They're on the last leg of Boy in Luv promotions when Jin pulls Jungkook aside, looking everywhere but at Jungkook and fidgeting horrendously. Jungkook waits patiently for Jin to start speaking, but when several minutes pass and Jin still hasn't said anything, Jungkook finally gives in and prompts his hyung. "Was there something you needed, or…?"

"Ah, yes." Jin's cheeks are very, very pink, and he's still not looking at Jungkook. "You and Taehyung have been close lately."

Jungkook shrugs, because he thinks they've been about the same as always. Perhaps he's gotten a little more used to Taehyung's constant touches, but he can't think of anything else that might have spurred Jin's comment. He says as much.

For some reason, that gets Jin staring at him, any hint of the nerves Jin had been displaying gone entirely.

Instead, the look in Jin's eyes makes Jungkook want to fidget. It's studying, like Jin is trying to pry his secrets out of him, though what secrets those could be, Jungkook hasn't a clue. Jungkook finds it unnerving, tries to meet it head on.

(Whatever it is, he's not going to cower.)

It's not often that Jungkook is truly conscious of his age around the rest of BTS, but here, now, he feels like he's missing something.

"Well," Jin finally says, ponderously. "I suppose I didn't need to worry so much. You two are young, after all."

What.

"And it's okay to be shy. You know we're all okay with your relationship, right? Though I suppose, even if it weren't for, ah, intolerances, even if you've been dating for awhile, making love is a big step."

What?

"Still, I've been putting this conversation off. I didn't know where to start! I had to look up things, too, you know? But Hoseok has already talked with Taehyung. And Yoongi with Jimin." Jin's expression darkens, briefly. "Yoongi's no longer allowed to have this conversation with anyone. But I'm a good hyung! And we're having this conversation now! I'll try not to pry too much. So I'm glad we could talk about this before your first time--"

All right, hold up.

"Hyung, are you trying to talk to me about ? I know about that stuff already."

The rest of Jin's words deflate in his mouth. Jungkook silently thanks every god he can think of. "Oh, is that so..."

Yeah, Jungkook almost replies, before the rest of Jin's rambling catches up, and. Hold up. "Hyung, Taehyung and I aren't dating. Where did you get that idea?"

"Well, he clings to you a lot," Jin says.

That's all? Jungkook wants to say, judging. "He clings to everyone."

"Not like he does to you. And you let him!"

"Have you tried to stop him?"

Jin brushes that rejoinder aside. "You, don't even try to pretend you're just putting up with it, you brat. You don't start skinship with anyone else as much as you do with him."

Jungkook realises then that he doesn't actually know if that's true. Does he? Still, he's not about to let Jin of all people get in the last word. "I'm sorry I haven't been giving you as much love as Taehyung," he says, exaggeratedly pitying tone. "Anyway, even if I do, it's probably because we're closest in age, that's all."

Take that, hyung.

But it seems Jin still has one last weapon up his sleeve. "Yes, well." Huffily spoken. "Taehyung didn't deny it when Hoseok spoke with him!"

Jungkook's mind is back to stalling again. What.

Jungkook ignores Jin's look of satisfaction, the triumphant tone of Jin's voice. He has a groupmate to hunt down.

Taehyung is in the midst of a Gripping Battle!!! when he's shaken from their depths by the sound of his Jungkookie's voice.

"Taehyung-hyung," Jungkookie is saying. Formal, serious tone, and when Taehyung looks, his Jungkookie's lips are all thinned and tilted downward. Which, ah, that's no good, that's no good at all. Jungkook shouldn't look that way. Taehyung wants Jungkook to always be happy, even if he has to go pull those lips back up himself-- and oh, that's an idea, isn't it? He brightens, now that he has a plan of action.

But when he makes to stand up, he falls to the ground instead, dizzy. It's only then he remembers he'd been sprawled upside-down on the couch, half-falling off, to get a better feel of the fight scene he'd just been reading.

At least Jungkook is laughing now. And he's upright! There's a soft thump when his book drops to the floor, but Taehyung pays no attention to it, focused instead on wobbling his way over to Jungkook so he can plaster himself onto his favorite person.

"Jungkook-ah~" Taehyung croons. He reaches out, grasping. But Jungkook flinches, like in the early days when they were still getting to know each other. Not obviously, but Taehyung has watched Jungkook for a long, long time, learned Jungkook's reactions. As fast as he can, he drops his arms down and stops in his tracks, watching instead. There's a swoop in his gut that has nothing to do with the wooziness in his head.

Jungkook sighs then, though, and takes a step toward him, and this time when Taehyung goes for Jungkook, Jungkook holds firm.

The room still feels tilted from his adventure upside down, but Jungkook's scent steadies him as he wraps around Jungkook's right side, burrows his nose against Jungkook's neck. It's just musk and warmth and the lingering citrus from what Taehyung recognises as Jungkook's shampoo; nice, that's all, and familiar. Part of what makes a Jungkookie great to cling to, in fact.

(There's also the good height, the comfiness, and the fact Taehyung's one of the privileged few who get to experience it.)

Mmmph, Jungkookie-ness. Yes, good.

And then he waits to see what Jungkook came looking for him about.

Jungkook isn't being uncooperative, so much as he's not being an active participant when Taehyung latches onto him and begins to rock them both. All right, he's being deadweight, but that's never been deterrent to Taehyung, not like outright pushing. Taehyung's waiting is an almost tangible force, full of disjointed humming and a burning curiosity. Jungkook could last Taehyung out if he wanted. Could make Taehyung speak first and ask.

But he'd rather get straight to the point.

"I'm annoyed with you right now," he says. By the tapping of fingers against his shoulder, he feels more than sees Taehyung processing that statement, and Taehyung's growing confusion the longer Taehyung continues. Jungkook wants to huff in laughter whenever the taps falter only to start up once again. (He doesn't, but it's a close thing.)

Taehyung eventually nods into his shoulder, slow. "Okay."

It's acceptance without understanding, Jungkook can tell. After all, Taehyung is still nodding when Jungkook rolls his eyes, puts Taehyung out of his misery. "Hyung, why are you telling people we're dating?"

Pause, then the nodding on his shoulder changes to bounce, bounce, bounce. "Because we are."

Suddenly, Jungkook is wondering just how many people Taehyung has been telling. "...No, we're not."

Jungkook suddenly finds himself being spun so he's face to face with Taehyung. Taehyung cups his face with both hands and then just stares, and Jungkook finds himself hard-pressed not to look away. "Yes, we are. You accepted my chocolates."

He's almost afraid to ask. "What chocolates?"

"Valentine's chocolates."

Valentine's Day had been a blur, what with prerecording for Music Bank, and just the sheer level of activity that came from their album being dropped two days prior. A memory stirs in Jungkook's mind, of Taehyung approaching him just as he'd been about to turn in for the night. Taehyung had dumped several boxes of candy onto his bed then, including the chocolates they'd been allowed to keep from the Valentine's photoshoot.

What had he done then? Said, "Thanks?" Query and confusion included. Offered some of his own chocolate, because maybe Taehyung might have liked it better.

And Taehyung had nodded then, hadn't he? And Jungkook hadn't thought much of it.

Hadn't that been a mistake. "Taehyung-hyung, that's not... You need to actually ask me. With words." And maybe let go of his face some time soon. Jungkook wants to squirm from the way Taehyung is looking at him.

There are flutters in his stomach, and Jungkook can feel his face heat, and this is so embarrassing.

"....Ahh. All right," Taehyung says. Nods decisively. Jungkook knows it's too much to hope for that Taehyung will leave it at that when Taehyung opens his mouth again. "We're dating now, got it?"

Jungkook would groan into his palms if he could. "Hyung, that's not how you-- Hyung, I'm not--"

"Got it?"

And maybe Taehyung has secret alien mind powers, because he finds himself saying, "All right."

Taehyung takes it like it's his due, only saying, "Good. Now drop the 'hyung' already," before wandering away.

Jungkook remains frozen in the living room long after Taehyung is gone.

He's dating Taehyung. Oh god, he's dating Taehyung.

....Jin is going to be unbearably smug.

======

a/n: one of the things that eternally amuses me while also making me facepalm a lot is the fact that Taehyung's comments about asking people out have been fairly consistently shown as being rather aggressively straightforward. like just. okay, come here, we're doing this thing now. ~*~real man~*~

oh, taehyung, someone's going to slap you one day.

(the m! countdown #20-11 chart countdown with bts was still friggin' gold to watch though. like, a++ whoever scripted it. a++ for all the taekook moments. a++ hoseok's face. hoseok's expression at jimin was legit the most beautiful thing ever.)

there's a yoonmin thing to this I may or may not write eventually. depends on how much I'm procrastinating from my current WIPs