Jungkook froze.
Taehyung's words echoed in his mind, looping over and over like a song stuck on repeat.
I think I'm falling for you, Jungkook.
His fingers were still wrapped around Taehyung's wrist, but he couldn't move, couldn't speakâhis mind had short-circuited.
For days, he had been tormenting himself over what Taehyung wanted.
Was it just teasing?
Was it just fun?
Was it just a game to him?
And nowânow Taehyung had laid it all out, his voice trembling with something so raw that it left Jungkook completely unarmed.
Was this real?
Did he really mean it?
Or was it just the heat of the moment?
Jungkook's jaw tensed, his mind racing through every interaction, every lingering gaze, every moment Taehyung had driven him insane with his reckless flirting.
And then, finally, he realizedâ
Taehyung had never looked at anyone else like this.
The way he looked at him.
Jungkook's chest tightened.
He had spent so long resisting this, convincing himself that what he wantedâwhat he feltâwas nothing more than misplaced attraction. That whatever existed between them wasn't real.
But now, staring at Taehyung, seeing the way his eyes flickered with uncertainty, Jungkook wasn't so sure anymore.
He didn't even realize he was staring until Taehyung shifted uncomfortably under his gaze.
The silence stretched between them, heavy and suffocating.
Taehyung's heart pounded.
Jungkook wasn't saying anything.
And the longer he stayed quiet, the more Taehyung started to panic.
Had he messed up?
Had he read things wrong?
Did Jungkook not feel the same way?
His stomach twisted, his confidence crumbling.
He looked down, suddenly feeling small.
"...You don't have to say anything ifâ"
Before he could finish, Jungkook's grip on his wrist tightened.
Firm. Steady. Unyielding.
Taehyung's breath hitched.
Slowly, hesitantly, he lifted his gaze back to Jungkook's.
And when their eyes metâ
Jungkook's were burning.
Jungkook let out a slow, shaky breath, his fingers still wrapped around Taehyung's wrist.
"Do you have any idea," he started, his voice lower, rougher than before, "how much I've been thinking about you?"
Taehyung barely had time to process the words before Jungkook stood up, pulling him up along with him in one swift motion.
Their bodies were closeâtoo close.
Taehyung swallowed hard, suddenly aware of the warmth radiating from Jungkook, the way his breath ghosted against his skin.
"You drive me crazy, Tae," Jungkook murmured.
His tone was frustrated, almost exasperated, but his eyes...
They were soft.
So unbearably soft that Taehyung felt like the air had been knocked out of his lungs.
Taehyung blinked, his mind scrambling to make sense of what was happening.
Jungkook wasn't pushing him away.
He wasn't laughing it off.
He wasn't telling him that this was a mistake.
Insteadâ
Jungkook reached up and cupped his face.
Taehyung's breath caught.
Jungkook's thumb brushed over his cheek, slow and deliberate, like he was committing every inch of him to memory.
Taehyung's heart slammed against his ribcage.
"If you're falling..." Jungkook whispered, voice barely above a breath,
He leaned in, their lips just inches apart.
"...then so am I."
Jungkook's gaze flickered to Taehyung's lips for half a second before locking back onto his eyes.
"I always have been."
And thenâ
He kissed him.
Properly, this time.
No drunken haze.
No teasing.
No hesitation.
Just them.
Taehyung melted.
Jungkook's lips were warm, firm yet achingly gentle, moving against his like they had been waiting for this moment forever.
Taehyung clutched at Jungkook's shirt, grounding himself, pulling him closer like he never wanted to let go.
Because he didn't.
Because now, he knewâ
Jungkook had been falling for him all along.
Just like he had.
______________
It was as if time had ceased to exist.
Jungkook's lips moved against Taehyung's with a desperate kind of hunger, like he was trying to devour every breath, every thought, every part of him.
Taehyung felt lightheaded.
His hands clutched at Jungkook's shoulders, trying to hold on, trying to keep up, but the way Jungkook was kissing him so fiercely, so possessively made his knees weak.
He let out a small, breathless whimper against Jungkook's lips, hitting his shoulder repeatedly, silently telling him to slow down before he lost his sanity.
Jungkook finally pulled back, but he didn't let go.
His arms tightened around Taehyung, locking him in place, his face buried in the crook of Taehyung's neck, breathing him in like he was afraid he'd disappear.
"Do you even realize what you've done?" Jungkook murmured against his skin, his voice low and teasing.
Taehyung shivered at the warmth of his breath. "What?"
Jungkook leaned back just enough to meet his gaze, his lips tugging into a smirk.
"You've made me impure by kissing me." His fingers ghosted over Taehyung's waist, holding him even closer. "Now you have to take responsibility."
Taehyung snorted.
He threw his head back, laughing so hard his shoulders shook.
Jungkook pouted, clearly unamused.
"Are you watching too many dramas lately?" Taehyung teased, his lips quirking up in amusement.
Jungkook broke the hug just enough to cup Taehyung's face again, his thumbs brushing over his cheeks, tracing every inch as if memorizing him all over again.
His dark eyes softened, gaze flickering between Taehyung's lips and eyes.
"I'm serious," Jungkook murmured, voice quieter now.
Taehyung's breath hitched.
Jungkook tilted his head, studying him carefully, as if looking for any hesitation.
"You should be responsible for this." His voice was barely above a whisper now. "For me. Forever."
Taehyung's heart skipped a beat.
His hands curled into Jungkook's shirt, his gaze unwavering.
"...Umm," he exhaled, lips parting in a breathless smile. "I will be."
Jungkook felt the warmth of Taehyung's words sink into him, and for the first time in daysâmaybe even yearsâhe felt the tension in his chest ease. He could breathe again.
His lips curled into a soft, genuine smile, the kind that reached all the way to his eyes. The quiet longing he had kept hidden for so long, the ache in his heart that had grown with every passing day, melted into something far more beautiful now that Taehyung was finally in his arms, finally there, saying the words he had wanted to hear.
"We should be forever together," Jungkook said, his voice hushed, as though the enormity of the statement was both new and sacred.
Taehyung's laughter echoed softly in the quiet room. He nodded, a slight blush coloring his cheeks as he remained nestled within Jungkook's embrace. His heart, which had been running wild, finally found its steady beat.
"Yes, we should be," Taehyung whispered back, his voice low, filled with a certainty he hadn't known he had until now.
Jungkook could hardly contain the rush of emotions surging through him. His smile deepened, eyes soft and full of affection as he looked down at Taehyung. The years of silent yearningâthe quiet longing, the stolen glances, the dreams of being with himâwere finally over. It felt like his entire world had come together in that single moment.
All Jungkook wanted, all he could think about, was to pull Taehyung closer, to engulf him, to keep him there, in his arms, where he felt like he had belonged all along. He wanted to stay like this, wrapped around him, forever. He never wanted this moment to end.