A speck of blood

The gathering

Oh happy day!

Hard to prepare, Hoseok had been cleaning up the house and since it was spring there was cherry blossoms in every pot.

First to show up was actually Yoongi, they had kept a bit more contact through the years. He brought one dog with him, a furry little thing, Hoseok was more of a cat person but well, he had to admit that Tanny was adorable.

-  Can I have my usual room Hoseoki?
-  Its ready for you sir, the housemaid is very thorough!
They both laughed , Hoseok was the tidy one and could fiddle around for hours with decorations, pillows, drapes  and flowers.
Yoongi brought several large boxes with bottles into the kitchen , threw his bag over the shoulder and headed upstairs.
Tanny took a spin in front of Hoseok who treated him a meatball. Happy with the reward Tanny raced through the rooms leaving all carpets in heaps. Hoseok started to object but gave up. It didn't matter.
The thought of Hye Jin entered his mind and was pressed out again. Oh how he cringed and whined inside !

Uncle Leehyun would sit quiet and gaze in the fire.
- Hoseok, life never turns out the way we hope. And people
  aren't always as we expect . Sometimes I think the stranger
  in every person meets the stranger in the other and find that
  they don't match. It may take a while but it can happend.
  It's no ones fault.
Yeah, he knew that and now it was what, 4 years?

Next arrival was highly antecipated; Seokjin. His van was
filled to the brim with cooling bags and the fish layed in massive heaps of ice. He was going to make carpaccio, they all loved it, even if Namjoon often sighed because he was a solid meat eater, just like Jimin . As long as nobody tried shrimps or oysters on him. Or lobster..
But Namjoon wasn't here yet, he would probably be late and arrive in time for the barbeque. 
Seokjin beamed brightly towards Hoseok:
- Hello old friend, I'm so happy to see you! Ah, this place!!
  Will you help me with the food, woah, you've done so nice
  here, it looks great! I wish...no, never mind..

One by one

So now they were 3, 3 to go!
Hoseok looked at Yoongi , preparing welcome drinks .
Seokjin stood humming by the sink, happily attacking the fish and slicing it thin and delightful. His broad shoulders , wait, what was wrong here?
His shoulders,  they weren't as wide, oh , well , wide but sloping. Hoseok looked at his bent head and , the posture, like he was carrying a burden. Seokjin? The merry and positive one, live happily and stay young inside?
Hoseok realized as he was laying the table, that he probably wasn't the only one with scars.

That thought had just established itself when a serenade of honking and squeaking tires announced...
THE TWINS!
Hoseok forgot everything and noticed Yoongi racing out of the dining room to see the treat that the mere sight of the twins offered. Seokjin stood bewildered with the filet knife in the air. He decided to finish. They wouldn't come in for a while.

The garden wasn't much. A plated area was right outside the terasse doors, it was surrounded by a wall of flat stones.
In the corner of the terasse was a large fireplace , it had been built one of the first times they were there. A project for a gang of brothers. Seokjin had put a large sack of coal beside it.
The table had been carried out, a rather heavy oaktable that normally was part of the dining room. That table was the work of Namjoon. In his sparetime he loved carpentry, wooden furniture was his thing and he loved the structure and the smell of wood. The table would hold 6 brothers, one uncle and loads of food.

This weekend it would hold 6 brothers, well, friends. The ones that just arrived in a chaotic way as was their habit, were the actual brothers. 95 liners . Kind, giggly and playful. They would be the centre of the party. Karaoke, games, you name it. Hoseok noticed kites and Dart. Ping Pong?
Jimin and Taehyung were, what, twins and soulmates? They completed eachother and was inseparable. That was kind of the problem. But they didn't know. Did they?
No, they lived in that very firm conviction that if you loved life , life would love you right back. And they loved life.
None of them knew that , no, never mind. Not now.

Putting Jimin in charge of the desert and Taehyung in charge of the rice, Seokjin would be able to finish the first course.
In his cooling bags where already cooked side dishes and freshly made kimchi. They could be ready to eat any time now but Seokjin was waiting. He didn't want to start without Namjoon. Even if they were miles apart in mind and life, they had a bond unlike any other. They knew things about eachother that no one else knew and they laughed at the same things. Last time they met though..no laughter that time. No.

                                    Arrival of the trekker

And so he arrived.  The speeded , expensive bike was half shining half covered in mud! It had been raining and he started his journey in Ilsan. It was his trekking bike,  the tires could hold a truck, the side packs were bulging. Namjoon never brought much, but he did add music and videos enough to cover a weekend. And lots of clothes.

Hoseok started walking to the gate. He was thrilled that everybody was here in time for dinner.
Jimin ran out and hugged the embarrassed Namjoon who blushed a bit but smiled fondly at the younger brother, that is to say, brothers because they both attacked him .
-  We've missed you hyung. It's been years.
Namjoon parked the bike and suddenly noticed Hoseok.
Hoseok found himself looking at Namjoons back.
-  Hi Hoseoki, sorry if I'm late, I just throw my stuff in the
   cabin. Right?
Hoseok was puzzled. He didn't meet his gaze! Not once.

-  Namjoon!!! Its dinnertime bro, ditch your gear and get  
    yourself up here!
-  Yeah hyung, need to change jeans though, they're all
    muddy. Aha, hi everybody, Yoongi, oh ooops, what's that?
-   That's Tanny, I had to bring him. My sister has the other 5.
-   Five? I'll settle with my bonsai.

Eagerly watching the men around the table, Seokjin was hoping for a good reception of his food.
He wasn't eager in vain, soon it really was like old times and the cheers around the table were like thunder.
After an awkvard beginning they had emptied their welcome drinks and attacked the delicious buffet.

Around the oaktable the mode was set high and equally high was the chaotic buzz of their voices.
For a while , yes, more than that, they felt free and safe.

Everything was like old times.

Nothing was like old times.

And the afternoon turned to evening and the evening turned to night.
At night , when plates are cleaned and  glasses filled,  words will be formed that shouldn't be said and others be silenced that should have been said .

After the karaoke they began to talk until they all shared the sunrise and the birds celebrating the morning.
One by one they left for some hours of sleep.

                                      The first day was over.