1.2

"They are what?" he asked in disbelief after they got inside the warm house.

Namjoon nodded. "About two years ago," the silver-haired male began, "grandpa came home with Taehyung, the one with brown hair, and Jungkook, the one with black hair, the younger one."

Seokjin took a sip of his jasmine tea, "I don't understand, what makes them our uncles?"

"Grandpa said they are his kids, his illegitimate children," Namjoon frowned, "I know he lied but what can we do when he insisted they are his kids?"

"Wow, he is our grandfather after all," Seokjin exchanged a glance with Namjoon and they ended up laughing together.

Seokjin spent the night in the mansion. It felt a little weird to sleep in his old bedroom. The bed was too soft and the wallpaper was too dark for his liking. He loved pastel colors but his bedroom's wallpaper was dark grey.

He couldn't sleep that night, the hatred inside his chest kept him wide awake so he decided to get some nice warm milk from the kitchen.

There, he found Taehyung, climbing a ladder that the maid used for reaching the highest shelf, the kid grinned happily when he found a clear jar from inside the shelf.

"What are you doing?" the brown haired kid jumped and almost dropped the glass jar, his hybrid's ears stiffened. The kid couldn't control his appearance yet; his tail was visible too, curled between his legs.

He hid the glass jar behind him after Seokjin lifted him and put him down on the floor, clearly aware of the cookies jar but he choosing to act clueless.

"I-I'm-" Taehyung stuttered. Seokjin almost smiled at him.

"Hyungie?" Jungkook rubbed his eyes, standing on the doorframe while hugging a pink bunny plushie.

Taehyung put his index finger on his mouth, telling Jungkook to stay silent; the younger brother widened his eyes first when he realized Seokjin was there and covered his mouth cutely.

"Stealing cookies isn't a good thing, kiddo," Seokjin poured some milk, turning on the stove and leaning against the corner as Taehyung looked down to the floor, looking guilty.

Taehyung put the glass jar beside Seokjin's leg since the kitchen table was too tall for him, " Hey ," he called both of the kids before they left the kitchen.

" Come here ," he waved at them. Taehyung and Jungkook looked at each other before smiling widely and rushing to his side.

Seokjin ended up making three cups of warm milk and some pancakes for the kids since they said they were starving.

Broken glass, ripped books, bloody knuckles, grey smokes, endless fights, swearing and mindless sex.

Who knew Seokjin would be smiling while eating pancakes and drinking warm milk right at this moment with two innocent kids who had the brightest smiles he had ever seen, right after he lost everything?

Seokjin lifted both Taehyung and Jungkook. If he wasn't mistaken, Taehyung was tiger hybrid while Jungkook was bunny hybrid.

Did his grandfather really think they would believe that their clans, that had wings, could a have tiger and bunny hybrids as their sons…

He chuckled to himself. His old happy-go-lucky self might had thought the same lame excuse for these two adorable kids.

Today was no better than yesterday. People keep arguing who would be suitable as the next leader. A chaotic formal meeting full of hypocrites, most of them.

"Hey, let's switch!" Taeyeon, another child, asked Taehyung.

Seokjin had been watching Taehyung and Jungkook the whole morning, the brown-haired boy was cheerful and full of boxy grins while Jungkook was a little bit shy and stayed beside his brother at all times.

Taehyung gave her his drawing without hesitation, "Sure," he smiled. Seokjin frowned. Taeyeon ran to the adults and told them it was her drawing, she got praised while Taehyung smiled sadly from afar.

"You shouldn't have given it to her," he approached them, patting Taehyung's head.

The younger boy shook his head, "She loved it," he mumbled, "she was happy and praised my drawing," he gave Seokjin a peace sign. The older man chuckled and gave the boys a small baby blue bag of macarons and other sweets.

Seokjin went to the backyard and took out a small rectangle box. The bitter taste of cigarette stung him but he needed it, somehow, he yearned for it. Namjoon found him and gave him a disapproving look before dragging him back inside.

The black suit was uncomfortable but Seokjin tried his best to wear it elegantly like his younger brother said. He sat on the soft maroon couch, strangers that didn't really know his story gazing at him with awe; enchanted by his handsome face and broad figure.

"We don't want to take those filthy things!"

Seokjin rose from his seat, walking to the living room once again and saw one of his uncles' wife pointing at Taehyung.

The young boy embraced Jungkook with teary yet sharp eyes. Seokjin eyed her dirty dress and assumed Jungkook must have accidentally spilled some juice over the woman's long dress.

The raven-haired boy cried into his older brother's small shoulder. "Leader Kim might have treasured them," the woman continued, "but they are nothing but a burden for us!" she shouted.

Both of them ran, Taehyung pulling Jungkook along. They dashed to the garden and left the toxic house immediately when they felt too much.

"We must talk about this," one man said with a calm tone. Seokjin glanced at Dongwook, another man that has his respect other than his grandfather.

Lee Dong Wook, his father's best friend; he married his father's younger sister and now that kind man held an important role in Kim family.

"Who will take care Taehyung and Jungkook," he put down a bunch of files; Seokjin believed they were Taehyung and Jungkook's files, as well as their birth certificates, "We agreed that the one who will lead the family is either Seokjin, Namjoon, or our child who will reach adulthood soon," almost all of them hissed when Dongwook mentioned Seokjin.

"It should be them," people whispered at the back, "they are leader Kim's grandchildren, after all. They should take care of the 'parasites' leader Kim left."

That's it.

"I will take them," Namjoon gasped, "that's the end of the problem, isn't?" he said, giving death glares to everyone.

"Also, the one who will be the next leader is Namjoon after he reaches the right age; Uncle Dongwook will be one who fills the position of our leader until then," Seokjin slammed his hand on the table, "we all know he is the second strongest after me," he smirked to the other young hybrids.

"Why do you act so sure? Why do you think we will listen? You're nothing but a failure in here," one of the young people growled.

Seokjin turned around, a smile plastered on his ethereal face as he took long strides to the other male. Namjoon watched on, hoping it wouldn't turn out ugly like years ago.

When he kicked the wall behind them, forming a crack, nobody dared to stop him.

"Want to try it out? Like the old times? The tradition to decide who will be the next leader?" he whispered.

"It's the modern era," the man said loudly, taking several steps back, "we don't need to spill any blood, at least not today," he gave more pressure to the last word, crushing the burning cigarette under his expensive shoes.

"I don't want to hear any disagreements," Seokjin stated, all heads unconsciously bowed to him. He was supposed to be the next leader after all, "Anyone one who disagrees will be welcome to engage in an official duel with me."

He didn't need to take out his wings. Nobody needed to see the dislocated bones. The air around him screamed authority.

Seokjin walked passed Namjoon and gave him a sad smile, "Sorry," he said softly to his brother before following the boys' trace on the white snow.

The footsteps led to their garden in the back that resembled a labyrinth, Seokjin knew this place. He used to get lost in there until his grandfather told him the right way. It was a secret passage that led him to a garden full of beautiful flowers called 'Smeraldo'.

The snow fell again and the weather got chillier; Seokjin needed to find Taehyung and Jungkook faster since neither of the kids was wearing any warm clothes.

The older man searched through the place and heard hiccups between the smeraldo's bushes.

"Taehyung? Jungkook?" he called, and two small figures covered by white snow looked up to him. He walked closer and kneeled before them, he cupped their cold cheeks, wiping their tears with his sleeves.

Jungkook sobbed messily, he didn't really understand but when people kept shouting he felt scared, while Taehyung knew one thing: 'nobody likes us, everyone hates us.'

"They will dump us," Taehyung sobbed, rubbing his eyes and wiping his snot messily, "we don't want to go back to that place. We hate the orphanage," he hugged his knees.

Jungkook stood up and walked to him with hesitant steps, like a baby deer, "I-I'm sca'ed," he cried into his shoulder. Jin wrapped him with his long coat.

"They won't," he said reassuringly. Taehyung looked up; his ears twitched just like Jungkook's bunny ears twitched.

"How do you know that?" Taehyung questioned him, having stopped crying seconds ago.

Seokjin smiled, a sincere smile he was sure he would never use again because he believed he lost the ability to smile that way. Both Taehyung and Jungkook blinked, admiring the beautiful hybrid before them.

"Come on tiger," he gave Taehyung his fluffy scarf, pulling him up, "let's give our last farewell to the old man, to grandpa," the boys nodded, heading back with Seokjin. The older man lifted Jungkook and held Taehyung with another hand.

"Grandpa loved smeraldo," Taehyung stopped, tilting his head up to Seokjin, "he said the flower made him remember his grandchildren, all of them, even the broken one."

"Is that...so ?" he didn't realize tears were wetting his cheek until Jungkook cupped his face with his small hands and kissed them away. Taehyung tugged his hand until he bent down and he too, gave Seokjin chaste kisses.

"Let's give grandpa the smeraldo," he said softly, his voice wavering. The tears wouldn't stop. The boys picked some flowers and brought them to the mansion.

The people that were shouting before became quiet as they approached the coffin and gave their final farewell.

Seokjin bowed 90 degrees and whispered softly, "I will take care of them, just like how you raised me and Namjoon, grandpa."

"Those flowers make grandpa the happiest," Seokjin patted both of the boys. They hugged his legs and kept crying even after the coffin closed.

Namjoon kneeled beside them. "He's not going to wake up again?" Taehyung asked, and both of the adults averted their eyes.

"Yeah," Seokjin answered, "he's not going to wake up again."

Maybe because of the fact that his older brother hugged the kids, or how the kids refused him and chose to hug Seokjin, Namjoon felt this may lead them to something life-changing, for all of them.

"Taehyung-ah"

"Jungkook-ah"

"Let's go home ."