“Yaaaaaaaah! Wake up!!” Was what woke him up, along with a body almost twice the size of his own jumping on top of his, squeezing every last breath out of his body. Yet Jungkook only allowed the satisfaction of peeking one eye out from under the blankets to his hyung.

“Bwat?” Came out muffled.

Jin was grinning, his lips stretched across half of his face and hair messed up bad enough for Jungkook to hide his plum flavored lollipops in it (his hyung forbid him of eating any since the first day he tried them, so eating them in his own room only was his best solution). “Did you forget what day it is? Why are you still sleeping? Get ready, we have to go pick Taehyung up.”

“Oh.”

“Don’t ‘oh’ me, Kook-ah, get up and get ready,” Jin rolled off him, swatting what he thought was Jungkook’s butt on the way. Jungkook noticed that his hyung was wearing his favourite pink pajamas, and strutting, too to his horror. Which meant his hyung was too excited.  Because Taehyung was coming back to Korea after 7 years, and Jin had been attached to Taehyung’s hip-despite the 3 year difference- before even Jungkook was born. But Jungkook wasn’t that excited. Nope, he was not excited at all.

Sure, he had known Taehyung his whole life. He would go as far to say that he had been closer to Taehyung than his own hyung but after…what happened and then Taehyung running off to another country, Jungkook had and did erase any and every feeling toward Taehyung. Or so he wished to think.

“You better have a good reason for calling me at 4 AM in the morning, or else,” Jungkook cracked a small smile, still on the bed, rolled on to his belly. It had taken Jimin 4 missed calls to finally answer his phone and Jungkook wasn’t letting him go that easily.

“Taehyung is coming today, hyung,” Jungkook sighed into the pillow, hugging it close and wanting to never get out of his bed. He heard rustling from the other side of the connection, and a tiny groan.

“So, is that why you’re awake at 4 Am? Do you want to see him that much?”

Jungkook let out a low whine which ended in a grumble, and Jimin chuckled through the phone.

“So let me get this straight, you want me to come to your house as soon as you arrive from the airport and whisk you away from all the glorious drama that you could have witnessed if you stayed?”

“Hyuuuung!”

“You better have my payment ready,” the promise of four boxes of choco pies, one already given in advance.

“I wonder why I’m still friends with you,” Jungkook grumbled, sliding off the bed and heading to the bathroom, but not before promising Jimin of his bribe again and ending the call.

♣ ♧ ♣

Jungkook was sitting in the front, hands crossed on his chest, looking like he was on the way to a funeral. Wearing full black wasn’t helping him either.

“Yah, why do you look like you’re attending a funeral?” Maybe this was one of the moments he could prove that Jin was actually his brother. Telepathy.

“I do not,” Jungkook grumbled. The tightened feeling in his belly had not receded ever since he got in the car, and it was making him nauseous. He squeezed his eyes shut, his lips tightly pressed to a thin line. Was he that uncomfortable around Taehyung? If he was feeling like this before he met Taehyung, what would happen when he finally meets him?

It took them another fifteen minutes to reach the airport and an hour till Taehyung’s flight arrived. If Jin had noticed Jungkook wringing his hands on his lap, or the nervous tapping of his foot, he didn’t comment on it. He brushed it off as excitement (probably) and nothing bad.

“Are you really okay, Jungkookie?” Jin just wanted to make sure, and the younger one’s nod seemed enough. So when they announced the arrival of Flight 402, Jungkook’s feet was the first on the ground. Jin watched him hurrying off to where Taehyung would enter in to the waiting section, his eyes darting back and forth and fingers twitching by his side.

Jungkook’s feet stopped as his eyes fixed on the herd of people coming out of the entrance. His throat felt dry, though his palms were sweaty. He couldn’t help but think that maybe Taehyung missed his flight. He was a klutz like that. Taehyung thought that his boxy grin solved everything. Would he even have that? He was seeing Taehyung after 7 years, maybe Taehyung wouldn’t even recognize him-

“Jungkook?”

And there was Taehyung, one hand holding his back pack and one hand shoved inside his fancy trench coat-grinning at him with that same boxy grin which Jungkook refused to admit missed so much.

♣ ♧ ♣

Jungkook, as soon as he got home, jumped into the kitchen and made it off limits to anyone-which was Jin and Taehyung-stating Taehyung needed to have some home cooking. It was his excuse to let Taehyung and his hyung to have some time together, which they both deserved. Right? So that was why Jungkook-who could count the days he had stepped into the kitchen that year in one hand-was figuring out which knife he should use to cut onions.

He wasn’t that bad at cooking. He just….forgot some things sometimes.

And he just needed to hold on until Jimin came.

“Jimin is here,” was what greeted him half way through his adventure to cook ramyeun-which according to Jungkook, was the perfect food to feel home. Jin had his head poked into the kitchen, the corners of his lips turned down as he passed the message.

“Can you take over, hyung?” Jungkook replied, wiping his hands over his jeans, to which Jin made a displeased sound. “I’m gonna go somewhere with Jimin hyung,” he added, seeing his hyung’s face. “We planned it before we even got to know Taehyung was coming.”

“But Taehyung-“

“He’s not going back, right?” Jungkook bit his bottom lip. “We’re gonna have plenty of time to catch up.” Not.

Jin stared at him for a couple of seconds before a sigh, and a “Fine,” and disappeared.

But the few minutes Jungkook wasted to grab his jacket, it cost him Jimin. When he went to the living room where Jin and Taehyung were cackling.

“Oh, Jimin went home,” Taehyung said through chuckles, breathing enough to utter those words to Jungkook.

WHAT?

“He said something came up, and that he’ll talk to you later,” Jin added.

What??

Jungkook couldn’t help when his jaw dropped open. Jimin-his best friend of four years, had ditched him. The traitor. It took him less than 2 seconds to whip out his phone and dial Jimin’s number. And he wasn’t answering.

The traitor.

How dare-

“I thought you had plans with him?” Jin looked amused.

“You did?” Taehyung mirrored Jin’s expression.

“I did,” Jungkook replied through gritted teeth.

“At least Taehyung won’t be disappointed now, right?” Jin cast a sideway glance at Taehyung, who just hummed with his eyes dropped to Jungkook’s fidgeting form.

♣ ♧ ♣

“Taeh-Taehyungie… Taehyung-ie,” Jungkook was hiccupping, skinny arms tightly woven around Taehyung’s shoulders and nose buried in his hair as he was carried by Taehyung. It was a warm evening, sun setting in the distance but to Jungkook, it felt cold even if he was resting against a warmer body against his.

“Aigoo,” Taehyung cooed, his voice cracking because he was riding through adolescence. “Our Jungkookie’s been bad.”

“But, b-but, you said you were leaving!” came the younger’s high-pitched accusing voice, following a move to tighten his arms around Taehyung.

“But I’m coming back,” was the argument.

“But you willmeet new friends and-and forget me when you go abroad. Would you even write letters to me? You’ll be so busy, you’ll forget that too! But I don’t want to-“

Taehyung paused, his lips threatening to pull at a wide grin. There was this funny warm feeling in his belly that he has been getting when he was around this rambling machine, getting his ears filled about everything those lips could get hold of. He crouched and placed Jungkook down, who was being given a piggy back ride due to the scarring on his calves-injuries he had gotten when he ran away from home after hearing about Taehyung’s departure from Jin. Grabbing both of Jungkook’s hands, Taehyung looked at the fidgeting boy; a good head shorter than him and looking too skinny for his age, with unshed tears filled in his doe eyes.

“Kookie-ah,” he knew Jungkook was a tsundere when it came to that nickname, and only Taehyung was allowed to call it. The point was, Taehyung always used it when he needed Jungkook to not be stubborn. “I can’t promise that I will write letters to you everyday because I will be stuck with schoolwork most of the time. But,” he added, seeing the younger’s lips pucker to a pout. “I will call you when I can. And I won’t forget you. Never. When I come back, I want you to be the first one I’m seeing.”

“Hyung,” Jungkook sniffed, rubbing his nose cutely and staring at Taehyung cutely. “You’re Jin hyung’s friend though-“

“But you’re precious to me,”Taehyung whispered, leaning down and pressing his lips softly against Jungkook’s. he heard Jungkook’s breath hitch and pulled away to see the doe eyes even wider than usual. A heat of embarrassment rushed  through Taehyung and he tried not to show it, but felt like his ears were betraying him.

As silence settled in, both Jungkook and Taehyung succumbed into it, ever letting go of their hands as Taehyung helped the younger home.

The day Jungkook woke up wanting to see Taehyung leave, he was already gone.

♣ ♧ ♣

Unlike that day, silence wasn’t that comfortable and the almost muted sounds coming from the TV did no help. Jungkook and Taehyung were sitting together, shoulders barely inches apart. Jungkook had his cheek resting on his palm, foot tapping restlessly against the floor in one corner of the love couch. And Taehyung was in the other corner, not wanting to irritate Jungkook more, who was glaring at the hyung who hogged the whole sofa to himself and was no fast asleep, his snores occasionally filling the room.

“So, you’ve certainly matured,” Taehyung attempted a start, eyeing the younger’s non-stopping leg.

Jungkook paused, looked at Taehyung and pulled up a straight face. “Please.”

“Kookie-ah-“

“Don’t.”

Taehyung sighed, slumping on the couch, pulling his hoodie over his head and hiding three fourth of his face. He could feel Jungkook’s eyes on him, but he gave a moment before opening his mouth.

“Ma said she hasn’t seen you lately. Said you were always gone when she came by.”

A moment of suffocating silence, and then, “I have photography classes….. and I always go out to take samples.”

Good, he seemed less annoyed.

“You finally major in photography, huh?” Taehyung muttered with a small smile quirking his lips up.

“Yeah…” Jungkook trailed off, averting his gaze to the TV. “What about your mother? Aren’t you upsetting her by being here on the first day instead of going home?”

“No, I already explained her…stuff.”

Jungkookclenched his fists. He would do anything not to be there. This, was what he wanted to avoid, being alone with Taehyung. He wanted to hit Taehyung, give him a good punch and ask him why he lied to him, but he couldn’t do neither. For the second time of that day he felt like he was nauseous.  “What about me?”

“Huh?” Taehyung’s questioning eyes turned to him.

“When are you going to explain things to me?” Jungkook’s voice was trembling, and his fists were clenched so tightly that Taehyung thought he was actually hurting himself.

There was so much Taehyung wanted to tell, but he settled with, “I’m sorry.”

“That’s…. Forget it,” Jungkook stood up, furiously wiping his eyes and turned his back to Taehyung, only for his elbow to be grabbed and pulled back down. He ended up half on top of Taehyung and half on the couch. There was a moment of stun before tried to get up again, yet Taehyung’s koala arms were not letting him. Taehyung managed to press his face against Jungkook’s neck despite all the struggling, kicking and elbowing.

“When I said I won’t forget you, I didn’t lie,” he said softly, breathing in Jungkook’s scent mixed in with some faint green apple smell. Jungkook tried to calm himself, but Taehyung breathing against his throat did not help at all. “And when I kissed you… that wasn’t a lie either.”

“Hyung, you left without even calling me,”Jungkook was able to get it out in a whisper, without giving into the tightening feeling in his chest.

“I know,” Taehyung rubbed his forehead against the crook of Jungkook’s neck. “It was wrong, I know. But Kookie-ah…. If I saw you that day, I wouldn’t have gotten the courage to leave you behind.”

“Wouldn’t that have been better, you idiot?” Jungkook let the sobs slip out of his lips after uttering that selfish reply, his fingers curled and hitting Taehyung’s shoulder with little strength. Taehyung let him do whatever he wanted until he calmed down. He traled a finger tip along Jungkook’s jaw absent of baby fat, and the doe eyes which still looked the same and the lips which looked so soft-and Taehyung wondered if he kissed Jungkook now, would it feel the same way as seven years ago.

So he did.

Jungkook’s gasp of surprise lost between their lips, warmth spreading through them both like fuzzy blankets in cold winter, Taehyung smiled into the kiss as the younger’s fingers ran through his hair.

Taehyung wouldn’t tell Jungkook how many nights he had spent sleepless thinking just about him, wanting to see him and craving to touch him and most of all, to hold Jungkook in his arms and never let go. But he knew somehow Jungkook would know about those nights, because Taehyung knew the younger had gone through the same. And the pinky finger coiling around his own, promised that tonight would not be the last of many to come.

♣ ♧ ♣

Omake:

*while Jin was heading to towards the kitchen*

“So, what’s the bribe?” Taehyung turned to the blond boy who was shifting his weight from one foot to another, waiting for Jungkook. He thought that the guy looked roughly around his age, or younger. Was he Jungkook’s lover? Taehyung internally cringed and kicked the thought away as fast as it came. Even Jungkook had better taste. And Jin hyung wouldn’t approve.

“Four boxes of choco pies,” yup. Definitely not Jungkook’s type of guy.

“I’ll make it ten,” Taehyung watched as the boy’s jaws dropped, and a second passed. And two more. Then, a thumbs up.

Well, that wasn’t hard.

Taehyung blessed his instincts.

He noticed that Jin was coming back when the boy straightened up, and, “Hyung, tell Jungkook that something came up and I have to go. Tell him I’ll call him!”

With that, he grinned at Jimin’s running form, out of the house in a heartbeat.

“The heck,” Jin muttered, settling next to Taehyung, still staring at the doorway as if the boy would come back. Taehyung’s grin just widened.