"You are my one and only, Seokjin." 

 

Seokjin's vision of Taehyung blurs as Taehyung's words sink in. No one's ever said anything like that to him before. It creates a feeling in him that he's never felt before. He parts his lips, ready to finally avow his feelings for Taehyung as well. 

 

But as Seokjin stares at Taehyung, a tear breaks free from his eye. Taehyung's face is serene and calm with light pink dusting his cheeks. He's beautiful as always, like a sculpture. His heart is laid out for Seokjin, genuine and sincere. He seems to be holding his breath as he awaits Seokjin's response. 

 

At least, that's what it seems at first glance, but Seokjin knows better. He knows that at the end of the day, Taehyung is an alpha. Sure, his alpha is temporarily out of order. However, it is still a part of him. 

 

Besides, Taehyung has mistaken his feelings. He only thinks he likes Seokjin because Seokjin is the only person he's been with these past few months. With Seokjin also being his caretaker, he mistook his feeling of gratitude as something more. Yes, that is all this is—a mistake.

 

"Seokjin?" Taehyung whispers, and it makes Seokjin wonder how long he left Taehyung in silence. 

 

"We should go inside," Seokjin says as he stands up. He'll just pretend this never happened. Taehyung is clearly not thinking right. It's been a long day after all. The warm blanket falls off of him and he has to hold himself back from sitting back down to continue sharing the blanket with Taehyung. 

 

He pushes the terrace door open and turns his head back to tell Taehyung to come inside. Yet, that was a mistake. As he turns his head back, his eyes land on Taehyung whose eyes are wide as they flicker with confusion and innocence.

 

Seokjin feels a tear trail down his face and then another one as he steps into the hotel room alone, closing the door after him. Tears cascade from his eyes as he wills himself to not go running into the embrace of Taehyung. Denying his feelings for Taehyung hurts now, but it'll prevent Seokjin from worse pain in the future.

 

Hearing the click of the terrace door, Seokjin sprints to the bathroom. He gets to it before Taehyung can reach him and turns around to close the door. "Seokjin," Taehyung calls out, face contorted into lines of worry. 

 

Seokjin squeezes his eyes shut as he slams the door close. He quickly locks it as he leans his back against it. "Seokjin!" Taehyung's voice penetrates through the door and straight into Seokjin, causing more tears to flow from his eyes. 

 

He tries to console himself by telling himself that this is for the better for both of them. After all, when Taehyung gets tired of him and he's no longer of any use, Taehyung will just tell him to leave. As Taehyung said, they are only together because of their forced marriage which is only real on paper. 

 

How could Seokjin have been so careless, allowing himself to fall for Taehyung? How could he have forgotten that he's to never give his heart to anyone anymore, especially that of an alpha?

 

"Seokjin, talk to me, please?" Taehyung pleads. Weak from the number of tears he's shedding, Seokjin's legs give out and he sinks to the ground. "Jin," Taehyung calls out desperately. The nickname brings a sob out of Seokjin which he hurriedly conceals by burying his face in his knees. "Please open the door." He doesn't comply, burying his face into his knees as he sobs. 

 

"If you don't reciprocate my feelings, you can just tell me," Taehyung tells him. Seokjin wishes it was as simple as that. However, he can't do it. He can't articulate a lie to Taehyung, regarding his deep affection for him. 

 

Taehyung continues to plead for Seokjin to open the door, then he continues to plead for Seokjin to talk to him. An hour passes, but Taehyung hasn't given up and continues calling his name. It's only when another hour has passed that Taehyung's voice has tired and stopped. It takes another hour for Seokjin's tears to cease and dry. 

 

He knows he can't stay hiding away in the bathroom forever. He has no idea what he's going to say to Taehyung. Still so, he gathers himself. His legs shake as he stands up. He comes face to face with his reflection whose eyes are red and puffy. 

 

Taking three deep breaths and releasing them, he prepares himself for all of Taehyung's questions. He struggles to grab the doorknob, afraid of what is to come. In the end, he manages to pull through and successfully twist the doorknob. 

 

The door opens and Seokjin expects Taehyung to burst in. What he doesn't expect is to find Taehyung deep asleep on the floor in front of the door. Seokjin doesn't think twice as he goes down on his knees to check on Taehyung. He's in an odd sleeping position that's sure to make his neck and back sore. 

 

Seokjin lifts him up to a standing position, almost falling over from his dead weight. However, he's able to sling Taehyung's arm over his shoulder and drag him across the room. The lights are off and since it's the middle of the night, it's completely dark which worries Seokjin as he navigates the room. 

 

Thankfully, they arrive at the bed safe and sound. Though out of breath, Seokjin lies Taehyung down nicely on the bed. He pulls the covers over him, tucking him in. 

 

Seokjin can feel exhaustion start to take a toll on him so he walks around to the other side of the bed. He sinks into the bed, pulling the blankets up to his face as he snuggles into the pillow, back turned to Taehyung. His eyelids are just getting heavy when suddenly, an arm wraps around his waist. 

 

Seokjin tenses up. Although he had prepared himself for Taehyung's confrontation and bombardment of questions, he was not ready to face Taehyung. He was just hoping he could delay it for as long as possible.

 

"Please don't run away from me again," Taehyung whispers, voice deep and husky, proving that he has just woken up. Taehyung buries his face into Seokjin's shoulder. "I don't want to wake up and not find you anywhere." 

 

At this, Seokjin relaxes and makes up his mind to not run away. If Taehyung wants to talk right now, then they'll talk. He shouldn't leave Taehyung in the dark. He must be so confused right now. 

 

"We don't have to talk now," Taehyung says, much to Seokjin's surprise. "Let's get some rest first. Then, we'll talk tomorrow morning." Seokjin's a little relieved because that means he doesn't have to do any explaining tonight. However, he's now anxious for tomorrow to come. 

 

Taehyung returns to sleeping, breathing softly by Seokjin's side as he continues to hold him. Now in a comfortable place, Seokjin finally follows Taehyung into dreamland.

 

He dreams sweet dreams about himself and Taehyung. He dreams and dreams without a care about the world, sleeping through the rest of the night and well into the morning. When he awakes, the sun is streaking through the sheer white curtains and into the hotel room. 

 

He's no longer in Taehyung's hold but is his side, facing Taehyung whose eyes are opened. He seems to have been awake for a while now, making Seokjin self-conscious about sleeping in. Seokjin glances away and is about to get up when Taehyung interjects, "Good morning." 

 

Seokjin stills, letting the blanket fall back on top of him. "Morning," he squeaks, having not used his voice for hours. He keeps his eyes trained on the ceiling, arms glued firmly to his side.

 

"I..." Taehyung hesitates. It seems that they are both struggling to have this conversation. "I should have been clearer about what I said last night." Seokjin grabs the sheets, anticipating his next words. He wants Taehyung to say that it was all a mistake and that he doesn't like Seokjin that way. Therefore, they can just return to how they were before. At least, that's what he tells himself he wants. 

 

"In simpler terms," Taehyung begins. He hears Taehyung in a breath and Seokjin's proposed with the idea that Taehyung is nervous right now. "...I like you." 

 

Seokjin feels his heart skip a beat at the repeated confession. He turns on his side, facing Taehyung as he feels like he has to say something this time. His eyes rest on Taehyung's face, taking in the blossoming pink on his face. He also finally notices the slight puffiness of Taehyung's eyes. 

 

At the idea that Taehyung was crying just like him last night, Seokjin feels hesitant as he says his next words, "You don't...you don't like me." Taehyung's brows furrowed and he parts his lips, but before he could oppose, Seokjin continues. "You're just confused because I'm taking care of you. I'm the only person you've been in contact with these past few months," Seokjin's eyes flicker away from Taehyung's ashen face. "So you mistook your gratitude for something else."

 

That's what Seokjin keeps telling himself. He hopes Taehyung will see his point. Even if he doesn't believe it, maybe he'll understand where Seokjin's coming from. Taehyung's face stays hardened and pale, making Seokjin think that he's considering what he said and believing it.

 

"No," Taehyung rejects, causing Seokjin's eyes to widen. "You're wrong," he asserts. 

 

"No," Seokjin scrambles to defend himself. "Y-you only started to think that you liked me because I made you think that way." 

 

Taehyung seems taken aback by this, raising a brow as he questions, "What do you mean?" 

 

Seokjin turns into a hypocrite as he speaks of what he banned them from speaking about. "I was in the wrong when I let you help me during my heat. I should've never agreed to you helping me. I'm supposed to take care of you, not the other way around. Yet, I let you help me anyway. I pressured you into helping me. I took advantage of you." 

 

Taehyung doesn't look angry, mad, or disgusted. Instead, he comes closer to Seokjin. It takes him a few tries, but he finds Seokjin's cheek and caresses it. As he wipes away Seokjin's tears that Seokjin hadn't even noticed had fallen, he presses their foreheads together. 

 

"You didn't take advantage of me," Taehyung whispers calmly. "I wanted to help you." Taehyung's other hand comes up to caress Seokjin's other cheek. "A part of me at the time had already started to fall for you," Taehyung tells him. "I didn't want you to be in pain because it would have pained me too." Seokjin's tears continue to stream down his cheeks, each of which Taehyung wipes away. 

 

"I didn't like you just because of what happened that night," Taehyung refutes Seokjin's claim. "My feelings slowly came to be because of all of you and all that you've done for me."

 

'All of me?' Seokjin thinks, unable to register the idea that Taehyung appreciates every part of him. 

 

"I want to continue falling for you," Taehyung says as he pulls away. However, he leaves one hand caressing and wiping away each of Seokjin's tears. "If you'd let me, I want to talk to you and help melt away all of your problems. If you'd let me, I want to make you happy and smile every day. If you'd let me, I want to hold you close and hear your heart beat with mine. If you'd let me, I want to kiss away your pain." 

 

"But I'm-"

 

"You're bad? You're not who I think you are? You're horrible? You're ugly?" Taehyung lists all of his insecurities. "Well, you know what?" Taehyung questions softly. "You can tell me everything that is flawed about you, but I will still want to be with you."

 

Swayed by Taehyung's beautiful sincerity, more tears fill Seokjin's eyes and his hard shell cracks a little. "Honestly, I don't know if we should pursue a relationship." He keeps his eyes on Taehyung who waits patiently for him to elaborate. "I'm not perfect. I have issues that I should deal with myself. I don't want to burden you with them." 

 

A sliver of hurt washes over Taehyung's face. It's quiet between them as Seokjin's rejection continues to stand. "Can I suggest something?" Taehyung asks. 

 

"Mmh," Seokjin hums, feeling too guilty to formulate words. 

 

"If I prove to you how much you mean to me and get you to reciprocate my feelings," Taehyung pauses. "Will you finally accept me as your one and only?" 

 

Seokjin's surprised that Taehyung doesn't know that he already likes him. He doesn't understand why Taehyung is so insistent and won't give up. It tugs at his heartstrings and subtly, he agrees, "Okay." Taehyung doesn't say anything, but he pulls Seokjin in for an embrace.

 

Seokjin doesn't push him away because although he's against this, he can't ignore the euphoria flowing through him.

 

~~~~

 

After eating breakfast and checking out of the hotel room, Seokjin and Taehyung get on the bus back to the plantation. The bus is full with only one seat available. "Sit here," Seokjin tells Taehyung as he takes Taehyung by the elbow, pulling him towards the seat.

 

"No," Taehyung declines as he pulls his arm out of Seokjin's hold. "You sit." Seokjin's about to object, but it crosses his mind that Taehyung must be following through with what he said this morning about proving his feelings and making Seokjin reciprocate his feelings.

 

Seokjin sits down on the seat, regret seeping into him for agreeing to Taehyung. Now Taehyung must think they have a chance together. It's wrong of Seokjin to give Taehyung a sliver of hope that they could ever be more. He's leading him on with a tragic ending already planned out at the end. He should just tell Taehyung that no matter what he does, it won't change his mind and they'll never be more than patient and caretaker.

 

Seokjin wraps his hand around the pole by them, having to steady himself. At the same time, Taehyung reaches for the pole. Their fingers brush each other and instead of grabbing the pole, Taehyung follows Seokjin's hand. Gently, he puts his hand on top of Seokjin's. Seokjin immediately moves his hand down the pole, leaving Taehyung to feel the cold pole instead. 

 

Instead of resentment or hurt, Taehyung only smiles with his teeth showing. The smile is like the first bloom of spring as it melts away all of the stress Seokjin's been carrying. However, he looks away, keeping his face blank. 

 

Taehyung doesn't try grabbing his hand again, only holding the pole. Seokjin was not sure if it was he who moved his hand or if it was Taehyung because, at one point, Taehyung's pinky finger is lightly touching Seokjin's index finger. Despite this contact which Seokjin is not pulling away from, Taehyung doesn't attempt to grab his hand again as if content with what little Seokjin has allowed him. 

 

 

———————————————————

 

 

Taehyung can tell that Seokjin has gone through something. Though, he is curious as to what it is that is keeping Seokjin from allowing a relationship between them, he is more interested in Seokjin's well-being. It hurt knowing how much Seokjin cried at the hotel. Taehyung feels guilty for not thinking that Seokjin is also struggling. Instead, he was only focused on himself.

 

Now, he wants to change that and show Seokjin that they can't only be patient and caretaker. He's unsure of Seokjin's feelings toward him and what will happen between them. However, he's sure that his feelings are not a misunderstanding. He's also sure that his feelings are not going away any time soon. 

 

That's why he's going to prove to Seokjin how much he likes him. He doesn't know what romantic gestures to do since the thought of being romantic never crossed his mind before. He can't even get inspired by movies or dramas, having always skipped over the romantic ones. The only thing leading him is his raw thoughts and emotions.

 

When they arrive home, Taehyung continues sticking to Seokjin's side, stubbornly doing so the whole day. He doesn't find himself doing anything different, however. He continues talking to Seokjin like normal and helps him whenever possible.

 

He refrains from mentioning his feelings again, not wanting to bombard Seokjin with them. Instead of having the mindset to win Seokjin's feelings, he simply enjoys liking Seokjin. He enjoys it as Seokjin speaks to him with his wonderful, gentle voice. He smiles whenever he hears Seokjin call his name.

 

 

———————————————————

 

 

"Good morning, Seokjin," Taehyung's deep velvety voice greets him first thing in the morning. 

 

"Morning," Seokjin responds, voice groggy.

 

Taehyung's eyes are closed and he looks just as tired as Seokjin. Yet, the corner of his mouth lifts and he asks, "Did you sleep well?" 

 

"It was okay," Seokjin says with a yawn. They went to bed at their usual time, yet it took Seokjin longer than usual to fall asleep. With a groan, he forces himself to sit up. The bed creaks as he does so.

 

"Let's sleep in today," Taehyung suggest. Seokjin is conflicted with the idea, noting how it would result in a change in their everyday schedule.  As if understanding his contemplation, Taehyung pats the empty spot next to him. "Come be lazy with me, Seokjin," he says sweetly. 

 

Seokjin can't help the little smile that forms on his lips. Feeling warm, he complies with Taehyung's request and lies back down, head hitting the fluffy pillow "Fine," he agrees. "But only for five minutes."

 

Taehyung pulls the blanket over Seokjin and tucks him in. "How about ten?" he inquires with a raised brow. 

 

"No, that's too long," Seokjin rejects as Taehyung lies down next to him. 

 

Facing Seokjin, Taehyung parts his lips and gently, his words flow. "How about forever." Seokjin stills as he looks into Taehyung's eyes. Suddenly, Seokjin isn't thinking about their time sleeping in anymore. Instead, he's thinking about their time together. Forever—just him and Taehyung like this forever. The thought is alluring and it makes Seokjin happy to know that he won't have to part from Taehyung. 

 

"I'm just kidding," Taehyung starts. "I know you're too much of a productive person to just stay in bed all day," he says light-heartedly, smiling that handsome smile of his. Seokjin blushes and looks down at the blankets. 

 

"When we get up, can we go to Jungkook's plantation?" Taehyung poses.

 

The question leaves Seokjin's thoughts buffering for a moment as he wonders if he heard right. "You want to meet with Jungkook?" he asks for confirmation. They're not really friends from the last time Seokjin recalled. 

 

"Yeah," Taehyung in a breath. "I need to talk with him about my family's plantation." 

 

"Okay then," Seokjin says. "We'll go after breakfast."

 

~~~~

 

Jungkook's eyes light up as he's met with Seokjin and Taehyung. He smiles brightly as he greets them and shows them inside. "I haven't seen you in so long, Seokjin," Jungkook begins as they get seated. "I was starting to think you went back home to the city." 

 

"No, I'm still here. Besides, I wouldn't leave without saying goodbye to you," Seokjin tells Jungkook. After all, Jungkook was the first nice person he met here. 

 

Jungkook parts his lips, but before words could formulate, Taehyung cuts in. "I wanted to talk to you about something, Jungkook...in private."

 

Jungkook seems surprised to hear Taehyung speak to him but replies. "Sure. Um," Jungkook glances at Seokjin. 

 

"I'll go wait outside," Seokjin excuses himself. He finds his way back to the front door and closes the door after him. As he waits, he sits down on the step of the porch.

 

They talk for longer than Seokjin expected, making him almost worried. Yet, as he stands up to go back inside, Taehyung steps out. Seokjin scans his face, trying to read the atmosphere between him and Jungkook. 

 

"Let's go back home," Taehyung tells Seokjin. 

 

~~~~

 

Seokjin is folding the laundry and humming to himself as he does so. It's nighttime right now and Taehyung is currently washing up. Since he wasn't tired, Seokjin decided to take the clothes out of the dryer and fold them. 

 

His humming comes to a halt when the single lightbulb in the laundry room flickers. Seokjin blinks, questioning if he saw it correctly. The light continues to shine normally so Seokjin goes back to folding the clothes. 

 

As he continues, he focuses on the buzzing of the lightbulb. Faintly, he hears Taehyung walking around upstairs. He must be searching for Seokjin. Seokjin puts the clothes in the basket and carrying it in one arm, he turns off the light with his free hand. 

 

The light flickers off and the buzzing sounds die. Along with the light in the laundry room turning off, all of the lights in the house go out. A gasp leaves Seokjin's mouth at the sudden darkness. 

 

He shuffles out of the laundry room, arms out as he attempts to not bump into anything. He listens for Taehyung's footsteps above, but they no longer sound. 

 

He holds out an arm and immediately, touches something that moves. Seokjin flinches and in the process drops the basket of laundry. "What's wrong?" Taehyung's voice fills his ears. 

 

Seokjin never felt more relieved. "The lights went out," Seokjin informs Taehyung. "You took me by surprise," he lowers down, eyes wide as his vision still hasn't adjusted to the dark. He picks up the fallen laundry. 

 

"Maybe there's a blackout," Taehyung notes. The storm outside confirms his story as thunder sounds. Taehyung's hand brushes against Seokjin's as he helps Seokjin pick up the clothes. Seokjin jumps again, still not being able to see Taehyung. "Sorry if I scared you," Taehyung apologizes. 

 

"N-no, it's fine.." Seokjin squeezes his eyes shut and then opens them again. He's experienced power outages before, but in the city, where there were many people and still some lights. Out here in the countryside, it is completely dark and quiet. Whereas, in the city, there was the buzz of generators and muffles of conversations. 

 

Slowly, following Taehyung's lead, they find their way upstairs and into the bedroom. By now, Seokjin's vision has started to adjust and he can see the shape of Taehyung. Seokjin's glad that they already got ready for bed because he does not want to take a shower in the dark. 

 

They get under the covers and Taehyung assures him that the power would come back on tomorrow after the storm has passed. Seokjin's not too sure about that, considering they're so far out away from people. The continuous thunder does not ease him. 

 

After a good twenty minutes of trying to sleep, Seokjin hears Taehyung's voice. "Having trouble sleeping?" 

 

"Yeah," Seokjin lets out softly. He hears Taehyung shuffle. Feeling a tap on his back, Seokjin turns around to face a dark blob. His voice confirms that he's Taehyung. 

 

"I know what you look like, but I don't think you know what I look like," Taehyung says, confusing Seokjin. 

 

"What do you mean?" Seokjin voices his confusion. 

 

Under the blankets, Taehyung's hand finds his. He brings Seokjin's hand up and out of the blankets, resting it on top of his head. Damp, strands of Taehyung's hair slip through Seokjin's fingers. 

 

Seokjin then understands what Taehyung wants him to do. The idea makes him red-faced, but under the security of the dark, he has enough confidence. Hesitatingly, Seokjin's hand trails down Taehyung's hair. It falls onto Taehyung's forehead, before tracing the outline of Taehyung's face. Instead of trying to get his vision to adjust, Seokjin lets his eyes close. 

 

He pretends he’s never seen Taehyung before just like how Taehyung has never seen him before. As his fingers travels Taehyung’s face, he paints an image in his head of Taehyung’s handsome face. His fingers brush against Taehyung's brows. Then, his long lashes. Taehyung's nose is really soft. His fingers tiptoe along Taehyung's jawline. As he reaches his chin, his hand moves up slightly, bumping into Taehyung's lips. Seokjin immediately pulls his hand back. 

 

"So, what do I look like?" Taehyung asks, eager and hopeful. 

 

"Average," Seokjin lies curtly, ignoring the slight fluttering in his stomach. 

 

Taehyung's laughter fills the room, making the thunderstorm outside fade away. "Then, I guess between the two of us, you're the better-looking one," Taehyung says.

 

"You don't know that..." Seokjin mumbles, self-conscious because he totally lied about Taehyung being only average. "I'm pretty average too. You shouldn't think of me more that that." He doesn't want to raise Taehyung's expectations of how he looks like. When Taehyung is able to see again, Seokjin doesn't want him to be disappointed.

 

It's quiet again and the sound of the rain beating against the windows returns to Seokjin. Seokjin thinks he's killed the mood which he tells himself is fine because he doesn't want Taehyung to keep liking him. The deafening silence only lasts for a moment before Taehyung speaks again. "You're right. At the end of the day, I don't know what you look like. But I know who you are and I like who you are."

 

'I like who you are, too,' Seokjin says, only in his head. Ironically, the more Seokjin tries not to like Taehyung, the more Taehyung shows why Seokjin likes him.

 

~~~~

 

The power is still not back the next day. Yet, it's not much of a hindrance with the sun out. After breakfast, Seokjin busies himself with cleaning the backyard. The storm left quite a mess. 

 

Some branches broke off from the trees. Small twigs are sprawled out everywhere, along with leaves. The ground is muddy and slippery. Dirt sprinkles along the house's walls. 

 

Seokjin finds a rake and starts raking all the twigs and leaves into a pile. "Let me help you," Taehyung interrupts. 

 

"You don't have to. I can do it by myself..." Seokjin doesn't finish declining as Taehyung's hands find the rake, taking it from him. Seokjin watches as Taehyung turns his back to him and starts raking the bare spot that Seokjin had just finished cleaning. 

 

But he seems to have sensed that the rake is not picking up anything and moves further away from Seokjin where there are leaves and twigs on the ground. Slowly, as if unsure, he starts raking again. This time, he actually starts to form a pile. 

 

Seeing Taehyung try not to give up despite his lack of vision tugs at Seokjin's heart. Instead of watching Taehyung creepily, Seokjin directs his attention to the fallen branches. He picks them up or drags them away. After he finishes, he examines the dirty walls of the house and takes out the water hose. 

 

He throws a few glances at Taehyung once in a while to make sure he's okay as he works. He's still not done watering down the dirt on the house when Taehyung appears next to him. 

 

"Is there anything else I can do?" Taehyung asks. 

 

"No," Seokjin tells him. "This is all. Thanks for helping me." 

 

"Of course," Taehyung replies with a smile. Seokjin smiles too. 

 

He thought that Taehyung would just return back inside the house now with no tasks left. Yet, he sticks to Seokjin's side. "You can go wait inside," Seokjin says as he continues spraying down the house, walking slowly along the side. 

 

Taehyung follows him. "I'd rather just wait here. It’s nicer with the fresh air and…with you," Taehyung says quietly. Seokjin glances at Taehyung to find a flush on his face. The sight makes Seokjin's heart beat and his head hangs as his face mirrors the flush on Taehyung's face. 

 

He continues spraying down the walls of the house with Taehyung by his side. Seokjin's still in a good mood after successfully rinsing the dirt off the house. Instead of turning the hose off like a responsible person, he directs it slightly at Taehyung. 

 

The water sprays onto poor, unsuspecting Taehyung's arm. His eyes widen at the feeling and the bewilderment on his face makes him look cute. Seokjin can't hold back his laughter and guiltily, pulls the hose away in another direction. 

 

"Y-you!" Taehyung has an expression of shock and betrayal as the understanding of what Seokjin did sinks into him. Seokjin laughs even more at his reaction. Taehyung's pouting as he walks in the direction of Seokjin's laughter. "You're going to regret doing that," Taehyung threatens. 

 

"Am I?" Seokjin teases, pointing the hose at Taehyung again before running away. Taehyung chases him and doesn't give up despite how much water Seokjin sprays at him. 

 

Seokjin stops running, exhausted from having to both run and laugh. Taehyung catches up to him. Surrendering, Seokjin hands the hose to him. "Here, you can get back at me." 

 

Taehyung takes the hose. "Promise me, you won't run away." 

 

"I won't," Seokjin promises, voice lined with a smile. 

 

Taehyung takes a step toward his voice. "Good." He points the hose at Seokjin. Seokjin closes his eyes for impact. 

 

Instead of a strong hit of water, Seokjin is enveloped in a hug. His eyes open as Taehyung points the hose up into the sky. The water shoots up into the sky but drizzles down softly on them. Taehyung had changed it to mist. Seokjin's speechless at the action.

 

"Did you think I would actually take revenge on you?" Taehyung asks with a boxy grin. 

 

"Yeah," Seokjin breathes out. The mist of water continues to surround them and Taehyung continues to hold him. 

 

"I would never," Taehyung shakes his head. "I will never let you go through anything alone." Small water droplets rest on Seokjin's eyelashes, disturbing his vision. Yet, he can still see the sun peek down on their moment, highlighting Taehyung who stands beautiful, in the rain—Taehyung who really does care about him.