(I Won't Sleep) 'Till You're Safe Inside

2

Jungkook followed close behind Taehyung, just out of vision. Tae drew his ripped sweater closer around himself, looking around nervously for signs of people. Jungkook sighed. They were walking towards one of the worst parts of Seoul. It was sad that such a sweet person lived such an upsetting life. Jungkook's heart broke at the fact that such a pure person had to go through all that. Jungkook realized that he had been following Taehyung for a good ten minutes now.

"How far does he walk, simply to see his friend?" Jungkook thought, cringing as the sudden, unpleasant image of Taehyung walking to their house in midwinter, oversized sweater not doing much to stop the chill, entered his head.

After about five more minutes of walking, the two boys reached Taehyung's house. It had a dirty appearance, ivy covered most of it, and it looked practically inhabitable, but Tae walked through the front door.

Jungkook leaned against an alley wall and waited patiently for Taehyung to come out of the house again. Usually, Jungkook wouldn't care about anyone but himself, and he wondered why he was looking out for this boy, let alone on Jimin's command, of all people. Jungkook shook his head.

"What are you doing, Jungkook, it's too early to have a mid-life crisis." Jungkook reached that conclusion and cleared his mind until Tae came back outside, carrying a small suitcase and a backpack. Jungkook hurriedly got up off of the wall and went back into hiding until Tae passed by. Jungkook then resumed the steady pace he had taken earlier when following Tae.

It was quiet for a few minutes until Tae started humming and Jungkook stopped dead.

"That voice should be illegal," he thought to himself. He had stopped walking and the hums were getting fainter. He then remembered that he was suppose to be following Taehyung, not standing there listening to him like and idiot. Jungkook hurried to catch up to Tae and when they were about five minutes away from Jimin and Jungkook's house, the latter took a shortcut to get there first.

When Taehyung walked into the house, Jungkook was on the couch and Jimin in the kitchen.

"Hey, Tae," Jungkook said from the couch.

"Hi!" Tae replied, setting his stuff down momentarily and waving. Jimin suddenly yelled from the kitchen.

"DINNER'LL BE READY IN A TIC!"

There was a moment of dead silence before Taehyung broke it.

"Umm... In a tic?"

"Yeah, I'm just as confused as you to this very day." Jungkook replied in a tired manner.

"Um okay then. I'm gonna go set my stuff down. Where's my room?"

"I actually have no idea. JIMIN!!" Jungkook suddenly yelled. Taehyung cringed at the method of communication.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT, FREAKIN' PLEBEIAN?!" Jimin screeched from the kitchen.

"WHERE'S TAE'S ROOM?"

"FAR RIGHT HALLWAY, THE LAST DOOR!"

"OKAY, THANKS!" Jungkook yelled. Then he turned to Tae. "I'm sure you heard him," he said in his normal volume.

Taehyung nodded and hurried up the stairs to his room.

"Oh my gosh, thank you soooooo much!!" Taehyung said excitedly, smiling a boxy smile and observing the Japchae that Jimin had made.

"You're welcome, it's about time you had a proper meal!" Jimin said offhandedly.

Jungkook sat down and began digging in without a second glance at anyone, causing Jimin to flick the back of his head.

"Ay, let the guest take the first bite! And where's my 'Thank you, Jimin' for cooking this?" Jimin scolded.

"Yeah, yeah, sorry. Thanks Jimin." He said through a mouthful of food. He then kept eating.

Jimin sighed, resigned, and shot an apologetic look at Taehyung, which he giggled at.

After dinner, Taehyung excused himself and went to set up his new room. After a few minutes of Jungkook and Jimin sitting in silence, Jungkook stood up.

"I'm gonna go help him." And he ran up the stairs for Jimin could protest.

Jungkook stood in the doorway of Taehyung's room for a moment then cleared his throat.

"You need any help with that?" He asked.

Taehyung spun around and smiled.

"Sure, thank you," He said, nodding.

Jungkook walked into the room and started to put away things from the suitcase with Tae's guide. It was peaceful, a comfortable silence, for a little bit. Jungkook turned around and was making to grab something when Taehyung's hand brushed his.

Taehyung gasped and looked at Jungkook, instantly knowing that he had felt it too. A flash of tendion, but not nervous or scared, then a heat that went straight to both men's cheeks. Jungkook was frozen and Tae was wide-eyed. The unknown tension and electric feeling in the room was heavy and neither one moved, until Tae came to his senses.

"U-um, thanks for th-the h-help," he stuttered, standing up to walk over to his bed.

"A-any time," Jungkook replied wearily. He walked out of the room and went straight to his own, in shock. Both boys fell asleep late that night, thoughts consumed by one another and the event that had just occured.

But little did either of them know, that this could be the start to something more.