let me know | jjk + kth ✔️

two

"give me reason not to go"

❷

The week of the Jeon's visit is a bit overwhelming and a little tense.

Maybe it's because the members anxiously hold their breaths to watch Jeongguk's stress unravel with the presence of his family around to calm him.
Maybe it's because things may get worse when Jeongguk no longer has his family with him and his homesickness could return and their surprise did more bad than good.
Or maybe it's because Jeongguk's been nothing but hyper aware of the members whenever they're are around his family or, more specifically, Jia.

It makes sense because they're all boys and she's a teenage girl; the omegas and betas combined outweigh the alphas in their band as well, so he has a right to be cautious and protective.
However:
She is her own person.
She can fend for herself.
The boys are nothing but polite.
And all of them practically consider her their own sister because she's precious.

But for some reason Jeongguk doesn't look like he trusts them. And he seems to be the most cautious and pissed when Jia is around Taehyung.

To the other band members, it seems a little obvious why he's tense around those two when they're in the same room. Jeongguk has never been good at hiding his open facial expressions and, for some time now, they've taken notice of his fondness for the youngest omega. It's, quite frankly, adorable, and the others are his personal cheerleaders from the sidelines. But this is a completely different ballgame.

It's like Jeongguk isn't quite jealous of Taehyung's attention focused on his younger sister, but rather his sister's focus on Taehyung.

And, to be completely honest, Jin thinks Jeongguk is being nothing but a major dickhead.

At first, he thought that maybe Jeongguk was keeping Taehyung away from Jia so she doesn't get a chance to flirt with him nor does he have a chance to fall for her.

But that's not it.

Jeongguk is just flat out being an ass to Taehyung.

Like he's pissed that Taehyung even remotely breathes in her presence.

Jin nearly let it slide when Jeongguk had made Hoseok share a bed with Taehyung, when Jeongguk knows Taehyung can't physically do such a thing without himself being asleep first. And as a result, the poor boy had the sniffles all day the next day because he had slept on the couch with no blanket and no heater. He found the poor omega shaking, releasing distressed pheromones that Jin was sure he wasn't aware he had been releasing.

But it just kept getting worse.

When they went to the arcade, as promised, Taehyung collected four thousand tickets, having spent a good amount of money for more tokens and, furthermore, more games to win more tickets. He was so excited to redeem them for his prize, but he didn't even spend it on himself.

He exchanged the tickets for that Ryan plush Namjoon had been eyeing in the shop all afternoon and gave it to the alpha with a toothy smile. He got Jimin a small fluffy husky plush that the older omega had moped about not being able to afford with his own tickets, and happily accepted a hug from the other as a thank you. And with the last of it, he gave Jia an adorable pink bunny because it—quote unquote—reminded him of her. The alpha gave him the biggest smile and hugged him as well, offering him her own tickets to buy something for himself. He smiled back and thanked her, but told her there wasn't anything he'd wanted anyway. She pouted and got him some candy anyway.

It was all super cute and innocent, but, of course, Jeongguk didn't seem too happy with Taehyung. He didn't necessarily comment on it, but that was the problem. He didn't speak to or address Taehyung for a good forty-eight hours. Even when Taehyung had tried to start up a conversation with him. The omega usually would mope about making Jeongguk angry, if he ever did, but this time, with his family present, he just smiled sadly and brushed it off.

Over the next few days, communication only consisted of short, choppy sentences, frowns, and huffs from the pissy alpha.

Jia felt awful and tried to confront Jeongguk about it, but only ended up with an even angrier alpha. Then she tried to explain to Taehyung how bad she felt about it but the omega simply nodded and told her it wasn't her fault. Jeongguk just wants to protect her and he understands that.

Jin had never been prouder of Taehyung, he was certain. The maturity he'd shown in the past few days was astounding, and Jin wondered how much patience and self-restraint he'd practiced to manage that type of control. Even he would have gotten pissed with Jeongguk at this point. He's being unreasonable and unfair to Taehyung. But he seemed to just shrug it off with no offense taken.

So Jin thought things were okay for a bit.

Jia was leaving with her parents to Busan in two days and this whole thing would be fine. Jeongguk would apologize and Taehyung would tell him everything is fine, he understands, but things are not fine. Far from it.

Jin knows because something ugly wraps itself around his heart. (Dread, perhaps, he thinks as he reflect on it.) His skin tingles, hairs on end like he knows a storm is coming, but he isn't sure what it could be.

His heart feels like it's being frosted over when he realizes that Taehyung is not in bed with him like he has been for the past few nights. The sheets beside him are cold, devoid of proof that the younger was there at all, save for the dents and crinkles where his body had been.

Jin tells himself to calm down. Taehyung probably just went to get a drink of water or maybe needed to use the bathroom. And he feels he's managed to get his heart starting again. His hairs are still on end, but his will to go search for the other is faltering at the thickness of sleep on his eyelids.

Taehyung will be back in a bit. He's a grown man, he will be fine.

He repeats the words to himself over and over, like a mantra in his head, nodding off.

Taehyung will be back in a bit. He's a grown man, he'll be fine.

But Taehyung doesn't return. He is still a kid. And he is not okay.