The first time you really noticed it, you were out with him on a coffee date. After accidentally running into him quite literally during rush hour on a Monday, you just managed to salvage both of your dignities by only spilling a few small drops of your drink on him. Between you spewing out apologies and him taking the situation in stride — which you were eternally grateful for — you managed to convince him to exchange numbers so you could buy him a coffee sometime as a real apology. (The fact that you found him really handsome might have played a part in your insistence too, but he didn't have to know that.) A few days of casual text messages later, you entered one of your favourite cafés in the area with Dex by your side. You did not want to call it a date, not when neither of you ventured into that territory yet, but with the way you two seemed to just click and how easily the conversation flowed, you started treating it as one in your head. There was no harm in giving it a different name rather than calling it an apology coffee, you justified yourself.

Finding an empty table at a somewhat secluded part of the café gave you the perfect view of him. Dex sat with his back turned to the big windows behind him, and while it provided him with the opportunity to watch the entrance and other customers, you could admire him freely without any interruptions. In the early afternoon hour, the Sun was just beginning to shine through the panes of glass, bathing Dex in an almost ethereal glow. That was when you noticed the little dot on his left cheek, when he turned his face to take a sip of his coffee and the sunshine hit his profile just right. He looked nothing less than gorgeous in the light, his blondish hair almost golden and hazel eyes turning into a warm color akin to honey.

You're not sure why out of all of his features, the little mole was what captivated you the most. Maybe it was because it gave a sort of softness to the otherwise harsh lines of his face, even though sometimes it also had the opposite effect when the lighting caught his profile in an angle and put emphasis on his strong cheekbone. Whatever the reason was, you couldn't help but stare at it every time you got to meet him in person.

As your relationship progressed with time, so did the physical contact between you. Shy, almost cautious touches turned into gentle hugs, which then changed into holding hands when you were together. Soon, this led you to break the unsaid boundary and peck his cheeks in greeting, and that quickly turned into a thing you did routinely. It wasn't long before you ended up giving him a real kiss, and there was no going back after that.

Still, you developed a habit during this process; you often planted kisses on his face, as a greeting, as a thank you, as just a casual display of affection. You were very specific about it too: you always aimed for the little dot on his left cheek. Dex seemed almost bashful about the attention you regularly gave to his face. Whenever you stared at that one spot a little too long, caressed his cheek, or complimented the mark, he more often than not ducked his head and avoided eye contact. It was easy to see the red creeping onto his ears and face because of his pale skin, and it made you smile every time. His reactions were terribly endearing and they just made you want to tease him until he turned scarlet all over.

— Dex has never missed a beat at any concert before. Never. People began to jokingly say that he has supernatural abilities because it doesn't seem humanly possible to never make a single mistake (the thing is, he has made mistakes in the early days, but only far and in between, and he always played it off so well that no one noticed)

— He can play back any song after hearing it only once near perfectly. This doesn't help the superhuman claims obviously

— Most of his equipment has bullseye symbols painted on it (the batter head of his drums, the end of the drumsticks etc.) since it's his trademark in the band. His nickname among fans is "Bullseye", partially because of this, but also because of his insane accuracy with which he hits notes. After a while, the other band members started calling him Bullseye sometimes at concerts and in public too, because it just stuck

— Dex is very particular about his equipment. Doesn't really let anyone touch his drum set, only the band's road crew when every part is already in its box and safely closed, and the same goes for his sticks. If anything needs maintenance, checking or fixing, he's the one who's going to do it

— A lot of people are more intimidated by him than the professional security. The venues usually offer their own people for safety at concerts, but if there is anything amiss in the crowd, Dex picks up on it quickly and usually resolves it as well. By the time security notices the issue, more often than not he’s already on the case or has stopped something from happening before it even began. It also helps, of course, that he is physically big and easily towers over people, not to mention that those arms are not just for show. He has a mean throw. Speaking of-

— Hurled a drumstick square into the forehead of a fan who was getting too handsy in the crowd once. They had to pause the concert because the guy passed out

— Dex is good at handling any sort of situations life can throw at him. Equipment not working properly? Disrespectful person in the crowd? A fellow band member having issues? Something getting thrown at the stage? He's calm, collected, and deals with whatever needs to be taken care of without making a bigger deal than it has to be out of it

— He does break his sticks sometimes, but Dex never lets the interruption ruin his momentum and there is always a new one in his hands almost instantly. He always looks at the ruined sticks with almost disappointment, a kind of grimace on his face, treating the whole thing like an inconvenience he has no patience or time for. On rare occasions, he throws the broken drumsticks into the audience. Fans always go crazy

— It doesn't happen often, but sometimes his fingers start bleeding because a broken stick caught it in the wrong angle or his skin just got rubbed in the same spot one too many times. After like the second time this happened at a concert, he started wearing tape on his fingers. He did not like how it limited his grip, however small, so he quickly stopped using it. Alas, his fingers bleed on unlucky nights

— Interviewers' and PR team's worst nightmare. Dex never speaks by his own volition, only if he's asked a question directly. Even then, he is very curt and answers in as few words as necessary

— He is never outright rude; he's just very straightforward, speaks without flourish and unnecessary flattery, and without mincing his words. If you ask a stupid question, he will just stare blankly at you until you are uncomfortable enough and look away and/or move on. And the few handful of interviewers who think it's okay to ask any of the band members invasive questions or make them feel uneasy? His glare could empty the room

— The only reason he stays for interviews is because the other members make him + there is always the possibility of him getting kicked out by their manager, no matter how good he is

— Dex has a very private life, most of the things publicly known about him is information from the other band members or old acquaintances

— Photographers have to actively hunt him if they want any usable pictures. Doesn't like to stop for the camera, official photos and photoshoots are the only exception because he's required to do them

— There are virtually no pictures of him smiling on the internet. None. Some fans have pages dedicated specifically to interviews, live concert videos or cast pictures, and even they can never find one where he is outright laughing, much less happily smiling. The closest thing they have are a few grainy concert pictures where he has a smug smirk on his face after a particularly good drum solo

— While out in public, most of the paparazzi/fan pictures feature him with headphones on and a blue portable Walkman in his hands or pockets

— Dex is not on any social media sites, at least he has no known official accounts. Occasionally, he does show up on the other guys' pages though

— Besides the drums, he can also play guitar and he's quite good at it

— Dex has been heard singing exactly once: the lead singer's voice cracked really bad during a concert and couldn't properly vocalize the last, longer note of the chorus. Even without a mic on him, Dex carried the note flawlessly so the song didn't lose its rhythm. The crowd went absolutely wild, and the internet exploded with so many videos that for days every social media feed was just those five or so seconds. When asked about it by interviewers later, he just shrugged and acted like he did nothing special

— Despite that one instance, there are no other videos of him singing online. A few BTS videos of studio recordings from the band itself were posted publicly, where there is a barely there, quiet voice in the background, and fans speculate that it’s him singing as a backdrop for the others. It has never been confirmed, nor denied by the band

— Always drenched in sweat after concerts. He stands in line with the others for applause and bows with them, but never holds hands with anyone. The most he touches the others are a handshake or quick pat on the back/shoulder. Dex tends to stand a little further away on the sides while the lead singer says their usual thanks and lines, just observing. With sweat covering his clothes, hair flattened to his forehead and hands slightly trembling from the leftover adrenaline, he just nods to his bandmates then leaves the stage after they are done talking. Sometimes he waves to the crowd or throws some extra drumsticks to fans, but otherwise no meddling or any "unnecessary" interactions. The only time he stays longer is when another member has to say something to him or if there is an issue

— Not often present at meet and greets or signings, so the fans developed a habit of giving the other band members small gifts and whatever else they'd like to be given to Dex. He always takes them with the same nod and curt but genuine thank you, no matter how silly or serious the presents might be. Whether it's drawings, bracelets, figures or small handmade things, he looks at them with the same appreciation. He does keep everything that has been given to him over the years by fans, and the others tease him sometimes good-heartedly

— When he ends up in an interaction with fans one way or another, Dex is always respectful. He's not loud and doesn't talk a lot, but he speaks politely, shakes hands and if asked respectfully, even gives hugs. These are the rare instances when he actually smiles, not a full grin or anything like that, but he does give small, sometimes proud, other times genuinely grateful smiles. He always says thank-yous and goodbyes appropriately for the given situation and he's surprisingly good with talking to both adults and younger people

— When he is signing things, he always puts a little bullseye symbol next to his signature

Headphones and his latest case entirely forgotten on the table, Matt was already halfway across the room, heart in his throat and senses expanded to search for the source of your sudden panic. Was there someone in the house? Did you see something on the street? Are you hurt? Nevermind that he would have noticed if something was afoot — even while buried nose deep in his work as he was — all the rational thoughts left him the moment you cried out. Theories of what scared you were frantically jumping between bad and worse in his head, and Matt was moving as quickly as his body allowed him to reach you.

Not even a full minute later, when he burst into the kitchen, breath held and posture tense in a way that said he was ready for anything the situation could throw at him, there was a second of complete stillness. You were sitting up high on the counter, back pressed to the cabinet behind you, knees drawn up all the way to your chest, arms folded tightly over them in a protective manner. Your heart was beating quickly, pulse racing, and Matt could hear the near frantic breaths you were taking. Upon seeing him, your body relaxed significantly; your shoulders lowered and your next set of breaths came out more regular and steady. But even then, you didn’t move to get off from the elevated surface, legs not unfurling and arms still wound tight. Matt took a moment to collect himself, calm his own racing heart and take stock of the situation. He couldn’t sense anyone else in the apartment, there was no smell of blood or tears in the air, there weren’t any foreign noises he could detect in the room that would raise any alarms. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, he consciously relaxed his tense frame and took a few cautious steps towards you. When he finally spoke up, it was in a gently inquiring tone, hoping not to stress you out further and get to the end of whatever was causing your distress.

“Sweetheart? What happened?”

“There is a bug.”

Your voice came out slightly petulant, and even with your face hidden behind your knees, Matt could feel the undeniable pout on your lips. With both reluctance and distaste, you gestured towards the ground with a hand, as if you had found something unacceptable there and needed it extracted from the perimeters as soon as possible.

Matt shifted a little in place, canted his head to the side and listened. There, where you pointed moments prior, was a small insect on the floor. It wasn’t flying at the moment, just crawling around in small circles, but he could just make out the small, near inaudible rustles of its tiny wings making noise when the layers of it shifted against each other. The buzzing little thing couldn’t have been bigger than a sunflower seed, utterly incapable of causing any harm to anyone that wasn’t the size of an ant or a grain of salt.

From your vantage point on the counter, you could see the exact moment a slow smile crept onto his face. The specific upward curve of his lips, a beginning of smirk, let you know that he was going to say something he found terribly amusing, and it would most likely make you want to strangle him in turn.

“Is this guy bugging you?”

The following silence was deafening. You sat there, stock still, and Matt was properly grinning now, an aura of self-satisfaction radiating off him. You really wanted to slap him.

“Matt.”

Saying his name in the most deadpan tone you could muster, you hoped that you got your feelings on the matter across sufficiently.

“Yes?”

Judging by the intonation of his words, he heard you loud and clear, and he was enjoying your annoyance immensely. Bastard.

“Deal with it. Please.”

For a few moments longer he just continued to smile at you, then finally moved into a crouch to pick up the little creature in one of his palms. When he had it secured in a loose fist, Matt rose, and you scooted harder into the cabinet behind you if it was possible. He hesitated just for the shortest second at that, but then dutifully turned, walked to the balcony door, opened it with his free hand, then let the bug fly away with a light nudge of his fingers.

Crisis successfully averted, you let out a deep breath, then crawled down from the counter. Matt walked back into the kitchen, grin still on his face, and you knew he was not going to let you live this down for another few minutes. Or maybe hours. Potentially days, because he was annoying like that.

Before he could open his mouth and say something to irritate you even further, you pointed an accusing finger in his direction.

“Don’t.”

“Don’t what, sweetheart?”

“Don’t you dare say anything.”

Matt just stood there, proud grin still on his face, but mercifully stayed silent. Well, at least for the moment. You knew better than to think it would stay that way for long.

“Thank you.”

Turning your back to him, you focused back on continuing whatever task you were doing before spotting the unwanted guest. When you thanked him, your voice was purposefully flat, but you couldn't hide the tone of genuine appreciation under the layers of forced nonchalance — even if you really wanted to in order to avoid his future nettling. You were sure Matt could hear it too, and that did not help your case at all.

“Don’t mention it. You were just buzzing to get my attention. I couldn't leave you wanting."