𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℙ𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕚𝕤𝕥 | 𝘛𝘢𝘦𝘑𝘰𝘰𝘯

25

That evening, Namjoon and I walked home together, hand in hand and also in silence. I swayed our hands gently, humming to suppress my thoughts. I peered up at Namjoon every so often to decipher his expression, yet every time I was caught.

With a soft chuckle, Namjoon let go of my hand and snaked his arm around my waist and brought my closer. I couldn't help but to smile as his shoulders brushed against mine.

"I see you staring at me baby," He cooed quietly while looking down the road ahead of us, "What's on your mind?"

I blinked, trying to think of what exactly was the source of my unease. Was it Yoongi or Jimin? My discomfort with not having Namjoon as my instructor anymore? All of the reasons I juggled in my mind seemed to be too far fetched, and I gave way into a deep sigh before I shrugged.

"I-I don't know, to be honest... I can't figure out.." I mumbled beneath my breath, barely audible. I focused my gaze toward the sun which rested lazily on the horizon line, trying to hold back tears which threatened to spill.

Namjoon noticed despite my attempts and moved in front of me before engulfing me into a long, deep, and much needed hug. I relaxed in his grasp and allowed the tears at the corners of my eyes to spill. Namjoon ran his hands soothingly about my back, whispering sweet nothings into my ear in hopes of calming me down, and I nuzzled my nose against the nape of his neck.

I definitely had things bothering me, but I couldn't talk about them. Not here, not right now. I just needed more time to think.

As I wriggled out of Namjoon's arms to wipe my eyes and continue walking, I was met with him kneeling down, back facing me. "Come on Tae, hop on," Namjoon looked back at me, his dimpled smile evident against his cheek. Being weak as I was and unwilling to deny such a cute plea, I hopped onto his back and let him carry me the rest of the way home.

Even as I begged for him to let me down in the elevator, he simply refused, and instead clamped his hands tighter against my thighs and bounced around. Even though I knew this was his way of trying to get me to lighten up and laugh, it worked. I wanted to be stubborn and fight it, but I was able to see the silly faces he was making due to the reflective walls of the elevator.

I buried my face into his shoulder, holding back my laughter best I could as he continued to make weird noises and such. Once the door opened, he regained his composure and walked to our door, flicking his hand against the knob and opening it with ease.

With a quick foot to the door, it closed behind us, and Namjoon swept me from his back and onto the couch. I felt the plush material cushion my fall and once I opened my eyes, I was met with Namjoon hopping on top of me alongside his hands trailing about my sides.

"Does somebody need a visit from the tickle monster?" He joked, pulling up the sides of my shirt. I squirmed and tried to get away, not even bothering to hold back the wails of laughter that came out when he blew raspberries onto my stomach.

"N-Namjoon stop it! I-I'm gonna p-pee!!" I squealed, grabbing his arms and squeezing them with as much force as I could through my hard laughter. He reluctantly stopped tickling me and sat up, wiping a tear from his eyes after having cackled too much as well.

"Taehyung," He smiled toward me once he'd finally caught his breath. As I brought myself upright I looked to him, brow raised as I tried to catch my breath. "What?" I choked out between heaves.

"I love you, I love you so much." He cooed, bringing his hands up and letting them find purchase at my waist, "And I want you to know that whenever you're ready to talk, I promise I'll be here to listen."

I nodded and swallowed, careful to not let the overwhelming feeling to collapse take me over. "I know Joonie, a-and I love you too. Everything you do means so much to me..." I breathed, trying to soothe myself as I found myself biting at my lip. I looked up, meeting gazes with Namjoon. His gaze was whole hearted and soft, and I couldn't help but to smile at him. I didn't want him to worry.

"I promise we can talk about it soon," I reached my hands out, taking his cheeks in my palms as I leaned forward, planting a kiss against his plush lips. "For now, just let me take a bath and sort it out."

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{a/n: You all will forever impress me. I can't believe how sweet you are!! I appreciate all comments posted, and don't be afraid to comment on any of my writings! It means the world to me and gives me the inspiration to keep going! <3}