wattpad butchered the graphics quality :')
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Jungkook groaned as a hand nudged him awake, tossing in the covers to bury his face in his pillow. He felt around for Taehyung and huffed when he touched cool, empty sheets.
"Tae—" he cracked an eye open, blinking away the prior blurriness and seeing the model standing in his pajamas by his side. "Come back to bed and sleep."
"Get up." Taehyung smiled at him, grabbing the covers and wrestling with Jungkook to eventually pull them away. Jungkook whined childishly at the chill that flooded his body. "Let's go."
"Go where?" He asked with newfound awe warming his chest as Taehyung leaned down to hug and sit him upright. His fingers brushed against the fluffiness of the older's dark hair, which tickled his skin. "Wait. Oh my god."
"Mmm."
"It's Christmas." Jungkook scrambled to his knees at the edge of the bed and threw his arms around Taehyung, who let him hang off of him like a koala with as much strength as he could collect at the early hour. "Merry Christmas, Tae!"
"Merry Christmas, Koo." He laughed, voice smooth like bedsheets, deep like nighttime.
Jungkook slid out of his arms, stealing every ounce of excitement in the room, fuzzy socked feet hastily hitting the wood flooring as Taehyung set him down on. "Let's go, let's go, let's go!"
"Someone's awake now." The model was dragged out of the bedroom, making Jungkook take a quick stop by the bathroom to brush his teeth before they ran to the tree like little kids.
"No one else is up?" Jungkook pout was heartwrenching and Taehyung took the liberty of manually tugging the corner's of his lips up, causing him to smile again.
"I woke us up extra early for your gift. Wanted it to be just the two of us." Taehyung whispered, Jungkook catching Hoseok and Jin still sleeping on the couch, blanket covering them.
Jungkook shuffled around the assortment of boxes set at the tree's base, quiet so he didn't disturb the sleeping couple. Taehyung hovered behind him, grinning when Jungkook caught sight of the two wrapped gifts with his name written on them in Taehyung's handwriting.
"Two?" He stood with wide eyes. "But—"
"Ah, ah," Taehyung smoothed down his messy bed hair and smiled. "No complaints. Let's go back to the bedroom so you can open them."
"Tae—"
"Come on, Koo," he chuckled, charging the excitement back into the younger with a hand on the small of his back, pushing him back down the hall for the bedroom.
"Taetae," Jungkook was desperately trying to hug him, staying utterly close in any way possible as they pushed back into the bedroom. "Tae."
"That's my name, yes." He cooed and perched himself on the edge of the bed, patting the space next to him.
Jungkook simply set the gifts on the spot his hand had gestured to before feeling tingly and cold, shifting to stand between Taehyung's spread thighs and slump in his arms. "Tae."
"You okay?"
"Mhm. Just wanna hold you." The younger heard the drawn breath of amazed surprise leave Taehyung's lips as he reveled in the way the older's body warmth mixed with his, the fabric of his plain tee smooth against Jungkook's forehead.
The bed dipped with his movement as his legs bent on either side of Taehyung's sides, climbing into his lap and simply resting his cheek against the model's heart.
Taehyung stroked his hair, the adrenaline rush of gathering his presents dulling in momentary quietness.
"Your presents... do you want to open them later?"
"No, now," Jungkook pressed his nose into Taehyung's neck and the man laughed lightly, nodding and running a hand up and down his back, slow and gentle, making Jungkook shiver. "M'tired."
"Sleepy?"
"Tired." Jungkook corrected. "I can tell the gifts are going to wreck me emotionally."
After getting Sweet Night, Jungkook knew to expect rollercoasters of feelings when it came to Kim Taehyung's gifts.
"Perhaps." Taehyung smiled into his hair. "Just let me know when you're ready, angel."
Jungkook let himself relax as much as he could in Taehyung's arms, though it was difficult when half of him did want to rip apart the wrapping and cry in his boyfriend's arms.
"I still feel bad I have nothing to give you." He mumbled on the tan collarbone jutting out of Taehyung's skin. "I can give you kisses, make you tea? I'd do that anyway, actually, so that isn't even a gift..."
Jungkook trailed off, scowling in disappointment with himself and Taehyung pulled away to hold his jaw.
"I don't want anything. I told you that already. I'm happy to wait. It might be too much for me to see your reaction to mine and receive something anyway." He argued reasonably. Jungkook pouted but nodded, sliding off Taehyung's lap to thump onto the bedsheets. He pushed himself into the middle of the bed and Taehyung laid sideways to follow him, peering up at Jungkook.
"Which one first?" He placed both boxes in front of him. "Smaller?"
"Open the bigger one first." Taehyung took the smaller box away and Jungkook frowned.
"Don't you usually do small to big gifts— the bigger the better." He grinned, nose scrunching.
"Well," Taehyung adjusted to lean his head against his the heel of his palm, legs curling in to fit on the bed. "I know what's inside and I'm asking you to open the big one first."
"M'kay." Jungkook bit back the ridiculous smile growing on his face as his head spun. He was nervous. An absolutely amazing nervous, but it made any sense of calm fly out the window.
There was a brown box underneath the wrapping and Jungkook glanced up at Taehyung's awaiting stance, the older leaning forward with wide ready eyes. Taehyung was biting back the pleasant nerves turning his lips upwards, dragging a finger along the collar of his shirt, and Jungkook breathed out deeply at the sight.
"You're so cute." Jungkook set the brown box down and Taehyung's gaze flicked up from it.
"Hey, open it." The older groaned, flopping back, a small tint of color staining his cheeks. "I've been waiting for your reaction for so long!"
"I'm hungry." Jungkook shrieked as Taehyung grabbed a stray pillow and threw it his face, hands shooting up to catch it before he was hit. He laughed at the frustration on Taehyung's features, etched into soft annoyance, the older mirroring his amused laugh. "Okay, okay, I'm opening it."
"Don't be mean." Taehyung pouted and Jungkook reached for his flattened upper body, holding Taehyung's head and tucking the pillow underneath. The model smiled at the added support and watched with more ease that time as Jungkook reached for the box flaps.
His hands pried the cardboard apart and he reached in for the bubble wrapped item inside.
"What the..." he frowned in confusion at the boxy shape of the bubble wrap, countless layers hiding the object. "The amount of wrapping is ridiculous."
"I didn't want it to break." Taehyung grinned at Jungkook's grumble of irritation, though the bubble wrap came undone without any struggle.
"What did you get me? Glass? Bubble wrap, a cardboard box and wrapping paper, that's a bit..."
Jungkook's voice died with the clamping of his throat, choking up as his eyes snapped wide and he stared at Taehyung in disbelief. Of course, Taehyung was beaming, reaching forward and taking the wrapping away and leaving the gift alone in Jungkook's hands.
"You—" his jaw fell, utterly speechless as he handled the fragile camera with all the care he possible could. "Where did you even find this? A 1956 Double Stroke? Taehyung, this is literally ancient and— no, you got it from Andong? Oh my god."
"You seemed to love it. You like vintage cameras and I thought you could start a collection with the one that stood out to you the most that day." He shrugged. "I don't know anything about them, but this one's really pretty— baby, you're crying, oh goodness. C'mere, Koo."
Jungkook set the camera on the bed, fumbling with the blurred vision as the waterworks began long before he expected them to. Taehyung sat up and pulled him close. The warmth of his arms made him fall apart more, words of appreciation tumbling from his lips.
"How— you remember all these things— I don't— how, Tae? I can't believe you're real—" Jungkook turned to grab the camera again and played with the shutter, fingers pressing on buttons that didn't work anymore. Peach casing smooth and pretty against his touch. "I love it. So much. Thank you."
"Of course I remember." Taehyung's voice was a mere whisper, reaching his heart with greater ease than the shoving volume of a scream. "When you take up all my thoughts, of course I remember every detail about you."
Jungkook's hands shook. He let one hand leave the camera to lean up and guide Taehyung's face down to kiss his cheek.
"It's the first thing I've seriously been able to buy for you." Taehyung swiped his tears away. "My sweet angel, already a mess."
"Of course I am." Jungkook sniffed, shrinking in the large hands that drew circles on his skin. "You're giving my gift giving skills a run for their money."
"You'll hold that title forever." Taehyung pressed his lips to both doe eyes that sparkled up at him, returned with the wetness of Jungkook's tears moistening them. "I'm glad you love it. Hauen and her father were very considerate to sell it for you, too."
"I'll have to thank them. Remind me later." Jungkook mumbled, Taehyung low hum of mentally noting the request filling his ears. "Wait— when did you even go to Andong?"
"Two days ago." Taehyung chuckled as Jungkook's brows furrowed. "It's why I came home so late. Busy catching up on the work I missed in the morning to bring the gifts back."
The younger leaned back into Taehyung's chest, one of the model's arm slinking around his waist as Jungkook let the words sink in.
"You're too good at keeping secrets from me." He looked up and giggled softly as Taehyung's nuzzled their noses together. "The other gift's from there, too?"
"Yeah," lips grazed his damp cheeks. "It's smaller, really costed nothing, but before you open it, I just want to say something."
"Oh, no."
He wasn't sure what to expect as Taehyung brushed away a lingering tear hanging from his chin. Jungkook felt the limbs around him shift to tuck under his arms and hug him, fluffy dark hair rubbing against his own as Taehyung set the smaller wrapped box in his hands, taking the camera and putting it away.
Jungkook could feel the quickening pace of Taehyung's heart beat in that position, the pulse drumming against his shoulder blade. In response, his hand reached for Taehyung's and he toyed with a couple of the rings situated on the long, pretty fingers.
Taehyung kissed his ear, let him mindlessly play with his hand, the air stilling with the sound of his own heartbeat heavy in his skull.
"For the past couple of weeks," Taehyung began, "the world has been so unfair to you. For you to do nothing wrong and give you hell. You asked for one thing— you don't ask for anything, Jungkook, and the privacy, the lack of attention was all you wanted. I know it's impossible to have that last beside me, and for that sacrifice I'm forever grateful."
His chest clenched, breaths stuttering out with great difficulty. His hand had gripped Taehyung's with more desperation as the model continued.
"You never used to mind pictures of yourself with people you trusted, but now you tense at the mention of them, you get scared and want to hide— your comfortableness in front of the camera was slight and it was still somehow taken away."
"Taehyung." Jungkook turned enough to look at him with fresh tears. "You know I'm going to be okay, you know—"
"I know, angel. But I just wanted to gift you with something close to my heart."
"What's that?" He asked weakly, holding off on opening the box for as long as he could. Maybe he just wanted to hear Taehyung's reassurance. Maybe he just wanted to listen to Taehyung more, like he always did. Like Taehyung's voice was all that mattered.
"I wanted to give you the you I see." Taehyung tucked a strand of hair behind his ear, touch warm along the even warmer shell of his ear. "Pictures of yourself, but through the eyes of someone who loves you for all that you are. Not some desperate fans, eager media sites, reaching assholes who want to tear us down. Just me. And you from my eyes."
He felt like he was drowning in the numbness that hit him. Breaths staggered as his sobs made any comprehensible words impossible. Jungkook gave in and ripped away the wrapped paper.
He felt the small booklet weigh almost like nothing in his hand, silver prongs on the left edge binding the tiny pages together. Jungkook felt Taehyung kiss his shoulder and rest his chin there, peering down with him at the front cover.
"My Koo Collection." He smiled against Jungkook's skin and the younger sunk in his arms. "Pictures you've never seen before of the most beautiful angel."
"Then is it an album of you?" He managed to say, needing to say something, anything that would calm him.
"Silly," Taehyung laughed softly, the sound a sweet lullaby. It was so pretty, light and airy, a laugh dripping with the sweetness of honey. "My captions are a bit cheesy, but—"
"It's your handwriting. You— fuck, Hyung, I can't, I can't— I just—"
"Koo," Taehyung turned him so Jungkook curled up sideways in his lap, side pressed against Taehyung's chest as sweet nothings were murmured into his hair.
"I want to see it. I'll look through it." He frowned when Taehyung told him he could look some other time— as long as he saw it at some point. "Just gonna need a bit."
"And I'll give you all the time you need. I'm right here." Taehyung pressed his hair out of his face, the tears soaking the ends and causing it to clump around his skin. "Relax, Jungkook."
He tucked his knees into his chest, balling up into something small and delicate in Taehyung's arms. His eyes almost fluttered shut with the heavy daze of warmth drowning his conscious. He kept them peeled open, though, blinking the haziness away to flip through the pages of just him.
And maybe it wasn't just him. It was Taehyung's Jungkook. The Jungkook Taehyung would drop everything to hold in his arms for, the Jungkook that let Taehyung take pictures of him with pure trust and love guiding his choices.
It was the man that Taehyung loved and wanted Jungkook to love just as much.
"You snuck pictures— pictures when I was sleeping? T-That's just— you're evil." Taehyung laughed at his words, Jungkook sighing at the slip of the older's hand under his shirt, warm against his chilled skin. The fingers smoothed over his toned skin, helping him breathe past the suffocating sobs.
"You are a sleeping beauty." Taehyung's hand stilled, resting on the dip of his waist.
"You're beautiful." Jungkook tipped his head back and strained his neck to press his messy, wet lips to the underside of Taehyung's jaw. "Did you know that?"
"Hm," Taehyung flicked his chin with glimmering eyes, ones that Jungkook could tell were withholding tears. "S'not about me right now."
"That's not—" Jungkook huffed, rolling his eyes and pressing his eyes into his sleeve. "I have more to look at, shush."
"You've got the cutest smile." Taehyung mumbled. "Nose scrunches, eyes crinkle, your cute bunny teeth all bright and contagious. I can see why Namjoon Hyung calls you bun."
Jungkook chuckled, running a finger over the next couple of pages. "He's called me that for years. Only really let him call me it. Jimin Hyung throws it out to make me mad. I wack him in the head."
"You two," Taehyung snickered. His larger hand met Jungkook's to brush against the matte border of the next picture. "I'll always love my clothes on you."
"You will never catch me in designer unless it's yours." Jungkook sniffed, feeling Taehyung nudge him. "I'm serious."
"I'm going to buy you an entire Gucci store and then you'll feel guilty and have to enjoy some of the fancy things."
"You'll find me dead before I let that happen." Jungkook slapped his chest, turning to press his back into Taehyung's front again. It let him fully slacken his muscles with the back support. It let Taehyung hug him like a stuffed animal in his arms. "I'd never model either. That's terrifying."
"It's not." Taehyung scratched the hair at the nape of his neck, Jungkook leaning into the touch. "You should come to a shoot of mine. I'll get you an invitation to come see."
"I saw Jisoo-shi's that one time."
"But what about me?" Taehyung smiled into the skin below his ear. "You'll see me the way the world does."
"I like seeing you the way the world doesn't." Jungkook whispered, tracing Taehyung's long fingers. "I'll come to one. I do wanna see you in some fancy set outfit. I'll be so out of place."
"You can hangout with Noona, don't worry. I'll make sure it's one of the quieter shoots." Taehyung hummed. "Everyone will be focused on me so you won't have to worry about any attention on you."
And though it might have seemed selfish in other people's eyes, it was more of a sacrifice for them. Taehyung did whatever he could to get Jungkook out of the spotlight while still enjoying some things.
"Don't worry about that." Jungkook's skin felt sore, piercing pain in every stretch, and he wasn't even done with the booklet. "I was joking, I want to come and see you. God, I'll see the live thing compared to what I see in photos— if I pass out, you can't blame me."
Taehyung burst out laughing, shaking his head as Jungkook giggled sheepishly. "Oh, Angel, you won't pass out. I might fumble if I see you."
"You don't mess up. I know that for a fact."
"Got me there." They knew Taehyung prided himself in perfection when the lights were blasting, cameras clicking, priceless clothing hanging off his perfect self. "I'll let you know which one I'll get you in for, okay?"
"Okay." He breathed, slightly exasperated with the way Taehyung stared at him, both having craned their heads to look at each other. "You got me to stop crying."
"Well, if they're happy tears, I want to make you cry again." Taehyung's eyes turned away, which caused Jungkook to return his gaze down at the picture book with a knowing smile. He shifted to get comfortable again and Taehyung rubbed one of his thighs, the other hand on his arm.
"I'm not even close to the best." He laughed with his croaky voiced thoughts, throat raw. "And damn, my jawline is sharp in the next one."
Taehyung's finger reached up to trail up his jaw, kissing the junction of his ear and Jungkook bit back a smile. "Could cut meat in half. So hot."
"Hot—" Jungkook snorted. "Okay, Kim Taehyung. You have a thing for meat cutting jawlines."
"Only yours."
"Cheesy."
"Sue me." Taehyung brushed his knuckles along the sharp edge of his face again. "Also you are my favorite photographer."
"That's an incredibly biased statement."
"Do I look like I give two shits? You're the best. You get all those nice pictures of me. Reason number one million why my fans love you. You are the official Taehyung candids account."
Jungkook could hardly do more than mumble protests under his breath. His eyes scanned over the second to last picture of the book, the phrase of trust standing out like a splash of color in a black and white frame.
"I trust you with a lot more than my cameras." He said. "The cameras are honestly just because you won't drop them like Jimin Hyung. And because you get this big smile on your lips when you put it up to your eyes. I dunno... I'd probably still let you hold them if you broke one."
"I'm honored." There wasn't a teasing tilt to his tone. "Wholeheartedly. It's like letting you into my dressing room. Or texting you in front of Noona and Manager-nim. Takes a lot of trust regardless."
And Jungkook didn't cry that time. Instead, he just get at peace. Let his eyes close and head fall against Taehyung's chest, fingertips ghosting sweeps of his hair from his eyes.
They stayed like that for sometime before the model spoke again, soft and like thoughts in his head.
"The last one's my favorite." Taehyung pinned the page down to hide it and Jungkook's lids slowly lifted.
It scared him. Because something that was beautiful to Taehyung usually ripped his heart out of his chest. In a good way.
"Why's that?"
"You look the most you I've ever been able to get. This one really captures the way I see you, Jungkook. In all of them, but this one especially."
And Taehyung turned the page over.
"So happy, so beautiful. You look like a real angel, Jungkook. Don't let the world ruin how you see yourself. I love you and can't wait for more Christmases for years to come." Taehyung concluded his gift and Jungkook stopped breathing.
Not because of the picture, or Taehyung calling him beautiful, but because it was all confirmation of Taehyung's growth in the past couple of months. Real, pure love. For Jungkook, but also himself. Because Taehyung knew how it felt for his image to distort into something ugly for his own eyes. But now? Now he wasn't letting Jungkook fall behind with the same setback.
So different, yet so much the same. Because struggles of self love didn't have to grow from trauma or pain. It could happen with the overwhelming doubts or the quiet gnawing of one's fears. The pain of dragging yourself behind someone you want to be, when you should find your own strengths and weaknesses.
Because everyone had some weakness. And though it may be small to someone else, in their eyes, it was their biggest downfall.
The book slipped out of his hands, closing and landing in the wrinkled sheets. He was throwing his arms around Taehyung, whispering endless thank you's.
And not only because he'd been gifted with presents. That was only a small part. It was thank you's for letting him be a part of Taehyung's life, for Taehyung being there for him as much as he tried to be for the older.
It was a thank you for Taehyung loving him to learn how to love himself. Whether Taehyung was coming to terms with his growth, admitting he had come far, Jungkook didn't know yet. What he did know was that Taehyung had changed into one of the best versions of himself.
Because he'd given Jungkook a chance. Trusted him. Loved him.
And Jungkook? He now had pictures of himself that made him feel loved, not exposed or hurt. He was incredibly thankful to Taehyung for that.
It made him the happiest, just knowing he was beautiful in front of a camera as much as he felt useful behind one. Just knowing he was Taehyung's priceless angel.
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tae's koo collection :(
i do plan some things from the start hehe