Roommates | [kth.jjk]

23.

C H A P T E R
TWENTY-THREE:

Jungkook awoke with a soft smile on his face. The smooth duvet wrapped around his body like a protective shield, the natural, morning light sheening into his not yet opened eyes. He just wanted to bask in the warm sheets, the smell of Taehyung's musky, orangy scent before he opened his eyes. Jungkook dared to open his eyes because he knew that the minute he would open them, he'd be hit with the immediate memories of the night before. Blushing, he gathered some of the blanket to his face, he couldn't believe how daring he had been.

Jungkook then reaches out, feeling for Taehyung's warm body. He pats the bed with confusion before springing up. Looking around the room, Taehyung was nowhere to be seen. Worry draws itself on to Jungkook's features as he bundles himself up in the duvet. He's probably in the shower like always, Jungkook thinks, lying back down on Taehyung's bed, staring at the ceiling.

Flashbacks from the night before play in Jungkook's mind like a new movie arriving at a cinema, and he blushes, trying to cool down his body, which was slowly burning up, the temperature through the roof.

Yesterday, something clicked in Jungkook's mind. Like nothing before. Like he was trapped in a treasure chest, the scarce room suffocating him, trapping his mind from being able to run freely in the flower fields. Bht yesterday, it was like Taehyung had found the golden key, held the chest tightly, unlocked it, freeing Jungkook in the process, as well as finding more treasures to keep for himself.

Was this true?

Was the feeling Jungkook had been having urges about, finally showing itself?

It couldn't be.

In addition, the pain Jungkook had from losing his best friend all of those years ago, was slowly fading away as he found himself regaining the light in Taehyung again, his emotions forming to reach out for Taehyung's heart so that the two could mend, and form an even stronger bond than before.

Jungkook was finally starting to understand his own feelings.

The butterflies, the sparks, the confidence, all of the temptations to grab Taehyung and kiss him hard, all of those were slowly adding up, pouring into Jungkook's mind and heart like it was ice cold water on a hot Sunday evening. But Jungkook was beginning to love it. Love the feeling of finding a purpose once more.

All this time, he didn't understand. He was too scared to understand. Moulding himself into what he didn't want to be, a hypocrite. When the answer was standing right in front of him all along. And the cherry haired boy knew it himself, that answer was not going to disappear any time soon, so he had to make do with it, and love it while it was there, care for it while he had it, nurturing it forever, until one day, the answer leaves with a resounding mark on Jungkook's body, he finally learned how to love himself, allowing himself to love others.

And the answer?

Was a blue eyed, wavy haired, sun kissed boy named,

Kim Taehyung.

Jungkook's doe eyes sparkle, trying to keep his breathing calm, but he can't. He just can't. It took him some time, but as he layed there, alone with his feelings, for the first time in...well, ever, he realised that the reason he couldn't let go of Taehyung, or bring himself to hate Taehyung properly, or to stand up to Taehyung when he was mean to the cherry haired boy in school...was because his love for him as a best friend, turning into something else entirely.