Hunger (Taekook)

Chapter Five- Spoonfuls of Ramen

"Tell me what you need, oh, you look so free
The way you use your body, baby, come on and work it for me
Don't let it get you down, you're the best thing I've seen
We never found the answer but we knew one thing
We all have a hunger"

I woke up in my own bed, surrounded by a bundle of blankets. I shivered as I buried myself even deeper into the mattress, blocking out the light that shined through the windows.

My eyes opened slowly when I heard a few soft knocks on my door. The door opened gently and I poked my head out from underneath the covers to see a tired-looking Jungkook, tray in hand.

"Hey Tae. I brought some ramen for you to eat."

I shook my head. "I'm not hungry." At that, my stomach decided it was the perfect time for it to growl loudly, making Jungkook tilt his head to the side.

"I think you are. Just please, even if it's just a few small bites, I would love it if you could eat something."

I frowned even more and swallowed the lump in my throat. "Please don't make me eat."

He sat at the foot of my bed after setting the tray of food on the nightstand. "I worked hard on it. I woke up at like 4:30 this morning to get started on the broth to make sure it was nice and flavorful. Seokjin-hyung helped me too once he woke up."

I saw the sparkle in his eyes, which had slightly dimmed as I continued to turn him down. His small smile faded as he nodded, taking my silence as a no.

"I will, uh, leave the tray here for you in case you choose to eat when I'm not here. I haven't showered or eaten yet, so I should go do that. Take it easy."

I watched as he left my room, his shoulders slouching slightly. He shut the door behind himself, leaving me alone.

I glanced at the bowl of ramen on the table next to me, the blissful aroma filling my nostrils. With a weak hand, I grabbed the bowl and the pair of chopsticks, bringing it closer to my nose, smiling slightly as the smell was stronger, sending signals to my stomach to make it growl even louder.

I took in a sharp breath, gripping the chopsticks and sticking them into the ramen.

•••••

"I'm here! I'm sorry I'm late." I huffed out as I threw my bag against the wall, getting into formation, not wanting to waste anymore time.

"It's okay, Jungkook-ssi. Let's just run the dance again. I know that it will be difficult without our seventh member, but we must look past his absence and do what we can."

So we ran through the dance numerous times, until all of us were breathing heavily, barely able to stand anymore.

"Ten minute break!" The choreographer announced, making all of us sigh in gratitude.

I immediately went to my bag and sat down next to it, pulling my phone out of the side pocket.

I smiled as I saw Taehyung's name lighting up my phone screen. I wasted no time in calling him back.

"H-Hello?" His voice sounded rough, as if he had just woken up.

"Hey Tae, are you okay? Why did you call? I'm sorry I couldn't answer, we're just now having a break at practice."

"Oh shit! I need to be there! I'm on my way." I could hear him scrambling, but I immediately shouted to stop him.

"No!" I noticed my hyungs eyeing me strangely, making me stand up and exit the room, searching for privacy in my studio. "You need to rest. We are doing okay here. Sure, we miss you, but if you're to come back to us, you need to get yourself better and stronger first."

Taehyung huffed on the other line. "Fine." I heard him settle back down, probably laying down on his bed.

"So, why did you call, Taehyungie?" I calmed my voice down so it was back to a more soothing tone.

He sighed. "I, uh, well...."

I heard the choreographer shout for us to be ready in five minutes, making me scowl. "Tae, please tell me what's up."

"I just wanted to say thank you for the ramen. It was actually delicious."

I was shocked. "You ate it?"

I could imagine Taehyung nodding and smiling. "The whole damn thing, it was so tasty."

"I'm so proud of you, Taehyungie." I genuinely was. I know how hard it must've been for him. "Do you feel, um, okay, you know, after eating so much?"

Silence.

The silence made me worried, my teeth finding my bottom lip and gnawing on the tissue. My legs were bouncing up and down, sweat glistening my skin.

"Well, that was the other thing." His voice sounded even more rough, making my heartbeat quicken.

"What is it?"

"I threw up after having about half of it, but I at least felt guilty afterwards and went to finish the rest. The second time I kept it all down."

I sighed in slight relief. "Oh my God, Taehyung I'm so proud of you. You seriously have no idea how much you just made my entire day significantly better."

He giggled on the other line, the sound of sheets moving around him as he moved underneath them. "And it made my whole day to have you feel so proud of me. I can hear it in your voice how happy you are. God, I love you Kookie, thank you." His voice stopped suddenly after that as he took a shakey breath.

I chuckled. "I'll see you when I have the chance to get back to the dorms. I love you too, Tae. Keep up the good work."

•••••

Taehyung POV

He chuckled, a beautiful sound that made me smile even wider. "I'll see you when I have the chance to get back to the dorms. I love you too, Tae. Keep up the good work."

The phone beeped, indicating that he hung up the phone. I smiled at his contact picture, one of him in a yellow bunny jumpsuit with a bright smile on his face. That smile was one of my favorite parts about him. He wouldn't be Jungkook without his bunny smile.

I love you too Tae.

His words continued to echo in my mind, the smile growing even bigger on my face.

"If only you knew the love I feel for you, Jungkookie. And if only you felt the same way that I do."

••••

The contact picture on Tae's phone of Kookie😍

ALSO HAPPY BIRTHDAY TAEHYUNGIE. 🎉🎉🎉💜💜
THANK YOU FOR EXISTING AND IM SORRY FOR ALWAYS MAKING YOUR CHARACTERS GO THROUGH HELL ITS NOTHING AGAINST YOU.