¤ Back to You
Twin Forks ↲

I was young so I forgot
Which was my place and which was not
Thought I had a good shot
I took it right in my eye

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On Friday night, Jungkook was relaxing on the couch when Juyeon entered the living room. Their mother was out with friends, which meant Jungkook was relegated to babysitting duty. He didn't mind, however. He'd give up all his free nights to spend with Juyeon.

"Who is Kim Taehyung?" Juyeon asked him, clutching two papers in her hands.

Jungkook recognized the papers as the drawings from yesterday - one of the mountain and one of his portrait. After the two boys had dinner last night, Jungkook asked Taehyung if he could have the drawings. The elder agreed, but only if he could have the picture Jungkook took of him.

When the younger texted over the image, Taehyung made a show of signing his name on the back of each drawing.

"You don't look like this," Juyeon continued, pursing her lips together. "I think this Kim Taehyung guy made you look better than you really do. I've never seen your face look so . . . amazed."

"What did I say about going into my room and snooping?" Jungkook said as he chased Juyeon through the living room. "Give those back!"

"Your eyes are so big! And your lips . . ." She broke into a fit of laughter as she ran, taunting Jungkook the entire time. "Seriously, Kookie, you look like you've just seen the stars for the first time."

Jungkook's hands wrapped around her tiny waist gently, holding her in place. He plucked the drawings from her grip, taking care not to crinkle them. "I was just letting the guy draw me."

She danced out of his hold. "Is that why you were home late?"

It wasn't necessary to tell her that working with Taehyung was another one of his jobs. There was no need to stress her out, so he simply nodded his head.

"If he ever draws you again, you should have him be more accurate. And you should have a normal expression."

Juyeon fled down the hall, presumably to her own room, leaving Jungkook gaping. He should be used to his little sister's antics by now, but somehow he always managed to forget what a troublemaker she truly was.

He looked at the sketch of himself, remembering Taehyung's words about not drawing people to be more attractive than what they were. If he really meant that, did he just see Jungkook differently, in a way others didn't?

And Juyeon was right about his own expression. He appeared captivated and utterly entranced with what he was looking at.

He had been. He was looking at Taehyung.

The boy was an enigma to Jungkook, a puzzle he didn't have all the pieces to. He was colorful and smooth, yet dark and jagged. Obviously, there were a lot of hidden layers to the elder. Layers that Jungkook wanted to unfold so he could understand just exactly who Kim Taehyung was as a person.

Jungkook knew his intrigue ran deeper than anything he felt before. There was this burning need to unravel Taehyung, to sink into his mind and see his thoughts. He also wanted answers to the elder's small freak out, but he knew better than to push. Though that didn't mean he didn't want to . . . Jungkook wanted to know more and he couldn't figure out why.

Maybe it was because Taehyung made Jungkook feel seen for the first time in years; he gave him time to do something he loved.

Maybe it was because Taehyung didn't pretend life was perfect in his world of wealth and privilege, acknowledging everyone had their struggles.

Maybe it was because Taehyung was just so damn attractive.

Before he could think about it any further, his sister's voice pierced the otherwise silent house.

"So you're the guy who drew my brother? Why'd you choose him?"

Jungkook's eyebrows knitted together as he headed towards Juyeon's room. It sounded like she was talking to someone, but who? As he neared, she spoke again.

"You like his tattoos? . . . No. I think those are weird."

He pushed the half-shut door open and found Juyeon sitting on her bed, a phone clutched to her ear.

His phone, to be exact.

"Juyeon . . ." He warned.

"Uh oh," she giggled into the phone, "Kookie's found me."

Jungkook extended his hand, silently demanding Juyeon to give him the phone. But she ignored him, a devilish grin widening her mouth.

"I'm going to put you on speaker so we can continue talking, okay?" Juyeon pressed the necessary buttons. "My brother is an ass and would've taken the phone away otherwise."

"Juyeon, language," Jungkook lectured.

"Hey, Kookie," Taehyung's deep voice sounded from the phone, a chuckle warming up his tone.

"Taehyung -" He started to reply but was cut off by his insistent sister.

"TaeTae was just telling me he likes your tattoos," she informed Jungkook. "Which I don't get, but whatever. Now you have to tell TaeTae something that you like about him."

"Juyeon, I swear to God -"

This time Taehyung interrupted. "Oh, come on, Kookie. I want to know."

Jungkook swore he could hear a mock pout in the elder's voice. "You two are impossible."

"I bet he likes you because you have a nice voice," Juyeon speculated, watching her brother for a reaction. "Are you handsome? Handsome people have nice voices."

A laugh erupted from the phone, one that caused Jungkook's chest to swell. "Go to Kook's photo gallery. He took some pictures of me."

Juyeon's eyes lit up in glee and she quickly opened the application. After a moment of flipping through the images, she reflected, "Wow, you're pretty."

Jungkook nodded in agreement, looking at the pictures with Juyeon. A small smile began to tug at his lips, but fell at Juyeon's next question.

"Do you like boys?" She asked without remorse.  "My brother likes boys. But he hasn't brought anyone to the house in a while -"

Jungkook's eyes widened as he clamped a hand over her mouth. "Juyeon!"

"I didn't think it was a secret." Her voice was muffled by Jungkook's hand.

He groaned, finally letting go of her to put his hands over his eyes. "It's not, but you can't just go around asking people who they like."

Juyeon didn't seem remorseful. "Why?"

"Because it's not polite!" Jungkook said as he buried his head deeper into his hands, face burning.

"I don't have time to be polite," his little sister stated bluntly. She brought the phone closer to her mouth. "TaeTae?"

"I'm still here," Taehyung responded, the tone of his voice neutral.

"Is that why you drew Jungkookie so pretty? Because you like him?"

"I might actually tape your mouth shut," Jungkook groaned in embarrassment.

"I drew him that way because that's what he looks like," Taehyung answered swiftly, avoiding her true questions again. "Want to see what you look like in a drawing?"

Juyeon started nodding her head, even though Taehyung couldn't see. "You'll draw me? When? Now?"

Taehyung laughed at her eagerness. "Yeah, I can draw you now. Let me video call. Hold on."

A request to video chat came through on the phone, and Juyeon eagerly accepted. "TaeTae! Wow, you're not just handsome, you're hot."

Jungkook shook his head at her, both mortified and completely amused. Only his sister could evoke this mixture of feelings within him at the same time.

"You're not my type, though," Juyeon lamented to Taehyung. "You're too old. But . . . I bet you're Jungkookie's type. Right, Kookie?"

"That's it, we're hanging up," Jungkook said, reaching over for the phone.

"Wait, no, I'll stop! Please, Kookie, I want to be drawn!" She looked up at him with sad eyes and a forced frown.

He couldn't deny her, so he exhaled a loud and annoyed breath. "Fine."

Juyeon gasped, jumping up and down with excitement.

"You'll have to hold still," Taehyung instructed. Jungkook still couldn't see him from the way Juyeon had the phone angled.

"Here," she thrusted the phone in Jungkook's direction. "Flip the camera and hold it so TaeTae can draw me."

A retort stuck in his throat, but was forgotten as he finally got to see Taehyung. The elder had his hair pushed out of his face, the long strands tucked neatly behind his ears. A loose white shirt exposed his collarbones, bones which Jungkook never thought were enticing until now. But on Taehyung, they absolutely were.

"Hey, Kook," Taehyung said softly, leaning closer to the camera.

He smiled. "Hi, Tae."

Jungkook let his eyes roam all over Taehyung's face, soaking in the utter beauty of the elder. He wished they were together in person so he could take pictures of him like this.

"There's that face again," Juyeon murmured quietly.

Jungkook rolled his eyes before looking back down at the screen. "Thank you," he said simply to Taehyung, trying to convey many things at once.

Taehyung seemed to understand. "Anytime."

Juyeon tapped her leg impatiently. "I'm waiting."

With a hum of acknowledgment, Jungkook flipped the camera and angled it at his sister. He wasn't mad or inconvenienced at all, though. He got to stare at Taehyung drawing for fifteen minutes without the elder being the wiser.

"I'm done," Taehyung announced after their stretch of silence. Juyeon somehow managed to sit still for the entire time, too, and was now getting restless. "Kook, flip the camera back so I can see Juyeon's reaction."

Jungkook complied, letting his sister snuggle up next to him. When Taehyung revealed the drawing, she sucked in a tiny breath. For a rare moment in her life, she was speechless.

"You hate it," Taehyung mused jokingly. "Should I give up my career now?"

Juyeon shook her head vigorously. "You're amazing, TaeTae. Can I have it?"

"Of course," Taehyung answered with a wide smile, his eyes turning into crescents. "It's yours. Next time I see Jungkook, I'll give it to him to take home to you."

"When is that?" She probed, resting her chin in her hands. Jungkook could see the exhaustion creeping up on her.

"Monday," Jungkook and Taehyung answered at the same time.

But a sleepy Juyeon shook her head. "I don't want to wait that long. How about . . . Oh! Kookie wanted to go on a picnic tomorrow but I'm busy now. TaeTae, you should go with him instead!"

Jungkook knew very well that his sister was not busy.

"Juyeon, I'm sure Tae already has other plans," he explained quietly, thinking he'd need to discuss what boundaries meant with her later.

But Taehyung's lips quirked up. "I'm free all day."

"Perfect!" Juyeon exclaimed, tapping on Jungkook's phone with precision. "There. I just texted you our address. Come by for lunch and bring my picture."

With that, she started pushing Jungkook off her bed with all her strength. It didn't affect him much, but he made a show by rolling off onto the floor.

"Out," she ordered. "Take your phone."

Jungkook got up off the ground and took hold of his phone, pressing a gentle kiss onto Juyeon's forehead before leaving. He went to his room and shut the door, heaving a sigh of relief.

"I know who the boss is in your household," Taehyung said on the other side of the line. "That girl is a firecracker."

There was a brief moment where Jungkook forgot he still had Taehyung on video chat. He quickly righted his hair before positioning the phone in front of his face.

"You have no idea," he said as he reclined on his bed. "Juyeon is certainly one of a kind."

Taehyung grinned that big smile of his that never failed to make Jungkook smile in return. "So, everything she said . . .?"

"Yeah?" The younger prompted.

"Is it all true?"

Jungkook wished they weren't video chatting so he could bury his head under the pillows. "Which part?"

"Are we only speaking in questions now?" Taehyung spoke through a rising laugh.

A giggle bubbled in Jungkook's chest. "I don't know, is that what we're doing?"

Taehyung leaned forward, his shirt shifting to reveal more of his elegant collarbone. "Maybe? Anyway, what should I bring with me tomorrow?"

"You don't have to come if you don't want to, Tae," Jungkook replied, even though he really wanted to hang out with the elder. "I know Juyeon put you on the spot there."

"Like it or not, Kook, I'm showing up. As soon as your sister said a picnic with Kookie, I was sold."

Jungkook quirked his eyebrows up in a subtle challenge. "You just wanted to spend time with me."

"Or I just wanted to go on a picnic, but I'll let you dream," the elder responded with a shrug of his shoulders.

They talked for a while longer, continuing their back and forth banter with ease. Jungkook quickly realized they had other things in common as well, like a love for foreign music and a secret passion for cartoon television shows. And while they kept their topics light, Jungkook felt like he was starting to get to know this intense artist.

And he quite liked who Taehyung was turning out to be.

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》 V A L E N W R I T I N G 《

Nothing like sibling antics, amirite?!

I have today off, so going to be working a lot in writing. Which means . . . DOUBLE UPDATE sometime this weekend! Not sure if it'll be tomorrow or Sunday, but I'll include in my a/n which day it'll be.

Have a great day, my valentines ❤