#taekook office au where taehyung steals some of jungkook’s lunch from the break room fridge, thinking he won’t notice. but jungkook is nothing if not efficient in everything that he does. including finding out who the lunch thief is.

and maybe taehyung is a little smitten.

if this flops y’all can expect a strongly worded email from jeon jungkook

help me pick a side ship:

throwin in a little side jihope

meanwhile...

time to get to the bottom of this

the next day~

thinking

Yoongs is always the witness

hmmmm

here we go...

jk texts tae

yall picked food so here we go~

When Jungkook steps into the break room, Taehyung's not sure what he was expecting.

He's seen him around the office before, even if they work in different departments -- Jungkook being in finance while Taehyung works in advertising -- but seeing him up close feels different.

He's like, really hot, first of all.

The suit is really doing wonders for him, in Taehyung's humble opinion.

"Hello Taehyung," Jungkook greets as he steps closer.

"Hi," he replies with a bright smile. Jungkook returns it slightly. "So I'm sorry for stealing some of your food."

Jungkook purses his lips and asks, "Why did you?"

"Well the first time, I didn't have a lunch and I was /starving/, you know how it is? Just needed something to hold me over," he explains and Jungkook's eyes narrow.

Okay, so maybe he /doesn't/ know how it is.

"The second time I just wanted to because your food was so good," he confesses with a sheepish smile as he grabs for the freshly made cup ramen. "So to apologize properly, I made you some ramen!"

Jungkook stares at the cup, then looks back up at Taehyung and blinks.

"I'm sorry, Taehyung, but I don't eat ramen."

Taehyung's face visibly falls, a pout forming on his lips as he holds the still hot cup of ramen between his hands.

"What? Who doesn't like ramen?" he asks, tilting his head to the side. "Have you tried this kind? It's really good-"

"Ramen is high in sodium," Jungkook explains briskly. "That single cup of ramen is more than my daily sodium intake."

Taehyung stares at him.

"Thank you for the gesture," Jungkook continues as he moves to the counter behind him to pour himself a fresh mug of black coffee.

"Perhaps you should just eat it yourself so you don't steal from my lunch again."

Taehyung's jaw drops.

"Have a nice day, Taehyung."

And as Jungkook walks out, Taehyung can't help but stare after him, shocked and offended.

He sits down with the cup ramen and starts eating, already coming up with his next plan.

There's just something about Jeon Jungkook that interests Taehyung.

what should tae’s next plan be?

Jungkook texting outside of work hours :o

the two ways to spend a Thursday evening lol

here we go:

OH NOOOO

Taehyung arrives at the break room about a minute early, knowing that Jungkook is probably also the most punctual person in the world.

And he is.

True to his word, Jungkook arrives in the break room exactly 5 minutes after his text message.

"Hi," Taehyung says, shyly as he tucks some of his hair behind his ear. "So you got my letter..."

"I did," Jungkook replies, stepping forward and reaching into his suit jacket pocket.

Taehyung bites his lip, feelings a blush on his cheeks, waiting to see what he gives him.

Jungkook pulls out the envelope that Taehyung decorated last night with red hearts he cut out and some glitter, with pretty pink and red gel pens...

He blinks, confused, as Jungkook hands his love letter back to him.

"I hope you won't take offense to this," he says.

"Perhaps you should consider taking a grammar class."

Taehyung's eyebrows furrow as he slowly opens the envelope, taking out his love letter, only to find it covered in red correction marks.

He feels his heart fall, his shoulders slumping, lips pouting.

"I'm glad you felt like you could come to me to help with editing work. I do love editing grammar," Jungkook continues, oblivious to Taehyung's dejection. "But in the future, I really hope that you won't bring personal matters like your love life to me for help."

"But it's for--"

"I hope we can remain professional at work, Taehyung-ssi."

Taehyung shuts his mouth and just nods, watching as Jungkook turns and leaves the break room.

He lets the love letter he worked so hard on last night fall to the floor.

hmmm /: let’s try again!! What’s Tae going to do next??

Taehyung sighs, standing under the alcove of the company building, watching the rain pour down from the overcast and cloudy sky.

Of course it's raining. Of course he forgot his umbrella.

Life hasn't really been going his way since the whole love letter ordeal earlier this week.

"Taehyung?"

He turns quickly, the familiar voice confused as he approaches. Jeongguk comes to stand beside him, looking out at the rain, before looking back at him.

"Do you not have an umbrella?" he asks and Taehyung sighs and shakes his head.

"No, I forgot it at home this morning," Taehyung answers. "I'm sure it'll let up soon, though."

Jeongguk pulls out his phone and a moment later shakes his head. "The weather forecast says there is a 96% chance that this will turn into a severe thunderstorm," he informs him.

Taehyung's shoulders drop.

Curse Jeongguk and his stupid accurate research skills.

"Well, then I guess I'll just have to make a run for it," he says as he glances back at Jeongguk. "The subway station isn't too far, I'll be fine."

Just as Taehyung steps out from alcove and into the rain, he feels fingers wrap around his wrist, and then there's an umbrella over his head.

"I'll walk you to the station," Jeongguk says, holding the umbrella over both of them. Taehyung stares at him in surprise.

"You don't have to," Taehyung tells him and Jeongguk nods.

"I don't," he agrees. "However, I have an umbrella and you don't. It seems like the polite thing to do."

Taehyung smiles, shifting a little closer as they start walking toward the subway station together.

In order not to get soaked, they walk with their shoulders pressed together, and Taehyung can't help but notice how warm Jeongguk feels next to him.

It makes his heart flutter.

Jeongguk smells nice, his sweet and light cologne filling Taehyung's nose.

"Thanks for walking me," he tells him. "Do you take the subway, too?"

Jeongguk glances at him and then quickly averts his gaze to face forward again. "No, but the bus is nearby."

Taehyung nods. "Okay, as long as you aren't going out of your way for me."

The walk is short and Taehyung finds himself wishing it were longer. He keep sneaking glances at Jeongguk, taking in his sharp jaw bone, little details on his hand that's holding the umbrella.

It looks like he bites his nails.

"We should get manicures together," Taehyung says.

"Excuse me?" Jeongguk replies, looking at him with a confused expression.

"Your nails," Taehyung explains, gently touching them. "It looks like you bite them. From stress, right? You should come with me and get them manicured, it'll help you stop biting them."

The station is close now, close enough to see it.

Jeongguk doesn't reply as they reach the station, walking Taehyung up until he's safe from the rain under the alcove by the stairs.

"Thank you for the offer, but I don't usually spend time outside of work with coworkers."

"Oh," Taehyung says, trying not to sound too disappointed. "Okay."

There's an awkward moment when Taehyung isn't sure what else to say and Jeongguk isn't moving to leave yet.

"Thank you for walking me," Taehyung tells him with a small smile. "Get home safely, Jeongguk-ssi."

Jeongguk nods. "You too, Taehyung-ssi."

Taehyung starts heading down the stairs with a final wave, ready to go home and put his feet up. He's about half way down when he remembers that he wanted to ask Jeongguk something, turning back to run up the stairs.

He sees Jeongguk in the distance, walking back the way that they came.

But the bus stop is in the other direction.

Taehyung bites back his smile, watching Jeongguk until he crosses the street and disappears from view.

He went out of his way to walk him to the station.

hmmmmm

pick 1

When Namjoon and Jeongguk arrive, they enter to the room to see Yoongi and Hoseok rapping an old school Seo Taiji song back and forth, trying to out do the other while Jimin and Taehyung are laughing.

"Hey guys!" Namjoon shouts over the loud music as he sits down.

"Hey!" Taehyung greets back, waving them to come sit down. He pulls out the menu and scoots closer so he can go over it with them. "We ordered ramen and budae jjigae, but we didn't know what you would want to drink."

"Somaek?" Namjoon suggests, looking over at Jeongguk.

"I won't drink," he says.

Taehyung pouts, "But how am I supposed to do a love shot with you if you won't drink?"

"Excuse me?"

Hoseok interrupts them by throwing a tambourine at Taehyung. He laughs, shaking it in time to the song as he leans back over.

"Will you at least sing a duet with me, Jeongguk?" Taehyung asks, eyes hopeful. He practiced his expression in the mirror earlier, wanting to make sure it was perfect.

So perfect that even Jeon Jeongguk can't deny him.

"No thank you," he says and Taehyung's jaw drops.

"You're just going to sit here and not sing or drink?" he asks, tilting his head to the side. "That doesn't sound like you're going to have a lot of fun."

Jeongguk blinks, looking at him confused.

"Don't worry, we'll get him loosened up," Namjoon tells him with a laugh.

Taehyung sure hopes so.

After all, how is he supposed to woo Jeongguk by singing a romantic duet with him to show him how perfect they could be together if Jeongguk doesn't want to sing?

pick 1!!

When Yoongi and Hoseok both collapse onto the couches, breathing heavily from jumping around and rapping fire for 4 minutes straight, Taehyung bounces to his feet and grabs a mic from them.

"My turn!" he shouts excitedly, inputting one of his favorite songs.

He's going to woo Jeongguk with his singing. He'll impress him and suddenly, Jeongguk will fall for him and they'll live happily ever after.

Or at least like, go on a date or something.

When the music of the ballad love song comes on, Taehyung sucks in a deep breath and--

promptly chokes on it, coughing and sputtering as he misses the start of the song. His throat is so dry it burns, the air making everything worse as he struggles to catch his breath and regain his composure.

He makes it in time to sing the chorus, the heartfelt, beautiful chorus

Only for his voice to crack from all the coughing.

"Yikes," Hoseok says from the couch and Taehyung glares at him.

Too embarrassed to even /look/ at Jeongguk now, Taehyung does his best through the rest of the song, but he knows it's not good.

He needs water to clear his throat.

As the song comes to an end, Taehyung hangs his head, feeling defeated.

Curse the dry room and his need to breathe.

pick 1!

Just as Namjoon and Jimin are setting up their song to sing, the door opens and a worker walks in to set their food down on the table, as well as all the alcohol they ordered.

And after her, a tall man with broad shoulders walks in.

"Hyung?" Jeongguk asks, tone surprised.

Taehyung's never heard Jeongguk make a surprised sound before. He's learning so much about him during this outing...

"Hello peasants," the man says as he holds his arms out. "I'm Seokjin and I'm here to make sure this party is /actually/ a party."

"Seokjin hyung!" Namjoon greets him with a big, dimpled smile. "I didn't know you were coming."

"Jeonggukkie invited me," Seokjin says and Jeongguk shakes his head.

"I did not," he replies. "You invited yourself after I told you what I was doing."

"Potato pa-ta-to," Seokjin says, waving him off. He grabs a bottle of soju and shakes it, turning it upside down, before cracking it open and pouring everyone a shot. "Let's get this party started!"

Taehyung doesn't know who this man is, but the second he puts a shot of soju--

down in front of Jeongguk and he picks it up to take it, Taehyung is glad he's here.

"Cheers!" Taehyung shouts as they all clink their shot glasses together and take it, settling in on the couches as Jimin and Namjoon pick an upbeat pop song to sing for them.

pick 1!!

Seokjin wasn't kidding when he said this would become a party.

Within the next half hour, he's managed to get everyone to do several shots, ordered another several servings of ramen, and more soju.

Taehyung is in awe at his hosting skills.

"Are you hungry, Jeongguk-ssi?" Taehyung asks as he slides over to sit next to him on the couch. "You haven't eaten anything yet."

Jeongguk's cheeks look a little flushed, but he seems to have his head on straight still. "I don't eat ramen. The sodium levels are too high."

Taehyung pouts as he brings the pot closer. "Just one bite," he says, scooping up a large portion with his chopsticks. "You can't drink on an empty stomach, you'll get sick."

Jeongguk seems to weigh the pros and cons of his last statement for a few moments.

"One bite," he agrees cautiously, reaching out to take the chopsticks.

"Ah, ah!" Taehyung giggles, pulling up the heaping bite. "I'll feed it to you!"

Jeongguk's eyes bulge and he starts trying to shake his head but Taehyung brings the noodles closer to his lips and he opens--

his mouth, accepting them and slurping them up.

"Aww, seeing Jeonggukkie eat food like that makes me feel full just watching," Seokjin says with a fatherly sigh. "How come you never let hyung feed you, huh?"

Jeongguk shoots him a flat look. Taehyung giggles, not noticing when--

Jeongguk turns to look at him again, his expression softening.

"I wanna sing a duet!" Taehyung says, throwing his hand up as Jimin and Hoseok finish their song. "Who will sing with me this time?"

pick 1!!

Seokjin's hand shoots up quickly and Taehyung grins, stumbling over Jeongguk's feet to get out and grab the mic from Jimin.

"Let's sing something scandalous," Seokjin says, flipping through the song choice before landing on a classic pop song that /everyone/ knows.

And Taehyung?

He more than /knows/ it.

He knows the dance for it, too.

"Let's get it," he says into the mic as the song starts playing, making everyone laugh.

Jeongguk even cracks a small smile, which makes his heart flutter. He has a really cute smile.

When the song starts, Taehyung is surprised to find that Seokjin also knows the dance, the two of them laughing as they struggle to sing while doing the dance in perfect sync, despite not knowing each other prior to this evening.

Everyone else is dying laughing on the couches,

Jimin is swinging the tambourine around off beat, and Yoongi is even singing along at the top of his lungs as he sits next to Namjoon, leaning into his side heavily.

Jeongguk is watching, his lips struggling not to smile, but he loses his composure every now and then.

Especially when Taehyung does a cute move and winks at him.

When their song comes to an end, they're both out of breath, too exhausted and sweaty to even cheer for their 100 score on the screen as they collapse onto the couches again, handing off their mics to Namjoon and Yoongi

pick 1!!

okay poll for next time!!! This will determine how the end of norebang goes~ choose wisely

Taehyung scoots closer to Jeongguk, who chokes on his drink of beer. "Hey, are you sure you won't sing a song with me?" he asks with a pout, really laying it on thick.

Batting his lashes, pouting his lips out, even making a little noise of sadness in the back of his throat.

Not even Yoongi can resist his pout. Taehyung refuses to believe that Jeongguk will turn him down twice--

"No, thank you," he replies, turning back to his beer.

Taehyung's head hangs, disappointed, as he moves to go sit next to Jimin instead. But before he can move far,

Seokjin slams a hand on the table, startling everyone.

"Guk-ah, go on and show us your beautiful voice," he says, tone sickeningly sweet.

Jeongguk glares at Seokjin and Taehyung frowns, turning to look at the older. "It's okay, I don't want to force him."

Seokjin looks sad as he meets Taehyung's gaze. "Okay," he says, giving it up as he grabs the mic. "Then I'll sing with you, Tae. Let's have some /fun/."

Taehyung kind of doesn't feel like singing now, so he shakes his head, passing the mic off to Hoseok again.

"Maybe next time," he replies, reaching for the soju to pour another shot.

jin spillin some wisdom

"Wait, Taehyung," Jeongguk says, getting up and grabbing the microphone from Seokjin. "I will sing a song with you."

Taehyung's eyes light up instantly as he scrambles over Jimin's lap, uncaring when he knees him in the balls, or when he kicks Namjoon.

He can't believe that Jeongguk is going to sing with him -- his pout /worked/!

And here he was, thinking he'd lost his touch.

It was a dark few minutes for him, he'll admit.

Grabbing the mic from Hoseok and shooing him away, he turns to Jeongguk with a smile.

"What song do you want to sing?" he asks as they start going over the options together. "I'll sing anything, so you pick something you know."

Jeongguk, to everyone's surprise, picks a popular pop song.

Sensing how uncomfortable Jeongguk is in front of everyone, Taehyung grabs a rainbow wig prop and throws it on, dancing ridiculously as he starts the first part of the song.

While he entertains everyone to keep their eyes off of Jeongguk, Taehyung doesn't notice the soft smile

behind him, watching him, too.

When Jeongguk sings, it melts Taehyung's heart.

He whips around, amazed, as he watches him singing and hitting the high notes perfectly -- like he himself is an idol singing on stage.

Taehyung whoops and gets everyone at the table to start clapping along, encouraging Jeongguk, who finds that he can't hide his smile this time when he locks eyes with Taehyung.

When the chorus hits, they sing together -- Taehyung taking the low notes, Jeongguk taking the high.

And Taehyung is in heaven.

This is the best time he's ever had at norebang, he's sure of it.

But the best part is seeing Jeongguk start to loosen up a little, swaying a little as he sings, laughing when Taehyung puts the rainbow wig on his head for him.

Maybe it just takes a little more effort to break through his walls.

And Taehyung is nothing but determined.

pls pick 1!!

the next day~

Taehyung watches from around the corner, hidden in the break room, as Jeongguk gets to work and walks to his desk. He holds his breath, watching as Jeongguk sets his bag down at his chair, his lips quirking up into a smile at the sight of flowers on his desk.

Take that, Hobi.

Jeongguk's smile only grows as he reads the letter in the card at the top, and the sight of it has Taehyung's heart fluttering in his chest.

Biting back his own smile, Taehyung turns away to skip to his desk, excited to drop by during lunch and talk to Jeongguk.

Today is going to be his day.

He just /knows/ it.

By the time lunch rolls around, Taehyung is practically vibrating in his chair, ready to go over and talk to Jeongguk. To ask him if he likes the flowers (obviously he does), and maybe also exchange phone numbers.

He's starting with small, humble tasks.

As soon as the clock hits noon, Taehyung leaps from his desk and power walks to the break room, spotting Jeongguk already there and getting his lunch from the fridge.

"Jeongguk!" Taehyung calls as he pulls his own lunch out from behind his back -- he packed it himself.

"Oh, hello, Taehyung," Jeongguk greets with a small, polite smile. "Having lunch?"

"Yeah, how about you?" Taehyung asks, motioning to his own lunch in his hands. Jeongguk nods and Taehyung steps a little closer. "Wanna eat lunch together?"

"Oh, I have a little work to do still"

Taehyung starts to visibly deflate, but Jeongguk is quick to wet his lips and add, "But if you'd like to sit at my desk with me, then sure."

"Perfect!" Taehyung exclaims, a little too loud in his eager excitement. "Let's go to your desk then!"

As they walk to his desk, their hands brush and Taehyung bites his lip as he chances a glance at Jeongguk, who simply moves his hand away.

But his cheeks look a little pink.

Taehyung's heart flutters again.

"Thank you for the flowers, by the way," Jeongguk says as he pulls an extra chair over for Taehyung to sit at. Now he's definitely blushing, and Taehyung is melting at how cute he is. "You didn't need to..."

"I wanted to," he replies with a smile as they settle in.

As they start eating, Jeongguk also typing as he chews his food, Taehyung looks around his desk. Everything on it is neat and orderly, which he expected, but he spies a framed picture and picks it up.

It's a photo of Seokjin, Namjoon and Jeongguk, looking like it dates back to--

Jeongguk's graduation, based on his cap and gown attire. He looks young in it, cheeks a little chubby, smile bright and wide -- like a bunny.

Cute.

"You've known Seokjin and Namjoon a long time, huh?" he asks curiously, showing the photo when Jeongguk looks over.

"Ah, yeah, they were my college friends," he answers with a small smile as he looks at the photo. "Before working here, I worked at a company with Seokjin hyung. He doesn't work there anymore, though. He has a rich boyfriend that takes care of him."

"Where did you used to work?" Taehyung asks, eager to keep Jeongguk talking, to learn more.

But it's this moment that they both hear a quiet buzzing noise. Eyebrows furrowed, Taehyung turns to look at the flowers, spotting a bee flying around it.

"Oh my god!" Jeongguk shouts when it flies right at him, his hands moving up, slapping it away.

"Don't hit it, it'll sting you!" Taehyung says, getting up from his seat to find a way to shoo it out a window.

But it's too late.

The bee whirls back around, angry.

And it stings Jeongguk right on the arm.

"Ow!" Jeongguk cries, swatting it again, holding his arms with wide eyes when he sees the bee fall to the floor. "Oh fuck, oh fuck--"

"Are you okay?" Taehyung asks, coming back over to inspect the sting. "I told you not to hit it!"

It only takes another few seconds for Taehyung to notice that Jeongguk is breathing heavy, clearly worked up. He rubs his shoulder comfortingly, trying to help soothe him.

"Hey, it's okay, I can get the stinger out and it'll be okay," he says softly, but Jeongguk shakes his head

"I-I can't--" he seems to choke on his words, his cheeks turning red as he looks up at Taehyung with wide eyes. "Allergic," he wheezes, fingers reaching up to his throat.

Oh fuck is right.

Taehyung's hands start to shake as he scrambles around, frantic and unsure of what to do.

(tw// panic, panic attack? ish)

"Do I call an ambulance?" he asks, panicked, which only makes Jeongguk panic /more/. "Do you have medicine? An inhaler? What do you need?"

Taehyung has no idea what to do.

Oh god.

He's going to kill Jeongguk because of his stupid flowers.

Why is Hoseok always right?

Jeongguk wheezes again, hives breaking out over his visible skin. He sits up and reaches down to pull open the bottom drawer at his desk, revealing a large medical looking tube thing labeled 'epipen.'

OH!

Taehyung's seen enough movies to know about this.

He grabs it, fingers still shaking as he looks over the brief instructions, removing the cap.

Arm above his head as he grabs Jeongguk's leg, he brings it down, stabbing him in the thigh and holding it there.

Holy shit -- he just /stabbed/ Jeongguk in the leg.

He looks up and sees Jeongguk still breathing heavily, but no longer panicked as he leans his head back against his chair.

It's this moment that Namjoon happens to walk by.

"What the hell happened?" he shouts, coming over to check on Jeongguk, noticing the epipen still in his leg.

"A bee stung him," Taehyung says, voice wavering, shaky. "I-is he gonna be okay? Should I take him to a hospital?"

Jeongguk briefly opens his eyes to look at Namjoon

and make a quiet noise in the back of his throat.

"Give him a couple minutes," Namjoon replies. "Either way, he's going home for the day."

Jeongguk looks like he wants to disagree but is too tired and out of breath to do so.

"I can take him home or to a doctor or whatever he needs," Taehyung says quickly, fingers still shaky as he hold onto Jeongguk's knees for balance. "It's kind of my fault. It was the flowers."

Namjoon's expression softens and he rests a hand on his shoulder.

"He'll be okay, Tae," he tells him, squeezing his shoulder comfortingly. "And it's not your fault."

Taehyung sure feels like it is.

After about 10 minutes, Jeongguk is feeling a lot better again, but Namjoon still makes him leave for the day, allowing Taehyung to go, too.

please choose an option:

Taehyung takes Jeongguk to his place after they leave, mostly because he's tired and keeps falling asleep in the front seat, and Taehyung doesn't know where he lives.

Plus, he doesn't feel comfortable leaving him alone after the bee incident, even if his hands are cursed.

As soon as he opens his door, though, he regrets bringing Jeongguk to his place.

"Uh," he says shyly, feeling a little embarrassed as he kicks some dirty laundry out of the way to make room for them to step inside. "Sorry, I didn't expect to have you over so it's not very clean"

Jeongguk wrinkles his nose a little, watching as Taehyung kicks dirty laundry around to try and hide it from sight. "It's okay. Sorry for intruding."

Taehyung helps him in, which is when Yeontan comes rushing over, barking up a storm. Jeongguk tenses up at his side, eyes going

wide as he takes in the fluffy, barking dog.

"Oh, this is Tannie!" Taehyung says, picking him up so he can sniff at Jeongguk. "Yeontan, be nice to Jeongguk, he's suffered a lot because of your appa."

Taehyung smiles, petting his head before his eyes look back up at Jeongguk,

only to find him already watching him. His expression looks warm, which makes Taehyung's heart skip a beat (or two or three).

"Come on, let's get you comfortable somewhere so you can get some rest," Taehyung says, setting Yeontan down and pulling Jeongguk further inside.

Taehyung quickly disappears into his bathroom to hide the dildo he had left out before Jeongguk can see it -- because there is absolutely no explaining that without both of them being uncomfortable.

When he steps back out into the main room, he smiles when he sees Jeongguk

laying in his bed, face buried in his pillow as his eyes slowly blink open, like he's trying to stay awake.

"Do you want me to put something on the TV?" he asks as he comes over, pulling the blankets up over him a bit more, tucking him in.

"Sure," Jeongguk answers quietly.

Taehyung melts, his fingers itching to run through his hair, but that would be creepy so he holds himself back from doing so.

Instead, he settles on his couch and turns on the TV, setting the volume low so it won't disturb Jeongguk when he falls asleep. He flips through the

channels until he finds something that Jeongguk doesn't frown at -- shockingly, it's an animated kid's movie, which only makes Taehyung's heart grow more fond -- and leaves it there.

"Guess at the very least, we get to catch up on our sleep, huh?" Taehyung says as he gets comfy.

Jeongguk let's out a small laugh, and it has Taehyung sitting up and looking at him. "What?" he asks, eyes going wide in surprise.

"Did I just make you laugh?" Taehyung asks, blinking at him.

"I... I guess you did," Jeongguk replies, tone nervous.

"Oh my god," he says, laying back down on his couch but not taking his eyes off of Jeongguk. "I've been trying to do that for a while."

Jeongguk huffs. "I laugh."

"You don't," Taehyung replies with a giggle. "But it's okay, your serious face is cute, too."

Jeongguk buries his face under the blankets when he flushes bright red, so only his eyes and forehead are visible when Taehyung looks at him again.

"I'm not."

Taehyung looks at him again. "Hm?" he asks.

"'M not cute," Jeongguk says.

"I think you are," Taehyung tells him, his cheeks flushing at his honesty.

Jeongguk doesn't say anything, worried his voice might break if he does.

"I don't want to make you uncomfortable," Taehyung adds softly. "So if you want me to leave you alone, or just be friends--"

"L-let's be friends," Jeongguk says, his stomach dropping, worried Taehyung will be upset.

But he smiles warmly at him, and Jeongguk feels his heart flutter in his chest. It's a cute, boxy smile.

"Friends," Taehyung repeats. "I'd like that very much."

pls choose an option:

Tw// mentions of cheating later in the update!!

makin movies

When Jungkook arrives, Taehyung is already there waiting with a camera hanging around his neck. He's dressed nicely, look's comfortable in light blue jeans and an oversized button up half tucked in.

When he spots Jungkook, he waves his arms over his head excitedly, boxy smile

appearing on his lips, making Jungkook's chest feel tight. He smiles back, a little more reserved, and gives a small wave as he approaches.

"Hi Kookie!" Taehyung says, turning around to pick up an iced coffee and hand it to him. "It's an iced Americano, I hope you like it."

Black coffee with espresso? Jungkook loves Americanos.

"Thank you," he says politely, eyeing his camera. "So what kind of things do you usually take pictures of?"

"Anything, really," Taehyung answers as he picks up his own drink, which looks like a smoothie instead of coffee.

"Anything that interests me or catches my eye."

Jungkook smiles faintly, that seems very Taehyung.

"The place I know is in the park, it's probably more so scenery, if that's alright?"

"That sounds amazing!" Taehyung tells him sincerely. "Lead the way, Kookie!"

tw// cheating
They take pictures and walk around the rose gardens for what feels like hours. Taehyung starts whining about his feet hurting and being thirsty, so they find a bench to sit down in and rest for a bit.

"Be right back," Jungkook says as he jogs away for a few moments

When he returns, it's with a bottled water, which he hands to Taehyung before sitting down next to him.

Taehyung smiles, accepting the water and gulping half of it down in one go before holding it out for him to have some, biting his lip when he does.

It feels domestic, somehow

"So what's your story, Jeon Jungkook?" Taehyung asks as he stretches out, holding the back of the bench and bringing his feet up on it in front of him to face Jungkook.

Jungkook glances at him, his lips pulling down slightly.

"My story?" he asks and Taehyung nods.

"Yeah, like, why are you working at our company? What was your dream as a kid?" he lists out on his fingers. "What's your favorite color? Why do you text like an old man learning technology for the first time?"

Jungkook laughs at that, shaking his head, and Taehyung grins.

"I do not text like an old man," Jungkook says and Taehyung just looks at him. "I don't! I text professionally. Because I'm professional when we're at work."

"Why is being professional such a big deal for you?" Taehyung asks, tilting his head. "You already have the job."

Jungkook looks down at the water bottle in his hands, his gaze seeming to travel far away.

"Because at my last job, I wasn't professional, and it nearly ruined my career," he says slowly, tone strained. "So I don't want that to happen to me again."

Taehyung shifts, moving a little closer so he can rest a hand on Jungkook's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Kookie. I didn't know," he says softly, sincerely. "If you want to talk, you can. I'm a great listener. But if not, we can walk around some more."

Jungkook grips the water bottle.

"It's... There was someone, at my old job," Jungkook says slowly, like saying it is physically difficult. "He wanted to date me, and I agreed because I liked him. At the time, I didn't really think about the fact that he was my boss."

Taehyung stays quiet, listening.

"But it turns out, he really didn't want to be with me at all," Jungkook says with a humorless laugh, it makes Taehyung's chest ache for him. "Because he was already seeing the CEO's daughter. And when she caught us, he lied and said I came onto him."

"Oh my god," Taehyung whispers, his hand sliding down to gently take one of Jungkook's hands to hold. "Oh my god, what an asshole."

Jungkook hangs his head. "Yeah, and I was an idiot. I got fired, they told me I should be more professional at my next job."

Taehyung squeezes his hand comfortingly, feeling anger boil under his skin. "So because of him, you just hold everyone at arms length?"

"I just don't want to be in that situation ever again," Jungkook admits quietly, and Taehyung finds himself scooting closer to wrap his arms

around him. "It was so hard and the only reason I got this job was because of Namjoon hyung. Any other job I applied to, if they called for a reference, they gave me a bad one. No one wanted to hire me."

"That's horrible," Taehyung whispers against his neck, holding him tight.

"That person is a monster, Jungkook. I'm so sorry that happened to you."

Jungkook shakes his head a little. "It's okay."

"It's not," Taehyung tells him, pulling back to look at him, cupping his cheeks. "It's not okay. I'm so sorry. Please know that none of us would ever do that to you."

Jungkook looks at him, his eyes sad, worried, unsure.

Taehyung leans in to wrap his arms around him again,

holding him close and hooking his chin over his shoulder.

"Thanks for telling me, Kookie," he says softly, rubbing his back. "Don't worry, that jerk can't do anything to you now. I'll protect you."

Slowly, Jungkook's arms come up to wrap around Taehyung, too, holding him tight.

He buries his nose into his shoulder, his eyes slipping shut as he indulges in the warm embrace.

"Thank you," he says.

Taehyung holds him a little bit tighter.

pls choose an option:

that’s all for today!! We finally know abt jk’s past poor bb

how are we feeling????

if u wanna come yell, pls yell here or qrt instead of commenting on the thread, thank u!! https://curiouscat.qa/ggukkientete