Chapter Text
Things had been…awkward over the next few weeks. No, that wasn’t exactly right. Everything was fine but there was an undercurrent of something that created a tension in the air whenever they were in the same room.
Jungkook wasn’t sure if he was thankful or not about all the interviews and traveling he had following the movie premiere. And when Jungkook was home, Taehyung wasn’t, something about bookings or shoots or lunches. Which was great, Jungkook was thrilled that Taehyung’s career was blossoming.
He just missed Taehyung a hell of a lot.
When he received the notification that his citizenship had been approved, Taehyung had been the first person Jungkook wanted to tell. And not because it meant that their marriage was nearing its end, quite the opposite – Taehyung was the first person Jungkook wanted to share anything with.
But Taehyung hadn’t been home, off to some event or another, an event that he hadn’t invited Jungkook to. Which was fine, Taehyung had his own career, his own life. It wasn’t Taehyung’s fault that Jungkook longed to be entrenched in it.
He’d paced the house after sending Taehyung a text with the good news and after several minutes hesitation, had asked if Taehyung would be available for the ceremony. His reply had been a bit clipped, just a simple congratulations and confirmation that he’d be there. And there was nothing wrong with his reply…it was just distant, reserved. None of his teasing, none of his pretty words that made Jungkook’s face heat and his stomach clench.
How had he fucked things up so badly?
The tension was there as Jungkook was sworn in as a citizen, it was there during the little gathering of friends that Jimin insisted on hosting at his home, and it was certainly there when Namjoon stopped to give him a hug and talk about the movie he’d just started filming. It was just there, even when they didn’t utter a word.
“Okay, spill,” Jimin said, collapsing onto the chair next to Jungkook, tall drink in his hand. Despite it being the beginning of fall, the heat was still holding on fiercely.
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about,” Jungkook said, eyes across the pool to where Taehyung was positively regal in his pale tan suit, talking with Hoseok. His breath caught as Taehyung’s eyes turned to meet his and Jungkook quickly dropped his gaze. It was like a sucker punch.
Jimin sighed dramatically. “You know exactly what I’m talking about. Every time I’ve seen you and Taehyung, you’ve been near each other like you’re opposite sides of a magnet and can’t help being drawn closer. But now you’re both are avoiding each other like the plague. Now, what’s going on?”
Eyes on the glass of lemonade in his hand, Jungkook said softly, “Nothing. We’ve both just been busy with work, we’re hardly home at the same time. This is probably the first time I’ve actually seen Taehyung in weeks.”
When the silence stretched, Jungkook turned to meet Jimin’s confused stare. “What are you talking about? Taehyung hasn’t been booked since Paris Fashion Week, I assumed he was here playing househusband.”
Jungkook sat back at that, reeling. Taehyung had been…avoiding him? Did he fuck things up so badly that Taehyung couldn’t even stand to be in the same place as him?
“Oh…well, it doesn’t really matter. We’ll be able to divorce sooner than we thought and then things will go back to the way they were,” Jungkook said.
“You do realize that while you’re an actor you are the worst liar I’ve ever met,” Jimin said. “Now, tell me what happened.”
He tried to fight the urged to unburden himself, but one glance at Jimin’s kind eyes had Jungkook sharing everything…well, nearly everything. His agent didn’t need to know certain details.
“And so, I’m in love with my husband who can’t stand to be in the same room as me and avoids me as much as possible until he can divorce me,” Jungkook concluded.
Fuck, why was he drinking lemonade when he desperately needed a whiskey? The legs of his chair scraped across the patio as he pushed the chair back to stand to go get a drink that would hopefully numb the crushing ache in his chest. But before Jungkook could rise, Jimin laid a hand across his.
Gently, Jimin said, “You should tell him.”
Jungkook laughed, although it sounded pained even to his own ears. “No way. It’s obvious that he’s barely tolerating me at this point, and we still need to be married for at least a little longer.”
Before Jimin could say anything further, Jungkook stood and walked over to the bar to get a drink. As he waited, Namjoon leaned against the bar beside him.
“It may not be my place and you can tell me to fuck off, but what is going on between you and your husband?” Namjoon asked, bumping Jungkook’s shoulder.
Damn, was it that obvious? Namjoon was smart and observant, but it didn’t bode well if people suspected there was something wrong between them. A little wave of nerves flowed through that they could revoke his citizenship, even after he’d been sworn in and it was official.
“Nothing, why?” Jungkook asked as he took the drink the bartender handed him. He’d tried to keep his voice even, but he wasn’t sure he’d been very successful.
“Well, he keeps glaring at me for one,” Namjoon laughed. “And you’ve both been on the opposite sides of the patio the entire evening.”
Jungkook had noticed that Taehyung didn’t seem to like Namjoon much, which made no sense since they barely knew each other. From the moment he’d introduced Namjoon to him at their movie premiere, it had been noticeable. Even if Jungkook mentioned him in passing during one of their brief exchanges, Taehyung always scoffed or left immediately. Jungkook had no idea why, Namjoon was one of the nicest people he’d worked with.
“Oh, really?” Jungkook hedged. Side stepping the comments, Jungkook added, “It’s been a long day.”
Namjoon stared at him for a moment and then squeezed his shoulder. “I’m sure it has. Maybe getting out of here-“
“You sure like to touch my husband.”
Jungkook turned to find Taehyung standing just behind them, arms folded across his chest and eyes glued to where Namjoon’s hand rested. There was a tense pause and then Namjoon dropped his hand and made a half-hearted excuse before leaving quickly.
His stomach was in a knot from the tension in the air and Jungkook couldn’t hold his stare. Finally, Taehyung said, “Sounds like you were planning on leaving.”
Swallowing hard through the sudden tightness of his throat, Jungkook said, “Oh, I’m…it’s just been a long day, so I think I should head home soon.”
Taehyung was silent but anger rolled off him in waves and penetrated Jungkook’s chest. “You’re taking him home.” It was a statement, not a question and Jungkook’s eyes snapped up to Taehyung’s.
“What? No, of course not. I’m sure he’s going home or staying, I have no idea.” Confusion laced through the pain in his chest. Why would Taehyung think-
“Well, you two seem pretty cozy,” Taehyung said, his voice cold. Jungkook didn’t like Taehyung like this, distant from him, a mile away despite standing in front of him. And it made him want to weep.
Without another word, Taehyung turned and headed inside the house. His eyes met Jimin’s gaze, who tilted his head toward the direction Taehyung had gone and lifted an eyebrow. Everything inside recoiled from telling Taehyung anything about how he felt, but it also wasn’t fair that Taehyung was mad at him for no damn reason.
By the time he caught up with Taehyung, he had already turned the corner to walk the block to their home. Words swirled in his head until Jungkook nearly collided with the back of Taehyung when he paused to enter the code to their gate. Conscious of the others around, Jungkook remained silent as they walked along the driveway to their front door, the words still not coming to him as they entered the house.
As soon as he was inside, Taehyung strode over to the stairs, taking them two at a time and then headed towards their bedroom. Jungkook followed, his pacing slowing as he neared their room. It was obvious Taehyung was angry, but Jungkook was clueless as to why and stopped just inside the bedroom, jaw dropping as Taehyung lugged out one of his suitcases.
“What are you doing?” Jungkook asked, his voice a bit breathless.
“I think it’s pretty fucking obvious,” Taehyung snapped, going back into the closet and grabbing an armful of his clothing from the hangers to toss in the open suitcase. “Let me just get out of your way.”
“Out of my way? I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Jungkook said.
“You and Namjoon. Jungkookie, isn’t it? How fucking sweet.” Taehyung grabbed another armful of clothes from the dresser and threw them in the direction of the open suitcase, socks and underwear scattered across the floor.
“Namjoon? What…” And then the pieces clicked into place and Jungkook asked, “You’re jealous of Namjoon?”
“I’m not fucking jealous,” Taehyung spat out, making it very clear that he was, in fact, jealous. “I’m just going to get out of your way so there’s nothing holding you back from being with him.”
“Are you fucking crazy?” Jungkook said, his voice rising in pitch. “I don’t want to be with Namjoon, you fucking idiot.”
“Huh, well, that’s not how it looks. Not with the way you make out-“
“We kissed in a movie, we’re actors-“
“And the way he’s constantly touching you-“
“Namjoon is just a hugger. With everyone, not just me-“
“But it’s fine, I’ll just get out of your way so you’ll be free to be with him. You’ll make a lovely couple,” Taehyung concluded, grabbing more clothing, some of which were Jungkook’s and threw them on the ground, not even trying to aim for the suitcase.
“I don’t want to be free to be with him,” Jungkook yelled. “I want to be with you, damn it!”
Taehyung paused, his back to Jungkook inside the closet, and then shook his head. “You have your citizenship now. We can spend the rest of our marriage working on different sides of the country before the divorce. Don’t worry, I won’t jeopardize that.”
Jungkook groaned in frustration, his hands raking through his hair roughly. “No, damn it, I fucking love you, I don’t want a damn divorce.”
His entire body froze as Jungkook recognized his own words. Shit, he had not meant for them to come out and certainly not like that.
Turning around slowly, Taehyung’s eyes searched his face for a long moment. Whispering, Taehyung said, “What did you say?”
Maybe he could cover it up, say he meant something else…but through the anger in Taehyung’s eyes was a swirl of pain and longing and desire. Jungkook recognized it because it was what he saw each time he stared into a mirror.
So, he took a deep breath and said, “I love you. I don’t want a divorce.”
The shock was obvious on his face as Taehyung’s jaw dropped and then he covered his face with his hands. Jungkook stood still, not sure what to do until he noticed that Taehyung was trembling. Tentatively, Jungkook closed the distance between them and traced his fingers up his arms to pull his hands away gently.
Eyes damp and brows knitted, Taehyung asked, “You love me?” His voice was so pained, so sad, that it made Jungkook ache for him.
“Of course, I love you,” Jungkook said. “It’s kind of hard not to.”
His face crumbled and then Taehyung wrapped his arms around his neck tight, as though he feared Jungkook would disappear. Embracing him, holding him close, Jungkook sighed. God, he’d missed this.
Taehyung just held on for a long time, gulping in air and his body shaking. Then he lifted his head and said, “I love you. It fucking hurts how much I love you.”
With an arm around his waist, Jungkook cradled the side of his face. “Oh, hyung…is that why you’ve been avoiding me?”
His brow furrowed for a moment and then Taehyung closed his eyes as he nodded. “Being near you just reminded me that I couldn’t keep you. So, I thought it would be easier to stay away. But it didn’t fucking help at all, it just made me miss you.”
Pressing their foreheads together, Jungkook asked softly, “Do you want to stay with me? Stay married?”
A soft, broken sob escaped, and Taehyung nodded again. “More than I’ve ever wanted anything.”
Brushing his nose against Taehyung’s, Jungkook said softly, “I want that, too.”
Then Jungkook pressed the softest kiss to his lips. It took a moment before Taehyung responded, his lips moving slowly over Jungkook’s, the barest whisper of a kiss. It was slow, soft, and full of all the longing and aching from the last few months. The months Jungkook had thought he’d have to let Taehyung go.
Jungkook licked across the seam of his lips, Taehyung parting them with a sigh and a tightening of his arms around him. It was electric when their tongues met and fueled their kiss until they parted with panting breath.
“Fuck, I have wanted to kiss you for forever,” Taehyung whispered.
Gentle tonka bean and cloves surrounded him and Jungkook sighed happily. How could he have ever imagined that he’d find his perfect someone in a feisty silver-haired model. He’d have to thank Jimin for orchestrating the whole scheme and thrusting Taehyung into his life.
“Well, now you can kiss me forever,” Jungkook said with a smile against his lips.
**
1 year later
Eyes on the people that strolled along the boardwalk, Taehyung held a glass of lemonade at a table on the patio of the restaurant, waiting for Jimin and Jungkook. It was a beautiful day, and everyone seemed to be out and enjoying it. An older couple walked past hand in hand, one talking rapidly while the other wore a soft smile and nodded.
That would be him and Jungkook one day. He was pretty sure he’d be the one talking, probably telling Jungkook what a dilf he was as he blushed.
“Hey, sorry I’m late,” Jungkook said as he leaned over and kissed him before sitting in the chair beside him. “Filming ran over again.”
“It’s okay, darling,” Taehyung said with a smile just as Jimin rushed over, a folder in his hand, and collapsed in the chair opposite of him.
“Shit, traffic is a bitch,” Jimin said. Taking a deep breath, he continued. “Thanks for letting me crash your date instead of waiting until next week. I knew I wanted to tell you in person, and I thought you’d want Jungkook here.”
Jungkook’s hand found his under the table and Taehyung squeezed it. He loved how perfectly Jungkook’s hand fit in his, reminding Taehyung where he belonged. “Tell me what, Jimin? Please tell me that is not a bunch of paparazzi photos.”
Jimin smiled broadly and shook his head. “Far better. Do you remember that romantic comedy you auditioned for?”
Adrenaline rushed through him, and his heart pounded erratically. From the time Seokjin had planted the seed that maybe he should try acting, Taehyung had it in the back of his mind until Jungkook suggested he talk with his acting coach. It was nerve wracking, he had no training, hadn’t acted in anything since he’d been in the 7th grade. But there was something exhilarating about the idea and so he had met his acting coach, a lovely older woman who had been so kind and patient with him as he continued to see her weekly.
“The part for the neighbor or the part for the guy at the party?” Taehyung had auditioned for two roles in Seokjin’s next movie, and he was really hoping it was the neighbor since he had five more lines.
Practically vibrating, Jimin handed over the folder and then raised his eyebrows expectantly. Taehyung flipped the cover over and found a script, parts of it highlighted…
“Oh, shit!” Jungkook exclaimed, several other diners looking over.
Taehyung raised his eyes to meet his, Jungkook’s face full of excitement and joy. “What? I don’t get it.”
“Look what part is highlighted,” Jungkook said, his smile so broad, it made his nose scrunch.
Focusing back on the script, it took a moment for it to sink in. Then he raised his head, jaw slack in shock as he met Jungkook’s gaze and then Jimin’s. “Are you for real?”
“Yes!” Jimin said. “I talked to Seokjin this afternoon and after watching your audition, he wants you for the part as the best friend’s younger brother.”
“But…” Taehyung stared down at the script in front of him and then raised his head. His brain was not computing. “But that’s one of the lead roles.”
Jimin nodded excitedly. “It is! Namjoon Kim is cast as the best friend, so you’ll be acting opposite of him.”
Jungkook burst out laughing. “Oh, my God! Are you going to be able to contain your loathing?”
Narrowing his eyes, Taehyung said, “I do not loathe him. Now that I know he’s with Seokjin – information you neglected to share – I’m perfectly fine with him. How are you going to handle your husband making out with him?”
“Oh, there’s a lot more than kissing in this movie,” Jimin said far too gleefully. He reached over and flipped to a page that was flagged.
Jungkook leaned over to read it and then it was his turn to glare. “You’ve got to be kidding. Taehyung’s character seduces Namjoon’s character?”
“Ah, darling,” Taehyung said as he patted Jungkook’s leg. “You’re adorable all jealous.”
“I am not jealous,” Jungkook began but then Jimin raised his hand.
“Wait, before you both start bickering, I’ve gotta run. Read over the part this weekend and let me know on Monday,” Jimin said before leaving.
Sighing, Jungkook folded his arms across his chest. “That’s a big role for your first one…”
His stomach dropped and Taehyung asked, “It’s too big, isn’t it? I should turn it down-”
“No, of course not, that wasn’t what I meant.” Jungkook uncrossed his arms and pulled him into a hug. “You’ll be amazing. Seokjin has a great eye for talent, he wouldn’t have cast you if he didn’t think you could do it.”
Jungkook leaned closer and pressed a kiss to his lips. Out of the corner of his eyes, Taehyung caught the flash of a camera and brought his hand up to cover their faces.
“Do you want to get out of here?” Taehyung asked. “Get away from the cameras?”
Smiling softly, Jungkook said, “Only if you want to. Let them take pictures, I don’t blame them. You’re beautiful.”
Taehyung wrapped his arms around his neck and buried his face against the sweet cherry blossoms and sighed in contentment. It was amazing, having Jungkook’s love and to be able to love him in return, to have someone that mattered to him above all others. To listen to him, to hold his hand, to spend his days and nights with.
Lips against his ear, Taehyung said, “After dinner, I want to go walk on the boardwalk and hold your hand, darling.”
“I want to be wherever you are, hyung,” Jungkook said softly and Taehyung for the millionth time rejoiced that Jungkook was his.