Study Buddies- kth+jjk

lavendars- confession II

Jungkook sat stiffly on the park bench, twisting his fingers together until his knuckles turned white. The fresh breeze did nothing to calm the choas of thoughts in his mind.

Taehyung had been so distant lately—short replies, obviously avoiding eye contact, and then outright disappearing for days. Jungkook still didn't know what he'd done wrong.

One thing was painfully clear, though: he missed Taehyung more than he'd ever thought possible.

He let out a shaky sigh.

Maybe today would be the end of their friendship. Maybe Taehyung wanted to talk, just to tell him they were done. 

But Jungkook couldn't let that happen—at least not without saying what had been weighing on his heart for weeks now.

The sound of familiar footsteps approaching snapped him out of his spiral. He looked up, his breath catching.

It was Taehyung walking toward him, his hands gripping a small box. His usually confident smile was hesitant, and his gaze flickered between Jungkook and the ground.

Regardless of the tension in the air, Jungkook couldn't help but notice how handsome Taehyung looked, even in his messy state.

"Hey, princess," Taehyung greeted, voice soft but steady.

Jungkook's heart ached at the nickname. Was this the last time he'd hear it?

He forced a small smile. "Hey... Tae."

Taehyung sat down beside him, close but not quite touching. For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Eventually, Jungkook couldn't take it anymore. "Taehyung, if you're here to tell me you don't want to be friends anymore, can you just... get it over with?" His voice cracked on the last words as he quickly looked away, embarrassed by the tears stinging his eyes.

"What?" Taehyung's head snapped up, eyes wide. "Jungkook, no! That's not—" He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. "Is that what you thought? That I wanted to end our friendship?"

Jungkook shrugged, voice small. "You've been avoiding me. You barely said a word after Jake—" He stopped, afraid he's break down into tears if he said anymore.

Taehyung flinched. "Jake," he muttered the name as if it was poisonous. "That guy..."

"What about him?" Jungkook pressed, confused.

Taehyung sighed, gripping the box tighter. "He was teasing you. About us. About how close we are. And when I saw you laughing with him..." He trailed off, jaw clenching. "I got jealous, okay? I didn't know how to handle it, so I acted like an idiot and pushed you away."

Jungkook blinked, clearly suprised. "Jealous? Of Jake? Taehyung, he was just messing around."

"I know that now," Taehyung said, his voice heavy with regret. "But back then, it felt like you might... I don't know, be disgusted and realize you didn't need me anymore. So I avoided you, tried to protect my feelings, I guess."

Jungkook shook his head, disbelief written all across his face. "Taehyung, I thought you didn't need me anymore. I thought I'd done something wrong."

Taehyung's expression softened, guilt clear in his eyes. "You didn't do anything wrong, Kookie. I was the one who messed up." He took a deep breath, as if steadying himself for what he was about to say. "And that's why I'm here. I need to tell you something—something I should've said a long time ago."

Jungkook's heart thudded painfully in his chest. "What is it?"

Taehyung set the box down on the bench and reached for Jungkook's hands. His touch was warm, comforting. "Jungkook, I'm in love with you."