Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Nice place you have here. Cute.”

Taehyung looked around the tiny apartment from where he was sitting by Jungkook’s dining table nursing a cup of chamomile tea. Jungkook assumed Taehyung and his family had enough money to live in a mansion, so he was pretty sure the older was just making fun of him. “Sorry. It’s a little messy, I wasn’t really expecting company.”

“It’s okay, I’m the one who is intruding,” Taehyung said, though he did not sound particularly apologetic about the fact. He took a loud sip of the tea, and even though he still looked a little bit flushed and drunk he didn’t seem it. He’d kicked off his heels by the entrance, the gold-sequin designer shoes looking very out of place next to Jungkook’s many pairs of Timberlands. Still, Taehyung looked surprisingly comfortable in Jungkook’s bachelor pad, and Jungkook would say the sight of Taehyung sipping tea in his kitchen wasn’t… unwelcome.

(He’d love to get used to the sight.)

“I’ll just crash on your couch for the night, then,” Taehyung said, resting his head in his hands. He looked very kid-like, cheeks cutely smushed up and small smile on his lips. “May I borrow something to sleep in?”

“Uh — yeah,” Jungkook stuttered. “But — but it’s probably better if you stay in my room, honestly, since I’m probably going out tomorrow morning for deliveries. So I wouldn’t want to wake you up or anything, and — I’ll go get you something to change into.” His voice grew more quiet the more he spoke, because honestly Jungkook wasn’t completely grasping the situation. “You can — you can come with, if you want to.”

Taehyung hummed, took another small sip of his tea, and then followed Jungkook into his bedroom. If you told Jungkook about two weeks ago that Kim Taehyung would ever be in his bedroom, he would have thought you were crazy. Not that Jungkook minded having Taehyung in his bedroom — that was a completely different discourse — but he wouldn’t have thought it possible.

“Nice. I like your G-Dragon poster,” Taehyung commented as Jungkook stepped over a small pile of clothes to get to his closet. Taehyung didn’t seem to mind the small mess, or at least he made no move to snidely mention it, which Jungkook appreciated. That, or Taehyung was still too drunk to notice.

Jungkook threw one of his many white t-shirts in Taehyung’s general direction. “Do you want some sweatpants, too?” he asked, turning around to look at Taehyung over his shoulder. His breath got stuck in his throat when Taehyung proceed to simply pull his own sweater over his head.

“It’s okay, I’ll just sleep in my underwear,” Taehyung said. Jungkook was long lost staring at Taehyung’s exposed skin like some creep, but could you blame him? He was so flawless, body slim and tummy surprisingly soft-looking, and he had a navel piercing. It glinted under the dim light before he pulled Jungkook’s oversized sweater over his head. If Taehyung could just have bothered to turn around so Jungkook could check if he was serious about the tattoo as well —

“Oh, this is very comfortable,” Taehyung hummed. The t-shirt reached him mid-thigh, but honestly thats how big they were on Jungkook, too, so it wasn’t all that surprising. This visual however was at least three of Jungkook’s sexual fantasies in one, and he was not sure how long he could manage standing here, just watching. “Thanks, baby,” Taehyung said, pulling Jungkook out of his perverted daze.

‘Get a grip, Jeon.’

“No problem,” Jungkook said, voice strained. ‘Yes problem. Yes very much growing problem.’ “Uhm — the bathroom is over there, if you want to wash up. I’m afraid I don’t have an extra toothbrush or anything, but — but you c-can borrow —” he gulped as Taehyung advanced towards him, smile on his face just a little bit wicked, “— toothpaste,” Jungkook finished weakly.

Taehyung leaned in, and then he pecked Jungkook’s cheek, and giggled. He giggled.

“Thank you, baby.” Taehyung slowly wrapped his arms around Jungkook’s neck and pressed their foreheads together, and Jungkook took a deep breath at the close proximity.

Taehyung still smelled like bubblegum.

“I’ll let you wash up,” Jungkook mumbled. “Uhm — I might accidentally wake you up tomorrow morning, but I’ll try to be quiet —”

“Sleep in the bed with me, Jeon Jungkook.” Taehyung was smiling, and he threaded his fingers through Jungkook’s messy hair. “It’s your place, and if you’re leaving early tomorrow morning, so should I.”

Jungkook closed his eyes as Taehyung pecked his nose, and then his cheeks, and his lips. “This is so weird,” Jungkook mumbled, carefully cupping Taehyung’s face; he smushed Taehyung’s soft cheeks together, feeling how warm his skin was thanks to the alcohol. “You’re so nice. And also very drunk. Why can’t you be this nice to me all the time, we’d get along so well, then.”

Taehyung laughed, leaning against Jungkook’s frame. “You want me to be nice and kiss you all the time, Jeon Jungkook?”

“Yes.”

It was kind of embarrassing, how fast he replied. It brought an even bigger smile to Taehyung’s face. “Well, sober Taehyung will definitely work on that,” he said, and Jungkook knew he was for sure blushing down to his neck. “I’m really sleepy, baby.”

“O-okay,” Jungkook stuttered, and Taehyung effectively pulled him onto the mattress; Taehyung snuggling into his blankets was the cutest fucking thing Jungkook had ever seen, and he barely managed to school his expression before sliding in under the covers with his… fake-boyfriend. Fake-boyfriends were really, really not supposed to share beds, yet here they were.

They laid face to face, just staring at each other, for what felt like the longest time. Taehyung looked so soft, so far away from the person Jungkook had saved as bubblegum bitch in his phone those weeks ago. He looked like he belonged there, in Jungkook’s springy bed.

“It’s so fun hanging out with you,” Taehyung mumbled, face partially smushed into Jungkook’s pillow. “You don’t care.”

Jungkook frowned. “What do you mean?” I care about you.

“You don’t care what I wear,” Taehyung started, “you said I look nice in everything. And you don’t care that I eat a lot of sugar and junk food. You probably don’t care that I’ve neglected my diet, or that my Seoul dialect is horrible.” He smiled, tiredly. “It’s nice.”

“Yeah?” Jungkook cleared his throat as Taehyung moved a little closer to him. “That’s — I’m glad — what are you d-doing?”

“I’m a cuddler,” Taehyung grinned.

“I’m not,” Jungkook whispered back.

“Too bad,” Taehyung said, and hugged Jungkook tight.

.

.

from: tae babe
thanks for letting me stay over
really

thank you, i had a great time

.

.

“Morning.”

It was the week of The Party, four days away from doomsday, and Jungkook felt just a little weird entering Taehyung’s office. He had sent Taehyung a message last night with the bold promise of I’ll show up every morning this week as your boyfriend, not a delivery boy, so don’t bother Jiwoo anymore with emails. Taehyung had sent a lovely cluster of heart emojis, and Jungkook’s own heart stupidly stuttered.

Because of fucking emojis.

Boy, this was getting out of hand, and at this point Jungkook wasn’t sure how he was going to feel about not seeing Taehyung again after Friday. That was the deal after all, and Taehyung hadn’t said anything about change of plans.

“Oh, hey baby!”

The cheerful tone in Taehyung’s voice made Jungkook realize something was amiss. His eyes had only zoned in on his fake boyfriend behind his desk, so he hadn’t realized someone else was in the room; a tall man dressed in a silken shirt, bright trousers and an extravagant fur coat. His hair was a pretty shade of blondish pink, and his features positively striking.

“Is this a bad time?” Jungkook asked, slowly, staying close to the door.

“No, no, absolutely not!” Taehyung smiled, but there was a slight, distinct panic in his eyes. “This is my brother, Seokjin. He just returned from his Milan trip!”

Oh.

Oh shit.

“Oh!” Jungkook exclaimed. Holy shit what was he supposed to say?

Make Taehyung proud, you nitwit, his brain helpfully supplied.

“Lovely to meet you, Seokjin. It’s a pleasure. I’m Taehyung’s boyfriend, Jeon Jungkook,” Jungkook said, a little too quickly, but at least he didn’t stutter. He hurriedly placed the coffee on Taehyung’s table, wiped his hand on his pants and held it out for Taehyung’s brother to take. Seokjin’s smile was Colgate-commercial worthy.

“What a sweet boy,” he crooned, and instead of taking Jungkook’s hand, Seokjin leaned in and kissed both his cheeks in greeting. Jungkook was a little stunned. “Aw, you’re definitely Taetae’s type! So cute! You did well on this one, little brother.”

Uh. Jungkook wasn’t sure what to say at that. He looked over his shoulder to Taehyung, whose face was a bright pink. “Yeah,” Taehyung said, looking up to meet Jungkook’s eyes. “Jungkook is pretty great.”

Ba-bump.

“Mh, he seems very nice,” Seokjin said, devious smile on his face. “Well — I do need to get to a meeting, it’s the only reason I’m here at this godforsaken hour, so I suppose I should leave you two alone. I believe we will see each other again this Friday, Jeon Jungkook? We’ll talk a lot more then.” The way he stared straight at Jungkook was a little unnerving, even if there was a smile on his face. Seokjin was officially more intimidating than Taehyung had ever been.

Jungkook gulped. “Y-yes, sir. S-see you on Friday, sir.”

Seokjin winked. “Ciao.”

When Seokjin closed the door behind him, Taehyung let out a long sigh of relief, slumping back in his chair. “Holy shit,” he whispered after an excruciating minute. “We did it. I think we fooled him.”

“Why are we whispering?”

“He could still be listening. Actually —” Taehyung hurriedly stood up from his seat and made his way towards Jungkook at an incredible speed; he threw his arms around Jungkook’s shoulders, putting his whole weight on the younger and leaning down until their mouths were nearly touching. “Kiss me.”

Why, Jungkook should have asked, and a week ago he would have. He was sure Taehyung only wanted Jungkook to kiss him because Seokjin might come back, but Jungkook didn’t care. He just wanted an excuse to kiss Taehyung, and if Taehyung was presenting him with one Jungkook wasn’t going to back down. He’d thought about it ever since Taehyung slept over.

Taehyung's lips were just as soft as Jungkook remembered, sugary and sweet and addictive. He wasted no time pressing against the older, cupping Taehyung's face in his hands tilting his head for a better angle. Taehyung audibly sighed against his mouth. Maybe that was supposed to a sign of yeah, okay, that's good for now delivery boy, but Jungkook had no plans on stopping at that, even if their kisses up until now had been mostly innocent. He hadn't been reliving his embarrassing wet dreams from his teenage years the whole weekend to stop at a few pecks, no sir. If Kim Seokjin walked back through those doors within the next five minutes he was going to actually interrupt something.

Jungkook rubbed his thumbs over Taehyung's soft cheeks, tilted his head and pried Taehyung's lips open with his tongue; he received minimal resistance, Taehyung's tall height practically melting over him at the action. Taehyung responded eagerly, warm mouth and tongue moving skillfully over Jungkook's own, hands fretting over Jungkook's shoulders, chest and nape, as if he didn't know where he wanted to touch first.

They only realized they were moving when the back of Taehyung’s thighs hit his office desk, and Jungkook wasted no time hoisting his fake-boyfriend onto the surface of the table. Taehyung let out a small squeak of surprise, breaking away from Jungkook's lips. "This is an expensive desk, Jeon Jungkook, I'd rather we didn't -"

Parting Taehyung's long legs, Jungkook stepped between them and wrapped his arms around Taehyung's midsection. The words died on Taehyung's lips immediately. "I - uh, Jungkook -"

"Less talking, more making out," Jungkook whispered, pressing his mouth to the column of Taehyung's throat this time. "I've wanted to kiss you again since we went out with Jimin and the others — fuck, you’re hot.” Jungkook probably shouldn’t have admitted to that, but, oh well.

"Really?" Taehyung breathed, fingers curling into Jungkook's hair. "This is quite a new side of you, baby, I haven't seen you like this b-before - oh." He sucked in a deep breath as Jungkook pressed wet kisses under his ear. "I like it. I like it a lot."

"You do?" Jungkook voiced, pulling away to meet Taehyung's eyes; they were dark with intent and his lips were red and spit-slicked. "I thought -" Jungkook rubbed a thumb over Taehyung's lips, bit his own bottom lip when Taehyung's tongue peeked out to lick at it, "- you would like being - in control?"

"In any other situation except the bedroom, yes," Taehyung replied, cocking his head to the side with a mockingly innocent-looking smile. "So - you going to kiss me again, baby?"

Jeongguk nodded enthusiastically, diving in for another kiss with a grin on his face, voice at the back of his head playfully telling him it seemed like Seokjin wasn't coming back. That they were alone in Taehyung's office, making out, and he was between Taehyung's legs. Not to mention the fact that Taehyung seemed to want this just as much as Jungkook did, and that possibility had Jungkook a little dizzy.

Eventually, it wasn't Kim Seokjin that forced them to pull apart and get back to reality, but rather a phone call from an angry-sounding Jiwoo reminding Jungkook of his next job. At that point Taehyung seemed like he was trying to pull Jungkook's shirt off, so honestly it was just shitty timing. Or fantastic timing, considering the fact that this was not a part of their agreement and could very well turn everything on its head. But Jungkook did groan loudly in protest as his ringtone blasted through Taehyung's minimalistic office.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm on my way," Jungkook told Jiwoo, even though he still had Taehyung's hand under his shirt and glossy lips on his throat. "I'll be there in time, no worry."

"Don't screw it up," Jiwoo grunted before hanging up.

Jungkook sighed, regretfully stepping away from between Taehyung's legs. He immediately missed the heat of the older's body, but - he had work to do. As much as he liked being in Taehyung’s presence he had a job, and they had been scarily scarce recently. "Sorry," he mumbled, as Taehyung let out a small sound of protest, hands grabbing after Jungkook. "I really need to go, I have more work today than expected. Jiwoo's keeping me busy."

Taehyung huffed, leaning back on his hands. He looked ridiculously good where he was sitting on his own desk with his thighs spread apart and lips bitten red and hair mussed up. It was positively a crime leaving him. "Hm, well, I'm busy too."

"Yeah. Well," Jungkook hesitated, straightening his shirt and pulling a hand through his hair. He wasn't sure how presentable he looked at the moment. "Did you," Jungkook lowered his voice, "did you think your brother would come back? Uh — is that why you let me kiss you like that?”

Taehyung's whole face turned red, and suddenly he was looking away, avoiding Jungkook’s eyes actively. “Uh — yeah, of course,” he said, but his whole body language told Jungkook he was lying. Jungkook didn’t mention anything about it, however. He wasn’t sure if he was reading this all wrong. “You should get going, then, delivery boy.”

Delivery boy. The sudden change of nicknames was a little baffling, because Taehyung had called him baby for days now. Did he do something wrong? Oh, dear, Taehyung was regretting it, wasn’t he? Was he creating distance between them on purpose? Fuck, did Jungkook fuck up? Or was Taehyung just teasing him? Jungkook couldn’t tell.

Taehyung didn’t seem to notice that Jungkook was panicking, having hopped down from the desk and seated himself in his office chair. “Hey — I’ll stop by your place tomorrow after work,” he said, still not looking in Jungkook’s direction. “I got you a suit for the launch party.”

“Y-you did?”

“Mhm.” Taehyung nodded. “It’s supposed to show up tomorrow morning, but I’ll probably need to make adjustments to it, so I need your measurements. Are you free?”

“Uh — yeah.”

“Good.” Finally, he looked up and met Jungkook’s eyes, face a mask of nonchalance, like they hadn’t just been heavily making out. Like they hadn’t gotten much closer this week. Fuck. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Bye.”

Jungkook’s mouth was suddenly very dry. “Bye.” His voice cracked a little.

Shit.

.

.

The last time Taehyung had been to his place he had been slightly buzzed, happy and clingy. When Taehyung knocked on Jungkook’s door the following Tuesday, he was very much in work mode, and Jungkook was hit with the dread of holy shit we really fucked up. Jungkook knew they had been moving in the right direction, with the teasing and kissing and civil conversations, but suddenly it was like they were back at square one.

Except instead of always being mildly annoyed by Taehyung, Jungkook looked at him and felt all warm inside.

An inconvenient development, truly.

“Isn’t it a little too much? You —” Jungkook paused as Taehyung put the clothes bag on his couch with the utmost care, “you shouldn’t have gotten me a suit.”

“Consider it repayment for having had to hang out with me for three weeks,” Taehyung said dismissively. He zipped the bag open. “It’s nothing all too fancy, so don’t worry. You can pull of a simple suit with your good looks. Besides — ” he looked over his shoulder briefly, sent Jungkook a small wink, “I still need to be the best-looking. The attention needs to be on me at all times.”

“Everyone’s attention is always on you,” Jungkook said, because honestly he couldn’t imagine Taehyung walking into a room and not having all eyes on him.

Taehyung hummed. “Yours, too?”

“Of course.”

Taehyung stood up straight and looked at Jungkook a little too seriously. He had taken his heels off by the front door and was only a tiny centimeter taller than Jungkook now. “You answered that too fast for someone who’s only my fake boyfriend, delivery boy,” Taehyung said, frowning.

Ow. That stings.

“You — you’re the one who told met treat this as a real relationship, Tae — Taehyung.” Jungkook cleared his throat. If Taehyung wasn’t using nicknames and pet names anymore, then Jungkook shouldn’t either, right? “You’re sending mixed signals, suddenly. The deal isn’t over until after the launch party, right?”

Why was he rambling all of a sudden? It wasn’t like Jungkook to let his mouth run, but Taehyung’s behavior was bothering him more than he’d like to admit. “You’re paying me to act like your boyfriend, and you’re telling me to really commit, but when I do you suddenly start acting weird —”

“I — you —” spluttering, Taehyung hurriedly avoided Jungkook’s eyes, “I asked you to act as my boyfriend around people, not to make out with me to that extent —”

“You’re the one who asked me to do that too, though.”

Maybe Jungkook hadn’t protested to making out with him, but Taehyung had definitely asked first. Taehyung couldn’t exactly say Jungkook was at fault in this situation, not when he so clearly remembered the older whispering “kiss me” into his ear.

“I — I didn’t —”

“You did.”

Pressing his lips into a tight line, Taehyung crossed his arms over his chest and turned away from Jungkook. “Whatever. Just — just get undressed, and try on the suit. I’m busy, I don’t have the whole day to do this, especially not if I have to get it fitted for you.”

“You said you liked it,” Jungkook mumbled, not letting it go, because Taehyung’s mood swings were annoying him at this point. He’d said he enjoyed it when Jungkook had taken control of their kiss, told him to do it again, but now he was acting like he’d never wanted it to happen. Jungkook called bullshit. If anything, he had a feeling Taehyung was a little attracted to him physically. There had to be a reason for his sudden hostility, at least. “If you regret it that much,” Jungkook continued, “then okay. Now we know where to draw the line.”

Not really okay. Jungkook had liked the idea of Taehyung enjoying kissing him. It gave him a little hope.

Hope for… a little more.

Which was stupid, because in what world would someone as beautiful and successful as Taehyung actually date a delivery boy with tattoos and no college education? He was wondering if it was even a good idea to introduce him to Taehyung’s family. Even if it was just for show Jungkook wasn’t really someone who fit into their world.

Yeah, it was probably for the better that him and Taehyung weren’t really dating.

“Whatever,” Jungkook mumbled, moving to pull his sweater over his head. If Taehyung was going to be an asshole about this, then the faster they got this over with, the better. It was probably for the best, anyway — Jungkook’s stupid developing feelings were going to get in the way after the launch party if Taehyung said he wanted more. Jungkook was probably just reading into the situation too much; Taehyung had certainly just been caught up in the moment, right?

Yeah, probably.

“I just —” Jungkook continued, discarding his sweater to the floor, “— you shouldn’t have asked me to treat this as a real relationship if you were not able to handle it. That’s all. You’re just making this annoyingly awkward.”

Taehyung’s lips were pressed into a tight line as Jungkook turned to look at him, his ears read and jaw clenched. Jungkook had probably said something wrong, as usual; he certainly wouldn’t put it past himself. Not that Jungkook wanted to anger Taehyung in any way — not now, when he was slowly coming to terms with his fucking feelings — but perhaps it was for the better. They were toeing over the line, and Jungkook was aware that he himself would not be able to get over Taehyung quickly if this… affair of theirs got a little more passionate.

“I’m making this awkward?” Taehyung hissed through gritted teeth. He approached Jungkook, narrowed his eyes and jabbed a manicured finger into Jungkook’s very naked chest. “Need I remind you that I was the one who had to take initiative for you to even consider holding my hand? You’re the very definition of awkward! Your fucking picture is next to the word in the fucking dictionary!”

“Exactly,” Jungkook seethed right back, already tired of Taehyung’s excuses and insults. He was getting a little too defensive for Jungkook’s taste. “You wanted this, you told me to act like we were really in a relationship, so honestly I do not understand why you are upset with me when you’re just continuously contradicting your own words. You’re the one paying for this whole ordeal, so tell me — what the fuck do you want?”

In an ideal scenario, Taehyung would have said ‘you’ and then proceed to grab Jungkook’s face and kiss him silly. Jungkook knew he was a bit of a romantic, and maybe he let himself hope, because Taehyung turning around with a huff hurt a little more than he’d expected. “Forget it. I was caught off guard by how passionate you were, and it was confusing me,” Taehyung said, quickly. “It would just be a real bother if you really started to like me, is all. Wouldn’t want that to happen. Just — let’s just stick to holding hands and hugging. That’s enough for the public.”

Boom. There is was. The remainder of Jungkook’s hope — why had he let himself hope? — dwindled. He hurriedly schooled his (probably crestfallen) expression in case Taehyung decided to turn to look at him again.

Don’t let him know, don’t let him know, don’t let him know.

“You flatter yourself,” Jungkook voiced. “I have better standards than that.”

Taehyung snorted, not even looking away from what he was doing. He’d brought a big handbag with him, and was pulling out a long measuring band and a notepad. “Yeah, okay. You seemed plenty eager when making out with me, though. It’s understandable that I’d come to that conclusion.”

“You’re the one who said you liked it, so what does that make you?” Taehyung’s shoulders tensed, and he didn’t reply; Jungkook was sure there was something else going on, but Taehyung was too stubborn to admit it and Jungkook had no energy left. He was tired and his heart was a little broken. “Whatever. What do you want me to say? You’re attractive, you know that. Maybe if you’d dress up that personality of yours as well as you make yourself pretty every morning, boyfriends would stop leaving you.”

At that, Taehyung finally turned around. “You’re an asshole.”

Yeah. That was an asshole thing to say.

“And you’re still a bitch.”

Scoffing, Taehyung rolled his eyes. “Right. Bubblegum bitch. That’s what you called me, wasn’t it? On your phone?”

Jungkook frowned, genuinely surprised Taehyung knew about that. Yes, Jungkook named him that after their first meetings, but he hadn’t referred to him with that name to anyone else. “How’d you know that?”

“That day, in the café,” Taehyung started, crossing his arms over his chest. “I sent the photos we’d taken via message and you left your phone on the table when you went to the bathroom. I happened to see the name you’d saved my number under. Thanks for that, Jeon.”

“It was a joke,” Jungkook found himself saying, “don’t take it seriously.”

“You still mean it,” Taehyung seethed. “Just say it, whatever you want. You’re a bitch, and that’s all there is too you under those clothes. Too bad you were given that face when you can’t make anyone like you. Well, at least you’re rich, Kim Taehyung.” Taehyung’s voice grew angrier as he spoke, and — to Jungkook’s horror — his eyes grew glassy as well. “Come on, say it. I’ve heard all of it before, Jungkook! You’re not even my real fucking boyfriend, you’re not allowed to hurt me!”

Jungkook wanted to comfort Taehyung, he really did, but at this point he just seemed angry and it didn’t seem like he wanted Jungkook anywhere near him. Jungkook wasn’t sure what he was supposed to say. “Just — let’s just get this over with, Taehyung.”

Yeah, okay. Probably not that.

Fuck you, Taehyung muttered under his breath, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. Jungkook wasn’t really grasping the situation, but he realized he must have really hurt Taehyung if he was on the verge of really crying. He felt like garbage, and his heart was screaming at him to move forward and engulf Taehyung into a hug and make it all better.

But his mind was tactfully reminding him to stay away. That this would make it easier for him on Friday.

So as Taehyung dried his tears and started getting to work on actually measuring Jungkook, Jungkook kept quiet. He stood as still as possible, listening to Taehyung’s directions as he told Jungkook to lift his arms, straighten his back and the like. It was a short process, one that probably wouldn’t have been painful at all if they had just kept their mouths shut to begin with.

Well, Jungkook thought as Taehyung left his apartment, fuming, that went horribly.

.

.

to: tae babe
i already changed your name on my phone
it hasn’t been like that since we went out with jimin

from: tae babe
you changed it to something worse?

to: tae babe
no

just
taehyung

from: tae babe

okay, don’t care

.

.

The launch party was quickly approaching, and Jungkook could feel himself dreading it more than he’d ever done when he woke up on Friday morning. It hit him, that after today — after the party — he’d have no reason to step into Bangtan Magazine’s offices with Taehyung’s vanilla soy latte. There would be no reason for them to meet up and take cute pictures, hug and kiss.

Fuck.

Jungkook had stopped by the offices yesterday to pick up the suit on Taehyung’s request, perfectly tailored. According to Taehyung he didn’t have to alter it much, his ‘genius’ having been able to pretty much determine Jungkook’s size. Jungkook would say he was impressed, but it was just a suit. A nice one, probably expensive, but it would look bland next to Taehyung anyway.

Which was probably a good thing, because Taehyung mentioned there would be paparazzi at this event, and even celebrities. He supposed Taehyung’s family was technically celebrities in their own field, but Jungkook had been shaking ever since Taehyung mentioned how IU went to their runway show once.

Taehyung had been right, however — he did look very good in the suit. It wasn’t something extravagant, but then again that wasn’t really Jungkook, either. He prided himself in being able to pull of a simple outfit, and the tie brought a little more pizzazz to the black. It had a slightly familiar pattern, reminding Jungkook of Taehyung’s intricate suits, and Taehyung had off-handedly mentioned that Jungkook’s tie would match his own jacket. “Because we’re a couple,” he’d said, monotonously.

Well, they were supposed to be a couple, but with how things had been between them these past days Jungkook wasn’t sure they would be able to bring it to the Actual Show. He told himself it was now or never, because he wouldn’t have a chance at being close to his (very unfortunate) crush again. The launch party was his excuse to indulge in the fantasy of dating Taehyung a little longer, but with how upset Taehyung was at him right now Jungkook wasn’t sure if he dared.

He hadn’t even dared going to Bangtan Magazine to give him his coffee this morning. He’d chickened out at the bottom of the elevator, pushed the vanilla soy latte into Min Yoongi’s hands and quickly excused himself.

Sorry I wasn’t there to give you coffee, I had work at Jimin’s, Jungkook sent via message as excuse, and it wasn’t technically a lie. He did have work at Jimin’s, but he’d had time to give Taehyung his coffee yesterday morning and picked up the suit while doing so, so Taehyung probably knew he was bullshitting.

He didn’t get a reply anyway.

It was less than an hour before the launch party even started that Taehyung finally contacted Jungkook, telling him “you better be ready” and “I’m picking you up in five minutes”. Jungkook was ready, having struggled with his tie for almost fifteen minutes and another twenty getting his hair presentable. Jimin said he looked ready to rock (sigh) and gave him thumbs up, but Jimin didn’t work for a fashion magazine. For all Jungkook knew he looked like a walking disaster.

Taehyung arrived down the road to Jungkook’s neighborhood in his fancy-ass car, car sticking out like a sore thumb.

"Hey," Jungkook said as he carefully slid into the car. Taehyung had given him these pointy-toes shiny shoes to wear as well, and he had been scared to even put them on. Pair that with the suit, tie and Taehyung's fancy vehicle, and you had a Jeon Jungkook on the edge.

"Hey," Taehyung replied, eyes scanning over Jungkook. He was dressed in a deep purple suit, the jacket embroidered with floral patterns matching the ones on Jungkook's tie. His pants were one color, a slightly darker purple, slim fit all the way down to his legs, where -

Jungkook frowned. Taehyung wasn't wearing heels. He was wearing a similar pair of dress shoes to Jungkook’s instead, and Jungkook’s first thought was that it looked odd. There was no polish on his nails, either, he had simple rings in his ears, and he was wearing a minimal amount of makeup. No gloss, no eyeliner, no glitter on his cheeks. "Why - why are you dressed like that?" Jungkook asked, genuinely worried. "Why do you look like that, Taehyung?" The only times Taehyung had worn flat shoes around him was when they had planned on walking over a longer period of time. Taehyung loved his heels, and he made sure to tell Jungkook how expensive they were every time they met. Why the hell was he wearing a pair of simple formal shoes at an event like this?

"Look like what?" Taehyung asked, rolling his expensive car back onto the main road. He stared straight ahead, jaw set.

"You - you look so... not you?"

Taehyung gave him a brief look. Pressed his lips into a line. He was chewing gum, at least; the sugary smell in the car assured Jungkook this was still the same Kim Taehyung.

"It's easier this way," Taehyung eventually said.

"What... do you mean?" Jungkook asked, slowly.

Taehyung shook his head. ”You know people judge. You've seen it yourself when we have been hanging out together," Taehyung started, frown on his lips. Jungkook briefly remembered judging stares and snide remarks, but he also remembered Taehyung not acting bothered by it at all. "Not even the fashion industry is that accepting yet. My family doesn't mind how I dress, not at all, but the world does. They wrote lots of articles about me last time I showed up at a public event in heels and full makeup, I'd rather not have my brother's launch party ruined because of that."

"That..." Jungkook paused. It didn’t sound right. "Okay. If you say so.”

“I’m not — I would wear my usual stuff, but it’s… it’s Seokjin’s party, not mine, I don’t want to take the focus off him. As much as I’m saying I want all the attention on me —”

“I get that, but —” Jungkook paused, tried finding the right words, “shouldn’t you wear what you want, still? Like — shouldn’t you be happy what you wear all the time?”

Taehyung spluttered. “Y-yes, but — ugh, just, don’t argue with me on this one, Jungkook. I’m — I don’t have time to change —”

“Would your brother care?” Jungkook cut him off. “If you showed up wearing your heels and makeup?”

“You’re being insufferable.”

“I’m just asking.”

Taehyung barely looked away from the road to give Jungkook a small glare. Then he pouted. “No, he wouldn’t,” he finally said, voice barely above whisper. “I don’t think. I just — people are going to ask enough with me bringing you there, I wouldn’t want you getting unwanted attention either, and — I just thought it was for the best, okay? There will be reporters and representatives from other magazines and I’m just… nervous.”

Taehyung did actually look a little nervous where he was sitting, staring straight onto the road with his bottom lip between his teeth; Jungkook was hit with the sudden urge to comfort.  He tryingly patted Taehyung’s shoulder. “Hey — sorry if it seemed like I was pressuring you. You should do what you want, obviously. It’s not anyone else’s decision but yours.” Taehyung briefly glanced at him, lips pursed. “If you feel comfortable going to the launch party like this I’m not stopping you. I was just trying to understand why, okay?”

Sighing, Taehyung suddenly switched lanes, driving onto the intersection leading towards Gangnam. Jungkook was pretty sure that was not where the launch party was to be (Taehyung had mentioned it was held around Dongdaemun, in the fashion district). “Well then, you persuasive little shit,” Taehyung muttered as he gripped the steering wheel tight, “I sure hope you’re ready to wait for another hour. We’re gonna me late.”

“Fashionably late?”

Taehyung glared. “Too late.”

Taehyung drove them to an apartment complex in Apgujeon, a district Jungkook hardly went to, much less imagined hanging around in. It was definitely in the wealthiest part of Gangnam; Jungkook felt himself shrinking in his seat as Taehyung drove into the parking house the gigantic building he called home.

With little time, Taehyung ushered Jungkook out of the car as soon as they’d parked and towards the elevators. Jungkook watched in awe as Taehyung pressed the penthouse button and leaned back agains the mirrors, checking his wrist for the time. “We can just aim for making it to the runway show, and Seokjin’s showcase,” Taehyung said. “The mingling in the beginning isn’t the important, anyway, though I’m sure my brother will give me hell for it.”

“He’ll understand, probably,” Jungkook said, “just say we got caught up.”

“Caught up,” Taehyung repeated, sarcastically. “And what, exactly, would we be caught up in, baby?”

“Exactly what you’d expect, Tae,” Jungkook grunted, crossing his arms over his chest. He tried avoiding Taehyung’s eyes, but their gazes met in the elevator’s mirror. Taehyung quirked one brow at him. “What?” Jungkook spluttered. “You honestly think your brother doesn’t expect you to have sex?”

Taehyung let out a mocking gasp. “Oh my, such crude words, my darling!” he exclaimed, bringing a hand to his chest. “Whatever happened to my pure boyfriend? My boring vanilla man?”

Pure. Jungkook snorted. He knew Taehyung was teasing him, so he couldn’t really be mad; not when the light banter was a welcome change from how hostile they’d been to each other lately. “You wouldn’t be saying that if we were really dating, Mr. Fashion Editor.”

“Hm,” Taehyung hummed as the elevator dinged open, signalizing their arrival on the penthouse floor. “I can believe that.”

Jungkook didn’t want to think too much about what that meant.

.

.

“You’re not allowed to laugh.”

Jungkook looked up from his phone screen as Taehyung stuck his head into the walk-in closet. He looked a bit more like himself already, with the shimmer on his cheeks and eyes rimmed with glittery eyeshadow. Taehyung had already been running around in his room for 40 minutes, mumbling curses — mostly directed at Jungkook — while searching through his belongings. Jungkook had never even seen a closet that big and fancy, much less that amount of clothing, but Taehyung seemed to know where everything was. It even had a small leather couch (Taehyung had placed him there with a small glass of expensive-looking wine and told him to “be good”) as well as a minibar. In other words; Jungkook could have lived there.

(But he was done living in a closet, obviously.)

“Why would I laugh?” Jungkook asked, taking a sip of the wine. He wasn’t really a wine person, but this particular one was good. It probably also cost more than his entire monthly salary.

“Just — I don’t know, you might not like it. Not that it matters, I think I’ll wear it anyway. Unless you think it’s too weird —”

“I’m sure you look great.”

Taehyung snorted. “Of course I look great, I always do.”

“Then what’s the hold up? You said we were late.”

Taehyung grimaced, sighed, and then stepped out.

Now, Jungkook would like to say he was a strong man in the face of beautiful men, but he’d lost the battle with Kim Taehyung as soon as they met. When Taehyung came into full view Jungkook actually choked, which was fucking pathetic, but could you blame him? Taehyung was dressed in this thin-looking, cream-colored silk shirt that seemed to constantly want to slip off both his shoulders at the same time; his wide-legged pants were sat high on his hips and had large splits on the sides, all the way up to his thigh, so when Taehyung shifted the weight on his feet and moved his leg out, all Jungkook could see was golden tan skin. On his feet were the tallest pair of heels Jungkook had ever seen him wear — probably closer to fifteen centimeters — and Jungkook knew he would be the perfect height to hug.

Jungkook gulped, audibly.

Oh boy.

“Oh. Wow,” Jungkook uttered.

“How’s it look?” Taehyung asked, doing a quick twirl in his ridiculously tall heels. The look on his face was clearly expectant. “Well?”

Jungkook didn’t feel like he could even find words to describe how good Taehyung looked. He couldn’t even believe someone as beautiful as this wanted to fake date him. “I mean — I —” Jungkook cleared his throat, put the glass of wine down on the small table next to the leather couch. He stood up from his seat, slowly, and took a few steps towards the older. “You look… stunning.”

“Flatterer,” Taehyung said, lips quirking into a small smile. It looked surprisingly shy. He approached Jungkook with confident strides however, and before Jungkook knew it, Taehyung had thrown his arms around him; he made a lot of noise while doing so, wrists heavily adorned with jewelry. Man, he was a lot taller than Jungkook in those heels. “You really think I look good?” Taehyung continued. “Good enough to be on your arm tonight?”

“I mean —” Jungkook cleared his throat and slowly slipped his arms around Taehyung’s waist. His mind was screaming at him not to, to make distance, because there was still no one here to act for, but Jungkook justified it to himself that it was practice. Warm up. “I think I’ll look awfully dull next to you as always, but that’s nothing new.”

Taehyung made a protesting sound. “You don’t look dull, I think you look wonderfully gorgeous. We’ll turn heads, both of us.” He leaned down and pressed a kiss to Jungkook’s cheek, and Jungkook honest-to-god almost squealed. This was the effect fucking Kim Taehyung had on him. “You look beautiful. We both do.”

Jungkook tried not to smile too wide. “If you say so.”

“I do say so, and my words are law,” Taehyung nodded. “Now — please let go of my waist, villain, as we really do need to leave.”

“Maybe I don’t want to let go. Maybe I’ll just stay here, all night, hugging you,” Jungkook — the Idiot™ — said, hugging Taehyung a little tighter while doing so, and the older tensed in his hold. We’re supposed to be fighting, Jungkook reminded himself, but Taehyung was close and smelled sugary and he looked so beautiful that not flirting didn’t seem like an option.

“You trying to get in my pants before we break up tonight, Jeon Jungkook?” Taehyung asked, cocking his head to the side.

Maybe.

Jungkook looked up at him, lifting one brow at the challenging expression on Taehyung’s face. Slowly, without breaking eye contact, he trailed his hand down Taehyung’s waist and down his hips and thighs, towards the slits in his pants. Taehyung seemed to tense even more, hands moving to Jungkook’s shoulders, and then to the nape of his neck. “I mean —” Jungkook started, blood ringing in his ears and he slipped a hand under the fabric of the pants, “there isn’t much pants to get into, babe.”

Taehyung was peering down at him, bottom lip between his teeth, and in any situation where Jungkook wasn’t fully aware of how fake their relationship was, and how hurt he was going to be when Taehyung said goodbye to him later, he would have pushed Taehyung against the closest wall and kiss him hard; he’d probably hoist Taehyung up, wrap his long legs around him, hold him close and suck marks onto his pretty skin, because honestly, as beautiful as Taehyung looked in these clothes the thing Jungkook wanted most was to get Taehyung out of them.

Don’t, Jungkook. Don’t do it.

Jungkook was weak, he really was. One second longer of Taehyung staring at him with hooded eyes, and he’d probably snap.

Instead he managed to look away, remove his hand from under Taehyung’s pants, and gave his (admittedly very nice) butt a light slap. Taehyung made a startled sound. “Okay, I’m done playing. Let’s leave. We shouldn’t be too late.”

Taehyung’s mouth dropped open just a little, and Jungkook enjoyed the surprised look on his face a little too much, probably. “You’re a tease, what the fuck.”

Jungkook grinned. “You really wanted to make that excuse a reality, huh? I don’t think we’ll even get to the launch party at all, then, Taehyung, if you wanted to sleep with me first.”

Spluttering, Taehyung pushed Jungkook away. “I do not —”

Jungkook rolled his eyes lightly. Here they go again. “Yes, Taehyung, I know. We already argued about this. I’m not your type, you don’t like me, this is all because you want to prove a point to your coworkers — got it.” He sighed, gathered the jacket he’d taken off while waiting for Taehyung to get ready. “I’m not in the mood to fight, Taehyung, and if you want to make this believable, I don’t think we should be either. So let’s — let’s just enjoy ourselves today, yeah? Take your own advice — don’t think about it too much.”

“Fine,” Taehyung snapped. “Sorry, then. We’ll — let’s go all out, yeah? Make them all think we’re a super gross obnoxious couple?”

“Yeah.” Jungkook coughed. “I mean, we already managed to fool Jimin. He thinks we’re gross and cute, apparently. So — I think we can manage one more time.”

“Really?” The smile on Taehyung’s face looked surprisingly genuine. Jungkook assumed he was happy to know they had fooled someone. “Jimin thought we were cute together?”

Jungkook nodded, gave a slight sound of confirmation. “Yeah. He thinks we’re cute.”

“We are,” Taehyung agreed, and, well, Jungkook could get behind that. They would have looked really cute together; Jungkook had a whole folder of nice photos him and Taehyung had taken for Evidence, to show they were really an item, and — well, they looked great. They looked like a couple.

Linking their arms together, Taehyung pressed up against Jungkook again, leaned down, and gave Jungkook a small, sticky kiss at the corner of his mouth. “Let’s go, baby,” he said, and Jungkook could feel his heart beating fast and hard in his chest.

“Yeah. Let’s.”

.

.

The launch party was held in a nice, fancy complex in Dongdaemun, and it wasn’t really as extravagant as Jungkook had expected. There weren’t any photographers waiting outside, no chaos, and no nationwide famous celebrities; instead there was a large amount of well-dressed people mingling and drinking champagne, soft music playing in the background, and a multitude of fashion spreads on the walls.

It was a relief, honestly. Jungkook had already had nightmares about flashing cameras for about a week.

“Most reporters here have been invited here by my brother himself,” Taehyung informed as he led Jungkook inside the welcoming hall. No one seemed remotely interested in them arriving a little late, carrying on with their conversations. “Seokjin hates the stress of having to talk to too many people at once, so this is honestly a pretty private affair. It might not seem like it, since so many people are attending —” Taehyung skillfully grabbed two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter, “— but this would have been a much bigger party if it was mine.”

“Yeah, you seem like the type to throw extravagant parties. Thanks.” The champagne tasted a little sweet. Bubbly. Jungkook linked arms with Taehyung again, because even if he wasn’t in full panic mode, he felt a lot better with Taehyung at his side. “I don’t look completely out of place, right?”

He hoped he didn’t. The suit didn’t look any different from what other people were wearing, and covered most of his tattoos except the ones on his right hand and fingers, but Jungkook was scared he just looked… awkward. That it seemed too obvious he didn’t belong.

“Don’t worry. You look exactly like every other dude dressed in Armani on this party.” Jungkook took a small look at his suit. Armani. Okay, he was certainly going to be more careful from now on. He should probably have checked the tag on the jacket.

“Well,” Jungkook mumbled, moving his arm around Taehyung’s waist, “every other dude in Armani on this party isn’t being accompanied by the most beautiful man on the planet, though.”

“Oh, wow,” Taehyung said, throwing a small look in Jungkook’s direction that he didn’t really know what meant. “That was smooth as fuck. What happened to my awkward boyfriend?”

“You like the compliments,” Jungkook excused. “I’m just stating the facts, babe.”

“Well — keep them coming.” Taehyung grinned, but there was something about his smile that didn’t completely reach his eyes. He lifted his glass, clinked it against Jungkook’s, and then almost downed the whole drink. Jungkook supposed something was wrong but — he didn’t want to ask. This was certainly not the place for them to talk; they had a relationship to fake. Jungkook could ask later.

Or not.

“Oh, Taehyung!”

The slightly familiar voice of Kim Seokjin rang across the room, and turned his head to see Taehyung’s older brother come towards them with a large, pink-lipped smile. The sequins on his jacket nearly blinded Jungkook. “You made it! You guys are pretty late, you know?”

“Sorry, hyung,” Taehyung grinned. “We got caught up.”

Aha. Caught up.

Seokjin lifted one eyebrow. “Caught up, you say?” His eyes moved from Taehyung towards Jungkook, and Jungkook tried his best not to shrink in his position. “I see. Lover-boy can’t keep his hands to himself, huh?”

Jungkook spluttered, tried hiding a little behind Taehyung as if that was going to help him in this situation. Seokjin and Taehyung apparently both thought it was hilarious. “Oh, I’m sorry, didn’t mean to assume,” Seokjin said, the lilt in his voice definitely insinuating that he assumed something; but that was the point, obviously. “It’s nice seeing you again, Jungkook. Glad you didn’t get cold feet about coming here, I know it may be a lot to take in.”

“Yeah it’s — nothing like I’ve ever been to before, that’s true. Uhh — congratulations, on… all of this?”

Taehyung snorted next to him, and Seokjin also looked pretty amused. “Thank you, Jungkook. And thank you for coming, despite this being somewhat out of your comfort zone. Don’t worry too much and just stay close to Taehyung and you should be just fine — now.” Seokjin clapped his hands together. “I believe I have to mingle, I promised a few news sites some small interviews. Runway starts in thirty minutes, don’t be late for that!” With a small wink in Taehyung’s direction and a pat on Jungkook’s shoulder, Seokjin walked away in his shiny, sequined jacket, and Jungkook let out a small breath of relief.

“That was quick and painless,” Taehyung said, sounding reassured as well. He moved his arm, trailed his hand down to link his and Jungkook’s fingers together. “Want to just get it over with? I saw my mother over by the refreshments, so my father shouldn’t be too far away either. Let’s just — get it out of the way? Rip it off, quickly, like a band-aid.”

It dawned on Jungkook then, that Taehyung must have been just as nervous as him — if not more. In the end this was his family they were trying to fool, and if everything went to hell Taehyung was the one who had to live with the consequences. If Jungkook fucked up, sure he’d feel pretty embarrassed about it, but then he wasn’t going to see them again. Taehyung was the one who would get the short end of the stick if this didn’t work out.

So, really — Jungkook should just do his best. For Taehyung’s sake. Even if it was going to hurt like a bitch when Taehyung waved him goodbye in approximately two hours. He was going to make sure Taehyung’s parents thought he was the nicest fucking boyfriend Taehyung ever had — much better than those stupid model boys.

Nodding, Jungkook clutched Taehyung’s hand a little tighter. “Let’s do it.”

Taehyung’s mother, Kim Taemi, was a model-turned-actress who apparently had a good number of popular dramas back in the 80’s, before retiring from the big screen to work with her new husband on his fashion magazine. Her husband, Kim Seokho, had been a pretty famous shoes designer before deciding to start Bangtan Magazine; he was a lot kinder-looking than Jungkook had expected — they both were, honestly — but maybe Jungkook had just been watching too much Ugly Betty. Taehyung had assured him since the beginning that they were very nice people — just very busy — and it was obvious.

“Taehyung has talked lots about you,” Kim Taemi said, her lips stretched into a smile that reminded Jungkook a lot of Taehyung’s. She was a beautiful woman, and looked far too young to have two sons in their later twenties; her black hair was in a nice up-do and she was dressed in a gorgeous royal blue pants suit. Taehyung looked a lot like her. “Wouldn’t shut up about you when we met at lunch yesterday. Jungkook this and Jungkook that.”

Taehyung grumbled from the side. “Thanks, mom.”

“That’s very flattering,” Jungkook said, shooting a small look in Taehyung’s direction. “I hope you’re saying nice things about me, though.”

“Huh? You saying you have nice sides about you, Mr. Jeon?” Taehyung teased, tilting his head to the side. “I have yet to see them.”

Jungkook grimaced, letting his arm travel around Taehyung’s waist to pinch his side. Taehyung let out an honest-to-God squeaky giggle and Jungkook was so far gone. What a fucking cutie. There the hell was bubblegum bitch? Where was the asshole Jungkook had met in studio 3 who had ordered him around like some dog? “Of course I’ve only said nice things about you, baby,” Taehyung smiled, and when Jungkook saw how fondly Taehyung’s parents were looking at them both he felt bad. Damn, they were swallowing it up. Jungkook imagined it had a lot to do with Taehyung sending photos of them both and talking about Jungkook even before meeting him, but damn.

God he felt bad. He just didn’t know what was more upsetting; the fact that Taehyung’s parents seemed to genuinely believe they were together, or the fact that they weren’t.

Avoiding the gazes of the parents, Jungkook turned to Taehyung, who leaned down and pressed his forehead against Jungkook’s. It was too cute, Jungkook honestly felt like his whole face was going to burn up when Taehyung bumped their noses together and grinned with his whole face. Jungkook suddenly wanted to be far away from all of this, preferably in Taehyung’s or his own apartment, where he could have pulled Taehyung in and kissed him like he deserved to be kissed. He couldn’t exactly do that here, with reporters mingling amongst the well-dressed upper class — much less in front of Taehyung’s parents — so Jungkook settled for smiling back and pecking Taehyung’s nose before pulling away.

“I’m so sad I can’t take you out on a dinner, Jungkook,” Kim Taemi sighed, shaking her head. “We would have loved to have taken you guys somewhere a little more private than this whole affair and have a nice meal and talk more, but we’re all very busy people, yeah? We’re leaving right after the runway, too.”

Her husband nodded. “Yes, our plane leaves a little after midnight, so we need to get to the airport in time,” he said, “we barely made it here this week, but I’m glad we managed to at least meet the boy Taehyung has been talking so much about. We’re afraid he’s overworking himself, you know, he’s so dedicated, and we’re hardly ever in the country to support him.” With a fatherly smile, he raised his hand and ruffled Taehyung’s bangs with his fingers, much to his son’s protest. “It’s good that he has someone around that can take care of him a little. His brother is here, obviously, but with the launch of his clothing line Seokjin will be traveling even more too.”

“Dad —”

“We’re scared he’s getting lonely here in the big city,” Taemi continued, and Jungkook heard Taehyung groan audibly. “He’s been living in Daegu most of his life with his grandparents, you know, so we were a little surprised he wanted to move to the Seoul branch by himself. But —” she smiled, in such a motherly way it nearly made Jungkook a little homesick, “— you know how stubborn he is. What Taehyung wants, Taehyung gets.”

Taehyung grumbled. “You make me sound like a spoiled brat.”

“You’re a little bit of a spoiled brat,” his dad quipped, and Jungkook snorted unattractively. “But you’re our spoiled brat.”

Taemi made a sound of agreement, while Taehyung nearly rolled his eyes back into his head. His ears were tipped red. Jungkook was having the time of his life, seeing Taehyung speechless like this. “Point is,” Seokho continued, “we’re glad he has someone to spend time with. And we wish we could have gotten to be here longer to get to know you better too, Jungkook, and thank you properly for making our son smile so much.”

They were giving him too much credit. It’s not like Taehyung was lonely and unhappy without a boyfriend; in fact, judging by the previous idiots he’d dated, Taehyung was doing well on his own. Jungkook couldn’t even say in confidence that he made Taehyung happy, because for all he knew Taehyung was just doing his very best to convince his parents they were in a relationship.

But one thing was certain; Taehyung made Jungkook happy. Sad, too, obviously, knowing this was going to end soon, but Taehyung draping himself all over Jungkook, kissing him, hugging him and teasing him, made Jungkook smile wider than he’d done in a long time. “Well, sir,” Jungkook started, “the feelings are mutual. We both take care of each other and make each other happy, so — honestly, Taehyung is great. Thank you for, you know, your support. I hope you’re okay with me dating your son for a while. As long as he doesn’t get tired of me, of course.”

“Oh, he’s yours,” Taemi said, at the same time as Taehyung squeezed Jungkook’s upper arm a little too hard. “Take him forever, please!”

Forever.

Taehyung sucked in a very audible breath as his mother said that. Jungkook shot him a small look, squeezed his hip. “I do wish we had better time,” Seokho said again, looking dejectedly at the clock on his wrist, “but the runway is about to start, too. It’s unfortunate our first meeting is cut so short, but — perhaps we can find time to meet later this year?”

“Yeah, maybe,” Taehyung said, possibly a little too fast. Suddenly he was busy looking anywhere but his parents.

“This winter, perhaps?” Taehyung’s mother looked hopeful, and Jungkook stuttered. Shit, this probably wasn’t in the plan. Were they that convincing that Taehyung’s parents believed they would stay together for a very long time? “We have a vacation house in Hainan, that shouldn’t be too far for you guys to travel. That would be very nice.”

“Let’s see, when the time comes,” Taehyung hastily smiled. “I mean — we don’t know how busy either of us will be around next summer, so let’s not get ahead of ourselves. You guys might visit before then. Ah — the runway should be starting soon.”

Taehyung was fretting. He was nervous, shifting the weight on his heels, and he pulled away from Jungkook’s grasp to run a hand through his blond hair. His mother eyed him with a little suspicion. “Taehyung? You alright, sweetie?” she asked, that Concerned Mom-expression in place. Taehyung looked very distressed, Jungkook would agree, like he was about to pass out any moment.

“I’ll — uhh,” Jungkook put a hand on the small of Taehyung’s back, “I’ll take him outside for a moment, have him get some fresh air. That okay, babe?”

Taehyung nodded, curtly.

Kim Taemi frowned. “Okay, sweetie. But — the runway starts very soon so make sure you’re in place by then, okay? Be there to support your brother, he worked very hard for this.”

Both nodding, Jungkook started leading Taehyung towards the exit of the complex, the older not protesting the slightest at the hand on his back. As soon as they were outside, Taehyung grabbed Jungkook by the arm and dragged him aside, farther away from the entrance, towards a brightly-lit fountain. Then he stopped, turned to face Jungkook and said, eyes wild, “I can’t fucking do this.”

What.

“What?” Jungkook voiced, raising one eyebrow. “You can’t do what?”

Taehyung gestured wildly around them. “This! All of it! You — they fucking love you!”

Jungkook was genuinely confused here, mind you. This made zero sense to him. “Yeah, I guess? Was that not the point? We were supposed to be believable, right?”

“Believable, yes,” Taehyung hissed, “but you’re acting like a fucking heaven-sent son-in-law!” He placed his hands on his hips, leaned down a little to get more on eye-level with Jungkook. “You’re making this ten times more difficult for me! I’m the one who has to drop the news that we've broken up in two weeks time, and they’re actually going to be sad about it! ‘Oh, we take care of each other and make each other happy’. What sort of sappy ass shit was that!?”

Jungkook schooled his expression into one of nonchalance, despite feeling anger and hurt bubble under his skin. “You’re doing it again,” he said, a little surprised at how low his own voice was. “You’re contradicting yourself.” He looked around them, making sure no one was nearby, but still lowered his voice even more, to a mere whisper. “Do I need to remind you you’re paying me for this, still? My business is for tonight — and tonight only. What happens after is your fucking problem, Kim Taehyung.”

Maybe Jungkook was being a little harsh again, but Taehyung had no right to say that Jungkook was doing anything wrong at this point. He was doing exactly what Taehyung had asked him to do in the e-mail: act like a loving boyfriend to fool his family into thinking they were actually dating. He wasn’t crossing any line, not really, because what happened after this night was over was not something Jungkook should be concerned about. Sure, he was a little scared at the fallout of this, but it wasn’t supposed to have anything to do with him.

“Also,” Jungkook continued, gulping, “that sappy shit came straight from the fucking heart, Taehyung. You might not want to admit it, but this whole thing has been kind of fun, and I’ve enjoyed myself in your company.”

Taehyung looked doubtful. “You… enjoy my company?”

“Obviously,” Jungkook snorted. “Of course I was just going along with what a good boyfriend would have said in that situation,” he lied (because Taehyung genuinely made him happy), “but it’s not like it came from a completely baseless place. The stripping job was still worse than this.”

Taehyung bit back a smile, but somehow he still looked upset. Jungkook wasn’t sure what he was supposed to fix this situation, because it seemed like Taehyung just… didn’t want to continue. “If…” Jungkook started, “if you really don’t want me here —” his heart dropped a little at the thought of saying goodbye a few hours too early, “— I can just leave. You can tell everyone I got a sudden phonemail for a job, or something. But — you still kind of have to pay me.”

“No.” Taehyung shook his head, quickly. “Fuck — I’m sorry. I’m being a bitch again, I didn’t — you’re just… you’re just so much better at acting than I thought you would be. It’s… throwing me off.”

It’s because I’m not acting, Jungkook thought, sadly, because fuck, he was a horrible actor.

He was just so, helplessly smitten. He was falling stupidly in love with Kim Taehyung; diving headfirst, even, and at this point all he could do was enjoy the time they had left together and hope that he would get over Taehyung, eventually.

Jungkook shrugged, once again trying very hard to look completely unaffected. His heart was beating loudly in his chest. “Guess I got used to it. Didn’t want you to leave a bad review on my website, either, when all of this is over. Need to do a good job, you know, no matter how awkward was in the beginning.”

At this, Taehyung smiled for real. “Yeah, okay. I’ll make sure to leave a very nice review for you. 8/10.”

“Excuse me,” Jungkook said, pulling an affronted face, “what exactly is pulling my grade down?”

“You horrible kissing,” Taehyung teased, smirk sliding onto his face. Then he walked forward, bumped his shoulder with Jungkook’s, and headed back towards the fashion complex, heels clicking against the ground.

“Horrible kissing,” Jungkook repeated, looking after Taehyung, mouth dropping open. “Who — what — who are you kidding here, Kim Taehyung? I’m a fantastic kisser, and you know it! You can’t fool me, you think I’m an excellent kisser!”

“Keep telling yourself that, darling!” Taehyung shouted back.

If this was a nighttime drama, this was the part where Jungkook would run up to Taehyung, grab his arm, turn him around and kiss him. Prove to Taehyung — or at least remind him — what a great kisser he is. However — this wasn’t a drama. Jungkook knew that kissing Taehyung at this point would probably only make him more upset, and he didn’t want to deal with that. He just wanted to stay close to the older and enjoy his company one last time, even if he was itching to say something. Anything.

“You’re an ass,” Jungkook said as he jogged up to Taehyung’s side and grabbed his hand. “And a horrible boyfriend.”

Taehyung threw his head back and laughed, and Jungkook thought, God, I could stare at him the whole day if it was socially acceptable and not very creepy. “Well, just wait a little more, and you’re a single man again, Jungkook. About —- an hour and a half until we can break up.” He winked as the automatic doors to the complex opened and they walked back into the hall. The words were like a punch to Jungkook’s gut.

“What if I don’t want to.”

Oh.

Oh no, Jungkook said that out loud.

Taehyung’s head whipped around, and Jungkook stopped dead in his tracks; Taehyung pulled his hand to his chest, as if Jungkook’s skin suddenly burned him. Shit, Jungkook had really gone ahead and dropped the bomb like that, could he really not have waited just a little longer? Could he not just have kept his mouth shut? “W-what?” Taehyung uttered, voice sounding uncharacteristically weak. “What… did you say?”

“Kim Taehyung!”

A tall fellow approached them, suddenly, panting. His arrival immediately cut off any chance of them talking this out at the moment, and Jungkook praised the heavens for the timely intervention. Jungkook spared the new arrival a brief look, recognized him as Kim Namjoon — the sole reason he and Taehyung even met in the first place. If Kim Namjoon hadn’t ordered those 33 vegetarian sandwiches and had Jungkook deliver them to studio 3 that very day, Jungkook and Taehyung would never have met. At this point Jungkook wasn’t sure if Namjoon was someone he should thank or curse. Not with the way Taehyung was looking at him, as if his whole world had just crashed around him.

“Taehyung — the show is starting,” Kim Namjoon said, looking between the two of them from behind his thick-rimmed glasses. “The doors are closing, so we need to — are you coming?”

Taehyung swallowed. “Y—yeah. I’m coming. Jungkook — uhh — come on, let’s go.”

Jungkook had half expected Taehyung to just tell him to leave, cut this whole thing short and send Jungkook away. It would have made sense if he did, because Jungkook had suddenly dropped a I wanna date you for real bomb and distance would have been the most obvious option. Instead, Taehyung took Jungkook’s hand again — it was a little clammy, and Jungkook though it looked like Taehyung’s shoulders were shaking — and dragged them towards where the runway was supposed to be.

Namjoon followed them both, but all of Jungkook’s attention was on Taehyung and how warm his hand was. It was a bit of a blur as Taehyung pulled him along past rows of occupied seats and made Jungkook sit down on a less-than-comfortable chair, right in front of a long, brightly lit stage.

Taehyung placed his chin on Jungkook’s shoulder, and whispered a short, “we need to talk. After this.”

Jungkook gulped.

Oh boy.

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It felt like forever until Seokjin finally stepped on stage after the show with a microphone and thanked everyone for coming. Jungkook’s eyes were watering at that point, and he wasn’t sure if it was because he was dreading the talk he needed to have with Taehyung or because of the flash photography going off around him. It hadn’t been obvious how many journalists and photographers had been present in the welcoming hall, but now Jungkook felt like they were everywhere. It put him a little on the edge, especially with the way Taehyung was still holding his hand.

We need to talk, Taehyung had said, but Jungkook knew they couldn’t talk here. Not with Taehyung’s co-workers around them, not with the journalist from a rivaling magazine sitting right next to them both. Min Yoongi was also seated right across the stage from them, and Jungkook might have shared slightly uncomfortable eye-contact with him a few times.

“Let’s go to your place,” Taehyung said when people started moving and it seemed like he couldn’t stand up from hie seat fast enough. He pulled Jungkook up with him, serious expression on his face, and Jungkook didn’t feel like he could protest. “Let’s move before I’m stopped for some bullshit interview. The reporter behind me kept tapping my shoulder the whole fucking runway.”

“Okay,” Jungkook mumbled, looking around them both. Part of him wanted to stall the inevitable talk they were supposed to have, because honestly he didn’t know what Taehyung was going to say. How harshly was Jungkook about to be rejected? “Are you sure, though? Won’t your brother want you to stay behind?”

Taehyung shook his head. “Seokjin can manage on his own. He’s not dependent on me, I’m still kind of convinced he just wanted me here to rub his success in my face.” Jungkook wanted to say that probably wasn’t the case, but he didn’t know enough about Taehyung and Seokjin’s relationship to do so. It was obvious Taehyung was a little upset about not getting the Chief Editor position, despite having said he wasn’t, so Jungkook wasn’t going to assume.

“Why my place?” Jungkook asked.

“Because I need that suit back.”

Ah. More rejection. If they went to Taehyung’s place, Jungkook could easily have borrowed something from his gigantic closet to wear. The future was looking bleak indeed, and Jungkook’s remaining hope was dwindling.

Sigh.

“Hurry, Jeon! Kim Heechul is moving in this direction and if he gets his claws in me we’re not leaving until morning.”

“Fine.”

When Taehyung said hurry he meant let’s fucking zoom out of this place. Jungkook barely managed to say a hello to Yoongi as they passed him, Taehyung swiftly maneuvering them both through the suddenly bustling crowd. Luckily Seokjin was busy with a whole pack of hungry reporters, so he didn’t spot them as Taehyung led Jungkook out of the complex. It was a swift, mostly painless exit, though Jungkook felt like his arm was going to fall off with the force Taehyung was pulling it.

As they slid into Taehyung’s car, the silence finally caught up to them, and it dawned on Jungkook that, fuck, now they had to talk.

But Jungkook was not going to open his mouth first. Hell no.

“Not gonna say anything?” Taehyung asked as he started the engine.

Jungkook huffed and childishly crossed his arms over his chest. “You wanted to talk.”

“And you don’t want to talk?” Taehyung spoke, shooting a quick glance in Jungkook’s direction. Taehyung was obviously focused on safely getting out of the parking lot, but his knuckles were white from how hard he was gripping the steering wheel. “Mr. I-don’t-want-to-break-up? Newsflash, Jungkook: we weren’t even dating in the first place.”

Jungkook hurriedly looked out of the window, chewing his bottom lip between his teeth. “You think I don’t know that? You made sure to remind me every time I got a little too close.” He sank into the seat, sadness welling over him suddenly. Don’t cry, Jungkook. Don’t you dare cry, you big baby. “Doesn’t mean it didn’t feel real, sometimes.”

“Well —” Jungkook could hear Taehyung shift a little in his seat, “— I admit it felt real, at times, but — you —” he paused, hesitated; “you said you were just following fucking orders. That you were doing this because I’m paying you. That’s what you’ve been saying all along, Jungkook, how dare you suddenly change your mind —”

“You think I suddenly changed my mind?” Jungkook snorted. “I’ve been slowly falling for you over the course of these weeks, knowing you didn’t want anything to do with me as soon as this was over. I was just supposed to be another one of your asshole boyfriends, but then I got invested, and I started getting to know you and — fuck.” Yeah, okay, the moisture was definitely gathering in his eyes at this point. “You know how beautiful and charming you are, Kim Taehyung. You really expected me not to fall head over heels?”

Taehyung stuttered, which definitely wasn’t a regular occurrence. “I — you — I thought you were just acting —”

“I’m a horrible actor.”

“So,” Taehyung mumbled, “that stuff you said — about me making you happy? Was… was that true, then?”

At that Jungkook might actually have had to choke back a sob. “Yeah,” he croaked out, pressing his forehead against the cool glass window. Stop crying, he told himself as the stupid tears rolled down his cheeks. Oh dear God, you’re pathetic, Jeon, it’s just one guy. A stupid crush.

Except maybe it wasn’t. Jungkook hadn’t allowed himself to think too much about it, but even Taehyung’s parents seemed to think they could have stayed together for a long time. Of course he was going to fantasize a little.

The silence then stretched out for a good fifteen minutes, neither of them saying a word as Taehyung drove in the direction of Jungkook’s apartment. Jungkook wasn’t sure what more he was supposed to say, because honestly he’d laid himself bare at this point. Taehyung knew now, and honestly there was nothing Jungkook could do to change it.

The second Taehyung’s car stopped outside Jungkook’s apartment complex, Jungkook opened the door and tailed out of the car. Taehyung shouted after him, but Jungkook just slammed the door closed and paced towards the entrance, drying his eyes hurriedly. Yes, Jungkook cried a lot when he got upset, sue him. He was a fucking ugly crier.

“Hey, bastard!” Taehyung’s voice rang after him. “Are you seriously going to make me run after you in heels!?”

Jungkook stalled in front of the entrance door, hearing Taehyung slam the door to the driver’s side shut and approach him with fast, clicking steps. “You can just wait o-outside,” Jungkook muttered when he felt Taehyung’s presence behind him, “I’ll just take the suit off and come out with it —”

“Jungkook,” Taehyung sighed, and then he gripped the sleeve of Jungkook’s suit jacket, turning him around. Jungkook didn’t have any time to read Taehyung’s expression before the older’s lips was on his, hands cupping Jungkook’s face and body pressing him against the entrance door. The doorknob was jabbing uncomfortably into Jungkook’s back, but he couldn’t bring himself to care when Taehyung’s kiss made him both so confused and hopeful. Taehyung’s thumbs grazed over Jungkook’s still tear-strained cheeks, and he hummed against the younger’s lips.

“What’s this?” Taehyung mumbled, briefly pulling away to press a kiss to Jungkook’s left cheek. “You crying and everything?”

Sniffling, Jungkook rested back against the entrance door, hoping none of his neighbors suddenly decided they’d come through this very moment. “Y-yeah,” he voiced in answer to Taehyung’s question.

Taehyung pouted, moving his hand to card his fingers through Jungkook’s fringe. “You — really like me that much, Jeon Jungkook?”

Jungkook nodded, weakly.

“Oh.” Taehyung’s ears were turning a little pink; be bit his bottom lip, looked at Jungkook through his lashes; pressed himself a little closer. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled, and Jungkook’s heart stuttered. “I’m sorry for pushing you away, I — I really, honestly thought you were only doing this for the money. I — you didn’t give me many signs showing you didn’t, and every time I tried to mention something about it you just shut it down.”

Jungkook spluttered. “Well, you — it seemed like you really hated the idea of me liking you, so I just… I didn’t want to get hurt, so I said stupid shit to hurt you instead. I mean, me getting my heart broken was obviously inevitable anyway, because honestly this was bound to happen to one of us. I’ve seen the movies, you know? This is a thing that happens, and I should have known better because you’re… You’re you. You’re kind of perfect.”

Taehyung lowered his head. He was blushing furiously at this point, but that was okay, because Jungkook was pretty sure he was as well. “I’m not. Obviously. I mean, you even mentioned that I needed to fix my personality.” Before Jungkook could try and explain that he definitely didn’t mean that, that he just said it because he was mad, Taehyung held up a finger to shush him. “I know you didn’t mean it, you’re not that much of an asshole. It sure hit home, though.”

“I’m really sorry,” Jungkook stressed, “no one is more sorry than me. Sorry, sorry, sorry —”

“Shh,” Taehyung silenced him by pressing a manicured finger to Jungkook’s lips. “I know you didn’t mean it, you dramatic ass. But — I still thought you didn’t want anything to do with me personally, that you were just sticking with it for the money, because I’ve had those experiences with boys before; they’ve dated me because I have money and contacts and can get them jobs. And you — you weren’t even really dating me, so why would you actually like me?” Taehyung paused, briefly, took a deep breath before continuing. “After Hongdae, with Jimin and Heeyeon and them, I, uhh, it got a little too real. You let me sleep over, and I — fuck, I thought about you the whole weekend. And then I couldn’t stop thinking about you. When you kissed me in my office like that I — God, I was so close going on my fucking knees for you.”

Well. Jungkook certainly wasn’t expecting those words out of Taehyung’s mouth. The mental image had blood rushing immediately from his face and straight south. “Are you —” Jungkook cleared his throat, his voice embarrassingly high-pitched, “— what are you saying —”

“I’m saying I like you, Jungkook,” Taehyung said, voice the softest Jungkook had ever heard. He didn’t meet Jungkook’s eyes, fingers playing with the collar of his shirt. Suddenly he looked so small, despite towering over Jungkook in his 7-inch heels. “And — I think you should take responsibility,” he continued, “for making me fall for your stupid face.”

Honestly, Jungkook didn’t know what he was feeling. Relief? Happiness? He wasn’t sure, but all of it seemed to make him cry even more, and it also made him smile so wide he thought his face was going to split. “Are you crying more?!” Taehyung exclaimed, cupping Jungkook’s face again. “You crybaby! I sure hope those are happy tears!”

Jungkook nodded wildly in confirmation, because yes, those were definitely happy tears. Sure, he was still not sure what was happening — was this even happening, or was he in some sort of dream state? — but he felt light and content and Taehyung liked him back. Taehyung actually wanted him. He could kiss Taehyung just the way he wanted, now.

“Do you… can we maybe go upstairs?” Jungkook asked. “Because I feel like my neighbors can show up any time now, and we are kind of standing in the way.”

Taehyung snorted. “Sure. I’m not really into being watched, anyway.” Jungkook choked at those words, yet Taehyung only grinned and threw his arms over Jungkook’s shoulders. Leaning down, he pressed a soft kiss to Jungkook’s lips again, and Jungkook let his eyes slide close, wrapping his arms around Taehyung’s midsection as he responded. Kissing Taehyung felt natural, simple, and without the nagging of you guys are not real, he doesn’t like you it was also ten times more enjoyable.

Finishing off with a loud peck to the corner of Jungkook’s mouth, Taehyung pulled away and grinned. “Let’s go upstairs, baby. We can talk more and —” Taehyung’s hand gripped Jungkook’s tie, smile turning just a bit smug, “I can even help you out of this suit.”

“Yeah?” Jungkook breathed. “I’d love that.”

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There was little talking.

Honestly, Jungkook was pleasantly surprised they even made it to the bed, because the idea of just bending Taehyung over any piece of furniture sounded more than enjoyable enough. However, Taehyung told him (with a scoff) to, “be a little romantic, you ass”, so Jungkook navigated them towards the bedroom between heated kisses after a good thirty minutes of making out and grinding. Taehyung had already stripped Jungkook of his jacket and shirt — honestly Jungkook was a little surprised at how quickly Taehyung could undress someone when it took him ages to put on an outfit — and was now slowly wriggling out of his sinful pants.

“Undress completely, baby, we aren’t wasting any time,” Taehyung breathed. His lips were puffy from how much kissing they had been doing, and he looked flushed and pretty and happy. “Those dress pants are too expensive to fuck in.”

Hurriedly following instructions, Jungkook unbuttoned the pants, pulled them down and kicked them away. “How you wanna do this?” he asked, a little breathlessly, because at this point he wasn’t picky. “Want me to fuck you? Or do you want to fuck me?”

“Both are tempting options, baby,” Taehyung grinned as he slowly (and sensually) slid off his silky shirt. “But I might have fantasized about your dick in me since God knows when. Fuck you’re hot.”

“Yeah?” Jungkook bit his lip, chest swelling with simple pride. “I can definitely help with that fantasy.”

“Mhm. Don’t doubt it baby. You have lube? Condoms?”

Boy did he. Not that he actually used a lot of it, Jungkook’s sex life wasn’t that spectacular; just a one night stand here, maybe a hook-up there. But he always made sure to have it on hand. “Yeah,” he said, moving towards his drawers to pull out everything necessary to make it as easy as possible. “Hey — question. Or, uh, request.”

“Hm?”

Jungkook gulped as he watched Taehyung lay down on his bed, tan skin a beautiful contrast to his light blue bedsheets. Taehyung sure hadn’t wasted time, having already discarded his underwear as well, and fucking hell, he looked stunning. He was already half hard, his navel piercing was glinting under the soft light of the bedroom lamp, and he was on Jungkook’s bed, completely naked, waiting for him — fuck. “What is it?” Taehyung asked, lips quirking into a sly smile. “How’d you want me, baby? On all fours? Or —” Taehyung slowly parted his legs, “wide open? Like this?”

Jungkook was pretty sure he was losing years of his life thanks to this man. “Just — uhh —” Jungkook hesitated, made himself busy finding the lube and condoms. He threw them on the bed, right next to Taehyung. “Could you — wear your heels?”

Taehyung’s eyes widened, lips parting slightly in surprise. “You — want to fuck me in my heels?”

Jungkook shrunk a little in his position. But his dick sure didn’t. “M-maybe?”

The smile on Taehyung’s face was a mix of surprised and very obviously pleased. “You kinky little shit,” he voiced, pushing himself up and out of the bed. “Wait here for me, baby, I’ll go put them on again.”

Jungkook didn’t trust his voice to reply, because yes he might have thought about doing it, but he hadn’t actually expected himself to ask. Thankfully, it seemed like Taehyung was up for it, which was honestly the hottest thing ever.

Or, well, Taehyung wearing only his heels, strutting in tall and confident was the hottest thing he’d ever seen. Jungkook was sure he must have saved some kingdom in his past life to be rewarded like this. He could only watch with his mouth hanging open as Taehyung laid back down on bed and rolled onto his stomach. Jungkook’s eyes zoned in on the ink on Taehyung’s lower back, the floral pattern swirling over his skin. “Ah, there is that tattoo,” Jungkook said. It was a little tacky, he’d admit that, but he’d definitely seen worse.

“Ah, yes, my college regrets,” Taehyung snorted. “Let’s not talk too much about that and get to the fucking instead. Come on baby — hurry up.”

Taehyung — as Jungkook had learned — was an impatient person. They had barely made out for a few more minutes before Taehyung grew impatient, picked up a condom and threw it with extreme precision into Jungkook’s forehead. “Prep me, you ass,” he mumbled, “fuck, i want you so bad.” Jungkook was never one to say against Taehyung — honestly, that’s how he even got into this position to begin with — so he picked up the bottle of lube and uncapped it.

Working Taehyung open was a painless process — just tedious — and Jungkook was sure he could get off by the image of Taehyung rocking against his fingers for years to come. If not the visual, then the sound would certainly also help, because Taehyung was vocal, and the older panting his name and staring up at him with hooded eyes and spit-slicked lips nearly made Jungkook come on the spot. “I’m — fuck —” Taehyung’s back arched off the bed, and he lifted his legs one of them resting onto Jungkook’s shoulder. “Fuck me, Jungkook.”

“You sure you’re ready?” Jungkook asked, hitching Taehyung’s leg up a little bit further as he pressed forward. He looked ready, but Jungkook just wanted to make sure, because it had been a while and he wanted Taehyung to be comfortable.

“Yes, I’m really fucking ready —” Taehyung breathed, whining as Jungkook pulled his fingers out. “Shit, I can’t believe you’re about to fuck me with that stupid G-Dragon poster staring straight into my soul.”

Jungkook doubled over laughing, face pressing into Taehyung’s soft stomach and forgetting for a second what they were even doing. Taehyung was shaking underneath him, both with laughter and arousal, and he said, “come on, I know I’m funny, but please fuck me,” with laughter in his voice. When Jungkook pushed himself back up Taehyung was grinning, wide, cheeks flushed and blond hair spread around his head like a discount halo.

“Hold your legs up for me, babe,” Jungkook said, and Taehyung did as told, pulling his legs up to his chest, and Jungkook moved forward, holding back a smile. “Good boy.”

Taehyung groaned. “That would have been kind of hot if I didn't know you just said that as a GD reference, you stupid little — ah.”

Pushing inside, slowly, Jungkook studied the expression changing on Taehyung’s face. “Okay?” he muttered, and Taehyung nodded, rapidly. Jungkook started with slow, careful movements to get Taehyung used to his size, only bottoming out when the blond uttered a jumbled, “deeper, baby.” Fuck, it felt so fucking good, Jungkook was honestly surprised he was this controlled in the situation. Taehyung was tight and hot around him, looked like heaven under his body, and with this angle Jungkook could lean down and connect their lips. It was like every wet dream these past weeks had come together and manifested right under him, except it was real. Kim Taehyung was really there, mumbling almost-incoherent demands for Jungkook to fucking fuck him good.

“Didn’t — shit — know you were this flexible,” Jungkook mumbled as he started moving his hips, slowly building his pace.

Taehyung stuttered, throwing his head back. “N-neither did I — ah, fuck, fuck!” Jungkook felt one of the heels scratching at his back as he started thrusting harder, Taehyung’s small curses turning into long-drawn moans.

They didn’t last long, but Jungkook hadn’t exactly expected that either. He fucked Taehyung — hard — until he came across his own chest and stomach with a silent scream. Taehyung scrambled at Jungkook’s shoulders when he continued fucking him through his orgasm; with his lips on Taehyung’s neck, Jungkook spilled inside the condom. Taehyung wasted no time pushing him away, forcing Jungkook to pull out, falling back on his ass with an un-sexy grunt.

Jungkook tried catching his breath, eyes raking over Taehyung’s body; his thighs were shaking, chest heaving, and he barely moved to kick Jungkook’s side lightly with his heel-clad foot. “F-fuck you,” he muttered, nearly breathless. “I nearly blacked out — fuck.”

“You ok?” Jungkook panted, pulling the condom off.

“A-fucking-okay,” Taehyung laughed, showing thumbs up. He was still breathing a little hard. “That was great. Wouldn’t mind making it a thing.”

“A regular thing?” Jungkook voiced as he stood up and walked towards the bathroom to discard of the condom.

“A very regular thing,” Taehyung confirmed.

Jungkook helped Taehyung take off his heels again, put them next to the bedroom door, and then he laid back down into bed. Taehyung immediately latched to his side, a little sweaty and sticky, but Jungkook assumed they could take a shower a little later. When Taehyung felt like it. “We should probably wash up,” Taehyung mumbled. “Ugh, worst part about sex, honestly. Having to wash up. I just wanna cuddle.”

“I’ll cuddle with you all night,” Jungkook mumbled, throwing his arm around Taehyung. “But washing up sounds like a good idea.”

Taehyung grumbled, clearly dissatisfied. “Yeah. Soon. Just — five minutes?”

Jungkook pressed their foreheads together, loving the way Taehyung scrunched his nose up and grinned at the action. “Whatever you want, babe,” Jungkook said, connecting their lips in another kiss far too sweet for their state of undress. Humming against Jungkook’s lips, Taehyung moved his arms around Jungkook’s waist and hugged him tight. Jungkook thought that this was pretty perfect. Sure, they still had things to talk about and work out, but they didn’t have to solve everything immediately. As long as he knew Taehyung liked him — wanted him — then Jungkook was content. They could work it out.

“Can we make kissing and hugging a regular thing, too?” Taehyung suddenly asked, voice soft. “Or will I need to pay extra?”

Jungkook rolled his eyes. “Just ask me out like a normal person, Taehyung.”

“Fuck, okay,” Taehyung sighed, moving away to stare Jungkook straight in the eyes. They were so close Jungkook felt like he was going cross-eyed. “Jeon Jungkook,” Taehyung started, eyes fond. “Be my boyfriend for real, you lame-ass fashion disaster.”

Jungkook grinned so hard it hurt. “Sure. I’d love to.”

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(“Fuck,” Taehyung said, sitting up in sudden realization. “Holy shit, Jimin is a fucking liar. Boring ass vanilla man my ass!” He stared at Jungkook with narrowed eyes. “You’re kinky as hell, aren’t you?”

Jungkook snorted, pulling Taehyung back onto the clean sheets. “Have no idea what you’re talking about, babe. I’m pure. The purest.”

“You fucked me in my heels, you nasty little—”)

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