Fateful Alliance ∞

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The next morning, Taehyung stirred awake, rolling onto his side with a sleepy groan. His hand instinctively reached out, searching for the familiar warmth of Jungkook. But his fingers met only the cool emptiness of the sheets. His brows furrowed in his half-asleep state, and he groaned softly, cracking one eye open.

Where was Jungkook? Why wasn't he in bed with him?

Taehyung sat up slowly, his hair a messy halo around his head, and rubbed his eyes, squinting at the faint morning light streaming through the curtains. He glanced at the bedside clock—it was still early, far too early for Jungkook to be up.

Swinging his legs off the bed, Taehyung ran a hand through his disheveled hair and let out a deep yawn. The house was unusually quiet, save for the faint chirping of birds outside. Still groggy, he padded softly toward the door, peeking into the hallway as he wondered where Jungkook might have wandered off to so early.

The enticing aroma of something cooking drew him to the kitchen. As he stepped in, his sleep-heavy eyes widened slightly at the sight before him. There stood Jungkook, wearing one of Taehyung's aprons, sleeves rolled up, and brow furrowed in concentration as he stirred something in a pan. He looked adorably out of place yet determined.

Taehyung couldn't suppress the grin tugging at his lips. Moving closer, he snaked his arms around Jungkook's waist, pulling him into a back hug and earning a startled yelp. "Taehyung!" Jungkook exclaimed, looking over his shoulder with wide eyes.

Taehyung chuckled, resting his chin on Jungkook's shoulder and peeking at the contents of the pan. "You're cooking?"

Jungkook's expression softened, his lips twitching into a sheepish smile. "Your mom's teaching me," he admitted, gesturing toward the counter where a cookbook and some neatly chopped vegetables sat.

Taehyung glanced around, eyebrows raised. "I don't see her."

"She just went to the living room for a minute," Jungkook explained, his focus shifting back to the sizzling pan. "Now let me go, or I'll mess this up."

Taehyung tightened his hold slightly, nuzzling Jungkook's shoulder. "Mess what up? It looks like you're making... soup?" He tilted his head, clearly amused by the guess.

Jungkook sighed in mock exasperation. "It's a stew, thank you very much. And I'm actually doing pretty well for someone who usually burns toast."

"You're adorable when you're concentrating," Taehyung teased, placing a soft kiss on Jungkook's cheek before finally letting go.

"Go sit down, Tae. If I ruin this, your mom's going to judge me forever," Jungkook muttered, though his reddening ears betrayed his flustered state.

Taehyung chuckled, but he stepped back, leaning casually against the counter to watch. "No way. This is too good to miss. Besides, if you need a taste-tester, I'm right here."

Jungkook shot him a playful glare but didn't shoo him away this time. Jungkook continued stirring as his mother in law had instructed him while Taehyung was still back hugging Jungkook, nuzzling in his neck

"You smell so good... you know? Like... food," Taehyung murmured again, his voice low and playful as he gently brushed his nose against the sensitive skin of Jungkook's neck.

Jungkook froze for a moment, the heat of his cheeks spreading to the rest of his face. "I—Taehyung... stop, I'm trying to cook!" He let out a soft laugh, his hands shaking slightly as he stirred the stew, feeling his concentration slipping.

But Taehyung wasn't going to let him off that easily. "Trying to cook? Hmm... I don't know if I believe you." He leaned in closer, brushing his lips along the edge of Jungkook's ear, making the younger man stiffen.

"I'm really going to ruin this if you keep distracting me," Jungkook whispered, his voice betraying the nervous laugh that followed.

Taehyung grinned against his neck, pressing a soft kiss to the spot just behind Jungkook's ear. "Well, maybe I like it when you're a little distracted," he teased, his voice tinged with affection. "It makes you more... cute."

Jungkook felt his cheeks heat up at Taehyung's teasing words, trying his best to keep his focus on the pan. But the way Taehyung was nuzzling his neck, rubbing his nose behind his ear, was making it incredibly hard to think straight. The warmth of Taehyung's breath and the soft, teasing affection was making his pulse quicken, and it didn't help that he could feel Taehyung's smile pressed against his skin.

Their moment was broken by another voice, " god! I know you're a newly married couple taehyung but at least let him cook peacefully!" Taehyung's mother stood in the doorway

both of them froze and turned red in embarrassment at being caught like this.. it was a seemingly innocent action between the two, just back hugging, but they felt it was a lot more intimate and embarrassing than that.

Both of them froze, their movements halting mid-action, as if someone had pressed pause on them. Jungkook's hand stopped stirring the pot, and Taehyung's arms remained loosely draped around his waist. Slowly, they turned their heads toward the doorway, where Taehyung's mother stood with an amused smirk on her face.

The color rose in their cheeks almost simultaneously, their faces turning a deep shade of red. What had felt like a simple, affectionate moment between them suddenly felt far more intimate under her watchful gaze. Taehyung cleared his throat awkwardly, trying to maintain his usual confidence but failing miserably as he let go of Jungkook and took a step back.

Jungkook's cheeks flushed a deep shade of red, and he quickly disentangled himself from Taehyung, stepping forward as if the pan in front of him held the answers to his current predicament. "Uh... I-I was just—um—the food!" he stammered, gesturing at the stove with a shaky hand.

Taehyung, however, wasn't much better off. His confident teasing from moments ago had completely evaporated, replaced by a bashful grin as he scratched the back of his head. "Mom, we weren't—uh, I mean—it's not what it looks like!" he tried to explain, though his flushed face and nervous laughter weren't doing much to support his case.

Taehyung's mother raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed by their feeble attempts to cover up. "Oh, please," she said, rolling her eyes but with a fond chuckle that softened her tone. "It's not like I'm scolding you. You're married, for goodness' sake. Just maybe save the lovey-dovey moments for when you're not handling hot pans, alright?"

Taehyung huffed, trying to salvage his dignity. "I was just— I wasn't even doing anything inappropriate!"

"Tell that to your face, dear. You're blushing like a tomato," she said with a wink before walking off, leaving the two standing there in the charged silence of their shared embarrassment.

As soon as she was out of sight, Jungkook exhaled loudly, finally turning to Taehyung with wide eyes. "Your mom thinks we're—ugh! This is so embarrassing."

Taehyung let out a dramatic sigh, leaning against the counter. "Well, that was humiliating."

Jungkook shot him a sideways glance, his lips twitching into a small, amused smile. "You're the one who couldn't keep your hands to yourself," he teased, the lightness in his tone betraying his earlier embarrassment.

Taehyung grinned, leaning closer to him. "And you're the one who didn't stop me," he countered, his confidence returning.

Jungkook shook his head, a soft laugh escaping him. "Just... focus, will you? Your mom's waiting for breakfast."

(new chapter! it's so short I know! But I wanted to write at least something!)