Read table of contents (chapter 1) for description
the_sanctuaryX that's my twt where I sometimes exchange the Logolepsy and write baseless drabbles of taekook
Recommended song- Dress- Taylor Swift (loml)
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He is privileged, Taehyung knows as much. Whenever there's a mention of someone privileged it is directly associated with bratty or snobbish or thankless.
And every living moment he tries to overcome those norms; to indulge into the bustle that his family compels into, to take the Kim name forward, to be everything.
You know how they say, 'you mostly fail to see you're in a problem unless you see someone without it'.
Cue Jeon Jungkook.
The guy he happened to collide (his world) with during a hasty visit to the library.
Taehyung vividly remembers how bad his ass had hurt for days by the impact of his fall, mostly because the boy who had tripped on him was.. to put it decently... not light at all.
In an urgency to leave the campus for the meeting he had scheduled as his father's subordinate, he prefered to turn deaf to the "hey you!" that was yelled behind his back and had bolted out of the hall.
Two days later the same 'hey you!' was outside of his class demanding to see the Hot Jerk™, and...boy oh boy was Mr. Hey-You prettier than autumn-blooming roses.
Big glittery eyes narrow adorably while curling a finger to call him outside; knowing so little that Taehyung was immediately enarmed enough to follow him to his personal inferno.
Before he even reaches outside, the boy was already yelling at him about how insensitive it is of him to not apologise for the crack on his phone screen from the collision that he caused.
Taehyung on the other hand had baseball butterflies hitting home-runs in his tummy at every reprimand.
Somewhere down the rebuke the pretty rose starts walking, ranting how unfair it is how they don't replace the iPhone-4 spare parts anymore while Taehyung silently follows with an endeared smile.
Taehyung had offered to buy a new phone for him as an apology and laughed for a good minute when the other had stared at him, bug eyed and gape mouthed, almost on the verge of passing out. Jungkook then claims how he'd rather prefer to settle for a pastrami sandwich.
Taehyung just...fell. Fell hard.
From then on, there was no going back. Despite the Y-divergence of their life roads, Taehyung found their tuning surprisingly synced.
They meet at little library study sessions despite their pole-apart majors and the fact that Taehyung is a senior and Jungkook a freshman.
They start slow walks towards the class each morning to drop each other off and then stand at the doorway with shy smiles till the professor arrives.
His personal favorite however is the full blown sprint they race out of the campus where Taehyung then climbs into the car that arrives for him, waving a long goodbye hanging half out of the window as far as his vision permits.
When you know, you know.
It's obvious in their palpable silences, in the bashful brushing of pinkies during walks, in the pliable late night phone calls, in the doting morning texts.. .The list is too long for the small paper heart that Taehyung harbours.
So he decides to go for it. His first date in years and he wants to go all out.
The horses in his brain are racing for life-- pinterest exhausted for its offerings on date ideas, each sorted into tabular segregation with individual spreadsheets on the tourist reviews and weather predictions of the venues; and an appointment with Anna Sui's designers already fixed.
In all the fret about 'how' the date should be, he may have overlooked the possibility of 'if' the date would even happen.
Needless to say it's a teenzy bit, only tiny, barely visible, microscopic setback for him when he shyly asks the boy to let him take him out on a date and the answer is a blatant no.
"Look at you! You probably have your drinking water imported from Iceland!" Jungkook had exclaimed with his usual Bambi eyes blown full into two gibbous moons and hands flying stray dramatically. "No way am I letting you take me out on a date."
Ouch.
Jungkook never did beat around the bush, but a little cushion to the blow would've been nice.
Taehyung feels a lump settle in his voice box that he, by now, is savvy at swallowing.
He nods with a ducked head, ready to climb into the car to bawl his eyes till he reaches the office building.
Perhaps it was just him looking too much into their interactions, only him brainstorming the efforts he is ready to make, to equalise the differences in their worlds.
Perhaps Taehyung's life is too hectic for Jungkook to be part of, because honestly, they do get water imported from Denmark.
It takes him less than 3 seconds to demean his existence and and even lesser to lose all hope when Jungkook snaps his fingers in front of his languid eyes.
"You know what you should do instead?" he passes the balmy smile of his and slowly interlocks their skimming pinky fingers. "You should let me take you on a date."
Taehyung isn't stubborn, pfft. Not in the slightest. But he is nonetheless strong-willed.
Honestly, he gets it. Jungkook being skeptic of his date ideas.
When all he presents himself as is that weirdo senior who is always dressed to the nines, often found bombasting at his primeval assignments when his fellows are lugging like zombies after nights of parties.
Jungkook's casual inquisitions had abruptly turned into concern when Taehyung had practically buffered at a simplest question like "So, what do you do for fun?".
The older had sulked all day and half the night at this, whimmed in epiphany that.. Seriously, what does he do for fun?"
Answer- he takes one (1) wonderful starry-eyed, pretty-moled, snub-nosed, toothy-smiled boy on equally wonderful dates like he deserves.
Yes, that's what he does.
Jungkook must think Taehyung is one of those innately wealthy grandpas trapped in a young body; but he will do whatever he can to prove that he is a fun innately wealthy grandpa trapped in a young body.
So he sticks his ground. No, Jungkook will not snatch away this opportunity. Because he knows there will be many many more to come with this one first date has to be special and he is fairly capable of making it one.
To his un-surprise Jungkook is equally relentless. Actually, much more.
While Taehyung will come up with logical reasoning and documented Zoho sheets on pros and cons of his argument, Jungkook simply ends it by stuffing fingers into his ears and yelling the Batman theme song on top of his lungs.
The good ol' classic debatery.
His original idea of a first date was the Manta Point in Indonesia appropriate given the weather and tourism, yet his panic instinct wasn't too bad either.
But then.. Thrift shop? Of course, sure, obviously, he knows what that is. And it sounds pretty cool too of course to someone who has always had his clothes picked out by a stylist.
But how on earth does Jungkook suppose this would be a good venue for a date? Or is he himself too arrested out of the latest advancements of dating-world?
As much as his premeditated ego hurt at the succumb to this, he was— yes in star quotes—
✨ curious ✨.
"Are you leaving for a sleepover, young master?" the butler Mr. Song combs Taehyung from top to bottom as if there's seems to be a mistake in the attire.
Well, there is.
"Yeah you can say that." he mumbles slinging his cross-body bag across the chest.
He jogs to the gate of his (not-so) humble abode, smiling uncontrollably once the site of a grinning Jungkook bedazzles his sight.
There he sits on his bicycle, one foot on the ground and one thumping on the peddle while waving his hand like some three year old who just saw Santa.
His little beanie ends right above the eyes that hold literal sky lanterns ready to launch into the outer world; scintillating the sky unmatched.
When they're face to face, it's like the hour-glass halts its sand from descending. All those maudlin romanticised books that Jungkook would swoon over in the quiet of the library, suddenly make sense.
"I'm a little nervous." Taehyung finds himself whispering, as though somehow holding the amorous moment in the warmth of his palms, careful never to disrupt it's fragility.
"You know what did John Steinback say?" Jungkook confides his words under the softness of his euphonious voice as ever.
Even though there's a smile pinching the corners of Taehyung's lips, he rolls his eyes, beginning to climb on the back- carrier of his cycle.
Jungkook never did miss a chance to boast his literary credibility, confident and indulgent in his major.
Taehyung holds him from behind, bringing to braid his arms around the other's torso like a züpfe bread, whilst a content sigh respires out of him when he rests his head on the back.
"What did John Steinback say, Kook?"
Jungkook, forever fond, smiles turning his head to the older; readies to peddle away.
"Now that you don't have to be perfect, you can be good."
Taehyung's butt muscles are sore by the time they reach the shop. Maybe a cycle-seat cushion would be a good first gift to give.
"The salvation army?" Taehyung smiles impishly
"Is it just me or does it really sound a little raunchy." At the roll of Jungkook's eyes, he proceeds to wiggle his brows.
"You really just had to ask y'know."
The younger nips the little smile that presses his lips, gently pushing Taehyung away. "It's definitely just you, pervert." Contrasting his dismissal, he proceeds to lock their hands and pull the other jogging out of the bike stand.
"Okay so here's the deal." He turns to the older right outside the gate, fishing his wallet out. "Choose a number between 1 and 10."
"Uh.. what?" he tilts his head at the odd question, but then again, shrugs because Jungkook is odd everyday. "7? I think."
"Alright! Now choose one between 10 and 100."
"50?"
Jungkook smiles wide. "Pfft! You're so cheap." he jeers with a giggle out of nowhere, then proceeds to rummage through the battered brown wallet of his. "Here."
Extending his palm, Taehyung curls up a befuddled brow. "Jungkook." muddled, he looks at the dollar bills and coins in his hand, "Why are you giving me money?"
"7 dollars and 50 cents exactly. The number you chose." He ruffles Taehyung's hair, endearingly having to elevate on his tippy-toes and smile.
"Here's the deal. We will buy each other an outfit and no matter how we like it, we will wear that to our date venue which is, duh, McDonald's."
"This is your budget for the thrifting today. And once an outfit is chosen, you can't change it."
"Outfit for $7?" Taehyung looks like the entire base-ground of his living concepts were quacking. It was peak amusement for Jungkook. "Is.. is that even possible?"
"You wouldn't imagine what all is possible."
"What's your budget?" stuffing the money into his chest-pocket, he pats it like its the dearest opulence.
"$11." He chortels at the offended gape Taehyung shows him. "What? I chose 10 and 100." He shrugs and walks through the door leaving the other with lacerations of betrayal on his face.
"Oh and, you only have 20 minutes."
*****
Jungkook can't help but take little peaks at Taehyung. His face irradiated like halogen lights wandering between isles, as if he single-handedly could illuminate the entire store with that smile.
They were on opposite ends of the hall, but at every stolen glance Jungkook saw a new shade of wonderment in Taehyung's eyes.
Who would've guessed the incognito diamond-spooned scion of a multi-million worth empire, would stand here looking stargaze bewitched by a dilapidated pair of swimming goggles; would brush his fingers gently over a hand-me-over threadbare-scarf like it was authentic handcrafted ball gown by the Emanuels.
Twenty minutes fly like dust in air. Jungkook, having chosen his 'Haute couture' within the first few minutes, finds the time insufficient to imbibe and amuse over Taehyung's awed state. It's just a thrift shop for crying out loud!
"Ding! Ding! Ding! Time's up, Mr. Kim." he sways down to where Taehyung stands with piles and piles on clothes and accessories on every part of his body that could serve as a hanger or a shelf.
"So soon?" Incredulously, he gapes. "But I'm yet to shortlist."
"Fine." A knock-off for a huffy-frown later, Jungkook sighs. "I'll give you the benefit of handsome. You can take short-listing bonus time. But quick, my tummy's starting to growl."
The joy on Taehyung's face simulates ginger-bread, soft and merry. Or maybe he really was hungry.
It's when he is in the trial room and unfolds the outfit, that he rushes for his phone.
"Whoa.." Taehyung yet again, magnificently mesmerised by Jungkook, falls short of words when the other walks out of the changing room.
"I can't believe I did this to you." Jungkook whispers the first thing, eyes raking head-to-toe, evident downturn of lips and twitching in cringe.
"What do you mean? I look rousing." He takes a twirl into the mirror and then presents himself, all jazz-handed and square-grinned.
It has Jungkook elated above floor, tummy tingling in swoons of the man who would present himself as a concealed pack of un achievable yet patently unwraps himself and his boundaries just to accommodate Jungkook's precipitous personality into them.
The hands are locked like the stout rope that never frays, all too cutesy for two boys who can't be bothered with how odd they appear to the world.
And that is a first for Taehyung.
Sure, the clownery and their farcical attire had a role to play why they can't stop snickering-- mouths stuffed with greasy cheap McDonald's hamburgers that Jungkook insisted on paying for because quote 'he looked like a CEO on a date with an overgrown Monkey D. Luffy animate.
But where he'd always taught himself to circumspect his actions and mannerisms, to stay in his strictly prude assortments; Jungkook's childish glee made him go green-eyed for it.
He found himself wanting that.
With Jungkook, even with crowds side-eyeing them like they're a pair of wacko crackpots; every conversation tasted like his favorite kombucha, always with the extra lemon zest that kept him on his toes.
Jungkook was a free bird who flew way above the aphorisms of class and money; snuck like dim alleyways amongst the billboarded streets of frugal potboilers.
He was a breath of fresh air who managed to take his breath away.
From the first aching ass because of the hasty collision to the present aching ass because of the tattered bike seat, Taehyung did not dislike a single shade of the rainbow that Jungkook formed at the end of his grey clouds.
So when they stood outside his mansion with a suited Jungkook off on a cocky monologue on what a revolutionary romantic he is worthy of going down in history books and some frippery about his striking looks, it was instinctual for Taehyung to lean in.
To place his lips on the other's as featherly as freshly sheared wool. To giggle into the mouth at the yelp that Jungkook lets out. To cherish the roseate cheeks of Jungkook griping at him pulling away.
After the shy goodbye, Taehyung stands by the gate and watches Jungkook pedal away with a pat smile.
And maybe.. Maybe. He could still rise, touch the sky and lay on the clouds like he's always aspired; but maybe with Jungkook he can learn to come back down.
Jungkook can always have him grounded.
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Re-post of my twitter au for those who don't use that app 🥰 (and because I didn't even re-read you also get all the typos yay! 🎉)
Thank you for sparing your time.