TAEKOOK | HOPE

• 38 Happy

Grab your unholies my lilies
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"Sorry for being a horny, drunk disaster last night," Jeongguk mumbles over breakfast the next morning.

Thanks to Taehyung's insistence that he drink water before bed, he'd woken up with only a mild hangover. Sadly, that hadn't been enough to wash the memory of his failed advances on Taehyung from his mind, and now that he's sober, he's also mortified.

"You were cute," Taehyung assures him, patting his hand.

"Ugh," Jeongguk groans, dropping his forehead on to the counter. "This is so embarrassing."

"C'mon, stop," Taehyung says, rubbing his back. "It's not like I wasn't into it too."

Jeongguk perks up at this, turning so that his cheek rests against the counter and he can observe Taehyung with one eye. "Really?"

"Really," Taehyung confirms. "Drunk Jeongguk is a menace, but he's still unfairly sexy. Drunk Taehyung wouldn't have stood a chance."

Jeongguk preens a little at this, lifting his head fully. "Still. Sorry for putting you in that position."

Taehyung shrugs, waving his hand dismissively. "It's fine. I mostly just didn't want you to do something you'd regret."

Jeongguk swallows. "I'd never regret being with you, Tae."

Taehyung's eyes go wide, and he bites down on a pleased smile that makes Jeongguk's insides feel warm and gooey. "Me neither," he says softly. "And just so we're totally clear - no rush, or pressure, but. I'm ready. Whenever you are."

The words sink in slowly, heat curling in Jeongguk's stomach and diffusing through his entire body. He's glad they hadn't immediately fallen into bed together when Taehyung showed up at his door, but with each passing day, he's been thinking about it more and more. It's kind of a miracle that he's spent this long with a willing Taehyung in his home and hasn't gotten naked with him yet, to be honest. It's given them the time and clarity they needed to focus on other things, but yeah - Jeongguk's not sure how much longer he's going to last. Especially now that Taehyung has explicitly said that he's ready.

"Okay," he nods, trying to appear cool and collected and almost certainly failing. "Uh - good to know."

Taehyung laughs fondly, shaking his head, and their conversation gradually wanders on to other things.

Still, the seed has been planted, and it's all Jeongguk can think about over the next few days. Taehyung is just so beautiful, whether he's soft and fluffy-haired in the morning or dressed up to go out with Jeongguk at night. And Jeongguk, as usual, is completely lovestruck, can't take his eyes off Taehyung even as he tries to keep his hands to himself. He doesn't really know what he's waiting for, at this point - maybe just a moment that feels right. It's not like this is anything they haven't done before, but like Taehyung had said, this is their last first time. He wants it to happen organically, naturally - when it's supposed to.

A few days later, Taehyung finds an apartment. It's just a couple of blocks from Jeongguk's, less than a ten minute walk, which is convenient for personal and work related reasons. And it's a month to month lease, already furnished, so that if and when he and Jeongguk decide they're ready to officially move in together, they won't have to wait very long.