¤ Two Men in Love
The Irrepressibles ↲

When you open me
All the power in me moves
How you want to see
All the depths of me real
When you open me
All the power in me moves
I feel real

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Over the following couple of weeks, Taehyung felt more cared for, valued - loved - than he had all his life. And Jungkook was the sole reason for that fact.

Ever since telling the younger about his past, Jungkook became an active part of Taehyung's healing process. He was always by Taehyung's side, offering words of encouragement and helping him reconnect with his body. The daily torture sessions became less torturous, and were aptly renamed to daily body appreciation sessions by Jungkook.

Even that small detail - changing the way in which Taehyung viewed touching his body - helped immensely. He wasn't torturing himself when his hands met his bare skin, because he accepted that he didn't deserve to be tortured over this. Instead, he was thanking his body and valuing the things it helped him do in life. Slowly, he began to associate his touch with good feelings instead of bad ones.

And even though his mentality was growing more positive, not all days were easy. Flashbacks and uncomfortable sensations still pulled him out of the present from time to time. Though when those moments did occur, Taehyung either had Jungkook with him or words of affirmation he'd recently taped to his mirror. Both helped bring him back to reality, which he remembered was a place completely separate from his past.

The progress Taehyung made was so encouraging and each new milestone was a celebration. He was beginning to trust in his body again; he was learning how to see past the invisible scars.

Taehyung was finally accepting that what happened did not define him. He did not ask for any of it. He did not deserve to be targeted. He was not at fault and was not to be blamed.

And, maybe most importantly to Taehyung, he did not have to keep his assault a secret or be ashamed any longer. He compartmentalized his abuse for far too long, which contributed to his mind-body disconnect. But processing it now - speaking about it openly - freed him from so much of his suffering.

Taehyung also had Jungkook now, a person who encouraged him to talk about his past as many times as he needed. The younger listened intently to each word he said and never got frustrated with Taehyung when the subject was brought up. Jungkook gave him a sense of safety that he never knew existed, which helped him view the world as a less threatening place.

Jungkook had very quickly become not just his boyfriend, but his best friend. Someone he could rely on unconditionally, in both the good times and the bad. And even though they'd been dating for a little while now, there was still no pressure to engage in anything Taehyung wasn't ready for. But with each passing day, he was becoming ready for more. Not everything, but certainly more.

And soon - very soon - Taehyung was going to initiate that nice, long sex talk that Jungkook was so willing to have. It was still a little tough to think about, but he truly wanted to have a healthy sexual mindset. He wanted to view that sort of intimacy as empowering and nurturing, as a choice he had the power to make.

He'd get there.

Today, however, he was focused on something else entirely.

Arriving at the Jeons' house, Taehyung knocked on the front door and waited patiently outside. An excited smile pulled at his lips and he was nearly bouncing up and down on his toes.

The door opened and revealed Juyeon, clad in a superhero outfit. "TaeTae!"

"Hey, kiddo," he said, sinking down on his heels and throwing open his arms. "How's my favorite girl?"

She hugged him tightly, her small arms surprisingly strong. "I'm good. Hey . . ." She took an audible sniff of his hair. "You smell like my brother."

Taehyung laughed as he released her. "Your brother uses half my soaps each time he's over."

"Weirdo," Juyeon rolled her eyes, like it was just something she'd come to live with. "Anyway, Kookie said you weren't coming over for another couple hours. I don't think he's back from his run yet."

"I came early to spend time with you. I didn't forget that I owed you some drawings," he patted the satchel that hung off his shoulder. "That's if you want to hang out with me, of course."

Juyeon practically jumped in the air, grabbing his hand and pulling him inside. "Are you gonna draw pictures of me?"

Taehyung let himself be led through the house, beaming at the younger girl's excitement. "I'll draw anything you want."

Juyeon brought Taehyung to an outside patio, where Jiho sat at a small table. She smiled up at him, trading a knowing look. Over the last couple of days, she helped arrange this little get together for Taehyung and Juyeon, making sure Jungkook was out of the house so the two could have their bonding time.

There was something important he felt he had to say to her.

"Hey, Tae," Jiho greeted, waving at him with admiration in her eyes. She always seemed genuinely happy to see him. "Long time no see."

Taehyung laughed, a sound he made easily around the Jeon family. "I had dinner with you all last night."

Jiho shrugged playfully before Juyeon tugged on his sleeve.

"Let's go sit on the grass."

Taehyung bowed his head at Jiho as he was whisked away to a patchy area of grass. Once seated, he started pulling out his supplies and setting them in between Juyeon and himself. He was looking for one of his favorite pencils when he noticed his notepad was lodged securely in Juyeon's hands.

"You sure have a lot of shirtless drawings of my brother in here," she giggled, flipping through the sketches. "Does Kook take pictures of you like how you draw him?"

Taehyung practically choked, cheeks heating up as he envisioned Jungkook taking nude pictures of him. "No, not really."

"Well, you should let him. I bet he'd like that."

He was very sure Jungkook would love to have naked images of him, though he wasn't about to explain that to his boyfriend's kid sister. Plus, Jungkook hadn't even seen him naked yet . . . just in his underwear that one time . . .

Okay, now was not the time or place to think about that.

Juyeon insisted on portraits of herself - she wanted to hang them all over her bedroom door - so Taehyung spent the next hour drawing various images of her. She demanded to see each and every one after its completion, though he didn't mind. The pure happiness on her face was worth all the sass.

Several drawings later, Taehyung took a break and cracked his stiff fingers. Jiho had left shortly before, video calling her husband during one of his free periods. So that just left the two of them outside, which was the perfect opportunity to bring up the subject he wanted to discuss with Juyeon.

Taehyung wanted to make sure Juyeon didn't feel like he stole Jungkook from her. The two boys were spending so much time together and he wanted to ensure Juyeon - the most important person to Jungkook- felt special, too.

"Do you know when Kook and I first started to get along more?" He asked her, watching as she combed through the sketches of herself. "When I first started liking him?"

"Nope."

Taehyung chuckled at her succinct answer. "Okay, well here's a hint. It had something to do with you."

That drew her attention. "With me?"

"Yeah, you invited me over to go on a picnic with Kook. Remember?"

"Ah. That." Juyeon set aside the papers. "You two needed all the help you could get. I saw how you two looked at each other . . . You just needed a push, that's all. And now look. You're lovebirds."

"I never thanked you for that," Taehyung reflected, smiling in memory at her interference. "So thank you for looking after us, Juyeon. And I know I've been taking up a lot of his time, so I wanted to let you know it's okay to ask for him back sometimes. And I also wanted you to know that I'm taking care of him when he's with me."

"Tae, can I be real with you?" Juyeon asked, her eyebrows pulling together in seriousness.

A surprised laugh caught in his throat. "Yeah, you can be real with me."

"I've never seen Kookie so happy. And yeah, I love him and he's my best friend. I miss him sometimes. But seeing him with you makes all that worth it. I want him to have someone he loves outside of just me. He needs to have someone to lean on for when I can't be there for him. I have other stuff going on, you know? And he deserves to be with someone who loves him like you do."

Taehyung froze, staring at her in shock. "I don't know why, but sometimes I forget how smart you are."

"Of course I'm smart," she defended, "and don't even try to tell me you don't love him. You do."

"I know I do," he told her, his face smoothing into a wide smile. "I love your brother so much."

"Have you told him yet? Do you need help -?"

"Juyeon!" Jiho called from the house. "Come say hello to your father with me!"

Juyeon shrugged her shoulders and ran inside, leaving Taehyung behind to mull everything over.

Taehyung hadn't told Jungkook he was in love with him yet. He wanted to plan a special day for the younger to show how much he valued and appreciated him. He knew he didn't have to do that, but he wanted to make that moment as memorable as possible.

He pretty much realized these feelings all those weeks ago, when Jungkook was there for him in his time of need. Taehyung even considered telling him then, though that probably would've been pretty overwhelming. So he waited, trying to show his love for Jungkook through all his actions. And as soon as he could plan something worthy of the younger, he'd tell him.

He couldn't wait.

"Hey, TaeTae!"

Taehyung looked to where Juyeon had her head sticking out of the door.

"Come here!"

He joined her inside the house, where his wrist was promptly grabbed. Juyeon led him to the kitchen table, pushing him down into a chair and pointing at a computer.

"Dad, this is Kookie's boyfriend."

Taehyung's eyes nearly bulged as he registered what was happening. There on the computer screen was an older version of Jungkook, a handsome looking man with grey streaks in his hair.

"So you're the young man my son can't stop talking about?" Jungkook's father wore a neutral expression, one which Taehyung didn't know how to decipher.

Jungkook didn't talk about his father often, though it was clear how much he respected him. The older man had been away at a foreign factory for almost a year, working in strenuous and dangerous conditions to help support his family. Though from what Taehyung was told, Jungkook's father never complained. He just missed his family.

And Taehyung wanted to make a good impression on his father, to show he was taking care of Jungkook. Though, based on the few stories Jungkook shared, being overly polite and proper wasn't going to win him any brownie points. It seemed like the older man was a lot like Juyeon - dry sense of humor and an affinity for being blunt.

"I hope I'm the guy Jungkook talks about. It'd be a little saddening to hear if I wasn't," Taehyung smiled as he studied the man for a reaction. "I'm Kim Taehyung."

"Sorry to break it to you, I've only heard of a TaeTae," the man beamed back at him, shaking his head. "Do you know that guy?"

Taehyung turned to Juyeon, who was hovering behind his chair. "Who is this TaeTae person and where can I find him? He has no right to steal my boyfriend."

Juyeon rolled her eyes. "You two are strange."

The man laughed at his daughter's assessment. "That we are, sweetheart. Taehyung, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Jeon Jaewoo."

Taehyung bowed his head respectfully. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir."

"Don't give me any of that sir nonsense. It's Jaewoo, yeah?"

He liked Jungkook's father already. "Sure thing -"

Suddenly, the call dropped and Taehyung was looking at the computer desktop.

"What happened?" He asked Juyeon. "I don't think I pressed anything."

Juyeon shook her head. "Dad has poor connection where he is. He'll call back in a couple of seconds."

While they waited, Taehyung let his eyes roam around the desktop screen. The background was set to a stunning photo of a mountain range, and based on the style of the image, he guessed it was Jungkook's.

"Is this Kook's computer?"

"Yeah. Why? Do you want to snoop?" Juyeon crossed her arms over her chest and raised her eyebrows.

"Kind of," Taehyung laughed, but held his hands up in defense when she scowled at him. "I just want to see more of his photos."

Juyeon angled the computer so she could see and opened up the photo gallery. After a few more clicks, a folder with a massive amount of pictures was displayed. Most were landscapes, though some were of people, too.

They were all incredible.

Some really spoke to him - a picture of a forest and a portrait of an older woman - and he felt the need to have these for himself. Jungkook's talent was so inspiring to him.

"I'm sending some of these to me," he announced to the girl, clicking the mouse a couple times to carry out the act. "Don't tattle on me to Kook."

Juyeon huffed something under her breath, but before she could say anything more, Jaewoo was calling back.

Taehyung clicked the answer button and was greeted with the older man's face once more.

"Sorry about that. Connection is real shitty out here."

"Language," Juyeon chided her father.

Jaewoo shook his head apologetically. "Look, I don't have a lot of time. But I wanted to ask you something important, Taehyung."

"Of course," Taehyung agreed easily.

"Tell me - because I want to make sure my son is with the right man - do you love him?"

Taehyung smiled wide, happy to answer such a question. And even though it seemed he was telling Jungkook's family how he felt before Jungkook himself, it gave him comfort in a way.

"I love him more than anything in the world."

A returning grin spread on Jaewoo's mouth. "Good. I have to go now. Juyeon, go give your mother a hug for me. Taehyung, take good care of my son. And Jungkook, I'll talk to you soon."

The call ended.

Taehyung turned around.

And there Jungkook was, shirtless and sweaty, mouth gaping open.

"You love me?" He said softly, though the words still reached Taehyung's ears.

"Duh," Juyeon commented idly, looking at her nails.

"Juyeon," the two boys said at the same time.

"I'm leaving." She fled from the room, chuckling the entire time.

Jungkook came up to Taehyung and took hold of his hands, pulling him up and looking reverently into his eyes. "Come with me."

Taehyung followed the younger to his bedroom, closing the door behind them once there.

"Kook, you don't have to say it back -"

He was cut off as Jungkook pulled him into a tight embrace, arms wrapped protectively around him. "Say it again. Please. I need to hear those words again."

"I love you," Taehyung whispered, pulling away to look into his eyes. "I am so in love with you Jeon Jungkook. More than I ever thought possible."

"Tae . . . "

Jungkook leaned forward, softly brushing his lips over Taehyung's. And while they kissed so many times in the past, this one felt new. It felt more free and giving, full of words that had never been said.

Up until now.

"I love you so much," Jungkook murmured against his mouth, shifting to press his lips all over Taehyung's face. "My heart belongs to you."

And it was in this moment Taehyung knew what true happiness was. There was nothing in his life that could compare to this moment, to the moment he loved and was loved back. His heart was glowing, radiating, warming him up from the inside out. He was pretty sure he'd light up a dark room with the emotions coursing through his body.

"You love me," Taehyung breathed, hands knotting into Jungkook's hair. "You love me."

"I do. I love you so much, Tae."

"Were you going to tell me anytime soon?" He asked playfully, his face hurting because of how wide his smile was.

A scoff left Jungkook's mouth. "I should be asking you the same thing. If it wasn't for my meddling father, I might not know right now."

"I can see where Juyeon learned her ways," Taehyung giggled. "How long were you standing there?"

"I walked in right when Juyeon was scolding my dad for swearing," Jungkook laughed, his hands resting surely on Taehyung's hips. "I think he saw me standing behind you."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you first. I wanted to plan something special for us," Taehyung explained, massaging the back of the younger's neck. "Though I am happy your family knows, too. That way they can always be sure I'm looking out for you."

"I wanted to plan something for us, too. I even recruited Jimin for some ideas," Jungkook chuckled, resting his head against Taehyung's shoulder. "But everything happens for a reason and I'm happy it worked out this way."

They stood in each other's arms for a while, whispering soft I love yous and sharing kisses and laughs. It was so peaceful in that room, like they were in their own bubble.

Though that bubble popped as soon as Juyeon started banging at the door.

"Kookie!"

"I have no privacy in this house," the younger lamented, remaining in Taehyung's embrace and not moving for the door.

Taehyung kissed his forehead. "At least she knocked this time."

"Kookie!" The door opened, revealing Juyeon with an innocent smile.

"I'm staying with you tonight," Jungkook said to him, unlinking his arms and finding clean clothes. "Let me take a quick shower and then we're leaving."

He shot his sister a glare as he headed for the bathroom, mumbling about nosy children under his breath. Juyeon simply stuck out her tongue before turning towards Taehyung.

"I did you a favor, TaeTae," she announced with a proud smirk. "Now you get a night alone with my brother. I don't meddle for no good reason."

Taehyung pulled her into a hug, ruffling her hair in the process. "And that's why you're my favorite girl."

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》 V A L E N W R I T I N G 《

I'm in love! I'm in love! I'm in love! I'm in love! Okay so today's song is absolutely one of my favorites and I knew from the beginning it was going to be used for the big "I love you" chapter.

So many happy aspects today - Tae depicting some of his growth/progress/new mindset, Tae and Juyeon bonding, and of course Taekook's admission. What were everyone's thoughts on this?

Also, what were everyone's thoughts on Tae's want to have a healthy mindset in terms of intimacy?

Love you all (and sorry this was a little late - I was distracted by Tae's surprise live haha. He is so cute I physically can't 🥺)!