“Hyung, hyung… listen.. t-this is important.”

“What is it Kookie? Tell hyung.”

“It's of utmost importance. Hyung, do you understand?”

“Yes, yes. I understand.”

“Did I tell you how important it is? We need to find the answer as soon as possible.”

“Of course, of course. What is it?”

“Hyung?”

“Yes?”

“Which came first? The chicken or the egg?”

Taehyung couldn't help but hit his own head on the table in front of him and groan. When Jimin asked whether Taehyung and Jungkook wanted to have a drink with him, this is definitely not what Taehyung had in mind.

First of all, he's equally parts impressed and worried about Jungkook's alcohol tolerance, as it happens to be several times higher than he would have assumed. Who would let the prince of the nation develop such a high tolerance?

And also, drunk Jungkook seemed to be an extremely chatty one. For an alarmingly high number of times in the night, Taehyung had to physically cover Jungkook's mouth to prevent him from spilling something related to his former self. Even more surprisingly, Jimin was no better. If left unsupervised, these two would have blown up their cover in minutes.

Luckily for them all, Jimin and Jungkook had now seemed to have focused their drunken minds to solve a ridiculous question that has no apparent answer. Taehyung watched with amusement as the duo argued about the life cycle of a chicken.

“Listen, listen. What if someone puts the egg in the coop, and then a chicken comes out of it. So the egg was here first.”

“No, no, hyung. That can't be. Where would someone get a chicken egg, if there were no chickens?”

“Hmm.. you're right there.”

“Of course I am. Maybe it's a Quail egg?”

“And a chicken came out of it?! How absurd!”

“Yeah, well, it's certainly better than ‘someone puts an egg in the coop’.”

“How dare you-”

“Alright, that's enough!”

Taehyung had enough when Jungkook stood on his unsteady legs and tried to take a swing at Jimin. Of course it lacked power to do any harm but with the way Jimin was swaying on his seat, it might just be enough to knock him down.

Taehyung quickly settled the bill for their drinks, before taking both Jimin and Jungkook out of the tavern by hand. Jimin seemed to be relatively sorber but Jungkook looked like he's at the verge of passing out. With a little difficulty, Taehyung managed to get the prince onto his back, with his hands securely placed under Jungkook's thighs. He walked towards Yoongi's house, checking over his shoulder every few minutes to make sure that Jimin was following.

After about halfway, Taehyung heard a loud thudding noise and when he turned around, Jimin was sitting on the ground.

“I'm tired.” Jimin said in an exhausted voice, as he leaned back on his palms. “Go on, he's already falling asleep on your shoulder.”

“What are you talking about?” Taehyung was starting to get angry now. He was sleepy, tired and his hands were kinda starting to ache as well. “Come on man, You can't stay here.”

Jimin stared at the other for a few seconds before sighing and laying down. “I'll be fine.” Jimin waved a hand dismissively, while having his eyes closed. “I'll rest here for a bit and go.”

Taehyung could see that something else is going on with Jimin, other than being drunk. It was a sudden request from the guard to have a drinking night, Taehyung felt like he should have asked about it more. Or get Jungkook to ask, as Jimin would probably not answer Taehyung.

After thinking for a few seconds, Taehyung carefully placed Jungkook down on the ground and made him lean against a big rock. The prince had his eyes half open, but it wasn't clear whether he was seeing anything. Taehyung then walked towards Jimin and squatted in front of him.

“Hey.” He called Jimin with a soft voice, making the latter open his eyes. “What's wrong?”

Jimin didn't answer at first. He sat up and looked at Jungkook, who seemed to be dozing off against the rock he was leaning on.

“He loves you.” When Jimin looked back at Taehyung, his expression was unreadable. "He really, really, loves you.”

Taehyung gave a soft smile. “I love him too. You know that right?”

There was silence for a few seconds, before Jimin spoke up again. “How does it feel?”

“How does what feel?”

“Being in love.”

“It's..” Taehyung smiled again and shook his head. “I can't explain it. If someone were to ask for my life in exchange for him, I'll do it in a heartbeat.”

Jimin rolled his eyes. “So would I, that doesn't mean I love him. Right?”

“Of course not. I mean you do, but in a different way. You love him, but you're not in love with him.”

“Hmm.. then how do you know you're in love with someone?”

“Well, I think-”

“-No! You can't block your friend's path like that! Apologies!! And shake hands. Wait! Do you even have hands? Or are those all legs?”

Taehyung had his mouth slightly opened at the sight of Jungkook talking to a line of ants. The prince was laying down, had his nose almost pressed to the ground, with his eyes squinted. He was pushing an ant towards another, probably trying to make it apologies for the previous misbehavior.

“Yes! There you go. Now that wasn't hard right? Oh my! You can't kiss your friend suddenly like that! You- you-”

Taehyung panicked as Jungkook's lips started to wobble. He was next to the prince even before Jungkook had a chance to shed a tear and pulled the younger in to a tight embrace.

“Baby, what are you doing?” Taehyung was half worried and half amused.

It was adorable the way Jungkook started to complain about the rudeness of the ant, for kissing without properly courting. How he assumed the ants kissed was a mystery to Taehyung, one that he was not keen on exploring. Else they'd have to stay here till the sunrise.

One good thing that happened because of this ant business was that Jimin deciding he have had enough rest. It didn't take long for them to reach Yoongi's house. The latter was waiting, pacing up and down in front of the house. When Jimin walked in without acknowledging him, Yoongi raised his eyebrows at Taehyung with a question. Taehyung just shrugged his shoulders, before bidding him a good night. It was quiet a way to Taehyung's house and he wanted let Jungkook go to bed as soon as possible.

On their way home, Jungkook was unusually quiet. But Taehyung knew that he was awake because one of Jungkook's fingers were making circular patterns on Taehyung's chest. At first, it made the hair Taehyung's skin rise. But after a while, he realized that the younger doesn't meant anything by it. It didn't seem like Jungkook was even aware of he's even doing it.

When they reached home, Taehyung carried Jungkook straight to their room. The younger was not in a state to have a wash so after putting him on to the bedding, Taehyung wiped his face and hands with a wet cloth. Jungkook was awake, but he didn't pose any objections. After tucking the quilt over Jungkook, Taehyung went to clean up and get ready for bed. He couldn't have taken more than 10 minutes, but by the time he came back, Jungkook had his eyes closed.

Taehyung blow the lamp shut, and slid under the covers. He then turned sideways to look at Jungkook, who had a peaceful look on his face. The prince's face was glowing under the faint moon light coming through the window, making him look like an angel on earth.

“You're staring at me.”

A hint of a smile appeared on Taehyung's face at that whisper. “How would you know, when you keep your pretty eyes closed like that?”

“I can feel your gaze.” Jungkook bit his lower lip for a few seconds, before letting it go. “It's warm like a summer sun.”

“Hmm.. is that so? What else can you feel?”

Taehyung felt the temperature of the night increase at the sudden gasp Jungkook let out. “H-hyung..”

“Yes?” Taehyung found it hard to concentrate as well, the reason for it being his own fingers, which currently are softly glazing Jungkook's cheek. His eyelids. His lips. “Did you say something?”

“W-what are you d-doing?”

Taehyung chuckled. “If the heat emitting from your face is any indication, you know the answer to that question already. Are you trying to burn my fingers?”

Jungkook didn't answer. And he didn't open his eyes as well. Taehyung popped his elbow on the bed and placed his head on the palm, so that it was easier to look at Jungkook's burning face. He held that gaze for about a minute, until Jungkook lost his patience and opened his eyes to look at the elder.

“Well,” there was an edge to his voice. “Are you just gonna stare all night or…”

“What do you propose I do?” Taehyung was clearly teasing. “I'm open to suggestions.”

Taehyung knew he was trading in rather dangerous waters. Jungkook appears to have a clear mind now but he could very well be under the influence of alcohol still. His hesitation must have been clear on his face, because Jungkook gave him a reassuring smile.

“I'm not too drunk for a kiss.”

“Hmm… the thing is-” Taehyung rolled over so that half of his body was over Jungkook's. “I don't know whether I can stop with just a kiss. Would that be okay?”

Jungkook was too worked up to answer with words, so he just nodded his head. And it was enough for Taehyung.

He bent his head and captured the prince's lips into a passionate kiss. It started a little slow, but with each passing second, it grew in intensity. Taehyung had one of his elbows placed near Jungkook's head so that very little of his weight was actually on the prince. Jungkook had his both hands woven behind Taehyung's shoulders, and was pulling him towards himself more and more..

When they parted, Taehyung immediately attached his lips to Jungkook's neck. He was kissing, sucking and Jungkook was rewarding him with little noises of pleasure.

Taehyung left a trail of burning fire as he moved his lips further down. When he met with the collar of Jungkook's hanbok, he couldn't help but try to pull it to the side. He groaned in slight frustration when the material refused to budge as much as he'd like, making Jungkook momentarily break out of his trance and smile.

“Here.” Jungkook slowly guided Taehyung's hand towards the string tying his coat.

Taehyung didn't spend another second, and pulled the string, making Jungkook's hanbok coat become loose a bit. He wasn't trying to undress the prince, not yet, and certainly not when the said prince is drunk. But he wouldn't say ‘No’ to a  little taste of those collarbones.

By the time Taehyung was done, Jungkook's shoulders and neck were throbbing. It did hurt a bit, he's not gonna lie, but the pleasure was so much more. When Taehyung finally stopped, he removed Jungkook's outer coat, as it was rather uncomfortable to sleep with it. He kept his touches respectful, when he pulled the prince into his embrace, considering the fact that the latter was in his undergarments now.

But he need not worry that much. Jungkook trusted him with all his heart. It was evident in the way the prince just lost himself in Taehyung's arms..