Chapter Text
Jungkook feels the bass blasting throughout the club pumping through his body.
After a couple of hours of moving around the club, swapping between a drink in his hand and a body grinding up against his, Jungkook figures it may be time to head out.
His hyungs had slowly drifted off to different parts of the club and left him alone in the middle of the crowd.
The raven haired man weaves through the sea of bodies, hushed ‘excuse me’ and sorries muttered. When he finally makes his way to the bar he plops down on the stool, adrenaline slowly seeping from his body and it’s replaced by a dull ache in his head.
His eyes flicker around the dark bar, the wall behind the workstation lit up with purple lights to showcase the bottles lining the shelf. The bartenders float around, constantly serving person after person.
Jungkook’s eyes stop wandering when his gaze catches a particular bartender to his right, cocktail shaker in one hand and a bottle of gin in the other.
He’s absolutely stunning.
Jungkook can’t really tell if the man’s hair is brown or black but it’s long and dangles just into the man’s eyesight. Those eyes are dark and sultry, a deep eyeshadow dusting the edges which makes him even more seductive. Long earrings dangle from his ears and Jungkook’s eyes are dipping to the expanse of collarbones shown off by the man’s unbuttoned shirt.
It’s almost as if he could sense Jungkook staring at him when he snaps his head towards the raven haired.
Jungkook averts his gaze, staring at the dark countertop below him and wishing to disappear into the ground. When he looks back up, the bartender is walking straight past the group of people waiting for a drink and decides to stop right in front of Jungkook.
“What can I grab you, darling?”
Jungkook’s big eyes widen and he feels his heart stutter slightly at the name drop.
“Just a water please.” He tries to keep eye contact with the handsome man but the way his dark eyes peer into his makes it considerably difficult.
“You sure?” The bartender tilts his head slightly, a small, devilish smile playing on his lips.
“Yeah. I’ll be heading home soon.”
“Alright then,” he scoops up some ice and pours water into the glass before sliding it onto the bench.
“Thanks,” Jungkook dips his head slightly in gratitude before lifting the drink to his lips, gulping down the water. He was expecting the man to move on after that and serve the rest of the people lining the bar but he waits and watches Jungkook.
“What’s your name, love?” He asks loud enough over the music, collecting stray glasses and placing them in a tray. Jungkook’s eyes follow the outstretched arm, black shirt rolled up to mid-forearm and a delicate hand adorned with rings.
“Uhm, Jungkook.”
The man nods his head, turning around to dump the tray of glasses near the wash station. When he turns back around he’s asking another person what drink they were after and Jungkook can’t help the small drop of his heart.
He sips on the melting ice, turning slightly in his chair to see if he can spot one of his hyungs. He thinks he finds Yoongi sitting at one of the booths in the corner, talking with people that he doesn’t recognise. A mysterious man his hyung was. His attention is diverted with a light tap on his arm.
He turns back around to see the bartender with another water.
“Taehyung.”
“Huh?” Jungkook’s eyebrows shift together, confused.
“My name. Taehyung.” The other smiles and he can’t help the way his eyes fall unconsciously to Taehyung’s mouth. Straight, white teeth on display with his wide smile.
“Oh,” Jungkook mutters to himself, hoping the club is dark enough that Taehyung can’t see his cheeks heat up.
Taehyung moves between serving people and coming back to Jungkook and it gives him heaps of time to watch Taehyung’s lean body twist and turn around the bar. He’s dressed in a black button up unbuttoned to his sternum and tight jeans leaving little to the imagination.
When he’s on his third glass of water, head clearing and the need to pee building, he figures he should probably get going. He doesn’t know what it is about Taehyung that draws him in that has made him sit here for the past ten or so minutes. Maybe the easygoing attitude or purely his beauty.
The crowd had started to thin out now, being that it is the early hours of the morning. He texts the group chat, asking if his hyungs were still here and wanted to head home.
“You okay, love?” Taehyung’s voice reaches his ears again and he looks up from his phone.
“Yeah. Just checking where my hyungs are.”
Taehyung nods his head as he wipes down the bench with a rag, “leaving so soon?”
Jungkook chokes slightly on his own spit but tries to play it off with a cough and an easy laugh.
“I’ve been here for hours,” he claims, looking at the time on his phone. 3AM. They arrived at around eleven. His phone vibrates and a message from Yoongi pops up on the top of his screen.
yoongi
yeah. i can see you at the bar. let’s go?
“Well it was nice meeting you, Jungkook.” Taehyung says to him with upturned lips and hooded eyes.
Jungkook hates the heat that rises to his cheeks with Taehyung’s intense stare and he offers a small smile and a nod before standing from the bar.
“You too,” Jungkook says softly before walking off towards the exit where his hyung waits.
☠
A week later Jungkook’s returning to the club with Yoongi, Hoseok and Namjoon in tow. His adrenaline had been on a high all day with the thought of possibly seeing a certain man again.
It’s a bit calmer than usual in the club and after an hour or so the group manages to find a booth off to the side. Jungkook pulls his jacket up in an attempt to fan the back of his neck, the heat making the sweaty fabric stick to his skin.
“Anyone for a drink?” Hoseok asks, about to stand up but Jungkook beats him to it.
“I’ll go. What do we want?” He adjusts the jacket and re-tucks his tee into his jeans. When he gets their orders he’s striding off towards the bar, eager to see if Taehyung was working again.
His eyes dart around, looking for the tall, dark figure. It seems like Taehyung finds him first though.
“Hello stranger,” he hears a honey smooth voice to his left and he’s quickly turning towards it.
“Hey,” his eyes drag over the other briefly. He’s wearing a similar outfit to last week but today a bag and jacket hang from his arm. “You’re only just starting?”
Taehyung nods as he pushes his hip into the swinging door to enter behind the bar. “I work the late shifts.”
Jungkook leans against the bar, following the actions of the other as he tucks his bag and jacket in a small cubby hole. Taehyung turns back to face him, already picking up a shaker and pouring in different liquids.
“Why would you choose to work later?”
Taehyung smiles to himself, shaking the metal to the side before grabbing a glass and pouring the beverage inside. He adds a lime and a straw before placing it in front of Jungkook.
“It was up for grabs and I thrive at night. So I took it.”
Taehyung fixes him with a stare, leaning against the bench. Jungkook might be imagining things but Taehyung’s eyes seem so much darker today than last week. It was almost like they never really left him, burning his skin. He brushes it off as the alcohol distorting his memory of the other.
Jungkook drops his gaze down to the drink as he nods his head. “What’s this?”
“Just a gin and tonic.”
He takes a sip, humming at the taste. “Pretty good.”
“Years of practice I guess,” Taehyung shrugs, lip curling upwards at the side.
He sips his drink as Taehyung starts working on his hyungs’ drinks while making small-talk with him.
“Guk-ah.” He hears a monotone voice from next to him and turns to see Yoongi not looking too impressed.
“Hyung. You should try the gin and tonic.”
Yoongi hums, taking a hold of his and Hoseok’s drinks and motioning his head towards the booth.
Jungkook turns back to Taehyung who looks between the two of them. “I’ve got to go. The hyungs are waiting.”
Taehyung gives him an entrancing smile as he pours the last drink. “I'll see you soon, love.”
The jet black haired man smiles, picking up his and Namjoon’s drink before following his hyung back to the booth. He could almost feel the awkward air as he sat down and Namjoon fixes him with a disapproving look as Jungkook hands him his drink.
“What? Why are you all looking at me like that?”
“We don’t know if you should be talking to Taehyung, Guk-ah,” Namjoon says to him, taking a large sip of his drink.
“You know him?”
“He uses people. You don’t deserve that, Jungkook.” His eyebrows furrow at Hoseok’s statement. Taehyung has been nothing but nice to him so far.
“Just have fun tonight, Guk-ah. There’s heaps of people out there.” He nods his head at Yoongi, chugging down the rest of the drink and standing up.
“I’m gonna go to the bathroom,” he pulls off his jacket, chucking it on the seat next to Hoseok before pushing through the crowd towards the toilets.
The line to the bathroom gives him the perfect view of the bar and he watches as Taehyung floats from one end to the other. He sees the dark man chat every now and then to the person in front of him but, dare Jungkook say it, it wasn’t like how he talked to him. Or how he made him a drink without Jungkook even asking. Or how he gave him that tempting, seductive stare that made heat run up and down Jungkook’s body.
He’s drawn out of the trance Taehyung had him locked in when he hears the voices of people also waiting in the line.
“She was obsessed with him and then the next day it was like he didn’t even exist anymore.”
“Maybe he sucked in bed.”
“Do you really think Kim Taehyung looks like a man that would suck in bed?”
“Well he’s kinda weird. He lives up in that old mansion with his brothers or something.”
“I heard someone say they saw him shift into a bat-”
“Hey, man. Are you gonna go?”
Jungkook looks to his right where a shorter man stares at him before looking beyond Jungkook's shoulder and back at him. He turns around, noticing the new lack of people in front of him and that he was holding up the line.
“Ah, no. You can go. Sorry.”
He walks out of line, ignoring the huffs of annoyance directed at him from the people that were stuck waiting behind him, and up to the bar. As he leans on the countertop, watching Taehyung’s liquid smooth movements he tries to process all the information he'd gathered. Not too long after approaching Taehyung eventually gravitates towards him and Jungkook notices how those dark eyes dip down his body slightly before finding his eyes again.
“Back already?”
“Only for your bartending skills.” He smiles at Taehyung and the other releases a deep chuckle.
“And what are you after, lovely?” Taehyung asks while grabbing another shaker and scooping some ice into it.
“Anything you want.” Jungkook watches as Taehyung grins at that and his gaze falls to canines much pointier than usual. So obvious when you were actually looking for them.
His thoughts are an unorganised mess in his brain. First, the dark eyes. Then the fact that he supposedly thrives at night. Now he had pointed canines and apparently someone saw him shift into a bat?
Jungkook knows that hybrids weren't too unusual but he’d never had an experience with a bat one.
His hyungs were wrong anyway. Everyone was. Taehyung wasn’t using people or bad in bed, although the latter statement was more of a hopeful claim. They all had to be the ones dumping him.
Just because he was a bat hybrid.
☠
Jungkook knows it’s a bit forward and maybe a bit creepy just showing up to someone’s house uninvited.
Especially when you don’t know if they actually live there.
But he liked Taehyung and he wanted to try building some sort of friendship with the man while not under the influence of any liquid courage.
The mansion was pretty easy to locate, being that there was only one old mansion in the area. It was a twenty minute drive from his house and located up in the hills, hidden behind tall trees on a large block of land. It takes him a whole minute to drive up the driveway and when he finally arrives in front of the house he’s debating turning back around and driving back home.
It’s beautiful but the old age and general eeriness of the area is giving Jungkook serial killer vibes. He didn’t like how the nearest neighbour was more than a football field away.
Maybe he should have told someone he was coming here.
He takes a moment to observe the mansion as the sun offers the last few minutes of light. It had at least three levels, grand windows with all the blinds drawn and red leaves climbing the left side of the brick building. There was a black porsche also parked on the driveway, shiny and sleek and definitely putting his busted honda to shame.
Jungkook takes in a deep breath before stepping out into the cool air, grabbing the gift he brought for Taehyung from the passenger seat. There’s a small path leading to the porch, a covered area with wooden furniture and lantern-like lights that are flickering on as he approaches the tall door.
He raises his hand, using the gold door knocker to knock against the mahogany door three times. As he waits he turns to look around the porch, noticing small pieces of character which made the mansion seem more homely. A make-shift vegetable garden grows from a wooden crate and tennis rackets are tucked into the corner.
After around twenty seconds he turns back around, his hand coming up with the intention to grasp the knocker again when the door opens suddenly. A blond man probably around his age but a tad bit shorter than him stands in the gap. He’s dressed casually in a black v-neck tee and sweats but looks quite irritable.
“Can I help you?” The blond drags his eyes over him, unashamed and Jungkook squirms slightly under his gaze.
“Uhm,” he pauses as he internally berates himself for thinking this was a good idea. Is it too late to turn around?
The man quirks an eyebrow at him and adjusts his stance so his weight shifts to one leg, seemingly annoyed that Jungkook was taking up his time.
“Yes. Uhm, does Taehyung live here?”
That seems to peak the blond’s interest and he’s standing straighter, head tilting to the side.
“Taehyung?”
“Yes?” Jungkook kicks himself for having such little confidence. Maybe he should have had a shot or something to loosen up a bit.
The man hums before shutting the door on Jungkook and he stares at the wood for a second, wondering what just happened. Was that a no?
Jungkook turns around, shuffling down the path when he hears the door open again and his name called out in a familiar tone.
“Jungkook?”
He looks back to see Taehyung standing at the door now. Dressed - well half-dressed - in a white shirt that he was still buttoning up and gym shorts. No jewellery or make-up. Just pure, bare Taehyung.
And fuck was he gorgeous.
“Hi,” Jungkook says as he walks back up to the door.
“You’re here.” There's no anger in Taehyung’s statement. It was more of an observation, surprised that Jungkook was here. At his house. That he didn’t even tell him about.
“Yeah, uhm, I hope it’s alright. Just showing up like this.”
“Yes, just a surprise is all.” He pauses, a small smile playing on his lips as he looks at Jungkook. “Would you like to come in?”
“If that’s okay, then sure.”
“Of course,” Taehyung opens the door wider, stepping back to let Jungkook in. “Jin-hyung just started cooking dinner.”
Jungkook stands admiring the foyer as Taehyung shuts the door behind him. They sure liked their mahogany he notices as he takes in the room, two wood staircases were at either side of the well-lit area, separated by double doors in the middle.
“What brings you here, love?” Taehyung asks as he walks towards the doors, Jungkook trailing behind him.
“I just, well,” Jungkook can’t think of anything reasonable as an excuse and figures he might as well be truthful. “Just wanted to see you.”
Taehyung turns to face him just short of the door. A wide smile occupying his face and Jungkook swears he saw a sparkle in those brown eyes.
“How cute.”
Jungkook feels his cheeks heat up and looks down to his feet. It’s then that he realises the net bag is still dangling in his hand.
“Oh. These are for you.” He offers the bag with an outstretched arm and Taehyung’s long fingers briefly flutter across his hand when he grabs it.
“Figs?” Taehyung questions with a slight twitch to his brow as he examines the fruit.
Jungkook had spent the whole day figuring out what type of food bats enjoyed eating. Deciding to forego gifting Taehyung insects for his own comfort, he learnt that a lot of bats enjoyed fruit. Figs being one of them.
“I thought you’d like them.”
“Of course I do,” Taehyung looks back up to Jungkook with what looks like an amused smile. “Thank you, Jungkook.”
Jungkook gives him a sheepish smile. He hates how lit up the foyer is, probably showcasing the blush rising up his neck and cheeks. But it also gives him a clearer look of Taehyung outside of the club’s low lighting.
“Come on, I’ll introduce you to my hyungs.”
Taehyung pushes open the doors to reveal a large, open area in the shape of a ‘u’. To their left is a brown leather couch with a flatscreen hanging from the wall, different gaming consoles scattered over the cabinet below and a pool table in the very back corner. In front of them is open space that leads to contemporary sliding doors leading out into the darkening night. Finally to the right is a large dining table and then a kitchen, occupied by two men.
A hand falls against his lower back, encouraging him to walk forward and the two of them are making their way over to the kitchen.
The blond man that opened the door is there, slicing some onion on a chopping board. Accompanying him in the kitchen is a broader man with black hair, busy stirring a pot at the stove.
“Who’s our guest, Taehyung-ah?” He asks without turning around, attention on whatever he was cooking.
“This is Jungkook,” he claims whilst tipping the figs into a fruit bowl on the counter. Jungkook’s body hums with a sense of accomplishment. He also makes a mental note of the other fruit in the bowl for next time.
“Jungkook.” The man turns around and Jungkook is wondering how these men have zero flaws. “Nice to meet you.”
“This is Jin-hyung and you’ve already met Jimin-hyung.” Taehyung explains to him as he pulls out a stool at the breakfast bar, motioning for Jungkook to sit before sitting on the stool next to him.
Jungkook’s shocked when Jimin smiles at him, a major difference from the glare he was giving him at the front door.
“Sorry about before. I don’t like being woken up.”
“Oh. It’s fine,” he offers Jimin a small smile back.
“Do you like spicy noodles, Jungkook?”
He turns back to Jin, nodding his head and he watches as the other shakes a powder into the pot.
Jungkook turns to look at Taehyung, whose gaze was burning into the side of his face. The other just smiles at him and he sees those sharp canines against soft, pink lips. Jungkook’s eyes fall briefly to a crimson stain on Taehyung’s shirt.
“It’s just juice,” he laughs and slides a hand over the stain. “I was sleeping when Jimin said you were here so I just grabbed whatever was on top of my hamper.”
“You were sleeping too?”
“Yeah,” he says whilst grabbing the bowls on the counter and walking over to the dining table. “We all were.”
“You guys were sleeping at 6PM?”
“We all work the night shift.” Jimin gives Taehyung a weird look before walking over to the stove and dumping the onion into the pot.
“Oh, really?” He laughs awkwardly, embarrassment returning and he vows not to just show up at people’s houses anymore.
Taehyung comes up behind him, hand ruffling his hair before resting on his arm. Jungkook looks over his shoulder at the man smiling at him.
“It’s alright, love. Now's the perfect time to visit before Jin-hyung and Jimin-hyung head to work.”
“What do you guys do?” Jungkook asks, fiddling with the stem of an apple he’d picked from the fruit basket.
“I’m a nurse. Jimin’s a club dancer,” Jin answers while carrying the pot around the counter and placing it in the middle of the dining table.
Jungkook follows Taehyung around the table and that familiar heat is climbing his neck as the other pulls out the seat for him. With a bashful smile he sits down on the chair and Taehyung slides into the chair next to him.
“Dancer, not a prostitute. Been there, done that.” Jimin adds, mumbling the latter half as he takes the seat opposite Taehyung and Jungkook’s stuck thinking of what a diverse group this was.
“What about you, Jungkook? Tell us about yourself.” Jin encourages as he dumps a large pile of noodles in his bowl before filling the other three.
“Well,” he pauses, thinking of what he should tell the three men. “I’m twenty-five and work an office job.”
Jungkook hears a chuckle and his eyes find Jimin smiling behind noodle-piled chopsticks, shoulders shaking slightly with quiet laughter. His ears burn with the onset of embarrassment and he shovels food into his mouth in an attempt to distract himself.
“Tell us what you enjoy, Jungkook. Tell us about you .”
“Oh,” he hesitates, staring down at his bowl. He had always been shy when it came to talking about himself. “I like singing and music.”
Jungkook feels all eyes on him, attentive and eager to hear him say more.
“Yeah, um. My hyungs are actually all in the music industry. Producers and artists.”
“So why aren’t you?” Taehyung asks in that smooth honey voice.
“I was told to be more realistic.” Jungkook pushes the noodles around his bowl, silence filling the air for a moment before Jin clears his throat.
“Well I think we’d all like to hear you sing some time, Jungkook-ah.”
Jungkook looks up at the man opposite him, soft and kind brown eyes meet his and he can tell that Jin is being genuine. He smiles at the other and the group resumes their chatter of getting to know each other in between bites.
“I’ve got to get to work.” Jimin says not too long after and he rises from his seat, empty bowl in hand.
“Same. Can you clean up, Taehyung-ah?” Jin chimes in as he quickly scoops his last bite into his mouth, waiting for Taehyung’s nod before moving to place his own bowl in the sink.
“It was nice meeting you, Jungkook.” Jimin smiles at the raven-haired, wandering over to the double door that Jungkook and Taehyung had entered only half an hour or so ago.
“I hope we see more of you.” Jin says as he follows behind Jimin, now carrying a small cooler in his hand.
“It was nice to meet you both, too.” Jungkook smiles and him and Taehyung move to follow the two out into the foyer.
After an exchange of pleasantries Jin slips through a side door to which Jungkook assumes is the garage and Jimin enters the darkness outside, gliding towards the porsche before the front door closes under Taehyung’s hand.
“Actually I should probably head home as well.” Jungkook speaks softly, a warm feeling spreading in his chest as he realises he’s here alone with Taehyung for the first time.
“It’s sad seeing you go so soon, love.” Taehyung says with that small, smug smile playing on his lips. Taehyung reaches forward, a cool hand grasping Jungkook’s fingers and his thumb rubs over his knuckles. “Come back soon, okay?”
“Okay,” Jungkook releases breathily and his heart picks up pace with Taehyung’s new touch. The other’s dark gaze is heavy and trained on Jungkook, tilting his head slightly with his smirk growing like he knew something Jungkook didn’t.
The raven-haired man tries to avoid the gaze by dipping his head down, the intricate pattern of the carpet becoming his new favourite thing. He slips his hand out from the other’s hold, taking a small breath before looking up again and his eyes immediately find Taehyung’s mouth where canines rest on a soft bottom lip before flickering back up to brown eyes.
“Bye, Taehyung.”
“Goodbye, darling. Drive safely.”
Taehyung opens the door again for Jungkook, letting him slip out into the cool night and down the small path now lit up by garden lights. He slumps into the driver’s seat, stuck staring at the mansion ahead of him, warm lights now slipping through the cracks of windows.
It was in the silence of his car that he realised his heart was still thumping against his ribcage and an elated feeling was coursing through him.
He couldn’t wait to see Taehyung again.