The Arrangement

13

Jungkook and Taehyung didn't speak during the drive to Jin's parents' house.

Taehyung wondered if he made the younger uncomfortable after he disclosed his sexuality. He was surprised when Jungkook had asked him, especially since this particular piece of information was something Taehyung never even told the press. The public made assumptions, of course, as they saw V parading around with hordes of men and women alike. But he never once confirmed what his actual preferences were.

It was a part of his facade; it was a part of what made V the enigma that he was.

But as Taehyung thought this over, something occurred to him. He didn't reveal a part of V to Jungkook.

He revealed something personal about him, about Taehyung.

He couldn't afford to do that again. He needed to be more careful.

Taehyung sent a quick text to Jin, asking him to tell his parents not to call him by his real name tonight. In front of Jungkook, he was always to be referred to as V.

The elder responded with a thumbs up emoji, as well as a note that Jin's father was called in last minute to one of their restaurants and couldn't join them tonight.

A pang of disappointment flashed through Taehyung as their car pulled in front of a brightly lit house. He always had admired Jin's father and had been excited to see him.

"Wow," Jungkook breathed a seat over from him, looking out his window to get a better view at the house. "This place looks like a mansion."

"You can head in," Taehyung said to him. "I'll be right there."

Jungkook nodded and left Taehyung alone in the car. The elder placed a call to the club they'd go to after this, requesting more space be made available for their now larger group. Once that was settled, he walked to the house.

He let himself inside and was immediately greeted with the loud, bubbly voice of Jin's mother. She was peppering Jungkook with questions, ranging from how him and Jin met to what his favorite song by V was.

Taehyung found them in a small living room, Jin and his mother on a couch and Jungkook in one of two armchairs. The younger looked completely at ease, one leg crossed over his knee and a flute of champagne between his fingers. Taehyung had yet to see this side of Jungkook; he looked confident and powerful.

And with the first three buttons of his white shirt undone, he looked . . . sexy.

"Oh, speak of the devil!" Jin's mother exclaimed, her eyes meeting Taehyung's. "There's my darling boy."

She got up to wrap Taehyung in a hug, squeezing him tightly as she patted his head.

"I thought I was your darling boy," Jin huffed, taking a sip of his champagne.

"You can all be my darling boys," she beamed, guiding Taehyung to the couch. She looked pointedly at Jin. "The armchair, honey."

Jin let out an exasperated sound and moved to his new seat. He stuck his tongue out at Taehyung as he watched the blue haired boy sink into the plush cushions.

"Do you want anything to drink?" She asked Taehyung, hands already moving to the chilled bottle of champagne on the coffee table.

But Taehyung shook his head. "I'm all set for now, thank you."

Jungkook watched as V, Jin, and Jin's mother settled into a comfortable conversation, their jibes and jokes flowing naturally. The more the younger observed the three, the more they seemed like a family. V was still somewhat reserved, but it was easy to tell how much he loved the two. The artist listened intently to every word Jin's mother spoke and traded inside jokes with Jin.