BLACK ON BLACK | TK

Chapter Seventeen

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"It makes me feel nervous
You have that look in your eye
Oh, what takes over?
What is it that holds you tight?"

Taehyung muttered in annoyance as the rays of the sun fell over his face, waking him from the most beautiful dream he had ever had. He couldn't remember exactly what he had dreamed of but his body felt alive and warm, which was something relatively new to him. In the past, Taehyung usually had to take sleeping pills to have a night of good sleep because his thoughts were always all over the place.

He opened his eyes, trying to get up, but was stopped by a certain weight that was pressed against his body or, rather, one that was pressing him into the couch. His eyes lowered, his cheeks reddening as Jeongguk's face appeared in front of him, the other still sleeping peacefully with his head on his lap.

Taehyung realized that he must've fallen asleep while sorting out his thoughts but, even though his neck ached from the not-so-good position he slept in, Taehyung smiled, deciding that he had slept much better than he had in the past two years. His eyes were still fixed on Jeongguk's face as his hand moved to his hair without him realizing what he was found. He ran his fingers through the strands that fell on his forehead, watching his eyelashes caressed his cheeks, making him look gentler than he usually looked with that intense persona of his. His eyebrows were no longer frowned, which made him look really calm, as he probably felt since he was sleeping so peacefully even if Taehyung was moving his fingers through his hair.

Smiling, he continued to play with the man's hair, but his eyes turned to the tattoo on his neck, a tiger lily that could have been considered so beautiful if Taehyung had not known the purpose of those drawings. The fact that Jeongguk hated soul mates was understandable since his sister had suffered because of her own partner but Taehyung couldn't help but wonder if Jeongguk even knew his partner, if he knew what kind of person they were, if he was sure that the "he" he had once mentioned was not suitable for him.

His fingers stopped, and a heavy breath escaped his lips as he realized something he should have been aware of for a long time, something he thought about last night and something he came to terms with. Jeongguk did not believe in soulmates but he believed in love. Why had Taehyung been so fixated for so long on the idea that true love could only be found in soulmates? He was now aware that Jeongguk has been right all along, that true love wasn't indeed supposed to be sought. It was supposed to come in the most unexpected times and, after the previous night, Taehyung finally accepted that reality.

A small smile spread across his lips and he moved his body slowly, being careful not to wake Jeongguk as he got up to prepare something to eat for the both of them. He glanced back towards the man, his smile widening when he noticed Jeongguk hugging the couch, looking for the warmth of his body. After he made sure the other was still fast asleep, Taehyung called out for the two dogs to feed them, then went down with them to let them walk in the park for a few minutes.

When he returned, Jeongguk was still asleep, so he took the opportunity to change before he started preparing breakfast, listening to his favorite playlist as he walked around the kitchen in search of everything he needed. He was probably too caught up in his own thoughts because he didn't hear Jeongguk get up from the couch or enter the kitchen yawning and ruffling his hair. Taehyung noticed his presence only when Jeongguk sat down at the table, his eyes squinted, which made him look like he was still half asleep.

"I was preparing something to eat." Taehyung explained when Jeongguk frowned towards him, probably wondering what he was doing. "I guess you want to stay for breakfast, right?" He asked, turning sideways to glance at Jeongguk only to notice the man's small smile and his eyes already focused on him.