The Kim Family Tetralogy

14

Jungkook's phone was having a flipping seizure in his pants.
He didn't want to look at it.
Chances were, it'd be something about Taehyung.
People he'd been seen with.
Women.
He'd been seen with.
Countless notifications of Tae and this person and that person and that cat!
He didn't want to know!
Sometimes it felt like the entire world was in collusion, out to make him insecure about himself.
Unstable.
Lonely.
Without Tae, he had no support system, he realised.
Well, he had Hobi.
And his mom.
But.
Yeah.
"Imma need a bigger boat." he muttered to himself.
And he wasn't good at making friends.
Not even at the best of times.
And now?
How would you?
Could you?
Even?
You know? Trust them?
When everything was as it was?

"Mr Jeon!" a reporter, having somehow gotten into the training arena, yelled, holding up a picture of Tae and a pretty girl, smiling side by side, "Does this mean you and Mr Kim are a thing of the past?"
"What?! No!" Jungkook growled, on instinct, before cramming his mouth shut, motioning to Bikram to remove the pestilence from his sight.
Jungkook wanted to scream his head off!
He hated these times when Tae was off doing whatever business he was doing.
Hated them.
Being alone.
Not that he minded alone time, he rather enjoyed that, usually, but being on his own with no Taehyung to come home to, or wait on, sucked.
Balls.
And now it was extra sucky just 'cause of the, attention.
It gathered.
He threw the javelin he was holding further than he'd been able all day.
In a fit of well contained rage.
"Good Jungkook!" his coach praised.
'Maybe he should have Taehyung kiss some random dude infront of his eyes on the next Olympics?' he snickered to himself.
Or a woman?
This javelin took a nose dive.
"Fuck." Jungkook muttered.
So no women.
Then.
"You seem a bit unbalanced." his coach sighed.
"Sorry." Jungkook said to his feet.
"Is there something going on? That I should know about?" his coach asked.
"Nah." Jungkook shook his head, "Just a bit preoccupied with our coming move and going home and stuff." Jungkook assured him.
"I," his coach began, "I mean, wouldn't it be calmer for you to, continue, training over here, and?"
"Probably." Jungkook nodded, "But that's not what I want."
"You, or Taehyung?" his coach asked.
"Both." Jungkook answered, and sighed, "I'll admit there are days, plenty of days, when I wish," he looked up into the sky, "I could just do what I do?" he turned to his coach, "You know?" he paused, "Without the," he shivered, "but then I remember, I wanna kick some butt." he growled, "I want things to change. And yeah, it's hard and it feels unfair that I have to change them." he silenced, "But I want them to change." she shrugged, sighing deeply, looking down on his shoes again.

Taehyung was supposed to be home by the time he got home, but.
No.
No Taetae as far as the eye could see.
He was stuck at an airport somewhere, Jungkook concluded, when he'd waded through the myriad of mails and texts Tae had sent him during the day.
'Sorry, babe.' Jungkook texted, 'Throw practise today. And my phone died.' he lied, 'Didn't see these 'til now.'
'I miss you.' he continued.
'Guess you're on a plane now.'
'Or your phone died.'
'Or both.'
'Hurry home, baby.'
'I love you.'
He ended his one-sided communication with a sigh.
And went to bed.

Taehyung saw his man through the kitchen window when he finally, finally, got home.
He was cooking something and the realisation Jungkook was, truly, a man now clobbered Tae.
Hit him straight in the gut.
"God, I love him." he gasped, and sped up his arrival.

"Omg, I'm so happy I'm home!" Taehyung whined throwing himself around Jungkook's neck.
"Mm." Jungkook agreed, nuzzling his neck a bit.
Tae's flight had been delayed and then they'd had to turn around because of some mechanical issue or something, and he'd had to get on a flight to Sydney, miss his connection and be on standby for nineteen hours.
"You hungry?" Jungkook asked and let go of him for some reason.
"I need to kiss my man!" Taehyung protested.
"Yeah, take a shower first and brush your teeth." Jungkook suggested, not sold on the idea.
And a bit, prickly.
"Hmfr." Tae pouted, "Well, you're no fun."
"Well, you, stink." Jungkook scrunched his nose.
He really did.
Stink.
Unusually enough.
"I'll remember this." Taehyung grumbled, making his way to the bathroom, "When you want to hug and make out with me at the next finish line." he stomped his feet, deeply mock offended as he was, sticking his tongue out.
"Yeah, but I cook for you!" Jungkook shouted after him as he slammed the door shut behind him.
Why couldn't he?
Shake this.