—

Jungkook was speechless, unable to find any words to say as he stared up at the male in front of him. He brought the sleeve of the hoodie he wore up to his face to wipe away some of his tears.

His hair was a brilliant silvery tone that glowed in the low light, and his eyes... His eyes nearly made Jungkook's heart stop. They looked just like the ones he had just seen in his dream - his mother's. Such an icy shade of blue, like his irises had been frosted over. He had never seen anyone else before, besides her, who had eyes like that.

It sent a shiver down his spine.

"Who are you?" Those were the only words he could think to say, his voice shaky and hesitant. He watched as the male stared down at him, an unreadable look in his eyes and a frown tugging at his lips. He was too shocked to think of the most logical answer to his question, just completely stunned by the person and situation being presented to him.

The male worried his bottom lip before finally tearing his gaze away from Jungkook.

"I'm Taehyung." He answered softly, and his voice was so undeniably cold.

A look of realization took over Jungkook's features, before it was morphing into a stressed confusion.

This was Jimin's boyfriend, Taehyung.

Taehyung. Taehyung.

God, why did that name strike a chord in his mind? He had been wondering that since Jimin first spoke it. Something deep within his subconscious knew it, and was trying to claw its way out. It wasn't just that Jimin had mentioned him, something was telling him he knew that name well before he had ever even seen Jimin.

He knew him. He felt it in his bones. But how?

"You're Jungkook, right?" Taehyung words brought him back down to earth. He nodded slowly, uncomfortable at the fact that he couldn't decipher the emotion on the other male's face. He looked conflicted, but his face was basically frozen over. Stony, and cold, like a mask to hide whatever he might've truly been feeling. "What's your mother's name?"

A look of bewilderment took over Jungkook's features, completely taken aback by the question as his breath caught in his throat. Why the hell was he asking about his mother so unprompted? Did he know her? He couldn't. They didn't look that much far apart in age.

"Why are you asking about my mother?" He asked, finally sitting up in his seat. He pulled the drawstrings of his hoodie, trying his best to hide the marking on his collarbone. Taehyung didn't exactly look human, but he could never be too careful.

That was another thing so perplexing about this situation. Did Jimin know his boyfriend might be a witch?

"Just answer the question." Taehyung sounded irritated, only further confusing Jungkook. Did he do something to him? This was the first time ever meeting the guy.

Jungkook let out a shaky breath.

"Seolhwa." He answered softly. His heart ached when he said her name. He could only think of how his father's voice sounded when he called for her so lovingly. He watched a break in Taehyung's hardened features, a look of hurt flashing across his face for a split second before he was attempting to bury it once more.

"Fuck." Taehyung breathed and ran a hand through his hair. He took a few steps backwards, completely avoiding eye contact with Jungkook. He looked so distraught, it was difficult for Jungkook to think of anything to say or do. He just sat there in the balance, frozen. "Did she even ever tell you?" Taehyung caught his gaze once more, and Jungkook gulped when he noticed the tears in his eyes. "Did she tell you she had a child before you?"

That question was a dropped bomb. It left Jungkook's mouth going dry as he stared into the eyes that had looked far too familiar.

Taehyung.

"Taehyung's birthday is next week. I feel like I should, but his father would probably be so angry if I sent him a gift."

Jungkook, a mere seven years old, sat on the floor outside of their kitchen door. He knew he shouldn't eavesdrop, his father had told him it was rude, but they were talking about gifts. Maybe they would talk about what they were going to get him for Christmas.

"I don't even know if he's ever received any of the other things I've sent him." His mother's voice sounded stressed, causing Jungkook to frown and halt playing with the doll his mother had made for him. "He's probably throwing them out. Do you think I should just give up?"

"Seolhwa." His father's voice was heard next. "You made a choice when you left that family, and you made another choice when you decided not to tell Jungkook about Taehyung. I can't tell you what to do, but Jungkook's getting old enough that he's probably going to start asking questions."

He heard his mother sigh, and a long string of silence filled the home.

"I think I should just leave them alone." She finally breathed. "They don't want anything to do with me, and I don't want Jungkook to know."

"Why?" His father asked. "Why deny him the opportunity to know he has a brother?"

"Because I can't have both of my sons hate me."

Jungkook stared up at Taehyung with wide eyes, his hands beginning to shake as memories from the past clawed their way to the surface. He had completely blocked that out. Too young to even register most of the words and the gravity of the situation. It had stuck to his subconscious though, waiting for the perfect moment to strike and reveal itself.

He had a brother. He had completely forgotten. That had been the only time he had even heard his mother speak of him, and he wasn't even supposed to hear it.

He had a brother, and he was standing right in front of him.

His flippant, child mind had completely forgotten the conversation when his mom came out of the kitchen with freshly baked muffins for him, but now it was the most important thing he had ever heard.

He had a brother. Why did his mother hide this from him?

"You're my brother." Jungkook spoke the words, mostly to see confirmation from Taehyung that it was true. His chest ached in a weird way. Confusion, because of the circumstances. Hurt, because he felt robbed from knowing had a surging relative. Curiosity, to know everything about the male stood in front of him. "You look so much like her."

He watched Taehyung blink back tears before taking in a shaky breath.

"I barely even remember what she looked like." He responded, his voice sounding hollow. "Is she alive?"

Jungkook gulped before slowly shaking his head.

"No." His voice wobbled. That fact would never not be painful. "Her and my father both died during the slaying." It was hard not to get choked up. He had just been reliving the experience a few moments before in his dreams and now he was being forced to recount it. "I'm sorry to have to break the news to you."

Taehyung didn't speak a word, his gaze instead cast out the living room window. It was late at night and the skies were clear, the crescent moon glowing bright against the dark background. "She was a wonderful woman."

"That's news to me." Taehyung scoffed. He didn't look at Jungkook, but he could tell that his face was still sorrowful. "Don't you wonder why you never met me? Or even heard of me?"

Jungkook gulped. That had been swelling in his mind, but the shock of the whole situation had pushed it to the back burner. Of course he wondered why. Why had he been robbed of a brotherly relationship?

"I... I don't know." Jungkook muttered, directing his gaze down to his lap. "Did she give you up for adoption?"

Taehyung laughed unhumorously.

"If only." He replied and finally turned his head to meet Jungkook's gaze again. "She had a whole other family before you, you know that?" He watched as Jungkook's face morphed into a look of confusion. "Our mother, my dad, and me. I guess it wasn't what she had pictured her life to be though, because she left it when she met your father."

Jungkook sat speechless, his chest aching and his mind racing with each word that rang through the air. "I've always heard that green witches have a certain charm to them. So... endearing. Almost innocent and childlike in the way they frolic in nature and play potion maker." Jungkook's lips tugged into a frown. "I don't know if your dad lured her in or if she went out looking for someone new, but either way she left us when she found out she was having you."

"That can't be right." Jungkook whispered. There was no way. His mom had been such an angel. So sweet, caring, and devoted. Hearing her being spoke of like this sound so foreign. So wrong. "I don't believe it."

"Whether you believe it or not doesn't make it less true." Taehyung answered, his arms crossed over his chest. "That's what happened. You're the product of her affair, and she liked life with your dad more than the one she was already living."

Taehyung's eyes were glossy and his voice was shaky. It was clear that this was paining him a great deal to talk about. It sent a chill through Jungkook's body. If he was lying, then he was a hell of an actor. "I barely have any memories of her. She gave up on our family so quickly it's baffling."

Taehyung took in a quivering breath. "Fuck, I can barely even look at you." He squeezed his eyes shut and covered his face with one of his hands. "It makes me feel sick. I never wanted to meet you. I honestly hoped you were dead." Those words were a punch to Jungkook's gut, causing his stomach to twist itself in knots as a lump formed in his throat. It felt hard to breathe and his whole body felt numb. "What made you so much better?"

Jungkook's lip quivered and he brought his arms up to cradle himself. He was a few words away from just crumbling into a pool of tears, his whole world turned upside down as berating words filled his ears and mind. He didn't know. This wasn't his fault. All of the blame was cast on him though, trembling under Taehyung's icy glare.

"I-I don't know!" He whimpered, blinking away the tears in his eyes. "I never knew she left anyone for my father. I didn't know she was building a family before she created mine. She acted so normal, she was kind and sweet and gentle. Everything a mother should be."

"Stop talking." Taehyung's voice cracked, his words strained and dripping with despair. "I don't need to know how wonderful she was to you. I hardly even knew her! I can barely remember her face, or her voice." A tear slid down his cheek. "I was her first child, you'd think she'd be excited to know me, to care for me. But she just left."

"I'm sorry for that, but I didn't ask to be born." Jungkook's voice trembled. "I understand your pain but you can't just pin this all on me."

Taehyung shot a striking glare in his direction.

"You don't even understand a fraction of my pain." He hissed.

Jungkook furrowed his eyebrows, sitting up straighter in his seat.

"I've been alone since I was eleven." He deadpanned. "I watched from under the bed as both of my parent's bodies were dragged out of my home by witch hunters." He watched Taehyung's icy expression falter. "I think I understand a little bit." Spilling his trauma wasn't something that Jungkook had expected to do anytime soon, but Taehyung was making it seem like his life had been perfect.

"That's... That's different." Taehyung frowned, avoiding eye contact with Jungkook. The younger witch narrowed his eyes.

"So what are you going to do then?" He asked. "Hate me for the rest of your life? For something I had no say in?" Taehyung didn't respond. "Hate my mother, I don't care. Obviously she wasn't to me who she was to you. Just... You're the only family I have left." Still silence. "You don't need to do this."

Taehyung remained statue like, barely moving an inch as he contemplated whilst looking out the window. He really did look so much like their mother. Jungkook wondered why he took on her features so strongly.

"I don't want you in my home anymore." Taehyung finally spoke, but they were hardly the words Jungkook wanted to hear. "I don't know how close you and Jimin are, but I don't really care. I can't mentally deal with you being around."

Jungkook gulped. This wasn't fair. Jungkook himself hadn't done anything. He didn't ask for any of this.

"Taehyung-"

"No." Taehyung cut him off, uncrossing his arms and sticking them in the pockets of the pyjama pants he wore. "I'm not easily swayed. I don't want you here. That's it. I told you I never even wanted to meet you in the first place. You're lucky I've talked to you this long."

Jungkook couldn't help it as tears he had been holding back spilled out and down his cheeks. He wiped them away but they were quickly replaced, his chest absolutely aching. He just wanted someone to call family.

He stood up abruptly, sniffling and continuing to try and dry the tears that kept wetting his face.

"Fine." He croaked. "If this is your tactic though, you'll never heal."

He picked up the dirtied clothes he had changed out of, throwing them over his shoulder before turning around. Every fibre of his being was telling him not to leave, but he just couldn't take the heartache any longer. If Taehyung wanted him to leave, then he would leave.

It's not like he wasn't used to being alone.

"I was perfectly fine until you showed up." Taehyung spat, watching as Jungkook walked towards the front door. "I think I'll be alright."

Jungkook sighed softly. He paused as his hand rested on the doorknob before turning around one last time.

"Famous last words."

—

a/n:
if there are any mistakes ignore them lmaooo I just wanted to get this out today as a birthday gift to myself

- Charlie :)