the secret of kemet. taekook (complete)

⁵³. instruments of death and fate

The sun beat down on Thebes, baking the ancient stones until they radiated heat.

Jungkook and Taehyung had slipped away, a silent agreement passing between them that these last days in Egypt belonged only to them.

As they walked hand in hand, through the skeletal remains of palaces and temples, each step echoed with the ghosts of forgotten empires and an unshakeable feeling of dread.

Taehyung's fingers danced over the weathered hieroglyphs, tracing their faded lines with a reverence that twisted something tight in Jungkook's chest.

It was like he was touching pieces of himself, fragments of a life that Jungkook could only imagine, but that Tyung lived. A chill ran down Jungkook’s spine despite the heat.

"You... you remember all of this, don't you?" Jungkook asked, the words hushed, almost swallowed by the oppressive silence of the ruins. It was more of a statement than a question, born out of fear.

Taehyung's smile was a fragile thing, tinged with a sadness that seemed to reach back centuries.

"Every stone, every crumbling wall, every scent of sand and sun… It's like a phantom limb. A part of me I can still feel, even though it's gone." He ran a hand along a scarred column, his touch feather-light, almost hesitant. "This was my home, once. And seeing it now... It’s like I never left, like I’m still trapped."

Jungkook’s heart ached for him.

For the life he had lost, for the burden he carried. He had to know more.

"tell. where did you hide the scarab beetle necklace? The one I gave you... when I was your servant." He tried to keep his voice casual, but his pulse hammered in his ears.

Taehyung’s eyes softened, a flicker of genuine warmth lighting them.

"It’s safe, in my room. I keep it with me, always." He paused, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips. "But back then... I hid it in the wall of my chambers. You found it, didn't you?"

Jungkook nodded, a sudden understanding dawning.

"Yeah, you and I found it there... But why, Taehyung? Why hide it in such a strange place? Did you... did you know it would be me who'll find it?"

Taehyung’s gaze turned inward, distant, lost in the swirling mists of the past.

"I knew something was different about you, Jungkook. Even then. It wasn't something I could explain... but I felt that you belonged somewhere else. That one day, you would have to leave this place, leave me." His voice dropped to a whisper.

"I wanted to give you a piece of myself to take with you. Something small, but precious. Something to remind you that even if time and worlds separated us, my feelings would survive."

Jungkook’s chest tightened.

He crossed the distance between them, his heart overflowing with love and a crushing sense of guilt.

He wrapped his arms around Taehyung, burying his face in the crook of his neck.

The scent of sun-warmed skin and ancient stone filled his senses, a potent mix of the present and the past. He pressed a kiss to Taehyung’s temple, his heart aching.

"You’ve always thought about me... Even then." Jungkook's voice was thick with emotion. "I don’t deserve you, Taehyung. I never have."

Taehyung chuckled softly, a gentle vibration against Jungkook’s cheek. "Don’t say that. You deserve all the love in the world. You deserve a future free from all of this Egyptian bullshit."