delinquent | jeon jungkook | ✔

Chapter 49

My mind is too busy to progress everything that's happening to actually progress anything. Frozen on spot, feet nailed to the ground and eyes widened, I stare at the boy in front of me, whose smile never falters.

I know that Jeon Jungkook is standing right in front of me but the realization has yet to dawn upon me.

I watch how he puts down the bags he was carrying and opens his arms wide, inviting me for the hug I yearned for so long. But I'm too shocked to act. So instead, I simply stare at him, taking in every feature of his precious face that I missed so much. His sparkling brown doe eyes that look at me full of happiness and expectation. His famous bunny-smile that shows his two front teeth. His still jet black hair that glimmers from the overhead lighting that comes from the hallway, styled in the same way as it was before he left. The little scar on his cheek, a remnant of all the years of domestic abuse he has been through.

His gaze shifts to Taehyung and the two boys exchange a silly smile before Jungkook's focus falls back on me.

"Oops, I have to take these boxes to the bathroom," Taehyung states all of a sudden, breaking the silence. He picks up a random box and practically dashes out of the living room.

And that was all that I needed.

I take a few hesitant steps towards Jungkook before I run into his outstretched arms and bury my face in the crook of his neck, breathing in his familiar scent that I missed so much. He wraps his strong arms around my waist as tightly as he's able to and pulls me close to him, his warmth filling up the emptiness I've felt for so long. 

"I missed you," he breathes out. "I missed you so much. His voice is strained with the same emotions that surge through my body.

"I missed you too," I whisper back, my voice smothered by the fabric of his black sweater.

Jungkook gently breaks the hug and draws back before he places a finger under my chin and lifts my face so that I'm looking straight into his eyes.

"You're beautiful, Noona," he softly speaks before he closes the distance between us and presses his soft lips onto mine, a sensation we both longed for.

Slowly but surely, I feel the parts of me that went missing when Jungkook left returning as our lips mould together, softly moving against each other in the sweetest kiss.

All the shadows inside of me are casted away, all the emptiness is filled again with Jungkook's presence, his love. All the feelings of loneliness, desperation, misery, sadness and everything else melt away until they are long forgotten.

His teeth softly graze my lower lip and I feel how he's restraining himself from stilling the hunger he has felt for months as his hands travel down my back. As I interwine my fingers in his silky black hair, he lets out a shaky breath. With one swift movement, my back is pressed against the wall next to the door with absolutely no space left between our bodies.

Jungkook is about to take the kiss to a next level, but a door that is slammed shut interrupts us.

"Yah!" Taehyung exclaims, grabbing the attention of the both of us as we quickly let go of each other. The purple-haired boy is looking at us with an expression of faked disgust.

"Please save... that stuff for when I'm not around," he demands. Jungkook and I both flush red at his comment, knowing exactly what he means.

"I'll do some grocery shopping," Taehyung sighs as he grabs a pair of fire engine red Nikes from a random box. "You stay here, I'm sure you have a lot to-" he hesitates as we both give him a warning glare. "-talk about."

He lets out a low chuckle as he walks past us, almost tripping over one of Jungkook's bags, and walks out of the apartment, leaving us alone.

Jungkook and I stare at each other for a small while. It's almost as if we still don't believe that we're actually together again. Then Jungkook gently grabs my wrist and pulls me behind him as we zigzag through the boxes and make our way to the comfy couch.

He pulls me down on his lap before he hugs me from behind and nuzzles my neck, waking the butterflies in my stomach.

"Jeon Jungkook," I begin. "You know you have a lot of explaining to do, right?"

Jungkook lets out a soft laugh that is like music to my ears. "It's acually really simple," he says.

"I insist," I pout, earning another playful laugh from Jungkook.

"So, once upon a time," he starts and I snort. "Just kidding. Taehyung called me a few weeks ago about buying an apartment and how he was looking for a roommate and how he immediately thought of me," Jungkook explains. "Of course I said yes, I wanted to go back to Seoul so bad. My grandparents agreed, seeing that I would be happier here than I would be in Busan. So together, we contacted the child protection institute to see if it was possible. It wasn't easy, but in the end they'd let me go back to Seoul, mainly because I'm turning 18 soon. And uh, now I'm here."

"Wow," I mutter. "You guys already knew this for weeks."

"Yep," Jungkook admits with a grin. "It was so hard to keep Taehyung from telling you, he was done with seeing you sad. But the happiness on your face when you saw me was all worth it."

I stay silent for a moment, thinking about everything Jungkook just told me. So basically Taehyung has been planning to get Jungkook back here for weeks, maybe even months. He just told me that he would live with Jimin to keep it as a surprise for me. And I didn't suspect a thing.

"Kookie," I call out after a while. "You're staying in Seoul from now on, right?"

Jungkook hums in confirmation and I snuggle up to him.

"Please don't leave again."

Jungkook gently pulls me closer from behind. "I won't," he replies, his tone serious. "I won't let anything come between us ever again. My mom told me one thing when I was younger; as soon as you've found someone you love, never let go of that person but cherish him or her instead. So that's what I'm going to do. I'll cherish you, Noona. You're so precious to me."

I find myself unable to reply to him as an immense feeling of happiness surges through my body. A lump forms in my throat and a tight know forms in my stomach; I never knew that happiness could also do that to you. So instead of saying it with words, I shift my position and rest my head against his chest and wrap my arms around him.

"I love you, Noona," Jungkook mutters as he lightly plays with a few strands of my hair. I let out a shaky sigh, getting rid of the last piece of tension that built up over the past few months.

Finally, everything is as is should be. Jungkook is finally free from his abusive that that forced him into a lifestyle where he doesn't fit. It took a while, but now he has a safe place he can call home, together with one of his best friends. He can do things without being scared of his dad, without keeping secrets from that hideous creature that was the only family he had around. And maybe the most important thing for the both of us, we can be together without any obstacles, without anything that could separate us. We can enjoy our time together without fearing what tomorrow might bring. We can be happy without anything that clouds our minds.

This is how it should be.

I slightly lean back, as far as Jungkook's strong arms allow me to, so I can look at his face. Feeling the movement, the boy looks down and his brown eyes meet mine. For a moment, we just stare at each other, as if we're sharing each other's thoughts that way. And then we smile at each other.

"I love you too, Jungkookie," I whisper, before I shift back to my previous position, my face nuzzled against his chest. I love you so much. And nothing can change that.

- the end -