Knock on his bedroom door.

"Jungkook?" His dad spoke from the other side.

". My dad." Jungkook hissed and hurried tugged his pants up and fastened them. 

He scrambled off the bed and snatched up his shirt and pulled it on then quickly raked his fingers through his hair. He glanced at Taehyung who stood up off the bed and watched him as he walked to the door. He took a couple deep breath to calm his pulse, then opened the door.

"Do you mind helping me..." His dad faltered when he saw Taehyung. "Taehyung. As you can see, our wayward son finally made it home."

Taehyung chcukled casually as if he hadn't just been moments from ing the man's son.

"Yes," he nodded. "I figured I better grab the opportunity to say hello before he dissappeared again."

Jungkook tried to relaxed like Taehyung but felt miserable. It wasn't his dad's 'wrath' he feared, he knew his father strongly suspected his ual preferences but rather disrupting that comfortable closeness he currently shared with his dad. Would it have traumatized the man if he'd walked in minutes later to find the two of them and ing?

"Quick thinking," Jeon Namjoon chuckled, yet even now, Jungkook detected a faint nervous strain in his voice.

"Did you need my help with something?" Jungkook asked, eager to move things along.

"Oh, right, his dad smiled. "There's a car load of groceries that things along.

Jungkook nodded. "No problem," he glanced at Taehyung, too aware of his dad's presence. "Thanks for coming over." He cleared his throat. "Maybe I'll see you later. I need to..." He motioned toward the door.

"Well, hey," Taehyung grinned. "I can help." He flexed his arms. "I think I can manage a few grocery bags."

Jungkook stared at him. "You don't..." he started, but Taehyung ignored him and stepped past him. Jungkook and his dad stood in the bedroomm doorway as Taehyung trotted down the staircase.

"He seems like a good kid." Jeon Namjoon murmured. He looked at Jungkook. "Why didn't you ever invite him over when you guys were in school?"

"Just because we went to school together doesn't mean, we were friends," Jungkook said. "We didn't run in the same circles. He was like a sports superstar in our school, and I was...not so much."

"You two seem pretty...chummy now."

Jungkook fidgeted beneath his dad's gaze. "We're...cool, I guess. I don't know about chummy. I was surprised he even came over."

"He come over every year to see if you're home," his dad said, then slid his arms around Jungkook's shoulders and squeezed. "Apparently he can find the time to make it home for the holidays, unlike some other son we know."

Jungkook groaned and smiled. "Oh no, not the guilt train."

"It's my duty as a parent to make you feel guilty," Namjoon grinned. "And I take my parental duties seriously."

********

"Well, thank you for your assistance, Taehyung." Jeon Seokjinnie smiled and handed Taehyung a chilled can of soda. "Much appreciated."

"My pleasure, Mrs. Jeon." Taehyung opened the soda and glanced at Jungkook. "Did you ground him for taking so long to come home?"

Jungkook rolled his eyes as his mom laughed. "No," she mused. "But I like that idea. Are we still allowed to ground him?"

"No," Jungkook intejecked quickly.

"Yes," Taehyung countered with a grin. "You're his parents. Parents never lose that right."

"Thanks a lot." Jungkook scowled. "Yo're not helping, you know?"

Taehyung chuckled and shrugged. "Who said I was trying to help?"

Both Mr. and Mrs. Jeon laughed.

Taehyung grinned and cleared his throat. "I guess I should be getting home before I get grounded. He looked at Jungkook. "Be a good host and show me to the door."

"After that?" Jungkook stared at him. "I should kick you out the door."

"Well..." Taehyung puffed out his chest and smirked. "I was a sports superstar in high school." He winked at Jungkook. "Or so I'm told."

Heat seeped into Jungkook's face and his chest tightened when his dad seemed to pick up on his sudden nervousness. He pointed toward the kitchen doorway. "The door is that way," he said and walked out ahead of Taehyung.

"Hey. You okay?" Taehyung asked when they were standing on the front porch. "I was just ing with you back there."

"I know," Jungkook mumbled and avoided his eyes.

"So what's wrong?"

Jungkook sighed and finally met his stare. "My dad," he said. "I think...maybe..." He shrugged. "I don't know. I think maybe he...suspects something."

"You mean...about wht we were doing in your room?"

"Yes," Jungkook said. "What else?"

Taehyung shifted his feet and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Would it really be so bad if he knew about us? I mean, he does know you're gay, right? Even if you haven't openly talked about it. Right?"

"Yeah, I...I guess." Jungkook stammered. 

Taehyung nodded slowly and chewed his lower lip. "So...you're not going to tell him about us, then?"

"Us?" Jungkook murmured, then shook his head. "There is no us. And maybe..." he sighed. "Maybe it was best that my dad came in at the right time."

Taehyung lifted his eyes without raising his head. "Is this your way of telling me we're not going to finish what we started?"

"We shouldn't have started it in the first place."

"Why?" Taehyung moved closer and rubbed his hands down Jungkook's arms. "You weren't complaining back in your room. In fact, you seemed very much in favor it." He leaned in and brushed his lips over Jungkook's ear. "You can't just cut me, Kookie...not now."

Jungkook trembled, his pulse quickening. "Cut you off?" He swallowed thickly. "It isn't like...we're together. We haven't even really done anything."

Taehyung pulled back and st