Neighbor|Taekook - Chapter 19: Chapter 19

Jungkook's eyelids fluttered and he opened his eyes. He was lying on his back, looking at the ceiling. The sun was already up, casting warm glow on the walls and for once it seemed like it was a sunny day ahead. He blinked few times, to adjust to the light, then he reached over to check the time on his phone.
Oh wait... He forgot, that he wasn't in his bed, nor his room. He slowly turned his head, to see if the room owner was still sleeping. Taehyung had his arm slung across Jungkook's belly, his head at the crook of his neck and his legs wrapped around his. Jungkook got flustered, not knowing what to do with with his hyung glued to his side.
Kim Koala Bearhyung...Aish, what now?! Taehyung's breathing was slow and deep and it seemed like he was nowhere near waking up. At least he slept well... Can't say the same for me... it was...it was a bit frustrating... He couldn't stop thinking about the unfinished business of last night.
I almost lost it... how... why did it feel so freaking good?! How can anything in this world feel so good? I've never experienced anything like that...
He gently pushed away Taehyung's arm, and wiggled out of his hold. He tiptoed to Taehyung's kitchen and examined the content of his fridge. What does he even eat?! There's nothing! I have to make him some proper breakfast... The eggs and milk seemed fresh, he searched through cupboards and found some flour and sugar. Pancakes, he can't say no to pancakes...
He quickly made a pancake batter, heated up a pan and soon fluffy pancakes started piling on a large plate. He added a dash of cinnamon to the batter and the whole kitchen got filled with a delicious warm aroma. He was about to scoop out last of too many pancakes from the pan onto the plate, when he heard something. Before he could turn around, Taehyung's arms wrapped around his waist and he back hugged him.
"Good morning, bunny,"his morning voice was low and husky.
Jungkook flinched,"did I...did I wake you up?"
"Yeah, with this delicious smelling breakfast, I'm sooo hungry."
"Well, good... because I think I made too many...When I cook, I always cook just for myself...I need to get used to cooking for two."
"Oh, you mean you want to cook for me regularly?"
"Uh... no...I..."
Think before you speak, idiot!
Taehyung giggled and nuzzled his neck,"you need to stop being so cute."
"Yeah, whatever..."Jungkook pushed Taehyung away,"they are going to get cold, so sit down."
"I don't think giving me orders like that, is a smart thing for you to do..."
"Do you want to eat or not, hyung?"
Taehyung raised one eyebrow,"remember, this my kitchen..."
Jungkook ignored him and plated the warm pancakes for him, with a knob of butter and syrup. "Remember, you can't cook," he put the plate down on the table and pinned Taehyung with his stare.
"Okay, okay...you seem grumpy, Jungkookie," he finally obeyed and sat down.
If only you knew why I'm grumpy... Falling asleep was so difficult... and you are the reason why! Why would you tease me like that?!
"It's because I'm hungry too,"he put few pancakes on his plate and also sat down at the table.
Taehyung took a first bite, chewed for a while and said nothing.
"Are they... are they bad?" Jungkook asked worried. "I don't make pancakes often, so I don't know if..."
"It's a mystery to me... How did you manage to make something so delicious out of empty fridge? You must have superpowers, Junkookie," he took another bite.
Jungkook smiled satisfied,"did you sleep well, hyung?"
"With you by my side...never better."
"That's good."
"And you? I hope I wasn't snoring or anything."
"You weren't, don't worry."
"So did you sleep well?"
Not at all... How was I supposed to?!
"Yeah," he took Taehyung's already empty plate, put more pancakes on and generously poured syrup on top.
"What should we do today? It's Friday, so we should do something fun,"Taehyung asked taking the plate.
"It's sunny, maybe we should go outside for a while."
"Han River?"
"Sounds good."
"Are you still grumpy?"
"No."
"Yes you are, what's going on?"
So many things are going on...How can he be so careless? Like this is the most normal thing to do? Like this morning is just like any other morning?! Like I just didn't share a bed with him last night?!
"Hyung, when... when my parents return, this... this cannot continue..."
"What do you mean by 'this'?"
"Well, this...exactly this...Me cooking for you, having breakfast together, sl...sleeping together...It will stop."
"Do you not want it to stop?"
Jungkook felt his ears getting red, he looked down," maybe not..."
"So you're enjoying my company?"
"Isn't it obvious, hyung?"he got shy all of a sudden.
"Not at all. Half of the time, you're annoyed or mad at me... How can it be obvious?"
So he never notices?
"S...sorry, I don't mean to be like that. I guess...I'm not good at expressing myself."
"How about we try it now? Make it obvious... Show me, that you're enjoying my company."
"H...how am I supposed to do that?"
Taehyung shrugged his shoulders and tapped his fingers on the table,"I'm waiting."
"I enjoy your company, hyung."
"Wow, that didn't feel sincere at all..."
"But I meant it."
"Actions speak louder than words."
What does he want me to do? This is so stupid...
"Well, yesterday...I think my body spoke louder than anything,"he knew that his face was all red at this point.
Taehyung smirked, but still looked unimpressed,"body doesn't have to reflect mind every time..."
He does have a point... But...was my mind reflecting my body? Probably...
"You're right...it definitely didn't reflect my mind."
"Oh..."
"It didn't mean anything."
"Really? Then why did you let me go lower and lower? Why didn't you stop me?"
Shit!
"I...I was too shocked, I couldn't think properly."
"Is that so?"Taehyung smirked again.
"Yes."
Stop asking me about it! I'm dying just thinking about it!
"But I'm pretty sure, you liked what I was doing."
"Absolutely not. If it wasn't for the storm I would go and sleep in my bed."
"You were saying something else yesterday."
"Just to make you feel better."
"Aha..."
"I didn't like it, actually I had a hard time falling asleep, because I was quite disturbed by what had happened."
"I know exactly why you had a HARD time falling asleep,"the smirk was not leaving his face.
Hell no...
Jungkook pushed his chair back and quickly grabbed both of their plates, turned away and hastily walked to the sink, to wash them. It seemed that every time Jungkook would turn his back on Taehyung, the older one would see it as a chance for a back hug. It was no different this time and while Jungkook was aggressively scrubbing the already clean plate, Taehyung sneaked behind him and embraced him.
"There is no need to be hiding anything Kookie,"he whispered.
"Hyung, this needs to stop...Maybe we shouldn't be spending that much time together..."
"Is that what you wish for?"
"I don't know..."
"What are you so afraid of?"
"What are YOU afraid of, hyung? Because I know, you're afraid of something."
Taehyung let go off of him and stepped back. Jungkook turned off the water tap and turned around to face him with a stern look on his face.
"Hyung, are you..." he couldn't get the words out of his mouth.
Taehyung had a serious look on his face too, but remained silent.
"Are you...you...know what I mean..."
Taehyung didn't say anything.
Jungkook took a deep breath, his hands started shaking. The water was dripping from his hands on the kitchen floor and each drop seemed too loud, when it hit the cold tiles. His heart was beating and suddenly it was hard to keep looking into those dark and patient eyes.
"Are you..."it felt like there was no air in the room for him to breathe.
"Say it,"Taehyung didn't even blink.
"Are you...gay?"Jungkook choked out and felt like he was going to black out.
Taehyung said nothing for a while, which seemed like eternity and Jungkook was considering drowning himself in the kitchen sink to make this moment go away. It seemed like the time has frozen and there was no one on the planet just two of them with their beating hearts. Everything got quiet apart from those two hearts...Hearts beating for each other.
"Would you get upset if I say yes?"Taehyung finally broke the silence.
Jungkook felt the tears coming up. What kind of question is that?! Why is he asking me that?!
"It doesn't matter," he whispered.
"Then why did you ask?"
Why? Is he really not afraid of anything? He has to be... and so am I...
"I honestly don't know what you see in me, hyung... So I was wondering... if...if you're keeping me close for...physical needs...And...I just wanted to know..."
Taehyung looked at him surprised," how the hell has that crossed your mind?!"
"Forget it..."
I have to go...I need to go...I need to get away... There was no air in his lungs, he's lost the feeling in his limbs, his mind was blank, but his heart was beating stronger than anything in this world.
Taehyung took a step closer and waited whether Jungkook would step back. He didn't, so Taehyung took another step to cross the distance between them. He took Jungkook's face in his hands an made him look into his eyes.
"If you really want to know...You're not going to get an answer, I don't label myself. And what you're thinking... that reasoning is completely wrong. So wrong, Jungkookie... I would never do anything like that."
"Then, why me?"he wanted to get away, looking into Taehyung's eyes felt like being burned alive at that moment.
"It's...your face..."
"Huh?"
"Nothing,"Taehyung shook his head,"I wish you could see your worth..."
"Why do you think I'm so special? I've tried to befriend so many people and they've only turned their backs on me. Yet you, no matter what I do, no matter how bad my behavior is, no matter how many horrible things I say to you, you seem to remain..."
"I have no other option at this point."
"Why?!"
"Because I've fallen for you."
Jungkook really felt like he was burned alive, he couldn't stand it and looked away. That didn't help so he closed his eyes, while Taehyung was still cupping his face.
"This cannot continue, hyung," he whispered. "This is..."he felt Taehyung running his thumb gently over his bottom lip.
"Don't think about it too much, Kookie. Nobody has to know... it's no one's business."
"I don't want to lie to people."
"You don't have to...You just won't say the whole truth."
"That's scary..."
"Remember, I'm here...The way you protect me...I protect you. And I promise to protect you, no matter what. There's nothing to be afraid of."
"But you are afraid too."
"Maybe you're right, but life is about taking risks, I guess."
"I don't want to risk anything."
"We talked about this yesterday...Do you really want to live like that?"
"No..."
"Then?"
"Nobody has to know?"
"Nobody."
Jungkook slowly opened his eyes and in the bright sunlight pouring into the kitchen Taehyung looked ethereal. And at that moment he felt, that he can completely trust this boy. Trust with everything, his body, his heart, he felt so safe and content. Their chests touching, hearts beating together.
"This is my mind speaking,"Jungkook said and pressed his lips onto Taehyung's. "I don't know what you consider obvious, hyung, but to me...this is pretty obvious."
Taehyung pulled him in closer and hugged him tightly. "I guess it's my turn to ask you."
"Hm?"Jungkook buried his face in his chest, enjoying the warm embrace.
"Are you?"
"No."
"Okay."
"Maybe...I don't know..."
"It's okay."
"It's not...but when I'm with you, hyung...it seems like it's okay."
"That's why I'm here...You protect me, I protect you."
"Forever?"
"Forever."
For the first time, Jungkook felt completely comfortable being so close to Taehyung. He wasn't freaking out, he didn't feel like passing out anymore. It was the exact opposite, he didn't want to let go. He wanted to stay with Taehyung, he didn't need anybody else.
"Hyung?"
"Yeah?"
"Have you ever kissed a boy before?"
"I have..."
"Oh..."it wasn't an answer Jungkook wanted to hear.
"Do you mind?"
"Not if you promise to kiss no one else but me, from now on."
"That will be the easiest promise to keep."
They finally broke the hug and for some reason there was an awkwardness between them. Jungkook turned away and started washing the clean plates again. "Hyung, could you please put my dirty clothes into the washing machine? I piled them on yesterday in your room."
"Sure,"Taehyung walked out of the kitchen leaving Jungkook alone, just as he wanted.
After making sure, that Taehyung was out of sight, he slid down to the floor. I'm pretty sure I will regret this... He will regret it...And things will go to hell... And I'm the one to blame... He would've probably never brought this up... We could've stayed just friends...What are we now anyway? More than friends? No... I guess it doesn't matter... And it's a secret...But what if someone finds out? I have to be careful... I've told myself to be careful with him too... I've failed that completely...I trust him though...that's the scary thing...
"Jungkook-a shall we go outside now, while it's still sunny?" Taehyung called.
Jungkook lost his train of thought and stood up,"yeah, let's go."
He went back to his place to change, he took off Taehyung's clothes and put them in his wardrobe, next to his leather jacket. It was almost like he had a need to have a piece of Taehyung with him, in his room and he wasn't willing to let that go. After putting on his clothes, he made his way to the kitchen and quickly assembled few sandwiches as it was almost lunch time. He packed them well and took them with him. Then him and Taehyung went outside.
They were greeted by bright sunlight, but the air was cold. Taehyung held out his hand for Jungkook and smiled.
Jungkook shook his head,"wouldn't people look weird at us?"
"Because we're holding hands? What's wrong with that?"
There's really nothing wrong with that...But...there's everything wrong with the society...
Jungkook didn't reply and continued walking, putting his hands into pockets. Taehyung caught up with him, looking a bit displeased,"can I at least put my arm around you?"
Jungkook nodded reluctantly, he wasn't comfortable anymore. He felt like everybody was looking at them and no matter how innocent and friendly Taehyung's arm on his shoulders looked, somehow he was convinced that people around knew their secret. He felt like he was accused of some crime and people were judging him, knowing perfectly well what he's done. He pushed Taehyung's arm off.
"What's wrong, Jungkookie?"
"People are looking..."
"So? Let them look..."
"No... I'm not okay with that... can't we just walk normally without holding hands or such?"
"If you prefer it that way..."Taehyung sighed.
While they were walking side by side, keeping a distance between them, Jungkook couldn't shake off that feeling like he's being watched and judged silently. The eyes of people around piercing him and making him feel paranoid...
"Hyung, have you told people... about yourself? Does somebody know?"
"Yeah."
"And? Are they okay with it? They don't judge you?"
"Maybe if you look closer, you might realize, that it's not such a rare thing... There are many people like that."
"D...do you know someone... like that?"
"Of course."
After several minutes of walking in the sun, they made their way to the Han River and sat down at a bench. It was already past lunch time and Jungkook took out the sandwiches he had made. After finishing their late lunch, they were watching the river flow slowly, it's surface glittering in the sun setting lower and lower on the horizon.
"Remember this bench?"Taehyung asked.
"Wait...We sat here on our first date, right?"
"First date? We had a date?"Taehyung raised and eyebrow and looked at him amused.
Fuck! How many times will I regret not thinking before speaking?! So it wasn't a date? What then? Of course he wouldn't consider that a date...ugh, I'm stupid...
"Uh...you know...when we ate Tteokkochi here..."Jungkook was embarrassed.
"Was that a good first date, then?"
"It wasn't a date!"
"Yeah, right... Then why is your face so red, Jungkookie? Could it be that you're too shy to admit that you went on a date with a man?"
"Shut up."
"Oh you were much more polite back than. I thought, what a cute and well mannered dongsaeng. Now you are turning into quite a brat."
Oh him and his lectures again... Screw him...
"As far as I know, you are very fond of bad boys or so called brat, so you shouldn't be complaining. Isn't that right, hyung?"
To Jungkook surprise Taehyung got a bit shy, he looked down, his face covered by his bangs. The subtle autumn breeze blew his hair away and Jungkook could see, that Taehyung was in fact blushing.
Jungkook leaned in and whispered into his ear,"I can be a cute and polite dongsaeng or a foulmouthed brat, for you...whatever you want, hyung."
"Who knew you'd be such a tease,"Taehyung looked up kissed him on the cheek.
"Hyung! Not here...what if someone..."Jungkook hissed.
"Sees us?"
"Yes!"
"Then, we better give them a show,"he grabbed Jungkook's chin and turned his head towards him and kissed him on the lips.
Jungkook tried to push him away, but Taehyung was resisting. He hugged Jungkook and pulled him even closer. Many people would come and watch the sunset at the Han River and Jungkook knew that he had to do something to stop his hyung. He bared his teeth and bit Taehyung's bottom lip.
Taehyung pulled away immediately and there was a droplet of blood on his lip. "Oh, he bites...interesting..."
Jungkook looked around, there was and elderly couple looking straight at them. He moved to the edge of the bench right away, as far from Taehyung as possible,"hyung, you should take this a little bit more seriously!"
Taehyung licked away the blood from his lip and pinned Jungkook with his stare. "You will pay for this."
Oh shit! Now he's pissed off...
"There are people looking, we should go,"Jungkook threw away the sandwich wrapping and started quickly walking away. The elderly couple was still looking at them and Jungkook felt like dying, he was so embarrassed.
He slowed down once he was at a safe distance. Taehyung caught up with him, which made him speed up again, he couldn't deny that he was a bit scared of him now.
"Hey!"Taehyung grabbed his wrist,"care to wait for me?"
"S...sorry..."
"I have to say, that you are fulfilling the role of a brat perfectly."
"I'm sorry hyung...is...is your lip okay?" He reached out to touch his bottom lip with his fingers.
Taehyung grabbed his wrist again. "Now you feel sorry, huh? It hurts, but if you kiss it, it will hurt less."
"Now?! Here?!"they were on a street, which was even now during Chuseok pretty busy.
"Are you sure you are sorry? It doesn't seem that way?"
Ugh...it always has to be his way...At least the sun has set... Hopefully no one will se this.
He rolled his eyes and despite his whole being, whole universe telling him not to do it, he softly kissed Taehyung's lips.
"I'm really sorry, hyung. I'll buy you a dinner."
"You better,"the scary expression disappeared from Taehyung's face, replaced by a smirk.
They grabbed a dinner from one of the street vendors and ate it on their way back.
"I hope I didn't ruin this day for you, hyung. We haven't done anything fun today..."
Taehyung wrapped his arm around his shoulders and this time Jungkook didn't dare to push it away.
"I've had plenty of fun... By the way, are you planning on returning my clothes?"
"Uh...yeah, of course..."
"You're such a bad liar,"Taehyung smiled and ruffled his hair. They got to their apartment complex, both of them feeling quite tired despite not doing much today.
They walked inside the elevator and after Jungkook pushed their floor button, Taehyung pinned him against the wall panel.
"There's a camera here!" Jungkook protested.
"I want you in my bed," Taehyung growled into his ear and pressed his body against Jungkook's.
God have mercy with me... Jungkook legs almost buckled at the intensity with which Taehyung had said those words. And not this again! He could feel how undeniably hard he was getting. But his erection was also pressing against something else. Fuck! It seemed that Taehyung was experiencing the same problem in his pants.
The elevator door opened and Taehyung dragged him out, then through the corridor and then through his front door.
"Hyung, wait..."
"You will sleep in my bed tonight, that's without a question."
"What if I say no? Will you force me?"
"Are you saying no?"
Jungkook was quiet.
"Thought so..."Taehyung smirked and dragged him to his room.
He pushed Jungkook onto his bed,"now, I believe we have some unfinished business from last night."