a/n at end

“Jungkook-ah.”

Jungkook blinks himself back to reality and looks up to meet Taehyung’s eyes, his hyung peering at him with an amused smile.

“What do you want?” Taehyung is leaning forward, his chin resting in his hands, his fingers drumming against his cheek lightly.

“You,” Jungkook replies absentmindedly, still dazed from fighting against the rush of emotions that threatens to overtake him.

“Huh?” Taehyung furrows his brow, confused but eyes remaining on Jungkook.

‘Oh my god, what did I just say’’ Jungkook curses inwardly, his mind struggling to keep up with his mouth.

“Ah, no I mean.. uh.. you.. whatever-- whatever you’re having!” he hastily replies, trying to cover his slip of tongue. Taehyung straightens and nods to the waitress, who finishes scribbling down the order and walks away, seemingly unaware of the silence that has now fallen around the two boys.

“So.. hyung.. um, how was your photoshoot yesterday?” Jungkook can’t stop stumbling over his words. He’s never been this nervous before, never had a problem talking with Taehyung, but he’s suddenly overly self-conscious. He clenches his hands together in an effort to release some of the tension.

Taehyung hums “It was fine,” before reaching over and placing his own hands over Jungkook’s white ones, prying them apart and rubbing the circulation back into them. Jungkook winces. It scares him a little how easily Taehyung can read his mind, and he hates being such an open book.

“You?” Taehyung adds, looking up to meet his conflicted eyes. Jungkook lowers his gaze, not wanting his hyung to see the war that’s going on inside of him. Taehyung’s eyes linger on him, and Jungkook forces himself to maintain a blank expression, focusing on the way his hyung’s long fingers are rubbing into his own.

“Um, it was fine too, I think.. I mean..” Jungkook keeps talking, not really knowing what he’s talking about. He tells Taehyung about how cold it had been despite posing in the sun, how huge the crowds were, how pretty the location had been, how his shirt had kept tickling him, and anything else, something more, but eventually his mind begins to wander. He can’t stop noticing Taehyung’s light brown hair, still fluffy from rolling around on their hotel bed; his dark brown eyes, framed by chiseled cheekbones and half covered by his fringe; the smell of sleep and sweet soap; his tan hands and long, slender fingers still holding onto Jungkook’s. All these things Jungkook had seen before but had not really seen until now.

“Jungkook-ah, I’ll be right back,” Taehyung murmurs before standing up and moving towards the diner counter, leaving Jungkook to recollect his thoughts.

‘I can’t do this,’ Jungkook thinks. His hands already feel empty without Taehyung’s around them, and he almost laughs out loud. Years of harboring feelings for his hyung, and he was trying to brush it off as a little crush. ‘Who am I kidding,’ Jungkook mutters softly to himself. Hiding feelings had an expiration date, and for Jungkook that was today. ‘I have to tell him,’ he steels himself. Jungkook squeezes his eyes shut. ‘He has to know,’ he repeats in his mind, trying to convince himself to man up. He feels a twisting in his gut when he realizes that he has no idea how Taehyung will react.

Jungkook snaps out of his thoughts when he feels a hand close around his arm and tug. He looks up to see a smiling Taehyung dangling two paper bags in his face.

“I got them to make it to-go, so let’s get out of here,” he explains, pulling Jungkook out of the seat. Jungkook doesn’t stop to ask questions, instead quietly letting his hyung drag him out the door and onto the empty sidewalk. Taehyung is handing him a bag with one hand, the other already holding an unwrapped burger. He hums appreciatively, and Jungkook glances at him sideways from time to time as they make their way across the street. When Taehyung catches Jungkook’s eyes, he grins widely, making Jungkook involuntarily blush into his food.

Taehyung leads them to a spot on the beach, against the walls of rock that protect them from the buffets of wind. Taehyung nestles close to Jungkook and drops his head onto Jungkook’s shoulder.

“Thanks, Kook-ah,” he murmurs. Jungkook’s chest constricts, words threatening to spill out all at once from the weight he feels behind his hyung’s gratitude.

“It’s fine hyung. I was pretty hungry too anyway,” Jungkook shrugs, trying to keep calm despite his racing heart. Taehyung lifts his head off his shoulder and scoots so that he’s facing Jungkook, and then proceeds to crawl into his lap. Jungkook’s heart leaps into his mouth.

“No. Thank you, Jungkook-ah,” Taehyung whispers, “for everything.” Jungkook’s head is spinning because Taehyung’s thanks sounds a little too serious for the situation. Before he contemplate anything, Taehyung’s fingers reach up to Jungkook’s face to brush a few pieces of hair out of the way, and then he