pastel [3]

twenty

Third Person point of view

It was a strange sight for all of them when they heard footsteps from the staircase, only to look over and see Jungkook with his arm supporting Taehyung down the stairs. His mannerisms were so careful and gentle with the way he used one hand to guide and one hand to hold the weak blonde boy's weight. There was a clear tension between the two, eyes refusing to meet, lips sealed shut. But it was a step in the right direction.

"Taehyung, I'm glad to see you're okay." Seokjin spoke up first, relieved to see the boy alive and well after the message he'd received from Hoseok about his prior condition. Beside him was the child that had been left in his care, Tae sitting at the table and shoving food into his mouth at an alarming pace.

"I'm sorry..." Taehyung whispered softly, pulling away from Jungkook's grip and leaning against the wall. The moment he pulled away and held himself steady Jungkook curled inward, arms crossing and body pulling away from the contact. As Taehyung spoke little Tae looked and an elated grin spread across his rosy cheeks

"Big Taehyung!" He left the table without even asking, running up to the elder blonde and hugging his waist tightly. The little kids impact and force was enough to knock the wind out of the elder, sending him into a coughing fit.

"Hello Tae." He whispered breathlessly, hugging the younger as he slid to the floor. But he smiled even if he was in pain. Jungkook was watching carefully from his peripheral, stumped by the sight of his nephew greeting the man he was named after like they were old friends.

"May I ask how you know my nephew?" He spat with a slight irritance showing through.

"He... I helped carry him home a few days ago, he fell over." With a frustrated grunt he turned to glance a scowl at Jimin who was watching the interactions from a distance. When his housemates eyes met his he turned away, clearing his throat and pretending to busy himself by laying out clean dishes.

"So it was you..." Jungkook sneered, dizzied by the realisation that people around him had all met Taehyung before he had. How long were they trying to hide this? It felt unfair, that he hadn't been one of the first people to know. Logically he knew he would have lost his shit, but it still hurt to see his nephew hugging Taehyung tightly, chatting excitedly about how he'd missed his twin. "Who else knows you're alive? How long have you been back for?" Taehyung untangled himself from the young boy now snuggling into his shirt.

"Three days. I... I wanted to take things slowly, get used to being back and work out the best way to tell you. I didn't expect to see Jimin when I knocked on your door." He paused, biting his lip and chuckling slightly when little Tae began to run his fingers through his golden hair. "I heard your voice and I froze, I wasn't ready."

"Makes two of us," Jungkook muttered, tilting back against the wall and reaching up to brush his palms over the tension in his jaw. "At the river?"

"Yes," Taehyung answered simply, not wanting to further confuse the already overwhelmed man with more explanations. With the one word answer Jungkook gave an appreciative nod, eyelids fluttering shut and a deep sigh deflating his lungs.

"You're pretty Taehyung." A little voice whispered that brought Taehyung's attention away from the man he was in love with. The words were so sweet, enriched by the tiny fingers that were twisting his hair and soothing his scalp. He was taken aback by the compliment.

"Thank you, Tae." He replied, using what little strength he had to pull the five year old so he was sitting on his lap and he could flatten his hair over his forehead. The gentle affection was so incredibly relieving that it felt like each touch healed him just a little bit more.