When Taehyung woke up, Jeongguk was long gone. He had set the alarm at nine, an hour earlier than he had to because he wanted to stop by the house to find the owner's phone number so he could call them.

He took his time to roll out of bed and get ready since he wasn't in a hurry. After eating something, he grabbed his keys and trod towards the exit but froze when he noticed a note attached to the door. A hearty smile crept over his lips as he took it in his hand to read it.

     
Baby <3
   
Good morning! I hope you slept well. You are literally the cutest little thing when you sleep and it makes my day when I wake up and you're by my side. You're a heavy sleeper so I get to kiss you all I want without disturbing you (and yes I do that every morning) ^_^ Anyway, good luck with your photoshoot today. Don't be too hot. Who am I kidding, you're hot even when you're not trying. I adore you baby, take care.
    

"This cute dork," Taehyung uttered with a soft chuckle as he held the note close to his chest. He could never imagine he would blush like a kid and smile from ear to ear because of a simple note. He fished his phone out of his pocket and texted Jeongguk.

    
Taehyung: I adore you too
      

Once he pressed send, he walked outside and towards the other house, still with a smile on his face. Since it was about seven minutes away from there on foot, he arrived in no time. As he stood outside of the gates, he found a small opening and observed the house. It seems so nice. His phone buzzed then, and he grabbed it from his pocket.

    
Jeongguk: Where's my heart?
   

It was as if he could see his pout and couldn't help but chuckle.

      
Taehyung: I should start calling you baby since you are one. I adore you too Jeonggukie <3
    

He kept the phone in his hand and looked at the details that were written on a piece of paper. He typed the number and waited for someone to pick up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hi, good morning, um." He cursed himself mentally for being so awkward. "I'm calling for the house you are selling?"

"Are you interested?"

"I wanted to ask if you're willing to rent it instead of selling it? It's perfect for me, but I'm sure it's gonna cost a lot of money to buy it since it's a nice and seemingly new house."

"You are right, the price is €300,000."

"Yeah, I definitely don't have that much money. Is there a chance you're willing to rent it?"

"I'm sorry, kid, we need the money as soon as possible because we're moving to Japan."

"Oh, I see. Well, thank you for your time."

"Thank you for your interest."

Taehyung hung up the phone with a sigh. At least I tried.

      
Jeongguk: That's my boy<3
     

Taehyung: The house is out of the picture. I called the owner, but she's not willing to rent it :(

   
Jeongguk: It's okay, baby, we'll figure something out.
    
  

Jeongguk had stopped by the house himself before going to work and wrote down the number. He was gonna call later, but since Taehyung reminded him, he decided to call now.

"Hello?"

"Good morning. I saw you're selling a house. Can you give me some more information?"

"What would you like to know?"

"Actually, because I can't stop by now to see it, can you send me some pictures to my email? I'd like to buy it."

"You don't even know the price."

"Not important," he said, indifferent. She wrote down his email, and they ended the call.

About three minutes later, a new email appeared on his computer. Upon clicking on it, he saw that it was indeed a really nice and spacious house, with a big living room, two bedrooms, one bathroom, and fully equipped with everything.

He sent an email back, asking for her information to transfer the money, and informed her to come by the company to leave the keys until seven in the afternoon.

Okay, what he did was wrong, and he knew it. He just bought a house for Taehyung, and he was afraid he wouldn't like that, but he couldn't miss the chance of having him so close to him. Maybe he won't be mad. I'll explain, and everything will be fine. He reassured himself and then continued with his work.

 
Soon enough, it was after seven, and Jeongguk grabbed the keys to the new house from Jisoo on his way out of the company and headed to the cafe.

. . .

"Kookie," Taehyung chirped once he saw him walk towards the bar.

"Hey, baby." He grinned at him as he leaned closer and captured his lips into a sweet kiss.

"What are we doing today? Takeout and eating outside? Cooking together and watching a movie?" Taehyung was in a really good mood since his photoshoot went well and he got over 1k that day only. But he was also excited to see his Kookie. He had missed him, although they saw each other every single day.

"How about takeout but going home instead of eating outside? I have a surprise for you."

"Surprise?" Taehyung questioned with big doe eyes as he clasped his hands. "What is it?"

"If I tell you, it won't be a surprise anymore." Jeongguk chuckled at his cute behavior. "Order two portions of what you want to eat and go change."

"But I still have about half an hour until I finish."

"I'll ask Inguk to let you leave earlier, so go."

Taehyung giggled and pressed a peck on his lips before he dashed to the kitchen to place his order. After that, he changed his clothes and returned outside.

"Look at you, making Taehyung leave earlier than he should," Inguk teased, making both of them chuckle.

"Are you mad?" Taehyung asked with a fake pout.

"No, Tae, I can handle the bar," he said with a smile and went to the kitchen to prepare their order a moment later.

The two boys resumed bantering and chuckling endlessly as they waited for their takeout. Taehyung talked about his photoshoot, how it was a bit awkward at first, but he managed to overcome it. And although Jeongguk was slightly jealous since the boy was posing shirtless, he told him how proud he was that he was able to pull it off.

After taking their food, they headed home, still chatting about different things and laughing here and there.

Once they arrived, they entered the house and settled down in the living. Jeongguk unwrapped their takeout and turned on the TV, leaving whatever was on at the moment playing without paying attention.

"What's my surprise?" Taehyung asked in a blaze of excitement.

"Eat first, baby."

"Oh, come on, I've waited for so long now," he whined as he stomped his feet in tiny.

That only made Jeongguk crinkle his eyes and nose as he giggled at his actions. "Okay." He inhaled a deep breath and blew out slowly. It'll be okay. He won't be mad, he appeased himself as he rose to his feet to grab his bag.

Taehyung watched in depth as he took a small box out of his bag and then returned to his seat. His brows bumped together in a frown as he shifted in his seat uneasily. "You're not proposing, right?"

"What? Tae!" he exclaimed in shock. "We're too young for that."

Taehyung released a shaky breath in relief as his expression mellowed. "Then what's up with that small box?"

Jeongguk smiled warmly as he handed him the item and gestured him to open it. Once he did, though, he noticed his smile faltering and a baffled expression taking over his features.

"What's this?"

"It's a key... to your new house."

He whipped his utterly confused gaze at him in a split second. "What?"

Jeongguk swallowed thickly upon seeing his vicious stare. Right then, he knew he had screwed up. "I-I bought the house."

Silence. Absolute, suffocating silence engulfed the entire house as Taehyung dropped the box on the couch at a loss. "You bought the house," he repeated, endeavoring to absorb what he just said.

"Yes."

"Jeongguk, you bought... the house," he said once more in an austere tone, the muscles in his face clenched.

"Listen, it's not a big deal, okay? I just wanted to have you close to me," he muttered as he reached out to hold his hand.

But Taehyung wrenched his hands away and raised them in the air in sheer disbelief as he closed his eyes briefly. "Not a... not a big deal?" he sneered under his breath and shot him a glare. "You bought a 300k house... for me... and it's not a big deal?"

"Can you not be mad? I just wanted—"

"Are you shitting me?" he bellowed in a fit of fury as he exploded out of his seat. "I told you I wanted a place for myself, I wanted my place, Jeongguk!"

"But it is your place," he argued back as he stood up too.

"No, it's not! Because you bought it with your money. It's not mine, it's yours, just like this house. If someone finds out about this, they're gonna think I'm taking advantage of you, of your money!"

"Who cares what they'll think? You know it's not true and I know it's not true. It's a perfect house, Tae, and I wanted you to have it."

Taehyung stared at him so intensely tears pooled in his eyes. A string of chuckles tumbled out of him as he tossed his head down and shook it in frustration. "I could have found another one."

"But this is close to mine," Jeongguk said in a soft tone as he took a step closer. "You can go there any time I annoy you. Any time I make you mad, any time I piss you off. Any time you want your space, any time you want to be alone. And I don't have to worry because it's so close, and the place around here is safe." He circled his petite body with his arms and held him tightly.

"Jeongguk, after everything you have done, from buying me medical supplies to paying for my hospital bill, you should have known better by now."

"I did all those things because I cared about you. Because I wanted you to be okay. But I bought this house for my sake. I don't want to spend a day without seeing you. I don't want to spend a day without kissing your soft lips or touching your beautiful body. Taehyung, I don't care if you think this is not gonna last. You're so mad because this house is connected to me and you wonder what is gonna happen if we break up. You want me to tell you? It's still going to be your house. It's gonna be your house, Tae."

He heaved a long sigh as he slipped his arms around his nape. He placed a few small kisses on his cheek and neck and rested his head on his shoulder. "I want it to last, Kook," he whispered and felt the grasp around him firm up. "I want to pay rent."

"You know you don't have to, but if that's what you want, I won't stop you."

"I do. I won't feel useless then."

Jeongguk's body frosted over with slight vexation at his remark, a deep scowl enshrouding his face. "Useless?"

"I don't have anything to offer you, Kook. At least not yet, but I'm making more money now."

"You think you're useless because you don't have money? What kind of bullshit is that?" Jeongguk snarled, and he perceived the boy opening his mouth to talk, but he beat him to it. "Don't even answer that. You are certainly not useless in any way. You have given me so many things. You gave me my smile back, you made my shitty life meaningful, you gave me a reason to wake up in the morning and actually live every day instead of letting it pass like nothing.

"You freed me from the misery I didn't even know I was living in. You changed me, Taehyung. You gave me something I never had in my life. A person to lean on, to share my day, to share my concerns, to laugh with, to hold me. A person to adore, a person to love." The last word that rolled off his tongue had both freezing, as if time halted. "Fuck." He chuckled as he let his head fall. "I'm so in love with you, Taehyung. I'm sorry, I couldn't hold it anymore. I'm so in love with you."

The younger kissed his stunned expression away as he ran his hand on his back. "You have given me so many things. And whatever I do, I can never repay you for that. But I'm gonna try every day to show you how grateful I am to you."

Taehyung couldn't find words to say. He gulped as he pulled away and grabbed his hand. He led him to the couch and instructed him sit before he got on his lap and fastened his arms and legs around him. "You have given me way more things, so don't feel like you have to repay me, Kookie."

"Really? Do I make you happy?"

"Oh, baby," Taehyung whispered with a near-silent chuckle as he cupped his cheeks and looked deep into his eyes. "I'm happier than I have ever been in my life. And it's all because of you."

"Damn, that feels good." Both chuckled this time. "Knowing you're happy is all I could ever ask for, Tae. It's all I want. To make you as happy as you're making me."

"You're amazing, Jeongguk," he uttered as he united their foreheads, holding his nape loosely. "And thank you for buying the house. I was actually excited about the idea of living so close to you because I'll be able to come over any time and sleep with you, cuddle you, kiss you. Just be with you."

"Good, because I wanted that too. That's the only reason I bought it in the first place. To have you close to me." He offered him a warm smile as he passed his fingers through his hair. "Do you wanna go see it?"

"Right now?"

"Yeah."

"Actually, no. I want to eat and then cuddle you. And maybe seduce you to fall into bed with me."

"Oh, baby, you don't have to do anything like that. I'm whipped. All you have to do is ask. Wait, not even ask. All you have to do is grind against me—yeah, just like that—and I'm done." He let out a choked groan as Taehyung rubbed his ass against his now half-hard member.

"So I'm guessing sex first?" he asked with a velvety, deep voice as he drew wet kisses on his neck.

"Well, since you started it, I most certainly not gonna say no." He hissed at the feeling of his sinful tongue trailing his skin and his soft lips that devoured it a few seconds later.

⚜✳⚜
 
 
Only two chapters are left and I'm not ready for this story to end.
I'm sad, help😔