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Jeongguk squints up at the sky in betrayal.
It’s been raining non-stop for the past week, an endless pitter patter against windows and the quiet shhhhhh of the wind sweeping water across the street. Jeongguk is used to it, used to the way his bangs drip into his eyes and the damp edges of his sleeves when he wipes at his face. His hood doesn’t do a great job of protecting him from the rain, but to be fair, there’s only so much his clothes can do against winds that push everything sideways until he feels like he’s walking at a constant lean.
And now the sky is blue.
It’s a brilliant, washed clean blue, dizzying and so endlessly clear Jeongguk thinks maybe he can see satellites floating around in space. The sun is beating down on the back of his neck, burning his skin and warming his hair until he feels sweat slowly gliding down the side of his face. He wishes for a fleeting moment that the sweat could be raindrops, that a great big gust will rattle his bones and set his muscles jumping to generate heat.
Why is it so bright?
“Are you alright, Guk? Wanna borrow Tae’s sunglasses?” Yoongi asks, pausing to take a loud sip of his iced coffee and ignoring the squawk of betrayal from Taehyung. “Glaring at the sun ain’t gonna make it go away.”
“Maybe I’m just not glaring hard enough,” Jeongguk grumbles, turning to his boyfriends with a frown. He’s pouting, probably, but it’s just so goddamn hot. “I’m gonna fight the sun.”
Taehyung isn’t even using his shades — they’re hanging from the tops of his ears, propped on the back of his neck — but he latches onto Yoongi anyway with a wiggle and a pout that probably rivals Jeongguk’s pursed lips. He opens his mouth to say something, to protest the giveaway of his sunglasses, but Yoongi just reaches for Taehyung’s hand draped over his shoulders and twines their fingers together.
Taehyung shuts up and turns to Jeongguk with a flush under his skin. “You can’t fight the sun, Gukkie! For one thing, you don’t have astronaut clothes.”
This is a valid concern, so Jeongguk pauses for a second and frowns harder. “You probably have astronaut clothes in your side of the closet.”
Taehyung nods thoughtfully, already mentally rifling through his extensive wardrobe to figure out what Jeongguk could wear to fight the sun, but Yoongi slurps obnoxiously on his coffee and gives them both a look. “Guk, maybe if you take off your hoodie you’ll feel better?”
Jeongguk barely has a moment to glance down at his clothes before Taehyung is leaping forward, tugging at the hem of his hoodie and dragging it up his torso. He gets a fleeting look at Yoongi’s gentle smile before his vision is blocked by thick black fabric, muffling everything from sight and sound as he feels his arms getting raised and cold hands yanking his t-shirt back into place.
“Jesus,” he shivers, blinking at Taehyung’s wide grin and his hoodie bundled up in his arms. He glances to the side and isn’t at all surprised to find Yoongi standing there, his hand hovering near Jeongguk’s arm. “Hyung, your hands are cold.”
“That’s why I have two boyfriends,” Yoongi says cheekily, wiggling his fingers and grinning when Jeongguk grabs them. “One to hold each hand.”
And Yoongi isn’t like this, not usually, but Jeongguk likes seeing the way his ears get red and he does feel better now, so this just means Yoongi is definitely the best boyfriend ever.
Taehyung reaches up and tickles his chin, that wide grin all soft and quiet now, and Jeongguk feels his own cheeks lifting in a smile as he violently scrunches his nose. “Are we all ready to go now? You wanted to get a lot of shots in today, right?” Taehyung is also the best boyfriend ever, but that title isn’t mutually exclusive. They can both be the best boyfriends ever, because they are, and Jeongguk is the luckiest boy ever, to have the two best boyfriends in the world.
Jeongguk nods and picks his camera bag back up, finally done with being mad about the weather now that a breeze sweeps over his skin and he can breathe that freshly-washed-earth smell that comes after a good rain. Honestly, if he were actually trying to get shots for his project, he would’ve known that the lighting and sunlight would be out today in full force, and he would’ve asked his hyungs to come out at a better time.
But he’s still in the brainstorming stages, still trying to figure out how he wants to answer the prompt, and does he really need a reason to want to spend time with his boyfriends?
They end up in a park Namjoon’s mentioned before, a nice grassy place with lots of rustling leaves and sunny patches and wooden benches and squirrels everywhere, bobbing their bushy tails and peering at them with bright eyes. Yoongi’s hand is solid in his own and Taehyung bumps shoulders with him with every step they take, which just sends a flutter of translucent bubbles floating through his body until he feels like he could be skipping.
Yoongi doesn’t like going out much, preferring to spend his time in the comforts of their apartment, where he can flop onto his bed at his convenience for a mid-morning pre-lunch nap, or a pre-twilight post-afternoon snack nap, or a lazy Sunday nap, so Jeongguk squeezes his hand and blushes when Yoongi grins at him before going to curl up on a bench with Jeongguk’s hoodie in his lap.
Taehyung is a perfect model, anyway, all confident endearing smiles and elegant tilts of his head, his body smoothly sliding into poses as Jeongguk holds his camera to his eye and tries to capture the way Taehyung exists in the world.
He looks something like a forest nymph, his hair a freshly dyed blue that reminds Jeongguk of poisonous rainforest frogs and tropical fish and the flush of summer. He’s a siren, a magnet with the sun catching all the notes of brown and gold and amber in his eyes, the way his self-designed jacket drapes across his shoulders. There are missed flecks of paint on his hands and Jeongguk doesn’t resist when he reaches forward, catches at his wrist, pulls him close.
He still tastes like the ice cream they had after lunch, some fruity bright flavor that bursts against Jeongguk’s tongue. He presses closer, a sound caught in his throat when Taehyung’s hand moves from cradling his jaw to tugging on the soft strands of his hair, angling him so Taehyung can kiss him harder.
They’ve been together for so long now that the world doesn’t fade away at the kiss, but Jeongguk feels separated all the same, sinking into the softness of Taehyung’s mouth, open and pliant beneath him even as he tugs on his hair again and wrenches a different kind of sound from Jeongguk’s chest. There are still birds chirping in the background, squirrels scampering on tree bark and the rustle of Yoongi nestling into Jeongguk’s hoodie behind them, but Taehyung is all he can feel, all he can see from through his tangled lashes when he pulls away.
Taehyung’s lips are swollen now, his eyes darker than before as he watches Jeongguk’s throat move. “You’re cute.”
Jeongguk feels his heart leap into his throat and his entire face burns and he stumbles back, hummingbird wings in his chest and Yoongi’s soft chuckle in his ears.
“Careful, Taehyung-ah, you’re gonna send our boy to the emergency room,” Yoongi says, and there’s a lilt to his tone that just makes Jeongguk flush harder, the words our boy swooping around in his stomach.
“Can’t help it,” Taehyung murmurs, reaching up to run his fingers quickly under Jeongguk’s face, sweeping from his Adam’s apple to the tip of his chin, the skin soft and tingling after the touch. “I just love him too much.”
Yoongi snorts before Jeongguk can do much more than burn into tiny embers right there in the middle of the park. “I’m sitting right here,” Yoongi sinks further into Jeongguk’s hoodie and is that a pout on his lips? “I’m gonna sue for neglect.”
Taehyung laughs, a little giggle that’s entirely too fond, and he prances over to Yoongi, dropping onto the bench beside him and immediately cuddling into his shoulder. His hand finds Yoongi’s and they intwine naturally, sending a pang of something sweet through Jeongguk’s chest. “Aw, hyung, you know we both love you the most?”
Jeongguk raises his camera to his eyes and squints down the viewfinder, click . Taehyung and Yoongi captured forever on his tiny screen, looking at each other with so much warmth in their eyes Jeongguk feels like he could be intruding on something special, except that they both turn their heads at the sound and then those eyes are on him.
“Thanks for coming out with me today,” he says, putting his lens cap back on and following Taehyung’s beckoning hand to join them. “I think I know what I’m gonna do for this project now.”
“Really?” Yoongi smiles the tiniest smile, showing off a hint of gums and tiny teeth, and Jeongguk wishes he hadn’t shut off his camera. “That’s great, Guk. I’m excited to see how it turns out.”
“I wanna know if I’m gonna need sunglasses to look at them,” Taehyung says, grinning up at Jeongguk. It’s true that Jeongguk’s photos are usually more vibrant and saturated and bright, in comparison to Taehyung’s quietly intense black and white photos, but Taehyung just keeps grinning and Jeongguk rolls his eyes. He’s used to Taehyung’s teasing.
“And we still have a lot of time before we need to meet the others for dinner. What do you wanna do?” Taehyung pats his lap and Jeongguk slides into it, throwing his legs over Yoongi’s lap as if they’re comfortably in their own home and not in the middle of a public park. Yoongi is the one who blushes, resting his hands on Jeongguk’s legs but not pushing him off. Jeongguk leans into Taehyung’s shoulder, smiling at his camera when Taehyung drops a kiss to the side of his head.
“We can just cuddle?”
“We are not cuddling in public,” Yoongi says immediately, scowling when the other two giggle at him. “I don’t want hysterical mothers claiming we’ve scarred their children for life.”
“But cuddles are nice!” Taehyung protests, looping his arm more securely around Jeongguk’s waist and tightening his hold on Yoongi’s hand. “Cuddles are innocent and everyone needs to know that cuddling is good for you!”
“Are you gonna start up a Cuddle Society, Tae?” Yoongi’s smile is soft and fond and very very warm. “Gonna teach everyone how important cuddling is for your health?”
“Yeah,” Taehyung says firmly, eyes sparkling at the idea. “We’ll do experiments! We’ll get Hoseok hyung and Jiminnie to stop cuddling each other for a month, and make Seokjin hyung and Namjoon hyung cuddle every night, and then compare the impacts to their health and mood!”
“Jimin hyung might actually die,” Jeongguk points out, catching Yoongi’s skeptical eyebrows as they consider the idea.
“And Hobi would wither like a sunflower in winter,” Yoongi adds, patting Taehyung’s hand reassuringly. “Our friends shouldn’t suffer for the sake of science, probably?”
“At least you already know they’d suffer,” Taehyung says, nodding to himself. “This is just proof that cuddling is good for you!”
“We could just invite all of our friends to join the Cuddle Society as living proof of the benefits,” Yoongi says, tapping out a rhythm absently on Jeongguk’s knee. “We’ll be like those people at anime conventions who show up with a sign for ‘free hugs’.”
“Except I only want to offer free hugs to my boyfriends,” Taehyung says, squeezing Jeongguk lightly on the waist. “And I don’t want anyone else hugging you two, either.”
“I thought you wanted to spread the joys of cuddling to everyone,” Yoongi says slyly.
“Yes, but that doesn’t mean I wanna share!”
“It’s okay, hyung,” Jeongguk leans further into the comfort of Taehyung’s arm and chest. “The Cuddle Society can just be a members only group, and the members are just us and our friends.”
“That’s a great idea, Guk,” Yoongi says, closing his eyes and leaning his head back to rest against the bench. “You two can explain it to them during dinner.”
But dinner is a long way off, and in spite of his protests, Yoongi doesn’t make any effort to move as Taehyung and Jeongguk cuddle with him on the bench. A few families do walk by, but Jeongguk just ignores them, showing Taehyung his shots and thinking out loud about his ideas for the project, listening intently when Yoongi chimes in with a suggestion or clarifying question without opening his eyes.
It gets dark eventually, beneath the leaves and branches, and Jeongguk wonders if Taehyung’s legs have gone numb, so he holds out a steadying hand when they all clamber to their feet. “Thanks, Gukkie,” Taehyung says, and he smiles so brightly it’s like the sun never left.
“Let’s go, before Seokjin hyung puts us on dish duty for being late,” Yoongi grumbles, but he holds Jeongguk’s hoodie out in front of him, waiting patiently as Jeongguk pulls it back over his body. There’s a lingering warmth from Yoongi hugging the hoodie all afternoon, and Jeongguk smiles into his collar.
Yoongi catches it, smiles back before tilting his head in a silent question, leaning up to press a soft kiss to Jeongguk’s lips when he shrugs and shakes his head in answer.
“Let’s go, loves!” Taehyung beams, turning and squatting a little. He tosses a teasing grin over his shoulder at Yoongi. “I can carry you to beautiful places, if your old bones are tired, hyung.”
Yoongi laughs loudly, the sound bouncing off the trees and the chambers of Jeongguk’s heart. He watches as Yoongi climbs onto Taehyung’s back, arms around his neck and legs on either side of Taehyung’s waist, waiting until they’re properly situated before reaching out and slapping Taehyung on the butt.
Taehyung jolts and Yoongi grumbles, but they’re both blushing and Jeongguk feels like his heart might just overflow a little bit. “If we’re late because of this, I’m abandoning you both to dish duty.”
“You wouldn’t!” Taehyung cries, walking slowly but steadily beside Jeongguk. “You love us too much.”
“Maybe, but dishes are a nightmare,” Jeongguk skips a little as he walks, grinning when Yoongi reaches out to snag at his hood to keep him near. “We can do rock paper scissors for it?”
“No way, dish duty is a team effort,” Yoongi says firmly, tugging on his hood. “But we won’t have to worry about it if we get there on time!”
“Race you there?” Jeongguk laughs, delighted, as Taehyung promptly drops Yoongi’s legs and shuffles to deposit him, Yoongi’s offended squawk echoing behind them as Jeongguk and Taehyung take off.
Yoongi ends up beating them there, passing them while they engaged in a quick tickle fight on the sidewalk. They kiss the smug smile off his face as they walk past him into the elevator, though, and Yoongi pretends not to be pleased.
“So Yoongi hyung is free from dish duty,” Taehyung declares, pushing his bangs out of his face and trying to catch his breath. “Guk and I are gonna make sure Hoseok hyung and Jiminnie are later than us.”
“How’re you gonna do that if we’re already here?” Yoongi asks.
“I have my ways,” Taehyung says mysteriously, but his face falls comically when they exit the elevator and catch Hoseok and Jimin at the apartment door, already pulling it open.
Jeongguk and Taehyung end up with dish duty even after a loud rock paper scissors match, but Jeongguk doesn’t really mind. His hyungs keep them company, calling out comments and cracking jokes in the kitchen as everyone works to put things away and bring more and more dishes to Taehyung’s soap covered hands. Yoongi leans against the counter beside them and grins every time Taehyung tries to pout at him, reaching out to flick him on the nose and then kiss the scar on Jeongguk’s cheek, as if Taehyung’s pouts force him to drop some affection in some way.
They go home close to midnight and Jeongguk’s chest is warm, like the surprise sunshine of the day has nestled itself in his heart.
“Come on, join the Cuddle Society,” Taehyung calls out, his arms outstretched as he wiggles on the bed. He grunts when Jeongguk and Yoongi both land on either side of him, Yoongi’s arm catching him on the chest and Jeongguk’s knee banging into his. “Oof. We gotta work on our technique, guys.”
“Are you proposing more cuddle sessions?” Yoongi asks seriously, though his eyes are already slipping closed. Jeongguk wiggles to drop a kiss to his hyung’s cute nose and pretends his ears don’t burn at Taehyung’s fingers in his hair. “This is the society I’ve wanted my whole life.”
“We are the three best members of the Cuddle Society,” Taehyung declares sleepily, yawning wide and nearly cracking his jaw on Jeongguk’s head. They don’t usually sleep like this, all sprawled out together, but it’s been a day of soft touches and fond looks, so it just makes sense to let the feeling linger into the night.
Tomorrow, Jeongguk will wake up to Yoongi grumbling that someone is squishing him, and Taehyung will be latched around him like an octopus. Tomorrow, he’ll check the weather so he doesn’t fight the sun again, and tomorrow he’ll work on his project for real.
Tonight, though, he lets himself sink into the warmth of Taehyung’s heartbeat and Yoongi’s breaths whispering across his hair. Tonight, he embraces the two best members of the Cuddle Society and lets them lull him into sleep.