【 Jungkook 】

Just over two weeks had gone by since the first snow of the year prettily made its appearance late that Friday night on your way home; it had been a perfect evening filled with moments seemingly taken straight out of a movie, which impossibly grew all the more special when after a private and heartfelt moment shared together under the fresh specks of snow, Taehyung eventually mustered up the courage and ever so sweetly asked you to be his boyfriend— which in all honesty still somehow felt utterly surreal even two weeks later.

There was a time back when you didn't even dare to let yourself imagine what life with Taehyung could've been like had he not been an entity— only ever getting a brief glimpse of such a life through dreams you absolutely despised having to wake up from far too soon. Heck, it was only fairly recently that you really had begun to land in the fact that he truly was here, in the flesh and finally by your side, so the fact that you now were able to call this amazing man your lover was a reality so beautiful you had yet to fully grasp it.

Now although the two of you admittedly hadn't been putting as much effort into being secretive about the fact that you were around each other a lot lately, you still managed to keep certain things relatively private for now— with the exception of a few subtle hints at there possibly being something more than friendship going on between you two in the form of faceless sneak peeks and matching posts from date locations on your respective social medias.

Though before either of you even considered posting anything beyond that that potentially would confirm your relationship, it goes without saying that formal introductions to your friends and older brothers were in order— mutually agreeing that it was long overdue by now.

Thankfully, things no longer felt as uncertain and borderline intimidating as they initially did now that you both felt well versed in the arguably fail-proof back story the two of you came up with over time and planned on telling everyone, and it goes something along the lines of; you've run into each other on occasion in the past at some of your former part-time jobs and eventually got friendly enough to make some pleasant small talk which gradually grew into genuine conversation threading the line of actual friendship, but when Taehyung had his accident, the two of you lost touch and for the longest time you assumed his disappearance meant he had changed his mind and grew tired of the friendship. It was by pure luck that the two of you reunited at the park outside of your apartment complex, where you then were able to properly catch up on what actually had happened— from there, the two of you instantly began hanging out more and more frequently to make up for lost time, and so one thing lead to another which now brought the two of you to where you are today.

Considering there undoubtedly would be some additional questions as to why neither of you hadn't mentioned any of this to them sooner, you both agreed on telling them that you wanted to wait with the introductions until the two of you better had figured out your own feelings about each other and what exactly your relationship was now. And to be fair, although the story most definitely contained a handful of white lies and had been tailored to a far less bizarre degree, in retrospect, it technically wasn't all too far away from the truth either.

Besides, it was either telling the full unfiltered truth which likely would've been bizarre enough for nobody to take either of you seriously and possibly even deem you both legally insane with a VIP ticket straight to the mental hospital— or making some adjustments and telling a couple of white lies as to not absolutely terrify everyone.

At the end of the day, both Taehyung and you know the real story of how you both met, but some things may just be better kept a secret. After all, what matters most is not the story of how you met, but the story you will create together in life from now on.

Nevertheless, after some careful deliberation on how it'd be best to go about the introductions, you both eventually concluded that hosting a small dinner party for everyone would be the most efficient. After all, making it one singular event instead of multiple was the most schedule-friendly option and hopefully also made things feel a little less suffocatingly formal.

⎯⎯ ❀ ⎯⎯

A quietly sung melody in tune to the music playing from the livingrooms speaker system left your lips as you happily kept busy at the stove finalizing the food for this evening, occasionally stealing glances over towards Taehyung whom had put himself in charge of making the salad now that the rest of the dishes you had made together were mostly done.

Cooking together with the older had come to be an incredibly enjoyable time spent together, and even more so now that you officially were in a relationship. The two of you always filled the kitchen with a mixture of hearty giggles, playful banter, and the occasional sweet breaks where you'd pause to either slow dance to the music or merely just enjoy each other's warm embrace for a moment. Needless to say, it was like you both naturally just gravitated towards one another like magnets— giggling about the seemingly most stupidest things while continuously finding any excuse to be close, thus often resulting in food preparation often taking way longer than normally necessary. Nevertheless, there was truly never a dull moment with him by your side, and you genuinely wouldn't want to have it any other way.

Today was no different from the rest even despite knowing you had a dinner party to host at 8pm, as it wasn't long before you felt Taehyung's arms slowly wrap around your waist from behind shortly followed by a feather-like kiss being placed at the crook of your neck, instantly earning a content exhale out of you as you immediately leaned back and comfortably melted into his embrace.

Taehyung: Mmm smells delicious, need any help over here?

A playful grin tugged at your lips as you shook your head before uttering out a fairly bold ''Me or the food?'', instantly earning an amused scoff from the older whom then leaned down to place another kiss at your neck— resting his chin on your shoulder before eventually whispering out an equally as teasing ''You, but now that you mention it, the food smells really good too'' which swiftly caused a faint blush to dust over your cheeks despite being the one who started it.

Taehyung: You sure you don't need any help though?

You nodded reassuringly as you turned down the heat before giving the pot another slow stir, secretly enjoying the way the scent of his cologne wrapped around you and undoubtedly already must've begun to rub off on you by now— assuming it hadn't already.

Jungkook: Everything's pretty much done, I'm just letting it all simmer like this to keep it warm until everyone's arrived— thank you though.

The older hummed softly in acknowledgment as he carefully turned you around in his hold so that you finally were facing him before gently pinning you against the counter, one hand resting at the curve of your waist while the other slowly reached up to cup your cheek ever so tenderly.

Taehyung: There you are my love, missed seeing your pretty eyes.

No amount of time could stop the pre-existing blush on your cheeks from darkening at his seemingly effortless way of making your heart flutter like this; nose scrunching up cutely as you scoffed while holding onto his shirt for support, unable to fight the urge to tease the older further as you raised an eyebrow at him.

Jungkook: Clingy are we?

Taehyung: When it comes to you? Always.

Giddy smiles were firmly etched onto your lips as the older finally leaned down, closing the distance between you both as he brought you into a slow and love-filled kiss which you happily returned while reaching up and wrapping your arms around his neck; breath hitching softly when he effortlessly picked you up by your thighs and gently sat you down on top of the empty space of the countertop before deepening the kiss, causing a quiet noise to emit past your lips as your fingers gently threaded themselves into his soft locks— entirely getting caught up in the moment only to be brought back to reality moments later when the sound of the doorbell echoed throughout the apartment, instantly making the two of you pull away from one another in surprise before eventually bursting into a fit of giggles as you jumped down from the counter and flusteredly smacked his arm, scurrying to straighten out your own attire and his hair in the hopes of looking more presentable.

Jungkook: Gah you're so— go open the door while I uh- check on the food to make sure nothing's burnt...

Quite evidently pleased with the flustered reaction he's earned out of you, the older leaned down and placed a quick peck onto your flushed cheek before happily making his way over to go open the front door— in all fairness, it had been a really good distraction from how nervous you truthfully felt about meeting his brother tonight, maybe a little too good even but you certainly couldn't complain.

A quiet sigh escaped your lips as you fanned your face lightly, hoping that the fresh shade of crimson on your cheeks had begun to subdue by now before carefully approaching the entryway where you could hear Taehyung happily chatting with an unfamiliar voice you with certainty could presume belonged to his older brother.

Once you got close enough for your presence to be noticed by the two, you politely greeted his older brother while flashing him a friendly smile which he instantly returned.

Jungkook: It's a pleasure to finally meet you Namjoon-sshi, I've heard so much about you!

Namjoon: The pleasure is all mine, you must be Jungkook, right?

You timidly nodded before stepping aside to welcome him into the apartment, biting back a smile as Taehyung uttered a proud ''The one and only.'' before gently nudging your side. A quiet giggle escaped past your lips at the gesture as you flashed him a knowing look before turning to face Namjoon once more.

Jungkook: Would you like anything to drink while we wait for the rest of our guests to arrive?

The taller flashed you a dimpled smile as he shook his head reassuringly, uttering out a calm ''No that's okay, thank you though!'' while taking a moment to glance around the place in admiration— taking note of the mutual efforts which had been put into setting up a prettily decorated table big enough for everyone.

While his brother was busy looking elsewhere, Taehyung took a step closer before reaching over to rub a couple of soothing circles on your back as a gentle reminder that everything was going to be okay, seemingly having been able to read you like an open book once again. Though it wasn't long before Namjoon's curious gaze traveled back over towards the two of you, a glint of suspicion evident in his eyes as he caught glimpse of the subtle affection and crossed his arms while humming softly.

Namjoon: I must admit, this dinner party feels a bit out of the blue— is there a special occasion?

Although the question mostly was aimed towards Taehyung, you couldn't help but tense up slightly while looking over at him with widened eyes— unsure how to respond to his question as you hadn't expected to get right to the point so soon. However, before your jumbled mind even had the chance to formulate a response, Taehyung's smile grew fondly as he gently wrapped his arm around your waist with a giddy pride sparkling in his eyes.

Taehyung: Getting to finally introduce my incredible boyfriend is quite the special occasion, don't you agree?

A flustered blush dusted over your cheeks once more as you bit back a bright smile at his confident answer, especially upon seeing how Namjoon's eyes instantly lit up with excitement as he uttered a cheerful ''No way, I knew it!'' before instantly bringing Taehyung into a big bear hug which caused you both to erupt into a fit of relieved laughter. After pulling away from the hug, he then turned towards you with a gentle smile and open arms, respectfully asking for permission before also pulling you into an equally as heartfelt hug making your previously tensed muscles finally relax with comfort and relief.

It was only now that you realized how much you internally had dreaded this moment; fearing a negative reaction from someone as dear to Taehyung as his older brother, or some sort of a confirmation that you weren't worthy of this joy, that your so-called parents had been right about no other family ever accepting you as their in-law— not that you even were an in-law yet. Yet with those dreads shattered by nothing but welcoming acceptance and kindness, it finally felt like you could take a breath of fresh air for the first time in a while. Naturally, you still had to meet his parents at some point, which was an intimidating hurdle on a whole other level. But for now, you wanted to simmer in the joy of being so warmly welcomed by his older brother.

Namjoon: I haven't seen Taehyung this happy in a long time, and now I know why. I believe I owe it all to you Jungkook-sshi.

Your eyes softened gratefully as you shook your head, flashing him a warm smile before looking over towards Taehyung whom was watching the two of you in pure admiration.

Jungkook: If anything, Taehyung's been the one making me the happiest I've ever been.

A warm smile painted Taehyung's lips as he wrapped an arm around your waist before kissing the top of your head affectionately— watching fondly as the chain around your neck glimmered softly when the light hit it.

Taehyung: We've certainly formed a bond like no other over time, and I truly couldn't adore a person more than I do him.

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