Alone (Taekook) ✅

Seventeen

The first half hour of the evening was awkward...to say the least.

Taehyung and Jungkook didn’t even know where to begin in with everything they needed to say to one another. Jungkook fidgeted around, staring at the food in front of him, as Taehyung did the same, neither able to start the proper conversation they needed to.

Finally, Jungkook muttered enough courage. “Thank you...for coming to dinner with me.” Taehyung nodded in return, staring down at his plate of untouched food, simply playing with it, poking it with his chopsticks. Jungkook eventually sighed and set his utensils down, looking at Taehyung who was finding his food very fascinating st that moment. “Taehyung.” He said quietly.

Taehyung eventually let his eyes roam upwards, meeting the eyes of the man across the table from him.

“Y-Yes?” He asked nervously.

“I don’t want you to be nervous around me. Just be yourself. Please.” Taehyung nodded unconvincingly and looked back down at his food.

“O-Okay.”

Jungkook sighed, but knew that that was probably the best he would get. He had to make Taehyung more comfortable around him again.

Jungkook thought back to this morning, when Taehyung had seemed to open up some to him. It had made him extremely happy and relieved that there was still some Taehyung he remembered left in the otherwise almost unrecognizable man.

“You seem to have grown close to Yoongi Hyung.” Jungkook finally commented, leaving the semi question half open to allow Taehyung to share what he wished, even if that meant only a simple agreement to the statement.

“Y-Yeah. He...found me after Jimin had left me alone. And he talked to me and told me some things and—“ Taehyung cut himself off, shaking his head slightly and returning to his stare at the food down on his plate.

“And what of Jimin? He seems kind of down that you aren’t as close to him as he would’ve liked.”

Taehyung shrugged.

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen much of him lately. I’d love to get to know him more, though. I really would. He just seems…”

“Jimin can be stubborn sometimes, but he’ll come around. I think he wanted to be the one who you went to for your troubles, and it seems like Yoongi is now that person…” Jungkook trailed off, biting his bottom lip to try and contain the jealous tone to his words.

He had no right to expect that of Taehyung anymore.

“Yeah.” Taehyung looked up at Jungkook for a moment, before once again averting his eyes, this time to the window they were sitting directly next to. “Yoongi Hyung...understands a little, I guess. What I’m feeling and he’s been helping me to...get better.”

“I’m glad.” Jungkook said. He grabbed onto Taehyung’s hand then, causing the older to jump and whip his head to face Jungkook once more, his eyes wide in surprise. “Tae...I’m sorry for everything that happened to you. And I’m so fucking sorry that I wasn’t there for you at all. I just...I want you to be happy, and I want you to be better, and as much as it hurts me now, I know that I have no right to claim you as mine, I have no right to be jealous over someone else who is more of a help than I will ever be. I just...I just want you to know that I’m here for you. I’ll support you and even if it isn’t in the way I want to, I will stand by you no matter what and I will do anything for you.”

Taehyung started at Jungkook, eyes even wider than before at the small speech the younger had just given him. There was a moment of silence before he hesitantly placed his other hand over Jungkook’s, which were holding one of his.

“I don’t blame you.” He began with a whisper. “I did for a long time, but I’ve come to realize that none of what happened was your fault, and you had no obligation to stay with me, you had dreams of your own to chase. And...thank you. For supporting me, and not demanding anything of me, not pushing me into jumping into something I’m not ready for. Yoongi has told me...that he can only help me so much, that he can’t help me in the way he believes I really need to be helped because he has Hoseok Hyung...but until I am ready to find someone to take his role...thank you for standing aside and not pushing yourself onto me. It means more than you can know.”

Jungkook nodded, squeezing Taehyung’s hand once in a reassuring hold.

“One day, if you find yourself searching for someone, know that I am always here. You never have to feel obligated to choose me, ever. If you find someone else, I will be happy for you, Taehyung, and if you do choose me, I would be the happiest man in the world, but I am content and happy simply knowing that you yourself are happy, even if it isn’t with the idea of a future with me.” He said slowly.

Taehyung nodded, unsure of how to respond.

And Jungkook didn’t force him to, didn’t hold any expectation for him to, so he simply replied with a nod, squeezing Jungkook’s hands slightly back as well.

A small, unspoken promise.

____

I got the strong feels