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Chapter Text

When Jeon Jungkook was four, he and his mother moved from the bustling city of Seoul to the peaceful countryside. He was watching television one Sunday morning, smiling contentedly to himself as Sesame Street was on the air. But before the theme song could start playing, he heard yelling from the room next to his. He listened to the sound of a glass bottle shattering, and more screeching after. His parents were bickering again.

Upon hearing his parents quarrel, Jungkook turned up the volume of the television. He curled himself up into a ball, hoping that the fighting would stop soon. But it didn’t. Even an hour after Sesame Street ended, his parents were still arguing. He was about to cry when Mrs. Jeon opened his bedroom door. His teary-eyed mother entered the room, holding a large bag stuffed with their clothes. She picked him up and left the house, not even bothering to say goodbye to his father. Young Jungkook remained silent as he went inside the family car. His father was behind running after them, face livid with rage. His mom turned on the ignition quickly and swerved dangerously around the carpark. Jungkook’s father was out of sight by the time the family car reached the main road. And that was the last time Jungkook would ever see his father.

It was for the best, Jungkook would say to himself years after they moved out of the apartment complex.
Jungkook and his mother lived in a motel for a few weeks. When they managed to find a house for sale miles away from Seoul, Mrs. Jeon leaped at the opportunity to start a new life there.

The sudden change in the environment was drastic for young Jungkook. However, after living a hand to mouth existence for twenty-one days, he had gotten used to it.

He and his mother moved into a rustic house with a blue and white color scheme. It was an upgrade from their two-room apartment. The new home had four floors if you counted in the basement and the attic. He learned later that Mrs. Jeon got such a big house (at such a low price) because she was friends with a pleasant lady named Hana Jung, a big name in the real-estate game.

It was through Mrs. Jeon and Mrs. Jung that Jungkook made his first friend. The only friend, to be precise. Lanky and unkempt Jung Hoseok, the only son of Mrs. Jung, a boy who never was sad a single day of his life.
It was unlikely that these two opposites would get along. And yet, they did.

It all started one morning when Mrs. Jung and her son visited the Jeon house for breakfast. Hoseok had been wearing a purple shirt with a robot designed on it- and now that Jungkook thought about it, the sweater was very tacky. But younger Jungkook felt that he looked cool in it. Hoseok ran through the door when Mrs. Jeon opened it and began searching for Jungkook.

“Sorry about my son’s energetic behavior- I mentioned to him last night about Kookie, and he got excited,” Mrs. Jung giggled. She and Mrs. Jeon headed to the kitchen and set up the table.

Mrs. Jeon beamed brightly back at Mrs. Jung. “It’s fine. Jungkook needs to make a new friend,” she says while placing a plate down.

Meanwhile, Hoseok had gone into the living room, and to his delight, saw a mop of Jungkook’s ebony hair behind the couch.

“Hello!” Hoseok grins, startling Jungkook, who dropped the toy car he was holding. Hoseok approached the toddler. Despite Jungkook’s cautious and distant behavior, it didn’t seem to faze Hoseok at all. It only made the seven-year-old determined to know Jungkook better.

“I’m Hoseok. You can call me Hobi!” he gave Jungkook his signature smile. He stretched out his arm, and Jungkook shook his hand. Jungkook remained eerily silent after introducing himself, letting Hoseok do most of the talking. When Mrs. Jung called them over to eat, Jungkook sprang up and ran to the dining table, where plates of eggs benedict, apple strudel, and smoked meats awaited them. A perfect breakfast.
Much to toddler Jungkook’s dismay, Mrs. Jeon and Mrs. Jung forced Hoseok to sit beside him. Jungkook was still not used with Hoseok’s bright personality (Hoseok’s brighter than light itself.)

Anyway. Breakfast continues with Mrs. Jeon and Mrs. Jung gossiping about another woman, someone named Mrs. Park, and how her son, Jimin, had a talent for dancing. Jungkook wasn’t paying attention. It seemed to Jungkook that what Hoseok liked more than talking to people and being cheerful, was eating. The rate that Hoseok was eating ham was starting to worry Jungkook. He pulled Hoseok’s shirt sleeve and told Hoseok to slow down. Hoseok raised his eyebrow and nodded, swallowing the slice of ham on his fork slower. Jungkook nodded and shyly smiled at him.

When breakfast ended, Hoseok’s pat his belly in satisfaction, thanking Mrs. Jung and Mrs. Jeon for preparing an excellent meal. Jungkook did the same and went back to the living room. Hoseok followed after him and started talking again.

Jungkook and Hoseok spend the rest of their day watching Sesame Street and playing with Jungkook’s toys. Jungkook was starting to enjoy Hoseok’s company, laughing whenever Hoseok made a corny joke. Jungkook was still shy to speak to Hoseok, but the toddler was sure that Hoseok was enjoying himself too. Later that evening, Mrs. Jung summoned Hoseok and him to the doorstep. It was time for the Jung family to go back home.

As they were about to leave, Jungkook tugged at Hoseok’s shirt. “W-wait,” Jungkook whimpered. The toddler disappeared back into the living room. When he came back, he passed a red car to Hoseok. Hoseok gasped in surprise.

“Kookie had fun today,” Jungkook barely says above a whisper, looking down at his own feet. “Kookie wants to be Hobi friend,”

When Hoseok heard this, he grinned.

“Thanks, Kookie,” Hoseok replied, hugging Jungkook and patting the shorter boy on the head. “I would like to be your friend too,”

Hoseok left the Jeon house that night with Jungkook’s toy car, his favorite one, Mrs. Jeon mentioned as she closed the door behind them. He can’t help but scream in joy and run back home, Mrs. Jung laughing jovially.

Chapter Text

It was four in the afternoon when the doorbell rang, Hoseok's pet dog barking loudly in response. Hoseok got up from the sofa and rushed to the door. A quick glimpse beyond the door's frosted glass pane was a toddler's silhouette on the other side. Instantly, Hoseok knew who was waiting outside his house.

Hoseok's grin turned quickly into a frown as he opened the door. "Jungkookie! What's wrong?" Hoseok asked worriedly, pulling Jungkook into a bone-crushing hug. "H-Hobi, Hobi," Jungkook cried into Hoseok's arms.

Hoseok furrowed his eyebrows, wondering why Jungkook was so upset. He led Jungkook to the couch and turned on the television. Hoseok tuned it to the channel that was airing Sesame Street. Over the months since Jungkook and Hoseok became friends, the older observed that Jungkook liked Elmo's World. Hoseok would always coo at Jungkook whenever he sang along with whatever tunes the red, furry creature belted out. He hoped that Sesame Street would calm him down a little.

Hoseok left Jungkook by the television and went to the kitchen. In the kitchen, he opened a few cabinets, searching for a tin of biscuits. His mother would always get a few cookies from it and put it on a fancy plate whenever guests came over. Mrs. Jung had told Hoseok that he needed to be a gracious host when he grew up, and guests visited his house. When he found the tin, he closed all the other cabinet doors and grabbed a random plate from the counter. Hoseok wanted to put the snacks on a fancy plate just like his mother did, but Hoseok was not sure where his mother hid it. He could not ask his mother where the decorative plate was at the moment, because she was at work. He did not want to disturb her while she was at work.

Hoseok opened the cover of the tin with the help of a spoon. Then, he started placing some biscuits on the plate. At the same time, he could hear Elmo's high-pitched voice from the living room. Jungkook wasn't singing along, which worried Hoseok more than he already was. Did something so terrible happen that Jungkook did not want to sing along with his favorite Sesame Street character?

When Hoseok returned to the living room with the plate of biscuits, Jungkook flashed him a smile. However, the smile did not reach his eyes, and his bunny teeth were not showing. The first biscuit the toddler took from the plate was a coconut-flavored one. Jungkook bit into it and made a disgusted face at the taste.

"Hobi, what is this? Kookie no like this one," Jungkook whined, grabbing another biscuit from the plate. Jungkook took a cookie with a pineapple-flavored jelly on top. Jungkook liked it, so he took another one until there were only coconut-flavored biscuits left on the plate. Hoseok put the plate on the coffee table in front of them. He settled next to Jungkook as Elmo's World ended.

"Jungkook, why were you crying earlier?" Hoseok asked softly. The question made more tears of heartbreaking sorrow well up in Jungkook's obsidian eyes.

"Mommy got angry at me today," Jungkook sniffled. Hoseok pulled Jungkook in for another comforting hug like his mother did when he was upset. "Why?" Hoseok started to comb his fingers through Jungkook's hair. The action comforted Jungkook slightly.

"She yelled at Kookie for not being able to do the Math problems she gave him," Jungkook sighed. "She says that Kookie slower than his classmates in Math," Hoseok frowned, not sure how to help Jungkook with his situation. Hoseok was not the best at Math, either. If anything, his friend Namjoon was the best at solving Math problems, especially complicated algebraic equations, whatever those were.

"You're a smart kid, don't worry," he said, unsure of his own words. Jungkook only continued weeping into his arms, each hiccup breaking Hoseok's heart. He did not want to see Jungkook like this.

"K-Kookie wishes that he have no feelings," Jungkook choked out at some point. Hoseok raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Kookie no like being sad. Mommy says it is dramatic. So Kookie no wants to have any feelings," he mumbled. Hoseok shook his head in disapproval. "No, Kookie. If you had no feelings, I can't share my happiness with you," he said frantically. "Don't you want to be happy with me, Kookie?" Hoseok pouted. Jungkook gasped, suddenly regretting his words.

"No! Kookie wants to be happy with Hobi! Like happy ever after!" Jungkook wailed. Hoseok huffed and raised his left arm. "Then, Jungkook," Hoseok smiled, lifting his pinky finger. "Promise that you'll always smile for Hobi,"

Jungkook raised his pinky as well and intertwined them. Jungkook made a promise, and he would keep it.

"Now, let's get you home, shall we?" Hoseok beamed as he hauled Jungkook to his feet. At the same time, Hoseok heard the familiar sound of keys jingling and the door unlocking. Mrs. Jung had just returned home from work.

"Good evening, eomma," Hoseok bowed deeply. Mrs. Jung pat Hoseok's hair in greeting. Her eyes widened as Jungkook approached her, following Hoseok's actions.

"Jungkook, thank goodness you're safe! Your mother has been worried, sick! She's been looking for you," Mrs. Jung reprimanded the toddler gently. She stopped ruffling her son's hair and crossed her arms. Jungkook mumbled an apology as Mrs. Jung called Mrs. Jeon over.

Mrs. Jeon sobbed in relief when she saw Jungkook, kneeling, and hugging him tightly. "Thank goodness you're safe, Jungkook!" Mrs. Jeon breathed, pressing a loving kiss to her son's forehead. "I thought you got hurt, or worse," Jungkook's bottom lip quivered. He was going to cry again.

"Thank you so much, Hana! You too, Hoseok," Mrs. Jeon looked up to see Mrs. Jung and Hoseok smiling brightly back at her. "Not a problem, Seo-Yun," Mrs. Jung replied cheerfully.

"Mommy," Jungkook cried. Mrs. Jeon smiled as she lifted her son and carried him. "It's okay, Jungkook, I'm here," Mrs. Jeon shushed her son. "I'm so sorry about the things I said earlier- I didn't mean them," Mrs. Jeon whispered into Jungkook's ear. "You know I love you, right?" she asked. Jungkook nodded. Mrs. Jeon thanked the Jungs once again, and was about to leave their house, when Hoseok nearly screeched, "Wait up, Mrs. Jeon!"

Mrs. Jeon stood in place as Hoseok raced back to the kitchen and returned a few minutes later, hiding something behind his back.

"Jungkookie, I have something for you," Hoseok grinned broadly. Jungkook gazed intently at Hoseok as he gave the toddler a bag filled with the pineapple jelly-flavored biscuits he liked. Jungkook asked HoMrs Jeon to put him down to hug Hoseok in thanks.

"Hobi! Thank chu, Hobi Kookie, love you!" Jungkook pressed his cheek against Hoseok's. Jungkook wrapped his arms around Hoseok's waist. "You're welcome. Consider it as a gift. You gave me your favorite car before," Hoseok replied, ruffling Jungkook's hair once more. Hoseok pinched Jungkook's cheeks when he flashed him a big smile.

And the smile reached his eyes and showed his adorable bunny teeth this time.

Chapter Text

Jungkook screamed in delight as he ran past Mrs. Jung and Mrs. Jeon. He did not hear his mother yelling at him to come back. He squealed when his feet sank into the coarse sand of the beach. Jungkook was glad he applied sunscreen on the way earlier in the car because he could go inside the water without any delay.

Jungkook squeaked when he entered the cold saltwater. He waded around the shallow parts of the water as his mother told him to. He looked up to see a vast blue sky above him, not a single grey cloud in sight. The crystal clear waters seemed to stop at nowhere. There were little islands and boats in the distance as well, but they were hard to see due to the fog that surrounded them.

Jungkook turned around to see that Hoseok had entered the water as well. The water level only reached to Hoseok's hip, which made Jungkook pout. Hoseok was much taller than him. Jungkook would always tell Hoseok that he would grow taller than him one day, and Hoseok chuckled whenever he said that.

"Hobi!" Jungkook walked over to him, although this was a challenge because of the current. Hoseok grinned, ruffling the younger's hair affectionately. Jungkook lowered his head to receive more scratches from Hoseok. Jungkook looked up again when Hoseok stopped.

"Jungkookie, wanna play a game?" Hoseok asked. The toddler eagerly nodded his head, moving in close so he could listen to Hoseok's instructions.
"Let's play a game called 'Shark'- you have to pretend to be a shark and poke the other person in the back!" Hoseok raised his index finger and pointed at himself. "To give you a demo, I'm going to be the shark,"

Jungkook gulped but nodded anyway. The young toddler heard from Mrs. Jeon that Hoseok was an athletic person. Hoseok would probably run as fast as he usually does in water. Jungkook closed his eyes and covered them with his tiny hands, counting to ten.

After Jungkook finished counting, he opened his eyes again and found that Hoseok disappeared.

Meanwhile, Hoseok was fully submerged underwater with his purple goggles on. He spotted Jungkook's tiny foot buried in the sand. He swam slowly towards it. When Jungkook felt something poke his ankle, he screeched.

"Hobi!" Jungkook giggled, flailing his arms about as he tried to escape from Hoseok. They continued playing, both of them switching roles from time to time. Jungkook was very close to catching Hoseok the first time until their mothers called them over for lunch.

Lunch was yet another loud and fun affair. They talked over each other, smiling and chatting about anything and everything. "Hobi~ Kookie is having so much fun!" Jungkook said, taking another big bite off his salami sandwich. It wasn't a vast snack option for him, but he ate because Mrs. Jung was the one who made it for him.

After lunch, the two boys went back to the shore. "Hobi said he wants to find jellyfish! Kookie wanna find jellyfish too!" Jungkook chirped. Hoseok nodded, suddenly determined.

"Yes! I want to bring home a big jellyfish today!" he replied. "Let's start here! They say that jellyfish eat jelly!" Hoseok instructed the younger. Hoseok took some jelly candies he put on the sand before entering the water. He recounted what his friend Namjoon told him about capturing jellyfish. Namjoon claimed that "Jellyfish have a diet of jelly, that's why they're jellyfish," and that they "...need to be caught with a net!"

Following his smarter friend's instructions, he took the net from the sand and put it in the water. They put jellies inside the net. All they had to do now was wait for their big jellyfish to go in.

And so the two children waited. But no jellyfish came. Hoseok was about to put more jellies in the water until their mothers called them back to shore. It was time to go home. "But, we weren't able to catch any jellyfish!" Jungkook protested as they got out of the water. Hoseok drew the little close to him. "It's okay, Kookie! At least we had fun, right?"

Jungkook's eyes lit up. He nodded eagerly, hugging his right arm tightly as they made their way up. Jungkook's feet would sink into the sand. On the way to the car, he clung onto Hoseok to keep himself from falling back into the water. Hoseok chuckled and ruffled his hair whenever Jungkook squirmed. "Cute," Hoseok breathed. When they reached the car and buckled up, Jungkook realized how tired he was. He yawned, leaning his head against the car window (despite his mother telling him not to- but she was in a good mood today, so he got away with it). He watched as the car drove further and further from the beach. When the golden coast was no longer in sight, he shifted to look at a sleeping Hoseok.

Hoseok's hand was in between them. Out of instinct, Jungkook covered his tiny palm over his large one. Jungkook smiled in satisfaction. "Hobi's hand is warm," Jungkook mumbled to himself before closing his eyes. He fell asleep for the rest of the trip.

Mrs. Jung looked at the back of the car once it reached its stop. They were back in the neighborhood. It was almost eight in the evening when Mrs. Jung parked the car in her garage. Mrs. Jeon was at the back, gathering their things. Mrs. Jung giggled quietly, whipping out her camera and taking a picture. However, she forgot to turn off the flash. The loud snap of the camera's shutter and the illumination of light woke the boys up. Hoseok jumped up in surprise before falling back to his seat, the seat belt restraining him. "Eomma! You scared me!" Hoseok gasped, placing a hand over his racing heartbeat. He looked over to the other side and saw Jungkook sleeping soundly. Hoseok grinned, briefly intertwining their fingers together and holding onto his hand tightly.

Mrs. Jeon awoke Jungkook. "Bye, Hobi," Jungkook murmured, eyes drooping, yawning again. He fell asleep once more in the arms of Mrs. Jeon, who bid them farewell, crossing the street. Hoseok waved back, signature heart-shaped grin gracing his features. As Mrs. Jung and Hoseok went back inside their home, he tugged at his mother's green sundress. "Eomma, can I keep the picture of Jungkookie and me holding hands?" he asked politely. Mrs. Jung pats her son's head. "Wait here," she said as she went into the study. She returned with a flimsy piece of paper. Hoseok took it from her, a megawatt smile on his face. It was him and Jungkook sitting in the car, palms on top of each other, pleased looks on their sleeping faces.

"Thanks, eomma," Hoseok hugged his mother before rushing upstairs. Mrs. Jung watched, eyes misty as she heard the bedroom door closing shut.

The picture of the dynamic duo sits to this day on Hoseok's desk, laminated inside a beach-themed frame.

Chapter Text

In the Morning

Jungkook rushed out of the house with his lunch box in tow, waving his mother goodbye before slamming the door shut. He looked right and left, dashing across the street when there was no car in sight. When he was in front of Hoseok's porch, he pounded on the mahogany door thrice to let the elder know he was ready to go. 

"I'm coming! Hang on," Hoseok's muffled voice screeched from the other side. A few seconds later, Hoseok threw the door open, grinning widely. Jungkook beamed, jumping onto his hyung and snaking his arms around his neck. "Hobi-hyungie," Jungkook rasped. "Good morning, sweets," Hoseok patted the younger's back. Jungkook climbed back down, placing his palm on Hoseok's. Out of habit (and instinct), Hoseok intertwined their fingers together, squeezing the younger's hand. "Let's get going, shall we?" Hoseok pulled Jungkook next to him as they left the Jung estate. 

They walked down the sidewalk, hands clasped tightly together. On their way to school, Hoseok and Jungkook discussed the latest episode of  Power Rangers.  "Kookie liked the pink ranger, hyungie! She was so cool!" Jungkook gushed. Hoseok chuckled softly, ruffling the younger's hair with his free hand. Jungkook just looked too adorable.  "I wish he can stay this way forever,"  Hoseok thought to himself.  "So adorable..." 

Jungkook continued listing off his favorite things about the pink ranger until they stopped in front of a tall concrete building. Jungkook's stomach lurched as he started to sweat profusely. His pulse was racing, and goosebumps began to pimple his skin. He shivered, moving closer than he already was to Hoseok. The elder noticed his sudden shift in behavior, furrowing his eyebrows in worry. Hoseok's heart broke when he heard Jungkook sniffle, wiping his tears away with his tiny fist. 

"H-hyung," Jungkook whined. "I don't wanna be here! I wanna go home, take me home!" Jungkook wailed. Hoseok whipped his head around to see parents and other students staring at them. Hoseok quirked his eyebrow. "I thought you were excited?" he asked softly. Jungkook shook his head wildly in response, continuously rubbing his puffy, red eyes. Hoseok sighed, kneeling to Jungkook's height. The elder knew what to do whenever Jungkook started to cry and scream- the younger's sobbing was starting to attract unwanted attention. He started carding his long fingers through Jungkook's lustrous and thick hair, whispering sweet nothings to the first grader. 

Unfortunately, his comforting did not console the little one. Instead, it made the first-grader cry even louder. More adults and students started looking their way. "B-but what about Suga? W-w-what if you're not there when he hurt Kookie?" Jungkook hugged the elder, burying his face into the elder's neck.

"What are you saying? I'm always here," Hoseok replied calmly, rubbing Jungkook's back in soothing circles. Jungkook whimpered in disagreement, and Hoseok decided to take the younger somewhere else. He grabbed the child by his thighs, carrying him to the most unused stairwell in school. 

Hoseok put Jungkook down on one of the steps before flexing his strained arm muscles. Jungkook was adorable and all, but he was starting to gain weight. Eventually, Jungkook would probably be as strong as he was. Hoseok dreaded that day, not being able to pinch Jungkook's cheeks because the younger was proving to him that he was tough. Hoseok was brought back to reality when Jungkook dragged Hoseok to sit beside him. "S-stay with me," he whispered. Hoseok allowed Jungkook to crawl into his lap, leaning his head against the elder's shoulder. 

"Jungkook," Hoseok started. The latter shot his head up, doe eyes wide. "Don't worry about Suga. Nothing is going to hurt you as long as I'm here," Hoseok lifted Jungkook's shaggy bangs to peck his forehead. "But you have to be a big boy (like I am), and go to class! I promise we'll see each other during recess, okay?" 

Jungkook's eyes lit up like fireworks at Hoseok's last remark. Suddenly, Jungkook felt like he had the strength to do anything, like going to class and talk to his classmates. Jungkook jumped out of Hoseok's lap, nodding curtly, a small smile on his face. By then, his eyes were dry. His tear-stained cheeks were starting to dry as well. His sniffling stopped, but he needed a wad of tissue at the moment. Hoseok stood up and affectionately ruffled Jungkook's hair. 

"Let's go, okay?" Hoseok grabbed Jungkook's hand, leading them up to the school hall where the rest of the school was. 

Recess Time

Classes go by surprisingly fast for both Hoseok and Jungkook. They reunite again during recess, Jungkook practically leaping on the elder when they meet at the school playground. "Hyung! Kookie missed Hobi!" Jungkook's delighted voice sounded in Hoseok's ear. It was great seeing Jungkook back to his usual self. Hoseok loved seeing those bunny teeth smiles appear on Jungkook's chubby face. It was cuteness overload! Jungkook pulled Hoseok's shirt sleeve and pointed at the benches beside the monkey bars to talk and have lunch as well.

At the benches, Jungkook opened his lunchbox and squealed in delight when he discovered what Mrs. Jeon had whipped up for him today. Hoseok stopped devouring his beef pastrami sandwich to see what Jungkook's lunch was. He smirked to himself when he found three pineapple tarts beside his bowl of bulgogi fried rice and steamed chicken. Hoseok was starting to reconsider whether he should call Jungkook 'Kookie' if he liked pineapple tarts that much. But the nickname 'Tartie' didn't sound right on his tongue. So he decided to stick with 'Kookie' in the end. And besides, Hoseok has been addressing the younger 'Kookie' for almost five years now.  

Jungkook was halfway through his bulgogi fried rice when Hoseok placed his green wallet on the table. He opened his coin purse, counting the dimes he had in one hand while holding his notes in the other. He shoved the bills back into his wallet, placing all the coins on the table. 

"I have enough money to buy us drinks! Want anything?" Hoseok offered. Jungkook nodded, suddenly remembering that his mother forgot to pass him his bottle of juice on his way out of the house. "Can I get chocolate milk?" he requested politely. "Sure!" Hoseok chirped. "I'll be back soon.

Meanwhile, Namjoon's going to stay here," he said, waving goodbye. Jungkook smiled back and went back to eating his fried rice. As soon as Hoseok left, a tall, lanky boy took his place and sat in front of him. 

"Morning, Jungkook," Namjoon greeted the younger. Jungkook looked up and waved cheerfully back at him. He and Namjoon met through Hoseok one Sunday. Namjoon was the second person Jungkook felt closest to. It took a lot of time for them to warm up to each other, but once they got to know one another better, Jungkook began sharing his pineapple tarts with the elder. However, he never hugged him as he did with Hoseok. Jungkook was not sure why he cuddled Hoseok to death but didn't do the same to Namjoon. But he would figure that out sooner. 

Namjoon was like Jungkook and quiet. However, Namjoon preferred reading books than playing outside. Jungkook observed that on most days, they were together with Hoseok. They were always reading storybooks. It wasn't necessarily  bad; in fact, Jungkook started to enjoy reading more thanks to his hyungs. He was moving onto books with fancier words, but he wasn't able to read the books that Namjoon was reading. There was one book Namjoon was reading at the moment that piqued the younger's interest a lot. It was called  The Green Mile , written by a guy named Stephen, who called himself a king. When Jungkook opened the book to the first page, he found it challenging to decipher some of the tricky words like 'penitentiary state,' whatever that meant.

Both of them were so immersed in their things; they did not realize someone appeared at the table. 

Jungkook nearly choked on his rice when he heard that familiar voice bark at him to look up. He turned pale, shoulders becoming tense as he tried to swallow down the lump in his throat. Where was Hoseok?

"I SAID, LOOK AT ME!" the voice barked at Jungkook again, making the younger flinch and drop his spoon. He reached down to try and pick it up, but the voice hissed at him yet again. A small foot stomped in front of Jungkook's face, making the first-grader back away. When Jungkook's eyes started welling up with unshed tears, Namjoon finally put his book down and stood in front of Jungkook's arms spread wide. 

"Suga," Namjoon said, rather composed. "What do you want?"

Jungkook closed his eyes shut tightly. It was this boy's face that gave him horrible dreams at night. And during those nights when Suga appeared in his nightmares with his sharp teeth and menacing look, Jungkook's tears were uncontrollable. His fear escalated to the point that he was sleepy the next morning on the way to school. Usually, Hoseok would let the younger stay over for the day and take a much-needed nap. 

Meanwhile, Namjoon was glaring daggers at Suga, who still wanted to pick a fight with the first-grader. "Why not you pick someone your size, huh?" Namjoon tutted him towards a nearby fifth-grader. Suga narrowed his eyes at Namjoon, crossing his arms. "You don't scare me," Suga replied bluntly, before shoving Namjoon aside and approaching Jungkook.

"I won't stop until I get my point across, Namjoon, you know that," Suga grimaced before pulling Jungkook harshly by the ear. "Listen, faggot," he growled. Jungkook started crying as Suga started screaming unkind words at him, pointing out every last thing he hated about the younger (which was pretty much everything). Suga was about to start throwing punches at Jungkook when Namjoon stopped him from doing so, twisting his wrist until it made a small popping noise. Suga hissed, moving back to slap and kick Namjoon hard. Namjoon hissed in pain, falling to the jagged floor. Jungkook wailed louder, wishing for Hoseok to appear and protect him.

Jungkook sobbed in relief when Hoseok finally appeared, with another boy beside him. "What's this?!" Hoseok roared, clenching his fists. Suga tilted his head, laughing. "Aw,  Hobi looks so cute when he's angry!"  Suga mimicked Jungkook's baby voice (which was super inaccurate. The maknae's voice was much cuter!). Hoseok gritted his teeth as he rolled up the sleeves of his sweater. "You're seriously going to try and fight me? I'm stronger than you are," 

Seething with anger, Hoseok moved closer to Suga. A red haze of rage clouded his vision. "You don't have any right to say those things about Jungkook!" Hoseok lunged forward. "I have a right, you know, so... MIND YOUR OWN DARN BUSINESS!" roared Suga, springing forward. 

Hoseok managed to punch Suga squarely in the face. Suga groaned in pain, saliva shooting out of his mouth. However, Yoongi managed to kick Hoseok's shin hard. Hoseok flinched slightly, but he was still alright. By then, a huge crowd started to gather around the benches. Many students were shoving each other to get a good view of the fight between Suga and Hoseok unfold. Jungkook was watching in worry as Suga hit Hoseok with a, particularly hard fist to the stomach. The scream that fell from Hoseok's mouth made the younger's eyes tear up more. What hurts him more than Suga beating him, calling him horrible things, was Hoseok getting hurt.

"THAT IS ENOUGH, BOTH OF YOU!" a high-pitched, squeaky voice yelled. The fight stopped there, Hoseok's hand on Suga's neck, Suga's on Hoseok's wrists. The boy Hoseok was with from earlier stomped in between them, pushing them away from each other. Jungkook opened his eyes and saw Park Jimin standing before him, visibly irritated. 

"Suga-hyung! I thought you were going to stop being mean to Jungkook!" Jimin pinched Suga's arm. Suga winced, guilt etched in his face. "Apologize!" Jimin demanded from the elder. Suga huffed. He rolled his eyes before retreating, turning his heel and running away. When Suga was out of sight, Jimin sighed loudly. "I'm sorry for the way Suga-hyung behaved, Hoseok-ssi, Namjoon-hyung," Jimin bowed lowly, before leaving. "Wait, Chim!" Namjoon called after Jimin, using his arms to lift himself. Namjoon dashed after his younger step-brother, waving Hoseok and Jungkook goodbye.

Hoseok whipped his head around, screaming at the crowd of students to disperse. Jungkook left his seat to hug Hoseok tightly, taking him to the stairwell. When they alone, Jungkook cried and cried. 

Jungkook hugged Hoseok tightly, pawing at Hoseok's bruises in hopes they would disappear. Hoseok reassured Jungkook over and over again that he would be fine. Ten minutes before the bell rang, Hoseok passed the carton of chocolate milk to Jungkook. Jungkook opened the container and guzzled it all down greedily. All that weeping must have made the poor baby thirsty.

Jungkook reported the incident during recess to his teacher. And as a result, Suga suffered terrible consequences. That afternoon, after school, Hoseok, Namjoon, and his brothers, Jimin and Yugyeom, invited him to watch  Transformers . It cheered up the maknae up considerably, because he was starting to talk about how amazing Optimus Prime was and how mean Starscream was.

Chapter Text

Hoseok's eyes fluttered open, groaning as he tried to sit up. He looked over to his right and found his bedside table a mess- there were balls of tissue everywhere. There were various bottles of medicine pushed to one corner. Hoseok was about to throw away the tissues when he noticed a pink sticky note pasted on his tissue box. He took the pink paper and read the message scribbled messily in red.

Hoseok-ah, there's breakfast for you in the kitchen. I made your favorite bulgogi rice. Remember to take your medicine after. Eomma will be back home at 9 today- I have a few clients to entertain today. Love you! ~Eomma

Hoseok crumpled the note and gathered the tissues, throwing all of them into trash can. He made his way to the kitchen and found his bulgogi rice sitting on the table, covered in cling wrap. The brunette licked his lips, taking a spoon from the pantry before digging in. When he was finished, he wiped his mouth, placing the dishes inside the sink. He went back to his bathroom to retrieve his towels and a fresh set of clothes before jumping into the shower.

Hoseok was sitting in front of the television after taking a hot shower. Taking a sip of his iced lemon tea- yes, he was still drinking something cold despite the fact that he was sick- he took the remote and turned it on to Cartoon Network. Hoseok grinned when he realized that his favorite cartoon was on. He watched in awe as the protagonists in the cartoon began fighting against the antagonists, who were plotting to colonize planet earth for their selfish reasons.

"Yes, take them down, Garnet! Watch out, Pearl!" Hoseok exclaimed, gasping as Garnet took her opponent down, while Pearl took command of the ship they were on. Hoseok was at the edge of his seat when he heard loud knocking on his door. Hoseok got up and walked over, throwing it open. His heart melted at the sight before him.

Hoseok took Jungkook into his arms and ruffled the fifth-grader's hair. Hoseok tightened his grip around Jungkook. He let go of Jungkook eventually, ushering him in and offering him a seat in the living room. Hoseok made his way to the kitchen and placed a few pineapple tarts and Oreo cookies (his new favorite snack) in a small bowl before returning to the living room. Jungkook's face lit up when he saw the snacks Hoseok was holding. He made grabby hands, politely asking the elder for a bite. Hoseok placed the bowl down, and he smiled warmly as Jungkook feasted, stuffing two pineapple tarts in one go.

"Jungkookie, what brings you here?" Hoseok asked, as he drank some more tea. "Oh, I... I heard from mom that you were sick," Jungkook ate another pineapple tart. "I just thought I'd come over and see how you're doing," he added, getting up and going to the fridge. Hoseok's face would split into two if his smile got any wider. Jungkook came back later with a tall glass of iced lemon tea. "Clearly, you're feeling better," Jungkook tutted his head at the purple mug filled with tea. "I believe that iced lemon tea has healing properties...!" Hoseok squawked in protest. Jungkook rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, and there totally are rabbits on the moon!" Jungkook replied sarcastically, inching closer to Hoseok and leaning his head against his shoulder. Hoseok grunted, before going back to watching his cartoon. Jungkook watched quietly with him, until Hoseok yawned and stretched his arms.

Jungkook sat up and pulled him up. "Come on, hyung, let's get you to bed," the younger pushed Hoseok into his room. When they entered Hoseok's room, the elder threw himself onto the warm sheets, falling asleep instantly.

Jungkook pulled out the chair from Hoseok's desk, moving the chair next to Hoseok's bed. Jungkook cooed as the elder snored quietly. Jungkook watched Hoseok's chest rise up and down in a steady rhythm, clearly not getting up any time soon. After a few minutes of silent observation, Jungkook tiptoed stealthily across the room before closing the door slowly behind him, careful not to make any noise.

"It's time to start my mission! Jungkookie, fighting!" Jungkook pumped his fist up in the air, a determined look on his face. He went back to living room, eating all of the remaining pineapple tarts first before going into the kitchen. He opened up the fridge, scanning through all the ingredients inside. On the first shelf, Jungkook found some fried rice and glass noodles. There was a bottle of oyster sauce, a container filled with ketchup and jug of water on the second shelf. On the last shelf, there were cartons of eggs and packets of mixed vegetables. The younger, smirked, grabbing some of the items inside before placing them on the counter.

Jungkook took a green apron which was hanging from a hook beside the fridge, putting it on. He nodded as he washed his hands. He gulped nervously as he grabbed a pink mixing bowl and tried to crack an egg. He smiled as the contents of the egg fell into the bowl. Jungkook cracked another one before beating it with a fork. After adding some seasonings, he took a big pan and put it on the stove. Jungkook's hands were shaking as he pushed down the button and rotated it clockwise. He gasped as the flame appeared at the bottom of the pan, hot and big. He quickly lowered the fire before putting a slice of butter in the pan. A few minutes later, he poured the eggs into the pan, puffing his cheeks out of habit. He stared hard at the egg, occasionally checking the other side off the egg in case it was getting burnt.

Hoseok was sleeping soundly, when he was rudely awakened by the sound of something breaking. He shot up from his bed, scrambling out his blankets and rushing to the kitchen.

Hoseok nearly fainted at the sight before him, heart racing a thousand beats per second. In front of him was a teary-eyed Jungkook, holding his bleeding palm. Beside him was a large shard of the broken plate with blood on it. There was egg, rice and ketchup all over the floor, but Hoseok could care less about the mess at that moment. He broke out in a cold sweat, turning pale as he rushed to Jungkook's aid. Hoseok grabbed Jungkook's wrist, examining the blood gushing out the large cut on his palm. Hoseok began hyperventilating as he dragged Jungkook to the living room to disinfect the cut.

"Jungkookie-ah, what were you doing? You should've been more careful! You're not hurt anywhere else, right?" Hoseok asked worriedly, as he poured a large amount of antiseptic onto a cotton pad. Jungkook lowered his head, face flushed. "This is going to hurt a bit, Kookie. Be a big boy and bear with it for a while, okay?" Hoseok patted Jungkook's knee before applying the antiseptic. Jungkook yelped in pain, his injured palm shaking. Fat tears streamed down Jungkook's cheeks as Hoseok continued smearing the antiseptic all over his wound. Soon, the pain eased and Hoseok covered the disinfected wounds with a three layers of gauze. Hoseok sighed in relief, throwing his head back.

"T-thank you, hyung," Jungkook sniffled, wiping away the tears streaming down his cheeks. Hoseok looked up, eyebrows furrowed. "Kookie? What's wrong?" he sat next to Jungkook, pinning him down the couch and holding him tightly. "I-I wanted to make you lunch, but I messed it up! I dropped the plate with your lunch," he cried. Hoseok nodded in understanding.

Hoseok patted Jungkook's head. "It's alright, Kookie! It's the thought that counts!" Hoseok chirped. "Of course, I understand that you wanted to take care of me, and that's sweet.... but you got hurt! What if you got burnt? Or worse?" Hoseok bumped foreheads with Jungkook, staring fiercely into his eyes to make a point. "Next time, you should cook with Hobi-hyung. That way, I can watch over you," he pressed another big kiss against Jungkook's cheek. Jungkook stopped crying by them, chuckling softly and hugging his hyung.

"Now, you stay here and rest while I clean up!" Hoseok left the living room to clean up the mess in the kitchen. "Hey! You should be the one that's resting!" Jungkook chuckled, before turning around and watching the television.

Hoseok smiled as he picked up the pieces of broken porcelain, realizing the amount of effort Jungkook put into making his lunch. When he finished tidying up, he threw whatever utensils Jungkook used to make the omelette rice into the dishwasher. Hoseok went back into the living room and found Jungkook watching his favorite cartoon. He plopped himself beside Jungkook, placing his palm over his. Jungkook quietly intertwined their fingers together, as they watched the characters fight each other on screen.

"Hyung?" Jungkook poked Hoseok's cheeks during one of the fight scenes."I'm sorry about earlier," Jungkook apologized, burying his face into the sleeve of Hoseok's sweater.

"It's okay, sweets," he replied calmly, before turning the television off. He yawned, laying down on the couch. Jungkook followed suit, placing his head on top of Hoseok's chest. The two of them fell asleep quickly, comfortable in each other's warmth and company.

A few hours later…

"Hello, is this Go Taeho?" a woman spoke into the receiver.

"Good evening. Are you Hana Jung?"

"Yes, I'm Mrs Jung. I'm calling to tell you that I have some great news! Remember the house you wanted to buy? Well, I talked to the owner, and now the price has been lowered!"

"By how much?"

"Two million won,"

"Fantastic! Thank you for this, Hana-ssi. I'm sure that my son will be happy to hear that we won't be moving into an apartment,"

"You're welcome, Mr Go! Please come to my office this weekend so that we can sign the papers,"

"Sure thing, Hana-ssi. Is Tuesday a good day? Perhaps we can meet at four in the afternoon?"

"Of course, Mr Go. I'll see you then. Good night,"

"Good night, Hana-ssi,"

.... To be resumed.

Chapter Text

Unlike most mornings, Jungkook got out of bed with a big smile on his face. He dashed downstairs, adrenaline pumping. His smile grew wider when he saw Hoseok and Mrs Jung in the living room. He waved at Mrs Jung, before screaming "Falling hug!" and jumping into Hoseok's open arms. Hoseok and Jungkook giggled as they crashed onto the sofa.

"Merry Christmas, Jungkookie-ah," Hoseok whispered into Jungkook's ear. Jungkook was about to give his hyung a hint about his Christmas present, when he heard the doorbell ring. Before Mrs Jung could stand up to answer the door, Jungkook and Hoseok bolted from the living room. Hoseok threw the door open, smirking when he saw Namjoon, Jimin and surprisingly, Suga outside. While Hoseok was ecstatic that Namjoon and Jimin were able to make it this morning, he was wary about Suga's presence. Memories of him bullying Jungkook marred Hoseok's mind. He made a mental note to himself not to leave Jungkook alone with Suga.

He welcomed the three of them inside, grabbing Jungkook's hand and squeezing it tightly. The younger intertwined their fingers, cheeks turning pink. As they entered Jungkook's house, Hoseok noticed that they were all holding presents. He grew curious, wondering what items were hidden inside the beautifully wrapped boxes. He guessed that Namjoon and Jimin would be giving out Transformers-related presents, like an Optimus Prime watch or a Megatron blanket. A part of him was certain that Suga would give a dead rat to someone for Christmas- He just looked like that kind of kid who was capable of storing a rat's carcass inside a box and getting away with it. If he was going to give someone a dead rat for Christmas, Hoseok would probably be the recipient.

Hoseok watched as the boys placed their presents underneath the large Douglas Fir Christmas tree inside Jungkook's living room. He joined Namjoon and the others, while Jungkook disappeared with Mrs Jeon to take a bath.

When he entered the living room, he saw Suga talking animatedly with Jimin about Transformers, which surprised Hoseok tremendously. Firstly and for obvious reasons, Suga was an anti-social bully. Everybody in school was terrified of him, always spending recess time alone. Suga always had a scowl on his face, snarling at anyone who tried to come near him. So when Hoseok spotted Suga chatting with Jimin, he was shocked to see a wide gummy smile plastered on his face. He certainly looked better with a smile on his face.

"Suga-hyung's a Decepticon?!" Jimin exclaimed. "But I'm an Autobot, hyung!" Jimin whined, crossing his arms and pouting at the elder. "We can't be on different f...f.. fa...-" Jimin stuttered, the word he was about to say just at the tip of his tongue. He grunted when he couldn't pronounce it after two minutes.

"Factions," Namjoon filled in for Jimin. "It's 'faction', Jimin." Namjoon lectured, patting his stepbrother's head tenderly. Jimin thanked Namjoon for teaching him the pronunciation of another big boy word. With that, Suga, Namjoon and Jimin resumed talking about Transformers. Hoseok decided to join them, siding with Jimin that the Autobots were superior. At some point during their heated discussion about the cartoon, Jungkook exited the bathroom. He pounced on Hoseok and hugged the elder tightly.

"Hyungie, look, look! I'm wearing a reindeer sweater!" Jungkook chirped, pointing at the red-nosed reindeer sewn on his green sweater. Hoseok cooed, showering the younger with compliments about how adorable he looked. Jimin waddled over to Jungkook's side and pinched his cheeks. "So cute! So cute!" Jimin laughed. Namjoon nodded in agreement, while Suga claimed that Jimin was cuter.

Namjoon suggested that they played tag in the living room while waiting for breakfast to get ready. In the end, Namjoon and Suga won the game of tag despite being outnumbered, because Namjoon created a strategy with Suga to catch the opposite team easily. It involved Suga glaring at Jimin and Jungkook, while Namjoon tapped the both of them on their shoulders. Hoseok raised his arms up in surrender when he found himself cornered by Namjoon and Suga. Namjoon and Suga celebrated their victory with an extra croissant for breakfast that morning.

"Thank you for the food!" the boys bowed gratefully to Mrs Jeon, Mrs Jung, Mr Kim and Mr Min before exiting the kitchen. They raced to the living room, with Suga coming in first while Hoseok came in dead last. "I'm only last because I dropped something on the floor, that's all!" he squawked in protest when Namjoon and Jimin started teasing him for being an old grandpa. Suga was the real grandpa here!

They continued calling Hoseok names, until they heard the doorbell ring again. The five of them raced down the hallway, Hoseok taking the lead this time. He reached for the knob and pulled the door open.

Jungkook and the others screeched to a halt when they saw another kid standing outside the door. The boy was around Jimin's age, with a box-shaped smile and beautifully long eyelashes. Jungkook gave the stranger a suspicious look, grabbing Hoseok's arm and pulling the elder closer to him.

Hoseok didn't seem to take the hint that Jungkook disliked the boy standing outside on the porch. He wanted to slam the door shut in the boy's face and leave him outside in the bitterly cold weather. "Oh, hi, Taehyungie!" Hoseok waved at the boy with the box-shaped smile and beautifully long eyelashes. Jungkook clenched his jaw, glaring daggers at Taehyung. Taehyung didn't seem to notice the look Jungkook was giving, his eyes focused on Hoseok and Hoseok only.

"Hi, Hobi-hyung!" Taehyung purred. Unbelievable! First, Hoseok gives Taehyung a nickname, and now Taehyung's calling Hoseok 'hyungie'? Only Jungkook had the right to use that nickname! Jungkook frowned, a red haze of anger clouding his vision. Was Taehyung trying to steal Hoseok away from him? He wouldn't let that happen!

Hoseok welcomed Taehyung inside the house (Jungkook's house, may I add), ushering him to the living room. Everyone else seemingly warmed up to Taehyung. However, when Taehyung introduced himself, Jungkook turned his back on him and strutted away from the living room.

Jungkook sat on Mrs Jeon's lap for the next two hours, fuming with rage. He grimaced whenever he heard Taehyung saying Hoseok's name repeatedly from the living room, ignoring everything else around him. His patience was running thin. When he heard Taehyung profess his love for Hoseok, Jungkook snapped.

Jungkook stomped upstairs to his room, shutting out the rest of the world as he hid in his mother's room. He let his tears flow freely, since there was nobody inside to see him cry anyway. He sniffled, wiping away his tears angrily with his clenched fist. He didn't want Hoseok to be stolen from him! And that was when he came to a revelation. If he wanted Hoseok to stay by his side forever, he had to take drastic measures.

Mrs Jeon had a wooden jewelry box that sat on top of her drawer. Jungkook pushed a chair in front of it and climbed up. When he spotted the box, he grabbed it and put it on the floor.

The wooden jewelry box was pretty up-close. The box had intricate carvings and was covered in a thin coat of varnish. Jungkook opened it, mouth gaping open when he saw the amount of shimmering and sparkling accessories inside. He took out his mother's pearl necklace first, rubbing one of the beads with his stubby fingers. But that wasn't what Jungkook needed. He found a pair of emerald earrings inside. He considered giving them to Hoseok for a moment, but put them back inside the box. The earrings weren't enough. He kept searching, until he came across... The rings.

Oh, this would be perfect! Mrs Jeon always told him that marriage was the only a loved one could remain faithful. (But Mrs Jeon didn't say that. Jungkook just twisted his mother's words to satisfy his morals.) The golden rings were too big for Jungkook's fingers, so he decided to turn one of them into a pendant, using an old necklace chain. He would give Hoseok the other ring while the others opened their presents.

When Jungkook returned the box back to where it was and exited the room, he felt much better. The anger he had towards Taehyung earlier simmered down, although Jungkook was certain he would get angry yet again when he saw his face or heard his voice from the living room. But then Jungkook remembered he had an asset hidden inside his pocket. He snickered. "Taehyung will never beat me at this game," Jungkook thought to himself.

Jungkook found his mom and the other adults inside the living room. Everyone was already opening their presents. "Jungkook, come over and open your gifts!" she simpered, shaking the blue box that was in her hands. Jungkook shook his head in refusal. He didn't care about his own presents at the moment- The ring was top priority!

Jungkook's palms were sweaty and his heart was racing. He glanced at Hoseok and saw him with Taehyung. He growled in anger. What was Taehyung up to now? Jungkook watched as Taehyung gave Hoseok a box covered in green wrapper, with a red bow sitting on top. Hoseok took the gift from Taehyung's hands, tearing the wrapper into shreds. Hoseok opened the lid of the box, gasping as he took out an orange toy robot. Jungkook frowned when he recognized the robot as Hoseok's favorite character from Transformers. What agitated the younger even more was that he got Hoseok the same gift for Christmas that year. Oh, Taehyung was so infuriating!

Seething with rage, he stomped over to Hoseok's side and snatched the toy from the elder, tossing it to the farthest corner of the room. Taehyung shrieked in horror, as he scrambled to pick it up. Mrs Jeon was about to reprimand Jungkook for his actions, but Hoseok had already beaten her to the punch.

"Jungkook! Why did you do that? You have to apologize!" Hoseok berated Jungkook, casting the boy a disappointed look. Jungkook only crossed his arms and glared at Taehyung, who was just as enraged as he was. Hoseok sighed, walking towards Taehyung. He stopped in his tracks when Jungkook pulled him back, struggling to drag the elder away from Taehyung.

"Jungkook, what are you doing?" Hoseok asked, his tone sharp. He froze when he heard Jungkook sniffle. Instantly, all of Hoseok's anger towards the maknae disappeared, as he turned around and pulled Jungkook into a hug. Jungkook wailed, wrapping his arms around Hoseok's waist. "I don't want hyungie to leave me!" he sobbed. Hoseok titled his head in confusion.

Hoseok cupped Jungkook's cheeks, raising his head so that they could see each other eye to eye. "Leave you? I would never leave you!" Hoseok rasped. Jungkook shook his head in denial. "But Taehyung-ssi..." he murmured, tears streaming down his cheeks. Hoseok was even more flabbergasted. Him leaving Jungkook for Taehyung? Well, he loved Taehyung to bits, don't get him wrong, but he knew that Jungkook was his only best friend.

"Shh, Jungkook. It's okay. Stop crying," Hoseok pinched Jungkook's cheeks, earning him a whine from the younger.

After a small scolding from Mrs Jeon and an apology to Taehyung and everyone else, it was time for him to give Hoseok the ring. When Jungkook gave him the ring, Hoseok's eyes widened in shock. "Jungkook? What's this?"

Jungkook furrowed his eyebrows, clenching his fits and gulping nervously. "It's a wedding ring, as well as your Christmas present, hyung! And... I wanna be with you forever!" he replied. His heart was racing, and his palms were sweaty. But he wanted to do this. With trembling hands, he screamed, "So... Marry me, Jung Hoseok!". Mrs Jung's eyes widened in shock, while Mrs Jeon's jaw dropped open. Mr Min and Yoongi were snickering in the back, while Jimin and Namjoon were hollering at Hoseok to accept the proposal. Taehyung just stared at them with an unreadable expression on his face.

Hoseok turned scarlet as Jungkook slid the ring onto his finger. "Wow, Jungkook. This is, very, uh, bold of you to do," he remarked. Hoseok turned redder when Jungkook nodded, and pressed a big, fat kiss against his forehead. "You're my fiance now, hyung," the younger giggled, before skipping back to Mrs Jeon and bragging about his new fiance.

Yet, as Hoseok left the Jeon house that evening with the ring on his left hand, he felt very happy. His heart soared when he remembered Jungkook showing him his ring, which hung proudly around his neck. A small part of him began to wonder where they would have their wedding.

Chapter Text

When Jungkook heard the doorbell ring, he jumped out of the couch and rushed to open the main door. "Hobi-ah! Welcome!" Jungkook chirped, ushering the elder inside his humble abode. Hoseok smiled warmly at him before throwing his bag over the sofa. As Hoseok shrugged his parka off, Jungkook noticed the tired look on his face. His heart clenched at the sight. Concerned, he walked over and pulled the elder into a hug. Hoseok sighed heavily, his tense shoulders relaxing as he reciprocated Jungkook's hug.

"How was school?" Jungkook asked quietly."Tiring, stressful," Hoseok replied, the exhaustion apparent in his voice. Jungkook nodded slowly, before going to the kitchen and returning with a can of soda and a packet of Oreo. Jungkook turned beet red, his heart pounding as he offered the condiments to Hoseok. The elder simply grinned, before snatching the packet of Oreo and tearing it open. He popped one Oreo into his mouth, groaning as he chewed it slowly. Hoseok must have been famished, because the Oreo cookies were gone before Jungkook could say anything else.

Hoseok took the can of soda and guzzled all of it down, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand afterwards. "Thank you, Jungkook," he rasped, blowing him a kiss as he made himself comfortable on the younger's sofa. Jungkook's heart raced and his legs turned to jelly- This always happened to him whenever Hoseok showered him with affection. Not that Jungkook minded it anyway. He enjoyed it whenever Hoseok babied him.

Jungkook sat next to Hoseok, reaching out for the television remote. He put it on Comedy Central , to help ease Hoseok's nerves. The tips of Jungkook's ears turned pink when Hoseok guffawed loudly. The comedian on television had just delivered the punchline of her hilarious joke. If Jungkook were alone, he would have reacted the same way as Hoseok did- But it was impossible to focus on anything with the elder beside him. All Jungkook wanted to do was look at Hoseok.

Jungkook already knew what he was getting himself into by falling for Hoseok. But he would rather let his feelings go unnoticed than have Hoseok far away from him. Whenever he voiced these thoughts of his aloud, it made him sound desperate and needy. Perhaps Jungkook was desperate, but at this point, he didn't care anymore. He was so in love.

Hoseok inched closer towards Jungkook during one of the commercial breaks. The elder let out another sigh, as he placed his hand casually on Jungkook’s thigh. Jungkook gulped, forcing himself to look ahead. It took a lot of courage (and internal screaming) before Jungkook could grab Hoseok’s hand and intertwine their fingers. Jungkook felt slightly better when Hoseok squeezed his hand.

Jungkook couldn’t stop smiling for the rest of the evening, until his mother came home with dinner. Hoseok let go of Jungkook’s hand and dashed to the kitchen, absolutely starving. Jungkook followed shortly with a pout on his face.

Usually, Jungkook would sit beside Hoseok at the dinner table. He decided to change things up a little, and sat across from the elder. He quietly watched the conversation between Hoseok and Mrs Jeon unfold, noticing how Hoseok would separate the peas from his portion of fried rice, or eat all the ice cubes in his drink when he thought nobody was looking. You could say that Jungkook was quite observant- He was an author at heart.

After dinner, Hoseok padded back into the living room to take his backpack upstairs. Apparently, Mrs Jung was buried in so much paperwork, to the point that she had to pull an all-nighter and leave Hoseok under Mrs Jeon’s care. (Jungkook cheered to himself when Mrs Jeon told them about this.)

“This is going to be so much fun, hyung! It’ll be like old times!” Jungkook chittered. Hoseok hummed in reponse, voice coming out muffled because he was wiping his face with a towel.

‘The old times,’ Jungkook wondered. ‘I miss those days,’ he remarked.

Jungkook closed his eyes, as he reminisced the days when they were younger. His mind went back to one particular day.

“Hobi! Kookie want to build fort!” Toddler Jungkook squealed. Hoseok was sitting on Jungkook’s bed, playing with one of Jungkook’s stuffed bunnies. This was Hoseok’s first time visiting Jungkook’s room, and they were both excited about the prospect of sharing a room with each other. The elder immediately agreed to the suggestion, getting up and grabbing all of the pillows on Jungkook’s bed. He placed them gently on the floor and stacked them equally.

They built a small fort out of pillows that evening. Hoseok even brought Jungkook’s star-shaped lamp inside the fort, illuminating the space with bright yellow light. At that moment, Jungkook suddenly felt a rush of affection for the elder. Of course, since Jungkook was a toddler, he couldn’t identify the emotion he was feeling back then.

Jungkook had no idea what boundaries were either. The toddler waddled towards Hoseok, hugging him tightly. Just like how Jungkook kissed his stuffed toys, he did the same for Hoseok. That was technically their first kiss, and Jungkook had liked him since then. It didn’t help that Hoseok started kissing him on the cheeks too. He only realized that he was infatuated with Hoseok when he was in fourth grade, the same year that he proposed to him.

Jungkook was taken back to reality when he heard feet shuffling and blankets shifting behind him. Jungkook swallowed the lump at the back of his throat, heart skipping a beat. He turned around, mentally unprepared for the sight before him. Hoseok was laying on his bed, with his favorite shirt on. Jungkook squinted his eyes and smiled when he spotted the ring sitting on Hoseok’s finger. His hand subconsciously rode up his neck and began fiddling with his own ring, which was still dangling around his neck.

“You wanna go to sleep already, hyung?” Jungkook asked. Hoseok looked up at him before nodding. Jungkook turned the lights off, bathing the room in total darkness. Jungkook slowly made his way towards the bed, lifting the blankets up. Hoseok groaned as he felt the mattress dip with Jungkook’s weight. Jungkook mumbled a quick apology before throwing the blanket over the two of them.

Hoseok shifted, turning in order to face Jungkook. The younger quietly praised himself for not fully drawing the curtains- There was moonlight pouring in from the window, softly illuminating Hoseok’s handsome features. From this angle, Hoseok truly did look like an angel. Jungkook took the time to appreciate his beauty up close. If he had the chance, Jungkook would have drawn Hoseok’s sleeping face. His expression was so pure and innocent.

He gulped. Unlike their previous other slumber parties, there was an actual monster inside Jungkook’s bedroom. Jungkook glanced down at Hoseok’s lips. He had a deepened cupid’s bow, which was the reason why Hoseok had his signature heart-shaped smile.

‘What would Hoseok’s lips taste like?’ Jungkook suddenly thought to himself. His eyes widened in shock. Kiss him?

The dark presence called Temptation loomed over Jungkook, egging him on to take advantage of the situation. Hoseok was asleep, after all. It wasn’t like Sleeping Beauty , where the princess would wake up from the prince’s kiss. Jungkook could get away with it, right?

Jungkook heard a loud, throbbing beat in his ears, as he closed the gap in between Hoseok and himself. Their knees were touching, and Jungkook’s forehead was pressed against the elder’s. From this distance, he could hear the other’s steady breathing.

A million thoughts were swirling around his brain. Was this the right thing to do? Was it alright for Jungkook to kiss Hoseok in this context? But then again, how likely was it that Hoseok would respond to Jungkook’s feelings? And besides, Hoseok had girlfriends before and he probably kissed them too. Did it really matter if Jungkook kissed him now? This was his chance to finally experience it - Kissing Hoseok! How could he pass down this opportunity?

Jungkook quivered, as he lowered his head and closed the gap. Memories of Hoseok taking care of him and comforting him flashed through his mind. There was no more turning back. He finally kissed Hoseok, gently at first, before applying a bit more pressure. It felt… Exhilarating.

Jungkook whined softly. He channeled all of his feelings for Hoseok into that kiss. When he finally stopped, Jungkook only felt worse. He forced himself out of bed, tripping over the blanket as he ran out of the bedroom. Jungkook placed a hand over his racing heart, eyes welling up with tears of guilt. The kiss felt so good- But why was he feeling so much pain now?

Unbeknownst to Jungkook, Hoseok was awake the entire time. When he heard the bedroom door closing shut, his eyes shot open. Did Jungkook just kiss him? On the lips? Needless to say, the elder was flustered. Seriously, this kid was going to be the death of him- Firstly, proposing to him on Christmas, and now kissing him? He felt like he was floating. He wished that Jungkook knew about this.

Neither of them were able to sleep for the rest of the night, too many thoughts going on in their heads and thick tension hanging in the air.

Hoseok was the first one to speak up. “Jungkook-ah,” he called out softly. Jungkook reluctantly turned around, the words, ‘I’m sorry,’ at the tip of his tongue. They didn’t come out anyway, because before he knew it, they were kissing again. And again. And again. (And again, and again, and again, and again, and again.) But Hoseok wasn’t expecting an apology, anyway.

After a while, they broke the kiss, the both of them breathing heavily. “I like you,” they both muttered at the same time in between pants. Hoseok growled possessively and captured Jungkook’s lips in another kiss. At this point, Jungkook and Hoseok’s bodies were pressed closely together. Their lips were swollen and saliva was dribbling down their chins. Jungkook’s fingers were tugging Hoseok’s fine locks. Meanwhile, Hoseok’s hands were on Jungkook’s small waist.

“You’re mine, and mine only,” Hoseok said assertively. Jungkook nodded meekly, claiming that he belonged to Hoseok already. They shared one last kiss, before finally going to sleep that evening in a tangle of limbs.

For once, Jungkook was no longer in doubt about his relationship with Hoseok. He was very certain that things would only get better now for the both of them.  

Chapter Text

The first thing Jungkook did when he woke up that morning was to envelope Hoseok in a warm, loving hug. When he heard Hoseok groan loudly beside him, Jungkook only tightened his hold on the elder. He hid his face in the crook of Hoseok's neck, inhaling the other's lavender scent. Jungkook's heart was soaring and he felt like he was on cloud nine. A part of Jungkook was still wondering whether all of this was a dream. Before any negative thoughts could make themselves known in Jungkook's head, Hoseok finally stirred conscious.

"Kookie?" Hoseok drawled, rubbing his eyes and scanning the room. Jungkook beamed, pressing himself closer against Hoseok. The elder simply smiled, before letting out a big yawn and stretching his stiff muscles. "Did you sleep well?" Jungkook asked, trailing his fingers down Hoseok's chest. "I did," the elder replied, rolling over so that they could see each other eye to eye.

Jungkook gulped, eyes drifting down to Hoseok's chapped lips. Hoseok must have caught on, because he was smirking mischievously. "Already tempted?" he snickered. Jungkook turned pink, attempting to cover his face with his tiny hands. Hoseok, ever the sly fox, grabbed Jungkook's hands and pinned them above his head. The younger squirmed beneath him, heat radiating from his puffed up cheeks.

Hoseok cackled. "Shh, Kookie-ah." he whispered lowly into Jungkook's ear, making the latter shiver. Hoseok was about lean down and kiss him, when he heard approaching footsteps from outside. Hoseok and Jungkook quickly separated from each other, as the bedroom door opened. Mrs Jeon peeked her head inside the room, smiling fondly at the two. "Breakfast is ready!" she informed them, before closing the door quietly behind her. Jungkook huffed, before crawling back to Hoseok's side and flopping down on his lap. Hoseok chuckled, before leaning forward and kissing Jungkook's lips. "Now, let's go eat," he said when they broke apart.

They had breakfast in peaceful silence. However, throughout the entire meal, Jungkook couldn't stop glancing over to Hoseok. Meanwhile, Hoseok had a hard time keeping his hands to himself- All he wanted to do was hold Jungkook's hand underneath the dining table, maybe pet his hair. Mrs Jeon noticed Hoseok's jittery behavior and the looks Jungkook was giving the elder, but she never questioned it. In fact, she was happy with the progress. She would have to call Mrs Jung later about this.

After breakfast, Jungkook volunteered to wash the dishes. "I'll help you," Hoseok said, collecting the plates on the table and bringing them over to the sink. "T-thanks," Jungkook stuttered, as he took the sponge and doused it in soapy water. They continued washing the dishes in silence, Hoseok rinsing the plates that Jungkook thoroughly scrubbed. 'This scene is oddly domestic,' Jungkook thought bemusedly to himself. He couldn't help but grin when he started to imagine them doing house chores together after getting marri-

"Jungkook-ah," Mrs Jeon's booming voice snapped him out of his reverie. Jungkook turned his head and saw his mother standing outside the kitchen, holding a catalog in her left hand. She politely informed him that the two bunny hoodies he wanted were going to be delivered within the next few hours. Jungkook thanked her with a warm smile, before going back to scrubbing the plates.

Soon, Hoseok and Jungkook were drying the plates they cleaned with some towels. Jungkook was wiping the last plate in his stack of wet dishes when Hoseok's next few words cut Jungkook off-guard.

"I wanna kiss you,"

Jungkook spluttered, face turning beet red. "K-k-kiss? A-as in?" the younger boy stuttered, his hands trembling as he put down the plate he was holding. Hoseok chuckled, finding the younger's response endearing. "You know what I mean," he replied coyly, inching closer towards Jungkook. "Come on. You were so eager for it earlier," he purred, his face now centimeters away from Jungkook's. Hoseok could hear the other sigh deeply before finally giving in.

One kiss turned into another, and soon they were having a small make-out session in the kitchen. Somehow, Jungkook's back ended up pressed against the edge of the sink while Hoseok took the liberty of deepening the kiss. They only broke apart when neither of them could handle the lack of oxygen in their lungs. Jungkook weakly pushed Hoseok away, the both of them panting heavily.

Jungkook glanced at Hoseok, mesmerized by his beauty. Disheveled hair, red cheeks and swollen lips- Jungkook felt a sense of satisfaction, knowing that he was the reason for Hoseok's current appearance. "I-I think that we should go back upstairs and fix the bed. We were q-quite in a rush earlier," Jungkook uttered anxiously, subconsciously playing with the hem of his sweater. Hoseok nodded in understanding, skipping ahead to give the younger some time to recollect himself.

By the time Jungkook went back to his room, Hoseok had already made the bed. The pillows were arranged properly and the blanket was folded neatly. The elder was sitting on the floor, flipping through a book Namjoon lent him. Jungkook wasn't surprised when he saw the author's name proudly written on the front cover. Hoseok was reading another novel by Natsume Soseki. Namjoon worshiped Natsume Soseki, idolizing him and readily agreeing with the philosophies the legendary man had in life. Jungkook preferred reading the works of Haruki Murakami. He found Natsume Soseki's works too complex to understand, but perhaps this was because of his limited understanding of society at large.

Jungkook sat next to Hoseok, leaning his head against the elder's shoulder. He sighed softly, closing his eyes and losing himself in Hoseok's scent. Beside him, he could the other flipping through another page of the book. He was about to doze off when he heard Hoseok closing the book. "Jungkook-ah," Hoseok whispered softly into his ear. Jungkook's eyes fluttered open, as he crawled into Hoseok's lap. He felt like purring when the elder began petting his hair.

"Jungkook-ah," he called out again. The younger boy looked up and saw doubt in Hoseok's face. "I know that we didn't talk about this, but..." Hoseok drifted off in the middle of his sentence, feeling nervous for the first time in years. Jungkook could sense Hoseok's anxiety through his body language- He was gnawing on his bottom lip, and subliminally drawing random shapes across his skin. Knowing him since they were children, Jungkook learned to recognize the different expressions Hoseok made when he was feeling sad, angry, and happy. Jungkook loved seeing Hoseok's smile. Seeing Hoseok frown or pout made Jungkook's heart ache painfully.

Jungkook sat up and urged the elder to continue. Hoseok nodded and took in a deep breath. The next few words that fell out of Hoseok's lips made the younger squeal in absolute joy.

"Wanna go out with me?"

When Hoseok finally said the words he'd been meaning to voice out since forever, he felt like a heavy weight had just been lifted off his shoulders. Jungkook was blushing. He was wearing a lopsided grin on his, although he was trying his hardest to hide it. Hoseok was certain that Jungkook was going to say yes.

However, before Jungkook could respond, the bedroom door burst open. The moment had been ruined by Mrs Jeon. Jungkook internally groaned at his mother's unconventional timing.

Mrs Jeon turned to Hoseok and informed him that his mother was already waiting for him downstairs. When Mrs Jeon closed the door behind her, Hoseok stood up and made his way to the bed. He slung his backpack over his shoulders, glancing momentarily at Jungkook before leaving the room. Jungkook scrambled to follow Hoseok, latching onto the elder's hand on the way down.

Jungkook bowed deeply when he saw Mrs Jung sitting on the couch. She had dark circles under her eyes, lips chapped and hair disheveled. She looked mentally and physically drained, as she stood up from the couch and began walking towards the front door. Hoseok dragged his feet behind her.

Mrs Jung went outside first, yawning loudly as she took out her phone. Hoseok stayed behind with Jungkook. The younger boy gulped, hands trembling as he grabbed Hoseok's arm and pulled him closer.

"I wanna go out with you, hyung," he whispered shakily. Hoseok smirked, ruffling the younger's caramel brown hair. "Okay then, boyfriend," he grinned, emphasizing on the word 'boyfriend'. Jungkook felt every part of himself melting away in absolute bliss. Hoseok chuckled when he saw the lovesick expression in Jungkook's face.

"I'll talk to you later, bunny, " Hoseok winked flirtatiously before walking away. He swore heard Jungkook splutter at the nickname. And just like that, life resumed, but things were different now. Jungkook's dream finally came true; He was in a romantic relationship with Hoseok! Surely, things would only get better from here on out.