Echoes of Us
Unread messages
No reply for a few minutes. Jungkook watches the typing indicator come and go
Taehyung
Hey! Sorry - just dealing with some work stuff
Taehyung
Glad you still use this number
Jungkook
Of course. Old habits
Jungkook
You back in town?
Taehyung
Just for a few days - family stuff. Nothing fun
Jungkook hesitates before tying again. Last time they spoke was years ago. The silence between them is loud
Jungkook
Right. Sorry to hear that.
Jungkook
If you need anything, I'm around
A long pause before Jungkook is halfway to putting his phone down when another message pops up
Taehyung
Hey - want to maybe catch up?
Jungkook
Busy with work mostly
Jungkook thinks about his new job, his morning gym routine, the never-ending to-do list on his desk - all distractions from thinking too much about Taehyung
Taehyung
you sound... Tired
Taehyung
But I'd still like to see you, if that's okay
Jungkook's heartbeat is faster for reasons he won't quite admit - and he doesn't reply for a long moment, choosing his words carefully
Taehyung
Tomorrow evening?
Taehyung
There's this quiet café I like. I'll send the address.
Jungkook feels a strange knot in his chest. This was too familiar and too different at once. Something about Taehyung's tone - casual on the surface, but with something deeper beneath - draws him in
Jungkook
Okay. See you then
Jungkook sets his phone aside, staring at the darkened screen for a long time. There's a lingering ache - a feeling that whatever they'd had before was still there, tangled and uncertain, and this meeting would pull at those threads in ways he isn't sure he's ready for
Beneath the surface
Jungkook
*Sends a photo of a café exterior
Taehyung
I'm just around the corner. Give me 5
Jungkook looks up from his phone and breathes slowly
Jungkook
(It's just a coffee) *Tells himself*
Five minutes later, the door chimes softly as Taehyung steps inside. He spots Jungkook instantly - of course he does - and they exchange a fleeting look before Taehyung's lips curve into a smile, cautious smile
Taehyung
*Sits across from him, hands folded neatly km the table*
Taehyung
Sorry I kept you waiting
Jungkook
*Looks him up and down*
Jungkook
(Taehyung looks different. More grown-up. Tired, too. But still Taehyung)
A strange silence between them as they wait for the waitress. Jungkook can feel a familiar knot tightening in his chest - unspoken questions pressing against the back of his tongue
Jungkook
Still wearing those ridiculous rings, huh?
Taehyung chuckles softly, fingers instinctively brushing the silver band on his index finger - a habit he never broke. Jungkook looks away before his thoughts drift too far into memories
Jungkook
So what really brought you back this time?
That question hangs in the air. Taehyung hesitates - his smile falters just a little - before leaning back in his chair, gaze fixed on the window
Taehyung
And… Other things
Jungkook
What other things?
But without answering Taehyung quickly changed the topic, telling him about the café, the weather, anything but himself
And Jungkook plays along - laughing when expected, listening carefully - but there's a weight between them, an unspoken tension they both pretend not to notice
Every glance feels too long. Every quiet moment feels too loud. And Jungkook wonder, not for the first time, why they ever drifted apart in the first place - or why seeing Taehyung again feels so much like standing too close to a fire
A glimpse of Truth
That evening, rain drummed softly against the café windows as the last few customers drifted out. Jungkook watched Taehyung stir his coffee absently, eyes focused on something distant.
Taehyung
I haven't been sleeping much. Too much on my mind
The way Taehyung says it makes Jungkook’s chest tighten. Something is bothering him — more than he’s telling. The silence between them feels heavier, as if an invisible weight settles onto their table
Jungkook
Is it... Your family?
Taehyung
And part of it is just me, I guess
Jungkook studies him carefully. Taehyung never used to hold back like this. Back then, they told each other everything. Back then, they weren’t strangers. Something unspoken passes between them, fleeting yet familiar — a reminder of who they were to one another once.
Jungkook
If you ever want to talk about it...
Taehyung meets his eyes at that — a long, searching look. Jungkook’s heart thuds loudly as Taehyung leans back, his voice quiet but warm
Jungkook’s breath catches. There it is — a tiny crack in Taehyung’s careful walls. Something softer, realer, that reminds him why being around Taehyung feels both comforting and terrifying at once
Taehyung
*Phone buzzes* 📱~~
Taehyung
Looks like I have to go
Jungkook
*manages a small smile* 😊
Jungkook
Don't let me keep you
Taehyung stands, hands in his pockets, eyes lingering on Jungkook for just a moment too long. Jungkook feels the unspoken pull again — that strange ache that never really disappeared
Taehyung
Let's do it again sometime
Taehyung
And maybe next time, we can stay a bit longer
Jungkook
*Voice soft as Taehyung turns toward the door* I'd like that
And then Taehyung is gone, disappearing into the rainy street outside. Jungkook stays seated, hands wrapped around his lukewarm coffee, heart beating a little too fast as he wonders if Taehyung felt it too — the undercurrent neither of them dared to name.
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