it was odd to wake up in sheets crafted of luxury silk instead of the stiff couch he had been using as a mattress for the past few weeks and tae wondered-

what right turn did he make to end up here?

he noted the sleeping figure next to him, drool slipping from the edge of jungkook's lips and yet he still looked like a little prince. damn, tae felt unnaturally lucky.

despite his throbbing head and aching heart, whatever happened between the two of them was euphoric. enough that it left a hint of gratefulness pulsing through his body as he slipped into last nights clothes.

"leaving already?" the younger mumbled from the bed, his eyes hooded by disheveled waves of hair as he extended his arm in a bid to find the boy who had left his side of the mattress cold.

tae let his fingers intertwine with jungkook's, squeezing his hand reassuringly, "already? i think i've over stayed my welcome just a bit."

jungkook could only shake his head, "you're welcome anytime and for however long you want. i mean it."

"well, i appreciate it. and i will take you up on it when jin isn't blowing up my phone in a total panic!" tae hums to himself, "i did leave rather abruptly last night."

"you promise to take me up on it sometime?" jungkook extended his pinky finger, hoisting himself halfway up on the other arm to reveal his perfectly toned torso from beneath the duvet.

tae swore his breath stopped as the two gripped fingers in a bid to secure a future date.

"like what you see?" for being on the verge of blacking out last night, jungkook was surprisingly chipper. no sign of a present hangover.

tae couldn't relate, the knots in his stomach reminding him that he wasn't a seasoned drinker, unlike the man in front of him, "goodbye jungkook!" he ignored the cocky remark feeling no need to stroke the younger's ego anymore than he already had.

tae shifted through excuses on his way home, trying to muster up something that would make more sense than simply saying i ended up staying the night with jungkook-

because jin would jump to conclusions about relationships and the future and his past, about dreams and goals; he'd make it a deal.

and tae didn't want a deal. not when he hadn't even fully recounted what happened or let it process himself.

the front door was unlocked, "i'm home!"

jin turned to face tae, practically knocking his steaming cup of coffee over in the process, "where have you been?" his face had the mark of panic all over it.

taehyung finds himself with his arms around his cousins neck, rocking him back and forth, "i'm sorry for scaring you."

jin returns the embrace tightly, "i was worried you got kidnapped or something! luckily i installed that phone tracking app and saw that you were at jungkook's..."

"i'm sorry, you did what?" tae raised a brow, "invasion of privacy much!"

"the only person who invaded your privacy last night wasn't me!" his cousin shot him a wink, walking over to the counter where a bouquet of white roses sat plainly in a vase.

tae wanted to snap back but he was distracted by the scent wafting up from them as jin shoved the flowers into his arms, "these came for you this morning."

"for me?" tae searched around for a card, gulping as he read who they were from.

"from your new lover or your old?" if their was one thing jin loved it was gossip.

"old, i guess." tae wanted to throw the gift right in the trash, "did i tell you he was out last night? where we were?"

"in the two minutes you've been home you have failed to mention that!" jin teased, realizing quickly his cousin wasn't in the mood, "you okay?" his tone softened.

tae nodded, plugging his phone in to see if he had any messages after a whole night of letting it be dead, "i'm fine. it was just weird that he'd be here already, like, it hasn't been that long and it's just like is he back for good or-," he paused, his eyes catching a message from the man they were just talking about, "he asked me to get coffee with him? speak of the devil, he literally texted me an hour ago!"

"are you gonna go?" jin tried to glance over his cousin's shoulder in a bid to see what the tone of the message was- friendly, or more so? did he use a phallic shaped emoji by chance?

tae shook his head, "i'm not going to go. i see no reason unless he maybe wanted to... i don't know, just clear the air?"

"it might give you the closure you need? so you can move on? maybe with jungkook?"

the younger pushed his cousin playfully, "get that thought out of your head right now."

"you can do it for revenge then! put on a killer outfit, maybe fix your face- you look a tad tired?" jin winked, "so?"

"so i guess i'll say yes then? but only because it would be rude to not thank him for the gift in person, right?" his lengthy digits tapped along the edge of the counter, "and then i can tell him off in person. put my final words out there! let the chips fall or whatever."

"tae, babe?" jin smiled playfully.

"what?" the younger snap, visibly stressed.

"be strong, okay? he isn't worth anymore tears." the older entrapped his cousin in a hug for the second time, grateful that he was home and safe and on his way to getting everything he needed.

"i got this!" tae boasted to none in particular, his figure sliding over to his suitcase where he pulled out an outfit that was a bit over the top of a casual coffee date between exes.

he didn't mind. he liked to feel good and confident, content with the way he looked. it put an energy in him that wasn't there otherwise.

the two agreed to meet at a coffee shop near the hotel bogum was staying in. tae had been there a few times- it was one of his favorite places for pastries. he wondered if his ex would remember what his favorite kind was, if he'd already know what tae was gonna order.

in the past he had always been so sweet, anticipating tae's wants before he could even voice them.

but now it seemed he was doing that for somebody else.

somebody who was sitting smack dab in the middle of the shop, his tanned and toned arm dropped around bogum's back like a final fuck you.

tae gulped. this was not what he had been anticipating.