Try Me Alpha (Taekook)

Chapter 27: The Awkward Beginning

Taehyung's POV

Dating Jungkook was... weird.
Not in a bad way. Not in a"run away, red flags!" way.
But in a "we-just-started-dating-but-we've-also-been-fated-by-the-moon-goddess-I-guess"* kind of way.
It made things...awkward. People always told me that it's easy when you meet your soulmate but I don't know how to date someone. Like now. We were walking side by side down the forest path leading from the training grounds, a space where Red Moon Pack often held sparring matches and combat drills. Jungkook had invited me to join him for morning stretches. Not sparring. Not training. Just... stretching. And I could tell he was trying. Really trying.

I appreciated that.

But for the first ten minutes, we mostly just stood next to each other, awkwardly reaching for our toes and not saying a word.

"I like strawberries," I blurted, randomly, mid-stretch. My fingertips barely grazed my shins, which was honestly embarrassing considering Jungkook could probably fold in half like a paperclip.

He turned his head toward me, blinking in surprise. "Uh... good. Me too."

I internally cringed. What a dumb thing to say, Taehyung.

But he smiled, brushing his fingers through his hair. "I don't like mushrooms. At all."

"Oh." I looked down. "I... kind of love mushrooms."

"...Oh."

We stood in silence again.

Well, progress.

-———————————————-

Later that evening, we helped set up the last event of the celebration—the farewell feast. Jungkook helped the pack warriors hang string lanterns around the edges of the field, while I helped the omegas arrange the flowers and food platters.

Every now and then, our eyes met. It was awkward. But also cute.

At one point, he walked up to me holding two sweet buns. "Love offering," he said, extending one. "I saw the omegas made them with strawberries."

I couldn't help but giggle. "Thanks. That's very considerate."

We sat under the glow of a lantern, eating in silence for a moment.

"You know," Jungkook said, licking sugar off his thumb, "I thought this would feel more... natural. You being my mate and all."

I nodded, taking a small bite of the soft bun. "Yeah... me too. But it doesn't. Yet."

"But that doesn't mean I don't want it," he added quickly. "I do. I just—want to do it right this time. Not because Midnight's pushing me. But because *I* want to."

That made my chest feel warm.

"I appreciate that," I said softly, then reached into my pocket and pulled out a small ribbon. "Here. I made it. It's kind of tradition in Blue Moon... to give your courting partner something handmade."

He took the dark blue ribbon gently, fingers brushing mine. "Thanks. I'll wear it."

And he did. He tied it around his wrist like a bracelet. I thought it looked cute.

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Jungkook's POV

Okay, so dates were hard. Especially when you were trying to be an actual, decent partner.
I took Taehyung to the lake.
"I brought us sandwiches," I said, laying out the blanket.
He blinked. I saw his ears turn a little red.
"Well," he said shyly, "I'm a big fan of painting. I like quiet mornings. I prefer cats over dogs"
I laughed, more charmed than I expected to be. "That's adorable."
He gave me a sheepish smile. "Your turn."
"Hmm. I hate mornings unless I'm training. I sleep with two pillows. I secretly watch cheesy romance dramas and cry every time."
His eyes widened. "Seriously?"
"Dead serious."

We both laughed, finally, something easy. Natural. We still had awkward silences and moments where we weren't sure how to act—hold hands or not? Kiss or not? But we were learning. And that mattered.

-————————————————

By the end of the event, the awkwardness hadn't fully disappeared, but it didn't feel so overwhelming anymore. We were building something—slowly, maybe clumsily—but it was real.
And under the final night sky of the festival, as the stars blinked above us, Jungkook reached for my hand.
I took it.
And this time, there was no hesitation.