"Now the sexes were three, and such as I have described them; because the sun, moon, and earth are three;-and the man was originally the child of the sun, the woman of the earth, and the man-woman of the moon, which is made up of sun and earth..."
The sun was slowly going down, the light in the room dimming. The room was coloured with a rich golden hue, and the smell of herbs slowly wafted in. Seokjin must be cooking dinner downstairs. Taehyung got up to switch on a lamp, the space beside me suddenly feeling very empty. I hadn't even noticed it, but at some point, my head had ended up resting on his shoulder. Though being physically close to another person was something so foreign to me - the only exception being hugs and kisses from my family - I wasn't uncomfortable in the slightest.
Taehyung was the friend I never knew I needed, what enlightenment he brought to my life! I wanted nothing more than to enjoy his voice, which was like velvet, rich with the knowledge that I soaked in.
"After the division the two parts of man, each desiring his other half, came together, and throwing their arms about one another, entwined in mutual embraces, longing to grow into one, they were on the point of dying from hunger and self-neglect, because they did not like to do anything apart; and when one of the halves died and the other survived, the survivor sought another mate, man or woman as we call them, being the sections of entire men or women, and clung to that."
"It was like Adam and Eve, and the Fall," he said as he leisurely returned and resumed our previous position. "Zeus split them in half." We were reading Plato's Symposium, having just finished Aristophane's speech in it. "And since then, the women who were split from their half would search for another woman - their other half - to complete them, as did the men."
"Do you believe in this?"
"In what? Greek gods?"
"No, in what Aristophanes said. Do you believe in his version of creation, that every person has a missing half they yearn for? Even if it's two men or two women?" I wondered whether the boys at school even knew about half the things Taehyung had books on, whether they knew that there were other gods and more stories to be read out there. I hadn't, before him.
"I think... love is just what it is. Love is just love. Aristophanes said that finding love is finding wholeness, and Socrates spoke about different kinds of love. Your God said that love is patient, and it is kind. In the book of Corinthians, right?"
He tilted his head slightly, giving me a knowing smile. He must've sensed that I was deep in thought, and he quietly put the book away. The air was still and silent, save for the sound of our breath.
I wondered what love felt like.
I had known love, in the form of my family. Their love was protective and nurturing, like that of a mother bird tending to her young before they were ready to leave the nest. I had known love in the form of my school, and of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I had never known the love of beauty, the love of wisdom, and the love of a friend like Socrates and Diotima had described.
There seemed to be so much more to the universe that I had yet to learn.
☾
It was starting to get dark out, the orange light from the window now wan and grey. Reluctantly, I bid farewell to Taehyung. Seokjin offered to walk me home seeing that I was alone, but I politely denied, not wanting to trouble him.
Hands in my pockets, I exited the house. I took in a deep breath and let the cold night air wrap around me, crickets beginning to chirp incessantly. I heard the scuffling of feet from behind me, and Taehyung was there. He had thrown on a cashmere sweater, the contrast of the shadow casted and the warm light from the streetlamps on his face made him look like he was glowing.
"Let me walk you home, Jungkook."
I had half the mind to turn him down, but I decided against it this time. As we walked, I hurried to find a way to start a conversation. Remembering the cupcakes I had pinched, I managed to blurt out awkwardly, "Would you like a cupcake?"
He looked at me inquisitively yet endearingly. Typically I would find it condescending if a person were to look at me the way he did, as if I was a small child, but I didn't mind when Taehyung did. I fished out the cupcakes which had been sitting abandoned in my satchel and offered one to him, and he sheepishly took a bite. He looked somewhat bashful, and I was crossing my fingers that the cupcake didn't taste awful as I hadn't had a chance to try it before coming over.
"You have such a sweet tooth," he noted with a grin. "Thank you for introducing me to that wonderful bakery, by the way. You ought to properly show me around some time, I've yet to familiarise myself with your town."
"I suppose it's our town now."
"Yes, I suppose so."
☾
this fic doesn't have a specific time period! imagine tae and jk as ur romantic 18th/19th/20th century artists or as ur dreamy modern day indie boys, whichever u see fit <33
aristophane's creation myth in plato's symposium could be seen as satire/comedic but i think it's a pretty story
not going to update for now unless there's interest shown in this fic :( i have the next few chapters already written but it seems like no one is reading this
YOU ARE READING
CHIAROSCURO; TAEKOOK
Fanfiction❝if only I had known then that my life was only just beginning, and it all began with him.❞ a story about light and dark, and the shadows and love found in between. as inspired by herman hesse's demian ; 𝐣𝐣𝐤 + 𝐤𝐭𝐡.
