Starlight and Petals (taekook)

18: Ember

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Author's pov:

Taehyung and Jungkook sat in silence, the cool breeze brushing against them as they gazed up at the moon. The weight of everything left unsaid hung between them, thick and heavy. Jungkook sighed, his eyes shifting from the moon to Taehyung. There were so many questions he had been too afraid to ask before, too caught up in the chaos. But now, in the quiet, with no one around and no distractions, the urge to speak overwhelmed him.

So, he dropped the bomb.

"Why did you come looking for me? Why does it matter to you if something had happened to me?" Jungkook muttered, his voice low and steady, his gaze fixed on his moon, taehyung. as he awaited an answer. But the only response he received was silence and taehyung stunned figure.

Jungkook's patience waned, and he turned slightly, his tone firmer now.

"I know you heard me. Tell me."

Taehyung slowly looked down, his heart racing. He hesitated before craning his neck to meet Jungkook's intense gaze, the weight of the question sinking into him, fidget with his finger.

"I... I just wanted to help. I was being nice. We might hate each other now, but we can't forget we had a history. I wouldn't have liked it if you... if something happened to you. that's all—yeah." Taehyung stuttered, his voice uneven as he tried to rationalize his emotions, barely keeping eye contact.

Jungkook's eyes narrowed, a sarcastic smirk forming on his lips as he nodded.

"Really? You were scared, crying like you were losing everything. And you said all that because we had a history?" Jungkook scoffed, his voice dripping with mockery and taehyung throat goes dry.

"You know, people usually say stuff like that when they're in love with someone—and as far as i remember you hate me-----how strange, right?" His tone was sharp, layered with sarcasm, but his eyes flickered with something more—something deeper.

The second the words left his mouth, taehyung's eyes widened in realization. He looked away, closing his eyes as a wave of heat rushed to his forehead, sweat forming as he processed what he'd just admitted, even indirectly.

Taehyung swallowed hard, shifting uncomfortably. He could feel the tension rising, thickening between them.

"What? Cat got your tongue?" Jungkook's voice was sharp again, though there was a teasing to it. Taehyung gulped, his nerves rattled. He tried to find his voice, to rationalize.

"I... I was just... it was situational, okay? Nothing from the heart, I must have lost my mind at the time. Who wouldn't? I mean—the situation was... it was life or death," he stammered, his words tumbling out awkwardly, each one more uncertain than the last.

Jungkook shook his head, chuckling, but it wasn't from amusement. Frustration, anger, and something far more complicated brewed inside him. He let out a bitter laugh, his emotions swirling in a mess of confusion and longing.

"Situational? Sure, sunshine. Whatever you need to tell yourself."

taehyung snuck a air as hear the neck name that makes him weak. the air between them was thick with unspoken words, the tension palpable, but neither of them could make sense of what they were really feeling—or what they were too scared to admit.

"I... I should go. I'm quite sleepy," Taehyung murmured, attempting to rise from the bench, but before he could, a warm hand wrapped around his wrist. Taehyung inhaled sharply, closing his eyes as Jungkook's touch sent a wave of emotions through him.