You and I (vkook)

Chapter 37

I know it's warmer where you are and it's safer by your side // But right now I can't be what you want // Just give it time

Jeongguk knew that Taehyung needed some time until he was ready to talk about whatever was bothering him and he obviously respected that, but seeing his boyfriend so off made his heart hurt inside his chest.

He could tell Taehyung wasn't so anxious after his shower, he was smiling his beautiful box smile, his hands weren't shaking anymore and that lost look on his face wasn't there anymore. But even though those facts were true, Jeongguk still knew he was feeling bad.

Taehyung didn't reached for Jeongguk's thigh once they got into the road that lead to the part of the city where the older house is located, he didn't turned his radio on full volume once Never Ever by GOT7 started and the younger knows how much his boyfriend loves that song, and once they arrived at a restaurant considerably near Taehyung's home the older barely talked and kept looking at his right hand and moving his fingers around his ring finger.

Just then that Jeongguk noticed something.

The younger knew how his boyfriend had several different nervous ticks; he is a very anxious person and can't keep still no matter what. He is always playing with something with his hands, bouncing his legs or messing up his own hair.

Taehyung doesn't even notices that he does said things, usually everything will be quiet while the boys are watching a movie and suddenly Jeongguk will start noticing some odd noise that definitely isn't coming from the movie.

Then he will take a glance at his boyfriend and there will he be, making a beat on the popcorn bowl or tapping on his Doctor Who cup – it's an adorable cup with a straw and has the TARDIS door printed on it – without knowing he is even doing that.

Jeongguk usually tells him that he is doing weird noises again and Taehyung widens his eyes and looks at his hands to see what the hell he is doing this time. It's rather adorable if Jeongguk has to be honest here.

One of the most common things Taehyung unconsciously does though is playing with his ring. Sometimes he takes it off to spin it around the table, sometimes he keeps changing the fingers he puts it on – always making sure to leave it on his ring finger after he is done though – and most of the times he just spins it around his finger with his thumb without paying attention to it.

As Jeongguk knows this all too well he immediately noticed how Taehyung wasn't wearing said ring today. That is why he was always glancing at his hand. That must be what he forgot at home.

The younger didn't know why that ring was special to the older, but he knew that Taehyung would always be wearing that ring.

It was a silver ring with a black line all around it. Nothing that looked too special, but seeing how Taehyung looked anxious without it made it perfectly clear that it had some special meaning to him.

Jeongguk placed his hand on top of the table and picked Taehyung's hand, caressing it lightly in order to try soothing the older.

His boyfriend looked at him and gave him a small and grateful smile, maybe Taehyung noticed how Jeongguk discovered what he was missing.

They didn't talk while they waited for the food, neither when they ate it. It was a comfortable silence and Jeongguk was trying not to force Taehyung to talk if he didn't want to. He knew how to leave his boyfriend to wonder and think when he needed to.

He took the opportunity to text Jimin and tell the boy his best friend had finally opened up to him and that Jeongguk thought he would be opening up more sometime soon. Jimin seemed incredibly relived for that and thanked Jeongguk a thousand times before he sent a text about how he wasn't supposed to be replying because he was in class.