As Taehyung got older, he became more reserved. Smiles were rarely seen, laughs rarely heard, emotions hid under a thick layer of nothingness. He kept conversations short and to the point, his polite straightforwardness never going unnoticed by those who came across him. To most, he was very intimidating; people steered clear of him if they accidentally locked gazed with him.
Deep down, Taehyung was still the same little boy he had always been; he just grew up.
Relationships never worked out for Taehyung; he was either too weird or boring, too serious or playful.
Women didn't like that he wasn't one for having a bit of fun with them, nor were they excited to hear that no, Taehyung was not going to spend his fortune on them. He worked hard for his money and never wanted to see it go to waste in such a way.
Men didn't like Taehyung, either. Their reasoning was about the same as all the women Taehyung attempted to date, but the men were more concerned about sex. They didn't like what sex meant to Taehyung, why he refused to give up his virginity. They disagreed greatly with many of Taehyung's morals.
So when Taehyung announced to his small friend group that he met someone perfect for him, none of them believed him.
"Kim Taehyung found someone to settle down with? I highly doubt it," Jungkook said, shaking his head in disapproval.
"Tae, are you sure he isn't like the others you've dated?" Namjoon asked. "Those people walked all over you. They weren't good people."
Taehyung sighed, gazing down at his beer that he only had two sips of. He wasn't one for drinking, but he did order at least one beer whenever he went out drinking with his friends. "Guys, Hoseok-hyung is different. He keeps smiling at me, even though I never smile back. He talks to me, not about me or my business or anything like that. He doesn't mind that I don't talk constantly like he does -- actually, he admitted to me that he was perfectly fine with not having a conversation whenever we spend time together."
Seokjin smiled at him, totally uncaring that Jimin was drunk and cuddled up against him in public. "He sounds nice, Taehyungie. If this relationship lasts more than a month, then bring him around to meet us."
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When month two of dating Hoseok rolled around, Taehyung brought him over to Yoongi's house for dinner.
Jung Hoseok was a spritely character; he was all sunshine and smiles, no rain and frowns. He was unafraid to embarrass himself in front of anyone, made lots of odd sound effects, and had a laugh that sounded a bit like comic-book Joker's. He ate a lot and seemed to never sit still; Taehyung's friends were surprised that his longest relationship was with Hoseok.
"He's cute, Taehyung-ah," Yoongi commented as introductions were made, taking note of the way Hoseok blushed and kept the sleeve of his boyfriend's shirt pinched between his thumb and index finger. "Are you okay, Hoseok?"
Hoseok nodded, nudging himself next to his boyfriend a bit more. "I'm f-fine, Yoongi-hyung. Just a bit nervous, is all."
Despite his cheerfulness, Hoseok was incredibly shy. Whenever he met lots of people at once, he would go deaf, stare at the floor and wring his hands, or excuse himself to go calm down in a secluded area. But he was comfortable with Taehyung; as long as he kept the younger man within arms' reach, he was fine meeting everyone.
"Well, I love him already, Taehyungie," Jimin beamed from his place in the kitchen. "You guys are so adorable together."
By the end of the night, it was made crystal clear that everyone approved of Hoseok.
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Two years into their relationship, Taehyung popped the question; Hoseok said yes.
They were married soon after the engagement, then went on their month-long honeymoon in Australia.
On the first night, Hoseok went into a bit of a panic due to the fact that he thought they had to have sex now that they were married.
Taehyung knew his husband was asexual; it was brought up many times throughout their relationship. Taehyung himself wasn't, but at this point in his life, he didn't care about sex. He sat Hoseok down on the bed, then crouched on the floor between his knees.
"Baby, you know that's not what I want from you. Don't you ever think that's what I want from you." He kissed Hoseok's thigh, reaching a hand up to press against his husband's heart. "This is what I wanted from you. I wanted your gorgeous brain and full heart. You were patient with me and gave me the chance to open up to you, and in turn you did the same. What we have is a much stronger bond than the one we can make with our bodies."
Hoseok smiled down at his husband, leaning down to press a kiss to Taehyung's forehead. "You are...so amazing, Taehyung. You find new ways to captivate me every day. But...how can you say all of this so easily? What if you want sex one day? I...I can't g-give that to you." Hoseok was getting physically nauseous from even the thought of it.
"Because," Taehyung pecked his husband's lips, "I know what we have is all I need. So what if I get horny? I know where the bathroom is, and I can keep my hands to myself. Besides, if all I wanted from you was sex, I wouldn't have married you."
A minute of silence was spent searching the older man's eyes, watching him calm down a bit more. Finally, he let out a long sigh. "I know, Taehyung. We've been through this so many times. I just...all the anxiety that has been pent up inside me since I was eighteen...it just got to me. I'm sorry."
"Shh," Taehyung locked his eyes with Hoseok's, shaking his head a little. "You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for. I'm glad you actually talk to me about this stuff. We're married now; we share all of our doubts and fears with one another, you know? We have each other's backs. It's you and me against the world, hyung."
The older man tackled Taehyung to the floor, enveloping him in a tight hug. "I love you so much, Kim Taehyung. You're everything to me."
The rest of their honeymoon was spent enjoying the sunshine together.
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While they were dating, Hoseok never realized that his husband's sweet side was only shown to him. He thought Taehyung was really considerate and kind to his friends; constantly telling them he loved them, hugging them and giving them presents, complimenting them and supporting them in everything they do. That was at a time when Hoseok didn't realize the extent to which Taehyung's sweet side reached.
Taehyung loved to cook for his husband; whatever Hoseok wanted, Taehyung would find a recipe and make it for him. Whenever he had an off day, he would do all of Hoseok's laundry and clean so that Hoseok didn't have to.
When he noticed that Hoseok wanted some time to himself, Taehyung gave it to him. When he noticed Hoseok was experiencing sensory overload, Taehyung did everything in his power to help him through it. If he noticed anything off about his husband, he would talk it out with him and come to a solution.
Taehyung did many things for Hoseok just because he wanted to. Whether it be stepping into the shower with him to help him bathe, bring him flowers or little presents, or simply just telling Hoseok how much he loved and appreciated him, Taehyung did it.
Of course Hoseok did the same for him. He never felt like he owed Taehyung anything, but he did all those things for Taehyung just because he wanted to. As they constantly told one another, they had each other's backs no matter what.
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This evening, three years into their marriage, Hoseok was really craving Taehyung's touch.
Their jobs had become a bit more demanding due to the season, but it was nothing they couldn't handle. Today was the first day in a while that they had both gotten home earlier than usual, and Hoseok wanted to spend it cuddling on the couch.
When he walked into the living room, a smile crept onto his face at the sight before him. Taehyung was dressed in nothing but his boxer-shorts, same as Hoseok, while he read a book on the couch. One arm was resting across the back cussions, one foot propped up on the coffee table.
Without a warning, Hoseok plopped into his husband's lap, curling up like a baby. Taehyung chuckled and dropped his book, letting Hoseok get settled before he rested a hand on his hip. His other hand skimmed up and down his husband's back lazily.
No words needed to be said between the couple; it was clear that this was the type of intimacy they both craved.
Taehyung dropped his head to press kisses to his husband's cheek and temple, eyes falling closed as his lips lingered. The hand on the older man's hip slid to his bottom, giving him a few pats before it went back to its original place. The other hand went from scratching Hoseok's back to rubbing it; Taehyung knew this was the most effective way to get his husband to fall asleep.
As Hoseok snuggled against him, Taehyung found himself thinking about how grateful he was to have married someone like Hoseok. His past self wouldn't believe him if he went back and time and told him not to give up on love, that it would just take a long time to get there.
Moments like this reminded Taehyung how lucky he was. He would never give up his little bit of serenity.