Midas Touch ➸ Taekook

- Twelfth -

Jungkook was very serious. No sooner had Taehyung retrieved his bag from his room than the man led him to the Institute's garage. Here were the vehicles of all the adults at the Institute, both cars and motorbikes. As Jungkook walked ahead of him, Taehyung couldn't help but take the opportunity to observe him discreetly, since the Cajun couldn't see him. As well as his tight-fitting clothes, which showed off a muscular physique that he would surely never tire of detailing, he was surprised to see that the man had put on a pair of black sunglasses, which showed nothing of his red eyes. Unlike many people, Jungkook was one of those whose mutation was physically visible. Admittedly, all he had to do was put on a pair of sunglasses, but that still had to be a bit of a handicap for him. Well, in Taehyung's eyes, it made him look horribly sexy. He'd never admit it to him tough.

"Have you finished staring at me?" Jungkook asked, smirking.

For the umpteenth time since the day before, Taehyung felt his cheeks redden. He'd thought he'd be discreet, but he'd failed. But how had he done it? Did part of his mutation involve having eyes in the back of his head?!

"I-I wasn't looking at you, you idiot! Come back down to Earth, you're not the centre of the world!"

This comment only made Jungkook laugh, much to the teenager's regret. You'd think nothing could offend this man.

"I'm the centre of mine. That's enough."

Taehyung rolled his eyes as they reached the car park. Here all the cars lined up perfectly, from the X-Men's big 4x4 to Namjoon's convertible (which was so clean you wondered if he was really using it). The two of them crossed the huge underground passage to get to the two-wheeler. And there, Taehyung was rather surprised to find Logan and Yoongi, both kneeling in front of one of the bikes.

"So, do you see the problem?" Yoongi asked, with a hint of concern in his voice, which only disconcerted Taehyung even more.

He was always so calm, showing no emotion other than deep disinterest, always looking blasé, but to see him worried (Taehyung took the slight frown on his eyebrows, barely perceptible, and the slight high-pitched turn of his voice as worry) was disconcerting.

Logan mumbled something that neither he nor Jungkook could understand, to which Yoongi simply nodded. Taehyung had always thought that the two men seemed rather close, but now he knew what had linked them. Their passion for their bikes must have brought them together. Now he could easily imagine them cleaning their bikes separately, then exchanging a few words here and there, which turned into small talk. Logan wasn't much of a talker, but he was a very caring man, and seemed to have lived through a lot of horrors. So he often took a liking to people who seemed to have been through similar ordeals. That's why he and Taehyung got on so well.

"Well, shall we go?" Jungkook said, pulling him out of his thoughts. "Otherwise you'll be really late."

Taehyung took his eyes off his two team-mates and put them on the Cajun.

"Do you really care if I'm late for class?"

"When I commit to something, chéri, I do it well. I have my honour."

Taehyung reluctantly allowed himself to be led to one of the motorbikes stored in the garage. He couldn't remember much about it because when he'd seen it, it had been dark and Taehyung had been so exhausted that he'd climbed into the jet and fallen asleep almost immediately. But now that he thought about it, he remembered that Jungkook had indeed, with Logan's help, brought his motorbike on board. And it was quite a nice model. Taehyung didn't know anything about it, but it was a rather imposing machine, the seats seemed soft and comfortable; the bodywork was black and shiny, it looked brand new.

"So, do you like my bike, mon chou?" Jungkook asked with a smirk.

Obviously, Taehyung wasn't very good at hiding his emotions, and apparently he was even less so when it came to the Cajun. He suspected that he must have showed some wonder when he saw the motorbike, by mistake, but there was no way he was going to show it openly to the man.

Taehyung frowned. This wasn't like him. Ever since he'd met Jungkook, he'd felt like he was acting in opposition to what he'd always been. To be honest, Taehyung had no pride. Well, maybe that was an exaggeration, but the idea was there. When something annoyed him, he tended to shut up and run away. But with Jungkook, it was as if he didn't want to lose. It was as if he'd regained his teenage ego.

"Well, it's a just motorbike, isn't it?" Taehyung said, looking away.

Jungkook probably hadn't believed his little lie, but the teenager was relieved he didn't point it out. The Cajun just laughed lightly before moving towards the motorbike. He lifted the seat and took out a helmet, which he handed to Taehyung.

"Here, put this on." he told him, this time more seriously.

The boy grabbed it and started to pull it over his head, but stopped when he saw that Jungkook was just staring at him.

"And what about you? Aren't you wearing any?"

"I've only got one, chéri. And today it's yours."

Taehyung wanted to refuse, because despite their little fights, he didn't like the idea of the man putting himself in danger for him, but Jungkook didn't really give him the chance. The Cajun sat on the front of the bike, placing his hands on either side of the handlebars, and Taehyung stopped himself from drooling when he saw his muscles compress slightly. He really had to stop fantasising about Jungkook. Of all the men in the world, one look was all it took for him to know that they weren't right for each other. Jungkook was a flirt, probably a womaniser. Taehyung certainly didn't need that.

"Well, are you coming?" Jungkook called out to him, seeing that the teenager was just staring at him without moving.

Taehyung snapped out of his torpor and mumbled a 'yes' before joining him on the bike. Except that Taehyung had never been on one before, so he had no idea how to get on. He sat up straight, but felt he wasn't in the right position when Jungkook removed the kickstand and the bike pitched. He caught himself on the bar behind him, just in time not to fall off and make a fool of himself.

"You've never been on a motorbike before, have you?" asked the Cajun.

"How can you tell?"

"Easy. You're going to fall off if you stay like that, ma beauté. Put your arms around my waist and hold on tight."

There was no way Taehyung was going to do that, for two reasons: firstly because it was too intimate (and his heart couldn't stand the feel of Jungkook's abs under his fingers), and secondly because he was terrified of his skin accidentally coming into contact with Jungkook's. Such proximity was far too dangerous.

"No, I can't do this."

"Taehyung, don't be ridiculous. It'll only be a few minutes, it's nothing. And you don't have any other choice."

"Yes, I'll walk. I don't care, I'll miss my first class."

The teenager started to slide along the bike, but a hand suddenly grabbed his wrist, pulling him back onto the bike, and Jungkook forced him to put his hands around his waist.

"See? I'm fine. You didn't hurt me. Everything's going to be fine, chéri." Jungkook whispered in a voice that was both sensual and so reassuring that Taehyung shivered.

The teenager didn't have the strength to protest, especially as the last time he'd felt a body so close to his was two years ago. And he'd forgotten how good it felt. He would have liked to stay there forever, surrounded by Jungkook's body heat, soft and reassuring.

~🌻~

I love their dynamic in this book😖💕! It's hard to write a flirtious Jungkook, because that's not the kind of character I'm used to write, but I think it's worth it!

Oh, also, I don't automatically write the translation for the nicknames, firstly because the mystery is kind of romantic (in my pov), and also because it simply don't always have an english translation! Here, "mon chou", literally mean "my cream puff", and that has no sense in english😂! But in French it's a really cute nickname! Oh, and "ma beauté" means "my beauty", but I think it was easy to guess!