evocation | ✓

10+

         when taehyung got to the party, he was greeted with a burst of color. reds, blues, and greens decorated the house in forms of balloons, presents and plates. music echoed through the house as well, a kids bop playlist that was some selena gomez song.

"where's junghan?" taehyung asks, looking around the sea of kids. there were a lot of them, clinging to parents or drinking juice out of a box, and he still couldn't locate the younger jeon.

"he's probably outside. follow me." jeongguk says, grabbing taehyungs hand and leading him towards the back door. taehyung probably knocked a few kids to the side with his thighs, which he apologized for but he really couldn't help it.

the outside was just as extravagant as the inside. the oak wood pillars are wrapped in blue and red streamers, and a table is covered in green table cloth. in the middle of the large yard is an equally as large bouncy house, unsurprisingly blue, green and red.

in the middle of the yard beside his mother was junghan, finishing off a rice crispy treat mixed with m&ms. taehyung smiles and calls his name, catching junghan and sora's attention.

"taehyung!" junghan yells, running to the male. taehyung catches him when he jumps, placing him on his hip and kisses his puffy cheek.

"happy birthday, buddy." taehyung smiles, laughing when junghan throws his arms around taehyungs neck and plants a fat, wet kiss on his cheek.

"thanks for coming!" junghan says, and taehyung inwardly awes. this boy really does have his whole heart. "me and gukkie really wanted you to come." junghan adds, and taehyung raises a brow at a flushed jeongguk.

"gukkie wanted me to?" taehyung asks, more to tease jeongguk than anything else.

"of course i did," jeongguk says, placing a hand on taehyungs shoulder. "you're my friend."

taehyung smiles at him, nice and soft. he probably doesn't even realize how soft it is, but jeongguk is smiling back at him with a similar expression.

"go play now," taehyung tells junghan, sitting him on the grass. he runs towards the bouncy house, diving in in a funny way. he looked like a fish, almost.

"i'll go speak to your mom, okay?" taehyung tell jeongguk, who nods.

while jeongguk walks in the direction of the food table, taehyung walks towards his mom; sora. thankfully she's not talking to anyone, just watching the youngest jeon with a small smile on her face.

"the party looks great," taehyung states, startling her a bit. she looks over and smiles at him as a greeting, nodding slowly.

"yeah it does. i hope it's everything he wanted," she says, and taehyung nods.

"i'm sure it is." taehyung tells her, and she wraps an arm around his shoulders.

taehyung likes jeongguks mom a lot. she's very sweet, and has always been so nice to him. he feels as if he's known her for a long time. that's how comfortable he is with her.

"taehyungie," jeongguk calls, coming up on his side that wasn't taken by sora. he thrusts a drink towards him, and taehyung takes it with a smile.

"thanks gukkie," taehyung thanks, taking a sip of the drink. it tastes like watermelon, and he instantly knows what drink it is. it's a minute maid juice, one of his favorites to this day.

"no problem," jeongguk shakes his head. he then points his head to the side, gesturing to a series of picnic tables while asking, "wanna sit?"

"sure."

they walk towards the tables, not really saying anything. taehyung has grown quite fond of jeongguk, and he really trusts him. he trusts him as much as he trusts jimin, and that's the strange part. it took him a year to get on this level of trust with jimin, but jeongguks up there in just a month?

part of taehyung is worried about this. worried about how bad it'll hurt when jeongguk decides to leave him. they all leave him in the end. taehyung couldn't go through that again.

"hey, are you alright?" jeongguk asks, pulling taehyung from drowning in his own thoughts. taehyung nods with a smile, but even he can feel it's not convincing.

"do you want to talk about it?" jeongguk asks, placing a hand on top of taehyungs. it's a comforting feeling that spreads through he chest, like he can tell him and it'll be alright. trust.

"i'll tell you later, okay?" taehyung promises, and jeongguk nods. he doesn't remove his hand from taehyungs, and he's not complaining.

if jimin could see him now, he'd never hear the end of it. jimins convinced that taehyung is interested in jeongguk, and he doesn't want him to be right. it's easier to not date at all, and that's been his plan. he hasn't been attracted to anyone either, so it wasn't that hard to avoid.

but jeongguk? he's gotten under taehyungs skin quickly, and it scares him.

he really doesn't want jimin to be right.

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hey. did you miss me? i hope so. taking a break is so good for my anxiety, and i've been feeling great. i hope you enjoy this chapter. (no, i'm not completely off break.)