Christmas Love || Taejin

Chapter 4

Taehyung groaned and massaged the bridge of his nose as he plopped down on the seat and rested his head against the window of the bus. He wasn't a fan of public transport, especially buses because of the proximity he had to be with strangers, but he had no other option that day because his mom had taken his car. Work was particularly exhausting and on top of that he had to ride this weirdly lemon scented, insufficiently air conditioned vehicle that would make him lurch forward every three minutes.

Taehyung decided to pretend to be asleep as he sensed someone take the seat next to his.

"Taehyung?"

Astonished by the oh-so familiar honey voice, Taehyung's eyes flew open and to his absolute delight, it was Seokjin, with ruffled hair, droopy eyelids and curious eyes. Instinctively, Taehyung pinched his arm discreetly and smiled like an utter fool when it hurt.

"Hey," the word rolled off his tongue naturally.

"I didn't know you took this bus," Taehyung continued, still leaning against the window.

"I go by this bus daily."

And that, ladies and gentlemen, was a white lie.

In truth, Seokjin was being driven around by the person on the other end of his red string, aka Min Yoongi, on his bike when the older spotted Taehyung at the bus stand, about to board the bus, and Seokjin frantically asked Yoongi to drop him off.

"Hyung, even now?" Was Yoongi's unanswered question as Seokjin dashed towards the bus and practically leaped inside so that he could occupy a certain seat before anyone else.

"Oh, you're returning from work?" Taehyung asked.

"Mhmm..."

"Ah..." Taehyung trailer off and averted his eyes to his lap momentarily which gave Seokjin enough time to admire his lashes that had just become daintier than before.

"I'm returning from work too. Usually I just take my car but my mom borrowed it today so..."

"Ah, yes, my boss," Seokjin chuckled behind his hand.

Taehyung hummed and looked away again; Seokjin still found that habit endearing. Seokjin had to admit that Taehyung had fully grown into his features with his intense wolf-like eyes and sharp jawline, and his dark hair that now rested over his eyes in its natural wavy mess. Seokjin had to admit had his heart was beating faster. He felt like a teenager. There was something so cosmic about meeting his life's biggest "what if" after years as if...

Seokjin began to yawn and covered his mouth.

"Busy day?" God, his tired voice made Seokjin squirm.

"We were short staffed today, so it was a mess," Seokjin complained lightly.

Taehyung nodded in empathy and asked, "So why did you return?"

"Oh um..." Seokjin bit on his lip and avoided Taehyung's gaze.

"Just some...family matters I have to take care of," Seokjin answered with a wary smile

Taehyung shifted in his seat so his head was resting against the backrest and he exhaled heavily, some of his worry lines appearing for a few seconds before disappearing into a lazy smile that was casted towards Seokjin whose heart did not know how to take it so his ears began to warm up.

"Family..." Taehyung murmured. "You can't really escape them."

"I mean, I love my family, but it gets so... challenging sometimes," Taehyung voiced out in a bittersweet manner.

Seokjin nodded and said, "I suppose we just have to speak the truth to our family sometimes..."

As if speaking the truth had helped his sister. His parents still didn't know that he was back to the country; only Hyejin knew...

"And face the consequences," Taehyung finished the sentence. "Yeah, no good in hiding."

They fell into a queer sort of silence- a mixture of both awkwardness because they ended on a very vague yet personal topic and nostalgia because they weren't complete strangers to one another- in fact, there were quite some instances in the past were they had travelled like this by the bus, squeezed next to each other and trying to stay still in order to avoid the redness from blooming on their cheeks.

Seokjin contemplated if he should ask Taehyung for his number or his social media handle. He really wanted to stay in contact with Taehyung after he left the country again and who knew when he'd encounter Taehyung again amidst both of their schedules...

No, he didn't have the guts to do it right then. They would meet again, right? He literally worked at his mother's cafe so it wouldn't be impossible for them to bump into each other again. 

Another yawn was on its way so Seokjin covered his mouth again and closed his eyes slowly, trying to relax into the stiff seat. Something popped up in his mind and he began to even his breathing. He waited for the perfect timing and...

The bus went over a speedbreaker and Seokjin lolled his head on Taehyung's shoulder. It took all of Seokjin's willpower to prevent himself from breaking into a slush smile and revealing his little game of pretend when he felt Taehyung shift a little and use his gentle hands to adjust Seokjin's body to a more comfortable position. Seokjin felt like his heart would combust inside his chest when Taehyung rested his head on top of Seokjin's, enclosing Seokjin with his musky petrichor and warmth.

Maybe Seokjin was too good of an actor because he actually ended up drifting to sleep on Taehyung's shoulder.

Seokjin woke up to the sound of something tapping on the window next to Taehyung. He made a slight whining sound and tried to snuggle closer to Taehyung, only to be gutted by the armrest. With a low groan, he opened his eyes and almost experienced a heart attack, shrieking and jolting back, when he found Min Yoongi glaring at him from outside the window. 

Taehyung woke up with a start and bumped his head on the glass.

"Are you okay?!" 

"Huh? Uh- um, uh? Oh, oh yeah. I'm good," Taehyung let out a series of confused noises before completely seeping back to reality.

Yoongi was already gone.

"Did you-" Taehyung paused to yawn. "Did you have a nightmare, hyung?" 

Seokjin chuckled nervously, "Yeah, you can say that."

They stood up from their seats and stretched  on their way out. When they got out of the bus, they stood by the road for a few silent minutes, neither one wanting to say goodbye yet. 

"So, um, hyung," Taehyung began, scratching his nape.

"Hmm?" Seokjin turned to face him, a little speck of hope playing in his chest.

"My home is like five minutes from here. And- uh- I think Eommoni is back home already so I can just give you a ride-"

"He doesn't need it."

Enter Min Yoongi in a tight leather jacket and even tighter pants, several piercings dotting his ears and several rings embracing his slender fingers, and a pair of yellow tinted sunglasses, striding towards them with an aura that made up for his small frame.

Seokjin threw warning daggers at Yoongi while Taehyung squeaked out an awkward, "Hi."

"He doesn't need a ride," Yoongi concluded again as he stood next to Seokjin and scrutinized Taehyung with his feline eyes.

Taehyung began to stumble over his words, "Oh- uh, yeah, of course- I mean..."

"But he really needs your number though."

__________

We all need a Min Yoongi in our lives.

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Saranghae❤️