“Welcome home, Tae,” Yoongi greets him softly with a kiss on the temple.

Taehyung hums in acknowledgement, giving Yoongi a tight-lipped smile. The latter pulls away, dragging Taehyung inside the kitchen and making him sit on one of the stools near the counter.

“I made hot chocolate since you mentioned that you wanted to talk,” Yoongi says, just in time for the kettle to be put out the stove. He takes two mugs from the cupboard and carefully pours the hot liquid inside.

Taehyung stays silent, eyes following every move Yoongi makes.

He stares at the older intently, eyes already glistening with unshed tears as he recalls what Storm had asked him before they could even part ways.

He was only brought back to reality when the base of the mug scrapes against the marbled texture of the countertop.

He accepts it of course, murmuring a soft ‘Thank you’ before giving it a tiny sip. He was careful enough not to burn his tongue and decided to let the hot chocolate cool down for a while before finishing it all.

He goes back to staying still, not really looking up to meet Yoongi’s gaze. He starts fiddling with the handle of the mug, hissing from time to time when his fingers come in contact with the hot surface. He then hears a sigh from Yoongi.

“Did Storm tire you out, baby?” Yoongi asks, fingers reaching out to caress Taehyung’s own ones.

He almost flinched at the sudden skinshipㅡ good thing he didn’tㅡ so in order for Yoongi not to get offended or worried, he tries to melt and relax under his touch. He clears his throat before answering.

“Not really, hyung. I had fun with him,” he answers and he can see Yoongi’s lips twitching to form a smile.

“How about we take this to the living room, yeah? Tell me all about your day with Storm,” Yoongi suggests and Taehyung nods his head tiredly.

Taehyung really loves it when he’s being coddled on the couch. He loves it when Yoongi would thread his fingers through his hair because it never fails to calm him down, never fails to shake the anxiety off of him.

He loves it when Yoongi kisses him on the forehead in between conversations, loves it when he tickles his chin whenever he cracks up a joke that is not even funny but Yoongi still laughs at it and the sound is enough for Taehyung to stare at him like he’s the only man worth staring at.

He wantsㅡ needsㅡ to feel Yoongi’s touch, even if it’s for the very last time.

They were to immersed in talking that the two mugs on top of the coffee table are now forgottenㅡ left cold and untouched.

This is the actual thing about Yoongi and Taehyung’s relationship. They always don’t seem to mind their surroundings the moment they get too caught up with each other’s presence.

It’s always just themㅡ just Taehyung and Yoongi, Yoongi and Taehyung. And the latter knows that he will miss this, for sure.

They pause talking for a while, their cheeks aching from laughing too much the moment Taehyung told Yoongi how foolish he looked when he and Storm were riding the carousel and he was the only adult who seemed to have enjoyed the ride.

“You’re a big baby, Tae. My big baby,” Yoongi manages to say amidst chuckles.

Taehyung was the first one to recover and compose himself, deciding that it’s time. So, he gets up from resting his head on Yoongi’s lap, and sits up, his body facing Yoongi who’s now looking at him curiously when Taehyung’s facial expression changed into a more serious one.

“Hyung, Storm asked me something before we went home,” Taehyung starts, and Yoongi urges him to continue. Taehyung forces himself to swallow the lump in his throat.

“He... he asked me why I didn’t come to save them when Jeongguk sent me a message back then. A message for help...” He observes Yoongi’s reaction and it doesn’t go unnoticed when the latter goes quiet and still.

“I didn’t know what to tell him. I didn’t know what to say because I, for one, was not aware of it. Yoongi-ah... I’m gonna ask you something and I want you to answer me honestly.”

Taehyung’s voice starts to waver but he ignores it. What he doesn’t ignore is the way Yoongi starts picking on the skin of his thumb. He instantly catches the older’s fingers to stop him from damaging the skin further, intertwining their hands loosely instead.

“Was there really a message from Jeongguk months before the accident, Yoongi?”

Taehyung stares at the older, teeth digging on his bottom lip so hard he could taste his own blood. Taehyung is hopeful, though.

He hopes for Yoongi to say ‘no’, hopes for Yoongi to tell him that he has no idea about what he’s saying.

With a shaky breath, Yoongi answers.

“Yes... Yes, there was, Tae.”

Taehyung still hoped Yoongi was lying.