BELONGS TO @strangedesires ON AO3
DOM- TAEHYUNG
He's five and Taehyung's seven, and Taehyung's being as bratty as ever when he knocks down the castle that Jeongguk built out of toy blocks.
Tears threaten to fall from his eyes, but Jeongguk's been told that boys don't cry, so he forces his emotions down and scowls at Taehyung. "That's not nice, Tae," he pouts, and Taehyung laughs as he goes to pick up the blocks. He starts re-making Jeongguk's fallen castle, because he can tell that Jeongguk is on the verge of an emotional tantrum, and he sighs as he apologizes and ruffles Jeongguk's hair.
When Jeongguk's eight and is struggling with bullies in school, it's Taehyung who comes to his rescue.
One day after school, ten-year old Taehyung shoves the bullies' leader, and he ends up falling in a muddy puddle. Jeongguk's scared, and shouts at Taehyung, "Run, Tae!" when he sees the anger on the bullies' faces.
But Taehyung, being the heroic idiot he is, stands tall and pushes his chest out. His attempt to look threatening sort of works, because one of the four bullies is tugging on the sleeves of the leader and telling him that Taehyung isn't worth his time. The impact of the leader's fist on Taehyung's face is unlike any other pain Taehyung has ever experienced in his life, and he can feel his brain shake when an undercut to the jaw knocks him to ground.
Jeongguk is by his side immediately, with wild, scared eyes as he stares at the bullies.
When one of them goes to land a kick on Taehyung's side, Jeongguk shouts, "Leave him alone!"
They're too late in their arrival, but Jeongguk's teacher scoops Taehyung up off of the ground and tuts at the bullies who have scattered.
The nurse tends to Taehyung's wounds, and is in disbelief over how badly they messed up his face. "They're just cowards," she says, and Jeongguk disagrees, because if anyone's a coward, it's him for not fighting back. The next day, Taehyung's face is black and blue, and he winces in pain when Jeongguk makes him laugh, "I can't laugh, it hurts my ribs too much," he says to Jeongguk, and Jeongguk feels guilt wash over him.
"It's my fault. I'm sorry for getting you in a fight," he says, with his gaze fixed on the ground.
But Taehyung's quick to dismiss him, "Shut up, Jeongguk, it's not your fault." He could've consoled Jeongguk a bit more affectionately, but Jeongguk's smiling nevertheless and when Taehyung insists that he won the fight, Jeongguk has to lie and agree with him, when in reality, none of the four bullies had left with a single scrape.
Taehyung's fourteen when he gets a Valentine's Day card from a secret crush, and Jeongguk is twelve and green with jealousy.
"Who do you think sent it?" he's giddy, and Jeongguk's face is deadpan as he sits on Taehyung's bed and feigns interest in the identity of Taehyung's Valentine. He shrugs, and says dryly, "I don't know, Tae, It's difficult to know when you have so many girls running after you."
Taehyung senses his sarcasm, and glowers at him before he turns his attention back to the card that's written in pretty pink, cursive handwriting. Someone comes to Taehyung's mind, and Jeongguk watches as his eyes sparkle with hope, "Do you think it was Soojin?" he asks, and Jeongguk rolls his eyes, because he doesn't care about Valentine's Day and he doesn't care about Soojin.
When Jeongguk is fourteen, he sends Taehyung a Valentine's Day card. And as it turns out, he's not Taehyung's only secret Valentine.
Staring at the cards in Taehyung's hand, Jeongguk can't help but feel insignificant as Taehyung opens them one by one and sets them up nicely along his windowsill.
Taehyung is sixteen and his popularity continues to soar.
As he opens the card that has a baby blue envelope, Jeongguk's stomach flips and his palms become sweaty.
Taehyung reads the card that has a pastel pink heart on the front, and the small smile playing on his lips makes Jeongguk's heart flutter. Taehyung sighs dreamily, "This one is really cute," he says, and Jeongguk is scared that he might actually have a heart attack when Taehyung hands it to him to read. "Isn't it really cute?" Taehyung asks, and Jeongguk forces himself to nod slowly as he pretends to read his own handwriting.
When Jeongguk is sixteen, he's on the verge of tears when Taehyung sits him down and breaks the news.
"Kookie," he starts, and Jeongguk's stomach is in knots because Taehyung looks broken, "I need to tell you something."
Taehyung is eighteen when he says goodbye to his best friend.
"You're moving?" Jeongguk refuses to believe him, and Taehyung's finding it difficult to look him in the eye as he nods. "Why? Where?"
Taehyung clears his throat, "It doesn't matter where. Dad got a new job offer."
No matter how hard Taehyung tries to insist that everything is going to be alright, because they can keep in contact through texts and phone-calls, Jeongguk knows that after a while, talking through a phone will get boring, monotonous, and texts asking how each other's life is going will start to dwindle over time.
Right then and there, Jeongguk knew that him and Taehyung's friendship wasn't meant to last.
He cries when he says goodbye, with sobs wracking his body and snot pouring from his nose. Taehyung's face is hidden in the crook of his neck, and he's holding Jeongguk against him with such strength that Jeongguk's breathing feels restricted. When Taehyung pulls away, with red-rimmed eyes and damp cheeks, Jeongguk's bottom lip quivers.
His mother's hand comes to rest on his shoulders, but Jeongguk doesn't want anyone but Taehyung touching him, so he squirms out of her touch and seeks solace in Taehyung's arms once again.
Only last week they were talking about their plans for the future. "I want to be an entertainer," Jeongguk had said to Taehyung with an ambitious glint to his eye, and Taehyung had smiled as they gazed up at the night sky that was peppered with stars. Jeongguk pointed at the star that was shining the brightest, "I want to be like a star. A bright, shining star."
Taehyung doesn't doubt that Jeongguk is capable of shining brighter than all the stars put together.
"I want to make people happy," Taehyung said, and Jeongguk turned on his side to gaze at Taehyung.
"You make me happy, Tae."
When Taehyung waves goodbye from the car window, Jeongguk watches as a part of him disappears in the distance.
Jeongguk is sixteen when he loses the only person that matters to him in the world.
He's made friends in college, and they're not assholes like the majority of people were in his hometown.
When he was sitting alone in the canteen during an hour break between lectures, they had all slinked into the empty seats around him. He was mid-bite when the guy with the bleached blond hair smiled at him with deep-set dimples, "Mind if we sit here?"
Jeongguk's confused, and a little nervous because they're all staring at him and waiting for him to speak. "Well.. You're sitting here already, so..."
They all bark with laughter, and it sounds a little exaggerated, and Jeongguk is baffled by what's going on. "You're really funny, Jeongguk," says Namjoon, who's doing all the talking on the group's behalf. They introduce themselves one by one, and he's already forgotten all of their names, but he's sure that he'll get to know them over time.
One week into college, and Jeongguk has already found a group of friends, which was far more than he had at home.
He's never in his apartment and is instead often inhabiting either Namjoon or Jimin's apartment. He quickly forms a bond with Jimin, who is the closest to his age, and Seokjin, who views Jeongguk as his biological son. The first time Jeongguk drinks, it's Seokjin who takes care of him when he's bent over a toilet seat and regretting all of his life decisions up to that point.
When he's on his way to Namjoon's apartment with a pile of books blocking his view, he bumps into someone and is sent flying across the pavement.
His knee is bleeding and his head feels a little fuzzy from its impact with the ground, but generally speaking, he came out of the tumble unscathed.
The culprit behind the reasoning for his fall is collecting his books from the ground with his back facing Jeongguk, and Jeongguk inwardly groans because he's wearing distressed jeans, doc martens and a leather jacket despite it being almost 30 degrees out. He normally wasn't one to stereotype, but the man looked as if he was a 'rocker,' or a bad-boy type that Jeongguk often found himself intimidated by.
As the 'rocker' turns around to hand Jeongguk his books, Jeongguk's expression falls, and his heart-rate soars.
He looks so different, almost a caricature of his old self, with round, mirrored sunglasses perched on his nose and hoops dangling from his ears, Jeongguk starts to suddenly feel sick as he pushes himself up off of his unbecoming position on the ground. Rubbing his hands together to rid himself of any stones or grit stuck in his hands from his fall, Jeongguk clears his throat, "Taehyung."
He says his name like a statement, and Taehyung is frowning behind his sunglasses. He rips the glasses off of his face in order to get a better look at this person who knows his name. With bugging eyes, Taehyung looks gobsmacked as a hand comes to his mouth, "Oh my fucking god, Kookie!"
No sooner had Jeongguk's name left Taehyung's lips before he was pulling him into a crushing embrace. He was tall, so tall, and he smelled like expensive aftershave. Aftershave. Jeongguk could vaguely recall a memory of Taehyung's younger self questioning why older men wore aftershave because he thought that it "smelled gross."
He's still crushing Jeongguk, but Jeongguk's too happy to tell him that he's close to passing out from air restriction. "I can't believe you go here!" he looks ecstatic, with his beautiful smile stretched across his face that Jeongguk thought he would never get to see in person ever again. He looks like the embodiment of sunshine itself.
It doesn't feel real, even as he feels Taehyung's biceps under his hands that are bigger than he remembered them being.
Taehyung looks like a man, and Jeongguk feels nostalgic for their youth.
He bypasses Namjoon's place, and leads Taehyung to his own dorm room. He's talking his ear off, telling him all about his life and how much its changed since he left Jeongguk on that fateful day. He'd already done so much with his life - he was employed, in his second year of college, had experienced having both a girlfriend and a boyfriend, and had then in-turn experienced two difficult breakups.
He was still yammering on when Jeongguk unlocked the door to his room and gestured Taehyung to enter first.
When he sits on Jeongguk's bed with his hands in his lap, taking in Jeongguk's homely little room, Jeongguk can't believe that the person sitting before him is actually Taehyung.
He perches himself on his desk in front of Taehyung, and smiles softly at him as he examines the posters adorning his wall.
When he sees Taehyung's side profile, Jeongguk spies hoops dangling from his ears, at least five in one ear and three in the other. His eyes are lined with kohl liner, and his lips look shiny and rosy, and a velvet choker is wrapped around his neck. His jeans are ripped beyond repair, and of course it's intentional and fashionable, but Jeongguk still doesn't get it.
One thing he does get is that Taehyung looks so hot.
When Taehyung opens his mouth to speak, this time Jeongguk sees the glint of silver on his tongue, and he blurts, "You're a rocker now, aren't you?"
Taehyung stares, with amusement dancing behind his eyes before he bursts out into laughter, his hand clutching his stomach as a stitch starts to form in his side.
He wipes tears of laughter from his eyes, and composes himself before he can look at Jeongguk, "I'm not a 'rocker.' I just like this style. Style doesn't have to be labelled."
What he's saying sounds philosophical and thought-provoking, but all Jeongguk can say is, "Okay, but you literally have your tongue pierced."
Taehyung wiggles his eyebrows, "Guys love it," he says suggestively, and suddenly Jeongguk's cheeks start to burn.
He leans back on his elbows, and looks Jeongguk up and down, and Jeongguk feels stripped apart by his intense gaze. "You were shit at keeping in contact," he says simply, and Jeongguk closes his eyes because he really doesn't want to be having this conversation right now. "Why didn't you contact me, Jeongguk?" he asks, and Jeongguk struggles to find an answer to appease him, and soon discovers that no answer is good enough of an excuse for his ignorance over the past two years.
"I was bitter that you left me," he says quietly, and he hates how fucking small he sounds.
Taehyung's gaze softens, and he sits up so he can get a proper look at Jeongguk. "It wasn't my choice, Kookie."
He knows that it wasn't Taehyung's fault, of course he does, but he can't help but feel as if he were left to the wayside whilst Taehyung was out living his life and bettering himself as a person. The Taehyung that was sitting before him was a shell of his former self. The Taehyung sitting before him oozed confidence, and honestly, the Taehyung sitting before him was emitting an intoxicating, charismatic aura that was dizzying Jeongguk.
He seemed nonchalant and uncaring of what people thought, and Jeongguk could only ever wish to not care what people thought.
When Taehyung asks Jeongguk to tell him about what's been going on in his life, it's embarrassing how little he has to update Taehyung on.
But there is one thing.
He's fidgeting nervously, and Taehyung's probably caught on to just how badly he doesn't want to be having this conversation right now. Of all the people in the world, he knew that Taehyung would be someone who wouldn't care about what he was about to say, but that didn't prevent his nerves. "I came out," he states and Taehyung laughs.
Jeongguk's staring at him, open-mouthed and in disbelief.
Taehyung's smiling at Jeongguk, "Silly, really, how you had to come out, isn't it?" he asks, and Jeongguk's confused.
Taehyung sighs, "I've always known. It's stupid that you feel the need to announce your sexuality like it's something you owe people."
He isn't even phased, and really, if anything, Jeongguk had anticipated Taehyung's shouts of joy and welcome to the LGBTQ Community. But no, instead he plays it cool and voices his annoyance with the societal expectation of people having to announce their sexuality if they're not heterosexual.
He's up and off Jeongguk's bed and tickling underneath his chin as he coos at Jeongguk, "You're still as cute as ever, Jeonggukkie." Jeongguk groans and begs Taehyung to stop treating him like a child, but his whines and complaints only spur Taehyung on more. "Little Jeonggukkie who used to cry when I knocked down the castles and houses he built," he's giggling, and Jeongguk's swatting his hands away as he pokes his tummy and squeezes his cheeks.
His hands are wrapped around Taehyung's wrists as he stands up from his place on his desk and pushes Taehyung back towards his door.
With Taehyung's hands pinned over his head, and his dark, tantalizingly enticing eyes gazing at Jeongguk and goading him on, Jeongguk splutters, balks, and releases his grip on Taehyung's wrists. Taehyung's back is still against the door, and he's looking at Jeongguk darkly with the ghost of a smile playing on his lips.
Jeongguk's so close to kissing him, but he holds back.
When they've both composed themselves, and when Jeongguk's dragged from Taehyung an apology, they head outside for some fresh air.
They're not even outside for a minute before Taehyung is digging in his pockets and pulling out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. He slots the cigarette between his lips, and closes his eyes as he flicks on the lighter and feels the smoke fill his lungs. Jeongguk's watching him with parted lips as he blows the smoke into the darkness.
"You smoke?" Jeongguk asks, even as Taehyung takes another drag.
Smoke is drifting out from his nostrils and his lips when he replies with a sarcastic, hazy smile, "No." Jeongguk feels stupid for asking.
He lets Jeongguk have an experimental drag, and as he puts the butt of the cigarette to Jeongguk's lips, he warns mockingly, "Smoking kills, Jeongguk!" And Jeongguk's spluttering and coughing and wishing he never took a drag as Taehyung watches him bemusedly as he takes a drag without difficulty.
He finds out that Taehyung is living on campus, and his apartment block is only minutes away from Jeongguk.
He feels as if he's dreaming when he waves goodbye to Taehyung and promises him fifty times over that he'll text him and make plans.
He pinches himself hard and hisses in response to the pain, and he quickly realizes that he's not dreaming.
When Namjoon and the others meet Taehyung, it's like observing goings-on at the zoo, because Jimin and Hoseok are looking at him as if he's a piece of meat waiting to be gobbled up. He seems nervous when Jeongguk introduces him, and he has to rub the small of his back in a silent reassurance. Taehyung's nerves soon dissipate when he sees Yoongi and makes a beeline for him, his charms turning on instantaneously as Yoongi eyes him.
Out of all of them, Jeongguk thought that Jimin was more up his street. Evidently, he was wrong.
Taehyung arranges a night-out for them all by himself in an attempt to get closer with the group, and Jeongguk makes a face as he sidles up next to Yoongi and walks his fingers across the top of his thigh. Jeongguk can tell that Yoongi isn't interested simply by the unamused, blank look gracing his features, but he doesn't have the heart to tell Taehyung and instead lets him continue his attempt at wooing him.
The bar that Taehyung drags them all to is... Well, it's trendy. It's dimly lit, and their prices are far too overpriced.
Apparently Taehyung became rich since Jeongguk lost contact with him, because he's ordering the seven of them Jägerbombs.
Suddenly, everyone loves Taehyung.
It's a messy night, and Jeongguk can't see straight in front of him as Taehyung drags him to their next stop on their drunken bender. They've lost some people along the way - Yoongi and Jimin, who Jeongguk is sure have ordered a taxi back to the dorms to drunkenly fuck like they always seemed to do. But no-one's blackout drunk yet and surprisingly, no-one has vomited from the three shots of tequila that Namjoon and Seokjin ordered them all.
The lights in the club are blinding, and the shots that Jeongguk pounded into his body aren't helping his fuzzy vision. Taehyung's hand is wrapped around Jeongguk's, and he's shouting at the top of his lungs along to whatever song is playing over the speakers.
Jeongguk finds himself quickly sobering up when Taehyung backs him up against the DJ booth and grinds against him unabashedly.
He reaches behind himself and grabs Jeongguk's hands to place them on his hips, encouraging him to guide his sinful movements, but Jeongguk's close to passing out and his fuzzy vision is getting even fuzzier as he nudges Taehyung away from him. He doesn't even bat an eyelash when Jeongguk grabs his hand and drags him out into the side alley beside the club for some fresh air.
When he sinks to the ground with his breathing coming heavy and his body coated in a cold sweat, Jeongguk's eyes are wide and wild, "I think I'm dying."
Taehyung's doing some sort of a dance in the middle of the alleyway, paying Jeongguk no mind as he dances along to a soundtrack playing in his mind.
"I need to go home," Jeongguk says with his head in his hands as his stomach churns, and Taehyung makes a noise of indignation. He tries to pull Jeongguk up off of the ground, but just ends up in a heap beside Jeongguk with his nice black jeans covered in dirt and his brogue doc martens scuffed.
It's Seokjin who ends up physically putting them in a taxi, and instructing the taxi driver to drive them right up to their apartment and wait until they've gone inside before driving away.
Taehyung's so drunk that he can't even tell Jeongguk which apartment he's in, "It's a number between 1 and 20," he slurs, and Jeongguk rolls his eyes because in Taehyung's block of apartments, there's only ten apartments. "You're number 6, you drunken mess," he informs Taehyung, who insists that he knew that all along and that he was only playing with Jeongguk.
He hooks his arm around Taehyung's and Taehyung escorts him into his building.
He's digging in his pockets for his key card and close to falling over until he leans all of his weight on Jeongguk.
When he's finally in his room, Jeongguk looks around at the walls in awe, and shock. They're graffitied, in colors of orange, pink, yellow, blue and red. There's plants scattered throughout his room, and two of them are dead and one is on its way out. "You can't graffiti the walls," Jeongguk says as he scrubs at the pink and orange graffitied writing of 'fuck love.'
He lifts Taehyung onto his bed, and he's complete dead weight in his arms and Jeongguk's almost sure that he's after pulling something in his back. It's not long before Taehyung is nodding off, and after making sure he's lying on his side and leaving some medicine and water by his bedside, Jeongguk goes to make his exit.
When his hand is on the door handle, he hears Taehyung's quiet, hoarse voice break through the darkness.
"Did I look after you when we were younger, Kookie?" he asks, and he's still slurring. Jeongguk turns around to look at him.
He smiles softly to himself, "I guess you did, Tae, yeah."
He's feeling almost fully sober now, because heaving Kim Taehyung's long, heavy limbs up four flights of stairs is enough to sober anyone up.
Taehyung sounds so small and fragile, and he's gazing into the darkness, trying to make out Jeongguk's figure hovering by his bed, "Your Mom was always worried about you... I promised her that I'd look after you," he makes a noise that sounds like he's about to be sick, and Jeongguk's about to run into the kitchen for a basin when he feels Taehyung's fingers interlock with his.
"I'll always look after you."
Jeongguk left soon after Taehyung had fallen into a drink-induced sleep.
He didn't doubt Taehyung's drunken promise for one second.
He turns up outside of Jeongguk's door with a cup of instant coffee in his hand and his laptop tucked under his arm. When he takes his shades off, Jeongguk stifles a giggle when he sees the bags underneath Taehyung's eyes that are emphasized by his smudged eyeliner from the night before.
"Good morning, sunshine," Jeongguk greets him annoyingly animatedly, and Taehyung glowers at him.
With a presentation set to be delivered by Taehyung in just under three hours, he stands before Jeongguk and clears his throat before he begins practicing. "Good afternoon, class. Today, my presentation is going to be about how fucking hungover I am, and if you're lucky enough, you're going to get to see just how hungover I am," he says derisively, and Jeongguk feels as if he's about to pop a lung from laughing too much.
"What is it actually about?" he asks through his tears of laughter, and Taehyung groans, "I don't fucking know, I really don't."
After he's delivered the worst presentation of his academic life - and after he's made a pit stop in the Science building's bathroom to vomit - Taehyung heads to Jeongguk's for some much needed care and consolation. He doesn't knock when he goes into Jeongguk's room, which he unlocked long ago since Taehyung was always over in his dorm, and startles when Jeongguk turns around to face him with a towel shuffling through his hair and droplets of water still clinging to his bare chest.
He's stock-still before Taehyung, with his mouth agape and the towel that was drying his hair held idly in place on his head. Taehyung's just standing there, staring, and Jeongguk's pulse starts to roar in his ears when Taehyung takes a hesitant step forwards. "Tae," he says shakily, his tone questioning Taehyung.
Taehyung's eyes are fixed on the towel hanging loose and low on his hips, and Jeongguk inhales sharply when he presses a thumb against his hipbone.
His hand is on Jeongguk's hip, rubbing circles into his skin, and Jeongguk's frozen on the spot when Taehyung meets his gaze with dark, sly eyes.
He pulls back after a moment, and as Jeongguk feels Taehyung's touch leave his skin, his knees feel weak and he's scared that his legs are about to buckle.
When Taehyung sits down on his bed, with his legs crossed and his glasses on his head backwards, he's watching Jeongguk peculiarly, and Jeongguk grabs his clothes from his desk and scurries into the bathroom to change. When he surfaces, Taehyung's sad to see his skin covered by the same ugly pair of jeans he's seen him wear every day since they rekindled their friendship.
There's a pensive look to his face when he stands up and pulls his wallet out of his pocket, "Let's go shopping," he suggests as he takes out what looks to be a lot of money and Jeongguk can't help his eyes from widening as Taehyung flicks through his notes, counting.
"I'm broke," Jeongguk says, and Taehyung's smiling at him pitifully.
He wraps his arm around Jeongguk's shoulders, and says gleefully, "But I'm not, so let's go!"
He ends up buying Jeongguk a whole new wardrobe, and they spend hours in shops that Jeongguk would never have dared to set foot in alone for fear of judgment from the shops' staff.
Taehyung's acting as his personal shopper as he hurries onto the shop floor to find Jeongguk clothes to try on, even though he's already in the midst of trying on the five pairs of jeans that Taehyung's picked out for him. They're all ripped and distressed and Jeongguk has to admit that he looks really fucking good in ripped jeans, especially when the rips run along his thighs.
And Taehyung agrees, as he insists on buying Jeongguk three pairs, "You can't not have them when you look that good in them," he says, and Jeongguk smiles down at the ground bashfully. He ends up buying Jeongguk a leather jacket and tops that fit his newfound aesthetic, and when they're walking back to Campus, with their shopping bags swinging, Taehyung's finding it difficult to keep his gaze from staying on Jeongguk for too long.
"You dress like Taehyung now," Jimin says matter-of-factually with a beer in his hand and his feet propped up on the coffee table, "But is your jumper supposed to have that many holes in it?" Taehyung rolls his eyes at Jimin before he's smiling proudly and rubbing Jeongguk's back, "He's my fashion prodigy," he says, and Jimin's shaking his head fondly.
They're playing beer pong and it's Hoseok and Jimin versus Jeongguk and Taehyung, and Hoseok won't stop teasing Jeongguk.
"Let's see if you two bad-boys are bad enough to win beer pong," Hoseok says as he launches the ping pong ball towards the cups in front of Taehyung and Jeongguk, and it misses and hits Taehyung in the chest. "Nice shot," Taehyung smirks, and Hoseok leers at him.
Surprisingly, Taehyung and Jeongguk do end up winning, as Hoseok and Jimin suffer the consequences and stumble over to the couches, hiccuping as they go.
Taehyung is by Jeongguk's side all night, leaning into him and wrapping his arm around Jeongguk's shoulders as they walk through dimly lit streets towards the club. They're lining up in the queue when Jeongguk's leaning against the cold, cement wall with his eyes closed, trying to compose himself so the bouncers won't refuse him entry, and Taehyung's hand is by his head and his other is on his hip as he smirks hazily at Jeongguk.
"What?" Jeongguk asks through his grin, and Taehyung's shrugging and inching closer to him, so much so that Jeongguk feels his breath ghost across his lips.
He's wearing one of the outfits that Taehyung bought for him - a top with mesh sleeves and leather trousers that are paired with battered doc martens that Taehyung found in a thrift store for a bargain. Before they left, Taehyung had forced Jeongguk onto Namjoon's couch and ordered that someone get him some hair gel because Jeongguk's hair "looked like a bird's nest."
He looked more mature than he'd ever looked, and he felt comfortably confident in his new style. Gone were his drab, worn out jeans, and he couldn't have been happier. He was exuding appeal, and Taehyung was latching onto him eagerly, "I dressed you well," he comments with a flirtatious smirk, and Jeongguk feigns offence, "I dressed myself, you just provided me with the necessary items," he says jovially, and Taehyung looks taken aback before he digs his index finger into Jeongguk's chest.
"Keep talking like that, Jeon Jeongguk, and you'll be sorry." They're getting pushed by the people behind them, because they're too enveloped in one another to know that there's a big gap between them and the people in front of them, and Taehyung throws a burly-looking man daggers as they stumble to catch up with Namjoon and the others.
They're not on the dance floor for long, because Taehyung drags Jeongguk to the bar for a shot of whiskey, which is just the beginnings of a recipe for trouble. They're sitting talking with one another, and reminiscing on days that have come and gone, and it's nice, even if in the surrounding area there are too many people eating the faces off of each other, and people singing at the tops of their lungs.
Everyone has dispersed into different areas of the club, and Jeongguk can't see anyone who's familiar.
When Taehyung looks at him with his glass tilted in his hand and his drink threatening to spill, he jerks his head towards the exit, "Let's get out of here."
They stumble home in high spirits, and Taehyung starts roaring some song at the top of his lungs with his voice cracking and becoming hoarse by the time they reach Jeongguk's dorm. He's not a sloppy drunk, unlike Taehyung, so he easily gains access into his building. Taehyung's hands knead his shoulders, and Jeongguk's wincing at the pain, but he's not telling Taehyung to stop.
After flicking the lights on in the kitchen, Jeongguk grabs an apple out of the fruit bowl before jumping up onto the counter. His legs are swinging as he munches away, and Taehyung is leaning against the table, quietly watching Jeongguk as he takes a chunk out of the apple and smiles smugly at him.
There's an intensity behind Taehyung's gaze, and Jeongguk can't pinpoint why he's looking at him with heavy-lidded eyes, but there's something stirring inside of Jeongguk as Taehyung straightens up and saunters over to him. He approaches Jeongguk slowly, and Jeongguk feels his heart in his throat when Taehyung slots himself in-between his legs. Both of his hands are on Jeongguk's side, and the apple Jeongguk was eating falls to the floor as Taehyung's fingers dip underneath the hem of his shirt.
His fingers are cold, and Jeongguk startles when they dig into the skin of his hipbone.
He feels hazy, clouded with arousal and anticipation (and the remnants of whatever alcohol is left in his system), as one of Taehyung's hands stroke along his upper thigh, and when his dark gaze fixates on Jeongguk's peachy, glossy lips, Jeongguk breathlessly spurs Taehyung on, "Do it," he hears himself say, "Please, Tae."
No time's wasted, because as soon as Jeongguk's breathless plea falls upon Taehyung's ears, his hand is in Jeongguk's hair and his soft, supple lips are pressed against Jeongguk's.
He tastes like cigarettes and whiskey, and he smells like a mixture of body odor and aftershave. His stubble is burning his chin, and Jeongguk's hands are cupping his face, and Jeongguk is inwardly screaming because he can't believe what's happening right now. It's like an otherworldly experience, and if he weren't already occupied, he would've pinched himself hard. Taehyung's teeth pulling on his bottom lip work wonders at bringing Jeongguk to the realization that yes, this is happening, and yes, Taehyung is actually kissing him.
Beautiful, stunning, mesmerizing Kim Taehyung is kissing him.
He's far more experienced than Jeongguk, and Jeongguk is happy to allow Taehyung's mouth to explore his as he dips his tongue into his mouth and hums in satisfaction when a high noise escapes from Jeongguk's throat. "Kookie," he smiles against Jeongguk's lips, and his voice is deep and velvet-like and Jeongguk can't stop the whimper that bubbles out of him. The ball on Taehyung's tongue piercing hits off of Jeongguk's teeth as he looks to deepen the kiss, and Jeongguk's lips feel raw and sore from Taehyung's bruising ministrations.
Taehyung's hands find their way to the curve of Jeongguk's ass, and when he goes to lift Jeongguk off of the counter top with a grunt, Jeongguk's snapped back to the reality of what's happening. That's when he pushes Taehyung away gently, with his lips swollen and red and his pupils blown-wide with lust.
He watches Taehyung's chest rise and fall, and sees that Taehyung's hands are balled into fists, his knuckles starkly pale. When Jeongguk sees his torn expression as he inwardly battles with what his next move should be, he says quietly, "You need to shave..."
And just like that, Taehyung's nervous expression falls as a shining smile blinds Jeongguk. "Shut up, at least I have stubble," he snaps at Jeongguk flippantly before he's back between his legs with his arms encircling Jeongguk's neck with what can only be described as a look of pure adoration gracing his features.
His finger traces along Jeongguk's sharp jaw, and he's staring at Jeongguk's lips, "You're a good kisser," he comments offhandedly, and the blood in Jeongguk's face rushes towards his skin's surface as Taehyung makes him promise that he'll get to experience Jeongguk's great kissing skills again soon.
Jeongguk promises with a bashful smile on his lips, and Taehyung sees his embarrassment and is quick to kiss it away.
He's on his bed with his hands behind his head when he's thinking back to all of the times he's looked at Taehyung and felt butterflies knocking against his rib cage.
There's been many, and Jeongguk can embarrassingly pinpoint the exact moment when he realized he had feelings for Taehyung.
When Taehyung stood up for him in front of his bullies, Jeongguk knew that friendship was too loose of a term to describe him and Taehyung's connection. It crippled him throughout his life, a feeling of shame as he gazed upon his best friend and felt that they had something that exceeded friendship.
He had often thanked the heavens for putting someone as wonderful as Taehyung on the earth, and during arguments, he had cursed the heavens for putting someone as annoying as Taehyung on the earth. There weren't a lot of constants in Jeongguk's life, what with his struggle to make friends and his inherent nervous disposition, but there was always one constant - Tae.
So when Taehyung sat him down on the day that Jeongguk tried so desperately to erase from his memory and told him that he was moving miles away, he felt broken, and he felt betrayed. And when Taehyung drove away that day with tears streaking down his cheeks, loneliness had instantly overtaken Jeongguk.
He felt warm inside as he recalled the moment he'd seen Taehyung after two years of no contact, the shock that was evident on his face as he looked at Taehyung's new look. He was used to it now, his all-black ensembles and constant insistence of wearing shades everywhere he went as if he was someone special, and he was, but it was so over-the-top, and so unnecessary and so characteristically Taehyung. Although he hated the word, he loved how quirky Taehyung was, and how little he cared about what others thought about him.
Never in his wildest dreams had he ever considered the possibility of their connection going above friendship. But Taehyung's full of surprises.
He comes over one night with a piercing gun and fear strikes Jeongguk as he waves it in his face, "Let's pierce your virginal lobes!" Taehyung suggests, and Jeongguk's gone startlingly pallid.
"Where did you get that?" Jeongguk asks, distrusting Taehyung as he wipes his lobes with an alcohol wipe.
Taehyung shrugs, "Unimportant."
It fucking hurts. And Taehyung rolls his eyes when he finishes putting the hoop in Jeongguk's ear, because Jeongguk is acting like he just stabbed him.
"Stop being over dramatic," Taehyung huffs as Jeongguk holds the mirror out in front of him to admire his new piercings.
Taehyung's face is inches away from Jeongguk's as he looks at him in the mirror with a proud smile on his face, "What do you think?" he asks, and Jeongguk wants to say that they look stupid on him, but in actuality, they add a needed edge to him. He looks less boyish, more manly, and admittedly, Taehyung thinks he looks really fucking hot.
"Next time," Taehyung pauses as he sits himself on Jeongguk's lap, frowning as Jeongguk groans under his weight. He kisses his forehead lightly, "Next time, we're getting your nipples pierced."
With a look of horror, Jeongguk adamantly insists that no-one is going near his nipples with a needle anytime soon.
"No-one except me, right?" asks Taehyung suggestively, with the corners of his mouth upturned as he tilts his head and bats his eyelashes at Jeongguk.
Jeongguk stares at Taehyung, and fails to find his words, and Taehyung smirks at the slightest hint of a flush dusting across Jeongguk's cheeks.
If they weren't inseparable before, they definitely were now.
Jeongguk's always the little spoon, and Taehyung the big spoon. Jeongguk's an early riser, and Taehyung struggles to wake up before noon.
Before, they really thought that they knew all there was to know about each other. But as time came to tell, they only knew half of what they thought they knew.
They're lounging on the couches in Namjoon's apartment, with Jeongguk propped against Taehyung's chest and Taehyung's fingers carding through his hair absentmindedly. Hoseok and Jimin are looking at them and feigning disgust over just how much Taehyung's fawning over Jeongguk. "Are you two okay over there?" Hoseok shouts from his spot at the table, and Taehyung waves a dismissive hand in his direction, a small gesture to tell Hoseok to kindly fuck off.
When they're in Taehyung's colorful room one night with the curtains drawn and a scented candle lighting, Jeongguk feels anxious as he sits on the edge of Taehyung's bed. Taehyung has his hand and is kissing along his pulse carefully, filling the silence with small smacking sounds as he scoots closer and starts to kiss along the skin on the crook of Jeongguk's neck.
His eyes flutter shut when Taehyung's hand splays across his stomach, and when his teeth scrape lightly across his skin. Everything he's doing to Jeongguk is maddening, and Jeongguk feels the beginning signs of arousal start to pool in the pit of his stomach when Taehyung kisses the hollow below his ear. Taehyung's advances are different than they were before, as he plants kisses on parts of Jeongguk's skin that have yet to be touched by Taehyung's puckered lips, and when his hand splayed across Jeongguk's stomach dips teasingly into the elastic of Jeongguk's trousers, he balks.
Taehyung throws him a questioning look after he pulls away from his kisses, and Jeongguk feels as if he can't form a sentence to best describe his feeling in that moment, so he embarrassingly settles to blurt, "I've never done this before."
Taehyung's gaze softens, and he smiles at Jeongguk. His fingers run through Jeongguk's hair, and he sighs as he feels Jeongguk eagerly lean into his touch, "You don't need to be nervous around me, I won't do anything you're not comfortable with." His words relax Jeongguk, and he welcomes the intrusion of Taehyung's tongue in his mouth, once again feeling the barbell of his piercing as his tongue brushes against Taehyung's smoothly.
He follows Taehyung's instructions, and pulls his shirt over his head. It's cold in his room, and his skin is prickling when he shyly asks Taehyung to take off his own shirt.
The sight he's met with floors him.
He can see it, the tease of ink peeking over Taehyung's shoulder. Following his eye-line, Taehyung glances down at himself and smirks, "Do you like them?" he asks as he shifts so he can display the artwork on his back. Jeongguk's speechless as his eyes take in the inked picture. There's no color, just black ink and it looks beautiful traced across Taehyung's golden-toned skin. He once thought tattoos to be gaudy, but on Taehyung's skin, they were an art form.
"You never told me that you had tattoos!" Jeongguk exclaims as his finger traces along an inked rose, "They're stunning," he whispers, his fingers tracing over black thorns.
Taehyung's grinning, "I knew you'd end up seeing them sooner or later," he winks at Jeongguk as he turns around. His smug wink is enough to light a bright, burning fire within Jeongguk as he pushes Taehyung back onto the bed, straddling him and claiming his mouth as Taehyung elicits a surprised moan once Jeongguk's teeth nip his bottom lip just a little too hard.
He renders Taehyung breathless, as he pants, "Easy, Jeongguk," he laughs breathlessly when Jeongguk pulls away for air, and smiles at his swollen lips.
Taehyung runs his thumb across Jeongguk's bottom lip, and when Jeongguk's tongue darts out, Taehyung looks at him with dark, want-filled eyes.
He's half-hard when Taehyung's hand ghosts over his length, and Jeongguk's eyes slam shut, a hiss escaping his lips as Taehyung repeats the action and watches in awe when Jeongguk lifts his hips, seeking more friction. He peppers kisses across Jeongguk's chest, starting from his left clavicle and working his way over to his right before he cascades down Jeongguk's torso.
Jeongguk's stomach muscles contract when his kisses circle around his bellybutton. The image of Taehyung so excruciatingly close to his cock is maddening Jeongguk, and he feels as if his whole body is on fire when Taehyung's lips press against his hipbone. His fingers dip into the waistband of Jeongguk's boxers, and as he slowly pulls them down, he kisses the area just above Jeongguk's dark, wiry hair.
When his hand finally, finally wraps around Jeongguk's aching, leaking cock, Jeongguk's back arches. A needy whimper escapes him when Taehyung drags his hand down to the base, his touch feather-light and teasing, and when Jeongguk looks at him with glazed-over eyes, Taehyung's teeth are digging into his bottom lip as he eyes Jeongguk's cock hungrily.
A pressed, gentle kiss to the head of his cock makes Jeongguk whine pitifully, and Taehyung purrs, "A pretty cock for a pretty boy."
His mind feels clouded, and he feels as if he's watching himself from above when Taehyung's tongue licks a stripe along the underside of his length. He presses his cheek against his girth, and Jeongguk's lips part as he studies Taehyung's slack-jawed, lust-filled expression. "I want to suck you off, Kookie," he offers as he gazes up at Jeongguk hopefully, "Can I?"
All he can manage is a noise of affirmation, because the look that Taehyung is throwing him is one that Jeongguk wants etched in his memory forever. He looks stunning when he's overcome with lust, and Jeongguk hopes that there's an infinite number of times when he'll get to see Taehyung's beautiful, bliss -out face again.
Taehyung doesn't give him any warning when he stretches his sinful mouth around Jeongguk. His cock is engulfed in wet, exquisite heat, and his hips buck reflexively. Taehyung visibly gags, and Jeongguk apologises profusely as Taehyung catches his breath, but he just smiles at Jeongguk and ensures him that it's okay, that he's used to being gagged. In that moment, Jeongguk had never felt more prudish.
It's nothing like his own hand wrapped around his cock - the sensation of his cock hitting the back of Taehyung's throat is making Jeongguk's eyes roll, and he feels ferrous when Taehyung's teeth scrape lightly along his shaft. "Tae," he breathes, "F-fuck," he's embarrassingly close already, but Taehyung doesn't seem to care, because he's hollowing his cheeks around his cock, and he's looking up at Jeongguk through the hair falling over his eyes, loving the taste and feel of Jeongguk's cock in his mouth.
Taehyung's pleased vibrating hums against his cock are enough to send Jeongguk over the edge, as his hands fist in Taehyung's hair, gripping for leverage, because he feels like he's falling, falling, falling. He hears Taehyung splutter as he spills himself in his mouth, and his own high, throaty whines are drowning him out, "That's it, Jeongguk," he purrs, and Jeongguk's still whimpering under his nimble touch.
Taehyung doesn't even flinch when he swallows Jeongguk's seed with a smile and a wink.
Taehyung suggests that they dye Jeongguk's hair, and since Jeongguk places all of his trust in him, he agrees, albeit a bit hesitantly.
"I just don't think I suit bright colors," he says as he watches Taehyung prepare the dye, and he's starting to have second thoughts.
Taehyung is quick to shoot him down, "It's just hair. If it doesn't look good, it'll grow out."
Taehyung's own hair is a newly-dyed lavender color, and he resembles some sort of an alternative fairy with his smoldering, kohl-lined eyes and glossy, red lips. They're readying themselves for a party, and Jeongguk's reluctantly allowing Taehyung to style him for the evening. "I'm putting makeup on you," Taehyung says with an excited grin, "Only a little bit. You don't need much because you're fucking perfect," he sighs, and Jeongguk's gazing at him with bright eyes. He pulls Taehyung into an embrace, "You're perfect too, Tae," he insists.
His hair turns out to be an amalgamation of pink and lilac, and Taehyung's patting himself on the back for his amazing dye job. "I should be a hairdresser," he says cockily, and Jeongguk has to disagree, because his roots are still a bit dark and there's pink dye around his hairline.
He almost pokes Jeongguk's eye out when he lines his waterline with black kohl liner, and Jeongguk's being dramatic as always, claiming that he's going blind. The lip balm that Taehyung puts on Jeongguk's lips tints his lips a muted red, glossy color and just for fun, he dabs glitter on the high points of Jeongguk's cheeks.
When he's presented with the mirror, Jeongguk hardly recognizes himself. "You look beautiful," Taehyung grins, and Jeongguk agrees - he looks ethereal, otherworldly. Taehyung's hands wrap around his shoulders, and his lips ghost over his ear as he whispers, "Like a pretty, pretty fairy boy."
Jeongguk smiles timidly at Taehyung, "Why the glitter?" he asks, and is curious to hear why Taehyung seemed so eager to dust the pink, white and purple sparkles across his cheeks.
His finger trails across Jeongguk's jaw, and he gazes at Jeongguk with soft, adoring eyes, "That night underneath the stars when we were younger, you said you wanted to shine..." he trails off, and hopes that Jeongguk recalls his own words.
His heart soars, and feels as if it's about to burst out of his chest as he stands up and wraps his arms around Taehyung, hiding his face in the crook of his neck.
The party is shit, and they aren't even there an hour before they're both throwing each other surreptitious, flirtatious looks, and as Taehyung takes Jeongguk's hand in his, he leads them out of the house and pushes Jeongguk up against a lamp post in the dimly lit street. His fingers dig into Jeongguk's hips, and Jeongguk's teasing him, circling his hips and smirking as Taehyung playfully scolds him, "Jeonggukkie," he coos breathlessly as Jeongguk's hand palms him through his trousers, "Have patience," he whispers.
He presses a finger to Jeongguk's lips, and kisses the tip of his nose as he mewls, "Soon."
It feels like it takes them hours to get back to Taehyung's dorm, and the second they're in the door, Taehyung crowds Jeongguk up against his door, his hips pressing into Jeongguk's and his hands raking through Jeongguk's new pink-colored locks.
He tastes like strawberries, and Taehyung chases after his taste again, and again, and again.
When they're on Taehyung's bed, and Taehyung's hands are on Jeongguk's hips, Jeongguk knows what he wants from Taehyung tonight. The words can't leave his tongue, he's too nervous, so he rolls his lips and bites his lip flirtatiously, hoping that Taehyung catches on to what he's asking of him. Hands knead the clothed curve of his ass, and guide his fluid, rhythmic movements on top of Taehyung, and it's maddening and it's not enough.
He bends down, and his nose is tickled by Taehyung's hair when he whispers timidly, "I want you tonight," and Taehyung's heart skips a beat when Jeongguk clarifies, "I want you to fuck me."
Taehyung kisses him tenderly, and promises him that he won't do anything he's not comfortable with, but Jeongguk's so overcome with searing want that he's kissing Taehyung's promises away and begging him to get him out of his clothes that are restricting him - he craves skin-on-skin contact with Taehyung.
He brushes his cheek along Taehyung's jaw with closed eyes before Taehyung is pulling Jeongguk's top off, and Jeongguk is tugging on the hem of Taehyung's top, his desperation evident. The arousal in the air is palpable, and Jeongguk's mind feels clouded when Taehyung has him on his back with his hair fanned across Taehyung's pillows and his chest glistening with glitter that has fallen from his cheeks.
Jeongguk's jaw goes slack when Taehyung's tongue teases his cock, and he spies a flash of silver as Taehyung's gaze flits to his, the ball of his piercing brushing across the head of Jeongguk's cock, his tongue collecting precum. Taehyung makes a point to web the liquid from the head of Jeongguk's cock to the tip of his tongue as he eyes Jeongguk sultrily.
Taehyung leaves him for a moment, and rustles through drawers until he finds his bottle of pink lube and a condom, and there's knots twisting in Jeongguk's stomach.
"Spread your legs for me," Taehyung husks, and Jeongguk complies. His fingers trail from Jeongguk's balls, down his perineum to his entrance, and Jeongguk inhales sharply when his slicked finger circles his entrance. When Taehyung pushes his first finger in, Jeongguk cries out, and Taehyung's quick to whisper words of reassurance against the skin of his inner thigh, pressing kisses with his words as Jeongguk becomes accustomed to the foreign-feeling intrusion.
Taehyung looks mesmerized as he glances up to catch Jeongguk's reaction, and he sees that his eyes are squeezed shut, and one hand is fisted in Taehyung's sheets.
When he adds his second finger, Jeongguk's back arches, and he whines once before Taehyung's hand splays across his stomach and rubs him soothingly. All Jeongguk can think of in that moment is the fact that it's Taehyung's fingers inside of him right now. But when Taehyung's fingers inside of him stroke against his walls, and as Taehyung flicks his wrist, Jeongguk feels his world crash and combust into flames, "Tae!" He whimpers as he brushes against Jeongguk's sensitive bundle of nerves again, and Taehyung throws him a clouded, gleeful smirk.
"Yeah, baby?" comes Taehyung's deep, hushed voice that sounds like liquid-sex and that's furthering Jeongguk's arousal. "Will I do it again?" Taehyung asks lowly, and really, there was no point in asking, because before Jeongguk can answer, he flicks his wrist just as he did before and Jeongguk is a whimpering, writhing mess.
When he removes both fingers, a noise bubbles from Jeongguk, which is soon quieted by Taehyung's cock as he kneels by Jeongguk's head and brushes his leaking tip over Jeongguk's beautiful, pouting lips.
When Taehyung is back between his legs looming over Jeongguk, he remembers to pinch himself, just to see. Taehyung's brow furrows, "Why did you just pinch yourself?" he asks, and there's complete and utter adoration behind his eyes as Jeongguk replies quietly, "I wanted to make sure that this was real."
He pushes into Jeongguk slowly, his breath whooshing out of him as he feels his cock become buried within him. Hissing, Taehyung pulls out just as slowly as he pushed in, and that's when Jeongguk's brain short-circuits. He moans, wantonly, and Taehyung throws his head back when Jeongguk experimentally circles his hips. The stretch is painful at first, but as Jeongguk accommodates Taehyung and waits for the soreness to subside, he's soon eager to have Taehyung pushing into him relentlessly.
"More," Jeongguk whines, "More, move faster, Tae," he begs, and Taehyung curses when he drops down onto his forearms, framing Jeongguk's head, burying himself deeper inside of him and finally, finally giving Jeongguk what he wants. His nails scrape down Taehyung's tattooed back, and his fingertips dig into his skin as Taehyung snaps his hips and fills the room with the sound of skin hitting against skin.
When he becomes bold, Jeongguk rolls his hips, and his eyes flutter as Taehyung's hand grasps onto his hip, his forehead bowing to rest against Jeongguk's as he keens, "Oh God."
He whispers honeyed, breathless words against Jeongguk's skin, some Jeongguk can make sense of, and some he cant: "You're beautiful," "Fucking hell, Jeongguk," and the last he says sends Jeongguk to a land that he wasn't familiar with, but one that was painted in bright colors and lighted by white, shining light, "Come for me, my baby," Taehyung urges hoarsely, and Jeongguk's coming hard, untouched.
His back arches off of the bed, and his hands on Taehyung's back are close to drawing blood as he holds on for dear life.
Taehyung's name falls from his lips over, and over, and over again until he's whimpering and feeling over-sensitive. He's limp beneath Taehyung, and he strokes his finger down Taehyung's cheek, smiling lazily at him as pure bliss washes over his entire body. He watches Taehyung come, and cries out as he thrusts deep in to him, and as Taehyung collapses on top of him, Jeongguk hugs him against him, and kisses all across his skin.
Taehyung remains on top of him, panting, and Jeongguk laughs, heartily and happily. He feels whole.
Taehyung lifts his head and looks at Jeongguk sleepily, "What are you laughing at?" he asks, an amused expression on his face as Jeongguk shrugs.
"Nothing. I'm just happy," he explains, and as Taehyung presses a soft, tender kiss to his lips, Jeongguk feels as if he's the luckiest boy in the world.
Taehyung gets a new tattoo just above his heart, and it's a small star in black ink.
"I got it for you, you know that, don't you?" Taehyung asks Jeongguk as he traces his fingertips across his skin.
Jeongguk nods and nuzzles up against Taehyung, tucking his head underneath his chin and sighing, "Thank you," he mumbles against his skin.
"What tattoo are you going to dedicate to me?" Taehyung asks as he maps out an imaginary heart on Jeongguk's upper arm.
Jeongguk scoffs, "I'm never getting a tattoo." Taehyung peers at him with a disbelieving expression on his face.
He knows how easily swayed Jeongguk is.
Weeks later, Jeongguk ends up with an identical black star above his own heart.
He's finished his first year of college, and even though he has attended a shockingly small number of lectures, Jeongguk's had the best year of his life.
They're in Taehyung's, and Taehyung is desperately scrubbing at his walls to try and get rid of his artwork. Jeongguk's on his bed with his hands behind his head, and rolling his eyes as Taehyung angrily throws the cloth against his window, "It's never coming off!" he says in exasperation.
"You shouldn't have graffitied them in the first place, then!" Jeongguk exclaims and Taehyung throws him daggers.
He stands up and interlocks his fingers behind Taehyung's waist, and pouts right back at Taehyung who's pouting at him. "You're going to get fined," he informs him, and Taehyung sighs in resignation, "I know," he huffs. "Why can't people appreciate art?" he asks as he moves away from Jeongguk and starts rustling through his drawers.
Jeongguk pulls a face behind his back, because he wouldn't exactly classify "art" as poorly drawn pictures and randomly written words in bright colors, but he lets him believe it's art.
Jeongguk's sitting on Taehyung's bed, kicking off his doc martens and loosening the top button on his shirt when Taehyung hands him a baby blue envelope.
He's smiling at Jeongguk, and Jeongguk's eyeing the envelope suspiciously, "What is this?" he asks, not touching the envelope.
Taehyung pretends not to know, and shrugs, "Open it and see."
When the envelope is in his hands, and when Jeongguk sees how worn it looks, he stills.
He glances at Taehyung, who pops a lollipop into his mouth with a grin stretched across his face as Jeongguk realizes what he's holding.
"You... How did you... ?" He trails off as he opens the baby blue envelope and carefully takes out the card that has a pastel pink heart on its front.
He opens the card, and reads:
To, Taehyung,
Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
I want you to know,
That I adore you.
He cringes at his own words, and at the small pink heart he drew beside Taehyung's name.
He feels the bed sink next to him, and Taehyung leans his head on Jeongguk's shoulder.
Jeongguk's staring at the card, "You knew that it was from me," he states matter-of-factually.
"I recognized your handwriting the second I opened the card, Kookie," Taehyung says, and Jeongguk feels his whole world flip upside down.
"You've known that I've had a crush on you since I was fourteen!" his voice is high and his eyes are wide as he struggles to come to terms with the fact that when he was in Taehyung's room on that fateful Valentine's Day, watching him open his card, Taehyung knew that its sender was Jeongguk.
Jeongguk's mouth opens, "You asshole!" he blurts, and Taehyung's giggling and poking Jeongguk in his side.
"Why didn't you tell me that you knew the card was mine!" Jeongguk inquires, and Taehyung sighs, "Because I was young and stupid, and because I was struggling to come to terms with my own feelings for you." He fixes his gaze on Jeongguk, and Jeongguk's expression softens when he sees the way in which Taehyung is looking at him apologetically.
He captures Taehyung's lips in his, and sighs happily as Taehyung's hand cups his face gently. "I'm sorry," Taehyung whispers into his mouth, but Jeongguk doesn't want to hear it, doesn't want to think about the wasted years they spent telling people that they were "best friends," when really, they were something much more.
He makes quick work of Taehyung's trousers as he tugs them down his thighs, and Taehyung smirks as his fingers curl in Jeongguk's hair, pulling as Jeongguk's hand wraps around him.
He needs Taehyung, needs him now, and he feels frenzied as he forces himself down to the base of Taehyung's cock.
He smiles proudly when he recoils and throws Taehyung a sly smirk. With Taehyung teaching him in the art of blowjobs, he's practically a pro now. He bobs his head slowly up and down Taehyung's length, and splutters when Taehyung fucks into his mouth lightly, hissing when the head of his cock hits the back of Jeongguk's throat.
Taehyung's eyes are dark when Jeongguk hovers over his cock, "Fuck me, baby," he whispers as Jeongguk's hands rest on his shoulders when he sinks down slowly on his length. He groans when he's sitting on Taehyung's lap and feels Taehyung's cock stretch him open, and just to be a tease, he doesn't move. "Jeongguk," Taehyung whines when he barely, barely rolls his hips on top of Taehyung.
Taehyung's fingers dig into the curve of his ass, lifting him off of his hips and pulling him back down hard as Jeongguk moans.
He stops his teasing as he rides Taehyung fervently, with his arms wrapped around Taehyung's neck and Taehyung's face hidden in his chest. He loves the feeling of Taehyung inside of him, and he loves the sounds that he draws from Taehyung that's only for him to hear. When Taehyung comes with a strangled shout, Jeongguk quickly follows suit, as the rhythm of his rolling hips ceases and his grip around Taehyung's neck tightens when sparks burst behind his eyelids.
"Good boy," Taehyung purrs, pushing Jeongguk's sweaty hair off of his forehead when Jeongguk slumps against him, his body trembling and his breathing labored.
When Taehyung kisses him and brings him back to his senses, Jeongguk smiles down at him, and Taehyung smiles right back.
Jeongguk loves every single part of Taehyung - the musty scent of smoke that lingers on his clothes, his wide, boxy smile, his laugh, his flaws, everything.
Jeongguk is nineteen when he realizes that he has fallen in love with his best friend, Kim Taehyung.