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“Thank you! Have a great day!"Jungkook smiled, but it was just emotionless habit. He handed the cup of coffee to the customer across the counter and blinked away the blurry film over his eyes. He learned quite awhile ago that not paying too much attention to what he was doing, or the customer, for that matter; made time pass much faster. He gazed up at the clock across the cafe anyway as he changed a coffee filter. The pit in his stomach grew at the realization that he still had a few hours to go.Fuck, he was tired. Sleep isn't something he does much anymore, but it wasn't that he didn't try. Sleep was meant to be something like breathing, something you just don’t really think about. Sleep comes and goes and fades into the background; something inherent and natural. Yet for Jungkook, sleeping was on his mind constantly. It felt like an absence—an open wound that just wouldn’t close up. When he would nod off, it was brief and unsatisfying, and the nightmares never stayed away. The rare times when he could feel something of a good dream, it was just made up of these flashing feelings and scraps of half-thoughts. It also really didn't help that the cafe had dim, comforting lighting.Three girls were speaking a little louder than they really needed to at the table on his left. One of them tossed her head back in noisy laughter, and Jungkook grunted in irritation. He began rocking back and forth on his feet while also trying to ignore the incessant tapping of a pencil from the student to his right."Caramel frap, please."Jungkook didn't look up at the boy as he turned to prepare a plastic cup, not really having to put much thought into how to make anything nowadays.“What size?""Grande."Jungkook picked up the grande cup and reached in the fridge for the cold brew."That's 4 ice cubes," the boy said immediately.Jungkook took a very slow, deep breath. He knew exactly what kind of guy this person was going to be.
'6PM and this many people still want coffee.'
The same thought ran through his mind nearly every single day. This place got way too much attention for his liking, customers lining up before he even gets the chance to unlock the front doors at the ass-crack of dawn. Of course, the customers were also slow as hell when filing out in the evening too. There was barely a moment where he had free time. He a break that lasted no longer than twenty minutes during a twelve-hour shift. This job only involved sweat and sore feet, and the urge to cry at any given moment. People have screamed in his face, thrown change at him, but he couldn't react no matter how much he wanted to. As much as he adores his boss and long-time friend, he can't help but despise his business.Jungkook crouched down and opened the bottom cabinet, reaching for the caramel sauce. "Only two pumps of that!" The boy called from over the counter, and Jungkook gritted his teeth as he pulled the sauce out.He stood up and placed the cup under the cold brew pitcher, rolling his head back and forth on his shoulders to work out the kinks in his neck. As soon as he closed his eyes, the cup overflowed slightly, and Jungkook yanked his hand away; flicking away the droplets on his fingers. He could've sworn he heard the boy behind him breathe a chuckle, and Jungkook felt heat bloom behind his cheeks. He poured out some of the excess coffee in the sink, pumped in two caramel shots, and then finally opened the freezer."Almond milk, not whole milk. Whole milk is too fattening."
'And the rest of it isn't?'
Jungkook slammed the freezer door especially hard, setting the almond milk down on the counter along with the granulated sugar. "And that's sweetener, not sugar.""Will there be anything else?" Jungkook snapped, whipping his head around.The first thing he recognized is the boy's fingers as he sifted through the cash in his wallet. They were long and pretty, the silver rings adorning them glinting from the overhead lights. He was wearing a loose black button-down that showed off a little too much of his honeyed skin, and the boy didn't pay him any mind when Jungkook inhaled quickly through his nose at his face. The long brunette hair spilling in over his forehead in messy waves, the dangling jewelry in his left ear, the long eyelashes, those full lips, high cheekbones—
'Oh. It's him.'
The boy sighed and finally looked up at Jungkook with heavy-lidded eyes and parted lips. How did he not recognize his voice? Was he really that tired?"Do you take hundred-dollar bills here?" The boy asked, completely ignoring Jungkook's previous question. "I didn't break this before I got here.""Uh, n-no," Jungkook stuttered. "There's—"He reached his arm around the monitor and pointed to a yellow card taped up at the top, reading that the shop doesn't take bills over fifty."Yet you took my card last time?" The boy scoffed, and honestly, it was hot."Yeah," Jungkook muttered. "We got robbed a little while back. My boss just prefers we not have big bills in the—""—Yeah, I remember," the boy interrupted, waving his hand to motion Jungkook to stop talking. "You already told me that."He was always a little rude, but Jungkook didn't really mind. The boy looked back down at his cash, and then tucked it back into his wallet.“Here's the thing," the boy began, resting his hands on the counter.He leaned in, and Jungkook could smell his cologne. It was intoxicating."I'm on my way back from work, and I'm tired..." His eyes dart down. "...Jungkook."It was the first time the boy has ever said his name, and he pronounced the syllables with absolute precision as if he were tasting it; the word flicking off of his tongue with a sign. He made it sound like it was a bad word, and Jungkook really liked that. The boy looked back up at him, and he was smirking."Just between you and I, let this slide. You've already made the coffee, anyway. Let it go, yeah?"Jungkook wasn’t stupid. This guy knew damn well that he's always had an effect on him, and he was using it to get what he wanted. Jungkook guessed he was stupid today.“Alright,” he sighed.He turned around and poured the almond milk and sweetener into the cup, swirling the mixture with a wooden stick. He fitted a lid on the top of the cup before setting it back down on the counter. Meanwhile, the boy had dropped his smirk, expression back to being completely blank. His job of seemingly taking advantage of Jungkook, and flirting his way to a free drink was finished."This too," the boy suddenly added, reaching over and plucking a sugar-free vanilla pastry from the basket beside the register.Now, he was definitely taking advantage of him."Sorry, but no."Jungkook hesitated to grab the plastic bag covering the pastry from the boy's grasp. The boy met his eyes, and his stare made Jungkook's heart beat a little bit faster."I'm hungry," the boy insisted with narrowed eyes, attempting to snatch the pastry back.Jungkook blinked incredulously. Did he really think using "I'm hungry" was a valid excuse?"I'm sorry," Jungkook repeated. "But I already let the drink slide. I can't give you something else for free. Believe it or not, but my boss will notice something like this.""Your boss will notice a missing pastry, but is dumb enough to have his employees make the drinks before they pay for them?" The boy scorned. "Maybe I should have a little chat with him about how poorly you treat your customers."Jungkook's eyes widened, jaw nearly dropping to the floor. Pretty or not, that's bullshit."Are you serious? The fact that I already offered to let you get something for free would normally get someone fired! I'm not letting you take extra just because you say you're hungry. I think that's pretty damn fair!""Fine, then," the boy breathed. "This is fucking ridiculous."Jungkook didn't even bother responding. The boy grabbed his drink and the sketchbook he usually brought sitting on the counter in front of him. He turned on his heel, sticking his fingers in his pocket as he walked out of the cafe. The girls at the table to Jungkook's left stopped talking for a second to stare at him for raising his voice, and then went right back to their obnoxious giggling. Jungkook finished the day in a bad mood, the boy not leaving his mind for even a second. He had to apologize twice to two different customers that he accidentally snapped at, and did end up receiving quite the angry call from his boss. Yoongi was typically pretty laidback, so for him to actually threaten his job made Jungkook think the boy had maybe exaggerated what had really happened. That only served to piss him off more.He almost forgets to check that he still has his phone and his wallet before turning off all the shop light and locking the front door behind him. He pulled on his raincoat as he stepped out from under the overhang. The trudge back to where his motorcycle was parked seemed like a lifetime. Once Jungkook had gotten home, he was pretty much drenched. It was definitely days like those where he wished he had owned a car. He shook out his hair and droplets sprang out of the ends as he unlocked his door and moved quickly inside. He shrugged off his coat and shoes, and then practically sprinted to the bathroom to avoid soaking his carpet. He didn't waste a minute in tugging off his soggy pants and shirt that seemed to weigh down his entire body. He stepped into the shower and twisted the knob, flinching a bit as the cold water sprayed over his skin before it had warmed up. His eyes fluttered shut as he rested his forehead on the tile in front of him.After Jungkook had finished college, he had moved back to the mountains to be an author. He wasn’t too successful, though, with barely two hundred copies of his last book being sold. Although he did consider himself a good novelist, two hundred copies over the course of a year wasn't really enough to cover his rent. So, he reluctantly got a second job. He knew when he signed up for the job that he was going to have regular run-ins with shitty customers, but the boy that's always been a dick to him? He prayed he never has to see his pretty dumb face again.Well, that was a fucking lie. There wasn’t a day that went by without Jungkook thinking of the boy, which wasn't an unusual occurrence. Not that he ever expected the dude to come back, but when a week passed, and then a month without him showing up; it was truthfully beginning to kind of bother him. Even if he almost made him lose his job.“So, are you taking my shift, or what? I'd really like to get the last chapter of my book done before my publisher has an aneurism."Jungkook was holding his phone between his neck and shoulder as he spread butter across his muffin. The smell of coffee from the machine wafted under his nose and he inhaled it deeply, as if the scent alone would help him wake up any more than his previous two cups had.“Are you sure you want me to? What if you miss that pretty boy that always draws."“I don't care if I miss hi—”“—When are you going to ask him out?” Jimin interrupted gleefully."I don't even know if he'll be back this time. Why is everyone so intent on me dating, anyway?" Jungkook asked begrudgingly, toying with the paper from the muffin between his index and middle finger."You never date! You seemed to like him, so when he comes back, you should totally ask him out."Jungkook stuck his tongue in his cheek, adjusting the phone on his shoulder. "Even if he comes back, he's still an asshole," he grumbled.“Then just sit on his dick.”Jungkook choked and sputtered in the middle of taking a bite of the muffin."You've literally never considered that?” Jimin teased, seemingly ignoring Jungkook's desperate gasps for air.“No," he croaks."Well, you're welcome for that, then."
'Do not think about it, do not think about it, do not—'
Jungkook never thought blood could possibly rush so quickly to his groin at the mere thought of that boy's hands on him. "Listen," Jungkook exhaled; shivering. "He literally called Yoongi because I wouldn't let him fucking steal.”"The way you described it sounded like you were going to just give the shop's stuff to him, anyway. Wouldn't that make you the thief?" Jimin goaded."My point," Jungkook began, tipping his head back in irritation—"is that I'm not associating myself with a complete dick capable of getting me fired.""Yoongi adores you. He's not going to fire you over a clearly over-exaggerating customer," Jimin snickered. "But yeah, I'll take your shift."Jungkook reluctantly mumbled his goodbye, tossing the paper from the muffin in the trash. He made his thirtieth coffee of the day for a customer, and groaned impatiently at the ache of working overtime while waiting.“I’m here!” Jimin’s voice suddenly rang out from the opposite side of the shop, and Jungkook cringed at the way the customers curiously dart their eyes over to him.
'About time.'
Jungkook clicked off his lock screen after sending a quick text to let Yoongi know Jimin was there. He walked out of the room to meet him, and was only about halfway through the middle of the cafe when he stopped in his tracks. The boy with that stupid gorgeous face was standing just a little off behind Jimin, leaning against the wall while looking down at his phone in one hand; sketchbook in the other. Jungkook was pretty sure those pants were much too tight to be legal, and they almost distracted him from how broad his chest looked in that black shirt, and those silver-framed glasses pressed against the ridge of his nose.“Hey, Jungkookie!"Jimin clasped his hand over Jungkook's shoulder as he passed behind him, pulling his apron from off of the rack, but Jungkook didn't really process the movement. The thrill of seeing the boy again had admittedly filled him to the brim. His eyes were glued to his dark hair and sharp features, and he really wished the guy owned something that wasn't black because it just looked too good on him. When the boy's eyes met his, Jungkook's pretty sure his heart stopped. The boy shot him a small, mischievous smile as he made his way slowly over to him, and Jungkook had to force himself to look away. He tried his best to pretend the boy doesn't look the way he does when he pulled out his wallet and readied a ten-dollar bill."Hello, Jungkook," he greeted deeply.The boy had to know the effect saying Jungkook's name had on him because he smirked when Jungkook's mouth opened and closed embarrassingly as he tried to find his voice to respond. He could handle this guy ignoring him or saying something unnecessarily rude, but greeting him like that? That isn't fair. Jungkook must've skimmed over 15 possible responses in his mind in 3 seconds for 'ridiculously-beautiful-man-saying-"hello-Jungkook"' and none of them seemed to be worthy. So, he settled on something that didn’t take too much effort to say.“Hi."
He wanted to slap himself in the fucking face.
"The same as last time."Jungkook repeated the same exact steps as far as what the boy liked in his coffee, and he inwardly lectured himself for remembering what he had ordered more than a month ago. When he placed the cup back on the counter, the boy held out the bill, and Jungkook carefully plucked it from his palm. He typed in the total, and the register automatically slid open as he picks out the boy's change. When he he'd the money out, the boy's fingers curled abruptly around Jungkook's hand. Jungkook didn't even know how to react. He just awkwardly stood there wide-eyed while trying to pretend he didn't think the boy's hand looked so nice holding his own."Are you being flirty again so you can convince me to let you take something else?" Jungkook spoke through gritted teeth."No," the boy chuckled.Much to Jungkook's dismay, the warmth around his hand disappeared as the boy dropped the change into his wallet. Then, he suddenly bent at his hips, and oh, fuck—he's too close—"It's just been awhile since I've worn glasses," he shrugged. "Just checking to see if I look as good in them as I used to."Jungkook rolled his eyes. He was only being nice to him to get something he wanted. Go figure."They make you look like you'd suck dick for a library card renewal," Jungkook grunted out of spite, driving as much malice behind his voice as he could muster without others hearing.The boy leaned back, adjusting the neck of his shirt so it perfectly framed his collarbones."You think I'm a whore, Jungkook?"The words practically dripped from his mouth, and it made fire shoot through Jungkook's veins as he replayed them over and over in his head. He can't even answer, biting his bottom lip and darting his eyes away. He's positive that if his face wasn't red before, it definitely is now. He heard the boy take his cup and sketchbook, leaving Jungkook with a frustrating longing in his chest. He watched the boy take a seat in the same spot he always did, and had almost forgotten where he was when a hand on his shoulder almost makes him jump out of his skin. "Woah," Jimin laughed, taking a step back. "You good?""I'm awesome," Jungkook responded breathily. "Just forgot I had asked you to come in."He passed Jimin, and pulled his apron up over his head to to hang back up. He stole another glance at the boy across the room and could've sworn he saw the other quickly tear his eyes off of him. "You sure you're okay?" Jimin pried. "It's not the...you, know—""—No. I'm just tired."About three months ago, Jungkook started taking DXM. Right after he started having the nightmares. The habit began as something harmless, something that would just take the edge off when he was trying to relax. But taking five turned into ten, and they’d stay in his system for almost two full days before he could pay attention properly again."You were staring at him, again.""I wasn't," Jungkook insisted, turning back to him."Do you know who that is?" "Yeah. He's the asshole that manipulates and insults me every time he comes in here.""No, I mean do you know who he is?" Jimin emphasized, nodding his head in the boy's direction.Jungkook raised his eyebrows, gazing back at the boy makes tiny strokes on his sketchbook, pursing those pretty plump lips as he concentrated."That's V. He's a famous artist. He holds shows here sometimes; I've been to a venue he's been at. So," Jimin began, straightening up confidently. "He's rich, and he's handsome."He cocked his head at Jungkook with a sly grin, and Jungkook knew exactly where this was going."No. Hell no."Jimin unfortunately didn't let up on the whole hot artist boy thing like he did on the phone while Jungkook ordered and payed for a small americano. Jungkook didn't care that V was rich, famous, or handsome. Well, no, he did care. But this guy was still a dick, so Jungkook eventually just blocked Jimin out. V caught his attention as stood up from the booth and pulled his phone out from his back pocket. He slid his finger across the screen before holding it up to his ear, and he looked around quickly before walking out of the cafe and lingering around the front."...C'mon, why not? It'd be good for you to date," Jimin continued as Jungkook zoned back in."It still doesn't excuse the fact that he degrades me.""In the sexy way?" Jimin urged, obviously fighting a mischievous smile.Jungkook shot him a warning look, and Jimin finally lets out a that cute, high-pitched giggle Jungkook usually adored. "Totally in the sexy way," Jimin answered for him.Jungkook sighed and turned his head in the direction of a woman out of breath as she approached the two of them. She held out a leather-bound sketchbook almost identical to the one V had been drawing in."Excuse me," she panted. "That guy sitting at the booth by the window just left without this. I tried to catch him, but he was already pulling out of the parking lot."She handed the sketchbook to Jungkook, and he directed his attention back outside the shop. Sure enough, V was gone. The woman swept her hair behind her ear, bowing to Jungkook as he thanked her."I'll hold onto it until he comes back for it," he assured her, returning her smile. "It was nice of you to try to catch him."“Doesn’t that belong to the asshole you’re in love with?” Jimin whispered from behind him.“I’m not—” He cut himself off, knowing better that nothing he says would change Jimin's mind.The woman walked away with a questionable expression on her face, but Jungkook was too busy focusing on the way his palms itched when he gazed down at the sketchbook. This was really his.Well? Open it!” Jimin exclaimed excitedly.Jungkook gnawed at his bottom lip, feeling just a little bit guilty with his intention, though his curiosity seemed to overpower the feeling. He ran his finger over the sketchbook's worn edges, and slowly flipped open to the first page.
‘Kim Taehyung.’
The handwriting was in cursive and elaborate. Jungkook must’ve been staring at it for a little too long because Jimin was impatiently motioning for him to turn the page. Jungkook was still trying to get over the fact that he could finally put a real name to that gorgeous face. He closed the sketchbook and held it protectively against his chest.“Hey, I want to see!”“Don’t you have a shift to take?” Jungkook asked defensively with narrowed eyes.Jimin sighed in disappointment, slouching and tossing his hands up in defeat.“Whatever. Just tell me if there’s any good stuff in there,” he pouted. “I mean like "paint me like one of your French girls" good stu—”“—Okay,” Jungkook warned. “Enough.”He moved away quickly from the counter, and took a seat on the couch by the backdoor. He crossed his legs and rested the sketchbook on his thigh, opening it once again but much faster this time while driven by anticipation. He flipped to the second page, and it revealed a doodle about half the size of the page. Curved, fine lines highlighted the edges of what appeared to be a dog. The image was more of a cartoon rather than lifelike, and Jungkook cracks a smile at how adorable it was. The date at the top of the page marked a few months back.The second page had a drawing of a lake, probably something V—Taehyung had been sitting in front of at the time, judging by the blurry shapes and dark values where trees and shrubs blew in the wind. The drawing was impressive. He even took the time to shade in sunlight glimmering off the top of the water. It was dated two months ago. Then, Jungkook flipped to the third page, and froze. There's absolutely no way he's seeing this right.Jungkook crossed paths with Taehyung again about a week later while scribbling down stock numbers on a clipboard. It was late, thirty minutes before closing, and the cafe was empty. Taehyung had tripped over the steel lining of the front door which made the bell ring a couple more times then usual. Jungkook would've laughed if what he was wearing wasn't immoral. His leather pants couldn’t be tighter while the neck on his newest black shirt drooped over his shoulder a bit; a silver necklace hanging down his chest with two earrings to match. Why did he always have to look so damn good?Taehyung swayed slightly, nearly tripping over himself as he plopped in the same booth by the window, and pulling out his phone. It was different; seeing him without the sketchbook Jungkook had sitting in the back with his stuff. He tried working up the courage to say something about it, but just the idea of confronting him was terrifying.  So, he took note of a few more things on his clipboard, and then pulled out his own phone. He plugged in his earbuds and stuck one in, and then pressed 'play' on his "relax" playlist.Jungkook reached up and opened the cabinet overhead, pulling a neatly folded hand towel off the top of the stack to spray it with a cleaner. As he ran it over the counters and time ticked on, the weight in his chest grew heavier. He stocked the last of the plastic cups, and grabbed his things. When he flicks off the light switch in the prep area, he pulled off his apron and hung it on the hooks behind him, tucking the sketchbook between his chest and his raincoat in his arms.
'Just say something, you wimp.'
"Hey," Jungkook finally called over. "You, um, have to order something if you plan on sticking around."Taehyung shifted his gaze in Jungkook's direction but didn't meet his eyes."Really?" He sighed, motioning to the empty area around him. "There's no one in here but me. Chill out for once, would you?"His words were just a little slurred, and Jungkook now knew for a fact that he had been drinking. Jungkook bit his tongue, not even bothering to let Taehyung know that he meant what he said in generalized terms, and not that he was planning on sticking around. The cafe had closed about ten minutes ago.
"Why are you here again? I thought you didn't like me," Jungkook pressed, pushing a few chairs in in the center of the shop.
"Can I not go to a café even if I don't like the guy who works there?"
"Well, typically the rule of most businesses is to buy something before you  take advantage of the atmosphere," Jungkook replied dryly.
Taehyung huffed like a child, sliding out of the booth and beginning to walk towards the exit.
"Thank god," Jungkook whispered.
The two words had slipped out of his mouth without him thinking and he instantly cringed.

"Excuse me?"

The middle of Taehyung's forehead creased as he furrowed his brows, turning back around to glare into Jungkook's eyes.
"You are possibly the rudest employee I have ever met in my life."
Jungkook's eyes widened.
"I'm rude?!"
Taehyung ignored him, continuing to make his way in the direction of the front door.
"I knew I should've never come back here," he grunted.
"Then why did you?" Jungkook snapped.
"It's the closest coffee shop to my house! Learn to mind your own fucking business!"
His voice was an octave lower than it really needed to be, and it would've made Jungkook melt if it weren't for the angry pit burning in his belly.
"Like you can mind yours," he hissed back.
"The hell is that supposed to mean?" 
"My face is all in your dumbass book. Is that not my business?" Jungkook challenged.
For the very first time since he's known Taehyung, he actually saw embarrassment erupt over his features. His face turned a little pink, mouth agape as he blinked several times over, and the feeling of sweet, sweet satisfaction washed over Jungkook.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Taehyung replied softly.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about," Jungkook retorts.
Jungkook had turned to that third page, and the first thing he thought was that the hair was too wispy, nose too sharp, eyes too bright, and he had never seen that jacket before in his life. Still, even with the tiny brisk strokes of a line too light or too dark, he still knew what it was. His heart pulsed quicker in his chest as he turned the page, and turned the page again, and they're all the same. Just in different positions, and in different outfits. Jungkook recognized all of them, and when he turned back, he thumbed the date at the top of the page. It marked the day when Taehyung started drawing him. Finally seeing the same boy in front of him knocked down a few pegs was nice for those few seconds, up until he suddenly advanced towards him.

"Where is it?"

Taehyung was quick on his feet, and Jungkook barely had time to register the anxiety he felt, or the infuriated gravel in Taehyung's throat before he was less than a foot away from him. This was the closest Taehyung had ever been—close enough for Jungkook to feel his breath on his face, and the heat from the alcohol emitting from underneath his skin. Jungkook struggled to find his words when the thunder hammering behind his ribs suddenly made it difficult to breathe.
“What are you doing?” He whispered, and he knows his voice trembled.
He realized he could count Taehyung's eyelashes, but he instead skimmed over the bridge of his nose to where the tip of tongue dips over to wet his lips. Jungkook's so distracted by the movement that he didn't see the shift in Taehyung's shoulders when his hands slid beneath his shirt. He thought he leapt right out of his body. The feeling of Taehyung's fingers indenting themselves into his waist was like seeing himself in a dream.
"What do you want me to do?"
His stomach bottomed out when Taehyung brushed his lips right over the shell of his ear. Jungkook wished so badly that he could pretend the comforting warmth of Taehyung's skin didn’t exist, but pretending became too hard when one of Taehyung's hands eventually found its way behind Jungkook's neck. What Taehyung was about to do—god, Jungkook wanted that so bad—

"No!"

When Jungkook pushed Taehyung away, the sketchbook and his raincoat fall to the floor. Taehyung's brows lifted in surprise as he stared down at them, and Jungkook prayed to whoever's listening that he didn't just fuck up the one thing he never desired more in that moment.
"You're drunk," he explained slowly. "I don't want anything when you're drunk."
Taehyung gazed back up at him, and then chuckled unexpectedly. Jungkook wouldn't mind hearing that sound for the rest of his damn existence.
"What makes you think I don't want that when I'm not drunk?"
"First of all, you're just mean to me."
Jungkook was meant to make him come off like a smart-ass, but he couldn't really hide the slight shakiness in his voice when Taehyung's deep voice filled his head.
"Oh, sweetheart," he smiled. "I'm just doing that because I think you're cute when you're angry."

'Sweetheart.'

Jungkook knew his hands still trembled as they pressed firmly to his sides. Taehyung sunk down in front of him, eyes not leaving Jungkook's with that infectious smirk on his face as he picked up the sketchbook and coat. When he straightened up, Jungkook swallowed hard at the fact that that imagery will never escape his mind. Taehyung pressed his raincoat to Jungkook's chest for him to take, and didn't say anything else as he turned and left.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“He has some fucking nerve,” Jungkook moped.Jimin looked up at him from the floor, stretching out crossed legs and changing the television channel.“Who? Taehyung?”“Who else?” Hoseok chimed in from the dining room table. “He only does that when he’s thinking about him.”Jungkook didn't even have to ask what he meant when Jimin proceeds to crouch down and prop his elbow on the same windowsill Jungkook was. He acted out his best dramatic, melancholy look as he stared out the window.“Shut up.”Jimin grinned with pride, tipping his head back to finish the last of his soda before crushing the can and setting it off to the side. Yoongi scowled at him as he reached down to pick it up, moving his arms into a basketball stance as he tossed it and made it into the kitchen trash.“10 points!” Hoseok cheered enthusiastically,“It'll be 100 by the end of night,” Yoongi huffed, returning to his duty of folding laundry on the couch. “You’d think a dancer would be elegant and organized. With no cavities I have to pay for.”“I don't know what you expect from a stripper,” Hoseok laughed. “There’s no elegance in it, but there sure is cash."“Yeah. I can pay for my own teeth,” Jimin muttered.Yoongi rolled his eyes and tucked a bundle of clean shirts under his arm, disappearing into the hall of the apartment while Jimin stood up. He peered over Hoseok’s shoulder at his client list in the kitchen before grabbing another soda can out of the fridge and cracking it open."Nobody new?""DXM isn't as popular as weed nowadays, but JK's coming up on the top twenties.""Wow, what an accomplishment," Jungkook grumbled sarcastically.“Aw, what's the matter, Jungkookie?” Jimin asked sympathetically before slurping at the rim of the can. "Is this about your man?"Jungkook’s head jerked sharply toward him.“He’s not my man."“Oh, really?" Jimin asked, quirking his brow. "So, you're telling me you don't get defensive every time he's mentioned?"Jungkook opened his mouth to protest, and then quickly shut it. He really didn't want to argue about this anymore. He glanced down at the folded notebook paper on his lap, biting at the inside of his cheek.The top half of the paper was wrinkled when Jungkook tried crumpling it up, but couldn’t bring himself to do it. A set of seven numbers littered the page. He had found it taped to the inside of his apron, and since then, he took it everywhere with him. He must read it five times a day.“Look, he gave me his number. As if that's okay."“Isn't that a good thing?""No!""Jungkook, if you don't call him, maybe I should," Hoseok teased.Jungkook hated that the feeling that suddenly sparked inside him at Hoseok's comment. In reality, Jungkook had already tried calling Taehyung twice, but he was too much of a wimp to say anything when Taehyung picked up the line. “Uh, hello?” He had asked once again.
Click!
Both times."Is everyone talking about Jungkook's infatuation with my customers?" Yoongi asked, re-entering the living room with the hamper.“He’s hardly a customer,” Jimin replied, wiggling his eyebrows playfully at Jungkook. “He's a rich, handsome, famous artist.""He really just comes to the shop pick on Jungkook," Hoseok added. "If that isn’t the behavior of a seven-year-old with a crush, I don’t know what is."Jungkook tapped his fingertips repeatedly on the windowsill in irritation. A crush? Really? If anything, Taehyung just came back because he gets some sort of sadistic pleasure out of messing with him."Well," Yoongi began. "If he starts coming in there just to see Jungkook, maybe I should just hire hi—”“—I can’t even begin to tell you how much you cannot do that."Jimin bursted into giggles.“Why?" Hoseok poked. "So you don’t have to deal with the hots you have for him?"“So I don’t lose my shit watching him sit there and do nothing but insult me his entire shift," Jungkook corrected; unamused.“Sit there and look pretty,” Jimin pointed out unhelpfully.There was a brief, five-second pause as he caught his breath before his eyes suddenly widen excitedly."I have the perfect idea! We should have him over!" Jungkook sat up immediately."What? No—!""—That's a great idea!" Hoseok agreed."No, no, no, you are all the worst," Jungkook groaned, falling back on the coach and covering his face with his hands."It'll be fun!" He heard Jimin say, and then felt a hand pat his stomach.
'Maybe for the rest of you sadistic bastards.'
"Gosh, we need to go grocery shopping—Jungkookie, do you know what Taehyung likes to eat?"Jungkook didn't move or speak."Right, I'll need to look up some safe recipes," Jimin whispered to himself."Jimin, stop," Yoongi spoke sternly. "Just take Hoseok, Jungkook. He'd be the less obsessive about this."Hoseok's on his feet quicker than either of them expected, and he actually sucked in a deep breath to be able to cry out in happiness. If Jungkook thought Jimin didn't shut up about the Taehyung thing in the cafe, he had no idea what was coming on the entire ride to the grocery store. Jimin asked once again what Taehyung might like to eat once they had arrived together, and Jungkook sighed, backing up to better see the sponge cake mixes lined up in the front aisle."No," he muttered, pulling a box off of the shelf and skimming over the ingredients on the back. "We have to guess.""That shouldn't be as difficult as finding food Yoongi likes. I've only seen him eat once in the last week.""You've seen Yoongi eat," Jungkook deadpanned. "I haven't seen him eat in like 4 months.""You have to catch it at the perfect moment.""Wait, didn't you say Taehyung tried to take a pastry?" Hoseok alluded. "Maybe he's like Jimin and only likes alcohol, and things with no nutritional value."“Should we triple up on everything we get then?!" Jimin exclaimed.“We're not baking three cakes. What's wrong with you?" Jungkook scowled.Jimin drooped himself over the shopping cart in disappointment as Jungkook tossed the cake mix inside. They moved on to gather ingredients for bulgogi and grabbed a jar of fermented cabbage for kimchi, and Jimin was close to falling asleep in the middle of the store. At that point he was just acting like a toddler that needed a nap, pushing the shopping cart back and forth so it made a sharp squeaking. He picked up the pace until Jungkook was ready to scream, and when he finally turned around to face him, Jimin returned his infuriated expression with innocent doe-eyes.“What?” Jungkook fumed.“I’m bored," he whined.“Yeah, no shit. Are you really going to stand here and act like a five-year-old?""Yes!"Jungkook tried his hardest to ignore him after that, wishing Hoseok hadn't run off to look at grandpa shoes so he could distract him. Yet Jimin's incessant moaning about how he wants to go home before he has to drive in 5 o'clock traffic made Jungkook just start grabbing what he hoped were the right ingredients just to speed this whole thing up. He crossed over to the wine section, skimming over the colors and sizes while Jimin leaned his weight forward on the handle of the cart until it threatened to tip over.“You’re acting like you never grocery shop."“I don’t. I buy like six things every few days. You’ve seen it with your own two eyes."Jungkook kept his mouth shut as he picked up a bottle of champagne off the shelf. He knew if he said anything else, Jimin would definitely throw a fit. He turned the bottle over in his hand and almost gagged at the price, but Jimin snatched it out of his hands and eagerly placed it in the cart."You're paying for that," Jungkook grumbled."Gladly."Hoseok ended up being the one to call Taehyung, and Jungkook didn't really want to hear the conversation. All he could think about when Taehyung was brought up was how despite the alcohol, he still smelled so good; felt so good chest-to-chest with him that night. So, when he agreed to meet up with them, putting together a meal back at Yoongi and Jimin's apartment was more stressful than what he had expected it to be. He was actually extremely careful when it came to cooking everything, measuring the ingredients not a millimeter off. He even lectured Jimin for moving through the cooking process too quickly, claiming that he'd be able to "taste the difference in the tiniest sprinkle of salt.""This all suddenly seems really important to you," Yoongi commented."I just don't want to make this anymore agonizing than it has to be," Jungkook replied as a cloud of flour blew through the air when he wiped it off his t-shirt."We can call this off if it's honestly going to stress you out this much. We just thought it'd be good for you to just try getting to know a boy you're clearly interested in.""I know, I know," Jungkook sighed. "It's just, I don't know, he seems...""Oh, he likes you," Yoongi reassured him. "You don't have to worry about that.""You don't really know that.""C'mon. You check him out when he's not looking; he checks you out when you're not looking.""He checks me out?" Jungkook asked disbelievingly."You really are clueless when it comes to this kind of thing," Yoongi chuckled. "That's why I really think you should give him a shot."The doorbell sounded before Jungkook could answer, and it sent panic straight through him. Yoongi rushed him into the living room where the other boys were sitting, and Hoseok helped him hurriedly move the food onto the coffee table while Jimin raced to the front door. He annoyingly gave them less time to prepare than they could've had when he burst through the door and pulled Taehyung into a tight hug.Jungkook swallowed hard at the sight of Taehyung as he usually did, but he was dressed up a little more this time around. Black slacks, dress shoes; his newest button-down tucked into his waistband. He was always so breath-taking. Taehyung looked as if he expected the hug, smiling as he returned it. Hoseok held out his hand for Taehyung to shake it as Jimin seemed to introduce them, but Jungkook drowned out everything he was saying when Taehyung's darkened eyes lingered on him for longer than they had to. He wondered if he was thinking about the same night Jungkook was.Yoongi stretched out comfortably on the sofa, and he said something to Taehyung that Jungkook didn't pay attention to, offering him a bottle of beer. Taehyung smiled thankfully and accepted it, using his shirt to unscrew the cap. When he took a swig of it, he was watching Jungkook, and Jungkook's fists clenched in his lap. Taehyung took a seat right next to him, and it's suddenly much too hot. The inch that separated Taehyung's thigh from his own was all that was left of his sanity.Yoongi asked Taehyung something, and Taehyung answered. His thumb pressed down on the neck of the bottle, making tiny circles, and Jungkook couldn't take his eyes off the motion until Taehyung brought the bottle to his lips. Jungkook's staring, practically drooling as Taehyung's throat bobbed when he swallowed. Jimin actually had to nudge Jungkook's wrist to stop him from being too obvious, and he smiled knowingly at him as Jungkook focused his attention on the TV instead. A news lady announced a shooting located a couple towns over from them."Scary," Hoseok mumbled as Jungkook zeroed back in. "They always seem to get closer.""You should be careful," Jimin said, directing his attention to Taehyung. "You have a show there soon, right?"Taehyung didn't answer right away, tapping his finger on the side of the bottle and toying with the cap."Yeah, I do.""I really loved it last time I saw you," Jimin continued. “I know you have another one coming up.”Taehyung turned to him and smiled appreciatively."Thank you.”"I would love to see the next one."Jimin caught Jungkook's eyes."We would all love to go."The night progressively got a bit friendlier as Taehyung socialized with the boys. Maybe it was the influence of alcohol, maybe not, but Taehyung seemed to get along really well with Hoseok. They played cards together and Hoseok moved to sit beside him as they watched a horror movie. Jimin pressed close to Taehyung as he looked away from every jump scare, and the other grinned. Yet Taehyung didn't pay much attention to Jungkook. Honestly, it was kind of disappointing. Actually, it was annoying. No one would ever believe him if he still tried to convince them that Taehyung was really not that nice of a person, and he just took advantage of people. At least to certain people. This all seemed like an act to him, unless Taehyung just genuinely didn't like Jungkook as he suspected. That must really be it.Jungkook stood up and quietly moved out of the living room. He carefully tiptoed down the hall and into the bathroom, flicking on the light and inspecting himself in the mirror. Was he ugly? Did he come across like he was self-centered or unfriendly? What was it about him that made Taehyung dislike him so much? He leaned down and twisted on the faucet, splashing water in his face. His heart skipped a beat when he looked back up to find Taehyung was standing right behind him in the mirror, leaning against the door frame."Didn't like the movie?"Jungkook whipped around, bracing himself back on the sink."I'm..I'm just getting a little tired.""Heading off to bed without saying goodnight? It's a little rude, isn't it?"Taehyung was expressionless as he adjusted his belt, and Jungkook's eyes followed the movement. He was gazing at him with those same dark eyes when Jungkook looks back up."Though, I guess that would make a lot of sense considering it's you," Taehyung finished, and Jungkook can't even find the words to protest.What he felt when Taehyung kissed him wasn't what he had been expecting. Not when Taehyung's tongue carved across the roof of his mouth in feverous desperation like he was starving. Jungkook didn't feel butterflies in his stomach, and sparks didn’t fly when he was putty in the hands on his waist, succumbing; relishing in the feeling of being taken apart by Taehyung's mouth. The fingers threading through his hair jerked Jungkook back, and lightening shoots down his spine. Taehyung's teeth just barely grazed along the ridges of Jungkook's exposed throat, threatening to litter bruising hues of purple and blue. Jungkook's fingernails dug into Taehyung's shoulders as he urged him on, and that's when Taehyung pulls away. Jungkook wanted to whine, beg him not to stop, but he couldn't process anything but Taehyung's raw pants pushing through swollen lips. His heavy-lidded gaze skimmed Jungkook over like he was prey between his claws, and the fingers still clutching the back of his hair tightened."Yoongi told me you were a writer," Taehyung murmured. "I finished your book last night."He smirked, and it goes right to Jungkook's dick."It was good," he continued, and he leaned forward to run his tongue over where Jungkook's jaw connected to his ear."Bet the next one would be even better if it was about how you good you could fuck me."Jungkook bit back a sound that would embarrass him until the day he died, yet just like before, Taehyung walked off. He didn't even try to make up a good excuse for why he had to leave. Jimin was the first to speak, and Jungkook expected him to argue as he usually did when someone had to go early.“Well, we aren’t forcing you to stay."Hoseok met Jimin's gaze, as if he were surprised by his sudden compliance to the request as well. The two of them stared at one another for a couple seconds like they were exchanging silent words. Jimin raised his eyebrows, and when they looked back between Jungkook and Taehyung, their expressions held tiny smiles."Drive safe,” Yoongi announced, though his words were suspiciously monotone while Jimin and Hoseok wished Taehyung a good night as well. Jungkook is now positive everyone sitting in the living room had a good idea of what happened in that bathroom, although no one mentioned anything when Taehyung left.“Jungkook.”His eyes panned over to Yoongi sitting on the other side of the couch, and he was holding four shiny tickets in his hand; a small smirk playing on his lips.
~ ~ ~
“Are you sure this is it?”“That’s what he said.”Yellow light sent a heavy glare across the passenger seat window. Jimin practically had his face plastered on the window beside him, and Hoseok being completely silent for once in his life was good indication that he was just as amazed as the rest of them. Yoongi’s hands tapped to the rhythm of the radio on the steering wheel as the museum came into view, and the reality of just how many people were lined up outside was really a giant slap in the face.“It’s just Taehyung?”“As far as I know."“And he’s an artist?”“Yes, Jungkook," Yoongi grunted in irritation.“Shit,” Jungkook breathed. “I didn’t know paintings were popular enough to have people lining up for them. Not like this.”“I would assume his face and voice have something to do with it,” Hoseok murmured.Jungkook gazed at the back of his seat in confusion.“But he's an artist."“Yes, he is—were you not paying attention?” Hoseok asked, turning around to look at him.“You’re really asking Jungkook that?” Yoongi snickered.“I just figured he had memorized everything Taehyung had said," Hoseok shrugged, sitting back in his seat. "Considering his eyes never left him.”“It was creepy.”“It was.”Jungkook groaned, and Yoongi looked up at him in the rearview mirror.“He’s a performative artist, Jungkook. As in a singer.”Jungkook blinked a few times over, swallowing hard as the statement as they pulled into a reserved parking spot."But...But he draws.""People draw," Yoongi responded simply.He slipped the parking form on the dash and unlocked the doors. Jungkook was the last to get out of the car, still trying to process the fact that Taehyung was actually a singer, and a celebrity. Not an artist artist. The crowd surrounding the entrance of the building move together in a chaotic trance, and Jungkook turns to Jimin with wild eyes.“He has fans," he gasped. "How have we not heard of him?”“You’re literally the only person here who hasn’t,” Jimin chuckled.Jungkook held his breath as they pushed through the fans, clutching the back of Jimin’s shirt. Teenage girls jostled by so quickly that Jungkook was nearly knocked off his feet. Jimin steadied him from behind, his hand firmly gripping his wrist as he handed the security guard standing by the double doors the VIP tickets. Those at the front of the admissions line booed them, but Jimin was quick to tear Jungkook away from the sour crowd as they stumbled into the museum hall. Hoseok and Yoongi struggled to keep up with Jimin’s enthusiasm as he chased the other VIP fans racing by them and through the curtains. Jungkook’s positive that all the circulation in his hand had been cut off at his wrist by the time they blew through into the amphitheater. Nearly half of the seats had been filled with fans.Fans. Taehyung really had fucking fans.Jungkook checked behind him to be sure Yoongi and Hoseok were still following them down the stairs to the front seats. Jimin practically shoved Jungkook into his seat, and he realized he was heaving his lungs out by the time he was able to collect his thoughts. Hoseok sat down on his other side while Yoongi slid by to take his seat beside Jimin.“Aren’t you excited?” Hoseok shouted over the crowd, gripping Jungkook’s shoulder excitedly.Jungkook was still trying to piece together the reality of Taehyung being a famous singer while more people filed in behind them. He stared at Hoseok grinning at him, trying to ignore how loud the base was booming in his ears, yet the abrupt rush of footfalls from behind the amphitheater engulfed him until nothing was comprehensible. He realized it was the sound of the rest of the eager fans pouring inside.The screams stripped Jungkook of anymore logical thought when blue light burst over the crowd, and Taehyung, well—Jungkook blamed all the screaming girls for why everything suddenly drowned out all over again. Why nothing existed but Taehyung as he nonchalantly stepped out onto the stage, pink dusting his cheekbones that gave away how truly thankful he must’ve felt as his eyes skimmed over the sea of people. Jungkook had never heard Taehyung sing, nor did he recognize the poetry that pushed through graceful lips, but the vibration of the gravel in his voice replaced the thudding in Jungkook’s chest. The changing tones flowed like waves within him, and Jungkook pretended the songs were about him when Taehyung’s eyes finally caught his own.  An hour and a half didn’t seem like enough. He wanted to watch Taehyung forever, catching his eye every so often, silently ask him why he left him alone in that bathroom. Though Taehyung was gone as soon as he came. Security ushered VIP guests toward the backstage, and Jimin didn’t shut up about how talented Taehyung was. Jungkook didn’t actually mind.Taehyung was standing off a bit, chatting with a girl who tossed up her hands in exaggeration while she spoke. He smiled—god, Jungkook will never stop admiring his beauty—and leaned in to hug her. He waved as she pranced away, and then stumbled as Jimin immediately leaped into his arms once again.“You were amazing!” Jimin cheered. “So, so freaking awesome!”"This a typical greeting for you?" Taehyung breathed.Jungkook smiled tentatively as he approached him, and a large silhouette of a man moved towards him in his peripheral.“One at a time,” the man’s voice boomed.“Calm down,” Taehyung told him firmly, strong hands wrapping around Jungkook’s bicep and squeezing almost protectively. “I know them.”As the security guard reluctantly walked off, Taehyung turned to face Jungkook, and his knees grew weak. He noticed how Taehyung’s sharp jawline curved beautifully above the cords of muscle around his throat that shifted as he spoke.“Work out much?” He murmured with a teasing tone.“Sometimes,” Jungkook responded softly.“Sure.”“Alright guys,” Hoseok suddenly cut in. “I have to head out.”Jungkook tore his eyes from Taehyung’s gaze to face him, and Hoseok smiled.“You hungry, Jungkook?”Jungkook’s parted his lips as he processed the question, and then remembered the conversation the two of them had before the concert.“Um...yeah. Kind of."“Alright, well, Jungkook and I will get some snacks.”“Oh, there’s food here,” Taehyung suggested, pointing behind him with his thumb.“Th-That's okay. We brought our own. Low on money, and stuff.”“I wouldn’t make you pay for it," Taehyung chuckled.“We’re good!” Hoseok insisted, but smiled appreciately.Taehyung’s eyebrows knitted together quizzically, but Hoseok didn’t give either he or Jungkook a chance to say anything else as he grabbed his Jungkook’s wrist and pulled him away. Maybe that was for the better, considering Jungkook really wasn’t the best at lying about his “bad habit.” He tried to to ignore how Yoongi’s eyes burned holes into the back of his head as he left with Hoseok like they always did.Hoseok seemed to know his way back down the hall pretty well, and Jungkook followed him into the nearest bathroom. Hoseok smacked his open palm against the wall next to the door a few times, the sharp sound echoing across the stalls inside.“Anyone in here?”Jungkook self-consciously crossed his arms, tucking his shoulders in closer to his neck at the question. A part of him always wished someone would respond. He’s been doing this exchange with Hoseok for a while now, and no matter how many times he did it, it never erased the guilt. Hoseok locked the door and shoved his hand into his pocket, pulling out a plastic bag about a fourth of the way full of round cherry-colored pills.“It’s a lot this time,” he sighed, setting the bag down on the counter. “You can still back out.”Jungkook shook his head, but remained tense as he reached into his own pocket to take out his wallet. Hoseok studied his every movement, and Jungkook didn’t need to look up to know he had that same look of sympathy on his face. Hoseok just sold drugs for some asshole called “Jin." He didn’t use though; couldn’t possibly understand the desperate feeling of craving it. The drive to want to take more and more until you can see your own ghost living outside of your body. Hoseok didn’t understand that it was worth the bitter taste on your tongue and the ache in your bones; the lead on your shoulders. Then again, maybe that was all just Jungkook.
‘Don’t feel bad for me. Don’t ever feel bad for someone who makes a choice like this.’
He pulled out a few bills well over his weekly compensation at the coffee shop, and placed it in Hoseok’s hand. He watched that money disappear into Hoseok’s wallet, money he could use to pay his rent or for his food, but instead wasted on a shitty, pathetic excuse to hide how weak he was.“C’mon, Jungkookie,” Hoseok murmured, tapping his shoulder comfortingly. “Let’s go, okay?”Jungkook bit his lip and stuffed the bag in the front of his pants just in case.Taehyung wasn’t around when the two of them had returned, a bag of chips in hand from a snack machine nearby. Yoongi had his eyes glued to his phone and tapped away while Jimin was nowhere to be found.“Hey, where’d Taehyung go?” Jungkook asked him.“Not sure,” he shrugged, putting his phone away. “Bathroom, maybe? Disappeared behind there.”He pointed towards a door on the far corner of the room where fans crowded by a small shop selling merch, and the security guard was speaking sternly to a young boy who stared back doe-eyed off to the side. Hoseok tapped Jungkook on the shoulder.“I’ll walk with Yoongi back to the car; that’s probably where Jimin went off to,” he said. “Meet us back there soon, okay?”Jungkook nodded making his way across the room while the two boys left in the opposite direction. He was careful to stand on the right side of the room, nearly hugging the wall as he avoided the guard. He was positive he would give Jungkook a hard time even if Taehyung confirmed that Jungkook was a friend. He opened the door and slipped inside, closing it softly behind him.The room before him looked like a small dressing room, an array of frilly black dress shirts with little variation in design lining the back wall. A wide mirror hung from the side with makeup covering the entire dresser before it. Jungkook didn’t spend a lot of time inspecting anything else. Nothing about the room indicated that Taehyung had been here for longer than a few hours. He took a few steps forward and turned into the hall on the right, and stopped in his tracks.There were sounds coming from the dark end of the hall, and anyone would’ve thought it was someone in pain. Anyone with a sane, logical mind. Yet Jungkook stood for a few seconds to what seemed like several minutes, and he’s sure—he’s positive those are not cries of pain. Not when they’re paired with loud, wet slaps echoing off the walls of the hall. His feet felt glued to the ground as his heart raced, and he knew he shouldn’t have continued forward, but he peeked around the hall anyway. There was a wall separating his view into the next room over, but another mirror was placed against the side where the entrance was, and the moving figure in the reflection knocked the breath right out of him.If Jungkook thought Taehyung looked beautiful before, he looked like a deity with those blown, glossy wet eyes and tousled hair as he jerks back and forth on that couch. Those earrings glinted where dim light reflected off of him as he stared up above himself, lips parted as he gasped while the unknown person that the mirror cut off worked below Taehyung’s waistline. Jungkook covered his mouth and bit back a gasp, bracing his hand on the table beside him. When it knocked against the wall, Taehyung looks over, and his eyes meet Jungkook's in the mirror. Jungkook pulled back into the hall and runs.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Week one.

This was the beginning. The beginning to a road where Jungkook should’ve stopped himself from dancing with the devil; should’ve tore himself away from the hurt. But he saw Taehyung like that, saw him stumble out with blood on his shirt, and Jungkook cared too much.
Unknown sender (7:32PM)

when do you get off
Jungkook had received the text about ten minutes ago but didn’t really have the time to look at it until now. A rush in the shop this late at night was a rare occurrence, but he couldn’t complain about the tips.
Me (7:44PM)

Who is this?

Unknown sender (7:44PM)

who do you think?
Jungkook crossed his ankles as he leaned against the counter.
Me (7:45PM)

Taehyung?

Unknown sender (7:45PM)

yeah

you gonna answer my question or?
Jungkook raised his eyebrows. He thought Taehyung didn’t have his number, but he guessed it wouldn’t be that surprising if any of the guys had given it to him.
Me (7:45PM)

Not too much longer, why?

Taehyung (7:46PM)

we need to talk

Me (7:46PM)

About? 
Jungkook stared down at his phone, tapping his finger against the side of the screen as he waited for Taehyung's reply; the bubble appearing and disappearing repeatedly.
Taehyung (7:48PM)

i know you saw me
 
Jungkook's grip tightened at the memory as he set his phone aside and felt embarrassment burn in the back of his head and down his neck. He half-smiled at the customer behind the counter and tried hard to focus on the order.He hadn’t spoken to or seen Taehyung in about a month. Trying to shove the memory of what he had seen that night made him almost forget Taehyung in general. Almost. He still spent the first half-hour of work hoping he’d catch him.Jungkook reached over and picked up his phone while coffee ran into the cup.
Me (7:51PM)

Saw what?
Maybe he could convince Taehyung he wasn’t there at all.
Taehyung (7:52PM)

so this isn’t yours
Another bubble appeared before a gray box with a loading symbol. When the photo appeared, Jungkook’s stomach dropped. That crumpled little notebook paper with seven numbers was pasted right there on the screen.
Taehyung (7:52PM)

it was on the floor in my dressing room
“Excuse me?”Jungkook turned his head towards the customer and set his phone back down, feeling it buzz again in his palm.“What’s taking so long?” He asked impatiently.Jungkook was quick to finish up the coffee, somehow a little eager to read the next text, and the customer snatched it out of his hand. Droplets flew from his cup and over the surface of the counter, and Jungkook inwardly sighed and reached for a rag to wipe it up with his phone in his other hand.
Taehyung (7:52PM)

did you like it?
 
Did he like it? Jungkook tossed the rag, and the pads of his fingers danced around the screen as he tried to think of a response when his head felt so fuzzy—his throat so dry.
Me (7:54PM)

We’ll talk about this later. I’m at work.
Zzz-Zzz. Another instant response.
Taehyung (7:54PM)

that makes it more exciting doesn't it?
The bubble appears and disappears a few times again before Taehyung sends an address. His address. Jungkook glanced up from behind the counter at the booth currently occupied by a young couple where Taehyung usually sat, and he swallowed hard as he typed out his reply.
Me (7:55PM)

No promises.

Taehyung (7:55PM)

sure
"You texting him again?"Jungkook immediately shoved his phone in his pocket, and Jimin laughed as he hands another customer her coffee.“You’re pissing people off with that.”“Sorry, I just—"“—I get it, Jungkookie,” Jimin chuckled. “I thought he was too busy though.”“Me too,” Jungkook replied admittedly. “Not anymore, I guess.”Jimin pulled himself up to sit on the back countertop and began to swing his feet back and forth while tugging his mouth to the side. He picked at where the counter had been peeling back on the edges.“Are you going to see him?”“Maybe.”There was a long stretch of silence between them, and Jungkook thought it was a bit odd. He expected Jimin to immediately urge him to go, but he just stared at the floor below him, staring at the wet puddle by the drain.“Do you…think I should?”“I just think you should be careful,” Jimin responded softly.Now, Jungkook was really taken aback. Jimin was typically the type of person to tell Jungkook to suck a guy’s dick after he just complimented his eyes. It was really weird.“What am I being careful of exactly?”“Just in general,” Jimin shrugged. “He’s, um…got press following him around and stuff.”A smile slowly spread on Jimin’s face as his light humor crept back into his voice.“Don’t do anything too raunchy,” he joked. “You don’t want your weird kinks in a news article.”Jungkook rolled his eyes and pushed himself off the counter, turning to open the register and count the cash.“Actually, please do that. I want to know your kinks an—”“—Shut up.”It started raining again by the time he and Jimin had finished their shifts. Jimin didn’t bring up Taehyung when they had collected their things, stepping out under the overhang. He just wished him a good night and hurriedly stomped through puddles towards his car. Jungkook didn’t question it, though. Jimin being a little out of character didn’t really seem like that big of a deal, so he pulled out his phone and unlocked it to see Taehyung’s address one last time before making his way to his bike.Feeling like he was the poorest man to ever exist was an understatement when he finally pulled into his driveway. It wasn't a mansion, but the secluded home with what looked like Greek architecture adorning the outside of it took Jungkook's breath away. He stepped off his bike and ascended the front steps, pulling out his phone again.
Me (10:01PM)

I’m here

Taehyung (10:02PM)

door’s open
Again, his text didn’t take long. Jungkook took a deep, shaky breath as he turned the front door handle and stepped inside. He breathed in the autumn-scent from the wax warmer plugged in the wall beside the entrance and shivered, blowing hot air into his palms and rubbing them together. He shook off his jacket and hung it up, slowly proceeding forward. He honestly half-expected a fountain in the center of the hall. Apart from the black marble counters in the kitchen, the dining room table big enough for twelve people, and the leather furniture, the house didn’t seem to be structured like a stuck-up celebrity lived there."Hello?" Jungkook called out.No reply. He peered behind the corner to his left and cautiously stepped up the stairs, not completely sure why he was so nervous. The top wooden step cracked, and there was shuffling coming from down the hall.“In here.”Jungkook swallowed hard at the sound—that gravelly, honeyed voice sending shocks down his spine. He picked up his pace towards the end a bit too eagerly, paying no attention the rooms on his sides as he pushed into the door.He wasn't really sure what he was expecting when he entered Taehyung's room, but a wall-to-floor window looking over the hills and woods wasn't it. Nor were the cherry-red satin sheets fitted over a king-sized bed and the hand-crafted wooden furniture. Though none of it really mattered once he noticed Taehyung sitting against the window, bringing a mug of what Jungkook assumed to be coffee up to his lips.Jungkook didn’t know what to say. His brain wasn’t telling his voice to move through his throat or his lips to part. Taehyung turned to him and smiled, and Jungkook held his breath. Taehyung always looked beautiful, but his hair had been tangled to hell like he didn’t bother to look presentable. His roots had grown in a bit and his bangs had gotten just a tad bit longer, so his waves fell into his eyes. This was all-natural Taehyung—wrinkled shirt, sweatpants, fuzzy socks. A different kind of warmth flooded through Jungkook, but he just…couldn’t really place why he felt anything today.“Hey.”Taehyung blinked at Jungkook with puffy eyes. A grayish color was beginning to form at the corners, and Jungkook felt a little bad for him. He must use makeup to cover up how tired he really was.“Um, you didn’t hear me before?” Jungkook asked quietly."Nope," he replied, gazing back through the window and took another sip. "It's weird for it to be raining this much, right?"Jungkook took a step forward to get a better view of outside. It had been raining a lot lately."I guess it's a little weird, yeah."Jungkook was a bit enraptured in the ambience of how the rain seemed like soft music playing in the back of his mind, admiring the rich navy blues and grays blooming across the sky before he realized that they had been sitting in silence for a while. He hesitantly sat back on Taehyung’s bed, and it caught Taehyung’s attention. He didn’t say anything at first, but ran his eyes over Jungkook’s frame like he was taking the sight in. Jungkook briefly squirmed a little under his gaze.“Was this all you were expecting?” Taehyung questioned.“Well,” Jungkook began with a deep breath. “The drive seemed farther than you made it out to be.”“I meant the house. You looked around like you were expecting something else.”Jungkook shrugged, looking just past Taehyung so he didn’t have to directly meet his eyes, or the way his heart wouldn’t stop thudding in his chest.“I honestly thought you’d have a statue of yourself in here,” Jungkook laughed, but he didn’t think it came off as funny as he meant it to.“You think I’m that narcissistic?” Taehyung laughed.Jungkook continued to stare at the wall behind Taehyung as he processed the question, and then shot Taehyung a look that told him that he should already know the answer to that. Taehyung laughed again, and then stood up. Jungkook felt himself unintentionally lean back as Taehyung walked towards him, and he breathed out in relief as Taehyung scooped up the folded laundry just beside him before moving towards his closet. He pulled one door open and stepped inside.Jungkook curiously stood up and followed him, not wanting to awkwardly sit by. He leaned forward to get a peek inside, and his focus zeroed in on the number of designer jackets and torn-up sweatshirts with graphic designs."Here."Taehyung tossed half the folded clothes at Jungkook, and he barely caught them.“Help me out for a sec,” he said, tilting his head beside him towards the dresser.Jungkook gazed back at Taehyung’s suspicious smile inquisitively, but obediently kneeled down and opened the top drawer. An array of t-shirts had been lying across the span of the surface, and Jungkook dropped the two shirts in his pile on top. He did the same for the second drawer, only with sweatpants instead, and felt his stomach fall to his feet as stared at the remaining article of clothing.No way. No fucking way. He stiffened as he slowly pulled open the bottom drawer to reveal what he had hoped wasn’t actually going to be there: several different kinds of panties. Not one pair of boxers in sight.
'Was this all he wore?'
Jungkook held his breath as he slowly picked through them, noting for no particular reason that Taehyung preferred lacy crisscross designs on the sides rather than the closed bottom ones. Just when he thought it couldn’t get any worse, there was a silver leather box tucked away to the side, and Jungkook knew what had been inside before his embarrassment kept him from fully opening the top.He had to sit back on his calves and inhale deeply to try and repossess any sanity he had left after seeing the series of sex toys.Toys Taehyung actually used, and fuck—You know what they say about not imagining pink elephants—So many questions ran through Jungkook’s head. How often does Taehyung use them? Is it just every once in a while, or every night? What does he think about when he uses them? Does he think about—?"Jungkook."He quickly covered the box and shoved the drawer closed so hard it almost knocked against the wall. He stood up and whipped around while Taehyung just looked smug. He knew exactly what he led Jungkook to find. He ran those long fingers down one of his shirts that he had hung up, smoothening out wrinkles before turning to him."Find anything interesting?""Wh-What?"Taehyung took a step towards him, and seriously, fuck him for doing this every time they come in contact with one another."Did you find anything," Taehyung began, slowing annunciating his words; "you might be interested in?"That is definitely not what he had said before, and Jungkook’s jaw clenched and his bones felt like they were made of lead as he stood frozen on the spot.“I, uh, haven’t really used that stuff. Those things.”"That's okay," Taehyung sighed, a smile spreading wider across his face. "There's always next time."
‘Next time?’
Jungkook didn’t even have time to ask the question, and barely had time to process when Taehyung’s lips knock him breathless; supernovas blurring his head. It wasn’t until his tongue traced the seam of Jungkook’s mouth when he came to—realized this was this was actually happening with Taehyung. Not the Taehyung he watched someone else fuck, or the celebrity or the singer. Just he asshole in the coffee shop. The one who always complained that his drink wasn’t right when Jungkook’s pretty sure he’s never even seen Taehyung drink the coffee he’s made. The one who insulted him and took advantage of him, and Jungkook…Jungkook always liked it.Taehyung digs his fingernails into Jungkook’s back as he sweeps in to gnaw at his earlobe, and Jungkook can actually feel Taehyung’s cock pulse hot and heavy through his sweatpants. Something inside him snaps.Jungkook found his fingers unbuttoning his shirt, nearly clawing it off, and he ran a hand across the expanse of the bare golden skin he longed for so badly—for so long. Taehyung pressed his hips into his, and Jungkook choked on a groan.“Do you want this?”The question is breathy and weak, but Taehyung’s eyes are hard and unmoving from Jungkook’s. Was it not obvious enough?“Ye—”“—Because I’ll stop if you want me to.”Jungkook gazed back at him questioningly. He almost looked worried. Like he was afraid Jungkook would say no, or...or something else.“I want this,” Jungkook breathed. “I want you.”Taehyung had the audacity to laugh. It was a sharp contrast from his previous expression.“How bad do you want me?” He asked, and Jungkook remembered just how irritating his cockiness could really be.“I think I should be asking you that question,” Jungkook growled.He brushed over Taehyung’s nipples, and his chest heaved; smirk faltering. Jungkook tucked his fingers under the band of Taehyung’s sweatpants and pulled him back out of the closet and towards the bed. When they fell back onto the mattress, Taehyung immediately crawled on top of him, untucking his shirt and pulling it off. Jungkook's hands moved fast to work off Taehyung's belt while the other straddled his hips.Jungkook just watched Taehyung as he pushed quickened breaths through that satisfied smirk while Jungkook tugged his sweatpants down. He had no time to admire how beautiful Taehyung was while sitting on top of him when he bent over and trailed wet kisses down Jungkook's throat. Jungkook finally let a groan fall from his lips, and Taehyung paused momentarily. Jungkook took advantage of it to return the favor, sucking on the space between Taehyung's shoulder and those sharp collarbones before reaching down and grabbing two handfuls of his ass. He squeezed.
"Jungkook—!”
His name was a needy, high-pitched moan. If Taehyung made Jungkook’s name sound like a bad word before, now it's a sin all on its own.Taehyung looked a bit embarrassed and it was cute, but he didn’t seem to want to linger on it as he leaned back and brought his middle and ring finger to his lips. He ran his tongue from where his rings began to his fingertips before enveloping them in his mouth, keeping his eyes on Jungkook. He brought them downwards, and Jungkook suddenly became aware of how Taehyung had his thighs spread like a whore, exposing his long cock settled on his lower stomach and his pretty little hole. Taehyung's head lolled back as both fingers slipped inside with little resistance.He touched himself before this. He actually fucked himself on his fingers before Jungkook showed up.“You planned this,” Jungkook panted.“No shit,” Taehyung breathed out heavily.Jungkook’s arm darted out to grab Taehyung's wrist and yank it away, and Taehyung jerked forward with wide eyes, clenching around nothing. He was completely, utterly exposed to Jungkook, inside and out. Jungkook inhaled sharply, mind blanking with nothing but how badly he wanted to ruin him.“How long have you touched yourself to the thought of me?”He was surprised by his own dark tone, how foreign his words sounded even to himself, though Taehyung’s eyes were round and cute like this had been the first time anyone’s said something so dirty to him. Well, Jungkook couldn’t just stop there.“Did you ever imagine me doing this?”He replaced Taehyung's fingers with his own, curling them upwards, and he was so warm and slick from his fingers and leftover lube. Taehyung bit back a whimper, and Jungkook thrust his fingers forward. He spread them out, slowly scissoring them as far as they would reach past the ring of muscle.“Imagine me breeding you until your legs are useless? Until you can’t even hold your ass up for me anymore?”Taehyung squirmed on top of him, and Jungkook watched as his cock twitched and leaked while he was driving his fingers deep inside of him. Taehyung fucked himself right back onto them. The ceiling was beginning to blur above them, and god, it was all too much—he wanted more, he needed more—Jungkook suddenly sat up, slipping his fingers out, and Taehyung was the one to fall back on the mattress. His eyes were wide and helpless, and the image was burned in the front of Jungkook's mind as he swallowed him down. The tip of Taehyung’s cock was quick to gag him the back of his throat, but he didn’t mind. Not when everything he ever wanted in that moment was to taste Taehyung; drink him down.He dug the tip of his tongue into the slit, suckling on the head before bringing it to the back of his throat again. His mouth watered as he bobbed his head and swallowed around it. Taehyung's tiny moans were music to his ears, and when he hummed, Taehyung's back arched before he pulled off with an obscene 'pop.'Jungkook wrapped his fingers around the base of Taehyung's cock, and the other whined in protest as he swivels his hips in tiny, needy circles.“You think you deserve this?”The words were out before Jungkook’s brain processed them, as if his consciousness had been wanting to say them for far too long. All the frustration from Taehyung's past words, the rudeness, the intolerable insults and fierce stares; it bubbled up and spilled out through gritted teeth. “You've been pissing on me since the very beginning. Making me look bad. Treating me like I'm shit stuck to your shoe.”Jungkook actually laughed, suddenly driven by a condescending sense of pride. Taehyung couldn’t speak. His hands twisted in his bedsheets when Jungkook started picking up the pace. When Taehyung squeezed his eyes shut, Jungkook gripped his jaw. Taehyung's gaze was much too innocent when he blinked back up at him.“Fucking look at me when you cum.”Jungkook leaned in to lick a slow stripe over his entrance before poking the tip of his tongue inside. Taehyung sucked in a sharp breath as thick, white ropes fall over the dips in his soft tummy. Jungkook milked his cock of all he has, slurping at his rim while Taehyung thrashed at the oversensitivity.When he pulled away, his clothes were sticking to sweaty skin, his own cock begging to be freed from the confines of his jeans. He pushed it against Taehyung’s ass, and the other is still trembling, even when he pushed back.“How bad do you want me, Taehyung?”Taehyung's eyes were shining from the lamp light outside the windows; tears pooled in his eyes."I-I need you," he whispers. "Please. Please give it to me."Jungkook chuckled, grinding against Taehyung's ass. It felt so good hearing those words from him, and Taehyung kept on begging like his life depended on it. Jungkook threaded his fingers through his hair, yanking him forward, and Taehyung cried out. He pressed his lips to Taehyung's ear. "You can suck me off," he breathed, "but that's it."His grip tightened, and Taehyung hands automatically snapped up to cling to Jungkook’s arm as he whined."I'll bet you wish your filthy money could buy you my cock to fuck yourself on."~ ~ ~Jungkook woke up to the blurry view of Taehyung's ceiling, and his memory is hazy from the night before. Although Taehyung wasn’t currently in the room, his scent encased Jungkook's lungs. He smiled, dragging his hand across the side of his bed Taehyung had slept on and sat up, stretching his arms over his head. He reached down and tried his best to straighten out the shirt he had worn from last night. He pulled it as well as his pants and stepped out from the bedroom to walk downstairs.He was immediately greeted by the pleasant smell of bacon frying in a pan and soft, low humming. Sure enough, Taehyung was standing in front of the stove. He was sporting just a regular white t-shirt, dark waves sticking up at every possible angle; wetting his lips as he concentrated with tired eyes.Jungkook still can’t believe this was Taehyung. This angelic, beautiful boy cooking breakfast in his kitchen just can't be the same moody, immature guy from the cafe. The same boy he devoured the night before.“Good morning," Taehyung yawned, glancing over at him.A damn good morning indeed, just when he thought Taehyung's voice couldn't get any lower. Jungkook’s legs felt like jelly as he approached him to examine the breakfast, and then noticed a paper towel on a plate with strips of bacon that had finished cooking lying off to the side. He made an “ooo” sound as he reached to pick one up, but Taehyung slapped his hand away.“It’s not ready yet.”Jungkook groaned, and then took a step back, looking him over again. The reds and oranges from the morning sun glimmered off the high points of his face.“God, you’re so…”He couldn't stop himself from sliding his hands around Taehyung's waist, and he felt the other tense."I'm so what?" Taehyung asked quietly.“Hot.”If there was a word for someone's neck turning such a pigmented hue of pink, Jungkook didn’t have one.“Blushing is really cute on you.”“I don’t blush," Taehyung muttered, reaching down to push Jungkook's arms away.“You are right now. Because of me,” Jungkook pressed teasingly.“Yeah. That's because you piss me off so much that I have a physical reaction."“Oh yeah? What kind of physical reaction?” Jungkook challenged.“Well, my blood pressure is at, like, one-eighty right now.”“Wow, that's really high. You might have a heart attack because of me," Jungkook laughed again. "You flatter me too much.”“It isn’t a compliment,” Taehyung grunted. “I've never gone out of my way to flatter you."Jungkook rested his chin onto Taehyung’s shoulder this time, wanting to push him further.“So, you're telling me you didn't finger yourself before meeting me yesterday?" He murmured.He felt Taehyung tense again.“No, I..."Taehyung ran his thumb over the handle of the spatula and dug into it with his nail as his voice quieted.“I do it all the time. It's sort of a habit before I go out," he mumbled. "It's not like it made a difference last night, anyway."First of all, Jungkook just found out Taehyung fingers himself before going to see him. Every single time he came to the coffee shop, he had fingered himself before that. Second of all, he's pretty sure Taehyung just low-key complained about Jungkook not actually fucking him last night, and the will to keep a boner from happening just dropped about four hundred percent.“Who exactly do you wear these for, by the way?" Jungkook asked, clearing his throat and dipping a finger into the side of Taehyung's pajama pants.Taehyung huffed and pushed him away again.“Touchy,” he complained.“What, you aren’t a cuddler?” Jungkook asked, a little disappointed.“I wear the panties for myself,” he grumbled, ignoring Jungkook’s question. “I think they’re comfortable, and they make me feel sexy.”Taehyung tilted his head in Jungkook’s direction, and momentarily stopped moving around the bacon.“Why?” He smirked. “Would you get jealous if I said I did wear them for someone?”Jungkook opened his mouth, hesitating a bit as he processed the question. Would he be jealous if someone else touched Taehyung like he did?“No," he lied. "I was just curious."He could've sworn Taehyung had disappointment lingering for a second in his gaze, but he may have imagined that.“I actually barely even noticed them last night."“That’s because you pretty much tore them off of me.”The kitchen was silent again as Taehyung shuffled more bacon onto the spatula before sliding it off onto the paper towel.“Hey, can you do that again? The humming?”Taehyung didn’t react at first as if he were surprised at the request. He finally started the tune back up again, and Jungkook closed his eyes at the sound. Jungkook’s chin returned to Taehyung’s shoulder, and this time, Taehyung didn’t push him away. He felt the gravel of his voice in his throat against his cheek, and the movement of wiry muscle under Taehyung’s skin as he moved his arm. The same warm feeling he felt yesterday flooded through him, like flowers were beginning to bloom inside of him. He guessed this was what it was actually like to feel butterflies in your stomach.

Week two.

From there on out, Jungkook spent more and more of his time in Taehyung’s home. It had barely been a couple of weeks when Jungkook became absolutely positive that he's taken him in every room of his house. Every time he would come home from work, Jungkook fingered him on those expensive leather couches and gray carpets. On the kitchen table that could fit one too many, and against the living room window where his bated breath fogs up the glass as he sobs while he begs for more. All the places where the room is saturated with the slurping sounds of Taehyung's mouth, and Jungkook's dirty murmurs of how he was made to take his cock. Jungkook adds more hickies onto his chest and paints another inch of golden skin white."It's getting a little annoying, you know."Taehyung stood up from where he was at the window and sat next to Jungkook on the bed.Jungkook rolled over, situating his hand under his head as he stared back at him."What is?""Asking for you to fuck me.""…Oh.""Oh?" Taehyung echoed. "What does that mean?""Nothing,” Jungkook said quietly, turning back over and chewing on the inside of his cheek. "Seriously. Why won't you? No offense, but the teasing is getting annoying. We've done everything except, like, dick-in-ass.""I'm just...I don't know,” Jungkook rolled his eyes, and then closed them. “If it really bothers you, you're pretty. I'm sure you could find someone else to do it for you."Jungkook didn't realize how hurtful his words were until they came out of his mouth, and that they would have as much of an effect on Taehyung as they did. There was a long pause before he felt the weight of Taehyung's body disappear next to him.“I'm not actually a whore, you know."Jungkook sat up this time at the disappointed tone, and watched the other walk into the bathroom, grumbling something to himself as he heard the sink run. "Taehyung—""I think it's time for you to leave."Jungkook slipped out of the bed and followed Taehyung into the bathroom. Taehyung had rested both hands on either side of the sink while he stared at himself in the mirror, and Jungkook ran his eyes over the length of his frame, taking in the curve of his waist, and how pretty it looked in contrast to his long legs."I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—""—Did you not hear me?" Taehyung snapped, glaring at him in the mirror. "We’re done. We fucked. You can leave.”Okay, that stung a little bit."I haven't fucked you because I've never done it before," Jungkook spoke quickly."...Really?" Taehyung asked, expression slowly relaxing."I'm not...I've actually never topped," Jungkook muttered, looking down at his feet. "I didn't mean to imply anything about you. I'm just nervous about...doing that."Taehyung was quiet for a few seconds, and then moved over in front of him. He planted an unexpected soft kiss on Jungkook's forehead, and Jungkook’s heart leapt into his throat. it was sweeter than anything he had ever done."I've never bottomed."Jungkook's eyes flicked up to his face, and Taehyung was staring back at him fondly."I never wanted to. It makes me uneasy, I guess.""Then why do you...?"Taehyung shrugged, and Jungkook's lips part, thunderstruck by the way Taehyung leaned in again to pepper kisses along the bridge of his nose, and then the apples of his cheeks."I trust you."But Jungkook slowly stopped waking up to Taehyung. One day he'd be there, the next he wouldn't, and then it just stopped altogether. He wasn't making breakfast, or even in the house at all. He just began leaving notes on the fridge that he was going out and reminded Jungkook to lock up. "I know you told me to stop asking you if you're okay, but seriously, you look like you really need some shut-eye.""I've been sleeping," Taehyung insisted.He wasn't wrong—He did usually fall asleep next to Jungkook. Taehyung was just never there when he woke up."I don't want to argue about this with you again. You're just starting to worry me, is all.""Since when have you worried about me?""Since you started looking like you were going to pass out when you drove me to work,” Jungkook retorted.Taehyung paused for a moment, and Jungkook watched him long enough to really notice how he’d gotten skinnier. Paler."Fair enough."Truthfully, Jungkook also really missed waking up to Taehyung. Turning over and memorizing the soft slopes of his features, lovely petal-like lips, and high cheekbones. He missed brushing the bangs out of his eyelashes, and how they blinked slowly when he became aware of Jungkook lying beside him. How his pupils dilated, and the corners of his mouth lifted."You look good," Taehyung would say.He always complimented Jungkook when he first woke up."Yeah?""Hell yeah.""I probably need a shower," Jungkook would chuckle."Mm. Am I invited?""No complaints here."Jungkook really missed the morning showers, too. How he would grab the bottle of strawberry-scented shampoo off the ledge, squirting into his hands and running his fingers through Taehyung's hair. How Taehyung hummed in approval, tilting his chin up to let the water roll down his neck, until Jungkook would accidentally tug on a dark lock particularly hard. Taehyung would moan, Jungkook would apologize, but he didn’t actually mean it."Do it again." Jungkook bit his bottom lip, hiding a satisfied grin as he slipped his hands under Taehyung's thighs. Taehyung held on tight as he lifted him up onto the ledge. Jungkook’s fingertips danced down from his chest, to his stomach, to his cock; running them down the length to toying with the head. It didn’t take long before Taehyung was rolling his body to the rhythm of Jungkook's hand, and Taehyung's voice is so deep. So raw in his ear."Don't stop."Jungkook did experiment with something, too. He wasn't really sure how Taehyung would react to it, and he hoped it didn't turn him off, or scare him, but he tried it anyway—his fingers folding around Taehyung's throat. He pressed his thumb into his pulse and felt Taehyung swallow back a gasp; eyes widening. Jungkook thought he wasn't breathing before he even squeezed, and fire coiled in his belly. Taehyung's hands flew up to grip Jungkook's arm, gripping tightly but not pulling him away.The sounds echoing off the bathroom walls are disgusting. Loud, wet, messy squelches. Taehyung's eyes rolled to the back of his head, and his body stilled. His arms hung limply to his sides as Jungkook did what he pleased, and when Taehyung came, Jungkook caught him before he slipped off of the ledge."Wish we could do that all the time.""We can."But they didn’t.

Week three.

Jungkook changed the date on his calendar while he checked his phone again to see if Taehyung responded to his last text.
Me (8:37PM)

Are we still okay for 10?

Taehyung (8:38PM)

yeah

Me (10:23PM)

When are you coming over?
It was marked as 'read,’ and Jungkook hated feeling bothered by that. Technically, Taehyung should’ve been at Jungkook’s place twenty minutes ago, but he was always early. He was also a fast responder. Jungkook sighed and tucked his phone back into his pocket, and mentally tried to make excuses for why Taehyung was possibly late. Maybe he fell asleep, ran into traffic, or his phone died.As soon as Jungkook sat down on his bed, he heard his front door slam shut. He shot up, the heat of anxiety stabbing through his chest at the quick, frantic footsteps before another slam of a door down the hall. His first thought was there was someone in his house, but he was frozen to the spot, too horror-stricken to move forward and lock his bedroom door. What if he got too close and someone burst through it?He thought he was going to actually have a heart attack. The pressure behind his light-headed skull and the black dots floating in his vision made him forget where he was for a few seconds as he slowly moved across the room. A shaky hand reached for his phone once again as he tapped in Taehyung’s number in a panic and held the phone up to his ear. It was the second call he would’ve made tonight.
‘Please pick up, please pick up, ple—”
The floor was wet in the hall, light from the living room reflecting off small droplets. Cold washed over him in pinpricks.
‘Zzz. Zzz. Zzz.’
Jungkook quieted his quickened breaths, and he dropped his phone to the carpet.