Li knew Luo was struggling with what to include in his final exhibition, the two had spent many sleepless nights going over different ideas to no avail so this revelation certainly came as a surprise to her.

Is this why he insisted on helping the couple tonight?

"Oh, you've finally come up with an idea?"

"Indeed." Luo smirked, refusing to give anything away just yet but one thing for was for sure....it was going to be his best work yet so long as Taehyung kept his promise.

"Taehyung this place is so beautiful." Y/N couldn't stop smiling, it was a foreign concept for her as she hadn't really had much to smile about lately but now her jaw ached from the constant need to do so.

It was refreshing.

It was something she could get used to.

The walk over to the restaurant was perfect, the two of them hand in hand as they discussed the exhibition and how it was a moment neither one of them would be forgetting.

Taehyung seemed nervous when they arrived, it was obvious that he wanted to impress her but he really didn't need to worry because she was already blown away by the evening so far.

"Stop panicking." Y/N chuckled, gently squeezing his hand as the hostess approached them the minute they stepped through the door.

Taehyung was always so confident that to see him like this was different, not exactly bad because nobody is perfect and we all have moments of self doubt but she didn't like it....she didn't want him feeling that way and so she was determined to make sure he relaxed and enjoyed himself.

The hostess led them to a small table at the rear of the restaurant, it wasn't as crowded as the front which was nice because it would make for a more intimate dinner between the two of them.

Taehyung was the perfect gentleman, pulling out her chair and insisting the hostess gave Y/N her menu first.

"It just opened up, heard about it from a friend of mine. I'm glad you like it, reminded me of you when I checked the pictures online."

Y/N opened the menu, mouth watering when she looked over the numerous selections of sushi on offer.

"I reminded you of a sushi restaurant?" Y/N teased, blushing when Taehyung smirked.

"Look up." He instructed, eyes falling across her neck as she did as he asked.

A gasp escaped her lips as she looked at the hundreds of flowers adorning the ceiling, how had she not seen those the minute they walked in.

"It's so beautiful Taehyung."

Taehyung hummed in agreement yet his eyes weren't on the flowers but on the vision sitting opposite him.

The way her crimson lips formed the brightest of smiles as she pointed out the paper lanterns hanging over the bar, her eyes filling with so much wonder that it made his heart swell.

If she was happy then so was he.

He desperately wanted to kiss those enchanting lips, to see if they still tasted as sweet as earlier but now wasn't the time.

He made her a promise. 

Taehyung opened his mouth to start talking but a young woman approached their table before he could say anything.

"Sorry to interrupt but I'll be your server for the evening, would you like to order a drink before we take the food order?"

Taehyung smiled politely and ordered himself a bourbon before asking what Y/N would she like to drink.

"Just a house red please, small glass."

"Of course, I'll be back shortly."

Taehyung waited until it was just the two of them before speaking.

"I promised you that we would talk about my brother tonight."

Y/N lowered her menu, she really didn't want him to speak about this if he wasn't ready and especially if it was going to make him sad.

"Taehyung." She reached for his hand across the table, gently squeezing as his beautiful brown eyes met her own.

"He was older, only by four years." Taehyung paused, it had been so long since he had spoken about his brother that he needed a moment to compose himself and keep his emotions in check.

The way Y/N squeezed his hand, the way her thumb ran across his knuckles gave him the courage to continue.

She made him feel safe, like he could conquer the world and come out as the victor.

"He wasn't just my brother, he was my closest friend. I was always causing trouble, hanging out with the wrong crowd and forever had my head in the clouds but he never once doubted me or my dreams of wanting to be an artist. I love my parents, they mean well but they never understood my obsession with wanting to run my own tattoo studio. My dad wanted me to be a famous musician hence the saxophone lessons and my mum wanted me to have a professional career....become a doctor or lawyer. My brother was the only one who supported me, he would always say that it was important for me to be happy and follow my own dreams." Taehyung smiled at the memories, the countless times his brother had his back.

"He was a character, so confident in who he was and what he wanted but there were times when he allowed his self doubt to show and it was only ever with me. We had a treehouse out in the backyard that our dad helped us build when we were kids, even when we got older we made sure to meet there whenever we could to spend time together and talk about what was going on in our lives. It was our special place, nobody there to judge our insecurities or mistakes. It was a place where we could talk freely about the people we were and things we had done or wanted to do, so many memories of that treehouse.....some good and some bad." Taehyung swallowed the lump in his throat, refusing to allow his emotions to get the better of him.

He could do this without getting upset.

"He was at university studying performing arts, it was his dream to become a famous actor and he certainly had the looks and talent for it but then everything changed. I was visiting home for the weekend, my parents and brother seemed unusually distant from the moment I arrived and I knew then that something was wrong. I found out my brother had leukaemia over dinner that night, it didn't feel real you know." Taehyung paused, that all to familiar lump in his throat again.

Y/N felt her eyes fill with tears, she hadn't even dared breathe too loud because she didn't want to break Taehyung's concentration.

There were so many things she wanted to say but now wasn't the time, she knew Taehyung still had more to say so she simply squeezed his hand again to let him know she was there and listening.

"Acute myeloid leukemia, the kind that spreads fast if it's not caught quick enough. I remember thinking it was going to be okay, he would be fine because he's my big brother he's always been okay. I've never known anyone as tough as him, as strong. I kept saying over and over as we sat at the table staring at our untouched food that he would be okay, he would get the treatment he needed and be fine. I remember hearing my mother crying, my dad comforting her as my brother turned to face me with this look.....I knew what it meant but I didn't want to hear what he had to say so I ran to the only place that felt safe."

"You went to the treehouse?" Y/N questioned, tears rolling down her cheeks which she quickly wiped away before Taehyung could see.

Taehyung gave a nod, not daring to look at Y/N because he was afraid of what he would see.

Would she be crying? Would she think less of him if he did the same?

Instead he kept his eyes on their hands in the middle of the table, watching as her thumb continued to brush across his knuckles back and forth.

It kept him grounded.

Kept him from losing control of his emotions.

"Of course it wasn't long until my brother found me, the two of us just sitting in silence before he finally came out with it.......It's terminal TaeTae, they've given me  months to live."

Y/N couldn't stop the tears that spilled down her cheeks as Taehyung's voice broke, she could see just how difficult he was finding it to stay composed.

"I cried in his arms that night, it's crazy....selfish when you think about it. I wasn't the one dying but he was the one comforting me as I sobbed uncontrollably for what felt like hours, it was the worst feeling in the world. I felt so helpless, I knew I couldn't do anything to save him and I hated myself for it. If I thought hearing the news about his illness was bad, what was to come over the following months was far worse. I had to watch my brother die, had to listen to him cry when the pain became too much for even the strongest of people to withstand. I never left his side, kept telling him how brave he was and how much I loved him....how I admired him. I think the hardest part was holding him when he was at his weakest, running my fingers across where his hair used to be and promising him there was nothing to be afraid of when the time came....he was so strong but even the strongest of people have moments of weakness and he admitted to me in those moments that he was afraid to die because it meant he wouldn't get to do the things he loved anymore or spend time with the people who meant the most to him." Taehyung could feel the burn in his throat, vision blurring but he told himself to stay strong. It was only when he felt a gentle kiss on the back of his hand that those tears he had been fighting so hard to hold back spilled down his cheeks.

"He wanted his last moments to be in our treehouse but he was too weak to climb so I carried him, it was late and our parents were sleeping but my brother didn't want to wake them. He didn't want them to see him die, that evening we watched his favourite movie as a family....all of us laying with him in his bed as close to each other as we possibly could be....savouring every moment and touch. I think that was his goodbye to our parents, he wanted that to be their final moment with him."

Y/N had no idea Taehyung was hiding all this pain, it broke her heart to know he had suffered through this and it was clear he still wasn't over the death of his brother.

"But you were there with him when he passed?" She asked, already knowing the answer but waiting for Taehyung to confirm it.

"He asked me to sing to him, he always said that he loved my voice and so I did.....I sang his favourite song and held him in my arms as he took his final breath. I still haven't....I still can't....it still hurts." Taehyung says between sobs which cause more tears to flow from Y/N's eyes.

"Hey...." Y/N got to her feet and was sliding across his lap before she even questioned if it was a good idea or not. Her hands cupped his face, thumbs wiping away the tears.

"What was his name? Tell me his name and something he did to make you laugh."

Taehyung furrowed his brow but then smiled, knowing what she attempting to do.

"He had the most ridiculous laugh, it didn't matter how mad I was with him....all he had to do was laugh and I couldn't help but do the same. It was like.....someone washing windows, who even sounds like that when they laugh." Taehyung huffed out a laugh of his own, his sobs finally stopping as he placed his hands over Y/N's.

"What was his name?" She asked again after pressing a kiss to his forehead.

"Jin, his name was Jin."

((I....well I'm emotional after that. I promise the next two chapters will be easier to read guys, some fluff....lots of other things too so I hope you enjoy. 💜💜 how are you feeling after reading this? I'm here to answer any questions, love you guys.))