Gathered at the changing room after their classes, Namjoon’s gaze wandered around his friends. “So, are we going to the usual bar?”

“Of course,” Seokjin said.

Jungkook and Taehyung shared a look, then the latter said, “We actually want to spend some time... alone.”

“What? Come on!” Jimin whined.

“We can celebrate or whatever at the party this Saturday,” Jungkook suggested.

“Fine,” Jimin said. “So, what will you guys do tonight?”

“We’ll just hang out at my apartment,” Jungkook said.

“Boring,” Hoseok snickered.

“Nothing is boring with Jungkook.” Taehyung directed a fond glance at the younger, smiling.

“You guys sound like you’re a couple or something,” BamBam cut it as he glared back and forth between the two.

“Come on, BamBam. It’s none of your business,” Yoongi said.

“I’m just saying.”

“Well, we are,” Jungkook ventured, keeping his head down.

A contemptuous smirk curved the corner of BamBam’s lips. “Oh, that’s why you talked with Youngjae. It makes sense now.”

Taehyung surged towards him in a blaze of fury, but Jungkook clawed at his forearm just in time to stop him. Taehyung pinned BamBam with the ferocity of his eyes instead. “Not that it’s any of your business, but Jungkook didn’t do it because of that. He really wanted to help him, and apparently, he was the only one who succeeded. So before you talk shit about something you don’t know, get your fucking facts straight.”

“Whatever, Taehyung, you don’t even give a shit about Youngjae. I wasn’t expecting anything better from you. But I didn’t know Jungkook was that petty.”

The fury in Taehyung’s gut deepened, and he wrenched his hand out of Jungkook’s grip as he stormed towards BamBam. He gasped at his shirt and nailed him onto the wall, the muscles in his face clenched, just like his jaw. “Didn’t you hear what I just said?”

Yoongi perceived everyone in the room had their eyes glued to the scene, and he approached the two. “Taehyung. Let it go.”

“What? Did I say something wrong?” BamBam struggled against his grasp, but the other didn’t yield. “You’re selfish, Taehyung. You’re always thinking only about yourself. You don’t care about others.”

“I don’t give a fuck about what you have to say about me, but don’t talk about Jungkook ever again, got that?”

“Taehyung, stop!” Seokjin exclaimed in vain.

“Oh, he’s that precious to you, huh?” BamBam’s snicker got drowned into a groan as Taehyung shoved him harder against the wall.

Jungkook rushed closer and tugged at Taehyung’s shirt. “Tae, look at me,” he whispered. “It’s okay.”

Taehyung’s rage-filled eyes slewed to meet Jungkook’s gloomy ones. His grip loosened, and BamBam took the opportunity to bundle off. His hands collapsed to his sides, as his head did over his slumped shoulders. “Sorry. I made a scene. Are you okay?”

“Why are you asking me that? You almost got into a fight for me.”

“Taehyung, what’s wrong with you? If the teachers, hell, if Eunhyuk finds out, he’ll expel you,” Seokjin scolded him, worry swirling in his gaze.

“What was I supposed to do? Let him talk shit about Jungkook? He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

“Exactly. He’s an asshole. Why are you wasting your time on him?” Jimin asked.

“Are you guys kidding me? I won’t just stand there and listen to someone talking like that about Jungkook. He should have just minded his own damn business. Why did he open his stupid mouth and—”

“Taehyung,” Eunhyuk growled as he burst into the room. “Come with me. Now.”

Taehyung darted his eyes at him and a huff of disbelief spewed from his mouth as he detected BamBam standing behind him. “You fucking ratted on me?”

“Taehyung! Watch your mouth. Follow me now.”

“I should come too,” Jungkook said.

“And why is that?”

“Because this whole thing happened because of me.”

“Kook.” Taehyung viewed him with a glimmer of saddened reproach. The last thing he wanted was for Jungkook to get in trouble because of him.

“Perfect. Both of you come with me now,” Eunhyuk ordered and stormed towards the teacher’s lounge.

The three soon sat on the couch as Eunhyuk placed a chair in front of them. He eyed their somber expressions with a hint of fierceness as he took his seat. “Taehyung. Tell me what happened.”

“I was talking with my friends, and BamBam cut in. He insulted Jungkook, and I couldn’t take it. I grabbed him by his shirt and pinned him to the wall.”

Eunhyuk narrowed his eyes on him, then swung them to BamBam. “You said he almost choked you.”

“What?” Jungkook and Taehyung yelled in unison, owlish eyes slashing through the other boy.

“He was aggressive!” BamBam said.

“That doesn’t mean I almost choked you,” Taehyung snarled. “I just pinned you against the wall. What’s wrong with you?”

“Okay, enough!” Eunhyuk said. “Jungkook, is it true that BamBam insulted you first?”

“Yes.”

“I didn’t say anything bad. Why are you guys making it a big deal?”

“Are you kidding me?” Jungkook scoffed at BamBam’s words. “If you want to talk shit about me, you should at least have the balls to admit it.”

“But I didn’t—”

“Stop!” Eunhyuk interrupted them with a growl coiling around his voice. “Stop bringing problems to this company, all three of you. I won’t let it slide next time. Leave.”

“You won’t do anything? He attacked me!” BamBam shrieked.

“From what I understand, you started it. And you should be thankful that I’m not expelling you for lying to me. Accusing someone of something like this when it didn’t happen is unacceptable. And you, Taehyung, should be thankful that I’m not expelling you for violence! Go home.”

“You just lost your job, just so you know. My dad won’t be happy when he hears what happened,” BamBam said as he sprang up from his seat.

“You have the audacity to blackmail me, too? You just got yourself suspended for two days.”

“We’ll see about that,” BamBam murmured, then marched off.

A heavy silence poured into the room after the bang of the door. Jungkook observed the teacher with brief glances, trying to comprehend what he was thinking. He couldn’t unearth what his stoic expression meant. “Will you be okay? His father is a powerful man.”

“We’ll see,” Eunhyuk uttered. “Go home, guys. And don’t cause trouble again.”

“Thank you,” Taehyung said, and he grabbed Jungkook’s hand, leading him outside.

“Do you think he’ll lose his job over this?” Jungkook asked.

“You said it yourself. His father is a powerful man. So I don’t know.”

“Thank you, though. For standing up for me,” Jungkook said, a thankful smile adorning his traits, as he squeezed his hand.

“You don’t need to thank me. You know, I’m too tired to change. Can we just go to your place like right now? It’s been a long day.”

“Let’s go.”

The two boys took their things and headed off. They stopped by the convenience store to buy some beers and then sauntered towards the younger’s apartment. Once they were there, Jungkook placed two beers on the coffee table and the rest in the fridge.

Taehyung plopped down on the couch with a gruff sigh. “My body hurts so much...”

Jungkook chuckled as he joined him. “You have to exercise too, hyung. Dance isn’t enough.”

“What do you mean? Dancing is exercise. And a hard one.”

“Yeah, but you still have to do push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and stuff.” Jungkook opened the two beers and passed one to him.

“Thank you for that,” Taehyung smiled, then took a sip. “And I guess you’re right. But you can’t tell me that your body isn’t sore as well. And I know you do push-ups and stuff.”

“You’re right. You should exercise, though. It’s good for endurance.”

“I don’t have the motivation to work out. It’s really boring.”

“Fine. But don’t complain to me when you realize that I’m much stronger than you,” Jungkook said with an edge of teasing, wiggling his brows at him.

“I already know you are, and I’m not complaining at all.”

“Oh. Are you a bottom?” Jungkook asked so nonchalantly as he was about to sip his drink, but his attention leaped at Taehyung when a series of coughs blasted through the room. “Shit, are you okay?” He reached for a tissue and wiped the beer that had dripped down Taehyung’s chin.

“I’m not a bottom.”

Jungkook’s ministrations ceased at the strictness of his voice. He finished what he was doing and dropped his eyes to his beer.

“I’m sorry. That was too much,” Taehyung said under his breath as he recognized his rather cute pout.

“I was just asking...”

“I know, I’m sorry.” Taehyung destroyed the space between them and engulfed him in his hug.

“It’s okay,” Jungkook whispered as he wrapped his arms around him.

Taehyung savored his warmth in a few moments of stillness. He drew a light kiss on the side of his neck and pulled back enough to bond their gazes. Something crackled in the scarce space between them that knotted his stomach with a desire he couldn’t tame — a desire he didn’t want to tame.

Taehyung grasped his nape and tilted his head into a longing, rough kiss, sparks going off around his senses right away. He pulled on Jungkook’s hips, instructing him to mount him, with their mouths still devouring each other. Strained breaths from both joined the obscene sucking sounds of their hungry lips, sprawling through the room alongside their all-consuming yearning.

Jungkook ground against the hardness of his cock slowly, mewling into his mouth. Taehyung’s demanding hands explored his back with fierce caresses, and he gasped when he felt the said hands squeeze his asscheeks. He broke the kiss accidentally, though he took the opportunity to plunge to his neck, delivering suck after suck on his smooth skin.

Taehyung was alight. Jungkook’s mouth on him felt heavenly, his moans were like the most entrancing song he had ever heard, and the ferocity of his movements unhinged him. With an animal groan, he pitched forward, pinning him on the couch as he climbed over him instead.

He smashed their lips into another fiery kiss, their bodies rolling together in need of friction. Taehyung was so hard it dizzied him; his cockhead was a sticky mess of precum and every inch of him was cloaked in tingles of lust. He sneaked his hands beneath Jungkook’s shirt and fondled his sides as he kept pressing against him harder and harder, as if the closeness wasn’t enough.

But when a shaky hand slithered between their bodies and touched his cock, Taehyung iced up, as if his brain malfunctioned. He ended the kiss and slipped off him, panting, as he avoided eye contact.

Jungkook studied him through the confusion blurring his vision, his chest fluctuating madly. “Are you okay?”

“We should stop.”

“You don’t like it?”

Taehyung shot him a glance, highlighted by disapproval. “Can’t you see how hard I am because of you?”

“I can feel it very well,” Jungkook snickered. “So why should we stop?”

“I can’t control myself. It’s too much.”

“You don’t have to control yourself,” Jungkook whispered, pressing their bodies together again.

“It’s only been a day, and I don’t want to rush things. You’re the first person I feel something different about, and I don’t want to ruin it.”

“You can’t ruin anything with sex, Tae.”

Taehyung snorted softly, then he pushed himself to a sitting position, dragging Jungkook with him. “I don’t want it to be just sex. I want it to mean something. I want it to be something deeper than just sex.”

A sparkle of fondness lit up in Jungkook’s eyes as he peered at him. He never thought Taehyung could be this sweet. He was used to him being indifferent towards Youngjae, but he realized he was never indifferent when it came to him.

Jungkook set a hand on his nape, cradling it. “Tae, sleeping with someone you have feelings for is never just sex. You feel different because you already feel a connection with the other. I agree, we shouldn’t rush things, and I’m sorry if I was too much. It just feels so good when you kiss me and touch me.”

“No, don’t apologize. It feels good for me too. Actually, it feels too good.” Taehyung identified a reddish tinge gleaming on Jungkook’s ears and broke into a smile. “I love it when you get shy.”

“I’m not shy,” Jungkook mumbled.

“Your ears are red, Kook.”

“Shut up.” Jungkook covered his ears with his hands at once as he curled into himself, embarrassed.

“Okay, okay,” Taehyung chuckled. He threw a glance at the clock behind him and sighed. He didn’t even realize how fast time passed again with him. “As much as I love being with you, it’s already after nine, and I have to take a shower.”

“You can take a shower here.”

“If I’m taking a shower here, I’m sleeping here too.”

“Of course, hyung. I thought that was obvious.”

Taehyung smiled, then pressed their lips together. “Okay then.”

Jungkook brought him a towel and a set of his pajamas. He received a tender kiss on his mouth as a thank you, and his smile faded from his face by the thoughts that swamped his head as he watched Taehyung trod towards the bathroom.

It was only yesterday when they fully admitted their feelings, and Jungkook already craved more of him. He wanted to feel Taehyung as close as possible, wanted to touch and kiss every inch of his body. He was gone for just two minutes, and his absence struck Jungkook hard. He couldn’t get enough of him.

He probably thinks I’m desperate or something. I even told him he doesn’t have to control himself. Jungkook dug his face into his hands in embarrassment. What am I even—

His thoughts ceased abruptly as a question he asked himself often flashed up into head. What am I even doing with my life? It terrified him — flooded him with self-doubt and hatred directed at himself. What Jihoon said to him earlier that day jostled him into a mire of contemplation, but he still couldn’t answer that question.

He was happy with Taehyung — a guy who once seemed impossible to reach and touch, a guy he could only dream of having by his side. But he still felt lost and scared about his life. It was like he was trapped inside a loop. When he endeavored to do something to get out of it, self-doubt kicked in again. He didn’t know how to free himself from that loop and take a step forward. And it frenzied him.

“Are you okay?”

Jungkook flinched at the delicate voice and tossed his head in its direction. His mind didn’t brood over how desirable Taehyung looked with his collarbones on full display and the drops of water trickling down from his messy hair.

No, Jungkook’s only need at that moment was to get closer and crush him into his embrace. To feel his presence, get drunk on his scent, relish his warmth. And so he lunged forward and threw his body over him, clutching him in his hug.

Taehyung let out a puff of air by his sudden action, his arms instantly twining around his form. He sensed the stiffness in Jungkook’s body and drew soothing circles on his back. He didn’t know what was wrong, but he didn’t question him. Jungkook seemed desperate for this hug, and Taehyung only clung to him tighter in realization.

Jungkook found the reprieve his soul sought for in his presence, and the vile blend of feelings he experienced melted into pure warmth. He drew back to unite their eyes, able to conceive the worry that gleamed in Taehyung’s at once. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“For not talking to you,” Jungkook said instead of his torturous thoughts about life. “I haven’t told this to anyone, but I made an appointment with a doctor for my leg. I’ll try the PRP injection, and that’s what I wanted to tell Jihoon today. That I won’t be able to dance for a few days.”

“Kookie. I’m so happy you’ll finally do it, and I really hope it works.” Taehyung offered him a soft smile, then planted a kiss on his forehead. “Why didn’t you say anything before?”

“I don’t know... I don’t know how to share things about me.”

“We can figure that out together, okay? You just have to trust me and I won’t let you down, Kookie.” Taehyung muffled him into his embrace again, holding him so tight, as if wanting to take away anything that burdened him.

“Thank you. I have to shower, too.”

“Hurry, so we can sleep. We have to wake up early tomorrow.”

“You don’t have to wait for me.” Jungkook  glanced at him at the silence he received and sucked his lips inwards at the piercing stare Taehyung drilled him with. “Okay, your face says it all. You don’t have to add anything.”

“Good,” Taehyung sneered, then chuckled as he claimed his lips shortly.

Jungkook hurried to his room to grab his pajamas and took a shower with the only thought on his mind being to finish as fast as possible so he could cuddle Taehyung again.

Several minutes later, he returned to the living room, only to find Taehyung lying on the couch with his eyes closed. “What are you doing?”

“I don’t know. What am I doing?”

“You don’t want to sleep together?”

Taehyung’s eyes shot open. He lifted his head enough to look at him. “Do you want to sleep together?”

“Aren’t we like boyfriends or something now?”

“You’re so romantic, Kook, stop,” Taehyung snickered as he drew nearer.

“I’m sorry,” Jungkook said through his chuckle. He held onto his shoulders as Taehyung gripped his hips and brought their bodies flat against each other.

“You don’t look like you mean it.”

Jungkook snorted at his teasing voice. “Come on.” He interlocked their fingers and guided him to his room.

They lay on the bed and sought for each other again. Taehyung wrapped his arm and leg around him, snuggling closer to him. “You smell so good.”

Jungkook buried his face in his chest, holding him loosely with an arm around his waist. He painted multiple kisses on his clothed chest, smiling between each one, and he drifted off to sleep with that blissful smile engraved on his lips.

⚜✳⚜