Fifteen minutes later, Yoongi faintly hears the sound of steps descending the stairs over the heroic music coming from the TV.

"Hey!" Jungkook exclaims dramatically with a laugh when he hears the familiar music, "You can't just start playing our movie from where I left off without me! Now I'm going to have to rewind it."

Our movie, Yoongi smiles.

"You have seen this movie easily a hundred times," he laughs, moving over to make space for Jungkook to sit beside him. "Between the two of us we could do a shot for shot reenactment by memory."

"You've probably seen this movie more than I have," Jungkook laughs, "You're an even bigger fan of Ironman than I am. It's your favorite movie."

Yoongi shakes his head, smile still in place, but a little more relaxed now. "This is not my favorite movie."

Jungkook continues to giggle, until he sees the hint of seriousness in Yoongi's amused expression.

"Wait, this isn't your favorite movie?"

Yoongi shrugs, "Marvel movies are not my films of choice in all honesty."

Jungkook's brows shoot up in utter dismay.

Yoongi took him to every theater premier whenever a new Marvel movie came out.

(It was their thing! What the hell does he mean they aren't his favorite?! Jungkook is shocked.)

"What do you mean?! We've seen all the movies together!"

Yoongi chuckles as he reaches for the remote to pause the movie.

"We have, and don't get me wrong, I liked them well enough, but I didn't watch them with you because I'm some huge superhero fanatic like someone I know," Yoongi teases before dawning a more thoughtful expression. "It was something that made you happy and that we could do together."

Jungkook's brows crash together as he thinks back on the years– the hours– that Yoongi spent doing something he didn't necessarily enjoy just for him.

Because it made him happy.

"I thought this was your favorite movie... that's why I would always want to watch it with you..." Jungkook whispers, eyes beginning to tear, "This was our movie."

"This is our movie, Bugs. And please don't think I was unhappy in any way when we'd lounge around on the weekends having Marvel marathons. I loved watching movies with you. I've missed it... I've missed a lot of things we used to do."

"You sacrificed a lot for me. You'd stay up late to help me with homework, help talk me down when I'd get frustrated or down on myself... you were always there for me. I don't think I've ever properly thanked you for that."

"You mean so much to me, Kook. More than anything in this world." Yoongi says in a hushed voice, "I'm so sorry I lead you to believe otherwise..."

The lighthearted moment swiftly passes after that, tension building again in the air, circling over them, ready to swallow them whole any moment.

Neither of them are looking at the other, both focused on the still image shining on the screen across from them.

After the air seems to become a bit too thin to bare, Yoongi begins to speak, but Jungkook cuts him off.

"No, let me talk first. You've said why you left that day, but I have some things I need to get off my chest too. You owe me that."

Yoongi presses his lips together, clasping his hands in his lap.

"That day, and those weeks, months, afterwards... it was hell. You didn't just say no to me, you left me. It was different than being rejected by someone you have feelings for. If it was anyone- if you were anyone else, a person from school or a friend, I could have moved on. But it wasn't, it was you. So I couldn't," his lip wobbles as his eyes glisten with unshed tears.

"I lost my best friend. The only person I most cared about. You left and I felt like I had torpedoed the best part of my life. I hated myself for it. I thought you hated me for it. And now..." he trails off.

Yoongi looks at him expectantly, giving him time to find his words.

"I'm the same as I was back then," Jungkook continues, "I know I've grown up and I'm not bad looking, or so I've been told. I try to take care of myself and... I just worry that this is maybe about how I look.

"I've grown up and I don't want me growing up and looking older, more mature, to be the reason you've decided to say that you feel the same way I do..." He trails off, managing to look like a bunny rabbit that's been left out in the rain.

All desolate, unsure and scared.

"That is absolutely not the case," Yoongi shakes his head in disbelief. "You do look different, but that isn't a factor in this, Kook. It wasn't then and it isn't now. Despite my best efforts to forget what happened, to move on from it, I feel the same way for you as I did before. The feelings never went away."

Jungkook stays silent, staring at his hands and he tangled his fingers together anxiously.

Yoongi begins to feel an even stronger sense of guilt than before, if that's possible. He doesn't want Jungkook to think how he looks has anything to do with him telling him the truth about how he felt. How he still feels.

"If that's true... Why were you away for so long?" He mumbles, voice sounding breathy and dispirited.

Yoongi purses his lips, studying the younger closely as he asks him why he thinks Yoongi left.

Jungkook shrugs. "Before I thought it was because you were disgusted with what I'd confessed. That you hated me... but now," he hesitates, "Now I guess I'm thinking you were more disgusted with the idea that you might feel the same?"

Yoongi adjusts his position on the couch to be facing Jungkook. "I didn't hate you. I could never hate you. I ran away in the hope that time away from me would help you sort out what you felt, that we both could, and that maybe you'd move on. That you would fall out of love with me or realize it was just infatuation. I hoped you could get over it. Over me.

"That you'd find someone else, realize what you felt for me was just a silly crush, and move on. That you would do what I couldn't do," Yoongi smiles, so soft it looks a bit sad. "I'd come home thinking that I'd be okay to see you. That I didn't feel what I did before. But the second I saw you, that all went to shit. I have been and still am so in love with you, and... it terrifies me."

Jungkook closes his eyes, taking a shaky breath.

When Yoongi sees a tear slips through his lashes, he leans forwards and pulls him into a hug.

They sit that way for a while, holding onto each other so tightly Yoongi might have bruises in the morning.

Despite the dull pain of strong arms wrapped around he doesn't, at any point, try to loosen his or Jungkook's grip.

He's going to let Jungkook hold on to him however the hell he wants.

The younger does eventually loosens his grip though as he leans away.

He quickly brings his hands up to wipe his eyes as he sniffles, "This doesn't make me forgive you."

"I know," Yoongi says calmly. "And I know I don't deserve your forgiveness."

"It doesn't completely explain what happened," he sniffles, "Doesn't explain why you said no in the first place."

Yoongi stares at his own hands that are now clasped in his lap once again. "...You know why I said no."

Jungkook scoffs. "You feel that guilty about having feelings for me?"

Yoongi shakes his head fiercely. "No, I don't feel bad about that part of it. I said no because you were too young! And we were already going to face enough problems not being straight in such a traditional society.

"Add us being step-brothers who are gay for each other, and oh, by the way, one of us is a minor? You deserved a shot at a normal relationship. One that could have actually worked out."

Jungkook stays quiet for a beat, sniffling softly.

"You shouldn't have gotten to make that call for me," Jungkook says quietly.

Yoongi swallows. "I know. I'm sorry for that as well. I'll do whatever I can to make it up to-"

He's interrupted by Yoongi's mother coming down the stairs.

"Oh, there you are! I tried calling but neither of you were answering," she exhales, sounding mildly annoyed.

They share guilty glances before Jungkook speaks up, "Sorry. I think we left our phones upstairs."

She waves her hand, "It's not a big deal, I just came to ask if one of you will go to the store to pick up a few things that are needed for dinner."

"I can go," Yoongi offers, then looks at Jungkook. "Give you some time to think about things."

Yoongi's mother looks back and forth between the boys with wonder from where's she's stood behind the couch, near the foot of the stairs.

"Is something going on here?"

The two brothers turn towards each other, silently asking the same question to the other.

A crooked smile slowly creeps across Jungkook's lips as he stares back at Yoongi, the endless galaxy of glittering stars shining brightly in his dark orbs.

"No," he smiles softly, "We're good. Just catching up."

A wide grin splits Yoongi's lips as he reaches for Jungkook's hand in his lap to hold in his.

Things may have gotten more complicated, but he and Jungkook will deal with whatever blowback and obstacles that may arise.

Whether they decide to try to actually pursue something more together or not, neither of them are sure. But there isn't any rush to decide right now.

It'll be easier this time– to adjust and overcome– because they'll be together and they'll communicate.

They'll work together, side by side, just as they did when they were kids.