Once he was ready, he trudged towards the bathroom and found the door half-open. He didn't have a reason to peek, but he did, and the scene had his body frosting over with awe.
Jeongguk was only in his boxers as he bent over the bathtub. His muscles flexed as he reached for what looked like a kind of attar and poured some into the water.
Taehyung found himself staring at his toned body meticulously — the sight was too mesmerizing to look away. It took him a moment to realize that Jeongguk had turned around and was now looking back at him with an arch smile on his lips.
"Although I'm sure you like what you see, stop peeking at me and come inside." Jeongguk's flirty tone left him throughout embarrassed.
Fuck, he caught me! Taehyung panicked as he opened the door and rushed inside. "I wasn't staring, it was just sudden to see you like this," he muttered as he neared him, keeping his eyes glued to the floor.
Jeongguk just chuckled at his remark and got into the jacuzzi. He let out a soft sigh as his body sank into the warm water and rested his head against the edge of the jacuzzi.
The older was self-conscious about taking his clothes off in front of him. His body was nowhere near toned and built as his, and he couldn't help but get nervous at the thought.
Jeongguk's eyes split open again as some time passed and he didn't receive any sign that the older had joined him. "What is it?" He scoped his posture, not missing how tense and uncomfortable he seemed.
"Um, nothing." He pushed his pants down, and thankfully, his shirt was oversized and covered the most part of his thighs. He fiddled with the hem of his shirt, ready to pull it off but wavered. "I'll just keep the shirt," he whispered in defeat as he shuffled closer.
"Why?"
"It's just embarrassing," Taehyung muttered as he slipped into the warm water and pressed himself against the corner of the jacuzzi, trying to stay as far away as possible from him.
"If you're really this uncomfortable, I can just leave." His chest deflated with the long sigh that tumbled out of him, eyes riveted on his stiff expression.
"No, you're here already and it's your jacuzzi anyway."
"I won't ask to join you again, I'm sorry," he said, bitter, and shut his eyes, resting his head back like before.
Taehyung's mouth opened and closed without any words coming out. It did feel weird to have Jeongguk with him in there, but he didn't mind. He was just feeling self-conscious about his body, and honestly, he was kind of intimidated by the younger's toned body.
"It's not your fault," Taehyung said under his breath but didn't get any kind of reaction from him. He blew out slowly the breath he was holding as he waited for Jeongguk to say something back. But he never did, something that caused him to pout and feel awful for making him mad? Sad? He didn't even know.
After some minutes of tense silence, Taehyung crawled towards him with diffident, careful moves, not really sure about what he was doing. He ended up going next to him and their shoulders bumped against each other as he leaned his head back like Jeongguk.
The younger shot his eyes open and gaped at the boy, who was now so close to him their sides were subtly touching.
It was as if Taehyung was able to feel his piercing stare on him and cracked an eye open to peek at him so he could confirm his suspicion. "Stop staring." He gave him a playful bump, eliciting a snort from him.
"I don't understand you," Jeongguk drawled, not whisking his gaze away in the slightest.
"I don't either."
"You don't understand me?"
"That too." Both chuckled at his remark. "But I don't understand me either."
Jeongguk huffed as his shoulders lifted in a lazy shrug. "Who understands themselves anyway?"
"But shouldn't we? We only have ourselves in this life anyway. Shouldn't we be able to understand ourselves at least?"
"You don't have only yourself. You have your friends, Inguk... me."
He stayed silent for a spell as he didn't seem able to take his eyes away from Jeongguk's spellbinding ones. "I mean... at the end of the day, we have only ourselves as we lie down in our bed. We have only ourselves as we wake up to start our day. We can't be surrounded by people 24/7. Isn't it odd that we can't understand ourselves if we spend so much time alone?"
Jeongguk puzzled over his words for a few seconds. "You have a point. But I'm sure you can understand yourself to some extent. It's just that sometimes you can't. And maybe you're not supposed to. I mean, you can never know yourself fully."
"True."
"And maybe, there are some things that you can understand about yourself, but you don't want to acknowledge them. For example, I'm sure you know why you don't want to take your shirt off, but you just don't want to tell me." He peered at him in depth as he spoke, tracing the tight muscles in his face and his now sunken eyes. "And I'm sure you know why you suddenly came here beside me, but you won't tell me that either."
Taehyung lowered his head as he listened to the younger; he was right, and he knew it, but he didn't have the courage to admit it. But then he thought that Jeongguk had already figured out there was a reason for his actions, and he realized that he didn't have anything to hide.
"I'm too skinny," he said in a muted tone, his saddened eyes staring at the water. "And you are... built and toned."
Jeongguk's brows clumped together at his words as he felt a surge of rage flash through him. "Yah, what the hell? That doesn't mean you're not beautiful."
"I just didn't want you to be disgusted by my body," he whispered as he dragged his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them.
"For fuck's sake, you're not anorexic Tae, you're just slim. And even if you were anorexic you would be just as beautiful. Whoever made you believe that you have to have a toned body to be beautiful or acceptable is a total shithead."
Taehyung pushed his chin deeper into his chest and tightened his grip around his knees. "I'm sorry, I made you mad."
"Fuck, Tae, don't apologize," he said with a heavy sigh and sneaked his arm over his shoulders, pulling him against his body. "I just don't want you to think like that." His tone was utterly velvety, soothing, his lips hovering above his head, inhaling his balmy, floral scent in the process. "How do you manage to smell so good even after hours of work?" He seemed to be so inebriated by his aroma as he drew in a few more deep puffs it led him to toss off something he probably shouldn't have.
Because his question had Taehyung panicking, his heart prancing, his face turning beet red, and his eyes growing double their size in absolute astonishment.
The thick silence carried on cruelly, and Jeongguk could only curse himself in his head, unable to believe what he just blurted out. Did I actually say that? Am I fucking crazy? He slammed his eyes shut in stark frustration and edged away a few seconds later.
He cleared his throat, red-faced, uneasy to the core, and shifted to the other side of the jacuzzi. "I'm just gonna go take a shower in the other bathroom," he said with a chuckle chock-full of awkwardness and stepped out of the jacuzzi.
Although Taehyung gaped at him with big questioning eyes from the moment he pulled away, the younger didn't venture to even give him another glance until the very moment he vanished from there, leaving him alone and outright shaken about what happened.
That wasn't normal, Taehyung thought as he got out of the jacuzzi. Okay, that was definitely not normal. Or is it normal for a friend to tell you that you smell nice? Maybe it is? Why am I fucking clueless about these things?
But he said I'm beautiful. A bashful smile dangled on the corner of his lips as he mused over what the younger said to him. Coming out of a person like Jeongguk, who was extremely handsome and overall hot, made him feel good, content. He thinks I'm beautiful.
Am I too much? Jeongguk thought as he started showering, still frustrated with himself. Am I too obvious? Stupid brain, why the hell did you have to be so straightforward? I'm sure he's completely confused about my stupid behavior and probably scared to come near me again. Fuck.
After some time of cursing himself mentally, he dragged his feet to his bedroom. Just be cool and don't say anything stupid, he warned himself as he slid the door open, his moves unsure, halting. He spotted Taehyung sitting in his bed with his legs crossed, drawing random patterns on the mattress. The boy met his gaze and nibbled his bottom lip, as if contemplating something.
"I felt bad," Taehyung mumbled, catching the other off guard as he sat next to him. "I didn't have a problem with you joining me in the jacuzzi, although it was a little awkward at first. And I felt bad because you thought that I did. That's why I came beside you," he explained with a small, shaky voice as he glanced at him multiple times, unable to keep eye contact.
Upon seeing his pouty face and hearing his faltering voice, all Jeongguk wanted was to enfold him into his embrace and tell him that it was okay. But after what he said before, he didn't dare to do that — he couldn't do that. Instead, he presented a delicate smile to him and kept his distance like Taehyung probably wanted. "You wanted to cheer me up."
"Kind of? I don't want you to be moody."
"Well, thank you then," Jeongguk sneered, and the other reached out to smack his shoulder at his taunting tone but retracted his hand rather fast.
"I don't want you to tickle me," he explained as he espied the baffled look on his face.
"Who said I won't even if you don't smack me?"
"Yah! Don't, I'm gonna die."
"Exaggerating again I see," he said through his cackle, and Taehyung couldn't help but chuckle as well.
Silence ticked on after their laugh piped down, and Taehyung's eyes wandered all around the room as a question that was itching him for a while popped up into his head again. He twiddled with his shirt, unsure about unfolding his mouth, but with a pull of fortifying air, he laid his eyes on him. "How do I usually smell like?"
The unexpected question rendered Jeongguk in a daze and caused his whole body to clench as he tittered for no apparent reason. "You smell like... flowers. I don't know how to explain it, but you just smell like something nice that gives a warm feeling."
A fond smile stretched on Taehyung's lips as he dropped his head, sheepish. "Do I smell like that now?"
Jeongguk whipped his gaze at him as he gulped anxiously. There was only one way to answer his question, and that was to get closer and actually smell him.
With cautious moves, he inched closer, not failing to notice that Taehyung did the same and tilted his head to the side, exposing more of his neck to him.
Soon enough, he tucked his face into the crook of his neck and inhaled as he moved to the spot underneath his ear at a glacial pace. He allowed his nose and lips to touch his sleek skin in the process, something that had him wondering how it would feel to pepper it with kisses.
He shivered at his thoughts but didn't draw away. Instead, he resumed dragging on his nerve-soothing scent, striving to constrict his sudden desire to have a taste of him.
What he didn't know was that Taehyung was thinking the exact same thing; how his lips would feel pressed against his skin. A heap of quivers shot up his spine at the ecstatic feeling that slight contact held, and his eyes fluttered closed as a stream of inappropriate thoughts infiltrated his mind.
He was so absorbed in the moment he failed to register that the warmth on his neck disappeared, but then he sensed a hot breath brush against his cheek, and he snapped his eyes open. He was met with Jeongguk's doe eyes drilling holes into him, and his breath hitched at the proximity.
Similarly, because of how close their faces were, the younger's mind went blank, completely forgetting that Taehyung had asked him a question. They held eye contact for a little while longer as they stayed motionless, simply scrutinizing one another with bated breath.
"So?" Taehyung uttered, pulling him out of his trance.
Jeongguk jerked his head away and let out a muted titter as he scooted over just a tad. "Now you smell like my body wash."
He giggled at his reply, his face aglow by the beam that swept across it. "It smells nice, though."
"Do you want to go to your apartment tomorrow so you can take the rest of your things?" Jeongguk asked after a moment, his voice wary, quiet.
"Are you sure you're okay with me staying here?"
"Of course, Tae. I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't okay with that."
"Okay then."
"Great! I'll pick you up after your shift. Do you want to eat there or order takeout?"
"I want takeout, and it would be nice if we went to that place again with the lake. I wasn't able to enjoy it the first time."
"Why? Because I pissed you off?"
"Honestly? Yes. You were such an asshole." He slapped his shoulder, evoking a throaty chuckle from him.
"You were too, you know," Jeongguk responded in a coltish, jeering tone.
"You were more."
"Oh my God, you're such a kid."
"Says the one who has a freaking playroom."
"Grown-ups play games too!" he argued back, huffy, as he stubbornly crossed his arms over his chest.
"True." Taehyung shrugged, and they broke into soft chuckles as they peered at each other.
As the conversation lapsed into silence, Jeongguk found himself thinking back to what happened just moments ago. He couldn't forget how smooth his skin felt against his nose and lips when he smelled him. And he would be lying if he said that he didn't want Taehyung to ask him to do it again.
"Are you okay?" Taehyung questioned when he detected his spaced-out state.
"Um, yeah, yeah."
"What were you thinking?"
"Nothing really." Just how perfect you are.
"Come on, I talked about my thoughts to you," he said in a whiny tone as he pouted cutely.
"Yeah, only once," he snickered. "That doesn't make you less of a mystery."
"You think of me as a mystery?"
"I think of you as a lot of things," he muttered so quietly Taehyung almost didn't hear him.
"If I asked you to explain, you wouldn't, right?"
"Definitely not now," he said, regretting his previous remark. Taehyung didn't have to know how fond of him he was.
"Well, I'll let you sleep then. It's late."
"Yeah."
Another round of silence took over them as they awkwardly glanced around the room. But the older crawled closer to him seconds later and curled his arms around his nape, startling him a notch. "Thank you, Kook. For everything." He caressed the back of his head at a slow pace, savoring the moment.
The younger ringed his petite body with his arms as well, and a smile sprawled on his lips at his tender touch. "Don't worry about it. I'm glad I can help." His body took control then and led him to place a delicate kiss on his neck without having even a second to stop himself.
He kissed me, he kissed me, he fucking kissed me! Taehyung was driven into another internal freakout, and although he tried to play it unruffled, the younger noticed how his body hardened in his embrace.
"Fuck, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." Jeongguk frantically murmured as he jolted away from him.
"It's okay." No, it's most certainly not okay, what the fuck was that and why did it feel so good?
"Um, I left the extra pillow in your room for you," he said, too embarrassed to make eye contact with him.
"Thank you," Taehyung uttered as he gave him a reserved smile and rolled out of his bed. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight." Jeongguk lifted his head and gazed at him as he walked towards the door. He heaved a sigh the moment he left his vision and flopped back into the bed, feeling once again frustrated by his stupid brain.
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We're getting there slowly! Thank you for everything guys💜🌹