Work Text:
It starts with a shy smile.
It’s been a week since Taehyung started his new job, started his new commute, and started exchanging surreptitious glances with the guy with bright doe eyes and cherub lips on the train.
This morning, a student with headphones blaring is absolutely eyes-closed rocking out to “That That”, barely contained fingers clearly itching to do the signature moves of the catchy song.
Taehyung lets out a small chuff of air in quiet amusement, eyes flickering to Mr Doe Eyes who gives a small smile back at him, his fingers sticking out to replicate a tiny version of the song’s dance moves. They share a muted chuckle together at that.
The train arrives at the downtown terminus shortly after and the usual crush of bodies rushes to disembark, breaking their connection.
Taehyung follows the throng down to street level, waits at the cross walk, and continues the short walk to his office building, taking note unconsciously (as he’s seemed to do this past week) of where Mr Doe Eyes is ahead of him in the mass of people. What’s different today, though, is that just as the handsome stranger is about to turn the corner that divides their shared walk, he looks back at Taehyung, gives a brief nod and another gentle smile, before continuing on his way.
Taehyung feels his heart swell in his chest, leaving him quietly beaming for the rest of his walk.
*****
Taehyung is running late today.
A power outage had caused his alarm not to go off and his coffee machine’s preset timer to be cancelled, and it was as if all life’s little inconveniences had conspired against him while he was rushing around his apartment trying to get ready in the shortened time span.
He’d still barely made his usual train though, so at least his morning is buoyed by his sighting of Mr Doe Eyes who looks at him this morning with a curious tilt to his head.
Taehyung huffs a sigh, smiles at the stranger and gives a little shrug as if to say “C’est la vie,” and Mr Doe Eyes gives a gentle smile back with a slight nod in understanding.
The train continues to amble along to its destination, the carriage quiet save for the murmur of the high school girls whispering secrets together in the corner; the disjointed, staccato start of a spring shower of rain; and the gentle, rhythmic click-clacking of the wheels beneath them.
At the last stop, Taehyung exits the train with the throng, and starts to feel around his messenger bag for his small collapsible umbrella as he takes the escalator down to street level.
He freezes as he remembers that he’d had to discard the umbrella when its thin metal arms had snapped in the last storm. He lets out a groan as he hears the rain today starting to pick up pace, becoming a steady drumming against the train station windows.
As he stands at the uncovered crosswalk, using his canvas messenger bag as possibly the worst umbrella substitute, he feels a body push closer, hears the telltale sounds of an umbrella opening, and notices the rain has now stopped pitter-pattering on his shoulders.
“You’re having a morning, huh?”
Taehyung’s heart gives a start at the melodious voice coming from none other than Mr Doe Eyes himself. He trips over his words in reply, “Y-you could say that.”
The signal changes and they cross the road, continuing on their shared walk, the stranger staying close to Taehyung as he shields them both with his umbrella.
“Thank you for this. I’m Taehyung.” he offers.
“Jungkook.” Taehyung receives in reply, his bones warmed by the smile he can hear in the soft voice.
They continue on and rather than take the turn that usually separates them, Jungkook walks on with Taehyung, quietly resisting when Taehyung suggests he should go his own way, “It’s nothing.”
“Thanks again.” Taehyung says later after Jungkook has escorted him to his building. “See you tomorrow?”
Jungkook gives a small smile and a nod before turning on his heel and hurrying to his own workplace.
*****
Over the next week, Taehyung learns more about Jungkook in starts and stops over hushed conversations on the train and on their short walk to their office buildings.
Jungkook is 25 and is a graphic designer for a small magazine. He likes the rain, prefers public transit over driving, and thinks Taehyung should try the new poke bowl place that’s opened up by their offices when he gets a chance.
Taehyung in turn tells Jungkook that he is 27 and an architect. He likes the rain but prefers the snow, would ride his bike everywhere if he could, and tells Jungkook about this hole-in-the-wall mom-and-pop fried chicken place he’d stumbled upon one lunch time.
Slowly, Taehyung starts to feel a gentle hope blooming in his chest. He may not know much about the quiet younger man, but he can’t wait to find out.
*****
The Monday a few weeks after Jungkook shared his umbrella with him, Taehyung is disappointed to see that the other is not there on the train.
Monday without Jungkook becomes Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday without Jungkook and Taehyung starts to worry about his new…acquaintance? Friend? He’s not quite sure what they are just yet, but they aren’t far along enough in their budding friendship to exchange phone numbers, so Taehyung is left wondering about the myriad of possible reasons for Jungkook’s absence.
What if he’s sick with no one to look after him? What if he’s been hurt? What if he’s moved cities but didn’t feel close enough to Taehyung to share that information with him before he left?
With each possibility and each passing day, Taehyung feels like a small stone drops in his heart, slowly dampening the hope that had started to build there.
By Friday, Taehyung’s gaze is glued to his phone like every other person on the train, grimace deepening with every swipe of the doom scroll his commute has sadly become.
The body seated to his right alights the train and he feels another one squeeze in immediately.
“What’s new on Reddit, hyung?”
Taehyung’s heart skips a beat at that same melodious voice he’s been missing for the past week, not only coming from directly next to him, but also finally calling him “hyung” as he’s been asking Jungkook to do for weeks.
“Y-you!”
Taehyung forgets himself and the fact that they’ve never touched for a moment, and his hand instantly goes to Jungkook’s forehead to check for a fever, his hands then running down his arms (hello, surprise biceps hidden under smart sweaters!) to check that Jungkook is all there.
“Where have you been??” he asks abruptly, barely remembering to quiet himself in the hush of the train.
“I-“ Jungkook starts, gaping at Taehyung, eyes darting to the hands that are still lying on his arms which Taehyung hurriedly removes as soon as he notices.
“I’m sorry,” Taehyung says, his eyes quickly closing shut in embarrassment.
“No, don’t be,” Jungkook replies, his fingers brushing feather-light over the blush on Taehyung’s cheeks. “I’m sorry for making you worry, hyung.”
“Well,” Taehyung prompts softly after a beat, head still abashedly dropped, “where were you?”
Jungkook sighs and gives a wince, “I was let go. Or I guess we all were. The magazine I was working for had to close.”
“Oh I’m sorry Gguk-ah,” Taehyung replies, surprising them both with the nickname that drops from his lips, “I-I know how much you liked working there.”
“It’s OK. I’d been there a while and I was starting to wonder what else was out there anyway. This gives me a fresh start, y’know?” Jungkook replies affably, giving a shrug and a glance at Taehyung.
“Is that why you’re heading to the city today? Got an interview?” Taehyung asks encouragingly.
“Actually,” Jungkook replies, slowly turning more of his body towards Taehyung, “I’m here for you.”
Taehyung gives a shy laugh and asks, “What?”
“I’m sorry. My god, that sounded creepy. I mean it’s true, but… I didn’t want last week to be the last time I saw you and I didn’t have your number so this was the only way I knew how to get in touch with you.” Jungkook explains in a rush, ending with a grimace, “Y’know, like a stalker.”
“I mean a stalker would’ve hacked into my phone number by now, so…” Taehyung joked, trailing off as he saw Jungkook squirm.
“Hey,” Taehyung starts again, taking Jungkook’s hand in his, “I’m glad you’re here. I didn’t want last week to be the last time I saw you either.”
They smile at each other unguardedly, barely noticing the rest of the passengers disembarking before they move to do the same.
“Wanna call in sick and spend the day with me?” Jungkook suggests, a small hopeful smile on his face.
Taehyung grins, turning to look directly at the younger man, “I thought you’d never ask.”
They spend the day walking around the city, trying both the poke bowl place and the fried chicken joint that they’d mentioned before, and talking and laughing well past the rush hour commute that would’ve usually taken them home.
Later, they sit side by side on the much less crowded evening train, giggling at the graffiti and ads and anything and everything they notice on the train ride home.
“I’ll call you,” Taehyung promises as he readies himself to get off at his stop.
“I know how to find you if you don’t,” Jungkook says with a blush and a wink, and Taehyung is so charmed, he presses a quick kiss to Jungkook’s cheek on impulse.
“I’ll call you,” he affirms softly, then hurries to exit the train before the doors close.