𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘀 [𝘁𝗮𝗲𝗴𝗶]

001

"c'mon, tannie! let's go for a walk, boy!"

taehyung didn't need to turn around to know the golden retriever had followed him; he was a service dog after all. the blonde male waited at the threshold of his apartment, typing away on his phone, until he could see yeontan parade over to him out of the corner of his eye.

the boy bent down to attach a black leash to the hook of the dog's diamond collar, smiling as yeontan looked up at him. the way the retriever was panting, to taehyung, it looked like he was being smiled at. when the leash was stable, the blonde ruffled yeontan's fur and gave his wet nose a kiss, "come on boy, let's go."

the golden retriever escorted taehyung out of the duplex, walking towards their usual route after the blonde locked the door behind him. taehyung had a car, but he enjoyed walking a lot more. it gave him time to clear his head and think whereas with driving, he can't multitask. and at least with walking, he could stop to marvel at the scenery.

the cherry blossoms are taehyung's favorite part of their daily walks; watching the wind steal the petals from the blossom— sometimes even taking the petals home, not realizing until he ruffled his own hair. but that didn't matter to him; it added a seasonal scent to his apartment.

where to today? taehyung thought to himself— they went to the pont des arts yesterday. he needed to choose a location, and fast. jeongguk's supposed to be meeting him in fifteen minutes, and the blonde has yet to pick a location. "what'd ya say, tannie? feeling like going to the champ de mars?"
it was a rhetorical question but taehyung still liked to talk to the retriever, even if he was just a dog.

stopping on the side of the street, taehyung pulled out his phone to text jeongguk.

mon frère

hyung, meet me at the champ de mars.
delivered 11:05am
read 11:08am

alright! i'm on my way, ma tigre.
delivered 11:08am
read 11:09am

—

taehyung rolled his eyes at the ridiculous nickname the elder refuses to drop, putting his phone in his back pocket and continuing his walk.

the blonde slouched down on the nearest bench, yeontan's head resting on his thigh. taehyung scratched behind his ear as a silent praise to the retriever. he proceeded to pet his dog while pulling out his phone. while scrolling through his twitter timeline, the device harshly vibrated.

mon frère

i'm here.
but i can't see you.
delivered 11:26am
read 11:26am

—

upon reading this, taehyung's head scanned the park grounds and spotted the brunette to his right.

mon frère

to your right
i'm waving my hand
delivered 11:29
read 11:30

—

taehyung brought his hand up and slightly waved it in the air. jeongguk's head turned and the two made direct eye contact; both of them smiling as if they hadn't seen each other in years...

they literally saw each other yesterday.

"how'd you sleep tae? or did you even sleep at all?" the brunette raised a brow before chuckling. the younger shrugged and smirked, "eh. who needs sleep anyway? besides, i was working on a new piece." now, taehyung couldn't hear— that much is true— but he was an expert at reading lips. it had become the blonde's way of clear communication.
taehyung was just glad that jeongguk is willing to learn all of this for him.

the older crouched down to yeontan's level and squished the dog's cheeks together, "i missed you so much, tannie! maybe even more than i missed taehyung!" the aforementioned knew his friend was joking but smacked his arm nonetheless. "shut up." the blonde grumbled under his breath.

jeongguk sat down next to the younger and swung his legs over the boy's thighs, "sooo," he dragged, "your first year of college is almost over, huh?" taehyung nodded and furrowed his brows. "yeah. everything's goin' by too fast. i remember us playing on the playgrounds like it was yesterday. now look at us; two university scholars with reputations. i will say.. i'm gonna miss the years of our youth."

"i know... what happens after college?" taehyung didn't answer— he'd been too busy staring at the cherry blossoms ahead of them. jeongguk shook his head, ignoring the question he asked and enjoyed the moment with his best friend.

they'd been best friends since they were kids but to them, it feels like they haven't had enough time together. it had always felt like their childhood was rushed; both boys being pushed into the music industry. taehyung and jeongguk were prodigies. they love each other more than anything else.

taehyung looked at jeongguk, eyes glossy, "y'know what i was thinking we should do, as a tribute to each other?" the older raised a brow in curiosity. the blonde continued, "i was thinking we could write a song together. i already have an idea. it's just— i wanna do something special with you."

jeongguk smiled, "how about you tell me what your idea is." the blonde reciprocated the gesture. "i was planning on writing it by myself; i was gonna call it 'my time' but then i thought of you. you're like my brother and i couldn't even imagine doing this without you. so.. i was thinking we'd call it 'our time' instead."

taehyung's smooth, deep voice resonated in the brunette's ears, causing the smile on his face to expand. "i'd love to, ma tigre." the latter scrunched his nose in distaste, "i told you to stop calling me that. it's gross!" the elder laughed. "this is exactly why i call you that. you're adorable as you are feisty." the blonde rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, "whatever."

'i still love you.' he saw it, but refused to acknowledge it. when jeongguk used sign language, it meant he wanted taehyung to clearly know what the he was saying. jeongguk didn't want taehyung to have to read his lips in order to know he was serious because the blonde could easily misinterpret his words.

the brunette waited for a response and when he didn't get one, his shoulders dropped. but his sad demeanor instantly changed when taehyung signed back. 'i love you too, frère.'