Taehyungâs just trying his best to pay for college by working as a waiter. Jeongguk keeps on bringing his dates to the restaurant where Taehyung works.
Or: The waiter first-meet AU that no one asked for.
baby boyfriend is the best thing ever i said what i saidÂ
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hi everyone! long time no see! and for that i am sorry but i blame LIFE.
so - just out of interest đ - if i was wanting to write another shawn fic, which tropes would you be interested in?
i saw this floating around on my main blog and i LOVE me a fic trope so if you want to fill it in, please tag me in it so i can see what weâre interested in.
Happy Friday yâall - we kind of made it through yet another week! Cheers to that! Letâs celebrate the little victories as we can.Â
So for this weekâs funday Friday, as it seems weâre still some uncharted waters around this neck of the interwebs, I changed it up a bit yet again. Hereâs a virtual high five that Iâm calling My5.Â
Iâm giving some love to 5 writers/fics and I want to get this circling through folks so Iâm gonna ask 5 others to do the same, and letâs get this moving through.
@harryandmolly - so Molly is the first blog I found exploring this place. Her works are the first I ever read and one of the very first Shawn blogs I followed. Her writing is just sheer perfection. I read Like The Back of My Hand straight off, then literally went through and devoured her entire masterlist in like 2 or 3 days. I adore Complicit of course, but do have a special place in my heart for Lydia in When The World Stops Turning with @achinglyshawn.
@smallerinfinities - I found Alex because of Molly. Think she was number two on the follow and binge reading list over the summer. First thing I read was Woodshed, holy hannah oh my sheesh. Then I fell down the rabbit hole of her masterlist which is just a plethora of goodies from sweet to steamy. Sheâs also an awesome human who I have come to adore and respect a great deal.
@evansweaters - I could roll around all day in Samiâs talent. Full stop. Sunkissed is one of those pieces where you feel like youâre there, and letâs be honest we want to be. Crescendo is another stunner.  Her balance of detail and care with the level of hotness is goals. Masterlist is worth a perusal. She was gracious to chat for last weekâs funtivites as well.Â
@heywritersblock - I have waxed poetic about their writing before, and Iâll do it again. Perfect is one of my most favorite fics, I have it saved everywhere, if I need that dose of something, I know I can get to it and go to it and feel. Her other Shawn work (itâs a two parter) is also a wonderful piece of work.
@illumecherry - this girl has a GIFT for striking the most stunningly captured visuals with words. I am, as I constantly tell her, forever upset I missed her first foray of words. However, I am beyond grateful for what Iâve been able to feel with her latest offerings. I know sheâs taking a break, which I can absolutely respect, but I would be remiss to not share my love of her writing, her works and her talent here.Â
I had initially wanted to include this one fic about Shawn in the studio trying to get through a block in recording and the producer (a new girl he started working with, sheâs in a yellow dress damnit!) comes into the studio and naughty ensues - but canât find the bookmark, canât find the author. If yâall wanna help me here, bonus funday Friday fun.Â
Going to ask the folks I shouted out to take part aaaaaaaaaand Iâm tagging following 5 folks to share their own My5!Â
Make sure you either reblog from here or tag me in your posts. I want to share, reblog and show the love as much as I can.
A special thanks and shout out love to my girl Bre @fallinallincurlsâ (who if you havenât read any of her stuff GO HERE pls k thx) for being the sounding board to my insanity through all this because sometimes I need someone to tell me Iâm not batshit cray with wanting to spread the love despite what the climate is around these parts.
This is one of those stories I have bookmarked and saved across a few places to be able to read it (and reread it) whenever, wherever I need to. Itâs a go to for me when I need a dose of hot.Â
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jin: chaotic. rips up the instructions whilst manically laughing. everything is put together back to front. still looks amazing. he calls it âartâ
namjoon: follows the instructions step by step. bumps his head 14 times in the process. almost built and then he knocks it over. has to start again
yoongi: doesnât even attempt it. makes joonie do it instead
hoseok: most extra tool kit of all time (probably designer). takes 54164 selfies to post on twitter. pays a handyman to build it in the end
taehyung: drops a piece on his foot within 0.3 minutes. finishes with screws left to spare and shrugs. the furniture eventually falls apart and collapses on namjoon
jimin: sends messages to the group chat about which outfit best suits doing diy. asks one of the others to help him and pouts until they do it. tells everyone that compliments him on his new furniture that âit was a team effort!â (it wasnât)
jungkook: disregards instructions and looks offended when jimin suggests he follows them. builds it in record time even though he has a snack break half way through. uses bare hands instead of tools
yo do you know the name of that pic where y/n and the twins stay at like a hotel or motel overnight I can't for the life of me remember the name or who maybe wrote it
I donât bubba! But maybe someone will drop it in the comments? xx
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taehyung's just trying his best to pay for college by working as a waiter. jeongguk keeps on bringing his dates to the restaurant where taehyung works.
or: the waiter first-meet AU that no one asked for.
alternative: ao3 link
~9600 words
Taehyung is surprisingly not that late to his shift. His final lecture that day ran a little late (not his fault), the queue for coffee was long (not his fault) and there was an elderly lady who was crossing the road that he couldnât just leave on her own. So again, not his fault.
Maybe the guy he stopped to flirt with at the bus stop was his fault, but who is Taehyung to ignore the possibility of fate? The guy had complimented Taehyung on his satchel which everyone knows is just an alternative way of saying, âHey, I wanna get in your pants.â Obviously.
Thatâs why Taehyung isnât that mad when he strolls a whole ten minutes late into the restaurant at ten minutes past seven. Itâs not even the latest heâs been this month, he notes to himself.
He hears the clatter of pots and pans and dishes as he makes his way stealthily through the kitchen, trying his best to blend into his surroundings so his boss doesnât notice-
âNice of you to join us,â Yoongi says in a low voice.
Ah. Well there goes that plan.
Taehyung spins around to face Min Yoongi, son of the owner of this delightful establishment, man in charge of the lowly waiters such as Taehyung. Yoongiâs face is constantly set into a perfect mask of boredom. Taehyung hasnât quite worked out yet whether itâs because everyone really pisses him off that much, or if itâs just sheer dedication to having a wrinkle free face when heâs older.
Taehyung plasters the most sincere smile he can on his face (heâs taken an acting class in the past so itâs pretty convincing if he says so himself.) âEvening, Yoongi. Howâs it going?â
The new plan: donât mention the lateness. Donât let Yoongi mention it, either.
âIt was great until one of my waiters decided he doesnât work to traditional time and rocked up late to the busiest shift of the week.â Yoongi looks up from where heâs checking through receipts, hard eyes meeting Taehyungâs.
Shit. Next plan: Denial?
Taehyung fake gasps and then pointedly ignores Yoongiâs (fond, definitely fond) eye roll. âWho? Who would do such a thing? How dare they! Wait âtil I get my hands on the bastard who-â
âTaehyung.â
âYeah?â
âTable three is waiting for you. You can help Jin lock up tonight to pay me back the time.â
âYes, hyung.â
Then Taehyung bolts out of there before Yoongi can add any extras to his punishment.
Heâs made that mistake before.
*
âWho the fuck books a table for fifteen people on a Friday night? Do they have no conscience?â Taehyung grumbles to himself, gathering menus together from behind the little waiter station.
âIâll swap you.â
Taehyung swings around to look at the angel that uttered the best words Taehyung has heard all day. All week, even.
âJiminie, normally I would snap your hand off, but as your best friend I need to ask, what the fuck are you thinking? Fifteen people, Jiminie! Fifteen!â Taehyung is waving the menus in the air now, glancing quickly at his table to make sure they donât think heâs abandoned them because he is a Good waiter.
âI know, Tae. I just. I really need the tips,â Jimin says quietly and Taehyung can only just hear him over the noise of the packed restaurant.
Taehyungâs heart gives a little squeeze.
âJiminie, baby,â he says, emphasising his pout at seeing his best friend so miserable.
Jimin gives him a look. âI donât need your pity, Taetae. I just need those tips. Please.â
Taehyung loves Jimin with all of his heart. He really does. Theyâre best friends for life and soulmates. Which is why Taehyung casts another wary glance back at the table of fifteen. Jin is in full flow, charming each patron and taking drinks orders ready to pass on to Namjoon, bartender extraordinaire.
Everyone knows that tables of eight or more are hard work. Thatâs why they get the best tips. Taehyung isnât sure that Jiminâs in the best place emotionally after what heâs been through this past month to be dealing with the stress of a table of fifteen, plus all of the other tables heâs dealing with.
Heâs about to tell Jimin that heâll serve the table and just give Jimin the tips - think of it as a thank you for all of Taehyungâs shit that Jimin deals with, when his best friend interrupts his thoughts.
âLook, Tae. I appreciate your concern - I really do. But, I really do need those tips and-â He sighs, casting a glance at the table for two nestled in the corner. âAnd I really donât want to be dealing with people on a date right now.â
Oh. Well of course. Taehyung feels kind of stupid that his heartbroken best friend even has to explain this to him.
âSure. Iâll swap. Table sixteen right?â Jimin nods, eyes shining with relief and gratitude. âShout if you need any help though, yeah?â
âIâm a big boy, Tae. Iâm sure Iâll manage,â Jimin says quietly, whipping the menus out of Taehyungâs hands as he offers up a (fond, again) eyeroll.
Taehyung could stand here and consider just how many eyerolls he receives in a day and what that might say about him, but that might not be good for Taehyungâs self esteem. And quite honestly, he doesnât really care.
Gathering two menus from the station and getting ready to head over to Table sixteen, Taehyung casts a quick glance over to see Jimin already taking orders and chatting with the patrons on table three.
He knows his and Jiminâs ability to switch on the charming, attentive waiter act is what stops them (him) from getting fired because of their (his) shitty time keeping skills. Itâs also what makes them a team to be reckoned with.
Taehyung feels a burst of pride at his best friendâs resilience in the face of heartbreak as he passes the table, shooting a quick wink at Jimin and making a covert gesture with his thumb and fingers that Jimin knows means get those tips, bitch!
He also feels relief that he doesnât have to deal with that amount of orders tonight.
Fuck the guy that broke Jiminâs heart. Taehyung means that from the bottom of his soul. Truly.
But that doesnât mean he canât feel a little bit pleased that Jimin didnât want to serve a loved up couple. Right?
*
âHi! Iâm Taehyung and Iâll be your waiter for this evening.â Taehyung offers his best boxy smile, turning on the charm like heâs known for. âHere are your menus, and our specials board is just behind you. Iâll be back in a few minutes to take your order, or offer any suggestions.â
The guy on the right of the table with his back to the window is nodding enthusiastically at everything Taehyung is saying. Heâs polite, Taehyung notes. Always a positive on a busy night.
âJin will be over in a second to take your drinks order. Is there anything I can do for you in the meantime?â He asks, glancing over to the person on the left of the table whose head is still bent forward looking at the menu.
Then he looks up.
And okay.
This is Taehyungâs favourite part of his job.
Eyes. Large, brown and glistening in the mood lighting of the restaurant. Lips. Pink, soft, looks like thereâs lip balm coating them. Taehyung absently wonders what flavour. Hair. Dark, tousled, falling a little over his eyes.
Gorgeous.
Heâs smiling at Taehyung now, pink lips spreading and giving way to bright, white teeth.
âI think weâre good for now, Taehyung.â His voice. Itâs light, teasing almost and Taehyung knows how weird that sounds because heâs literally said seven words to him. He curls his tongue around Taehyungâs name in a way that makes Taehyung feel a bit hot inside.
Taehyung has to snap himself out of his daze and remind himself that he is at work and this guy is clearly on a date .
How inconvenient.
With a returned smile and a nod - at both patrons, Taehyung has to remind himself - he bows to the table and returns quickly to the safety of the waiter station, giving Jin the nod to take their drinks order.
Jimin returns to the waiterâs station then and knocks his shoulder into Taehyungâs.
âYou good?â he asks.
âHmm?â Taehyung snaps out of his daze and looks up to see Jiminâs eyebrow quirked.
âI said, are you good? But I think I have my answer.â
Taehyung watches Jiminâs gaze track towards table sixteen, then look back at Taehyung with a smirk.
âWhat?â Taehyung asks brashly, busying himself by collecting up the pens that have been left on the station and placing them noisily in the holder where they belong.
âNothing.â Jimin says in that tone. The one where thereâs definitely something. The one that makes Taehyung sigh and curse that fact that Jimin knows him inside out.
Still. Taehyung can be an uncooperative little shit at times, so he says. âGood. Glad to hear it. Iâll be on my way then,â and starts to move around Jimin to busy himself in the restaurant.
Jimin blocks his path.
âHeâs just your type, isnât he?â He smirks.
âWho?â Taehyung asks with false innocence.
âHim,â Jimin nods over to table sixteen. âDark hair, curls, moody little shit.â
âHeâs not moody,â Taehyung says before he can stop himself. âAnd thatâs not my type.â
âThatâs exactly your type, stop lying to yourself, Taetae.â Jimin hip checks him and laughs at the pout on Taehyungâs face. âAnd he looks pretty moody,â Jimin adds on, nodding again at the table.
Taehyung canât really see much from where heâs stood, but he can see that heâs swirling his wine around in his glass. Red, Taehyung notes. His favourite.
There doesnât seem to be much conversation going on, now he looks closely. Polite guy needs a new nickname because heâs currently typing on his phone. Taehyung wonders what could possibly be more interesting than the guy sat in front of him.
His thoughts are interrupted when hot guy with the curls and the eyes looks around the restaurant. His eyes dart around for a few moments until they lock with Taehyungâs.
Taehyung is very aware that Jimin is still stood beside him, watching Taehyung like a hawk, so ever the professional, Taehyung sends over a soft smile and grabs his notepad and pen, shoving past Jimin with more force than was strictly necessary to make his way over to the table.
âGo get him, baby!â Jimin whisper shouts and Taehyung ignores him harder than heâs ever ignored anyone in his life.
*
âCan I get any starters for you guys?â Taehyung asks, pen poised ready to jot down their orders.
âUh, no just mains please,â hot guy says, looking awkwardly over the table at his date, who nods in agreement. Hot guy glances back at his menu after gesturing for his date to order first.
Taehyung diligently takes their orders, noting polite guyâs order adjustments to make his meal as plain as possible. Taehyung does not judge, and heâs heard orders much, much stranger than this, but he canât help but want to tell this guy that heâs basically ordering a meal that will be like eating cardboard. But he doesnât. Because Taehyung is a professional and he knows the chefs will do their best with what theyâve got.
âCan I get you any more drinks whilst you wait?â
âAnother water, please. Thanks,â polite guy says, showing off his manners again.
Taehyung nods and then turns his head to look at hot guy.
Hot guyâs eyes are still focused across the table on polite guy and Taehyung wants to laugh out loud when he finally meets Taehyungâs gaze. His expression is one of regret and as much as he tries, Taheyung canât stop the smirk that overtakes his lips.
âAnything for you, sir?â Taehyung asks.
âUh, can I have another glass of wine please? Red.â
âOf course,â Taehyung nods and then starts to back away from the table. âIâll grab those drinks for you now.â
âOh, excuse me?â Taehyung stops. Â âPlease can you ask for no lemon or ice in my water? I prefer it just plain,â polite guy requests.
âNo problem,â Taehyung says, because really.
Taehyung smiles at his table and accidentally this time (honestly) makes eye contact with hot guy.
Hot guy is currently sat with his elbow resting on the table, hand covering his mouth slightly as he clearly tries to hide his laughter from his poor date on the other side of the table.
Taehyung thinks he should feel bad for the poor guy but he gets it. Hot guy is clearly having the most boring night of his life. Taehyung ignores the voice in the back of his mind thatâs cheering.
He offers a small bow and begins his walk to the bar to grab the drinks for the table when a hand on his arm stops him in his tracks.
Taehyung glances at the large hand thatâs loosely circled around his wrist and follows the path back up to hot guy. His wrist burns hot and it spreads like wildfire through Taehyungâs body. He fucking loves the excitement it gives him.
Taehyung raises his eyebrows and asks, âIs there something else I can get for you, sir?â
âUh, my wine. Please make it a large.â
Taehyung canât hold in his burst of laughter this time and he watches that blinding grin spread across hot guyâs face too.
âComing right up,â Taehyung says, and with a grateful squeeze of his wrist, hot guyâs arm falls away.
*
âSo, howâs it going with the hottie?â Jimin asks as Taehyung is inputting orders for another three of his tables.
âSwimmingly. Food should be out in a sec, so weâre all good,â Taehyung replies. Heâs acting dense and Jimin knows.
âTaehyung.â
âJimin,â Taehyung replies, pointedly ignoring Jiminâs stance: hand on hip, eyebrow quirked, gaze staring into Taehyungâs actual soul.
Taehyung huffs out loud and heâs this far from stamping his feet to get Jimin to leave him alone about it.
âCâmon, Taetae. I donât want you to feel like Iâm pressuring you or-â
âYou are pressuring me.â
âYou know full well that Iâm not. I just think itâs about time that you maybe start to look for something a little more serious.â
âOh, because that went so well for you,â Taehyung laughs humorlessly and immediately regrets it as it leaves his mouth. âFuck. Jimin-ah. Iâm so sorry, I didnât mean-â
âItâs okay. I mean, ouch. But I know you didnât mean it.â Taehyung is a shitty person and he loves his best friend more than life itself. Taehyung would just like that noting for the record. âAnd youâre right. My relationship did turn to shit when he cheated on me. But you canât base everything on one fucker that didnât know how good he had it, right?â
Taehyung is looking at Jimin with wide eyes.
âRight.â
âI just think you deserve more - that you want more - than just a no strings hook up. You deserve someone to love you as much as I do,â Jimin grins, nudging Taeâs elbow cheekily.
âHa. Impossible, Jiminie. We both know that.â
âOK, so maybe a little less than I do. But thatâs still a hell of a lot of love,â he smiles. âAll Iâm saying is, maybe itâs time to find someone who is your type and you have things in common with. Like, a real relationship, yâknow?â
Taehyung doesnât really know what to reply to that, and instead hums in reply.
âHeâs brought this guy on a date, Tae. I just think itâs time for you to find a guy who wants to date you, Taetae, rather than just fuck you. Youâve been there, done that. You deserve more than that.â
Taehyung hums again, eyes zoned out and staring at the wooden counter in front of him.
Jimin pulls Taehyung out of his thoughts with a nip to his bicep.
âOK. Iâve said my piece. Now go ask your hot customer if his food is OK.â Taehyung groans inwardly at the thought of Jimin watching his every move. âAnd charm him to hell and back,â Jimin winks, agily dodging Taehyungâs arm as he tries to whack some sense into his best friend.
âOh my god. Jimin. Leave it out. Heâs literally on a date right now! Do you want me to ask him out right now?â Taehyung scoffs.
âYeah heâs on a date, but he looks fucking bored out of his mind.â
Taehyung lifts his eyes up at that, eyes curiously landing on table sixteen to see both guys eating in silence. Polite guy is well, politely munching on his chicken. Hot guy is scanning the restaurant as he eats, taking in the people around him.
âOh. That sucks.â
âWhat? No it doesnât. Maybe for his date but not for you. Go. Go!â Jimin whips Taehyungâs ass with the napkin that hangs from his belt and Taehyung doesnât tamper down the glare that he sends back at him.
*
âHey. Is everything OK with your food?â
Polite guy smiles at Taehyung, nodding with his mouth closed. Taehyung smiles back.
âDelicious. Thanks,â hot guy says, pushing the bangs that curl into his eyes out of the way and looking up at Taehyung through his lashes.
Woah, thereâs that hot feeling in Taehyungâs chest again.
*
âWhat did you say?â Jimin asks as soon as Taehyung arrives back at the waiter station to input another order.
âI said, âIs everything OK with your food?â Revolutionary, I know.â
âFor fuckâs sake, Tae. He was literally gazing up at you! Whatâs wrong with you?â Jimin scowls.
âFuck off, Jimin. Heâs hot, yes. He might be my type, yes.â
âHe fucking is your type you moron.â
âBut heâs on a fucking date. What do you expect me to do?â
âOK, I get you. But seriously, turn on that infamous Taehyung charm and knock his socks off. Heâll forget all about his boring date and he wonât get you out of his head,â Jimin says simply.
âWhatever.â
âOK, whatever. But I swear, he's into you. Trust me on these things. And honestly, Taetae, if I find out youâve managed to fuck this guy instead of asking him on a date, Iâll make you regret it. I know what youâre like. Donât do it.â
âJimin-ah, I love you, but get out of my business. And - actually, hang on. How you do you have this much time on your hands to bother me when youâve got the largest table of the night?â
Jimin smiles sheepishly. âUm, Hobi took my other tables for me.â Taehyungâs face morphs into betrayal.
âHow the fuck did you manage that?â
âI told him that I had serious best friend duties to attend to.â
âAre you serious? Oh my god,â Taehyung casts his eyes around the restaurant to send daggers at Hoseokâs back. And Taehyung thought they were friends.
âDeadly. In fact, he was the one who said the hottie at table sixteen was exactly your type.â
âWait. Did you set this up?â
âWhen you put it like that it sounds bad. But it was kind of a win win. I really didnât want to serve a loved up date. Turns out now that that wouldnât have been a problem, but.â Jimin shrugs and Taehung shakes his head. âAnd you didnât want to serve the big table. And Hobi took my tables. So it all worked out in the end. Some may say it was fate,â Jimin says, making jazz hand movements with his hands that on anyone else would look ridiculous.
âPark Jimin, you are a sly bastard! I was being a good friend and trying to protect your shattered heart and you were planning this all along!â Taehyungâs dramatics are coming out now and Jimin canât hold in his giggles, which is kind of the opposite effect Taehyung was going for.
âYou are a good friend. The best of all of the friends. But Iâm also a good friend whoâs going to tell you that said hottie from table sixteen is looking over here trying to get your attention,â he says before skipping off to table three again.
Taehyung raises his eyebrows as he meets his eyes. Hot guy smiles softly in Taehyungâs direction, and then makes the universal sign for check, please? in the air. Taehyung offers him a thumbs up (why, Taehyung? Why?) and sets to printing it off.
*
Taehyung sets the bill down onto the table directly in the centre before asking how everyoneâs meals were, talking with polite guy about how their chefs ensure that the chicken isnât too dry.
As he chats, Taehyung collects up the plates from the table, smiling at hot guy as he helps Taehyung gather the dishes he canât reach straight away.
Taehyung retreats from the table with their empty plates and tries his best to ignore the end of date discussion about who will pay.
*
As a waiter for the past few years, Taehyung prides himself in being able to read the body language of his patrons very accurately.
For example, table twenty: a group of friends. Tipsy but happy, enjoying celebrating something special that has clearly happened to one of the girls on the left of the table. No ring on her finger so not an engagement. Job promotion, perhaps? He makes a note to chat to them later when theyâre paying to find out the good news.
Table fourteen: a date. Nervous energy buzzing around them, eyes lingering too long when they think the other isnât looking. Enthusiastic reactions to conversation topics. Clearly a new relationship but not a first date.
Table sixteen: tense. A little awkward. Polite guy not making much eye contact. Hot guy tapping his credit card lazily on the table. Clearly, both of them want Taehyung to take their payment and free them from this date.
So off he goes.
*
âAre we all set?â he asks cheerily as he approaches the table.
Polite guy nods again with a smile. Taehyung thinks heâs got a lovely, calm smile that brightens his whole face. Itâs a bit crooked, leaning more to the right than the left. Taehyung feels bad for him that this date clearly hasnât been what the guy was hoping for.
âYeah. Can I pay by card please?â
Taehyung turns his attention to hot guy, currently staring up at Taehyung from where heâs sat at the table. His eyes are dark at the centre, wide and blinking, and he reminds Taehyung of some sort of anime character. His features are too bright to be real.
âSure. Are we splitting the check or-â
âNo, no. All on this one, please,â hot guy interrupts quietly, handing his card to Taehyung.
âAre you sure? Really?â Polite guy says, addressing his date across the table.
âOf course I am,â hot guy says sincerely.
âThatâs really kind. Thank you, Jeongguk.â
And thatâs when Taehyungâs eyes flick upwards. To hot guy. Who Taehyung now knows is called Jeongguk. Taehyung says his name a few times in his head as he waits for the receipt to print. Jeongguk. Jeongguk. Taehyung and Jeongguk. He coughs to clear his throat but mainly to clear his head from that ridiculous thought. Heâs going to fucking kill Jimin for putting these ideas in his head.
Taehyung rips the receipt from the card machine, pulls out the card and paints a boxy smile on his face as he hands it back.
âOK, youâre all set!â he says, fingers tingling as Jeonggukâs hand brushes his.
âThank you,â polite guy smiles, looking at both Taehyung and his date.
âThanks, Taehyung,â Jeongguk says quietly, fiddling with his wallet blindly as he refuses to break Taehyungâs eye contact.
âNo worries, thank you . Do you guys need me to call a cab or anything for you?â
Polite guy shakes his head quickly. âNo thanks, Jeongguk already offered. Iâve got someone coming to pick me up.â He checks his phone and then continues, âIn fact, theyâre just pulling up.â
He makes to stand up and Jeongguk does the same. Ah, tall. Taehyung turns towards Jeongguk to wait for his reply.
He shakes his head no and then has to shake his bangs out of his eyes again. Taehyungâs heart squeezes. âNo, Iâm good thanks. I live nearby so-â
Oh.
âOK. Thanks for your custom! I hope you had a great night and that Iâll see you both again sometime!â
Taehyung is mentally kicking himself and he swears he isnât usually this socially awkward. He can practically feel Jimin sniggering as he watches. Of course they havenât had a great night . And of course you wonât see them together again. You fool, Taehyung!
Taehyung is pretty sure his face is set into a wince but Jeongguk laughs softly as he tucks his chair under the table.
âYeah, maybe.â He smiles and Taehyung thinks his smile is devastating. Too bright and too large but Taehyung wants to see it more . âThanks again, Taehyung.â
Taehyung bows and watches as Jeongguk holds the door for his date and opens the passenger side door of the waiting car.
Jimin sidles up to Taehyungâs side and starts to spray and wipe down the table. Taehyung is about to thank him when he sees Jiminâs shit eating grin.
âThat went well.â
Taehyung ignores him.
âIâm proud of you. He looked smitten. And no propositions in sight. Well done, baby. Heâll be back before you know it.â
Taehyung doesnât know what to say but he knows his heart beats a little quicker at that thought. Taehyung huffs and steals the cloth from Jiminâs hand. Taehyung doesnât need you to tell him that heâs childish. Heâs fully aware.
*
Itâs a couple of weeks later now and - hold your applause - Taehyung actually arrived to his shift a few minutes early . He makes a large show of standing next to an unamused Yoongi in the kitchen, tapping his fingers next to where Yoongiâs busy typing on his computer.
âYou know, Tae, you could always go and - I donât know - actually do your job rather than standing here and irritating me.â
Taehyung makes a shocked face, mouth wide and eyebrows high. âI would do exactly that, boss man, but you see, Iâm actually a little early for my shift.â Taehyung rolls his white shirt sleeve up to reveal his watch, and he taps the minute hand obnoxiously close to Yoongiâs face. âDonât wanna step on any other waiterâs toes.â
âHow thoughtful. But youâve also spent the majority of the time here rocking up late. So letâs call it quits and get the fuck out there. God knows you owe the others a little extra time.â
Taehyung blows him a kiss as he leaves.
*
â11 oâclock, 11 oâclock,â Jimin whispers harshly into Taehyungâs ear as he passes him in the restaurant, carrying empty plates piled high in his tiny hands. Taehyung wonders each and every time how such small hands can carry so many things.
He shoots him a confused look but Jimin returns it with eyes bulging, nodding his head frantically in the direction of the back corner of the restaurant.
Taehyung swings around to see what the hell Jimin is doing when his eyes settle on table thirty four.
Oh.
Hot guy from before - Jeongguk (the name hasnât left Taehyungâs head to be very honest) - is seated under glowing, golden lights and Taehyung absolutely does not think that he looks like a fucking angel.
Heâs dressed up again, crisp white button up undone at only the top button. Itâs tight on his arms, Taehyung notices as he sets a clean table. The material bulges as Jeongguk flicks through his menu and Taehyung admires the perfect fit on him.
âTaehyung-ssi, Hoseok just called. Heâll be a little late today,â Yoongi informs him in his usual bored tone as he walks up to him.
Taehyung looks up at his boss and has the audacity to look annoyed, just to wind Yoongi up. âHow unprofessional,â Taehyung says with a tut.
âYouâd know,â Yoongi says and Taehyung knows heâs teasing so he cracks a smile. âHeâs got a physio appointment. Strained a muscle during dance or something. Youâre covering him âtil he gets here, okay?â
Taehyung barely has time to nod (he knows how bad Hobi will feel that theyâre having to work extra tables to cover him), Yoongi is pushing a notepad and pen into his hand and pushing him forward.
âGreat, thanks Tae. Table thirty four to start.â
*
âHey guys, Iâll be your waiter tonight. My name is Taehyung,â Taehyung says for what feels like the hundredth time already that night, but this time his hands feel a little clammier.
Upon hearing the name, Jeongguk looks up from his menu immediately, bright smile spreading across his face in recognition.
âHey man, how are you?â
Taehyung pretends that heâs not a creeper whoâs been watching Jeongguk for the last five minutes across the restaurant. âOh, hey! Didnât realise it was you. Iâm great thanks. Jeongguk, right?â
âYeah, thatâs me,â he replies, bright smile turning up a notch straight to blinding grin.
A cough sounds from the other side of the table and Jeongguk breaks their eye contact, trying hard to dampen down on his grin. Taehyung can tell because heâs hiding his mouth with his hand again, like last time when he was trying to hold in his laughter.
âDo you uh- do you two know each other?â
Taehyung turns his attention to the opposite side of the table and takes in the man sat there. Different to last time. Very different. In fact, Taehyung kind of wants to laugh at the juxtaposition.
New date is sat as spread out in his chair as possible. Legs splayed out under the table (Taehyung can see his feet and he would like noting that he would never wear that colour shoes with that colour pants) and arm swung over the back of his chair so his chest is puffed out and his frame seems larger. Heâs turned his body away from Jeongguk and heâs facing Taehyung directly. Like a challenge, Taehyung thinks absentmindedly.
Jeongguk shifts in his chair uncomfortably and Taehyung does not like this guy.
âYeah, weâre friends. Right, Jeongguk?â
Heâs smiling again and he nods quickly. âFriends.â
New date holds his finger up suspiciously. âBut you just had to check his name.â
âWeâre new friends,â Taehyung says immediately. Heâs not got the time for arrogant douches like this. âAnyway, can I get you guys any starters? Or are we heading straight for the mains?â
Taehyung speaks to Jeongguk, angling his body away from arrogant guy. Heâs pretty sure he wonât be getting a tip from this guy but Taehyung doesnât give a shit.
âYeah, weâll order a couple of things and have them all together,â arrogant guy says, leaning over the table and resting his elbows on the edge.
Taehyung turns to him because heâs trying his best to be professional, and dramatically lifts his pen to his notepad.
âOK, so weâll have one of these, and one of these, and then one of these to start.â Heâs pointing to items on the menu and Taehyung wants to laugh again because heâs pretty sure the guy just doesnât want to pronounce the names of the dishes wrong.
âNo problem. Mains?â Taehyung knows heâs being a little short but fuck this guy.
âPlease could I have-â Jeongguk starts but is quickly interrupted.
âNo babe, itâs fine. Iâll order.â
Taehyungâs eyebrows raise of their own accord and he bites down on his tongue to stop himself from saying anything he might regret.
He diligently notes down the order, asking all of the right questions in all of the right places.
âAnd- I think thatâs it.â Arrogant guy closes his menu and hands it to Taehyung immediately.
âExcellent choices,â Taehyung says, and then turns to Jeongguk because heâs a petty bitch. âAnd what can I get you, Jeongguk? Your friend sure does eat a lot.â
Jeonggukâs toothy grin appears again and Taehyung thinks his laugh sounds honest and warm.
âNo, dude, weâre going to share. Weâre on a date,â arrogant guy says harshly, clearly pissed off with Taehyung.
âOh, right. Sorry, man,â Taehyung says innocently, shrugging his shoulders at Jeongguk whoâs still laughing quietly to himself. He looks up at Taehyung as he hands him the menu and his eyes are sparkling again, dancing with humour.
âCan I get Jin to bring you any more drinks over?â Taehyung asks as he shoves his notepad and pen back into his belt pouch.
âIâll have another beer,â arrogant guy says as he downs the remaining liquid from the glass.
âUh, another wine please,â Jeongguk asks.
âSure. Red?â
âYeah.â
Taehyung takes one look at Jeonggukâs date whoâs glaring right at Taehyung and then turns back to Jeongguk. He tilts his head in the dateâs direction and with wide eyes asks, âLarge?â
Jeonggukâs face breaks out into another grin and Taehyung thinks heâs fucking addicted.
He nods and his bangs drop on his eyelashes, making them move as he blinks.
âPlease.â
*
âJesus Christ, that dude.â
âHuh?â Taehyung asks from behind his usual spot at the waiter station.
Jin nods across at Jeonggukâs table in the corner where arrogant guy is still holding court.
âWhich dude?â Taehyung asks innocently.
âNot your bae, donât worry.â
âPlease donât say âbaeâ Jin.â
âWhy?â
âBecause itâs not a thing anymore. It never fucking shouldâve been if you ask me.â
âNoted. But seriously, man, his fucking date. Never in my life have I heard such shit come out of someoneâs mouth!â
Taehyug canât help but laugh. âWhat do you mean? Like what?â
âJesus, everytime I walk past heâs bragging about some shit heâs done. Work, gym, vacations. Iâm sick of hearing him and heâs not even my date.â
âHe ordered for both of them. Without asking his date,â Taehyung confesses. Heâs happy Jin thinks this guy is a total asshole too.
âEw. Gross. Weâre in 2019. Let us have the autonomy to order our own fucking meals.â
âCheers to that,â Taehyung mumbles and holds out an imaginary glass for Jin to clink together. Taehyung fucking loves Jin.
âBaby boyfriendâs not had the chance to utter a word all night, poor thing.â
Taehyung laughs loudly and then winces when Yoongi glares at him from the door of the restaurant where heâs seating patrons. âWhat the fuck did you just call him, hyung?â
âYou told me not to say bae.â
âSo you thought âbaby boyfriendâ was an acceptable replacement?â Taehyungâs holding his hand over his mouth now to try and keep in his laughter. He doesnât need Yoongi to be on his case again.
Jimin sidles up to the station, slipping past Taehyung to start keying in an order.
âWhat are we laughing about?â he asks.
âTaehyungâs baby boyfriend is here on another date,â Jin says immediately and Taehyung takes it back. He fucking hates Jin.
Jimin gasps unnecessarily. âShit, I know, I saw him walk in earlier but I was dealing with table forty. Is that the same guy heâs with?â
Taehyung doesnât have the time to answer before Jinâs diving in with the story. He doesnât know two people who love gossip more than Jimin and Jin.
âNo, itâs a different guy. This guy is a fucking asshole. Seriously. Heâs spent all night boasting about shit that no one cares about. Especially baby boyfriend.â
âOK, Jin, I love you but why the fuck do you keep calling him that?â
âTae told me not to say âbaeâ.â
âOK, ew. No one says that anymore, Jin-hyung. But why baby boyfriend?â
âLook at him,â Jin replies simply. And they all do.
Jeonggukâs sat back on his chair, hands playing with his napkin in his lap. His hair is perfectly tousled; just the right side of done but not made too much of an effort. Almost like a bed head. Taehyung wants to know what his bed head really looks like. He also wants to know what Jeongguk likes to eat for breakfast and if he prefers tea or coffee. He tries not to panic over how Taehyung never has these thoughts about people he wants to fuck. And then he tries not to panic about what that means.
Yoongi walks past the three of them with a family in tow, leading them to their table. He sends one look in their direction of, âwhat the fuck are you doing now?â and the three of them snap out of their daze, looking as busy as they can whilst continuing their conversation.
âOK, I thought this last time, but yes, baby boyfriend really is fucking hot,â Jimin says finally, as if this was new information to Taehyung.
âCan we not call him that?â Taehyung whines.
âWell we have to call him something,â Jin pouts.
âHow about his name?â Taehyung suggests, offering his friends a disbeleiving look. How did he end up with such weird hyungs?
Jimin gasps again. Taehyung makes a note to tell him about that habit because itâs really getting on his fucking nerves. Jimin points a finger at Taehyungâs chest, eyes all wide and a bit manic. âYou know his name.â
Taehyung isnât sure what the right answer to that is. He knows heâll get so much shit from them both if heâs honest, but heâs also not a liar. Taehyung keeps silent.
âOh my fucking god, you know his name! Hereâs me thinking you were too much of a coward to say anything last time but you got his name! Did you get his number, too?â He gasps and Jin copies him because heâs that wrapped up in Taehyungâs misery now. âOh my god, Tae, did you fuck him? Because remember what I said-â
âOh my god, Jimin, no! Shut up!â Taehyungâs all flustered now because sometimes Jimin is really loud.
âThen what?â
âHis date said his name last time and I heard it, thatâs all.â
âI heard you say to his date that you were friends,â Jin says from behind the pair and Taehyung has never wanted to strangle someone as much in his life.
âFriends?â Jimin asks in that tone where Taehyung knows he needs to start explaining himself.
âWeâre not friends, Jimin. And I havenât fucked him either, stop looking at me like that!â Taehyung groans. âLook, he recognised me from last time when I went to take their order. His douche of a date asked if we knew each other and I could hardly say, oh yeah, we met last week when he was on another date here, could I? So I said we were friends.â
âWhat did he say?â Jimin asks.
âWho?â
âBaby boyfriend.â Jin makes an ah-ha! noise in the background that both Taehyung and Jimin ignore.
âHe agreed and said we were friends, thatâs all.â
âSo you havenât fucked him?â
âNo!â
âBut you know his name.â
âI do.â
âSo what is it?â
âIâm not telling you! Youâll be weird and do something embarrassing. I know you, Jimin.â
âOK.â Jimin says, and that is not the response Taehyung was expecting.
âOK?â
âYeah. OK.â He says and then starts to move out of the little waiter station where theyâre all gathered.
âWhat are you doing? Where are you going?â Taehyung asks and even he can hear the panic in his voice.
âIf you wonât tell me, Iâll ask him myself.â Taehyung is pretty sure heâs about to die right here, right now. âJin-hyung, will you cover my tables for a few minutes?â Jimin asks sweetly, ignoring Taehyungâs harsh whispers of his name.
âOn it!â Jin says and Taehyung really needs new friends. Or to move to a different country. Holy shit.
*
Taehyung watches from the serving part of the kitchen that heâs escaped to as Jimin strides over to Jeonggukâs table. Heâs sat alone currently, and Taehyung absently remembers seeing the asshole of a date get up to use the bathroom.
He watches closely as Jimin chats easily with Jeongguk as he clears the empty plates from the table. He can only see the back of Jeonggukâs head from where he is but he can see that heâs looking up at Jimin. Jiminâs gesturing towards the kitchen where Taehyung is currently âtaking his breakâ if Yoongi happens to ask where he is. Jeongguk turns for a second to see where Jimin is pointing to, then redirects his attention back to whatever Jimin is saying.
For a second, Taehyung panics. He knows what peopleâs reactions are to Jimin. Heâs a fucking ethereal being after all. Heâs sunlight personified and Taehyung worries for a second that he wonât be able to compete after Jeonggukâs seen his best friend. His cheeks feel hot when he realises how much that thought fucking sucks .
Jeonggukâs date arrives back from the bathroom and Taehyung definitely sees him look Jimin up and down as he approaches the table. Wow, if Taehyung didnât hate this guy before, he definitely does now.
Jiminâs piled the plates up high now, balancing them all on one tiny hand as if itâs effortless, and heâs asking them a question. Taehyung can tell because asshole arrogant guy has interrupted Jeongguk again. Jimin waits and then nods, smiling warmly at Jeongguk and ignoring his date. Then he turns to walk to the kitchen.
*
âWhat the fuck did you just do?â Taehyung asks harshly when Jiminâs dumped the plates in the sink.
âJust allowed my best friend to have an unscheduled break, it looks like. Youâre welcome,â Jimin smirks before heading out back to the waiter station.
Taehyung follows him like a grouchy puppy.
âWhat did you say?â
âI just asked if everything was OK with his food. Revolutionary, right? â Heâs smirking again and if this wasnât directed at Taehyung, heâd be pretty fucking proud of his best friendâs sass.
âOh.â
âAnd then I had to tell him where you had disappeared off to. Iâm not used to seeing such disappointment on someoneâs face when I speak to them, Taetae. Hurt my feelings a little,â he laughs and Taehyung can feel his palms getting clammy again.
âWhat do you mean?â
âI mean, he said everything was great. And then asked where - and I quote - whereâs Taehyung-hyung? Is he OK? â
Taehyung desperately tries to control the smile thatâs threatening to spread across his face and, from the look of Jiminâs smirk, heâs not doing a great job.
âWhat did you tell him?â
âThat you were on your break. Donât worry, I didnât tell him you were hiding in the kitchen having a mental breakdown that I was going to ask his name.â
âOh god. Did you ask him? Were you really obvious about it? Am I going to have to quit my job, Jimin? Am I going to have to avoid him for the rest of my life?â
âStop being so dramatic. I am the king of subtlety when I want to be.â
âYeah right-â
âI said when I want to be ,â JImin interrupts.
âOK, so what did you say?â
âI said he looked familiar.â
âAnd?â
âHe said he didnât recognise me. And asked where I thought I knew him from?â
âOh fuck, Jimin I swear to god if you told him you recognised him because Iâve got a fucking crush on-â
âCalm down. I lied. I told him I thought I recognised him from the coffee shop on campus.â
âWhat?â
Jimin nods.
âWhy would you-? What did he say?â
âHe said maybe. And then he told me about his major. And his name. And some other things too. Which means I now know more than you do.â Jiminâs grinning at Taehyung devilishly now and Taehyung marvels at Jiminâs ability to gain information on people. He also marvels at how  fucking dangerous Jimin could be if he was evil.
âAnd... youâre not going to tell me any of those things, are you?â
âNot for free. Nope,â Jimin pops the P and smiles.
âSo how do I know youâre not just making this up? Huh? How do I know you didnât just chat to him about the restaurant and you donât actually know anymore than I do?â
Jimin shrugs. âWell thatâs yours to consider. But when you want to know more about Jeongguk , Iâm sure we can think of a deal,â he smirks, watching Taehyungâs eyes burst wide as Jimin says his name.
âFuck. OK. Whatâs the deal? What do you want from me?â
âAsk him on a date.â
âFuck off.â
âOK. No information for you.â
Taehyung whines again and he actually does stamp his feet a little this time, much to Jiminâs amusement.
âPlease. Something else, Jimin-ah. If I go on a date with him, I could ask him these things myself. It needs to be something less than that.â
Jiminâs eyes narrow and Taehyung can see him weighing up his options in his head. âOK. Fair point. New deal: Iâll tell you what I know and then you have to ask him for his number.â
Taehyung breathes in deeply, pouting his lips together as he considers Jiminâs offer. He looks over his shoulder at Jeongguk, all broad shoulders and soft curls, and then Jeongguk catches his eye as he turns to look around the restaurant. He smiles, closed mouth this time, like heâs pleased to see Taehyungâs back from his break. Taehyungâs heart skips a beat and he realises heâs smiled back. Jeonggukâs eyes twinkle again, even from across the room and Taehyung makes his mind up.
He wants to know everything about this kid. And Jimin seems like a good place to start.
âOK. Fuck you. But OK. Deal,â he says definitively, holding his hand out for Jimin to shake.
Jimin looks positively delirious with joy as he grasps Taehyungâs hand firmly in his own.
âSo hereâs what I knowâŚâ
*
Taehyungâs still digesting all of the information that Jimin has shared with him about Jeongguk ( aged 21, originally from Busan, Virgo, majoring in math and sports studies, actually enjoys working out and also playing video games) when the bell rings behind him to signify he needs to actually do his job and collect the waiting food.
He feels his stomach flip when he sees the ticket of table thirty four underneath a gigantic slab of caramel cheesecake. He breathes in deeply through his nose, calming his nerves of a) actually speaking to Jeongguk again and b) speaking to Jeongguk whilst his date is still at the table.
It takes him three deep breaths and a weird look from Yeonjun, a trainee chef behind the serving partition, to actually get moving. Heâs not proud of it but it is what it is. He grabs two spoons before arriving at Jeonggukâs table.
âHere you go, guys. Caramel cheesecake,â he says as he places the dessert in the centre of the table,âAnd two spoons.â
âUh-â Jeongguk starts and Taehyungâs eyes shoot to him.
âIs everything OK?â he asks, bewildered at Jeonggukâs reaction.
âUh, itâs just-â
âWe didnât order it,â arrogant guy spits, more angrily that truly necessary.
Taehyung feels his shoulders tense. âOh. OK. Are you sure? The ticket definitely says your table,â he says, double checking the piece of paper again that he placed in his belt pouch.
âYeah, man. Weâre sure. We donât want it. I already told your little friend over there-â he waves his hand dismissively in Jiminâs direction where heâs busy serving another table. â-that we specifically didnât want dessert.â
âOh, OK. No problem. Well, thereâs no charge for it in that case,â Taehyung says. He knows they wonât be able to serve the piece to anyone else now. âMight as well treat yourselves, right?â He says, mainly to Jeongguk because Taehyung really doesnât like the other guy. Heâs not sure if heâs already mentioned that?
Jeongguk breaks into a grin that Taehyung canât help but liken to an excited bunny when arrogant guy speaks again.
âTake it away,â he demands.
âDude, itâs just gonna end up in the trash. Honestly, thereâs no charge.â
âAre you dumb?â He asks, and Taehyung feels fire in his ears. âI said we donât want it. I donât give a shit if youâre charging us for it or not. Take it. Away.â His eyes are locked onto Taehyungâs now, like a bull ready to attack. Taehyung feels sorry for this guy. Imagine getting so irate at something so inconsequential. Heâs about to tell him exactly that, screw professionalism, when heâs beaten to it.
âFucking hell, Han-gyeol. Itâs a piece of cheesecake. What the fuck is wrong with you?â Jeongguk asks, leaning back in his chair and showing that heâs so fucking done with this date.
Taehyung says nothing. He knows that he should leave them to it but his feet are stuck to the spot.
Han-gyeol as Taehyung now knows the asshole is called stares directly across the table at Jeongguk, eyes hard. âWho the fuck do you think you are? Talking to me like that? Iâm older than you, show some respect and apologize, Jeongguk,â he says quietly, trying to assert his control.
Jeongguk sits there, staring right back. His lips move into a devilish smirk and Taehyung wants to taste him.
âI said apologize. Or Iâm leaving,â Han-gyeol says as if itâs a threat.
Jeongguk leans forward in his chair, elbows resting on the table, face close to where Han-gyeol has leaned in closer.
âFuck off then,â he whispers and Taehyung has to muffle his shocked laughter with both hands.
The sound of Han-gyeolâs chair scraping against the brick floor of the restaurant is loud, causing the few occupied tables left around him to turn and stare. Taehyung sees the eyes of Jin and Namjoon at the bar staring at him, and he can feel Yoongi and Jiminâs gaze on his back.
Taehyung waits until Han-gyeol has slammed the restaurant door in temper before he lets out his guffaw of laughter. The noise seems to settle the other patrons who continue with their meal. A quick glance and shake of his head at the bar sends the message thatâs heâs fine, everythingâs fine.
Jeonggukâs resting his elbow on the table again with his hand slapped over his forehead. His cheeks are tinged pink with embarrassment and Taehyung loves how cute he looks.
âOh my god,â Jeongguk says, and Taehyung kicks himself for finding this situation so funny. Jeonggukâs just had a fight with his date in the middle of a busy restaurant because of Taehyung. Shit.
âAre you okay?â Taehyung asks quietly. Jeongguk immediately looks up at the change in Taehyungâs tone.
âWhat? Am I-? Yeah, man, Iâm fine. Are you ? He let rip on you about a piece of fucking cheesecake,â he laughs again. Taehyung canât help but join in after seeing that Jeonggukâs actually fine. âI mean, cheesecake . Who does that?â
âWhat an asshole,â Taehyung mumbles.
âYou donât say!â
âI am sorry, though. That I kind of ruined your date. No one wants to find out that their dateâs a dick.â
âOh god, Taehyung, honestly. You kind of saved me. I knew he was a dick from the moment he walked in. I was waiting for the chance to leave,â Jeongguk confesses, running his hand over his eyes in a fist.
âWell then, youâre welcome. I expect full repayment for my services,â Taehyung jokes and then he feels his pulse spike.
He can almost hear Jiminâs voice screaming at him in his mind: This is your chance, Taehyung. Ask him for his number. Ask him! What scares Taehyung the most is that itâs his own voice he can hear as well.
âOf course! Would uh- would some caramel cheesecake suffice?â Jeongguk asks. His mouth twitches a little, and Taehyung wonders if heâs nervous .
âUh, what?â Elegant as ever, Taehyung. Well done.
âI mean, uh. Well, I just wondered if maybe you wanted- uh.â Jeonggukâs stuttering of his words and Taehyungâs heart is beating to the same rhythm. âI guess I wondered if you wanted to share this with me,â he says finally, sheepishly pointing to the infamous cheesecake still in the centre of the table. âBut I mean, it was a stupid idea. Youâre working, obviously. And you donât want to share it with me of all people, so why donât you just take it? And then-â
Jeonggukâs cut off by Taehyung dropping into the vacant seat opposite him and picking up a spoon.
âThat would definitely work,â Taehyung says, smiling softly despite that fact he is freaking out on the inside. Jeonggukâs returning smile lights his entire face up. Taehyung swears he can feel it in his body, too.
âCool. OK. Cool,â Jeongguk says as he picks up his spoon, eyes focused purposely on the cheesecake as if he canât look at Taehyung without his giddiness overflowing.
âCool,â Taehyung repeats, sending a quick wink to the waiterâs station where Jimin, Yoongi and finally Hoseok are crammed in. Jiminâs pretending to mop away tears, Hobiâs clutching at his heart with his signature toothy grin, and even Yoongiâs face has cracked into a half smile. He gives Taehyung the thumbs up and thatâs all Taehyung needs.
He looks away from his friends and towards the boy in front of him, eyes sparkling as he looks at Taehyung, lips glistening with caramel sauce.
*
âSo,â Jimin begins as Taehyung wipes down his last table for the night. The restaurant is now empty, lights on full brightness so the poor staff who remain can clean up as fast as possible. Taehyung canât wipe the smile off his face.
âSo.â
âThat went well,â Jimin assumes.
Taehyung nods coyly, smile spreading to a grin and he doesnât even try to hide it. âIt did.â
âLooked pretty cosy.â
âIt was.â
Jiminâs smiling, giddy for Taehyung and he prods him in the side. âWell come on then!â
Taehyung places the salt shakers back where they belong and sends Jimin a raised eyebrow. âCome on what?â
âSpill! Iâm your broken hearted best friend. Let me live through your adventures!â
Taehyung laughs. âJiminie, we shared a slice of cheesecake. Hardly an adventure.â
Jimin smirks. âYouâre welcome, by the way.â
âWhat?â
âYouâre welcome. For the cheesecake.â
Taehyung is utterly confused now. He abandons his cloth so he can turn fully to Jimin. âWhat did you do?â
âSome may call it being a good waiter. Some may call it meddling.â
âJimin,â Taehyung warns.
âOK - asshole told me he specifically didnât want dessert and baby boyf- sorry. Jeongguk. Jeongguk looked disappointed. So I ordered it anyway.â
âJimin-ah,â Taehyung sighs.
âI know, I know! It could have backfired in all sorts of ways. But it didnât. In fact, Iâd say it worked like a charm. Wouldnât you, Taetae?â he grins, chuckling at how Taehyungâs expression turns coy.
âIt did.â
âSo, did you keep up to your end of the bargain?â
âBargain?â
âYou know, our deal! I give you precious information about Jeongukkie and you ask for his number. Did you do it?â
âUh, kind of.â
Jimin raises his eyebrow. The scary one that curves high on his forehead that means Taehyung better explain.
âWell, I kind of didnât directly ask for his number per se.â
âPer se?â
âNo.â
âTaehyung!â
âBut! I guess I kind of asked him on a date?â
Jiminâs eyes light up and he clasps his hands together in joy. âYou asked him on a date? Oh my god, Tae, thatâs- wait. What do you mean, âkind ofâ?â
âI mean I did.â
âDefinitely did?â
âDefinitely did.â
Jimin whoops and grasps Taehyung into tight hug, whispering how proud of him he is. He shouts Jin and Namjoon over, Hoseok and Yoongi coming over to see what the fuss is about.
âOur sweet baby Taehyung has got himself a date!â Jimin announces to the group, joining in with the shouts of celebration again.
Jin claps him on the back and hooks his arm over Taehyungâs shoulders. âAh, you see! Jiminâs  bargaining worked.â He holds his hand up to Jimin for a high five.
âWell, technically, he didnât follow the deal,â Jimin teases, and then pauses. âWait, Taehyungie, how do you have a date with him but didnât get his number?â
âI uh- Iâm not allowed to have my phone out in the restaurant so I gave him my number,â Taehyung explains quietly, confused at the laughter coming from his friends.
âOh sure, and sharing dessert with a customer after scaring their date off is perfectly acceptable. Taehyung, youâve literally broken every other rule I set for you,â Yoongi laughs, eyes crinkled up and teeth showing. Taehyung thinks it suits him.
âI know! I just wasnât thinking straight! I couldnât get my head around the fact this perfect guy was sat right there and he wanted to share dessert with me! â
His friends are cooing around him when Taehyungâs phone chimes with a text. He reaches immediately into his pocket and feels his cheeks heat up. He knows theyâre pink, and he can feel the boxy grin thatâs blossomed on his face involuntarily. He walks into the kitchen away from the teasing hoots of his friends to read and then re-read his notification (and then maybe read it again).
_____________________
Received at 23:47
Unknown number
Hi ! Itâs JK. hereâs my number :)
just wanted to say thank u - for tonight and for asking me out. are u free tomoro after ur shift? X
_____________________
Taehyung canât smile any wider, but if he could he would. With clammy palms and slightly shaky fingers, he unlocks his phone and types out his reply.
Maybe giving dating a go isnât such a bad idea.
(No offence intended to anyone who likes plain food - I am the biggest wimp there is when it comes to spicy food. This does not make us boring! It just means we just have to protect our tastebuds and our dignity. Let us unite.)
the bts boys are finally getting their well earned break! #restwellBTS
hereâs a couple of different scenarios of what jeongguk might get up to at home with y/n.
pairing: jeongguk x reader
rating: T
~3000 words
âWhatâre you watching?â
âDunno.â
âOkay. How long have you been watching it?â
Jeongguk fishes his phone out from where heâs somehow laid on it and taps the screen until it lights up.
âUh, maybe like, three hours? Three and a half maybe.â
âAnd you still donât know what youâre watching?â
âNot a clue.â
âOkay baby. Are you having fun?â
âFuck yeah I am. Grab some snacks and come and join me,â he says, making grabby hands at you over the back of the couch.
*
âJeongguk? âM home.â
âIn the bathroom!â
You kick off the uncomfortable shoes youâd been wearing all day and leave them in a pile by the door, making a mental note to tidy them up later.
As you move through the apartment, you slowly shed the signs of your work uniform until youâre stood in front of your dresser in your bedroom. Grabbing one of Jeonggukâs t-shirts from his side of the drawers, you let it fall over your shoulders and sigh at the feeling: of being home, of being in your little haven, of being in your favourite personâs shirt.
A voice calling your name grabs your attention and you immediately respond.
âYou good, baby?â
âYeah! Come find me!â
The treasure hunt wasnât hard.
âHi you- woah.â You stand in the doorway with your hand still braced against the door handle. The scene in front of you was quite a sight to behold. âWow. Look at you,â you say softly, unable to dampen the smile thatâs taken hold of your lips.
A giggle from Jeongguk makes your heart skip a beat (it often happens, letâs be honest) and he says, âHi baby. Close the door. Youâre lettinâ the cold in.â
Following his instruction, you shuffle further into the bathroom, pushing the door closed until it clicks. âSo, howâs your day been?â you smile.
âItâs been awesome.â
âYeah? Do anything fun?â
âYou know, ran a little, saw some bunnies in the park down the street. Ran a bath.â
âYeah, you ran a bath!â you tease, taking a seat on the closed toilet seat next to where Jeongguk is currently lazing in the bathtub. âIâve never seen as much foam in my life!â you laugh.
His laugh rings out loudly in the warm bathroom. âHmm, I didnât really know how to use it - you know - one of those bath things you like to use. The ones that make the bath all bubbly and smell super good.â
âA bath bomb.â
âThatâs what itâs called? I had to google how to use it but I couldnât think of the name. I threw it all in here and it smelled so good so I might have put another two or three in,â he grins sheepishly, knowing full well youâre not going to berate him for wasting your bath bombs but at least having the decency to look like heâs sorry.
âOh really? Well I think thatâs the only way to experience your first bath in this apartment.â
âHell yeah. I canât believe Iâve never had a bath here,â he says softly, sinking down further into the bubbles.
You rest your hand on the bathtub side, skimming your hand through the top surface of bubbles. âYou donât have the time usually,â you remind him quietly.
âDo now though,â he smiles, eyes closing as he rests his head back on the tiled wall.
âDamn straight you do, baby,â you say, smiling wider as his hand grips yours through the bubbles.Â
âAll the time in the world,â he whispers, squeezing at your hand.
A calm silence fills the room, only filled by the noise of water swishing when Jeongguk moves.
âGo on then,â you break the silence to say. âWhich bath bombs did you use? It smells delicious in here.â
âUm- so I put a pink-y purple one in first. It smelled like marshmallows, so obviously I got excited. Then there was one that was like a turquoise colour. It had a label on it that said âcalmâ so I thought why not? I think that was - oh wait. No, there was definitely one that looked like it had crystals or something on it.â Heâs looking at you with those wide eyes, hands gesticulating and accidentally flicking water around the bathroom, but itâs like heâs telling you the most important thing ever. âIt like, popped when I put it in the water so I was a little worried but it smelled so good.â
You smile. âDude.â
âWhat?â he laughs.
âYouâre going to be so stained when you get out of there!â
âWhat? Is that a thing-?â He lifts up his leg and his brown eyes bulge at the goldish tint to his skin. âI thought baths were supposed to make you clean!â
âYou are clean. This is just one of the consequences sometimes. Itâll come off but you might have to shower when youâve let the water out. Weâll talk about how to clean the bath out later.â He groans and you laugh. âBut, how relaxed do you feel right now?â
He settles back, closing his eyes again with a soft smile on his face. âGood point. Totally worth having my body stained gold,â he says.
âGolden baby,â you whisper, adoring the sound of his laugh melting in the heated air.
âDo you know what would make me even more relaxed?â he asks, intertwining your hands again when he finds your fingertips.
âHmm?â
âHearing your voice. Tell me about your day, baby.â
*
âHey!â
âHi you. Want some?â You say, offering a bite of your fruit bowl thatâs serving as your breakfast.
âMmm,â he mumbles, accepting the fruit thatâs spiked onto your fork. âThanks,â he whispers into your ear, pecking the top of your head with a quick kiss as he passes to fill up the water bottle in his hand.
âHow was your workout?â you ask, flipping to the next page of the book in front of you, finishing off your sentence before turning your attention to Jeongguk.
âSo good. You know when you can feel every muscle in your body? Yeah, that kind of good,â he says, pretending to lunge forward and stretch his muscles further.
âEw. Personally, I think that sounds horrendous.â
âNah, feels good. Maybe a massage would help later though if it really starts to hurt,â he says from beside you, looking up through his lashes at you.
âHa! This is all self inflicted. You bring this pain on yourself!â you point out.
âSo no massage?â he asks, still looking up at you and this time even pouting his bottom lip slightly.
âOh for f- okay. Maybe a massage for you,â you give in. âIâm such a pushover,â you laugh.
âNah, you just love me. Want me to relax.â Heâs nuzzling at your ear now, making you giggle. âAlways tellinâ me to relax and now Iâm here. Relaxing all over the place. You love it.â He takes the fruit bowl thatâs in your hands off you and shoves it onto the counter top where youâre sitting. âYou love me,â he whispers.
Youâre still giggling at how ridiculous this gorgeous boy is, but you canât help but nodding. âLove you so much,â you whisper.
âKnew it,â he grins, then, âLove you back. Câmere.â He slides his hand to your cheek and pulls you in for a kiss.
*
âBabe, do you know how to braid hair?â
âJK, I love you but you do know itâs 11:30 at night, right?â
âWell, yeah, but I was just wondering.â
âArenât you tired?â
âNot really. Been asleep loads recently. Feel like Iâm all energised a lot of the time now.â
Your feeling of frustration slowly disappears as you realise how much comfort Jeonggukâs last statement just brought to you. Heâs finally getting the time off he needed.
âOkay then,â you say, rolling over onto your back, propping your pillows up a little behind your head so you can see where Jeongguk is resting against the headboard, phone lighting up his face. âWhyâd you want to know if I can braid?â
âIâve just seen this video on youtube of a dad braiding his daughterâs hair. And I thought, like woah, how cool is that. And also, like, what if I canât braid hair? I want to learn now so Iâve got time to practise.â
Jesus, this kid. Your heart feels as though itâs two sizes too big for your body and you canât trust yourself with words just yet so you nod your head at him and smile.
âDo you think you could teach me the basics?â he asks, not waiting for you to respond to his previous comment.
âCourse I can.â
âReally?â he watches you sit up further in bed, pulling on the hair tie thatâs keeping your hair in a pony tail. âNow?â
âSure. Do you wanna learn now?â
âYeah I do! Shit, I love you. Now teach me your ways, sensei.â
*
âBabe, Jin called. Says youâre not answering again.â
âAh shit, my phoneâs on silent. I canât believe he calls you to tattle on me not answering.â
âRight? I told him we were wink wink busy and he screamed. Then told me to get you to ring him back when weâre done,â you laugh, accepting Jeonggukâs high five.
âAmazing,â he whispers, before pulling his phone out of his pocket and selecting Jinâs contact. He takes a seat at the side of you, resting his elbows against the counter and stealing a bite of your cereal as the phone rings.
âHyung!â
âJeonggukie! I hope you washed before calling me.â
âWhat? Youâre literally miles away from me right now.â
âStill! I donât want to be infected with any of your sex germs.â
âHa! Okay, hyung. Then Iâm delighted to tell you that Iâm squeaky clean so whatâs up?â
âI feel like I havenât seen you in forever.â
âItâs literally been three days, hyu-â
âI know itâs only been three days but I need to make sure youâre doing well. Fancy lunch tomorrow?â
âOf course, hyung. What time? Usual place?â
âUsual place. Say 12?â
âAh, can we do a little later?â
âWhy? Have other plans more important than me, Jeongukkie?â
âHyung, donât be like that! Itâs just - you know my neighbour, Mrs Kim? She has this super adorable old dog that she doesnât have the energy to walk all the time. Iâve kind of volunteered to walk him for her every day at 12.â
Your heart melts a little at Jeonggukâs kindness so you give him a fond nudge to the thigh with your foot, tapping at your heart when you get his attention. He laughs, swatting your foot away but grabbing it just before you can move it, pulling it and then your other to rest on his lap.
âOh JK, youâre so sweet! A true martyr. No wonder the older ladies love you.â
âHyung, thereâs nothing Iâm sacrficing to do it. I like it! It gives me seomthing to do each day and I get to be outside. I love the fresh air and I love the little guy and I like that Iâm helping. Win win.â
âWow. Youâre perfect. And I am well qualified to say that because as we know, I am perfect myself.â
âWhatever you say, Jin-hyung. It only takes an hour or so. Meet me at my place at 1?â
âAh, sounds good. See you tomorrow, JK!â
Jeongguk replies his goodbyes, clunking his phone onto the counter when heâs done and cupping your socked feet with his hands.
âWell, isnât my boyfriend the sweetest?â
He laughs, pink flushing his cheeks slightly. To hide his shyness, he says, âHe is. And handsome. And talented. And-â
âOkay, okay! We get it!â You laugh, kicking your feet off his lap. âJeez, your headâs gonna be so big it wonât fit through Mrs Kimâs door tomorrow,â you mumble teasingly.
âNot the only thing thatâs big,â he winks.
âOh my god, that was terrible.â
âI know. I can only apologise. Now give me back your legs, theyâre keeping me toasty.â
*
âDâyou want some tea?â
Youâre aware that Jeongguk is standing behind the armchair youâre currently curled up on, but you canât quite answer him yet. Youâre at that part of a book where youâre fully immersed, empathising and experiencing adventures with these characters. You canât interrupt that with the real world.
Your eyes are racing across the lines on the page, and you feel Jeongguk move to take a seat on the arm of your chair.
Youâre not sure how many minutes pass but eventually you reach the end of the chapter. You place your hand in your book, knowing youâre not stopping long enough to need your bookmark (you canât possibly stop reading with only this many pages to go) and look up.
Jeonggukâs perched on the arm of your chair, looking down at you with a soft smile on his face.
âSorry, what did you say?â
âDâyou want some tea?â He repeats softly.
âYes please,â you smile sheepishly, feeling bad that youâd ignored him. âSorry about that, I just-â
âI know. Itâs fine.â He makes no move to get up yet. âI love watching you read.â
âYou do?â
âYeah. You always look so cozy. Youâre all snuggled up and in this other world and throwing yourself into these adventures. Itâs amazing to see. I always wish I had something to read when I see you. Like, Iâm kind of jealous that I donât usually have the time to start a book. I guess it just makes me feel really calm to watch you.â
âIt does?â
âYeah. Itâs like, I know youâre here with me and youâre safe and nothingâs worrying you right there and then. Like, I donât get to see this usually. It makes me realise Iâm home and Iâm with you.â
âOh.â
Your heart is pounding in your chest at his words but somehow, you feel calm too.
âCan I ask what youâre reading or shall I leave you to it for a bit?â
âNo, no. Of course you can,â you smile, reaching to the other arm of the chair for your bookmark and popping it in. For him, youâd pause for a little while. For him, youâd do anything. âI love talking about what Iâm reading.â
Hours later - neither of you can be sure how long exactly - Jeongguk is sitting directly opposite you in the matching armchair, coffee table separating you both filled with books.
Paperback book and hardback books and new books and old. As many as you could locate in your apartment that you thought Jeongguk might like. Youâd sat together and read the blurbs until he found one full of magic and adventure that he wanted to read. His eyes had sparkled when heâd picked it up, already entranced by the illustrations of the characters on the front cover.
Cut to now - Jeongguk folded up on the opposite chair to you, legs tucked under himself, nose pressed into the book resting against an arm of the arm chair.
Youâd completed your book a while ago, now content to sip on the tea heâd brought you and watch him lose himself in the story in front of him.
You get what he means, you think to yourself as you watch him. It is calming to see; hereâs your favourite boy, curled up safely in your apartment, well rested, relaxed, enough time to enjoy the normal things, the little things in life.
Your mind casts back to the time that heâs been home for the break. The endless sleeping for the first weeks, catching up on years of exhaustion; the desperation for you, catching up on years of unavoidable separations; the reconnecting with his family, catching up on lives in real time rather than over fuzzy facetime screens. Him discovering new loves, new hobbies, new ways to relax himself. Him simply being there in your apartment, dropping kisses to your cheek as he passes, joining in spontaneous dances in the kitchen.
Your heartâs doing that thing again, where it feels like thereâs too much love in it, and itâs almost like he knows.
He turns the page of his book, peeking over the top of it at you as if heâs just wanting to make sure youâre still there, that heâs not just imagined this.
You send him a soft smile, pulling your cup to rest against your lips.
âLove being home.â
*
(WELP. I miss BTS already but Iâm so so pleased theyâre getting time off. Iâm pretty sure JKâs time off wonât be as boring as this but it gives me comfort to think of him being all relaxed and domestic! Hope you enjoyed!)
sketchguk replied to your post âgym bunny: JJKâ
This is so adorable!! Iâm in love with your characterization of jk �� I found myself laughing so much while reading this!! Also, I used to volunteer at the ymca when I was younger, and now Iâm studying to become a teacher LOL. This fic is the embodiment of me, and my heart is so, so full â¤ď¸ I canât wait to read more of your writing ��
hi! wow this is so sweet! iâm so pleased you enjoyed it and the best of luck in becoming a teacher! iâm sure youâll be fantastic :)
ouu there are so many wonderful writers on this site but Iâll give you a couple of my favourites ! Iâm gonna insert a cut because this is probably going to be very long lmao..it is a long list.
or: jeongguk is a literal angel and takes care of his man. but only in a heat related way.
alternative:Â ao3 link
Kim Taehyung is really fucking hot.
Like, he knows that heâs hot in a hell yes Iâm a catch and yeah, you wish I was yours kind of way, but also heâs really fucking warm.
He slaps at the top of his phone where itâs charging on his bedside table and internally groans when he sees that itâs 01:47 in the morning.
He groans again (not as internally this time) when he remembers that this fucking heat has been torturing him for the last two days and then heâs cursing the weather and climate change and the city and the apartment and the fucking dollar store down the street where theyâd sold out of fans within 3 minutes of the heatwave making an appearance.
Heâs laid on top of the sheets of his bed, blankets carelessly kicked down to the bottom and pillow hot despite how many times he flips it to try and find the cool side.
He huffs out loud, kicking his legs back and forth in a little tantrum, but if heâs being really honest, he just doesnât want to suffer alone. Heâs too hot and it makes him act a little childish, okay?
He wriggles enough to make the mattress move and he turns his head to watch his dead-to-the-world sleeping boyfriend bounce slightly at the movement.
Taehyung waits patiently (not really) for Jeonggukâs eyes to flicker open and offer some sort of suggestion to solve Taehyungâs misery but alas, nothing. Not even a flicker of an eyelid.
Never one to give in, Taehyung persists.
âBabe.â
Taehyung whispers into the warm air, not able to summon the energy to speak any louder. He glances at Jeongguk from the corner of his eye and silently curses him for his ability to sleep through fucking anything. That boy and his sleep, seriously.
Taehyung sighs again, lifting his head up off his pillow purely so he can dramatically slam it back down. He doesnât know, maybe the action will create a little breeze to cool him down.
He can report back that it doesnât.
âBabe. Jeongguk.â He flops his head on his pillow so heâs looking directly at the boy who is still fast asleep, oblivious to both the scorching heat thatâs inescapable in their shitty apartment and to his restless boyfriend who just wants someone to join him in his misery, goddammit.
Exhaling one of his more dramatic sighs - more of an acceptance that his little shit of a boyfriend isnât going to be of any help here - Taehyung glares once more at Jeongguk before throwing his legs over the side of the bed and making a move to sit up.
Taehyung takes a moment to push his hair back of his face and wipe at the sweat thatâs gathered on his upper lip. Gross, he thinks to himself, and then carefully considers a cold shower.
As heâs weighing up the pros (certain relief from the heat and sweet, sweet cold soaking his body) and cons (actually having to get in the shower) of his idea, a scorching hot hand dances over his hip, tugging back lightly. Taehyung can just about feel his internal thermometer blow and he literally canât handle anything that will make him feel hotter. Without thinking, Taehyung reacts and swats harshly at the source of the heat. A yelp echoes behind him.
âJesus Christ, what the fuck was that for?â
And okay, so Taehyung feels a little bad when he turns around and sees his sleepy, beautiful boyfriend with his eyebrows furrowed, rubbing at the wrist that Taehyungâs just slapped away.
But then he remembers how Jeongguk had slept so peacefully through Taehyungâs tossing and turning, so maybe he deserved it. Maybe.
âIâm too hot,â Taehyung whines, eyes tightly closed and facing the ceiling just because he likes the drama of it.
âTell me something I donât know,â Jeongguk says, and the fact that heâs cool enough to making stupid jokes nearly tips Taehyung over the edge.
âFuck off. Itâs like a fucking sauna in here.â
âThe windowâs open.â
âI know the windowâs open but the fucking city is like the Sahara desert. Iâm fucking over it, Jeongguk.â
âI know you are, babe,â Jeongguk replies, voice suspiciously soft.
Taehyung whips his head back around from where heâs been staring at his knees.
âAre you kidding me?â Taehyung gasps. âAre you for real? Are you really going back to sleep right now?â Taehyung turns himself fully so heâs sat back on the bed, legs crossed and facing his boyfriend with eyes of fire.
âShould I not be going to sleep at 2 in the morning when Iâm laying in my gorgeous bed with my gorgeous boyfriend? Sorry, I must have misread the signals,â Jeongguk says sarcastically but he makes sure his eyes are open. He might be a sarcastic little shit but he doesnât have a death wish.
Jeongguk turns over from where heâd been laid on his side and settles in a type of mini starfish across the bed.
Taehyung wastes no time in shoving his legs back over onto his side.
âWoah, woah!â Jeongguk calls as heâs almost pushed off the bed. âWhatâs with the violence?â
âIâm too hot!â Taehyung wails. âIâve been awake for ages now and youâve been fast asleep and itâs not fair!â
In his defence, Taehyung knows how fucking childish he sounds but he really just wants the temperature to drop back to normal to he can snuggle into his blankets, cuddle his boyfriend and sleep peacefully for the first time in what feels like fucking ages. Is that really too much to ask?
Jeonggukâs smiling at him. Taehyung hasnât actually looked up from where heâs holding his head in his hands but he can feel it.
âSo youâre mad at me because I was asleep when you werenât?â
âWell, when you put it like that it sou-â
âOkay. What can we do to cool you down?â
Taehyung looks up from his hands this time and stares directly at Jeongguk.
Heâs laid back on his pillows, legs resting on his side of the bed and looking as relaxed as ever.
His bare chest is glistening with a little sheen of sweat in the moonlight thatâs coming from the window in the corner and Taehyung feels a little better in knowing that Jeongguk is actually a tiny bit affected by the extreme heat. But still, not as much as Taehyung is which is totally unfair.
âI just want to cool down,â Taehyung says quietly, flopping himself back down onto his pillow and then flipping it over again to try and find a cooler spot.
Jeongguk is doing that fond smile at him from where heâs watching him from his pillow and Taehyungâs heart swells a little bit.
âOkay, baby. Letâs cool you down,â Jeongguk says decisively and sits up, swinging his legs off the bed and padding his way towards the bedroom door. âTake your boxers off. Less material clinging to you the better.â
Taehyung raises an eyebrow at him across the room and he knows that despite the dark, Jeongguk knows the pointed look thatâs been thrown at him.
âIâm not fucking you in this heat,â Taehyung says, just to be clear.
Jeongguk laughs loudly and Taehyung fucking loves that noise, loves being the one who gets to make him laugh like that and the one who gets to witness it every day. But heâs still not having sex with him until this fucking heatwave has gone on itâs merry way.
âWell shit, there goes my plan,â Jeongguk teases. âCome on, strip! Iâll be back in two,â he continues before slipping out of the door.
It might be nearly 100 degrees in this bedroom but Taehyung canât help but watch Jeonggukâs peachy little boxer clad butt leave the room. He might be hot but heâs still human.
Taehyung follows his order and flings his underwear across the room in the direction of the laundry hamper before spread eagling on the bed, straight across Jeonggukâs side.
Heâs about 85% sure his throw was nowhere near where he was aiming for and his suspicions are confirmed by Jeonggukâs tut as he re-enters their bedroom.
Taehyung squeezes his eyes closed because he is absolutely too hot for a lecture on leaving his shit around the apartment right now. Thankfully, Jeongguk can read Taehyung perfectly and simply clicks the door shut behind him.
Taehyung peels one eye open to peer up at his boyfriend and the stack of items heâs carrying in his arms. Heâs distracted for a moment when, with a practised flick of his foot, Jeongguk catapults Taehyungâs offending underwear across the room and into their rightful place in the hamper.
Taehyungâs a little impressed and to be honest, heâs distracted from the heat for a second when he thinks about how practised that move looked. Then he remembers itâs too fucking hot and that he does leave his underwear on the floor sometimes, so Jeonggukâs probably had more practise at that than he should have.
Taehyung makes a mental note to work on that. Then he whines out loud to get his boyfriendâs attention. Like he said earlier, he knows he gets childish when heâs warm. Heâd apologise but thereâs nothing he can do about it.
âI know, babe. Iâm here. Get your legs out of th-â Jeongguk doesnât even bother to finish that sentence, just shoves at Taehyungâs sprawled out legs with his one free hand and ignores the whine when Jeonggukâs hand touches his skin.
He settles on the bed sat up with his legs crossed, just like Taehyung was earlier, and throws the items heâd piled in his arms onto the bed between him and his boyfriend.
Taehyung sits up on his elbows to see what exactly his boyfriendâs plan is.
âOkay, so. Weâve got ice cold water,â Jeongguk says whilst passing Taehyung a bottle straight from the refrigerator. âGotta keep my baby hydrated. Drink up!â he says before downing a water bottle himself.
Taehyung watches his throat as he gulps down the water and then his eyes trace the droplet that escapes his mouth and trickles down towards his jaw. This is absolutely not helping his temperature cool down, so Taehyung does the sensible thing and averts his gaze, sitting up and gulping down his water.
He feels like heâs not had anything to drink in days, despite drinking a cup of green tea before bed.
Jeongguk had told him that apparently drinking hot drinks helps you to keep cooler, and Taehyung thinks he fucking lied.
Taehyungâs empty bottle is whipped out of his hand and placed alongside Jeonggukâs on his nightstand.
âOkay. Hydration - check. Next - peas.â
âPeas?â Taehyung asks in disbelief. Jeongguk pulls a bag of frozen peas out from the bottom of the pile and shoves at Taehyungâs shoulder until heâs laying down.
âPeas.â He confirms. âI was looking for the ice pack we had in the freezer but I think Jiminie still has it from when you two were playing the floor is lava after all of those bottles of soju.â
Taehyungâs mind quickly flicks back to the blur of that night; the drinking, the dancing, the laughing and then the shriek as Jimin jumped from the chair to their couch and completely missed, landing in a giggling heap on the floor.
His ankle had swollen to almost twice itâs size and Jimin and Taehyung knew that that wasnât a good thing, but in their state, they werenât quite sure what to do about it.
Before the panic could really set in, Jeongguk - gorgeous, caring Jeongguk - had slammed the door behind him after a long shift. Heâd laughed when he saw his boyfriend and best friend sprawled on the floor, then reacted fast as heâd seen Taehyungâs look of panic and Jiminâs blown up ankle.
Heâd heaved Jimin up to rest on the couch, elevated his foot and slapped the ice pack from their freezer on there for the swelling.
Taehyung remembers watching from the chair beside the couch, all doe-eyed and hopelessly in love at the tenderness of his boyfriend.
He feels a bit like that now, to be honest, as Jungkook regurgitates the information heâd probably googled in the kitchen earlier about how frozen peas can cool the core body temperature down if applied for long enough.
He knows heâd made the right decision all of those years ago when Jeongguk had nervously asked him on a date when Taehyungâs heart stutters a little as his boyfriend slaps the bag of peas onto his forehead.
He doesnât know if itâs the sheer relief at having a tiny respite from hot, hot heat or just one of those overwhelming moments when he feels so grateful and so lucky that Jeonggukâs his and so good to him but Taehyung feels a little dizzy with it.
Jeongguk leaves him be for a couple of moments, lets him indulge in the heaven sent feeling of ice cold on his forehead.
âYou ready for the next part of the plan?â
Taehyug nods his head and Jeongguk automatically pushes the bag of frozen peas back on there when it inevitably slips to the side.
ââKay. Youâll have to sit up for this part. I donât want you to choke,â Jeongguk says as he busies himself with what sounds like a plastic wrapper.
âBabe, what did I say? Literally any other time, but Iâm not fu-â
âJesus, Tae. No,â Jeonggukâs laughing again, presumably at his boyfriendâs misguided thoughts. Instead of explaining straight away, Jeongguk touches an ice cold tip against Taehyungâs hip and smiles smugly as his boyfriend shrieks.
âPopsicles,â Jeongguk says, waving two iced lollies in the air.
Taehyungâs mouth salivates at the sight in front of him - the popsicles mostly, but also Jeongguk mouthing at the tip of the strawberry treat.
Jeongguk catches Taehyung staring at him and wiggles his eyebrows mischievously as if he knows exactly what heâs doing, before sending his boyfriend a wink and holding his orange popsicle just out of reach so heâll have to sit up.
Taehyung fucking loves orange popsicles and fucking loves his boyfriend.
âLove you too, babe,â Jeongguk says as he repositions the bag of peas on the back of Taehyungâs neck after passing him his popsicle.
Taehyung hadnât realised heâd said that out loud but itâs true and he doesnât regret it.
He happily sucks on the popsicle for a couple of minutes. Usually, the sound of smacking lips and sucking noises can be heard in their bedroom but this time, itâs totally innocent.
Taehyung verbalises this thought to his boyfriend.
âTae, Iâm literally having to watch you almost deepthroat an orange popsicle and Iâm desperately trying to keep my thoughts clean. Please donât draw my attention to it,â Jeongguk says, smiling brightly when Taehyung bursts into giggles.
This night isnât turning out to be so bad, Taehyung thinks. Heâs starting to feel a little cooler and heâs eating a popsicle in bed at 3 in the morning with his favourite person in the world. Thereâs been worse nights, he admits.
The wooden stick thatâs left behind after heâs savoured the last of his popsicle is quickly thrown onto the night stand along with the empty bottles and Taehyung has a bit of a problem.
âIâm sticky,â he notes.
âAre you not feeling any cooler?â Jeongguk asks, clearly concerned and fuck, Taehyung loves this boy so much.
âNo, no! Iâm feeling much better. Nowhere near as hot,â Taehyung replies and smiles softly when he sees Jeonggukâs shoulders and furrowed eyebrows visibly relax. âIâm just - Iâm literally sticky,â he says, holding up his fingers where theyâre stained orange from where the popsicle had melted in the extreme heat.
âOh,â Jeongguk laughs, and then leans in.
He takes Taehyungâs nearest hand first and brings it to his lips. Taehyungâs eyes are fixed on where Jeonggukâs perfect tongue is poking out of his mouth. He licks once from the base of Taehyungâs pinky finger up to the tip, then swirls it around until his finger is clean.
Taehyung is glaring hard at his boyfriend, pointedly ignoring the swirl of heat in his belly.
âMmm. Tasty,â Jeongguk smirks before setting to work on the rest of Taehyungâs long digits.
âYouâre doing this on purpose,â Taehyung remarks as Jeonggukâs magical tongue works up and down the eighth finger, sucking more than he needs to.
âDonât know what youâre talking about,â is the response.
Taehyung canât reply because heâs focusing really hard on, well, not getting hard.
He thinks his torture is over when Jeongguk finally lets up on the last finger, but then he licks over Taehyungâs palms.
Taehyung vaguely thinks this should not be turning him on because this is what dogs do but the heat must be sending him mad because it fucking is.
âGuk,â Taehyung warns, but Jeongguk is relentless in his quest to clean Taehyung up.
His perfect, hot (hot, so hot) tongue glides itâs way down to Taehyungâs wrists, sucking lightly on the pulse points. He licks wide over his right wrist, once, twice and Taehyung is this close to moaning out loud when Jeongguk suddenly blows.
The hot air from his mouth meets the damp patch on his wrist and all Taehyung can feel is cool, cold, so good and he finds his mouth parted in euphoria.
âShit, do that again,â Tahyung demands, and Jeongguk dives straight back in.
Taehyung feels the cool sensation flood about his body and forgets quickly about how good it feels sexually and focuses on how fucking good it feels temperaturely.
In the back of his mind, Taehyung is well aware that that is definitely not a word but right now, he canât bring himself to care.
âShit, babe. If only Iâd known I could get you this worked up by blowing on your wrists. My life would have been a lot easier these last couple of years,â Jeongguk laughs.
âOh fuck off, you know you work me up by just being you,â Taehyung admonishes, feeling his pulse spike at Jeonggukâs smug smile. âWhy does that feel so good?â
Jeongguk shrugs his shoulders, licks and blows once more, and then says, âGoogled it. Said that cooling your pulse points stops you from overheating.â He repeats his delicious process on the other wrist. âThought about tackling your pulse on your neck but we know how that usually ends,â he says, winking.
âMaybe when the weatherâs gone,â Taehyung suggests, noting how much he wants that to happen.
âMaybe,â Jeongguk promises quietly, both of them knowing that âmaybeâ is a âdefinitely.â âHow are we feeling?â he asks, pulling back and letting Taehyungâs wrists drop from his mouth, still holding on to his hands.
Jeongguk can tell the answer before Taehyungâs even verbalised it because heâs not knocked his hands away just yet.
âSo much better.â
âNearly ready to sleep?â
âAlmost,â Taehyung replies sheepishly.
âOkay. Last part of the plan. Lay back down,â Jeongguk says.
Taehyung does as heâs told without a fuss (he doesnât do that often) and lays expectantly back with his head resting on the pillow.
Jeongguk removes the now warm pack of frozen peas and shoves them on the nightstand. Taehyung considers telling him that if they leave them there, itâll be a waste but his thoughts are quickly distracted when Jeongguk drops a single ice cube on his soft belly.
âAh!â
âStay still.â
Another ice cube is dropped, then another, in a straight line from Taehyungâs belly button up to the centre of his ribs.
Taehyungâs wriggling from the cold and he feels Jeonggukâs hand press on his chest lightly to stop him moving. His fingertips are cold from where heâs been handling the ice cubes and it makes Taehyung shiver.
Jeongguk looks smug as he whispers, âAh, now weâre getting somewhere,â then drops another ice cube to Taehyungâs chest.
He pops one of the ice cubes into his mouth, and again, Taehyungâs smug that Jeongguk is bothered by the heat, even if he doesnât show it quite like Tae does.
A small smile settles onto his face as Jeongguk sucks on the ice cube as he moves the ice cubes along the planes of Taehyungâs chest and stomach, careful not to let them drip too low but not caring if they melt off the sides of Taehyung into the sheets below.
Taehyungâs smug smile drops quickly off his face when Jeongguk leans in, ice cold lips and teeth and tongue latching onto Taehyungâs nipple, causing goosebumps to rise all over Taehyungâs body.
âOh you motherf-â
âJust helping you cool down, babe.â
âYou know exactly what will happen if you keep that up,â Taehyung warns and lifts Jeongguk by a firm grip on the back of his neck.
Jeongguk goes easily, always will wherever Taehyung is involved and settles over Taehyung - careful not to touch because it really is fucking hot.
Taehyungâs staring up at him, doing that thing with his eyes where they go all wide and honest that makes Jeongguk melt, leaving him burning inside in the best type of way.
He reaches up and puts his hand on Jeonggukâs cheek, not minding the tacky film of sweat that Jeongguk knows is there and he rubs his thumb back and forward lightly.
They donât need to speak to be able to communicate. Thatâs one of the perks of being together for the four years that theyâve celebrated.
Jeongguk fucking loves how safe and warm that makes him feel and heâs about to tell Taehyung, âShit, it is hot in here,â just to hear him laugh but Taehyung can probably tell heâs about to ruin the mood so he pulls him down to his lips.
Taehyungâs lips are hot and wet and perfect when they meet with Jeonggukâs ice cold ones, a perfect complement to each other and the perfect metaphor for Jeongguk and Taehyung as a couple.
Opposites, complementary, and you canât have one without the other.
Taehyungâs convincing himself that the reason why heâs so desperate to feel Jeonggukâs tongue all over his mouth is just because itâs so deliciously cold still, but Jeongguk pulls back.
âWow, okay. Weâve gotta stop that,â he laughs, flinging himself backwards to lay on his pillow next to Taehyung.
Taehyung whines in response. Childish, remember?
âSoon, baby. Iâm Amazon priming a fucking air conditioning system tomorrow.â
âHa! So you are warm!â
âNah, just canât keep my hands off you,â he says simply, and then asks, âAre you feeling better?â as if his honesty still doesnât floor Taehyung even after all of these years.
âUm - yeah. Yeah, thanks, baby.â
Jeongguk smiles, as if making Taehyung feel better is the best thing heâs ever done. âGood. Now get some sleep. Wake me up if you need me,â he says as he settles into his pillows, turning on his side to face Taehyung.
âLove you,â Taehyung whispers into the air.
âLove you back.â
Taehyungâs heart is doing that flippy floppy thing where it feels like itâs about two sizes too big to fit into his chest with all of the love thatâs in there for and from this man beside him.
Heâs kind of aware that heâs fidgeting a little but this time itâs not from the heat.
A hand reaches out from beside him and rests lightly on his hip, but he doesnât bat it away this time.
âThought it was too hot to be anywhere near me. I remember being slapped away earlier,â Jeongguk remarks sleepily, teasing.
âBaby,â Taehyung whines once before being hoisted into his boyfriend, chest resting perfectly against Jeonggukâs back, legs intertwined so heâs not quite sure where Jeonggukâs start and his end.
âBetter?â
âMuch.â
âGreat. Now go to sleep.â
Taehyung can already kind of feel the film of sweat reforming on his back and the spot where Jeonggukâs breathing against his neck already feels damp. He knows heâs going to regret this when he wakes up in the morning but for right now, he wouldnât want to be anywhere else.
*
England is currently experiencing a heat wave and this is me subconsciously trying to cool down. Hope you enjoyed!
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a forgotten gym pass, first meetings, a flirty JK and a side of embarrassing tae.
(or the gym!au where a forgetful jungkook meets the girl of his dreams in the helpful receptionist)
contains all the fluff!
~9000 words
âShit.â
The first thing you see when you look up from your desk to see where the voice has come from is a tall, toned man wearing black basketball shorts and a black hoodie. His backpack - black, of course - is hanging off one shoulder and the man is scrabbling in the front pocket, then wrenching open the main compartment. Heâs jostled from the side by a man who pushes past him, scans his pass and pushes through the glass door to enter the gym. A defeated sigh pulls your attention back to the guy dressed in head to toe black. Heâs glaring up at the ceiling, mumbling to himself and a small smile slips onto your face as you can practically see him cursing himself.
Taking pity on him, you call over, âHey! You good?â
Your presence seems to make him jump and he turns his head to look in your direction. His wild, black hair is peeking out of a black beanie that he messes with on his head, pulling it further down towards his eyes.
âUh - yeah. Yeah, Iâm fine. Thanks,â he replies, voice deep but uncertain. You nod politely at him, offering a warm smile before returning your gaze to the paperwork youâre currently trying to complete for your boss. Rule number 6 from your training - donât push the customer. Let them come to you. You fill in a few more of the details on the paper in front of you before you hear a whispered, fuck it.
âExcuse me? Sorry. Iâm so sorry to bother you.â
You look up with a soft smile on your face. âHey! Not so good after all?â
âHa. You could say that. I uh- I appear to have left my gym card at home. I was kind of really hoping to work out some stress tonight and I really donât wanna have to go all the way back home so I was wondering if maybe, well if you-â
âI can get you a temporary pass?â You offer, cutting off his rant and smiling when you see a look of grateful relief flood his face.
âYes - yes. Is that possible?â Heâs wincing like he hates asking for things even though itâs literally your job to help.
âIâll see what I can do for you,â you say. He makes a little fist pump and he bounces on his feet like youâve given him the best news heâs heard in a long time. You spin on your desk chair towards the computer and tap in your log in before finding the gym membership records.
âName?â
âUh, Jeon Jeongguk.â
âOkay. And date of birth?â
âSeptember 1st â97.â
âCool, Iâve got you. Wait, I think.â You pause and quickly raise your hand to your mouth to cover the burst of laughter thatâs threatening to spill out. He looks confused, brow crinkled under his beanie, so you ask, âUm - is this you?â You laugh and move the computer screen to face him as much as possible. He braces his hands on your desk and leans over to see whatâs made you question his identity.
âOh for fuckâs sake,â he laughs, dropping his head into his arm. âMy friends are the literal worst. I canât believe I didnât know about this,â he says when heâs finally lifted his head off where his arms are crossed on your desk. His cheeks are tinged with pink but heâs taking it in good spirits.Â
The picture of Jeongguk should be similar to that of a passport - neutral background, serious face with no expression, hair a natural colour so itâs easier to identify you - basically as boring as it should be to be kept on your record for the gymâs policies. This one, however. The background is white and seems to be a wall in a house or an apartment judging by the door frame, but thatâs about as close to the guidelines this photo gets. Jeongguk stands off center in the picture, pinkish-red hair shining bright in the natural lighting. Itâs pulled back off his forehead by his hand and his face is schooled into the most obscene expression youâll ever see. In the corner of the photo is the head of another person - a friend, youâd hazard a guess - whoâs bent over in laughter and gripping a beanie that looks very much like the one Jeonggukâs wearing today to his face, presumably to dry up his tears of joy.
âI feel like I need to explain,â he laughs. âSo um, when I first joined, the guy who takes your picture for your records was off when I came in - I guess he was ill or something. The owner told me like, âItâs cool, just send us in a picture when you get a chance and weâll just use that.â I got my friends to take one of me like a passport, you know? He took it on his phone and it took a long time to get one that we could use and I guess must have sent this in instead, that bastard!â He explains and joins in with your laughter.
âJeez, who needs enemies when youâve got friends like that?â You joke.
âI know, right? God, I canât believe Iâve been coming to this gym for like, half a year and thatâs the photo people see every time I swipe in,â he fake cries, refolding the turn up on his beanie.
âDude, me neither. If Iâd seen this before, Iâd have had it printed out and on the staff notice board within minutes. This is too good not to be seen!â
He lets out a loud laugh at the thought of this and watches as you push your chair over to the printer. Heâs trying to get a hold on himself when you return back to him, handing him a printed piece of paper with a bar code on.
âHere - this is your temporary pass. Itâll let you in today and register that itâs you. It only lasts for a day so get rid of it when youâre done. I shouldâve just sent you back home for it - we shouldnât be encouraging laziness!â you joke.
He swipes the paper from your hand, giggling again at his picture in the top right hand corner below the gymâs logo and then bowing forward to you in thanks. âWell yeah, but then my roommate definitely wouldâve distracted me and youâd never have got a laugh out of this,â he says, flicking his face on the picture. âHow dull would your day have been then?â
âYou have no idea,â you say with a pointed look. âWell, I guess I should thank you for brightening my day, Mr Jeon.â
You see his eyes flickering down to your nametag fastened onto your white t-shirt before he says, âThe pleasure was mine. Thanks again for this!â
He walks backwards from your table to the entrance of the members only area, only turning around to scan the piece of paper you gave him. When the tell-tale beep sounds and the door clicks open, he turns to you offering another silent fist pump before disappearing through the door with a grateful nod of his head.
You send him a grin and an enthusiastic thumbs up and return your eyes to your computer screen, ready to exit the page and return to the paperwork calling your name when temptation strikes. Quickly pressing print, you grab the page fresh from the printer and fold it neatly so only the hilarious picture of Jeongguk is showing. Trying your best to hold in your laughter, you unlock the desk drawer to your right and pop it neatly down the side. Youâre sure youâll find a good use for it.
*
Itâs two days later when youâre dealing with an angry customer on the phone whoâs ranting about a rowing machine being out of order when they were there last night. Theyâve been shouting at you down the phone for the past twenty minutes and you havenât got the chance to tell them that thereâs another seven rowers adjacent to them, all of which were working. Youâre currently resting your head on your hand, trying your very best not to roll your eyes and throwing in the occasional, âOf course, sir. I completely understand how frustrating that must have been,â to show youâre listening. Which youâre not.
The automatic doors into the gym reception open and your eyes slide across to send a practised smile to whoever has just walked in the door when you see itâs Jeongguk from the other day. Heâs wearing black shorts and a black t-shirt this time with his hair uncovered. Itâs styled in a tousled curl that frames his face perfectly. He grins in greeting and waves his right hand at you, causing you to look closely at what heâs holding. His gym pass.
âGood job!â you mouth across the room at him as he strolls to the members only door.
He bows jokingly, pretending heâs soaking in applause before throwing you a wink and disappearing through the door.
The voice on the phone screeches in your ear, âMiss, are you even listening to me?!â
You jilt out of the reverie you didnât realise youâd been lost in and sit up quickly on your chair, snapping your mind back to the customer on the phone.
âIâm so sorry, sir. Of course Iâm listening, I just wanted to make sure youâd had chance to air your concerns. Iâve listened very intently and I agree with you that it was completely unacceptable that rowing machine 7 was out of order.â You canât resist the eye roll this time. âLetâs have a chat and see what we can do to put this right for you, okay?âÂ
*
An hour later and youâre finally off the phone having agreed to extend the customerâs gym membership for another week before heâll need to renew it. Part of you was pleased that the customer seemed appeased, but the other part of you hated that this was the trivial bullshit that you had to deal with everyday.
Replying again to another monotonous email that springs to life on your screen, you take a sip of your caramel iced coffee and sigh at the sweetness that improves your day just a little bit.
âYou know thatâs not good for you, right?âÂ
A voice interrupts your partial sulking and you look up to find a pink cheeked and wet haired Jeongguk leaning forward on your desk.
âWhich one - the repetitive hum-drum of my shitty job or the only ounce of joy I get in a day?â You reply sarcastically, shaking the remainder of your drink at him when you say the latter.
âWoah, okay. Iâm going to go with neither of those. And then Iâm going to take my foot out of my mouth.â
âGood choice,â you smile, slurping the last part of your drink off. âHow was the workout?â
âGreat. Had kind of a stressful day at work and working out makes my head feel a little clearer,â he explains.
âAnother?â
âHuh?â he asks, looking away from where he was running his finger along the grain of wood on your desk.
âAnother stressful day? You uh- you mentioned you were feeling stressed when you forgot your pass and I just-â
âOh, right. Well, yeah. Another stressful day. Itâs always stressful at this time of year. You know, new tax year and everything.â
âAh, I see. What is it you do exactly?â
âAccountant.â He watches you nod your head in understanding. âYeah - what was it you said? Something about your job being repetitive and boring? Think Iâve got you beat there,â he laughs.
âCall it even. Iâve just had a guy yelling at me for a machine being out of order when there was another seven of the same machine right alongside it that he could use,â you shake your head in despair.
âAre you serious? Is that what you were dealing with when I walked in?â
âYeah, he was ranting for a good thirty, forty minutes Iâd say. Sucks but I guess itâs part of the job for now,â you shrug.
âAh, thatâs why you looked royally pissed off. Makes sense. What are your plans then?â He takes in the confused look on your face and smiles at you before explaining, âYou said part of the job for now. Whatâs after now, then?â
You pause for a moment in thought and when he ducks his head to regain your eye contact, you realise that your gaze has drifted to the scattered pens and pencils in front of you.
âI uh- well. I dunno, to be honest,â you mumble.
âOkay, thatâs cool. Is there anything youâd love to do but you just havenât got around to it yet? Or are you more of a Iâll try it and see if itâs for me kind of girl?â
âKids,â you blurt out almost as soon as heâs asked the first question.
He looks a little taken aback, but he nods and then continues. âOkay - okay! Right. Kids! Of your own or-?â
âOh god, no. No, no, no. Not for a long time. But kids. I love kids. Iâd love to work with them but-â
âNo! Stop there. We donât need to hear that âbutâ. So you want to work with kids. Thatâs awesome. I think youâd be great at that.â
âOh really?â you laugh. âFrom the twice that youâve met me, you think Iâd be good with kids.â
âGreat with kids, not just good. And yeah!â He canât help but join in with your laugh and he watches you warmly as you lean back in your chair, resting your hand on your stomach from where youâre laughing.
âHear me out! I have my reasons prepared,â he laughs. âListen, the first time I spoke to you, you noticed I was pissed without me having to say anything to you. Reason 1 why youâd be great with kids.â He starts holding out his hand in front of your face and checking off the numbers on his fingers. âNumber 2, you helped me out when I finally asked for it. Kids forget things all the time, right? Youâre well practised at helping with that. Reason 3 - kids have temper tantrums like, hourly. You deal with grown men throwing hissy fits about fucking rowing machines. A kid would be easy for you to deal with. Do you need me to continue? I reckon I have at least three more reasons including you not judging me about my picture-â
âWho says I didnât judge you?â
âIâm ignoring that. As I was saying, you didnât judge me for my horrendous photo, you have a super organised desk,â he peers over the ridge thatâs higher than where youâre sat to check heâs correct, standing back up when heâs convinced heâs right. âYou fill paperwork out all day long which - I donât know much about this - but like, Iâm sure youâll have to do that if you work with kids, right? And you work in a gym. Think of how active kids are and youâll no doubt be able to keep up.â
âFinished?â you ask with a raised eyebrow.
âLet me check. Um-â he taps his chin as if heâs deep in thought. âYeah, I think thatâs all Iâve got for now. But if you need more reasons, Iâll be sure to come in tomorrow with a fully prepared Powerpoint presentation to really make sure youâre convinced.â
âThat wonât be necessary. I mean, Iâd kind of like to see what youâd come up with for your presentation but, no. Thank you. I- Well. That was quite the speech. Thank you.â
âYouâre totally welcome. I meant it. Youâd be great at it. The kids would be lucky to have you.â Youâre aware of the full feeling of warmth in your chest. âWhat have you got to lose anyway?â
âRight. Youâre right. Just easier said than done, you know?â
âTotally. Just keep what I said in mind, yeah? If being here is really as mind numbing as you say, it might be worth a change,â he says. Heâs smiling at you supportively. It doesnât feel like heâs telling you what you should do, like when your mom tells you youâve got too much potential to be wasting it here.
âNot every moment is mind numbing,â you say, partly trying to get the attention off you.
âOh really? Tell me about the moments that are slightly less boring, then,â he flirts, leaning forward and wiggling his eyebrows.
âYou know, some days, I just really look forward to this guy stepping through the door,â you start.
âI bet heâs super handsome.â
âOh yeah. Arms of steel, too.â You canât help you snort of laughter as Jeongguk comically lifts up his arm and flexes. You pull yourself together and continue, âYeah, god. Itâs my favourite part of the day. My mouth literally starts salivating as I see him step through those automatic doors and-â
His face looks shocked, like his mind has frozen and heâs trying desperately to keep up with the turn of the conversation. His eyebrows are pulled together in confusion and then he guffaws out a laugh that echoes through the reception area, earning him several shhhâs from other customers. He slaps a hand over his mouth and you can see his crinkled eyes as he leans further forward on your desk.Â
âYouâre talking about the fucking Starbucks delivery man, arenât you?â
âOf course I am. Who did you think I was talking about?â you ask innocently, unable to stop yourself from joining in his infectious laugh.
The phone rings loudly at the side of you on the desk and you glance at it with a sigh.
âI should leave you to it,â he says, pushing himself up and standing tall, almost towering over you. âThink about what I said, yeah? Have confidence in yourself.â
Your heart feels like itâs two sizes too big for your chest at how much confidence he has in you, and you nod at him. âI will. Definitely. Thanks, Jeongguk. Honestly, I- just. Thank you. For the pep talk.â
âNah, donât thank me. Think of it as a repayment for saving my ass from trekking home the other day. In fact - wait. Do you think you could thank me by changing my picture on the system?â
âHa! No way. Thatâs staying for as long as Iâm here,â you retort as you finally reach for the phone. He makes an oh, shucks movement with his arm, before turning around and heading towards the automatic door.
He smiles when he hears you greet the person on the other side of the phone, and he notes that your professional voice is different than when heâs spoken to you the last few times. He sends you a small wave goodbye which you return with a smile and a shooing motion that makes him laugh. The smile remains on your face throughout your phone call, and through the rest of your shift.
*
Itâs just turned 10pm a couple of weeks after Jeonggukâs little pep talk. Your shift ended a little while ago and youâre on the final ten minutes of your work out, currently jogging on the treadmill and wincing at the ache in your calves as the machine tilts you up hill. Your playlist blasting in your headphones and you listen intently to the lyrics of the remix thumping through your ears in the hopes that it will make this torturous time fly by.
Youâve managed to concentrate on what must be two verses and a chorus when itâs suddenly time to sprint.
âFor fuckâs sake,â you mumble what you think is under your breath. You fucking hate running. You fucking hate this gym. It could be the tiredness talking, but you fucking hate it.
Movement on the treadmill right in front of yours makes you open your eyes from where youâd clamped them shut to make it through the last four minutes of your workout. Youâre about to start cursing whoever decided to take the treadmill facing yours when thereâs rows of other available when you look up.
A devastating bunny smile is blinding you. Jeongguk. You huff out a laugh and shake your head as if to say I literally canât speak right now before gasping in another deep breath, trying to remind yourself to keep your breathing steady.
He sends you an OK sign with his hands, smirk flooding his face as you roll your eyes at him. You can feel his eyes on you as you squeeze your eyes closed at the sudden incline of the treadmill. Two minutes to go, two more minutes. This is your least favourite part.
You open your eyes to find your water bottle, gulping down whatever is left as you drive into the final, thankfully flat sprint. Jeonggukâs effortlessly running on his machine, not seeming to break a sweat when you can literally feel the sweat dripping on the back of your neck.
He catches your eye as he sees you wince again and crosses his eyes, sticking his tongue out and trying his best to distract you. Your laughter blurts out of you and he mirrors you. He watches you as you check the remaining time and raises his eyebrows when you look back up.
â30 seconds,â you mouth across at him, shaking your head as if you canât go on any longer.
âKeep going!â he mouths back, bunny grin in full force and two thumbs up in front of him. Part of you wants to tell him to put his hands back on the safety bars but that part is quickly distracted when he ducks to meet your eye line. Before you can question what heâs doing, he quickly pulls the face thatâs on his horrifying membership picture and you guffaw in laughter. Your machine slows to a stop and you plant your feet on the strips either side of the conveyor belt, laying forward to rest your head on the screen of the machine until you can get a handle on your laughter.
When you finally look back up, Jeongguk has slowed to a walk on his machine and heâs smiling that bashful, devilish smile at you. You rip your headphones off your ears and rest them around your sweaty neck. He throws his hands up and mimes a mini cheer at you for completing your workout.
âYouâre such a dork,â you laugh.
âItâs one of my many talents.â
âThanks for that,â you say sincerely, gathering your belongings up from the treadmill as he hits the stop button on his machine.
âFor being a dork?â
âFor getting me through those last few minutes. Was it that obvious I was struggling?â
âNah, I just fucking hate these things too. Avoid them like the plague normally. Couldnât imagine being on one as long as you were.â
âYou were watching me?â
âYouâre kind of hard to not watch,â he confesses honestly, pink tinging his cheeks for the first time that night. Your heart thumps at the thought that an intense workout doesnât affect him, but you do.
âOh. So why were you on the treadmill tonight?â
âBecause you looked fucking miserable. I donât know if youâve noticed, but Iâve kind of made it my mission to get rid of some of the things that make you all gloomy,â he shrugs, coming around to meet you at your machine, shoving lightly at your back with the bottom of his water bottle to get you moving towards the changing rooms.
âWhy?â you say, surprise having frozen your thoughts, and apparently your body too.
He shoves again with his water bottle, guiding his hand around to push at the small of your back when you still donât move. âCome on, changing rooms are this way. And because, I dunno. You helped me out that day. You were kind to me and yeah, okay, maybe you didnât know it, but you distracted me from what I was stressed about. Itâs the least I can do to do the same for you. Okay?â
Youâre pulled to a stop just outside the changing rooms where your locker is and you canât help but stare at the man in front of you. He stands there openly for a moment, letting you, before he smiles at you as if he knows what youâre thinking. Itâd be a miracle, sure, because youâre not even sure you know, but he looks at you like he can see right into your thoughts and watch them play out on a screen.
âIâm going to take this silence as an Iâm trying to work out why I deserve this type of silence rather than an oh my god this fucking weird kid has attached himself to me and thinks I need a saviour which now that I think about it, it could seem pretty weird so please take comfort in the fact that this is not that-â
âJeongguk. Stop. I- I appreciate how kind hearted you are, especially to an almost stranger. Letâs take my silence as a youâre kind of rare and I feel very lucky that youâre doing that for me and stop freaking out, yeah?â
âYeah. Yeah!â Heâs grinning now, shaking himself out of the moment of insecurity heâd just talked himself into. âOkay. Yeah. Also, anyone who has seen that fucking awful picture of me automatically gains friendship rights. I wonât have you calling yourself a stranger in this household anymore.â
âYouâre not in a household.â
âThen in this - gymhold? Either way, weâre buds now. Youâre stuck with me being your cheerleader and Iâm not sorry about it.â
You laugh softly, warmth flowing through your body at this boy in front of you. âSounds awful,â you joke.
âSee! Youâre a sarcastic little shit. Weâre going to be best buds in no time.â
You roll your eyes jokingly at his endless optimistic spin on everything and shove at his shoulder. âGo and get changed.â
âBack at you. Meet me out here? Iâll walk you out?â
You try and hold back the smile that threatens to overtake your face by biting at your bottom lip. âSee you in a few.â
*
A loud slam on your desk makes you whizz around on your chair from where youâre filing random bits of paperwork in the correct drawers.
âWhat the-â
âIâve brought you a gift,â Jeongguk states, then points with both hands at the tall Starbucks cup heâs just banged onto the desk.
âUh- Did you take that off the delivery man outside?â you ask, turning to see your usual delivery guy stood at the floor to ceiling windows with a very confused look on his face. You send him a wave and he shrugs, walking back to his car without a backwards glance.
âOkay, maybe I did. Iâm going to be honest with you, the other day when you said he was the best part of your day? Not good for my ego. So yes, I did take it off him outside. And yes, I did have to pay him a very large tip that Iâm not proud of. But. Here.â He slides the cup across the desk to you with the most adorable look of focus on his face.
You reach across for it, taking a sip and groaning quietly at the sweet kick it gives you. âI thought you didnât believe in sugary drinks? Some bullshit about them being bad for you?â
âThey are bad for you and in 40 years time when youâre suffering with countless health complaints and I am a picture of youth, that will be my time to shine. I will preach and preach about how you shouldnât have had those drinks when you were younger and you will say âOh, Jeongguk. I should have listened to you. About that and everything else you ever said. You are so wise and so brilliant and no other man can ever compete with you.â Heâs putting on a high voice now and your giggling only further encourages him.
âOh so, weâre going to be friends in 40 years time?â
âObviously. Or married. Whatever.â
You inhale a sip of your drink too fast at that, coughing and spluttering as you try to get your racing heart in check. When you finally stop, the smug look on his face makes your cheeks heat up.
âOh? Right. So in that case, I will turn to you and say, âJeongguk, baby. Honey. Sweetcheeks. Remember that day you stole my sweet, sweet, sugary drink from the poor delivery man? You encouraged my habits and for that I can never forgive you. I want a divorce!â You play along, mimicking the high voice he was putting on.
âOh shit. Will you let me keep the dog?â
âAbsolutely not.â
âThen no deal. You canât divorce me. Give me back the drink,â he says, reaching over to take the cup from your hands.Â
Youâre too quick for him, sliding back on your chair so youâre just out of reach. âNuh-uh, you said it was a gift. No take backs on gifts. Thatâs the first rule in the friendship rule book.â
âFuck, I forgot we were friends now. Wow, that was a bad decision,â he jokes, winking at you as you let out a disgruntled, hey! âOkay, whatever. Iâll let you keep the drink and when youâre old and infirm I will look after you because I will be the picture of health with a god like body and I will never mention the sugary drink addiction ever again. Deal?â
You huff out a laugh at the god-like body idea, but then agree, âDeal.â He waves you forward, holding his hand out to shake in promise.
âAwesome,â he says as he holds your hand firm in his. The fit is perfect and tingles run up your arm as he squeezes lightly at your hand. âI canât wait âtil weâre old and married,â he teases.
You shove him off playfully, cheeks aching from the grin you never seem to be able to dampen when heâs around. âGo workout,â you instruct.
âYes, dear. See, great husband material already, no?â
*
âIs this her? Oh my god it totally is. Your face is all-â
âShut the fuck up, you foghorn!â
You might not have recognised the first voice but you definitely recognise the fierce whisper that followed it. You keep your head down, pretending to concentrate on the paperwork youâre completing when the two whispering voices appear in front of your desk.Â
âTae, please-â you hear Jeongguk plead but heâs quickly interrupted by a firm hand to his chest.Â
âExcuse me, miss. I would like to join this gym on a trial basis. As in, just for today probably. I have been informed that this gym is the best around and that the customer service is unbeatable.â
You hear Jeongguk mutter from where heâs hidden behind the man, âOh for fuckâs sake, Tae,â but you decidedly ignore him.Â
âOf course, sir! Thatâs not a problem at all. Itâs great to hear that weâre being talked about.â You glance quickly at Jeongguk with a smirk on your face. âIâm so pleased that your friends are happy with the service,â you say as you start to load up the documentation youâll need to complete on your computer.Â
âOh believe me, theyâre very happy. Very, very-â
A swift knock to the manâs ribs quietens him and Jeongguk stands at his side, glaring determinedly at the manâs face.Â
âOh, hey, Jeongguk! Didnât see you there. What a nice surprise!â you tease, faking innocence. His cheeks flush but he meets your gaze.Â
âHey yourself. You donât normally work on Tuesdays,â he notes.Â
âWere you trying to avoid me?â you ask at the same time the man gasps, turns to him and accuses, âYou only let me come because you thought she wouldnât be here!â
Another glare is sent in the manâs direction and the friend at least has the decency to look a little sheepish this time.Â
âThanks for that, man. Uh- well, I just. Uh- I have no answer to that. Please letâs move along.â
Feeling a little sorry for the way his friend has just dropped him in it, you lend him a hand and say, âWe had to do a little swap around next week so I was landed with todayâs shift to cover.â
You turn to his friend once youâve seen Jeongguk nod in understanding and ask, âSo, are you ready to set up your trial membership or are you really just here to mess with him?â
âHa! No, I will set it up, please. With the amount of ramen I eat, it would be a good idea for me to join at some point. Also, a little birdie tells me thereâs a kick ass sauna here so sign me up!â
âSure thing. I just need a couple of details from you, then youâre free to try out our facilities. I can grab a PT for you if youâre wanting a tour around or-â
âIâm good, thanks. Iâve got my own personal PT here,â he says, nudging an annoyed looking Jeonggukâs side.Â
âI know from personal experience heâs a great cheerleader. Iâm sure youâll be in good hands there,â you state, ignoring the wide eyed look Jeonggukâs friend is sending at him, the unspoken words of we are talking about this later you little shit clear for all to see, and diving straight into the form.Â
A few minutes later, Taehyung as you now know heâs called, is signing the last pieces of paper that youâve printed out for him.Â
âAwesome! When youâve signed that, youâre all done! So, if you do decide to join us, our photographer will grab you before your session one day and snap a picture of you to go on file. If you stick with us on a purely trial basis, then thereâll be no need for-.â
Youâre stopped in your tracks by a devilish glint in Jeonggukâs eye, hands frantically gesticulating to you. Heâs pointing at Taehyung, eyes wide, miming taking a picture. Youâre desperately trying to follow what Jeonggukâs telling you, eyes flitting back to where Taehyung has almost completed his last signature when Jeonggukâs sigh grabs your attention again. He gesticulates one more time; he points at Taehyung, then makes the camera movement, points at himself, and then makes that obscene face thatâs on his member profile picture.Â
Realisation dawns just as Taehyung slides the papers and pen he used back across your desk, quickly turning back around to face Jeongguk with a look of suspicion on his face when he realises that you are clearly trying your best to hold in a bout of extreme laughter.
Jeongguk - bless him - looks innocently at his friend and shrugs, then claps him on the shoulder, chatting to him about how proud he is that heâs made the move to maybe join a gym after his protests all of these years. You know deep down heâs trying to keep his friends attention off you before you get your shit together.Â
Taking a deep breath and holding in your remaining guffaws of laughter, you click around aimlessly on the computer to make it look like youâre busy before saying, âOh, sorry, Mr Kim. Iâve just checked our updated policy and it states that all members must have a photo on file. Itâs just for security reasons. Obviously, if you donât decide to join us, we will destroy your file. Would this be a problem?â
âNo, no. Thatâs fine. Whereâs the photographer then? Do I need to pose?â he asks.Â
âJust a headshot will be fine, Mr Kim. Our photographer is currently unavailable so you can provide your own photograph. The guidelines are all in your member pack,â you state as you slide the folder to him. âIf youâre unsure, just call into ask. Or Iâm sure Jeongguk would be happy to help you. Right, Jeongguk?â
âOf course, Taetae. Iâll help you out. No worries at all. I just email it in, right?â
âThatâs right! As soon as possible would be much appreciated. Okay, hereâs your pass. Got yours today, Jeongguk?â
He pats his hoodie pocket for a second before pulling out the pass with a grin.Â
âAwesome. I hope you enjoy your workouts, and it was great meeting you, Taehyung. Iâll look forward to receiving your photo!â
*
Itâs five thirty seven pm and youâve been watching the clock for the last sixteen minutes. Your shift finished at six and you feel as though youâve been sitting at your desk for at least ten hours, never mind the six that itâs actually been. Your eyes blink slowly as the clock ticks over to five thirty eight and you sigh, lips pouting in boredom.Â
âWow, whatâs that face for?â
âI canât help my face. Rude,â you retort, silently hiding the smile threatening to let slip how pleased you are that Jeongguk is stood in front of you.
âDidnât say you could. Must be hell walking around with a beautiful face like yours. I bet you never get anything done without people bothering you,â he jokes but his eyes are serious.
âHa! If only!â
âAre you telling me someone like you doesnât have an equally as gorgeous boyfriend worshipping the ground you walk on?â
âAre you asking me if Iâm single?â
âWhat if I was?â
âThen Iâd tell you yes, Iâm very, very single.â
âAnd then Iâd tell you itâs a crime and I donât believe you! But that Iâve also never been as happy to hear someone is very, very single before,â he grins cheekily at you and you can feel your cheeks heating up under his gaze.
âWell go on, then. If Iâm sharing, so are you! Is there a potential Mrs Jeon whose devastatingly gorgeous and effortlessly stunning that I should know about?â
âFunny you should ask - thereâs one sat right in front of me right now,â he flirts, all toothy grin and cheeky glint, making you roll your eyes at his cheesiness.
âOh my god. You really are a dork!â
âI told you!â
âSo, uh, no girlfriend then?â you prompt, your need to clarify this more prominent than youâd realised.
âIf you really have to ask me this then I havenât been as obvious as I thought. Iâm proud of myself! And no, I am also very, very single,â he confesses.
âWhat a coincidence.â
âItâs a funny old world, right?â
âIt is,â you reply, just for want of saying something, having the final word. You sit in your desk chair, moving restlessly from left to right on it as he stares down at you, soft smile on his face that you know is mirrored on yours. Another gym member walks past and calls out a greeting, making you snap back to reality with a small wave. You cough quietly and sit up in your chair, breaking Jeonggukâs eye contact and trying to ignore the loaded atmosphere thatâs covering you both.Â
He wears a knowing smile on his face when he changes the subject. âSo, uh, it was weird coming to the gym yesterday.â
âWas it?â
âYeah. I walked in and imagine my surprise when a short, old man was sitting in your seat. Let me tell you, he was not as much fun to talk to.â
âOr to flirt with,â you tease. âThatâd be my boss. He was covering for me - remember when you brought your friend in last week and Iâd swapped shifts?â
âYeah, he didnât respond too well to my charm. Iâm taking Taeâs photo tomorrow by the way. Heâs booked in at the hair salon ready for his âphoto shootâ as he keeps calling it. I reminded him that he doesnât even want to join the fucking gym, but heâs just that extra.â
âIâm so looking forward to receiving that picture, let me tell you. Revenge will be sweet, hey?â
âSo sweet. Deliciously, sickly sweet. As sweet as your Starbucks order, Iâd go as far to say.â He watches as your eyes roll into the back of your head as you play along with him. He definitely does not have any inappropriate thoughts about that. None at all, thank you for asking.
âAnyway,â he prompts, getting your conversation back on track. âWere you up to anything exciting?â
âMore exciting than this place? That could be literally anything. But yes, Iâd say that it was.â
âBut youâre not telling me.â
âBut Iâm not telling you.â
âOuch. Consider my feelings hurt. No, no. Itâs fine. Iâll just go and stew in self pity that my bud wonât tell me where she was yesterday even though it was - gasp - more exciting than this place.â He pretends to dab at streaming tears, letting out the occasional sob that attracts attention from other gym members in the reception area.
âOh for fuckâs sake, youâre such a drama queen!â You laugh. âIâm not telling you.â
âI know.â
âYet.â
âOh. Oh. I can live with that,â he smiles. âWell, Iâll look forward to that day then.â
âMe too,â you grin.
*
Itâs late - the end of your shift and youâre throwing your jacket on as you step out into the chilly air outside. You pull your phone out of your pocket to check on where your roommate is, checking her text when she said she was on her way to pick you up. You know her well enough to know that sheâs not even left the house yet. Youâre just about to text her to say youâll get a taxi home when a body bumps into the back of you.
âOh shit- Iâm so sorry. Are you- Oh! Hi, you,â Jeongguk says as he finally catches a glimpse of your face. Heâs holding onto your forearms to keep you steady from where he nearly knocked you off your feet, and he was frantically scanning your body to check for any serious injuries that could have been caused. Such a drama queen, springs back into your mind.
âHi yourself. Nearly swept me off my feet there, Guk,â you joke.
âI mean, Iâve only been trying for the last month or so,â he retorts. âWhat are you doing out here?â
âIâm just waiting for my roommate to pick me up. Weâre um, weâre heading out for drinks tonight, so.â
âOh, sweet! For anything special?â
âActually, thatâs something I wanted to talk to you about,â you say quietly, shoving your phone back into your pocket purely for something to do.
âIâm all ears,â he says. And the thing is, you can tell heâs not lying. He looks at you with openness, eyes wide and truly a window into him, mouth positioned in an encouraging smile and your whole body feels warm. Itâs bubbling in your stomach and rushing through your blood stream until youâre pretty sure if he looked hard enough, heâd see a glow appearing straight out of your thumping chest.
âRemember when I was away the other day?â
âAnd you wouldnât tell me why. I remember. In fact, itâs burned onto my consciousness and itâs destroyed my self confidence,â he teases. âBut yes, go on.â
âWell, I also remember saying that I couldnât tell you, but there was a yet in there,â you hint.
âIs this âyetâ? Are we at âyetâ?â He asks excitedly, almost bouncing on the spot. God, this boy is so special.
You nod eagerly. âItâs yet.â He shuffles closer to you in anticipation. âI had an interview.â
âOh my god. Yes! Thatâs awesome! Good for you,â he blurts out, brimming with honesty. âIâm so proud of you that you went for something!â You can feel the enthusiasm vibrating from him and you fight back the urge to place a hand on his solid chest to calm him.
âIt gets better,â you smile.
âOh my fucking god, donât tell me-â
You donât reply, simply nodding your head with a wide grin swallowing your face.
He lets out a loud whoop and grabs onto you, flinging his arms around your shoulders and tugs you into him. Heâs bouncing now and you have no choice but to clasp your hands around his lower back and jump with him.
âThis is incredible! Iâm so excited for you! Fuck this place!â he shouts louder than he should, making you pull back slightly to slap a hand around his mouth to quieten him. His eyes widen and then turn apologetic as he realises what heâs just shouted with your boss and regular gym members still inside. âSorry. Sorry I got over excited. But still,â he says, voice lower this time now youâre a breath away from him. âStill, this is such awesome news. How do you feel?â
âI feel free. Amazing. Nervous. Fulfilled. I donât know. I canât quite believe it still. You know youâve not even asked what the job is?â you say, punching his bicep lightly, not quite able to stop touching him now youâve started.
âFuck youâre right! What is it? What is it?â he chants.
âYouâre looking at the new teacherâs assistant at the pre-school downtown,â you say, heart thudding in your chest as you break the news.
âHoly shit, are you- Oh my god! Oh my god!â He grabs onto your forearms again and the grip even through your jacket feels addictive. Heâs bouncing again, excited energy radiating off him. âYou wanted to work with kids and holy shit, youâve done it! Yes!â
âI mean, itâs only a teacherâs assistant to start with but thereâs plenty of oppor-â
âHey! No! Only a teacherâs assistant? No fucking way! Youâre going to be working with fucking kids. I asked you what your dream would be and you said working with the little shits. Oh my god! Iâm so pumped for you!â
You laugh loudly as he pulls you in for another tight squeeze. Heâs swaying you both left and right in his restlessness and you inhale his scent as you gasp for air.Â
He only pulls away from you to shout to the patrons in the parking lot, âHey! Excuse me?â Youâre batting at his chest to tell him to stop whatever heâs about to do, but he only pulls you into his side, fitting you against him snugly as he carries on. âHey! Hi! You see this girl right here? Sheâs just scored her fucking dream job! Sheâs amazing! Sheâs going to be the best fucking teacherâs assistant thereâs ever been and-â
Your head feels dizzy with joy and giddiness as this wonderful man celebrates your news as if itâs the best thing heâs ever heard, as if itâs his news to be excited over. You look up at him as he screams across the parking lot, free of shame and exhilarated to share your news and the world around you suddenly drains away. Heâs all you can see and youâre slotted so perfectly into his side and youâre so happy he forgot his pass that day all those months ago so you react how youâve wanted to for months.
Your hand slides up to his sharp jawline and tugs him to face you. You laugh as he still continues his tirade of praise about you but his eyes are locked on yours. They widen a little as your eyes slip down to his gorgeous, delicate lips and you raise on your tip toes, pulling him to you until your lips finally meet. He quickly slides his hand to cup the back of your head, shocked by your sudden decision to kiss him but so, so contented as he can feel you exhale a shaky breath. You know that really, you should pull away from him - heâs already made a scene by shouting his excitement at total strangers in front of your place of work but fuck that - youâre leaving soon, anyway. You push back upwards to be closer to him and he gathers you in, arms resting at your lower back as you circle your arms around his neck, entangling your fingers into his fluffy hair. He nips lightly at your lower lip and youâre unable to hide the soft moan that slips out of your mouth but he quickly swallows it, sliding one of his hands up to the back of your head again where he can position your head where he wants you. It feels like reality and dreams and connection and desire and you canât get enough. Neither it seems can he.
Youâre vaguely aware of the automatic doors opening and closing behind the both of you but you donât register any other presence, mind only on Jeongguk, Jeongguk, Jeongguk.Â
A burst of noise from a group of teenagers exiting the gym breaks you both apart breathlessly, reluctant to move any further away from each other than truly necessary. You can feel his uneven breathing on your cheek and heâs staring intently at you, eyes flitting around your face like he canât quite believe what just happened.
âI uh- Iâm sorry?â you mumble, making no move to separate yourself from him.
He huffs out a disbelieving laugh. âWhat part of that are you apologising for? Because believe me, no apologies are necessary.â Heâs brushing his nose against your cheek and down to your jaw now and itâs making your legs feel unsteady. Youâre even more grateful heâs got you solidly wrapped up in his arms.
âI- Iâm sorry for - shit, stop that Iâm canât concentrate-â he grins at that, smacking his lips to your cheek once before returning himself to look at you. âI was apologising for grabbing you. And not asking. You just make me feel all-â you pause.
âAll? All what?â
âWarm.â
âWarm?â he laughs. He steps backwards to let a group of women enter the automatic doors and he tugs you with him.Â
You nod shyly, laughing self deprecatingly. âLike, fuzzy and warm. And I just couldnât not kiss you anymore. So. Sorry.â
âApology accepted. And then returned with a note of thanks.â
Heâs so weird and you like him so much. âWhat?â
âA note of thanks. And maybe a bouquet of flowers. And one of those fucking Starbucks drinks youâre obsessed with. You know, just to say thanks for having the balls to kiss me because I was wrestling with myself to find mine.â
You giggle, resting your head in the crook of his neck for a moment to compose yourself. âWell then. Youâre welcome. I hope youâve found your balls,â you joke, shoulders wracking with laughter as he lets out a loud cackle.
âDonât you worry. My balls are back in full force and ready to go. Wait- no- that sounded-. Okay, never mind. You see? You make me say stupid shit like this!â
âNow that I wonât apologise for. Youâre literally the only thing that have made this past month bearable.â
âMe and the delivery guy.â
âOf course. I wonder how I should thank him?â
âNot in the same way as me,â he pouts and you canât resist pressing your lips to his jaw before continuing.
âAnd youâre the one that pushed me to apply for something else. Without you, I might have been stuck here for who knows how many more months before I - to steal your words - found my balls and applied elsewhere.â
Heâs smiling radiantly at you and the rest of the world blurs out again. Heâs looking at you like youâre the sun and the moon and the stars and you feel dizzy with the weight of that.Â
Heâs about to speak when a car screeches to a halt at the side of you, headlines illuminating the two of you so brightly you have to squint.
âThatâs uh- thatâs my roommate,â you explain, pulling your arms from his neck and smoothing them down the arms of his hoodie. He grips at your hands, intertwining your fingers with his own as he nods in understanding. Jeonggukâs like an open book and you can see his reluctance to let you go so you squeeze his hands in yours.
âOkay,â he says.
âAlright,â you say back.
He huffs out a laugh, pulling you into him one more time with an arm around your shoulder, one hand still entangled with yours. You feel him peck the top of your head once, twice before he releases you with a light shove towards the car idling next to you.
âCongrats again, superstar. Now go get drunk!â
*
âSo,â Jeongguk starts, leaning against your desk in a way that is oh so familiar now. Itâs Monday evening, two days since youâd finally given into temptation right outside of here. You hadnât spoken to him since, only realising that night when youâd only wanted to talk to Jeongguk that you didnât actually have his number.
âSo,â you parrot back to him, not bothered to bite down on the grin that automatically blooms in his presence.
âHow are you?â he asks.
âPretty good, thanks. You?â
âShit.â
âWhat? Why?â
âWell, see. Friday night was incredible. You see, this incredible - and I mean incredible - girl rocks my world. She tells me that sheâs applied for this job and - get this - she only fucking got it. Not only that, itâs her fucking dream job.â Youâre smiling at him, playing along with his dramatics, dropping in plenty of oh reallyâs and no ways. âSheâs going to work with kids, you know? Naturally, I was on top of the fucking world for her. And then guess what?â
âWhat?â
He leans closer to you, goofily pretending to check no-oneâs listening, then whispers, âThen she fucking kisses me. Iâm talking, grabs me by the neck and plants one on me. I felt like I was floating on air. Like, this could be the best thing that ever happened to me. In fact, no. It was the best thing that had ever happened. And then-â
âAnd then-â
âI get home. First of all, Iâm teased by my roommates because I canât wipe the grin off my face. They kept telling me I was glowing. And then? I go to text this dream girl, just to say have a great night, congrats, thanks for blowing my mind and so on. And then I realise.â
You gasp playfully, trying to control your giggling. âWhat did you realise?â
âI realised that I donât even have her fucking number.â
âWow. She kissed you like that and didnât leave her number? She sounds like a dick,â you joke.
âHow dare you, take that back! Sheâs the girl of my dreams!â he jokes.
âWell that sounds like an awful experience. Iâm so sorry you had to go through that,â you say, patting his hand where itâs laid on top of your desk.
Heâs quick though, and when you move to pull away he flips his hand and grasps yours, intertwining your fingers as best he can.
âNah, Iâd like to go through it again and again. But not the number part. That bit really was shit,â he laughs.
You hold out the hand heâs not holding and look expectantly at him. âPhone?â
He reluctantly lets go of you to pat at his pockets - first his shorts, then his hoodie before his eyes meet yours. âUm, let me check my backpack.â He roots in there, pointedly ignoring your peels of laughter echoing around him before he drops his bag on the floor and drops his head to your desk with a thump.
âYou forgot your phone, didnât you?â
He whines loudly and nods his head as best he can while heâs still resting it on the desk. Youâre so enchanted by him and the natural way he makes the laughter race out of you. Heâs mumbling to himself about what the fuck did I ever do to deserve this and how sending a picture of Tae passed out, shirtless and drunk for his member photo was only payback and I shouldnât be punished for it when you reach for your top desk drawer and swiftly unlock it.
You reach inside, searching for the piece of paper youâre after and withdrawing it quietly so as to not attract Jeonggukâs attention. You quickly scribble your number and a small love heart across the middle of the paper and slide it next to where Jeonggukâs head is resting. You give the top of the desk three small taps to get his attention.
He obediently looks up at you and follows your eye line to where youâve placed the piece of paper beside him. He takes one look at where youâve scrawled your number and his head is thrown back in laughter, hands clapping loudly in the reception area.
âOh my fucking god, youâre amazing,â he says quickly before bursting out into another round of loud laughs.
He picks up the piece of paper youâd slid to him and holds it firmly in both hands, staring at that fateful photograph from his memberâs profile that youâd printed off on the first day youâd met him. Youâd scribbled your number directly across the part of his forehead that was on show and he felt as if his heart was bursting with fondness for you.
âPlease let me take you on a date,â he says breathlessly, leaning over you desk again.
âItâs in the employeeâs guidelines that we canât date gym members. Sorry, JK, youâre shit out of luck,â you shrug, throwing your hands up in an I donât make the rules gesture.
âAh, shit. That really is a shame. Hey, whenâs your last day again?â
âFriday.â
âHa! Looks like youâre shit out of luck then. Thereâs no getting rid of me now. Iâll pick you up at 9 on Friday then? Text me your address when youâve got my number.â
He bumps the top of your desk with his fist once and then backs away towards the gym area doors. He slides his pass out of his shorts pocket - at least heâs remembered that - and sends you a devilish wink across the room as he scans his pass and disappears through the door.
Well shit. Friday canât come soon enough.
*
Hi hi hi! I hope you enjoyed this :) Iâm rather new to this fandom so please let me know your thoughts!Â