Archive of Our Own ^beta

Kim Taehyung grew up in a small town wherein almost everyone was familiar with one another, politicians were treated like celebrities and entertainers were considered as gods. There was one particular band that mystified almost everybody they came across, managing to reach a wide audience, reaching a point wherein more people began frequenting their small town, just to catch a glimpse of them.

Xeno, which was led by their front man and lead vocalist, Kim Seokjin, who gave real celebrities a run for their money with his dangerously handsome face, their drummer, Jungkook, who came across as a bad boy but secretly had a childish demeanor, Yoongi, their bassist, who had a cold and stoic exterior, but had the most glorious smile that could melt hearts, and lastly Hoseok, who was the lead guitarist, who stole hearts by simply making eye contact. They were easy on the eyes, and made amazing music which had the most impressive underlying meanings behind each track.

While majority of rock bands made music for ulterior motives, such as the cliché goal of sex, drugs and rock and roll, Xeno was vastly different. They were a group that created music because it was all they knew, their passion, their calling. If you were lucky enough to witness them perform in person, you could easily distinguish how they were starkly different from the rest.

One thing that connected the members, besides their love for music, was the fact that they all grew up from the same town, they paid tribute to the fact that they originated from a lesser known town by choosing to perform exclusively at local pubs and events, constantly turning down offers from bigger cities. It was their way of promoting their town and the local businesses within the vicinity.

Sure enough, the town’s population grew by a wide margin thanks to the band’s decision to only perform locally.

Taehyung and Jimin, both fresh graduates, decided to work for Jimin’s brother, Namjoon’s newly established bar, Mono, applying as bartenders. He met Jimin when they became classmates back in elementary school, and have been inseparable ever since. Wherever Taehyung went, Jimin followed, and vice versa. So it came as no surprise that after Jimin informed him that he would be working at his brother’s new bar after graduating to help his business, Taehyung made the decision to follow suit, it was a no brainer, really. Namjoon was grateful for the extra help, knowing next to nothing when it came to mixing and concocting alcoholic beverages, he left that aspect to Jimin and Taehyung, preferring to be more hands on with the financial portion of the business since that was his forte. He left the interior design decisions entirely up to Jimin, since that was the course he majored in, and let Taehyung pick out the potential line up of performers and anything related to the entertainment facet, since he had great taste in music, he trusted Taehyung’s judgement.

Namjoon was friends with one of the members of Xeno, Hoseok, or rather, if you’d ask Jimin about him, he would describe Hoseok as the man his brother has been not-so-secretly pining after since college, harboring the biggest crush Jimin has ever witnessed. Thanks to this, he managed to successfully book one of the most in-demand bands to perform in Mono for a month, enticing people to flock to the newly opened bar. Their first performance was scheduled on Mono’s opening night, which was in precisely three days, and Namjoon was a nervous wreck as he counted down the days until opening night, acting irrationally anxious as he double-checked every little thing on an hourly basis to ensure that everything was in order, slightly driving the people around him insane when his perfectionist side started jumping out, but his short-lived craziness paid off once opening night rolled out and so far, everything was going smoothly. The chefs were prepared to whip out orders, the bar was stocked, every spot was seamlessly clean, and the line outside was beginning to get unbelievably long. All in all, Namjoon could proudly claim that it was a successful opening, beyond what he initially expected.

After people were settled in their seats as both the kitchen staff, as well as the bartenders were struggling to prepare everyone’s orders on time, the lights dimmed down, as a single spotlight illuminated the stage, Namjoon shyly stepped out earning an overwhelming applause from the audience, he bowed before speaking up.

“Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to Mono. I’m grateful to have each one of you present for tonight’s opening, it means a lot to me. Now, I won’t prolong this more than I should, I know that you’re mainly here for one reason.”

Howls and screeches were heard from the audience as Namjoon paused to let them release their excitement before continuing his speech.

“Without further ado, give a round of applause to the most successful band in the city, Xeno!”

The crowd went ballistic as the curtains behind Namjoon started lifting up, revealing the four-member band, decked out in an all black attire, Hoseok started strumming a few chords which caused chaos within the audience.

Grabbing the microphone in front of him, as well as everyone’s attention, especially Taehyung’s, Seokjin started speaking. “Hi everyone, we’re Xeno, and it’s an honor to perform in front of all you lovely people tonight. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the music.”

As soon as the music started playing and Seokjin started singing, the audience went silent, lost in the music. Everything about how Seokjin sang was captivating to say the least, from his clear-cut articulation to his spine chilling pitch, it managed to enchant every single person in the room. Taehyung stood eerily still as he focused his attention to the man behind the microphone, almost as if he was the only other person who existed inside the huge venue, completely disregarding the rest of his pending orders. Much to his surprise, Seokjin looked back at him as he sang, and Taehyung could blame it on his exhaustion, but he could swear that he caught a small smile from Seokjin as he maintained eye contact. The trance was broken when Jimin elbowed him with a grimace, asking Taehyung to help him with the rest of the orders since there was way too much for one man to handle, Taehyung picked up where he left off, enjoying the music in the background even if he couldn’t witness it with his own eyes.

The orders seemed to never end, an influx of orders coming one after another, and by the time the orders seemed to slow down, giving both Taehyung and Jimin room to breathe, Xeno was down to their final song for the night. Taehyung took this opportunity to fully immerse himself in the song, producing a great admiration for Seokjin and the band for creating music that everyone seemed to love, himself included. As the song slowed down until it ended, the spotlight focused on Seokjin as he conducted his closing remarks.

“And that’s it for tonight, hope everyone enjoyed and thank you for joining us! You can look forward to new songs from us very soon. Goodnight guys! This was Xeno.” They bowed as a group before exiting the stage.

The crowd slowly dissipated as it was almost nearing closing time, only a handful of people finishing their orders remained. Taehyung made his way to the storage room located at the back to grab a new washcloth for the bar, when he unexpectedly ran into Seokjin who appeared to be getting ready to leave. He awkwardly stood idly, bringing himself to utter something, anything.

“Hi. Um, you guys were really great tonight. I’m a huge fan.”

Seokjin sent him a smirk, carefully eyeing Taehyung from the tip of his head, all the way down to the soles of his feet. “Oh? I’m honored then. Sorry, I don’t think I caught your name.”

“O-oh. It’s Taehyung, Kim Taehyung.” He muttered out, placing his hands inside the pockets of his apron since he had no clue on what he should do with them.

“Pretty name. Suits you. Guess I’ll be seeing you around more often. Goodnight, Taehyung.”

“G-goodnight.” Taehyung replied, as he watched Seokjin’s retreating figure move further and further away from him. On top of his attractive voice, he was outrageously handsome as well, Taehyung couldn’t help but swoon a little, like the rest of the city, already looking forward to running into Seokjin more often.

After a consecutive week of performing at Mono, their fans were in for a treat when they appeared on stage the following week with a brand new unreleased track. Taehyung hardly had any interactions with Seokjin except for their exchanged gazes whenever Seokjin would perform on stage, but other than that, they didn’t engage in any conversations.

“Tonight, we’re here to perform a new song, I actually just wrote it last week and Yoongi came up with the melody a few days ago, I hope you’ll enjoy this track as well. This is called Dimple.” Seokjin announced as the rest of the members started performing the opening part of the song.

You hide but only appear when you smile.

Where did you come from?

As always, Taehyung listened intently as his eyes focused on Seokjin and the emotions he was portraying as he soulfully sang in the middle of the stage, as Seokjin began mouthing the lyrics while glancing over at Taehyung, he couldn’t help but feel his heart constricting at the notion. He knew that he was most probably assuming things or completely falling prey to his delusions, but Taehyung couldn’t deny the butterflies he felt whenever Seokjin would direct his attention his way, and the lyrics seemed to be adding more fuel to his delusion.

Every time I see you, my heart gets dangerous.

Every time I see you, it gets more dangerous.

Oh baby no hey.

You’re too dangerous to live in this world.

Taehyung was completely distracted as he hung on to Seokjin’s every word, enraptured by the little moments where he would catch Seokjin staring back at him. The song ended before he knew it, concluding their performance for the night, followed by an ear piercing applause from the audience.

Once the bar was empty, Jimin and Taehyung were the only ones left as they were busy restocking the bar, Namjoon steadily approached them.

“Jimin, Taehyung, do you have any plans for tonight?” He asked.

They both looked at each in unison before Jimin answered. “Nope, not really. Why, what’s up, hyung?”

Rubbing the bottom part of his earlobe as he let out a nervous chuckle. “Well, the guys from Xeno wanted to have a few drinks and I was wondering if..”

“YES. The answer is yes.” Taehyung excitedly spoke out even before Namjoon could finish his question.

“Whoa, okay. You’re clearly a fan. I’ll let them know then. Why don’t you guys set up a table while you wait?” Namjoon suggested before heading backstage to inform the band.

“Oohh, someone’s going to get to spend time with his crush.” Jimin teased, sending Taehyung a knowing look.

Taehyung merely rolled his eyes as he grabbed a few glasses from behind the bar, carefully placing them on the table. “Whatever. He’s everyone’s crush, okay?”

“Not mine.” Jimin hummed, as he helped Taehyung by grabbing a new bucket of ice from the cooler.

“Well, you have weird taste in men. How could anyone not find that man attractive?” Looking at the endless selection of alcohol before him, Taehyung couldn’t decide which one to bring out, deciding that maybe it was better to wait for Namjoon and let him decide instead.

Jimin took a seat as he checked his reflection on the mirror, fixing his hair while he waited. “Excuse me for not wanting to join Seokjin’s long ass line of admirers.” He retorted, noticing how his brother was making his way back, followed by the band. He immediately shut his mouth, and so did Taehyung after he followed Jimin’s line of sight.

Taehyung could feel his breath hitch as soon as he noticed how Seokjin was dressed in casual attire, a crisp white shirt and black jeans, and he still managed to look like a god among men. To his bewilderment, they each picked out their seats, and Seokjin picked the vacant one next to Taehyung. He tried to not act as frozen as he felt, but couldn’t help it, he was nervous beyond comprehension, trying miserably hard to send panicked looks towards Jimin as if that would magically alleviate the distress he was feeling at the moment. Jimin was too preoccupied openly gaping at the band’s drummer, Jungkook, to actually notice any of Taehyung’s signals. Yoongi stood up and made his way around the bar, picking out a bottle of whiskey as his poison of choice for the night. Everyone around them started engaging in conversation, Namjoon and Hoseok were reliving the goid days of their youth, Jimin was busy eye fucking Jungkook from across the table, and Yoongi was a man on a mission, out to get plastered for the night, which left Seokjin and Taehyung who were dead silent in their corner.

“So, what did you think about the new song? Tell me your honest opinion on it.” Out of the blue, Seokjin spoke, breaking the silence.

Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Taehyung skeptically looked around to make sure that the question was directed at him. “It’s great, like your other songs. The melody’s catchy, and so are the lyrics. What inspired you to write it?”

Seokjin smiled as if he remembered an inside joke which only he was aware of. “Inspiration hit me when I least expected it to. Let’s leave it at that.” He handed one of the glasses located in the middle of the table to Taehyung, lifting his own as he prompted an abrupt toast. Taehyung lifted his glass and clinked it against Seokjin’s.

“To finding the meaning behind Xeno and new beginnings.” Seokjin proposed, Taehyung quizzically looked at him, not understanding what the toast was about, but chose to drink to it anyway.

The night passed quicker than they expected, everyone getting accustomed to one another. Seokjin and Taehyung ended up exchanging a few words in passing but never really engaging in a proper conversation. Taehyung, being a huge fan, didn’t really know which direction he should go and what conversation topics he should initiate, choosing to remain silent for majority of the night instead, he sometimes glanced over at Seokjin and would often catch him looking back before awkwardly turning to the other side.

“By the way, that song you unveiled tonight, it was really something.” Namjoon muttered to no one in particular.

Yoongi groaned as he explained. “Ugh, don’t remind me. Seokjin hyung rushed me to come up with a melody almost instantly, as if I just casually shit these melodies out. I can’t even begin to explain the migraines I got coming up with that damn melody.”

“It was worth it though. Wasn’t it, Taehyung?” When Taehyung realized that Seokjin’s statement was addressed to him, he was startled.

“Um, yes. I think so. The song is really great.” Taehyung meekly responded.

“See that, Yoongs. Trust. Hard work pays off.” Seokjin teased, chuckling when he noticed how annoyed Yoongi seemed by his remark.

“I’m actually working on a new song.” Seokjin announced, but it was too soft that only Taehyung was able to catch his words.

“Really? So soon? You’re talented, hyung.” Looking back at him, Taehyung gleefully stated in pure amazement.

“No, not really. Like I said, inspiration plays a big role, and right now, I’m really inspired. Honestly can’t remember the last time I’ve been so inspired.” Although he was trying to be subtle, his eyes flickered towards Taehyung, checking his reaction.

“Must be nice to suddenly feel so inspired. Better not let that inspiration get away.” Chuckling as he joked, not noticing Seokjin’s sullen expression.

“I’ll try. I really will.” Taehyung didn’t understand the meaning behind Seokjin’s words but nodded in agreement as silence made it’s way to them again.

After the bottle was nearly empty, Namjoon yawned out loud, calling it a night, telling Jimin and Taehyung to head home first and they could deal with the clutter the next day.

Taehyung laid in bed the night, briefly thinking about how surreal it was to actually meet Xeno, and have little conversations with Seokjin. Wondering what sort of inspiration appeared for him to be able to come up with lyrics in such a short amount of time. Drifting off the sleep as more thoughts of Seokjin came flooding in.

The next night, Seokjin announced that it was their last gig for the week, opting to take a couple of days off to work on their new single, Taehyung was selfishly disappointed since that meant he wouldn’t be able to see Seokjin for a couple of days, but like always, he enjoyed the rest of the performance for that night, singing along to almost every song.

As he was saying his closing remarks, one sentence stuck with Taehyung for the entire duration of the night. “Also, I appreciate you guys singing along. You inspire me more than you know.”

Taehyung’s delusional side was inclined to believe that those words could solely be directed towards him, but his rational side seemed to disagree, there were so many people in the bar, and Seokjin had countless admirers pining for him, of course he was talking about his fans and not just one fan in particular, shaking his head as he was trying to shake off every skeptical thought along with it. He carried on with his business, mixing drinks with little to no breaks in between. By the end of the night, his feet were killing him from standing around for hours.

Once his shift was over, Taehyung made sure that all the doors and windows were locked before closing the backdoor on his way out, eager to climb into bed and sleep. Right by the nearest lamppost, he noticed a figure resting one foot against the post, head looking down, but Taehyung would be able to recognize that silhouette anywhere, almost as if he heard Taehyung’s thoughts, Seokjin brought his head up to look at Taehyung, eyes meeting his as he gave him a small smile.

“Hyung? What are you still doing here at this hour? Didn’t you leave hours ago?” Startled as he jogged over to where Seokjin was standing.

“I did. But I decided to come back.”

Taehyung checked the time on his watch before responding. “At.. 4 in the morning? Why? Did you leave something inside?”

Seokjin shook his head. “No, it’s not that. Overheard that you were closing up tonight and it’s late.”

His eyes widened, confused by Seokjin’s statement, he remained silent, prompting Seokjin to elaborate further.

“So, I thought I’d walk you home.” Blurting it out like it was the most normal thing to do at 4 in the morning.

“Let me get this straight, you went home after your gig, came back and decided that you want to walk me home? At 4 in the morning?” Taehyung slowly reiterated, as if doing so would help clear some of the questions in his head.

Seokjin chuckled, realizing that he must have sounded crazy, or drunk, or something along those lines. “Yeah, guess I’ll always be an impulsive person. Just thought that it wouldn’t be safe for you to head home alone at such a late hour.”

“Impulsive indeed. But who’s going to walk you home at this late hour after you’re done walking me home?” Taehyung retorted.

Seokjin wasn’t sure if he was turned on by Taehyung’s unexpected response or if he should be humored by it. “I can fend for myself, I’ll be fine.”

“And I can’t?” Taehyung challenged, giggling at his sudden surge of confidence.

Seokjin was flabbergasted for a moment, was there a wrong and right answer to this? “I never said that. Damn, what’s a guy got to do around here, you’re starting to make me sweat. I just want to walk you home, Taehyung.”

His giggles turned into full blown laughter, the only sound that could be heard in the otherwise silent street, he decided to let Seokjin off the hook, not seeming to mind the company, if anything, he appreciated it. “Okay, okay. Make sure your fans don’t sneak into my apartment and plot my murder while I sleep.” He joked, walking towards the end of the street, he didn’t need to look back to know that Seokjin was following closely behind.

Seokjin picked up the pace, now walking side by side, occasionally bumping shoulders, Taehyung couldn’t deny the sparks it sent every time it occurred. “Why did you suddenly want to walk me home?” Taehyung couldn’t help but question out loud.

“Can’t I walk you home?”

Taehyung glanced back at him. “I never said that. I’m only asking why.”

Bemused as he returned Taehyung’s glance. “Just felt like it. I feel like we haven’t had a proper conversation.” It was a strange excuse and Seokjin knew it, but didn’t care either way since it was the truth.

Humming as he welcomed Seokjin’s response. “Funny how you thought of this at the wee hours of the morning.”

“Oh, I have a lot of thoughts during these ungodly hours.” Seokjin replied with a smirk. Taehyung wasn’t sure if he wanted to discover the implications behind that statement or not, deciding to change the subject instead.

“Your next gig at the club is next week, right? Looks like I won’t be seeing you around as much.”

Seokjin looked up at the sky, admiring how the night air provided just the right amount of cool wind, not too overbearing, as the skies made way to reveal a full moon. “Why? You going to miss me?”

Taehyung stopped in his tracks, Seokjin looked back at him and immediately broke into a fit of giggles brought by Taehyung’s stunned features. “No. I hardly even know you.” He was partially lying, he looked forward to seeing Seokjin perform on stage, it was the highlight of his day, but Seokjin didn’t need to know that.

“Then it looks like we’ll have to change that. Which direction are we headed to? Left or right?” Seokjin questioned as they reached an intersection splitting into two directions.

Taehyung took wide steps, advancing ahead of Seokjin as he turned right, they were five minutes away from his apartment building. “Change it how?” He responded after the moment seemed to swiftly drift by.

Seokjin began humming a familiar tune which Taehyung recognized almost instantly, it was the melody from their newest track, Dimple. “Let’s get to know each other better.”

The thing that perplexed Taehyung about Seokjin was that he never knew what to expect from the man, it seemed like he liked to do and say whatever he pleased, whenever he pleased, it was both terrifying and at the same time, completely fascinating. Taehyung envisioned him as someone who had an abundance of freedom, someone who enjoyed living on the edge. And his response was clearly something Taehyung would have never expected.

“You want to get to know me? Why? You’re this big rock star, why would you waste your time with somebody like me?” Taehyung had more confidence than this, but he was genuinely curious as to why.

“I’m a regular guy, just like you. Why wouldn’t I want to get to know you? You’ve piqued my interest, Taehyung.” Seokjin responded, placing both hands inside the pockets of his jacket. Taehyung couldn’t deny the attraction he felt for Seokjin, but he also couldn’t deny the fact that probably anyone with two working eyes also felt the same attraction towards the man, as much as it killed him to admit it, he was only one of them, a person lining up to steal a moment with Seokjin, and if a golden opportunity such as this one presented itself to him, he would be crazy to turn down the offer.

“Okay, then I’d like that. By the way, this is my stop. Thanks for walking me all the way home, I hope you get home safely as well. Goodnight.” He sent one last smile towards Seokjin before heading up the short set of steps leading into the building.

Seokjin watched him enter the building, feeling the sudden urge to pick up a pen and paper to jot his thoughts down, and that’s exactly what he ended up doing as soon as he headed home, up until the sun appeared.

The next day, Taehyung woke up after lunch, something he grew accustomed to since he started working night shifts at the bar, his sleeping schedule was a mess. In all honesty, he wasn’t really looking forward to coming in for work tonight, knowing that a certain band wouldn’t be there to perform, sighing as he carried on with his daily routine until it was time to head to Mono.

The bar had a huge crowd despite the absence of Xeno, garnering it's fair share of regular customers since opening night. Taehyung changed into his uniform before joining Jimin, who was already manning the bar by himself.

“Hey Min, busy night again, huh? Let me make the rest of the pending orders, you can relax for a bit.” Taehyung stated, grabbing a post it containing the rest of the unfinished orders. Jimin was about to accept Taehyung’s offer, when he noticed a familiar face steadily approaching the bar, smirking as he concluded that Taehyung was too preoccupied to notice. “Tae, looks like you’re in for a good night. I’ll be serving orders for a bit, tend the bar for me while I’m gone, okay?” He snickered to himself before grabbing a tray filled with drinks and heading away from the bar, Taehyung was measuring vodka before pouring it into an empty glass, trying to concentrate on this particular order when a husky voice that never failed to deliver goosebumps across his skin spoke up.

“Can I get a glass of.. whatever you suggest. Surprise me.”

Taehyung almost dropped the bottle he was holding, as he looked uo and spotted Seokjin sitting on one of the empty barstools located at the very corner of the bar, chin resting on his hand while he intently watched Taehyung. If looks could kill, Taehyung would be a goner by now. Seokjin was dressed down for the night, sporting a black shirt, tucked inside his ripped jeans, throwing a leather jacket on top of his outfit, still looking like the rock star that he was, albeit a bit more on the casual side, he was still impeccably stunning.

“Didn’t expect to see you here tonight. I’ll give you my special drink, hold on.” Taehyung tried to keep his voice as steady as possible, keeping the cool and composed demeanor even though his insides were a bubbling mess, he swiftly grabbed a few bottles and started mixing them in a martini glass, he could feel Seokjin’s gaze on him the entire time, adding more pressure than usual. He had to not fuck up this one drink and he could breathe normally again, suddenly realizing why Jimin hinted that he was in for a good night, but he was still surprised to see Seokjin at the bar, as a customer for tonight.

After his was done with creation, he proudly handed Seokjin a glass containing a light pink substance, and a slice of strawberry resting on the tip of the glass, thankful that it turned out okay even if he was going through the motions as he was creating it. Seokjin lifted the glass up to inspect it, swirling it around before bringing it to his mouth, tasting it. Taehyung patiently waited for a response, too nervous to start creating any other orders while he waited. Seokjin hummed in appreciation, smiling as he took another swig. “This is really good, Taehyung. What is this?”

The confidence made it’s way back to his system after receiving Seokjin’s seal of approval, shrugging as he answered. “It’s a secret. I’ll tell you what it’s called though, strawberry kisses.”

Amused as his ears perked up at this. “Interesting name. It’s sweet, and no wonder there’s a strawberry on top. I wonder though..” He leaned in closer to whisper. “Do your kisses taste like this?”

Taehyung could feel the heat creeping up his cheeks, he was used to receiving pick up lines and whatnot, but coming from someone as attractive as Seokjin, was an entirely different ballgame. The room was beginning to feel hot, as he could feel little beads of sweat trickling down his forehead, even if he was fully aware that the air conditioning was on full blast like always. It was another golden opportunity, and Taehyung decided to put his embarrassment aside and flirt back. He leaned in until he was in Seokjin’s close proximity to whisper in his ear, making sure that the other patrons nearby couldn’t hear what he was about to say. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” He turned back immediately, grabbing another list of orders which was placed by the bar, trying to ignore the hammering in his heart, that could easily be one of Taehyung’s top five courageous moments in his life, hoping that there wouldn’t be any consequences for it. It was thrilling to know that he still had it in him, that he could flirt back with just as much intensity, he happily resumed mixing drinks.

Meanwhile Seokjin sat there speechless, blankly staring at Taehyung’s retreating form, he looked so giddy, completely unaware of the fact that he created a mess out of Seokjin’s mind. He wasn’t expecting that answer from Taehyung.

Taehyung returned after sending out a few drink orders from customers who opted to be seated instead of hanging out by the bar, handing them out to the waiters nearby. “So, what brings you here tonight?” He casually asked, giving Seokjin another round of his special concoction, strawberry kisses.

“Cheers.” He suddenly raised the glass Taehyung handed him, puzzling Taehyung in the process since it was so unexpected. “Sorry. Uh, I’ve been writing since last night and thought that I could use a break. I meant to ask for water instead." Seokjin muttered out, seeming flustered with what just happened. Taehyung found it endearing instead, not wanting Seokjin to feel embarrassed by his blunder, he picked up a glass of water and raised it. “Cheers!” Chugging it down like it was alcohol. “Everyone needs a break sometimes, you won’t be able to create good music if you get too burnt out.”

Seokjin appreciated Taehyung’s efforts to let the atmosphere turn awkward. “What time can you get off tonight, Taehyung?”

Taehyung checked the time before answering. “Not for another couple of hours which will be..”

A loud voice chimed in from behind, interrupting their conversation. “Now. Taetae can get off now, I can manage this shift alone.” It was Jimin who was beaming, as he sent his friend a knowing look. Taehyung looked at him, brows furrowed, as he was silently asking Jimin if he lost his mind by suggesting something like that. Jimin squinted his eyes in response, signaling Taehyung that it was futile to go against his decision.

Seokjin looked at Jimin’s direction, seeking permission. “Does that mean I can borrow your friend for a bit tonight?”

“Please. By all means. He’s all yours. Isn’t that right, Tae?” He sent a wink, causing Taehyung to internally wallow in embarrassment. Jimin was being anything but subtle, he made a mental note to repay the favor someday. “Go on. Get out of here. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” He playfully shoved Taehyung out of the bar, laughing out loud while doing so.

“Well, then that doesn’t really leave me with a lot of options.” Taehyung sassily bit back, before resigning his fate and heading to the backroom to quickly change out of his uniform. It still bemused him as to why Seokjin enjoyed being around him, but he decided to just go along with it, it’s not like he didn’t enjoy spending time with him, as a fan, and maybe even as something more personal than that.

He came out of the backroom donning a simple white button down and a pair of beige trousers, grateful that he had the hindsight earlier this morning to pack decent clothing choices. He slicked one part of his hair, tucking it behind his ear, as he gradually made his way towards Seokjin. Seokjin noticed him approaching as he admired him from head to toe, not being subtle at all while doing so, making Taehyung slightly blush with the attention he was receiving. He let out a low whistle. “Wow. I think I’ve only seen you in your uniform and casual tees, not that you look any less amazing in them, but this, this is a sight for sore eyes.”

Taehyung giggled, trying to hide the blush that was beginning to form, as he shook his head, denying the compliments Seokjin was throwing at him. “What are you even talking about? Let’s just get out of here.” Bidding farewell to Jimin while he received a wink in response, along with Jimin mouthing the words go get that dick, which made Taehyung send him a menacing look in response to his inappropriate comment, hoping that Seokjin was too distracted to notice. He left the bar in a hurry, mortified at the possibility that Jimin might blurt something else out.

 The chilly night wind greeted them as soon as they exited the building, Taehyung wondered if the chills he was experiencing was due to the wind or something else, or rather, someone else. “So, now that you got me to play hooky at work, what are we going to do?”

“How about ramen? I feel like a warm bowl of ramen will do wonfers for my soul.” It was so random, much like the rest of Seokjin’s antics.

Bewildered that Seokjin literally dragged him out of work to have a bowl of ramen with him, it was crazy to say the least, but Taehyung couldn’t say he detested the idea. “I’m fine with anything, really. It’s kind of late though, do you know any ramen places that are still open at this hour?”

“Oh, didn’t I mention that I make a mean bowl of ramen? Probably the best one you’ll ever have in your life.”

Did Seokjin just invite him over to his place? Taehyung’s mind went blank at the mere idea of it, because ramen at a late hour meant another thing in Korea..

Seeing as how Taehyung was lost in thought, Seokjin quickly caught on, waving his hands to erase any funny ideas he could possibly be entertaining at the moment. “Don’t jump into any conclusions. I meant ramen, just ramen.”

Taehyung didn’t know if he was more relieved or disappointed, internally punishing himself because why would he even be disappointed in the first place? What was he even expecting?

“I wasn’t, don’t worry. Okay, lead the way.” He couldn’t brush the thought away, he jumped into conclusions over nothing, why would a famous musician see him romantically anyway? Taehyung felt silly for tooting his own horn.

Seokjin took notice of the glum state Taehyung was in, deciding to tease him to dispose of the gloomy atmosphere. “Hey, do you really hate spending time with me that much? I’ll have you know that I’m an excellent cook and I can be funny. Sometimes. It’s subjective.”

Taehyung widened his eyes at the realization that his feelings were being projected through his physical appearance again, he had a habit of being unintentionally too transparent at times. “No, no. It’s not that. It’s the total opposite, really.”

“Aha! So you do enjoy spending time with me? Jungkook has to pay up.”

A smile was starting to make it’s way across Taehyung’s features, he completely forgot about the fact that ten seconds ago he was kicking himself over nothing. “You made a bet on it?”

“Actually, no, we didn’t. Sorry, I have a weird habit of blurting out random things in an attempt to be funny when I’m feeling nervous.” Seokjin shyly admitted.

Taehyung couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You’re nervous? What could possibly make the great Kim Seokjin nervous? You’ve performed in front of thousands of people.”

“That’s the weird part, I’m used to people, big crowds, the pressure that comes with this job. I didn’t even think that I was capable of being nervous. But you, Taehyung, you make me nervous.”

Taehyung felt like he was drunk, intoxicated beyond comprehension, even though he hasn’t had a drop of alcohol since last week, because there was no way that this was really happening to him right now. This couldn’t be his reality.

The world seemed to fizzle in and out, Taehyung couldn’t focus on anything other than the fact that Seokjin simply blurted out that he, Kim Taehyung, makes him nervous. How could anything else matter at the moment?

“Sorry, was I being too honest? See, I’m so nervous that I’m blabbering things out.” Seeing as Taehyung hasn’t responded, Seokjin tried to salvage the situation while Taehyung continued walking, staring straight into nothing.

 “No, don’t apologize. I was clearly too stunned to speak, wasn’t expecting that. At all. Ever.” Thankfully as soon as he managed to come up with a reply, they reached Seokjin’s apartment which was surprisingly a couple of blocks away from the bar. It was a nice neighborhood, quiet, as Taehyung could only imagine that a private person such as Seokjin, seeks privacy as his topmost priority.

Seokjin led the way as Taehyung silently followed him, ascending up four flights of stairs, Seokjin punched in his code while Taehyung tried to distract himself by staring at the beige wallpaper which adorned the hallway, as soon as the door open, Seokjin glanced over to Taehyung, prompting him to enter first. The apartment was mainly composed of brown hues, white accents and furnitures filled the main living area, everything was spacious and neat, lots of open air. Taehyung could picture Seokjin writing lyrics over by the balcony connected to the living room, imagining that it must provide a great source of inspiration for him.

“Please make yourself at home. I’ll prepare my ramen ala Seokjin. Sit tight.” Seokjin mentioned before heading straight towards the kitchen to prepare the ingredients for their ramen, leaving Taehyung to freely wander around the apartment. Vinyl records were hung on the walls as decorative pieces, impressive state of the art speakers which were placed adjacent underneath a huge flat screen television, but what caught Taehyung’s eye the most were the framed lyrics. Handwritten notes, some containing doodles on the edges, these were probably the original lyrics to some of their songs, and Taehyung couldn’t help but feel blown away, he was probably the luckiest fan alive to be able to witness these precious pieces with his own eyes. Fragments of Seokjin’s thoughts were encompassed within those notes. It was surreal to get a glimpse of Seokjin’s mind as an artist and as a regular man, as Taehyung noticed several polaroid photographs pinned on a corkboard. Most of them were candid photos of Seokjin with the rest of the members from Xeno, it showed how close they really were.

The smell of ramen and marinated meat filled the air, footsteps making it’s way closer to where Taehyung was standing. “You doing okay? Be done in five minutes, it’ll be worth the wait, I promise.” It was sweet of Seokjin to check up on him, Taehyung assured him that it was fine, and that Seokjin should take his time. He gave Taehyung a small smile before heading back to where he came from. With his hands in his pockets, Taehyung continued to look around, the sheer curtains were moving around due to the wind coming from the balcony which was left slightly opened, curious as to how it looked outside, Taehyung decided to step out and see for himself, sliding the door open to reveal a modest space containing two chairs and a table in the center. Even if his apartment was located on the fourth floor, it still gave him a gorgeous view overlooking the vicinity, although it was dark, Taehyung could still see the city views from afar, along with a view of the street below, only illuminated by a few lit lamp posts. Taehyung could probably guess how Seokjin utilized this space in order to write lyrics whenever he was feeling inspired, it was serene out here, a good place to think and organize your thoughts. There were a few potted plants placed around the area which grew fresh vegetables, Taehyung would have never pegged Seokjin as the type who grew his own vegetables, but in all honesty, there was probably a lot he didn’t know about the musician.

“Taehyung?” It was Seokjin’s voice from inside the apartment calling out to him, and that was Taehyung’s cue to stop wandering around, he headed back into the apartment and was greeted by the sight of a impeccably set up dining table. Steam was rising from the bowls, with various side dishes in the middle of the table.

“I’m not going to claim that I made this ramen from scratch because then I would be lying. But it’s a combination of two of my favorite instant ramen along with added extras, and together, it’s life changing. You can take my word for it.” Seokjin proudly stated as he took a seat directly in front of Taehyung, waiting for him to get seated as well.

Taehyung pulled a chair, and took a seat, eyeing the feast before him, there were a few pieces of meat on top of the ramen, and if it tasted as good as it looked, then Taehyung was in for a treat. Rubbing his chopsticks together, he thanked Seokjin for the meal before diving in, eyes immediately widening after taking his first bite, humming praises to show his appreciation.

“Mind blowing, right? Told you.” Smirking before taking his first bite, Seokjin wanted to see Taehyung’s reaction first before digging in, relieved to see Taehyung enjoying the meal he prepared.

“Did you put drugs in this?? Why does it taste so good?” Taehyung spoke in between huge mouthfuls, chewing elatedly.

Finding Taehyung’s reaction amusing, Seokjin began chuckling. “Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t. Maybe it’s just the Seokjin effect. Wanna know the secret ingredient?”

Taehyung diligently leaned in, almost as if he was about to be let in on a big secret shared between the both of them, hanging on to Seokjin’s every word.

“It’s love.” Seokjin whispered into his ear. It was cheesy and cliché, and a number of other things Taehyung usually detested, maybe it was due to the low timbre from Seokjin’s voice, or due to the close proximity between them, giving Taehyung an opportunity to get a whiff of Seokjin’s woody scent which left him dizzy, but in that moment Taehyung could swear that the sparks he felt between them were almost palpable enough to be seen. It was that evident.

Seokjin leaned back, picking up the chopsticks he neatly placed on top of his bowl to resume eating, like he didn’t just leave Taehyung’s mind numb, a wicked grin formed on his face, he was almost at the brink of giggling, clearly satisfied with the answer he gave Taehyung.

Taehyung leaned back as well, putting his utmost efforts into regaining his composure as he tried to hide the very obvious fact that he was almost in shambles. He has always been attracted to Seokjin, but so were about 90% of the city, and then some. But this interaction pretty much shut down every single doubt he had that this would be purely physical attraction and nothing more, instead it solidified the fact that it was so much more than that.

“Was what I said not amusing? You look dazed, everything okay?” Seokjin asked.

“Huh? Oh. I’m fine. How’s the new song coming along?” Taehyung made a quick attempt to briskly change the subject.

It seemed to work somehow. “Hmm. It’s a work in progress. I have a few lines in mind already, you’ll hear it next week if I manage to annoy Yoongi enough to make a melody for me.” He said with a small chuckle.

“What’s it about, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Seokjin seemed to be deep in thought as he contemplated on how he should respond, pursing his lips. “A crush.”

Taehyung looked down in disappointment, the feeling kept on creeping back up no matter how hard he tried to dismiss it. It wasn’t a surprise that Seokjin was most probably seeing somebody, after all, it unfortunately came with the lifestyle. But to have a harsh reminder shoved in front of his face really sucked, and it sucked big time.

“Earth to Taehyung?” Seokjin called out, bringing Taehyung’s attention to the man in front of him as he continued to wave his hands to regain his attention back.

“Sorry. I keep on spacing out.” Taehyung muttered out his apologies.

“Thought I lost you there for a second.” Seokjin exclaimed with a snicker. “And it’s okay, I space out a lot too. Especially when I’m on stage. I wonder though, what goes on inside that pretty little head of yours?”

“I wouldn’t really associate myself with the word pretty but..”

“No. But you are pretty, Taehyung. Pretty, pretty, pretty. No buts.” Seokjin interjected, Taehyung couldn’t find a proper response for a rebuttal so he quietly accepted the compliment.

Seokjin’s phone started ringing, he groaned as soon as he checked the caller id, mouthing an apology to Taehyung before accepting the call. “Yes? Right now? Uh, sorta, but do I even have a choice? Thought so. Okay, I’ll be there.”

Taehyung unintentionally listened in, his heart sinking as soon as he overheard that his night with Seokjin was about to come to an abrupt end. Seokjin had no obligations to him whatsoever, but it wasn’t like he was capable of controlling his emotions, he simply felt what he felt.

Seokjin got off the call, already looking somber as he spoke. “Taehyung..”

“Yeah, it’s okay. I kind of overheard. I don’t mind, really. I’ll just head home.”

“No, no. At least let me drive you home, it’s late.” Seokjin offered, already picking up his car keys which were hung along with a dozen other keys.

“You drive? Sorry, I wasn’t expecting it since you seem to be constantly walking around.” Taehyung mentioned with a giggle.

“Walks take longer, that’s why I like walking whenever I’m with you. Sorry about this, I’ll make it up to you.” Gathering his belongings, Seokjin headed towards the door to wait for Taehyung. Seokjin’s words left him stunned yet again, but he didn’t have time to space out and dwell on it now, he’d find the time to do so in the confines of his own apartment, he hurriedly followed Seokjin out.

Before stepping inside the car, Taehyung was taken aback by Seokjin’s arm which he casually placed around Taehyung’s shoulders. “Sorry, dog poop, wouldn’t want you to head home literally smelling like shit.” As he positioned Taehyung to the opposite side in order to avoid stepping on it. Taehyung knew that he shouldn’t give in to his delusions but based on the way his heart was throbbing at the mere touch, it wasn’t going to be an easy feat. Seokjin held the door open, waiting for Taehyung to settle in inside before closing the door for him and heading around the car to enter the driver’s seat. How could Taehyung not swoon over how much of a gentleman Seokjin was? He found himself sinking in his seat, jumping a bit once Seokjin slammed his door shut, and the realization that they were in a compressed space, with only a few meters between them, dawned upon him. A car ride shouldn’t be this nerve wracking, he would be home in less than five minutes due to the lack of traffic and absence of vehicles.

He avoided Seokjin’s direction and resorted to staring out the car window.

Oh, Pretty, pretty, pretty.

Seokjin started to softly sing a song with an unfamiliar tune but the words were still so fresh on Taehyung’s mind, he stopped himself from feeding into his delusions further.

Before he knew it, he was back in front of his apartment building, he looked back at Seokjin after taking out his seatbelt. “Thank you for the ride home. Take care. And I hope the song goes well.”

“Thanks for sparing me some of your time. I enjoy these moments with you, Taehyung. Just thought you should know. Goodnight.” He remarked with a somewhat sad smile, as Taehyung stepped out of the vehicle, waving goodbye one last time before heading inside.

As soon as he stepped into his apartment, he placed a hand above his chest, feeling the irregular beats against his hand. Seokjin clearly had no idea how his words affected Taehyung, how these unembellished words made a permanent impression on Taehyung.

That night, Taehyung hardly slept a wink, replaying Seokjin’s words in his head over and over again until he could practically recite them by heart.

A week passed by with no signs of Seokjin, and the day Taehyung has been eagerly waiting for has finally arrived, Friday, the day Xeno was scheduled to hold a performance. He came to work earlier than usual, couldn’t shake the jitters off, he missed Seokjin which was honestly a little crazy, considering how he hardly knew him but yearned for his presence. In his eyes, he was a lucky fan, who got the chance to hang out with one of the most sought after artists in Korea, considering himself an acquaintance might even be pushing things too far. The more time he spent with Seokjin, the more he felt himself feeling things. He felt delirious but elated, it was hard to point out which feeling managed to win out more. And the words Seokjin threw his way wasn’t helping him at all. It was giving him false hope, false hope which he wanted to hold on to.

The lights dimmed, indicating that the show was about to start, loud roars from screaming fan girls awakened the bar, bringing life to it. Heels clicking against the wooden floorboard could be heard as the members of Xeno slowly stepped out one by one, the crowd went even more ballistic, screaming each member’s name. With bated breath, Taehyung’s eyes searched for one particular man, as soon as their eyes met, the sparks were reignited, Seokjin’s smile was bright enough to illuminate the entire club.

“We’re back. Did you miss us?” Seokjin spoke into the microphone, the screeches he received in return were deafening.

“And we have a new song again. You’re probably wondering, how do we come up with these songs so quickly, right? Well, if you’re inspired, you’re inspired. That’s all there is to it. As an artist, I think I’ve found my muse.” The crowd grew silent compared to earlier as the music started playing.

Look at my eyes, my jokes aren’t serious.

Saying this is so hard, I like you.

Taehyung listened to the lyrics intently, drowning out the rest of the unnecessary noise coming from the crowd, focusing on Seokjin’s vocals instead.

I take a big gulp and say, “cheers instead of water.”

I’m not even drunk but I pretend to be drunk and act cute.

Why did that line sound oddly familiar? Taehyung had the brush the thought away to maintain his focus on the rest of the lyrics.

Oh pretty, pretty, pretty.

To me it’s only you, only you.

As the song ended, Taehyung had mixed feelings about it. It was a great song as usual, but it was also a love song intended for someone, his demeanor visibly changed, downcast as he tried to concentrate on the long list of orders waiting to be made. He couldn’t help but wonder who the song was written for, who Seokjin’s muse was. And how much he envied someone he didn’t even know. Jimin noticed the state Taehyung was in, even going out of his way to offer taking over his shift so he could go home and rest, which he politely refused, reassuring Jimin that he was fine, whether or not Jimin believed him or saw through him, he eventually relented, bringing his attention back to their long list of pending orders. The bar was packed, which meant that the incoming orders were seemingly endless, and by the time they reached closing time, they were exhausted, slumping against the counter.

“Oh my god, is it finally over??? I feel like my legs died an hour ago.” Jimin exclaimed, tugging off his apron and throwing it on the ground. When he heard no response from Taehyung, he made his way closer towards him, concern written all over his face. “Taetae, are you okay? What’s wrong? You’ve been quiet the entire time.” Carefully taking Taehyung’s face in between both hands, thoroughly inspecting his features.

“Nothing. I’m being stupid. It’s dumb, really.”

“If it matters to you, then it’s not dumb. Spill.” He urged Taehyung to tell him what was wrong and Taehyung knew that there was no way around a stern Jimin who was adamant to get answers out of him. He sighed. “I’m jealous.”

“Of what? Or who?” Jimin probed further.

“I don’t even know. Whoever that song was written for! I told you it was dumb. We’re not even.. anything. Why am I jealous? Why do I keep on overthinking?” The harsh reality was a tough pill to swallow, but it felt better to let someone in on his thoughts, and if there was anyone who would listen to his rants without any judgements, it would be Jimin.

“Seokjin?” He wanted to confirm things first.

Taehyung nodded his head. “I think... I like him. But at this point, who doesn’t?”

Jimin couldn’t say he was surprised, he just didn’t think that things were accelerating at an alarming rate. “Have you told him?”

Taehyung scoffed at that. “Of course not. Why would I? He’ll probably thank me for being a supportive fan.”

“Do you really think that Seokjin’s that type of guy? Because I don’t think you would end up liking someone like that, honestly.”

Jimin was right. Of course he was right. Taehyung was too scared and too proud to admit it.

“…No I don’t. See. I’m not even making any sense right now.”

“Tae, go home for tonight. Just.. think about things, okay? Things happen for a reason, whatever it may be.”

He decided to follow Jimin’s advice for once and call it a night, he headed straight home, not even bothering to change out of his work clothes. He was physically exhausted and emotionally drained.

Taehyung tried to find sleep but sleep was nowhere to be found, he continued to shift into various sleeping positions, trying to find the most comfortable one and gave up after staring at the ceiling for an hour straight. He wasn’t a heavy drinker by any means, but was suddenly craving for some alcohol in his system. As soon as he opened the refrigerator door and finding zero traces of alcohol, he groaned, grabbing the nearest hoodie he could find, along with the keys to his apartment. Thankfully, the closest convenience store was only two blocks away, maybe the brisk walk would help him clear his mind.

He nearly shrieked, which would probably have woken up his entire building, a man was hunched over, sitting on the front steps leading up to his apartment building. He felt his heart leap up to his throat when he suddenly recognized who it was.

“Seokjin? Is that you?”

He instantly turned around, visibly glad to see Taehyung, he stood up brushing the excess dirt from his jeans.

“Taehyung! I thought I wouldn’t get to see you tonight.”

Taking in his appearance, he was still wearing the same attire he wore while performing. “What are you doing here? It’s nearly 3 a.m. How long have you been sitting out here? Aren’t you cold?”

“Whoa. Slow down. I think an hour? Or two? Give or take. And yes, I’m freezing. Can I hug you?”

“Wait, what??? An hour or two?? Why didn’t you call me?” Taehyung ignored the last part of Seokjin’s statement since he was still trying to process why Seokjin would wait outside his apartment building at this unholy hour for two hours.

“I didn’t have your number. Also, I didn’t know where you lived exactly.” Seokjin said with a small chuckle, Taehyung couldn’t for the life of him understand how he could still manage to smile after enduring all that.

“And you couldn’t ask Jimin? Or even Namjoon hyung?”

Seokjin’s mouth formed a small o, suddenly realizing that he could have done that instead of wasting time waiting with no real assurance if Taehyung would even come out of his building tonight.

“Now that you mention it, you’re right. I think I realized that I should have asked for your number when I was halfway on my way here, I sorta sprinted here once I heard that you headed home, and I realized waaay later on that I didn’t even know which unit or floor you lived in. So I took my chances and waited out here. Looks like luck was on my side tonight.”

“I mean this in the nicest way possible, but you’re fucking insane, do you know that?” A smile creeping up his face but his words holding no real malice, Seokjin baffled him.

“Can you curse again? Sorry, that was sexy.” Seokjin replied, stunning Taehyung yet again.

“…Follow me. You’ll freeze to death if we continue talking out here.” Taehyung headed inside the building, glancing behind him every few seconds to ensure that Seokjin was trailing behind.

Taehyung led Seokjin into his apartment, grateful that he managed to clean up earlier today. “Make yourself at home. I would offer you coffee or beer but I don’t have any, how does hot chocolate sound?”

“Hot choco sounds amazing. Thank you.” Seokjin responded with a smile, leisurely sauntering around Taehyung’s apartment, inspecting the objects around him, it was his way of getting to know Taehyung better. There was a huge framed photo of Taehyung with Jimin during their graduation, Seokjin smiled as he noticed the proud smiles on their faces, next to it was a collection of old but classic movies, arranged by alphabetical order. Every piece in the apartment was so distinguishably Taehyung, he’s been observing him for quite some time and although they rarely engaged in conversations, Seokjin had a pretty good grasp on what sort of things he was potentially interested in.

Taehyung returned with two cups of hot chocolate, carefully placing them down on top of his small coffee table. “Drink it while it’s still hot, it’ll warm you up.” Taehyung instructed, they drank their hot chocolate in silence.

“Um, so, why were you waiting for me? Did something happen?”

“No. Just wanted to see you.”

He stared at Seokjin in incredulity. It didn’t even make sense. “You waited for two hours, in the cold, at 3 in the morning, just because you wanted to see me? But you saw me earlier.”

“I know. It wasn’t enough, needed to see you again.” Seokjin replied, his response not really providing enough answers for Taehyung.

“Why?” Taehyung warily voiced out his thoughts, wondering out loud.

“Because why not?”

They were going in circles and Taehyung was growing frustrated, his patience slowly running thin. “Seokjin, your answers keep on confusing me further now will you please just..”

“Because I wanted to see you, Taehyung. Because I always want to see you. Do I need to go into a deep and detailed explanation regarding this?” Seokjin interrupted, and this time, his answer was concise enough to completely shut Taehyung up.

“I still don’t understand..”

“Did you listen to our new song earlier?” Seokjin suddenly questioned, giving Taehyung more questions than answers.

“Yeah, I did. You know I was at work tonight.”

“No Taehyung, did you really listen to it? To the lyrics?” He continued to give emphasis to his question.

“Yeah, but..”

“What’s it about?” Seokjin’s gaze was intense, more intense than Taehyung has ever experienced so far. He felt inclined to answer.

“About liking someone?”

“It’s about liking someone so damn much to the point wherein you can no longer act or think properly. It’s like you forget how to function because your brain is overridden by your emotions.” Seokjin patiently explained, hands clasped against one another as one of his knees kept bouncing up and down. “That’s me now. That’s why I wrote that song.”

“Oh, then whoever you wrote it for must be a lucky..”

Seokjin interrupted him midway through, not allowing Taehyung to finish his sentence. “It’s about you. It’s for you. It’s you, Taehyung.”

He continued. “You know what Xeno stands for? It’s a random moment shared between strangers, however brief it may be, it still contains powerful emotional effects. I think that’s how it happened between us, one glance was all it took for me to realize that you were different. Maybe we’re not even on the same page and I’m embarrassing myself further by saying all these things, but it’s the truth. This is how I feel about you. The last two songs? They were written for you.”

The world must have stopped rotating on it’s axis, halting to a complete standstill, Taehyung, although seated, felt like he would fall over at any given moment. This couldn’t be happening, yet it was, and he needed to recuperate and allow his brain to absorb everything. “What?” He shakily muttered out.

“I like you, Taehyung. It might be too soon or too sudden, but I’m the type of person who knows what he wants, and I want you.” Seokjin replied, inching closer to Taehyung but still maintaining an ample amount of distance to not let him feel like he was invading his space.

“W-why?”

Seokjin giggled. “You have a strange habit of asking why a lot, don’t you? I’ll just keep on answering you with why not.”

“It’s just that you have thousands of girls lining up for you, bending over backwards just to get your attention, and I’m just.. me.” Taehyung couldn’t help his insecurities from crawling out of the surface.

Squinting his eyes, he shot Taehyung a stern look. “They can line up all the want, but at the end of the day, you’re the one that I want, can’t you see that, Taehyung? You never fail to leave me breathless. Sometimes when I’m performing on stage, I momentarily get distracted by your presence, I forget why I was standing there in the first place.”

“Are you sure about this? What if I’m not what you expected and you end up getting disappointed?” Taehyung questioned.

“Go on a date with me. Also, I have zero expectations, you won’t disappoint me. I like you for you, it’s really that simple.”

“A date?”

“Tomorrow. I’ll pick you up. Give me a chance to show you how serious I am about you.” Taehyung could only nod in response. “It’s getting late, I’ll see you tomorrow. Sweet dreams, Taehyung.” Seokjin gave him one last smile before exiting the apartment, while Taehyung remained glued to the couch, wondering what the hell just happened.

The next day Taehyung woke up a little over lunch time, slightly in a state of panic since Seokjin didn’t specify what time he would come over to pick Taehyung up. He hopped out of bed and headed straight to the bathroom to get ready, just in case. Staring at his closet for a good ten minutes, he finally decided on a pretty floral patterned dress shirt and plain brown trousers. Even going as far as tousling his hair and adding on light make up to conceal the bags under his eyes and give his skin a natural glow. Now all he had to do was patiently wait for Seokjin to arrive, which was honestly probably the hardest part, Taehyung was so nervous, pacing around his apartment as he tried to get rid of the nerves. Seokjin came by a little past 4 o’clock, clutching a bouquet containing a wide assortment of flowers, making Taehyung gush at the thoughtful gesture.

“Hi. Have you been waiting long? You know, I realized last night that I still don’t have your number and I didn’t even tell you what time I would be picking you up, guess I got too excited that it slipped my mind.”

“Don’t worry, this bouquet makes up for it.” Taehyung stated, placing the bouquet in a vase filled with water, also, he didn’t mind waiting around for Seokjin but decided to keep that last tidbit to himself.

“You ready? It’ll take us an hour to get there and we need to arrive before 5:30.” Seokjin failed to mention where they were headed or what they were about to do, but Taehyung went along with it.

The car ride was composed of the both of them taking turns picking out a song and singing along to it, along with endless giggles. Seokjin discovered that Taehyung’s singing voice was just as captivating as the one he usually uses when speaking, he found himself being smitten once again.

They parked at a parking lot designated for helicopters, and Taehyung’s confusion became apparent since he had no clue as to what they were even doing there, he simply followed Seokjin until they were standing in front of a helicopter.

“What are you waiting for? Hop in!” Seokjin casually said, while Taehyung continued to openly gape at him. “We’re getting in there? We’re riding a freaking helicopter for our date??”

Seokjin chuckled, shaking his head. “No, silly. We’re only riding one that’ll take us to our date.” Stunning Taehyung even further, he suddenly felt like he picked out the wrong attire for their date. Seokjin got in first, offering his hand out to help pull Taehyung in, as soon as they were preparing to take off, Taehyung was visibly shaking, his fear of heights taking over. Seokjin immediately noticed his apprehension, he calmly took Taehyung’s free hand in his, rubbing soothing circles around it, providing a subtle assurance for Taehyung that he was there with him. Without giving it too much thought as he was too preoccupied battling against his fear of heights, Taehyung intertwined his fingers against Seokjin’s, clasping on to it tight. Throughout the ride to their destination, Taehyung was too scared to admire the view, but when the pilot announced that they would be arriving shortly, he mustered up his courage and looked out the window, his breath leaving his lungs at the sight in front of him, he could see a paramount view of the city below, and it left him in awe, quickly disposing of his fear of heights.

“Look! It’s gorgeous!!!!” Taehyung exclaimed, tugging on Seokjin’s arm to get him to look at the view he was admiring.

“Yeah, but not as gorgeous as the view in front of me.” Seokjin softly spoke out, gaze focused solely on Taehyung. Seokjin’s words distracted him, making him forget that he was thousands of feet up in the air as he stared back at those beautiful brown hues. The moment was broken by another announcement, declaring that they would be landing soon, they fastened their seatbelts as they prepared themselves for landing.

The helicopter landed on top of the highest building in the city, smoothly parking on the helipad. Seokjin stepped out first, and continued to hold onto Taehyung’s hand, carefully helping him get off the helicopter safely. He was greeted by the sight of flower petals scattered all around a modest table set up with candles situated on top of the silk table cover, they were about to have their first date on top of the highest building in the city, Taehyung was blown away.

“Seokjin! Isn’t this too much?”

“Nope. You deserve the best of the best, Taehyung. Don’t worry, the surprise isn’t over, why don’t we get started on appetizers while we wait.” Seokjin strode towards the table, pulling Taehyung’s chair out first, still being the gentleman that he was.

Taehyung was still in a daze, noticing how Seokjin kept on glancing on his watch. “Close your eyes. Don’t peek, okay?” Seokjin suddenly instructed, Taehyung did as he was told, heart drumming against his chest.

“3, 2, 1. Open them.”

Taehyung opened his eyes to discover a makeshift stage with Seokjin behind a microphone, as the sun started to set in the background, the sky quickly changing into the prettiest pastel hues.

“I wrote another song, the lyrics convey the words I’m too embarrassed to say out loud. Taehyung-ah, I really like you, I hope the lyrics manage to get that point across.” He sent a small smile as music started playing.

I’d hold your hand and soak up the sun.

It’s not over yet, in the middle of a beautiful night.

I’ll confess to you, with the moon as our light.

Taehyung listened to each and every word, but this time, the lyrics gave him a different feeling, this time, he was certain that each line was written for him, no more insecurities holding him down.

Just one day, if I could be with you.

Just one day, if I could hold your hands.

If only we can be together.

The song slowed down until the music faded into the background, Taehyung was finally convinced that Seokjin was really into him, that his feelings would be reciprocated, he sprinted over to where Seokjin was standing, steeling his nerves as he casually placed both arms around Seokjin’s neck, something he’s been meaning to do for a while now.

“I like you too. Probably more than you like me. I’ve liked you for a while but I wasn’t sure if I should tell you, but I’m telling you now, I like you, Kim Seokjin.” Seokjin placed his forehead against Taehyung, closing the distance between them. “Not possible. I’ve written three songs about you, Taehyung. Three. What makes you think that you’re more into me?” He teased, Taehyung teasingly scoffed in response. “That’s because I can’t write lyrics, trust me that if I could, I would have produced an entire album about you by now.” Seokjin giggled, placing a tender kiss on the tip of Taehyung’s nose, catching him by surprise. “I’m sorry, but can I kiss you now? I’ve been meaning to since the first night I saw you. It’s been heavy on my mind since then.”

And Taehyung didn’t need any more convincing, his heart recognized what it wanted, and that was Seokjin, here and now, as he slowly connected their lips, feeling weightless, like a speck of dust floating across the sky, but most importantly, he felt wanted, needed, like how the earth needed the sun, Seokjin was his earth, and Taehyung was more than willing to become Seokjin’s sun.

As the hazy daytime skies welcomed the vast darkness of the nighttime, Taehyung freely welcomed Seokjin as a permanent fixture in his life, it was the beginning of something life-changing.

Every heart has it’s own personal melody, and Taehyung thinks Seokjin conducted the melody behind his.

End.