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It's been quite breezy lately. Freezing air raids the city marking the beginning of the winters. Taehyung tightens his overcoat around himself as he walks towards the bus stand. It is, as expected, empty at this hour.
He sits there, staring absentmindedly at the vehicles passing by when he feels a drop of moisture on his cheek. He looks up at the sky, knowing very well that it didn't drop from there. He wipes it away, but soon his chin starts wobbling and another drop leaves his eyes and rolls down his cheeks. He presses his fingertips to his eyelids and breathes, hoping for it to stop soon. However, moisture starts pooling around the lining of his eyes and he covers his whole face with his hands, allowing the tears to escape.
He weeps silently, trying his best not to break into a sob. That's when he feels a tap on his shoulder and visibly flinches. "Um... The bus is just round the corner and I'm pretty sure it's the last one. I suppose you want to board too?" Taehyung's attention is caught by a stranger's voice.
He starts searching through his pockets for a tissue, one hand still covering his face, hiding it from the stranger. He knows his face gets all red and puffy when he cries. After two failed attempts at finding a tissue, and discovery of a useless paper bill, he gives up and turns his face away from the stranger.
"I'm sorry I don't have a handkerchief either. I would have lent you one otherwise." Taehyung sniffs and nods. The stranger's voice sounds smooth, distinctly deep, borderline sweet. For a second, he forgets about his problems and desperately wishes to take a peek at his face. The bus stops in front of him and the gates slide open. Taehyung wipes his face with his bare hands. The stranger gets up and politely offers him his hand in case he wanted to hold on to something and Taehyung finally looks up at the stranger. He is quite good looking. Handsome, really.
Taehyung smiles a little and gets up without any assistance. The stranger drops his hand and smiles back. The two of them board the bus, which is almost empty. A couple is seated on the front seat, a man a few seats behind them and two girls opposite to him in the other row.
Taehyung walks to the far end and sits on the seat that was second to the last. The stranger, as Taehyung was aware was walking behind him, takes the seat right in front of him. Taehyung wipes his now dry but swollen face on the sleeve of his overcoat. The stranger half spins around and rests his back against the window. Taehyung looks down at his fingers in his lap and is aware of the stranger looking at him. He licks his lips and waits in anticipation for the man to ask or say something.
"Are you okay?" The voice resounds. The voice that had caught Taehyung's attention. The sweet, deep, honey voice.
"Yeah." Taehyung looks up and takes in the stranger's features. Beautiful, indeed. "Thanks," he merely whispers.
The stranger nods and smiles at him. Taehyung bites his lips and looks down again. "Jeongguk. I'm... Jeon Jeongguk." The stranger has his eyes fixated on him as he introduces himself.
Taehyung looks up again. "Kim-" his voice comes out hoarse and he immediately clears his throat. "Kim Taehyung." The stranger nods again and turns back, facing the front. Taehyung feels thankful that he is not enquired any further. But there is still a tinge of disappointment in him when the stranger, Jeon Jeongguk, doesn't turn back to face him again.
Taehyung's stop comes soon. Before he gets down he looks at Jeongguk and finds him looking back. He flashes a small smile towards him and receives a close eyed, dimpled one in return. Despite the tears a few minutes ago, he leaves with a smile.
~~~
Taehyung walks towards the bus stand, his muffler pulled up to his chin, one hand buried inside a pocket of his parka jacket, the other holding a cup of hot chocolate. His mood is only a little better than before.
When the bus stand comes in his view, he finds that the bench isn't empty this time. There sits a familiar figure – the stranger from the previous night, Jeon Jeongguk, as far as he remembers. Taehyung walks past him and sits a few feet away. As he glances towards him, he notices him shivering. Palms rubbing together between knees, shoulders shaking, teeth clattering, Jeongguk sits there in a mere satin shirt, shivering under the cold night air. Taehyung hesitates only a little before extending his arm and offering him his hot chocolate.
Jeongguk eyes the cup before looking at him. He blinks, waiting for an explanation. "Hot chocolate. It's still new." Taehyung's voice is small, almost shy. Jeongguk stares at him for a few seconds before taking the cup and wrapping his fingers around its warmth.
The bus arrives and they sit at the exact same spots as the previous night. Jeongguk turns in the exact same way and looks at Taehyung for a few seconds before whispering, "Thanks." A small smile spreads across Taehyung's face and he nods.
Jeongguk doesn't turn back to face the front this time. He sips on the hot chocolate eagerly and keeps his palms attached to the surface of the cup. Taehyung likes what he sees in front of him. Finally his stop comes but before he gets down, he makes sure to flash a smiles towards Jeongguk, who reciprocates it wholeheartedly.
~~~
The next day, Taehyung finds himself running towards the bus stop. He finished work late and now he fears he'll miss the last bus and will have to call a cab later. He doesn't have enough cash for that. As the bus stand comes in his line of vison, he watches the bus coming to a halt. He could also see a man standing right outside the gate, looking in his direction. He waves a hand to indicate that he is on his way. The man raises a hand to indicate back. He doesn't move from his place, doesn't enter the bus. Taehyung feels grateful for him as he runs faster.
He finally reaches the bus and looks at Jeongguk staring back at him. He steps back to allow Taehyung to enter the bus first, and then follows to board after him. Taehyung takes his usual seat, but the one in front of him is already occupied. Jeongguk looks around at the other vacant seats and turns back to look at the empty one right next to Taehyung.
"May I-" he points a finger towards the empty space and looks at Taehyung with his doe eyes.
"Oh, of course, please." Taehyung moves his sling bag to his lap and pats the seat twice. Jeongguk's smile spreads big and bright and Taehyung notices the dimples that adorn his cheeks. When Jeongguk settles down, he puts the paper cup holder he has been carrying on his lap. He takes one of the cups out and offers it to Taehyung. Taehyung stares down at the cup, up at his face and back at the cup. Jeongguk nods his chin towards the paper cup insistently and Taehyung takes it. This might be a return of favour, Taehyung thinks.
He takes a sip from the warm container and his face contorts. He doesn't swallow the liquid until he notices Jeongguk looking at him with wide eyes. When he looks at those big eyes that hold dread and distress, he gulps loudly. "Is this coffee?"
"Y-yes?" Jeongguk looks hesitant and slightly guilt stricken. He moves his eyes across Taehyung's face, reading his expression. "You- You hate coffee, don't you?" He says in a small voice and his face falls, a tiny pout forming on his lips.
Taehyung shakes his head immediately and lifts the cup to take another sip. After swallowing he smiles and says, "I don't hate coffee, just don't like it." He takes another sip to show that he is actually capable of digesting it.
Jeongguk looks down, seemingly sad, and says, "I'm sorry. I should have asked first." Before Taehyung could open his mouth, he looks up with a new glint in the eyes. "I'll buy you hot chocolate tomorrow." He crosses his arms and nods with a playful, smug look.
Taehyung goes speechless. He shuts his mouth, smiles at the other and nods back. He takes another sip from the cup and makes sure that Jeongguk watches. He wants to make him believe that he was not disgusted by the coffee, only not expecting it.
For the rest of the time, they sit there, together, sipping their coffees, staring in random directions. Taehyung's stop comes in sight and he gestures Jeongguk to make way for him. They speak nothing more and Taehyung gets down the bus, but only after flashing a small smile towards Jeongguk.
~~~
The next day, as promised, Jeongguk buys him his hot chocolate. "I brought extra sugar packs so you could add to taste," Jeongguk tells him. They sit together again, though there was no other passenger occupying Jeongguk's previous place. "Although I figured you like your hot choco extra sweet?"
Taehyung takes the cup from him and stares blankly. "How do you know that?" His eyes betray everything. He looks a little flustered and a lot interested.
"The hot chocolate you gave me that day. It was too sweet." Jeongguk states and scrunches his nose. Taehyung likes the teasing demeanour of the man and smiles shyly.
They don't talk after that. But before Taehyung's stop comes, Jeongguk whispers a soft "bye" and Taehyung gets flustered. He blushes hard because this was unexpected. By the time he gets down the bus, he realises he didn’t even say it back and smacks his forehead. The rest of his way he curses himself for being an idiot, but walks with a silly smile nonetheless.
~~~
The following night, Taehyung's eyes are stinging and chin wobbling again. He clutches the edge of the bench with his hands and lets the tears flow with abandon. He squeezes his eyes, traps his lips between his teeth and cries. He remembers his best friend had told him last time that it's better to let it all out.
Suddenly he senses fingers brushing his thigh. When he opens his eyes, he sees a handkerchief placed on his lap. He takes it and looks at the person sitting next to him. He was expecting no one other than Jeongguk. He wipes his face a little too harshly, knowing his face might turn red and swollen, but he doesn't care.
Jeongguk doesn't ask him anything. Doesn't even look at him. Taehyung is thankful that he's giving him his space. He looks down at his fingers on his lap and they wait like this for the bus to arrive.
When the bus arrives Taehyung takes the same old seat. But Jeongguk goes towards the seat diagonal to him, a little away in the other row. Taehyung can't help but stare at him until he gets noticed. He still doesn't drop his gaze and Jeongguk looks a little confused. Taehyung's expression is unreadable, but his eyes say a lot. He'd appreciate someone's presence near him, Jeongguk can tell. But he's still unsure. He takes one step towards him and Taehyung relaxes against the seat. He gets the hint and quietly comes and settles down next to him, and Taehyung finally drops his gaze.
He sits silently, no words spoken. Jeongguk's eyes wander around but finally settle down on Taehyung, who is playing with his fingers again. He waits, expecting Taehyung to either say something, explain probably, or even ask him to mind his own business. He just wants to hear him speak. Taehyung is very well aware of the pair of eyes on him.
"I can't cope with my job. Specially along with university." Taehyung mumbles. "My boss is always mean to me and won't even let me change shifts. It gets too much sometimes." He sniffs.
Jeongguk waits for more, but it doesn't come. He contemplates before speaking, "Why don't you look for another job?"
Taehyung inhales, exhales, wipes his already dry face with Jeongguk's handkerchief and then swallows nothing. "I'm trying. But I don't have much experience so I get rejected a lot. Even got this one with much difficulty." He blinks down at his lap and starts fiddling with his fingers again.
Jeongguk doesn't know how to react. He simply nods and looks down at his fingers too. Both of them just sit there in silence. But Jeongguk's presence is doing wonders for Taehyung. He feels relaxed now that he has his thoughts out in form of words. He is grateful that Jeongguk isn't trying to give him consolation or suggestions that he knows won't help him much.
His stop finally comes in sight and he leaves with a small smile.
~~~
A few days later, Taehyung is sitting on the bench, waiting for the bus... and Jeongguk, as usual. The other shows up soon. Taehyung looks up to find Jeongguk running towards him, looking dishevelled. Hair ruffled, top button open and jacket swinging in an arm. He breathes heavily, vapour escaping his mouth in the cold atmosphere. It's pretty evident he had run all the way here.
When he takes a seat next to Taehyung, the latter eyes his side profile. Jeongguk's chest is heaving and beads of perspiration form on his forehead. He cranes his neck back to catch his breath and Taehyung's eyes fall on a hazy mark below his ear. A bruise? A lipstick mark? He bites his lips to suppress a smile but gets noticed. Jeongguk raises an eyebrow and Taehyung makes a straight face. "You–" he lifts a finger and points at the spot on his skin and back at his own, to locate the exact position, "you got a mark here."
Jeongguk's hand flies to the side of his neck and he looks at Taehyung with huge eyes. He starts rubbing frantically, somewhat embarrassed and Taehyung looks away, suppressing a smile. Jeongguk thanks heavens when the bus arrives at the same moment so he gets some time to wipe the mark off and put his jacket on while they board the bus and settle down. Settle down together.
Taehyung is still trying and failing at suppressing his smile and Jeongguk looks at him with pleading eyes and pouty lips, almost whiny. Taehyung glances at him and clears his throat to compose himself. Jeongguk opens his mouth and slowly speaks, "It's not exactly what you're thinking." Taehyung look at him in the eye and Jeongguk shies away. He looks down in hope of hiding his flushed cheeks and speaks again. "I sing at a club. So, sometimes people flirt with me while tipping. Pinch my cheeks, ruffle my hair, it's normal and I also enjoy it. A person and their group of friends got a little overboard today." Taehyung's playful expression fades and his eyes widen. "No, no. It's nothing serious. They all just teased me for being 'too cute to be unoccupied'.” He makes air quotes with his fingers. “And before I knew one of them grabbed my shirt and kissed me here."
Taehyung snickers. "Someone's got a crush on you."
Jeongguk looks up at him, flustered. "I don't even know them." The pout is back and he looks back at his lap. "And after that they ruffled my hair, called me tiny, and left?" The sentence ends as a question, as if he's asking himself.
Taehyung feels delighted by the endearing way the other speaks. He swallows a giggle building in his throat and feels a sudden urge to tease him. A thought crosses his mind and he mirrors Jeongguk's big eyes and pouty expression when he asks, "Were they pretty?"
Jeongguk looks at him with the same wide eyes, disbelief evident in them. Taehyung is teasing him, for sure, and making him more flustered. He realises this and then there is a split second when Taehyung blinks and Jeongguk's expression shifts. The small pout gone, huge eyes become hooded and tongue pokes the inside of his cheek, a ridiculously major shift. He rests his elbow on the backrest of the seat in front and turns his torso towards Taehyung, who's suddenly feeling trapped. Jeongguk runs his tongue over his lower lip, eyeing at Taehyung's face for a second before speaking, "I have seen prettier."
It's Taehyung's turn to be flustered now. His eyes meet Jeongguk's and his mouth drops open. He's speechless. Head completely empty.
Jeongguk holds his gaze for a while and then blinks to snap out of it. He smiles triumphantly and returns to his natural demeanour. Taehyung looks away, still unaware of his open mouth. "But yes," Jeongguk speaks again and Taehyung looks back at him, finally shutting his mouth, "they were pretty."
The rest of the time goes by in silence. "My stop is here." Taehyung announces and Jeongguk gets up to make way for him. "See you tomorrow?" He turns to say and Jeongguk's wide doe eyes are back again. He nods and Taehyung smiles before leaving .
~~~
A couple of days later, Jeongguk gets to know about Taehyung's deep feelings for strawberries. And Taehyung gets to know about Jeongguk's undying love for banana milk.
"Jimin I can't believe 7-Eleven doesn't store strawberries here." Taehyung mumbles on phone after they take their seats in the bus. "But I don't care about their other stores, the one near me doesn't store them. They are definitely Taehyung antis." He pouts and shortly snickers after hearing the reply from the other end. "Yeah I'm on my way back, don't worry. Good night." Hanging up, he glances towards Jeongguk, who is sitting next to him and looking at him with a frown, as if contemplating.
When Taehyung raises his eyebrows in question, he asks, "You have 7-Eleven near your workplace?" His tone is serious, genuine. The same deep, honey voice.
"Yes," Taehyung nods sincerely.
Jeongguk grazes his lower lip, contemplating again, before asking, "Do they have banana milk by any chance?" His eyes widen, looking expectantly.
Taehyung stares at him blankly. "You like... banana milk?" His tone giving away 'are you serious?' vibe and Jeongguk looks low-key offended.
"Yes?" His usual deep voice comes out in a higher pitch. "Why, is there something wrong with that?" He almost charges.
"No, no!" Taehyung defends, eyes turning huge. "Nothing's wrong, I'm sorry." He turns away, blushing slightly. Jeongguk doesn't say anything and looks away too. Taehyung watches the buildings outside and whispers to himself, "It's just... cute."
"Huh?" Jeongguk's voice is questining.
Taehyung turns and immediately says, "Nothing, just... my stop is here." Jeongguk nods and steps aside to let him go. Taehyung internally laughs, adoringly looking at the other's face that radiates innocence at this moment. He leaves with a smile.
~~~
Jeongguk stares at the carton. Eyes almost piercing it. "Are you kidding me?" He speaks slowly and turns to look at Taehyung, sitting next to him on the bench. His actions seem to be in slow motion. "It is a pack of twelve!" His eyes are wide again. Taehyung has come to notice it happens quite often, and he likes it.
"Y-yeah." Taehyung hesitates. "I thought you liked it too much to reject." His says in a small voice. He bites his lips and tugs at the hem of his sweater.
"Wh– I do!" Jeongguk looks bewildered. "And no, I'm not rejecting. It's just– I'm overwhelmed." He huffs and looks down, back at the carton. He would have never imagined a stranger could give him a carton of banana milk. "Thank you so much. How much did it cost?" Jeongguk shifts to take his wallet out but Taehyung puts a hand on his arm, pressing it down.
Their eyes meet and Taehyung shakes his head side by side. "Consider it a gift." The bus arrives before them and Taehyung gets up. They enter the bus and walk to the far end. Their usual spot is empty as always. Once they settle down Taehyung notices that Jeongguk already has his wallet out. "Really?" Taehyung raises an eyebrow at him. Before Jeongguk opens his mouth to plead again, he presses, "I'm not accepting that."
"Taehyung." He speaks the name slowly, enunciating each syllable with perfection. "I insist." Taehyung's pupils widen. It is probably the first time Jeongguk has called his name out. And it feels weird. Good weird. Taehyung wants to pretend as if he didn't hear it so that he could hear him speak his name again, but he is literally sitting right next to him. "Buy me something that is not stock for a whole month and maybe I'll consider taking it as a gift." He smiles and extends a hand to give him the money.
Taehyung, for some reason, finds himself unable to speak another word. What even could he say? He did go overboard for a stranger, didn't he? He silently takes the bills and puts them in his pocket, heat creeping his ears. But he doesn't forget the echo of his name in the honey voice. Thinking about it brings a smile on his face when he gets down the bus.
~~~
A few more days go by. It was like a daily routine for Taehyung – waiting for Jeongguk while waiting for the bus if he was early, or expecting to see him waiting for himself if he was a bit late. Expectation had become a habit now. When sometimes he would reach the stand too early, he would consider missing the first bus, waiting for the next one. And the other times when he'd be late, he would know that the other would be waiting for him. They might not share many words, but it was like an unspoken rule, mutual understanding, that they’d wait. Waiting had also become a habit now. And because he is early today, he waits for Jeongguk.
He checks the time and expects Jeongguk's arrival soon. Maybe a group of friends are giving him extra tips and smooches again. He chuckles as he visualises a flustered Jeongguk. A bus arrives, but Jeongguk hasn't shown up yet. He knows it isn't the last one so he doesn't board it. A few minutes pass by and Jeongguk is still nowhere to be seen. He is not usually this late. Whenever Taehyung would be early, he’d arrive shortly after, and they would get on the penultimate bus. But now the last one is about to arrive and he is still missing.
The bus stops in front of him and he looks around, eyes wandering everywhere. The gates slide open and he gets up but doesn't step forward, looking in the direction Jeongguk usually comes from. He's still expecting to see a dishevelled Jeongguk, panting through his way towards the bus, towards him. But he finds no one. A sharp horn blows next to his ear and he looks at the bus driver, signalling him if he wants to get in. He nods, and looks back in the previous direction. He finally moves forward and steps inside the bus. The door slides shut behind him and he cranes his neck to search for him through the windows. Still, no sign of Jeongguk.
The bus starts moving, giving him a jolt. He holds onto a seat and steadies himself. It acts as a small distraction from his array of thoughts which he utilises to carry himself towards his seat. He sits there blankly, waiting for his stop. It feels like it's been hours before the bus halts at his destination. He gets down with the same blank expression and walks back home.
~~~
A week goes by, and Jeongguk doesn't show up. Meanwhile Taehyung has had another crying session because of his mean boss throughout the bus ride. The other day, he bought coffee instead of hot chocolate, because he wanted to 'test' why people actually love it, he told himself. He also bought banana milk one day because he was missing Jeongguk, he admitted to himself. He even missed the last bus once in hope of finding Jeongguk somewhere around, and finally had to book a cab at 1 am.
It's been a week now and Taehyung has lost all hopes of seeing Jeongguk again. He still steals glances in that direction, and tells himself there's nobody coming for him. Sitting alone on the cold bench, he looks down at his shoes, thinking about nothing in particular.
"New shoes?"
Taehyung snaps his head up, almost damaging his neck muscles, and stares at the source of the voice. He blinks fast a few times, expecting the source to disappear, except it doesn't. This isn't his hallucination. Jeongguk is actually sitting right next to him. Taehyung rakes his eyes over his body, taking every inch of him in, and his jaw drops. He looks different. His hair is tied up in a bun, shorter dark strands falling over his face. It looks permed and Taehyung had never liked a perm as much as he does now. He's also wearing dangling earrings instead of his usual small hoops. It looks beautiful, pretty, he wants to say it out loud. And he's wearing makeup, eyes adorned with light shades and face contoured just the right amount. His lips are red.
"Taehyung? You seem lost." Jeongguk waves a hand in front of his eyes and he blinks again. He took his name, in his deep, honey voice. He is swooning. He still doesn't snap out of his musings. His eyes rather fall on the hand that Jeongguk is waving. When he drops it down to his thighs, Taehyung's eyes widen.
"Did you get tattoos?" He finally looks up at him in the eyes, that are still the same.
"Oh? Y-Yeah." Jeongguk fists his hand to hide the tattoos on his knuckles and bites his lips. Taehyung stares at him. His habits are also still the same. People don’t change in a matter of one week dumbass, Taehyung tells himself. Jeongguk keeps his eyes on his lap and Taehyung on his face until the bus arrives. They enter the bus and take their usual seats. Taehyung likes the radiating heat source at his side after experiencing a cold week without it.
There is absolute silence for some time. The only sound comes from the low murmur of the person in far front who is on call. Taehyung steals glances towards Jeongguk and gets caught a few times. He is desperate to know what made him disappear for a week, what is the guarantee that it won't happen again, or if it does, then how often. He is unable to bring himself to ask any of it. He wishes Jeongguk tells him the reason himself.
"I went to attend my friend's brother's wedding." It's almost as if he read his thoughts. He turns to study Taehyung's expression, whether he really wanted to know this information or does he care the least about it. Taehyung shoulders relax and he nods with a small smile. Jeongguk's eyes are still trailing over his face when a sudden thought hits him and his eyes and mouth turn almost oval. He jumps the tiniest bit in his seat and opens his backpack in a hurry. He takes a plastic container out of it and licks his lips before facing Taehyung and extending his arm with the container towards him.
"Strawberries?" Taehyung looks at the content inside the container through the transparent lid and then looks up at him with incredulous eyes and open mouth. "How'd you–" before he could finish his sentence Jeongguk lowers his eyelids to look at the phone Taehyung is holding in his hand. Taehyung follows his gaze and understands. "Of course you overheard," he whispers to himself and lets out a breathy laugh, shaking his head.
"My friend's uncle owns a strawberry farm. I picked them fresh from there.” He pauses for a second then adds, “With my own hands." He looks proud and his skin flushed under the dim lights of the bus. His dimples are at display as he crosses his arms and pretends to nod boastfully. But there is a hint of shyness as well.
Taehyung's laughter dies and he sits there, completely in awe. Gaze soft and lips parted. Jeongguk looks at him and smiles bashfully. Taehyung's eyes are fixated on his face and his lips turn up at the corners.
"This is– thank you so much Je–" he pauses to lick his drying lips, "Jeongguk." He has nothing else to say. Because he is savouring the name that left his mouth. It is the first time he speaks it out loud. And he wants to say it again. He wants to taste the word on his tongue again. It sounds beautiful. Must feel beautiful too.
Jeongguk's smile falters but he nods and looks down at his backpack, the tip of his ears turning red. Taehyung looks down too, his cheeks on fire. They don't talk any further that night. But before leaving, Taehyung lifts the container, shows it to him and nods. It is a silent thanks that brings a smile on Jeongguk's face. Taehyung smiles back and leaves.
~~~
Taehyung looks happy today and by Jeongguk's expression, it is pretty evident he's wondering what could be the reason. Taehyung doesn't make him anticipate. "Had a job interview today. Felt quite confident." He tells him in a delighted tone and the other smiles, a little too wide. They are seated together again, sipping on the hot chocolate Jeongguk had bought and very shyly offered to Taehyung. Snow had started falling outside and their sweaters and jackets had doubled in weight. Taehyung is almost drowning in his jacket and muffler and it is another reason Jeongguk's smile is this big. But Taehyung doesn't need to know that.
"I hope you get the job. You look happy about it." Jeongguk points.
"I am." Taehyung's smile is radiant on his face, that looks small, squished between the muffler and the cap. An awkward silence follows and they look in different directions again. Taehyung's phone buzzes and a notification pops up – Reached home baby?
Jeongguk feels guilty of glancing at it but can't move his eyes away until Taehyung replies to the message with a simple – omw.
"Who's Jimin?" He blurts out before he could stop himself. Taehyung doesn't expect the question, but he doesn’t mind either.
"My best friend." He lifts his phone and shrugs. "Always worried."
Jeongguk bobs his head and looks away again. A few minutes later he turns back towards Taehyung and finds him yawning, his eyes already shut, and head resting against the window. His tongue laps across his lips, which smack once and fall shut. He's staring at his face, observing now. The moles, the shape of his eyes, the different lids, the golden skin. The way his lips form a tiny pout. Jeongguk feels dazed. He reaches forward and takes Taehyung's cup of hot chocolate from his loosening grip. He know his destination is not too far now and decides to wake him up in five minutes.
As promised, Jeongguk taps him on the shoulder, careful not to startle him. When Taehyung wakes up, his eyes go wide and he doesn't blink. He looks around like a lost puppy. Jeongguk bites his lips to suppress a laugh. When his eyes finally fall on Jeongguk he blinks and it dawns upon him, who he is, where he is, etc. The blush that creeps up his cheekbones is marvellous to Jeongguk's eyes. He steps out from his seat, cue for Taehyung to get ready to alight. Taehyung gathers his stuff and hurriedly gets up when Jeongguk blocks his way. Taehyung gives him a questioning look and he lifts his cup of hot chocolate before his eyes. Taehyung is flushed now. He takes the cup and thanks him with a nod. Jeongguk give him way to walk away, and he leaves... with a smile.
~~~
The year is almost at its end and Taehyung walks towards the bus stop with an ecstatic smile. He's on his phone, talking to someone, thanking them multiple times, when Jeongguk notices him. Taehyung laughs out loud and Jeongguk hears "I made cake" and "No, shut up, I didn't burn it" which makes him snickers softly. He doesn't come to sit next to him until he hangs up, and when he does, the bus is already in sight.
Taehyung looks gleeful today and when they settle down he turns towards Jeongguk and speaks with shiny eyes. "I got the job." The way Jeongguk grins at it is the most radiant thing Taehyung has ever seen but it doesn't last long. His eyebrows knit together as he takes in the sudden change in the other's expression.
Jeongguk's grin fades when a thought hits him and he couldn't help asking, "That means you'll be quitting this one, right?" Taehyung tilts his head with a peculiar look and nods. Jeongguk bites his lips and then licks them before smiling again, flashing a full, wide grin. And that is when it dawns upon Taehyung – he will no longer be traveling on this route, by this bus, at this hour. That means he will no longer meet Jeongguk. "Good for you." Jeongguk smiles and nods and Taehyung's mood goes down the hill from here. He doesn't realize that today was, in fact, his last day in this bus, with Jeongguk. He won't be coming back to this part of the city for work. He won't be boarding the buses on this route. And he won't be having Jeongguk as company. "When does the new work start?" Jeongguk asks. His voice is small but he doesn't drop his previous demeanour. A smile fixed on his face. He looks down at his gloves so he doesn't have to make eye contact with Taehyung. And Taehyung stares at him.
"After new year holidays." He says silently, searching for Jeongguk's eyes with a certain kind of expectation in his own. Jeongguk doesn't look back at him. He simply nods. Taehyung licks his lips and tries to say or ask something. But words don't leave his mouth. He turns his head and looks outside the window, taking in the sight of the snowfall. His phone vibrates occasionally, notification going off, messages popping on the screen, but he doesn't pay heed. He thinks about nothing, stares at nothing, and probably because of the cold, he feels nothing.
His stop comes in his view and he finally looks at Jeongguk, who is looking back at him. He wants to say something. Ask something. But words fail him again. Jeongguk holds a look in the eye that Taehyung doesn't understand. He looks scared? Confused? He can't tell. He is trying to open his mouth too, but it seems frozen. This is no use, Taehyung thinks.
He stands up. Jeongguk gets the indication and steps out to give him way. He walks to the far front and when the bus stops, he turns around to looks at Jeongguk, who's still standing there, staring back at him. Taehyung wants to smile, but he's not able to. Jeongguk wants to at least wave at him, but he's still frozen.
Taehyung spares him another glance when he is by the door on the last step, and a second later he gets down. When the door closes behind him and the bus accelerates again, Taehyung doesn't dare to turn back and look. He starts walking on the snow covered path, hugging himself, pulling his muffler up and beanie down.
He can't feel his cheeks and nose. All seems frozen. The snow covered path suddenly looks blurry to him and he knows a tear will soon escape his eyes. But he wouldn't be able to feel it. Because his cheeks and nose, all are almost numb, frozen. His teeth are clattering as he wraps his jacket tighter around himself and clings to it.
A second later, he feels that he heard something. Someone calling his name. Or maybe his ears are numb too. He ignores his instincts and continues to walk.
"Taehyung!"
He halts, freezes on spot. It wasn't an imagination this time, he's sure.
"Taehyung." Jeongguk's voice comes again, his distinctly deep, sweet, honey voice. But it sounds exhausted, as if he is panting. On listening carefully, Taehyung realises he is indeed panting. He's out of breath and the sound reminds him of the day he discovered the lipstick mark on his jaw. He can't quite process what is happening. Did Jeongguk come running after him?
He spins around and suddenly feels something in his stomach. Something is twisting and turning in his guts and making him feel like jumping, but keeping him frozen in his spot at the same time. His eyes turn huge and round as he stares at Jeongguk.
Jeongguk is still struggling to catch his breath. The vapour leaving his mouth weirdly catches Taehyung's interest. Or probably just the mouth. Jeongguk doesn't say anything for a few minutes, just stands there, staring into Taehyung's eyes, and respiring. Taehyung waits patiently for him and is thankful that he gets some time to calm his nerves too. Jeongguk finally opens his mouth and lifts a hand aimlessly before he speaks. "Happy Birthday." It comes out breathy, but very clear.
Taehyung's eyebrows shoot up and almost touch his bangs that are sticking out from his beanie. He wants to say thank you, wants to ask him how he came to know about it, wants to tell him how happy he is to see him here, and he whispers – "yes."
Jeongguk looks utterly confused and Taehyung wishes he could dig a hole in the snow and bury himself right there. He opens his mouth again and nothing but vapour escape from between his lips. Jeongguk shakes his head and musters his strength to speak again, the snow and the breeze not helping at all.
"Can I–" he clears his throat, "can I have your number... please?"
As if he has been pulled by a string, Taehyung practically jumps on Jeongguk, wrapping his arms around his neck, and pressing his torso flush against his own as much as he possibly can. His mouth rests on Jeongguk's cheek and he briefly presses his lips to it. "Thought you'd never ask," he whispers against his cold skin.
A couple of seconds pass by and Jeongguk doesn't move. Taehyung bats his eyelids against his cheek and realises what he has done. He pulls away with a jerk and looks at Jeongguk's wide eyes and open mouth. He went overboard and now he's screwed. "Shit. I'm sorry." He whispers as he takes a step back, then another, and yet another.
Before he could recede any further, he is being pulled by a firm grip on his forearm. "Come here." Jeongguk whispers, and suddenly his breath is too close to his face and before he could even gasp his lips are being sealed against another pair. His face cradled between Jeongguk's glove clad palms, his chest pressed against Jeongguk's own, and his lips are being sucked in by the other's soft, red ones. Taehyung concentrates on breathing while he gets kissed. He can’t process he is actually being kissed. His eyelids droop and hands reach up to clasp at Jeongguk's biceps. He gives himself in to the scorching heat building inside his stomach. Jeongguk pulls back by an inch to read his expressions but Taehyung grabs the sides of his jacket and pulls him closer, crashing his lips against Jeongguk's again.
He shudders, hair standing on his nape, and Jeongguk wraps his arms around him, bringing him closer, pressing him against his stomach. He runs a palm up and down his back, giving him as much warmth as possible, while Taehyung slides his fingers up his chest and snakes them around his neck without breaking the contact of their lips. His bare fingers are cold against his skin, but Jeongguk doesn't care. Their lips glide over each other's, pressing together at best. Taehyung's stomach feels like there are literal butterflies in it.
Jeongguk finally breaks the kiss and Taehyung sucks in his own lips before stepping back. Jeongguk clears his throat and so does Taehyung. They don't smile, they don't laugh. Taehyung buries his hands inside his pockets and Jeongguk rests his on his waist. They just stand there, a few feet apart, glancing and peeping at each other. Jeongguk clears his throat again and speaks. "I- I missed the last bus." He scratches the back of his ear and looks at his feet, biting his lips.
"Um... Come home with me?" Taehyung can feel his heartbeat in his mouth at this point. "I baked cake." He almost squeaks and buries his chin in his muffler, attempting to hide behind it. Jeongguk steps closer and his breathing accelerates.
He hooks a finger in his muffler and pulls it down to reveal Taehyung's chin and lips that he has trapped between his teeth. "I know." He drops his hand to his thighs and his eyes flicker from Taehyung's lips to his eyes. "And you didn't burn it." A smile spreads on his face as he happily takes in Taehyung's huge eyes and plump lips. The same lips he just kissed, and wants to kiss again.
Taehyung blushes and smiles. "It was once, okay. I practiced hard after that." He pouts and tries to suppress the jitters forming in his stomach.
"You did?" Jeongguk mirrors his pout and frowns. Taehyung finds it extremely endearing and wants to kiss that pout away but before he could act he is being embraced. Embraced by the man he has been thinking about since who know how many days. "You smell so good ," Jeongguk whispers as he buries his face in the crook of Taehyung's neck on his muffler. "You're squishy too." And he squeezes his body between his arms. Taehyung's face flushes red and he bites hard at his lips. It might even rupture at this point. He turns his head and glides his nose along the other's exposed neck. His heartbeat doesn't slow down but his confidence level rises and he presses his lips against Jeongguk's neck. Jeongguk hums and he feels the vibrations from his throat on his lips and it courses throughout his body. His hands are still in his pockets and Jeongguk makes sure to keep him warm in his embrace.
And as the snow falls around them for the last time this year, they snuggle closer in their cocoon of happiness and warmth. Taehyung feels a smile creeping up his face and it's partly because of the faint heartbeat he feels pressed against his chest, resonating with his own, and mostly because he gets to end a year and start another with the sweetest stranger.