The Rainy Night

The days after Jungkook's jealous confession felt different.

Not awkward.

Not uncertain.

Just warm.

Like both of them had finally stopped pretending.

Neither had confessed their feelings.

Neither had defined their relationship.

But the walls between them were slowly disappearing.

And both knew it.

One Friday evening, Taehyung stayed late at work to finish an important project.

By the time he left the office, the sky had turned dark.

Thunder rumbled overhead.

A few seconds later, rain began pouring from the clouds.

Not a drizzle.

A storm.

Taehyung groaned.

Of course he had forgotten his umbrella.

As he stood under the building's entrance, trying to decide whether to run for it, a familiar voice spoke behind him.

"You never check the weather forecast."

Taehyung turned around.

And there he was.

Jeon Jungkook.

Holding an umbrella.

Looking annoyingly handsome.

"What are you doing here?" Taehyung asked.

Jungkook shrugged.

"You weren't answering your messages."

Taehyung checked his phone.

Five missed calls.

Three texts.

His battery had died hours ago.

"Oh."

Jungkook smiled.

"So I came to get you."

The simple sentence made Taehyung's heart race.

The rain showed no signs of stopping.

So the two of them squeezed beneath Jungkook's umbrella and started walking home.

The umbrella wasn't very big.

Which meant they were standing incredibly close.

Close enough to hear each other's breathing.

Close enough for their shoulders to brush together.

Close enough to make Taehyung's heart behave very strangely.

"You're getting wet."

Jungkook moved the umbrella toward Taehyung.

Immediately exposing his own shoulder to the rain.

Taehyung frowned.

"So are you."

"I'm fine."

"You're impossible."

"And you're stubborn."

Both laughed.

Halfway home, a loud crack of thunder echoed through the sky.

Without thinking, Taehyung grabbed Jungkook's arm.

The younger man froze.

Taehyung froze too.

Because he had completely forgotten one embarrassing fact.

He hated thunderstorms.

Always had.

A small smile appeared on Jungkook's face.

"You still get scared."

Taehyung immediately let go.

"I'm not scared."

Another thunderclap sounded.

Taehyung flinched.

Jungkook laughed.

"You absolutely are."

The rain grew heavier.

Soon they were both soaked despite the umbrella.

When they finally reached a small bus stop for shelter, they were laughing harder than they had in years.

For a moment, it felt like they had traveled back in time.

Back to when they were just two boys in love.

Back before everything went wrong.

As the laughter faded, silence settled between them.

Not uncomfortable silence.

The kind that felt safe.

The kind that didn't need words.

Jungkook looked at Taehyung.

Really looked at him.

Raindrops clung to his dark hair.

His cheeks were slightly pink from the cold.

And his smile...

That smile still had the power to make Jungkook forget everything else.

"Taehyung."

His voice was unusually soft.

"Hm?"

"I missed this."

Taehyung's heart skipped a beat.

"Missed what?"

Jungkook smiled sadly.

"Us."

The world seemed to stop.

The rain.

The traffic.

Everything.

Only the two of them remained.

Standing beneath the storm.

Taehyung felt his chest tighten.

Because the truth was...

He had missed them too.

More than he had ever admitted.

Before he could respond, another flash of lightning lit up the sky.

Instinctively, Jungkook reached for his hand.

And this time...

Neither of them pulled away.

Their fingers intertwined naturally.

Like they belonged together.

Like they had done this a thousand times before.

Because they had.

Taehyung looked down at their joined hands.

Then back at Jungkook.

Neither spoke.

Words suddenly felt unnecessary.

Their eyes said enough.

For a brief moment, Jungkook leaned forward.

And Taehyung didn't move away.

The distance between them disappeared.

Slowly.

Carefully.

Until—

A loud ringtone shattered the moment.

Both immediately jumped apart.

Taehyung nearly groaned.

Jungkook looked ready to throw the phone into the rain.

The caller?

Kim Seokjin.

Of course.

Only Jin could accidentally interrupt the most important moment of their lives.

As they continued walking home, neither mentioned what had almost happened.

But both knew.

And neither could stop thinking about it.

Because for the first time in five years...

They had almost kissed.

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