"So what do you guys want to do?" Mirae asked as she continued taking the plates from the table.

"Well, it's after nine thirty, so I think I will head home," Taehyung said after checking the time.

"Oh, you sleep early, Taehyung?"

"Usually no, but lately I have been sleeping quite early."

"Don't tell me you used to sleep around three in the morning like Jeongguk," she snickered.

"Kind of," he replied, chuckling.

"Now that I think about it, Jeongguk started sleeping earlier this week too." A concentrated frown cocooned her face as if she were reflecting on possible reasons.

And she was right. After befriending Taehyung, he found himself sleeping around midnight for some reason. It was like he wanted the night to pass quickly so he could see the older. But even if that was the case, he would never admit it.

"Well, I can't play video games now and I can't draw, so I don't have anything better to do." Jeongguk shrugged — an action made to secrete his nervousness.

"Hmm, of course," Mirae sneered, seeing right through him and his rather lame excuses.

Silence ticked on, and Taehyung made use of it to rise from his seat. "Well, I should get going."

"Nonsense," Mirae protested. "We have a guest room, and you're more than welcome to sleep here tonight!"

The proposition took him by surprise, and the awkward air between him and Jeongguk only added to his discomfort. "Um, I don't think I should."

"I'll make you the best breakfast you have ever eaten."

The second tempting offer had him smiling, almost forgetting about a certain boy. "How can I say no to your cooking?"

"Great, I'll take that as a yes! So, I'll go get the guest room ready, and you two find a movie to watch together."

Jeongguk dragged his feet towards the living room without sparing even a glance at him once his mother took off. He wilted on the couch and grabbed the remote control, searching through Netflix to find a movie.

Taehyung's shoulders sank with unreasonable sulkiness as he followed him seconds later. He perched next to him, eyes fixed on him, observing his wooden expression tinged with something somber and unknown — something he couldn't acknowledge.

"What do you prefer?" His voice came across dull and near-silent, eyes still glued to the screen in front of him.

"I don't mind," Taehyung uttered. A fresh loop of silence nestled between them as Jeongguk didn't respond in any way. "You know what I do mind?"

Jeongguk averted his gaze from the TV and gave him a questioning look.

"Not knowing what you're thinking."

"I'm not thinking about anything."

"I'm not talking about now specifically."

"Okay, everything is set!" Mirae chirped as she scuttled closer. "You still haven't found a movie?"

The younger ripped his gaze away, filling his lungs with much-needed air. "Um, no, I don't know what to pick."

Mirae snorted as she settled down on the other small couch alone. She swiftly found an action movie that had good ratings, and they sat comfortably as the movie began.

Although Jeongguk was staring at the screen in front of him, his mind was occupied by a jumble of thoughts. Why does Taehyung want to know what I'm thinking about so suddenly? And why does he seem affected by the lack of my answers?

 
After almost two hours, the movie ended and Mirae was already dreaming about her warm bed. So she said goodnight to her son with a kiss on his forehead and to Taehyung with a pat on his shoulder.

"Let's go to my room to give you clothes," Jeongguk murmured and set off right away, giving him no room to remonstrate if he was intending to.

After picking out comfy clothes for the older, he passed them over, the corner of his lips curving in a wan attempt to smile. "And there's a toothbrush in the guest room and towels and everything you need, really. My mom is always prepared."

Taehyung chuckled softly. "She's amazing."

"She is," he affirmed with a nod.

As though it became a common thing between the two now, silence washed over them once more, their gazes remaining locked. The brightness and hesitant ease drained away from their smiles, leaving them gasping their last moments until they died out of their faces.

"Well, goodnight then." Taehyung was the first to accumulate any semblance of courage to speak up.

"Goodnight," he said, biting back a sigh. Even if Taehyung perceived his frustration, he kept silent about it and exited the room, and Jeongguk flung himself into his bed at once. What the hell are you doing, Jeongguk? It was wrong to befriend him in the first place.

🥀

Taehyung was the first one to wake up and get ready the next morning. He trod to the kitchen and found seemingly delicious scrambled eggs with sausages on the table. He smiled as he sat down, his mouth watering at the pleasant smell, and dove right in. After a moment, his eyes fell on a note at the corner of the table, and he reached for it.

Good morning, Taehyung! I'm sure you're the first to wake up and I'm sorry I couldn't stay to greet you. I had to go to work early. Please do me the favor and drop Jeonggukie at school. Enjoy your food!

Taehyung chuckled upon reading her note. She's really a wonderful person.

A while later, Jeongguk traipsed into the kitchen, throwing him a sidelong glance, and headed to the counter to get his snacks. "Good morning."

"Good morning. You're not eating?"

"Um, no, I don't eat breakfast."

"Skipping breakfast is not good, Jeongguk. But I'm sure you know that already."

"Yeah, I just need my coffee in the morning."

"Well, if you're ready, let's go because we have to drop by my apartment first."

Jeongguk clutched the straps of his backpack as his eyes flitted to him, lines of confusion forming on his forehead. "You're driving me to school?"

"Yes, Mirae said she had to leave early for work."

But she said she can go to work later and they don't mind. His thoughts only brought him deeper bafflement. "It's okay, I can take the bus."

"Don't be ridiculous, I can drive you there."

"But you don't have to."

"Mirae asked me to, so I have to. And I want to, anyway." His voice sank to a murmur, his gaze shifting away from him.

"Fine, let's go."

As Taehyung had requested, they went to his apartment first so he could change his clothes while Jeongguk waited in the car, and once he returned, they were on their way to school.

"I should have come inside. I'm curious to see how you decorated the apartment."

"You can come over anytime." Taehyung's lips spread involuntarily in a delicate smile at his words. "What about, I don't know, today?"

"Um, I'll go to the doctor for my wrist today. I'm hoping to take this stupid thing off finally." He jiggled his right hand, showcasing his splint.

"Okay then, you can come whenever it works for you. And I hope you can take that stupid thing off too," he added, playful, and chuckled. He received a beam so wide and bright it crinkled the boy’s eyes and nose in the most spellbinding manner. And Taehyung cooed hard mentally at how adorable he looked at that moment.

  
Their ways parted at their arrival as Taehyung proceeded to the teacher's lounge and Jeongguk plodded down the hallway until he reached his classroom.

"Good morning, Jeonggukie!" Jimin chirped.

"Hey. Why aren't you gossiping with Hoseok as usual?"

"We did already." Jimin shook an idle shoulder. "Also, he didn't even know that Mr. Daddy material was looking for a house, and he was surprised when I told him that you helped him."

Jeongguk's body stiffened at his last remark as though his blood iced up with the dread of the admonition that was awaiting him. "Oh, um, okay."

Jimin cast him an inspecting look at the discomfort he sensed in his demeanor, but he shrugged it off and carried on chatting with Yoongi. Well, chatting meant that he was prattling as Yoongi kept his eyes closed and his arms crossed over his chest.

 
"Good morning, hyung." Taehyung's jolly smile tighten a fraction as he studied the set expression embellishing his features — it was a countenance he rarely saw on his hyung's face.

"Good morning."

"What's up?"

"Nothing," he said, voice sickeningly sugary just like the smile he pasted on his lips. Taehyung could tell it was fake at first sight. "How's the Jeongguk thing going?"

"Good, I mean, we don't talk that much."

Hoseok hummed while nodding his head, arms sliding across his chest and locking over it. "Really? Because I heard he helped you find a house."

His knowledge on that matter caught Taehyung off guard, and even though he wanted to appear unaffected, he visibly tensed. "He just happened to know that I'm looking for a house."

"I didn't even know that. How could he know?"

"Hyung..."

"Don't hyung me. You're doing whatever you want as always, but obviously, you haven't thought about what you're doing to him."

"What do you mean?"

"Taehyung, he likes you. It's no secret. And I'm sure you talking to him about your life and getting to know him better hurts him." Hoseok blew out a sigh, shuffling closer to lay a hand on his shoulder. "I can't tell you what to do, but I'm just trying to help you and Jeongguk before it's too late." He concluded his speech with an overcast smile and strolled off to his class.

Maybe it's already too late. Taehyung let his head drop as if it were lifeless, his arms hanging by his sides limply. He considered Hoseok's words that perched onto his chest like insufferably heavy rocks; he hadn't thought he could be hurting the younger by befriending him. Maybe I should just keep my distance after all.

The boys finished their classes earlier than usual because of the cancelation of their last class. And since Hoseok didn't have another class to teach, he suggested to get together and play overwatch as it had been a while.

"I have an appointment with the doctor today."

"Well, I can drive you there, Jeonggukie. You would take the bus anyway, right? Might as well keep you company."

"Thank you, hyung, you're the best!" Jeongguk slipped his phone out of his pocket once he entered Hoseok's car.

   
Jeongguk: Our last class was canceled so we're going to Hoseok's for overwatch. Don't wait for me after your class. And he will drive me to the doctor so don't worry about that. I don't know if you were anyway, I just wanted to let you know. Anyway, I'm rambling. Bye.
    

Taehyung checked the message at once since he was holding his phone in his hands, ready to put the music on. A fond chuckle vibrated at the back of his throat by his extreme cuteness that seeped out in a muffled wave in his attempt to dissemble it from his students.

But the warm smile that broke onto his face didn't survive even two seconds — it evaporated with the awakening of how intimate it started getting between them. Jeongguk wrote a whole ass message explaining everything instead of just saying he didn't have to wait for him.

I really should keep my distance.

⚜✳⚜