m@lipvk
Jul 31, 2020
429 tweets
#taekook au —
Reserved, brooding, and shy Jungkook finally works up the courage to start a convo with his longtime crush, campus librarian Taehyung, by borrowing a book.
Only he doesn't read at all, and he surely didn't mean to check out an erotica novel
yes im going to write this... i think . just give me like 12 hours it's 3 am 
but i need to know do u want this 
college student!koo x librarian(and post-grad student)!tae
♡ ignore time stamps
♡ mix of texts, social media, and written paragraphs
♡ will probably contain smut and mature themes, some fluff, maybe slight angst?
♡ qoute instead of replying! (and please interact
)
)[00:00] PROFILES
❥ jeon jeongguk @/guk (21)
— 4th year undergrad
— programming major
— everyone thinks he’s intimidating bcs he’s quiet
❥ kim taehyung @/taehyung (24)
— grad student
— works part-time at the library
— everyone has a crush on him
[00:00] PROFILES
❥ jeongguk’s friends
— yoongi (25), journalist, longtime (family) friend, has known jeongguk since he was a kid
— namjoon (25), journalist, yoongi’s best friend & co-worker
— hoseok (25), jeongguk’s boss at his part-time job
[00:00] PROFILES
❥ taehyung’s friends
— jimin (24), office-worker, platonic soulmate, partner-in-crime, ex-roommate
— seokjin (25), radio show host, childhood friend turned step brother
001. jeongguk and his dads
002.
003.
004.
005. two moods
Jeongguk’s palms are sweaty.
He’s clutching the paperback like his life depended on it and it way it /does/. Especially now. He’s still hiding behind the damn shelf like the coward that he is, half-assed pep-talk playing inside his head like a broken record.
Taehyung has only been working in the library for two months but Jeongguk has known about the boy since before he came back for his graduate studies. It was some time during his 3rd semester that Taehyung came up to him, +
per Namjoon’s reference (and to this day he still thanks his hyung for it), asking if he could help out with a problem with the school’s website.
Jeongguk might have been a shy sophomore then but he was a /bit/ boy crazy inside his mind and Taehyung was by far the /prettiest/ +
boy he had ever laid his eyes on. So of course he said yes, and that was practically the first and last time they really interacted with each other. Mostly because Jeongguk didn’t know how to reach out, and Taehyung never did again after that so he didn’t want to be a bother.
What he thought was a quick schoolboy crush lingered for longer than he liked. The one and a half years he spent without Taehyung around was devastating, so imagine how /ecstatic/ he was when he discovered Taehyung was enrolling into school again.
Jeongguk’s not even sure if Taehyung still remembers his name.
With all of the courage he has in him, Jeongguk makes a beeline towards where Taehyung is stationed, seated behind his usual desk, specs on top of his nose as he squints at the computer screen.
He instantly looks up, sees Jeongguk approaching, and Jeongguk already feels like turning around.
“Jeongguk, hi,” Taehyung greets, smiles sweetly and puts his book down. Jeongguk heart leaps. This is where he’s supposed to say something smooth +
in response but his mind is currently short-circuiting, because Taehyung /remembers/.
“Oh. You know my name?” Jeongguk says, like the /idiot/ that he is.
“You’re Namjoon’s friend? You helped me with that website thing a long time ago?”
“/Right/.” Jeongguk kind of regrets putting a leather jacket on today. Even if the temperature has dropped into something colder Jeongguk still feels like he’s burning under his layers. Wonders why.
“Are you borrowing anything?”
“Oh. Yeah.” Jeongguk places the book on top of the table, tries to look anywhere but in front of him. How is it that one person can make him lose his cool /this/ bad?
“Your student ID?”
“Right. Give me a sec—”
He fumbles for it inside his bag, awkward, his hands seeming like they’ve forgotten how to function properly. Slides the thin card Taehyung’s way, not making eye-contact. So much for /finally/ talking to his crush.
Jeongguk hears the soft ‘beep’ when Taehyung scans the barcode, the typing on the computer, even the soft footsteps from students milling around but it all feels too quiet. Knows that this is his chance to strike up an actual conversation +
but he can’t even conjure the words inside his head.
“Um,” Jeongguk hears Taehyung say. He dares to look up, finds that the elder’s expression has changed. The previous warmth he saw is replaced by... confusion? Hesitance? Jeongguk’s not sure, but something’s not right.
“Is everything okay, uh, hyung?” His nerves are getting the best of him and Taehyung looking at him weirdly isn’t helping at all. Jeongguk can almost feel his heart threatening to beat right out of his chest.
“Fine.” Taehyung smiles again, but it feels off. “Here you go.”
“Okay. Bye.” Jeongguk takes his things, shoves the book inside his bag, and dashes out of the building so fast he almost forgets to tap his ID card on the automatic gate.
He doesn’t find relief even when the cool air hits him outside, knowing well enough that he just chickened out /again/.
And now he’s just /mad/. Can’t even enjoy not having classes for the rest of the day because usually, he’d be at the library, +
whether it’s to do actual homework or to stare at Taehyung until he’s sick of actually only staring at Taehyung for this long.
Suddenly, he remembers the book inside his bag and he feels like a fake. He wasn’t even looking when he had grabbed it from the shelf. At least he has an excuse to talk to Taehyung again when he returns the damn thing.
But for now, he’ll stick with sulking all the way home.
006.
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It’s like Jeongguk’s back to square one all over again, and he chose the /worst/ possible day and time to do this.
Thankfully, the library’s not that crowded today. Instead of heading for his usual seat Jeongguk decides to hide behind the shelves, pretending to be interested in
the titles in front of him when he’s really just sneaking glances at the front desk.
/Taehyung’s desk/.
It’s pure luck, really, that Jeongguk drops by when Taehyung is working. He almost wishes that Taehyung wasn’t in today just so he has a valid reason to leave and back out.
But he hasn’t seen Taehyung for a week and he can’t help the way his heart just… does a /thing/. Right now, Taehyung is sitting behind his computer like he always is, occasionally trying to sneak bites of his cupcake since he of all people should obviously be aware of the
library’s no food policy.
Jeongguk sighs. Things would be so much easier if he actually had the guts to walk up to Taehyung and start a /real/ conversation. He tried that literally a week ago and look where that got him.
Jeongguk looks down at the book in his hand and scowls. In his defense, the title and front cover aren’t exactly /raunchy/. If he hadn’t read the synopsis in the back he wouldn’t have known this was /that/ kind of novel. Yes, he should’ve checked first, but in his defense,
Taehyung has a way with getting his mind all over the place.
So really, it’s all Taehyung’s fault.
That’s what Jeongguk tells himself to make himself feel better.
Except he doesn’t exactly want to blame Taehyung at all. Even for anything. Not when said boy looks so /cute/ with frosting staining his upper lip. He uses a tissue to wipe it away, before going back to whatever he’s looking at on his computer.
Jeongguk takes a deep breath and exhales. He can’t hide behind this shelf forever.
This time, Taehyung doesn’t see him coming. It’s only when Jeongguk clears his throat that the boy realizes Jeongguk standing in front of the desk, eyes surprised.
“Oh, Jeongguk!”
“Hi.” Jeongguk smiles, shy. Taehyung looks glad to see him. He wasn’t expecting that.
“I haven’t seen you in a while.”
Now Jeongguk is the one who’s surprised. So he /noticed/? Kim Taehyung has been paying attention to him?
“Oh. Um. I got a bit busy with this thing for one of my courses. A stupid essay.” Jeongguk scratches the back of his neck.
That’s not entirely a lie, at least. He does have an essay he needs to work on for a class, but in all honesty he hasn’t thought about it much. It’s a
final paper but it’s not due until two weeks. He doesn’t even know why he applied for a literature course, but he’s already paying for 4 years of university and even though he’s got all of his required credits covered, he doesn’t want to waste his penny by not doing anything for
the whole semester.
“What course?” Taehyung asks. He pushes his specs to the top of his head, pushing his hair back too, giving Jeongguk a good show of /forehead/ that he wasn’t prepared for.
“Modern Society and Literature by Professor Park Moonbyul?”
“Oh. I’m pretty sure I took that course during my undergrad. I’m doing marketing and finance for my post-grad but I was kind of interested in literature too,” Taehyung tells Jeongguk.
Jeongguk hums, following along, except he kind of knew that already.
“What’s the essay about?”
“It’s just a comparative analysis. Not that hard but I’m not really a lit guy.” Jeongguk clutches the book tighter in his hand. Taehyung hasn’t seem to notice it yet,
eyes trained on Jeongguk. Maybe he’s forgotten?
“Do you need any help?”
“Y-you would help me?” Jeongguk stammers. This is definitely not going the way he thought it would, but /way/ better.
“I can go over it if you’d like? It could be something I’ve done before.”
“T-that would be great! If you don’t mind, of course.”
“It’s cool. Here, I’ll give you my number.”
As Taehyung takes a piece of paper and starts scribbling, Jeongguk stands there elated. He’s already getting excited over the prospect of having a one-on-one conversation with
Taehyung outside of the library, almost not caring about how he’s going to make sure he doesn’t make a fool of himself /again/.
Taehyung slides the paper Jeongguk’s way. Jeongguk suddenly remembers the book.
“Oh. I was gonna return this.” Jeongguk finally lifts the novel and places it on the table. Taehyung’s smile turns a bit awkward, but before he can say anything someone comes up to the desk.
“Shit, Tae, you would /not/ believe who I just ran into—oh. Are you Jeongguk?”
The boy standing next to him is familiar. /Too/ familiar. He’s the one in the picture Taehyung tweeted. The picture of them lying down together. Jeongguk’s excitement suddenly
“You know my name?”
“I may have graduated but Taehyungie always keeps me in the loop.” He extends his hand. “I’m Jimin. Taehyung and I were in the same graduating batch.”
“Oh.” Jeongguk takes Jimin's hands and gives it a polite shake. That makes sense. Thinking of it now, he’s probably seen Jimin
around before. They must be good friends. They seem really... /really/ close.
It shouldn’t upset Jeongguk, but it does.
Jimin’s gaze flicks towards the table, at the book that Taehyung still hasn’t touched yet, and there’s this glint in his eyes when he turns to look at
Jeongguk again. One that makes Jeongguk’s neck start heating up, knows whatever he’s about to say is going to be /hell/ for him.
“Good read?” Jimin asks, smirk on his lips.
“It’s n-not—it was for a friend!” Jeongguk blurts out. The heat travels to his cheeks. “Uh—”
Jeongguk glances at Taehyung, who doesn’t seem to have anything to contribute to the conversation. /God/, he’s never hated a book in his life before. He should’ve burned the thing when he had the chance
He takes the paper and quickly slips it into his pocket.
“I’ll text you hyung, bye!”
Jeongguk dashes out of the building like his life depends on it. He knows if he stays there longer with Jimin right next to him and Taehyung sitting pretty making his brain /useless/, he’s
going to do something that’s going to make Taehyung regret ever giving Jeongguk his number.
Taehyung’s /number/.
Jeongguk feels the paper in his pocket, starts to smile as the butterflies kick in, already forgetting about what happened in the library.
He can’t help it. He picks up a light skip in his steps uncaring of the fact that there are other students around.
041.
049.
050. tae contacts jin
051.
* made a couple of mistakes this far so to clarify if anyone noticed them:
- joon and yoongi are the same age (i accidentally had joon call yg hyung in the earlier texts)
- tae, nj, and yg are acquaintances (when sj said namgi tae replied with "who" that was my mistake sorry!)
058.
059.
Jeongguk hasn’t spoken to Taehyung in nine days.
Not that he’s been counting, but it definitely feels longer than just nine days. He finished the essay the same night Taehyung helped him at the library. Jeongguk had frozen up that day, too shy to do anything other than follow
Taehyung's instructions. He still hates himself for it. That was his chance to really talk to Taehyung and he completely blew it.
Jeongguk decides against asking Taehyung if he could check his work one last time. Taehyung has helped him so much already. Of course Jeongguk wants
any reason to talk to the boy again but he doesn't want to be a bother.
Plus, he thinks he’s used up all his confidence for the month. If he were to talk to Taehyung again he’ll probably put himself into another mess.
Today, Jeongguk is at his usual spot at the library. He came a bit earlier so Taehyung wasn’t behind his desk yet. He spends an hour focusing on his assignments and thesis. There’s this program he needs to make for one of his courses and he’s been having a hard time, had focused
too much on an essay for a subject not even in his requirements. This is due in three days and he’s not even halfway done.
With his attention solely on his laptop screen, he doesn’t notice that Taehyung had started his shift. He also doesn’t notice the boy walking up to
Jeongguk until he’s standing right by the table.
“Hey,” Taehyung greets him with a soft smile. Jeongguk’s eyes widen realizing that Taehyung is the one who’s talking to him /first/.
He wasn’t even planning on making a move today. For once, he actually needed to do homework. But of course he’s not complaining that Taehyung is here. In front of him. His specs on top of his head and wearing a dark green sweater, the collar of his shirt sticking out.
“Oh. Hi!” Jeongguk tenses, voice coming out awkward. Taehyung looks too good in green and Jeongguk doesn’t know how to handle that.
“Am I interrupting? You’ve been frowning at your computer for an hour…”
“Oh no. I need a break, actually.”
He doesn't. He's been sitting here for a while but he hasn't really done much.
“What are you working on?”
“Just need to make this game… kind of like Pacman but a bit more complex… It’s basic stuff I learned in my first year but I’ve mostly been studying operating systems recently so I’ve forgotten everything,” Jeongguk goes on. He’s about to say something about an error in his code
he can’t point out but he realized that Taehyung doesn’t need to hear his nerd-talk. “Sorry. I’m rambling.”
“Don’t be sorry,” Taehyung assures immediately. He’s so /sweet/.
Just when Jeongguk is about to open his mouth to ask if Taehyung would like to sit with him, even if all
they would do is work next to each other (Jeongguk wouldn’t mind the company), a girl comes up to him.
She’s pretty, tall and hair dyed a shade of strawberry blonde. Jeongguk doesn’t recognize her, but from the way Taehyung smiles when he sees her he guesses that Taehyung does.
“Hey, Tae. I’m trying to find that book you mentioned yesterday. Can you help me look for it?” she asks sweetly. Jeongguk zeroes in on the hand that’s grabbing Taehyung’s forearm.
Jeongguk searches Taehyung’s face for any signs of discomfort but he finds none.
They seem friendly. Close.
“Of course. I’ll see you later, Jeongguk!” Taehyung doesn't even think twice.
Jeongguk only musters a weak wave of his hand in response. He watches Taehyung’s back as the two walk away, the girl saying something that has Taehyung leaning closer and
then Jeongguk sees Taehyung laugh.
Jeongguk shouldn’t be bitter but he is. He can’t even go back to his assignment, already too distracted. Too jealous. Maybe if he wasn’t so shy…
but is it really his fault that his heart doesn’t know how to stay calm whenever Taehyung is around?
He only stays for another ten minutes before packing up his stuff in a rush, pretends not to notice Taehyung returning to his desk just as he’s getting his ID card out to unlock the automatic gates.
061.
062.
* i made a mistake 
yoongi's message is supposed to say "he's not out of your league" not the other way around
yoongi's message is supposed to say "he's not out of your league" not the other way around 065. the next day
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this koo except the croptop is in all black 
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Jeongguk isn’t entirely sure what he’s doing.
It’s not that he doesn’t have the confidence. It’s just that his confidence /wavers/ a little whenever Taehyung is around.
Jeongguk hates it. Taehyung is just a /boy/. Jeongguk shouldn’t feel like he’s losing all his cool just from talking to him. He’s Jeon Jeongguk, for fuck’s sake. He’s /supposed/ to be cool.
Maybe the fishnets were a bad idea. They’re barely visible, only through the rip on the knees of his (very tight) denim jeans, courtesy of Hoseok because he said denim jeans always make Jeongguk’s ass pop out just a bit more than normal.
Jeongguk knows he looks good. Normally that would have been enough to get him through the night, but he doesn’t know what /Taehyung/ thinks.
Not that he’s the type to dress for someone else, but he /does/ have a raging crush on the boy. Of course he cares a little.
Jeongguk had caught the way Taehyung’s eyebrows rose when Jeongguk walked in, and how his gaze had lingered on his legs for seconds too long. Taehyung noticed. He definitely did, but he’s choosing not to say
anything about it (Jeongguk wouldn’t mind a small compliment) so that’s disappointing.
Taehyung’s friends are nice.
Jeongguk was a bit hesitant when he met them the first time, especially Seokjin, who looks like someone he’d normally find on the front cover of a magazine.
His beauty intimidated Jeongguk for a while, but the man is too /funny/ for Jeongguk to really keep his walls up for too long.
Jimin he already knows. Jeongguk admits he’s still jealous over how close Jimin is with Taehyung. When Jeongguk saw that Jimin had an arm slung over
Taehyung’s shoulders when Jeongguk had arrived, his heart plummeted to his feet.
The only consolation he finds is the fact that Jimin won’t shut up about Taehyung’s boss that he apparently has been trying to seduce. And, well, Jimin /is/ kind of fun.
Two hours later, Jeongguk has forgotten how many drinks he’s had. He feels much lighter, less like he /needs/ to keep his guard up. He thinks he likes Taehyung’s friends.
Not as much as he likes Taehyung, though.
Taehyung who’s currently sitting next to him close enough that their thighs are almost pressing. Jeongguk thinks it might be the booze getting to his head but he feels the strong urger to hold Taehyung’s hand.
He /really/ wants to hold Taehyung’s hand.
He doesn’t, of course. He plays with the loose fabric of his ripped jeans instead, just to keep his hand busy.
“Wait, are you the Jeongguk who borrowed that erotica novel?” Seokjin brings up later.
/Not this again/, he grumbles internally, face flushing. Jeongguk is starting to believe this is going to follow him everywhere he goe. “It was for my friend—”
“Hey, no shame man. Read whatever you want to. We appreciate that you’re literate.” Jimin raises his glass as if to toast to the fact that Jeongguk reads porn.
“Of course you’d say that, Jimin. You two should form a book club.” Seokjin rolls his eyes.
“I don’t read much, hyung. You know that. Direct experience is more my thing.” Jimin wiggles his eyebrows suggestively, which makes Seokjin makes a gagging noise.
Taehyung laughs beside him. Unlike Jeongguk, he knows how to handle his liquor /and/ control himself, so he’s being responsible and kind to his liver by only having two glasses up until now.
“Don’t mind them,” Taehyung leans closer to him as he speaks. Jeongguk catches a whiff of his cologne more than the alcohol on his breath. “They always bicker but Jimin secretly wants to bang him.”
Jeongguk almost chokes on his drink. Something about the word /bang/ spoken in that context coming out of Taehyung’s mouth. “U-um. Really?”
“No. I mean, I don’t know. It’s funnier if I think of it in that way.” Taehyung shrugs. Talking to him would be easier if he didn’t look
so good tonight. The plain shirt and jeans he’s wearing is the bare minimum but Jeongguk’s biased.
And whipped. And getting tipsier by the second.
“I thought…,” Jeongguk starts, words ready on the tip of his tongue but he has feeling that he shouldn’t say them.
His mind is on auto-pilot now, the same way he has no control over whatever comes out of his mouth next.
“I thought Jimin wanted to bang you. Or the other way around.”
“What?”
“You two… just seem. Close. I don’t know. Really close.” Jeongguk glances at Jimin and Seokjin again, finds the two still in a heated discussion over something Jeongguk doesn’t care for.
“We’re just friends,” Taehyung tells him, voice turning soft.
Jeongguk doesn’t know what it is that makes him believe Taehyung so easily but he does. Maybe he should stop drinking. “Oh. Okay.”
“Does that ease your worries?” Taehyung asks. He’s smiling a little. Jeongguk wants to kiss him.
“I don’t have worries.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah…” Jeongguk trails off. There’s something he wanted to say about how he appreciates Taehyung inviting him out tonight but he loses the thought.
Mostly because Taehyung is still looking at him and Jeongguk can’t stop thinking about how dreamy his eyes are.
Taehyung’s mouth is moving but Jeongguk doesn’t catch a thing he’s saying, too out of it to comprehend his surroundings, or even tune into Jimin and Seokjin’s loud arguing.
"Jeongguk?” His name in Taehyung’s voice pulls him back to reality.
Jeongguk blinks. “Huh?”
“I asked if you wanted more fries?”
“Oh. Do you want more fries?”
“Yeah. You want to share?”
“Sure. Yeah. Let’s share.”
Taehyung’s smile stretches wider like he finds Jeongguk amusing. His taps Jeongguk’s thighs twice, touch innocent but it still makes Jeongguk’s heart jump, before sliding out of the booth. Jeongguk just stares at his back as he walks away.
And if Jeongguk’s eyes linger on Taehyung’s ass for too long, he only hopes that neither Jimin or Seokjin notice.
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116. guk's message
Taehyung is in his apartment.
Jeongguk didn’t think it would happen so soon, having Taehyung over like this, but two hours ago in the middle of his Brooklyn Nine-Nine marathon Jeongguk had received a text from Taehyung asking if he was free.
Long story short, they’ve been camped out in Jeongguk’s messy living room. He didn’t get the chance to clean up before Taehyung came with his take-out boxes.
Taehyung is seated next to him on the couch, a respectful distance away, scrolling on his phone since they’ve finished
all their food and Jeongguk just remembered he needs to finish an assignment that’s due tomorrow.
The silence that settled ever since Jeongguk started working with his laptop on his lap is surprisingly not awkward at all.
He likes Taehyung’s company, even if they’re not talking or doing anything.
“Hey, I think Jin hyung’s radio show is on,” Taehyung says suddenly.
Jeongguk’s heart drops at the mention of Taehyung’s step brother. It’s been days since he sent in his message for the radio segment
and he’s been busy with university stuff that he has completely forgotten about it.
When he glances at Taehyung, he's already opening an app on his phone that Jeongguk assumes he uses to stream the station.
Jeongguk’s fingers freeze above his laptop’s keyboard. Seokjin probably got a lot of submissions. The chances of Jeongguk’s message being read are super slim, and it’s not like he gave anything away. All he did was sign the text with a J, followed by his age.
The stream loads, and soon Seokjin and the co-host’s voices fill the apartment. Jeongguk listens along while trying to do his work but he finds it hard to focus.
The segment starts right after the opening theme. Jeongguk’s heart skips a beat every time Seokjin starts reading a
new message from an anonymous sender even when it’s not his.
He doesn’t even know why he sent it in the first place. Thinks that maybe he just needed somewhere to vent. Of course he has his hyungs, but he’s been bombarding Yoongi and Namjoon with his /boy problems/
too much lately. He doesn’t want to be a bother.
“... we just started talking recently and it kind of happened because I did something embarrassing,’” Seokjin starts reading the new message. It’s his. It’s definitely his. Jeongguk glances at Taehyung beside him whose expression
doesn’t change. “Well, so long as it got you and the guy close, right?”
Jeongguk shouldn’t be freaked out. Taehyung won’t know and neither will Seokjin.
But still.
“‘My hyungs keep saying that I should keep this friend thing going on but I still like him a lot. Obviously
I’m glad that we’re friends but I don’t know if I should say something. I just can’t be his friend and want to kiss him at the same time y’know? He’s just so nice. He called me cute twice and I almost died.’”
The co-host laughs.
“I still get so nervous around him sometimes. I don’t want to make things awkward and go back to square one but I also don’t want to… not take the chance, I guess. What should I do?’ ‘Signed J, 21.’”
“Well. It seems like our buddy J here is in a bit of a situation.”
/No shit/, Jeongguk thinks, almost rolling his eyes.
“I gotta say you’ve got an advantage though. Since you said you two just started talking, I assume you don’t have to worry about a lifelong friendship being ruined if, god forbid, things don’t work out if you make a move.”
“Hmm. Yeah. Your relationship is still fresh,” Seokjin’s co-host adds. “It’s an advantage, don’t you think? And if this guy is as nice as you say he is, then let’s hope he’ll be nice too if he doesn’t feel the same way.”
Taehyung /is/ nice. Too nice sometimes.
“I say give it a shot. I’m also assuming he’s single here. Flirt with him a little and see how he responds. Maybe ask him out, see where things go from there. We wish you the best of luck.”
As the segment cuts to a commercial ad, Jeongguk starts to ponder, embarrassment about Taehyung hearing his /anonymous/ confession long forgotten. He mostly thinks about what /Taehyung/ thinks.
“What do you think J should do?” Jeongguk asks.
Taehyung purses his lips. “Well, I guess I agree with hyung? I don’t know.”
“So you think he… J should try flirting?”
“Why not?” Taehyung says casually. He reaches for the open packet of chips on the coffee table and the conversation ends there.
Seokjin’s show continues reading more messages but Jeongguk grows quiet.
117. how do you flirt
118. hobi's advice
119. hi :)
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131. not a date
(next day)
The good mood Jeongguk is in is unparalleled.
He woke up three hours ago energized and lacking his usual Monday morning grogginess, something he usually only feels after a cup of coffee with extra shots of espresso (that he hates),
and it’s completely unusual for him to be on campus this early when he doesn’t have classes until the afternoon.
Taehyung told him last night he’d be working an early shift at the library because there are seminars he needs to get to later. They did makes plans to hang out in
the evening, though.
Jeongguk just happened to be scrolling through his twitter when he saw Taehyung’s tweet saying he didn’t have time to have breakfast.
So here he is, stepping into the library with a paper bag full of pastries for Taehyung.
Thought that Taehyung would appreciate it.
Normally he’d feel shy for doing this, but after yesterday’s outing Jeongguk hasn’t been able to shake this boyish giddiness away. It wasn’t a date but he had a great time regardless. Not a date /yet/, at least.
Taehyung isn’t at his usual spot. Jeongguk frowns, but he decides to look around for him a bit before calling, assuming that he’d just be stacking books at this time.
A couple of minutes later, Jeongguk ends up in the natural sciences section after having no luck with
the two previous sections he was at.
“...I don’t know, man,” a male speaks.
Jeongguk recognizes Taehyung’s voice, but he notices that the man is on the other side of the shelf, on the end of the aisle.
“What do you mean you still don’t know?” Jimin is here with him. Neither of the two notice Jeongguk, since he’s close enough to pick up on their conversation but still too far to be spotted in between the gaps of the shelves.
Whatever they’re talking about seems to be serious, anyway.
“Seriously, what is it that you still don’t get? You just said it all yourself,” Jimin continues.
Even if the hood of his jacket is up, Jeongguk pretends to be scanning the book titles just to make himself blend in.
He’s eavesdropping, he knows that, but… well, he doesn’t really have a good enough reason to defend himself other than he’s just curious.
“Jeongguk’s nice. /Sweet/. But....”
Jeongguk stiffens.
They’re talking about him. Taehyung’s talking about /him/.
“He likes you,” Jimin says, and Jeongguk feels his whole body flush.
“What makes you so sure about that, anyway? You met him, like, twice.”
“I just am, okay?” Jimin presses. Taehyung doesn’t immediately say something after that. “You really don’t like him like that?”
The silence strains, makes Jeongguk tense, makes him already know that whatever Taehyung says next won’t be good.
Taehyung sighs. Heavy. “I meant what I said about not wanting to be in a relationship. That’s not what I came back to school for.”
He can’t even bring himself to worry about being too transparent with his crush that Taehyung’s own best friend has caught on.
What Taehyung just said /hurt/, even if Jeongguk knows it shouldn’t affect him like this. Their outing yesterday wasn’t a date.
He hasn’t even confessed yet. He shouldn’t expect anything from Taehyung, nor be this upset when he finds out that Taehyung doesn’t return his feelings.
Jeongguk can’t ignore the prickly feeling inside his chest. It stings too much, all at once, and he can’t bring himself
to stay there any longer listening to a conversation he’s not supposed to be hearing.
And to think he was just planning on asking Taehyung on an /actual/ date.
So he leaves, but as last second’s decision he drops off the bag of pastries at the front desk, telling the staff on duty to make sure Taehyung gets it.
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“Just admit it, will you?” Jimin goes on again.
Taehyung has heard this at least five times and frankly he’s tired of it.
“If I /admit/ that I like him, I’d just want to date him even more.”
“So you like him?”
“/Yes/. Fuck. I like him, okay? You happy now?”
Jimin rolls his eyes, not content with Taehyung’s confession. “Then date him, jesus. Stop making this more complicated for yourself. There’s a thing called taking it slow.”
He slumps onto the floor, sitting on the carpet and leaning against the shelf as Taehyung picks up more books from his cart.
See, the thing is he’s gotten to the point where he /knows/ he’s being in denial.
He definitely feels something. He just doesn’t know what to do with it, doesn’t really know what he wants.
Because Jeongguk is cute. And sweet. And their newfound friendship has been going well so far.
Taehyung doesn’t really have the patience for another relationship. His last one kind of left him pessimistic, and he’d rather not risk whatever he has with Jeongguk now.
“You know what? I’m tired of seeing you go through this.” That’s Jimin’s way of saying /I’m butting in your business for your own good/. “Ask him out once. Properly, this time. And make sure he knows it’s a date.”
“Or what?” Jimin can’t force him to do anything. He wouldn’t.
“Or you’re a real damn pussy.”
Taehyung grunts at that.
But even later, when Jimin’s long gone and he’s left with morning silence that makes him long for his bed, Taehyung starts forming the words he’d say to Jeongguk inside his head.
At least he's got until the evening to muster up enough courage.
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Not even the sight of fast food can lift Jeongguk’s mood.
It’s been a long day. He had to turn in assignments last minute and submit another draft of his thesis to his supervisor. In all honesty, Jeongguk is drained, but he asked Hoseok for another shift to make up for the time
he /doesn’t/ spend with Taehyung.
At least he wasn’t lying. He really was busy earlier. He knows this is childish, but pining over Taehyung before he heard Taehyung say he wasn’t interested was much easier. He’s been trying to not think about it too much, needs to find things
that can keep him occupied enough so that he forgets the conversation in the library altogether before he can go back to seeing Taehyung every day.
Jeongguk flips the burger patties on the grill with the kind of disinterest his boss would normally chastise him for. Maybe he
should finally stop turning down Taehyung’s invitations to hang out after tonight. Clearly, the lack of Taehyung in the span of one week is enough to weigh him down.
Hoseok comes into the kitchen minutes later, dirty rag hanging over one shoulder. “Hey, Taehyung is here.”
Jeongguk stiffens. “What do you mean he’s /here/?”
Hoseok must be lying. There’s no way Taehyung is here /now/.
Jeongguk recalls only one time telling him where he works at but Taehyung would have texted. But then again, he hasn’t looked at his phone in over an hour and he’s been making excuses to not have to see the elder….
“He’s here as in he’s out front. He’s looking for you.”
“But… but I’m working!”
Jeongguk can’t face him looking like this. He’s sweaty, in dire need of a shower, and no offense to the restaurant but the uniform is the ugliest shade of orange he’s ever seen.
Orange doesn’t sit well on his complexion.
“Seriously? I thought you’d be begging for me to give you a break right now. Make yourself look decent and go talk to him.”
Jeongguk doesn’t get the time to explain and tell Hoseok that he’s been purposely avoiding Taehyung for the past week. He doesn’t really want to get into the /why/ of that, though, and Hoseok being Hoseok, Jeongguk knows he would ask for details. All of it.
Hoseok takes the spatula from his hands despite Jeongguk’s protests and shoos him out of the kitchen.
Outside, Jeongguk easily spots Taehyung having taken one of the tables in the corner of the room, one that sits right next to the large window.
He doesn’t see Jeongguk just yet, so Jeongguk takes this time to admire his side profile, but the longer he stares the more he’s reminded of how he shouldn’t be looking at Taehyung like /this/.
“Hey,” Jeongguk greets once he’s at Taehyung’s table, rubbing his hands on the side of his pants.
“Hi!” Taehyung’s eyes gleam. “Sorry. I know you’re working right now but I feel like this is the only way I can see you.”
That makes Jeongguk's stomach twist.
“It’s fine. What’s up?”
“You don’t want to sit?”
“I have to get back to work soon.”
Lie. Hoseok wouldn’t mind letting Jeongguk's ten-minute break stretch for as long as Jeongguk wants it to.
“Right. Um, it’s about that thing I wanted to ask,” Taehyung starts. Jeongguk can his demeanor shift slightly when he looks down at the table, playing with his fingers.
What could Kim Taehyung be nervous about?
“Yeah?”
Taehyung clears his throat. “Well, I was wondering—”
“Hey, Jeon, we’re still on for tomorrow night?”
Jeongguk’s co-worker, Mingi, comes barreling through the entrance, making his way to the kitchen while waving at Jeongguk.
“Sure, hyung!” Jeongguk shouts with a smile.
Mingi is the only person here besides Hoseok Jeongguk is close with. He admits he had a crush on the man early on, but he quickly got over with after he realized it was more of a /hyung/ crush.
He’s four years older than Jeongguk and moving back to his hometown soon to take over his family’s restaurant. They made plans tomorrow to get drinks as a farewell kind of thing.
Jeongguk turns to Taehyung again, but Taehyung’s gaze is fixated on the doors that lead to the kitchen, where Mingi had just disappeared through. “You were saying?”
“I was gonna ask if you’d like to hang tomorrow but I guess you already have plans.”
“That’s what you wanted to ask me in person?” Jeongguk laughs lighty. Taehyung is so silly sometimes.
“Yeah. You know me and my dramatics.” Taehyung starts to stand. “I’ll get going then. Sorry I made you come out during your shift.”
“It’s fine. Really.”
The smile Taehyung gives him looks… strained. He says nothing else before leaving.
Jeongguk goes back to the kitchen feeling odd about the exchange.
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Jeongguk almost chickened out from texting Taehyung asking if he could help with an essay for a class. But he didn’t, because Hoseok is quite persuasive when he wants to be (“Just text the boy, Jeongguk. He’s /just/ a boy!”)
and Jeongguk just wants some company in his lonely, quiet apartment.
Taehyung didn’t even think twice, insisted that he also brought some food so they could eat together. Jeongguk wasn’t going to say no to that, obviously.
Although he was worried things will feel strained between them, the tension seems to be absent.
Taehyung gave him some pointers for his essay that Jeongguk was quick to use. He managed to finish it within an hour so now he’s got all this time to kill.
Jeongguk and Taehyung are seated on the living room couch, respectable distance between the two, exactly like how things were last time Taehyung was here.
Taehyung’s phone hasn’t stopped vibrating every few seconds for the past five minutes but every time the boy looks at the
screen he rolls his eyes. “Jin hyung won’t stop messaging me. He wants us to listen to his show.”
“Plug it into the speaker if you’d like.”
Taehyung does. Once his phone is connected Seokjin’s voice fills Jeongguk’s apartment. His segment has started, and it seems like he’s
already in the middle of reading another message.
Jeongguk thinks about his own that he sent a while back. It’s upsetting to realize how little progress he’s made with Taehyung since then.
“...think this guy I sort of like is ignoring me,” Seokjin continues. Jeongguk’s barely absorbing the words he hears, suddenly dipping into a melancholic mood despite the fact that Taehyung is here.
He’s here, but things between them haven’t changed. And Taehyung doesn’t like
him like /that/.
“We just started being friends and everything was perfectly fine up until he started subtly turning me down every single time I asked if he wanted to hang out the past week. He’s been busy and I get that, but I just feel like he’s doing this on purpose.”
“It kind of took me a while to admit that I do like him. My friend has been insisting that he has a crush on me but I’m finding it hard to believe. I’ve been meaning to ask him out but I keep chickening out every time.”
Jeongguk sighs internally. That last part sounds all too familiar.
“I don’t know if I did something wrong, or if he’s just not interested in me at all, but I do know that even if we haven’t been close for long, I don’t like that things feel this way.”
It’s sad that he can relate to whoever this person is. There’s a brief pause right after Seokjin stops speaking, and Taehyung’s silence only amplifies the thoughts inside Jeongguk’s head.
“Now, I usually don’t do this, but because this person sent this message with a ‘fuck you, seokjin’ in the beginning—sorry, please don’t fire me PD-nim—I’d like to personally thank the sender, my lovely /brother/ Kim Taehyung of SNU, for sparing us his troubles.”
Jeongguk turns to Taehyung who seems to have frozen in place. He’s gaping at his own phone, mortified, the expression on his face kind of mirroring what Jeongguk feels exactly on the inside.
“Taehyung-ah, short your shit out. We’ll be back after a short break. Hyung loves you!”
As the program cuts to a commercial, Jeongguk angles his body to face Taehyung. “You… you like someone?”
Jeongguk’s still mulling over Seokjin’s words inside his head. Chances are Taehyung didn’t really send that message and Seokjin was just playing around.
But Taehyung /liking/ someone? After what Jeongguk had overheard at the library?
Or maybe Taehyung said all of those things /because/ there’s already someone else he likes. Maybe Jeongguk was never subtle to begin with so it’s his fault Jimin caught on and told Taehyung.
He would want to confess either way, wants Taehyung to know how he feels, but not like this.
“Yeah. I do.”
Jeongguk can’t swallow down the disappointment. The radio is still playing in the background but it’s like Jeongguk can’t hear anything else but the sound of his poor heart breaking all over again.
“Oh. You didn’t tell me.”
“Well. You see—”
“It’s just that—you said at the library…”
“What?” Taehyung frowns. “What did I say at the library?”
/Fuck/.
His stupid fucking mouth.
“Ah, well.” Jeongguk looks at his lap. He feels Taehyung’s gaze still trained on him, knows that he can’t evade this even if he tries. “Kind of overheard you saying you weren’t looking to be in a relationship right now…”
“You heard that? You heard my conversation with Jimin?” Jeongguk nods. “How much did you hear?”
“Just up to that point. I left right after.” Jeongguk silently hopes that Taehyung doesn’t ask /why/ he left so soon. Fortunately, he gets silence instead, which Jeongguk now thinks
is almost as bad as having to admit he was upset over what Taehyung said. “So you’re going to ask him out?”
“I am.”
/Geez, sugarcoat it at least/, Jeongguk thinks.
“I’m sure he’ll say yes,” he tries to say with a positive tone and looks away,
playing with his fingers on his lap.
Thinks that as long as he doesn’t look at Taehyung he’ll be fine. Yoongi always said that he sometimes wears his emotions so transparently.
“Oh, I sure hope he does.”
The couch shifts when Taehyung stands. Jeongguk thinks he’s going to leave so he’s genuinely surprised when he plants himself in front of Jeongguk instead.
Taehyung drops to his knees, now eye-level with Jeongguk, forcing the latter to look directly at him.
“W-what are you—”
“Jeon Jeongguk. Would you like to go on a date with me?”
Jeongguk’s eyes bulge. For a second he can’t do anything but blink at the boy in front of him,
waiting for the punchline, waiting for Taehyung’s lips to stretch into a goofy smile and say that he’s kidding. If this is some kind of prank then it’d be the meanest one Jeongguk would ever experience.
“Are you serious?”
“Do I look like I’m joking?” Taehyung looks like the exact opposite, quite frankly, but Jeongguk isn’t going to underestimate his acting skills just yet. “Do you not want to? Because that’s totally fine! God, I probably shouldn’t have asked so abruptly—”
“Yes!” Jeongguk says
loudly, cutting Taehyung off. This is where his heart has started to pick up its pace. “I’m just... confused.”
“Did you not hear Seokjin read my message?”
“But… you said….” Jeongguk couldn’t be wrong. He had heard Taehyung himself.
Taehyung laughs, light, the sound coming out airy but it makes the butterflies in Jeongguk’s stomach soar. As cliche as it sounds.
“You should’ve stayed a little longer, Jeongguk. You missed the part where I admit to Jimin that I /do/ like you.”
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“Are you sure it’s okay for me to be in here?”
Jeongguk’s eyes wander around the room, at all of the shelves fully stacked with books lining the walls. It’s not that big in size, almost like a mini-library on its own, clearly restricted to employees but Taehyung said it was
fine when he dragged Jeongguk in here not too long ago.
At the far end of the room there’s a small area with a desk with a computer on it, and in the center is a bean bag chair on top of a large circular fluffy rug that Jeongguk just wants to lie on when he looks at it.
“As long as you don’t spill any kind of liquid on anything then you’re good.”
Taehyung plops down on the bean bag. Looking at him makes Jeongguk get the sudden urge to sit on his lap but he doesn’t think they’re quite there yet.
Their date four days ago went really well. Jeongguk had been elated, high on butterflies, and Taehyung even drove him home at the end of the night. Unfortunately, the kiss that he had been anticipating all day never came.
It was fine though. He had a good time and maybe Taehyung just doesn’t do kisses on the first date.
But still. He’s a boy with a crush and sometimes all he can do is wonder.
“Do you have work to do?” Jeongguk sits on the carpet instead, right in front of Taehyung.
Taehyung shrugs. “Not really.”
“Then why are we here? I thought you wanted some company.” Jeongguk admits the place /is/ cozy. Bring a pillow here and he could take a good nap.
Taehyung shrugs. “Not really.”
“Then why are we here? I thought you wanted some company.” Jeongguk admits the place /is/ cozy. Bring a pillow here and he could take a good nap.
“Because it’s private. And I do want some company. Everywhere you go people stare at you. So they stare at me too.”
“What? They don’t.”
“They do. You’re hot.”
Jeongguk’s cheeks fume. He still doesn’t know how to act around Taehyung even after confessing to each other, much less if Taehyung says things like /this/.
His hyungs have told him before, that he sort of has a “reputation” but Jeongguk doesn’t really get why.
He’s pretty closed off on campus. Friendly with people he knows but he keeps to his inner circle. Doesn’t really go around picking fights or hooking up left and right.
People just assume he’s some hotshot brooding bad boy because he dresses like one.
Jeongguk waits for him to say he’s joking but it never comes.
“Huh?”
“Sit on my lap.”
It’s like Taehyung wants him to suffer. Jeongguk doesn’t move at first. Taehyung just looks at him, waiting, and then he offers Jeongguk his hand.
Jeongguk takes it and lets Taehyung pull him onto his lap, his heart hammering inside his chest so loud once he’s practically on top of Taehyung that he thinks Taehyung might just hear it.
Taehyung, however, doesn’t seem fazed at all. He secures his arms around Jeongguk’s waist, letting out a content hum, all while Jeongguk is trying not to freak out (but he already is—just silently).
“When should we have our second date?” Taehyung asks. There’s nowhere else for Jeongguk to look except for his face and he almost hates it, how pretty Taehyung is. How good he looks in his dark brown turtleneck, his ID tag hanging around his neck.
It should be a crime for librarians to look this good.
How is anyone supposed to study when Taehyung walks around looking like this? Jeongguk surely did more staring than studying in the past months.
“Second date?”
“Assuming that you /want/ a second one…”
“I do.”
There’s nothing he wants more. Except for maybe Taehyung’s lips.
“You can choose this time.”
Taehyung’s hands grip his waist and there’s no way Jeongguk isn’t red in the face now. “Um, I don’t know. It’s either I take us to an amusement park or we’ll just do a movie night at my apartment.”
“I’m fine with either. Don’t like scary rides though.”
“Movie night then.”
“I hate scary movies too.”
“I’ll hold your hand under the blanket.”
Taehyung laughs lightly and squeezes Jeongguk’s sides. Jeongguk really doesn’t know what to do with his hands, so he sticks with tapping on Taehyung’s laminated ID, noticing the photo for the first time and is baffled by how good he looks even for a school picture.
“You have a mole under your lip. I just noticed that,” Taehyung says, and Jeongguk is about to say something along the lines of him never remembering it’s there in the first place when Taehyung’s thumb is suddenly on his chin.
The featherlight touch is enough to make Jeongguk’s whole body momentarily freeze, but something inside his head is prompting him to just think /fuck it/, and he leans in before anything else can try to change his mind.
Taehyung grows stiff the second Jeongguk’s mouth presses against his.
It fuels Jeongguk with a brief surge of panic, because what if Taehyung doesn’t want this? What if he’s making a fool of himself?
Taehyung only starts kissing back a few seconds in, and when his hold tightens around Jeongguk’s waist Jeongguk starts to relax a bit.
He gets brave and tangles his fingers through Taehyung’s hair and in return, Taehyung pulls him closer.
He tilts his head to meet Taehyung’s mouth better, thinking about how /of course/ Taehyung just has to be a good kisser.
When Jeongguk pulls at Taehyung’s hair lightly, Taehyung lets out a muffled noise from the back of his throat.
It makes Jeongguk shift on his lap and he feels embarrassed about it. Everytime he moves it feels like they’re /rubbing/ against each other and that only makes Jeongguk’s neck grow hotter.
Taehyung pulls away for a quick breath but he barely gives Jeongguk time to recover.
He dives in again, and this time Jeongguk feels his tongue swipe along his bottom lip, before slowly pushing into his mouth.
Taehyung’s palm lays flat on the small of his back. When his fingers curl and dig into Jeongguk’s skin, Jeongguk lets out a small whimper.
“Tae? You in he—oh.”
Jeongguk springs off Taehyung’s lap, away from the bean bag and onto the floor.
Jimin is at the door, his eyes drifting back and forth between Jeongguk and Taehyung.
Taehyung who, in the aftermath, has his hair all disheveled and out of place, lips slick and a faint blush coloring his cheeks. Jeongguk knows he looks no better than Taehyung does,
but it kind of fills him with a sense of satisfaction, seeing Taehyung look like /that/.
“How the fuck did you even get behind the counter? It’s staff only.”
“Well, /clearly/ it isn’t.” Jimin’s eyes flick to Jeongguk and Jeongguk has never wanted to hide this bad before. He can’t hold Jimin’s gaze for more than a few seconds, choosing to look at the carpet instead. “I told your boss I was looking for you and she let me through.”
“What are you doing here?”
“You left your laptop in my car and you said to bring it over as soon as I’m free? Because you needed to work on your research paper really badly? Or did you suddenly forget about your degree?”
Jimin lifts the bag he’s carrying.
“Right. Just. Set it down anywhere,” Taehyung sounds and looks just as embarrassed as Jeongguk feels right now.
Jimin carefully places it on the floor, letting the bag lean against the shelf, and looks at Jeongguk again. He sports a generous smile that Jeongguk knows is mostly to tease him.
“Hi, Jeongguk. How’ve you been?”
“Great.” Jeongguk pulls his knees to his chest, trying to shrink into himself.
Jimin clicks his tongue and shakes his head. “In the library. You /nasty/ fuckers.”
“We were just kissing!” Taehyung exclaims.
“You know that’s how it always starts!”
There’s a loud silence that falls after the door shuts.
Jeongguk stays rooted on his spot, can’t bring himself to glance at the boy on the bean bag. He can’t believe that just happened. Tries not to think about how much more would have happened if Jimin hadn’t interrupted.
He bites his lip, still feeling the ghost of Taehyung’s kiss there.
Taehyung breaks the quiet by clearing his throat. “So. Movie night on Saturday at my place?”
“Sure.”
Taehyung is patting his hair back into place and adjusting his ID tag when Jeongguk looks at him again.
“I should—work on my research paper—”
“Y-yeah. Need to do homework too.”
They both stand to their feet. Jeongguk trails behind Taehyung, who picks the bag up and has his other hand already on the door handle when he suddenly turns around to face Jeongguk again.
Jeongguk almost stumbles backward when Taehyung takes him by surprise and kisses him again one last time. It’s quick and sweet, but it puts more heat on Jeongguk’s cheeks all the same.
“More of that on Saturday,” Taehyung says with a smile.
Jeongguk almost melts on the spot.
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As per Taehyung’s words, there’s more kissing than there is much of anything else.
They had put on a movie on Taehyung’s laptop not too long ago but the second Taehyung got in between Jeongguk’s legs, it was long forgotten, tossed aside on the bed without even being paused.
It merely serves as a background noise amidst everything. Amidst the soft smacking of their lips, Taehyung’s low chuckle after he pulls away and they look at each other for a second too long, and amidst Jeongguk’s silent freak-outs inside his head.
He was shy about it at first, lying in Taehyung’s bed /with/ him in it like this, but Taehyung does a great job at making Jeongguk feel comfortable. He’s slow and… /polite/.
Not exactly timid but it’s obvious that he’s not trying to make things too heated. Too far.
He keeps his hands where they’re safe and although Jeongguk doesn’t necessarily mind something more than this he thinks it’d be too soon.
Still, he drinks Taehyung in, because kissing him again after the first time is a lot easier with the semblance of control Jeongguk has now.
He doesn’t even mind that Taehyung is teasing, constantly gently biting Jeongguk’s lips and pulling away with a sly smile every time Jeongguk grunts and chases his mouth for more.
Taehyung always /gives/ him more anyway.
Jeongguk doesn’t think he can ever get enough of Taehyung’s soft kisses, or the way his palm is just there resting on Jeongguk’s thigh.
“Jin hyung said you sent a message to his radio show way before I did,” Taehyung says after he pulls away.
At that, Jeongguk blinks, processing the words that came out of Taehyung’s mouth.
“He figured it out. He wanted to ask you for a favor so I gave him your number but he recognized it instead. I think he forgot about the favor.”
“Um.”
/Damn Seokjin./
If Taehyung already knows then there really isn’t a point in denying it now.
“He said you were talking about me. What did you send him?”
“You heard him read it, actually. We were together that day. I was J. If you remember.”
Jeongguk’s cheeks are starting to heat up. Doesn’t help that Taehyung is hovering over him like this. Taehyung seems to recollect the memory, his mouth forming an ‘o’. In an attempt to make him drop the subject, Jeongguk tugs at the collar of Taehyung’s shirt.
“It doesn’t matter anymore.” Jeongguk tries to pull Taehyung in for another kiss but the elder resists and cracks a smile.
“I didn’t even know you were into guys because of that book.”
“Not /again/.”
Jeongguk wishes that he had burned the book when he still had the chance.
“Did you seriously not read it even a little bit? Nothing to be embarrassed about.”
“I don’t /read/ erotica.”
Almost says that he doesn’t even read, to begin with, but thinks that maybe he should.
Taehyung likes books. Jeongguk is past the point where he needs to impress Taehyung but he still wants to, well, /impress/ him.
“What, do you enjoy first-hand experience instead?” Taehyung jokes.
“/Hyung/,” Jeongguk whines and slowly makes an effort to push Taehyung away from him.
“Sorry. I’m joking.” He smiles and pecks the slack of Jeongguk's pout once. “You’re much softer than I expected.”
“Softer?”
“I don’t know. You’re so shy sometimes. Like… I could look at you and you would melt into a puddle on the spot.”
Taehyung isn’t entirely wrong. In fact, he’s too spot-on, since that was the case when Jeongguk spent months just admiring the elder from afar in the library.
And then he suddenly remembers Taeyung and Jimin’s conversation that he overheard. Doesn’t know why he’s thinking about it now. He recalls what Taehyung had said, about him and relationships. Jeongguk feels the need to ask.
“Remember when I accidentally eavesdropped on you and Jimin in the library?”
“Accidentally?” Taehyung quirks an eyebrow.
Jeongguk chooses to ignore that. “You said you weren’t looking to be in a relationship."
Taehyung decides to roll to the side then. His bed is just enough to fit them both but it’s still a tight space so they’re pressed together.
They just started things. Jeongguk doesn’t want to come off like he’s asking for much but he also doesn’t want to jump into something
that isn’t entirely defined from the beginning. Even if it’s Taehyung.
/Especially/ if it’s Taehyung.
“That’s got a lot to do with how my last one ended,” is all Taehyung offers. Jeongguk wants to press further, tries not to. It isn’t his place to ask. Yet. He doesn’t know
if it’s something Taehyung wouldn’t mind talking about.
“So we’re…”
“I’m not trying to lead you on, if that’s what you’re asking. I want to go on dates with you.” Taehyung turns to the side, tucks his hands under his cheek as he looks at Jeongguk.
It’s the answer he wants to hear but still not the most informative. Makes Jeongguk realize how cautious he’s being. Makes complete sense too because it’s been a while since he dated, and now that he’s sort of dating Taehyung, the guy he’s had a massive crush on for months, it’s
like he’s learning all over again.
Sometimes Jeongguk wishes he was the version of himself everyone thought he was. All doused in confidence and doesn’t need to make up an excuse to walk up to his crush. Maybe that way he wouldn't have taken this long to get
anywhere with Taehyung.
In truth, Jeongguk’s just never been that good with… /this/. He prefers a private life and he gets too shy sometimes that people mistake the way he keeps to himself as some kind of intimidating front.
“I’ll tell you all about my ex later. Let’s go back to the movie for now, okay?” Taehyung reaches for the laptop and places it between them again. He rewinds to the part where they had stopped paying attention.
Jeongguk just nods. Taehyung probably wants to take things slow and
he doesn’t mind that at all. Weeks ago he would’ve never thought that he’d be kissing Taehyung in the elder’s bed, so he’ll take what he can get.
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— bookmark above tweet
i think this au should be ending soon im so stuck w it i just want it over asap 
please interact!! and lmk what you think
curiouscat.qa/lipvk
please interact!! and lmk what you think
curiouscat.qa/lipvkif you enjoy my works please consider supporting me through ko-fi 
ko-fi.com/lipvk
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on hold indefinitely????? i dont want to abandon it but im stuck pls be patient with me
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