ʙᴜʟʟᴇᴛᴘʀᴏᴏғ│ᴛᴋ [complete]

.5-1.

"Mum?!"

Jungkook's mother had this tendency of showing up unannounced whenever she made a batch of mustard greens kimchi which was her son's favourite kind. She'd use it as an excuse to drop by and check on the boy's fridge and laundry basket. She was about just done with the dusting when the two men returned home. The shriek that ensued did not bode well.

"Get away from my son!" yelled the woman at Taehyung who had already ID'ed her.

"Mum! Calm down! What's the matter?" Jungkook could not comprehend his mother's obviously crazy behaviour. She merely yanked him by the arm. "Stay away from that thing!" She hadn't chosen her words wisely, to say the least.

"Mother, you're not making any sense! And don't call him a thing! Are you - do you even hear yourself?"

"Jungkook! You have no idea what it is capable of. This is a killing machine! I should have disposed of it a long time ago!"

She pulled out her phone.

"Who are you calling?" asked Jungkook warily.

"I still have a few old friends who would know how get rid of it."

The threat was too real. The danger of losing Taehyung once more, too close. And the time to figure out what her mother meant by 'killing machine', too little. Jungkook decided on the most pressing matter and ripped the phone out of her hand, ending the call. "Mum, you're going to have to calm down and talk to me before I let you have this back."

"He's one of them! He'll harm you like he did your father!" She was hysterical by now and Jungkook was horrified because he'd never witness her lose her wits like that before.

"I'm afraid I have to see some proof of that before I buy into such groundless accusations."

"I'll give you proof! But first, we need to neutralize it!"

And that was definitely not happening under Jungkook's watch. "Get a grip, Mum! You're not in your right mind!"

Despite the display of psychotic behaviour, the woman appeared to have had a shred of pride left for she flinched at the insult. She raised an angered hand. It only took a second. Jungkook blinked and suddenly, Taehyung was there, holding the woman's wrist in his own hand, having effectively intercepted her strike.

Jungkook was devastated at the idea that his own mother would want to slap him in the face for confronting her obvious lunacy, but had enough sense left to drive his point home. "See? Taehyung would never let any harm come to me."

He was about to add, "not in a million years", but the woman had begun flailing in an attempt to get away from the humanoid's firm grip. "Let go of me!"

That's when he realized there was no reasoning with her at the moment. "Mum, if you don't calm down now, I'm going to have Taehyung put you to sleep or something!"

She screeched. "Then you'd prove my point: he is dangerous! Why are you so obsessed with this droid?"

Obsessed? Is that what Jungkook was? He had to set the record straight. "You have to believe me when I say that if I could bring Dad back, then I would. In a heartbeat."

Looking down at his trembling hands, he whispered, more to himself than for her to hear, "I just want my old life back."

"You sound so selfish," she replied, chuckling nervously. "Have you ever thought about what I want? What I miss from my old life?"

Jungkook didn't wish to consider the possibility that his actions were motivated by egocentric reasons. "I'm sorry mum, but I believe you're wrong." He then leaned toward Taehyung, unsure as to how to word his next command. "Taehyung? Can you-you know-neutralize her? But gently?"

The unit shook his head. "Negative. I cannot injure a human being."

Right. Asimov's Laws.

Which, come to think of it, made his mother's accusations even more absurd. Jungkook had no time to reflect on Taehyung's stance, as a siren blaring in the distance made his heart hammer in his chest. Noticing the smirk on her face, he watched her fist clench one of these expensive emergency devices with a direct connection to police dispatching facilities.

It didn't matter whether Jungkook's inability to think straight at that moment was because of his blood boiling out of anger or because of the cold shivers of fear running down his spine. The only thought that stuck was a loud one: "Taehyung! You have to run!"

"I can't leave you."

The young man couldn't hold back a whine, tears of frustration threatening to spill any minute now. "Why not?"

"Because I am Jeon Jungkook's protector."

Jungkook had no idea how the humanoid had managed to make his eyes glisten with emotions he couldn't possibly be feeling because of his very impersonal nature. Yet there they were, two dark orbs staring right into his soul, pleading for what? Jungkook didn't know and neither did he care.

Fuck it.

His body leaned forward until their lips met and for a whole few seconds, no sound other than that of his beating heart was heard. His ears did not even register the screech of his mother having a (figurative) seizure a few feet away.

Taehyung's lips were beyond soft. They sure knew how to manufacture quality goods at Biobotics. And Kim Taehyung, being the smart AI that he was, understood what this meant. And deliberately chose to let it all happen.

When he pulled back, Jungkook was slightly dizzy and out of breath. "Go to boss, he'll know what to do," was all he could say.

"But Jungkook, you are my purpose."

Something combusted within the man's chest. This whole scene felt like bidding farewell to someone you knew you'd never see again. "Please, Taehyung. Don't let them catch you."

Where had he dug up the courage to part with his own lifelong purpose? Jungkook would never know. But he sure would regret it for the rest of his life.

-

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