No strangers here

    "Stay quiet,"

    "Why?"

Taehyung glares at Jeongguk as the millenicopter that Seokjin sent for them approaches.

    "Just do what I say," He says as the vehicle stops in front of them. "And keep your hood on."

Jeongguk doesn't argue as they climb inside the millenicopter, keeping his head down and staying silent.

The driver doesn't question them luckily, taking them to headquarters without a word. When they get there a guard waits to escort them inside, he smiles kindly at Taehyung.

    "Hey, Taehyung," He says. "What brings you by so..."

Taehyung follows his gaze to Jeongguk who stands with his hands in his pockets, his expression bored.

    "Duri, don't," Taehyung says quickly when the guards hand settles on the gun on his belt. "I just need to talk to Seokjin."

    "What's going on?" Duri asks apprehensively as he finally tears his eyes away from Jeongguk. "Are you okay?"

    "Yeah, I'm fine," Taehyung says. "Everything's fine."

Duri nods, using the radio on his shoulder to tell Seokjin that they're coming in. "Jeongguk's here too," He says before turning and heading inside with the two.

    "How does he know my name?" Jeongguk whispers to Taehyung.

    "Shut up," Taehyung whispers back. "What part of stay quiet don't you understand?"

Jeongguk falls silent with an annoyed expression, following the guard inside the large building.

"Taehyung," Seokjin says coming down the stairs with Namjoon and Jimin behind him as they enter, all dressed in their pajamas for the night. "Is everything..."

Taehyung sighs as the three of them share the same shocked expression when they see Jeongguk. "I need to talk to you."

"What's going on?" Seokjin asks stopping it front of them.

"This is Jeongguk," Taehyung says. He wasn't exactly sure how to introduce his dead ex boyfriend to someone who only knew him as an android.

Jeongguk pushes his hood off his head, his dark hair falling into his face. "Who are you?"

Seokjin's eyebrows draw together, his expression unreadable.

Taehyung looks at Jimin and the color completely drains from the older's face before his legs seem to give out beneath him. Namjoon catches him before he falls luckily, sitting him down on the bottom step of the stairs.

"Jeongguk?" Seokjin asks, looking at Taehyung.

"Can I talk to you?" Taehyung asks. "Alone, please?"

Seokjin nods, still confused. "Namjoon, you should take Jimin to get some water. Jeongguk, can you go with Namjoon?"

Jeongguk looks at Taehyung, but it's not a worried look. It's as if he's silently asking if he could trust them.

"Yeah," Taehyung nods. "I'm just gonna talk to Seokjin for a second."

"If you're not back in five minutes~"

"Jeongguk, please just go," Taehyung says before looking at Seokjin. "Come on."

Seokjin follows Taehyung, his eyes lingering on Jeongguk for a moment.

Taehyung walks into the common room, sitting down on the old couch and running a hand through her hair.

"What's going on, Taehyung?" Seokjin asks as he joins him on the couch, crossing his arms with an expectant expression.

"I modeled Jeongguk after my ex boyfriend," Taehyung confesses as if it was a secret that was killing him to keep. "I know I never told you and Jimin didn't either because it was too weird. But I did and I thought it didn't matter because he was dead but it turns out he's not dead. I swear to you I thought he was~"

"Breathe, Taehyung," Seokjin says placing a gentle hand on his back. "It's okay."

"It's not okay," Taehyung says shaking his head, looking at Seokjin with tears in his eyes. "It's just not."

"I'm not going to judge you for modeling Jeongguk after him, I'm sure someone's modeled an android after a loved one before," Seokjin says. "I don't think any differently about you."

"I just..." Taehyung sighs, leaning forward and pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes. "I think I wish he was dead, Seokjin."

"No~"

"I think I do,"

Taehyung hates how weak he's being but he doesn't protest when Seokjin moves closer and puts his arm around him. He didn't want to be comforted by him but he needed comfort from someone.

"Why?" Seokjin asks.

"I don't know," Taehyung sniffles. "I was just getting over it, y'know. I was moving past anything related to him and now it's like I've reopened a wound for the second time."

"You aren't happy to see him?"

"I don't know, I can't even fully grasp the situation,"

Taehyung drops his hands from his face with a heavy sigh. "He's supposed to be dead. That's the only thing that makes sense."

"I think there's at least a small part of you that's glad he's alive," Seokjin says.

"What if he goes away again?" Taehyung asks. "What if I lose him for the third time."

"You've only lost him once, Taehyung," Seokjin says. "I know you were attached to the android version of him but that wasn't him."

"You're right," The silverette says. "He was better than him. He cared about me at least."

"You don't think he cares about you?"

"He has a funny way of showing it if he does,"

Seokjin nods. "What are you going to do?"

"He wants me to go back to Solis with him," Taehyung says. "I told him I would if I could take my medication with me~"

"Solis?" Seokjin asks. "For good?"

"No," Taehyung says. "I'm not leaving 613. But I want to see what his life has been since the accident. Is that ridiculous? Should I tell him I can't go?"

"It wouldn't be hard to take the medication with you, and you've administered it enough to know what to do~"

"Should I go?"

Seokjin shrugs, it's the first time Taehyung has seen him not have an answer to one of his questions. "I can't tell you not to."

"I don't know what to do," Taehyung says wiping his eyes with his sleeve. "I feel like I'm in some kind of fever dream."

"If going will answer some of these unanswered questions you have then I think you should," Seokjin says. "This is all extremely shocking and I think some closure will be good for you. Even if you don't stay."

Taehyung nods, looking off for a moment in thought. "I'll go then."

    "You can stay the night, make up your mind in the morning," Seokjin says patting his back before standing. "I'll go make up a room for Jeongguk."

Taehyung nods, looking down at his hands without saying anything.

"It's going to be okay, sweetheart," Seokjin says reassuringly before he leaves the room.

His words do little to reassure Taehyung at all, instead making him feel even more overwhelmed by everything that's happened tonight.

~

"What are you doing?"

"Looking for you,"

Taehyung sighs as Jeongguk walks into his room, shutting the door before walking over to his bed.

Reluctantly, Taehyung pushes himself into a sitting position. Leaning against the headboard as Jeongguk sits on the edge of his bed facing him.

"Jimin was pretty shocked to see me," Jeongguk says with a short chuckle.

"Yeah, anyone in this situation would be," Taehyung says awkwardly avoiding eye contact.

"He told me about the android," Jeongguk says making Taehyung meet his eyes.

"Of course he did," The silverette says rolling his eyes, looking down as his face heats up in embarrassment. "I don't want to talk about it, Jeongguk~"

"I want to talk about it~"

"Well I don't,"

"Okay, but I do."

Taehyung scoffs in defeat, pressing his fingers against the bridge of his nose as he combats the aggravation he feels. "It was stupid, and I don't know why I did it. Is that what you want to hear?"

"No," Jeongguk says. "I don't think it was stupid."

Taehyung drops his hand and looks at him, waiting for him to explain further.

"I don't know, I guess it makes me feel like you were thinking of me," Jeongguk says looking down as he fidgets with the sleeves of his shirt.

"Were you thinking of me?"

"All the time,"

Taehyung shakes his head, looking away when Jeongguk meets his eyes.

"You don't believe me?" Jeongguk asks.

"I don't know," Taehyung sighs. "I don't know what I believe right now."

"You have to believe that I thought about you every single day, Tae," The ravenette says shifting closer to him. "Every day since we got separated I've been trying to find my way back to you."

"We didn't get separated, Jeongguk, you died," Taehyung says. "I can't just pretend that didn't happen."

"I don't want you to," Jeongguk says. "I want you to stop treating me like a stranger. I'm still me."

"You aren't still you," Taehyung says. "And I'm not still me, Jeongguk, it's been five years~"

"That's not that much time," Jeongguk says. "You don't seem all that different to me."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You were messed up then and as far as I can tell you're still messed up now,"

Taehyung narrows his eyes, shocked that he said that. "Are you fucking serious?"

"I didn't mean it as an insult~"

"It felt like it."

Jeongguk sighs, trying to choose his next words carefully. "I'm sorry."

"There you go with that word again," Taehyung says shaking his head.

"And there you go acting like it's such a huge fucking deal," Jeongguk says. "You're mad that I'm saying sorry and you'd be mad if I didn't."

"I'm not mad," Taehyung argues. "I just don't understand why you're so sorry now and you were never sorry before."

"Because I'm trying to be a better boyfriend,"

"Are you my boyfriend?"

Taehyung watches the way Jeongguk's jaw clenches and he knows he's getting irritated. He doesn't snap like Taehyung expects him to, instead he looks at him with an unreadable expression.

"What?" Taehyung asks.

"I love you," Jeongguk says, which is more unexpected than his previous reaction.

"Don't~"

"I love you, and I know you love me, Taehyung," The ravenette says. "I know you do."

"Things are different now, Jeongguk."

"But we aren't different."

Taehyung bites his lip, trying to force the tears out of his eyes. "I don't know what you want me to do."

"Come with me tomorrow," Jeongguk says. "You don't have to say you love me, you don't even have to pretend to like me. Just come with me. Please?"

Taehyung nods wordlessly.

"Say it,"

"I'll go with you,"

Jeongguk nods, sighing heavily before standing from the bed. He hesitates as he walks away, as if he's contemplating saying something. But he walks out of the room without a word, shutting the door behind himself.