Jungkook and Taehyung keep buying little gifts and writing kind notes to each other during the two following weeks, always remaining trivial in their messages as they don't want to risk starting a fight. Indeed, the peace is still fragile between the two of them and they both know that one mistake can put them in danger. Thus, they remain careful, and even though it's not much, it actually brightens their mood in a way they would never have thought possible.
Hoseok quickly acknowledges the change in Jungkook's behaviour, as he notices the latter seems to smile more and tends to look less anxious. He doesn't tell Jungkook about it though, as he wants the latter to open up to him first, not wanting to make him feel ill-at-ease by talking about a subject his friend isn't ready to broach yet.
It's at the end of the month that it happens, when the two boys are watching television on the couch: Hoseok turns his gaze away from the television at one point, catching his friend red-handed. Indeed, the raven-haired male is not-so-discreetly reading one of his husband's little papers for what might be the third time that night, the man blushing when he realises he's being watched.
"What?" He asks with a tone that definitely shows he's aware of the reason why Hoseok is smirking at him.
"Oh, nothing... I was just thinking that it's getting better between you and Taehyung, right?" His friend looks a bit flustered at these words, as though surprised Hoseok noticed, and it amuses the latter because really, doesn't Jungkook realise he is so obvious?
"Sure, I mean, we still have some serious business to speak about, but at least we're kind to each other now... Not like before.
-Definitely not..." Hoseok agrees, letting his head land on Jungkook's shoulder softly. "I'm proud of you two, you know that?" This has Jungkook grinning lightly, the man muttering a word of thanks. "When is the next counsellor appointment, by the way?
-It's in three days." The raven-haired male answers, letting out a shaky breath. "I'm so stressed... I wonder if we can talk together without getting in a fight. I mean, it will surely be more difficult to speak face to face... We won't be able to really think our words over like when we write, so I'm afraid to say something wrong somehow.
-Don't worry, Kookie, I'm sure you two will do great. You made great progress since the beginning of that therapy... Do you realise that barely two months ago you were still avoiding each other as much as possible? Now you're reading Taehyung's notes over and over!
-Well, they're nice, after all... It's been so long that we haven't shared this kind of little things, Hoseok, it's normal for me to react like this.
-I know... But you can't deny that you're acting pretty cheesy.
-Oh, shut up." Jungkook nudges him with a smile, Hoseok laughing lightly. That's the moment the latter's phone rings, a well-known voice resonating at the other end of the line the moment he picks up.
"Hey Jimin, how are you?" He feels Jungkook tense a little next to him, but he doesn't care: even though the relationship between these two is tensed, as for him he's still Jimin's friend.
"Hi, Seokkie! I'm fine, I just wanted to know, err..." There's a little hesitation at the other end of the line, so that Hoseok encourages him.
"Don't be afraid to ask me...
-Yeah, well, I just wanted to know if you could come to my place one of these nights... It's been so long we haven't watched a good movie while eating pizza!" Hoseok realises that indeed, they used to do this often before, sometimes with Jungkook and Taehyung as well but most of the times it would only be the two of them. But the part of the night Hoseok loved the most was after watching the film, when they talked and talked together until the sun was on the verge of rising up into the sky. They would try to prevent their eyelids from sealing shut, but inevitably they fell asleep on the couch, groaning in the morning as they limbs hurt from remaining on the uncomfortable sofa all night long. Hoseok really misses this, so that he suddenly feels really impatient at the idea of sharing this kind of moments with Jimin anew.
"Of course I want to! What about next Saturday?" He hears Jimin laughing at his eager tone, the man immediately agreeing to his proposition.
"Alright then, see you in five days! I'll be counting...
-Yeah, me too. Bye Jiminnie, take care of yourself..." Hoseok replies with a smile before hanging up. The man then looks at Jungkook, who seems to be deep into his thoughts so that he calls him with a gentle voice:
"Kookie? Are you okay?
-Huh?" His friend startles a little, sending him a surprised gaze, before relaxing. "Oh, yes, don't worry..." There's a little silence before Hoseok speaks up, hoping the raven-haired male won't react badly to what he's going to announce.
"So, I'm seeing Jimin next Saturday...
-Oh. You go to his place?
-Yes, of course... I'm not going to force you to see him by making him come here." Another moment of silence follows his words.
"Hoseok, could you do something for me? Could you tell Jimin that I'm sorry for that time I threatened him? I'm still very mad at him for everything he did with Taehyung, but... I thought about it a lot during this month and I told myself I have to apologise about this." Hoseok smiles, telling himself that even though Jungkook often looks impassible or even cold sometimes, it doesn't mean that he doesn't care about other people and doesn't question himself.
"I'm very happy about what you're asking there, but I can't do this, Kookie. I'm sorry, but it would be better if you told him yourself." Jungkook sighs a little, but he looks like he was waiting for this answer.
"I don't really feel like speaking with him face to face... I'm going to wait for a while then.
-Don't worry, I'll tell Jimin that you don't forget about him." Hoseok smiles kindly, before sitting upright and stretching his limbs up with exaggerated sounds so that Jungkook laughs a little. "I'm hungry, aren't you?
-Definitely!" Jungkook replies, immediately standing up and almost running towards the kitchen, making his friend shout to wait for him.
Hoseok later realises that, as much as he wants Taehyung and Jungkook to go back together, he actually dreads the idea of living alone again. Indeed, now that he has experienced sharing his everyday life with someone else, he doesn't feel like being welcomed by silence every time he returns home. But what can he even do about it? It's not like he can retain Jungkook if the latter wants to leave one day...
"Jungkook didn't tell me he wants to move out yet, so I still have time to find a solution..." Hoseok tells himself, burying all the negative thoughts at the back of his mind. He hopes said solution won't be long to find...
----
Taehyung is pacing relentlessly in all the expanse of his living room, checking his appearance every time he walks across the mirror. He did everything he could to look good today, as it is the very day he's meeting with Jungkook again, but he still feels like it's not enough. Yet he can't do anything more, so that he's now bound to go in circles while waiting for the hour to come. He was so stressed when he woke up this morning that he got prepared too early, so that he still has another thirty minutes to wait until it's finally time to go.
However, after fifteen minutes Taehyung feels the urge to do something, anything, or he's going to be driven mad by the nervousness eating up at him. He can't remain like this, thinking about how he wants everything to go well and how he's afraid to mess up. He has to escape the four walls around him that feel like a real prison these days, and even more now. Thus, he decides to leave the flat, walking towards the meeting place and letting the fresh air clear his mind.
He thought he would be the first arrived, yet when he turns at the corner of the counsellor's street he suddenly stops into his tracks, as he just spotted Jungkook pacing in front of the entrance door.
The latter takes a few seconds to eventually notice an unmoving shape a few meters away, his eyes widening when he realises that the man is actually his own husband. The raven-haired male can't do anything but remain frozen in place, shocked by the fact Taehyung changed so much over a mere month. And it suits him, he thinks, the way the sun reflects into his brown hair. Besides, he lost some weight, didn't he? He looks in shape, and also bought new clothes... Jungkook suddenly feels self-conscious, and he swears himself to do something about it in the future. He doesn't want Taehyung to find him ugly...
This one eventually moves, walking towards him with slow and even cautious steps, as if he's afraid to do something wrong by heading forward too quickly. When he stops, barely a meter away from Jungkook, the latter releases a shaky breath while trying to form sentences into his head. It's tougher than he thought though, not only because it's the first time in a month that he is going to talk with his husband, but also because Taehyung's changing of appearance greatly surprised him and he's not sure he has completely recovered yet.
"H-Hey..." Alright, that wasn't a great start, but Jungkook is determined to persevere. "How are you?
-Fine... You?" The fact Taehyung doesn't seem in a better state actually reassures him. He feels like they have to learn how act around each other all over again, now that they buried the hatchet and decided to finally behave like grown-ups.
"Yeah... I'm alright." Jungkook desperately searches for something to say, but his brain is empty at the moment.
"Err, thank you a lot for the flowers the other day... And for all the messages." Taehyung says after a few seconds of awkward silence, and the raven-haired male almost wants to slap his own face when he realises that the subject of conversation he was desperately looking for was actually so simple to find.
"Oh, you're welcome... Thanks to you too. I don't think the counsellor would be really pleased to hear that we spoke together this way... But I don't think I care, actually. It was worth it." This makes Taehyung chuckle a little and they both feel like the atmosphere becomes less tensed, Jungkook sighing in relief as he managed to say more than five words without stuttering.
"Yeah, I don't care either. I think we have to tell her, though, it's important.
-But what if she thinks this counts as talking to each other? Maybe she will want to make us go through another month like this..." Taehyung shrugs, sending him a playful smile.
"Well, if she wants to, then we'll threaten not to pay her anymore!" This time it's Jungkook's turn to laugh, and the brown-haired male realises that he doesn't even remember the last time he heard that sound. He missed it so much...
"So," Jungkook begins, looking at his watch, and Taehyung realises it's the one he offered him for his birthday barely two months earlier. It pleases him, the fact that Jungkook decided to wear it as a sign of peace. "Should we go inside?
-Yes, let's go..." They enter and walk towards the waiting room in silence, the two males remaining deep into their thoughts as they wonder what is going to happen during the session. Eventually the door opens and the counsellor welcomes them inside, the woman beginning to speak after they all sat down.
"Alright, let's begin... First, I would like to ask you how was this month, and whether or not you ran into some difficulties. It can be about anything..." Jungkook suddenly remembers he has something important to tell Taehyung, so that he begins to speak with an unsteady voice, looking at his hands.
"Someone called me the other day... It was the man w-with whom I..." He can't bring himself to say aloud that it was the person with whom he cheated on Taehyung.
"Jongin called?" The brown-haired male asks with a half-dumbfounded half-annoyed tone, so that Jungkook nods.
"The man I slept with." Jungkook eventually manages to explain to the counsellor, his cheeks burning in shame, and his husband huffs.
"I guess he wanted to sleep with you again...
-Taehyung, of course I said no..." There's a little silence during which the raven-haired man risks a peek towards his husband, finding out that he is averting his gaze and pouting.
"You refused but you wanted to say yes, didn't you?" Jungkook's lips part in surprise at Taehyung's bluntness, and he chooses his words carefully not to upset him even more.
"I wanted to accept only because I was sexually frustrated, but of course our couple is more important to me... You're the one with whom I want to be, and Jongin is not. And believe me, I didn't feel forced to refuse or something, I was actually glad to do so." Seeing that there's no reaction from Taehyung at these words, he takes the latter's hand into his, so that his husband sends him a surprised gaze. "Taehyung, please, believe me... We have to trust each other from now on. I wouldn't lie to you about something like this." It takes a few seconds, but eventually Taehyung squeezes his hand back, the two exchanging a meaningful gaze.
"You definitely changed a lot over these weeks..." The brown-haired male mutters with a slightly amused tone, not letting his hand go so that Jungkook feels a ray of happiness seeping into his chest. "What do you think?" Taehyung then asks the counsellor, which is looking at them with what seems like an approving gaze.
"I think that you two made a lot of progress. Jungkook, what you did is very good, and it seems that you reflected and questioned yourself very much over this month. It proves that you care a lot about this therapy... What about you, Taehyung?" She asks, turning towards the brown-haired male, "Do you have something you want to speak about?
-Actually, there is something we both want to tell you..." Taehyung replies, his husband immediately getting the hint and nodding. "We haven't completely stopped talking to each other. I had an altercation with my ex-lover the moment I got back home from our last session with you. My first reflex was to call Jungkook and he immediately arrived... He comforted me a lot." He sends a kind smile to the raven-haired male, the latter's cheeks heating up a little from the praise.
"It felt great, I mean, we really acted naturally with each other for a while." Jungkook adds, remembering how they had both let their problems aside back then. "Fighting with Taehyung over years had made me feel like I didn't love him anymore, but this made me realise that there was still something between us and that I still cared about him." Taehyung still hasn't let go of his hand, and he likes a bit too much the sensation of warmth that spreads into his veins at this rare contact.
"So you two managed to retrieve some sensations that you hadn't felt for a long while, right?" She asks and they both agree, "It's a very good omen, I actually didn't think it would happen so quick to be honest..." The counsellor smiles and the two males chuckle a little.
"Actually, this isn't the only time we spoke to each other..." Taehyung reveals then, the woman raising her eyebrows in both surprise and amusement. "We followed the rules for fifteen days, but then Jungkook sent me some flowers along with a little note.
-Really? What was that for, Jungkook?
-I wanted to make him feel better... It was an important day." He then explains the meaning of that gift, the woman nodding while writing down a few words.
"It really worked, I was really touched about the fact he had thought about me. So I answered him with a message and a gift too, and since that moment we didn't stop." The brown-haired male adds, unconsciously thumbing Jungkook's back of hand. "Is it a bad thing?
-It's not..." The counsellor answers, greatly surprising them, "The rule that said you shouldn't see each other was a way for you two to take a look back on these three years and make you question yourselves, but it seems like you did so even though you only stopped speaking together for fifteen days instead of a month. You also found new ways to get closer, and it worked very well, so there is no reason for me to say that what you did is wrong." This reassures Jungkook and Taehyung a lot, as they were afraid there would be negative consequences to their actions. "Actually, I think that you're ready to spend some time together anew. Would it be okay for you two to go to the restaurant together, for example?
-The restaurant?" Jungkook asks, wondering why they can't see each other in a more intimate place like their flat.
"Yes, a public place is good for a first time. Your apartment is full of memories, including all the negative ones. It's safer for you not to recall bad moments when you'll see each other. You can choose another place though, as long as it's not one that you already know." They think for a few seconds, before Jungkook eventually speaks up:
"I think the restaurant would be fine. Taehyung, are you okay with this?
-I'm in." The man nods, "What about we go on Saturday?
-It's perfect for me..." Jungkook replies, thinking that it's the very same day Hoseok is going to Jimin's place. Like this he won't have to be alone at night...
The counsellor then makes the two men doing some exercises together in order to regain trust in each other. That's how Jungkook finds himself standing up with Taehyung behind him, the latter facing his back.
"Alright, Jungkook, now you can let yourself fall backwards, Taehyung will catch you."
It actually takes time for him to find the courage to do what he's asked, sometimes beginning to let himself go but managing to regain his balance at the last second as he's afraid his husband will let him crash on the floor. However, after three attempts he finally manages to stop himself from wanting to control the fall, and a second later he feels Taehyung's chest against his back and two strong arms winding around him.
"That's actually funny!" He laughs, seeing his husband smiling at him from behind.
When they eventually exit the woman's office and halt once in the street, they both look at each other for a while, until Jungkook softly voices out the question they were both trying to utter:
"Want me to walk you home?" The brown-haired male nods eagerly, so that they begin to head towards his flat, a thoughtful silence surrounding them. It's not awkward though, the atmosphere is comfortable and their hands sometimes brush against each other from time to time, until Taehyung eventually muster the courage to take Jungkook's into his. It earns him a surprised glance, so that for a second he's afraid he just made a mistake, but in the end his husband even intertwines his fingers with his, making his cheeks burn in an agreeable way. Of course Taehyung knows that they still have a lot of problems to sort out and a lot of things to apologise for, but for now he lets them aside and only enjoys the warmth of Jungkook's hand on his.
They eventually arrive in front of the door of their formerly-shared flat, Taehyung releasing the raven-haired male's hand a bit reluctantly.
"I spent a very good time, Jungkook. Thank you, I mean, for everything you said about us. It really touched me." His husband looks pleased at this, shaking his head lightly.
"You don't have to thank me, I just said what I thought. I really feel like we can do it, Tae. I didn't know it before because anger was blinding me, but I see it now. So thank you for making me go to that counsel-" He's cut by Taehyung hugging him tightly, and he remains still from surprise for a second before smiling lightly and embracing the lean body against him. He feels the brown-haired male's nuzzling into the crook of his neck, the sensation transporting him to better days, when they used to cuddle a lot. It makes him feel like he has found his husband back, the one he used to cherish more than anything in the world.
Too soon Taehyung leans back, and they genuinely smile at each other, elated to be able to share this kind of moments anew.
"So... See you on Saturday, right?
-Sure... I'll be there by seven." Jungkook answers, his heart beating at the thought he's going on a date with the brown-haired male. Because it's definitely a date, isn't it? "Bye, Taehyung...
-Bye, Kookie." His eyes widen a little at the nickname he hadn't heard for what seems like an eternity, the impression of intimacy it triggers making him feel a bit dizzy.
"Taehyung?" He calls right before the latter turns the key into the entrance door, the said man lifting a questioning gaze on him. "I forgot to tell you... You're beautiful like this."
Jungkook leaves an utterly-red Taehyung, having to admit he is a bit proud to be the cause of his fluster.
****
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See you tomorrow for the next chapter :) Have a nice day!