticed Taehyung wasn't himself, just like when he had entered the living room before dinner and saw how distraught Taehyung was. Maybe there was still guilt residing in his heart. Maybe Seokjin hadn't forgiven himself for hurting Taehyung in the past, which was quite frustrating. He so desperately wanted to follow Taehyung's advice - accept the person he had been and the person he was currently - however, Seokjin sensed an obstacle preventing him from completely loving himself. That was what it truly meant. By accepting himself, Seokjin would learn how to love himself as well. Learn how to live with the fact that he preferred men over women. Learn that, despite making mistakes and not being perfect all the time - something the Kim family disliked, apart from his homosexuality - he was still a human being worthy of an opportunity to live life, to have fun and, most importantly, to love.

The further he explored the feeling of love, the more Seokjin realised how intricate and complicated the said feeling was. Love had several layers, and attempting to understand it rationally was pointless, and that was the conclusion he had reached when he started to view Taehyung differently. Love was both a curse and a blessing; maybe that was why Seokjin felt compelled to pursue it. He always loved a challenge, and despite love having its conundrums and bringing unpleasant feelings to the surface, like jealousy, Seokjin still appreciated and yearned to explore more.

Seokjin sighed again, but this time, it was a sigh of frustration. He could leave the master bedroom and go to the bedroom Taehyung had been in to ensure he was doing all right. And yet, he didn't want to disturb him. Or, maybe the thought of Taehyung being unable to find comfort and peace in his embrace tormented him and reminded him that he wasn't deserving or suitable for him. The fear of losing Taehyung suddenly overwhelmed him and, astonishingly, almost drove Seokjin to tears. He hated how weak love made him feel and how easily manipulated he could be by his emotions, but he endured, knowing that he was fighting for the right person. Even though he had to take one step at a time and remain patient, Seokjin was certain that, one day, he would be rewarded with something far more precious than money or gold - Taehyung's love.

The creaking sound of the door resonated through the master bedroom. Seokjin quickly opened his eyes, turned to the room entrance, and watched Taehyung hurriedly close the door as he cleaned the falling tears from his face with the back of his hand. When Taehyung turned around, Seokjin's heart broke again. He hated to see the unbearable sadness overpowering such a cheerful and caring soul.

"Taehyung..."

His name had come out as a docile, tender whisper from Seokjin's lips, but Taehyung cried and sobbed, needing to run away from the devastating and cruel past that kept chasing him mercilessly and incessantly. The immense pain originating from his grief became too much to handle on his own, and even when Seokjin offered himself and his embrace shelter from the darkness, Taehyung felt bad for always depending on him, especially when he continued to break down in his presence. The bad weather wasn't the only reason driving him towards Seokjin this time. The nightmares that consisted of the repetition of his mother's death wouldn't leave him alone, so Taehyung unwillingly left Seokjin's arms and bed to search for the photo given by Mrs Kim - the photo he was currently holding in his hand - hoping the beautiful smile of his mother could be the beacon of light he was looking for to soothe his mind and shoo away that awful day, but it had been in vain. Staring at the photo just reminded him of the absence of his mother and how everything had changed after her death. Taehyung still struggled with the negative feelings that resulted from his mother's passing, and the rage he felt for his father for being a major culprit in the situation didn't help, it just turned things even worse. As a result, Taehyung decided to not only seek Seokjin as a place of comfort but to finally tell him the truth behind his astraphobia and the reason why the hatred for his father ran so deep within him and was engraved in his heart.

"J-Jinnie..."

Taehyung hurriedly headed towards Seokjin, who seemed frozen in time, as he cleaned his face with the back of his hand, attempting to erase the trail of sadness, anguish and rage paved by his fallen, stubborn tears that unmasked his vulnerability. Mindlessly, he sat on Seokjin's lap, urgently searching for comfort and refuge. Taehyung curled himself in Seokjin's embrace by bending his legs and strongly held on to his pyjama shirt as he buried his face on his neck, without noticing the photo falling between his body and Seokjin's.

Out of instinct, Seokjin wrapped his arms around Taehyung's body like a protective blanket, hoping the simple, endearing gesture could bring comfort. He gently placed a hand behind Taehyung's head and another around his body, bringing both as close as possible despite the lack of space and leverage. Seokjin sensed his pyjama shirt quickly being drenched by Taehyung's tears, and he wondered how someone so positive, cheery and full of life had so much sadness and pain inside. How could someone spread happiness and see the best scenario when things were so dark and hopeless and be able to share so many tears in only one night? The cries of hurt and sobs echoed in the master bedroom. Seokjin hated to see Taehyung so hunted by his trauma, knowing that the younger male needed help overcoming his loss. However, it was easier said than done. Seokjin, despite wanting to do everything and anything to help Taehyung and his mental state, couldn't do much without Taehyung making the first step. The beautiful younger male with silver locks already acknowledged that he needed professional help and knew how destructive his negative emotions had damaged his life. Seokjin, patiently and lovingly, wished to give Taehyung the necessary strength or, better yet, help Taehyung to find and realise how strong and capable he was.

Seokjin refused to allow the hurt and sadness to steal Taehyung away from him and erase the amused and excited Taehyung he witnessed during the day while they were exploring the property. He yearned to see that beautiful smile embellishing those enticing lips again, to hear his melodic voice calling his name in an upbeat tone and, most importantly, those sweet giggles that brought warmth to his heart. Seokjin delicately brushed the damp locks of hair from Taehyung's forehead and eyes to see him properly. Then, he cupped his face and calmly cleaned his tears, wishing Taehyung could open his eyes and stare at him to know he was safe with him and that nothing could hurt him as long as he stayed with him in his loving embrace. Finally, Seokjin decided to be bold and do something that physically showed Taehyung that he wanted to support and comfort him in his time of need, to let him know he could trust him and speak to him to lighten the burden he was carrying on his own. It didn't take much for Seokjin to know that there was a lot of information hidden in the depths of Taehyung's soul, information he had kept to himself because he didn't want to depend on people all the time. But those people were Taehyung's family and loved ones, people who wanted the best for him, and Seokjin was one of them. Seokjin was always concerned for Taehyung and conveyed his availability to hear and help with whatever he could, not only because of his deep love for him but because he hated to see Taehyung being held hostage by the ghost of the past. Seokjin shakily kissed Taehyung on the forehead with the utmost care, attempting to convey his love and worry for him. He kissed, now more confidently since the sobs were gradually dying down, Taehyung on the nose and saw his swollen and puffy, reddish eyes fluttering open. For a moment, he stood there, watching Taehyung staring back at him with the most pitiful gleam in his eyes while he glued himself more against his body. Truth be told, as Seokjin admired Taehyung, the thought of kissing him deeply crossed his mind, and he resisted the desire to do it with all his being because there was so much he could do to stop himself from fulfilling his cravings.

Despite his craving for Taehyung, Seokjin focused on his mission - soothe Taehyung and provide solace. He leaned his forehead against Taehyung, watching his pupils grow bigger, hiding the beautiful brownish colour of his irises. When Taehyung closed his eyes again, Seokjin moved the hand that was in the younger male's face and slowly and gently sneaked inside the loose sweater he had landed Taehyung - the same one he had worn the first night he spent at his house - and felt his feverish skin against his fingertips. He didn't want it to come out as a lustful gesture but as a caring and reassuring one. His touch had the objective to bring them closer, and it was working. Almost instantly, Taehyung's heavy breathing caused by the endless crying had finally returned to normal; the tears ceased once and for all, and the racing beat of his heart was still there but less hectic than before. The more his hand wandered on Taehyung's body, the more relaxed Seokjin felt the younger male in his embrace. Taehyung was melting in his arms, and Seokjin, despite being slightly selfish from taking advantage of the moment to indulge himself just a tiny bit, felt happy that he had managed and fulfilled his mission. But it wasn't over yet, and Seokjin wanted Taehyung to speak about what upset him by giving him time to prepare mentally. Taehyung hadn't come back only because he was having a hard time, he seemed to have a mission of his own and needed his help to accomplish it.

"I'm sorry..."

"You don't need to apologise, Taehyung..."

"Yes, I do..." Taehyung whispered as he finally opened his eyes, curious to know if he could deal with the intimate closeness between him and Seokjin. He felt as breathless as he did a minute ago, but Seokjin was the culprit this time. Even though he was currently going through an unpleasant moment, Seokjin could wipe out the darkness by reminding him of the goodness that remained in his life without resorting to words but gestures. The second he felt Seokjin's touch on his skin, Taehyung's mind travelled to the previous day, at the main garden, when they almost shared a passionate kiss. He was mindful that if he wanted to pursue a relationship with Seokjin, Taehyung needed to trust Seokjin and be truthful, especially knowing how thoughtful Seokjin was no matter the circumstances. With a deep breath, Taehyung tried to look for his courageous side to be able to speak about the most hurtful and difficult times he had experienced when his mother passed away and later when he found out how his father's affair had contributed immensely to her death. Not only that, but also how this occurrence had affected him psychologically and emotionally. "I-I need to tell you something... I want you to know why I have this fear of storms, even though I loved the bad weather when I was younger"

Seokjin opted for silence instead of rebutting Taehyung's words regarding the apology. He sensed Taehyung's body shivering, allowing him to conclude that whatever he was about to tell him had something to do with his mother's death. He already had a hutch about Taehyung's astraphobia being a result of that traumatic event. Still, there was more to it, and Seokjin was curious to know more about the subject, particularly now that Taehyung was willing to share that information.

"If you truly want to share it with me, I'm here for you, but if it becomes too overwhelming, please do not force yourself, Taehyung. The last thing I want is to see you upset and hurting..."

Taehyung couldn't help but smile weakly at Seokjin's concern for him. He softened his grasp on Seokjin's pyjama shirt and hoped that he wouldn't take his hand from his body. Seokjin's touch was soothing and made him feel at ease, and now that he was about to unveil some pretty dark moments from his past, Taehyung needed the reassurance and comfort that only Seokjin could provide.

"I know you are always here for me, Seokjin, and that's why I feel brave enough to share my darkest times with you, I fully trust you..." Taehyung said in a more upbeat tone, and, despite feeling nervous about sharing something so personal, given their strong bond, he felt safe. The silver-haired male leaned his head on Seokjin's shoulder, already guessing that the conversation was going to be mentally exhausting and revealing how damaged his family became after his father selfishly decided to look for love and comfort in another woman's arms while he was still married to his mother. Taehyung momentarily closed his eyes and opened them as he took another deep breath, not wanting to prolong things any longer "After my mom died, I couldn't handle the pain of losing her because the moment she parted from the world, she took a big part of me with her. I didn't sleep or eat for days, and during her memorial service, I fainted from tiredness and hunger, and Yoongi, Namjoon and Minhyuk, my boyfriend at the time, had to take care of me"

Once again, Seokjin stayed quiet, processing what Taehyung had just told him. He reminisced about the day he and his family attended Kim Jung Eun's memorial service. Not only his mother had been a close friend, but also Taehyung's mother had been the reason why he remained true to himself and the person he was until his father threatened to disinherit him while giving him an ultimatum.

After being sick and tired of pretending to be the perfect son and indulging pompous and self-centred businessmen during his father's social event to quote-unquote, allow him to be in touch with the most powerful men in the country and network, Seokjin sneaked out of the mansion to go to Jungkook's party. He had to be stealthy since everyone knew who he was, so the risk of being caught was tremendously high, and he couldn't handle another reprimand from his father. Seokjin was still healing from the last one. He sneakily climbed down the stairs to the side gate of the property, which was barely used at the time, only by the staff, thinking no one was in sight until he saw the lady he had spoken to a couple of hours ago - the one with the red satin dress with the stain on it - and immediately panicked, knowing that his chances of leaving smoothly and unseen were nearly impossible. However, during his panic attack, Seokjin noticed the lady was talking on the phone with someone, which gave him another chance to escape effortlessly, but she quickly spotted him and gestured for him to come to her. Until the present day, Seokjin couldn't explain why he decided to comply with her wordless request. There was a calming, cheering aura emanating from the red satin dress lady - the same he sensed with Taehyung when he had difficulty sharing a particular moment of his past - that Seokjin couldn't resist, so he headed towards her, letting fate run its course. Today, Seokjin was grateful for encountering Taehyung's mother and having the opportunity to frankly speak to her about matters that no one knew, including his mother and Jungkook. That afternoon, Seokjin cried with relief because he had been suffering in silence and, for the first time in a long time, he had decided to gamble and share the torments that he had been experiencing during those times, share his fears and the high expectations his father had for him.

Unbeknownst to everyone, Seokjin had a great appreciation for Mrs Kim, so not only did he attend her memorial service because it was seen as fitting and polite, but also because he cherished her for demonstrating patience and care for him. While he and his family searched for the room to pay their respects, Seokjin noticed a young man being carried and two other men following behind. At the time, he didn't know Taehyung, but the instant Mr Kim apologised for the absence of his two sons, Seokjin felt his heart squeezing in his chest, realising how broken-hearted they were for losing such a great person in their lives. Now, Seokjin knew that Taehyung had been the one being carried, probably by his boyfriend at the time, because Yoongi and Namjoon were the ones following them, probably to certify that Taehyung was being taken care of.

The overwhelming emotions he felt earlier because of his frustration regarding love transformed into grief, and suddenly, he wanted to cry as well, not only because Taehyung's mother, despite the short time he had spent with her, had been very helpful and reassuring, but also for knowing how her loss had such a cruel impact on Taehyung to the point of consuming him until the present day. One day, he wanted to share that feeling with Taehyung to let him know that the moment he had with his mother was very impactful for him and that Taehyung should be proud of the person he was because his personality reflected the love and the type of person his mother had been while she was alive.

Seokjin glanced at Taehyung and noticed the tears rolling down once again. Gently, he massaged Taehyung's lower back to help him relax and not fall into the dark pit where his negative feelings were. Taehyung was counting on him to bring him comfort during this conversation, and Seokjin was going to stand by his side, now and always, to guide him through the tough times.

"Taehyung, take your time. There's no need to rush." Seokjin spoke softly, his eyes solely focused on Taehyung. He noticed him snuggling his head against his shoulder while pouting. It wasn't the time to note certain physical features, but he genuinely found it amusing when Taehyung protruded his lips. He gazed deeply at Taehyung, hating to see him struggling so much. "Remember, I'm always here for you. We have all night..."

A shaky breath loosely escaped from Taehyung's lips as he eyed Seokjin, attempting to gather his thoughts. As he felt the tip of Seokjin's fingers moving in a circling motion, Taehyung took another deep breath to fight the domineering ache coming from his heart. He recalled the day of his mother's memorial service, wishing that the Koreans weren't so traditional regarding the funeral proceedings. It seemed like a path of never-ending torture and pain.

In South Korea, there were customs to follow when a person died. Commonly, people opted for cremation rather than burial, however, during the neo-Confucian age, cremation was strictly forbidden, except for criminals, because the burning of a loved one was considered cruel, seemingly like causing them a second death. And that had been how Taehyung had viewed cremation. At the time, he didn't know how much his mother had suffered alone with his father's unfaithfulness. However, the thought of fire didn't set well with him. Unlike Seokjin's mother, Taehyung wasn't religious or believed in God. However, he believed there was a higher power that established balance and peace among humans and nature. He believed the universe detained authority over the human species, and evilness and cruelty were atoned with some kind of punishment. People could argue that Taehyung's beliefs weren't as different as the ones written in the Bible and spoken by Christians, and, honestly, he acknowledged the similarities. However, Taehyung, by believing in a higher power and not God, felt safer and more comfortable not being judged and punished by the Almighty for being gay and flamboyant. In other words, be the person Taehyung truly was without feeling ashamed of himself.

Regardless of not complying with the holy scriptures, Taehyung viewed fire the same way Christians did. Actually, in various religious and even mythological traditions, fire was associated with hell, punishment and torment. It symbolised agonising and unending suffering that awaited wrongdoers and those who had strayed from the righteous path. To Taehyung, his mother had been the embodiment of an angel on Earth. While growing up, he always considered himself lucky for having such an amazing family, such an amazing mother who had supported him throughout his young life in every single thing, whether it was his studies, his clothing preferences and, most importantly, the people he had chosen to love, even if they were the same gender as him and it was viewed as a disgusting and improper behaviour in their culture. For those reasons, and despite not being responsible for handling the funeral preparations, Taehyung insistently told his family that he refused to watch his mother's body being consumed by the flames and, instead of a peaceful transition into the afterlife, she would go through a second death. Taehyung didn't know if it had been his father's guilt for what he had put his mother through in the last months of her life and the fact he had been at fault for her death or if he wanted to respect his wishes given the close mother-son relationship they shared, or both, but his father, as the sanju opted for the burial, even though it was the most uncommon choice in South Korea.

Sangju was an interesting figure in Korean funeral customs. The funeral preparations were traditionally handled by the eldest son or grandson of the deceased. They were referred to as the sangju, meaning "the chief mourner". In Korean culture, the eldest son or grandson was held responsible for "letting" their parents or grandparents pass away. So, as a punishment, they were obligated to handle the funeral preparations, ensuring Korean funeral customs and traditions were followed, and coordinating the memorial. Ironically, the responsibility of being sangju was cast upon Taehyung's father since he was the living spouse. Why was it ironic? Well, back then, Taehyung was unaware that his father had been the one who led his mother to her death, in a way, the role of sangju suited him too well. He remembered how inconsolable his father was after the memorial service. The tears slid down his face. Tears that Taehyung truly thought came from the pain and grief he was feeling at that moment for the loss of the love of his life, but they turned out to be tears of guilt and shame.

The weeks following the funeral were the most painful weeks of Taehyung's life. And reminiscing about them tore open the big wound in his heart. The same wound that had been difficult to heal because half of his heart had been ripped out when his mother died. Taehyung curled his body a bit more as he held on to Seokjin's pyjama shirt while memories of those times flashed in his mind. He harshly bit his bottom lip, preventing himself from breaking down again, remembering that he needed to unload the weight he was carrying to be able to live his life more freely without grasping tightly to the grief resting within him. He closed his eyes for a brief moment and focused on Seokjin's hand moving sluggishly on his lower back. The warmth coming from his body and the faint smell of his cologne that, for some reason, gave him reassurance and a sense of security.

"I spent the next few weeks locked inside my bedroom. I couldn't eat. I couldn't sleep, especially because every time I tried to rest, the only thing that came to mind was my mom. Because of that, Yoongi and Namjoon would stay with me when Minhyuk couldn't..."

Taehyung spoke quietly and hoarsely, replaying the days and the nights when Minhyuk would come to his bedroom and hold him tightly with so much love and patience, just like Seokjin was doing in that instant. Despite suffering from his mother's death, Taehyung was also afraid of losing Minhyuk, but he was mindful that he couldn't depend on him forever and needed to let him live his life. It wasn't fair to hold on to Minhyuk when he had his problems, his worries, and his responsibilities. When Taehyung expressed the will to break up because he couldn't stand the idea of being a burden to his boyfriend, Minhyuk instantly replied by saying how much he loved him so deeply and refused to leave him. That night, and even though it was a period of grief, Minhyuk made love to him while continuously confessing his love for him. It had been the most beautiful and memorable night, especially because that was the beginning of his healing process. The morning after, Taehyung had woken up in the safety and comfort of Minhyuk's strong arms, and the simple gesture of being held by the love of his life back then was enough to make him smile for the first time since the loss of his mother.

"M-Minhyuk was majoring in Medicine, like your father, his father wanted him to follow his steps to become the Director of the hospital or, at least, partake in a role as one of the members of the Administration, so I know he had a lot to deal with, and I truly thought I was a burden to him, but he refused to let me go, and I didn't want him to do it..." Taehyung smiled faintly, feeling tremendously regretful for sacrificing his relationship, but he reminded himself that he had done what he did because of Hoseok, who was one of the most important people in his life, one of the people who gave meaning to his life. "Because of him, because of the love he felt for me, I was able to slowly get up and move forward with my life, despite the emptiness inside my heart, until..."

Seokjin noticed the anger and the bitterness flashing in Taehyung's puffy and reddish eyes, knowing the reason behind such negative emotions. Taehyung had entrusted the information of how he found out about his father's unfaithfulness; thus, he assumed that the unpleasant discovery had put a dent in his healing process and unveiled the broken pieces of the picture-perfect family Taehyung thought he had.

"Until you found out about your father having an affair with a younger woman while your mother was still alive..."

Taehyung wearily nodded as he made sweater paws to clean his tears. "Y-Yeah, b-but that was just the tip of the iceberg, I f-f-ound out something worse, something that turned my world upside down and changed my perspective, not only about my family but also my father..."

A few months after his mother's passing, Taehyung, little by little, began to live a normal life and get accustomed to a reality where his mother was no longer present. However, he kept her and all the beautiful memories they had together saved inside of his heart. Despite the hurt and grief, Taehyung knew his mother wanted him to move forward and enjoy every single moment to the fullest, so he decided to do just that and make her proud. Unfortunately, it was around that time that Taehyung discovered his father's affair with a younger woman, and the ache he was experiencing from his mother's death transformed into rage and hatred towards him. Although, the worst was yet to come. Once again, he felt himself slipping into a depressive state, but not as bad as it had been before. To help him overcome the shock of his discovery, Taehyung focused on something else that helped him deal with his negative emotions more healthily. Since he hadn't been capable of going through his mother's belongings after her funeral, Taehyung spent most of his days in the attic, searching for the many notebooks and diaries she had kept throughout her life, including diaries of her youth. Honestly, it brought tears to his eyes whenever Taehyung read how his parents' love story had unfolded and how beautiful it had been - a love story even the Gods themselves would be envious of. Unfortunately, their story came to an end when his father looked elsewhere for an emotional and physical connection. It had been the first time Taehyung questioned if true love truly existed. If people could easily discard someone with whom they had established such a strong connection and form a bond that, on the outside, seemed unbreakable but, on the inside, was as frail as China. Regardless, Taehyung was still capable of finding joy and comfort, especially while reading her notebooks. Her words brought a smile to his lips, and every time he read them, Taehyung could hear his mother's voice reading them out loud, reminding him of the times he would catch her in the home office, revising her notes for the book. One day, while he was reading one of the research notebooks, Taehyung came across a few pages that no longer spoke about her research but his father and the affair.

"What did you find, Taehyung?" Seokjin questioned as he tried to disguise the concern in his voice, but he knew it had been in vain. He studied Taehyung, and he didn't like the sombreness surrounding him, so something told him that his findings back then put another dent, not only in his healing process but also in the already broken relationship he had with his father. "Did it have something to do with the affair?"

Blankly, Taehyung just stared at the floor-to-ceiling windows, observing the drizzle quietly falling outside while reminiscing about the moment when he was reading his mother's hidden diary among her notes. She probably wrote her discovery in a normal notebook because she was afraid either he or Namjoon, mainly him, would find out the truth about their father and the type of person he was. His father should have known better, and if he thought he could hide his relationship with a younger woman from his mother, who had been one of the best psychiatrists in the country, he was truly the dumbest man in the world.

Momentarily, Taehyung glimpsed at Seokjin, noticing the concern written all over his face, feeling so small in his embrace, but he had to push forward and reveal what he had carried for so long because he couldn't do it any longer. The burden was becoming too heavy, and even though he had people surrounding him who could help him, Taehyung felt like he was taking too much from them, especially when they had already given him so much. It wasn't fair as well to unload something of that magnitude on Seokjin, and Taehyung was aware that Seokjin himself had so many more challenges and problems in his life, his father alone was a living nightmare. However, by sharing each others' troubles, dark thoughts, heavy feelings and pasts, both were increasing and strengthening their bond. And for Taehyung, the simple yet fond gestures would boost the deep love he felt for Seokjin.

Once again, Taehyung nodded and felt himself breaking down once more. Instantly, he sensed Seokjin retrieving his hand from his body and cupping his face so delicately to stop the tears from creating another path of misery and self-destruction. Taehyung kept his eyes wide open, focusing his gaze only on Seokjin, who was gazing lovingly back at him. The simple glance shared between them gave him the strength to open up the gates and spill all the pain and secrets he buried inside of him, even though he suspected Namjoon already knew their mother had found out about the affair while she was alive and yet, he still felt like he was carrying everything on his own.

"M-My m-mother had a dozen notebooks lying around her office because of her research. When she died, my d-d-ad and Namjoon put them in boxes and kept them in the attic," Taehyung muttered brokenly, not taking his eyes from Seokjin. "After finding out about my dad's affair, I went there and read her diaries and notebooks to be closer to her, to read her words that once had brought me so much joy. One day, I came across a specific notebook that ended up not being a notebook but a d-diary. That particular diary was a log of my dad's movements a few months b-b-before s-she d-died in the car crash. That was the moment when I-I found that my mother knew about the affair... "

Seokjin remained speechless after hearing what Taehyung had told him, but, on the other hand, it didn't surprise him. When he and Taehyung's mother spoke on the day of the event, Seokjin thought she was a very intelligent and intuitive woman, and her sons had inherited that from her. He remembered when Mrs Kim told him how her husband was a creature of habit so, psychologically speaking, he was very easy to read - another trait her sons inherited from her, particularly Taehyung - and his predictable behaviour had been what uncovered his unfaithfulness.

Seokjin had so many questions regarding the affair, especially to know what drove Mr Kim to engage with another woman and why he decided to pursue a relationship when he had a family. However, seeing how deplorable and broken Taehyung was and knowing how difficult it was to share that information led Seokjin to refrain from opening his mouth. There were still questions to be answered, like in what way did Taehyung's mother's death contribute to his astraphobia, and what was the true reason why Taehyung hated his father so fervently? Regarding the latter, Seokjin didn't believe the amount of hatred Taehyung felt towards his father was connected to his mother's knowledge about the affair while she was alive. It was something more impactful. Something that was related to the affair somehow.

"The day of the car crash..."

Seokjin placed his full attention on Taehyung again. In that instant, he could see how mentally and physically exhausted Taehyung was. The beautiful younger male had his eyes on the floor-to-ceiling windows, watching the rain falling nonstop and aggressively tapping the window like it was calling for him, taunting him with images of the past. Once again, Seokjin stayed silent to allow Taehyung to gather his thoughts for him to free the grief he had been keeping inside. The same grief that had been sucking the cheerfulness, inflicting the pain and making Taehyung relive the day he had lost his mother.

"I was studying for my mid-terms but couldn't stop thinking of my last date with Minhyuk, and it was almost our third anniversary... It began to rain outside, and I always loved hearing the sound of the drops hitting different surfaces and feeling the coldness against my skin. Rainy days used to bring me so much comfort and joy, especially during the night," Taehyung smiled weakly while he reminisced about the moment when he went to the window that fateful day, not knowing that it would be the last time he would enjoy the rainy weather with earnest happiness. His smile quickly vanished from his lips when images of him speaking on the phone with his mother replayed in his mind. Tears kept sliding down his face like the raindrops slid down the windows. The guilt for simply mentioning his father during that call started to consume him, and quickly enough, Taehyung was a sobbing mess all over again. "M-My m-m-mom c-ca-call m-me a-a-and, a-a-nd..."

"Taehyung...

Instantly, Seokjin wrapped his arms around Taehyung, feeling his heart slowly breaking once again. He sensed Taehyung's shoulders violently shaking with each heavy and guttural sob leaving his mouth while tears continuously streamed down his face. Taehyung was currently falling apart, and Seokjin was honestly panicking. He had improved considerably when it came to being in touch with his emotional side and feeling empathy towards others. However, he still felt like he didn't have the necessary capabilities to be able to reassure and comfort people, in this case, Seokjin felt like his resources had run out. Given his line of work that forced him to be strategic, work under pressure, and keep his cool, Seokjin didn't succumb to his anxieties and, while holding on to a sobbing Taehyung, thought about other possibilities to pull the breathtaking younger male from the sorrowful pit and bring him back up to a safe place.

Many years ago, when he wasn't afraid of being himself and demonstrating his feelings for the most important people in his life, Seokjin had to support and comfort a broken-hearted Jungkook. His best friend had just found out that his boyfriend had been cheating on him for the majority of their relationship, and back then, Jungkook's confidence and faith in love were at an all-time low. As his best friend, Seokjin didn't know what else to say or do to be able to erase the pain Jungkook was feeling, and it didn't help that he had never gone through a similar situation, which made things even more difficult for him. One day, while he was playing the piano, Seokjin began to randomly sing along, fitting into place the many harmonies and melodies with the spontaneous lyrics.

For the first time in his life, Seokjin had written a song, and he had done it to cheer up Jungkook. Later on, after his father had already found out about his homosexuality, Seokjin wrote another one, and after that, he forsaken music because it reminded him of the joy the piano had given him once upon a time. If the song he had written was an emotional expression of his unconditional appreciation for Jungkook and their friendship, then its lyrics could also be a way to calm Taehyung down and demonstrate how deeply he cared for him. His mind travelled to the beginning of that week when Taehyung and the others had come to his house to have dinner together. Seokjin remembered Taehyung's sweet request and eagerness to hear him sing since his curiosity always got the best of him.

Seokjin reached for Taehyung's hand and softly held it, bringing it to his lips, his eyes never leaving the gloomy beauty. The mere touch had been enough to lower the volume of Taehyung's sobs and cries. He slowly leaned down and nuzzled his nose with Taehyung's, keeping them as close as possible.

"I will be there forever
I'll stay the same, I'll be there for you
There for you
With this song, I say to you
I swear that I will always sing for you
Sing for you
Oh oh oh
I'll be there for you"

Quietly and calmly, Seokjin sang wholeheartedly, and the lyrics moulded themselves into a completely new meaning - also a new way to express his love for Taehyung. They portrayed the honest love he felt for Taehyung and, more than that, declared how much he longed to be there by Taehyung's side, no matter the circumstances. Seokjin noticed the effect that the song was having on Taehyung and his demeanour and, fortunately, his strategy had worked and probably had stunned Taehyung, he certainly wasn't expecting him to leave the cocoon and bravely resort to his musical abilities to solace him. The tears and sobs subsided. Seokjin felt Taehyung squeezing his hand and nuzzling his nose against his, demonstrating to him that he was listening and taking in his words of comfort.

Seokjin smiled lovingly and continued to sing the sweet melodies to Taehyung, hoping he could get one of his bright smiles.

"When you feel down
When you feel all alone
When you need someone to lean on
I'll be there for you

I will be there forever
I'll stay the same, I'll be there for you
There for you
With this song, I say to you
I swear that I will always sing for you
Sing for you
Oh oh oh
I'll be there for you"

The master bedroom stood still like time had completely stopped. The heavy rain kept pouring outside. Its mellow sounds broke the quietness of the room, but it didn't break the fond and overwhelming gazes shared by Seokjin and Taehyung, who stared at each other like they were the only ones in the world.

Shakily, Taehyung raised his arm and cupped Seokjin's face, unable to keep his eyes off of him. The tears were lethargically rolling down his face, and his heart was pounding furiously against his chest, not because of the grief but for the immense love he felt for Seokjin. Taehyung couldn't fathom what drove Seokjin to jump from his comfort zone and sing so beautifully to him. Maybe it had been the request he had made not so long ago, or since he was having trouble speaking about the past, Seokjin chose music to appease his inner demons to help him unload the miseries of his life. Regardless, Taehyung felt so fortunate to have someone so caring and patient standing by his side, like Seokjin. He had always been self-confident. A person who didn't need others to make himself feel good and, most importantly, see the beauty in him and make him happy. And yet, for the first time in a long time, Taehyung needed Seokjin nearby to console him, make him smile and forget about the tragedies from his past and the cruelty and heartbreak of his past lovers, except for Minhyuk. Taehyung wondered if his quote-unquote dependency on Seokjin could have led him to finally spill the beans about his astraphobia and his deep-rooted hatred for his father. And, in a way, it showed him that, despite being a cheerful and outgoing person, Taehyung wasn't perfect and was just as broken as Seokjin.

Even though they were different people, Taehyung and Seokjin shared a lot in common. Unfortunately, they only shared the nightmares they had been through in life, which didn't necessarily mean that it was a bad thing. Both found each other, and Taehyung, as time went by, believed more and more that everything indeed had a purpose in life. That everything happened for a reason. Seokjin needed him in his life to help him uncover his true self and accept the person he once had been and was currently, and also build the foundations for his father-son relationship with Jimin. As for Taehyung, he needed someone to show him that we cannot always judge a book by its cover. He needed someone to show him that true love still existed in the world, and as Taehyung gazed at Seokjin, he knew, deep in his heart, that he had found the right person - the other half of his heart that was missing.

Taehyung wasn't walking alone on the path that led to healing, Seokjin was standing by his side as well. It should be something sorrowful and painful to think of, but it was the opposite. Taehyung had been lonely and carrying all the weight by himself for so long that he got lost in his grief to realise that there was someone else suffering in silence and had difficulty sharing his feelings because it was a sign of weakness. Being aware of Seokjin's company on his journey gave Taehyung the courage and strength to come forward to explain what had truly unfolded on the day of his mother's death.

"How are you feeling, Taehyung? Do you feel better?" Seokjin questioned eagerly, feeling slightly nervous to see Taehyung so quiet. Once again, he sneaked his hand underneath Taehyung's shirt, knowing the calming effect it had early and pulled him against his body, sensing him trembling with his touch. "I can see how exhausted you are, Taehyung, if you want to continue this conversation another time, I-"

"J-Jinnie..." Taehyung whispered lovingly as he placed his index finger on Seokjin's lips to silence him. He knew a kiss could have been a better option to shut Seokjin up, but that could lead to something more, and even though Taehyung was all for it, he didn't want more distractions, and he still needed to process his feelings with both his heart and mind, as Namjoon had told him. Taehyung smiled widely this time and couldn't help but study Seokjin's features, already knowing how handsome and charming he was. However, his emphatic and loving persona made him even more attractive, making it hard for Taehyung to look away. "I-It hurts, you know? R-Remembering that a-awful day, but b-being h-here w-with y-you, h-having y-you to s-solace me a-at this moment, i-it makes i-it easier..." Taehyung added as he took his index finger and proceeded to grasp Seokjin's pyjama shirt, feeling his hand resting on his hip, his fingers digging into his skin, leaving him breathless once more. "Y-You g-give m-me the courage I need, Jinnie, so I want to continue..."

"If you want to continue, I'm here, Taehyung, but focus on me alone, alright? Not the rain or the noises coming from outside, look solely at me..." Seokjin almost begged, watching Taehyung's smile widen a second time, maybe he felt the desperation in his request. He couldn't handle seeing Taehyung suffering for much more, and his exhaustion was so palpable that he had the urge to scoop him away and protect him from the world.

"I will do that, Jinnie, only if you change your deal from earlier..." Taehyung said gingerly, attempting to break the ice. He acknowledged that he had to speak about the worst day of his life, but he wanted reassurance from Seokjin's part as well, not that he didn't already, it was just a precaution. "Promise me you will be my living teddy bear not only tonight but whenever I ask you to, the same applies to the cuddles..."

Seokjin chuckled wholeheartedly at Taehyung's obvious demand. A demand he was going to abide by nonetheless. His heart felt full, knowing that Taehyung was reaching for him, knowing that Taehyung physically needed him to be closer to him.

Seokjin gently kissed Taehyung's forehead, feeling more at ease to see Taehyung more upbeat despite the circumstances. "You are always greedy with your requests, Taehyung, but I care too much about you to say no..." Seokjin commented playfully with a tinge of care, noticing a twinkle of excitement and happiness shining on Taehyung's red, puffy eyes, bringing his bright side to the surface. "I will accept your deal and, unlike you, I fulfil my part of the bargain instead of cheating my way".

(This time, I'll fulfil my end of the deal, Jinnie, I don't want to take my eyes off of you anyway...)

As promised, Taehyung focused only on Seokjin, preparing himself mentally once again. The restlessness came over Taehyung, and even though the whining wind and the noisy torrential rain were calling for him, he kept his gaze solely on Seokjin as he had promised. He sighed heavily as he squeezed Seokjin's shoulder, little by little overcoming the numerous thoughts bombarding his mind. He truly was exhausted from reliving that day, but speaking about what had occurred was necessary for him to finally move forward, for him to feel less heavy. Having Seokjin's full attention was slightly nerve-racking, and yet, he couldn't help but feel warm and cosy which helped immensely.

"M-My m-mom called me that afternoon, and, as I spoke to her on the phone, I-I was enjoying the raindrops falling on my warm skin and the earthy smell floating in the air..." Taehyung said with a sad smile on his lips, "S-She was on her w-way back f-from the library and I-I thought she was c-coming h-home until s-she s-said she was visiting an old friend..." Taehyung felt his lips trembling, still feeling repulsed by his mindless comment about his father. Maybe if he had been more aware and focused on the conversation, he wouldn't have fed his mother's rage. Therefore, she wouldn't have accelerated and crashed the car, "Unconsciously, I mentioned that my dad was working late that night, and suddenly, her demeanour changed. I-I c-could hear the windshields moving fast, the sound of the rain aggressively hitting the glass, the other cars honking, and the car's motor roaring loader as she drove" Taehyung paused momentarily, swallowing the lump in his throat as he stared at Seokjin. He felt Seokjin's fingers massaging his back. Taehyung needed the skin-ship, the physical connection between them, to not fall apart again. "S-She also s-said she n-needed to talk to me and J-Joon, at the time, I-I didn't know what was wrong, b-but a-after her death, t-through her diaries, I-I found out she was o-on her way to confront my father and his m-m-mistress, and s-she was going to file for divorce..."

Seokjin softly placed his free hand on the back of Taehyung's head and ran his fingers through his silver locks, seeing him leaning on him for comfort. Now, he had a better understanding of Taehyung's astraphobia and his hatred for his dad and, honestly, who could blame him for the latter? Knowing his mother died on her way to confront her husband and his mistresses, maybe because she had to be certain to unveil his unfaithfulness to her sons. Seokjin truly felt for Taehyung and could only imagine how difficult it was to live with the fact that his father had been the culprit who led his mother to her death.

"I-It's m-my fault t-too... I shouldn't have mentioned my father," Taehyung blurted tiredly, strongly holding on to Seokjin. "I-If I-I kept m-my mouth shut, s-she wouldn't have gone so fast, s-she-"

"You shouldn't blame yourself, Taehyung, unfortunately, humans are irrational ad, and sometimes, being irrational makes us do things we wouldn't normally do"

"B-But I do, Jinnie, I do blame myself..." Taehyung lifted his head; his eyes felt heavy, and his body was slowly giving out to exhaustion. He looked at Seokjin as he felt a tear sliding down his face. "I know that even if I hadn't said those words that day, the accident might have happened anyway, but I keep wondering if I hadn't mentioned my father, things might have been different now..."

"Or not, Taehyung..." Seokjin said in a slightly assertive tone, hating to see Taehyung punishing himself and carrying not only the pain caused by grief but also the guilt, "Things could have gone differently, yes, however, if you continue reflecting about that matter, you will never be able to move forward, you will be stuck on that moment, on that day, and that will only bring more pain. I don't want to see you suffering for the rest of your life..." Seokjin added worriedly, "I didn't know your mother well and yet, I'm certain that she wouldn't want you to blame yourself for her death, Taehyung..." Seokjin cupped Taehyung's face, wanting so desperately to help him deal with the negative emotions he was harbouring because of his mother's loss. "Instead, she would have wanted you to live the life she gifted you, to enjoy every second with your loved ones, to cherish the fond memories you two made together throughout the years. That should be your consolation, Taehyung, because reminiscing prevents you from living the present..."

Despite the assertive and harsh words spoken by Seokjin, Taehyung couldn't help but agree, even though it was difficult to put behind a day that had turned his entire life upside down, especially when he was entering adulthood. Every day, Taehyung did his best to keep his mother's memory alive and, as Seokjin had said, enjoy every second of it like it was his last day on earth. People took their own lives for granted, focusing on the negative aspects life brought them instead of thinking about the victories, no matter how small or big they were. Taehyung vehemently believed he was living his life to the fullest. However, Seokjin was right. How could he live in the present when he was reliving what had unfolded years ago? Maybe, deep down, Taehyung was scared to acknowledge the trauma that resulted from his mother's death because it not only revealed a more vulnerable side but also forced him to forget his mother in the process. Or, maybe Taehyung was simply scared because he could be more damaged than he realised, and he would never be able to live a normal life, thinking that it was too late to try to let go of the grief and the hurt.

In the middle of inner turmoil, Taehyung spotted the photo he was holding earlier between his and Seokjin's bodies. He shakily picked up the photo and eyed it sadly, studying his mother's body language and bright smile. Even though the dress was stained, Taehyung still thought that his mother had been the most gorgeous and brilliant woman at the party. It hadn't been the type of event she would usually go to, but, as always, his mother was always there to make people happy, mainly her family. Taehyung kept looking at the photo, and the best memories suddenly popped up, reminding him of the good times he had had while growing up. One of them had been on his first day of school. Taehyung had run around the house, being a menace, not wanting to be apart from his parents and Namjoon, despite already having gone to the kindergartner before, but this time, it was different. Taehyung had heard from his older brother that he would have more responsibility and do homework after school. That day, Taehyung's response had been running around the house and growling at his family, something he would normally do when things didn't go as he wished.

Seokjin fell, his heart almost bursting when happy, exciting giggles left Taehyung's lips. The tears were still running down his face, but the joy emanating from him was a relief. Seokjin watched Taehyung resting his head on his shoulder while his tired eyes didn't leave the photo. He could see the millions of memories pouring from his heart, bringing the Taehyung he so deeply cherished back to life to see his eyes shining so brightly again. Seokjin felt slightly disappointed that he hadn't been the one to fully bring back the bubbly, happy Taehyung he knew, however, what mattered was seeing Taehyung freeing himself from the sorrow and guilt he was carrying.

"M-My mom used to call me baby bear... Do you know why?"

Seokjin smiled, shaking his head as he brushed the silver locks out of Taehyung's beautiful eyes once again so he could admire them and his beauty. "Tell me why..."

"When I was a toddler, I was pretty stubborn, so when people around me did something I didn't like or asked me to do something I didn't want to do, I would growl at them," Taehyung said proudly, chuckling lightly. He peeled his eyes from the photo and stared at Seokjin, "Even when I was already an adult, she would call me her baby bear, and, fortunately, her last words to me were "Don't worry, okay? Now, I have to go, my baby bear, I love you so much," and I told her that her baby bear loved her very much too..." Taehyung focused on the photo again, a smile still plastered on his lips. "I'm happy I could tell her how much I loved before she parted from his world..."

"I'm glad you were able to say goodbye, Taehyung, but remember, even though she is no longer physically with us, she knows how much you love her..." Seokjin uttered quietly, earning Taehyung's attention. Speaking about the nickname Taehyung's mother had given her younger son reminded Seokjin that he didn't have one for Taehyung and nicknames weren't his area of expertise. However, with Taehyung's permission, Seokjin intended to give a nickname to honour his mother's memory and, at the same time, show Taehyung how he truly viewed him and felt for him. Truth be told, Seokjin was a tiny bit nervous about Taehyung's reaction because the last thing he wanted was to insult his mother and taint the memories they had together. "Hm, I realised that I don't have a nickname for you, Taehyung, and, according to what you said to me, a nickname is something that you give someone you cherish; it's an endearing gesture, and I cherish you. So, if you don't mind, I would like to get inspiration from the nickname your mother gave you and come up with one of my own. Would that be fine with you?"

"J-Jinnie..." Taehyung stammered, feeling flustered with Seokjin's request and sweet words. He looked one last time at his mother's photo and smiled broadly, glimpsing at the seventeen-year-old Seokjin, wondering if their paths were connected somehow through their mothers. He calmly placed the photo on the coffee table in the centre of the master bedroom, wishing to give his full attention to Seokjin and hopefully go to sleep since he couldn't fight the tiredness for much longer. Taehyung wrapped his arms around Seokjin's neck and, as he did it, felt Seokjin's hand resting on his bare thigh, which made him rethink the decision to wear shorts because his heart rate was going through the roof. Taehyung didn't want to admit it, but he was enjoying how comfortable Seokjin was with his body. "Y-Yes, of course. Do you have one in my mind?"

"I do have one in mind," Seokjin responded confidently, already guessing Taehyung was going to love it. He was hoping the nickname could bring them even closer and add something significant to their relationship. He knew how patient and careful he needed to be moving forward, especially now that Taehyung had confided in him about the past, his phobia and his bad relationship with his father. Regardless, and considering everything, Seokjin was going to work hard to prove to Taehyung why he was the right partner for him. Seokjin admired Taehyung, noticing the curiosity glinting in his sleepy eyes and the beautiful smile on his features. "Sugar bear"

"Sugar bear..." Taehyung reiterated quietly, sensing the shyness floating to the surface. His heart was on the verge of exploding,g and his cheeks were probably on fire. He didn't know how much he could take. Some part of him wanted to put aside the words Namjoon had spoken to him the prior day, but Taehyung needed to be mindful and take a step at a time, his heart was speaking louder than his brain. "W-Why sugar bear?"

"I thought it would be obvious, Taehyung," Seokjin chortled as he delicately cupped Taehyung's face, running his thumb over his heated cheek, "Well, you love sugary treats, and you get angry easily when someone takes the sweets away from you, remember when you glared at me when I took the strawberry cupcake from you?" Seokjin questioned amusingly, watching Taehyung frowning at him, which automatically made him laugh once again. "In all seriousness, I know how much you like sweets, but it goes beyond that, Taehyung. You are one of the kindest and sweetest people I have ever met, my sugar bear..."

(I'm his sugar bear...)

"S-Seokjin, I love it so much..." Taehyung said sheepishly, averting his eyes from Seokjin, unable to handle the crazy emotions running through his body. He smiled foolishly as he heard Seokjin's laughter filling not only the master bedroom but also his heart, making it overflowing with love. Taehyung could sense true happiness emanating from Seokjin, especially in these last few weeks, which made him wonder if he was one of the reasons he had been so elated. The younger male with silver locks leaned on and kissed Seokjin's cheek, wishing he could kiss his plump lips instead. "You are such a sweetheart, and I'm so lucky to have you in my life, Jinnie. I'm so happy that I have met you and Jiminie..."

Seokjin smiled softly at Taehyung's comment, watching him quickly succumbing to tiredness and falling asleep in his embrace. He stared at Taehyung for a while, afraid of waking him up if he moved in any way. Seokjin promised himself that the next day, he would reciprocate the feeling and tell Taehyung how lucky he was as well for meeting him and having him in his life. He once described his life as dull and repetitive, as sad and colourless. Despite being a down-to-earth person, Seokjin shared the same opinion as his mother - everything had a purpose - and his encounter with Taehyung had a special reason behind it. Even if he didn't believe in God, Seokjin believed a higher power had guided Taehyung to him, and he was beyond grateful.

Seokjin gently brushed the remaining hairs from Taehyung's sleepy face and kissed his forehead, wishing no nightmares or bad thoughts would taunt Taehyung for the rest of the night. He was hoping his presence could shoo away anything that could disturb him.

"Goodnight, my sugar bear, I hope, by my side, you can finally rest..."

Chapter Text

Steam curled around the glass shower cubicle as Yoongi slid the door open, the warmth of the water still clinging to his skin. He stepped onto the green bathroom rug, feeling the droplets trickling over his body and his wet hair sticking to his forehead. A sudden shiver coursed through Yoongi as the cool air met his damp flesh, prompting him to reach for the nearby white, plush bathrobe. He quickly wrapped it around himself, securing the robe with a messy knot. Yoongi grabbed a towel and gently ran it through his wet hair, soaking up the lingering droplets as he padded barefoot toward the floor-to-ceiling windows. Breathlessly, he was greeted by the beautiful morning scenery that unfolded before him. Bright, long rays of sunshine spilled over Gwangwa Bridge in the distance, its silhouette stretching gracefully over the calm waters. Gwangalli Beach lay quiet, the tide rolling in with a rhythmic whisper. The world outside was serene, yet Yoongi's mind swirled with echoes of the previous night. A broad smile spread across his lips as the memories began to flood back. At first, Yoongi thought it had all been a pleasant dream, but it had been quite real, and the ache in his lower back served as a constant reminder. Mindlessly, Yoongi brushed the tips of his fingers against his neck, feeling the tingling sensation left by Jungkook's lips that extended across his body. He could still feel the firm grip of Jungkook's large hands on his thighs, squeezing them as he pressed their bodies together and buried himself deeper inside him.

Blushing, Yoongi quickly covered his face with the towel. He didn't know why his mind decided to replay the spicy moments of the night when there was so much more to reminisce about, like the memorable love confession at the beach. Jungkook seemed so anxious but so confident in himself. Yoongi couldn't forget the mellow laughter that unveiled his nervousness before telling him how much he loved him and presenting the dark-blue velvet box with the most beautiful engraved ring he had ever seen. A ring that ignited Yoongi's passion for music and, most importantly, symbolised the union and love between him and Jungkook.

A sudden realisation dawned on Yoongi. He quickly checked his right ring finger, nearly forgetting he had left the ring in the washbasin. Despite Jungkook's reassurance about the ring's durability and exquisite quality, Yoongi didn't want to shower with such a beautiful piece of jewellery. Perhaps the love and affection he felt for the ring made him act too protectively, a behaviour he considered endearing. Yoongi tossed aside the towel and walked to the washbasin to retrieve his ring. Using the soft fabric of the robe, he dried the slightly damp ring and gently slid it onto his finger. Yoongi's gaze fell on the fogged-up mirror. Slowly, he reached out, swiping his forearm across it to see himself better. His reflection appeared – a face he had seen countless times, yet something felt different. Yoongi's eyes, bright and alive, sparkled with a glow he hadn't seen in four years. He understood the source of that special glow – Jungkook. For so long, he had shut out love, fearful of getting hurt and having his heart broken again. The pain of infidelity and betrayal enveloped him in a way he could never have imagined. It stole his happiness and implanted malicious voices that continually scared him away from love, turning it into a coping mechanism.

After speaking to Taehyung and admitting to his mistake when Jungkook tried to spark a conversation with him at the coffee shop, Yoongi realised he couldn't be a hostage to his fear anymore. Fortunately, Jungkook, being the caring and forgiving man he was, decided to listen to his story, even if he didn't have the obligation to do so, and didn't give up on him.

Yoongi glanced down and stared at the ring, recalling every significant moment since he and Jungkook got together – from their amazing first date on Valentine's Day when they shared their first kiss until the previous day. Every single moment he was with Jungkook, Yoongi felt he mattered, and, most of all, he felt overwhelmingly loved. The kind of love, he thought, only existed in movies and books; the kind of love everyone dreamt about, but it was out of reach. Yoongi felt extremely lucky because he had found someone who provided that fairy-tale, almost impossible love, and he was beyond grateful to have another opportunity. An opportunity that allowed him to encounter his soulmate or, better yet, his last love.

Another huge smile embellished his lips as Yoongi ran his thumb over the engraved musical notes, feeling his heartbeat rapidly increasing. Even though Jungkook was in the master bedroom, Yoongi missed him terribly. It sounded preposterous, especially since he could leave the bathroom and reunite with Jungkook.

As if on cue, Yoongi felt a pair of arms wrapping around his body and soft lips pampering his neck. He giggled at Jungkook's sudden appearance. It seemed like Jungkook's heart had heard his heart pleading for his presence."Jungkookie..."

"My soft kitten, I was wondering what was taking you so long..." Jungkook whispered into Yoongi's ear, glancing at the mirror to check their reflection and noticing the faint reddish colour on Yoongi's cheeks. "Were you thinking about last night?"

Without hesitation, Yoongi nodded, his eyes still on the ring while he kept rewinding the tape and replaying the unforgettable moment at the beach. "I was..."

"I can't stop thinking about last night either..." Jungkook spoke tenderly, with a hint of mischievousness, as he turned Yoongi around to be face-to-face with him. He brushed his damp, red locks out of his eyes and cupped his face. "So, I need to know - did I manage to satisfy you more than your sex toys' collection? I know I didn't use as much lube, but-"

Yoongi slapped Jungkook's arms countless times, unsuccessfully trying to push him away. Jungkook was much stronger than he appeared, and since he knew Yoongi's tricks, he quickly pulled him back. Another factor that didn't help Yoongi maintain his distance was Jungkook being shirtless. The man had more power the less clothing he wore. Yoongi buried his face in Jungkook's neck, hoping the embarrassment would fade away by itself; however, he wasn't counting on it. As he had already predicted, Jungkook found it odd that he had a half-empty brand-new bottle of lube, especially since he hadn't slept with anyone for four years. Therefore, Yoongi had to reveal that, in the past few weeks, he had fulfilled his "needs" by resorting to his sex toys. It wasn't something he was proud of, but he had established boundaries with Jungkook, so going back on his word felt contradictory.

"I knew I shouldn't have said a word about it..."

"You know I'm only teasing you, my love," Jungkook laughed wholeheartedly at Yoongi's sulky response to his playful remark. He pulled away from Yoongi and cupped his face again, closing the distance between them. "Jokes aside, Yoongi, I want us to be honest and transparent about everything. I mention this because I don't want you to think that every time you bring up a situation like this, I'll mock you or fail to take you seriously."

"I know I can always rely on you for everything, baby..." Yoongi replied confidently, gazing into Jungkook's earnest eyes filled with love and care for him. Despite the affectionate mood between them, Yoongi quickly slapped Jungkook's hand away from his face and frowned. "But you're always messing with me, Jungkook, and you're not as funny as you think you are..."

"Now I know you're lying, sweetheart, because I'm the only man who makes you smile and laugh, so you need to do better than that," Jungkook stated matter-of-factly, noticing how Yoongi was pressing his lips into a thin line, likely stifling a smile. He looked at Yoongi, realising he was completely naked beneath the bathrobe. Earlier, Jungkook had suggested that they should shower together, but Yoongi had dismissed him, already aware of what he had in mind. Last night hadn't been enough; Jungkook craved more. "I'm also the only man who can fulfil your every need in bed, Yoongi..."

An unexpected heatwave washed over Yoongi, even though he wasn't wearing much and was barefoot on the cold bathroom floor. He didn't even attempt to fight the urge and was swayed by Jungkook's raspy, hoarse voice that unveiled the longing he had for him. Yoongi closed his eyes, and almost instantly, his lips were sweetly captured by Jungkook. A mix of love and lust took control of their kiss. Yoongi wrapped his arms around Jungkook's neck as he tilted his head to the side, parting his lips to allow Jungkook to explore his mouth. Lost in the pleasurable kiss, Yoongi sensed his bathrobe unravelling from its messy knot, thinking it had opened by itself. However, when he felt Jungkook's large hands resting on his hips, pulling their bodies together in desperation, Yoongi realised he was the culprit and had an ulterior motive. Yet, he let Jungkook take the lead and kissed him passionately until he could hardly breathe anymore.

Unwillingly, Jungkook parted his lips from Yoongi. "We still have time until we meet with my parents for brunch..." Jungkook uttered eagerly against Yoongi's lips, taking note of his woozy eyes and heavy breathing. "Do you want to take this to the master bedroom?"

"Jungkook, baby, I want to, but..." Yoongi answered sheepishly, feeling slightly embarrassed for permitting his sexual desires to speak louder than his common sense. Since they were going to meet Jungkook's parents, Yoongi didn't want to be obvious about the fact that he and Jungkook had slept together; they probably would know just by looking at their eyes. Moreover, Yoongi was sore from the prior night, and even though he knew it was normal, he didn't want to bother Jungkook. On the other hand, he needed to be honest, as Jungkook had told him earlier. "B-But I'm pretty sore from last night..."

"Did I ever tell you how cute and innocent you are, my soft kitten?" Jungkook chuckled lightly as he moved his hands from Yoongi's hips to his buttcheeks, delicately squeezing them not to provoke any more discomfort. "Baby, there are a lot of ways to pleasure you without causing you any more pain. Instead of using my dick, I can resort to my hands and my mouth to rock your world again..."

"Jungkook..." Yoongi muttered as he felt his hands massaging him, despite the soreness. He grasped Jungkook's wrists and calmly took his hands out of his body, with a plan forming in his mind to show Jungkook that he might be cute but not completely innocent, especially after the night before. With a simple gesture, the bathrobe quickly fell to the floor, unveiling his nakedness. Yoongi grabbed Jungkook's hand, noticing his eyes that resembled saucers, probably amazed by the stunt he just pulled. He giggled, excited and proud of leaving Jungkook speechless, but it wasn't for long. "I want you to rock my world again, baby."

***
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(Two years ago...)

The laughter slowly died down, replaced by a comfortable silence.

Seokjin observed how Hae Yoon stared at the window, a gentle smile still playing on her lips. The matters spoken earlier weren't the most merry or easy. Discussing their dreams, life goals, and hopes with each other had been something Seokjin never saw himself doing, especially with Hae Yoon, who spent the entirety of their marriage talking ill of him and his family, mainly the Kim men. And Seokjin didn't blame or judge her for it because both had been victims of their families' selfish and ludicrous wishes. He always sensed Hae Yoon's hatred and resentment towards him, but now he understood that those feelings had been misplaced because, once again, they both fell victim. He kept observing Hae Yoon, noticing how sickly pale her skin had replaced her once jovial and healthy complexion. Her full, rosy lips were now lifeless and dry. Her long, shiny hair had fallen out, and her brown eyes held a slight glow because of Jimin. Despite her current state, to Seokjin, Hae Yoon was the same beautiful woman he had met all those years ago- he always found her beautiful - and any man would have been lucky to have her. Seokjin felt bittersweet when Hae Yoon told him the story of her first and only love. Since he was an art student and an aspiring artist, her father refused to accept their relationship and forced her to end it to marry someone she didn't love. It wasn't his fault Hae Yoon had to sacrifice her relationship and marry him, but, by association, she blamed him for his father's stubbornness and monetary motivation for the marriage to go forward - and for their father's business partnership to blossom. Seokjin didn't understand that kind of feeling - true love. He never had a relationship. He wasn't the type of person to be tied down, but also because he had never met someone interesting and honest who could grab his attention. Either way, it didn't matter. Seokjin could never date someone he truly loved since his father would never accept him being in a relationship with another man.

Seokjin gazed thoughtfully at the silver watch kept safely inside the box Hae Yoon had given him. At first, he found it odd that Hae Yoon had given him a watch similar to the one she had gifted the man she had loved and still loved with all her heart. The silver watch wasn't only a gift. It was a sign of trust. A sign of closure between Seokjin and Hae Yoon. Seokjin accepting the gift was a way to forgive. However, as Seokjin had told Hae Yoon, there was nothing to forgive, especially since he hadn't done his job as a husband and father and, in a way, increased Hae Yoon's resentment and hatred - a reflection of his dear father, as Hae Yoon used to say to him when she would be angry and frustrated. Again, Seokjin didn't blame her for unloading her negative feelings on him since every word she had spoken was the truth. Jungkook had said the same things to him in a more understanding and calm way, reminding him that he was a grown adult and had free will to do what he pleased, and, more importantly, his father shouldn't control every aspect of his life, especially whom he should marry. After finding out Hae Yoon had cancer, Jungkook advised him to take a break and truly think about what he wanted in life and, most of all, focus on Jimin, who would need his guidance through the grieving process, a present and supportive father as Jungkook had said but, Seokjin honestly didn't know what to do.

"Thank you, Seokjin..."

"You don't have to thank me, Hae Yoon..."

"Yes, I do..." Hae Yoon spoke delicately, turning her head to Seokjin's side. She coughed as she grasped Seokjin's hand. "I truly needed to discuss my feelings with you because I was so selfish. I allowed my hatred and my sorrow to speak for me, completely forgetting that both of us were the same - victims. I'm glad you are not the insensible monster I thought you were, but..."

Seokjin frowned, seeing Hae Yoon chewing on her bottom lip. He noticed how bothered and concerned she was with a specific topic, something she was afraid to speak out loud because they had a conversation to clean everything up and the last thing Hae Yoon wanted was to go backwards. "What is concerning you?"

"You know what is concerning me..." Hae Yoon uttered nervously as she eyed the silver watch, trying not to cry. "Seokjin, you have never been present in Jimin's life, and after what you told me about how harsh your father was while growing up, I'm scared you will put our son through the same. Actually, I'm scared of what your father will do to him. I bet the first thing he'll do is change his last name. Seokjin, promise me you won't allow it. I know you are smart and conscious enough not to make Jimin suffer. I have faith that you will give him the best education but not make it a nightmare. P-Please, let my baby have my last name, he's p-part of m-me..."

At that moment, Seokjin was scared. He couldn't promise Hae Yoon that he wouldn't make Jimin go through what he went through. It was part of the process. Jimin was his son, his heir. That meant Jimin was inheriting the family business, and as his father had warned countless times, he needed to prepare his son for the role of CEO. Seeing Hae Yoon crying and upset, Seokjin didn't dare to tell her that he needed to shape Jimin as soon as possible, and his father was going to pressure him to start the process after Hae Yoon's last breath. However, Seokjin intended to, at least, fulfil one of the promises - letting Jimin keep his last name as a tribute to Hae Yoon's memory and love for her son.

"I will never change Jimin's last name, Hae Yoon. That's a promise I can keep..." Seokjin said confidently as he cupped Hae Yoon's hand. "And I hope Jimin grows up strong and resilient like you..."
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Seokjin closed the glass vitrine and placed the box on top of it. He opened the box and delicately took out the silver watch, gazing at it while reminiscing about the day Hae Yoon had given it to him. Seokjin remembered how light he felt after the tough conversation with Hae Yoon. Both were so immersed in their suffering, rage, resentment and sorrow because of what their fathers had made them do that they forgot they were going through the same nightmare. Instead of relying on each other and becoming allies, they endured the situation. Seokjin's apparent apathy didn't help Hae Yoon feel reassured. She truly thought he didn't care about her and Jimin - it was not the case. Seokjin shut down his emotions as a coping mechanism. There wasn't much he could do or say to change the circumstances or have hope that things would eventually get better. Even after Hae Yoon's cancer diagnosis, Seokjin didn't have faith that things could change for the better because his father watched him like a hawk and forced him to do everything his way - his way was better, always.

In the end, Seokjin felt awful for deceiving Hae Yoon. He knew Hae Yoon was scared about Jimin and his education, especially after he had told her. Seokjin had been a coward for not standing up for his son. For allowing Jimin to suffer to the point of fainting in the middle of the day. For allowing Jimin to pay the price for his fear and lack of courage. As a dad, Seokjin should have protected Jimin since day one, despite his flawed relationship with Hae Yoon. Despite their marriage of convenience, Hae Yoon always stands up for herself, refusing to follow the old-fashioned principles the Kim men abide by. She had been a great mother to Jimin, and every passing day, Seokjin could see Hae Yoon's spirit in his son's heart.

Seokjin smiled widely as the lights of the walk-in closet reflected on the front of the watch. For the first time in his life, Seokjin felt brave and had the power to conquer whatever he wished. His life had changed tremendously since he and Taehyung met - his relationship with Jimin, his actions as a parent and his view on love. Taehyung truly had had so much influence on him - a great influence - and helped him release his true self. Seokjin was already so grateful for everything Taehyung had done to help him bond with Jimin and improve their father-son relationship, and he didn't expect Taehyung to help him bring and accept the person he had been all along. The kindness, empathy and generosity allowed Seokjin to see who Taehyung truly was as well, and it was no secret that, at first, he struggled to understand his unique and childish personality, but that was part of Taehyung's charm. Seokjin realised that he and Taehyung had more in common than he thought, something that Taehyung had pointed out during their walk towards the main garden. And yet, Seokjin felt far from being like Taehyung, even if he acted like himself.

Almost instantly, Seokjin replayed the moment he and Taehyung had shared in the main garden after playing hide and seek. It was so difficult to be close to Taehyung and not be able to embrace him properly, kiss him until he was left breathless, and confess to him how crazy he was for him. Seokjin knew he had to be patient because Taehyung had been taken advantage of by his previous partners, and love had become a sensible topic for him over the years. He felt more confident that Taehyung reciprocated his feelings, especially after what happened in the main garden, despite not being the only time Taehyung responded to his advances. Seokjin promised himself that until the right moment came for him and Taehyung, he was going to work hard to become the partner he deserved, to always be there for him and, as he had promised, to keep a smile on Taehyung's lips.

"Jinnie..."

Seokjin lifted his head and saw Taehyung standing sheepishly at the entrance of the walk-in closet. The second his eyes landed on Taehyung, Seokjin couldn't help but gawk at his outfit, a habit he had gained. Taehyung was naturally beautiful and charming, but the atypical and colourful clothes he wore always emphasized and outlined his body so flawlessly that no matter what outfit he had on, Seokjin stood speechless, and today was no exception. Seokjin noticed Taehyung was wearing a pair of black faux leather shorts, similar to the ones he had yesterday, high-knee white socks, white sneakers, a white crop top and a light denim jacket patched with daisies. When he saw Taehyung lowering his head and playing with his fingers, Seokjin realised that he had been staring for quite a while, and he was pretty obvious about it.

"You can come in, Taehyung"

Suddenly, Taehyung thought that he had imagined Seokjin coming up with a nickname for him because he missed how Seokjin had called him "his sugar bear". However, at that moment, Taehyung was trying to deal with two matters: 1) Seokjin boldly staring at him and 2) a shirtless Seokjin. After the last time, Taehyung didn't want to impose and make Seokjin uncomfortable for quote-unquote parading his body around, even though Taehyung found him extremely attractive physically, and he didn't mean solely his facial features. Furthermore, Seokjin's damp hair was pulled back, and Taehyung had some difficulty dealing with the sex appeal oozing from Seokjin. "Hum, Seokjin, you, ah, you're still getting ready... I can wait in the bedroom until you are done..."

Seokjin glanced at himself, forgetting that he was in the middle of getting ready when he fetched the silver watch. He was trying to choose a different dress shirt, something with colour because Taehyung wore colourful clothes, even though he had preferred neutral colours today, so he had just picked a random shirt and put it on without even buttoning, given his indecisiveness. Seokjin gazed at Taehyung, who was still shy and quiet, and realised that Taehyung wanted to excuse himself since he had shared in the past that he disliked parading his body around. However, at that time, Seokjin didn't completely trust Taehyung and wasn't exactly fond of him and his curious nature. Now, it was different, and their relationship had changed significantly since those days. It was probably unfair to use his body to attempt to intimate Taehyung, but didn't Taehyung use it to provoke him by resorting to his half-nakedness? He did, and Seokjin, despite knowing he had to remain patient, could still play by Taehyung's rules, and in that instant, Taehyung's cute and shy behaviour was messing with him.

Seokjin carefully placed the silver watch inside the box, and while he was doing it, a thought quickly crossed his mind - what if he shared the story of the silver watch with Taehyung? He remembered when he had told Jungkook that he had shared Hae Yoon's passion for art and her true love's tragic ending with Taehyung when they went to the atelier. The previous night, Taehyung had spoken to him about the matters involving his mother's death and the repercussions that it had on his family. When he thought about it, Seokjin hadn't told Taehyung much about Hae Yoon and how they eventually made truces. Seokjin had another reason to be closer to Taehyung, and it wasn't a superficial one and justified him being shirtless.

Seokjin gazed at Taehyung and stretched his hand, signalling Taehyung to join him, despite seeing Taehyung slightly reluctant or incredibly timid. "I don't mind, sugar bear. Or aren't you used to seeing attractive young men, not counting Jungkook, who is my best friend?"

(He's mocking me like I used to mock him when he showed up to my house and I was half-naked... Touché!)

"I wouldn't call you young, Jinnie, but I prefer not to comment..." Taehyung said, half cheerfully, half shyly, as he headed towards Seokjin, who chuckled lightly at his remark. He immediately grasped Seokjin's hand and side-hugged him, feeling Seokjin's free arm snaking around his waist and gluing him to his half-covered torso.

Seokjin sensed Taehyung's head resting on his shoulder, hiding his face from him. He tipped his head to the side and smiled at Taehyung, finding him adorable with his shiny, doe eyes and rosy cheeks. "You saying that I'm not young is already a comment, Taehyung, a pretty hurtful and unfair comment..."

"You know I'm joking, Seokjin, but that's what you deserve for messing with me..." Taehyung uttered, giggling sweetly as he unlatched his fingers from Seokjin's fingers and bopped his nose playfully. "And I don't think it's very fair of you to use my own words against me, you meanie..."

"I'm just playing by your rules, Taehyung..." Seokjin whispered as he cupped Taehyung's face, earning another fit of giggles. "If you claim that I'm being unfair, then you have to confess that you have been unfair as well"

"Never..." Taehyung responded softly, mesmerizingly staring at Seokjin. "I have my dignity to protect as well..."

Smiling broadly, Seokjin rested his hands on Taehyung's waist and leaned in, shortening the distance between him and Taehyung. He noticed Taehyung's pupils dilating with their closeness as if his eyes were revealing Taehyung's true feelings for him. Interestingly, love could influence pupil size due to the release of oxytocin and dopamine—often called the "love hormones." When someone experiences romantic or sexual attraction, these chemicals surge, causing pupils to expand by up to 45%. At that moment, as Seokjin gazed into Taehyung's eyes, he could see the undeniable attraction reflected in him. And maybe, if Taehyung looked closely enough, he would notice Seokjin's pupils mirroring the same longing. Seokjin pressed his forehead against Taehyung's, his nose brushing tenderly against his in a silent, intimate gesture. He was toeing the line they had both drawn, dangerously close to crossing it. But resisting was impossible - especially when Taehyung's hands slowly trailed upwards, his warmth seeping into Seokjin's skin. With each passing second, the space between them disappeared, Taehyung's arms wrapped around his neck until there was nothing left but closeness, heat, and the unspoken tension lingering between them. Seokjin didn't move further, didn't steal the kiss he so desperately wanted to steal from Taehyung. Patience was the keyword at the moment. Patience was a word that Seokjin always included in his vocabulary, but he had now earned resentment towards it.

"How are you feeling, my sugar bear?"

(Breathless...)

The frantic rhythm of his heartbeat pounded in his chest, so intense that Taehyung found it difficult to breathe properly. Each inhale carried the faint scent of Seokjin's lingering, mingling with the soft traces of morning. He knew Seokjin was asking how he felt about the events of the previous night, his voice a gentle murmur that blended with the distant hum of the world beyond their small cocoon. But no matter how much he wanted to articulate his emotions, Taehyung couldn't. Not when Seokjin's firm yet soothing touch sent shivers down his spine. Not when the warmth of his body, still close from the night before, wrapped around Taehyung like something he never wanted to let go of. Even after a night spent in Seokjin's arms, he longed for more—craving the safety, the quiet intimacy. That morning, they had the rare chance to stay tangled in the sheets, talking about everything and nothing, bickering playfully, laughing in hushed tones that melted into the silence of the master bedroom.

Despite the weight of the subject, speaking about his mother's loss and the reasons behind it made Taehyung realise something—amid his pain, he had found a safe space with Seokjin. A place where emotions, no matter how heavy or fragile, could be shared without fear. Whether his words carried joy or grief, he knew they would remain within the quiet sanctuary they had built together, held gently in the unspoken promise that Seokjin would always listen, always understand.

(We created our world...)

"I-I'm feeling a lot better, Jinnie..." Taehyung answered calmly, yet he still managed to stutter. He exhaled slowly, attempting to control the rhythm of his hectic heartbeat. "Y-You always say that it's best to speak about the matter and share the emotions that it caused me, so I'm glad I talked about my mother's loss. You helped me a lot, Jinnie. Thank you so much..."

"I'm glad I could help you, sugar bear. Grief is not an easy subject to discuss, especially regarding someone special and close to us. I hate seeing you upset, Taehyung. I hate seeing the hurt in your eyes. So, whenever you feel overwhelmed by your grief, come to me - I will always be there for you..." Seokjin smiled reassuringly as he watched Taehyung nod. Then, his gaze shifted to the shiny silver watch, yearning to abide by the words he had just professed to Taehyung. He wasn't obligated to share something personal or meaningful - neither was Taehyung - but he still chose to because Taehyung trusted him. In the past, Seokjin had built walls whenever someone tried to bring up a sensitive or personal topic - especially Taehyung. Seokjin glanced at Taehyung, noticing his gaze lingering on the watch. Smiling fondly, he ran his fingers through Taehyung's silver locks, recognizing the curious glint in his gorgeous eyes. "You are quite the observant cutie, Taehyung. I bet you recognize this watch. Curious to know why I only wear this one when I have a considerate collection?"

If Seokjin keeps openly flirting with me, I won't be responsible for my actions...

If Taehyung had any doubts about Seokjin's feelings, they had disappeared. Seokjin was systematically straightforward, not just through his gestures but also with his sugary words. Taehyung tried to listen to the voice of reason - in this case, it was Namjoon. He genuinely wanted to take his time, letting their relationship unfold naturally rather than rushing into it. He hoped their love would blossom like a flower, nurtured with care and patience to grow strong and healthy. In the past, he had made too many mistakes by moving too fast. This time, even though he knew Seokjin's intentions were pure, he wanted to go with the flow.

Returning to the current topic, Taehyung found Seokjin's question somewhat rhetorical. When he had stayed at Seokjin's home, Taehyung noticed how Seokjin handled the silver watch with the utmost care - like it was a very rare and ancient relic that needed to be preserved. Since then, Taehyung's curiosity remained unsatisfied. At the time, Seokjin hadn't trusted him, and whenever Taehyung tried to bring up a sensitive topic, Seokjin would shut him down almost instantly.

But things had changed considerably.

Over the past several weeks, trust had become a defining part of their relationship, allowing them to truly understand each other. Taehyung had taken the first step by openly speaking about his father's affair, and Seokjin had once used that information against him. Yet, Taehyung had given him a second chance. Little by little, Seokjin had begun sharing parts of himself as well - his coulrophobia being one example.

Since he was still processing Seokjin calling him cutie, Taehyung simply nodded again.

"I knew you would be, my curious sugar bear," Seokjin chuckled lightly, watching Taehyung's cheeks turn a crimson colour. Parting from Taehyung's body, he gently picked up the silver watch and offered it to Taehyung, who hesitated. "Taehyung, if I'm giving it to you, it's because I trust you. I also want you to understand how meaningful this piece of jewellery is to me. You should consider yourself fortunate, as I have never allowed Jungkook to hold it," Seokjin added playfully.

Taehyung slowly reached for the watch, a small smile on his lips. His fingers traced its surface, his eyes filled with quiet admiration.

"I feel like I owe you, Taehyung," Seokjin uttered quietly, bracing himself to share one of the pinnacle moments of his life. As he noticed Taehyung looking at him inquisitively, he continued, "You already shared so much with me - whether is about your feelings or your personal life, or both - and your confidence help me understand and know you better. I want you to know me as well, know me like no one else does, including my mom and Jungkook..."

"S-Seokjin..."

Seokjin simply smiled with Taehyung's stutter, finding it extremely endearing. "I never told you much about my late wife, not because I resented her. We had the chance to speak honestly with each other before she passed away. The real motive that prevented me from talking about her was mostly shame..."

Momentarily, Taehyung tore his eyes from the watch and stared at Seokjin, noticing so many emotions pouring out of him but mostly sorrowfulness and regret. He gently placed the watch back in its box and gave Seokjin his full attention. Taehyung knew how challenging it was for Seokjin to express his emotions, especially the painful ones. Intertwining their fingers, Taehyung cupped Seokjin's face with his free hand. "This is a judgment-free zone, Seokjin. Let me remind you that we, as human beings, make mistakes. No one is perfect. So, share whatever you want with me..."

Seokjin often wondered how he had gotten so lucky. Taehyung's kind heart never failed to leave him speechless - just like his beauty. He was truly a rare soul, and Seokjin felt like the luckiest man alive to have won his heart.

"Her name was Park Hae Yoon," Seokjin finally admitted, seeing Taehyung's eyes slightly widening, understanding why he was surprised. "She was in a relationship with a man she met during university - a man who shared her passion for art and aspired to be an artist. Her father didn't approve. And, as you know, I lived quite a bohemian life, and worst of all, I liked men, but my father didn't approve... Well, he still doesn't," Seokjin spoke calmly, focusing on Taehyung's features. He was afraid to look at Taehyung in the eyes and see the pity in them, but, most of all, he was afraid that his gaze would uncover his vulnerability. "My father and Hae Yoon's father were long-time friends. After my father gave me an ultimatum, I was terrified of the consequences, I was afraid that..." Seokjin wavered, unable to speak about the type of punishments his father used to give him. He took a deep breath and went directly to the point instead of opening old wounds, "I complied with everything my father told me to do. My father has always conducted business with his old friend. As you know, I recently had to terminate a contract between my company and one of the manufacturers due to constant delays in delivering a new line of laptops we were about to launch and the manufacturer was the company of one of my father's old friends. My father promised Hae Yoon's father an exclusive partnership with our company - on the condition that he gave his daughter away in marriage..." Seokjin uttered, reminiscing about the day he told Jungkook the news and how flabbergasted he was. At first, Jungkook laughed, thinking it was a joke. And he couldn't blame him; an arranged marriage in the 21st century was uncommon. "Against our will, Hae Yoon and I got married not long after..."

(So, I was right back then...)

Taehyung recalled a brief conversation that he had with Yoongi before Valentine's Day, when they had speculated that Seokjin's marriage had been arranged. Initially, Taehyung had believed Seokjin's marriage was his father's way of hiding his son's sexual orientation. But now, he realised it went deeper than that. Unfortunately, the consequences of that arranged marriage had devastated three lives - Seokjin, Hae Yoon, and the man she truly loved. Once again, Taehyung recognized another agonizing similarity between them: selfish fathers who only looked out for themselves.

"Despite our marriage of convenience, Hae Yoon refused to play the part of submissive wife as my father dictated. He was always telling me to take the reins and control her. But Hae Yoon was a free spirit, very vocal and not afraid to express her mind, especially to my father, who despised her for not being quote-unquote the perfect wife, on the other hand, he was happy his son had a woman in his life and that was better than sleeping around with men, " Seokjin smiled faintly, staring endearingly at Taehyung. "You remind me of her, Taehyung, and when we met, I immediately compared you to her - the way you express yourself so freely, the way you act protectively towards Jimin, your stubbornness, your courage and your beauty. Everything about you, Taehyung, reminds me of Hae Yoon, so I'm not surprised that Jimin quickly warmed up to you..."

(I wish I could kiss you right now, Jinnie...)

"You have quite a way to express yourself as well, Jinnie; you weren't as sweet to me as you are now..." Taehyung retorted, sensing his cheeks completely flushed. He let his hand fall to Seokjin's chest, feeling every beat of his hectic heart against his palm. "Jimin also warmed up to you rather quickly because you showed your son that he mattered to you, Seokjin, something you had difficulty doing. You chose to apply the same principles your father had when you were growing up. Let me guess, Hae Yoon wasn't fond of that either, right?

"Hae Yoon didn't know the type of education I was given, not until we made amends..." Seokjin said honestly, heartbroken for allowing his fear to take charge instead of embracing Jimin as his son.

Seokjin had never been hopeful about having a child since he wasn't sexually or romantically attracted to women, so consummating the marriage with Hae Yoon was somewhat impossible. However, one night, Hae Yoon was nearly drunk and boldly asked him to sleep with her, not aware that he was homosexual - a topic that came up during their conversation days before she died. Seokjin expressed to Hae Yoon that he couldn't take advantage of her due to her drunken state, and, as a response, Hae Yoon offered him a bottle of whisky to drink. Seokjin decided not to tell Taehyung about that night, not because of the sordid details but because he genuinely didn't remember a thing and neither did Hae Yoon, who confessed to him rather cheerfully yet embarrassed. In the end, neither Seokjin nor Hae Yoon had any regrets because of that night they had been blessed with Jimin - a blessing Seokjin initially had difficulty embracing, which caused a misunderstanding between him and Hae Yoon.

"This isn't an excuse, but I was not emotionally ready to be a father when Jimin was born..."

"You're right, Seokjin, it isn't, but I understand. If I had an evil father like yours, I would have been scared as well..."

"Exactly..." Seokjin murmured, knowing he hadn't forgiven himself for how he had treated Jimin throughout his life. Neither Hae Yoon nor Taehyung understood the fear clinging to him, making it hard to demonstrate his feelings for his son. It wasn't disinterest or indifference. It was simply the difficulty of expressing how he felt for Jimin. "You and Hae Yoon saw me as a monster because you assumed I didn't care or was indifferent to my son, which was further from the truth. That night, Taehyung, when we went to Hae Yoon's atelier, I confessed to you that I didn't know how to feel about Jimin, but I stated that I was learning to love my son. I was able to tell you this but not to Hae Yoon..."

Taehyung felt his heart squeezing painfully, feeling slightly guilty for acting so defensively against Seokjin. Seokjin spoke earnestly about his marriage with Hae Yoon and their relationship because he trusted and felt the need to come to him. Taehyung had said it was a judgment-free zone, but he judged Seokjin for his past mistakes.

Taehyung quickly wrapped his arms around Seokjin's torso, catching Seokjin by surprise with his gesture. "I'm sorry, Jinnie. I shouldn't have been so defensive when you mentioned you weren't emotionally ready to have Jimin. I meant it, you know. I meant it when I said I would be scared too if I was in your situation," Taehyung uttered apologetically, feeling Seokjin's hands on his hips. "I'm so proud of you, Jinnie, and Hae Yoon would have been, too. You came such a long way..."

"Don't apologize, my sugar bear..." Seokjin reassured, kissing the top of Taehyung's head. Tipping his head to the side, he caught sight of a pout embellishing Taehyung's rosy lips, making him smile again. After the ultimatum, Seokjin killed and buried his true self, choosing to mirror his father in a desperate attempt to earn his father's approval. In doing so, the world suddenly lost its charm and color, and his life became a nightmare. He had no idea how to behave like a husband, let alone like a father, when he didn't have a proper role model. Slowly, he deviated from his path, allowing the overwhelming emotions to consume him. And Jimin was the one who suffered the most because of it. "I never disrespected Hae Yoon, even when she screamed at my face or insulted me. I knew, deep down, she was directing the anger and resentment she had for my father onto me. But things got worse when Jimin was born. I didn't know how to be a father, act and connect. So Hae Yoon stepped up, taking on the role of both parents. She assumed I hated our son simply because I barely spent time with him...

"Seokjin..." Taehyung uttered in astonishment, not expecting the marriage to be so toxic and resentful. However, he admired Seokjin and his attitude throughout his forced relationship with Hae Yoon because he was a victim as well and chose to keep himself in his lane. Regarding Jimin, Taehyung wasn't surprised to hear how Seokjin was absent, and the neglect was pretty visible. "S-So, you said earlier that you made amends, right? Did you tell her your side and how you felt during your marriage?"

"Yes... When Hae Yoon's condition worsened, she asked me to come to the hospital and talk..." Seokjin remarked, noticing Taehyung's eyes widen again. "She said she wanted to make amends and apologize for her behaviour. I was genuinely astounded because I was expecting her to lecture me about Jimin and compare me to my father," Seokjin chuckled, replaying the weak smile on Hae Yoon's dry lips. She seemed truly happy and at peace, despite how cancer had stolen so much from her and, eventually, her life as well. "I sat down next to her, and at first, it was awkward because I usually remained quiet and let Hae Yoon speak her mind. But she surprised me by apologizing. After that, we had the most sincere conversation where we spoke about our dreams, hopes, life goals, and disappointments. During that conversation, we learned so much about each other and laughed together." Seokjin gazed at the silver watch and grasped it again, feeling nostalgic. "The last time she met the first and only man she ever loved, Hae Yoon gave him a silver watch as a symbol of love, just like this one. It was a sign of trust and forgiveness. But I had nothing to forgive. Instead, I should have been the one to ask for forgiveness. Not only for neglecting and being absent from Jimin's life, but also for misleading her; for reassuring her that I would give Jimin a type of childhood that was the opposite of mine when, in reality, I was so scared of solely handling Jimin and his education that the only role model I had was my father, so I couldn't promise her I would be different, and she had so much faith in me...

Seokjin's distress was palpable, and Taehyung quickly noticed that he was falling into a spiral of desperation. Not coming forward and admitting his fear of the overwhelming responsibility that had been thrust upon him was too much for Seokjin. Despite his warmth and love for children, Taehyung doubted his ability to raise Hoseok, believing he could not truly do it, especially as a young adult facing so many hardships, compounded by the grief of losing his mother.

Taehyung cupped Seokjin's face and gave him a lingering kiss on the cheek, hoping the gesture could calm his troubled heart. "Jinnie, Jimin indeed suffered a lot because you chose to follow the same steps your father took regarding your education, but..." Taehyung said assertively, compelling Seokjin to meet his gaze, even as he noticed the shame gleaming in his eyes. "You changed your ways because you recognized that what you were doing was wrong. You bravely chose to deviate from the path that had already been paved for you by your father and created a new one, showing Jimin a different perspective on life. You weren't able to promise Hae Yoon back then, but you are fulfilling what she wanted for Jimin now, so you shouldn't feel ashamed, Jinnie," Taehyung added with a wide smile, noticing a spark of hope replacing the shame and sadness of the past. "Furthermore, you unknowingly revealed your true self to Hae Yoon, and in a way, you were concerned about Jimin. You simply lost your sense of purpose because you were overwhelmed with fear—the fear your father imposed on you for being who you are—but ultimately, Hae Yoon was right to place her trust and faith in you, Seokjin, just as I did, because I'm so proud of how far you've come..."

Hearing those encouraging and heartfelt words from Taehyung's lips intensified the love and desire Seokjin felt for him. Taehyung always knew just what to say to make him feel better and to reassure him that he was on the right path in caring for Jimin. It had been an excruciatingly painful couple of years. Seokjin had struggled immensely, never finding the strength to admit how frightened he was about taking full responsibility for Jimin.

Seokjin grasped Taehyung's hand and softly kissed it, locking eyes with a slightly timid Taehyung. "I honestly don't know what my life would be like if I hadn't met you, Taehyung. You have brightened my world and supported me so much with your comforting words"

Taehyung's heart was pounding against his chest, almost ripping a hole. He tried to speak, but the words melted before they could form. All Taehyung could do was look at Seokjin with wide eyes, completely undone by the gentleness in his words. Taehyung had grown accustomed to the gentleness, yet he still had difficulty absorbing it.

A rush of warmth flooded Taehyung, spilling into his limbs until they felt impossibly light and weak. His knees trembled, and he had to lean on Seokjin, grounding himself as if the world might otherwise tilt. His silence was a symphony of everything he felt at that moment.

It wasn't the first time he had heard those kinds of words. His two previous boyfriends had often showered him with sweet talk, constant reassurances, and praise, so Taehyung was no stranger to compliments, especially the ones who had malicious intentions. Also, they would confess how they adored his kind heart, lively spirit and, of course, his body. However, after everything he has been through with both of his past partners, Taehyung has learned not to trust words so easily. He had grown cautious, choosing instead to pay attention to what people did, not just what they said.

But listening to Seokjin changed Taehyung's perspective. There was something genuine in his voice—love, gratitude, sincerity. For the first time in a long while, he believed the words. Taehyung truly felt he had made a difference, not only in Seokjin's life but in Jimin's too, by helping them slowly rebuild their father-son relationship. Initially, his efforts were for Jimin, who longed for a loving father, and to achieve that, he needed to help Seokjin as well. Over time, his reasons had shifted. Now, Taehyung wanted to help Seokjin for Seokjin. He wanted to see him heal and watch him accept himself. Somewhere along the way, Taehyung fell in love with Seokjin.

Taehyung hugged Seokjin again and rested his head on his shoulder. He needed a moment to calm down, and feeling Seokjin's hands grasping his waist, fingers lingering on his skin, didn't help control his racing heartbeat.

"I'm not accustomed to seeing you so quiet, Taehyung..." Seokjin remarked playfully, noticing Taehyung's heavy breathing. He knew the effect he had on Taehyung, and Seokjin felt proud of that. He took pride in leaving Taehyung breathless with his words. "Did I finally discover the secret to leaving you speechless?" Seokjin added, sensing Taehyung straighten up and frown deeply, which made him chuckle. "I hope so, my sugar bear. I love how my words affect you."

(I'm sure you do, Jinnie baby... But I can't help it; you are such a sweet talker...)

"Y-Your words might affect me, Seokjin, but I will always have something to say, regardless," Taehyung attempted to sound assertive and confident, though he still stuttered. He boldly gazed at Seokjin, unsure whether to be annoyed or enchanted by his mischievous smile that also stirred something in his heart. He cleared his throat and stepped away from Seokjin's embrace, realizing he was still getting ready. "H-Hum, you should finish getting ready..."

"If you don't mind, I would like to request your help, Taehyung," Seokjin said matter-of-factly, paying close attention to Taehyung's reaction. He studied Taehyung, noting the confusion on his face, which made him smile. With the tip of his middle finger and thumb, Seokjin parted the dress shirt he wore and gazed at Taehyung in amusement. "As you can see, I'm having trouble getting ready, specifically finding more colourful clothes to wear. I enjoy the bright colours you wear, Taehyung, so I thought I could use some colour on me as well. So, will you help me, sugar bear?"

Taehyung was caught off guard. As much as he wanted to refuse - uncertain of how much more his fragile heart could handle - he found himself giving in without hesitation. He nodded almost instinctively and moved towards Seokjin, unable to hide the excitement that bubbled up inside him. He reached out, lacing his fingers with Seokjin's, and gently led him to the other side of the walk-in closet. Taehyung's gaze dashed over the neatly hung clothes, each one seeming to reflect a different facet of Seokjin - crisp dress shirts in soft pastels and neutral colours, structured coats with delicate embroidery, and oversized knits that hinted at quiet evenings and warmth. The collection was as meticulously curated as it was unexpectedly expressive. One shirt in particular caught his eye: a pale blue dress shirt that seemed like it had been made to drape over Seokjin's shoulders, the fabric light and breezy like a spring morning. Mindlessly, Taehyung let go of Seokjin's hand as he grabbed the blue dress shirt, walking towards the side where the sweatshirts were.

While Taehyung was busy rummaging through his wardrobe in search of the perfect outfit, Seokjin slipped the shirt he was currently wearing and carelessly dumped it. A soft smile tugged at his lips as his eyes roamed all over Taehyung, who was looking between the light blue dress shirt and a bordeaux sweatshirt, unable to avert his gaze from him and his curvy body. He lingered, observing Taehyung's every single movement. That familiar pull stirred inside Seokjin again - the same one that took over him the previous day while they were near the pool - feeling a slow, electric tingling travelling from his chest to his fingertips. He clenched his hands into fists, fighting the urge to reach out, to pull Taehyung into his arms and hold him close, to feel that warmth and hear his name spoken in that soft, breathy voice. His heart was already racing, a steady drum of longing and frustration. The hesitation quickly followed. He had promised himself he would be patient, that he would give Taehyung space. On the other hand, didn't Taehyung want to be closer to him? Didn't Taehyung want him to demonstrate how he truly felt? Didn't Taehyung want to reassure him without crossing the line between them?

A voice softly whispered to his heart, persuading him to act on his wishes, to push him closer to Taehyung. The whisper grew louder and stronger, guiding him forward. Suddenly, Seokjin stepped closer. His arms moved before his doubt could catch up with him. He wrapped them around Taehyung, pulling him into a firm embrace. He buried his face on the curve of Taehyung's neck, brushing his nose on his honey-coloured skin, capturing his essence.

(I think my heart just skipped a beat or more...)

"Jinnie..."

Taehyung bit his bottom lip, savouring the closeness between him and Seokjin. The physical attraction and deep love they felt for each other were becoming so intense that it threatened to drive Taehyung into insanity. He swore that if he didn't exercise self-control, unlike in the past, he and Seokjin would already be on their way to the king-size bed for unholy activities. Another thing that immediately caught his attention was Seokjin's bare arms wrapped around him, indicating that Seokjin was officially shirtless. That simple fact was enough to leave Taehyung breathless for the second time that day, and the day had barely begun.

Taehyung's tranquillity allowed Seokjin to test the waters. He brushed his lips against Taehyung's warm skin, listening to his heavy breathing as if he were trying to control himself as well. He moved cautiously, attuned to the rhythmic beating of Taehyung's heart. Right beneath his ear, Seokjin left a feathery kiss and smiled when Taehyung breathlessly said his name - not his nickname, but his name.

"I didn't have the opportunity to tell you this last night..." Seokjin whispered, his lips glued to Taehyung's ear. He smirked enjoyably, feeling the heat radiating from Taehyung's body. "I'm so lucky to have you in my life, my sugar bear. I'm so happy that I've crossed paths with you, Hoseok, Namjoon, Seunghee, and Yoongi. I never realised that I needed someone by my side to help me grow and accept myself. You awakened something special in me, and I'll be forever grateful..."

Chapter Text

+Seokjin placed his intertwined hands on top of his desk, patiently waiting for his father to finish reading the contract of partnership between him and Lim. As he watched his father flipping the pages of the contract, he noticed several physical signs that unveiled how dissatisfied and upset he was: the furrowed brows deepening the lines between his eyes as he scanned the papers, the inaudible groans that vocalized his disapproval, the slight downward curl of his lips, the tightened jaw, and the faint twitch of his cheek.

Respectfully, Seokjin kept himself from showing any confidence or sense of accomplishment. His father was already fuming over his so-called insolent behaviour - but what else was new? For as long as he could remember, Seokjin had felt that nothing he did was ever good enough for his father. No matter what - whether preserving the Kim family reputation or continuing the legacy through merciless, cold-hearted business decisions against those his father deemed a threat—it was never up to his standards.

But after crossing paths with Taehyung, Seokjin slowly began to realise how much he had neglected those he loved, like Jimin and his mother, and how harshly he had judged himself for failing to live up to his father's expectations. Seokjin had believed he killed his true self and buried it in the depths of his soul. In reality, it was his father who had stolen that part of him, keeping it hostage until Seokjin found the courage to stand up for himself and for those he had let down along the way. Now, the sense of freedom he was experiencing in that moment felt refreshing, even as he faced his father's disapproval. Despite everything, the decision he made was beneficial for the company—it had averted serious repercussions from not releasing their new line of laptops.

This time, Seokjin had chosen to protect the legacy he resented, while at the same time diminishing his father's overinflated ego and old-fashioned methods with his quiet defiance.

Hearing a long sigh coming from his father, Seokjin kept his poker face and slightly tilted his head, waiting for the inevitable reprimand for going against his father's wishes and insulting one of his old friends.

"You shouldn't have gone against me, Seokjin. You might be in charge of the business, but don't forget, I'm still part of the company, I sit on the board," Old Kim stated sharply, placing the copy of the contract on the desk and locking eyes with Seokjin. "And I also don't appreciate the disrespectful way you spoke to a fellow businessman. I taught you better than that, Seokjin. Don't forget the name you uphold."

Seokjin knew exactly what his father meant with his first statement. He was the head of the company, but, in reality, he was his father's puppet because every decision and business proceeding needed to be over-scrutinised before being implemented. And, he hated it. To his father, Seokjin was nothing more than a piece in a game of power. His decisions reflected not just the Kim family but the hard-won reputation of the generations of men before him. There were unwritten rules he was expected to obey, and it infuriated him.

"I didn't go against you for the sake of it, father. You see it as an act of defiance, but it's not. It's a business owner protecting his company and the so-adored legacy," Seokjin responded calmly, knowing he had the upper hand because his actions were truly to protect the business and the legacy he so strongly resented. "And as for how I spoke to your friend, I don't appreciate business partners who see me only as Kim Yong-hwa's son, threaten me and try to bypass me because I refuse to bow to their whims. I did what I had to do to protect my company, my business."

A minute of uncomfortable silence hung over Seokjin and his father.

Seokjin refused to look away, his gaze steady on his father, who stared at him expressionlessly, hoping —foolishly—that for once, he might finally admit he was wrong about this matter. That he might acknowledge his flaws, apologise for enabling others to walk all over his son, and realise how much it had damaged Seokjin's image in the corporate world.

"Regardless, Seokjin, you should have come to me. We could have resolved the situation without terminating a valuable partnership," Yong-hwa said matter-of-factly, stabbing his finger on top of the contract. He sighed in frustration, wishing Seokjin would listen to him more often. "It's commendable to see you defending the business, as you should. However, I didn't raise you to disrespect your elders, especially not businessmen with more experience than you. That's part of who we are, Seokjin."

Seokjin finally averted his eyes from his father and squeezed his hands together until his knuckles turned white. He wanted to scream in frustration. As always, his father was more willing to defend his business partners and old friends than to support his son, even when he put the company first.

Seokjin closed his eyes briefly and let out a heavy sigh. But he was done backing down. It wasn't about his ego. It was about his dignity. For once, he was doing exactly what his father had raised him to do. "If I could go back, I would make the same decision, father. This isn't the first time my former business partner has harmed the company. I offered my help. I gave him countless opportunities to modernise his business and fulfil our order. Every single time, he refused," Seokjin argued, leaning forward, careful to keep his voice steady. "Coming to you wouldn't have solved anything. We have a deadline. Every second wasted means we are losing money, but I don't need to explain that to you. At the end of the day, I made the decision that will help the company grow."

"Your actions have repercussions, Seokjin," Yong-hwa warned. "I want you to understand that. You need to be more cautious. Other businessmen will start thinking that Kim Seokjin lacks loyalty and responsibility towards his partners. Just like you lack responsibility and respect for your father. I haven't forgotten the way you spoke to me. When I speak, it's for your good, not for you to turn your back and leave."

The conversation was going nowhere. Seokjin had heard enough.

"I wasn't disrespectful," Seokjin said tightly. "I simply concluded that my father doesn't trust me to run the business or to take the necessary measures to protect it. And this conversation only proves it. And I'll reiterate what I told you that day —everything you say to me isn't for my good, it's for the good of the family's reputation. And, once again, your lack of support regarding the manufacturer proves my point. Now, unless there's something else, I need to ask you to leave. I have a meeting in half an hour."

Yong-hwa shook his head as he rose from his chair, buttoning his blazer. "Your mother always told me to take it easy on you, Seokjin. I disagree. And now, seeing how often you have started talking back to me, I realise I should have been stricter. I don't know what has gotten into you — whether it's Jungkook filling your head, encouraging you to rebel against me—but either way, I'm not pleased."

Seokjin was reaching his limit. He wanted to shout, to call his father out for blaming everyone else, like Jungkook, for telling him countless times how he wasn't hard enough on him while he was growing up. Seokjin could have been the most perfect son, and yet, his father would still find some kind of imperfection just to put himself on a pedestal. He was done letting his father control him. Even though he was breaking free of those shackles, a part of him still craved approval. Deep down, Seokjin hoped his father might someday realise that family should matter more than how the world perceived them.

Seokjin was about to stand up from his chair and reason with his father, done watching him bring him and the people he loved down, when his phone chimed. He glanced at the lighted-up screen and saw a message from Taehyung, saying how excited he was about Seunghee's first prenatal appointment. Just reading those words, Seokjin could picture Taehyung's bright, beaming smile. And somehow, it was enough to calm down the rate of his heartbeat that had been tempered by his undying rage against his father. Taehyung's love had that effect on him. It made him believe he could endure anything.

Seokjin took a deep breath and stared at his father, choosing to go along with the nonsense he just professed instead of wasting time arguing. It was pointless. "I'm sorry you are unhappy with me, father. In life, we don't always get what we want. That's how it is..."

***

Namjoon was walking side-by-side with Seunghee, walking around Seokjin's property and admiring its beauty. He glanced at a smiling Seunghee and noticed her hand resting on her small bump. She was stunning. Namjoon considered himself the luckiest man in the world for having the most endearing and beautiful woman as his wife.

After the prenatal appointment, Namjoon took Seunghee home so she could change her clothes. It was early spring, and the weather had been particularly pleasant that day. Seunghee chose a soft green and white gingham print dress. It exuded a nostalgic, countryside-meets-modern vibe. The dress featured a sweetheart neckline with gently puffed, off-the-shoulder sleeves. Its bodice hugged her figure slightly before cascading into a loose, tiered skirt with subtle ruffles, creating a playful and effortlessly feminine silhouette. More importantly, it accentuated Seunghee's beautiful shape and growing baby bump.

"Joon, are you listening to me?"

"Of course I am, sweetie."

Seunghee giggled cheerfully, wrapping her arm around Namjoon's. "I feel like you're too busy checking me out instead. You know, as my baby bump grows, my body will start looking weirder, so you'd better enjoy it while you can."

"Seunghee, love, you will always be beautiful in my eyes, no matter what. I fell in love with you not just for your beauty but also for the amazing person you are and your intelligence," Namjoon reassured, chuckling lightly. "I was listening, darling, but could you repeat what you said?"

Seunghee smiled widely and playfully smacked Namjoon's arm before repeating herself. "My ever-attentive husband, I was saying, I don't know how we will tell everyone the news. I was already worried about becoming a mother, but now... It's a completely different story..."

Namjoon's expression grew serious as he pondered Seunghee's concerns, understanding her perspective. Parenthood had been part of his life plans even before meeting Seunghee. Once they started dating, Namjoon quickly realised he wanted to build a family with her, especially since they both came from large families. Seunghee had always felt distant from hers, pushed aside for being unique and daring to chase her dreams rather than following her mother's expectations.

Seunghee was an independent woman with an entrepreneurial spirit. When she announced that she had quit her job as an accountant—a very secure position at one of the country's most influential banks—to open a restaurant with her best friend, she was immediately ostracised. Seunghee's sister took over the role of the favoured daughter when she got married and began having children. Seunghee often reassured Namjoon that she didn't care, but deep down, he could see the sadness and loneliness of not being accepted by her own family.

When he introduced Seunghee to his family, Namjoon knew she would feel at home. They welcomed her with warmth, broad smiles, and, most importantly, acceptance. Losing his mother had been one of the hardest moments of his life, and for Seunghee, it felt like losing a mother figure as well. She mourned his mother as if she had lost her own.

"If it makes you feel any better, I'm nervous too," Namjoon said softly, locking eyes with Seunghee. "I've always wanted to be a father, and I'm over the moon to build a family, especially with you. The situation may have changed slightly, but what I told you that night still stands, darling—we're not alone on this journey. And I know how hysterical your mother can be. I can only imagine how it will be now..."

"Would you think less of me, Namjoon, if I told you that I don't want my mother or my relatives near me?" Seunghee asked somberly, rubbing her growing baby bump. Despite what had occurred with Namjoon's family, she trusted the people currently in her life, including Seokjin, who was winning Jimin and Hoseok's hearts. "I'm not saying I want them out of my life forever, I just... I don't want to rely on them when the-"

"Seunghee, love," Namjoon interrupted gently, unwrapping his arm from Seunghee's and placing it around her waist to pull her closer. "Just because I decided to include my dad doesn't mean you have to do the same. I told Taehyung the same thing about forgiving our dad. Seunghee, whatever decision you make about your family, I will always support you," Namjoon smiled warmly, placing his free hand over Seunghee's belly, convinced that the people they loved would always stand by them. "Remember, we're not alone. You don't need to rely on your family. We've created our own with the people who are here with us."

Seunghee subtly glanced behind her, catching sight of Yoongi and Taehyung deep in conversation, likely discussing the previous weekend. Jungkook and Seokjin were a bit further away, but judging by their expressions, they were discussing business. She smiled reassuringly and looked down at her and Namjoon's hands.

"You are so lucky, you know that? You have such a big family to welcome you. You will never be alone..."

"We will never be alone, Seunghee," Namjoon whispered, closing the distance between them. He pressed his lips against hers, tasting the sweetness of her vanilla lip balm, wishing he could be more daring. "Shall we continue our walk, or do you want to sneak off somewhere private?"

"We could sneak off somewhere private," Seunghee teased, genuinely craving some quality time with Namjoon. However, she had other plans in mind. "But since my attentive husband decided to gawk at his wife's body instead of listening to her concerns, I guess your naughty time just expired."

Namjoon laughed brightly, adoring Seunghee's playful side. He stole another kiss and took her hand, eager to resume exploring the beautiful property before them.

Taehyung and Yoongi followed behind, moving closer to the pool area.

Taehyung listened attentively to a very enthusiastic Yoongi, who eagerly recounted his amazing and special weekend with Jungkook. For a moment, Taehyung almost didn't recognise him. It had been so long since he had seen Yoongi genuinely happy, glowing as brightly as a star. He couldn't help but reminisce about the day Jungkook first approached Yoongi, and how, as a defence mechanism, Yoongi had immediately rebuffed Jungkook's advances. Back then, Yoongi had seemed so regretful and hopeless, which broke Taehyung's heart. He hated seeing his best friend denying himself a second chance at love, all because his former partner had played with his heart and left him broken.

Listening to Yoongi's cheerful voice made Taehyung smile widely and feel reassured. From the start, he had known Jungkook was the yin to Yoongi's yang. Jungkook was an extrovert; Yoongi was an introvert—different people but the perfect complement to one another. A perfect fit. And Taehyung had no other choice but to play Cupid, even joining forces with Seokjin at a time when they hardly saw eye to eye.

Taehyung noticed the glint in Yoongi's eyes and how tenderly he gazed at the beautiful ring on his finger. He gently grasped Yoongi's hand, examining the ring closely and feeling a twinge of jealousy. In the past, Taehyung had also yearned to find someone who completed him, like Jungkook completed Yoongi. Someone supportive, kind, and present. Someone who could make him laugh and forget his troubles—someone to see him as a person, not just a body. He craved that feeling of butterflies, the quickened heartbeat, the warmth of a hug, the passion of a kiss. Watching Yoongi fall in love awakened the same longing in Taehyung. However, given his complicated situation with Hongseok, he knew he needed time to heal from his broken heart and recover from a long-term relationship that had left deep scars.

And yet, the unthinkable happened—Taehyung fell in love with Seokjin.

Taehyung briefly averted his gaze to the pool, replaying the moment from two days ago. Seokjin had a special way of comforting him when he struggled, and while they were by the pool under the warm, shining sun, Taehyung had shown how grateful he was to Seokjin for standing by his side and helping him process his grief just as he had done that very same night. What Taehyung was feeling went beyond love. It was a powerful, indescribable bond—a connection that felt destined, as if fate had conspired to bring them together. Thinking about the matter drove Taehyung's heart into overdrive. At the same time, Taehyung felt guilty for ignoring Yoongi as he spoke and for focusing so much on Seokjin and every unforgettable moment they had shared over the weekend.

"And, ah, we left the beach, even though I wanted to stay a little longer, but Jungkook was so insistent..." Yoongi laughed, staring lovingly at the ring. "We ended up returning to the hotel, and when I walked into the suite... There were dozens of red roses decorating the place, and that was it..."

Taehyung's head snapped around like lightning, brow raised. That morning, while walking to the school gates, Yoongi had shared some moments like dinner with Jungkook's parents, a walk through the city, and even the "boyfriend proposal", but not nearly as much as Taehyung had hoped for. Now, Yoongi was speaking more calmly about the weekend, and Taehyung, feeling extremely guilty, realised he had probably missed some information here and there. Still, Taehyung being Taehyung, was waiting to hear about the most important moment —what happened when they returned to the master suite for a magical ending to the night. He refused to believe that anything had happened that night. Jungkook's overjoyed demeanour that morning told Taehyung a different story. Unless, of course, Yoongi was messing with him on purpose because either he was more distracted than usual or acting innocent as always.

"Yoongles, I don't believe for a second that you and Jungkook went back to the hotel, saw dozens of red roses, which are the most romantic flowers out there, and just called it a night," Taehyung said skeptically, grinning mischievously. He watched Yoongi's reaction and, to his surprise, his best friend didn't seem flustered, which meant one thing—Taehyung had been caught. "And Jungkook has been acting happier than usual, so I know there was some late-night romance, as there should be. And your best friend wants details."

"Well, I'm not in the mood to tell my best friend details about my intimate night with my boyfriend because I know the type of questions he likes to ask. And no, I'm not going to tell you Jungkook's size," Yoongi retorted amusingly, watching Taehyung roll his eyes and groan. He smiled and stared at their hands, feeling curious himself. "You have seemed rather eager to hear about my weekend, but you haven't told me about yours. Spending the weekend at Seokjin's property sounds dreamy. Look at this place..."

(The main garden is even more gorgeous...)

Taehyung's heart sped up again. He glanced toward the gate ahead, remembering how he and Seokjin had walked down the path to the main garden, hands intertwined, unwilling to let go. But the real magic happened in the main garden—the exploring, the multitude of flowers, the photos, the playful hide and seek, and the kiss that got away. "Yeah, this place is beautiful..." Taehyung murmured.

"Oh! Is my best friend getting flustered? Seems like it," Yoongi teased enthusiastically, immediately sensing something had happened, but Taehyung wasn't budging. His tone softened, becoming serious for a moment. "You know, you said Jungkook is acting happier than usual, but I would say the thing about you, Tae. This morning, for the first time in a long time, I caught a glimpse of the old Taehyung—the Taehyung before the dumbass boyfriends, before tragedy hit too close to home. The Taehyung who was whole..." Yoongi spoke softly, noticing Taehyung chewing on his bottom lip. "I know you are hiding something from me, probably the reason you have been walking around on cloud nine lately. I don't know why you haven't told me yet, but either way, I'm so glad to see my best friend genuinely smiling again, enjoying life. And most importantly, not wasting his time on men who might have amazing bodies but are dumber than a three-year-old."

Taehyung chuckled shyly, unable to argue with Yoongi.

Falling in love with Seokjin had been unexpected. A pleasant yet terrifying surprise. Taehyung was already under scrutiny, especially by his close friends, Yoongi and Jungkook. It hadn't been easy dealing with their mockery while quietly processing these strong emotions for someone he hadn't gotten along with in the past, someone he wished he knew better. Nor was it easy to deal with strong love after a long-term relationship that ended badly and with severe repercussions. Yet, seeing how Yoongi noticed the change in him only deepened Taehyung's love for Seokjin. It proved how deeply love could transform a person, and Taehyung was living proof.

"I don't like hiding things from you, Yoongi. You are my best friend," Taehyung said sheepishly, looking at the green grass with a small, apologetic smile. "But right now... I just need time because everything is happening so fast, and I have to process them. I'm sorry, Yoongi..."

Yoongi had a pretty good idea what Taehyung meant by process them, but he chose not to comment and allow his best friend to come to terms with whatever was unfolding in his life. He stopped momentarily and pulled Taehyung into a hug, comforting him.

"You don't have to be sorry, Tae. When the time comes, I know you will come to me," Yoongi parted from the hug, sensing a weight lifted from Taehyung's shoulders. "You were patient with me when I was dealing with what Changkyun did to me. You didn't force me to go back out into the dating world. And Taehyung, I'm not going to stop being your best friend just because you don't tell me everything. Like I said, when you're ready, I will be here. Always..."

Taehyung nodded, fighting the tears of relief welling in his eyes. For so long, he had felt guilty for keeping everything to himself. It terrified him, how unready he was to accept love into his heart again after what Hongseok had done to him. Adding the comments about his close relationship with Seokjin didn't help either. But speaking to Namjoon and asking for advice had been the best decision Taehyung had made. He needed someone to confide in—to help navigate these overwhelming emotions— because no matter how strongly he felt for Seokjin, a part of him was still scared. Even if Seokjin felt the same way, especially after their moment in the main garden.

As Yoongi and Taehyung finished their heartfelt conversation, Seokjin and Jungkook were making their way down the stairs to the pool area.

Seokjin listened as Jungkook vented about the episode with his father that morning, sounding more upset than Seokjin himself. He had been taught to control his emotions—whether it was happiness, sadness, or rage—because, as his father often said, revealing emotions was revealing weakness, giving enemies an advantage. Unveiling his true feelings meant exposing his vulnerabilities to his father, and Seokjin had no intention of giving him more ammunition.

Seokjin abruptly stopped at the foot of the staircase, sighing heavily as he nonchalantly ran his fingers through his hair. His gaze landed on Yoongi and Taehyung deep in conversation. Immediately, he noticed how mellow and timid Taehyung seemed, unusual for someone speaking with his best friend. The conversation between the best friends stirred his curiosity. Had Taehyung told Yoongi about their weekend? About his feelings for him? About that moment in the garden when they had almost shared a kiss?

"I don't understand, Jin, I seriously don't," Jungkook said upsettingly, frustration bleeding into his voice as he vented about old Kim's insulting behaviour and the mistrust of his son, who forcibly had to accept his fate as the future CEO of the company because of the dumb family legacy. It was so old-fashioned and aristocratic that Jungkook asked himself if Seokjin's father and grandfather were still living in the 19th century. "Why aren't you frustrated and angry about this matter? Your father blatantly supported his old friend, who could have dragged his family legacy to bankruptcy. We know that from our financial department. And, instead of recognising you for protecting the company, he dismisses you like it's nothing."

"Jungkook, I'm extremely angry and frustrated with what my father told me this morning. I choose not to give in to his manipulation and tactics to prove his point," Seokjin admitted, catching Jungkook rolling his eyes in annoyance. He sighed again, not in the mood for this conversation. Yet, at that moment, he had two options: talk about this morning or talk about his weekend with Taehyung. He had already spoken about some bits and pieces, but not enough to satisfy his best friend's curiosity. "Growing up, my father always told me not to reveal our emotions to whoever had ill intentions towards us, in his case, business partners who felt threatened by our growth and achievements. I chose to use his lessons against him. Believe me, I wanted to shout at him for dismissing the financial disaster his dear friend nearly caused. But instead, I responded accordingly, and I don't regret doing it."

"Your ability to stay cool with your father's infuriating behaviour is beyond me, Seokjin. I have to say, you are a better man than I am because I would have screamed in his face for acting like such an old fool," Jungkook chuckled, placing a hand on Seokjin's shoulder and earning a small smile from his best friend. "But I would rather see you standing up for yourself gracefully than watching you succumb to him and stay quiet, allowing him to step all over you, my best friend."

"I'm just following my annoying best friend's advice—living life as I see fit, not according to my father's rules. And so far, it's been the best advice he has ever given me," Seokjin replied joyfully, genuinely grateful to have such a loyal best friend as Jungkook by his side. "But I only act like this, not because I want revenge for the way he has treated me over the years, or to purposely rebel. I act like this because of Jimin. My son doesn't deserve to be seen as a piece of my father's game, like I was seen while growing up. Jimin has a sensitive and caring soul, but he also has the beautiful spirit and the resilience that Hae Yoon had."

Jungkook stayed quiet for a moment, letting Seokjin's words sink in. For years, he had waited to see Seokjin break out of his cocoon and embrace the person he truly was. It went beyond his wishes to witness his best friend, the cool, nonchalant, social guy who everybody loved, even if it was for the money. But Seokjin was naturally charismatic and handsome enough to conquer people's hearts. It was more than that. Jimin needed a supportive, loving father by his side to protect him against the evil in the world or, in this case, the Old Kim, who couldn't care less about his grandson and his well-being. After Hae Yoon's death, Jimin was left at his own devices while Seokjin chose to live in fear and obey his father's orders. Jungkook hadn't blamed or judged him, at least, not at first. However, when the signs of neglect and emotional harm became clear, Seokjin needed to rise to the occasion and step forward. Thankfully, it ended up happening thanks to Taehyung.

Jungkook glanced at Seokjin, noting where his eyes lingered: on Taehyung. It was always Taehyung. Taehyung had disrupted Seokjin's carefully ordered life in the most beautiful, chaotic way. The phrase "opposites attract" came to mind every time he saw Seokjin and Taehyung together. And lately, Taehyung's boundless energy and infectious cheerfulness seemed to have caught hold of Seokjin, like some delightful contagion. Jungkook couldn't help but wonder if something else besides enthusiasm had passed between them over the weekend.

"I always wanted you to come back, Seokjin, not just as the person I met years ago, but as the father Jimin needed to stand up to his evil grandfather. And I like the Kim Seokjin standing in front of me. He's a better version than the one from high school," Jungkook said, his gaze still on Taehyung and Yoongi. He didn't know what Yoongi was telling Taehyung, but whatever it was had brightened up Taehyung. Jungkook could guess the topic—probably whatever had happened between him and Yoongi after coming back to the suite. He smirked and looked back at Seokjin, wondering what had happened between Seokjin and Taehyung. There were a lot of blanks to fill in. "And I believe the person responsible for this new you is talking to my boyfriend right now. So, Jin, how about you tell me more about your weekend with Taehyung? I know you told him about Hae Yoon and the watch, but you left a lot out. Your mother said you gave Taehyung a tour of the property. I imagine you took him to the main garden, a pretty romantic place if you ask me..."

"I didn't ask for an opinion, and frankly, I'm starting to think that my mom has a closer relationship with my best friend than with her son," Seokjin shot back sarcastically, knowing Jungkook wouldn't drop the matter easily. He decided not to deny much because denying meant he was hiding something. And right now, Seokjin wanted to protect Taehyung from unnecessary speculation. "And yes, I indeed gave Taehyung a tour of the property. I knew how excited he was, so I took him apple picking and then showed him the rest, including the main garden."

"C'mon, Jin. You have to give me more than that. I told you about my weekend. As your best friend, you're obligated to tell me what you and Taehyung did, and I doubt it was as vague and boring as you described," Jungkook said, practically begging. He could see Seokjin enjoying seeing him in the dark, probably finding it hilarious watching him grasp at scraps of information. "Don't be cruel, Jinnie"

"I think the one being cruel here is you, Jeon," Seokjin retorted, glancing back at Taehyung and Yoongi. He noticed Yoongi covering his face, the colour of his ears matching his hair colour. "Looks like Taehyung has some interesting questions about your night with Yoongi—and morning. And Yoongi is having a hard time dealing with the situation. As the amazing boyfriend you claim to be, shouldn't you come to his rescue instead of ripping information about my weekend with Taehyung? Besides, I'll remind you that Taehyung wasn't the only one who came to visit."

"If you think I'm giving up, you're wrong, Kim," Jungkook challenged, patting Seokjin's shoulder with a grin. "I'm going to find out what happened between you two. And I don't just mean this weekend, I mean from the first time Taehyung stayed with you. That's where it all started, and you know it. Don't even bother denying it."

"Are you done being a pain in the ass, Jeon?"

"Fine! I will go rescue my boyfriend and leave Taehyung all to yourself," Jungkook taunted, watching Seokjin roll his eyes. "You are dying to spend some time alone with him, Jin, I can see it in your eyes"

Seokjin didn't bother to reply, simply watching as Jungkook headed towards Taehyung and Yoongi. The look of relief in Yoongi's eyes was evident, likely grateful to be saved by Taehyung's relentless questions about the intimate details of his night, a trait he shared with Jungkook. As he observed the trio, Seokjin reflected on what Jungkook had said before leaving him—the will to spend time alone with Taehyung—and he couldn't deny it. He had had the opportunity to be with Taehyung earlier that afternoon, but since today was the day of Jimin's lessons, Seokjin needed to take his son home and go back to work, unable to stay and enjoy his time with Taehyung. Both he and Taehyung had been quietly disappointed. Now, Seokjin wanted to take advantage that everyone was focused on the property and be with Taehyung. But, by watching Jungkook monopolising Taehyung's attention, Seokjin suspected his best friend was deliberately stalling, making him wait as a lesson. And, it was working.

***

"You're no fun, Jungkook. Your soft kitten was just about to tell me about your morning adventure," Taehyung said teasingly, noticing Yoongi snuggled into Jungkook's embrace, his cheeks completely flushed. "But I'm certain you took care of him pretty well, didn't you?"

"Of course I did, Taehyung. I always take care of my baby," Jungkook replied sweetly, gazing fondly at Yoongi before turning his attention back to Taehyung with a smile. "And I heard that my best friend took care of you too... Seokjin brought you to the main garden, isn't that right?"

(Did Seokjin tell Jungkook about what happened between us? I doubt that - but still...)

"Y-Yeah, I-I was curious about the property for so long, and Seokjin was kind enough to give me a tour," Taehyung stammered, playing with his fingers. "And yes, he also showed me the main garden. It's the most beautiful place here. You should take Yoongi there, Jungkook..."

"The most beautiful - and probably the most romantic too. Don't you agree, Taehyung?"

(As I expected. Seokjin didn't tell Jungkook anything, and now he's trying to fish for information! Typical!)

Taehyung stood his ground, unwilling to give Jungkook any leverage over him. Since his first stay at Seokjin's house, Taehyung knew that Jungkook and Yoongi—especially Jungkook— suspected something had happened between him and Seokjin. Now that Taehyung confirmed that Seokjin had taken him to the main garden—without a doubt, the most beautiful and romantic place on the whole property—Jungkook wasn't going to let it go so easily. Although Taehyung was somewhat reassured after his brief talk with Yoongi, he sensed—at least in his opinion —that neither he nor Seokjin was ready to confess their true feelings to their respective best friends.

"Yes, I agree, Jungkook. That's why I told you to take Yoongi there," Taehyung retorted confidently, ignoring the thumping of his heart as his stupid brain replayed the moment he had shared with Seokjin in the garden. "Did you hit your head while rocking my best friend's world?"

"Y-You know what?" Yoongi interrupted indignantly, softly shoving Jungkook away. He grabbed his boyfriend's hand and looked between him and Taehyung. "I think both of you have had enough fun at my expense. And now, I really want to see the main garden," Yoongi requested, pouting. "Jungkookie, can you take me there?"

"Of course I can, my soft kitten," Jungkook answered gently, placing his free hand on Yoongi's hip. He leaned forward and kissed him. "You know I'll do anything for you."

"Can you go to the main garden and find a place to make out that's not in front of me?" Taehyung urged sardonically, still with his arms crossed. "I find you two adorable, I genuinely do, but it's too much sometimes."

Jungkook and Yoongi chuckled, though Yoongi blushed slightly in embarrassment.

"When you find your last love, Tae, I will mock and embarrass you, too. Just wait and see," Yoongi shot back playfully, winking at Taehyung. He squeezed Jungkook's hand and pulled him close. "Baby, c'mon, show me the main garden."

Taehyung giggled, watching Yoongi wrap his arms around Jungkook's arm. His best friend seemed so ecstatic that it genuinely caught him by surprise. The last time he had seen Yoongi this happy was back in high school, when he had started dating Changkyun. It was odd to remember that once upon a time, they had secretly imagined marrying their boyfriends— a double wedding.

Back then, they had been young, naive fools in love, believing it would last forever like some fairy tale. But as time passed, reality revealed how cruel life could be. After his mother's death and his father's infidelity, Taehyung sacrificed his relationship with Minhyuk to raise baby Hoseok. It wasn't his responsibility, but there was no other option. As for Yoongi, he had loved Changkyun dearly, and when that love was shattered, it enraged Taehyung. He still remembered Yoongi arriving at his apartment, throwing himself into his arms, and sobbing until there were no tears left to cry. From that day forward, love became a ghost for both of them—a broken heart, a cruel reminder that "I love you" could be a web of lies. Three deceiving words that disguise people's ill intentions. Love was a facade.

After Taehyung lost Minhyuk, and Yoongi was devastated by Changkyun, both struggled to find people who saw them for who they truly were, not just as a one-night stand or someone to be used and discarded like forgotten children's toys. They were scarred. Taehyung invested in relationships that caused more harm than good, and Yoongi shut himself off from the world, unwilling to give love another chance. But those hardships had strengthened their friendship. After everything they had been through, Taehyung was genuinely happy to see Yoongi falling in love again, smiling so broadly his cheeks hurt. His best friend deserved that kind of happiness.

And, so did Taehyung.

Taehyung deserved another chance at love, and he finally had found it. But because there was so much at stake, Taehyung knew he had to tread carefully, for his own sake. That was why he had sought Namjoon's advice. His older brother had always been the wise one between them.

Taehyung watched Jungkook and Yoongi disappear down the path toward the main garden, hearing Yoongi's giggles echoing in the distance. It truly warmed Taehyung's heart. Even though he knew he needed to be careful, Taehyung grew impatient and frustrated. After the weekend, he had found himself easily swayed by his heart and by Seokjin's unexpected, tender gestures that drove him wild, especially the soft kiss under his ear and the sweet words Seokjin had whispered that morning while they were in the walk-in closet. He sighed, feeling the tug-of-war between his mind and heart intensifying as his relationship with Seokjin deepened.

Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around Taehyung from behind, making him smile instantly. Just this once, he was letting his heart win.

(Jinnie baby...)

"Jinnie!" Taehyung giggled, caught off guard by Seokjin's sudden back hug. His mind went blank the moment Seokjin's touch met his skin—his nose brushing teasingly against his neck, the scent of a different cologne clinging to him. It was stronger, more masculine than what Seokjin usually wore. Taehyung turned his head and saw Seokjin smiling fondly at him. "Your nose tickles..."

"I'm glad to know my sugar bear is ticklish. That means I have one more way to make you smile," Seokjin replied warmly, loosening his hold but reluctant to fully let go. He decided to use the short time they had together cleverly to compensate for that afternoon. " So, do you want to join the others, or stay behind and make up for lost time?"

Taehyung bit his bottom lip, stopping himself from answering Seokjin's question the right way. It didn't matter because Seokjin knew what he was about to say. Still, Taehyung liked to build a little suspense. No need to look too eager, even if it was painfully obvious.

"Well, since we didn't have the opportunity to catch up, maybe we could stay behind," Taehyung responded cheerfully, though shyly. He felt Seokjin's hand reaching for his and grasping it. A tingly sensation ran towards his arm and immediately charged his already overworked heart, which lost all control whenever he was alone and close to Seokjin. "Besides, the last thing I want is to spend time with couples at the most beautiful and romantic place on this property..."

Seokjin chuckled at Taehyung's response. He knew Taehyung wanted to be alone with him just as much as he did, but his response was still amusing. He didn't want to return to the main garden either. After taking Taehyung to the garden and sharing its story, the meaning had completely changed. Seokjin no longer wanted to set foot in that place unless Taehyung was with him. From now on, the main garden was his and Taehyung's special place and one day, Seokjin would resort to it to express his endearment and profound love for Taehyung.

"Very well, Taehyung," Seokjin said, tucking a silver strand of hair behind Taehyung's ear with his free hand, trying not to focus too much on his lips, which looked a little redder than usual today. "I have a suggestion: how about we sit by the pool and dip our feet in the water? Today was warmer than usual, so it should be perfect."

This time, Taehyung nodded instantly, unable to hide his excitement. "That's an amazing idea, Jinnie. It sounds relaxing to be honest..."

Without wasting a second, Seokjin pulled Taehyung closer and walked side by side with him. He earned another fit of giggles from Taehyung and a tight squeeze on his hand. As they headed toward the pool chairs, Seokjin glanced at Taehyung, recalling the words Taehyung had spoken two days ago in that very spot. Taehyung saw the world with such beauty, even when everything around him was falling apart. It was heartbreaking. Despite dealing with the pain and drama of his past, Taehyung still held on to that same beauty. Since that moment, to Seokjin, his place of beauty and freedom was Taehyung, who willingly volunteered to show him through his eyes to recollect the memories with fondness and understanding instead of bitterness and resentment.

When they reached the pool, Seokjin guided Taehyung to the resting pool chair and gently made him sit down. He got down on one knee and patiently untied the laces from Taehyung's sneakers.

"You didn't have to do that, Seokjin..." Taehyung said mellowly, watching Seokjin remove his sneaker and sock, tilting his head. He caught a glimpse of Seokjin's soft smile playing on his plump lips, and the sight alone made his heart skip a beat. "You're spoiling me by treating me like royalty..."

Seokjin momentarily paused before reaching for the other sneaker and sock. He gazed at Taehyung, studying his facial features and silently taking in his beauty and the words he had just so casually professed. Seokjin had some idea of how poorly Taehyung had been treated by his previous partners, though he knew more about Hongseok. He had already seen Taehyung cry for that poor excuse of a man who, despite having the looks and physique to be a model, probably lacked the intelligence to understand that "commitment" and "love" did not coexist with "cheating" and "betrayal."

Lately, Seokjin had replayed the confrontation with Hongseok during Hoseok's birthday party, reminiscing about Hongseok's ridiculous speech about being in love with Taehyung, even though he had cheated on him three times, the last time being on their second anniversary. Yet, Hongseok had been right about one thing: Seokjin didn't know what a relationship was, or what love felt like. Maybe it wasn't fair for him to judge Hongseok, but it wasn't fair to Seokjin to be judged by him, either. Seokjin believed that, at some point, Hongseok might have truly loved Taehyung, except the love Hongseok proclaimed to have that day in Seokjin's opinion was an obsession. Because if Hongseok had truly cared, he would have let Taehyung go so he could heal, not to run overseas, consumed by his possessiveness. But again, that was just Seokjin's opinion.

Seokjin's mission, besides improving and accepting himself, was to show Taehyung that he could be the partner he deserved, through gestures, understanding, and carefully listening to his needs and concerns. He knew that there was no such thing as a perfect relationship or partner, but certain standards could and should be met. Taehyung had his baggage and emotional scars, and so did Seokjin. Both struggled with their pasts and the hurt caused by their fathers, and yet, no matter the circumstances, they sought each other out.

Somehow, Seokjin wanted to reassure Taehyung and prove to him that good men still existed in this world. That love endured, even midst of the horrors of the world. Despite the immense disappointment and hurt Taehyung had gone through over the years, Seokjin wanted to prove that true love was real.

"You deserve to be treated as such, Taehyung," Seokjin countered, looking straight into Taehyung's gleaming eyes. He sensed Taehyung's demeanour shift at his words, becoming more timid and docile in his presence. Seokjin returned his attention to what he was doing, removing Taehyung's other sneaker and sock. "And I'm doing this not because I have to, but because I want to. You have always been patient and kind to me, so I want to show patience and kindness to you... You mean a lot to me, Taehyung..."

(You mean a lot to me, too, Jinnie....)

"Seokjin..." Taehyung giggled nervously, shyly staring at his bare feet resting on the warm stone around the pool. "I know how kind and patient you are towards me, Jinnie, you show it every day..."

"Well," Seokjin shrugged, smiling proudly. He was glad to trigger a reaction from Taehyung, and he seemed so flustered and adorable with his comment that Seokjin was having a hard time controlling himself. To appease his heart, Seokjin grasped Taehyung's hand again and kissed it delicately, and let it go immediately before his feelings took over. "I intend to keep doing it, sugar bear. You're worth it."

(Fuck, I think I'm going into cardiac arrest if Seokjin doesn't stop being sweet to me...)

As Seokjin sat down in the resting pool chair next to his, Taehyung got up and walked to the pool's edge, needing to put some distance between them before his heart betrayed him again. He stretched his arms, crouched, placed his hand on the floor, and sat down, dipping his feet in the lukewarm water. His gaze drifted to the horizon and the beautiful colours painted in the sky by the sunset. He breathed in, exhaled, and lost himself in the mesmerising scenery. Hues of burnt orange, pink and molten gold extended across the heavens, bleeding softly into purples and dark blues. The last light clung to the few white clouds decorating the colourful canvas, turning them into delicate strokes of crimson and coral. The world felt quieter - like nature was bidding farewell to another day - the gentle breeze whispered against the tree leaves surrounding the area, and a sense of peace washed over Taehyung as the magical set presented itself to him.

From the corner of his eye, Taehyung saw Seokjin sit beside him and dip his feet in the water. Something about that image made him smile because not so long ago, Taehyung never thought about experiencing this kind of moment with Seokjin. Well, the Seokjin who used to act superior and condescending. Taehyung slowly moved his feet under the water, savouring the calm after a long, chaotic day.

"How was your day, my sugar bear? You seemed exhausted..."

"The children were quite restless today, super energetic, so, yeah, I'm tired. But even so, I had a pretty amazing day..." Taehyung replied, mindlessly resting his head on Seokjin's shoulder. He laughed, remembering his afternoon with Mrs. Shin. "Mrs Shin dropped by this afternoon. She knitted me this crop shirt and stopped by my apartment to gift it to me. She stayed for a bit, and somehow, the conversation shifted to you. She wouldn't stop talking about how an amazing partner you are, even though she didn't like you when I first introduced you. Since I'm a good person, Jinnie, I defended you and told her you were shy..."

When Taehyung arrived earlier, Seokjin, as usual, couldn't take his eyes from Taehyung and his outfit, which was completely different from the one he had during the afternoon. He instantly noticed the light purple knit crop shirt paired with the black denim shorts that perfectly outlined Taehyung's figure. Seokjin had to summon every ounce of restraint not to gawk at Taehyung's beautiful body. But Taehyung didn't make it easy for him, even if he did it unconsciously. As he listened to Taehyung, Seokjin noticed how the crop top highlighted his honey-coloured skin and the shorts emphasised his thighs and waist. His eyes lingered on Taehyung's thighs, and his mind was quickly overpowered by lust. Suddenly, it became hotter, and Seokjin felt himself slip into dangerous territory. Falling in love with Taehyung didn't mean only loving him emotionally, but physically too. He was deeply, undeniably attracted to Taehyung, and there were times when the physical attraction took over him and his mind. After the ultimatum, Seokjin had to control his worldly desires and lust, which was a lot easier when his father had instilled fear in him. After getting married and taking responsibility for Jimin, Seokjin's sex life was shoved in the box, along with his true self.

Clearing his throat, Seokjin diverted his lustful gaze away from Taehyung's body, feeling as though he was crossing a line. However, the second he took his eyes from Taehyung's body, he felt Taehyung's hand resting on his thigh. Seokjin looked at Taehyung, noticing concern in his stare.

"Is there something wrong, Taehyung?"

"I should be the one asking that, Seokjin..." Taehyung retorted worriedly, wondering why Seokjin was lost in his thoughts. One moment, Seokjin was relaxed, and the next he seemed so tense. However, he had already noticed the tension in Seokjin's facial features and the weariness in his eyes. "You and Jungkook looked like you were discussing serious matters... Did something happen at work?"

Seokjin sighed heavily. The last thing he wanted to speak about was work, but he suspected Taehyung was hinting at the possibility of dealing with his father today. As always, Taehyung was correct. Seokjin pushed away his naughty thoughts and all the worries from that day behind his back and fully focused on Taehyung. He smiled softly and cupped Taehyung's face, brushing his thumb over his rosy cheek.

"My father came by the office today because of the manufacturer situation. Unsurprisingly, he wasn't thrilled about my business decisions and lectured me about disrespecting his old friend while I was saving the precious legacy..." Seokjin vented, seeing the concern in Taehyung's eyes morph into rage. "That was it and, honestly, Taehyung, I don't want to talk about it, not because I don't want to talk to you about it, but because I want to spend time with you and give my full attention to you..."

"Sweet talker..." Taehyung mumbled gleefully, snuggling his head into Seokjin's shoulder as Seokjin laughed. "Before moving on, I just want to say that your father sucks, and he's lucky to have an amazing wife, a hardworking son, and an adorable grandson. That's all! We can move on!"

"Thank you, sugar bear, I appreciate it..." Seokjin said gratefully, bopping Taehyung's nose. He wrapped an arm around Taehyung's waist and pulled him closer. He glanced at Taehyung, seeing his eyes closing and the corners of his lips turning upwards, looking peaceful. "So, you said you defended my honour when Mrs Shin said she didn't trust me when we first met. If I remember correctly, she said I wasn't your type and too stiff. Did you tell her that you touched me without consent while being half-naked, and we barely knew each other?"

Taehyung chuckled as he opened his eyes, remembering the afternoon he had teased Seokjin with his half-nakedness just as his neighbour had shown up unexpectedly. At the time, it had felt strange for Taehyung to play the part of Seokjin's boyfriend, though he had already concluded that Seokjin was incorrigible and too stubborn for his good. And, of course, how could Taehyung forget about the boring, ridiculous lecture afterwards? It had been insufferable. But that afternoon, Seokjin had honestly shown Taehyung that he wanted to improve his relationship with Jimin and, more importantly, that he could be someone Taehyung could lean on and find comfort in, as strange as it had seemed back then. That afternoon, Seokjin had advised Taehyung to speak with Hongseok about their broken relationship. It had been close to Valentine's Day, and Taehyung had still been processing his feelings. He had run away from Hongseok, and instead of facing him to get closure, Taehyung had once again been swayed so easily by Hongseok, ending up in his bed. And yet, Taehyung didn't regret it. If he hadn't fallen for Hongseok's charm again, Taehyung wouldn't have stayed at Seokjin's place, and the kiss that changed their relationship would have never happened.

"She was right, wasn't she? You were cold and stiff, and genuinely thought you couldn't have a little fun just because you are an adult. And I showed you otherwise, even if it was a rather unorthodox way of doing it..." Taehyung said proudly, with no regret for what he had done that day. He swung his feet in the water, smiling broadly. "I told her that the person she met that day wasn't the one she saw last time. She responded that I was a good influence on you, that I had changed you. I told her that it wasn't, I just brought back the real you to the surface. Then she said, even if that was the case, love still played a huge part... The love I felt for you gave you the strength to break out and reveal the person you truly are..." Taehyung added softly, getting lost in the words Mrs Shin had spoken that afternoon. He gazed at Seokjin, noticing how he was staring at him, longing written all over him. "I-I, ah, I-I was going to tell her we aren't in a relationship. But... she seemed so happy that I couldn't just bring myself to do it..."

Deep down, Seokjin hadn't wanted Taehyung to tell the truth either, even though he believed that in every relationship, regardless of its nature, transparency and honesty should be the main pillars. However, after hearing Taehyung's words and learning how happy Mrs Shin had been about their fake relationship, Seokjin longed for a real one with Taehyung. He wanted to pursue him. If someone could see how truly happy they looked—even while pretending—then Seokjin was certain he could make Taehyung happy as his partner and confidant.

"She was right... and, despite not knowing back then, it was fundamental to my growth as a person and father..." Seokjin spoke tenderly, watching Taehyung avert his gaze from him, his cheeks turning as crimson as the light of the setting sun. He tightened his grip around Taehyung's waist, his heart racing, almost leaping out of his chest. He chuckled lightly, replaying that entire afternoon in his head, not realising until now how crucial those moments had been for him. If he could go back in time, instead of lecturing Taehyung and showing disapproval, Seokjin would have laughed at his stunt and fully enjoyed the moment, rather than being upset and uncomfortable. Because the truth was, Seokjin hadn't been uncomfortable or upset when Taehyung had been close to him, allowing him to kiss him that fateful night—it had felt right. "And, she was right about you changing me, Taehyung. I could have chosen to stay the same person and still improve my relationship with Jimin. I wasn't obligated to search for my true self and bring it back... but I did, with your help," Seokjin confessed, feeling embarrassed, unable to continue the rest of what he wanted to say. He longed to tell Taehyung how their meeting had changed his life forever, but for some reason, Seokjin didn't dare to voice it out loud. "About telling Mrs Shin the truth... You said she seemed happy. But do you truly want to come forward about us?"

(No, I don't want to... Not until we become a real couple...)

"W-Well, I-I, ah, I..." Taehyung stuttered, staring at his feet as if they were the most fascinating thing in the world. His heart pounded so loudly that it drowned out the storm of thoughts—or better yet, excuses—swirling in his head. He couldn't just blurt out that he didn't want to tell the truth because he enjoyed being a fictional couple too much. "I-It's the right thing to do..."

"I didn't ask what's the right thing to do..." Seokjin replied, smirking as he watched Taehyung chew on his bottom lip—a telltale sign that he was nervous. His reaction betrayed his true feelings. Seokjin tilted his head and cupped Taehyung's face, his big, doe-like eyes locking onto his. Seokjin had learned to read Taehyung's body language whenever he tossed those questions his way. Seokjin had even started reading behavioural psychology books to be more knowledgeable and an equal match to Taehyung. He could see how desperately Taehyung wanted to avert his gaze. "I asked you if you want to come forward about us, Taehyung."

"What about you, Seokjin?" Taehyung asked quietly, his eyes fixed solely on Seokjin, "Do you want me to?"

"I like when you try to outsmart me to dodge the question, sugar bear," Seokjin teased, noticing how Taehyung bit his bottom lip harder now. "But I'll gladly answer and satisfy your curiosity..." Seokjin added, smiling gently. "Transparency and honesty mean a lot to me in relationships. But in this case... I wouldn't come forward," Seokjin admitted, his voice softening at the end.

Taehyung hadn't expected Seokjin to be so blunt, but once again, he had been proven wrong. Delicately, he grabbed Seokjin's hand and held it, leaning comfortably into his embrace. When Seokjin kissed the top of his head, Taehyung smiled so widely that it reached his eyes and made his cheeks ache. It had been so long since he had felt happiness and love like this. For the first time, Taehyung felt truly happy and at ease. No fear, no self-doubt—just a warm, cosy feeling in his heart, screaming at him to take a step forward and embrace it fully.

But Namjoon's words echoed in his mind, reminding him that the brain and heart had to work together as a team so he could process the situation wisely. In time, Taehyung would be ready to embrace his love for Seokjin and confess it.

For now, Taehyung wanted to enjoy the remaining alone time with Seokjin before the others returned to join them.

***

Namjoon and Seunghee exchanged glances, feeling nervous yet excited to share the news about the pregnancy. It had been Seunghee's first prenatal appointment to get the ultrasound to detect the baby's heartbeat and determine the due date. Earlier that day, Seunghee's morning sickness had been worse than usual. On top of the scent of coffee and sweets, she couldn't stand the smell of shellfish. One night at the restaurant, for some reason, dishes with shellfish kept being ordered, and the smell filled the place to the point that Seunghee spent most of the dinner service throwing up in the bathroom. It had gotten so bad that her best friend had to call Namjoon to pick her up and take her home.

Despite the excitement of becoming a mother, Seunghee dreaded the remaining hellish weeks of the first trimester—morning sickness, back pain, swollen breasts and ankles, and the constant urge to go to the bathroom—but that was the price to pay for carrying and bringing a new life into the world. She was aware of what lay ahead, but one look at Namjoon, the best husband and future father she could ask for, calmed her nerves. As she stared at the faces of her family and loved ones, Seunghee felt a wave of emotion hit her. How could she forget about the raging hormones? Everything made her cry these days, even the commercials with children and old people. Namjoon would ask her why she was crying, and she would point at the television, hoping he would understand. Judging by the confused, bewildered looks Namjoon gave her, Seunghee knew he didn't, but he would always sit beside her and wrap his arms around her protectively anyway.

"Joon, I think we should tell them now. My hormones are acting up, and I'm about to bawl my eyes out," Seunghee admitted, feeling her eyes fill with tears. She began fanning her face, trying to stop the tears brought on by her uncooperative hormones. "So, ah, as you guys know, Namjoon and I went to my first prenatal appointment. I'm seven weeks pregnant, and the due date is early November..."

"Sweetheart, I think they want to know more about the appointment, like the ultrasound," Namjoon teased gently.

"Joon, sweetie, I'm dealing with my hormones here, okay? I'm getting there!"

Namjoon chuckled at Seunghee's antics, but he understood. Pregnancy demanded a lot from a woman's body, not only physically but emotionally as well. And he knew there was something else weighing on her mind. He could see the concern she carried about the new update they had received. It would take a lot from them, and they would need help from family and friends after the birth. Namjoon ran his fingers through Seunghee's hair and kissed her temple, hoping the simple gesture would calm her. "It's okay, baby. I can tell them if you want."

"No, I want to tell them the news, Joon..."

"Honey, it's okay. We have time," Mrs Kim said kindly, trying to comfort Seunghee, fully understanding how difficult it was when the body turned against you during pregnancy. "Dinner's not going anywhere, so no need to rush."

"T-Thank you, Mrs Kim, that's very kind of you," Seunghee replied softly, offering a weak smile. She took a deep breath and looked at Namjoon, feeling her husband reach for her hand and hold it to give her strength, "We got some unexpected news..." Seunghee began quietly, noticing the happy expressions around the table shifting to concern. "I mean, there is nothing wrong with the babies. They're perfectly healthy..."

"Seunghee, sweetie..." Namjoon murmured.

Seunghee turned to Namjoon and immediately realised what she had just said. Pregnancy brain, as people call it, was working full force. And having two instead of one baby growing inside her was only doubling its effect. She sighed in frustration, pouting as Namjoon chuckled and pulled her close, trying to comfort her after the slip.

"Well... This wasn't exactly how I imagined breaking the news," Seunghee confessed quietly. The faces of family and friends brightened with understanding, and Seunghee smiled softly, resting a hand on her stomach—the bump that will grow faster in the upcoming weeks. "We're having twins. And as happy as Namjoon and I are... We are terrified, you know? If a baby is hard work, imagine two..."

Everyone looked at each other, understanding Seunghee and Namjoon's concern, especially as first-time parents, it would be even more challenging. But they weren't alone.

Taehyung could relate to Seunghee to some extent. Even though he hadn't physically carried Hoseok, he would keep a watchful eye on his quote-unquote stepmother, always afraid she would pull some stunt that could harm his little sunshine. There were sleepless nights. Days when he couldn't stop crying—not only for his baby brother's safety, but from grief over losing his mother and sacrificing his relationship with Minhyuk. It had all been too much at once. Namjoon, Seunghee and Yoongi had been there for him in his darkest days. Taehyung needed the people who stayed after losing the most important person in the world and being betrayed by his father, whom he had once stood up for.

Tears rolled down Taehyung's cheeks. A sudden, overwhelming mix of sadness, happiness, and empathy crashed over him like a wave. While excited murmurs and the congratulatory words filled the dining room, Taehyung quickly wiped his tears and got up from the chair, making his way to Seunghee and Namjoon. Taehyung needed to show the same support, love, and kindness they had shown him when he had to step up and take the responsibility for Hoseok.

It was to show the support, love and kindness they had shown him when Taehyung had to step up and take responsibility for Hoseok. He reached for Namjoon and Seunghee's hands and took a deep breath, looking between them. His eyes lingered on Seunghee, seeing both love and worry in hers. "Seunghee, I'm sure that Joon has already told you this, but I will say again and again until it is ingrained in your brain..."

Seunghee chuckled softly, squeezing Taehyung's hand, already knowing what was coming. Taehyung had been through so much raising Hoseok, and their little sunshine was now a bright, energetic boy who required endless patience and love. At nineteen, Taehyung had done an incredible job.

"I understand how scared and nervous you are, sweetie. And, even though our circumstances are different, I can relate to you..." Taehyung said gently, smiling weakly as a tear ran down his cheek. "But I wasn't alone. I had you, Namjoon and Yoongi with me. And so do you, Seunghee. You and Namjoon have us, and we will help you with the twins."

"Taehyung is right, Seunghee," Yoongi added warmly, looking between Seunghee and Namjoon. "I might not know exactly what you are going through, but what I do know is that you have a support system." Yoongi chuckled, trying hard to hold back tears. "Hyunjoon and Yoon Joon are going to be over the moon about this. I wouldn't be surprised if Hyunjoon moves in the second the babies arrive. He won't admit it, but he's quite fond of babies."

Seunghee laughed, nearly choking on a sob.

While doctor Yoon gently glided the wand over her belly, Seunghee felt a twinge of fear coming over her. The moment between the application of the gel and the moment a strong heartbeat— which ended up being two— resonated through the room felt like an eternity. During that period, the worst scenarios crossed over Seunghee's mind like a blanket of dark clouds, one of them was what if she did something that harmed the baby? What if she carried the pregnancy to term but did a lousy job as a mother, which could lead to her raising a monster? And then, there it was. A loud, steady sound came from the ultrasound machine. Seunghee's eyes turned to the screen, and the image seemed different from the ultrasound her sister had shown her when she had gone to her first prenatal appointment. She glanced fearfully at Namjoon, preparing herself for the worst. Then, the doctor spoke, and Seunghee saw her smile too widely. They were twins. It was too early to know the genders of the babies, but the doctor could say with certainty that she and Namjoon were going to have twins.

Seunghee and Namjoon had been caught off guard with the news, and the worry doubled instantly. What if she raised her children and messed both of them up? What if one grew resentful of the other? Seunghee was consumed by fear and anxiety, but Namjoon, as the wonderful husband he was, saw through it right away.

Seunghee stared at Taehyung and Yoongi, then at everyone else gathered around them. Big, supportive smiles on their faces. Even Seokjin, who was gently holding little Jimin's small hand. Then she felt a tug at her skirt and looked down to find Hoseok innocently staring up at her with confusion.

"What's the matter, little sunshine?" Seunghee asked softly.

"Tae Tae said we need to take care of the twins," Hoseok replied innocently, tilting his head. "Is that about your baby, Seunghee?"

Taehyung heard Hoseok's question, and couldn't help but coo with his confusion. His little sunshine was adorable. He scooped Hoseok up into his arms, amazed that his seven-year-old brother was about to become an uncle. Taehyung kissed Hoseok's cheek, earning a sweet giggle.

"Little sunshine, twins mean Seunghee and Joonie are having two babies instead of one. And as the big uncle, you will have to help," Taehyung explained, watching Hoseok's gaze move to Seunghee's bump. "Are you up to the task, baby?"

Hoseok nodded firmly, grinning up at Namjoon. "Joonie, I will help you and Seunghee with the babies! Maybe I can teach them how to draw kitties and butterflies like Jiminie teaches me. Will you help, Jiminie?"

Jimin nodded, giggling at Hoseok's question.

"You see," Jungkook chimed in, placing an arm around Yoongi's shoulders, "Even the kids are excited to help. Like Taehyung said, you have nothing to worry about." Jungkook exchanged a look with Yoongi, who smiled back, feeling like the news had stirred something in him as well— the will to be a parent—, wondering if, someday, they would be lucky to have children as well. "And twins might be double the work, but it also means double the happiness."

"I have already told you before, but if you need anything, you can always come to me as well. I will try to help as best as I can," Seokjin added, feeling genuinely happy for Namjoon and Seunghee, understanding their concerns, especially having twins on the way.

"Oh, my dear! I might be old, but I still have enough energy to take care of two beautiful babies. God knows that I have all the time in the world," Mrs Kim said cheerfully, pulling out an embroidered handkerchief from her blazer and offering it to Seunghee. "Fear always creeps in, because no matter how prepared our bodies are to carry life, it's a different story once those arrive. Seokjin was a handful. The moment he learned to walk, he never sat still, always running around the house..."

"Mom..." Seokjin groaned, feeling embarrassed by his mother's revelation. But when Taehyung flashed his unique boxy smile, Seokjin decided not to argue and enjoy the view. Taehyung's beautiful smile always brightened any room he was in.

"I-I, ah, I, I don't know what to say," Seunghee whispered, wrapping her arm around Namjoon's and resting her head on his shoulder. She felt lighter now. Not that she hadn't felt supported before, but having the chance to express her fears and anxieties had lifted a weight from her chest. "Thank you so much, everyone! Now...can we sit down and eat? I'm starving, and our little beans need some food."

Chapter Text

TW: Mention of abortion

Namjoon looked at his phone, checking if he was heading in the right direction. He realised the coffee shop where he was to meet his father was just around the corner, so he continued walking. As he made his way, Namjoon pondered his brief encounter with Taehyung. Until now, he still didn't know why he had chosen to see his younger brother before meeting their father. Maybe part of him felt guilty. Or perhaps, forgiving and including his dad in his life meant forcing him into Taehyung's life as well. That was not what Namjoon intended.

It had been almost eight years since his mother's death, and, although it seemed unthinkable for Taehyung to forgive their dad after what he had done, deep down, Namjoon believed that one day, Taehyung would find the will to forgive and let go of the sorrow and hurt their dad's actions had caused.

Namjoon was more private compared to Taehyung. He wasn't as vocal or straightforward about his feelings regarding the situation, but that didn't mean he wasn't angry or upset about what had happened. Taehyung was fierce and bold—a force to be reckoned with. Sometimes Namjoon envied his younger brother, wishing he could be more upfront. That was what separated the two of them: Namjoon was guided by his rationality, while Taehyung was driven by emotion. Both ways of dealing with life and its problems had their upsides and downsides, and yet, Namjoon was comfortable with the person he was and deeply loved Taehyung for being himself. It was obvious that Taehyung resembled their mum—the same strength, the same spirit, the same bravery.

Now, why was Namjoon so hopeful about Taehyung forgiving their dad? The answer was simple—Kim Seokjin.

Earlier, during his encounter with Taehyung, Namjoon had been greeted with a hug and a small smile. Taehyung seemed rather calm, even though he knew of the impending meeting with their dad. His whole demeanour told Namjoon that something had happened prior. He guessed Seokjin had something to do with his younger brother's serene state. Despite Taehyung's cheerfulness and positivity, he still needed people around him to help recharge. There were moments when people drew upon every bit of strength to endure difficult times and hide their true feelings. Very rarely could Taehyung completely conceal his feelings; his emotions were usually written plainly across his face. For that reason, Taehyung treated his emotions carefully, knowing how transparent he was. Though he was still processing his newfound love for Seokjin, Taehyung was also cautious not to be too obvious, especially with friends and loved ones commenting on his close relationship with Seokjin.

"You have arrived at your destination."

Namjoon paused for a moment before stepping inside. He peeked into the coffee shop and spotted his father sitting at one of the booths, hunched over a cup of coffee, his eyes fixed on his phone. Namjoon took a deep breath and finally entered. He didn't regret his decision, but sometimes doubt made him question his choice. After the conversation with his dad, there would be no turning back. He walked confidently towards the booth, his heart racing. Namjoon made his decision thinking about the future of his children, not wanting to deepen the already large crack between his family.

"Dad..." Namjoon called softly.

"Joon!" Young Chul said excitedly, getting up from his seat. He pulled Namjoon into a hug, grateful that his eldest son had contacted him. He let go and took a good look at his son, feeling a wave of regret for missing so much of his sons' lives, especially Hoseok's. But that was a price he had to pay for his poor choices. "I'm so happy to see you, my son. Please, sit down!" Young Chul gestured to the opposite seat as he settled back in. "Would you like anything?"

"Hm, maybe a coffee, please," Namjoon replied, taking his seat. While his dad called over the waiter, Namjoon caught a glimpse of his father's phone screen and noticed one of the recent photos Taehyung had posted on social media—a photo of Taehyung, in a garden, watching a butterfly fly away from a bed of roses. Namjoon rested his arms on the table, contemplating the words he wanted to say.

Growing up, Namjoon had been closer to his dad, while Taehyung had been closer to their mum, though they loved their parents equally.

"Is everything okay?" Young Chul asked, worry laced in his voice. He was curious about what had driven Namjoon to reach out. "I wasn't expecting your call... Actually, I wasn't expecting to hear from you at all, especially after telling Taehyung about Yoo Nah..."

"I was livid when Taehyung told us about her," Namjoon spoke softly, meeting his dad's eyes and seeing the shame and regret within them. "Scratch that, I was beyond furious. Especially because you decided to drop the bomb on Taehyung instead of coming to me. But... I didn't come here to lecture you or rub salt in the wounds. I'm here for another reason."

"I understand... It was careless and selfish of me to do that to Taehyung after everything I had already put him through. I didn't mean to hurt him more, but I realise I probably ruined any chance of being part of his and Hoseok's lives," Young Chul responded sorrowfully, grasping his coffee cup and sipping the now lukewarm drink. "So... tell me, son, what can I do for you?"

Before answering, Namjoon let the waiter set his cup of coffee on the table. He thanked him with a slight bow of his head. Namjoon wasn't ready to announce that he and Seunghee were expecting yet. First, he needed to explain where he was coming from, and that including his dad in his life didn't mean Taehyung was obliged to do the same. Namjoon needed reassurance from his dad that he wouldn't upset Taehyung and pull stunts like showing up at Taehyung's apartment unannounced, pretending everything was fine. If Taehyung decided to let him into his and Hoseok's life, great. If not, his father would have to respect his decision—something he hadn't done for a long time.

"After Taehyung told me about our half-sister, I was done trying to have a relationship with you. Imagine wanting a family and not being able to have one... Then you watch your father getting married to a woman who didn't want to be a mother unless it was a baby girl. And, all of a sudden, she wanted to be a mother and felt regretful for almost aborting her first child." Namjoon's voice grew tense. "As I have said before, your wife owes Taehyung an apology. She needs to repent for what she did to him." Namjoon paused, sipping his coffee, trying to steady himself. He needed to remind himself that he didn't want to repeat his dad's mistakes. "I didn't want to be so harsh, dad. I came here with good intentions. Maybe there's still stuff I need to work through... Taehyung wasn't the only one who got hurt."

"Namjoon, I would rather you and Taehyung speak honestly with me, even if it hurts. I made awful choices, and those choices had consequences. They cost my family... My sons," Young Chul smiled bleakly, staring into his cup. "I want my babies back, but I know it won't be easy. Maybe keeping my distance is what's best for now."

As his father spoke, Namjoon reached into the inside pocket of his blazer and pulled out a copy of Seunghee's ultrasound. Maybe including his dad in his children's lives could give him some hope. He was convinced that, with Seokjin's influence, Taehyung would forgive their father one day. Namjoon was certain about the decision he had made. He didn't want to look back into the past and regret shoving his dad away. His children deserved to know their grandfather, just like Hoseok deserved to know his father. But that was a delicate matter, one Namjoon had no say in, as Taehyung had raised Hoseok.

"That's why I'm here," Namjoon spoke mindfully, diverting his gaze to his dad again. "You chose to abandon your family. You chose a woman you barely knew and didn't include us in your life. Pleasing your wife was more important than your sons." Namjoon added sincerely, not feeling remorse for the words he had just said. If he was being harsh, Taehyung was a million times harsher, and with reason. He placed the ultrasound on the table and pushed it towards his father. "I don't intend to make the same mistakes regarding my family..."

Young Chul's eyes widened as he carefully picked up the ultrasound. He studied it, his throat tightening, tears threatening to spill. "Is this... Are you and Seunghee—"

"Yes, Seunghee and I are going to be parents," Namjoon's voice softened, not expecting his dad to cry, especially in public. Watching his dad's reaction, Namjoon concluded that he had made the right decision. "She had her first prenatal appointment the day before yesterday. Seunghee is seven weeks pregnant and we're having twins..."

"J-Joon... Son, I'm so happy for you and Seunghee! And twins, wow, that's amazing!" Young Chul beamed through the tears, still looking at the ultrasound. The first person that came to mind was Jung Eun, who had always talked about grandchildren. "I can't believe I'm going to be a grandfather..."

"Thank you," Namjoon replied calmly, recalling how joyful everyone had been when they had shared the news. "Seunghee and I are overwhelmed; I mean, we struggled to have a baby, and now we are having twins," Namjoon added, watching his father wipe his teary eyes. "Dad, I meant it when I said I wouldn't repeat your mistakes. I want you to be part of my children's lives. I've spoken with Seunghee, and she's comfortable with that decision..."

Young Chul was stunned. Of all the reasons Namjoon might have reached out, this was the last thing he had expected. The urge to cry grew stronger, but he resisted, not wanting to make a scene. However, he was beyond happy to be able to have Namjoon with him. "J-Joon, I-I would love to be there for my grandchildren. I know it doesn't undo what I have done, but I'm grateful for the opportunity. I'm sure it wasn't an easy decision to make..."

"It wasn't," Namjoon admitted. "Especially knowing this would hurt Taehyung. But my situation is different. I wasn't the one who had to sacrifice everything to raise a child at nineteen," Namjoon said bluntly, grasping his cup again. He drank the rest of the beverage and licked his lips. "Also, I want to make it clear that just because I want you to be part of my family, it doesn't mean you can bother Taehyung. As of now, Taehyung and Hoseok are off-limits. I hope you understand, but Taehyung is dealing with a lot emotionally. Still, I believe he will forgive you one day..."

"I understand..." Young Chul sighed heavily, feeling discouraged despite Namjoon's words. "Do you believe Tae is going to forgive me, Joon? Like you said, my poor life decisions led my son to sacrifice his entire life, including his relationship, to save his younger brother. It has been almost eight years since your mother's death; I doubt he will ever forgive me, and I don't blame him..."

"Well, I thought I would never be able to forgive you, but here I am, asking you to be part of my life again, your future grandchildren's lives," Namjoon retorted with a shrug. He noticed his father's eyes shining, a faint spark of hope flickering behind them. When he had spoken to Taehyung earlier, Namjoon had asked if their dad ever inquired about their personal lives and whether it would be okay for him to share a little. To his surprise, Taehyung had said yes. So now, Namjoon wanted to give his father a small update—carefully, without revealing too much. "There's someone in Taehyung's life—a special someone—who has been supportive towards him. Taehyung has been through a lot regarding relationships, but this particular person is different..."

Young Chul often resorted to social media to keep tabs on Taehyung. It wasn't much, but it was the only way he could watch over his sons' lives and feel connected—and it broke his heart to see them seemingly better off without him. He had learned about Taehyung being cheated on by his former partner through a post Taehyung made online. Young Chul could feel Taehyung's heartbreak through the screen, and it enraged him that someone had used and hurt his baby boy, even though, deep down, he knew he hadn't been much better himself. Knowing that Taehyung was opening his heart again and giving love another chance after being deeply betrayed filled Young Chul with bittersweet happiness.

"Did you meet this person?"

Namjoon detected a hint of protectiveness in his dad's voice. He smiled, tempted to ease his dad's worries by spilling everything, but he decided against it. Not only to protect Taehyung's feelings but also to avoid outing Seokjin. His father still had ties to Old Kim, and the last thing Namjoon wanted was for Seokjin's father to catch wind of his son's private affairs. "I have met him, yes," Namjoon confessed, his voice steady. "He's, ah, he's a very close friend of mine and Seunghee's," Namjoon added honestly, noticing his dad's shoulders relax slightly at that. "And you know him too. You and Mum attended his family's social events. But I can't say much else. I need to protect both him and Taehyung. It's a delicate situation..."

Young Chul leaned back against the booth and furrowed his brows in thought. Someone both he and Jung Eun knew? The only family they were close to—especially, Jung Eun—was the Kim family. Young Chul had closed several major business deals with Mr. Kim, who, at the time, had been the CEO. Now, his son Seokjin was in charge of the company. Recently, Young Chul had been trying to schedule a meeting with Seokjin to discuss business. And on Hoseok's birthday, Young Chul clearly remembered Seokjin and his best friend, Jungkook—if he remembered correctly—arriving at Taehyung's apartment while he was speaking to his son. Aside from the Kim family, Young Chul didn't know anyone else who was pertinent in his and Jung Eun's lives.

Could it be? Could Kim Seokjin be the person Taehyung had let into his heart? Could Seokjin be the one who might someday help Taehyung find the strength to forgive him? Young Chul wasn't sure, but he knew he would have to respect Taehyung's wishes, keep his distance from him and Hoseok, and hope Namjoon was right.

***

"So, next question, Mr. Kim," Minhyuk said respectfully, pointing his pen at his notebook as he checked the question. "Which industries or sectors does your company prioritise for future investment, and what impact do you anticipate?" Seokjin paused and sipped his coffee, reflecting on the question. His company had been betting on new talent and university programmes to motivate young people and support their creativity and projects. Artificial Intelligence had been the main focus, as it was being explored by nearly every company, especially those in the IT sector. Seokjin's goal was to promote AI as a practical tool and help dispel the negative connotations surrounding it. He also wanted to support smaller companies and start-ups that might not have the necessary resources to grow their business.

"Well, at the moment, we're focusing on Artificial Intelligence, cloud computing, quantum technology, and 6G telecommunications," Seokjin replied confidently, resting his hand on the table. "These are high-potential fields that we believe will create a new wave of economic growth and jobs, both directly within our firm and indirectly through our suppliers and tech start-ups."

"Artificial Intelligence has been the centre of attention lately," Minhyuk remarked, going slightly off script, curious to hear Seokjin's thoughts. He already admired Seokjin as a businessman for going beyond his role as CEO. He was well-known for dedicating his time to studying the various business areas within his company. He was versed in economics, technology, management, and law. It didn't surprise Minhyuk that Seokjin was so successful in business and had taken his company further than his father ever had. "And public perception has been mixed, but mostly negative. So, what strategies does your company have regarding this matter? Specifically, how could you change the negative public perspective?"

"For us, chaebols, to reshape public attitudes toward AI, we would need to address both practical concerns and emotional fears. Most people's worries stem from a lack of knowledge. What I mean is people don't truly understand how valuable AI can be in our everyday lives, so they focus on the negative aspects. I want to emphasise that everyone has the right to their opinion, regardless of what I say," Seokjin explained, noticing how interested Minhyuk was in his answer. He appreciated Minhyuk for exploring and deepening subjects that could add more depth to his thesis. "Our priority would be to educate the public about how AI works—its limitations and benefits. We might rely on our marketing team to create a few explanatory videos or host virtual open houses showing AI in action," Seokjin continued, grasping his coffee cup. "It's also important to highlight how AI is already being used for good. For example, it has played a huge role in healthcare, helping doctors diagnose rare diseases. And, of course, we, as businessmen, value public feedback. One strategy we are already applying is running public trials or open beta tests where users can experience AI technology safely and offer their opinions before the official launch," Seokjin stated, leaning back in his chair and taking another sip of his beverage. "There are plenty of other strategies, especially from the government's perspective, like regulations and so on. But, unfortunately, we don't have all day."

Minhyuk chuckled at Seokjin's nonchalant tone and nodded. "Thank you for your insightful answer, Mr. Kim. I have one last question for you—what's the biggest misconception about chaebols like yourself?"

"People think we only serve our own interests—like getting rich by throwing people under the bus or not caring about our employees—or that we suppress innovation," Seokjin responded straightforwardly. "In reality, our objective is to commit ourselves to South Korea's future by investing in education, climate technology, and inclusive growth. Personally, I see our success as tied to the nation's success."

"And how do people view Kim Seokjin as a chaebol?" Minhyuk questioned, noticing the surprised expression on Seokjin's face. His question was inspired by how Taehyung viewed Seokjin. He didn't expect Taehyung, a cheerful and energetic person, to befriend someone like Seokjin. In Minhyuk's opinion, there was more than friendship between them, considering how often Taehyung endearingly mentioned Seokjin. "What three words do you think people would use to describe your character?"

The sounds of laughter, small talk, and coffee machines filled the bakery, emphasising the silence between Seokjin and Minhyuk. He didn't know why Minhyuk chose to ask him that particular question, but he wasn't completely surprised, especially after the comment about Taehyung being close to him when everyone described him as a cold-hearted, boring, and self-centred person on that day they met. He had heard worse from Jungkook and Taehyung. And honestly, Seokjin didn't blame them, especially Taehyung.

Seokjin couldn't help but smile, recalling some of the names Taehyung used for him, like "old man" or "ice sculpture with dead fish's eyes". "Cold-hearted, condescending, and self-centred are probably the main ones I have heard. People often misjudged my confidence as arrogance, which isn't true. I'm very certain of the person that I am, and I recognise my flaws. After all, I'm still human. Thankfully, the people in my personal life appreciate me for who I am and help me become better."

"What about Taehyung, Mr. Kim?" Minhyuk teased, catching Seokjin off guard. "How does he view you?"

Seokjin leaned forward and tapped Minhyuk's phone screen to stop the recording. He grinned widely as he sat up straight and crossed his legs. He wondered if his reaction during their first meeting had been obvious. Even though his relationship with Taehyung had changed over the weekend, Seokjin remained curious about Minhyuk's intentions. Back then, Seokjin had doubted his chances of winning Taehyung's heart. Minhyuk's close relationship with Taehyung had shaken his confidence, making him feel more protective. Seokjin confessed—he had been incredibly jealous. He hated how flirtatious and touchy Minhyuk was with Taehyung. He knew they had slept together, and although Taehyung's private life was none of his business, Seokjin intended to show just how important Taehyung was to him, especially after what had occurred between them that weekend. Seokjin wasn't a fan of the macho men or toxic masculinity culture, but in this situation, he was making his intentions perfectly clear. Of course, Taehyung could befriend whomever he wanted—Seokjin had no say in that—but he wouldn't allow Minhyuk to act so forwardly with him.

"As someone he trusts deeply. But our relationship goes beyond that," Seokjin replied, reminiscing about that morning. Taehyung had dragged him away from the school gate without saying a word. Seokjin knew Namjoon was meeting his father to reveal the news about the twins, and Taehyung was struggling with it. Taehyung immediately hugged him, and for a while, they stayed silent as Seokjin ran his fingers through his hair, hoping to ease his pain. Then Taehyung confessed how upset he was with the situation, but Seokjin reminded him that Namjoon had the right to involve their father in their children's lives—and that it was for the best. Taehyung begrudgingly accepted Namjoon's decision and promised to be more civil and open-minded. The reason behind his acceptance had been Seokjin tempting him with a double batch of chocolate chip cookies since he hadn't fulfilled the promise he had made over the weekend. "Taehyung knows I will always be by his side, no matter what. He leans on me whenever life becomes too overwhelming. He comes to me for comfort and reassurance. He knows how much I care for him, and I will always be there. I make him smile in tough times, wipe his tears when the world lets him down, and listen when his darkest emotions become too heavy to bear alone." Seokjin responded, not understanding why Minhyuk was smiling so widely. "I hope I answered your question, Minhyuk..."

"You did," Minhyuk replied warmly, debating whether to mention the night he and Taehyung had slept together. He quickly decided he should—it was important for Seokjin to know he wasn't a threat. And honestly, even if he had been, Minhyuk didn't think he would have stood a chance, especially not against Seokjin. "I'm not the type of man who brags about his intimate encounters, Mr. Kim. Some do, and I find it vulgar," Minhyuk began, twirling his pen and remembering the pillow talk he shared with Taehyung. "I won't lie. I'm fond of Taehyung. And yes, we slept together, but it was beyond physical attraction. I genuinely care about him. We bonded. He told me about his cheating ex, and I opened up about how I have had so many responsibilities in life that I have sacrificed my love life..." Minhyuk confessed, smiling weakly. "I work part-time as a bartender, I'm writing my thesis, and I take care of my baby brother while my mum works at the hospital. I have already tried to have relationships, but they never work. I like to be there for the most important people in my life, Mr.Kim. It's something I wish I could do for Taehyung..."

Setting aside his petty jealousy, Seokjin saw Minhyuk as a remarkable young man with a bright future. He understood why Minhyuk and Taehyung got along so well—they had much in common. Both had to sacrifice parts of their lives to be there for the people they cared for the most. Seokjin also noticed Minhyuk never mentioned his father, which likely meant he carried even more responsibility for his family. As he gazed at Minhyuk, Seokjin realised Minhyuk hadn't pursued Taehyung because it would have been selfish. And Seokjin genuinely believed Minhyuk cared deeply about Taehyung.

"I truly wanted a chance to conquer Taehyung's heart. But I don't think I would have succeeded," Minhyuk spoke playfully, seeing Seokjin cock a brow. "Tell me, Mr. Kim — how do you claim a heart that already belongs to another? You understand what I'm saying, right? I hope you feel more at ease, knowing I'm not your competition. I just care a lot about my close friend who has been through a lot..."

"I respect a man who knows his priorities, Minhyuk," Seokjin said, impressed by Minhyuk's loyalty and sense of responsibility, especially toward Taehyung. After their conversation, Seokjin had gained a better understanding of Minhyuk and a great deal of respect. He glanced at Minhyuk, smirking confidently. "And I respect a man who admits defeat gracefully. Although I'm curious: if it weren't for your family and responsibilities, Minhyuk, would you have pursued Taehyung?"

"I appreciate your acknowledgement, Mr. Kim. Your words mean a lot," Minhyuk replied sincerely, knowing he had likely boosted Seokjin's ego. But the man deserved it. Taehyung was clearly in love. Even over video call, Minhyuk could see the sparkle in Taehyung's eyes and the slight flush to his cheeks. He chuckled at Seokjin's question, finding it interesting. "Yes, I would have, Mr. Kim," Minhyuk admitted. "But I still don't think I would have stood a chance with Taehyung. I must say, you are a worthy, unbeatable opponent. I admire you, Mr. Kim. You're an incredible businessman who knows what he wants for his company. I'm assuming Kim Seokjin in his personal life fights for what he wants as well. Well, for whom he wants," Minhyuk responded boldly, seeing Seokjin smile at his words. "Did I satisfy your curiosity, Mr. Kim?"

"You did, Minhyuk," Seokjin answered, pleased, giving Minhyuk a thoughtful look. Minhyuk, with his unconventional hair colour and bold confidence, reminded him of Jungkook. Seokjin liked Minhyuk, and he could see why Taehyung cared for him. Minhyuk had standards and principles. "And I truly enjoyed our conversation, including this last bit. I wasn't kidding when I said I respect a man who knows his priorities. So with that said, after you finish your master's degree, I would like to hire you, Minhyuk," Seokjin spoke firmly, watching Minhyuk's eyes widen. "My company needs young people like you. I'm certain that you would be an amazing addition. And this way, you could rest more and spend time with your family."

Minhyuk was in shock, momentarily speechless.

"I-I, ah, I," Minhyuk stammered, laughing at his reaction. "I-I would be honoured, Mr Kim. Thank you so much for your generosity..."

"You're welcome, Minhyuk. You have my number, if you ever need help with your thesis, don't hesitate to contact me, "Seokjin said casually. "And you can call me Seokjin; I don't mind."

***
Chang Gu had just changed into a fresh outfit, eager to explore New York City after a chaotic morning, catering to arrogant, entitled models who acted superior simply because of their fame and fortune. But when you attended one of the most iconic fashion shows in the world, awful people came with the territory. As a makeup artist, Chang Gu has gotten used to it since he started working at a modelling agency. Maybe being paired with Hongseok most of the time had been a blessing—or perhaps he only thought so because they had been best friends for years, practically inseparable. Well, not always.

Chang Gu sighed as he reached the backstage area, hoping Hongseok was already dressed and ready to go. He genuinely looked forward to taking a breather and exploring the city before heading home. He had been excited about their original plan to visit New Zealand. But when Hongseok told him they would be returning to South Korea sooner than expected, Chang Gu was beyond furious. He knew the real reason for the sudden change—Kim Taehyung. There weren't enough words to describe how much he hated Taehyung. People like him—social butterflies—found it easier to attract and charm others. But that wasn't why Chang Gu envied Taehyung to the point of hatred.

Aside from everything else, Hongseok had promised to make it up to him. He had promised to show Chang Gu around New York. To take him anywhere he wanted to go. And Chang Gu had made his best friend swear to do it on his birthday.

Today was Chang Gu's birthday.

And yet, Hongseok hadn't said a word about exploring the city or even wished him a happy birthday. Chang Gu told himself it might be part of some surprise plan. Although deep down, he didn't believe there was any plan. Sometimes, he wondered if Hongseok even appreciated him anymore. One of the reasons he resented Taehyung so much was that ever since he appeared, it felt like Hongseok had completely pushed him aside and forgotten about him.

When Taehyung and Hongseok began dating, Chang Gu thought it wouldn't last. After joining the agency, it didn’t take long for Hongseok to buy his apartment. At that time, they had shared a small studio apartment. It hadn't been much, but Chang Gu had remained hopeful about the future. Because he aspired to become a well-known makeup artist, he was the first to connect Hongseok with the modelling agency. Without him, Hongseok wouldn’t be where he is today

And now, Chang Gu was terrified of being left on the back burner again. He admitted that he felt completely invisible to Hongseok. It was becoming unbearable, especially after everything he had done to support his best friend's career. Hongseok was, in every sense, the embodiment of ungratefulness. Chang Gu was getting fed up. Before leaving South Korea, he had started searching for new job opportunities. A few had been abroad, including some in New York. Without telling Hongseok, Chang Gu had sent his portfolio to several well-known agencies. To his surprise, most of them contacted him, and he had even managed to attend a few interviews since arriving in the city. One specific agency had caught his eye, and now he was waiting to hear back.

As he reached backstage, Chang Gu suddenly stopped in his tracks. Hongseok was sitting in the same spot he had been in before Chang Gu left to change, staring at his phone. He watched Hongseok, just as he had been earlier when he stepped out to change clothes, gazing at his phone. He didn't need to get closer to know what Hongseok was looking at. As always, his best friend was glued to his phone, scrolling to see if Taehyung had uploaded a new photo — and, of course, he had.

"Hongseok..." Chang Gu called softly, sensing the vulnerability in his voice. "I thought you would be ready by now..."

"I'm sorry, Gu," Hongseok said, turning his head back and offering an apologetic smile. "I got distracted..."

Chang Gu bit the inside of his cheek, holding back the anger threatening to spill over. He pretended not to notice what Hongseok had been doing.

"No worries," Chang Gu replied calmly, waiting for Hongseok to get up. But he didn't. "We don't have all day, Hongseok. So, c'mon, get ready. Let's explore the city."

"I'm sorry, Gu, I'm just...not in the mood to go out," Hongseok retorted, his eyes back on the screen. "Can we do it tomorrow? I promise I'll make it up to you."

Two apologies in a row. Chang Gu's heart completely broke, knowing that someone a thousand miles away had more of Hongseok's attention than he did, even when he was standing by his side.

"Like you were going to make it up to me when you said we weren't going to New Zealand because we're heading back to South Korea sooner than planned?" Chang Gu asked quietly, his voice shaking, tears threatening to fall. "Have you forgotten what day it is?"

"I'm sor-"

"Stop fucking apologising, Hongseok!" Chang Gu burst out, feeling hot tears slide down his face. "I can't fucking believe you would rather sit there, staring at your phone than spend time with your best friend on his birthday."

"Shit!" Hongseok cursed, instantly putting his phone down and hurrying toward Chang Gu. His hand reached for Chang Gu’s, but Chang Gu instinctively jerked away. "I shouldn't have forgotten, Gu. I suck as a best friend..."

Last year, it had been the same. Midway through lunch, Hongseok had abandoned him to see Taehyung. In all fairness, Taehyung hadn't known it was his birthday—for some reason, Hongseok never told him. At the time, Chang Gu had tried to understand because they were dating. Did it make him hate Taehyung any less? No. Chang Gu had despised him from the moment Hongseok first started messaging him.

Wiping his tears, Chang Gu felt like a walking cliché. He had spent two years hating a person who, unlike him, dared to go after what—and whom—they wanted. Taehyung had the guts to make a move on Hongseok. Chang Gu didn't have the same luxury because doing so could jeopardise their friendship. Chang Gu had been in love with Hongseok for so long that part of him had become numb. And he was exhausted. He had been clinging to the last flickers of hope, but couldn't do it anymore. That was why he had started looking for a new job. Not just for his career, but to finally remove Hongseok from his life for good.

"I honestly thought I would get my best friend back... but I was wrong," Chang Gu murmured, contemplating whether he should fly home tonight. At least there, he would be surrounded by people who genuinely cared for him. "I think I'm going back to South Korea..."

"Gu, please don't. I need you here with me," Hongseok pleaded, reaching for Chang Gu's hand again. He pulled his best friend into a desperate hug, tilting his head. Hongseok already knew he had screwed up too many times, and this time the thread holding them together was dangerously thin. "I promise I will show you the city..."

Chang Gu pushed Hongseok away and wiped his tears.

"I'm always by your side when you need me," Chang Gu whispered, his voice breaking. "But I can't say the same about you. And honestly? I think I'm better off on my own. I'm sorry for interrupting your precious time with Taehyung's new photo..."

"Gu, c'mon..."

Chang Gu didn't wait. He turned and left the backstage area, not in the mood to celebrate anything anymore. All he wanted was to take a hot shower, put on comfortable clothes, order room service, and eat ice cream until his stomach hurt. He needed to figure out whether he truly wanted to keep torturing himself like this. Even if he confessed his feelings, Chang Gu knew nothing would change. Hongseok was too obsessed with Taehyung to ever see him.

As Chang Gu stepped away from the fashion show venue, his phone vibrated in his pocket. The sight of the number made his heart skip a beat. He swiped to answer and brought the phone to his ear.

"Hello?"

Chapter Text

The children seemed overexcited that morning, and Seokjin, still finding it overwhelming to speak and attend to them in general, chose to stay behind. According to Jimin, his class would be getting the results from their math test today, and his son was confident about his grade. Something told Seokjin that as Jimin grew up, that confidence would only build up and become more transparent. Hopefully, Jimin wouldn't have to deal with the same comments and misjudgements Seokjin had endured. Even though Jimin had a different posture and appeared more humble, Seokjin blamed his son's delicate facial features and adorable demeanour for drawing people's attention.

As he observed the many children enthusiastically running about, mischievous and playful with one another, Seokjin realised that Hoseok was neither with his usual group of friends nor with Jimin. Taehyung and the other mothers were spoiling him. Taehyung had mentioned his desire to host another gathering with the mums, and Seokjin was on board, mainly because of Mrs. Seo's delicious lemon bars.

Seokjin furrowed his brow, worried about Hoseok. That morning at breakfast, Seokjin had noticed how Taehyung was constantly giving his younger brother positive reinforcement, reassuring him that everything would be alright. Hoseok had momentarily calmed down, but Seokjin didn't believe he was truly convinced. When Taehyung told him about Hoseok's low grade on the maths test and how he wasn't upset about it, Seokjin found it shocking. He couldn't understand how a parent or guardian could feel disappointment. However, Seokjin realised that having a poor grade wasn't the end of the world. At that moment, Taehyung was right—children were still learning, and sometimes, they needed patience and guidance to improve. As humans, we were always learning, thinking of new ways to strive, and failure and disappointment were part of the journey. Despite being only seven years old, Seokjin admired Hoseok for his perseverance and determination to do better. Hoseok was more remarkable than some businessmen Seokjin had met and engaged with over the years.

Seokjin's eyes wandered, landing on one side of the school, not very far from the school gate. He headed towards Hoseok, observing him sitting alone while plucking the petals from a flower, a pout adorning his features.

"Hi, Hoseok," Seokjin called gently, crouching at Hoseok's level. He noticed Hoseok's glossy eyes and the nervousness evident on his face. "You shouldn't be so far away from the group. It can be dangerous..."

"I'm sorry..." Hoseok whispered, focusing on the half-plucked flower again.

"It's okay. I'm here with you now," Seokjin reassured him, knowing he had to proceed cautiously. He thought back to when Jimin was equally anxious about his Korean test. However, Jimin was more concerned about his reaction. With Hoseok, Seokjin didn't have a clue. But he wanted to find out, to help him. "You seem sad today... Is it because of the maths test?"

Hoseok glanced up at Seokjin sheepishly and nodded.

"Are you scared about getting a bad grade?" Seokjin asked patiently, awaiting some sort of cue from Hoseok to ease his nervousness. He saw Hoseok nodding again. He delicately placed his hand over Hoseok's, already knowing that he functioned like Taehyung, seeking comfort through physical contact. "You know, Jimin was scared about the grade of his Korean test, too. He didn't want to disappoint me. Are you afraid of disappointing your family?"

"Yes..." Hoseok murmured, pursing his lips even more. "I promise Tae Tae and Joon hyung that I would study hard to get a B on my maths test. What if I can't keep my promise, Jinnie?"

"Did you study hard, Hoseok? Did you give it your best while preparing for the test?" Seokjin asked knowingly, watching Hoseok nod once more. He smiled, softly squeezing Hoseok's small hand. "Then you have nothing to be sad about. Your brothers know you always work hard. You even helped Jimin with his Korean test because it wasn't his strongest subject," Seokjin explained, still having Hoseok's attention. "Sometimes we aren't immediately good at everything. For a long time, I wasn't good at being a dad. I needed time and help from people with more knowledge to improve. I'm still learning, Hoseok, and so are you. I'm sure you did amazingly well on the test."

"Do you really think so, Jinnie?" Hoseok asked doubtfully, looking at their joined hands. Hoseok thought about what Seokjin had said, remembering Taehyung telling him something similar. Despite knowing math wasn't his strongest subject, Hoseok still wanted to do better, wondering if Seokjin could help him, like Joon-hyung did. "Would be disappointed in me if I get a bad grade? Will you help me study like Jimin and Joon-hyung?"

Seokjin was taken aback. He hadn't expected to seek his approval, much less ask for help. Until now, he had never had the chance to get close to Hoseok. Now, he understood why Jimin was drawn to him and why Taehyung spoke of his younger brother with pride. Hoseok was a clever, bright child, always seeking ways to improve himself, whether in school or extracurricular activities. Jimin often mentioned how easily Hoseok picked up piano notes, something his son struggled with. Seokjin could see for himself just how special Hoseok was.

Seokjin ran his fingers through Hoseok's soft hair, observing the young boy's doe-like, bright eyes gazing intently at him, likely waiting for his response. He smiled wholeheartedly, realising he needed to spend more time with Hoseok.

"I believe in you, so yes. And you should believe in yourself, too. You are a smart child, Hoseok," Seokjin chirped, noticing a smile slowly emerging on Hoseok's lips. "And no, I wouldn't be disappointed in you. Like Jimin, you always give your best and are dedicated to your studies. And yes, I will help you study, just like I help Jimin."

Hoseok dropped the half-plucked flower on the floor as he leapt forward and wrapped his arms around Seokjin's neck, giggling sweetly.

"Thank you, Jinnie! And..." Hoseok said enthusiastically, pulling away from Seokjin. "You are a good dad. Jiminie is always talking about you and how smart you are."

"Thank you, Hoseok," Seokjin spoke tenderly, carefully standing up after being nearly knocked down by Hoseok. The blonde boy reached for his hand, and Seokjin softly grasped it. "Between you and me... Do you think I'm a good dad? Or are you saying that to make me feel better?"

"My little sunshine is right, Seokjin."

Seokjin turned his head at the familiar voice and saw Taehyung casually leaning against the school fence with a wide smile. He wondered how long he had been standing there. It wasn't every day one asked a child for reassurance about their parenting skills. But, as he quickly learned, children tended to have a more genuine approach than adults. Perhaps their naïve and innocent nature led them to be more honest. Or maybe Hoseok was influenced by Taehyung, who was usually unfiltered and had no problem voicing his thoughts, especially regarding his family and loved ones.

"It's not nice to hear other people's conversations, Taehyung," Seokjin playfully teased, his eyes shining as he watched Taehyung approach him and Hoseok. He glanced down at Hoseok, chuckling softly at how he was still holding his hand instead of eagerly running towards Taehyung. "Don't you agree, Hoseok?"

Hoseok nodded firmly, strongly grasping Seokjin's hand.

"Is my baby turning against me?" Taehyung gasped dramatically, pretending to be betrayed by Hoseok's response. He found it adorable how Hoseok was clinging to Seokjin's hand and wasn't willing to let it go. Taehyung knew exactly how to win his little sunshine's heart. "What if I take you for an ice cream after school?"

"Jinnie will buy me an ice cream," Hoseok stated confidently, "Won't you, Jinnie?"

Seokjin was caught off guard by Hoseok's sudden question, hearing Taehyung chuckle. He felt completely trapped—and Taehyung knew it. Seokjin was usually strict about giving children sugar, and Taehyung, so how could he say no? However, since Hoseok seemed slightly down, Seokjin decided to comply, probably amusing Taehyung even more.

"Y-Yes...Of course, Hoseok."

The bell rang loudly, indicating that classes were about to start.

"Baby, you should hurry and meet your friends, or you will be late for class. Can you give Tae Tae a big hug and kiss?" Taehyung asked fondly, crouching with outstretched arms. He smiled broadly when Hoseok rushed over, embracing him and kissing his cheek. Taehyung stood up and patted Hoseok's head. "Have a great day at school, baby. And remember what Jinnie told you, okay? Now, go grab your backpack from Yoonie hyung."

"Yes, Tae Tae!" Hoseok exclaimed energetically, dashing off toward the school gate, waving goodbye to Taehyung and Seokjin. "Bye, Jinnie! Bye, Tae Tae!"

Seokjin waved back, watching Hoseok turn the corner and snatch the backpack from Yoongi, who reached for his small hand and walked into the school. He noticed Jimin happily waving at him and Taehyung while heading towards the school building.

"How much did you hear, Taehyung?"

"Do you really want to know, Jinnie?" Taehyung asked curiously, tilting his head with a playful grin. "You are new at this whole comforting children thing, so I didn't want to make you self-conscious. That's why I didn't interrupt sooner."

"From your clever, sassy speech, I take it you listened to the whole conversation," Seokjin concluded, making Taehyung giggle. He peeked at the group of mothers, seeing them say their goodbyes and turn back to their cars. Fortunately, that morning, Jungkook hadn't come along since Seokjin had been giving him small punishments for meddling and commenting excessively on his relationship with Taehyung. Then Seokjin felt it— Taehyung's hands grasping the lapels of his blazer, boldly pulling him closer. He enjoyed it when Taehyung got a little audacious and touchy, though preferably not in public. "Did I do a good job?" Seokjin asked, his voice dropping ever so slightly.

"Amazingly well...Those were the words you told Hoseok. And they apply to you, too, Jinnie. You have come such a long way," Taehyung whispered lovingly, his smile softening. His heart immediately caught fire the moment he noticed Seokjin's smirk. "And you should call me sassy more often," Taehyung added, his voice low and smooth like velvet as his fingers idly tugged on Seokjin's blazer, eyes lingering on his lips. "It fits me, don't you think?"

Seokjin's breath slightly hitched, feeling the overwhelming tension simmer between him and Taehyung. The way Taehyung bit his lip and fixed those mischievous, knowing eyes on him was dangerously leading Seokjin into a territory he kept running away from.

Unable to resist, Seokjin let his hand rest on Taehyung's lower back, gently pulling him in as he leaned close to his ear. "I will think about it," Seokjin muttered teasingly, sensing Taehyung's grip on his lapels tightening. "But honestly... I think naughty suits you better, my sugar bear."

***

Taehyung was heading to school when he received Seokjin's message informing him he was on his way, so Taehyung decided to stop and wait. Now, he was leaning against a wall, stretching his neck occasionally to see if the car coming down the street would be Seokjin's. Taehyung pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked the time. Seokjin had messaged him fifteen minutes ago, so he couldn't be far. Taehyung slid his phone back into his pocket, exhaling as he placed his hand on his chest, feeling his heart pound slightly faster. He threw his head back, letting his hand fall from his chest, wondering how long he could endure this torture.

When Namjoon had advised him to follow his mind and heart, explaining how they needed to work as a team to help him process his feelings, Taehyung agreed and promised himself he would try for his sake. But now, the constant, overwhelming tension looming between him and Seokjin was becoming too much to handle, and his heart wouldn't stop screaming at him.

Taehyung realised there was still so much he needed to process. He was still emotionally healing from everything. Hongseok had been the final straw, and Taehyung was done dealing with immature, selfish men who only cared about their own needs and desires. Hongseok hadn't been like that when they first met. His former boyfriend had shown, at least in the beginning, how sweet, kind, and loving he could be. Though Taehyung now wondered if Hongseok had been wearing a mask all along or if he had slowly changed into the person he was now.

Taehyung sighed in frustration and forced himself to lean on his rational mind. He concluded that he just needed to be a bit more patient. It was going to be worth it. And he needed to consider Seokjin's feelings, too. Seokjin had his own worries and burdens—his cruel father being one of them. Taehyung genuinely wanted to scream. Since when had love become so complicated? Unfortunately, he knew the answer. The countless times Taehyung had had his heart broken taught him to tread carefully around his own feelings.

"I was expecting to find a more excited Taehyung," Seokjin said worriedly, raising a brow. "Is everything alright?"

Taehyung instantly brightened at the sight of Seokjin standing in front of him and wrapped his arms around Seokjin's body, hoping the bad thoughts clouding his mind would disperse.

"Hi, Jinnie," Taehyung spoke softly, his voice muffled against Seokjin's shoulder. He rested his head there, closing his eyes briefly as he breathed in the familiar scent of Seokjin's cologne—the same one he wore that Sunday morning in the walk-in closet. Taehyung exhaled slowly, feeling Seokjin's fingers gently running through his hair. "I'm okay... Sometimes my mind races, and I get overwhelmed."

Lately, Seokjin had noticed how often Taehyung seemed overwhelmed. He was deeply worried about Taehyung, hoping to offer reassurance however he could.

"Well, I have the best remedy for racing thoughts. Although I'm not the biggest fan of it myself," Seokjin teased, smiling as he softly cupped Taehyung's face, noting the spark of curiosity in his eyes. "I promised to buy ice cream for a smart young boy. I could grab one for his big brother, too. What do you say, sugar bear?"

(I know you are the right man for me, Kim Seokjin...)

"Sugar bear is about to become even sweeter," Taehyung giggled, pulling away from Seokjin. "And my answer is yes, Jinnie. I never say no to sweets, and today feels like the perfect day for ice cream," Taehyung said brightly, flashing his signature boxy smile. He glanced down the road, remembering the children were waiting for them. "We should get our babies, Seokjin. I've been thinking about my little sunshine all morning, you know?"

"I knew you wouldn't refuse, Taehyung. You're too predictable, and I enjoy that," Seokjin said confidently, resuming his walk toward the school beside Taehyung. He noticed the way Taehyung's cheeks flushed and wondered if it was from the warm weather or his teasing words. Reflecting on what Taehyung had said, he completely understood. "It's natural, Taehyung. Whether you're a parent or guardian or someone who loves them, you will always worry about your children. You want the best for them."

Taehyung hummed in agreement. A recent episode popped into his head—Seokjin's comforting words and positive encouragement to Hoseok. During breakfast, Hoseok had been so anxious about his math test results, and it had broken Taehyung's heart to see baby brother so down and doubtful of himself. But seeing the trust Hoseok placed in Seokjin showed Taehyung that his little sunshine was warming up to him.

A lot had happened that week. A couple of days earlier, Minhyuk had called to tell Taehyung about the interview for his thesis. Taehyung knew how much Minhyuk admired Seokjin as a businessman, but when Minhyuk revealed that Seokjin had offered him a job, Taehyung was speechless.

Taehyung glanced at Seokjin and saw a gentle smile on his lips. The pleasant, warm weather was nothing compared to the warmth that his smile brought to his heart. He wrapped his arm around Seokjin's arm, wanting to be closer to him.

"You are a box full of surprises, Kim Seokjin. You have been busy this week, haven't you?" Taehyung asked playfully, chuckling. "First, Minhyuk tells me you offered him a job, then you comfort my brother, and now you are willing to break your own no-sugar rule to buy ice cream. And let's not forget how you have been severely punishing Jungkook lately. By the way, I like it when you stand up for yourself. Your best friend is a bit too nosy sometimes."

"I didn't mention Minhyuk because I figure he would tell you," Seokjin stated, laughing. "After our conversation, I gained a lot of respect for him. And, ah, I also figured out why he's so fond and protective of you, despite his bold actions toward you," Seokjin commented mindlessly, remembering Minhyuk's admission of defeat. "Now, regarding Jungkook—"

"What do you mean by 'bold actions', Seokjin?" Taehyung cut in abruptly, a hint of mischievousness lacing his voice. They were so close to the school that Taehyung could hear Jimin and Hoseok's sweet, infectious giggles. He let go of Seokjin's arm and stood in front of him, curious. Was Seokjin referring to Minhyuk's flirty, playful behaviour? Was Seokjin jealous? "If I remember correctly, Jinnie, you were quite playful this morning. Is that what you mean by "bold"? Because if so, you don't have the right to comment."

Seokjin hadn't realised he had commented that until Taehyung repeated his words. He smirked widely as he ran his fingers through his hair, basking in the sunlight. Seokjin glanced at Taehyung and saw the cockiness written all over his face. Seokjin felt defied by Taehyung, as if Taehyung was testing the waters of his feelings. And honestly, for Taehyung, Seokjin didn't mind admitting a little jealousy.

Seokjin leaned in slightly, his gaze locking with Taehyung's.

"I was right this morning—naughty sugar bear actually suits you quite well, Taehyung." Seokjin teased, voice dipped in a low, honeyed tone. "And for the record, that's not how the scene played out. You are the one who grabbed me by the lapels, used a flirty tone with me, bit your lip, and, as my mother would say, looked at me in an unholy way, sugar bear. So, that gives me the right to comment," Seokjin enlightened matter-of-factly, cupping Taehyung's face as he noticed him chewing on his lip and felt his cheeks getting quite feverish. "But to answer your question, my naughty sugar bear," Seokjin murmured hoarsely, brushing the tip of his nose against Taehyung's, "What I did this morning was just a warm-up. When I say "bold actions", I mean the kind that leave you thinking about me long after I have walked away," Seokjin let the words float in the air, a playful glint in his eyes. "Unless... You were hoping I would get a little bolder with you, too, Taehyung?"

(Yes, Jinnie, I want you to be bolder with me...)

If Taehyung could hear his heart pounding loudly in his chest a thousand times per minute, then Seokjin could hear it too, and that was both frightening and exhilarating. He was completely speechless, unable to retort or respond to the daring words Seokjin had just professed to him.

Taehyung already felt a deep emotional and physical attraction to Seokjin, but Seokjin had just awakened the part of him that longed desperately for physical connection. An intimate touch. A night of passion. Taehyung couldn't deny that, over the last few days, he had been fantasising about Seokjin, sexually. Sometimes, he would catch Seokjin gawking at him, his eyes wandering all over his body. Taehyung found it amusing how Seokjin would try to hide his obvious stares, though it probably only fuelled Seokjin's imagination. Taehyung didn't mind Seokjin's hungry eyes; after all, he was used to wearing next to nothing around him. But he couldn't help wondering—had Seokjin been fantasising about him too? Could that explain the thick tension and electrifying energy lingering between them?

"Silence implies consent, Taehyung. So, I'm going to take that as a yes. I guess I will have to do a better job of being bold," Seokjin said victoriously, bopping Taehyung's nose. "But we can discuss this matter later in private, if you want. Right now, we should get the children, shouldn't we?"

Taehyung nodded, still recuperating from the intense moment they had just shared. He watched as Seokjin offered his arm, and Taehyung accepted the silent invitation, linking his arm through Seokjin's and resting his hand on his bicep. He instantly noticed the firm, muscular shape beneath his hand and, almost absent-mindedly, squeezed it. The naughty thoughts from earlier came rushing back, stronger than before, and Taehyung tried to distract his wandering mind, focusing on literally anything that wasn't sex. It had been a while since he had a little fun between the sheets; Minhyuk had been the last man he had been with. But ever since his feelings for Seokjin had begun to surface, Taehyung had had much more to think about than sex. And now, his emotions were growing stronger by the day, and his body was getting hungrier for Seokjin.

"I have been going to the gym with Jungkook on the days Jimin has his lessons," Seokjin informed nonchalantly, smirking as he felt Taehyung squeeze his arm and clear his throat. Seokjin was keen on enticing Taehyung's imagination, especially after what had transpired. Taehyung often used his body to fluster him, and Seokjin didn't mind. He planned to use Taehyung's own tricks against him. "I want a well-defined body... Strong body, strong mind, don't you agree, sugar bear?"

(I want that well-defined body on top of me, pleasuring me and—No! Taehyung, get a grip!)

"H-Hum, y-yeah, I-I guess," Taehyung stammered, relieved as they finally arrived at the school. Through the school fence, he spotted Myungsoo speaking with Jimin and Hoseok, noticing his hand on the strap of his backpack. Taehyung and Myungsoo had been classmates back in high school and university. Taehyung released his grip on Seokjin's arm, grateful for the much-needed break from Seokjin's provocative demeanour. "Jinnie, I'm going to go say hi to Myungsoo..."

Before Seokjin could respond, Taehyung had already run through the school gate, cheerfully calling Teacher Kim's name. Seokjin had known Taehyung was familiar with Jimin and Hoseok's school teacher. Jungkook had told him when Jimin fainted. Shaking his head, Seokjin smiled widely, wondering if Taehyung was using Teacher Kim as an excuse to distance himself from him and calm himself down. Seokjin hadn't meant for their conversation to become so intense and breathtaking. He swore he could see the gears in Taehyung's mind overheating from overworking so much.

Seokjin continued towards school, noticing Jimin and Hoseok looking so joyous, which meant good news. He approached the stone stairs, seeing that the children were more focused on Teacher Kim and Taehyung's conversation. As he drew nearer, both the teacher and the children turned to acknowledge him.

"It's nice to see you, Mr. Kim!"

"Likewise, Teacher Kim," Seokjin replied politely, offering a small smile.

"Well, I'm glad I caught you, Taehyung. As always, time hasn't touched you these past few years. You still look the same Taehyung from ten years ago," Myungsoo chuckled, adjusting the strap on his shoulder. "Ye Jin keeps complaining about how old she is getting, and she's only 26. Maybe you could share your secret with her? If it comes from me, I will never hear the end of it."

"It was really nice to see you, Myungsoo. It's been a while since I saw you. Well," Taehyung paused, replaying the last time he had seen Myungsoo—the day when he and Seokjin met the mothers of the kids who bullied Jimin and Hoseok. He laughed awkwardly, not wanting to focus on that day. "Speaking of Ye Jin... When are you going to pop the big question? You two have been together since high school; I imagine she's been fussing about that."

Myungsoo laughed nervously, scratching the back of his neck. "Ah, well... I have been thinking about that, Taehyung. I might do it by the end of the school year..."

Taehyung grinned and hugged an embarrassed Myungsoo. "That's awesome, Myungsoo! I always said you were perfect for each other, even when you were too shy to talk to her."

"Thanks, Taehyung, if it weren't for you, I don't think Ye Jin and I would be together. And it might be early, but you are obviously invited to the wedding, whenever it will be," Myungsoo added, giving Taehyung another hug before glancing at his watch. "I've got to run, but let's catch up soon, Taehyung. Ye Jin misses you."

"Tell her that I miss her, too. See you tomorrow!" Taehyung spoke warmly, waving goodbye.

"Goodbye, Taehyung. And I'll see you tomorrow as well, Mr. Kim," Myungsoo added, waving as he made his way down the stone stairs. He glanced at Jimin and Hoseok as he passed. "I'm very proud of you two. I'm sure both your brother and dad will be happy about your grades. Also, don't forget those permission and chaperone slips tomorrow, alright?"

"Yes, Teacher Kim!" Hoseok exclaimed enthusiastically, eager to share his good news with Taehyung and Seokjin.

As he watched Teacher Kim interact with the children, Seokjin leaned towards Taehyung. "You see, Taehyung, there's a big difference between how you said goodbye to Teacher Kim and how Minhyuk said goodbye to you... Minhyuk is what I call bold."

(Seokjin, baby, you are driving me crazy on purpose. I can see it in your eyes...)

"I thought we agreed to talk about this later, Seokjin, in private," Taehyung whispered, hiding the mischievousness of his voice from the children. He smiled playfully at Seokjin, noticing how amused Seokjin seemed to be using his words from earlier. "And, as far as I can tell, the only bold one here is you, Jinnie. I kind of like that side of you..."

That maddening duality coming from Taehyung drove Seokjin insane, in a good way. He stared at Taehyung's smile, realising he could now discern the different types of Taehyung's smiles. To the human eye, a smile might look the same every time. But Seokjin, through Taehyung, had learned to look beyond. There was another reason why he had become so interested in behavioural psychology. Seokjin urged to get to know Taehyung in depth, studying the emotions and silent messages his body conveyed. In that instant, Taehyung audaciously communicated exactly how much he wanted to keep flirting, revealing what was crossing his mind. At the same time, there was a barrier, an invisible wall preventing Taehyung from voicing how he truly felt. It made Seokjin wonder if the source of Taehyung's restlessness was his feelings for him. Did Taehyung's mind keep racing because of him? Seokjin was certain now of Taehyung's feelings. As time passed, more signs indicated that Seokjin and Taehyung were walking on the same path together, side by side, even if neither dared to acknowledge it yet fully. Well, not entirely.

Seokjin brushed a few silver strands from Taehyung's forehead. The playful smile plastered on his face slowly disappeared, replaced by a gentle, tight-lipped smile. The lustful glint in his eyes softened, revealing tenderness and curiosity that tugged at his heart. The way Taehyung leaned in, yearning to be closer, showed Seokjin that they both needed that closeness, no matter what. Those brown eyes searched his, trying to decipher the unspoken message Seokjin was sending, hoping Taehyung could find reassurance.

As they stared at each other, Seokjin wondered how long until they came forward and confessed how they felt. Speaking for himself, Seokjin could no longer stop the love for Taehyung from spilling over. Even something as simple as brushing his hair aside, cupping his cheek, or allowing himself to be drawn into Taehyung's gravitational pull screamed how desperately Seokjin wanted to be with him.

As he let his thumb linger on Taehyung's face, Seokjin felt a tug on his blazer. Unwillingly, he broke eye contact with Taehyung and immediately felt breathless. Seokjin cleared his throat and stepped back, noticing Taehyung's head lowered, probably hiding those telltale flushed cheeks.

"Hi, Hoseok," Seokjin greeted gently, feeling Hoseok's small hand tugging him toward the stairs. He looked in Taehyung's direction and caught a shy smile and cheeks tinged with dark pink. Taehyung had sat down on one of the stone steps as Jimin joined him. Seokjin was seated beside Taehyung, sensing Hoseok's eagerness to share something, and he had a pretty good idea what it was. "You and Jimin sounded cheerful earlier, Hoseok..."

Hoseok quickly pulled out his math notebook, flipping to a page before handing it over to Seokjin with a grin full of pride. "I did it, Jinnie!"

Seokjin's eyes immediately wandered to the top right corner of the paper, where the grade was written in a blinding red ink, along with an encouraging message from Teacher Kim—a B. Unconsciously, a bright smile spread across Seokjin's face, happy about Hoseok's improvement and hard work. The child was highly resilient, and Seokjin wasn't surprised by it. After everything Taehyung had endured over the years, Hoseok had learned a lot from his older brothers.

"Are you proud of me, Jinnie?" Hoseok asked timidly.

Taehyung carefully observed the interaction between Hoseok and Seokjin, loving how attached Hoseok had become to Seokjin. It was still infuriating to remember how Seokjin made his little sunshine cry, assuming Hoseok was a bad influence on Jimin and not wanting him near his son. But that was in the past, and now Taehyung couldn't help but coo over Hoseok's affectionate demeanour.

"Of course, I'm proud of you, Hoseok," Seokjin answered warmly, handing the math test back to a beaming Hoseok. All of a sudden, Hoseok tackled him with such enthusiasm that Seokjin was almost knocked down like that morning. Seokjin welcomed Hoseok in his arms as Taehyung and Jimin giggled nearby. While Hoseok made himself comfortable on his lap, Seokjin glanced at Jimin. He knew his son had likely earned a high grade on his math test. Jimin always got A's on his math tests. But for some reason, Seokjin detected some hesitation in him. "How did you do, Jimin? You told me the test went well."

Taehyung furrowed his brows. Although Jimin had a smile on his lips, he seemed reluctant to share his math test with his dad. He didn't understand it, especially when Jimin had aced the test as usual. While staring at Jimin's test, Taehyung noticed Jimin holding another sheet of paper besides the math test. He recalled what Myungsoo had mentioned before leaving school. It had something to do with permission and chaperone slips, which meant the children were going on a field trip somewhere. Could it be that Jimin was anxious about asking Seokjin to go on the field trip? It didn't make sense, since Jimin and Hoseok had gone on field trips before, and according to Jimin himself, Seokjin had always let him go.

Taehyung wrapped his arm around Jimin's waist and brought him closer, sensing the little one's nervousness. He scooted aside to make space between himself and Seokjin, silently encouraging Jimin to speak about what was bothering him. Before speaking, Taehyung ran his fingers through Jimin's hair in a soothing gesture.

"Jiminie, sweetie, I can see you got a big A on your test," Taehyung spoke fondly, delicately taking the math test from Jimin's tiny hands, unveiling the chaperone slip underneath. And in that moment, Taehyung realised what had been troubling Jimin. "Are you nervous because you want to ask your papa something?"

Jimin nodded sluggishly, hesitantly looking up at Taehyung.

"What is it you want to ask, Jimin?" Seokjin questioned curiously, his gaze falling on the paper.

"After Teacher Kim gave us our math test results, he told us that we are going on a field trip to the zoo next week," Hoseok chimed excitedly, thrilled at the chance to see the animals and learn new things. "During recess, I told Jimin and our friends that I wanted Tae Tae to come with us on the field trip. Tae Tae always comes with us. Then I asked Jimin if he wanted you to come, Jinnie, and he said yes."

Seokjin stood speechless, trying to find the words to say. He hadn't expected Jimin to ask him to chaperone on their class field trip to the zoo. It certainly would be a new experience and a chance to spend quality time with his son. But it also meant taking a full day away from the company, and how could he possibly explain his absence to his father? If his father found out he had skipped work to accompany his son's class to the zoo, it would trigger his rage. After the manufacturer incident, Seokjin was already walking on thin ice; he didn't want to cross his father again. The thought of defying his father again terrified him. Yet part of him longed to say yes, be there for Jimin, keep strengthening their bond. Seokjin felt trapped, like he was standing at a crossroads without a clear way forward.

"Seokjin..."

Seokjin awoke from his thoughts and saw Taehyung standing at the end of the stairs, concern written all over his face.

"Can you come here for a second?"

Seokjin nodded, watching as Hoseok got up from his lap and settled beside Jimin, who had his head lowered. A pang of guilt pierced his heart, making him wonder if he was about to disappoint his son yet again because of his fear of his father. He climbed down the stairs, and almost instantly, Taehyung grasped his hand and pulled him aside from the children, taking him near the school gate.

For a moment, Seokjin stood quiet, unsure of what to do or say. And knowing that Taehyung had asked him to come with him spoke volumes about how obvious his inner turmoil was. He sighed heavily. It all felt so preposterous. Here he was, making decisions based on his father's reactions instead of putting Jimin first, something he had sworn to stop doing. He didn't understand why the fear still had such a hold on him, especially after all the progress he had made standing up to his father in recent weeks. It seemed as though every bit of courage had been completely wiped out of him.

"I know you are scared, Seokjin," Taehyung spoke gently but firmly, already thinking of a way to persuade Seokjin to come to the field trip. He didn't want to come across as pushy or pressure Seokjin, but Taehyung needed to do whatever was necessary to preserve the beautifully blooming father-son relationship. "But you can't allow him to control your life, especially regarding Jimin. Your son needs you..."

Seokjin smiled gloomily, unable to look at Taehyung. Whenever Taehyung spoke to him like this, seeing through every mask, stripping away every excuse, Seokjin felt completely exposed. He knew he would be a coward if he decided not to go as a chaperone, unwillingly feeding the same fear that gave his father more power over him.

"It's not that easy, Taehyung..."

"Yes, it is, Seokjin," Taehyung retorted, his tone tightening, even though he didn't want to resort to the "though love" strategy. The reason he was being so harsh was because of his unconditional love for Seokjin. Taehyung hated seeing Seokjin so easily bow to his father without even giving the chaperone request a chance. He sighed in frustration as he got closer to Seokjin, placing his hands on his chest. "In every decision you make, Jimin should always come first... Not you, and certainly not your father. Is the fear within you greater than the love you have for Jimin?"

"You know I love my son, Taehyung," Seokjin replied quietly, avoiding making eye contact with Taehyung. He didn't want to disappoint Jimin all over again, just like he did in the past. "Despite everything that had happened, Jimin is my priority..."

"There's your answer then," Taehyung uttered, hurt that Seokjin wouldn't reach for him or look him in the eyes, essentially admitting defeat. "It's not that hard..."

"Taehyung, you don't understand," Seokjin snapped, his voice sounding harsher than he wanted to. He sensed Taehyung stepping away, creating distance between them, and he hated driving away the person he loved the most, but Taehyung didn't get it.

"I might not understand your situation, but I know who needs me the most." Taehyung tried not to be upset with Seokjin's antics, but somehow he felt like he was dealing with Seokjin from the past—the ruthless monster who didn't care about anyone's feelings or opinions. "You know I have my ways to make you go, Seokjin, don't force me to use them..."

"This is not a game, Taehyung!" Seokjin shouted mindlessly, "I don't have the same freedom you have. There's a lot at stake for me. Do you think I don't want to be with my son? Do you think I would rather obey my father than accept my son's request to be a chaperone? My life isn't as black and white as yours. What if your— Never mind..."

(You know my life isn't as black and white as you think, Seokjin...)

Taehyung guessed what Seokjin was about to say, and it hurt. He knew Seokjin had nearly used his father against him to prove a point, just like he did in the past. He genuinely wanted to help Seokjin resolve things, but he got so incredibly frustrated that Taehyung ended up saying the words. Tears threatened to fall, but Taehyung refused to succumb to them, unwilling to show his pain in front of Seokjin. He swallowed the knot in his throat and took a deep breath, wondering how they had gone from flirting to arguing, especially in front of the children. Taehyung blamed himself for expecting Seokjin to be more reasonable. He had been wrong.

"D-Do whatever you want then," Taehyung stated coldly, immediately turning his back on Seokjin.

An overwhelming urge to grab Taehyung's hand and pull him closer washed over Seokjin, but, as always, he decided to go against his heart, allowing Taehyung to leave. He sighed in defeat, running his fingers through his hair, almost yanking some of it. Why did he let his fear ruin two of his most important relationships—Jimin and Taehyung—because of his father, who didn't deserve anything from him, not even the fear he felt?

***
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(Earlier that night)

Seokjin closed the book and placed it on the nightstand. He glanced down at Jimin, who was snuggling with the Tata plushie—the very one Taehyung had gifted him. His eyes lingered on the plushie, and Seokjin wished he could go back and undo everything he had said to Taehyung that afternoon. He knew Taehyung had only been trying to help by doing the right thing: choosing his son and overcoming his fear. Seokjin had managed to stand up for himself and protect Jimin, yet somehow, a simple matter like agreeing to be a chaperone on a school trip might have jeopardised his chances with Taehyung. He wanted to blame it on Taehyung. But hadn't he also blamed Jungkook in the past when his best friends made those comments about him raising Jimin? He had, and it had been unfair.

"Papa?" Jimin called sleepily, grasping his dad's hand.

"Yes, Jimin?" Seokjin asked quietly, noticing Jimin's struggle to stay awake. "Do you want me to read you another story?"

Jimin shook his head, squeezing his dad's hand.

"I won't be sad if you don't go, papa. I know grandfather will scream at you," Jimin whispered, offering a weak smile to his dad. "So... can you and Tae Tae be friends again?"

Seokjin's heart ached at the mention of Taehyung, but it ached even more to hear Jimin say he didn't mind him not going because he didn't want his grandfather to scream at him. Seokjin brushed Jimin's hair aside and smiled sadly, hating to see his son sacrifice his own happiness for him. He didn't deserve it, just as he felt he didn't deserve such an amazing son as Jimin.

As for Jimin's question, Seokjin wasn't sure about the state of his relationship with Taehyung. But he knew Taehyung was hurting. Seokjin had sent a dozen messages that afternoon, and they had gone unanswered. He wanted to make things right between them and do whatever it took to have him back, even if he had to bake a thousand cookies for Taehyung and owe him a hundred favours.

"I want to be friends with Taehyung, Jimin," Seokjin said honestly, cupping Jimin's chubby cheek. "But I don't know if Taehyung wants the same..."

"Tae Tae likes you a lot, papa. You make him smile," Jimin stated innocently, giggling. "I like Tae Tae's smile."

Seokjin leaned down and kissed Jimin's forehead, earning a few giggles from his son. He smiled brightly as he pulled the duvet slightly up to better cover Jimin's body, watching his son hug the Tata plushie tightly.

"I like Taehyung's smile, too, Jimin..."
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Seokjin was in a staring contest with the chaperone slip laid on the centre table of his master bedroom. He had been staring at it since the moment he sat down on the couch after putting Jimin to bed. He continued to play with the pen, sighing in frustration as he reflected on Jimin's words from earlier. His son was six years old, going on seven, and yet he was braver and more perceptive than Seokjin. When Jimin told him he made Taehyung smile, something stirred deep inside him. His heart was in shambles, and he desperately wanted Taehyung back. Seokjin wanted to capture Taehyung's heart again.

Thinking about Taehyung, Seokjin threw the pen onto the table, grabbed the phone beside him on the couch, and pressed the side button of the screen, noticing there were no new notifications. He looked down at the table, haunted by the piece of paper in front of him. At that moment, Seokjin was mentally cursing his father—something he usually avoided because he knew if he started, he would want to curse him out loud, face to face. Seokjin craved freedom, and to obtain it, he needed to fight for it, just as he needed to fight for Taehyung. That meant putting his fear aside and confronting his problems.

First, Seokjin needed to amend his relationship with Taehyung, and he wasn't going to wait until the next day to do it. Without hesitation, he grasped the pen and instantly signed his name at the bottom of the slip. Seokjin honestly didn't know if it would work, but either way, he was putting Jimin at the top of his priority list, and he could deal with his father afterwards. He had already defied him multiple times; this time wouldn't be any different. Or so he thought. Seokjin grabbed his phone again and unlocked it. He opened the camera app, took a photo of the chaperone slip, and sent it to Taehyung, guessing he wouldn't get a response from him. But instead of sending him a text message, Seokjin decided to be bold. He scrolled through his contact list and called Taehyung, hoping he would answer rather than punish him with silence for what had happened that afternoon.

Throughout his life, Seokjin had dealt with situations considered far more serious and difficult than the one he was trying to handle now. But business negotiations were much easier for Seokjin compared to glueing together the remaining pieces of a broken heart. Seokjin got up from the couch while the call rang, wondering if Taehyung might give him a chance. He was so desperate that, for a moment, Seokjin considered showing up at Taehyung's apartment, but he quickly dismissed it. He wanted to give Taehyung space rather than smother him.

Finally, the ringing stopped, and the sound of the call being answered came through. Seokjin smiled, although his heart raced. He wasn't prepared for this moment.

"Taehyung..."

"W-What d-do you want, Seokjin?"

The voice sounded harsh, but what caught Seokjin's attention was the stammering, the sniffing, and the hoarseness. It pained him to know that he had made Taehyung cry, and he probably was still crying because of him.

"I want to apologise, sugar bear..." Seokjin said wholeheartedly, standing at the floor-to-ceiling windows, staring at his reflection. "I shouldn't have spoken to you like that. I know how much you care about me and Jimin, and I also know I almost stepped out of line by implying your life is black and white, especially after everything you have confided in me..."

A heavy silence lingered between Taehyung and Seokjin. Seokjin may have been scared of the repercussions of going against his father on this matter, but losing Taehyung was much scarier. He wasn't sure if he could reach Taehyung's heart, especially as it had always been easier to connect through physical contact.

A loud sniffle echoed from the other side of the phone, and Seokjin felt hopeless for not being physically there to hug and comfort Taehyung.

"I-I'm sorry, J-Jinnie..." Taehyung stuttered brokenly, squeezing his phone tightly. He wiped away his tears and tried to muffle his sobs. "I'm s-s-sorry for pressuring you..."

Seokjin sat down on his bed with a soft, pained smile. Taehyung had nothing to apologise for, but he had always been a selfless cutie, putting others before himself. "Sugar bear, there's nothing for you to apologise for. You just want the best for me and Jimin... You were looking out for us."

"S-Still, I-I shouldn't have l-let my frustration take over, e-especially knowing h-how ruthless your f-father can b-be," Taehyung replied as he pulled his legs to his chest, grasping the pillow by his side for comfort. He genuinely wished to be in Seokjin's arms at that moment. "You already have so much to worry about. You didn't need me adding pressure..."

"You sound just like Jimin," Seokjin confessed, chuckling bitterly. "Earlier, when I put Jimin to sleep, he told me he wouldn't be sad if I didn't come as a chaperone because he knew his grandfather would scream at me." Seokjin could hear the weakness in his voice, hurting at the thought of Jimin sacrificing his happiness for him. For a father who had caused him so much pain over the last couple of years, Seokjin honestly felt pity for himself. "And then my son asked if we could be friends again..." Seokjin paused, allowing the words to linger for a moment. "Can we be friends again, Taehyung? I don't care if I owe you a hundred cookies and favours. I know I owe you and Hoseok an ice cream, but I'm sure the zoo has an ice cream stand, so I can pay my debt to both of you when we go on the field trip..."

Taehyung let those words sink in, a smile instantly breaking out on his lips. Now, more than ever, he wished Seokjin were beside him, so he could kiss him for being so thoughtful and loving. There was another piece of information that caught Taehyung's attention—the mention of the field trip to the zoo. Did this mean Seokjin had decided to go? After what Seokjin had said about Jimin, Taehyung understood that he didn't want to let down his son, let alone allow his father to have so much control over him and destroy the progress Seokjin had made with Jimin.

"A-Are you really coming, Jinnie?" Taehyung asked enthusiastically, trying to keep his voice down so as not to wake Hoseok up. "Did you tell Jiminie yet?"

"I didn't have the chance to speak to Jimin, but that will be the first thing I will do tomorrow morning," Seokjin replied, loving the excitement in Taehyung's voice. "And if you want to be certain about my decision, you can check the message I sent to you a couple of minutes ago."

"O-Okay, let me check it then," Taehyung responded, finding Seokjin's request somewhat odd, but he complied.

Seokjin placed one hand on the bed to support his weight, patiently waiting for Taehyung to see the photo he had sent with his signature on the chaperone slip. He heard a faint gasp and couldn't help laughing at Taehyung's reaction. It would have been better if he had been there in person.

"Do you believe me now, or do you need more proof, sugar bear?" "

"Jinnie, I'm honestly so happy you are coming," Taehyung whispered, his eyes focused on the photo. A wave of happiness surged through him, chasing away any remnants of sadness. He recognised that he had been selfish and that pressuring Seokjin hadn't been the best way to help him make the right decision. Their argument from that afternoon felt so trivial. "And I know it's not easy for you, Jinnie, but Jimin is the one who matters... The one who needs you the most."

"You and Hoseok matter to me, too, Taehyung," Seokjin confessed openly. When he made his decision, Seokjin considered not only Jimin, who was obviously his main priority, but also Taehyung and Hoseok. They were part of his life, too, and held significance in his heart. Seokjin sighed, feeling as if words alone weren't sufficient. Before continuing, he made a request. "Sugar bear, can we video call? I want to see you..."

Taehyung was still processing what Seokjin had said about him and Hoseok. What mattered most was the way Seokjin included both him and his little sunshine, recognising him as someone important in his life too. Taehyung felt the same way about Jimin. He adored Jimin so much that he cared for him as his own child.

The night's silence accentuated the frantic beat of his heart, and suddenly, he felt breathless, just as he had been that afternoon when Seokjin gazed at him fondly after they had flirted with each other. Taehyung honestly couldn't recall ever feeling such intense love as he felt for Seokjin. Perhaps the affection he had felt for Minhyuk came close, but it wasn't the same. A simple request for a video call made Taehyung question whether he could handle Seokjin and his sweet, complimentary words, which often affected him and his already fragile heart. Taehyung didn't know how much he could bear. His feelings kept escalating, clearly evident to Seokjin, and vice versa. He could see how deeply Seokjin cared for him.

"I-I don't k-know, Jinnie," Taehyung replied softly, nervously biting his lip. "I-I look like a mess..."

"I've seen you cry before, Taehyung, and I know I'm the culprit this time," Seokjin stated, gathering his courage for the words he was about to confess. Was there any point in concealing how he truly felt for Taehyung? It was no secret how much Seokjin cared for him, both emotionally and physically. "But no matter what, my sugar bear, you still look beautiful in my eyes..."

"You really are a sweet talker, Kim Seokjin," Taehyung giggled, unable to resist Seokjin's charms. He couldn't shake off the nerves about seeing Seokjin after everything that had transpired between them, but Taehyung felt relieved for resolving their predicament and closing the rift that had created distance. "O-Okay, we can video call. Give me a second..."

The call ended, and right away, the phone chimed loudly, indicating that Taehyung was requesting a video call. Seokjin instantly accepted by sliding the green icon and saw Taehyung tightly clutching a pillow, hiding part of his face, only revealing his bloodshot, puffy brown eyes and messy, curly grey hair. Seokjin's heart melted at the cuteness overload, and simultaneously, it broke him to know that he had been the one to cause Taehyung pain. He smiled warmly; the word beautiful was truly an understatement when describing Taehyung. Seokjin found Taehyung incredibly gorgeous, and being the recipient of Taehyung's attention made him feel so fortunate.

As he continued to stare, completely speechless, Seokjin watched Taehyung bury his face in the pillow, probably embarrassed by his lingering gaze. "When I asked for a video call, sugar bear, it was to see your face and speak to you, not for you to hide from me..."

Taehyung lifted his head and stuck his tongue out at Seokjin for being so charming and intimidating. His heart wasn't ready to handle Seokjin's smooth words. He hugged the pillow with one arm and rested his head on it, his eyes capturing Seokjin's relaxed posture, the few unbuttoned buttons of his white dress shirt partially unveiling his chest. His dishevelled dark hair, parted to the sides, gave Seokjin a more relaxed appearance compared to the professional, formal look he typically strived for.

"I missed you so much, Jinnie..." Taehyung confessed quietly. He had maintained his composure throughout the day, but the moment he put Hoseok to bed, Taehyung quickly went to his bedroom and spent the last two hours crying, wishing he could go back in time and simply shut his mouth that afternoon. He had chosen to ignore Seokjin's messages, needing to calm down and prevent himself from breaking down.

Those simple words brought Seokjin back to life, reassuring him that he still held Taehyung's heart, love and trust, all of which were precious and important for building a relationship with him. He smiled widely, desiring nothing more than to spend the next moment of his night with Taehyung. And even if they were apart, Seokjin promised himself that the next morning, he would hold on to Taehyung and never let him go until they both felt whole again.

"I missed you so much, too, my naughty sugar bear..."

Chapter Text

The loud and excited giggles echoed through the air as the children gathered at the school gate with their parents, their backpacks ready, and were enthusiastic about the upcoming field trip to the zoo. The buses were parked nearby, and the teachers and chaperones reviewed the field trip schedule and their respective duties for the day to ensure the children's safety and that everything would run smoothly, allowing everyone, including the adults, to have fun.

The field trip destination was Seoul Grand Park, Korea's premier general theme park, renowned for its diverse range of attractions. It featured Seoul Zoo, the largest zoo in the country, home to wildlife from around the world, as well as a Botanical Garden showcasing plants from various climate zones. Visitors could also enjoy the picturesque Theme Garden with its rose displays and themed sections, the tranquil Healing Forest, and a family-friendly Campsite. The park also offered a Baseball Park for all ages, the Seoul Land amusement park filled with rides and entertainment, and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, where guests could explore the history and trends of modern and contemporary art at a glance. While the field trip primarily focused on Seoul Zoo, they planned to visit the Botanical Garden, believing it would be an amazing educational experience for the children.

"You know, I still can't believe Seokjin is coming with us," Yoongi said, surprised, watching Myungsoo and Seokjin go over the itinerary for the zoo. He glanced suspiciously at Taehyung, whose eyes were glued to his phone, staring at a few photos of Seoul Grand Park. "You had something to do with this, didn't you, Tae? And you still haven't explained why Hoseok and Jimin were asking if you and Seokjin are friends again."

Taehyung took his eyes from his phone and gazed at Myungsoo and Seokjin. He tried to stop himself from smiling widely, recalling all the wonderful moments he had shared with Seokjin over the past week. The flirty and playful comments had become more frequent; the affection and love spilt nonstop, making their feelings for each other crystal clear. Their connection deepened after their small disagreement, and Taehyung wondered how he still had the willpower to resist Seokjin's charming, loving nature. This past week, Taehyung had made an extra effort to hold on to Namjoon's advice, but those words were gradually fading from his mind. Love had found a comfortable place in his heart, and Taehyung could feel it spreading across his body, giving that love more power than it probably should have.

Shrugging, Taehyung turned his attention back to his phone, smiling gently.

"Seokjin has gotten closer to Jimin. I wasn't surprised when Jiminie asked his papa to come along as a chaperone. As for what the little ones said about me and Seokjin," Taehyung said amusingly, stealing another glance at Seokjin. Immediately, Seokjin lifted his head and met Taehyung's gaze, making Taehyung's heart flutter. "It was just a misunderstanding, Yoongles. Don't worry about it, okay?" Taehyung reassured, placing his phone in the pocket of his jeans. "We should go. It's time to pair up the kids."

As Taehyung walked over to join Myungsoo and Seokjin, Yoongi watched cautiously, wondering what had truly transpired between his best friend and Seokjin. He knew the children, particularly Hoseok, weren't liars. Yoongi also recalled a conversation he had with Jungkook when Seokjin asked Jungkook to oversee the company in his absence. Yoongi and Jungkook had been left speechless when Seokjin announced he would be one of the chaperones on the field trip. Yoongi was certain Seokjin's reason for joining wasn't solely due to Jimin. Of course, Seokjin wanted to be closer to his son and continue developing their father-son relationship, but the way Seokjin and Taehyung behaved around each other raised Yoongi's suspicions. He could see what was unfolding, and even though Yoongi wanted to intervene or help Taehyung through the process, he couldn't, not until his best friend was ready to open up to him. Yoongi didn't blame Taehyung, especially after the way he and Jungkook had handled Taehyung and Seokjin's close relationship.

As he joined the others, Yoongi noticed Seokjin rest a hand on Taehyung's back, leaning in to whisper something that instantly made Taehyung laugh.

"Ah, Yoongi, I'm glad you made it," Myungsoo said enthusiastically. "Seokjin will brief you on the itinerary while Taehyung and I pair up the kids for the bus."

"Sounds good. I'll catch up with you soon," Yoongi responded, grinning broadly. Taehyung gave him a quick hug before heading off. As Yoongi turned to Seokjin, he caught Seokjin gazing at Taehyung for a second, likely trying to be discreet. However, Seokjin didn't realise Yoongi was always observant of Taehyung. "Is there something on your mind, Seokjin?" Yoongi asked directly.

Seokjin suspected he had lingered too long on Taehyung, and Yoongi had caught him in the act. Honestly, Seokjin didn't mind; he wanted to keep it to himself for now.

"I'm totally fine, Yoongi," Seokjin replied casually, a knowing smile on his face. "What about you? Is everything alright?"

"No, I'm fine. Oh wait," Yoongi said, sensing the humour in Seokjin's tone and trying to decipher what was amusing. "I can tell something happened between you and my best friend. Taehyung hasn't been keen on sharing, but kids usually mean well and are honest. Why did Hoseok and Jimin ask if you and Taehyung were friends again?"

"If Taehyung hasn't told you, it's not really my place to say, Yoongi," Seokjin replied frankly, raising an eyebrow. While he didn't want to betray Taehyung's trust, he also felt uneasy keeping secrets from Yoongi. "But I'll tell you because Taehyung is important to me, and I have no reason to hide things from you. We had a small disagreement last week, and I reached out to apologise that same night... That's all."

"I know you and Taehyung share a close bond, but I will still look out for my best friend," Yoongi said firmly, determined not to let anyone hurt Taehyung again. He understood Seokjin was different, yet caution was necessary. "Taehyung has been hurt many times... By you, too, Seokjin. But since Taehyung has forgiven you, I won't hold that against you."

"I want to protect Taehyung too, Yoongi. He means a lot to me," Seokjin replied casually, offering a small smile. "And I know he's been hurt... That's why I want to be there for him as well," Seokjin added, hoping Yoongi realised they were on the same side. His smile broadened as he tried to lighten the mood. "Now I see who takes charge in your relationship with Jungkook, which is surprising since my best friend likes to be in control."

"Well, Jungkook seems to like having a bossy boyfriend, so there's not much I can do about that," Yoongi retorted with a grin, finally breaking the ice. He looked at Seokjin and could see the honesty in his eyes. Yoongi had already noticed how much happier and brighter Taehyung seemed lately, and it wasn't hard to guess who was behind it. He decided to be more amicable towards Seokjin and give him a real chance. "I appreciate it, Seokjin. I appreciate everything you have done for Taehyung. My best friend appreciates you too..."

***

"Good morning, everyone!" Myungsoo called out as he clapped his hands, gathering the children's attention. "Are you excited for this field trip?"

The children responded enthusiastically, and Taehyung couldn't help but chuckle at their eagerness, loving how cheerful they were.

"I'm glad all of you are excited," Myungsoo continued warmly, glancing at Taehyung ."Taehyung here is joining us again on this trip. I'm sure you are quite familiar with him," Myungsoo chuckled as the overjoyed children greeted Taehyung, waving their little hands at him. "On this trip, Teacher Min will also join us, and we have a new parent as well. For those who don't know, Jimin's dad, Seokjin, is coming along, so please be respectful."

Among the crowd of children, Taehyung spotted Jimin, and his smile was wide and bright. The sheer happiness radiating from Jimin made Taehyung's heart melt. The little one seemed so proud to have Seokjin there, and Taehyung didn't blame him, especially after the torment he had gone through after losing his mother. Taehyung glanced over at where Seokjin and Yoongi were standing, deeply studying the itinerary. It would be a lie if Taehyung said he wasn't excited to have Seokjin as a chaperone. He knew they wouldn't be able to behave the same way they always did, but Taehyung appreciated having Seokjin's company for the day. And more than that, there was the opportunity to watch Seokjin and Jimin getting even closer.

"So, Taehyung," Myungsoo called, noticing how overly distracted Taehyung was that morning. "Would you like to tell the children what needs to be done before getting on the bus?"

"Yes, of course!" Taehyung replied energetically, clasping his hands together as he gazed at the little ones, curiously staring back at him. "As we do on every field trip, we will be using the buddy system. Neither of you, under any circumstances, should be alone, okay? So, stay close to your buddy, stick to the rest of your class, and if you need anything, you can call for one of the adults. Teacher Kim, Teacher Min, Seokjin, and I will be wearing orange vests with the school's name on the back to make it easier to identify us. With that said, please choose your buddy in an orderly and careful way, and then we will head to the bus."

As the children began to pick their buddies, Jimin felt a sense of nervousness. Whenever his class had a field trip, no one ever wanted to pair up with him, leaving Jimin disappointed. He enjoyed field trips, but back then, he had no friends to play with or share the few fun facts he knew with them. Even now, with a close group of friends, Jimin still felt a quiet fear of being left behind.

"Jiminie!"

Jimin turned around and saw Hoseok approaching him. Without hesitation, Hoseok reached for his hand and held it tightly, a wide smile lighting up his face.

"Do you want to be my buddy, Jiminie?" Hoseok asked happily, intertwining their fingers together.

Jimin looked down at their joined hands, his heart fluttering at Hoseok's request. Shyly, he nodded and giggled joyfully. "Yes, Hobi. I would love to be your buddy."

Hoseok's smile grew even wider, giving Jimin's hand a gentle squeeze. "Jiminie! I'm so happy you are my buddy! Let's tell Tae Tae and Teacher Kim!"

Hoseok giggled loudly as he infiltrated through the crowd of kids to reach Taehyung and Teacher Kim.

Meanwhile, as Hoseok pulled him along, Jimin felt his cheeks heat up under the curious glances of classmates. Although Hoseok and his friends always accepted him, most of his classmates treated him indifferently. The bullying and harsh comments had ceased, but Jimin recognised that Hoseok's friendship provided him with some protection from other children. In the past, not being accepted and feeling excluded truly bothered Jimin, but since befriending Hoseok, Eunkwang, Changsub, Byeongkwan, and Jaehyun, he stopped worrying about others' opinions. He was happy with his fantastic group of friends, especially because he valued having a best friend like Hoseok.

***

Trigger Warning: Homophobia

I decided to include the TW, despite being a brief segment of the conversation. Still, I don't know who is reading this story, what type of experiences the person has/had, how they identify themselves, and so on. Therefore, I'm unsure if any of the scenes I'm writing may be potentially triggering for someone due to their personal experience. We are human beings, and we have different lives and battles. It isn't easy to please and be considerate of everyone.

And yet, I make an effort to care and show empathy.

This is a safe space, and everyone is welcome.

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(A week ago)

Jungkook approached So Young's desk and glanced towards Seokjin's office, listening to his best friend on the phone. He knew he should have waited until the end of the workday, but he had been sitting in his office, trying to focus, but simply couldn't. Ever since Seokjin told him that morning he had signed up to chaperone Jimin's class field trip, Jungkook was still processing the news. On one hand, and even though he had been caught off guard, Jungkook was beyond happy with Seokjin's decision, and Jimin's reaction had been priceless. He couldn't remember a time Jimin had looked so over the moon. On the other hand, Jungkook was worried, thinking if Seokjin had thought through, especially when he had a business, as known as a legacy, to run.

Jungkook supported Seokjin in every decision he made for Jimin's benefit. And yet, he feared for his best friend in case Old Kim decided to drop by on the very same day Seokjin was absent. That would be considered unforgivable to Kim Yong Hwa.

"So Young, does Seokjin have any appointments for the rest of the morning?" Jungkook asked firmly, watching Seokjin's secretary glance up at the computer, probably scanning his best friend's schedule.

"Mr. Kim's next meeting is at 3 pm," So Young replied politely, feeling a bit odd being addressed by her first name. Even Seokjin had recently started calling her by her first name instead of her surname. Although So Young felt more at ease. "He's completely free until then. Should I let Mr. Kim know you want to see him, Mr. Jeon?"

"No, it's fine, So Young," Jungkook said gleefully, stepping away from So Young's desk. He headed towards Seokjin's office, flashing a gentle smile. "And you can call me Jungkook. We are the same age."

Jungkook gave a quick knock on the door and entered without waiting for Seokjin's permission. Instantly, he saw Seokjin intensely glaring at him. It reminded Jungkook of the times when he would barge into Seokjin's office to tease him about Taehyung and their relationship. He sat down on the chair in front of Seokjin's desk while his best friend waited patiently for the reason that had brought him there. And, as always, Seokjin knew it wasn't business-related.

"I won't bother asking if this is about work," Seokjin said matter-of-factly, closing his laptop and lacing his fingers together on the desk."What part of my private life do you want to discuss now, Jeon? You know Taehyung is off-limits, unless you are volunteering for a weekend business trip next month."

"I already learned my lesson about not messing with your precious Taehyung, Kim," Jungkook teased, raising his hand in mock surrender as he gazed at Seokjin's deadpan expression. "I'm here to talk about your plan regarding the day you will be absent," Jungkook's tone grew serious, tilting his head. "Jin, you know I will always support you, especially when it's related to Jimin. I want to know if you have any plans in case your father shows up."

"I disagree, Jungkook, but it's not important now. Regarding my father," Seokjin said casually as he leaned his back against the chair. He thought back to the previous night's video call with Taehyung and how their conversation had left him feeling stronger. Maybe Taehyung gave him superpowers. "You will be dealing with him while I'm absent as well as the business," Seokjin smiled softly, noticing Jungkook's eyes widening. "You're my second in command, Jungkook. I blindly trust you as a businessman and best friend."

"Seokjin, I'm not saying that I can't handle it, but are you sure about this?" Jungkook asked, still processing Seokjin's words. "And about your father... You know I'm a loudmouth. I don't have the same politeness as you do."

"Yes, I'm completely sure, Jungkook," Seokjin stated confidently, sitting up straight as he opened his laptop again. "And deal with my father however you see fit. When I put Jimin to bed last night, he told me he wouldn't be sad if I didn't come on the trip because he knew his grandfather would scream at me. I won't force my son to sacrifice his happiness, so I obliged his request. If my father wants to punish me for quote-unquote neglecting my responsibilities, then I will pay the price."
---------------------------------------------------------
As he reviewed Seokjin's schedule for that day with So Young, Jungkook remembered the conversation he had with his best friend the previous week. It hurt to think of Jimin, a six-year-old child, trying to reassure his father that it was okay to skip the school trip. It infuriated Jungkook how something as simple as accompanying Jimin and his class to the zoo could cause so much damage. Yet, Seokjin decided to take the risk and go, regardless of what his father might say or do.

"That's all, Mr. Jeo—I mean, Jungkook," So Young corrected herself, chuckling. "Mr. Kim didn't have any more meetings today. There's another matter to attend to, and I'm unsure if I should pass it on to you. A Mr. Kim Young Chul called this morning, asking to speak with Mr. Kim. I told him he was absent, and before I could suggest you, he said he would call back another time."

Jungkook frowned, wondering why Taehyung and Namjoon's father had called Seokjin. Was Seokjin doing business with him? So Young handed him a colourful sticky note with the name Mr. Kim Young Chul and a number, and his eyes lingered on it for a moment.

A ding chimed at the end of the hallway, awakening Jungkook from his thoughts. He and So Young exchanged looks. Both knew that very rarely did an employee come to the top floor, where Seokjin's office was, except Jungkook, Namjoon, and, of course, Old Kim.

"I didn't know he was coming," So Young whispered, leaning forward as her eyes focused on the glass door about to be opened by Mr. Kim, Seokjin's father. "Mr. Kim didn't leave a note about that. What should I tell Mr. Kim?"

"I will deal with Old Kim, So Young, so, don't worry," Jungkook reassured, closing the folder. He watched as Kim Yong Hwa strode in. The moment Jungkook made eye contact with Old Kim, the atmosphere thickened with tension. He could see the undying hatred burning in Seokjin's father's eyes. Jungkook knew Old Kim blamed him for "misleading" Seokjin and "turning" him gay, as if it were a disease people caught. Jungkook despised the old man, and as a protective best friend, he would do anything to support Seokjin.

Jungkook quickly shifted into business mode and smiled as broadly as he could. He decided to adopt a more polite approach, or at least try not to anger Old Kim pointlessly. "Good morning, Mr. Kim. It's nice to see you."

"Good morning, Mr. Jeon," Yong Hwa responded coldly. "I can't say the feeling is mutual."

Jungkook already expected Old Kim wouldn't be pleased to see him. He gave it a chance before dealing with Seokjin's father his way, hating to appear disrespectful, but he didn't have a choice.

"Well, my parents always told me to be polite, even to people I dislike," Jungkook replied, noticing Old Kim's jaw clench. "Glad we are on the same page, Mr. Kim. Now, what can I do for you?"

"Your parents didn't raise you properly, Mr. Jeon, or you wouldn't have turned out like this. So, I doubt they ever explained to you how to deal with your elders," Yong Hwa stated, disliking dealing with someone who had been a bad example and influence on Seokjin. He wondered how Seokjin's life could have been if he and Jungkook had never met. "I doubt they even taught you how to respect your elders. It's no wonder you have infected my son with your degenerate lifestyle. If it weren't for you, Seokjin might have settled down with a proper Christian woman by now, started a respectable family, not this shameful life you people cling to."

Jungkook's blood boiled, but he bit his tongue. He wanted to throw back everything he knew about Seokjin's tormented childhood, how it had affected his relationship with Jimin. Jungkook decided against it and chose to deal with the matter at hand to make the Old Kim go away as quickly as he could.

"I'm working at the moment, Mr. Kim. Your son placed me in charge of the company for today," Jungkook replied with a steady, infuriatingly pleasant tone, watching the colour drain from Yong Hwa's face. "And before you ask, Seokjin is absent. Whatever you came here to discuss will have to wait."

"What do you mean Seokjin is absent?" Yong Hwa snapped, outraged, wondering what had driven Seokjin to be absent and neglect his responsibilities. "What's more important than fulfilling his responsibilities here, at the company?"

"Believe me or not, Mr. Kim, there are plenty of things in this world that matter more than a job, like family," Jungkook commented firmly, disgusted by Old Kim's behaviour, and he didn't make an effort to hide it. "And fortunately, Seokjin acknowledges that, thanks to people who care about him, and certainly not because of you. You wouldn't know what the definition of family means even if it slapped on your face."

"Seokjin should be thankful for the family he was born into," Yong Hwa said spitefully, glaring at Jungkook. "Instead, he disrespects me and shames his family name. You and your kind have filled his head with poison. If it were up to me, you would have been gone from this company years ago, and maybe Seokjin would have grown into a proper man and a clean conscience."

Jungkook could see the venom spilling from Old Kim's eyes and mouth. It still astonished him how he was blamed for Seokjin's sexuality as though it were a flaw to fix. When Jungkook first met Seokjin, he had made assumptions too. Now, he knew it was wrong to assume someone's sexuality, but growing up in a conservative country had driven Jungkook to be unconsciously judgmental.

Another thing that truly infuriated Jungkook was Old Kim's fantasy of literally straightening out his son, believing that a female presence in both Jimin's and Seokjin's lives could somehow "fix" the so-called problem. The truth was, there was no problem to fix in the first place. Old Kim's homophobia disgusted Jungkook on an entirely different level. And yet, he decided not to argue, knowing it would be futile. Jungkook also didn't want to cause Seokjin any more problems.

After learning about Seokjin's absence, Jungkook predicted a heated argument between his best friend and the man he called father. He sensed that Old Kim would tighten the leash around Seokjin's neck, suffocating him to the point where Seokjin would have no choice but to obey his father's orders. Even so, Jungkook intended to do what he did best— advise and support Seokjin, refusing to watch him take steps backwards in his progress, both with Jimin and Taehyung.

Jungkook nonchalantly placed the folder on top of So Young's desk, sensing her discomfort. He hated subjecting So Young to that kind of conversation, and to put an end to it, Jungkook, once again, decided to turn into business mode; otherwise, he risked stooping as low as Old Kim.

"You are not the one sitting in that office, Seokjin is," Jungkook responded calmly, "And until he decides otherwise, I will keep doing my job and help the company grow. Like I told you, if you came to talk to Seokjin, you will have to come back another time. Now, if you will excuse me," Jungkook added, retrieving the folder from So Young's desk as he offered a reassuring smile, "I have work to do. After all, I'm a hard-working employee of his company."

***

The children looked around in amazement, taking in and learning about the different species from the various pavilions Seoul Zoo had to offer. The park was alive with the sounds of animals, rustling leaves, and the chatter and laughter of excited visitors. Colourful signs pointed toward themed zones, and pathways wound between lush, green gardens and recreated natural habitats.

The Seoul Zoo featured multiple areas that harboured species from several continents, each pavilion thoughtfully designed to imitate the native environments of the sheltered animals. Most pavilions were divided into indoor and outdoor fields where visitors could discover unique animals. Educational boards and interactive displays offered fun facts and conservation stories that kept the children engaged between stops.

At the moment, the children were following the zoo guide further down the indoor field of the South American pavilion. They had the opportunity to learn about the yellow anaconda, a non-venomous species and one of the largest snakes in the world, among other animals endemic to South America. The guide had pointed out its distinctive olive-yellow colouring and explained how it uses its powerful muscles to constrict prey in the wild.

Taehyung had attentively watched Hoseok and Jimin's reactions to the different species and was honestly surprised to see the children so enthusiastic, especially with the big spiders and snakes. The indoor area had been dimly lit, mimicking the dense rainforest, with thick vines hanging from the ceiling and the air heavy with humidity. Not every child had been as excited as Jimin and Hoseok; Changsub seemed genuinely repulsed by every animal they passed, hiding behind Taehyung every time a snake slithered or a spider shifted its legs.

After leaving the snake enclosure, the group made their way along a stone path embellished with lush greenery and brightly colored flowers. The guide paused occasionally to enlighten the children about the South American plants growing in carefully arranged beds, or to draw their attention to the colourful parrots flying around from branch to branch.

Taehyung stood at the back of the group, assuring no child was left behind. He looked at Seokjin and flashed his unique boxy smile when he saw Seokjin's gaze. It seemed like every time they decided to steal some glances at each other, they both got caught red-handed. No matter how long they had been doing it—discreetly stealing glances—Taehyung always sensed a rush through his body, a pull that kept attracting him toward Seokjin. And he couldn't stop it. Though he no longer had a choice. Taehyung could feel his heart quickly overthrowing his mind and taking full control. The thought was scary, but Taehyung was allowing it because, deep down, he wanted more. And he didn't know how much he could take.

Soon, the group approached a slightly darker section of the pavilion, marked by a wooden sign carved with the image of a sleepy-looking animal. The zoo guide purposely stood in front of the sign to cover the animal's name to see if the children could guess its name.

"Okay, here we are!" the zoo guide said cheerfully. "So, do any of you know what these animals are?"

The children quickly pressed their faces to the glass, observing the climate-controlled enclosure imitating the conditions of the animal's habitat. Real branches interlaced above and around, forming various "hammocks" and rope bridges made of natural fibre materials. The vines draped from the branches, creating a lush canopy. A mist system gently sprayed sporadically to simulate rainforest rain, and skylights beamed soft, UV-filtered light through the leaves. A hidden den was tucked in the dense foliage, offering the said animal refuge when it wanted solitude from visitors.

Hoseok carefully scanned the enclosure, trying to spot the animal. He noticed a furry creature hanging from one of the branches, showing its long nails. He giggled loudly as the funny-looking animal slowly moved its head toward the glass, chewing some leaves lethargically.

"Look, Tae Tae, it's Yoonie hyung!" Hoseok exclaimed, turning his back to exchange looks with Yoongi and Taehyung. He smiled widely, then focused again on the cute, sluggish animal. "I forgot how they are called, but they always move super slowly, right?"

The children burst out laughing, and even the zoo guide covered her mouth with her hand to not being rude. Taehyung found it hilarious how Hoseok still remembered how he had called Yoongi a sloth. On the day Yoongi and Jungkook met at the playground— when Seokjin and Taehyung oddly joined forces, playing cupid—, Taehyung spent the entire evening being scolded, not only for orchestrating his meeting with Jungkook, but also for calling him a sloth behind his back.

"You are going to pay for this, Kim Taehyung..." Yoongi whispered, embarrassed for being compared to a sloth. "I guess Seokjin can stop by your house and cook you breakfast because I'm not doing it, my dear best friend."

Taehyung pressed his lips together, trying not to burst out laughing as well. He didn't feel threatened in the slightest, especially when his best friend, the so-called lil meow meow, acted like a badass while having the most adorable face. Jungkook would certainly agree with him.

"I'm shaking in my boots right now, lil meow meow."

Standing beside Hoseok, Jimin smiled as he watched the sloth chew, finding it utterly cute. "It's a sloth, Hobi. They are always hanging upside down."

"That's right!" the zoo guide said warmly, looking at the small blonde boy. "You seem to know a lot about sloths. What's your name, honey?"

"Park Jimin," Jimin replied shyly, a small smile plastered on his features.

"Well, Jimin, you are right. Sloths are always hanging upside down. They do everything in that position, whether it's sleeping, eating, or even giving birth," the zoo guide enlightened, noticing how intently the children were listening. "Does anyone else want to share what they know about sloths?"

Hoseok eagerly stretched his arm in the air, excited to share one of the facts Namjoon had taught him. "Joon hyung, my older brother, told me sloths only poop once a week. Why is that?"

"We have another sloth enthusiast. You are all so smart," the zoo guide claimed, chuckling. "If you tell me your name, I will explain it to you."

"My name is Hoseok, nice to meet you!" Hoseok responded almost immediately, curious to know more about sloths.

"Nice to meet you too, Hoseok," the zoo guide offered a smile to the energetic child, pointing to the tree where the sloth was hanging. "First of all, it's important to tell you that sloths have four stomachs," the zoo guide said, pausing when the children gasped in astonishment. She smiled gently again and continued her explanation, "Their four-chambered stomachs help them break down tough leaves, and it takes almost a month to fully digest a meal. That is one of the reasons they poop so infrequently. Since digestion is so slow, they don't need to go often. But when they do, they descend from the trees, do their necessities, and climb back up. It's risky because being on the ground makes them vulnerable to predators, which is why they only come down once a week."

"Do sloths have friends?" Jimin asked quietly, his eyes following one sloth that stayed farther from the others, slowly tearing a leaf with its mouth.

"Sloths are typically solitary," the zoo guide explained softly. "They may meet only to mate or, when there is more than one female in the same tree. Though, since they are mammals, they are very protective mothers. If you look closely, you will see a baby sloth clinging to its mother. His name is Tani. Isn't he adorable?"

Jimin nodded, although he felt sad that the sloths didn't have friends. It reminded him of how he used to feel before meeting Hoseok and his group of friends. But knowing the baby sloth had a protective mother beside him made Jimin feel better. He turned around and smiled when he spotted his dad standing close to Yoongi and Taehyung. He waved his small hand, and his dad quickly waved back. Jimin still couldn't believe his dad had come along as a chaperone. He understood his dad had responsibilities and work obligations, and if he didn't fulfil them, his grandfather would be upset. But today, his dad had chosen to be there. And for the first time, Jimin felt proud, looking up to his father and wishing he could be as brave as him when he grew up.