New Moon | Vampire TAEKOOK

19 - New Beginning

[A month after the battle]

<Taehyung POV>

The day had finally come for the ceremony many were waiting for. It was finally time for the clans to gather and honour the new leader amongst them. Tonight was the night Jungkook would be promoted and take the place of leader for his people to replace Aesoo. For the Jeon clan, this would mean a new beginning, a rebirth. This was the start of a new era of peace and serenity, where the Jeons could grow out of their ambitious and destructive reputation. With Jungkook at its head, Taehyung knew everything would improve. In fact, he felt so proud of his soulmate for this huge step and insisted to help him prepare for the ceremony. 

In a way, this was a new beginning for Taehyung too. The hate he used to feel towards boring ceremonies or the indifference he felt for his role in the vampire community are now both gone. He finally had something to look forward to, a goal, some excitement in life. He finally felt like he had a reason to be and a place to go. It was all thanks to Jungkook. Now, he wants to be with him, unite clans, protect his people and his love, move forward, he wants to embrace the freedom he gained by being named apprentice, something which scared him at first. He felt like a new person and he loved  it. 

Taehyung always thought love was overrated and unnecessary but now more than ever he understands the power it gives to someone. The confidence, the joy, the life, the strength, all he feels around Jungkook has become a need. He loves the attention, he loves teasing him, he just loves being with Jungkook all day long and all night long. He could never get enough of his adorable giggles, his doe eyes, his sweet voice, his soft touch... Just imagining him gave Taehyung butterflies and he wasn't afraid to embrace it anymore. All the doubts he had are now gone. Now everything makes him smile and he loves it. 

Even the simple act of walking in the hallways of the Jeon castle, heading towards Jungkook's room, made him feel happy and light. He pushes the door and peaks in to see if the elf was here. Jungkook was struggling to tie a red bow around his neck, symbolizing his clan as per tradition. Taehyung smiles, amused, while watching his soulmate mumble to himself. 

"Here, let me help..." he finally says while coming in.

"Oh, you're here! Please help I've been struggling with this for hours." Jungkook replies with a look of distress.

"Hours? Come on... Don't worry about the ceremony so much, Koo, it will go well!" reassures Tae while tying the bow around the Alpha's neck. 

"I'm just nervous... What if I'm not ready for such big step? What if they don't accept me? What if I take the wrong decisions? What if-"

Taehyung interrupts him, placing a finger on his lips. He looks into his eyes for a moment. 

"Jungkook, you are perfect for this... You are just, loyal, clever, strong... What more could the Jeon clan expect from a leader? And even if you make mistakes, no one is perfect from the first try. That's why I am here, to make sure you always keep going and learn on the journey... Everything will be fine!" he says with a comforting smile. 

The elf sighs an nods. 

"You're right... I'm just worrying too much... Thank you." He smiles shyly, a little embarrassed, then gently kisses the Beta's forehead as a sign or gratitude. "I'm ready." 

***

<Jungkook POV>

After the ceremony and his speech, Jungkook felt very relieved. He couldn't wait to get off this pedestal to go join Taehyung in the crowd and enjoy the after-ceremony party with him. Before he could, his father walked up to him and congratulated him. 

"I am so proud of you, Kookie, I'm sure your mom is too... You've come so far, you deserve to stand at the top..."

"Thank you, father." Jungkook replies with a happy smile. He was starting to see the change in his father, how he gradually came back to normal and did more father stuff. It made Jungkook happy. In a way, he also had his new beginning. It was beautiful to see how many people were supportive of this change and how their lives were now so much better. Sure, there was a lot of work to do to clean his clan's reputation, but Jungkook felt confident he could fix it. He started by apologizing to the other clans on behalf of his clan for the losses caused by the battle a month ago. He also changed the rules in the Jeon territories to make sure everyone gets a fair treatment unlike before where everything was divided by poor or rich. He was working on many other ways to fix things and felt pride at his achievements. 

The best part of this, the most important reward, was of course Taehyung. He was so scared about losing him because of his lies, and thought he could never be forgiven, he felt so guilty when fighting Taehyung, but things went so much better than he feared. It was a relief that they could now be together happily, not caring about being enemies and crossing the borders, or about what others would think. The pressure he felt from his leader and father are now gone. Jungkook was free. This new freedom was everything he wanted to cherish. 

As he walked down the stairs towards the ball room, he looked for Taehyung. Finally he spotted the Beta chatting with his two friends. Jungkook walks over to them and surprises Taehyung from behind. 

"Mind if I borrow you for a while?" he asks with a flirty smirk. Taehyung jumps in surprise and blushes.

"D-Don't scare me like that! I was waiting for you, let's go dance, Mr Jeon..." he says, returning the same flirty tone. 

Both giggle and head to the dance floor, slow-dancing to the soft music, swaying to the rhythm in the middle of the crowd not caring about the world around them. Why care when they were holding their own world in their arms? It felt like time stopped, Tae felt so warm against him, gently resting his head on his shoulder, his scent was so sweet... If only this moment could go forever...