Still The Same | taekook ✔️

t w e n t y - f o u r

[ excuses ]
0:58 ──♡───────── 3:47
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"You can't drag this on forever."

It was the second time Jimin told him this over the span of a week.

"I've been taking him places and keeping him busy, but he wants to hang out with you, Tae, not me." Jimin shook his head. "This is getting ridiculous. I think he deserves to know."

"He's gonna go back to thinking I'm some kind of monster." Taehyung argued, phone held between his shoulder and ear as he did the dishes.

"If you were here I'd punch you." Jimin answered a-matter-of-factly. "None of us thinks you're a monster."

"I forgot you teach taekwondo now."

"Yes so I can gladly knock some sense into you."

Taehyung allowed the smile that tugged at his lips.

"What did you even tell Jeongguk?"

"That I have work. That I'm taking extra shifts."

"So you're still bad at excuses." Jimin groaned loudly, "This is why I never let you do the talking when we got in trouble back at school."

Taehyung opened his mouth to respond with something snarky, but Jimin cut him off.

"You're taking Jeongguk out tomorrow." He demanded.

"Okay, okay I will." Taehyung said, "I'll ask him tonight."

"I know you want to be cautious. I do too. But it's been a week. Your brother hasn't shown his face at all."

Taehyung made a sound of acknowledgement. "You think he's gone for good?"

"I don't know. At this point your family is just unpredictable." Jimin told him, "But you're gonna go see Jeongguk, and you're gonna explain what's happening before that poor boy starts jumping into conclusions."

Jeongguk was jumping into conclusions.

Sure, he was fine the first fews days spent without Taehyung. But as time went by questions and doubts started eating him up, nibbling away at his fragile heart.

Work, the older kept saying every night they called. He had work. Jeongguk couldn't bring himself to ask why Taehyung would voluntarily do so many extra hours at the same smoothie place.

What did he mean when he said they had all the time in the world? Maybe he just didn't see Jeongguk as his first priority. Maybe when Taehyung said he was willing to wait, he meant that they shouldn't be together right now.

Jeongguk talked to Jimin about this, as he did with everything else that bothered him. He didn't miss the way the older's jaw tightened, his smile not quite reaching his eyes.

"You're overthinking, Gguk." He reached over and tousled his hair. And that was all he had to say.

Jeongguk sat at his usual desk at the back of the tattoo parlor, bottom lip between his teeth as he tried to do his drawings. Yet everything that ended up on paper had something to do with Taehyung. He drew his creamy brown eyes, he drew his large hands, he drew ice cream and more and more  carolina-allspices.

Fuck, he was whipped.

Someone pulled one of his earbuds out and he looked up to face Yoongi.

"Hoseokie's bringing dinner this time." He informed him as he slung an arm around his shoulder. "Working hard I see."

Jeongguk instinctively leaned towards his hyung, welcoming his comforting aura.

"You've been oddly quiet today, bun. Anything troubling you?"

Before Jeongguk could even decide on replying, a screeching sounded from the front door.

"I'm here~" Hoseok singsonged, even doing a little dance for entertainment purposes. The mood shifted, every ounce of negative energy forced out the shop in an instant. They liked to call it Hobi magic.

"You're earlier than I thought you would be. Don't you have work?" Yoongi noted, ushering him to set the food on the table routinely.

"We close earlier on Sundays." Hoseok explained, before leaping towards Jeongguk as Yoongi announced he was going to wash his hands, "How's my favorite adopted child?" He hugged him tight, and the younger loved his vanilla scent.

Jeongguk felt a little better. However, he was very attentive to his words. "So you were there for one of Taehyung's shifts?"

Hoseok looked at him curiously. "You know Taehyung?"

If only you knew...

Jeongguk nodded, settling down on one of the stools.

"Well yeah I was there." Hoseok continued on, handing him wooden chopsticks and snapping his own pair apart. "I dunno what you mean by one of his shifts though. The only shift he has is with me."

Jeongguk felt his stomach drop as he stared at the older. "He only has one shift? So like... he's not working the whole day?" He managed to ask.

"No. Why?"

The younger shook his head and murmured a quick "nothing". His hands balled into fists under the table as he struggled to fight the sudden tears prickling his eyes.

So he was... lied to.

God, this was embarrassing. Jeongguk shut it all out, knowing that if he didn't, the weight of it all would surely crush him. Mind blank, he ate his dinner, said goodbye to his hyungs, walked home, waved at his roommates and made a beeline to his room upstairs, claiming he was tired.

There had to be a valid reason- but in this state, Jeongguk could barely think. Maybe trusting was a mistake.

He didn't feel like answering the call when Taehyung's name showed up on his screen. Instead he put his phone on silent and curled up into a ball beneath his blanket.

That night was a cold one.

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This chapter is twenty four and guess who else is twenty four (korean age) now? Our lil Koo :,)
I don't think I'll ever fully comprehend the sacrifices he had made for us. I hope he's happy as he deserves to be. Always.

I'm shaking with pride
For BTS and for ARMY
Honestly what a blessing to live in the same century as them
My heart is so full right now