Chapter Text
Jungkook stumbles into the kitchen, barely awake and sluggish. He’s sore all over in places he didn’t know existed, in desperate need of a shower, and happier than he’s ever been in his entire life. He’s on such a high that he doesn't notice everyone stop talking when he enters the room, lurching toward the coffee pot like a zombie. He and Tae stayed up way too late last night, and Jungkook needs something strong if he’s supposed to get through the day on 4 hours of sleep.
Jungkook finally grabs his coffee and takes a large gulp, nearly gagging at the foul taste, and it hits his system like a bolt of electricity. Jungkook is suddenly… aware, aware of a silence in the room where there’s usually morning chatter. He slowly turns around to find the rest of the boys, save Tae and Yoongi, staring at him with strange, knowing smiles.
He feels awkward.
“Uh… morning?” He says uncomfortably, voice rusty with sleep.
“Morning,” they all chorus back, still staring.
“Did you sleep well?” Jimin asks politely. Too politely. Jungkook narrows his eyes. There’s something they’re not telling him.
“Yeah, I was pretty tired last night, so I slept well,” Jungkook says slowly, trying to figure out what’s going on.
“Yeah, I bet Tae kept you up pretty late,” Seokjin says. His voice is kind and understanding, but he’s smirking a little and Jungkook blushes. “Practicing, I mean,” Seokjin adds after a pause.
“Did he finally get the choreography right?” Hoseok asks, looking eager. Jungkook flashes back to Tae’s body rolls, to grinding together to the beat of the music, and turns redder.
“Yeah,” Jungkook’s voice cracks. “I helped him a little,” He adds when they don’t say anything.
“I’m sure Tae appreciated that,” says Jimin, fully smirking now. The others laugh.
“Oh, I’m sure he did,” says Hoseok. “I bet he was very grateful after, wasn't he, Jungkookie?”
“Oh yes, I bet he just wanted to get on his knees and thank you,” Jin adds, wiggling his eyebrows. Jungkook wants to evaporate. They know.
“Guys-” He starts to whine, but Namjoon interrupts them.
“Guys, leave him alone. We shouldn’t tease him too much; he’s still sensitive after last night,” Jungkook pauses. Is Namjoon implying what he thinks he’s implying? The nerve-
“Tae’s going to be the sensitive one,” Yoongi says, walking into the kitchen. The rest of the group quietens immediately, eyeing him sympathetically. Jimin stands up to make him a coffee. Yoongi sits down in Jimin’s seat and glares at Jungkook. He’s paler than usual and the bags under his eyes look especially heavy.
“Ah, hyung, are you okay?” Asks Jungkook, concerned. “Did you get enough sleep last night?” Yoongi gives Jungkook a look that could curdle milk. “Ah,” Jungkook says quietly.
“No,” Yoongi says. “I did not get enough sleep last night.” Jimin hands him the coffee and leans on the back of his chair. “Would you like to know why?” Jungkook is not sure he wants to know, if Yoongi’s black look is anything to go by, but it seems like there’s only one way to answer, so he nods his head.
“I woke up at around 3:30 this morning because I heard someone knocking on my door. At first, I thought Jimin-ah needed something, so I was ready to get up, and then I realized that the knocking wasn't coming from the door at all. Can you guess where it was coming from, Jungkook?” Jungkook hides his face in his hands. He can, actually, guess where this story is going.
“It was coming from the wall that our rooms share!” Yoongi exclaims in false surprise. Jungkook groans into his hands and the others stifle their laughter. “I wonder what could have possibly made that noise!” He says. “Do you know, Jungkook?” Jungkook moans in humiliation.
“I’m so sorry, hyung!” He says.
“The walls are so thin. I could hear so much. I can’t look at you anymore,” Yoongi says, disgusted. Jimin giggles, and Yoongi turns on him next.
“Don’t think I haven't forgotten the rest of you! If it weren’t for your stupid plan, none of this would have happened!”
“Hang on,” Jungkook interrupts. “What plan? Hyungs?
“Operation Taekook,” Jin says, and the others nod.
“You knew?!” Jungkook exclaims. “You knew Tae liked me?” It was the wrong thing to say. The others erupt in a cacophony of displeasure.
“How could we not!” Namjoon shouts.
“Oh my god,” Hoseok says, caught in a flashback. “If I had a thousand won for every time Tae-ah said something about your thighs during practice, I could retire early,”
“Or your abs,” adds Jin.
“Or your face,” continues Namjoon. “He couldn't stop looking at you,”
“It was pathetic,” spits Yoongi, still bitter.
“He couldn't focus on anything,” Hoseok says. “Were you there when he ran into the wall because he was staring at your ass?”
“No,” says Jin. “That was when he left early because ‘Tae-hyungie’s been working out again and he looks too good in that shirt’,”
“The point is, he was fucking obsessed,” says Namjoon.
“Every time we tried to hang out with him, all he would talk about was you. ‘I wonder if Jungkook is still practicing’. ‘Kookie would like this’. ‘Should we get some for Jungkookie?’”
“It was exhausting,” Hoseok says, looking deflated.
Jungkook smiles to himself. He likes the idea of Tae being so obviously in love with him. It’s… comforting that he wasn't the only one.
“You think you guys had it bad?” Jimin shouts suddenly. “I had to hear it from both of them! When I wasn't hearing about how Jungkook’s smile could light up the night sky, I was hearing about how TaeTae looked like a literal angel when he walked into practice,” It’s true, Jungkook thinks. Tae does look like a literal angel.
“I was losing my mind!” Jimin says, sounding a touch mad. “I was so close to just telling one of them. Without that plan, I probably would have killed one of them,”
“What plan?” Jungkook says suspiciously. They all look at him like he’s stupid. Jimin raises his eyebrows and mouths ‘singularity’.
“Oh! You were in on that?”
“Come on, you didn't really believe that Tae was too shy to practice in front of all of us, did you?” Hoseok asks. “This is Tae we’re talking about.” Jungkook is willing to admit that maybe he wasn't really thinking when he agreed to help Tae work on his new song.
“Did you not think it was weird that he already knew the whole choreo?” Jin asks curiously. Jungkook is also willing to admit that he didn't really notice Tae’s expertise. Jimin sighs exasperatedly.
“I spent so much time working on it with him!” He says.
“I even taught him how to strip!” says Hoseok. That is an… interesting concept that Jungkook should not continue to think about.
“We choreographed the whole thing,” says Jimin.
“I made sure the managers would let you practice that late and not walk in,” says Jin.
“And we distracted you,” says Namjoon, gesturing between himself and Yoongi, who seems to be regretting the part he played in their scheme.
“Was Tae part of the plan?” Jungkook asks.
“Of course! There was a groupchat,” Jin says excitedly. Something occurs to Jungkook.
“Jimin! You said you wouldn't tell anyone!” He accuses. Jimin looks slightly guilty.
“Technically, I didn’t tell them. I just implied that you probably wouldn't mind if Tae tried to seduce you,” He still looks guilty. “And Tae really had no idea, I promise!”
“He’s right,” Yoongi says with a shadow of a smile. “You told us enough with your sprinting out of the room every time Tae hit that low C,” Hoseok looks upset for a minute.
“You should-” He cuts himself off, blushing. “You should maybe invest in more… discreet pants,” Hoseok suggests, sounding like he wants to die. Jungkook bangs his head onto the table. Maybe if he gives himself enough of a concussion, he can forget about this entire conversation and go back to when he was alone in bed with Tae.
“Did everyone but me know about the plan?” He asks, sure his face is red as a fire truck.
Jin looks at him.
“Obviously,” He hands Jungkook his phone.
“What do you want me to do with this?” Jungkook asks.
“Check the group chat,” Jin says. “Maybe that’ll answer some of your questions,”
Jungkook opens the group chat ‘Operation: Taekook’ and scrolls through pages and pages of complaints about how Tae wouldn’t shut up about how in love he was, about how Jungkook so obviously loved him back, how they were all losing their minds watching a drama unfold in front of their faces.
He feels a silly little smile unfolding on his face as he reads about them. They really were oblivious. Jungkook had no idea Tae liked him this much before last night, and while part of him is crying over lost time, a larger part of him is rejoicing that he can finally tell Tae he loves him to his face.
Then he scrolls to the bottom of the chat and his brain stops in place. They’d asked for updates on how the plan was unfolding, getting more and more impatient by the minute until Tae finally answered them. Jungkook’s brain is still stuck as he tries to process the image Tae sent the group.
It was after Jungkook fell asleep on him, arm thrown across Taes chest. His face is pressed close to Tae’s neck, but the small smile on his face is visible. Tae is face up, winking at the camera, an arm wrapped protectively around Jungkook. There’s a few visible hickeys on his chest and neck that calm the possessive beast inside Jungkook but they aren’t what Jungkook is focused on. His eyes are drawn to the long red scratch marks running down his back, illuminated by the moonlight and Jungkook knows they are the point of the picture. He doesn’t bother to read the litany of replies; he lets the phone drop to the table in shock. Jungkook is… not angry, exactly, but he feels sort of hot and uncomfortable. His face must look hilarious because the rest of the boys burst into laughter.
Tae choses that moment to walk into the kitchen, freshly showered and wearing Jungkook’s clothes. His face lights up when he sees Jungkook and he knows that his frown melts away into a lovestruck smile. Yoongi makes a sound like a cat coughing up a hairball, but Jungkook knows he’s smiling.
“Did you sleep well?” Jimin asks Tae. Tae smirks widely.
“Mhmm,” Tae stretches, revealing a strip of marked stomach. “Jungkook really tired me out last night,” He winks at Jungkook, who’s on his feet before he realizes what he’s doing. “I mean, he said he would leave dents in the wall but I didn't believe him…” The rest of the group howls at the look of mortification of Jungkook’s face.
He’s going to kill Tae. Tae must realize his life is in danger, because he hurries out of the kitchen, and Jungkook is flying after him, feeling lighter than he’s felt in years. Yes, he thinks. It’s exactly like breathing.