♬ I close my eyes at night
Wondering where would I be without you in my life
Everything I did was just a bore
Everywhere I went it seems I'd been there before
But you brighten up for me all of my days ♬
- "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)," James Taylor
Taehyung made his steps as light as possible as he approached Jeongguk's room. It's just eleven in the morning when he arrived at the Jeons' mansion. The maids no longer needed to double-check his identity because he was recognized as Jeongguk's bestfriend and they would always joke around that the boy almost lived in there.
A lot has happened over the span of few months, and Taehyung had always visited Jeongguk whenever there is a free time. Although they would hang out a lot together, sometimes be touchy, nothing intimate has happened yet between them.
He wanted to surprise the younger with another visit. Jeongguk knew that Taehyung would always come around but his schedule of visiting is always unpredictable. There would be times that Jeongguk was very busy with school works, and Taehyung suddenly arrives, he just lets the younger do whatever he needs to do and just casually admiring him in one corner, and Jeongguk was like "Stop staring at me, I can't keep my focus!"
Usually, he would just wear casual clothes but today, he was dressed particularly for going out and not just for them to stay indoors. The older wanted to take Jeongguk somewhere. Where could it be?
As much as possible, he tried his best not to make the door creak. The butler saw him sneaking already but Taehyung just shushed him, signaling that he's going to startle Jeongguk. The butler also made him look his way but he was distracted in his own thoughts that's why he just let him invade the younger's room. "Jeon Jeongguk!" he shouted but then immediately turning his face in a questioning look when he faced an empty room.
He tried going out in the balcony but there was no trace of the younger. He returned to the room but almost fell when Jeongguk screamed his name loud, surprising him instead. "Haha, got 'ya this time!" The younger grinned like a devil as he saw Taehyung scratching the back of his head.
"You were expecting me, huh?" Taehyung smirked back, walking around the younger, examining him. Jeongguk chuckled a little and dismissed Taehyung's statement with his hand going downwards.
"You wish! I am reading at the balcony when I saw you parking your car. I knew you would try to surprise me again that's why I hid in that secret door to the library and waited for you to go out in the balcony," Jeongguk said with his face pretending to read the book he was holding.
"You're reading? A dictionary?" Taehyung asked, astounded. When he said Jeongguk was a total bookworm, he didn't expect him to be reading a book of terms instead. He thought he just read fiction books.
"Well, I need to! People sometimes find books that are rich in vocabularies to be interesting. I wanted to write something that would entertain people but also for them to learn something," Jeongguk replied, his eyes focused on the words he was reading. The younger stopped midway when he noticed something unusual.
"Are you going out? Why are you dressed like that?"
"I-um, actually, I was planning to... invite you?" Taehyung tilted his head, his eyes cannot look at Jeongguk. He was unable to form words. "... To go out... on a date with me?" His words sounded more like a question because he wasn't sure if Jeongguk could make a free time for him.
Jeongguk was speechless with Taehyung's invitation. He was so overwhelmed. Taehyung's offer was so unexpected. The older really stupefied him. "Go out on a d-date?" he also stuttered. Taehyung nodded his head a little and hid his flustered face. "What do you mean?"
"I mean... I would like to hang out with you now that we share 'something,'" Taehyung said, emphasizing the word and imitating the quotes with his hands. "I know you know exactly what I mean, right?" Taehyung inquired.
Jeongguk can't help not to contemplate about this. Yes, he was expecting Taehyung to say that but he just realized they've been going out on a date for months already. This is the first time the older labeled it this way. Well, technically, he wanted to ask me for a date because something unusual has happened already between us. Something that couples do, so why do I think about it too much now? Jeongguk thought to himself.
"Don't ask more questions just go and get changed! I will wait for you," Taehyung said like he heard what was on Jeongguk's head, grabbing the dictionary and pushing him towards the bathroom. Jeongguk insisted but he let the older take him away anyways.
"Do not worry! I'll pick your outfit for you!" Taehyung shouted to the direction of the bathroom as he scanned what was inside Jeongguk's wardrobe. He heard the younger saying something but it was muffled because he's in an enclosed area with the noise of the water from the shower dripping on the wet floor.
Taehyung snickered as he saw an outfit, that he thinks was funny if Jeongguk happens to wear it, and took it out of the closet. He took the proper clothes after and placed them altogether in the bed. He also chose the shoes that he wanted for the younger to wear. Jeongguk came out ot the shower a few minutes later. He was topless and the towel was wrapped around his waist. He was holding another white towel that he uses to dry his hair.
"You picked a proper one for me, right?" Jeongguk asked. Taehyung was speechless as he saw Jeongguk's toned abs. He didn't even know he has them. He saw Jeongguk naked before but it was too quick to see. "Hey, are you alright?" Jeongguk asked him. He came back to his senses.
"I am! Anyways, I-uh chose this outfit for you to wear," Taehyung tried to brush away the distraction and picked up the outfit. It was some sort of a thick leather polo or something that probably existed before them. The color was brown and it smelled like it has been in the cabinet for so long.
"There's no way I'm wearing that! It looked ancient! Where did you find it anyways? I thought the maid threw it away already!" Jeongguk whined as he faced the amused older. He took the outfit and hung it back to the wardrobe with the hanger.
"It's in your cabinet. I thought it's your type," Taehyung said, stifling the smile on his face. "Where did you get it anyways?"
"My godfather gave it to me as some sort of fake present as a joke on my 7th birthday. I never tried it on," Jeongguk explained. Taehyung felt so intrigued at the same time, curious how it would look like if Jeongguk really wore that. "Why are you staring at me like that?" Jeongguk grimaced as he read Taehyung's expression.
"Just try it once! Wait a second. I have something in my bag," Taehyung said and took something from his bag. He held the lace first, finally revealing the thing infront of Jeongguk. "I'll take a picture! Come on! Don't spoil the moment, darling," Taehyung convinced and Jeongguk started frowning. He pushed the younger again infront Jeongguk's vanity table where there is a mirror.
"I will smell like it, Tae!" Jeongguk insisted on not wearing the leather outfit but Taehyung was very persistent. In the end, Jeongguk gave in and the older cannot help not to laugh at him. Jeongguk made a face as Taehyung giggled infront of him and took some pictures. When he went near him and faced the camera on the both of them, Jeongguk just pouted.
"Now, now, take a bath again if you don't like how you smell. I can wait!" Taehyung showed his rectangular smile at him as Jeongguk jokingly glared at him. The younger made his way to the bathroom after that.
After wearing the proper outfits and fixing themselves, Jeongguk and Taehyung proceeded to go outside and ride the car. The older is once again driving and so Jeongguk took the passenger seat. Taehyung went inside the car and they journeyed until they reached their destination.
"Do not remove them, Jeon Jeongguk," Taehyung said when Jeongguk held the camera and looked at the pictures. He frowned at his own pictures but he found himself melting as he saw the pictures of him with Taehyung. They were both adorable. Taehyung was so handsome with his hair raised.
Jeongguk raised the camera infront of Taehyung and started filming. "This is Kim Taehyung. The most handsome man alive," Jeongguk narrated as he watched Taehyung drive. As soon as they entered a tunnel, Taehyung covered the camera, stopping Jeongguk from what he was doing.
"Stop! I'm embarassed!" Taehyung said as he tried to stifle a smile over Jeongguk's compliment. When he returned back from driving as they escaped the dark tunnel, Jeongguk continued taking Taehyung's video. Taehyung played along and pretended he was filming a music video or something. When Jeongguk frowned at him and stopped filming, Taehyung just laughed him off.
"You're so full of yourself, you know? Embarassed, you said? What a butt of a joke," Jeongguk said but the older just raised his chest high even more. After that, they stopped talking for a while. Jeongguk felt he was sitting in the clouds and his eyes were dreamy. Taehyung looked his way when he saw him yawn.
The younger found himself still inside the car as the older drove. He didn't realize he fell asleep as he thought of their pictures together. He looked outside and saw fields and mountains and trees. There were no buildings in sight and Jeongguk assumed they were going on the country side.
"We're almost there," Taehyung said and then drove a little more until they finally arrived in a park. A signage that says "Vanoise national park, Rhône-Alpes" was at sight. Taehyung smiled as he took a glance of Jeongguk.
"Did you have a nice nap?" he asked him. Jeongguk nodded his head a little. Taehyung slowly parked his car in a place with a signage 'Park your vehicles in this area.' He went outside the car and Jeongguk followed. He went to look for a medium-sized rock that would block the tires of his car from rolling. After that, he returned to Jeongguk.
"What are we doing here?" Jeongguk asked.
"We're here for a date," Taehyung started. "A picnic date," he continued. Jeongguk watched as Taehyung took something from the trunk. It was a basket with a picnic mat placed atop of it.
"Would you want me to carry that?" Jeongguk asked.
"No need, darling. I got it covered for you," Taehyung said and close the car's trunk door. They walked together to a flat place near the mountains. Jeongguk helped Taehyung place the mat on the grass. Taehyung let the basket sit in the corner of the mat. He sat next to Jeongguk and put out everything.
"I know you're hungry already," Taehyung put out the lunch boxes and stuff. "You're lucky you'll get to taste mother's cooking," he added. Jeongguk smiled at that.
"Your mother cooked it?" Jeongguk asked. Taehyung nodded to confirm it once again. They both stared at the food. It looked tasty.
"Go ahead and taste," Taehyung commanded and Jeongguk hesitantly took the spoon first. "Come on. Don't be shy," he convinced and he also took his spoon and ate the rice. "Hm, although it's cold, it just taste fine."
"Your mother's a great cook," Jeongguk complimented and smiled at Taehyung as he chewed the food.
"Now, now, give me the payment," Taehyung said. Jeongguk was surprised how that sentence came out of the older's mouth. He sounded so serious about it. "I want your yes when I ask you this question," Taehyung added.
"Kim Taehyung, what are you up to. Don't tell me you wanted me to say yes to you asking, 'Will you give me your bank account?'" Jeongguk put down his spoon as he spoke.
"No, that's not it," Taehyung replied. "The question is, 'Will you be the end of my invisible string?'"
Jeongguk tilted his head as he stared at Taehyung with so much confusion. The words started sinking in as they hit his head. There's no way he wouldn't understand that because he learned the figures of speech. "I will never not say yes," the younger replied shortly, small cristal-like tears forming in the corners of his eyes.