Chapter Text
Taehyung had never been particularly good at cooking.
It was something that ran in the family, actually, because Taehyung’s older brother was also positively pathetic in the kitchen, but at least Namjoon had a boyfriend with a catering business to cook for him. Taehyung on the other hand was Forever Single, holed up in his tiny apartment that still smelled like the 70’s and cat piss. His apartment was “lived in” (really just a nice way to say it was a complete mess) and an absolute fire hazard, so it wasn't all that strange that his whole place burned down that one time he actually tried to cook.
In hindsight, Taehyung realized it wasn't that smart to take a ‘five minute nap’ while having something cooking in the oven.
Lesson learned.
He would like to defend himself saying it was an accident and a mistake, because Taehyung had been pulling several all-nighters that week and his publisher (a very grumpy man named Min Yoongi) had been at his throat about his new novel since the beginning of the month. Taehyung was stressed, tired and hungry, because there was only so many euphemisms for ‘penis’ you could put in published works. Min Yoongi was ruthless, spitting the ever-famous words “you can sleep when you are dead” and so Taehyung put copious amounts of vodka in his coffee to stay awake and write smutty fiction until the crack of dawn.
Writing erotic novels was an okay source of income, honestly. However, when Taehyung was sitting outside his apartment complex in the back of an ambulance with several people tending to him and checking him for injuries, he wished he had a job of more substance. One that could help him out of this situation, for example.
He dreaded the call he would have to make to his father, but his parents were the ones who had paid for this place to begin with, and so they would need to contact whatever agents were associated with the apartment. Meanwhile, Taehyung - Taehyung would have to find some other solution. He wasn't going to make his parents pay for another apartment, and judging by the looks his neighbors were giving him, he was no longer welcome in this area.
Begrudgingly, as someone from the medical personnel deemed Taehyung fit enough not to go to the hospital, Taehyung decided this was the time to find a working cell phone. His own was probably burnt to a crisp in his own apartment; Taehyung had not had time to bring a single thing with him, being woken up by some fireman throwing him over his shoulder and rescuing him out of the smoking building. It was scary, really, how deep in sleep he had been, only being jostled awake by someone physically dragging him outside.
Park Jimin, Taehyung’s best friend, would have a blast listening to this story. Taehyung didn't want to give him the pleasure, but he needed somewhere to stay and Jimin was the only person Taehyung knew that had space for him. He would rather not invade Namjoon and Seokjin’s privacy (yuk).
“Excuse me?” Taehyung voiced to the closest person to him; it was a tall woman dressed in a uniform with “ambulance” printed on the front in bright yellow lettering. She looked friendly enough. “Do you - do you happen to have a phone I can borrow?”
“Sure do,” she nodded, giving him a smile as she reached for the inside of her pockets. Her phone was ancient, but Taehyung accepted it nonetheless; he wasn’t really in a position to judge anyone for their choice of phones, and he knew Jimin’s number by heart anyway. He walked a little bit away from the commotion of the ambulance and typed his best friend’s number into the old Nokia, hoping his friend wasn't busy now, of all times.
“Park Jimin speaking.”
“Jimin,” Taehyung breathed out, probably sounding all parts as panicked as he felt. “Jimin, I need your help.”
“Oh God,” Jimin voiced, not even questioning why Taehyung was calling him from an unknown number, “who did you kill? Was it your publisher?”
Taehyung made a face. “No, Jimin, God - I didn't kill anyone,” he said, perhaps a little miffed Jimin would ever think he could. Taehyung might write porn and google highly questionable subjects (“I’m an author, I swear!”), but he was pure at heart. Honestly. “Look, I know this is a little sudden, but I need to stay in your apartment for a little while. I - uh,” Taehyung gulped, “I might have burned down my apartment?”
The reaction was immediate, Jimin turning hysteric and screaming into Taehyung’s ear. It was all concern, even the pointed insults fired at Taehyung incompetence, but Taehyung still wished Jimin would calm down. He wasn't going to help Taehyung by turning him deaf, that was for sure. “Are you - are you sure you are okay? Kim Taehyung, I swear to God -”
“I’m fine,” Taehyugn reassured him, even though he still had a little bit of a scare. He wasn't sure how calm he was himself - all Taehyung knew was that he wanted to get away from here. “If you could just pick me up? I kinda need to feel sorry for myself and I feel like doing it far away from my very angry neighbors.”
“Yeah, damn, I’m on my way,” Jimin said, and Taehyung could hear him fretting about on the other end of the phone. “I’ll - shit, Princess, don’t scare me like that - I’ll be right over!” Jimin hung up while talking in an overly dramatic voice to his ugly cat, and Taehyung was left standing in the middle of the parking lot to wait. It would take Jimin at least fifteen minutes to get here - and Taehyung wasn't sure what he was supposed to do now. What were you supposed to do when your house burned down, anyway?
He could call his parents now that he had a phone, but honestly Taehyung wanted to postpone his immediate death as long as possible. When he was in Jimin’s apartment, guarded at the top of his penthouse apartment, Taehyung could consider it.
“Kim Taehyung-ssi?”
Taehyung startled at the sound of someone’s voice and turned around, coming face-to-face with a man about his own height; he was wearing recognizable fireman uniform pants, suspenders strapped over the shoulders. The way his white t-shirt was clinging to his body and dark hair was sticking to his forehead indicated that he had probably been fighting off the fire, and Taehyung admitted to being slightly distracted by the beads of sweat rolling down the side of the Attractive Fireman’s face.
Oh boy, not good.
Taehyung wasn't even sure where to look, really, because the fireman had one of those ‘devilishly handsome but also adorable as fuck’ faces, and Taehyung was weak. He was weak and very, very homosexual. “Uh, h-hello,” he stuttered, like an idiot.
The fireman looked bored. “You’re Kim Taehyung, right?”
“Ah, yes, it is I,” Taehyung uttered, and holy fuck could he get any more lame, “I mean - I’m him. I’m - I’m Kim Taehyung. W-why?”
He raised both is eyebrows. “I am just making sure you’re okay. I’m Jeon Jeongguk, I dragged you out of the apartment you set on fire.”
Taehyung gulped. “Right. Pleasure.” He cleared his throat as he saw all his chances go down the drain (not that he had any chance to begin with). “Thanks for that. Saving me, and all.”
With a grunt, the fireman - Jeon Jeongguk - crossed his arms over his chest and pointedly looked Taehyung up and down. “I take it you have been examined? No injuries?”
“None,” Taehyung said, shaking his head. “Healthy as a horse. Ready for battle. Uh - not burnt to a crisp.”
Jeon Jeongguk obviously didn't find Taehyung’s attempted jokes very funny, his face impassive. “Good. I advise you to be more careful in the future - fire safety is no joking matter, Kim Taehyung-ssi.” Taehyung gulped at the seriousness of Jeongguk’s voice; he had already gotten this talk from another fireman, who encouraged him to stop by their fire station to sign up for fire safety classes. “The fire started in the kitchen, so I suppose you were cooking?”
“Trying to,” Taehyung mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck in a sheepish manner. “Failing. Obviously.”
“Well, next time you try to cook, remember to have a functioning fire alarm in the kitchen. You are lucky the alarms in your hallway were sensitive enough to pick up on the smoke before it got too serious.” His eyes narrowed, and Taehyung shrunk under Jeon Jeongguk’s gaze. “The fact that you were asleep when I entered also baffles me. How could you possibly sleep through the noise of the fire alarm?”
Picking at the ends of his shirt, Taehyung avoided the fireman’s gaze. “Well, I hadn't slept in like 67 hours,” he started, “and I just - I just fell asleep? I’m a very heavy sleeper, and I was very tired, so I took a nap -”
“You hadn’t slept in 67 hours,” Jeon Jeongguk repeated, “and you decided to take a nap while you had things cooking in your kitchen.”
“I make horrible life decisions,” Taehyung stated. “It’s part of my charm.”
Jeongguk’s posture straightened to the point where it seemed like he was looking down at Taehyung, despite the two of them basically being the same height. He was noticeably more stocky and muscular than Taehyung however; Taehyung’s ‘I-survive-on-mixing-energy-drinks-and-coffee-and-vodka’-aesthetic didn't really give him abdominal muscles. “Well, Kim Taehyung-ssi,” Jeongguk drawled, “I happen to find fire safety very charming, so I advise you to be more careful from now on. Not only for your own sake.”
Looking over Jeongguk’s shoulder, Taehyung saw his neighbors huddling together in small groups, sometimes turning their heads to look in his general direction with grim frowns on their faces. His stomach flipped uncomfortably knowing he had not only put himself in danger, but most of the residents of the apartment block as well. “I understand, Jeon Jeongguk-ssi,” he mumbled. “It won’t happen again.”
“Good,” Jeongguk said, curtly, uncrossing his arms. “We are trying to salvage a few of your belongings, so if you will wait around to get them -”
“Kim Taehyung!”
Jimin’s voice rang across the parking lot, loud and boisterous, and Taehyung turned quickly to see his friend running towards him with the most concerned facial expression in history of concerned facial expressions. Jimin - forever the exhibitionist - usually tended to avoid getting dressed unless he really needed to, but with tons of sponsors and money, Taehyung wasn't all surprised at Jimin’s attire. He was wearing tight slacks and a very expensive-looking shirt unbuttoned far too low, not one hair out of place and makeup on point.
Taehyung wondered how Jimin did it, because he usually looked like train-wreck.
“Jimin,” Taehyung breathed out as Jimin approached him; the shorter male brought him into a bone-crushing hug. Park Jimin even smelled expensive, and Taehyung was beginning to wonder if Jimin had come straight from a photoshoot.
“I was worried sick about you, Kim Taehyung!” Jimin stressed; he pulled away from the hug only to cup Taehyung’s face to examine him closer. “Are you hurt? Did - did someone examine you? Do we need to go to the hospital first?”
Jimin was throwing rapid-fire questions at him and Taehyung couldn't really answer. Jeongguk was still standing next to him, eyebrows raised far beyond his hairline as he watched the displays of affection Jimin was showering Taehyung in, and Taehyung tried to push his best friend off before they scared him off. “J-Jimin, I swear I’m fine - I was just talking to this fireman about - uh -” he shot a small look in Jeongguk’s direction, “what were we talking about, Jeon Jeongguk-ssi?”
“Your incompetence,” Jeongguk stated, and Taehyung nearly winced. Okay, he deserved that one. “I told you to wait around for your belongings. Or -” He looked between Taehyung and Jimin, “you could come to the station after eleven tomorrow to pick up whatever we manage to salvage, but then we will need you to fill out some paperwork.”
“Uh, yeah, paperwork,” Taehyung said, “Paperwork it is.”
Jeon Jeongguk nodded,
Jimin eyed him. “Are you sure that is what you want? We can wait, I don't have anything else to do today.”
Taehyung quickly shook his head, eyes going back to his judging neighbors; no, he really didn't want to stay here any longer than necessary, even if it was together with Jimin. “I really don't want to stick around, Jimin.”
“And you are sure you don't need to go to the hospital?” Jimin asked again, sounding very concerned for Taehyung’s well-being.
“They already checked up on me,” Taehyung assured him, waving it off. “The only medicine i need at the moment is tequila.”
Jimin laughed at Taehyung’s words, bringing one arm around the younger’s waist to pull him into a slightly-awkward side-hug. He made it even more awkward by leaning up and kissing Taehyung’s cheek. Taehyung appreciated it, though. “Then you can borrow some nicer clothes from me, and we can go eat something, and I’ll buy you something nice as a ‘sorry-about-your-apartment’-gift,” Jimin said.
Taehyung snorted. “As long as you pay for the wine.”
“I always do,” Jimin mocked, “don’t pretend like you ever pay for anything.”
“Isn’t that one of the benefits of hanging out with you?” Taehyung snarked, “your black credit card? You know I only love you for your money, Park Jimin.”
“Ahem.”
Jeon Jeongguk was back, his face set in an unreadable expression. He wordlessly handed Taehyung the papers he had brought along, which were not nearly as elaborate as Taehyung had thought. Jeongguk also offered him a pen. “All we need is your name, addr - previous address - and phone number.”
Taehyung frowned. “My phone was left in my apartment, though,” he said, and then he motioned towards Jimin, “would his phone number do, just in case?”
The fireman gave a small shrug, as if saying ‘I guess’. Jeon Jeongguk wasn't very expressive, Taehyung would give him that; pretty face, but not much else. “When could he come pick up his stuff again?” Jimin asked politely. “Tomorrow?”
“Yes,” Jeongguk answered.
“I have a photoshoot tomorrow, Tae,” Jimin said, pinching Taehyung’s side lightly, “but you can borrow my car if you want to. It’s Seongdong fire station, right?” Again, all they got as reply was a curt ‘yes’ and a nod, but Jimin didn't seem the least bit bothered, and Taehyung was busy filling out the papers to care about Jeon Jeongguk’s poor social skills. “That’s good, Tae, it’s not too far from my place. Just across the river.”
Taehyung nodded, writing the final characters of his previous address; he handed the paper back to Jeon Jeongguk, and their fingers grazed each other lightly as Jeongguk took the paper and pen back. “Well, then, Taehyung-ssi,” Jeongguk said, bowing his head lightly; he turned to Jimin and nodded again, “Taehyung-ssi’s sponsor.”
Then he walked away, and it took Taehyung approximately three seconds to realize what Jeongguk had just said, and his mouth dropped open in shock. “He thinks - holy shit, Jimin - he thinks you’re my - my -”
“Sugar daddy,” Jimin nodded, seeming very amused by the situation. Taehyung was not. “Well, he is partially right, because I buy you a lot of shit, Kim Taehyung. Though we long established the sex was a mistake.”
“Fuck you,” Taehyung hissed. “Who the hell assumes shit like that anyways? I mean - it would have been more normal if he thought we were boyfriends or something?” It just seemed farfetched to Taehyung that Jeongguk wouldn't even consider the fact that Jimin was his boyfriend. Not that Jimin was, but that was another story entirely.
(Also, the sex only happened, like, twice, and it wasn’t as much as a mistake as they realized they weren't really into each other that way.)
“You’re not my sugar daddy, that’s gross,” Taehyung wrinkled his nose.
“You’re right,” Jimin nodded. “I’m more like a sugar homie.”
“I hate you.”
Jimin only laughed.
.
.
.
The thing about having a publisher like Min Yoongi was that you could never really take a break from work. Whenever Taehyung was sick and used it an excuse for not writing, you could bet Yoongi’s reply would be “but did you die?”. And since the answer was always no, Taehyung could never catch a break. Which is why it surprised him immensely that Min Yoongi actually sounded concerned when Taehyung called him from Jimin’s phone to tell him about what had happened.
He had barely made it out alive from the phone call to his parents, who had been concerned and scared shitless when Taehyung had told them; then his father had went on and on about how much money this was going to cost, how Taehyung should stop being irresponsible and ‘find a nice job like his brother’ (Namjoon was a music teacher at a very prestigious performing arts school - sigh). After Taehyung promised to pay for the new apartment himself his parents calmed down considerably, but Taehyung still felt the weighing guilt of what had happened crash onto his shoulders.
So, when he called his publisher to ask about a few days postponing of his new chapters, he had expected to get a literal scolding. Taehyung was sitting in a large, expensive lounging chair with a cup of hot tea in his hands and Jimin’s ugly cat Princess Monster Truck on his lap, preparing for the worst, when Yoongi said in an uncharacteristically soft voice, “yah, are you okay?”
Taehyung nearly dropped his scalding tea over Princess Monster Truck.
“What?” he uttered, saving the tea by placing it on the coffee table. Yoongi repeated his words - are you okay, Kim Taehyung? - and Taehyung could barely swallow his surprise. “I’m - uh, I am okay, yes. I’m staying over at my friend’s house in Gangnam, and I have the chapters saved on Dropbox, so my writing is fine, and -”
“Screw the book, Taehyung, and take a few days off,” Yoongi said. Taehyung thought he would never hear the words. “I’m sure you need a breather after something like this. Have fun, get laid - but do not forget about your upcoming deadline, because I don't know how much I can postpone it for you.”
Is there an alien invasion I am unaware of? Taehyung thought, because this person certainly did not sound like his publisher. “Anyway,” Yoongi continued. “I am busy, so I cant chit-chat with you, but your last book got sent to the company in pocket this morning. If you send me the address of your friend’s house, I’ll mail it over.”
“Can you possibly send me all of them? My books, I mean? I have a feeling most of them didn't survive the fire, and my friend Jimin mentioned he wanted to read them, anyway.” Yoongi grunted on the other end of the line, which was as close of a ‘sure’ as Taehyung was going to get. “Great, thank you, boss! I’ll keep you updated on the writing situation, okay?”
“You better,” Yoongi mumbled, hanging up without as much as a goodbye.
Taehyung smiled, mood now considerably lifted; without the pressing issue of his deadline, he might be able to actually take a few days off to really relax. He imagined lounging around Jimin’s fancy apartment for the rest of the day, trying to forget about the dreams full of fire that had haunted him most of the night, ordering take-away and watching stupid tv-shows. But then Taehyung remembered about his possibly salvaged belongings at the fire station.
With a slightly disgruntled groan, Taehyung pushed Princess Monster Truck off his lap, ignored his still-hot tea and went to Jimin’s room to find some clothes to borrow. Upon entering, Taehyung thanked heavens he was sleeping in the guest room, because Jimin - conceited fuck - had a large picture of himself in minimalistic underwear blown up on the wall. As much as Taehyung appreciated Jimin’s Rocking Body™, he had to pull a line somewhere.
Jimin’s closet was also bigger than Narnia, but it still took Taehyung close to fifteen minutes to even find clothes he could wear without looking like a clown. He just didn't have the confidence in his body to wear the shit Jimin bought, so a pair of simple (but probably still expensive) jeans and an oversized sweater was the way to go for him. Taehyung didn't look at the label, but he was 100 percent sure he should be very careful not to ruin the clothes he borrowed if he wanted to stay at Jimin’s place.
It was almost twelve when Taehyung parked in front of Seongdong fire station. It was a mildly unimpressive building in Taehyung’s opinion, but then again he just came from Jimin’s Gangnam penthouse. Taehyung made sure the car was locked before moving to the front entrance, pushing the door to the fire station open; he was greeted by a quaint and very empty reception area.
“Hello?” he shouted. All the doors to the reception area were closed, and Taehyung didn't really want to open any of them in fear of fucking up. I guess I will just wait, Taehyung thought to himself, moving to stand next to the reception. It really wasn't as much a reception as it was a small desk with a computer on it; there were a few stacks of unorganized paper next to the laptop, a bottle of water and - “what is this?” Taehyung uttered, eyes widening in surprise.
It was a calendar; a sexy calendar, if Taehyung was not mistaken (and he surely wasn’t). One with a very nice, topless picture of the very same attractive fireman from yesterday, plastered over the month of July like one of Jimin’s model friends. Taehyung couldn't help himself; he picked the calendar up to take a closer look, eyes gazing over the shining, oiled-up abdominal muscles of Jeon Jeongguk hungrily. He was still wearing pants and suspenders, but shit if it didn't make the picture hotter. “Damn,” he said. “I would blow that up on my wall.”
“I’m flattered.”
Taehyung hastily put the calendar back down, nearly tripping over himself at the sight of Jeon Jeongguk; he was only wearing sweatpants and a white t-shirt, probably not on call duty at the moment, but he still looked striking. There was a cup of black, iced coffee in his hands, and he seemed only mildly entertained by Taehyung’s disastrous performance. “Kim Taehyung,” Jeongguk said, “I was starting to wonder whether you would show up. My colleagues managed to salvage some of your belongings yesterday, I think they put them in the back.”
He took a long sip of his coffee, eyes boring into Taehyung’s soul, and Taehyung wished for the floor to swallow him whole. “Would you like for me to get them?” Jeongguk asked, as if that wasn't the reason Taehyung had shown up to begin with.
“Yes,” Taehyung squeaked. Taehyung, with his deep voice, squeaked.
Pathetic.
“I’ll go get your stuff, then, Kim Taehyung. Feel free to continue whatever you were doing.” The corner of his mouth quirked into something Taehyung could only describe as a smirk and Taehyung swore he didn't imagine it. Jeon Jeongguk, who had showed zero expressions yesterday, had surely just smirked at him.
Taehyung wasn't sure how to feel.
Jeongguk didn't take long, returning from one of the doors with a disappointingly small cardboard box labeled ‘Kim Taehyung’, his old address scribbled underneath his name. The fireman made some space on the tiny desk and put the box between them. “I don't know how much they managed to salvage, I wasn't the one going scavenger-hunting in your burned-down apartment,” Jeongguk informed him. “Just check that the things are actually yours, and then I need you to sign another paper for me.”
Taehyung grumbled out an agreement, lifting the lid of the small box with a dark expression on his face. The first thing he saw was a very old ABBA CD, which his brother had once hid in his apartment because he was ashamed he even liked them; then there was an unopened bottle of soju, a speaker Taehyung wasn't sure even worked anymore and -
“Oh God,” Taehyung said, very quickly, closing the lid in panic. Of all things to survive a fire, of course that one had to make it. Not that Taehyung would be happy to get rid of his favorite sex-toy, no, it certainly helped him through some hard times (wink wink), it was just that this situation didn't need Very Attractive Fireman Jeon Jeongguk to see it.
Judging by Jeongguk’s face however, he already had.
Taehyung met his gaze, and it felt like they stood there staring at each other for minutes. In the end, Taehyung opened his mouth and cleared his throat, awkwardly. “Don’t ask stupid questions,” he grumbled, “there is really only one use for a dildo.”
Jeongguk looked like he was desperately holding back a smile, and Taehyung cursed his stupid mouth. Good job, he mentally applauded himself. A plus, Kim Taehyung.
“I would be happy if you could say something to lessen this awkward atmosphere," Taehyung said, "as long as it's not a comment about -" he nodded his head towards the box, "- that."
Jeongguk snorted, a small smile finally crawling into his lips, and Taehyung noted how cute he looked. Help, he thought miserably, he's both hot and adorable? That was really never a good mix for him. To top it all off Jeongguk also had this aura around him that screamed 'resident asshole' and Taehyung tended to fall for those types.
He had bad taste in men, sue him.
"I take it you have found someplace to stay, since your apartment is no longer inhabitable?" Jeongguk said after a little while to change the subject. "Are you staying with that... Sponsor of yours?"
"He is not-“ Taehyung began, resisting the urge to palm his face in frustration, “- my sponsor. He is not my benefactor. Park Jimin is not my sugar daddy Jesus Chist on a fork, I cannot believe you would come to the conclusion?" Taehyung said it like what Jeongguk was implying was ludicrous, but honestly, looking back at the conversation him and Jimin had at the parking lot, it wasn't. It was slightly sketchy, he could admit that. "If anything he is my sugar buddy. Like there is zero sex involved, he just buys me nice shit sometimes because he is a nice friend and he knows I don't have a lot of money."
Taehyung didn't know why he added that. Perhaps to let Jeon Jeongguk know he had a chance to seduce Taehyung's lame ass?
"Good to know, I guess," Jeongguk drawled, lifting one eyebrow. "So - your friend, what does he do to earn money enough to dress in those clothes and drive a car like that? Does he have a sugar daddy?"
Taehyung grumbled. "No, he's a model. An underwear model, actually, which is arguably the best thing an exhibitionist like him can do without working the pole." He shrugged his shoulders at Jeongguk's perplexed expression; apparently that was not the answer he had expected. "Jimin doesn't show his face on most of the jobs that he get, but he has an amazing ass and a nice dick, which means practically all brands of underwear look amazing on him. He earns a lot."
"Apparently," Jeongguk uttered. "Then what do you do?"
Taehyung blinked. "Me? What do you mean?"
The fireman looked at him like he was stupid. "For work. What do you do for a living, Kim Taehyung?"
Taehyung didn't even know why Jeongguk wanted to know. Arguably they probably shouldn't even be standing there talking and getting to know each other. Taehyung was pretty sure Jeongguk wasn't supposed to waste his time in the tiny reception area talking about this because he was at work, but he couldn't find himself to care. Jeongguk was hot, giving him attention, and Taehyung wasn't going to question it. ”I’m - I'm a writer," Taehyung started, slowly.
“Interesting,” Jungkook said. “What genre?”
Oh, well. Go big or go home.
"I write erotic novels for sex-deprived middle aged women.”
Jeongguk’s mouth fell open, and then his eyes went back to the cardboard box. “I… see…”
“Don’t judge me, Jeon Jeongguk. It pays the bills and I am quite a good writer. Uh - yeah.” He nodded, trying to show some sort of confidence in what he was saying, though he could feel his ears growing red. “So - uhh - was I supposed to sign something?”
It seemed like Jeongguk had completely forgotten about this. “Huh? Oh, yeah - right.” He picked up a stack of the papers laying on the table and flipped through them, quickly. “It’s this one. I just need you to sign with your - uh - temporary address. I suppose you don’t have a new cell phone, yet? In any case we still have your… friend’s number. Just in case something else comes up. If we find more of your belongings, or - yeah.”
They stood in silence for a while, both of them taking turns looking at each other and then looking away, Taehyung clutching the paper close to his chest. “So, uh - I just need to sign this and I am free to go?” he said, slowly grabbing for a pen that was laying on the messy desk. It was pretty weak against the paper, but Taehyung still managed to sign his name and jot down Jimin’s address. “This is - yeah, this is my friend’s address. It’s in Gangnam, not too far away.”
Jeon Jeongguk nodded. “Good to know,” he said gruffly, licking his lips. He took the paper back from Taehyung’s hands, looking it over; then, he grabbed a post-it note, wrote something down on it, and handed it to Taehyung.
It was a number.
“It’s - it’s my number,” Jeongguk said as if Taehyung was stupid. Taehyung - Taehyung wasn't that stupid. He could kind of sense it when people were a little interested. “You should - with someone as hazardous as you, you should probably have the number of a firefighter easily accessible, anyway,” he mumbled, and Taehyung forced himself not to smile. “I mean, you can text me, if you want. About - about fire safety, and stuff.”
“Fire safety,” Taehyung drawled, eyes scanning over the digits. “Sure, Jeon Jeongguk.”
Jeongguk looked a little uncomfortable, apparently not knowing how to reply to that, so Taehyung continued instead. Apparently Mr. Hot As Fuck And Supposedly Cold was shy. “So, that calendar of yours,” he said, pointing towards the picture of Jeongguk posing sexily for the month of July. “Can I buy it?”
.
.
.
A few days later Taehyung got around to buy himself a new cellphone, leaving the confines of Jimin’s apartment to buy the newest iPhone with his best friend’s black credit card. It didn't take long, Taehyung getting a brand new phone and a new number within an hour, but Jimin was supposed to come home early today, so he decided to pick up some take-away chicken and beer and possibly some soju.
He bought three cartons of chicken (because Taehyung usually ate a lot when there was greasy garlic chicken involved), six cans of beer and two bottles of peach-flavored soju (Jimin’s favorite). He sent a message to Jimin from his new phone, saying he would be home in just a few minutes, juggling the copious amounts of food and drinks while simultaneously texting.
“Yah, Kim Taehyung!”
Now, that was a voice Taehyung certainly didn't expect to hear in the parking lot in front of Park Jimin’s apartment block. Min Yoongi, Taehyung’s publisher, was walking from his car towards Taehyung with what could only be a cake in his hands, if the perfectly scribbled Tous Les Jours in the box was indicating anything. Taehyung was so surprised his mouth literally dropped open. “Boss?” he uttered, not understanding a thing. “Why - why are you here? Am I - am I in trouble?”
“I don’t know, have you finished the next few chapters?” Yoongi shot back, and Taehyung flinched. “Thought so. Well, I just stopped by to drop off this cake and the books you requested. I was coming to the neighborhood for a meeting, anyway. Consider it my ‘congrats for not getting burned to a crisp’ gift.”
“How thoughtful,” Taehyung said, still in shock. “W-well, now that you are here, why don't you come up? I bought chicken, and it would be rude not to ask you to join when you already came here, right?”
“Damn right it would,” Yoongi seethed. “Show the way.”
Taehyung gave his boss a slightly awkward smile, because really they didn't know each other that well outside of work. Hell, they rarely even saw each other, since Taehyung did most of his work at home. Still, he couldn't not invite Yoongi upstairs when he was already here, and Jimin was usually friendly with strangers, so hopefully it would work out.
What Taehyung realized he forgot as they entered the apartment was to warn Yoongi about Jimin’s natural state of undress. Taehyung was used to seeing Jimin half-naked - or fully naked, that really depended on Jimin’s mood - but most other people were not (or, well, most people had probably seen Jimin’s crotch and butt on the Calvin Klein underwear ads, but still). Jimin didn't seem the least bit shy about being in his fucking birthday suit upon first meeting Min Yoongi, but thats just how Jimin was.
No shame.
Yoongi, on the other hand, made a noise Taehyung could only describe as a ‘slightly pornographic yet surprised gasp’ and hid behind his taller employee in shock. “Holy shit what the fuck,” he hissed at Taehyung. “Why the fuck - Taehyung what sort of pervert are you living with?!”
“Park Jimin,” said pervert spoke, not seeming the least bit insulted. Knowing Jimin, he probably took it as a compliment. “Sorry if I startled you, I’ll put on some clothes if you want. Are you - who are you, anyway?”
“It’s my publisher, Min Yoongi,” Taehyung introduced him, stepping away a little. “He stopped by to deliver some books, so I invited him for dinner. Boss, this is my best friend Park Jimin. You might recognize him from a magazine or two.” Taehyung thought he heard Yoongi mutter something along the lines of ‘what magazine, playboy?’, as Jimin walked into his room to get some clothes.
Clothes, however, was a very vague term in Park Jimin’s eyes, and he returned dressed in boxers and a silky robe (which he didn't even tie at the front, mind you). “You bought chicken?” he said excitedly, probably excited about breaking away from his boring diet of vegetables and dry turkey breasts. “And cake, too? Damn, Tae, you’re the absolute best!”
“I know,” Taehyung grinned, “though Yoongi-hyung - I can call you that, right, boss? - brought the cake.”
“How nice of you, Yoongi-ssi!” Jimin smiled, and Taehyung watched in pure and utter amusement as Yoongi’s face lit up like a traffic light. He was pretty sure he had never seen a shade of red like this before. “I’ll go get some plates and stuff. I hope you bought alcohol, Tae!”
“Of course,” Taehyung responded.
Yoongi nudged Taehyung as Jimin disappeared into the kitchen. “Yah, Kim Taehyung,” he whispered, his ears still noticeably red. “How… single is your friend?”
Taehyung raised one eyebrow. “That depends,” he said in reply, “how long can you postpone my deadline?”
The published pursed his lips. “Another week.”
“Hmm.”
“Damn it, two weeks.”
“He’s super single,” Taehyung said with a wink as Jimin emerged fro the kitchen with plates and glasses for the three of them. “Hey, I gotta go fix something real quick, you two be nice to each other. You know - get to know one another and shit, I’ll be right back.” He sent a very exaggerated finger-gun in Jimin’s direction, his best friend looking very betrayed that Taehyung was leaving him alone with the supposed Publisher From Hell, but Taehyung had serious business to attend to.
He needed to add Jeon Jeongguk’s number.
Taehyung had the pink post-it note saved in a drawer in Jimin’s guest room, making sure it didn't go lost these past days. He had nearly memorized it out of boredom, but he wanted to be one hundred percent sure he got the right number when he texted Jeongguk first. Normally he wouldn't be the one to take initiative (Taehyung liked being chased) but in this particular scenario Jeongguk didn't have his number, so Taehyung would yield.
He punched in Jeongguk’s number with a grin on his face. He’d had an idea brewing in his mind since he spent one too many hours on the internet two nights ago; if he was going to start a conversation with Jeongguk, he might as well make an impact.
[to: jeon jeongguk] the fire in my apartment might be out but you’re still smoking hot
Ah, yes, Taehyung sure was proud of himself. He locked his phone screen proudly, resting his head in his hands as he stared at the Firefighters of Seongdong calendar Jeongguk had allowed him to buy; it had cost him 30 000 WON but it was worth every bill spent. Taehyung would certainly buy more things for charity if he got material like this out of it. Even though it was soon August, Taehyung was pretty sure he wasn't going to change the month, Jeongguk’s July picture was more appealing in Taehyung’s eyes.
His phone pinged, and Taehyung bit his bottom lip in excitement.
[from: jeon jeongguk] Not the intended use of my phone number, Kim Taehyung.
Taehyung snorted; the reply was expected. Jeongguk had seemed like a cold, cool guy since the very first time they met, but after their second meeting at the fire station, Taehyung was absolutely positive of two things. One, Jeongguk was a little bit shy, and hid it behind a ‘cool-and-collected-city-boy’ aesthetic, and two; he was at least a tiny bit interested. Why else would he give Taehyung his number with that bullshit excuse?
[to: jeongguk] im like 900% sure you smiled, jeon jeongguk, don't lie to me
[from: jeongguk] I smiled and I am very unhappy about it.
Taehyung grinned widely in the direction of his phone, about to type another message when Jeongguk sent a photo. It wasn't just any photo either, but one of Jeongguk, with his hair wet, presumably from the shower, and a tiny, barely-there smile on his face. Taehyung gawked, zooming in on the face as best as he could, because holy hell, Jeongguk’s selfie game was strong.
He couldn't lose, however.
Pulling out the front camera on his phone, Taehyung thanked whatever higher power existed that he looked presentable today and snapped a photo of himself grinning widely. He needed Jeongguk to know he was adorable but also very smug about the fact that he made him smile.
[to: jeongguk] bloody mary, blessed are you among cocktails; pray for me in the hour of my death, which is soon, as i have been presented with a rare photo of a smiling jeon jeongguk. amen
[from: jeongguk] I am going to delete your number and stop answering your messages.
[to: jeongguk] ohhhh, you already saved my number?? under what name? ;)
[from: jeongguk] ‘Fire Hazard’.
Maybe it was because Taehyung was much better at flirting when he didn't have to open his mouth, but talking to Jeongguk over text was simple. Easy. Jeongguk had apparently just come back from work and was hitting up Netflix for the evening, and when Taehyung asked, ‘ooh, netflix and chill?’ Jeongguk answered, ‘I don't know, are you planning on coming over?’. Taehyung had to remind himself through methodical, deep breaths that he was supposed to play it cool and not jump the hot firefighter at first possible opportunity.
They were so obviously flirting with each other however, that Taehyung kind of expected this to go somewhere. Perhaps not Netflix and Chill, and maybe not right now, but at some moment, possibly they could go on a date and see if there still was chemistry after a little while. If not, he would at least be up for a good fuck to possibly get some inspiration for his new novel.
It was after almost twenty minutes of texting that Taehyung suddenly remembered he had food and guests waiting for him. Jimin hadn't called, and neither had Yoongi, so Taehyung thought they might just have gotten along and were having an interesting conversation or something, but walking out into the living room he realized they were not just getting along.
They were talking, yeah, but the way Jimin was looking at Taehyung’s publisher, his boss, slowly licking his lips while staring into the poor man’s soul, Taehyung realized which way this was going. They were sitting very close on the sofa, sides touching, and Jimin’s hand was on Yoongi’s thigh, disturbingly close to his crotch. Jimin also had this look on his face that said ‘I pretend that I’m listening to what you’re saying, but really I’m imagining you riding my dick’-look, and Taehyung was not going to deal with it. Nuh-uh.
“Time out, Horny #1, Horny #2!” he bellowed, Jimin and Yoongi quickly moving away from each other to different ends of the sofa. Yoongi’s face was again a delectable shade of ketchup red, and even Jimin’s ears were a little pink. “I would appreciate it if I could eat my chicken before you decide to hump each other. May I?”
Yoongi cleared his throat awkwardly, jaw set and eyes shifting uncomfortably over to Taehyung. “I - I should probably go, anyway,” he said hurriedly, standing up from the couch. Jimin looked positively crestfallen.
“You’re not staying for dinner?” he asked, jutting his bottom lip out. “You even bought cake - you’re not going to eat with us?”
Yoongi’s resolve was crumbling and Taehyung loved every second of it. “Uh - well I have things to do, so,” he mumbled, avoiding looking at the underwear model as best as he could. “I really better be going, and - Taehyung do you happen to have a new number, because I might need to get in touch with you. Soon.”
Something told Taehyung Yoongi wasn't going to bother him about the book first thing. “You’re in luck, hyung, I just got a new cellphone. Hand me yours, I’ll put my number in for you.” Yoongi grumbled, but did as Taehyung said, and for a second Taehyung actually considered putting his own number in, but then he wrote Jimin’s instead.
I am going to hell, he thought, handing Yoongi his phone back with an innocent smile.
.
.
.
[from: unknown] taehyung this is yoongi how do i politely ask your hot roommate if i can sit on his dick?
[to: unknown] yes hello this is taehyung’s hot roommate, he probably gave you my number instead of his (in regards of the question: you wont have to be that polite)
[from: hot publisher] i am actually going to murder him (sweet)
;))
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