But Beautiful

part 38

"This is my favorite takeout restaurant," Jungkook said, beginning to rifle through the plastic bags that were delivered moments before. "I hope there's something you like in here."

Taehyung nodded, holding onto the brown bear, fingers idly stroking its scarf. He hadn't said a word since they got out of the shower, nodding or shaking his head to whatever Jungkook asked. At first the man worried, maybe Taehyung was feeling regretful or ashamed, but he remained affectionate and close, so Jungkook decided to let him move at the pace he set.

"Have you ever had Chinese food?" he asked, looking back at Taehyung as he collected dinnerware for them to use.

Taehyung shook his head, setting the bear down in the chair beside him, patting its head before looking at the boxes of food.

Jungkook returned to the table, opening all of the containers and showing their contents to Taehyung. "Noodles, rice, chicken, beef, pork..." he listed. "Try whatever you'd like." When Taehyung nodded, he began to put a plate together, looking at the items in front of him. "Go ahead," Jungkook encouraged with a smile, heartbeat picking up as Taehyung returned the smile.

Once he had taken a closer look at each item on his plate, Taehyung lifted a forkful of noodles into his mouth. He chewed slowly, swallowing before nodding at Jungkook.

"You like it?" Jungkook asked, mildly excited at sharing yet another new thing with Taehyung. I hope he feels nothing but good things when he's with me, he prayed, I can't believe what a precious, unique soul he is.

Nodding again, Taehyung chewed a mouthful of rice, nose scrunching up in distaste. Jungkook chuckled, "no rice, noted." When Taehyung ate a piece of the beef, he nodded, taking another bite directly after. Jungkook noticed he avoided the broccoli, but didn't mention it to him, figuring he didn't like it. After tasting a piece of pork, Taehyung gave a small hum, nodding at the taste. And finally, he took a piece of chicken and put it in his mouth, chewing slowly. Immediately Jungkook noticed his eyes begin to water, his mouth dropping open as he leaned forward, the half-chewed bite falling back onto his plate. "Okay, no chicken," Jungkook said, pushing the container away while he watched Taehyung with wide eyes. "Too spicy?"

Taehyung nodded, beginning to sniffle as his eyes teared, taking the drink Jungkook handed to him to try and cool his mouth off.

"I'm so sorry," Jungkook said with a frown, taking a napkin and wiping Taehyung's face with it, watching Taehyung's ears redden with his reaction to the heat. "You don't have to eat anything you don't like, okay?"

Taehyung took another drink, nodding as he let Jungkook take his plate back, removing the rice and the chicken, discarding the chewed up piece, before giving it back to him. Taehyung took a deep breath, beginning to eat slowly, feet finding Jungkook's under the table to grab and kick gently. Jungkook smiled, relieved that his mood seemed to be elevated still, his own feet grabbing at Taehyung's, making him giggle quietly.

"Are you doing alright, Tae?" Jungkook asked, cupping his hand over one of Taehyung's. The man nodded, raising his gaze to meet Jungkook's, a small smile on his lips. "As long as you're alright," Jungkook began, "then I'm happy."

After sharing the meal, Jungkook put the leftovers away, tossing the trash before taking Taehyung back into his bedroom. "Are you sleepy?"

Taehyung shook his head, leaning into Jungkook's side immediately when he opened his arms to him. Jungkook kissed the top of his head, warmth settling in his chest as he smelled his shampoo in his hair. "Do you want to watch TV?" Jungkook asked, humming happily as Taehyung nodded. "Are there things you don't like to watch?" he asked.

Taehyung shrugged.

"Alright, I'll show you something I like a lot, and hopefully you will, too. If you end up not liking it, there's a whole world of other things we can see," he said, turning the television on and beginning to scroll through the familiar menu to find the movie he wanted to play. Setting it to begin, he let the remote fall onto the bed beside him, wrapping both of his arms around Taehyung. The man nuzzled against his chest, eyes on the screen as Jungkook drew lazy circles on his back with a fingertip. I really love this, he thought to himself, taking in the warmth of Taehyung against him, the way they fit together, I don't know if I'll ever be able to get used to it, but I definitely want to. I could, and as long as he keeps trusting me, I hope I can get used to it.