(*unedited*)

♥║ twenty-four ║♥

Jungkook's palms are sweating when the doorbell rings. Out of pure instinct, he halts Mina in her tracks by putting his hand on her forehead, giving her a death look. "Don't you dare."

She smacks his wrist away, groaning. "Ew, your hand is sweaty!"

"Mina, please don't be a little brat. Just for one night, okay?"

"Come on, Kookie. I'm a good girl."

He scoffs at that, shaking his head.

Jungkook's mother appears from the kitchen, drying her hands on a dishtowel. "Is no one going to answer the door for the poor boy?"

Jungkook snaps back to reality at that, giving Mina one final don't-try-me-I'm-prepared-for-war look before swinging the door open.

Then he freezes.

Taehyung's eyes are red and puffy.

Jungkook blinks at him. He shouldn't find crying so strange, but when he's never seen so much as an upset frown on Taehyung's face, it throws him off guard.

Taehyung forces a thin-lipped smile. "Hey. Thanks again for letting me come over."

Jungkook shakes off his stupor, clearing his throat. "Y-yeah, of course. Come on in. Do... do you need some w-water or anything?"

"No, I'm okay."

Jungkook's mother saves the day, smiling kindly. "Nice to see you again, Taehyung."

Taehyung dips his head politely. "The pleasure is mine. Thank you for allowing me over. I promise I won't be too much trouble," he says with a small smile.

She waves him away. "It's no problem at all. Don't be afraid to make yourself at home. How about some hot tea?"

Taehyung's smile is genuine, though, for some reason his eyes water. "Yes, that would be wonderful. Thank you."

Thankfully, his mother ushers Mina away with her.

Taehyung looks away from Jungkook, biting his bottom lip, hard.

"Hyung," Jungkook murmurs, uncertainly. He's never had to comfort anyone before. He wonders what happened to break someone as cheerful as Taehyung, but he figures it isn't his place to ask.

He's focusing more on how to get the elder to stop crying.

"Hey, let me take your bag," he offers softly, sliding it off Taehyung's shoulder. Taehyung inhales a deep breath, rubbing his face, mumbling incoherent gratitude. "You want to go sit in my room or is right here okay?" He doesn't want Taehyung to be uncomfortable crying with his mom home, after all.

"Here is fine," Taehyung replies, barely audible, dropping onto the sofa heavily. He puts his face in his hand, letting out a humorless laugh. "I'm sorry, Jungkook. I don't know why I'm crying. It's just... you mom, I think. She just makes me think..." Taehyung breaks down into muffled sobs, hiding his face still.

A bit awkwardly, Jungkook puts his arm around Taehyung's shoulder. The elder had done it to him before and it helped tremendously. Jungkook has never known what to do when it comes to physical contact, but he's trying to make an effort at least. He rubs Taehyung's back, the way his mother would rub his.

His sobs turn to sniffles by the time Jungkook's mom comes back in with the tea. She looks at Jungkook worriedly, to which Jungkook returns the look, and his mother purses her lips in a thoughtful way before she comes over. Her maternal instincts must kick in, because she starts talking in such a soft voice.

"Here, sweetie. This will help calm you," she says, handing Taehyung the tea.

He looks up at a her, a bit shamefully. "I'm sorry for coming into your home this way."

"Everyone has their problems, darling, you don't have to apologize for it. Just sit here and relax, okay?"

"Thank you so much."

"I'm going to go make sure Mina gets ready for bed. When I come back, I better see smiling faces."

Jungkook and Taehyung both chuckle at that as his mother leaves the room, hollering up to Mina that she better be in the shower.

"You're mom is incredible," Taehyung mumbles, then takes a sip of the tea. He closes his eyes at the taste, relaxing a bit into the couch.

"Yeah," Jungkook agrees. "She's pretty great."

Taehyung holds the mug with both hands as if it isn't summer weather outside. He looks at Jungkook, his eyes still a bit glossy, but for the most part dry. "Jungkook... Do you remember how I told you my mom doesn't acknowledge that I'm bisexual?"

He frowns, nodding. Does that have something to do with why he's been crying since he first called?

Taehyung tucks his bottom lip between his teeth, then averts his gaze. "Yeah, well. She's completely ignoring it now."

"I'm sorry, hyung."

Taehyung shrugs, and it seems there's something else on his mind, but he doesn't bother saying what it is.

"Do you want to watch a movie or something?" Jungkook asks, rubbing the back of his neck. He's not quite sure how to act right now. It's a school night, and Jungkook has a calculus test tomorrow, but Taehyung has never looked so pitiful before.

"Sure," the elder murmurs. "What movies do you have?"

Jungkook gets off the couch, heading over the cabinet by the television to browse. He lists them off to Taehyung, majority of them being movies from when Mina was a kid. Taehyung finds that particularly funny. He keeps asking Jungkook which Barbie movie is his favorite.

The sad thing, though, is Jungkook actually has a favorite. Since his mother worked a lot of overtime when Mina was little to keep a steady income, Jungkook often got stuck home with her. To pass the time before bed, he'd watch whatever movies she wanted. They have more Barbie movies than a single household should.

When Jungkook's cheeks redden after thinking all of this, Taehyung sits up with a bright, amused grin. "Wait. You do have a favorite, don't you?"

"I have preferred ones," he corrects. "Ones where I would highly suggest if Mina wanted to watch a movie."

Taehyung is grinning so brightly now, it's hard to believe he'd been crying ten minutes earlier.

"If I was going to be stuck watching them," Jungkook mumbles, "then I figured I should find entertainment in some."

"Sure," Taehyung drawls teasingly. "Let's watch your favorite then."

Jungkook blinks at him. "Hyung, we're not watching Barbie."

"Why not? I bet one of them is in your top five favorite movies of all time."

"All right, no movie then."

Taehyung starts laughing, a small sniffle the only reminder of his tears earlier. "You can pick the movie, I don't care."

The two decide on a old comedy, one Jungkook hasn't seen in years. He had watched it without his mom knowing since he wasn't quite old enough, but all it has is cursing. Jungkook doesn't find cursing so groundbreaking, however, his mom had kept a close ear on everything he said a week after she found out.

Watching it at almost eighteen years old, he realizes his humor factor is how incredibly stupid it is. Majority of it is too cringe-worthy for Jungkook to even look at. Taehyung seems to be enjoying it, though, and even defends how dumb it is when Jungkook points it out. He says that's the point of it, so Jungkook should understand that to enjoy it.

Well, he doesn't.

He keeps quiet about it, though, since Taehyung's mood seems to be steadily increasing.

About halfway through the movie, Jungkook's mom comes back down. "Mina is asleep, so just be quiet when you go upstairs. Jungkook, I'll get a blanket out of the closet for you to sleep with on the couch."

Jungkook nods, but Taehyung cuts in. "Oh, that's not necessary. I can take the couch, Ms. Jeon."

"Nonsense," his mother says, waving him off. "You're the guest. Jungkook doesn't mind giving up his bed."

Taehyung looks to Jungkook who shrugs. He really doesn't care. "It's fine, hyung. You take the bed."

Taehyung frowns, but figures it's rude to argue more, so he doesn't.

"I'm going to get ready for bed as well. Don't stay up too late, boys."

"Yes, ma'am," they reply simultaneously.

By the time the movie is over, Taehyung has fallen asleep curled up in the corner of the couch, his cheek squished against his fist. Jungkook ponders getting him a blanket and leaving him there, but he'll have a neck cramp in the morning and Jungkook already agreed to giving Taehyung his bed.

Jungkook bites his bottom lip a moment in thought, internally battling with himself. Then he sighs and leans over, gently nudging the elder's shoulder.

Taehyung groans in response.

"Hyung, you should go get in the bed."

Taehyung groans louder, peeling open his eyes.

Jungkook raises his eyebrows expectantly.

"I don't feel like it," Taehyung mutters. "I can sleep here."

"My mom will yell at me if she knows I let you sleep on the couch."

"Then carry me," he mumbles, closing his eyes again.

He says it jokingly, but it doesn't register with Jungkook. The younger takes it literally, standing up. His cheeks flush naturally from the thought of touching Taehyung, but he slides one arm under Taehyung's knees and the other around his back. When he lifts him, Taehyung gasps, his eyes snapping open.

"Jungkookie, I was kidding," he says with wide eyes, yet a entertained grin forms on his lips, making his eyes sparkle.

"O-oh," Jungkook stammers, his cheeks hotter. "S-sorry."

"Well, might as well go through with it," Taehyung says with a laugh, wrapping his arms around Jungkook's neck. "Bet you won't even make it up the stairs."

Jungkook does make it up the stairs. Quite easily, in fact.

"You're supposed to be a nerd, Kookie, not a bodybuilder."

"Who do you think carries Mina to bed when she falls asleep on the couch?" Jungkook nearly scoffs. "You're not much heavier."

"Are you comparing me to a ten year old?"

"I already did."

"I don't know if I should be proud I don't weigh much more than a ten year old girl, or if that means I should start shoving food down my throat every five minutes."

Jungkook sets Taehyung down on the bed, but then Taehyung doesn't let go. Abruptly, he yanks the younger down beside him, scaring Jungkook out of his wits, their faces only inches apart. Jungkook can feel his heart pounding in his ears. Taehyung's eyes are so mesmerizing. It's impossible to look away from them.

"Would you still like me?" Taehyung whispers. "If ate like a pig and gained weight?" There's playfulness in his tone, but also a bit of seriousness.

"Yes," Jungkook answers without hesitance, sounding breathless just from their close proximity. "I would."

Taehyung purses his lips, sliding his hands from the back of Jungkook's neck to his shoulders. "Can I ask you something else?"

Jungkook nods, his throat dry.

Taehyung's effect on him is absolutely ridiculous.

"You've never kissed anyone, have you?"

Embarrassed now, Jungkook breaks eye contact, blushing as he shakes his head. He's never even been this close to anyone, much less had any sort of romantic physical contact.

"I've never kissed a boy," Taehyung admits. "My mom has this mindset that it's impossible to be attracted to both genders if I've only been with females. She's wrong, though. I like you a lot, Jungkook. I don't have to kiss you to know that."

Jungkook swallows the lump in his throat, not sure what to say. He's terrible at normal conversation. How the hell is he supposed to handle something like this?

"But," Taehyung says, his voice getting softer and softer. Somehow it seems his face is getting closer and closer. "I want to prove it."

Jungkook still has his gaze averted, so Taehyung cups the side of his cheek, locking their eyes once more. Jungkook's anxiety is building with the intensity of Taehyung's stare. He doesn't know how to kiss someone. He's positive it isn't like the movies where it naturally comes to the inexperienced teenagers in the heat of the moment. What if he does something wrong? Taehyung has kissed people, just not a boy. What if Jungkook makes that first experience terrible?

"Can I?" Taehyung whispers, his deep voice only adding an edge to Jungkook's anxiousness.

Jungkook doesn't reply. He can't reply. His mouth and throat are completely dry, his heart is beating too fast, and his stomach is in knots.

Taehyung leans in further, his palm still soft against Jungkook's cheek.

Jungkook unintentionally holds his breath.

Then he feels smooth lips against his own.