Confession|Taekook

11. Rekindled

Taehyung lets himself cry, now that he's in the safety of his room, he's controlled it for the 15 long minutes required to reach their dorm. He buries himself in his bed, sobbing in his pillow, he feels betrayed even though they are nothing. His heart clenches everytime the image of Jungkook being so close to someone, who is not him, flashes in his mind.

He doesn't know what to do with so much hurt, it's bigger than his body can contain. So, it's obvious when Jimin feels the bed dip beside him and arms wrap around his torso, it's obvious that Taehyung can't do this anymore, not alone anyway.

Jimin wants to ask a million questions, 'what happened?' 'what's wrong?' ' who hurt you?' but the sound of heartbreak in Taehyung's voice when he said 'please don't ask me anything' was loud enough to silence them all.

So, they lay there, Jimin holding onto Taehyung as if he'd slip away and Taehyung holding onto Jimin to not lose himself. With every rock of silent sob that Taehyung lets out, fresh tears spill through Jimin's eyes. What can he do? His eyes refuse to cooperate seeing his best friend suffer in silence.

Jimin let's Taehyung cry till sleep comes to give what little solace it can offer, and doesn't let go of him even in his sleep, afraid that nightmares will find his best friend if he does.

Next morning when they wake up, Taehyung kisses Jimin's forehead as an apology for not being able to tell him anything, he feels guilty for leaving Jimin out of this but what other choice does he have? They both know he has to figure this one out on his own so he asks him to give him more time and leaves for his own room.

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Taehyung thinks life is taking pity on him because it's their day off today. He thinks about all that has happened till now, trying to draw a conclusion.

He's physically unable to produce any tears after crying that much last night, even though the image of Jungkook all over another man doesn't leave his mind, he doesn't cry, he can't cry, he's numb.

So he lets the rational part of his brain take over. He really thinks about it, about what he saw and how it affected him. He was hurt, sure but a bigger part of him was scared. Scared that one day he will lose Jungkook to some man forever.

The thought of Jungkook being with someone else, the thought of Jungkook not loving him anymore scares him more than any other thoughts that plagued his mind with fear. That also means he likes Jungkook to an extent where he's ready to risk it just so they can be together.

It's selfish, Taehyung thinks, telling Jungkook that he likes him now, when there's a possibility of him having a partner. But he's going to snatch Jungkook away if he has to, he just cannot bear the thought of Jungkook being with someone else.

Little does he know, Jungkook only has eyes for him, that, on the other side of the dorm, Jungkook is pacing around in his room, trying to conjure up the right words for an explanation.

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Taehyung is so nervous, he's been standing in front of Jungkook's room, staring at the door for almost 10 minutes now. The jitters always manage to make him withdraw his hand every time he raises it to knock.

He finally steels himself and raises his fist once again. He tells himself that it's now or never, he jerks his wrist forward to knock but his finger doesn't strike. Right when he's about to conclude that he involuntarily chickened out again, the door opens to reveal Jungkook.

The blush that forms on his cheeks is instant, flustered at the sudden confrontation, he looks away from Jungkook.

Jungkook is no different, his pink cheeks tell that he had certainly not expected his hyung at the door. His blush disappears and his lips turn into a frown when he realises that he has to let go of the habit of calling Taehyung 'his' because he never was.