Mind going completely blank, Jeongguk felt shivers rush down his spine, heart dancing at a rapid rhythm as if it would burst out of his chest at any second now.

The heat that was engulfing him whole was like no other; his hands were a perfect fit for his stout body, striking shocks of warmth into his heart and overflowing him with unexpected bliss.

“Thank you so fucking much,” Taehyung mumbled against his nape, his broad smile unyielding.

Jeongguk's breath had been stuck in his lungs for a while now, rendering him unable to say anything. For an unknown reason, he couldn’t breathe properly with that boy clung to him.

The exhilarating feeling of getting his job back slowly withered at the lack of Jeongguk’s answer, the smile hardening on his face.

And the realization of what he was doing dawned on him like a harsh slap across his cheek, knocking some sense into him.

I’m touching his abs. He has abs and I’m touching them.

Taehyung jounced back at that thought, his entire face going beet red in a matter of seconds. He didn’t dare to meet the boy’s gaze and he didn’t know how he would ever do that again.

“I—I should, um, ye—yeah,” the fluffy-haired boy spluttered and vanished from everyone’s sight a moment later.

“Man, what was that?” Namjoon looked at his frozen stiff friend in utter confusion.

Jeongguk was in a whirl himself, now looking back at his friend’s baffled gaze, unable to give him any answer. What is this feeling? He questioned in his fogged head as he felt the lingering sensation of that boy’s hug still send sparks of a strange tingle through his limbs.

Stupid, dumb, good for nothing, Kim fucking Taehyung, what the fuck is wrong with you? The one hundred percent embarrassed boy cursed himself internally as he changed his clothes.

Since when do you go around and hug people you only know for a day? Not just people; godlike, mouthwatering guys with freaking six-packs. Get it together!

Even if Taehyung wanted to act as if nothing happened, he couldn’t. So he refrained from making eye contact with the cherry-haired boy at all costs when he returned to the bar.

Jeongguk studied the faint pink hue on his cheeks, his restless posture, and his fumbling hands as Taehyung grabbed a tray and the ordering device. It was awkward, even for him, but he couldn’t stand seeing him so jittery.

“So, um, you got your job back. That’s great.” Despite his efforts, Jeongguk couldn’t hide the awkwardness in his tone.

“Yeah.” Taehyung exhaled a pent-up breath as he turned his back to him, keeping his eyes on the customers in case they needed anything.

Jeongguk’s expression sank as he left him staring at his back with a gleam of sullenness in his eyes. “Taehyung.”

“Please don’t,” the said boy whispered and strolled off when he saw a customer beckon him.

 
Nothing changed in the next few hours. Taehyung still couldn’t meet the barista’s gaze and did everything he could to avoid him.

Almost two hours before the closing, Taehyung found a moment to sit since the cafe wasn’t full anymore. But he regretted it as Jeongguk didn’t miss a second to lean against the counter right in front of him.

“You good? We had many customers today, huh?”

“Yeah.” Taehyung curved his head more, making sure not to accidentally glance at him.

“You did awesome, by the way. You only spilled a glass of water today.” Jeongguk kept his voice mellow and quiet, his eyes set on him at all times.

He didn’t get any kind of reaction at his remark — Taehyung only continued fiddling with his hands that were placed on the counter.

“But that was kinda my fault, right?” Jeongguk chuckled, a soft melody that seeped through the older’s senses and made an unusual feeling settle in his belly. “I distracted you because I wanted to talk to you and you wanted to run away from me so you—“

“Jeongguk.”

“Taehyung.”

The air was clearly charged around them as the silence ticked on and prevailed over them for a spell. “You don’t want to talk about it. Okay. But can we forget it at least?” If that’s what you want.

“It’s already forgotten,” Taehyung muttered, his eyes wandering all over the counter.

“Oh, your jokes are hilarious,” he teased, offering him a big smile, which Taehyung didn’t see. “Seriously, though. It’s a happy day for you. Don’t beat yourself up for something like this. I didn’t mind at all, and you have nothing to be embarrassed about.”

“I’m not—I’m not embarrassed.”

“You should consider becoming a comedian, Taehyung.” He couldn’t hold back the sonorous laugh that flew off his mouth this time. “You haven’t even glanced at me after what happened.”

“You know what?” Taehyung exploded out of his seat then, finding the courage to look at him dead in the eye. “Shut up.” He bundled off after his sharp statement, leaving Jeongguk chuckling softly to himself.

He’s cute though. The fond smile on his lips dropped in a flash when he noticed Inhyuk gazing at him with a raised eyebrow.

“Bro.”

“Wasn’t staring, mind your damn business.” Jeongguk took off as well, focusing on his work.

Or so he tried because the moment he turned his back to Inhyuk, the fond smile returned to his lips, and he spent the rest of his shift thinking about how cute Taehyung was and glancing at him in every chance he got.

. . .

Despite the whole Jeongguk thing, Taehyung felt a surge of content fill him when he finished his shift. He did well today, and even got praised by Dohwan.

Arrayed in his casual clothes, he headed to the bus stop, only to realize that he had missed the last bus. It was after eleven thirty, and the last bus was at eleven as he saw on the timetable.

He was bummed, to be honest, since he really didn’t want to walk for forty minutes, but he didn’t have a choice. He zipped his jacket and put the hood on as he sauntered alongside the road, hands stuffed into his pockets.

A horn blasting out next to him had him jumping by his terror a while later. “Fucking hell,” he breathed out, feeling his heartbeat batter against his chest.

“Will you look at that, it’s the fearless boy, Taehyung, who doesn’t care if someone fucking kidnaps him.”

Taehyung clicked his tongue at his jeering tone as he pulled the hood off his head. “Jeongguk.”

“Come on.” The said boy made him a sign with his head to get in the car, but frowned when Taehyung stayed still.

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s not a big deal. I can walk perfectly fine—”

“Taehyung, the station is on my way. Just get in.”

Taehyung chewed his bottom lip as he drew random patterns with the tip of his shoe on the ground. “I won’t put you through trouble?”

“What trouble? Just get in,” he said with a chuckle as he reached for the door and opened it for him.

Taehyung curled his lips inwards, trying to hide his small smile as he gave in and got into the car. “Thank you.”

“No problem at all, but why were you walking again?”

“The last bus was at eleven, so I kinda missed it.” Taehyung’s gaze was anchored on his hands and it didn’t seem he would peel it away from there anytime soon.

“So, are you planning on walking every night for forty minutes?”

“I don’t have a choice.”

“You do. Me.”

Taehyung didn’t answer immediately. The remark was made in a matter-of-fact manner, surprising him a little. “Look, you already helped me so much. You helped me get my job back, and I’ll always be thankful for that. I’ll feel bad if you help me more because I don’t know what to do to repay you.”

“Repay me?” Jeongguk peeked at him repeatedly, hoping to catch his gaze at some point. “I talked to Chang Wook because what he did wasn’t fair. And it’s really not a big deal for me to drop you off at the subway every time. I told you, it’s on my way. You don’t have to repay me.”

“But it’s not right,” he argued back in a muted tone, a pout sweeping over his face.

“Okay, you wanna repay me or whatever?”

“Yes.”

“And you’ll do whatever I want?”

“If it’s—if it’s reasonable.”

Jeongguk snorted at his pouty face; he hadn’t stopped smiling since the moment Taehyung entered his car. “Okay, if you stop being so awkward and finally look at me, you won’t owe me anything.”

“That’s—that’s not—“

“That’s what I want and it’s reasonable, don’t you think?”

Taehyung really fought with himself to fence in his embarrassment from his previous actions, fingers digging into his thighs, his lower lip swollen from all the biting. “I’m sorry for what I did. I’m not usually like that. I was j-just so happy that I got my job back and didn’t realize what I was doing. I’m s-sorry if I crossed the line.”

“You’re quite self-conscious, Taehyung. Although it’s cute, it’s not good for you. I told you, I didn’t mind. I was surprised, but I definitely didn’t mind.”

Taehyung glaciated the moment he heard what he said, eyes staring in big circles. “Did you—Did you just call me... cute?”

A similar shocked expression flashed up onto the younger’s face in seconds. He wasn’t supposed to say that out loud. “Nope.” He tittered, shifting in his seat. “Or did I?”

“And you’re mocking me.”

“Is it bothering you?” Every playfulness in his tone disappeared as he threw him a wary glance.

Taehyung lifted his head, looking at him with the corner of his eye. “No, it’s fine.”

“Okay.” His smile returned right away as his body mellowed. “If I’m too much, you can just tell me. I don’t want to offend you in any way. I just like to tease.”

“Yeah, I figured.” Taehyung cracked a faint smile, feeling the urge to glimpse at the beautiful boy beside him grow by the minute.

“So are we good?”

“Good?”

“You know, no awkwardness, no running away from me and stuff.”

“I didn’t run away!” Taehyung released a honeyed giggle, and without even realizing it, he fully turned his head and laid his eyes on him.

“Yeah, okay.” Jeongguk glanced at him as well, and his smile only grew wider when he locked eyes with him.

Only a few seconds of eye contact were enough to make Taehyung feel a blush bud on his cheeks. “We’re gonna crash. Keep your eyes on the road.”

“Yes, sir.” The teasing was once again obvious in his voice, but it elicited a soft chuckle from Taehyung this time.

And Jeongguk didn’t know why it felt so good to hear him laugh because of him.

Silence enveloped them for a while, but it wasn’t awkward as Taehyung had expected. It was rather pleasant, having that boy next to him. Why his presence was so soothing for Taehyung was still a mystery, but he chose not to dwell on it.

“Jeongguk.” They were only a few minutes away from the subway when Taehyung spoke up, gazing out the window.

“Hmm?”

“Do you think we’ll ever get the life we want?”

His question blindsided him, and even though Jeongguk mulled over it, he couldn’t find an answer. “You don’t live the life you want?”

“Do you?”

“I think so, at least. I mean, maybe I want to change a few things, but I like my life.”

“That’s good. You should like your life.” A gloomy feeling surged through him as he sank in his thoughts, but Jeongguk’s voice pulled him out effortlessly.

“Well, I think yes, we will get the life we want at some point. Isn’t that what everyone says? That you get what you deserve?”

“I have to disagree with that. People rarely get what they deserve. Life spreads happiness and sadness randomly and you can never know what will come in your way. Sometimes, good people live in misery while bad people have everything. How is this fair?”

“What do you mean bad people?” Jeongguk just stopped outside of the subway and fixed his gaze on him.

“You know, greedy assholes who only care about themselves.”

They peered deep into each other’s eyes, and even though Jeongguk tried to descry what was hidden in them, he failed. “I see,” Jeongguk muttered. “Maybe we shouldn’t focus on having a perfect life. We will never have a perfect life. Just doing the things we want is enough for a happy life, don’t you think?”

“For pretty much everyone, yeah. For me?” He didn’t know why, but Taehyung felt tears sting his eyes as he kept a bitter smile on his lips. “I just want some peace.”

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