#Taejin - In My Silence

Chapter 17: For Good Luck

Taehyung was busy in the kitchen when Seokjin came after a shower, and Taehyung was not ready for what he saw next. He knew, he always knew that Seokjin after showering looked ethereally beautiful. He knew that Seokjin was the definition of beauty himself.... But now, after Taehyung realized his feelings toward that man, he looked even more so. Like, several degrees hotter, Tae could get burned easily.

As Seokjin drew closer, the fresh smell of his shampoo reached Taehyung's nose, so alluring. And every simple move Seokjin made, seemed to be amplified many times over, teasing him with all sorts of unholy thoughts. The way Seokjin stroked his dripping wet hair to the back, the flexed upper-hand muscle as he lifted it, the slightly revealed belly skin that looked so smooth and flawless, the ivory neck and the tempting collarbone, all made Taehyung's heart flip-flopped in excitement. Considering how his body reacted right now, damn, he was surely as straight as curly ramyeon noodles!

"Tae.... Tae!"

"H-huh???"

"Blink! Your eyes will strain!"

"Uh?... huh..."

"And close your mouth! Your drool's dripping."

"Hyung!" Taehyung's face burned with a red hue of embarrassment.

Seokjin chuckled. "And you burn the chicken!" He pointed to the pan.

"Ah, shit!" Taehyung turned off the stove and hastily took all the crispy chicken strips out of the deep-fried pan onto the paper towel to dry the oil. Well, they looked a little more brownish than they should have been, but he was sure that they were still edible enough. He then prepared the sauce, and blended the chicken and the sauce together on another pan.

Seeing that Taehyung might need a hand, Seokjin rummaged through the top cabinet and pulled out two bowls for the rice. But as he opened the rice cooker, he found nothing in it. "Tae, did you forget to cook the rice?"

"Rice? Huh? Oh damn! Rice!!!" Taehyung started to panic.

"Tae, Tae, hey! It's okay. I have potato wedges in the freezer, I'll fry them, okay? It'll only take a few minutes. Just watch your chicken!"

"I'm sorry, Hyung!"

Taehyung was so upset with himself. Failure after failure! How could he manage to do everything perfectly in the operating room, but not in the kitchen?! Maybe, if he treated his chickens as carefully as he treated his patients, he could cook any better? He couldn't afford to keep embarrassing himself in front of Seokjin. He wanted to impress him. He wanted to be a worthy partner for Seokjin. He wanted to take care of Seokjin like Jin had always taken care of him. If he was this lousy, how could he present himself in front of him?

Taehyung sighed.

***

*

As the sound of the nth-time-snoozed alarm rang again, Taehyung finally woke up, already feeling like he was running late. He scrambled to get out of bed with his eyes still closed. Wasn't really ready to start his day, he slowly dragged himself to the bathroom to freshen up. He had a major surgery this morning. He had to be fully awake and alert.

After he did his morning routine all in haste and chaos, he was finally ready and got out of the room. The delicious smell of freshly baked waffles welcomed him, making him smile.

"Morning!" Ah, that sweet delicious voice was a relief to his frantic morning. It would be nice, wouldn't it, to wake up every morning to this... To that voice... To this appetizing smell of breakfast.. To that smile... To that man...

Taehyung sat on the dining table and faced a plate of mouth-watering blueberry waffles with a drizzle of caramel, vanilla cream on top, and mixed berries on the side.