When Taehyung pattered out of the storage room a few minutes later, he saw Jimin and Seokjin there, talking with the others, and smiled warmly as he dashed to hug them. "I missed you, guys."

"We missed you too, Tae," Seokjin said with a faint chuckle.

"Let's drink, Jeongguk is buying!" Jimin chirped, making the others giggle.

Taehyung threw a glance at Jeongguk, who guzzled his soju. His smile faltered at the sight as he was worried about him, but he couldn't do anything about it at that moment. So he grabbed a beer too and sat at the table with everyone.

"So Jeongguk, how do you feel about turning twenty-four?" Jimin asked.

"Am I supposed to feel different?"

"Why are you so grumpy on your birthday?"

"Thank God we have drinks," Seokjin muttered, but almost everyone was able to hear him since the music wasn't too loud.

"Tae, how was the photoshoot? You didn't tell us," Jimin said with a shocked expression since he forgot to ask him earlier.

"It was great! I think I did well."

"You think? You nailed it! You were stunning, Tae," Hoseok said, educing a bashful giggle from him.

"I hope you paid him well." Seokjin darted his eyes at Jeongguk, and he met his gaze a second later.

"I did," he sneered.

"Oh, you transferred the money?" Taehyung received a faint nod from him. "I completely forgot about it. Thank you, Jeongguk."

"You earned it," he mumbled and gulped down the rest of his soju. He stood up out of the blue and headed to the bar to grab another one.

"What's wrong with him?" Inguk couldn't help but sigh.

"He's like this since the moment he came out of the storage room," Yoongi said with a taunting smile as he glanced at Taehyung.

Taehyung clutched his bottle of beer, glaring at him. "Seriously, what's your problem with me?"

"I'm just saying," Yoongi snickered as his shoulders lifted in a shrug.

"No, you're not. You act like you don't want me and Jeongguk to be friends. Why is it so wrong that we're friends?"

"You know what's the problem, Taehyung?" Yoongi asked, voice rumbling. "He'll get attached to you, and when you leave, he—"

"Yoongi!" Jeongguk bellowed. "What is wrong with you?"

"I just have your back, Kook."

"I don't want you to. Leave him alone or I'm seriously gonna kick you out."

Silence veiled them as Jeongguk made his way to his seat. He took a swig of his soju and laid his gaze on Taehyung, who was already staring at him with doe eyes.

"So, let's cut the cake to lighten up the mood," Inguk said, awkward, and took off to bring the cake.

Taehyung dwelled on it for a while, but he rose to his feet and walked towards Namjoon at the end. "Um, can you change seats with me?" he asked in a whisper, making sure no one was able to hear him.

Wordlessly, Namjoon smiled at him and went to sit next to Seokjin as Taehyung sat next to Jeongguk. He brought his chair so close to his that there was no space between them anymore. Jeongguk didn't say anything, but he observed his every move in depth.

"Thank you," Taehyung uttered as he placed his hand on his forearm. "For standing up for me."

"I should have done this sooner," Jeongguk said, a fond smile tugging at his lips at his tender touch.

"Eat, guys, eat," Inguk chirped once he appeared with the cake.

They ate and drank even more as a few hours passed by. The mood was thankfully better, and everyone seemed to be having a good time. Although Taehyung and Jeongguk didn't talk much to each other, they held hands under the table the whole time as they laughed at what the others were saying.

Since it was after twelve and they still had to work tomorrow, they decided to call it off for the night. "Thank you for planning this, guys, really," Jeongguk slurred, feeling light dizziness swirl in his head.

"Actually, you should thank Taehyung. He came up with the idea to do it here and he helped in everything," Inguk said.

"Did you really?" He glanced at him and noticed Taehyung nodding with a goofy smile. "Thank you, Tae." He combed his fingers through his hair, a suave chuckle emitting from his mouth at his cute face.

"Let's go, I have to close up," Inguk said after a moment, and everyone stood up except for Taehyung and Jeongguk.

Jeongguk chuckled once more when he saw the boy close his eyes and nuzzle closer to him. "You can't sleep here. We have to go home first."

"Home," he whispered and giggled afterwards.

"Come on, Hanae is waiting outside." Jeongguk heaved the sleepy boy to his feet. "Bye, guys." He twined a secure arm around his waist, and they walked outside.

"Why aren't we taking your car?"

"I can't drive, you dork. I drank too much."

"Did you have a good time?" Hanae asked with a hearty smile as he glanced at the two boys who just got into the back seat.

"Yeah, it was good. Sorry for making you work this late." Jeongguk smiled apologetically at the chauffeur.

"Mr. Jeon, you have changed. I can say that I like this side of you more."

"What side?"

"You know, kind?"

"Jeonggukie is kind," Taehyung said in a baby tone as he draped his arms over his nape and buried his face in his chest.

The younger clasped him as he set his gaze on him. He planted a small kiss on the top of his head and ran his hand up and down his back. That was until Taehyung exploded out of his hug and looked at him with a shocked expression. "I didn't get you a present!"

Jeongguk shook his head and smiled as he pulled him into his hug again. "Don't worry about it. I don't like presents, anyway."

"Everyone likes presents."

Jeongguk was supposed to stay silent and not voice out his thoughts, but he did, and he didn't even realize it. "You're better than any present." It was an almost imperceptible whisper, but somehow Taehyung managed to hear it.

"I am?"

Only then Jeongguk registered what happened. "Did I say that out loud?"

"Yes. Hanae, back me up." Taehyung signed for the chauffeur to talk.

"I'm afraid you did, sir." A throaty chuckle accompanied his remark.

"Well, this is awkward."

"No, it's not." Taehyung latched onto him even tighter. "You're better than any present for me too."

The younger let out a soft sigh as he rubbed an array of tender patterns on his back. What am I supposed to do with you?

"If you don't detach me from you, I'm gonna fall asleep," Taehyung muttered drowsily as he squeezed him once and twice.

"You can sleep, Tae." He couldn't repress his chuckle at how adorable Taehyung was at that moment. He heard a faint hum, and soon enough, light snores from him. He kissed the top of his head and then gazed out the window.

"You must care about this boy a lot," Hanae said in a soft tone as he glanced at him through the mirror.

"I do."

"It's nice to see you making new.. am I supposed to say friends?"

Jeongguk shot him a glance, bitting his bottom lip. "Apparently yes, we're friends."

"Well, that's a weird friendship then," he snickered, causing the other to snort.

"I know." Jeongguk fixed his gaze on the boy and smiled upon seeing him all curled up into his embrace. He kept his eyes on him and gave him a myriad of caresses until the very moment they arrived at the mansion. He thanked Hanae for his services and struggled to get out of the car with Taehyung in his arms, but eventually, he succeeded.

He heard the boy hum and felt his grip tighten around him. "We arrived?"

"Yes," Jeongguk uttered as he opened the door. "Sorry that I woke you up."

"It's okay. You can put me down now."

"I can carry you to your room. I'm quite strong, you know." His tone had something playful that made him giggle.

"Hey, we should use the jacuzzi!" the older exclaimed in a fit of enthusiasm.

"Tae, it's almost one, and you were literally sleeping a minute ago."

"But I want to use it." He looked at him with his deepest, most endearing pouty face, and Jeongguk yielded at light speed.

"Okay." He kicked his bedroom door open and released the boy carefully. "Why don't you bring clothes for both of us and I'll go prepare the jacuzzi, hmm?" He cupped his cheeks and rubbed them with his thumbs.

Taehyung nodded eagerly and darted to the closet, leaving Jeongguk chuckling at his lovable behavior.

Jeongguk headed to the bathroom and prepared the jacuzzi real quick before he started undressing. The door opened, and he spectated as Taehyung peeped at him and ducked his head as he inched closer. He could only chuckle at his once again adorable behavior as he slipped into the jacuzzi.

"Don't stare."

Jeongguk raised his hands defensively and then placed one hand in front of his eyes. He heard a mild chortle that brought a smile dangling on the corner of his lips.

Jeongguk opened his eyes after a few seconds and peeked through his fingers at the boy, who was oblivious to his actions. He nibbled his bottom lip at the sight of Taehyung's half-naked body right in front of him and felt his heartbeat rise for some reason.

"You're peeking!" Taehyung cried out with a scowl.

Jeongguk dropped his hand to his side as a chuckle flew off his mouth. "Yes, I am, hurry up and come here." He had about four seconds to eye him thoroughly before the older got into the jacuzzi too.

"You jerk," he hissed and splashed some water on his face.

"What's wrong with admiring your body?"

"There's nothing to admire though."

His bright expression fell from his face at his remark and clouded over as he stretched a hand to get a hold of his. Once he found it, he tugged him towards him and positioned him between his legs, his back pressing against his chest. "Maybe you don't know it, but I admire everything about you," he said right next to his ear, voice breathy and low.

Quivers rushed down his spine in no time and his eyes popped at the sensation. What rendered him outright, one hundred percent shocked and dazed was a string of gentle, slightly wet kisses that trailed his skin from his earlobe to his neck, and all the way to his shoulder. His breath caught in his lungs, his wild eyes roaming in all directions, and he waited, anxiously waited for Jeongguk's next move.

But nothing happened. Jeongguk just nestled his chin against his shoulder and his grip around him loosened a tad.

"This is the best way to spend my birthday, although it's not my birthday anymore," Jeongguk uttered, oblivious to the effect of his actions. But when Taehyung didn't react in any way, he drew his head back and looked at him with a frown. "Are you okay?"

"Jeongguk," he whispered as he twisted his head and laid his eyes on him. "Friends don't kiss like that."

A soft smile etched on his lips as he held his gorgeous face in delicate palms and stroked his cheek. "I know." The eye contact was unyielding, heated, and Jeongguk felt his heart speed up its tempo unwittingly. He espied Taehyung's gaze falling to his lips, and he mirrored his move, his head dizzy by the proximity.

Taehyung's breath hitched once he was pulled into a sweet, longing kiss. He melted instantly into the eruptive feeling and hummed in utter pleasure when their tongues brushed against each other at a slow, savory rhythm. Jeongguk instructed him to turn around then, and he readily complied without breaking the kiss at all.

The older fastened his legs around his waist and his arms around his nape, pulling him closer and managing to deepen the kiss even more. He drew out choked moans from him once he pressed their bodies together eagerly and felt the grasp on his waist tighten more and more.

Taehyung couldn't realize before how much he craved this. How much he craved him. Until their lips merged and moved perfectly in sync. The dawning realization paused when the younger sucked his bottom lip and then bit it, something that made him whimper at the blissful feeling.

They broke apart simultaneously as they ran out of breath and rested their foreheads against each other. Both were agitated and intoxicated by the intense moment they just shared and didn't seem able to utter a single word.

The younger caressed his back as he closed his eyes. His breathing started stabilizing again, his dizzy state sobering up, and only then he comprehended what had happened. Or actually, what he had done.

Panicking for his reaction, he focused his gaze on Taehyung who seemed to be in a trance; lips slightly parted, eyes wandering anywhere but him, and his breath still uneven, rapid.

"Tae, are you—"

"I need to..." he babbled in a fog as he withdrew from the hug. "To get out of here."

"Shit, Tae, I'm sorry, I didn't want to—" Jeongguk tried to grab his hand, but he was quick enough to get out of the jacuzzi and vanish from his sight, leaving him there, regretting what he did to the fullest.

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The moment you guys have been waiting for is here🤭 in a few hours, I'll publish the next and final part for today. Three updates in one day, not bad huh?💜🌹