Taehyung awoke the next morning with a headache like he had never felt before. The second he regained consciousness, he just wanted to go back to sleep and not wake up until he could be assured it was gone. The pain, and the disgusting taste leftover in his mouth from whatever alcohol he had consumed the night before.
Yes, he knew he had drank. But that was basically it. Being at Bambam's party and nearly passing out in the kitchen, and then...something. No, someone. Someone carried him here. He didn't get here on his own, that was for sure. The problem was when he tried to remember anything from last night his head throbbed, so he figured it was best not to think at all. And luckily, his question - well, one of them - was soon answered after the door to his dorm was opened, and someone walked in.
"Oh, you're awake. That's good. Listen, I know you said one time you hated black coffee, so I just got you French vanilla with cream and sugar. And a bagel."
Taehyung didn't respond. His head had started throbbing despite his attempts to avoid it by not using his brain. He squeezed his eyes shut, then allowed his gaze to travel over to his roommate's bed several feet away. It was empty.
"He came back like an hour ago," Jungkook said, making his way over to where Taehyung was. "He left right away, though. Apparently had an early class. Do you have class, Tae?"
"...no. I mean, I dunno." He groaned and placed a hand over his own forehead. "Even if I did I'm not going..."
"Yeah, I wouldn't recommend it, either." Jungkook smiled and lowered himself to sit beside Tae. Then, after making sure the boy was looking at him, he held out the coffee and bagel he had just gone out that morning to pick up. Taehyung could only stare tiredly at it, though. Tiredly, and in confusion. "Coffee is good for hangovers, according to people on the Internet. I wasn't sure if you'd have one, but I figured it was likely...seeing how drunk you were last night."
Taehyung's stomach churned. He couldn't get his words out, though. so in that time before the gears in his head started moving again, he accepted the brown paper bag and styrofoam cup Jungkook had kindly brought for him. Then he swallowed his breath.
"Jungkook..." He heard his own voice shake. Jungkook looked at him closely. "Was there...I mean, did I...say anything...last night?"
He was suddenly struck with the memory of Yoongi that night when their group of friends gathered to watch a movie, and the whole incident with Yoongi mistakenly drinking champagne, and clinging to Jimin and the sweet words that had trickled out of the older boy's mouth, and so on... Merely the thought of something having happened made him frantic. And the delay before Jungkook's reply was even worse.
"Oh, no, nothing really," he said, waving his hand dismissively. "Don't look so pale. You're so pale, Tae. You must feel awful."
"I do." He cringed. "Very awful."
"Mm...well, let's hope the coffee and bagel will help you feel at least a little better, hm?"
"...right."
He couldn't dismiss the sickening feeling - not from the hangover, but the one in his gut that insisted there was something more to this. Something he was missing. He didn't want to flat-out call Jungkook a liar but he also wouldn't deny that he felt the boy was keeping something from him. Whether small or significant, there was something.
"Jungkook, are you...sure there wasn't anything...? Like, I didn't drunkenly ramble about some stupid stuff, did I? Or do anything weird...?"
"Mm..."
There was a pause. Jungkook turned his head away to stare at his now folded hands in front of him, an inscrutable expression upon his face. Taehyung grew even more uneasy.
"There may have been a little something," he said quietly after some time. "But...can it wait? I want you to have breakfast first. And listen, don't be so worried about it, you look like you're gonna pass out again."
With great reluctance and an unsettled mind, Taehyung agreed to Jungkook's suggestion and went ahead with eating the bagel, which surprisingly enough didn't try to force itself back up his throat after he had pushed it down. And the coffee tasted divine. Just what he needed, a perfect remedy for the lingering sickness in his stomach. How unfortunate it didn't also cure the anxiety he was feeling right now.
"Jungkook-"
"You were quite the talker."
That wasn't what he wanted to hear - then again, Taehyung wasn't quite sure what he did want to hear. And Jungkook's laughter accompanying that brief comment...Tae also wasn't quite sure if this were a good sign or a terrible one.
"You were really drunk. Actually had me worried sick..." Jungkook's eyes wandered again as did his train of thought. Instead of giving Tae the answer he wanted, he was intentionally sidetracking. "I couldn't fathom why on earth you would ever get yourself so...." He let out a deep breath. "...I never want you to do that again. Sorry if I sound like a nagging mother, it's just..."
"Can we get back to the 'me being quite the talker' part?"
"Can you let me be worried about you?"
Taehyung shut his mouth immediately. Jungkook breathed a soft, 'thank you.'
"Anyway...I guess you were too out of it to remember anything," he continued, sighing. "I took you here, almost dropped you on the way. You were putting about zero effort into the walking process. But that's not important. I got you back here in one piece, that's important. And...after that, you kinda..." Another sigh. "I don't know, you were on about something, I didn't quite understand. But then you brought up Moonbin. And you were spewing some nonsense about him...something about being afraid I'd get with him since he and his boyfriend broke up. And I wish I could laugh it off and call it cute, but then you started crying..."
There was a change in Jungkook's expression now. A noticeable alteration, triggered by the memory of those tears of Taehyung's that had seemed endless.
"It broke my heart to see you cry," Jungkook said in a tender, sympathetic voice. "Really...it did. Because again, I just didn't understand, but you looked utterly miserable and I hated that...I hated seeing you in that state, Tae. I never, ever wanna make you cry again...and I say that, because I know now I was the reason for it..."
Silence settled for a short while as Jungkook gathered the rest of his thoughts. For some reason, during this process, a smile had slipped its way back onto his face, replacing that saddened look which made Taehyung's heart hurt.
"You went on with your rambling, and...you said you loved me."
That was when the bullet hit. An all-too-powerful bullet right to the head, one whose impact caused Taehyung's entire body to stiffen up. No. There was no way. He couldn't have actually let that slip, could he?? After how hard he tried to keep his feelings hidden?
"Did you mean that?"
Panic took over. "L-listen, Jungkook, I-I-"
"I love you, too, Tae. So it would be pretty awkward if you didn't."
It didn't sink in right away. Quite the opposite of the bullet effect, actually. It took a moment - no, several long moments of nothing but silent, hopelessly puzzled staring - before Taehyung could even begin to process the words spoken to him. It couldn't be a joke. Jungkook wasn't cruel enough to joke about something like that, he would never dream of playing with Taehyung's feelings like that. So that could only mean the confession had been in earnest.
"Tae? I...I asked you a question."
"What?"
"You meant it, right? You love me."
"What? W--of course I love you. Wait, I mean-"
He didn't get the chance to finish. Jungkook cut him off by pressing his lips against Taehyung's, slipping his hand behind the boy's head to hold it gently, but also to run fingers through his soft hair. With his eyes closed Jungkook allowed himself to melt into the kiss, thoroughly enjoying the sensation of his heart accelerating and his cheeks burning. He kissed Tae again. And again. And...
"T-Tae, could you please...close your eyes for this..."
He hadn't realized at first that Taehyung's eyes were open the entire time. And Taehyung hadn't realized it, either. He was too busy trying to process that Jungkook was actually kissing him right now.
"Tae? Hello...?"
"What is going on?"
"I'm trying to kiss you but you won't close your eyes and that just makes this embarrassing..."
"Oh." Tae blinked. "Right. O-...of course."
"Close your eyes, then."
So he did. Jungkook leaned in again to close the space between their lips. And Taehyung completely forgot about his headache.