bittersweet | taekook

six

the following evening, taehyung didn't hesitate to grab jeongguk's wrist and drag him away the moment he laid his eyes on the younger one.

"h-hey-" jeongguk stammered, wary of taehyung's behaviour. "what're you doing?"

taehyung looked back and gave jeongguk a heart-warming smile; one that spread so wide that even his eyes were littered with pretty crinkles. "just follow me!"

following was an easy task for jeongguk, however, walking for thirty minutes straight whilst having his arm dragged wasn't easy – he got pain.

eventually, they had arrived at a neighbourhood full of welcoming houses – at least, that's what it appeared like. the neighbours were rather chatty – friendly, even. they didn't hesitate to wave to taehyung as soon as their eyes landed on him and a smile erupted.

"what is this? your neighbourhood?"

"still catching on quickly, i see." taehyung replied and let go of jeongguk's wrist, but this time, he intertwined his fingers with jeongguk's own.

"don't get lost, alright? this place is rather big for somebody so small like you, so stay close. i want you to come to my house for the night!" taehyung smiled and pulled him closer.

"why would you suddenly want me to stay over at your house?"

taehyung shrugged. "maybe i just want you to sleep in a warm place for once?"

indeed, it was warm. jeongguk had never been engulfed with such warmth in a house due to the lack of insulation in his own, and he wanted to stay here for a little longer. it seemed cozy.

jeongguk was introduced to taehyung's parents, who seemed startled by the announcement of a guest arriving, but nevertheless, they welcomed the boy with open arms.

he was treated with a warm meal as well – so warm that he could see the faint outline of smoke still appearing on the meat; so warm that it had even burned his tongue a little (but to appear polite to taehyung's parents, he just did a little hafafafa inside his mouth to quickly get the cool air inside in exchange for the burning sensation on his tongue). despite that, it was a pleasant meal.

(he even got to witness the oh-so-mighty taehyung get playfully hit by his own parents for not warning them about the guest because they're ashamed of the few dust particles that hadn't been cleaned up, even though jeongguk didn't notice).

when it began getting even darker, the two went up to taehyung's room. jeongguk explored with open eyes and a mouth ajar; wanting to take certain objects for closer inspection.

"a pretty cool room, isn't it?"

"you're a fan of my little pony?"

"wait, fuck-"

through jeongguk's fit of giggles, taehyung had to defend himself by countlessly saying "it's not mine! it's my sister's! she always dumps some weird things in here!"

a while later, they were sharing stories with each other on taehyung's bed, snugly cuddling one another – even though jeongguk had refused at first. "that's gay," was his response.

"and? i'm gay for you." taehyung would reply.

even though it was 'gay' for two guys to melt in each other's arms, jeongguk had to admit – it was nice and cozy as well. in reality, everything about taehyung's home was pleasant – his parents, the meals, the warmth and even the little decorations plastered around the house that would often say "i love you" as a gentle reminder.

to some people, this may be a normal thing in their life – find somebody special, explore the raw sides of them, make promises and exchange vows; promising to be with each other for the rest of your life. to jeongguk, it was new. scary.

"jeongguk?"

"hm?" he would reply whilst opening his eyes a little, (only to discover that moonlight truly complimented taehyung's eyes).

"do you want to be something special to me, for the rest of my life?"

jeongguk pondered on the thought. "special?"

"you know, we can-"

jeongguk let out a small chuckle. "i'm not that much of a dummy, taehyung. i promise you that for the rest of my life, i'll see you every day and we can be 'special' together."

in return the gentle slur of whispers that escaped jeongguk's mouth, taehyung smiled once more. he leaned closer to jeongguk and planted a kiss on jeongguk's forehead before pulling him closer to his own body; letting jeongguk rest on taehyung's chest.

despite the fact that it was warm inside taehyung's house, jeongguk didn't return the following night. taehyung had eventually gotten his skateboard out and he drove up to the bridge; finding jeongguk sleeping on the ground once more whilst hugging his own knees.

and once more, taehyung took off his jacket to cover jeongguk's body with it.