Jungkook carefully sealed the envelope addressed to the law firm representing ‘Party A.’
He could only hope that the mail would take several days to reach them, even though deep down he knew it was probably the opposite. Inside it was his very cautiously worded letter in which he requested more information to support Party A’s request.
The past couple of days had made it easy to put the whole matter out of Jungkook's head. He had been busy taking care of his guest - keeping his rooms tidy and clean, providing his meals for him and shamelessly enjoying his company while doing so.
And then there was Haru, who was growing and changing daily, he could hear him gurgling happily through the monitor. He’d left him on his play mat in the sitting room while he dashed to the office to get the envelope.
Yes, it was a busy life and he loved it.
Jungkook didn’t want to lose it.
He had an appointment in mid-morning with Min Yoongi to see if he could get a better idea of where he stood in this whole mess. Yoongi had been more than happy to make time to see Jungkook when he'd called and loosely explained his situation.
Now, something that had filled Jungkook with dread was not so scary after all, Yoongi said he'd be happy to advise, ‘pro bono,’ brought much-needed relief.
Jungkook started to put the envelope in his handbag, walked straight into the solid wall of muscle that was Kim Taehyung, its contents flying in one direction, the envelope to the other.
Jungkook reached out, while strong warm fingers closed around his upper arms, his hands coming to rest on a broad expanse of Taehyung’s chest, the fine cotton of the other’s shirt doing little to hide the definition of lean muscle behind it. He could smell the clean scent of Taehyung, the slightly spicy tang of his cologne, a subtle fragrance that was purely him, a hint of dominance in its musk and is intoxicating as hell.
Jungkook's breathing became uneven as he looked up into his guest’s eyes.
Eyes that were dark, stormy and bored deep into Jungkook's own.
For a crazy second, Jungkook almost thought he was going to kiss him.
The thought filled Jungkook with both terror and intrigue.
What would Kim Taehyung taste like?
How would his lips feel on him?
And then the moment was gone, Taehyung’s eyes became cooler, remote, he gently set the young host far away from him.
He must have been imagining things.
Maybe even wanting things a little too much.
Jungkook forced himself to look away, to collect the scattered contents of his bag just as the others were doing the same.
“Sorry,” he said, Jungkook's voice was a little rough around the edges, “I was distracted. I didn’t see you.”
“No, it’s my fault, I should have knocked before coming in.”
Taehyung’s long-fingered hands closed over the envelope, Jungkook saw him hesitate a moment before passing it to him.
Did he recognize the name of the firm on the front of the envelope?
Did he wonder what he was doing by sending mail to them?
Jungkook gave himself a mental shake.
What would he care about anyway?
Whatever Jungkook's legal business, it had nothing to do with him.
He finished stuffing his things into the bag, suddenly very aware of his guest and how close he stood, “D-did you want me for something?” he stuttered, drawing in another breath of his scent before stepping backwards.
“I need to print some things,” he said, his stony-grey gaze never leaving Jungkook's face.
Did Taehyung know how much he rattled him?
How does his very presence make Jungkook want things from him he had no right wanting or even thinking about?
“I was wondering if the printer here in your office was wireless and if I could set up the drivers on my laptop so I can send it to them.”
The banality of the request dragged his concentration firmly from where it was heading, he shook his head, “I’m sorry, it’s an old printer, we’ve never had a need for a wireless setup. I’m going into town this morning, though. I’d be happy to swing by the office supply store and pick up a printer for you to use upstairs.”
“Why don’t I come with you?” Taehyung suggested, “I can buy it myself and get some paper and other supplies at the same time. What time are you leaving?”
“Oh,” Jungkook said, looking at his watch, calculating the drive and factoring in the change to his original plans, “Let’s say in half an hour? Leaving at nine should give us time to go to the supply store then maybe I can drop you somewhere before I head to my meeting? I have an appointment that I can’t be late for.”
“Don’t worry about me, I wouldn’t want you to be late. Leave me at the supply store and I’ll wait for you. I can get a newspaper and a cup of coffee close by.”
Jungkook felt a wave of relief.
Juggling Taehyung around his visit to the lawyer’s office could have gotten a bit messy time-wise, “There are plenty of places to do just that. Perhaps we can leave a little after nine?”
“That’d be great,” Taehyung nodded, “Are you bringing Haru?”
“No, not today. A friend of mine is coming here to look after him.”
Jimin had jumped at the chance to babysit Haru for a couple of hours. He had also teased mercilessly about finally being forced to share Jungkook guest with someone else.
Jungkook felt a rush of heat staining his cheeks while recalling how he'd described Taehyung to his friend over the phone. Jimin’s sudden shrieked response of ‘You’re attracted to him!’ had been an unpleasant shock.
His feelings had to be blatantly obvious if Jimin could pick up on them over the phone, he’d vehemently denied any interest in Taehyung, but his friend hadn’t been deterred.
Jungkook could only hope that his friend wouldn’t embarrass him in front of Taehyung when he arrived.
“A friend? Do you trust him with Haru?” Taehyung’s voice sounded unusually hard, almost disapproving.
“Trust Jimin?” Jungkook giggled, “Of course I do. I’ve known Jungkook for ten years and he’s successfully raising three kids of his own. He is my main go-to person when I need a break or can’t take Haru with me when I go out. Besides, Jimin loves him to bits. He wouldn’t let any harm come to him.”
The sound of a car pulling up around the back of the house warned Jungkook that Jimin was here.
“That’ll be him now, I’d better go greet him.”
Taehyung stood to one side as he bustled past, he needed to train himself to hold Jungkook breath around him, he decided irrationally.
It was getting hard to be in the same room as Taehyung without starting to think about things that no young widower with a baby should be thinking about.
Jungkook headed through the lodge and flung open the back door just as Jimin raised his hand to knock.
“How’s that for timing?” Jimin said with a grin, “Now, where’s my baby bunny boy?”
Jungkook leaned forward to give a quick hug before stepping back to let him through, “He’s on his mat in my sitting room and is obsessed with the play gym you gave. You spoil him, you know.”
“Ah, the baby bunny boy’s easy to spoil. Annnnd… how are things going with Mr Handsome?” Jimin asked, waggling his eyebrows, “This old married man wants to live vicariously through you.”
Jungkook laughed, wondering what Taehyung would think of Jimin grilling him, “Old? I don’t think so. And ‘things’ are going just fine. Mr Kim is the perfect guest. Not a single complaint from him so far.”
“And what would I have to complain about?”
Jungkook’s cheeks flared with a blush for the second time that morning, he turned around to see Taehyung leaning nonchalantly against the door jamb that led into the kitchen.
Damn it, the man could move as silently as a ghost.
How much had he heard?
He suffered a moment of agony at the thought, hoped like mad that he wouldn’t have thought it had come from him.
“Nothing, I hope,” he said with what he hoped was a calmness he was far from feeling on the inside.
“Of course not,” Jimin interjected, “Jungkook’s one of the best in the business. Hi, I’m Jimin.”
“Kim Taehyung.” Taehyung offered his hand, “Sorry to interrupt, but I just wanted to confirm what time we’re leaving?”
“About a quarter past nine, if that’s okay with you?”
“Great, thanks. Nice meeting you, Jimin.”
Taehyung excused himself, leaving the two alone, as he disappeared from view, Jungkook puzzled over the way it almost seemed that he’d wanted to meet Jimin for himself as if he hadn’t believed him when he said he trusted his friend with Haru.
He eschewed the idea, it wasn’t as if Taehyung had any say or interest in Haru’s welfare beyond that of a casual observer, a temporary guest.
Jimin fanned himself theatrically, “Oh, my... You weren’t kidding when you said he was handsome. I don’t blame you for taking him with you today. If you left him behind I might have been inclined to jump his bones myself!”
“Jiminie, please!” Jungkook said, putting a finger to his lips to caution his friend.
Sometimes Jiminie’s enthusiasm for an idea was simply irrepressible and Jungkook couldn’t fight the smile that tweaked at his lips, “Besides, Joonie would never approve.”
Jungkook didn’t for one minute think that Jimin would cheat on his husband, his friend was very happily married but, as he'd pointed out more than once, he wasn’t blind.
“How are you going to manage with the gorgeous Taehyung for your trip into town?” Jimin asked as they entered the sitting room before picking Haru up for a cuddle.
“It won’t be a problem. He needs some stuff from the supply store, it’s just across the road from the lawyer’s office. Taehyung said he’ll wait for me until I’m done.”
“Did you notice something familiar about him?” Jimin asked, “I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before... but I can’t quite put my finger on it.”
“Familiar..? No. Maybe you’ve seen him in the papers or something? I believe he’s some high-flying businessman, but he’s here on some kind of semi-hiatus-slash-vacation to write a book.”
“Hmm, well, it’ll come to me if it’s important. You should go and get yourself ready if you’re going to leave on time,” Jimin urged, “Baby Haru will be fine with me.”
“Thanks, Minnie,” Jungkook said.
Satisfied that Haru was in safe hands, Jungkook shot through to his bedroom to change clothes and as he dressed, he thought about how grateful he was for his friend’s help. He wanted his wits about him for the meeting this morning, so not having the distraction of Haru there was a relief.
Talking about the problems with the fertility clinic would be hard enough without having his beautiful, perfect son in front of him to remind him how much he stood to lose.
~~~
Taehyung drummed his fingers on the desk in his office, staring out at the tranquil bay beyond and wondering about the contents of the letter Jungkook had written to his lawyers.
He knew exactly what was in the letter that had been sent and he expected to have heard from his lawyer by now regarding Jungkook's response.
Now, it appeared he'd been dragging Jungkook feet over a reply, the knowledge that he'd been taking him time to write back when he could simply have called them on the phone or sent an email, lit a slow simmering anger inside of him.
Did he not care at all that Haru might have a living father?
A man who wanted to love him and be a part of his life just as much as he was?
A man who, if the tests checked out, had every right to be?
A man who had denied himself the right to have a child, or even to love again, after letting down his wife so badly?
That very same man was now faced with the enthralling opportunity to be a father after all, and he was stalling to keep him from it.
All it would take was a cheek swab, he’d already registered his own with the testing laboratory.
This waiting around felt interminable.
He’d wondered how it would stand if he’d done the swab of Haru’s cheek himself when he wasn’t in the room, but he had a suspicion that somewhere along the line Jungkook permission would be necessary before the legal eagles would accept such evidence in a bid for any kind of custody.
His fingers curled into a fist of frustration, clenching so tightly his knuckles ached. His lawyers had warned him the process could take more time than he was willing to allow. It was part of the reason he’d hired an investigator to find Jungkook and definitely part of the reason why he’d come here.
Waiting had never come easy for Taehyung, he was a results-oriented person and to get results you had to do things.
Still, it wasn’t as if he had any other option right now, but to wait.
A glance at his watch reminded him that it was time to head downstairs. Jungkook waited for him in the lobby. As he did every time he saw the young widow, he felt that familiar tug of temptation and did he look tempting.
He’d changed from his usual jeans and shirt to a deep navy, wool-cotton mix sweater knit, with a wide neckline that exposed one of Jungkook's collarbones.
Taehyung’s mouth dried as he imagined tracing those delicate hollows with the tip of his tongue.
Swallowing against the dryness and averting his eyes from examining the rest of Jungkook's body, he reached for the front door, “Shall we go then?”
“Yes, I’m all ready.”
They both walked outside to the driveway, the car was much like the one he used to drive before Taehyung’s accident, right down to the colour. A sudden cold fist gripped Taehyung’s chest, making it difficult to draw a breath.
In fact, it had taken several months before he’d relaxed enough to sit in a car’s passenger seat. a cold sweat broke over his body.
A trickle of moisture ran down his spine, this had been a stupid idea, he had no idea what kind of driver Jungkook was.
He could be a speed freak for all he knew.
Oblivious to what was going through his mind, Jungkook smiled beside him and held up a key ring, offering it to him, “Would you like to drive?”
“Hell no!” he erupted.
Jungkook looked taken aback by his short outburst but calmly palmed the keys and went around to the driver’s side of the vehicle. He forced himself to take the necessary final step that would get him to the car door.
His hand shook as he reached for the handle, lifting it and pulling the door open. He shouldn’t have suggested he come, he should simply have stayed in his room and kept working. But he refused to back down now.
He hadn’t gotten where he is today by backing down from challenges, even if the only one challenging him was himself.
Somehow he seated himself in the passenger seat, he scrambled for the seat belt, yanking it so swiftly the mechanism locked and failed to let him pull the belt out far enough to clip it.
“If you just let it roll back a bit,” Jungkook suggested, giving him a strange look, “it’ll let you pull it out slowly.”
He gave it another tug and it locked again.
To his surprise, Jungkook leaned across, pressing against his arm, reached around and settled over his.
“Here,” he said, “like this.”
He forced himself to relinquish his death grip on the seatbelt and allowed Jungkook to release the belt before pulling it smoothly across his chest and lap.
“There you go,” he said, securing it into the buckle, “All safe.”
Safe?
He was kidding, right?
You were only as safe as the skill set of the next idiot on the road. In his case, he’d been that idiot, and Yoona had paid the ultimate price for his arrogance.
Taehyung forced himself to breathe slowly, in through his nose, out through his mouth and tried to relax.
“Thanks,” he said abruptly, his eyes locked on the windshield in front of him.
Jungkook started the car and eased it into gear, rolling slowly down the driveway.
So far, so good, Taehyung thought, but all sense of safety fled the moment he turned onto the road.
He tried to relax his grip on the door’s hand rest, but he failed miserably.
“How long is the trip?” he asked, his voice sounding unnaturally strained, even to his ears.
“Twenty-five minutes or so,” Jungkook said, eyes flicking from the rearview mirror and back to the road in front.
Twenty-five minutes.
It may as well be a lifetime, Taehyung thought as he guided the vehicle along the winding road.
He had to admit he was a competent driver, not taking any unnecessary risks or taking any of the corners too wide. He could almost kid himself that he was starting to relax until he saw a car start to pull out of a driveway ahead of them.
His foot stomped on an imaginary brake, the action earning him another cautious sideways glance from Jungkook but, thankfully, he kept his thoughts to himself.
By the time they reached the office supply store, he couldn’t get out of the car fast enough.
“Will you be okay if I leave you now?” Jungkook asked quietly as he got out to stand beside him, one small hand resting on his forearm as if to offer him comfort.
“Yeah, I’ll be fine, thanks,” he said stoically.
“There’s a café right there,” Jungkook said, pointing to a bustling shop not far from where he'd parked, “And I’ll be just down the road. Do you want my mobile number, in case you need me?”
Need him?
Taehyung hadn’t been able to stop wanting Jungkook since the moment he’d set foot in Astro Inn, but needed him?
No, he didn’t want to need anybody.
“No... I’ll be fine. When you’re finished, come and get me at the café. I’ll buy you a coffee before we head back.”
“Sure, I won’t be far, anyway,” Jungkook continued, pointing to a two-story white building farther down the street.
Taehyung made out the signage at the front, Jung and Min, Attorneys at Law.
He was going to see a lawyer?
What exactly did that mean?
Was he going to try and fight his right to find out if he was Haru’s father?
All sorts of irrational and angry thoughts peppered his mind as he watched Jungkook head down the road and enter the building he'd indicated. He slipped his cellphone from his pocket and hit the speed dial for his lawyer’s direct line.
“Jin,” Taehyung said the moment he heard the man’s voice on the end of the phone, “I want you to get a court order to request the baby’s DNA, now.”
“Good morning to you, too, Taehyung,” Kim Seokjin’s amused voice echoed in his ear, “I thought we decided on a softer approach, to gauge if the other party would enter discussions and testing willingly. You know, to avoid potentially antagonising the man who might just be your baby’s father? The man you probably don’t really want to alienate?”
“I know,” Taehyung said, huffing out a breath of frustration, “But I don’t want to wait any longer. I want the tests done and I want those answers now.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” the lawyer replied, his voice now all solemnity.
Maybe he finally understood how serious Taehyung was.
“Good. Call me when you have news,” Taehyung disconnected the call and shoved the phone back in his pocket.
So, Jungkook thought he could fight him
Well, he was in for a fight all right.