I watch him as he runs out in the snow. Hat almost falling off, cheeks turning red as the snowflakes melt on his skin and clumsy footsteps that makes him fall and land on his butt. It seems like he doesn’t mind the cold the ground. He lies down and makes a snow angel.
“Aren’t you gonna join him?” Jimin asks softly, standing beside Jungkook with a steaming hot cup of tea.
“I will…” I say, chewing on my bottom lip. His hyung sighs heavily.
“Why don’t you just tell him?” I look at him in horror. He knows? “Well, it’s written on your face.”
I put on my gloves as I curse quietly for myself. If I’m that obvious, does Taehyung know too?
“Jungkook-ah! If you don’t get your ass over here in ten seconds, I will make a snowman out of you!”
I can’t help the smile Jimin is giggling over. “Go and get him.” He whispers before he smacks my butt and makes me leap forward. I run and tackle Taehyung who had just gotten up from the snow. His laughter is so beautiful.
We play around in the snow. Taehyung convinces me to build a snowman with him, but halfway through our masterpiece, Namjoon calls for us. When we walk inside, our group members looks at us with sad faces. No, they were only looking at Taehyung.
“Our break ends earlier than expected. We are flying to Tokyo tomorrow for a photoshoot.”
I swallow hard and look at Taehyung. Namjoon couldn’t be serious. The break had just started and tomorrow is…
“But hyung… we have other plans tomorrow. We are supposed to celebrate my birthday at the…” Taehyung stops in the middle of his sentence. I can see how he tries to hold back his tears. I understand him. All of us had been looking forward to celebrate Taehyung’s birthday at his grandparents’ lake house. Everything is packed and we were supposed to leave first thing in the morning.
“I’m sorry, Tae…” Namjoon say, guilt written on his face.
“Can’t we call in sick?”
Suddenly, I can feel everyone’s heart break. Jimin is on the bridge of crying because Taehyung is. Hoseok tries to comfort Jimin. Seokjin rushes over to Taehyung and pulls him into a hug. Namjoon leaves the room. So does Yoongi. Here I stand, doing nothing.
“We can go to the lake house in the spring.” Seokjin tries, but Taehyung just shakes his head. “Perhaps we could celebrate you at the hotel?”
“We’re all going to be exhausted after that photoshoot, hyung. It’s alright.”
“I said it’s alright!”
The room went completely silent by Taehyung’s shout. I reach out a hand, but he was already on his way to his room before I even could touch him.
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When evening comes, I offer to help Seokjin in the kitchen. I’m starting to regret it, because never have I seen anyone cutting carrots so aggressively.
“There is nothing we can do for Taehyung?” I ask quietly.
He stops chopping and looks at me. The look he gives me tells me everything I need to know. It is a hopeless case.
Hoseok tries to get Taehyung to join us for dinner, but fails miserably. Jimin brings a plate to Taehyung’s room, but he doesn’t even touch the food. Seokjin goes to help Taehyung pack for the trip to Tokyo, but Taehyung just starts crying again. He is hugging a pillow as silent tears stream down his face as I stand in the doorframe.
“I need to be alone now, Jungkook-ah. I think I’m gonna try to sleep. Can you turn off the lights?”
I nod and did what I was told. The only thing illuminating the room was the fairy lights Taehyung had dressed his plastic christmas tree with beside his bed. His dark eyes sparkles in the soft, weak light.
“Good night, hyung…” I whisper before I close the door.
With heavy steps, I walk to my room. It’s funny how only five hours ago, Taehyung was laughing and playing in the snow. When we come home from Japan, their half built snowman would be gone.
Jimin is repacking his bag as I enter our room. All kinds of stuff is spread out on the floor and I have to climb over it to get to my bed.
“Hyung, what is this? Do you want me to trip and hurt myself?” I complain, but then I hear a sob.
“I’m sorry. It’s just… we planned this for so long and now it’s cancelled!” Jimin says, completely devastated.
I sigh as I look at the stuff on the floor. There was a huge blanket, twister, monopoly, a bottle of champagne, marshmallows and a…
“What is this?” I ask as I pick up a box.
“It’s a smores maker. I bought it incase we would fail at lighting the fireplace.”
“Oh my… Jimin, you’re a genius!”
I began to gather the things on the floor and picked them up. Maybe we could save Taehyung’s birthday after all.
“Thank you! Wait, why am I a genius?”
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I sneak quietly into Taehyung’s room. He is snoring softly, sprawled out over the bed and still hugging his pillow. I take a seat on the bed and caresses his hair. He stirs slightly and whines. When he realizes that he is not alone, he looks up at me.
“Almost midnight. I thought I could stay up with you until it’s your birthday.”
“Just like I did when you had your first birthday with us?” Taehyung say with a smile as he sit up straight.
“Yeah, just like that…” I say and smile at him. He looks so beautiful in the christmas lights.
“Do you know why December is my favorite month?” He says and leans closer to me. My heart begins to beat faster. I can feel his warm breath tickling my nose.
“Because of your birthday?” I guess, but he shakes his head.
“The christmas lights… you look so…” He is interrupted by a knock on the door.
“Happy birthday!” Jimin pokes his head inside.
Taehyung turns to me with a frown on his face, clearly confused.
“Awwh, and I wanted to be the first to gratulate him!” I pout at Jimin who is just giggling.
“Well, you are too slow. Are you coming or what?”
I get out of the bed and holds my hand out for Taehyung.
“Do I need to change clothes?” He says curiously as he grabs my hand.
“Nah, pajamas works fine.”
I lead him out of the room and into mine and Jimin’s. The look on Taehyung’s face is priceless.
Me and the boys had grabbed almost every pillow and blanket in the dorms and made a pillow fort. Hoseok and Yoongi had stripped the christmas tree in the common room and decorated the room. Seokjin had fixed the snacks and prepared the smores and Namjoon had made a playlist.
“Do you like it?” Jimin says, bouncing up and down.
Taehyung crouches and enters the fortress and takes a seat by the others. Jimin throws his arms around the birthday boy.
“Happy birthday!” Hoseok exclaims and then grabs the champagne bottle. “Now cheers!”
The champagne that pops echoes through the room before we all hoorayed.
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After eating smores, playing twister (which was very hard to do in a pillow fort) and an unfinished game of monopoly, people began to doze off. We need to get up early in the morning and we will all regret sleeping on the floor, but Taehyung is happy. He is happy and in my arms as we lie on the floor in pillows and fluffy blankets.
“Hyung… you never told my why you love December.” I whisper. He turns around in my arms so he is facing me.
“Well… there’s the snow and the hot chocolate and christmas and…” he is blushing so hard, it’s too obvious that he is hiding something.
“Don’t be silly. Tell me.” I chuckle. Taehyung chews on his bottom lip, seeming nervous.
“Jungkook-ah… you look so beautiful in the christmas lights. Your smile when you wake up on christmas day makes me smile. How frostbitten your cheeks get when you’ve been out in the snow, it makes me want to rub them warm. The flour war you always start when we make gingerbread cookies always makes me laugh…”
I can’t stop myself. I lean in and kiss him. He is warm and so soft. I could stay like this forever, but he breaks the kiss and he shows off his big boxed smile.
“… it all happens in December.”
“Finally!” Jimin yell and Taehyung can’t stop laughing at how unamused I am.
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This story was the winner of the December Oneshot Challenge
( 1,5k words, Winter themed, Based on the song "Good day" by BTS)
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