Dreaming Alone | taekook ✔️

t h i r t e e n

"What're you guys doing here?" Jeongguk spoke feebly, head poked between the door and the door frame.

"I said I'd get you dinner, didn't I?" Taehyung said.

The ravenette blinked. Manners had never been something he valued much, but he found himself muttering a thank you and letting his sudden guests through the door.

Yoongi set the takeout box on the table while Madeline quietly made a beeline for the couch.

"You didn't have to." Every sentence that left Jeongguk's mouth lowered in volume, making it almost impossible for them to hear.

"Well you do need to eat." Yoongi replied, seated close enough to pick up on the boy's words.

Taehyung's fingers tapped on the table before he pushed himself back, nudging his head at the door. "Lemme steal some snacks from my brother's stash. I'll be back."

Jeongguk's gaze loitered on the box of food, guilt present in the way he balled his hands into fists and hung his head lower.

"I... I don't know if I remember your names." He revealed shamefully. "Y-yoongi?"

"Yeah." The pale skinned boy put forward a meek smile.

"And... Madison?"

"Madeline."

"Oh."

Seeing the everlasting hesitation in Jeongguk's movements, Yoongi decided to open the box for the ravenette, passing him a plastic fork. "Eat. I bet you're hungry."

"Thank you." Jeongguk took his first bite.

He really didn't plan on eating that night, not wanting to risk any more situations where he'd teeter over the edge of a waterfall, where the urge to cry became too persistent to ignore. And it seemed as though his body had already come to terms with his starving-through-the-night decision, because he swore his taste buds exploded, unprepared for the savoriness.

"You had Tae worried today." Yoongi aimed at the ravenette.

Jeongguk looked at the older with innocent eyes. "I did..?"

"Mhm." The older said, "He's protective over people who are younger than him. It's a Kim thing. You haven't seen the hours he spends at the Children's Center with his mom."

Back in Taehyung's cabin, Ahnjong was thinking the same thing when her son bursted through the door. "I didn't see you at the Children's Center today."

Taehyung made it halfway up the stairs before he looked back at his mother. "I was hanging out with Jeongguk."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." The brunette said, "His dad kinda came over and set us up yesterday. I haven't seen his mom around though."

Ahnjong raised an eyebrow. "You mean his aunt."

"Hm?"

"EunKyung is his aunt, not his mom."

"Oh." Taehyung said, mouth hung open.

"Very lovely woman. I had a little talk with her before she left." Ahnjong continued, placing her phone down on the coffee table. "She wants us to look out for her nephew."

"Oh." Taehyung echoed.

A moment of silence sat between the mother and son before Ahnjong changed the topic. "Lemme guess. You're about to steal from your brother."

Taehyung grinned. "Am I?" He tapped a finger against his chin mischievously.

Ahnjong snorted, grabbing her phone again. "I won't snitch unless he asks."

"Thank you."

It didn't take him long.

"I have those Scooby-Doo biscuits." Taehyung announced when he entered through the door again. "And skittles."

Yoongi faked a gasp. "Jinnie's gonna kill you if he finds out you took from his skittles stash."

"And do we care?" The brunette singsonged.

"Nope." Madeline cracked a smile.

As darkness pooled into the night sky, Jeongguk studied the way Taehyung and his two friends interacted with each other, their closeness and their genuine fondness of each other's company. He wondered if he was capable of having that.

Jeongguk wondered if it was too late to close the space, or break down a fraction of the wall between them.

These people who were willing to go out of their way to feed him. It didn't sound like a lot, but it meant a lot.

"I'm sorry a-about stepping on you that night." He blurted as the trio started heading out the door.

Madeline looked over her shoulder and Jeongguk felt himself shrink in size. She stared blankly at the boy, giving no reaction before walking out. And it felt like a well-deserved punch to the gut.

Taehyung gave him a pitiful look, hand on the knob. "Give her time." He whispered, "Sleep well, Bambi."

He surely wouldn't be able to.

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i had a hard time deciding if i'm satisfied with this chapter but decided it's probably just me overthinking so here lmao

also i've never had scooby-doo biscuits