New Leaf (Taekook 21+) [Completed]

44- Promise Revealed

"Okay, good, I thought Tae had broken that promise to his fa-" Jimin stopped short and covered his mouth as the others peered at him curiously. "Promise? What promise?" Yoongi asked, finally speaking up after waking up a little more. Jimin slapped the palm of his hand against his forehead, disappointed that he was the one to reveal the secrecy of Taehyung's promise.

Jimin shook his head as he picked up his tray and stood to his feet. "I don't know what you guys are talking about," Jimin called over his shoulder as he quickly dumped his tray and left the cafeteria. Seokjin turned towards Yoongi and Hoseok with a look of exasperation before speaking up. "What was all that about? All you did was ask about a promise that he mentioned," Seokjin declared as he collected his tray. Both Yoongi and Hoseok followed as they all stood to dump their trays. "I don't know what that was about," Hoseok started, grabbing Yoongi's hand and heading towards the cafeteria doors with Seokjin. "But now, I certainly want to find out," he added as they all silently followed after Jimin.

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Taehyung peeked open one eye as he groaned at the fact that it was already morning. He sighed heavily and stretched his body, feeling the weight of someone's arms around him for the first time since he'd opened his eyes. He quickly turned his head to realize that Jungkook had fallen asleep in his bed, snuggling him. A bed, that was barely big enough for just him as he realized how tightly his back was pressed into Jungkook. "Kookie," Taehyung whispered, poking the younger's arms. "It's time to wake up," Taehyung added as the younger groaned loudly. "Five more minutes," Jungkook answered in a groggy voice and squeezed the elder male tighter against him.

Taehyung chuckled softly as he played with Jungkook's fingers and traced the veins in Jungkook's arms. Jungkook was silent, but Taehyung could tell Jungkook's body appreciated what he was doing. "If you don't stop that now, you won't be leaving here for a couple of hours," Jungkook warned, finally releasing Taehyung's body. Taehyung rolled out of the bed and sat down cross-legged on the floor, smiling at Jungkook. "I take it you're not a morning person," Taehyung joked, watching as Jungkook's eyes slid shut once again. "Never have been," Jungkook answered in a flat voice, still heavy with sleep as Taehyung leaned forward and kissed him. "That's okay, neither have I."

Jungkook's eyes slowly fluttered open as he sighed with exasperation. "Okay, okay, I'm up. Who knew you'd be so needy this early in the morning?" Jungkook asked as he sat up and slid off of the bed, pulling Taehyung onto his lap. "Sometimes I forget that you're older than me," Jungkook elaborated as Taehyung giggled softly, playing with Jungkook's hair now.

"How can you forget that I'm older than you?" Taehyung asked as he slowly stood up, helping Jungkook to his feet now. "Is it because I act a certain way until I get my way?" Taehyung asked, smiling as he stepped over towards his dresser. "I can act mature at times," Taehyung added, pulling the drawers open to look for clean clothes. Jungkook chuckled as he stepped up behind Taehyung to kiss his cheek and smiled softly when he pulled away. "I have to see the nurse about taking my medication, but after that, we can meet up for lunch," Jungkook suggested, stepping away from Taehyung.

Taehyung nodded softly as he watched Jungkook walk towards the door. "Okay," Taehyung agreed with a boxy smile. "How about we meet up at the open courtyard for a picnic at noon? I can bring the picnic basket and food," Taehyung exclaimed excitedly, clapping his hands together. "All you have to do is bring the blanket," Taehyung added with glee as Jungkook chuckled at Taehyung's adorable face that lit up with excitement.

"Okay, okay. Noon in the courtyard with a blanket. Got it," Jungkook noted before pulling open the door and leaving. Taehyung watched him go, hating that he had to leave his side but understanding that he had to do so in order to recover. Taehyung sighed as he walked over towards the bathroom to shower and freshen up. Once he was done with that, he dressed in the clothes that he'd picked out and quickly left his dorm room. He was going towards the cafeteria, hoping that the kitchen staff would let him use their equipment to make their picnic.

Before he could get too far down the hallway, Jimin rushed up to him and clasped his hands on Taehyung's shoulders harshly. The action itself frightened Taehyung more than the person performing the action, especially with the desperate look in Jimin's eyes. "M- Minnie?! What's wrong?" Taehyung asked, placing his hands on Jimin's elbows for assistance from falling into him. Jimin bit his lip as he tugged Taehyung aside, his eyes pleading as he opened his mouth to speak. "I- I'm so sorry, Tae. I... I ended up slipping about your promise to your father," Jimin apologized softly, sliding his hands down Taehyung's arms.

Taehyung's expression fell only slightly before shaking his head. "It's okay... Papa already broke his end of the promise anyway," Taehyung stated ruefully as Hoseok, Yoongi, and Seokjin peeked around the corner. "What is this promise you guys keep talking about?" Yoongi asked, walking from around the corner as Jimin turned toward them in surprise. "Jimin said something about it earlier, Tae. What's so important about this promise?" Yoongi asked once again, staring at the two of them expectantly. He was hoping that he could get some answers to their questions as Hoseok and Seokjin sheepishly made their presence known as well.

Taehyung sighed in defeat as he glanced around and opened the door to his dorm room, herding them inside so that they could talk in private. He quickly shut the door and turned toward them as he pressed his back into the flimsy wood behind him. "It... It was a promise between me and Papa. I was supposed to keep it a secret, but because he already broke his end of the deal, I guess I don't have to keep my end either," Taehyung admitted softly, regret laced thick in his voice.

Jimin wanted to stop Taehyung, but the look in his eyes kept him frozen to his spot. He looked like he'd been defeated, not a single ounce of his normal bubbly personality present as he spoke softly to them. "Papa and I have never really been on good terms," Taehyung explained quietly, biting his lip as he continued. "I've been really sick ever since I was born... We recently found out that's due to hypogammaglobulinemia. An immunodeficiency... I've also had issues with my heart and lungs... Papa has viewed me as weak ever since he found out, even though he's the reason I have the immunodeficiency. The doctors told my parents that I wouldn't live to see puberty with all the problems I have... Well, when puberty came and I was still physically alive, Papa started training me more vigorously. That caused a lot more health problems to pop up and exasperated pre-existing health issues," Taehyung whispered softly, almost inaudible. He loathed saying this out loud because it forced him to acknowledge just how grim his reality was.

"After that, Mama fought Papa every step of the way because she realized that when I was happy and able to relax, the pain from my asthma and my health problems didn't bother me as much. So Papa and I came to an agreement from Mama's coercion that I could marry whoever I pleased as long as that person took over the company for me. I am their sole heir, so I've basically been looking for my replacement ever since that promise was made... Mama hates when it's brought up because it only brings reality crashing down on me and her. That's why I'm here... I despised confronting my reality," Taehyung whispered bitterly, looking up to meet their sorrowful and teary eyes. "I just couldn't."

Yoongi shuffled his feet, shifting his weight as he crossed his arm over his body to rub his limp arm. "Jesus, Tae. If I had known that's what this promise was about, I- I would have never asked... I'm so sorry I brought it up," Yoongi apologized, looking guilty as Taehyung smiled softly at him. "It's okay," Taehyung answered, presenting a boxy smile for all of them to see, despite the tears in his eyes. "Honestly, I've gotten better at confronting what's been dealt to me. There's no changing it. Just living day to day as best as I can until I no longer will be able to... The doctors have told my parent's several different things about when I may meet my demise, so we'll see when that day arrives," Taehyung announced nonchalantly, shrugging as he stood up straight now. "That's why Papa is in such a hurry to marry me off though," Taehyung finalized, shaking his head. "And Papa is coercing me to marry his friend, who's the nurse here," Taehyung trailed off, remembering the ring that he'd hidden in his dresser drawer a while back.

Hoseok was the first to step forward and hug Taehyung tightly, followed by Yoongi, Jimin, and Seokjin. They all knew that admitting he was dying took a lot of courage to announce that out loud, where it became even more real. At least, inside his mind, he could ignore that revelation with mind-numbing drugs or mindless sex. Now though, they realized he would have to face it head-on and still maintain that everything was perfectly fine. Taehyung buried his face in Jimin's shoulder, gripping onto Jimin the tightest because he'd always known but remained steadfast by his side like a true best friend.