Jungkook began to notice things about Taehyung that he'd never really paid attention to before, like the bald spot on the left side of Taehyung's head, above his ear.  There was little hair, and the plump, peach skin was clearly visible underneath.  He noticed the way Taehyung had to stop and breathe while going up the steps, as the cancer had weakened his entire system completely. Even though it had been a year since his surgery, the doctors had informed Taehyung of many difficulties that would infiltrate his normal life.  His diet was limited, as well as physical activity. Despite smoking being the cause, he couldn't stop, even after the frantic hospital trips at 3 AM in the morning.  Mrs. Kim was hopeless; her son was slowly dragging himself to his death.

"She cried almost every single night."  The two of them were downtown in the streets of New York, the city buzzing with the sounds of cars and taxis.  "It was unbearable."

"So then why didn't you stop?"  Jungkook asked simply.  He knew it wasn't simple though.  Taehyung's actions always had reasons behind them; he didn't do anything without one. "If your mom was that upset, you should've stopped."

"Oh, how a mess I was," he marveled, entwining his fingers with Jungkook's.  He darted across the street, just as a taxi zoomed past them.  "Excuse me, how I mess I am."

"I don't understand," Jungkook said.  He buried his nose in his scarf as he felt his cheeks turn pink from the gust of wind.  The gusts howled in the midnight blue sky as it bit at his face; mostly his nose.  New York wasn't usually this windy, but tonight was a strange night.

"It helps me remember that I'm dying everyday."  He spoke with his tongue, the words dancing off the edges, making Jungkook's throat as dry as the Sahara.  "Smoking kills.  That's what everyone says right?  If I'm going to die a slow painful death, then why not make it quick and carefree?"  Now that was the stupidest and most ignorant thing Jungkook had ever heard Taehyung say.

"You've always been stupid," Jungkook began, "but I never though you'd actually be this stupid."  Taehyung forced a half-hearted smile and shrugged.  "After all these years, you finally get a mom that cares for you and listens to you, and you just throw it all away because of cancer."

"It's not like I didn't have a mother," he pointed out.  "She was just absent for most of my life, but she was still there.  There wasn't day that went by where I felt like I didn't have a mother." He looked at Jungkook with those hazel eyes that shone with a particular feeling of pity; not for anyone but himself.  "When I came to see her in this apartment, she wouldn't stop apologizing for every parent-teacher conference, soccer game, and parent night she'd missed.  Forgetting to sign me up for SAT classes wasn't even half of it."

"I couldn't even imagine," Jungkook whispered.  There was a small silence in between their trailing conversation, then he added, "So who is Sora?"

"Ah Sora," Taehyung began, hurrying his footsteps a bit.  "Why don't we find a place to sit down and then we'll talk?"

"I know a park about two blocks down."  Taehyung entwined his fingers in Jungkook's and gave him a warm smile, one that would cure anyone's cold heart for days.  Their steps were one and the same; matching each other's footsteps like the couple they'd used to be.  

At this point, Jungkook didn't knew what was going on in his head.  Cancer. . . Sora. . . Mrs. Kim. . . the disappearance.  Everything was supposed to slowly come together in the end of a love story like this, except neither of them was in love with each other yet.  As he walked with Taehyung, he felt his chest rise and fall underneath the inky sky.

The park was quite quaint; very small and perfect for small walks and a tiny playground which children could play on.  Except at this time of the night, Taehyung and Jungkook were alone, enveloped in their own feelings and thoughts they were about to share.  Sora, still unspoken of, was an alluring, slim brown-haired maiden in Jungkook's mind.  She exhibited a radiant aura, one that Taehyung was madly attracted to, and he strangely felt chills creep up his spine when he thought of this.

"Okay," Taehyung began, taking a seat on the wooden bench beneath a barren oak tree.  "Where should I start?"

"Who is Sora?"

"Ah, yes Sora," he marveled.  "Time flies when she's around."  Jungkook shifted uncomfortably on the bench, twiddling his thumbs.  It was a habit in situations like these.  Taehyung glanced at Jungkook with immense sincerity in his eyes.  He smiled sincerely too; Jungkook knew this Sora was a big part of his life.

"I met Sora when I was first admitted.  Stage three breast cancer.  It was truly a waste to see such a beautiful and pretty face diagnosed with something so vile and grotesque.  Despite it, she and I talked every single day after therapy.  She needed crutches, since she was so frail after all the chemotherapy.  Her smile, oh God, the face she'd make when I cussed at all the nurses in that goddamn facility."  Jungkook felt his chest twist and turn; his stomach tumbling at the word 'beautiful.'

"Hospital. . ." Jungkook whispered to himself.

"Huh?"

"You weren't in a facility, you make it sound like you were mentally ill.  You were in a hospital."

"Treat ya all the same.  Anyhow, I made progress in that place.  The lung cancer went from stage three to two and then to one.  The tumors were clearing after all that work, and surgery paid off. Sora was the opposite."  He paused, clenching his fists and proceeding to clasp his palms.  He dropped his head between his legs, promptly only staring at the ground, and Jungkook slowly placed a hand on his back.  "I didn't see her as much anymore.  More nurses were in her room and her cries were more apparent in the nights.  When I was in the common area one day, I saw her.  I saw her."  The color from his face drained, and he looked up at Jungkook, two tears sliding down his cheeks.  "She was in a wheelchair."

The noise around them suddenly became muffled, like they'd put on noise-proof headphones. Everything was one big illusion, the trees waving their arms in the bitter cold of New York, taxis and buses were just background sounds in the copious of emotions spilling all over the soil of the park.

"I thought she'd made progress too.  I thought that maybe she'd leave with; we'd promised to see Pacific Ocean together one day, it was her dream.  But she couldn't even stand on her on anymore.  I was discharged a week later, but I visited her whenever I could.  For Christ's sake, I took sick days from work just to go see her.  She still smiled everyday, God, she was so blind to everything falling apart before her."  Taehyung's voice was beginning to waver; Jungkook was surprised he had been holding it steady for so long.  "It wasn't long before her parents went broke from all the hospital bills, so she was discharged too."

"Wait, what?" Jungkook almost screamed.  He quickly quieted down and said, "But she was still sick wasn't she?  Are they even allowed to do that?"  Taehyung shrugged, furrowing his eyebrows and shaking his head disgracefully.  

"Fucking idiots they are," he muttered.  "Sora came home in her wheelchair, and I remember visiting her in her bed every week or so.  She could only eat so much, and her skin was so blue."

"Can I ask something really quick?"  Taehyung glanced up again, and nodded.  "Is Sora. . . "

"She's not dead," Taehyung confirmed, running his fingers through is messy brown hair.

"She's actually doing so much better now."  The frown on his face steadily upturned, creating a small, genuine smile.  "Last month, another hospital successful removed the tumor and she can stand again, and slowly but surely, I'll be able to visit her again.  She moved to Maine following the surgery, since her parents couldn't afford their current home."  He stood up, stretching his arms above his head, and helping Jungkook to his feet.  "So that's Sora."

"That's wonderful she's okay," Jungkook remarked.  "I thought the story was going to end after she was in a wheelchair."  Taehyung chuckled to no one in particular, and wiped his eyes with his sleeve.  "C'mere."  He pulled Taehyung in for a long and tight hug, in which their arms wrapped around each other with passion and gratitude, letting Taehyung's choppy sobs fall into Jungkook's big arms.  "She's okay, you're okay."

"I don't know what I'd do without her," he whimpered.  "I'm only who I am because of her."  Cheesy as fuck, Jungkook thought, pressing Taehyung's head in closer, staring off into the streets.

"I would love to meet her one day," Jungkook whispered.  Taehyung pushed himself free, using his sleeve as his tissue one more time.  "Introduce me, okay?"

"It's a promise."  They started walking back to Taehyung's place, footsteps quiet against the pavement.  A night in the suburbs had only begun.  Taehyung was unusually talkative, despite having poured out all the information on Sora.  His bright smile lifted Jungkook's depleted energy, and got him to laugh a few times.  It almost ached to watch from afar; the two former lovers engaging in a delightful conversation, disregarding (and maybe even discarding) their once eternal love.  In this very moment, Jungkook's thoughts weren't shrouded in Taehyung's possible love for Sora, rather his past with abuse, the coping, and the unanswered questions surrounding it.

"Thank you for tonight," Jungkook said, sweeping the hair out of his eyes.  His eyes glimmered under the dim lighting of the garage in which his car sat.  "Progress has been made."

"The cancer is fine Jungkook," Taehyung reminded, laughing.

"I wasn't talking about the cancer," he said, a smug grin on his face.  Taehyung burst out laughing, and Jungkook couldn't help but join.  "In all seriousness though, thank you for telling me about Sora."  Jungkook hopped into his car and stuck in the key in the ignition.  A part of him wanted to invite Taehyung over, but when he saw him pull out a cigarette and light it, that part immediately submerged itself in his mind.  "Have a good night."

"You too."  

And when Jungkook entered his apartment, he threw himself on the couch, silently screaming into the pillow over why he couldn't get over one fucking ex-boyfriend.

***

GUESS WHO'S BACK BACK AGAIN LOL

so im back from my three month hiatus (IM SORRY I LOVE U ALL) in which I was INCREDIBLY writers' blocked, and many more breakdowns occurred (aka econ thx) BUT!! I'm on spring break, so I plan to write A BUNCH and then upload in April (when I have to study for my first two AP tests rip my entire life and when there are three track meets every week!! wow!!)

there is good news out of this though!! I am at an B- in Econ (god bless I got a 95 on the last test, first A ever) and I somehow brought it from a 52 to a 80 in two months which is impressive haha (bless my teacher 4 teaching this unit) AND!! I got to see BTS live on Saturday in New Jersey!! They are kings and sound amazing live, I love them SO much AHHHH 

I got a poster and this cute lil' banner thing t'was a night to remember!! It was so memorable and Namjoon shouted out all the Indian fans, so I was super happy omg 

ANYWAYS!! This story is gettin' intense once more, and more information is yet to be spilled about Sora and Taehyung's abuser(????) who do you even think that is?? 

Please leave a comment and make sure to vote! This story actually kinda peaked when it was being updated, so noice (idk how tf that happened)

Stay Tuned!

-Monty