five microscopic stitches sat on the inside of tae's palm. he had wept like a baby the entire time, using his free hand to squeeze jin's palm with all his might in a bid to rid of some of his own pain- it didn't work.

the contorted expression on jin did leave him giggling though.

the two had followed the morning emergency room visit to where joon and jungkook were. a glorified set with shiny lights and security- it took three phone calls and thirty minutes before somebody finally let them in.

"do you see the snack table?" the older of the two tried to whisper, delighted by the sculpted platters of fruit and pastries, "mango."

"you can have some you know!" a muscular forearm draped over jin's shoulder, a familiar head of purple hair knowing exactly what his boyfriend wanted- food.

"well i did have to spend all morning making sure that tae didn't pass out from a few measly stitches! come with me so security doesn't think i'm a straggler?"

"with that face?" namjoon tapped the boys chin, admiring how handsome he always looked, "they'd probably mistake you for the star!"

taehyung scrunched his expression in disgust at the display of affection unfolding in front of him.

"jungkook is in the third room on the left reading over questions- feel free to interrupt him. i'm sure he'd appreciate it!"

the youngest of the three nervously wove his way through the chaos, eager and excited, heart settled despite the outburst from earlier.

"koo?"

"tae!" his eyes, reminiscent of a fairytale doe, lit up as they always did and the brunette wondered if they shined the same for everyone-

because it felt special, a glance just for him, he wrapped jungkook in a hug that could never last long enough.

"how is your hand?" the younger ran a finger over the stitches counting each one carefully, "you might have a scar babe. does it hurt?"

tae shook his head, "they gave me a shot that relieves any discomfort- at least for a little bit."

"you're a trooper!"

they slid arms around one another, basking in the moment, driven by the furious beating of jungkook's heart as he tried to hold onto the only ground he knew at this point.

"hey, are you okay?" tae noted the way his breathing was a tad uneven, the way he fidgeted in his grasp, and he swore he had never seen jungkook nervous. not in a manner like this.

panic laced his brows, his jaw clenched in a bid to maintain his cool demeanor, "just worried." his voice was barely audible, a whisper under the overhead fan and the chaos outside.

"about?"

he held up the stapled packet, a mass list of potential questions with circles next to specific ones and crooked highlighted lines over others. it felt like some weird code that tae would never know but he nodded in understanding despite, "you shouldn't answer anything you don't want too."

"easier said than done." his pupils darted about, anywhere but at tae, "the song, the music, the moments that have been captured over the past few months are fair game. rightfully so. they're all part of the story, i guess."

"i don't think you need to share every chapter- you can omit parts that don't fit the narrative. people do it all the time!" the boy pulled jungkook over to the couch, nuzzling his head to the crook of his neck, a faint scent of the hospital detergent lingering in his hair, "what do you want to be known for going forward?"

"haven't thought of that!" his head fell to the back of the couch, "maybe i should have held off. should have stuck with the no press, organic growth mindset i had."

"but that isn't you kook. you didn't just become a new person overnight, at the base of it all you'll always love the spotlight. you were born for it!" taehyung smiled sweetly, "one of the many things i love about you!"

"that i'm a borderline narcissist?" jungkook rolled his eyes playfully, his internal organs still jumping around at the idea of being back on camera.

"that is not what i said!" tae chuckled, "i just mean that you have an aura of confidence that most people don't and that's special! you're different! don't you want jiwoo to see you out there, talking about overcoming hard times, about persevering? you can be an incredible example for so many."

"you think highly of me." jungkook's lip met his boyfriends forehead, a sweet peck followed by the most genuine smile he'd had all day.

"you're my boyfriend, why wouldn't i?"

the cheekiest smile appeared on the lips of the younger, a hum as he admired every detail of taehyung's face, "i don't think i'll ever get tired of hearing you utter the words boyfriend as long as it pertains to me."

"you haven't been with me long enough then; i can get very tiring." tae's hands nudged jungkook's shoulder, pushing him to his back, the cushioned couch underneath them sinking under their weight.

"you're underestimating my stamina, sir." taehyung was a hair taller but jungkook was a mass amount stronger, his force being utilized to flip the older into the opposite position, regaining any ounce of dominance that had attempted to have been taken from him.

"really guys? right now?" namjoon whipped the door open in playful annoyance, "you're on in five and i don't think either of you are that quick."

taehyung blushed in embarrassment, the torment he'd face from jin later already clouding over the butterflies in his stomach, "you better go!"

he tried to push jungkook off, the younger groaning as he fixed his tie, "hey tae?"

"hmm?"

"if they ask about you, can i talk about you?"

"what are you going to say?" the brunette followed him out, two boys waltzing through the bustle of bodies to get to where jungkook needed to be.

"whatever comes to mind, i suppose."

taehyung paused for a moment before realizing that he had no hesitations- he trusted jungkook one hundred percent, "of course you can, nothing too sappy though!"

the younger squeezed his hand, "me? sappy!" he playfully winked before walking out on his queue, displaying a totally professional side of himself, one that tae had never seen in such close range.

"today we have jeon jungkook who just released a surprise single in the middle of the night!" a woman's voice echoed through the entire building, her straight black hair beautifully styled, "you may know him as the resident bad boy, may know him as the husband- now ex- of designer kim jennie, or you may know him as what he has always wanted to be known for, a singer, songwriter, and an artist."

taehyung wasn't surprised by the cheers the erupted, the flashing pictures that took over of jungkook with jennie, or various tabloids through his career- they were all things he had seen before, things he had now been able to be a part of. he knew these people, this world- he had lived through the stories and he had come face to face with each trying aspect.

yet, here he still stood. aggressively proud.

"so, i want to talk about the music, the album that is hopefully piggy-backing off of this single, but first- i have to ask the question on everyone's mind- how are you doing?" the woman crossed her legs one over the other, leaning in to try to make the question more comfortable despite the fact she was fishing for something unreleased.

jungkook took the bite, not because he was naive but because he wanted too, "i assume you aren't asking about this moment in particular but instead, how i've been doing." his hands didn't shake as he grabbed the water in front of him, his voice didn't falter.

any nerves he had felt in the dressing room had now dissipated entirely, "everyday is a process. i am only human and not really a good one to be honest. i've kind of failed at the whole do good, be good thing, right?" he gestured to the audience who didn't want to agree nor disagree with the statement.

"legally i can only say that divorce is hard, love is hard, life is hard. we don't get it right on the first try. hell, sometimes it takes a lot of tries! but right now, i'm good. rehab was good, my family is good, i am undeniably, in this moment of time, good."

taehyung couldn't help but smile at that, his hands balled into fists under his chin as he tried to contain his excitement.

"what was the inspiration behind this single?" she jumped right in with the next question, eyes flickering over him as she tried to decipher what his next move would be.

"it's two-fold. the single started because my label needed a product from me, contractually, i was obligated to do something!" he smirked at the memories of namjoon yelling at him to just write something, "but then i met this beautiful boy, who has an unexplainable passion for music that i wasn't sure i'd ever feel again and he took the reigns on it. that's why, for you music nerds who read all the details, you can see he's credited under every single aspect."

"is he a producer or how did you two connect?" the interviewer raised a curious brow, the ramblings of anyone new being added to jungkook's team omitted from any info she had been given.

"he actually was technically my house keeper which seems like a silly term. he was and continues to be so much more than that!" the boy couldn't help but beam with delight at the thought of it all, "he's here actually, right now!"

taehyung paused.

within a moment, makeup was being pressed onto the boy's face. the entire team panicking that jungkook was about to bring him out on stage and force his face in front of the cameras.

tae batted them away, trying to keep his eyes fixated on the scene in front of him.

"is he going to perform with you?" the woman perked up, hoping that whatever and whoever this person was would be revealed on her show- nothing was better for ratings than new romance.

jungkook glanced sideways, looking for any type of reaction on how he should answer that but in an ode to his professionalism he smirked, "you'll have to stay tuned to find out!"

the interviewer seemed pleased with that, clapping her hands together and dropping the cards to her side, "with that being said, we'll be right back to hear jungkook sing his latest single live for the first time so don't go anywhere!"

the younger quickly walked to the side of the stage, bombarded by the crew that was made to make him look camera-ready but his eyes were fixated on tae, "what do you say?"

"about?"

"about playing! are you up for it?" jungkook leaned forward.

"i don't have my viola and really it doesn't look that cool when you play it and i don't really know if my hand should be moving around like that and-,"

namjoon crept up from the side, the familiar case that had been shoved to a corner of jin's flat facing him, "we brought it just in case!"

"damn it jin." tae cursed under his breath.

"the backtrack will pick up what you're unable to play with your injury. and you look cool babe, the coolest viola player i have ever seen- and i mean it." jungkook had an odd aura about him, one so glazed in comfort, it was like his essence was hypnotic.

"how many viola players have you seen?" taehyung unhinged the case, pulling the piece out and tuning it.

"hey! jennie drug me to many orchestras in our time together and i can attest none of those players did what you do."

"sounds like a line if i've ever heard one." taehyung didn't even have time to feel nervous- he had barely played through the chords a handful of times yet he knew them by heart. he could play the entire piece in his sleep.

"is this a yes?" jungkook could hear the countdown, the demand for him to be in his spot and he held his hand out for tae to take.

the brunette huffed but he took his boyfriend's hand. grateful and fixated only on one person despite the crowd. the only person that mattered for the moment was next to him.