Chapter Text
“Are you okay?”
Jimin rolled his eyes fondly at Yoongi over his shoulder as he unlocked the door and stepped into the apartment, glad to be home. “I’m still fine. But I am going straight to bed, so you’re going to have to manage on your own for a couple of hours.”
“No complaints there,” Yoongi grinned, carefully setting down the borrowed car seat on the floor and extracting Siyeon from it. “I don’t think I ever want to put her down.”
Jimin laughed as he shuffled along the hall and directly into the bedroom. “I’m sure you’ll feel differently in twenty-four hours-time when you’ve had a grand total of seven-minutes sleep. I love you.”
“I love you more,” Yoongi countered, pulling Jimin toward himself with his free hand to kiss him. “Sleep well.”
Jimin just hummed quietly before flopping down onto the bed, not even bothering to change, too exhausted to care, and Yoongi quietly shut the door behind himself, carrying his daughter into the living room and arranging a cushion so she could lay comfortably against his arm. He was certain that there was no feeling in the whole world that was like this one; he had never felt a happiness so enormous that it threatened to burst out of his chest, and spill from his mouth, and fill up the entire world twice over.
He had almost let all of this go. He had almost accepted Jimin’s choice, and he never would have known this love. He never would have looked into that tiny, scrunched little face and thought it the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He would be here, now, alone, possibly hearing word through Hoseok that his daughter was born and being passed off to someone else.
And now, here she was. Light as a feather and tinier than any baby he had ever seen in real life, a peaceful, perfect representation of his entire future. “I love you so much, I’ll never, ever, let you go,” he whispered into the silence, free hand ghosting over the back of a tiny hand.
And that was how they stayed for over an hour, Yoongi watching the steady rise and fall of her chest, occasionally repeating his promise, his smile growing all the more when her breath stuttered for a second and she started to stir. “Dinner time, little one?”
Siyeon let out a little whining sound and Yoongi had to remind himself that babies were delicate, and he couldn’t just squeeze her for being so cute. “Come on then, let’s see if I can make one handed bottles like Hobi, hm?”
Ten minutes later, he was setting a very irritable baby into the bouncy seat on the floor because he, in fact, could not make a bottle with one hand, the evidence of which was now all over the counter, on the floor, and soaking through the front of his jeans.
“Need a little help?”
Yoongi groaned as he looked back over his shoulder. “I’m sorry, I tried to do it without putting her down so she wouldn’t make too much noise and…” he trailed off, hand gesturing generally toward the mess. “Go back to bed, I’m almost done, and we’ll keep it down for you.”
“Don’t be so silly,” Jimin smiled, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “Go and get changed and then you can take over again if you want. We’ll both have to get used to being awake all hours of the day and night, so may as well get started.”
“You had a baby six hours ago, you should be sleeping,” Yoongi argued, but there was little point. Jimin was already lifting Siyeon out of the seat, holding the balled-up baby to his shoulder and patting at her back.
“I have been, and I will be again, it will just be in about half an hour when she’s fed and changed and back to sleep. Now, go and get changed, and then come and cuddle with us,” he instructed, holding his hand out for the remade bottle. “We’ll get her sorted, run a cloth around, and then we can all get some sleep for a few hours. Okay?”
“Fine,” Yoongi huffed, shuffling out of his clothes and throwing them straight into the machine.
“Daddy in just his socks, what a treat.”
“Jimin!”
Jimin laughed loudly, rearranging the baby and finally silencing her upset with the bottle. “Relax. She has no idea what I’m saying and can’t see anything further than eight inches from her own nose, isn’t that right bubby?” he babbled, laughing again as Yoongi rushed past him with his hands covering everything as much as possible.
Jimin carried her back to the living room, wincing as he arranged himself onto the sofa and offered her the bottle, entirely lost in the sight of her. He had missed the first few weeks after Sarang was born, and while she was still tiny when Jimin had met her, Siyeon looked even smaller by comparison to the memory.
“You and Sarangie are the most precious girls in the whole world,” he cooed, Siyeon’s eyelashes fluttering a little in response to his voice and Jimin’s heart along with it. Nothing could wash away the pain of his past, but she was like a warm blanket wrapping around his soul, filling him with hope that the pain could fade.
He had a home. Yoongi. A beautiful, healthy baby. Friends who loved him and he loved in return. For the first time in a very long time, even with all the stress and fear that led up to it, he felt whole.
~*~
“Why so quiet, Taehyungie?”
Taehyung jumped, eyes snapping up to where Namjoon was watching him with a smile on his face. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”
Taehyung laughed at himself, continuing his folding of the big stack of laundry in front of him. “Just thinking about Jiminie. It’s still so crazy to me that he had a baby on the side of the road.”
It had been almost a week, but his head was still swimming. It had been scary enough being in labour with Jungkook by his side and both Seokjin and Namjoon just a few rooms away. It made his insides feel cold every time he wondered what it had felt like for Jimin to go through all that in such a tiny space of time in a home that wasn’t his own and a car.
“I’m sure he won’t mind it if you drop in to say hello for a short while, you know. Just because we’re all arranged to go over at the weekend doesn’t mean that everyone is banned until then, especially not you and Jungkookie. You know Jimin would be upset if he knew you were sat at home worrying about him,” Namjoon suggested, but Taehyung shook his head.
“Can I tell you a secret?”
Namjoon smiled widely. “Please do,” he encouraged, his mind briefly considering the fact that a little over a year ago, getting thoughts and feelings out of Taehyung would be a struggle, and he felt a swell of pride in his chest.
“I can not go round there on my own, because Jiminie will let me hold her for as long as I want, and I will definitely get broody and consider making poor choices. I need the room to be full of little ones to keep me busy, and other grown up’s taking their turn holding her so that I can’t get into my head about it.”
Namjoon laughed, not having expected the response. “I thought you decided that any more kids is a huge maybe, leaning on the side of no?”
“It is, that’s the problem. Babies are super cute when they’re all fresh and new, and I might do something insane and wish I hadn’t, and lose my mind…” Taehyung babbled, letting out a huff. “I am happy being Sarangie’s dad, but if I could turn back time and tell myself what I’d go through to get her here… I don’t know that I would have done it.”
Namjoon considered the thought for a moment before shaking his head. “I don’t think that’s true. If you went back and told yourself what you would go through, you would probably think it over more, but if you told yourself how happy you would be afterward… you’d choose her every time, no matter what you had to suffer through.”
Taehyung didn’t look convinced, but there was a smile in his eyes that told Namjoon that what he had said was the truth. “It doesn’t matter anyway; all my wishes are for you and Jinnie for now.”
“Wishes?”
Taehyung giggled. “Yeah. Even if it doesn’t go how you want, I want you to be happy, and I wish for it every single day.”
“What’s everyone talking about?”
Namjoon smiled over his shoulder at Jungkook, bouncing Sarang at his shoulder and holding his hands out for the pouty infant. “The same thing we always talk about; how adorable this little one is and how happy we all are to have her,” he beamed, wrapping his hoodie around her. “And I think it’s about time the two of you have a day off. Go and do something.”
Taehyung blinked at him, eyes falling back on the laundry, but Namjoon shook his head. “Leave that. I can handle it. Take a walk, or get some lunch, or just go back to bed. Just, have a day off.”
“Lunch?”
Taehyung smiled, wandering past Namjoon to coil into Jungkook’s arms. “I don’t know anywhere we could go. You’ve ruined food for me. Nowhere makes it as good as you do.”
“Well, then I’ll have to make something special, and we’ll have a picnic.”
“It’s freezing outside!”
Jungkook grinned, pulling at Taehyung’s hand, shooting Namjoon one more grateful look as he led him back to their bedroom, pulling the blanket off the end of their bed and placing it in Taehyung’s hands. “You do the aesthetics, I’ll make the meal, and maybe after we could bring the duvet downstairs and watch a movie.”
Taehyung threw the blanket round Jungkook’s back, using it to pull him closer. “I think the duvet should stay where it is, and we should get under it…”
“Cold, Taehyungie?” Jungkook teased, grabbing at the blanket and surrounding Taehyung with it, tying them together.
“That depends… you going to keep me warm, Jungkookie?”
Jungkook walked them backward until Taehyung’s legs hit the end of the bed, the only thing stopping him falling back the arms wrapped across his back, and around his waist and their lips found each other, gentle but yearning for more at the same time, Taehyung pulling back, eyes serious. “Careful.”
It wasn’t unusual; Jungkook was very accustomed to the request. “No surprises. Only choices. Together, or not at all,” he reassured like a mantra. He loved his baby, and he would love another, and being there when Jimin had given birth to Siyeon had made that want burn a little brighter but he meant every word. If Taehyung wasn’t ready, now or ever, then he could still be perfectly contented with everything they had. “I love you.”
Taehyung’s only reply was to bring their lips back together, just as sweet but harder somehow, more confident, one leg sliding between Jungkook’s, encouraging his attention. “Lock the door.”
He missed the warmth almost immediately, but Jungkook didn’t waste any time, back by his side in a matter of seconds, disposing of Taehyung’s t-shirt immediately but grabbing at his hands when Taehyung tried to do the same. “We have all day. No baby monitor, no laundry, no work. Just you, and me. Relax.”
Jungkook’s mouth ran along his jaw, down his neck, along his collar bone; every move slow and deliberate, expressive and exploring, mapping Taehyung in a way he had never had the time to before.
Hands held his waist firm as Jungkook worked over his chest, ribs, stomach, and just for one second, Taehyung’s brain short circuited at the feeling, remembering what it was like when Sarang was in there, and Jungkook laying halfway down his bed to talk to her. Even when things were turbulent, and they had no idea what they were, or what they would become, or if Jungkook was even going to be a part of it, he never wavered. He kept his promises, and never made one he couldn’t keep.
Hands slid into his shorts, gliding down his outer thigh as they were removed, this kisses never onces stopping as they trailed over one hip and then switched to the other, and equal amount of attention shown to every inch of his body until he was softly encouraged to sit, and Jungkook lifted his legs each in turn to mouth along his thighs, his calves and round his ankles, leaving a final kiss atop each of his feet.
Time lost all meaning. Jungkook was still completely clothed while Taehyung lay bare against there bed, worshipped from head to toe over and over; sometimes it was kisses, other times licks, or nips at his skin, a light sucking motion against his hip that was just firm enough to leave a small reddened mark.
“Kookie…”
Jungkook pulled back, shaking his head with a soft smile. “Nope. Today you’re mine, and you have to wait,” he insisted, leaning over Taehyung to kiss him again before rolling his onto his front, the process starting over again from his ankles up to the nape of his neck, hands tantalisingly close at times but never quite crossing the border from a touch to an advance and it felt like static was building under Taehyung’s skin.
He had never been treated like this. Not once. Not by anyone.
This is what it felt like to be truly, completely loved.
~*~
“Hey, come in, come in,” Yoongi greeted quietly at the door, accepting hugs from each of his friends in turn as they stepped through the door. “She’s still asleep, but she’ll be up soon. Jimin’s in the living room with her.”
Seokjin was the first one in the room, silently waving to Hoseok and Yijeong before leaning over the back of the sofa to carefully hug Jimin, sneaking a peak at the baby sleeping in his arms. “How are you feeling?”
“I have no idea, I’m delirious from lack of sleep,” Jimin whispered back, but as exhausted as he looked, there was a bright smile on his face that lit up his eyes.
“She’s so tiny,” Jungkook smiled, taking up the spot as Seokjin stepped back, squishing his cheek against Jimin’s, Taehyung appearing on the other side and snuggling against his temple.
“Do you need me to get you anything?”
“I’m good for now. Help yourselves to whatever you want, Yoongi’s laid out a load of stuff in the kitchen,” he told them as they too stepped back, allowing Namjoon the chance to look over his shoulder too. “You next,” Jimin whispered, even quieter than before and Namjoon nodded, resisting the urge to reach out and stroke the tiny, puffy cheek.
Whatever it took, no matter how it had to happen, he and Seokjin were going to have a baby.
“Come and grab a bite,” Hoseok murmured quietly as he got up, pulling on Namjoon’s hand and leading him away, Taehyung and Jungkook following behind them to where Yoongi was fussing around the kitchen. “Go and sit down, we can manage on our own.”
Much the same as Jimin, Yoongi looked like he hadn’t slept at all in the days that had gone by, but he also looked so much happier than any of them had ever seen him. “Can’t help it. Gotten pretty used to sleepwalking round the kitchen so everyone can eat.”
“Well not tonight,” Jungkook smiled, a hand at the elders back and steering him back toward the gathering. “We can serve ourselves, and anything that needs topping up, I’ll take care of. Take the rest when you can get it.”
Yoongi chuckled. “You might regret that when I’m snoring and drooling on your shoulder.”
Taehyung rested his chin on Yoongi’s shoulder, guiding Yoongi back to the living room while Namjoon and Jungkook went about pouring the remaining snacks into their bowls. “You would do the same for us. With a little luck, it won’t be long until Joonie and Jinnie are drooling on your shoulders, and you’ll take care of them the exact way we all want to take care of you.”
Yoongi smiled, pausing outside the living room door. “I hope so and Tae… thank you.”
“For what?”
Yoongi shrugged. “Well, it all started with you. Maybe not in the healthiest way…” he half joked, pleased when Taehyung blushed and dipped his head, but the smile remained. “We all came together one by one around you, and Jungkookie, and little Sarangie. It changed everything.”
“Not always in a good way.”
“Maybe not. But tell me this; don’t you think it’s better knowing that someone has seen the very worst side of you and still loves you?”
A small whine and a round of cooing pulled their attention, each smiling brighter than the sun at the sound. “Yeah,” Taehyung agreed, looking back over his shoulder and finding Namjoon and Jungkook had already heard the tiny call and were on their way. “Much better.”
They crammed into the room, Jimin already sitting up straighter with Siyeon at his shoulder, stroking lovingly at her back, his voice soft when he spoke. “Okay, everyone else gets to quietly fight it out for what order you get to cuddle, but I have decided who gets her first, and it’s not negotiable.”
He turned on the spot, smiling at the shocked look on Seokjin’s face. “Are you ready for her, Hyung?”
A few beats of stunned silence followed before Seokjin laughed. “Ready? You’re lucky I didn’t snatch her right out of your hands the moment I walked in the door,” he joked, lifting the baby easily into his arms and close to his chest, absorbing just how tiny she was by comparison to Seyeong and Sarang, the latter of which was just starting to stir in her seat. “She really is gorgeous, Jiminie.”
“I don’t know that she would be here if it wasn’t for you,” Jimin started quietly, shrugging his shoulders. “You took care of me so much in those first few months… I think if you hadn’t done that it might have ended worse for both of us.”
Seokjin didn’t even want to consider it, shaking his head. “There’s no need for what-ifs. She’s here, safe and well, and has both her parents, and that’s all any of us need to know. Go and take a nap.”
Jimin giggled, but it mutated into a yawn. “I can’t invite everyone over and then go to bed.”
“Yeah, you can. If you take any lesson away from this, it’s that I will always look out for your best interests. Now do as you’re told. Go on, shoo; take Yoongi with you.”
Jimin shook his head fondly, letting Jungkook pull him onto his feet. “Fine, half an hour though and not a minute more. I want a chance to cuddle with everyone too you know.”
“We can all be here long into the night if you want us. Sleep as much as you can, while you can,” Hoseok encouraged, nudging Yoongi toward Jimin. “And plenty of cuddles to go around. Sleep well.”
The pair departed to their bedroom with thanks and no further arguments; it was a fight they wouldn’t win, and they didn’t really want to win either, leaving their daughter in the care of the most wonderful people in the whole world.
Namjoon settled himself down beside Seokjin, fingers softly stroking over Siyeon’s hair as she wriggled around at Seokjin’s shoulder, the group as a whole seemingly having wordlessly decided that as eager as they were, Seokjin could have as long as he wanted with her.
“Hopefully us next,” Seokjin murmured, leaning into Namjoon’s side so he could see the baby better and his smile grew even more.
“Definitely us next, no matter how it happens.”
“What are you thinking about?” Yijeong asked, passing Seyeong a cracker as he started to grumble in his seat, smiling at the way Hoseok startled slightly where he sat.
“Oh, sorry. I was just thinking it would be amazing to host something like this, but we would never fit everyone in the apartment. Maybe we could rent a hall or something for his birthday.”
“You like to host?”
Hoseok nodded, digging in his bag and handing Yijeong a cloth to mop up the mess their son was already making with his snack. “Yeah. My parents used to throw parties when I was little, and I loved going around talking to everyone and helping with the decorations, and the food,” he shrugged. “Maybe the memory doesn’t match up with what it’s like as an adult, but when we did the shower for Jiminie here, I really liked it.”
“Well, how about we have a Christmas party? My house is big enough for everyone, and more. I can get some extra furniture in for the kids so nobody has to worry about relocating their set up, and we can just spend a few days enjoying the holiday together and sharing the care of the kids so everyone has a decent break,” he suggested, stroking the hair off Hoseok’s face. “And then afterwards, if you want, we can stay there, or head home, or find somewhere else. Home’s wherever you and Seyeongie are, so you can just tell me whatever you want, and I’ll be happy with it.”
“We really are impossibly cliché, aren’t we,” Hoseok smiled, leaning into the hold and peering down at Siyeon. “It sounds like a wonderful idea; all of us together. And I do love to host.”
“Jungkookie, Taehyungie,” Seokjin called quietly. “Does one of you want to get her changed and fed?”
“I’ll change her, and then you can cuddle?” Jungkook suggested, Taehyung nodded excitedly, flushing slightly under Namjoon’s knowing gaze as he handed him Sarang.
“Is that okay with you two?” Taehyung called over his shoulder, smiling at the sight of Hoseok sat between Yijeong’s legs with Seyeong in his lap, the pair making faces at their own baby.
“All good here. Enjoy your cuddles, Taehyungie.”
And enjoy them, he did, and if it put a thought or two in his mind about tiny fingers and toes and another pair of big doe eyes staring up at him in the middle of the night, then that was nobody’s business but his own.
~*~
“Okay, are we all ready?”
“They’re going to know something’s up as soon as we ask them to sit down.”
“I know, but that isn’t going to matter. What matters is that it all goes to plan.”
“Deep breaths, Jungkookie.”
Jungkook laughed, shaking out his anxiety. “I’m fine. I just can’t believe we’re actually doing this. It feels fast but…”
“There’s no time limit on love,” Namjoon reassured him, throwing an arm round his shoulders. “Besides, you still took longer than Yi.”
“What can I say, I’m not missing out on a single second of Hoseokie because of some arbitrary rule about dating for more than five minutes,” Yijeong grinned. “And some of us have waited an embarrassingly long time to put a ring on it.”
Namjoon knew that the comment was meant for Yoongi, but he blushed all the same. “We hit one drama after another; it finally feels like the right time to go for it.”
Taehyung peered up at the balcony, eying the four men stood there with suspicion. “They’re definitely up to something, and if they’ve managed to rope Jungkookie into it, then it can’t be anything good. He looks like he’s about to throw up.”
“Have another drink and you won’t notice,” Seokjin laughed, pouring out more wine for each of them and settling in his own seat, basking in the warmth of the heated lamps above them despite the bitter winter cold.
“No complaints from me,” Jimin smiled, grabbing for his glass and relaxing back. “I love my baby so, so much, but I am absolutely down for letting those four get puked on for the rest of the night so I can have a very merry Christmas.”
“They’re coming down,” Taehyung reported, all eyes drawn to the four men as they trailed down the stone steps, lining up one by one in front of their respective partners and Taehyung eyed them all with suspicion. “If you’re all about to start singing carols, I’m going home.”
“No carols,” Yijeong smiled, though his eyes remained on Hoseok reaching for his hands and pulling him onto his feet, the fairy lights wrapped around the pergola above them lighting up, filling the space with a warm light. “Just the ambience you should have had the first time.”
“Yijeongie…”
Yijeong shook his head, one finger pressed to Hoseok’s lips. “I just want you, and everyone here, to know; I love you so much. And I know that I moved fast but I don’t regret a single second of the past few months, and I’ll cherish being beside you for the rest of my life. From the very first time you walked into my brother’s kitchen, half awake, and half dressed, I just knew.”
He sank onto his knee, just as he had done the first time, hands surrounding Hoseok’s and brushing his thumb over the ring already on his finger. “And just this once, I want to slow it all down, and ask you again properly. My dear, darling Hoseokie, will you make me the happiest man alive, share in everything I have, raise our little boy as a family and everything that comes after.”
“Yi… time doesn’t exist when I’m with you. It’s like you’ve always been here, and I know you always will be. There’s nowhere else I would ever want to be or anyone else I would rather be there with, so yes, I still want to marry you. I love you. Yeongie loves you. You are the husband and father that we didn’t think existed, and I will do everything I can, every day, to be a husband that deserves you.”
“You already are.”
“So sweet,” Jimin cooed quietly, looking to Yoongi and finding him already staring back at him. “What?”
“Jiminie, I know you said you didn’t want or need anything special, but you deserve it; you always deserved it,” Yoongi smiled, the lights around them changing, the soft yellow glow briefly distracting Jimin as he saw Yijeong move, setting down a small remote and approaching them with a tray which he laid on the table and pulled away the cover, revealing his favourite food of all time.
“You can have all the cheesecake you like. I’m taking you on that cruise. We’re going to have the life that you always should have had. It was selfish of me to ever hold back.”
“Yoongi-” Jimin started, but Yoongi pressed a finger to Jimin’s lips to silence him.
“There was never a single second where I didn’t love you, and it was stupid of me to ever think that you wouldn’t love me the same way if you knew. From now on, everything I have is yours. Everything I am is yours,” he went on, opening the box and presenting it to Jimin.
Jimin threw his hands over his mouth for a moment, barely stifling the laugh. “What did you do?”
Yoongi chuckled, lifting out the key that lay beside the ring and presenting it to Jimin. “Siyeonie liked the house so much she wanted to move in there and then, and who am I to say no to our perfect little princess?” he explained, picking up the ring. “We’ll move in when we get back from Santorini, we have a flight to catch tomorrow night.”
He lifted Jimin’s hand, placing the elegant ring on his finger, eyes searching Jimin’s face but finding only a blindingly beautiful smile.
“It’s a beautiful idea, but what about Siyeonie?”
“She’s coming with us. The hospital recommended eight weeks, and she’s almost nine. Our first family holiday.”
Jimin beamed all the more, eyes moving from the ring, to the key and the cheesecake on the table beside him. “I would have settled for the cheesecake and a plastic ring, you know.”
“I know, but you don’t have to settle for anything ever again. I love you Jiminie.”
“I love you too. I always have.”
Seokjin smiled at the display, overjoyed that Jimin had finally found peace. He had the man of his dreams, and the baby he always wanted, and he was happy.
He turned his eyes on Taehyung and Jungkook, excited for his cousin, already sure of what was to come. The lights flickered to green, and the pair looked back at him, a hand sliding onto his cheek and pulling his attention. “I’ve waited too damn long for this.”
“Oh my god.”
He wasn’t sure why it hadn’t occurred to him that he was going to be a part of everything that was happening, it made perfect sense as he looked at the line of men stood in front of them all, and the leafy green glow was so perfectly Namjoon.
Namjoon smiled, all teeth and dimples and shyness and just for a second Seokjin thought he was going to pass out. “Our meeting might not have been the greatest, but every moment since has been. We’ve taken on so much, and we have never wavered, and we never will. I-”
“Yes. Yes, yes, yes, yes, YES!”
He grabbed Namjoon’s face, bringing their lips together. He didn’t need to see the ring to know he would love it. It could have been made of clay, and he would still say yes. It could have been imaginary, and he would say yes.
Namjoon laughed as the broke apart, his forehead still pressed to Seokjin’s. “I had a whole speech, you know.”
“Sorry.”
“Don’t be. This year is going to be our year, Jinnie. This is just the start of our happiness.”
“Even through everything, I’ve always been happy because I have you.”
“And I, you,” Namjoon murmured, opening the ring box and extracting the delicate ring within, twisted like a vine that wrapped around a modest but beautiful diamond. “Here’s to the next big adventure.”
The light’s changed again, a bright oceanic blue washing over them.
“Taehyungie…” Jungkook started, swallowing hard and staring at the box in his hands. “It isn’t what you deserve. I’m not what you deserve. But I’m going to be, and when I am, I’m going to get you a ring that is all your own,” he explained, opening the box and holding it out for Taehyung. “For now, I thought maybe you would be okay with this one.”
Taehyung’s heart jumped into his throat as he stared at the ring; the delicate line of emeralds dark and beautiful against the silver surrounding, costume jewellery to many, but to Taehyung it was perfect. “Where did you get this?”
“Jinnie found it when you were cleaning the house, told me it was special and to take care of it.”
Tears spilled onto Taehyung’s cheeks. He could still remember, even now, what it felt like when the hand that wore that ring ran through his hair, and rubbed at his back, and dried the tears from his eyes. “She was heartbroken when she lost it… it was the first ring my dad ever bought her,” he murmured, extending his own hand as Jungkook extracted it from the box, sliding it onto his finger, leaning to press a kiss to the back of Taehyung’s hand.
“I hope that was a yes.”
“Even when I hated you it was because I loved you so much; it was always a yes, Jungkookie. Always.”
The move happened so fast, there was no chance to stop it; Taehyung threw himself into Jungkook’s arms, the pair losing balance and spraying the onlookers with water as they fell back into the pool, surfacing seconds after with laughter, Jungkook’s arm firm around Taehyung as the other hand hung onto the edge.
“Good thing that waters heated,” Yoongi laughed. “But maybe get out and get dried. The last thing we need is Taehyungie sniffing and pouting for his birthday.”
Taehyung giggled, arms and legs wrapped around Jungkook as he struggled his way out of the pool with his fiancé attached to his front. “We’ll be right back, and I’ll check on the little ones while I’m at it.”
“I’ll go with you,” Yijeong called out, leaning in to kiss Hoseok again before he departed, Namjoon and Seokjin nestled together on the lounger and Jimin curling into Yoongi’s arms.
“A very merry Christmas indeed.”