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Seokjin took a few more shirts out of the closet and folded them neatly so that they could fit in the suitcase. His face was mostly blank, with the exception of those few times when he would scrunch his nose and take out the clothes he had just put in. Jungkook kept glancing at him while he was playing on his phone, sprawled on Seokjin’s bed. He had spent the whole day silently following the hyung around while the older was packing his things for the military. Jungkook could sense the uneasiness in him – in the way he kept filling and emptying his suitcase over and over again.
“You probably won’t need that one, hyung,” he lifted up his eyes from the phone, focusing all his attention on the elder, who was currently inspecting a silk shirt in bright pink.
“I won’t, will I?” Seokjin said quietly without looking at the maknae.
Jungkook sat up on the bed, his phone long forgotten under the pillow.
It’s not like Jungkook was sad because his eldest hyung was enlisting in the military – he was gonna come back eventually. Every time, Jungkook had to remind himself that eventually meant probably no sooner than two years. But it was fine. They’ve been anticipating it – there was no shortcut. They all had to go through this. And now, Seokjin had to be the first go to.
Seokjin, who was holding RJ, stared at the plushy for more than two minutes, then put it back on the bed where it belonged along with the other plushies.
Jungkook’s greedy hands grabbed RJ and held it to his chest.
“You gonna keep that for me, JK?” Seokjin was looking at him, intensely – with something that made Jungkook’s stomach twist in agony.
Before he could say that RJ was now in his possession forever, some other words fell from his lips.
“I was thinking…” he swallowed and lifted his eyes, so that they can meet Seokjin’s. “Maybe I can go with you.”
Seokjin’s face seemed to freeze at that, but then he chuckled.
“Stop messing with me, brat.”
“I’m serious.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about, kid.”
“I’m not a kid and I sure do!”
Jungkook hated when people called him a kid – most of all, he hated when Seokjin called him that.
“Jungkook…”
“I’m gonna have to go sooner or later…Why not just go together?’
“You’re being stupid right now. I’m not gonna let you do this. “
“Why not?”
“Because, I won’t let you send your career to hell when it’s in its peak.”
“Yours is too…”
“Come on…”
Seokjin’s expression became bitter.
“Hyung…”
“I don’t have a choice.” He sat on edge of the bed, his back facing the younger boy. “And you still have so many things to do, Kookie.”
“We can do them together if you let me…”
Jungkook crawled closer to his hyung, his hand on the other’s shoulder.
And then Seokjin did something that Jungkook is still not sure if it really happened. He put his hand on Jungkook’s that was resting on his shoulder, turned around still holding it and before Jungkook could lose his balance, he placed his other hand on Jungkook’s neck and pressed his lips against his. It was a gentle touch, barely there but Jungkook could feel his skin burning and his breath hitching.
Seokjin soon pulled away (maybe too soon) and opened his eyes to sincerely look at the younger.
“I need you to stay put and wait for me, okay?”
Jungkook’s voice was still smothered somewhere in his throat, so he just nodded.
People say that time flies when you have fun. Jungkook felt like time had frozen. Seokjin was not there to play with him, to wrestle or annoy him. They barely talked. Phones were not allowed in the military, so Jungkook could understand how army felt without worldwide handsome selfies.
The maknae tried to occupy himself with various things to do – from writing music and learning how to play the guitar to working out and doing DIYs. He had periods when he’d keep appearing in the hyungs’ studio and following them everywhere. Other times, he’d keep company to Jimin and Taehyung, but that not always worked out – cuz, you know, three are a crowd.
The truth is that nothing helped in distracting him from thinking about Seokjin. Or, more like, from being angry at Seokjin for kissing him, only to leave after that. He didn’t have the chance to ask him what the kiss meant. He wasn’t sure if he should ask him. What if he did it only to shut him up? No, no,no…That would be exceptionally cruel and Seokjin was not like this. Or maybe Seokjin was too anxious himself and needed something to calm his nerves?...Ugh. Jungkook wanted to pull his hair out.
He kept visiting Seokjin’s family house, though. He was pretty sure that Seokjin’s mom had started to love him and she always made him stay, and who was he to refuse her? He would spend hours in Seokjin’s room, playing games and enveloping himself in the scent of Seokjin’s detergent, breathing in deeply as he buried his face in the sheets. He would usually imagine Seokjin finally coming home and finding him in his bed. That’s how he spent the last couple of months before Seokjin’s return.
And Jungkook felt absolutely betrayed when it was Hoseok who told him that their hyung had already come home. He tried to calm down and wait at least a day, giving Seokjin a chance to tell him himself but this didn’t happen. So, Jungkook did what he had to do and took off to his hyung’s house.
The housekeeper already knew Jungkook well, so they didn’t fuss over his arrival. They just kindly pointed him in the direction to their young master and that was all Jungkook needed.
Apparently, Seokjin was in the garden. Jungkook saw him reading a book under the thick shade of the apple tree. Jungkook had imagined this moment for so long – their reunion – a hug, maybe a kiss. But never before had he imagined picking up an apple from the ground and throwing it at Seokjin.
“What the-…” the older jumped, knocking off his shades and trying to focus on his attacker.
Jungkook picked up another apple and aimed at his hyung again.
“Ya!” Seokjin finally had noticed the boy and seemed torn between his feelings.”Jungkook!”
“You deserve it, hyung!” Jungkook threw the apple, hitting Seokjin’s calf. “How could you not tell me you’re back?”
“Stop it, you little brat!” Seokjin raised his hands to protect himself and started walking towards Jungkook. “Who spoiled you like this?”
“You, hyung!”
Jungkook pulled his hand back, ready to send the fruit to his hyung again, but his wrist was gripped tightly. Jungkook tried to look away, embarrassed by the tears in his eyes, but Seokjin gripped his chin with his other hand.
“You’re horrible, hyung!”
“I know. I know…I’m sorry.”
Seokjin wrapped his hands around his body and pressed him against his chest. Gradually, Jungkook’s body relaxed into the warmth and he released his grip on Seokjin’s shirt. The apple dropped on the grass.
Jungkook was still shaking while Seokjin was walking around the kitchen, looking for some snacks.
“You want some banana milk, kid?”
“Not a kid,” Jungkook glared and Seokjin smirked. “And yes.”
Seokjin’s hair was shorter than Jungkook had ever seen it, but still looked good on him. Mr. Worldwide Handsome could pull off everything – even the small red spots on his face, caused probably by the sun.
“Why didn’t you come home, hyung?”
“What are you talking about, Kook-ah? This is my home,” Seokjin tore a package of something and started munching. “My family is here.”
“And your other family?”
Seokjin took the glass from Jungkook’s grip and took a sip.
“I was gonna meet you all soon.”
Jungkook had so many questions to ask. How was he? Did they treat him okay? What did he do? Was he gonna come back…?
“What are the others doing?” Seokjin asked him instead.
“Yoongi-hyung’s got about nine months left until he’s discharged…Joon-hyung and Hobi-hyung are preparing something in the studio. And Jimin and Taehyung took some time off to travel the world together.”
“You didn’t go with them?”
“Like hell I’d miss your discharge…” Jungkook said before thinking.
He blushed but his heart swelled when he saw that Seokjin had blushed too.
“And I didn’t want to be a third wheel,” he pouted to change the subject.
“So, they finally…”
“Yeah.”
“Good for them,” Seokjin chuckled, taking another sip from the milk.
“Hyung, that’s my milk.”
“Don’t be so selfish! It’s my house, so it’s my milk.”
“It’s your mother’s house, hyung. Don’t toot your own horn…”
“Ya! If you’ve only come to get on my nerves you’d better go, brat…”
“No way. You’re stuck with me.”
A few hours later, Seokjin’s mother asked Jungkook to stay for dinner. And Jungkook was absolutely amused by the elder’s confused stare when his mother kept on doting on the maknae.
“What have you done to my mother, you punk?” Seokjin asked him while they were playing a video game after dinner.
“You jealous, hyung? She seems to like me more than she likes you…” Jungkook teased him.
“How could that be possible? She’s my mother…”
“I’m just too cute cuz I’m the maknae. No one can resist me,” Jungkook smirked, when his character stabbed Seokjin’s.
“Ya!” Seokjin was blushing furiously.”You’re playing dirty!”
“Is it my fault that you’re too distracted by me, hyung?”
“Yes, it is! I leave you for just two years and you’ve become evil.”
Jungkook snorted.
“I was always like this.”
After another round of Jungkook beating the shit out of Seokjin’s character, the maknae lay down on the floor and sprawled like a starfish.
“Make me something to eat, hyung.”
“What? We just had dinner.”
“But I want to eat something you cooked…”
Seokjin looked the other way, his neck turning red. Jungkook’s heart fluttered – he thought his hyung was adorable.
“Won’t you go home already, brat?” he mumbled.
Jungkook sat up and twisted his body so that he could look at Seokjin’s face.
“Do you really want me to go, hyung?”
They seemed caught in each other, shallow breaths tickling each other’s skin. Finally, Seokjin took a deep breath and stood up.
“Where are you going?”
“To make you something to eat,” he said without meeting the younger’s eyes and left the room.
Some time later, when they had finished the food that Seokjin prepared, they snuggled together on the bed – not talking, just listening to each other’s breathing. And, even though they were both relaxed and comfortable, neither of them could dose off at that moment.
“I waited for you, hyung,” Jungkook said in the crook of his neck.
Seokjin gasped involuntarily and his hand that was tracing the contours of the younger’s body tightened around Jungkook’s waist.
“JK…”
“You’re not talking about it.”
“I…”
“I’ve waited two years to talk about it, hyung…”
“I’m sorry for making you wait that long.”
Jungkook propped on his elbow, looking up to meet Seokjin’s eyes – the air was pulsing with electricity.
“You kissed me.”
“I did.”
“Why did you kiss me?”
“JK, I’m sorry…”
“Didn’t you mean it?”
“It’s not that. I was afraid. “
“Of what?”
“That I wasn’t gonna see you for two whole years.”
“Well, I was afraid, too.“
“I missed you.”
“I missed you, too.”
Seokjin’s hand tentatively brushed Jungkook’s cheek with utmost care as a sob erupted from the latter’s throat.
“I think I’m in love with you,” Jungkook said, while Seokjin’s fingers roamed over his lips.
Seokjin’s hand now lingered in the air, his teeth biting a smile.
“I’ve wanted you for years…”
“What? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You were just a kid…How could I…”just tell you”?”
“You didn’t think I was mature enough.”
“I didn’t want to confuse you…”
“It was not confusing. When you kissed me, everything became clear. My feelings…”
Seokjin took his face with both hands and pressed their lips together. This time it was anticipated, it was long wanted. Jungkook wrapped his arms around Seokjin’s waist and opened his lips for him with a passion that had built up for years.
“Won’t you say that you love me, hyung?” a strained noise of distressed came out from the back of Jungkook’s throat.
Seokjin had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop the cackles.
“I bet you’ve thought of every single worst outcome…”
“Well, you’re not even freaking out right now.”
“I’ve just kissed you.”
“You kissed me two years ago and then left.”
“Don’t be a knowing ass.”
Jungkook had the audacity to answer to this by palming Seokjin’s crotch through the fabric. Seokjin’s breath hitched and he hissed when he saw the smugness written all over Jungkook’s face. Still, Seokjin could see that Jungkook was too afraid to take it further. Seokjin elegantly positioned himself between his thighs and stared at him challengingly.
“So?” he hung back on purpose while the maknae was gaping with wild eyes.
Seokjin slowly leaned forward and pressed a kiss against Jungkook’s neck. And then he started giggling, which grew more and more intense.
“Hyung?” Jungkook was, least of all, confused. “Hyung!”
“Should have seen your face!” Seokjin’s windshield laugh echoed in the room.
“Not funny!” Jungkook tried to push him away but Seokjin had octopused himself around him. “You’re the worst hyung!”
“And yet, I’m your favorite.”
“Who said that? I don’t like you anymore!”
“Sorry, JK. No taking back.”
Seokjin found Jungkook’s lips again and this time both of them relaxed into the kiss, deepening it and chasing each other’s lips.
Everything was perfect until Seokjin’s mother walked in on them and almost had a heart attack.