'After saying goodbye to each other, we went aboard the ship, and they returned home.'

-

"Twenty minutes before the coach leaves!" Namjoon called to the teenagers who were milling about outside with their suitcases.

Jungkook was talking animatedly with Yoongi and Hoseok about their plans to meet up at a Christian Pride Parade in Daegu as Taehyung nestled his head in Jungkook's neck. As the son of Father Jeon, Jungkook would be staying at the camp for a few days to help pack up.

And so this was goodbye.

"Don't pout like that Taehyung, you will see me soon!" Jungkook joked, slapping the boy on the arm.

But Taehyung wasn't just sad about saying a temporary goodbye. He was so unsure about what he would be like when he returned back into reality. At camp, it was like a new world and one where he felt the most safe. Home was different. Home held a past he didn't want to return to.

"Where are you moving to anyway, Kookie?" Jin asked, playing with the soft cheeks of the younger.

"My dad won't tell me - says it will be a surprise," Jungkook replied, but all Taehyung could think was that the only place Jungkook should be is in bed next to him everyday.

Taehyung wanted nothing else but to freeze time in that moment.

Wrapping his arms even tighter around his baby, Taehyung swivelled Jungkook around so that the pair were facing. One look in his eyes was enough to make him feel like they were the only two people left on earth.

"Don't cry Taehyungie," Jungkook whispered, his own voice getting choked up slightly, "I'll see you soon. I will."

"I never want to let you go," Taehyung whispered, his eyes glistening from the tears that were pooling inside them.

"We've had a good run," Jungkook mumbled back which made Taehyung's heart drop to his stomach, "Even if we drift apart, I will always have these memories. And they will sparkle."

Pressing his lips against Jungkook's forehead, the pair remained wrapped up in each other's presence until the bus driver was honking his horn for Taehyung to get on the bus.

"You've saved me Kook," was all Taehyung had a chance to say before leaving the younger to hold onto the memory of Taehyung's hug as he waved goodbye.

As the bus rolled away, Jungkook was finally able to drop the smile from his face as he collapsed onto the ground. Clutching his chest, he sobbed as hard as he could. He had wanted to put on a brave front for Taehyung, but now that he was alone the pain of separation was almost too much to bear.

He felt like his happiness was being torn from him.

Father Jeon watched his son sob for his lost love with tears pricking his eyes. He knew what it was like to lose a love so intense it threatened to destroy you. Watching as Jungkook cried out into the air, he knew that his son would hurt so painfully he would feel like he was dying. But he would recover.

Taehyung let the tears fall down his cheeks freely on the bus, surrounded by tired teenagers. No matter how much they had promised to remain in contact, he knew it would never be the same. And soon he knew he would be a faint memory in Jungkook's mind.

But Jungkook would never fade from him. It was like the boy's smile was tattooed on his eyeballs. He had never felt love quite like it. And he knew he never would again.

Closing his eyes, all he could think about was turning back time and doing the summer all over again. He would have made the most of his time. He wouldn't have wasted it away like it would never end.

***

Room 215 felt empty as Jungkook sat in it. His tears had dried but the dull ache inside him still continued. Wrapping himself in Taehyung's duvet, he sniffed the fabric to find it still smelt like him. For a moment, he pretended that Taehyung was just in the bathroom, about to come out at any time and pepper him with kisses.

But the room remained silent.

"Knock knock," Father Jeon said, coming into the room and sitting down next to his son, "Give me a smile champ."

Jungkook weakly attempted a smile, and Father Jeon placed his arm around the boy.

"You know, I once fell in love so hard I thought I was going to die because my heart felt like it was going to explode," Father Jeon whispered, "Forty years down the line and my heart still swells with love every day I wake up and see him. I know it feels like the end, but it may just be the beginning."

"But he'll go home and find someone better than me," Jungkook whimpered, tears already threatening to spill from his eyes again, "And he'll laugh in a few months about the fact he ever spent time on someone like me."

"Someone like you?" Father Jeon asked, "You mean one of the kindest, most considerate, sweetest boys on the planet."

"You have to say that because you're my dad-"

"Kookie, he looks at you like you're his whole world."

And he's mine, Jungkook thought, hugging his arms closer to him.

-

sorry for the short update but the next one will be exciting!

also proper salty BTS came to perform in the UK in the middle of my A Levels

please vote and comment if you enjoyed 💜