ｈａｚｙ // ｖ.ｋ. ✔️

ｔｗｅｎｔｙ

"D-Do you still want to go eat dinner at Jimin's house?" Jeongguk nodded slowly, watching as Taehyung moved past him swiftly. "Com'on." The drive there was suffocating. A thick tension hung in the air and filled the car with an indescribable sense of discomfort. They arrived in a timely manner, knocking on the door gently. Jimin opened it, his eyes lighting up. "Jeongguk!" He flung himself onto the boy, a bright smile on his face. "I've missed you so much! Why don't you ever come visit me, huh?"

Jeongguk giggled as he hugged him back. Jimin raised an eyebrow at this. "Did you just giggle?" He gave Taehyung a glance, as if asking 'you heard that too, right'. A light pink color dusted over his cheeks. "Oh my god! Look at your lil' cute cheeks!" He pinched his cheeks, earning a whine from Jeongguk. "You've fed him well I see," he joked, turning to Taehyung. He chuckled as well, ruffling Jeongguk's hair. Jimin led the pair inside, introducing Taehyung to Hoseok. "This is the guy that Jeongguk's been living with," he explained. "Is he taking care of you, Gguk?" Hoseok asked, his eyes narrowing at Taehyung. He'd grown just as protective over Jeongguk as Jimin had, wanting nothing but the best for him.

"Y-Yes. He takes great care of me," he smiled to himself, giving Taehyung a bashful glance. "Good. Why don't you come help me with dinner?" Jeongguk happily skipped into the kitchen, immediately helping Hoseok cut up some vegetables. He smiled fondly as he watched Jeongguk bob his head side to side, singing softly to himself. "Taehyung, can we talk?" Jimin asked, his cheerful tone turning into a more serious one. "Yeah of course." Taehyung could feel his palms become sweaty and his heart beat a tad bit faster. Was he really this nervous about meeting Jeongguk's best friends? They stepped into the backyard, Taehyung audibly gasping at the beautiful garden. "Take a seat." They sat in some lawn chairs, facing each other. Jimin leaned back slightly, his chin up as he looked down at Taehyung.

He had little doubt that Taehyung's intentions weren't bad-- he'd seen how he took care of Jeongguk at the trial-- but Kyong started out as a pure hearted guy as well. He simply couldn't risk handing Jeongguk over to a man that might hurt him. "What do you plan on doing with Jeongguk?" Taehyung furrowed his brows. "What do you mean?" "Why did you let a stranger live with you after meeting once?" Jimin's aura had turned brutally dark. Taehyung could tell he really did care about Jeongguk's safety. "I felt a connection to him... I know that sounds like a lame explanation, but that's it. I have a strong sense of intuition, and I got so many different feelings from him, I needed to know more.

"I'd started to pick up on signs I didn't want to pick up on, like how he said that Kyong didn't like his singing and that he didn't know he was getting his hair done. Everything was falling in the wrong place and when Kyong called him, that was my last straw. I had a bad feeling, and I did everything I could to help him out," he sighed, recalling that first day with a grimace. It was a rarity to see Taehyung overstep his boundaries voluntarily; he never did something if he wasn't obligated to. He had always been what he called a 'background character'. His only purpose in this world was to fade into the background, to be someone who was easily forgotten. He was someone who could be killed off in an instant if it helped the main plot.

That is, until he saw Jeongguk. "It was the first time that I didn't want to be right. I gave him my business card and hoped that he'd call me if he did get into trouble with Kyong. I couldn't help but feel so relieved that he took up on my offer. And then when I saw him sitting in that hospital bed, his body all bruised up and tears running down his cheeks, I couldn't just leave him. He reached out to me with his weak arm and pleaded for me to stay. He felt alone. It would've been impossible to recover if he felt as if there was no point in it. I tried my hardest to give him a reason to try, and I'm so glad to see him getting better. I-I'm sorry if this wasn't the answer you were looking for, but that's all I have."

Jimin gazed at him, a pleased smile on his face. "I was beginning to give up on seeing the day Kyong would be in a place where he couldn't hurt Jeongguk, but it finally happened. I've known Jeongguk since middle school, and I've watched him get in and out of plenty of bad relationships. I'd gotten good at betting on who would be a match and who wouldn't. Kyong was the only person that decieved me. He was so cheerful and loving, I never expected him to be so cruel to someone as pure as Jeongguk," he started, his bottom lip trembling. "I still remember the day Jeongguk told me that Kyong had been hitting him... it broke my heart man. He's too good for this world." Jimin wiped his tears and met Taehyung's eyes.

"I'm sorry for getting side tracked, I just wanted to say thank you for getting him back on his feet. Whatever you've done to get him to look that happy again, keep doing it. It seems like Jeongguk really does like you." Taehyung let out a sigh of relief, glad that Jimin didn't deem him as 'unfit' for Jeongguk. "Are you and Jeongguk dating?" Jimin suddenly asked, sending Taehyung into a panic. "N-No! It's not like that, I swear!" Taehyung's mind wandered back to pinning Jeongguk against the counter top, the younger's eyes wide in disbelief as Taehyung leaned in. He was suddenly thankful for retreating. Jimin laughed and patted his back. "Calm down buddy, no need to get worked up over a question." he teased as he stood up, his hand already on the doorknob.

Taehyung did so as well, but noticed how Jimin paused. "I'd be okay with you dating Jeongguk, just so you know. If you make him as happy as he looks, then I wouldn't have a choice but to accept it." Taehyung bit his lip, trying to fight back the blush on his face as he entered the house. "Tae! Look!" Jeongguk exclaimed as he ran towards Taehyung, a cup in his hand. "I made tea!" Taehyung looked inside the cup and sure enough, there was a light pink tea in the cup. "Wow, I'm impressed. Does it taste better than my tea though?" he asked, teasingly squishing the younger's cheeks. "No, nothing could beat your tea," he giggled as he scrunched up his nose. Jimin watched them fondly, glancing at Hoseok to see him doing the same. It warmed their hearts to see Jeongguk so happy.

Despite this, Tehyung could feel the heat rise in his cheeks. They were acting as if Taehyung didn't try to kiss him just before arriving. He tongued the inside of his cheek, trying to understand why Jeongguk wasn't as nervous as himself. Maybe he was just acting like it didn't happen because he didn't want it in the first place? He found himself feeling disappointed, though he knew better than to pressure Jeongguk into something like that. Still, he desperately wanted to show Jeongguk what it was like to be loved.

But what if Jeongguk didn't want that from him?