The Kim Family Tetralogy

12

"Are you sure you won't mind having Taehyung and Jimin come over today?" Jin asked Mrs Jung over the phone.
"Yes I'm sure, silly boy," she scolded Jin, "I can handle a couple of kids for an evening. I have been known to do so on several previous occasions." she joked, "And besides, you guys need to study in peace!"
"Ok." Jin responded, he wasn't at all certain Mrs Jung understood the scope of mischief three hyper monkeys could create, but... "Just send Tae and Jimin home if they, you know, before you actually strangle them? And don't say I didn't warn you!"
"It'll be fine, Jin darling!" Mrs Jung assured him, before ending the call.
He and Mrs Jung and Jimin's mom, Mrs Park, had agreed to start rotating the 'After School Activites' for the three boys after Jimin had been caught making out with one of his classmates, which, they all agreed, was probably sheer misfortune for him and luck for the other two, probably just as guilty, partners in crime.
But this was the first time Mrs Jung would actually have to brave the Rascal Triplets as Joon had dubbed them.

"Well, I'm spent!" Jiwoo said and threw her pen down, "What time is it?"
"It's almost nine." Namjoon streched his arms over his head and yawned.
"Shit! I need to give Jimin a ride home, come on!" Jin urged Jiwoo.
"Jin! I can walk. It's like, literally next door!" she protested.
"Yes. But I'm taking you, so giddyup!"
"Aish, you're hopeless!"
"I'm a big brother, is what I am." he retorted, "And I'm going over there anyway, so..."
"Just let him take you," Namjoon begged, "he's not gonna sleep right if you don't."
"Fine." Jiwoo stood up, "But this is ridiculous!"
"Live with it." Jin tapped his foot to hurry her up.
"Alright, alright, keep your pants on," she scrambled her suff together and shoved what she would need tomorrow down her bag, "see you tomorrow?" she said by way of Namjoon.
"You bet!" Namjoon shot finger guns at her. Again with the finger guns, he moaned internally as per usual. He was such a dork!

It took them all of two minutes to drive to Jiwoo's house.
"Wait!" she said as Jin reached for the car door and took his arm to pull him back, "Do you wanna go out with me?"
"I, what?" Jin was perplexed.
"Do you, want to, go out, with me?"
"Yeah? But I thought you liked Namjoon?"
"I do like Namjoon," Jiwoo nodded, "but i like-like you." she blushed and looked down in her lap.
"You like-like me, huh?"
Jiwoo nodded again without looking up.
"What are we, twelve?" Jin smiled.
"Well, you are," she boxed his arm, "I'm a mature, soon-to-be, twenty-one-year-old!"
Jin laughed and laced his fingers with Jiwoo's. "Well, I like-like you too, actually." He was pretty sure. It wasn't a lie. He did like her. A lot.
"So you'll go out with me?"
Jin nodded. "Friday?"
"Friday would be great!" she giggled but Jin could tell she was a bit flustered.
"Friday it is, then!" he smiled.
"Great!"
Uncomfortable silence.
This is what that's like, Jin realised. "We should," he motioned with his hand towards her house.
"Oh, right! Yes." She picked up her bag and was out of the car before Jin knew what happened.

Mrs Jung seemed to have'd survived with all of her limbs, just maybe with a little loss of hearing on her left side? Jin was grateful.
Tae and Jimin were chattering non stop on the way to Jimin's, but Jin didn't mind, he had a lot to think about anyways.
"Jin!" Tae shouted in his ear as he was about to turn on to the street leading to Jimin's house.
"Jesus! What?!"
"You haven't heard a word have you?" Tae pouted.
"Sorry, no. I was thinking about something else. What?"
"Never mind." Tae muttered and turned to Jimin and resumed their chatter.

"So, what's up?" Tae asked as they were on their way home.
Finally. He and Jimin just wouldn't stop talking, Jin had to almost forcefully deposit Jimin to his home before they could go.
"What?" Jin answered.
"You are preoccupied, so, what's up?"
"Nothing I want to talk about." Jin muttered.
"Oh, now we're gonna." Tae turned on the seat so he could watch him. "Tell me now, or I'll tickle you!" he threathened.
I was a great source of sorrow to Jin, the fact that he was insanely ticklish, and Taehyung wasn't. Something Taehyung had used against him on multiple occasions, without Jin being able to use that weapon back. He would always loose.
"Don't!" Jin held up a hand to deter an attack, "I'll tell you." he made himself a bit busy by changing lanes to give him a sec to collect his thoughts, "I'm going out with Jiwoo on Friday," he started.
"You? Are going out? With a girl?" Taehyung could not believe his ears.
"Yes! Like I said!"
"Ok!"
Jin was feeling a bit defensive for some reason.
Why wouldn't he? Be going out with someone?
People went on dates all the time! It was perfectly normal!
"Can I ask how that happened, or are you gonna bite my head off?" Tae continued.
"She asked me out or more like she asked if I'd go out with her and then I asked her out on Friday." Jin rambled.
"I see. And what does Namjoon think about it?"
"Haven't told him yet. I think he likes her?"
"That's not... oh, really?"
"Yeah, I think so." Jin looked at Tae, "It's gonna be weird, isn't it?"
Taehyung shrugged his shoulder and looked out the window, "You should ask him."
"I will, but what if he says it will be and he doesn't want me to?"
Tae looked out at the night and avoided Jin's gaze, "Then you'll have to ask yourself, what's more important, Namjoon or getting laid?"
"Taehyung!"
"I'm just sayin'!" he turned to face Jin, "That's kinda the question, isn't it? Ultimately?"
They sat quiet the rest of the way.

"I'm gonna talk to him tonight, if he's still up." Jin said, head hung low over the stearing wheel as they arrived at their home.
"Oh, he's up." Tae pointed to Namjoon's bright window.
"Can I sleep in your bed, if it goes sideways?" Jin pleaded.
"Yes. But it won't, you big chicken." Tae hit him, "I'm pretty sure Namjoon only wants you to be happy."
"Can you hold me?"
"Stop!" Tae pummeled him with his hands, "You'll do just fine!" he started to get out of the car, but paused and looked at Jin with a big smile, "And you know I will!" he said and got out.
"Yes. I do know that, 'cause YOU'RE A FREAKING KOALA!" he shouted out the car window.

Jin knocked on Namjoon's door and let himself in after getting a "Come in!" from Joon, leaning back on the door he closed behind him, "Jiwoo asked me out tonight," he said, to the ceiling, "I mean, she asked me if I would, so I did. On Friday."
Namjoon was silent.
"Is this gonna be weird?" Jin asked and looked at his friend for the first time, "It's gonna be weird, isn't it?"
Namjoon shrugged.
"I kinda thought you guys would go out, actually." Jin admitted.
"What, why?" Namjoon was baffled.
"You talk and laugh and have fun together! You seem to really like eachother!"
"Yeah, but,"
Jin sat down beside Namjoon on his bed, "I won't go out with her if you don't want me to!" he took Joon's hand.
"Do you want to go out with her?" Joon peered at Jin trying to figure out what was really going on with his friend.
"Yeah. I think?" Jin paused, "But not if it's going to be weird between you and me because of it!"
Joon took hold of their clasped hands with his other and shook them decisively, thumping them down on his lap, "It won't."
"But you like her!" Jin made a last protest.
"Yes, I like her," Namjoon smiled, "but not like that! And she obviously doesn't like me that way or she wouldn't have asked you out."
"Dating by proxy?" Jin suggested, weakly.
"Get out of here, Casanova!" Joon pushed Jin of the bed, "Just keep the smooching to a minimum at study group and we'll be fine!"
"You sure?"
"I'm sure." Namjoon nodded, "Now leave me alone," he threw a pillow at him, "I have an early class tomorrow!"
"Fine, I'm leaving!" Jin held out his hands in defense, "Goodnight, sweet prince!" he winked at Joon and closed the door behind him.
"GOODNIGHT JULIET!" he heard Namjoon shouting.

Jin could not fall asleep. This night had him shaken on so many levels. After tossing and turning for hours he finally grabbed his pillow and went to his brother's room.
"What happened?" Tae wondered sill half asleep when he felt his brother getting into bed beside him.
"Nothing. I just couldn't sleep."
"Um. Ok." Tae said and snuggled into his brother, to tired to care.
Jin put an arm around him and felt more at ease than he'd been in a long while.
"I love you." he whispered before dozing off.
"Me too." Tae mumbled, making Jin smile as sleep took him.