Archive of Our Own ^beta

Taehyung really doesn't want to think about how the tee he decided to wear tonight is his favorite Celine one, not only because it's covered in vomit but because it's his own damn fault and such a rookie mistake to have worn a white shirt to babysit, he knows better than this for god's sake, but, in his defense, he expected this to be a good day, after all he found money in his pants’ pocket this morning when getting dressed, and a bird landed on his palm when he was at the park and offered part of his lunch to the little creatures, he went to class almost skipping instead of walking because he felt like he was living in a fairy tale after that happened, today he was the main character. So, he wore his favorite shirt so his job for tonight wouldn't dampen his mood.

Don't get it wrong, Taehyung loves babysitting, he does this as a job because he loves dealing with children, it's kind of his calling –exactly why he is aiming for a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education– so what his job is shouldn't be a problem, who he is dealing with is though. You see, the problem with bad behaving children isn't the kids themselves, but the enabling parents, who don't let Taehyung do his job properly, they never do.

The night didn't start that badly, except the mother, Mrs. Cho, wasn't going out tonight with her husband, she is a writer, you see, so she just needs some moments of peace while she works and her husband isn't around to watch the two lovely spawns she has. The biggest problem about her being around is her micromanaging tendencies, because even when she is supposed to be holed up in her office she is just looking over Taehyung's shoulder, watching every step, and the way she just lets her children do whatever, no matter what it takes, complicates Taehyung's own work tactics a lot more, there's no boundaries in this house and Taehyung can't enforce some when every time he tries she goes; 'Did you just tell my little angels that they can't do something? I don't pay you to think you can boss them around, Taehyung' and ruins any kind of progress. Tonight though, Taehyung has had enough.

It ended way worse, of course.

"If they want to eat that they can do so."

"Mrs. Cho, with all due respect I don't think it’s for the best that they eat cake when they already had some candy minutes ago, your husband said he was bringing dinner on his way back, it's just half an hour from now–"

"I said if they want to eat the cake they can eat the cake!"

"We want cake! We want cake!"

Taehyung watched them eat two big slices of cake each, way too much for two six year olds, as their mother stood there smugly, like she took pride in making his life harder.

Then Taehyung watched the two boys run around the house, extremely hyped and sugar driven, not listening to anything he had to say.

And, at last, Taehyung watched them throw up, tried to take the twins to the bathroom but ended up covered in vomit himself.

"I can't believe you would let this happen, Taehyung! You even had recommendations in your resume! You were supposed to be experienced! Look what you did! My babies are sick because you can't even do your job properly"

Taehyung must have the patience of a saint, because he didn't leave even while being yelled at, he even cleaned the floor and helped the boys clean and change themselves, he endured being bashed at every step of his actions, and felt extreme relief when the husband made it back home. He also had the decency of tucking the boys in bed before he spoke to the parents.

"Mr. and Mrs. Cho, this isn't working for any of us so I'll have to stop working with you." Of course his words were received with more berating from the mother, who refused to acknowledge any wrongdoing, but Taehyung was very done by that point, and he once again felt immense relief of being able to have the last words. Just a simple "I quit, and I'll be glad to never see you again.”

That's how he ended up right here, stained tee and all, but almost skipping back home again, dialing his best friend's number, and feeling grateful that Jimin picked up the phone after the third ring.

"Hi, baby, you got off sooner than I expected, do you need me to pick you up?" Lovely lovely Jimin, what would Taehyung do without him?

"I quit"

"Huh?"

"I just quit, and I've never felt lighter, Chim, I don't mind walking all the way back home because I'm riding the adrenaline rush after finally telling Mrs. Cho that she can go fuck herself." He chuckled at the sound Jimin let out. "Well, maybe I didn't say it like that, but I’m sure my words conveyed the same message."

"I'm happy for you, after all you have been wanting to drop that family for a while, now send me your location and I'll pick you up, we can go have a celebratory dinner."

"I love you, but aren't celebratory dinners supposed to happen when you get a job?" He stopped at a bench to text the exact spot to Jimin. "And I don't think we'd be able to get into any restaurants, I smell like shit, the twins threw up on me"

"Ugh I'm taking another shirt with me and a plastic bag, you won't cover my car seats in that." Jimin hung up before Taehyung could even retort.

--

"I need to start looking for another job," Taehyung said, stealing the last spring roll before Jimin could stab his hand.

Their celebratory dinner ended up being Chinese takeout while sitting down on the floor by their couch, objectively the best type of celebration in Taehyung's humble opinion.

"Wait, I think I have something for you!" Jimin was already reaching for his phone before he was even done talking.

"Stop speaking with your mouth full." Despite the scolding, he was already hooking his chin on Jimin's shoulder, excited for whatever it was. "I swear if I catch a glimpse of one of hyung's nudes I'm suing you."

"Bitch? It's you who is here looking at my phone, whatever you get is your own fault."

It doesn't take too long before Jimin finds the text he was looking for, and Yoongi's privacy wasn't compromised on the journey.

"Yoongi's friend moved to Seoul just a couple of days ago, apparently he has a four year old." Jimin was basically narrating Yoongi's texts as he scrolled through their convo. "He is quite desperate for childcare, and if hyung trusts him and considers him a close friend I can't imagine him to be an asshole.”

Jimin reaches to pinch Taehyung's cheek, the latter just lets him. "I think I can trust Yoongi hyung's friend with my baby, and I'm sure he is gonna trust his baby with my baby too."

"I'm not a baby."

"But you are babie."

Taehyung stuck his tongue out as a rebuttal but it doesn't help his point. Him laying his head on Jimin's lap doesn't help either.

"Are you in then? If you are, I'll tell Yoongi to give your contact info to his friend right now."

Jimin is running his fingers through Taehyung's curls now, which just makes him sleepy, but he hums his agreement.

--

Taehyung has an interview with Yoongi's single daddy friend–'ew, don't call him that' Jimin would say–a couple of days later.

Apparently Mr. Dad wants to meet Taehyung on his own first, see if he is a good fit before introducing his son to the mix, and Taehyung respects that to be honest, he thinks it's smart.

It’s not the first interview Taehyung’s had, yet for some reason he feels more nervous than ever, there’s something in him that is desperate to have this come out positively, maybe the disappointment of having to quit a job, the overachiever in him never feeling content when he feels like he failed, even though Jimin had tried to drill it in his brain that quitting a toxic work environment is not failing. Whatever it is, Taehyung feels like throwing up, maybe even fainting, just a little.

Feeling like fainting takes a whole different turn when the door of the flat is opened, though, because in the few years Taehyung has babysat he has never encountered a dilf of this caliber. He’d thought he’d met some, had even talked about it with Jimin before, when a parent he works for is attractive enough to discuss where they stand on the dilf category, it was all mostly in good fun though, which is obvious when looking at the man standing in front of him now, ‘no one compares you stand alone..’ Taehyung’s recently TikTok addicted brain helpfully supplies.

“You must be Taehyung, right? Sorry it took me a minute to open the door, I was baking and had to put some stuff away,” said man greets, soft friendly smile on his gorgeous face, wiping his hands on sinful gray sweatpants, before offering one to Taehyung, which he of course immediately accepted, he’s got calloused hands, maybe from work, most certainly from working out, he also has tattoos for God’s sake, and he bakes, ring the alarms.

Don’t say hi daddy, don’t say hi daddy. “Hi, yes, Kim Taehyung, it’s really nice to meet you…Mr. Jeon?” There was hesitation in his voice because the man standing in front of him didn’t look much older than Taehyung himself, there could always be the possibility of this being a daddy but not a father per say.

Mr. Dilf snorts. “Jeongguk is fine, Mr. Jeon makes me feel ancient. Come in please”

First thing Taehyung notices is how good it smells inside, whatever Jeongguk must be baking already makes his mouth water, not nearly as much as the sight of said man though, but that’s neither here nor there.

“You can sit down, Taehyung, I’ll be there in a second” Jeongguk motions towards the comfy looking couch, before walking back into the kitchen.

The flat is small, but nicely decorated and cozy, there’s also some drawings on the lowest parts of the walls in some spots, most likely made by the child who also lives in the space, Taehyung finds it endearing that Jeongguk lets him do that and doesn’t cover them up, it’s a great way to support creativity to not limit the space where a child creates, it may not be the most pleasant aesthetic for a living room for some but it’s the traces of a creative little mind being set free, Taehyung thinks that’s beautiful.

“Can I offer you something to drink?” Jeongguk’s voice interrupts his eye’s exploration as Taehyung turns to look at him again, the only thing dividing the kitchen area and the rest is a counter, the space it’s a loft after all, and Taehyung was trying very hard not to stare at him as he moved around but now he can’t avoid it. “Tea, water, juice…I would also offer beer but I don’t think that’s the most appropriate beverage for a work interview, right?”

Taehyung chuckles, it’s hard not to when Jeongguk is once again offering one of those bunny like grins, it’s incredibly boyishly attractive, adorable just like his eyes, contrasting quite strongly with the sharpness of his jaw and eyebrows, don’t even get Taehyung started on the lip ring and eyebrow piercing.

“Water is fine, I wouldn’t accept a beer anyways, and I take care of children so no alcohol when it comes to work, wouldn’t even dream of it.”

“Ha, that’s the type of answer I like to hear”

“Was that a test?” he is amused now, Jeongguk just shrugs though.

“Maybe, maybe not.” He finally joins Taehyung in the living room, taking the couch in front of him.

“Well played, Mr.- uhm, Jeongguk, very subtle of you.”

Jeongguk snorts again. “I’m just kidding to be honest, Yoongi already told me you were a good fit for us, and I trust his judgement, this interview is mostly to see if you’d be a good match for my child, he is a bit shy, it’s hard for him to like people.”

"That’s okay with me, you can ask me whatever you want to, I always encourage parents to get to know me and ask all safety related questions beforehand, I would like to know all about your kid too, before meeting him.”

Those seem to be the magic words, because it earned him the biggest grin yet from Jeongguk and had him chatting away about his lovely Haneul. It was quite adorable, in Taehyung’s opinion, how Jeongguk lights up when talking about his son. For a second he thought the man could have gone on for hours, and Taehyung wouldn’t have minded one bit.

Haneul talking hours evolved into a more technical talk after a while, Taehyung was quite pleased with the amount of questions Jeongguk had about his safety tactics and his work ethic, as well as his experiences and anecdotes, because a well-informed parent makes it all the safest for him too, constant communication is key and Jeongguk seemed to be a very involved parent, in the best of ways, he can’t wait to meet him with Haneul by his side. 

“Haneul sounds lovely and I really hope to meet him, my youngest brother is very shy too, used to hold onto the leg of my pants when I would take him to the park because the idea of making new friends was always scary for him, and I get it, I really do, sometimes I feel like throwing up when having to go to the bank and talk to the receptionist, or even when calling to make my doctor’s appointments ever since I moved out of my parents’ home, it’s scary to talk to new people, I just learned how to deal with it, especially because I was an older sibling. Ah I’m rambling, the point is I always told my little brother that…it just takes time and there’s no hurry! If he preferred to keep to himself then that’s fine too, and if he needed me to be his friendship wingman then I could do that too…at some point he got so popular he didn’t even want to hold my hand anymore when walking into the park, I guess I could ruin his reputation.” He rolled his eyes, obviously more endeared then annoyed though, but when he met Jeongguk’s eyes again he felt his cheeks warm up a little, there was just something in those round eyes that made Taehyung feel too seen. 

“Is that what got you into babysitting? Having younger siblings?” 

Taehyung nodded. “I have lots of little cousins too, you can say I’ve had experience babysitting since I was a child myself! I’m a natural.” He smiled when Jeongguk chuckled. “I’m also working on my education degree, working with kids is something I’m planning to always do.” 

Jeongguk stood up then, surprising Taehyung slightly, and he just watched the man move to the kitchen again, get out a tupperware and start carefully putting some cookies inside.

Once he finally talked again was to say “I would like for you to meet my son this weekend if that’s okay with you.” 

And that’s exactly how Taehyung went back home with a playdate settled and a tupperware filled with freshly baked chocolate chip cookies in his hands. 

--

Haneul has this habit of doing his own thing most of the time, he is also a creative little bird who likes drawing a lot in hidden corners of the house, so much that the walls are constantly decorated just as Taehyung saw them the first time he stepped into the Jeon home, their fridge is also so full of lovely drawings that Taehyung had to come up with a rotation schedule where he displays Haneul’s favorites of the week so is constantly changing, he calls it ‘bun’s little gallery’ since that’s his nickname for him, after all his prominent bunny teeth are the cutest thing in the world, his smile resembling his dad’s so so much, Taehyung may or may not be quite in love with it, with both. 

Back to the current issue, though, Haneul’s disappearance act and his abilities at staying hidden, especially when Taehyung just told him to get ready for a shower. 

It’s not uncommon for children to not like bath time but Haneul is also a ninja when it comes to hiding, he likes to keep to himself and it’s so silent and secretive sometimes that even though he shares so much with Taehyung there’s still hiding spots that he is yet to uncover. 

“Please, bunny, come out, your dad is gonna be home soon and he is bringing dinner, don’t you want to be all clean before eating?” 

“But Taetae, I’ll just get dirty with the food again, what’s the point?” 

The kid does have a good argument, but he also just exposed himself and Taehyung made sure to hold back his chuckle before he let out a loud ‘Aha!’ and pulls open Jeongguk’s closet’s doors, revealing a startled, Iron Man shorts clad Haneul, who bursts into laughter when Taehyung picks him up from his spot and blows a raspberry on his cheek. 

“Hannie, we really do need to get you all clean, don’t you want to be with daddy as soon as he is home?” 

Taehyung knows that’s the best way to convince Haneul of doing anything really, the little boy wouldn’t ever risk his time with his father. And it works like a charm, of course it does. 

When Taehyung started working with them a couple of months ago he could see how hard it was for Haneul to get used to having his dad around less, but Jeongguk confided in him that he needed to start working more hours, Taehyung is really proud of him though, because he could see the change wasn’t Jeongguk’s favorite thing either but with Haneul getting older and his needs also growing, Jeongguk couldn’t do anything else but find the means to provide. 

Jeongguk is a great father, is the thing, and Taehyung swears he isn’t biased, he just is so attentive, he cares so much, there’s nothing higher in his priorities than Haneul, and he loves his child more than words can probably explain, which makes itself obvious with how strong their bond is, Taehyung is more than sure that if it wasn’t just because it’s strictly necessary there’s no way they would leave each other’s side even any second of the day. 

And even though he knows all of this by heart now, Haneul welcoming Jeongguk home is still the most endearing sight. Haneul squeals as soon as the door opens, doesn’t even let Jeongguk take off the chunky boots he loves to wear as he runs and jumps into his arms, Jeongguk catches him every time, of course he does, and the sight of their matching bunny smiles warms Taehyung’s soul. 

“Did you miss me?” Jeongguk asks, pressing a kiss to Haneul’s head, even though the answer is a loud ‘YES’ every single time, he then also sniffs his son, like a puppy, and hums happily at the scent, he does this every time, claims it’s because Haneul just smells like home. Taehyung thinks he is a werewolf, Jeongguk just says he is sensitive to smell, that certainly does not deter Taehyung from his theory. 

Haneul is already talking Jeongguk’s ear off about his day –something he only does with his father and now with Taehyung as well, he is shy and it takes him a lot to open up, Taehyung is certainly very proud to be part of his inner circle– when Taehyung walks closer to the entrance to greet Jeongguk as well, sees him balancing his son on one arm as he takes his boots off with the other, he isn’t struggling at all, which should not be as hot as it is, but at this point Taehyung has stopped questioning why he finds everything Jeongguk does hot. 

“What about you? Did you miss me too?” It’s what Jeongguk asks first, and Taehyung just scoffs as he takes the bag of takeout. Jeongguk usually cooks dinner, he prefers to, it’s healthier and he enjoys cooking, and Taehyung is always welcomed to stay, except on the days he works a bit later, then he is too tired and takeout is allowed. 

“Can hardly miss you when you text me for Haneul updates basically every hour.” 

“Well, that’s a habit you started, I may just have gotten too used to it,” Jeongguk retorts, finally puts Haneul down to take his jacket off. “Especially since you take so many selfies of both of you, it’s a nice sight.” 

“Ah, so I may have spoiled you a bit too much then.” Taehyung rolls his eyes when Jeongguk just shrugs, smiles on both their faces, sometimes it feels like flirting, then Taehyung internally slaps himself so he’d wake up from the delusions. It’s not like that. 

It’s just half an hour later when Jeongguk joins them again, having taken a quick shower like he usually does after work, and because he apparently wants to make Taehyung’s life as hard as possible; he is wearing only sweatpants and no shirt. 

Taehyung learned about Jeongguk’s aversion to clothing–namely shirts–a week into working for him, when Jeongguk politely asked if him hanging around the place shirtless would be an inconvenience for Taehyung, needless to say that Taehyung may have jumped to answer that he was completely okay with it a bit too quickly, but he is sure he played it cool, after all Jeongguk didn’t comment on his eagerness, just explained that he feels more comfortable like that, especially after working on his feet all day. 

“We have the bake goods festival next week, Haneul’s teacher reminded me today,” Taehyung casually reminded Jeongguk as he set the plates, Haneul is still running around but he is giving him a minute, whenever Jeongguk arrives it’s like he is in a sugar rush and Taehyung thinks it’s good he burns some of that energy before bed. “Are you still planning on making the red velvet cupcakes?” 

“You just want me to make those because they are your favorite.” Jeongguk grabs the glasses, works alongside him to set the table, Taehyung needs to stop feeling warm inside whenever they work together like this, it’s just so domestic. 

“Your point?” 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m making those.” The way Jeongguk’s biceps flex as he pulls out a chair is a sight he should be used to by now, he really should be. 

“You know you can always just buy some from the bakery on your way home the day before, you don’t need to make a fresh batch just for that day, I know you barely have time.” He lifts a finger to cut Jeongguk off before he could protest. “It’s not cheating! You literally make them at the bakery, you work there, Guk, it’s the same thing.” 

“It’s not the same thing because I’m still buying them, which isn’t allowed, and I don’t mind doing a fresh batch early in the morning, I already called off my clients for the day at the gym, they understand.” Yeah, because Jeongguk is not only a baker but a personal trainer at a gym as well, the combination shouldn’t work this well, but it certainly has Taehyung on his knees. “…you know whatever activity Haneul has is always gonna come first.” There he goes again, making Taehyung’s heart skip a beat, like a traitor. 

“I know, that Number One Dad mug we gifted you last month doesn’t lie, I would never buy one of those for someone undeserving.” 

“Oh yes, the rare number one dad mug, one of a kind.” He is teasing, and Taehyung knows, because he teared up when he and Haneul gave it to him on Father’s Day. 

“Your fan club will be happy to see you at the bake sale, the ones that hate me the least asked if I was sure you were assisting when I picked Haneul today.” 

Jeongguk laughs, it echoes through the room since he has gone to call Haneul to the table.

“Taehyung, you need to stop defaming those poor ladies, why would they even hate you?” He pulls Haneul up on a chair. “Right, Hannie? Tell Taetae that being mean to older ladies it’s not nice.” 

“Taetae hyung is never mean, daddy.” 

“Ah yeah, I forgot my son is your number one supporter.” He pouts at his son, impossibly cute and impossibly endearing, it makes the little boy giggle. 

“I don’t know, hyung, I just think bun here knows I’m not lying.” He pouts himself when Jeongguk snorts. “Look, those women are all in love with you, they hate my guts because me going to pick bun up means they see less of you.” 

“You are a way better sight than I could ever be, if anything they’d be happy that a younger and prettier person is now in charge of picking Haneul up.” 

Taehyung is not blushing. Mind your business.

“I think you underestimate the power of a young dilf.” 

Jeongguk actually laughs. “You did not just say that.” 

“Daddy, I want more rice!” 

Taehyung loves Haneul, especially when he is there to distract Jeongguk from the stupid thing he had blurted out. 

But of course Taehyung can’t exactly count on that once he has already put Haneul to bed, especially because Jeongguk seems to have a knack for teasing him. 

“So, dilf, you said?” 

Taehyung groans as he grabs the plate Jeongguk passes his way to dry, he really doesn’t need to do this, stay after hours to help wash the dishes, but most of the times he just doesn’t want to leave this place, going back to his empty flat feels so boring when he spends most of his day around Haneul’s laugh and gets to be with Jeongguk at the end of the day. 

“I really don’t need to feed your ego, it’s big enough as it is.” 

Jeongguk just laughs as Taehyung moves to grab his stuff, getting ready to leave, and maybe to hide the expression on his face, because most of the time Taehyung doesn’t know what to do with this, with whatever this banter means, he feels like he reads too much into it but then Jeongguk would look at him a certain way and it doesn’t feel like it’s just in his head anymore.

He knows he has to let it go though.

“You’ll let me know once you are safely home, right?”

Taehyung really wishes he’d stop.

“Yeah, I’ll let you know.”

--

Taehyung has his own particular way of doing things, Jeongguk is very aware of this. He knows Taehyung takes any given opportunity to throw his shoes off, he knows he has a vendetta against bread crust, and loves the idea of baking even though he can’t figure it out, Jeongguk knows that Taehyung is just Taehyung, and in months of having the younger man working for him, welcoming him home, he thought he’d gotten used to it, he definitely should have known better.

“Good morning to my two favorite people!” Taehyung announces as he lets himself into the flat, grinning from ear to ear as he approaches them both having breakfast. “Happy first of Christmas!”

“Taehyung what the f– heck are you wearing?”

“Taetae hyung it’s the first of December! Do you need a calendar? Daddy can we gift him one? I can teach him how to read it!”

Taehyung scoffs at both of them, he scoffs, like he isn’t the one wearing the ugliest sweater Jeongguk has seen in his whole life, a green shade with a ‘ho ho ho!’ spelled across the chest, reindeer pattern on the hem, and he is wearing reindeer antlers himself, ‘to complete the aesthetic’ he is sure would be Taehyung’s argument.

“December, Christmas, literally the same thing!” He drops his bag on the couch before sitting at the table too, and of course helping himself to some of the food on Jeongguk’s plate. “I can start getting the decorations out with bun and once you come back we can put everything up, so where do you store the stuff?” 

Jeongguk and Haneul both look at each other and then at Taehyung again, who is just looking back expectantly, raising one eyebrow as there seems to not be an answer to his question.

“Do you guys have a day when you put the decorations up or something? I don’t want to change things or mess up your traditions, just tell me what you usually do and we can go with that!” Taehyung rushed to assure, sensing a bit of tension especially on Jeongguk.

“We don’t have Christmas traditions…Uhm I mean, I’m usually very busy so we don’t really have decorations, and it’s just the two of us, so on Christmas Eve we usually just watch movies and I cook dinner.” 

It’s not really different from what they do any other day, Jeongguk usually tries to make it more special like cooking something extra delicious and he does gift Haneul some stuff, but there’s nothing more than that, Jeongguk himself doesn’t have any family except from his son, the orphanage he grew up on wasn’t the most festive of places and he got out of there once he was old enough to, there’s not many good memories he associates with the place or the festivities he spent there. That’s exactly why when his ex-girlfriend got pregnant at 22 and decided to have the baby just to realize she wasn’t fit to be a mother Jeongguk decided to raise the boy alone, he wouldn’t have wanted Haneul to go into the system, he was part of the choice to bring him into this world, and he couldn’t exactly blame his ex for realizing this wasn’t the path of life she wanted.

And the thing is, that he knows he does a lot, that Haneul is happy and that he has done his best, but there’s so much he still can’t keep up with, and Christmas season is one of those things. He guessed that for someone like Taehyung, who was born in December and grew up in a loving home, Christmas must have meant a lot, he also can’t blame him for assuming it would be the same for him and his son. 

“Seems like you do have lots of Christmas stuff though, you look like you came directly from an elf convention,” Jeongguk continues, trying to lighten up the mood, the last thing he wants is to dampen Taehyung’s mood, could already see the tension on his body language probably thinking he brought up something he shouldn’t have. It works though, seeming to bring Taehyung back to his element.

“I have a different sweater for every single day of the month!” Taehyung announces proudly, Jeongguk snorts, Haneul seems to be excited and intrigued, like he always is with anything Taehyung proposes. “I have some to share too, you know? Maybe you can take some of the Christmas spirit to work!” 

Jeongguk scoffs, making sure to get his own plate back from Taehyung to eat the rest of what’s supposed to be his breakfast. “Seokjin hyung already makes us wear Santa hats and red aprons for the whole month at the bakery, he seems to be your type of person, Christmas obsessed-“ 

“Hey!” 

“-and I don’t think the gym would really allow me to train people with sweaters on, I feel like I would also suffocate.” 

“I forgot that the gym clothing code is basically nudity, so you can attract more clients and all,” Taehyung teases, steals Jeongguk’s banana milk this time. 

“So what I’m hearing is that I’m a piece of meat?” 

“I want meat for dinner, daddy!” Haneul interferes before Taehyung can reply, maybe for the best. 

“Alright then, I’ll make sure to cook some tonight,” he assures his son, then kisses his head. “I’m leaving now, see you two later.” 

Jeongguk feels like he should have expected this, after the conversation from this morning, but it still took him by surprise when he opened the door of his flat that night and was hit by fairy lights and a Christmas tree standing proudly in his living room. 

Then Haneul running towards him, like he always does to welcome him, in what seemed like an ugly sweater of his own. 

“What did I step into, Taehyung?” 

Said man was standing with a big smile but slightly apologetic eyes, it’s not like Jeongguk could ever be mad at him, those eyes wouldn’t let him, but he is certainly…shocked.

“Don’t get mad…but bun and I went shopping! None of this was expensive though, I promise! I’m an expert on Christmas decor shopping by now, I know where to get deals! And you two didn’t have anything around so I thought we needed to change that, and listen; Hannie was very excited about it too! And consider it my Christmas gift!” 

Jeongguk could see the nervousness behind the rambling, he knows Taehyung’s quirks by now, he speaks quicker and all over the place when he gets nervous, very contrasting with his slow-paced way of speaking in general, it’s always a pitch higher too, also contrasting with his low tone. He is playing with the hem of his ugly sweater, long fingers picking on some threads, Jeongguk can tell he is not as confident about his actions now that he is back home. 

“I’m not mad.” Taehyung seems to doubt his statement so Jeongguk just rolls his eyes and smiles. “I really am not, I’m glad you got Haneul so onboard with something.” 

“Daddy, Taetae hyung said we’re going to bake cookies tomorrow!” 

Now that has Jeongguk alarmed. 

“Taehyung, you are not going anywhere near my kitchen, we have a deal.” Said deal is that Taehyung will never attempt cooking again, not after the incident of March 21st when he flipped a crisp pancake so high that it got stuck to the ceiling, there’s still a mark there, a black mark due to a burnt as hell pancake. 

“But it’s gingerbread cookies! We need to make those!” He walks closer to them, a pout tugging down his lovely bottom lip, the cute mole on it almost not visible, and Jeongguk needs to stop looking. “And it was supposed to be a surprise,'' he continues, poking Haneul’s tummy with one finger. “I can’t believe you would expose me like this, bunny.” 

Haneul giggles and covers his mouth, Jeongguk just smiles, absolutely endeared, honestly it’s Taehyung’s own fault for thinking Haneul would ever be able to keep a secret from him. 

“It’s still a no though,” Jeongguk says, final words.

Later on Haneul is already tucked in his bed and Taehyung is about to leave, he just helped him with the dishes and Jeongguk couldn’t help but offer him something to drink before he leaves, he always finds himself doing so, aiming to stretch those last minutes before Taehyung says goodnight and leaves his place, he isn’t ready to admit why he does this, especially when he knows it’s a silly thing to even humor any thoughts about this young beautiful, lovely lovely man, who is so out of his single dad league. 

“Hyung…I’m sorry.” It’s what Taehyung says after some more seconds of comfortable silence which Jeongguk was occupying while tidying the rest of the kitchen. Taehyung's words take him by surprise though, which must show on his face because Taehyung elaborates. “I think I may have overstepped today, I didn’t really ask you about the decoration and getting Haneul excited about Christmas related stuff, when you said you didn’t have any traditions attached to it I truly didn’t want to push any boundaries, but I couldn't really stop myself, you needed a Christmas tree at least!”

“And also three nutcrackers that are the size of my son?” Which are now creepily–in Jeongguk’s humble opinion–decorating the corner of his living room. Taehyung looks immediately guilty though, feline eyes going all puppy like when he feels called out.

“Tae, I’m joking, I meant what I said earlier, I’m not mad, honestly I-“ he sighs, taking a breather. “I’m grateful you are doing this for him, he deserves to be happy and enjoy the season, I could have done a lot more and tried to make it more festive for him, I just don’t have that much experience with Christmas joy…what I’m trying to say is I’m more than happy about you helping us create our own traditions, wouldn’t want it any other way.”

For a second he thought he could see the apples of Taehyung’s cheeks coloring a bit, he is sure he must have imagined it though. It may also be wishful thinking.

--

There’s burnt cookies in his home.

“They aren’t all burnt!” Taehyung justifies, smiling all pretty like he didn’t ignore Jeongguk’s words from yesterday, like he didn’t ruin a batch of cookies and then present him with the salvaged but still unique looking ones. “We saved these and decorated them, isn’t bun such a great artist? He decorated these ones!”

“I made a gingerbread man, daddy, like in Shrek!” Which is the movie Taehyung told him they watched earlier. “Eat this one!”

How could Jeongguk ever say no to two pairs of cute eyes staring pleadingly at him? He grabbed the cookie, which did look nicely decorated indeed, but Jeongguk could already tell would be the nicest part about it.

He bit down on it, two pairs of eyes following his every move. He chewed. He swallowed. He gave them a thumbs up, even forced an enthusiastic ‘mmm’ to go along with it. His two boys seemed content, and Jeongguk thinks that’s all that matters, even if he wants to go rinse his mouth right now.

“I decorated this one,” Taehyung announced, pushing the platter closer to Jeongguk. “It’s Rudolph the reindeer.”

Jeongguk internally sighs, but he eats it too.

Later that night he compromised with Taehyung, no more baking, until Sunday, which is Jeongguk’s only fully free day and it's when he is going to teach Taehyung how to make real gingerbread cookies. At least Taehyung seemed excited about it, enough to not argue.

--

To no one’s surprise Taehyung’s adventures with baking did not stop, it seems like Jeongguk trying to teach him some simple recipes for them to work on together just encouraged him to keep trying alone, surprising Jeongguk with his new creations, because he has apparently decided that this year is the perfect one to perfect his recipe, since he now has Jeongguk as his victim- er, his mentor. Haneul just being a very willing accomplice, because whatever Taehyung proposes Haneul will blindly follow, he is his ‘Santa’s little helper’ as Taehyung calls him. At this point he has mastered the art of pretending they don’t taste like shit, seeing the smile on his two favorite boys is worth the stomach ache really.

The real kicker came in when one night Taehyung decided to make eggnog, the adult version. It was a Friday night and Jeongguk didn’t really have any objections really, after all Haneul was already sleeping and he can let Taehyung drink a bit, stay sober himself and then drive him home, enjoy the younger’s company for a bit, it didn’t sound like a bad idea at all.

“Taehyung, I think that’s quite enough rum.” Jeongguk guessed he could at least trust Taehyung in the kitchen when it’s just to make a beverage, but now as he watches him pouring almost half the bottle of the alcohol he bought for it he changed his mind. “Didn’t you say you were a lightweight? You’re going to give yourself alcohol poisoning!”

“Oh my god, stop acting like such a dad, this amount is fine, I’m sure that’s what the recipe said!”

“I am a dad, and you are making me age ten more years just watching you make this.” Then he registers what Taehyung had said last, alarmed now. “You didn’t even properly check your recipe?”

“It’s all fine, don’t worry, and it’s not my fault you act forty when you aren’t even in your thirties.” Taehyung finished his concoction with a little cinnamon branch, looking at it proudly even though the innocent looking eggnog is basically just salmonella and rum.

Taehyung sips on it then, Jeongguk looks at him expectantly.

“It’s…niiice”

“Your voice goes higher when you lie, it tastes disgusting doesn’t it?” Jeongguk already knows the answer, can read it all over Taehyung’s face, and he doesn’t hold back the laugh that Taehyung’s stubbornness is causing.

Jeongguk has to give it to Taehyung though, his resolution to not let Jeongguk say ‘I told you so’ is admirable, he kept drinking his eggnog, even made more at some point, and Jeongguk was too amused about it but not enough to let him have a headache the next morning, or at least he tried it.

“Alright, you proved your point, you can stop drinking that now, I believe you, and I bet it’s great.”

Taehyung just giggles and moves a bit when Jeongguk tries to take the glass away, they are both sharing the big couch, so Taehyung only corners himself.

“It’s very yummy! And next time you have to drink with me, it’s not fair if I’m the only one getting drunk.”

“I’m sure even if I drink with you you’d still be the one getting drunk alone, Tae.” He reaches for the glass again, Taehyung not only avoids him grabbing it, impressively coordinated for a drunk person, but he also pokes one of Jeongguk´s biceps.

“Yeah, because you are a muscle bunny and that gives you high alcohol tolerance, you don’t need to brag and wave your biceps in my face.” He then shocks Jeongguk by surging forward and biting the meatiest part of said bicep.

“Oh god you will hate yourself in the morning, won’t you?” Jeongguk is in disbelief but also amused as fuck, he would maybe appreciate the subtle compliments a bit more if he wasn’t so shocked by Taehyung’s actions.

“It’s the truth!” Taehyung insists, then hiccups. “You always do this, wander around shirtless, putting your muscles in my face! Your boobs basically in my mouth, which I wouldn’t complain about–”

“Alright I think it may be time I drove you home.” Jeongguk clears his throat and stands up, desperate to occupy himself. “Just wait here and I’ll grab your bag.”

Taehyung only gives him a grin, eyes a bit unfocused, still so unbearably pretty. Jeongguk needs to hurry up.

And he is sure he didn’t really take more than five minutes, but apparently that had been enough for Taehyung to fall asleep on his couch. Jeongguk just looks at him, so peaceful right now, and he really couldn’t just let him sleep there, he wishes his flat was big enough to have a guest room but of course it doesn’t, so he opts for the second best option, letting Taehyung sleep on his bed and taking the couch himself instead.

Carrying Taehyung to his room is not a hard task at all, and he now knows Taehyung sleeps like a rock, not even a small reaction when he is lifted up and then settled on the bed.

Jeongguk doesn’t give himself even a second to look at Taehyung now tucked in his bed, he can’t allow his weak heart to skip a beat.

Taehyung is as red as a tomato the next morning when he joins them for breakfast, can’t even keep eye contact when thanking Jeongguk for letting him stay over, even when he calls him too nice for letting his drunk ass take the bed, but Jeongguk can’t be certain if the shyness is due to waking up in his bed or if he even remembers a bit of last night. Oh well, maybe he’ll never know.

--

 Jeongguk couldn’t stop thinking about what happened the night Taehyung got drunk, it keeps playing in his mind, keeps messing with his thoughts. He knows he shouldn’t entertain any deluded thoughts, since the moment he first saw Taehyung he couldn’t help but think he was the type of beautiful you don’t see often, maybe even just once in a lifetime, and those were dangerous thoughts but still easy to push back, just thinking someone is attractive wouldn’t mess up his mind, he is a grown man who has felt attraction to people before, and of course he has been with people too but it’s never taken his mind away from what his priorities are, he doesn’t exactly date because he knows he doesn’t have the time or even the mindset to truly commit to someone, not when Haneul is his only priority, and introducing people to him to then just watch them leave has never been on his plans.

As Haneul grew more and more attached to Taehyung, the confirmation of how humoring any feelings Jeongguk could develop there would bring more problems than anything else made him resolute to never even entertaining them in his mind. Taehyung is out of his league anyways, someone that young and beautiful isn’t meant to tie their lives to such a complicated situation like it is to date a single parent, young beautiful people are supposed to have fun, not be burdened with excessive commitment. Maybe part of him also always knew that he couldn’t just watch Taehyung walk out of his life, maybe Haneul wasn’t the only one growing more and more attached.

The incident from the other night, though, was still quite distracting, enough to make him burn a batch of cookies for the first time in his life. Seokjin was so shocked that he sent him out of the kitchen for the rest of the day.

“I love you Jeongguk but I will not risk my kitchen because you are having a weird day, my pastries are being compromised! You are on table duty today!”

He had said, and Jeongguk had no other option but to accept it, he hasn’t been on table duties for months, Seokjin’s staff hierarchy climbing is very strict, you prove yourself before you could even have access to the areas near the kitchen, the bakery is his work of a lifetime after all, he wouldn’t risk letting people ruin his reputation, Jeongguk has known Seokjin for many years, have been friends long before Jeongguk moved to Seoul, they grew up on the same place, so there’s a level of trust they have with each other that can’t be mimicked, they know of each other’s hardships.

Jeongguk knows he was entrusted with baking quicker than any other employee ever had been, but it’s not exactly because Seokjin already trusted him, but because, in his hyung’s words ‘you are annoyingly good at everything, I know you can handle it’, but now here he is, banned from the kitchen, all because he can’t keep his own thoughts under control.

And there he is, the subject of said thoughts, holding hands with the reason for Jeongguk's existence. Taehyung and Haneul walk inside the bakery, all wrapped up in their thick coats, which they take off once the heat of the bakery warms them up, revealing matching ugly sweaters, Jeongguk snorts quietly, Taehyung wasn’t lying when he said he had outfits for every day of the month.

“Hi, you two,” he greets, happily picking Haneul up when he asks for it, and then leading them to a table, the one they usually like when they come around.

“Why aren’t you in the kitchen?” Taehyung asks as he sits down. “Is Seokjin hyung having one of those days?” He whispers that last part, making sure said man isn’t close around, and Jeongguk knows exactly what he means, Seokjin tends to get his frustration after a fight with his husband out on the kitchen, and in those days no one else is allowed inside.

“Nah, it was just my fault this time, I was a bit distracted and ruined some cookies.”

Taehyung’s eyes widen. “You ruined cookies?? What did I step into?” He then looks at Haneul. “Bun, I think we may have walked into the wrong bakery!”

Haneul giggles. “Daddy is here, Taetae! We’re okay!”

“Yah, stop making a fuss, everyone makes mistakes.” He grabs a notepad. “So, two hot cocoas? Seokjin added some seasonal pastries to the menu I can bring those to you if you’d like.”

“We’d love to try those, right bun?”

Jeongguk watched from afar as Taehyung and Haneul giggled together while waiting for their order, sometimes he feels like he could watch them interact for hours, he may have been slowing his actions down just to be able to observe them for a little longer, they just make such a perfect picture together, and he may have been smiling like an idiot because not long after he feels a poke on his side and almost jumps when he finds Seokjin standing next to him.

“I know you are in love and all but hurry up, you are taking ages and your dopey smile is gonna scare my clients away.”

“There’s no one else here, hyung!” Jeongguk retorts, he feels his cheeks burning so he is sure he is just blushing. “And stop the nonsense, I’m not in love.”

“And denial is not just a river in Egypt.”

“Your jokes suck.”

“You suck!”

There’s someone clearing their throat then, and they find Taehyung standing by the counter, looking at them amused.

“Don’t want to interrupt but the actual kid at the table is asking if we can also have a gingerbread cookie,” he says, a teasing grin on his face.

“On it’s way, Taehyung-ah, my little Haneul can have all the cookies he wants! I’ll go broke just to dedicate myself to feeding him cookies!” Seokjin announces, and sometimes Jeongguk thinks that could be true, Seokjin loves Haneul to pieces, and he is thankful that his son has so many lovely people in his life.

Seokjin let’s him sit with them once he takes their order to the table, it’s a slow day and he is banned from the kitchen so it’s fine, so he does exactly that, sits down at the third table and helps Haneul with his drink as Taehyung seems to be focused on something on his phone, frowning down at it.

“What is it? You are looking at your phone like it has personally offended you.”

Taehyung sighs and puts the phone down. “I was invited to a high school reunion, they always do even though I never go, but this time someone who I used to be kinda friends with is organizing it so he keeps insisting…”

“Why don’t you go? If that person is a friend then it can’t be that bad, right?”

“Used to be a friend, key word,” Taehyung corrects. “Then he became popular and I was not on his radar anymore.”

“It’s quite difficult to imagine you not being popular.” And he means it, because Taehyung is so easy to get along with, he is lovely and such an amazing person, and someone who looks like him is meant to be admired.

“I was a bit weird back in high school, didn’t have many friends…and to be honest I just don’t know what they would think if I go there, most of these people have so much going for them, I don’t think I’ll fit in.”

“You have a lot going for you yourself too, Tae, you are close to graduating in something you are passionate about, and you are a hardworking person.” He reaches over the table, his hand covering Taehyung’s. “And there’s nothing you have to prove to these people, if you don’t want to go then don’t go, but don’t let it be because you are afraid of not measuring up, I can assure you none of them can even compare to you, Hannie and I are proud of you, and so are your parents and the people who love you and truly know you.”

The smile Taehyung gives him makes him warm from the inside, butterflies in his stomach like a teenager.

“It means a lot that you said that…'' His fingers start playing with Jeongguk’s. “And it will also mean a lot if you maybe…go with me? We’re allowed to take a plus one and I would feel a lot more comfortable if I have company…Uhm, I mean, only if you aren’t too busy, ugh, of course you are, I can’t believe I even asked--“

“Hey, it’s fine,” Jeongguk assured, their fingers intertwining now so he can give Taehyung’s hand a reassuring squeeze. “I can definitely go with you, I don’t mind, and if you feel like leaving any time soon then we do exactly that, I meant it when I said you have nothing to prove to these people, but, the satisfaction you’ll get once they look at you and their jaws drop is going to be priceless.”

That makes Taehyung grin again, even though he is still blushing. “Are you saying I’m a lot to look at? That’s a compliment right?”

“Why don’t we ask the expert.” Jeongguk then turns to Haneul. “Hannie, what do you think about Taetae? Isn’t he pretty?”

“Taetae hyung is the prettiest and the most handsome!”

“Thank you bunny! Means a lot coming from the prettiest boy in the entire world!” Taehyung leans over the table to kiss Haneul’s head and Jeongguk smiles at them.

“He is right,” Jeongguk says, smiling softly at Taehyung. “You really are.”

So much for not entertaining any thoughts.

--

Taehyung doesn’t know what possessed him to ask Jeongguk to be his plus one for the high school reunion, he has been torturing himself about it ever since that day, but what messes with his mind the most is how willing Jeongguk was to accept, he even made arrangements with Seokjin so him and his husband would babysit Haneul for the night on said date. Taehyung, the babysitter, had Jeongguk asking someone else to do his job to accompany him to a stupid high school reunion, where everyone is going to be six years younger than him and probably bore the hell out of him, God, even Taehyung knows he himself is going to be bored. He has to admit though, that Jeongguk’s words and the idea of hanging off his arm as he steps into the party, all eyes on them, feels like sweet revenge, living well is the best revenge they say, so showing off to people who used to make him doubt himself feels satisfying.

So, for the night of the event, he made sure to dress up the best he could manage, he felt powerful as he stood in front of his full length mirror, confident to the roofs, as it should.

And the look on Jeongguk´s face when he opened the door, because of course Jeongguk always the gentleman had offered to come pick him up and be the designated driver, certainly made those extra minutes all the more worth it.

“You look gorgeous…” Jeongguk said, eyes scanning Taehyung in a way that made his knees weak for a second, this is something that hits him like a train sometimes, that Jeongguk is a grown man who never doubts what to say, he compliments Taehyung and he means it, he always does, not a drop of doubt in his firm words.

“So do you…” Taehyung replied in kind, and oh god does he.

Jeongguk will never stop taking Taehyung's breath away, but him in a suit is a new sight, even with the warm coat he has over it, all the tattoos are covered except the ones on his hand and the ones adorning his neck peeking up from his shirt’s collar, he is a sight for sore eyes, the piercings that drive Taehyung up the walls shining bright, this is Taehyung’s date, even if they didn’t exactly call it that.

--

There was a knot in Taehyung’s throat as he stood in front of the gates, Christmas lights decorating the entrance, it felt like a portal to the past, something Taehyung would have to walk past and be back to that scrawny kid who couldn’t speak up even when it hurt.

Jeongguk takes his hand though, a soft squeeze, fingers intertwining, and then suddenly Taehyung is back on track, the warmth of Jeongguk's touch enough to ground him, reassure him that he isn’t alone, and never has to be again.

And, well, it is not as bad as Taehyung thought it would be, the thing is that teenagers grow into adults and so do their mindsets, these people are not the same anymore, and Taehyung can now just breathe, engage in small talk, smile and keep it chill. He realized that whatever he was scared of isn’t there anymore, they grew up. 

The night could have been perfect, just chatting with people casually and spending most of the time with Jeongguk, if it wasn’t for one tiny detail. Park Seojoon. 

Park Seojoon is…he isn’t sure he can even call him an ex boyfriend, when their time spent together was hidden away like a dirty secret, and it’s not a fond memory he has of their relationship. Park Seojoon who was class president, perfect in every sense, and who for some reason liked Taehyung, but didn’t want anyone to know. He broke Taehyung’s heart, was the first person to have the honor to. 

Of course he comes to these reunions, he was popular, probably loves reminiscing those days, Taehyung should have expected to see him, but at this point he is just a distant memory and not someone to waste energy on, he hasn’t crossed Taehyung’s mind for years, and probably wouldn’t even have crossed his mind tonight, what with Jeongguk being by his side, if it wasn’t because he comes to talk to Taehyung himself.

They bump into each other once Taehyung is getting out of the bathroom and Seojoon seemed to be walking in, it’s a surprise, and there was a time when Taehyung dreamed about meeting him again, in a different mindset now when he could keep his chin up and show him how much power he doesn’t have over him anymore, not now though, because he doesn’t matter anymore. 

“Taehyung, I’m surprised to see you here” 

“Seojoon.” It’s all Taehyung says back, bows slightly and keeps walking, feels the eyes burning a hole in the back of his head, but he is sure it is done now, they can move past this.

He should have guessed though, that Seojoon has never done well with being ignored.

Taehyung is still surprised when Seojoon approaches their table some time later that night.

“Taehyung, hi, I don’t think I properly greeted you earlier.” His million dollar smile directed at them as his eyes shift from Taehyung to Jeongguk, pristine suit showing off what everyone has been gossiping about through the night, how he is so young yet so successful, the most successful between the bunch of them, exactly what Seojoon has always liked being, a big fish in a small pond. “I’m Park Seojoon.” He directed it to Jeongguk, of course, extending a hand that Jeongguk politely shakes. “I don’t think we have met before, right?” 

“No reason for us to have, I’m just Taehyung’s plus one,” Jeongguk replies, smiling back, but Taehyung can sense the tension in his tone, probably having picked up the vibes from Taehyung’s body language. “Jeon Jeongguk.” 

“Ah, nice to meet you Junghyun, I’m sure you must have heard lots about me from Taehyung already.” 

“I haven’t, actually, Sunghoon, he never mentioned you before, must have escaped his mind.” 

The smiles they are sharing now are sharper, Taehyung’s eyes jumping from one to the other like he is watching a ping pong match. 

“Of course, it’s been years after all..” Seojoon sits down then, on the empty chair next to Taehyung. “I would love to catch up, Taehyung, wouldn’t mind refreshing your memories, specially about back in the day, would you mind if–”

“He minds,” Jeongguk answers before Taehyung could even find the words. “And we were going to dance right now, so excuse us.” 

Taehyung finds himself basically dragged to the dance floor, and it seems like the universe is conspiring against him–or in his favor, really–because there’s a slow song starting right about now, and Jeongguk doesn’t waste a second before pulling him closer, a hand on his waist, the other on Taehyung’s. 

“Who the hell was that?” is what he asks, Taehyung can see how frustrated he is with the scene from before, sharp eyebrows almost meeting with how he is frowning. “If he would have said one more single stupid thing I don’t know what I was going to do.” 

“Look at you, getting in fights like a proper bad boy now?” His teasing is more about making Jeongguk relax a bit, the hand he has on Jeongguk’s shoulder is softly trying to un-tense the muscles there. 

“I’m a bit too old for that, I think.” 

“Ah, of course, a bad man.” 

Jeongguk snorts, it works though, he is relaxing again.

“He is an ex, well kinda, more like someone who used to like to kiss me when no one was around and then wouldn’t lift a finger if he saw me being pushed against lockers even if he had the power to intervene.” 

“I knew he was an asshole from first glance, what a piece of shit.” Jeongguk is so careful of his language when in front of Haneul, that it’s quite amusing–and maybe also hot–to hear him just letting it all out when obviously mad. “And the audacity? He wanted to ask you out, even if you are already here with someone.” 

“If men have something, that is the audacity.” He can't help the grin on his face, Jeongguk sounds jealous, and it makes Taehyung giddy inside. “I wouldn’t have accepted anyways, hope you know that.” 

“I know you are smart enough to not fall for his shit again, even if he was just a tiny bit handsome, nothing to even compare to you though.” 

Taehyung laughs. “Leave it to you to compliment me in any situation…I enjoy it though.” 

“Of course you do.” 

Jeongguk then twirls him once, then pulls him close again, dips him for a second, making Taehyung almost squeal, in a blink of an eye he is back into a straight position though, but closer than ever to Jeongguk’s solid frame. 

“It’s not only because he is shit, even if he was a nice person, I wouldn’t ever consider accepting a date in this situation,” Taehyung continues, feeling the need to not leave some things unsaid.

“You don’t owe me an explanation, Tae…” 

“But I want to explain it anyway, I don’t want to go out with anyone else.” 

Jeongguk just looks at him, and Taehyung can feel his heart beating in his throat, he has never been this transparent with Jeongguk, with how he feels, he doesn’t know how the older man will take this.

“Good.” That's all he says, and Taehyung just lets him, he can wait. 

Haneul calls Jeongguk at some point in the night, well Seokjin does and lets Haneul talk, because the boy can’t really go to sleep without his father wishing him a good night’s sleep and sweet dreams, and that would already have been enough to warm Taehyung’s soul, but what he wasn’t expecting is for Jeongguk to pass the phone to him, because Haneul also wants to hear his voice.

They are standing outside, by the entrance, some man speaking on the stage to announce some prizes they prepared for the night, the sound is muffled, Taehyung doesn’t know what he is saying but he can’t care less, not when Haneul’s little voice sounds through the phone speaker, telling him he misses him too, used to being tucked in bed by both of them. 

“He is an angel,” Taehyung tells Jeongguk once the call is done, Jeongguk agrees, of course. 

“He really does love you, you know? He talks about you even if you aren’t around" Jeongguk is smiling at him, so bright, so beautiful. “I’m thankful for you walking into our lives, couldn’t have dreamed of anyone better…” 

There’s a mistletoe hanging over them, innocently decorating the door frame, Taehyung is extremely aware of it as he looks into Jeongguk’s bright eyes, holding all the stars in them, stars that keep getting closer, and he realizes it’s because they have been leaning in, caught in the moment, riding the wave of happiness that the little family unit they have created has them on.

His eyelids flutter closed, he can feel Jeongguk’s breath mixing with his. And in the next second it’s all gone, the entrance door is being opened and they jump apart, Taehyung belatedly realizes this was not the best spot to stand at, one of his ex-classmates walks out, just nods at them in acknowledgment and keeps walking, the spell is broken though, he can see it in the way Jeongguk is keeping his distance. Back to square one.

They don’t stay longer after that, they also don’t talk about what almost happened, Jeongguk still drops him home though, and in a moment of boldness Taehyung presses a kiss to his cheek before running out of the car, it may not have been the kiss he hoped to get, but it’s a start. 

--

It’s like they unleashed something after that night, Taehyung was quite worried about Jeongguk closing off or distancing himself, but he quickly realized there wasn’t anything to worry himself about. 

Or, actually, there’s something else to be worried about, and that’s how to control his body’s reactions to Jeongguk presence and touches, because even the air around them is charged differently now, Jeongguk seems to be out for Taehyung’s blood, every time he would pass by him there would be a hand on Taehyung’s hip to move him slightly, a hand down Taehyung’s back to guide him to the side or where he wants him. He even has gone as far as coming from behind Taehyung, covering his hands with his own to help him mold the dough of the cookies they were making one evening, to make it worse–better–he wasn’t wearing a shirt, of course he wasn’t, it was after his shift at the gym so his muscles were bulging more than usual, warm body pressed behind Taehyung, it was torture, and by now Taehyung knows Jeongguk isn’t doing all this without noticing, he is very aware, he is sure of it. 

Jeongguk surprises him with an invitation a couple of days later, days of Taehyung enduring the torture this man has created.

“Seokjin hyung and his husband are throwing a Christmas party, just a small get together really, it’s this Saturday..” 

“Oh, do you want me to spend the night here with Hannie?” 

“No, um, Haneul and I are both going, what I was wondering is if you would want to come with us” 

Taehyung is…surprised. Pleasantly so.

“Uhm, are you sure? I wouldn’t want to intrude, I mean I’m familiar with Seokjin hyung but wouldn’t your other friends mind?” 

“No, of course not!” Jeongguk rushed to assure him, which made Taehyung smile softly. “They actually want to meet you, um, it’s because of Hannie of course, you know how he always talks about you and all.” There's an awkward laugh he lets out after finishing, which makes Taehyung wonder if it’s really only Haneul who talks about him. 

“Then I would love to go” 

“You don’t have other plans right? I mean I wouldn’t want you canceling anything for my sake.” 

This time it’s Taehyung’s turn to quickly intervene. “I told you already, there’s no one else I would prefer to spend time with.” 

It makes Jeongguk smile. 

--

Seokjin’s get together is small as Jeongguk said, all Jeongguk’s friends were very welcoming as soon as they arrived, all of them very whipped for Haneul just as Taehyung expected them to be.

The second best thing about it all is that Jimin is also there, when Taehyung confided in him about Jeongguk bringing him along to something with his friends they discovered that they were both gonna assist, after all Yoongi is a part of that friend group and he was taking Jimin to introduce him to the rest 

“Don’t you see what is going on? He is introducing you to his close friends, just like Yoongi is doing with me, don’t you see how massive that is?” 

Is what Jimin told him, after all he has been the ear for Taehyung’s never ending ramblings about Jeongguk, no one knows better about his feelings than his best friend does. 

Jimin has met Jeongguk a couple of times, but just from afar when he has dropped Taehyung home, so it was nice to see him officially meeting his best friend, Jimin also has heard a lot about Haneul, has seen the countless number of pictures Taehyung collects on his phone, and he is immediately as whipped as everyone else, Taehyung can’t blame him though, he has also loved Haneul since day one. 

Haneul is the only kid there with the seven of them, but he doesn’t seem bored in the slightest, specially with the man Taehyung knows now as Hoseok who is basically running around the space with the little boy, matching his energy perfectly, to the point that Seokjin has already threatened to kick him out if his grown man ass breaks anything. Taehyung can tell it’s an empty threat, there’s just something so beautiful in the way they all interact. 

“Jeongguk, can you bring in the dishes from the kitchen?” Seokjin asks at some point, as everyone starts making their way to the table.

“Are you going to boss me around out of work too?” Jeongguk complains. Once again, empty complaints, since he is already standing up to go do that. “Don’t you have a husband to boss around?” 

“I would prefer Namjoon-ah staying right here and not messing anything up to be honest.” Seokjin then turns to his husband. “I love you though.” 

“No complaints from me, babe!” said husband retorts, seemingly more than happy to just sit down and stay away from trouble. 

“Help me out?” Jeongguk asks Taehyung then, who happily nods.

“Just say you want to get him alone,” Hoseok teases them.

“If you make out in my kitchen, I will sue,” Seokjin adds and it makes Jeongguk go redder than a tomato. “I have enough of enduring your silent pining every time Taehyung goes to the bakery.” 

“Well at least it is silent…” Jimin adds on, giving Taehyung a meaningful look.

“Well, all of you shouldn’t be complaining since I have to hear it from both sides,” Yoongi says.

Jeongguk just grabs his hand and drags him to the kitchen, absolutely done with the joking at his expense. 

“I feel like your friends are onto us” Taehyung can’t help but comment, once they are alone, it’s maybe Jeongguk’s friends being so shameless that emboldens him, they all seem to know what has been an unspoken secret between them both.

“They just want to torture me, they are always like that, and they know what weaknesses to go for.” 

“Are you saying I’m your weakness right now?” He walks closer to Jeongguk, one eyebrow cocked.

“I’m sure you know more than you let on by now.” 

“It does not mean a thing if you don’t say it out loud, I’ve been dying to hear it from you.” He is so close to the older man now, Seokjin’s words echo in his mind but he couldn’t care less, knows he didn’t really mean it, and there’s nothing more important than the way Jeongguk’s body seems to be reacting to his closeness, or how his eyes dropped to Taehyung mouth for some long seconds. “If everyone around us know, don’t you think it’s time we talk it out?” 

“I think we should talk, but it’s just the last thing on my mind when you get close like this..” 

The words make something hot lick down Taehyung’s core, he is sure it’s gonna happen now, finally. Except it doesn’t, because Seokjin yells for them to hurry up. 

They don’t exactly have another moment alone through the rest of the night, and at some point Haneul falls asleep on the couch and it’s not long after that Jeongguk decides it’s best for them to leave, he picks Haneul on his arms, who just cuddles closer to his chest and doesn’t wake up, before exchanging goodbyes and promises to do this again. Taehyung leaves the place content and happy to be included again. 

It’s tense back home, when Jeongguk softly announces he’ll go tuck Haneul in his bed, and asks for Taehyung to please not leave, like he expected Taehyung to maybe try to run away as soon as he lets him out of his sight. Taehyung is not leaving, he really does want to talk.

And they know they should talk, they really do, there’s so much to be said, especially after all they have been confessing in these past days. But once they are alone, the fairy lights shining on Jeongguk’s lovely eyes, the metaphorical weight of the mistletoe once again coincidentally hanging over their heads, this time one Taehyung himself has cheekily set weeks ago, it’s hard to say a word, Jeongguk was right after all, is hard to talk when they get this close. 

Their mouths meet in the middle, he is not sure who moves first, it must have been the two of them, the sound Taehyung lets out against Jeongguk’s mouth, because this is finally happening, is swallowed immediately, rough hands on his hips pulling him impossibly close, like Jeongguk wants to breathe him in, swallow him whole. 

It’s all Taehyung expected it to be, fireworks behind closed eyelids, weak knees, heat spreading through his veins, just everything.

Jeongguk kisses him like he can’t get enough, moves Taehyung like he wants him, opens his mouth and doesn’t waste time to lick inside, consuming Taehyung like this is all he wants to do for the rest of his life. It makes Taehyung feel like he could die right now and he’d be content, well, except that he wants to taste a lot more before he can go. 

“Bedroom..” Taehyung is finally able to let out, when the need for oxygen gets too much, he looks into Jeongguk’s eyes, which keep looking at him in that same adoring way, but there’s also hunger in them now, and god Taehyung wants to be eaten. 

Jeongguk kisses him again, and once Taehyung wraps his arms around his neck he could feel Jeongguk bending a little, hands on his thighs as he sweeps him off his feet in a second, he really can’t do much more except wrap his legs around Jeongguk’s waist, let out a needy sound that he couldn’t swallow down because fuck! This is the hottest thing that has ever happened to him.

Jeongguk doesn’t even break a fucking sweat as he carries him through the halls, he presses Taehyung against a wall on his way there, and then finally gets inside his bedroom, kicks the door closed behind them and doesn’t stop kissing Taehyung even for a second, just once he finally drops him on the bed, he stands there next to it, looking down at Taehyung like he is drinking him in. 

“I didn’t want to move this fast, we can stop whenever you want, just say the word.” Jeongguk is making sure to convey the utmost sincerity in his words, and Taehyung truly appreciates it. But he also doesn’t want to stop.

He sits up on the bed and hooks a finger through one of Jeongguk’s belt loops to bring him closer, his knees hitting the mattress.

“I appreciate you being a gentleman, and so considerate, but I really really want this, I don’t want you to hold back.” 

“Do you even know what you are asking for? You drive me crazy, Tae.” 

Taehyung tugs again, makes Jeongguk get on the bed with him, welcomes him between his open legs. 

“That’s exactly what I want, I can take it.” 

Jeongguk chuckles, dark and low, cups Taehyung’s face and kisses him deeply before pulling back again. “I’ll do my best then.” 

His clothes are almost ripped off his body in what feels like seconds, not long after he is basically naked while Jeongguk is still fully clothed, and said man is so fascinated by exploring his body, hands mapping his skin and mouth kissing Taehyung’s so much that his lips feel swollen. Taehyung wants to see him too though, he is desperate to.

“Jeongguk…hyung..please” 

“What, baby? Tell hyung what you want.” 

God, just those words and the wet kiss Jeongguk presses to his mouth make his eyes roll back already.

“I want to see you too, take your clothes off please, they are offensive!” 

Jeongguk laughs then, sits up on his knees to get his shirt over his head and off, thrown away in some corner of the room. He is so gorgeous Taehyung can barely handle it, he feels like a dream, but when Taehyung’s hands reach up to feel his skin, over the carved muscle like a fucking Greek statue, it’s obvious that he is more than real, and he is here, all for Taehyung.

“You are so hot, fuck, wanna see your cock, c’mon,” Taehyung breathes, his long fingers already working on the zipper.

“Not so fast, I wanna enjoy you first,” Jeongguk says, grabbing Taehyung’s wrists and making him lay back down, both wrists up over his head. “Keep them here,” is all he says, commands, and Taehyung wouldn’t dare do otherwise.

There’s kisses dropped all over his body then, starting from his mouth, his cheek, his jaw, down to his neck and collarbones, then his chest, it makes Taehyung arch his back when there’s lips wrapping around one of his nipples, then the other, his thighs rub together, his hips buck up, clothed erection rubbing against Jeongguk’s hard stomach in the desperate urge to find some friction. It doesn’t last long though, because then Jeongguk’s rough hands pull his hips down, into the mattress, Jeongguk’s eyes piercing through his soul as he says “Stay still,” and Taehyung whimpers. 

His boxers come next, pulled off his body, down his long legs, thrown in whatever direction again, and Jeongguk kisses his right ankle before he roughly open his legs, bends them at the knees and presses them against Taehyung’s chest, spreading him exactly like he wants him, and Taehyung would have the decency of feeling too exposed if Jeongguk’s hungry eyes didn’t make him want to be even more spread out for him. 

“You are so gorgeous” Jeongguk says, groans it even, hands coming down from Taehyung’s knees to grab the meatiest part of his inner thighs. “Most beautiful thing I have seen in my entire life, even your cock is pretty…” 

“Are you just going to look at me all night long?” Taehyung protests, then whimpers again when the grip on his thighs get harder.

“What? Baby wants my mouth again?” 

“I want all of you…please hyung” 

That seems to do it, because Jeongguk is immediately moving down, sucking a harsh mark on Taehyung’s inner thigh before he continues his way down, face to face with Taehyung’s cock now, and he looks straight up at Taehyung before he licks from base to crown, wraps his mouth around the head and swallows him down, making Taehyung moan so loud that he ends up grabbing a pillow to hug to his chest and bite down on, scared of little ears hearing him. 

“You taste so sweet, baby, wanna taste you all over…” 

That’s all the warning he gets before Jeongguk is manhandling him on his stomach, he doesn’t even have time to make a sound when his hips are lifted up, Jeongguk’s hand on the small of his back making sure his upper body stays down, he feels like he is presenting himself like this, all for the eyes that are trying to devour him. 

“You are pretty here too, beautiful…” 

Jeongguk’s words are sweet but his tone is rough, and so are his hands spreading him out again, exposing his hole to the cold air, then he hears and feels Jeongguk spitting on him, the wet feeling of it trailing down his rim and taint, it makes Taehyung cry into his pillow, arch his back to offer himself even more.

There’s a thumb spreading the spit over his rim now, then pushing down to breach it, just enough to dip the tip of it in and then he pulls down, stretching Taehyung a bit open, just to spit again, this time directly inside, pushes the wetness deeper with the same thumb, all while Taehyung is trying so hard to muffle his moans. 

There’s a pause for a second, Jeongguk moving to grab something from the night stand, dropping a condom and lube next to Taehyung’s head before he goes back to business, this time without any hesitation, just spreads him out yet again and licks over the rim, he makes such a hungry sound at just the taste of him that Taehyung can’t help but sob a little, just to then have Jeongguk slurping down his hole like it’s the last meal he’ll ever have, licking around and then pushing inside, sucking on the rim and spitting into him again, it’s fucking messy and filthy, it’s just the fucking best.

He doesn’t know how long he stays there, letting Jeongguk feast on him, get him all wet, at some point there’s fingers added to the mess, there’s lube helping two fingers push inside, alongside Jeongguk’s fingers, mixing with his spit, he feels so messy, delirious almost, and he wants Jeongguk to never fucking stop touching him.  

“Hyung, I need you now...” He has turned his head back to try to look at Jeongguk, there’s drool on the pillow where he was muffling down his noises, and he knows he looks like a mess, wet all over. “Please fuck me already.”

“Good boys are patient, and then they get rewarded” Jeongguk says, sweet words once again contrasting with the smack he lands on Taehyung’s right asscheek, then again another one. “Are you a good boy?”

“I am, hyung, I promise!”

“Then turn around for me.”

Taehyung does, he can see how wild Jeongguk looks now, there’s spit down his chin, matching how wet his behind feels, and his cock is straining his pants like crazy, looks fucking painful.

“Get my cock out, if you want it so bad then come and get it.”

Taehyung doesn’t need to be told twice, he whines a little when he sits up, feels a bit of lube dripping out of him more than surely wetting the sheets under him, as his hands reach for Jeongguk's pants, to finish what he started earlier. His face is so close to Jeongguk’s crotch, so damn hungry and eager to see him that the cock slaps against his cheek once it’s freed, it makes Taehyung’s eyes widen, as he pulls back slightly to drink the whole thing in.

It’s fucking big, can’t really put it more eloquently than that, especially when Taehyung already feels dick-drunk before he was even fucked.

“Hyung, so big…” He finds himself moving face first, nuzzling the cock in front of him, his eyes heavy lidded when he looks up at Jeongguk, letting his mouth fall open to finally taste it.

“Do you like it, baby?”

Jeongguk’s hands are in his hair, not pulling or pushing, just a firm weight as he lets Taehyung explore him, letting him do whatever he wants. And Taehyung nods eagerly, because of course he likes it, he loves it, never seen a more perfect cock in his life, and he tells Jeongguk as much, making him chuckle.

“Can’t wait to have it inside me.”

Magic words again, or maybe Jeongguk was just pushed to his limits by now, because he pulls Taehyung off his cock, groaning at the ‘pop’ sound his mouth makes when his cock comes out, a line of spit still connecting Taehyung’s bottom lip to the head of it. Jeongguk uses a thumb to break the thread, traces the plump lip and then pushes past it, gives Taehyung something to suck on as he lays him back down, this time joining him.

Taehyung is more than ready, he knows, he also feels as wet as he can get, yet that doesn’t stop Jeongguk from greasing up three fingers and pressing them together into Taehyung’s hole, makes sure to stretch him even more, and Taehyung wants to protest, wants to argue that he is so fucking ready already! But, considering Jeongguk’s size, it may be wise to let him do his thing.

When Jeongguk finally puts the condom on, he once again pours more lube directly over it, spreads it around with one hand, he likes it messy it seems, and Taehyung has zero complaints, he may have met his match.

“Tell me if it’s too much.” It's the last thing Jeongguk whispers close to his ear, before he swallows Taehyung’s moan as he pushes inside.

Taehyung kisses him back, holding onto him desperately as he gets filled up beyond his limits, he has never felt as full as this, stretched to his fullest, nails leaving half-moon shaped marks on Jeongguk’s shoulder blades as he gets used to the intrusion.

At some point he is finally ready, doesn’t use his words to let Jeongguk know, just kisses him harder and presses the hills of his feet to get him even deeper, and then finally Jeongguk starts moving. It feels like a fucking dream.

“You like it baby?” Jeongguk asks, sounding out of breath himself as he keeps moving, harder with each passing moment, and Taehyung wants to answer him, he really does, but he has been fucked beyond words by now, Jeongguk seems to notice, because he just chuckles and then goes even harder, not leaving Taehyung any option but to fucking take it as he drools all over himself.

They go at it for hours or maybe minutes, Taehyung couldn’t tell even if he tried, all he knows is that he is fucked dumb and that when he comes he sees stars, eyes rolling back when Jeongguk thrusts even deeper and then comes himself.

He has the best sleep of his life that night, after Jeongguk cleaned and dressed him in some of his clothes, because their limbs are all tangled and he is feeling Jeongguk’s chest rise and fall under his head.

--

Christmas Eve is spent with Taehyung’s family, which welcomed Jeongguk and Haneul with open arms.

When Taehyung proposed this to him Jeongguk was a bit hesitant, he didn’t want to add mouths to feed for Taehyung’s family, but Taehyung assured him that his family would be more than happy, after all he had talked to his mom so much about Jeongguk and Haneul that she felt like she knew them already, it was only fair she actually gets to meet them.

Jeongguk seemed pleased when hearing Taehyung had been talking about them, even if he didn’t say it out loud, the smile on his face though was enough for Taehyung to reward him by sucking him off later that night once it was just the two of them in the privacy of Jeongguk’s bedroom. Of course he got rewarded as well by another toe-curling fuck that left him feeling boneless.

They don’t really talk about it though, Taehyung has been spending most of his nights over, having breakfast with them and Haneul seems very happy about seeing him since the moment he wakes up, but they don’t talk about it. About what they are doing.

Back to the present though, Christmas Eve, they were having the best time ever, Taehyung just always feels so happy when coming home, and he could see how genuinely comfortable Jeongguk and Haneul were too. Of course it took them a little bit to get Haneul to open up, but kids can tell when they are genuinely cared for, so Taehyung’s mom did an amazing job of making him let out his true self, or at least how much he is willing to share at that moment. And Taehyung is sure that watching his son be content is what made Jeongguk relax as well, now truly open to the idea of enjoying himself too.

Dinner is lovely, his family being genuinely interested in Jeongguk and Haneul and engaging them in conversation, Taehyung didn’t even need to act like a link, because talking about Haneul is Jeongguk’s favorite thing.

The only not so great company is, as always, Aunt Chaeyoung’s husband, Seungho, who is always that one annoying relative you truly can spend all year long not getting in contact with, but they can’t really avoid having him over when Aunt Chaeyoung is Taehyung’s mom’s younger sister, he is just a few years older than Taehyung himself, so he has always been close to her, they want her around, so they have to put up with him too.

The start of things going wrong is actually said husband, he gives it all the kick start, when he asks Jeongguk what he does for a living.

“Uhm I’m a personal trainer, and a baker, I split my week between both jobs,” Jeongguk explains, being met with gushing from Taehyung’s mom who is so happy that at least someone close to Taehyung can cook.

“I’m not that bad, mom! And Jeonggukie has been teaching me stuff so it’s all coming together!”

“He is still kinda bad though..” Jeongguk adds, laughing when Taehyung elbows his side.

“I’m surprised you could maintain a family like that, Jeongguk, doesn’t seem like very profitable jobs if I’m honest.” It’s Seungho, who says this, of course it is.

“Seungho, that’s not-“ Chaeyoung starts, or more like tried to. The silence that fell over the table is quite something though, everyone is staring in disbelief.

“I’m just saying, honey,” he interrupts his wife. “I’m sure he is not making bank from a gym and a bakery, I could always put you in contact with some people, Jeongguk, listen I know at this time of your life you may think fitness is more important than some other things but muscles go away, earnings stay if you know how to keep them, and well I’m sure the bakery job must be easy to drop, not the most masculine of positions if I’m honest.” He chuckles.

“If you don’t shut up right about now I’ll make sure to kick you out myself,” Taehyung says, he is furious, about to throw hands, he feels bad for getting mad in front of Haneul but he can’t believe Seungho would just let that shit out of his mind so shamelessly.

“What the hell Taehyung? Is that  a way to talk to your uncle??” Seungho retorts, getting mad himself but also surprised at being talked back to like that.

“Oh don’t give me that! How dare you-“

“Taehyung, it’s fine” Jeongguk says, and Taehyung reluctantly calms down, he could see how tense the situation has gotten and Haneul seems a bit lost, he can’t allow himself to lose it over someone who isn’t worth it.

“I apologize, I’m sure Seungho didn’t mean it like that,” Taehyung’s aunt tries, and at least she succeeded at shutting up her husband.

The rest of dinner is saved by Taehyung’s mom lightening up the mood again, and Taehyung is very grateful for her.

Later on, when they drive back home, Haneul sleeping on the backseat, Taehyung keeps apologizing, couldn’t believe he exposed Jeongguk to someone like that.

“Hey, you don’t need to keep saying sorry, your mom and dad already said so enough before we left, even your aunt, none of you had anything to do with that, stop blaming yourself,” Jeongguk assured him, there’s honesty in his words but he hasn’t reached for Taehyung’s hands ever since they started their drive back, even though they held hands all the way to Taehyung’s family home earlier.

“I just can’t believe he could say bullshit like that…he is an asshole, and a liar-“

“Did he lie though?”

Taehyung looks at him then, eyes wide. “Of course he lied! You get by more than fine, you are amazing at your jobs and they are great places to work at! Haneul being so perfectly taken care of is all the proof you need!”

“They are mediocre jobs objectively speaking, I don’t make much, that’s true too, I can barely make ends meet, and I’m stuck in a spot even though I turn 30 next year, and I’ll be in the same spot my whole life, and I don’t regret my choices, Taehyung, I never will, they gave me Haneul, but this is not what I want for him, I wouldn’t ever want him to grow up and be like me, I want him to be so much better.” His knuckles are turning white with how hard he is gripping the wheel. “And I’m certainly not someone you should be getting involved with either.”

“I think that’s for me to decide,” Taehyung immediately replies because he knows where this is going.

“Well you are making a dumb decision then! Getting involved with someone that can’t advance in life when you can do so much better, but oh well, you are too young, you don’t know any better!”

“That’s not for you to decide, Jeongguk!” Taehyung protests again. “You can’t tell me what I know or don’t know! I’m sure I’m making the smartest choice here because when I look at you what I see is a hardworking amazing father who is the best person I’ve ever met, who is raising an amazing child and who is all anyone should aspire to be!”

They arrive to their destination before Jeongguk could really say anything more, but when Taehyung looks around he realizes they are parked in front of his building, not Jeongguk’s, even though their original plan was for Taehyung to spent the night so they can give Haneul the gifts together tomorrow morning and just laze around the house eating lots, the real Christmas spirit.

“What are you doing Jeongguk?”

“I think it’s best for you to not stay with us tonight, Haneul and I should do our own thing, family stuff, I just think putting a bit of distance may be for the best.” He is not looking at Taehyung, even though Taehyung is burning holes in the side of his head.

“You are the one making a dumb choice right now, you are trying to push me away, it’s not fair.”

“All I’m saying is that I need space, it’s not up for discussion, Taehyung.”

Taehyung just stares at him, and then just nods once and gets out of the car, he can’t deal with this right now. He is just going back to his parents tomorrow morning, if Jeongguk needs space then so be it.

--

Tension is high when he goes back to work after Christmas day, Jeongguk is for sure keeping his distance and Taehyung wants to scream at him but knows he can’t, he is hoping to be able to talk some sense into him that night though.

Which never happens because Taehyung receives the worst call of his life. His mom is crying on the phone, telling him his father had a heart attack and was rushed to the hospital.

Taehyung doesn’t even remember much of what happened next, just that he drops his phone, Haneul asks him what is going on, and Jeongguk who was fortunately just arriving home at that second rushes to check on him, he sobs into Jeongguk's chest, then frantically starts saying he needs to leave. He guesses that at some point Jeongguk must have gotten the whole thing out of him because not long after they were dropping Haneul with Seokjin and then Jeongguk drove him to see his family.

His father is fine, it was an extremely close call, but he was luckily rushed to the ER just in time. His mom did yell at him a lot once they got to see him awake though, but Taehyung knew it was because she was scared as hell.

They were able to get him home after a couple of days, on a Saturday morning, and that is when the real hard work starts, his mom can’t really take care of a bed ridden person herself, so they stayed over to help her out, and yes, even Jeongguk did, he claimed he couldn’t really leave Taehyung alone in this situation.

 Jeongguk went to visit Haneul and explain the situation to Seokjin and Namjoon, who happily accepted taking care of Haneul for the weekend, and then he explained to his son that he and Taehyung would need to take care of Grandpa Kim, Haneul was sad, but in the phone call that Taehyung had with him at least he was able to reassure the little boy that him and Grandpa Kim are fine.

Jeongguk is an angel, that’s for sure by now, he has been handling all the cooking for the house, has helped Taehyung clean and even do the laundry, he is a godsend in a moment like this, and Taehyung’s mom made sure to let Taehyung know that.

“That man loves you,” is what she said, leaving Taehyung lost for words. “I mean it, baby bear, I know what love looks like and that’s exactly it.”

“He is just a good person…”

“He is, and he also loves you.”

Those words echoed in his mind for the rest of the weekend, especially as Jeongguk keeps being his amazing self, even when at some point Aunt Chaeyoung and Seungho dropped by, when Jeongguk refused to engage in conversation with Seungho who claimed Taehyung had already made him his domesticated little bitch, since he had him cleaning and cooking for the family, of course he passed it off as a joke.

“Doing laundry takes me a few minutes at most,” Jeongguk said.

“That’s an eternity already,” Seungho snorted.

“I really feel sorry for your wife if you think a few minutes is an eternity, at least I’m pretty sure that’s not a problem Taehyung has to deal with.” He bows a little and walks away, carrying the laundry basket and leaving every person in the room –Seungho, Chaeyoung and Taehyung- speechless.

Taehyung bursts out laughing though.

His mom is right, this man loves him, and Taehyung loves him back, so there’s no way he’ll let Jeongguk keep making excuses to keep this from fully happening.

--

Jeongguk had to leave for work that Monday, but he kept coming back at nights, this time with Haneul, and to bring them homemade dinner and meal preps for the rest of the week.

He is there unconditionally for Taehyung, he loves him.

And that’s exactly how the next couple of days go by, at least his father is feeling better by now and they have been able to hire an in home nurse for the rest of the time of his recovery, which allows Taehyung to go back to his own life, which he is reluctant to do, his mom convinces him though, specially because it’s his birthday today, and she is sorry for not preparing anything special, which Taehyung understand completely.

“I’m sure something is waiting for you back home, though,” she said.

“I guess, Jimin always orders my favorite…”

“No, honey bear, I meant at home.”

Oh.

Of course she is right, because when Taehyung arrives to Jeongguk’s place, having called him while on his way there–after all he didn’t want to be anywhere else but with them both–he is surprised by his two favorite people yelling, “Happy birthday Taetae!” as soon as he opens the door, and there’s a cake with his name on it, it’s strawberry shortcake, his absolute favorite, homemade.

He cries right that second, but assures them these are happy tears when both Jeons come to him worried about his reaction. He makes sure to hug them both so tight.

“We’re happy to have you back home,” Jeongguk whispers into his hair.

Home.

It’s just the two of them later that night, a comfortable silence surrounding them as they cuddle on the couch, Taehyung’s head on Jeongguk’s chest, comfortably resting as he uses one finger to trace the tattoos on his forearm. He knows there’s so much to say, but neither of them want to burst this bubble.

In the end, it’s Taehyung who starts, voice just barely above a whisper, like he thinks talking any louder would destroy this moment.

“Do you still think we can’t make this work?” he feels so vulnerable asking this, but he wants to know once and for all.

“I don’t want to tie you down to something as complicated as this is, I want you to be happy, Taehyung, and I want you to live your life.”

“But what do you want?” He lifts himself up, to be able to look into Jeongguk’s eyes. “It’s okay for you to be selfish from time to time, Jeongguk, it’s okay to just want.”

“It has never been about me not wanting you…”

“Then say it, please, just say it… Do you want me here?”

Jeongguk grabs his hand then lifts it up to his mouth to kiss the back of it. “More than anything.”

Taehyung surged forward then, wanting to taste the words out of Jeongguk’s mouth, both of them smiled into it. It really has been this simple all along.

New Year’s Eve is spent with just the three of them, after all they are building their own traditions.

When the clock hits zero both him and Haneul press a sweet kiss to each of Jeongguk’s cheeks while fireworks explode all around the city.

It’s a bright start of a brand new year.