Revival - From Monochrome To Euphoria

~ 12 ~

Jungkook sat up, still groggy from his deep slumber. The soft sunlight that filtered through the curtains barely registered as he rubbed his eyes, trying to shake off the remnants of sleep. The house was quieter than usual, but faint sounds of movement echoed from downstairs. He frowned for a moment, not fully awake, but something about the noises stirred a sense of familiarity.

He glanced toward the door, and for a fleeting moment, his heart skipped a beat. He saw a figure standing with their back to him, familiar yet not. The broad shoulders, the way they moved there was something so comforting in the shape. It’s Taemoo, his mind whispered, but it quickly corrected itself. It wasn't Taemoo.

It was Taehyung.

The realization hit him, and for a brief moment, he froze. He had always thought that the love he felt with Taemoo was something solid, something he couldn’t escape from, even if it was mutual. But the love with Taehyung… it was different. His eyes softened as he watched his husband move about, completely unaware of Jungkook's gaze.

He thought of the love he had once known, the love from Taemoo—cold and at times demanding, pulling at him like a chain. It had been a love of possession, of expectation, a love that never truly nurtured, only consumed. The more he thought about it, the more he understood that the way Taemoo loved him had been flawed, shaped by a selfishness Jungkook had once been too blind to see because he was immature and Taemoo was cold yet available but not present to fill out the empty space.

And then there was Taehyung.

No expectations—that was the difference. The way Taehyung loved him was selfless, gentle, and full of understanding. It wasn’t out of obligation, nor was it driven by desire to own or control. It was the kind of love that said, "You are enough. You are worthy of everything, and more. I will support you even when you don't ask for it." The kind of love that told him that he was not broken but rather, someone worth holding up, even when he wasn’t sure if he could stand on his own. Taehyung loved him as if they were already whole, as if they had always been meant to exist together.

Jungkook’s mind wandered to the analogy he had formed. He realized that the love Taemoo and Taehyung gave him were both love, yes, but they were fundamentally different. One was a storm that left him gasping for air, unsure of himself. The other was steady like the pulse of life, quietly anchoring him, reminding him he was never alone. It was like the two hands of a body, naturally, instinctively finding each other, knowing they belonged together even without uttering a word.

He couldn't help but smile softly to himself. He didn’t need to ask anything of Taehyung there was no pressure. There was just the silent understanding that they were partners in every sense. Taehyung was the calm in his chaos, the constant when everything around him had once felt so uncertain.

As Jungkook took in the sight of Taehyung downstairs, moving with an ease and comfort he had never known before, he realized how much love could change a person—how it could fill the spaces within you that you didn’t even know were empty.

He wasn’t incomplete, not anymore. With Taehyung by his side, he was finally learning that love wasn’t about what you could give or take, but about what you could build together.

And this, Jungkook thought as he closed his eyes for a moment, this was what it felt like to truly be loved.

Taehyung walked into the room, his usual confident stride interrupted by a playful glint in his eye. He raised an eyebrow at Jungkook, who was still sitting on the bed, clearly lost in thought. The silent question was clear in the air—Were you staring at me?