Work Text:
Kim Seokjin's Monthly Life Assessment – February 2017
Self-esteem – high
remarks: go Jin, you’re the most handsome guy in the universe.
Academic performance – excellent
remarks: be prepared for the lack of tuition from Namjoon to affect this next month.
Friendships: intact
remarks: change this right now. Find the courage to kick those leeching brats out of your life.
Finances: critically low
remarks: get that dough. Stat.
Yoongi sips his piping hot coffee without flinching and goes over the piece of paper on the kitchen counter. He stuffs it back into the drawer it came from. “I’m most impressed by how everything can change, but that self-esteem column refuses to change, even that hilarious remark.”
Seokjin flips the eggs in his pan and smirks. “Of course it doesn’t. How are you surprised?”
“I’m not surprised, just impressed.” Yoongi corrects. He peers over to look at Seokjin’s work. “How long is this taking, I need to meet Hoseok before class.”
“Hoseok,” Seokjin spits out his name in disgust, “The brat pack leader.”
The ‘brat pack’ is their secret name for the remaining members of their friends circle (Yoongi only calls them that because he’s only part of one kakaotalk chat room - theirs) – Hoseok, Jimin and Jungkook. They’d formed an unlikely friendship last semester when Seokjin and Yoongi became neighbours with freshmen Jimin and Jungkook, and Hoseok, their dance group leader practically lived in their room. It started when Seokjin decided to repay their kind actions of being quiet during sex by inviting them for Seokjin’s home cooked dinner. One dinner led to two, and now Seokjin practically sponsors every meal of theirs. Which is probably why his finances are in critical state, Yoongi supposes.
Seokjin dumps the eggs on Yoongi’s plate haphazardly, causing half of it to hang out. “You’ll have to cover the next few weeks of groceries, Yoongi.” He says, dumping the apron on the counter as he moves to his room to get ready for class. “I’m really broke.”
“Why don’t you get an extra job?” Yoongi says with his mouth full. Thankfully, Seokjin understands the mouth-full language a little too well.
“I don’t have the time,” Seokjin shouts from his room. “I’m already working at the library most days. I need to study harder, now that Namjoon isn’t tutoring me.” He exits with his laptop bag, wearing thin-rimmed round glasses and a black turtleneck that makes him look more like a professor than student.
“If only I hadn’t spent most of my money funding theses brats’ food,” Seokjin laments.
Yoongi nods sympathetically. “If only,” he echoes.
“You coming?” Seokjin picks up the keys from the rack and turns to him. He jumps off the stool, wipes his mouth with the back of his hand swiftly and jogs over to the door.
The computer science and architecture buildings are nowhere close to each other, but Seokjin and he usually walk till a common point together every day. It’s mainly because neither of them is ever in the mood to speak to anyone in the morning, and since no one approaches them when they’re together, they can walk in silence next to each other. Today is an unwelcome exception for Yoongi, because Seokjin apparently does not get the hint that he does not want to talk about his love life.
“When are you going to tell him, man? I can’t stand watching you pine. It doesn’t suit you.” Seokjin asks. A few girls pass them and gaze admiringly at him and Seokjin politely smiles back at them.
“I’m not pining.” Yoongi pouts. “I just think he’s hot. There’s nothing more to it.”
“I’ve never seen a more gross case of heart eyes than you watching his dimples appear as he chewed gum.”
The fond smile appears on its own, and Seokjin is quick to point his crooked, accusing finger towards it. “See? This is what I’m talking about! It’s gross, get it out of your system and go back to your stony old self!”
“Oh, whatever!” Yoongi shoves him as Hoseok approaches them from afar. “I’ll see you tonight, hyung.” He adds a bit more softly, waving him goodbye as they split ways.
Yoongi wonders why there is never a ‘love life’ section on that assessment sheet.
When Seokjin opens the door to his apartment, he’s greeted by the three brat pack members squashed together on the sofa, looking apologetic, dejected and the kind of innocent that had first drawn him to take them under his nurturing wing.
They’re really good at pulling off the ‘innocent’ act.
He sighs and dumps his bag on the hook. “Where’s Yoongi?”
“He’s on a date with Holly.” Hoseok supplies. “He was apparently extra antsy today.”
Seokjin isn’t sure if he means Yoongi or the dog, but he’s not going to ask. “Did he let you in?”
“Of course,” Jimin says. “What did you think, we stole your key one day when you weren’t looking and got a spare key secretly made?” He receives a huge shove in his ribs from Jungkook.
Seokjin resists the urge to roll his eyes. He needs a bath. A long, hot bath with candles and cheap wine and Yoongi’s bath salts to soak all his worries and tired muscles. He’s not going to let the three musketeers stop him.
“Hyung, wait! We need to talk!” Jungkook yells just when he’s about to slam the bedroom door.
“I’m listening,” he leans against the frame and crosses his arms.
“Yoongi hyung told us about your money situation.” Hoseok starts.
“We’re sorry hyung, we didn’t know us coming over that often was causing you this much trouble.” Jimin continues.
“We’re here to tell you we’re going to repay you and make up for it, starting from today.” Jungkook finishes with a bright smile.
Seokjin raises his eyebrows, at a loss for words. He laughs a little breathily in disbelief and pushes himself off the doorframe to sit down across from them. He’s not expecting much, but admittedly it’s quite touching to see the goofballs care about him like this.
“Okay; and exactly how are you planning to do that?”
The three look at each other with matching smiles of excitement, as if they know what they say next is going to blow Seokjin’s mind in the best of ways. It’s a familiar look, one that Seokjin has come to associate with the worst of ideas.
“Well, for starters,” Hoseok pauses for dramatic effect, “We’re throwing you…..A HOUSE PARTY!”
The room is filled with off-beat claps, and Seokjin has the sudden urge to look into a camera like the guys from the office. The awkward claps die down one by one, and he almost feels sorry when he sees their faces slightly fall.
“Hyung, we’re paying for it.” Jimin tells him reassuringly.
“Yeah hyung, we’ll get the food, drinks, booze, everything. You just have to show up and get drunk, maybe hook up with a hottie, eh, eh?” Jungkook winks repeatedly. Seokjin wants to scream, ‘How the fuck does this help my financial crisis?’, but the prospect of getting drunk is very inviting right now. Plus, it’s a Friday, so he can afford to get drunk (not in the literal sense, but he’s determined to change that).
“You’re probably wondering how the fuck does this help your financial crisis.” Hoseok adds, and Seokjin offers his first enthusiastic nod of the conversation.
“Well, it doesn’t, not directly.” he smiles sheepishly. “But hyung, it’ll get your mind off it for a while, and what better way to deal with your problems than to drown them in alcohol and celebrate your misery with a bunch of even more miserable, unhygienic college kids?”
Seokjin can’t say he disagrees.
He cracks a genuine smile. “Okay, I’m in. Give me the details.”
“Great!” Their faces brighten instantly. Seokjin finds half his worries disappearing at the sight, and he’s never going to let them know how soft he is for these three, lest they use it to their advantage.
“It’s in 2 hours, which means everyone’s going to show up 3 hours later. I’m going to go buy the supplies, you guys.” Jimin gets up first, and plants a wet kiss on Jungkook that leaves him dazed and leaves Hoseok making gagging sounds.
Seokjin relaxes into his seat. Three hours is enough time to get physically and mentally prepared. “Wait, where is it?”
The other two turn to him with puzzled looks. “Of course it’s here, hyung.” They say. “Yoongi hyung gave me permission,” Hoseok adds solemnly.
Of course.
At this point Seokjin has practically given up on most things in life, and his body’s ache for that dreamy soap opera bath trumps his mind screaming that his apartment is going to be a colossal mess the next day. “You fuckers better clean up tomorrow,” he mumbles as he gets up on his feet and drags them to the bathroom.
Seokjin wouldn’t admit it on his deathbed, but the brat pack throws the best parties.
This, he realizes, is the land of the broke. In front of him, Lee Minhyuk from his Data Structures class and his boyfriend Hyungwon are making out really sloppily on his couch, and Seokjin realises how Minhyuk hasn’t taken off that Hawaiian shirt in 3 weeks now. Near the kitchen, he spots the Namjoon’s childhood friend Jackson sneaking a half-empty bag of chips into his jacket pocket. He has positively forgotten how broke he is at this point, having guzzled most of the jungle juice in the bowl and very neutrally flirting with anyone who hits on him. Under the purple lights that Jungkook installed for the party, he’s not sure of their faces anyways. He’s just here to have a good time.
And then the guy walks in.
In the crowd of shabbily dressed dimwits, he stands out prominently in his fancy denim jacket and tight leather pants. Seokjin registers a little later that he’s decked in Gucci from head to toe, even the bandana that makes his hair fall away from his forehead and gives him a bad-boy look that doesn’t really go with his innocent smile. He registers a little further later that he’s been staring too long(and too intently). He can’t help it though; the guy looks like he stepped right out of an anime.
The guy – Seokjin names him Gucci Boy or GB for short because wow, that’s all real Gucci, holy fuck- walks over to Jimin and pound hugs him, and they talk merrily for quite a while before Jungkook is impatiently tugging the loops of Jimin’s pants and GB finally gets a hint. He taps Jungkook’s head playfully and lets Jimin go. When he turns around, he catches Seokjin’s eye. Seokjin’s reflexes are on a well-deserved holiday, so he lets himself stare back. GB throws him a cheeky wink before he’s on his way to grab a drink.
Winks do the job of both annoying and arousing Seokjin, and this wink was particularly well-thrown. The annoyed half of him walks over to Jimin and pulls him away from Jungkook (with great difficulty). “Who is that guy you were talking to?” he asks over Jungkook’s drunken whines.
Jimin, who’s relatively sober (which still meant 'drunk'), answers cheerfully, “Ah, Kim Taehyung. He’s my best friend, hyung! We’ve known each other since we were 5!”
“We shall call him GB from now on. Why have I never seen him?”
“It’s his first house party!” Jimin shouts as the music becomes unbearably louder. They both turn to see Jungkook at the helm of the sound system, looking determined to tear their eardrums. He throws his middle fingers up at anyone who protests, and screams into the mic at random intervals, “Fuck you, Park Jimin!”
“Anyway,” Jimin continues, “he was going through a loner artist phase last semester, so he didn’t show his face to the public that often. He’s fine now, though.”
“Jimin,” Seokjin shouts, “This is the land of the broke. Who let him in the land of the broke? He stinks of money.”
“You should go over and talk to him, hyung.” Jimin nudges him suggestively. “He’s hot, you’re hot. He’s got a big dick; you’ve got a big dick. I’ll go back before Jungkook gives us all permanent deafness.”
“Yeah, you do that.” Seokjin mumbles to no one and trains his eyes on GB, trying to disassociate the words ‘big dick’ from him in his head. It doesn’t work. The aroused half of him has awoken.
He’s about to approach GB (he has already forgotten the name Jimin gave him) when he collides into someone and gets dragged to the wall. Before he can register what has happened, the person's being has been completely engulfed by another person’s, and the two of them are glued to each other at all possible areas. Their pants grow louder and louder, most of them turning into moans. He can’t even catch a glimpse of their faces. This is voyeurism; he reminds himself and wobbles away.
He’s a little heavy headed from the impact of the collision, but he still remembers his original mission. When he searches the crowd again, GB is nowhere in sight. Seokjin lets out a disappointed sigh and imagines he might have already left the party. Suddenly he is no mood to entertain anyone; he’s cold, alone, drunk and a little deaf from the aftermath of Jungkook’s attention-seeking antics. He wants to get away from the gaudy violet lights. He wants his bed. He wants to be snuggled into his soft mattress and feather-light blanket, shut the lights and nap till Sunday.
Like Yoongi!
Seokjin’s bedroom had been declared off limits when everyone came, which means he can expect a maximum of 3 people he’ll have to shoo off before he can sleep. He’s armed with a bag of plastic red cups to throw when he enters, but there’s a grand total of one person…sleeping on his bed.
They’re sleeping face first, but Seokjin knows who it is just from the back of the denim jacket they’re wearing -a huge tiger with French text above and below it – it’s GB.
This is not how Seokjin wanted him in his bed.
“Excuse me…” Seokjin says a little hesitantly, tiptoeing to the head of the bed. He crouches down to the height of the mattress and tilts his head horizontally. The room is silent save for the muffled sounds coming from the living room and GB’s soft snores, muffled into the pillow.
“Excuse me,” Seokjin says a little louder this time, shaking his arm for good measure. GB’s pretty gone, and does not register any of this. Seokjin’s about to try speaking to him for the third and last time, but when he opens his mouth an uncontrollable burp escapes him.
It does the job quite well, and GB stirs a little, if only to adjust his body so he’s lying on his side, limbs bent in a crooked way like he’s holding onto an invisible body pillow. Seokjin gets a clear view of his face – his thick eyelashes, pouty pink lips, and that adorable mole on his nose- and lets out an audible gasp at the perfection. The way his bangs fall gently to the side and tickle his eyelids triggers the cheesy romantic in him, and he reaches out and pushes them away. In retrospect, this had been his first mistake, because even the very sight of GB’s forehead had made him go week in the knees. Seokjin would realise the consequences much later.
“You can sleep here,” Seokjin whispers to him pointlessly. “I’ll take Yoongi’s bed.” He tiptoes out again in an overly dramatic fashion and shuts the door gently, re-entering the drunken, hyper-sexual chaos. Ignoring the girl draped onto his back, he makes a few mental calculations. Yoongi’s room has a bed. A big soft bed. And it’s empty, because who would even dare. But Yoongi’s room is farther than the couch, which has an inch of space to spare for Seokjin.
Huh.
Seokjin wakes up in an entangled mess of limbs, with too many strangers for his liking and an expected pounding in his head. Gingerly, he lifts the leg draped across his thigh, the arm thrown on his chest, and wiggles himself off the couch, standing shakily. The view is predictable - it looks like a tornado ran through his living room.
He lazily stumbles towards the kitchen to make himself coffee. His foot hits flesh when he enters, and he looks down to see the whole kitchen blocked by Yoongi and Hoseok on the floor sleeping peacefully, Hoseok spooning Yoongi. They look almost childlike, and the innocence on their faces is melting Seokjin’s heart. Then it suddenly strikes him when he sees the bright orange of Hoseok’s hair – these were the guys who collided into him yesterday night.
Seokjin kicks them both in the shin and returns to his bedroom, tuning their painful whines out as background noise. He needs to go back to sleep if he’s not getting that coffee.
When he goes to swing his door open, it swings harder than expected, and Seokjin is greeted by GB at the door, who had probably been opening the door at the same time.
In the morning light, GB looks even more ethereal. He’d probably dislike anyone wearing that bandana straightaway, but on this guy it works in the exact opposite way.
Till Seokjin remembers it’s a Gucci bandana, and how dare this Gucci Boy enter his poor-person house party and plant that rich ass on his poor-person bed for a whole night?
Now Seokjin is 100% angry and 0% attracted. Every passing moment of staring at GB is reminding him of his dry wallet and impending bankruptcy.
“What were you thinking, sleeping in my bed?”
GB’s eyes light up immediately, and he steps forward to take both Seokjin’s hands in his. He’d protest, but Seokjin is a little too stunned by how big they are, how long and nimble the fingers feel against his palm.
“This was your bed? You’re Seokjin sunbaenim?” he asks loudly, the intensity doing nothing to ease Seokjin’s headache.
“For fuck’s sake, lower your volume!” Seokjin hisses, but it doesn’t deter GB’s enthusiasm. He tugs Seokjin closer till he can smell GB’s morning breath. The room doesn’t smell any better, so Seokjin ignores the discomfort.
“Hyungnim, can I call you hyungnim? I have a brilliant proposition for you.” He says, eyes dancing with glee.
“It’s a little too early in the day for this, G-” he bites his tongue before he reveals his nickname. He wriggles out of his grip and drops his hands down to his sides, unwillingly missing the warmth of the hold.
“Kim Taehyung, my name. It’s not what you’re thinking, hyungnim.” GB – Taehyung says, his tone bordering on desperate.
“Hear me out on this – can you sell me your bed?”
There are only a handful of times he’s been rendered speechless like this, but this one already tops the list.
Taehyung looks at him like an innocent puppy waiting for its treat, and he does not look the slightest bit hung over, so Seokjin’s not even sure he’s not joking.
“You’re actually serious.”
Taehyung nods enthusiastically, hair flying violently in all directions.
Seokjin’s wide awake now, the anger seeping through his veins.
“Why? Why do you think you can buy my bed? Just because you can afford ugly Gucci jackets and look like a model, you think you can buy anything? Don’t let the money get into your head, kid. You don’t own me just because you’re from money. You will not have my bed, not now, not ever!”
Seokjin is left panting and red in the face, but very smug.
Now it’s Taehyung’s turn to be rendered speechless.
Seokjin uses the time window to gently push Taehyung out of his room and shuts the door promptly, locking it.
Then the banging starts.
“hyungnim, please, you don’t need to sell the bed to me, but I need to sleep on that! I haven’t had a night’s sleep this perfect, hyungnim!”
Seokjin grimaces. The pounding is getting to him, and he wonders how gone must everyone else be to not even stir awake at this.
“Hyungnim, what if I rent your bed once a week? I’ll pay you for it, 50,000 won every time. And before you start, I’m not trying to buy you with my money; I just really need to sleep on that bed.”
Seokjin considers this. He’d be lying if he said the offer wasn’t irresistible, but his guilty conscience reminds him how this is easy money and against his principles.
“Why don’t you go use Yoongi’s bed? We bought the same beds, and I’m sure now that he’s finally with Hoseok he won’t be using it most days.”
“The bed in the next room? I already tried it, it doesn’t help at all. I have trouble sleeping, hyungnim.” Taehyung’s voice drops to a low pleading tone. “But yesterday night, it was magical. I didn’t wake up in the middle of the night, I didn’t have nightmares, didn’t even twist or turn around. The mattress was so soft, your sheets – oh my god, your sheets,” he moans obscenely, “they smell like lilies, and they feel like heaven, and they don’t have cum stains on it – Hyungnim, please, please, consider my offer.”
It’s not easy money now, Seokjin thinks. He puts effort into making his bed the comfortable heaven that it is, washing his sheets with that expensive softener, fixing the creases whenever he spots them. And now, someone’s finally appreciating the effort other than him.
But mainly, 50,000 fucking won a week.
There’s silence outside, and for a second he’s worried the offer might have been retracted. He covers the distance to his door quickly and swings it open, finding Taehyung on his way to the door, shoulders slumped.
“Ahem,” Seokjin clears his throat loudly. Taehyung stops but doesn’t turn around.
“Okay, fine.”
“Really?” he runs towards Seokjin with that same puppy-like look, the one that Jjangu gives him when Seokjin’s not in the mood to play with him.
“Yes,” he says reluctantly, “but you have to inform me a day in advance before you arrive. And you can only sleep in it, no hanky-panky with others.”
Taehyung stifles his smile. “Yes yes, hyungnim, I won’t bring anyone but myself.”
“Good. And drop the hyungnim. Makes me feel old.”
“Sure hyung.” He nods dutifully.
Seokjin sighs. “Okay, bye now.”
“Bye hyung, see you again.” He trudges to the door, and Seokjin shuts his door, very gobsmacked by the turn of events.
“This is ridiculous.”
Seokjin’s snuggled up in his loveseat, sipping hot cocoa and reading the latest issue of Haikyuu. It’s been a perfect day because he’d finally figured out the error in his PHP code after having stared at it for 4 days straight, and now his webpage finally connects to the database, which means he’s going to forego any further progress for a whole week now. Even thinking about writing more html code gives him chills.
Yoongi is standing at the door, refusing to let the person in. Seokjin might have an idea who it is.
“Yoongi,” he calls out, “Is it Kim Taehyung?”
Yoongi turns with the predictable dumbfounded look. “Hyung, he’s saying he has rented your-”
“Yeah, let him in.”
“But –“
“He’s being serious, Yoongi let him in.”
“Thank you!” Taehyung shouts, his head peeking behind Yoongi’s short frame. Yoongi throws him a rather nasty glare, and Taehyung throws a poor imitation of it back at him.
“Did you really?”
“Yeah.” Seokjin shrugs. “He’s paying 50k for one time.”
His eyes threaten to bounce out of the sockets.
“This is weird.”
“No, this is just…” Seokjin finds himself at a loss for words. “…a thing.”
“Nope, definitely weird.” Yoongi crosses his arms and gives him the ‘you’re-going-to-regret-this-and-I’m-going-to-enjoy-telling-you-I-told-you-so’ face.
Taehyung’s definitely at the end of his patience, because he whacks his duffel bag at Yoongi and confidently strides in.
“Where are you going to be sleeping hyung?” He asks.
“I’ll take Yoongi’s bed,” Seokjin says, ignoring Yoongi’s look of protest. “He has a date with Hoseok in like, 10 minutes anyways.”
“I don’t have a date with-“
“Well then, get one. You owe me this, Yoongichi – “
“– Don’t call me that-“
“-Remember when I walked in on you and Hoseok 3 days ago-“
“-Okay, you can shut up now!” Yoongi runs over and cups his mouth. “I’ll call Hoseok,” he says grudgingly, shoving Seokjin’s head back as he takes his palm off it. It does nothing to wipe off the smugness in Seokjin’s smile.
“That was ruthless,” Taehyung says as he watches Yoongi’s back retreat to his room.
“Well, I did him a favour. He’s grossly in love with Hoseok.” Seokjin shuts his eyes tightly, trying to erase the horrifying image of watching his roommate go down on Hoseok. It had been hard to look Hoseok in the eye after he’d seen his o-face.
“Well, you’re sorted.”
He looks up. Taehyung’s standing awkwardly in the centre of the room, dragging his toe on the carpet.
“You can go in and use the bed, Taehyung-ah.”
Taehyung nods gratefully and rushes in. The door clicks softly, and Seokjin hears the thump of Taehyung’s body as it falls on the bed, and the contented sigh that follows it. He can almost imagine Taehyung’s face as he rubs his head into the fluffy pillow.
He's overcome with a sudden urge to go in and check on him like he had that night, just to make sure he's getting his money's worth. He thinks better of it, finding it smarter to keep their relationship a little more business than friendly. It's already a weird equation, and friendships are dangerous when money is involved.
Yoongi comes out wearing his favorite fake leather jacket and a crisp new shirt, looking lowkey excited(which is Yoongi being highkey) as he plays with his keys. Seokjin has seen Yoongi in one relationship back in their first semester that lasted a month long before they both realized they weren't interested in each other beyond sex. This is a polar opposite of that time, and he can see how Yoongi brings the same smitten smile on Hoseok's face that he has for Hoseok.
The giddiness in Yoongi's voice when he says goodnight to Seokjin makes his heart long for what he and Hoseok have. He shuts the lights and climbs into Yoongi's bed, trying not to think too much about it. One worry has been crossed off his list, he's not interested in adding another unnecessarily.
Seokjin's freshly showered and pulling his skinny jeans on when Taehyung rouses from his slumber, looking utterly refreshed.
"Good morning, Seokjin hyung." He greets in his broken morning voice(which is gruff and deep and not at all sexy).
"Morning, Taehyung." Seokjin greets back, buttoning up his pants. "I trust you slept well?"
"Very." He reassures, stretching blissfully. "I have class in an hour."
"So do I, why don't you shower and we can leave together?"
Taehyung nods and hops off the bed, disappearing into the washroom with his duffel bag.
When he enters the living room, he's freshly dressed in a maroon plaid shirt and suspenders with cylindrical glasses that were out of fashion 10 years ago but on Taehyung, look like haute couture. Seokjin's a little envious of how this brat is able to look like poster boy in anything he wears.
"I have to stop by my apartment too, hyung. Would you like to come?"
"Can't. I have my Photography class in 5, he's not cool with people showing up late."
Taehyung nods sympathetically. "Well, my apartment is on the way to the building, you can take a look at the building."
“You like photography?” Taehyung asks as they exit the building.
“I’m more into taking polaroids, to be honest.” Seokjin explains. “Don’t know why, I feel it captures the essence of the moment a little better. What about you?”
“I love photography.” He says. “I follow a lot of people’s work. This sem break, I went on a trip to Bhutan with a bunch of my friends from the course and we took such incredible photos. I’ll show you the next time I come over.”
“Yeah, that’d be nice.” Seokjin smiles and looks down, not at all enjoying the feeling of getting this excited about the prospect of giving up his bed again.
Seokjin doesn't know how he's been taking this route for two months now and somehow always got too distracted to look at this building, because it defines conspicuous. It's a stone building with a lobby that looks like a hotel reception; but the most eye-catching structure is the huge Gargoyle that bears a striking resemblance to Yoongi.
He bursts into laughter when he makes the connection, and Taehyung laughs along with him. "This is why I wanted you to come by," he says, wiping his eyes.
Oh.
“I’ll get going then, hyung.” Taehyung waves goodbye. “Thank you for yesterday night!”
“Well. You’re paying me for it.” Seokjin says to himself.
When Seokjin’s done with the day and returns home, there’s an envelope waiting for him on the counter with his name on it scribbled hastily. Yoongi’s watching him intently from where he’s curled up on the couch.
“Did you open it?”
“No, I’m waiting for you to.”
He turns it over, and finds the 50,000 won lying inside it, and a Polaroid of Taehyung winking cheekily, half his face hidden behind the ‘V’ sign made by his long fingers. They’re covered with hues of blue paint, and there’s a streak on his scrunched up nose as well.
Seokjin’s heart clenches tightly.
The back of the Polaroid reads, ‘Another one for your album, hyung’ in the same endearing handwriting.
Oh no.
I’m falling for him.
He drops the envelope and launches himself onto the couch, resting his head on Yoongi’s lap. Yoongi looks down at him with raised eyebrows, waiting for whatever explanation he can get. “I can’t fall for him, Yoongi,” he whines, and Yoongi’s face morphs into pure bewilderment. “Kim Taehyung?” he asks.
“He sent me a polaroid, Yoongi!”
"I'm still upset you just sprang that upon me out of nowhere."
"What do you think I came to your room for that ill-fated night?"
Yoongi frowns. “Whatever, you’ve met him thrice in your life, hyung!”
“Exactly!” Seokjin gets up, almost head-butting Yoongi in the process. “And he pays me to use my bed; this is all very fucked up already. I’m not going to fall for him. I’m not.” Yoongi is on the verge of putting on his ‘i-told-you-so’ face, and Seokjin is not in the mood.
He makes a swift exit to his room before Yoongi can say anything, chanting in his head, “I’m not going to fall for him. I’m not going to fall for him.”
He’s going to persistently Yoongi’s voice in his head that says, ‘You already have.’
Into the 5th week of their weird little arrangement, Seokjin's still not convinced this isn't all just a fever dream.
The first and foremost reason for this is that, Kim Taehyung is quite frankly the most unreal person he's ever met.
Some days he comes too early, puts on Chet Baker in their living and slow dances by himself and other days he brings around his Zootopia plushies and tucks them into bed beside him; some days he's discussing the works of Van Gogh and Monet over the phone with god knows who and on others he's fighting Jimin over how Jajangmyeon is definitely better than Ramen.
Today, he's jamming to Yoongi's new untitled track that he stole without care, and Seokjin is making a run for Yoongi's room before he can catch any more feelings.
Seokjin stays up a little while longer in Yoongi's room, trying to get his coding homework out of the way for the week. The music stops halfway, and he hears Taehyung shuffle to the bedroom.
Then the lights go off, and the room is filled with blue glow of his laptop screen.
"Seokjin hyung!"
He finds his way to his room with the flashlight on his phone, where Taehyung's sitting up on the bed and quietly panicking.
"Why did the lights go off?"
"I'm not sure, Taehyung. It's time to sleep anyways, why don't you just go to bed?"
"I can't, I need it to not be pitch black when I close my eyes."
"And yet, you sleep with your head in the pillow."
Taehyung puts his phone on the headboard and turns to face Seokjin. "Hyung, I'm not sure you've caught on, but I have a lot of problems trying to go to sleep."
"I might have an idea." Seokjin smirks.
"Yeah, well, I cannot sleep alone when the lights have gone off. Gives me nightmares."
Seokjin blinks twice. "What are you proposing Tae?"
"Tae. cute." Taehyung smiles wide. Oh no.
"Can you stay for tonight? Please?"
Seokjin sighs. Taehyung looks really petrified, it wouldn't be nice to leave him alone like this.
"Scoot." Seokjin puts his own phone by his and sits down beside him. Taehyung lies on his side and rests his head in Seokjin's lap. Seokjin freezes for just a second, before he's calmly running his hand through Tae's hair. "Way better." he whispers to Seokjin.
"Taehyung?" he asks after a few minutes.
"Hmm hyung?"
"I don't know if it's too personal, so you're free to not answer. But why do you have so much trouble sleeping?"
Tae turns to face Seokjin, looking very real, very vulnerable. "Oh. Just."
"You don't have to answer Tae-"
"No wait," Taehyung cuts him off. "I want to. Okay, you know how sometimes you can't fall asleep immediately, and you just....think? I'm always like that. My mind's unusually restless. So usually when I shut my eyes, I think of everything that's wrong. Not just with myself, with the world. It's very overwhelming, and most of the times......okay, wait. Hold on."
Taehyung scrambles to his knees, shaking his head as if to clear his thoughts up. He's flustered, searching Seokjin's eyes for some kind of approval, or understanding. "It's okay, slow down. Take your time."
"No wait, I can do it.....I'm not sure you'll understand."
"I'll try my best to, okay? Calm down, Tae. I'm right here."
Taehyung takes a few deep breaths, and eases his head back into Seokjin's lap. This time, he keeps his eyes closed.
"It's not always, but I end up imagining my death. How it'd happen, what would happen after - I don't like it, it scares me, but I can't help it. I can't have a thoughtless journey to sleep. Except when I'm in this bed. I don't know what magic it holds, I forget every thought the second I hit the mattress."
"I know what you mean."
Taehyung opens his eyes. "You do?"
"Yeah, I've had thoughts like that on bad days. Maybe not as intense as yours, but just....just know you're not alone, okay?"
"I....I...." Taehyung gives up on a reply.
"You think too much." Seokjin smiles softly. "It's both a good and bad thing."
"I'm not thinking anything right now though," Taehyung says. "I'll just drift asleep okay, keep doing that hair thing."
Seokjin smiles and pets his head gently, ignores the warning bells in his head and stays even when the lights come back on 15 minutes later.
This is the last time I let myself get close to him, he tells himself.
“Jiminie, Jungkookie!”
Seokjin takes a deep breath and knocks on the door.
It’s getting a little worrisome how 3 weeks have passed and the brat pack hasn’t shown up at his door for food. As much as Seokjin had been touched they were concerned for him, now he’s plain afraid they’re offended.
“It’s open, come in hyung!” Jimin shouts.
Seokjin sighs in relief. “Just checking, in case you both were….preoccupied.”
“Nah, we’re done with that.” Jungkook says from his spot in Jimin’s lap, their attention solely on the screen in front of them. Seokjin walks over and follows their line of sight.
“You’re playing Mario Kart without me?”
His voice is shrill, and the controller falls out of their hands as they jump in shock, Jungkook rolling off Jimin's lap to turn around in his direction.
"Listen, I know I said you're leeching off of me too much, but I can't believe you don't even want to come meet your hyung. Am I only there to feed you fuckers? Huh? Huh?"
"Aw, hyung is missing us, Jungkook." Jimin smiles brazenly, Jungkook joining him.
"Hyung, we came over thrice last week." Jungkook explains. "All three times, Taehyung opened the door, gave us this half upset half sleepy look and shut it in our faces."
"Ah."
Seokjin had found a brilliant loophole to his falling for Taehyung situation - avoid him completely. And the best way to do that was to use Taehyung's apartment and bed when Taehyung was using his, like a room swapping situation. Taehyung hadn't been too jolly when Seokjin had proposed the idea (but then again, neither had Seokjin himself), but seeing as how they couldn't kick Yoongi out every week, he'd reluctantly agreed. Taehyung's apartment was as expensive as he had expected, but also full of colorful tapestries and Indian print bedsheets and throw pillows. He owned houseplants, half of which were wilting and Seokjin had taken it upon him to bring them back to health.
Seokjin could see how Taehyung couldn't sleep here though - it was too big and made you feel lonely. Back home, Yoongi would stay awake and hum bits and pieces of his tracks as he composed, or tiptoe to the kitchen to get water, and Seokjin would fall asleep in the warmth of knowing the presence of Yoongi on the other side of the wall. This place was a screaming reminder of lonesomeness.
"Hyung, you know I think you're smart, right?" Jimin starts.
"Where is this going?"
"You're being a fool right now," Jungkook puts it bluntly. "Stop avoiding Taehyung if you like him, it makes no sense. If I had acted on my feelings like you are, I'd be in Hoseok-ie hyung's room right now, crying and jerking off to the thought of my roommate Jimin,and not boyfriend JImin." JImin looks thoroughly impressed, and Jungkook emphasizes his point by pulling him into a rough, short kiss.
"Who told you this? Yoongi, right? Can't shut his fucking mouth when he needs to."
"He didn't tell us directly." Jimin says. "He told Hoseok-ie hyung, who told us."
"I'm going to shoot them both-" Seokjin says, charging towards the door. Jungkook pulls him back, causing him to stumble over the back of the couch and fall on top of Jimin. He's been a clumsy mess lately, he thinks as he shuffles off the poor guy.
"You better change things and find some happiness in your life, hyung." JImin says, pinning him with a serious stare.
"I am happy. I have more than enough money now-"
"Money does not buy happiness, hyung!" Jungkook shouts, and Seokjin feels like he's a naughty child getting grilled by his parents. He hates this really, when couples look at each other with that telepathic understanding and give him unsolicited relationship advice. He feels looked down upon, pitied, like being in a happy relationship entitles them to dictate over him.
"It buys me food," Seokjin replies. "And that's happiness. Can we drop this topic? I'm here to have fun with you."
They finally give up, pulling Seokjin into a cuddle. "We missed you too, hyung." Jungkook says, and they turn the night into a Mario Kart showdown.
Seokjin is definitely not thinking about how Taehyung still leaves him those fucking polaroids on his kitchen counter.
Kim Seokjin's Monthly Life Assessment – April 2017
Self-esteem – high
remarks: go Jin, you’re the most handsome guy in the universe.
Academic performance – above average
remarks: as expected. fuck you Kim Namjoon.
Friendships: intact
remarks: none you love Yoongi with your whole heart
Finances: adequate :)))
remarks: none
Love Life:?
"Yoongi, you fucker, stop reading my list and adding shit to it!"
Hoseok giggles by the window, where he's blowing up black balloons. It's Yoongi's birthday, and Hoseok has planned quite a traditional birthday party for his boyfriend. Balloons, streamers, overly fatty cream cake, pin-the-tail, the works. Seokjin had said yes to the idea the second it was placed on the table, gleefully imagining the pain on Yoongi's face when they'd crown him with the conical dunce cap. Right now, Seokjin's baking the cake and going through his wallet for booze money. It's 8 in the morning, a time that only he and Hoseok consider good enough to wake up. They've sent Yoongi to Hoseok's place instead to sleep peacefully.
He's glaring at the question mark when Taehyung barges through the door, bright as the morning sunshine.
"Good morning!"
"Good morning, Taehyungie!" Hoseok greets back equally cheefully, and suddenly there are 2 balls of sunshine in his apartment.
"Hyung, Taehyungie is here to help."
"Yeah, and hopefully get my project finished after that." Taehyung adds, and Seokjin finally notices the huge bag of art supplies he had dragged along with him.
"What art project?"
"Hyung, the view outside your window is gorgeous in the morning, so I decided I'd paint it to submit in class." Taehyung takes out the canvas, the lower half of it completely painted while the upper half roughly sketched out.
Their apartment does have a great view. It's a sprawling patch of fresh green grass, dotted with large trees with drooping branches that students sit under and study(but mostly make out). In the morning, the sun hits them in the most exquisite way, bringing out the vibrancy of the color. Just like right now, the way it turns Taehyung's hair golden, and his eyes molten brown-
Ah, he's too perfect.
"I didn't catch you in the morning last week, hyung." Taehyung tells him.
"I went to class directly." Seokjin replies, looking away.
"Right. Well, I'll be coming to the party anyway, so I was wondering if today would be a good day to take your bed."
Seokjin's just about to tell him it's not, because Seokjin will be drunk and needy and definitely more than a little horny for Taehyung, but Hoseok chimes in first.
"That works out great, because I'm taking Yoongi back to my place tonight for his birthday present."
Seokjin gulps and turns to Taehyung, who looks like he's been given the best news of his life.
"Then hyung can stay at home tonight with me, right?"
"Yeah. Cool." Seokjin says and goes back to the glaring question mark in front of him.
It is definitely not cool.
Surprisingly (and to Seokjin's dismay), Yoongi is super touched by Hoseok's throwback-style birthday party, and sheds a tear when the cake rolls out and the classic restaurant happy birthday song is played in the background. It's all very gross, how whipped Yoongi is, because the last person he was this whipped for was not even a person. It was his dog Holly.
Seokjin's really not enjoying this party thanks to this surprise turn of events, and mainly because Taehyung looks like a sex god in his silk shirt and tousled wavy hair, dyed blonde for the occasion. For all his efforts towards not falling for the guy, he's currently waiting for Taehyung to notice that he's wearing jeans with huge gashes on the thigh, threatening wardrobe malfunction. Taehyung is instead spending his time flirting with Bogum from the film arts department, like he doesn't know that the guy is straight as a stick. He hates that he's jealous when he's the one who doesn't want to do anything about this baseless crush. He has already planned to finish half the bottles in the kitchen and retreat to Yoongi's room to forget it all.
Instead, he waits for an hour and sneaks glances while sneakily trying to widen the hole on his thigh, then watches Taehyung leave Bogum's side to go to his room, and follows him blindly.
Taehyung's already making himself comfortable, silk shirt off to reveal a tight black undershirt. This is a bad idea, Seokjin thinks as he stands still and makes no move to leave.
Taehyung doesn't realize Seokjin's in the room for a good few minutes, all of which Seokjin doesn't know what he spent doing, because when Taehyung does spot him, he does something quite heartstopping.
"Seokjin hyuuuuung, cuddle!" He throws his arms wide open, and beckons him over.
Seokjin wants to die.
(In those arms).
He's drunk enough to make all the wrong choices today, so he crawls into Taehyung's arms like he belongs there.
Problem is, no matter what this may mean for Seokjin, for Taehyung cuddling just means cuddling. He'd do it with anyone. He'd do it with family, friends, strangers, pillows. It's just playful skinship. Seokjin, on the other hand, is giddy from Taehyung's musky scent and buff arms, tucked into the crook of his neck. If he leans in a bit more, his lips would be on Taehyung's neck, and having that kind of opportunity combined with the severe lack of control over his senses, is a dangerous scenario.
Seokjin moves stealthily, inching closer very slowly. He pouts his lips, and when they touch his skin lightly, Taehyung says, "Seokjin hyung, you're unfair."
Seokjin whips his head back.
"I tried so hard not to look at you tonight," Taehyung grabs his face and pouts. His voice is dangerously low, stirring something in Seokjin's stomach. "Every time I look at you I have to squash my urges to just grab your face and kiss you senseless, so I tried so hard, so hard, to ignore you."
"BUT YOU JUST HAD TO GO AND WEAR THOSE JEANS!"
Seokjin is torn between feeling pleased with himself and wanting to run away from the bad decisions he knows he's going to make.
Instead, he takes Taehyung's palm off his face and, like a young teenage girl in a B-grade high school coming-of-age about to lose her virginity, guides it to the bare patch of skin on his thigh.
"Go ahead."
Taehyung lets out a guttural sound and clambers downwards, coming face to face with the gaping hole.
Seokjin shuts his eyes, not sure of what's coming next.
Taehyung presses a chaste kiss to the skin, and Seokjin shivers under his cold lips. He presses another kiss, and another, and Seokjin might positively go crazy if Taehyung doesn't anything more. He absently lets his fingers tangle in Taehyung's hair, and Taehyung takes the skin between his teeth, sucking it slowly.
"Oh fuck," Seokjin moans, quite convinced this is the best night of his life.
Taehyung continues biting and sucking it for a while, his arm holding a squirming Seokjin in place. His fingers massage the skin around it, and Seokjin's thinking he's just about to sneak his fingers under the fabric, when Taehyung detaches himself from Seokjin and leaps up to eye level again.
"What's the matter?" Seokjin says breathlessly, trying not to look disappointed.
"Hyung, we haven't even kissed yet." Taehyung says between breaths, looking very amused.
"We can fix that now-" He leans forward, but Taehyung places his hand between them.
His eyes go dark and serious. "Not when we're drunk. I care about you more than that. " The look is gone just as soon as it came, and Taehyung opens his arms up again. "Let's cuddle instead?" He asks, looking more uncertain and afraid of rejection this time around.
You're really not allowed to do this to me, Kim Taehyung, Seokjin thinks as he smiles and crawls into Taehyung's arms again.
What a night.
When Seokjin wakes up, Taehyung is not in bed cuddling him.
He's waiting for him in the empty living room, perched up on the kitchen counter where he leaves his envelopes.
"Tae?"
"Hyung," He looks up, but the usual smile he offers in greeting is replaced by a fake, restricted imitation of it.
Seokjin jogs his memory, tries to recall what he did yesterday to have possibly hurt Taehyung. Did he not ask for consent? No, he gave the consent and Taehyung just acted upon it.
"Slept well?" he asks.
"As always," Taehyung replies with that same tight smile. "Speaking of which, I want to change a few things about....how things are right now."
Seokjin's heart leaps out of his mouth. His ears are hot with tension as he says cautiously, "Okay. What?"
"I don't think I want you sleeping in my house when I'm sleeping here."
His heart soars. He doesn't want to get his hopes up, but Taehyung's saying all the right words. Neither do I, he thinks. I want to stay beside you.
"The bed is big enough for both of us, right? And we're pretty good cuddlers too."
Right.
"And anyways, I'm paying for the bed, I think it's fair for me to get a say on this matter. If you're using my house, what's the point of me shelling out all this money? It's like we're swapping rooms, which is not what I want."
There we go.
Seokjin smiles sadly, feeling his hopes shatter into a thousand pieces as the words that confirmed all his fears ring in his ears, taunt him cruelly. "I was always afraid of this."
"Afraid of what?" Taehyung asks.
"You're always trying to buy your happiness Taehyung, instead of fixing your issues. With your sleeping, with this too. Difference is, you can't fix this with wads of notes in envelopes."
Taehyung looks up sharply, the fury quite visible in his young, expressive eyes.
"What do you mean, 'fix your issues with money?'" He jumps off the counter and stands right in front of him in a provoking stance. "And isn't that what you were trying to do as well hyung, 'buy your happiness'? Isn't that why you agreed to this whole arrangement in the first place?"
He hasn't seen Taehyung like this, so defensive and hurtful with his words. Another piece of his heart breaks off.
"I think we've reached an impasse," Seokjin says calmly, very determined to not escalate things to the point where his tears start actually falling out.
"If that's what you want to call it."
"Let's not continue this arrangement." He says, ready to show him the way out but Taehyung has already turned on his heel.
"Goodbye hyung," Taehyung says before he shuts the door, "I'll leave the money later."
The money does come later, but Seokjin leaves it untouched and makes sure Yoongi has done away with it before he sets foot out of his room.
Kim Seokjin's Monthly Life Assessment – May 2017
Self-esteem – FUCKED
remarks:
Academic performance – FUCKED
remarks:
Friendships: HALF-FUCKED
remarks:
Finances: !#@$#%!#@
remarks:
"This is Big O of n squared, Seokjin." Namjoon explains for the 5th time.
"I know, Namjoon."
"That's brute force."
"I know, Namjoon, I'm asking you to show me the most efficient solution!"
Namjoon throws him a pitiful dirty look. "Okay," He says, and proceeds to scribble the algorithm on a piece of paper.
Seokjin had been doing a rather good job, if he could be the judge of it. Life isn't too different from how it was before Taehyung walked into it and torpedoed his way into Seokjin's heart. He still bickers with Yoongi about how gross he's becoming day by day, and the brat pack restarts its daily visits, this time armed with ingredients for their meals. Everyone around him is trying as hard as he is to return to normalcy. But every once in a while, he'll look down in the shower and see the spot where Taehyung had left a purple bruise on his thigh (which had now faded off), and cry till his eyes turn bloodshot.
Yeah, a good coping mechanism.
He returns to his tutoring session, where Namjoon is using his least favorite data structure to get to the solution, linked lists. He's bad at pointers. "Can't you just use an array and do it?" he whines as Namjoon ignores him and finishes the solution.
"Okay, why don't you dry run it and see how it works, ask me if you don't get it?" Namjoon offers. Even with the pink hair, he has the softest professor aura around him, snuggled in a large woolen scarf and his Harry Potter glasses constantly slipping off his nose. What a shame, Seokjin thinks as his hand itches to push them up.
Seokjin's halfway through the solution and finally finding the courage to believe that he might at last get a grasp of how bloody linked lists work, when a giant book is slammed right onto his sheet.
He looks up in fear, and the bully is none other than-
"Taehyungie."
"You know him, Joonie?" Seokjin turns to Namjoon.
"Joonie?"
"What are you doing here, hyung?" Taehyung asks him solemnly. It's not like Seokjin hasn't seen Taehyung since that day, catching glimpses of him outside his building on the way to photography class. But something still feels very different about his aura. It's somewhere between his usual self and the man he was the last time they spoke.
"What does it matter to you?" Seokjin jerks his head questioningly. "I'm buying my way to a good grade, okay?"
"Do you know Namjoon hyung's bed is covered with ryan plushies, like 30 of them?"
"I-"
"He was my roommate, so I know. And he snores, really, really loudly. Like, 'the neighbors were worried' kind of loudly."
"I know-"
"And- sorry in advance, Namjoon hyung- he cheated on his ex boyfriend!"
"Hey!" Namjoon protests, but there's no bite in his words. Seokjin rolls his eyes.
"I know all of this."
Taehyung sighs. "Are you both on a date?"
"Yes," Seokjin grabs Namjoon's hand under the table, then lifts it up to show that it'd been like that the whole time. Namjoon's looking at him with a combination of pity and amusement, but overall he seems down to play his part.
"I don't think you're right for each other." Taehyung says with fake nonchalance.
"He's jealous," The excited hype-voice in his head (that sounds like Hoseok just because) squeals. He keeps his cool facade and asks, "Why not?" He pulls his chair closer to Namjoon, who is having the time of his life watching the show. "He's tall, smart, and respects me."
"I'm tall, smart and respect you." Taeyhung mutters almost inaudibly, but Seokjin lets it slide. His inner Hoseok-voice does not, and squeals yet again.
"What did you say?" Namjoon asks instead.
"I said I like him a lot, so you can back off!"
"Huh?" They both say at the same time.
"Oh for fuck's sake," Taehyung pulls him out of his chair and tries to karate-chop their joined hands apart. He drags Seokjin to a table not too far away.
"Hyung, I'm going crazy without you." Taehyung says, and Seokjin's resolve is already withering away.
"I can't sleep again, because now every time I close my eyes, I think about the horrifying things I said to you and how stupidly crestfallen your face got, and it pains, hyung. It never used to pain, and now it does. I want to sleep next to you, and I want to wake up to that patch of grass outside the window and the smell of blueberry pancakes - that's how strung you've got me."
"I can't pretend anymore so I'm telling you this," Taehyung says, "I like you a lot, hyung."
Seokjin sits still, stunned by the confession even though it shouldn't have come as that big a surprise.
"I've liked you since the first month of uni," he continues as he takes the opposite chair, "when I saw you at the library desk, reading 'Jughead' with full concentration."
Seokjin offers him a blink as a sign to continue.
"What happened that day, I regret every second of it. I haven't been in a real relationship before, and I'm not particularly good at acting on romantic feelings."
"Well," Seokjin finally comes out of his daze, "We were both pretty stupid back then."
Taehyung nods in agreement.
"So the whole bed thing-"
"It was true. But it's probably because sleeping in your bed felt like a step closer to....I don't know, I didn't think too much about it. It just felt so....home."
The words bring a goofy grin on both their faces. "I like you too, Tae." Seokjin finally reciprocates, and revels in the way Taehyung drops himself into the chair blissfully, as if he's been shot by an arrow of love.
"Honey?"
Taehyung looks towards Namjoon and bites his lip warily.
"You should probably go tell him to fuck off now."
"Relax," Seokjin feels the invisible weight of his emotions lift off of him as he sinks into his chair. "We're not really on a date. The reason I know all the stuff about Namjoon is because I was the ex-boyfriend he cheated on."
Taehyung springs to his feet. "He's dead."
"Oh, we're fine now, let him be. He's helping me out with studies." Seokjin tugs at Taehyung's hand, pulling him close so he's sitting on the armrest of his chair. "Namjoon, we'll continue this later."
Namjoon nods understandingly, waving them goodbye. "Nice meeting you again Tae!"
"It certainly wasn't," Taehyung sticks his tongue out and in that very moment, Seokjin's a goner for him.
Kim Seokjin's Monthly Life Assessment – July 2017
Self-esteem –
remarks:
Academic performance –
remarks:
Friendships:
remarks:
Finances:
remarks:
Love life: excellent
remarks: nsfw
LIFE'S GOOD
"You're still writing these things?" Taehyung slides in the passenger seat. They're in his convertible, on the way to a musical Seokjin hasn't bothered to remember the name of. He's wearing a beret today, and it looks stupidly cute, but Seokjin's highest compliment has never exceeded 'almost as good as me', so what does he know?
He leans in and peeks at the sheet, the genuine smile on his face growing rapidly. He snatches the sheet from Seokjin, and shreds it to pieces.
Seokjin slams the horn playfully. "What was that for?"
"So when you start driving, I throw this in the air and it flies away just like your past. The end credits start rolling as we start our beautiful happy ever after together."
"Like a 90's romcom?"
"Exactly like a 90's romcom."
"Okay." Seokjin grins, suddenly reminded of how he'd been judgmental of Yoongi's honeymoon phase when he's going down the same sap lane. "But Tae, do we have to go out today? I'm exhausted."
"But it's our one month anniversary, hyung." Taehyung says in a small, sad voice. It almost gets to him.
"I have a better plan - why don't I drive us to my apartment, and we cuddle and fall asleep instead?"
"You mean like everyday."
Seokjin falls silent.
"Sounds cool." Taehyung says, smiling supportively at him. It never gets old, the way Taehyung looks at him like he's more than just an average, pretty boy who makes his bed a little too well. He feels valued, priceless under that look.
Loved.
It's been a really good month, devoid of the unnecessary self-imposed pressures, and full of cuddles, hugs and late night jamming sessions. He's thoroughly looking forward to beating Yoongi's and Hoseok's honeymoon period record, and annoying the shit out of him in the process. But he's even more excited for it to end, so they can start a new, more beautiful side of their relationship, unclouded by hormones and dreamy pre-conceived notions about each other. Sure, it's going to be hard when they have to explain their story to others, without making one of them sound like a hooker. But what is life if not a little humorous?
"Wait, can we make out in the dark under this tree for a while before we go?"
Yeah, Life is good.