Ambivalence || TAEJIN

YOUR SMILE

"I missed you"

What the fuck did I just say!!!! Before he could respond, I quickly declined the call. Again, that same feeling I had a month ago when I went to his apartment to taste his food washed over me.

I lay down on my bed, thinking about what had happened that day. I didn't even realize I was smiling. Slowly, I closed my eyes, and before I knew it, sleep took over.
**************

At XXXX Hospital, Tokyo

Seokjin's POV

"I missed you"

" What was that? "Hello, hello," I said, but he had already declined the call. Is he drunk or what? First, he apologized, which I never expected from him, and then this. Aish, I will surely go crazy.

"Jinnie," a voice called from behind me.

"Hyung, why did you get up? The doctor told you to rest, right." Aish, why doesn't anyone listen to me? I walked over to him and helped him lie back down on his bed.

"Jinnie, why are your ears red?" he asked.

Oh no, not you too, hyung. I don't want to stutter; otherwise, he would think something else. So, I framed my words carefully and said, "It's nothing, hyung."

He raised his eyebrows and said, "Don't lie to me, Jinnie. I heard you talking to someone before I called you. At last, my bro has got someone; I'm really happy for you."

"I told you it's nothing, though," I said. "Sleep now, or else I'll get scolded for making you talk so much." He's older than me, but when he's sick, he behaves like a baby. I lifted the blanket up to his shoulder and sat in the chair beside his bed, slowly brushing his hair with my hand.

When I saw that he was sleeping soundly, I stood up and walked over to the window. I looked at the moon, which was shining brightly, and closed my eyes slowly. I thought about the events of the past few minutes. Did he really miss me? A smile slowly crept onto my face.

Time Skip: 1 week later

Author's POV

It's been a week. Today, it's going to rain it seems, as the weather is cloudy. Many students arrived early, including Taehyung. Yoongi hadn't shown up yet, as he had said he would pick up Hoseok. Although Hoseok had Jin's car, he was too lazy to drive.

Taehyung stood by the window, looking out. Today, their first period was Literature. As Jin had instructed Taehyung to do research, he had done so and was now waiting for Jin to arrive.

He wanted to ask Jin when he would be coming back, but after their last conversation, he hadn't mustered the courage.

Just then, it started raining. When Taehyung heard a familiar voice yelling at someone: "Yaah, Hoba, you go inside if  you don't want to experience this feeling!" Something compelled inside Taehyung to rush downstairs, towards the source of the voice which came from the playground.

When he arrived, he saw everyone huddled under the shed or running to get there, except for one person - Jin. He stood in the middle of the playground, gazing up at the sky, and slowly closed his eyes as the raindrops fell on him.

On the other side, Hoseok shouted at Jin, "Yaah, hyung, come now! Just yesterday you returned, and now you're planning to get sick!" Hoseok stopped when Yoongi tugged him and asked, "Isn't that guy walking toward Jin Taehyung?" Hoseok looked closely and said, "Yes, that's Taehyung. What are these two planning to do?"

"Aish, are they shooting for a K-drama or something?" Yoongi said annoyingly and shouted in Taehyung's direction, "Yaah, Taehyung, come back!"

Taehyung, however, didn't know why he was walking toward Jin. As he stood behind Jin, a thunderclap sounded nearby. Jin got scared, unaware that someone was standing behind him. He bumped into Taehyung and stumbled, but Taehyung caught him by the waist.

They stared at each other, both drenched from the rain. Another thunderclap sounded, and Jin instinctively hugged Taehyung. He loved rain but was terrified of thunder and lightning. Taehyung, taken aback, didn't know how to react. He hadn't expected Jin to hug him suddenly, so he hugged him back.

Two guys hugging each other in the rain - some students didn't bat an eye, while others gave them disgusted looks, and a few envied what they shared. The bell rang, signaling the start of their first period. The rain slowed to a gentle patter. Jin remained hugged to Taehyung.

Taehyung softly called out, "The thunder and lightning have stopped. If you want, you can let go of me now." Jin realized their position - his hands on Taehyung's shoulders, Taehyung's on his waist, their wet bodies pressed together. He quickly removed his hands and created quite a distance between them.

Jin lifted his head, pouting, and said, "Thanks, Taehyung. Actually, I love rain, and when I saw it was going to rain, I couldn't stop myself. Now look, I'm standing here in drenched clothes. Do you like rain too? Is that why you came?"

Taehyung didn't know how to respond. He himself didn't know why he had come upon hearing Jin's voice. So, he composed himself and said, "Ye-es, and I'm drenched too. Perhaps we should bunk today's class? If we sit in these clothes, we'll catch a cold."

Jin thought for a moment and then smiled, saying, "Yeah, sure, but how are we going to bunk the first period? It's already started." Jin's smile was captivating, and this time, it was directed at Taehyung.

Taehyung returned a boxy smile and said, "Come with me." Taehyung took Jin's hand.

Jin struggled to process what was happening. First, the hug, then Taehyung's boxy smile, which he wanted to see more of, and now they were holding hands. He looked at Taehyung and then at their intertwined hands. "Again, what are you doing to me, Taehyung?"