("do you believe that jimin will wake up?" yoongi asked jungkook with a blank look on his face.

"i-i don't know," jungkook replied anxiously. "do you?"

"you should already know the answer to that, jungkook," yoongi answered.)

with yoongi's words ringing in his head, jungkook slowly trudged back to taehyung's room. 

he really wished that he could be like yoongi — calm in any situation even if it's knowing that your boyfriend got admitted to a hospital while on the verge of death and now harboring a minuscule as hell chance of waking up.

as he approached taehyung's room, his eyes widened when he noticed that bogum was gone and that taehyung was the only one left in there. glancing down at his wristwatch, he frowned when he saw that it was only 4 in the afternoon and remembered that therapy sessions should normally end around 6. 

looking back up, he saw taehyung turn his head around from where he was staring out the window next to his bed, sharp gaze piercing straight through jungkook right away. 

the purple-haired male then tilted his head slightly, as if beckoning jungkook to enter, to which the younger did after a while of nervous pondering. 

"hi," jungkook greeted. "therapy ended?"

it was as if taehyung had been expecting jungkook to ask exactly that question because he simply scoffed. "why did you never tell me that you didn't like seeing me and bogum-hyung together?" he asked, sighing at how jungkook's posture instantly became tense.

"h-how—"

"don't think that i never noticed you glaring into the back of bogum-hyung's head from outside my room," taehyung pointed out but not hold any bite to his words at all. "i can't even talk to my therapist ordinarily when i see you out there every time with fucking fire in your eyes, like you want to murder bogum-hyung or something."

guilt immediately shot itself at jungkook and he hung his head down, too ashamed to glance back up to meet taehyung's disappointed gaze.

"i'm sorry," was all he could say, because really, what could he say? 

jungkook always knew the real reason behind why he was so jealous of taehyung getting close to bogum. unfortunately, he would never be able to tell taehyung because that'd be putting their current relationship at risk — and jungkook doesn't want that.

if being friends with taehyung was the only way he could stay with the older and protect him at all costs, so be it. 

"you know, if you can't even tell me the truth behind why you've been acting so darn strange lately," taehyung began after exhaling harshly. "if you can't even be honest with me—"

"no!" jungkook blurted out, briefly stunning taehyung. "i'm—you don't understand. i really want to tell you, i want to tell you everything."

"then why don't you?"

"i'm scared," the ravenette admitted, hanging his head low once again. "i don't want to tell you because i'm scared of losing you. i'm scared, tae."

"why would you lose me?" taehyung questioned. "you've done so much for me and heck, i'm not sure if i can ever repay you for the things you've done for me. you risked your life for me, jungkook. do you seriously think that i'd leave you over you being jealous of me hanging out with someone else?"

"no, it's not just that, tae," jungkook stated while his heartbeat's growing faster with each word that he spills out. "i'm scared of these feelings, damn it. i'm not jealous because you're hanging out with your therapist. i'm jealous because i don't want to see the person i like, getting close to someone else."

"but he's—wait," taehyung double-takes, eyes widening gradually. "what did you just say?"

fuck, i messed up. jungkook mentally groaned, burying his face in his palms. i want to die.

he wanted to bury himself and never see the light of day ever again.

"jungkook," taehyung sternly called, bringing his hands over to peel jungkook's own hands away from his face, thus forcing the younger to look at him. he felt his heart shatter at jungkook's watery eyes and quickly softened. "jungkook, are you saying that you... like me?"

"yeah," jungkook choked out, a sob beginning to tear through his throat. "i'm sorry. i'm such an idiot, aren't i?"

taehyung remained silent for a while and jungkook might actually break down at this point.

"why are you sorry?"

"w-what?" jungkook's breath hitched.

"why are you sorry?" taehyung repeated, frowning as he used the pads of his thumbs to gently wipe the tears sliding down the other's cheeks. "i didn't even get the chance to respond yet."

"i'm sorry—"

"stop apologizing."

"sor—"

"jeon jungkook," taehyung interrupted, furrowing his eyebrows together and waiting for jungkook to quiet down. "i like you too."

"no. you don't," jungkook unconsciously mumbled.

"yes, i do," taehyung retorted, hands reaching down to grab a pair of larger ones.

"wait," the younger soon halted all his movements, realization finally hitting him like a truck. "y-you like me? wait, you're not kidding, right?"

"no, i'm not fucking kidding," taehyung replied, rolling his eyes playfully with a half grin on his lips. "i'd be the idiot if i didn't like you, jerk," he grumbled under his breath before he suddenly jumped onto jungkook's bigger frame and threw his thin arms around broad shoulders, burying his face into the crook of the younger's neck.

jungkook's chest warmed at the nostalgic nickname and he didn't think twice before returning the gesture, wrapping his own arms around taehyung's waist securely.

"you have no idea how happy i am," he mumbled as he nuzzled his nose into taehyung's soft locks and simultaneously tightening his embrace around the shorter boy just a little bit.

"i'm glad," taehyung whispered. "because no words can describe how happy i am too."

the two stood like that, in the corner of the white room, with arms locked around each other as if they both just found something important that has been missing from their lives for the longest time.  

"so," jungkook spoke up after a couple of minutes. "are we boyfriends now or would you prefer a proper proposal, the love of my life?"

taehyung let a chuckle slip out as he pulled away to peek up at the black-haired male through his long, fluttery eyelashes. "this is so sappy. you're a sap, jeon jungkook," he complained lightheartedly. "but yeah, boyfriends."

jungkook then broke out into the brightest and most genuine smile taehyung has ever seen. "but i'm your sap," he remarked, watching the elder instantly getting flustered as the memories flooded back in.

"y-you can't use that line again by swapping out jerk with sap and expect it to work—"

"hey, tae."

"what?"

"just kiss me already."

("what if he can't wake up?" jungkook uttered, hands shaking.

"the inevitable happens. nothing you can do about it," yoongi responded truthfully. "but i'll believe in my excessive love for jimin because maybe, just maybe, he'll wake up from that."

"i didn't peg you for a cheesy guy," jungkook said before he could stop himself.

"well, what can i say? love can change a person," yoongi retorted, glancing down at jimin's motionless body with a solemn expression. "don't you agree, jeon?")