His Eyes ¦ taekook

三十九

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The trio piled up their empty glasses up and Yoongi quickly carried them to the kitchen and plopped them in the sink. He went back to the living room to see the two boys laughing about something, though he didn't want to ask them why- he was simply content that Jungkook and Taehyung were both happy.

He rubbed his eyes as he announced, "Boys, I'm going to go to bed soon, so I'll bring some spare duvet down for Jungkook."

They both stood up, stretching out their bodies, letting out small grunts and groans.

"Jungkook," he let out, "You don't mind sleeping on the couch, do you? You and Taehyung could always alternate each night between the couch and his bed."

Jungkook's lips curled into a smile as he shook his head, "The couch is perfect. Thank you, Yoongi."

Yoongi made his way upstairs, leaving Taehyung and Jungkook in the living room in each other's company.

"Are you sure you don't want to sleep in my bed some nights?" Taehyung questioned as he picked up some pizza boxes from around the room, not wanting Jungkook to sleep in a messy environment.

Jungkook nodded, taking the boxes from his grasp and making his way to the kitchen with Taehyung following right behind him like a lost puppy.

"I'm 100% sure, Tae," he finalised, turning around to swipe his finger under his chin with his free hand then he turned back around to place the boxes on the counter top, "You and Yoongi have already done way too much for me."

Taehyung pressed his lips in a line as he followed the younger back out into the living room to see Yoongi dropped the duvet on the sofa, a packaged toothbrush and some toothpaste in his hand.

"Here you go, Kid. These are yours to have," he told, passing them to the younger boy, who gratefully took them, "I hope you sleep well. Good night!"

He kissed Taehyung's head on his way out and waved at them both before closing the door behind him, heading off to bed after the long and tiring day.

Taehyung cast his eyes from Yoongi to Jungkook, who was struggling to peel open the plastic and cardboard packaging surrounding the toothbrush.

"Give it here," tutted Taehyung as he snatched it from the boy's grasp, opening it with ease and passing it back to him, "I'm just going to brush my own teeth and I'll come back down after 'cos I don't feel tired yet." he said, then left to jog up the stairs.

Jungkook replied with a simple, "Okay," as he unfolded the white feather-filled duvet laying on the sofa, laying it flat. It had the same scent as Taehyung, so he knew that he'd have an amazing sleep if he wrapped himself up in it, as strange as it seemed.

As he picked up his new toothbrush and toothpaste, he opened each door of the ground floor, eventually finding a bathroom attached to their kitchen.

He brushed his tongue and teeth and rinsed the soft skin of his face under the cool water if the tap, wincing when it caused the weakly stuck plaster to peel off, exposing the cut on his lip which was still sensitive.

A sudden wave of realisation washed over him, causing his fists to clench as he stared at himself in the mirror. Letting out a shaky breath, he studied his features.

He could somewhat see a child staring back at him, eyes wide and full of curiosity and wonder. Although, he could equally see a tired, angsty teenager, deciding to experiment with his looks by letting his hair grow out as he longed for love and happiness.

It was a strange mix, though the only thought that occupied his mind was: would his past, hopeful self be proud of who he had become? Or would he be ashamed that he didn't fulfil his high expectations and unrealistic dreams? Would he even be remotely content?

"Jungkookie," he heard a deep, muffled voice call from behind the door, "you've been in there for a while. Are you okay?"

He snapped his head away from the mirror as he unlocked the door, opening it to see Taehyung dressed in some velvet shorts and a plain black hoodie, looking as comfortable and squidge-able as ever.

"Everything's fine," Jungkook spoke, his voice slightly wavering.

Taehyung gave him a look of doubt, then led him into the living room, closing the door behind him as he always did, though he ensured that he did it gingerly this time, not wanting to accidentally wake his selfless uncle.

As he sat him down, Taehyung noticed that he was holding himself back: his body seemed tense and the joyful expression he wore earlier that evening had turned blank.

"Would you like another hot chocolate?" Taehyung offered, his voice hushed as he subconsciously frowned from seeing the younger's mood drop.

Jungkook shook his head, but held his arms open as he weakly peered up at the older, asking for a hug with no words. Taehyung wasted no time to seat himself next to him, letting Jungkook dive into his chest and let out the broken sobs he didn't know he was holding in.

"That's it," Taehyung hushed, almost caught off guard as he pressed the younger's head just above his heart. His words were delivered slowly, carefully crafting each syllable before they rolled of his tongue, "Let it all out. You're doing so well."

Jungkook bit his bottom lip to hold his cries in, his body still shaking, so Taehyung whispered, "It's okay to cry. I'm here for you," as he rested his cheek on the other's soft bed of ebony locks.

Taehyung drew small shapes on his back with his fingertips, allowing the younger to dampen his hoodie with his seemingly endless tears. As he let his fingers softly stroke his back, he heard the younger's cries gradually soften after a matter of minutes, so he continued the soothing action.

He was aware of how much the poor boy went through in that day alone and he was shocked as to how he got through the whole evening, up until that point, with a beaming smile.

Jungkook's head suddenly felt a lot heavier against his chest than before and as he peered down, he noticed the boy was on the brink of dozing off.

So, he softly pushed him back to lay down, ensuring that the covers were tucked around his body completely in case it happened to be a cold night.

"Don't- don't go," Jungkook croaked, peeling his watery eyes open to peer up at Taehyung, absolute innocence and fear present in his eyes. It felt strange for Taehyung to witness his eyes, which always comforted him and encouraged him, to contain a sense of uneasiness in them.

Taehyung soon realised that it was his turn to be his protector, to ensure that everything will be okay and to give him hope. To be his eyes.

"I'm here, Darling. I'm here," he whispered, kneeling down and intertwining his fingers with the younger's, using his other hand to softly comb through his hair as his tired eyes fluttered shut.

They stayed like that for a while until Taehyung was absolutely sure he was sound asleep. Smoothly peeling his hand from the other's, he placed a sweet peck on his forehead and took himself off to bed.

~