Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/2494229.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Underage
  Category:
      M/M
  Fandom:
      방탄소년단_|_Bangtan_Boys_|_BTS
  Relationship:
      Jeon_Jeongguk_|_Jungkook/Kim_Taehyung_|_V
  Character:
      Jeon_Jeongguk_|_Jungkook, Kim_Taehyung_|_V, Park_Jimin
  Additional Tags:
      Barebacking, Facials, Marking, Orgasm_Delay/Denial, Light_BDSM, Shower
      Sex
  Stats:
      Published: 2014-10-22 Words: 18108
****** we go hard (even at four in the middle of the fucking night) ******
by monsterplaza_(aesthesiae)
Summary
     Jeongguk comes up to Seoul to pursue a music career and somehow ends
     up rooming next to that one dude in the sharehouse who just will not
     stop making noises in the middle of the night.
Notes
     Gonna douse myself in holy water bye :) pls enjoy halftime
     entertainment!
(May 2015)
Galmaegi hasukjib is a small but cozy student sharehouse tucked away in the
streets of Shinchon, a hidden gem located right next to imposing Seoul
universities and live music clubs of Hongdae, in the heart of Seoul’s
underground music scene.
It’s also dirt cheap—which is the main reason one seventeen-year-old Jeon
Jeongguk is standing at the doorstep, drenched from the rain.
“Room for one,” Jeongguk says, lugging his suitcase behind him. He shakes his
hair out, shivering as he takes out his wallet and ID card. He was meant to be
here an hour ago, but he’d gotten lost on the way from the train station, and
now the sky is dark and pissing rain and he just wants to shower and collapse
into a warm bed. “I’m Jeon Jeongguk.”
“Welcome, Jeongguk,” the middle-aged lady at reception says, jotting his name
and details down into the register. She glances at Jeongguk’s luggage. “And how
long are you looking to stay?”
Jeongguk hesitates, then shrugs. “I don’t know yet. How long does it take to
make it big in Seoul?”
 
 
The choice to come to Seoul alone to pursue a singing career had, all in all,
been relatively easy to make. School wasn’t working out. Jeongguk had spent
more of his time during class thinking about vocal techniques and his forever
idol G-Dragon and composing songs in his head than about the specifics of plate
tectonics or convection currents, much to the chagrin of his earth sciences
teacher.
“One year,” Jeongguk had said, the day he’d turned on the TV to see a
particular heartrending performance of R.O.D where G-Dragon had made a
fingerheart at the camera. His parents had been reticent, but understanding.
“Just one year, and if I can’t make something of myself, I’ll come back and
finish high school.”
The train from Busan had taken a little less than four hours. Jeongguk spent
most of the time staring out the window, fidgeting, listening to the COUP
D’ETAT album on repeat, and napping restlessly in between rocking out to the
album. Seoul is busy and bustling and Jeongguk had felt very small when he’d
stepped off the train, a small boy in a large city, with a distant dream in his
mind and only a vague idea of how to realise it.
“Your new home, Jeon Jeongguk,” Jeongguk mutters to himself as he unlocks the
door. Room 301, at the end of the corridor of the third floor, is barely the
size of his bathroom back home, and only has one tiny South-facing window. The
bathrooms were communal, the lady at reception had explained, as was the
laundry room. No laundry after ten at night. Complimentary breakfast served
from eight to ten every morning, the generic banchan, a bowl of rice, and
whatever guk was on the menu.
At least, Jeongguk thinks as he lathers himself up in the cramped men’s
showers, it’s relatively late at night so nobody else is washing up. He’s never
had to share showers before, and he’s not quite comfortable yet with the idea
of parading around naked in front of strangers, although it’s something that he
will have to adjust to sooner or later if he wants to survive in this hasukjib.
The water pools up around his feet, and Jeongguk wrinkles his nose. Even though
he’s set the water to a weak stream, the drains aren’t very efficient. He’s
heard stories of certain bodily fluids clogging up communal drains, and he
hopes to god that isn’t the case here—
“Good evening!”
Jeongguk jumps and almost slips to his death, clutching his little limited-
edition G-Dragon washcloth over his privates and whipping around to face the
source of the sound. The culprit is a boy of around his height, ears sticking
out under a shock of bright orange hair and lips pulled into a grin way too
happy for this kind of mortifying situation.
“I haven’t seen you before,” said boy remarks, looking a very naked Jeongguk up
and down. Jeongguk gulps, shuffling closer to the wall. The boy’s voice is very
deep for his face and frame. “Newcomer?”
“Yes,” Jeongguk says awkwardly, trying to angle himself so his body isn’t
completely exposed, to no avail. Next to him, the boy dumps his towel on the
racks and kicks off his slippers. “I only got in today.” The water is flooding
up past his ankles now, and Jeongguk wishes it would rise up above his head and
take him down the drain with it.
“Oh, the drains here don’t work properly,” orange-head says, eyeing the puddle
at Jeongguk’s feet. “Too many people jerking off in the showers.” He walks
forward, turning Jeongguk’s water off, and resuming his stripping right in
front of Jeongguk’s eyes. Jeongguk squeezes them shut, flushing in
embarrassment. The boy has a banging body, and Jeongguk definitely does not
need any further humiliation in, say, the form of unwanted boners. “You gotta
turn the water off when you’re scrubbing. Want me to do your back for you?”
“I’m good, thanks,” Jeongguk mumbles, turning the water on full blast and
washing the suds off as fast as he can. He grabs his towel and wraps himself
protectively in it. He needs to escape from this strange human being before he
completely loses his dignity. “I’m done. Bye!”
“Hey, wait,” orangey shouts from behind him, “what’s your name?”
“Jeon Jeongguk,” Jeongguk mumbles without looking back. If all people in Seoul
acted like this…
“I’m Kim Taehyung,” carrot-head shouts at Jeongguk. Jeongguk picks up his pace.
“Welcome to the Big Brother house!”
 
 
The Big Brother house, Jeongguk decides, is most definitely haunted by ghosts
or some shit, because what the hell is this horrible screeching noise at four
in the fucking morning?
“I swear to god!” Jeongguk hears someone scream from outside his door. There’s
a slam, a thunk, and the screeching stops. “If I hear that thing one more time,
I am going to fucking murder you in your sleep.”
Wow. Witnessing murder threats on his first day in Seoul.
Jeongguk closes his eyes and tries to go back to sleep.
The big city is such a wonderful place.
 
 
The boy in room 302 goes by the name of Park Jimin, and he’s also from Busan.
Jeongguk bumps into him on the way down to breakfast, literally, bleary eyed
from his interrupted sleep, and they start making small talk after some fumbled
apologies. Maybe it’s the familiar homely accent, but Jeongguk finds himself
chatting quite comfortably with Jimin in the dining room over breakfast.
(Okay. So calling it a dining room might be an exaggeration. It’s more like a
small area connected to the house kitchen, cluttered with tables, chairs, and
bowls of banchan for the hasukjib residents to have with their breakfast.)
“You’re only seventeen?” Jimin asks, and his eyes light up. He grins widely,
eyes narrowing into tiny crescents. “Aw, then you’re the same age as my little
bro.”
“Unfortunately, you’re not the same age as my older brother,” Jeongguk says,
eyeing Jimin up and down, “and he’s most definitely taller than you.”
“Why you little—” Jimin reaches forward with outstretched hands, and Jeongguk’s
arms go up protectively over his face, anticipating a smackdown, but Jimin
ruffles Jeongguk’s hair instead. “You brat. You’re so cute I can’t even hit
you.”
“Anyway, what the hell was that noise last night?” Jeongguk asks around a
mouthful of rice. He waves his spoon around. “Seriously, is there something
about this building I should know? Vengeful spirits? Cats trapped in the
walls?”
“Ah,” Jimin says, nodding knowingly. “That would be the handiwork of Kim
Taehyung.”
“Kim Taehyung?” Jeongguk furrows his eyebrows. That name sounds… awfully
familiar. “Who’s that?”
“Speak of the devil,” Jimin says, nodding his head in the direction of the
entrance. A bright mop of orange bounds through, silhouette of a guitar
strapped to his back, and Jeongguk’s stomach sinks. Of course. Kim Taehyung.
Shower dude.
“Good morning!” Taehyung says brightly. Jeongguk tries very very hard not to
think about Taehyung’s naked torso. “What’s for breakfast?”
“You,” the housekeeper scolds, “how many times have I told you we have a noise
restriction?”
“Sorry, ma’am,” Taehyung says, grinning widely and thumping his chest. He grabs
a piece of kimchi straight from the bowl and slurps it up, licking his fingers,
then goes for a piece of radish. “An artist’s gotta practice his craft every
day!”
“One more time and I’m kicking you out of here,” the housekeeper warns, and
Taehyung just nods cheerily and bows to her retreating back.
“Does he do this every night?” Jeongguk asks in horror, once Taehyung’s bounded
out of the room, a silhouette in the distance. “Is he crazy? Is the
housekeeping ajumma crazy? How has he not been kicked out yet?”
Jimin reaches inside his pockets and pulls out two earplugs. “The ajumma is
fond of him. He’s my age, but he’s weird. Like, super weird. But also super
nice. I suggest you invest in a pair of these if you want your beauty sleep.”
Jeongguk groans into his bowl, planting a cheek on the cold wooden table. “Tell
me, lord, what sin did I commit in my past life to deserve this?”
“I guess god just wants to make you suffer for how cute you are,” Jimin says,
winking at Jeongguk, and Jeongguk kicks him under the table, hard.
 
 
The next time Jeongguk bumps into Taehyung, it is, thankfully, not in the
communal showers while he is stark naked.
Jeongguk’s on his way back to the hasukjib after a long day of part-time job
hunting (much to his dismay, a musician needs income to sustain his musician
ways, and his parents had refused to give him money for the room rental), when
he sees Taehyung in the convenience store near their residence, standing
spread-eagle front of an open refrigerator door.
“Excuse me,” Jeongguk hears the store attendant say. Taehyung doesn’t even
react. “Excuse me, if you’re not going to buy anything, could you please close
the fridge door?”
“I’m still thinking,” Taehyung says, evidently not thinking very hard at all.
Jeongguk raises an eyebrow. It is summer, and it is unbearably muggy, but this
Kim Taehyung has absolutely no shame at all.
Jeongguk’s just about to leave, lest he be associated with this joke of a human
being, when Taehyung turns around and spots Jeongguk, his eyes lighting up.
“Hey!” Taehyung says, distinctive voice ringing out as he waves
enthusiastically to Jeongguk. Jeongguk closes his eyes and lets out a sigh.
“Hey, Jeongguk, right?”
“Hello, Taehyung-sshi,” Jeongguk says unwillingly. The store clerk shoots him a
suspicious look and Jeongguk laughs weakly, pointing in the direction of the
hasukjib. “Look, I’m just going to go—”
“Why so formal?” Taehyung asks, bounding up to wrap an arm around Jeongguk’s
shoulders. “I hear from Jiminnie that you’re a cute young’un. Just call me
hyung, hmm?”
“Hyung,” Jeongguk tries. The word sits uncomfortably on his tongue. “I should—”
“That’s it,” Taehyung croons, then fans himself, running a hand through his
bright shock of hair. “God, it’s so hot today. Feel like an icecream?”
Well, Jeongguk thinks, hesitating, it is muggy and gross, and he’s tired out
from a whole day of running around cafés and restaurants leaving his less than
stellar resume with several disgruntled managers in the hopes for a part-time
job. It’s already been a week in Seoul, and he still hasn’t managed to tick off
anything on his ambitious to-do list he’d made before he came here. Icecream is
definitely a good idea—and if it’s an offer of food, well, Jeongguk can’t
refuse.
“I want the watermelon flavour,” Jeongguk says reluctantly, and Taehyung just
grins a rectangular grin and slides open the freezer to pull out two iceblocks.
It turns out Taehyung’s from Daegu and had only come up to Seoul two months ago
to pursue a music career, the same as Jeongguk, although he’s been rejected
from every single audition he’s been to and strangely doesn’t seem too
perturbed by it. By the time they finish their iceblocks, sitting on the stairs
outside the hasukjib, the sun is setting, and Taehyung has to run off to some
odd paper delivery job.
“I’ll talk to you later!” Taehyung shouts, waving both hands cheerily and
almost tripping over a pebble on the ground in his hasty backwards retreat. He
picks himself up and continues waving cheerily, like nothing had happened.
“Yeah,” Jeongguk says, waving back, slightly miffed and feeling like he’s just
been run over by a chattering steamroller. Kim Taehyung is like no one he’s
ever met before, and it’s three parts refreshing to seven parts mindboggling.
“See you.”
 
 
Jeongguk gets a phone call early next morning from a Kim Seokjin, who is more
than enthusiastic to recruit Jeongguk as a part-time waiter for his newly-
opened duck restaurant. Jeongguk can’t even remember which one it is out of all
the places he’d been to yesterday, but apparently, the restaurant likes him
enough to ask him to come in just before lunch to get briefed and start his
first shift. He’s in high spirits, humming as he heads down the stairs to
breakfast.
“You’re going to work at a restaurant?” Jimin asks, adjusting his snapback and
feeding Jeongguk a piece of kimchi. Jeongguk pulls a face, but eats it
reluctantly when Jimin pouts. “What happened to getting a vocal gig?”
Jeongguk shrugs, stabbing a piece of acorn jelly. The search is ongoing.
There’s an audition that night that he’s looking to go to, just in Hongdae, for
a local band who’s looking for a new vocalist. “I’m still looking, but I need
money on the side first. How’s your dancing thing?”
Jimin does this funny shoulder-rolling thing, looking sheepish. “There’s a
dance battle next month that I’ve got to prepare for. Apparently some really
great dancers from Jeolla are coming up for the battle.”
The doors to the dining room fly open, and Taehyung struts in, familiar guitar
strapped to his back. He spots Jimin and Jeongguk sitting at the table and
gives a grin and wave, pulling a chair from the nearby table and sits on it
backwards, leaning against the backrest. “Ni hao ma, tomodachi?”
Jimin laughs at Taehyung's mangled greeting. “Hello to you too. What’s the plan
for today?”
Taehyung bares his teeth and wrinkles his nose, making a symbol with his hand,
and yeah, Jeongguk thinks, this dude is definitely a screw or two loose in the
head. “What else? Rock and roll, baby.”
“So, you have no plans and you’re going to sit around at the park annoying
people with your guitar,” Jimin interprets. He brings Jeongguk into a headlock,
and Jeongguk struggles momentarily before giving in and letting Jimin have his
way. Jimin points to Jeongguk with his free hand. “This one here got a job at
the duck place down the road.”
Taehyung’s eyes fly open, his mouth forming a perfect O, and he claps his
hands. “Yay, employment! Do you get free food?”
“No idea,” Jeongguk says, shrugging free of Jimin’s crushing biceps. “I haven’t
even been down yet. I start this afternoon.”
“Well!” Taehyung says, standing up, stepping one leg on the chair and making a
superman pose. “Ducks are cute. Also delicious. Let’s walk you down and ask if
there are any employee benefits!”
“Uh,” Jeongguk says. “I’m not sure—”
“To infinity and beyond!” Taehyung says, puffing out his chest, and he drags
Jeongguk out of his seat.
Help, Jeongguk mouths at Jimin, who just laughs and waves the two of them off
cheerily, eyebrows raised. God, Jeongguk hasn’t even been here for two weeks
and he’s already already being tormented by a possessive hyung who calls him
cute at every chance he gets and a 4D weirdo with the mental capacity of a
three-year-old, except way hotter. This is the worst.
Kim Seokjin is not, in fact, a fifty-year-old duck-obsessed bearded masterchef
like Jeongguk had been expecting. Kim Seokjin is actually a very attractive
twenty-something with a face and build that could rival those of magazine cover
models.
“Chef-nim,” Taehyung says, bowing 90 degrees. “How do you do. I have brought
you your employee.”
“Um,” Jeongguk says, bowing as well. He should’ve insisted for Taehyung to stay
back at the hasukjib. This is so humiliating. “I’m Jeon Jeongguk. I got a call
this morning—”
“Ah, yes, welcome aboard,” Seokjin says, smiling widely. “As you can see, we’ve
only recently opened and we need some fresh young faces to greet the
customers.”
“I’m fresh and young,” Taehyung says, stroking a non-existent beard. “Do we get
free food? I’ll consider working here too if you give me free food.”
Seokjin blinks a couple of times, evidently taken aback, before laughing and
crossing his arms. “Well, yes, I guess that could be arranged—”
“Oh goody,” Taehyung says, wrapping an arm around Jeongguk’s shoulders and
grinning. “Well then, Jeonggukkie and I will start today. Thanks, chef-nim!”
“I… okay,” Seokjin says, scratching the back of his neck. He sounds rather
bemused himself, as if he’d just taken on two unruly children he doesn’t know
how to deal with. “Uniforms and changerooms are out back.”
“How on earth did you do that?” Jeongguk asks as he and Taehyung head into the
changeroom, Taehyung hanging his guitar (that he carried all the way here just
to make a fashion statement, what the hell) up on one of the hooks and
immediately stripping. Jeongguk looks away, blushing. “Did you just sweet talk
your way into a job?”
Taehyung grins, tapping his nose and winking. “There are certain perks that
come with a skilled tongue.”
Jeongguk sobs inside at the double entendre. This is going to be a long day.
 
 
Taehyung doesn’t break anything in the restaurant on their first shift, which
is more than anything Jeongguk could ask for. He’s…surprisingly good at mundane
tasks, although he does spend half an hour staring at the sparkly golden
chandelier in the VIP room with lovebeams shooting out of his eyes and another
half hour staring at the duck-roasting oven emitting peculiar sounds every time
the spit turns.
“Good work,” Seokjin says when the last clean-up has been done and they’re
ready to leave the building. “You’ll get paid weekly, and you can pack and take
whatever leftover roast duck there is on the warming grill.”
“Aw yeah,” Taehyung says when they get out of the restaurant, box of duck in
his hands. He celebrates with a little butt-wiggly dance. “Jeongguk, look,
dinner!”
Jeongguk laughs, checking the time on his phone. He’d love to sit down and have
a proper dinner, but the audition’s in half an hour, and he’s got to get ready.
“You can have it all today, hyung, I have to go somewhere. Share it with Jimin
or something.”
“Aw, but—”
“I’m gonna be late,” Jeongguk says, resting a hand on Taehyung’s shoulder.
Taehyung pouts, then does a little whiny shimmy-shake with his shoulders. “I’ll
see you back at the residence.”
 
 
“Are you kidding me?”
Jeongguk stops mid-note, voice faltering. The members of the band, seated in
front of him, have their arms crossed over their chests. They look pissed. They
probably are pissed.
“He’s singing Taeyang,” one of them says, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“Hey, don’t you know anything alt rock? ”
“I…” Jeongguk gulps. “I guess not, but I can sing something else if you want?
Zion.T?”
“Kid, we’re a rock band, not the next Big Bang,” the guitarist says, standing
up. “You have a nice voice, but your… look, your style, it’s not right for us.
It’s too sweet. We need pain, passion. You got no emotion.”
Jeongguk feels himself shrinking on the stage, light blinding his eyes. So this
is rejection.
Maybe it’s because he’s too inexperienced.
Maybe he can’t convey the right emotions—sadness, regret, pain, passion—because
he hasn’t felt them before. He’s a hatchling who’s just emerged from a
comfortable life as the baby of the family and toddled off all the way to Seoul
alone to prove something to himself. He doesn’t have scars the others do from
scrabbling to survive in this world outside the shell.
“Sorry, kiddo, it’s a no.”
“I—I understand,” Jeongguk says, bowing. “Thanks for your time.”
It’s nearing midnight when Jeongguk gets back to the residency, and he conks
out almost immediately after a furious shower, cursing himself the entire time.
Too early. Embarrassing. Should’ve been more prepared. What the hell were you
thinking singing pop songs at an rock band audition?
Four in the morning, an unearthly wailing screech rouses Jeongguk.
“Fuck,” he mutters, sitting up and ruffling his hair in annoyance. Kim
Taehyung. He’d forgotten to get the earplugs from the convenience store like
Jimin had suggested. “Oh my god, are you kidding?”
A few more screeches ring through the building as Jeongguk covers his ears with
a pillow, trying to muffle out the sound, but the periodical riff and stray
notes pierce through. Jeongguk throws the pillow to the other end of the room,
yanking open his door and stomping to room 303, where the source of the noise
resides.
“Hey.” Jeongguk knocks three times, in a foul mood. God fucking Kim Taehyung.
“Hey, open the door.”
“It’s unlocked!” Taehyung says, voice eerily happy, and Jeongguk pushes it
open, putting on the most annoyed expression he can master. Obviously, Taehyung
doesn’t know how to read social cues, because he simply waves at Jeongguk with
a toothy grin.
“Hiya, Jeonggukkie,” Taehyung greets. “Do you wanna listen to the song I’m
writing?”
“It’s four in the morning,” Jeongguk says, eyes narrowed. “I came to tell you
to shut the fuck up.”
“Ah, but,” Taehyung says, standing up and dragging Jeongguk to sit down on his
bed. He closes the door behind him and plops down next to Jeongguk. “You never
know when inspiration will hit.”
“Four in the morning,” Jeongguk repeats, running his hands down his face.
“Surely inspiration could wait for a couple of hours.”
“My young, naive grasshopper,” Taehyung says, waggling a finger very seriously.
“Inspiration does not wait for the artist. It is the musician’s lifeblood, and
we must capture it when our kind muse decides to grace us with her presence.”
“I’m not sure your muse intended for you to kill everyone in this damn building
from blood loss through their ears,” Jeongguk says slowly, but at the same
time, he kind of understands. The songs he’d composed and countless melodies
jotted down in the margins of notebooks and scraps of paper had always hit him
at inconvenient times—during class, just before bed, during an important test.
Evidently, he’s just not as inconsiderate or weird as Taehyung to get up in the
middle of the night just because of a few good melodies.
Taehyung plucks out another melody, humming to himself as he strums. Jeongguk
can name the general progression—a generic I IV V I—except Taehyung has put in
some super strange off-notes and sus chords that completely mess with the flow
of the song. It’s amateurish, at best.
In other words, Taehyung seriously sucks at this.
“I don’t get it,” Jeongguk says, resting his head on the bedframe. If he
remembers correctly, Taehyung had come up to Seoul to pursue a music career,
just like him. With that level of songwriting ability, he should’ve just stayed
in Daegu. “How can you… how can you keep going with this when it’s so glaringly
obvious you’re…” Jeongguk motions in the air. “Really fucking bad at this,” he
finishes without an ounce of eloquence.
Taehyung stops playing, turning to look at Jeongguk, and Jeongguk’s stomach
does a terrible lurch. Oh crap. That was harsh. Taehyung’s never going to talk
to him again.
What Jeongguk doesn’t expect is for Taehyung to ruffle his hair and laugh,
going back to picking notes on his guitar. “Does that matter? Does anyone
else’s opinion matter? I like it. If I like it, I’ll keep doing it. That’s all
there is to it.”
“Huh.” Taehyung is unexpectedly wise underneath that 4D exterior. And now that
he isn’t slamming out power chords, Jeongguk’s getting sleepy again.
“Interesting. Do you have earplugs?”
“Family pack.” Taehyung chucks a bag at Jeongguk, and Jeongguk reaches inside
to find tens of small, colourful foam buds. “Housekeeper ajumma made me get
these for everyone in the building.”
“Least you could do,” Jeongguk mutters, shoving one in each ear and settling
back on Taehyung’s bed. Blissful silence. “Okay. My eardrums are armed. Go
ahead with your cat mauling."
 
 
Jeongguk wakes up in the morning definitely not in his own bed, a pair of arms
wrapped around him, and he panics for half a second before he remembers the
events of last night.
“Oh my god,” Jeongguk mumbles, kicking a sleeping Taehyung by accident as he
tries to scramble out from the bed. He’d meant to go back to his room after
getting the earplugs, but evidently nothing of the sort happened, and evidently
Taehyung hadn’t minded enough to kick him out forcibly. “Shit, sorry, I must’ve
fell asleep here last night.”
Taehyung groans, rolling over and rubbing his eyes. He cracks one eyelid open
and fixes his gaze on Jeongguk. “G’morning Jeonggukkie” he says. His morning
voice is even huskier and several registers lower than usual. “You make a good
huggy pillow.”
Jeongguk laughs weakly, tugging at his shirt to hide his morning wood. The only
other person he’s ever shared a bed with, sans parents, was his hyung, and he’d
been what, ten years old. How the hell Kim Taehyung pushes his boundaries like
this, Jeongguk doesn’t understand. “I’m going to, uh, wash up.”
“Hey, wait, wait,” Taehyung says, eyes going wide, and he suddenly kicks off
his blankets and scrambles for his guitar. Jeongguk follows Taehyung with his
eyes, eyebrows furrowing when Taehyung sits cross-legged on his bed and clears
his throat, shaking his head like a cat trying to dry itself off. “I finished
writing that song from last night,” Taehyung says, tuning his guitar. “Wanna
hear it?”
“Do I have a choice?” Jeongguk asks. He leans against the door, arms crossed.
“Let's take a listen.”
Taehyung grins, brighter than sunshine, and strums a chord.
The first couple of bars are… honestly not that bad. Jeongguk starts nodding
his head to the beat, closing his eyes to listen. Taehyung has tidied it up a
lot from where he started off last night. This could… this could actually make
a really nice song. Taehyung starts humming, and Jeongguk’s breath catches at
how deep and husky Taehyung’s singing voice is. Damn, he would make a great
rock vocalist.
But then the humming turns into words and everything goes to shit.
“Swagger swagger barrel roll, rolling on your dirty clothes,” Taehyung sings in
that beautiful baritone voice.
“Uh,” Jeongguk starts, eyes flying open. Talk about plummeting back to reality.
“What?”
“The ravenette’s chocolate orbs,” Taehyung croons, strumming an off-tune chord.
“Sets my lo-o-ve caverns on fi-i-i-re~”
This has got to be a joke. It’s a dream. Jeongguk’s still dreaming, and he
hasn’t woken up yet. Nobody could write those lyrics and be serious about it.
“Oh, my inner goddess,” Taehyung sings, husky voice transitioning into a
soulful falsetto. Jeongguk is almost crying actual tears. Is there an off
button? Does Kim Taehyung have an off button? He should install an off button.
“The three-legged hamster of my soul!”
This continues on for two more excruciating minutes.
“Jesus christ,” Jeongguk mutters as Taehyung hits his ending chord, “I couldn’t
make up this shit if I tried.”
“Kim Taehyung!” There’s a knock on the door, and Jeongguk jumps from where he’s
leaning on it. “Taehyung, you shit, you kept me up the entire night and you’re
at it again. Open the door—”
Jeongguk pulls open the door to come face to face with one Park Jimin, whose
face is still puffy from sleep. Jimin’s eyes immediately go wide when he sees
Jeongguk. He looks to Jeongguk’s dishevelled hair, to his sweatshirt, to his
bare feet, to Taehyung still on the bed, and makes this little motion with his
fingers between the two of them, eyebrows raised and lips curling up into a
knowing smile.
“Did you…?”
“What—no!” Jeongguk yelps when he finally figures out what Jimin’s insinuating.
“No, no, it’s not like that—”
“Our Jeonggukkie couldn’t sleep last night, so he came to look for me,”
Taehyung says innocently. Jeongguk can’t really argue. Taehyung is speaking the
truth, technically.
“I’m so sorry, Jeongguk-ah,” Jimin says, hand comforting on Jeongguk’s
shoulder. “I see the 99 dimensional alien weirdo has taken another victim. Did
he unleash the love cavern hamster lyrics on you too?”
“Love cavern hamster—” Jeongguk narrows his eyes and looks back towards
Taehyung, who’s grinning toothily. “Were you just fucking with me?”
Taehyung blinks. He cocks his head. “I don’t think we were fucking last night.
Were we?”
“What the fuck—”
Jimin bursts out laughing as Jeongguk bashes his head on the doorframe.
Jeongguk shoots him a glare and moans as he rubs his forehead. “No, no, not…
literally, christ, I meant, were you just messing with me when you said you
wanted to show me a new song, you pervert—”
“No!” Taehyung says, shaking his head fervently. “I really did want to show you
the song. Just the melody, I just haven’t written the actual lyrics yet! I
always use those as fillers!”
“Oh,” Jeongguk says. “Well, thank god for that.”
“Trust me though,” Jimin says, pulling Jeongguk out of Taehyung’s room and
guiding him towards the bathroom so they can wash up for breakfast, “his actual
lyrics aren’t much better.”
 
 
In the following weeks, Taehyung ambushes Jeongguk every night before bed so he
can drags Jeongguk to his room and show off his tunes. Jeongguk is reluctant,
but obliging. Taehyung’s personality is infectious.
Jimin’s right. Taehyung’s lyrics don’t get much better (“My name is Taehyung, I
really like bacon—” “bacon doesn’t even rhyme with your name…”), but at least
they’re more bearable than chocolate raven orbsicles.
In return, Taehyung takes Jeongguk around Seoul when they’re not busy at the
restaurant scrubbing dishes or doing their individual music stuff. Taehyung’s
favourite place to write lyrics, is, apparently, a small cafe in Myeongdong
within biking distance of their residence. Taehyung invites Jeongguk along on a
slow Friday afternoon, with the intention to finish off a set of songs, but the
two of them end up at a PC room inhaling ramyun and playing MapleStory instead.
Sunday is an exceptionally fine day with a northwesterly breeze. Jeongguk knows
so because Taehyung licks his finger and sticks it in the air, closing his eyes
like a weather shaman. Taehyung insists that they have a picnic a Yeouido park,
because "aren’t picnics fun, and we can ride the communal bikes with picnic
baskets strapped on to the back!" Needless to say, Taehyung’s ideas are
terrible and Jeongguk’s basket of white bread, three tomatoes, and an entire
head of lettuce (“making food in advance is dumb, you gotta make it fresh!”)
rolls off his bike and down the banks of the Han river, so they end up buying
street snacks and lounging in the sun stuffing their faces with ddeokbokki
instead.
If Jeongguk didn’t know better, he would think he and Taehyung were dating,
but… Taehyung’s like this with everyone. He’s a ball of unbridled energy,
bouncing around from place to place, poking his nose in everyone’s business.
Apparently, Jimin wonders the same thing. On laundry day, while Jeongguk’s
waiting for the last cycle of the dryer, Jimin corners him in the laundry room
with a bright smile on his face.
“So,” Jimin says, leaning on the dryer, trying to look casual and looking about
as casual as a gnome with a cactus up his ass. “Are you and Taehyung like… an
item?”
“What? No!” Jeongguk waves his arms in front of him furiously in denial. “What
are you talking about?”
“Well, you’re always hanging out with him,” Jimin says, eyes narrowing. He
holds up a hand, folding down a finger for each item he ticks off the list.
“You went to line up for the new gundam figure release with him—and you didn’t
invite me along, I’m so hurt; you watched an entire season of volleyball anime
together in the dining room; you went to a zoo together—”
“Okay, okay,” Jeongguk says, hands raised at chest level. “In my defence, the
zoo was because Taehyung-hyung said he needed to go study lions to incorporate
a more, uh, grunge ‘rock and roll’ feel in his new composition. Whatever the
hell that means.”
“Fine,” Jimin says, leaning forward conspiratorially, “but the main thing is
that you let Taehyung do this to you.”
Jimin reaches forward to stroke Jeongguk’s neck, fingers trailing over
Jeongguk’s earlobe, and Jeongguk jerks away, whacking Jimin’s arm.
“Touch me again and you die, Park Jimin,” Jeongguk yelps, indignant, holding
the place Jimin has just touched.
Jimin crows with pained laughter and hits the dryer with his palm. “See? That’s
what I mean. You never pull away when Taehyung does that. Also call me hyung,
you brat, I’m the same age as your loverboy.”
“Well, that’s because…” Jeongguk falters. He’d never noticed it until now, but
Jimin’s right. For some reason, he’s gotten used to Taehyung’s random
touching—when Taehyung greets him with a hug in the morning, when Taehyung’s
playing with his ears or wiping the food from the corner of his lips or
stroking the nape of his neck. But that’s because… “Because he’s weird and he
does what he wants and I can’t stop him.”
“Yeah, alright,” Jimin says, evidently not convinced. The dryer beeps, and
Jimin retreats, pointing at Jeongguk as he walks backwards out the laundry room
door. “You can’t fool me, kiddo.”
 
 
Jeongguk can’t stop thinking about Jimin’s words throughout the entirety of his
shift at the restaurant. He must look super distracted, because even Taehyung
notices, waving a hand in front of Jeongguk’s face when Jeongguk is blanking
out.
“Hello? Earth to Jeon Jeongguk?”
“Huh?” Jeongguk blinks and jumps backwards when he sees Taehyung’s face right
in front of his, mere centimetres away. “Yeah, yeah, I’m listening.”
“What were you thinking about?”
Well, Jeongguk can’t possibly answer with ‘well, I was just thinking about
something Jimin-hyung said and—I think maybe I have the hots for you?’ so he
makes something up. “Just, things. My family,” he blurts out.
The lie turns to a half truth—Jeongguk hasn’t phoned home for almost a week,
too distracted and too busy. He could really do with his mother’s cooking right
now.
“I miss them,” Jeongguk says after a pause. “They didn’t approve of me quitting
right in the middle of high school to come up to Seoul and do this whole music
thing.”
“Oh, same here,” Taehyung says easily, and Jeongguk stares. “They all thought
I’d gone mad.”
“Who can blame them?” Jeongguk murmurs under his breath, and Taehyung snorts.
“They never had high hopes for me anyway,” Taehyung says, voice softening, tone
sobering, “never thought I could amount to anything. Thought everything of mine
was a phase.”
“Oh.” Jeongguk stops drying the dish in his hands. “I’m sorry.”
Jeongguk understands. The same words from teachers, repeated day in day out.
“Focus on your studies,” they’d said. “You’re nearing third year. You’ll have
to choose a university soon. you won’t have time for this music stuff.” And
what if they’re right? Jeongguk places the last plate in the drying rack,
looking down at his chapped hands. What if he came to Seoul just to scrub
plates and serve food for a year while not getting anywhere with his music?
“Whatever,” Taehyung says, shrugging and peeling his gloves off, leaning
against the sink. “I know it’s not a phase. I’ll show them.”
“Do you think…” Jeongguk licks his lips. “Do you think I can do it too?”
Taehyung grins, ruffling Jeongguk’s hair with a damp hand—and lo and behold,
Jeongguk doesn’t instinctively jerk away from the touch, even though the
dampness is uncomfortable on his skin. “You can do it, Jeon Jeongguk, you’re
talented and you work hard. I’m sure you’ll do well enough to make everyone
acknowledge you. But before that, you gotta do it for yourself.”
“I didn’t know you had a serious side to you, hyung,” Jeongguk mumbles, feeling
a warm flush forming inside his chest. Damn. The butterflies are back. Taehyung
really is something. Jimin might just be right.
Taehyung giggles, then brings Jeongguk into a headlock. “Didn’t you know? My
nickname during high school was Einstein because I was so clever and wise.”
Bullshit. “Are you sure it’s not just because you act like a nutjob?”
“Huh. Maybe.”
 
 
Jimin comes in second place in the dance battle preliminaries. Jeongguk hasn’t
seen Jimin dance properly before, only little snippets when they’re rocking out
to girl group songs, but boy, can Jimin move. He is smooth when the music calls
for it, his isolations are sharp and his popping is on point. He’s a complete
180 from the clingy dork Jeongguk knows.
Jeongguk and Taehyung cheer in the audience when Jimin comes up to high-five
them after the award ceremony.
“Sexy Jiminnie!” Taehyung roars as he pulls Jimin into a hug. Jimin laughs and
does a little dance, lifting the edge of his tank top up to reveal his abs.
“Killed the competition.”
“All but one,” Jimin says, but he sounds pretty pleased with himself. “J-Hope,
the guy I told you about, Jeolla underground circuit.”
“I think I remember something of the sort, yes,” Taehyung says, blinking
rapidly in the way he does when he has absolutely no idea what’s going on.
Jimin rolls his eyes and flicks Taehyung on the head.
“Anyway, his friend’s hip-hop crew is performing in Hongdae this Saturday night
and he’s a guest. Wanna come along?”
Taehyung makes a face of mock concentration. “Okay. Only if Jeonggukkie’s
invited too.”
Jeongguk quirks an eyebrow and points to himself. “Minor, remember?”
“Yeah, Taehyung, minor,” Jimin says, shaking his head. “He’s my lil bro’s age!
This is illegal conduct!”
“Eyy,” Taehyung says, patting Jimin’s shoulder. Jimin stares at Taehyung with
an intense distrust. “With a little eye makeup and my amazing styling
directions, no one will blink an eye.”
“Your ‘amazing styling directions’ better not include that double denim you
wore last week,” Jeongguk says in amusement, but he’s already kind of excited
for this. He’s only heard about the clubbing scene in Hongdae, but to
experience it in person… “Count me in.”
 
 
“Well, hot damn,” Taehyung says in appreciation when Jeongguk steps out of his
room, all dressed up. Jeongguk’s wearing a long-sleeved black shirt with see-
through mesh sleeves and zippers near the shoulders, tight ripped black leather
pants, and Jimin’s done Jeongguk’s eye makeup in a smoky style, both eyes
heavily outlined in black kohl. “Hot damn. I knew I picked the right shirt.”
“You’re not too bad yourself,” Jeongguk says, smirking. Taehyung’s also styled
himself up for this night, hair mussed up in true bed hair style, and he’s in a
basketball tank top with a black studded leather jacket thrown around his
shoulders, slim-fit black jeans accentuating his ass. Taehyung blows Jeongguk a
kiss, and Jeongguk definitely does not think about how soft those lips look
with the lipgloss on.
“Aiight!” Jimin says, clapping his hands together. “We ready to roll?”
The performance is at DGBD, off the main road in Hongdae, and security is lax
enough to wave Jeongguk through without a second glance. They settle in a
corner with a good view of the stage, Jimin wandering off to get a drink from
the bar.
“How do you feel?” Taehyung asks, lips grazing over the shell of Jeongguk’s ear
as he leans in to speak over the sound of the bass boom. “You like it?”
“It’s…” Taehyung motions for Jeongguk to speak up, so Jeongguk leans in,
ghosting his lips over Taehyung’s earlobe the way Taehyung had done to him.
“It’s different. Makes me feel grown up.”
“You know what else will do that?” Taehyung asks. Jeongguk shakes his head, and
Taehyung grins. “Happy juice.”
“Whoa, whoa, don’t get Jeonggukkie too drunk!” Jimin yells at Taehyung,
returning with a beer in his hand. Taehyung gives him a double thumbs up and
disappears into the crowd, reappearing later with two drinks in his hand and a
devilish grin on his face.
“Try this,” Taehyung says, handing Jeongguk a tall glass with a sprig of mint
in it. “You’ll like it.”
“What is it?” Jeongguk asks, taking a sip and pulling a face at the
overpowering smell of alcohol. Other than that, it just tastes like a regular
coke. He takes another sip. Yeah, he could get used to this.
“Oh,” Taehyung says, waving his hand flippantly, “that’s just an, uh, iced
tea.” Jimin stares at Taehyung with narrowed eyes, but is quickly distracted
when the lights dim and the music intensifies, the DaeNamHyup crew running
onstage.
The performance is amazing. Jimin’s nowhere to be seen two songs in,
disappearing somewhere in the crowd, possibly trying to get a closer view, and
Taehyung starts jamming when three of the guys get onstage and crank it up with
a diss track that has Jeongguk’s tongue jumbled just trying to follow along.
Jeongguk continues to sip his drink, nodding his head to the beat, cheering at
the end of each track.
By the end of it, Jeongguk’s ears are ringing and the room is spinning. He’s
not quite sure if that’s the effect of the adrenaline or the alcohol, but it
feels damn good.
“That was sick,” Taehyung says. His eyes are almost sparkling, like something
out of a shoujo anime. Maybe Taehyung’s also had a bit much to drink—he’d gone
to the bar twice to get him and Jeongguk two more drinks each—because he
stumbles a little and grips Jeongguk’s shoulders, pressing his face into the
crook of Jeongguk’s neck. “Siphon was amazing. Can’t control my shit! Uh!
Yeah!”
“You mean Cypher,” Jeongguk corrects, hand resting awkwardly on Taehyung’s
back. This close, Taehyung smells really nice. He usually doesn’t put cologne
on, but today, Taehyung smells of musk and spice, and the weight of his head on
Jeongguk’s shoulder is really, really nice. Comforting. Taehyung runs his hands
down the sides of Jeongguk’s arms, nudging them aside so he can rest them
comfortably on the curve of Jeongguk’s waist, pulling Jeongguk in closer to
him, fitting their bodies together. “Whoa, hyung. Hyung?”
Taehyung lifts his head, looking straight into Jeongguk’s eyes. “Jeongguk-ah,
you know…”
This is it, Jeongguk thinks. He closes his eyes. This is it.
For a wonderful second, Jeongguk thinks that Taehyung is going to press his
lips to Jeongguk’s, kiss him right there and then in front of everyone in the
club, but then the warmth of Taehyung’s body leaves Jeongguk and Jeongguk opens
his eyes, confused.
“Hah!” Taehyung says, dangling Jeongguk’s wallet between two fingers. His eyes
crinkle into a smile and he laughs out loud. Jeongguk’s head spins in
confusion. “That was easy. I’d make a good con-artist, huh? Just in case the
music thing doesn’t work out. I could charm men and women out of their money.”
Right. Jeongguk runs a hand through his hair. Right. He’s forgotten.
This—Taehyung and Jeongguk, Jeongguk and Taehyung—it’s not an actual thing. Of
course Taehyung couldn’t actually like him in that way. Why did he think he
liked Taehyung, either? Taehyung’s just a good hyung. It’s all in Jeongguk’s
stupid mind. To be shaken up like this, just because of some dumb comment that
Jimin made…
God, he’s so stupid.
“Yo!” Jimin bounds in, wrapping his arms around both Jeongguk and Taehyung’s
necks in a double-headlock. “D’you like that? Weren’t they so good?”
“Yeah, I guess,” Jeongguk says, shrugging Jimin off. He feels lightheaded, and
there are way too many confusing feelings coursing through his body right now
for him to deal with, at least, in this inebriated state. “I’m tired. Gonna
head back first. You can stay longer if you want.”
“Wait, Jeongguk,” Taehyung says, grabbing onto Jeongguk’s sleeve, but Jeongguk
just pushes Taehyung’s hand off roughly and heads out the door.
 
 
Jeongguk runs the water, hunched over the bathroom sink. He should wash up, get
to bed, sleep this nauseous feeling in the pit of his stomach off.
He hadn’t looked back on his way back to the residence, rushing through the
roads on a straight beeline. He hopes both Taehyung and Jimin have decided to
just stay longer and enjoy themselves at the club, but he also wishes, just a
little bit—okay, a lot—that Taehyung would come after him and ask him what was
wrong.
The gods are kind today. The thumping of footsteps alerts Jeongguk that
someone’s approaching. Jeongguk looks up to see a familiar mop of orange hair
at the bathroom entrance.
“Hey,” Taehyung says softly, still looking fine as fuck even with slightly
smudged makeup and sweaty, dishevelled hair. Fuck, Jeongguk’s really done it.
He’s so far gone. “Hey, Jeongguk, why’d you run? You okay?”
“Fine,” Jeongguk says, turning off the tap. “Just dizzy.”
“Are you feeling unwell? Did you have too much to drink?” Taehyung’s hand is on
Jeongguk’s forehead, and he’s close enough that Jeongguk can feel Taehyung’s
breath on his face. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have given you that much.”
Taehyung’s hand is warm. His gaze is so concerned. His lips are so inviting.
“No, it’s not that,” Jeongguk mutters. It’s not that at all. “I thought…” he
gulps, reaching up to take Taehyung’s hand away from his forehead and set it
back down by Taehyung’s side. It’s a bad idea, but he’s not thinking right at
this point, and he’s past caring about consequences. He needs to get it off his
chest. “I thought you were going to kiss me,” he whispers, barely audible.
“Oh. Oh.” Taehyung straightens up, looking intently into Jeongguk’s eyes.
Jeongguk breaks their gaze, staring at his feet. “Were you… waiting for it? Did
you want me to? Kiss you?”
“Maybe,” Jeongguk says, heart twisting. “Yeah, actually. I really… but it’s
fine, it was just a momentary thing, I was being stupid—”
“Jeongguk.”
Jeongguk feels a pair of hands on his shoulder, gripping tightly, and he looks
up to see Taehyung staring straight into his eyes. There’s no hint of humour in
that look. The intensity of his gaze sends chills down Jeongguk’s spine, and he
gulps.
“Sorry, we should…” Jeongguk blabbers, “we should sleep, we have work tomorrow,
and—”
“I was waiting for it,” Taehyung continues, stroking Jeongguk’s face. Jeongguk
stops blabbering. “I was waiting.”
And then, Taehyung’s lips are moving against Jeongguk’s, so soft, so warm.
Jeongguk lets out a choked gasp, parting his mouth and sucking on Taehyung’s
lower lip. Holy shit. Holy shit. Taehyung groans, running his hands down the
small of Jeongguk’s back, pressing a palm against the curve of Jeongguk’s
spine, and Jeongguk can feel the heat of Taehyung’s hand on the small of his
back, of Taehyung’s body on his.
“Beautiful,” Taehyung mumbles when they break apart for air. “Jeon Jeongguk,
you are so fucking beautiful, you have no idea.”
The heady mix of adrenaline and giddy drunkenness is back again, and Jeongguk
pushes forward insistently, pressing his lips against Taehyung’s harder,
faster, more fervently. Taehyung kisses like he’s trying to suck Jeongguk’s
soul out and consume him whole, and right now, Jeongguk would gladly let
Taehyung do that. In the back of his mind, Jeongguk’s aware that they’re
standing in the middle of the hallway of a shared house, two guys making out,
but none of that matters at this moment.
“Back then,” Jeongguk whispers, gripping Taehyung’s forearms when they break
away for the second time, “at the club, were you going to kiss me there?”
“I was,” Taehyung breathes, kissing the shell of Jeongguk’s ear. His hand
naturally finds the nape of Jeongguk’s neck and he brings Jeongguk closer,
mouthing a trail from Jeongguk’s ear down the length of Jeongguk’s jawline and
sucking gently at the spot above the hollow of his collarbone. “But then I saw
Jimin coming back and I didn’t want to scar him for life.”
“Yeah,” Jeongguk concurs, “I guess that would’ve been pretty bad.”
“Well,” Taehyung says, nipping at the skin of Jeongguk’s collarbone, then moves
back to peck at Jeongguk’s lips, “he stayed back at the club trying to get into
that dancer’s pants, so…”
Taehyung’s an amazing kisser. Granted, it’s not like Jeongguk’s had any
experience before, but this is better than anything he’s ever imagined.
Taehyung slams Jeongguk against the door, thigh rubbing against Jeongguk’s
crotch, and Jeongguk’s knees go weak.
“Holy shit,” Jeongguk mutters, leaning into Taehyung’s touch. Taehyung stumbles
backwards in the opposite direction, the both of them crossing the narrow
hallway in a few steps, until Taehyung’s back is pressed against the wall and
Jeongguk is the one pressing against him. Jeongguk grabs Taehyung’s wrists,
slamming them to the wall, and tilts his head back, letting Taehyung mouth at
his Adam’s apple. “God.”
“Yeah, that’s me,” Taehyung hums against Jeongguk’s skin, and Jeongguk gently
squeezes Taehyung’s wrists. Jeongguk scoffs, locking lips again with Taehyung,
pressing more insistently against Taehyung’s crotch, and—“Whoa. Hold on a
second. This god needs to do a number one. Maybe a two.”
Jeongguk pulls away from Taehyung, groaning. “Impeccable timing.”
“Well I did leave the club without taking a dump so I could catch up to you,”
Taehyung says, cupping Jeongguk’s cheek in his hand and pressing a kiss to his
forehead. “Okay, seriously though, these Levis were expensive and I refuse to
soil them, even for someone as hot as you.”
Jeongguk lets out a bark of laughter, then waves Taehyung off. “Gee, I’m
flattered. Go before you have an accident.” Taehyung flashes a pained smile,
then waddles away in the direction of the toilet.
Now that Taehyung’s not making out furiously with him, Jeongguk’s able to
breathe easier, and the pounding in his chest slows down. He leans against the
wall, back pressed against the cool surface, and slides down until he’s
squatting.
What… What are they now?
Jeongguk bites his lips. He’s never dated someone before. Not really. There was
that time he’d gone out as a joke with this girl he kind of liked in primary
school, but they didn’t do anything in their two hundred days ‘together’,
because Jeongguk hated going out and thought it was a pain rather than a joy.
Being in a relationship, to him, was like not being in a relationship at all.
But with Taehyung, it’s different. He wants to be with Taehyung. Wants to spend
time together with Taehyung, go places, walk along the beach, see fireworks and
all that contrived crap in the movies.
God, he’s in so deep.
A pained guttural sound emerges from the bathroom, followed by curses and
grunts. Jeongguk gets up, knocking on the door.
“Hyung? Everything alright?”
“Uh.” Taehyung’s voice is muffled through the door. There’s a loud thumping
sound. “I think I’m gonna be a while. Can I take a raincheck?
Despite himself, Jeongguk starts laughing. The mood’s been broken, and Jeongguk
kind of wants to take a moment to think, about this, about them, before they
take things any further. “Anytime you want.”
“You’re the best,” Taehyung moans. There’s more thumping, and another string of
curses. “Go to bed, I’ll talk to you in the morning.”
“You sure?” Jeongguk asks through the door. Taehyung lets out a constipated
grunt on the other side, presumably in encouragement. Gross. Why does Jeongguk
even like him in the first place? “Good night, hyung.”
 
 
“Oh my god,” Jimin says when Jeongguk walks into the dining room the next
morning, bleary eyed and suffering from a pounding headache. So this is what a
hangover feels like. “Oh my god, you totally made out with Taehyung.”
“How the hell do you just know these things?” Jeongguk says, flushing. He wipes
at his face. Taehyung hadn’t left any noticeable hickies or anything, so Jimin
must be fucking psychic. “You could make a career in fortune-telling.”
“My dear, cute Jeongguk,” Jimin says, face turning gravely serious. Jeongguk
makes a ‘don’t call me cute’ face and sits down at the table next to Jimin,
groaning as he slides down onto the surface, head still throbbing. Jeongguk
hadn’t managed to get any sleep at all. God fucking Kim Taehyung. It’s always
Kim Taehyung, first keeping him up at night with his horrendous guitar playing
and now with the butterflies he puts in Jeongguk’s stomach. Jimin takes
Jeongguk’s hands in his, grasping them tightly. “As your elder, although I
strongly, strongly disapprove of your choice of boyfriend, I feel it is my duty
to teach you the ways of safe gay sex.”
“What,” Jeongguk splutters, ears going bright red. He jumps out of his seat,
hands crossed over his chest in an X shape. “No! What the hell? No!”
“You’re a horny teenage boy with needs, Jeongguk-ah,” Jimin says knowingly,
patting Jeongguk’s back. “Now sit down and let hyung teach you.”
Jeongguk fixes him with a look, ignoring the way his face is probably beet red.
“Seriously, Jimin?”
“That’s hyung to you, brat.” More people are filing down to breakfast now.
Taehyung’s going to be down any moment, if he decides not to sleep until four
in the fucking afternoon like he does every so often. The housekeeping ajumma
is rushing around, placing bowls of rice on the tables. Jeongguk runs a hand
through his hair and sits back down, muttering a quick thanks when a bowl is
set down in front of him.
“Here, take these,” Jimin says, throwing a couple of packets onto the table
next to Jeongguk’s bowl when they’re alone again. Jeongguk stares momentarily,
before yelping and grabbing the offending items off the tabletop and shoving
them away in his pocket before the housekeeping ajumma notices.
“Why the hell do you carry around condoms and strawberry scented lube in your
pocket?” Jeongguk hisses, glancing around to make sure no one is in earshot.
Thankfully, everyone else is involved in their own conversations or too sleepy
to give a fuck.
“No glove, no love,” Jimin says, waggling his eyebrows, picking up a soybean
sprout and chewing it with relish. “Not that I think either you or Taehyung are
like, diseased or anything, but you know. Protocol.”
“Please kill me,” Jeongguk groans, bashing his head on the table. “Spare me
from this torture, O gracious lord.”
“One more thing,” Jimin says, motioning for Jeongguk to come closer. Jeongguk
leans in hesitantly, and Jimin lowers his voice to a whisper. “If you’re gonna
give that dweeb alien a back door pass, you better lube up. Don’t learn the
hard way like I did.”
 
 
Jeongguk’s no stranger to the workings of gay sex (the Internet is a wonderful
and terrifying place. Jeongguk’s not sure he’s ever going to get over that
video of that dude shoving a volleyball up his ass, but what can you do?) but
until now, he’s never considered the logistics of it when it came to himself.
Taehyung, that idiot, seems to have contracted a case of severe hangoveritis.
Jeongguk had, at four, decided to venture into Taehyung’s room to wake him up
for their shift at the restaurant and maybe have a talk about last night’s
events, only to find Taehyung waddled up in blankets with his eyes rolling into
the back of his head.
“Hel—ugrhgfh.” Taehyung had dry heaved as he tried to greet Jeongguk. Jeongguk
stood there and watched as Taehyung struggled with his own blankets for five
minutes, horrified at the inhuman retching sounds he was making.
“…You know what, stay in bed, I’ll tell Seokjin-hyung that you’re sick,”
Jeongguk had said, when Taehyung had fallen off his bed with a thump, evidently
in no state to Be In Public Doing Things, and that was that.
And despite that, despite the fact that Taehyung’s a major fucking weirdo with
no boundaries and no sense of timing, Jeongguk’s breath comes short at the
thought of Taehyung’s lips on his, Taehyung pinning him down in bed, kissing
trails down his body.
“Jeon Jeongguk!” Seokjin yells, and Jeongguk jumps about a mile in the air.
God, he hopes Seokjin can’t tell that he was thinking about how it would feel
to have Taehyung’s dick up his ass. Seokjin shoots him a funny look. “Have you
set the table for the VIP guests yet?”
“Um,” Jeongguk says, face flushed. He has to do double the amount to make up
for Taehyung’s absence today, but that’s the least of his worries. “No sir,
I’ll get onto it right away.”
Taehyung is spread out on the hasukjib’s communal couch when Jeongguk gets back
in at midnight with his little box of leftover duck, exhausted. Taehyung sits
up, groaning, before giving Jeongguk a wave and patting the spot next to him.
“Hey,” Jeongguk says, setting the food down. Taehyung’s bangs are matted to his
forehead from sweat, and Jeongguk hesitates momentarily before reaching over
and brushing them away. “Feeling better?”
“Yeah, sorry,” Taehyung says, and he actually sounds apologetic, which is a
first for him. “You must be tired.”
“I can deal,” Jeongguk says, leaning back against the cushions and clearing his
throat. “Anyway. Um. About last night. Before your little bathroom fiasco.”
Taehyung makes a face and Jeongguk laughs. “Goddamn bowel movements. Ruin
everything.”
Jeongguk grins, and Taehyung leans his head on Jeongguk’s shoulder. “Hyung,
what are we now? To each other? Where do we go from here?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Taehyung says matter-of-factly, as if Jeongguk needn’t have
even asked. “I like you. You like me. We made out last night. I want to keep
making out with you.”
“Oh.” Jeongguk’s body fills with warmth. He’d been worrying about it all day,
fretting and having second thoughts, that maybe it had been a spur of moment
thing because they’d both been tipsy, that maybe Taehyung would change his mind
in the morning, full of regret, but Taehyung says it so easily. “Oh. Does that
mean… are we dating? Officially?”
“Yes,” Taehyung says, ruffling Jeongguk’s hair. “Yes, we’re dating.”
 
 
Dates with Taehyung are equal parts exasperating and ridiculous. That one time
they went to Namsan Tower because Taehyung insisted it would be fun to leave a
memento, Taehyung had locked himself to the railing with a giant ‘TAEHYUNG
SWAGS JEONGGUK’ lock that Jeongguk has no fucking idea where Taehyung got and
needed three security guards to cut him loose.
So, Jeongguk learns to keep their dates simple. Evenings watching sports animes
while snuggled up in bed. Walks along the river and shit. Essentially, the same
stuff they were doing before this became an ~official~ thing.
“You guys are gross,” Jimin says, wrinkling his nose as he walks past Taehyung
giggling as he squishes Jeongguk’s cheeks like putty. “God, I’m going to get
cavities.”
“Haters gon’ hate,” Taehyung singsongs, and Jimin rolls his eyes, sitting on
the couch next to them and flicking on the TV.
“So, Jeonggukkie,” Jimin says loudly, ignoring Taehyung completely, “have you
used that ultra-thin pre-lubed ribbed-for-her-pleasure condom I’ve given you
yet?”
Jeongguk has a coughing fit and almost falls off the couch. “What the hell?”
Jimin looks between the two of them, furrowing his eyebrows. “Wow. So you
haven’t done it yet. I’m impressed you waited so long, Taehyung, with the way
you were telling me you wanted to take him up the ass a week ago.”
“Shut the fuck up,” Taehyung growls, not meeting Jeongguk’s eyes. Jeongguk’s
breath catches, and he buries his face in his hands. “Park Jimin, I swear.”
Jimin looks between the two of them again, narrowing his eyes and then turns
off the TV. “You haven’t even had the talk yet, have you? Look, I’m just gonna…
leave… so you two can talk this out. Hmm?” Jimin gets up from his seat, putting
both hands together like a prayer. “Please don’t be too loud though, the walls
are thin, and I would like my sleep.”
And then Jimin’s gone, leaving behind a very embarrassed Jeongguk and an open-
mouthed Taehyung.
“So, um,” Taehyung starts off. He shifts a little, and Jeongguk tries not to
look at the way his thighs are accentuated by his tight jeans. He lets out a
breath. “Well, this is awkward.”
“You were talking to Jimin about me?” Jeongguk asks. He’s a little flattered,
but mostly fucking mortified. “You want to…do that with me?”
“Look, just for the record…” Taehyung lets out a little grunt and takes
Jeongguk by the shoulders. “I am a hot-blooded youth, and you’re really hot,
okay? Like, habanero hot. Jolokiahot. But what was that thing about the…
‘ribbed-for-her-pleasure’?”
“Oh, uh,” Jeongguk says, feeling his whole body go warm. “Jimin…might’ve….tried
to give me sex advice… the morning after we made out…”
“Huh,” Taehyung says, licking his lips. “I think we have established that we
both definitely want to bone each other.”
“Well—yes.” God, Taehyung’s straight to the point. No beating around the bush
there. “Fuck yes. Like you couldn’t imagine.”
Taehyung grins. “I’ve imagined it a lot more than you think. What are we
waiting for?”
God, Jeongguk thinks as they run up the stairs to the third level, Taehyung
slamming Jeongguk against the wall and kissing him furiously when they arrive
at Jeongguk’s room, Taehyung is… There’s no word that describes him, he’s just…
Taehyung breaks away, kicking the door shut behind them, and then strips off
his shirt.
“Fuck,” Jeongguk moans as he sits down on his bed, unzipping his pants.
Taehyung crawls onto the bed, knees on either side of Jeongguk’s hips, and he
tugs Jeongguk’s pants off. Neither of them have bothered to turn on the lights,
so all Jeongguk can see of Taehyung is whatever he can make out from the
moonlight streaming through the tiny window of his. Even then, the intensity in
Taehyung’s eyes can’t be missed. “Fuck, hurry up.”
“You waited weeks and you can’t wait another few minutes?” Taehyung asks,
shimmying off his own pants and helping Jeongguk out of his T-shirt. Jeongguk
shivers, bare except for his underwear, and Taehyung sits back on his heels,
nodding appreciatively. “Damn.”
“I thought… I thought maybe you didn’t want it,” Jeongguk confesses, leaning
backwards so he’s resting on his elbows, chest heaving as Taehyung climbs over
him, straddling Jeongguk and pressing a kiss to Jeongguk’s lips. “I didn’t know
how to bring it up.”
“Guess we’ll have to thank Jimin later,” Taehyung breathes, laughing, and
Jeongguk pulls a face.
All the times Jeongguk’s jerked off while watching porn, he’s never gotten this
hard this fast. By the time Taehyung pulls away, Jeongguk can feel himself
positively straining in his briefs, without having even touched himself.
“So,” Taehyung says, pushing Jeongguk down to the bed completely, then sliding
down so that he’s kissing the spot just below Jeongguk’s bellybutton, “show me
how you get off.”
Jeongguk fumbles as he reaches into his briefs and thumbs the head of his cock,
already achingly hard. Taehyung’s watching intently, hands gripping Jeongguk’s
muscular thighs, and Jeongguk lets out a little whimper as Taehyung takes the
band of Jeongguk’s briefs with his teeth and drags them down, revealing
Jeongguk’s cock. “Shit, hyung—”
“Should I?” Taehyung’s voice is low, gravelly, and it sends another wave of
pleasure pulsing through Jeongguk’s entire body. Taehyung grips Jeongguk’s
inner thighs even harder, pushing them apart, and god, he’s going to have
bruises there tomorrow, but that doesn’t matter, because right now, Taehyung’s
lips are so, so close to his cock. “Should I help out?”
“Y-yes,” Jeongguk chokes out, arm pressed over his forehead, and oh god, that’s
Taehyung’s mouth around his cock, that’s Taehyung’s tongue licking up and down
the underside of his dick, swirling at his sensitive spots. “Shit.”
Taehyung lets out a hum, trilling his tongue at the head of Jeongguk’s cock
before taking him deep in his mouth, and Jeongguk lets out a cry, overwhelmed
by the sudden warmth and pleasurable sensation. He grips the sheets with his
hands, toes curling, trying not to buck up too hard into Taehyung’s mouth. God,
Jeongguk thinks as Taehyung licks and sucks, moving a hand to fondle Jeongguk’s
balls, he’d let Taehyung take complete control of him. He’d let Taehyung take
him any way he wanted.
“I’m gonna—” Jeongguk grunts out, when he can’t hold himself back anymore.
“Taehyung, I’m going to—” His hands find Taehyung’s hair, and he tries to tug
Taehyung off before he comes inside Taehyung’s mouth, but Taehyung looks up at
him, taking Jeongguk’s dick even further, and Jeongguk loses all control,
bucking up violently as he comes into Taehyung’s mouth, back arching and hands
clenching his bedsheets. “Holy shit. Holy shit.”
Taehyung swallows. He actually swallows Jeongguk’s come, wiping his mouth with
a grin, and Jeongguk just lies there in awe, breathing hard from his orgasm.
“You’re so cute when you whine,” Taehyung says, walking up to press a kiss to
Jeongguk’s lips. Jeongguk can still taste himself in Taehyung’s mouth, and he
reaches up to bring Taehyung down to the bed, rolling over so that he’s on top
of Taehyung.
“Where the fuck did you learn how to do this?” Jeongguk asks, breathless. His
entire body is shaking. “This can’t be your first time.”
“Would it surprise you if I said it was?” Taehyung says, grinning. He waggles
his eyebrows. “Guess I’m just talented with my tongue.”
“I should return the favour,” Jeongguk says, whacking Taehyung on the chest and
stripping off Taehyung’s underwear. Taehyung, for all his big words, keens as
his cock is freed from his underwear, then laughs at himself.
It’s not the first time Jeongguk’s seen Taehyung’s cock, but it is the first
time that he’s seen Taehyung’s cock hard, veins protruding from the base to the
delicate pink head. Taehyung is well-endowed, and much thicker when erect.
Jeongguk pushes Taehyung’s knees apart, the way Taehyung had done to him, and
licks experimentally at the tip.
“More,” Taehyung says, arching his hips. Jeongguk decides to go for it and just
take as much of Taehyung into his mouth as he can, and boy, he must have a
skill at deepthroating or something, because he fits all of Taehyung in,
managing not to gag even when the tip of Taehyung’s cock hits the back of his
throat. “Shit, you’re good at this, sure it’s not you with the experience?”
Jeongguk tries to reply, but his mouth is otherwise preoccupied. Taehyung is so
reactive, squirming as Jeongguk gently scrapes his teeth along Taehyung’s cock,
pressing kisses at the tip, drawing circles with his tongue along the
underside. He threads his hands through Jeongguk’s hair, gripping gently and
thrusting into Jeongguk’s mouth, harder, faster…
Taehyung must’ve been on the brink from the beginning, too, because he lets out
a choked groan not soon after, fingers tightening in Jeongguk’s hair, coming at
the back of Jeongguk’s throat, warm and salty and bitter.
“Well,” Jeongguk says, swallowing. Taehyung has his eyes closed, breathing
hard, and Jeongguk climbs up onto his bed and lies next to Taehyung. “That was
interesting.”
“We should definitely do this more often,” Taehyung mumbles, drawing Jeongguk
closer to himself and nuzzling Jeongguk’s neck with a contented hum. Jeongguk
links their legs together, and they lie there for a few moments, sated, until
the summer heat gets the better of them and they break apart. “Gross,” Taehyung
says, stretching, “I need a shower.”
“I guess I know the place for our next date,” Jeongguk quips, and Taehyung just
laughs.
 
 
Jeongguk doesn’t expect Taehyung to take him seriously, but he should’ve known
better, because it’s Kim fucking Taehyung and nobody ever knows what the fuck
is going on in that head of his.
Honestly, Jeongguk had forgotten all about it. They’d woken up that morning
snuggled up into each other, and Jimin wouldn’t stop making waggly eyebrows at
them when they came out of Jeongguk’s room together, stroking the index finger
of his left hand with the curled fingers of his right, tongue sticking out the
corner of his mouth. Jeongguk had just rolled his eyes and grabbed Taehyung’s
hand, dragging him down to breakfast, and they’d gone on their separate ways
afterwards, Taehyung to a guitar open mic and Jeongguk to prepare for one of
the minor gigs he’d gotten as a backup vocalist. By the time Jeongguk finishes,
it’s already time for his next audition, and he gets back at almost midnight,
another rejection under his belt.
Jeongguk’s in the showers ruminating on his failure when Taehyung slips in,
locking the door behind him.
“Whoa, what the hell,” Jeongguk says, staring as Taehyung starts stripping.
“Hold up, back up, what are you doing?”
“You looked down when you got in today,” Taehyung explains as he takes the
washcloth from Jeongguk’s hand and places it on the rack, joining Jeongguk
under the almost-scalding stream of water. “I thought I’d come cheer you up.”
The bathroom tiles are cool on Jeongguk’s back when Taehyung presses him up
against them, kissing him sweetly. Jeongguk’s tense at first, but relaxes as
Taehyung slips a tongue into his mouth, thumbs pressing against the bones of
Jeongguk’s shoulders. Out of the corner of his eye, Jeongguk can see himself in
the reflection of the bathroom mirror, hair matted down by the water, cheeks
heated, and he flushes.
“So, you down for it?” Taehyung asks, pulling away. Jeongguk whines as Taehyung
backs away, grabbing Taehyung’s lower arm and reeling him back in. “Want me to
get you off?”
“Y-yeah,” Jeongguk stutters, feeling heat building up at the base of his torso
from the thought itself, and Taehyung grins, closing in once again and sucking
at Jeongguk’s collarbone.
“Damn,” Taehyung says, running his hands down Jeongguk’s broad back, holding
him at the curve of his waist and bringing their bodies in close to each other,
still mouthing at the hollow of Jeongguk’s collarbone, “I could drink tequila
shots out of here.”
Jeongguk laughs, voice hoarse, and watches himself in the mirror as he brings
his own hands to the small of Taehyung’s back, admiring the dimples of
Taehyung’s waist. Taehyung is more built than he looks, just enough for the
ripples of his muscles to show through when he tenses them. Jeongguk leans
against the tiles and ruts up, pressing his crotch against Taehyung’s, and
Taehyung bites down on his shoulder, moaning at the contact.
“Ouch,” Jeongguk mutters, as Taehyung nips again at the skin near his
collarbones, sucking hard enough to leave a bruise. “You marking me?”
“Well, I do have to show everyone you’re mine,” Taehyung says cheerily, and
kisses another hickey, this time on Jeongguk’s neck. He continues, sucking and
nipping all over Jeongguk’s body, licking the wounds after he’s done with his
handiwork. At the same time, Taehyung’s hand leaves Jeongguk’s back and snakes
between their bodies, and Jeongguk hits his head on the wall as Taehyung takes
both their cocks in one hand and strokes. The water is still running full
blast, droplets tricking down Taehyung’s dewy skin and splashes echoing in the
small shower cubicle. Jeongguk hopes it’s enough to mask the sounds that are
coming out of his mouth.
“God, shit,” Jeongguk grits out when Taehyung pumps faster, thumbing the slit
of Jeongguk’s cock and twisting his wrist to get them both off. “We’re going to
be the reason the drain clogs up again, you know.”
“You can’t deny love,” Taehyung says morosely, and promptly slides to his
knees, taking Jeongguk’s erection into his soft mouth.
“Motherfuck—” Jeongguk starts, caught off guard, and he claps a hand to his
mouth to mute himself, his voice echoing in the tiny shower cubicle. His knees
are shaking, and his skin is prickling and uncomfortably hot from the
temperature of the water, but god, Kim Taehyung is fantastic with his tongue,
and the fact that Jeongguk can see himself in the mirror, wrecked and shaking
because of Taehyung, gets him even harder. Taehyung sucks some more, swirling
and flicking his tongue, before he lets Jeongguk’s cock out of his mouth with a
pop and takes it into his hands, pumping up and down Jeongguk’s length with
both hands. Jeongguk’s close, so close. “I’m gonna…”
“Come on my face,” Taehyung says, stroking Jeongguk faster. Jeongguk gapes,
using the last of his will to hold back, and Taehyung just smirks up at him,
licking his lips and squeezing Jeongguk’s cock firmly. “Do it.”
The heat pooling in Jeongguk’s belly is overwhelming now. Jeongguk scrabbles at
the shower tiles, at Taehyung’s wet hair, and Taehyung does this twisty thing
with his wrist where he reaches around and thumbs the underside of the tip, and
there it is, Jeongguk’s coming, thick white strings spurting onto Taehyung’s
face, decorating his eyelids and dotting his cheek and some landing in his open
mouth. Fuck.
“Hot damn,” Jeongguk groans out, as Taehyung washes the come off under the
running water. “That was hot.”
“My turn,” Taehyung says with a grin, pushing Jeongguk down to his knees, and
Jeongguk can’t say he doesn’t fucking love it when Taehyung’s come shoots all
over his face, thick and sticky.
“Guys, seriously?” Jimin says, holding his bathroom essentials and towel as the
two of them exit the shower an hour later, voice pained. “The shower here
fucking echoes.”
“You’re just jealous you’re not having any luck with dancerboy,” Taehyung says,
flicking water onto Jimin’s face and sticking a tongue out, and Jeongguk buries
his face in his hands. Jimin rolls his eyes and pushes past them to enter the
shower.
“What do you think’s gonna happen when he figures we’ve used up all the hot
water?” Taehyung muses.
“Dunno,” Jeongguk says, yawning. “Cold showers are meant to be good for your
libido anyway. I’m sure he’ll be fine.”
There’s an unearthly scream from the shower, followed by cursing and a loud
thump, and Taehyung gigglesnorts, running back to his room. Jeongguk grins,
looking back at the shower one more time before stretching and following
Taehyung.
“You jerkbags!” Jimin screeches. “I’m never treating you to bubble tea ever
again!”
 
 
Jimin forgets his threats as fast as he makes them, which means the three of
them are at Jimin’s favourite bubble tea place a mere week after the Shower
Incident.
Or maybe it’s because Jimin is feeling particularly generous, having done
exceptionally well in his dance competition finals and getting scouted by an
entertainment company interested in taking him as a trainee.
“I told them I’d think about it,” Jimin says, eyes darting between Taehyung and
Jeongguk, whose jaws have dropped to the floor. “What? I should consider it
carefully.”
“But JYP?” Jeongguk asks in awe. “You told JYP that you’d think about it?”
Being scouted by one of the big three is a huge deal. At least it wasn’t YG, or
Jeongguk might just die from envy, being in the same company as G-Dragon—
“Yeah?” Jimin answers, scratching the back of his neck. “It’s just, Hoseok-
hyung said his dance crew was looking for another member, and he mentioned he
recommended me because he liked my style, so…”
“Ohhhhh,” Taehyung says, rolling his eyes and slurping on the pearls in his
drink. “Still after his dick?”
“He’s a great dancer, okay?” Jimin says defensively, and Taehyung just snorts,
choking ungracefully on a pearl in the process and requiring Jeongguk to
perform a Heimlich maneuver on him to get the offending piece of tapioca out of
his airway before he chokes to death. Idiot.
Summer quickly draws to a close, and before Jeongguk knows it, his eighteenth
birthday looms in on the horizon.
His parents and brother call on the morning, asking him if he’s been well, if
he’s eating well, taking care of his health, got everything on his side under
control, and he chats with them for a while, just giving them updates on how
he’s doing in Seoul.
The problem is, Jeongguk realises as his mother chatters his ear off about the
new hanging bookshelf they got for the house, while he may be perfectly
content, spending his days at the hasukjib fucking Taehyung and trying to
ignore Jimin for the most part, his days in Seoul are numbered. It’s been
almost half a year, and Jeongguk’s only managed to secure a few small gigs as
either the backup vocals or a simple set-up assist. He needs to do more, or
think of something different, otherwise he’d be forced to go back to Busan and
complete his last year of high school.
“Love you!” Jeongguk’s parents chorus before they hang up, and Jeongguk sighs,
rubbing his temples.
Jeongguk’s ambushed by a clingy Taehyung when he finally gets out of his room
to grab some breakfast. “Hey, hyung,” he says, laughing when Taehyung puckers
his lips and plants a wet smooch on Jeongguk’s face.
“Happy birthday, Jeonggukkie,” Taehyung chirps, and Jeongguk grins despite
himself. “One year older, one year closer to the grave.”
“Thanks, I guess,” Jeongguk says, laughing as Taehyung ruffles his hair and
nips his earlobe gently.
“Gross.” It’s Jimin, freshly showered, rolling his eyes and pulling out the
seat to plonk his ass down next to Jeongguk. He ruffles Jeongguk’s hair too,
and Taehyung gives him a narrow-eyed Look. “Happy birthday, Jeonggukkie, you’re
finally a Fully Grown Adult, just like us!”
“Looks like your growth plates closed a little early though,” Jeongguk mutters
under his breath and Jimin gives him a pout, fake strangling Jeongguk, then
swoops in to peck Jeongguk on the cheek.
“Hey, hey,” Taehyung says, kicking Jimin under the table. “Hands off my
boyfriend!”
“Ooooh,” Jimin says, backing away from Jeongguk and doing his little eyebrow-
waggling thing, “possessive, are we?”
Jeongguk flushes, and he tries to hide it by shoving a spoonful of rice into
his mouth. Taehyung is indeed possessive in the bedroom, all teeth and
fingernails digging into Jeongguk’s pale skin, leaving bruises and tiny
crescent marks all over Jeongguk’s body. Jeongguk’s given up on hiding them,
wearing them out and proud, and Taehyung giggles whenever he runs a finger over
a particularly purple hickey and bends down to kiss it again.
“Don’t you have to pack?” Taehyung reminds, mouth full of food. “Aren’t you
meant to go to the JYP trainee dorms tomorrow?” Jimin had, in the end, chosen
to sign with JYP at Hoseok’s encouragement.
“I’m getting there,” Jimin says, waving a hand. He grins and points at
Jeongguk. “Hey, birthday boy, make sure to be at the multi-room we booked near
the station for your party at six!”
“And free up the rest of your night,” Taehyung says with a wink. “I’ve got a
special present for you.”
Jeongguk’s never been to a multi-room before, but he’s heard plenty about them:
mostly places where students go after exams to scream out songs and de-stress,
sometimes places where people go for the third or fourth round of birthdays or
special parties when everyone is sufficiently drunk, but occasionally also
places where broke, horny high-schoolers go to fuck each other. At least in
this case, it seems to be a genuine birthday celebration for Jeongguk, because
when he gets there, the room’s been decorated with balloons and streamers, two
boxes of yangnyeom chicken on the table next to a Doraemon-themed birthday
cake, and both Jimin and Taehyung are wearing party hats with those dumb hooty
things in their mouths.
“Amazing,” Jeongguk says, deadpan, sitting down. “Are you sure you haven’t
mixed this up with my tenth birthday?”
“What can I say?” Jimin shrugs, grabbing a chicken wing and devouring it. “You
still look like a fifth-grader.”
“You would not be saying that if you’ve seen how hard he goes in the bedroom,”
Taehyung remarks, and Jeongguk throws a cushion at him, choking on his chicken.
“Both figuratively and literally.”
“Wow, I’m not sure I needed that mental image in my head, but thanks.”
Jimin has a surprisingly nice voice, hogging the karaoke machine and
progressing through all of Taeyang’s discography, before kicking both Taehyung
and Jeongguk’s asses in the video games they have on offer in the multi-room.
Jeongguk pulls a face when he loses for the third consecutive time, then
smooshes some cream from the cake onto Jimin’s face in revenge.
“Hey, you gotta make a birthday wish before you touch the cake,” Taehyung says,
taking some frosting himself and dotting it on Jeongguk’s cheek. He goes to
fish around in the plastic bag and brings out a lighter and a bunch of candles,
grinning maniacally. “Candles! Sparkles!”
“I wish that you would not set the place on fire,” Jeongguk says, confiscating
the lighter from Taehyung. Jimin snorts, then takes everything and lights the
candles, sticking them in the cake.
Well… Jeongguk stares at the flickering flames, quieting down. If he’s serious
about this, there is something that Jeongguk has been thinking about since this
morning, ever after that phone call with his family. He presses his palms
together, eyes closing, then blows out the candles in one breath.
“Hip hip hooray!” Jimin says, releasing a party popper into the air. He claps
his hands a couple of times and then stops, pulling his party hat off.
“Alright, now that’s done, I’ll get out so you two can use the rest of the time
for your kinky birthday sex.”
“What,” Jeongguk deadpans at the same time as Taehyung gives a mock gasp and
pretends to faint.
“I’m offended,” Taehyung says, pushing Jimin towards the door. “If you think
that I will defile my dear Jeongguk at a place so slovenly—”
“You were totally going to until I talked you out of it,” Jimin quips back,
rolling his eyes. “Anyway, seriously though, I gotta run and move the first
part of my stuff to the trainee dorms. Enjoy your night!”
“So,” Jeongguk says once Jimin’s gone, half amused and half terrified because
god knows what Taehyung actually has planned. “Were you actually going to fuck
me here?”
“Lord no,” Taehyung says, wrinkling his nose. He stands up, eyes twinkling, and
Jeongguk has a very, very bad feeling about this. “Okay, maybe. But not
anymore. I’ve got a much nicer place in mind.”
The ‘much nicer place’ turns out to be a novelty love hotel a few stations
away, near Gangnam. Taehyung bounds up cheerfully to the reception, grabbing
their keys and dragging a mortified Jeongguk who’s hiding his face with both
hands through the hallways and into the lift.
“Kim Taehyung,” Jeongguk grits out, wailing inside. “Did you fucking book us a
room at a love hotel for my eighteenth?” The lift dings, and Taehyung drags
Jeongguk out by the arm, unlocking the door and making jazz hands when Jeongguk
steps inside.
Holy shit. Jeongguk gapes, taking in the artistic_graffiti_on_the_walls_and_the
LED-lit_floor, to the cushy bed in the middle of the room with a neat basket of
condoms and lube atop the bedsheets. There’s even a stereo system with karaoke
functions and a TV opposite their bed, presumably to watch porn on.
“Is that a stripper pole?” Jeongguk chokes out, walking into the room, still
slack-jawed. Taehyung nods happily, and Jeongguk walks up to it, twisting it
around in his hand. “What the hell?”
Taehyung kicks the door closed behind them, rushing up to tackle Jeongguk onto
the bed. Jeongguk falls backwards, laughing giddily, and Taehyung grins down at
him as he presses a sloppy, open-mouthed kiss to Jeongguk’s lips. “Happy
birthday, Jeonggukkie.”
“I can’t believe I’m getting birthday sex,” Jeongguk mutters, backing up onto
the bed so that he’s comfortable. “At a hip-hop themed love hotel room, no
less.”
“It was either this, a Shin_Ramyun_container, or the pink Hello Kitty room,”
Taehyung says, shrugging and upends the container of hotel-provided sex goods
onto the bed. He holds up a vibrating condom and a bottle of lube, grinning.
“You ready to be a big boy today?”
Jeongguk dumps the rest of the stuff from the bed onto the table and licks his
lips. “Guess today is the day I give you my back door pass.”
“I’m not going to hold back today,” Taehyung warns, half-jokingly, and Jeongguk
feels his pulse speed up at the way Taehyung’s voice goes low and husky. It
sends feelings shooting straight to his crotch, and Jeongguk’s pretty sure he
has a boner already, cock pressing against his leather pants. Taehyung, weird
Taehyung, beautiful Taehyung, the best birthday present, his for all of
tonight. “You shouldn’t either. I want to hear you scream.”
God, Jeongguk thinks as he lunges forward to catch Taehyung’s lips, taking them
between his teeth as he pulls away, hands reaching to fumble at Taehyung’s
belt. He can’t wait any longer. He wants Taehyung to fuck him, on the bed, nice
and slow. He wants Taehyung to take complete control of him, dominate him, hurt
him, fuck him until his ass stings and his voice is hoarse from too much
screaming.
“I want…” Jeongguk starts, voice strained. “I want you to do whatever you want
with me today.”
“That’s funny,” Taehyung says, stripping Jeongguk’s shirt off and pulling off
Jeongguk’s leather pants. “It’s your birthday, but I’m the one getting the
present.”
“Yeah, well,” Jeongguk murmurs, naked and exposed except for his boxer briefs.
Taehyung, on the other hand, is still completely dressed, and he grins as he
reaches behind Jeongguk to grab something attached to the bars of the bedframe.
Something rough and leathery straps around Jeongguk’s wrists, and Jeongguk
looks to find Taehyung fastening leather ties around his wrist, essentially
tying Jeongguk down to the bed. “Whoa.”
“Is this okay?” Taehyung asks, pecking Jeongguk’s forehead, and Jeongguk nods,
excitement fluttering inside him. “Let me know when you want me to stop. Shout
out, like… ‘hamster’ or something.”
“Hamster,” Jeongguk says weakly. Well, that’s sure to be a boner killer.
Taehyung nods, giving Jeongguk a thumbs up, then goes to the stereo to turn on
some ridiculously cheesy sexytimes music.
“Here I go!” Taehyung says, voice chirpy, and then Jeongguk feels his briefs
being stripped off and a warm mouth around his cock.
It’s frustrating not being able to move his hands. Jeongguk wants to tug down,
jerk himself off into Taehyung’s mouth, but every time he tries to move, the
leather chafes into his wrists, movements stopped short by the jangling of the
chain attaching them to the bed. Jeongguk squirms as Taehyung sucks, biting his
lip and gritting his teeth, then lets out a gasp as Taehyung does something
amazing that almost has Jeongguk coming right there.
“Ah, not so fast,” Taehyung says, gripping the base of Jeongguk’s cock firmly
with a thumb and forefinger. Jeongguk feels the impending orgasm subsiding,
fading away, and he whines in frustration. “Birthday boy can’t come until I
give permission.”
Taehyung fumbles with something, and Jeongguk hears the sound of a cap opening,
before something cold is dripping onto his cock, past his balls, into his
asscrack. Jeongguk hisses at the cool sensation. “Is that…?”
“Lube,” Taehyung says, uncircling his fingers and stroking Jeongguk’s slick
dick, fondling his balls and then slipping a finger into his asscrack. Jeongguk
breathes deeply as Taehyung massages his thighs, slapping his asscheeks. “I’m
going to prep you.”
Jeongguk doesn’t know what to expect, and the feeling of Taehyung’s finger
pressing against his entrance, slicking the cold gel in, is strange at first,
but Taehyung settles into a rhythm, stretching Jeongguk out, adding another
finger, and Jeongguk starts getting into it.
“I wanna hear you,” Taehyung mutters, sliding a third finger in. Jeongguk’s
sure his wrists are red and chafed by now with how much he’s been struggling
against the restraints, but none of that matters right now. The pads of
Taehyung’s fingers hit something inside Jeongguk, this sensitive spot, and an
amazing sensation hits Jeongguk like a wave, making the tips of his fingers and
toes tingle.
“Shit!” Jeongguk screams out, bucking his hips wildly. Taehyung attacks the
spot again and again with his fingers, other hand re-forming that tight circle
around the base of Jeongguk’s cock, and Jeongguk wants to come, he’s so close,
he should be coming, but Taehyung’s not letting him. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!”
“Louder,” Taehyung demands. “Tell me what you want. Talk to me.”
“I want…” Jeongguk licks his lips. “I want to come.”
“How?” Taehyung curls his fingers inside Jeongguk, thrusting his fingers in and
out at an even more rapid pace. “Do you want me to suck you off, or fingerfuck
you, or do you want my cock inside you splitting you open?”
“Inside,” Jeongguk breathes out, lips parched. “I want…I need…you inside.”
“What’s the magic word?” Taehyung says. “What do you say when you’re asking
someone a favour?”
“P-please,” Jeongguk whimpers. “Please, hyung, please.”
“Okay,” Taehyung says, satisfied. “Here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to
stretch you open, and I’m going to fuck you with my cock until you can’t handle
any more, and you’re going to beg me to let you come.” Jeongguk nods
desperately, and Taehyung grins, hopping off the bed and making his way to the
pole-dancing area. “But first, half-time entertainment.”
Taehyung is a terrible pole dancer. Taehyung is a terrible pole dancer, but god
fuck it if he’s not sexy while taking his clothes off. Even if Taehyung has the
coordination of a chimpanzee, making funny faces as he loops his legs around
the pole and whirls his shirt above his head throwing it to some obscure corner
of the room, Jeongguk finds that his boner does not let down one bit. Taehyung,
now completely naked, slides down the pole, legs spread, and Jeongguk’s hips
buck up on their own, a cry coming out from between his lips.
“Jesus christ,” Jeongguk chokes out, Taehyung striking a glamorous finishing
pose and jumping back onto the bed where Jeongguk is still decidedly strapped
down and immobilised. “What the hell is half-time? This isn’t a basketball
game.”
“Oh, but there will be a lot of ball dunking tonight,” Taehyung says with a
wink and rips open the condom packet with his teeth, stroking his own cock and
unrolling the bright pink thing over it. He presses a button, and the thing
lights up, vibrating faintly. “Whoooo, this is trippy. Spread your legs.”
Jeongguk obliges, and holds back a gasp as Taehyung aligns the head of his cock
with Jeongguk’s entrance, looking Jeongguk in the eyes. Jeongguk bites his
lower lip, gives a small, almost imperceptible nod, and then Taehyung’s pushing
in, grunting as he sinks deep into Jeongguk.
“Fuck,” Jeongguk whines as Taehyung pulls out and slams in a second time, harsh
and rough. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.” Taehyung takes Jeongguk by the thighs, pushing
them apart, sliding his cock in and out of Jeongguk, fucking him open, and
Jeongguk squirms in the bed, beads of sweat starting to form on his forehead.
“So fucking hot,” Taehyung mumbles. He takes Jeongguks legs and hooks them up
over his shoulders, bending Jeongguk in half so that he can fuck even deeper
into Jeongguk, tip of his cock barely brushing against that heavenly spot
inside Jeongguk. Jeongguk sobs, fingernails digging into his own palms, and
Taehyung reaches up to brush the hair out of Jeongguk’s eyes and kiss him
softly. “How do you feel?”
“‘s fucking good,” Jeongguk breathes out, grunting every time Taehyung ruts in,
his own cock bouncing with the force. The faint vibrations from the condom add
another layer of intensity, and now, Jeongguk is positively whining in
frustration. “More. Fuck, I need…”
Taehyung fucks him unbearably slowly. Jeongguk’s nerves are on fire, and he can
feel every centimetre Taehyung sinks in, every millimetre Taehyung pulls out.
His hands are clenched into tight fists, biceps straining as he pulls against
the restraints, wanting to take his cock into his own hands and stroke himself
off, relieve himself of this frustrating ebb and flow tension once and for all.
Jeongguk closes his eyes. If he concentrates, if he jerks his hips up just a
little, there’s just enough friction against Taehyung’s belly to get himself
off, if he angles himself like…
Taehyung pulls out, and Jeongguk is left empty.
“What the fuck?” Jeongguk whines, close to tears. Fucking Kim Taehyung.
Jeongguk is going to fucking kill him. “I was gonna… I was so close!”
“I’ll get you off, I promise,” Taehyung says, shit-eating grin on his face, and
he crawls up, hands on either side of Jeongguk’s face, kissing the tip of
Jeongguk’s nose. Jeongguk gives an indignant harrumph before he angles his head
up to meet Taehyung’s lips, delving a tongue in between and into Taehyung’s
mouth. “Hey, uh, you okay if I… fuck you raw?”
Jeongguk’s breath catches in his throat. “You mean like, barebacking?”
“Well,” Taehyung says, a slight flush on his face. “It’ll be safe. You’re my
first, and I’m guessing I’m yours too, so…”
“Yes,” Jeongguk says, voice husky from want. “God, yes, yes.”
“Okay then.” Taehyung slips the condom off, discarding it to the side, then
reaches for Jeongguk’s wrists, undoing the restraints and massaging Jeongguk’s
bruises momentarily. “Get on your hands and knees. Face the TV.”
Jeongguk obliges, turning around and supporting himself with all four limbs.
Taehyung throws a pillow at him, and Jeongguk takes it, putting it under his
chest to support himself. The TV isn’t playing anything, but its surface is
reflective and Jeongguk can see himself in it, panting and wrecked, Taehyung on
his knees behind Jeongguk’s ass, hands gripping Jeongguk’s hips.
“Ready?” Taehyung asks, and Jeongguk only lets out a broken whine in response.
Holy fuck, if Jeongguk thought that Taehyung fucking him into the mattress
before was good, this is a whole new level. Taehyung enters Jeongguk, ramming
in from the get-go, setting a frantic pace that has Jeongguk panting and
whining and fucking mewling.
“That’s right, I wanna hear you beg,” Taehyung growls, rutting in, and holy
fuck, Taehyung’s really not holding back now; it’s nothing like before, where
Taehyung had been looking into his eyes and taking it slow, pressing fingertips
into Jeongguk’s soft skin and mouthing and pinching at his nipples. This is
rough, unbridled. This is a beast unleashed. Jeongguk feels like he’s really
going to be split open by Taehyung’s cock, and it’s so fucking good.
“You’re going to blow your load all over yourself, huh?”
“N-not yet,” Jeongguk mutters. The sounds of Taehyung’s hips slapping against
Jeongguk’s ass is loud, even over the cheesy hot times music. Jeongguk presses
his face into the pillow, cutting off his own breath. His brain is going to
short-circuit soon. His legs are already shaking, unable to hold up much
longer, and he could reach down now, rub his thumb against the pink top of his
cock, spill all over his hand, but he wants to feel Taehyung filling him first.
“Hyung,” Jeongguk moans out into the pillow, voice gravelly and parched.
“Hyung, hyung, please, please.” Tears are running down Jeongguk’s face, and he
buries his head deeper into the pillow, suffocating himself, distracting
himself so he doesn’t come prematurely. “I want to… I want to feel you come
inside me…”
Taehyung grunts in acknowledgement, slamming into Jeongguk, and Jeongguk
clenches around Taehyung, clenches with the intent of milking Taehyung dry, and
Taehyung lets out a groan and shudders, spilling inside Jeongguk, come filling
Jeongguk, some dripping out from where it overflows. Taehyung doesn’t let up,
continuing to thrust inside Jeongguk, cock slick with his own come, and he
reaches around to pump Jeongguk’s cock, once, twice, and Jeongguk catches the
sight of himself reflected in the TV, mouth hanging open in gratification,
and—oh.
Jeongguk comes all over Taehyung’s hand, spurting onto the white sheets, on his
belly, his chest, some landing on the TV screen. He comes and comes and comes,
more than he’s ever done before, wave after waves of pleasure cresting through
his whole body, fingertips tingling and toes curling and breath shallow.
Taehyung pulls out, and Jeongguk rolls over onto his back, completely spent.
“Good boy,” Taehyung croons, stroking Jeongguk’s hair as he pants, coming down
from his high. “Good boy, you did well.”
They’re gross and sticky and in dire need of a shower, but neither of them
care, curled up into each other, Jeongguk’s head resting on Taehyung’s chest,
arm draped over Taehyung’s waist. They should get up and clean off, but… Just
for five minutes…
“This is the best birthday ever,” Jeongguk murmurs sleepily, closing his eyes
and snuggling up to Taehyung. “Thank you, hyung.”
“Anytime,” Taehyung says back, kissing the crown of Jeongguk’s head.
“Seriously. Always DTF.” Jeongguk kicks him in the shin.
A few minutes pass like this, Taehyung and Jeongguk curled up into each other,
heart rates slowing, before Taehyung breaks the silence.
“Hey, look,” Taehyung says, twisting his body to look at the amenities in the
room they hadn’t bothered to inspect. “Whoa, they have a bathroom and a
kitchenette. You know, I read somewhere that come has lots of protein. Time for
a secret ingredient in our morning omelettes and milkshakes?”
“Get out,” Jeongguk murmurs, kicking Taehyung off the bed without opening his
eyes, and Taehyung just giggles, picking Jeongguk up bridal-style and carrying
him towards the shower, to wash up or fuck him for the second time in the
shower, only god knows.
 
 
“I don’t even want to know,” Jimin says the next morning when Jeongguk and
Taehyung return to the hasukjib, hands over his ears. “Lalalalala I’m not
listening and yes Jeongguk those bruises on your wrist are very, very
noticeable.”
“Relax, Chimchim,” Taehyung says, smile bright, as Jeongguk flushes and tries
to tug his sleeves over his wrists. “I won’t say anything about how well
Jeongguk takes it up the ass.”
“Are you fucking with me,” Jeongguk says, whacking Taehyung on the arm, and
Jimin just lets out this little indignant sob and hauls the rest of his bags
out the door. Today's the last day that Jimin's with them, living in the
trainee dorms from now on. “Good luck in JYP, Jimin!”
“Jimin hyung,” Jimin corrects, but he’s grinning. “See ya later, kids.”
“Well,” Taehyung says, stretching and yawning. “I’ve uh, got something else for
you.”
“Hm?” Jeongguk scratches his head, following Taehyung up the stairs to their
rooms. “You mean last night wasn’t the surprise?”
“That wasn’t your actual present, you know,” Taehyung says, chuckling. He opens
the door to his room and plonks down on his bed, grabbing his guitar. “Come,
sit.”
“I’m worried,” Jeongguk says, sitting down. Last time Taehyung had shown him
something, it had been a rock cover of Miley Cyrus’ Wrecking Ball, and lord, it
had been a wrecking ball. Not that Taehyung’s singing is bad—it’s fantastic
actually—and his guitar playing is pretty decent too, as is his songwriting,
but just his lyrics and general music sense…
“I wrote a song for you,” Taehyung says, puffing his chest in pride, and
Jeongguk just nods soullessly. “Listen, listen.”
Taehyung clears his throat and strums the opening chord with a flourish. “Thank
you for existing,” he sings soulfully. “Please call me, I’ll buy you food.”
The lyrics… could use some work, but the melody is really nice. Taehyung’s
voice is beautiful and deep and just the right amount of husky to make it work.
Taehyung’s guitar playing has also gotten better, and Jeongguk feels himself
falling into the song. The more Jeongguk thinks about it, the more he feels
that his voice would work well together with Taehyung’s, one baritone, one
tenor. And combined with the beats that Jeongguk’s been learning to make, and
Taehyung’s guitar…
“My eyes they keep turning to Jeon Jeongguk’s cock.”
“Oh god.”
“You’re like an equation, I just wanna keep doing you nonstop.”
Yeah, lyrics would definitely not be on Taehyung’s portfolio.
Taehyung ends the song off with a chorus of ‘JEON JEONGGUK IS THE BEST PRESENT’
and ‘I LIKE YOU FROM THE FRONT, I LIKE YOU FROM THE BACK’, and Jeongguk has to
wonder if Taehyung didn’t suddenly just make up these lyrics while he was
fucking Jeongguk last night.
“Thanks, hyung,” Jeongguk says when Taehyung finishes off and starts clapping
for himself. “That was a really nice song, lyrics excepted.”
Taehyung grins up at him happily, and Jeongguk laughs. It’s a dumb idea he’s
been entertaining for a while, and probably wouldn’t work out, but… he’s
feeling particularly hopeful today.
“Hyung, what do you think about performing that song with me?” Taehyung looks
at him, head tilted to the side, and Jeongguk waves his hand around. “Like,
I’ll add my beats to it, redo the lyrics and make some harmonies, and we go
down to Hongdae and perform it someday?”
“Really?” Taehyung’s eyes go wide. “Really really? You’d do that with me?
Really really really?”
“Yes, really really,” Jeongguk says. “I was just thinking about it yesterday."
He pauses. "It was my birthday wish, actually, for both of us to hit it big
before the new year. Both of us have been trying to do this music thing for a
while, and neither of us have gotten anywhere alone, so… why not try something
new?”
“We have to come up with a band name,” Taehyung blurts, bouncing up and down in
excitement. “Oh, and matching outfits! We need outfits!”
“Might as well go all the way and get us matching collars or something,”
Jeongguk jokes, and Taehyung perks up. “No, no, please don’t, I was kidding—”
“Collars!” Taehyung says, jotting something down into his notepad. He smiles.
“Now there’s an idea!”
Jeongguk grins, listening as Taehyung blabbers all his wonderful ideas, getting
all worked up by himself. This might just work out after all.
 
 
Over the next two weeks, Jeongguk and Taehyung manage to work out a total of
six tracks. They’re not too shabby at all, and even Jimin acknowledges that
they sound pretty damn good when Jeongguk sends them over for him to listen.
“We’re not calling ourselves the Golden Vegetas though,” Jeongguk says as they
lug all their gear down to the popular busking spots in Hongdae. “Just saying.”
“Not like GD Seagulls is a better name,” Taehyung protests, and Jeongguk huffs
indignantly.
Taehyung trips over the mic cord on their first performance and almost drops
his guitar, but they pull through with no further hitches.
Each week, they come up with a new song and perform on the streets of Hongdae,
drawing a larger and larger crowd each time. After a while, even Seokjin, their
ever patient employer, lets them perform in front of the duck restaurant
because it apparently draws a lot of female customers and increases his sales.
Jimin does extremely well as a trainee. In less than three months, he’s
selected as one of the prospective trainees for debut under one of JYP’s sister
companies. He calls Taehyung and Jeongguk the night he’s selected, and the two
of them get trashed in celebration on Jimin’s behalf.
It’s the first week of the new year before good news comes for Jeongguk and
Taehyung.
They’re performing out at Yeouido park, under the shelter where the snow can’t
dampen their newly-purchased amp system, when a serious-looking guy in a suit
and sunglasses comes up and hands them a card.
“My name is Shin Donghyuk,” the mysterious figure says, “and I’m here to scout
you for our company.”
Jeongguk puts his microphone down and takes the card. Big Hit Entertainment.
“Hey,” Taehyung says, looking over Jeongguk’s shoulder, “isn’t that the company
Jiminnie was transferred to?”
“Yeah,” Jeongguk says, looking back up at the representative. From what he’s
heard, it’s a medium-sized company, not huge like the big three, but reputable
all the same. “Is this for real?”
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to take your details. Could you come in next
Saturday at ten in the morning for a final audition and meeting?” Shin Donghyuk
asks, and Jeongguk and Taehyung just exchange looks.
“Hell yes,” Taehyung blurts out, then claps a hand over his mouth. “I mean, uh,
yes sir, that would suit us.”
“Excellent, the director will see you then.” Jeongguk passes the notebook he’d
just scribbled his details onto back to the representative, who bows and
excuses himself.
“Did we just…” Jeongguk rubs his eyes and look at Taehyung. “Did we just get
scouted? Us?”
“I think we did,” Taehyung says, grinning so widely his face might just split
in half. “I think we just did.”
“I’m…” Jeongguk feels tears welling up in his eyes. This is what he’d come up
to Seoul for, and finally, finally, he’s seeing the fruits of his labours. “I
don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t need to say anything,” Taehyung says, grinning. He takes Jeongguk by
the shoulders and looks into his eyes, eyebrows waggling. “I think it’s time
for us to celebrate, in the bedroom.”
“Horny shit,” Jeongguk mutters, whacking Taehyung’s arm. There’s still so much
they have to do. Prepare for the audition and interview. And even if they made
the final cut by some miracle, their future as trainees is still unstable.
There’s so much uncertainty, so many things that could go awry, and yet…
It’s the best day of Jeongguk’s life.
“We got scouted,” Taehyung shouts into the cold winter air, breath coming out
in a fog. “Whoo!”
“Thank you,” Jeongguk says, pressing a kiss to Taehyung’s cheek. “Thank you,
Kim Taehyung, for making my wish come true.”
 
 
Bulletproof Boys.
That’s the name of the group both Taehyung and Jeongguk are set to debut in,
along with Jimin and that dancerboy of his, who’d somehow managed to join the
company with his entire fucking underground crew.
“I have no idea how the fuck this managed to happen,” Jeongguk had said when
he’d entered the company on the first day to see Jimin and Hoseok dancing to
girl group dances in the studio, “but this is some wacky shit.”
Right now, it’s way too early in the morning to be awake, but here Jeongguk is,
having tiptoed into Taehyung’s room, sitting at the foot of Taehyung’s bed.
Taehyung cracks an eye open, and Jeongguk grins, brushing the hair out of
Taehyung’s face. Taehyung gives him one of his lazy smiles and Jeongguk’s heart
does a little flip-flop in his chest. “G’morning, Jeonggukkie, did you sleep
well?”
“No thanks to you,” Jeongguk says, both annoyed and amused. Taehyung has
recently progressed from an acoustic nylon-string back to his electric guitar,
to everyone’s horror and misery. “Yoongi-hyung is going to fucking murder you.”
“Oh no,” Taehyung groans, rolling over and wrapping his arms around Jeongguk’s
waist. “Yoongi-hyung is terrifying when he's mad. Guess you’re not into
necrophilia. Are you?”
“Oh my god, get the fuck out,” Jeongguk says, throwing Taehyung’s arm off and
rolling himself up in a burrito with Taehyung's blankets. Taehyung sits up in
bed, grinning, then slips out of bed and grabs his guitar. Jeongguk eyes him
warily. “You can play now, but please for the love of god, I am begging you,
stop playing your guitar at ass-o’clock or the hyungs are going to set a
lynchmob on you and kick you out of the company. And I don’t want that.”
“Aww, look, you care for me,” Taehyung says, grinning. He clears his throat,
ripping the blankets off Jeongguk. “Anyway,” he continues, strapping his guitar
around his neck and strumming a few test chords, “here’s Wonderwall.”
Jeongguk groans as the cat mauling starts. He doesn’t know how he managed to
survive for so long with Kim Taehyung as his boyfriend, but he must have the
patience of a saint.
“Kim Taehyung,” Yoongi roars from the hallway moments later, banging the door
open, eyes barely open. “You shithead, some of us are trying to sleep here.”
“Not my fault you’re old,” Taehyung quips, and Jeongguk throws his hands up as
Yoongi takes a murderous step towards Taehyung.
“I’m outtie,” Jeongguk says, as he watches Yoongi fake-strangle the living
daylights out of his boyfriend. “Love you!”
“Betrayal,” Taehyung gurgles, reaching a hand out towards Jeongguk, and
Jeongguk simply blows a kiss in his direction and laughs, closing the door.
“I’m going to punish your ass in bed!”
“Too much information,” Jeongguk hears Yoongi exclaim from behind him, and he
sighs in contentment.
Ah, what a life.
Jeongguk couldn’t ask for anything more.
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