11.

Jimin P.O.V

Jungkook startled me by suddenly snapping his fingers in front of my face. I jumped a little in my seat, but was internally thanking him.

"Huh? What happened?" I asked, wiping the slight tears, which had formed in my eyes, away.

"You were just staring at that poster, completely ignoring the drama taking place here," Jungkook said.

"What drama did I miss?" I asked, looking at Jungkook, then at Hobi, then back again at Jungkook, praying for him to drop the topic.

"Apparently, I look like a fish when I'm drinking from a straw," Hobi said, before Jungkook could say anything.

"Well, it's true; you do look like a fish." I deadpanned. Jungkook suddenly burst into laughter, hitting the table.

"Woah, woah! Muscle boy! You're shaking the table." Hobi held Jungkook's hands, preventing it from spilling the rest of my drink.

Jungkook looked up to see the mess he had caused. "Oops," he said, grinning.

-

We all got out of the cafe, at around 7:40 P.M. The place was literally deserted, and gave off an eerie vibe.

"So, you just go straight ahead from here and you'll reach the dorms," Hobi said.

"You must've taken the wrong turn a while back. Everyone gets confused with that turn," I said, chuckling.

"Ah, yeah. Lisa warned me about it, but I missed it," Jungkook said, scratching his head.

"Oh, you know Lisa?" Hobi asked, a little surprised.

"Yeah. I'm kinda friends with her and Rosé," Jungkook replied. "How do you know her?"

"She's an excellent dancer. She's a major in dance and I see a lot of talent in her. She's a part of a dance program I'm leading."

"Yeah, she dances amazingly." I added, hearing Lisa's name.

The words Jungkook spoke replayed in my mind.

"—friends with her and Rosé."

Rosé.

Oh, no.

"Wait. You said you're friends with Rosé too. Do you know Jennie then, by any chance?" I asked, hoping he would deny it.

"As a matter of fact, I do," Jungkook replied back after a few seconds. His face seemed distant.

"Oh, God," I said, sweeping my hair back.

Jennie can be a bit rude with strangers. And sometimes, she ends up saying things she regrets later.

"Ah, I see that you met Jimin's girlfriend." Hobi smirked.

"Wait, what? Girlfriend? So it was you!?" Jungkook said, looking at me. . . accusingly?

"What do you mean me? Did Jennie do something again?" I asked urgently.

'For Gods' sake, what did she do this time?!'

I heard him mutter something. "What was that?" I asked sharply.

"Nothing," Jungkook responded, a ghost of a smile visible on his face.

'Jennie did something for sure. I need to find out what it was.'

I stared at Jungkook with suspicion.

"Let's get going now," Hobi said, leading the way.

-

"Oh, you guys are roommates?" Jungkook asked, his forehead slightly creased.

"No, we're not roommates, but our dorm rooms are on the same floor."

"Okay, then. Goodnight, guys, and thanks for the drinks," Jungkook said, smiling like a bunny. I cooed internally.

"Wait, which floor are you on?"

"Uh, I'm on the fourth floor, near the fire exit."

"I see. Goodnight, Kookie." Hobi suddenly hugged Jungkook. He seemed startled and looked at my laughing figure.

Hobi is a somewhat clingy person, and isn't afraid to show affection to those who he cares about. Seems like Jungkook quickly became a part of the list.

Jungkook weakly hugged back, and Hobi pulled away, saying goodbye once again. Jungkook grinned and went up the stairs, out of our sight.

I also went up to my dorm room, not before wishing Hobi a goodnight. I opened the door, and found Tae still under the blanket, turned to the other side.

I furrowed my eyebrows, and went up to him, poking his shoulders. When he didn't budge, I smirked and rubbed my palms together.

I quickly got on top of him, and started tickling him.

He groaned, and moved a bit. I continued to tickle him, while giggling. There was a sudden shift in movement, and next thing I know, I was pinned down on the bed.

I looked up at Taehyung, no longer smiling, and rather intimidated by his stoic face.

He suddenly let out a goofy grin, yelled out, "UNO REVERSE CARD!", and started tickling me.

"Ah, Tae, stop tickling me!" I managed to say in between my loud laughs.

"You started it, you brat," he said, laughing with me, but eventually getting off of me, only to lie down on the bed again.

It took me a few minutes to calm down, and I finally looked to my side, to see Tae looking up at the ceiling, lost in thought. "Hey, are you feeling better now?" I asked, in a gentle tone.

It took him a good two minutes to respond.

"Yeah, I guess. Those little dots that were dancing in front of my eyes all day are gone now at least," he said, sighing.

"That's good. Did you eat something, though?"

"No, I haven't gotten out of bed since you left. And that reminds me, weren't you supposed to come back early and take care of me?" He asked, with a playful smirk.

"Oh, yeah, I was going to, but Hobi and I made a new friend," I said, smiling.

"Oh? Who is it?" He asked, tilting his head at me.

"You won't know him. He's new here actually. I'll introduce you guys to each other on Monday," I said, slowly getting off the bed.

He hummed, and was gonna settle into bed again, when I tried tugging the blanket off of him, but he held it tightly.

"You know, you should get out more often. Get yourself a girl, and have fun," I said.

"Girls don't interest me. . ." he mumbled, but my sharp ears caught that.

"Oh, then do boys interest you?" I asked in a teasing tone.

"Oh, shut up." He threw his pillow at me.

I dodged, and said, "You didn't deny it," in a singsong way.

When I saw Taehyung picking up another pillow to throw my way, I ran towards the washroom laughing.

"You'd better be out of bed before I get out of the washroom young man," I said, taking my towel in.

"Yes, mom!" He shouted, and I could feel him rolling his eyes.

I chuckled, and entered deciding to take a relaxed shower.

***

Taehyung P.O.V

"You'd better be out of bed before I get out of the washroom young man,"

Jimin said, before entering the bathroom.

Sometimes I wonder what I did to deserve an angel like Jimin; he's sweet, he's kind, he's super caring, he's smart, he's an amazing dancer and he's a brilliant best friend.

My best friend.

I have known him since middle school, and we've stuck with each other ever since.

He made sure I was never sad or lonely. We did everything together, that is, until he met Jennie.

He would still spend time with me, but there was a difference.

'But it doesn't matter,'  I thought, reassuring myself, 'I still treasure him as the second best thing in my life, and I'm sure he does too.'

"Yes, mom!" I yelled out rolling my eyes, but faltered at the end.

'Mom. . .'

I looked down at my hands, under the blanket, which were tightly gripping a photo.

A photo of my family.

Mom was smiling at the camera, carrying a chubby, five-year-old me in her arms. My dad had wrapped his arms protectively around me and my mom.

This was the last photo we had taken together.

The last photo before the dreadful accident.

I was sitting on the doorstep of our house, holding a drawing I had made in school.

It was a drawing of our family. My teacher had given me three golden stars for this drawing, and I was really proud of it.

"Grandma, where are Mom and Dad? When are they coming home? I want to show them this drawing," I whined to my Grandmother who was sitting on her rocker chair.

"They'll be here soon, don't worry," she had told me, although there was a look of concern on her face.

I hummed and sat down again, staring into the distance where my mom and dad would usually appear when they return home.

The sun had set, yet they hadn't returned. I was about to get up and go inside when a car came into the view.

The car slowly halted in front of my house and a policeman stepped out. He looked at a piece of paper in his hands and walked inside the house, completely ignoring me.

I just stared after him, still clutching my drawing.

I slowly followed him, and heard him conversing with my grandma. "—hit by a drunk truck driver. The car is completely damaged. The man has passed away due to excess loss of blood. The woman is in a critical condition and has been taken to the nearest hospital."

'He wasn't talking about my parents. . . was he?'

"We'll go there right away. Thank you for informing me, officer," Grandma said, wrapping a scarf around her neck. The policeman bowed and walked out of the house.

-

Continuous beeping. Doctors and nurses rushing around. The strong smell of antiseptics.

My grandma squeezed my hand reassuringly. "She'll be alright. She's a strong woman," she had told me.

I gullibly believed her.

The nurses were smiling widely at us. I took it as a sign that mother was better now.

'Everything will be alright.'

-

'Everything will not be alright.'

The nurses were frantically pumping her chest. A machine beside Mom was emitting a loud beep which never seemed to end.

A nurse ran past me and came back dragging a doctor along with her. She rudely ushered me out of the room and slammed the door shut on my face.

A red light lit up above the door.

-

The eerie red light suddenly switched off.

The door opened and the doctor walked out with his head down. The nurses followed him out of the room, their head's bent down too.

Grandma stood up slowly with a loud shaky sigh.

I squeezed myself inside the room.

Mom was on the bed, many wires attached to her body. Her body was showing absolutely no movement. Her eyes were closed and her face looked peaceful, as if in slumber.

Deep slumber.

I slowly walked towards her still figure.

"Eomma?" I whispered.

No movement.

'No. . . it can't be. She wouldn't leave me like this.'

"Eomma?" I asked a little bit loudly.

Still no movement.

'Would she?'

A tiny, voice at the back of my head muttered a small, disbelieving yes.

"EOMMA!" I shouted, tears falling down my eyes. I ran and hugged her tightly, while still crying.

Her right hand suddenly fell limp beside her body. I sat down beside her and gently held her hand, encompassing it in my own shaky hand.

I kept squeezing it slightly, while muttering, "Come back. I'm missing you, please come back. I have something to show you, please wake up."

Before I could hug her again, I felt someone pull me back.

"No, leave me alone with my mother!" I screamed, struggling against my grandma's grasp.

The tears wouldn't stop flowing.

A drop of water fell on the picture I was holding, which made me realise that I was crying.

"Taehyung!"

I heard the bathroom's door opening. I quickly wiped my tears away and tried hiding the picture away.

A half naked Jimin walked out of the bathroom, shampoo covering his ash grey hair.

"Y-yes?" I cleared my throat and responded.

"I just realised what today was," he said, slowly, staring at my face.

"Really? What is it? Ten days before your birthday?" I asked, forcing a smile in his direction.

Jimin walked towards me and pointed sadly at the picture I had failed to hide.

I stared at the picture, as I felt my eyes moistening.

Suddenly I felt Jimin's wet body hugging my own. I tried pushing him away.

"Your body is covered with soap, go away," I said, failing to hide my sobs.

He just hugged me tighter, patting my head reassuringly. I gave up resisting and hugged him back tightly, crying my heart out.

Jimin just kept patting my head while whispering comforting words into my ears.

"I'm here Tae, I'm here."

***

Jimin P.O.V

I went back into the bathroom to complete my shower, after Tae pushed me away fifteen minutes later, saying that the shampoo will dry up on my hair and spoil it.

I don't know how I forgot his parents' death anniversary.

Maybe that's why he was under the blanket all day.

Tae is like a little baby. He won't ever admit it, but he's just a little kid who is craving love and attention, and I understand that.

He grew up with only his grandmother. He must have never got the real love of parents. Or at least, love he could remember properly.

But it doesn't matter now, because I'm there for him. I won't ever make him feel lonely.

I quickly washed my hair and got out of the bathroom, dressed comfortably. I saw Tae sitting in his bed, staring at his phone with his puffy and swollen eyes.

That boy needed a good cry.

I went up to the mini fridge and removed the leftover mac and cheese. I heated it up and set it out on the table, bringing some cold drinks out too.

"Tae, the food's ready, come on."

Tae silently got up and took a seat at the table. I followed and we started eating. No one spoke anything, but I didn't mind.

He needed time to himself.

I slowly pushed his favourite cold drink in his direction which earned me a small smile from him. I smiled back and continued eating.

"So, how was your day?" He asked, sipping the drink. Looks like he didn't want to talk about what happened earlier.

I played along. "It was good. Jen and I didn't fight today."

"Wow, that's surprising," Tae said, quirking an eyebrow. I rolled my eyes.

"Not that surprising okay? Shut up." I pushed him playfully. He chuckled and got up, as he had finished his portion of the macaroni.

I, however, was in deep thought.

Jennie and I have an interesting relationship. Some would call it toxic, but I don't think it is. She's insecure; everyone can see that, no matter how much she tries to hide it.

She has always been insecure, but that doesn't affect me, because I do nothing to hurt her. I do nothing wrong, at least intentionally.

Her insecurity has been worse ever since I came out as being bi. She claims that I flirt with everyone, but that's just the way I talk with people.

We do have our own share of fights, like every couple out there.

It's normal, isn't it?

It's just that we disagree on a few things, but we compromise on our personal wants for the better of our relationship. We patch up quick and become closer than before.

Our relationship was initially based on physical attraction, but I feel as if that's slowly changing. We are communicating with each other about ourselves.

I often find myself smiling when I'm thinking about her. Thinking about her, and her little cute habits and features.

She's cute. Until she becomes angry. She becomes hot then.

"Stop smiling like a maniac, you look scary," Tae said, slapping my head slightly. I laughed and got up from the table. "Why are you even smiling like that?"

". . .I'm thinking about someone," I said smiling again.

"Jennie?" He asked and made a barfing action when I nodded my head. "You disgust me."

"Oh, don't worry, Tae. There will come a time when you'll be like me, and think about a special someone and smile for no reason. It's called love."

I patted his head, leaving him dumbfounded.

"Y-yeah, whatever, lovebird," he said, after a good ten seconds.

I just chuckled, and finished my drink, slowly getting up, and walking over to the sink. Tae came forward to help me with the dishes.

"Hey, I'll clean up over here! Just wash up and head to bed," I said, smiling.

"Oh? Well, thank you, Chim," Tae said, handing his plate over to me, and walking into the washroom.

I finished cleaning the dishes, and clearing our table in about five minutes, and walked over to my bed, laying on it with a sigh.

Tae got out a couple minutes later, and walked over to his side of the room, with a tired look on his face.

I smiled sadly, feeling guilty all of a sudden, for not spending my day with him, especially when he needed me the most.

"Chim," I heard Tae call out my name. I got up, and looked at him.

"You don't need to feel bad you know? It's not your fault. It just slipped your mind, but you still remembered in the end, and that's what matters," he said, with a small smile on his face, trying to console me.

I chuckled, and looked down at my hands.

"You always know what I'm thinking about, huh?" I asked, still looking down. I saw someone kneel down in front of me, and looked up to see Tae.

"Of course I do. You're my soulmate. I know what you're thinking of, and feeling even if you don't verbally tell me." He ruffled my hair slightly.

"Yeah, that's true," I said, after a few seconds.

He stood up, and walked back to his bed. "Exactly, so don't feel bad about it. I'm just glad you still remembered."

"But if only I had remembered sooner, then—"

"Chim, it's really alright. I'm quite tired, so I would like to get some rest now," Tae said, cutting me off.

"Okay, then. Goodnight, Tae." I sighed, getting up to switch off the lights. Tae's words had reassured me a bit, but I just couldn't rid myself of the guilt.

I need to do something to help get his mind off of this, and that's when I remembered the text I had gotten from Jennie earlier; The party!

I stopped, and turned around, seeing Tae all cuddled up in his blanket. I smiled, and said, "Oh, I just remembered. There's a party tomorrow, you know? We should go for it, I mean, only if you're comfortable." I suggested.

I saw his head pop out from under the blanket, and I internally cooed at how he looked like the little cub of a bear.

"Hmm. I don't know. . ." he trailed off.

"Oh, that's alright! I didn't really want to go either," I said, slowly.

There was just silence, until I heard light giggles. "Of course we can go! How can I ever say no to a party?"

I joined in on his laughter, and went on to switch off the lights.

"Okay, then, I'll ask Jennie about the timings and stuff tomorrow," I said, walking back to my bed, and getting in, wrapping myself in the blanket.

A comfortable silence fell over the room, but that was quickly disrupted by a soft snore. I turned and saw Tae fast asleep.

"Sleep well, Taetae," I said quietly, closing my eyes, and falling asleep soon after.

__________________________________________

A / N

[291121,, this chapter has been revamped.]

Vee : *sniffs* why do you do this?
Xoya : do what?
Vee : hurt our Tae and hurt us like this?
Xoya : oh... because it's fun.
Vee : wtf- it's fun!? It's fun seeing our Tae baby suffer?
Xoya : not rlly, it's fun seeing the readers suffer and cry for a fictional person and their past which I created.
Vee : but it's so sad... Tae is suffering so much. It's hurting me.
Xoya : then that means that I have succeeded in my job of describing the pain he went thru and making the angst.
Vee : I told you that I don't want so much angst. I have a weak heart for this, it's hurting me.
Xoya : ... are you sure you will be able to survive the book then?
Vee : whAT?! WHAT TF DO YOU MEAN??
Xoya : ... you'll see.
Vee : TELL ME RIGHT NOW.
Xoya : ...
Vee : XOYA I SAID-
Vee : STOP IGNORING ME.
Xoya : stop whining you're too loud.
Vee : I-

Just a fun fact, Xoya is in charge of writing the angst. Vee is in charge of all the fluff and fun parts. Another fun fact, I (Vee) almost virtually slapped Xoya for makin this so sad😖
(Yes I'm (Xoya) a depressed bish so what-)

How was the chapter?? Let us know~

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@/taetae.saysborahae on insta (Xoya)

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~ VeXo💜
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