Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

It’s a beautiful day in Seoul, the sky mostly clear except for a few fluffy clouds floating in the high altitude, the sun shining brightly through the window, warming and unforgiving. The city is bursting with life, the weather too nice for anyone to be inside. So really, it’s a shame that Jungkook is stuck in his office, way too much paperwork scattered around on his desk and making his temples pulsate in what can only be the beginning of a headache. The man sighs in slight irritation, the floor to ceiling windows allowing way too much brightness into the room and making him squint. He’s pondering if he should get up and find the damn controller to close the blinds when there’s a loud knock on the door. When he’s mouthing a loud ‘come in’ the door is already being opened and he doesn’t have to look up to know who is coming in.

“God, you look like shit.” Jungkook groans in annoyance at the comment, glancing at the approaching figure. His nose picks up the smell of food and instantly his stomach emits a loud growling noise, making the tall man scrunch up his nose in distaste. “Have you even eaten lunch? It’s four in the afternoon.”

“I was in a meeting until a few minutes ago, I just came back.” He grumbles, but accepts the container of food gratefully. Jungkook hadn’t realized how hungry he really was, stomach aching as he opens the cardboard box and the smell of noodles hits him with force. “Let me guess, my brother sent you.”

Jin scoffs as he takes a sit in one of the comfortable leather chairs, his long legs folding gracefully one on top of the other. “He’s worried about you, says you can’t take care of yourself properly. Apparently, he’s right.”

Jungkook rolls his eyes behind a mouthful of noodles, his mouth swallowing up the food rapidly. Fuck he was hungry. “Yoongi is full of shit. At least my body is mostly made of water, not coffee.”

Jin scrunches up his nose in distaste, hand reaching out to touch the wilting flowers displayed on the corner of his desk. He isn’t really a fan of plants, the strong smell of the flowers even bothering him a little bit, but Namjoon always insists that he needs a living thing besides himself inside the office and made it is job to replace the wilting flowers with fresh colorful ones every other day. At first Jungkook would throw the flowers away first thing in the morning, but he quickly gave up fighting it before Namjoon decided to do some crazy shit like bring a dog to his office. He knows damn well what he’s capable of.

“You two are hopeless. I don’t get payed enough to babysit you.”

“That’s not what you’re payed for.” Jungkook deadpans and Jin emits an overdramatic sigh. He stays silent after that, the only sound in the room being the slurp of noodles and the soft pat of Jin’s designer shoe tapping on the carpet. He speaks after a while. “How have you been doing?”

Jungkook sets aside the empty takeout box and uses the napkins Jin brought along to dab at his lips before answering. “I’m fine, fucking tired. Have a shit load of work to do and the Italians are giving me a hell of a hard time.”

Jin hums at his words with a frown of worry. “Wasn’t that deal already closed?”

“It was supposed to be, the documents just needed to be signed but then they had a sudden change of mind, I don’t fucking know. Father got pretty pissed, but I can’t really blame him. Took everything in me not to rip that bald motherfucker’s head off.”

Jin snorts in amusement at the words. “I bet my ass Choi Seojun has something to do with that sudden change of heart.”

“Yeah, I thought as much. It’s a hell of a great deal and that bastard is the type to go out of his way to mess with other people’s business.” His mouth curls up in distaste just thinking about the old man’s face. He can’t stand him for shit. “I heard he lost a deal with the Moran Bondaroff this month, so that’s probably what got his panties in a twist.”

Jin nods in understanding but doesn’t answer. Jungkook lays back on his chair, his back hurts like a bitch from sitting upright in the meeting room for so long. Those meetings are probably his least favorite thing of the job, way too many people in the same room trying to exude that air of power and dominance, always so weary of one another. Jungkook hates the façade he’s forced to maintain through the painful hours he has to sit at the table with all those greasy middle aged men who don’t take him as seriously as they should no matter how upright he carries himself or how good he is at managing his business and presenting solutions to their problems. It’s one of the things of having that much responsibility at such a young age, people never look at him with quite the same respect. And probably the fact that he’s the son of the CEO, too. He knows most people see him as simply another rich boy with everything handed to him on a silver plate and never having to actually conquer a single thing in his life. He’s way past the frustration of trying to explain how wrong they are.

Jin is looking straightly into his eyes with that expression his face always makes when he has something he wants to say but doesn’t quite know how to break it down. So Jungkook waits until he gets done with the silence and huffs out an impatient breath.

“My brother didn’t just send you to bring me food, so just get over with whatever you want to nag me about. I have things to do.”

Seokjin rolls his eyes at that and sits straighter in the leather chair before looking up at Jungkook with that smirk that only means his headache won’t be getting better any time soon. “Yoongi asked me to remind you about the dinner on Friday.”

Jungkook groans loudly, his headache coming back full force and making him rub his temples in an attempt to tone down the pain. Jin seems amused by his irritation.

“I don’t understand why father insists so much to have me there. I know shit about art and I hate those events.”

“Well, you’re still the one in charge of the finances and I don’t have to tell you how many potential business partners will be attending. There’s no way out of this one.” Jin chuckles in amusement at how Jungkook deflates on his office chair, tugging at his own hair in annoyance. “Just dress up and pretend to not hate their faces for a few hours, it’s not that bad.” Jungkook scoffs and the other shrugs in feigned nonchalance. “I heard the food’s going to be pretty good, and there’s an open bar. We can just drown our sorrows away by the end of the night if it gets too unbearable.”

Jungkook snorts at the man’s words, hand coming up to rub his own face. “Why is it that every time you come to my office is to either bring me bad news or remind me of why I hate my job?”

“Now that’s what I’m actually paid for.” He says it in that delighted tone that Jungkook absolutely hates. “And while I’m at it I might as well also inform you that your mom wants you to call her as soon as you’re not too busy.”

“You were with my mom?” It comes out more like a whine than a question but Jungkook can’t be bothered when Jin is looking at him so smugly like the whole thing is the best entertainment he’s had in weeks.

“I quite enjoy my conversations with your mom, she always carries the best gossip.” Of course that’s all Seokjin and his mom ever talk about. “She’s also going on Friday and wanted to ask me if you were taking anyone with you.” And his love life, of course.

“I’m confused as to why she would come to you to talk about my love life when she can just ask, I don’t know, me perhaps.” He’s snappy but can’t bring himself to care. His head is pounding and Seokjin is still sporting that infuriating smirk.

“She fiercely believes that you’ve been lying to her and she knows I can’t possibly pass the opportunity to gossip about your love life.”

“She just doesn’t want to accept that I’m single and I want to be single.” It’s annoying and makes him want to call his mom and scream at her to stop meddling with his dating life because it isn’t her business. He doesn’t, obviously, he has more love for his life than that.

“Well, I also heard through her that Minjun is coming, and he’s bringing his new girlfriend along.” Of course that would be something that would concern his mom. He can’t even imagine why she cares so much when he doesn’t. “Apparently she’s French. A model, I believe? Everyone in the office has been talking about her, bet she’s going to steal many attentions on Friday.”

“Fantastic. How is that any of my business exactly?” Jungkook deadpans. He’s tired and out of patience and with really zero will to play this game right now. Jin seems to sense that and his smirk drops to a sympathetic smile. It doesn’t help him the slightest bit.

“It isn’t, but your mom seems to believe it is.” He sighs and Seokjin continues before he can utter a single word. “Look I know you’re over it and happily living the bachelor life, but I’m going to be honest. I’m not too excited to endure that asshole parading his new toy around and having all the attention on him. And I know you don’t give a fuck about what he does but I also know that when the time comes and people start gossiping about you two you’re gonna be pissed as fuck and spend the whole night trying very hard not to punch them square in the face. Also your mother is probably going to pester you with it the entire time and I like you too much to witness that sad episode of Keeping Up With The Jeons. So please, for everyone’s sake, just land yourself a date for the night. You’re rich and easy on the eye, can’t be too hard to find a pretty date. If no one volunteers you can just hire someone.”

Jungkook makes a disgruntled face at that. “I’m not attending a business event with a hooker.” Seokjin really has the weirdest ideas sometimes.

“I wasn’t talking about hiring a prostitute, Jungkook.” The blonde rolls his eyes in disbelief, but ponders for a moment. “Even though it wouldn’t actually do you any bad to get laid. You’ve been way too tense lately.”

“Fuck off, hyung.” He growls and Jin laughs obnoxiously at him. “No one’s getting laid.”

“Speak for yourself.” He scoffs and Jungkook gives him yet another disgusted glare. Seokjin looks at the expensive watch on his wrist then, and makes a disappointed face as he gets up from the leather chair. “I have to run to the conference room. But seriously, think about what I said. It’d make your life all the much easier and it would be pretty fun to rip off the smug look from that rat’s stupid face.”

Jungkook does smile slightly at Seokjin’s words, amused by the venom in his words. He isn’t really a resentful person, and while the memory of Minjun’s face does make his lip curl up in distaste, he doesn’t let the thought of what happened between them affect him anymore, at least not in the way it used to. Seokjin, though, is the most unforgiving person he knows, and it baffles him the hatred that the older seems to sport for Minjun. He’s grateful for it, in a way. Seokjin was the one present when Jungkook found the truth, and the older was the most caring and supportive person at the moment he most needed a hand to hold.

He waves Seokjin away with a promise to consider his advice, even if in reality he thinks it’s an insane suggestion. He understands it, though. There’s truth to Jin’s words, and while Jungkook really has trouble to swallow the thought of going out of his way to appease his mom just because she refuses to stop interfering with his life, he also recognizes that having her out of his hair for the night sounds very tempting. While it might be a kind of crazy idea, it isn’t a bad one. The only problem is that Jungkook has no idea how to find a date in three days, especially because he can’t just bring along any person. He has a reputation to maintain, and while it’s a fact that he doesn’t have much trouble in fetching dates (if his face and toned body don’t do the trick, then his money definitely does), he knows that going to such an event with a stranger is a risk he might regret taking.

The veins in his temples pulsate unbearably now, the mess inside his mind aggravating his headache by a tenfold. He sighs and turns back to the piles of paperwork on his desk, pushing his worries aside for now. He’ll come up with a solution when his head stops feeling like it’s about to explode.

-x-

Jungkook’s migraine is still going strong by the time he arrives home, and he pops an ibuprofen into his mouth when the loud ringtone of his cellphone startles him. There’s a grunt leaving his lips the second he glances at the ID.

“Hey mom.”

“Oh, I was afraid you would have already forgotten who I am.” He rolls his eyes at the voice on the other side, way too accustomed to his mother’s drama. “It would be nice to receive a call from you every once in a while.”

“I’m sorry, mom. I’ve been really busy at the office.” It’s not a lie, but it’s also not a valid excuse if his mother’s scoff is anything to go by.

He removes his blazer and shoes while his mom complains some more about not hearing from him enough. It’s silent inside the apartment apart from his mother’s nagging on the other end of the line. Jungkook takes his glass of water from the kitchen to the living room, loosening up his tie as he does so.

“I was talking to your dad yesterday.” She starts and Jungkook knows exactly what’s coming, but that still doesn’t stop him from groaning in frustration. “Did you know Minjun has a new girlfriend?”

Yes, yes he does. He does and gives zero fucks about it, but his mom seems to think otherwise by the amount of details she apparently knows.

“She’s French, from what I heard. Very pretty, I saw some of her magazine covers, what a true beauty.” Jungkook takes an aggressive sip of his water while she proceeds talking about Minjun’s girlfriend. “I don’t know how long she will be staying in South Korea, but she’ll be around for Friday.”

His mother has always been like that, bold and straight to the point. While it may be a really good quality sometimes, right now it just serves to piss Jungkook off even more. He knows what she wants and that she won’t give up until she’s got it.

“I spoke to Seokjin, he said you might be bringing some company too?” There’s so much delight in her voice that it makes Jungkook’s insides curl. He will never understand her obsession with seeing him with someone hanging from his arm. “I’m a bit offended that you haven’t told your mom that you’re seeing someone, bunny.”

He cringes at the nickname his mom insists on calling him ever since he was a child, his fingers coming up to pinch the bridge of his nose in irritation. “It’s not like that, mom.”

His whining is interrupted by the sudden ring of the doorbell startling him in the quietness of the night. Jungkook furrows his brows in confusion, his mind wondering who could be at his doorstep so late in the evening. For a second he tries to remember if he had ordered food – he still hasn’t had dinner after all, the low rumble of his stomach serving as a quiet reminder – but when he opens the door is to see his neighbor standing outside with a sleepy smile.

Taehyung bows politely in a quiet greeting with the recognition of the cellphone pressed against Jungkook’s ear. At his confused stare the boy lifts one hand, motioning to the letters it holds in its grip. Jungkook widens his eyes in realization with his mom still pestering him through the phone. Without wanting to be rude and simply take the mail from the blonde and wave him off, he ends up stepping aside in a silent invitation, holding up a finger to motion for Taehyung to give him a moment. The boy quietly follows him inside, curious eyes peering at the inside of Jungkook’s home.

“But despite you being an ungrateful son, I’m still looking forward to meet your date. I’m very happy that you’re bringing them, it would be really sad if Minjun showed up with such a beauty on his arm and you appeared alone.”

It riles him up, the way she says it as if it’s a bad thing, as if this is a competition. He doesn’t want to compete with Minjun because he doesn’t care, he’s over it and he’s happy being on his own. It’s goddamn infuriating that his mom fails to understand it or to even try to comprehend, and it makes him mindless of the other presence in the room when he answers.

“It wouldn’t be sad because I have nothing to do with Minjun and nothing to prove him. This is not a competition, mother, and I don’t know why you all keep taking it as if it is. I’ll bring someone with me because I want to and not to get back at my ex.” He doesn’t even realize the confirmation he just gave away. He’s angry, and his mom recognizes as much, except she takes his anger for something else entirely.

“I know it must be painful for you to see him moving on like that with someone else, that’s why I worry, baby. Knowing that you’ll have someone to lean on during the night makes my motherly heart more at peace.” She’s so wrong, Jungkook can’t even begin to explain. But he can’t blame her, not when she doesn’t know a thing about what truly happened between him and Minjun. “Plus I wouldn’t be able to stand everyone talking about it. My son won’t be on the receiving end of pitiful looks if I can help it.”

He’s sick of it, people feeling sorry for him. He’s sick of everyone acting as if breaking up with Minjun was the single most heartbreaking and ground shattering experience of his life, as if he still loves him and longs for them to be together again. That’s far from being the reason why he hasn’t been with anyone else after their breakup, but his mom seems to not realize it no matter how obvious he tries to make it.

“I don’t care what those people think, you know that.”

“I’m well aware, but you still have a reputation to maintain.” She reminds him, the sweetness from her previous words seeping away to be replaced by a warning tone. “So I strongly advise you to not back away and bring that person on Friday, if you don’t want to ruin your dad’s mood. He hears things too, you know?”

He knows, damn well for that matter. It’s an office full of people who work from morning till evening with nothing but the constant gossip to distract them from their responsibilities, so he knows perfectly well what they say about him. The heartbroken son of the boss who must be utterly shattered now that he’s ex-boyfriend has a new pretty toy. Such a pile of bullshit.

“I know, mom.” He’s suddenly reminded of the other presence in the room, looking behind his shoulder to see the boy who had knocked on his door sitting comfortable on his couch, seemingly distracted with exploring every bit of furniture with his eyes. “Mom, I have to go now. We’ll talk later, okay?”

“I’ll come by the office tomorrow. It seems to be the only way to actually put my eyes on you, since you seem to have forgotten our address.” Jungkook rolls his eyes again at her dramatic tone. “Take care, bunny.”

She hangs up after bidding him a goodbye kiss through the line. Jungkook sighs tiredly as he pockets his phone, turning to see Taehyung looking up at him with a sympathetic smile, the letters he held in his hands now sprawled on the center table.

“Sorry about that.”

Taehyung shakes his head, soft blond hair shining under the living room lights. “No problem at all, I know moms can be a real pain sometimes.” Jungkook chuckles in agreement, running a hand through his disheveled black hair in a failed attempt to make himself more presentable. He doesn’t ask anything but Taehyung jumps a little on the spot where he made himself comfortable, gesturing to the letters on the table. “I’m sorry it’s late but your mail got mixed with mine and I heard you get home a few minutes ago and figured I could just deliver it to you now instead of tomorrow.”

“It’s fine, thank you for going through the trouble.” He ponders checking the letters but figures that it can wait. “Can I offer you something to drink? Coffee, tea?”

“Who drinks coffee at night?” Taehyung asks with a chuckle and Jungkook offers him a shrug. He doesn’t tell him that more often than not, he relies on the caffeine to help him work until the early hours of dawn. “But a cup of tea would be nice, thank you.”

He moves to the kitchen with a nod, not realizing that the blonde had followed him until he hears the scrapping of one of the stools against the marble floor, Taehyung making himself comfortable at the kitchen isle. He fills the kettle with water before fetching two ceramic mugs from the cabinet over his head.

“So who’s the lucky girl?” He eyes Taehyung over his shoulder in clear confusion and the boy grins. “Your mom was pestering you about your love life, I couldn’t help but overhear the conversation.”

He’s not too mad about the intrusion, considering that he didn’t really try very hard to conceal the phone call from the boy anyway. Plus Taehyung is a good guy and a good neighbor, never too noisy and always nice and polite. He’s also really easy on the eyes, but Jungkook promised himself to push that thought to the very back of his mind ever since he found Taehyung perched on his door frame for the first time, pretty smile on his face as he introduced himself as Jungkook’s neighbor. His life hasn’t been very easy ever since.

They have talked various times, Taehyung has the habit of knocking on his door during the weekends to ask him to borrow stuff, mostly sugar and rice. He wouldn’t consider them to be friends (but then again Jungkook doesn’t call people friend easily), but the boy is very nice to talk to, if Jungkook can really judge that by their short conversations in the elevator and laundry room, so he sighs and leans against the counter before answering.

“Yeah, it’s fine.” He pours the hot water in the two mugs, his shoulders sagging when the soft smell of fresh tea relaxes his body. “To answer your question, no one.”

The boy cocks his head to the side at that, eyeing him in confusion. Jungkook realizes in a side thought that Taehyung is really pretty. It’s hard not to notice, really, every time they meet Jungkook has to remind himself that staring too long is a rude thing to do. “Oh, I thought I heard you say otherwise. I must have misunderstood.”

He doesn’t know what compels him to develop the subject further, but before he can think twice he’s talking as he hands Taehyung his tea. “You haven’t, I did say that. It just isn’t the truth.” Taehyung leans forward at that, clear curiosity swimming in his eyes. Jungkook blames his lack of mouth filter on the fact that it’s late and not on the endearing smudge of purple paint on Taehyung’s smooth neck. “There’s this business thing on Friday and my ex-boyfriend is bringing his new chew-toy with him.”

“Does that bother you?” Taehyung’s tone is gentle and attentive and Jungkook tries not to think too much about it.

“It doesn’t, but my mom believes it does, apparently.” He groans and rubs at his cheek with his palm. The boy hums in acknowledgement, sipping his tea quietly. “She thinks it would be a blow to my ego and to my reputation in the company, so she keeps pestering me to bring a date to shut the gossip.”

“Sounds like a real pain.” Taehyung says but there’s a teasing edge to his voice and Jungkook glances at him to see a playful smirk behind the tea cup. He rolls his eyes as the boy chuckles amusedly, seemingly finding the whole deal entertaining.

“Glad my misery brings you joy.” The laugh that erupts from the blonde is wider than his quiet chuckles and Jungkook is a bit taken aback because how can someone’s laugh be pretty.

“I’m sorry, it’s just that it all screams rich boy problems really intensely.” Taehyung jokes as his laugh dies down, pearly teeth still exposed in a smile. “But honestly, that seems pretty solvable to me. You don’t seem like the type to have much trouble landing a date.”

Jungkook tries not to read too much into the implication of the words when he answers. “Yeah, well, it’s not like I’m going out for a movie date. This is business, I can’t just bring anyone with me. And as unbelievable as it may sound, I don’t have that many friends.” He comments with a troubled frown. Then adds. “Not single, at least.”

Taehyung furrows his eyebrows in thought at that, hand coming up to rub his chin in a gesture that is way more endearing than it should. Seriously, Jungkook needs to sleep.

“You could hire someone.” The serious way in which he suggests it reminds him of Seokjin’s words and he scoffs in disbelief. “No, really, there are people who specifically offer services as companion to those sort of events.”

“I really don’t think I’d be comfortable with paying someone to keep me company throughout the night. I’m not that desperate.” Taehyung hums in response but his eyes stay focused on the kitchen counter as he seems to still be thinking about it. “It’s fine, I’ll probably ask Seokjin if he knows someone who could pose as my date. He knows everyone apparently, let’s just hope it’s not anyone too weird.”

He’s not too keen on that idea, especially because the last time he had agreed on going to a date with one of Seokjin’s friends that the other kept trying to push onto him, it had been disastrous. He doesn’t think it was his fault that the girl was plain and uninteresting, but Jin keeps telling him that he just has no taste.

“What’s that event about?” He snaps out of his thoughts to look into Taehyung’s curious gaze. He sips his tea to prevent himself from muttering something about how beautiful the boy’s brown eyes are, staring into his own.

“It’s a dinner slash party to kind of celebrate the new art exposition sponsored by us at the Gallery Hyundai, we’ll have dinner at the Dugahun Gallery and then visit the exposition with all the guests.” Jungkook explains, gesturing faintly with the hand that isn’t holding the mug. “Most of the pieces are owned by us so we’re expecting lots of potential buyers. I don’t know shit about art but there will be a lot of money talk so I have to be there weather I like it or not.”

He’s met with silence when he finishes his explanation and his eyes travel back to the boy on the kitchen isle to see large eyes staring back at him. Jungkook tilts his head at Taehyung in a silent question, hand moving to brush back the black strands of hair that fall in front of his eyes. The boy seems lost in thought for what feels like an eternity before he speaks up, and Jungkook is promptly shocked.

“I’ll go with you.”

“Excuse me?” For the first time that night Taehyung seems to show actual shyness under Jungkook’s widened gaze.

“I’ll go—you can take me with you. To the event, I mean.” His eyes don’t raise from where he’s staring intently at the marble surface of the kitchen isle, fingers intertwining around the mug in his hold. “We’re around the same age, so it wouldn’t be weird. We’re neighbors, too, so that would also make it convincing.” Jungkook doesn’t really ponder too much on what it means. “I’m majoring in art, like I told you some time before, so at least I won’t be completely clueless. Also I’m great company.”

He looks up at that to offer Jungkook a playful smile and the black haired is rendered speechless. There’s a mess of thoughts crossing is mind, trying to make sense of the offer that had just been laid on the table. He gapes at Taehyung, the blonde seemingly a bit shy but with such confidence in his gaze that Jungkook can’t make sense of it.

“You—Do you realize what you’re volunteering to do?” His voice comes out a bit squeakier than he’s proud to admit and Taehyung chuckles in clear amusement.

“I don’t see the problem. You need company, and I don’t have any plans for Friday night.” He sips his tea calmly, clearly unfazed by the inner turmoil currently wrecking Jungkook’s mind. He can’t understand how his neighbor that is barely on the verge of the friend category can be so nonchalant while suggesting to be his fake date.

“You do realize that you would have to come as my date? As like, a fake romantic partner?” He speaks the words slowly, confused when Taehyung emits one of those lovely laughs of his. He puts a strand of blonde hair behind his ear and it takes everything in Jungkook’s power to not follow the gentle movement of his delicate fingers. Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with him.

“I am well aware, yes.”

“And you are okay with that?”

“Only if you want to, of course.” Taehyung’s face frowns up slightly, clearly mistaking Jungkook’s questioning for disinterest. “It’s just that you said you had a boyfriend in the past so I—I just thought maybe I’d—I mean I thought that wouldn’t be an issue.”

Jungkook is still gaping slightly at the blonde, who’s now staring intently at the inside of his mug, shoulders a bit arched as if to make himself smaller in Jungkook’s kitchen. He’s so, so confused. “I don’t understand I—I mean do you even like men?”

Taehyung’s lips curl up slightly at that and he snorts slightly. “I don’t think that matters for the situation at hand but yes, Jungkook-ssi, I do like men.”

Jungkook belatedly realizes how stupid the question was and he feels heat creep up from his chest all the way up to his ears. It’s suffocating and he’s popping open the first buttons of his shirt before he can think twice. He only realizes how wrong the action is in sequence to their conversation when he catches the way Taehyung’s eyes trail the movement, his tongue darting out to wet his pink lips and making Jungkook’s head all the bit more clouded. It’s tense, and he looks away before the buzz on his skin lingers any further. Really, he is too tired for his own good.

He gives himself a moment to think about Taehyung’s suggestion. It was bold and took him by surprise, sure, but when he really ponders it he realizes that it’s not that bad of an idea. Starting with the fact that he really doesn’t have many options apart from getting Seokjin to fetch him some random date (which he really didn’t want in all honesty) or actually risk taking a complete stranger with him. Then he looks at Taehyung, really looks at him, and thinks that stepping into the gallery with the blonde on his arm would most definitely cause an impression.

Even like this, under the dim light of the kitchen, with blots of paint staining his neck and the large beige shirt that engulfs his slim body, droopy eyes staring at Jungkook behind the tea mug held in his beautiful elegant hands, the boy still looks like on hell of a vision coming straight from one of Jungkook’s prettiest fantasies. Plus, he’s an art student, he actually knows something about art – unlike Jungkook. It’s perfect, really. Jungkook can’t think of a reason to turn down the blonde’s offer. Despite, of course, the fact that it would probably be some kind of sickening torture to purposely choose to spend an entire night pretending to date his (unfairly) attractive neighbor.

“Okay.” Jungkook says slowly after one too many seconds and Taehyung’s face relaxes visibly, the lazy smile returning to his lips. “I just want to know, what’s in it for you?”

Taehyung tilts his head to the side, a way too coy look on his face. “You wound me, Jungkook-ssi. It’s a fancy party, yeah? I’m sure the food will be mouthwatering. Plus, we’re going to the debut of an art exposition, what is better than that? And it’s always a pleasure to help a good neighbor in distress.”

Jungkook can’t really help the scoff that leaves his lips, eyes staring into Taehyung’s in disbelief. The blonde seems unfazed by his gaze, smiling teasingly before taking another sip of his tea. Jungkook finds himself speaking. “Call me hyung. If we’re going to do this we can’t address each other so formally.”

He gulps when Taehyung sneers under his breath with amusement glinting in his eyes. “Say, Jungkook-ssi, how old are you?”

“23.”

“Ah, how cute.” Jungkook frowns at the amusement in blonde’s voice, eyes following the movement when Taehyung’s fingers brush the strands of his fringe back in a swift movement. “Then you can call me hyung.”

At that, the dark haired boy eyes him in clear confusion. “You’re still in college, I graduated two years ago.”

“I have a degree already, international relations. I just decided to take another after I graduated.”

“You graduated college and decided to go back?” There’s that pretty laugh filling the air again, Taehyung’s head slightly tilted back with the sound. Jungkook tries and fails to not ogle the smooth expanse of the boy’s neck. “How old are you?”

“25 and counting.” Jungkook silently broods over being the younger one. It’s then that Taehyung yawns loudly against his palm, eyes swimming with clear tiredness.

The black haired boy moves to take his mug then, feeling bad for keeping Taehyung up so late. “You should rest, I’m sorry for keeping you up so late.” The blonde brushes it off with a flick of the wrist but gets up from the stool and follows Jungkook to the door. The younger tries not to actually coo at his cuteness when the boy rubs tiredly at his bloodshot eyes.

“Don’t worry, I’m used to it. Inspiration hits at odd hours sometimes.” Jungkook hums as an answer, staring awkwardly at Taehyung while holding the door open for him. “You should come by tomorrow, when you can.” He chuckles quietly at the younger’s wide eyes and continues before Jungkook can say anything. “We need to talk about how we’re going to do this. You know, backstory and all that jazz.”

Jungkook knew that accepting Taehyung’s offer meant that they had to meet up again before Friday to decide how they would work out the whole situation, but it still makes him a bit nervous to think about being inside the other’s house and spending more time in his presence. He finds himself nodding in agreement and bidding Taehyung good night with a promise to stop by his apartment on the way home.

So the next day has Jungkook stepping into Taehyung’s flat at some time past eleven in the evening despite the tiredness seeping deep into his bones. The blonde smiles brightly up at him before inviting him in and guiding a very awkward Jungkook to the living room. He glances around, taking in the striking difference between his and Taehyung’s apartment. While the layout is kind of similar, the space is much smaller than Jungkook’s own, and there are newspaper sheets covering various portions of the floor, splotches of colorful paint staining the paper. There are canvas leaning against the various walls, some blank, other’s decorated with all kinds of intricate forms and paintings of random things. The coffee table is covered with paper and pieces of coal that roll to the floor when Taehyung pushes the mess aside to make a bit of free room so Jungkook can drop his wallet and cellphone.

“Excuse the mess, I’m working on this bitch of a project and as you can see it’s going pretty well so far.” Jungkook smiles despite himself, amused by the exasperation in Taehyung’s voice. “Do you want anything to eat or drink? I have these really good chocolate chips in the kitchen.”

Jungkook chuckles but shakes his head, ignoring the emptiness he feels in his stomach. “It’s okay, really. Thanks.”

Taehyung drops down on the couch at that, clearly not worried by the possibility of the splotches of paint decorating his sweatpants staining the pillows. He gesture for Jungkook to take the seat next to him and the younger reluctantly complies after shrugging the stuffy blazer off his shoulders. He sighs in relief when his back touches the soft cushions, hand coming up to rob a sore spot on the back of his neck. Taehyung sits cross legged facing him, pretty hands holding his ankles as he stares intently at Jungkook.

The younger’s coughs awkwardly, cursing himself inwardly because honestly he knows perfectly well how to start a conversation, he does it all the time. “So—“

“Say, Jungkook-ssi, what do you do in that company you work for?”

Taehyung seems genuinely interested and Jungkook finds himself relaxing deeper into the soft cushions of the couch. “I’m the director of the financial department. I basically handle the company’s finances and everything related to payments or possible investments has to be approved by me first.”

“Woah, that seems like a lot of responsibility.” Jungkook shies a bit under Taehyung’s impressed gaze, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. “No offense or anything, but aren’t you a bit young to have such an important role already?”

Jungkook isn’t fazed by that question anymore, he’s heard it in many other situations and with much less underlying softness. “My father is the CEO, so I had pretty much a secured place in the company since the beginning. I still had to work out for it, though. I recognize that I had my life facilitated but that’s only regarding the fact that my father prepared me intensely throughout college to ensure I was ready to take over a role in the company. I wasn’t supposed to start so high up, but since I graduated top of my class and always successfully completed whatever task my father assigned me, he decided I was prepared enough to take over the financial department.”

Taehyung is looking at him intently, but there’s no judgement in his eyes. Nothing that tells Jungkook he’s thinking the same as everyone else – that he has everything handed to him in a silver plate and probably didn’t have to make an effort to land his job. After a moment, Taehyung speaks up and his voice is full of sincerity. “You must be really good at what you do, to have your father trust you with such an important job at such a young age. That’s so cool.”

The lack of a mocking tone has Jungkook smiling shyly at the blonde boy, a warm feeling making him relax even more in the other’s presence. He finds himself wanting to tell Taehyung more, and wanting to know more about him too.

“What about you? Why did you decide to major in art after going to college for international relations?”

Taehyung looks away from him as he mulls over the question, a soft hum resonating from the back of his throat. “I guess I just really took art as a passion, but never as something secure for me, so I decided to graduate first in something that would land me a job and then in something that would make me happy.” Jungkook looks at the way Taehyung’s blond locks fall softly over his eyes, quietly taking in the other’s words. “My parents have it pretty good with money, and I think they’d probably let me take degree after degree for the rest of my life if that meant having me out of their hair, so I’m just making the best out of it.”

There’s no underlying sadness there, in the words that reflect such a sorrowful story, and Jungkook drinks in every detail in Taehyung’s face to try and perceive a change of his calm features that never comes. The blonde must sense his attentive gaze because after a split second he’s looking up at Jungkook and smiling that sweet smile of his.

“No need to look all gloomy, I’m alright with it. They’re not very good people anyway, I’m lucky they support me financially so I can keep doing what I like while living comfortably.” Jungkook has a hard time believing in his detachment but refrains himself from meddling any further. Then Taehyung is leaning forward with his elbows supported by his knees, hands framing his pretty face. “Say, Jungkook—is it okay if I call you Jungkook?” The boy nods in agreement and tries not to let Taehyung’s satisfied smile get to him. “So, Jungkook, how did we meet?”

Right, of course, there’s a reason Jungkook is here and not in his apartment getting ready for bed right now. He drops his head back on the couch with a soft sigh and rubs at his temples, trying to get his imagination to work for a second. He’s not the most creative person.

“I mean, we’re neighbors so that’s pretty self-explanatory, I think.” Taehyung hums in thought, agreeing with a nod of the head.

“We need to know more things about each other, otherwise we might get caught in difficult situations.” Taehyung adds wisely and Jungkook nods, grabbing a pillow to put on his lap before loosening his suffocating tie to make himself more comfortable. “Tell me, what should I know about your family?”

“Well, my dad is the CEO of the company, as I mentioned before. He’s pretty easy going, despite being very commanding when talking business. He won’t be much of a hassle. My mom, though, she might be a bit overwhelming.” He sighs and Taehyung’s pretty giggle fills the air. “She has no sense of boundaries, and she always meddles in my love life. She’ll probably bombard you with a full questioning at some point during the night.”

The gaze Taehyung gives him is probably the softest thing on this earth. “I’m sure I can handle Ms. Jeon just fine.”

Jungkook sighs. “Well, there’s also my older brother, Yoongi. He’s being trained by my father to take over the company in the future, and he’s pretty cool too, you don’t have to worry about him. Seokjin will probably be much more of a pain in the ass than Yoongi.” Taehyung’s eyebrows shoot up curiously at that and Jungkook snorts. “Jin is like a guardian angel in the company. I would probably be dead at this point if it wasn’t for him. He’s my brother’s secretary but I’m pretty sure 90% of his job consists of babysitting me.” The blonde laughs loudly at his explanation, hand coming up to cover the pretty shape of his mouth. “I’m serious, you have no idea. I forget that food exists most of the days, and Jin more often than not comes by to force feed me. He’s such a mom.”

“He sounds like a fun guy.” The laughter still twinkles in Taehyung’s tone and Jungkook shrugs, fingers picking at a loose thread of the cushion under him.

“He’s a great friend, but he’s also a hoe for gossip and always ends up talking shit with my mom.”

“Who isn’t a bit of a hoe for gossip, honestly.” Jungkook throws Taehyung a disgruntled look and the boy chuckles. It’s quiet for a while before the blonde breaks the silence hesitantly. “So… and what about Minjun?”

Jungkook turns his gaze away at that, lip curling in distaste. Still, he thinks it’s probably best if Taehyung knows about it. “Minjun and I dated for quite a while – three years, to be precise.” Taehyung looks surprised but Jungkook just moves on. “We met when I was in college, he’s older than me—one year older than you, actually. He was an intern at the company at the time. Despite being an asshole, he’s pretty good at what he does and my father liked him a great deal, so he eventually got the job and… well, there’s that.” He brushes his hair back nervously, not sure how much he should tell Taehyung. “We dated until sometime in the middle of last year. We didn’t end in the best of terms, as you can probably tell, and my mom believes I suffered some kind of ground shattering heartbreak.”

“And you didn’t?” It’s a quiet question, almost timid. Jungkook just shrugs.

“The first few weeks were kind of really shitty, I’m not going to lie to you. We had been dating for quite some time and it hurt. I moved on, though, and soon realized that I was better off without him.” Taehyung’s smile is soft but not pitiful, it comforts Jungkook. “To be honest, he was an asshole.”

The blonde giggles brightly at that and Jungkook is a bit gone for a second.

“I haven’t been with anyone else since the breakup, and obviously the people in that company have lives boring enough to bother to gossip about it. Just like my mom, everyone probably thinks I’m permanently scarred or some stupid shit like that.”

“Well, glad we’ll give them something else to gossip about now.” Taehyung’s wink is obnoxious and teasing, and it draws an honest laugh from Jungkook’s lips. “What’s your favorite color?”

The sudden change of subject makes Jungkook blink for a while in a try to register the question. “Uh—black, I guess?”

“How boring.” Taehyung scoffs and that’s enough to make Jungkook regain his composure and give him an offended look. “Black is so lifeless. I like purple. It’s bright and lustful and reminds me of love. It’s also the color of my favorite Pokémon.”

“That’s oddly descriptive.” Jungkook blinks and Taehyung just gives him a shrug and supports his chin on his palm, still gazing intently at him. “What’s your favorite Pokémon?” The question is stupid, but it’s something and it makes Taehyung laugh.

“Ditto, I wish I could have his ability to shapeshift.” Jungkook hums absent mindedly. “What’s your favorite food?”

“What is this, twenty questions?”

“We need to get to know each other, just answer the question.”

Jungkook scoffs at Taehyung’s eye roll. “I don’t know, lamb skewers, I think.”

“Cute.” Jungkook pins him a look that just makes Taehyung laugh. “Mine is ice cream.”

“I don’t think that counts as food.”

“Of course it does, it’s something you eat.” He points out indignantly and Jungkook snorts at his offended look. “Do you always get home this late?”

“Most of the days.” He thinks about the ungodly amount of nights he stayed back at his office deep into the night to get work done, the papers in his desk never seeming to diminish no matter how much he sorts them out. “I’m usually the last to leave, Jin is always pestering me saying that I’m a workaholic. I guess he’s kind of right.”

“I get it, I usually stay up pretty late too.”

“Inspiration hits at odd hours, uh?” He smiles up at Taehyung to catch the other’s amused chuckle. He finds the sound comforting, deep and resonant much like his deep voice. His gaze lingers on Taehyung’s soft smile before he’s opening his mouth again. “Thank you, hyung.” The word feels good on his tongue, feels right. Taehyung seems to think the same, if the sudden blush on his soft cheeks is anything to go by.

“Uh?”

“For doing this, you didn’t have to. So thank you.” Taehyung rolls his eyes at him but there’s no mock in his smile. Jungkook feels the tiredness weight heavy on his eyelids and can’t hold back the yawn that breaks past his lips. He feels sleepy but also finds that he doesn’t want to part ways with the blonde just yet.

So he stays, and they talk further into the night. He doesn’t realize how much time has passed as they talk about anything and everything, Taehyung’s deep baritone voice soothing the stiffness of his muscles and making him feel a bit drunk with sleep. It’s nice, he thinks, much nicer than the quietness of his empty apartment. Taehyung is bright and excited even if his eyelids drop a little in clear tiredness and Jungkook finds himself scooting closer to him as time passes, craving his soothing presence and the soft sound of his voice. There’s a warmness in the air that feels much different from the heat of Jungkook’s air conditioner, it surrounds him and makes him feel calm and at ease.

When he falls asleep in his empty bed later that night, it’s to the blurred image of a soft smile and gentle hands covered in smears of purple.

-x-

Seokjin kind of freaks out when Jungkook tells him that he will be taking Taehyung as his date (purposely leaving out the fact that it was all pretend) and doesn’t leave him alone for the good part of an entire hour (‘seriously Jungkook, you could just have told me that you were actually seeing someone!’) until Jungkook all but throws him out of his office telling him to go back to work. He doesn’t get to enjoy the quietness for too long, though, because his mother appears at his office some time during the afternoon and Jungkook has to try really hard to be patient and calm when she starts showering him with questions about his date. She gives up when realizing that Jungkook won’t be giving her any details and brushes her off by saying that she’ll be able to meet Taehyung on Friday. She seems content enough with knowing the boy’s name and eventually leaves Jungkook to work in peace.

He’s exhausted by the time he gets home, surprised when someone knocks on the door and he opens it to see Taehyung outside. The blonde has no quandary in greeting him good night and entering his apartment, seemingly clueless to Jungkook’s confused state. The dark haired boy follows him into the living room to see the blonde falling easily into his couch, a tired sigh leaving his lips. It’s been like, a day? When did Taehyung get so comfortable around him?

“I was ripping my head off over a failed attempt at painting a ballerina and heard you keying at your door so I thought I’d come over.” He looks tired then, the redness in his eyes evident under the dim lights.

Jungkook belatedly realizes he’s still standing awkwardly in the middle of the living room – his living room – and quickly moves to sit next to Taehyung, seeing as the boy doesn’t look like he’s moving from the place where he’s comfortable leaning against the cushions, hands moving to curl around his crossed ankles again. Jungkook tries and fails to not think of the boy’s little manner as the most endearing thing ever.

“Rough day?” Taehyung asks as if sensing the tightness in Jungkook’s muscles and the black haired sighs in silent agreement, rubbing his palm over his cheek in a tired habit.

“My mom came into my office to pester me. She kept asking me about you.”

Taehyung looks amused at that, moving to scoot closer to Jungkook on the couch. If he tenses a little, Taehyung doesn’t seem to notice. “What did you tell her?”

“Nothing, I told her to wait until Friday.” Taehyung’s laugh is the cutest sound in the world, Jungkook is pretty much convinced by now.

“That’s going to be fun.” He smiles amusedly and his bare toes wiggle slightly. Jungkook’s heart clenches a bit and really, this must be some karmic punishment. “Ah, by the way, I was thinking and remembered that you didn’t tell me what you are going to wear tomorrow.”

The word tomorrow resonates deep in Jungkook’s mind as a mortifying reminder that he’s that close to what will possibly be the hardest night of his life. He groans, and fixes Taehyung a questioning look.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean the colors, what colors are you wearing tomorrow?”

Jungkook’s eyebrows furrow in confusion at the question and he scratches the back of his neck in thought. “Uh, I guess black? A black suit?”

“And your shirt?”

“Hmm, black?” Taehyung gives him a disgusted look at that and Jungkook crosses his arms defensively. “What? I like black. And I look good in it.”

It’s too late in the evening for him to care about how petty he sounds, and the pained sigh Taehyung emits makes him frown even deeper. “Do you at least have a lilac tie?”

“A lilac tie?”

“I’m wearing lilac tomorrow, we should match.” Taehyung answers simply, pushing a soft looking lock of hair behind his ear, exposing small silver hoops that glint in the low light. His long fingers are smudged with various colors and it’s stupidly cute. “Couples usually dress with matching colors.”

He says it as a matter of fact and Jungkook is a bit taken aback for a moment. Couples. That’s what Taehyung and he will be for the night. A couple. He finds his voice again after a few seconds. “I—I don’t usually wear a tie.” Taehyung gives him a dead look at that, eyes clearly falling to the tie still tightly fixed on his collar. “I mean, not out of the office. I don’t like them, they make me feel a bit suffocated.”

Taehyung hums lowly, seemingly in deep thought at that. “Maybe you can wear a handkerchief, then.” He mutters quietly after a moment, still looking at some point in the distance distractedly.

“Why lilac?” He asks after a moment, fingers coming up to loosen up his tie. Taehyung seems to jump out of his daze at that, eyes coming up to look at Jungkook but getting lost along the way to follow the movement of his swift fingers. He tenses, but the heavy look only lingers for a second before the blonde is looking up at him with a small smile.

“It’s a soft color and it looks good on me.” He answers simply, winking teasingly when Jungkook scoffs at his words. This guy.

Just like the previous night, Jungkook looks at Taehyung and finds himself hesitant to part ways when he realizes the conversation is pretty much over at that. It’s weird, the sense of familiarity he gets when Taehyung is around. Makes him feel the need to be close and stay away from him at the same time, a nervousness that he’s not quite used to making his palms sweat a little bit. His inner turmoil is set aside for a bit when Taehyung suddenly spins where he’s sitting crossed legged to stare intently at him, an intensity in his eyes that makes Jungkook swallow around nothing.

“We should practice.” He says suddenly and Jungkook stares blankly back in confusion. “Like, being boyfriends.”

There’s no trace of shyness on Taehyung’s face and Jungkook wonders how he can be so fiercely bold and straightforward. “W-What do you mean?”

“Like, couple-y things. How do we call each other?”

“By our names?” Jungkook asks confusedly and hopes the slight tremble in his voice is not all that noticeable. Taehyung’s eye roll tells him it isn’t.

“I mean pet names. All couples use them.” He points out and Jungkook is star struck. “What do you like to be called in your relationships?”

He rubs the back of his neck awkwardly, trying to focus his gaze somewhere away from Taehyung’s intent look. Damn, this is going to be harder than Jungkook was expecting. He thinks about Taehyung’s question for a second, thinking back to his previous relationships. Apart from Minjun, he never really dated anyone for too long, but when he did he doesn’t remember being called anything specific. He remembers being called baby by Minjun, and a few other corny things that make his nose scrunch up in disgust at the memory. Taehyung must notice his discomfort judging by the way he chuckles lowly, a soft smile adorning his features.

“I guess I never gave it much thought.” Jungkook says after a while, shrugging. “Whatever you want to call me, I guess.”

“Hmm, darling suits you quite well.” Taehyung muses as if deep in thought, completely unaware of how the pet name sets Jungkook’s insides on fire. “Sweetheart is a bit corny, but your mother seems to be the kind to buy that sort of thing.”

Jungkook feels a laugh erupt from his mouth at that, suddenly entertained by the amount of effort and thought Taehyung seems to be putting into this. Especially considering he’s absolutely right.

“What about you?” He asks when his laugh dies down. “What do you like to be called?”

Taehyung smiles brightly at that and Jungkook is really, really endeared. “My friends call me Tae, usually. I pretty much don’t mind any pet name, as long as it isn’t too cringe. I like when you call me hyung, though.”

Jungkook feels his face heat up at that, thinking back at how nice the word had felt on his tongue. It’s a bit stupid, really, considering he’s the youngest of his friends and is used to calling them all the same way. But somehow, it feels different when he addresses it at Taehyung. He tries not to think too much about it.

Suddenly Taehyung is moving and bringing a halt to his thoughts again when out of nowhere he feels his hand being grabbed, warm fingers curling gently over his palm. He stares at Taehyung in shock to see the older looking intently at their intertwined hands. He tries to not think about how nice and soft to the touch Taehyung’s hand is.

“I—What are you doing?”

“I’m holding your hand.” Taehyung says as if it’s obvious and looks up at him with a teasing smile. Then he slides his palm over Jungkook’s gently, locking their fingers together. Jungkook’s heart feels like it’s about to break through his ribcage. He chastises himself mentally for acting like a god damn virgin who’s getting his hand held for the first time and forces himself to squeeze Taehyung’s hand gently in his hold, trying to get used to the soft feeling of the other’s skin on his palm. Taehyung smiles and squeezes back. “Even though it looks really cute, I sure hope you don’t go flushing so hard every time I touch you, or it will look pretty suspicious.”

He feels his blush deepen at Taehyung’s teasing tone. “Shut up.”

He thinks that maybe his embarrassment is bearable if it makes Taehyung laugh that pretty laugh of his, head thrown back and mouth open widely around a huge smile. It’s unfair, how Jungkook feels poorly put together in his pressed work clothes and (barely) styled hair when Taehyung looks so effortlessly ethereal in a large stained sweater and sweatpants, blonde hair looking so disheveled and soft under the warm light of Jungkook’s living room. The world is a cruel place.

“What time are we leaving tomorrow?”

Jungkook is distracted by Taehyung’s fingers gently playing with his own and takes a few seconds to register his question. “Around seven, be ready by then.”

“Are we going in a fancy car?” Jungkook is confused for a second but catches Taehyung’s playful tone when he catches his mirthful gaze.

“Sure, I have my Corsa parked right outside.” Taehyung’s bubbly laugh fills the living room and Jungkook’s insides. Suddenly, his dull apartment doesn’t look so dull anymore. “You look all too confident for someone who just agreed to be your neighbor’s fake date.”

He means it as a joke, something to keep the light mood currently flowing between them. However, when Taehyung shrugs and looks up at him, Jungkook can’t help but be awfully aware of something heavy hanging in the air. He stares, and Taehyung seems to analyze his features for what feels like an eternity, eyes darting around his face and making him feel shy and slightly self-conscious under the gaze. He knows he is good looking, loads of people remind him of that constantly. And yet, sitting there under Taehyung’s scrutinizing gaze, he feels like the other is looking way past the layers of his skin, way past what’s visible to the naked eye.

When Taehyung finally speaks, it’s a soft sound that resonates deep within Jungkook.

“I just can’t wait to show Minjun what he’s lost.”

Jungkook exhales, not realizing he had been holding his breath the entire time.

Later that night, he realizes Taehyung’s look had been deeply engraved on the confinement of his mind.

-x-

This is fine, Jungkook thinks to himself as he steps into his polished Oxfords and touches his pockets to check if he has his wallet and car keys. This is fine, he repeats in his mind as he glances one last time at the mirror to make sure his hair didn’t get somewhat ruined in the process of putting on his blazer and shoes. This is completely fine, he reassures himself when he steps out of his apartment and goes to knock on Taehyung’s door, his shiny rolex informing him that it’s seven sharp.

He takes a deep breathe to calm himself when he hears a muffled one second! on the other side and reminds himself to be cool and collected because it’s just a few hours of pretending to date a beautiful man to get his mom out of his hair, he’s endured far more difficult challenges in his life before. He’s calm, yet when the door opens to reveal a smiling Taehyung, the words of greeting die promptly on his tongue.

This is so not fine.

There’s no way his brain would be able to formulate any words at that moment, not when it’s so busy trying to take in how absolutely gorgeous Taehyung looks on the threshold, pretty brown eyes looking straight into his own. He’s only ever seen Taehyung in casual clothes during all their random encounters and he had already thought the older was absolutely beautiful back then.

Now, as he eyes the way Taehyung’s blonde locks part gently over his forehead to reveal the strong eyebrows that frame his round eyes and—is that eyeshadow? He suddenly thinks Taehyung is probably the prettiest sight he’s ever landed eyes on. The older is wearing a soft colored lilac silk shirt – silk, for fuck’s sake – with a soft lace tied to frame his collarbones, sleeves slightly loose on his arms and coming tighter around his thin wrists in a delicate frill. His pants are black and tight, hugging his long defined legs and Jungkook’s mouth is positively watering at the sight of it. He searches for something to say, anything, but his brain can’t seem to come up with any words. It’s Taehyung who ends up breaking the silence.

“Well don’t you look handsome, Jeon Jungkook.” There’s a hint of amusement in his tone, his whole body shifting a bit under Jungkook’s attention and his dangly earrings swing a bit with the movement, pretty where they graze the tan expanse of his neck. This was a really bad idea.

Jungkook gulps audibly. “T-thanks, I mean, I—You look, just—wow.” It’s mortifying, the lack of eloquence that seems to strike him at that moment. His palms feel sweaty and he regrets every single life decision until Taehyung his giggling in that absolute endearing way of his and looking briefly down to his feet. Just then, Jungkook catches a glimpse of the faint blush that blooms high on the boy’s cheekbones, making him look all the bit more charming.

“Thank you.” It’s so soft and distinct from Taehyung’s bold nature that it makes Jungkook feel a bit more confident, a bit surer of himself. “Oh, I have something for you.”

He then takes something from his pocket, a silky expensive looking scarf of the exact same color and material of his lilac shirt. There’s no quiver in his step as the boy moves closer to wrap the thin strip of fabric around Jungkook’s neck, the material feeling nice and luxurious on his skin. He ties it then, fingers briefly brushing Jungkook’s neck and sending a spark of electricity down his spine. Just as soon as he’d stepped into Jungkook’s space he’s stepping back, a satisfied look on his face as he eyes the fabric now tied exquisitely around his neck. Jungkook swallows over the lump that suddenly forms in his throat, his senses filled with Taehyung.

“Thank you.” He manages to regain his composure with a few deep breathes, stepping back to give Taehyung room to step out and close the door and to give himself space to put some sense back into his head. “Shall we get going?”

Taehyung smells really nice, he notices when they stand close inside the elevator, the tension in the air still thick and a bit intoxicating. It’s not too strong that it makes his nose itch, but rather something soft that wraps around him and makes his mind hazy with a sudden need to inch closer and inhale the scent deeply into his lungs. He taps his foot repeatedly on the floor to distract himself from how attractive Taehyung looks fixing his hair in the elevator mirror. It doesn’t get any better when they finally get to the garage and Jungkook realizes he’ll just have to endure twenty more minutes inside an enclosed space with Taehyung.

“Fuck, the Bugatti is yours?” He says it with a gasp and Jungkook can feel the heat in his cheeks when he opens the door politely so Taehyung can get in. “When you said you were rich I didn’t think this rich.”

“My dad gave it to me as a gift for graduating college. I don’t usually drive it around because I don’t like the attention it grabs but they insist that I take it when we have events like tonight.” He brushes it off but Taehyung still looks awed, fingers gently feeling the surface of the console and the comfortable leather benches.

“If you have money to afford this, how come you’re living in this apartment complex?” Jungkook chuckles at the shocked tone, way too used to that same question. “I mean don’t get me wrong, I know these apartments are pretty high class, but by the looks of it you could probably afford to live in a penthouse or some luxury shit like that.”

“What use would a penthouse be?” Taehyung looks even more shocked at that, hand going up to press against his heart in mocking offense. The tension in air dissipates a little bit. “I live alone and I’m barely home, I spend most of the time at the office. A house that big would just be one more thing to worry about.”

“Don’t forget the fact that you wouldn’t have me as your amazing neighbor.” There’s that familiar tease in his voice and Jungkook shakes his head in disbelief, relishing the pretty giggle that resonates inside the car.

He maneuvers the car easily outside the garage and soon enough they’re riding fast past the lit up buildings of Seoul, the air conditioner creating a comfortable atmosphere that contrast with how windy it seems to be outside. They ride in silence, Taehyung reaching towards the console to turn on the radio after a few minutes and Jungkook just lets him choose whatever he likes, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel in the rhythm of the vaguely familiar pop song playing through the speakers. The comfort of the car ride does a good job at dissipating Jungkook’s nerves a bit, his grip on the gear lever not slippery with sweat anymore, and when he pulls over by the entrance he feels a bit more confident about the night. There are already other equally fancy looking vehicles being parked by the numerous valets that stand outside greeting everyone.

Jungkook turns to Taehyung before leaving the car, trying to gauge his state. The blonde just gives him a calm reassuring smile, clearly understanding the answer in his eyes. “Are we doing this or not, Mr. Jeon?”

The teasing is enough to make Jungkook roll his eyes and exit the car, handing the key to a young looking valet and thanking him before rounding the vehicle to open the door for Taehyung, hand reaching out to help him out of the car. Instantly, he notices some people turning their attention towards them, clearly having caught sight of the Jeon Jungkook. He feels slightly nervous as Taehyung gently takes his hand, a playful ‘what a gentleman’ leaving his lips before he’s straightening up and standing tall and elegant next to Jungkook. He seems to quickly catch up on the fact that people are looking, brushing a strand of hair away from his eyes and stepping closer to Jungkook.

This is it, Jungkook thinks, this is what we’re here for. Straightening his back in the posture of confidence he’s used to sport in front of these people, he offers his arm out to Taehyung who accepts it without hesitation, his free hand coming up to wrap around the bulge of his bicep as they walk closer to the entrance. Jungkook tries not to think too much about the proximity of their bodies and the heat radiating from Taehyung, focusing on bowing his head in a polite greeting to the familiar gazes he meets as they walk.

“Wow.” Taehyung gasps when Jungkook holds the door open for him, wide eyes full of wonder as he looks around the gallery.

Most people have arrived already, the atmosphere filled with the conversations and polite laughs. The fancy appetizers are carried around by well-dressed waiters along with what seems to be champagne and other drinks. The heavy scent of expensive perfume makes Jungkook’s nose itch and his head ache the slightest bit. A waiter approaches them shortly before they walk in, bowing politely and offering them elegant looking glasses of champagne. Jungkook doesn’t hesitate before reaching out and taking one of the glasses because there’s no way he will be able to survive through the night without some alcohol in his system.

“This tastes expensive as fuck.” Taehyung whispers next to him, eyes wide as he sips on his champagne and Jungkook can’t help but snort.

“Wait until they bring out the wine.”

“Hearing you talk like that I begin to fear that I’ll end the night carrying you back home on my back.” He shoves Taehyung’s shoulder gently at his playful tone, making the boy smile around the glass. “God, Jungkook, I feel like I just invaded the set for Crazy Rich Asians. These people look like they wipe their asses with bank notes.”

“I wouldn’t doubt if some of them did.” The comment pulls a soft giggle from Taehyung and Jungkook feels himself relax at the sound.

He looks around in search of familiar faces and spots a tuff of peachy colored hair next to one of the tables, recognizing it immediately despite the boy having his back turned to him. Yoongi stands right next to him, boringly sipping his champagne and seemingly deep in conversation with Seokjin, whose tall and slim figure stands out the most.

“Come, I want to introduce you to some people.” He pulls Taehyung gently despite the blonde’s curious gaze. Seokjin is the first to notice them in the distance, lips stretching in a wicked smile. Jungkook sighs. “That one with the madman smile is Seokjin, next to him is my brother.”

Taehyung hums lowly as he speaks, leaning closer to ask. “Who’s the one with the cool hair?”

Jungkook rolls his eyes at that. “That’s Jimin, he’s my brother’s boy toy. He’s also obnoxious as hell. Fashion designers, all lunatics.”

“Jungkookie! So happy to see you!” Seokjin greets with a wide smile once they’re close enough and the other two turn their attentions to the approaching couple.

“How unfortunate that the feeling isn’t mutual.” Jungkook answers stoically and Taehyung giggles next to him.

“Kookie, I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever!” Jimin exclaims dramatically, jewelry twinkling loudly as he moves to squeeze Jungkook’s cheek, the younger batting his hand away with a scowl. “And aren’t you just a sight for sore eyes.” The attention shifts to Taehyung at that, who has the nerve to look shy at Jimin’s comment, making the short boy coo in adoration. “You look absolutely gorgeous. I’m Jimin, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Taehyung bows deeply, a charming smile on his pink lips and cheeks dusted pink from Jimin’s compliment. “The pleasure is all mine, Jimin-ssi. I’m Kim Taehyung, I’ve been dying to meet Jungkook’s friends.”

“Jimin isn’t my friend, he’s here because Yoongi likes him and no one has had the courage to kick him out yet.” He huffs, but there’s no real bite to his tone and Jimin gasps loudly, slapping his arm.

“Don’t be a pain in the ass.” Yoongi butts in, stepping closer to wrap a protective arm around Jimin’s waist that has the boy smiling and kissing his cheek. “It’s good to meet you, Taehyung. Anyone who puts up with that brat deserves my deepest respect.”

“Ah, hyung!”

“It’s not that bad.” Taehyung chuckles brightly, scooting closer to Jungkook and leaning his head on the boy’s shoulder in an affectionate gesture, making him tense on his stance. “He’s all bark and no bite, really.”

At that Jungkook turns his head to look at Taehyung with an offended gasp that dies in his throat the moment he realizes how close their faces are, Taehyung’s pretty eyes staring brightly into his own as the other three laugh amusedly.

“It’s a family thing, really.” Jimin whispers loudly while gesturing to where Yoongi frowns next to him, fingers pinching his side and making the boy squeal. “Tell me, Taehyung-ssi, is charity work something you are used to do?”

Yoongi can’t control his snort at that and Jungkook almost chokes on his champagne, pinning Jimin under a sharp gaze that doesn’t seem to bother him in the slightest.

Then Taehyung is laughing, leaning over to mockingly whisper. “It’s a social experiment.”

They all lose it at that. “Yah, Jeon Jungkook, I like him already!” Jin exclaims loudly and Jungkook scoffs, turning his gaze away from the blonde.

“I don’t know why I ever thought this was a good idea.” Jungkook sighs as Taehyung is still giggling next to him.

“Oh please, stop being so dull. The night has barely started and you’re already being such a boring date.” Jimin scolds him with a teasing smirk and the next second he’s pulling Taehyung by the elbow. “Come Taehyung-ssi, we need to talk about that masterpiece of a shirt you’re wearing and maybe trash talk Jungkook a bit more. Let’s leave the boring gentlemen to brood on their own.”

Jungkook holds Taehyung’s wrist firmly before Jimin can pull him away completely, scanning his face in search of any kind of discomfort. The blonde, however, seems to understand the question in his gaze and just smiles brightly and shrugs, detaching himself from Jungkook’s arm to let Jimin cling to his side and carry him away towards another table. Jungkook sighs then, watching the two boys walk away while chatting animatedly, their laughs carried through the room every now and then.

“Jeon Jungkook.” Yoongi is calling him sternly as soon as the two boys are out of earshot, but there’s a smirk on his face betraying his tone. “Where did you find that boy?”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s way out of your league.” Seokjin laughs then, sipping on his champagne as Jungkook gapes at him.

“I’m Jeon Jungkook, what do you mean he’s out of my league?” He asks in mock offense, even if deep down he kind of believes Jin’s words. At least every time his gaze falls on Taehyung’s tall and graceful figure in the distance.

“Oh, my dearest boy. You may be rich and well mannered, but there’s a certain type of people that just surpass all that. Have you looked at that face? It looks like it came straight out of a Vogue cover!”

“I’m impressed, little brother.” Yoongi lifts his glass up at him with a playful smirk and Jungkook groans, looking away from them to distract himself from their teasing. The blush on his cheeks must still be noticeable, judging by the chuckles that leave the other’s lips, making him hold his glass a bit tighter.

They show him a little mercy after that, Yoongi changing the subject to fill him in on some deals they would be looking forward for the night. He listens intently, relief washing over him as his brother assures him that he his father would be taking care of most things and he would most likely not be too bothered beyond the obvious obligation of pleasing the guests with the usual small talk. He realizes after a while that he still hasn’t greeted his parents when he spots his mother talking with a familiar face in the distance. She stands tall and elegant in her modest grey dress, black hair caught in an intricate hairstyle that makes her facial features look sharper and younger.

He dismisses himself after a minute of dreading what’s about to come and receives two encouraging cheers that make him roll his eyes in annoyance. Taehyung is still conversing animatedly with Jimin next to a nearby table, back turned to Jungkook as his shoulders shake with obvious laughter. He takes a deep breathe to calm his racing heart as he approaches them, reminding himself that they’re a couple for the night, and he better act accordingly.

With that in mind he slides his arm easily to hug Taehyung’s slim waist making the boy jump in surprise that only last a few seconds as his body relaxes into Jungkook’s touch and a soft smile graces his features.

“Hey darling, I was just telling Jimin about how we met.” The pet name does something to Jungkook’s insides and he suddenly regrets not having picked another glass of champagne on his way as his throat feels dry like sandpaper.

“Yah, Jeon Jungkook, I can’t believe you referred to me as Yoongi’s boy toy.” Jimin’s offended look is enough to distract him from the heat on his face and make him snort at the older.

“Aren’t you, though?”

“I’m practically your brother in law, you disrespectful brat.” Taehyung giggles quietly next to him and Jungkook can feel it in his body because of how close they are. “Whatever, I’m going to find my boyfriend. Taehyung-ssi, if you need saving from his dreadful company just come find me, yeah?”

Jungkook just gapes silently at the two as Taehyung thanks Jimin with a charming smile and watches in horror as the shorter presses a wet kiss to an amused Taehyung’s cheek before walking away.

“What was that?” Taehyung laughs brightly at Jungkook’s shocked tone. “That boy, I swear.”

“Jimin was super nice to me!” Taehyung defends, turning in Jungkook’s hold to face him. He’s suddenly very much aware of their proximity and the air feels a little harder to inhale, thicker and warm. “He told me I should be a model, he even said that he would love to have me modelling his clothes. Isn’t that cool?!”

It’s impossible not to smile at the excitement radiating from Taehyung, tension temporarily forgotten as Jungkook shakes his head unable to contain his own amusement.

“Trust Jimin to be straight to the point with people he just met.”

“Ah, it’s alright. I was honestly expecting some entitled divas and smug old men, your friends are a refreshing surprise.” Taehyung’s hands are now resting delicately on his chest and Jungkook feels a sudden need to pull away and breathe, his senses a bit overwhelmed, but he can feel the looks on the back of his head and knows that this is exactly what they are here for.

“Believe me, you’ll have plenty of time to meet your fair share of those.” He says instead, and Taehyung’s chuckle eases his nerves a little bit. “But now there’s someone else we have to go greet.”

Taehyung must catch where his gaze travels to because he’s humming then, his fingers moving to fix the already neat silk scarf that hangs from his neck. “Are you nervous?”

“I should be asking you that. I already know my parents.” He jokes, protesting when Taehyung lands a playful slap on his chest. “Okay, okay, just kidding.”

“You won’t find it so funny when your parents fall in love with me and abandon you to keep me instead.”

Jungkook can’t control the laugh that erupts from his lips at the comment, following easily when Taehyung detangles himself from his hold to grab his hand instead and pull him towards where his parents stand. The touch feels warm and nicer than it probably should, and Jungkook forces himself to not think too much of it and instead slides his fingers in the spaces between Taehyung’s. The blonde looks up at him with a smile then, gently squeezing Jungkook’s hand as various glances travel to them across the room.

Jungkook’s mother notices them first, face lighting up with glee as she spots his hand tangled with Taehyung’s and gently taps his father’s shoulder to call his attention. Jungkook takes a deep breathe that has Taehyung nudging him gently with his elbow and takes his mom’s hand when she offers it.

“My baby, how handsome you look tonight!” She kisses his cheek with finesse and Jungkook feels himself flush under the comment, Taehyung’s gleeful chuckle making him very aware of the presence next to him. “And you must be Taehyung.”

Then the attention turns to him, and Jungkook finds himself surprised at how naturally Taehyung lets go of his hand to bow deeply and respectfully. “Mr. and Mrs. Jeon, it’s an absolute pleasure to finally meet you.” And in a gesture that has Jungkook gasping silently and his mom almost screaming in delight, Taehyung grabs his mom’s hand to bring it towards his lips and kiss it gently. “May I say, I can clearly see where Jungkook got his good looks from.”

“Oh, my dear, what a gentleman.” She practically preens as she widens her wonder filled eyes at Jungkook, hand coming up to press into her heart. “The pleasure is all ours, I’m very glad you were able to accompany our Jungkook.” She says gently and squeezes Taehyung’s slim hand as he straightens his posture. “Tell me, how are you finding it so far?”

“Everything is absolutely gorgeous, I had never been to the Dugahun Gallery before. I was very happy when Jungkook invited me to come along.” Taehyung responds easily, hand moving to curl around Jungkook’s arm gently and his mom is beaming at the sight.

“Wait until you see the exposition later, I’m sure you will enjoy it greatly.” His father muses and Taehyung smiles politely at him in that charming way of his.

“Oh, I’m very excited, Jungkook told me you were working with Xooang Choi? I’m such a big fan of his work.”

“Really? How amazing! Our Jungkookie here has no interest in art, unfortunately, so I’m very glad to know you are an appreciator, maybe you could teach him a thing or two.” His mother croons and Jungkook can’t even feel offended at the comment when Taehyung is right there next to him carrying a conversation with his parents so effortlessly. His smile looks like the most natural expression in the world, eyelashes fluttering charmingly to each word spoken and Jungkook is bewitched.

“I’m actually majoring in art right now. I have a degree in International Relations since I want to have a secure plan for my future, but since I graduated and considering I’m still young I wanted to pursue something I enjoy as deeply as I enjoy arts.” Jungkook knows it’s a half true half lie, but it’s obviously the right thing to say judging by how his parents light up with satisfaction at Taehyung’s words.

“Ah, a man of the arts! Jungkookie, when did you get so lucky?” His mother coos at Taehyung, visibly charmed by the blonde’s pearly smile and polite words.

“Oh Mrs. Jeon, I think it’s the complete opposite.” His gaze then travels to Jungkook, who had been watching him intently the whole time. The smile on his lips reaches his eyes, turning them into the most adorable crescent shape, and he doesn’t have to fake the smile that blooms in his own face at that.

“Dear, I think we should give them a moment to enjoy themselves.” Jungkook’s father steals the attention then, a look in his eyes that the black haired recognizes immediately as pride. “I will need to steal Jungkook away later anyway.”

“Ah, but of course!” Jungkook’s mother smiles with glee, holding Taehyung’s hand in hers again. “Taehyung-ssi, I’m looking forward to converse with you again. Maybe we can admire some pieces together later on, while they both discuss business?”

“It would be my pleasure, Mrs. Jeon.”

She squeezes his hand excitedly before letting go to press another kiss to Jungkook’s cheeks, taking advantage of the moment to whisper in his ear. “Don’t you let this boy slip away, Jeon Jungkook.”

And really, Jungkook takes a little too long to get himself back together from the embarrassment of the comment, knowing full well that Taehyung must have heard it if his little gleeful chuckle is anything to go by. They both bow as his parents excuse themselves, his father reminding him to meet him before the exposition. Then they’re gone, and Taehyung is turning slightly to face him with a beaming smile.

“They. Adore. Me.” Jungkook covers his face as the boy whispers animatedly, eyes filled with mirth.

“You are something else entirely, Kim Taehyung.”

“Oh, come on, darling. Didn’t it go well?” Jungkook feels himself flush at the pet name, fingers coming up to hook on the silk scarf that suddenly feels tighter than before.

“Too well.” It’s just a mumble, but Taehyung hears it anyway and there’s a cocky smile on his face in the next second. Jungkook regrets everything. “What was that whole kissing my mother’s hand thing, anyway? You’re a kiss ass. And I didn’t even know you were such a fan of contemporary art.”

“Correction, I’m a gentleman. And to answer your question: I’m not. I don’t even like contemporary arts, I was just doing my job at making your parents fall in love with me.” They start walking towards the tables where the food is presented, Taehyung’s hand back on his slightly arched arm. Jungkook scoffs in disbelief. “Your mother was delighted. If she hadn’t been planning our wedding before, she definitely is now.”

“You’re making me regret every single life decision right now.” Taehyung gasps in mock offense, detaching himself from Jungkook to pick up a porcelain plate. His lips pout slightly as he scans the displayed food in indecision and Jungkook is so endeared.

“Quit whining, I literally did all the talk. You’re so awkward, Jungkook, you’re lucky I’m here.” Jungkook widens his eyes at him, watching as the blonde continues to circulate the food picking all kinds of different delicacies.

“Excuse you? I’m not awkward.”

“Yes, you most certainly are. You barely spoke a word in front of your parents, and they’re your parents.” He points out, this time eyeing Jungkook across the small table with an accusative glare. “And you were so tense, too.”

“I wasn’t tense.” Jungkook crosses his arms over his chest in a protective stance then, not bothering if he looks a bit like a whiny child in the process. “It’s not my fault this comes as natural as breathing for you.”

“Oh, darling, it’s just the fake it ‘till you make it kind of situation.” Taehyung promptly finishes gathering his food and rounds the table to meet Jungkook again, silvery fork coming up to his mouth so he can bite into a strawberry, the red juice of the fruit tinting his full lips. “You need to loosen up, you can’t be looking like you’re in a military parade every time I lean onto you.”

There’s something utterly disarming in the way Taehyung is eyeing him now, a glint of something in his look that Jungkook can’t quite pinpoint. It’s alluring and Jungkook feels charmed when Taehyung leans a bit closer, picking another strawberry to bring it to Jungkook’s mouth this time. And really, he doesn’t know what possesses him in that moment but he parts his lips without hesitation to wrap them around the fruit being offered to him, eyes not leaving Taehyung’s for a second even when the other seems to tense just the slightest bit, throat swallowing around nothing, or perhaps the remainder of his own strawberry. It looks like too many seconds and at the same time not nearly enough when Taehyung’s eyes drift away to glance at something in the distance, fork picking some small cake Jungkook doesn’t even try to decipher.

“They keep looking, all of them.” He comments quietly, eyes traveling back and forth between Jungkook’s and the room behind him. “They keep looking at us.”

It’s the way he says it, with something in his tone that is so far from discomfort, almost sounding proud and a bit cocky. It has Jungkook’s insides twisting a bit, tongue dry against the inside of his cheek in a habit that he can’t quite get rid of.

“I haven’t—“ He coughs, his voice sounding rough in a way that makes him flush at the glint in Taehyung’s eyes. Jungkook takes a flute of champagne from the tray of a nearby waiter and takes a long sip before speaking again. “I haven’t showed up to any of these with someone on my arm in a while. Quite a long time, to be honest.”

Taehyung hums, biting into the rest of his cake, the melted filling dripping into his lips and making him dart the tip of his tongue out to catch it. He’s stepping an inch closer then, holding the plate in one of his hands so he can take Jungkook’s wrist with the other and guide it so the boy’s arm is hugging his slim waist. Jungkook shudders, closing his eyes briefly to remind himself that it’s all for show, it’s all pretend, people are looking and this is a statement.

When he opens his eyes Taehyung is close, as close as he can be with the porcelain plate between them. He is smiling too, but it’s far less sweet than the one he sported when talking to his parents. This one is more subtle, the hint of something on the curve of his lips that Jungkook doesn’t know if he wants to discover. Taehyung feeds him another bite of his food then, eyes glowing under the bright lights as Jungkook automatically parts his lip to him, hand unconsciously squeezing his waist tighter, and the moment is so intimate that he doesn’t have to look to know that if people weren’t looking at them before then they definitely were now.

“Let them look.” Taehyung is whispering then, eyes narrowed like it’s some kind of dirty secret. “We’ll give them something to look at.”

And truly, he’s faithful to his words.

Except Jungkook is not quite sure that their proximity is what makes people look, but more like Taehyung’s charm that has everyone on their feet. They go along through the night greeting business partners and clients, everyone stopping by to have some small talk with Jungkook and ending up enchanted by Taehyung’s bright smile and elegant sympathy. If they weren’t the center of attention before, Taehyung quickly makes sure that they are, making most of the talk and for the first time in forever sparing Jungkook of the dreadful obligation of exchanging pleasantries. He doesn’t mind, not in the slightest, very happy in just greeting the approaching rich figures and letting Taehyung sweet talk them into delightful chuckles and wonder filled eyes.

It’s absolutely enchanting, the way the blonde moves so elegantly from conversation to conversation with such ease, gathering everyone in the palm of his pretty hand, all the while holding onto Jungkook like a lifeline and leaning against his side with each laugh. And this shouldn’t be happening, Jungkook’s heart shouldn’t be picking up with each and every touch, his breath shouldn’t be knocked out of his lungs every time he glances at Taehyung to see him laughing brightly. But it’s happening, and Jungkook feels like an outsider watching it all in third person.

He’s so distracted by it all that he doesn’t even realize when Minjun arrives, French girl on his hold while being shown off like a pretty trophy. He’s too busy bathing in the deep resonating sound of Taehyung’s gentle words to even notice the approaching couple, the man sporting a deep frown at the sight of Jungkook and the blonde so close together.

“Jeon Jungkook.” He’s so distracted, and then the voice is right behind him, making him freeze up for a second. “So good to see you out here socializing instead of scurrying away into a corner like usual.”

Then the ice is melting due to the boiling anger inside of him and he’s turning around to see Minjun’s smug smile directed right towards him. Taehyung seems to sense the tension and excuses himself from their previous conversation with some small investor to join Jungkook’s side, curious eyes looking from him to the couple in front of them.

“Minjun.” His voice comes out expressionless despite his strong will to tell the man to fuck off because he was raised better than that. Taehyung, the clever boy that he is, seems to pick up right away when hearing the name, hand moving to slide between Jungkook’s shoulder blades in a touch that has him relaxing his muscles a little bit. Then he’s smiling brightly.

“Ah, Minjun-ssi, it’s a pleasure to meet you!” Minjun moves his gaze to the blonde at that and the disgusted way in which he eyes Taehyung from top to bottom has Jungkook’s skin burning with anger. Without thinking twice he slides a possessive arm around Taehyung’s waist, pulling him more firmly against his side, and he thinks he might be imagining the shuddered sigh that leaves Taehyung’s lips.

“And you are?” There’s clear venom pouring from the words but before Jungkook can even speak up against Minjun’s clear rude behavior Taehyung is emitting a sweet (and very fake) laughter and bowing slightly.

“Kim Taehyung, I’m Jungkook’s boyfriend.” He says it with so much confidence, lies so effortlessly, that it does things to Jungkook’s heart. “I’m glad we’re finally meeting, I heard so much about you.”

“Sadly, I can’t say the same.” Jungkook grits his teeth at the sharp reply but Taehyung is quick to reach for his wrist that rests firmly on his hip and squeeze it in reassurance. “I’m sure you’ve already heard about Slyvie, she’s French. Slyvie, dear, meet Jeon Jungkook and his companion.”

He introduces the woman with a knowing smirk on his face and Jungkook is really, really trying hard not to punch him in front of everyone in the room. The girl is tall and thin as most models are, auburn long hair falling in shiny waves over her petite shoulders. Her face is small and with an exotic beauty that can only be European, eyes of a charming jade that glint with friendliness when she bows respectfully, the Korean way. She’s beautiful, really, way too pretty to be in the claws of someone like Minjun.

“Enchanté, mademoiselle.” Taehyung’s deep voice fills the air as they both bow and Jungkook is shocked by the rich accent, cheeks aflame as Slyvie widens her pretty eyes in surprise and hides a gleeful giggle behind her perfectly manicured hand.

“Merci, monsieur.” She regards Taehyung with a delighted smile and Jungkook can’t help but feel a bit cocky at the look in Minjun’s face. “I speak bit Korean, but small.” She says in a thick and awkward accent, cheeks tinted a dusty pink, and Jungkook finds himself feeling sorry for seeing such a lovely woman with someone like Minjun.

“Oh, très bien, vraiment!” Taehyung is cheering animatedly and Minjun practically growls out loud.

“Well, it’s a surprise to see you with company. You two look… cute.”

“Cut the bullshit, Minjun.” Jungkook snaps then, quickly sending an apologetic look at Slyvie, but the girl doesn’t seem to have understood his words.

“Gee, calm down, Jungkookie, I’m just trying to be polite here.” Minjun raises his hands in mock defense, smug smile ever in place, and Jungkook huffs out a breath in disbelief.

“It’s Jungkook-ssi to you. Don’t pretend we’re friends.”

“You wound me, really. Such animosity in front of your new friend, what will he think of me?” He says it with such a mocking tone, completely unbothered by the fact that Jungkook is the only one in the room that truly knows how much of an absolute piece of trash he really is, and it infuriates him to no end.

He’s about to retort, fist clenched tightly on his side, when Taehyung beats him to it, saving the situation once again.

“Oh, darling, I just remembered. Didn’t your brother ask us to meet him outside before the opening of the exposition?” It seems so genuine, his tone and the way his wide eyes travel to Jungkook, gentle hand finding purchase on his broad chest and serving as a comforting weight over his racing heart. “We should probably go find him soon.”

He’s so perfect, it makes Jungkook’s heart ache a little bit. He doesn’t have to force himself to anything when his fingers naturally unclench to reach for a strand of soft blonde hair, tucking it behind the boy’s ear and making his pretty lashes flutter.

“You’re right, we should.” It comes out quieter than he intended, the animosity he felt towards Minjun completely melting away as he stares into Taehyung’s smiling eyes.

Then the blonde is turning his face away to bow deeply to a very annoyed Minjun and his girlfriend. “It was a real pleasure to meet you both, but I’m afraid we might have to continue our conversation later.”

“Of course, we wouldn’t want to be in your way.”

It’s so sardonic, so distasteful, makes Jungkook’s insides curl. He still bows in silence, granting the French girl a smile because she has absolutely no fault that her boyfriend is an absolute piece of shit.

“On pourrait en parler plus tard?”

She smiles. “J'adorerais ça.”

Then he’s being guided towards the entrance by Taehyung, still holding his waist firmly. When they finally step outside, the cool air of the night washes over Jungkook and makes him shiver momentarily, his muscles tensing before relaxing finally. He takes a deep breath and lets go of Taehyung, who moves to lean against the wall next to him. It’s a good night, despite the cold breeze and the cloudy sky, and the sound of the conversations occurring inside the gallery are muffled enough to not be overwhelming.

“I didn’t know you spoke French.” He comments then, turning his head where it leans against the wood to look at Taehyung. Right there where it’s darker, the discreet lights cast unmoving shadows across the boy’s face. He shrugs.

“Haven’t spoken in a long time, my pronunciation was probably all wrong.”

“Hmm, she seemed to understand just fine.”

 Taehyung regards him a soft smile at that and there’s the usual wave of comforting silence surrounding them again. It’s nice, he thinks. There aren’t many people Jungkook can be quiet with, not a very big fan of awkward silences. But with Taehyung, silence just seems like something peaceful and calming.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Uh?”

Taehyung is looking at him, the slight breeze brushing his styled hair away from his face. The wind blows a bit colder then and the blonde seems to shudder under the thin fabric of his blouse. “Minjun.” He says quietly. “I thought you told me he doesn’t affect you like that anymore.”

“And he doesn’t.” He assures and it’s true. Taehyungs sighs.

“That’s not what it looked like back there. You were pretty shaken.”

“I wasn’t shaken.” He shakes his head and Taehyung just grants him a deadpan look. “I’m serious, I wasn’t. I was angry, yes, but not in the way you’re thinking.”

“I’m not sure I follow.” And Jungkook is sighing, fingers coming up to pinch the bridge of his nose. “Do you… still have feelings for him?”

“No, not at all.” He’s heard that question far too many times to even need to think before responding. “I’m just—He infuriates me, he’s so cocky showing off that girl like that and—“

“That definitely sounds like you have feelings for him.” Taehyung scoffs and Jungkook knows he’s just teasing him (he must be, right?) but still feels a weird need to explain himself.

“It’s not what you’re thinking, really.” He admits, and looks away from Taehyung’s curious gaze. “It’s just that—I didn’t tell you why we broke up.”

“Do you want to?” He asks then, and it’s open and honest. An offer to listen to whatever is going on in Jungkook’s mind. Weirdly, he finds that he actually does want to be sincere with Taehyung.

“Minjun cheated on me.” He blurts out and it doesn’t come with as much difficulty as he thought it would. When he glances at Taehyung, the blonde is looking up at him in shock. “Yeah, I know. Rich and young Jeon Jungkook, being cheated on by a coworker, sounds like a cheap drama.” He laughs humorlessly, catching from the corner of his eyes how Taehyung shivers once more when the breeze picks up. “Why didn’t you bring a jacket, hyung?”

Taehyung is still staring at him with wide brown eyes, unmoving except for the tremble of his limbs, and Jungkook sighs before shrugging off his black designer suit jacket to cover the blonde’s shivering frame. His hands linger for a small moment on the lapels in the front, securing the piece on Taehyung’s shoulders before letting go, surprised to see the tinge of pink that dusts over the blonde’s cheeks.

“I’m sorry.” He says it so softly, a barely there murmur, but it buries deep in Jungkook’s chest.

He smiles. “Don’t be, it’s okay now.”

“It’s not.” Taehyung furrows his eyebrows, an upset frown so endearing that has Jungkook chuckling despite the words. “Is that why you were so mad?”

“I wasn’t mad because of what happened between us.” He admits, falling back into the wall of the building and breathing the night air deeply into his lungs. “I was angry because no one knows the truth, and he takes advantage of that to wave himself in front of my face.”

“Your parents don’t know?” There’s surprise in Taehyung’s features, his pretty hands holding the lapels of the jacket to tug it more firmly against his body to protect himself from the cold.

“Like I said, no one knows. At least besides me, Yoongi and Seokjin. Well, and you now.”

“Why didn’t you tell them?”

Jungkook presses his lips together, the words feeling stuck in his throat. Despite it not being something bad, it still pains him to admit it, it’s still hard to be the better man. Then Taehyung is pressing closer against his side, a reassuring presence, and he finds himself answering the question.

“I guess that despite being furious and hurt about what Minjun did, I didn’t want to be responsible for ruining his life.” He admits, weighting his words carefully. “We work at the same company, but his father isn’t the CEO, mine is. If I told my dad what he had done, I don’t think he would go as far as firing him, even though I can’t guarantee anything, but I’m sure he would make his life much harder. He would most likely be set aside and demoted to some shittier role. I didn’t want to have that in my hands. Despite everything Minjun has done to me, he’s still very good at what he does, and an asset to this company. I’m not going to let my personal problems be an obstacle to my father’s business.”

He takes in a deep breath and finds that it comes easier than the previous ones, the words lifting some weight he didn’t realize he had been carrying around on his shoulder. He glances at Taehyung from the corner of his eyes, smiling when he observes the blonde’s pensive expression.

“I know what you must be thinking, it’s such a dumb move from my part to protect someone who did me so dirty. I had Seokjin after my ass for weeks after that, but I don’t regret it in the slightest. Sure, Minjun is absolute trash, but I didn’t do it for him or because I still loved him; I did it for me.”

“I wasn’t thinking that.” There’s an offended look to the furrow of his brows when he says it, eyes still looking away from Jungkook. “I think it’s commendable, what you did.”

Jungkook snaps his surprised eyes at Taehyung then. “You do?”

He nods. “If it were me, I would have exposed him for the asshole he is without a single ounce of remorse. So I do think it’s amazing that you were able to move on without needing some kind of revenge; that despite what he did to you and how it must have hurt, you still managed to be the bigger person in the situation. I admire your character, Jungkook, I truly do.”

The words don’t quite settle in right away, Jungkook processing them for a while before the heat that he’s grown quite familiar with blooms in his chest. It makes him relieved in a way he doesn’t really understand, the way Taehyung doesn’t look at him like he’s some kind of weak poor dumped lover.

He never felt like that, but he knows that that was what Seokjin and Yoongi thought at the time, that he didn’t have the courage to harm Minjun because of how much he still loved him despite being so wronged. It’s true, he did love him at the time, and that’s why the truth of what Minjun had been hiding from him for so long hurt so much, but that’s not the reason he decided to keep the reality of the situation to himself and Taehyung understands it.

“I feel sorry for Slyvie now, she has no idea what she got herself into.” Jungkook hums in agreement, watching as Taehyung slowly rotates his head to face him again.

Like this, sides pressed together while they both lean against the wall, Jungkook can clearly see every detail of Taehyung’s complexion that peeks out through the sheer cover of foundation on his skin. Up close he looks even more beautiful, pouted lips slightly red from the cold that make Jungkook’s own itch to have a taste.

He pretends for a second that their situation is different. He pretends that he and Taehyung really got gradually close as neighbors and eventually started going on dates, sharing their lives, their passions. He pretends that Taehyung is indeed there as his boyfriend, and that every touch and look is charged with real infatuation. He pretends he can just lean in and taste Taehyung’s trembling lips, curl his arm around his waist and bring him close to share some warmth with the shivering boy. He pretends, just for a second, and does the next best thing, bringing his cold fingers up to lightly brush the boy’s cold cheek, a barely there caress.

And he doesn’t know if Taehyung is sharing his thoughts, if he gives himself a moment to pretend too when his eyelids flutter shut and ever so gently leans into the touch (just the slightest bit). The breeze blows a little stronger and Taehyung tights his hold on the lapels of Jungkook’s jacket thrown over him, trembling lips parting to let out a small exhale that creates a cloud of condensation.

The space between them smells like the many strawberries they shared and the sweet champagne they had drunk, and it’s a bit intoxicating. Taehyung snaps his eyes open then, and Jungkook allows himself to admire the flutter of his long eyelashes for one moment more before dropping his hand from the blonde’s cheek and leaning away from the wall.

“You’re freezing, we should go inside.” Taehyung smiles in that soft way of his and follows him back into the gallery with an arm secured firmly around his. Jungkook feels himself melting under the touch like always.

Just like that, the moment is gone.

They go back to the small talk with the rich guests, and eventually head to the exposition with everyone else. Jungkook is forced to leave Taehyung’s side then, the boy assuring him that he’ll be fine before his mother arrives to take the blonde away and shooing Jungkook to go meet his father.

For what feels like way too many hours he engages in the boring business talk, going from investor to investor in tow with his father and speaking up only when he has actually any idea of what the conversation is about. He pretends to understand the critics and praises about the different pieces, discreetly glancing at his rolex every now and then to check on the time. Throughout the whole thing Jungkook finds it gradually harder to avoid the way his eyes automatically lift to scan the crowd of people in search for a familiar blonde hair.

It confuses him, the way Taehyung managed to somehow get into his head so easily. He finds himself missing the warmth of another body attached to his arm and Taehyung’s gentle laugh in his ear. He goes from conversation to conversation, exchanging pleasantries with beautiful women dressed in the finest dresses and attractive men groomed in the most expensive suits, and yet in his mind floats only the imagine of a giggling Taehyung, hiding his smile in the curve of Jungkook’s shoulder.

He’s impatient, wondering where Taehyung is, who’s keeping him company, if he’s comfortable without Jungkook by his side, if he’s being bothered by anyone. Despite not knowing Taehyung for long, it’s enough for Jungkook to have picked up how headstrong and independent the blonde is, earning a certain respect without ever needing to lose his gentle smile and composure. He knows that Taehyung would be the last person to need someone to save him from any kind of situation, yet he still finds himself exhaling in relief when his eyes find the familiar tall blonde figure in the distance.

Taehyung is talking to Jimin, a glass of scarlet wine held by his elegant fingers. His other hand is curled in front of his mouth in a failed attempt to hide his delighted laugh as Jimin speaks animatedly, earning a few glances from the people closest to them. It makes Jungkook smile slightly before he can avoid it.

“He really got you wrapped around his finger, uh?” Jungkook looks away from the two boys, startled by the voice. Yoongi is leaning closer to him with a playful smirk adorning his lips, making Jungkook squirm uncomfortably under the attention. “What is this? Jeon Jungkook blushing? Wow, what a day to be alive.”

“Shut up.” He snaps, but that just seems to make Yoongi laugh even more. “It’s not like that.”

“Oh, I think it is. You can’t take your eyes away from him, it’s sickening.” He teases and Jungkook shoves his shoulder in a silent protest, eyes traveling to where Taehyung stands with Jimin before he can help himself. “I don’t say it in a bad way, trust me. I haven’t seen that look in your face in such a long time.”

“I agree with Yoongi.” Jungkook throws a surprised look at Jin, who just casually joins their conversation, flute of champagne in hand.

“Where did you come from?”

“Don’t change the subject, we’re talking about how you’re absolute whipped for Taehyung.” The tall blonde smiles sheepishly, long arm coming up to wrap around Jungkook’s shoulders. “I must agree that seeing you not look like an emotionally constipated teenager for once is really refreshing.”

“I’m not emotionally constipated, and I’m certainly not a teenager.” Jungkook protests, trying to shake Seokjin’s arm away, but the taller just tightens his grip.

“Oh, please.” Yoongi snickers and Jungkook throws him a pointed look. “What? Everyone notices, Jungkookie. You usually spend the whole time brooding in the corner during this type of events. You’re weirdly communicative today.”

“Taehyung is the one doing all the talking.” He murmurs, sipping on his own wine to busy himself with something and try very hard not to glance in Taehyung’s direction again.

“Obviously.” Jin teases, groaning when Jungkook elbows him in the ribs for the comment. “His company is much more pleasant than yours.”

Yoongi nods in agreement, adding a ‘And he’s much better to look at too’ and Jungkook just scoffs, not even bothering to look offended at the betrayal. Especially because even he agrees; it’s hard to believe that anyone is better company (or better to look at) than Taehyung.

“But honestly, Jungkook, I’m very happy for you.” Yoongi speaks with earnest and Jungkook just shrugs. “I mean it, Taehyung seems like a good kid and you deserve to be happy. You look… alive when you’re with him.”

It’s not like the thought hadn’t crossed his mind already, but hearing someone else say it makes Jungkook press his lips nervously. Mostly because he’s been feeling more alive than he remembers through the whole night and it’s messing with his head.

“Yoongi is right. I haven’t seen you this smitten since, well…”

“I know.” Jungkook interrupts and Seokjin nods silently, hand patting Jungkook’s shoulder sympathetically. He sighs. “I know, hyung.”

“And speaking of the devil.” Yoongi sing songs and before Jungkook can even begin to decipher his words there’s a lovely giggle reaching his ears from behind him.

“What are you boys conspiring about?” Jimin asks warily, joining Yoongi’s side with elegant strides and preening at the kiss the other presses on his temple.

“Oh, nothing.” Seokjin detaches himself from Jungkook’s shoulders immediately as Taehyung shows up by his side, a happy smile on his face. “Me and Yoongi were just discussing how disgustingly whipped Jungkookie is for T—“

“Hyung.” Jungkook whines and they laugh at his disgruntled expression. “Shut up.”

“What, Jeon Jungkook is feeling timid now?” Jimin joins in and the dark haired boy sends him a pointed look that only seems to make his devilish smile grow impossibly bigger. “I was just telling Taehyung how impressed I was that he managed to finally break you out of that gloomy shell of yours. Seriously, I’ve been telling you for months that you just needed to get laid, but you never listen to me.”

Jungkook chokes on the last sip of wine as the others laugh with nods of agreement, Jimin looking as cocky as ever as Seokjin butts in. “I told him the same this week, it’s nice to know he followed the advice.”

“Oh my god.” Jungkook groans in mortification and doesn’t dare a look at Taehyung, who’s currently snickering by his side, seemingly very entertained with the way he’s being teased.

“Hey, cheer up Jungkookie! We’re taking the night to celebrate the miracle of your sex life’s rebirth!” Jimin chirps and it’s perhaps a tad bit too loud judging by some shocked looks they receive from some nearby people. They don’t seem to care, laughing together at Jungkook’s misery as they clink glasses together. Seokjin goes as far as throwing a playful wink at the dark haired boy and he decides he had enough teasing for one night.

“I hate you all, and Taehyung and I are going to grab another drink because I don’t have nearly enough alcohol in my system to deal with you right now.” He throws a deadly glance at the still laughing boys and grabs Taehyung’s hand blindly before pulling the blonde along towards the mini bar set up a little further away.

“Oh, is grabbing a drink modern slang for making out behind the exhibitors?” Jimin whispers clearly loudly enough for them to hear and Jungkook hisses without turning around, walking in longer strides as the three boys snicker like high school kids behind them.

“Don’t mind them, they’re basically overgrown children.” Jungkook groans at a very amused Taehyung, who’s biting his bottom lip in a poor attempt to contain his own laughter. He orders a glass of wine and his fingers come up to nervously fix the silk scarf around his neck in an attempt to calm himself down. It’s futile.

Staying calm is probably the most impossible task right now, considering that Taehyung is right there leaning against the counter next to Jungkook, pretty blonde hair shining under the white lights. And Jungkook might be losing it a little bit, because he can’t stop thinking about how bad of an idea this was, how everyone is so infatuated with Taehyung (including Jungkook, for fuck’s sake). It’s his fault, honestly. He should’ve said no from the moment Taehyung looked at him across the kitchen isle, those deep brown eyes promising him all sorts of trouble he wasn’t ready to deal with.

He still isn’t, and it’s hard to keep it cool when every time he glances at Taehyung he can only think about how much he wishes he could kiss him silly, wrap his strong arm around his middle and press them flush together, feel all the soft and hard lines of his body against his own. And it’s so goddamn idiotic because he’s known Taehyung for so long but they aren’t even that close and they’ve been hanging out for like, three days?

Jungkook thinks he might be going insane.

“Hey there, tiger. You might want to take it easy.” Taehyung jokes amusedly as Jungkook downs his glass of wine in lack of a better thing to calm his nerves with. It’s a terrible idea, really, but it’s not like Jungkook has been making any good decisions lately so what’s one more, right?

Then Taehyung is grabbing his wrist and prying his glass away from his mouth, one of those pretty smiles on his lips and it’s so goddamn hard. Because his lips are a beautiful burgundy color from the wine he’s been sipping on and there’s this glint in his brown eyes that makes something shift inside Jungkook’s chest and he’s so gone. Fuck, he definitely drank too much, despite his previous claims.

Taehyung chuckles quietly. “Let’s slow down, shall we?” Jungkook looks away at that, an all too familiar warmth on his cheeks. Taehyung steps a bit closer, fingers mindlessly playing with the silk material falling from Jungkook’s neck. “I think you’d be interested in knowing about the pleasant conversation I had with your mom earlier.”

Jungkook perks up curiously at that and he doesn’t know if he likes the smirk on Taehyung’s face. “Did she annoy you too much?”

“Not at all, she’s quite nice company. We talked a lot about various subjects, she’s a very cultured woman.” Jungkook hums at that, feeling the slightest bit dizzy. He doesn’t know if it’s from the alcohol or from the way Taehyung’s fingers brush his chest every now and then. “I like her a lot, really. I could see some of you in her, it’s rather cute.”

“Oh lord, she’s got you.” He sighs dramatically and Taehyung laughs, hitting his chest lightly.

“I’m serious, she was so nice to me. And she worries so much about you, I could tell by the way she talks about you. You have a very proud and caring mother, you know.”

Taehyung’s smiling, but Jungkook detects the subtle hint of something like sadness in the curve of his lips. He thinks back to the brief conversation they had about Taehyung’s parents and his heart tightens a little bit. He knows the blonde doesn’t have the best relationship with his family, and seeing Jungkook’s dynamic with his parents probably brings back unpleasant memories. He feels bad for not being more sensible about it sooner and grabs Taehyung’s wrist to give it a gentle squeeze in what he hopes can be a comforting touch.

“I’m sorry.” He murmurs, but Taehyung’s smile is nothing short of blinding when he looks up at him.

“Don’t be silly, why would you be sorry? It makes me happy, Jungkook.” He says honestly and Jungkook can’t help but believe his words. Taehyung averts his gaze from him then, his smile softening. “I can’t say that it doesn’t make me a bit jealous, because it definitely does. I hope you know how lucky you are to have a family that cares so much about you.”

“I know.” He assures, thumb caressing the bony edge of Taehyung’s thin wrist. He doesn’t know what else to say, what to do to comfort the blonde, but nothing seems to be necessary when the saddened look is suddenly flashing away from his eyes and he’s looking at Jungkook again.

“But about my conversation with your mom…” He starts, biting his lip to fight a smile that holds a teasing edge to it. Jungkook drops his hand from Taehyung’s wrist then, pinching the bridge of his nose the second he detects what’s to come. “She invited us both for dinner.”

“She what?” Taehyung throws his head back in laughter at the screech Jungkook can’t hold in. “Oh, fuck no.”

“She was very offended that you hadn’t introduced me to her previously and said that she wants to have a chance to get to know me properly, just us and them.” Jungkook doesn’t know why the thought seems to excite Taehyung so much, considering that he himself is mortified.

“Why are you so ablaze with this?”

“It sounds fun!” He defends himself and Jungkook snorts incredulously.

“Fun? This is the worst idea ever!”

Taehyung rolls his eyes at him, fingers twisting the silk of his scarf. “Don’t be such a spoilsport, this is the perfect opportunity for you to get your mom off your back for like, a long time.” He points out, and despite it making sense, Jungkook can’t help but think that it’s the worst idea they’ve had so far. “Plus, she wants to take us to Dining in Space, are you kidding me?”

Jungkook snorts at that, shaking his head incredulously at Taehyung’s wonder filled expression. “It’s not that big of a deal, I’ve been there a couple of times. The food isn’t even that great, despite the view being outstanding.”

“You are unbelievable.” Taehyung gasps, leaning away slightly to give Jungkook the most disgusted look. “It’s like, one of the best restaurants in Seoul. I’d have to sell my ass to even afford a meal there.”

The dead serious look on his face along with his words is enough to make Jungkook laugh, tension dissipating a bit from his shoulders. “And your definition of the perfect luxury restaurant experience is going there with my parents?” He asks in disbelief and Taehyung is rolling his pretty eyes at him again.

“I already told you I like them, they’re very nice to me and your mom showed a lot of interest in my art.” He leans back into Jungkook’s space, the air thickening with the subtle scent of his cologne. “Besides, I already told her we would be happy to accept the invitation.”

“Taehyung.” Jungkook groans and the older boy pouts slightly at him, plush lower lip jutting out and eyes turning an impossible round shape that has Jungkook’s mind doing a double take. He sighs. “This is such a terrible idea. It’s one thing to act like a couple in an event full of people, but at a restaurant with my parents? It will be so much more personal, we can’t afford any slip ups.” He points out, head already swimming with the thought of how convincing they’d have to be with the sharp attention of his parents constantly evaluating them.

Taehyung just sighs tiredly. “Look, I should be the one opposing to this and I’m not. They already bought it today, what makes you think it’d be so hard to fool them again?”

“I don’t know if you noticed, but unlike you I’m not the best actor around.” He hisses, and Taehyung crosses his arms in annoyance.

“You’re doing just fine, I don’t understand what your problem is.”

“My problem is that you’re signing me up to lie to my parent’s faces for an entire night.” He says in exasperation, because Taehyung doesn’t understand and he sure as hell can’t explain it to him.

“It’s not much different from what we’ve already been doing for the past few hours.” He says, the furrow on his brows deepening.

“You could at least have talked to me about it before agreeing!”

“Why, do you really think you can’t suck it up for one more night?” His voice is hushed, but their faces must clearly show their frustration because people are starting to look and the last thing Jungkook wants is for it to seem like he’s having an argument with his newly introduced boyfriend.

Taehyung seems to catch up on the same thought, because in the next second his face is softening and he’s stepping impossibly closer, arms coming up to rest on Jungkook’s broad shoulders. Without thinking much, Jungkook’s hands curl around Taehyung’s slim hips, and if before it looked like they were about to fight, now it looks like they’re one step away from doing something else entirely. Jungkook fights the urge to close his eyes when Taehyung’s slim fingers absent mindedly brush against the back of his neck, his entire body buzzing with a kind of electricity he’s not familiar with.

“Besides, I really want to eat my allowance away in one meal.” Taehyung is murmuring then, and it requires sincere effort for Jungkook to remember what they were talking about previously. “Plus, what excuse were you planning to give for us to reject the invitation? You can’t break us up so soon, it’d look way too suspicious.”

Taehyung is right, even though Jungkook can’t understand why he’s so invested in this. Sure, he’d offered to help with the excuse that he didn’t mind and Jungkook was in need, but he’s giving it way too much thought for someone who isn’t even directly benefitting from the whole deal.

Defeated, Jungkook sighs. “Did she give you a date?”

Taehyung seems delighted at his resignation, rocking excitedly on his heels as his hold around Jungkook’s neck tightens the slightest bit. He feels like he can’t breathe. “Sometime next week, perhaps next weekend, she said she’d text me to set a day.”

“She has your phone number?”

When Taehyung laughs like a child who stole the last sweet, Jungkook knows he just set himself up for his doom.

-x-

It’s to no one’s surprise that the days following Friday night are a nightmare to Jungkook. He finds himself staying in his office later than usual, going home only when the moon has long taken over the sky and it’s late enough that everything is closed and he has no other solution than eating whatever garbage is left in the back of his fridge for dinner. He can’t sleep, not properly, because the moment he closes his eyes the same pair of brown irises are there to haunt him and he can’t seem to shake Taehyung’s smile away from his mind. It’s stupid, he feels like a goddamn teenager with a crush and it’s making him so irritated that his employees are starting to notice, the whispers in the office growing every morning when he arrives with purple bags under his eyes.

Seokjin pesters him about it one afternoon and he shakes him away with the excuse that he’s been working a lot because he for sure can’t tell the blonde about how he’s losing sleep over his unfairly beautiful neighbor who hasn’t left his mind ever since that fatidic night and how he just wants to ask him out for real but can’t find the courage to do so because their situation is not exactly conventional and Jungkook is losing his goddamn mind.

It doesn’t help that he still manages to bump into Taehyung every day, usually in the morning when they’re both leaving their apartments and share the elevator. And the blonde is infinitely more comfortable with him now, talking animatedly and leaning into his space in a way that makes it hard to breathe or think. Also texts messages are a thing now too, and Jungkook’s phone buzzes multiple times a day with messages from Taehyung, usually random pictures of street dogs or whatever the blonde is having for lunch that day.

It’s honest to god adorable, and it never fails to brighten Jungkook’s day. So more often than not he finds his heart jumping at every ding of his cellphone, silently hoping that it’s a message from Taehyung. They’re friends now, it’s the obvious observation Jungkook can make, and while it’s quite a pleasant change to his routine, he can’t help but long for more.

Then there’s that promise that they’d go out to dinner with his parents. His mother comes by the office on Thursday to remind him of that (unnecessarily), and it leaves Jungkook anxious for the rest of the day. It doesn’t help that when he gets home later in the day, Taehyung comes knocking on the door and invading his space with a tired ‘I’m bored’. It makes his heart leap in his chest, but it also makes him scoff when the blonde brushes past him unceremoniously to drop comfortably on his couch.

“Good evening, Jungkook, how was your day? Oh it was good, thank you for asking, and yours?” He mocks as he closes the door and follows Taehyung into the living room, the blonde scoffing at his fake offended look.

“More like ‘how was your week’. I haven’t seen you since Friday.” He says, and it’s supposed to be playful, but Jungkook feels like there’s a hint of hurt in Taehyung’s voice. Suddenly he feels a bit guilty for not reaching out apart from the casual answers to Taehyung’s texts.

The night had been so pleasant, ending far later than Jungkook usually allows himself to linger in those kind of events. They had stayed until past midnight talking with Yoongi, Jimin and Seokjin, long after most guests had excused themselves and the staff were already cleaning up.

Jungkook didn’t really mind, content in spending time with Taehyung and his friends in a way he hadn’t done in a long time. They were both quite tired when they got home, the car ride filled with a pleasant silence that neither felt like breaking. Jungkook didn’t know what to do or what to say, not when his heart seemed to be restless inside his chest every time he so much as glanced to Taehyung’s sleepy face, his droopy eyes fighting to stay open.

It wasn’t until Taehyung pressed a groggy kiss to his cheek and murmured the softest ‘good night’ before disappearing inside his apartment that Jungkook felt something unpleasant sink into his chest. He didn’t say anything, didn’t pull Taehyung back into his space like his mind was screaming for him to. He simply let the boy go inside, bidding him goodbye with a sleepy wave and leaving Jungkook standing dumbly in the hallway.

And he wanted to do more, wanted to knock on Taehyung’s door the next day and thank him for being the best fake date he could ever ask for. Wanted to ask Taehyung on a real date, because the feeling in his chest couldn’t be anything but real infatuation for the blonde. He wanted to maybe kiss him after taking him out for dinner, touch his face for real and not because a bunch of rich pretentious people were watching them expectantly.

But he didn’t. Instead, he woke up way too early on Saturday and dragged his ass to the office, despite no one even being there because it’s the weekend for fuck’s sake and he worked the entire day away to keep his mind from drifting to dangerous territory. It’s not like he was actively avoiding Taehyung, but looking at the boy now, sitting cross legged on his couch with soft blonde strands falling into sleepy, disappointed eyes, he can’t help but feel like he had been a selfish prick.

“I’m sorry.” He sags then, removing his suffocating tie before joining the blonde on the couch, muscles relaxing the moment his body melts into the soft cushions. Taehyung is doing that thing where he holds his bare ankles with his hands and it’s so adorable it makes Jungkook want to cry a little bit. “I’ve been working like a mad man, I do it when I’m stressed.” He admits, and Taehyung’s face softens into something like understanding.

“You shouldn’t overwork yourself, you look really tired.” He points out then, eyes scanning Jungkook’s face and probably noticing the obvious bags under his tired eyes. “What’s gotten you so stressed?”

He gulps, adverting his eyes to the dark TV screen. “I don’t know.” He lies, and Taehyung hums like he only half believes him, but doesn’t say anything else.

“I’m sorry for bothering you, though. I didn’t know you were so busy, or else I wouldn’t text you so much.” He says guiltily then and Jungkook wants to scream at him that no, Taehyung’s texts are probably the best part of his day and he doesn’t want them to stop ever.

His brain to mouth filter is obviously malfunctioning because he finds himself voicing his thoughts, kind of. “Please don’t.” He blurts out, and feels the tinge of heat when Taehyung looks up at him curiously. “Don’t stop texting, I mean. I like them, the dog pictures are kind of therapeutic.” He admits awkwardly, but it’s worth it when Taehyung offers him one if his blinding smiles in return.

“I’m glad to hear that.”

It’s awkward, and in lack of a way to break the silence that won’t result in Jungkook embarrassing himself to death, he reaches for the remote and turns on the TV, zapping for a bit until Taehyung excitedly points out a show that he likes to watch and Jungkook leaves it on that channel, excusing himself to the kitchen to grab some water.

When he comes back, he sees that Taehyung has taken the liberty to steal the blanket that had been folded on the armrest and is now comfortably tucked under the soft material. The sight is so domestic that Jungkook can’t even refuse when the blonde looks up at him with a sleepy grin, motioning to the space next to him.

They sit comfortably together, sharing the warmth of the blanket and watching the show that Jungkook doesn’t recognize. Their shoulders are pressed together gently and it’s such a nice touch that the dark haired boy is afraid to move and lose contact.

They’ve been silent for a while when Taehyung’s sleepy voice breaks Jungkook’s attention away from the TV. “Your mom called me today to schedule our dinner.” He’s looking at the TV, but Jungkook catches how he fidgets slightly.

“What did you agree on?” His finger briefly brushes against Taehyung’s sweatpants and he quickly withdraws his hand, cheeks hot from the accidental gesture. He doesn’t know if Taehyung is too sleepy to care or if he really doesn’t mind, but he thinks he doesn’t imagine when the blonde shifts just a little bit closer to him.

“I told her that you’ve been quite tired and that it would be best if we scheduled it for next week, considering that she told me they’ll be out for the weekend and I didn’t know if you would be up for it tomorrow.”

“Thank you.” He says honestly, chuckling when Taehyung answers with a yawn.

“We should still go out on the weekend, if you’re not too tired.” The blonde says calmly, and Jungkook’s heart picks up at the words.

“W-what do you mean?”

Taehyung’s eyes are blank when he turns his head to look straight at Jungkook, clearly unaware of the turmoil inside the younger’s mind as he states like it’s the most obvious thing. “We don’t have a single picture together, we need to take care of that. It’s not very believable that we’re dating if everything you have on your gallery are boring pictures of food and the occasional dog pics I send you.”

Jungkook feels himself blush, not even asking how Taehyung knows what kind of content is in his gallery. He guesses he just isn’t that hard to read.

“Besides,” he adds, eyes crinkling in a small smile. “I like spending time with you and I haven’t gone out just for the sake of strolling around the city in so long. It might help with my artist’s block, find some inspiration, you know?”

Jungkook opts not to acknowledge the compliment that has his palms sweating a little bit, instead asking. “Have you been having trouble with your art?”

There’s a small frown on Taehyung’s face at that and Jungkook feels an urge to kiss it away. “I’ve just been a little frustrated. I have a project due to the end of the semester and I’ve been having some trouble with it. We’re supposed to turn in a sketchbook and the general theme is the human body.” He sighs then, and Jungkook just hums for him to continue. “I’ve had one friend of mine helping me, he’s a dancer and I thought it’d be a good idea to sketch him doing some dance stances.”

“That sounds interesting.” Jungkook muses, genuinely interested, and Taehyung offers him a sleepy but content smile.

“His drawings are turning out pretty good, but apart from that I haven’t been able to achieve much. I asked a girl friend of mine to pose for me but I struggle quite a lot with drawing the female body, and I tried infiltrating in the ballet dance class to catch some inspiration from the ballerinas but nothing is coming out right.” He admits in a frustrated manner and sinks a bit deeper in the couch, clearly upset by the matter.

Jungkook doesn’t like seeing the upset downturn of Taehyung’s mouth, and finds himself in search of something to say, something that can comfort the blonde’s clear frustration. An idea pops in his head and he shoves Taehyung gently with his shoulder, gaining the boy’s attention.

“We could visit some museums and galleries, see if you can find some inspiration somewhere.” He suggests, and it seems to be the right thing to say when the blonde smiles up at the words. “Also there’s this café I really like that is kind of artsy, I think you’d like it. I used to go there with my friends all the time back in college. They hang out the sketches and paintings of their costumers on the walls and it got so popular that they had to create murals to be able to affix everything.” Taehyung is nodding cheerfully then, and the sight makes Jungkook’s heart swell in his chest.

He can’t regret it really, especially when Saturday comes around and a very excited Taehyung is knocking on his door, dressed in a comfortable pastel lilac sweater and casual jeans. The sight screams boyfriend so loudly that it takes Jungkook’s breath away, and he only manages to move when the blonde is chuckling and pulling him along towards the elevator.

They go to all the places Jungkook promised him, finding shelter from the hot sun inside the cool galleries and museums that Taehyung pulls him inside every so often. Jungkook finds himself having fun in a relaxed way he can’t seem to remember, following the cheerful blonde from art piece to art piece and contently listening to Taehyung’s deep soft voice explaining a bunch of art movements and techniques that Jungkook struggles to register in his brain.

He can’t be blamed, really, when Taehyung is clinging to his arm and smiling up at him in that lovely way of his, turning Jungkook’s mind into an incoherent mess of thoughts.

 They take pictures, a lot of them. Taehyung poses in front of everything he deems pretty and Jungkook struggles to not voice the thought that he’s much prettier than every mural behind him. They talk about anything and everything, and there never seems to be a dull moment with Taehyung, conversation flowing between them easily.

They go to the café Jungkook mentioned and it’s to no one’s surprised that Taehyung charms the old lady behind the counter, earning a free cookie that has the blonde smiling with his whole face at Jungkook. He laughs then, unable to contain the happiness that Taehyung seems to spread everywhere he goes. His heart is restless, banging heavily against his ribcage as the blonde wordlessly breaks the chocolate cookie in two, offering one half to an absolutely awed Jungkook.

They stay there for what are probably hours, Taehyung taking to himself the quest to try every single flavor of cookies the café has to offer. At a certain point the blonde skips in hurried steps to the counter to ask for a pencil and a piece of paper, coming back with a huge grin on his face that has Jungkook eyeing him in suspicion.

It’s only half an hour later when Jungkook is going on about a story that took place somewhere during his college days that Taehyung drops the pencil dramatically, lifting the paper to proudly show the younger his work. Jungkook’s heart seems like it’s about to escape through his mouth when his eyes recognize the familiar slope of his own nose carefully drafted on the paper, his black hair messy and falling into his eyes as he looks out the window next to where they sit at that moment, a cup of now lukewarm coffee between his hands.

Taehyung draws him in a lovely way that has him struggling to utter a single word, too stunned to form a single coherent thought. The blonde doesn’t seem to take any offense in his awed silence, only laughing with a tinge of pink on his pretty cheeks before he’s escaping from the booth again to go talk to the old woman behind the counter.

When they leave the café, Taehyung’s drawing is hanging on the wall right behind the counter and Jungkook’s chest feels warmer than it has ever been.

They make their way back home then, both agreeing that it’s been quite a tiring day and their legs are too tired to take them anywhere else. Jungkook feels nervous during the entire elevator ride, fingers itching to reach out and touch, skin crawling for something he can’t quite explain. When Taehyung opens his door and turns around to ask if he wants to come in, Jungkook knows he could never refuse a single one of his requests.

Taehyung’s apartment is the same as always, messy in a way that seems to reflect perfectly well the artist within him. Today the living room is even messier than usual, and the furniture looks like it has been moved around since the last time Jungkook saw it. There’s more free space now that the couch is pushed against the open window, the rack where the old TV sits forgotten against the corner as a huge blank canvas is set in the middle of the room surrounded by a mess of papers and other canvas scattered on the floor. It’s quite impressive the quick way Taehyung moves around the room without stepping on anything, light feet stepping on the dry blotches of paint staining the wooden floor.

“What hurricane wrecked your living room?” Jungkook asks as he tries to step around Taehyung’s work without accidentally ruining something with his now bare feet. The blonde laughs with an embarrassed look, gesturing towards the miraculously empty couch where Jungkook obediently takes a sit.

“I get impossibly messier when I’m having a block.” Taehyung admits sheepishly, doing his best to collect some of the art supplies scattered on the floor. He hisses when his foot accidentally knocks down a mug that was probably being used to clean his brushes, the dirty water spilling on the wooden floor.

Jungkook laughs at the scene. “Do you need some help?”

“No, stay there. I don’t want you stepping on it and making it worse. I’ll clean this up.” The younger lifts his hands in mock defense and stays where he is as Taehyung disappears into the kitchen only to reappear with some paper towels.

He starts going on about his project and complaining about one of his professors and Jungkook is content to just listen quietly, enjoying the warmth of the late afternoon sun coming in through the window. He leans back against the armrest, humming along to Taehyung’s words and feeling the tiredness of the day seeping into his bones, wishing he could just fall asleep right there to the sound of the blonde’s deep baritone voice.

He must have doze off for a few minutes because next thing he registers Taehyung isn’t talking anymore and Jungkook opens his eyes confusedly, turning his head where it lays on the armrest of the couch to see the blonde looking straight at him with a look that makes Jungkook startle from his drowsy state. Taehyung’s mouth is slightly agape, eyes full of something so rich and adoring that makes the younger’s breath catch in his throat.

“Do you think—“ Taehyung is saying then, chocking lightly on his words and body moving quickly in the search for something as he points at Jungkook urgently. “Do you think you can stay like that for a little bit?”

Jungkook draws his eyebrows together in confusion, watching as the blonde gathers various pieces of coal and his thick sketchbook, the puzzle pieces clicking in place slowly. He feels himself flush from his chest up to his ears, torn between flattered that Taehyung was indirectly asking to sketch him and nervous with the prospect of being pinned under the blonde’s close attention like that.

Despite the insane pace of his heart, he finds himself nodding silently, feeling utterly powerless as the older moves around the room to free the coffee table so he can lay his sketchbook on it. Then he’s looking at Jungkook, eyes roaming his body in a way that makes the boy feel naked under his gaze. Before he can question him, Taehyung is moving to stand before Jungkook, hands reaching out but never touching.

“Do you mind if I—“ It feels like a surreal fantasy, the way Taehyung’s pleading eyes are shifting from his face to his torso, a determined yet flustered look on his face. Jungkook knows by now that there’s no point in trying to refuse anything to the blonde.

He finds himself nodding silently again, holding his breath as Taehyung’s fingers move to gently undo the buttons of his light blue shirt, the movement careful and calculated. Jungkook feels himself shivering when the blonde’s cold hands ghost over his naked skin as he moves from button to button until his shirt is falling open, exposing the tan skin of his torso until where the dark jeans hang low on his hips.

It’s exhilarating, the way Taehyung’s eyes travel over his exposed chest for a long moment, the shadow of something crossing his gaze, too quickly for Jungkook to catch the meaning behind it. Then he’s looking up at him again and Jungkook exhales the air he’d been holding inside his chest.

“Is this okay?” Taehyung asks quietly, rearranging the fabric so Jungkook’s abdomen is fully exposed and he can’t help himself but nod dumbly.

“Yeah.”

Taehyung takes his arm to arrange it the way he wants to, and Jungkook just lets him as the blonde carefully places his hand on his stomach before stepping away to look at the younger. He looks satisfied as he nods to himself, walking back behind the coffee table and sitting cross legged on the floor.

“Just do what you were doing and pretend I’m not here. Don’t look at me.”

It’s very, very hard to follow Taehyung’s instructions when Jungkook can feel the heat of his attention on his skin. He breathes deeply and closes his eyes, turning his face upwards while his head rests on his open hand. The warmness of the late sun washes over his bare skin and heats it pleasantly, the faint sound of coal on paper being the only sound filling the room along with the muffled noises of the traffic outside. It’s peaceful, and Jungkook’s mind drifts further and further away until he forgets that he’s being the subject of Taehyung’s art and falls into a peaceful headspace.

He must fall asleep along the way because the next time he opens his eyes is to the sight of the moon hanging high in the dark sky. Jungkook yawns and stretches out on the couch, a slight stiffness to his neck due to the position he had slept in. Despite that, he feels well rested for the first time in the past week. There’s a thin blanket thrown over his still naked torso that pools around his hips when he sits up, rubbing his eyes to rub away the drowsiness still clinging to them.

The room smells faintly of food and Jungkook’s stomach rumbles loudly, making him guess that it must be around dinner time. Taehyung is nowhere to be seen as the dark haired rises up from the couch and steps lazily towards the coffee table where the familiar sketchbook lays open.

Not able to contain his curiosity, Jungkook picks it up and scans the open page. The feeling of the warmth radiating deep within his chest is becoming awfully familiar now, and he can’t help the lump that forms on his throat when he recognizes the shape of his own body carefully drawn, every line and crevice detailed in a talented way. His face holds a serene expression that looks foreign to him, face devoid of any stress lines as he lays peacefully in front of the open window. He looks almost ethereal on paper.

“Do you like it?”

He startles at the sudden voice, turning around to see Taehyung emerging from the kitchen, holding two bowls of something that smells heavenly to Jungkook’s empty stomach. His cheeks tinge pink at the notion of having been caught snooping around, but the blonde just offers him a nervous little smile, as if expectant for his answer.

“It’s beautiful.” He admits. “I mean, you drew me beautifully.”

“You are beautiful.” Taehyung confesses in the way someone comments on the weather, offering one of the bowls to Jungkook who accepts it shyly. “I’m very happy with it. I feel like it’s one of my best sketches in a while.”

“I don’t know what to say.” He admits dumbly, belatedly realizing that his shirt is still open, chest exposed. He sets the bowl down on the coffee table to hurriedly close the buttons.

“You don’t have to say anything. Just let me draw you again some time.”

Jungkook looks up at him. Taehyung is busy swallowing a mouthful of noodles, but the tinge of pink on his cheeks tells Jungkook the subject is not as light to him as it seems. The request makes him feel warm inside, and he finds himself excited about the prospect of being the subject of Taehyung’s inspiration again. It’s really to no one’s surprise when he agrees.

“I wouldn’t mind that.”

The smile Taehyung offers him makes him realize that the warmness in his chest has a name.

Quickly, like the feeling of finally falling into a deep slumber after laying awake for an eternity, he knows he’s falling in love with Taehyung.