In retrospect, accepting Taehyung's challenge of a 1v1 monopoly match was probably a bad idea.

He also should have known that making another deal with Taehyung was a terribly terrible idea.

Jungkook's on a learning curve.

Taehyung had declared his victory not even an hour into the game when Jungkook consequently landed on Park Lane and Mayfair on which Taehyung had hotels. He was bankrupt in an instant. He'd laughed at first when Taehyung had placed his hotels there, claiming the odds of him landing there were infinitesimal.

Dumb luck sure was Taehyung's saving grace in this life.

Taehyung told him to eat his words before chuckling like a mad man, and Jungkook had suddenly realised he'd forgotten to ask what the stakes were before agreeing. He paled upon hearing the deal.

He's still pale when goes to bed that night.

On his list of Top Ten Ways to be Woken Up, having a pillow shoved right into his face most certainly isn't on Jungkook's list. He cracks his eyes open to see a blur of white all up in his grill and smacks the thing off immediately, succeeding in shoving Taehyung back a few centimetres. He takes his sweet reprieve of the pillow to jolt up in bed before he can be cruelly assaulted again.

Rubbing his eyes he focuses his gaze on the other standing there, hands on hips, looking far too put out.

Dread falls in Jungkook's stomach and he lets out a weak laugh.

"Why did you lock your door?" He huffs.

"Um," says Jungkook, "how did you unlock it?"

Taehyung shakes his head and holds out a palm to stop him. "Irrelevant. What matters is you lost our bet and now you're chickening out."

"Ha ha ha," Jungkook tries to laugh but ends up sounding more like the google translator voice actor. "I didn't forget I was just... tired is all."

Taehyung gives him a pinched look. "Well everyone's gonna be up in about ten minutes, so we better get cracking and get this show on the road. Thanks to someone, we're already late."

"It was an accident," Jungkook says, even thought it really wasn't.

Taehyung crawls into his bed and Jungkook suddenly has a traumatic flashback of last night.

"I win, you lose, eggs." Taehyung parades around the room like a peacock in heat, pointing in his direction and laughing diabolically.

"Right. And what exactly did I lose with this bet?"

"Your dignity." Smoothing one eyebrow down, Taehyung smirks. Jungkook's gut coils and he looks to the sky for deliverance, suddenly remembering why engaging Taehyung in absolutely anything was a terrible idea. Because no matter what he would always end up with the short end of the stick.

"Tomorrow morning I'll wake up early and sneak into your bed."

This is not quite as bad as Jungkook expected. "Okay. Um, why?"

Taehyung looks like he's about to roll his eyes but stops himself with a gargantuan effort, sighing instead. It's long suffering and he's using the face that makes Jungkook feel guilty for even existing.

"The plan," he says like Jungkook's particularly dumb. "The plan to make them think we're dating? Ring a bell?"

"Oh. Right."

"So in simple terms, they'll come in and we'll be sleeping together cuddling and , and then I'll pretend to be upset and being caught and obviously they're gonna be suspicious that I'm getting emotional over it because what's wrong with two bro-dudes cuddling right?"

"Right."

"Then you can come comfort me so it looks even more suss, and if they ask we'll just say I had a bad nightmare but we have to make it sound unconvincing. Actually, you're at lying so you don't even have to try. Score."

Jungkook feels as if he's missing something, because this doesn't sound all that bad. (He's also not sure if he should be mildly insulted by Taehyung's diss but he lets it go. For now.) They sleep together all the time. "That’s it...?" He asks with caution, aware he's treading a dangerous line.

Taehyung grins, "well, we're gonna be to . Obviously."

Obviously.

Jungkook sighs and curses that which is his life. While Jungkook has his own reasons for doing this (along with it being hilarious), it's still an effort and a half trying to keep up with Taehyung's pace.

Taehyung perks up and makes a flurry of movement, his hands flailing about. "They're coming! Hurry up and shove over!" Taehyung strips off his shirt in record time and Jungkook is mortified. It's not like he hasn't seen him shirtless before, but the whole fact that, you know, Taehyung's going to be shirtless in his bed, to , really changes things up a little. Diving into his bed, Taehyung slips under the covers and slings a leg over Jungkook's stomach. He strategically places the blankets so that it's obvious he's not wearing anything besides . He snuggles right up to him and Jungkook can feel Taehyung's bulge pressing where his thighs meet his .

to .

Is this how Jungkook is going to die?

Taehyung's just gotten his fingers into the waistband of Jungkook's sweatpants to strip them off for 'authenticity' when the door opens and he's saved from having the garment removed. He thanks the gods that’s its all happening under the blanket so that whoever walks in wrong get the wrong (or right?) idea.

"Hey Jungkook, have you seen--" Seokjin's standing in the door, looking a little dumbstruck.

Taehyung pops his head up and sounds sufficiently mortified, "oh, hyung!?"

Seokjin just stares at them for a good few seconds, his brow furrowed like he knows something untoward is going on but can't quite put the puzzle pieces together. Making his best 'Oh ' face, Taehyung bolts up in bed and pulls the covers over his lap, making a series of panicked mumbles under his breath. To Jungkook's dismay, he drags the blanket with him, curling it around his waist and leaving the room in a hurry, toes skidding across the floor. He's left alone on his bed, cold, shirtless, and miffed.

Jungkook stares at where Taehyung has left, and Seokjin stares at Jungkook staring, and then Jungkook stares at Seokjin and he stares back.

"Soooo... what were you looking for?"

"You know what," says Seokjin, "never mind." He all but sprints from the room.

When Jungkook bursts into Taehyung's room, Hoseok and Jimin are already up and ambling around the room, looking at the lump that is Taehyung with trepidation. They gesture to said lump when Jungkook comes in with questioning faces. "Uh. He had a nightmare."

Jungkook thinks he really can't beat up Taehyung for his insult about his lying powers now that he words come out of his mouth, because his words are basically screaming 'hey everyone, look! I'm telling you a giant lie! Amazing!'. They eye him strangely but don't comment and instead sneak their way out of the room so as to not deal with whatever was going on between the two. Once they've left and Jungkook's shut the door, he can hear the muffled laughs coming from the lump. Jungkook on his cheeks to stop from laughing, but it comes out in little squeaks anyway.

"Did you see Seokjin hyung's face? Holy sweet god, I've got enough laughing material to last me for the year," Taehyung says, popping his head up out of the blankets and smacking his pillow from mirth.

Jungkook's lips twitch, trying to play it cool, but he bursts out into raucous laughter as soon as he's within a metre of Taehyung. The group liked to call it The Tae Effect—if you were within close proximity when Taehyung was losing his , you too, would invariably lose it. Jungkook practically shoves his fist in his mouth to muffle his laughter lest he alert everyone outside to their giddiness. They're supposed to be emotional damn it, and Jungkook won't let this plan collapse just yet.

Just as Jungkook feels like he's got his laughter under control and he sits on the bed to place a hand on Taehyung's back, does Namjoon open the door. He's got a stink eye going on but softens when he takes in the scene before him.

Jungkook's biting his knuckles with tears in his eyes, and Taehyung is face down in the pillow, still making little hiccoughs that, to Namjoon, really do sound like little sobs. Jungkook turns on his best 'I Am A Concerned Partner Comforting His Emotionally Distraught Boyfriend Please Give Us Privacy' face and blinks up at Namjoon. "The uh, the cars coming soon. Are you guys..." He seems to think better of himself and shakes his head. "Yeah," he finishes, scratching the back of his head and making a hasty exit with that look Jungkook recognises now as his 'I'm the leader but Not Today's' face. The door slams behind them and Jungkook swears he hears the wood splinter.

ing Namjoon.

Taehyung rubs his greedy little hands together like a mouse that just got the cheese, giggling rather manically.

Jungkook's had worse mornings.