ahhh i'm sorry it was late but this
chap was so hard?? and for what reason
i have no idea 💀💀💀

♡♡︎♡

When Taehyung woke up at that morning, Jeongguk was already gone.

It made sense that the younger would get up as early as he could to go see his own mom. Taehyung would have acted the same if he heard one of his dads had a stroke, and plus he wasn't an idiot; he understood how much she meant to Jeongguk.

That was why they were here instead of spending the week break at the boarding school like every other year. Usually this was a rest period.

But this, this wasn't a vacation— Jeongguk's mom was sick, and who knew if she was going to die.

He got up after brushing his teeth and hair, seeing that he didn't want to embarass Jeongguk at all around the family members that did stay back. He headed down the stairs, surprised to hear the tv was on and the thick aroma of pancakes filled the air.

Taehyung waved at the little girls who were eating their pancakes by the tv, and he noticed even they weren't as energetic. Did something happen?

Upon entering the kitchen, he was surprised that June wasn't the one cooking but a different taller, more athletically built woman with a black pixie cut. He guessed that June might have left along with Jeongguk, and that this person was his sister.

Hyejung, was it? Yes, that was her name. Taehyung didn't really struggle with names, but all the Jeons were like carbon copies of one another that he even struggled to tell apart the two youngest.

"You're Taehyung, right?"

He stopped by the kitchen door, flinching, not at all expecting Hyejung to turn around so fast before he could fully entire. He blinked a couple times, failing to find any words as she stared at him, eyes curious.

"Don't worry. I don't bite like my brother," She chuckled, but despite her best efforts to seem okay, the dark circles beneath her eyes and her heavy laughter said otherwise.

"How are you doing?" Taehyung slipped into the kitchen, deciding standing by the island was good enough. Starting a conversation with her wouldn't hurt; after all, this was like the phone calls but in person.

"M'holding up. Somebody has to take care of the house, right?" Hyejung said cheerfully, pouring every ounce of herself into seeming energetic.

Taehyung swallowed, not knowing what he should do or say. He stood awkwardly by the counter, and he could tell both of them know that her act wasn't true— it was obvious, though he wasn't sure if he had the right to mention it.

Eventually, the silence was unbearable and Hyejung let out a tired sigh, "It's been a rough night. She had one out of nowhere, and the doctors won't tell us if it was bad or not."

"I'm sorry about that," Taehyung whispered softly, watching her run a hand down her face. "If you need help, I can watch the girls so you can rest?"

"Don't, no. It's fine, Tae," Hyejung waved her hand, shaking her head. "You're here as a guest. I don't want our personal problems to ruin your break."

"It's not ruining anything," He said, "and if you're tired, I really don't mind watching the girls for a couple hours." At that, Hyejung set the spatula on the counter, her shoulders rising and falling along with her breath.

"Is everything okay?" He lifted an eyebrow when he noticed her shoulders shook, hoping he didn't hurt her or anything because if he did, Jeongguk would kill him.

Hyejung turned around, her lips pressed into a trembling smile, confusing Taehyung even more. "I can see why my brother likes you a lot."

"What?" Taehyung frowned a little. Hyejung nodded, turning off the stove with a gentle grin.

"Jeongguk never brings people home," Hyejung started. Taehyung wasn't so sure where this was going. "He doesn't trust anyone enough to be around his sisters, or even meet them."

Hyejung returned to her finished cooking, plating the pancakes onto a plate for Taehyung. He watched her expression soften when their eyes met, and the smile she wore tightened but not in a fake way. It was one of gratitude, relief.

"Gguk's afraid people won't care about them, and they only seem like it just so they can get him to date them," Hyejung said, handing them to him. He thanked her quietly, waiting on her words.

"He dated his fair share of shallow people."

"Jeongguk's never mentioned that before," He murmured, remembering that he thought Jeongguk was one of those people. It was different now, of course; he didn't think that.

But he did remember what Jeongguk said about never mentioning his family. He wondered about all the people in the past who tried to get to him by his sisters— must have been frustrating to like a person only to find out they were just trying to use you for the popularity.

It must hurt to realize somebody you truly liked back only returned those feelings to use you. Taehyung didn't know why his heart clenched, but he tried his best to ignore it.

He wasn't using Jeongguk, right? There was no need to feel guilty. That would be ridiculous.

"He doesn't like talking about his time doing that," Hyejung said, joining his side by the island with a plate of her own. "But enough of that. Him bringing you here means you matter a lot to him."

"Well, I kinda brought him here myself," He chuckled, trying to push aside his thoughts while drenching his pancakes with syrup.

"True, but he hasn't tried to hide you, so that's a good sign," Hyejung let out a laugh. It was airy and light, and it sounded more like a snort.

"He trusts you enough not to hurt him." But do I trust myself enough to not hurt him?

"Thank you? But I think you're reading too much into this," Taehyung tried to joke around, but as he forked a slice of soggy pancake into his mouth, his throat tightened. "We're just friends."

"Oh, I know that," Hyejung rolled her eyes, but the smile on her face eased him. "He always insists you're friends everytime I call him. I've heard the word 'pal' and 'best friend' so much it hurts."

"Really now?" Taehyung struggled to swallow as his cheeks flooded with warmth. Hyejung nodded.

"I'm aware that you two are friends. No need to remind me, or yourselves. But to be honest, if you are friends, you shouldn't be constantly saying it out loud to confirm it," Hyejung pointed out.

"Both of you should just already know, and by repeating it, it kinda gives off a vibe that you aren't just friends," She said as Taehyung nearly choked on his pancake.

"It's just my opinion. However, I think you two are great friends though!"

"Yeah," Taehyung mumbled, reaching for his glass of water. He sipped it carefully, not wanting to meet the oldest Jeon's eye any longer unless he wanted to explode with embarrassment.

"Anyways," He said, clearing his throat and wanting no more but to change the goddamn topic already. "Have you heard from Jeongguk and his mom?"

"Not at all. He doesn't really talk to us about things regarding her," Hyejung said. "All we gotta do is wait until he comes back and support him on whatever he's feeling."

"Was Jeongguk always close with your mom?" He found himself asking, and when Hyejung didn't answer he opened his mouth to quickly apologize but she waved it off with another smile similar to Jeongguk's that it lowkey freaked him out.

"Ever since he was young. She used to play volleyball until she became our coach," She hummed, nostalgia twinkling in her doe eyes. "They shared something we never did with her."

"I heard you used to play," Taehyung continued to eat, for the pancakes were fluffy little pillows of amazingness he couldn't turn down. All kinds of food were too good to turn down.

"I did," Hyejung nodded, "but I got injured badly in my college years. I couldn't qualify for the Olympics, but it's enough for me to see Jeongguk's able to live his dream."

"I'm sorry about that," He murmured, eyes slighty widening at the news. "What did you do to hurt yourself?"

"I landed wrong on a spike and dislocated my kneecap so bad I couldn't ever return to how I was," She said, twirling her fork in the puddle of syrup on her plate. "Devastated me, but eventually I found out my real passion was working with kids."

"You see," Hyejung started, stabbing her fork into her stack of pancakes. "I never want that to happen to Jeongguk. He overworks like I do, and I know if he gets injured, it will end him."

"Volleyball is his life," Taehyung agreed, unable to fully imagine a world where Jeongguk wasn't doing what he loved more than anything else.

"Exactly. I try to keep an eye on him from time to time. I already lost my dream, but luckily I found another one," Hyejung said softly. "But if he got an injury that bad, I'm afraid he'll never recover."

"He will get into those Olympics," He tried to lighten the subject, finding this morning to be one of those that really seemed to kill the mood. He never liked waking up sad, but sometimes you couldn't help it.

"Oh he will," Hyejung nodded, "I don't deny it. He's going to represent Japan, and all of us are going to be there to watch." She said enthusiastically.

"How come he's representing Japan, and not South Korea?" Taehyung asked. At that, Hyejung's eyebrows raised in shock, not at all expecting that question.

"Jeongguk never told you?" The other shook his head. Hyejung sighed, shaking her head. "Our entire mom's side is completely Japanese! Except for her. Her father was Korean and her mom was Japanese, but the Japanese kinda diluted when she met our dad."

"So you guys are technically Japanese too?" He asked, genuinely shocked Jeongguk missed out on giving him this cool piece of information.

The oldest Jeon nodded eagerly, smiling proudly, "Yeah. Mostly Korean, but he qualified. Plus our mom wanted to play for Japan, and he's doing it for her. But Japan's also a good team, too."

"He's really invested into this," Taehyung smiled, remembering all the times he asked him about practice and Jeongguk would go on and on, eyes sparkling with adoration for the sport he would die for.

"So invested he dressed up as a whole ass volleyball for halloween."

"No way," His eyebrows shot up immediately. "You're joking, aren't you?" Hyejung shook her head, trying hard to contain her laughter.  

"Kid's in love with volleyball, and I thought he would never find something else to love the same way," Hyejung chuckled, but in a quieter voice too soft for Taehyung she smiled and said, "Until you."

"Unnie! Jeonggukie's home!" Hyelin came running into the kitchen, her short legs unable to keep up with her energy. Both of them exchanged worried glances, hoping the Jeongguk mood they run into wasn't bad.

"Where is he?" Hyejung swallowed, pulling the tiny girl onto her lap and squishing her chubby little cheeks.

"He's sad again," Hyelin pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. "Said he wants to know where his Taehyungie is."

Both of the Jeons snapped their attention to where he sat, and he swore his heart fell out of his chest. There really was something in the Jeon blood that made the highly intimidating.

"Is he crying, Lin?" Hyejung asked, and the littlest Jeon shook her head. "Did he say anything about your mom?"

"He said she was doing okay, but didn't Auntie June tell us yesterday—," The oldest clamped a hand over the younger's mouth. At that, Taehyung raised an eyebrow, wondering what was that for.

"Is there something wrong?" His lips fell into a small frown, the skin between his brows furrowing. He glanced between Hyejung and the littlest Jeon giggling as she tried to pull her sister's hand away.

"If I tell you, you can not tell Jeongguk," Hyejung eventually said, the lightness in her tone missing from earlier. She murmured something to Lin, set her down, and the two watched the tiny human scamper away to her sisters.

"Will it hurt him?" Taehyung swallowed.

Hyejung pressed her lips together tightly, "Yes. It would, and please know I don't want our family to hold him back from fulfilling his dream." 

"Okay," He nodded, not entirely sure what he was getting himself into. This would be the first time he really lied to Jeongguk, but the more he thought about it, the more his gut twisted and churned.

That wasn't true.

"We know it's not okay. The doctors are telling us she'll make a recovery, but a body can take only so much," She murmured, her low voice snapping him away from his thoughts.

"Is she dying?" Taehyung whispered, worry evident in his tone, but the oldest simply shook her head.

"I don't know, but what we do know for sure is that," She sucked in a shaky breath before saying—

"She's not going to see him in the Olympics any time soon."

♡♡︎♡

"Jeongguk?" Taehyung stood by the door, his fist rapping the wood as he noticed him sitting on the window sill, staring outside.

Hyejung told him to give Jeongguk some time, and him some time to process the information. He took her advice, for he wasn't sure if he could face the younger without his chest feeling crushed beneath the weight of all the lies he kept.

It was almost evening, and when Taehyung was busying himself with the little girls and throwing yet another tea party, he knew he had to go see him eventually.

So here he was, and there he sat.

The younger turned his head toward him, and in the darkness of his bedroom, he could tell he wasn't at ease by the wrinkle between his brows and the frown that weighed down his lips. All he wanted to do was erase the wrinkles with his thumb and kiss the frown away until he was smiling again.

Taehyung sucked in a shallow breath and pushed his thoughts aside before his feet carried him to him.

"Are you okay?" He asked, the first words that left his lips were delicate as if one wrong saying could make the younger fall apart again.

"Could be better," Jeongguk shrugged, leaning his head against the window. "How are you?"

"I've been entertaining little kids for the last few hours," Taehyung chuckled, pushing his blue hair behind his ear as he joined Jeongguk on the opposite end of the window sill. "Your sisters are cute."

"Are they cuter than me?" The younger asked. He rolled his eyes, gently hitting his knee with his hand. For a second, he thought the younger winced, but when he blinked Jeongguk didn't seem fazed.

"I mean, we did have a tea party," Taehyung said, feeling the warmth of the window against his arm as he leaned against it. "Invited Mr. Beary and Kitty. I got to meet Pip the Penguin and Cooky the bunny."

"A tea party? Did you get dressed up too, princess?" He teased, earning yet another eyeroll from the older.

"You're the princess here," He found himself smiling at the younger. "And for your information, I only wore a plastic tiara and a scarf. Picture it."

Taehyung's face immediatey flushed red when he realized his words could have a double meaning. His gaze met the younger's, and by the crooked smirk on his lips, he knew Jeongguk couldn't have possibly missed that.

"That wasn't meant to be sexual."

"You just made it sexual," Jeongguk snorted. "Mm, am I allowed to picture you naked? Like would it be wrong if I told you I'm picturing your bare ass?"

"My god, shut up," Taehyung grumbled, nudging his foot with his own. "You can't picture me naked."

"Yes I can. Your ass is very big, by the way."

"Oh my god SHUT UP," Taehyung covered his face, fire practicaly engulfing his cheeks.

"I also have a good visual of your dick in my memories too," Jeongguk continued, ignoring him and the way his entire face blushed red. "10/10 dick. Very big and thick. I could suck it—,"

"—Please stop. I don't need a review of you and your shrimp," Taehyung's nose scrunched together. The younger lifted a brow at him.

"Did you just imply I have a small dick?" Jeongguk gasped. "That's very rude of you. Just because you are an inch bigger doesn't mean you can be dickcist to my dick."

"Did you just say dickcist?"

"Yes. It's like racist but for dicks. You are dickcist."

"Jeongguk," Taehyung rolled his eyes, "That doesn't exist."

"Excuse you, but my dick has feelings. His feelings are completely valid," Jeongguk snorted. "I'm also very offended as well. I think this friendship can't work between us if you don't support other dicks."

"I hate you," He grumbled, nudging his foot again as Jeongguk struggled to keep a straight face.

"No you don't. Once you see me naked, you'll change your mind," The younger said, crossing his arms over his chest. "You say my dick's small, but just you wait Kim Taehyung. I'll blow your mind."

"And I'll blow your dick too." He kicked his foot, face searing hot as Jeongguk snickered quietly.

"Can we not discuss this right now," Taehyung tried to keep in his laughter, the lightness of the situation completely different from what he expected.

"Am I too sexy for you, Specs? Are you hot and bothered?" Jeongguk wiggled his eyebrows at him.

"Jeongguk, how horny are you on a scale of 1-10?" He asked, genuinely concerned about the younger. Maybe leaving him for so long wasn't a good idea. Clearly, he was going mental.

"Right now? My dick's kinda depressed, but other times? A good seven." Jeongguk said. He wasn't sure if he sounded proud or sad to be honest.

"I haven't had sex in three months."

"Are you saving yourself for somebody?" Taehyung teased, leaning back against the wall, staring right at him. Jeongguk shrugged.

"Kinda? Not really though," The younger admitted, scratching the side of his neck. "That makes me sound like a virgin, but to be honest, I don't need sex."

"Why not?" He tilted his head to the side. "Before all of this, you told me how amazing it was."

"I know," Jeongguk chuckled lowky, "but I don't need it to feel happy anymore." Taehyung raised an eyebrow at that.

"Why?" The younger glanced up at him, a ghost of a smile twitching on his lips.

"Because I have you. Unless you wanna have mind blowing sex, then I mean, that'll make me happy too."

"You know there's kids on the floor beneath us that can hear, right?"

"We won't know unless we try it out," Jeongguk was holding back a laugh.

"You're lucky I like you." And that was that.

He honestly thought Jeongguk was going to be brooding or something, like one of those bad boys in cliche movies and books, but here they were, having a stupid conversation. It was weird, but at least it wasn't awkwardly suffocating.

Eventually, the laughter settled down and the room fell silent, but Taehyung didn't mind it. He glanced up at Jeongguk, studying the younger's features as he continued to stare out the window.

"How's your mom?" He asked softly, tone solemn compared to moments before.

"She's okay," Jeongguk shrugged, staring down at something below the window. "She was awake, and I guess we talked a little bit."

"Did she scold you?" Taehyung chuckled a little, heart fluttering when Jeongguk nodded, a tiny smile folding across his lips.

"If she could, she would. I mostly talked to her," He admitted, pulling his knees close and resting his chin on top of it. "But she would. She'd tell me to go back on the court and enjoy what I love instead of being miserable and sad."

"It's okay to be miserable and sad sometimes," He murmured, noticing the way the sunset seemed to envelop Jeongguk with its golden warmth.

Usually the sun never seemed to shine during fall, but in this particular moment, it did.

The room was radiating with a hazy yellow-orange, and whenever Jeongguk glanced up, the light caught on his thick, pretty eyelashes. Taehyung studied his features, finding himself drawn to the way the sunset made Jeongguk's eyes mirror endless warm pools of honey— he didn't look real.

"I'm sad and miserable all the time, Specs," Jeongguk gave him lousy finger guns. The older rolled his eyes.

"Not when you play volleyball," Taehyung said, and at that, Jeongguk let out a snort.

"And not when I'm with you," He said in a matter of fact way. He glanced up, and for a moment, their eyes met. Neither one said a word, not even daring to look away.

"You wanna see something Specs?" Jeongguk asked. The older nodded, and he followed after him as he got off the sill. He proceeded to open the window all the way and climb out—

"Jeongguk!" Taehyung nearly shouted, wondering if the younger fell and hurt himself or something. He looked out the window, panic consuming his throat until he felt a hand settle on his cheek.

"Oh my god!" He whispered angrily, flinching back when he realized it was Jeongguk. He glanced around, wondering how the frick he was doing this until he realized he was holding onto the lattice.

"What the hell are you doing, idiot?"

"Showing you something," Jeongguk slipped his hand beneath his chin, running his thumb beneath his bottom lip. "Trust me, Specs."

"What if I don't— mm," His eyes widened when the younger leaned down and kissed him. When he pulled away, he blinked dumbly, completely at a loss for words.

"Did that convince you?" He asked, squishing his cheeks together. Taehyung swallowed, still unable to put together a coherent thought.

He meant to say 'no' but next thing he knew, he was climbing up the side of Jeongguk's house to the roof.

The things Jeon Jeongguk did to him were simply unexplainable— it was wack. He wasn't sure if it was peer pressure, or the fact his kiss rendered him brain cell-less, but he would have never agreed to do this in the first place.

When they reached the roof, Taehyung expected the place to look terrible, but much to his own surprise, it was flat and in the center was a blanket and some potted plants. He glanced up at Jeongguk, who was standing and offering him a hand.

And he grabbed it, letting Jeongguk pull him to his feet. He almost lost his footing, but Jeongguk's hand was quick to grab onto his waist, never failing to steady him.

"Hey there," Jeongguk murmured when their chests were pressed together. Taehyung placed his hand over his heart, about to say something until the younger kissed him.

Kissing Jeongguk was never boring, in fact, it was like kissing him for the first time over and over again, minus the awkwardness. His lips molded perfecty over his, moving against his fluidly, languidly while Jeongguk squeezed his hip.

The younger was the first to pull away, and he guided him to the blanket. They sat down together, but Jeongguk quickly grabbed him and pulled him between his legs.

Taehyung didn't know what was going on until he felt Jeongguk's arms sling around his waist and his chin rest on his shoulder. Jeongguk reached up and pulled his shirt lower, exposing some of his skin and placed gentle kisses on the sensitive areas.

"What are you—," The younger shushed him.

"Look ahead," He mumbled against Taehyung's skin, his grip around his waist pulling him closer.

It was beautiful. The sunset was visible from where they sat on the roof, and below them was the rest of the houses crammed together in the neighborhood. Beyond were lines of wires and telephone poles, and the sky scrapers from the city kissed the pink, orange haze.

In the distance, they could hear cars honking, and occasionally the twitter of birds that flew by. Below them, there were some people walking about, taking advantage of the beautiful weather.

But most importantly was the sun. It sunk behind thick clouds, radiating streaks of saturated golds and soft oranges. The indigo sky faded into the soft pinks and purples that tinged heavy clouds.

To be honest, Taehyung could stare at this for hours.

And what made it even better was the boy hugging him from behind.

"Do you like it?" Jeongguk said, his chin now resting on his shoulder, head leaning against his.

"I think it's gorgeous," Taehyung murmured, voice soft, intertwining with the gentle breeze that rippled through their hair. "Really beautiful."

"Can I be honest with you?" He knew there was something else— Jeongguk wasn't a spontaneous person. Taehyung nodded, leaning back onto the younger's chest, exhaling softly.

"I'm scared," Jeongguk's voice dropped to a whisper. "My dream was to play in the Olympics with my mom watching, but when I saw her in the hospital today—."

"Jeongguk—," Taehyung tried to tell him otherwise, remembering Hyejung's words, but Jeongguk shook his head.

"I know that'll never happen."

"You don't know that," He said, reaching down and playing with Jeongguk's fingers absentmindedly.

"I do, and a long time ago, I would have been so devastated and mad," Jeongguk chuckled, but the sound wasn't at all happy but detached. Taehyung gulped, heart tighting at the same time it raced.

"But now, I think I'm accepting it? It hurts, and I hope she can come, but I would understand," He murmured, his fingers sliding into Taehyung's, the two of them holding one another.

"Are you okay?" Taehyung asked, leaning into him.

"I think I'm okay," Jeongguk whispered. "My mom is my everything. I'm not a mama's boy, it's just, she was my mentor, too. She shared her dream with my sister and me."

"And you're honoring that dream," The older said, which the younger simply hummed in reponse.

"I try. Ever since Hyejung got injured, I made sure I'd make them both happy. You see, I love them. I love every single one of them," Jeongguk said.

"But I hate this."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm never here, Specs," Jeongguk said, and he could hear the pain evident in his words. "I missed the first stroke. I never help. I never watch my siblings. Even when they're in Seoul with my dad, I don't see them."

"You can't help that," Taehyung said, but the younger shook his head.

"Sometimes I wonder if I should continue this dream. If my dreams even make sense, or if they're valid," He whispered softly. "If my effort is worth it."

"You don't know how much it hurts to be like this."

"What do you mean?" He shifted around so now he was facing him. He got comfortable, crossing his legs together as Jeongguk's arms remained around his waist.

"Before I met you, I showed people what they wanted to see," Jeongguk told him. "My friends are shitty. I act like this fucking bigshot around school. I fuck people when I get frustrated and pretend I don't care when I feel bad after they leave."

"I still don't know why I do that. So I focused on volleyball, and it made me happy. I was happy, and then suddenly I'm not," Jeongguk gulped. The older inhaled slowly, his hands reaching up to cup his face.

"My mom's really sick. My family's struggling. I'm struggling. Hiding behind volleyball worked until it didn't," He whispered, voice slightly breaking.

"I'm trying. I'm trying really hard but I can't pretend it doesn't hurt when it really does."

"Jeongguk," Taehyung murmured, running his thumb over his cheek. The younger smiled weakly at him, leaning into his touch. "You're not alone."

"I know," Jeongguk whispered, "I know. Wanna hear something funny?" Taehyung raised an eyebrow at him. He swallowed thickly.

"You make me happy, Specs. So, fucking happy."

"I'm myself around you. I don't feel suffocated, and when I'm around you, everything that confuses me makes sense. You make sense," Jeongguk's voice wavered.

"Why do you make sense? I don't know, but you make me so fucking happy I don't hurt anymore," He confessed. "I can't explain it."

"Jeongguk," Taehyung cleared his throat, feeling his hands tremble against his skin. "I'm happy I met you."

At that, the younger's expression eased. Taehyung gently squeezed his cheek, a smile of his own curving his lips upward. His heart wasn't racing, but it was calm, and Taehyung knew that meant something. It meant everything.

"And your dreams? They're valid. They're worth every drop of effort you put into it, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise," He whispered, his gaze focusing on Jeongguk and Jeongguk only.

"You don't need to hurt on your own, and there's no more need to pretend. You need to realize that you don't owe those other people anything if they treated you like that. They aren't worth your time, and I know you know who is."

"For your family? They understand, trust me. You may seem like you're letting them down but it's the opposite," Taehyung caressed his cheek. "They love you so much, and what you do for them may not seem enough, but to them, it's everything."

Jeongguk nodded slowly. "Remember what you told me. You're so much more than what you think you're worth."

"Taehyung?" Jeongguk whispered.

"Jeongguk?" Taehyung whispered back.

"I'm glad we broke all of our rules," He joked, making the two of them laugh ever so softly.

"Me too," Taehyung leaned foreward, their foreheads resting against one another's. "Jeongguk, you are worth so much, you don't even know."

"Can I say something sappy?" He asked, gaze flitting up to meet the older's. Taehyung nodded, unable to fight the smile that blossomed over his lips.

"I know people are temporary but please, just this once," Jeongguk inhaled slowly, his hands finding their way to cup the older's face.

"Can you be permanent?"

Taehyung nodded once then twice, and before he could comprehend anything, Jeongguk kissed him hard. They held onto one another, the sun setting behind them, and every other problem they had didn't matter in that moment.

Nothing else mattered except him, and as temporary was this moment, Taehyung wanted Jeongguk to last forever even if he was hurting him in the process.

♡♡︎♡

The week went by faster than Taehyung could comprehend.

Jeongguk's mother was recovering great, and the doctors expected her to get back on track in couple months. It was going to be a very long process, but when it got hard, Taehyung grabbed the younger's hand and squeezed it, letting him know he was there.

The younger made sure to spend his time with his mom, and he wasn't they were together.

For the rest of the short break before they had to return, they spent time with Jeongguk's family.

They played volleyball in the grass backyard, and he found it adorable how Jeongguk was teaching his sister the correct ways to pass. He even taught him, always adjusting his form whenever he could.

There were also a lot of tea parties. The Jeon sisters wanted to have many of them because they knew it would be difficult to see their brother after this. All of them were entertaining, besides the fact Hyelin kept asking them to kiss.

She had a weird obsession wanting to see them kiss, and eventually they gave in.

Hyelin squealed so loud and rolled around on the ground for minutes. It concerned Taehyung and Jeongguk, so they kept it in mind to never do that again.

Every now and then, Jeongguk and Taehyung took them to the park, and they all played on the swings. The duo tried to spend as much time with them as possible, going out on walks, buying ice cream, and even building forts in the living room.

When they weren't with kids, Taehyung got to know Hyejung and Aunt June better. He even met June's german husband, but they didn't talk.

June and Hyejung spent their day embarassing poor Jeongguk with stories not meant for Taehyung to hear but it didn't stop them. Jeongguk called them out for bullying, but they ignored him.

At night, it was just the two of them when the girls passed out from exhaustion. They both went to Jeongguk's bed and made out lazily, never going any farther than a heated kiss.

Occasionally would their hands slip up shirts but that was it. Sometimes they would leave a hickey, but only in places where the other could see.

It was the best break of Taehyung's life.

All of it felt like some dream, and he didn't want it to end. But unfortunately, the fun did come to an end, and they had to go drive back to finish another two weeks before the end of winter break.

Taehyung and Jeongguk didn't talk about their deal coming to an end— that was a conversation for later.

"Noo Taehyungie can't go!" Hyelin was sobbing hysterically, grabbing onto his leg as Jeongguk stood by the door, hugging his aunt goodbye.

"I have to get going, but I promise I'll be back with Jeonggukie," He said, carefully prying her off. He crouched down to her level and gave her tiny body a gentle hug.

"When you come back, will you be Jeonggukie's boyfriend?" Hyein asked, tugging his sleeve. He gave the girl a bright smile and patted her head.

"I can't make that a promise," He said, and from the corner of his eye he noticed Jeongguk was staring at him with this fondness that made his heart flutter.

"Please! I don't want Jeonggukie to date anyone but you!" Hyelin grumbled.

"I agree," Jeonkyung interrupted. "Those girls he brings home are gross."

Hyelin pulled Taehyung close so she could whisper in his ear, "I like you better than Chimie." Taehyung raised an eyebrow at her, thanking her quietly, although a bit confused.

"Jeon Jeonkyung, manners!" June scolded her, and she apologized quietly. At that, Taehyung and Jeongguk snickered with the other girls.

"Where's Hyejung?" Jeongguk asked, adjusting his backpack strap while he gave his youngest sister one more hug. June shrugged.

"She was here," June said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Might be running a bit late, but you're not listening to me Jeongguk. Both of you drive equal distances. Please, take care."

"I know," Jeongguk whined as his aunt tugged his ear teasingly. "I promise, I'll take care of Taehyung."

"Good, because if you don't, I'll disown you. I actually like him," June mumbled, earning an eyeroll from her nephew.

Just as Taehyung and Jeongguk finished their final goodbyes, Hyejung came running down the stairs. All of them stopped to see the oldest Jeon sibling bolting straight for Taehyung.

"You!" Hyejung reached him, grabbing the sides of his arms. Taehyung raised an eyebrow at her, not at all expecting that, and he sure hoped she wasn't going to kill him or something.

"We need to talk."

"Hyejung, we gotta get going if we want to beat traffic," Jeongguk said, but the oldest gave him a dirty look and he shut up.

"I need to ask you a favor," Hyejung whispered, ignoring how everyone else was staring at them. He nodded slowly, wondering what she could possibly want from him.

Hyejung dragged him away, telling everyone to wait for them outside. Taehyung crossed his arms, waiting for Hyejung after she finally got everyone to exit.

"Okay, this might be big, but," Hyejung clasped her hands together in front of her. "Can you take my brother for winter break?"

"What?" Taehyung did not expect that. "You want me to take Jeongguk to Daegu?"

"Yes! Please," She clapped, but before Taehyung could question her, she cut him off. "Our mom is going to recover, and as much as we want you here, I don't want Jeongguk here."

"Ouch," Taehyung chuckled a little bit until she realized she was serious. His smile fell. "Oh, you're serious. W-well, um, I don't think my dads will mind."

"Great! I really want Jeongguk for Christmas, but I don't want him to stress, and he seems so much happier with you," At that, Taehyung's cheeks flushed with that familiar red-colored warmth.

"Well, that's it," One thing he noticed about Hyejung was the fact that she was difficult to keep up with. She was literally a whirlwind of energy.

"I'm rooting for you guys, and the next time we see one another, you better be dating," Hyejung laughed and when Taehyung said nothing, she patted his shoulder.

"No pressure, of course. I'm just gonna miss you."

"Yeah, no pressure," Taehyung chuckled. "I'll miss you too." She winked at him, and soon the two joined the rest of the family outside. Jeongguk was giving his sisters final hugs.

All of them said their goodbyes as much as Taehyung didn't want to leave. They were lovely people, and he was happy Jeongguk had such a supportive family that reminded him a lot of his own dads.

The littlest Jeon cried— a lot. Jeonkyung was older, and Hyein had some tears, but they assured them that they will see one another again. Taehyung thanked June and Hyejung one more time before joining Jeongguk in the car.

"I'm really going to miss them," He said as Jeongguk pulled out of the driveway. He insisted on driving this time, and Taehyung didn't want to fight him.

"Me too. Even though they're on crack, I love them to pieces," Jeongguk chuckled, keeping one hand on the steering wheel and his other immediately finding Taehyung's.

"Makes me want some siblings," Taehyung joked, kissing Jeongguk's knuckles as the younger gave him a quick dirty look.

"No you don't," Jeongguk snorted, squeezing his hand before pressing a kiss of his own on his inner wrist in return. "They're demons."

"But I had fun with those cute little tiny humans," Taehyung said, leaning back into his seat. "I think we should do this again."

"I wouldn't mind that," The younger hummed.

"Really?" He gasped. Jeongguk nodded.

"Well then," Taehyung giggled, excitedly squeezing the younger's hand.

"How about you come over and meet my dads?"

♡♡︎♡

hhh it seems so easy doesn't it 😔

lmao i missed bangbangcon bc i was
sleeping 💀💀 i don't stay up LMAO but
i do wake up early— did you guys get to
watch it?? & also i love you lots 🥺✊