Sorry that I didn't update yesterday :(
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It had been about a week and a half since Jungkook opened up to Taehyung enough to show him his scars; and this one particular day the older of the two had would could be called an epiphany.
He hadn't really thought about it in the moment that Jungkook had truly bared his insecurities, nor afterwords due to the consoling that he did for the younger. His mind and thought process were completely clouded by his own sorrow, beating himself up for the fact that he didn't know what Jungkook had been putting himself through.
However now, after a week to think things over and ease the nerves between he and Jungkook, a thought came to his mind.
The scars that Jungkook had, all of them scattered across his stomach and ribcage, reminded Taehyung of the marks he had seen on someone else. Specifically, someone that he and Jungkook both knew and had the pleasure of spending time with.
Jimin had always been so secretive and hesitant about sharing the story behind the marks on his body; always making excuses such as them being cat scratches, or injuries from him being a clumsy child. Taehyung knew that neither of those answers were true.
The first time he had seen them was the second time that they had slept together, fairly taken aback when he had pulled the fabric of Jimin's pants down his legs and found the scars that lay beneath. "Scars from a past surgery" Jimin had bluffed, cautious not to make any sort of eye contact as he spoke the words.
Combined with the fact that Jimin's mood seemed to correlate with Jungkook's (even before the two had met), Taehyung was approximately eighty percent sure that Park Jimin was his roommate's soulmate.
Now, this was a really scary thought to Taehyung. Not because he had lingering feelings for the other, but simply because he was worried for both of their well being. Jungkook was stressing himself as much as he could about the possibility of his soulmate absolutely hating him; and Taehyung wanted to say that his assumptions were wrong... But then there was Jimin who had confided in him a few times that he wanted nothing to do with with soulmate.
There wasn't a way for them to find out that they were destined to be with one another, without breaking each other's hearts.
It was such a unique and troubling situation, Taehyung (someone who was generally good at giving advice) had no idea what he was going to say to either of them if they ever found out about one another.
"Taehyung-Hyung." Jungkook's quiet and troubled voice sliced through Taehyung's thoughts, looking up to where the younger stood in the doorway of their living room. "Please give it back, I know that you have it."
Taehyung raised an eyebrow, eyeing how Jungkook's fingernails scratched at his wrist absentmindedly, and how distressed his facial expression looked.
"Give back what?" He asked in response, observing how Jungkook's gaze reached every detail of what was in the room. Everything except for Taehyung's eyes.
"My lighter." Jungkook's voice was so quiet at this point that Taehyung had to strain to hear it even in the dead silent room. "I know that you have it. It was on my dresser one day and gone the next; things don't just disappear like that."
"You told me to help you stop hurting Jungkook." Taehyung sighed. "What better way to do that than getting rid of the source of the pain?"
"You threw it out?" Jungkook's voiced paled, eyes widening as he made eye contact with the older for the first time in that conversation. Taehyung had to wonder why he looked so upset, it wasn't even that hard to walk to the nearest convenience store and buy a new one. "You didn't, did you?"
Taehyung worried his bottom lip before answering wordlessly, simply reaching into his front pants pocket and pulling out a small clear lighter. It was nearly out of lighter fluid, it being increasingly hard to light even just as spark with it as Taehyung fiddled with it.
"You're not getting it back, Jungkook." He frowned, twirling the lighter between his middle and pointer finger. "Sorry:"
"It's just a nearly used up lighter, what's it to you?" Jungkook huffed. "Just give it to me you don't have any use for it."
"If it's just a nearly used up lighter than why do you want it so badly?" Taehyung asked. "If you can give me a good enough reason, I'll hand this right back to you right now. If not, I'm keeping it, and I'm throwing it out as soon as I find a garbage can."
"I don't know how to cope." Jungkook's expression was truly pained, causing Taehyung to halt all of his actions as a twinge surged through his heart. "And I can't use another one because I've grown an attachment to that one - it's the one I've used since I was sixteen."
"How is there still even lighter fluid left?" Taehyung asked, using nonchalant words to distract himself from how much the younger's words and facial expression were hurting him.
"It's not like I've used it every single day." Jungkook sighed. "Now please give it back. I'm now kidding around, I at least just need to keep it in my pocket as I walk around. It makes me feel safe."
"Jungkook, what are you needing to cope with that is making it so hard to separate from this piece of plastic and metal?" Taehyung shook the lighter, the sound of the remaining lighter fluid inside swishing around was piercing through Jungkook's ears.
"Kind of everything." Jungkook sighed, leaning against the doorframe and closing his eyes. "Why do I feel like everyone who says they love me secretly hates me?" He asked softly, Taehyung's eyes widening at his words. "Why has my mind been hardwired to assume that compliments sent my way are all blatant lies?" He took in a shaky breath. "And why doesn't this apply to Jimin though? Why do I feel like he's so genuine, when he could be lying through his teeth and laughing at me for behind my back all I know. 'Look how pathetic Jungkook is, he actually thought he had a chance.'"
"Jimin would never." Taehyung interjected quickly. "And as for everyone else, I don't know who could hate you. What would they benefit from sending heartache in your direction?"
"A good laugh," Jungkook suggested, eyes shut as he leaned against the doorframe in an even more relaxed fashion. "Let's not have yet another argument. Please give me my lighter. I won't do anything, I promise I'll let you look over my scars whenever I go to bed at night and wake up in the morning."
"You are getting this back. Ever." Taehyung huffed, shoving the lighter back into his pocket. "I love you Kook, but there's no way in hell I'm providing you with something that you deliberately use to harm yourself.
"You don't trust me anymore do you?" Jungkook's expression was borderline the definition of 'hurt'. "You don't have to babysit me. I'm twenty years old, I can take care of myself."
"If we're going to be honest, no I don't trust you as much as I used to; but that only means that I care for you deeply. Not that I'm trying to baby you." Taehyung stood up, crossing his arms. "You're the one who was asking me to help you, and now that I actually am, you're getting mad at me for it."
The older exhaled, expression softening. "Recovery isn't going to make you happy at first, but in the log run it'll benefit you more than you could imagine right now."
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