Eternally Everlasting | Prequel

(11) Gentle touches

Third Person's POV

The start of their relationship started off delicately, as if they were porcelain puzzle pieces, trying to see how they fit together.

That made sense. The days following were full of intrigue that didn't allow them to foster other standards of how any relationship might work between them. They trusted each other with their lives and spirits in the face of great evil and their possible destruction. That had no bearing on how they would interact outside of it.

But they did. At first it was gentle, exploratory, something like simple friendship. They spent time together to learn more about each other. It was decidedly easy to spend time with Taehyung that way. They could talk about everything and nothing at all, or simply sit quietly in easy companionship. Even when they disagreed on something, it never devolved into something truly upsetting.

It was during this time that Jungkook learned the difference in how Taehyung acted when they were in public and when they were alone.

In public, Taehyung was proper. His expressions were softer and his movements were gentler than when they first met, but he wasn't truly relaxed. His back was straight, his shoulders a firm line, his head lifted proudly. He kept his expressions politely distant, even if Jungkook learned to read his eyes.

When they were alone, however, Taehyung still held himself proudly. But the line of his shoulders wasn't as rigid. He wasn't afraid to lean on objects, to loosen his posture, to slump over. He smiled more freely. He didn't care to hide his reactions to whatever Jungkook had said or done, whether it was with a frown or with laughter.

Taehyung had a very nice smile.

Well, Taehyung had a very nice face overall. But when Taehyung smiled? The sight took Jungkook's breath away. He had gotten used to the slight upturn of his lips, or the softness of his mouth, and the corners of his eyes lifting. And those were good things. Those were things Jungkook kept an eye out for, because he liked them. Liked to see them. But when Taehyung smiled, his entire face lit up and-

Well. 

If Jungkook hadn't already known how fond he was of Taehyung, the first time he saw him smile would have clued him in.

It didn't take long for Jungkook to decide he wanted more than just a simple friendship with Taehyung. What they had was wonderful, of course. But Jungkook could be quite greedy.

Jungkook wanted Taehyung. He wanted to keep Taehyung by his side. Oh, he knew Taehyung didn't want to be kept, Taehyung was independent enough that being tied down would smother him. Even if Taehyung would not fight it, the very spark that had first drawn Jungkook to him would eventually fade away. And that was never allowed to happen.

But. Maybe, Taehyung would like a home to return to. A place to rest whenever he needed it. Jungkook wanted to be that home.

Taehyung started slow. He wanted to see how much he could get away with. He wanted to learn if Jungkook would be amenable to a relationship with him. Hence, the courting started.