Irreplaceable || yoonmin

39

The drive back was quiet. Not the suffocating kind. Not the kind that demanded to be filled. It was simply... there. Settling between them as the city lights blurred past the car windows.

Taehyung's fingers tapped absentmindedly against the steering wheel.

A habit.
One Jungkook had picked up on years ago. Whenever Taehyung was nervous.
Whenever he was thinking too much.
Whenever something weighed heavily on his mind. His fingers always moved.

Jungkook glanced down at them before looking back at Taehyung. The older looked calm. But Jungkook knew better.
His hyung was never as calm as he pretended to be.

The younger shifted slightly in his seat.
His fingers fidgeting with the sleeve of his hoodie. Then he smiled. A small one.
Unconscious. The kind that simply appeared whenever he remembered what had happened less than an hour ago.

Taehyung noticed immediately.
"You keep smiling."
Jungkook's head snapped towards the window.

"I don't."

"You do."

"I really don't."

Taehyung let out a soft laugh. The sound warm and familiar. For a moment Jungkook simply stared. His chest tightening unexpectedly.

God.

He had missed that sound. Missed being the reason behind it. The realization made his smile grow wider.
Which completely ruined his attempt at denying it.

Taehyung shook his head.
"You're impossible."

Jungkook looked down. Trying and failing to hide his grin. A comfortable silence followed. Neither speaking.
Neither needing to. The confession still lingered between them.

Fresh.

Delicate.

Almost fragile.

As if one wrong move might make it disappear. The thought alone made Taehyung's chest ache. His grip around the steering wheel tightened.

The smile slowly fading from his lips.
Jungkook noticed immediately.
His own smile disappearing.

"Tae."

Taehyung hummed.

"You're thinking again."

A breathless chuckle escaped the older.

"When am I not?"

Jungkook's eyebrows furrowed. His body turning slightly towards him. The movement small. Instinctive. Like he was trying to get closer. Trying to understand. Trying to reach him.

"What is it?"

Taehyung stayed silent for a few seconds. Finally he spoke.

"What happens if you get scared again?"

Jungkook froze.

The question hit harder than he expected. Taehyung swallowed. His eyes never leaving the road.

"What happens if a few months from now you start doubting yourself again?"

The younger immediately opened his mouth. Ready to answer. Ready to reassure him. But Taehyung continued. His voice quieter now. Almost hesitant.

"I don't think I can survive that twice."

Jungkook's heart broke. Because suddenly he understood. This wasn't about the confession. This wasn't about whether Taehyung loved him. That had never been the problem. Taehyung had loved him for years.