Tiger Lilies in the Snow

14 - All it takes is a little courage

The moment Taehyung entered his house he smelled that Yoongi was anxious. It was not the undertone of distress that was framing his scent that gave it away. It was the smell of some very delicious food. Yoongi was the spitting image of an omega when it came to cooking. What Taehyung lacked in kitchen skills seemed to have accumulated in Yoongi. It came naturally to him to chop up things, season them, and fry or boil them in a way that would always be a miracle to the real omega. The outcome always was a mouthwatering, delicious meal.

Because cooking was something Yoongi was good at it became his habit to start cooking whenever something really bothered him or even worse set his insecurities at alarm. It was almost like a displacement activity. As a teenager Taehyung had witnessed him so often preparing some minor meal for the family as he said but because he had endured some badmouthing at school for some minor reason like being two years older that his classmates or just not growing any taller, he oftentimes ended up in preparing something huge and delicious. These were the times when Taehyung and Namjoon took him aside after enjoying what he had prepared for them and let him cool down, let off some steam or just reassured him that they still liked him. They talked to him about whatever had happened and then showed him that he was a part of their family. The fact that he only had become part of it at his early teens did not change anything about how connected they felt to him. They had decided to be brothers, so they were which meant that they would be his backup. Their brotherly bond grew so strong that sometimes they ended up in a fistfight at school that the brothers got scolded for by their mother. The omegas were reminded that they were physically not a match for an alpha and her alpha son was told off because he did not stop his brothers and from time to time even joined them. But they agreed that it was worth it even though everybody involved knew that D sometimes helped them out when Taehyung and Yoongi confronted some buff alphas on their own. But the demon for some reason always was spared the talk even when the alpha got badly bruised. Sometimes being gender stereotyped may have come in as handy when picking a fight with an alpha and especially V and Suga were snickering mischievously in the corner of their humans' minds while the boys got an earful of warnings to be more careful around them.

Now Taehyung entered the kitchen and was amazed by the display of heavy anxiety his brother must have been going through while he had enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate at the Whispering Pot. One was always able to tell how bad Yoongi was feeling because the worse he was the more elaborate the dishes got. And right now, Taehyung came face to face with what would become a full five course meal!

"Yoongi? I am home," he carefully announced his presence, and he was wise doing so. The other omega spun around with a big kitchen knife in his hands, his eyes wide as if he had just encountered a burglar.

"Oh! It's you." The dull tone of his brother's voice told Taehyung that the other must still be on auto pilot. As if to prove he was right Yoongi turned back to the carrots he had placed on a chopping board and started cutting them into thin strips. The speed with which he did this was still mesmerizing to the real omega. What a pity, he would never be able to achieve such elaborate skills.

Carefully he came to stand next to his brother and now he really saw how rich this dinner would become. With wide eyes he scanned what Yoongi had already started to prepare and let out a small whistling sound in admiration. So much in such little time! The last time Yoongi was distracting himself by cooking so furiously was within the first few weeks after their mother had died. That was until Yujun had taken him out for long walks every day to talk to him just to show him that he was still not alone. Yoongi had built up a deep connection to their mother who had accepted him being the quiet kid that did not trust easily. Mom had given him time while she had started to spoil him with food and love in doses that he could accept. Now it was Dad who showed him that he too had grown on him and loved him like a son. That he still would not be alone in this world and that there were people who cared for him deeply.