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“No.”
The tone of voice was final, with little chance of being swayed. Taehyung paused halfway through placing the bottle of wine he’d brought for dinner in the fridge, cocking his head to the side and waiting for the eventual response.
“But Jiinnnnnnn.”
Taehyung snorted, Jungkook’s voice in an uncharacteristic whine that was only ever present around his cousin. He squeezed the wine into the first spot it could fit and shut the door.
“It’s just for one night.” Jungkook continued, unwilling to accept defeat. “Just this once—Yoongi already told me no, you can’t tell me no, too.”
There was a cheeseboard on the kitchen island and Taehyung eyed it as his stomach growled. Without hesitation, he snagged a piece that was plain looking and small. He gave it a precursory sniff before popping it into his mouth.
“Watch me.” Seokjin’s laugh, distinct and infectious, echoed through the modest apartment: “Owww, stop bullying me. Go bug the guest you abandoned in my kitchen.”
Only half listening now, Taehyung stared intently at the cheeseboard as he chewed on a cashew. There were a few varieties on display but Seokjin hadn't left out any sort of wrapper to indicate what kind of cheese was there. He suspiciously eyed the one with little red flecks and, after a moment of consideration, popped it into his mouth.
“You’ve known Taehyung for years.” He heard Jungkook grunt, most likely attempting to wrestle Seokjin into submission. There was a loud slap. “That was a cheap shot.”
Chewing slowly, Taehyung was pleasantly surprised at the rich flavor for only a moment until it began to burn. Sticking his tongue out, as though by putting it outside of his body it would calm the fire now overwhelming his senses, he began to panic.
“No, whatever round you bought at the bar last was a cheap shot.” Seokjin retorted. “Besides, I knew best friend Taehyung, but then you went and pulled your head out of your ass and started dating him. Now he’s boyfriend Taehyung; I don’t know him.”
Realizing Jungkook would inevitably make his way into the room and Taehyung reused to swallow - the cheese, you perv - he hurriedly grabbed one too many sheets of paper towel to spit into. Wiping his tongue once for good measure, he crumpled it up and tossed it behind him on the counter.
“You’re ridiculous sometimes.” Jungkook's sigh was dramatic, but his voice had grown louder as he spoke.
Taehyung positioned himself so that he was angled towards the door - still blocking the paper towel from view - and listened to the footsteps heading in his direction.
Jungkook, seeing Taehyung’s oddly expectant face upon entering the room, stared at him suspiciously.
Wandering over to stand beside him, Jungkook took a bite of the cheese Taehyung had just tried, raising an eyebrow as did. “Why do you look so guilty?”
"What would I be guilty about?" Taehyung shrugged, unable to stop himself from beginning to smile.
Still chewing, of course the cheese would be bearable for the younger, Jungkook smirked and leaned forward. Hands on either side of Taehyung’s body, effectively trapping him against the counter, a familiar fire, a pleasant one this time, licked its way up Taehyung’s spine. He shifted to accommodate his boyfriend, smirking even as butterflies began to flutter in his stomach.
Even after all this time, the ease with which the younger invaded his space still took Taehyung by surprise. It honestly shouldn’t feel different from all the times they’d blurred the lines as just friends, but now it was official. Now it felt distinctly different, even if Taehyung couldn’t explain why.
A sudden surprised noise escaped Jungkook’s throat and he pulled back just enough to stare at the crumpled, damp wad now in his hand with disgust.
Immediately, Taehyung attempted to grab it, failing to bite back the bark of laughter that had threatened to escape at sheer ridiculousness of the situation. “Jungkook, give it to me—I couldn’t find the garbage before.”
“Oh gross, is that cheese ?” Jungkook fake gagged, staring at the crumbled wad with an intensity that embarrassed Taehyung. He tried to grab it from him once again but was fended off. Jungkook, having helped Seokjin and Yoongi move in the week before, conveniently pulled the drawer with the in-built garbage directly to Taehyung’s left open and theatrically scraped it from his hand.
“You’re disgusting.” Jungkook threw an offended glare over his shoulder, as though Taehyung had intentionally planned for this to happen. Taehyung merely scowled as he watched him wash his hands with more soap than was necessary.
Jungkook slowly tore paper towel from the roll and maintained intense eye contact as he dried his hands away from his body and dropped them into the garbage before sliding it shut.
Deciding he was over the younger’s charades, Taehyung grabbed a bottle of juice and the flavored vodka Seokjin had brought out when they first arrived. Eyeballing what looked like a shot, he filled the rest of the glass with mixer.
Now, armed with a satisfying amount of alcohol to deal with the sass, Taehyung turned to face Jungkook. Flinching, he almost dropped his glass with how close the younger had gotten while his back was turned.
“Jungk-mmph!” He was cut off as soft lips pressed confidently against his, drink spilling down his hand from the force of it. A moment later it was snatched from his hands and taken away as Jungkook took a step back, looking smug.
“That’s mine.” Taehyung gently scolded him, watching as the younger took a sip before scrunching his nose up cutely. He could feel the heat from Jungkook's lips warm his own, a different kind of fire, more muted, from before.
“It’s too sweet.” He complained, handing Taehyung his glass back.
“Yeah, well there’s beer in the fridge from Yoongi for your ‘mature’ taste buds you big baby.”
“Mmmm” Jungkook hummed. “I thought after that one party we decided I wasn’t a baby anymore.”
Taehyung ignored the blush rising on his cheeks in favor of maintaining his unamused expression. “Well it took you almost a year to stop friend-zoning me, so that doesn’t count.”
“Don’t worry,” Jungkook winked. “I think I’ve more than made it up to you.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.” Taehyung crossed his arms, enjoying the playful atmosphere that had always seemed to have been a theme between them, even when they had adamantly denied their attraction for one another.
“Sounds like you’re not convinced,” Jungkook hooked a foot around Taehyung’s calf, lightly jiggling the flesh there. “Guess I need to work harder.”
Taehyung reached out and flicked under the younger’s chin and laughed as he was waved off. Jungkook opened the fridge and pulled out an amber bottle with a plain design. Yoongi was not one for frivolities. After a moment, he also grabbed a jar of pickles.
Supposedly Yoongi was bringing them dinner, a way to repay Jungkook for his help, but Seokjin had just dodged their question about when he was coming home by telling them there was a cheeseboard. Taehyung had noticed earlier that for a culinary student, Seokjin’s fridge seemed only to contain condiments and booze. Clearly Yoongi’s influence had taken over.
“What were you terrorizing Seokjin for out there?” Taehyung leaned against the counter and watched as Jungkook lined up the bottle cap against the countertop and slammed his hand on top to open it. “You know that beer’s a twist top, right?”
“Whoops,” Jungkook winced, bringing it up for a sip while rubbing his hand to smooth the fresh grooves now just barely visible. “What happens now stays between us, yeah?”
Taehyung wrapped his pinky around the one offered and shook in good faith.
“I was trying to see if Yoongi or Jin would help me with my YouTube channel.” Jungkook continued, looking at Taehyung with so much warmth that he cleared his throat and looked away. “I wanted to go record some new content.”
“Why didn’t you ask me?” Taehyung wasn’t hurt, just curious. Film had been something intensely personal to Jungkook for as long as he could remember. He’d rarely even shared his collection of fanmade edits back in high school.
“You usually aren’t up for going to these places.” Jungkook reached over to ruffle his hair affectionately. It had grown long since summer and he’d have to get it cut. Sometimes, when Jungkook pulled it while they were making out, Taehyung would think that maybe he’d wait a little longer.
“How bad could it be? When do we shoot?”
👻
When Jungkook had asked Taehyung to record him, he hadn’t expected it be at the scariest fucking cemetery he’d ever seen. It was foggy for Christ’s sake.
“Uhhhhh, Kook?” He called to the younger boy as he inspected a decrepit pile of rubble that used to be a headstone. This place was old-old. “Why are we here again?”
His boyfriend grinned at him, sharp canines glistening in the off-yellow of the cemetery street lights. “We’re looking for ghosts, babe.”
“Yeah but a cemetery? Isn’t that kinda fucked up?” He began to gesture at the foggy nothingness that everything seemed to disappear into. “Besides, if I were a ghost, I wouldn’t pick such an obvious spot, I’d pick like a movie theater or a theme park because at least it would fun for the most part. More people to scare and I could probably ride the rides or see the newest movies. Not only that, but-"
“Babe, you’re rambling.” Jungkook had walked over to where Taehyung was now back to staring at the pile of stones. He slipped his arm inside Taehyung’s jacket, wrapping it around his waist and pulling him close. “We’re not going to disrespect the dead. I’m just planning to list off some fun facts and we can walk around and get some eerie shots.”
“Fun facts about a cemetery?” Taehyung snorted and then shivered, jerking away from the cold hand that slipped under his shirt to squeeze his hip. “Stop.”
Jungkook gave him a mischievous grin and side-stepped as Taehyung went to smack his chest, tripping over one of the stones and causing a few others to tumble out of place.
“Jungkook.” Taehyung tutted, quickly bending to place the stones back where they’d been before. “No disrespecting the dead, remember?”
With a somber face, Jungkook bowed a full 90 degrees, hand over his heart. Taehyung rolled his eyes at the theatrics and decided that the pile of stones looked…pile-ey. Satisfied, he dusted his hands off on his pants as he rose, looking back out from where they stood on a hill that faced newer plots.
He shivered as a breeze swept through the cemetery, the fog becoming thicker and even more ominous. The October air was chilly but there was not yet the bite that came with November. The sound of bells filled the air, or was it wind chimes?
“Alright. You know how to hit record right?” Jungkook was peering over his shoulder, chin tucked into the muscle. Taehyung shrugged him off.
“My camera is nicer than yours, jerk.”
“Wow, after all these years of trying to convince me that photography majors aren’t the snobs social media portrays them to be, this is the kind of sass I get.”
“You’re—” Taehyung snapped a quick photo of Jungkook skirting away, blurred but artistic with the way the lights behind him left refracted streaks. “—the worst.”
Taehyung took a moment to observe their surroundings, at least of what he could see. Jungkook, having been here the day before to scope out key locations, gave him a general idea of where he was planning to walk.
“You’ve done a surprising amount of research.” Taehyung acknowledged even though Jungkook could only vaguely gesture in the direction of things he wanted to see.
“Yeah, well, this whole project is my baby.” Ever the perfectionist, he looked at the notes on his phone, skimming the points one last time. “Alright, I should be good. You ready?”
“Ready.” Taehyung gave him a thumbs up that turned to a three-finger countdown. On ‘one’ he hit record.
“Hey guys, welcome back to the channel.” Jungkook gave a blinding smile that even the damp, darkness of the fog and shitty lighting couldn’t dim. “This week on Jungshook we’re taking a look at one of the oldest cemeteries in the area and talking about some of its unique features. Come on.”
He gave a wave and they headed back up the hill they had originally been standing on.
“There are a lot of superstitions surrounding cemeteries. In some areas of the country, people hold their breath as they drive pass so they don’t breathe in any lingering spirits; some hold their thumbs in their fist instead to keep a family member from passing away. Either way, people have always been fascinated with death and the places we’re laid to rest.”
They paused near the group of nameless headstones they’d been at before, Jungkook crouching in front and gesturing around himself.
“You’ll notice there’s no epitaph engraved on the stone here—in some cemeteries, those with mental illness, those who took their own lives, etc., were buried in a specific plot of land that was intended to keep them away from the main graves.” He had a sad look on his face as he nodded past something behind Taehyung’s shoulder. “It’s foggy, but you should be able to tell that we are on a raised hill, in the shade of some very strategically placed trees, with a patch of grass distinctly separating it from the rest of the headstones built during the same era.”
Taehyung, panning the camera in a half circle, felt a pang in his heart at thinking about the poor souls whose names weren’t written down. It was clear, with the area having overgrown grass and weeds, that it was still considered an afterthought to the groundskeeper.
“There are newer headstones just across the road now, but that’s due to diminishing land availability in urbanized areas.” Jungkook lead the way down the hill, pausing at the bottom and turning back to the camera.
“It’s estimated that less than 1% of available land is used for cemeteries in the United States but that’s not accounting for rapid urbanization and the cost of land rising. Cemeteries in more populous areas estimate that within the next two to three decades they will run out of space to bury our dead.”
The wind blew and once again Taehyung was distracted by the sound of bells. He shook his head and determinedly refocused on his boyfriend.
“There’s a lot of talk about alternatives, so don’t get too worried.” Jungkook looked over his shoulder at where they were to head to next before turning back and smirking at seeing the frown now on Taehyung’s face. “There are companies now who are looking at death and conservation as a joint venture. You could be cremated and born again as a tree or coral reef.”
As Jungkook listed more facts surrounding the future of cemeteries, including one of the most ridiculous ‘solutions’ proposed involving sending the deceased into space, Taehyung chose that was his cue to zone out. He was not a huge fan about thinking of the inevitability of death, thank you. Besides, those damn bells were starting to creep him out.
Despite the autumn chill settling in his bones, exasperated by the inescapable fog, Taehyung was surprisingly unbothered as they moved towards an older section away from the streetlights. Turning the camera’s light on to maintain visibility the best he could, he found himself frowning at the quality becoming fuzzier than he was happy with. Belatedly, he wished they’d thought to bring one of his portable lights but he’d make do this time. Taehyung made a silent promise to remember next time Jungkook ever asked for help.
“Here we go,” Jungkook cane to a sudden stop, crouching and motioning for Taehyung to focus the camera on what appeared to be a tiny, rusted bell sticking up from the earth. What the hell was a bell doing here? “See this little bell? I bet a few of you already know the purpose for these but I’m guessing it’s something more of you haven’t seen.”
Taehyung almost laughed, because Jungkook’s channel was so new that really only Jungkook’s mother and their group of friends were following him. He’d only posted an introductory video and one other where he’d been with their friend Jimin and traveling around a haunted house at Disney World when they went last spring.
“There were a number of cases of people being buried alive throughout history.” Jungkook’s grin turned to something evil as Taehyung blanched. His claustrophobia was well known in their friend group after a particularly traumatic seven minutes in heaven with Jungkook in middle school that lead to a lot of awkward back-rubs in the dark from the younger. “Because the recovery rate was so low - due to asphyxiation or heart attacks, or from scaring grave robbers off, you know - churches around the world implemented a few different ‘fool proof’ systems to prevent accidents from reoccurring.”
A breeze blew again, and the bell chimed; a few others also ringing out from nearby, and Jungkook pointed at the camera.
“Perfect example of why this particular method did not work. Priests staying on the grounds were responsible for listening for the bells so they could call diggers. Unfortunately, just a bit of wind and the whole cemetery would be ringing which would ultimately drown out any real case of accidental live burying.”
Jungkook stood up, knees cracking, and sent a subtle glare Taehyung’s way as he bit back his laughter. He was sure that, as steady as his hands usually are, the video would be shaking lightly when Jungkook went to edit it. He’d probably get a whiny text complaining about it.
“Safety coffins, as they are known today, started becoming an alternative to the standard coffin from anywhere as early as the 1400’s. Some ideas included glass coffin tops, a flag pulley, or feeding tube - because air optional, obviously. ”
Jungkook stepped away from the grave and gently touched Taehyung’s arm has he passed, pulling him in a new direction.
”There are actually some models still being made that now have Bluetooth compatibility and Spotify so that you can stream BTS even after you’ve passed on. Before I ramble on for hours about safety coffins, I have a few other things I want to show you over here.”
👻
After another hour, one in which they had to briefly pause filming when both were startled by a family of raccoons hissing at them from a tree, they managed to wrap up the rest of the episode. They’d ended on an unmarked grave that was supposedly where an infamous resident of their town from the last century had been laid to rest. Supposedly, if a widow were to visit the cemetery on a new moon, they’d find a gaunt, middle aged man haunting them until they visited a local fortune teller.
“Sounds suspect.” Taehyung had commented as he stopped recording.
Jungkook had kissed his cheek as he packed his camera away from him. “Don’t worry, I’d protect you if any ghost tried to haunt you.”
Taehyung scoffed. “What, are gonna box the ghost away?”
Jungkook wiggled his eyebrows playfully. “I would for you. We could even tag team it.”
”Get out of here.” He playfully pushed at the younger’s shoulder.
“So, what did you think of the safety coffins.” Jungkook held the camera bag over Taehyung’s head and adjust the strap so it lay comfortably across his chest when he threaded his arm through.
“They’re fucking terrifying.” Taehyung admitted, thinking back to how it stood out more than anything else on his long list of not-so-fun fun facts. That and the nameless graves, but that was too sad to think about so he chose to focus his energy elsewhere. “I can’t tell what’s worse - the fact that it was so common they had to create a system, or the system that they ended up with.”
“I think being buried alive trumps them all.” Jungkook grinned cheekily when Taehyung cast him an unamused glare. “You’d be surprised— there were a few people who were saved but they were so traumatized they still ended up dying.”
“Why do you know all this?” Taehyung threw his hands up. “You’re like an encyclopedia of all the things I wish I didn’t know.”
Jungkook took an intentional step in his direction, expression turning dark in a way that let a flicker of fire begin to curl up in Taehyung’s belly. They stood barely a breath apart, Taehyung had only a moment of satisfaction at being slightly taller before he felt a hand trail up the back of his jacket. It was an intentional motion that ended with Jungkook’s fingers threading through his hair.
Taehyung closed his eyes, allowing Jungkook to gently massage the base of his neck the way he’s had a habit of doing since they were kids. Pleasant tingles traveled down his spine, his breath hitching as the younger continued to invade his space, warm breath against his lips as he leaned in close.
“I know something you’d like to know.” Jungkook whispered, lips pressing to the corner of Taehyung’s mouth.
“Yeah? What’s that?” Taehyung whispered back, eyes closed, anticipation making him lean forward only to be tugged back by the fingers once again in his hair. Jungkook’s nose trailed across his check, the warm puffs of air hitting Taehyung’s neck as lips dragged against his pulse, a satisfying contrast to the chill that has taken residency on his exposed skin. Jungkook breathed in and sighed.
“It’s a really fun, fun fact.” His voice was honey-warm. Taehyung had always felt like Jungkook could make even the most boring sentence seductive with the way his voice changed when he became playful.
“So give it to me already.” Taehyung teased impatiently, satisfaction curling up at the snort Jungkook let out in response. Jungkook hummed, a happy sound that send vibrations through Taehyung’s chest where they mingled with the fondness that had been overflowing for the younger for the better part of a decade.
“The fun fact is-“ and suddenly Jungkook’s body was gone, the unpleasantly familiar cold quickly filling the space where he’d just been. “-you’re terrible at hide and seek.”
Taehyung was going to kill him.
“Un-fucking-believable,” he hissed under his breath, whipping around, hoping to catch sight of Jungkook before he successfully disappeared. It was too late; if Jungkook were still close by, the fog had hidden his movements completely. “Jungkook, you ass, we are not playing in a cemetery.”
“Looks like we are.” His boyfriend’s muffled response seemed to come from multiple directions. “Come find me, lover boy.”
“You’ll be calling me hyung from now on at this rate.” He called back, cocking his head before sighing and heading off in a direction he thought would be most obvious.
“Mmmmm,” Jungkook’s voice was so indecent that Taehyung was embarrassed for any poor soul who was walking past the cemetery and had to listen. “You promise, hyung?”
“Oh my god,” Taehyung groaned. “Jungkook, if you keep this up, I’m breaking up with you.”
When there was no response and only eerie, foggy-silence as a response, Taehyung sighed. If he was a stronger, better human, he would just snag the keys from the bag Jungkook had left with him, but he was too petty and competitive to allow such a slight against his character.
The problem was, Taehyung really had always been terrible at hide and seek but not because he wasn’t clever. He was impatient and fidgety and far too competitive. Not that Jungkook was any better—he was even more competitive and would just pretend he was letting Taehyung win when he lost.
“Jungkook, I’m leaving your ass here with the creepy middle aged man spirit if you don’t come out.” He called into the fog. Hearing no response or movement around him, he sighed and jostled the bag on his shoulder so he could look for the keys while walking. Unable to multitask with limited visibility, Taehyung swore as his foot struck a headstone and he went down, landing painfully on his wrist. The bag’s contents spilled onto the trimmed grass and he heard the keys land somewhere out of sight. Perfect.
“Are you okay?” Appearing out of thin air, Jungkook’s hand immediately rested on his back, voice soft. “You really bit it, hyung.”
“It’s all your fault.” Taehyung bemoaned, even though he put little weight behind his words.
“Guess playing hide and seek in a cemetery was a grave mistake.” Taehyung paused halfway through standing up to narrow his eyes suspiciously.
“Jimin and I have told you repeatedly to stop spending so much time with Seokjin.” He brushed the dirt off his jacket, checking for rips in the fabric. "Now you sound just like him."
Jungkook picked up the keys and shook them victoriously. “I can’t imagine Seokjin will appreciate me telling him that. He might not even feed us anymore out of despair.”
“I reiterate,” Taehyung muttered, pulling his camera out to make sure it wasn’t damaged. “You’re the worst.”
“I know, I know.” Jungkook chuckled softly. “Want a piggyback ride to make up for it?”
“What, really?” Taehyung was already adjusting the bag so that it rested against his back, out of the way for optimal piggyback form.
“Don’t ‘what, really?’ me when you’re already climbing on my back.” He grunted as Taehyung flopped clumsily onto his waiting shoulders, a breathless laugh as he jostled the elder into place. Warm hands curled just under Taehyung’s knees, holding onto the meat of his thighs without hesitation, and Taehyung could feel himself swoon as Jungkook easily stood even with the additional weight. Maybe Taehyung would stop complaining about all his gym days. Maybe.
The walk back to Jungkook’s car was quiet and uneventful. Taehyung nuzzled his nose against his boyfriend’s neck and giggled when he felt Jungkook shiver from the coldness of it. Jungkook let go of one leg to reach his hand and bump it gently against Taehyung’s temple.
“You’re such a brat.”
Taehyung hummed happily and kicked his legs out a little before Jungkook squeezed more firmly and threatened to topple him backwards.
“Do you think they’re lonely?” He finally asked what had been bothering him since they’d been on the hill.
“The people buried on the hill?” Jungkook guessed and shrugged when he felt Taehyung nod. “I don’t know. It’s kind of painful to think about it, right?”
Taehyung nodded again.
“It’s not fair,” he mumbled. “There isn’t even a name, it’s like they never existed at all. It’s too sad.”
Jungkook hummed but didn’t say anything else in response.
That night, he held Taehyung’s hand on their drive home, rubbing his thumb in soothing circles as Taehyung continued to work himself up at the injustice of being completely erased from the world.
“What if they can’t move on because they can’t even remember who they are anymore?” He asked, phone pressed to his ear, pillow against the other. Jungkook sighed, drowsy from having been woken up by the call.
“I don’t know, babe, I don’t know.”
👻
Taehyung was in the shower when he heard his apartment door open and close. He paused mid lather and racked his brain trying to think of any reason Jimin, who had left at the ass crack of dawn for a weekend trip with his girlfriend, would have come back a full 48 hours early.
Wiping the suds from his eyes and turning off the water, he cocked his head to listen to the footsteps coming closer. He bit down the anxiety that initially grew with the memory that he’d bolted and locked the apartment door before jumping in. The only other person who had a key was Jungkook so he turned the water back on and waited.
Sure enough, a moment later a soft, rhythmic knock followed by the door cracking open and a head peaking in.
“Babe?”
“I’m in here.” Taehyung tilted his face against the stream of water, allowing the last of the shampoo to wash away before turning the shower off.
“I was wondering why you weren’t answering your phone.” Jungkook hummed, handing him a towel as he stepped out from behind the curtain. Taehyung thanked him and wiped himself down before wrapping it around his waist. “You smell so nice.”
“The magic of a good shower.” He kissed Jungkook’s cheek in passing, leaving a watery trail to his room. “Miss me?”
“Always,” Jungkook responded without hesitation, flopping down on Taehyung’s bed while he pulled a few articles of clothing from his closet. “What are you up to?”
“Right now?” Taehyung asked. He really had no plans for the day—he didn’t have to work and since Jimin wasn’t home he was planning on being a bum and catching up on his favorite anime. “I could be free for you.”
“So sweet.” Jungkook rolled away from him and hugged a pillow, breathing in deeply. “Have I ever told you even your dirty sheets smell good.”
“Well, whose fault is that half the time?” He laughed, pulling his sweats over the swell of his ass and wandering over to the bed, bending over Jungkook to lay across him. “Are you going to tell me what plans we have?”
“Mmmmmm, I’m fighting the urge to change those plans.” Jungkook’s smile could be heard even muffled through the pillow. He jolted when Taehyung slapped his ass lightly. “Not helping me stick to my plan, hyung.”
Taehyung grinned to himself as he grabbed Jungkook’s hips and shook them side to side before wandering back to the closet and pulling on a shirt that was probably Jungkook’s once. His boyfriend gave a heavy sigh and rolled back to face the ceiling. He took a moment and then popped up.
“I want to go back to the cemetery.” Taehyung groaned.
“Jungkook.”
“Not for more hide and seek. I’m a changed man.” Jungkook had his hands up in surrender at Taehyung’s glare. “Seriously, I have something for you.”
“At a cemetery?” Taehyung asked incredulously, unable to think of what might be located there that he would remotely want. Jungkook rolled his eyes.
“Would you just trust me, please?”
Taehyung stared at him suspiciously before finally, after an internal struggle, shrugging. He really didn’t have a good enough reason to say no.
“Fine, but you’re buying me Starbucks on the way. Venti this time.”
“At least it’s not a Coke.”
👻
“What’s in the bag, seriously?”
Taehyung wouldn’t say he was worried. He’d known Jungkook practically his entire life and he had been entirely respectful when it came to most things. A few accidental interrupted weddings playing tag and the one unintentional vandalism aside, he was probably the most considerate person Taehyung knew.
He’d also tried to play hide and seek in a cemetery the week before, though, so he was keeping a healthy suspicion.
Jungkook lifted the IKEA bag and shook it. It was filled with oblong-shaped objects that were wrapped in plastic shopping bags. Taehyung’s curiosity was starting to get the better of himself and he tried to snatch the bag, annoyed when Jungkook danced out of his reach.
They were currently walking down the main road winding through the cemetery, having left Jungkook’s car on the street.
“You’ll see when we get there.” There was something nervous about Jungkook now, less playful and almost embarrassed. It was an unusual combination from the younger. “I swear it’s nothing bad. I promise.”
Taehyung decided to leave it alone, recognizing that when Jungkook was like this there was little chance he’d be able to get the information he needed out of him until he was ready. Humming to himself, he ran a hand gently down Jungkook's arm until he secured his hand in his. Barely a moment passed before Jungkook squeezed back, pulling him closer to his side and smiling.
The path they’d turned off on was oddly familiar to Taehyung. He quickly realized where they were headed the moment he saw the lonely, forgotten corner hidden among the shadows of large trees. A lump formed in his throat as they grew closer.
Once at the hill, Jungkook stopped walking and pulled at where they were joined when Taehyung kept moving forward. He turned to watch the younger curiously when he let go of Taehyung’s hand and crouched, rustling the plastic bags and pulling them away to show what he’d been carrying.
A tear trailed down Taehyung’s cheek before he even realized he was tearing up. There in the blue IKEA bag were bundles of forget-me-nots, soft blue flowers vibrant and lovely. He looked at Jungkook, still crouched and avoiding his gaze. His lovely boyfriend with his lovely, lovely heart.
“You were so sad,” he mumbled, voice cracking so he made to clear his throat. “That night when we left you wouldn’t stop talking about how lonely it was. I had to wait for payday, but I went to that florist you like, and they had just restocked. We don’t know their names, but we can let them know they still matter, or something.”
He’d trailed off quietly towards the end, suddenly even more embarrassed. “It’s kinda dumb and not really a date. We can do this quick and do anything else you want.”
“Jungkook, shut up.” He walked over and tilted Jungkook’s face to kiss his forehead. He chuckled wetly as he wiped away his own tears that had fallen on his boyfriend’s face, using the back of his hand before cupping his cheeks gently. “You’re really out here proving you’ve got the biggest heart in the world.” His finger pointed at the left side of his chest. “How does it even fit in here?”
Jungkook grinned up at him, eyes suspiciously shiny, and shrugged. “Just does, I guess.”
Taehyung hummed fondly. “Lucky me, then.”
They took handfuls of flowers and began to place them amongst the graves—two for each. You existed, they symbolized, you were here.
As Taehyung laid the final flowers on the last grave, Jungkook picking up the IKEA bag and wiping suspiciously at his face in the background, the sound of bells rang, following a cold breeze.
He looked at the pile of stones, pale white and cracked by time, now with bright blue to stand out against them and thought that maybe those bells weren’t so creepy at all.
The bells rang once again as they left, and in their fading notes, Taehyung could hear the echoes of the past reaching out from the grave to say hello.