"Latte macchiato with a dash of orange blossom-flavoured pastry cream?"

Taehyung's eyes fluttered open, confused, only to be met with the sight of Jungkook with his eyes still closed, and the hint of a tongue grazing his slightly tinted lips where the taste of their kiss undoubtedly lingered. An amused expression soon replaced the bewildered look on this face as he recalls words uttered too long ago.

How do you always taste so good?

He then he remembered the answer he had given Jungkook at the time, and his facial features instantly clouded up. "I told you to stay with me — I urged you not to let me go—"

The somnolent detective finally opened his eyes, oblivious to Taehyung's train of thought and where it had brought him back to. Following Tae's gaze, which travelled sideways until it chained itself to his hand, resting on top of the soft white sheets of their bed, he became acutely aware of the underlying blame nestled in those few words.

Of course. Now that they had quenched their thirst for the intimacy they had been deprived of for the past few months, they had to have a talk. And a serious one at that. Jungkook knew it, and he too had questions that needed answers, but presently, his state of bliss at sharing cuddles with the love of his life was all that really mattered.

He nuzzled into Tae's neck and let out a small whine. "Please don't be angry. Not right now. Not just yet."

The last few hours already felt like they belonged in a past which was growing distant with each fleeting second. Their escape from the loud crowd at the pier, their farewells to Carina, their bashful greetings to the concierge who had not known what to make of the fact that these two blushing grown men holding hands were dripping wet in the middle of the lobby. He remembered Taehyung asking with tease in his tone, "so, where is it you are taking me?" and his reply had been oh so truthful: "I need to get you out of these damp clothes."

Taehyung kept silent, wondering whether anger was the correct way to identify the emotions presently whirling within himself. It was easy enough to define the rush of relief and fondness he felt as Jungkook laid by his side, a protective hand resting over his bare hip. Yet, as his stare fell upon the other's scarred wrist, a sharp sting nipped at his heart, threatening to shatter this flimsy state of quietude he so desperately wished to steel. "I'm not angry, love," he admitted after a while.

"But?" Jungkook had decided they might as well get to the bottom of it all, whatever it was.

Taehyung placed his thumb on the ugly scar, rubbing it gently. "It still hurts, you know. To think you had let go of me so — imprudently."

Foolishly is what he meant.

Jungkook's hug tightened as he snuggled further into Tae's side. "As the apple of my eye, you should realize that your safety and well-being will always come first. Please understand I did what I did because I believed you would have a better chance of survival without me as dead weight."

Taehyung was aware that Jungkook had chosen his words carefully, but that didn't stop the irritation from bubbling up within his chest. "Darling, you should listen to yourself sometime."

"Huh?" Jungkook looked up with round eyes, hair tousled, and lips agape.

He was such a pretty sight Taehyung couldn't take it any longer. He started placing soft kisses all over his lover's face. "So selfless yet so selfish—"

Jungkook frowned despite the sweet display of affection. "What do you mean?"

"Sweetheart, what's the point of surviving if you're no longer by my side?"

Jungkook did not have an answer to that somewhat rhetorical question. There was a sigh before Taehyung drove his point home. "Precisely. There is none."

This disclosing of the misery Taehyung must have endured for months had Jungkook overcome with guilt. "I'm sorry. I thought you'd known I was fine. I never imagined you not having access to British news."

"I — but how—?"

Though the words wouldn't come out of Taehyung's mouth, Jungkook recognized the other's need for a logically rigorous explanation as to the miracle of his survival of a 100 feet fall. "There was a second glider, identical to yours."

Taehyung didn't say anything at that but Jungkook could see his wheels turning. "They managed to get a hold of me before I hit the ground and then flew me out of the city, possibly trying to catch up with you."

Taehyung remained quiet and attentive. Jungkook went on. "You know I don't do well with heights. I must have passed out at some point because after a while, I woke up in the middle of a hospital yard, surrounded by nurses. I was told it was a patient who had just witnessed and unconventional 'delivery' who had alerted them. They treated my wrist and had me take several tests before concluding that I had not suffered further injuries."

The listener lifted the delicate wrist to his lips to place a soft kiss on the scar which twin he bore on his right joint. A graceful reminder of his gratitude for Jungkook's overall wellness. "Who was flying that second glider?"

"I thought you'd know."

"You say it was identical to mine but that's impossible. I only made one, apart from the prototype."

"So it was someone who had access to your prototype."

"No one has access to my workshop. Claude makes sure of that."

"Well, he did let me in once."

"He knew better than to dismiss you," recalled Taehyung with a playful wink.

"Speaking of Claude, you should really send him a wire, let him know you're alright and you're coming home soon."

Taehyung lifted his head from the pillow and let it rest on his elbow, examining Jungkook's expression in order to confirm the ridiculous joke. Yet nothing in the other's eyes suggested he was anything but serious. "First of all, there's a protocol in place for when I disappear. I trust Claude to have followed through with it and believe he's likely taking a well-deserved vacation on some sunny beach somewhere on the Riviera."

Jungkook was about to say something but was instantly silenced by a timely kiss on the lips. Taehyung pulled out soon after, and carried on with his vocal considerations. "Second of all, you of all people should admit there is no home for me back in London anymore."

That's when Jungkook suddenly became aware of a fact that had eluded him until now. "Oh Tae, there are so many things you don't know!"

—

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