Mission-Love_TaeKook

11. Pinch of Flirt

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The next morning dawned bright and crisp, sunlight streaming through a crack in the curtains of their shared room. Taehyung stirred first, blinking sleepily as he acclimated to his surroundings. Beside him, Jungkook lay sleeping, his usually stern face softened in repose.

As Taehyung watched Jungkook sleep, his mind wandered back to the previous night's ice-skating date. He remembered the way Jungkook's hand had brushed against his as they held onto the rail, the brief moment of warmth before Jungkook had quickly pulled away.

Taehyung grinned to himself, excited for the day ahead. He carefully extracted himself from the bed, taking care not to wake Jungkook. After a quick shower and change of clothes, he snuck out of the room to make some phone calls and arrange their surprise cooking class.

~*~

An hour later, Taehyung returned, waking Jungkook with an exaggerated yawn and stretch. "Morning, sleepyhead!" he chirped, bouncing lightly on the bed. "Wake up, wake up! Today's the day we become culinary masters!"

Jungkook groaned and buried his face in the pillow, clearly not ready to face the day just yet. Taehyung laughed and pulled the covers off him, gently shaking his shoulder. "Come on, hyung! We're going to learn how to make gourmet dishes today!"

Jungkook finally gave in, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Fine, fine," he muttered, "What time is this cooking class?" Taehyung's grin widened mischievously as he checked his watch, "It starts in 30 minutes."

At Jungkook's puzzled look, Taehyung quickly explained, "Remember the VIP pass Jin hyung gifted me?" He waved a piece of cardstock. "I finally decided to use it for our special cooking class today. It's at this super fancy place, Le Cordon Bleu Daegu. We're going to learn how to make authentic French cuisine!"

~*~

As they entered the grand kitchen, Taehyung and Jungkook were surprised to see pairs of couples already gathered, each station equipped with top-notch cooking tools. The instructor, a stern-looking French chef, announced, "Welcome, couples!"

"Today, we will be conducting a special couple's cooking competition. We will be instructing novice couples how to prepare a three-course meal, and at the end, our judges will select the winning couple based on the quality of your dishes prepared."

Jungkook, with his skilled senior cooking experience, took the lead. He expertly chopped vegetables with swift, precise motions as Taehyung watched in awe and slight nervousness. "Hyung, you're like a human food processor," Taehyung joked, holding up a clumsily diced onion.

As the instructor demonstrated each technique, Jungkook picked up the rhythms easily, his knife flying through ingredients with practiced ease. Taehyung, meanwhile, struggled not to flinch as he mimicked the chef's flourishing gestures, his fingertips a hint of pink from handling raw meat.

The instructor circled the room, offering critique. "Jungkook, excellent knife skills," he praised, "You're a natural. Taehyung, try to be more gentle with the dough, you're overworking it."

Taehyung's face scrunched in a pout as he tried to soften the stubborn dough, his hands moving in a flurry of activity. Jungkook chuckled softly and stepped in to help, his hands moving with confident precision. "Like this, silly,"

"I'm your silly," Taehyung protested playfully, intentionally flirting, his eyes sparkling with amusement as he continued to work on the dough with Jungkook's guidance.

Just as they were finishing up, a loud commotion erupted from the other side of the kitchen. One of the other novice couples, clearly overwhelmed, had managed to overmix the dough for their croissants, causing it to stick to the countertop and their hands.