"Jungkook? What are you doing at the office?"

"Waiting for Tae. I'm gonna take him home."

"Oh god I wish Yoon loved me like that. Aah..  Anyways are you gonna wait by his cubical inside."

"No I'll just stand here by my car. Don't want unnecessary attention. He'll pass by here. Or maybe I'll have to wait till your lunch break or till evening when you go back i don't care."

"Okay.  I'll call you when he gets to the office."

"Thanks Hosoek hyung."

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I should go home to bring some clothes because Koo would be gone to his office and I'm avoiding him because that's the coward I am.

Taehyung murmured to himself and quickly texted Laurie about the same before heading home.

He reached home and was happy that jungkook wasn't home. The house was wrecked. Not even two days and jungkook has turned the entire house into a dumpster. Even taehyung's room? It was pretty evident that the other slept in taehyung's room while he was gone and it only makes him sadder knowing how co-dependant they were.

Only problem being that Taehyung now wants so much more but expects so much less.

Laurie's words rang in his ears - "he atleast deserves to know"

Ofcourse he does. But not now. Someday when they're grown out of each other.  When jungkook has a wife and kids of his own. When taehyung is old and alone and just as pathetic, he will tell jungkook. Not now.

With these thoughts he headed for cleaning the living room and planning to shower after that since jungkook will be gone for long and he has ample of time.

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Jungkook took out his ringing phone in a hurry expecting taehyung to call him as soon as hosoek tells him that he's standing outside but it is hosoek. Maybe he's so mad that he wants hosoek to ask jungkook to go away. But he won't.

Already done with the conversation in his head and now ready for it in real,  jungkook picked up hosoek's call.

"Yes hyung?"

"He's not coming."

"What? "

"Taehyung. He's taken leave for two days. Won't be coming. Go home jungkook-ah"

Without saying anything further, jungkook hung up. Now this the conversation he did not expect. Ofcourse taehyung's mad at him but mad enough to skip office?

A pool of salt water filled up his eyes and rested on the lower lash line. With another blink a drop fell down on his cheek but before it could leave the smallest evidence of it's presence, jungkook wiped it off hastily and grabbed the water bottle in his car gulping the contents in a hurry before starting his car snd heading the place that doesn't seem like home without taehyung.
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He entered the house with his head hung low and made his way to the kitchen. Picking up the water bottle he gulped it down with his eyes closed listening to his inner voice carefully and agreeing with every word of loath and disapproval it had towards him.

He was busy in his thoughts when gentle footsteps approaching the kitchen got his attention.

There stood his best friend, surprised shitless obviously not expecting jungkook to be home,  freshly showered, shirtless wearing only a ripped jeans, barefoot with wet hair.

Jungkook's hand lost it's grip on the water bottle and taehyung's hand on the towel he was holding.

One tear slipped out of jungkook's eyes. Then another. Then another. And another. Until it was a shower of the salty liquid as if a invisible palm squeezed his tear ducts.

Taehyung rushed towards his best friend who was frozen at the place but shaking terribly, ready to break down. He wrapped his arms around the other in the bear hug grimacing how weak the other felt in the cage of his arms.

At that moment taehyung felt ashamed of thinking only about himself. While he slept the most peaceful sleep he saw the other looking more wrecked than ever. Eye bags, dark circles, tears, redness. As if in all the drama, the most blow was taken by jungkook's eyes.

Tae and koo hug never was supposed to be this emotional and saddening.

"i-i.. Got so... Thought that... I-i you"

"Shh Shh.. Quiet. Just be quiet."

They hugged for so long that taehyung was sure life returned to him feeling that he had left it in here when he walked out of the house.

They pull back reluctantly but taehyung interlaced thier hands and took the weak looking jungkook to the couch fighting with everything within him not to kiss his best friend right then and there.

Reaching the ivory couch,  jungkook took taehyung's arm and wrapped himself completely on it resting his head on his shoulder after placing a light kiss on it first.

"Mr. Smores ran after you that day. Never came back." jungkook says in the tiniest voice that hurt taehyung more than the news of his hamster missing.

I love you Koo- how hard it is now to say even though they've said this to each other millions of times only now it has a meaning that it was originally supposed to have.

"Mrs. Peterson gave me food yesterday when she came to take her dome lids. It tasted disgusting. You've spoiled me."

I love you Koo.  How would he react if he heard this right now. Not in the friendship context. In the context taehyung wants to say it.

"I made the shittiest coffee this morning. Would've killed your hamster with it but he's already missing."

I'm in love with you Koo. Will you let me love you?  Or will you end it all for good?

"Tae there's a bag beside the couch with your clothes in it."

I love you

"Are you going to leave me for good?"

I'm in love with you. Always was. Always will be.

"You don't want to talk to me? You hate me,  don't you?

I love you. That's what I do.

Taehyung broke out of his mental talk when he felt something wet trickling down from his right shoulder to his arm. Jungkook was crying, sobbing,  just like he did when he saw taehyung  after two days of no contact. Just like he did when he and his mother parted ways for good. When he cried once in college for no reason after getting high, telling how lucky he feels to have taehyung in his life. And he's crying now. Jungkook is not a crier.  Taehyung is. But here they are with roles reversed.

Taehyung cupped the puffed bunny face in his hand bringing it in front of him and wiped the tears with his thumb pads only to have new ones flow out.

He brought the face closer to his and wiped the tears again.
Then brought it even closer

"I'm not going anywhere." he whispered.

Then brought his face closer.

How would Koo react if I kiss him right now?

Brought the face closer and their noses touched.

Just then jungkook opened his eyes that have been closed all this while.

Taehyung's trance broke and he retreated himself back, left the face and cleared his throat.

"Promise? " jungkook said with the voice that only came out at second half of the word because of choking on the tears.

"Yeah" taehyung looked at his lap. Not knowing how else to hide what he was going to do.

"Tae. I've never learnt how to live when you're not around. You've got to prepare me to deal with myself before you decide to leave me."

Taehyung fiddled with the rips of his jeans without lifting his head.

"Tae please say something."

I only want to say one thing that you might not want to hear

"Just tell me who is this friend's you were at?  And why did you never tell me or hoseok that you have a friend. I was worried shitless."

"I was at Laurie's."

"who's Laurie? "

"Laurance. The one I went on a date with."

"Since when have you starting trusting people so soon?"

"He's a nice boy Koo. Trustworthy."

"And you found that out in three days of knowing him."

"he's been more supportive towards me than the one who I've known for 17 years. So, yeah."

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