IT IS HERE, FINALLY

---

"I love Kung Fu panda, I've seen all of them so many times, yet I never get bored" I muse from my seat on the couch as Seokjin puts the disc into the CD player beneath his tv.

He hums with a pleased smile on his face before turning around to face me as the movie loads. "Fate chose well then, because I'm the same. Some movies I could watch over and over again without a problem, they're just that good".

With the gain of a new knowledge of something that we share in common, I smile happily before making myself more comfortable on my seat as he comes to sit besides me, controllers in hands so he can get everything started, and the smell that floats around us from the kitchen is so appetizing that my stomach expresses its hunger with a loud grumble that makes me blush brightly.

I feel his gaze fall on me with amusement and I try my best to ignore him as I keep my own locked on the tv, this is so embarrassing! It definitely sounded like the cry of a dinosaur and I cannot believe it had to happen in front of him.

"Don't worry, dear, I take that as a compliment, the smell is making my stomach act like a brat too, you just can't hear it. It shouldn't be too long before the food is ready, you'll have to be patient for just a little longer" he coos before humming sweetly as he changes the movie's settings, and when he presses on play, Seokjin then puts the controllers on the coffee table before standing up to reach the kitchen.

"Just as I thought. Seven little minutes left, I could get it out now but the wait will be worth it, let's wait some more" he speaks confidently before coming back to the living room and I nod, excited to eat what he's prepared. It looked so delicious and I know that the taste will be even better, just like everything that he makes.

I should try to find some new recipes soon so that I can impress him too. Maybe I could bring the results to work, or I could even invite him over, my way of thanking him for everything that he's done for me so far. That would be the polite thing to do, right? I can't let him do all the work all the time.

Despite knowing the whole movie by heart from all the times when I would watch it with my siblings, my attention is immediately brought to the tv when the first scene finally begins and Seokjin chuckles softly before doing the same as he sits back in his chosen spot, our proximity doing things to his falling-in-love heart.

It's hard for him to watch the movie when I'm here, in his home, right by his side, but he does his best to focus on the distraction that he thought of to make me feel better anyway, the sight of my tears one that makes him want to fight everything bad in this world, he never wants to see me cry like I did earlier, never again.

There's not a lot that happens by the time the oven's timer notifies us that the food is ready and Seokjin stands up quickly to head back into the kitchen while I stretch to grab the tv's controller so I can pause the movie, it wouldn't be fair to let it keep playing when he's not even watching it anymore.

"I really hope you like what I made, Y/N, because the food is looking scrumptious. Maybe it's because you're here, but even the smell makes me salivate more than usual" I hear him state as he puts everything on two plates for us, and I release a shy smile as I wait, could my presence really do that?

"Anything you make is delicious, Seokjin, I'm sure I will love this as well. Hungry as I am, I'd honestly eat anything right now" I admit easily, to which he laughs with a hum, he's not surprised but it sure feels good to hear that from me.

He comes back soon enough with the plates in his hands, steam rising from them as the crispy avocado bacon fries grace my eyes - never have I seen food so enticing before, that looks so good and I can't wait to have a taste!

"Here you go, dear. Just be careful since it's very hot, we should wait a little before eating, else we're going to have unhappy tongues. There's not much I hate more than burned taste buds, not being able to eat my own food puts my heart in misery" he utters with a sad sigh at the thought of it and I giggle, that would put anyone's heart in misery.

"I'll take the risk, I'm so hungry that I don't have the patience to wait but I'll blow on it just in case" I let him know before braving through the heat by grabbing one piece of the food, and he observes with amusement as I already begin to hiss at the pain, breath blowing on the bacon before I throw it in my mouth.

What follows next is a hissing melody as I try to survive the expected burn on my tongue, but the taste- oh the taste! I could eat this forever! I chew, swallow, then proceed to praise the man behind this genius snack, whoever thought of this in the first place has my heart.

"Seokjin, this is... so good! I never knew such a taste could be possible, this is one of the best thing I've ever had, thank you for sharing this delicacy with me" I say with enthusiastic hand motions, the plate shifting in my lap as I move before I grab another piece, and this time I don't even blow on it before chewing, I will die before someone takes this away from me.

He huffs a laugh before patting my back when I begin to cough. "Take your time, Y/N, no one will steal your food. I'm glad you love it that much though, I was afraid that it would be a bit too new for you, that does give me ideas as to what else I could cook in the future".

Eyes fill with hope as I finally swallow my bite, he's already thinking of similar food he could make when I haven't even finished eating this? Oh I'm getting spoiled, this is bad! I'll get used to eating a lot when I should in fact do the opposite, Seokjin!

"I told you, anything you make is delicious. I'm sure you could take mud and then make it into the best soup in the world. You have magic in your body, you must" I reveal my theory with a seriousness that makes him choke on his own avocado, and he alters between laughing and coughing as he recovers from my sudden claim.

"Oh, Y/N, you praise me too much, I wouldn't count on such a magic when playing with mud. I don't think I would try that kind of soup and forcing you to eat one of the kind would be even worse. Let's settle with real food, okay? The food that you can find in a grocery store".

I wish I could talk about grocery food with such an ease... my own experience of it is that everything is very expensive, much more than what I can handle at the moment. If it hadn't been for the food he gave me, my fridge would be very empty right now.

"If you say so... either way, you still make magic happen when you cook, Seokjin. I'm very thankful that you're willing to share all of that with me, even the food you made me bring back home... you have no idea how much it helps me. I'll make sure to thank you properly one day, I promise" I reply with an emotional bow that doesn't hide the lump he could hear in my voice, and his smile falls into a softer version before he makes a sound from the back of his throat.

"It's a pleasure, Y/N, I'm happy to share it with you, really, and don't feel like you owe me anything because you don't, okay? I am choosing to give you of my food because it's what I like to do, and seeing you enjoy it so much makes me feel good. The best way you can thank me is by eating well and staying healthy, that's all I need".

Don't cry. Do not cry, Y/N.

"I... I will do my best. Thank you, Seokjin".

He smiles before nodding his head. "I know you will, dear. Now let's keep eating before the food turns cold. I'm going to let the movie play again, thank you for pausing it earlier, we would've missed a lot since we weren't paying attention at all" he says with a chirpier tone to change the ambiance back to something lighter and I sniffle before pushing another fry into my mouth.

He's right, let's not wait until it gets cold, this is meant to be eaten hot. At least it won't burn anymore.

We get back into watching the movie like normal, and as his laughter fills the air whenever something funny happens, I allow myself to truly relax by his side, the heavy events of the day finally put to rest in the back of my mind for the time being.

His weird cackling is strangely beginning to take a place in my heart, and the more I hear it, the more I like it. It makes me smile and laugh along more than once and it feels good, it makes my heart feel lighter.

Even if I were to try and explain this to him, he could never understand the extent of the warmth he makes me feel just by being true to himself like this.

He is a happy bubble of warmth that always makes sure that the people around him are well, and I can only feel blessed to have a place under his wing. He took me in so easily, going as far as to make me part of his life outside of work too, something I would never have imagined possible.

Seokjin is an angel, he has to be.

---

When Seokjin decides that it's time to start making dinner, somewhere in the middle of the second movie, I manage to get him to accept my help, something that makes me feel a lot better as I don't particularly enjoy feeling like a freeloader.

It's a very simple but tasty alfredo sauce that we end up making, and the homemade pastas that he teaches me to make is a very interesting experience to have, one that makes me feel incredibly proud of myself when I show him the results of my hard work only to have him praise me genuinely.

The energy this man puts into his cooking is mind-blowing and way over what I am used to seeing from someone else. I used to be pretty much the only one cooking at home, and since the table was large with many mouths to feed, I had to make a lot every day to satisfy everyone, but I never had the chance to learn to... enjoy making the food.

To have it not be a chore anymore... it's an incredible feeling, and to eat what I worked so hard on makes everything that much better. It makes me want to cook more for myself once I am in a position where I can buy my own food. It's like I am only now realizing that I can finally begin to learn about myself, about my likes and dislikes without it having to be a burden on anyone.

Spending time with Seokjin is certainly opening my mind to a lot of things, not to forget all of Namjoon's knowledge about the world, his view of the things surrounding him all so very interesting to hear, I have a lot to learn from the two of them and I am excited to find out where it will lead me.

Eating the meal together at the dining table to get a pause of the movie marathon allows me to better focus on what I am eating without being distracted by something else, and to say that I end up asking for a second serving is unheard of in my life, when was I ever allowed to refill my plate?

He appears the happiest he has ever been as he brings my plate back with a new serving of the creamy pasta, and his eyes crease with contentment as he observes me eat my way through it with delighted hums and chirps, and he can't help but wonder if I eat well at home, if I eat enough.

The urge he has to follow me home and have a look at my fridge, into my pantry, what kind of food do I have? He would buy me groceries in a heartbeat if he saw more empty space than there would be food, hearing about my heartbreaking past only feeding that need.

It sure explains many things about his observations, and he's no doubt that living in such a toxic environment must have left me with a lot of trauma to heal. He wants to be part of that process, he wants to be by my side every steps of the way.

"You really don't have to help me do the dishes, Y/N, I can do it on my own" he eventually says as I work on drying the plates he just cleaned, and I shake my head with a smile, this is the least I can do, and I'm barely doing anything anyway.

"I'm fine, Seokjin, allow me at least this, you've done so much for me today" I counter softly, and he makes a small sound before smiling gently.

"Alright then, thank you. Are you sure the food was enough? Because there's more if you're still hungry" he states as if I hadn't eaten like a pig earlier, mom would've seethed in rage if she had seen me overeat like this.

"I had more than enough, it was hard to stop eating since it was so good, I'm afraid I might have eaten a bit too much" I let him know, to which he chuckles before shaking his head happily.

"It definitely wasn't too much, quite on the contrary. I hope today won't be the only time I get to see you eat with such energy, it made me want to cook a lot more, there are so many things I want you to get a taste of and I might just work on that in the coming days, so make sure you've eaten what I gave you by the time I give you the next batch, you're going to be my food taster".

My eyes widen in disbelief at what I'm hearing, he's going to do what?

"Seokjin, please, I would feel really bad to accept so much from you when I have nothing to give back. It's not like I'm not able to cook for myself, you're already doing plenty enough by allowing me to work with you, I can't accept more" I quickly refuse his offer, how much more is he willing to do for my sake? I can't let him do everything as he pleases, else he's going to exhaust himself!

He gazes at me with a seriousness that makes me a little nervous, is he disappointed?

"At least let me do that one last time, Y/N, just until your first paycheck, alright? Cooking and giving food is how I take care of the people close to me, it's my love language and besides my mother, there's no one else I can cook for outside of work. It would mean a lot to me if you could at least accept my food from time to time. I promise I'll try to not overdo it".

I meet his gaze with hesitation, he really looks sincere in his request and... it's not like I don't want more of his food so as long as he doesn't overdo it, it should be fine, no? I feel like he would be sad if I refused his offer and that's not what I want to achieve out of this, I just don't want to depend entirely on him.

Living on my own and being independent is part of a process that I'm really excited to experience, and I wouldn't want to lose that anticipation by dreaming of his food all the time. It can always be like... a little treat for having done a good job of learning how to be a good and functioning adult.

"Okay... but just a little, please. I want to learn to take care of myself, I want to enjoy my independence now that I'm not living under my mother's ruling anymore, I need to do this for myself. It's important to me" I let him know, I need him to know my thoughts behind this, and he seems to understand well because his eyes crease softly before he pats my head.

"I understand. I won't take that independence from you, Y/N, I promise. If you ever feel like I am doing too much, let me know so that I can take a step back, okay? Upsetting you is the last thing I want to do".

Thankful for his easy acceptance, I nod my head, cheeks a light pink from his caressing my hair before he resumes rinsing the last of the dishes, and it feels like a weight has been lifted from his shoulders as he helps me dry and put away everything into the right cupboards and drawers.

The rest of the movie night from there goes without a hitch, with some tears here and there that Seokjin shares with me, something that makes me feel better because crying alone because of a movie would be so embarrassing, and so it is quite a late hour into the night when the last scene finally comes to an end, hence ending our marathon.

The music accompanies our silence as it becomes obvious that I should be going home now before it gets too late, and it somehow leaves us feeling... a little unsettled. We had such a good time together, so to now have to put an end to it feels wrong.

But I cannot overstay my welcome here, Seokjin had a long day as well and having to look after me must not have been an easy matter, no matter how effortless he made it look like.

"I... should probably get going now" I utter softly before turning on my seat to better see him. "Thank you for everything you've done today, Seokjin. Spending time with you was a lot of fun and it even made me forget about the incident with my brother, I'm thankful for that, I couldn't have done that on my own".

He smiles at me before turning off the tv and the CD player, a stretch that makes him grunt from the heart, we could easily fall asleep right about now with how comfortable and relaxed we both are.

"I enjoyed our time together a lot so I'm happy to hear that you had a good time as well. Anytime you want to do this again, or just to hangout together, you let me know, alright? It'll be a pleasure to spend time with you outside of work hours" he muses in response, it makes my heart flutter with softness, how can someone be so kind?

We both stand up from the couch to head to the entrance so he can see me off properly, but when I trade my slippers for my own shoes, when I see him do the same, a hand raised to the hooks on the wall to grab his keys, I pull on his sleeve before he can put on a warm jacket, what is he doing?

"You don't have to drive me back, Seokjin, you've already done enough and it's late, I can go back on my own" I speak up when he turns around to stare at me in curiosity, and he blinks softly before poking my nose with a smile and a hum.

"I brought you here myself, of course I'm going to drive you back home, dear. It's no trouble at all, I usually go to sleep late so don't worry about me. I'll feel better knowing you safe and sound where it's warm, the night is getting colder and you don't even have a coat".

I scratch the back of my neck sheepishly at that comment, that's one thing I haven't been able to buy yet, I should probably think about getting that first when I get my first paycheck, else I'm going to get sick quickly once the cold really kicks in during the day.

Summer won't last for much longer now and Autumn will come and go in the blink of an eye.

He seems to read my face very well because the next thing I know, he's searching in the closet again before grabbing a warm and snug coat that he hands to me, and it takes him to nudge me a little in encouragement before I accept it, I apparently can't seem to deny him much at all.

"Keep this with you from now on, you're going to need it when the wind gets colder, it's too small for me anyway, I was thinking about giving it away so feel free to do with it as you want" he says before helping me to wear it when I remain frozen where I am, buttons fitted through the holes all the way up to my neck before he adjusts the collar properly with a pleased hum.

"There you go, now you won't get cold outside" he coos before opening the door so we can get going, the blush I am currently sporting not hidden very well despite my snuggling my face beneath the collar, it makes his heart beam with pride, he loves when he manages to make me blush like this.

Together, we make our way back to his car, the cold indeed not to be underestimated, it's a lot colder than last night and it makes me shiver even though my body is safely protected underneath the coat, I really am not looking forward to Winter that much.

Before I can open the passenger's door, Seokjin is pulling it open for me, and he waits until I am seated before closing it gently, after which he walks around his vehicle to reach the other door while I put on my seatbelt, today is already beginning to feel like an old dream and that alone speaks of how tired I am, a good night sleep won't be too much.

"Let's get you home before you fall asleep" I hear him muse softly as the engine rumbles in the night, and I hum, the warmth that I feel from his coat making me feel a little dazed, I can't wait to leave this day behind me.

From beginning the day with Namjoon to meeting Eunwoo, then to replacing Namjoon with Seokjin when he so graciously paid the drive to bring me back home, there is so much I need to do to make it up to my new friend.

None of us were expecting today to go the way it did and I'm sure it left all of us shaken, though in different ways. I truly feel sorry for the burden I forced on them.

The ride to my home happens in silence, with Seokjin knowing the path he must take without needing me to say a word, and I must doze off at some point because there comes a moment of confusion when I'm woken up by a hand shaking me softly.

"We're here, sweet little bun" I hear him coo as my eyes blink the tiredness away so I can focus back on his face, not quite noticing the sparkling taking place in his dark orbs as he observes me, adoration filling the whole of his soul because I look adorable like this.

I then look around me in a daze, the appearance of the building where I live indeed meaning that he drove me all the way to my home while I was completely knocked out from the day.

"Oh... I'm sorry for falling asleep, Seokjin, I didn't even realize... thank you for today, and I'm sorry for the way I took you by surprise at the coffee shop earlier" I blurt out sleepily before bowing as low as the car allows me, and he undoes my seatbelt for me before patting my shoulder gently.

"You don't have to apologize about anything. If anything, I'm thankful that you came to me instead of going back home alone. My door will always be open for you so never hesitate to come to me when you need someone by your side, it's always better to have someone take care of you when you're in pain. You should get in now, make sure to go to sleep soon" he muses kindly, and I bow again gratefully before making my way out of his car.

"Get home safely, have a good night, Seokjin. I'll see you soon" I say with one last bow before closing the door, and he waits until I make it inside the building before driving off to head back home, a smile on his lips because while the circumstances weren't the happiest, it was still an opportunity for us two to get closer.

After walking up the many stairs separating me from my door, I get the keys out to unlock it, after which I lock it behind me once inside, light switched on to fight against the sudden heavy feeling taking over my soul, coming back to an empty place after today feels... wrong.

I remove my shoes but decide to keep the coat on for a bit longer, the warmth it provides keeping me prisoner within, not to forget that it has a very comforting smell that makes me feel safe and cared for, a feeling that fights against the loneliness that an empty home offers me.

As a mean to properly process the day, I head to the living room where I sit down on the couch, a long sigh heaved out as I melt into the furniture.

Today sure was a rollercoaster of emotions, and it's only thanks to the two men I spent it with that I can still find the strength to smile about it.

Seokjin's encouragement to not give up on Eunwoo, to keep trying for his sake, for mine, it makes me feel much better about what occurred and I can only hope that everything will be fixed eventually. I want to be reunited with my siblings so much, life will never feel complete until I get them back in my life and I will do everything in my power to make that happen.

It's in the middle of that thought that my phone vibrates, and wondering who it could be, I grab it out of my pocket before unlocking the screen, mind turning both curious and confused when I see that I received a message from an unknown number.

But when I open it, when I see what it says, I sit up instantly with a gasp, heart already beating a mile a second, can it really be?!

Unknown:
Noona... it's Sanha.
Can we meet tomorrow?
I miss you, noona

With tears rushing to the surface as I read once, twice and thrice, hope flooding my entire being because this is the open door that I was longing for, I hurry to answer my baby brother's message, fingers shaking with nerves as I try to get the words across as fast as possible.

Is this a miracle? This has to be a prayer come true, right?

Me:
Of course, anywhere, anytime, I'll be there
I miss you too, Sanha, I miss you all so much

As soon as it's sent, I can't resist the cries that leave me once more, this time not out of pain, but out of hope.