¤ We Might Fall
Ghastly, Matthew Koma ↲

Could you come a little closer but still keep your distance?
I've been thinkin' it over and I'm terrified

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Taehyung unlocked the door to his apartment, letting both Jungkook and himself inside. Their walk here had been light and amicable, filled with talk of photography and drawing. Each boy joked their pictures were better, though they recognized the immense talent in the other.

"You want something to eat?" He asked Jungkook as he set down his bag.

"Depends," Jungkook pursed his lips together. "How much clothes will I be wearing today?"

Taehyung kicked off his shoes and set them near the door, stalling for time. Truthfully, he wanted to practice drawing the younger fully. That's why he asked to commission Jungkook in the first place. But after getting to know him more, Taehyung started to see him as a person and not just a model to draw. Even if it was counterproductive to bettering his skills, he wanted to make sure Jungkook felt comfortable with him.

After all, he wasn't blind. He knew from the first moment he laid eyes on Jungkook that the boy was not exactly eager to stand around naked. Taehyung himself could never be a life model and he gave a lot of credit to the younger for that. Clearly he had some greater purpose he was serving and he'd do anything to fulfill his needs.

He shouldn't have gotten to know Jungkook. Things would be much simpler if he didn't care about his model's comfort level, so he mentally kicked himself for that.

But it was only a small kick.

"Taehyung?"

Taehyung met Jungkook's eyes, which were big and expectant as he waited for an answer.

"I don't want you to be uncomfortable," he answered finally, exhaling heavily as he decided to prolong his practice once more. "I haven't wined or dined you yet, remember?"

"You don't need to wine and dine me," the younger started, his hand reaching behind his head to rub his neck. "You're paying me for this. So . . . should I get undressed?"

Words failed Taehyung, so he simply nodded his head in affirmation. He didn't miss the way Jungkook's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed.

"Where's your bathroom?"

Taehyung walked past Jungkook silently, knowing the boy would follow. He showed him the bathroom before going to the art room, setting up the chairs and his supplies. A bit of tension settled in his stomach as he brainstormed poses for Jungkook. What he needed to practice drawing the most was his stomach and thighs, but again, his mind went back to making Jungkook uncomfortable.

He was staring at his blank canvas when Jungkook walked in, clad in nothing but navy boxers.

"So what will it be to start? Ass or full frontal?" Jungkook said out of nowhere, trying to diffuse the tension in the room.

Taehyung laughed, his shoulders slightly relaxing. "How about we warm up to that? We'll start with your side."

Jungkook went up to the chair and eyed it before sitting. "Which side do you want?"

"Left side," the elder answered quickly. "I can't be distracted by your tattoos again."

"You don't know how relieved I was to learn my tattoos were the distraction and not my dick," Jungkook shook his head with a grin, sitting on the chair.

While the tattoos were the primary distraction to Taehyung, Jungkook's sculpted body also was. Though he didn't think telling the boy would exactly help the situation. He picked up his pencil and prepared to position Jungkook when he noted something.

"Jungkook?"

The younger tilted his head to the side.

Warmth crept up to Taehyung's cheeks. "You're still wearing your boxers."

"Oh. Right," Jungkook said, redness tinting his own cheeks. His thumbs dipped under the band. "Um, can you -?"

Taehyung spun away, giving him privacy to undress the rest of the way. His heart pounded in his chest and his hands became clammy. These feelings were new to him. Hell, this whole experience was new to him.

He'd never been alone with a naked person before.

"I'm ready," Jungkook announced quietly.

Slowly, Taehyung shifted to face his easel once more. And even though he was tempted to gaze all over Jungkook's body, he kept his concentration locked on the blank canvas.

"Put your elbows on your knees," he instructed, selecting a pencil from his supplies, "and then hold your head with your hands."

After giving Jungkook a moment to settle into the requested positioning, Taehyung finally allowed himself to assess his subject.

The entire left side of the younger's body was displayed for him, smooth and unflexed muscles being contoured by the lighting. Nothing scandalous was exposed to Taehyung, so he felt less guilty roaming over the expanse of Jungkook's skin. Taehyung traced the lines of the oblique and glute muscles with his eyes as his pencil starting moving across the canvas. Short, efficient strokes turned into long and toned legs, a fit and defined waist. It was progress.

As he got to the upper portion of Jungkook's body, Taehyung studied the way the younger's fingers knotted into his dark, shiny hair. His mind went to those fingers brushing against his own forehead so softly, caressing his skin as they pushed back his hair. Taehyung would've paid the boy money just to keep his hand there a moment longer.

With a shake of his head, Taehyung quickly finished the warm up sketch. It really wasn't that bad. Not up to his usual standard, but a lot better.

Jungkook angled his head towards Taehyung. "What's the verdict?"

"Do you want to see?"

Taehyung didn't wait for an affirmation; he took the paper and turned it around for the younger to look at.

Seconds slipped by as Jungkook studied the drawing, his eyebrows scrunched together in consternation. "Well," he voiced at last, "that's a naked picture of me. Puts a new spin on sending nudes, don't you think?"

Taehyung frowned despite the younger's humor, appraising the drawing once more. "I still need a lot of practice. But . . . I don't hate it."

"That picture is an exact replica of my body," Jungkook interjected matter-of-factly. "I said it earlier, but you really have a gift."

"You never told me I had a gift."

The younger shook his head with a smile. "Well, I was definitely thinking it. You are immensely talented, Tae."

Both the nickname and the compliment caused a warmth to seep throughout Taehyung's body, bringing a smile to his lips. Although many had told him he was gifted in the past, this was the first time the compliment felt genuine. Other people would sing his praises solely to butter him up or get something in return.

But Jungkook's comment lacked the usual hidden motivation. It was just the younger speaking truthfully.

"Why are you smiling like that?" Jungkook questioned, his words cautious but his own lips spreading into a smile. "It's like you know something I don't and it's freaking me out."

"You can't always have the answer to everything, you know," Taehyung said as he scratched an itch on his cheek. The action caused him to flinch; he forgot his bruise was there.

"But I can have the answer to one thing. The question I get to ask for winning our first challenge. Loser has to answer honestly, remember?" Jungkook turned towards him, still taking care to keep certain parts hidden. "Are you ready?"

Taehyung nodded, curious about what the younger wanted to know.

"How did you really get that bruise?"

He didn't expect to come back to this topic yet again, thinking Jungkook had bought his lie. But somehow the younger saw through his story, and even if he wanted to share what happened, this was one of a couple things he just couldn't open up about. So he leaned back and crossed his arms, twisting his face into a haughty expression. "We never established when we'd have to answer."

"That's bullshit," Jungkook scoffed before lightening his tone. "Did someone do that to you, Tae? You can trust me."

Like lightning, a sudden and unpredictable flash ran throughout Taehyung's body at those words. Those were the absolute fucking wrong words to say to him. The last time someone said Taehyung could trust them, they had -

Hands on his skin. Lips on his skin.

He lept off the stool and strode from the room, not caring how the scene looked to the younger. The skin on his chest was crawling and he knew he'd start clawing at himself unless he could make it stop. But those words cycled through his mind over and over.

Trust me, trust me, trust me.

Taehyung learned the hard way that no one could be trusted. Not the ones who betrayed him nor the ones who ignored his cry for help.

Somehow he ended up in the bathroom, splashing cold water all over his face. It trickled down his neck, creating wavering paths that shone under the light. The coolness against his skin dulled out the red hot anger he felt internally. Slowly, his erratic breathing returned to normal and the ringing in his ears faded away.

An outburst like this hadn't happened in a while, so Taehyung figured he was overdue. But he was slightly embarrassed he lost control in front of someone like Jungkook, someone real and honest and untroubled. The younger didn't deserve to be brought into Taehyung's messed up world. He'd just run the opposite way if he knew what Taehyung was dealing with.

But he needed to tell Jungkook something . . . he couldn't pretend nothing happened. And almost as if the younger was summoned by Taehyung's thoughts, a boxer-clad Jungkook suddenly appeared, leaning against the doorframe.

"Hey," the younger said softly and cautiously, like he was approaching a wounded animal.

"Hi."

Jungkook gnawed at his lip while scanning over Taehyung, looking for any signs of visible hurt. "I'm not going to ask if you're okay. I always hate when people ask me that. But if you want to talk, you can talk to me. I'll listen."

Taehyung grabbed a towel, patting off the excess water on his face. "I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

Jungkook took the towel from the elder's grip, gently patting it against Taehyung's dripping hair. "It's okay if it does. I won't judge you for it. As long as you don't freak out when I start howling at the full moon and sprout fur. It's only a once a month thing, but people seemed to get pretty unhinged by it. Weirdos."

Taehyung watched his face closely as Jungkook continued to dry his hair. "Are you saying you're a werewolf?"

A throaty chuckle sounded from Jungkook. "I won't confirm it or deny."

"Thank you, Kook," the elder murmured after a couple of moments, liking the way the nickname felt on his tongue. He lowered his head, eyes coming into contact with the younger's naked chest. And instead of feasting on his toned abs, he instead observed the red scar on his ribcage.

His fingers stretched out, wanting to trace the fine line, before dropping back down. "How did you get this scar?"

Jungkook stiffened, the question clearly catching him off guard. "Is this your winner's question?"

Taehyung dipped his chin once.

"I'll answer that question when you answer mine."

The two stubbornly looked at each other, both understanding they'd never get the answers to these questions. Taehyung wasn't going to tell Jungkook about his father, which meant he'd also never learn about the younger's scar.

"The ball is in your court for that one, Tae," Jungkook intoned, dropping the towel and carefully raising his hand to Taehyung's face. His fingers smoothed over the bruised skin, gently rubbing soothing circles.

Taehyung wanted to close his eyes and savor the feeling, but he was afraid. Afraid of letting someone comfort him, afraid of opening himself up to vulnerability. He'd never received this sort of caring attention before, and he was so damn afraid that he'd get used to it, only to have it ripped away.

So he took Jungkook's wrist and lowered it from his face. "Let's wrap early today. Okay?"

The younger stepped back. "Yeah, definitely. I'll just go grab my stuff then I'll let you be."

"Wait," Taehyung said, reaching out for him. "I . . . um, I was going to order take out. Are you hungry?"

An almost shy look colored Jungkook's face as his lips parted in surprise. "Yeah, I could eat. Hell, I can always eat."

The two boys walked to the kitchen after Jungkook got dressed, spreading take out menus across the table. They debated for a bit on what to order, all the while trading jokes and laughs. It was the start of something, that was for sure, but neither really knew what.

But they were open to finding out.

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》 V A L E N W R I T I N G 《

Just to be clear this isn't turning into an omegaverse au 😂