LOVE YOU TO DEATH | TAEKOOK

28. Like O, Like H

*trigger warning for mental health, substance abuse/misuse, very bad language, etc*
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NBC News LA: Kim Taehyung's management team has announced that he is taking a vacation, though he has not been seen at any major airports or in public at all. They've said that he should be back in two weeks and have cleared his schedule.

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"Jimin got out of treatment last week," Jungkook announced, out of the blue, midway through their usual walk. He had his hands in his pockets and his gaze cast down.

Taehyung had to blink a few times to comprehend what he had heard, not clear on why Jimin was being brought up all of a sudden.

"O-okay. Is that good?" he asked, cautious in anything related to Jimin.

Jungkook shrugged, "I guess so. He says he's doing okay," he supposed, not feeling very confident in any of it.

Taehyung raised an eyebrow, walking a little bit faster to keep pace, "That doesn't sound very convincing," he quietly pushed, trying to feel for the fault lines.

"I guess it's not," the younger relented, nodding to himself.

Jungkook kept walking faster, it seemed, and Taehyung wasn't sure why, or whether it was some unconscious mechanism to get away from the conversation that he had started.

"Are you worried about him?" Taehyung inquired, tone neutral as he matched stride for stride.

Jungkook pursed his lips, thinking about why this seemed like such a problem for him that he needed to bring it up on their walk.

"I, uh, I guess I have a difficult time believing that he's okay after all this when I know how hard it's been. The timelines don't match up with each other," he fumbled the words, trying to piece it all together.

Taehyung trapped his tongue between his front teeth, back in this constant state of trying to decipher what the younger had said.

"It's okay if you don't want to answer this, but do you think it's hard to believe because of him, or because of everything you've experienced?" he softly ventured, attempting to maintain his calm exterior walls that kept the waves of anxious energy in.

Jungkook caught himself in the middle of snapping his head to the side to gape at Taehyung.

"That's not nice," he whispered, voice coming out quick and quiet.

Taehyung sighed, watching his feet, "Sorry."

"You're probably not wrong, but it's not nice," Jungkook edited, carefully reconstructing everything coming out of his mouth.

When Taehyung didn't say anything, Jungkook felt compelled to fill the silence for the first time since they had begun walking together.

"Hey, I heard Lili is dating someone new," he tried, forcing the cobwebs of emotion out of the way, though he didn't know who they belonged to.

Taehyung snorted, "That is accurate. She's pretty pleased about it," he smiled, remembering how she had announced it to him with pride glittering in her eyes.

"I think she deserves to have something good though," he added, wanting to make sure they were on the same page.

"Agreed," Jungkook quickly replied, making a slight gesture with his hands.

He walked a few more steps and then turned to Taehyung, stopping in the middle of their deserted street, "Question for you," he broached a new topic without looking up.