PROMISES MADE (18+) TAEKOOK Complete

Promises Made

Taehyung gazes at the precious face he knows like the back of his own hand.

He knows the gentle furrows of the crow's feet in the corners of the eyes born more from smiles than tears... the petite moles, one below the lip, the other hanging onto the gentle curve of his nostril... the dent of the scar on the cheek that the man carrying it has always been a little conscious of.

The large, dark eyes looking directly back at Taehyung are always so sparkly and warm -the adoration in them still obvious even after all these years- and the incredibly soft, pink, textured lips always stretch into a smile when their eyes lock.

JungKook is so beautiful that even now, Taehyung's heart aches when he looks at him.

The outside of JungKook is beautiful but the inside is even more so. Taehyung has always been endlessly in love with him because of his kindness, his endless sincerity so pure it's almost painful -something that he's never lost through the sands of time.

The ring, which Taehyung clasps in the close embrace of his left hand fingertips, no longer feels cold, his hot, slightly damp fingers have leaked their warmth into it.

Taehyung thought he might be nervous on the day but right now he feels nothing but peace and happiness when he is surrounded by the few loved ones that are here with them.

He feels the words reverberate inside him but doesn't remember saying them, all he remembers is the look in the wet eyes across from him, so close, so full of love.

Their hands fit together perfectly when Taehyung holds JungKook's in preparation. There are memories that surface, gentle kisses on knuckles, fingers tracing skin.

When Taehyung pushes the ring onto the finger, he thinks how surreal it is that such a small thing could mean everything and nothing at the same time.

Well, it means so much in many ways: declaring their love in front of everyone else, being legally together, having that little ring on one's finger as a constant reminder to the outside world that they are bound together.

But in terms of their love it doesn't mean anything because they don't need it, they already have all the meaning they could want, it's not possible for the little sliver of gold to add or change their love, their devotion, their lives, it's nothing more than a visible representation of all the vows they have already taken long, long time ago, with their hearts and with their bodies.

Afterwards, when they sit down for the meal, the number of people is perfect for everything to feel personal, intimate, to really feel the love that surrounds them in their lives.

When the last of their dear friends disappears into the night after a perfect evening of exactly the right amount of reminiscing and hope for the future, Taehyung can't help but to feel immense happiness over the life that they have made for themselves in the course of the years -which has somehow unexpectedly culminated into this public declaration of love.

Taehyung never wanted to get married. He was always of the opinion that it wasn't necessary, that they knew who they were and what they wanted and nothing was ever going to change that.

But when he saw the hint of disappointment in the corners of JungKook's eyes at the end of their conversation on one early, sleepy Sunday morning, he realised that perhaps this was something -one of the very rare things- that they disagreed on.

Perhaps it was because JungKook always seemed more insecure, more in need of reassurance where Taehyung felt solid and so wholly encapsulated in the depth of their love that he simply had no space for worry.