+author's note ; hey yeah so i'm sorry about not updating yesterday i'm supposed to be grounded so um yeah. anyways here's this chapter, i dunno where this is really going but oh whale :P i have a yoonmin fanfic i plan on typing and posting later tonight, maybe tomorrow. anyways, thanks for reading~
[edit : 100 reads?¿ i'm ded fosikskd u all don't know how much this means to me i'm so- THANK U♥️]

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          Sighing, the boys turned around and trudged back into the mall. Taehyung spoke,

          "Jungkook, we're just as well stuck here if we can't walk five blocks in the rain." The younger sighed linking his fingers with Tae's, and leaned his head on Taehyung's shoulder.

          "Taehyungie, it's dark outside, and I don't like the dark. We should just walk around in here some more, and wait for the rain to stop. I'm sure it'll end soon." The rain, however, did not stop soon. By the time the boys had bought food(they were going to make some kimchi at Tae's, but they couldn't because of the rain), the rain was only drilling down harder.

          "Jungkookie, I don't think it's going to stop anytime soon." Pausing his sentence as Tae shivered at the idea of the rain never stopping. It had already been an hour since Jungkook had suggested waiting for the rain to end. "What if we have to spend the night here? I mean, we could run to the car, but I don't want you to get sick, or hit by a car or something." Jungkook blushed, beginning to slightly swing their still connected hands as they leisurely walked through the mall.

          "You don't have to be worried for me, Tae. I'm a grown man." Jungkook said, chuckling.

          "Yeah, I wonder sometimes." Taehyung retorted smartly, snorting as he remembered Jungkook's childish actions when he wanted ramen. Jungkook giggled, about to respond happily, when he saw a familiar dimpled face among the slowly dissipating crowd of people.

          "Namjoon!" The brunette shouted childishly, and the boy turned, waving as he bounced over, followed by the same pink haired boy he was with earlier.

          "Hello! I saw you guys earlier today at a restaurant but I don't think I got your names..." Jungkook laughed, squeezing Taehyung's hand lovingly.

          "I'm Jungkook." The brunette nudged his boyfriend, who seemed to be daydreaming. He was singing to himself something that sounded a little like 'money money money,' but Jungkook ignored it, smiling at the blonde's blissful cuteness.

          "Oh-! Sorry, I'm Taehyung. Who's the pinkie?" Tae said jokingly, motioning towards the pink haired boy next to Namjoon, whom they had earlier assumed to be Jin.

          "I'm Seokjin, but you can call me Jin, it's easier. Did you eat well today?" Shocked slightly at the sudden attempt at caring conversation, Jungkook laughed.

          "Jisoos, Jin. You remind me of my eomma~ she always used to ask me that." Tae looked over at Jungkook, a smile brightening his already-happy features as he talked to their friends. Tae tightened his grip on Jungkook's hand, looking up at the two boys across from them and smiling. Jin looked at Jungkook, responding with,

          "Yeah, I've been told that a lot. Anyways, how are you boys?" Jin looked down and saw the linked hands connecting Jungkook and Taehyung. "Oh! Are you two dating?" Jungkook blushed and buried his face gently into Taehyung's shoulder, turning his body so that he was entirely facing his boyfriend. Taehyung chuckled, nodding to Jin.

          "And I'd assume you and Namjoon-err.. Rap Monster, God of Destruction, are dating?" Tae said, laughing lightly as he remembered what Namjoon had, hopefully jokingly, told them to call him. Shaking his head, mock disappointment spreading across his face, Jin said,

         "Just call him Namjoon. My boyfriend tends to think he's a lot cooler than he really is. The only thing cool about him is his hair, which is a new color basically every week." Namjoon scoffed, playful hurt evident on his face.

          "Oh come on, Princess. You wish you could be as cool as your daddy." Jungkook coughed, reminding the two that him and Tae were still there.

          "Hey guys, do you have a car, or did you walk here?" Tae asked, hoping for the best. Jin, slightly confused, responded,

          "Yeah, we drove my minivan.. why?" Tae instantly let out a breath of relief.

          "Thank God. This is a bit weird but do you guys mind driving us home? Our car is five blocks away and it's not very fun getting hypothermia." Namjoon laughed, his green hair shining under the mall lights.

          "Sure. Where do you guys live?"
Jungkook shrugged.

          "It's not far from here, maybe only ten minutes or so? Tae's the one who knows the directions." Taehyung nodded.

          "It's my house, Jungkookie. Of course I know the directions. Anyways, thank you so much, Namjoon and Jin." Tae said, smiling his rectangular smile. Jin ran a hand through his hair, grinning at the boys.

          "Do you guys want to stay here for a while, or leave now? We can walk around and shop for a bit more if you want." Taehyung and Jungkook looked at each other, shrugging.

          "I don't mind, whatever you guys want to do." The brunette said, looking kindly at his new friends. Jin said,

          "Ahh okay, well, we can just go then. It's already getting late, and I'm tired.." Jungkook smiled in agreement, following the couple out of the large glass front doors while holding hands with Taehyung. Laughing, the four boys ran through the parking lot, the rain fiercely pounding down on them. When they reached Jin's silver minivan, they eagerly hopped in, decently wet for having only spent less than a minute in the rain. Taehyung sat behind Jin, who was driving, with Namjoon in the passenger seat and Jungkook behind him.

          "No kissing in the car." Jin said, a jokingly stern tone threading it's way through his soft voice. The pink haired male started the car and drove off to Tae's house based on the directions the blonde had given him. When they arrived, Jungkook and Taehyung graciously thanked Jin and Namjoon, as the boys were very appreciative of their free ride. Sighing, Taehyung realized that he and Jungkook would have to walk to his car in the morning, but he didn't mind. The blonde wanted to get to know his boyfriend, and a long morning walk was a great way to do that. They ended up never taking the walk, but it was a nice thought. But for now, the boys had a tradition that they had unknowingly started the night before.

          "Hallmark and cuddle?" Jungkook asked hopefully once the boys were seated comfortably on Tae's cuddling couch. Laughing happily, Tae nodded.

          "Sure, Jungkookie. We got through... I think three movies last night? Wanna see if we can make it through four?" Taehyung asked, a hint of determination glistening in his beautiful brown eyes. Jungkook nodded, though the brunette really just intended on going to sleep once the movies had started. Snuggling up to Taehyung, Jungkook leaned his head on the blonde's chest, closing his eyes as the first movie began. Tae chuckled to himself at his boyfriend's cute and sleepy behavior, the blonde waiting for Jungkook to fall asleep. Once he heard the soft breaths of the younger male lengthen and even out, Taehyung carefully lifted Jungkook's sleeping body and brought him to his bedroom, repeating the same steps as the night before until he was asleep, another sleeping boy held protectively in his arms.

          It was some time in the dead of the night, and for once, the time didn't matter to Jungkook. All that mattered was that he was here, with Taehyung. Turning his body so he was facing the older male, Jungkook sighed at how peaceful his boyfriend looked when asleep. His mouth was hanging open slightly, his bleach blonde hair was hanging in his eyes, and Jungkook could see where his brown roots were growing in. The brunette didn't mind though. He looked hot.

          Suddenly, Jungkook froze when the older male sniffled in his sleep, simultaneously pulling the younger boy closer to him. Jungkook exhaled slowly, smiling to himself as he realized how happy Taehyung made him, even though they just started dating. A single thought ran through Jungkook's head as he snuggled close to his boyfriend, trying to sleep.

"Do I love him...?"

The brunette stiffened as he imagined loving again. He felt bad about lying to Taehyung during their game earlier, but he felt it was necessary. His boyfriend didn't need to be haunted by his past love life, it was purely for Jungkook to deal with by himself. Jungkook leaned his head on Tae's chest, the boy's faint heartbeat chasing the brunette's bad thoughts away. Closing his eyes, Jungkook relaxed his body, focusing on the calming breathing and heartbeat of Taehyung. Troubled thoughts gone, Jungkook let himself be lulled into a deep, dreamless sleep, comforted in Taehyung's arms.

The next morning, Jungkook awoke to an empty spot on the bed where Tae should've been.

"Tae?" The younger tiredly called out, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. When he got no answer, Jungkook called out again, this time worriedly sitting up on the bed. "Taehyungie?" It was then that Jungkook noticed a piece of notebook paper, free from the notebook itself. It was scrawled with quick, messy writing.

'Jungkookie, I'm leaving for work and you're still asleep. You're so cute when you sleep~ I should be home by 2, stay safe with me gone. I love you♥️ -Taehyungie" Jungkook flushed, loving how Tae had called his house their home, as if implying that Jungkook lived there. Sighing as he looked at the time, Jungkook realized it was only 11:37. He still had nearly two and a half hours to go until Tae got home. Jungkook grabbed his phone and realized he was still in his clothes from yesterday. He decided that, even though Tae was slightly taller than him, he wouldn't mind if Jungkook borrowed some more comfortable clothes.

          Kookie stook up, walking over to Tae's closet. He opened it, spotting a comfy-looking pastel pink sweatshirt, with the word, "Run" on the sleeves in boxy-looking letters, about to his elbows. It somehow reminded him of Tae's bright smile, so Jungkook threw off his shirt and jacket, climbing into the soft pink hoodie. Jungkook also found some black joggers, which he quickly replaced his jeans with. The pants were a bit too big on the brunette, but he didn't mind. Jungkook crawled onto Tae's bed, hugging the pillow that the older had slept on.

          He took out his phone and went on his instagram, scrolling lazily through his feed. A cute picture of Jimin and Yoongi appeared, and Jungkook smiled before realizing just how much he missed Tae's protecting arms. Suddenly, a nauseating feeling swept over the brunette's body as he realized what he was about to think.

          "I DON'T love him." The boy repeated that phrase countless times, replaying it over and over again as if to convince himself of it. He would not let the walls he had spent years building be knocked down by the older blonde. Jungkook picked back up his phone, which he didn't realize he had dropped on the bed beside him. The brunette went to his homescreen and tapped on his contacts, calling Tae.

          "Jungkookie? Are you okay?" The blonde answered immediately, causing Jungkook to smile at his concern.

          "Yeah... I just... last night, I couldn't sleep, so I looked at you and you chased the bad thoughts out of my head. Can you.. do it again? I'm sorry..." Jungkook hated that he had to rely on Tae, but he still asked. He wanted the older to hold him again, protect him from all his demons. The brunette didn't know, but the boy on the other end of the phone was blushing.

          "Oh! Well, I mean I guess. What did I do last night to help..? I don't remember doing anything specific."

          "That's because you were asleep, Taehyungie. All I did was listen to your breathing and heartbeat and I was fine, so basically anything you do should help, honestly." Jungkook spoke these words sourly, dryly chuckling once they were out of his mouth. Sure, he wanted to be with Taehyung, but he wished he didn't have to rely on him this much. Jungkook should've been stronger than this.

          "What if I call you baby? Or maybe even... baby boy?" Jungkook's cheeks flared, a bright red color deepening his usually pale skin tone.

          "N-No! I may be a bottom but I am NOT calling you daddy, nor are you calling me baby boy. Hmph." Now, of course, Jungkook didn't mind calling Tae daddy, but he wasn't going to let Taehyung know that.

          "Aww~ Why not, baby?" Taehyung teased. At this point, he was just trying to mess with Jungkook. Suddenly, Jungkook heard something that sounded like dishes clattering in the background. Taking it as an opportunity to change the subject, the brunette said,

          "Where do you work, anyways?" Tae laugh, his deep laughter making the younger boy smile.

          "I work at a café... not telling which one though~ I don't want you to come, my uniform is kinda embarrassing." Jungkook frowned, not caring what his boyfriend looked like in his uniform.

          "Awwe come onnnnn, Taehyung. Please? I want to come see you."

          "Aish, fine. But only because I love you. Have you ever heard of Village House Coffee and Pie? I work there... You can come if you want... I guess." Jungkook grinned, then realized he didn't have a car. Not caring, the boy threw on some shoes, not bothering to change out of the sweatshirt and joggers. He would get to see his boyfriend, and that's all that was on his mind.

          As Jungkook left Taehyung's house, he started walking in the direction of the coffee shop, knowing it was only about five minutes away. Somewhere in the middle of his conversation with Tae, the boy had decided that he wanted to take the risk. He knew it was different from what he usually would do, but Taehyung seemed different. Taehyung seemed genuine. Jungkook was excited for what lay ahead in their relationship, and he knew it would all start with what he was going to say to Taehyung.

          He knew it would all start with, "I love you too."

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word count ; 2385