Read the Table Of Contents (chapter-1) for description

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Finally the day.

Taehyung has no vivid recall of when he, the self-proclaimed life-of-party who'd at this hour rather spectacularly hang half-down his bed inebriated in alcohol, wakes up at 5 am.

And not just wakes up, he wakes up alive. An enthusiasm unmatched with the lazed sun that's still finding motivation to fully step out, Taehyung is practically buzzing in excitement, oscillating back- and- forth seated on the bed with the little holy grail of the books clutched onto his lap.

Blanket around his head is held together in place on his chin with the hand that isn't gripping the book in a blood-bound grip. There's a scanty smile playing on the edges of his lips, the kind that's extempore and uninvited, littlest drop of elation barely noticeable.. but it's there.

Turning to the last page of the last book, he culminates the revision with two conclusions-
1. He is smarter than he thinks himself to be. He wouldn't know previously, having only went through Jimin's special 'Last minute TaeTae notes' for almost all his life as a student. So he and the books never really, let's just say, become friends.

2. This cannot end in just a date now. The amount of effort he'd put, painstakingly pent the entirety of his week into learning barely a few sentences, already putting his fellow frat boys in a cardiogenic shock at the news, it'd be a shame to wrap it up with a date.

He acts out the actions one last time with his eyes closed and a soft tug of his lips upwards.

Kim Taehyung literally taking days off of university and nights off from the parties just so he can prepare to ask a boy out? Yeah, Jimin had conveniently missed a few details to his friends in this, and what about it?

It's about two hours later when he is dressed to impress (in whatever messed up way his mind conjures) in best good-boy green polo T and Tommy Bahamas and of course the Miansai luck charm bracelet.

And then, half an hour before he should be here, he's here, back at his contemporarily favorite spot— the bus stop; with a drowsy, barely holding up, Jimin laying half dead on his shoulder.

"Don't crush my shirt!" He knocks up his shoulder and tugs straighten the shirt, dusting the crisp. "I ironed it twice."

"Seriously?!" Jimin pinches a twist on his nipple, sleepily stomping the book on his lap. "I literally woke up at ass-crack of dawn just to help you when you ask your love-at-first-sight out and here you are a thankless jerk!"

"Listen... It was love at three sights, okay? I don't want you sassing me and my future husband."

"So you've already planned your wedding with someone who didn't spare you a glance when you tried to ask him out. We're going great, I see."

The scowl that Taehyung's glossed lips throw out is magnificent paired with the nervous eyebrows that were already touching the hairline.
He bars himself from a counter argument reeling himself back to the day when the incident of Jimin's current chaff had actually happened...

*******
*flashback*

Just another cursed Monday morning when he was, albeit begrudgingly, supposed to be back at his dorm from the frat house he had passed out in, to get ready for the annual seminar that he apparently could not skip if he wanted to graduate. (Jimin said so while characteristically himself, he had no idea that was a thing.)

So imposingly hungover and literally hung over Jimin's arm, he finds himself seated on the crummy bus stop bench catnapping intermittently. That is until the adjacent pedestrian sidewalk is crossed over by the stout man and his scream-loud golden retriever.

And in the quiet of the early 8 o' clock morning, the sudden barks and growls has everyone who were waiting at the bus stop profoundly flinching and yelping, the school girls going as far as shrieking loudly drawing away from the sight of the barbarian animal and equally barbaric man.

(Fun Fact- Golden Retriever is the #1 loudest dog breed in the world)

Jimin unceremoniously trips from the bench causing his own head to lunge forward while the dog is yowling like the world is biting his chewy and he in turn will bite everyone's ass off.
The man's reclined back like a pole trying to pull the leash to prevent his dog-lion from committing a massacre.

Everyone is reaching their palms to the ears, outpacing or shooing the uncouth canine who's practically sundering his vocal cords to shreds for no apparent reason, Taehyung's eyes first thing land on the boy facing the road.

Dressed in the prosaic uniform of the café he used to frequent in the early college days, there stood a boy busy with something on his phone. Long-ish Blonde hair bedraggled in splotchy unkempt blue, a clear indication of the home- trial it must've been.

It's not his topsy-turvy locks, however, the way that the boy stands there stands out to Taehyung. Because let alone flinch, the boy casually scrolls through his phone not even sparing a glance at the chaos happening behind his back. How cool.

And well, Taehyung being Taehyung, is... intrigued.

So while the unnecessary and overly-dramatic tumult undertakes a calm, he himself takes the time to look. And oh boy, does he find that person look-worthy! Pretty. Pretty. Pretty.

Hence, he would do what a respectable citizen of a free-will democracy must do in desperate times like this— stare blatantly.

"Look Jimin... so pretty!" He whispers almost sounding breathless and points to the boy diagonally ahead of them while the other is barely paying attention to the pointer.

"Thanks man." Jimin lets out and starts a cocky monologue on his new skincare routine that Taehyung is too entranced to give a shit about.

He stares at the boy and his near perfect side profile. The softness in the features and sturdiness in the finishing of them. The milky skin, the creamy smooth lips messily glossed and cheesy soft brows that were filled in with a subtle shade of brown. Boy was whole dairy factory.

Now normally, at someone who manages to grab his steadfast attention (which in itself is rare), he would walk over to them, spark up a conversation and see where it goes; which nevertheless is yet to turn out fruitful because as Jimin puts it, 'he tries to find strawberries in a box of mangoes'? God knows what that even means.

Today though, he is unbathed with reeking clothes from last night and eyes swollen like Mattress King California. So for the betterment of humankind, he decides to stick to staring and then recite the detailed descriptions of the pretty boy to his grandchildren as the one that got away.

The quarter of his fingers that peek out from under the pretty uniform sweater have an emoji tattoo on them as far as Taehyung's bald eagle vision can catch, and he finds himself suddenly infinitesimally endeared, a befuddled little smile tugging his lips.

Even when the guy climbs on the same bus as them with his nose out of the window and smiling as if he's eating the wind, Taehyung just collects and collects things to tell the grandkids in that one brief encounter.

The whole day passes by of him deliriously thinking about the absolute carelessness on the chaos behind his back and the drunk emoji on the pretty finger and the bland café uniform un-blanded on the pretty skin and it is by the night that he surmises that maybe he doesn't want the dainty boy to be the one that got away.

Next morning, therefore, Taehyung is back at the bus stop, star-eyeing the boy who in the same uniform is patting a little puppy that passes by. His eyes twinkling just the same as the puppy and Taehyung could've sworn they show these eyes if you google super moon phenomenon.

Confident as ever, he strides down behind the boy and in an attempt to not startle him, lets out in a voice so soft that he himself was surprised.
"Hi there."

No response. He looks over and takes a footfall ahead, clearing his throat. "Ahem, hello!" he tries again.

Not even a mere glance and Taehyung cannot help but pout mumbling a small 'rude' stomping away into the bus that arrived right in time.

Anyone else may have easily turned gruff at the unreceived reply but this is Taehyung and Taehyung has aplomb self confidence (to a bumptious level) running in his veins.

So it isn't to anyone's surprise when the next morning he is again sitting on the bus stop bench with a deplorable little Jimin freshly dragged out of bed for moral support, reading out the cool boy speech he found online.

"I have never seen you like this over anyone! No but what if he already has a lover?" He hears his friend exasperate.

"Then it'll be really sad." half expecting a cocky self-obsessed remark from his friend, Jimin is slightly taken aback by the mature but dismal one. Almost to reassure, he puts a hand on his shoulder but stops when Taehyung cuts him off again.

"For the lover.. because who can resist this!!" he pinches the skin between the two moles in his upper arm and wiggles his brows like he is the proprietor of the eighth wonder of the world.

Nevertheless it earns him a couple of smacks on the arm.

"Wait! Wait! He's here!" He dreamily sighs at the boy who arrives with a tiny bounce in every step, thumb hooked on the straps of his backpack while eyes on his phone in the other hand. "So pretty!"

"Focus!" Jimin pushes him ahead "Go get yo man!"

He stumbles and mouths a curse while watching the pretty boy march to his usual spot facing the road and stand there. All he does is put both his hands in the pockets and casually stands beside the boy, as if that's exactly where he's supposed to be.

And because casual is cool and Taehyung is cool, he adds an untuned whistle along, while tapping his foot. That apparently manages to gain a part of the attention he had wanted because the pretty boy turns to him and passes the smallest most enchanting smiles before turning to his phone again.

Taehyung consequently sees stars and night sky. He turns to Jimin behind dramatically clutching his chest over the heart mouthing 'oh my god' like a chant and does not turn back until Jimin has to gesture him a punch if he doesn't.

He does so and thinks away to the cool boy conversations and just casually speaks up
"What a pleasant morning, isn't it?"

This time he isn't really surprised on not receiving a response. And he isn't really proud of his curiosity taking over but he has to tilt over and just see what has the boy so engaged in his phone.

At this point he would've liked it better if he was texting a boyfriend on his phone but all he sees is him turning on some alarms for the next morning. What the fuck?

Not to mention his vision catching the second half of his name-tag by the chest pocket. Something— kook?

Now the casual cool Taehyung is angry. He's had girls and guys throwing their numbers on him like confetti and him presenting the cold shoulder each time. If it's one thing he's taking away from the pretty boy (non) interaction is to not do that anymore.

Guess it's the getting away story for the grandchildren then. He's almost about to take the clue and stop bothering pretty (rude) boy, something-Kook, after one last glance of course.

Oh boy. But it's the glance that suddenly clears all his confusion clouds. Because at the same time something-Kook with his comely tattooed fingers, tucks the delicate-most strands of the blonde-blue hair behind the dainty ear of his and finally Taehyung sees it.

Oh. OH!

The bright purple ear piece that emerges from the tragus and wraps around his helix. A tiny red light blinks in the middle of it in a pattern that calls out to Taehyung with every blink fool. fool. fool.

"What? What?" Jimin pants when Taehyung grabs his hand to walk away. "What was that?"

"A hearing aid."

~~end flashback~~

"He's here!" Jimin nudges him out of his catalepsy and he jolts awake to see pretty boy something-Kook looking prettier if that was even possible. "My brother-in-law is here!"

"Ok. Off I go." Taehyung stands and straightens his shirt out. "Tell me I'm the most handsome man in the world."

"No I won't. The fuck?"

"Do. It."

Too early in the morning to argue, Jimin sighs in surrender. "You're the one most handsome man in the world and something-Kook will sign back 'oh my god, marry me' to your 'hello'. Go now! We have classes to attend."

"Okay, facts were spoken. Now I go."

Sanguinity in every step he takes, Taehyung pulls his most charming smile and confidently steps right in front of the boy who glances up from the cursed phone that always takes the attention.

Jungkook. His name tag reads.
Pretty boy with pretty name.

Nothing can stop him now. So he begins.

There's an adorable tilt of Jungkook's head and suddenly he is reminded of the puppy and their similarities.

He watches the boy, first a little confused and then suddenly widen his eyes. Bingo, he thinks.
Ok here goes nothing.

Taehyung heaves a deep breath. It's rare for him to be nervous and closing shut his eyes is the only way he thinks he can proceed now.

He opens his eyes again.

Jungkook, the prettiest boy in the whole wide world, visibly panics and that is a big ouch considering he had not foreseen that expression out of all that he had.

He watches him grab for his phone and quickly start to type something. Taehyung becomes frantic and tries his best to not creep the boy out who looks like he's seen the ghost-rider come to life.

He tries again.

But Jungkook just types away on his phone and hesitantly, almost looking petrified, lifts up his phone.

Now it's Taehyung who stands confused. Takes out his own phone and types away.

Jungkook looks at him incredulous. He looks around almost as if looking for help before typing again.

Taehyung's eyes blow wider than a skating ring. The skating ring reference because he feels embarrassment creeping on his face and the drop in his tummy just the same as it is when he dragged to that horrible sport. Mortified. He's absolutely, utterly to the brim mortified.

Jungkook shows the screen again.

"Y-you..." Taehyung slowly lets out "Can you h-hear m-me?"

Jungkook looks around again. "Uh.. well.. yeah?"

"A-and you c-can t-talk?" In the peripheral vision he can see Jimin ready to explode with laughter and he might as well turn into a puddle right this moment because his friends are not gonna let him live a second after this.

"That's what I'm... I'm sorry, are feeling okay? You look a little sick?" He widens his pretty eyes and rushes to hook his arm into Taehyung to drag him to the bench that Jimin is sitting on.

"Do you need water?" He asks so softly that Taehyung feels like his thirst for entire life is quenched.

"Yeah, do you?" Jimin and his shit eating grin interrupt.

"Do you know each other?" Jungkook asks in confusion when Taehyung scowls at Jimin and this is where all the trouble that he has gotten into because of the other can be revenged.

"Of course. I'm his best friend. He dragged me here so that he can ask out the said, I quote, 'prettiest boy he's ever seen'." Jimin grins effortlessly missing the slap taehyung swats in his direction.
"But since the guy was apparently deaf he took a week off from university to learn sign language just to make his grand gesture."

"Okay?" Jungkook nods at the unnecessary information thrown his way and fidgets to get back to his usual spot and just wait for his bus.

"You. You are the prettiest deaf boy he wants to ask out."

"Oh my god" Taehyung buries his face into his hands waiting for the earth to swallow him whole.

"M-me? I'm none of those things." He barely lets out.

"That hideous purple blinky thing on your ear..." Taehyung trails pointing at the ear, to which Jungkook tucks his hair back and shows.

"This?" He fish mouths and takes out the earpiece "This is just a cheap Bluetooth earphone I won in the arcade! And you— oh my god— you thought it was a hearing aid?! Why?"

"In my defence, I've tried to talk to you twice and you never even spared a glance!" He accuses on the general gist of his experiences, the ever-buoyant pout out.

"Oh, uh, I always have music blasting in my ears so.. um." He glances at the weird blinking device in his hands and trails. "...yeah."

Good job on making him uncomfortable, Taehyung thinks. This not being a very influential story for the grandkids, he takes this cue to leave.

"Wait!" Jungkook tugs at his polo when he gets up. "You never really.. asked me?"

"Well yeah, I've had enough embarrassment for the day." He shrugs and earns an impactful glower from his best friend.

"Oh my god! He's literally asking you to ask him out you fuck face!" Jimin takes his phone out. "Jungkook! Hi! Can I have your number for him please?"

There's a tiny giggle before both of them are exchanging numbers while Taehyung is still baffled on how the biggest embarrassment of his life just worked in his favours?

But then there's Jungkook, having had his fair share of heartbreaks and hits with handsome men; looking for only a single thing— for someone to return the efforts in a relationship. For someone to be equally invested with their emotions as he does adamantly.

So how would he pass on an opportunity when someone made efforts for a first conversation more than he has received for the entirety of some relationships?

They go out, and Taehyung puts in all his heart to smoothly swipe away Jungkook's feet from the ground and float him in an air he never thought he could, while always thinking what he did to deserve the prettiest boy ever (in face and heart) in his arms.

Then when barely three months after going out Jungkook gifts him a canvas spray painted with "I really love you" in sign language all Taehyung can conclude is yes, this is a good story for the grandchildren.

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That's me to you all 👆🏻X the number of times this drabble said 'pretty'