The next thing Taehyung knew – it was late evening and he was at the Gwangju railway station with Jungkook. Taehyung knew he had to go far away from this side of Korea, very far.

Everything and everyone was engulfed by the darkness of the night. Jungkook and Taehyung were exhausted from their seven-hour train journey. The station was Seoul. There were two or three reasons why Taehyung purchased the ticket to Seoul. First of all, the town was busy, which served as a nice cover. Secondly, there would be ample options for employment due to the town's size. Taehyung's shirt around his waist still held them together. But the sheer quantity of people on Seoul's highways was more than they could have ever dreamed of or anticipated. In all directions, hundreds of people passed them by. In response, Taehyung reached back and clasped hands with Jungkook. Surprisingly, Jungkook didn't hesitate for long before pressing his palm up against Taehyung's and tightening the grip.

Jungkook also chose to close the distance between them to only a few inches, his eyes wide at the onslaught of new stimuli. But the second his hand slipped into Taehyung's, the latter could feel the switch from frantic to calmness in his movements. A small involuntary smile played at the corner of Taehyung's lips. With a cacophony of city sounds like loud laughter, car horns, and even some sharp neon nights, they tucked themselves into a corner on the pavement outside the railway station. It was a shop that was closed now, and the perimeter of the shop was clean and lit up. Lying on the floor, they shared the blanket Taehyung had carried in his bag. Taehyung stared at the starry sky, his mind racing with plans and some worries. He brought Jungkook with him, but could he care for him? Would he be able to provide for Jungkook?

Jungkook, however, slept immediately, his breath soft and even. Taehyung couldn't stop smiling at the calmness and steadiness of his breaths, and that sound somehow anchored him. "I will figure something out, I'm sure," he said, making a silent vow.

Before anyone realised it was a couple of years into Seoul life. The structure that Taehyung and Jungkook called home had its own rhythm. Most of the chores were done by Taehyung, but Jungkook also helped a lot. There were times like this one where Taehyung's mind would play images from the past—some made him shudder and some made him smile - like this one, he was smiling.

Jungkook was standing in front of the mirror, swaying side to side, and holding the pendant of his necklace. A pendant, that was in fact, a ring.

When they came to Seoul and Taehyung was just starting up a shop in the busy Seoul street, he made a few friends. Of course that wasn't a surprise - making friends was second nature for Taehyung. One of those friends was getting married and he had invited Taehyung and Jungkook to attend.

It had taken some days for Taehyung to convince Jungkook to come with him. Jungkook used to loathe people and noises. However, with Taehyung around he didn't hate it as much.

"No leaving Jungkook's hand," Jungkook demanded as a last signoff promise from Taehyung. And Taehyung smiled while reading those lips. He used to love when Jungkook spoke about himself as a third person and he wished someday Jungkook would come to know how much he loved it.

Taehyung kept his promise throughout the wedding. He didn't leave Jungkook's hand. Not even when Jungkook wanted to go right upfront to see the celebration and not even when Jungkook wanted to touch the rings the couple was flaunting proudly.

When dinner was served, Jungkook kept gesturing about those rings and asking Taehyung what they were. How was Taehyung supposed to explain promise rings to Jungkook? So after Jungkook pestered a little more, Taehyung approached an old lady, sitting there smiling at the celebrations and requested her to explain to Jungkook. It was a kind of sign to show commitment at the end of the first 100 days of dating. Jungkook looked confused at the word. The helmoni smiled and said - when two people find each other, and know they will always stay together, they celebrate 100 days of dating by giving each other a ring to wear. Immediately, Jungkook turned to Taehyung, "How many days. Since the van?"" Taehyung smiled as Jungkook tightened his grip holding Taehyung's hand.

The ring Taehyung got for Jungkook was the one he was admiring in the mirror this particular day. But Taehyung suggested he wear it around his neck in a chain since it used to irritate him a lot on his finger.

Days were going well in the Kim and Jeon home, if you can call it that. As a child, he received a lot of love and care from the community he lived in, particularly his father. He put all of that love and care into Jungkook and the house. It had been about six months since they arrived in Seoul, and Jungkook was really coming into his own. It was as if a shell that cocooned Jungkook had shattered. He felt less anxious, apprehensive, and jumpy. The skin surrounding his collarbone, which had blisters and marks from continual pulling, had begun to heal.

He thought Jungkook looked happy, yes, for sure. He was too good for this world to fake happiness. So, when Jungkook smiled, Taehyung knew it was a real smile. Taehyung went back in time to that one memory. It was the day of the party at Jeon Mansion, and Taehyung had watched Jungkook singing with the musician. He had no idea what song it was.

But he saw Jungkook at his happiest. He wished he knew the song when he was by himself with his thoughts and looked at Jungkook while he was sleeping. He wants Jungkook to smile and dance like he did at the party when he was busy stealing the horse to show Yoongi how much he liked him. He laughed at the irony because he saw it.

They were always next to each other in the evenings. Taehyung could have been keeping a record of his daily earnings and how much he needed to spend on what. Jungkook would sit cross-legged on the floor with an origami sheet or a puzzle. For Taehyung, that was a different expense, and he would do anything to not give up on it, even though he didn't fully understand why. Whenever Jungkook put down a piece of the puzzle after finishing it or made another bird out of the colored paper, he would look at Taehyung with a smile that was quiet but bright.

Mealtimes were like a dance they had perfected in their own flawed manner. Taehyung's job was to chop vegetables, while Jungkook's role was to watch him as if he were observing something important in his life. With such large doe eyes and an O-shaped mouth, he followed Taehyung's every move.

While cooking, Taehyung would pause and strike the ladle against the working counter. That sound was a signal for Jungkook to come and try the dish. If Jungkook frowned and melted at the same time, Taehyung would know he had completed his task.

Jungkook built the cutest animals out of bread dough, and Taehyung never said no. Jungkook would blink in amazement when he wasn't reprimanded for it, as he was used to being refused his whole life, except the Ahjussi at the centre. However, he was even more overjoyed when Taehyung put those things in the oven to bake with the bread.

Jungkook used to become upset if Taehyung pretended to devour the baked dough animals. "Friend, NOT food!" he would yell every time. When he made more the next day, Taehyung would take the old ones and place them on their building terrace for birds to fly away with. Saying goodbye to those buddies was one of Jungkook's favorite parts of the day.

In light of the fact that Seoul was a significantly more expensive town than Boseong, Taehyung was unable to make a living only via the distribution of newspapers and the sale of balloons and balloon animals. But since he had established a network in the neighborhood, he took on a few more odd jobs.

It used to be that on some days, he would stick notices and bills on walls by the hundreds per night, or he would park his bicycle in front of a local wedding hall. There were a lot of children and young people attending weddings, which meant that there were some additional purchases. Jungkook was his constant companion during each and every one of those excursions.

Sitting on the backseat guarding the stack of bills with his life, or holding on to the bunch of balloons by the thread. Taehyung knew that Jungkook in his capacity was helping and wanted to help more, be responsible for more. Thus, Taehyung started to encourage him to make more and more birds and other animals with the paper that didn't sell.

From that point on, he would either attach those animals to strings along with the ones that he sold or he would stick them over the walls of Seoul. There were now Jungkook's finely sculpted creatures and birds, which were a sight for sore eyes, scattered across the streets between the bills and the ugly hoardings that were everywhere.

Jungkook's favourite snow globe accompanied them everywhere too. The two people holding hands inside the snow seemed to be the most important thing for Jungkook to see many times during the day.

The house windows were decorated with Origami bird chimes. The house didn't have much but it still seemed warm and welcoming to Taehyung every day. Jungkook was also taking part in everyday chores. Folding laundry was a big thing for Taehyung. He did not like it one bit. Thus, he wanted that Jungkook also pick that up so that he would need to do it that much less. To his amusement, Jungkook DID pick it up and did it – selectively. Jungkook used to pick and fold only underwear. And only then Taehyung discovered that they had too many of them.

They had a very unique system of communication during the day. When Jungkook used to be home most of the time in their small room on the terrace Taehyung parked his bicycle across the road, in front of that utensils shop. A broken piece of mirror served as a lifeline. Jungkook somehow worked this one out on his own. He used to hold it in a way so that the reflection would fall on Taehyung. It used to be blinding at times but Taehyung never got angry. He felt safer knowing that Jungkook could reach him if he needed something.

7 out of 10 times Jungkook would do it for need. Something spilled and he needed Taehyung's help cleaning it. Or the bathroom was too wet for his comfort and he wanted Taehyung to help him out. Sometimes it was an emergency, like a pigeon flew into the room and scared Jungkook to bits. He threw the laundry basket on it immediately and asked for 1000 apologies from the pigeon, and then he called out to Taehyung frantically with the reflection.

3 out of those 10 times also used to be calls which were 'just like that' - Jungkook used to say with a shrug of his shoulders and his signature smile, sucking on his bottom lip.

One day a week they would both go to the Han river and sit at the banks, sometimes on the grass, sometimes on the benches. In the early days Jungkook didn't like the stimuli of pebbles or grass, but slowly and steadily he had started not minding the feel of some grains of dirt on his hand. Taehyung made sure he always carried a wet cloth or towel for Jungkook to repeatedly clean his hands with.

As they sat on the bench on this day, Taehyung had carried a drawing book. He used to sketch some stick figures of animals which he could later develop as balloon animals in different shapes.

Jungkook sat there watching the clouds. Taehyung never understood what he found so mesmerising in those clouds. One day Taehyung tapped Jungkook asking him "what" with his hand gesturing the same.

"See, rabbit. Rabbit" Jungkook excitedly said, pointing to a cloudy fluff ball in the sky.

Taehyung smiled and nodded, following the finger signaling at the sky. Bringing Jungkook's attention to his drawing, Taehyung gestured, "Bird Bird."

Jungkook's eyes suddenly lit up. "Bird. Fly Fly" and in the blink of an eye Jungkook was flapping his arms and Taehyung soon joined suit.

Together, they sat on that bench, oblivious to the world, flapping their arms and making what they thought were bird sounds, lost in a version of their own world.

Taehyung, on impulse, turned towards Jungkook, pointing at him and gesturing to fly. He was asking, "Do you want to fly?"

Jungkook's answer was immediate and enthusiastic: "Yes yes!" Taehyung immediately held out the arms of the shirt that was always tied to his waist. He tied the sleeves behind Jungkook's waist, checking if the knot was firm enough. After he was satisfied, he spun them around, and Jungkook followed suit and motion.

Their arms were still flapping, very loudly now, and they were giggling without a worry about the world's judgments of their loud behavior. Delightful squeals filled the area near that bench that evening.

Even amongst all these shenanigans, all the shared silences, they communicated with the love language of routine, care, and trust towards each other. Taehyung's palm would softly meet Jungkook's shoulder to not startle him. Jungkook's reaching out to Taehyung to get his shorts string tied or hair done was a gesture equally loud and powerful.

One thing that stayed constant since day one of them spent the night together was Jungkook sleeping while locking his little finger with Taehyung.

AN:- This is the cutest sight...Taekook holding fingers....

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