#taekook #taekookau Kim Taehyung is walking on the street late at night a few hours before the clock strikes zero and the New Year arrives. He could have been at his company's gala but instead, he attended his team's late secret santa gift exchange and then decided to go+

for a walk holding the bag with his gift that turned out to be not such an ideal choice because the person who got him The Adventure Challenge bundle for couples didn't know about his current relationship status. But well, that's how such events go. But Taehyung+

really wished his secret santa had bought him a bottle of wine like Park Jimin's did. Now, as he walks down the street, feeling the cold biting his nose, Taehyung sighs as he recalls the awkwardness in the meeting room where his team had exchanged gifts. It's okay, though,+

because he managed to maintain his politeness when his eyes fell on not one but two books. One nice for adventurous dates and one naughty for adventurous nights. Kim Taehyung used to have a girlfriend a few years ago. Then they broke up. Then he got into a relationship with+

one of his colleagues from another team and things didn't end up well because they had to keep it a secret. Now, it's been 6 months since the breakup and Taehyung still has to see the face of Kang Daniel, their advertising genius but anyways.

Taehyung has decided to make a New Years Resolution: focus on himself, go to the gym, travel, experience new things, and so on, all by himself. But, well, New Year Resolutions are always set and then broken, especially when you bump into something more important and,+

Taehyung thinks when his eyes meet the hooded boy sitting outside of a restaurant, holding a bouquet of sunflowers, infinitely beautiful. "Hey," he dares to ask. "Mind if I sit here?" "What?" The breathy voice sounds watery, eyes hiding behind the hood. "I'm sorry. Yes.+

I mean, no! Please sit. I was about to leave," the young boy adds, sniffling his cute nose that looks red like Rudolph's. "Thank you," Taehyung nods, eyes wandering through the glassy window towards the couples dining inside. "These are some nice flowers. Are you waiting for+

someone?" "I was..." "Did they stand you up?" "More like broke up with me..." Taehyung's face grows a little dim, listening to his pained voice and looking at him wiping the tears off his eyes, who are still a mystery to Taehyung, hiding under the hood. "On New Year's Eve.

That's good." "W-why?" The young boy asks, turning to Taehyung's side, finally taking a look at his face and beautiful plaid scarf. "The idea of breaking up during New Year's Eve is reinforced by the idea of starting anew. Your girlfriend was apparently not as committed as+

you were. So it's good to get away from a relationship that didn't have a future." The boy is stunned for a moment, tilting his head just a little before new tears start falling on his eyes. "Oh, sh*t!" Taehyung exclaims, realizing that he shouldn't have told him that.+

Sometimes his marketing brain ruins stuff. And this is totally one of those times. "I didn't mean that!" He continues, looking at the boy sobbing and his heart aches because he reminds him of himself when he heard the words, 'Let's break up. I went to focus on myself,' from+

what he thought to be the love if his life. "Hey," Taehyung tries to calm him down, letting his hand reach for his shoulder to soothe him up a little. "I didn't mean that. Please don't cry. It's gonna be okay." "I—m—s—rry!" The boy's voice breaks as he finally puts the flowers+

down and removes his hood to reveal what made Kim Taehyung's heart skip a beat. You see, the marketer never believed in this love at first sight crap although he craved it once in a while. He lost faith when Daniel broke up with him and he's now doing fine, flirting with+

their colleagues and glowing. And Taehyung, well, he let himself slip cause the sadness was more overpowering than his pride. But just now, looking at this heartbroken boy, makes Taehyung's heart ache. His eyes look big and red from crying. Yet they are beautiful and full of+

little stars. His nose is cute. Still red, like Rudolph's, and he has the prettiest and most kissable lips even though they seem to need a bit of lip balm to make them look soft and shiny. "It's okay," Taehyung tries to be kind and helpful but the boy keeps crying and he can't+

bear the sight of it so he adds, "my boyfriend broke up with me 6 months ago, too. And today, during secret santa, someone gave me a couple's adventure book to use with my girlfriend... And my ex saw me opening it cause he work at the same company and—" Taehyung can feel the+

tears coming. "And—" His voice breaks a little, recalling the tears and ice cream he had devoured until his belly ached for one Kand Daniel who looked completely fine without him. "It's—" But as Taehyung lets the memories of his breakup take over he feels a pair of arms wrapping

around him, holding him in place and making him feel safe just for a moment. "I—" he tries to say when he listens to the boy murmuring. "I'm so sorry." Then, he slowly moves back, revealing his teary-eyed face which Taehyung finds so beautiful even though it is sad. "I'm so+

sorry he broke up with you," he adds. "It's okay—" Taehyung uses his scarf to wipe the tears. "It was a long time ago. You didn't have to comfort me. I'm sorry for being insensitive. Your girlfriend—" "Boyfriend..." The doe-eyed boy corrects him. "Oh..." Taehyung looks at him+

a little surprised. The boy is way too beautiful that the thought of asking didn't even cross his mind. "I'm sorry." "W-why do we keep apologizing to each other?" "I don't even know. I'm sorry— I mean... I— was taken by surprise. Everything's gonna be okay. You'll go+

through this." "I don't... I mean... I knew it was coming... But it hurts..." The boy says, letting his head move lower to hide his face from the stranger's eyes. It's embarrassing, he thinks. He has never been so straightforward before hugging a person out of the blue.

But this man seems to know what he's going through. And he still looks sad. And he's also alone on New Year's Eve. Which is sadder... "Did they really gift you that couple book?" The boy wonders, trying to change the topic and the man nods. God, he swears this must+

be the only person who can look good with tears on his face. "They did... It's a great gift if, well, you have someone to share those dates with... I think my santa saw me searching for it months back when I was in a relationship... They thought I still was..."

"Oh..." The boy nods. "Makes sense..." "Do you wanna see it?" "S-sure..." He replies, looking at the man, bringing out the nice book, keeping the black one in the bag. "Oh, you have to scratch those and take pics?" Taehyung nods. "Yeah... Do you want to scratch one?+

I'm just gonna throw it away anyways..." "B-but it's a gift," the beautiful boy wonders. "Well, and a cruel reminder as well..." Taehyung sighs as the boy takes the couple book from him and turns the book to a random page. "23?" "It's gonna be 2023 soon..." The boy murmurs,+

and Taehyung nods, feeling somewhat better that he is not alone even though he will probably not see this stranger ever again after he stands up from the bench. "Pick one," the boy then asks, unable to choose the first or the second one. "The one on top..." Taehyung points to+

the grey square and the boy releases a cute sound ahich is far better than the sobs. Clearly he loves things like this and Taehyung is happy he somehow made him forget about the breakup even for a few minutes. It's always good to have someone whne things get tough.

"I forgot to ask—" The marketer then starts, forgetting that he didn't even ask for the boy's name. "Oh that's a classic one!" The breathy voice sounds a little excited as he reads, "Go to a bar and pretend you are strangers. One of you has to use cheesy pick up lines. The+

other one has to play hard to get. If one makes the other laugh before the end of the date then the hard to get has to pull the other to the bathroom and..." The young boy's voice trails off, feeling his ears getting hotter before he closes the book and passes it to Taehyung.

"And?" He wonders, looking at the flustered face next to him before he realizes as well. "Oh... That's not in the nice list... Wait a moment..." Taehyung wonders, opening the "nice" book back to page 23. "Oh, that one is a bonus from the naughty book since they are a bundle."

"T-the naughty one..." The boy murmurs, avoiding looking at him as Taehyung reads the entire date challenge which may involve a very naughty time in the bathroom with the winner enjoying himself a little too much. "I'm so sorry— I didn't know they had a bonus in them. This must—

be a little weird... And I didn't even ask for your name," Taehyung adds shyly, cursing Hobi for giving him his particular gift. This is embarrassing. "I am Jeongguk... Jeon Jeongguk." "Jeongguk," Taehyung pronounces it perfectly in his deep and sweet voice. "I'm Kim Taehyung.+

"I work for that big fancy company over there," he pounts to the building with the llama logo on it. "I am "I am in marketing." "Oh, you must be older than me! I'm so sorry for being informal." "It's alright. I started with an intership after finishing+

Business School. Are you working or?" "I'm a graphic designer... Or I want to be. This is my final year in college. I turned 23 in September." "Actually," Taehyung speaks in a whisper. "I turned 25 yesterday." "Oh my! Happy birthday then!" The young one turns to him, smiling+

even though his lips want to turn into a sad little crescent moon. "Thanks..." Taehyung murmurs, clearly not very happy. "Is something the matter? Did you not celebrate?" "Well... We had booked tickets for for that Japanese spa island... I didn't want to go all by myself."

"Oh god, I'm so sorry, again. I'm making things worse..." "No, please. It's me who keeps recalling everything... Angels..." "Taehyung?" Jeongguk asks, eyes glimmering udner the light as the soft jazz music echoes from inside. "Hmm?" He hums, enjoying the sound of his name on+

his lips. Sometimes all it takes is to hear your name to feel that you matter. "Let's make a New Year Resolution." "For real?" Taehyung asks curiously. "Yeah! Let's forget about our exes! 2023, let's make it all about us!" The boy declares, trying hard to make him feel+

better despite being the one who got dumped just an hour ago. Taehyung is grateful. This boy must be too precious. What sort of person dared to breka his heart on New Year's Eve? Probably a heartless monster. "Okay," Taehyung finally says. "Seal it?" Jeongguk continues+

showing him his glove-covered pinky. "This way you can't break it." "Of course," the older one lifts his hand, sealing the deal as snowflakes start falling all around them. "Oh?" "It's snowing!" Jeongguk exclaims, looking around him as little tiny snowflakes land on the ground.

"First snow of the year..." Taehyung murmurs. He loves snow more than anything. Kang Daniel, well, he never really did. "On the last day of the year! That's so beautiful!" Jeongguk continues excitedly when his eyes fall on the man next to him. "Here," he teb reaches for the+

flowers. You can have these. I know it may be weird since they were for someone else but it wa stour birthday yesterday and everyone deserves to get flowers on their special day. I love sunflowers. I hope you like them and cheer up a little." And Taehyung melts, being completely

and utterly speechless by the boy's thoughtfulness. He never expected to meet someone like him. So selfless? Kind? And infinitely beautiful. Such person doesn't deserve to be sad. "I'm just gonna head home now... It's getting cold and I don't want to keep your company+

waiting..." The boy stands up, fixing his coat and shoving his hands in his pockets. "I..." Taehyung thinks, eyes falling on the book on his lap. "Will you wait for the new year at home? Alone?" He wonders Nd the boy nods, cleaning his face off the dried tears. "I was gonna+

head home, too. Would you..." He continues, voice trembling just a little. Kim Taehyung was never the bold kind. But, well, that's the old Taehyung. New Taehyung needs to be more confident and adventurous. "Yes?" The boy asks eagerly, smiling at him. "Would you like to get+

a drink, perhaps?" "At a bar?" Jeongguk wonders, cheeks flushing red as he remembers the date on the book. "Yeah... Or we could grab a bite if you are hungry. I need to thank you for the flowers. These are my favorite ones," Taehyung admits with a boxy smile that instantly+

melts poor Jeongguk's heart. It'd be a lie to say that the stranger didn't have an effect on him at first glance. His presence feels warm and he smells so nice, he had thought, when he hugged him a few minutes ago. "I..." Jeongguk thinks for a moment. It's just a drink. At+

least none of them will be alone when 2023 arrives. "Okay. Let's go to RJ's. Do you know it?" "I know the barman." "Min Yoongi?" "Yes!" Taehyung is excited that he knows him. That's probably one thing they have in common. "He makes delicious cocktails." "He's a pro!" Jeongguk

agrees, looking at Taehyung's grabbing his gift bag and shoving the nice book inside. Then, they leave the restaurant behind as snow keeps falling, landing on top of their heads and making a nice contrast with their blushed faces.

On that New Year's Eve, they probably had the best time of their lives. Because, Jeongguk did have a lot of cheesy pick up lines to share when a slightly drunk Taehyung asked him to share some with him, you know, just in case he needed a few in case he found someone interesting+

and needed to make a move. Of course, he did find someone and Jeongguk pouted so hard when Kim Taehyung turned to him and said, "I'm gonna call you winter!" He then moved a little closer, making Jeongguk blush harder, and completely erasing his 3-month old relationship from+

his mind. "W-why?" His eyes fell on the pretty heart-shaped lips. They looked irresistible. And god, why thst man had to smell so nice. Jeongguk hated heavy scents but this one smells like vanilla and strawberry. Just delicious. "Because soon, you'll be coming!"

Taehyung chuckled. A big smirk was on his face. Jeongguk gulped, feeling his face overheating when Yoongi brought them some shots, making Taehyung move back and grab his. Worst timing ever, Jeongguk thought. "Get ready for rhe countdown!" The blonde barman spoke and Jeongguk+

turned to Taehyung and he probably saw some glimpse of the future because when everyone started counting backwards, Jeongguk mustered all his courage and whispered in his ear. "I forgot to tell you that I'm usually pretty hard to get." "Is that so?" Taehyung asked, listening+

to the people around them counting backwards from ten. "Yeah," Jeongguk continued, heart beating faster. "Is this—" Taehyung tried to say when the countdown was at "3—," looking at Jeongguk giggling shyly. "I lost," he murmured. "Here's your reward, Taehyung."

Amidst everyone's cheers and loud voices, the colorful chaos and the alcohol, Jeongguk moved fort and kissed the man with the most beautiful face he had seen. Sadness didn't suit him. Maybe a kiss could take away all the sorrow and make 2023 brighter. "W-what—" Taehyung gasped+

when they parted, feeling a little confused and, well, slightly aroused. "I'm sorry," the boy murmured, blushing harder. "I thought—" But before he could say another word, Kim Taehyung's fingers latched behind his nape, pulling him into a proper kiss that made Yoongi grunt in+

disgust as the two of his regulars devoured each other's mouths in front of his eyes. "Get a room..." He murmured, rolling his eyes and the two younger ones did just that. Well, it may not have been a room that night but Taehyung surely made winter come and winter gave+

back in that small black-tiled bathroom on the first day of 2023. And you know what they say about that, right? What you do on the first day of the year, you are bound to repeat it all year long. And well now Taehyung doesn't need any excuse to kiss his boyfriend of 4 years or+

make winter come all year round. In fact, heoves winter so much and he will keep loving him no matter what. After all, it's his favorite season of all and wouldn't change it for anything in the world.

—Fin

A/N: I wrote this between my breaks as a little ty for all the love and support! Also IG showed me that couple book. Which in their case, they completed all the 50 nice dates and then all the naughty ones.

You can find me @calli for more! Take care y'all!

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