Taehyung + 

A jarring thump from downstairs ripped me from my own thoughts. + 

“What’s going on?” I murmured, more to myself than anyone else, wiping away lingering tears as I descended the stairs. + 

I froze at the bottom, my breath catching in my throat. Jungkook lay sprawled on the floor, utterly still. + 

“Shit,” I cursed under my breath, rushing forward and shaking him urgently. “Jungkook! Wake up. This isn’t funny.” + 

No response. I flipped him onto his back, pressing two fingers to the carotid artery in his neck. A faint pulse fluttered beneath my fingertips. Relief, fragile and tentative, bloomed in my chest. + 

I leaned closer, studying his face. The familiar curve of his bunny teeth, the soft brown of his hair – everything was the same. He had grown into his looks, becoming even more handsome. + 

*Snap out of it, Tae,* I chided myself internally. + 

A wave of relief washed over me with each beat of his slowing pulse. He was alive. + 

I fumbled for my phone, dialing emergency services. + 

❁ + 

“Is he going to be okay?” I asked the doctor, my voice laced with genuine concern. Despite everything, I wouldn’t wish death on him. + 

“He’ll be fine,” the doctor reassured, scribbling notes on a clipboard. “Just collapsed from exhaustion.” I visibly relaxed. “I’ll get him started on some fluids.” + 

The doctor moved away, leaving us alone. + 

I turned to see Jungkook stirring, squinting against the bright hospital lights. + 

“Where—?” + 

“The hospital. Stay,” I said, gently pushing him back against the pillows as he tried to sit up. He groaned, rubbing his forehead. + 

“Wait… How did I get here?” + 

“I called an ambulance,” I replied, unable to mask my impatience. + 

“So you do care,” he said, a smirk playing on his lips. Heat flooded my cheeks. + 

“W-Well, what was I supposed to do? Watch you die?” I stammered, his smirk refusing to fade. + 

“Fair enough,” he conceded, shrugging. The doctor returned with an IV drip, hooking it up quickly. + 

“Come back in a week if this happens again. You can leave now.” + 

❁ + 

The drive home was thick with awkward silence. + 

I gripped the steering wheel, my knuckles white, while Jungkook stared out the window. The radio filled the void with loud, distracting music. + 

“How was Busan?” I blurted out, then instantly berated myself. The question felt clumsy, a clumsy attempt to bridge the gap. + 

After the breakup, Jungkook had retreated to Busan, returning to his hometown. I hadn’t seen him until today. + 

He sighed, turning to me. + 

“Do I have to answer?” he asked, his voice flat. I shook my head, mortified. + 

“F-Forget it.” + 

The tension in the car seemed to solidify, suffocating us both. + 

I focused on the road, determined to get home. + 

❁ + 

“Easy now, Jungkook,” I murmured, looping my arms around his waist as he wrapped his around my neck. + 

I guided him slowly up the porch steps and into the house. + 

“I-I can take it from here, Tae,” he said weakly, forcing a smile as he tried to disengage his arms from my neck. + 

I hadn’t realized how much I missed the feeling of his arms around me until he pulled back. + 

But I didn’t let go, feeling his legs wobble and his body tilt. He was losing his balance. I braced for the inevitable, pulling him closer as we both stumbled. + 

We crashed to the floor, my arm still wrapped around his head and waist. + 

We lay there, his lips inches from mine. + 

A blush bloomed on both our faces. + 

We stayed like that for a long moment, neither of us knowing what to do next. + 