Chapter Text
They're just living under the same roof. They aren't related by blood and they aren't distant relatives of each other.
It's hard to explain to some people in society that can't wrap their minds around the reason why one of the best past time trot musicians would take kids that are not his under his roof. They couldn't understand why a rich man would take a poor kid as his when his own parents couldn't provide for him. They couldn't understand why he would take the first born son of a greedy politician as his own.
People of the Rich society couldn't understand why he did these things because they were too up in their rich Victorian era "associate with people of your own class" heads. There are some good flowers out there who don't think so old fashioned but it's rare, like seeing a lotus flower bloom alone in a plain field.
He has all of this money from both his father and his musical career, yet he lives deep in the woods in a small estate. He didn't want to use his money like that.
~ They met when Taehyung was six and Jungkook was eight, it was a rainy day and perhaps the most rain that they got since February. The windows were open and it was March so no surprises. Little Taehyung didn't want to leave his parents and he cried the whole journey. He kept their words of "we are doing this for your good, we wish that you will have a better life than what we can provide here with Mr. Chae." In his heart dearly. There wasn't one day that passed by that he didn't miss his parents. ~
Jungkook quickly walked towards the house on the stone path through the back with his hands holding the all too familiar camera around his neck. He passed by the many flowers that he and his 'cousins' or best friends planted a few weeks back when they were bored. He also saw the familiar smoke of Taehyung's bad habit out his room's window, smiling to himself as he walked up the back steps not forgetting to take off his shoes as he entered the home.
"Jungkook, what did you get this time? I suppose Taehyung has his window open?" Chae said taking his glasses off and closing the small book he was reading at the kitchen island. Jungkook was beaming with his eyes wide like a deer's. He was very excited to show his find from the forest. He was always so passionate about his photography and Chae loved that about him. The old man loved Taehyung's view of the world. He loved everything about his boys ever since they moved into his empty home. Before they entered his life it wasn't always empty.
"His window is open, it's always common when he's stressed. But uncle! Goodness, I should show you the flower I caught today. I didn't pluck it out because it looked too precious." Jungkook rushed up towards the old man who looked nothing his age and turned on his camera flipping through the many shots of nature he had taken that day. And finally to the picture of the blue sun orchid that stood out against the green of the forest.
"Those are very beautiful Jungkook. I never even knew those could grow here." He looked in awe at the boy's beautiful photography and then looked up at him with scrutinizing eyes. Jungkook could feel the old man's icy glare from his peripheral vision and quickly turned off the camera putting it back around his neck.
"I haven't seen you the whole day so I am going to guess that is because you have been up since dawn." Yes, he has been up since the rosy haze of the morning started to show. It was kind of hard to see the full sunrise due to the trees but they could see the colors of the sky.
"Ok so maybe I did wake up early for this. But I had breakfast!" The younger man said, defending his choice of waking up early. Being a photographer wasn't easy, neither was starting your own company but it was ok as long as he was doing what he loved. And he cherished it, he was taught that the moment he was to stop doing what he loves it would be his first death.
"I worry if you are getting the amount of sleep you should. Now, i have a book to finish if you don't have anything else you need you can go on your way." Jungkook smiled knowing that his uncle always disliked it when he woke up early after sleeping late. He was a very caring old man who showed love to everyone even though he didn't have a love of his own.
"You're reading one of Kim Soo Min's books again? Uncle Chae, you must really love her writing. Doesn't she write stories like the young love stuff? Growing up and growing apart but still being in love despite the distance?" Jungkook made his way into the lounge room as they called it to grab his laptop and sat down right across his uncle. The old man smiled to himself recounting his past memories.
"She's my wife." Jungkook's hands stopped moving on the keys and he looked at his uncle smiling and blinking slowly in disbelief. Chae smiled softly reminding himself of their love.
"Hehe, uncle. You don't have to be such a fan uncle. I feel like some of the people who stan idols are rubbing off on you." Jungkook shook his head in disbelief going back to his work on the computer. His uncle stared at him in annoyance before stating:
"Deadass, I have pictures." At this jungkook quickly got up and ran towards the bottom of the stairs yelling up at Taehyung. This, was very important news.
"Tae!"
"What!"
"Uncle Chae has a wife!" The two men down the stairs heard a crash, shit and shuffling before the said man came running down the stairs with gold and white paint staining his shirt. Taehyung has been working on a new thing since he woke up pausing only to do what was needed to start his day.
He always looked cute with paint stains Jungkook though before quickly brushing those weird thoughts away.
"Jungkook I swear if you're kidding me and playing a Joke I'm calling Aunt Eui and she'll body your small ass." He said pointing a finger at the smiling boy before rushing into the hallway and stopping to turn around and face Jungkook with a look on his face.
"My ass is thick, excuse me!"
"Where is he?"
"Kitchen island." Jungkook said before running past the younger boy and into the kitchen where Mr. Chae was waiting. They created such a fuss it made him laugh. After living years in his care and never seeing any woman or man step foot into this house other than his older sister Eui and her family they had deemed him a "celibate saint who does not believe in love." They stayed true to this statement because every time there was a social gathering they couldn't avoid attending and many ladies flocked around him, he turned them all down.
"What did I say about running in this house?"
"Uncle it's a workout trust me, and plus this is much more important than simple fast walking in the house" Taehyung said giving his infamous lopsided grin before sitting right next to the oldest man of the house. Uncle Chae smiled and looked at the two boys.
"I'm surprised you've never rummaged through my stuff in the study." Chae pat Taehyung on the shoulder before getting up to get the brown box right beside the first bookshelf you would see when you enter the room. Picking it up with a grunt due to old age he made his way to where the two young men were waiting excitedly.
"That room sends me to sleep just by looking at the books, what if it's a prank?"
"Why would uncle Chae lie about stuff like this and swear he told me. He even said deadass after.”
Chae set the box down on the table and let out a watery laugh at the two’s look of confusion. He pulled out a big and very old photo book who’s pages were hanging on to dear life. He hadn’t opened the box in a long time and so it came as a shock to him when the first photo he pulled out was her portrait. Jungkook rushed to join Taehyung behind their uncle as he went through the photos with glassy eyes.
“Oh my, she’s such a beauty. Tell us about her.” Taehyung said reaching inside the box pulling out a picture of three people all smiling at the camera, the young man with long hair he supposed was uncle Chae, whereas Aunt Eui was the lady with a cigarette in her hand while the lady in the middle was apparently chae’s wife. The photo seemed to have been taken after someone made a joke, they all had bright smiles on their face. It was a beautiful photo.
“Her name is Kim Soo Min and we met in college.” At this statement Jungkook raised his eyebrows and smiled.
“Ahhh, the typical college love story.” Jungkook said before getting hit by uncle chae. Jungkook laughed and hid behind Taehyung just in case.
“If anything our meeting was not like those dramas you and Taehyung like to binge every other week when I'm gone." The older man rolled his eyes and watched as Taehyung pulled Jungkook from his back.
“It was during my junior year and her older brother and I were in the same dorm. I think she got the rooms mixed up so she opened the door without knocking and saw my dick.” The three of them burst out in laughter at the revelation.
“Wait- what did she say?” Jungkook managed to ask between breaths. Uncle Chae held a hand up while he continued to laugh at the very first memory they shared. It was a pretty funny story to them, it’s not everyday they hear their uncle talk like this so they enjoy what they can.
“She- she said “aye bro, nice dick.” And I was just standing there trying to put my underwear on in confusion.” He managed to let out before they continued to laugh until they were wiping tears from their eyes. After the laughter died down they continued to look at photos as uncle Chae explained everything in the photos until there was no more to look at and explain.
“That was cool, We didn’t even know that you were married all this time we’ve lived here. Why didn’t you tell us when we asked before?” Jungkook said walking back to his laptop and opening it to continue what he was working on earlier before the lovely interruption.
“You guys always asked if I liked anyone. You never asked if I had ever loved anyone in my lifetime.”
“You are always like this uncle. How were we supposed to ask that specific question?” Taehyung complained before looking into one of the cabinets and pulling out a glass of wine. He looked back at Chae and sheepishly smiled when he motioned for him to put it back in the cabinet. They had a no day drinking rule because of past events that lead to a hospital visit.
“Don’t even try it Taebear.” Jungkook said not even looking up from his laptop. For some reason he could always tell the exact moment Taehyung touched one of their many bottles of wine.
“Oh my goodness hyung! Don’t call me that!” Taehyung hastily put the wine bottle back with a huff and walked up to pull jungkook’s hair making the older boy react by turning around and shoving the other playfully. At times they acted like children. Taehyung was too late because jungkook had manhandled him with one arm and started tickling him. Why was Tae’s heart beating irregularly fast? I don’t know but that definitely wasn’t normal and it definitely wasn’t because he was tired.
“If you guys fight in this kitchen I’m sending you both off to Yoongi’s so I can have some peace.” Uncle Chae tsk’ed as he exited the room with the box in his hands smirking to himself as he heard the shuffling stop. Yoongi just so happens to be their cousin and Aunt Eui’s firstborn of two, Jimin being the youngest. The family is terrifying on the outside but definitely not on the inside, save for Eui’s wife who was the sweetest being to ever walk face on this earth, they were like bowling balls filled with cotton candy and whipped cream.
“If anything you’d go first,” Taehyung stated matter-of-factly while putting hands on his small waist. Wait, small waist? Jungkook wtf? Why is he noticing these things?
Weirdo. But not really… he can't help but notice the younger man's beauty. They were both very pleasing to look at but to him, Taehyung was just ethereal. He was the type to walk into a loud room and the place would go silent in awe of his beauty. He looked so beautiful everyday he looked out his bedroom having the window open so the rays could dance on his perfectly sculpted face as the smoke of a bad habit left his room. He looked the best when they were watching a television show together and uncle Chae has made a comment on one of the characters making the three of them almost die of laughter. Jungkook loved the moments when they would go to the city or the grocery shop together and everytime he and Taehyung always ended up in the plushies section even though he owned only the one his parents gave him which was now tattered and hanging on for dear life. He loved it the most when Taehyung looked so beautiful… beautiful without even attempting to.
Maybe and hopefully Taehyung felt the same for him.