Jin and his family were seated in Taehyung's living room, still utterly baffled at being there.

Jin and his father kept looking around, trying to memorize every detail of the apartment. Jin's mother, on the other hand, was simply looking at Taehyung with endless love in her eyes.

Taehyung and Jungkook were across from them, sitting thigh to thigh with their hands interlocked.

"Thank you guys for coming here on such short notice," Taehyung began, his grip strong on Jungkook's hands. "I know it's long overdue, but . . . I wasn't in a good place for the last few years. I wasn't ready to let you in."

"Darling, you don't have to let us in if you don't want to. This . . . this is more than enough for now," Jin's mother said, a tear of happiness rolling down her cheek.

Taehyung bit his lower lip. "It's not enough. I'll never be able to repay you for all you've done for me. I didn't deserve it. But, the truth is, I think of you as my family more so than my real family."

Sniffles were heard around the room as Taehyung told his story. No detail was left hidden; everything was brought to the surface about his past family life and abuse. He even touched upon his history with Jungkook.

He tried to explain as best he could the impact his parents had on him. He also explained, though tears of his own, the incredible love and gratitude he had for Jin and his family. By the time he said all he wanted to, there wasn't a dry eye in the room.

"Taehyungie," Jin murmured, looking at his friend with compassion and love, "you are the strongest person I know. I'm lucky to have you in my life."

"We love you so much, Tae," Jin's mother said, crying into her son's shoulder.

Jin's father, a quiet man compared to his wife and son, stood up and approached Taehyung. "I'm so proud of you, Taehyung. It takes incredible courage to open up as you did and to try to amend your ways. I want you to know that I consider you a son of mine."

Taehyung launched himself into the man's arms, hugging him as a child would hug his parent.

Jin and his mother joined in on their hug, the sight making Jungkook so happy for Taehyung. He quietly stood up to leave, wanting to give the family some privacy.

"Jungkook," Jin's mother said, eyeing his retreat. "Although we don't know you well, you're a part of Taehyung's family. So come here, darling."

The younger beamed as he walked over, wrapping his arms around Taehyung from behind. He nuzzled his head in between the elder's neck and shoulder, closing his eyes in content.

The group spent the next hour talking more about both Taehyung's and Jungkook's pasts, making sure everything was out in the open. Taehyung felt like all the weight had finally been lifted from his shoulders. After six years, the truth had revealed itself and he apologized to those he loved. And he finally found the one thing that had been missing for far too long.

Himself.

The two youngest said an emotional goodbye to Jin and his family, promising to come over for dinner next Sunday. They were about to shut the door when Jin's mother added one more thing.

"Tae, sweetie. I know it's all so soon, but one day . . . I want you to know if you ever want to call me your mother, I'd be honored to accept such a title."

Taehyung's heart swelled in his chest. "I can't explain how much that means to me. I love you . . . Mom."

The woman swept away a tear as she patted Taehyung's cheek. "I'll see you boys soon."

Alone in the apartment, Jungkook gathered Taehyung into his arms. "My beautiful, strong Tae."

Taehyung pulled back to look at him. "Thank you, Kook, for being by my side tonight. It's still not easy for me to do any of this . . . to share how I'm feeling and to accept comfort from others. But ever since our childhood, you've always been the one person who's made me feel safe."

Jungkook ran his fingers through the elder's hair, pushing it out of his eyes. "You make me feel safe, too. Always have."

"Even when I convinced you to wear pool floaties on your feet so you could walk across water?"

"I almost drowned that day," Jungkook laughed, recalling how ten year old Taehyung promised the eight year old him it would be possible. "My feet were stuck in those floaties and I couldn't keep my head above the water."

Taehyung pouted his lips. "Yeah, but I saved you at least."

Jungkook's playful smile turned a little more serious. "You did, Tae. You really did."

They moved over to cuddle on the couch, turning on the TV and watching old reruns of their favorite shows. It brought back a lot of fond memories for both of them. Back when they were teenagers, they would always snuggle in each other's arms, watching cartoons until their parents got home. Jungkook had always known Taehyung craved the physical contact since he didn't get any from his family, and he'd found joy in giving that to his friend.

Somewhere along the line, that physical contact started to mean more to them. Taehyung noticed it first; he noticed how empty he'd feel when Jungkook wasn't beside him. There was always a subtle yearning to be wrapped up within Jungkook's arms and it was around that time he knew his feelings for the younger were evolving.

Jungkook hadn't understood his own feelings at first. He only knew that holding Taehyung, playing with his hair, and tracing patterns over his skin made him feel so safe, so happy. Being Taehyung's rock was the most important thing in the world to him and he wanted to do everything he could to show the elder how loved he was. And even though Jungkook had a hard time defining what he felt, he tried to show Taehyung each and every day.

Now, curled up in Taehyung's apartment, the elder smiled to himself as Jungkook leaned back against his chest.

"I could get used to this," Jungkook murmured, eyes closing as the warmth from Taehyung seeped into his body.

"Me too." Taehyung pressed a kiss onto the younger's head. "You know, we've kind of done things out of order."

"How do you mean?"

"Before kissing you and doing other stuff, I should have taken you out," he explained. "When I was seventeen, before I told you how I felt, I actually used to plan out these little dates in my head. Going to the movies or walking through the park. That sort of thing. I even took you on one of them, but I never told you it was a date."

Jungkook tilted his head back so he could look at the elder. "Wait. Really?"

Taehyung grinned. "It was silly, but I didn't have a lot of resources back then. We went to go get ice cream and I treated you."

The younger's eyes lit up in memory. "Right! And we had a debate about mint chocolate chip ice cream. I tried to get you to like it."

"I'm surprised you didn't get the hint, though, when I kissed you on the cheek," Taehyung said as he wrapped his arms tighter around Jungkook. "I thought that was a dead giveaway."

"I remember that now. I was so flustered I didn't know what to think. I figured I was making something out of nothing," Jungkook reflected, running his hands along the elder's arms.

"Well, I want to properly date you this time around. I want to take you out and try to woo you."

Jungkook chuckled. "I'm pretty sure you've already wooed me."

Taehyung laughed with him. "I'm going to keep wooing you until you can be wooed no more. So, how about it? Will you go on a date with me, tomorrow after work?"

"Hm, depends," Jungkook drawled. "My boss may keep me late. He's a blue haired diva, you know."

"I'll talk to your blue haired diva and make sure he let's you out on time."

Jungkook shifted in the elder's arms so he could softly peck his lips. "Deal. You can take me on a date, Taehyung."

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎

》 V A L E N W R I T I N G 《