The Survivors | Taekook [✔]

9

Jungkook came out of the bathroom after finishing his shower and slumped down next to Taehyung, who had been sitting on the bed waiting for him. He hung his head and avoided eye contact as he sat in silence beside the older, staring at his lap. Finally, Taehyung spoke, but it wasn't the chastisement Jungkook had been expecting.

"Jungkook, I don't care how bad your life was before. I don't care how broken you are. I don't care how many walls you built around your heart to protect yourself. I love you."

Jungkook looked up in shock, only to be met with Taehyung's intense gaze as they locked eyes.

"I love you more than I have ever loved anyone, and I will wait as long as it takes for you to realize that."

Tears welled up in Jungkook's eyes.

"Jungkook, I want you to listen, I want you to hear me when I say this. Those rules you had, those lessons you learned, may have worked in the past. They may have worked when there was no one you could trust, or when the recruiters came, but now I'm here. And you can trust me. You can't lock yourself away because of your past. That's no way to live, Jungkook. Bottling up your emotions and never trusting anyone... that's not a life, Kook. Please, let me in. Because, Jungkook..."

Taehyung turned to Jungkook, taking his hands and intertwining their fingers. Jungkook felt himself begin to crack.

"I. Love. You."

Taehyung's eyes blazed with love so fierce that it pierced Jungkook's very core. The raging fire of his love burning down Jungkook's inner wall, the one directly around his heart. All the emotions he'd been keeping in, all the memories that were hurting him, came flooding out, leaving his heart exposed. He started crying. He started really crying. Jungkook bawled his eyes out. He just let everything pour out of him. He sobbed and screamed, hugging Taehyung as if he'd never let him go. For once in his life, he knew for sure that this person would never leave him. He trusted Taehyung with everything he had; his heart, his mind, his life. He put his now exposed and fragile existence in the hands of Taehyung, and Taehyung held him close and protected him. Finally, Jungkook had found the only thing that could fill the empty hole inside of him- love.

***

Between Jungkook's sobs and sniffles, Taehyung was able to piece together most of the younger's past. He'd had abusive parents in his early life, they got divorced when he had just turned two, he lived with his mother who got drunk every night. When he was five the government finally took notice and took him into the foster care system. He had been sent to many different families- too many to count- who'd all had to give him up because he never showed any love or compassion. At the age of fourteen, he'd had enough of it all and simply run away. Not long afterward the apocalypse started. 

Jungkook clung to Taehyung, hugging his stomach/chest, soaking his shirt with tears. Taehyung listened as he choked on words, telling him all about his life. The older sat, rubbing the broken sixteen-year-old's back, whispering encouraging words from time to time.

When Jungkook had finished his life story, his crying slowly ceased. His breathing evened and his muscles relaxed as he clung to Taehyung.

A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door. Namjoon poked his head inside.

"Uh, hi," He said awkwardly.

"Sshh," Taehyung demanded.

Namjoon noticed that Jungkook was actually sleeping, not just hugging the older, for the first time. He made a small 'o' with his lips and nodded his head, walking to sit in a chair near the bed.