"Perfect hair, perfect clothes, no tattoos~"

    "No tattoos?"

    "None."

    "But my hair stayed the same?"

    "No, it was short and brown."

Jeongguk laughs, envisioning himself the way Taehyung had. "I was a dweeb, basically."

Taehyung shrugs, biting back a smile. "I thought you were perfect."

    "Sorry to ruin your perfect image."

    "Don't apologize. I like you the way you are."

    "Do you like me?"

It was a loaded question despite its simplicity. Of course there was a general attraction, but the intensity of their love—the love that Jeongguk remembers—was gone. Taehyung couldn't remember loving him—he was practically a stranger.

    "I don't think you're a bad person."

Jeongguk looks amused. "That totally answers my question."

"I'm sorry."

    "Don't be, I'm just kidding."

Taehyung couldn't tell if he was downplaying his response but he didn't push the subject further.

"Are you hungry? I haven't seen you eat anything all day."

    "I'm fine."

    "Well, I'm starving, so you have to eat."

Taehyung smiles softly as Jeongguk stands from the couch to grab his phone from the counter.

    "What do you want?" He asks, looking down at the device.

    "I don't know...whatever you want, I guess."

    "Pizza?"

    "Sure."

Jeongguk walks back over to the couch and plops down with a sigh. He looks up to find Taehyung watching him. "What?"

He shrugs. "Nothing. This is weird."

"Yeah," He chuckles. "I can't believe you're in my apartment."

"I can't believe you're real." They laugh for a moment.

"All jokes aside," Jeongguk starts. "I want you to feel safe here. With me."

"I do," Taehyung says. "Thank you for reaching out again despite what my parents did to you. You didn't deserve any of it."

"It was tough, losing you and everything," He says. "But I came out of it a better person. It made me appreciate freedom that much more."

"It's okay if you blame me."

"I don't. You had no idea what they were planning."

Taehyung nods. "You're a good person."

Jeongguk smiles. "I try to be."

"They're going to come looking for me eventually," Taehyung says. "I don't know how I'm going to face them."

"You don't have to, not until you're ready," He says. "They don't know where I live now."

"They do."

"Do they?"

"I saw a picture of you outside of this complex. It was in the file with everything else."

Jeongguk glances off in thought before speaking again. "It doesn't matter. They can't do anything."

Taehyung knows that's true, but he still worries in the back of his mind. It was like he didn't even know them anymore. He didn't trust them, and it scared him to think they'd go so far to sell a lie.

As they sit together eating pizza that evening Taehyung realizes that he has to go home and face the reality of his situation whether he wanted to or not.

    "You can stay here," Jeongguk offers. "They haven't come knocking the door down yet."

    "I don't want to impose," Taehyung says. "It's not your fault I can't go home."

    "If you don't want to stay we can get you a room at a hotel for the night~"

    "No."

    "On me?"

    "No, seriously."

Jeongguk pouts. "Where are you gonna go?"

Taehyung shrugs. "I'll figure it out."

    "I won't be able to sleep if I don't know where you are," He says. "So you're staying, end of discussion. I'll call the guys over so it's not weird. You'll be fine, I promise."

    "You don't have to put them out of their way for me," Taehyung insists. "I'll feel like enough of a burden staying."

    "You aren't a burden," Jeongguk says. "I want you here. I missed you."

Taehyung smiles at him. "I'm sorry I can't say the same."

    "If you keep apologizing I'm gonna give you a reason to be sorry," He ribs as he stands from the couch, taking the abandoned pizza box with him to the kitchen. "You can have my room. I fall asleep on the couch most nights anyway."

    "Are you sure?" Taehyung asks, standing and following him. "I don't mind the couch."

    "Yeah, I'm sure." He turns to Taehyung with a sigh, smiling softly.

    "What?"

    "Nothing. Why?"

    "Because, you're looking at me like that. Like you have something to say."

Jeongguk shrugs, looking down shyly. "I don't know...it's odd."

"What's odd?"

"Being in love with someone that has no idea who I am."

Taehyung nods. "It's pretty weird on this side too."

Jeongguk chuckles. "How so?"

"I think I love you," Taehyung says. "But I don't know why."

"Do you love me?" Jeongguk asks, the smile on his face fading slightly.

"I don't know what the feelings are," He says. "I know I hate them for what they did to you."

    "What they did to me? What they did to you~"

    "Don't say it was worse~"

    "It was worse, Tae. I hardly recognize you anymore."

Jeongguk's words hurt, even though they weren't meant to cause any harm. In all fairness, he hardly recognizes himself.

"I didn't mean to make you upset," Jeongguk says, calling attention to the tears forming in Taehyung's eyes. "I-I'm just scared."

"Of me?"

"No, of course not."

"What are you scared of?"

"Of the prospect of never getting back to where we were...I guess?"

Taehyung sighs. "I don't think you want me. You want who I used to be."

Jeongguk shakes his head in denial. "No, it's not like that."

    "What am I supposed do?"

    "Whatever you want. You can do whatever you want."

Taehyung laughs, humorously and detached. "Because it's that easy."

Jeongguk shrugged. "What do you want to do?"

"I want to pretend this whole thing never happened."

"Cool."

He watches Jeongguk turn to the sink and rinse their dishes. He dries his hands on a towel before facing him.

"Wanna watch a movie or something?" He asks, leaving the kitchen. "Do you know that I still haven't seen Gangnam Zombie?"

Taehyung follows him back into the living as he plops down on the couch and grabs the remote.

"Unless you have another suggestion," He says, looking up with a smile.

"Gangnam Zombie is pretty rinse and repeat," Taehyung says. "Not worth it."

"Then come find something that's worth our time," Jeongguk says, holding the remote out. "Unless you rather stand there trying to analyze this situation all night."

Taehyung walks over and takes the remote before sitting down. "What if it all comes crashing down tomorrow?"

Jeongguk shrugs. "At least we'll have tonight."

~

Taehyung can't sleep. It's too dark in Jeongguk's room and too quiet. The door is kept slightly ajar, allowing the light from the hallway to flow in but it hardly illuminates anything.

He's given up on sleep when he hears Jeongguk creeping down the hallway. He sees him stop at the door for a moment before turning to walk away.

"Jeongguk?" Taehyung calls, stopping him.

"Sorry," Jeongguk says when he turns back to the door. "I was just checking in."

"It's fine," Taehyung says, matching his hushed tone. "I can't sleep."

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know..."

Jeongguk contemplates for a moment. "I~ Do you want me to stay? U-Until you fall asleep?"

Taehyung nods, although it probably goes unnoticed in the dark room. "If it's okay."

"It's okay," He says, entering the room and taking a seat at the end of the bed. "Are you cold?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

Silence settles over them and all is still for a moment.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

☀️☀️☀️