[3] Code: REBIRTH || KTH

Ch1: Now It's Even Colder

I sit silently on the couch with Taehyung, finding it difficult, if not impossible, to find the words to say. We haven't seen each other in at least a month. Do I ask him where he was? Is it too intrusive? Usually I'm the one doing the talking, but now I'm speechless.

"I got ice-cream," Taehyung says out of nowhere, awkwardly raising the plastic bag to show me its contents, "I know it's cold but... "

He shrugs.

"It's never too cold for ice-cream," I say, grabbing the chocolate flavoured one as I try to strike a conversation, "Have you seen Yoongi lately?"

He starts to open his ice-cream as he looks at me. "Why?"

"You're wearing his scarf," I note.

"How are you so sure it's his?" He raises an eyebrow.

I reach forward and point at a tiny faded reddish spot on the gray scarf. "He was wearing this scarf a few years ago and got drunk, fell face forward and his nose started bleeding, and he couldn't get this stain out since. I remember cause it happened here, in my apartment."

I look up and realise how close our faces are, so I quickly retreat and start eating my ice-cream.

"I was at his place," He says.

So that's where he was. Yoongi, that piece of shit.

"Yoongi said you weren't."

"I didn't think you cared about where I was," He says with a sly smile.

I clear my throat. "I was just... curious."

It goes quiet again as we silently eat our ice-cream. I notice he got himself strawberry flavour. Looks like he took a liking to it.

"Will you stay?" I ask.

He looks at me with a blank face. "Do you want me to?"

I think I do. But I can't just tell him that. Would I sound too obsessive? Last time I saw him I had a gun in my hand because I didn't fully trust him.

"I don't mind," I say, looking down at my lap, "Your room is still the same. All your stuff is here."

"I don't want to be a burden," He admits, raising his head and taking a look around the apartment.

"You're not." The words slip out of my mouth before I can think.

I catch a small smile on his face and I want to disappear right there and then.

"I'm looking for a job," He says, turning his head to look at me but I avoid looking at his eyes, "But it's hard. Mostly because I'm a hybrid."

"I can talk to Namjoon for you," I offer, "He might find you a position at the H.R.C. We have a lot of hybrids working with us."

He shakes his head. "No. I'd rather find something by myself."

"As you wish."

"I heard about Jungkook," He says in a low voice.

I feel a ting in my heart at the mention of his name. I look at Taehyung, and he's looking down at his hands as he fiddles with his sleeves. Right, he and Jungkook got close a while ago.

"How's.. uhh.. Jimin?" He asks.

"He's... doing better," I reply, slowly coming to the realisation that Taehyung had lost some important people.

It makes me wonder how he's coping with Jin's sudden death.

"Tae," I call, and he looks up at me with wide eyes, surprised I called him with this nickname.

"Are you okay?" I ask.

His ears lay flat on his head, and his eyes become glossy as he responds, "I'm just tired."

"Do you want toㅡ"

He gets up before I can finish my sentence and heads to the front door.

"I need to go."

He reaches for the handle, but I hold his arm, and he turns his head to look at me.

"It's cold," I blurt out.

He furrows his eyebrows in confusion.

I take in a deep breath as I muster up the courage to say what's on mind. "Remember a long time ago when you would come into my bedroom at night and say that I was feeling cold so you would hug me to sleep? Well, yeah, now it's even colder."

I feel tears pile up in my eyes, and I'm not even sure why I start crying but I do anyway.

"It's colder and I miss how warm you made me feel," I let out in a shaky breath.

"I thought you didn't trust me anymore," He says, his eyes still glossy.

"You think I'd ask you to stay if I didn't?"

My tears start falling down my face as he slowly wraps his arms around me, and I cry into his chest as he gently pats my back, his nose nuzzled in my hair.

And all these old feelings start coming back, a thousand emotions rushing through me as I hold on to him tightly, his warmth engulfing me.