Lifetime

Natural

The club still bustled with people when we left, a little tipsy but ready to get home. On the walk Taehyung could tell that I wasn't yet used to navigating cobblestone in heels without risk of falling, hooking his arm with mine until he saw me buckle an ankle one too many times. He spent the rest of the walk coming to terms with his favorite cashmere socks being ruined after giving me his shoes to wear instead.

In the elevator he stood behind me, both of his arms wrapped around my waist as he peppered kisses along my neck and shoulder while I watched our blurred reflection in the doors.

I giggled, shrugging away when his lips met a ticklish spot on my neck. The elevator moved with a click as it came to our floor but he reached out before the doors could open, pressing the emergency stop button.

He'd turned me around to face him before I could ask any questions, one hand holding me against him while the other ran up my side. "If Jungkook is back he'll be upset and need attention. I want another minute with you before that." He muttered, kissing me so softly that it felt like he cherished every second.

I was breathless when he pulled away with a last suck of my lips and smacked his shoulder at the unassuming stance he took after resetting the stop switch, pretending nothing happened even with the small transfer of my lipstick onto the edges of his mouth.

The apartment was quiet, every light turned off and the living room empty. I slipped off Taehyung's shoes by the door, mine clunking to the floor from where they dangled on my fingertips.

There was a dull light shining under my bedroom door that I was sure I didn't leave on. I kissed Taehyung goodnight, leaving him in their bedroom to venture across the hall where Jungkook waited for me. He laid back in my bed with his hands tucked behind his head, staring up at the ceiling blankly.

When the door clicked shut behind me he sighed, sitting up and running a hand through his hair. "I was trying to get myself together before you got back. I didn't want to be a downer and ruin the night so I thought I'd sleep here." He said and I made out the redness around his eyes, the result of crying from frustration.

"Just let me change and I'll get in bed with you. I had fun tonight, but that doesn't mean I can't be here for you too." I stood by the bed, holding on to his hand for a moment.

"Is Tae mad at me?" He asked while I grabbed a makeup removing wipe from the top of my dresser and cleaned my face in the mirror.

I turned around, combing through my hair with my fingers to pull it up into a scrunchie. "He just wants you to be okay. Plus, you'll get to come to other shows so don't worry about it." I assured him. "I'm guessing you couldn't salvage the painting?" The dejected look in his eyes had already given the answer.

"You're moving too slow. Can you come to bed?" He grumbled, his tone laced with impatience as I pulled on a pair of shorts.

I tossed the tank top I snagged from my dresser across the room so that the fabric tangled over his head. "Don't rush me."

He sat so that his legs dangled over the side of the bed, only his pouted lips visible under my shirt. I stood in front of him, tugging the top from his face and bushing up his hair in the process. "I thought you were supposed to be here for me, doing whatever I need." He poked his lip out even further. I was sure he wanted me to kiss it but instead I flicked it with my nail, giggling at the way it trembled.

He scoffed, leaning away from me and ready to retreat into the bed. I grabbed his arm to pull him back. "Come here." I moved his hand so that it was at my waist. "Okay, now tell me what you need."

There was a small glimmer behind his eye as he looked down at the dress, now bunched at my waist over the shorts I wore. He didn't say a word or make a request, his fingers reaching under the fabric so that they feathered the soft skin around my stomach. I sucked in a breath at the cold touch and he captured my open mouth with his lips.

"You say you want me in bed but you'll have to let me take off the dress first." I taunted, expecting him to release me from the trap that was his hands on my waist and thighs keeping me in place just below.

Instead he kept his eyes on mine, lifting the dress higher on my body until I raised my arms to make it easier for him to remove. When it came to this he was patient with me. A part of me wanted to let him see me, touch me even, but I thought of Taehyung. It was another aspect of the relationship I wasn't clear on navigating. I didn't know if one should come first, or if the other would be hurt if they didn't. Taehyung had been the first to kiss me, so maybe it was Jungkook's turn. I even held a small wondering of if it should happen together.

"Stop overthinking." He held my gaze, resisting any urge he had to look down at my unclothed chest.

"Aren't you the one who practically planned our entire relationship in your head before–" I started, but the smacking of his lips cut me off.

"I'm gonna slap Taehyung's big mouth, or better yet," he chuckled, flickering his eyes down and claiming the first look at my naked body. I slapped his chest, turning around with a pink hue to my cheeks. He laughed at his mischief while I dressed with my back to him. "I stand by my point. You overthink our relationship too much."

I crawled over him into the corner of the bed, laying on my side so that we could face each other. "And what's your big advice since you know it all?" I questioned, the mattress tilting to the middle as I shifted closer to him.

"Let it happen naturally and stop worrying about upsetting one of us. We'll both get upset sometimes and you'll get upset too, but we'll always work it out. We can always repair it." He answered.

"I didn't take you as being so positive." I observed.

He humphed. "That part usually comes after overthinking."

I perched myself so that I laid against his chest when he rolled onto his back. "We should do that with your painting." He looked down, his lips pursed together with confusion. "Find the positive." I clarified.

The rise and fall of his chest was emphasized in a sigh. "You'll have to help. I can't see the positive there yet. I was almost done with it and it's gone. I just want to show something beautiful to the world and it keeps getting messed up." He complained.

"Maybe it's your chance to start over, to make it even more beautiful." I reached up to his neck, letting my nails move lightly over his nape.

"It was already almost perfect." He shook his head like he was unable to absorb the reframe.

"Almost." I repeated the word. "Well maybe now you can make it perfect."

He hummed with thought. "Okay, I'll make it perfect if you let things happen naturally." He held up a pinky that he expected me to link with mine to seal the deal. Instead, I sealed it with a kiss and spending the night with his hands under my shirt, touching every part of me naturally.