Dreaming Alone | taekook ✔️

e l e v e n

i'm standing on a ledge
above a fall i can't face
but you push me anyway

sweet surrender
~ atc

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Jeongguk's curiosity peaked when Taehyung pulled out markers, a notebook and a random takeout box. "What're you doing?"

"I also remember—" Taehyung patted the space next to him, signaling for the ravenette to sit. "— that you liked writing."

"Damn is this a date?" Jeongguk let slip.

"Pfft. You wish."

"But you have everything thought out."

"Yeah I know. It's kinda ridiculous." Taehyung grinned sheepishly, the tips of his bangs shifting and covering his eyes when he tilted his head. "But I do feel bad... for yesterday." He grimaced a little.

"It's not your fault." Jeongguk repeated quietly. "I guess you weren't expecting me to answer like that..."

"I really wasn't. But... I do want to make up for it."

Jeongguk swallowed, suddenly feeling vulnerable, and Taehyung noticed his sudden discomfort.

"We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. Seriously." Taehyung told him, a tender edge to his voice.

"Right. Okay." Jeongguk bit his lip and scratched the back of his neck. "So..."

The brunette set the supplies between them and picked out a blue marker. "We're gonna write on these pieces of paper. And put it in this box."

"Very fancy box you got there."

"I know right. Straight out of the dining hall kitchen." Taehyung nodded exaggeratedly.

Jeongguk scanned the markers and picked out a red. "What are we writing?"

"Anything." Taehyung leaned back and stared into the distance, feeling his shoulders relax. "Whatever you're thinking of right now. And I won't look. We'll put in the box and I think it'll be fun to open it when camp's over. The counselors do this kind of stuff sometimes."

"I haven't written anything... in very a long time." Jeongguk murmured his confession, ripping off a page from the notebook. "I used to read a lot too."

"Why'd you stop?" Taehyung glanced at the boy next to him.

"Dunno" was his response.

Jeongguk felt strangely at ease, perched on top of the world, marker in hand and with the company of this handsome boy who just waltzed into his life. He ghosted the marker over the paper, unsure.

Writing used to be so easy.

Jeongguk would just put his thoughts onto paper. Back then it was simple because there was only one voice in his head. But ever since... incidents, his demons weren't taking turns. They were screaming all at once, lines and sentences blurred into a blob of unreadable ink.

Taehyung, on the other hand, was already discarding pieces of writing into the takeout box. Jeongguk caught his eye.

"You okay?" Taehyung asked, seeing that his paper was blank.

"Mhm." The ravenette ducked back down, giving it another moment of thought before the marker tip met the surface of the paper. He scribbled without looking back, sliding it into the box.

When he looked up again, Taehyung was staring at him. "What?"

"Ever heard of smiling?"

Jeongguk snickered, turning his gaze back towards his lap.