칠십 오
"Ah, overall, thank you Jeongguk." Boss said to the aforementioned younger, "you're amazing and I just wanted to show you how much I, and we all, appreciate you."
Jeongguk grinned, shyly bowing his head gently as the room applauded. He turned to Taehyung with a dazzling smile, only to find his soulmate smiling ever so softly at him. To Taehyung, Jeongguk looked absolutely adorable with his injury-free skin, rosy cheeks and pink lips which stretched into happiness, showing most of his teeth.
To Jeongguk, Taehyung looked absolutely gorgeous. His pastel pink hair flopped over his face cutely, black eyes twinkling and reminding him of the midnight sky.
Feeling the sudden urge to shower his soulmate with affection, Jeongguk immediately grabbed Taehyung and pulled him into a tight hug. He pressed soft kisses to his shoulder, Taehyung's giggle sounding in his ear and Jeongguk felt absolutely euphoric.
He'd found what he'd always yearned for; his soulmate. And to make it even better, Taehyung had accepted and supported him throughout everything. Throughout every bad day, all the stress and even Jeongguk's mood swings. Taehyung still stayed right by his side, his grip tight on Jeongguk and his heart forever his. He pulled away, pressing one final kiss to Taehyung's forehead before standing proudly, his arm tight around Taehyung's waist.
"Everyone, enjoy yourself!" Boss said, voice bellowing.
Unbeknownst to the cherry-red haired man, Ten had texted the first signal to Jay, indicating him to get ready and prepare himself for what would happen in an hours time.
Everybody clapped, slowly moving to their first positions of the night. Some went to the champagne tower, some went to the buffet and some went to specific corners of the large hall.
"I'm so hungry." Taehyung grumbled, swinging his and Jeongguk's intertwined hands.
Several waiters and waitresses (all members of the gang) bustled past, laying down plates of food along the long tables. One of the waiters poked Taehyung's arm as a signal as he rushed past.
Taehyung gasped, pretending to have just seen the food.
"Ggukie! Look at all the food!" Taehyung gripped Jeongguk's hand, who looked equally as excited.
Jeongguk near enough dragged Taehyung to the table, gipping at the smell of champagne as they ran past. Taehyung had to pull Jeongguk away from causing havoc, as the younger was giggling quietly to himself, hand reaching out to pull a glass from the middle.
"Jeongguk, no."
"Jeongguk, yes."
"Jeongguk won't get any kisses."
He stilled, mentally contemplating the offer.
"Or any head."
Jeongguk had never moved so fast, retracting his hand back to his side at the speed of sound.
"Pft, would've never touched that tower." He scoffed, playing it cool as they continued to walk over to the food table.
"Mhm, sure." Taehyung hummed.
As Jeongguk began eating food, eyes scattering from Boss and Woosung, to Ten and Taeyong (who were huddled together), to Rocky and MJ who were currently having a slapstick fight - Taehyung texted the signal to Ten, alerting him of Jeongguk's location.
"Have you eaten anything, petal? You're getting skinnier." Jeongguk frowned.
Truthfully, Taehyung was not getting skinnier. His body was beginning to tone slightly, something it always did. His weight usually fluctuated naturally, he'd soon go back to his little tummy that Jeongguk adored.
"Yeah, I ate before coming." Taehyung nodded, leaning to grab another sandwich.
The duo ate and laughed for about fifteen minutes, the highlight of the small section of time being Jeongguk choking on a skittle. He'd snorted out of laughter whilst chewing, the tiny sweet flying to the back of his throat in a millisecond. Taehyung was still laughing as he dragged Jeongguk to the bar (Ten had texted the signal immediately after Jeongguk had begun to choke).
Taehyung's nerves began to build as the two stood there, sipping on their drinks. He'd spotted Ten moving to his spot, creeping to a large group of people where he could blend in.
Boss had just sent the text to Jay, telling him to make his way over to the party.
In the corner, Taeyong was reloading his pistol which he'd shoot after Ten's two shots.
Ten watched Jeongguk with careful eyes, trying to time his shot so Jeongguk wasn't startled mid-drink. He waited until Jeongguk began flustering Taehyung, pinching his cheek and ruffling his hair. Ten rolled his eyes with a soft smile at Jeongguk's affection, feeling extremely guilty at what he was about to do.
He locked eyes with Taeyong who nodded, Boss sending a subtle thumbs-up.
To signal everybody else, the bartender rang the bell - explaining that last rounds would be at a specific time. As Jeongguk listened, Ten shot into the air.
Everybody began to scream, rushing around and in Taehyung's opinion, overreacting. Yes, they were acting, but was that really necessary?!
Jeongguk immediately stood in front of Taehyung, pistol in his hands as he darted his gaze around, trying to pinpoint the perpetrator amidst all the people who ran like headless chickens. He knew that, ideally, you shouldn't really rush around after hearing a gunshot, but he pushed that thought to the back of his mind as the only priority was Taehyung.
"Taehyung, we need to go take cover - come on." Jeongguk murmured, turning around to face him.
Taehyung shook his head, "no, we can't. What if we get shot?"
Jeongguk was about to argue, but as soon as he saw Taehyung's bottom lip quiver, he kept quiet.
"Okay, petal." Jeongguk said, "it's going to be alright, darling."
Taehyung (feeling so fucking guilty) nodded slowly, eyes fluttering shut as Jeongguk pressed a gentle kiss to his nose. Despite having to play scared, a blush still arose to his cheeks after Jeongguk kissed him.
Jeongguk turned back around, finger twitching on the trigger as he held back the urge to go find whoever made Taehyung scared. But he didn't, staying in front of his precious bluebell, defending him from any damage that may occur. Taehyung obviously knew nothing would happen to either of them, so as long Jeongguk stayed in place, which made acting scared extremely difficult.
Taehyung's eyes found Ten, mouthing the next signal.
Ten nodded, moving to his next position. He quickly shot at the chandelier once Jeongguk's eyes were averted. As the bulb shattered, Taehyung felt Jeongguk's body tense out of nervousness.
Despite his emotions, which were running wild, Jeongguk's stance remained. Taehyung's chest was pressed against Jeongguk's back as the elder was pushed into the wall. Taehyung knew that if this wasn't all an act, he would truly feel safe behind Jeongguk's defence.
Taehyung pretended to be scared, sniffling and whimpering quietly. He gripped at Jeongguk's dress shirt, fingertips slipping along the silk. One of Jeongguk's hands made its way backwards, searching for Taehyung's hands. The elder quickly grabbed his hand with both of his, playing with his fingers as Jeongguk aimed his gun with one hand.
Taeyong took a literal shot in the dark, shooting the signal for Boss. The bullet thankfully hit the chandelier again, Boss moving to the light switch beside the door.
Completely unknown and unexpected by Jeongguk, Jay and Bora were actually now stood in the entrance. Merely centimetres away from Jeongguk, yet he had no idea.
Taking a deep breath, knowing that whatever happened after this was out of everyone's control, Boss flicked the light switch.
Jay stood for a few seconds, admiring how Jeongguk had grown. He was still defending Taehyung, who was smiling softly at Bora and Jay, eyebrows furrowed and jaw clenched - like always. Bora nudged Jay, tears already beginning to well up in both their eyes.
"Hey, bunny. Missed me?" A deep voice crackled, laced with smoke and held-back excitement.
Taehyung felt Jeongguk's entire body stiffen, his head cocking to the side slightly (something he did when he was extremely confused, and it was a knack that he hated because he felt stupid but Taehyung found it so fucking cute). Bora smiled at Jeongguk's knack, remembering it from when he was younger.
Jeongguk shakily lowered the gun, sliding it into the back of his waistband. One hand held tighter at Taehyung's while he chewed on his thumbnail nervously on his other hand.
He seemed to have aged backwards, appearing small and shy as Jay stepped closer.
Jeongguk felt winded, chest tight as his heart pounded rapidly, rattling against his ribcage. His mouth was dry and it felt as though as his tongue had expanded ten times in size. He couldn't feel his legs, pins and needles attacking his hips and thighs. His stomach was bothered by fluttering butterflies and self-tying knots.
Seeing Jay felt like stepping into deep snow, excited but frozen.
Jeongguk's eyes became softer, lilac and pink irises lightening as they glistened with a thin sheen of water. He unclenched his jaw, his eyebrows no longer furrowed. Suddenly, he felt as though he was fifteen again, meeting Jay for the very first time.
To Jay, Jeongguk hadn't mentally aged. Sure, his features became more masculine, he grew in height and his skin was now decorated with roses and pretty pieces of jewellery. But, he still appeared as that tiny child that he raised, with big and doe-like eyes, a tiny dimple below his bottom lip and a lock of hair that never seemed to smooth down as well as the others.
"You're still as cute as ever, bunny. Man, I fucking missed you." Jay rasped, his wall about to break and emotion about to flood through like a tsunami.
Jeongguk let go of Taehyung's hand, slowly creeping over to inspect the man.
He took in every single detail of his face, using cautious fingers to swipe back Jay's fringe, looking at his scalp.
Jay had a scar in the shape of a 'J' right on his hairline, from where he and Jeongguk had attempted scarification drunkenly one night. It hadn't gone well, it only ended it blood and scabbing. Jeongguk had a similar, more well done, one beside his elbow.
"I-it's really y-you." Jeongguk uncharacteristically stammered, hands shaking as he pulled them away.
"In the flesh." Jay attempted to say confidently, his voice wavering.
Taehyung had never realised the true depth of Jeongguk's and Jay's relationship up until this point. He obviously knew that they had an extremely strong bond, but he hadn't truly realised how much their separation had affected the two of them.
Jeongguk began to shake more violently, still staring in mild disbelief.
Jay's eyes were tearing up, though he kept a tough face on as he looked at Jeongguk. His lips pressed in a straight line as few droplets crossed them, a shaky smile appearing. He was unsure how to feel as so many emotions whirred throughout his thought process.
Jeongguk was still in dysphoria, staring at him confusedly. Taehyung mentally begged him to come back to his senses, wanting the two to rekindle.
Jay was taking in all of Jeongguk's features, looking at him for so long that he could paint a picture from memory. His eyes darted from the scar on Jeongguk's cheekbone, to his scarred knuckles, to the bracelet around his thin wrist (Jay's bracelet was hung up in Jeongguk's kitchen) and back to Jeongguk's wonderful eyes. He squinted, wondering if Taehyung had two different favourite colours, watching as the pink and lilac were blurred by tears.
"C-come here, bunny." Jay said, opening his arms.
Jeongguk immediately did so, feeling comfortable, warm and safe in Jay's hold. He felt responsibility lift off of his shoulders, feeling like he was normal and not a murderer. He understood how Taehyung felt everytime he was in Jeongguk's embrace and he made a mental note to hold Taehyung more often.
Despite Jeongguk being the taller of the two males, he laid his head on Jay's chest and sobbed. He cried quietly, arms holding Jay's waist tight. Jay's hand gently caressed Jeongguk's hair, letting the soft cherry locks fall and rise. The other hand rubbed up and down Jeongguk's back, attempting to calm him down.
Jeongguk and Jay pulled apart, Jeongguk letting out a sudden flow of sobs when he spotted Bora. He pretty much ran to her, holding her tightly as he wept into her shoulder. Bora knew exactly what to do, one hand holding the base of his head as the other patted his back - holding him like a sobbing baby. He was really her baby, never mind how old he'd get, she'd always see him in this way. Her long nails traced shapes along his broad back, shushing him gently and pressing little kisses to his cheek.
Jeongguk tried to express how happy he was, choking on his words and sobs.
Bora motioned for Jay to come over, the man doing so and joining the hug. He hugged the back of Bora so he was facing Jeongguk, his hand resting on Jeongguk's lower back as he too sobbed. Like a mother, Bora simply smiled and blinked away the tears that were pooling in her eyes. She knew Jay would cry, but she didn't expect him to sob this much.
Taehyung took comfort in hugging Rocky, the two crying quietly.
Unlike Rocky and Taehyung, Ten and Taeyong were weeping loudly.
Even Boss had a tear in his eye, smiling at how his favourites had been reunited. He wrapped his arm around Woosung's shoulder, who was still admiring Jeongguk - his inspiration. Woosung was saddened to see Jeongguk in such a state, as he'd always seen Jeongguk as strong and somebody who only showed his true self to Taehyung.
He still saw Jeongguk as his idol, wanting nothing more than to comfort him and stop him from crying, but he knew that Bora and Jay knew how to do it.
Jeongguk's innocence returned, staring through blurred vision at the two adults that had impacted his childhood so much.
Boss snapped a few pictures, so Jeongguk would have more than a bracelet in memory of his two best friends.
Despite him crying, Taehyung was so pleased to have seen Jeongguk show proper emotion. He was happy that Jeongguk didn't get pissed and hit someone, he was delighted that he responded in the way he did.
"I-I missed y-you guys s-so f-fucking much." Jeongguk stuttered, laughing at himself.
"We missed you too, bunny." Bora smiled, truly a beauty as her smile tugged on everybody's heartstrings.