[ CHAPTER 11 ]
a taehyung thing

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

TAEHYUNG is the most content he had ever been. now, mind you, he truly did adore his job but never had he loved it as much as he did now.

for many take their minor luxuries in life for granted, a lucky bonus in their package that was screwed to their backs. but a mere prod in the direction of a nail could send all spiralling in a mess of bemused shrieks for justice that some had never had in the first place.

so he makes sure not to slouch whenever he spots a german shepherd yipping patiently at his owner's heels in the waiting room and for good measure, adds a gentle rub to the back of the canine's ears once the dog refused to stare at him after his doings.

now, only a week into his job, taehyung can already sense the growing determination of resilience now wearing thin after having been bitten curtly by a hissing british shorthair that had briskly hightailed it out of the room once he had set her down.

"holly?" taehyung calls, stepping into the waiting room, clad in a pair of periwinkle scrubs.

a man, sheltered in the corner of the many plastic seats arranged around the room, head previously bowed to his device and a dark mask propped over his nose, glances up, tugging at the leash of a fawn toy poodle at his lap.

taehyung awaits patiently as the man collects the seemingly bored canine into his arm, the other sifting his phone into his back pocket as he shuffled forward, head tucked all the while.

now, something odd was off about this man. he seemed eerie and even the slightest bit familiar. it wasn't the clothes, they were of rich brands although but it was the frame that he was drawn to. the stocky yet slim body, that taehyung was so accustomed to glaring at.

"we're just in here for today." he chirps, the pads of his finger nudging at the door.

the man lumbers in, setting the poodle upon the bench in the middle of the room before shuffling back, staring expectantly at the doctor.

"right, so holls annual checkup?"

nodding curtly, the man lifts his arm to slot a finger beneath the lip of his mask, tugging it carefully beneath his chin.

"hey silver." he croaks, voice husky as he offers the male a thin-lipped smirk.

"jeongguk?!"

lips widening at the evident surprise that laces the elder's tone, jeongguk tucks his fingers into the pockets of his jeans as he speaks, "surprised?"

"what are you doing here?" he hisses, "oh my God, are you going to get me fired again?"

"no." jeongguk scoffs, rolling his eyes, "just give me the all clear about the dog."

scowling, taehyung abides offering the poodle a gentle ruffle at her head before slipping his palms beneath her belly and lifting her upon the scale pressed at the end of table.

"you're a healthy pup aren't you, holls?" taehyung coos as his gaze flickers to the numbers printed upon the scale, hands reaching forward to pull the dog back to the bench before shooting the younger male. suspicious glare, "you said you never had a pet before?"

"she's not mine." jeongguk says, huffing, "my sister's."

"right."

both don't attempt to lengthen the conversation after that, taehyung now squinting down at the poodle's eyes, a light in hand before he sets it down, smiling lightly when holly nudges her muzzle at his wrist.

"she reminds me of jimin."

"and that's a good thing?" he grimaces.

frowning, taehyung glares, "personality wise you dimwit, she's pretty collected but sweet at the same time, cute."

scoffing, jeongguk narrows his eyes, snarling, "she's evil witch on the inside, cunning piece of Satan's work."

"really?" he drawls, audibly disinterested as he cups the dog's jaw in his hands, cooing fondly.

"yes, last night she made my files her daily potty place."

"oh?" taehyung grins, "and what's her normal toilet?"

"my socks."

bursting into a fit of giggles, the veterinarian bites down at his bottom lip as he smothers holly's ears down, cheeks full as they curve crescents at his eyes.

"good girl." taehyung laughs, rubbing at her ears dotingly, "keep at it."

feigning a frown, jeongguk rolls his eyes, scoffing sarcastically, "that's right, encourage the darn vixen."

"next time, it's the phone." he whispers loudly to the dog, receiving a bemused tilt of a head and a deepening scowl.

and once again, the two lapse into a gentle silence, jeongguk peering at the ashen-haired male as he prods gentle fingers at her abdomen, humming to himself before scribbling a wad of notes upon his clipboard.

now, jeongguk felt odd. he had felt the very same strange emotion when taehyung had smiled at him, a full-blown smile the other week, and when the male had burst into a fit of amusement at his displeasure that very afternoon.

it wasn't a painful sensation, in fact it was a rather pleasant throb at his chest that even dared to tilt the frown at his lips.

it was a taehyung thing, jeongguk supposes, to make someone feel strange and in his opinion, unpleasant for it was not suited for his strict, followed timetable.

and so he had ignored it.

but now, as he watches the said male smile sweetly at the bemused poodle who's currently being pressed at her joints, he feels this odd sensation pinching at his chest once again.

"hey asshole."

blinking, jeongguk slaps his lips closed, sifting his gaze to frowning male before him, "huh?"

"you're being creepy, stop it."

"excuse me?" he asks, baffled.

"you're staring at me."

smirking, he teases, "makes you feel nervous?"

"no, but you were drooling."

flushing a dark crimson, jeongguk scowls at the veterinarian as he bites at his lip to smother the laughter swelling at his throat.

but his words are familiar, smudged with neon lemon and fading maroon, a meek smile and a hooded-smirk. and it seems as if both he and taehyung were well aware of the clear familiarity of their words, both falling into a tense silence.

"i-uh thanks for taking care of me," taehyung murmurs, eyes never once straying from his patient as he adds, "your pancakes were good."

humming, the younger male merely shrugs, "s'okay."

and so now all that remained was the hushed events of the night before taehyung had awoken to a plate of pancakes topped with a spoon of chocolate ice-cream.

now both men knew that topic surely had to be touched eventually, but none of the them were eager to bring it up.

"so," taehyung begins, clearing his throat uneasily as he shrugs the stethoscope around his neck, "about the kiss."

"it was a mistake." jeongguk intervenes bluntly, eyes firm as coal alike to his tone, "you were drunk, shit happened, end of story."

taehyung isn't entirely sure why his chest restricts at the younger's words, throat swelling with an unknown emotion as he lowers his gaze, "r-right."

"are you done yet?" he snaps, "i've got places to be."

and just like that, gone was the jeongguk who smiled akin to a bunny, the jeongguk who sung a song he deeply resented just to please him and the jeongguk who enjoyed a playful banter between them.

that's who he was, who he had always been and yet, taehyung can't help but feel the slightest bit disappointed.

~

[a/n]

i wrote this when it was hobi's birthday so happy birthday bub, ilysm. ♡