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when jeon jungkook turns five, many things happen. amazing things. do you want to know? okay, let’s tell you then.
for one, he is half a decade old, and his jin-hyung says that’s a milestone or milerock, whatever.
for two, he can finally tie his shoelaces all my himself. the god of shoes gave him that gift for his birthday because that was the first day he successfully did the bunny loop knots. even jin-hyung was proud of him.
for three, he was catching up to jin-hyung in age. jin-hyung is nine right now, ten in december, but for now he is nine. so it’s a four year difference instead of a five year difference, so take that!
for four, he has a best friend at school now. his name is kim taehyung and he has a crush on teacher park jimin. jin-hyung thinks it’s weird that his best friend is the art teacher but eomma says that it’s good that his best friend is knowledgeable.
for five, and this is most important, jungkook meets a bird.
it was the week after his birthday, and while jungkook was playing in eomma’s flowerbeds again and trying to make a bouquet for her, he found a little bird that was very very still. he picked it up and took it to his appa, who told him gently that the bird’s wing was damaged and it probably couldn’t fly.
jungkook had asked him, why is that important? it can just walk around like me and gureum. appa had shaken his head, kind of sadly, because birds aren’t meant to walk like us, jungkookie. birds are meant to fly with the wind, feel the clouds against their feathers, catch flies with their beaks. if birds can’t fly, then they lose a lot of their life.
no, jungkook blubbered, tears and snot melting against rosy cheeks, mr. bird needs to fly again, appa we have to help him!
we can’t help him, appa said, starting to smile, but i know someone who can.
that ‘someone’ turned out to be appa’s friend from college. he was an old old friend. old because he and appa knew each other a long time, and old because dr. lee had gray hair. appa said that was rude, but both he and dr. lee had laughed.
dr. lee is a vet, jungkookie, do you know what that is?
jungkook knew. it was an animal doctor. that means, because the bird is an animal, dr. lee can help it feel better. you have to promise to help mr. bird fly again.
when dr. lee said he would do his best, jungkook went the extra mile to make sure mr. bird wouldn’t be given shots like those given to gureum when he gets sick. it might make mr. bird hate you, jungkook had said seriously.
dr. lee gave his word.
a few weeks later, when jungkook and appa and also jin-hyung visited the animal hospital (or vet clinic, as jin-hyung tried to tell him), dr. lee showed them mr. bird who was fluttering around his cage happily. the four of them watched mr. bird eye the now-open window and take off for fresh air.
mr. bird was flying again, and it was all because of jungkook. he saved him.
that night, they had samgyeopsal at jungkook’s favorite local restaurant, and jungkook announced to everyone (except gureum because he couldn’t come, but jungkook would tell him later) that he was going to be a vet just like dr. lee.
appa and eomma looked very proud. jin-hyung just kept eating.
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when jeon jungkook turns six, one thing happens. a horrible thing. you have no choice, we are going to tell you.
because, you see, jungkook meets his worst enemy.
his name is min yoongi, he’s ten, he’s jin-hyung’s so-called new best friend, and he said birds are lame.
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when min yoongi turns fifteen, he is struck by the realization that eleven-year-old jungkook is just as fun, if not more, to play video games with than seokjin. it’s not fun when he glares at yoongi though. why does the kid hate him?
when min yoongi turns sixteen, he’s sleeping over at seokjin’s place when jungkook has a nightmare about entering high school and being bullied. seokjin had left to grab soda from the convenience store nearby, and his parents were already sleeping and not to be disturbed, so yoongi was the only one available to help. it ended with jungkook sleeping in yoongi’s sleeping bag (because seokjin never gives up his bed even to guests) with a promise to never tell anyone. yoongi doesn’t remind him that they’re in his brother’s room.
when min yoongi turns seventeen, he has the odd thought that maybe he shouldn’t be sneaking into jungkook’s room at night when he’s sleeping over. maybe he shouldn’t do jungkook’s math homework. maybe he shouldn’t kiss jungkook’s forehead even when the kid says he hates it. maybe he shouldn’t be glad when jungkook warns that this is the last time they will sleep in the same bed because they’re enemies and the line between enemies must be maintained, whatever that means.
when min yoongi turns eighteen, he wonders if having a crush on a fifteen-year-old (he won’t say who) is legal. probably not. good thing the kid hates him and they’re enemies (why are they enemies again?) and that he’s leaving for college soon.
when min yoongi turns twenty-two, he’s about to graduate with his undergrad degree and is on the cusp of deciding against graduate school. he is also met with a text from seokjin about whether he would be willing to share his apartment with jungkook (do you remember him, hehe, i don’t think you do / shut up, you know i do, hyung) as he would soon be attending the same college yoongi is graduating from.
when min yoongi turns twenty-three, he attends his fourth day of graduate classes, comes home to food already on the table, and finds jungkook in his bed (they never bought him one) by the time he’s done showering. he’s assured this is the last time because they’re enemies.
when min yoongi turns twenty-four, he finally feels like it’s okay to actively (not passively) crush on a certain someone due to him not being a teenager anymore.
when min yoongi turns twenty-five, he overhears an interesting conversation.
(it’s not a crush, fuck you / excuse me, i am your hyung / okay, fuck you, hyung-nim / you little brat, i will end you in mario kart next time i see you / wow, what a loser / kook, for once in your life, hush / meh, fine / listen, i really don’t think enemies are supposed to sleep in the same bed either but your relationship has always been weird / what do you mean by weird, i hate him and he hates me / trust me, hating you is the furthest thing from yoongi-chi’s mind
remind me again, why do you hate him? / what do you mean, don’t you remember? / kook, you were six when you met yoongi and decided he was your enemy / well, if you were a true hyung of mine you would know what i’m studying at college / bruh, it’s veterinary science, i’m not an idiot, it’s been your dream for like ever / do you know why i’ve had that dream? / yes, yes, mr. bird, i remember, kook / and do you know what happened when yoongi-ssi came over to our house? / kook, get to the fucking point / the point is that i showed yoongi my bird book and he said to my face that birds are lame!!!
did you just facepalm? / i’m glad you recognize the sound even over the phone line, kook, really / you think i’m dumb / i think you’re ridiculous, but not dumb / it’s… it was my dream / yeah, i know, but yoongi was ten, give him some slack / no, it was my dream and it’s still my dream, and i don’t care how many mushy gushy stupid fluttery buttery butterfly feelings come out of my heart when he holds me at night when we sleep, he will always be my enemy)
when min yoongi turns twenty-five-and-a-half, he devises a plan to steal jeon jungkook’s heart.
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when jeon jungkook turns twenty-four, he and yoongi are on their honeymoon in san diego. yesterday, they went on a tour around a famous recording label. they turned many heads when jungkook proudly introduced his husband as producer suga, much to yoongi’s embarrassment (and pride). today, they’re going to the zoo to recreate their first date.
san diego zoo is hosting a special tropical birds exhibit for limited time only.
min-jeon yoongi and min-jeon jungkook are going birdwatching.
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