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2020. kth - 23. jjk - 18.
Things had been slow the past two days.
Taehyung had tried multiple times going over to his neighbour in hopes of talking about why Jeongguk had run out the other day, but he was never home.
Naturally, Taehyung was pretty worried about the younger. He had asked around town if anyone had seen the ravenette, even approaching a few hooded men that he thought Jeongguk might be acquainted with. But no one knew anything.
So, while being up at midnight, Taehyung shot up from his bed when he saw a figure opening the gate to the Jeon residence. Taehyung raced down the steps, bolting through his front door and out onto the porch.
"Jeongguk!" He called out, watching as the figure turned around to face him. Not clearly being able to see him, Taehyung hopped over the fence and walked up closely to the other. "Jeongguk?"
The brunette raised one of his hands and brushed the long raven locks out of the younger's face, revealing the dark empty ebony orbs and face tattoo he had hidden underneath. Jeongguk slightly winced, which made the older spot the purple bruise that decorated his eye.
Things were still unclear in the darkness, but Taehyung swore that Jeongguk had a busted lip and another bruise on his left cheek.
"What happened...?" The older asked softly, the breeze making Jeongguk's locks bounce where they were still tangled around Taehyung's lean fingers. The male lowered his hand, now running his thumb over the purple bruise.
Jeongguk closed his eyes for a few seconds, mind melting at the older's soothing touch. But when he opened them again, his expression was back to being stoic, blank.
"Nothing." Jeongguk's hand wrapped around Taehyung's wrist, forcing him to lower it from his face. "Go home, Taehyung."
The older's eyes widened, gut wrenching at how coldly the other had spoken his name. His name. Jeongguk has barely ever said his name, especially not in that way.
The ravenette turned away and continued to walk towards the entrance of his house, Taehyung noticing the rough limp in his steps.
"Just let me help you, Kook—" He swallowed the nickname, it was pricking his tongue. The man in front of him was not his little Kookie, and it felt wrong to call him that. Jeongguk ignored him, continuing to limp away until he made it to the door and slipped inside.
Taehyung dropped his head, letting it hang low. Frustration tore open his mind as he gritted his teeth. It was impossible to talk to the younger, and he was beginning to understand how everyone had given up on him so easily.
After taking a deep inhale and exhale, Taehyung let his mind clear before making his way back to his house. He's not going to give up so easily.
⛓️ ⛓️ ⛓️
The next night, Taehyung spotted Jeongguk laying out in his backyard, body sprawled across the grass. The brunette didn't hesitate to walk down into his own garden, ambling towards the fence and leaning his head over it, chin resting on his arms.
"Hey there," He speaks out, seeing Jeongguk open his eyes to meet his own. "Can I join?" The other boy didn't reply, so Taehyung simply jumped the fence and lay himself right next to the teen.
The two of them didn't speak for a while, eyes cast up to examine the twinkling stars that adorned the night sky.
"Wanna know something?" Jeongguk suddenly says, out of the blue. Taehyung turns his head to face him, but the younger is still staring up to the above.
"What?" Taehyung responded in such a soft voice, treating this moment with such care as if it could break if he were to speak too loud. Jeongguk's onyx eyes sparkled, reflecting the actions of the stars.
"All those years, those years of you taking care of me. Those years of you carrying me on your back. Those years of always paying for my meals. Those years when you called me your little Kookie." Taehyung listened attentively, but he couldn't help but wonder where Jeongguk was going with this. Meanwhile, the other let out a small amused chuckle. "All those years where you pat me on the head and called me your little brother..."
Jeongguk turned his head to face Taehyung.
"All those years I was so hopelessly in love with you."
⛓️ ⛓️ ⛓️
2014. kth - 17. jjk - 12.
"Hyungie?" Taehyung turned to look down at the young boy who was hugging his pillow, pyjama swallowing his small frame with little bunny slippers covering his feet. "I can't sleep." The older smiled and patted the empty place next to him on his bed. He was currently doing some reading for tomorrow's class, but he could still keep the boy company.
Jeongguk slipped onto the sheet next to him, curling into a small ball while gripping his pillow in his arms, but his eyes remained open.
"You need to sleep, Kookie." Taehyung said when noticing the other wasn't resting. The ravenette gazed up at him with his big bambi eyes, life sparkling behind his onyx orbs when looking at the older.
"Hyungie... Have you... D-Do you have a girlfriend?" The boy shyly asks, pushing his pillow up to cover his glowing cheeks. Taehyung smiled at the other's shy mannerisms.
"No, I'm not dating anyone. And I like boys, Kookie." Jeongguk's eyes widened at that, a small cheeky smile growing on his lips. "Now sleep." The boy nodded, then he wrapped his hands around one of Taehyung's arms and buried his face into his side.
⛓️ ⛓️ ⛓️
2020. kth - 23. jjk - 18.
Taehyung stared at the other in complete shock, but Jeongguk had already turned his head back to look at the stars.
"You haven't changed a bit, still as oblivious as ever." The younger sighed, closing his eyes. "You're still the same, Hyung. But even you can't get my heart beating anymore." He uttered out softly, letting his words be caught in the wind and drift away.
The silence overtook them again.
Taehyung, still in shock.
He was trying to process everything.
Sure Jeongguk had been clingy when they were younger, but didn't that just have to do something with his age? Didn't it...? Wasn't Taehyung just his Hyung?
Weren't they brothers?
When looking back at it, the brunette comes to realise that not only had Jeongguk's behaviour changed. But the way how Taehyung cared for Kookie, is a little different from how he now cared for Jeongguk.
