Saved || A Jungkook fanfic

47

I was a nosy bitch.

By the time Jungkook and Kai settled on the balcony, I already had the guest bedroom window cracked, my fingers curled over the windowsill as I carefully peered out. They stood side by side against the white railing, their backs to me, gazing out at the waves crashing along the darkening shore. The breeze tugged at their hair—Jungkook's dark strands ruffling gently, Kai's deeper brown shifting under the fading sunlight.

I silently prayed they wouldn't end up throwing each other over the edge.

Jungkook looked tense, his grip tight on the railing as he stared out, lost in thought. I longed to go to him, to be the one to steady him, to remind him he didn't have to carry the weight of his past alone. But I knew better. He needed this—needed to talk to Kai alone.

He needed closure.

"Well, you've already ruined our anniversary night," Jungkook muttered, flicking open his phone and exaggeratedly setting a timer. "Might as well say whatever the hell you came here to say."

I rolled my eyes at his pettiness. Clearly, he couldn't be in a shittier mood.

Kai sighed, shaking his head. "I had no clue it was your anni—"

"Oh, so now you're the victim?" Jungkook scoffed, his tone sharp enough to cut. "Good to know some things never change."

"I didn't come to argue with you," Kai snapped as he turned his head to the side, his jaw clenching as he glared at Jungkook briefly.

Jungkook let out a short, humorless laugh. "Then what did you come for, huh? A friendly chat? A fucking heart-to-heart?"

Kai exhaled sharply. "No. Well... maybe the last part."

Jungkook tongued the inside of his cheek, looking unimpressed. 

When he glanced to the side I ducked, heart lurching at the threat of being caught listening in. Slowly, I popped my head back up, slowly letting out the breath I was holding.

"The last thing I wanted was to ruin your night," Kai continued. "I'm just—this shit isn't easy for me, alright?"

Jungkook let out an exaggerated sigh. "You were never good at much in the first place."

Kai scoffed. "I had better grades."

"Yeah, in two subjects."

"Three, actually."

"Whatever."

A reluctant smirk tugged at Jungkook's lips despite himself, turning to look back at Kai. He dug his hands into his pockets, shaking his head while Kai rolled his eyes. For the first time, the air between them felt less like a battleground and more like something familiar. Not quite peace, but not war either.

It was strange. Almost brotherly.

Kai's grip tightened on the railing, his knuckles paling. "Look, JK... I've done a lot of thinking these past six months. About the past. About us."

Jungkook arched a brow. "You sound like you're about to break up or something." His teasing was light, but there was still an edge to it.

"I'm serious." Kai shook his head, gaze fixed on the horizon. "Think about it. Since we were kids, she built that wall between us. Forced it. There was never a day we weren't at each other's throats—literally or figuratively. And for what?" He swallowed hard, his voice lowering. "She... she never gave us a chance at being siblings." He exhaled sharply, his fingers tightening around the railing. "Hell, she barely even let me around Jia. And it wasn't like she was ever going to take over the company. Jia never wanted that life—Mother knew it. But it didn't matter. She still kept me at a distance, like she was afraid I'd ruin her, too." He let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. "Guess she thought I was a stain on the family name. An embarrassment she didn't want corrupting her real children."