freckles

* chapter forty *

Claudette pulled at her fingers, sitting across Jungkook, both on his messed up bed. He had no will to remake it, figuring it was a punishment poised at him, and a reminder to always put Taehyung first.

"Are you okay?" The pair asked each other at the same time. Nervous smiles reflected on their faces, neither quite knowing what to say first.

"You must've been scared." Claudette chewed on her lip. "Seeing your loved one in so much pain and agony, I'm so sorry."

"Hey it's okay." Jungkook hugged himself slightly, letting his arms rest in his lap. "I've gotten pretty good at knowing what to do to calm him down, so it's definitely gotten better." Jungkook watched her nod, looking pretty timid on the bed across from him. "But it is scary, definitely. I will never, never get used to his screams."

"They were," Claudette took a shaky breath, flashing back to last night/early morning, "They were extremely terrifying."

"Hey, come here." Jungkook held out his arms for Claudette, his back already leaned back on his pillows and headboard so she could relax against it as well. Claudette hugged Jungkook tightly, Jungkook rubbing her back. "He's okay, really, Taehyung is fine."

"Really?" Claudette whispered, unable to see how one could be 'okay' after something like that.

"He almost always forgets the terror by morning." Jungkook nodded, reassuring his ... crush? Extremely close girl friend? Make out buddy? "But sometimes I'll have to talk it out with him to reassure him, we all don't want to kill him or something like that."

"Woah woah." Taehyung walked in tiredly, his hair an absolute mess. "I did not give you two permission to talk about me."

"T-Taehyung!" Claudette sat up quickly, Jungkook's arms falling from around her. "We were just-"

"It's okay Clauds." Taehyung chuckled, laying down on Jungkook and Claudette, his head on her hips.

"Uhm, are you, okay?" Claudette knew Jungkook reassured her that he was, but she needed to hear it from him. She needed clarification.

"Oh yeah I'm fine." Taehyung nodded, Jungkook letting his fingers dance across Taehyung's cheek. "Just had a little dream about Hoseok hang-"

"No." Jungkook covered Taehyung's mouth, Claudette's eyes widening. "He's okay, right Taehyung?" Jungkook squeezed Taehyung's mouth, cussing him out in his mind. God he never thinks before he speaks-

"I'm a okay!" Taehyung spoke through his disformed lips, smiling at Claudette, kinda shocked Claudette wasn't freaking out with his head almost in her lap.

The three wanna-be couple sat together in silence, Claudette keeping her eyes on Taehyung while he yawned, blinking slowly while Jungkook massaged his boyfriend's one shoulder lightly.

"Your hair is really fluffy Taehyung." Claudette spoke gently, not wanting to kill the calm vibe in the room, but not wanting to sit in silence. "Especially during DNA era, it looked so pretty."

Taehyung glanced at Jungkook with a grin, Jungkook giving his boyfriend a warning look. "You can touch it, Clauds."

"R-really?" Claudette pulled her hand further away from Taehyung's hair, Jungkook sighing as Taehyung looked up at Claudette.

"Yeah sure!" Taehyung smiled widely. "Feel its fluffiness."

Claudette held her breath, slowly letting her fingers touch his hair, slowly releasing the breath. "Yeah, it feels so nice."

It took everything inside of Taehyung to not chuckle and rub it in his boyfriend's face that his crush was touching his hair, not his. But that would just be mean,, maybe.

So why not push it more?

"You have fingernails, right Clauds?" Taehyung spoke up, Jungkook ready to smack him.

"Yes..." Claudette replied hesitantly, feeling very very safe with these two men beside her.

"Can you scratch my head, please?" Taehyung turned so he was on his back, staring right up at Claudette and her adorably wide eyes. "I heard it's really nice and I've never had a close girl friend before and... yeah."

"Uhm," Claudette glanced over at Jungkook, seeing his glare on Taehyung. "Sure, I will."

"Yessss." Taehyung turned back to how he was, holding out his hand. "Give me your hand Ggukie."

Despite his slight annoyance at his boyfriend, Jungkook did as told, letting Taehyung hold his hand while he closed his eyes. Eventually, his glare did fade, smiling gently at the look of pure peacefulness of Taehyung's face.

And Claudette was smiling the same, her heart fluttering once Taehyung hummed gently.

Then guilt hit her.

'I'm dating Yoongi...' She frowned softly, still scratching Taehyung's head lightly. 'But he said it's an open relationship... But these are his friends...' Claudette sighed gently, Taehyung opening his eyes. 'I need to talk to him-'

"You good Clauds?" Taehyung poked her cheek, Claudette snapping out of her trance.

"Y-yeah I'm fine!" She reassured quickly, confused as to why he and Jungkook were looking at her with concerned eyes. "Why?"

"You sighed." Jungkook pulled the sleeve of Taehyung's shirt down a little bit, smoothing it out as well.

"Oh," Claudette tilted her head to the side, pausing the scratching. "I'm sorry, I'm okay though."

"I'm glad." Jungkook hummed, putting his head on Claudette's shoulder. "I'm tired too."

'bullSHIT!' Taehyung smiled softly, Jungkook's arm snaking around his waist. "Awh baby Jungkook."

"Shut up." Jungkook pinching Taehyung's side, Taehyung elbowing him back, Claudette smiling at the two's childish behavior.

"Baby Koo." She mumbled to herself, Jungkook's heart doing a little flip.

"Oh so she can say it but I can't?" Taehyung called Jungkook out, glaring teasingly at him. "Is that how it works?"

"That's exactly how it works." Jungkook laughed, rubbing Taehyung's cheek gently to know that he was just joking and he does love him. Taehyung knew this already, but it was nice to feel his hand.

The three of them sighed at the same time, all of them giggling and chuckling as well. Once it was all calm, Taehyung spoke up, "Can you sing Clauds?"

Jungkook frowned but kept his eyes closed. 'She can't sing.... can she?'

'Oh she can sing.' Taehyung let out his breath, Claudette ressumming the scratching of his head again.

"I can, but I only really know love songs, is that okay?" Claudette replied a bit nervously, hoping they won't make fun of her for the songs she listens to.

"Oh it's perfect." Taehyung reassured, Jungkook humming as well, a yawn escaping his lips.

"J'ai trouve l'amour." Claudette sang gently, leaning her head against Jungkook's. "Fait pour moi. Ne regarde pas autour. Et suis mes pas." (I found a love, for me. Darling just dive right in, and follow my lead.)

Jungkook's eyes opened, taken aback from her voice. It, it was perfect. She can sing!

'Ah, that's nice.' Taehyung instantly felt relaxation fall over his body while she continued to sing the famous Ed Sheeran song in French.

Jungkook started to hum a simple harmony to her voice, Claudette smiling once he joined in with words.

'Damn, dynamic duo.' Taehyung yawned, listening to the two's voices combine quite perfectly. 'Ight I'm gonna fall asleep and I better wake up to both of them.'