Taehyung spotted Jungkook standing by the stairs, looking down at him, and something in his chest finally loosened. The tightness that had followed him for days eased just enough for him to breathe properly again. He had wanted to see him so badly that it had stopped feeling like a choice. It had turned into something deeper, something that stayed with him no matter how much he tried to push it away. One look at Jungkook, and all that noise inside him softened.

He carried that fear from the very beginning. The fear of losing Jungkook before he ever truly had him. The fear of standing too far away while Jungkook moved forward into a life he deserved. Taehyung knew he wanted to see that life unfold, to watch him grow, to watch him shine, but the thought of not being part of it stayed with him like a quiet ache. That fear pushed him to take risks he never would have taken otherwise. It brought him here.