HATE TO LOVE YOU || TAEKOOK || JIKOOK || MAFIA AU

[𝓛𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼, 𝓽𝓮𝓺𝓾𝓲𝓵𝓪 𝓷 𝓭𝓪𝓷𝓬𝓮]⁴⁵

"Then give me your word, you'll never let it go that far, that you'll never see me like that, nor that I feel that way for you."

The words struck Baek with a force he hadn't anticipated, hitting him like an icy wave, chilling him to his core.

He could feel his throat tightening as Taehyung's words echoed in his mind, the dull ache in his chest blooming into something sharp as he hadn't prepared himself for Taehyung to ask for something like this.

Taehyung's tone was calm, steady, like he was making the simplest request in the world, as though he truly didn't realize the weight of what he was asking Baek to do.

But for Baek, each word was a hammer, cracking open the walls he'd built around his feelings, exposing every raw, vulnerable piece he'd tried so hard to protect.

His heart was pounding so fiercely it felt like it might tear right through him. Baek wanted to give Taehyung what he was asking for, he wanted to laugh it off, to joke, to pretend this was all a misunderstanding.

He wanted to make Taehyung believe that his feelings had never run so deep, that there was nothing more to his glances, his silences, the unspoken moments that lingered between them.

He wanted to pretend that he hadn't spent countless nights replaying every memory of Taehyung, holding onto each moment with a hope he knew he should have let go of long ago.

But he couldn't.

He couldn't bring himself to lie like that. Not after all the dreaming that one day it might mean something.

He had held onto this hope for so long, waiting, hoping that they could share something more than just friendship, that his feelings could be more than a secret.

He didn't want to bury that hope, the thought of locking his feelings away felt unbearable, like a cage tightening around his heart.

The idea of making a promise he knew he couldn't uphold longer filled him with dread. Every part of him wanted to hold onto his truth, even if it meant risking everything he shared with Taehyung, even if it meant confronting the possibility that he could lose him forever.

But he knew, deep down, that Taehyung's trust was too precious to break, and that to preserve it, he might have to let go of everything he'd ever hoped for.

Baek opened his mouth, trying to force himself to say something, But his voice failed him, his throat thick with unshed tears and words he couldn't bear to speak aloud.

The silence hung between them like a weight, heavy and suffocating, pressing on his chest until he thought he might shatter beneath it.

Taehyung's gaze remained steady, fixed on him, his expression firm but somehow gentle. That look made the ache in Baek's chest consume him entirely.

Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, Baek found his voice, though it emerged as a soft whisper, barely audible, each word trembling with the weight of everything he couldn't say.

"I g-give you my word, Tae," Baek whispered, his voice breaking under the pressure of his own promise.

"Your friendship is more precious to me than anything else. You've been my mentor, when I needed it the most. I'll never let any kind of b-bullshit come between us. You trust me enough to let me be by your side... and I swear, I'll never break your trust."

The words left his lips like shards of glass, each one cutting him deeper as he forced them out, the pain of them echoing through him long after they'd left his mouth.

His heart was yearning for more than he was allowed to have, yet he couldn't bear the thought of losing Taehyung.

As Baek finished speaking, he saw the tension draining from Taehyung's shoulders, and a small, fragile smile appeared on his lips. Relief softened his features, and Baek hated how much it hurt to see.