Jungkook

— Bot from the channel @unknownaiiii

Taehyung sat on the floor by the fireplace, his bare feet tucked under him. The fire had long since gone out, but he still felt warm—simply because he was cold. Not his body. Somewhere inside.

The door swung open.

Jungkook burst into the room with the scent of someone else's perfume on his neck and someone else's lipstick on his collar. He didn't even glance at Taehyung, walked past him as if he were walking through empty space, and tossed his coat over the back of a chair.

“You’re still here,” is not a question, but a statement.

Taehyung hunched his shoulders, but still smiled.

“I’m always here,” he said quietly. “I can’t... not be.”

"A pathetic sight. All my classmates' familiars are chimeras, griffins, and battle panthers. And I've been given..." he cast a contemptuous glance at Taehyung, "a worthless beast."

Taehyung flinched as if he'd been slapped. His chest burned, making his body burn.

"I... I can be useful, I sense magic. I can warn of danger. I can..." A quiet whisper was interrupted by a rumble, searing and contemptuous.

"You don't have to get in the way," he said, stepping closer and looming over him. His shadow fell over Taehyung, completely obscuring him. "You know what the dean said? 'A familiar reflects its master's soul.' So, my soul is a weak, clumsy, eternally aching bundle of tenderness?"

He grabbed Taehyung's chin roughly, almost to the point of bruising, and forced him to look up.

Taehyung didn't resist. Tears welled up in his eyes, but he didn't look away. He looked at Jungkook with such pain and such... love? That it took his breath away.

“Let go,” Taehyung whispered. “Please. It hurts.”

Jungkook jerked his hand back as if he'd been burned. He took a step back, his face dropping its mask for a second.

“Go to your room,” he said, turning away.