Chapter Text
When Jeongguk moved out, he promised his mom he would visit every weekend. He was twenty two and anxious to get started living his dreams, but still nervous about jumping off into the unknown of “the real world.” Still, he wasn't one to give up on a good opportunity, so he found a tiny place in the big city to call his own and started moving towards his dream job. And he did go home to visit. Every weekend. For a while. Then life got busy.
Jeongguk made a few friends in the city, work people mostly, the kind you have lunch with and the occasional dinner, but don't really text outside of business hours. Then work got hectic and even those outings became less frequent. He went out dancing more and went home less. Which was part of growing up, right? But some days, it just hit him a little harder. He missed home. He missed his mom and his room and his dog.
Which was how Jeongguk wound up on his upstairs neighbor’s doorstep, with a six pack and a box of dog treats, mustering up the courage to knock. The guy had a dog. Jeongguk had heard barking, and tiny pitter-pattery running at odd hours. A deep voice rumbled through the ceiling, talking to the dog, and then that same voice in falsetto, answering back. He thought of him just as The Neighbor.
For weeks, he’d been in a funk, unable to get untangled from his life enough to go home, but missing home. A lot. And that upstairs dog was tugging at his heartstrings. So Jeongguk decided to be neighborly.
When he rang the doorbell, the answering barks made his heart soar. Just a few minutes to play with a dog would help keep him sane until Jeongguk could find time to get home for real, he just knew it. He heard the familiar rumblings of that deep voice, and prepared his most welcoming, not-a-crazy-person, just here to say “hi” smile, but when the door opened, Jeongguk was unprepared.
Could that voice possibly belong to this long-limbed, beautifully delicate looking man? He tried to take it all in. A fluffy white ball of fur, barking adorably. Bare feet, jeans showing plenty of wear and tear, bright blue t shirt, soft brown tousled hair, and a face that made all his carefully planned introductions fly right out of his brain.
“Seoltang, hush. Let me find out who it is.” Yep, that was the voice alright. He looked at Jeongguk expectantly, petting Seoltang calmly. The dog settled into his master's touch and joined him in staring at Jeongguk.
"Uh..." A really smooth introduction. "Hi. I live in 1240, right below you? I'm your neighbor. I heard you have a dog, and I like dogs, so I came to say hello." Jeongguk held out the dog treats and beer, hoping that would cover any remaining awkwardness.
The Neighbor’s eyes went wide with surprise, then his face split into an adorable smile, and he reached out a hand to take the gifts, but Seoltang took that as an invitation to jump right into Jeongguk’s arms. There was an awkward dance as Jeongguk tossed the beer (thankful for cans, not glass) at The Neighbor, hoping he would catch, let the dog treats fall to the floor as he caught the cutest ball of fluff to ever exist. Seoltang licked his face happily and Jeongguk couldn't help but laugh. This was just what he needed.
"Seoltang, that's enough. Seriously, dog, come here." He was holding out his arms, trying to coax the wiggly fur ball back, but Jeongguk wasn't ready to let go.
"It's ok, really. I just hope the beer is ok." The six pack was dangling from The Neighbor's fingers. "Nice catch, by the way."
"Thanks. Why don't you bring that little hairball inside and while we wait for that beer to be drinkable, you can extract yourself." His smile was like the sun, warm and bright. "I'm Kim Taehyung."
"Jeongguk. Jeon Jeongguk."
"Nice to meet you, neighbor."
Taehyung’s apartment was bright, full of light, cluttered in a haphazard way, and comfortable. Though the floor plan was identical to his own, Jeongguk could hardly believe how different it was. Where Jeongguk had filled the space with the necessities and some reminders of home, Taehyung had crammed every available space with… life. Books and pictures, keepsakes, postcards, stuffed animals, ticket stubs from concerts, movies, play books. Jeongguk felt certain that if he spent enough time in this living room, he could discover Taehyung’s whole life story.
Sitting on his couch, lap full of a squirmy, happy, fluffy dog, watching Taehyung talk about everything, Jeongguk was happier than he had been in a long time. Taehyung filled the silence, telling him about his job, his family, his previous pets, the anime he was in love with, the song that he'd had stuck in his head for three days straight. There were no awkward pauses, and Jeongguk was content to just let him talk. Seoltang was a friendly little thing, curled up contentedly. Jeongguk could feel the stress of his life just melting away. Everything about Taehyung was open and easy. He didn't seem shy about anything. Jeongguk already knew more about him than most of the friends he'd had for years back home.
"I can't believe I'm still talking. How rude of me! But I think the beer should be safe to open now, would you like one?" Jeongguk nodded shyly, thinking he was taking up way more of Taehyung’s time than he’d originally planned, but he really didn't want to leave. Jeongguk grabbed the can and tried to open it around Seoltang's playful investigating licks.
"Seoltang, off." Taehyung said, his voice stern in a way that was hard to reconcile with his angelic face, but Seoltang obediently jumped down from his lap and curled up on the floor at Taehyung's feet. "Sorry, Jeongguk. Tang-tangie is pretty friendly. He's always had great taste in people."
Taehyung's smile was so genuine Jeongguk couldn't help but smile back. Taehyung really was beautiful, all graceful lines and smooth skin. Jeongguk hated this part though. Seeing someone gorgeous, talking and having no clue if their smile was a friendly smile or a more-than-friendly smile.
Jeongguk was just hopelessly clueless when it came to flirting. If that's what this was. Or maybe he was just friendly.
"Thanks. I was just feeling a little homesick." Jeongguk didn't know where to look, couldn't look at Taehyung's face, or his hands out any other part. He felt awkward talking about family and feelings with complete strangers, but Taehyung made him feel at home, and Jeongguk wanted to explain a little. Taehyung raised his eyebrows and cocked his head, much the way Seoltang had done, and sipped his beer, waiting for Jeongguk to continue. "My dog, um, Prince, he's a shepherd mix, and I didn't really think I would miss him as much as I do. I don't get home as often as I used to anymore."
Taehyung nodded and then began to tell him all about growing up in the country, and missing the quiet of his grandmother's farm. Jeongguk sipped his beer, then had another. And a third. He had been starved for company, for real conversations, for human interaction in decent lighting. He found himself opening up, finding the words to join in Taehyung's ramblings. Maybe it was the beer.
Somewhere between the second and third beer, Taehyung placed an order for takeout and they sat on the floor, swapping stories of youthful embarrassments, favorite pets, best songs to dance to, saddest movies, first loves.
"My first love was my sister's best friend," Taehyung said, eyes closed in memory, head leaning back against the couch. "She broke my heart into a thousand pieces." Jeongguk tried not to stare too openly at his neck, especially since, with one sentence, Jeongguk had figured out Taehyung was just regular friendly, not more-than-friendly.
"I can still remember every word as if it were yesterday." His voice rose in falsetto, "'Kim Taehyung! You can't be in love with me. You're gay!'" Taehyung opened his eyes and stared at Jeongguk, not blinking, waiting for his reaction.
Jeongguk felt glued to the spot. Was this a confession, a joke, an ice breaker? Had Jeongguk been staring too hard, being obvious and obnoxious? He tried not to fidget, but Jeongguk couldn't meet his gaze. Taehyung let his voice return to its natural deep timbre and said, "Well, she was both right and wrong. I did love her with my whole heart. If only she'd been a boy, she would have been perfect." He sighed again and sipped his beer, seemingly unfazed by Jeongguk’s silence. So. Maybe more-than-friendly. Jeongguk knew he should say something. Anything. Be nice. Comforting. Understanding.
"Yeah." Well, that fell short of the mark. Jeongguk cleared his throat and tried again. "My... my first love was my professor in college. Professor Song." He glanced up to see Taehyung staring through his long lashes, face blank, hands still. It was unnerving to see him so calm after the hours of energy. "He...um, he taught biology, and... well, I nearly failed the course because I couldn't concentrate in lecture." Jeongguk had to shut up. Jeongguk had to stop talking. This was going to get awkward really fast if Jeongguk didn't shut up right now. Why wasn't Taehyung saying anything? He couldn't stay quiet for more than a heartbeat before, and now he wasn't saying a word.
It was late. The last thing Jeongguk wanted to do was leave, but he didn't want to overstay his welcome. "Thank you so much for all your hospitality. I really didn't mean to monopolize your whole evening." Taehyung waved his words away and smiled in a way that was becoming sweetly familiar. Jeongguk reached down to pet Seoltang, who was sound asleep under the coffee table. "Thank you, Seoltang. I feel much better having met you."
"This was fun. Thank you for the dog treats." Taehyung walked him to the door. "And the conversation of course. It gets boring just talking to myself up here. Oh, and thanks for the beer, too."
"Sorry I drank so much of it." Jeongguk hoped his face wasn't as red as it felt.
"No worries. It was meant to be shared. Much better than drinking it alone." Taehyung shrugged and reached to open the door. "Next time, beer's on me." Jeongguk’s heart stuttered a bit. Next time?
"Yeah, sure. That, um, you know, sounds great." Such a way with words. Jeongguk cringed at his inability to communicate like a grown adult. "Maybe you could come downstairs." Thankfully Taehyung's face was an open book again, his smile lighting up his eyes.
"That sounds like a lovely second date." Jeongguk was sure his face looked as stupid as he felt, but he blushed, and smiled, and tried so very hard not to say anything that would make Taehyung reconsider. So Jeongguk waved shyly, turned and walked back towards the stairs. Don't look back. Don't look back. Just be cool. Just walk down the stairs, into your apartment, and freak out there. Don't look back.
But he couldn't help himself. As he turned to walk down the stairs, Jeongguk looked, and there was Taehyung, leaning against the door frame, watching him walk away. His face burned, and Jeongguk waved again, slipping around the corner and down the stairs as quickly as he could. Shit...what the...he's just so...UGH! Even in his head he didn't have words. Once safely home, he grabbed a pillow, buried his face and screamed, his heart about to burst with embarrassment, excitement, and several other feelings Jeongguk didn't have words for yet.
Not bad for a first date.