Yoonmin_Is_My_Drug (ao3)
Kindergarten teacher Jeon Jeongguk falls head over heels for freelance artist Kim Taehyung who volunteers at the centre reading books, painting with the kids and always walks out with his hair covered in glitter or his hands covered in some kind of paint or glue.
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The first time Jeongguk sees Taehyung is early one December morning, outside of the kindergarten.
His nose is pressed to the window, hands braced on either side of the glass, brows furrowed as he tries to peer inside and his breath is fogging up the glass.
Jeongguk pauses, hand on the black iron gate that they installed to keep the children from running out of the facility, and scrunches his nose softly, trying to discern whether this man is lost, insane or looking for someone- maybe all of the above.
He pushes on, opening the gate and letting his black boots crunch against the settled snow, the noise of another person startling the man.
He whips his head around and grins widely at Jeongguk, much to his surprise, and Jeongguk feels his cheeks get a little warm.
From the cold, of course, and not because of the way the man's boxy smile stretches far too wide to be considered safe and makes him melt a little.
"Are you Kim Seokjin?" He asks happily, bounding over to Jeongguk and rubbing the tip of his nose with his mittened hand.
Jeongguk shakes his head softly and closes the gate behind him, hugging the set of books he'd bought to read to the children close to his chest.
"No," Jeongguk says, looking over the man's features, "but I work for him.. can I help you?"
The man is about the same height as Jeongguk, with ashen blond hair that falls softly into his eyes from under his black beanie.
He has a sharp jawline that softened where it curved at the bottom to create his heart shaped face, a plump lower lip with a defined cupid's bow where a small freckle resided against his honeyed skin, beautiful round, brown eyes and supple cheeks.
Jeongguk felt like he was staring at a Greek god.
"Mhm!" The man said joyously, sticking his hand out to Jeongguk. "My name's Kim Taehyung, I came to volunteer over the holidays."
Jeongguk tentatively took his hand and shook it with a soft smile. "Jeon Jeongguk, nice to meet you."
Taehyung seems to always have that bubbly, over excited puppy dog feel about him, Jeongguk finds, watching him quietly as he reads a picture book to the children in an animated voice.
Jeongguk sips on his coffee, standing just outside the entrance of the kindergarten's kitchen, and watches Taehyung with interest.
He's never seen a volunteer be so naturally gifted at taking care of children before. It seems almost effortless, the way Taehyung draws their attention and holds it for hours on end, the way he plays their games and agrees with their logic and makes every single child in the centre laugh and smile.
Jeongguk has never seen the centre feel so lively and warm before and it's a wonderful feeling.
He chalks up the effortless caregiving to the fact that Taehyung is really just like a little kid in a man's body.
When they sit down for break together, Taehyung often has snacks that resemble those they make for the children; iced animal crackers, triangle club sandwiches, sliced strawberries and raspberry finger buns.
He comes into the centre, more often than not, with fussed bed hair and a tired little pout as though he's been dragged out of bed when he hasn't wanted to get up, but the second he sees Jeongguk he livens up and starts grinning from ear to ear again.
