✔ || Save Me [[SEQUEL to DISTRACT ME]]

Chapter 35

"You've ruined me, hyung," Jeongguk said playfully, rolling onto his side to face the elder.

Taehyung grinned at him. "How so?"

Fiddling with the hem of the blanket covering their bare forms, Jeongguk whispered happily, "I've been lazy all day. I didn't even go to the gym!"

"Hmm," Taehyung brought up a hand to squeeze the maknae's bicep. He licked his lips when the muscle didn't give way beneath his grip. "I'd say my muscle pig will last a day without exercise."

Jeongguk huffed, but a smile was plastered to his face.

After they'd eaten lunch and showered together - impressively keeping it at just a shower - they had made their way back to their bedroom, stumbling and giggling and intoxicatingly in love. They had planned on falling asleep but somehow had ended up taking their cuddles further by shucking off their clothes - not for sex, but just to be closer together. To remove any barriers between them.

Innocent naked cuddles were officially Jeongguk's favorite.

Taehyung cupped a hand over Jeongguk's cheek, gazing lovingly at him. After a moment of staring back, the maknae felt a blush creep up his neck. "What?"

The elder shook his head, his damp hair feathering out across his forehead, "You're just so beautiful."

Jeongguk's eyes rolled of their own volition. "Are you sure you didn't just see your reflection?"

"Ah, that must be it," Taehyung nodded in understanding. "Sorry, my mistake."

Giggling, Jeongguk slugged his bare arm, and then Taehyung rolled on top of him to pin him to the bed. His skin was warm pressed down against Jeongguk's, and the maknae chewed his lip.

Cinnamon and wind. That was Taehyung's scent, and it was Jeongguk's favorite smell in the world.

"You're an idiot," the maknae teased lightly.

"Rude," Taehyung chided, but he was smiling.

Jeongguk tilted his chin up, and Taehyung obliged his wordless request, lowering his head to brush his lips against the maknae's. It was short, gentle, and sweet, and it was filled with so much love that Jeongguk would have been embarrassed had they not been alone.

"You know what, jagiya?" Taehyung giggled.

"What?" Jeongguk asked, bringing his hands up to trail along Taehyung's back, keeping away from his scars because he didn't want to ruin the moment by instigating that type of activity.

At least, not yet.

The elder leaned down, his lips brushing Jeongguk's ear, as he secretively whispered, "You're my everything."

Jeongguk grinned, his nose scrunching up, "Stop being cute."

Taehyung snorted, rolling off the maknae's body. Without the elder's warmth, Jeongguk briefly shivered. But then Taehyung shifted so he was laying on his front and slung an arm over the maknae's chest, bringing it up to curl gently around his neck, and whispered, "I kind of want you to meet my family. Is that wrong?"

"I've already met your family," Jeongguk reminded him, too caught up in his euphoric sleepiness to grasp what the boy was saying.

"I'm not talking about Eden," Taehyung murmured.

Jeongguk's heart stopped. "You don't have a family," he said dumbly.

"Well," Taehyung squirmed away sheepishly, and Jeongguk instantly regretted opening his stupid mouth. "I mean, not technically, but they found me and cared for me after I fell, so -"

Jeongguk sat up, squinting at the boy. "You're serious?"

Taehyung shot him a look. "Obviously I'm serious, jagi."

"You have a family," Jeongguk processed, "and you didn't tell me about them?"

The elder cocked an irritated eyebrow. "How's your brother, Kook? Your parents? I've never heard of them from you, but I'm assuming they exist because everyone else seems to know about them."

Jeongguk squirmed. "Touché."

"Touché indeed," Taehyung said, but his soft gaze told Jeongguk that he wasn't really mad.

Still, Jeongguk mumbled, "I'm sorry. It just never came up."

"I know," Taehyung responded. "Which is why I'm not upset." He paused, and they stewed in the silence for a moment. Then, he said, "We don't have to talk about it now. I want today to be about us and only us, as selfish as that is. But I do want to talk about it soon, okay?"

Jeongguk pursed his lips. "You know we could never introduce each other as boyfriends, right? To anyone?"

Taehyung sighed sadly, "Yes, jagi, I know that. It was just a thought. Something for many years in the future, if you'll keep me around that long."

Jeongguk leaned in to kiss his cheek. "Obviously I will, you dummy. Who's going to keep my bed warm if you're not around?"

Taehyung burst into a fit of melodious laughter, squeezing Jeongguk closer to his side. "Aish, jagiya, that cut deep."

"You know I'm kidding," Jeongguk promised. "That's not all you're good for. You're also really good at using the microwave."

"Better than you," Taehyung shot back with a snort.

"Better than me," Jeongguk agreed, burying himself in Taehyung's chest.

The elder set a timer on his phone so that they wouldn't waste the entire afternoon with sleep, and then they snuggled closer together - limbs woven among limbs and torsos brushing against each other - and fell asleep.