Enraptured || taekook ✔️

Chapter 43

"Finally! It was about time you noticed, Taehyung!"
A certain redhead clapped his hands excitedly, sitting by the same fireplace as yesterday, the fire already extinct as it was currently fresh morning.
"So, you really, really like him?," he teased.

His brunette friend nodded his head slightly, blushing out of embarrassment.
"I don't know how it happened. He just-- he has a way. He's just... so sweet. Normally, I would find it overly sappy and annoying but I don't know, he's different. He seems so sincere. And I really, really trust him."

Hoseok 'aww'ed, throwing an arm around the still embarrassed boy's shoulder.
"I'm so happy for you, my child. You guys are meant to be, I swear. Me and Jiminie, we were destined to be alone. Isn't that right, Jiminie?," he asked lightly.

Jimin, who felt his heart crack in that very moment, nodded, trying not to show how defeated he was feeling right now.
"Damn right we are." He laughed slightly.
"But still, be careful. What if he turns out to be a shit boyfriend?," he asked.

Well, what he actually wanted to say was: "I fucking hate Jeon Jungkook and I love you like crazy. Please don't fall in love with that asshole."
But obviously, he couldn't.

He tried to imagine the two of them in a relationship with each other, only to feel his heart crack even more at the imagination.

If Taehyung actually ended up with the other boy, he might actually go insane. How long until he finally poured out all his secrets and emotions and ruined his friendship with the beautiful brunette? And Hoseok too, he would be so disappointed...

For now, he just tried to shake off the suffocating thoughts.

"I don't think he'd be a shit boyfriend at all," Taehyung confessed, cheeks bright red and tiny giggles leaving his mouth every now and then.
"He's like, super cute. And cheesy, in a cute way. He has a sense of vulnerability and he isn't afraid of facing his fears which I find really great about him, he just isn't afraid to be himself and he has the right amount of confidence."

Great. He has everything that I don't, Jimin thought, biting his lower lip in frustration as he kept listening.

"He's just my friend but he already treats me like a prince. He says so many sweet things to me but he's definetely not too much of a sap, he can be really funny too. And cheeky. I think... he's always gonna catch me when I fall. I can rely on him," the brunette continued dreamily, recalling all the times Jungkook had saved him from his own clumsiness.

You can rely on me too, Taehyung..., the silverhead thought to himself, nodding slowly with a slight smile on his face, a fake one.

"That is absolutely adorable," Hoseok squealed, smiling endearingly.
"You two have a connection, I swear. It's like you're soulmates."

"But I was supposed to be your soulmate," Jimin grumbled quietly, slapping himself internally for butting in like that.
What if they would suspect something soon?

But much to his relief, Taehyung just laughed heartily and patted his shoulder gently.
"You are. We're platonic soulmates, but who knows? Maybe he's my non-platonic soulmate, my meant-to-be." He giggled cutely, unintentionally cracking Jimin's heart even more.

"You fell for him quickly, huh? I swear, only a few weeks ago you wouldn't shut up about how annoying he is," the redhead spoke cheekily.
"That's because I was flustered. I basically forced myself to hate him because I was still affected by the past. But these times are over now."

"Are you sure you're gonna be fine with another relationship?," Jimin asked concerned. A part of him wanted Taehyung to say 'Yes' since that would mean he was feeling safe enough to move on with his next relationship but the other part, the selfish part hoped for him to say 'No'.

Why?

Maybe it was because the silverhead wanted him to himself. Though he knew it was stupid and he should be the one actually moving on.

To his relief, and at the same time, dismay, Taehyung nodded with a smile.
"Being caught up in the past is stupid. I'm done with being afraid and insecure, I wanna find my true love and I think I'm pretty damn close. Oh god, that was cheesy, wasn't it?," he whined.

Hoseok hugged him happily.
"Yay! I was waiting for this, oh my god. So, do you plan on confessing to him?" For a moment, the brunette looked like he was deep in thought before he finally came to a conclusion.

"Not yet. Not because I'm afraid, I would gladly confess to him but... finals are soon! My grades are almost dropping and I need good results so now is the time to start cramming. No time for a boyfriend yet." He sighed, feeling anxiety bubble up his stomach as he saw the exam papers in his mind already.

"Oh, that makes sense. We'll just wait until after finals. But don't overwork yourself, Taehyungie. You know what happened last year. You barely slept and did nothing but study, you almost fainted once! We were so scared for you, promise me you'll take care of your health!," the redhead begged, lips formed into a pout and his eyes full of worry.

"No promises. But I'll try," the brunette answered quietly, sounding a bit uncertain.

"We'll be keeping an eye on you," Hoseok warned.
"Yes, Hyung," the youngest mewled, slightly rolling his eyes.
And although the oldest of the three looked quite satisfied, Jimin didn't feel anywhere close to it.

"No, Taehyung. You have to actually promise, I will not see you like that again, giving yourself a hard time and barely sleeping or resting. Give me a pinky promise," he ordered, sticking out his pinky and looking at Taehyung demandingly.

"Fine, I'll really try," the other mumbled, intertwining his much longer pinky with Jimin's, the silver-haired boy's heart fluttering at that.
And when their promise was sealed and Taehyung pulled his hand back, said silver-haired boy could not take his eyes off his friend's pretty hand, having the utmost urge to hold it or press many, many kisses on it.

"Give me one too!," Hoseok demanded, definetely not missing the way Jimin raked his eyes over the brunette's hand continuously, not once ripping his gaze off it.

What's wrong with him? Why's he always staring at Taehyung so intensively?, he asked himself while fulfilling his awaited pinky promise with the aforementioned brunette, deciding not to say anything.

Oh my god. Is he jealous? Of Taehyung?

Does he think Tae's better-looking than him and is he uncomfortable around him because of that? Oh no, I hope that isn't it.

Or maybe... Maybe he likes Jungkook too and just pretends to hate him? And he keeps staring at Tae because he has an inferiority complex towards him? Oh my god, what if that's it?! Shit, no way!

Not realizing how off he actually was with that thought, Hoseok sealed his pinky promise with Taehyung and decided to, once again, keep a closer eye on the silver-haired boy.

Taehyung on the other hand kept thinking of the upcoming exams. They just wouldn't leave his head, like some sort of crazy infatuation.

It happened every year, but this year more than ever. He was growing up more and more, next year would be his senior year and now it was time to get more serious.

He sighed, feeling goosebumps run over every single inch of his skin. Imperfection was one of his biggest fears, the feeling of disappointing his family, friends and most importantly, himself shutting him down more than anything.

Was he going to be fine? He really hoped so.

"Ohh, the bus is coming! Let's line up, guys!"

Forgetting his worries for a moment, the brunette just smiled and grabbed his suitcase, the unsettling feeling still not going anywhere.

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(A/N: yoo this is just a filler kinda thing but i'll be doing a small time skip next chapter uwu

also, a classmate of mine has corona so i'm quarantined with the rest of my class for a while djdksjds istg this shit scary af

as always, thank you for reading uwu💜)