Meanwhile Jungkook had just woken up.
His body ached, his mind was exhausted, and yet, the first thing that invaded his thoughts was the memory of last night.
Taehyung.
Taehyung calling him husband.
Taehyung wearing his clothes.
Taehyung kissing him.
Taehyung smiling at him after kissing him, as if he had just completed some mission.
Jungkook stepped out of the bathroom, running a towel through his damp hair, water droplets still clinging to his toned skin. His muscles flexed unconsciously as he walked toward the mirror, tossing the sticky note from his mother into the trash.
Take a breakfast. Mom is going for grocery shopping.
He let out a quiet chuckle, shaking his head at the note before turning toward his roomâ
BAM!
The front door swung open with a force that made the walls tremble.
Jungkook barely had time to react before Taehyung stood frozen in the doorway, eyes locked onto him.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Jungkook, half-naked, water still dripping from his hair, his only attire being a pair of dark boxers.
Taehyung, wide-eyed, completely still, looking like he had just witnessed something forbidden.
The silence stretched between them, thick and suffocating.
Jungkook blinked.
Taehyung blinked.
His gaze slowly drifted downwardâfrom Jungkook's wet, tousled hair to his bare shoulders, then further down to his toned chest, the defined abs, and thenâ
Oh.
Taehyung's face exploded in red as he snapped his head up, suddenly very interested in the ceiling.
"I-I... I'll come back later!" he blurted, his voice coming out way too high-pitched.
Jungkook raised a brow, still processing what was happening, when he noticed itâ
The way Taehyung was struggling to keep his eyes off him.
His gaze kept flickering downward before he forced it back up, only for it to betray him again as it dropped to Jungkook's bare torso.
And the way his ears were turning redânot just his cheeks, his ears.
Jungkook's stomach tightened.
For the first time since last night, the flustered one wasn't him.
A slow smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Why?" Jungkook asked, voice lower than intended. "You came all this way just to leave?"
Taehyung gulped.
"N-No, I justâ"
He took a step back, but Jungkook had already started walking toward him.
One step.
Taehyung's breath hitched.
Another step.
His fingers tightened around his phone.
Jungkook's expression remained unreadable, but his eyes? Dangerous.
"Something wrong, Taehyung?" Jungkook mused, tilting his head slightly.
Taehyung swore his heart skipped a beat.
"N-Nope. Nothing's wrong." He forced a nervous laugh, eyes darting everywhere except at Jungkook. "I mean, who would think something is wrong? It's not like Iâ"
Jungkook took another step.
Now, he was close.
Close enough for Taehyung to smell the faint scent of his shower gel, the same one he had used last night.
Close enough that Taehyung could see the water droplets sliding down Jungkook's collarbone, disappearing under the waistband of his boxers.
Close enough to hear Jungkook's breath, steady and controlledâunlike his own, which was turning shallow.
Taehyung panicked.
"I should go!" he suddenly blurted, stepping back so fast he nearly tripped over the welcome mat.
Jungkook chuckled, deep and amused.
"You sure?" he asked, cocking a brow. "You don't look like you want to leave."
Taehyung was so red he might as well have been a tomato.
Taehyung's throat went dry as Jungkook inched closer, his voice dangerously low, his eyes filled with something unreadable yet entirely captivating.
"Unless..." Jungkook murmured, the teasing lilt in his tone sending a shiver down Taehyung's spine. "You came here for something else?"
Taehyung squeaked.
Just moments ago, when he stormed into the house, he had been filled with determination. His mind had been made upâhe was going to confront Jungkook, demand to know why he had been ignoring his texts, make him talk about last night.
But now?
Now, he felt like a helpless kitten caught in the rain, his so-called courage crumbling under Jungkook's gaze.
His body betrayed him, the heat creeping up his neck, his fingers twitching as he struggled to look anywhere but at Jungkook.
But Jungkook wasn't letting him escape.
He was watching every single reaction with amusement, his lips twitching with the urge to smirk.
Oh, how the tables had turned.
Jungkook couldn't deny itâhe was thoroughly enjoying this. The way Taehyung's confidence had melted the second he laid eyes on him. The way his usually sharp tongue had been rendered useless, reduced to soft squeaks and stammered breaths.
And honestly?
Jungkook wanted to blame Taehyung for all of this.
For making him lose his mind last night. For calling him husband in that stupidly cute drunk voice. For clinging onto him like he was the only thing keeping him grounded.
And now, when it was Jungkook's turn to tease him back, Taehyung had the audacity to look like a deer caught in headlights.
"What's wrong, Tae?" Jungkook mused, voice slow and deliberate, savoring every second of Taehyung's flustered state. "You seemed pretty bold last night. What happened to that confidence?"
Taehyung snapped out of his trance, blinking rapidly as he finally found his voice.
"IâI was drunk!" he protested, voice embarrassingly high-pitched.
Jungkook chuckled, the deep rumble sending a whole new wave of warmth down Taehyung's spine.
"Drunk or not, you seemed to know exactly what you were doing," Jungkook countered smoothly, leaning in just a fraction closerâclose enough that Taehyung could feel the warmth radiating off his bare skin.
Taehyung panicked.
His eyes darted wildly across the room, searching for an escape.
This was not how this was supposed to go.
He had come here to confront Jungkook, to demand answers, to make him talkâ
But instead, he was melting under Jungkook's gaze, falling apart with every passing second.
And Jungkook knew it.
A smirk ghosted his lips as he tilted his head slightly, relishing in his victory.
"Cat got your tongue?" he teased.
The words were already on the tip of Taehyung's tongue, but instead of confronting Jungkook, his mind suddenly blanked, and a wave of panic overtook him.
His heart pounded, his chest tightening with the realization that he couldn't do thisânot right now. Not like this.
His plan had completely backfired. He had walked in here, ready to confront Jungkook about everything, to make him acknowledge what happened between them. But now, under Jungkook's gaze, Taehyung felt like a deer caught in headlights.
What was he even doing?
His feet shifted awkwardly, and the next thing he knew, he was taking a step back, trying to put some distance between them. The movement was rushed, frantic. Taehyung was already feeling overwhelmed, and now, his legs just wouldn't cooperate.
In his haste to escape, Taehyung tripped slightly over his own feet, his balance faltering, and he stumbled backward. His heart raced faster, his cheeks flushed in embarrassment as he quickly caught himself, eyes wide in pure panic.
"IâI just remembered!" he blurted, voice sharp and high-pitched with nervousness.
His mind scrambled for an excuseâanything to get him out of this situation, to get him out of the room before he did something stupid.
"I left my stove on! Bye!"
The words spilled out of his mouth, completely nonsensical, but in his flustered state, they made perfect sense to him.
Without another word, Taehyung spun around and bolted for the door, nearly slamming into the frame as he fumbled for the handle. He could barely process the way his heart was pounding in his ears, but one thing was certainâhe needed to leave.
Now.
As Taehyung practically sprinted out of the house, his mind still whirling, he caught a glimpse of Jungkook standing there, leaning casually against the doorframe, watching him with an amused smirk on his face.
Jungkook didn't move a muscle. He just stood there, arms crossed, eyes glinting with that mischievous spark, completely entertained by Taehyung's desperate escape.
Taehyung could hear Jungkook's voice trailing after him as he reach to the gate.
"Dumbass."
That simple word made Taehyung's face burn even more. But instead of stopping, he just ran faster. He needed air. He needed distance.
He had no idea how he'd managed to make a mess of this. But as his heart raced and his thoughts spun, one thing became crystal clearâhe was definitely not ready for whatever this was with Jungkook.