"i said, can you not."
"not what?"
"lock the door. the police are here, they're gonna ask you something so please answer using your IQ."
"yeah whatever."
_____
"so you two have been under investigation for a bit now."
"no shit." taehyung and jungkook muttered at the same time.
"snarky comments won't be entertained." the officer cleared his throat before continuing.
"your records aren't necessarily the best either. we'll be coming back to inspect you once you're off house arrest, which is another month."
"a month?! sheriff said a few more days?" jungkook half yelled.
taehyung just looked the other way and huffed, annoyed at the fact that he'd have to handle himself messing up around jungkook and melting into a blushing mess.
"yeah and right now that's not what's happening so keep up, kid."
"fuck this, man." jungkook whined, earning a glare from taehyung.
"ugghhh, and him too? does he really have to stay here?"
taehyung had self respect. he didn't care if his heart was yearning to intertwine with jungkook's. he had a certain amount of dignity that he would protect.
"who said i'm staying here?" taehyung stated as a matter of fact.
"we did." the officer said plainly, still looking at a sheet of paper that seemed like a record of some sort. taehyung's eyes rolled and his tongue flashed against his cheek.
"where were you last week when the neighbour's car wasn't here?"
"that isn't very specific is it now officer?" taehyung's eyes sparkled and jungkook knew he was up to something.
"well then you must surely know when it was, kim taehyung. i'm giving you five seconds to admit it was you who stole it and went to unnatural speeds on a main road."
taehyung sighed dramatically and stated,
"i knew you'd be suspicious of me. which is why i kept a tape of us ready !!"
taehyung took a tape out of his pocket and handed it over to the police. jungkook wondered what was in there and his eyebrows furrowed in curiosity.
"here. it's jungkook and i making out. you got any more suspicions about where we were? or what we were doing that night, or where we were doing what,
sir?" taehyung breathed out the last word to jungkook, hooking his fingers onto jungkook's sweatpants and dragging him towards his own chest.
jungkook really wanted to slap that son of a bitch right now. but he couldn't. he was so under taehyung's spell that it wasn't good for him anymore.
but right now, he had to play along. if taehyung got caught that would mean double time in jail for the both of them. so he trailed his fingers across taehyung's chest and looked at him, other hand firmly set around the older's neck.
"we didn't know that, kim. sorry for the false accusations. but, if you two do find evidence leading to anyone who is responsible for this, send a message."
taehyung nodded, still looking at jungkook's eyes. jungkook hated this. he hated falling for someone he couldn't have. he hated taehyung so much but at the same time he knew he would have to accept his feelings sooner or later.
cupid doesn't wait forever.
as soon as the door clicked, taehyung shoved jungkook's chest away, rolling his eyes and sighing loudly.
"phew, that was a fucking close one. thanks for playing along, man." he stated as a matter of fact.
jungkook's jaw and fists clenched at the sight of taehyung not having any after effect of their proximity.
how dare he.
how dare he leave jungkook feeling all flustered.
how dare he make jungkook feel like he was worth something.
that goddamn suit of his and those eyes of his was bound to set anyone's heart beating rapidly.
jungkook had had enough of his mind and body reacting to taehyung this way.
taehyung's body jumped at the sound of a door slamming, his eyebrows furrowing at jungkook's actions.
that boy's got anger issues, taehyung thought, sipping on some beer as he crushed the cup and threw it in the bin.
"yo, jeon."
no answer.
"hey kook."
still no answer.
"what the fuck man, open up jeongguk."
there was silence so taehyung decided to knock his door and
maybe, just maybe he shouldn't have done that.
a shirtless jungkook opened the door, with a towel around his neck and a set of boxers so low that his v-line looked clearer than a river's path.
"what."
the tension was ridiculous, but both of them denied that the other even felt it.
"im going out for a bit." tae replied.
"you forget don't you? you always forget about yourself but then you warn me." jungkook eyed taehyung's lips and lifted his chin.
"excuse me, what?" taehyung said blankly, not taking his eyes off jungkook's because if he did he'd be staring at those fucking abs.
"tracers. tracers, you dummy." jungkook said softly and shook his head while smiling, shutting his door and leaving taehyung in the corridor like a two year old child who lost their mum in a supermarket.
"fucking hell, i knew there was something i forgot!" taehyung exclaimed.
he could hear jungkook's quiet giggles and minutes later he came out, still sweaty but fully clothed.
thank god for that.
--x--
a few hours went by in utter silence when kim decided it was time to ask him something.
"jungkook."
"hm."
"don't you think it's pointless?"
"what is?"
"trying to befriend me?"
"i don't give up, you know that. im stubborn as hell that way. and we've had this conversation before."
"no, i knew you were competitive. this just feels like you're doing it out of spite."
"no taehyung. that's you having trust issues. i don't chase after a person for this long, you of all fucking people should know that."
"and what the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"it means you're messing with my brain, taehyung. sooner or later, it's going to go downhill if we don't make it work and that will result in one or both of us getting hurt."
"i call bullshit."
"huh?"
"you wouldn't get hurt, jeon. it'd be me. you're strong, in and out. I ain't."
"that's where you're wrong, see. this entire situation is a mess.
it's us trying to be friends but my brain isn't settling for anything less than-"
jungkook stood up from the couch, realising that he said more than he wanted to.
"essentially it means i don't take no for an answer."
"no. tell me what you were going to say." taehyung shook his head, his brain pleading for jungkook to also have just a little bit of a soft corner for him. that's all he needed.
"im not entitled to, tae." jungkook weakly smiled, and looked down sadly as he went back to his room.
what were they?
in this game of push and pull, everyday seemed to push them closer to each other than ever before but also tear them apart.
and it hurt.
at least it hurt taehyung, he didn't know about jungkook.
--x--
both of them were falling hard and they didn't know where it all started.
maybe it was when jungkook genuinely smiled his bunny smile and taehyung felt his heart shudder.
maybe it was when taehyung looked at jungkook like he was the entire world and all it's seven wonders.
or maybe it was during one of their fights.
taehyung knew how much it hurt his heart when his body inclined to fight jungkook. he may have been physically ready but his mind was screaming at him, asking him why,
why he was doing it.
they'd been downright rude and assholes to each other. but somehow, it didn't feel right anymore.
right now, it mattered who took the next move to make it work.
it just felt like it was all over for them in the realm of rivalry.
___