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Jeon Jungkook had always been a bit frightened by the thought of love. Had always been a bit scared of the notion that he could one day possibly care for someone more than he truly cares for himself. Had always been fearful of opening his heart to anyone. The entire concept – it was terrifying, to say the least.
But then there was Kim Taehyung – someone so enamoured by the idea of love that he couldn't help but see something pure and natural in everyone he laid eyes upon. Someone so clearly desperate for affection and intimacy that even his friends would feel the tug of this incredible love. Someone so interested in the natural course of infatuation that he wouldn't hesitate before asking in depth questions about complete strangers; he wanted to know it all.
It was funny though, for someone so interested in the concept of care and contentment, he was sure having a difficult time finding someone that he could share such feelings of adoration and excitement with. To feel the loving twinge of comfort while holding someone close, or even being held close by someone so harmoniously balanced and equally matched in terms of admiration and care. He could not find it.
Or at least, Taehyung was not aware that he'd found it. It's not like Jungkook was willing to share such feelings with the world anyway.
From the first moment the thought of ‘love’ had plagued him, Jungkook had made an effort to stay away from this dangerous boy that had seemingly found the – well hidden – key to his heart. Kim Taehyung had ran a rampage – tearing up his lungs with sporadic, soaring laughter; cutting away his stomach with months upon months of badly cooked (but still.. Slightly edible) food; scorching his eyes with that awe-striking, uplifting, warming smile; and most of all, beginning to thaw that fearful heart of his.
Taehyung was skilled. Maybe he wasn't aware of it himself, but Jungkook definitely was.
And yet, he still refused to properly acknowledge his strong feelings, batting them away at every possible moment. Love was not on the agenda for Jungkook – surely not.
Throughout the months they'd spent ceaseless amounts of time together, smiling and crying and giggling like children. Taehyung's ever faithful ability to bring out the light in every situation swept Jungkook up like a determined wave, tossing him into – generally uncomfortable – situations and evoking newfound feelings of appreciation. Taehyung was the switch that Jungkook had always failed to find when darkness was all that he knew. Now that switch had been flipped though, there was no way he'd let that spark go out.
And so, any attempts to back away from the wonderful Taehyung had quickly been disregarded and forgotten. It would have been disrespectful to allow such a lovely soul to become sad or lonely.
That's why they were here today, idly grinning at one another as they made the – idiotic – decision to scale the forty five floors of this expansive yet gorgeous building; they wanted to see the sunset today, perhaps Jungkook would even think to admit his feelings.
“I’m going to die.” Taehyung declared dramatically, swiping a hand across his sweaty forehead and watching in disdain as Jungkook stared down at him from the top of the flight of stairs.
A noise of amusement fell from Jungkook’s parted lips “Don’t be so over the top; you’re not going to die, silly.”
“How can you be so sure?” He shot back, grinning despite the laboured breaths that were now theatrically escaping his mouth.
“It’s pretty unlikely,”
“But how can you be so sure?” It’s clear that his reiteration begins to irk the smug Jungkook, who simply begins to turn away and take on the next set of stairs. “Just because you’re two years younger than me – the youth these days.” With a shake of the head, Taehyung begins his ascent once more, discovering a newfound sense of energy.
A following fifteen minutes follow before the two of them find themselves at the ‘viewing deck’, gazing hurriedly past the thick glass and towards the idyllic skyline that greeted them. The smattering of clouds across the horizon coincided nicely with the lilac sky, eliciting a feeling of contentment from deep within Jungkook.
Taehyung felt very much the same, a certain perception of serenity sweeping through his mind. The crystalline sense of clarity spurring him on even to the point where he deemed it okay and agreeable to lace his fingers with Jungkook’s, further security settling into his relaxed torso.
It was even more surprising in the fact that there was no instantaneous movement of rejection – was Jungkook finally reciprocating the feelings of affection that he’d harboured for so long?
Hope lit Taehyung up as if a switch had suddenly been flipped – he was practically glowing.
Jungkook cast a glance to the side, smiling softly at the sight of Taehyung’s beaming expression. He was just beginning to open up, allowing these blossoming feelings to fully bloom into something beautiful. Something lovely.
“Tae..” He mumbled softly, gaining the other boy’s attention “I-” No, I can’t do it.
Taehyung tilted his head to the side in confusion, watching the falter of speech on Jungkook’s part with curiosity. “Hm?” The hope swelled for a moment, was he going to say it?
“Ah, n-nothing.” A pause “Sorry…” Clearly, the answer was no.
Taehyung’s stare seemed to dampen somewhat with sorrow for a split second before that expression of joy was pushed back onto his features. “Okay!” And with that, he turned back to the picturesque sunset before them. “Let’s just carry on being as we are, okay?”
Jungkook couldn’t help but agree.
What seemed like eons of time drifted past; Jungkook and Taehyung stood there, inexplicably drawn to the beauty of their impossibly endless surroundings. The sky had most definitely began to darken when they decided to return to the rest of the world, carefree and affectionate.
“I’ll race you!” Taehyung smirked over at his friend, “I’ll take the elevator – you’re left with the stairs,”
Jungkook just rolled his eyes, “Right… I’m not sure that’s fair.” Suddenly, he dashed away towards the stairs, clearly deeming this time enough to get a headstart. The noise of protest that dropped from Taehyung’s lips fell on deaf ears.
Taehyung instead decided to take a leisurely walk towards the elevator, knowing full well that he’d be reaching the ground floor so much faster than Jungkook would.
Obviously, Jungkook had taken this challenge just to humour Taehyung’s silly idea – he knew that there was no way he’d be speedier than that elevator. And yet, being the competitive boy that he is, Jungkook was still going to run down these stairs and give it his all.
—
With every passing moment, his breathing became more and more laboured. So upon reaching the fortieth floor, he decided to take a quick break. Well, a break of sorts. It involved taking a look at the floor that the elevator happened to be passing at the time. He was sure it would be miles and miles ahead.
Except it wasn't.
There were numerous members of panicked staff surrounding the doors that would usually slide open to reveal the elevator.
He felt sick.
“What’s going on?” He asked loudly, a newfound sense of confidence filling him as he quickly walked over.
“Malfunctions, the elevator’s stopped. We’ve worked out that it came to a halt around this area – so we’re going to pull open the doors and see where they are. It's not too bad, don't worry.” A kind looking woman informed him, clearly noticing his concern. “Don't be too scared; is anyone you care about in there?”
He drew in a deep breath, “My…” Was he going to say something he'd regret? “My boyfriend, I-I guess.” The woman raised her eyebrows for a fraction of a second.
“I'm sure he’s alright.” She responded after a brief moment before turning back to her colleagues.
The doors were speedily prised open by some shaky members of staff, and Jungkook quickly made it his business to locate Taehyung in the – surprisingly roomy – lift.
“..Tae?” He called out tentatively, eyes wandering dazedly across the (roughly one metre) gap between the top of the elevator and the ground. He still held a certain amount of hope that maybe Taehyung had gotten out of the elevator a few floors up, and would soon come running down to see the strange happenings.
The sound of a particular voice confirmed his worst fears. “Kookie?”
There were maybe seven or eight people in the elevator, including two children. So it was agreed that the sprightly adult Taehyung would not be the top priority. Jungkook had wanted to protest, but he didn't want to cause even more of a fuss.
“We’ve got to get everyone out just in case one of the cables snap – standard procedure, okay?” A particularly strong looking man spoke softly, directing his words towards the inhabitants of that horrifying contraption. Jungkook peered into the metal cage, gaze meeting Taehyung’s in a frenzy of fear.
“Don't look so frightened,” Tae crooned, grinning over at Jungkook despite the noticeable fear in his eyes.
Jungkook wanted to offer comfort, to offer salvation and security. And yet, he had no clue as to what he should be saying. The wave of nausea rose up once more.
“I think I'm going to be sick.” Was all that he could mumble before he was moved out of the way by a staff member; they were going to start removing people.
He almost didn't want to look, but knew that he must. This anxiety was all for Taehyung. God. he couldn't imagine how Taehyung must have been feeling.
The thankful cries of parents met Jungkook’s ears, a bitter reminder of the fact that maybe he wouldn't get to see the person he cared for after this.
It was a continuous swoop of nervousness as he paced, occasionally stopping to see how long it would be until Taehyung would be pulled to definite safety.
Jeon Jungkook was aware that he should be there for the boy he deeply cared for – he felt real, honest guilt for his incapability to comfort his loved one.
“Your, er, boyfriend should be the next one pulled out.” The first woman he'd encountered tapped him on the shoulder. Immediately, Jungkook realised that Tae had probably been able to hear that.
Especially since the first thing he said was “Boyfriend, eh?”
“S-shut up,” the heat quickly rose, dousing Jungkook’s cheeks in a lovely shade of red.
“Okay, let's pull you up. Come closer please.” Taehyung nodded at the helpful member of staff, and was about to move forward when an older, panicky woman shoved past him.
“No. Me first, please.” She spoke with desperation, and Taehyung nodded to let this happen.
“Tae-”
“No, it's fine Kookie. She’s panicking, it's fine.” His voice was firm, insistent. Jungkook did not want to argue.
Soon enough, the rude (at least in Jungkook’s opinion) woman had been pulled to safety, and Taehyung was the only one that remained in the broken elevator.
“I'm… I’m actually kind of scared.” Taehyung admitted after a moment, gaze meeting Jungkook’s. It burned with fear, with the possibility that he wouldn't make it past today.
“Don't be scared, Tae… It's all going to be okay, right?”
He didn't look too sure.
“No. It's going to be fine. Look,” this caught the other boy’s attention, so Jungkook continued to speak in this decisive tone. “You’re going to be okay. Alright? Don't doubt that. You’ll be fine, I promise.”
It was in this moment that Jungkook noted the tears in Tae’s eyes – he was absolutely certain that he'd be able to comfort the scared boy soon, and would spend some time healing before they would continue this lovely path of love they'd discovered together.
“Do you really promise?”
“Of course I do.” Jungkook even began to smile at Taehyung, a feeling of determination sweeping through him.
It was going well, Taehyung had stepped forward in order to be hoisted up and out of this metallic hell. But then the creaking began. Shortly afterwards, in a flurry of panic, they'd began to work faster.
“Grab my hand!” Jungkook spoke erratically, heart pumping with fear as his blood turned to ice.
“I love you.”
And with that, the elevator began its ever so speedy descent to the cold, hard ground.