Tae came out of his room late evening. The apartment had gone quiet a while ago. Jimin had poked his head in the afternoon asking him to come out for some lunch but Tae had refused. He didn't feel like interacting with anyone at the moment.

He felt so conflicted about everything. His mind and heart pulling him in opposite directions. It was exhausting.

He sauntered into the kitchen and looked around at the mess the boys had left behind. It irritated the fuck out of him. This was exactly why he never entertained friends at home.

He picked up the empty pizza boxes and disposable cups, stuffing them into an empty garbage bag. He carried the dirty dishes to the sink, rinsed them and put them on the side when Jungkook's door opened and he came out rubbing his eyes.

He was wearing sweats and fluffy slippers. His chest was bare, his strong muscles and sculpted abs rippling as he moved into the living room. His long hair was stuck up in odd angles, he yawned, his nose scrunching up cutely as he looked completely disoriented.

That face simply did not belong on that body, Tae thought with a shake of his head.

Jungkook looked at Tae and then the garbage bags and the dishes he was loading into the dishwasher. His eyes widened in realisation. He hurried over.

"I-I am sorry. I should have.... I was too tired coz I didn't sleep a wink last night, I was so worried and then Yoongi hyung pushed me to take a nap." He rambled.

Tae ignored him as he continued to clear the kitchen and living room in silence. Jungkook quickly rinsed the used glasses and spoons, moving on to pick up the garbage bags.

"Uhm.... Where do I put these?" Jungkook asked hesitantly.

"There's a garbage can off the pantry put it in there the cleaners will take it away tomorrow." Tae answered as he finished loading the dishwasher and turned it on.

He sat down at the island snacking on some crackers as Jungkook came back.

"You skipped lunch." Jungkook said awkwardly.

Tae shrugged. He surfed through his phone ignoring the half dressed man in front of him.

"Do you want me to make something for you?" Jungkook asked hesitantly.

Taehyung sighed and set his cracker down on the plate before pinning Jungkook with a glare. "Look. I have managed fairly well on my own almost all of my life, I don't need you or anyone else to worry about me. If I'm hungry I can order in or ask my chef to come cook for me."

Jungkook was taken aback "I was only being..."

Taehyung cut him off.

"You are here because the court ordered it and nothing more. We don't have to talk unless absolutely necessary. I want nothing to do with you. So if you just keep your mouth shut and stay out of my way we will get through this just fine." He slapped his hand on the surface to make a point and rose to leave the room.

As he walked across the living room, a large contraption installed on one of the walls, stopped him dead in his tracks.

"What the hell is that?" Taehyung asked.

"That's a home gym. I wanted to put it my room but Yoongi hyung wouldn't let me. He said I would end up working out in my sleep." Jungkook laughed awkwardly "You're free to use it too."

Taehyung threw him a nasty look. He turned his head to look at the empty boxes piled up in the corner and Jungkook shuffled on his feet. "I'll clear them out tomorrow."

"I'll have the cleaners do that. Try not to be such a nuisance. I know it would probably be very hard for you, but try." Taehyung said as he walked away.

Jungkook stared after him, his mouth hanging open.

He didn't have to be so unpleasant, Jungkook was trying to be a good roommate is all. He wanted to make it as easy on him as possible. Yet it seemed the elder was hellbent on making things difficult. Nuisance? He was a nuisance, was he?

Well, if difficult was what he wanted, difficult was exactly what he would get, Jungkook had a PHD in difficult.

His grumbling stomach interrupted his train of thought. Taehyung maybe rich enough to have a chef but Jungkook couldn't afford one, plus he was a great cook. He always cooked at home. So that's exactly what he would do, to hell with the grumpy, rich asshole.

He headed into the kitchen to make himself dinner.

~~~~~~~~~~

Taehyung woke with his stomach grumbling with hunger. He checked the watch on the nightstand, 2:00 am. He groaned, twisted around and tried falling asleep again but his stomach wouldn't cooperate.

He slid off the bed and sleep walked into the kitchen. He looked around a bit and saw a big basket of fruits that probably one of the boys got for Jungkook. His stomach grumbled again. He opened the fridge, it was mostly bare except for a big bowl on the middle shelf. He would tell someone to stock up on some groceries tomorrow. Tae pulled the bowl out and opened the lid. A whiff of something delicious hit his nose and he almost moaned.

Pasta.

Probably something Jungkook cooked for dinner. He might want the leftovers but he just couldn't make himself put it down. He would apologise for it tomorrow, if needed, order him more from the best Italian restaurant in New York but right now he needed this. He quickly popped the bowl in the microwave to heat and grabbed a spoon from the drawer.

He carried the steaming bowl to his room and grabbed a quick mouthful. It was delicious, could put some of the Michelin star chefs to shame or maybe it was because Tae was starving.

He quickly finished the whole thing and set the bowl aside on his nightstand, sliding back into the covers he almost instantly fell asleep.

He felt like he had barely just closed his eyes when blaring music from the living room woke him up. He checked the clock, 4:30 am. Who in the hell wakes up and plays music at this ungodly hour? He groaned and pulled a pillow over his ears trying to stifle out the thumping beats. But they were making the whole house vibrate and he could still feel them even if he had managed to tune it out.

He kicked off his sheets in irritation and rubbed his face. He felt like crying. He was due for practice at 7:00 am and was expected to be on the field all day, he needed his sleep. The song ended and he breathed a sigh of relief. But before he could fall asleep again, another, louder song came on.

He almost crawled to the door and opened it to see Jungkook in nothing but shorts, sweat dripping down his back, his hair pulled up into a messy man bun as he pulled up on his home gym. The muscles in his large arms bunched up as he pulled up again, his back was a work of art moving down to a small waist.

Taehyung gulped as other parts of him woke up before his mind did.

Jungkook pulled up a few more times and then hopped down. He grabbed a bottle of water and a towel and wiped his face before gulping down the water. He noticed Tae standing motionless in his doorway and smirked. He was obviously not a morning person.

Jungkook ignored him and went back to his work out. He started doing deadlifts which highlighted his ass and his arms in the best possible way. He heard a soft groan before the door was shut with a loud bang.

He chuckled, he knew the man wasn't as oblivious as he pretended to be.

Taehyung had rushed straight into the bathroom and turned the shower on, hoping that the cold water would help like it usually did. But this time it wasn't his mind that was playing dirty tricks on him. No, this time he had seen with his own two eyes. The reality was so much more than what his drunk mind remembered, so much more than what his imagination could ever cover. He involuntarily reached down to his throbbing cock. The cold water was not making any difference to the ache that was lodged deep within his groin. He started to pump himself, the sight of that plump ass and sweat coated, sculpted back still fresh in his mind. He moved faster and a grunt escaped his throat, he bit his lips and threw his head back as he continued to pump harder and faster. The memory of the messy hair bun and the arched neck as Jungkook had gulped water from his bottle filled his mind. He squeezed his eyes shut as he released in the palm of his hand. It had been too long and he came so hard to the vision of Jungkook seared into his brain, it almost made his knees buckle.

He had been in a sour mood ever since he had seen Jungkook walk sleepily out of his bedroom last evening. The tension had been building and building since then and when he had been unexpectedly graced by his gorgeous body this morning, all hell had broken loose in his mind.

He pumped himself a few more times until he was completely empty and rested his head on the wall. The way he wanted the boy was insane, his body craved for him but he couldn't admit it. Not even to himself, coz if he did, what would that say about him? How would he be able to look at himself in the mirror? What would he say to his Halmeoni?

He sighed, he couldn't let himself feel anything. He had to steel his mind and barricade his heart. That was the only way he would survive this.

He turned off the shower and walked out on unsteady feet. He stared at his fucked out expression in the mirror. He had been trying so hard to resist the urge to let himself cum to the memory of Jungkook for so long. He hadn't been able to relive the pressure in weeks, relying on cold showers and ice baths but one day in his company and his resolve had been torn to shreds.

He dressed himself quickly and hurried back out to grab himself his usual smoothie before heading to Uni. He was assaulted by the scent of fried egg and bacon. Jungkook sat at the dining table eating his breakfast and watching the game on his phone.

Taehyung ignored him and grabbed the blender putting in his daily dose of protein and milk. He opened the refrigerator and it was completely stocked up. Jungkook had probably been on a grocery run or had stuff delivered. Either way, he had beaten Taehyung to it.

He grabbed the carton of milk and poured it into the blender.

"Yess!!" The boy screamed jumping up from his seat, startling Taehyung into spilling the milk.

He tsked and cleaned the counter top with some tissues. "Nuisance" he muttered.

Jungkook heard it and clenched his jaw.

"My pasta vanished from the fridge last night. Maybe you should ask the cleaners to check for pests too." He called, taking another bite of his food.

Taehyung felt guilty, heat rising up his neck. He picked up the blender and turned it on. He had meant to apologise but everything since morning had thrown him for a toss.

Jungkook moaned suddenly making Tae freeze in his tracks and look at him. He was chewing on his bacon happily. His mouth watered at the sight, both Jungkook and the food. If it was anything like last night's pasta he was sure it would be delicious. He gulped and averted his gaze, going back to his humble smoothie.

He moved back and bumped into a wall of pure muscle.

"Oops!" Jungkook said with as he moved from behind him, making sure to brush his whole body against Tae and headed towards the sink. He rinsed his used plate and wiped it dry before stowing it away in its proper place.

Tae stood still, taking shallow breaths through his teeth. Surely his kitchen was big enough for the two of them to pass through without any contact.

Tae shook his head, he needed to get out of there. He quickly poured the smoothie into his takeaway tumbler and packed it into his backpack, looking at Jungkook from the corner of his eye.

"There's some extra in the pan if you want." Jungkook called over his shoulder heading towards his room.

Once the door was firmly shut behind him, Taehyung couldn't resist the urge to lift the lid off the pan. There were two fried eggs and some bacon strips. It smelled heavenly. He grabbed a piece of bacon and shoved it in his mouth and moaned as his taste buds exploded. He stood with his palms on the kitchen counter, his head bent low, eyes closed as he chewed on the crispy goodness.

"Ahh! Hell!" He cursed as he quickly pulled out a bento from the top shelf, dumped everything from the pan into it and stowed the empty pan into the dishwasher. He packed up the box into his backpack and ran out of the apartment. He was late for practice.

Jungkook came out a few minutes later. He saw the empty stove top and shook his head chuckling. He was glad Tae had found the pasta by himself last night. He had debated whether he should knock on his door and offer him some, he had barely eaten at all the whole day and Jungkook couldn't help feel guilty. He was obviously trying to avoid him and that was causing him to starve himself in his own house. Jungkook wanted to annoy him for his behaviour but he wasn't heartless, Infact he worried more since the whole loved-him-since-he-first-saw-him thing he had going on. If only the man wasn't so damn stuck up!

He lounged over the couch in the living room. He didn't have practice today and had a late afternoon class. The only reason he had gotten up so early was because he wanted to annoy Tae. He stretched out like a cat, maybe he'd take a short nap.

His phone woke him up an hour later.

"Heyoooo!!" He answered.

"You seem to be in a good mood" Yoongi chuckled on the phone.

"I am, hyung!" Jungkook giggled. "I had a great workout, a great breakfast and a great nap!"

"Yah! It's only just 7:30 am. You don't even have classes today. Why are you up so early?" Yoongi asked.

"Didn't you tell me to give him hell for you?" Jungkook asked innocently.

"Oh my God, Kookie! What did you do?" Jimin's voice came on as Yoongi laughed.

Jungkook giggled again "I woke up at 4:30am, put on some badass loud music and started working out."

Yoongi laughed harder when Jimin gasped. "Taehyungie is not a morning person. Did he yell at you?"

"No, he moaned at me." Jungkook sputtered, going into another fit of laughter. Both Jimin and Yoongi joined in.

"Anyway, I called you to let you know that we are starting the weekend early and might not be reachable for the next few days." Yoongi informed him as the laughter died down.

"That's cool hyung. I am a big boy."

"Big is right, though you are still a child plus a child who is living with an asshat." Yoongi muttered.

"Hey!!" Jimin scolded.

"He is an asshat. He hurt our Kookie. Anyway, if anything goes wrong call Jin hyung. If things go too bad, you have the spare keys to my apartment. Lastly, please take care of yourself." Yoongi ordered.

"Sir yes sir" Jungkook replied with a mock salute.

"Please take care of Taehyungie for me, Kookie." Jimin piped in.

"I fed him dinner and breakfast. Does that count?" Jungkook asked.

"Yes! Thank you. He doesn't eat too well when he's alone. Thank you, Jungkook-ah.... Really."

"You're very welcome. Now I'm going back to sleep. Have a great trip you guys." Jungkook wished.

"Thank You!" They chorused before hanging up.

He stretched out again but before he could drift off, the doorbell rang. He cursed and sprang up to open the door.

The girl standing in the hallway was completely engrossed in her phone.

"Erm.. Can I help you?" Jungkook asked.

She looked up from her phone and frowned at him.

"Who the hell are you?" The girl asked.

"Well, hello to you too." Jungkook answered with a smile.

He recognised her. Kate, Taehyung's girlfriend. He remembered the stupid picture Tae had on his phone. Well, she was certainly hot and he could see why Tae was smitten. She was perfect. Her hair falling around her face in soft curls, framing her heart shaped face. The makeup was on point enhancing her high cheekbones and pretty green eyes. She was wearing an elegant white blouse on a pencil skirt, which both highlighted her boobs and her ass. Like he thought, perfect.

It made him take a little hit at himself, dressed in old sweats and a t-shirt.

"Where's Tae?" She asked strutting straight past him into the house, looking for her boyfriend. "Tae baby, where are you?" She pouted.

"He isn't here, obviously." He said unpleasantly as she walked into Tae's bedroom like she owned the place. That made him even more angry.

"Hey! You can't go in there! Who the fuck do you think you are?" Jungkook strode over intending on stopping her but she had already gone in and he followed behind her.

It felt like he had entered a different world altogether. Though it was clean and pristine like the rest of the house, it was anything but impersonal. The room was large and airy just like his own but unlike his walls, these were filled with frames. Some were pictures or collages, some paintings. It was gorgeous. Jungkook couldn't resist looking at some of the pictures which were from his childhood, Tae was such a happy baby it made him smile.

"He was supposed to pick me up on the way to Uni today. When he didn't show, I figured he probably slept in, so I came in to check on him." Kate said pouting slightly. "Who are you anyway? His brother?Cousin?"

"Why would I be his brother?" Jungkook asked, looking at a picture of Tae and Jimin, their arms around each other as they smiled up at the camera.

She shrugged as she flopped on the bed. "You're Asian."

"And we all look the same, do we?" Jungkook asked irritably. "Racist much?"

"Wow! Seriously? I'm dating Taehyung, aren't I? Why would I do that if I was racist?" She stared at him with narrowed eyes, looking down her prim nose at him.

"There are a lot of forms of racism and that was one of it. Anyway, how did you get up here? Who let you up?" He asked.

"Oh the doorman has been instructed to let me up." She stared at her nails as she spoke. "I am Tae's girlfriend after all, I practically live here."

Jungkook swallowed that fact down and it settled like lead in his stomach. If he had to live here while she was with Tae, he would probably die of heartache. But there really wasn't much he could do about it though. Their marriage was far from real and he couldn't stop Tae from doing what he wanted, he thought painfully.

"Well, like you've seen, he's not here. He left for an early practice this morning." Jungkook informed her. She threw him a withering look and rose from the bed.

She walked into his closet and pulled out a big laundry bag. "I left in his tshirt last time so my clothes were left here."

"Whatever. I think you should leave. Call him or whatever." Jungkook held the bedroom door open for her to leave. She haughtily walked out into the living room.

"Who even are you?" She asked again. "You kinda look familiar."

"I'm Jeon Jungkook." He answered. "I play for NYU. You saw me on the field last season. Now please if you don't mind I want to go back to bed." He gestured to the door.

"Ah! I knew it! I knew I had seen you somewhere. People kept commenting on how good you were. You weren't as good as Tae though." She shrugged.

"No one's as good as him." Jungkook said smiling to himself. Tae was scary good, he had always been, like the God of soccer.

"So why is Tae's rival living in his house? Oh my God! Did you break in?" She backed off in horror. "Were you trying something illegal? I should call the cops."

Jungkook laughed. "Yeah, right. Call the cops and complain about me being in my own house?" He couldn't resist saying. She needed to be put in her place and everything out of her mouth was pissing him off. "This is my house as much as it is Tae's"

If only she knew.

If only he could tell her.

It would be fun to watch her perfect facade slip.

But he wouldn't, because it wasn't his place. If Tae had wanted her to know he would have told her himself. Even if he chose to keep it a secret, it would still be his choice. He already hated the situation he had gotten into, and Jungkook didn't want to make things harder for him. So he kept his mouth shut.

"Why? Are you his family?" She gave him the stink eye.

Obviously Taehyung hadn't shared any personal details about himself with her. Otherwise she would have known that Tae was an only child and had no immediate relatives other than his grandmother. That made Jungkook a little bit happier.

"You could say that." Jungkook chuckled.

"I don't care really. Anyway, don't tell him I was here. I will come back tonight. Maybe make it a special night, dinner, dancing and.... you know the drill. So you should make yourself scarce." She dusted her dainty fingers at him.

Jungkook was enraged at her attitude.

Fucking bitch.

He was trying so hard to resist the urge to rub it in her face like she deserved. But she wasn't making it any easier. The way she looked down on him was getting on his nerves.

"Don't bother." Jungkook said with a sneer.

She stared at him. He stared back.

"You can't stop me from spending time with my boyfriend." She huffed, looking at him with disgust.

Jungkook saw red.

Fuck it! Fuck it all the way to hell!

He hated her. No loathed. He had never met anyone who had invoked this level of hatred within him in such less time before.

Taehyung belonged to him now and he'd be damned if he would give him up to this bitch without a fight.

Her, with her perfect little titties and ugly ass face and bitch ass attitude.

He knew Tae would probably get mad but he'd take that over having this girl look down on him any day.

He was going to do it. To hell with everything else.

"No, but I can definitely stop you from spending time with my...... husband." Jungkook smirked.

"What??" She shrieked.

Jungkook unlocked his phone and shoved it under her nose.  It was one of the wedding photos Jin hyung had taken. Tae had his arm around him as they both showed off their rings.

"Kim Taehyung is my husband."

~~~~~~~~~

A/n: Oooohhh staking claim!!
But Tae is going to kill him.
It's just been a day and things are already getting messy 😝

Please vote guys. ⭐️

I want to thank each and every one of you for taking time to read my work. It makes all it all worthwhile.

See you next Chapter 🫶🏼
Borahae💜

Disclaimers:

Names of teams / mascots / universities/ schools / education institutions have been used only to make the story more authentic. There is no malicious intent behind the usage of the name, neither do my books depict or reflect anything that is even remotely real about these institutions except their names. I hold all educational institutions and providers in the highest regard. Hence no offence or malice is intended.

Any and all characters in this book are fictional, any resemblance to anyone dead or alive is purely coincidental.

Pictures/Audio/Video/Song/Lyrics Credit goes to the original source/artist/owner.

No malice or offence is intended to any race, religion or sexual orientation.

I donot promote shipping of any members in real life.

🔞 This book is meant for mature audiences only 🔞

BTS and its members belong to themselves and Bighit/Hybe. They do not belong to me. Their names and characteristics are used only for entertainment purposes.

Kim Mingyu of Seventeen doesn't belong to me either.