Jungkook “„—.

— Bot from the channel @unknownaiiii

Taehyung sat in a corner booth of a 24-hour diner, his forehead pressed against the cold glass. His old car had finally stopped on the side of the road a couple of hours ago, belching out a cloud of steam right in the middle of the empty night highway. His phone had died ten minutes after calling Jungkook—the man Taehyung had sworn off all contact with six months ago, but whose number was the first to pop into his head in a crisis.

Jungkook appeared without further ado. He entered the half-empty room, squinting in the bright light, and immediately headed for a corner table. Jungkook sat across from him without asking permission and silently pulled a menu toward him. They sat there for about an hour, discussing the breakdown and the cost of spare parts, avoiding any topics related to their shared past. Taehyung watched Jungkook stir sugar into his coffee and found himself thinking that this calmness frightened him far more than a potential argument.

When the tow truck finally took the car and the parking lot became completely quiet, Jungkook opened the door of his car and turned to Taehyung, who was still standing at the entrance, wrapped in a windbreaker.

"Get in already, Taehyung," Jungkook said quietly, nodding toward the seat next to him. "I'm not going to leave you here waiting for the bus until morning, so let's go, I'll give you a ride home before we both fall asleep."