taehyung took his sweet time upon arriving to jungkook's apartment. he flipped on each light, taking in the carpet, and tile, the color of paint and that spot by the couch. it still smelled like him, clothes still laying on the edge of the bed, and the boy realized that thirty days had never felt so long.

"i got the stuff!" the voice of his cousin boomed through the entire place, the crinkle of a paper sack hitting tile, and the loud clanking of pans being pulled out. jin could never make a casual entrance.

"you got everything?" taehyung followed the noise, scanning each ingredient to make sure everything was perfect for jungkook's homecoming- or should he say- his boyfriend's homecoming.

"not everything!" namjoon huffed, waltzing through the open door with another bag in one hand, one strapped behind his back, and the hand of a tiny toddler taking up the other one, "he forgot about us."

"i didn't forget about you!" jin exclaims, rushing over to grab the additional groceries and patting jiwoo on the head, "i figured you had that portion covered."

"jiwoo, i'll put your bag in your room, okay?" namjoon bent down to make sure she was okay with the still unfamiliar environment.

her eyes were wide, scanning the bustle of everything unfolding in front of her.

"and then you and tae can decorate the cake, okay? you'll like tae! nope, you'll love him!" namjoon picked her back up in his arms, rocking her back and forth to try and bring a smile onto her confused face.

taehyung felt that was his chance at a first impression, his figure sliding on over to steal the toddler from the man's arm. she seemed immediately comfortable, small hands wrapping around his cheeks, puffed due to the giant smile on his face, "taetae?"

he nodded, "that's right, i'm taetae! very good!" he praised her, an instant boost of joy coming from the kindness laced his tone and she melted into the embrace, "you want to decorate a cake with me?"

the fluffy ponytail at the top of her bounced as she nodded her head, pointing towards the kitchen where all the ingredients had already been laid out, "cake!"

a sweet teeth, just like her father. tae led the two over to the table where jin had so kindly laid out a bowl of frosting, two beautifully round cakes, and a plethora of decorations. taehyung attempted to set jiwoo in her own chair but she immediately crawled back into his lap, enjoying his company more than he ever expected.

"you two are getting along just fine!" namjoon sat at the opposite side of the table, knowing that nobody wanted his help with cooking, "are you excited?"

"who, me?" taehyung let the tip of his tongue fall from the side of his mouth in concentration, "for what?"

"for today?"

"oh! of course!" the younger felt a blush creep on his cheeks, carefully placing a dollop of frosting along each edge while jiwoo followed suit with a pinch of purple sprinkles, "do you think he's ready?"

"i think this will be a better environment for him." namjoon was visibly nervous, his hands shifting about- comforted by the faces of new friends and old, the thought of jungkook sleeping in his own room for the night.

"joon, come try this!" jin yelled from the stove, "i think it's missing something!"

"duty calls!" he sprinted from his spot.

it seemed that each person had found themselves engulfed in a task. tae and jiwoo ensuring that each inch of the cake was perfect, a fistful of frosting finding it's way into her mouth at some point. jin and joon huddled over the stove, the latter phrasing him constantly. jungkook walked in and wondered if he had even arrived at the right spot- nobody seemed to bat an eyelash.

"hello?" he called out, the single duffle bag he had brought with dropped to the floor.

each party turned, eyes widened and even larger smiles plastered. jiwoo was the first to fall from tae's lap, ignoring the fact that she had sugar coated on her face and her shirt as she tore at the leg of his pants for him to pick her up. of course, jungkook obliged, spinning her and smothering her with little pecks along her chubby cheeks. she returned it with the sweetest bunny smile.

"what are you doing here baby?" he was shocked as he inspected the sight further- a cake, a mound of food, all the makings for a pillow fort in the living room. they had thrown him a welcome home party.

"she's going to spend the night!" tae was next in line for a hug and a kiss, his lips tracing the younger's jawline sweetly to not be too obvious- after all, the title of boyfriend was new and unexplored.

"r- really?"

namjoon nodded enthusiastically, "tae and i met with jennie and got the okay! welcome home buddy."

he tried to bat away the tears in his eyes at the overwhelming tug on his heart but a few trickled down. his daughter was quick to swipe them away, her tiny thumb barely a match, "don't cry daddy!"

"happy tears baby. very, very happy!" he engulfed jin in a one arm hug as well, "thanks for cooking- it smells incredible!"

"that's just because you've been eating shitty hospital food for the last month." jin reminded him sweetly, skipping back to his task in fear of burning something.

"hey, you're in charge of the blanket fort, okay?" namjoon poked him before following jin back towards the kitchen.

"already putting me to work?" jungkook yelled back at him, nothing but playfulness in his voice, "jiwoo, are you going to help daddy?"

"taetae help!" she pointed towards the brunette.

"taetae?" jungkook was clearly smitten by the adorable nickname she had gifted him, "taetae will of course help!" he grabbed the boy's hand, leading him over the couch and staring at the pile of stuff, "well taetae, get to work!"

the older nudged him in the stomach, shocked that even after so long away from the gym he had managed to maintain a rock hard core, "show me how it's done, daddy..." his left lid dropped in a wink.

"yeah daddy!" jiwoo felt inclined to join in.

jungkook pinched his boyfriend's side playfully, "save it for later!"

he smirked, grabbing chairs, and the flat sheet, moving things about in perfect order. jungkook tried to direct him but tae made it perfectly clear- he was an expert, made evident by the way he sculpted the coziest space for five. the fort was equipped with fairy lights and luscious linens, a perfect corner for jiwoo that was decorated with every plush that had managed to make its way to kook's. the youngest of the group spent more time curled up with the pillows and toys than helping, her small frame being pushed around which only threw her into a fit of giggles.

"what else do you have planned for tonight?" jungkook stared at his daughter who looked perfectly content just staring at the movie they had put on.

"babe, the night hasn't even started yet!" taehyung's finger traced the edge of his boyfriend's collarbone, tugging at the hem of his shirt flirtatiously, "but if you must know, dinner, then cake, then i figured we'd watch painting tutorials and have a friendly competition of who can follow it best, topped up with some board games and we'll end the night with a five person cuddle session- once jennie picks jiwoo up tomorrow, i figured i could give you your welcome home gift."

"my gift?" jungkook raised his eyebrow's playfully, "we can't sneak out to my car and you give it to me now?"

"one more day won't kill you; i promise!"

"you don't know that! besides, look at her, she's out cold!" jungkook pointed to the little girl who had managed to bury herself beneath blankets, the tiniest snore escaping her lips.

"what about jin and joon?" taehyung eyed the other two suspiciously to see what they were doing.

"we're going to run to the store quick- i left my toothbrush and need a new one! can you make sure jiwoo is okay until i'm back?" jungkook called to them receiving a nod of agreement in return.

"you're crazy!" taehyung gripped the younger's hand tightly, allowing himself to get pulled through the hallways and into the elevator.

"kim taehyung, haven't you heard that love makes you do crazy things?"

"i believe the saying is stupid things!" he reiterated, the brisk air of autumn sweeping through the parking garage.

"say this is stupid and i'll lock the door!" the younger was threatening, his hand on the handle waiting to be told to drop it.

"at one moment did i say i didn't like stupid things?" taehyung pulled them both in the car, grateful for a moment of aloneness before the nighttime of chaos would commence.

grateful to have his jungkook home.