Jungkook ran down the stairs as fast as his feet could carry him, desperately trying to catch up with Taehyung. The blonde always hid his emotions like a pro and in times like these it just wasn't healthy. A lot of shitty stuff had happened tonight and if Jungkook could only take a small bit of the burden the blonde was carrying right now he would instantly do it. Taehyung hadn't looked fine at all when he had walked out of the apartment and if it had been Jungkook who'd stood in his shoes then he would have been gratefull for anyone who could support him even a little bit.

As soon as Jungkook finally reached the lobby of the big building a soft sigh left his lips upon seeing no trace of the person he was looking for. Taehyung must have gone ahead and was standing outside already. Well, that's were Jungkook hoped he was. The brunette certainly wouldn't fancy a game of hide and seek at this time of the day, especially not after what they all had gone through tonight. No one should be alone at this moment and seeing as both Jungkook and Taehyung were right now the only thing that the brunette could do was find the blond as fast as possible.

With big steps the hacker was walking towards the exit of the building, hoping that he'd find a certain blonde male standing outside. Soft puffs of air kept leaving Jungkook's mouth due to the shock of earlier tonight and he couldn't help but let his mind wander to Ten. The last he had seen of the black haired male had been his closed eyes and the big red stain covering his t-shirt. Jungkook couldn't even imagine the pain the older must have gone through before it all had went black. He couldn't even imagine what dying felt like.

Writers and movie makers always described dying as something beautiful. Surrounded by the ones you love and this dull world making place for a beautiful bright white one once you ascended to Heaven. However what if it wasn't anything like that? Ten hadn't been on good terms with Johnny when he had died. He had told Jungkook all about how he hated the fact that his boyfriend had cheated on him and how he longed for nothing more but to make Johnny feel the same pain he had been feeling. And what if it wasn't a bright white light that would come and get you? What if there wasn't something after death? What if the moment you died this world was replaced with nothing at all. Just a black mass which would slowly take over you. What if dying wasn't something beautiful like everyone always portrayed it to be. Maybe it was nothing but terrifying in the end..

Luckily for Jungkook his mind got quickly distracted from his thoughts again as soon as he reached the exit of the building. Jungkook softly pushed the big glass doors open before he walked outside of the building. Immediately a soft breeze of air hit the hacker's face, making a shiver ran down Jungkook's spine. Tonight was pretty cold and the brunette just hoped he wouldn't have to be outside for too long. Ohh how Jungkook hated the cold the night brought them at this time of the year. Why couldn't it just be summer?

Quickly Jungkook looked to both his left and right side until he found Taehyung leaning against the wall of the building, a sigarette between his lips and a distant look covering his features. Jungkook smiled briefly before he began to walk over to the blonde. He would try to be there for Taehyung, wheter the older would like it or not. He wouldn't allow Taehyung to go through this process alone and close himself off completely again as a result of it.

Taehyung didn't see Jungkook at first. He just kept on focussing on his sigarette while staring aimlessly at the night sky. The male looked as if he'd lost a lot tonight and Jungkook was even sure he probably regretted ever bringing Ten into this whole mess. To be honest, Jungkook would have been too. This whole mess definitely wasn't Taehyung's fault alone yet he could only hope the blonde thought about this all the same way he did. Judging by the look on his face he far from did.

"Hey." Jungkook softly spoke, announcing his pressence to the blonde who was still absentmindly staring at the starry sky. Taehyung briefly looked down to see who was talking to him before focussing his gaze on nothing in particular again, the distant look from before returning almost immediately on his face. "Go away Jungkook." The blonde answered as he briefly closed his eyes, a soft sigh leaving his rosy colored lips.

Jungkook completely ignored the older's order and leaned against the walls of the building as well, his eyes focussing themselves on the stars above them. The sky tonight was pretty clear and decorated with hundereds of stars shining down upon them. Jungkook smiled slightly as he thought of Ten. The hacker had always had a habit of thinking that the ones who passed away never really left, they just asscended to the stars, looking down on everyone they had loved in their lives and making sure they were allright. Sure this might sound like wishfull thinking in some people's minds but to Jungkook it made him feel more at peace with losing people. He might not believe in a bright white light that would take someone away on their death beds but he sure did some wishfull thinking about them joining the stars eventually.

"How are you feeling?" Jungkook decided to break the thick silence between him and Taehyung. The blonde sighed softly before he closed his eyes briefly, his lips turning into a thin line and guilty practically dripping off of him. "Would you be okay if one of your friends got killed because you dragged them into this big mess?" The blonde spoke before turning his head towards Jungkook and locking eyes with him. Sadness could clearly be seen inside of the older's eyes and to Jungkook's surprise Taehyung wasn't doing anything to hide his emotions from him.

Jungkook softly shook his head before he looked at Taehyung with a serious expression on his face. "It's not your fault Ten died you know." The brunette spoke while tilting his head a bit to the side, his eyes still locked with Taehyung's. "We all knew lives were going to be sacrificed when we agreed to do this mission. Ten's death is upon all of us, don't carry that burden alone." Jungkook spoke before casting his gaze away from the blonde and stuffing his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

It was true what Jungkook had said. The moment he had agreed to help Namjoon he had figured that not everyone would get out of this whole mess unharmed. Innocent people would lose their lives while they tried to prevent the war that was coming. That was the price that peace would cost and the burden that they'd all have to carry. To save Korea the team would have to sacrifice a lot.

Taehyung smiled slightly before he shook his head. "It's nice of you to say that Jungkook. However Ten was my friend. If I had never proposed to use him to get the chip back he wouldn't have been in danger in the first place." The blonde spoke, tears now slowly starting to fill his eyes up and making his sight blurry. "His death is my fault."

There wouldn't  pass day without the blonde feeling guilty about what had happened tonight. As much as he appreciated Jungkook trying to ease the burden that was resting on his shoulders he knew in the end that this could have all been prevented if he had never said his name that morning. Why couldn't things ever work out in his favor? Years had gone by with him turning a blind eye to everything that had been happening around him and when the blonde finally decided to do what is right he got repaid by the death of his friend. Why did karma have to hate him so fucking much?

To Taehyung it felt like he had signed Ten's death certificate by saying his name

Jungkook looked at Taehyung with a compassionate look on his face before he took his hands out of his pockets again and stepped forward, wrapping both his arms around the older male. Upon feeling Jungkook's arms wrap around him Taehyung's body first began to stiffen while his eyes grew big and confused. Soon however he managed to throw his sigarette on the ground and wrap his own arms around the brunette, embracing him thightly and giving in to his touch completely.

Taehyung had never been the type who'd liked hugs. In fact he didn't like physical contact at all. The blonde wasn't used to getting them at all and he'd just grown to detest it all together. His family had always taught him that hugs were for those who are weak. Never before had Taehyung stood still by the fact that it was okay to let himself be comforted from time to time. There was no reason for him to always be strong. Not when he had people who he trusted enough to show his emotions to.

The hug Jungkook was giving him right now was appreciated by the blonde a lot. It was like the hacker knew exactly what Taehyung had needed without the blonde knowing it himself. Jungkook knew perfectly well when to keep his distance from Taehyung and when to get close to him. That was something the blonde was very thankfull for now. Ohh how he had needed this hug and Jungkook's support more than the brunette would ever realise. One thing was definitely for sure, by adding Jungkook to their team they had gotten not only an amazingly skilled hacker but a true team player on their side as well.

Tears began to slip out of Taehyung's eyes while he hugged Jungkook a tiny bit tighter. Jungkook softly rubbed up and down the older's back, a few tears slipping out of his eyes as well. Right now the only thing the two of them needed was support from the other and knowing that they weren't alone in difficult times like these. It was okay to show their soft sides to each other, after all they both felt the same way. Why would they hide when the other knew exactly what was going on already anyway?

"I fucked up." Taehyung managed to bring out between his soft sobs, his normally deep and powerfull voice sounding so fragile and broken. Jungkook softly shook his head while leaning his head in the older's shoulder, his fingers continously rubbing circles on the older's back. He felt truly sorry for Taehyung. Everyone felt bad about what had happened tonight but Ten had been Taehyung's friend before all of this. He had lost someone he had cared deeply about and Jungkook couldn't even imagine the pain the older must be going through right now.

"I know. We all did." The brunette whispered back before leaning back a bit in order to look Taehyung in his eyes while his arms were still wrapped around the older's body. A sad smile was covering Jungkook's lips and he briefly unwrapped one of his arms from Taehyung's body in order to wipe away a few tears on the blonde's face with his thumb.

To Jungkook the moment they shared together right now was sad yet beautiful. The both of them felt immensly sorry for what happened to Ten yet the brunette also cherished every single second he was allowed to spend with Taehyung because of it. Tragedy had brought them closer than ever before and never had Taehyung let his guard down like this in front of Jungkook. Apart from that Jungkook felt safe. Taehyung's arms managed to make him feel something else than sadness and for that the hacker was thankfull. Even though his mind was completely broken he was still glad to be able to feel anything else other that regret, guilt and pain.

Maybe they would have a chance at friendship after all

"How am I supposed to ever forget this Kook." Taehyung softly sobbed, his eyes completely red and puffy due to the crying he had been doing and his cheeks damp from the tears that had rolled down over them. Jungkook looked at him with a look that matched Taehyung's and he softly shook his head. "You can't. We have to learn to live with this." The brunette answered, his bottom lip slightly trembling and a tear escaping his eye and rolling down his cheek.

They knew exactly how the other felt, maybe that's why the two of them allowed the other to be so damn close right now. They needed each other right here at this moment. They needed someone to rely on in order to not completely crumble into a million pieces

Taehyung looked defeated but nodded softly, knowing that Jungkook was right. None of them would ever really forgive themselves for what had happened tonight yet there wasn't anything they could do anymore. Ten was gone and it was their fault. This wasn't Harry Potter and unfortunately they weren't in the possesion of a timeturner. Ten was gone and there was nothing they could ever do about it.

How do you live knowing you caused someone else's death? The answer to that question was simple, you don't. Time will heal almost every wound, except for the ones that are craved so deeply in your heart that no amount of time could ever fix them. Some wounds are simply too deep to ever heal completely. Ten's death would forever remain a nasty and painfull scar in their lives.

After a short while Jungkook released Taehyung from the hug he had been giving him, creating some space between the two of them. Both of them looked awfull with their wet cheeks, red puffy eyes and broken smiles. This was the result of the guilt they both felt even when they couldn't have done anything different. Neither of them had fired the bullet that had ultimately killed Ten yet both of them knew that his fate could have been different if only one thing had gone differently that day. In a way everyone was guilty.

"I'll give you some space now. After all that's why you came downstairs in the first place." Jungkook smiled sadly while another tear streamed down his cheek. He didn't want to leave Taehyung of course but he figured he had infiltrated the older male's personal space for long enough now. Taehyung hadn't asked for him to follow him downstairs and while Jungkook might be craving the blonde's support he had absolutely no idea if Taehyung felt the same way. Things were going well between the both of them now and the brunette certainly didn't want them to go downhill again due to him pushing the blonde to open up when he wasn't ready or when he didn't feel like it.

The boy began to slowly turn around in order to walk inside again and wait for Taehyung there but the blonde was quick to grab his hand in his own and softly pull him back. Jungkook immediately turned towards Taehyung again with a questioning look on his face and he immediately noticed the desperate look on the older's face. "Please don't go. I really don't want to be alone right now." The older confessed, his eyes clearly displaying a slight look of comfort. Comfort Jungkook had given him.

A slightly proud feeling began to bubble in Jungkook's chest and he slowly turned around before he let himself be taken into Taehyung's arms once more. The brunette softly closed his eyes as he wrapped his own arms around the older male, a feeling of safety engulfing him completely.

Taehyung needed Jungkook and Jungkook needed Taehyung. Both of them craved something the other would be able to provide right now and thus both males turned off their thoughts for once and just let themselves be lead by the beautiful moment between the two of them.

Right now all they needed was each other

________

A/N

A sad chapter but I loved writing it!

Question of the chapter:

Why do you read books?

Please show some love for the story by:
* Voting
* Commenting

Follow my account if you want to keep updated about the story!❤️

Thank you all so much for reading my story!