Taehyung was out on his usual evening stroll, his headphones blaring Big Day as he rolled down the street, hands in his pockets, completely lost in the music. The streets were quiet, maybe a little too quiet, but that eerie vibe? He didn’t care. The bass was thumping in his ears, drowning out everything.

But then, he heard it. A faint, pitiful meow.

"What the hell?" he muttered, pulling off his headphones and pausing mid-step. The sound tugged at him. Curiosity always got the better of him. He followed the noise, his sneakers scuffing against the pavement as he turned the corner.

And there it was — a tiny kitten, scared and cornered by four rough-looking dudes. They had broken bottles in their hands, knives glinting in the low light. They didn’t look like they were there for a friendly chat.

"Hey! Yo!” Taehyung shouted, drawing their attention.

The guys turned, sneering. One of them spat, "You wanna play hero, pretty boy?"

"Yeah, sure," Taehyung said sarcastically, stepping forward. "Why don’t y’all pick on someone your size? Or better yet, just get lost."

One of them, the drunkest of the lot, staggered towards Taehyung, his glass bottle raised. "You’re messing with the wrong crowd, man."

"And you’re messing with a guy who doesn't care." Taehyung smirked before dodging a sloppy swing, twisting the guy's arm behind his back, and shoving him face-first into the ground.

That set the others off. Two of them rushed him, and before Taehyung knew it, fists were flying. One punched him square in the face, and Taehyung tasted blood as he staggered, trying to keep his balance. It wasn’t looking great.

Meanwhile, Jeongguk was in the area. Shezam had been bugging him to take a walk for two days, and Jeongguk had finally caved. He didn’t even wanna be here, his mind somewhere else. He was busy scrolling through his phone, half-focused on finding something from V, when he heard the scuffle. Groaning. Shuffling.

At first, he ignored it. Probably just some drunks.

But the noise got louder, more intense. His curiosity spiked.

"What now?" he muttered, turning the corner.

That’s when he saw it. A familiar figure, down on the ground, surrounded by those four idiots.

"Wait... no way. That’s... Taehyung?" Jeongguk squinted, his eyes widening. "What the hell are they doing?"

Jeongguk didn’t hesitate. "Yo! What the fuck’s goin' on here?"

The guys stopped laughing, looking at him. Jeongguk saw Taehyung groaning on the ground, blood on his lip, glaring up at the idiots surrounding him.

"What’s it look like?" Taehyung mumbled, wincing. "They’re assholes, obviously."

Jeongguk rolled his eyes. "God, you're always getting into trouble." He turned to the four guys, his voice sharp. "Leave. Now."

One of them, thinking they had a chance, stepped up, but Jeongguk was ready. He ducked a punch and clocked the guy in the jaw, knocking him out cold. The others backed off real quick after that, muttering curses under their breath as they scurried away.

Jeongguk shook his head and bent down, offering Taehyung his hand. "You good?"

Taehyung took his hand, pulling himself up. "Been better," he grumbled, wiping at the cut on his lip. "But thanks, I guess."

Jeongguk was about to brush it off when the streetlights hit Taehyung's face just right, and for a second, he was caught off guard. Damn, under all that dirt and blood, Taehyung was... really handsome.

He blinked, snapping out of it. "Shit. Stop thinking like that," he muttered under his breath. "You’ve got V."

"What?" Taehyung glanced at him, confused.

"Nothing," Jeongguk said quickly, clearing his throat. "So, what the hell were you even doing out here?"

"I heard a kitten," Taehyung explained, pointing towards the now-safe cat. "Wasn’t gonna let those assholes mess with it."

"Of course, you’re the 'save the kitten' guy," Jeongguk teased, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Real hero."

"Shut up," Taehyung shot back, rolling his eyes. "Like you wouldn’t have done the same."

Jeongguk shrugged. "Maybe. But I wouldn’t have gotten my ass handed to me."

"I was handling it," Taehyung muttered, walking beside Jeongguk as they headed towards their apartments. "Besides, I had it under control."

"Yeah, sure," Jeongguk laughed. "You looked real in control, bleeding all over the place."

Taehyung smirked. "At least I did something. You only showed up at the end, hero."

Jeongguk laughed, shaking his head. "Whatever, man. I still saved your ass."

He stared at Taehyung for a second before shaking his head, sighing. "You’re a dumbass, you know that?"

"Yeah, well, you’re still here saving my dumb ass, so what does that make you?" The elder one muttered, leaning against the nearest wall, trying to catch his breath.

"Stupidly loyal, I guess." Jeongguk rolled his eyes again, but there was a hint of something softer in his expression. He dug around in his pocket and pulled out a pack of tissues, tossing it at Taehyung. "Here, clean yourself up. You look like you’ve been through hell."

Taehyung caught the tissues, a little surprised but too tired to argue. "Yeah, well, you should see the other guys," he mumbled, wiping at the blood.

Jeongguk snorted. "I did. They didn’t look half as bad as you."

"Shut up," Taehyung grumbled, but he couldn’t help the small smirk tugging at his lips. "Thanks though... and fine," he conceded, glancing at Jeongguk with a playful grin. "Guess I owe you one."

The tattooed guy smirked back. "Damn right, you do."

He glanced at another male, shrugging casually. "Whatever, man. Just... stop getting into shit like this. Next time, call me before you go all superhero."

"I didn’t exactly plan it," Taehyung muttered, eyes flicking to the kitten, which had scampered away to safety. He smiled faintly before glancing at Jeongguk. "But, yeah... I’ll keep that in mind."

Jeongguk rolled his eyes but didn’t say anything else, just offering Taehyung a hand.

"You good to walk?"

Taehyung took the hand, standing up fully. "Barely, but yeah."

As they walked in silence for a bit, Jeongguk side-eyed him. "So, about that fight... You didn’t look that bad."

Taehyung scoffed. "Coming from the guy who showed up after the action was over."

"Hey, I was saving you."

"Yeah, sure, hero. Next time, maybe be on time."

Jeongguk smirked. "Can’t help it. I like making an entrance."

"Yeah, well, next time try being useful."

They both laughed, the tension easing as they continued down the street. They bickered the whole way back to their apartments, throwing playful jabs and insults.

Taehyung hated early mornings, but here he was, jogging at the crack of dawn. His legs felt stiff, his eyes barely open. The park was mostly empty, just a few birds chirping and the sound of his shoes hitting the pavement. It wasn’t his usual thing, but after the whole street fight, he figured some exercise might help him feel better. Clear his head.

As he rounded the bend, he spotted a figure up ahead. Broad shoulders, black hoodie, and—

"Oh, you’ve gotta be kidding me," Taehyung muttered under his breath. Jeongguk? At this hour?

Jeongguk was jogging ahead, earbuds in, oblivious to Taehyung’s presence. His sleeves were pushed up, showing off his tattoos. Taehyung’s eyes zeroed in on them, remembering how Jeongguk had mentioned once, offhand, that he hid his tattoos most of the time. He had to admit, they looked good on him. Really good.

Taehyung found himself smiling a little—just for a second—before he wiped it off his face. No way Jeongguk was getting that satisfaction.

"Oi!" Taehyung called out, speeding up a bit. "Jeongguk!"

Jeongguk slowed, pulling out an earbud as he glanced over his shoulder. His face lit up in surprise when he saw Taehyung approaching. "Oh, it’s you."

"What? You thought you were the only one who ran here?" Taehyung shot back, stopping beside him and stretching his arms.

Jeongguk smirked, shaking his head. "Didn’t take you for the morning run type. Thought you’d still be in bed."

"I could say the same about you," Taehyung replied, eyeing the tattoos again but quickly looking away before Jeongguk caught him staring. "Didn’t know you were such a fitness freak."

Jeongguk shrugged, wiping the sweat from his brow. "It’s not like I do this every day. Just needed to clear my head, y’know?"

Taehyung snorted. "What, trouble in paradise?"

"Something like that," Jeongguk muttered, more to himself than to Taehyung.

They started jogging together, a comfortable silence settling between them. Taehyung couldn’t help but glance at Jeongguk’s arms again. The tattoos swirled around his skin, intricate designs that seemed to move with his muscles. He didn't remember Jeongguk saying something about not showing them off much. Funny how he never noticed before.

"You really got a thing for tattoos, huh?" Taehyung blurted out before he could stop himself.

Jeongguk raised an eyebrow, glancing at him. "What, these? Yeah, I guess. Why, you into them?"

Taehyung shrugged, trying to play it cool. "Nah, just noticed. You hide ‘em a lot."

Jeongguk chuckled, a low sound that made Taehyung’s stomach flip for some stupid reason. "Yeah, it’s kinda... personal, y’know? Don’t like showing them to just anyone."

"So, I’m not ‘just anyone,’ huh?" Taehyung teased, grinning.

Jeongguk rolled his eyes. "Don’t get cocky. I didn’t have much of a choice today."

Taehyung laughed, the sound light, almost genuine. They fell into an easy rhythm again, their feet hitting the pavement in sync. It was weird—running with Jeongguk. They usually bickered, got under each other’s skin, but today felt... different.

"So, you really into that whole ‘bad boy with tattoos’ look or what?" Taehyung asked, half-joking, but a little curious too.

Jeongguk snorted. "Please. I don’t do it for the look."

"Then what? You got some deep, dark story behind ‘em?" Taehyung teased, raising an eyebrow.

Jeongguk shrugged, but his eyes flickered with something. "Maybe. You’ll just have to get to know me better to find out."

Taehyung blinked, taken off guard for a second. Was Jeongguk actually flirting with him? He tried to laugh it off. "Yeah, right. Like I care."

But he did. And that was the problem.

As they continued their jog, Taehyung kept stealing glances at Jeongguk’s tattoos, each time feeling that little tug of curiosity. He knew he was smiling a bit too much, but there was something about this early morning, about the quiet and Jeongguk beside him, that felt almost... nice.

Jeongguk noticed, though. Of course, he did.

"Why’re you smiling like that?" Jeongguk asked, a teasing lilt in his voice.

"I’m not," Taehyung shot back, quickly wiping the grin off his face.

"Uh-huh. Sure." Jeongguk smirked, clearly enjoying himself.

Taehyung groaned, speeding up to get away from the teasing. "Shut up, man. I’m done with your face already."

But the truth was, he wasn’t. Not by a long shot.

The park runs became a regular thing. It wasn’t even planned, but somehow, Jeongguk and Taehyung kept bumping into each other, like fate was messing with them or something.

"Seriously? You again?" Taehyung groaned, spotting Jeongguk by the fountain, stretching out his legs.

Jeongguk smirked, not missing a beat. "Can’t get enough of me, huh?"

"In your dreams, tattoo boy."

They jogged together, as always, trading light jabs. It was never serious—just a bunch of playful banter. But after a few more runs, the teasing turned into something else.

"Yo, after this, you wanna grab a coffee or something...maybe I could pay back for that car incident too?" Jeongguk asked one morning, all casual.

Taehyung blinked. "You… drink coffee?"

Jeongguk gave him a look. "Yeah? Why, you think I run on energy drinks or some crap?"

Taehyung shrugged. "Figured you for the type. The whole sleeveless-hoodie, tough-guy vibe."

Jeongguk laughed, that low rumble in his chest that Taehyung was starting to like way too much. "Nah, I’m more of a caramel macchiato guy."

"Pfft. Soft."

"Shut up and get your ass to the café."

They started hanging out more after that. Coffee runs turned into grabbing lunch, which turned into late-night takeout when they both couldn’t sleep. It wasn’t weird, just... easy. Comfortable.

One time, they ended up in Taehyung’s apartment after a run. It was hot as hell outside, so Jeongguk collapsed on the couch, breathing heavy.

"I swear, you’re trying to kill me with these long-ass runs," Jeongguk groaned.

"Dude, you agreed to it. Don’t act like you didn’t say ‘I got this’ when we started," Taehyung shot back, chucking a water bottle at him.

Jeongguk caught it, cracking it open and taking a long swig. "Yeah, but you didn’t tell me you were a freakin’ marathon runner."

"Deal with it," Taehyung laughed, sitting on the floor and stretching out his legs. His eyes flicked over to Jeongguk’s tattoos again—he couldn’t help it. The way they shifted when Jeongguk moved, the ink rippling with his muscles… Taehyung was curious. But he wasn’t about to let Jeongguk know that.

Jeongguk caught the look though, because of course he did. "You’re staring again."

"No, I’m not," Taehyung said, a little too quick.

Jeongguk grinned, leaning back against the couch. "Admit it, you love ‘em."

Taehyung rolled his eyes. "Not even close, bro."

"Uh-huh, sure. You wanna know what they mean?"

"Nope."

"I’ll tell you anyway," Jeongguk said, and Taehyung sighed, but he wasn’t really annoyed. Not really. "This one," Jeongguk pointed to a small, intricate design on his forearm, "is for my mom. And this one," he traced a line of script along his wrist, "is something I got when I needed a reminder to keep going."

Taehyung’s grin faded for a second. "Oh."

Jeongguk shrugged, playing it off like it wasn’t a big deal. "Yeah, so... don’t be too jealous of how deep and meaningful I am."

Taehyung snorted. "Please, you’re just a walking Pinterest board."

Jeongguk laughed again, pushing Taehyung’s shoulder lightly with his foot. "You’re a punk, you know that?"

"Yeah, but you keep coming back, so what does that make you?"

"An idiot, apparently."

They both chuckled, the teasing never really stopping. But underneath it all, there was something else growing. The easy way they spent time together, the random texts that turned into longer conversations about nothing and everything. It wasn’t forced, wasn’t weird—it just was.

Like, the next time they hung out, Taehyung dragged Jeongguk to this street food stall he loved. Jeongguk was skeptical at first.

"Dude, this place looks sketchy as hell," Jeongguk said, eyeing the vendor who was grilling meat on a smoky cart.

"It’s the best, trust me," Taehyung said, already ordering for both of them. "You’ll love it."

Jeongguk raised an eyebrow. "If I die, I’m haunting your ass."

"Yeah, yeah, now shut up and eat."

Jeongguk took a bite, and his eyes widened. "Holy crap. This is amazing."

"Told you," Taehyung smirked, popping another dumpling in his mouth. "You never listen."

"Yeah, well, you don’t exactly scream ‘trustworthy.’"

Taehyung laughed, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Says the guy with tattoos all over his arms and zero sense of direction."

"Hey, at least I’m not a wannabe food critic."

"I am a food critic, you just don’t appreciate good taste."

They spent hours like that—eating, arguing, laughing. It was like their whole dynamic was built on this playful back-and-forth, always pushing each other’s buttons, but in a way that made things fun. And every now and then, Jeongguk would catch Taehyung staring at his tattoos again, that little smile tugging at his lips, but he never called him out for it. Not this time.

Jeongguk wasn’t about to admit it out loud, but hanging with Taehyung was becoming the best part of his week.

(a/n:- honestly i am jealous of them!)