BRAINWASH | JJK & KTH

四

K A I R O S
合十礼

it seemed as if all eyes were glued to his hunched over, uninviting presence–yet it was he who was hurriedly glancing onto all possible directions, in hopes of catching the exact moment in which the boy would walk into the heated café.

each subtle gust of air brushed his face as customer after customer carelessly opened the tightly hinged entrance door. each pestering order that the waiters called out, voices hoarse and tired, rang ferociously in his ears; if possible, he would've liked every word to be in the same melodic, soulful tone as jungkook's.

a sound he found impossible to get enough of.

every second that passed by (helpfully counted with a tick tock which bounced around taehyung's mind so unconsciously, he was afraid he might spontaneously combust like a time bomb or something) took eight autumns.

eight exasperating autumns.

entranced, taehyung would stare spitting flames into his naïve cup of growingly cold coffee–ordered with no knowledge of its taste. the image of the mug and the aromatic steam rising from its innards whirled round and round in his head; multiplying itself into a kaleidoscope of never-ending anxiety.

who knew a cup of coffee could result in such intense thought?

taehyung had never even tried it before. yet he was pressured by a passing waiter, who questioned him on his sit down and stare into space in a café act.

he figured that, as jungkook had suggested the place for them to meet, he would order one. however, he didn't seem to like the idea of trying it without him there.

so he continued staring into whirlpools of caramel brown goodness for as long as it would take his friend to arrive.

little did he know, jungkook was just as nervous.

arriving at your neighbour's house  to introduce yourself was one thing, but arriving at your neighbour's house to ask him out on a–
was it a date?

the glass door felt contaminated and warm as he lightly pushed it with his finger tips. jungkook didn't want to, but he couldn't help spotting him immediately as he stepped inside.

he drew a breath;
and let it go.

taehyung blinked at his reflection in the liquid.

"t-tae?"

he turned, and smiled awkwardly. he took no notice of the nickname at the time.

"hi."

jungkook returned the gesture, taking a seat on the mahogany washed, wooden chair opposite taehyung.

"s-sorry. do you mind being called tae?"

he scratched at his neck and averted his gaze for a slight moment.

taehyung gripped the handle of the mug.

"not at all."

。。。

they stood next to each other in the secluded aisle; a shopping cart as full as possible with nothing but insipid candy that turned two teens into an identical giggling pile of mess.

"i'll buy it for you, no need to worry."
jungkook said through noisy chews of a snickers bar.

"b-but i have nothing to pay you back with... i feel bad."

he shook his head from side to side, a grin forming onto his puffy face.

"don't feel bad. i don't need money back, this is what friends do. and i'm your friend, right?"

taehyung looked up at the younger boy, heat pumping around his system-eventually setting into an evident cluster on his face.

they shared a moment; a message through eye contact.

he had never felt more grateful.

more
liked.

"i-i think so?"
he attempted to break the infinitive silence. jungkook began to chuckle.

"good. we're on the same page.
now let me buy you this damn panda hat or i will personally break all of your toy cars, kim taehyung."

taehyung's cheeks boiled at the sound of his full name from him; but then he realised what he had said before that.

"buy it buy it buy it buy it buy it now!!"

he grasped jungkook by the shoulders and shook him playfully.

jungkook smirked.

"i got you b."

taehyung exploded in laughter at the unfitting saying that his friend had just made, shaking his head in fake disappointment. jungkook joined in and shoved the fluffy garment into the shopping cart.

i like him.

i think i love him.