"Sure. What is it?" I stand up, bringing my phone with me as I walk towards him. "I'm having a hard time with this. I can't understand anything," he points his pencil at one exercise, and once I take a look, I come across some mathematics. "Oh, I'm absolutely not the right person for this, honey," I feel sorry for disappointing him and not being smart enough to help, and the desperate look in his eyes meets mine. "Didn't you go to college?"

"Why do you think I ended up in this situation? I dropped out of school, so no," a sense of shame washes over me, prompting me to look down at his homework to avoid meeting his eyes. "Why did you?"

I gaze silently at the exercises on the paper, contemplating my response before speaking. "I was...I had some problems with my family back then," I do not tell him more, hating the discomfort this topic always engenders. "So, yeah. I can't help with that. I'm sorry."

"Well," he drops his eyes to his homework. "I'm glad you dropped out, honestly," he gets my brows to furrow, and the quietness he is hearing from me spurs him to gaze up. "If you didn't, you wouldn't be here. And you're not dumb just because you can't do those useless maths. Most people can't. So, don't worry."

No one has ever told me that. People usually judge me or assume I must be a stupid and uneducated person. This feels relieving and great to hear that.

"I'm happy you think so," I smile and nervously look away. "I mean it," he states, erasing any hint of doubt there could be on my mind. "Anyway," I force a smile and run my fingers through his brown hair, and I leave my hand on the back of his chair. "You should tell your teacher if you don't understand anything."

"I don't like asking her for help because she's a bitch," he makes it clear this will be even more difficult for him, and an idea suddenly comes to my mind. "Would you like a private teacher? One of my friends gives math lessons, and it's not expensive. He's an amazing and kind teacher, so you could totally ace every test with his help."

"Really? And how much does he ask for?" he shows some interest, so I try to recall the price he once told me about. "I think it was around sixteen an hour, so compared to the others, it's pretty cheap. I'll pay for you if you do want his help anyway, so no need to worry about that."

"You could talk to him and ask because I really don't want to fail my exams, and with the teacher I got, I will," he asks me to contact him, so I agree. "I'll text him tomorrow to tell him about you, and I'll tell you what's his answer next week. Okay?"

"Can't I get your number so that you can tell me earlier?" he makes a good suggestion that I cannot refuse, but slightly question. "My number?"

"Yeah, but only for this. I won't text or bother you. I promise," he does not joke like he usually would, so I show him that I do not have a problem with it. I take my phone out and ask what his number is, and I send him a text once I have him added to my contacts.

"Thank you," he exudes a lot more content than he should. I comb his hair again and move away. "Wait," he does not let me go, so I turn around and stay still. "Can you...I mean, there's a text I have to read to answer some questions, but I've got so much stuff to do that I'm feeling overwhelmed, so...can you read it for me? I'll pay more attention if you're the one doing it."

After being unable to help him because of my lack of knowledge, I gladly accept and go back to him. I sit down next to him this time, and I wait for him to give me the text. "What is it about?"

"History, and I have a questionnaire with it, but I'm never able to focus on what I'm reading," he hands me the piece of paper, and I grab it. "Do you have the questions?" I make sure I can start, and he drops it on top of his math exercises and gets hold of his pencil. "Here, but I gotta read first, then answer."

"Alright," I set my attention on the text that seems long, and I start.

10 minutes later...

"You're already done?" he complains when I felt like it would never end. "I am, and I hope you remember everything I said," I put the history text down on the table, and he smiles. "Yeah, I do."

"You better, now answer the questions," I cross my arms and stare at him, and he does as told. He leans forward and takes his pencil back in his hand. I remain quiet to allow him to focus and not be distracted, and I check my phone.

I answer my best friend's text and tell her I will be home soon, and I browse through Twitter to check on some content creators I follow. I like a few recent posts, but from the corner of my eye, notice that Jungkook is not focused on his work anymore.

I lift my eyes up to him, and we both make eye contact. He keeps his head on his hand and does not even hide the fact he was looking at me. He just puts his attention back on his work.

I do not remark on what happened but lock my phone to check up on him. "Is it going well?" I move forward and cross my arms over the table, noticing him touch his lips. "Yes."

I read what he left under the first question to see if he is telling the truth, and my memory helps me confirm he is giving the correct answers.

"Are you close to that nineteen year old guy in the other family?" he surprises me with a random question. "I'm not. Focus on your questionnaire."

He listens but does not write anything as if his mind was away, picking his lips like he often does when he seems nervous or worried. Why is he suddenly thinking about those boys again?

"Do you even ever have any free time at your house? You seem busy all the time," he does not do as told but makes me the center of attention. "I do, sometimes on the weekend, but we'll talk about whatever you want once you're done with this."

"Fine," he eventually finishes his work, and I read everything he writes without ever opining myself or telling him whether this is right or wrong. I want him to do this on his own.

"Stop doing that, you're gonna bleed," I push his hand down to prevent him from peeling more skin off his lips. He keeps his hand where I put it, and as he is working, Minjun walks down the stairs and joins us. "Y/n," he comes up to me with his baby face, and I push my chair back. "I'm here. What's wrong?"

"Can I hug you?" he asks for permission, doing this for the very first time ever. He has never come up to me for a hug or any type of physical attention. This makes my chest feel so warm. "Of course you can. Come here," I open my arms for him, and he climbs onto me. He puts his arms around my waist, and I hold him tight. "If you want to talk, we can go to your bedroom while your brother is working, okay?" I push some strands of his hair back, whispering to not disturb Jungkook, but he shakes his head and rests it on my shoulder to cuddle me and not ask for anything else.

I drop a kiss on his forehead and feel like I never did before. Nearly like a mother. This makes me feel so good and relaxed. He could technically be my son, so this makes it even more special.

"I'm done," Jungkook drifts my attention back to him and hands me the piece of paper. "Can you check my answers?"

I nod and do it. I hold the questionnaire in my hands, Minjun not moving from an inch. I do not notice any mistakes so far, both of them remaining silent.

Since this type of thing used to be one of my favorites back in school, I do not find it difficult to remember what is mentioned in every question, despite how tricky the teacher attempted to make them. Jungkook has done good.

"Everything is perfect. I'm proud of you," I give him back his homework, and he grins. "For real? All my answers are good?"

"They are," I confirm and feel soft in front of his reaction. He seems truly happy about it. "Good, I'll finish my math homework after dinner," he closes his binder and books to take a break, and I do not tell him to continue. He needs this.

"So, other than with your kitten, do you live with someone?" he asks some personal questions, getting nosy. Despite understanding what all those questions mean, I answer. "I don't. I live alone, but I'm barely home, so it's not a bad thing because I spend most of my time in other people's houses."

"That means you don't have a boyfriend or girlfriend?" he shows an expression of astonishment, as if this were shocking. "I don't, but why are you so curious about that?"

He shrugs and conceals a cute smile. "I'm curious about everything. I wanna know more about you," he puts his stuff back in his bag to tidy up. "I noticed."

"It's not bad a thing though, is it?" he drops his belonging on the floor and stays here, resting his head on his fist. "It's not, but too curious isn't good either."

"Well, I'm curious about the right type of stuff. Don't worry," he changes of posture and leans back to slide his hands in his pockets, and he fixes his eyes on me again. "And...about that nineteen year old guy," he brings him up for the third time, maybe even more, and I cannot help laughing. "What's the problem with him?"

"Nothing, I just wanna know if you like spending time with him too," he triggers some worry, my instinct telling me this is not right. He cannot start feeling that way towards me. "I told you. He's pretty annoying, so not really. I'm always stressed out whenever I go there."

"Hm," he fidgets on his chair, and given how obvious he is, I do not let this conversation topic go. "Would that be a problem if I was close to him? Because it shouldn't, yet you make it seem like it is."

"No," his body language says otherwise, and he runs one hand under his hoodie to cup his shoulder. "I just wonder how the others treat you and how you feel around them."

"But the oldest in particular, hm?" I do not keep quiet about it, and he denies the truth. "Because he's not a kid anymore, so it's different, but whatever," he does not let this go any further, regretting how curious he is. He tangles his fingers in his hair.

I do not look away from his as he plays with his hair, one of his legs bouncing out of nervousness for sure. "Do you think I'd look better if I cut my hair? My friends told me to keep it like that, but I feel like I need a haircut," he completely switches gears. "Personally, I like it the way it is, but if you want to get a haircut, do it. Don't listen to what others say."

"I just wanna look good, I don't know," he puts his hands back in his pockets after making a mess in his hair, bouncing one leg relentlessly. I reach out for his hair and run my fingers through it to style it. "What do you feel the most comfortable with? Very short or this length?"

"We're in winter, so I like this one more," the movement of his leg slows down, and I try to add volume to the back, ruffling his hair gently. "Then keep it like that. You look good, so stop worrying."

"You mean it, or you just don't wanna hurt my feelings?" he acts like it is not evident. I take my hand away and look at him as he turned his head. "Come on. You know I mean it. I bet you're popular with girls."

"I'm not," he replies with a smirk, knowing this is a lie himself. "Ah yeah? You're not? So you don't have many girls asking for your attention?"

He chuckles and shakes his head, "Maybe."

"See, so you know you're a pretty boy," I say, grinning as he seems flustered by the compliment. "I didn't expect you to think that of me."

"What do you mean?" I ask, holding Minjun a little closer to me at the feeling of his head turning in his brother's direction. "You just called me a pretty boy. I didn't expect to ever hear that from the mean woman you are," he turns his sentence into a joke as I can tell he does not feel so confident anymore. "I'm not mean."

"Sure, that's why you're hugging him again and never gave me a single hug," he responds. I smile and ignore those words, knowing my answer would only make the situation worse. I look down at Minjun, who has not said a word this whole time, and I rub his back.

"Did you see something bad upstairs?" Jungkook worries about his behavior, wondering what is happening with him as well. "No, I feel lonely and bored in my room."

"Do you wanna play games with me?" he finds a way to brighten up his mood, always showing care, and Minjun becomes much more joyful. "Yes!"

"Go get your Switch and bring it here. We'll play in the living room," he tells him to do, and Minjun leaves my lap but gazes up at me. "Will you still hug me while I'm playing?"

"Yes," I smile and pat his head, and he cheerfully runs upstairs. As Jungkook became quiet too, I stand up and lower my eyes to him, knowing he is staring as always.

I put my fingers under his chin and lift his head higher. "Stop making that face," I say softly, pressing on his cheeks to pucker his lips. He tries to hold back a smile, but I can see the corners of his mouth twitching. "What face?" he fidgets on his spot, his gorgeous doe eyes lock on to mine, sparkling with tenderness and warmth. "You know exactly what face," I take my hand off and lean back on the table. "Stop sulking whenever I'm affectionate towards your brother. He's still a baby."

He pushes his hands deeper in his pockets and averts his gaze for a very brief moment as I notice a faint redness creeping up his cheekbones, his expression guarded. "I'm still a baby too," he nearly pouts, looking down at the table and bouncing one leg again. "A big one, but I love affection too. Especially from you. He always wants hugs from you, even when I hold him because you're not here. So I know yours must be the best ones, otherwise, he wouldn't crave them that bad."

"Does he talk about it with you?" I raise my eyebrows and hold the rim of the table. "Yeah. He always wants you to be here. He misses you on the weekend or when you work at somebody else's house. He often complains about how much he wants to hug you or talk with you about his day. He really feels good around you...And I feel the same way."

The weight of his words affecting me, I realize that I mean more to him than I thought.

"I love you both a lot, and I'm always eager to be here too because you both make me feel happy and loved, but," I straighten my back and smile. "Let's stop talking about this because I don't want to cry," I step away, but he catches my hand and pulls me back as Minjun came back. He stands up and towers me with his height. "You love us both? You mean it?" he does not let go of my hand.

"Are we playing Mario Kart?" Minjun asks, excited about sharing some time with his brother. "Yes, set the console up for us. Y/n's playing with us," he includes me without asking about my opinion, and sets his pretty eyes back on me. "I didn't hear you answer my question."

I smile and reply. "Yes. I sincerely mean it. I love you both. You both mean the world to me," I free my hand from his gentle grip. He tilts his head slightly, studying my face for a moment longer before finally speaking. "And do you love us equally?"

"Yes, I do," I say with honesty. "So stop being a pouty little boy whenever I give him a hug. I just show you both that love differently. You don't have to be jealous about it."

"I'm not jealous..." he denies the obvious with a sheepish grin. "Oh, you're not? Really? So I'll never catch you sulking or grumbling because 'I hug him and not you', right?" I cross my arms over my chest, waiting for an answer. He shakes his head, smiling softly and glancing at my lips.

"Fine, we'll see that," I challenge him to not prove me I am right, and I walk to the sofa to join Minjun, who has been waiting for us. I sit next to him, and Jungkook goes in the corner to be able to lay my legs over the seats, staying by my side. Minjun gives us both some controllers and stands before me. "Can I be on your lap, please?"

I nod in agreement, opening my arms for him. He hurries to get on my legs, and I wrap my arms around him. He smiles brightly and relaxes into my embrace while launching the game.

"Do you hug Hugo?" Jungkook asks, never dropping that topic. "I already did, but I don't anymore," I tell a lie to see his reaction, and once I set my eyes upon him, I see the disappointment on his face. "You hugged this guy?"

"He was respectful back then, so I didn't mind," I respond, observing his expression and behavior. He seems hurt, but tries to hide it with a forced smile. "Alright," he mumbles and focuses on the screen to pick his character. "So you hug this asshole but not me."

"Hey. I told you not to swear in front of your little brother," I slap his arm, but cannot help smiling. I feel some remorse for making him feel that way. "I didn't hug him, okay? He's the last kid I'd give a hug to. I just proved you wrong."

He looks back at me. "How could I not be offended by that, though? You told me you don't like him at all."

"Stop feeling that way. I never hugged him. I promise," I tell him the truth, discerning how much relief this brings him. "You better not," he replies sternly, his lips becoming pouty again, and I cannot help laughing. "Or else what?"

"I'll be really sad, hurt, and upset. And if you do love me like you said, you wouldn't want that to happen," he says with confidence, knowing exactly how to pull at my heartstrings. "Fine. I never planned on hugging him or his brother anyway."

"Good," he speaks with a smile on his face. He is such a baby.

– Three days later –

Friday, January 19th, 2024.

11:40 am.

[ hey, how are you doing? My friend answered me and told me he is free every day of the week after 6pm only, but I'm giving you his number so it's easier to plan everything with him. Also, I already told him that I'm the one paying, so no need to ask him about it >

I send the number right after the text to Jungkook and put my phone down. I lean over the kitchen counter to grab the toaster, untangle the wires, and plug it in.

Now that it is ready, I turn it on and turn around to grab the two slices of bread, but someone startles me.