Chapter 3- Returning

                The next morning, Yoongi decided to sleep in, waking up at 9am when his alarm went off. He had explained to his boss the day before that he needed time to get his new charge set up for his new life, and his boss happily gave him a vacation day, with pay, so he would only be missing out on the overtime. A few hours wouldn’t hurt him too badly. He stretched lazily, avidly avoiding the still-sleeping boy next to him. He smiled, getting up to shower and dress once again before laying out clothes for his young charge. Yanking a lock of hair gently, he woke the kid up.

                “Kook, get up! You need to shower and dress, we have to swing by the school and re-enroll you. Then, we’re going shopping. Come on, you can do it… there’s a good boy.” He said, coaxing the sleepy boy to sit up and put his feet on the floor. Jungkook yawned, mouth wide and eyes scrunched up tightly.

                “I love this bed, hyung. Do I really have to leave it?” he groans, almost falling back into it, but Yoongi catches his wrist and yanks him up gently.

                “Yes, if you want a future and some clothes of your own you do. Now come on! To the bathroom with you!” He s the clean clothes into the bleary-eyed teen’s hands and shoves him towards the bathroom, walking into the kitchen to start the coffee maker and making a quick rice dish for breakfast. It was a staple food, and it was cheap.

                Jungkook stumbles out of the bathroom with his hair still dripping and sits at the table. Yoongi sighs and sets a plate with a cup of coffee in front of him, leaving for the laundry room to grab a hand towel which he uses to somewhat roughly dry the teen’s hair. Jungkook jumps a little at the first touch but then leans into it as his hyung massages his hands through his soaked hair.

                “How are you such a good house maid when you’re this lazy, eh?” he says, teasing the young boy sitting at his table.

                “I’m not lazy. I’m just not a morning person. I hate waking up, especially when I have to shower first thing. It . I need to start taking them at night.” He replies, sipping the coffee and sighing in pleasure. He didn’t usually like it black, but for some reason this morning it didn’t taste half bad. Yoongi just snorted in amusement and tossed the towel aside, satisfied that Jungkook's hair was now only damp, and sat down to eat.

                “Well, first thing you’re going to style your hair before we leave. You need to look presentable for the school. Next, we’ll drop by and I’ll turn on my old charm and get you back into school for next semester, as well as get this past semester’s work. Lastly, we’ll get you some clothes. I don’t mind sharing, but my clothes don’t look like they’ll fit you for much longer. I think you’re going to continue growing.” Yoongi says, with a looking of envy at the teenager in front of him. He grins a little and sips his coffee again.

                “Both my parents were pretty tall. I am assuming I will be too, when I’m done growing. I hope so; then I can help you reach that cabinet above the stove- I noticed nothing is kept up there.” He chuckles and quickly ducks the piece of food Yoongi launched at his face, surprising him with the speed of his reflexes this early in the morning.

                “Yeah, yeah, so I’m height challenged- big deal. I have enough anger to make up for my small size though.” He grumbles, finishing his meal as Jungkook sniggers at him. Standing up, Jungkook grabs the dishes and makes short work of washing them, setting them in the rack to dry. Without asking, he walks into the bedroom and comes out wearing a hoodie from Yoongi’s closet. Yoongi raises an eyebrow but doesn’t say anything, tossing the boy his shoes as he slides into his own. Leading him outside, he takes the boy over to a new model of an Audi sedan parked on the curb, keys in the ignition. Gaping, Jungkook looks at his hyung in shock. Yoongi laughs, sliding into the leather seat and patting the one next to him.

                “Don’t look at me like that, it’s not mine. My friend Namjoon and I sometime switch vehicles when I need space for luggage that can’t fit on my motorcycle. He likes to look tough riding it, so he’s got an extra key. I just text him that I need his car and we trade for the day. Sometimes when I’m not expecting it, he’ll borrow my motorcycle without asking. Once he did that, I noticed my bike had been detailed, serviced, and had brand new tires. He spoils me, that bastard.” He says, smiling affectionately. Jungkook can’t help but smile back, already liking this Namjoon guy for caring about his hyung.

                “Can I meet him, hyung? I would like to get to know all your friends.” He asks curiously. Yoongi nodded, chuckling dryly.

                “Sure, you can meet both of them- that’s all I have.” Yoongi starts the car, heading in the direction of the school. “Namjoon and Hoseok, they’ve been with me through everything. Namjoon the longest, but still love them both. Oh and then there’s Momma Jin, he’s our new friend that goes to cosmetology school. He does our hair for class credits and we get it done cheap. He does a great job, so I let him do whatever. I’m not picky. Namjoon is head over heels for him, though he’s too thick to notice, and Namjoon is too chicken to do anything about it.” He laughs, shaking his head at the thought of the other man. Jungkook giggles, thinking back to his friends at school.

“Sounds like my friend Taehyung. I call him Tae-tae, usually, but anyways- there’s this kid named Jimin in our dance class, and Tae can’t stop drooling over him. Jimin is oblivious, though how he remains so blows my mind; Tae is so obvious.” He smiles, then suddenly looks sad. “At least, that’s how it was before I left. I didn’t even get to tell them bye. They could be together now, though, at least I hope so. Tae didn’t have many friends either, he’s a little weird, but I think it’s a good thing. I like the unique way he is. I hope he’s ok…” He frowns, looking at his hands and twisting his fingers. Yoongi pats his knee reassuringly.

“I’m sure they’re fine. If we are done with getting you set up in time, how about we check the lunch room before we leave and see if they’re there? If so, we can get their numbers and arrange to hangout with them, yeah?” he says, squeezing Jungkook’s knee encouragingly. The boy’s face lights up, hopeful tears in his eyes.

“Really hyung?! Oh, you’re the best!” he gushes, wrapping his hyung’s arm in a crushing hug. Yoongi laughs a little, shaking him off.

“Hey, come on now, I have to drive with that hand, you’re cutting off the circulation! Sheesh!” he jokes, trying to lighten the mood. Jungkook laughs and sits up straight in the seat, happily looking out the window now in anticipation of seeing his friends.

                After seeing the principal and Yoongi using his charm, he had Jungkook re-enrolled for the next semester, his work that he would need to catch up on, new uniforms with a little room for him to grow into, and the textbooks necessary for the current and future semester. The principal even allowed him to look at Taehyung’s schedule to pick his classes for the next semester, and they got out just in time for his and Jimin’s dance class to dismiss for lunch. Yoongi and Jungkook were waiting at the usual table Jungkook and Taehyung sat at before, and as soon as Taehyung laid eyes on Jungkook there was a screech of “KOOKIE!”, followed by Jungkook being tackled to the ground by a boy with chocolate brown hair and a boxy smile, Another boy with deep black hair followed closely behind. Jungkook laughed heartily, hugging the boy with the boxy smile tightly as they rolled around on the cafeteria floor. Yoongi smiled slightly, more guarded in public, though it warmed his heart to see the boy so happy. Jungkook eventually pushed the boy off, the black haired one offering his hand to both boys to help them up.

                “Hey, Tae-tae! I missed you! You too, of course, Jimin! I have a lot to explain, and I will, but not here. Anyhow, I’m living with Yoongi-hyung now, this is him.” Yoongi waves slightly and puts his hands in his pockets, looking as the other students stare at him in obvious awe. He did stick out- leather jacket, dark-yet-bright red hair, skinny jeans that were more hole than coverage, mid-calf boots. He held back a smile at the dull, blue-clad students in the room with all the more-or-less same colored hair. Jungkook was wearing some ripped skinny jeans as well, though he was wearing Timberlands and a fitted white v-neck, which looked better on him than Yoongi, he inwardly pouted to notice. “Yoongi is taking care of me now, and he says we can hang out again, like we used to! Give me your numbers, I’ll call you both tonight and explain, ok?” He holds out his hand, Jimin grabbed a marker  out of his bag and quickly started scribbling his number on Jungkook’s forearm, so it wouldn’t be washed away. As Tae did the same, Jungkook whispered quietly “Well, are you two dating yet?” to which Tae only blushed and shook his head in the negative. Jungkook huffed and rolled his eyes. Catching Yoongi’s raised eyebrow, he just mumbled “Namjoon and Jin…” making his hyung smirk in understanding. Tae looked at the two, confused, but only finished his number to hug Jungkook again.

                “I was so worried about you, Jungkookie! You just disappeared, and when I went to your foster parents’ house, they wouldn’t talk to me… I’m so glad you’re back. You are coming back, right?” he asked, fear evident in his voice.

                “Of course! Yoongi got me re-enrolled, I’ll be in all your classes next semester! He’s going to catch me up, so I’ll have to work hard! You guys can come help me though, it’ll take a load off him! He basically works two jobs, so it’ll be easier if you guys help, and that way we get to spend more time together, ok?” he said, looking excited. Jimin hugs him this time as they agree enthusiastically, Yoongi advising Jungkook to take his leave so the boys could eat before the next class.

                Walking out, Yoongi noticed tears leaking out the corners of Jungkook’s eyes and wordlessly passed him a tissue from his pocket, granting him a breathy laugh and a sniffling thanks. He sighed and squeezed his hyung’s fingers quickly before letting them go.

                “This has already been the best week in my life, hyung. Thank you. Thank you, so much…” He says, looking into Yoongi’s eyes to show he’s sincere. Yoongi has to look away at the raw emotion swarming the boy’s big, brown eyes and cleared his throat.

                “There is nothing you don’t deserve, kid. You deserve more, but I’m going to do the best I can to make sure you get all I can give you. Nobody has been there for me other than my friends for the last three years. I’m going to make sure you have somebody.” He looks to the left, away from Jungkook, swallowing the knot that has made it’s way into his throat. Jungkook surprises him with a back hug, just as he’s about to step off the curb to go to his side of the car. He smiles and reaches back to ruffle the fluffy hair over his shoulder, gently pushing the kid away by his forehead. “Yah, you’re wetting the back of my jacket, cut it out.” Jungkook laughs, the sound watery to Yoongi’s ears, and slides into the passenger seat. They ride to the small shopping center in town in comfortable silence, Jungkook releases a few sniffles here and there, but Yoongi knows they’re happy sniffles, so it’s ok.

                As they enter the thrift shop, Yoongi looks at the boy and twitches his head toward the clothes. “Pick out at least 5 pair of pants, enough shirts to rotate them out, a few hoodies if you see any you like, and at least a decent coat. We’ll get socks and underwear and all that new. I’ll also get your shoes new, and you need a leather jacket for the bike. I think I have an extra helmet in a closet back at the apartment, but if we see one you like we can get that too.” Jungkook nods, instantly grabbing a basket and browsing the store. He loved shopping, he didn’t mind at all that it was at a thrift store- these clothes would be new to him, and that’s all that mattered. He picked out 5 pair of skinny jeans, 3 pair of sweat pants, 8 t-shirts, a few long-sleeved ones that he could wear alone or layer under the short sleeved ones, one hoodie that he actually liked, and a better-insulated military-style coat that looked genuinely nice on him. While being rung up for the purchases, Yoongi smiled at him in satisfaction- the total was less than he anticipated, and Jungkook looked pretty happy with his choices. Leaving that store, they put the bags into the car and headed to a department store where they bought the necessities such as socks, underwear, pajamas, and a belt- mostly for looks. From there, they walked to a shoe store where Jungkook spotted some converses he liked that were on sale, as well as a pair of sleek black boots that would go well with all the clothes he bought. Yoongi bought him those, with a promise that he’d come back in a few weeks and buy him more, dragging him to one last place in the shopping center- the leather store. As soon as they walked in, Jungkook was uncomfortable. He knew they were on a budget and couldn’t understand why they were in there. Seeing his confusion, Yoongi explained that he knew this would be expensive, but it was necessary as the only vehicle he had and could afford right now was the motorcycle and he didn’t want to have a Kook-cicle around his waist when the weather was at it’s coldest. Jungkook laughed loudly at this, no doubt imagining himself frozen and clinging to his hyung on the back of a motorcycle. Yoongi rolled his eyes in amusement and went about searching the racks for something that would look good on Jungkook but still keep him warm. Finally, he decided on a simple yet stylish leather jacket with the collar pressed to the sides but able to be flipped up in necessity, the zipper was off center with the way it was cut, and the sleeves able to be buttoned around the wrist to keep out most of the air flow. He nods in approval after making Jungkook try it on. Yoongi ripped off the tag, hiding the tag in his hand so the boy couldn’t protest. Checking out, he handed the bag to the boy and carried the rest of their purchases to the car.

                “Well, that went surprisingly well. We didn’t spend as much as I thought. Lets get some more takeout for lunch, I need to grab one more thing, then we’ll go home.” Yoongi says, sliding into the driver seat. He swings by the closest fast food joint and gets them both a meal, then heads to a cell phone store and comes out with a small bag within a few minutes, handing it to Jungkook. “I know it’s not the latest model, but it’ll have to do. At least you have a phone of your own.” Jungkook’s face lights up once again as he tears the phone out of the packaging, popping it into the case Yoongi got for it, and instantly putting in Yoongi’s number first, followed by the numbers his friend’s put on his arm earlier that day.

                “Thank you, Yoongi. I don’t care that it’s not the latest, I love it. I can’t believe the things you’ve g