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He thought he heard something.
It sounded like someone had kicked a dog.
The sound rang in his ears again. Sharper. Squeakier.
Puppy. It sounded like someone had kicked a puppy .
He snapped his head up and met a pair of eyes as perplexed as him.
So Jimin had heard it too.
Another high-pitched groan and they both turned towards an oversized hoodie that sat dumped on the couch next to them. Taehyung rolled his eyes before unzipping the hoodie to coax Jungkook's face out. "Kookie, please stop doing that. It's not really helping anything,"
Jimin sighed as he got up and came to sit next to Jungkook. Jungkook let out a huff and snuggled into Jimin's side, head tucked under his shoulders. "I know, but...," he mumbled.
"I think you are being too hard on yourself." Taehyung cut him off. "You did wish him after you woke up. He hugged you, gave you such a sweet kiss."
Jungkook snapped his head towards Taehyung, glinting his eyes. "A sweet kiss? It was a barely-there-briefly-met peck on the lips. A cold formality. A polite "whatever". Even RJ gets bigger smooches than that."
"Stop being jealous of RJ, Kookie," Jimin laughed at his rant. "Easy for you to say," Jungkook grumbled, "you had his tongue all the way down your throat. All I got was a pat on the back and a quick touch on lips."
"That's because Jimin pulled out all the stops on Weverse and Twitter," Taehyung snorted. Jimin's eyes crinkled into crescent moons as he blushed from the memory of that heated moment. "Really Jiminie using ARMYs’ posts to score points with hyung was very sneaky. As if Jin hyung wouldn't have found it out."
Jimin shrugged, "I was just so happy and wanted to share it with the world. I really wanted him to know how much he means to me."
"See! This is what I wanted to do too. But I overslept," Jungkook groaned. "I overslept, I missed wishing him on time and then waited awkwardly at dinner to wish him a lame happy birthday. By the time I got to him not only was I late, but you all had already wished him. Not just in person but on SNS too." He crossed his arms on his chest and puffed his cheeks in annoyance, "Yoongi hyung won again."
"It's not a competition, Kookie," Jimin sympathized.
"Still. I wanted to win."
“We all wished him during the concert. You even sang for him at the Jingle Ball show.”
“The concert and Jingle Ball don’t count, Jimin hyung. I wanted to wish him as his Kookie, not just as Jungkook of BTS,” Jungkook sulked.
He looked adorable pouting like that. Like an adorable little bunny . But Taehyung wasn't sure if he would appreciate hearing that right now. "Baby I am sure he appreciates your wishes just as much as any of us. Just make it up to him if you are still not happy with how you wished him."
"How?" Jungkook asked. "I have been trying to come up with something amazing for the past two hours, but nothing is good enough. You two are not helping out at all. Telling me to let it go is not good enough. Help me out please, hyungs."
"I did give so many ideas," Jimin offered.
"I need something big, something grand, something exceptional."
"Kookie..."
"You don't understand! I need to give Seokjin hyung the whole universe ASAP! I really do!" Jungkook whined, zipping up his hoodie all the way to cover his face once again.
Tae winced hearing the whine once again but couldn't help grinning at the situation. It's been like this for the last couple of hours. Jungkook whines, Jimin tries to offer help, Jungkook rejects all ideas, Jimin tries to comfort him, Jungkook cribs and shuts down - only for the whining to start again in a couple of minutes again. Don't get him wrong. He loved his little bunny to bits. But this whole dramatic mess was really funny too. Oh right! Taehyung was no less competitive when it came to their Jin hyung. He may not have won but he did beat the self-proclaimed favorite to grab his hyung's rewarding affection first.
Jimin caught him smirking and glared at him to school his expressions as he coaxed Jungkook out once again from his zipped-up hoodie.
"We need to work out a plan Kook-ah." Tae announced.
Jungkook perked up hearing that and eagerly nodded, "Yes, Tae hyungie we do! I can't take this anymore."
Taehyung started pacing dramatically in the living room. He stopped in his tracks and swung around with such flair that both Jimin and Jungkook were taken aback. Jungkook's eyes widened like a scared little rabbit. Oh bunny! Leaning down at Jungkook he stage-whispered conspiratorially, "So there's a list of things we will need."
"We need things," asked the bunny with his eyes wide.
"Yes," Tae declared. "We need things. A list of things. It’s going to be grand and super expensive. Note this down." He brought his index finger to his forehead and inclined his head up, as Jungkook struggled to open a notes app on his phone, "Ok, so we need legal consultants, tax advisors, an intern from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, a couple of sharks, or just one blue whale will do, ribbons, clowns, a grumpy Min Yoongi, 6 packs of gummy jellies, a live action Gummy bear, a pink lobster, a fishing rod shaped like a windshield wiper, a Michelin star chef, mangoes, that creepy doll from Squid Game, a platoon of ninjas, world's most boring novel, and your overly dramatic ass," Tae rattled off in a single breath.
Seconds passed before either of the two spoke up. Jimin sat lost in thought, while Jungkook's head was still bent over his phone.
Three, two, one...
Jungkook let out an anguished wail as he thrashed around his limbs. Tae doubled up laughing, holding on to his stomach. This was just too easy .
“Kook this is a legit plan to sweep hyung off his feet. Wait let me explain. We first train the ninjas…”
“NO”
“…no really, and then once we have caught the sharks…”
“PLEASE”
“…we just need to time the bear rolling in correctly…”
“STOP”
“Won’t it require political connections to hire that intern from the Ministry,” Jimin calmly asked, his voice sincere in its concern.
Tae looked at him incredulously. “That is the only part you are worried about?”
Jimin bit his lip replying, “The other stuff seemed easy.”
“Correct answer! You pass,” Tae declared grinning at his partner in crime for life. Jungkook wondered if the floor would open up and swallow him whole.
“What are we waiting for then?” Jimin asked. “Well, it’s not mango season yet, the ninjas are still in training, and I think Yoongi hyung won’t be grumpy right now since it’s Seokjin hyung’s birthday,” Tae logically concluded.
“Why are you doing this to me? Don’t you guys love me?” Jungkook’s scream made them both jump in their skins.
Tae looked at him seriously and replied, “Of course, we do Kookie! It is a genius plan…”
“He is a genius,” Jimin interrupted in awe.
“…and we get a grumpy Yoongi hyung as an added bonus,” Tae continued, appreciating the interruption.
“Can I keep him?” Jimin interrupted in excitement.
Not appreciated this time. Taehyung was warming up to the idea of coddling a grumpy Yonngi, even if hypothetically. “We. Take. Turns,” he gritted out.
“How about NO,” Jimin squinted his eyes.
“Then I keep Jin hyung all to myself!”
Partner in crime was ready to turn into a criminal. “NOT UNDER MY WATCH.”
“Play nice little one,” Tae warned, “or I will make another GENIUS plan, add a philosophical Namjoon hyung to it and KEEP ALL THREE OF THEM WITH ME!”
A fist banged on the coffee table. “Right now, both of you need to stay 6 feet away from me,” Jungkook half grunted half sobbed. He had had enough. He wanted to dive in his bed (or under it) and never leave ever again.
“You love me too much for your own good,” Tae replied unfazed.
Jungkook stood up to leave, “I hate how right you are, but you are gonna pay back.”
“Make me proud Kookie,” the smug voice called as Jungkook headed back to his room. “I WILL,” Jungkook screamed as the door slammed shut.
-- Couple of hours later --
Seokjin came running to the living room, excitement in his steps and happiness on his face. “Where is Kookie,” he asked breathlessly.
The rest of the members had been quietly watching a movie. They all glanced at each other, curious at their hyung’s gleeful entry. “In his room I think,” Hoseok replied. “What’s going on hyung? What’s the happy news?”
“Kookie wished me on Twitter. It’s so adorable. I think the last time he did so was 3 years back. Isn’t he cute…” Seokjin rambled on as he headed to Jungkook’s room.
They heard hurried knocking as Seokjin called for Jungkook, a door opening, a squealed “Kookieee”, a strangled huff (did hyung jump on Jungkook?), a door clicking shut, and a then a loud moan (yep, hyung did jump on Jungkook).
“That’s all it took?” Yoongi asked, looking at the direction of Jungkook’s room. They heard a bed creak. “Apparently, yes.” Namjoon replied.
“Oh, it took so much more,” Taehyung whispered in Jimin’s ear as their hyung’s looked on still fascinated.
“You are a genius Taetae,” Jimin agreed.
It had been easy to catch on to Tae’s intentions. When down in the dumps, riling Jungkook up always got the maknae to actually do something other than sit and wallow in self-pity. Plus, this was their Jin hyung. Simplest of things meant so much to him, especially when it came from his boyfriends.
Tae grinned brightly. Pushing buttons was his forte. He knew what makes his boyfriends tick. It was an art he had mastered with pride.
He cleared his throat to catch everyone’s attention. “Hyungs,” he pouted cutely, “Jin hyung always says he doesn’t play favorites, but why doesn’t it look so? I don’t remember the last time he jumped on any of us like that.” He nudged his chin in the direction of Jungkook’s room.
Three pairs of eyes turned towards him. Dark and heated. Jin hyung's birthday celebrations were far from over.
Pushing buttons was after all his forte.