#ttalgi

“Ok,” you breathed out in a huff. “Let’s do this. If you see any indication of an impending kerfuffle, Tae-bear, you need to get me the hell out immediately. I will not ruin this for Sana.”

“I’m on it,” Taehyung responded while taking your keys. “Was Sana the weird little girl who would melt her Barbie dolls with a lighter and then fuse them together?”

“Yeah, that’s her,” you confirmed. “Now, that weird little girl is a certified welder who is going to be doing an internship at NASA this summer. With her skill, she’ll probably end up getting a full time job welding things for the space program.”

“Damn,” Taehyung remarked. “Whoever said trade schools were a waste of time were seriously mistaken. Good for her!”

You both made your way to the backyard, where a huge buffet table laden with food awaited the guests. The backyard was decorated in fairy lights and small tasteful centerpieces. Upon further inspection, Taehyung noticed that the centerpieces were actually small welded art pieces.

“These are so cool!” Taehyung proclaimed. “I want one!”

“You should see the ones I have at home,” came a surly voice from the end of the table. “You’d love them.”

“Sana!” you exclaimed. “Congratulations!”

You met her halfway around the table and pulled her into a quick side hug. Sana wasn’t really one for a lot of affection, so even the little hug you gave her flustered her a bit.

“I’m so proud of you,” you beamed. “I heard about your internship, it’s so exciting.”

“Thanks,” she murmured. “I’m looking forward to it.”

Sana gave Taehyung the once over and rolled her eyes playfully.

“You’re still hanging out with this jerk?” she teased. “I figured you would’ve ditched his pathetic ass a long time ago.”

Taehyung gave his best rendition of mock offense and stepped back slightly to “recover” from her insults. After catching a sliver of a smile on her face, he stepped forward to offer her a fist bump, which she gladly reciprocated.

“It’s good to see you, Sana,” Taehyung said. “I’m very happy to hear you’re doing well as a welder and not making headlines as a serial killer.”

“You never know,” Sana shrugged nonchalantly. “Could still happen.”

After several minutes of entertaining antics between you, Sana, and Taehyung, you realized you needed to use the restroom. You assured Taehyung that you could, indeed, go to the bathroom on your own, and you left him talking to Sana about her welding exploits.

You quickly made your way inside, careful to avoid the watchful eyes of your mother and your crazy aunts. You found the downstairs half bath easily enough, and you were so thankful that you’d avoided any drama on the way inside. Hopefully, your escape would be just as uneventful.

You were almost to the end of the hall when you were suddenly pulled inside a darkened room. You wanted to yelp, but the person who pulled you into the room held a hand over your mouth. You glanced at the immaculate manicured fingernails and gaudy wedding ring, and you knew exactly who’d accosted you.

“Please don’t yell at me just yet,” Aeri breathed out quietly. “I just need to talk to you, and I really need you to listen to what I have to say.”

You resisted the urge to snap at your loathsome cousin-by-marriage, but when you looked at her in the soft light coming in from the windows, your heart softened considerably. Your confusion increased as she flicked the switch on a small lamp in the room.

Aeri was a mess. Her makeup was a little smeared around the edges of her red rimmed eyes, her hair was slightly disheveled, and she looked genuinely distraught. She lowered her trembling hand and wrapped her arms around herself, as though she was trying to hold herself together.

What the hell happened to her?

“I know you hate me, ok?” Aeri began gruffly. “It’s no secret that you think I’m a stupid, spoiled whore who stole your cousin Jin from you. However, it was never my intention to come between the two of you.”

You started to speak, but she held up a hand to stop you. It was obvious she had more to say, so you nodded and held your tongue.

“When Jin and I first got together, I will admit that I didn’t have the best intentions,” she conceded. “However, it only took a few weeks for me to realize that Jin wasn’t like every other guy I dated before. He was so wonderfully different and sweet and caring. He made me feel beautiful and loved and I didn’t know how to handle it.”

You remained silent, and nodded your head knowingly. Kim Seokjin always gave off an air of arrogance and confidence, but underneath that facade of self-absorption was a genuine ball of marshmallow fluff that thrived on support and encouragement for the people he loved and cared about. He truly was a selfless person, and you always loved that about him.

“You knew what I was like before Jin,” she continued. “I was a monster, for lack of a better word. I was selfish and manipulative, and you had every right to assume that I was going to get my claws into Jin, just like I had with everyone else I dated. When I realized how amazing Jin was, I actually tried to break it off with him because I was worried that I would hurt him and I thought I didn’t deserve to be with someone like him.”

You recoiled slightly. You were almost certain you’d misheard her, but the look on her face expressed the truth.

Aeri tried to leave Jin?

“It didn’t matter how hard I tried to leave him though,” she pouted. “He refused to accept my breakup speech as anything but nonsense. I kept trying to break up with him and he kept telling me no. It was actually a little frustrating.”

You stifled a giggle at your cousin’s ridiculous antics. Seokjin had a flair for the dramatic, so you empathized with Aeri’s frustration.

“After a while, I stopped trying to break up with him,” Aeri explained. “And Jin, he just...he just made everything in my life so wonderful and simple. It felt like my heart was finally awake, and I was over the moon for him.”

You smiled softly at her confession.

Leave it to Jin to transform a vicious monster into a cuddly ball of fluff.

“When you confronted me at the engagement party, I didn’t handle things very well and I apologize for that,” she admitted. “I was afraid of losing the only man I ever loved, and the two of you were so close that I was sure you’d convince him to leave me. I panicked and I lashed out at you because I didn’t know what else to do.”

She stepped forward and took your hand into her own. You were shocked at her sudden tenderness, but you allowed her to continue her unexpected confession.

“Jin is the one who convinced me that I was deserving of love, and he taught me how to love myself,” she explained further. “What I didn’t realize at the time was that I was monopolizing him from the rest of the family, particularly you. I caused the rift between you two and I never made any attempts to remedy that. Losing Jin would devastate me, so I would panic whenever you were near him. I’m genuinely sorry for that.”

She took a deep cleansing breath and reached for something on the side table in the room. When she lifted it, you saw it was a very recognizable fork.

“I found this the day of the engagement party,” Aeri explained. “I didn’t know what it was at the time, but after that argument you had with Jin, I found out what it was. He told me about this fork that belonged to your grandparents. This fork was yours, and he had the spoon, the only pieces left from the original set.”

“That’s right,” you confirmed. “Jin and I are the foodies in the family. We were always cooking together, so those utensils were entrusted to us as family heirlooms.”

Aeri simply nodded and examined the fork more closely.

“I heard you guys arguing that night,” Aeri admitted. “I was just inside the door. I know you said some pretty despicable things to each other.”

“I called him a fucking idiot,” you cringed. “I said that you were going to ruin his life and that I wasn’t going to stick around to watch that happen.”

“I remember,” Aeri said. “I also remember that Jin said that if you really felt that way, then he would no longer be your cousin. Then, you threw this fork at his head and told him to “go fork himself.”

“I don’t know what hurt him more,” you smirked. “The fork or my terrible pun.”

“You know Jin,” Aeri smiled weakly. “He loves your puns. They’re just as bad as his dad jokes.”

You both shared a small giggle. It was enough to lighten the mood somewhat.

“Since that day, I’ve had this fork in my possession,” Aeri informed you. “Jin can’t seem to find the spoon though. When he found the fork in my jewelry box this morning, he was pretty upset, to say the least. He knew you were coming to Sana’s graduation and he’s been trying to find a way to talk to you these last few years. When he found out I had the exact thing he needed to get that conversation started, he yelled at me for the first time in our entire relationship.”

Your jaw dropped. Kim Seokjin never raised his voice at anyone in anger. Yeah, he was loud and rowdy most of the time, but it was never sincere or aggressive. If he really yelled at Aeri, then something must’ve snapped his composure.

“He accused me of keeping you guys apart all these years,” Aeri sobbed. “He said that if I was hiding this fork from him all this time, then that must mean that what you said about me was true. He really thinks I’m trying to sabotage his relationship with you, and that just isn’t true.”

The tears streaming down her face made your heart ache tightly with empathy. Aeri genuinely seemed to love your cousin and now this fork was calling that into question.

“Aeri,” you asked softly. “Why did you keep the fork? Why didn’t you give it to Jin sooner?”

“I was afraid,” she cried out. “Afraid of losing him to you and your assumptions about me. He loves you and trusts you more than anyone else in the world, you know. All these years, he’s questioned that night in his head. Whenever your name is brought up in conversation, it hurts him because he misses you so much. I saw it in his eyes every time, it’s like there’s a piece of him that’s gone. I didn’t know how to handle all of that, so I was a coward and I hid the fork. Now, he thinks I’m also hiding the spoon.”

Your brain pulled on yet another string of Fate and you thought back to the mysterious spoon in your purse.

The fucking spoon! I spent so much time with the fork, I never thought about the matching spoon.

“That’s why I wanted to talk to you,” she explained. “I need your help to fix this. I know that you’re the only one he’ll listen to, and I will do anything to make this right. Will you please help me? You’re the only one who can.”

You took another look at Aeri and your mind cleared. This was not the same girl you used to see stomping on men’s hearts after sucking them dry financially. The love in her eyes was pure, and the affection she had for your cousin was genuine. There was real remorse and suffering seeping out of her pores. You felt an immediate sense of guilt for all your prior accusations against her, and you decided to remedy her unfortunate situation.

“Where is he?” you implored. “I’ll talk to him.”

Aeri took a moment to absorb your words and then rushed forward to embrace you tightly. The sudden show of affection was unnerving, but you accepted it with grace. If you were going to settle this whole thing with Jin, you should at least start treating his wife cordially.

“He’s in the kitchen,” she informed you. “I’ll go in there and chase everyone else out so you can talk to him alone. Just give me a few minutes, ok?”

“Ok,” you agreed. “I just need to get something from my bag.”

You split up in the hallway and you quickly retrieved the spoon from your purse in the car. Once you made your way to the kitchen, Aeri was waiting at the entrance for you. You could hear Jin asking for help from within.

“Thank you again,” she whispered. “You have no idea how much this means to me.”

She squeezed your arm gently and then retreated down the hallway as you stepped into the brightly lit kitchen, taking a moment to appreciate the impressive wingspan of your cousin Jin’s shoulders in front of the counter.

“I hear you need some help, Jin-Jin?” you announced with a smile. “Maybe I can be of assistance?”

Jin’s shoulders ceased their motion and he set down the knife he was using to chop vegetables. He was cleaning his hands on his frilly apron when he turned around to face you. His face was unreadable, but you knew he was nervous about seeing you. The twitch in his right eye and the tension in his lips told you everything you needed to know.

“Hey,” he murmured with uncertainty. “I didn’t know you were here already.”

“Yeah,” you said nonchalantly. “So, do you need help getting that vegetable tray ready?  You know I’m good with a knife.”

Jin’s lips settled into a polite smile and he reached over to the hooks on the wall to grab another frilly apron. He tossed it at you and you put it on while he pulled out another cutting board and knife for you to use. He settled the vegetables and tray between the two of you on the counter, and you started slicing away at a cucumber while he continued prepping the carrots. Neither of you spoke for a few minutes, but you took note of the subtle glances he tossed in your direction. After he exhaled with a sigh, you took mercy on your poor cousin and decided to break the ice the only way you knew how.

“Hey, Jin,” you smirked. “I know this cucumber is cool, but should I chop it like it’s hot?”

You swiveled your hips slightly as you continued to slice the cucumber, and Jin’s eyes glowed with amusement. He was trying not to show how pleased he was with your silly pun, but you could tell he was gearing up for a joke of his own.

“Do whatever you want,” he shrugged. “I don’t carrot all.”

He lifted a carrot stick and chomped on it to punctuate the sentence. You both tightened your lips to contain your laughter, but ultimately you both exploded with giggles a few seconds later. You and Jin put down your knives to lift your aprons up to dab at the tears collecting at the corners of your eyes. The two of you had a ridiculous sense of humor, but man, there was nothing you enjoyed more than hanging out with him and telling stupid jokes that only you and he would laugh at.

It was a relief to feel the tension in the kitchen dissipating so naturally. You missed having your favorite goofball around, and as you finished slicing the cucumber slices, you agonized over the time that you’d already lost. You arranged the sliced cucumber on the tray and grabbed the nearest crown of broccoli.

“Oh, good,” Jin commented. “I haven’t chopped the little trees yet. I’m glad you’re going to do them. You always know how to cut them the way I like them.”

You smiled brightly at his praise, and made quick work of the “little trees” Jin loved so much. Once the “forest” was arranged on the tray, you grabbed the multicolored cherry tomatoes and poured them into the corner slot. Another sigh from Jin captured your attention and you glanced over to catch his gaze as he leaned forward to arrange the carrot sticks on the platter.

“I’ve really missed this, you know?” Jin chirped. “Us, in the kitchen, making food and stupid jokes. I almost forgot how much fun this was.”

“Well, it’s been a while since we last did this,” you reminded him gently. “Actually, the last time I can remember was at your engagement party.”

You paused to gauge his reaction, and you had to give the man some credit. He was getting much better at concealing his emotions, but you were the one person who knew that the tips of his ears were about to flush pink from anxiety. Just as the blood rushed to the sides of his head, he released the breath he was holding. You almost smirked at his reaction, but you didn’t want to ruin the moment.

“Yeah, about that,” Jin gritted out while rubbing the back of his neck. “I think we need to talk about what happened that night.”

“I know,” you nodded. “Jin, I just-”

“You were right,” he cut you off. “About everything. Aeri really is selfish and a liar and manipulative, and I’m sorry I didn’t see it sooner.”

“No, that’s not-” you started to say.

“She’s been keeping secrets from me,” he interrupted once again. “Hiding things from me, and all I ever did was love her and trust her and give her whatever she needed. I thought I could help her become a better person, you know? Really learn how to love herself so she could see the wonderful person I saw inside of her. I thought she’d changed, but, I guess it just wasn’t possible.”

“She isn’t hiding anyth-” you tried again.

“So, yeah,” Jin huffed out sadly. “That’s it. That’s my life with the woman of my dreams, or I guess it’s more of a nightmare now. I don’t know how I can stay married to someone who lies to me and-”

“Will you shut up for one second?!” you cried out.

Jin paused his monologue and tilted his head to look at your fuming form. The gloss over his eyes made you sad, and more than anything, you wanted to relieve the melancholy oozing from his full lips. You lifted your hand to reveal the fork Aeri had given you earlier. His eyes widened, but his emotional grid just shifted from woe to fury.

“You see?” he pointed out. “That’s your fork! I couldn’t find it after you threw it at my head that night. I’ve been trying to figure out how I was going to talk to you after our fight and I knew that fork would be the perfect conversation starter. Aeri was hiding it from me and I found it. She probably has my spoon hidden somewhere in the house, and I promise you, I’m going to find-”

You pulled the spoon out of your pocket and his heated rant came to an abrupt stop, and you saw confusion creep across his temples and down to his befuddled expression. You could tell he was trying to work out the equation you’d laid before him, but he was having trouble solving it. You put him out of his misery and placed both utensils on the counter and then wrapped your arms around him.

Jin returned the embrace without a second thought and you both settled into a comfortable and soothing silence, only interrupted briefly by the occasional heaving sigh from one or the other. You patted his back and stepped away to hold up both the fork and the spoon in front of his face.

“Aeri didn’t have your spoon,” you affirmed. “I did. Before you even ask, I don’t know why I had it. It just appeared in my things and I found it completely by accident. She did have my fork, but she had her reasons for not telling you about it.”

“How do you know that?” Jin pouted slightly. “What? Are you and Aeri friends now or something?”

“Or something just about covers it,” you nodded. “She just pulled me into a dark room without warning and spilled the tea about all of this, and you know what I realized as she was crying her eyes out over this?”

“What?” Jin muttered grumpily.

“That girl honestly loves you,” you stated simply. “Like hand over my heart, grab a bouquet of flowers, and gag me with that stupid spoon of yours LOVES you. I was so blinded by my hatred of her back then, I never gave her a chance to be anything but the conniving witch I knew her to be. But all of that was before she met you, my handsome charming cousin.”

Jin’s expression softened considerably, and he leaned back against the counter, dropping his gaze to the floor. You took that as a sign to continue.

“I underestimated you, Jin-Jin,” you admitted. “I should have trusted your choices and put more faith in your judgment. Before Aeri, I never questioned anything you did. It was unfair of me to judge her so harshly, especially since you were so sure of her fidelity and loyalty.”

Jin lifted his eyes to meet your own, and he offered you a small smile. He reached over to take the spoon into his hand and his smile widened.

“Do you know why people never bring spoons to a party?” he asked. “It’s because they cause quite a stir.”

You groaned loudly and threw your head back to stifle the impending chortle from escaping. You should’ve been ready for one of Jin’s lame dad jokes, but they always caught you off guard.

“Come on,” Jin demanded. “Laugh! You know you want to.”

He poked your side with the spoon and you released the laughter you’d held hostage after he delivered his punchline. It took a few seconds to stop his incessant spoon attack, but he eventually wrapped his arm around your shoulder and kissed the top of your head affectionately.

“Oh, 고구마/goguma (sweet potato),” he sighed. “What am I supposed to do with you? How many times must I tell you that I am always right and I know what I’m doing? How could you even doubt me for a second? You really should have more faith in me.”

“You’re one to talk, 감자/gamja (potato),” you teased. “I wasn’t the only one who lost faith here. You never called me after that night, and you were always the first one to apologize and set things right whenever we got stupid.”

“Well, I would have” he argued. “But I couldn’t find your stupid fork. I couldn’t make anything right without giving that back to you, even after you threw it at my head and told me to “go fork myself.” That was a good one, by the way.”

“Thank you,” you giggled, while picking up your fork. “It just came to me in the moment.”

You heard a commotion behind you and you both turned around to see Aeri lingering in the doorway. She was shifting nervously against the door frame and biting on her lip. She looked like she wanted to speak, but didn’t know how to begin. You looked up at Jin who nodded at your silent request. You hugged his side and then walked over to Aeri.

Before she could say a word, you wrapped your arms around her and gave her a big hug. She was flabbergasted and immediately started sobbing against your shoulder. You tried to pull away to calm her down, but she melted against you, dripping tears and snot all over your shoulder. It was hard not to be grossed out by it, but you endured the discomfort for the sake of the moment. You were trying to mend the relationship between all three of you, and pushing her away for covering you in disgusting wetness would just have to be overlooked at the moment.

“Aeri,” you murmured against her head. “I have something to say to both you and Jin. Why don’t you go over to the counter so we can talk?”

She looked over to Jin and she hesitated, but he opened his arms to her and beckoned her forth.

“Come here, 여보/yeobo (honey),” he cooed. “It’s ok.”

She flew into Jin’s arms and buried her wet face into his broad chest. It was adorable how small she was against your cousin’s side, but somehow they fit together perfectly. It made your heart soar to see the love pouring out of Jin’s face and reciprocated in Aeri’s.

How did I never see this side of them?

“Well, I feel like I owe both of you an apology,” you said. “I was unfair to both of you, and I regret not giving either of you my blessing. I’m a horrible cousin, and I entirely take the blame for this family drama. I started it, and now, I’m finishing it.”

You stepped forward and took one hand from each into your own. They smiled at you and Jin’s eyes were sparkling with happiness.

“I’m sorry for everything,” you stated. “I hope that we can move forward from today and be cousins, the way we should have been from the moment Jin decided to marry you. From here on out, I want us to be friends.”

“Best friends,” Jin agreed. “I won’t even bother to say something silly like soulmate. I’m sure Taehyung would kill us if we even dared. Speaking of which, how is he?”

“He’s-” you started to say.

“TTALGI!” came a loud screech from outside.

“Loud,” you groaned. “And annoying. Did I mention the annoying part?”

You all laughed at that, and you noticed that the two of them were getting restless against each other.

That’s probably my cue to leave.

“I’ll give you two a moment alone,” you suggested. “I need to go wrangle my ridiculous soulmate before he causes any trouble.”

“Wrangle?” Jin mused. “Or did you mean to say strangle?”

“Either,” you quipped. “Both of them will get the job done.”

You stalked your way outside, leaving the two lovebirds to make up in the kitchen and wandered around the side of the house to find Taehyung slumped against the brick exterior, seemingly distraught.

“Tae?” you worried. “What happened? Is everything ok?”

Taehyung’s eyes were glassy and his serene expression was reminiscent of a drug addict riddled with chemical euphoria.

Fucking Sana! Did she get him high again?!

Your cousin dabbled in edibles, and she was crazy good at making them. She knew everything there was to know about the different strains and their medicinal and recreational applications. If she wasn’t so damned good at welding, she probably would’ve opened her own dispensary.

“Tae,” you reasoned cautiously “Please tell me you didn’t eat a gummy or a Rice Krispie treat again. I don’t want to have to explain your condition to your mother while you’re trippin’ balls.”

Whatever high Taehyung was riding, it seemed to be smooth, and as he focused in on your face, the haze seemed to clear and his pupils dilated further, which only fueled your drug theory.

“My beautiful, beautiful soulmate,” Taehyung gushed. “You have no idea how happy I am right now and I have you to thank.”

“Me or Sana?” you snapped. “I swear to goddess, Kim Elizabeth Taehyung, if you don’t start explaining yourself right fucking now, I’m going to fucking kill you.”

He took a deep breath and stepped forward to cup your cheeks with his gorgeous hands. There was a sparkle in his eyes you’d never seen before and you started to rethink the drug theory. Taehyung’s thumbs softly brushed across your cheeks, soothing your fears away with each stroke.

Before you could ask any questions, Taehyung dipped his lips and pulled your face to meet his own in the softest kiss he’d ever given you. He held you in place while he continued to caress your lips in a sensual waltz that only he could hear. The affection he lavished upon you left you trembling with anticipation, and the heat between your thighs increased with each languid suckle.

When he finally ceased his assault on your lips, he leaned his forehead against your own and released a satisfied hum. He then pulled away to show you his phone. There was a voicemail message on it and he played it on speakerphone for you.

“Hey, Taehyung, it’s Yoongi. I don’t know if you were actually serious about that marketing job thing, but it turns out I will have a full time position opening up soon. If you’re really interested, give me a call. I know your work pretty well already, and I think your style could bring something unique to the team. I won’t be back in town for another couple of weeks, but my cousin Namjoon is available to go over the details with you. Call me back when you get a chance. Later.”

Your jaw couldn’t drop any further and your eyes were reaching maximum width. As the information gradually coalesced into solid news in your brain, the rhetorical questions bubbled to the tip of your frontal lobe.

Yoongi wants to offer Taehyung a job?! What?! And did he say Namjoon...Kim Namjoon?

Taehyung’s grin was so wide, you were afraid it would split his skull in half. He broke out into his celebratory dance and started grinding up against you in the process. You were still reeling from his big news, and your brain felt like it had short circuited.

What the hell was happening right now?

“Tae!” you gasped. “What does this mean?”

“It means,” announced your soulmate. “That I, Kim Elizabeth Taehyung, may soon be working with the one and only Min fucking Yoongi.”

“I don’t understand. How did this happen?” you questioned him. “What about the job you already have?”

“Ttalgi,” he grinned. “If Min fucking Yoongi is seriously offering me a job marketing his music, then fuck that other job. This is my dream job, babe. I will be the Ultimate Director of Marketing, or DOM, if you will.”

You rolled your eyes at his crude innuendo and tried in vain to find something to say to him that might appeal to his sense of rationality, but you came up short. Taehyung was far too engrossed in celebrating this amazing turn of events to notice your growing apprehension.

Why were you suddenly feeling uneasy about this?

“Isn’t this a little sudden, Tae?” you argued. “I mean, we literally just saw Yoongi like a day ago. Do you think his offer is real? How can you be so sure that this is a legitimate offer?”

“If it’s legit, how can I say no?” he shrugged. “This is a huge opportunity for me, not to mention for my career. I can’t second guess anything right now, ttalgi, not if the reward is something I’ve dreamed about doing since I was a kid. You’ve seen my sketch book. How many album covers did I design? How many posters? How many times have I seen marketing campaigns for musicians and said that I could’ve done better?”

“I know, Tae-bear, but you shouldn’t make any hasty decisions. You didn’t already call him back, did you?” you asked. “Please tell me you’re going to think about this first.”

“What’s there to think about?” he responded. “I already called him back and I’m meeting with his cousin and lawyer, Kim Namjoon, in a few days to discuss the job. If I like what I hear, then I’m putting in my two weeks notice and starting a new job with Genius Labs, Inc.”

“When and where are you meeting him?” you scowled. “Are you ditching me during our soulmate spring break, Elizabeth?”

“No, baby, I would never,” he smirked. “Namjoon is going to be in town to meet with the university about a fundraiser. After we get back to your place, I’m supposed to go by the new Genius Labs studio office across town. Apparently, they set up a local office to help coordinate all the philanthropic work the company does with the university. That’s where I will be working if they hire me.”

You couldn’t believe what you were hearing. Yoongi and Taehyung working together? Kim Namjoon suddenly reappearing in your life again? What kind of twisted reality were you living?

I don’t know if I’m ready to have so much of my past and present mixing together.

“I hate to kill my own buzz, babe,” Taehyung interrupted your thoughts. “But I just heard Jin announce that the food is ready and I’m starving. I am going to need a lot of energy if we’re going to celebrate later, yeah?”

You snapped your head up to look at his devilish smirk and the sinful glint in his eye. Seeing that hunger building in his mind tugged you away from your anxiety monster and pulled you closer to your hormone demon. You reached up and slid your fingers into his hair and then pulled back slightly, just enough to make him hiss. He pushed your back against the brick wall in response, caging you with his strong arms.

“Then let’s finish family dinner,” you purred. “Then we can go home for dessert.”

Taehyung reached down and slapped at the side of your ass, making it jiggle slightly. He bit on his bottom lip and then gazed deeply into your eyes. His dilated pupils were teeming with lust and you knew you were in for a wild ride.

“Careful, ttalgi,” he warned. “Don’t start games you don’t intend to finish.”

He planted a heated kiss on your lips, complete with a teasing swipe of his tongue and a nibble on your bottom lip. Before you could get carried away, Taehyung pulled you away from the wall in the direction of the party.  The two of you walked to the backyard hand in hand and enjoyed the rest of the evening with your family.

After dinner was served, Sana managed to escape to go see her girlfriend at some point, and Jin disappeared inside with Aeri. You and Taehyung saw that as an opportunity to dip out gracefully as well. You stealthily discarded your plates and sneaked out the back gate.

You decided to go back to your house, since your parents would be at the graduation party for at least a few more hours. You and Taehyung made sure to get fully inside your locked bedroom before going completely feral on each other and tearing clothes off each other like crazed sex maniacs.

You were in the middle of a 69 position when Taehyung thought it would be a good time to talk about the future. With his fingers dipping steadily into your drenched core, he started up a casual conversation.

“Babe,” he mused after suckling on your clit. “If I get this job, I’ll need to find a place to live. Any suggestions?”

You moaned around the tip of his swollen cock and released it with a popping noise. He hissed at the sensation and started twisting his wrist with each slide into your swollen pussy.

“Ah,” you moaned. “I guess...ah...you could always...ah...stay with me until you...ah...found a place.”

You started stroking his quivering length and you dropped your head down to lick at his balls with each stroke. He groaned wantonly and thrust up into your hand to increase the speed.

“That’s a good idea, ttalgi,” he gritted out. “You’re so fucking smart.”

His tongue snaked its way into your folds and started penetrating your tightening hole over and over again. His stiff pink muscle slid up and down your fleshy walls collecting every ounce of arousal it could.

Your second orgasm was approaching and Taehyung wasn’t interested in edging you out this time. He started stimulating your clit along with his tongue fucking and it rapidly ruined any composure you had left. You barreled across the climax finish line and fell forward into Taehyung’s lap, convulsing slightly from the overstimulation.

Taehyung planted one last kiss to your dripping entrance and rolled you around so he could spoon you from behind while also slipping into your soaked pussy in one fluid motion. He started a steady rhythm against your hips and pulled you against his chest so he could play with your stiffened nipples.

“I’d really like that, babe,” he admitted. “You and me finally living together? Think about all the fun we could have. It will be amazing.”

“You’re amazing, Tae,” you purred. “Always fuck me so good.”

“That’s right,” Taehyung agreed while increasing his pace. “I know what you like, when you like it, how you like it, where you like it. I know everything about you, ttalgi. Just like I know that you’re about to cream all over my cock in just a few seconds.”

With one of his hands pulling on your nipple, one stimulating your clit, and Taehyung’s teeth biting down on your collarbone, you felt another orgasm careen over your skin, leaving you a moaning mess. Your moans only increased in pitch when you felt Taehyung releasing hot spurts of cum inside of you just a few moments later.

You laid in each other’s arms, cuddling while his erection softened inside of you. Taehyung pressed another kiss to your temple and sighed happily against your ear.

“If this all works out,” he pondered. “We’ll be seeing a lot more of each other. Are you sure you’re ready for that, ttalgi?”

Taehyung’s voice was laced with concern and you couldn’t blame him. This wouldn't be a silly college roommate situation for the two of you. Both of you were working adults with adult responsibilities and you’d never lived together before. You’d both had roommates before, but they were basically strangers to you. This would be starting a new chapter of your life with someone you’d known since you were a small child. The looming history between you and Taehyung had pervasive possibilities.

Can Taehyung and I live together without any unintended consequences?

Looking at his hand cupping your breast, you smiled and twisted your face to kiss at his fingertips. You turned in his grasp and tilted your head up to pull him into another kiss. The unprecedented worry in his eyes surprised you, and you wanted to allay any concerns he might have.

I shouldn’t worry about something like this. This is Taehyung. Good or bad, we always figure out a way to make things work.

“I’m not worried, Tae-bear,” you told him. “As long as I have you in my life, I know everything will be divine. I’m always going to be here for you, my gorgeous soulmate.”

Taehyung’s face lit up and he hugged you tightly against his chest. You both released a sigh of satisfaction and then settled into the pillow, his face inhaling your hair as he drifted off to sleep. You relaxed in his hold and smiled. Even though the future was filled with unanswered questions and lingering doubts, you were confident that everything would turn out well, especially if you had your Tae-bear to rely on. You snuggled against your soulmate and breathed in his comforting scent as your mind drifted into slumber.

I don’t know what you’re up to, Universe, but you might have some explaining to do.

Author’s Note: Thus ends the chapter with Mr. Worldwide Handsome himself, THE Kim Seokjin. Things are definitely spinning out of control with Tae, Yoongi, and Namjoon making an appearance in the last chapter. I hope you’re all ready to see who she ends up with in the end. Any guesses?

PREVIOUS CHAPTER

Chapter Five: There’s Still Sunshine When He’s Gone

NEXT CHAPTER

Chapter Seven: Too Many Keys, Just One Door

MAP OF THE SOUL MASTERLIST