Work Text:
October 30th, 2015.
"Taetae, you're too old to be trick-or-treating. Stay in with us." Jimin's voice is just boarding the edge of whiny. "We're gonna be watching Chinese horror films all night. Your favorite."
Taehyung has to resist the urge to roll his eyes and instead looks back in the mirror to touch up his makeup a bit. "I can watch movies any day of the year. Trick-or-treating only happens once, twice if you're lucky!" he adds a bit more black to his eyes, supremely satisfied with how his look turned out. "Plus I've finally perfected my Joker costume. I have to show it off, and not to you dweebs."
Jungkook enters the doorway, leaning on the frame with his arms crossed to observe the happenings of Taehyung's room. "Seokjin hyung is coming over with pizza. Are you going trick-or-treating tonight?"
"Yeah! Where's your costume, we have to leave soon if we want the good candy!"
Jungkook always went with Taehyung, even after Hoseok and Jimin stopped, so to see the younger boy look around awkwardly was disconcerting, to say the least. "I'm an adult now, hyung... It felt awkward last year, even."
Oh.
Well, fine. Taehyung would go alone. There's nothing wrong with that. He'd get all the candy and share none of it. It would be fine, great, even. He doesn't need his friends to have a good time.
"Fine." he deadpans, wiping his fingers on a makeup removing wipe. "I'll go find someone else to be my Harley Quinn. Have fun reading inaccurate subtitles on movies about dolls."
Jungkook rolls his eyes and shoves himself up off the doorframe, unfolding his arms. "Whatever. I'd totally be Batman, keep your weird cross dressing fantasies to yourself."
With Jungkook's defensive banter, almost all hard feelings Taehyung had disappear in favor of teasing back. His eyes narrow as he regards the two men in the room; scrutinizing them. "Mm. You're right, you're Bruce Wayne. Hoseok is The Penguin. Jimin is definitely Harley, though."
Jimin's cheeks go pink and he hits Taehyung on the shoulder. "You punk. Go if you're going, I'm done with you."
Taehyung laughs and climbs off of his bed, leaving his costume makeup strewn out on the surface. "I lied. Jimin is Poison Ivy. Now I really need to find a Harley!"
He rushes from the room to dodge verbal attacks of "Leave, leave!", but not before he grabs his candy sack from his nightstand. Waving a farewell at Hoseok from the kitchen, he sets off out the door to begin his hunt for treats.
Of course, Taehyung takes this very seriously. Most everyone in their apartment complex knows him, and have always enjoyed giving treats to him even when he became an adult. This had been his haunt of choice on Halloween for years now; even before he started living here. It was ideal because he could hit many places in a short amount of time, and it was just down the road from his childhood home.
His plan, as it was every year, is to start with the building across from his own. It housed the older folk, and he knew they would be tucked away in bed fairly soon so if he wanted any of their candy (even though it was mostly sugar free caramels and taffy), he'd have to go now. Plus, the residents of that building loved him to death and it would be nice to greet someone that actually supported his candy endeavors.
The first house he goes to is an old couple-- the Byuns-- who referred to Taehyung as their grandson more often than not. "Seriously, honey! Doesn't he look just like our Baekhyunnie?" He mostly loved the attention, and they give him more treats than any other place he visits.
"Baby boy!" the old woman exclaims, setting the candy bucket aside and opening her arms wide for a hug. Taehyung accepts the offer graciously, squeezing her tight around the middle. "You look pale, have you been eating properly?"
Taehyung laughs and dissents. "It's makeup, auntie." Even still, she ushers him inside and places him at the table.
"Have something hot to drink before you go." she says, putting a tea kettle on the stove. "Have you been keeping your keys with you?"
He remembers the time he'd been locked out of the apartment last winter, so he came over here and she'd fed him kimchi rice and soup. "Yes ma'am." he nods.
She prepares a tea cup for him after announcing to her husband that "Taehyung is here!" and sits across from him, folding her hands neatly on the table. "You're welcome over at any time, baby. Not just when you're in trouble."
He thanks her sincerely and smiles genuinely. If there's one thing he loves the most in this world, it's old people who give him food.
"There's our boy!" the old man enters the room, clapping Taehyung on the back with a firm hand. "How have you been?"
Taehyung smiles once again, standing to greet him. "I've been really good, uncle. I just started my final year of college!"
"Still studying music?" he inquires, accepting his own cup of hot tea from his wife as he takes a seat at the table.
The doorbell rings and Aunt Byun excuses herself to answer it. Taehyung takes a second to wave at the group of kids outside, all of whom oo and ah at his costume, before he answers. "Yes, sir. As part of my thesis, I need to find a producer to interview."
"A producer?" Aunt Byun asks, setting the candy bucket aside and returning to her tea. "Our Baekhyunnie probably knows a few, we could ask him to get in contact with you."
The old man scowls, "Honey, he barely gets in contact with his own family. Ever since he became one of those idols."
"He's just busy, bless his soul. He hardly has time to sleep, you know. Would you rather him get rest and eat properly, or take the time to call us?"
Taehyung sits for a while and drinks his tea, appreciating the small lovers' squabble. Honestly, this couple embodied his goals for the future. He wants someone to spend the rest of his life with. Someone he can have fun with, argue with, and still love at the end of the day.
Halfway through his cup, he decides to interrupt. "Thank you for the offer, but I want to find a producer that's only just starting out. My thesis deals with the struggles of making it in the industry and whether or not it's knowing the right people or just luck. I can find interviews from big name producers online."
The auntie coos, "Aww, such a smart young man. Why can't our grandson be handsome and smart like you?"
"Well, he's certainly handsome." Taehyung laughs awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. It was flattering to be compared to an idol, especially one as big as an EXO member, but it could be overwhelming sometimes.
After another cup of tea and three groups of trick-or-treaters, Taehyung announces he'd better get going before all the good candy is gone. They send him off, but not before two handfuls of caramel and chocolate candies are dumped into his bag.
"Have fun and be safe, sweetie! I'm making soup tomorrow, you should come by and have some." the aunt kisses Taehyung on the cheek and pats his shoulder.
He thanks them both, accepting a hug from each, before he's on his way once more. As expected, everyone in the building greets him with warm smiles and treats, exclaiming that it was nice to see a young man get out and be a kid again instead of staying in doing work or school.
His sack is halfway full by the time he's gone through all the occupied units. He can tell that it's going to be a good haul this year, even if his own building doesn't have as many friendly tenants.
Many of the doors he knocks on greet him with no reply, which is okay with him. He'd rather have that than some middle aged couple with three kids tell him he's too old and that he's "stealing candy from children" or whatever. He's a little down on his luck until he reaches apartment number 32, which houses Kim Namjoon, resident drug dealer.
"Hey, what's up?" the older man greets, exhaling cigarette smoke into Taehyung's face.
Taehyung tries not to be bothered by the smoke and holds up his bag joyfully. "Trick or treat!" he shakes the fabric around for good measure, listening to the rustling of wrappers inside.
The taller man only smiles, holding his cigarette between his lips as he reaches for the candy bowl from the counter. "Coulda guessed that. From your makeup, and all."
"You're high aren't you." Taehyung deadpans, a stern look on his face despite the fact that he wouldn't be bothered at all if Namjoon was.
Namjoon shrugs, dumping a couple pieces of candy into Taehyung's bag before taking a drag off his cigarette, blowing the smoke off to the side. "You know me so well."
Taehyung laughs and takes a few more treats from the bowl, but Namjoon doesn't seem to mind. "I swear, you're the worst drug dealer ever. You smoke everything you're supposed to sell."
"Hey." Namjoon says defensively. "I was sampling a strain with a client. It's part of my job to get high."
"Oh, is that a new business practice?" Taehyung hums, leaning his weight on one foot. "Never heard of that before. Isn't it kind of unsafe for a buyer to know where their dealer lives?"
Namjoon purses his lips and sets the bowl down again, mimicking Taehyung by leaning against the doorframe and crossing his arms. "Fine, it was a friend. He just moved into the building so he came over and I let him try some new shit I got, but he bought the eighth I let him sample from so it evens out."
Taehyung perks up at the mention of a new tenant, especially since it was supposedly a friend of Namjoon's. Meaning that this person was around his age, probably a bit older. "Wait. Someone new moved in? I didn't know that."
Namjoon scoffs, shaking his head. "You don't know a lot of things, Tae. Your head is constantly in the clouds."
"Better than my head being clouded up by smoke."
Namjoon's about to reply with a snarky remark, until he notices a group of kids running down the hall toward them. "Trick-or-treat!" they shout, squirming their way between Taehyung and the door.
"Sorry, boss." Namjoon says, dumping candy into each of the kids' bags and ruffling their hair. "Go home already, quit taking candy from children."
"Shut up." he replies lamely, stalking off as the kids run past him. He hears Namjoon call a friendly farewell, but all he offers in return is a half-hearted wave over his shoulder.
Maybe this will be his last year trick-or-treating... Nights like these should be spent getting drunk with his friends. There's candy all over the shelves of the store he works at that he can just buy, now that he's an adult with (somewhat) of an income. It would be nice to choose what he gets and not have pounds of inedible candy left to waste.
He just wishes people will stop telling him he's too old. There's plenty of other ways to stress that he shouldn't partake in this particular tradition without reminding him of his inevitable demise. Without reminding him that he'll be working his ass off to make a name for himself and suggesting that he shouldn't have fun while doing so.
He's always been stubborn like that. Doing exactly what people tell him he shouldn't do is a talent, in his book. He'll do what he wants and he has enough passion and drive to get what he wants. Granted, trick-or-treating well into his 20s isn't an ideal example of that.
A good example would be what he can do to people who get in the way of what he wants.
"Trick-or-treat!" he shouts, knocking on the door to the clearly occupied apartment for the umpteenth time. Music could be heard from inside, and Taehyung's confused because the units are a little too small to have a party in. Usually students who live here just go to parties on campus instead of hosting their own.
Finally, just as Taehyung's about to give up and go home, the apparent resident appears in the doorway. The man is short and has dark hair that falls into his eyes, a deep scowl residing on his face as he regards the intruder. "Go away. I'm busy and you're too old to be askin' for candy."
Taehyung would be distracted by the surprisingly deep voice the man sported, if it wasn't for the fact that he was a stranger. He knew most everyone who lived in the complex, or at least recognized them. "You're that new tenant, aren't you?" he then scrambled to bow respectfully. "Nice to meet you, I'm Kim Taehyung."
The man sighs and leans on the doorframe, a tired and annoyed expression passing across his features. "No offense, kid, but you just spent the last fifteen minutes pounding on my door. I don't care. Go home."
With that, the man shuts the door and Taehyung hears the distinct click of a lock. And then another. Along with the chain lock.
Does Taehyung seem untrustworthy, or something?
Whatever. If this stranger wanted to be rude, Taehyung would strike back. He has no qualms doing so. In an irrational fit of rage, he storms down the hall and up the stairs to his own apartment, immediately rummaging through the kitchen drawers once he gets there.
"Jungkook! Do you have all that plastic wrap you got for that science project? I'll replace it tomorrow!"
--
November 6th, 2015.
Jimin is a fucking life saver, if you ask Taehyung. He's way behind on his thesis already, and Jimin had gotten him in touch with an up-and-coming producer in their area. His name is Min Yoongi and while they've yet to meet in person, Taehyung has very high hopes for finally getting some material for his paper.
The plan, as communicated over text messages, was to meet at a coffee shop around five, and Taehyung would interview him for about 30 minutes because Yoongi had to dash for a meeting at a company that had just offered him a job. Which was fine for Taehyung; if he didn't get what he needed, they could always meet again. He just needed something to at least start with.
At five on the dot, Yoongi messages him to tell him he'll be sitting at the fourth booth from the door by the window. Taehyung's only a minute late when he walks into the shop, immediately heading for the man sitting alone with his back toward the door.
He bows without looking at the man's face, smiling brightly as he straightens his back again and he opens his mouth to speak and--
Oh. Shit.
Taehyung feels his blood run cold as a newfound type of terror seeps into his bones. This was the man whose door he silly stringed and covered with a mountain of plastic wrap not two weeks ago. This was the man who, no doubt, had at least twenty minutes added onto getting out of his door on the morning of Halloween, thanks to Taehyung.
But it was fine. He could play it off. How long had he been standing here with his mouth open? Yoongi probably didn't even recognize him. He was in full costume and makeup that night. It would be fine. It had only been about two seconds since he'd locked eyes with him, so it's not like the pause is weird or suspicious. It's fine. Even if Yoongi did recognize him, he might not even know that Taehyung was the culprit of the little prank. It's totally cool. He'd get what he needs and go.
"Hi--"
"You." Yoongi says; a simple word that he says with pure calmness. To Taehyung, it holds about as much venom as a tiger snake.
"I know!" Taehyung says quickly, nervously, and holds up his hands defensively. "I'm sorry about your door!"
"No, you don't know." Yoongi says, voice a deep rumble that shakes Taehyung to the very core with both apprehension and guilt. "I was late to a meeting with SM Entertainment that day. Because I had to spend thirty minutes sawing through plastic wrap with a dull steak knife. They were going to buy my track. Where the fuck did you even get all of that?"
"My roommate was doing a project for his physics class and--" Taehyung rushes to explain, only to be cut off. Understandably so.
Yoongi sighs, standing up and moving away from the booth. "No, you know what. I don't even want to know. You cost me the biggest deal of my career and now you want to talk about my struggles with making it big? Fuck you."
And with that, Yoongi walks away, along with Taehyung's hopes and dreams of ever graduating college. But he supposes he deserves that one.
--
October 30th, 2016.
"What took you so long?"
A lazy night at Yoongi's apartment usually consisted of movies, pizza, and beer. Tonight is special, though, because it's almost Halloween which is Taehyung's favorite holiday. It's also the first year he's celebrating it different than what he's used to.
"Sorry, sorry!" he exclaims, clambering into the living room with their pizza and a six pack. He unloads everything onto the coffee table, sliding comfortably into the seat beside his boyfriend and throwing his arm over his shoulder for a chaste kiss on the cheek. "I got pulled over because, apparently, you can't wear a mask while driving. Weird, right? Like, who knew?"
"Everyone does, babe." a resigned sigh passes Yoongi's lips as he leans forward to take the mask off the top of the pizza box, examining it. "You thought it was a good idea to drive while wearing a wolfman mask?"
Taehyung grins, taking the remote from the armchair and pulling up a movie streaming site on the television. "It's Halloween. Don't try to ruin my fun, sugar baby."
"Whatever. As long as you don't plastic wrap my door again, do whatever you want." Yoongi mutters, grabbing a slice of pizza from the box before sinking back into the couch.
"Mm, you're never gonna let that go, are you?" Taehyung asks with a laugh under his breath.
"SM Entertainment, Kim."
"They would have slaughtered your demo as soon as you sold it to them, anyway."
Yoongi cracks a grin, slowly chewing his pizza. "Hey, show some respect, kid."
Taehyung chooses a random movie, knowing that it will be nothing more than background noise to the long night they have ahead of them. "Anyway you should thank me. If it wasn't for you missing that meeting you probably wouldn't have taken the offer from Bighit. Nice cushy job you got there, now, huh?" He turns to Yoongi, focusing all of his attention on him to simply admire the way his boyfriend exists in the same room as he's existing in. It's fucking fantastic, the way Yoongi exists. Especially near him. That was his favorite way that Yoongi existed.
"Whatever. Eat your pizza."
A slow smile spreads across Taehyung's face as he leans in to nose at Yoongi's collarbone, looking coyly up at him. "I'd rather be eating you, honestly."
Taehyung starts to playfully bite his neck, and only Yoongi could mix a groan and a whine so perfectly. "Come on, at least wait until I'm done eating. I'm starving."
Oh, yeah. This is gonna be way better than even his best night of trick-or-treating. By, like, 1,000 percent.