kiss me now [taekook] ✓

fourteen²: sacrifice

JJG

Jeongguk woke up first. His eyes opened slowly then shut them quickly. He took in a deep breath before trying again. Light spilled through all the windows, making Jeongguk squint. It took a while to realize the hand that was tangled with his.

They somehow managed to get their hands linked and keep them together in their slumber. Jeongguk carefully pulled away his arm, trying to not wake Taehyung up. He lifted his body and sat up straight. There was still an hour before they would land.

Jeongguk dragged his hands down his face and then stretched out his body a little. He heard Taehyung groan and stir, turning to the other side before resting still. Jeongguk raked a hand through this hair, grabbed his pocket tooth brush and paste set and went to a stall to brush his teeth.

When he returned, he saw that Taehyung was out of his seat. Jeongguk set the bed back up so that it was a chair-seat again. A stewardess came and gave Jeongguk the different options for breakfast that he picked one for himself and Taehyung. Taehyung finally returned with a small towed over his shoulder.

"Morning," Taehyung said, setting his bed back up as well.

"Morning," Jeongguk replied, not being able to meet the older's eyes. "I got you pancakes," Jeongguk said.

Taehyung smiled. "Thanks."

They ate their breakfast in silence. Jeongguk decided to put on a movie and plugged in his earphones so he'd have an excuse to not talk to Taehyung, but he couldn't focus on the movie at all. He noticed all the glances from Taehyung, but he pretended not to.

When Jeongguk finished eating, he turned off the movie and cleaned up a little. There was about twenty minutes left before landing. Jeongguk pulled out the tablet and decided to look through the schedule for the day again.

They would check in to the hotel first before Taehyung had a meeting with the chairman of the board with other directors, then the rest of the day was to be spent however they please. Jeongguk just planned to stay in  the hotel and practice his English as there was an event planned for the next evening at a banquet to celebrate the ninth anniversary of Lee's. He knew he wouldn't have to interact with others too too much but there still might be some light conversation. Plus, he wanted to be able to communicate with someone in case of emergencies.

"Hey, um, do you have any plans for the day? Meeting anyone?" Taehyung asked, sounding a little hesitant.

Jeongguk shook head. "Uh, no. I don't really know anyone or really anything here," he answered.

"Well, I could show you around," Taehyung offered.

Jeongguk wondered what would the nicest way to turn him down, but then thought about how he has been trying to put the past behind them. This would be the perfect opportunity for the two to tie up the loose threads. Especially after his outburst the previous day, Taehyung deserved that much.

"Really? That'd be great," Jeongguk replied, finally looking at Taehyung and he regrets it a little bit. Taehyung's face instantly lit up and had the most adorable smile that he tried to hide by nodding.

"Cool," Taehyung said.

They buckled up and finally landed in Philadelphia. After collecting all their luggage, they found the car their company had booked for them. Taehyung talked enthusiastically about all the places in Pennsylvania that he wanted to visit again and Jeongguk could tell that Taehyung loved this place very much. He was glad he didn't hold him back in Korea all those years ago.