sɴᴏᴡᴛᴀᴇ│ᴛᴋ [reposting]

.xxɪɪ.

Ever since he boarded the Hot Springs Express earlier that evening, Taehyung was experiencing a perpetual déjà vu. The creeping nausea, the lightshrooms, the waterfall, and now the hot pools... He had definitely been here before.

A faint sense of fluster had him reach for his shoulders. The skin was rough under his fingers. Scarred.

He closed his eyes with the hope of awakening another memory, but all he could hear was the sound of bubbling springs.

"Jungkook?"

"I'm here," the dwarf answered from around the corner. "Are you ready?"

"If you mean ready as in au naturel, then yes, I am as ready as I'll ever be."

The chuckle was candid. "I promise I won't open my eyes until you ask me to."

It was a bit frightening for Taehyung to watch himself trust Jungkook so easily, without an ounce of hesitation. How could he put this blind faith of his to the test, he wondered as he let the hot water engulf his body.

He noticed Jungkook flinch, but true to his word, he kept his eyes shut. Vaporous volutes surrounded them like thin, airy blankets, shielding them from the earthy freshness of the cave. After days on the roads, and nights of distress, this all felt very surreal. Taehyung reached for the pool's rim, thumbing the cold smoothness of the polished edges, taking note of the fact that the silence between them didn't feel one bit awkward. His eyelids were growing heav,  and if he weren't careful, he'd likely sink under the surface into an endless slumber.

"Kookie?"

Jungkook hummed, sounding quite sleepy himself.

"I've been wondering about us."

"Ask away. I'll do my best to fill you in."

There was a pause. Longer than Jungkook would have liked for it could translate as hesitation. And hesitant was something Taehyung had never been around him before. He searched for proper words to convey his reassurance that no formality was required between the,  but the prince beat him to it.

"How close were we?"

Straight to point, Jungkook reckoned. "I tried to kiss you, remember," he replied with a smile he found hard to suppress as memories of their many kisses filled his thoughts.

Lucky for Taehyung, the dwarf still had his eyes shut otherwise he would surely have noticed his cheeks burning.

"Tae?"

"Yes, I heard you."

"Oh. Good. Because I was about to tell you that we also held hands and cuddled. A lot."

There was a loud splash and Jungkook found himself drenched as Taehyung chuckled softly.

"Are you saying that our relationship was strictly physical?"

The dwarf gulped at the sudden perspicacity and candour. "No. Of course not!"

He made a move toward where he guessed Taehyung was sitting and asked, "can I open my eyes now, please?"

"Sure," the prince replied, looking away. Perhaps he wasn't ready for the disclosure he knew was coming. Or perhaps he was but had no clue what to do once the words were out.

"After you disappeared, I realised I had never told how much you meant to me. And that one regret ate at my sanity every single day. I promised myself that, should I be given the chance to see you again, I'd make sure to let you know."

Taehyung felt compelled to stare back into the other's dark, loving orbs.

"You were my morning and my nights. And when I had time off, you were my days as well. I had never felt so happy before, just being around you, hoping to catch that twinkle in your eyes that would brighten your smile and, by extension, my own existence."