washable markers ➝ taekook

twenty-five

  

~데이트 신청하는 거니?

Finally, alone in the peace and quiet of his bedroom long after dark, letting go of all the tension in his muscles and relaxing into his cushy mattress, Taehyung closed his eyes and sighed, contentedly.

"Come on Sunday

I've been waiting up on that sorbet"

    As he waited for sleep to come, Taehyung allowed his mind to wander- not that it would've stayed clear and empty if he wanted it to do so. He was there again, in that patch of deep green by the pond, lying in the grass with that boy. When the boy was drenched, they left together.

TEN HOURS EARLIER

    Dakota enthusiastically took the lead as they crossed the street, leaving the patch of trees behind. The boys hung behind just slightly, walking together, with Dakota just a few people paces ahead, staying on track and not pulling the leash, heeling when Jeongguk told him to. There was so much love holding the boy and his dog together; a binding force that kept the dog by his side and waiting to obey his commands, and kept the boy tenderly and lovingly caring for the dog and staying by his side as well. Taehyung wondered if he'd ever seen such a clear bond between an animal and its owner before.

   "Since then, he's been there for me when I needed someone."

He wondered if the dog had suffered a similar sort of loss. Could he sense Jeongguk's pain? Was he able to feel any kind of sympathy for him? How much did Jeongguk hurt? For how long? Was he still hurting?

    Mind buzzing with questions, Taehyung didn't notice Jeongguk's questioning glance on him, due to his falling strangely silent. However, he did notice the back of Jeongguk's hand brushing his. He turned his head to meet his gaze, his lips parted slightly in silent surprise, waiting to see if he dared to make another move.

    Jeongguk smiled as he tilted his head down to watch while he slid his fingers in between Taehyung's. And goodness, his hands were so soft and gentle, the only contradiction being the small callouses resting at the joint of each finger, at the tops of his palms, giving a hint to a certain hobby that would involve gripping a metal bar.

Does he lift-? That would explain his arms-

It might have been that Jeongguk did work out, and he might have been amazingly strong, Taehyung didn't know, but regardless, his hand, wrapped around his own, was nothing but sweet and gentle.

His touch was so satisfying, though at the same time it brought a longing for more.But, "more" didn't need to come now. It could wait. Patience is a virtue, and so is gentleness, which the boy seemed to have mastered. Right now, this was all that was needed: Jeongguk's hand wrapped around his.

Jeongguk's house was only getting closer, and that would mean the boy's hand would be slipping away from his just as fast as it had come, and they'd say goodbye and possibly 'see ya around'. It seemed there wasn't anything to say yet, so they left the silence alone and only focused on their intertwined hands, and Dakota's wagging tail.

But, all good things seem to come to an end, and their short moment of closeness was no exception. Both Jeongguk and Dakota had mostly dried by the time they returned and Jeongguk had smoothly let go of his hand. He unclipped the leash and let the dog get out some energy, dashing around the yard, while he turned to Taehyung.

"Thanks for accompanying us." He offered a grateful smile.

"Thanks for letting me join you. It was a lot of fun. You seem to have a habit of getting water all over your front," Taehyung teased, making Jeongguk snort.

"You still remember that?"

"How could I forget?" he chuckled.

"Yeah... Well..." The boy trailed off, turning his attention to Dakota, who was having a blast, dashing around again. "Hey, do you like ice cream and water ice and stuff?" he blurted, out of the blue.

"Yeah. Ice cream's fine but I usually prefer fruit stuff. Water ice is good, but sorbet's my favorite."

"So, what if we.. went to get some.. together.. tomorrow? There's an ice cream shop a couple minutes away from school, and they sell sorbet."

"Are you asking me out on a date?" Taehyung cocked his head, crossing his arms.

    "Well.. Yeah.." He seemed to gain some sparkle of confidence. "I am. Would you like to go on a date with me? Again?"

    "Yes!"

   And then they had parted ways, each grinning as they waved. And soon after, when he'd recovered from his lovely encounter with Jeongguk, he'd returned to Sorah's house to see his two friends sitting on top of their boards in the driveway, chatting about waffles, and the two were very happy to see him return as he'd said he would.

PRESENT

   If only sleep could come faster. Normally able to fall asleep quickly, it was all the more frustrating for Taehyung to be stuck awake, with his brain acting like a camera showing snapshots of the boy and his pretty smile; pieces of his laughter or things he'd said that his brain had kept and played over and over, like a recording; even somehow capturing the essence of his touch, light, honeyed, and conciliating, inspiring stronger and stronger desire for him and him only.

   With no doubt, Jeongguk had caught his fancy, and turned the majority of his thoughts toward him. Now he could only wait the 16 hours until he'd be on his way to their first(-ish) date. Luckily for him, his mind allowed him rest, and soon enough, let him fall into honey dreams and sweet musings.

"Maybe five or six, I'll meet you halfway"

(*' -')('- '*)

i seriously think i actually pulled my hamstring and my GOSHHHH THAT HURTS