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Taehyung paced backwards and forwards in front of the blinking blue light, gripping the gun firmly in two hands. He could already feel the sweat beginning to pool at his back, his shirt sticking to him like a second skin and the pack dug somewhat uncomfortably into his ribcage.
He felt jittery, anxious, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he glanced around the base, completely alone in the dark with just a few painted wooden barriers for company. Namjoon had darted off minutes ago, leaving Taehyung as the sole member of the team’s defence, shooting a quick reassurance over his shoulder that he’d be back soon, but that had been minutes ago.
Fuck him, Taehyung thought, leaving him in his vulnerable state. He glowered, tightening his grip on the gun. Sure, maybe he’d spent the last fifteen minutes of the game nervous-ranting about how he’d accidentally confessed to Jungkook while drunk-texting the night before, and maybe his detailed disappear-into-the-woods-and-become-a-recluse-or-alternatively-jump-off-of-a-bridge plans were getting a little too extensive and over-the-top to be considered healthy, but Namjoon didn’t have to leave him!
A small shout sounded in the distance, quickly followed by a distinctive laugh. Jin must’ve shot Namjoon. Taehyung huffed. He hoped so; it would serve Namjoon right.
Taehyung usually loved laser tag, usually running around (and constantly getting pulled up for the bullshit no-running rule) and shooting people all while laughing like a maniac. However, right now, one could say he’d been experimenting with his usual gameplay. Giving up his position as the low-key terrifying offensive player, he’d been slinking around in the shadows of the blue base for the entirety of the last two rounds.
He wasn’t hiding or anything, just giving defence a go. There was absolutely no way was he using the darkness of the arena as a much more effective method of avoidance than ‘uh, I’ll be right back, I think I left my blanket in the shower…’, no, not at all.
Taehyung cringed. He knew he’d have to suck it up at some point and accept his fate but, for now, he was much happier wallowing in self-pity and regrets for ever taking Jimin’s offer of soju the night before.
A brief flicker of red in the corner of his eye startled him out of his thoughts. Instinctively, he ducked behind one of the walls, heart racing. It had happened a couple of times now, a red member coming towards the base, but every time Taehyung had hidden as fast as possible, not wanting to run the risk of it being Jungkook. So far, he’d been lucky, going unnoticed while they took out the base-light or leaving it up to his teammates to take care of them.
This time he was alone. He crouched quietly, holding his breath and listening for any signs of the intruder. He could hear faint pew pew-ing and the occasional shout in the distance, but nothing close by. The intruder must be gone. Tentatively, he peeked around the barrier.
Nothing. The passages were dark and empty, illuminated only by the glowing blue lights and painted symbols on the walls. Taehyung loosed a breath, rising to his full height.
The sudden weight of hands on his shoulders sent him careening into the wall with a loud yelp. Heart thudding in his chest and pumping him full of adrenaline, he whirled around breathlessly. He was met face-to-face with a smug Jeon Jungkook.
“Jungkook, what the fuck!” Taehyung was still trembling. Eyes closed, he slumped against the wall. “You scared the shit out of me! Fuck.”
“Sorry, Hyung.” Jungkook’s voice was low, almost a murmur. “Didn’t mean to scare you that badly.”
Taehyung tilted his head to glare at him, and abruptly, he was hyper aware of their proximity. Before, the shock of the scare had been enough for him to remain ignorant to Jungkook’s closeness, but with the last of its tendrils slipping away, Taehyung’s mind was zeroing in on where Jungkook’s hands still remained on his shoulders, on how he crowded him up against the wall.
Jungkook was watching him intently, big brown eyes boring into him and god was he beautiful. Even in the dark, Jungkook never failed to knock the air out of him. Face softly illuminated by the red glow from his pack and lips slightly parted, Jungkook could’ve told Taehyung to do anything and Taehyung knew without a doubt that he would’ve done it. God, he was fucked.
Taehyung cleared his throat, feeling his chest tighten and palms sweat. “Uh, Jungkook-”
“You’ve been avoiding me.” His voice was still low, and though a small, playful smile played on his lips, Taehyung could see something else wavering in his eyes.
“No, I haven’t-” Taehyung began to protest weakly, but Jungkook cut him off again.
“Yes, you have.” There was definitely something more in his voice now; hesitation, uncertainty and maybe even something slightly desperate. “Is it because of what you said last night?”
Taehyung looked down, refusing to meet his eyes. He pursed his lips, remaining silent.
“So it is.” Jungkook’s grip slackened. “Did you mean it?”
Taehyung tensed, thinking back to the drunken mess of a text he’d sent the night before, spilling his feelings in a barely coherent stream. Revealing the secret that he’d sworn he’d take to the grave with him. Well, he thought bitterly, he’d broken his own oath to himself and now he had to face the consequences.
Tears pricked behind his eyelids and he could feel the regret and pain already swirling in his stomach as he braced himself for rejection, but still, the faintest flutter of hope lingered deep within him. The damn thing that had gotten him into this mess in the first place, he thought darkly. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
“Yes.” He felt the grip on his shoulders tighten and he bit his lip, bracing himself. Jungkook knew now, it was all out in the open. All he could do was hope that they could move past this, that this wouldn’t ruin anything between them.
A hand softly cupping his jaw, guiding it upwards made him blink open his eyes, raising his gaze to meet Jungkook’s. What he saw there made his breath catch in his throat, emotions he couldn’t quite decipher written on the others’ face.
And then Jungkook was leaning in. He moved slowly and Taehyung’s heart pounded, echoing throughout his entire being. His mind was racing, could it be possible that… that small glow of hope flared. Jungkook paused for a moment, breath ghosting over Taehyung’s mouth.
“This okay?” His voice was whispered, loaded with a tenderness that made Taehyung’s legs weak. He gave the smallest of nods, trembling slightly.
Jungkook closed gap, finally bringing their lips together. Taehyung felt as if the air had been knocked out of him, like Jungkook had stolen every breath of wind from his lungs and taken it for himself. The lips against his were soft, light, barely even a pressure, yet it was enough to send heat coursing through his body, trails of fire burning him from every place where they touched.
A low whimper escaped him and suddenly Jungkook was pushing forward more firmly, pressing Taehyung back against the wall and lifting his other hand from his shoulder to his neck, thumb stroking the underside of his jawline. Taehyung gasped and then those lips were moving against his and it was all he could do to bring his hands up to Jungkook’s chest and hang on, fingers clinging to the edges of the hard pack strapped to him. He was drunk, mind blank, lost in the feeling of Jungkook.
He kissed him, slow and deep, and when he felt the tip of a tongue tracing the seam of his lips, Jungkook was the only thing keeping him on his feet. His lips parted and when Jungkook’s tongue met his, the world exploded.
Taehyung pushed back, holding tighter to Jungkook as if he would disappear if he were to let go, and when a hand slipped up to tangle in his hair, Taehyung lost himself with a low groan. He kissed him harder, drinking him in with the desperation of a parched man at the oasis in a desert. He was addicted, the nectar on his lips coursing into his veins and the scent of him intoxicating, something so familiar yet so new yet so vital for his survival. Taehyung didn’t know how he survived before this. How he was going to survive after this. All this time he had thought it was too much to be close to him, but now it was clear that Jungkook was his oxygen, not his poison, and to be separated from him would be to suffocate.
They only broke away when it became clear that the burning in their lungs was overpowering that of their touches, and they pressed their foreheads together, heaving for breath. Taehyung could briefly hear the muffled sound of a time warning from somewhere, but it was all too easily drowned out by the sight of Jungkook in front of him, hair messy, lips swollen and a glow about him that was all too enchanting.
“I like you too.” Jungkook’s voice was magic and Taehyung laughed, more breath than sound, and tightened his grip. A smile ghosted its way back onto Jungkook’s lips, but he leant forward and placed a soft kiss on Taehyung’s forehead before stepping back and out of his embrace. “I’ll see you out there.”
Taehyung vaguely registered the crackling, explosion noise coming from his pack as he watched Jungkook, slowly coming out of his daze. Wait.
“Did you just shoot me?” Jungkook just grinned, the usual mischievousness creeping back into his face as he turned his back and walked away, Taehyung staring open-mouthed after him.
Taehyung stood silently, looking at the nametag across the retreating boy’s back.
Tony Stark
He glanced down at his own pack, red blinking furiously against the blue.
Captain America
And really, that’s how it would be.