blank | taekook

two.

Jungkook wouldn't like to admit that he waited all day to leave for the coffee shop, but realistically, that was the only label for what he did.

In fact, he'd planned to draw or clean or do something productive when he opened his eyes at ten AM, but what really happened was a lot of laying in bed, watching the clock and getting nervous.

A shaky Jungkook ended up walking out the door fifteen minutes before three, wearing a plain white t-shirt and black, skin tight jeans.

The funniest part was that he'd worn the clothes to bed, and had anxiously spritzed some cologne on before he left, almost dropping the small silvery container in the process.

His walk once he was out on the streets was so hurried. People and cars and buildings passed even faster than normal, and he couldn't figure out why. Usually, he did have a habit of walking quickly, but this was a little ridiculous.

Nevertheless, his legs continued to betray him, walking at a pace that was almost alarming to people that passed him. He did his best to keep his head down and ignore them.

A fidgety Jungkook all but bursted through the glass doors at 2:50, and he received more annoyed stares than he would have preferred, but he ignored them as best he good, glancing to the table he's sat at by himself for over a year.

He was expecting it to be empty like always, so his breath caught in his throat when he found himself staring into the surprised eyes of a certain brunette.

Looks like they'd both arrived early.

Jungkook shuffled over to the table much more hesitantly than he had moved in ages, still trying to calm his scattered mind. He slowly, somewhat cautiously lowered himself into the seat. But when he looked over at the boy in front of him, he felt a small spark of enthusiasm; something he hadn't felt in a long, long time.

"Hey," Taehyung greeted him, seeming more cheery and bouncy than the day before.

Jungkook raised the ends of his lips up into the best smile he could muster, replying, "Hi."

Taehyung sat up in his seat, leaning forward over the table and a bit closer to Jungkook. "So, I was thinking maybe we could go out and do something fun today," he offered, though Jungkook barely heard, fixated on their proximity. He never got this close to people, and he felt like he had to cross his eyes to look Taehyung directly in the face.

"S-Sure," he stuttered, heartbeat faltering. They stared at each other, caught in a moment of awkward silence. Taehyung, of course, broke it.

"What do you want to do?" he asked sweetly, sitting back into his chair again.

Jungkook felt a small wave of relief before he actually gave the question some thought. What was there to do? The way that normal people 'hung out' fascinated him; he really had no skill and barely any experience in the area.

He ended up settling for an answer even he had memorized, probably because he used to use it on his sister, ages ago. "Uh...whatever you want to do," he mumbled. A thoughtful expression swept across Taehyung's face, his eyes moving around the room in contemplation.

"Well, we could go see a movie. How does that sound?" Taehyung offered.

Jungkook processed the idea for a moment. He was torn; part of him just wanted to talk, or to learn how to talk, really. He didn't know what people talked about, and Taehyung seemed like the perfect person to help him practice, but the other part of him was a little scared to try.

And when was the last time he'd gone to see a movie? It had been so long, and he decided that he missed it. "Sure," he said shyly.

Taehyung hopped onto his feet at the response, and Jungkook copied the action, hitting his knee on the table in the process.

Taehyung gasped at the loud sound it made, but then Jungkook blushed this deep red, and the older boy knew he should pretend nothing happened.

They walked out of the coffee shop together, Taehyung at a pace more leisurely than Jungkook was used to. He just followed the leader along the sidewalks; honestly, he didn't know where the movie theatre was, and he definitely wasn't going to pretend to. He slowed down, taking casual strides very unlike his usual panicked gait. That way, he would stay behind Taehyung.

He still couldn't believe he was doing this. He couldn't believe he was in the process of actually making a friend. When it came down to it, he was a little scared. With attachments often came loss, and hurting; he knew this. But although it sometimes didn't feel like it, he was human, and humans needed love. That was the one thing he knew for sure about humans.

And so he walked, with cheerful, friendly Taehyung alongside him, and for some reason, for the first time in what felt like an eternity, a genuine smile spread across his face, his gaze bashfully settled on the sidewalk.

When they reached the theatre, he felt a wave of childishness sweep through him; he remembered movie theaters, the wonderful smells wafting off of things that his mother couldn't really afford to buy, and the chattering of excited people when something new had been released.

"Is there anything you have in mind?" Taehyung asked him as they moved up in the line, and Jungkook had a sudden mini-crisis in his head because he had no idea.

Taehyung knew he was taking this seriously. Extremely so. He laughed. "How does...Jurassic World sound?" he suggested, as his quirky, shy companion continued to draw a complete blank.

Jungkook nodded, quickly. Why did he feel nervous? Sure, it'd been years since he had a friendly, non-professional conversation with someone, but it didn't seem to him like it should be such a big deal. He sighed, frustrated with himself.

Taehyung must have noticed, too. After he bought them both tickets and they were further into the crowd - and closer to the snacks - he stopped them, placing a hand on Jungkook's shoulder. "Hey, you don't have to do this with me if you don't want to," he whispered, gentle. "I understand if you don't want to be friends."

But Jungkook shook his head. He was determined to get better at this - this informality, this casual, real communication with someone. He wouldn't let himself be a pathetic, shy little kid forever.

"I want to get closer with you. I...I️ want to be friends, Taehyung," he said boldly, and the sunshine spread back over the older boy's face.

"There it is," he remarked, ruffling Jungkook's fluffy hair. "One step at a time."

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Sooooooo how is it so far? I know it's a little boring at the moment, but hopefully I can make it better. A great big thanks to all of you who are commenting; it means a lot to me!! I love hearing what you have to say. c: See you soon!