Archive of Our Own

Jeongguk glances at his alarm clock, groaning when he sees it glow 1:22am in the dark. He’s been lying in bed for almost forty-five minutes now, tossing and turning but not sleepy enough to go under. It’s frustrating; he hasn’t gotten much sleep in the past few days and has a morning class in seven hours, which he really can’t afford to fall asleep during.

Realizing falling asleep anytime soon really isn’t going to happen, Jeongguk rolls onto his stomach, smushing his face into his pillow as he blindly reaches out for his phone on the bedside table. He successfully unplugs it from the charger before rolling onto his back, squinting when the device lights up a bit too brightly in the dark. He gropes again at the side of his bed, finding his earphones that were practically dangling to the floor (he couldn’t remember why they were there, but hey, at least he didn’t have to get up). 

Once he gets the buds plugged in and into his ears, he taps the red YouTube icon, idly scrolling through his feed and recommended videos. Covers of the latest singles and his favorite guitarists’ newest videos come up as he scrolls through, making him glance toward where his own guitar sits on its stand against the wall in the dark, the outline of it just barely visible with the glow of his screen. He debates getting it and strumming until sleep comes to him, but he'd rather avoid his neighbors in the other flats behind the walls yelling at him to shut the fuck up (it's happened before.)

He snorts at the memory before continuing scrolling. After a few more suggestions, he pauses when a thumbnail catches his eye. It's for an ASMR video, titled “ASMR ♡ Talking With You” by tigerwhispers, with 810K views . The thumbnail itself is just a (really cute) boy in a pastel pink shirt in front of the camera, cheek pressed against his hand as his elbows rest on the desk in front of him. The boy has golden brown hair, looking practically angelic as he stares at the camera with half-lidded eyes, and Jeongguk blinks once, twice, before tapping on the video without a second thought. 

He hardly ever watches ASMR, in fact finds it a bit irritating with the sounds inducing too many shivers for him to properly concentrate on anything, let alone relax. But there was something about this YouTuber that just told him to watch it anyway. It's 1am and honestly, who cares what he spends his time watching? 

Jeongguk waits patiently for it to load, and once it does, he immediately takes a sharp breath when he's met with a close-up of tigerwhisperer's face practically pressed to the camera, wide eyes staring into his soul. The boy then smiles, and—and it's shaped like a box? And then he giggles, the sound filling his ears and surprising him with how deep yet soft it is, childish and carefree, and Jeongguk swears his heart somersaults in his chest. Immediately, he taps at the left of the screen twice to hear it again. Rewinds it one more time for good measure. 

The boy’s entire face is lit up, eyes turning to crescents as he leans back away from the camera and settles into his chair, arms still folded on the table. Jeongguk's convinced the boy makes the sun pale in warmth because what the fuck that smile alone could make the ice caps melt.

“Hi, guys. Your tigerwhisperer Taehyung, here! I'm back with a new video.” 

Unlike the ASMR videos he's seen before, mister tigerwhispers —named Taehyung, apparently—doesn't whisper, ironically. He talks softly, his voice naturally deep, low, and rich with a honey that’s sweet to his ears. The moment Jeongguk realizes he's smiling at the screen, he clears his throat awkwardly before schooling his features to indifference. 

“A lot of you guys said you liked hearing my voice, so I decided to make a video of just me talking! You guys know I can talk on and on sometimes—” another giggle; be still, Jeongguk’s heart—“so I hope it’ll be okay if I just talk about my day.” 

“Yes,” Jeongguk breathes, “yes, you can talk about your day.” 

Taehyung in the video smiles, perching his cheek on his hand, much like in the thumbnail. “I had a really good day today, actually. Woke up nice and warm under my blankets, and my room wasn’t too cold either. I love waking up warm, you know what I mean? It just feels so good. I wore my favorite beret today, too! But I’m not wearing it right now, I’m sorry. I’ll remember to wear it on my next video. Oh—on my way to class I saw a puppy, and—oh my God, you guys won’t believe how cute it was. It was the cutest puppy in the world, I swear, I think I’m going to adopt him. He even had eyebrows, guys; eyebrows!” 

As Taehyung talks, both he and Jeongguk appear to become more relaxed and sleepy, Jeongguk’s eyes starting to droop as Taehyung’s voice resonates in his ears, sounding like he’s right next to him, telling him about his day. His heart turns over itself every time Taehyung rambles and his words run into each other, his hands flying about at moments in gestures, being so absolutely endearing that Jeongguk’s cheeks start to hurt from smiling. Taehyung himself starts growing languid towards the end, eyes turning hooded as his words slow down, and a second goes by where he just looks into the camera with a small smile on his face.

“I hope you had a good day, too,” he then murmurs softly, crooning in Jeongguk’s ears. “I hope, if you had a busy day, that you got to relax, whether it’s with me right now or beforehand. Take care of yourself, yeah?”

Taehyung ends the video shortly after, and Jeongguk fights sleep enough to press the subscribe button and the little bell next to it, before pressing replay and putting his phone down next to him on his pillow. And then he succumbs to sleep with the sweetness of Taehyung’s voice in his ears.

🎧

The moment Jeongguk returns to his apartment after his classes, he finds himself sitting in bed, earphones plugged in his ears, and searching up tigerwhispers.

Jeongguk finds that the boy has over three million subscribers, uploading videos every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The video he had watched the day before turns out to have been uploaded over a year ago. And as Jeongguk scrolls through the myriad of videos Taehyung has uploaded, he realizes he has a new mission.

And so the binging begins. 

He spends hours at a time with his eyes glued to his phone or his laptop, and sometimes he just listens to Taehyung’s voice as he works and studies for his classes. 

Taehyung has different kinds of videos, almost all of them being ASMR-related. Many involve food, and cupcakes notoriously show up multiple times. 

“Hi guys, your tigerwhisperer Taehyung, here! Today I’ll be eating Starry Night cupcakes! As you can see, the cupcakes are vanilla and the design of the icing is inspired by Van Gogh’s painting.” 

He always starts off his videos with that first line, and it never fails to make Jeongguk smile. 

Other videos have him talking and whispering, another being him cleaning around the kitchen while the camera and microphone are set on a dining table nearby. Jeongguk can hear the boy humming a tune as he works, and if that doesn’t send his music-loving heart beating just a little bit faster. 

A dog named Yeontan starts showing up in his videos as well, one with eyebrows that vaguely remind Jeongguk of the commentary he heard in the first video he had watched. Taehyung’s few vlogs always have him speaking cheerfully, talking about his day as he moves around the house or shows his outfits. 

The more Jeongguk watches and listens, the more he learns about the boy; he easily picks up on the way Taehyung giggles here and there, the little hand motions he makes, the way he tends to pout and talks softly even when he’s not filming an ASMR video. His clothes are usually patterned, stylish, comfortable; he likes wearing berets, bright colors, sometimes wearing baggier clothing one day and wearing tighter clothes the next. He’s dyed his hair multiple times, usually sticking to shades of brown and black, but sometimes sporting bolder colors like red, orange, and gray, and he looks fucking amazing with all of them. His eyelashes are long, his lips seem to be a bright pink twenty-four-seven (yes, Jeongguk’s eyes are trained to those plush lips much of the time), he has a mole on the tip of his nose that makes Jeongguk melt in fondness every time it catches his eye. 

Jeongguk finds all of his videos peaceful and enjoyable to watch, even if the boy is just eating with no talking whatsoever. The tingles Jeongguk gets from hearing the boy eat and speak and just, exist , are really unlike the effects from the other ASMR channels Jeongguk has watched from. Taehyung’s personality shines through every single video he makes, someone who makes Jeongguk feel, surprisingly, less lonely, as if the other was actually someone in his present life rather than a random being on the internet. Soon, just seeing Taehyung’s face in his recommended feed brings a smile to his lips.

And, of course, there’s that one video that Taehyung uploaded almost two months before. The boyfriend roleplay. The boy has done a multitude of roleplays, excelling in all of them, but this one—this one has Jeongguk’s heart in his throat, his blood pounding in his ears as Taehyung comes into his candle-lit bedroom where the camera is propped on the bed. And crooning “baby, I’m back home” into Jeongguk’s ears. 

Jeongguk watches, past midnight on a Saturday, leaning on the headboard of his bed with his phone on his lap and his jaw hanging open. Watches as Taehyung crawls onto the bed towards the camera, a quiet chuckle falling from his lips as the microphone picks up the sheets rustling; the bed lets out a muffled creak to accommodate his weight. Watches Taehyung murmur, “were you sleeping? ” before leaning in, making a soft wet sound with his lips as a kiss.

Jeongguk is ready to pause the video and hurl his phone across the room. And the feeling increases as Taehyung lies down in front of the camera, so close, looking positively radiant in the candle’s glow, and murmurs the sweetest words into his ears, dropping bombs on Jeongguk’s heart anytime a pet name slips out. He watches the entire video with his skin flushed. And if all of that wasn't heart-attack inducing enough, Taehyung ends the video with a session of kiss sounds—which, dear god, includes a hum here, a sigh there—all with his hand covering the lens so that all he sees is black. Jeongguk rushes out of bed to take a cold shower the moment the video ends, but not before scrolling down to the comments section to type “plsmarryme” and hitting send.

All in all, it’s obvious that Jeongguk really likes YouTuber Tigerwhispers. A little bit embarrassing to admit how at ease he feels listening and watching this boy’s videos, but falling asleep to Taehyung’s voice murmuring in his ear becomes something Jeongguk starts looking forward to, especially so when a notification pops up on his phone saying new video from tigerwhispers.

Those days are always the best.

The first Monday Taehyung doesn’t upload anything, Jeongguk doesn’t think much of it. He knows Taehyung is probably busy, remembering him mentioning his job at a daycare after he had graduated, so he’s not too worried.

It isn’t until the end of Friday comes along and Taehyung still hasn’t posted anything at all that Jeongguk starts feeling uneasy. Three missed days of no videos—Jeongguk doesn’t know what to think. Even as more days pass, it nags at his mind, always bringing a pensive frown to his face.

“Hyung, he hasn’t uploaded anything,” Jeongguk whines across from Hoseok and Yoongi on a Wednesday, sitting at a table in a fast food joint. His chin is buried in his folded arms as he can’t help but aggressively pout, his food mostly eaten but pushed to the side. The two boys are his best friends, Yoongi an upperclassman who had graduated and gotten his own music studio under a production company with producer Kim Namjoon, and Jeongguk met Hoseok through Yoongi, as they’ve been dating for over a year and knew each other for even longer.

“The YouTuber you’re obsessed with?” Hoseok asks around a burger he’s eating, immediately slapping away the hand that Yoongi lifts up to steal one of his fries.

“I’m not obsessed,” Jeongguk snaps, scowling up at him. “I’m just worried. And I miss him. I… I haven’t been sleeping that well ever since I realized he wasn’t uploading.”

“You’re obsessed,” Yoongi repeats resolutely, this time successfully stealing a fry from Hoseok’s basket and plopping it in his mouth. 

Jeongguk frowns, laying his head down on his arms. He wouldn’t say he’s obsessed with Taehyung, but he also wouldn’t lie and say he hasn’t been affected by Taehyung’s sudden absence—so sue him for being so comfortable while listening to the male.

“Can’t you just rewatch one of his videos to sleep?” asks Hoseok, who glares when Yoongi takes another one of his fries. 

Jeongguk lets out a sigh at the question. “I do, but it's just not the same anymore, you know? Now I know he's not going to upload anything else, and that's all I can think about. It just makes me more anxious.” 

Hoseok watches him for a second, tongue prodding at his teeth. Jeongguk returns the look with an almost pleading expression, desperate for some kind of help or comfort; he's just so tired, but even in his exhaustion, it can take hours of staring at the wall to finally go under. 

“How tragic,” Yoongi comments, attempting to take one of Hoseok's fries again before the other snaps.

“Yoongs, you have so many fries left, why are you taking mine.” 

Yoongi shrugs, eyes pointedly still on Hoseok's basket of fries. “They'll last longer if I take yours.”

Hoseok stares at his boyfriend for a good moment before turning back to Jeongguk and his predicament. “Have you checked his social media?”

His—his social media? 

“His social media?”

Yoongi lets out a snort as he brushes at his own blonde hair, fixing his bangs. “So you're obsessed enough to watch every single video Taehyung has ever uploaded but not stalk his social media? Wow.”

“I didn't even think about that,” Jeongguk mutters, honestly embarrassed at how the thought had never crossed his mind—he’d been absorbed solely in the other’s videos. Hoseok gives him a reassuring smile as he pulls out his phone, most likely looking up the YouTuber's social accounts. 

“Here, Guk, I found his Twitter—do not take another one of my fries, Yoongi, I swear—here.” Hoseok hands him his phone, Jeongguk quickly wiping any grease from his fingers on a napkin before taking the device eagerly. 

The boy has a little over 150k followers, layout similar to his YouTube channel except sporting a different profile picture, making Jeongguk smile. His latest tweet was posted a few hours before, but Jeongguk's eyes snag onto the tweet he has pinned. 

“He… He went on hiatus.”

Yoongi reaches for the youngest’s fries bucket. Jeongguk lets him. He plops an entire fry in his mouth, chewing as he says, “Congrats, Guk-ah, now you know he hasn’t been kidnapped.” 

Hoseok slaps the blonde’s arm, only receiving a pained grunt in response. Jeongguk sighs as he hands Hoseok his phone back, relieved that the reason Taehyung wasn’t uploading isn’t anything drastic. But there’s a bit of sadness in his heart as well—no new content from Taehyung for who knows how long? He isn’t bitter about it; he’s glad, proud even, that the YouTuber got a promotion, but what did that mean for Jeongguk and his deteriorating sleep schedule?

“It’ll be alright, Jeongguk,” Hoseok murmurs, reaching across the table to squeeze his hand reassuringly. “Maybe you can find something else that’ll help you sleep. You haven’t been struggling with insomnia forever, you know.”

Jeongguk nods, pursing his lips. He really hopes so.

Yoongi watches him carefully for a moment before opening his mouth. “Say, Guk, do you want to head back to the studio? It might make you feel better. I have the demo we've been working on almost finished.” 

It definitely makes him perk up, mood lifting at the thought of getting to play and sing with Yoongi's guidance. They finish their food and clean up what they can, Yoongi having already paid, and head out, Hoseok saying goodbye to head to his apartment as the other two head to the studio. 

Two weeks go by quickly, Jeongguk absorbed in his classes and strumming his guitar, visiting Yoongi’s studio often to work together in producing music. Yoongi pays him considerably for the instrumentals and vocals he can offer despite Jeongguk telling him not to. On good days, he busks covers on campus or in public squares to earn a little more, wanting to be more independent in earning money before he looks for an actual job; his parents can’t pitch in to pay rent forever. 

He lets the thought of Taehyung drift from his mind during the day, but it always comes back to him at night. Nights where he’s lying in bed for hours, replaying video after video of Taehyung. He does end up knocking out from exhaustion in the early morning, squeezing in a couple hours, but that cycle continues. He can’t seem to fall asleep anytime near when he first lays his head down on his pillow.

Sometimes, he scrolls through the YouTuber’s Twitter and Instagram (yes, he followed both the moment he got home from the studio that day), letting himself smile at the cute pictures the boy posts, like himself with various kids in the same frame. In his exhausted state, seeing Taehyung’s face is refreshing, especially the little clips he posts of himself.

But nothing is ever enough, and getting a maximum of four hours of sleep or less becomes Jeongguk’s unfortunate new normal. 

Rest in peace.

🎧

Jeongguk heads to the public library on a Tuesday, dropping off a book he needed to use for one of his classes. It hadn’t been available in the campus library, so the public one was his second best option.

He walks through the doors with his book in hand a quarter past 5pm, well before the library closes. The librarian is a sweet older lady, smiling at Jeongguk and taking the book from him to check it in herself. He gives her a nod in thanks and turns around to head back out when a voice reaches his ears, making him pause.

When he strains his ears and hears it again, his heart stutters, gets caught in his throat. And his body is moving on its own, feet turning and following the voice that sounds so familiar to his ears.

It couldn’t be, right?

But he still finds himself in the children’s section, weaving past shelves until he reaches a little clearing with sofas and chairs.

And his eyes fall on a familiar face he had missed so much, hair a beautiful ocean blue, seated on one of the sofas with a picture book held open in front of him, aimed toward the tiny crowd of kids sitting on the floor.

Jeongguk freezes, his breath rushing out of his chest, blood thundering in his veins. 

It’s Taehyung. 

Taehyung, with his lips pulled into a gentle smile, talking softly, slowly, carefully for the kids to understand and make them hang on every word. He’s wearing a long-sleeved baby blue shirt that’s pleated, falling in waves, looking almost elegant even when he’s sporting ripped black jeans with it. Jeongguk stands there watching the sight with his mouth open, dry, unbelieving of the voice he hears, the voice he’d listened to for weeks through his earphones. 

The loud drumming of his own heartbeat is all Jeongguk can hear as he stares at the other, a myriad of emotions rushing through him as his stomach flips in shock, awe, disbelief. He blinks rapidly, wondering if Taehyung would suddenly disappear from his sight if he blinked hard enough—if he had been missing him so much that he’s now hallucinating. 

But the boy is still there, in all his beautiful glory. Jeongguk has half the mind to run up to Taehyung, grab him, make sure that the boy sitting there is actually real. But his legs are keeping him rooted to the ground, refusing to move, and he shuts his eyes tightly before opening them again, trying to calm down his thoughts until he can make a rational decision. 

It’s at that moment Taehyung notices him standing there, Jeongguk’s heart skipping a beat all over again as Taehyung’s brown eyes flicker towards him. Jeongguk feels redness start to creep up his neck, his cheeks coloring pink as Taehyung looks up at him once more, this time more hesitantly, an edge of curiosity in his voice as he continues reading. Not wanting Taehyung to misunderstand, he takes a deep breath before deciding on what to do. 

He walks over to where the children are sitting on the ground and joins them, sitting cross-legged and leaning his back against a couch stationed across from the one Taehyung is sitting on. He captures the attention of some of the kids; the little girl right next to him is staring up at his face with wide eyes, cheeks a bit chubby as she parts her lips in what looks like awe. Jeongguk gives her a smile, how cute , before he turns his attention back to Taehyung, others who were gazing at him prompted to do the same.

And he tries his best to ignore the moments when Taehyung glances up from the book to him every once in a while, surprise morphing into a smile. With Jeongguk still not fully believing that Taehyung, the Kim Taehyung, Tigerwhispers himself, is mere meters away from him.

The story is about the ugly duckling, and the kids give excited coos at how cute the ducks in the pictures are, piping up innocent questions that make Taehyung’s smile wider, laughter in his voice as he does his best to answer them. The sight is so endearing; Jeongguk’s heart genuinely feels like it’s melting, the previously rapid thrum relaxing as he sees how comfortable Taehyung seems to be and how easily he interacts with the children. 

After a few minutes of watching with a smile on his face, Taehyung’s low voice calming down the last of his nerves, he feels a tug at the sleeve of his hoodie. Jeongguk glances to the side, finding the same little girl looking up at him again. When he raises an eyebrow in question, he presses his lips together to hide a grin as she flounders for a second, her small hands reaching up to pat self-consciously at her hair. She takes a deep inhale before looking back at him with new-found confidence. 

“Can I sit on your lap?” she loudly whispers, pointing at the space formed between Jeongguk’s criss-crossed legs, and he can’t help the startled laugh he breathes out. She’s trying to put on a brave front, he can tell, but her eyes look as if they’re about to gloss over any second if he says no. 

He doesn’t though, instead smiling widely as he reaches behind her, carefully lifting her up by the waist and bringing her into his lap. When she’s settled, she angles her head to look up at him, sending a toothy grin his way that leaves Jeongguk feeling so fond for a child he just met.

“What’s your name?” he whispers when she turns back around to listen to Taehyung.

“Jieun!” she whispers back, again a little too loudly for a whisper.

He hums, looking up to Taehyung as well, breath stopping and starting again when he finds Taehyung’s eyes on him for a split second before looking back to the book again. 

He takes a shuddering breath, squeezing Jieun's shoulder gently. “I’m Jeongguk.”

“Jeonggukkie?”

“Jeonggukkie.” 

And after that, Jeongguk really should’ve seen it coming; he should’ve realized that he’d fall asleep. Taehyung’s voice slowly turning into a soothing lull as his exhaustion catches up to him, small Jieun warm in his arms as she leans against his chest, letting him hold her close and rest his chin on her head—of course he’d fall asleep.

But he doesn’t realize he’s drifted off until a quiet shushing sound reaches his ears, making him open his eyes blearily. 

Only to see a few kids crowded around him, watching him curiously.

“Shhh,” Jieun hushes from his lap again. “Shhh, mama, he’s sleeping!”

Jeongguk glances up, confused, to see a woman with a smile on her face as she stands next to—oh god, she’s standing next to Taehyung, who also has a grin on his face, raising an eyebrow when Jeongguk meets his gaze.

Jeongguk blinks rapidly, realizing that he really fell asleep to Taehyung’s voice while said man was literally right in front of him. Fuck. 

“Sorry,” he says hurriedly, embarrassment making his cheeks redden as he lets go of the little girl, placing his hands on her shoulders. “Sorry I fell asleep on you, Jieunie.”

She turns around in surprise, a smile overtaking her face when she sees that Jeongguk is, in fact, very much awake.

“It’s okay, Gukkie!” she exclaims happily, and Jeongguk’s embarrassment lessens at her chirpy little voice, giving her a smile as she stands up from his lap. She takes her mother’s hand, telling her that “Gukkie is really nice, mama,” and the woman laughs and thanks him for putting up with her antics. Honestly, he’s surprised that he isn’t being threatened to never go near her child ever again, but he’ll take the handshake she offers over getting yelled at any day.

As he watches the girl and her mother leave, the other kids getting picked up by their parents or running off to find something else to entertain themselves with, he momentarily forgets Taehyung is still there until the other’s legs block his view. And, to Jeongguk’s complete surprise, Taehyung sits down beside him, causing a waft of air to drift towards him and bringing a distinct citrus scent with it. He recognizes it as grapefruit, and it takes him a second to realize that this is what Taehyung smells like—Jeongguk had always expected the other to smell sweet like the cupcakes he frequently ate during his ASMR mukbangs, so the citrus is an unexpected—but pleasant, so pleasant—surprise.

Suddenly, Jeongguk’s mind is buzzing with all of the different questions he had never had the chance to answer before.

He’s doing everything he can to remain outwardly calm and collected as he meets Taehyung’s gaze, those brown eyes he still can’t believe he’s seeing in front of him and not through a screen. They look so much warmer in person, the dark brown to them enhanced from the vibrant color of his hair, and—and even through the butterflies he gets while gazing at his beautiful features, Taehyung having his attention on him and not at a camera feels unreal. 

“Thanks for dropping by,” Taehyung says softly, the gratefulness evident in his voice snapping Jeongguk out of his thoughts. “The kids loved having you here, even if you fell asleep.”

Jeongguk chuckles awkwardly at that, rubbing at his neck as he fixes his legs to straighten them, wincing when his muscles protest after not moving for half an hour. “I really didn’t mean to fall asleep, sorry. I… I haven’t been getting much sleep lately.”

Jeongguk wants to aggressively facepalm at himself, hoping he isn’t making a total fool of himself in front of Taehyung, but the other frowns in understanding, a pout on his lips as he replies. “Ah, I see. I’m sorry to hear that—I hope you get more rest tonight.”

Jeongguk’s smile is sad as he glances down at his hands, nervous energy making him pick at a loose thread on his jeans. If only you knew.

Taehyung studies his face for a second, as if he knows there was more to it, but he gives him a gentle grin anyway.

"By the way, I'm Kim Taehyung." He holds out a hand, one of the two Jeongguk has already seen multiple times holding chopsticks and an assortment of food. He takes it gently and Taehyung squeezes his hand as he shakes it, the warmth of his touch comforting. His hands are slim, softer than Jeongguk's own calloused ones from playing his guitar without a pick, and almost delicate against his own. Jeongguk feels the need to hold it carefully—these are famous hands after all.

"Jeon Jeongguk." His voice is a quiet exhale, the feeling of Taehyung’s hand in his a little overwhelming.

"Jeongguk," Taehyung repeats softly as he pulls his hand away. Jeongguk ignores the way his heart swoops at the sound of that honey-coated voice saying his name. Ignores the lingering warmth that makes his fingers tingle, the feeling creeping all the way up his forearm. Ignores the need to grab Taehyung’s hand again, wishing he could hold onto it and its warmth forever. Ignore ignore ignore.

"Well, I hope the kids and I will see you again?" 

Jeongguk gazes at him for a second. There's something soothing about sitting beside him; Taehyung emits a calming aura, one that he wouldn't mind being around more often. And if he gets to see him and listen to his voice again, then… 

The answer comes a little too easily from him. "Sure, when are the readings?" 

Taehyung perks up brightly at that, an almost shy tint of pink evident on his cheeks. The sight makes him exhale a long breath, a nervous flutter forming in his stomach. 

"Tuesdays and Fridays, 5pm." 

The younger moves to get up, Taehyung quickly following, smoothing out his shirt once they've straightened. Jeongguk watches, a little bit too endeared; he really is just as cute in person as he is in his videos. That boxy smile reappears when Taehyung looks back up to find Jeongguk already gazing at him. 

"I'll try to be here, then." 

He already can't wait to see Taehyung again.

🎧

True to his word, Jeongguk returns to the readings. And somehow falls asleep at one point every fucking time, but really, no one could blame him. Taehyung’s voice is his own lullaby, honeyed words curling in Jeongguk's ears and staying put, never leaving his mind, so soothing it mixes with the fuzziness of his exhaustion and leaves him feeling relaxed and languid. And with those readings, he finds it just a bit easier to fall asleep at night, recalling how clear his voice sounds a few meters away from him, recalling the way certain words sound from his lips.

He doesn’t get to nap to Taehyung’s voice for very long though, as the kids adore his presence. It’s another reason to keep returning to the library: how the kids warm up to him, crowding around him on the floor to ask him questions, ultimately having their (and his) attention away from Taehyung. Jieun seems to absolutely love him, always hugging him and asking to sit in his lap, and who would he be if he didn’t give her everything she wanted. Some of the other kids get jealous the third time she gets to claim his lap, and the next thing Jeongguk knows, he’s being buried under a bunch of children pouncing on him. All of them giggle along when he laughs heartily, trying to get his arms around everyone he can. 

He misses the way Taehyung watches them all fondly, chin cradled in his hand as he sits on his sofa.

He falls asleep lying on the floor that day, Taehyung reading while the kids pay attention, crowded around and on top of Jeongguk.

On his fourth visit, the library warm against the chilly March air outside, Jeongguk falls dead asleep on the opposite couch a good five minutes into the reading, barely registering Taehyung whispering to the kids to “let Gukkie sleep today, okay? ” before knocking out, head lolling back against the sofa.

His senses awaken sometime later, dulled nerves conscious of something threading through his hair. It takes him a second to rouse from his sleepy state, but once he does, he’s acutely aware of the fact that those are fingers caressing his scalp, gentle, the feeling so satisfying to hone his attention onto. He can’t help but lean more into the touch, making the fingers pause in their movement for a second before continuing. 

Jeongguk opens his eyes blearily, squinting against the lights of the library. Glancing around, it seems that the kids have already left, the library much quieter with barely any people lingering. Fingers trail their nails lightly against his scalp, making him let out a sigh before angling his head to glance at whoever the touch belongs to.

He finds Taehyung, a tender expression on his face as he meets his gaze, the small smile resting on his lips a little shy. Jeongguk’s heart flutters in his chest at the sight, but the blue-haired boy continues carding his fingers through his black locks, causing him to close his eyes again with a content exhale.

“You always fall asleep during these,” Taehyung points out, voice a soft murmur, pleasant to Jeongguk’s sleepy state. “Is it really that boring? You don’t have to keep coming to these, you know.”

“No, no,” Jeongguk replies groggily, rubbing at his eyes. Taehyung pulls his hand away; Jeongguk misses the contact immediately. “It’s not boring at all, I’ve just always fallen asleep to your voice.”

In his drowsiness, he doesn’t realize he let those words slip, doesn’t realize what it could imply until Taehyung’s voice comes out wary, cautious.

“What do you mean, ‘always’? Jeongguk, are—are you... stalking me?”

The words make Jeongguk freeze, putting his hands down to look at Taehyung confusedly. And when his eyes fall on Taehyung’s furrowed eyebrows, the frown on his face and his narrowed eyes, Jeongguk is suddenly wide awake, blood turning cold as his pulse starts to race.

His words come out panicked as he quickly sits up, turning his body on the couch to face Taehyung more. “No no, no, of course not! I, well, uh—”

“You what?”

Jeongguk swallows, wishing he could hightail out of the library at that very moment. Damn his stupid mouth for letting that slip. He presses his lips together before he meets Taehyung’s gaze again, deciding he’d be better off telling him the truth.

“Actually, I… I watch your ASMR videos. I’m a really big fan.”

The words leave Taehyung surprised, Jeongguk watching his eyes widen comically before a flush starts to color his cheeks. “Oh,” he lets out quietly, “wow, that’s. Kind of embarrassing.”

The reaction isn’t what Jeongguk had expected, and he can’t help the laugh he lets out at how cute the other looks now that he’s more subdued, his eyes looking much softer. He never wants to see the other narrowing his eyes hostilely at him ever again, and the relief that Taehyung isn’t mad is gratifying.

“It’s fine,” Jeongguk grins, watching the other boy ease a bit at that. He’s a little too tempted to take his hand but suppresses the want, afraid he might make Taehyung uncomfortable. 

“I really enjoyed your videos. Kind of embarrassing to admit, too, but—” he lifts up a hand to rub at the back of his neck sheepishly, skin hot even to his own fingers, “your voice helped me sleep, you know? It’s just really calming to listen to.”

And he swears Taehyung’s cheeks get just a bit rosier, lips parted in awe. “Really?” he asks, sounding a bit out of breath. Jeongguk nods quickly in response, heart beating unsteadily at the state Taehyung is in—really, he's surprised that the other isn't creeped out. “I, wow… A lot of fans have told me my voice could put them to sleep, but I never really believed it? I thought they were just being nice and complimenting me.”

“It’s true. A hundred percent true.” 

His words make a smile appear on Taehyung’s face, one that Jeongguk has never been so happy to see. Taehyung glances down at the space between them on the couch, blue hair swaying a bit with the movement, the apples of his cheeks rosy and full, making way for the wide smile he’s failing to conceal. 

“So that’s why you’re always falling asleep here,” the ocean-haired boy laughs, eyes shining with mirth when he meets Jeongguk’s gaze again. Jeongguk returns the smile with one of his own, a little shy, but that’s okay. He finds that it doesn’t matter, as long as Taehyung keeps smiling that gorgeous smile of his. “I remember you saying that you haven’t been getting much sleep these days?”

“Yeah,” Jeongguk sighs, wondering if he should spill everything or not to Taehyung, who's a practical stranger. But, when he thinks about it, he doesn’t really mind—he realizes he trusts the older, what with the kind eyes Taehyung watches him with. How genuine his personality is, corresponding with the numerous videos he’s seen. Jeongguk is a go-with-your-gut kind of guy, if he did say so himself, and Taehyung? He feels as if he could confide in the other, regardless of what it could be about. He had felt that while he watched his videos; feels that even now. 

So he licks his lips, words coming out softly. “I haven’t really been sleeping well ever since you stopped uploading.”

“What?” The smile falls from his lips, replaced with a look akin to guilt. Damn it. “Oh, Jeongguk…”

“I don’t know,” the younger mumbles. He fiddles with his black hair, at the bangs that fall over his forehead. “It just felt different knowing you weren't going to post anymore. Ended up just making me more alert instead.” 

“I'm sorry…” Jeongguk looks at him in surprise, his heart clenching at the sadness coating the apology. “It’s just that I got a promotion at the daycare I work at; it's every weekday except Wednesdays now, the work hours longer too on some days, so I haven't had time to make videos.” 

Jeongguk shakes his head immediately, this time succumbing to his need to take Taehyung's hand resting on the sofa between them. He takes his fingers gently, squeezing. Taehyung glances down in surprise, grazing his thumb along Jeongguk’s skin before looking back at him. “No, Tae, don't apologize; you don’t need to explain.” 

If he caught the nickname that fell too easily from his lips, Taehyung doesn’t acknowledge it. “I feel bad now, though.”

“No, please don't.”

Taehyung plays at his lip with his teeth, eyes flitting to search Jeongguk’s face, but eventually he releases it with a sigh, shifting their fingers but keeping them clasped. His hand is so warm in Jeongguk’s, fitting together like two pieces of a puzzle. 

“At least you’re getting rest here,” he mumbles earnestly. It warms Jeongguk’s heart, how the other cares so much for his health despite barely knowing him. The fact he's even giving the younger his time of day feels like a blessing alone. 

“Did you know I was volunteering here? Is that how you found me?” Taehyung asks, his thumb gentle on Jeongguk's skin.

“It was actually by complete chance,” Jeongguk answers with a smile. “I was dropping off a book here and just so happened to hear your voice… I thought I was imagining it, but then I followed it and—and there you were. Reading to kids.”

In the back of his mind, he knows his gaze has turned fond, perhaps too fond, but he can’t help how his voice turns tones softer. 

“You could imagine how shocked I was to see you. I thought I was dreaming.”

"But you weren't. You're not.” The squeeze he gives to his fingers feels like a confirmation. 

“Yeah... I guess I'm not.”

The smile they share is heart fluttering; Jeongguk feels warm all over with Taehyung’s attentive, tender eyes on him. If this is a dream, he never wants to wake up.

Taehyung opens his mouth to say something, but his attention shifts to somewhere behind Jeongguk instead. Jeongguk turns his head to find the librarian standing a little away from the sofa they’re on, looking at them curiously. When she catches Taehyung’s gaze, she speaks up.

“Taehyung, sweetie, just wanted to remind you that the library will close in ten minutes.”

“Oh,” he breathes, nodding before letting go of Jeongguk’s fingers, not before he caresses his hand one more time with his thumb. Jeongguk follows Taehyung getting up, watching him closely when he hesitates, meets his gaze, before digging into his pocket. He takes out a wallet made of navy leather, fishing out a card before handing it to the younger with a soft “here.” When Jeongguk takes it, he sees Taehyung’s smiling face in the corner along with his contact information and work hours, the business card most likely for parents he meets at his work.

“You can text or call me anytime you need to. Actually—you should text me.” Taehyung blinks for a second, as if realizing something, before blurting, “Give me your number?”

And Jeongguk can’t help but raise an eyebrow, lips upturning at the sudden boldness in the blue-haired boy’s words. “You want it?” 

He could melt, despite his heart beating just a bit faster at the prospect of talking more with Taehyung, even after these readings.

“I do.” It’s said with a resolute nod and shining eyes.

They exchange numbers easily, and perhaps Jeongguk is practically bursting with excitement as he types his number into a new contact on Taehyung’s phone. Their goodbyes are soft, Jeongguk leaving first as Taehyung decides to do some last-minute helping out with the library’s closing.

And quite literally seconds after stepping out of the building’s doors, the close-to-setting sun starting to paint the sky in orange and purple, his phone buzzes in his pocket. He pulls it back out, a smile instantly lighting up his face when he sees a text from the boy he had just parted from—sees the name Taehyung put as his contact.

tae 💜🐯🎧

hi hehe

get home safely <3

Jeongguk smiles the entire bus ride home.

🎧

Throughout the weekend after, Jeongguk and Taehyung text. A lot . Taehyung always finds the cutest things to talk about, conversations neverending. Jeongguk finds himself propped up against his headboard for hours, texting Taehyung with a smile on his face, grin widening when Taehyung spams exclamation marks and emojis every once in a while.

It’s a little exhilarating, having the privilege to get to know the YouTuber he’s grown to like so much. But at the same time, Jeongguk becomes more comfortable with texting the other, finding how nice it is to talk to someone other than his immediate friends. His responses become more and more natural, less self-conscious and shy as he was before, no longer afraid to speak his mind to the other. Taehyung is so friendly and sweet; it makes Jeongguk forget that the boy is a well-known YouTuber—makes him forget that before, he used to only be a part of the audience.

He finds that he likes the idea of being a part of Taehyung’s life.

Jeongguk learns things about Taehyung that he hadn’t known before, like the fact that Taehyung prefers taking baths with a ton of bubbles, which is really fucking adorable. He likes fruity scents, reminding Jeongguk of the smell of grapefruit coming from the other. Taehyung has two best friends, Jimin and Seokjin, both of them coworkers at the daycare he works at. He gets real-time updates of what his dog, Yeontan, is doing (and gets bombarded with a bunch of pictures of the canine too, though he really isn’t complaining).

And Taehyung learns all about Jeongguk as well, constantly prompting him to spill more and more about himself. Taehyung finds out that the younger is still a college student, goes to the same university he had gone to, strives for a degree in music production, plays the guitar. He’s so curious, question after question appearing on the left side of Jeongguk’s screen, and Jeongguk answers every single one to the best of his ability.

Taehyung learns other things, too.

— jeongguk

gtg, about to head to the gym

tae 💜🐯🎧

u exercise???

— jeongguk

yeah, i try to keep in shape

tae 💜🐯🎧

send me a pic?

Jeongguk is surprised at the question, but he grins at the opportunity to flaunt his muscles, which, if he does say so himself, he’s pretty proud of maintaining. So he goes over the floor length mirror he has hanging on the back of his bedroom’s door, aiming his phone camera to his reflection, revealing the white tank and shorts he’s wearing. Cheekily, he lifts up the tank to give a peek of his abs, toned and defined enough for Jeongguk to be pleased. He snaps a picture and sends it to Taehyung, not bothering to write a caption.

Immediately, Taehyung responds.

tae 💜🐯🎧

omg

The smug grin never leaves Jeongguk’s face as he waits patiently, smirk widening as he watches the typing bubble appear and reappear over and over again. After a moment, the other finally responds.

tae 💜🐯🎧

good luck working out ! drink

lots of water <333

The reply makes Jeongguk snort, especially at how long it took for the boy to send it, but he humors him with a “will do 💪” before locking his phone and heading out.

(The moment the picture appears on Taehyung’s side, he, frankly, freaks the fuck out, fingers typing out a quick “omg” to gukkie 💘 before tapping at the picture and zooming in to peer at those blessed abdominals. And practically throws his phone in front of him on the bed, pressing his striped sweater-paws over his mouth, trying to subdue the raging blush that’s grown over his cheeks. He had known Jeongguk was fit, could see the way his muscles rose under the hoodies he’d worn during the readings, but that fit? Eyeing the bulge of Jeongguk’s bicep as he holds his phone in front of him, the veins lining his arms as he lifts the tank top— 

Taehyung thinks his face is going to explode.

Realizing he hasn’t said anything, he frantically grabs his phone again. Except, his emotions are in such a mess—the only thing his fingers are able to do is keysmash. He stares at the jumble of letters for a second before deleting it. And then keysmashes all over again.

He keeps doing that a few times before taking a deep breath, looking up to the glow-in-the-dark stars on his ceiling for help. They don’t give any wonderful pieces of advice though, so Taehyung licks his lips, typing out the most casual response he can think of and the complete opposite of “i kind of want you to fuck my brains out.”)

🎧

The next time they see each other is the coming Tuesday; Jeongguk can’t help the excitement that makes him feel light and airy, his fingers tingling at the thought of seeing Taehyung again, especially after getting to know each other more through text. He’s eager to see him in person—maybe a little too eager, but the past few days of talking constantly with the other were blissful. Just thinking about seeing Taehyung’s beautiful face and his precious box smile again makes him want to bust into cartwheels.

When he arrives at the library a quarter past 5pm, nodding to the librarian who gives him a smile and a little wave, he heads straight to the children’s section. He can hear the kids’ chatter as he nears, and once he does, his heart somersaults in his chest when he spots Taehyung sitting in his usual spot on one of the sofas. He’s wearing a thick navy blue cardigan today, over a red silk shirt with white pinstripes, tucked into dark jeans. The ocean-haired boy is leaning over, letting a little black-haired girl he recognizes as Chanhee put a hair clip in his blue hair. He’s holding a red beret in his lap, one he must’ve taken off for her. When she’s done clipping a part of Taehyung’s bangs to the side, he gives her a bright grin, tucking some of the hair behind his ear before he straightens, looking up and blinking when he spots Jeongguk watching him.

Taehyung’s grin just seems to grow wider, his eyes turning into crescents as he holds out a hand, gesturing him to come over. Jeongguk’s heart thrums in content, smiling as he nears. When the kids realize Taehyung is reaching out to someone, they all release shouts of excitement, greetings and squeals filling the air as he comes over, saying hello to all of them before easily clasping Taehyung’s outstretched hand with his own.

“Hey,” Jeongguk says softly to the other, Taehyung’s eyes sparkling as he looks up at him.

“Hey,” he responds, just a murmur, before patting the space next to him on the sofa. “Sit here today?”

Jeongguk raises an eyebrow at the offer, glancing at the kids who are watching them curiously. His eyes land on the circular cushions adorning the couches before a thought strikes him.

“I have a better idea.” Jeongguk squeezes Taehyung’s fingers before dropping them to grasp the cushion. All of them eye him as he drops the cushion to the ground in front of the sofa, before leaning over Taehyung’s form to grab the other cushion propped beside him. Their eyes meet for a moment in the close proximity; Jeongguk swears he sees Taehyung’s eyelids go hooded for a split second. The younger straightens quickly, taking a deep breath before throwing the cushion so that it falls right next to the one he already set down.

He then sits down on one of the cushions, the kids gasping in delight when Jeongguk grabs Taehyung’s hand and pulls him down as well, prompting the older to sit next to him. 

The kids crowd around them immediately, chubby-cheeked Doohwan throwing himself into Taehyung’s arms, all of them ecstatic to have 'TaeTae' so close to them. 

“Just like Gukkie always is!” Jieun squeals, and Jeongguk doesn’t realize another little girl named Aeyoung had crawled behind him until he feels her jump onto his back with a cheer, making him yelp and fall forward before regaining his balance, all the kids falling into laughter at his struggle. He grins as he rests secure hands on the small arms that wrap around his neck.

Hearing the kids’ excited giggles is just as rewarding as the way Taehyung beams at him.

Not long after settling down, Taehyung begins reading a picture book, talking animatedly to keep the kids’ attention rapt on the fairytale he’s reciting. Aeyoung lets go of him, moving to sit with the other kids to see the pictures. So Jeongguk watches, elbow propped on his knee, cradling his chin in his hand. He watches Taehyung read aloud, watches the way his lips move to let that low voice fill his ears.

And of course, his eyes end up shutting closed as he focuses on the sound of Taehyung’s voice. His words turn to liquid honey, quelling, becomes an incomprehensible haze as he succumbs to sleep.

At some point, he feels a hand press against the side of his head, and registers Taehyung pulling him so that his head falls onto his cardigan-clad shoulder, his fingers briefly combing through Jeongguk’s hair before he continues reading. And Jeongguk lets it all happen in his drowsiness, shifting a bit to get comfortable. He feels snug with his head in the crook of the other’s neck, letting himself bask in Taehyung’s presence just this once, in case he doesn’t get the chance to do it again.

When he wakes up again, it’s to the feeling of Taehyung’s fingers carding through his hair. It’s something he could definitely get used to, he sleepily thinks. But then he feels a warm puff of breath against his nose, prompting him to slowly blink his eyes open. 

Only to feel his heart halt to a stop when his eyes meet Taehyung’s sparkling brown ones, so close, so close, barely a centimeter of space between their noses. Those pillowy lips terribly close to his, pulled into a gentle smile, turning amused a little too quickly at the sight of Jeongguk’s eyes slightly widening. 

Jeongguk shoots up, ignoring his protesting neck muscles as he straightens where he sits on his cushion, ignoring how it forces Taehyung’s fingers out of his hair. Ignoring the rapid beating of his heart behind his ribcage.

Forced to not ignore the giggle Taehyung lets out at the sudden reaction, a sweet, innocent sound despite the mischievous sparkle Jeongguk swears he notices in his eyes. He looks even more adorable with the beret on his head, the hair clip that had been put into his hair gone, given back to Chanhee.

“Hey, sleepy-head,” Taehyung greets, box smile on display as he moves to get up. Jeongguk is left speechless, gaping at the other. He glances around and notices that the area is empty of kids; all of them must have gone home already. 

All he can think about as he gets up is that Taehyung was so fucking close to his face; it reminds him of the first video he saw of him, how the video had started with Taehyung’s face pressed into the camera, forcing the viewers to look right at the bridge of his nose, right into those beautiful eyes. He wonders if pushing his face into other people’s is a habit of Taehyung’s—if it is, Jeongguk doesn’t think he’ll survive the next time he does it again.

He follows Taehyung’s lead in picking up the cushions and placing them back on the couch where they belong. Jeongguk is doing his absolute best not to look at Taehyung because if he does, he knows he’ll just end up staring at him. He’d stand there like a fool, gone dumb from the close proximity that’s still haunting him.

“Guk,” Taehyung calls from right next to him, and Jeongguk instinctively turns his head to look at him.

Instantly regrets it when his eyes snag on Taehyung’s face and stay there, studying his features, swallowing when he finds his gaze is already on him. So much for doing his absolute best. Fucking hell, he doesn’t think he’ll ever truly be over the fact that Taehyung is here in the flesh—not when he looks so beautiful, a beauty he had once thought he would only see through videos. Not when his face was so close to his own. 

Not when he had opened his eyes and Taehyung was the first thing he had seen.

As his heart races, he realizes that maybe, just maybe, he likes Taehyung a little more than he thought he did.

“Guk,” Taehyung says again, the nickname dream-like coming from his mouth. Jeongguk registers himself humming, eyes falling on those smiling lips.

“I’m hungry. Let’s go get something to eat?” 

The words make him snap out of it, eyes jerking to meet Taehyung’s again. 

“Huh,” Jeongguk lets out involuntarily before he processes the question. Processes what it means. 

Oh, god. Stay calm, Jeongguk.

“With me?”

And then the only thoughts that fill his mind are strings and strings of colorful curses when Taehyung pouts , bottom lip jutting out cutely, preciously, adorably, eyes turning wide and puppy-like and borderline sad as he goes, “You’re not hungry?”

Jeongguk didn’t realize he was going to die before he graduated with a degree.

“No, no, I’m hungry, I—I’ve never been so hungry in my life, I’m starving.” 

He doesn’t think he’s ever been more relieved when Taehyung seems satisfied with the response, an almost smug edge to his expression as if knows the state he’s put the younger in. Jeongguk knows for a fact that his ears must be burning red; he can practically feel them as they leave the library, much too aware of Taehyung linking their arms together.

The older talks of taking him to a cafe nearby, his voice bubbly, excited, and the walk there helps Jeongguk calm his thoughts and his racing heart. He lets his mind roam for a good moment, lets himself replace the nerves churning his stomach with the realization that Taehyung wants to hang out with him, whether it could be considered a date or not. That alone makes him feel light, happiness tugging his lips into a smile, one that Taehyung notices.

“I think you’ll like it,” Taehyung chirps, lifting his other hand to squeeze at his arm. 

“I probably will,” Jeongguk agrees, and the smile they share is reassuring.

The tinkling of a wind chime sounds when Taehyung pushes open the door of the cafe. It’s a small but charming building, the inside brightly lit by the windows along the front, all whites and browns and cream-colored walls, pastel pinks here and there adding color to the place. Booths are lined against the windows, as well as tables and chairs set up more deeper into the cafe. A short line is in front of the register and the display of various sweets and pastries, the thrum of low conversations coming from the few people seated soothing to the ear. 

Taehyung leads Jeongguk to join the line, their arms still linked as Taehyung bounces on the balls of his feet. 

“You know, we’re kind of matching today,” Taehyung points out, referring to Jeongguk’s red hoodie and black ripped jeans. The colors really are similar to Taehyung’s outfit today.

And no, the thought of “they kind of look like a couple” most certainly does not cross his mind. 

Jeongguk hums, squeezing Taehyung’s arm with his own. “What are we getting? Order for me?”

Taehyung raises an eyebrow. “You want me to?”

“I trust you,” he shrugs easily as if the confession isn’t a big deal. But Taehyung seems delighted, perking up even more than he already is, smile like the blinding sun amidst the sky blue of his hair.

“Cupcakes. We’re getting cupcakes.”

“Like your cupcake ASMRs?” 

Taehyung blinks in surprise at the question, lips parting before his grin returns with full force, the box of it prompting Jeongguk to grin back as well. 

“Yes, exactly.”

When the line moves, Jeongguk lets Taehyung drag him along until they reach the counter. The girl behind the register smiles, asking what they would like to order.

Taehyung doesn’t miss a beat. “Six chocolate cupcakes with marshmallow frosting, please.” 

Jeongguk’s eyes turn to saucers, staring at Taehyung incredulously. “Six?”

The older nods twice, bumping their shoulders together. “Three for you, three for me.” The words are resolute but so eager, excited to have sugar in his system. 

As the lady leaves to get their order ready, Jeongguk can feel himself growing fond again as he watches Taehyung bounce on his feet while they wait.

“How many cupcakes can you eat in one sitting?”

“If I remember correctly,” Taehyung purses his lips, taking a moment to think, “my highest is five, for one of the ASMRs, actually.”

“F-Five?”

“Five.”

The girl returns holding a medium-sized box in hand, still opened so that the two can see its contents. Taehyung nods, telling her they’re perfect. 

It’s then that Jeongguk realizes the older is eager to pay, and his pride rams into his rationale; he will not condone Taehyung paying, not today. So, without an ounce of shame, he looks over his shoulder as he digs into his pocket for his wallet before shouting quietly, “Tae, quick, a dog!” 

“What, where!”

He bites down the laugh that almost bubbles out of his throat at how easily Taehyung falls for it, letting go of Jeongguk to whirl around and peer out the windows, stretching his neck high as if it would help him find the dog that had caught the younger’s attention.

It’s the perfect distraction for Jeongguk to hand the woman his credit card, feeling extremely pleased as she slots it into the machine. 

When Taehyung turns back, sadly going, “I don’t see it, Gukkie,” Jeongguk pretends to frown.

“Ah, really? It must’ve walked out of sight.”

“Shoot,” the blue-haired boy pouts. Jeongguk really wants to pinch his cheeks. 

It’s then that the other notices the card the girl is holding as she types into the register. He stares at it, most likely wondering what’s so strange about it. Jeongguk can’t help but watch him in amusement, especially when Taehyung gasps, this time whirling on Jeongguk and slapping his arm. 

“You did not just pay for the cupcakes!” 

Jeongguk gives him a triumphant grin as he takes the little pen the girl hands him, signing along the line on the monitor. “Perhaps I did.”

“Jeongguk! This lunch date was my idea! I should’ve paid for them!” 

“So this is a date, then?” 

And it leaves Taehyung sputtering, face flushing a bright red, god he’s so outrageously cute, but he doesn’t respond as the lady hands both the credit card and the cupcake box to Jeongguk. Taehyung snags the box from him, huffing as he stomps away to find them a booth, and Jeongguk can’t stop grinning as he pockets the card in his wallet before following him.

Taehyung waits for him next to an empty booth, pout still on his lips and brows furrowed as he holds the box of cupcakes to his chest. Jeongguk sends a playful grin his way, knowing the boy isn’t actually angry—he hopes. Taehyung lets him slide into the booth first before sitting down next to him, cheeks puffed out along with the pout as he sets the cupcake box on the table, opening it.

“Hey, don’t be mad, Tae,” Jeongguk says softly, watching Taehyung’s lips twitch in response. “I’ll let you pay next time, yeah?” 

“Will you really?” Taehyung scoffs, pulling out some napkins from the holder on the middle of the table. 

“I’ll consider it.”

Taehyung lets out another huff, but not before cracking a smile. Jeongguk loves it, loves how happy and carefree the ocean-haired boy looks whenever that smile graces his face; it’s refreshing in the sweetest way, sweeter than how the cupcake Taehyung hands him would taste. And being the one to make that smile appear… that brings about a whole different feeling altogether, pride filling his chest as he watches the other.

Jeongguk holds the cupcake gingerly in his hands, waiting for Taehyung to take the first bite and give a ruling on how it tastes. And the moment he does, teeth sinking into the soft cake, Jeongguk can’t help but say, “Hi guys, your tigerwhisperer Taehyung, here.”

It makes Taehyung almost choke, letting out a laugh after he manages to swallow. 

“Gukkie, shut up!” he shouts between giggles, smacking the other’s arm. Jeongguk’s shoulders shake with silent laughter as he bites into his own, humming when the taste of chocolate cake and marshmallows rests on his tongue.

“Good?” Taehyung asks, sounding hopeful as he turns his head to watch him. Jeongguk nods enthusiastically, taking another bite. 

They eat like that, the silence that fills the space between them for a moment oddly comforting. He finds it amazing how easy it is to interact with Taehyung and be around him; Jeongguk himself isn’t usually so comfortable around others after only a few face-to-face interactions, but Taehyung? He’s an exception that Jeongguk is truly glad to have. 

He decides to break the silence a moment later.

“Munch louder, I can’t hear you.”

Taehyung outright snorts at the comment, pressing a fist to his lips as he tries to get the bite down. “How do you munch a cupcake louder?”

Jeongguk shrugs, attempting to talk around the mouthful he just took, voice muffled. “I hea'd it in yo'r 'ideos.”

“Jeongguk, baby, I had a Blue Yeti recording everything. And I put sprinkles on them for the crunch.” 

It’s Jeongguk’s turn to choke now, coughing and clearing his throat when the endearment reaches his ears. Baby. God, Taehyung just called him baby. He can feel the heat of his blood rushing to his ears, likely turning bright red all over again.

“... Munch louder,” he repeats in a mutter, sounding a little defeated from Taehyung’s explanation plus the use of the word baby.

Taehyung falls into a fit of giggles at that, his smile so blindingly bright that Jeongguk stamps away his flustered state to laugh along. He notices a bit of marshmallow frosting stuck on the corner of Taehyung’s lips then—and it’s instinctive, the way his fingers gently cup the older’s jaw to thumb away the frosting in one clean sweep. Taehyung’s eyes widen, lips parting when Jeongguk brings his thumb to his mouth, sucking off the frosting, all the while keeping his eyes trained on those plush pink lips.

It isn’t until he’s swallowed down the bit that he registers how rosy Taehyung’s cheeks have gotten, how his eyes are sparkling and looking at him in wonder. And then he realizes just how fucking bold that was, oh god, he’s really done for now. Heat creeps up his cheeks this time as he timidly presses his lips together, looking away to stare down a cupcake that’s sitting innocently on a napkin in front of him. 

He’s about to curse at the frosting for causing his utter embarrassment when Taehyung leans in, pressing his lips to Jeongguk’s cheek. 

And Jeongguk’s mind goes blank, shutting down so that the only thing he’s aware of is the feeling of Taehyung’s soft lips against his skin. It’s chaste, but he swears the blue-haired boy keeps his lips to Jeongguk’s cheek a little longer than he needs to, before pulling away with a smile. And, perhaps it’s influenced by what had just happened, but Jeongguk swears to god that Taehyung’s smile has never been as beautiful as it is now. 

And maybe, as he stares at Taehyung with his mouth gaping open in shock, he’s a little more on the holy-shit-I-think-I’m-in-love-with-him side of the spectrum. 

Taehyung turns forward again, smile still adorning his lips as he lifts the cupcake in his hands to his mouth. “Hurry up and finish your cupcakes before a bug lands on them, Jeongguk.”

Taehyung eases them into a new conversation, just like he usually does whenever they text. And through the talk of his classes and asking how Taehyung’s job is going, Jeongguk sits in awe over the experience of having Taehyung’s lips against his cheek. He wonders if he should be looking into it this much, but at the same time, he can’t help but think Taehyung’s intentions really are what he believes them to be. The way Taehyung looks at him—he won’t lie and say he doesn’t think it’s different from how he usually looks at others; it feels sly in the most subtle way, as if every move he makes is deliberate, every playful glance his way sending Jeongguk’s heart stuttering.

It all leaves his blood rushing a little too quickly in his veins. 

“So what were your favorite videos of mine?” Taehyung asks as he finishes eating his second cupcake. The boy always folds his cupcake liner into little fans, waving it cutely at Jeongguk before setting it down and taking another cupcake from the box, all with a little dance of his shoulders. It’s ridiculously adorable.

“The ones where you talked,” Jeongguk answers off the bat, finishing up his second cupcake as well. The sweetness is getting to him, but he’s positive he can eat the third one, just maybe not before Taehyung finishes his own.

Said boy rolls his eyes in response. “I talk in almost every video, though!” 

“Yeah, but—” 

“Guk.” 

“I’m being serious! The ones where you just talk to us. That kind was my first video of yours, actually. Maybe the ones where you eat, too?” Jeongguk wants to smack himself at how unsure he sounds, but he couldn’t just tell the other that all his videos were his favorite. Or he could, but Jeongguk’s pride has already been decimated too many times in one day.

Taehyung watches him softly, though, nodding as he takes in this information. He takes another bite of his cupcake, turning his head to peer at Jeongguk again as he swallows, licking at his lips afterward. Jeongguk gulps when he sees Taehyung’s eyes go hooded as he does. 

“Did you like the boyfriend roleplay one?”

The question is asked innocently, curiously, but Jeongguk knows better than that—especially as his heart pumps into overdrive when the memories of what that video entailed come rushing in front of his eyes. Memories of the lull in Taehyung’s voice whispering sweet nothings into his ears, paired with the sight of Taehyung watching him so closely now. 

“I—I did, yeah.” And Taehyung, for the love of god smirks , satisfied as he licks at the frosting on his third cupcake. Really, it’s the reaction Jeongguk needed to realize that he was right—Taehyung really was flirting with him, that this outing of theirs could definitely mean something more to the other. 

Jeongguk needs to put his own cards on the table, then. 

So he leaves his cupcake in his left hand before leaning back, throwing his arm along the back of the booth’s seat, casually behind Taehyung. The other pretends not to notice, but Jeongguk can tell from the way the older takes a sharp breath that he had; it’s thrilling, his confidence spiking at the reaction. “You’re always so natural at roleplays… that one especially,” Jeongguk starts, lowering his voice as he eyes the other.

Taehyung perks up at that, glancing at him from the side as he takes another bite, licking at a crumb that had gotten caught at the corner of his lip. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Jeongguk murmurs, letting his eyes droop languidly, much like Taehyung had done. “Made me feel like I could hold you at any moment. That you’d fall asleep next to me every night.” He can see the way Taehyung’s watching him, eyes alight with interest as he waits for him to continue. But before he can respond, Jeongguk looks away, schooling his face to a natural look towards the cashier and going, “Do you want to order anything else, Tae?”

Jeongguk bites back the grin his lips want to burst into when he sees the confused look that crosses Taehyung’s face. The older opens his mouth to respond, only to blink in realization and narrow his eyes. “You are not going to pay for anything else today.” 

Jeongguk raises an eyebrow, smiling. “I’m not?” 

“No! I still can’t believe you paid for the cupcakes, oh my god.”

They end up getting drinks after they finish the food, Jeongguk indeed finishing his third cupcake after Taehyung did. The blue-haired boy shouted encouragements at him as he took his last few bites, through which he was struggling not to wheeze. Jeongguk gets a caramel macchiato for himself and Taehyung orders a hot chocolate (unfortunately, Taehyung does, indeed, pay for the drinks, watching Jeongguk like a hawk all the while). 

They leave the cafe side by side, holding their hot drinks in hand. Jeongguk had offered to walk Taehyung to his apartment as it wasn’t far from the bus stop. The sun is setting, bathing the clouds in orange, the world around them lit in shadows and golden rays. Taehyung’s eyes glitter as he looks up at the sky, taking a sip of his hot chocolate as the air starts to chill with the setting sun. 

“You know, sunset is my favorite part of the day,” Taehyung says softly as they walk, loud enough for Jeongguk to hear against the people and the cars zooming by. 

“Oh?” 

“Yeah. It’s just nice to me, how we get to see the day end with a splash of color. It feels magical, in a way. Makes me excited to see the sun again.”

The words tug at Jeongguk’s heartstrings a little too much; the confession feels so pure coming from Taehyung. Jeongguk knows how easily the older can find himself talking about the world and how much he loves it, has seen him ramble about the clouds and the colors of autumn in his videos before. And Jeongguk is overwhelmed with the urge to make sure Taehyung witnesses every sunset with happiness in his heart, wishes he could gift it to the other himself. 

Taehyung exchanges his hot chocolate to his left hand to check his pocket, just in case he forgot something at the cafe. And the moment he takes his hand back out satisfied, Jeongguk gently takes Taehyung’s fingers, lacing them together easily. They’re warm against his own.

The grin Taehyung sends his way with a squeeze to his hand is all Jeongguk feels like he needs to survive.

When they reach the older’s apartment building, Taehyung pauses in front of the gate, turning to face the other. He’s so close, and Jeongguk’s acutely aware of them being the same height, how their eyes naturally meet whenever they face each other. Taehyung looks so beautiful in the dim glow of the sun’s rays, close to disappearing beyond the horizon, the locks of blue hair falling from the beret on his head shimmering in the light. 

And his eyes. They’re sparkling again, watching Jeongguk closely, drinking him in just like he is.

“By the way, this was definitely a date,” Taehyung says easily, voice hushed only to be heard in the space between them. The smile Jeongguk gives him in response makes crinkles form at the corners of his eyes.

“Good to know,” the younger murmurs as he shuts his eyes closed when Taehyung leans in, pressing another chaste kiss to his cheek. 

“Thank you for today,” Taehyung whispers close to his ear before he pulls away, brown eyes alight as he squeezes Jeongguk’s hand once more. Taehyung punches a code into the keypad to open the gate, and with a small wave does he enter, walking away and taking Jeongguk’s heart with him.

🎧

Jeongguk spends most of Wednesday after his classes studying for an exam this upcoming Friday. When Thursday rolls around, he texts Taehyung, telling him he’ll be late to the reading as he’s decided to stay at Yoongi’s studio for the time being; it’s peaceful being around the older as he works, and Yoongi has always been eager to help whenever Jeongguk needs it. Taehyung sends him a spam of thumbs-ups and hearts, along with a “good luck gukkie!!!!!!!!!!” that makes him smile. 

He decides to leave his backpack in the studio when he heads to the library, figuring he’d just return when all the kids leave. 

He reaches there and immediately heads to the children’s section like always. And he’s surprised at how ecstatic the kids become the moment they spot him, much more eager than usual as they jump up from the floor and crowd around him, many little arms hugging at his legs, so many shouts of “Gukkie!” and “you came!” registering in his ears. 

Jeongguk laughs, his heart filling with joy as he crouches down to hug and greet each and every one of them, making sure no one gets left out, not even the little shy boy, Daeseong, who hardly talks but gives the widest smiles when Jeongguk or Taehyung give him their attention. 

“Jeonggukkie, we missed you!” Yena says when she hugs him, her natural curls ticklish against his cheek. All of them let out shouts of agreement, and he almost feels bad that he kept them waiting, despite the need to pass his exam. 

“Missed all of you too,” Jeongguk grins, ruffling her hair before another kid pounces into his arms for a hug as well. When everyone gets their share of attention, Jeongguk looks up to see Taehyung watching them all fondly from his seat on the floor, sitting on the cushion Jeongguk had told him to sit on the last time he had come.

If his heart wasn’t already bursting from the kids’ excitement to see him, it’s definitely bursting now. 

“Okay everyone, let’s go back to TaeTae to continue today’s story, okay?” he says as he stands ups, and all the kids rush to go back to the ocean-haired boy, chorusing “yes, Jeonggukkie!” Jieun’s already pulling ‘Gukkie’s Cushion’ from the sofa and dropping it next to Taehyung, giggling when Jeongguk makes a show of thanking her.

And when he’s settled, the warmth that blooms in his chest at the way Taehyung bumps their shoulders together is so, so worth it.

That night, Jeongguk lies in bed plagued by his insomnia. It’s much past midnight, his exam is tomorrow and he needs enough hours to not face-plant on top of his papers. But he can't sleep.

He runs his tongue over his teeth, staring up at the darkness of his ceiling. He can see the night sky through the open window above his bed, the glow of Seoul's lights mixing along with the light of the moon. Jeongguk turns his head to peer at his phone that sits on the bedside table. 

Considering everything, he knows exactly who could help him fall asleep, despite the stress and anxiety fucking with his nerves and keeping him awake. But would he be a bother? Taehyung is most likely asleep, too, but… 

Jeongguk bites his lip as he reaches for his phone, grabbing the earphones he had set right next to it as well. He takes a deep breath as his phone illuminates the room, plugging each bud into his ears and tapping to his contacts. tae 💜🐯🎧 stares back at him when he finds his name, along with a selfie Taehyung had taken of himself that day after snatching Jeongguk's phone. 

Taehyung had realized the younger used one of his Twitter selfies as the contact photo. “This won't do,” he tutted, opening Jeongguk’s camera and tilting his head to let his blue bangs sweep to the side, giving it a sweet smile before snapping a picture. Now, Jeongguk smiles tiredly at it. 

Taking a deep breath, he presses the call button. His heart beats a little faster when the rings sound in his ear, staring at Taehyung's smile and how adorably handsome he looks. 

Taehyung answers on the third ring; Jeongguk inhales sharply when the static of the call connecting fills his ears. 

“Hello?”

Awake, but definitely tired. Jeongguk shuts his eyes closed. Relief fills his chest as he presses the phone face-down on his chest, smiling into the dark. It's so nice just hearing that one word—just hearing that voice amidst his anxiety and stress-induced exhaustion. “Hey, Tae.”

“Hi Gukkie, why are you still up? Don’t you have an exam tomorrow? Is something wrong—” 

Jeongguk’s smile stays put on his lips, and he gently cuts off the other’s worried rant. “I can't sleep, Tae.” 

It makes Taehyung pause, letting out a barely-audible “oh” before he asks, “Do you want me to talk to you until you fall asleep?”

He’s so quick to suggest it, Jeongguk wants to cry. He really doesn’t deserve this boy. “It's so late for you, though—I don't want to keep you up.” 

“It's fine,” Taehyung reassures. Jeongguk can imagine him waving his hand in the air in a gesture to dismiss his hesitance. “I have work later in the day tomorrow, anyway. It's more important to me that you're well-rested for tomorrow.”

Jeongguk laughs breathlessly into the darkness at how adamant the other seems, whispering, “Okay. If it isn't too much to ask.” 

“It's fine, baby. I love talking to you.”

And just like that, Taehyung begins, his voice so gentle and soothing in his ears. He talks softly, so mellifluous that it begs Jeongguk to keep his eyes shut and just listen. He keeps the phone curled to his chest, holding it close as Taehyung murmurs about everything and nothing, sometimes asking questions to hear if Jeongguk is asleep yet or not. 

As he falls deep into slumber, he briefly wonders if angels would sound like Taehyung. Because an angel—that is exactly what the other is.

(Taehyung hears Jeongguk’s hums of acknowledgment grow quieter and quieter, until when he whispers, “Gukkie?” toward where the phone lays next to him on his pillow, he only hears the other’s steady breaths. It’s nearing 1am, but the ocean-haired boy is smiling gently as he whispers “sweet dreams” before turning off speaker mode and ending the call, hoping the sound doesn’t wake up the younger on the other side.

Putting his phone away, he lets his heart catch up to him. Lets himself dwell on the fact that Jeongguk had called him just because he couldn’t fall asleep—a reason so simple, yet it leaves Taehyung’s heart beating just a bit faster, his mind fuzzy with content. And the fact that he actually did fall asleep to Taehyung’s voice… that his voice was something Jeongguk had sought out in the early night… 

Taehyung nuzzles into his pillow, cheeks rosy and a smile resting on his lips, before he closes his eyes and falls asleep as well.)

🎧

Jeongguk, thankfully, does well on the exam. But then again, he had a gut feeling he would, what with the way he woke up rejuvenated, Taehyung’s phone call leaving him feeling energized the entire day. 

When he gets to his apartment, he drops onto the bed, sitting there as he stares at his fingers curled in his lap. He has the urge to see Taehyung, to thank him for what he did last night. Taehyung brings him a serenity that he’s never felt before, serenity mixed in with overwhelming joy and happiness that makes his heart race, his face flush. 

He’s not dumb. He knows that he likes the other more than just plain admiration from fan to YouTuber. More than just a friend. In the past few weeks of getting to know the other personally, Jeongguk doesn’t think he’s ever felt more comfortable with a person; not even Yoongi or Hoseok were on par with the way Taehyung’s smile could make his entire day. Not to mention the boy had the power to soothe him to sleep with just his voice—that alone spoke a lot to Jeongguk.

As he thinks, the need to see the other only grows. 

He digs into his wallet, pulling out the business card Taehyung had given him a while ago. He smiles at the picture of Taehyung before eyeing the work hours listed. On Fridays, it seems Taehyung’s shift ends at 6pm.

An idea strikes him then, and Jeongguk flies into action, changing out of the hoodie he’s wearing to just a black t-shirt and throwing a grey bomber jacket over it, tucking his shirt into his blue jeans. He tugs a maroon beanie onto his head and puts on his timberlands as he calls a flower shop near the daycare Taehyung works at, ordering a bouquet.

“Got anything that means ‘thank you’ and ‘I love you’?” Those three words make his stomach flutter despite not saying them to Taehyung directly, but when the woman on the line says a bouquet of sweet peas and roses would do the trick, he immediately agrees.

He leaves the apartment quickly to make sure he can catch a bus. Throughout the entire ride, he feels jittery, leg bouncing up and down as he looks out the window.

With Naver’s help, he reaches the daycare forty-five minutes after 5, a good fifteen minutes before Taehyung’s shift ends. Jeongguk swallows as he stands in front of the building, wondering if this was a bad idea, or if they’ll kick him out, or the business card was outdated or something. But, figuring it wouldn’t hurt to try, he gets his shit together and opens the door.

Walking in, he enters a brightly colored lobby, the walls colored in pastels and murals of cartoon jungle animals, framed photographs hung up here and there. Jeongguk’s eyes fall on a blonde-haired boy behind a counter situated more to the side of the lobby. He’s on his phone, sitting cross-legged on a stool.

“Hi,” Jeongguk says nervously as he approaches the counter, garnering the male's attention from his phone. He’s met with a smile, teeth on display as he straightens. Jeongguk’s eyes snag on the nametag pinned to the brown sweater he’s wearing: ‘Jimin.’

Vaguely, Jeongguk remembers Taehyung mentioning a name like that. So this is one of his best friends. Shit, he needs to make a good impression.

“Hello! How can I help you?” 

“I… Is Kim Taehyung here today?” 

And Jimin scrutinizes him for a good second, eyeing him up and down. Jeongguk swallows but raises an eyebrow at him in confusion. 

“Are you, perhaps, Jeon Jeongguk?”

Jeongguk’s eyes widen in surprise at the question, but he nods in affirmation. Jimin smiles at him in response, seeming pleased, and Jeongguk gives him a small one back. 

“Are you here to see him?” 

“I am, is… is that okay?” 

“Perfectly fine! The kids love visitors too, though some are shy. Here,” Jimin leans over the counter, placing a ‘VISITOR’ sticker on Jeongguk’s chest, firmly giving it a pat. “Are you by any chance sick, or believe you’re catching a cold?” Jeongguk shakes his head. Jimin nods, writing something down before sending him another smile, stepping away from the counter and gesturing for him to follow. They head into a hallway where two doors are situated, one with a sign saying ‘Infants & Toddlers’ and the other saying ‘3 & 4.’ 

“Taehyung works with the three and four-year-olds most of the time,” Jimin explains, opening the door and prompting Jeongguk to take his shoes off near the cubbies for the kids. 

“Everyone! We have a visitor today,” Jimin announces to the colorful room, children milling about the tables and playing with toys.

Jeongguk hears the gasp before his eyes even land on Taehyung, and the next thing he knows, a blue-haired yellow blur is barreling into him after shouting the younger’s name, throwing his arms around his neck. It makes Jeongguk let out a laugh at how eager Taehyung is, albeit startled. Still, he wraps his arms around the other easily, squeezing him to his chest, fisting the fuzzy yellow sweater he’s wearing. The smell of grapefruit that reaches his nose makes him want to bury his face against the other's neck.

The hug ends far too quickly, Taehyung pulling away to gaze closely at his face, brown eyes back to sparkling like they do when he’s excited, yellow beret resting cutely on his head. 

Then he turns to look over his shoulder, arms still around the younger’s neck, warm and soft and Jeongguk thinks he wants him this close forever. 

“Everyone, this is Jeonggukkie!” Taehyung says, and the kids in the room are excited by Taehyung's excitement, most of the boys jumping up to crowd around them. Taehyung pulls away so the younger can interact with the kids bumbling for his attention—Jeongguk’s dismay is short-lived, only because of the children jumping up and down and in awe of how big and tall he is (their words, not his.)

The kids drag him to a corner where all the toys are, a boy handing him a toy train. He humors them for the while he’s there until parents come to pick their kids up. All throughout, he’s aware of Taehyung playing and speaking with the other children, a little girl in his lap as she talks to him. There are other caretakers in the room who smile at him, specifically another broad-shouldered man Jeongguk realizes must be Seokjin from the way he watches him curiously.

Jeongguk stays around with Taehyung until all the kids leave, a little awkwardly, but the older stays close to him for the entirety they’re there, brimming with questions that he hasn’t gotten to ask from being so preoccupied. When all the kids are gone, Taehyung takes Jeongguk’s hand and pulls him into the lobby after they put on their shoes. 

“So, are you going to tell me why you decided to come by?” Taehyung asks, squeezing his hand before he takes off the apron he’s wearing, folding it neatly and setting it on a table in the lobby. Jeongguk glances behind them to see Jimin watching, seeming extremely interested in their conversation. It makes him a little self-conscious, but Taehyung looks almost hopeful of his answer when he looks back at him.

“Well, for starters, I wanted to see you,” Jeongguk says, smile confident as he places his hands into his jacket’s pockets. Taehyung looks pleased with the answer, smile growing as he closes the distance between them.

“Did you?” he murmurs before lifting a hand. Jeongguk’s breaths turn shallow, but Taehyung only rips the visitor sticker off from the younger’s chest, balling it up and throwing it in the nearby trash can. 

Jeongguk nods, about to affirm when Seokjin steps into the lobby, eyes immediately falling on them. 

“Taehyungie, you can go, we can handle cleanup,” the male says, grinning cheekily. 

It makes the ocean-haired boy perk up, hands wrapping around Jeongguk’s arm, the contact feeling strangely natural to the both of them. 

“Really? Oh, thanks hyung! By the way, Gukkie, this is Seokjin and Jimin, my two best friends. Guys, this is Jeongguk.”

Jeongguk gives the two a small smile, nodding to them in greeting. Seokjin returns the nod, but Jimin looks a little amused.

“We know, Taehyungie. You think we wouldn’t recognize the boy you won’t shut up about?”

And it’s truly fascinating, watching Taehyung’s face flush rapidly as he sputters at Jimin’s words, only growing redder when Jeongguk raises an eyebrow at him. The thought of Taehyung talking about him sends exhilaration through his chest, far too pleased. 

“You talk about me?” Jeongguk eggs on with a grin, all teeth, his eyes crinkling at the corners, and Taehyung stares at him for a second too long before he scoffs, pulling Jeongguk right out of the daycare.

“Take care of him, Jeongguk-ah!” Seokjin shouts after them, and Jeongguk shouts back “I will!” cheerfully, waving at the two when Taehyung doesn’t bother saying his goodbyes. Somehow, he feels like he’ll like those two.

“You talk about me?” Jeongguk asks again when they’ve walked for a bit in silence, Taehyung’s hands still wrapped around his bicep. The question makes the older groan, throwing his head back in embarrassment, causing Jeongguk to laugh.

“Please, just. Forget what they said?” Jeongguk has to bite his bottom lip to stop himself from outright grinning again, especially when Taehyung gives him a pout.

“Okay, okay,” Jeongguk chuckles, putting a hand over Taehyung’s. Taehyung lets go of him with one of his hands to let the other squeeze his fingers. “I just realized how fun it is to tease you.”

“Jeongguk,” Taehyung whines, and Jeongguk hangs his head as his shoulders shake with laughter. When he lifts his head again, he sees that boxy grin on the older’s face. 

“It’s fine, it’s not like I don’t talk about you to my hyungs, either.”

“You do?” Taehyung sounds surprised, looking at him with slightly widened eyes. 

“Yeah.” Jeongguk grins at the memory of Hoseok spitting out his soda when Jeongguk had told them he’s not only met the YouTuber but gone on a date with him. Even Yoongi had spun around in his chair in surprise, mouth agape, before Hoseok stopped coughing enough to shout at Jeongguk to spill every single detail. “They’ve known about you for a while, to be honest. I tell them almost everything.”

“I want to meet them one day,” Taehyung says idly, but it only warms Jeongguk’s heart even more than it already has just with Taehyung walking next to him. The older wants to meet the people in Jeongguk’s life, and that—that brings a happiness he can’t properly put to words. 

Jeongguk’s voice is soft when he speaks again. “You think we can head somewhere for a second? I need to pick something up.” 

Taehyung blinks, eyes inquisitive as he nods. They chat vibrantly on the way, Taehyung letting go of his bicep only to link their arms together, much like he had when they had gone to the cafe. 

When Jeongguk stops him so they can enter the flower shop, Taehyung grows silent, looking around at the huge display of flowers while still holding onto the younger. 

“Hey, I ordered a bouquet through the phone?” Jeongguk asks an older woman behind the counter. She’s small, her greying hair curled in a bob as she stands with her hands clasped in front of her diligently.

The woman smiles at him, glancing at Taehyung with a knowing look. “Jeon Jeongguk, yes?”

“That’s me.” 

The woman steps away to get his bouquet, leaving Jeongguk aware of Taehyung bouncing on his feet as they wait, quiet.

When the woman returns, she’s holding a bouquet that’s a lot prettier than Jeongguk had expected, the roses red and the sweet peas a mix of purple, white, and pink. Taehyung lets go of him so that Jeongguk can take the flowers carefully, thanking the woman and quickly paying with his card.

The moment they step out of the shop, Jeongguk turns to Taehyung, clearing his throat. Taehyung blinks at him, confused, until Jeongguk holds out the flowers a little shyly. 

“These are for you.” 

Taehyung’s lips form a soft ‘o’ as he takes the flowers gingerly. He stares at them for a moment before looking back up at the black-haired boy. “What are these for?”

Jeongguk coughs again despite having no need to clear his throat, resolutely glancing at the bouquet and not at Taehyung’s beautiful face that is admittedly leagues prettier than the flowers he’s holding.

“For last night, and just… everything, these past few weeks. Thank you.”

Taehyung lets out a breathless laugh, grabbing Jeongguk’s attention again. And he honestly wishes it hadn’t, not when Taehyung is positively glowing, those cheeks rosy and full and glistening in the sunlight that peeks behind the buildings around them, not quite sunset yet. His smile is there, all rounded corners and pearly teeth, and Taehyung closes the distance between them to wrap his free hand around Jeongguk’s shoulders, doing his best not to crush the flowers against their chests. 

“You don't have to thank me for that, Gukkie,” he whispers, pressing his face into the younger's neck. He can feel the warmth of Taehyung's breath on his skin as he speaks. “I'm happy I could help.” The older pulls away to peer at him, the arm around him slipping to rest his hand on his shoulder. “I'm happy we met at all, really.”

Jeongguk swears his heart is soaring from those words, especially since he feels the exact same way. He hopes Taehyung can see the gratefulness in his eyes as he squeezes the hand that rests on his shoulder. Taehyung lets him hold it, dropping his arm to let their intertwined fingers swing between them as they head to a bus stop to get back home. 

And if Taehyung rests his head on Jeongguk's shoulder for the entire ride, their fingers still clasped and resting between their thighs, you didn't hear it from him. 

“I've never actually gotten a whole bouquet before, not since my graduation.”

“I guess I have to get you more, then.” 

🎧

The following Wednesday, Jeongguk’s lying in bed, binging guitar covers and the like, when his phone starts buzzing in his hands, a call from Taehyung appearing on his screen. He rapidly presses the accept button, scrambling to sit up; Taehyung hardly calls him, what if it’s important?

“Tae?” he asks quickly as he presses his phone to his ear. 

“Hi Gukkie!” 

Taehyung’s voice is cheerful and as effervescent as always. Jeongguk relaxes, about to respond when Taehyung goes, “Wait. I could’ve just texted you. Oops. Sorry, I just wanted to hear your voice.”

He was not prepared for this sudden attack. Jeongguk takes a deep breath, closing his eyes as he tries to quiet down the raging fondness that threatens to leave him bedridden. “Funny, that’s usually me with you.”

Taehyung giggles on the other end, a soft sound amongst the quiet static of the line. Jeongguk smiles at the sound, leaning his ear closer into his phone. 

And then Taehyung's asking if he can come over. 

“Is that okay? I kind of want some company right now—”

“It’s more than okay,” Jeongguk says a little too quickly, making Taehyung let out another breath of a laugh. The younger gives him his address, and the moment Taehyung ends the call, he frantically gets up and scours his apartment for anything that needs to be cleaned. It’s a small one-bedroom apartment that he tends to keep orderly (he’s a neat freak, leave him alone), so there isn’t much to be done except dropping some clothes into a bag to take to the laundromat later. He looks down at himself; he’s wearing a loose grey shirt along with black sweats. Too lazy to change, he rules it as fine as he sits on the couch, waiting for Taehyung to arrive as he nervously scrolls through his social media.

When the doorbell rings, Jeongguk springs up from the couch so quickly that he stumbles. He presses a hand to his chest to calm the fuck down, it’s just Taehyung. In your apartment. 

He opens the door. And practically melts at the sight of Taehyung’s face lighting up the moment their gazes meet. The blue-haired boy is practically swimming in an albescent white button-down, cuffs unbuttoned so that they drape over his hands in paws. A sliver of his chest peaks from one button undone, and it’s tucked messily into baggy black pants. 

He looks adorable, and Jeongguk smiles widely. “Hi.”

“Hey there,” Taehyung responds easily, returning the grin, and Jeongguk steps back to allow the other inside. Taehyung peers about curiously as he walks in, taking off his shoes and leaving them by the shoe rack. He walks around, head turning about before he takes one of the small pillows decorating the couch and hugs it to his chest. 

“So this is where you live,” he hums, and Jeongguk nods shyly, rubbing the back of his neck as Taehyung glances at the kitchen area for a moment, before treading deeper into the apartment, entering the little hallway that contains the doorway to Jeongguk’s room. Jeongguk follows after him, pressing his lips together to hide the fond grin at how Taehyung takes the pillow with him. 

Taehyung lets out a delighted gasp when he enters his room, and Jeongguk realizes it’s because of the golden light filtering in through the window above Jeongguk’s bed, the sun just beginning to set. 

“Pretty,” Taehyung murmurs absently, walking into the room to sit on the bed. 

Not as pretty as you. Jeongguk bites his lip before doing the same, a hand bracing his weight to peer at Taehyung glancing around his room, at the few posters that decorate the walls, the acceptance letter to the university he goes to pinned above his desk. 

It’s then that Taehyung notices his guitar propped up on the stand by the door, and he lets out a curious sound in the back of his throat. “Can I hear you play?”

Jeongguk blinks in surprise. “You want me to?”

“Yes.”

So Jeongguk gets up to bring his guitar over to the bed, settling in the middle of it cross-legged with the guitar in position on his lap. Taehyung does the same to face him, pillow held close as he watches Jeongguk eagerly, scooching closer to the other so little space is between them, but still comfortable. Being close to the other will always be comfortable, Jeongguk thinks. 

“You know, I learned how to play ‘All of Me’ recently,” Jeongguk says as he fiddles with the strings, checking if it’s still tuned. 

“By John Legend? Oh, I love that song!” 

Jeongguk glances up at him at that. “Sing it with me?” 

The older’s eyes widen in surprise, immediately shaking his head. “I shouldn’t.”

“You should,” Jeongguk corrects with a grin, “I know you can sing, Tae. I’ve heard you hum and sing quietly in your videos before.”

Taehyung bites his lip, looking unsure, so Jeongguk says, “You don’t have to, but if you want, you can join in whenever.” Taehyung nods slowly, as if he’s considering it.

Jeongguk sends him an encouraging smile before he takes a deep breath, stretches his fingers, and begins to play. 

Jeongguk’s fingers are nimble as he strums the first few chords, the sweet melody filling the air between them. Jeongguk’s nervousness leaves him as he falls into the motions he’s memorized, watching his fingers move as he reaches the first line. 

“What would I do without your smart mouth, drawing me in, and you kicking me out. Got my head spinning, no kidding, I can't pin you down.”

As he sings, he raises his eyes to meet Taehyung’s every so often, watching the other watch him back, just barely swaying with his playing. It threatens to leave him breathless, the way Taehyung stares into his eyes whenever Jeongguk says a line that resonates with his heart. ‘And I'm so dizzy, don't know what hit me, but I'll be alright.’

And when Jeongguk reaches the chorus, he breaks into a smile as he sings, because Taehyung’s voice joins right with his.

“'Cause all of me loves all of you. Love your curves and all your edges, all your perfect imperfections.”

Their voices blend together in harmony, Taehyung’s deep honey resonating with Jeongguk’s sweet one, and Jeongguk doesn’t miss a beat to harmonize with the other, going tones higher when they reach the ending lines of the chorus, a smile lighting up the older’s face at the improvisation.

Jeongguk easily falls into the next verses, singing confidently, but when the chorus comes around again, Jeongguk continues playing but keeps his lips shut in a smile. Taehyung’s eyes widen when he realizes he’s singing alone, but doesn’t falter, Jeongguk watching him encouragingly all the while. Taehyung stops at the second half of the chorus, prompting Jeongguk to start up again easily before they come back together for the end—“‘Cause I give you all of me. And you give me all of you.”

As they do it again for the last chorus, all Jeongguk can think about is how beautiful Taehyung’s voice sounds as he sings, how angelic he looks with the gold of the sun’s rays falling around him, his eyes shut as he sings, hair flowing with his gentle sways. 

Taehyung lets Jeongguk sing the last two lines, his voice turning softer as the song begins to end.

“I give you all, all of me. And you give me all, all of you.”

Jeongguk ends the song with a final, quiet strum, heart feeling heavy with the wistful longing the song tends to bring, even more so when he meets Taehyung’s eyes. They’re glistening as they watch him, half-lidded, heavy with emotion that Jeongguk can’t put a word to. 

And really, with the song’s remnants still charging the air between them, when Taehyung leans in, it feels natural. Their eyes flutter shut, but Taehyung hesitates just centimeters away, breath warm against the other’s lips. Jeongguk decides it's now or never, closing in the rest of the distance and pressing their lips together. 

He couldn’t be more glad that he did. 

It’s just a gentle press of lips at first, both of them still as they take in the fact that they’re kissing. Taehyung’s lips are soft against his, plush and pillowy, and Jeongguk parts his own to feel them against his, pulling at his bottom lip tenderly. It prompts Taehyung to kiss back, reciprocating the gentle sucks before they pull away, both letting out sighs as they open their eyes.

It’s the way Taehyung’s lips are just tinted red, just a bit swollen, his gaze filled with heat, cheeks rosy in the light; he looks angelic, and Jeongguk is pushing his guitar to the side, throwing Taehyung’s pillow away too, before pulling Taehyung into his lap, the other letting out a gasp and scrambling to wrap his arms around Jeongguk’s neck. 

When their lips meet again, the kisses are longer, drawn out, more assured as they fit their mouths together, Taehyung’s fingers carding through the younger’s hair. A soft noise of content leaves Taehyung’s throat as Jeongguk’s hands trail up his back, feeling the soft fabric of his shirt under his fingers. The sound makes Jeongguk shiver, bumping their noses together.

“Make that sound again,” Jeongguk murmurs against his lips. And Taehyung does, or tries to, but it comes out so heavily exaggerated that both of them start laughing instead, their foreheads bumping together as their shoulders shake. The momentum of their heads crashing, of Taehyung’s laughs causing him to fall forward, makes Jeongguk fall back on the bed, bringing Taehyung with him to lie on his chest. Taehyung yelps in the middle of his giggles, just to end up giggling more—it’s ridiculously endearing, Jeongguk thinks as he grins, wrapping his arms around Taehyung a little more tightly. 

The boy in his arms scooches down after a moment, readjusting his legs to get more comfortable as he lays his head snugly on Jeongguk’s shoulder, head tucked just under his chin. As they both calm their breaths, all Jeongguk is aware of is how warm Taehyung is in his arms, snuggling close to him. The golden rays are becoming dimmer as the sun starts to disappear, but he thinks of how they had kissed during Taehyung’s favorite part of the day, and he has to close his eyes against the overwhelming emotion that fills him, leaving a lump in his throat when he swallows.

Taehyung’s hair tickles his jaw, and he’s never been more sure of something before. 

“Taehyung?”

“Hmm?”

“Is it—is it too early to ask?” 

Taehyung lifts his head up to look at him, confusion in his beautiful, beautiful eyes. “Ask what?” 

And Jeongguk licks his lips, eyes shining just as much as he gazes back at him. “If you would be my boyfriend.”

The room is silent in the few seconds Taehyung takes to register the words, eyes wide and blinking, before his face breaks into a smile so wide that his eyes almost disappear. 

“Yes. I mean, no, no it’s not too early to ask, I—yes, Gukkie, yes I’ll be your boyfriend, oh my god.” And he’s practically launching himself at Jeongguk again, crashing their lips together and Jeongguk is laughing into the kiss, only succeeding in making Taehyung laugh as well, both of them an absolute mess but too elated and caught up in each other to care.

💜

💜

Taehyung had known he liked Jeongguk from early on. It was just a small level of attraction; Jeongguk was handsome and definitely his type. But as he got to know the other’s personality, got to see that sweet smile of his that reminded Taehyung too much of a happy bunny, that small level grew substantially. He realized it every time he had the urge to stroke the other’s hair, to lean in to his space and feel the warmth the other radiated. Jeongguk let him do all those things, watched him closely, leaned into his touch, and now—now he’s his boyfriend.

Becoming Jeongguk’s boyfriend, Taehyung realizes, is probably the best decision Taehyung has ever made. It really isn’t much different from before, what with Jeongguk still coming to the readings and them still texting daily. 

But it’s so, so much more than he could ever hope for, too. 

Jeongguk treats him so well. The other is always there when Taehyung feels like he needs him, showering him with encouragement and support on the days he’s tired from working, the smile that finds its way to Jeongguk’s face so sweet it tends to leave him breathless. Jeongguk always looks at him like he’s the most special thing he’s ever seen, something he’s noticed from the moment they had first spoken, and it never fails to fill Taehyung with warmth and butterflies. Jeongguk lets him take his hand whenever he wants, lets him lace their fingers together, lets him hang onto him whenever he feels the need for physical touch.

Being his boyfriend also gives Taehyung an excuse to pepper his sleeping face with kisses. It’s strange to him, how fond he became of the other every time he watched Jeongguk fall asleep during the readings—usually, with anyone else, he could care less. But every time he noticed Jeongguk drifting off, he wouldn’t be able to stop smiling. The way Jeongguk’s lips naturally pout in his sleep and how puffy his face can get afterward—his face just begs to be pecked over and over. He had wanted to do just that for a while, and now that he can, there was no stopping him. 

Their dates usually consist of Taehyung dragging him to sweet shops, getting ice cream all over their mouths and only leading to Jeongguk kissing it right off of the older’s lips. Jeongguk likes taking Taehyung to the park to walk together, letting the wind and the few people milling about be their witnesses as they follow various trails hand-in-hand. Usually, they talk and laugh about nothing and everything, but the moments they walk in silence are just as calming and comforting.

And the sheer amount of affection they give to each other; Taehyung doesn’t think his heart will ever get used to the moments Jeongguk leans in for a kiss, no matter how frequent it has become. Taehyung loves being in Jeongguk’s arms more than anything else, but kissing Jeongguk is another feeling altogether. It’s euphoric in the way the world around them and all his worries vanish into thin air for the few seconds, minutes the kisses could last. 

Phone calls become a nightly thing, despite Jeongguk telling Taehyung he doesn’t have to. But the blue-haired boy constantly insists, threatening him with no kisses if Jeongguk doesn’t call him the moment he gets into bed. Really, Taehyung loves falling asleep to Jeongguk’s voice as much as Jeongguk needs it, so he has no qualms with murmuring into the phone until the younger finally drifts off. Taehyung gradually helps Jeongguk fix his sleep schedule, and seeing the other more energized is the only reward he could ever need. 

Jeongguk always sleeps the best with Taehyung curled next to him, though. Taehyung tries to come over often for that sole reason, especially when he realizes that the black-haired boy could fall asleep just from the sound of Taehyung’s breathing. He gets Jeongguk to come over to his own apartment as well—Taehyung can’t describe how wonderful it is to have Jeongguk sleeping next to him in a place so familiar. Not to mention the nights where Yeontan sleeps between them on the bed—the dog loves Jeongguk and lets the younger hold him whenever he wishes.

“Is it weird?” Jeongguk asks one night. Taehyung glances up from his phone to look beside him, seeing Jeongguk lying on the bed in the older's room, Yeontan curled on top of his stomach, asleep. “That your apartment feels more like home than mine does?”

Taehyung smiles, feeling so warm as he locks his phone to properly lie down next to the other. Jeongguk turns his head, smiling when Taehyung clasps their fingers together. 

“Well, anywhere you are feels like home to me.”

Jeongguk lets out a laugh even with the wide grin that takes over his face. “Cheesy.”

Taehyung only nuzzles his face into Jeongguk’s shoulder in response, pleased to know that Jeongguk feels like home in the place he lives. And Jeongguk tends to come over more and more often after that, sometimes heading to the apartment straight from classes, even when Taehyung is still at work. He has the spare key now, and Taehyung tells him the apartment might as well be Jeongguk’s second home.

And, of course, Jeongguk himself grows more confident with Taehyung and less hesitant in initiating affection. Much less hesitant in the flirting department. Even the way he carries himself is different, especially in public, as if having the ‘Taehyung’s boyfriend’ label made him a brand new person. And, truly, it’s hard on Taehyung’s hormones.

Not that Taehyung hasn’t jumped the other already, but with every flirty comment Jeongguk offhandedly makes, Taehyung feels the need to flirt back, usually leading to heated makeouts and falling against bedsheets.

It’s almost infuriating how confident the other has become, sometimes flashing smirks Taehyung’s way for no fucking reason or pinching his ass when he passes by him in the kitchen. 

So when Taehyung gets a text from Jeongguk saying he’s at the apartment, Taehyung plots to give the male a taste of his own medicine.

It’s been months, but Taehyung still has the script for his boyfriend roleplay memorized. And he knows that Jeongguk would recognize it instantly.

It’s pure skill in the way he doesn’t laugh as he croons, “Baby I’m back home.”

He walks slowly over to the bed, a confident smirk sly on his lips when he sees Jeongguk’s wide eyes staring at him from where he half-sits, half-lays on the bed against the headboard, slowly putting his phone down as he stares at the older.

Taehyung’s eyes are cat-like as he slinks onto the bed, crawling right over the other, and presses a palm against the hard muscle of Jeongguk’s chest. Taehyung takes in Jeongguk’s darkened eyes as they stare back at him, his body completely still except for the rise and fall of his chest. Taehyung’s gaze is the equivalent of a predator eyeing its prey as he watches him through his lashes, the look much more loaded with heat than what was in the video—but this is for his real boyfriend, after all.

Taehyung bites his bottom lip as he takes in the other’s state, at how Jeongguk has his jaw clenched, the curls of his bangs falling in front of his eyes. “Were you sleeping?” he follows the script, and Jeongguk fails to point out that the sun hasn’t even set yet, the room lit by the window above Taehyung’s desk. The blue-haired male chuckles lowly, before leaning in and capturing Jeongguk’s lips with his own.

And that is what snaps Jeongguk out of the daze he’s been in; his hands travel around Taehyung’s body, feeling under his shirt, pressing at his soft warm skin when Taehyung pants against his mouth at the touch. Jeongguk lets out a low sound in his throat as he flips Taehyung onto his back, climbing over the other and soon ravishing him slowly, thrusts deep and powerful as he takes him as his own, whispering how crazy he makes him into his ears—and Taehyung enjoys every second of it, knowing he’s the only one who can get Jeongguk so riled up by doing something so simple.

They take turns murmuring the rest of the script afterward, laughing under their breaths at the exaggerated sweet nothings, the kisses they share long and languid as they drift off to sleep.

It’s truly wonderful, being Jeongguk’s boyfriend. Even the readings feel a bit different now, with Jeongguk initiating quiet makeouts on the couch after all the kids are gone. Except they somehow always get interrupted by the librarian clearing her throat, an amused expression on her face even as she tells them that they should display their affections somewhere other than the children’s section. Taehyung doesn’t understand how frequently he lets it happen; he’s undoubtedly extremely weak for Jeongguk’s lips, but it truly isn’t worth the amount of embarrassment that comes with being caught by the librarian. Jeongguk never helps either because, despite his ears tinting red, he laughs hysterically once they’re out of the library, especially at Taehyung’s flushed face and angry pout.

The kids seem to be onto them as well, what with how Taehyung sometimes catches Jeongguk staring at him a little too intently by his side, and they get caught up in each other for moments a little too long before Taehyung snaps out of it, looking forward to see all the kids watching them with rapt attention. 

The second time it happens, Aeyoung just happens to be behind them, clinging onto Jeongguk’s back and leaning her head on his shoulder as she listens to Taehyung recite the story. But when she watches the two stare at each other for more than a few seconds, she decides to take matters into her own hands.

So suddenly there’s a little hand at the back of Taehyung’s head and his face is being shoved right into Jeongguk’s.

“Now kiss!” Aeyoung squeals, but their foreheads slam together instead, making them both yelp in pain and Jeongguk falling right off the cushion as he reels backward. The kids all erupt in laughter, Aeyoung included as she crouches next to Jeongguk’s body when he lolls his tongue out, making a goofy face as he pretends to be dead. 

Laughter bubbles out of Taehyung’s chest at the sight, covering his mouth to try and conceal the sounds as the kids scramble all over the other, a boy checking for Jeongguk’s heartbeat and another girl patting at Jeongguk’s face. Soohyun comes over to kiss Taehyung’s throbbing forehead, and he can’t help but feel thankful that this is how he and Jeongguk met: surrounded by kids who learned to love the black-haired boy alongside Taehyung.

💜

Jimin describes Taehyung’s relationship as ‘disgustingly and outrageously romantic.’ Seokjin throws in the word ‘adorable’ even as he pretends to gag, and Taehyung blows a raspberry at them in return. Really, he knows how lucky he is to have someone like Jeongguk, who doesn’t get fed up with Taehyung's bubbly personality and is constantly supportive of the things he decides. He knows he’s lucky that he has someone who makes him so happy. He hopes Jeongguk is happy with him too; Hoseok had told him he doesn’t think he’s ever seen Jeongguk so bright, and that comment alone had him throwing his arms around Jeongguk the moment he stepped out of the recording studio.

He knows he’s lucky. He knows Jeongguk is happy with him. So when the ugly curl of jealousy hits him straight in the chest, it’s a bit unexpected.

It happens after his shift at the daycare; Jeongguk had texted him that he’d be waiting outside so that they could head home together. When Taehyung steps out of the doors, he spots him easily, leaning against a nearby lamppost. Except, he’s not alone.

Really, Taehyung wouldn’t have minded Jeongguk talking to someone, never mind a girl, but it's the way she's holding herself—tucking in her shoulders, her arms clasped together behind her as she leans into Jeongguk's space—that makes Taehyung realize she's flirting. 

And Jeongguk's smiling at her, although he can tell it's polite, but then laughs at something she says. And Taehyung can't help the feeling of jealousy unraveling in his chest. 

He'd forgotten, while being in the bubble of happiness that comes with the start of a relationship, that everyone else sees Jeongguk for the handsome young man that he is, too. That people—pretty people—would still try their luck in winning Jeongguk over, especially if they didn't know he is already taken. 

It's the brief wonder if Jeongguk would drop Taehyung for someone else that makes him frown at the two. And the jealousy spirals; he doesn't like that Jeongguk is giving positive attention to someone clearly interested in him. She's batting her lashes at him and Taehyung, just.

Tucking his hair behind his ear, Taehyung approaches the two as casually as he can.

When Jeongguk notices him, Taehyung thinks he sees relief in his eyes, but he really isn't sure and wonders if he imagined it. 

“Tae!” Jeongguk exclaims, not sparing a glance to the girl, who frowns at the approaching male. 

“Gukkie!” Taehyung calls back with a smile before curling a hand around Jeongguk’s arm, his other going around to thread into the younger's soft black locks. Jeongguk eyes him curiously before Taehyung quickly pulls him into a kiss. 

His boyfriend inhales sharply in surprise before easily melting against his mouth. Taehyung makes sure it lasts longer than the usual peck, molding their lips together firmly. When he pulls away with a sigh, dropping his hand from the other’s hair, Jeongguk’s eyes are shining with amusement. 

Taehyung chooses to ignore the look. “Hi baby, were you waiting for me?”

"I was, sweetheart," Jeongguk answers with a knowing smile, and it's then that Taehyung brings his attention to the girl. She's pretty in a soft-spoken way, her brown hair curled and falling to just above her shoulders, a little bit of makeup dabbed onto her eyes and cheeks, lips glossy, wearing a pink sweater that clings to her skin along with leggings. She blinks at Taehyung with furrowed brows, her eyes darting from Jeongguk to Taehyung.

"And who's this?" Taehyung asks, voice disgustingly sweet with fake interest even as he fights back the urge to curl his lips, remembering the way she batted her lashes at his boyfriend.

“Myeonji,” the girl pipes up before Jeongguk can say anything.

Taehyung nods, not actually caring about what her name is as he grips Jeongguk’s bicep a little tighter.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Myeonji, but my boyfriend and I should really get going.” 

The girl is outright gaping now, looking between them before her gaze rests on Jeongguk. “You’re bi?”

Taehyung bites the inside of his cheek at how she asks that instead of ‘he’s your boyfriend?’ Did she suddenly go blind when they kissed? 

Jeongguk snorts next to him, putting his hand over the one Taehyung has around his bicep, squeezing his fingers. Just that alone simmers his rising anger down.

“I’m gay, Myeonji,” Jeongguk says, not bothering to hide the incredulous edge to his tone.

The girl immediately flushes in embarrassment, nodding, and doesn’t even acknowledge Taehyung as she quickly steps past them, walking briskly away with a hand over her mouth. Taehyung can’t help but feel insulted, scowling at her back. He’s just thankful she’s going the opposite direction they’ll be headed.

“Who even is she?” he huffs before resting his head on Jeongguk’s shoulder, feeling a little possessive as he lifts his other hand to hold onto Jeongguk’s arm more securely. They start walking to the bus stop like that, the younger not minding how closely he clings even with all the people that mill about on the streets.

“Dunno, apparently she goes to my university and has seen me around before. Honestly, the entire time I was trying to figure out why she was even talking to me.”

Taehyung rolls his eyes. “Please, we both know exactly why she was talking to you.”

To his surprise, Jeongguk chuckles lowly, reaching over to poke Taehyung’s tummy. Taehyung flinches away with a yelp, head almost falling off his shoulder.

“As I thought; you were jealous.”

The blue-haired boy pouts, refusing to respond. But when Jeongguk pauses in his walking, Taehyung glances up in confusion. 

Only to see the younger smiling at him gently, their faces so close. His heart starts to race at the sight of so much affection in the other’s eyes. 

“You know you’re the only one I want, baby. No one will come between that—especially not some random girl.”

Taehyung’s cheeks are rosy, both from embarrassment and Jeongguk’s sweet conviction. His hand slides down Jeongguk’s arm to clasp their fingers together loosely, signalling the other to keep walking.

“I know,” he whispers, hanging his head to hide his red cheeks as he watches their clasped hands swing. “I couldn’t help it, okay?”

Jeongguk hums in understanding, squeezing their fingers tighter. They walk in silence for a moment, before Jeongguk lets out a breathless laugh. 

“You know, I think I like you jealous. It was so hot seeing you stare her down.” 

Taehyung huffs, flipping his bangs to the side. “We been knew, I’m hot all the time.” 

It was a joke, but Jeongguk responds with the most serious tone he’s ever heard from him. “Damn right you are.” 

Taehyung lets out a strangled sound, smacking the younger’s arm when he has the audacity to smirk at him, Taehyung’s skin heating with how flustered he’s become.

“You used to be so much shier when we met, what the hell happened?” he grumbles, and Jeongguk’s smirk transforms into a shit-eating grin, halting their walking to give Taehyung a peck on the lips. 

“I fell for you, that’s what happened.”

Taehyung huffs again, but can’t help but return the smile. He loves everything about what that implies, never feeling more grateful than he is now that he has Jeongguk by his side.

🎧

When Jeongguk receives a call from Jimin while Taehyung is still at work a few weeks later, he knows something must have happened. Jimin hardly ever calls him.

“Hello?”

“Jeongguk.”

Just from his voice, he knows something is wrong. He sits up in bed immediately as his blood turns cold, heart already starting to race in anxiety. “What is it, what’s wrong?”

“Listen—a child went into sudden cardiac arrest. Taehyung called for an ambulance while Seokjin hyung performed CPR—a lot went on, getting all the kids into the other room and everything. She’s being taken to the hospital now.” Jimin takes a deep breath; his voice is still shaking, and Jeongguk can hear muffled crying in the background. “Everyone’s shaken up, but Taehyung had to call the child’s mother—he’s really not in a good state right now, since she’s one of his favorite kids here, do you think—”

“I’m on my way.” Jimin doesn’t have to say anything; Jeongguk’s already running out of Taehyung’s room,  throwing on one of the other's green bombers over his black tee and scrambling to put his shoes on before he races out the door. He chooses to take the stairs to get out of the building as quickly as possible. “I’ll get there as fast as I can.” 

He hangs up, immediately flagging a taxi that’ll be faster than the bus once he runs to the busier streets.

He asks the driver if he can get them back to the apartment once he picks someone up, and is relieved when the man agrees. The driver initiates small talk to calm Jeongguk’s obvious panicked state, letting the black-haired boy explain the situation to him as he drives. The moment they reach the daycare, Jeongguk flies out, panting as he runs into the building.

His eyes immediately fall on Jimin and Taehyung sitting on the ground, backs against the counter. Taehyung is curled into Jimin with his face buried in his shoulder, chest racking with sobs; Jeongguk’s heart absolutely breaks with worry seeing him so devastated. 

Jimin gives Jeongguk a tired smile when he rushes over. 

“Taehyung,” Jeongguk breathes as he falls on his knees next to his boyfriend, immediately pulling him into his arms. Taehyung easily wraps his arms around his waist, burying his face into his chest. “I’m here, baby, I’m here. It’s okay—everything will be okay.”

“Think you can take him home?” Jimin murmurs, head falling back to lean heavily against the counter. Jeongguk nods, reaching out to squeeze Jimin’s hand reassuringly. He rubs soothing circles into Taehyung’s back, nosing into his hair—now dyed back to a deep brown as the blue had faded—and kissing his head. He murmurs encouragements as he helps Taehyung stand up, albeit shakily, but it’s enough to get Taehyung out of the daycare and into the taxi. Jeongguk had already told the driver their address, so the moment Jeongguk gets the door shut, the man gets going. 

Taehyung doesn’t say anything the entire ride, so Jeongguk only holds him close, whispering into his hair as the older’s chest heaves, tears falling endlessly down his face. Sometimes his sobs turn to silent tears for a minute or two before they start up again, leaving Jeongguk to hold him tighter to his chest. He feels so helplessly protective of his boyfriend, wishing the other hadn’t had to go through something so frightening. Wishes he could’ve been there to take the burden of sharing the news of what had happened to the mother, wishes he could’ve held Taehyung in his arms for longer.

The younger ends up coaxing Taehyung onto his back when they arrive so that they can reach their apartment faster, piggy-backing the older into the elevator. Jeongguk thanks a woman gratefully when she offers to press the button for their floor. 

Jeongguk’s able to unlock the door with one hand as Taehyung persistently hangs onto him, and afterward sets the boy onto the bed carefully before crouching on the ground in front of him, taking Taehyung's shoes off for him.

“Hey,” he murmurs softly when he throws them to the side, reaching up to thumb at Taehyung’s tear-stained cheeks, eyes rimmed red and glossy as tears continue to fall. He still can’t seem to stop crying, even as he looks at Jeongguk’s gentle face. Jeongguk brushes away tear after tear before standing up to sit next to other, guiding him to lie down on his side. He holds Taehyung’s face in his hands as the older rests his own against Jeongguk’s chest, focusing on the feeling of its rise and fall.

Jeongguk doesn’t say anything more, only leans in and presses a kiss against those beautiful cheeks, colored red with exertion. He leaves his lips against his skin for a few moments before shifting, leaving another against his forehead. He does that slowly, peppering kiss after kiss, rubbing his thumb along his cheeks, uncaring of how wet they become and the taste of salt on his tongue. When he presses one against those pouty lips, Taehyung attempts to kiss back, the molding of their lips slow and languid. It makes Jeongguk’s heart stutter behind his ribcage, and he pulls away to nuzzle his nose into Taehyung’s cheek, threading a hand into Taehyung’s silken brown locks, carding his fingers through the strands. Just like the other loves to do with Jeongguk’s own. 

Taehyung eventually calms down enough for exhaustion to kick in, starting to drift off to sleep with his fingers unconsciously fisted in Jeongguk’s shirt. Jeongguk gently pulls at Taehyung’s fingers to release the fabric before carefully sitting up. Taehyung lets out a whine of protest, eyes attempting to flutter open enough to see, causing Jeongguk to shush him softly.

“I’ll be right back, okay?” 

Right when he’s about to leave the room to change into a soft white hoodie and sweats without disturbing him, Taehyung speaks up.

“Gukkie?”

His voice is just a quiet croak, sore from overuse, and Jeongguk looks over his shoulder to see his boyfriend looking at him sleepily.

“Yeah, angel?”

“I love you.”

It’s the first time he’s explicitly uttered the words. 

Jeongguk’s filled with so much adoration too quickly, so overwhelming it makes his own eyes gloss over. 

“I love you, too.”

He changes into the soft clothing at rapid speed, thankful that Taehyung had worn similar clothes to work that day so Jeongguk didn't have to dress him so soon. Moments later pulls the blanket from under Taehyung’s body to cover him in warmth before sliding in next to him, pulling him close once more. Taehyung whispers the three words again into his chest once he’s settled, bursting Jeongguk’s heart into flames as he smiles into his hair, murmuring them back.

He loves him so, so much.

🎧

When the kids ask Jeongguk to read one Thursday afternoon, he’s taken by surprise. Taehyung, however, positively lights up at the idea. 

“Yeah, Jeonggukkie! Read for us today,” Taehyung encourages, bumping their shoulders together. Jeongguk huffs at him fondly before looking back at the kids, their faces hopeful and eager.

"What should I read to you guys, then?" Jeongguk asks them softly.

All the kids seem to consider this, falling into furrowed brows as they aggressively try to think, until one boy shouts out, “Spider-Man!” And suddenly the children are babbling in agreement, a girl sitting up onto her knees as she looks at him pleadingly. 

Jeongguk looks to Taehyung for permission and smiles when he sees his approving grin. Taehyung calls out to a library volunteer, Wheein, if she can find a (age-appropriate) Spider-Man book.

The brunette turns his head to look back at Jeongguk, and when they meet eyes, the grin on Taehyung’s face only grows. Jeongguk swears there’s a teasing sparkle to them, and braces himself when Taehyung looks to the kids in front of him.

“How do you guys know Jeonggukkie isn’t Spider-Man?”

Some of the children let out confused sounds, all of them raising their eyes to the black-haired boy. Jeongguk blinks at the onslaught of attention and the kids’ gaping mouths, before he decides to go along with it. 

He can see Taehyung watching him with a grin in his peripheral as he raises his eyebrows, lifting an arm to flex his bicep. The kids watch him with stars in their eyes, already looking extremely impressed. Doohwan raises his voice, going, “Are you really Spider-Man, Jeonggukkie? Are you as strong as Spider-Man?” 

“You want me to prove it?” Jeongguk challenges, and all the kids scream out affirmations, yelling “prove it!” over and over.

He knows exactly how to prove it. 

“TaeTae, stand up for me?” he asks, and Taehyung blinks in surprise, raising an eyebrow before rising to his feet a bit hesitantly. Jeongguk does the same with a smile on his face, and Taehyung tilts his head in confusion, wondering why the other looks so pleased with himself. 

Before Taehyung can even protest, Jeongguk flies into action, bending his knees to wrap his arms tightly around Taehyung’s thighs before lifting him up into the air, the flexing of his arms revealed by the black t-shirt he’s wearing.

It has Taehyung gasping, scrambling to hold onto the younger's shoulders, and Jeongguk is just grinning up at him as all the kids freak the fuck out, jumping up and squealing in awe at his show of strength. 

Jeongguk puts Taehyung down, wanting to kiss those cheeks that have turned a little rosy as his hands slip up to the other’s hips, before reluctantly pulling away. Taehyung lets go of the younger’s shoulders to give his attention to the kids surrounding them, a boy scoffing and saying that he could definitely carry TaeTae. 

“Oh yeah, little man?” Jeongguk taunts with a grin. The boy nods with a sure purse of his lips, and Taehyung laughs as the kid, who only reaches Taehyung’s stomach in height, tries to lift him up. Taehyung doesn’t budge from the ground, making the kids fall into laughter and confirming that Jeongguk really is Spider-Man.

The reading is mostly just the children asking Jeongguk question after question and yelling “it’s you!” every time a picture of the hero shows up on the pages. Taehyung lies his head on his shoulder as Jeongguk reads, discreetly tracing the veins on the other's arm with a finger as he listens. 

As the parents start to come in to take their children home, they can’t seem to get the revelation that Gukkie is Spider-Man out of their heads, Jieun especially.

“Mama, mama!” Jieun squeals when she spots her mother coming their way, letting go of Taehyung’s hand to run up to her. “Mama, guess what! Jeonggukkie is Spider-Man! He’s Spider-Man, mama; he’s really strong and, and, and he always saves the day!”

Her mother laughs softly at that, raising her brows at said male. He gives her a sheepish smile from where he’s sitting on the couch.

“Wow, really? That’s amazing, sweetie!” she says easily, playing along. “Jeongguk is really cool, isn’t he?”

“He is, mama! He’s the coolest ever. Mama, can I marry him when I grow up?”

Jeongguk chokes on the air he’s breathing at the unexpected question, covering his mouth as Jieun looks up at her mother hopefully, not noticing his reaction.

Her mother only hums before jutting her chin toward where Taehyung is standing. “Hmm, I don’t know, baby. You’ll have to ask TaeTae if you can.”

Wait, what? 

Jieun immediately whirls around to run up to Taehyung, her little hands swaying back and forth as she plays with the pink dress she’s wearing. 

“TaeTae, can I marry Jeonggukkie?”

And Jeongguk watches with his lips parted open as Taehyung crouches down to meet her at eye level, a pout forming on his lips. 

“But I wanted to marry him, Jieunie.”

Wait WHAT . 

Jieun gapes, a sound of realization escaping her throat as she looks behind her at Jeongguk’s flushed cheeks and then back at Taehyung, who raises his eyes shyly to meet Jeongguk's for a split second before looking back at the little girl. That shy glance alone sends Jeongguk’s heart beating even faster than before, his hands squeezing together in his lap as he tries to calm down his frantic pulse. 

Jieun gasps as she puts the pieces together, launching herself into Taehyung before taking his face in her tiny palms.

“TaeTae, you’ll invite me to your wedding, right! I’m gonna come to your wedding, right? Please?”

Taehyung laughs at her pleads, gently putting his hands on her shoulders. “Of course, sweetheart. You’ll be the first one invited.” He boops her nose with his index finger, giggling with her when she scrunches her nose cutely. 

Jeongguk gets his shit together enough to smile, crooning, “You’re giving up on me already, Jieunie?” 

And Jieun runs to him, her hands moving to rest on his knees as she looks up at him with her eyes alight. 

“You and TaeTae are perfect for each other, Gukkie! I’m going to find someone just like you to marry when I grow up.”

The words make Jeongguk smile wide enough for his eyes to crinkle at the corners, and he leans over to hug her close, the little one wrapping her arms around his neck for that short moment.

Later, as they fix up the children’s section and put the Spider-Man book back where it came from, Jeongguk quickly presses a kiss to Taehyung’s lips when he gets the chance. 

“You want to marry me, huh?” 

The pink tint to Taehyung's cheeks might as well become permanent, with the way the older seems to blush so often. But Taehyung smiles all the same, fond as he boops the younger’s nose like he had with Jieun. 

“Of course not, why would I want to marry you?” 

“What?” Jeongguk gapes as Taehyung walks away to clean up something else, and ends up trying to get the other to admit his undying love for him the entire walk home (and into the sheets as well, Taehyung’s giggles turning to gasps until he finally relents, whispering ‘I love you’ into Jeongguk’s ears as many times as he wanted.)

Jeongguk is the one to introduce the idea of buying a Spider-Man costume to surprise the kids. And Taehyung doesn’t think he’s ever agreed to something so fast before (besides the day he agreed to be Jeongguk’s boyfriend.) 

They both pitch in money to buy the suit, and no matter how many times Taehyung begs Jeongguk to see him with it on, the younger shushes him, telling him it’ll be a surprise for him as well.

The library agrees to let the surprise take place, despite how loud the children might get (they get loud all the time, really.) The two decide to get there a little bit earlier so Jeongguk can put on the suit in the library’s bathroom, and stay there until the right time comes. Taehyung snorts at the thought of Jeongguk just sitting in one of the stalls in his costume, scrolling through his phone as he waits.

“You sure you won’t need help?” Taehyung asks even as Jeongguk pushes him gently onto the couch.

“I’ll be fine,” Jeongguk says with a grin, leaving a kiss on Taehyung’s forehead before heading off. 

Taehyung feels bad that he has to lie to the kids, telling them Jeongguk wouldn’t be coming today; all the children whine in response, a chorus of aww’s filling the space. He sits on the couch this time, per Jeongguk’s orders (he’s still trying to figure out why), and the kids don’t ask, thankfully. 

It isn’t until five minutes into reading, coincidentally, another Spider-Man book, does a wild Spider-Man come crashing into the children’s section. 

He accidentally hits his shoulder against one of the shelves on the way, but he makes it to the space in a blur of red and blue. 

The kids let out shrieks of confusion as Taehyung is all but tackled right into the sofa.

So that’s why Jeongguk had wanted him to sit there. 

It takes a second for the kids to calm down—but once the costume-clad boy looks up at them, they all fall into chaos all over again, shouting all kinds of things—“it’s Spider-Man?!” being one of them.

Spider-Man straightens, gently pulling Taehyung up. “Are you alright, my love?” he says, voice teasing and all too grand.

Taehyung sends him a dead-panned look, relieved to have his huge muscle-man of a boyfriend off of his body. He slaps his bicep with a huff for freaking him out, only to notice the way the suit clings to his muscles. Taehyung gives his bicep an appreciative squeeze this time, making the phony hero snort and pull away to face the kids. 

Spider-Man introduces himself grandly, bowing with so much finesse that Taehyung has to muffle his laugh behind his hand. The kids watch him in awe, before one of them suddenly yells, “Wait! It’s Jeonggukkie!”

And all the kids are yelling again, even as Jeongguk plants his hands on his hips and scolds the boy for giving him away, but the kid’s too excited to care as the hero sits down on his cushion, looking back to reach for Taehyung’s hand and pull him to the ground as well.

This time, Taehyung traces the web patterns on the suit as Jeongguk reads, listening to the kid’s excited questions and even requesting for his autograph. 

And when a girl exclaims, “You’re our hero!" Taehyung can’t help but smile.

Yeah, he’s my hero, too.

💜

Taehyung’s smiling as he fiddles with the camera, setting it up to make sure they’ll be in the frame. He looks behind him, sending a grin to his boyfriend sitting on the bed, watching him even as he fiddles with his thumbs in his lap. 

“Ready, baby?” Taehyung asks, walking over and taking his suit-covered hand. 

Spider-Man sighs, scratching at his cheek despite the mask being in the way. “What if your fans hate me?” 

“My cubs would never hate you,” Taehyung reassures confidently, squeezing his fingers before pulling him up, guiding him to one of the chairs situated in front of the camera. “Just be yourself and they’ll love you.” 

“Okay,” Jeongguk breathes, settling into the chair. He takes an audible breath as Taehyung sits in the chair beside him, reaching over the table to turn on the camera. “Be myself. I can do that. Okay.”

“Ready? 3, 2, 1…” 

Taehyung had known the filming of the video would take absolutely forever and would probably turn out a mess, but he was perfectly fine with that. Encouraged that, really. 

“Hi guys! Your tigerwhisperer Taehyung is back! And with a special someone next to me.” 

“Hey... I’m the special someone he’s talking about.”

“Obviously. This is my boyfriend, you guys.”

“Your boyfriend-slash-Spider-Man.”

“My boyfriend-slash-Spider-Man.”

Taehyung had posted a tweet the day before about this video being filmed, and the amount of attention it has gotten is pretty incredible, everyone eager to find out more about the boyfriend Taehyung had been speaking of for so long. He had created a hashtag for his subscribers to use to ask questions to his boyfriend as a little boyfriend tag, and apparently hundreds of tweets were already sent. As he scrolls through the search for a question, Jeongguk speaks.

“This isn't actually going to be an ASMR video, right? How the fuck do you guys whisper for that long.” 

Taehyung glances up, furrowing his brows at his boyfriend. Honestly, seeing him sitting there in his costume is hilarious, but, for the sake of the video, he tries not to laugh. “I don’t even whisper all the time.” 

“Yeah, but most of you ASMR YouTubers do.” 

“How would you even know that? You only ever watch my videos.” 

“...Touché.”

Taehyung spots a tweet that he likes. “First question! Why the fuck is your boyfriend wearing a Spider-Man costume?” 

Jeongguk pauses. He leans over the space between their chairs to eye Taehyung’s phone screen. “The question says 'what's his favorite color.’” 

“Yeah, but there's a more important question on their minds right now.” 

“Are you saying that person's question isn't important?” 

Taehyung turns to the camera, looking into it deeply. “Your question is very important.” He looks back at Spider-Man. “But, ‘why the fuck is your boyfriend wearing a Spider-Man costume’ should come first.”

Jeongguk takes this into consideration before shrugging, going along with it.

“Well, first of all, it's not a costume. It's my suit. I am Spider-Man.” 

“Mm, yeah you are. My hero.”

Jeongguk takes his fingers underneath the table, squeezing them gently before intertwining them.

“Secondly, it’s a long story and very top secret.”

“He was scared that he was going to make a bad first impression to you guys, so he thought wearing the costume would be better.”

“Again, it’s my suit? Not a costume?”

Taehyung smiles at him, his thumb stroking spandex. He wishes the suit came with removable gloves so he could feel his skin with no barrier, but it's still warm against his skin. 

“You’re really Spider-Man, huh? So where’s your web fluid?”

“Right here, baby.” Jeongguk reaches for something out of frame, only to sit back with a glass of white fluid in hand—which is really just banana milk he had emptied into a glass. “Wait, what do you ASMRtists do again.” And he leans over, bringing the glass close to the camera before gently shaking it, letting the milk slosh about as he taps his fingers along the side. Taehyung is struggling not to laugh, biting his lip to stop his smile from growing too wide.

“I didn’t know web fluid was delicious,” Taehyung comments as Jeongguk settles back, finishing his little ASMR session. 

“The more you know,” Jeongguk replies, doing jazz hands with his empty palm before bringing the glass to his lips. Only to realize he’s still wearing the mask.

So, he uses a finger to turn Taehyung’s chin more toward him, a smile on the brunette’s face as Spider-Man puts the glass to his lips and gently tips the liquid into his mouth. It’s good, sweet, Jeongguk’s favorite flavor of milk.

“Here, baby,” Taehyung murmurs before leaning over, carefully pulling the mask up to expose the younger’s mouth and kissing his lips softly. It’s chaste but satisfying to both of them, as their kisses usually are.

“There, you guys got an almost-version of the upside down kiss,” Taehyung says triumphantly as he fixes the mask back into place, booping Jeongguk’s lips with two of his fingers before settling back into his chair.

“Can I get another one?”

“No, we’re on camera.”

“You literally just kissed me.”

“Yeah, but if I do then we won’t stop.”

And they stare at each other for a good moment before Taehyung turns back to his phone, mumbling “this video’s going to be twenty minutes long” under his breath.

Taehyung scrolls through more tweets before a question comes to mind. He looks up at the younger. “So, what's your true identity?” 

Jeongguk hums. “Ah, now that is a secret I cannot expose.” 

Taehyung looks back at the camera. “His name is Jeongguk.” 

Spider-Man nods. “My name is Jeongguk.” 

“He's a guitar player and a music major who goes to the same university I did, but we technically met because of my videos, funny enough.” 

“We actually met because of a bunch of kids.” 

“Yes, and said kids are in love with you now.” 

“Please, one of them wants to marry me.” 

“Mhm, but I would rather keep you all to myself.” 

“Go ahead and do that. Always.” 

The need to kiss the other grows from that response, especially at how much softer Jeongguk's voice had gotten. Taehyung takes a deep breath, looking back down at his phone to distract the beating of his heart.

He finds a few more questions and lets Jeongguk answer them, sometimes adding his own input. He giggles when Jeongguk remembers the color question, saying it’s blue. 

“I’m the one who converted him to a blue-lover! My entire room is blue-themed.” 

“I like black and red, too.” 

“Which are all, coincidentally, Spider-Man colors.”

“I told you I’m Spider-Man! That just proves it.” 

Taehyung laughs, taking Jeongguk’s hand this time. It makes the other look down at their fingers, giving away what they’re doing under the table; Taehyung will probably cut this part out as they stay silent for a few seconds, Jeongguk watching him trace the suit’s design. 

Taehyung sighs, a content smile on his lips as he sets his phone down on the table, thinking to end the video soon.

“So I wanted to let you guys know: I’m back because Gukkie convinced me to keep the channel going, and even offered to help me make videos when I’m busy.“ The words came out a little more grateful than he had intended, but he couldn’t help how happy he was at how Jeongguk had encouraged him to come to this decision, knowing how much Taehyung loved his channel and had his best interest in mind.

Spider-Man nods, smiling under the mask. “I'm not opposed to making this a joint-channel, but only if you guys want me. It's fine if you don't, I won't be offended since this is still Tae’s channel.”

“If you guys want, I can film little boyfriend vlogs and stuff—I know a lot of you are as soft and romantic as I am, so. Let me know in the comments and on Twitter, we'd love to hear what you think! And, of course, we'll have a boyfriend reveal.” 

Jeongguk laughs at that. “Isn't that such a great marketing ploy? Guys, stay tuned to Tae's amazing channel to see my amazing face.”

Taehyung snorts at marketing ploy, but can't stop smiling at the prospect of making videos with his boyfriend.

They end the video soon, Jeongguk being annoying and repeating every word of Taehyung’s outro, only succeeding in the older falling into a fit of giggles against his shoulder and having to redo it. Right before Taehyung turns off the camera, Jeongguk slowly peels off the mask, black curls of hair exploding out and falling over his eyes as he shakes his head. And Taehyung’s going to edit it so that the video ends just as he starts taking it off, cutting it before his entire face is revealed, sure to leave the viewers yelling in outrage. The idea of making the audience suffer is wonderful to both of them.

And the moment the camera is off, Taehyung stands up from the chair only to climb into his boyfriend’s lap, catching Jeongguk’s lips with his own and fisting the material of the suit in his hands. Kissing him just like he’d said before: if I do then we won’t stop.

The response to Jeongguk is absolutely amazing, many people loving his sense of humor, his voice, and the overall dynamic the two have. 

They do the reveal a few days later, a video of just the two talking and laughing about the moments they’ve shared, funny stories and the like. In the beginning, Taehyung is seen sitting alone, and it isn’t until he introduces Jeongguk does the younger jump into the frame (they had to film this twice because the first time he tried that, he accidentally knocked his chair down.)

“Hey guys, your tigerwhisperer’s boyfriend Jeongguk, here.”

Everyone promptly loses it at how handsome Jeongguk is, and lose it even more when Jeongguk reaches over to gently grip Taehyung’s chin, leaning in to kiss him after Taehyung talked about the day Jeongguk had asked him to be his boyfriend. The kiss is slow, gentle, the two using up multiple seconds to savor the feeling of having each other. Taehyung’s notifications blow up more than usual with just his fans screaming about how adorable and in love they are, the comments littered with support. 

It’s even better seeing the smile on Jeongguk’s face at all the positive attention and love he’s gotten from Taehyung’s subscribers. He's left dumbfounded when some of them recognize him as a musician, his own YouTube channel blowing up and hundreds hyping up his music. It gives him more motivation than ever before to keep playing guitar, keep making music, keep working hard to get his degree, and it isn’t long before he takes Taehyung to Yoongi’s studio. When they release an official duet cover of ‘All of Me,’ Jeongguk kisses him soft and slow when the video is uploaded, whispering the lyrics into Taehyung’s ear, the older holding tight onto their intertwined fingers as tears fall down his cheeks, overwhelmed with the amount of love Jeongguk never fails to shower him with.

Jeongguk’s Twitter account ends up blowing up as well after Taehyung retweeted the younger’s smart response to a hate tweet—and the support only increases more after that.

Boyfriend vlogs commence after that. Taehyung becomes more active on uploading vlogs because people ‘want to see more of his cute self’ (their words [and Jeongguk’s], not his), and everyone gets excited to see more of Jeongguk as well. Videos of Jeongguk playing his guitar, Jeongguk eating, Jeongguk sleeping, all that and more. And Jeongguk never minds, always going along with him because he’s whipped as hell. It becomes common to see Jeongguk in his vlogs, such as Taehyung walking only for Jeongguk sitting on a beanbag to come into the frame with Yeontan in his lap. 

“Say hi to the viewers my babies,” Taehyung would say behind the camera.

“Hi cubbies,” Jeongguk would reply, lifting up Yeontan’s paw in a wave. 

Sometimes in Taehyung’s ASMR videos, Jeongguk makes a random appearance. Like in one of the cupcake ASMRs, Jeongguk walks into the frame and pauses next to Taehyung’s chair, eyebrows furrowed as he stares into the camera. It’s silent as Taehyung watches his boyfriend fondly, pressing his lips together to stop himself from laughing when Jeongguk steals a cupcake without shifting his eyes from the camera, bringing it to his mouth and chewing slowly, as if daring the viewers to stop him. Then he walks away, and Taehyung is left covering his mouth and smiling for a good two minutes before he continues eating.

And Taehyung can’t help how happy he is with the positive response they constantly get. There’s hate of course, but he never lets it get to him, not when under all his videos, there’s always comments asking for more content of Jeongguk and him. He loves it, loves knowing so many people enjoy seeing them together, enjoy their daily lives as a couple. An overwhelming wave of affection falls over his chest, leaving him a little breathless as he turns to look to his side, where Jeongguk is sitting next to him in bed. He taps his arm, getting the younger’s attention, only to lean in and kiss him silly. Because fuck, he loves him so much. So, so much. Jeongguk doesn’t ask what this series of kisses is for—just kisses back and holds him even closer, because he knows exactly how Taehyung feels. 

Taehyung knows that Jeongguk loves him too, just as much. Knows it in the way Jeongguk holds him like he’s precious, in the way he kisses him like they have all the time the universe could offer, whispering sweet love into his mouth solely with the caress of his tongue. Taehyung smiles against his lips, prompting Jeongguk to pull away to peer at him. 

The sunset’s light filters through the window, falling on them in golden rays. And Taehyung thinks, as he looks into Jeongguk’s sparkling eyes, that nothing can get better than this—having Jeongguk in his arms as the day ends in shining bright color.