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Jeongguk frowns, looking over his outfit in the mirror. Behind him, Taehyung sighs, dropping his head and arms on Jeongguk’s shoulder to hold on.
“What’s wrong with this one? Legs looks great and biceps are emphasized. I’d go out with you if you didn’t already have your heart set on Seokjin hyung.”
“It doesn’t look like I’m trying to date him, though.”
Taehyung lifts his head off Jeongguk shoulder. “Oh.” He smirks. “Oh.”
Jeongguk sighs, closing his eyes, tipping his head back to look at the ceiling.
“You like like him.”
“Yes, which is why I’ve been rejecting every single outfit so far.”
Taehyung rolls his eyes. Jeongguk can’t see it, but he knows it. “This is the second outfit.”
Jeongguk looks back at the mirror and straight and Taehyung, pout on his lips. Taehyung rolls his eyes again, but doesn’t say anything else. Claps him on the shoulder and heads back to Jeongguk’s room. Jeongguk plops on his bed, hugging one of the pillows and watching Taehyung as he rifles through the closet once more.
“You guys are coworkers, right? At the firm you’ve been working at for three years?”
Jeongguk hums.
“And you recently found out you have feelings for him?”
Jeongguk hums again.
“Thank god for whatever got your head out of the clouds, I’m so tired of the pining. Also, why can’t I have an office romance?”
Jeongguk wants to sigh. “You have Yoongi hyung.”
“So? He’s as emotional as a rock. Sometimes I don’t even know if he wants me for my cuddles or my fashion sense.”
“I think it’s cute.”
“Okay, but try being head deep in homework and have a whiny boyfriend complaining about you not giving him attention.” He pulls a shirt out and puts it back in.
“C’mon, you give great cuddles. Also he is hopeless in fashion. In fact, he’s so hopeless he knows he’s hopeless. I think he’s doing the right thing.”
He grumbles, but Jeongguk can’t make out what. Taehyung takes a knit sweater and puts it over his arm, then begins to look through the closet again. “Do you want to wear cologne?”
“Only a bit, you know I don’t like strong smells.”
“‘Kay.” He pulls out a white shirt. “Do you want to look cozy or handsome?”
“Both? I don’t know, whatever you think is best.”
Taehyung sighs, putting it over his arm. He picks another shirt to put over his arm, then two pairs of jeans. He grabs the cologne and tosses it to Jeongguk, coming to lay the outfits on the bed.
One is a cream sweater, white t-shirt and light washed jeans. The other is the knit, tan sweater and a darker pair of jeans.
“Why jeans? And sweaters? Those aren’t very romantic.”
Taehyung raises his eyebrow, something he does when people ask rhetorical questions or something plain stupid. “Would you rather go out in graphic tees and sweatpants?”
Jeongguk makes an ‘O’ with his mouth, then licks over his piercing. Sometimes he forgets Taehyung isn’t able to just make an outfit from thin air. He looks like he would, though. “I like the dark jeans one.”
Humming, Taehyung grabs the rejected outfit and puts it back.
Grabbing the cologne, he sits up and sprays himself. Honestly, he thought Taehyung would do it for him with how much he likes to be in control. He changes into the new outfit, running over to the washroom to check himself out. He smiles, liking the way it looks. Taehyung glances at him when he comes out, smiles, then puts the outfit he was just wearing away.
Jeongguk grabs his phone and wallet on the bedside table. “Do you think I should get him flowers?”
“Only if you know which one’s his favourite.”
“Lavender.”
“Okay then, get him lavenders.” He comes over to grab Jeongguk by the shoulders and steers him out of the room and to the front door. “Shoo now, this behaviour was cute at first but now it’s just weird.”
Jeongguk sticks his tongue out, grabs his keys and gets his shoes on. Can’t go wrong with black. He opens the door and turns halfway to face Taehyung. “I heard you being lovey-dovey on the phone earlier. If you’re gonna have a cuddle session at my house and use my TV because it’s bigger and better than yours, then don’t do it in my bed. Having other people lay down there is weird. Especially in clothes they sat on public transport with, it’s disgusting and weird. And no, you’re not allowed to—”
Taehyung kicks him in the back of his knee, shoves him out and slams the door in his face, locks clicking into place. Jeongguk snorts. Taehyung says Yoongi is the emotionally constipated one in their relationship, but at least Yoongi behaves that way towards everyone. Taehyung only acts this way with his friends.
The door opens and Taehyung likes his head out. “Do you have the tickets?”
Jeongguk nods. “In my wallet.”
Taehyung closes the door again, locks clicking into place.
He grabs his phone and texts don’t use my clothes!!
Taehyung replies with an irritating :)
He sighs.
The way to Seokjin’s house is short, but finding the flower shop he swears he’s passed by before takes too long, and he’s close to swearing by the time he gets to Seokjin’s house.
He grabs the lavenders and gets out, doesn’t bother to lock his car (because why would he when they’re going to drive to the event with his car?) and knocks on the door.
Seokjin opens the door quickly . . . all dressed up? In a tuxedo?
Despite his confusion, Jeongguk smiles, raising the arm with the lavenders to hold it close to his chest. “Hey, hyung.”
Seokjin smiles, but it’s subdued. “Hi, Jeonggukie. What are you doing here?”
Jeongguk compresses his lips, then quickly gets rid of the expression. Nerves grip at him now; it seemed like such a simple plan. “Hyung, I realized recently, um . . . I wanted to ask if— if it would be okay if . . . I want to date you!” He tightens his hold on the lavenders, plastic sheet and tissue paper crinkling, but still extends his arm to offer them.
Seokjin’s eyes widen, looking between the flowers and Jeongguk for a couple seconds, his gaze just not staying in one place long enough to give Jeongguk an answer, then he nods and licks his lips, hand slowly reaching up to the lavenders. “I . . . I want to know—”
“Hyung! Who’s there?”
Seokjin drops his hand and turns to look behind him, and Jeongguk beings his arm close to his chest again.
Someone comes to stand beside Seokjin, just as well dressed, and looks Jeongguk up and down. He smiles, revealing big dimples, and holds a hand out. “I’m Namjoon, Seokjin hyung’s valentine.”
Oh.
Wow, that hurts.
He shakes Namjoon’s hand, giving a small smile. Before he can introduce himself, Namjoon starts speaking again.
“You’re Jeongguk, right? Hyung talks about you sometimes, says you’re a good friend.”
Jeongguk nods. Right, he must have took too long to realize. Seokjin must have moved on. It’s probably why he’s been distant lately.
“Anyway,” he says, taking back his hand, “what are you doing here?”
“Ah.” Jeongguk glances at Seokjin, who’s looking at Namjoon, before dropping his gaze to the lavenders. “I wanted to give these to hyung, they’re his favourite. It’s a tradition.”
It’s not. The most they’ve done for each other on Valentine’s is help each other choose an outfit for their date or stay in and watch TV and order pizza. No flowers, no romance, no stuttered confessions, but idiot in love and oblivious motherfucker pining for each other in their own ways.
Namjoon’s smile just gets bigger. “That’s so cute! My friends either call me a loser or a poor soul, there’s no inbetween.” His smile flickers to one side before going back to the middle.
Jeongguk nods. “That sucks.” He really hopes he doesn’t sound disinterested because that would mean he’s either an ass or there’s something wrong. And absolutely nothing is wrong with him, and he is not an ass, despite what Taehyung would say. So, he opts out of this conversation because then he wouldn’t need to pretend to not be either. By leaving. “Well, I won’t interrupt your date any longer. I hope you guys have fun.” He smiles, gives the flowers to Seokjin, then goes back to his car.
The tickets burn a hole in his pocket, and he’s kind of afraid Seokjin will see the tickets despite them being folded in his pocket.
He finds himself tearing up when he passes by the burger joint they go to regularly, then grabs the week old water bottle when he stops at a red light. It’s disgusting and there’s nothing visible in there but Jeongguk’s pretty sure there’s an ecosystem already growing in there.
He coughs into his hand and gets going again when it turns green. He goes home and sees Taehyung and Yoongi giggling and whispering on the couch with a show playing on the TV, happy in their own little bubble.
“Hey,” he greets.
Taehyung and Yoongi turn around to look at him, and they get up right away.
“What went wrong?” Taehyung asks.
“He’s moved on already.” He takes the tickets out of his pocket. “Here, better if you guys use them instead.”
“Jeongguk . . .” Yoongi starts. “I don’t—”
“Don’t.”
“But—”
“I want to be alone. Please.”
Taehyung takes the tickets and hugs him. “We’ll get going. Call us if you need anything, okay? We’ll keep notifications on.”
He hums. Yoongi claps his shoulder and they get out without saying anything more.
Jeongguk sighs, turns the TV off, changes and goes to bed. He’s stupid for not realizing his feelings sooner, and he’s stupid for asking Seokjin on a date now. When he’s moved on. Or at the very least in the process of.
He doesn’t realize he feel asleep until he wakes up, doorbell buzzing like crazy. He groans and gets up, shuffling to the door. He probably has bedhead, he realizes.
Whatever.
But when he opens the door, he wishes he took a moment to look himself over and fix it, because he comes face to face with Seokjin.
Seokjin. Seokjin, now dressed down and holding lilies and standing at Jeongguk’s doorstep.
Jeongguk does the only thing that he can do right now: gape.
Although Seokjin looks— sad? Nervous? He must find Jeongguk’s expression funny because he starts laughing, then coughs to cover it up.
“What are you doing here?”
“Jeon Jeongguk,” he says, adjusting his stance to stand taller, shoulders back. He holds his hand out and smiles. “Would you like to go on a date with me?”
Jeongguk stands there for a couple seconds, looking at Seokjin, wondering if this is just a realistic dream, but it must have been longer than a couple seconds because Seokjin’s smile dims and he starts to retract his hand—
Jeongguk holds on to it. “What about Namjoon?”
“He’s just a friend. Little shit knows about my feelings for you and pulled that stunt to determine your feelings for himself.”
Jeongguk nods. “Then yes.”
Seokjin beams. “Follow me.”
He thinks he’d follow Seokjin to the end of the world.
Jeonggun giggles. “Let me change first.”