"The sweet surrender of silence forces me to live alone,

Locked and loaded, where the hell is peace of mind?

I wait on you inside the bottom of the deep blue sea.

I wait on you inside the bottom of the deep blue sea."

Taehyung entered the cafe, surprised to see a man other than Jungkook behind the counter. There was a man with a heart-shaped smile smiling at him instead of the bunny-toothed man that he had grown to enjoy.

"W-Where's Jungkook?" He asked the stranger when he walked up to the counter, before realizing his lack of manners. "Oh, sorry, that was rude. He's just always here at this time whenever I come." Taehyung forced a smile.

The man behind the counter laughed. Taehyung noticed the name tag: Hoseok. "Jungkook called in sick with the flu. Apparently it's not pretty. What can I get for you?"

Taehyung purchased his usual, except requesting a caramel macchiato instead of the surprise like he does with Kookie. Taehyung wanted to see his friend. It was the main reason why he stopped by the small coffee shop, despite it being kind of out of his way from work. When Hoseok handed the order to Taehyung, he decided to go along with his nosy tendencies and ask the man if he knew where Jungkook lived.

"I do not, but I do have his phone number."

Taehyung pondered, but decided that it would be creepy and stalkerish, so he left the coffee shop, feeling the dreaded feeling of regret. He entered his apartment and was then greeted almost immediately by his boyfriend.

"I missed you, Taehyungie." The midget said while back-hugging Taehyung. The younger laughed, but his heart was sore. He loved Jimin. He was Taehyung's first love; however, he didn't know if Jimin was the one for him anymore. He felt suffocated. Empty.

"Hi, Jiminie. I brought some of the pumpkin spice cake again."

"You really like that coffee place, don't you?" Jimin took his slice of cake and shoved it into his mouth, rolling his eyes out of deliciousness.

"The people there are really sweet. Plus, their pumpkin spice cake is seriously to die for." Taehyung took a bite of his slice.

"Tomorrow I don't have to work so we should go together and try out something new!" Jimin exclaimed, his face full of cake. Taehyung nodded, but the butterflies in his stomach started fluttering like crazy.

••••
Jungkook had his fingers rubbing his temples as he sat behind the counter. He felt awful, but even just taking one day off from work could make it hard for the boy to not pay his rent for the month, so he couldn't afford taking another day off. Luckily for him, today was a slower day than normal.

The familiar chime above the door rang, and Jungkook had to hold back a groan. He was not in the mood for customers today. His new favorite customer smiled at him, but today he wasn't alone.

"Jungkook! You're back already?" Taehyung looked concerned.

He nodded, his head feeling heavy. "The usual?" His voice came out dry.

Taehyung's eyebrows creased together. "Actually, we're going to try something different today," the other guy spoke up, having a higher pitched voice than Taehyung.

"Oh." Jungkook cleared his throat, which felt dry all of a sudden. "Okay, what will it be then?" He stood up from the stool, trying to keep his legs from collapsing under him.

The two customers took a second to look at the options while Jungkook stood there. He just wanted to go home and lay in bed. His head was pounding, his stomach hurt like crazy. His throat was a little sore too, and he felt himself start coughing. He covered his mouth and turned away from the counter, hunching over slightly. After a moment, Jungkook turned back around, trying to cover the blood that stained the sleeve of his shirt.

"Are you okay, Jungkook? Are you sure you're feeling well?" Taehyung tried to put the back of his hand on the younger's forehead, but Jungkook moved his head away.

"A-Are you ready to order?" Jungkook's voice hitched.

"I will have the white chocolate mocha with soy milk, no whip, and a chocolate chip cookie." The stranger smiled.

"I will have a caramel macchiato and a slice of the chocolate cake, I guess." Taehyung's lips formed a thin line. He took out his card and paid, before motioning for the shorter to sit down at the table.

While Jungkook worked on their drinks, Taehyung walked over and whispered to him. "Are you sure you're okay?" Jungkook nodded, avoiding eye contact. "You don't look good."

"Gee, thanks." Jungkook mumbled.

"T-That's not what I meant!" Taehyung ran his long fingers through his hair nervously. Jungkook turned around with a cup in his hand.

"This is for your boyfriend. White chocolate mocha, soy milk and no whip." He grabbed another cup and two plates of the food. "Here's the rest." Jungkook took off his apron and walked to the far end of the shop, sitting down at a table with his head on the cool steel. His head was burning up, whether it was from being sick or Taehyung's presence, he didn't know.

Jungkook silently watched the couple, noticing how the stranger would always smile and laugh, but Taehyung sat, virtually emotionless. He couldn't help but wonder what was going through his mind. He stood up, a little weakly, from the table and walked back behind the counter when the bell rang and Hoseok walked in for his shift.

"Jungkook! How are you feeling?" Hoseok's smile lit up the somber shop.

Jungkook forced a smile. "I'm hanging in there. I'm going to clock out and go back home and sleep. I have to be back up here at 5 am." Jungkook yawned before saying goodbye to Hoseok, leaving without saying another word to Taehyung.

•••
Kind of angsty? I'm not great at angst, honestly.

{edited}