Archive of Our Own ^beta

The air in the café isn’t necessarily soothing at this point in time for Jeongguk, having been here for 6 hours already, but the smell of caffeine and the sound of coffee beans being blended comes as a refreshing serving, a lightness that feeds at the lethargic people sitting by their laptops and typing away steadily, save the occasional noises of frustration.

“Hey, you!”

Ah, the familiar voice that appears every day.

Jeongguk isn’t startled, but he does turn to look over the counter at the man who stands there with the usual stupidly adorable grin on his face. Still, with him dressed in his office wear—his black blazer framing his broad enough shoulders and slender figure; soft brown hair untouched and cute, like he’s wearing a coconut. Kind of reminds Jeongguk of his own hair, except, his hair resembles more of a comma than coconuts—a tragic story saved for another time.

“Hyung,” Jeongguk greets after a while, looking behind Taehyung to see if there’s another customer. No one. “What do you want to get?”

“You,” Taehyung winks suggestively, and it’s so overly used that Jeongguk doesn’t refrain from letting out the laughter that bubbles in his throat. “Okay, but seriously, hurry and clock out. Let’s go home.”

“Now?”

Only when Taehyung tilts his head questioningly in return, does the gears in Jeongguk’s head begin churning to which he actually realizes that Taehyung has been holding his work bag all along behind the counter desk, and that he truly was waiting for Jeongguk to head back together which makes his heart swell. Something deep within the thoughts of Jeongguk’s mind snaps, and he throws his head back in what feels like a hint of guilt that only grows with every second of realization pulsing in his brain.

Of course.

Over the span of 3 months since Taehyung’s found a job in the building across the cozy little café that Jeongguk’s been working at in the past 2 years, Taehyung had constantly dropped by to wait for him just so they could walk back to their apartments together—call it a Coincidence with a capital c. Or Fate, but they even live in the same vicinity currently which supposedly gives Taehyung “every reason to knock off with Jeongguk” everyday.

It probably sounds like a complaint... but the more frequently Jeongguk sees Taehyung each day, the more he enjoys working in this café—and he already loves his time here since the very first day of working. He absolutely takes Taehyung’s company into his favor; it’s always a fun time when he’s anywhere near Jeongguk just because he’s pretty much the light that keeps darkness out. A happy pill, so to say.

“Sorry hyung, I forgot to tell you I’m helping Yugyeom take his shift too, only ends at nine. I didn’t even know it’s time to go,” Jeongguk knows work wears Taehyung out, and it isn’t even his duty as a Best Friend to wait for him but Jeongguk also doesn’t expect any lesser when Taehyung lets out a chuckle.

“It’s fine then,” Taehyung flashes a grin, hand reaching out to ruffle Jeongguk’s hair. “I’ll get some work done in the next three hours, and then we’ll leave. Sound good?”

Jeongguk grins back. “That sounds great.”

He’s given up on telling Taehyung to leave because he’s  working in an office instead of a café, but he’s constantly resolutely shut up much to his gratitude and luck. No sarcasm or offense intended.

Just then, the bells on the door ring as a customer strolls in, and Taehyung sends a playful wink in Jeongguk’s way before sauntering to the table at the very corner of the room. His favorite spot, apparently, because the fengshui is great which gives him productivity without fail all the time. His words, not Jeongguk’s.

Jeongguk doesn’t realize his eyes had been trailing after Taehyung—until the same customer that’s entered stands in front of  him, a petite lady with blonde curls falling just past her shoulders like decorations on her dress, clears her throat to get his attention.

“Good evening, what would you like to get?” Jeongguk sighs behind his politeness.

Sometimes he wonders why he would rather work as a barista when there’s everything else in the world that he could do. Maybe help out at his father’s company, or  Namjoon’s or maybe even the one Seokjin’s working at.

But then he remembers his love for coffee and tea, how growing up his parents constantly allowed him to taste every type of tea until he was old enough for coffee. Not to mention how much he’s also come to love that he has a brand new reason to look forward to every end of each day (Taehyung, and his cute pick up lines).

That thought alone sweeps in optimism to his thoughts; brightens up his mood all the time he wishes he could lie and say otherwise. Whether he’s having a down day or generally just a bad mood, thoughts of Taehyung lift everything up effortlessly and sometimes although it’s perceived as a blessing… it’s sort of one hell of a big curse, too. Because it means he’s falling even deeper, having it bad, being even more whipped with each day and it was never really his intention to reach this deep.

A Jeongguk in love, as his friends used to always say, is a dangerous Jeongguk. Because not only would he give the relationship his all, he would fall hard. And if he gets hurt, for someone who’s been in only two relationships in all 23 years of his life, it seems like he would never be able to get back on his feet and be the same person again.

But he knows that’s not true, of course not. Exaggeration does justice to nothing. But maybe, it’s 97% true.

Granted, a horrible relationship inevitably changes an individual. But perhaps Jeongguk’s lucky enough not to be welcomed with unpleasant exes. His previous relationships had ended on cool terms that were mutually respected. He knows he’s lucky—at least, luckier than most people. But he’s also terribly selective, which he supposes, is a trait that comes in handy in the aspect of emotional attachments.

Luckily for him though, time passes relatively quickly when he immerses himself in his job.

However, even to himself, Jeongguk doesn’t admit that it’s because he basically spent half the time trying not to laugh at the way Taehyung pulls the funniest faces as he thinks up the correct words for his report; or how whenever he takes an accidental huge sip out of piping hot tea. Perhaps he had done everything intentionally, or maybe not, but Jeongguk knows there must have been some deliberation behind his actions for someone who’s constantly aware of his surroundings in the time that he isn’t sleeping.

He’d made sure to serve Taehyung his favorite tea for free in the middle of passing time though because it’s getting cold outside;  Taehyung loves tea almost as much as animals of all sorts; tea is best served when it’s hot and the grateful look he sent Jeongguk every time he replenished his tea with hot water was enough to warm his heart up for the rest of the night.

When the clock strikes 9, exactly, Jeongguk takes his apron off and chucks it below the counter top while saying a quick goodbye to Mingyu at the other end where he stands on his tip-toes wiping the machineries and table tops— the sign that the café is closing for the day, yet it’s only Mingyu preparing the closing in advance as he always does as a “form of motivation to get through the last hour doing nothing much.”

It’s beginning to get even colder in the café, usually due to the drastic fall in temperature outside and Jeongguk rubs on his arms as he half jogs towards where Taehyung sits, shuffling papers in his hands, all wrinkled from the cold, before keeping his laptop in his bag in the next swift motion.

Jeongguk wonders about many things every moment of the day, and most of the time, it consists of wondering about how Taehyung could manage to look this beautiful without even trying.

“Did you manage to complete anything?” Jeongguk asks thoughtfully, contemplating whether or not to massage at Taehyung nape, but deciding against it because his own fingers are chilly. He’d probably give Taehyung goosebumps from the coldness rather than comfort anyway.

Pathetically, he tucks them into the connected pocket of his pullover.

“I finished my report, that’s the good thing,” Taehyung pauses. “And your tea, it’s so good. Thank you, by the way, wouldn’t have done it without your bomb ass tea. Next time, I’ll treat you to my favorite latte.”

“Any time, hyung,” Jeongguk says. “But spring has approached and you know I rarely drink hot coffee out in the open.”

Taehyung jabs his ribs. “Iced latte, silly.”

Jeongguk’s heart is smiling, his eyes are smiling, his entire aura is glowing from happiness. Don’t they always say, it’s the little things that count? Jeongguk never really believed in that, until he started doing all sorts of stupid little things that make Taehyung happy, because the pleasant looks of pure joy and sheer surprise he returns Jeongguk are absolutely priceless and beautiful.

Maybe Jeongguk’s crush for Taehyung isn’t necessarily the most inconspicuous thing to on earth, but if Taehyung notices, he doesn’t mention it. And if Jeongguk’s honest, Taehyung might just be ignoring it because if there’s only 1 oblivious person on the planet, it sure as hell isn’t Kim Taehyung.

But Jeongguk prefers referring to that in a good way because even though Jeongguk ponders a lot, he also has a tendency to run away from certain things, and he doesn’t want to run from his feelings for Taehyung—not yet. Never . He needs just a little more time to wrap his head around this, how he’s going to approach it and finally confess after so many years.

Was it 3? Maybe even 4. As Jimin says, it’s simply “been too fucking long” and he’s absolutely correct. Jeongguk hadn’t fallen for Taehyung on the first day—it was a couple years later that he realized and back then things would have probably been easier if Jeongguk wasn’t such a goddamn coward when it came to confessions and words—what the fuck are words? He doesn’t know. It appears he truly doesn’t know when he has to use them sometimes, either, if he’s forced into a situation too much for him to handle.

That truth aside, another truth forward. Jeon Jeongguk is known for one thing back in elementary school: he gets tongue tied easily. Thought he’d successfully gotten rid of it, until he met Taehyung on the first day of high school and for a second, felt the familiar rush of anxiety coursing through his veins tying his tongue.

Fortunately, he spoke. End of story.

The walk home is never quiet, but it isn’t remotely a bad thing. Taehyung doesn’t look tied down by the thoughts of his incomplete work—limbs flailing and swinging freely in the air as Jeongguk helps him carry his work bags because Jeongguk never carries any to work. He always falls a couple steps behind so his eyes could linger on Taehyung’s figure without worrying about getting caught,  resembling a deer caught in the headlights; a usual routine that neither are against.

It’s the type of comfortable ease settling nicely within Jeongguk’s heart knowing Taehyung is still very much so who he met right outside the empty washroom of their high school: soft, young, carefree, interesting. Mature, but still as childishly competitive as Jeongguk is, which is great. Awesome even, because it’s always an indescribable feeling knowing there’s someone on your wavelength, who understands you, who knows you and accepts you because you’re kind of a part of them as well.

“Jeonggukie,” Taehyung conveniently reaches behind Jeongguk’s head to pull his hood over his head, quite frankly a simple gesture that nevertheless sends Jeongguk’s cheeks tinting 10 shades of pink from blushing. “Don’t forget our reunion dinner with Jimin tomorrow night! What time’s your shift?”

“Morning. I’ll have the whole of late afternoon off and I’m just going to crash at home until it’s time to leave,” he says mindlessly. He’ll actually drop by Taehyung’s office tomorrow, just to fetch him. If he wakes in time—which he will. He knows. And he should really stop throwing plans in his head like this.

Jeongguk loves when Taehyung drapes his arm around his shoulder and leans into him as they walk, like right now because he never gets pulled with the wind, much less Taehyung’s weight pressing on him. If Jeongguk were a puzzle, Taehyung would probably be the found missing piece.

“Work, together?”

Jeongguk can only smile, so hard, he feels a certain type of numbness spreading throughout in tingles that still have him smiling anyway. “Sure, hyung. Haven’t we already fallen into that routine?”

“Yeah,” Taehyung nuzzles his nose against Jeongguk’s temple and giggles, breath fanning over Jeongguk’s cheek which earns him a faint blush. Jeongguk hopes it isn’t obvious but really, who’s he kidding? “But I like it. I like hearing us making promises. It comforts me in a way that’s similar to how Soonshimie used to always wedge herself between my legs and snuggle into me without a reason.”

“I like it too,” Jeongguk echoes after a moment of peaceful silence. I like you. But he doesn’t say it, of course. Just like everything else he wishes he could tell Taehyung, he never shares. Not yet.

“Oh,” Taehyung explodes, luckily soft enough not to capture the attention of passersby. Jeongguk watches with pure amusement as Taehyung unlocks his phone to a text message from the said devil. “Jimin says, and I quote, hopefully when we meet up tomorrow I hear the news that you’re boy— boiling eggs for me.”

Jeongguk’s face literally crumples at the words because, did Taehyung seriously just say that? Better yet, did Jimin actually become dumb after leaving for the US to become smarter? That’s the biggest joke of the year. “It absolutely didn’t make sense but sure, do you want me to boil eggs for you, for him?”

“Too much,” Taehyung coughs, locking his phone again and shoving it back into the left pocket of his jeans where it usually belongs. “Too fast. Um, I’ll boil the eggs myself tonight. I—I’ll make him my best salad and… pack it for him tomorrow. If he wants the salad.”

Something’s definitely off. “You alright, hyung?”

“Yeah,” Taehyung laughs half-heartedly. Jeongguk is absolutely not convinced, although he’ll let it slide. Perhaps Jimin also said something to trigger him, Jeongguk can only find out himself tomorrow. “Anyway, thanks for holding my work bag for me. As usual. You’re the sweetest.”

“It’s the best I can do,” Jeongguk stretches his arm over his head to run at his neck. The warmth creeping on the tip of his ears is getting really annoying, even more annoying when they get into the elevator and Taehyung has to keep his eyes on Jeongguk as if he knows what’s happening to Jeongguk and is teasing him playfully.

It’s almost like the feeling Jeongguk used to get whenever he saw his first crush, some girl, can’t remember her name, but she was sweet and always caring. She gave Jeongguk a lollipop every day during recess with a big, bright smile and a missing tooth here and there, and Jeongguk always blushed whenever he saw her. He liked her so much it still feels kind of painful knowing a simple crush could make him fall this hard, proven when he was younger. But if that crush was painful, perhaps people would be able to understand Jeongguk’s pain of liking Taehyung. Loving him, even, but save that honesty for another time, too.

Not because he’s shy or embarrassed, but because he would rather not throw that word around even in his mind because he does this thing where, he doesn’t necessarily think before speaking and speaks about what he’s thinking. He stresses himself too much and that's why he never prefers to speak, would rather bottle everything up until it breaks him down.

Staying on different levels, Jeongguk believes, is the worst. Because farewells need to be done in the elevator and he doesn’t need to go the extra mile just to walk Taehyung back to his apartment which Jeongguk knows he’s definitely capable of. He’s always torn between coming up with a crappy excuse to walk Taehyung back and cringing his way through another night of bye-bye inside.

When the digital screen flashes 5, 6, nears Taehyung’s level, 7, Jeongguk instinctively reaches out to rub at Taehyung’s baby belly softly as a form of physical encouragement to pull through the day for a brand new one. And because Taehyung hates mornings and Jeongguk relates to that on a spiritual level.

Giggling softly, Taehyung swats Jeongguk’s hand away, “Please don’t. You know how badly that tickles.”

“Pft ‘course I do,” Jeongguk disregards words as usual, and decides to triple-poke Taehyung’s tummy this time. “Who would I be if I didn’t?”

“Jeonggukie!” Taehyung whines, oh my fucking god Taehyung’s whining and it’s so fucking cute Jeongguk is about to have a literal mental breakdown from the oozing cute.

But both luckily and sadly for him, the elevator dings just in time as the doors push open revealing an empty corridor leading directly towards Taehyung’s door. “See you tomorrow, hyung.”

“Good night, Jeonggukie!”

The doors shut.

In the mornings, Jeongguk usually takes a shorter time to prepare for work because all he literally has to do is shower, throw on casual clothes, make himself some toasts before he’s out of his apartment and lifting down to Taehyung’s. And usually, he makes his coffee and Taehyung’s tea there—every morning, while Taehyung styles his hair and jams to his music in the bathroom.

Yoongi once said they’re basically married and Jeongguk had thanked the high heavens that they were the only ones around. Though, he highly suspects that’s literally how he and Jimin address Taehyung and Jeongguk behind their backs anyway.

“Good morning you precious baby,” Taehyung coos, strolling out of his room with nothing but his dress shirt on and his favorite pair of white socks. He isn’t wearing his pants though, but it’s so normal a thing that Jeongguk no longer bats an eyelash nor gets affected. He does though, get affected by Taehyung’s choice of words to which his reaction comes belatedly.

“I’m not a baby,” Jeongguk groans, hip reclining against the counter. “I’m a perfectly grown man who at least wears my pants even at home.”

“Ha ha.”

He blows at the coffee in his own cup, refusing to look at Taehyung until the last drop of coffee falls into the coffee pot and he has nothing else to let his attention stay on.

Warmth presses into Jeongguk’s back from behind, making him almost lean into it naturally, until it’s gone again and he tries his hardest not to heave for the 11^th time this morning. He counted. “At least I’m comfortable at home even with you around! Appreciate my level of confidence and comfort, and aspire to reach this, since you’re rather… awkward around similar situations yourself.”

“Do you see me being awkward right now?” Jeongguk should feel offended, but he isn’t. Might have come from being repeatedly told the same thing for years on end, or that Taehyung’s words just never really hurt him unless they’re genuinely awful and hurtful. Which has frankly been a never before so far in their friendship. Plus, it just isn’t a Taehyung thing to do.

“You’ve known me for a long time,” Taehyung chuckles, an arm encircling Jeongguk’s waist as he picks up his mug of tea in his free hand. Jeongguk almost reaches up to rest his palm on the top of Taehyung’s head, until he recalls the fact that he actually styled his hair today so he holds back and instead opts for resting his arm around Taehyung’s shoulder.

He doesn’t know why they’re constantly standing close together, but it’s scarily beyond comfortable in a way that puzzles fit together (it’s Jeongguk’s favorite analogy), and the fact that neither of them ever directly questions it is even scarier sometimes. It’s just like a normal thing between them, just them. No questions asked. No worries. Odd.

“Remember when your mom told me to look after you even though you were a college student? Great times. I still am taking care of you.”

“Shut up,” the whine is on the verge of exploding in Jeongguk’s throat but it’s playful. “Why did you style your hair today?”

“The new boss is coming in,” Taehyung chirps, reaching over to grab a snack off the counter top. “The first time I met him, I had my hair styled and all he said was style your hair when I’m in, you look better this way so.”

“Oh? How old is he?” Jealousy is never an option. But Jeongguk hasn’t heard of this new boss, not even from the head of Taehyung’s company—his father.

“It’s your brother, babe,” Taehyung’s eyes crinkle because of a smile, but Jeongguk thinks he sees them glistening anyway. “Don’t be jealous. You’re always doing this thing when you get jealous, you’re adorable.”

Without another word, Taehyung sets his cup back onto the marble counter and hops forward, clinging to Jeongguk around his waist like a koala; would have spilt Jeongguk’s coffee if Jeongguk wasn’t reflexive enough. Said man tries not to let his heart race against his chest but it doesn’t take a doctor to know he failed.

“Wasn’t really jealous,” Jeongguk mutters lowly. “Just, forgot. I mean you coulda just said so instead of using the new boss term, like who the hell is that new boss you mentioned? Skip right to the point next time,” Jeongguk pats Taehyung on the butt a few times as easily and swiftly as he can.

He was never used to hugs, never especially from Taehyung because how was it done? He’s seen movies, surprisingly read books about characters reveling in hugs given by the person they’re in love with, yet Jeongguk knows nothing about letting loose and sinking into Taehyung’s hugs and just embraces all because he’s a little worried his façade might turn transparent.

Taehyung probably noticed. But as usual, he never speaks of it and just lets it go which Jeongguk is forever grateful about.

“Thanks for being my best friend,” Taehyung says into Jeongguk’s shoulder, a mumble almost incoherent if he hadn’t said it in near Jeongguk’s ear. “I appreciate you very much since no one knows me as well as you do… and Jimin.”

“Why are you like this,” Jeongguk blinks, evidently surprised by Taehyung’s abrupt words. “Don’t thank me, thank you. If it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t even know how to live right now.”

Which is true, terribly true.

Because even in high school, Jeongguk was ridiculously shy—like a snail with a shell, but a shell all too small to fit him and yet he’s always tried to shy away from everything and everyone. Was not a delinquent no matter how many times his aunts liked to tease him about for physically appearing like so.

Taehyung giggles. “Ah, good times!” 

Things changed when he met Taehyung though, a junior back then and for the better, of course. People talked about them some days, most days. Certainly, it’s an absolutely normal thing for everyone in school to know of each other’s names but barely any junior and senior cared enough to befriend sophomores and especially freshmen which, is a special case for Taehyung who have always been very openly known to be everyone’s friend; a human embodiment of a sunshine.

Taehyung cared for everyone, but it’s pretty obvious he cared the most about Jeongguk. Didn’t need Jimin to tease him for it or anyone else to do so in fact because he may be shy, but not blind. He feels, he sees, he knows. Taehyung is like a flower that’s bloomed but an immortal one, with its radiance ever glowing and never withering. He shines brightly around everyone but seemingly even brighter around Jeongguk that sometimes, Jeongguk feels a little hope in his heart. Only sometimes though.

Jeongguk hears no response but receives an even tighter hug instead, so when Taehyung pulls away with a faint smile on his lips, Taehyung reaches up to cup Jeongguk’s cheeks between his palms and squishes mercilessly, turning him into an instant fish and his shoulders slump in feigned annoyance.

“You’re so cute, sometimes I still see the shy Gukie from your freshman days in high school,” Taehyung’s doing that habit where he bites his lower lip whenever he smiles too hard, and Jeongguk just, feels like he’s going to die from overwhelming endearment.

“Yeah? Well, I never really changed my face so,” Jeongguk shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly before mindlessly leaning forward to press a chaste kiss onto Taehyung’s cheek; isn’t nervous about it—until it strikes him that he did that and attempts saving himself by drawing back and bringing his mug back up to his lips. “You need to pull your pants on and finish your tea so we can leave.”

And then, Taehyung giggles again, harder this time— the hand clamming over mouth type of obnoxiously loudness. Jeongguk doesn’t want to know what he’s giggling about in case he mentions about the unnecessary kiss because all their lives, Taehyung has been the one to shower Jeongguk with kisses instead and maybe this might have been the first time Jeongguk’s ever initiated it. Maybe the second time? Only Taehyung would know, he remembers the most trivial things.

He’s stupid, Jeon Jeongguk, the World’s Biggest Impulsive Dumbass.

Body stiff as a rock, Jeongguk tries to calm the raging storm in his chest as he rinses his own mug and leaves it on the dish rack. He hears Taehyung chuckle, this time light and quiet, before it disappears down the hallway and Jeongguk almost collapses face planting the base of the sink.

How could he have done that? Jeon Jeongguk is a collected man who thinks before doing certain things especially actions 99% of the time so how could he kiss Taehyung for nothing? Why is he giving Taehyung reasons to find out how in love he is with him? Why is Taehyung giving him such a hard time in hiding the fact that Jeongguk is so whipped? The groan he lets out is downright ugly but right now his face probably looks no different.

“Fuck things up will you,” Jeongguk mumbles to himself stupidly and all alone before stretching his arm behind to reach for Taehyung’s mug.

“I’m ready to go!” Taehyung yells.

Jeongguk dries his hand and strides out of the kitchen preparing for another day of the both of them walking together and looking incompatible because of their outfits—where Taehyung looks like the hottest office man on earth, Jeongguk is simply clad in a white sweater with semi rolled up sleeves and ripped denim jeans.

At least Jeongguk doesn’t look like a child next to Taehyung anymore. God, the worst part of his life is finally over.

Jeongguk adjusts his beanie with a little press on the top before he decides he just doesn’t bother anymore and tucks his hands into his pockets, a habit picked up over the years when he has absolutely nothing to do or when he’s simply waiting for someone—most of the time these past few months, Taehyung.

And speaking of the devil, he appears properly dressed and Jeongguk takes an accidental whiff of his cologne that makes him scrunch his nose up, but not in distaste. In the sense that Taehyung’s hot but with this cologne, he might’ve gotten even hotter.

“You smell nice, which brand are you using?”

Taehyung rounds him and reaches the door, swinging it open. “I’ll take you shopping soon. But for now, let’s go babe.”

Office buildings have left a deep impression on Jeongguk and that’s why he never wants to work there, ever. Never. Which is why he works at the café, because he loves coffee and coffee is (ironically) his cup of tea unlike office work and everything distasteful. Growing up with parents who worked at a high end company has taught Jeongguk that with power comes responsibility and if you can’t withstand the stress, you’re incapable of accomplishing tasks.

At least, that’s what he remembers his father saying while he scolded the general manager of their then chained outlet. Jeongguk didn’t even know what his parents worked as—never bothered to ask either until he was much older. Things always flown smoothly the way Jeongguk wanted ever since he was little when he looked back at it. But whenever he reminisces, he recalls many other things.

Like the fact that his parents were never around but he didn’t mind it because his older brother was, and that’s what mattered. And that he had two domestic helpers at home who constantly tended to his needs majority of the time but otherwise he never accepted their help nor took them for granted.

He wanted to grow being independent and skilful. His parents never forced him to work in the company seeing as his brother was the heir and now, head of the company. Jeongguk never wanted anything more to which he was granted.

To  say that he was lucky, would probably be a slight understatement. He’s just really grateful at this point in time.

When he steps into the familiar office building, a shiver runs down his spine at the typical smell of an air-conditioned building. Definitely doesn’t blame the wild eyes that settle on him—it is after all his father’s company, and he never really steps into the building for nothing. These are his father’s associates he’s surrounded by; like hell they wouldn’t recognize him if he’s always asked to attend important galas with his family. Pretending is easy but pulling it off isn’t—  without acknowledging everyone’s attention on him, Jeongguk heads towards the tap out machines where Taehyung is supposed to appear some time soon.

He’s about to start walking forward just as he notices a certain chestnut head walking out of the elevator with two colleagues when someone taps his shoulder from behind which catches him off guard.

He turns, regretfully, but sees his father standing in front of him and bows instantaneously. “Appa.”

“I haven’t seen you in half a year and this is how I bump into you?” His father has his eyebrows raised, but he’s always been much a joker if not a smoker, and Jeongguk knows he isn’t truly mad.

Jeongguk laughs quietly. “Sorry. I’ll go back to see you guys soon.” Is that the truth or a lie to make myself feel better?

“Anyway, what brought you here?”

“I was waiting for Taehyung,” Jeongguk gestures behind, but he doesn’t know if it’s done in vain since Taehyung’s probably already left. “We’re gonna go get dinner with Jimin, remember Jimin?”

“Ah, the little happy guy and the one with the deep voice,” his father frowns upon collecting his thoughts, and Jeongguk nods happily, actually satisfied that his father remembers about some things: the impression of his friends. “Taehyung, Kim Taehyung, he’s the  newcomer in the PR team, isn’t he?”

“Oh,” Jeongguk wonders why he actually thought there might have been so much as a 3% chance of his father not knowing Taehyung—but it’s probably stupid of him considering the Public Relations team is insanely important to the company. Hell, he doesn’t know why he didn’t even stop to think that his father was the one who had approved of him as part of the team. “Yeah. I— did you let him in because of me?”

His father rolls his eyes. “You wish. I didn’t even recognize him when he came for the interview, until I bumped into him in the washroom a couple days back and he told me about you.”

“What?”

“What?”

“He literally bumps into everyone around the washroom area!” Groans.

Jeongguk’s father only laughs as he pats him on the shoulder. “That apparently turned out to be a factor of my decision, although I knew it a couple months too late. He’s doing a great job so far and when you see him later, send him my regards.”

“Thanks,” Jeongguk pauses. Why did he do that?  “Wait, I didn’t mean that.”

Jeongguk’s father only shakes his head, but he’s smiling as he gives Jeongguk’s head a light pat. He still hasn’t gotten rid of his habit, Jeongguk thinks. “I’ll see you soon, son. Remember to visit us, we all miss you.”

“Sure.” It was a semi-lie.

“Oh, and Taehyung has been standing there for…,” is the only sentence that Jeongguk’s mind literally registers before he’s spinning around and coming face to face with Taehyung who stands a couple of feet away, leaning against the directory of the building; eyes glued on the screen of his phone.

Sometimes Jeongguk wonders if Taehyung’s truly reading things or simply staring at nothing to occupy himself from getting caught for doing something risky. He probably cares enough about this to stay and wait but Jeongguk doesn’t wreck his mind to think anyway, because Taehyung has a long list of contacts and he’s always texting on his phone. He’s a social butterfly that Jeongguk is not.

“Hey you,” Jeongguk calls out when he’s near enough, and Taehyung takes a last look at his phone before locking it shut and slipping it back into his pocket. He’s smiling when he raises his head which Jeongguk finds him really handsome all of a sudden but there’s no doubt he is. “How long have you been standing there?”

“Three minutes?” Taehyung hums. “I don’t know, but it wasn’t long.”

Jeongguk habitually reaches for Taehyung’s work bag before Taehyung slides his arm across Jeongguk’s back as they head for the exit of the building. “You remembered my father, huh.”

“I— yeah? It’s only manners to remember your best friend’s parents. I was just offended you never told me this was his company.”

Jeongguk recalls the time Taehyung had said the exact same thing when they were in high school and at that point in time, he didn’t necessarily take it to heart. Now though, he does. “I know. I agree. And I’m sorry, I just didn’t think your memory would be this good.”

“Your dad hasn’t aged,” Taehyung says slowly, so cautiously that Jeongguk, a usually nonchalant person is beginning to get irked with sensitivity. “Did you know your sister-in-law’s expecting another baby?”

“Oh, she is?” Jeongguk shakes his head. “That’s quick. They have a one year-old being taken care by my mom and they’re already moving so quickly onto another?”

“Yeah, and I wanna go visit your little nephew when I can! With you,” Taehyung’s fantastic at shooting daggers. 

“We’ll see,” Jeongguk offers, lips curving into an unconvincing smile.

“You need to reconnect with your family, babe,” Taehyung says, sounding like he’s between trying not to whine and going straight to begging and Jeongguk, for once, understands why.

Because Taehyung may be a social butterfly but he’s also a 201% family man and it’s probably heartbreaking for him to know that he has a best friend who’s disconnected from his family in a hundred and ten ways. Surprising? Not really.

“Please. I hate seeing you so distant and so alone, it’s unbearable. They’re still your family after all.”

“I still contact my mom,” Jeongguk rolls his eyes dismissively, hand moving up to mercilessly rest on Taehyung’s hair but failing. “Don’t be dramatic. I talk to my brother too, just not every month. I wouldn’t even know mom’s taking care of the baby if I never asked about them.”

“Month,” Taehyung scrunches his face up. “Maybe amend that, try to catch up with your brother every week. He’s a busy man but Saturday nights should work? He loves you, you know. I don’t know how he remembers me b-but…”

“But?” Jeongguk raises an eyebrow, stopping in his tracks and halting Taehyung in the process  to further prompt him in speaking. Taehyung nibbles on his lower lip and lets his gaze fall to the ground; continues looking so hesitant that Jeongguk can’t help using his pointer finger to lift his chin. “Hyung.”

“He… It’s strange, Gukie, but he thanked me for looking after you? He also says, ah… well. He’s setting you up for a blind date because he’s tired of you being single.”

Jeongguk blinks once, twice, then bursts out laughing at the sourness spreading across Taehyung’s face. “And you were so reluctant to tell me that because?”

“How do you tell your best friend his brother’s literally gonna set him up for a blind date? That’s so,” Taehyung tsks with a disturbed look. “Conventional.”

“Which is why I’m not going,” Jeongguk simply shrugs his shoulders.

Taehyung tilts his head, confused. “But… you need to?”

“Don’t be jealous,” the younger male sends a wink in Taehyung’s way mockingly and in that moment grins when Taehyung squints dangerously at him. “I’ll find my way out. I always do, anyway. How do you think I’ve been single since I graduated Uni?”

When Jeongguk hears a sigh of relief, he’s seconds away from squinting at Taehyung this time, out of curiosity, but when mentioned male grins and hooks his arm around Jeongguk’s shoulders and chooses to remain silent, that’s when Jeongguk decides to drop it. Again.

The walk to the restaurant that Jimin’s booked for the 3 of them was supposed to be a 10-minute walk from Taehyung’s office, but with the way Taehyung constantly pushes Jeongguk teasingly as they walk and Jeongguk retaliating because he won’t lose to trivial games no matter what and Taehyung keeping it up, they ended up taking 15 minutes in the end.

What comes as no surprise is the fact that Jimin hasn’t arrived; if there’s one thing to know about Park Jimin, it’s that he’s the King of Unpunctuality. 

So, Jeongguk and Taehyung decides to take matters into their own hands and enters the restaurant first because they are not fans of waiting despite being the two who are always late for meet ups. It probably doesn’t sound fair but it’s life, isn’t it? The late ones don’t always have the greatest patience either.

“He’s gonna take at least an hour before reaching,” Taehyung grunts. “Maybe we should eat a bowl of ramyeon first, then eat again when he comes? I’m starving.”

“How many bowls can you eat?”

“Like, three.”

“Let’s share the forth one.”

Slam. “Y’all are the most unloyal bitch asses a person could ever be friends with,” Jimin’s voice catches Jeongguk off guard, but Taehyung doesn’t look fazed as he crosses his leg over the other beneath the table; head tipping back slightly in an antagonizing manner. “Greet me, children.”

“Hyung.”

“Jiminie,” Taehyung hums. “Babo.”

“We’re talking about a real old story here.” Jeongguk doesn’t  try to cover up the snicker that leaves his throat, not even when Jimin pretends to throw a punch square at his jaw.

“You lay it on him and I’ll square you,” Taehyung’s laugh floats through the air, but a certain warmth nestles deep into Jeongguk’s heart because somehow, it doesn’t fully sound like a joke. Truth is, they all know Jimin wouldn’t punch Jeongguk for nothing, but the fact that Taehyung even thinks about protecting Jeongguk at a playful moment like this is so…

He doesn’t even know. And he doesn’t even know why he’s overreacting and overthinking this.

Jimin ends up patting Jeongguk’s head lightly with his squinted eyes. It looks a little fake but Jeongguk knows Jimin’s only teasing. People sure love teasing him for some reason.

Only when Jeongguk leans back onto his seat, does Taehyung habitually sling his arm over Jeongguk’s shoulder as he looks through the brochure-menu. None of them think much of it, but he can’t say he doesn’t see the way Jimin consistently and constantly throws glances at them like he’s trying to figure something out.

It irks Jeongguk so, so bad knowing that he doesn’t know what’s going on that he returns every glance thrown at Jimin himself with eyes squinting so hard he feels his face growing a tad numb, but he doesn’t care. So far, Jimin hasn’t seen the looks he’s been throwing which hurts his ego and curiosity a little.

But, the game levels up when Taehyung finally glances up from his menu to face Jimin while Jeongguk pretends to keep his body still, as if his eyes are on the menu when in reality, he’s eyeballing the silent exchange between the both of them beneath his eyelashes.

 Unknowing, Jimin zealously jerks his chin pointedly at Jeongguk who just about loses his shit from the curiosity engulfing him into absolute nothingness.

“What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” Taehyung sharply says, but his eyes are still on Jimin, shooting daggers.

 Jimin though, smiles, and the intangible, invisible sweetness that dribbles off the corners of his mouth makes uneasiness settle in the pit of Jeongguk’s stomach. The thing about Taehyung and Jimin, the “95z” is that they’re both figuratively terrifying.

Assumption: Jimin’s the unpredictable one.

Fact #1:  Taehyung is unpredictable in everything that he does.

Fact #2:  Jimin only worsens things by a thousand times.

“Irritation,” Jeongguk begins with a heavy sigh. “Is something I hate. Can we all get past middle school and act like actual adults now?”

“Jimin became worse in the States,” Taehyung whines, kicking his legs out beneath the table. “He’s being stupid, Guk. It’s really nothing important.”

 As amusing as Jeongguk finds it, he can’t quite find a laugh within himself. He wishes he could though, but the annoyance has torn into his skin and eaten all of his patience like a virus.

Jeongguk narrows his eyes at that statement. Chances are Taehyung’s speaking the truth, but he’s too paranoid to believe him or that Taehyung’s lying to cover up Jimin’s actually dumb ass which is why Jeongguk cannot believe him.

“Anyway, can we just call for the food? I’m starved to death,” Jimin’s English wouldn’t have been this decipherable if he hadn’t gone to America, but it still isn’t decipherable to Jeongguk because English and when he throws a look at Taehyung wondering if he understands, he meets a dazed look which confirms everything. Basically. “Can we eat now? I’m starving.”

Jimin calls the shots, of course. Wouldn’t if they weren’t all seated in his favorite restaurant so Taehyung and Jeongguk lets matters rest in his hands because three-quarter of the menu was ordered, multiplying three per set. Insane? Perhaps. Fattening? Maybe a yes. Awesome? Definitely.

The drinks, beers are served before the food and Jimin downs a bottle with extreme tolerating skills saying, “I hold my liquor even better now! I sacrificed so much to make this improvement.”

“Like what, your virginity?” Jeongguk coughs.

“Fuck you. I lost it even before I went to the States unlike you, thanks.”

“You’ve never been bad at drinking though,” Taehyung points out  indifferently as perhaps an excuse to break them up that even Jeongguk has to agree.

The thing is, their group of friends had started drinking more often when Jeongguk had graduated college. He’s had many opportunities to see Jimin get wasted and embarrassing but, the only two he vaguely remembers achieving that had been Taehyung and Hoseok.

He’s never wanted to thank god so hard for not being able to remember the shit that went down that night. He only remembers Yoongi cringing so hard he had to excuse himself out of the house while Seokjin and Namjoon were the only ones who were laughing at everyone—Jeongguk doesn’t want to know what he did. They stopped teasing him after a week because they had a soft spot for him, thankfully.

“But still,” Jimin scrunches his nose up. “The reason why I said that was because tonight, we go big then go home. Don’t leave until we’re drunk.”

Taehyung stretches his arm across Jeongguk’s back and heaves a sigh as he rests his body against Jeongguk, chin hooked over his shoulder, an action so much like another habit that Jeongguk even shifts and adjusts his body to accommodate with Taehyung’s position.

Shit when Jimin’s eyes narrow as if in scrutiny, but Jeongguk has a feeling Taehyung’s doing the same thing back.

Fucking idiots.

Jeongguk only sighs in defeat because this, this whole thing is simply their dynamic as best friends and there’s nothing an outsider, someone two whole years younger could do but sit through it all.

“You do know that Taehyungie hyung and I would end up dying on the streets if we get home alone, all drunk, right? One of us has to stay sober, and that would be me.” Voluntary decisions are the best decisions and there’s absolutely no doubt about that.

“No fun in that though,” Taehyung says. Of course he says that, of course. But Jeongguk disregards his words with a dismissive wave of nonchalance.

“There’s not always fun in everything unless you’re forced to make fun out of nothingness in your head,” Jeongguk lifts his hand from the table just to pat Taehyung’s knee aggressively. “You’ll die in a car crash even with my help home, please don’t get hammered.”

Taehyung squints, “Wait, wouldn’t that mean I’d basically kill you too?”

“Not if you choose to do stupid shit not under my watch,” Jeongguk huffs.

Taehyung takes a whole moment out to think— but that’s what Jeongguk thinks because he’s hopeful. It’s really clear he’s just playing along with Jeongguk knowing his intentions really well, making sure he simply doesn’t drink but what Taehyung wishes to do is his choice after all. Jeongguk can only do so much. Just isn’t ready for precautionary measures to be taken, if necessary.

Phone in his hand, Jeongguk sees it light up because of a message sent to the 97-liner group chat and he slides into reply mode in an instant. 

Gyeom

is anyone alive rn

Guk

me but i kinda wish i wasn't

Bam

Lmao JK imagine being roommates with Yugyeoh

Guk

can’t relate

Gyeom

Yu-Gi-Oh dumbass

Gyu

Real noisy in here we're all dumb btw

Jeongguk doesn’t even filter his facial expressions. He loves his friends-slash-colleagues but sometimes, they can get so hilariously stupid in a totally uncool way.

“Can I drink for Jimin’s sake?”

Jeongguk doesn’t look up from his phone. “Not at all.”

“A mouthful?”

Jeongguk types back on his phone even though he’s aware of Taehyung’s face in close proximity from his. It’s hard not showing how affected he honestly is, but when Jeongguk’s simply trying to text his friends and Taehyung is so close as if he wants to catch a glimpse of what they’re talking about (which he doesn’t mind) he’s bound to get distracted anyway.

So he tears his eyes away from his phone, and settles his phone on his lap just so his hands are free and able to tug on Taehyung’s big ear, “I said you shouldn’t drink at all.”

“Babe,” Taehyung whispers dejectedly.

“Babe,” Jeongguk whispers back, menacingly.

“Ew, really fucking gross guys,” Jimin monotonously comments from across the table making his point when Jeongguk turns his head only to notice a smug smile readily plastered on his face. Jimin lifts a brow at him teasingly. “Maybe get a room? But not right now.”

Jeongguk should have known.

From his peripheral vision, he sees Taehyung leaning back against the backrest of the bench; shoulders slumped, a defeated stance . For a moment Jeongguk tries to gather enough thoughts about how much effort Taehyung probably put in to keep Jeongguk in the dark because of Jimin’s stupidity. He understands and sympathizes with Taehyung though.

“You’re so fucked up, dude,” Taehyung shakes his head, but he’s laughing half-heartedly as though he’s looking at a half drunk Jimin speaking. On the other hand, Jimin looks absolutely normal and fine. “But you shouldn’t use your mouth to speak tonight.”

Jeongguk squeezes Taehyung’s shoulder in a form of, well, he doesn’t even know because he doesn’t even know what to say or react with, and he’s a little nervous for some reason but he keeps his eyes on Taehyung’s smile—a closed mouth smile that pulls off as an innocent one which is adorable. He visibly relaxes after he lets his hand fall.

Awkward.

Absentmindedly, Jeongguk grabs a bottle of beer and downs a mouthful before he’s painfully woken by the stinging sensation that shoots south in his throat. He decides to put the bottle back where he took it from, determined not to break his resolve of not drinking any beer tonight.

So awkward!

“Yes, the food,” Jimin cries in English again, and Jeongguk furrows his brows at the older male because no the food isn’t here yet but he doesn’t say a thing. “Oh it isn’t ours.”

Taehyung lets out a groan and drops his head on the table that Jeongguk cringes at but is thankful the fall is cushioned by his forearms folded on the table. The tension before is beginning to dissipate but Jeongguk’s still finding ways to make sure it vanishes soon enough.

He doesn’t know how.

As Jimin stays seated and staring at nothing in particular, Jeongguk eyes the resting figure next to him before running the tip of his fingers up and down Taehyung’s nape. Keeps it up  while looking around the room in hopes of seeing someone approaching their table with a whole big tray of different food.

To no avail.

“Seriously, Jimin, the food is taking so long.”

“It’s also taking you so long to—” Jimin interjects himself with a sigh when Jeongguk scrunches his face up in scrutiny. “Anyways, think there’s a surprise somewhere.”

“A surprise,” Taehyung rolls his head over so half of his face is exposed with a squinted eye staring at Jeongguk. “He’s insane.”

“The food is here!”

There wasn’t a surprise. 

*******

They don’t know how long they go at it, but reuniting brings back a rush of memories that makes Jeongguk’s heart race and head hurt because there were ups and downs back then. Simply because life isn’t easy even though friends make it seem just as much.

The three of them catch up like the night is young, like it’s far away but when Jeongguk checks his wristwatch later on, the long arrow’s pointing at a glaring 10:55 sharp and his palms fall flat on the table unintentionally, surprised. Taehyung startles at the clonk but Jimin barely gives a fuck because he’s shit faced. Unsurprisingly.

Jeongguk thought Jimin had been quiet this whole time, until he realized he was just too engrossed in his thoughts, memories, to notice how actually huge a commotion he is. He feels his eyes hurting but doesn’t quite know if he’s about to laugh or cry and chooses instead, to make great use and roll them while he can.

“We’re gonna go, guys,” Jeongguk tastes the time passing quickly and involuntarily shudders at the thought of the restaurant’s boss coming over to chase them away.

Yikes, it seemed to always happen; Jeongguk experiencing how it feels being burdened by the weight of at least two light drinkers with Yoongi or Seokjin by his side handling everything on behalf of the younger ones. Right now though, doing this alone kind of makes his heart race.

“He’s dead,” Taehyung eyes Jimin pointedly and slurps up the last strand of black bean noodles, the black sauce splattering across his cheek and even reaching his cheek bone which Jeongguk doesn’t hold back wiping off for him with the nearest napkin. “Aw, shimkung.”

Jeongguk squints at him, “You’re such a messy eater.”

“Because I have you to clean me up, of course. Always.”

Jeongguk visibly softens at Taehyung’s words and he’s about to say something else, until a slam to the table sends him flying back silently. Thought the boss finally came out to settle with them, until palms begin slamming the table tiredly that Jeongguk discovers Jimin had caused the ruckus.

“Shit,” Jeongguk curses as Taehyung struggles to keep Jimin’s hands away from the table.

“Why aren’t the both of you boyfriends yet?” Jimin slurs in English, body swaying to the side when Taehyung leans over the table to push him against the backrest. “It’s so stupid, y’all chasing for the love you deserve but never once reaching for it even if it’s right before your eyes.”

Jeongguk wonders if Taehyung understands whatever Jimin’s just said because they are after all, English Enthusiasts. Taehyung’s eyebrows are raised when Jeongguk glances at him stiffly, but neither of them say a word, letting Jimin take complete control of the situation much to neither’s surprise.

The atmosphere seems so intense that Jeongguk finds himself staring at Jimin with bated breath, stiffening possibly even more, bracing himself for whatever crap Jimin’s about to blabber.

“Y’all so stupid,” Jimin sighs, leaning forward again to rest his head on the table. “I triple doughnut double—”

“Jimin—”

“—doggo dare you to—”

“No—”

“Not touch each other for one whole week because it’s getting so annoying, y’all fuckers.”

Taehyung groans, “Sure.”

Jeongguk feels like slamming an entire glass bottle of soju onto Jimin’s head but instead, he manages to pull a tight smile just for Jimin who isn’t paying attention. “Sure.”

“You can’t even manage a week. But I didn’t say that! This dare should be easy and normal,” Jimin stutters intelligently, hiccuping the second he ends off his last word. “You’re welcome!”

“Biggest fucking idiot,” Taehyung’s hands are clenched into fists on the table, knuckles strained white and Jeongguk narrows his eyes a tad, but doesn’t question it. “Maybe he’ll forget this when he wakes with a hangover, right?”

“I have a feeling he’s planned this for a long time,” Jeongguk nibbles on his lower lip, trying not to feel the disappointment sinking in. “Anyway, it isn’t as if we’ll ever turn a dare down right?”

“But we weren’t even playing,” Taehyung whines, feet kicking against the floor. “Can we not?”

“It’s just a dare, hyung,” Jeongguk weakly reassures. Taehyung wants out, why is he convincing him in? “How hard could it be?”

Jimin mutters something while his face stays pressed against the surface on the table which Jeongguk deciphers as “very” but when Taehyung turns to him with a questioning look, Jeongguk decides to shrug his shoulders at the very same time shrugging off his internal pain. For once, Taehyung doesn’t need to know something that Jeongguk does and Jeongguk, doesn’t need to share it.

“Sorry to interrupt, but the restaurant is closing—”

“Ah,” Taehyung hisses, gathering his bag from behind him that Jeongguk takes over because he would rather carry a bag that didn’t fit his outfit than a drunkard who can’t move steadily by himself.  “We’ll get going this very moment. Sorry for the inconvenience!”

“Who’s paying?” Jeongguk asks when Taehyung begins attempting to hoist Jimin’s slackened figure onto his body. Jimin’s arms simply won’t cooperate and as Taehyung carries on ignoring Jeongguk because of his struggles, it gradually gets even funnier. Jeongguk successfully contains his humor and suppresses it for when he gets home.

“Jimin is,” Taehyung simply smiles. “But of course for now, I pay it first and then have him pay me back with an interest of half.”

“Cunning.”

“It’s called humble and having a brain for business,” Taehyung sends a wink in Jeongguk’s direction before he huffs then, successfully pulling Jimin out of his seat. “But this person right here, he’s pure moronic.”

Jeongguk can’t say he doesn’t agree. “Are we gonna send him home? Do you know where he’s even living right now?”

“Yeah, with Yoongi hyung? Did you forget they’re boyfriends, hello.”

“I’m surprised I actually forgot,” Jeongguk almost slaps Taehyung’s back as he cackles humorlessly, hand hanging in the air and ready for action, until he recalls the dare and snatches his hand back before Taehyung notices. “Anyway, I’ll text Yoongi hyung then. Make him come fetch his mini man.”

Taehyung waves a hand dismissively, “No worries, I took care of it the moment Jimin finished his third bottle of beer and started behaving all weird and college-y.”

Jeongguk remembers some of what he wishes to forget. “So where is he?”

“Coming soon,” pause. “You know, there’s something in your hair.”

“Oh, where?” Jeongguk’s hands go flying up to his hair in an instant, and usually right about now Taehyung would reach over to help him get whatever out but for the first time since never, Taehyung doesn’t. First sign of weirdness and abnormality.

“Um, the left side… yeah, then to the back. Not that back. There,” Taehyung sighs heavily. Jeongguk’s brows are furrowed so deep coins could be stacked in his worry lines but he keeps feeling his hair anyway. “Oh, it’s off now.”

Jeongguk feels like pouting. He does pout, but to himself when he thinks Taehyung isn’t looking, and when he opens his mouth to ask Taehyung about their movie night tomorrow, a car pulls up right at the curb with a soft screech. Talk about perfect timing.

So, He comes—the Knight in shiny armour. Except, in a black Honda. Suavely modern.

The window rolls down as Yoongi keeps his gaze locked on the sober two. He still looks the same even after a couple of months, just with a richer vibe. Stronger. Cooler. Jeongguk’s ultimate favorite type of person to look up to.

“You can leave him on the ground,” Yoongi jerks his chin pointedly at the empty space of the sidewalk and Jeongguk lifts a brow because a) he doesn’t think a boyfriend should do this and b) he figured out where Jimin learns his chin-jerking habit from.

Taehyung sits Jimin on the ground gently.

“Hyung, are  you gonna embarrass him?” Jeongguk asks, head slanting in curiosity.

“Wow Jeongguk, you brought naivety to a new degree of dumbass,” Yoongi grumbles. “I’m gonna accompany him here until he throws up then send him home.”

Taehyung’s mouth curve downwards in an ‘oh’ type of indication. “A way.”

“It’s his punishment for drinking excessively all the time.”

“He technically doesn’t—”

“With me,” Yoongi adds on smoothly. “With me. Think he trusts me a lot more than I thought, always going all out when we decide to drink some.”

“Well,” Taehyung tries not to sound insensitive or stupid but, “you are his boyfriend, so he kinda has every right to do that.”

Jeongguk doesn’t realize he’s staring at Yoongi with curious eyes until he notices Yoongi staring right back at him, that snatches his gaze back. Shortly after though, Jeongguk goes back to staring at Yoongi again because Jeongguk, unlike everyone except Taehyung and Seokjin, is not afraid of Min Yoongi despite how intimidating he can get sometimes.

Someone scowls. Jeongguk knows it obviously comes from Yoongi because of its grumpiness rather than voice and Taehyung’s laughing by the time Jeongguk decides to stop staring at the man in black just to tease him instead. “I thought you wanted to be a boyfriend worthy of Jimin’s love?”

“Shut the fuck up I’m try’na figure myself out here,” Yoongi sighs this time, index finger swiftly pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “He’s the first person I really want to invest my time, money, love in but that shit ain’t easy as ABC.”

“Yeah, I know,” Jeongguk mutters under his breath without noticing the look Taehyung sends him before his eyes are back darting about, from Jimin and back to Yoongi. “So, then, okay, we’ll get going then.”

“You’re both leaving so soon.”

“We spent an entire night with Jimin and you wanted to stay here and accompany your boyfriend so we’re giving you your alone time,” Jeongguk sums everything up with Duh in his mind but he’s respectful enough not to pull that card with Yoongi. Cool with anyone, except Yoongi when he’s in a slightly foul mood unless he’s smiling and Jimin isn’t drunk.

Taehyung grins at Yoongi as he holds a thumb up, “You’re a great boyfriend, hyung. Jimin would remind you about the same thing if he was sober.”

“I’m not,” the elder male disagrees with a hint of disappointment that makes Jeongguk feel like sympathizing. But he doesn’t. Because he doesn’t even have a boyfriend of his own, Taehyung and he finds that he doesn’t quite have enough a heart to do so.

“Hyung,” someone croaks, Jimin, from the ground and Taehyung shifts swiftly to squat and check on Jimin but Yoongi’s getting out of the car in no time, rushing to Jimin’s side all within a second that Taehyung doesn’t even get the chance to squat before Jeongguk’s holding him up by the waist; the both of them watching Yoongi being the actually great boyfriend he’s trying hard to be.

It’s encouraging and motivating seeing Yoongi playing his role considering he’s come a long way from when he and Jimin started dating almost a year ago—he used to be so cold, never initiating affection with Jimin unless there’s fewer people around or that he’s comfortable enough to but now…

Now, it’s really nice seeing Yoongi take care of Jimin in a way that has warmth shooting north in Jeongguk’s heart.

“We’ve said our bye’s haven’t we?” Jeongguk whispers.

“Yeah,” Taehyung pauses. “But we also failed the dare.”

“What?” Jeongguk thinks about why Taehyung would say that, until his fingers curl reflexively against cloth, nearly digging into warm skin that he snatches his hands back as if he’d just gotten burnt. “Ah, fuck.”

“We’ll start the dare on Monday,” Taehyung sounds twice as determined as Jeongguk feels and that itself makes him feel like hurling himself into the ocean. Just then, an arm hooks around his and Jeongguk finds there’s nothing really left to lose as his elbow bends slightly, accommodating to keep Taehyung’s arm there. “Jimin wouldn’t know a thing if Yoongi hyung doesn’t comment about us.”

It’s just a dare, Jeongguk tells himself. Why is it so hard to accept? He isn’t in high school anymore and yet, being dared to do something feels like high school idiocy all over again. He repeats it again, until it finally sinks in.

He startles when Taehyung agrees with, “Yeah, it is.”

A week has to go before another one comes and that’s how Jeongguk’s going to approach this.

Life goes on the next day and Sunday, but Jeongguk doesn’t see Taehyung at all because Jimin’s snatched him to prevent their meeting so when Monday rolls about, it’s when the shit begins, much to Jeongguk’s dismay. He hopes this is just him doing the thinking instead of Yoongi’s usual negativity influencing him.

Today, is the big day! Not his marriage, but rather the beginning of Jimin’s Stupid Ass Dare. And with that, he cusses before he even stretches his arms over his head and gets out of bed.

Surprisingly, his phone rings—it never does, before 8am unless it’s an emergency and even then it’s usually Taehyung anyway—as he’s pulling his oversized tee on. He isn’t sure how to feel when he sees Taehyung’s name on his screen although he can’t deny he expected him. It’s a little hard, he finds, trying not to show any signs of reluctance but he can’t show it.

“Hey, hyung.”

“Morning Gukie,” Taehyung sighs deeply. “I’m gonna head out first, ‘kay? Apparently I have an urgent meeting this morning so I’ll need to get my papers and stuff.”

“Sure! Hyung,” Jeongguk says slowly. “Have a good day.”

“See you tonight!”

“See ya.”

The thing is, Jeongguk expected hesitation which is stupid as hell because Jeon Jeongguk never hesitates in dares— yet he thinks it makes perfect sense that he would, considering the fact that Kim Taehyung is involved in this, and they know exactly what they need to do. Perhaps, having known about approaching dread has mentally prepared Jeongguk but emotionally? Completely far from.

He heaves a heavy sigh when he gets out the door. “It’s just seven days, don’t be stupid.”

*******

Mingyu chirps, “An iced cappuccino coming up!”

Jeongguk can’t say he’s been chirping because the day was clearly against him. Or maybe time was, since things passed so slowly that Jeongguk was pretty certain at one point that the earth stood still. He engaged himself in being the barista that he’s always been and twice as determined as usual because he knew the dread in his chest was only building up.

It's annoying, how majority of the time, dreads are something everyone has to overcome anyway. Jeongguk doesn’t feel himself getting stronger from this one though, instead it feels like he’s becoming even weaker.

Maybe an eternity and an impossible half later, Mingyu pats him on the back for the tenth time (and counting) as he passes by to get to the shelves of decorations. “Tough day for you?”

Jeongguk adjusts the beanie on his head, stretching it back as he eyes the customers in the café with heaviness in his chest, burdening him. He almost says “fucking worst” but Mingyu also knows Taehyung and if Mingyu shares so much as something small like “he’s been so ugly this whole day” for the sake of small talk, it’s the end of Jeon Jeongguk because he still isn’t that ready to confess.

“I mean, I was just asking Jeongguk Air Version,” Mingyu continues after a long moment of silence. “Your face gave you away, dude. Is it Taehyung?”

“No?” Jeongguk bites back instantly, feeling a little offended that his face betrays him so easily. “No. I just barely had any sleep last night.”

“Oh,” Mingyu hums. “Same question. Is it Taehyung?”

In Jeongguk’s mind, Mingyu receives a welcoming roundhouse kick in the face from him. He doesn’t really make to hide anything else further anyway, because his thoughts might make the truth slip—though there’s nothing really much to hide at this point. He smiles bitterly, “It’s nobody.”

“Sure,” Mingyu snorts, patting Jeongguk’s back again and going back to his business. It feels like they’ve been stuck together very often these days and Jeongguk doesn’t know how to feel about it.

A couple of moments pass though, before Yugyeom’s quiet whines from the pantry snaps him out of his mild frustration, and he’s quick to turn just to find out why. It doesn’t sound like sex whines that’s for sure, so Jeongguk’s relieved when Yugyeom steps out fully clothed but with an untied apron on and nobody in tow. His hair looks a little tousled though, but Yugyeom doesn’t need to know that when his eyes are fixated on Mingyu who isn’t even noticing.

Jeongguk doesn’t even feel like finding out what Yugyeom was up to, just for the sake of maintaining his  innocence.

When the hanging door chimes ring, an indication of someone entering the café, Jeongguk expects Taehyung to be his savior coming to save him but he stills when it’s not Taehyung but in fact, another customer. In that moment, he finally realizes why he’s been uneasy this whole day.

He’s been looking forward to seeing Taehyung tonight but the thought of not being able to hug him seems a little strange. So weird. He shrugs the unsettling feeling down to the pit of his stomach but it only grows and in result, probably makes him look a little constipated due to his emotions.

Surprisingly, the girl across the counter sends him a smile perhaps out of comfort for a long day or a simple thoughtful gesture and Jeongguk gratefully accepts it.

Boy, does he not hear the sound of the café’s door opening once again.

“One iced caramel macchiato with a Jeonggukie on top, thanks.”

That snatches Jeongguk back into reality with a harsh laugh. “Welcome, hyung.”

“Go get me my caramel macchiato,” Taehyung arches a perfect brow, but he’s wearing a smile on his face anyway making Jeongguk feel a little out of breath. He knows how to work his handsome face so well that Jeongguk feels himself sighing as usual and sighing again, when he turns to make the best caramel macchiato Taehyung’s ever had.

“What, Jimin?”

Back facing Taehyung as he decides to make the caramel macchiato himself, Jeongguk can’t quite help peering over his shoulder to eye Taehyung curiously while the espresso is being collected in a cup. Taehyung has his own back turned to  Jeongguk too though, which he realizes too late although he can still hear what exactly is being said. Sucks that Taehyung isn’t really the best at this, never have been. But so endearing.

He turns back around, opting to listen as he scribbles Taehyung’s name on the empty cup with a little heart next to “태태”.

“Get out, we don’t know a Park Jimin.” Pause. “Sure. I just entered the café and he’s making my drink.” Jeongguk relates to Taehyung’s annoyance on a spiritual level. “Who do you think we are? We may be obnoxiously touchy but we pull through with dares better than you ever could. I knew we should’ve left you for dead yesterday. Until Yoongi hyung came, of course.”

Jeongguk snickers internally but spins around in time to settle the order on the counter for Taehyung to pick up after his call.  “One iced caramel macchiato.”

“Thanks,” Taehyung says softly, tiredly, slender fingers curling around the slowly condensing cup. Jeongguk wants so badly to just reach out and cover Taehyung’s hand with his own but beats that thought off in case his hand moved on its own accord. “Are you getting off work yet?”

“He is,” Yugyeom says behind Jeongguk, making him nod along. It’s when Yugyeom slings his arm around Jeongguk’s shoulders that he sees Taehyung’s eyes darting down, that he finds himself trying to fight a smile by coughing rather lamely; shrugging Yugyeom away as he pulls his apron over his head. “Bye, boyfriends!”

“We’re not,” Jeongguk hisses lowly, for a second believing he said it alone—until Yugyeom’s gaze travels to Taehyung that he recalls hearing another voice accompanying his and he heaves a sigh, making to turn around and just leave the place for the night already. “Let’s go, hyung.”

“Do they all think we’re together?” Taehyung enquires when they step out into the open air, making Jeongguk tuck his curled fists into his pockets instantaneously.

He hums, trying to create a mischievously mysterious atmosphere, but it fails when Taehyung prompts him again with a hum of his own that sounds thrice as urgent. “Not all of them, don’t worry.”

“But don’t we feel like it?”

Jeongguk doesn’t know if Taehyung’s pulling the innocent card or the honesty card, but quite frankly, Jeongguk can’t quite handle the pure truth of it all. He does agree though, breathlessly, simply. Doesn’t dare to lift his eyes and figure out what expression is colored on the older male’s face because he knows he won’t be able to match that look even if he tries, anyway.

“So—”

“Wait,” Jeongguk voices, hand reaching deeper into his pocket to reach for his vibrating phone. He whips it out just as Taehyung moves closer, not touching him, just to see who’s calling: Jeongguk’s brother. “Should I call him back tonight or pick it up now?” They haven’t stopped walking.

“Go ahead, do it while I’m here if you need the extra support.”

Jeongguk swipes left on the screen and holds the phone to his ear. “Yeah, hyung?”

“Oh Jeongguk ah, I know it’s late but I wanted to ask if you’re free tomorrow afternoon?”

“Uh,” Jeongguk squints. “Yeah? I’m free, why?”

“So I set you up on a date with one of my uni friends’ sister. She likes you  lot and wanted to know if you—”

“Sorry hyung, can’t hear you over the poor connection,” Jeongguk holds his phone out in the air, “What did you say? I can’t quite hear you.”

“Yah!”

“I’ll call you again real soon bye!”

He doesn’t wait for his brother’s response before he ends the call and lets his shoulders slump in relief. Quite obviously, Taehyung is laughing next to him. “That’s way better than telling him I’m not interested at all, right?”

“That’s such a low move.”

“Shut up I had to end it before the date was fixed,” Jeongguk cringes at the idea of a date. With someone who isn’t Taehyung. Which just seems downright wrong, as if he’s cheating on Taehyung or something and they weren’t even together in the first place. Better save  his conscience than hurt an innocent girl who’s interested in him.

“Who was the girl anyway?” Taehyung asks, taking another mouthful. His drink is now half gone and Jeongguk realizes it a little late, but by the time he remembers taking Taehyung’s bag for him, they’ve already stepped inside their apartment building. He still offers anyway, basic courtesy, only to be waved off. “Can’t touch each other remember? I’ll hold them.”

“The girl’s a sister of my brother’s uni friend,” Jeongguk clears his throat and presses on the different floor buttons. “She’s probably a noona? He knows better than to set me up with girls who are younger than I am.”

“Yeah, you and your older partners—”

“Get off my back, I just like being taken care of okay,” Jeongguk scowls unattractively. “You’re irritating.”

Taehyung makes a noise of pain. “No, I’m hurt.”

Jeongguk merely smiles at him, “You know I love you.”

“Now you’re just being cute,” Taehyung pouts. Just then, the lift rings and Taehyung sighs again as he gathers the stuff in his hands closer to his chest. All he’s holding is but his work bag and his drink and yet the way he holds them makes it seem like there’s a hundred things in his hands. “See you tomorrow, babe.”

“Yeah,” Jeongguk’s finger moves up to press the button, keeping the doors open as long as Taehyung wants. He doesn’t want to part with Taehyung either and fuck that thought is so cheesy but so true. “See you, hyung.”

Don’t bite on your lower lip, Jeongguk wishes to tell Taehyung but he doesn’t. Can’t stop looking at Taehyung’s lips either as he asks, “Can you come down a little earlier?”

“I—I always come down earlier than I should though.”

“So you’re not gonna?” Taehyung lifts a brow.

“No!” Jeongguk says in a hurry, then flusters and puffs his cheeks for a second. “I will.”

Jeongguk thinks he hears Taehyung mutter a fuck under his breath but he isn’t so sure since he’s no longer looking at Taehyung, too busy glaring at the lift’s elongated ringing (which is nowhere since he can’t find where it’s sounding from)  indicating that the doors have been open for too long now.

No words are exchanged again as Taehyung fully steps out and Jeongguk frantically spams the close button with jabs so he doesn’t free fall to his death in this confined space. He has other ways of dying that he hasn’t considered and this, he knows is just out of that list.

He throws a light punch at the railing in the lift and punches it again before taking his leave. Six more days of torture.

Jeongguk still feels kind of sleepy when he presses in the digits of Taehyung’s apartment code for some reason. He thinks it may be because he chose to wear his plain white button down but when has his clothes ever made him feel tired? So he has another evaluation about possibilities. Comes up with something relevant that made more sense.

He probably had a rough night of thinking about ways to pull through the 6 more days.

“Yo, sleeping beauty,” Taehyung’s voice comes blaring in of course, just as Jeongguk almost dozes off on Taehyung’s very comfortable leather sofa. “Tired this morning?”

“A little,” Jeongguk yawns, stifling his arms above his head as he pushes himself onto his feet to walk towards where Taehyung stands, putting on his watch. Again, he isn’t wearing his pants yet and Jeongguk’s beginning to think Taehyung might be deliberately doing this without an intent. “I thought we talked about the pants thing.”

“You can’t see my dick, don’t worry,” Taehyung snickers. “My shirt’s long enough.”

“Sure.”

“You sure are cranky,” Taehyung comments casually before making his way around Jeongguk to get to the oven.

“My brother wants me to head down to the office this morning, I can’t believe I said yes even though he threw me an ungodly time for that.”

“Oh,” Taehyung drawls with interest, stopping in front of Jeongguk with a fist resting on his hip. “So that’s why you’re dressed almost as casually as I am. Yeah, we have a meeting to attend at ten and we need to travel there so boo, that sucks hairy balls.”

“The timing that work begins for you is a little early for that,” Jeongguk argues determinedly. “Plus your transport is settled. Who cares if it’s somewhere else.”

Taehyung completely ignores Jeongguk’s effort in his additional words, “Like me, you’re never in a foul mood though.”

“Shit happens.” I kinda just want to hug you. A genius wouldn’t say that of course, not while being tied down by a dare. That’s just too inappropriately gay at the moment.

“I’ll put on my pants then we’ll get going, ‘kay?” Taehyung laughs, but yet his smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes for some reason that Jeongguk doesn’t ask about. Just in case. It’s too early for long conversations and the absence of craving affection.

Jeongguk nods slowly and takes his own time to pick Taehyung’s bag up by its handle. They feel a lot lighter than his chest does, and possibly even tidier than Taehyung’s surprisingly neat home.

“You carrying my bag for me?” Taehyung asks, obviously.

“Well, duh.”

“You’re such boyfriend material, Jeonggukie,” Taehyung hums as he pulls his door open and Jeongguk almost chokes on air and sputters. “When are you going to find a girlfriend to love?”

“I don’t know? That’s why I’m finding my brother to settle it today.”

The door slams shut so loud it resounds down the hallway and Taehyung’s quiet “oh” echoes throughout Jeongguk’s hollow heart. “Well, if you’re gonna go on actual date, I hope you have fun.”

“I hope I do too,” Jeongguk bites his lip to hold back from saying anything else.

The walk from their building to Taehyung’s office building is usually cheery, lively, colorful on better days with Jeongguk feeling a lot more awake and alive while Taehyung is by his side, but today— today’s something duller. Emptier, quieter; a void that can only be filled up by Taehyung’s voice and smile and laughter and Taehyung but he’s got none of that.

Even as Taehyung steps into the building with Jeongguk in tow. It surprises Jeongguk how Taehyung could switch his moods really quickly and for a second he wonders if him finding his brother this morning has something to do with it— but he’s probably just being stupid and overly hopeful.

“Thanks for holding my bag,” Taehyung says robotically, palms gripping the bottom of his bag like an upside-down embodiment of a claw. “Have a good day, Jeongguk.”

“Hyung,” Jeongguk tries not to whine. Tries,  before Taehyung actually full-body turns around to face him with his eyebrows raised and elongated eyes wide with curiosity. “Have a good day!” He waves enthusiastically almost in a smitten way, way too soft.

The smile that forms on Taehyung’s face might be the most beautiful moment in life yet.

Jeongguk doesn’t know what to expect when he takes the lift up to his brother’s office a few minutes later but definitely not what his brother says the moment he steps into the room, “So you’re dating Taehyung, aren’t you?”

“Wait, no—what.”

“You’re still the son of the company’s head, you know,” his brother chuckles, amused. Jeongguk doesn’t see the amusement anywhere. “People talk when they see.”

“Can’t we be best friends?” Jeongguk frowns, genuinely annoyed at this point. “I mean, can’t best friends treat each other the way he and I treat each other?”

“The both of you must do things another way as best friends then,” another chuckle before it stops. “I just have one question.”

Jeongguk feels himself squinting at his brother suspiciously, “What?”

“Do you like Taehyung?”

“Yeah,” Jeongguk sighs in complete defeat, not even bothering to deny anymore. His brother looks like he’s on the verge of cracking up but Jeongguk doesn’t care, not when he’s moving closer to his brother with a contorted look on his face. “Hyung, is it that obvious?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh my god.”

“But it’s not a bad thing I guess… it only shows that Taehyung likes you back the same way.”

“I suspected that but I highly doubt so,” Jeongguk makes himself comfortable on the edge of his brother’s work desk, a totally out-of-the-company behaviour but his brother allows him. Somehow, this feels like a Korean drama scene. “He’s always been the same Taehyung, since high school. It doesn’t look like his attitude towards me changed or anything though.”

“What others see may not be obvious to you, and yet you always defend yourself with the same old ‘I’m not dense, I’m just blind’ when you’re literally both.”

“Are you my hyung or his hyung.”

“I’m his boss in the office and his hyung outside.”

“Hyung,” Jeongguk whines in exasperation. Why is his brother even doing this? “I’m not ready to confess!”

“Ah, you know what I heard? Everyone in the company has been hitting on him,” Jeongguk’s brother looks away dramatically, thoughtfully. “They just can’t stay away from the Nice New Guy who’s also funny and cute and—”

“Wait what,” Jeongguk monotonously says. “He’s never mentioned it before. And hyung, you sound like you’re crushing on him.”

“I’m just conveying the words of others,” his brother laughs out loud. But it isn’t even funny. “He subtly ignores them anyway, so you don’t have to worry about your boyfriend.”

“He’s not my— ugh, I’ve had enough of this,” Jeongguk mentions sourly. “Anyways, who else have you set me up on a date with?”

“No one.”

“Liar.”

His brother laughs again. “I’m not lying, little one. Now that I know who you’re interested in, I know you’ll settle down eventually. I don’t have to matchmake you anymore.”

The third day comes quickly because when Jeongguk has the day off, time seemingly passes faster than usual. Which kind of sucks, because now he’s back in the café being the barista that he is even though he’s already at the last few minutes of his shift.

“One huge ass cup of iced lemon tea for Jimin, please!”

Jeongguk makes sure there’s not a single customer anywhere near the counter before shooting Jimin down with, “I’ll make tea for anyone but you.”

“Disrespectful little shit,” Jimin tsks, tapping his fingernails against the surface of the marble top. “I’m still paying for my drink you know.”

“Missing out on one order won’t harm the business of this café.”

“Asshole.”

“I am the asshole now?” Jeongguk asks incredulously, eyes darting about once again apprehensively before surely poking a finger on Jimin’s chest. “You were Satan enough to give us that dare!”

“I mean, I’m really thirsty right now and never expected y’all to actually… wanna do the dare. Wanted to help you two get over your beating-around-the-bush-ness but apparently fucked up so I apologize for it,” Jimin explains in a whole breath, sounding so sincere that Jeongguk caves in and takes his money anyway.

The drink takes less than a minute to prepare and by the time it’s done, Jimin flashes his infamous smile. “I’m not sorry at all. See you in an hour with Taetae!”

“Wait, where you goin—”

Jimin, taking a sip of his drink, pulls back to hum, “I’m going back to his office.”

Jeongguk groans. “Maybe you can walk him back to his apartment tonight. I have the whole night off anyway.”

“You’re not picking him up for the first time ever? Sucks. He’s really moody today.”

He’s really moody today? Jeongguk’s heart may, or may not have been filled to the brim with hope once again. “Shut up, he’s always picking me up instead.”

“Alrighty, we’ll drop by your place once he changes his clothes,” Jimin drinks another mouthful of tea before he quite literally shrivels up in delight that is painted on his face. “This tea is the bomb!”

Thankfully there’s no customer in line and Jeongguk leaps at the opportunity to spin around and do something useless, like taking out a whole stack of cups to push them toward more stacks of plastic cups. Anything, to have Jimin out of his sight when he turns back around again.

He sighs, but not before rolling his eyes.

“Can I join your little gathering tonight?” Mingyu snorts, pushing his face into Jeongguk’s line of vision. His fangs are so visible, but way too close which makes him take a safe step back. “Jimin’s gonna be  such a third wheel and I need to save his life.”

“Just so y’know, Jimin’s totally happy third wheeling.”

“For real?”

“I’ve known him forever, for real.”

“Speaking of which, I think that girl’s coming in to get something and she’s really cute so, let me take her order.”

Mimicking Mingyu’s snort, Jeongguk takes his apron off. It’s always the same old routine before he takes his leave, every single day. “The counter’s all yours now. Have fun being on your own, m’pretty sure Gyeommie’s ass will be late today.”

“Yeah, and for that I hope he doesn’t get laid for five months. He’s always doing this,” Mingyu cries, face scrunching up so ugly Jeongguk can’t even hold back a laugh. It’s true though. Yugyeom has never been known as a punctual person because he’s always late.

“Mean.”

“Just get your ass out and get your beauty sleep. Wake in time to see your Prince Charming or something even gayer than that,” Mingyu looks funny shooing Jeongguk away with his hands, but his words are exactly what Jeongguk follows when he gets home, of course. What better way to past time?

*******

“Jeongguk ah.”

He rolls over, away from the source of noise.

“Jeongguk I’m gonna finish your remaining banana milk,” that threat would usually have his ass up and rolling off the bed but this time, it seems nothing would ever quite be as effective. He feels all too lazy. “Are you sick?”

“Nope.”

Then there’s a dip on the edge of his bed, making him wonder if Taehyung got nearer.

“Tae,” Jeongguk doesn’t like the difference between Jimin’s and Taehyung’s voices because Taehyung’s lulls him back to sleep whereas Jimin’s just snaps him awake instantly. “How could you be so moody with me the whole day and be so different here?”

“Whose fault do you think it is?” Taehyung bites back. Oh my god. Did Taehyung really say that? Wait.

There’s a heavy sigh and wow, it doesn’t belong to Jeongguk this time. “I know it’s mine—”

“Good,” Jeongguk grumbles, draping an arm over his eyes even though his room is dark enough as it is with the blinds drawn and lights off; the only faint gleam coming from his hallway. Or living room, who knows what Jimin chose to switch on. “Okay, I’m coming out—”

“Is the whole dare still going on? Pulling through? Making it there?”

It isn’t really a surprise when Taehyung and Jeongguk answers simultaneously. “Yes.”

“Yeah?” Jimin laughs out loud. “Alright, we’ll see.”

“Whatever he means,” Taehyung mutters under his breath, sliding off Jeongguk’s bed when the latter sits up with possibly the worst nap hair ever. Not that he cares though, he never really gives a shit about anything when he’s around their group of friends.

“How was your day, hyung?”

Taehyung looks taken aback at the sudden question, but he answers anyway after his shoulders lose their tension and slips into relaxation. “Exhausting. Irritating. The meeting overran and  I have minutes to do. But the fact that Jimin kept tormenting me at the office—”

“Why do the both of you always think I’m deaf—”

“I see,” finally taking a good look at Taehyung, Jeongguk arches a brow. “You’re… still dressed in your work outfit.”

“Yeah, got lazy,” Taehyung shrugs his shoulders, fingers carding through his hair, ruffling, before his arms fall back to his sides as he leans against the doorframe with his eyes lingering on Jeongguk.

“You seem as moody as I was this morning, huh? You’re always so… not moody,” Jeongguk purses his lips into a straight line to refrain from laughing, walking towards Taehyung so they can finally get out of his room.

Judging from the way he’d snarled at Jimin earlier the way Jeongguk did, he supposes his suspicions have been confirmed and boy does that make his heart leap in joy. But also in fear. He can’t believe it’s true— but then again, it kind of feels like he’s always just been hiding from it, even though deep down he knows there’s something more. He interlaces his fingers before his fists could throw themselves in the air.

“It’s just been a long day okay,” Taehyung mumbles, untucking his shirt when Jeongguk reaches just a hair width’s length away from his body, but still, zero physical contact. Taehyung stumbles backward when he realizes Jeongguk all too close, before spinning around and scurrying which tickles Jeongguk.

An embarrassed Kim Taehyung is always the cutest. “Hyung.”

“What,” Taehyung responds with a slight hesitation, feet still bringing him forward as quickly as possible.

“Hyung,” Jeongguk whines, louder this time as though he’s trying to catch up with Taehyung but he isn’t. “You’re walking too fast, wait for me!”

The latter scrunches his shoulders in a form of self-defense even without turning to glance at Jeongguk and Jeongguk wants to reach out and hold Taehyung and pull him back and hug him so tight it’s almost killing him now.

But he doesn’t. Not when Taehyung plops next to Jimin on his sofa and avoids all eye contact with him, choosing to fixate his eyes on the television instead even though the channels are flipping back and forth from the lack of good shows.

“I thought we were watching a movie? Since it’s been years and all?”

The television goes black the second Jimin places the remote controller on the sofa, turning his body to face Taehyung and Jeongguk. “Actually, I came here to break the dare.”

“What,” Taehyung’s shaking his head as he says again. “You can’t do that?”

“Why not?” Jimin challenges. “You know they say that drunken words are sober thoughts? I’ve been thinking of that dare for days. Wanted the two of you to wake up and see what you have in front of your eyes. Clearly, I’m not surprised the both of you wanted to make the dare happen but I am surprised y’all aren’t boyfriends yet.”

“Getting there,” Jeongguk says instantly, the blush on his cheeks evidently growing a darker shade of pink when Taehyung cranes his neck with wide eyes of shock. Well, there’s nowhere to run now. But he still coughs to distract the attention away from his face somehow. “We’re… getting there.”

“Well, not really,” Jimin laughs dryly, small hand patting the top of Taehyung’s head. “You’re both still very much single.”

“That’s why I said, we’re getting there,” Jeongguk squints. “Are we done here?”

“Wait, we are?” Taehyung asks in bewilderment, eyeing Jeongguk with skeptical eyes that suddenly has Jeongguk’s confidence going from 100 to 0 real quick. Has he been reading everything wrongly?

“I-I mean,” Jeongguk blinks, breathing growing slightly heavier. “We’re not?”

“Honestly, I don’t know?” Taehyung admits quietly, hand clasping the other on his lap as he finally tears his gaze away. “I— you know, your brother. Your dates with those girls and stuff… I thought we were impossible? I didn’t think we were getting anywhere, Jeongguk. Certainly not after I had to find out from your brother that you actually went on secret dates without telling any one of us.”

“I didn’t think it mattered,” Jeongguk’s brows are knitted when he pauses to breathe properly. He wasn’t expecting things to turn out like that. “And I’ve only ever gone for one! I can’t even remember her name today!”

There’s hesitation in Taehyung’s eyes as though he’s letting Jeongguk’s words sink in and Jeongguk feels like he needs a little verbal prod to be fully convinced.

“It’s a short story but having me share would take a long time so can we talk about that later?” the silent plead in Jeongguk’s voice doesn’t go unnoticed when Taehyung turns back to look at him.

Caving in, Taehyung’s shoulders fall dramatically when he sighs. “Are you sure we’re getting somewhere?”

“We all aren’t getting anywhere at the rate you two are going,” Jimin falls promptly to his side, body landing diagonally across the armrest of the sofa. “Wake me up only when y’all have it all settled.”

“You know what, Chim,” Taehyung, lips pursed in a momentary straight line, pats Jimin on his knee. “Think we’re gonna settle this alone. So, why don’t we move on with the movie?”

“Why don’t we not,” Jimin chuckles, face glowing with a smile when he sits back up to look at Jeongguk. He’s already walking towards the door when he says, “I literally came here with that excuse to make things right between the both of you so call me when you’re finally boyfriends. I wanna go on double dates with the both of you!”

Jeongguk gawks. “I thought Yoongi hyung doesn’t do dates—”

“If he doesn’t, he’d be single right now.”

And then, the door slams.

And when Jeongguk looks at Taehyung, he feels himself shying underneath Taehyung’s bold gaze because Jimin’s gone and they’re finally alone, and that thought sends his heart racing at kilometers per second. They’re finally free to speak about whatever they want and his nerves are wrecking. Time is ticking. But, he’s going to do this.

He has to do this. He shuts his eyes briefly.

Taehyung is still looking at Jeongguk expectantly when he raises his head to speak, and he finds that his hands are tucked below his thighs because when he’s nervous, things get a little overwhelming for him even if he tries not to let it show. But he’s sure Taehyung sees it all anyway, he’s certain about it. It’s a habit now.

“You know what my brother told me to meet him about? This morning, it wasn’t about another date with another girl. It was about me. It was about you. It was about whether or not I like,” Jeongguk’s voice cracks a little and that unsurprisingly coaxes a smile onto Taehyung’s comprehending face. “Whether or not, I liked you. Present tense works better. Said he isn’t going to… well, set me up with some other girl again since, you know, it’s probably really obvious that I… like you.”

“Continue,” the smile is poking at Taehyung’s cheeks but he’s holding it back and Jeongguk takes another breath.

“I… have liked you for a long time. Really long time.” Jeongguk looks down at his twiddling thumbs, hearing the thuds of his heart in his ear because the silence is gnawing away at his nerves. “So long, hyung, you have no idea.”

“Me too,” Taehyung murmurs.

When Jeongguk looks back up, he expects Taehyung he still on his seat; not on all fours, just a second and a move away from sitting himself on Jeongguk’s lap but it happens and it’s so quickly that Jeongguk has to hold his breath even though this isn’t exactly the first time Taehyung’s sat on his lap— it’s probably the 34^th time or something.

His hands tremble just a little when Taehyung wiggles his butt on his thighs, an innocent action of getting comfortable because no, at this stage before further clarification Taehyung shouldn’t do this, or else Jeongguk’s just going to end up losing his shit and kissing the hell out of Taehyung after holding back for so long.

“I can’t believe it took us so long,” Taehyung scoots his butt up slightly to hook his legs around Jeongguk’s hips. “I can’t believe this. Did this really just happen? Did we just confess? Wow!”

But Jeongguk’s still stuck at the fact that Taehyung returns those feelings. Actually returns those feelings. It feels kind of surreal, kind of inexperienced of Jeongguk even though he has been with a few others before. Everything’s a little hard to believe when it comes to Taehyung even though it’s definitely right in front of your eyes. “But, you really like me?”

“You’re not dense you know.”

“Duh.”

“You’re just afraid,” Taehyung shrugs his shoulders, laughing breathily when Jeongguk finally wraps his arms around Taehyung, pulling him closer. “I knew it was gonna take time. I think at one point I wanted to talk to you about this but I felt like, maybe when you’re ready, confessing would be better. I didn’t think it would take years but it did.”

“I’m sorry,” Jeongguk is sincere. “I’m just shitty. And real cautious, because you’re my best friend you know? I’ve never fallen for my best friends and this was kinda new to me. Still is. I know best friends falling in love shouldn’t be different but to me, in someway, it is.”

“But why?” Taehyung’s eyebrows are knitted once again.

“Because when we take that step higher together, I get to do things like this”—Jeongguk lets his palms trail in a straight down to Taehyung’s ass for a good squeeze; Taehyung’s eyes disappearing into mini crescents as he bites on his lower lip to hold back grinning widely—“without feeling overly gay as a best friend.”

Jeongguk’s smiling like a fucking fool when Taehyung’s smile widens that little bit more through the impossibility with his shoulders shaking because of a quiet giggle. Suddenly, Jeongguk forgets why he used to be tongue-tied whenever he wanted to confess to Taehyung. He had no reason to be. “You’re so fucking cute fuck, I love you.”

“I love you,” The fondness in Taehyung’s voice is so heavy that Jeongguk feels his heart swelling because he never thought he would ever hear anything like that. Taehyung’s arms are tightening around Jeongguk’s neck, almost hard enough to snag his breath but it’s fine, he’ll get used to it anyway. “I love you, baby.”

Death is fearful but if death is in Taehyung’s arms, it isn’t really terrifying anymore.

There’s nothing quite like the feeling of smiling in a kiss, a smile against another and a kiss full of teeth but, they make it work. Because if Jeongguk can feel Taehyung’s happiness and taste the sweetness of it brings, he doesn’t really want anything else when he has his everything fulfilled.

He has Taehyung now, as his boyfriend and that’s all that matters.

Maybe. Is Taehyung his boyfriend yet? He doesn’t know. But does that term sound good? Hell yes fucking.

Jeongguk thinks he might be addicted to Taehyung’s skin, so much that he can’t quite stop pressing kisses on softness even after they pull away to catch their breaths and Taehyung’s laughing next to his ear ever so softly, musically, comfortingly and squirming from how ticklish it must be for him, but he doesn’t resist.

Jeongguk does stop for a second though, just to say, “You can take your pants off in my home, you know that right?”

“Shut up,” and Jeongguk doesn’t even have to look just to see the blush rushing to Taehyung’s face. “But say it again.”

“What?” Jeongguk knows what he’s talking about. And Taehyung knows he does when he violently pats Jeongguk’s shoulders out of impatience. “You can take your pants off in my home, you know that right? That it?”

Taehyung’s pouting, it’s in his voice, when he says, “Nooo, say the other thing again!”

“I love you?” Jeongguk laughs, corners of his eyes wrinkling from how genuinely happy he is. “I love you. And I’m going to say it every single day. Okay? So don’t make me speak again, I really just wanna—” Taehyung tactfully leans down to press their lips together again. “Yeah, this.”

“Impatient.”

“But hyung,  you gonna take off your pants or what?”

“Shut up.”

They’ve slept in the same bed before as best friends but when Jeongguk tackles Taehyung onto his bed, hovering over Taehyung with every intention of caging him in his arms forever, the experience feels absolutely new. A foreign, but great sensation that opens up a new belonging and he finds his own heart warming up to the idea of being able to do everything he wants with Taehyung now.

And that is, cuddling Taehyung to the core, body atop the other as he nuzzles his face in Taehyung’s chest, feeling his slender fingers tracing all types of Taehyung-created shapes on his scalp that calms every muscle in his body. It lulls him to sleep easily but he keeps fighting it because he doesn’t want this feeling to end any time soon.

He really wants to remember the way they’re holding each other now even though they have forever to do more of this, same or different. The feeling of getting together for the very first time is always a memorable moment.

“Hey, baby?”

Jeongguk hums.

“So we’re boyfriends now, right?”

Jeongguk smiles through his exhaustion anyways, an eye open just to peep up at Taehyung’s beautiful face. “You want us to be fiancés? Husbands? I’ll make them all come true if you want.”

“Sure, I’m deciding the wedding though. But fiancé doesn’t sound bad…” Taehyung chuckles weakly, fingers beginning to still in Jeongguk’s hair.

“Then we get our engagement rings tom’row.”

“Ten days later.”

He almost drifts away, surrendering to sleep until he jolts up and awake, like a domino shaking Taehyung with him when realisation strikes him like a bitch. “We have work tomorrow.”

Taehyung whines, hands trying to bring Jeongguk’s head back down onto his chest. “No we don’t, it’s Friday today.”

“Hyung,” Jeongguk whines back, mirroring Taehyung’s frown. “It’s Thursday today and we have two more days of working before the weekend. You don’t have your clothes at my place so it’ll be troublesome tomorrow morning, you really want that?”

“Sure, as long as it spares me more time with you,” Taehyung’s eyes are adorable, especially when he’s sleepy and frustrated: caused by Jeongguk. “But right now I don’t care because I’m not wearing pants and your over-sized shirt is ridiculously comfortable and I just want to sleep so goodnight or get off me.”

“I can go down with you? Sleep at yours? Your apartment’s basically mine, anyway.”

“I’m lazy!”

Jeongguk ultimately relents and pushes himself higher to sneak a kiss onto Taehyung’s forehead before laying back down. He holds the little sleepy smile he earns close to his heart and dreams. “Goodnight, hyung.”

“I love you.”

“I love you.”