The Kim Family Tetralogy

30

Jungkook had his arms full of flowers, placks and medals, smiling at the press, internally grinding his teeth, letting himself be photographed beside the President, having his arm around Jungkook's shoulders.
"What's next for you now, Jeon Jungkook?" a smiling reporter asked.
"I don't know." Jungkook answered, honestly, "I'm on sabbatical from my University, because of," he made a face to let them figure it out, "and, yeah." he shrugged, "I've been trying to find my footing in this new landscape I'm in, but, it's hard." he confessed.
"Why isn't Kim Taehyung here with you today?" another reporter asked.

Of all the questions and topics and insults and shit they'd covered beforehand, the one more farfetched than the other, not one among them had thought to ask this one, and Jungkook had absolutely no idea how to answer it.
He didn't have Taehyung's uncanny forsight into how people would react, or Minho's skill to pull some good sounding mumbojumbo out of his ass, or Hobi's charm, he just had doe.
So he doed.
And turned to the President, who, infact, was the one that'd requested Tae not be there, "Mr President?" he volleyed, putting him on the spot.
"Yes, well," the President chuffed and patted Jungkook's shoulders, "he would have loved to be here but, sadly, he was otherwise engaged." he smiled.
"Was he?" Jungkook let slip incredulously, before he realised he'd, might've, little bit, just called the President a liar on national tv.
"Yes, I'm sure." the President smiled and wrangled Jungkook and himself out of there.

"OMG I'm really sorry!" Jungkook whined as soon as they were out of there, "I didn't mean to,"
"Put me on the spot? Make me look like a fool?" the President hissed.
"Well, you did put him on the spot first." one of his secretaries scowled at him.
"Yeah," another one nodded, "and he's just a kid! And not used to political life!"
"I really don't think he knew beforehand how this would look." the first one kept defending Jungkook.
"No," the President pinched the bridge of his nose, "you're right, I'm sorry Jungkook, this was my fault." he sighed.
'Yeah, it was.' Jungkook agreed, internally. He was still having a hard time with the fact that they'd pretty much forbidden Tae to be seen. Assholes.

Apparently Jin and Namjoon was enough of a 'visual' for them, and it dawned on Jungkook that the government may be trying to peddle them off as 'the gay couple of the nation' or something, whilst still pretending Hobi and himself had just been temporarily confused or whatever.
There were, after all, lots of doctors and scientists in the country, didn't matter if two of 'em was gay, but only a few olympic gold medalists, and Hobi and him being the only one's in the fields most people associated with the Summer Olympics. Probably a lot more damning for, well, heck if he knew, old people?
Bigots?
Idiots?
Those people over there, that couldn't accept he liked dick.
Like it was a big deal, or something.

"...if that's alright with you?" The President asked.
"I'm sorry?" Jungkook hadn't heard the first part, "if I'm ok with what?"
"I was wondering if it'd be alright with you to excuse Tae's absence with security reasons?"
Jungkook wished Minho'd been there to guide him right now, but he wasn't and Jungkook didn't see how he could refuse the request anyway, so, "Yes, of course." he agreed, hoping he'd not put his foot in it, just now.
When the rest of them finally joined Jungkook and they could leave, he drew a relieved breath and let himself be hugged by Namjoon, "You did great." he whispered, squeezing Jungkook's shoulders.
"Did I?" Jungkook sighed, "It feels like I screwed the pooch."
"Well, let's go, home-ish and see what the brain trust thinks." Namjoon comforted, and steered them out of there.

"Jungkook!" Minho shouted, and put his arms out to the sides, "I have to hug you!" he cheered, "Can I hug you?" he put his arms on Kook's shoulders.
"Sure?" Jungkook looked like a question mark.
"Omg, you did so great!" Minho laughed, and pulled him in "But I'm really sorry I didn't think to prepare you for that question, it completely evaded me. I'm so sorry!" he held him out again, "But I honestly think your spontaneous answer was better than anything I could've ever come up with!" he hugged him again, "You were so great! And, Omg, your innocent, totally unprepared doe? Brilliant! I wish I would've thought of that, but, sadly, I didn't!" he laughed,"Besides that would've been beyond cynical of me and, I don't think I could've done that to you anyway, so, bravo, Mr Jeon. Bra-vo!"
"Thank you?" Jungkook said, a bit gingerly, and went full tomato when Minho laughed and kissed him, smack, right on the mouth, "MWAH!"
Minho put his arm around Jungkook's shoulders, "This kid," he pointed at Jungkook, "this kid, right here," he laughed and tousled Kook's hair, "has just made everyone's job a million times easier!"
"Uwu!" Taehyung cooed and cupped Jungkook's face, "Look at my cute man being all shy and cute and stuff!" he giggled, and kissed him lightly.
"You're cute." Jungkook mumbled at his shoes, bumping Tae with his shoulder.
"I'm so proud of you, young Padawan." Hobi laughed and backhugged him, chin on the shoulder, swaying them from side to side.

"Tits," Jin whispered, as the rest of them swooned over Jungkook, "can I talk to you?"
"Sure, Toots!" Tits smiled and they snuck out of there.
"I think there's something wrong with me." Jin confessed, as they sat out in the stairway side by side.
Tits just waited him out.
"I think," he paused.
And let out a deep sigh, "I think I'm actually an asshole."
"Heh." Tits huffed, not expecting that. At all.
"How so?" she asked after getting over the initial shock.
"I mean," Jin lowered his voice even more, "it actually felt good, Tae wasn't up there with us." he quieted even more, "That he was sidestepped." he almost threw up from confessing that.
She didn't say anything at first.
"You know, I have a son?" she mulled.
"No, I did not know that." Jin shook his head, a little bit shook.
"Mm." she sighed, "Our relationship is very strained and complicated, to say the least." she sighed even deeper.
She looked at Jin, "I wasn't a very good mother to him, because, and believe me when I tell you, I feel truly ashamed of this," she said, with difficulty, "I didn't want to have him. And," she couldn't continue for a while, "I blamed him, a baby, for locking me in, holding me down, and," she swallowed, "I can never make that right." she angrily wiped a tear from her eye, "And I'm still mad at the world for doing that to us, to him, to me." she drew a shaky breath, "Putting the burden of that shame, that inadequacy of mine, not being able to rise to the occasion, on his shoulders."
Jin put his arm around her.
"But you, dear boy," she turned to him, "did rise to the occasion." she smiled, "You picked up the baton, and you did great, you're still doing great." she swayed them from side to side, "Not only did you take excellent care of your surprise son, you took great care of yourself as well." she promised, "Having a moment of shadenfraude because you get some much deserved accolades and not your brother, for once, does NOT make you an asshole. It just means you're human."
Jin sobbed out a laugh, "You know, I've been hearing that a lot lately." he confessed, "And I," he huffed, "maybe I'm just shallow?" he looked at her, "Maybe I've been like the proverbial goose a bit much and just've let things, you know?" he motioned over his body to look like water falling off of him, "I mean, maybe, I haven't taken the time to, truly, evaluate stuff, people, actions and their potential impact, 'cause it just makes things harder, you know? And just," he flew his hand straight.
She laughed and hugged him, "Maybe your just human?" she again suggested.
"Or an ostrich?" Jin looked at her.
She whipped her head back and laughed like crazy, "At least they have nice plumage!" she stood up, "Come on!" she pulled him up, "You're not an asshole, Jin, but, that doesn't mean there hasn't been times in your life when you've acted like one, but I am absolutely sure you are well aware of when those times were, and feel bad about them. And that, is the reason you're not one. QED." she smiled her widest most loving smile, making her eyes practically disappear, at him.
"I love you." he laughed and gathered her in his arms, she had such a strong personality and presence, you kind of forgot how miniscule she actually was, he realised, when he could wrap his arms around his own biceps with her still in there.
"I love you too, dear boy." she kissed him on the cheek, "Now, give auntie Tits a piggyback ride, will you?" she slapped his ribs.
"Oh, ok?" he complied and bent down so she could hop up.
"I was kidding!" she laughed but hopped on just the same, "Giddy up!" she used her heels to get him going.

"WTH?" Yoongi gaped as they were rejoining everyone else.
"Don't you like my new horsie?" Tits bragged, waving her hand above her head like cowboy on a rodeo.
"It's just..." Yoongi couldn't articulate what it was just. Whatever. He'd been about to, you know, object? Or whatever.
"Dear child," Tits sighed, "you should, also," she wiggled around up on Jin's back to make him understand she ment him too, "learn to live a little! Onward!" she pointed them to the bar, "To oblivion!"