Take Two - Taegi

1 Week Later

Shadows dance among a silver screen of black and blue
And the weight of the world feels like it's catching up with you
A tree dangles over your shoulder but you just see a finger
In a situation like this you know there is no winner
A crash and a bang and the sound of sweet silence
In a situation like this the only way out is violent

A calm softness flushed away any anxieties the boy had previously held. A small hand pressed against his cheek and lightly wiped his forehead clean of sweat.

A calm, if slightly raspy, voice called to him throughout his dream, "Wake up, Tae. I think you're having a nightmare."

His vision blurred between light and dark, the brightness of the room slowly swimming in. Eventually, his eyes opened entirely.

A wet towel sat neatly atop his forehead, a small, pale thumb stroking his cheek. His view floated upwards to the pale man attached to the hand. He watched Taehyung fondly, his pupils growing ever so slightly as Tae's eyes met his.

"Yoongi, right?" Taehyung mumbled through pursed lips, squinting slightly through the windows across from him.

Yoongi jolted upright, removing his hand from the boy's cheek and carefully lifting the towel off of his head. His heart twinged through his chest at Taehyung's devastating words. It screamed, 'How can he not remember me?'

"Yep," he nodded awkwardly, lifting a cup of water from the table beside them and holding it out to the younger boy, not allowing their eyes to meet again, "Thought you might get thirsty."

Taehyung smiled weakly and took the cup from his hyung's hands. It was somehow so much smaller in the larger man's palms. He placed one hand on Yoongi's thigh, an action that almost caused a heart attack for the fragile young man.

"Have you been looking after me every time I sleep?" Taehyung, ever the confident man, found no issue in raising this question with Yoongi.

Yoongi, ever the nervous romantic, scratched the back of his neck for an unnecessary amount of time before finally looking towards Tae again.

Mischievous boy he was, Taehyung had quickly noticed Yoongi-hyung's nervous aura, and decided to take advantage by making unwavering eye contact. Despite having just woken up from a coma a week ago, despite being younger than Yoongi, Taehyung took no time in demonstrating who wore the pants between the two of them.

After stumbling over his words for a few moments, Yoongi finally answered, "I- I do my best."

"Thanks, love," Tae chucked a charismatic wink Yoongi's way, his elder accepting it with rosy cheeks.

There was a moment of utter silence, Taehyung's face slowly dropped and his hands grew fidgety.

"Hey," Tae peered down, his charisma quickly fading as his nerves set in, "This is gonna sound so stupid..."

Min profusely shook his head from side to side, before finally resting his eyes on the man's jawline from the side. Yoongi almost lost himself in the way it outlined Tae's impeccable features, but caught himself.

"Nothing you could say right now would sound stupid," Yoongi reassured in his pacifying tone once again, "I'm here for you."

Taehyung furiously shook his head from one side to the other in an attempt to psych himself up.

"Okay, I'm good," his head finally rested, his eyes focusing intently on his legs so as to block out the rest of the room, "Is my name Taehyung or Tae?"

There was a pause as Taegyung nervously bit his lower lip, "I mean, it might be neither, but that's what people call me so I just assumed... Are you all calling me hyung? There's no way I'm older than all of you..."

Yoongi let out a soft chuckle, "That's what you were so worried about?"

Taehyung looked up at him expectantly and Min finally nodded.

"Your name is Taehyung," he answered, beginning to slouch slightly as he wriggled more comfortably into his seat, "You're actually the second youngest, behind Jungkook."

"Someone said Jungkook?" their honest conversation was interrupted by Jeon sashaying his way through the door, "How's Tae doing?"

"Kookie!" Taehyung smiled brightly, clapping enthusiastically as the maknae entered the room.

"I've never gotten this good of a reception before," Jungkook laughed, "You should've lost your memory yea-"

"Don't finish that sentence," Yoongi swivelled towards Jungkook and glared at him.

"Don't worry!" Taehyung beamed, holding his arms out towards Jungkook with his eyes slightly squinted.

Jeon pounced onto the bed, pushing Tae over.

"I'm sorry I didn't visit yesterday," Kook whined in the ear of the man who was now seemingly his best friend.

"You've visited every day for the past week," the brightness on Tae's face refused to fade, even as Kook let go and stood upright, "You just didn't have time yesterday, I get it. Plus Yoongi has barely left my side."

Yoongi's cheeks flushed once again, ever so slightly, as he attempted to discreetly tuck his bangs behind his ears.

"But there's someone we're forgetting!" Kook flailed his arms towards the door, television presenter style, "In comes the one, the only, Park Jimin!"

Yoongi clapped his hands along happily, attempting to join in on the maknaes' youthful liveliness. Taehyung, however, finally let his face darken, scowling slightly in the direction of the man who once was his best friend.

"Oh, hi," he sighed slightly, not allowing Jimin the time of day, before swiftly turning away with a flick of his mullet.

"I missed you, Taetae," Jimin managed a fake smile, attempting to ignore the uneasy atmosphere that the room now held.

He tiptoed, making his own attempt at gracefully avoiding the minefields that now covered the room.

"So, you're happy to see Jimin, right? I mean you're best friends," Kookie grinded his teeth, joining in on Jimin's tiptoeing, "Maybe you guys should have some quality time together."

Yoongi instantly caught onto Jungkook's plan and began to profusely nod his head.

"You know," he decided to add, "The garden is so pretty here. And Tae is allowed to go for small walks. Why not go for a walk together? Maybe get a snack from a vending machine on the way?"

Taehyung's arms remained folded as they were before, a petty side eye the only attention he would allow the group. He knew their tricks, and he wasn't going to fall for them. Jungkook took notice, and composed a brilliant counterattack.

"It'll give Yoongi a break~" his voice grew higher as the sentence got along, soft and appetising.

This finally caught the attention of the second youngest member. He entirely avoided eye contact with Jimin, who sparkled with anticipation despite the rudeness he'd received, and glared straight at Jungkook.

He released an exasperated exhale, a sign of giving in, "Fine. But only for Yoongi."