Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“How’s the new apartment?” 

Nora grins over the FaceTime call, the entire screen taken up by her ridiculous face. Her hair is in some weird braid—heatless curls, she had explained—her lips painted an awfully dark color, which she told him to “trust the process” on. He thinks she said it was a lip stain, whatever that may be. He just hopes it doesn’t stay blue. 

“It’s perfect,” Jeongguk sighs, sinking into his new couch. It was a generous gift from his mother, one delivered by his uncle while his mother cried about her youngest son moving out before he was married. “I mean, it’s not Hannam, but I still have a nice view.”

The mountains surrounding the city are turning yellow and red for fall, reminding him of just how fast time is passing. He turns the camera around to show her, to which his best friend awws appropriately. 

But she doesn’t miss one, crucial detail.

“Are those decorative pumpkins on your table?”

“Yes, they are,” Jeongguk mutters, refusing to admit that they look good on the table. “It’s an inside joke. Yoongi-hyung brought them over for me, and as the good brother I am, I will keep them up for a week.”

Nora laughs at him. “They’re hideous.”

“They’re not that bad?”

They kind of are, but oddly enough, he’s on the defense about them now, simply because Nora has an opinion about them. 

“I bet your hot, older DILF will think they are hideous, too.”

Even with the mascara brush dangerously close to her eyeball, she finds the time to tease him. 

“I’m going to hang up on you,” Jeongguk responds, though they both know he won’t. “When are you coming home again?” 

Even after promising to call her with an update, time had escaped him as he settled into his work and his new place. Nora had been equally as busy, wrapping up her last few weeks in New York City before she’s set to come home for the fall. He doesn’t trust she’ll ever fully come back home, but he’s looking forward to having her close for at least a couple of months. 

“Monday,” Nora reminds him, only half paying attention while she swipes mascara onto her lashes. “The timing is awful. I just met this girl, and now I have to come back home.” 

“Tell me more.”

Nora sets the mascara down to look at him. 

“I will when I’m home. And you can tell me all about the man of your dreams whom I know you’re dying to tell me about.”

“He’s so fucking hot, noona,” Jeongguk whines, jamming his fist into his mouth as he bites down. “Like, even you would consider dating a man if it was him.”

“I seriously doubt that. But I’m happy you’re finally getting laid on the regular. It’s a good look on you.”

“Yeah… about that,” Jeongguk trails off, looking into the distance. “I haven’t slept with him again.”

“What?” Nora pauses to turn her full attention to him. “What are you doing, then? Just… hanging out?”

It’s not like the opportunity hasn’t presented itself. No, several fucking opportunities have been right there, because he’s seen him twice in the last week. Apparently, Taehyung has taken it upon himself to be ever the gentleman, taking him out for dinner after work, leaving him with nothing but stomach-curling kisses at the end of the evening. Jeongguk isn’t sure what he’s doing, but he’ll be damned if he questions it. 

“Going to dinner.”

“Going to dinner?” she repeats incredulously. “And then what?”

“I don’t know, okay?!” Jeongguk whines again. “I told him I don’t do friends-with-benefits, and that if he wanted to fuck again, he could take me on a date.”

Nora looks at him with both amusement and regret. “That backfired on you.”

“Maybe!” Jeongguk laughs. “But I’ve also been living at Yoongi’s, which hasn’t been ideal.” 

“Fair,” she agrees. “I can’t wait to hear all about your DILF.”

“You’ll be home on Monday?” 

“Monday,” she confirms. “Text me your address and door code and I’ll wait with dinner ready when you come home from work, honey.” 

Jeongguk sighs dreamily, albeit feigned. 

“I’d marry you if I were into women. You have a trust fund, brains, and your love language is acts of service. What more could a man ask for?”

“A loveless marriage,” Nora coos. “What a beautiful thing. What I’ve always wanted for myself.”

“I hate you.”

“I know you do. I’ll see you on Monday, JK.” 

She hangs up the phone with a wicked grin.

Jeongguk has just put the phone down on the table when it buzzes again. He assumes it’s Nora, but he’s pleasantly surprised to see Taehyung’s name flash on the screen. Though it hadn’t taken him much convincing to change his contact name in Taehyung’s phone, Taehyung had been less than thrilled when he saw what Jeongguk had saved his phone number as. Personally, Jeongguk thinks it’s perfect. 

KTH (DILF, 38)
Have you eaten dinner?

There’s no sense in lying to him. In his defense, the day has escaped him, and now he’s too tired to venture outside. He did steal a few packets of ramen from Yoongi’s place, which he thinks are in his pantry. 

Jeon Jeongguk:
No, I haven’t had time to go shopping yet

KTH (DILF, 38)
I figured. Can I send you some food?

His first instinct is to say no—to tell him that he doesn’t need him to, because he can take care of himself. But he pauses, allowing himself to think about it for a moment. He remembers Yoongi’s words. Sometimes people do things for others because they want to do them, not because they feel a sense of obligation. 

Jeon Jeongguk:
Is this your way of asking for my address? 😏

Taehyung laughs at his message. 

KTH (DILF, 38)
Yes, so I can send you food delivery
It’s tradition to have take out on move-in weekend
I’d call you so we wouldn’t have to do this over text, but I’m stuck at work.
I’m sorry. 

He’s glad no one is around to see him when he kicks his feet into the couch. It’s a moment between him and his apartment, something he’ll take to his grave. Besides, it’s his body’s natural reaction to Taehyung. It happens. 

Moving into his own place has been filled with firsts—new experiences he didn’t realize he’d cherish, and if Taehyung says that take-out is required, then he’ll take his word for it. 

It takes him a moment to locate the address in his Notes app, because he hasn’t yet memorized it. Nonetheless, he sends it over, eagerly awaiting Taehyung’s response. 

Jeon Jeongguk:
Well, if you say it’s tradition, hyung 😉
You can also keep my address for other purposes
Not just food related 

KTH (DILF, 38)
I’m sure I can
It should be there in thirty minutes.
Enjoy it! 

Now that he thinks of it, he is starving, but in honor of his early college years, he was going to attempt to sleep through it and start fresh for breakfast in the morning. This, however, gives him the best of both worlds, so after thanking Taehyung for the kind gesture, he sets an alarm for thirty minutes, allowing the exhaustion of moving to wash over him as he settles for a catnap. 

A knock on the door startles him out of sleep. It’s gone dark outside, the pumpkin candle that Yoongi jokingly got him still burning on the table. The apartment smells like a sweet treat, but at least he didn’t burn it down on his second day living there.

He straightens his sweatpants out, waiting a few seconds to ensure the delivery person has left. His shirt lies discarded somewhere in the house, but he’s too tired to look for it. 

But the delivery person hasn’t left when he pulls the door open. 

Instead of the delivery boy, Taehyung stands outside of his door with a bag of food in one hand, and a gift bag in the other. A surprised look graces his features, but it quickly morphs into a smirk.

“Is this how you greet all of your visitors in your new place?” Taehyung asks, dragging his eyes down Jeongguk’s bare torso in a less than subtle move. “I’d lie if I said I wasn’t jealous.” 

He shakes off the surprise at seeing Taehyung at his door, casting his own glance down Taehyung’s body. To his surprise, he’s dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, a sweatshirt casually draped over his shoulders to complete the look. It’s such a casual outfit, nothing he’d ever expect out of the man. To top it off, he’s wearing a pair of glasses. He resists the urge to bite his fist.

“You told me you were working today.”

It had surprised Jeongguk when he told him he’d be busy working on a Saturday, of all days. But so was life in finance occasionally, he had joked. 

“I was. But this guy I’m kind-of-seeing sent me this adorable selfie, and it motivated me to wrap up my reporting so I could enjoy the rest of my weekend,” he continues, shaking the gift bag in his hands. “I come bearing gifts. Will you let me in?” 

Taehyung nods toward the hallway. 

“Yeah, of course.” Jeongguk steps aside to let him in. He takes the food from him, nodding down the hall for Taehyung to follow. “Here, let me show you the kitchen.”

“Oh, I expect a full tour,” Taehyung says from behind him. “It smells nice in here. Like—” he takes a second to inhale, “vanilla pumpkin?”

Jeongguk shakes his head. Of course he’d comment on the candle. 

“It’s a long story, but you’re right.” He sets the food down on the kitchen counter. “Let me go put a shirt on and I’ll give you the tour.”

A hand wraps around his wrist, stopping him. Taehyung tugs on him, a lot harsher than he expects, bringing him straight into his hold. It happens so quickly he doesn’t have time to think, Taehyung’s other hand coming up to cup his face as he leans down to kiss him.

“Greet me properly first,” he murmurs onto his lips, capturing them in a slow kiss. “And you don’t have to put a shirt on. Not on my account.”

Jeongguk smiles into their kiss. 

“I know I don’t have to,” he whispers, leaning in to kiss Taehyung one more time. “But you can take it off later, if you want.” 

“That was awful,” Taehyung says between a few breaths of laughter. “Don’t tell me that works on people?”

“A gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell.”

“Okay, big boy,” Taehyung chides, letting go of his wrist. “Go get your shirt so we can eat. I’m hungry.”

When he returns, Taehyung has already rummaged through his drawers for chopsticks. Two bottles of soju sit on the table, surrounded by takeout boxes and shot glasses. It’s not much, but it warms his heart to think this is his first meal at his kitchen table. In his own apartment. 

“You didn’t have to do all of this.”

“You need to eat.” The gift bag Taehyung brought is placed on the kitchen table, a green, expensive looking thing with tissue paper sticking out of it. “And it is tradition to eat take out and drink soju when you get your own place.”

There’s something in his voice that tells Jeongguk not to argue. 

“Thanks, hyung.” 

“Mm, and no jokes about the gift, okay?”

Intrigued, Jeongguk peeks into the bag. He pulls the tissue paper out, surprised to see a set of sheets. 

“You got me sheets?” Jeongguk questions, pulling the bundle out of the bag. He runs his hands over the fabric, marveling at how nice they are. Definitely not the type of sheets that Jeongguk picked up the other day. “Oh, they’re so soft.”

The joke about ruining the ones he has on lies at the tip of his tongue. He understands why Taehyung said no jokes, so he leaves it be, even if it takes a bit too much restraint. 

“Mm, I did,” Taehyung muses, working to open the takeout boxes. “When I moved into my first place, my very dear but obnoxious hyung told me to always invest in nice sheets. You spend a lot of time in bed, so you should ensure it’s all nice quality,” he continues. “And I hate to say I’ve been a snob about my sheets ever since, so I’m passing the tradition down to you.”

“You spend a lot of time in bed?” 

“We, as humans, spend a lot of time in bed,” Taehyung corrects, pointing his chopsticks at him. “Don’t make this about anything but the kind gesture that it is.”

Jeongguk bites down on his lip.

“Well, thank you, hyung. It’s very kind of you,” Jeongguk relents, putting the sheets back in the bag. Still, he can’t help himself. “Will you come back and try them with me later?” 

“Oh my God,” Taehyung sighs, but Jeongguk catches a smile right as Taehyung tips his head back. “I should have gone for the plunger instead. Almost did.”

Taehyung picks a piece of chicken out of the container, placing it between his chopsticks before he reaches out. Jeongguk parts his lips, allowing him to feed him. 

“I like your outfit,” Jeongguk comments, not failing to notice the CELINE written in black letters over his t-shirt. A different watch rests on his wrist tonight, a vintage looking one with a leather band. Even dressed down, Taehyung looks put together. “Even when you’re casual, you look expensive.” 

“Thank you.” Taehyung accepts the compliment for what it is, plopping a piece of chicken into his own mouth. “I hope it’s okay that I showed up unannounced.” 

“Of course. I just have wild plans of putting some art on the walls and going to bed at a decent hour. My life is very exciting at the moment, as you can tell.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Taehyung counters. “I’m happy to help you with the art. As long as you have a level. I eye-balled a few things in my first apartment, and they were not hanging straight for months.” 

They fall into casual conversation. Taehyung tells him about his week, how exhausting the end of the quarter reporting has been. It’ll get worse before it gets better, Jeongguk learns, especially as the year comes to a close in the finance world. He tells him about his own work, about the first four weeks of his internship—how fried his brain is from remembering peoples’ names, let alone the work he’s doing. Taehyung sympathizes, admitting that he still doesn’t know the name of the new marketing hires, the one that keeps begging him to star in their company’s TikTok reels. 

And he does pull through with the art, looking a little too good with a pencil between his lips while he measures out the line for the nails. Jeongguk recalls there being a hammer and nails in the emergency toolbox Yoongi made him purchase, which comes in handy as Taehyung gets to work. 

“Your art is very nice,” he remarks, looking at the three pieces that now hang in his hallway. “They’re originals.”

“They are. My brother painted them.” 

Unlike Yoongi’s normal work, the three matching pieces are black and white, somehow a sequence of varying shades of different monochrome. It wasn’t something Jeongguk had requested, instead the surprise was delivered to him the evening that he moved in. In a move very much encapsulating Yoongi, he had kept the pieces a secret from Jeongguk. It almost made him tear up. 

“Wait—” Taehyung steps closer to look at the signature in the corner. “Min Yoongi painted these?” 

His heart swells with pride at Taehyung’s surprise. 

“Mm, he just gifted them to me as a housewarming present. It’s not his usual style, but he knows what I like. Then he threw in the knitted pumpkins and candle for some ‘warmth,’” Jeongguk sighs, nodding to the table where the pumpkins are tossed into a bowl. “But he does paint for a living.” 

“You two are quite the opposite, aren’t you?” 

“We are, but he also runs his household in spreadsheets, so he’s got a bit of a nerd in him, too,” Jeongguk adds. “He didn’t tell me you two knew each other.”

“We ran in the same circles for a short while when his ex worked for us,” Taehyung explains. “But speaking of knowing people… I think you know my hyung, Seokjin?”

“Kim Seokjin?” Jeongguk pauses to turn. “The professor at SNU?”

Taehyung nods. “Mm, he’s one of my best friends.”

The saying is true: it truly is a small world. 

“Oh, fuck,” Jeongguk breathes out, memories of the previous year flooding back to him in an instant. Things he’d rather forget about, like long hours in the library and the caffeine shakes after pulling an all-nighter. A shudder rakes through him. “He put me through hell in my last semester of school.”

“That sounds about right. Technically, it’s him you have to thank for the sheets.” 

“No, don’t do this to me,” Jeongguk protests. “I do not want to think of him when I lay on my nice sheets.”

Taehyung laughs at him. 

“I’d hope not,” he counters, reaching up to flick Jeongguk’s chin. “You better be thinking of me when you’re in bed. I’m the one who got you the sheets, after all.” 

Taehyung traces the side of his jaw with his thumb, his eyes wandering over Jeongguk’s face as he takes him in. Jeongguk may have held his tongue earlier, but nothing tells him he can’t say what’s on his mind now. 

“That’s not why I’ll be thinking about you when I’m in bed.” 

“No?” Taehyung reaches back to scrape his fingers against the nape of his neck. His hand is so fucking big, wrapping around the back of his head like this. Jeongguk tilts his head, leaning into the touch. “Why will you be thinking about me, then?”

A smirk tugs at the corner of Taehyung’s lips. 

Ah, they’re finally doing this. 

The air charges with the newfound tension. 

“Are you into that?” Jeongguk asks, reaching out to play with the hem of Taehyung’s t-shirt. “Hearing that I think about you when I’m alone in bed? It makes sense.” 

Taehyung tilts his head, curiosity and excitement dancing in his eyes. 

“How so?” 

Playfully, Jeongguk runs his tongue over his teeth.

“Why else would you tell me that you’d fuck me so well you’d be all I think about when I fuck someone else?”

The amusement morphs into something darker. Taehyung’s hand shifts from his neck back to his chin, his thumb grazing along his bottom lip again.  

“And have you?”

Jeongguk can’t resist parting his lips to brush his tongue out. Gently, he swipes it against Taehyung’s thumb, pulling it in just slightly to tease him with his lips. The rapid rise of Taehyung’s chest sends a thrill down his spine. It’s been too long since their first time, even if he can still imagine the ghost of Taehyung’s skin against his own when he’s in bed at night. 

“Have I what, hyung?” Jeongguk asks, even when he knows.

Unlike Jeongguk, Taehyung doesn’t tease. 

“Have you fucked someone else?” he asks. “Since I last had you?”

Jeongguk shakes his head, taking the opportunity to press his hands against Taehyung’s bare stomach. He clenches under his touch, warm and eager. 

“No,” Jeongguk responds, thumbing at the top of Taehyung’s sweats. “Don’t really want to fuck anyone else.” He pauses to hook his thumbs into the waistband. He wonders if Taehyung would let him pull his pants down to his ankles so he could get on his knees for him, right here in the hallway. “Not when I know how well you fuck me.” 

Taehyung remains quiet, simply looking at him. The silence spans between them when he reaches out to pull Jeongguk’s hands out of his waistband, but he keeps his hands in his, swiping a thumb over the back of it. 

“Good.” He finally breaks his silence, his voice raw, deep. “I can’t stop thinking about you.”

It feels good to hear he isn’t alone in this. 

“Then why haven’t you made a move?” Jeongguk asks, too curious not to. “I’ve been going crazy wondering about it.” 

Taehyung smiles at him. “Didn’t want you to think that’s all this is.”

Ah, Taehyung has it all wrong. He had no reason to doubt him after their conversation. 

“The thought never crossed my mind, hyung,” Jeongguk reassures. “Not after that night we talked at your place.”

“Good.” Taehyung blows out a breath. “I literally can’t stop thinking about you. It’s—” he laughs at himself, shaking his head, “it’s infuriating.”

“We do have pretty decent sexual chemistry,” Jeongguk points out, stepping in closer so he can brush his lips against Taehyung’s jaw. He smells of cologne and something sweet, perhaps lotion. “It only makes sense.”

Taehyung quiets him by kissing him, wasting no time as he parts Jeongguk’s lips to deepen it. The same frustration Jeongguk has been harboring radiates through the kiss, his hands skating up Jeongguk’s chest to feel him. There’s intent in his hands when he pushes, urging Jeongguk to walk backwards toward his bedroom. 

It makes him smile into the kiss.

“Bedroom or couch?” Taehyung asks, swiping his lips down the side of his throat. Jeongguk stumbles as he tries to lead them, dizzy with the realization of where they’re heading. “I’ve been so fucking horny I would bend you over the couch and take you here if you wanted me to.” 

“Another time,” Jeongguk responds, sucking in a breath when Taehyung’s lips latch a little too hard against his neck. “Bedroom.”

He leads them into his bedroom, pleased that Taehyung has managed to throw both his sweatshirt and t-shirt onto the floor before they reach the bed. He’s a sight to behold with his sweatpants hanging low on his hips, his bare chest on full display. Jeongguk didn’t really allow himself to touch last time. He was too nervous, too scared to fuck up the one chance he had.

Tonight, he doesn’t worry about that.

Taehyung’s skin is smooth under his hands. Warm, too addicting. 

“Sit on the bed,” he demands, unsure if Taehyung will listen to him. “Please.”

A smirk lingers on Taehyung’s face, but he does as instructed, sitting down at the edge of the bed. It’s oddly reminiscent of their last time, when Jeongguk found himself in the same position in the hotel room. 

“Are you into making demands?” Taehyung asks curiously, watching as Jeongguk strips out of his shirt. His eyes trail down his torso, much to his pleasure. “We haven’t really talked about what we like, have we?”

“We can talk later.” Jeongguk makes sure to keep his eyes on Taehyung as he sinks down on his knees. The floor isn’t ideal without something softer beneath them, but that isn’t important right now. “I’ve asked to get on my knees for you before, and you said no, so this time I’m not asking you.”

Taehyung’s eyes dance with intrigue. He remains quiet, simply running his tongue over his lips as he lifts his hips off the bed, just enough to slide his pants and underwear down his mid thighs. He doesn’t bother to push them down to his ankles, leaving the task to Jungkook.

So he does, slowly pulling them down to pool at his feet. 

“Yeah?” Taehyung wraps his hand around his own cock, giving it a lazy stroke as he looks down on Jeongguk between his legs. “Go ahead, then.” 

They keep eye contact as Taehyung spreads his legs, letting go of his cock to press his palms into the mattress instead. 

The invitation is clear.

It’s a thrilling feeling, knowing that they don’t have to rush. Even if Taehyung said he was taking his time with him last time, there’s a difference in the air tonight, both of them more relaxed.

Jeongguk runs his hands up Taehyung’s lean thighs, marveling at the soft touch of his skin. 

God, he’s thought about this—about the way Taehyung tastes, so he presses his lips against his knee, giving it a gentle kiss. It’s faint, but he catches it, the soft exhale that slips out of Taehyung when he trails a path of kisses up his leg.

He wonders where his sensitive spots are, if there are places that make him squirm when he presses his lips against them. When he reaches the soft flesh of his inner thigh, he latches on, sucking a mark into the honey-colored skin. It’s a risk, not one he’s sure he should take, but Taehyung awards him with a sharp inhale, his hand settling in the roots of his hair as he tugs. 

“Stop teasing me,” he grits out, his eyes sharp with lust. “For someone who was so eager to get on his knees, you’re taking an awful long time to get my cock into your mouth.”

Jeongguk lets go, keeping his eyes on Taehyung’s as he licks over the mark. He knows it stings, the kind of heat that shoots straight to his cock and curls comfortably in the pit of his stomach. Taehyung is looking at him with arousal painted all over his face, and he has half a mind to stick his hand into his own pants to relieve the building pressure in his gut. 

“I’m taking my time with you,” Jeongguk responds by throwing Taehyung’s own words back at him, pressing a kiss into Taehyung’s hip crease. He grins, speaking clearly as he nudges his face against Taehyung’s cock. It twitches beautifully. “Just repaying the favor, you know?” 

Suddenly, fingers press into the side of his face, Taehyung’s grip tight on his jaw.

“Jeongguk-ah,” he warns, but his words falter, dying around the edges. “Don’t be a brat.” 

Jeongguk sticks his tongue out, finally dragging it across the head of his cock. He twitches against him again, his abs clenching with the way he tries to avoid it. Taehyung can pretend to be composed all that he wants, but his body gives him away.

“You like it,” Jeongguk remarks, making a show of it when he wraps his lips around it. Taehyung tastes as good as he remembers. He hums over his heavy cock as he grins, knowing how the vibrations reverberate through him. “Right, hyung?” he asks as he pulls off.

“Just—”

Jeongguk doesn’t let him finish his sentence, wrapping his lips around him one more time as he takes him all the way down his throat. This time, Taehyung can’t hold back, a loud moan ripping from the back of his throat as he tips his head back in pleasure. 

“God,” Taehyung groans, tightening his hold on Jeongguk’s hair. It spurs him on—he likes it sloppy and wet, so he gives just that to Taehyung. He alternates with his hand, dragging it slowly up and down his hard length when he struggles to catch his breath. When Taehyung tugs at his hair, he releases his cock, going back to working him with his mouth. Taehyung shifts his hand, slowly caressing the side of his face. Jeongguk knows there’s a shine to his eyes, the strain of Taehyung’s cock a challenge to take. “You’re so pretty like this,” he whispers, his voice hoarse with desire. “Fuck, come ‘ere.”  

Jeongguk stands, fingers hooking into the waistband of his sweats the second he does. In one, swift motion, Taehyung pulls his pants down, grinning when he sees he isn’t wearing underwear.

“Don’t make a sassy comment about it,” Jeongguk points out, climbing into his lap. “I got dressed before I knew you were coming over.” 

“Always ready, aren’t you?” Taehyung mumbles onto his lips, sighing when their cocks press together against his stomach. Jeongguk presses his body closer, seeking friction against his throbbing cock. 

Now that he has him like this, he doesn’t bother holding back. Without much skill, he ruts against him, pressing his head into the crook of his neck as he loses himself in the moment. 

“You know, if you’d let me fuck you, I’d fuck you so well you wouldn’t be able to say shit like that,” Jeongguk rasps, pressing his lips against Taehyung’s throat. He breathes him in, the rich cologne and the natural, deep scent of Taehyung. A hand runs down his spine, squeezing his ass appreciatively, enough to press Jeongguk closer to his body. “Always teasing me. I’m so sorry I’m always ready to get naked with this hot man I have in my bed right now.”

Taehyung’s chuckle rakes through their bodies. 

“Well, I’m not letting you fuck me,” Taehyung murmurs, running his hand back up his spine to squeeze the back of his neck. He leans back to put some distance between them, his chest heaving with the breath he takes. A slight blush paints his chest, the most beautiful manifestation of his arousal. “Where’s your lube?” 

“Nightstand.”

Jeongguk reaches down to gather their cocks into his fist. He barely manages to jerk them off, especially when Taehyung shifts his hold on him. Slowly, he grips at the base of Jeongguk’s throat. A surprised breath slips out of him at the unexpected action, his stomach churning with a new desire. A foreign feeling, one that catches him off guard. 

It’s nothing he’s ever been on the receiving end of. Surely, his body’s reaction gives that away.

There is no pressure. 

Instead, Taehyung simply smirks as he rests his hand there, gauging his reaction. 

When Jeongguk doesn’t protest, he caresses his fingertips into the side of his throat, fucking teasing him.

It’s a new sensation, giving into the hold. Even without pressure, there’s command in the action, not where Jeongguk normally finds himself when he’s in bed with someone. Then again, he is quickly realizing that Taehyung isn’t just “someone.” 

“Do you like it?” Taehyung asks. 

“I don’t know,” Jeongguk admits, suddenly feeling a bit inexperienced. “Never been choked.”

“I won’t do anything you don’t like,” Taehyung reassures, sliding his hand down to trace his nipple instead. Too sensitive already, he arches into the touch. “But your cock twitched when I grabbed you. It was really fucking hot.”

Jeongguk glances down between them, not even realizing he’d let go of them both. His own cock is flushed red at the tip, and Taehyung finally takes mercy on him, reaching down to stroke him. 

“You can choke me,” Jeongguk whispers, biting down on his lip to keep himself from moaning. “I—” he falters when Taehyung tightens his grip. “You can do whatever you want to me, hyung.”

Taehyung smiles as he lets go of his cock.

“We should talk about all of that,” he says, “but for now, I need you to lay down on your stomach for me.”

He presses his hands against Jeongguk’s chest, urging him to get off. 

“And if I don’t?” Jeongguk teases, unable to not lean in to kiss Taehyung when he stands. He swipes his tongue into his mouth immediately, which Taehyung doesn’t seem to mind one bit, kissing him deeply as he turns them around, guiding Jeongguk down against the mattress. 

“I’ve wanted to eat you out since I saw that ass of yours in those tight slacks,” Taehyung whispers into his jaw. “So unless you refuse me, I’d very much like to do that.” 

Jeongguk’s stomach drops to his feet, his body going easily when Taehyung guides him with a hand on his waist. 

“Bet your nice sheets would have felt good now,” Jeongguk teases, turning his head to look at Taehyung as he rummages through his nightstand. Taehyung is lean and tall, traces of muscles hinting at his back and thighs. “There should be some condoms in there, too.”

“Is this the first thing you unpacked?” Taehyung asks, waving a vibrator and condoms in the air. He tosses the vibrator back into the drawer. “For another time,” he remarks without Jeongguk’s response. 

It’s hard to resist rutting into the bed, especially as he waits impatiently, but Taehyung returns quickly, the mattress dipping when he settles behind him. 

Knees press against his thighs, swiftly pressing him apart, sending a jolt of excitement through him. 

Taehyung shifts to drape his weight over him as he presses a kiss on the top of his shoulder. Against his ass, Jeongguk feels the weight of his cock—there’s no barrier between them, just their bare skin. 

A trail of kisses line his back, Taehyung’s hair tickling against his skin when he dips into the side of his waist. 

“Have I ever told you that you drive me insane?” Taehyung nips gently at the dip of his waist. “Look at this tiny little waist. Perfect to hold when I take you from behind, I bet.”

Another kiss is pressed into skin, this one lower, almost at the small of his back.

“You’re teasing me.”

“Am I?” Taehyung chuckles, kissing at the top of his ass. “And your thighs. Bet they’d feel good to fuck, too.”

Taehyung shifts to press his lips below his ass this time, right at the cleft where his cheek meets his hamstring. Large hands splay over each side of his ass, then he pulls, putting Jeongguk on full display in front of him. 

A bit of unfamiliar embarrassment swirls in his stomach, suddenly put on display in a way he isn’t sure he’s ever been shown off. He’s been in Taehyung’s position plenty of times, but he hasn’t had a man take his time with him like this. 

Without any warning, Taehyung blows on him. It’s a  warm gust of air, followed by something warm and wet. It’s not lube, but it trickles down his crack, lewd and wet. 

It takes him a second before he realizes it’s Taehyung’s spit.

Fuck. 

“Would you let me?” 

The words ghosts against his skin, followed by a flat press of Taehyung’s tongue against his rim. 

Jeongguk draws in a sharp breath, his exhale a broken moan and far from a breath. 

“Oh—”

“Mm,” Taehyung hums, pressing his tongue against him again, this time slower, more tantalizing as he prods it against his hole. “Would you?”

“Yes.” 

The words force themselves out between breaths, Taehyung’s chuckle vibrating through his body when he presses his mouth on top of his rim and sucks. Initially, he jolts, but when Taehyung squeezes his ass, he relaxes, sagging into the mattress.

Too desperate to touch his cock, which he’s in no position to do, he ruts into the sheets, the fabric not enough, but at least something to give him reprieve. 

“Oh my God.” Jeongguk whines at the speed at which heat spreads through his body, not sure he recognizes the voice as his own. An embarrassed laugh follows, which Taehyung promptly steals from him when he switches to flicking his tongue over his rim, just enough to press inside and fuck him with it. “Hyung.” 

“Yes?” 

Taehyung comes up for air, pressing a kiss against his asscheek. He tears a hand away, running his finger over his wet and sensitive hole. He must be repaying the favor, his hole wet enough for Taehyung to press the tip of a finger inside. It burns a bit, but he doesn’t push it, simply teasing him with the pressure.  

“What, Jeongguk-ah?”

“Fuck,” Jeongguk chuckles, desperately patting around the bed in search of the lube. When he finds it, he throws it back toward where he thinks Taehyung is. “You’re good at that.”

“I’m glad,” Taehyung muses, pulling out to uncap the lube. He pours some directly onto his hole, not bothering to warm it up. Jeongguk jolts at the sensation, which Taehyung takes as his opportunity to help him up to his knees by a hash tug of his hips. “You know, I was torn the first time we fucked.”

The finger that breaches him is thicker—it must be his thumb. His suspicion is confirmed when he feels his hand shift, fingertips pressing into his asscheek to knead him. His other hand slides between his legs, wrapping around his cock to finally give him what he’s wanted.  

“Oh, shit—” Jeongguk moans, dipping his head down between his shoulders to let the wave of arousal run through him. Taehyung is too good. Too good at making him forget all that he knows about himself. “Why were you torn?” 

“Well, I wanted to take you from behind,” Taehyung answers, working his thumb slowly around his rim as he teases him. “I wanted to see a man like you pressed into the sheets, you know? You were such a brat, and I wanted to put you in your place. Fuck you into the sheets,” he continues, pulling out to add two fingers instead. A shudder rips through Jeongguk, the hand around his cock squeezing around the base of him to keep him from bucking into it. Taehyung scissors his fingers, working him open a bit impatiently. “But then you asked to see me, and I couldn’t exactly say no to you.”

Jeongguk throws his head over his shoulder, too pleased with the knowledge. 

“You can’t say no to me,” Jeongguk retorts, warming at the smile that Taehyung graces him with. He only tears his eyes away to look down at Jeongguk’s ass, where he slips a third finger inside. “God, just fuck me already.”

“Are you always this impatient? Telling men what to do?” Taehyung looks up at Jeongguk again. “You’re used to calling the shots, aren’t you?”

“I am ready to be fucked,” Jeongguk responds with a roll of his eyes. “That’s what I am.”

Taehyung snickers, pulling his fingers out to place a kiss against the small of his back. He rolls the condom on himself, raising his eyebrows as he lines himself up against Jeongguk’s hole. 

“Alright, baby.” Taehyung runs his hand up his spine, teasing him with the ghost of his touch. “I’ll fuck you.”

The press of his cock past his rim steals the air from his lungs again, except this time, Taehyung doesn’t ease himself in. No, he pushes all the way inside, his grip bruising around his hips as he pulls right back out. There’s nothing gentle about the way he fucks Jeongguk, or about the way the pleasure rips through him in response. 

Taehyung fucks him hard and fast, the snap of his hips so sharp that Jeongguk’s elbows give in, his face and chest pressing into the pillow in response. It catches him off guard, a moan filtering into the bedroom. 

“This is exactly how I wanted to take you,” Taehyung grits, his voice a rumbling, low spell. He shifts to press a hand between his shoulder blades—it’s enough to sink Jeongguk further into the bed, but Taehyung uses the grip on his hip to pull Jeongguk against his cock. He’s leveraged, a way for Taehyung to take him harder. “You look so good taking it, baby. So tight.” 

Somehow, the drag of Taehyung’s hand down his spine is gentle and soft, a complete dichotomy of the way his thrusts send him into the mattress. 

Jeongguk burns from the inside, each snap of Taehyung’s hips a jolt to his core as his cock rubs against the sheet. It’s the best kind of pain, the slow, searing burn that will erupt into fireworks once he’s finally allowed to relent. 

He reaches down to touch himself. Right as he gets a hand around his cock, Taehyung stops, snapping his hips once. Just enough to jolt him to lose the grip he has.

“Fuck, hyung. Don’t be an ass,” Jeongguk whines, reaching down to stroke himself again. Just to show his displeasure, which truly is counter productive, he squeezes his ass around Taehyung. “Come on, keep fucking me.”

A rumble rakes through Taehyung, a low breath of arousal from the way his cock is squeezed. 

“Or are you going to come?” Jeongguk squeezes around him again, chuckling as he speaks. He knows what it does to Taehyung, how the hum runs through his body, and how tight his ass is gripping his cock. “You can come first. I don’t mind.”

“Oh, I see what you’re doing,” Taehyung muses as he leans down. He presses a kiss between his shoulder blades, sneaking a hand down to engulf Jeongguk’s hand that’s around his cock. He strokes him in tune with Jeongguk’s own movements, slow and lazy. It brings a low moan out of Jeongguk. “Feel good?”

“Yeah,” Jeongguk breathes out. “You know it does.”

Taehyung shifts, sneaking his hand around Jeongguk’s middle. Slowly, he guides him up on his knees, shifting his hips just right when he brings him to crash against his chest. His thick cock brushes against Jeongguk’s prostate, an array of expletives forcing their way out when Taehyung shallowly thrusts his hips.

He’s deep, consuming, teasing him with his movements. Each slow drag of his cock brushes against his most sensitive spot. Taehyung’s grip around him is strong, keeping him in place, preventing him from rocking back to take more.

“Give me your hand,” Taehyung whispers into his temple, his lips pressing against his skin as he breathes. Taehyung’s heart beats fast and erratic, thumping against his back. He’s close, too, which is why he urges him on when Jeongguk doesn’t relent. “Baby, come on.”

Taehyung takes his hand, guiding them down to grip around Jeongguk’s cock. His hand engulfs Jeongguk’s, the rhythm that he picks as steady as the rocking of his hips. When he moves his hips faster, fucking him deeper, he moves them faster, his own breathing becoming staggered when Jeongguk’s muscles string taut. 

He’s overwhelmed, consumed by the warmth of Taehyung’s skin against him, the way he envelops him and presses into every surface of him. It sets him on fire, the simmering embers threatening to explode. 

“I’m close,” Jeongguk manages to breathe out, tightening the grip around his cock. He can hold off for maybe a few more seconds, but that’s it. “Hyung, I’m—”

“I’m going to fuck you through it,” Taehyung murmurs. “I’ve got you.” 

The heat in his lower stomach erupts, coursing through him as he comes. He comes all over their hands and his sheets, messy and hot. True to his word, Taehyung fucks him through it, but what Jeongguk doesn’t expect are the two fingers he presses between his lips. They’re coated in his own come, salty and long, pressing onto his tongue with enough force that he sputters around them. 

His spent body tenses, which is what finally sets Taehyung over the edge. With his fingers still pressed into Jeongguk’s mouth, he comes, thrusting into his ass with one, final snap, his cock throbbing as he releases into the condom. 

“Fuck, Jeongguk-ah,” he moans into the side of his neck, dragging his fingers down his throat when he slides them out of his mouth. “You’re such a dream.”

Jeongguk sags into his hold, impressed that Taehyung holds them both so steadily. He knows he’s growing heavy in his arms, completely spent by the way Taehyung just had his way with him. 

“You’re not so bad yourself,” Jeongguk muses, his chest heating with Taehyung’s compliment. “I can’t think straight right now.”

Taehyung’s laugh is a deep rumble.

“Keep saying stuff like that,” Taehyung muses, reaching down to grasp Jeongguk’s hand in his. He tangles their fingers together, keeping him pressed against his chest as he remains inside of him. “It’s very good for my ego.”

“I bet it is,” Jeongguk chuckles. “You gonna stay inside of me for a while?”

“Thinking about it,” Taehyung whispers into his jaw, pressing a kiss against it. “But I kind of want to save that for when I’m fucking you raw. Better that way.”

His stomach tingles with yet another unexpected swoop. 

“Oh.”

Taehyung does pull out, too gentle when he helps ease Jeongguk back onto the bed. 

“We’re not done with this conversation,” Taehyung teases, squeezing Jeongguk’s hip before he gets off the bed. “I’ll be right back.”

There’s a confidence to him that Jeongguk hasn’t seen in his past lovers, how relaxed he is when he slides the condom off, not the least bit shy when he walks into the bathroom when he knows Jeongguk is watching him. He rummages through Jeongguk’s cabinets for a washcloth, running it under hot water to warm it for him. 

Jeongguk cleans his hands off, and his thigh, where they’ve somehow managed to get his come. It’s Taehyung who takes the washcloth and swipes it down his neck, cleaning him off his own saliva. Jeongguk bites down on his lip, toying with the lip ring in an attempt to distract himself from the slight embarrassment that swirls in his stomach. 

This is not how he acts around men.

A clean towel covers the spot on the sheets they ruined.  

“We’re going to have to wash your sheets,” Taehyung remarks, leaning down to press a kiss at the corner of his mouth. Jeongguk takes the opportunity to pull him down, chasing him for another kiss. He can’t get enough. Of course Taehyung indulges him, even flicking his tongue over his piercing to tease. When he deems him appropriately kissed, he flops down on the mattress, smiling bashfully at him. “You know, you make me feel like I’m in my twenties again. I’ll be in meetings, suddenly thinking about getting laid.”

“Is it a bad thing?” Jeongguk questions, way too pleased to hear this is the case. Most importantly, he’s glad to not be the only one. “I don’t see a problem with that.”

“It isn’t a bad thing,” Taehyung reassures him by tracing his hands over Jeongguk’s chest. “So, let’s talk about how surprised you were when I made that comment about fucking raw.”

“Shit, hyung.” Jeongguk chokes on his breath. “You can’t just say shit like that.”

“No need to be shy.” 

“I’m not shy,” Jeongguk retorts, turning to face Taehyung. “I didn’t think you could surprise me, but you do.”

“I hope that’s a good thing.”

“It is.” Jeongguk reaches out to fiddle with Taehyung’s necklace. “I’ve never not used protection, so you caught me off guard with that one. I am far from inexperienced, I’ve had a decent amount of sex, but I haven’t been with anyone I trust enough to do that,” he explains. “And, well, you are bringing out sides of me that I wasn’t quite… in tune with, I guess?”

“It’s fun to explore with someone you trust,” Taehyung says, his eyes dancing over Jeongguk’s face. “What are you normally into? I trust that you’d tell me if I did something you weren’t into.”

“Oh, I’ve been very into what we’ve done,” Jeongguk reassures, running his tongue over his teeth to buy himself a moment. “You know you fuck well.”

Taehyung shakes his head in amusement. 

“That doesn’t mean shit if you do something your partner isn’t into,” he says. “But I am glad to hear you’ve been enjoying yourself.”

Jeongguk rolls his eyes. “You know I have.”

“You’re vers, right?” Taehyung thumbs against the apple of his cheek. “I remember asking you this before, and you told me it wasn’t the time to talk about it.”

“Yeah, the hottest man I’d ever gotten naked with was about to fuck me. I wasn’t exactly in the mood to make it a whole discussion,” Jeongguk remarks. “But yes, I am. I tend to top most of the time when I hook up. It’s—I don’t know? Just an expectation, I guess?”

Not one that he placed on the hook-ups, but one that seemed to stick.

“But you like bottoming?” Taehyung asks, genuine concern flashing in his eyes. 

“Oh, I do. Especially with the right partner,” he emphasizes, ensuring that Taehyung knows just how much he’s enjoying it. “Mostly, that right partner has been myself lately.”

Taehyung runs his tongue over his lips. “Don’t put that visual in my head.”

“Sorry, not sorry?” Jeongguk winks. “But yeah, I like bottoming, especially with you.”

Now that he thinks about it, he doesn’t recall what Taehyung’s profile indicated. He could pull up his screenshots and verify, but he may be better off deleting those, not interested in the evidence remaining on his phone. It doesn’t matter—what they have between them works, and he has no interest in anything different. 

“It’s not for me,” Taehyung admits with a shrug of his shoulders. “So as much as you’d like to ‘fuck me to shut me up,’ or whatever your words were,” he adds with a grin, “I prefer to fuck you, if you’re okay with that.”

“Totally fine with me,” Jeongguk agrees, shivering when Taehyung runs his fingers down the side of his waist. “You like when I tease you, don’t you? Push your buttons a bit?”

Taehyung smiles. “I do. Didn’t think I’d be into that, but I think I’m into it because you like to tease. It works well, I think? Feels natural.”

“Mm,” Jeongguk agrees. “Feel free to be a little rough with me. I mean, I’m not really into verbal degradation, but I don’t mind if you get a bit annoyed with me pushing your buttons. I don’t like to be called names, though.”

“That is good to know,” Taehyung hums. “I’ll keep praising you. You like that.”

Traitorously, blood creeps up his cheeks, warming him enough to let him know it’s visible. He doesn’t fail to notice the words are phrased as a statement, not a question. 

“I didn’t realize that I did.”

“Oh.” 

Taehyung sounds surprised. 

“Anyway,” Jeongguk chuckles, eager to steer the topic elsewhere. “How about you? Are you always into being in control?” 

Taehyung shakes his head. “No. I mean, I tend to lean that way naturally, but I can switch, depending on my partner,” he says, smiling down on Jeongguk when he sees the undoubted surprise on his face. “I’m not going to say no if you decide to push me into the couch and ride me while you tell me I can’t move a muscle, if that’s what you’re into. I don’t mind letting go of that control occasionally.”

“That’s not what I expected to hear,” he admits. “But good to know.”

“Mm, I think that we don’t have to worry so much, though. Our dynamic seems to come naturally to us. You’re a brat, and you want a brat tamer,” he teases, winking at him. “Chasing someone to put you in your place.”

Jeongguk bursts into laughter. He hadn’t exactly looked at it that way, but now that Taehyung mentions it… 

“Look, I fully walked into that room expecting to fuck you.”

“Yeah, not gonna happen,” Taehyung laughs, leaning in to kiss him. “Anything else you’re into? Any kinks I should know about?”

“Well, you already know about my older-man kink.”

“You little shit,” Taehyung laughs, pushing his hand into Jeongguk’s chest. He falls onto his back, laughing when Taehyung pokes a finger into his side. “Be serious.”

“Fine,” Jeongguk relents, turning his head to look at Taehyung. “I have always enjoyed toeing a line in public. Like, if we’re out, I don’t mind some teasing, working each other up. Hands wandering when they shouldn’t, kind of thing.”

There’s no judgment in Taehyung’s eyes. 

“Do you like having it done to you, or do you like doing it to your partner?” 

“Yes.”

“Oh, I see,” Taehyung hums thoughtfully. “I’m happy to explore that with you.” 

“You wouldn’t mind?”

“No. It’s hot. And I trust that you can be discreet, and I also trust that you’d be able to handle whatever happens when we get home after you’ve been a brat in public.”

“Fuck,” Jeongguk groans, pushing his fist into his mouth. “You’re so sexy you make me want to eat my fist.”

The bed shakes with Taehyung’s laughter. 

“Some of the shit that comes out of your mouth, I swear.”

“I can’t help it.” Jeongguk grins. “How about you? Is there anything that is completely off limits for me?”

“I don’t mind letting go of control, but I do not like being restrained,” Taehyung says. “I had a bad experience once, and I just prefer not to. Now, it doesn’t mean I’ll never do it again, but for now, no bondage, please.”

“I like touching too much for that,” Jeongguk admits. “And being touched.”

Taehyung traces his fingertips over Jeongguk’s abs, smiling to himself as he watches his own movement. He thinks for a few seconds.

“Other than that, just talk to me, but I have a feeling we’ll be just fine,” Taehyung says. “You are a good communicator, even if you blush occasionally.”

Jeongguk tucks his head into the pillow. “I don’t blush.”

“You kind of did when I called you pretty when you had a mouth full of my cock.”

Heat surges through him again. The innate confidence in which Taehyung speaks is almost too much to handle, brazen words coming naturally, without shame.  

“You were seeing things.”

Taehyung laughs at him. 

“Mm, a very pretty man with a co—”

To silence him, Jeongguk surges forward, pressing his lips against Taehyung’s. It’s more a smile and a clash of teeth than it is a kiss, but it shuts him up. It helps quell the flutters in his stomach. 

“Okay, I’ll stop,” Taehyung murmurs on his lips. “And I won’t bring up the praise kink again.”

When he pulls away, Taehyung looks at him, not a hint of emotion on his face. The only giveaway that he’s about to break is the way he bites the inside of his cheek. 

“Good,” Jeongguk says.

“Mm, we should probably change your sheets, but if we stay far enough to the right, we can probably dodge the mess.”

“The towel will do its job,” Jeongguk says. “I’ve done worse.”

“You and me both.”

For a moment, they simply lay in silence, neither of them feeling the need to say anything to fill it. Jeongguk isn’t used to comfortable silences, or the moments that follow after sex. There have always been too many rules—leave after the deed is done, no eating meals together, no staying the night. He’s never been allowed this, the tenderness that comes after, the luxury of someone wanting to get to know him past what he can offer physically. He’s been the one always asking too much.

There’s a chance he could get his heart broken if he ventures down this road. It’s a possibility, but something urges him to at least try. 

“Can I ask you something?” Jeongguk asks.

Taehyung nods. “You can.”

It’s a personal one, one that hits close to home for Jeongguk, one he wonders if Taehyung has ever struggled with. Ever since he spoke the words, the thought has lingered in Jeongguk’s mind. 

“The guy who you saw in your twenties, did he make you think all that you were good for was sex at the end of the day?” 

Taehyung’s eyes widen in surprise. It’s a very personal question, almost intrusive, but he can’t help but wonder about it.  

A rueful smile lingers on his face. Taehyung looks at the wall behind Jeongguk, chewing on his lips as he thinks. 

“In a sense,” Taehyung answers after a beat of contemplation. “He wasn’t particularly interested in ever being seen with me outside of our respective apartments. I was enamored by him because he was older, you know? Successful, intelligent, established,” Taehyung explains, looking down on his hands that still trace patterns against Jeongguk’s chest. “My career took off early, I was working at a start-up at the time, and I was so excited to have it all… the career, the promotion, the man. But, as you can imagine, we weren’t exactly aligned in our ideas of what our relationship was.”

This conversation isn’t as easy as the one they just had. Taehyung still speaks with conviction, but there’s something in his eyes—vulnerability, perhaps? Words spoken too raw for someone whom he doesn’t know all that well. 

“He sounds like a really shitty person,” Jeongguk says honestly. “Who in their right mind wouldn’t show you off?”

It brings a genuine smile out of Taehyung. 

“You’re sweet,” he says, leaning down to place a kiss against his lips. “That relationship ruined me for a long time, so when I matched with you, it brought back a lot of memories I hadn’t thought about in a long time,” Taehyung continues. “And then I got in my head about being that person, even when I know I’m not… and, well, I wish I could explain that more logically, but I can’t.”

“I could see that being confusing,” Jeongguk answers, knowing all too well what it’s like to be with someone whose intent is singular in nature. Neither of them deserve to be reduced to something so shallow. “But I can assure you that you’re nothing like that person.” 

“Thank you,” Taehyung answers. “And you are a lot more level-headed than I was back then.” 

“Are you sure that’s how you want to describe me?” Jeongguk grins. “Out of all the adjectives at your disposal?” 

“I mean, you’re also annoyingly persistent and bratty, but unfortunately, I am finding that endearing about you,” Taehyung laughs. “Especially after the whole ‘sorry, I don’t do friends-with-benefits, so please get yourself together, hyung’ speech you gave me in the bathroom. Communication is sexy. You stunned me right into silence with that one.”

One day, he’ll tell Taehyung just how much self-restraint that took. He’s stroked his ego enough for one day, so he decides today isn’t that day.

“Well, I could have gotten down on my knees, but you turned that down.” 

Taehyung bursts into laughter. “You made up for that tonight.”

“Sure did,” Jeongguk agrees, deciding to lighten the mood. “Do you want to go for round two? I could go again, it’s been twenty minutes, give or take.”

“Settle down.” Taehyung flicks his finger under his chin. “We can go for round two in the morning.”

He has no idea what time it is. It doesn’t matter. 

“Oh, are you staying the night?” 

Jeongguk hooks his finger into the gold chain that hangs from Taehyung’s neck, tugging ever so lightly on it.  

“Is that okay?” Taehyung’s eyes flit over Jeongguk’s face. “Or do you have plans tomorrow morning?”

“No, no plans,” Jeongguk answers, grinning when he thinks about the possibilities. “Are you going to keep me in bed all day, hyung? Because that sounds like a perfect Sunday to me.”

“I’ll make you breakfast if you ask nicely,” Taehyung teases him. “But seriously, if you don’t want me to, I’ll go h—”

“Of course you can stay,” Jeongguk cuts him off, pulling him down to kiss him. “But I’m definitely the little spoon, so if that’s an issue, we better break this off before we go any further.”

Taehyung drops his head into the crook of his neck, their bodies shaking with their combined laughter. 

“Just turn around,” he hums, nudging Jeongguk with his knee. “We’re going to sleep. Make sure you stay on this side of the bed, because I do not want to wake up in your dried come,” he mutters. “I should have washed your new sheets so we could have slept on them tonight.” 

Sleep washes over him quickly, but Jeongguk is pretty certain he falls asleep with a smile on his face.

True to his word, Jeongguk finds himself in Taehyung’s arms when he wakes up. Somehow, he has a deathgrip on him, surprisingly strong, even in his sleep. It takes Jeongguk a solid three minutes to wedge out of his hold, but he slides toward the edge of the mattress without waking him. Taehyung had sounded so tired when he told him about his long day at work on a Saturday, so he’ll let him sleep for however long he wants. 

He trudges into the bathroom, washing his face and brushing his teeth. He’s really grateful for Yoongi’s spreadsheet and the row that said to always keep extra toothbrushes at home, because he can leave a brand new one for Taehyung on the counter. 

There isn’t a ton he misses about his tiny apartment in New York City, but the one thing he wasn’t able to take home was the fancy espresso machine that Nora gifted him when she saw the state of his sad coffee station. 

The infamous Keurig was a find at one of the big-box stores, marked down because someone had returned it. It worked just fine, but Nora had promptly spit the coffee out that he so proudly served her one fine Sunday morning. He misses the machine this morning, even if the one that sits on his counter now is at least two steps up from the Keurig. 

The machine whirrs to life, always taking too long. Or, Jeongguk is just impatient, but it’s something he’s been working on. 

He has just placed the coffee mug under the stream when a set of arms wrap around his waist, startling him so badly he whacks his knee into the cabinets in front of him.

“Fuck me!” 

Taehyung’s chuckle vibrates through his back. “Serve me coffee first.”

It’s embarrassing how wildly his stomach flutters when Taehyung presses his lips against his jaw. He leans into his hold, their bare skin warm as it makes contact. 

“I was letting you sleep in.”

“I appreciate that,” Taehyung mumbles into his temple, but Jeongguk is distracted by the feeling of his hands on his bare stomach, how teasingly he skims against his skin. “Can’t say I’m not disappointed that you weren’t in bed when I woke up.”

“We can go back to bed.”

“It’s eleven-thirty,” Taehyung points out. “I don’t think I’ve slept this late in years.”

Jeongguk reluctantly untagles from his hold, turning around to serve him the first cup of coffee. Taehyung looks like he wants to protest, but he takes it when Jeongguk tells him he’s the guest. 

“Do you have plans today?”

“Unfortunately, I have dinner plans with my parents and my mother’s side of the family. My uncles and aunts and cousins,” Taehyung says with a shudder. “It’s a whole debacle. I managed to get out of the last one, but my mother even put this invitation on my work calendar.”

“Yeah, you better attend that.” 

“Yeah, I do,” Taehyung agrees, taking the first sip of his coffee. His face morphs into something unreadable, his nose wrinkling in what Jeongguk assumes is displeasure. “This coffee is… I mean, take this as no reflection of you, but you need a better machine than that.” 

He can tell Taehyung is keeping himself from laughing, biting down on his bottom lip to keep the smile at bay. 

“Oh, come on,” Jeongguk groans, snatching the cup from his hold and taking a sip. It’s not terrible. “You’re the second person to bring this up.”

“So you’ve served this coffee to others?” Taehyung breaks, laughing at him. “They were being kind to you when they said they liked it.”

“In my defense, it was a Keurig, and she wasn’t as kind, spitting it back into the cup. It was a whole moment, but she did give me a new, fancy espresso machine, so if you want to follow in her footsteps, you can buy me one. Especially if you’re going to be spending your mornings here.”

Taehyung’s wide smile breaks across his face. 

“For someone who said he wasn’t looking for a man to pay his bills, you sure sound like you are trying to get me to pay for a new espresso machine for you.”

“Then don’t complain about my coffee.”

“Fair point,” Taehyung agrees. “How about we go out for breakfast? There’s a cute coffee shop next to the convenience store on the corner.” 

He knows which place he’s talking about. It’s an eclectic place, with mismatching furniture and overpriced coffee. It smells fantastic, but for the sake of his budget, he’s avoided it, not keen on getting hooked on iced americanos that will account for twenty percent of his food budget. 

“Only if you buy.”

“I thought you—”

“You insulted my coffee, hyung.” Jeongguk narrows his eyes onto Taehyung, who only shakes his head in amusement. “But yeah, let’s go.”

They both laugh as they look for Taehyung’s clothes. They’re strewn all over the bedroom floor, and when Taehyung lifts his shirt to inspect it, he wrinkles his nose, a take-out stain unfortunately placed in the middle of his chest. 

“You can borrow a shirt,” Jeongguk points out. Something about Taehyung in his clothes makes his body tingle. “T-shirts are in the drawer.”

“I will drown in your shirt.”

“You will, but I’m not going to be seen with a man with a stain on his chest,” Jeongguk retorts, wrinkling his nose for good measure. “People will think the CELINE is fake.”

Taehyung tosses the shirt at him. “Do you ever stop?”

“Nope.” Jeongguk pulls the drawer out, digging through his collection. “Here, this should work.”

It’s nothing much, just a t-shirt with his alma mater’s name printed across the chest. It’s one of the shirts he got during his first year, before he decided to get serious about the gym. It still fits, but it makes him look like he’s begging for attention. In other words, it serves its purpose when needed. 

“As a Yonsei alumni, this kind of hurts,” Taehyung gripes. “But my sweatshirt should cover it just fine.”

“What did you study in university?”

“Economics and finance,” Taehyung says with a roll of his eyes. “And to top it off, I also played baseball. Hit all the points for being that guy.”

The information catches him off guard, but he can see it. It makes sense that he was an athlete, the way his body still holds on to the traces of muscle. The kind that’s forged under hours of hard work and determination, somehow always present as a body grows older. Jeongguk rakes his eyes over Taehyung’s body. He definitely wants to hear the stories of his university days one day. 

“I bet you loved it when I made that joke about looking for a man in finance.”

“I did,” Taehyung admits, shaking his head in amusement. “That song was stuck in my head for days… my cousin sent it to me, with a very snarky ‘why would anyone want a man in finance when they’re like you?’ caption to go with it.” 

Jeongguk couldn’t escape the trend either, plagued with an algorithm that insisted on showing him the videos every four scrolls. At least he got it out of his system with the dating profile. What he can’t imagine is Taehyung’s social media feed being the same, the thought of that too amusing. 

“She sounds hilarious.” 

“She is,” Taehyung muses. “She’s more like my younger sister that I never got. I was blessed with older brothers.” 

“Aww, you’re the baby.”

“I am,” Taehyung admits without shame. “Which is why my mother usually lets me get out of family dinners.”

“You know, you could always fake illness, say tha—”

A loud bang on his front door interrupts his sentence, followed by the beeping of his keypad unlocking. He told Yoongi to not let himself in without texting first. Frantically, he scrambles for his phone. There are no new notifications, which means Yoongi has decided on a surprise visit. Today, of all days.  

“Honey, I’m home!” A familiar voice bounces off the walls of his hallway instead, sounding nothing like Yoongi and everything like someone else he knows. “Surprise!” 

Ice pools in his stomach. There’s no fucking way this is who he thinks—knows—it is, because it’s Sunday. She’s not supposed to be home yet. 

Another part of him flickers with the slightest hint of excitement. 

Taehyung’s smile wipes off his face in an instant, his brows knitting together in confusion at the sound of the stranger. God, Jeongguk can only imagine how this looks—a woman letting herself into his home, calling him honey. Jeongguk is going to kill her. 

“Are you expecting someone?” Taehyung turns to look at Jeongguk. “Who calls you ho—”

“Fuck,” Jeongguk mutters, terrified that Taehyung is piecing things together and getting the wrong idea. “This is not what it sounds like, it’s my—”

“JK, where are you?” she shouts in English, obnoxious and loud as always. Frozen, Jeongguk stands in his bedroom, the shirt he hasn’t put on still balled in his fist as he listens to her voice getting closer, now switched back to their native language. “This place is nice, Yoongi’s art is reall—”

Nora stills in her tracks, halted to a stop when she reaches the doorway. There’s an enormous bag in her hand, a blue gift bag with a square box. It thumps on the floor when she sets it down, her mouth hanging open in surprise as she takes in the sight in Jeongguk’s bedroom. 

“What the fuck?” she whispers, frantically flickering her eyes between Taehyung and Jeongguk. This is not how he intended to introduce the two, but Nora has always been one for a dramatic entrance. Jeongguk watches the scene unfold in slow-motion, unable to even get a sound out. “Oppa?”

To Jeongguk’s surprise, Taehyung breaks the silence first. 

“Nora-yah?” 

The familiarity in which her name is spoken startles Jeongguk back to reality.

“Nora-yah?” he questions. “How the fuck do you know her?”

He turns to look at Nora, whose smile has morphed into something menacing, something terrifying. 

“Do you two know each other?” Jeongguk asks, an uncomfortable knot tangling in his stomach. “Because it sounds like you do.”

“Please don’t tell me this is the man who fucked you so well you called and told me about it right after?” Nora looks between them, clearly not interested in sugarcoating it. “Kim Taehyung? That is who?”

If Jeongguk could disappear into thin air, now would be the perfect time to vanish.

“Nora-yah!” Taehyung says again, this time with an appropriate amount of bite to his words. Almost as if he’s scolding her. “Be polite, will you?”

“Someone tell me how you two know each other!” Jeongguk demands, ignoring the heat that’s managed to spread to his fucking earlobes. “Please,” he adds weakly.

It’s Taehyung who throws his head back, a deep, pained sigh filtering into the air between them. His shoulders heave with his exhale.

“Choi Nora is my cousin,” he explains calmly, then it must dawn on him. “Who studies abroad. In New York City.”

No. This can’t be. There’s no way. Out of all the people he could have befriended across the Pacific, he chose her. Then he decided to chase her cousin. And told her about it. 

“Your cousin,” Jeongguk repeats. “Choi Nora is your cousin.” 

Nora takes a step closer. On instinct, Jeongguk takes a step back, appearing like the prey trying to avoid its predator. Both Taehyung and Nora break into laughter at the action. 

“Mm, Taehyungie oppa’s mother is my dad’s sister.”

“So this is the woman who’s like your little sister,” Jeongguk mumbles, the pieces falling into place for him. “That’s terrifying.”

Nora winks at him. 

“And how do you two know each other?” Taehyung turns to look at Jeongguk. “If I’m piecing this together correctly, she’s the best friend you made in New York last year? The one who you’ll have dinner with on Monday?”

Nora beams from ear-to-ear. “Aww, you’ve talked about me?”

“I wish I hadn’t,” Jeongguk mutters, still not sure how to wrap his head around all of this. “But yes, that would be correct.”

“What a small world!” She claps her hands together in excitement. “I am still a bit horrified by this sight in front of me, but I’m sure I’ll get over it,” she chirps. With her foot, she pushes the box toward Jeongguk. “I come bearing gifts, but don’t get too excited. It’s just your old espresso machine.”

“Oh, thank God,” Taehyung sighs in relief. “You should have tasted the coffee he served me this morning. Fucking awful,” he shudders, falling into seamless conversation with his cousin. Jeongguk feels appropriately betrayed by the sudden shift. “We were just about to head out to breakfast, but if you two want to catch up, I can go.”

“No, we don’t want to catch up,” Jeongguk interjects before Nora can get a word in. “We can do that tomorrow, for dinner, as we planned.”

Nora crosses her arms over her chest. 

“I flew home a day early to surprise you, and this is what I get?”

“You flew home a day early to attend dinner with your family,” Jeongguk corrects.  

“How do you know that?” Nora asks, but she figures it out when Taehyung smiles. “Oh, I’m definitely telling your mother you are seeing my best friend. She’s going to freak when she realizes how y—”

“Noona,” Jeongguk sneers in warning.

“Mom already knows I’m seeing someone.” Taehyung waves her off. “Why are you like this?”

“You told your mother about me?” Jeongguk can’t help but ask. 

“Mm, I told her I wanted to take this guy I’m seeing out to dinner tonight, but she told me that wasn’t a good enough reason to not attend dinner,” Taehyung explains, not appearing to be embarrassed by it. “Now it makes sense, since Nora is making a surprise appearance. Everyone loves the baby of the family.”

Nora’s smile somehow grows more menacing when Taehyung rolls his eyes at him. She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, looking all too smug. 

“It’s hard to be the favorite, but someone has to take on the job,” she says, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “You two go on your date, I won’t intrude.”

“Thank you for that,” Taehyung says. “I will see you tonight?”

“You will,” Nora responds, then she turns to look at Jeongguk. “And I’ll see you tomorrow. I’ll hug you properly then, because I can’t trust that you haven’t just—” she shakes her head at herself, drawing her lips down into a frown as she gestures wildly between them. “I better not finish that sentence.” 

That is a solid choice. 

“Yeah, best that you don’t,” Taehyung agrees. “Please see yourself out.”

She blows them an exaggerated kiss, then she turns on her heels, practically skipping out the apartment, just as dramatically as she entered.

“I—”

“We can talk about this over coffee,” Taehyung mutters, throwing his head back in frustration as he waits for the door to shut behind Nora. “I’ll help you with the espresso machine later.”

The coffee shop is exactly what he expects it to be. Modern, eclectic, and staffed by baristas who seem to charm every customer who crosses their path. To top it off, the coffee is amazing. He wishes he didn’t know, because now he will be stopping before work, undoubtedly blowing his budget out of the water a week into the month. 

At least Taehyung pays for their meal this morning. It’s the least he can do after insulting his perfectly fine coffee. 

“So, since you and Nora are cousins, does that mean you also have a trust fund?” Jeongguk dares to ask over a bite of his croissant. It flakes all over his shirt, an incredibly poor choice for date food. “You truly ticked all the boxes in my profile, didn’t you? I understand now why you swiped right. You were practically made for me.”

Taehyung’s laugh carries over the sound of the busy coffee shop.

“No, I don’t. I’m self made, albeit not as successfully as my uncle,” Taehyung says, tearing a piece of Jeongguk’s croissant off and stealing a bite. “Nora’s father didn’t really become successful until later in life, but it certainly hasn’t stopped him from making his mark on the industry. I think she was about twelve or so, which is right about the time I was twenty four. So unfortunately, I didn’t get to ride the coattails of his success like she can, if she chooses.”

It makes sense now. It was obvious that Nora came from money—the apartment she lived in was the first give-away, not to mention the fact that she always insisted on paying for everything they did. Jeongguk grew so uncomfortable with the idea of never getting to pay that Nora had to shut him down once and for all, telling him to please accept the fruits of her very hardworking father’s labor. Other than that, she didn’t talk much about the wealth or her privilege, more interested in flying under the radar and completing the education she was there to do. She didn’t live without pressure, that much was clear by the expectations she had of herself. It was medicine or law, her father had instructed, so she was there on exchange to learn about the American legal system. 

“Oh.”

“I’m sorry to disappoint you.”

“I’ll look past it,” Jeongguk remarks, enjoying the way Taehyung’s eyes trail his lips’ movement when he wraps them around the straw of his iced coffee. “She doesn’t talk much about her family, and I don’t particularly care about that.”

Taehyung hums, looking out on the busy street. 

“Her fellow students here weren’t as kind to her. It makes sense why she likes life over there so much.”

Unlike Jeongguk, Nora thrived in the city that never sleeps. Wherever she went, she fit in, molding herself to be whatever life expected out of her in the moment. Life in the city was easier to live when Nora was by his side. He owes his sanity to her, but it doesn’t mean he can’t side with Taehyung occasionally.

“Well, if you want a leg up on her at dinner tonight, ask her about the girl she went on a date with last week,” Jeongguk adds, knowing Nora would do the exact same to him if the roles were reversed. “Her name is Ryujin. She’s a model. Hang on, I have a photo.”

Nora had, in what Jeongguk assumes was a drunken haze, sent him a photo of the two of them out on the town. A quick google search told him that Ryujin, just like Nora, looked worse for wear, indicating a few too many drinks had been consumed when the photo was taken. It also explains why she had so eagerly sent it to him, captioned with a simple, “my future wife.” 

What he loves most about her is her persistent nature, how nothing is too big of a challenge, the world practically her oyster. If she’s claiming Ryujin to be her future wife, then Jeongguk believes it. 

Proudly, he shows it off to Taehyung, whose eyes light up at the sight. The family trait is undeniable, the thrill of sitting on a secret. 

“Send that to me right now,” he demands, a grin awfully similar to Nora’s spreading on his face. “This is perfect blackmail material.”

He sends it off, Taehyung’s phone pinging in his pocket when he receives it. 

“You’re just as bad as she is.”

“And you’re not?” Taehyung counters. “I can see why the two of you are friends. Persistent pests, both of you.” 

“And here you are, falling victim to both of our charms.”

Taehyung smiles. “I can’t deny that.”

“Did you really tell your mother about me?” 

The opportunity is too good to pass up. Besides, Taehyung offered up the information himself, so Jeongguk may as well ask about it. 

It backfires. 

“Did you really call Nora after we fucked the first time?” 

Embarrassed, Jeongguk throws his head back against the wall behind him. 

“She was lying.”

“Your reaction tells me that she wasn’t,” Taehyung is quick to point out. Under the table, he kicks his foot. “What did you tell her?”

“That is none of your business.” 

“I’ll just ask her at dinner tonight.”

“She won’t tell you,” Jeongguk argues. “It’s against code. Like, best friend code.”

“She will if I show off the photo of her and Ryujin.”

“Wow, okay,” Jeongguk barks out. “You’re going to use that against me?” 

“Of course. Two can play this game,” Taehyung winks. “So do you want to tell me, or do you want me to bring it up in front of my mother so she can hear that, too?”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Are you willing to take the chance?”

“No,” Jeongguk whines, burying his head into his hands. “That cannot be your mother’s impression of me.”

“Your choice, sweetheart.” 

Heat burns in his cheeks at the pet name. Fuck, this is not going the direction he was intending. 

“Fine,” Jeongguk harrumps. “I called her to tell her I had the best sex of my life, and that I was forever ruined, because the man who fucked me so well I asked him to marry me didn’t want to see me again.”

Taehyung’s shoulders shake when he laughs. 

“That was the best sex of your life?” 

“Oh, it was good sex,” Jeongguk argues, lowering his voice so as to not make their topic public knowledge in the coffee shop. “You can’t tell me that it wasn’t?”

“Of course it was good,” Taehyung agrees, raising his eyebrows. “I’m just pleased to hear it was the best sex you’ve ever had. That’s a pretty high bar to set for me.”

“You know you’re good,” Jeongguk counters, ignoring the way Taehyung’s fingers tap against his coffee cup. He doesn’t fail to notice how the tip of his shoe still brushes against his ankle. “Don’t pretend that you don’t know what you’re doing.”

“I never said I didn’t know what I was doing,” Taehyung responds, way too pleased with the compliments Jeongguk is feeding him. “But you can tell me again how I was the best you’ve ever had. Wouldn’t mind hearing it.”

“You’re insufferable.”

“Am I?” Taehyung licks his lips, crossing his arms over his chest as he leans back. “You’re the one who asked me to marry you after you got dicke—”

“Enough!” Jeongguk tosses a crumpled up napkin in his lap. “You don’t need any more compliments, you’re confident enough as it is.”

“You’re cute.” Taehyung smiles into his drink, his eyes softening when he looks up at Jeongguk. “I’ll stop teasing you.” 

He wouldn’t mind if he didn’t. No, Jeongguk is pretty sure that he wouldn’t mind a single thing Taehyung suggested, a tell-tale sign that he is running head-first into what he knows could break his heart into a million tiny pieces. 

But he also knows they could be spectacular in a way that he isn’t sure dares to think too much about. Because it’s too soon to think about it, but Jeongguk has always done what he shouldn’t, always said what shouldn’t be spoken. It’s how he ended up here in the first place, across from the man who occupies his mind any hour that he’s awake. 

And for some reason, this man thinks about him, too. 

Later that evening, he receives a text message that expresses Taehyung’s gratitude. Nora had faltered under the weight of the photo, turning into the heated topic of discussion at dinner as her father quizzed her on her “soon to be wife.” Taehyung deemed himself successful in his quest, and Jeongguk was to expect to be appropriately awarded for his contributions to Taehyung’s win. 

_________________

“You down for a drink? I’ll buy.” 

Namjoon peeks his head into his office, his glasses askew on his face. Taehyung isn’t the only one who’s fallen victim to the stress of the fourth quarter, Namjoon’s resignation and exhaustion wrapping around his invitation. Yesterday at lunch, he had let it slip that the late hours they’ve been pushing had caused a heated argument between him and Seokjin, which forces Taehyung to wonder if Namjoon is avoiding going home. It’s not his business to judge. 

“I’d love to, hyung, but I have plans.”

“Oh, and what may those plans be?” Namjoon perks up. “And do they have anything to do with Jeon Jeongguk?” 

“Do you and Seokjin-hyung sit at home and talk about me and Jeongguk?” 

A low rumble of laughter spills into the room. Namjoon makes himself comfortable, leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest. 

“Of course we do. We have a bet going.”

Taehyung straightens up. This is exactly why he didn’t want to tell them. “On what, exactly?” 

“On who will say ‘I love you’ first.”

The breath he draws sticks in his throat, forcing him to splutter into an undignified cough. God, it’s embarrassing. 

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” he asks when he composes himself, taking a swig of his water. He ignores the pleased grin on Namjoon’s face in favor of preserving some dignity. “Why would you even say that? We are just getting to know each other.”

“Because you’re down bad already, that’s why,” Namjoon says immediately, wagging his stupid eyebrows. Taehyung has no business being embarrassed about it, but he is. Fuck, he needs to get it together. “You get so flustered when we bring him up. Are you this uncool around him, too? Because if you are, I can’t possibly see what he sees in you.”

“I can fire you, you know.”

Technically, he can’t, but he knows their CEO will take his assessment into review at the end of the year when contract renewals are up for negotiations. 

Namjoon cackles. “Try me, buddy. When was the last time you ran your own statistical models?”

“Okay… So, yes, I do have plans with Jeongguk,” he mumbles, eager to get his hyung off his back. “Are you asking me to have drinks so you can escape going home to a fight with your husband?” 

“Oh, below the belt, Taehyung-ah.” Namjoon clutches at his chest, all while dramatically throwing his head back. “If you must know, my husband will be joining me for drinks.” 

“Well, that’s what you get for making fun of me and my cr—”

He stops himself before he can finish the word. It’s too late. He’s done for, the devious grin on Namjoon’s face giving away that he caught exactly what was about to slip.

“What were you about to say just now?” Namjoon goads. “Was it that you have a cru—”

“Please leave me alone!” 

Taehyung grabs the water bottle, raising it in the air as he aims for Namjoon. Instantly, Namjoon straightens, his hands covering his face in a poor attempt to shield himself. Taehyung didn’t pitch for nothing in university, even if his knees aren’t what they used to be in his twenties. His shoulder is just fine, though. He could easily hit Namjoon from behind his desk. Probably even with his eyes closed. 

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry,” Namjoon chokes out between laughs. “I’ll go, and I won’t mention the ‘crush’ thing to anyone,” he jabs, his voice fading the farther into the hallway he gets. “Have fun with Jeongguk!”

With a sigh, Taehyung sinks into his chair, for some reason unable to shake the smile off his face.

He doesn’t necessarily have plans with Jeongguk. 

They’d initially planned to meet for dinner, but Jeongguk had texted in a panic earlier in the day, apologizing profusely about having to cancel at the last minute. He had forgotten about Yoongi’s latest installation, one that was showing at some fancy gallery in town, apparently a big deal in the art world. Weeks ago, Jeongguk had made his promise to attend, then subsequently forgotten about the whole ordeal. 

The idea to surprise Jeongguk had caught Taehyung off guard, but once the plan crossed his mind, he couldn’t shake it. 

Part of him is worried it’s too intrusive. Maybe he shouldn’t just show up to the installation, especially uninvited. Then again, Jeongguk didn’t necessarily have an invitation to their first meeting. Many things have shifted since then, and he has a feeling that Jeongguk won’t protest to him showing up unannounced. It’ll catch him off guard, which is part of the appeal, but Taehyung also knows that Jeongguk will be with family. 

Whether intentionally or not, Jeongguk has flipped his life upside-down in the short time he’s been in it. Taehyung finds himself thinking about the man who doesn’t play by the rules at all hours of the day. It’s been a while since he’s been in the dating game, and he doesn’t know what is appropriate and what isn’t, and especially so with Jeongguk. It has him feeling both out of his depth and on top of his game, a dichotomy that is confusing and thrilling to navigate.  

He’s decided to trust his gut on this one, even if it means his heart has practically lurched itself in his throat by the time he reaches the gallery.

Nestled into the heart of Insadong, the venue is small but intimate, highlighted by the prominent pieces displayed on the walls. Just as Jeongguk mentioned, Yoongi’s art is much different from the pieces decorating the walls of Jeongguk’s home. Here, color paints the canvas in an explosion of sharp lines and soft edges. It’s a contrast he can’t quite pinpoint, but it’s enough to draw his attention from the moment he spots the pieces from outside the window.

It’s nearing the end of the evening, the clock almost nine, with most of the visitors trailing out of the gallery as Taehyung approaches. Couples hold hands as they make their way out the door, reminding Taehyung of the man he’s here to see.

He spots Jeongguk in the far right corner, deep in conversation with his brother and another man. Jeongguk had explained that as much as he wanted the creative arts to be his scene, it hadn’t been in the cards for him. Where Yoongi’s creativity is boundless and free, Jeongguk’s is cerebral, bound by logic and absolutes. Taehyung doesn’t know that he agrees with the assessment, unsure if Jeongguk truly sees the way his mind works. As far as Taehyung can tell, nothing binds Jeongguk. He seems like the kind of man that can do whatever he puts his mind into, and that’s one of the things that drew Taehyung in.

Jeongguk appears to work the room, charming the man who’s in conversation with them. A whiskey glass rests in his hand, but he pays it no mind, his eyes focused on the man in front of him as they speak. Even from afar, it’s easy to see the captivating spell he has on the man—the ability to draw the attention of whomever he’s speaking to. Some people just have that innate quality, and Jeongguk is one of those people who makes him feel like everyone else in the room doesn’t matter when he divides his full attention to him. 

To avoid interrupting them, Taehyung sneaks in right as another couple exits, not keen on drawing attention to himself by jostling the bell above the door. He hovers in the background, busying himself with studying Yoongi’s pieces as he listens in on the conversation. 

The man is a fellow artist, someone who appears to know both Yoongi and Jeongguk from their hometown. Taehyung didn’t necessarily think he had something to worry about when he initially spotted them, yet he’s filled with relief when he realizes they are old friends. 

The conversation wraps up within a few minutes, and when Yoongi walks his friend to the door, he spots Taehyung, doing a subtle but noticeable double take as he does. A brief smile flashes on his face, followed by a nod. He doesn’t know Yoongi to be a man of many words, but he doesn’t seem all that surprised to see Taehyung. He wonders just how much Jeongguk has shared with his brother, if he talks about Taehyung like he talks about Jeongguk to his friends. 

Taehyung takes it as his cue. Only a few visitors remain, mostly minding their own business in the far corner of the room. 

Jeongguk has just slid his phone out of his pocket when Taehyung sneaks up behind him. Gently, he places his hand around his waist, positively thrilled when Jeongguk startles in his arms.

“Hi.”

“Oh, fuck me!” Jeongguk hisses under his breath, thankfully collected enough to not spill the whiskey in his glass. “What—” He pivots to face him, the surprise morphing into a smile. “Hyung. What are you doing here?”

Jeongguk looks fantastic, dressed for the occasion in a pair of tight slacks and a silk blue shirt. It hugs his shoulders and chest perfectly, showing off the impossible ratio of his broad shoulders and tiny waist. Taehyung makes sure to squeeze it, just because his hand slots so perfectly over the dip of it. 

“I wanted to see you tonight,” he admits freely, enjoying the smile that spreads on Jeongguk’s face with his honesty. “And since we can’t do dinner, I figured I could at least walk you home and maybe talk you into dessert?” 

“Oh.” 

For once, Jeongguk doesn’t have a witty retort. Instead, he bites down on his lip, as if he can’t decide what to say. 

Fuck if it doesn’t make Taehyung soar, finally able to catch the younger man off guard. Chivalry isn’t dead, after all. His hunch was right. 

He reaches out, tracing the side of his sharp jaw with his thumb.

“Is that okay with you?” 

“What do you think?” Jeongguk fires back, appearing to come back to himself just as quickly as he faltered. “I only just forgot how to breathe for a moment.”

Taehyung ignores what that does to his insides. 

“I’m glad,” he settles on answering, scared to give away just how elated that makes him. “You look amazing, by the way. I like the hair.”

It’s shorter than the last time he saw him, but not by much. He didn’t tell Taehyung he was getting it cut, which only means he wanted to catch him off guard. It suits him, putting more of his prominent facial features on display. 

Jeongguk smirks. “Are you flirting with me?”

“Trying to,” he admits. He probably should let go of him, but instead of doing that, he allows his body to lead as he takes a step closer, the next words tumbling out of him before he can stop them. “Can I kiss you?” 

Instead of answering, Jeongguk steps in, closing the distance between them as he presses his lips against Taehyung’s. Though it’s the last thing he wants, he keeps it chaste, even if his hand engulfs the side of Jeongguk’s face to keep him closer. They’ve kissed plenty of times, but never before out in the open, surrounded by prying eyes. 

“Yeah, I don’t know if I’ve made it clear to you, but you don’t exactly have to ask me that,” Jeongguk murmurs on his lips before he tears away. “If I ever refuse a kiss from you, know that I have been possessed by someone who isn’t me. Probably a flesh eating bacteria of some kind.”

Taehyung can’t help but laugh.

“Good to know.”

Jeongguk winks at him. “Did you really come here to walk me home?”

“I did.”

“Fuck, that’s so hot,” Jeongguk groans, then he steps away to take a sip of his whiskey. His eyes glimmer under the soft light of the gallery. “They don’t make ‘em like you anymore, do they?” 

“Was that a dig at my age?” 

Jeongguk doesn’t skip a beat, ready with his response before Taehyung can finish his sentence. It’s one of the most thrilling things about him, how quick-witted and ready he always is. 

“If it felt like it, then it probably was.”

“You know what?” Taehyung takes a step back, even if he knows the smile he can’t fight gives him away. “You can walk yourself home.” 

Instantly, Jeongguk’s hand wraps around his wrist, tugging him back into his space. He finds himself in Jeongguk’s arms again, his lips brushing over his own when he whispers between them. 

“The fuck I can,” Jeongguk responds, dragging his thumb over his wrist as he lets his lips graze over Taehyung’s. “Don’t you dare leave, hyung. You promised me dessert.”

The words shoot straight to his stomach, punctuated by Jeongguk’s warm breath as it fans over his lips. Jeongguk thinks he has the upper hand, which… if Taehyung is being honest with himself, he always does. But he manages to sneak another kiss, one that does catch him off guard when Taehyung nips at his bottom lip. He wants so badly to kiss the breathless gasp that spills from Jeongguk, but he knows this isn’t the place.

So he pulls away. “You know damn well I wasn’t going to.”

Jeongguk shakes his head. 

“You don’t play fair.”

“I don’t,” he agrees, then he takes yet another step back, finally at a respectable distance from Jeongguk. “Take your time closing down. I’ll be here when you’re ready to go.”

It doesn’t take Jeongguk and Yoongi more than ten minutes to wrap things up. Yoongi comes by to formally greet him, albeit briefly, so he spends his time checking out the other pieces in the gallery. He considers inquiring about a specific piece, but right as he turns to call for Yoongi, Jeongguk swoops in, seamlessly sneaking his hand around Taehyung’s waist as he spins him around.

The world blurs for just a second before he gathers his bearings. 

Jeongguk’s smile is devious, indicative of more than what he’s saying. 

“Dessert?” 

“Been waiting for you.” 

They fall into step, hurrying out of the gallery at Jeongguk’s insistence to dodge his brother before he gets roped into yet another closing chore. He mumbles the words quietly under his breath, which can only mean he’s not meant to cut out just yet. Taehyung feels partly guilty for enabling his escape, but the other part of him is eager to get away—to finally have a moment alone with Jeongguk.

Neither of them realize it’s raining until they step out, the freezing fall rain tumbling down on them and soaking them in an instant. For a second, they just stand there, frozen in place as they assess their surroundings. Most stores have shut down for the evening, leaving them with the gallery they just came from. 

It’s Jeongguk who yelps in surprise, both of them bursting into laughter when Taehyung finally springs back into action and drags them to the storefront next door, where they barely fit under the awning to protect themselves from the downpour. 

It’s too late. They’re drenched, stuck in place with nowhere to go, unless they sneak back into the gallery and plead for Yoongi to take them back in. After the stunt they just pulled to evade him, he doubts that’s an option. 

Jeongguk runs his hand through his hair, shaking out what’s matted to his forehead. He manages to fling it right into Taehyung’s face, which he must find delightful, because he throws his head back as he laughs at Taehyung’s displeased groan. 

Beneath the evening sky, with water running down his face, Jeongguk appears even younger. His eyes sparkle, and for a moment, Taehyung forgets everything else. He forgets about his day, and the way he was crushed under the weight of impossible demands. He forgets about everything but the man in front of him, who somehow has the ability to permeate the spaces he’s fought so hard to close off. 

“I don’t think we should walk home in the rain.”

Jeongguk laughs at him. 

“Were you really planning to walk all the way from Insadong to Hannam?”  

“Nah, it’s too hilly,” Taehyung supplies, grabbing Jeongguk by the waist and pressing him against the wall behind them. Jeongguk goes easily, allowing himself to be maneuvered against the wall. He loves how invitingly Jeongguk’s body responds—how willingly he goes, even if his words contradict his eagerness. “I was planning to take you for dessert, then I was going to ask you to share a cab with me. Make sure you get home safely.”

Jeongguk’s hands find purchase under his coat, sneaking their way up his chest. Even with the fall air enveloping them, Jeongguk’s touch is warm, searing into this skin. 

To be honest, he hadn’t planned much at all. He figured they’d stumble upon a place where they could share something, then, depending on where the conversation went, he’d take it from there. Now, even those plans seem ambitious. 

“And where would we go?” Jeongguk asks.

His own hands wander, seeming to always find their way to Jeongguk’s face. He thumbs at his soft, pillowy lip, missing the metal he’d grown so familiar with. 

“My place. Your place,” Taehyung hums noncommittally. “Whatever’s closer.”

Jeongguk smirks under his touch, parting his mouth just enough for Taehyung to slide the tip of his thumb in. It’s a dangerous game to play in public, even more so when Jeongguk pokes his tongue out to swipe against him. 

Heat sears in his chest, spreading all the way down to the tip of his toes.

Consumed by it, he allows his own body to lead, pressing Jeongguk even closer to the wall when he slots their mouths together. Jeongguk is just as eager, the one to demand to have more when he pries his tongue into Taehyung’s mouth. Taehyung can’t remember the last time he allowed himself to just let go and make out with a man out in the open, so consumed by the desire to be close to him that he has him against a fucking wall.

Around them, the rain falls, casting harshly against the pavement and drowning out any noise but the beautiful ones Jeongguk is making. The weight of the rain is heavy against the awning, but it makes space for them amidst the chaos, protecting them from the chill of the skies. 

Jeongguk tastes of whiskey, just enough to make Taehyung feel like he’s buzzing off the strong alcohol, too. He knows it’s impossible, and the real reason for the warm buzz in his veins is entirely due to the man in his arms. 

“Hyung,” Jeongguk calls his attention when they finally pull away to breathe, a bit of rainwater still trickling down the side of his face when he tips his head back against the brick facade. A cocky smirk tugs on the corner of his lips, the kind that has Taehyung willing to break any and all rules that were ever created. “Let’s go to yours before you undress me out here. It’s fucking freezing.”

“Don’t act like you wouldn’t love it.”

“Mm, I would,” Jeongguk doesn’t hesitate to respond, a suggestion skillfully woven into his next words. “But I’d like it much more if you took me home and maybe got a bit handsy in the cab, which doesn’t seem to be a problem tonight.”

Taehyung doesn’t doubt that Jeongguk knows just exactly how badly he’s down for him. It has to be written all over his face and in his every move, so he doesn’t waste a second when he pulls his phone out to order a taxi. It brings a beautiful laugh out of Jeongguk, who pulls him right back in to kiss him when he puts his phone back into his pocket.

Around them, the rain crashes, washing away the rest of the world. 

So he loses himself in Jeongguk once more, wondering if it’s meant to be this easy.