TAEKOOK | HOPE

• 21 hawaii

Hmm...
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When Jeongguk wakes up the following morning, he honestly isn't convinced the whole thing hadn't been a dream. They'd moved on to another topic quickly after that exchange, and Taehyung hadn't broached the subject again.

The mature thing to do, he knows, would be to talk to Taehyung about it, but he can't think of a way to initiate that conversation that doesn't start with "what the actual fuck" or something equally not chill. Like, for example, "did you mean it, I love you, please say you meant it." There's also the small matter that Taehyung had been extremely drunk at the time, and Jeongguk can't even be sure that he remembers what happened at all.

So, like the mature adult he is, Jeongguk spends the whole day stressing out about it without taking any actual action.

And that's how he finds himself seated next to Taehyung on the couch in Seokjin's living room at 11:30pm on New Year's Eve, still without any idea of what he's going to do at midnight.

It's been a relatively quiet evening, complete with Seokjin's cooking, copious amounts of soju and champagne, and several highly competitive rounds of board games. Taehyung has been acting totally normal, not as clingy as the night before but not distant either. If he remembers what he'd said to Jeongguk in the bar, he gives no indication of it, which only serves to make Jeongguk even more confused.

With thirty minutes to midnight, Taehyung is curled sleepily into Jeongguk's side, head resting on his shoulder. It had happened innocently enough - they were all wedged on the couch, Seokjin separating them, but then he had gotten up and Taehyung had drooped against Jeongguk instead. Which is totally normal and fine and Jeongguk is definitely not freaking out about it.

Across from them, Yoongi and Jimin are already fully passed out, Jimin's head in Yoongi's lap. Seokjin, Hoseok, and Namjoon have just ventured up to the roof to wait for the fireworks, and while Jeongguk is tempted to join them, he finds the warmth of Taehyung's body too intoxicating to pull away from. The look they all give him as they leave is a little too knowing for Jeongguk's taste, but he's choosing to ignore that.

"Any new year's resolutions?" Taehyung asks, yawning.

Jeongguk hums. "I want to put out my own music, I think. Maybe travel more." He pauses, taking a sip of his champagne. "Oh, and meet Robert Downey Jr."

Also, figure out how to not have a mental breakdown every time Taehyung is this close to him.

Taehyung snorts. "If you hang around LA enough, maybe you will."

"Is that an invitation?"

"I'm not above using celebrities to lure you into visiting me."

As if Jeongguk would ever need to be lured into visiting Taehyung.

"I'll consider it."

Taehyung laughs, and Jeongguk can feel the warm vibration against his side.

"What about you, any resolutions?"

There's a pause during which Taehyung seems to be pondering the question. "I dunno," he says finally. "There's a movie script I've had my eye on, but movies are a whole different ball game from TV, so who knows. I miss music, too, and I miss home."