[a/n: There may be mistakes, I didn't edit this chapter as thoroughly as I usually do. If I made a mistake that confuses you just comment and ask what I meant]
Taehyung and Jungkook relaxed in the sunroom, snuggling in a comfortable silence. A news reporter would be coming in to interview them any second now.
Namjoon normally wouldn't allow someone to interview them in the house, but a good friend of his who was working for a trustworthy news station had asked for special permission. Taehyung and Jungkook had agreed, saying a friend of Namjoon is a friend of theirs.
They looked up when the noise of footsteps echoed in the hallway. Namjoon opened the door and smiled, letting in a tall man in a black suit with a red tie.
"Ah, you must be Jungkook and Taehyung," he said, dipping his head in acknowledgment.
They both smiled back, copying his gesture as he sat down in a chair. The man sat with his legs crossed and his notebook in one hand, pen in the other.
"I'm honored to meet you two, you are big heroes around here. I suppose you've heard that before, though," he added with a chuckle.
They both chuckled and nodded
"So, about yesterday," The reporter began, getting down to business, "There was news from smaller media outlets that Jungkook met his parents."
Jungkook stiffened, nodding slowly.
"Rumor has it that it didn't go down well," The man continued, earning a curt nod from the both of them as they dipping their heads in sync.
They continued with the interview as the man slowly pieced together the story.
***
After a little while, the man asked Jungkook if he could leave the room for just a moment so he could conduct a private interview with Taehyung. Taehyung began to protest before Namjoon shot him a glance which clearly said; 'don't worry, I'll watch him.' So, Taehyung reluctantly agreed. When Jungkook and Namjoon left the room, the interviewer started with Tae's private interview.
"It's obvious you love Jungkook very much," He began, earning a nod from Taehyung, "But how did you feel about his sudden outburst? Were you scared?"
"Well, I suppose that at first, I'd like to say Jungkook is not an aggressive kid. He's shy, quiet, reserved, and extremely sweet- once you get to know him, that is. This 'outburst' was not one of pure aggression as I've seen other media outlets so imply. Jungkook was under extreme emotional pressure, I think anyone would have reacted in the same way."
The reporter nodded in understanding.
"And what caused this pressure? The security footage posted online had no sound, so no one knows what caused him to react this way."
Taehyung huffed.
"I don't think you'd find it on the security footage. You'd only understand if our government actually gave a crap about our youth. As for the details, it is not my place to say."
"Do you know, though?" The man pressed.
Taehyung nodded.
"Yes, but that doesn't mean I can share that information with you. I don't suggest you ask Jungkook either."
The interviewer pretended not to hear his additional comment and continued with a few other questions.
Later, the reporter requested a private interview with Jungkook as well. Jungkook had agreed, but Taehyung wasn't about to leave Jungkook alone in a room with someone he barely knew. He especially wanted to be there in case Jungkook needed to walk out on the interview. The man had asked Taehyung very personal questions, so he could only imagine the things this man would dare ask Jungkook.
They started slow, Jungkook settled down as the man started asking simple questions. This was easy.
But then he got to a particularly hard question.
"How did seeing your parents make you feel?"
Jungkook hesitated, caught off guard.
"There are no words..." He managed out.
The man nodded.
"So, Jungkook," He leaned in, "What caused this aggressive outburst in you? I mean, what did your parents do that would enrage you this much?"
Jungkook stopped a moment and stared at the man.
"That is a very personal question."
The interviewer shook his head, not taking the hint... or maybe just not caring.
"The media wants to know, Jungkook,"
Jungkook took a deep breath, trying to be patient.
"It's not their business," Jungkook replied sharply.
The interviewer rolled his eyes, sighing.
"How about this- I just want to know about your father. We've seen your mother on TV twice now, so we know plenty about her. What is it with your father, though?"
Jungkook stayed silent for a moment.
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Oh, come on."
"I don't wanna talk about it," Jungkook repeated through gritted teeth.
"It can't be that bad."
"Oh, but it can."
A new voice rang through the room. They both looked over to see Taehyung approaching them. The older lifted Jungkook into his arms without another word, Jungkook sighing in relief as he buried his face into the older's neck.
"I told you not to ask Jungkook those sorts of questions. Idiot." Taehyung growled lowly.
The interviewer looked slightly taken aback by the other's actions.
"What do you mean? My questions weren't all that personal. Besides, people want answers- my job is to get them those answers. I believe the world has a right to know!"
"Too bad, Jungkook is a human being just like everyone else. You don't get to expose his personal life. Besides, we claimed full right to walk out on this interview before you even got here."
"Wait! Okay, fine, but at least let me finish with your personal interview, Taehyung," The man pleaded.
Taehyung regarded him with an unreadable expression for a moment before replying.
"Fine. But Jungkook's interview is over."
The interviewer smiled and nodded, letting out a faint sigh of relief. Taehyung carried Jungkook out of the room. He returned a moment later wearing a straight face as he sat down on the couch, facing the man with a pen and paper.
"Thank you for returning. I apologize for offending you."
"You should be apologizing to Jungkook," Taehyung muttered.
The interviewer either didn't hear or chose to ignore Taehyung's words, because he jumped straight into the interview right after.
"So, what was your first reaction at the situation with Jungkook's parents?"
"I knew we would see his mom, of course, but encountering his dad was... shocking," Taehyung replied carefully, refraining from putting in any more detail.
"Really?" The man asked, interest gleaming in his eyes, "How often did Jungkook see his dad before the apocalypse?"
"I don't know," Taehyung replied with half-honesty.
The interviewer looked skeptical but decided not to pry.
"Have you ever met his dad before?"
"No."
"And I know you've met his mom, so do you know how often he saw his mom before the apocalypse?"
"I don't know."
"Does he have any siblings?"
Taehyung twitched, remembering the story of the younger's adopted sister. He wondered what happened to her.
"I-I don't know."
The man glared at him, raising one eyebrow.
"And you claim to love the boy. You don't know anything about him!" The reporter scoffed.
Taehyung gripped the arm of the couch with all his strength to keep from lunging at the man, but his self-control was trickling away.
"Yes, I love him. I know everything I need to know about him to know that I want to spend the rest of my life with him." He growled.
The interviewer nodded calmly, scribbling some notes down.
"Did Jungkook's aggressive outburst affect your love for him in any way?"
Taehyung gritted his teeth, focusing on the grinding noise inside his mouth instead of the fierce rage that burned in his stomach.
"Of course not. I love him unconditionally. You wouldn't understand, though, since you obviously have no compassion for anyone," he added before continuing, "And I don't see his actions as aggressive, either. So, do your job as a reporter and share this with the public- Jungkook was going through something far more traumatic than you could possibly understand. There was too much pressure on the poor kid for him to think straight and he went into self-defense mode- just like anyone else in his position would have. Others see him and I as some sort of miracle, but at the end of the day, we're only human."
The reporter was nodding as Taehyung gave his mini-speech, scribbling down note after note. Taehyung took a peek at the notepad to find that the man's handwriting was so horrible he could only make out a few slanted quotation marks.
"Very well," the man concluded, "I think I have enough here to put together an article. Thank you for your time, I'll be leaving now."
Taehyung gave his goodbye in the form of a curt nod as the man left the room. As soon as he was out, Jungkook stumbled into the room and practically threw himself into Taehyung's arms.
"Hey Kookie," Taehyung cooed, "How are you?"
"Running low on snuggles. You took a long time," Jungkook pouted.
Taehyung chuckled and pulled the younger closer.
"I'm sorry, baby. I'll be quicker next time."
***
Late that evening, the family sat in the TV room, making small talk with the news channel playing quietly in the background.
"And next up, the story of our hero Jungkook's viral outburst towards his parents in the police station." The women on the screen said into the microphone.
"Ooh! Ooh! Everybody, Jungkookie's on TV! How do I turn up the volume?" Jimin exclaimed.
Yoongi laughed as Jimin searched the remote for the right button.
"The plus sign in the upper right corner, Chim," He replied.
Jimin smiled cutely when he found it and turned the volume up loud. Everyone went silent as they watched the news report.
The security footage of Jungkook interacting with his father was displayed on screen as the man who was interviewing them spoke. It switched to showing his face when the short clip was over with.
"... an interview with Jungkook and Taehyung earlier today. They both seemed reluctant to give answers, though. The best thing I got was when I asked Taehyung in his private interview how his love for Jungkook was affected by the younger's outburst."
Jungkook stiffened and glanced at Taehyung, whose lap he was sitting on. Taehyung just put his arms around the younger's waist and rested his chin on Jungkook's shoulder. Jungkook seemed slightly reassured, though he was full of worry and anticipation. Did Taehyung like him less because of this?
"He answered with-" The man looked at his notepad and read from it, "'I love him unconditionally and I don't see his actions as aggressive. Let it be known to the public that Jungkook was going through something extremely traumatic. There was too much pressure on the poor kid for him to think straight and he went into self-defense mode- just like anyone else in his position would have. Others see him and I as some sort of miracle, but at the end of the day, we're only human.'" The reporter looked up at the camera again. "Unfortunately, I was unable to get any information about why this experience was so traumatic to Jungkook, but hopefully we find out eventually."
The screen switched to the women again.
"That's really sweet. In other news..." Jimin turned down the volume again, grinning at his new power over the TV.
Everyone turned to look at the couple. Jungkook ignored the others watching them intensely and turned himself around on Taehyung's lap, wrapping his legs around the other's waist.
"Tae..." Jungkook whispered, "Thank you, I love you so much. You're the best thing that ever happened to me."
Taehyung also pretended like they were the only people in the room.
"Jungkook, you're the best thing that ever happened to me. And I love you more."
"Not possible. I love you more."
"Nuh uh, I lo-"
"Shut up and kiss already!" Jin exclaimed.
They both laughed and shot him playful glares before turning back to each other. Taehyung made eye-contact with Jungkook before slowly leaning in, closing the small space between them. Jungkook closed his eyes as soon as their lips touched, melting into the sweet kiss. They pulled away when Hoseok and Jin started squealing like they were going to explode. Namjoon was smiling too, even Yoongi smiled and Jimin put a hand over his heart, letting out a drawn-out 'awwwwwwwww'.
Jungkook blushed deeply, giving an airy laugh when he saw Taehyung turning as red as a tomato. The older was laughing softly and covering his face with his hands in embarrassment.
"Guys let's give these two some alone time, shall we?" Namjoon asked, smiling wider when Jungkook covered his face as well.
"Ooooohhhhh~ alone time~" Jimin teased, standing up.
Jimin then made his way out, followed by Yoongi, Hoseok, Namjoon, and finally Jin.
In the comfort of the empty room, Jungkook gave Taehyung and kiss on the cheek. He couldn't have been happier then he was then- alone with Taehyung.
"Really, Taehyung. I don't think you know just how happy I am right now. You make me so happy. You make me feel like I'm worth something. Just... thank you. Thank you for sticking with me even through my hectic family issues."
"Jungkook, I will always be by your side. Always."
"I love you so, so much, Taehyung," Jungkook whispered, his eyes watering.
He buried his face into the older's neck, breathing in deeply before letting out a slow, contented sigh.
"I love you too, Jungkook," the older replied.
Taehyung laid the side of his face on the back of the younger's head, smiling to himself when the younger's scent hit his nose. Jungkook's hair always smelled faintly of spices. They both fell asleep like that, hugging each other so adorably.
[a/n: Okay, so I may or may not do a little mini-chapter thing from Jimin's point of view during the following hour or so after taekook fell asleep. Maybe, maybe not, I dunno, tell me if you'd be interested (^-^)]