Work Text:
Taehyung is used to living his life his way. He has set ways of going about life. He had left his hometown when he was only fifteen and has been on his own and alone since then.
Coming from a poor family with limited means, his priority in life has always been to reach a level of comfortable living. With both parents working full time and sometimes two jobs, he hardly ever had emotional connection with anyone, not even parents.
During school and college years, he focused on education and when job started, he focused on furthering his career.
He doesn't have dreams of a lavish lifestyle or becoming a CEO. He just wants to have enough savings to not worry about the future. He just wants to reach a level where he is respected by society. That's it!
It's not as easy as it sounds. Focusing on doing things by the book and working hard for things he wants to attain, Taehyung is only used to working hard. He doesn't know how to skip levels or take short cuts. All he knows is to work meticulously, dedicatedly.
Amidst his intense dedication for work, Taehyung has forgotten to live his life. How to enjoy his days, let loose and have fun.
In his 35 years of life he hasn't gone on trips, hasn't partied or hasn't even been on a date. He doesn't even socialise, have friends or a network. All he has is work colleagues and batch mates.
About a year ago, things changed when Taehyung fell sick. He had high fever, severe body ache and breathing problems. It was sudden. He was alright the previous night and when he woke up the next morning, the pain was so severe that he couldn't even move his body on his own. His body was burning up.
Taehyung has been blessed with good health and a strong immune system. He doesn't remember getting sick even when he was young. All he had in life was a cold and a cough. He didn't know what to do when he fell severely sick. His parents were in a different city, miles away. He doesn't have any close friends or relatives in the city.
To add to already sick body, he was in a panic. 'What if something happens to me, no one will even know that I'm dying or dead in this house', Taehyung feared. One terrible thought led to another and he was having a panic attack. He couldn't breathe, feeling suffocated. His head was heavy and vision blurry. He was terrified.
Thankfully, in that horrid state, he could at least call for medics. He was soon taken to a hospital and treated. He got better in two-three days.
However, this incident left a scar on his emotions. He started fearing loneliness. Suddenly he felt the need for a companion. But Taehyung didn't understand why he actually craves to be in a relationship. Not because of emotional needs, not because of sexual desires, and certainly not to form a family. Taehyung's need to find a companion stem from fear of being alone in a crisis or physically disabling situation.
Though he realised he needed to find a partner, he didn't know how to go about it. He was completely out of the dating scene and had very little socialising skills. He was rescued when during a random conversation, one of his colleagues mentioned a gay friend who had expressed that it was difficult to forge a genuine relationship.
It was like a bell ringing in Taehyung's head. With great difficulties, he conveyed to his colleague that he would be interested in meeting new people with the prospect of getting into a relationship.
Said colleague happily agreed to be a matchmaker and arranged a blind date between the two.
On the day of the date, Taehyung realised that he actually did not get into much details about his date. He only inquired about other's professions and education. He very lately realised that those might not be the only details he should have gotten to know before agreeing to go on a date. It was too late, but Taehyung had mentally prepared himself to take the plunge. He had pondered enough around the idea of dating and so far had not taken any concrete steps. He decided to just go ahead with the date, thinking that the worst case scenario would be not going on the second date or shortening the first date itself.
With the limited social skills and abundance of apprehensions, Taehyung reaches the restaurant. At the reception, he asked for a Jeon Jungkook and soon he was directed to a table in a corner.
At the first glance itself, Taehyung was a bit surprised. The way his colleague was talking about Jungkook, he had assumed that he would be in his 30s, just like himself. This guy looks like in his 20s. His heart sinks. Taehyung's first thought was that someone in his 20s, with such beautiful features and visibly great physique would not be interested in a serious relationship with someone ten years older and as simple as himself. His first date already seemed doomed.
He mentally scolds himself for not getting to know about the guy thoroughly first. He should have at least spoken to him once. There's a frown on Taehyung's face and it seems like his date has already noticed him and his expression, resulting in his own smile dropping.
His date, Jungkook gets up from his chair and approaches Taehyung, extending his hand to shake, putting back his smile which had dropped just a few moments before.
Taehyung schools his expressions and smiles, shaking Jungkook's hand. Both introduce themselves, despite already knowing who they are.
As both settle down on their seats, the first statement Taehyung blurts out is, "I'm sorry but I'm looking for a serious relationship, possibly getting married if I find the right person."
Taehyung didn't intend to speak this out loud and that too first thing on a blind date. However, words just slipped out of his mouth as that's what he was continuously thinking.
To Taehyung's sudden outburst, Jungkook just smiled. A smile so gentle, it pacified Taehyung's emotions in a second.
"Why are you sorry for wanting to be in a serious relationship, Taehyung-ssi?" Jungkook asked in an equally gentle tone as his smile.
Taehyung felt guilty for assuming and blurting out bluntly. But one thing, he was sure that he wouldn't want to invest his time in something which isn't going to lead him in the right direction.
Taehyung this time cautiously chooses his words. "Jungkook-ssi, I'm sorry for being blunt earlier. It's just that I wouldn't want both of us to invest our time and energy into something which doesn't have a future."
Taehyung pauses thinking about his next statements before speaking them out loud. "At the fear of sounding blunt again, let me share something honestly. I'm not the kind of person who goes on dates frequently. In fact, honestly, I'm not much interested in dating. I want to settle down and have my own family. So, dating is just a means to find someone to settle down with."
Jungkook responds empathetically, "I understand where you are coming from Taehyung-ssi."
Before Jungkook can speak anything further, Taehyung interrupts him again. "Jungkook-ssi, I understand that you are much younger than me and might not be interested in settling down at such an age. That's why I'm a bit apprehensive about us."
Jungkook allows Taehyung to complete. When Taehyung seems to be done, Jungkook speaks up. " Thank you for being so candid Taehyung-ssi. I agree completely with you that there's no point in doing something which is not in line with what we are seeking. And that's why I would like to see if we are compatible with each other to decide if we can spend the rest of our lives together."
Taehyung is surprised with Jungkook's answer. He didn't expect the younger to be interested in anything serious. However, he still wanted to make things absolutely clear.
"Are you saying that if everything goes well between us, you would like to get married to me?" Taehyung asks hesitantly. The 'to me' part came out with more emphasis than Taehyung had intended. His emotions dripped with his words perhaps.
Jungkook flashes his bunny smile to Taehyung's statement. "Yes, Taehyung-ssi. I'm not as young as you may be thinking. I'm 26 and I think this is a good age to settle down with a life partner."
There's a wide boxy smile on Taehyung's face. Jungkook is lucky to have witnessed this genuine smile on elder's face. It has been long since Taehyung has looked at someone with such pleasant expressions on his face.
Their journey from there was comparatively easy. First date and a few more dates after that went well. Though Jungkook was focused on getting to know each other better, when Taehyung proposed for marriage just after two months of dating, Jungkook immediately responded with an overjoyed yes! It just felt right to both of them. Both felt a level of comfort around each other. It felt like a natural progress for each other, though a quick one.
Their wedding was a simple affair. It was attended by Taehyung and Jungkook's parents, a few of Jungkook's friends and colleagues and two colleagues of Taehyung.
That takes us to the present day, that is the next day after their wedding. Both of them resumed their office as they are planning to take a vacation for their honeymoon once the financial year closes, making it more comfortable for Taehyung to close year end activities at work.
Just before the week of the wedding, Taehyung had started to move his stuff to Jungkook's place. They had decided to make Jungkook's place their home after the wedding. Taehyung's place was a very small studio apartment with minimal furniture. Whereas Jungkook has a two bedroom and kitchen home in a building with many amenities. Though all his stuff was moved before the wedding, Taehyung didn't get time to unpack and put everything in its place. When they came back home after the wedding last night, the entire house was filled with packed boxes. They barely had space to move or sleep even. But they were so tired that they didn't have energy to unpack a single box. They made some space on the bed and fell asleep there, feeling all worn out.
It was a stressful day for Taehyung at work. He had taken three day's leave for the wedding and a big workload had compiled in those three days. He worked till almost 9 in the evening to complete major tasks. Still, the remaining unfinished work is making him stressed. He feels exhausted. His earlier drive from the office to home of ten minutes is now almost an hour as he moved to Jungkook's place.
Horrible traffic on the road is adding fuel to the fire. After ten minutes of driving, Taehyung suddenly remembers the state of the house when he had left in the morning. In the stress of work, he had forgotten that there are around thirty boxes lying in various rooms of the house which needs to be unpacked and arranged.
Taehyung is panicking a little now. He is so used to his fixed schedule of life that all these changes are overwhelming him. He feels suffocated in the closed space of his car. He's at a signal and there's a long queue of cars which isn't moving. He is feeling breathless suddenly as if he is stuck somewhere with nowhere to go. He rolls down the window to let the fresh air in but the honking of cars and noise outside makes it worse.
Taehyung doesn't know why but somehow his attention goes to his wedding ring. He starts rotating the ring with his other hand and somehow it calms him a little.
After about an hour, Taehyung finally reaches his apartment building. Entire way home his head was occupied with thoughts about unpacking the boxes. Fear of spending the remaining evening and probably late hours of night arranging his stuff.
As soon as he got out of the elevator, he ran towards their flat, determined to immediately get to work. But when he opens the door to home, he is surprised to see the home as it was before they had started moving his stuff here. Not a single box in sight.
Taehyung moves towards the bedroom, maybe Jungkook had shifted all the boxes there. But no boxes in the bedroom as well. Taehyung is utterly confused as to where his stuff go?
He hears some noises from the kitchen, maybe Jungkook is home early. As soon as he enters the kitchen, he is hit with the aroma of food being cooked. Next he sees Jungkook bent over the dining table, decorating a cake.
He was so engrossed with the cake that he didn't realise Taehyung's presence in the kitchen. As soon as he notices Taehyung's presence, he immediately looks up with his trademark bunny smile.
"Hey Hyung, you are back. Look what I've made" Jungkook speaks up with so much excitement in his voice that it washes over Taehyung's sour mood.
"I've made your favourite noodles and soup. And since it's the first day after our wedding, I thought we should have something sweet, so I made strawberry cake." Jungkook continues, without noticing the confused look on the elder's face.
Jungkook is still engrossed with decorating the cake and for a few seconds Taehyung stands there silent.
"Jungkook, where is my stuff?" Taehyung asks after a long pause.
"Oh, I took half a day off and arranged everything. I hope you won't mind how I have arranged your things. Hope they are placed comfortably for you." Jungkook speaks, his head still down, attention focused on the cake.
When he doesn't hear any response from Taehyung for a minute or so, he looks up at the man standing still in front of him. As soon as their eyes meet, Jungkook is alarmed. There is a blank expression on Taehyung's face but a stream of tears rolling down his face.
Jungkook immediately drops the piping bag and moves in front of Taehyung, engulfing him in a tight hug. As soon as Jungkook hugs him, Taehyung starts sobbing in the crook of Jungkook's neck. Jungkook rubs Taehyung's back soothingly and Taehyung grips Jungkook in his arm tightly. Jungkook lets elder hug him tight and cry for a minute more and then asks him in a low whisper, "what happened baby, why are you crying?"
Face still buried in Jungkook's neck, Taehyung mumbles a thank you, barely audible. Jungkook is clueless as to why Taehyung is thanking him.
Taehyung lifts his face up and looks at Jungkook, tears still rolling down.
"I was already too tired and so worried about all the boxes to unpack. Entire way home, I was panicking how I would unpack everything in one evening. Our home was looking so in shambles because of the boxes. I thought I would have to stay up the entire night arranging everything. I never expected everything to be done for me. This was such a pleasant surprise!" Taehyung states, tears are still falling down but expressions on the face turned pleasant, smile forming on lips.
Hearing Taehyung's response, Jungkook visibly relaxes and again embraces Taehyung tightly.
"Oh Hyung, isn't it the beauty of a marriage that we have two people to share everything, including our happiness, love and our load?" Jungkook asks as he continues rubbing Taehyung’s back and giving butterfly kisses on his neck.
Kisses are ticklish and Taehyung giggles. Taehyung giggles! He hasn’t giggled in years probably.
“Well, I never thought it like that. But I would definitely like to share everything with you for the rest of my life” Taehyung says as he pulls back, looking at Jungkook. “By the way, I love strawberry cake and soup smells delicious.” Taehyung says kissing Jungkook’s forehead.
Taehyung would usually eat Ramen or takeouts in front of his TV on his couch. He is used to skipping dinner many days a week when he would home late from work, feeling exhausted. It is the first time in years that Taehyung had a proper meal at a dining table. But this isn’t going to be the last time like this.
Every evening Taehyung and Jungkook cook their meal together, experimenting with different cuisines every now and then, having fun cooking each day. They would sit at the dinner table, enjoying their cooked meal, talking about their day and life in general. Initially, Taehyung didn’t know what to answer when Jumgkook would ask him how his day had gone. He would typically just answer ‘It was good’. Then he would hear Jungkook’s answer, how he would share all the happenings of the day. He would talk about his colleagues, his work life and different experiences. Taehyung learned to share his life from Jungkook.
Taehyung who used to be a workaholic, who would stay back in the office till 9 or 10 in the night has now learnt to balance his work and life. He would leave office max by 7 PM and would look forward to spending his evening with his husband. Two or three hours of saved time gave them the opportunity to go out almost every night. They would visit art galleries, museums, cafes and more. If nothing else, they would go on long drives. On some days, they would watch movies or play card games or board games.
Their late night drives have quickly become one of Taehyung’s best experiences. Taehyung loves to get on the empty roads and drive. They would put on their favourite playlist with songs specifically selected for nights on the road. While soft music plays on the stereo, there would mostly be silence in the car. Taehyung sipping on his chamomile tea and Jungkook on his banana milk. Throughout the drive Taehyung’s one hand would be on the steering wheel and other holding Jungkook’s, fingers intertwined with each other. Every now and then, Jungkook would give Taehyung a quick peck on his cheek. Initially when they were not used to casual pecks, Jungkook would quickly peck and just sit back on the seat giggling, looking outside the window. Both the men's cheeks would be dusted in pink. Gradually they got used to it and were not so shy anymore. Sometimes when Jungkook moves from his seat to peck Taehyung’s cheek, Taehyung would move his head and kiss Jungkook on the lips. You can’t blame them if sometimes those tender kisses would turn into a heated make out, cutting their drive shorter to reach back to their home, their bed.
They would wake up early in the morning, Jungkook to work out and Taehyung to watch his husband work out. When feeling cheeky, Taehyung would lay across on Jungkook as he would be doing his push up. He would giggle and revel in his husband’s strength.
Every day Jungkook plans to cook a healthy breakfast and every day the plan is abolished with Taehyung’s single pout. Within just a year of wedded life, Taehyung discovered an act called pouting and the magic that act holds over Jungkook. He realised that he can make his husband do pretty much anything with his pout, not that Jungkook would anyways deny anything to his Taehyungie Hyung. That man is whipped for his husband. If Taehyung wants to eat pancakes for breakfast seven days a week, then that’s what he would get.
In all the honesty, both the husbands are whipped for each other. Even after thirty years together, they behave like how a teeanger would behave around their crush. They are in their own bubble, giggling and laughing with each other. Their kids have to bring their attention back to their anniversary cake in front of them. As they celebrate their thirtieth wedding anniversary, they recall how they were two unlikely pairs who found home in each other. When they thought that, being a gay couple, they would not get to adopt a kid, they were blessed with five kids. Now, their home is filled with warmth and love from their kids and their kids’ kids. Taehyung and Jungkook’s Aashiyana!