Work Text:
a painting is a silent poem that still speaks
it was yet another slow day for taehyung. in the sweltering heat, he sits with his easel placed in front of him and he picks up his brush from the box beside him. holding the brush, he paints vivid strokes of red and orange across the canvas with the intention of depicting the beautiful sunset he had the honour of witnessing just a few days ago at the beach. soon enough, he loses himself in a wave of catharsis, his surroundings melting away as the background noises of screaming children and barking dogs in the park are forgotten with each detail his expert hands paint.
taehyung had been doing this for close to 6 months now, but he had yet to pick up a steady flow of customers who’d buy the paintings he’d sell in the park. he was fresh out of art school and filled with the enthusiastic vigour of a child to make it out there as an artist. he knew he needed to start somewhere, and hence, perched himself in the middle of the park to sell whatever art he could 4 days a week while simultaneously taking up a job at a burger joint and doing freelance art projects when he was offered. he wishes things were a little better, and he wishes he didn’t have to rely on his best-friend-slash-roommate jimin for a place to stay and food to eat. but he took it all in like the hardworking artist he was and poured his troubles and emotions into artwork that people (mostly tourists) bought ever so often as they passed by him.
the thing with taehyung is that he really is truly passionate about art, and he genuinely desires to improve himself which each new project he takes on. so it wasn’t odd that taehyung often loses himself in his work that he stops noticing anything around him, including the boy who is currently waving his hands frantically in front of his face.
“excuse me?” the stranger asks, face confused from the lack of a response from the artist.
the wave of a hand that passes dangerously near to his face and his canvas promptly snaps him out of his reverie, and he almost shouts in warning when he finally looks up and notices the boy decked in office wear before him.
“hello?” the boy greets.
taehyung shakes his head and acknowledges the greeting as he takes in the view that stands tall before him. the boy had an air of elegance that surrounded him — with his slightly unbuttoned white shirt tucked neatly into his pants and a loosened tie that hung around his neck. his jet black hair was parted in the center, but his fringe was long and perfectly framed his face, a face that was currently smiling down at him in amusement.
“sorry, am i interrupting?” he asks.
“no,” taehyung blinks, “no, god no. how can i help you?” he almost catches the shakiness in his voice and silently chides himself for his lack of confidence.
“just wondering how much this was,” the stranger questions, picking up a landscape painting that taehyung had done ages ago.
“oh, it’s just a tenner.”
the boy looks surprised, his eyes widening as he reaches into his pocket to grab his wallet. “well then, i’d like to buy it.” he takes out a ten dollar note from his wallet and hands it to taehyung.
taehyung bows and he receives the note. “of course,” he mumbles and he places it in his money box, “do you need me to wrap it for you?”
“sure,” the stranger answers, before he starts laughing, “y’know your painting…really calmed me somehow.”
taehyung blushes, “shitty day?”
“shitty week,” the boy whines, “but i’ll be fine.”
taehyung hands the painting back to the boy, “hope it gets better for you, yeah?”
“thanks,” he grins. “have a good evening.”
“you too,” he replies, before silently watching as the stranger walks away, joining the after-work crowds who have begun to flood the park.
✧✧✧
“i’m home!” taehyung yells as he enters the door. jimin is still in his police uniform, lounging around on the couch as he watches the newest episode of some japanese variety program that he had recently gotten into.
“‘sup!”
taehyung goes to the kitchen to grab a glass of water before plopping himself down on the couch beside jimin. “fight any crimes today?”
jimin rolls his eyes, “i’ve barely been here two months, taehyungie. i’m still in training.”
taehyung ruffles jimin’s hair, as he watches jimin with an amused look on his face. “aw, my little protector.”
jimin lightly slaps taehyung’s hand away before sitting up right and turning to face taehyung. “so what happened today?”
“huh?”
“you’re awfully happy. obviously something happened.”
taehyung smiles shyly at jimin, who was watching him with a knowing look in his eyes. “nah, nothing big.”
“okay, what small thing happened then?”
taehyung giggles. god, he giggles unintentionally. jimin looks at him in feign disgust, before taehyung speaks in a soft voice. “nothing. someone just bought my painting today.”
“and?”
“that’s it.”
“tae, that happens everyday. what’s special about this someone?”
“he’s,” taehyung considers before he speaks the next word, “…cute. like, really cute.”
“so, did you get his number?”
“no,” taehyung grumbles. “i don’t know him, jimin. i just thought he was cute, that’s all. that’s it.”
jimin rolls his eyes again, the second time tonight since taehyung has been back, “you’re so lame.” he stands up and walks to the phone, “anyway, order in?”
“sure,” taehyung responds, before heading to the bathroom for a shower.
✧✧✧
it’s been almost two weeks since taehyung had met the cute stranger, and he hasn’t seen him since. it’s not like taehyung had been thinking about him at all. maybe once in awhile when he was bored and his brain was desperate to craft situations where maybe they’d meet and he’d whisk him off his feet. but he swore even to jimin that that was it.
taehyung was just worried he’d forget that face over time. that’s all. but then he wondered if he could ever forget such a work of art, though.
✧✧✧
it’s been three weeks now since taehyung had seen stranger boy, and he would have happily become a distant memory. that is, until one fine wednesday evening brings a familiar face to his regular spot at the park.
taehyung swears his heart almost stops beating when he sees the stranger who had punctuated his thoughts stroll through the park again. he was smartly dressed, this time in a different coloured shirt and pants, but he had headphones covering his ears and his eyes focusing down onto his phone. almost as if on cue, the stranger looks up and makes eye contact with him from afar. a small smile finds its way on the stranger’s face as he makes his way over.
“hi there,” he says, his face glowing even under the pink evening sky.
“hey, you’re back!” taehyung chuckles.
“i am, i am.” he looks over taehyung’s paintings, carefully studying the intricate drawings on the canvas. “i wondered if you’d still be here. i didn’t see you last friday.”
“oh,” taehyung looks surprised. stranger boy actually came looking for him on friday? “i had work last friday. i’m here every tuesday, wednesday, thursday and sunday, though!”
“are you?” stranger boy laughs, the low tones ringing through taehyung’s body. “well, i must take note then.”
“you should,” taehyung smirks.
the boy looks at taehyung in amusement. “don’t worry, i will. your work always catch my eye,” he says as he picks up a painting displayed on the ground. “i’ll take this one.”
taehyung smiles fondly at stranger boy, “sure.”
✧✧✧
four months in and stranger boy had become quite a regular customer for taehyung. he’d come every two weeks after work, and buy a painting, pretending to be surprised with each new work of art taehyung produces. he would flood taehyung with compliments about his work and leave, thanking him for the inner flourishing that the stranger claims to have attained from each of taehyung’s paintings. sometimes he’d even buy two paintings, laughing and telling them he’d give them to his friends. sometimes taehyung would casually ask about his life and his work, but there was always a sense of distance between the two — as if stranger boy was rather reluctant to share anything personal with the artist. it got to taehyung the first two times, but he realised that he was as much of a stranger to stranger boy as stranger boy was to him. so he let it go. it didn’t matter, because taehyung was beyond thankful, in fact, despite it all, taehyung always looked forward to stranger boy’s visits.
he was happy he’d finally gain somewhat of a regular client.
✧✧✧
six months later and taehyung finally learns stranger boy’s name. or at least, he finally learns an alias he can call the boy by.
stranger boy had come again on a sunday afternoon, dressed casually in an oversized t-shirt and shorts with a cap that kept his hair out of his face. he actually looked rather different than he usually does in his work clothes. it wasn’t a bad different, in fact, it kinda made taehyung swoon just a tiny little bit.
“hiya v,” he beams as he walks towards taehyung.
taehyung perks up at the mention of his alias, shooting stranger boy a quizzical look. “v?”
stranger boy looks almost embarrassed, “sorry, is that not your name? or is it like, the roman numerical five or-”
“no, you’re right! how’d you know?”
“you sign ‘v’ at the bottom of all your paintings,” he says as he raises a brow at taehyung.
“right,” taehyung answers, turning pink at the realisation, “you’re right, i do.”
stranger boy sniggers, before perusing taehyung’s artwork, carefully choosing another one for the week. taehyung watches as stranger boy scans the paintings and drawings, his eyes repeatedly glancing back at a painting on two people under an umbrella in front of a backdrop of victorian-styled buildings. taehyung begins, “so, now that you know my name is v, do you mind if i ask for yours?”
“your real name’s not v. that’s ridiculous.”
taehyung, a little taken aback, takes a second longer to answer, but before he can, stranger boy looks up in mild panic and apologises, “sorry, i mean, if it is, that’s cool too. it’s just unconventional, i thought it was probably short for something, or i don’t know. i’m sorry, please don’t-”
“it’s fine,” taehyung cuts him off, “my real name isn’t v. but it’s my alias for work.”
“thank god,” stranger boy mutters under his breath.
taehyung coughs lightly, “so, how shall i address you?”
stranger boy looks up and considers for a second. “well, if you’re v then i’m gonna be…j-hope.”
“j-hope?”
“don’t mock me,” he glares.
“fine, fine” taehyung says, giggling as his hands defensively goes up in front of him.
j-hope sticks his tongue out, before picking up the painting that taehyung suspected he would choose. six months in and he’s really beginning to pick up on this guy’s tastes. “actually, you know what? just call me hobi.”
“hobi,” taehyung repeats. “it’s cute.”
✧✧✧
it’s almost 10 months since taehyung had developed some kind of a client relationship with hobi, so meeting hobi was not anything unusual to taehyung. but today, watching as hobi enters the burger joint he’s working at with another boy definitely surprised him.
the doorbell rings as hobi opens the door and steps inside. taehyung watches as hobi and his friend (was it his friend? boyfriend?) speak for a little before he gestures to his friend to grab a seat. hobi saunters towards the cashier, his head buried in his phone and obliviously queues behind the customer he was currently serving. as soon as the customer steps away, taehyung chimes in, “fancy meeting you here.”
hobi’s head shoots up with a gleam in his eye. “woah, hey. you work here?”
“i do.” taehyung laughs. “for some reason, i wouldn’t have pegged you as the burger joint type.”
hobi chuckles, “my roommate and i decided we should head out tonight instead.”
“roommate?” taehyung asks, as his eyes darting towards hobi’s friend who was sitting near the window.
“um, yeah. that’s him,” he replies, pointing towards the boy at the window. taehyung notices the boy turn his head in their direction and taehyung quickly averts his gaze back to hobi.
“cool,” taehyung smiles, “what can i get you?”
“one bacon cheese burger and a portobello mushroom burger, please. both meals.”
taehyung keys in the order, “that’ll be $14.50.”
hobi proceeds to pay, and taehyung hands him his queue number. before hobi leaves, he turns around and waves at taehyung, “i’ll see you next week?”
“of course,” taehyung affirms, “have a good meal, hobi.”
slightly entranced, he focuses his attention back on the next customer. perhaps it’s a good thing that he doesn’t hear the conversation between hobi’s roommate and him, which went a little like this:
“who was that?” hobi’s roommate asks.
“the artist i’ve been buying the paintings from.”
his roommate would then shoot him a sneaky look, smirking at hobi teasingly.
“what do you want, joon?” hobi would glare, feigning annoyance.
“nothing. he just really looks like your type.”
“and what’s my type?”
“you know,” his roommate adds, “tall, lean, unreasonably handsome, kinda cutesy-ish but most importantly…artsy.”
hobi would roll his eyes and hiss at his roommate to stop looking at taehyung. but by then, taehyung would have already made eye contact with his roommate. and his roommate would catch taehyung glancing over at hobi a few times throughout the night, which would leave taehyung pink in his cheeks. his whole face would get beet red when hobi turns to say bye to him before he leaves as his roommate smirks and nods at the side.
✧✧✧
“tae, did you see my- woah, what the hell?”
the sight of taehyung in a fancy maroon dress shirt and grey pants, checking himself out in the mirror stuns jimin for awhile, before taehyung whips around and flaunts his outfit.
“do i look good?”
“um,” jimin reacts, confused, “yeah, you look amazing but what the hell?”
“good,” taehyung hums before plastering a smile on his face and grabbing his rings and bracelets from the table.
jimin continues, “is it stranger boy week again?”
“his name is hobi.”
“okay, i guess it’s hobi week then?”
“yeah, why?” taehyung asks, genuinely perplexed.
“you do know you get ridiculously dressed up when it’s hobi week right.”
“do i?” tae questions, “i mean i guess i put in a little more effort because he is my client and i have a reputation to uphold but i’m not ridiculously dressed up.”
“tae, you wear t-shirts, sweatpants and half the time you don’t even like wearing shoes.”
“your point?”
“you’re in a proper shirt. that you only wear when you’re having a night out. or a date- oh my god, are you going on a date?”
“no,” taehyung scowls, “i’m just going to sell my stuff. same as every other week. stop making a big deal out of it, jiminie.”
jimin scoffs. “you don’t see it, do you?”
“see what?”
“you’re all dressed up every fortnight because hobi is coming and you want to look good because you have a crush on him.” jimin taunts, “simple as that.”
taehyung takes a moment to consider what jimin had just said, and looks down as he responds, “i think he’s cute.”
“exactly.”
“but i don’t have a crush on him.”
jimin grumbles in exasperation, grabbing taehyung by the shoulders and shaking him vigorously. “taehyung!” he yells, “you speak about him with utter fondness, you dress up for him, and you look forward to meeting him every two weeks. you’re just in denial, you idiot.”
taehyung peels himself away from jimin, straightening out his shirt before spraying puffs of perfume onto his clothes. “okay, maybe i have a little crush on him, but it’s not even like i can do anything.”
“ask him out, you dumbass.”
“no,” he sighs, “i can’t.”
jimin squints at taehyung, shaking his head before leaving the room. “fine. suit yourself.”
that same day, taehyung spots hobi from afar carrying two coffee cups in his hands. his face immediately brightens up as his eyes meet taehyung’s.
“i brought you some tea.” he announces, handing taehyung one of the cups in his hands. “it’s getting cold, and you’re out here so i thought i might as well. you mentioned you don’t like coffee, right?”
taehyung thinks his heart swoons and goes soft at the thought that hobi was thinking of him — kim taehyung — before coming over. he gingerly looks at hobi, “thank you. you remembered.”
“of course i do!” he beams.
hobi and taehyung have been talking a little longer as hobi makes his regular visits. he learned random facts about hobi in the past few weeks, and there was a desire to get to know him more. it was true, his heart beat faster than usual with hobi around, and his face frequently goes red and he finds himself thinking of hobi more and more as the months go on. he wonders if jimin might have been on to something all along. maybe he did have a chance, maybe he could ask hobi out.
“hey, what’s your star sign?”
sipping on his own coffee, hobi ponders, “aquarius, why?”
taehyung smiles, “nothing.”
when he reaches home that night, he takes out his paint and brushes and a fresh canvas.
✧✧✧
two weeks later, hobi makes his usual visit back to taehyung’s spot in the park. taehyung finds it hard to hide his excitement, and he thinks he doesn’t really need to today.
“hobi!’ he calls out excitedly.
“hi,” he flashes taehyung another one of those sweet smiles which makes taehyung’s heart flutter, “how are you doing?”
“good! i have something for you.”
hobi looks questioningly at taehyung, peering behind the table as taehyung takes out a canvas that had been carefully wrapped and placed in a bag under the table. taehyung meekly hands it over to hobi, softly stating, “for you.”
“for me? why?” hobi slowly accepts the canvas handed to him and flips it around to see a blue-coloured landscape painting with the stars forming the aquarius constellation in the sky. hobi stares in awe, the words escaping him and he struggles to find something to say. “t-thank you, v.”
taehyung places his hands behind his back, swaying sheepishly as he smiles at hobi. “hope you like it, hobi.”
“why…why the special painting?”
“you’ve been buying from me so much, i thought i’d give you something customised.”
“thank you so much, it’s beautiful,” hobi says, still staring down at the painting. “how much will it be?”
“oh.” taehyung shakes his head, “no. it’s a gift, hobi. you don’t have to pay me.”
“no, c’mon,” he takes a note out from his wallet and attempts to stuff it in taehyung’s hands. “please, take it.”
“no, it’s a gift! i don’t-”
“-i insist.”
“-no.” taehyung declares firmly.
hobi sighs in resignation. “fine, but let me…” he thinks for a moment, “let me buy you a drink. or dinner. or something. please.”
taehyung grins. “you can take me out for a drink.”
hobi’s eyes light up. “okay! whenever you’re free.”
“i’m free on friday night.”
“oh,” hobi responds, slightly taken aback, “that’s so soon. but yeah. yeah, let’s go.”
“i’ll meet you here?”
“sure. is 8pm okay?”
taehyung nods, “8pm.”
✧✧✧
friday comes, and taehyung waits patiently at the park. the crowds have long gone and the only people left are the couples who decide that park benches are the best place to make-out. his eyes actively search around for a familiar face when he finally sees hobi in a dark blue sweater, a leather jacket and black ripped jeans walk up to him. taehyung almost forgets how to breathe.
“hey,” hobi mumbles, eyes unconsciously taking a once-over of taehyung who donned a black turtleneck under a cream-coloured coat, with thin, black-rimmed glasses on.
“you look amazing,” taehyung blurts out. shit.
“um,” hobi looks down, a hint of pink colouring his cheeks, visible even under the streetlamp. “thanks?” he laughs, “so do you.”
taehyung coughs, hoping to alleviate the awkwardness between them. “where to?”
“bar down on 5th, if you’re okay with that.”
“i’m okay with anything.”
hobi smiles fondly at taehyung, “cool.”
they walk in the direction of the streets, hobi slightly ahead of taehyung. “hobi?” taehyung calls.
“yeah?”
“my real name is taehyung.” hobi turns to look at him, surprised. taehyung continues, “i just thought since we’re hanging out tonight, you should know.”
hobi pauses for a second, before holding out a hand for taehyung. “i’m hoseok.”
taehyung smiles so broadly his box smile is clearly visible to hoseok, whose charming laughter rings throughout the air.
“so what do you actually work as?”
less than an hour in and both of them are half a bottle of whiskey down. hoseok’s face is flushed, but he swear he’s okay and whines to taehyung of the unfortunate asian flush he has to live with whenever he drinks. but even so, with the way hoseok’s laughter gets louder which each glass he finishes is making taehyung think the boy might be just a little buzzed. nothing to be ashamed of, because taehyung himself is feeling buzzed from the speed at which they’re sipping their alcohol and the really shitty salad dinner he had right before.
“just a dumb office worker. i’m trying to earn enough so i can open a dance studio.”
“you dance?” taehyung asks, his curiosity piqued.
“yeah, i do. i teach class once a week.”
“that’s cool. you gotta show me.”
hoseok whips out his phone and searches for a video to show taehyung. “wait, but…don’t judge me, okay?”
taehyung scoffs, “why would i do that?”
taehyung watches as hoseok stands in front of an item, body moving so fluidly but his movements sharp as a knife, hitting the beat perfectly as he wears a smug look on his face.
“dude, you’re so good.” taehyung shrieks, “what the hell, how come you never told me this!”
“i’m not that good.”
“stop being humble, you’re amazing. so let’s drink to that.” taehyung raises his glasses, and hoseok clinks it, and they down the rest of the whiskey in their glass.
the next half of the whiskey bottle follows with discussions on life and random personal anecdotes that make taehyung wish he knew all of this about hoseok since the day they first met. he learns that hoseok has a sister, and moved from gwangju, and he’s really likes sappy romantic comedies. he tells hoseok he likes horror movies because they give him an adrenaline rush but his best friend hates it so he doesn’t watch it as much as he wishes he could. then he goes on to mention that he lives with his best friend, jimin, and is a little scared of where life will take him as his career path just seems ridden with uncertainty and he doesn’t feel anything improving. hoseok tells him he never wanted to be a business major, but was forced to because being a dancer wasn’t stable enough. taehyung also learns that hoseok had gotten out of a relationship with some dude called yoongi (taehyung thanks his lucky stars that hoseok is interested in boys. and also that he didn’t ask hoseok out the day they first met which would’ve been too soon.) hoseok said it with a sunken look on his face, telling taehyung that they’re not on speaking terms anymore since yoongi said he’s not ready to face hoseok again. he also talks about his roommate, whose name is namjoon, who still hangs out with yoongi because they work on music together, and about how he had heard from namjoon that yoongi had written a list of songs after their breakup that he plans to release soon. hoseok notices taehyung shift in his seat uncomfortably, and taehyung asks, “are you over him?”
“i guess i am,” hoseok answers, “i just wish we could hang again, y’know?”
taehyung affirms him with a nod, his hand reaching out to rest above hoseok’s. “things will work out in time. how ‘bout we finish this bottle and head somewhere fun?”
hoseok gives taehyung a small smile and looks at the almost-empty bottle, “where do you have in mind?”
“well, since you’re a dancer, show me your moves! let’s head to the nightclub down the road.”
hoseok rolls his eyes, yet his face is brightly lit with his wide smile, his cheekbones prominent under the dim lights of the bar, “okay.”
they drink their last glass, and hoseok calls for the bill and they both head out in the direction of the club — both a little more buzzed than they had planned to be — and taehyung unconsciously hooks his arm around hoseok’s, urging him to walk a little faster in a fit of giggles.
the club is crowded, as it should be on a friday night. the loud music pulsates through the room, and the flashing lights momentarily blind taehyung as his eyes adjust to the glare. he pulls hoseok to the center of the dance floor, pulling out the dorkiest moves he can imagine, which leaves hoseok crouched over as he laughs at the silliness. “show me!” taehyung shouts across to hoseok as he attempts to imitate the moves he had seen in hoseok’s video, pretending to pop and lock as much as he could. hoseok begins dancing, and before he knows it, has gathered a crowd around him who cheers him on. the dance circle created brings other dancers in the club to him, and showing off their moves as the crowd vibes along to the music. hoseok gets into a friendly dance battle with one of the dancers who was definitely hip-hop trained. taehyung watches hoseok in his element, confidently stepping up to the center whenever it was his turn to freestyle. taehyung keeps his eyes on hoseok and notices how his aura changes as hoseok lets the music move his body in ways taehyung didn’t think was possible. he’d be absolutely lying if he said he wasn’t turned on by this at all.
the battle ends with the other dancer conceding defeat, and hoseok fist bumps him before he turns around to face taehyung again. “god, i’m tired.”
“you were fucking amazing,” taehyung gawks, “super hot.”
hoseok blushes, or at least taehyung thinks he’s blushing under his alcohol-induced flushed face. he looks down and mutters a “thanks” to taehyung.
“that was so cool. shit. i’m gonna need another drink if i’m gonna have to dance with you in public.” taehyung complains jokingly. he pulls hoseok over to the bar, “you want anything?”
“i’m good, tae.”
“tae, huh?” taehyung raises a brow, smirking.
“taehyung. sorry. taehyung.”
“no,” he lightly slaps hoseok’s shoulder, “tae is fine, seokie.”
hoseok laughs fondly as taehyung orders a shot of tequila. the bartender brings over 3 shot glasses, filling them up with tequila, together with a lemon slices in a cup and a tiny bowl of salt.
“hey,” taehyung calls out to the bartender, “sorry, but i only ordered one.”
“oh, i know. these two are on the house.” the bartender looks over at hoseok, “your dance was dope, so…”
“ay!” taehyung pats hoseok, “heard that? you were dope!” he shrieks, “thanks so much!”
hoseok, even in his slightly drunken state, is washed over by a wave of embarrassment. he denies the compliments, “i was just okay, c’mon.”
“shut up and drink, seokie.” taehyung orders. the bartender winks at them and shuffles over to the other side of the bar to attend to the other waiting customers.
hoseok waves his hands, “i can’t, man. i’m buzzed enough.”
“c’mon, drink one of them at least. it was made specially for you.”
“but-”
“if you don’t, i’m taking body shots off of you.” taehyung whines.
“you wouldn’t-”
in an unprecedented wave of confidence, taehyung grabs hoseok’s hand and licks a spot on the back of his hand. hoseok almost pulls his hand away in shock, till he realises that taehyung was putting salt on the moist area. taehyung looks up at hoseok, keeping his eyes on him as he licks the salt away, downs his shot and bites on a lemon slice. hoseok looks dumbfounded, watching taehyung with his mouth slightly open. taehyung smiles and offers his hand to hoseok, “your turn.”
but then hoseok closes his mouth, his lips pursed in a smirk. “well, you just took a body shot. so i guess i don’t have to take that shot.”
taehyung huffs. “fine,” he says. two can play this game. hoseok smugly offers his hand to taehyung again, who slickly wets the area with a lick, this time sticking a wedge of lemon in hoseok’s mouth (who looked quite surprised) after placing salt in it. “ready?” taehyung announces, before licking the salt off, taking his shot which makes his face cringe at the burn. he then stares at hoseok, the loud music pumping through his veins, and he leans forward to take the wedge in between hoseok’s lips with his own, closing his eyes in the moment. for a second, or two, their lips brush past each other and he feels his entire body shudder. he bites on his lemon and places it into the empty glass. when he looks back into hoseok’s eyes, he realises that they have turned dark. eyes clouded with lust staring down, deep into his soul as hoseok pushes the next shot glass towards taehyung, licking his lips slowly. “go ahead,” he whispers to taehyung.
perhaps it’s the alcohol, but taehyung felt the need to take this opportunity to play the sexy seductress in front of the aroused young man. he runs his hands through hoseok’s hair (clearly, he’s feeling brave tonight. and hoseok doesn’t seem to mind.), and guides it to tilt his head to the side, leaving his neck exposed. keeping his hand on hoseok’s silky smooth hair, he leans forward, his tongue being the first thing to make contact with the soft skin on hoseok’s neck. his idea was to moisten the area, but he couldn’t help but press his lips against hoseok’s neck, sucking ever so slightly against the delicate skin. hearing hoseok’s slight moan vibrate against his lips, he licks the area again, peppering the side of his neck with more kisses before he leans back and take the salt. hoseok, by this time, is definitely turned on — his chest rising and falling heavily as he looks as taehyung with half-lidded eyes, his mouth slightly parted. taehyung thinks that this is the exact image he’d want to paint, to capture forever — hoseok, head tilted and drunk with alcohol and desire, staring down at him in his leather jacket. taehyung places the salt on the wet area on hoseok’s neck, one hand still in his hair to tilt his head, the other he uses to place the last lemon slice in between hoseok’s lips. he smirks, before leaning down to lick the salt slowly off hoseok’s neck, taking his last shot, satisfied. hoseok keeps his eyes on taehyung and watches as taehyung approaches to take the lemon slice, their lips brushing against each other again, but this time they linger longer before taehyung pulls apart to suck on the lemon slice and put it back into the glass.
taehyung turns back, ready to say something when he feels hoseok pull him forward, hand on his neck, as their lips crash against each other. taehyung feels the kiss in his veins, the kind of cliché shit you only feel in romantic comedies where the protagonist sees fireworks shooting up into the night sky as he or she kisses the love of their life. taehyung feels the same, but maybe the stars were coming from the slight dizziness he was feeling from all the alcohol he had drank — but he was absolutely sure that his heart dropped, his head spun and his legs went absolutely weak because he almost falls off his bar stool.
“fuck,” he manages to say, as he feels hoseok’s arms catch him before he hit the ground.
“shit, tae, you could’ve said no.” hoseok laughs.
taehyung looks back up at hoseok, his cheeks pink from embarrassment. he notices that hoseok’s eyes are still gazing at his lips, and he couldn’t help himself but lean forward ever so slightly. but then hoseok stands up, “just thought you might want the last remnants of the lemon,” he smirks, before helping taehyung stand upright.
taehyung laughs, his flirtatious side awakened. “how ‘bout you show me how to dance, seokie?” he says, as he drags hoseok to the dance floor.
taehyung throws his arms around hoseok, who reciprocates as he keeps his arms sturdily on taehyung’s waist. they move to the rhythm, swaying from side to side as their faces inch closer towards one another. hoseok is smiling, his cheekbones prominently displayed as he pushes taehyung’s waist towards his own. taehyung looks at hoseok, who is just a little shorter than him, biting his lips from the view of a sweaty hoseok gyrating his hips against his own. after awhile, taehyung would press his body against hoseok’s, his mouth breathing into hoseok’s ear, as hoseok spins taehyung around, pressing taehyung’s back against his body. he wraps his arms tightly around taehyung, he leans in to whisper in a deep, husky tone, “you’re quite good with your hips, huh?”
with that, taehyung grinds his hips deep into hoseok’s crotch, earning another one of those breathy moans from him. his arm reaches back to hold onto hoseok’s neck, his head leaning backwards, “i really am.”
taehyung sways his hips, leaning back into hoseok’s body, one hand on his neck, another he uses to keep hoseok’s hand on his waist, guiding him across his own body right above his belt. he moves his hips expertly in rhythm according to hoseok’s pace. he figures maybe alcohol makes him a better dancer (or a sluttier one, it didn’t really matter). as the two of them standing in the middle of the dance floor, grinding endlessly against one another, the rest of the crowd seemed to slowly fade away as they lose themselves to one another. and as the three shots of tequila truly start kicking in, taehyung finds himself moaning with each time he makes contact with hoseok (who he’s quite sure is packing a hard-on by now) and he guides hoseok’s hand lower down his body. against his ear, he can hear hoseok mutter “fuck” each time he grazes against his sensitive areas.
by then, taehyung’s had enough of teasing. as he begins to feel himself slip in and out of proper consciousness, he turns around and grabs hoseok’s neck, pulling him into a kiss as one of his hands slide down hoseok’s back. hoseok’s accepts the kiss readily, moving his lips against taehyung’s as his hands hold taehyung by the waist, pulling him close. they stay there like that for awhile, lips moving wildly against one another as their tongues become familiar with the once-foreign territory. their necks and jawlines become littered with kisses as their hands roam freely around one another’s bodies. taehyung puts his all into the kiss, the dizziness enveloping him as he sways about carelessly, leaning his entire weight onto hoseok. but as much as he was actually drunk, he felt absolutely high knowing that he was kissing hoseok — hobi; the boy he had been secretly pining over the past year.
“hoseok,” he slurs, as they pull apart to breathe. “fuck…hoseok, you’re so fucking hot. love…you…fuck.”
before he knows it, he falls forward onto hoseok, giggling mindlessly. he throws his arms around hoseok, and find two warm, firm hands gripping his shoulders that stop him from hitting the ground.
“taehyung?” hoseok pats the boy on his back, “taehyung, you wanna get some water?”
“hmm, no, just you…want…you. i like you. a lot.”
hoseok swallows hard, and he carries taehyung across to the bar, asking the bartender for some water.
“tae, you gotta drink up okay? c’mon,” hoseok says as he tilts taehyung’s head to feed him the glass of water, holding the bottom to make sure he doesn’t drop it. he blinks away his own blurriness, trying to focus and sober up. taehyung finishes the water and leans his head into hoseok’s shoulder with a soft sigh of relief. “smells good,” hoseok hears him whisper.
“tae, let’s go home, okay?”
“with you?”
“no, your home. can you tell me your address?”
taehyung points at hoseok, his eyebrows wiggling suggestively, “you want to go home with me?”
hoseok gives a small laugh, “let’s head out first okay?”
once they’ve reached the outside, hoseok turns back to taehyung, who had been mumbling incessantly about hoseok wanting to go home with him. “taehyung,” hoseok begins, “i’m really gonna need your address so we can go home, okay?”
“only if you come home with me,” taehyung says, pouting.
“taehyung…”
“i want you to come home with me.”
“i’ll send you home, okay?”
“stay the night?” taehyung answers, his voice going soft as he looks down.
hoseok runs his hand through taehyung’s hair, “your roommate’s at home, tae, you’ll be okay.”
“then i don’t want to go home. i promise, i’m okay,” tae says, resolutely.
hoseok gives taehyung an assuring smile, “c’mon.”
“no,” taehyung shakes his head, “no, i sober up quick. i just need to sit somewhere. i promise.”
hoseok sighs in resignation, holding taehyung up as the taller boy slings an arm around hoseok. hoseok leads them to a small bench along the road, where they’d sit side by side, hearing the roaring engines behind them as they take in the cool air.
soon enough, taehyung breaks the silence. “hoseok, why didn’t you wanna go home with me?”
hoseok looks at taehyung, slightly taken aback by the question. “what do you mean?”
“i wouldn’t have pegged you as the type who’d say no to one-night stands. not after all that.”
hoseok’s gaze reaches the floor. “it’s not about that, tae.”
“so what’s wrong with me?”
“there’s nothing wrong with you. but you’re drunk. that’s never gonna be enough consent for me to bring you home, tae.”
“you’re telling me you’ve never slept with someone drunk?” taehyung retorts.
“when there’s no strings attached,” hoseok says, slightly defensive, “i can’t say the same about you after those things you’ve said.”
something within that statement strikes taehyung hard. “what does that mean?”
“i don’t know, taehyung. tell me you can sleep with me and not feel a thing if i leave afterwards.”
taehyung swallows hard and looks away. “can you?”
“i…” hoseok sighs, “i don’t know. i don’t want to play with people’s feelings.”
taehyung feels tears well up in his eyes for some reason, threatening to spill with every blink. he holds himself back, his voice quivering, “are you rejecting me?”
“what?” hoseok looks surprised, “i’m not rejecting you. i’m not…i don’t know how i feel about all of this, taehyung. it’s not easy. i just got out of a relationship completely blamed for playing with his feelings. i don’t know how much capacity i have right now to make sure someone else doesn’t feel the same.”
“i don’t understand,” taehyung sobs, a tear streaming down his apple-red cheeks, “i mean, you don’t see me in that way? is that it?”
hoseok fidgets with his fingers, rubbing them forcefully against each other. “i don’t know, tae. give me time. maybe i do like you, but i need to think this through. this is all a little sudden to me.”
taehyung rubs the back of his hands against his face, wiping the tears off. “i get it. just don’t disappear on me?”
hoseok places his hand on top on taehyung’s for a split second, “i won’t. just give me some time.” he stands, pulling taehyung up with him, “now can we get you home?”
taehyung nods, following hoseok up to the curb to hail a cab.
✧✧✧
taehyung sits his at his usual spot at the park again, paintings and drawings splayed before him as he hides behind his easel in a daze. it was already sunday, and hoseok hadn’t shown up yet — and he wasn’t sure if he was ever going to come. troubling thoughts kept resurfacing in his mind that this could quite possibly be the end of whatever relationship it was that he had shared with hoseok. he remembered going home and crying to jimin about how stupid he was to even fall for some stranger he didn’t even know, and jimin had sat their patting his head till he fell asleep. he woke up the next morning to a full-plate breakfast and a throbbing headache, and a very comforting jimin who baby-ed him for the next two weeks.
hours pass, and taehyung puts all his focus into starting a new work of art as he meticulously draws a wolf with a black felt pen. he knew it’d take a long time to finish, but honestly, he could use something that took all his time away. as the evening chill starts to permeated the air, and the heat of the sun starts to dissipate, he crosses his legs, his tongue instinctively sticking out, as he feels a shadow cast over him and his work.
he unconsciously grumbles, looking up.
“oh,” he manages to let out.
“hi,” hoseok says, a cautious smile on his face, his hands fidgeting ever so slightly.
taehyung feels his heart beat faster in his chest, tears of relief finding its way to his eyes and he tries not to blink so it doesn’t awkwardly fall down his cheeks. he can’t help the smile that is forcing its way onto his face as much as he wanted to play it cool. “hoseok.”
hoseok, looking amused in an oversized forest green sweater, nods, “how are you?”
“i-i’m fine. i’m doing okay.”
“did you get a hangover after that night?” hoseok chuckles.
“a terrible one,” taehyung groans, “one of the worst i’ve experienced.”
hoseok laughs at taehyung’s over-exaggerated expressions, “well, at least it’s over now.”
they both smile and look down, swaying awkwardly in their positions in silence. neither really knowing what they should say.
taehyung musters up as much courage as he could find after days of misery, which was masked by the sudden presence of the one he was pining for. “i’m really glad you came,” he reveals. the happy tears are back in his big eyes, “i really thought you might not.”
hoseok smiles, gazing at him while his head was still tilted downwards. “i’m glad i’m here too.”
“you know,” taehyung starts, “i’m really sorry if i made you uncomfortable. it’s okay if you don’t feel the same way, hoseok. but i…” he drifts off, wondering how he should continue the next sentence, “i think you’re a really amazing guy and i really want to be your friend, if you don’t mind.”
hoseok looks up, his eyes soft as they melt into taehyung’s heart.
“i’d be pretty upset if i lost the opportunity to be friends with you,” taehyung murmurs.
hoseok’s face lights up, “i’d like that too.”
“really?” taehyung exclaims, in slight disbelief. happiness oozing out of his words, gleeful expressions plastered onto his face as his hands cusp together in front of his chest.
“yes,” hoseok replies, giggling at the sight.
“that’s awesome!” taehyung says as he prances around lightly. “if you don’t mind, can i give you my number?”
hoseok smiles, taking his phone out from his back pocket and passing it to taehyung, “here.”
taehyung adds in his number and hands it back to hoseok. “kim taehyung?” hoseok asks curiously.
“sorry, i just like adding surnames in contacts. habit.” taehyung explains.
“well, gimme a minute. i’ll text you.” hoseok says, as his digits work quickly across the phone screen. a ‘ding’ is heard from taehyung’s pocket. “that should be me.”
“i’ll check,” taehyung grins, whipping out his phone. but as soon as he reads the message on his phone, he stares down at it, paralyzed.
jung hoseok: will you go on a date with me?
suddenly, taehyung doesn’t dare look hoseok in the eyes. he hears hoseok chortle in the back.
he tries to speak, “w-what?”
hoseok smirks at a red-faced taehyung, who is nervously biting his lip. “will you?”
“but…i…h-how?” taehyung stutters.
hoseok bashfully looks at taehyung, glancing at the phone in his hands, “well, i’d like to be friends with you but i’d really love being more than friends.”
taehyung squeals, something he hasn’t done since the last time he was with hoseok, “i’d love that. i’d really, really love that.”
hoseok heaves a sigh of relief, “phew, glad to hear you say that.”
taehyung laughs, typing a reply message to hoseok.
kim taehyung: yes!!!!!!!!!!!! when!!!!!!!!
hoseok looks down at his phone and focuses his gaze back on taehyung, “when are you free, mr kim?”
“i don’t know,” taehyung ponders. “i’m free now,” he adds, matter-of-factly.
“now?” hoseok’s eyes widen, “right now?”
“i mean if you’re free! no pressure! anytime!”
“i guess now could work, but i haven’t got a plan right now.” hoseok pouts.
“screw plans, let’s just play this by ear. we can grab dinner, i’m starving.”
“sounds good. they’re also showing rocky horror at that hipster theatre, if you’re interested.”
“i like movie dates,” taehyung winks at hoseok, “see, don’t need a plan.”
“alright, alright.”
“oh wait-” taehyung looks down at his selection of paintings, his easel and his multiple canvases lying around. “i have to pack this.”
“i’ll help you, don’t worry.”
hoseok bends down and helps taehyung pack his artworks, carefully studying each one of them before gently placing it in the box that taehyung usually carries them in. “you’re really so talented, tae. it’s amazing.” taehyung smiles at the comment, trying to brush it off with a light slap on hoseok’s back. he then stands up with the packed box and grabs his easel, nodding at hoseok to follow in his direction.
“c’mon, give me one of them.”
“no, it’s fine,” tae insists.
hoseok whines and paws at taehyung’s arms. he whines loudly enough that people begin to shoot the two of them weird looks.
“shush,” taehyung whispers, “fine, take this.” he hands the easel over to hoseok.
hoseok gladly accepts it, and shifts it to his left hand. “now i can do this,” he says, as his right hand quickly grabs hold of the taehyung’s empty palm. taehyung blushes, hard, before interlocking their fingers as they walk back to taehyung’s car.
finally, packing all his equipment into the boot of his 4-door mini cooper, taehyung and hoseok make their way into the car. putting his key into the ignition, taehyung turns to hoseok to ask, “so, dinner. where to?”
“what do you fancy?”
“asian or western?”
“hmm, asian.”
“let’s get sushi,” taehyung answers, as he turns on the radio and does his quick dance jam to the latest pop song that’s playing. he notices hoseok’s burning gaze, and faces him, “what?”
hoseok’s hand finds its way to taehyung’s cheek, cupping them and slowly pulling him into a kiss. and there they were, in a carpark, not yet embarked on their first date, but they’ve already locked lips with each other, knowing deep inside that everything feels right as it should be. their lips move in perfect sync, as taehyung’s hand grabs the back of hoseok’s neck, deepening the kiss. after minutes of pure bliss, taehyung slowly pushes hoseok back, drawing in a deep breath. hoseok runs his thumb along the side of taehyung’s lips. “you’re cute,” hoseok whispers into taehyung’s ear.
looking at hoseok through half-lidded eyes, taehyung smirks. “you know, we could always do movie night at my place and order in. jimin won’t be home till late.”
hoseok chuckles, fully understanding what that meant. he places a chaste kiss onto taehyung’s lips, “yeah, let’s do that.”
taehyung doesn’t hold back his grin, as he silently thanks all his lucky stars for the gem he had found.