Jungkook had grown in the following month. He was content with his job, he was content with his home, and he was most definitely content with his boyfriend. Taehyung always encouraged him with everything and made him feel safer than he ever felt before. He'd like to say that everything was running smoothly like a fairy tale, where this was a cute little happy ending for everyone. He really wanted everything to be happy. Yet no matter how hard he tried, many things just didn't add up.
He knew that Taehyung was hiding something from him. Something he didn't want Jungkook to know about.
Jungkook knew about the texts. He knew that Taehyung was being shamed. What he found the most infuriating about this whole fiasco was the fact that Taehyung never told him about it. As if he wanted Jungkook to live in that fairy tale world, where there was always a happy ending for every resident living in it. Like Taehyung wasn't supposed to show he was suffering.
But Jungkook could see it; he was starting to figure out the younger boy. Every so often, whenever those threatening texts would presumably pop up, Jungkook silently studied Taehyung's face, and every time he did so, he started seeing what kind of hurt shown in his eyes.
Taehyung hid his emotions very well – but Jungkook's persistence kept up with it. The one trick that made Jungkook know, that makes him confirm that Taehyung is hurt, is if he tries to pin all attention on Jungkook and help him with his problems.
And that's exactly what happened, almost every single time. Jungkook hated it. He hated knowing Taehyung was hurt, yet he kept helping when he should really be talking about his problems.
... And what made Jungkook even angrier was the fact that he hadn't confronted Tae about it, either.
It will definitely bite him in the ass one day. . . It definitely will. He was a coward, after all. Even after the self-esteem boost, it seemed he was just naturally a quitter. Jungkook was an awful boyfriend, wasn't he? The absolute worst. After everything that Taehyung had done for him... Jungkook still couldn't even ask 'who's that man harassing you?'
Even now, as he worked at the library, Jungkook couldn't focus on anything. He had this strange gut-feeling that something would happen. He wasn't sure what, but he didn't like it. Everything was going too well – too well, if you knew what he meant. With a brush of his hand against his shirt, the older boy gave a longing cast to the younger boy; he was reading a book at the desk, talking to Miss Ruth like usual, and most importantly, flashing that big bright smile of his.
Taehyung looked so genuinely happy... But it really felt like there was something else to it.
He placed some books up on the upper shelves, though his gaze never faltered from the glowing boy. He knew he looked so creepy doing it but he didn't care – Taehyung's mental health was at stake and anything could happen.
Just like that, Taehyung's head perked down to his vibrating phone. He noticed the flexing in his jaw and the way his smile just very very slightly broke, but he was skillfully quick in bringing it back up again.
Maybe... Jungkook would ask tomorrow.
Maybe he can change things.
- - - -
After waking up the next day and doing his morning routine of snuggling his way out of Jungkook's strong grasp, Taehyung slugged his way into the kitchen to get himself a snack. With the fridge open after he snatched the milk, he frowned because there wasn't a lot of food left. Okay, he made a mental note to go today. After his breakfast.
He slipped on his stripped shirt and black jeans and tidied his face up with some water just to feel more refreshed. Tae had quickly grabbed the note hanging from the magnet against the fridge, folding it in his pocket for later when he was at the store. He needed to know what he was buying, after all. Jungkook is a big guy and he needed a lot of food.
"Cheese, chicken, lettuce, tomatoes... Is that all that's left on the list?" He mumbled to himself while in thought as he scratched out one by one the products he had already put in the cart. "Okay, it's not too hard to find that." Tae strolled down the aisles to look for the particular foods. "Voila," One by one he managed to find them and made his way to the register.
"Oh-" He stopped dead in his tracks. "I nearly forgot Kookie's blueberry muffins." He made a quick U-turn with his cart and wheelied himself down the aisle where he knew they were at and picked them up, then heading to the register.
"Thank you, credit or debit?"
"Err, visa, actually." Taehyung smiled. After the man put in the button pushing – Taehyung didn't exactly understand how it worked – he finally put his card in. He was ready to get the bags out as per usual to store the foods in, but a strange noise occurred from the machine.
"Sir, it looks like your card has no balance."
Taehyung widened his eyes. "What?" He glanced at the machine and narrowed his eyes. No no... Th-This can't... "Let me try again, please."
He did. Yet the result was the same.
"Fuck," Taehyung started breathing a little bit rapidly. They were trying to cut him off. He looked around the store in suspicion but could find no one. The man behind the register tried getting his attention again but for the longest time it wasn't working.
"Sir, please calm down. Do you have any other way of payment?"
His eyes snapped back to the man and blinked rapidly. "Y-Yeah..." Calm down,Taehyung. They still might not know where you are. "I have change." He threw the money at the man and before he could even ask, "I don't want the receipt but thank you."
I just want to get out of here.
He scrambled out the door after putting the foods in the bag and dragged the cart out as far as he could before he was forced to pick up the bags and walk back home. At times like this, he really wished he knew how to drive. But he couldn't so here he was. What about Jungkook?
Even with the weight around his arms, Taehyung managed to pat at his butt pocket for his phone. Then his heart thumped unbelievably hard against his chest as he gulped; his phone wasn't there.
"Fuck where did I—?!" His mind flashed to a sleeping Jungkook this morning. Taehyung must've accidentally left it there.
He needed to get home, and he needed to get home fast.
Minutes passed yet in moments like these, it always felt like forever. Thankfully it wasn't a long walk, maybe about twenty minutes, but it still scared him because he knew they were out there, and now that he was forced out of his cards that meant they were trying to rat him out. He was losing his freedom and if... if Jungkook couldn't get where he wanted to be soon, then...
Taehyung practically barged through the door and locked it behind him. He threw the bags on the table and cleared his throat. He was unsure if he should tell Jungkook about this, although he really didn't want to. He hoped that he could be happy out here. He really wanted it to be that way.
"Taehyung?" His head spun to the source of the voice with wide eyes. It was Jungkook. "You... Wh-What happened?" The look of worry and care was clear as day on the boy's face. Taehyung wanted to tell him everything. He really did. But what would he think of him after? He didn't want to face that fact. He didn't want Jungkook to see him the way they did.
"I... thought I was being watched." Half the truth. "But I think I outran them." He looked down at the table as he leaned his hands against the edges. He was so shaken up. Taehyung needed to calm down because then Jungkook would be scared. He truly didn't want Jungkook to worry over him. It shouldn't be something so trivial, it shouldn't—
"T-Taehyung," A warm pair of arms enveloped around his torso. "Please don't... be scared. I'll protect you." With his head gently pressing into the neck of the larger boy, he could hear – he could feel the calmer beats of Jungkook's heart in his chest. Taehyung was rather surprised by the sudden act of kindness. Jungkook was usually too timid for these sorts of physical acts. But... He didn't mind this. When those arms came to hold him nice and tight, the first thought that came to his mind was,
It's... warm.
Almost as if the tables had turned, Taehyung was now the one being comforted once again. He enjoyed being hugged like this. With that tinge of pride in his heart, knowing that Jungkook was growing as a nice person, he also felt secure. He felt like this person truly loved him back, too.
"Thank you, Kookie." As much as he wanted to stay in the hug, he needed to do something. With a soft smile, the young boy looked up and pecked his lips as he gently pulled the other's arms down. "You're very kind... Thank you."
Kookie stared with a little bit of blush on his cheeks as a big, bashful smile was placed on it. The cutest part was the way his crooked teeth perfectly pulled together to create the most adorable face he'd ever seen. He really loved that smile.
"I got you your muffins, sweetie." Taehyung whispered. Right away a look of excitement sparked in those round eyes and he glanced at the bags with a gasp. Then he looked back at Taehyung as if asking for permission and he could only chuckle. "Go rummage, I don't mind."
He didn't think Jungkook would be so hooked over muffins but there you had it; the boy nyoomed passed him and gently pulled out the food one by one just to find them. Taehyung rolled his eyes and walked to the bed where he knew he had left the phone; casually flipping the blankets, Tae found it lying where he thought he left it and picked it up.
1 new message.
He silently shook and swiped the phone hesitantly.
I found you.
♪♪♪
heres a nice chapter to get back into