A Boy Named Kookie

Ruffled Distaste

A sigh escapes my lips as my phone blares to life reminding me I have class today. It takes a good while before I can even begin to escape the confines of my comforter. Finally free I begin the arduous task of pulling on my workout clothes. Yoonie hates the slick material, but I have to attend class or else Hoseok will be disappointed. Hoseok... Now that is someone I have pushed to the end of my subconscious. He saw a lapse in my carefully created persona and I hadn't even begun to deal with that dilemma. Being pushed to my limit by Kyuhyun made all the pent up stress finally explode.

This is the second day without Jungkook and I feel like it has finally resided in my mind that he won't come back. I still feel the ache in my heart, but the pain is less intense. I know that things will never be quite the same seeing as pain suffocates conversations between us. Getting to have a kind of uneventful day yesterday helped bring peace between Seokjin and I. A deep sadness still harbors about the apartment and amongst us, but acceptance is slowly crawling in. It was different having Namjoon around. I didn't think I would ever be around him in such a capacity. Oddly enough the teacher man did not seem bothered by Yoonie. It was nice to not have to hide how I really feel. I used to have a grip on the regression, however, lately it seems to happen more frequently and for longer amounts of time. I just hope getting back into the routine will let us move past this experience with Jungkook virtually unscathed.

I can hear the shifting of pots and pans from the kitchen alerting me to the fact that Jin is up and busy. I look around the mess I have made in my room. Big and little Yoongi clothes strewn about. The sight reminds me that I haven't been to my dorm in forever. We had been so focused on taking care of Jungkook that I just stayed here. Maybe I can stay at the dorms tonight to give Jin a bit of time to decompress without someone to entertain. I make up my mind and pack my leather bag with Yoonie's things and my back-pack with its normal contents. Leaving my room I smell the alluring aroma of coffee and set my bags by the door to meet Jin in the kitchen.

"Morning, Yoongi-ya. I trust you slept well? I made coffee and toast if you want to eat something before you run off to practice. I even got your water ready." His mother-like tone does nothing to disguise his unease. It was like this back in our days of high school, except back then he would pack my lunch like one of the girls from a drama. When Seokjin becomes overwhelmed, he cooks. During finals last year he made so many baked goods I was selling them faster than I could eat them. Playing along with the older I accept the drink held in my direction.

I look down and smile at the Kumamon water bottle he bought me for my birthday last year that he has carefully filled even going to far as to spruce it up with lemon slices and mint. "Thank you, hyung. I'll grab a piece of toast, but I want to get to practice early so that my spot doesn't get taken. I am going to stop at my dorm too. The amount of things one can accumulate in just a few days is crazy. I might just stay there tonight seeing as I will have already made the trek there and neither of us have class tomorrow to worry about." His somewhat schooled expression falls and I realize that Jin needs the company just as much as Yoonie. Especially now that Jungkook is no longer here to provide companionship. "You know what Hyung, I think I'll stay here. You know how lazy I am and you always have dinner of some sort. I mean you wouldn't want it to go to waste, right?" The older man smiles giving my shoulder a gentle squeeze.

Looking at the digital clock of the oven I realize that I am going to be late if I don't make it to the bus stop. Leaving no room to explain I snatch a buttered bread and run for the door. An apron-clad Jin runs after me with a package of baked cookies clutched in his hand. "Oh Yoongi-ya, give these to Hoseok. You need to butter him up before your mid-term. I'll see you later, I'm making kimchi fried rice so don't be late!" I snatch the baked goods and run out the door just barely catching his last words.