Taehyung lay on his back with Jungkook on top of him, his arms wrapped around the younger's back. Jungkook's head was nestled in the crook of his arm and his hand on Tae's chest, fingertips circling lightly over his sternum. They were naked on a bluff overlooking a lake. Although it was nighttime, someone could still stumble upon them, but Taehyung couldn't bring himself to let Jungkook go. Now that they'd actually done this, now that he knew with certainty how perfect they really were for each other, he wished they could just leave this whole mess behind and run away somewhere together, somewhere no one knew them or their problems.
Jungkook released a contented sigh. "I want to forget about the wedding that's supposed to take place in less than two days and just be in this moment."
Taehyung's arm tightened around him.
"The only thing in my life that makes sense right now is you," he continued.
"How do I make sense?"
"That's just it, I don't know. I only know this feels righter than anything else. Ever." He lifted his head and grinned. "Who falls this hard for a guy within twenty-four hours of meeting him?"
"Lots of people fall in love at first sight. My parents did."
Jungkook blinked in surprise. "Your parents fell in love at first sight?"
Tae grabbed a strand of the younger's hair that brushed over his bare chest. "So they claim. And they were happily married for twenty-one years."
"Well, this isn't love at first sight," Jungkook smiled against Tae's lips. "More like lust." He kissed him with a passion that showed him how much he still wanted him.
Was Jungkook right? Was what Taehyung was feeling no more than lust? Did he have to put a label on it? He only knew the rapidly approaching wedding spelled a likely end for their new relationship... and the extracurricular sleuthing he and Jin were doing amped that "likely" up to a "certainly." Tae was more determined than ever to come clean in the hopes that Jungkook would forgive him, not that he deserved it. But even Yoongi had told him Jungkook wore his heart on his sleeve. Maybe he would understand his desperation. Well, Taehyung wasn't sure how to fix the mess he'd created, but he didn't need a solution right this minute. While the likelihood of losing Jungkook was higher than not, he had a choice to make: He could start mourning his impending loss of him now, or he could spend every minute with the younger while he could.
He chose the latter.
Tae rolled Jungkook onto his back, and he giggled as the elder lowered his face to kiss his neck. "So what are your plans, Jungkook? Are we going back to your parents' house?"
"That's funny, Tae. No way."
"So we're camping under the stars?"
"Unless you have a better idea."
"I can't think of a single one." He pushed up on his elbow. "But we either need to get dressed or cover up with your blanket. Unless you're a nudist like your gran."
Jungkook laughed. "I'm not, but getting dressed is a waste of time, don't you think?" The sparkle in his eyes made it impossible not to kiss him.
"See?" he said. "You just proved my point. Besides, this spot can only be accessed from the campsite and no one's going to try camping here now that my car's parked there."
Taehyung grabbed the blanket and spread it across them, glancing back at the trail they'd used to get to the clearing.
"I think we're safe, Tae," Jungkook teased. "You're awfully uptight. Maybe Gran's right. Maybe you are a prude."
"You realize that sounds like a challenge...?"
Jungkook laughed. "Take it as you will. Still, we're safe from prying eyes. Unless we count the monstrous raccoons." He cocked an eyebrow. "You don't happen to have any food in your pockets, do you?"
"Nope."
"Then we're good."
He rolled on his side to face Taehyung. "So tell me more about your family. Is it anything like mine?"
"No offense, Jungkook, but I don't think there's any family like yours."
He laughed. "Fair enough."
"Why do you let her get to you so much?" Jungkook's smile faded, and Tae was instantly sorry he asked, but he was curious to know. "On the train you took on that attendant without a second thought. Hell, you'll take on a wild raccoon—" his voice softened, "—but you won't stand up to your mother." He tucked a strand of hair behind Jungkook's ear. "That's such a contradiction to the man I've gotten to know... the man the rest of the world sees. I just don't get it."
The younger worried his bottom lip with his bunny teeth, then looked into Taehyung's eyes. "It's not that easy to answer, Tae."
"Then try."
Jungkook took a deep breath and pushed it out, looking sadder by the millisecond.
"I'm sorry," Tae murmured, running his hand down Jungkook's arm. "It's none of my business."
A wry smile twisted his mouth. "That's not exactly true, is it? My inability to stand up to my mother has gotten you into this strange situation."
Taehyung grinned, leaning in to kiss him. "I kind of like where I am right now."
Jungkook pushed Tae onto his back, and leaned against his bare chest. He felt himself stirring again— the sight of Jungkook's body driving him crazy.
"I kind of like where I am right now too." Jungkook brushed his lips against Tae's. "The funny thing is, she was different when I was a kid. She laughed and had fun. She was a regular mom for the most part. But then when I was in middle school, she changed. Like a light switch from off to on. She became obsessed with everything being perfect." Jungkook forced a tight smile. "But nothing's perfect, you know?"
Watching him now, Taehyung considered arguing with his statement. Jungkook looked as near to perfect as he could imagine. "Perfection is difficult to reach and impossible to maintain."
"Exactly. Which is why she constantly found me lacking. I didn't suit her new view of perfection. At first I was too stunned to argue, so I said nothing. All of us did, really. Jimin-hyung and I were stunned that our mother was gone and someone else had taken her place. Hyung got involved in dance. My dad took up camping and fishing, and for a while I was the one to deal with her on a regular basis. But I didn't. I retreated. Then after a while I guess I learned that it's always been easier not to fight her. No one ever goes against her and wins. Ever. She's beaten us down enough times that we've just stopped trying. I moved to Seoul to get away from her. I've never seen my dad more crushed than the day I told him I was moving away. I think he instinctively knew I wouldn't be back much."
"But what about Namjoon, Yoongi and Hoseok?"
"Collateral damage."
Taehyung's mother had always been supportive and loving. How would he handle it if she flipped a switch like Jeon Ae-ri had done? What had happened to turn her against her family?
"No more talk about my mother." Jungkook's hand slipped into Tae's hair, and his face hovered over the elder's, his brown eyes bright and large. "You were a hero tonight."
"What?"
"You probably think no one noticed in all the madness, but I did. You saved my cousin. She was drowning and you jumped in and saved her."
Taehyung shook his head, cringing. "It wasn't anything. Anyone could have done it."
"But you did."
"I suspect Jin wishes I'd left her at the bottom of the pool after the way she bit him."
Jungkook tilted his head back and laughed, and Taehyung decided the sound of his laugh was the happiest sound that had ever existed. "Nevertheless, you saved her. You saved me too. I'm surprised you don't have a superhero costume on under your clothes."
"I did," Tae teased. "But spandex shrinks in water, so I had to hang it over the shower rod in your bathroom. I hope no one comes in and learns my secret."
Jungkook laughed again, straddling Tae's waist and leaning over him, his hair fluffed up. "If we ever go back, will you try it on for me?"
"If we go back?"
The younger's smile softened. "We could run away together—just you and me—and never look back."
Jungkook's thoughts so echoed Taehyung's own that he couldn't help but smile. "Do we end up in Seoul when we reach the end of our trip, or do we stay on some tropical island somewhere?"
"It depends. Does this island include Gran's nudist colony?"
"No way."
"Hmm... Just how good are you at making coconut drinks?" Jungkook's eyebrows lifted playfully as he asked the question. When Taehyung started to answer, the younger kissed him to stop his answer. "It's a trick question, so think carefully first." Then he laughed again, sitting up.
Tae sat up too, grabbing his hips and settling Jungkook on his thighs. The nearness of the younger drove him crazy and made his thoughts stray from their conversation. "I'm going to guess that you hate coconut, so I should probably answer that I make killer margaritas."
Jungkook laughed again. "I knew you were smart."
"The question of my intelligence is yet to be decided, but I think agreeing to be your substitute fiancé was the best idea I've ever had."
"I don't remember asking," the younger teased.
"I have lots of things to offer that you might not have even considered."
Jungkook's eyes flew open in mock surprise. "You're full of talk, aren't you?"
Taehyung laughed. "I'll be happy to demonstrate."
The amusement on his face faded. Jungkook grabbed Tae's face in his hands and gave him a deep, lazy kiss that reached down to his soul, stirring a longing of which he'd never believed himself capable.
The elder wrapped an arm around him, his hand splaying on Jungkook's back as he held him close. "I think I could spend the rest of my life with you and never get my fill."
Jungkook kissed him again, this time with more urgency. In only a few minutes, Taehyung was inside him again. The blanket was down by his feet, leaving them clothed in nothing but moonlight and sweat. The younger's hands dug into his shoulders, and his eyes closed in pleasure as he arched his back. In that perfect moment, Taehyung was sure of two things. One, Jungkook was the most beautiful person he had ever known, and two, there was no way he could walk away from him. And since he saw no way to be honest with Jungkook, to work out the tangled web he'd spent the past day weaving, he was in deep, deep trouble. His only hope was for a miracle.
But no matter what, Jungkook was Taehyung's for tonight, and he wasn't going to waste a single minute.
----
A/N: annnd here's another one