The first rays of sunlight spilled through the curtains, painting the living room in a soft, golden hue. Taehyung stirred on the couch, his legs tangled in a throw blanket, his neck stiff from an awkward sleeping position. He blinked groggily, rubbing at his eyes as the events of the previous night slowly trickled back into his consciousness.
He sat up with a groan, running a hand through his tousled hair. Right... Jungkook. The memory of hauling Jungkook to the guest room and their accidental closeness made Taehyung's face heat up instantly.
He glanced toward the hallway leading to the guest room, debating whether to check on Jungkook. But the idea of confronting him so earlyâespecially with his heart still racing from the lingering memoriesâfelt daunting.
With a resigned sigh, Taehyung stood up and shuffled toward the kitchen. Breakfast. Focus on breakfast. Don't overthink it. He pulled out a frying pan and some ingredients from the fridge, determined to occupy his mind with something mundane.
As he cracked eggs into a bowl, his thoughts betrayed him. Images of Jungkook smiling, pouting, and acting all too endearingly "drunk" looped in his mind. He groaned, whisking the eggs with more force than necessary.
________
The sound of soft footsteps snapped Taehyung out of his spiraling thoughts. He turned toward the hallway just as Jungkook emerged, his hair slightly messy but his face looking refreshed and... sheepish?
"Morning," Jungkook greeted, his voice warm yet tentative. His dimpled smile made Taehyung's chest tighten.
"Morning," Taehyung replied, forcing himself to sound casual as he turned back to the stove. "Sleep well?"
"Like a baby," Jungkook lied, scratching the back of his neck. He was still trying to gauge the mood, unsure how much Taehyung rememberedâor, more importantly, how much Taehyung thought he had forgotten.
"You seemed... out of it last night," Taehyung said, his tone laced with mild amusement. He glanced over his shoulder, catching Jungkook's slightly widened eyes.
"Yeah, I, uh, don't remember much," Jungkook said, faking a sheepish laugh. He leaned casually against the counter, watching Taehyung's movements. "What happened? Was I a handful?"
Taehyung snorted. "That's an understatement. You were heavy, clingy, andâ" He cut himself off, realizing he was saying too much. "Never mind."
Jungkook tilted his head, a teasing glint in his eyes. "Clingy, huh?"
Taehyung's ears turned pink as he avoided Jungkook's gaze, focusing intently on the pan in front of him. "Shut up and sit down," he muttered, his voice slightly gruff with embarrassment. He gestured vaguely toward the dining table without looking back.
Jungkook chuckled, clearly enjoying the rare sight of a flustered Taehyung. "Alright, alright," he said, raising his hands in mock surrender as he pushed off the counter and made his way to the table. He settled into a chair, resting his chin in his hand as he continued to watch Taehyung .
Taehyung busied himself, but he couldn't ignore the way Jungkook's gaze lingered on him. It made his skin prickle with an odd mix of self-consciousness and warmth. He tried to suppress the fluttering in his chest, telling himself it was just the lingering effects of a sleepless night.
"Thanks for this, by the way," Jungkook said after a moment, his voice softer now. "I didn't mean to crash here and make you take care of me."
Taehyung finally glanced at him, catching the sincerity in his expression. For a moment, his guard slipped, and he offered a small, genuine smile. "It's not a big deal," he said, his tone quieter than before. "You would've done the same for me."
Jungkook's dimpled smile returned, softer this time. "Yeah," he said simply, his eyes warm as they met Taehyung's. "I would've."
Taehyung turned away quickly, pretending to be busy, but his heart was racing. There was something about the way Jungkook looked at him, something unspoken that made the air feel heavier. He wasn't sure what to do with the feeling, so he focused on the task.
Taehyung was determined to handle breakfast himself. He moved around the kitchen with a sense of purpose, trying to distract himself from the events of the night before. The sizzling of eggs in the pan and the aroma of toasting bread filled the small kitchen, and for a moment, he felt grounded. That was, until Jungkook appeared behind him, leaning casually against the counter.
"Let me help," Jungkook said, his voice cutting through Taehyung's thoughts.
Taehyung glanced over his shoulder, startled. "You don't have to. I've got it."
Jungkook ignored him, stepping closer to grab a knife and a cutting board. "Two pairs of hands are faster," he said with a cheeky grin, nudging Taehyung aside to start slicing the vegetables that Taehyung had barely prepared. Their hands brushed briefly in the exchange, and Taehyung pulled back, his pulse quickening.
He hesitated, but Jungkook's dimpled smile was disarming. "Fine," Taehyung relented, trying to act nonchalant. "But don't mess up my system."
Jungkook chuckled as he began chopping, the blade moving with more precision than Taehyung expected. "Your system? Looks like chaos to me."
"It's organized chaos," Taehyung shot back, turning his attention to flipping the eggs in the pan. "Don't ruin it."
The kitchen filled with the clinking of utensils and their light banter, the tension from earlier easing into something more comfortable. Taehyung tried to focus on the task at hand, but his eyes kept drifting to Jungkookâhis steady hands, his sharp jawline, the slight crease in his brow as he concentrated on the vegetables.
"You're cutting those unevenly," Taehyung pointed out, desperate for something to say to fill the silence.
Jungkook paused, raising an eyebrow as he turned to face him. "Says the guy who almost burned his toast earlier."
Taehyung's ears burned. "That was on purpose."
"Sure it was," Jungkook teased, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
Taehyung glared at him, but his lips betrayed him by twitching upward into a reluctant smile. The easy banter made his heart feel lighter, even as the nervous energy simmered beneath the surface.
When breakfast was finally ready, they set the table together. The spread was simpleâeggs, toast, and some sautéed vegetablesâbut the aroma was comforting. They sat across from each other at the small dining table, the morning light filtering through the window and casting a soft glow over the room.