Step Into My World (and see)

21. I love you

The two of them stayed silent for a while after Jimin left. The only sounds that filled the otherwise silent living room were the ones of Taehyung still sniffling his teary snot in. 

"Where....do you keep your...your...your first aid kit?" Jeongguk asked. He still didn't look at Taehyung and was instead flitting his eyes all over the floor and it broke Taehyung's heart to see him behave so nervously in front of him. 

"Ggukie, look at me, please," he pleaded instead of answering Jeongguk's question. Jeongguk shook his head once and shot up from the couch to search for the kit himself. 

"I-It's in the bathroom in my room," Taehyung called out, but got up from the couch and followed Jeongguk as well. 

"Ggukie, I'm really very sorry for what I did. Really, baby, please forgive me. I do love yo-"

"Yeah, I heard you the first time, I heard it very well...very very well," Jeongguk mumbled as he bent down to grab the first aid kit lying in the cabinet under the washbasin. 

"Sit down," he pointed to the platform and Taehyung obeyed like an obedient puppy, climbing onto it wordlessly. Jeongguk silently disinfected a pad of cotton and proceeded to clean the cut on Taehyung's lip. 

The silence was killing Taehyung. He couldn't bear Jeongguk of all people staying silent. The silent treatment was honestly suffocating him. "Look at me, Ggukie, please," he pleaded once again when he realized that Jeongguk was still not looking at him in the eye. 

Jeongguk's hand froze a couple of inches away from Taehyung's eyebrow. Taehyung could physically see the effort Jeongguk was putting in trying to look into his eyes. 

Jeongguk managed it for a second before looking away. 

It was that second, however, that showed Taehyung the amount of love Jeongguk held for him as well. It showed him that Jeongguk no longer liked him as a singer. That he was no longer a boyfriend that Jeongguk spent time with while following a list anymore. That Jeongguk truly loved him. And that realization in turn brought more tears to his eyes. 

"Don't....don't cry...please don't cry," Jeongguk said and this time, he maintained eye contact for a longer time as he wiped Taehyung's tears away. "You must have had your reasons. I forgive you," he said. 

"No, no, no, oh my god, don't forgive me this easily, but I'm so sorry," Taehyung leaned forward to rest his head on Jeongguk's shoulders as more guilty sobs wracked through his body. 

"Ew, ew, ew, I told you that's gross!!" Jeongguk exclaimed as he pushed Taehyung away forcefully. "I don't even have an extra shirt to wear if you get this one wet," he mumbled, frowning as he disinfected another pad of cotton to continue what he had actually started doing. 

"You can wear mine, Ggukie, please," Taehyung pleaded and honestly, Jeongguk didn't like seeing him cry like that. 

And thus, he reluctantly nodded, letting Taehyung cry on his shoulder. He placed the cotton down on the platform and slowly but hesitantly wrapped his arms around Taehyung, patting his back awkwardly.  

Taehyung himself felt how stiff Jeongguk had become, and soon took his head off his shoulder. "You are done crying already?" Jeongguk asked, relaxing his stiff shoulders. "Yeah," Taehyung sniffled. "Do you want to change your shirt?" he asked, watching Jeongguk grab the cotton once again. 

"No. You didn't make it too wet," Jeongguk said and dabbed the cotton on Taehyung's lip once again. He then cleaned it with plain cotton and without warning, he leaned forward to place a small, fleeting kiss on the cut. He leaned away before Taehyung could even realize what happened.