Jungkook studied Taehyung out of the corner of his eye, trying to determine if their inevitable breakup tonight bothered the elder as much as it did him. Tae had dropped his guard often enough for Jungkook to know he didn't want to do this either, but there really was no other way out. He couldn't tell his mother the truth, and if they didn't pick option one or two, that only left three—they went through with the wedding.
Jungkook turned off the engine and picked up his phone from the console where he'd left it, not surprised to see all the missed calls and texts. He and Taehyung had taken off without telling anyone where they were going. Everyone was freaked out. Jeon Ae-ri was inevitably more upset than the rest, but not for the same reason as everyone else.
He scrolled the list—calls from his mom, his dad, multiple calls and texts from Hoseok-hyung, one from Namjoon-hyung this morning, and one that came in from Seoul.
Taehyeon.
His chest tightened. He hadn't talked to him since telling him the wedding was off and walking out of his apartment two months ago. Why was he trying to get in touch now?
Jungkook glanced up at Taehyung, whose questioning gaze told him he'd noticed his reaction. "Is everything okay?"
Shaking his head, Jungkook forced a smile. "Yeah. I'm just overwhelmed by the number of calls and texts I missed. Did Jin try to reach you?"
Tae grimaced. "My phone went in the pool with me last night. It's on your bathroom counter awaiting its funeral."
"So we need to get you a new phone today."
"Yeah." He was still watching Jungkook. "Did your mother send you a threatening text?" he asked, sounding worried.
"Text?" the younger snorted, scrolling through them. "Knickers does not text."
"Then what's got you so anxious?"
"I should have told someone where we were going. Hobi-hyung and Namjoon-hyung are freaked out."
"Take five minutes to call them and let them know you're fine. Breakfast can wait."
But Jungkook wasn't in the mood to answer Hoseok's excited questions and Namjoon's accusations. Instead, he sent a text in the group chat.
I'm fine. Tae and I needed to get away and I left my phone in the car. We're headed to breakfast now.
Breakfast??? Namjoon demanded. You're eating breakfast with a kidnapper?
Jungkook sighed. If anything, *I* kidnapped HIM.
I'm sure he wasn't complaining, Namjoon sent back at lightning speed. >insert sarcasm<
I'm not doing this now, hyung. I'm going to eat breakfast. I'll see you at the rehearsal at six.
ARE YOU FREAKING SERIOUS????
A text from Hoseok popped up. I want details!!! <3
Do NOT encourage him! Namjoon responded.
Is Jin okay? Jungkook asked.
Yeah, he's peeeeeerftectly fine. He's only been bothering me nonstop. He could practically hear the sarcasm oozing from Namjoon.
Jungkook's cell phone rang three seconds later. Sure enough, it was Namjoon. He silenced the phone and tossed it onto the console.
"Problems?"
"Nothing I can't handle." Jungkook put the car in reverse and backed out of their parking spot.
"Shouldn't you call your mother?"
"Yes." The younger kept driving and didn't pick up his phone.
"I abandoned Jin at your parents' house." Taehyung laughed in response to Jungkook's cringe. "Don't worry. If anyone can handle your mother, it's my brother. But I should call him and do some recon, see how bad it is."
"Oh, it's bad." Jungkook forced a grin. "But that might be a good idea. Besides, you better check on him."
Taehyung picked up Jungkook's phone and entered Jin's number before holding the phone to his ear. "Hey, Jin. I thought I'd let you know I haven't disappeared over state lines." He grimaced. "He's sitting here next to me, so watch it."
He didn't look happy, making Jungkook wonder what his brother had said.
"How are things at the Jeon residence?" He was silent for a long pause before he muttered, "Uh-huh." Several more moments of silence followed, broken by, "Okay" and "Wow." Finally, he said, "Oh, shit. I hadn't thought about that." He ran a hand through his hair. "Okay, we'll meet you there at eleven." He ended the call and put the phone down, looking out the windshield.
"Well...?"
Tae jolted, turning to face him. "According to my brother, who is prone to embellishment, your mother nearly had a stroke. Your father gave her a couple of Xanax pills and put her to bed. She got up this morning and acted like the incident never happened."
"You're kidding."
"Nope."
"Check my missed calls and see when she called."
Taehyung picked up his phone, and Jungkook remembered the missed call from Taehyeon. What if he'd left a message? It was too late to stop him now. Truth be told, Jungkook didn't owe him an explanation, but he felt unnerved all the same.
The elder studied the list. "She called five times last night and once this morning, and there are three voice messages. Do you want me to listen to them?"
It seemed like the chicken-shit way out, but Jungkook found himself nodding. "Yes."
Tae listened to the first one, his shoulders lifted to his ears with tension. "Okay," he said as he pressed delete. "That was mostly unintelligible, but the gist was for you to call her back immediately. It was about half an hour after we left."
"Okay..."
He listened to the second message, fighting a grin that faded before he lowered the phone. This one he didn't delete. "I think she'd taken the Xanax before making this call, so she sounded like she was drunk."
Jungkook snorted. "My mother has never been drunk a day in her life."
"Well, she certainly sounds like it, but she wasn't nearly as entertaining as you were on the train."
Jungkook stuck his tongue out at him.
He chuckled. "She demanded that you call her back and chastised you for abandoning her in her time of need." He used air quotes to emphasize the last three words. "But then she asked you to call her no matter what time it was because she was worried about you."
Jungkook sobered at Tae's words. "She must have been really out of it to say that."
"She's your mother, Kookie. She loves you even if she doesn't know how to say it."
"There's one more message?" Jungkook asked.
Tae hesitated and shifted in his seat. "Yeah, one more from your mother. She called about forty-five minutes ago."
"Listen to it."
He obeyed and lowered the phone after about thirty seconds, showing no reaction.
"Well?"
He sucked in a breath, disbelief spreading across his face. "She wanted to remind you that you have a full itinerary today. She said I have to pick up my tux, and I'm supposed to meet my brother at the store at eleven, which Jin had already told me about. After that, she wants you to go to Western Chosan with her, but then I have to meet you at the courthouse later to pick up our marriage license."
"Oh, crap," he groaned.
"Yeah. I know." Taehyung didn't sound any happier about it than Jungkook did. "She listed a bunch of other things like getting your hair colored." He turned to him. "Why are you getting your hair colored?"
Jungkook tilted his head slightly while pursing his lips. "My mother was horrified that I hadn't gone to a salon in Seoul before I came. When I told her my last haircut was only three weeks ago, she said it needed to be highlighted to show more contrast."
Taehyung stared at him in shock. "You've got to be kidding me." He reached for a lock of Jungkook's hair and held it up. "Your hair is absolutely perfect, Jungkook. Don't change it."
Something warm filled his heart, mixing with the sorrow there to form a beautiful ache. How could he feel such extremes at once? "Thanks," he said softly.
"I would say skip the tuxes, but your mother said your brother's going to be there too. And Jin and I are supposed to pick up your father's tux and take it to him."
"Crap."
"Yeah."
"I'm sorry," Jungkook said.
"Hey," Tae's hand covered his, and he grinned at Jungkook. "For better or for worse, I'm committed to this engagement until tonight. Which means everything it encompasses."
"But Taehyeon paid for his own tux. And I'm sure the tightwad already canceled his order."
"I can pay for the tux."
Jungkook cleared his throat. "No you won't. This is my mess. I'll pay for it."
Tae squeezed his hand. "Let's go to breakfast and declare it a wedding-discussion-free zone."
"Deal."
The easy conversation they shared over breakfast only proved how perfect they were for each other. He was witty and fun. They talked without pause about growing up and graduating from college, discovering what they wanted to do with their lives. Taehyung admitted that his plan to join his father's business had only been further cemented after his death, but sometimes he felt like he'd made the decision when he was a kid without ever having a choice in the matter. He never volunteered the specifics of what he did, and since he seemed to want to keep it to himself, Jungkook didn't ask.
"If you hadn't joined your father's business, what would you have done?" Jungkook asked, studying his face.
"I don't know," Taehyung said with a self-conscious half-shrug.
Jungkook rested his forearms on the table and leaned toward Tae. "I don't believe that for a second. Everyone has dreams, no matter how preposterous or stupid someone else might think they are."
"And what's your secret dream?" he teased, taking the younger's hand in his. "If you're so eager to hear mine, tell me yours."
He gave Tae a wicked smile.
"You want to debut as an idol." Tae guessed.
Jungkook laughed. "I can hardly carry a tune."
"You want to climb Mount Everest."
He shivered. "No way. That sounds like a nightmare. It gets cold enough here in Korea."
"I give up. Tell me."
Jungkook's smile softened. "It's stupid."
"If it's your dream, it can't be stupid." Taehyung's fingers squeezed his in encouragement.
The younger swallowed, looking nervous. "I want my mom to accept me for me instead of trying to change me into what she wants me to be."
"How can that be stupid, Jungkook?"
"Because I shouldn't have to want it in the first place."
Tae looked into his eyes for several seconds. "I told you that my business is in trouble, big trouble, and now I find myself facing a very difficult decision. I have two choices, neither of them good. If I make one decision, what I dedicated my whole life to would crumble, but if I choose the other, someone very important to me will probably get hurt in the process." He sighed, not looking happy.
"You're in a real Catch-22, huh?" Someone important to him. Jin? Could this be why his brother had shown up?
"Yeah."
"So is that why you're hiding out with me? Avoiding the decision?"
Taehyung watched Jungkook for a moment. "No. There's really nothing to be done at this point except for me to decide. Unless I get a miracle."
"And you have to make your choice this weekend?" When he nodded, Jungkook asked, "Have you made a decision yet?"
"No." His voice was gruff, and Jungkook covered Tae's hand with his own, his thumb rubbing back and forth over his knuckles. "Like I told you, I'm leaving this trip up to fate. You're the answer I was given. I can't help thinking that has to mean something."
Horror washed through Jungkook. "Me?"
"There's absolutely nowhere else I'd rather be than with you. You were my gift from fate." When the younger started to protest, Tae stopped him. "Let's make a deal. We'll avoid talking about your mother and my business so we can make today as happy as possible."
Jungkook made a face. "Avoiding any talk about your business is a whole hell of a lot easier."
Taehyung gave him a wicked grin. "Ha! You definitely have the home court disadvantage."
"Just for that, I'm not going to take you to get a new phone," Jungkook said smugly.
Tae's voice softened. "Who am I going to call? The only person I want to be with is here with me."
"Let's get out of here, Romeo," the younger said with a small smile.
"But we have to pick up the tuxes at eleven."
Jungkook's smile stretched even wider. "I know."
Taehyung paid the bill and they walked out of the restaurant, his arm around the younger's waist, holding his hip to his own. He leaned down to Jungkook's ear and whispered, "Do you know how distracting it was sitting across from you knowing you weren't wearing underwear under your pants?"
Jungkook laughed. "I could say the same. We need to shower and change clothes."
"Your mother mentioned she was going to pick up the flowers and check on the cake this morning before stopping by to make sure everyone's tux looks okay."
"So...we have an hour and a half in an empty house to go back, shower, and change?"
Tae stopped next to the car, pulling Jungkook to his chest. "And other things." He kissed the younger with more intensity than he'd expected, but he wasn't about to complain.
"Definitely other things," he murmured against his lips.
He broke free and opened the car door. "Tell me we're close to your parents' house."
"Define close." Tae released a long groan, and Jungkook laughed. "Ten minutes. Tops."
"Paybacks are hell, Jeon Jungkook."
And they were, but deliciously so. Taehyung took advantage of the fact that Jungkook was stuck behind the wheel and without undergarments by skimming a hand along his thigh and shifting higher.
"God, you're so hard," he groaned.
Jungkook let out a soft gasp as Tae's fingers began to coax him close to a climax but never quite there. By the time he parked in the driveway, Jungkook was hot with desire and could think of nothing but getting Tae inside the house and stripping off his clothes.
Jungkook took Tae's hand and pulled him upstairs and into his bedroom. Pushing him against the wall, he reached for the elder's jeans. A devilish grin lit up Tae's face as he watched him. "You're so determined."
"You drove me crazy all the way here. It's my turn now." As Jungkook lowered his jeans, he dropped to his knees and helped Tae step out of the pant legs.
Taehyung looked down at Jungkook, his eyes hooded with lust and desire as the younger licked the length of his erection, then looked up at him. Their gazes met, and Taehyung released a low groan.
Impatient, Tae lifted Jungkook as if he were weightless. "I need you." The younger straddled his waist and wrapped his arms around Tae's neck and back, kissing him as he walked the short distance to the bed. Laying him down sideways on the mattress, he hovered over Jungkook, slowly taking his clothing off.
Jungkook writhed. "Stop teasing Tae. I want you now."
Taehyung accepted the invitation, both of them needing the connection. In another blaze of passion, they satiated each other, finding release in the pleasure.
Tae kissed Jungkook again, his tongue seeking the younger's out, his hand tangling in his hair.
"This is some honeymoon we're having," Jungkook grinned against his lips.
"You, Jeon Jungkook, are absolutely perfect."
"You're not so bad yourself," the younger said with a laugh.
"This is exactly what I mean," he said, pulling back to look into Jungkook's eyes. "We just did...this—and now we're laughing."
"You can't say sex, Tae?" he teased. "You really are a prude."
"This was not mere sex, Jungkook, and you know it. This doesn't even come close to anything I've ever experienced before." Some indeterminable emotion flickered in his eyes before fading. "But maybe it's not like that for you."
Jungkook shook his head in amazement. "My reaction five minutes ago didn't make it clear enough? This is not the norm for me."
"Neither do I."
"I've never..." The younger's words trailed off as he rested his hand lightly on Tae's cheek, his thumb tracing the outline of his bottom lip. This thing between them was special. It was worth saving. "Maybe we should just tell my mom everything and let the chips fall where they may."
Indecision flickered in his eyes. "You would really do that?"
"Stand up to my mother?"
"And tell her the truth. Can you do that and live with the consequences?"
Jungkook pulled back slightly. "What does that mean?"
"If your mother walked in right now and you told her everything, what do you think she would do?"
He shuddered. "It wouldn't be good."
"Yes, I guessed as much. But what exactly would she do?"
"She would disown me and ban my father and brother and Gran from ever speaking to me again."
"She would really do that?"
"She's done that exact same thing for lesser offenses. She has a brother. When I was in middle school, they had a stupid fight. Mother said it was over which toilet paper was better, of all things, but they haven't spoken since. Gran doesn't even mention him around my mother. And whenever I asked Gran about it, she would just say it wasn't her story to tell. That it was up to my mother if she wanted to tell me about it someday." Jungkook shook his head "Who could disown their own brother over something so ridiculous?"
Taehyung stared at him in shock.
"I know what you're thinking." Jungkook propped up on one elbow. "Why would I care what she thinks? But I don't want to lose my entire family. I love my father and Jimin-hyung. And while I know Gran would still call me, I'd never see her now that she's living with my parents. My father...he loves me but I'm not sure he loves me enough." The younger sat up, anxiety forming a ball in the pit of his stomach. "To tell her everything would make me an orphan in every sense of the word."
Tae sat up next to him, taking Jungkook's hand between both of his. "And what's the very best-case outcome from all of this?"
"Best-case? That we would get married tomorrow with them still thinking you're Taehyeon." Jungkook shook his head and pushed out his frustration with a heavy breath. "But since I don't see you changing your name in the near future, the far more likely best-case scenario is that you break up with me tonight and my mother spends the rest of her life shaming me. Every holiday I come home, I'll still hear that I single-handedly lost them twenty-five million won."
No, Jungkook would have to find another solution to this problem, but as he stared into Taehyung's worried face, he wasn't sure there was one. And he only had himself to blame.
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A/N: *coughthatsaboutasmuchsmutimcomfortablewritingcough* how are y'all enjoying the story? thank y'all for being dedicated readers!