Winter Bear - V

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The sky is too bright for this chilly day.

The autumn leaves lays on the ground that Jungkook is walking on, trailing behind Taehyung who is maintaining their hands interlaced together as they walk down the field. Jungkook doesn't know exactly why he lead them here, to a cemetery, but he didn't ask any further questions.

More so just respected this moment.

Respected Taehyung's silence.

Today Taehyung seems more colder than usual, perhaps a bit more.... Quiet. Yet Jungkook wasn't one to ask. All he did was follow Taehyung when he said to come with him and here they are now.

He stopped trying to pry into Taehyung's emotions after their last argument.

Passing by these gravestones only sends a wave of familiarity to wave down Jungkook's body, thinking about the plenty of times he had to visit a graveyard whenever someone from his neighborhood passed.

Someone from Iodine's kids to be exact.

Someone...... Like her.

Who passed away all too young.

So being in one just doesn't settle well in Jungkook's chest, but he would go wherever Taehyung went to if it meant he needed him.

That's what friends are for, to support and comfort one another.

And he needs that the most right now.

Even if he wouldn't admit to it.

Suddenly Taehyung stops in front of a stone, making Jungkook also stop beside him. He was slightly confused until he looks down at the name.

Kim Soomin.

"Here lies a loving mother, wife, and a new angel to heaven."

Jungkook looks down puzzled at the gravestone and looks back to Taehyung, ready to ask him about it but sealed his lips when he saw the tears glistening his wide puppy brown eyes with a stone cold look on his face.

"Jungkook," He whispers lowly, "This is my mother."

Now it all feels like everything slowly makes sense now. The date of her death is the same date it is today, but three years later. By this point Jungkook didn't know exactly what to feel. Should he feel pity? Comfort him? Upset?

Personally, he can't stand his mother and he knows that not all mothers in the world are like his, but he doesn't know what to do in this scenario.

So he only rubs a thumb over Taehyung's knuckles, hearing as he lets out shakily breathes as though he was ready to speak.

"She died of cancer," Taehyung says calmly, raising his other hand to the tattoo on his neck, "That spread like a disease to her body until her heart couldn't fight hard anymore. She was a stable women..... Worked at a cute café, didn't get into problems.... She was just... Gone from one moment to the next.... Leaving me to take care of my little brother and my... Father."

Jungkook didn't say anything, only listened to him as he clings onto his every word that he knows would not be repeated ever again. So he closes in beside Taehyung, wrapping his arms around his waist from behind instead, beside where the roots of his neck tattoo is.

Right now though, despite the tender gesture, Taehyung didn't want the touch of comfort.

He moves away from Jungkook's hands, hugging himself tightly as his eyes focused on the grave, "This is a very vulnerable moment for me, I don't like being touched when I feel like this, not right now that is."

This is the first time Taehyung has rejected being touched, and even though Jungkook should feel hurt, he couldn't help himself but notice how Taehyung seemed to look close to a sensitive child at the moment.

A child who's seen too much, but forever kept those lips sealed to the horrors in which they saw.

Jungkook immediately felt guilty, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to -"

"I know," Taehyung whimpers, sniffling to himself, "Truth is.... I'm fighting with my own head to what really happened in my life. Sometimes it's easy for me to believe the fake reality my parents painted for me, but other times.... When I'm alone and realized what I've become.... That's not the case."

The word play left Jungkook a little daze, eyebrows furrowed, "And what did you become Taehyung?"

Taehyung's gaze remains heavy to the grave, rubbing his own arm as though to comfort himself, "I.... I don't know," He whispers to himself, "But.... Sometimes I don't recognize myself either, and it scares thinking how I'm capable of being a nightmare to my own life."

Jungkook twitches a frown, glancing down to Taehyung's hand and took the chance to hold onto it, "You're not a nightmare to me. You're still grieving and processing things in your life, but don't let that turn you away from who you truly are."

Taehyung blinks slowly to the words, muttering to himself, "To who I truly am..... If only you knew," And he rubs a hand down his face, "I'm not the good guy Jungkook, the death of my mother made me realize that. Even if I try to be, I'm not."

"Hey, don't say that," Jungkook quickly defends, his stare stern, "Everyone is capable of being good. It's your choice."

"My past says otherwise," Taehyung whispers, shaking his head to himself, "Why..... Why does my head.... Ugh, I did live a good life, my mom made sure of it."

Those words momentarily dazed Jungkook, since it seemed as though...... Taehyung was trying to comcince himself to that.

Why is he trying to convince himself?

This only made Taehyung let out a painful whimper as he interlaces his fingers with Jungkook's more tightly, "I miss my mom..... I miss her so much."

That's enough distance.

So Jungkook held onto him as the man cries quietly, letting out small hiccups here and there to not go into a full blown emotional break down. He fell into the sway that Jungkook had them in to calm him down, melting to the soft kisses the ravenette would press on his head just to comfort his wounded heart.

Then Taehyung sniffles his nose, letting out a weak breath, "Our lives were stable before she died, like those stupid happy family movies you would see on TV. When she died..... It just... Took us apart and it was so hard-"

Jungkook turns Taehyung around and hugs him tightly, letting him feel the full comfort that he has to offer. The other only hiccups as he clutches onto Jungkook's turtle neck shirt, feeling a sense of peace inside him with this fragile moment alone.

Taehyung can't recall ever feeling a moment like this while being held by another person.

A single embrace being capable of silencing every voice and memory in his head.

Especially the paranoia.

"I don't know why I brought you here, I shouldn't have," Taehyung murmurs before slowly moving his head up, staring into Jungkook's sincere eyes, "You wouldn't leave me like she did, right?"

The question itself felt more like a desperate request. Jungkook can see it in the way Taehyung pleadingly looks into is eyes, almost as if he would fade away like his mother did. He knows he's more so asking him if he's going to stay by his side, no matter what.

Through the tough and easy levels of life, Jungkook will be steady beside him like he's always been.

By the point in whatever they have, they're too comfortable around each other.

They know too much.

Leaving is not an option.

"You got me for life little cub," Jungkook whispers, twitching a small smile, "I promise I will take care of you."

It was as though those words twitched a sense of relief inside Taehyung's soul because he smiles much more brightly and leans their foreheads together, "I know I can be very unsettling at times, and you have every reason to doubt your trust onto me, but I promise that everything I do is to never hurt you, okay? I always want you to be safe."

Jungkook smiles tenderly to those words and pulls him closer by the waist, "Keep saying things like that and I just might fall in love with you."

Taehyung's eyes widen and he evidently panic, making Jungkook chuckle amusingly to the way his breath began to heave in an uneven rate, "Calm down, I don't fall that easily."

Oh how badly he's lying through his teeth right now. It's not like he has fell in love with him, but it would be a lie if he hadn't caught.... Something for him.

A spark that he will never admit too.

The other grimaces and pushes him back playfully, "If you did we would've had problems."

This made Jungkook gasp, placing a hand on his chest, "Hello darkness my old friend-"

"Jungkook!" Taehyung laughs now, making Jungkook's mission accomplished into making a smile form his lips, "You're so annoying."

"And they ask you how you are and you just have to say that you're fine, when you're not really fine-"

He's cut off but lips pressed over his. Smiling lips, bubbling in cute giggles. Jungkook couldn't even hold back his own smile upon seeing how happy the other is now after his moment of crying just a few moments ago.

This is what he likes the most, seeing Taehyung happy.

What a feeling to be the cause of that happiness, it's so beautiful and tender.

Just like how Taehyung is, beautiful and tender.

Unfortunately he pulls away to soon, his smile still wide, "How did we become friends again?"

Jungkook pulls a fake thinking look, "Well it all started when you followed me home-"

"Never mind," Taehyung snickers, looking back down to his mother's stone, this time twitching a small frown, "I wonder if she's proud of me?.... I stopped doing the drugs and attempting to take my life..... Would she be happy now of who I am?"

That delicate tone is back and Jungkook only holds onto him tighter, letting out a soft hum, "I'm pretty sure she is cub."

Taehyung didn't say anything to this, only holding to a storm of doubt in his head before moving a tatted hand up, the one with the clock, "This is the time she died. 12:05. The angel wings in the other is how I imagine her, protecting me with her wings. She knows how.... I would do anything to protect myself and my family, especially now that she's not here."

This feels very relatable actually. Jungkook and his siblings is all he has, and he would do absolutely anything to protect them from his own parents.

Jungkook knows for sure she protecting her child, keeping him safe from all the horrors of the world, or so he would like to believe that.

"Now she's found peace," Jungkook whispers back, pressing a back against his temple, "She's always with you, even if she physically isn't here."

Now this made Taehyung twitch a smile, slowly placing a hand on her stone with a tender run of his thumb against the stone, "Sleep peacefully, my winter bear."

With those tender words floating the air, the pair slowly walks away from the stone.

Not before Taehyung turns his head momentarily, looking around before staring at the stone with a deep frown and turns back around to continue walking.
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A/N:

:'(

Winter bear goes well with this chapter. How are we doing?

A little more glimpse of Taehyung's past!!

The waters are going to be slightly more calmer, so everyone can relax for a while... Maybe.

Hehehe

I PURPLE YOU!! <33