Everyone has a dark side.

Even the most unlikely person you think who could never hurt a fly; the one who's always smiling, volunteering for worldly causes, constantly giving, never expecting anything back in return. This could might as well be a cover. It's no joke, the temptation of darkness, its beauty masking the unpleasant truth of what it really represents. It had the power to change just about anyone. From the trauma of past scars, being alone with deep thoughts at night, to the unfiltered environment which influences less obedient behavior... just like that, the fire has now already come to life, all that's left is for a 'fuel' to make it grow- to give it a purpose. 

And isn't that what we tend to do to each other? Give one another a reason to encourage that darkness to bloom in unimaginable ways, sometimes without even intending to- getting off topic here, but the point is you never know...

You can't really think you have someone perfectly figured out.

They could turn out to be the exact opposite of what you label them to be.

Taehyung got reminded of this the hard way.

Especially today- the icy-cold reminder that agreeing to be in a relationship with Jeongguk meant that he had inadvertently agreed to everything, all that cheesy couple-y stuff; cuddling for hours in bed, sharing a dessert together at the end of every date, going for a movie late at night, loving heartfelt kisses, just smiling at each other with that lovestruck look and maybe the occasional big arguments thrown into the mix. 

But he never thought-

"Jeongguk-ah... s-stop, I can't anymore-"

A string of moans disrupted that sentence, rising high into the air above the creaking bed.

Then again, Taehyung was in this position right now because of a lie he told. Although he figured everything had been settled earlier this morning. Didn't Jeongguk forgive me already? Did Taehyung miss something? Blame it on his lack of dating experience or whatever... still, there were limits to these things right? Other ways to deal with dishonesty, perhaps taking a break like Ross and Rachel did? (the debate that still lives on to this day) Or some other methods. Couples therapy? Relationship advice from a wise soul? Meditating? There were many options out there...

So why-

"Please, I really can't..." Taehyung managed to get out in between pants before a hand from the back came over his lips, two- no three fingers entering his mouth in the process. 

Alright, he knew his boyfriend's anger problems had begun way back before they met each other. With so little information Taehyung acquired from Hoseok in one of their little talks, he didn't know much about Jeongguk's past- his early teenage years to be more precise. Although he did know that it was in high school when Jeongguk started to change; the sudden untamable rage, rebelling against his already controlling parents, the suffocating therapy sessions he was forced to go to- fine, Taehyung could more or less understand what made Jeongguk turn out the way he was now. 

This was why they needed each other. It seemed like Taehyung was that last string tying Jeongguk to his sanity. For the longest time, this was how they worked. They comforted each other, fitted together perfectly like two puzzle pieces. Yeah, there were some struggles but... it just worked. Taehyung didn't want to think differently, even right this second as-

"You want to stop," a raspy voice, backed up by a chorus of grunts murmured into his ear. "But the sounds you're making tell me otherwise..."

Right on cue, a strained moan surfaced in response. 

To simplify what the hell was happening right now...

Fully naked, Taehyung was on all fours on their bed.

An unscrewed bottle of water rested on the nightstand, half empty next to the alarm clock with the red digits, 5:27 P.M. glowing brightly on it.

It's been hours- fucking hours of non-stop sex.

At first, Taehyung assumed Jeongguk was just really eager to have 'make up' sex since they were arguing before and all that. And when he was fucked right there on the kitchen counter, still no suspicions dawned over him. Not when Jeongguk dragged him to their bedroom, round two starting almost straight away. Not when he felt the touches on his skin more rough than the gentle caressing he was used to. Not when he cummed for the fourth time, given no time to rest as he was pulled onto his knees and forearms, practically quivering as his insides got wrecked by something big plunging in and out of him. Over and over and over again.

Eventually, he saw it.

The possible chance that Jeongguk was kinda... maybe, sorta still a wee bit mad.

But really, Taehyung was the fool here 'cause seriously! He should've known!

When has his boyfriend ever let him off the hook for his mistakes?

There was this burning sensation eating away at his bare knees and elbows- that damn friction of his skin against the bed sheets. It was weighing more exertion down on him and the endless sweat trailing down his arms and thighs only made it all the more difficult to stay in that position. Still, Taehyung held it in, not bothering to ask (beg) the man behind him for a short break again. Hmph, not that he could even say anything with the long fingers currently in his mouth, wet with his saliva.

He felt Jeongguk's sweat-slicked chest pressed against his back, other hand playing with one of his nipples, hot breath constantly present next to his ear. He was either doing this to let Taehyung hear his deep growls and sexy cussing or to whisper something dirty as a tease.

It was the latter.

"I can feel you pushing your hips back onto me." Jeongguk chuckled deeply, running his tongue over the shell of his ear. 

Taehyung whimpered, allowing his head to drop as the vicious butterflies fluttering in him had drained his non-existent strength to a negative level. But he shouldn't have done that despite the pain in his neck from all the straining. Within seconds, the fingers in his mouth disappeared only to land on his chin. His head abruptly tilted up which frightened a gasp out of him.

The tip of a nose started trailing up along the side of his neck to his ear. "I told you to keep your head up," Jeongguk whispered in a strict tone.

Anything that came out of his mouth sounded extremely sensual and Taehyung just couldn't hold himself up anymore. It was torture each time that bundle of tickles tunneled through his already, very horny body. One minute! Was asking for a minute to rest so bad?! It seemed useless but maybe now would be a good time to-

"Gguk." He barely heard his own voice but continued with a pleading, "I can't- let's take uh... a break, hmm?" 

There was no response from the younger man right after he asked that and when Taehyung felt the movement of Jeongguk's hips snapping against his ass slow down, a tiny glimmer of hope filled him. A hope that, of course, didn't last long. Drunk with exhaustion, Taehyung could narrowly make an effort to be surprised when the hand on his nipple slid down to his sensitive cock. He let his eyes close on their own as the grip on his chin tightened itself before angling his face to the side. 

"I'm curious about something," Jeongguk said, his warm palm circling around Taehyung's length slowly from the base to his tip. "Why-" 

A tsk suddenly sounded in the air. 

"Darling, don't you hear me talking? Open your damn eyes and look at me."

And Taehyung did exactly that- big golden eyes glistening back into pitch-black ones. Goodness, he was starting to fear for his life right now. He watched, rapid heartbeats thumping hard behind his ribcage as Jeongguk took a moment to stare at him. Like he was seriously thinking about something, eyebrows narrowed, an almost pissed off expression adorning his devilishly handsome facial features.

"Why do you look so helpless and weak?" 

With those words, Jeongguk started to palm him at an unimaginable speed. One stray tear slid down Taehyung's cheek, departing from his watery eyes that were exaggeratedly wide, refusing to look away from the man before him. He clenched his jaw tightly as the pleasurable pit of arousal began forming at the bottom of his stomach. Ugh, this was going to be his what? Fifth orgasm today!

He saw Jeongguk's head cocked to one side in amusement now. "That face you have on, the crying and begging." A scoff slipped past his lips. "You're making me look like the bad guy."  

Taehyung frantically breathed through his nose. This wasn't good. He was going to cum at any moment. That moan was clawing at the back of his throat, demanding to be let out. Also, his boyfriend's words weren't helping at all!

"Don't you think that I'm the victim here?" 

Oh god.

Strokes getting more faster, neck feeling like it was about to snap in that angle, Jeongguk's smirk... he was close now and the urge to scream was suddenly all Taehyung could think about. Though he still held it together, maintaining that eye contact, refusing to lose the 'unofficial' stare-down they seemed to be having.

But then Jeongguk opened his mouth again.   

"Answer me. Why do you look all innocent..."

Smirk dropping.

Dark eyes growing bigger.

There was this crazed look on his face.

"...when I'm the one dating a fucking liar."

And Taehyung lost it.

He cummed into Jeongguk's palm, eyes shutting as the loudest moan left him. To his utter mortification, he saw the younger man chuckling- no, almost laughing when he opened his eyes. It felt degrading as hell and Taehyung was drowning in a sea of shame for getting off to something so kinky as being sensually insulted by the person he loves. 

"Huh." Jeongguk stared at his sticky palm. "Do you like being called a liar?"

Taehyung stayed silent, too embarrassed to say yes and too scared to lie and say no.

He heard a sigh leave the other. Thinking he was in for another round of taunts and more fondling, Taehyung certainly didn't expect to feel his front come in contact with the soft sheets beneath him. The pain in his knees and elbows instantly vanished as well as the straining in his neck. His flushing hole now closed around nothing as Jeongguk had pulled out of him too.

Just like that. He laid face-first on the bed with his boyfriend hovering over him.

A pair of lips showered kisses over his back- blemish-free skin a few hours ago, now glowing red with bright raw bruises littered everywhere. Starting at the bottom of his spine, Taehyung felt Jeongguk's lips make their way up his back which rose and fell heavily from his quickened breathing overcoming the exhaustion in him. 

"To be honest." Hot breath fanned over the center of his glistening back now. "I'm not mad. I told you, I accept you for who you are but I also realized that if you're gonna be keeping more secrets from me, I should at least do something about it." The kisses moved further up before, "now... what is that 'thing' people usually get in return when they do something bad?"

Taehyung's eyes grew big again. Shit-

"A punishment, right?"

No.

"Gguk... w-wait," he stuttered, trying to grasp the severity of this new situation.

His heavily dazed mind was already so scattered and when Jeongguk's deep laughs danced in the air behind him, this new frustration filled him. Okay, Taehyung got that he was the weak, sad little twink here, apparently paying for his sins but could all the teasing stop?! He fucking hated how much it turned him on!

When the laughing did stop, Taehyung sensed the feature-like touch of some lips roaming over his ear again, followed by a little nibbling on his reddened shell. "Nah, that sounds boring," Jeongguk whispered;

"Let's play a game instead." 

There wasn't any time for Taehyung to process those words as a hand hooked one of his elbows. He was immediately turned around so that he faced up now, back against the sheets. And right above him... he didn't really get a good look at his boyfriend before, what with being pounded into from the behind this whole time. But now that he was looking at Jeongguk... woah. 

Nothing held his hair back which allowed its ends to graze over the surface of his broad shoulders, so very black in pretty curls with sweat shining off of it. The ink decorating his milky skin glistened beautifully, his well-built muscles appearing more prominent in all the right places. He definitely got more buffer from his frequent trips to the gym, looking like he was ready to crush Taehyung with his own bare hands. 

This whole breathtaking view of him, it made an old, quite random, memory play back in Taehyung's head- the day they first ran into each other at that coffee shop. 

Innocent smiles.

Polite conversation.

Excessive apologies.

Who would've guessed they'd end up here one day... 

Taehyung swallowed painfully, never taking his eyes off the hypnotic ones above him. Slowly, he felt his hands being brought to the space above his head, only one of Jeongguk's strong hands required to keep them pinned in place. 

"The rules are simple." Jeongguk watched him with a smile. "I tell you what to do and you can't say no."

What?! This wasn't a game! This was basically what they've been doing this entire time. The only difference is the added forbidden word. Oh, this wasn't looking good... Taehyung trembled beneath Jeongguk, mind running wild with the endless possibilities of what he might be told to do. As if all this wasn't concerning enough, he somehow still sensed that the worst part of this sick game hadn't been unfolded yet.

And boy was he right...

Because Jeongguk had a very serious look on now. "If you lose..." he murmured, free-hand coming up to cup Taehyung's cheek. There was absolutely NO warning as he-

"...I'll fucking choke you."

Oh-

Just fuck.

Taehyung felt his heart throb with so much fear, horror-filled eyes continuing to watch the man above him. It was no joke! The way he started hyperventilating as everything was so real right then. Never mind the choking-related fantasies Jimin used to tease him for having, never mind the time he had actually put his own hand over his throat just to know how it would feel like to really be choked. Just forget about all that!

He remembered something.

The warning... some time ago, when they got snowed in at that amusement park and stayed overnight at a motel. They exchanged a few heartfelt confessions and at one point, Jeongguk did warn him.

You have no idea of the things I've thought of doing to you....  

Was this the extent of it? Of those things Jeongguk wanted to do to him, was this the limit or was there something else above it? Fuck, what could be more twisted than choking another human being?

Hmm, maybe laughing hysterically after having just told someone they might be choked could be a close second to that. 

Also, exactly what Jeongguk was doing right now.

"Why do you look so scared?" he asked after his laughter died down.

Taehyung swiped his tongue over his lips, taking a moment to calm himself down first. Although when the opportunity presented itself, he couldn't speak. 

"What's the matter? Don't you wanna play with me, Hyung..." 

An inner battle stirred up inside him and he wanted to deny the curiosity compromising his thoughts, wanted to justify why he couldn't refuse this now. How it felt like the fear in him was merely an excuse. Oh fuck it! Who was he kidding, he wanted this alright. 

"Okay," his voice came out in tiny.

Jeongguk perfectly heard him, raising one brow with a smirk. "Good," he said, maintaining that look of approval on his face before leaning back into an upright sitting position, pulling Taehyung up along with him.  

In a completely different atmosphere drenching them with a more erotic vibe, Taehyung found himself straddling the younger man. Slow, intense waves of pleasure coursed through him from the exciting position he was in. His hands were secured around Jeongguk's neck, their foreheads pressed together because Taehyung's head felt heavy from the intoxicating sexual tension between them that had heightened tremendously.

When Jeongguk spoke, he gazed down through his long lashes from having that small height advantage. 

"Darling, are you getting excited?"

You see, there comes a point when there's just no use fighting it anymore.

So Taehyung nodded, almost robotically. 

Anything. Any-fucking-thing to please this man right here. 

Jeongguk was evidently satisfied with his response, momentarily grinning before bumping the ends of their noses together in an affectionate manner. Taehyung then watched as his dark, lust-filled eyes slowly moved down to his lips. As if they hadn't done enough kissing today, Jeongguk practically lurched forward to connect their lips, taking him by surprise. 

Their bodies moved in a choreographed rhythm; rising up when the kiss got heated, swaying in the same directions when they fought to taste each other more. Taehyung did his part, hands gripping fistfuls of thick, raven locks as he greeted the warm tongue exploring his mouth. He felt two hands roaming over his back, caressing his skin there delicately. 

They made out a bit more before Jeongguk broke the kiss. 

"I've thought of the first thing I want you to do," he announced lowly.

What thing- oh right, the game.

Taehyung had almost forgot about that. Though he nodded straight away, bracing himself as he whispered out, "what is it?"

"Ride me."

So many things fleeted by his head at that request, a shaky breath staggering past his lips. It felt as if he was venturing into this uncharted land because it was all foreign and intimidating- mainly, Jeongguk was being so different. Taehyung stared at him for a while to see if he was really being serious.

He was. 

Everything that happened next moved in slow motion.

Like a dreading ascend- his hands landing on Jeongguk's chest to lean him back, their gazes briefly connecting there, the previous pain in Taehyung's knees acting up as he weakly rose into a kneeling stance, the sweat continuing to drip off the edges of his hair when he moved himself back so that Jeongguk's crotch region would be right there, in between his legs... below his fluttering hole.       

He blinked slowly, wetting his bottom lip with his tongue. Slightly uncoordinated for many reasons, he took his time to navigate his right hand towards his boyfriend's throbbing cock. Taehyung's fingers trailed up to its tip, also getting himself into position. Expectedly, something began prodding him at his entrance. Now he could've just gotten it over with- feel that tear inside him at being invaded.

But he glanced up to Jeongguk in front of him first.

The younger man watched him- had been observing him closely this entire time with a certain look, jet black eyes glistening, an expression that read: we both know you're not gonna be able to do it. 

Of course, this triggered Taehyung.

So of course, he immediately plunged himself down right onto Jeongguk's cock.

It was a sharp pain that punched through him first. "Ahh... fuck," he let out, suppressing the actual need in him to scream because it hurt so much! Eyes squinting shut, Taehyung threw his head back as both his hands rested flatly on Jeongguk's abs there. The worst part was that he hadn't even taken all of the other inside him yet. Any small movement he made amplified the pain.

And he tried... he really did. 

Though his body threatened to shut down, sweat-soaked skin making everything slippery and harder to move about, Taehyung took in a few deep breaths before trying again. But he couldn't anymore- no, this wasn't about the ripping pain down there. Right now, everything in him cried out to tell him to stop; the aching in his lower back from sitting up like that, the heaviness pushing at his chest from his rapid heartbeats, the chaos unfolding in his head at being overwhelmed in so many different ways.  

It couldn't be done.

Taehyung peeled his eyes open to see Jeongguk looking back at him. Unimpressed.

"I... I can't, sorry-"

"I don't understand what you mean."

"Huh...?" he breathed out, mildly confused. "I can't do it."

Jeongguk stayed emotionless. "What are you saying?" 

The hell? It then dawned on him that the man was trying to get him to say that forbidden word. For fuck's sake-

"NO!" Taehyung shouted, veins visible on his neck. "That's what I'm saying! No! I can't do it!"

It scared him how Jeongguk didn't even bat an eyelid at his outburst. "Well..." he said, not even trying to hide the sadistic smile that took over his lips. 

Oh god...

"I guess that leaves me no choice then..." 

A strangled yelp resonated off the walls of the bedroom. Taehyung felt his back reconnect with the sheets again, sinking deep into the bed as Jeongguk was on top of him. Face scrunching up in the suffocation bleeding into him, he thrashed about uncontrollably as the hand around his throat tightened itself. There was no way to sugarcoat it, he felt like he was dying right then... oxygen leaking out of his lungs until there was none left.

The ragged gasps stuttering out of him seemed to be putting Jeongguk in a trance. Taehyung witnessed it all; a concentrated, curious look on the younger man's face, like he was seeing something for the first time and was intrigued to what the outcome might be. Also, the carnal darkness in his eyes growing more and more, displaying the truth that he liked what he was looking at. 

Golden orbs brimming up with sparkling tears...

"Fuck," Jeongguk mumbled, completely in awe. "Your eyes..." 

With that curious look still on his face, he released his grip and Taehyung instantly wheezed painfully before a sequence of dry coughs left him. While he greedily took in air, Jeongguk observed him with a satisfied expression.

"So this is how it works..." he whispered, mostly to himself and admired the elder gasping for air beneath him.

Taehyung couldn't concentrate on anything else except the need to inhale more oxygen. His frail body turned here and there, each cough causing him to jerk in many directions. Just when he'd lost track on what Jeongguk was doing, a sharp sting barreled into him.

"Ahh..!" he immediately cried out. Back arching up, Taehyung felt his insides being ripped apart with the cock thrusting in and out of him.

It wasn't subtle from the start- rough and sloppy pounding, the friction lighting a spark between them. Soon the pleasure started seeping in and the urge to moan was there.

But Jeongguk choked him again.

"I want to see your face like this everyday," he panted out, now nose to nose with the other as his hips continued its snapping movement. 

Taehyung could only stare back at him, trembling with the tears strolling down the sides of his face. The constant pleasure of Jeongguk's tip jabbing into his sensitive spot was distant and hard to enjoy because of the dizziness in his head. It kept building, kept going up and up. Close to a bow brushing against the violin strings, creating a long high-pitched string sound- kisses littering all over his face, the relentless thrusting, the hand closed around his throat bruising his skin there.

A dramatic scene of an orchestra playing now, reaching that one silent moment before the sounds of the heavy instruments dropped again. And in that moment, Jeongguk made sure to meet his gaze before letting go.

"Hah! Hah..." Taehyung gasped out, chest rising up and going down. "Jeongguk~" he moaned in an utterly wrecked voice.

It was different this time. The second the pressure around his throat was gone, there was this rush inside him. An entirely different rush from what he'd ever experienced before. Hot blood and oxygen began their accelerated flow through him, tricking his body into a new type of pleasure. It felt like he was high on drugs, being fucked like this, his dangerously erect cock leaking feverishly as the head-spinning exhilaration transported him into another world. 

"Jeongguk-ah... Jeongguk," his hoarse voice called. "Please, do it again..." 

Taehyung wanted more. It was an addictive feeling, it compromised all his worries, all the depressing stuff bottled up inside him and just for that few seconds, nothing else mattered except for that toe-curling pleasure taking over. That's what he wanted. Taehyung needed to feel it all now because he knew when he come to his senses later, the negative thoughts were going to flow right back into him. 

"Gguk, again..." he begged once more, pushing his hips down to meet his boyfriend's thrusts, hands gripping fistfuls of the sheets on either sides of him.

"Taehyung. Fuck. Your voice is driving me crazy." Jeongguk instinctively slapped a hand over his mouth.

He saw the way the dark eyes above him suddenly widened. An idea blossoming, a careless smirk invading his face... Jeongguk admired the new view in front of him. Meanwhile, Taehyung's voice muffled against his palm, feeling more hot and stuffy because the pressure around his throat returned, intense as ever. The thrusts into him also increased its pace, indicating that Jeongguk was close. He was too...

In a fervent manner, they shared this last moment together- deep grunts in the air around them topped off by the occasional strangled and restrained moans, loud creaking of the mattress as their burning bodies relentlessly rubbed against each other. It was all very hot and heavy, a feeling like no other and when they reached their climax, all the pending exhaustion from before finally got to Taehyung.

At last, it was over.

All the weight on him- on his mouth, on his throat, everything disappeared and he laid motionless in his spot. Eyelids extremely heavy, he focused on replenishing the oxygen in his system. He couldn't even find the strength in him to react back when some gentle kisses trailed down the side of his face.

"Tae, Sweetheart..." Jeongguk's soft voice reached his ears. "You're okay, hmm..." Genuine concern laced his tone as he brushed his lips against Taehyung's before continuing with, "I'll make sure you're not hurting anywhere. I'll take care of everything. Just go to sleep... I love you." 

This warmth seeped into him from those words. I love you too, Taehyung voiced in his head, trying hard to enjoy the wonderful embrace of his boyfriend before he'd totally pass out. But first, there was something on his mind.

From earlier, about one's tendency to promote the darkness in others. He realized that it was actually him who had been pushing Jeongguk past his limit all this time. It was hard to believe but just thinking about it... every time Jeongguk got mad or displeased in some way, Taehyung was most likely the reason why.

In a way, he was the fuel.

The one who gave Jeongguk a purpose to keep that anger alive.

With that being said, it probably didn't matter right? They could bring out the worst in each other and it still wouldn't make a difference... the toxicity, the obvious trust issues, the unhealthy obsession- fuck all that because nothing could change the truth;

How perfect they were for each other.

Later at night, the usual frigid air caked over the city of Seoul.

Time check, 9:42 P.M. 

Jeongguk's bare feet padded against the carpeted floor, the hems of the long pants he had on dragging themselves on the ground with each step he took. A half-lidded look graced his facial features, feeling a little tired but overall refreshed after the hot shower he just had. The half-empty beer can in his hand accompanied him as he made his way down the hallway to the bedroom. 

The door creaked open, its hinges screaming out an annoying stretchy sound. In the quietness of the night, even the sound of a pin dropping seemed unbearable. Fortunately, Jeongguk had nothing to worry about as he approached the bed to see Taehyung still fast asleep. 

He found his one eyebrow arching up at the sight of his boyfriend. Buried in a small mountain of blankets, Taehyung's face was framed by the hood of his grey sweatshirt. Jeongguk had closed the windows in here and even drawn the curtains shut but some of the cold from outside still made its way in. It was obvious in the redness dusting both the elder's cheeks. 

He looks cute though, Jeongguk thought to himself, a smile growing on his lips.

But that smile was quick to disappear as something on the side of Taehyung's neck caught his attention. The white of a bandage peeking out a little. A sigh left Jeongguk before he placed his beer can down on the nightstand there, next to where his phone was too. He sat down on the bed, mind occupied with so many different things.

To be honest, he was dead-tired. Hadn't slept at all yesterday and the yawns departing from his mouth was making a point- scolding him to get some rest. But he felt this obligation to keep an eye on Taehyung, to check up on him every so often. He needed to see for himself that the man was sleeping and recovering well. The fear that he may have gone too far was weighing down this guilt on Jeongguk. Yes, there was consent and all that though it still worried him that what they did earlier was going to carve permanent scars on Taehyung -not talking about the physical bruises on his body- and no amount of bandages wrapped around the other made him feel better.

The only thing Jeongguk could do was wait for him to wake up. Until then...

He stretched an arm out to retrieve the can of alcoholic beverage from the nightstand. After taking a chug, Jeongguk smacked his lips as a contented feeling surged through him. There was nothing quite like having beer and fried chicken on a cold night. In his case, only beer because the chicken was keeping warm in the microwave, waiting for the both of them. 

Jeongguk silently sat there for a while, just gazing at the other. There was something very calming about watching Taehyung sleep; the curls of his long bangs sneaking out from underneath his hood, the pouting in his lips, one cheek squished all adorably. Man, it was hard to believe that he was the same turtleneck wearing, sophisticated-looking adult who screamed out maturity a month back. No, he was always going to be this delicate angel slash baby and Jeongguk wouldn't have it any other way.

The need to caress him was suddenly there and just as Jeongguk lifted his arm up, a bright flash on the nightstand stole his attention.  

It was his phone.

His dad was calling.

Well, it seemed highly unlikely that no one from the office was going to contact him. He did go MIA without a word of notice today, completely ditching the presentation he was in-charge of for the new investors. And keeping his phone on silent wasn't really the invisibility cloak he thought would shut the world out. Also, as much as he'd like to ignore this call from the 'Boss Man' himself, thirty-two missed calls was probably the limit right... Ugh, responsibilities-

Ugh, life.

Jeongguk exchanged the beer can with his phone, passing a quick glance to Taehyung before he answered the call. Quietly.

"Dad."

A displeased sound greeted his ear. "Oh so you are alive! I can't believe you didn't show today," the old man went on. "You knew how important this meeting was! Those investors were from Japan! The second head in-charge managed to cover for you but do you think they'll want to merge with our company after this?! Do you know how embarrassing this was for me? Is this how you show your gratitude..." 

Maybe it was the alcohol in his system putting him at ease but Jeongguk had never been so calm getting yelled at before. He waited for his father to finish his long lecture about how he once again managed to tarnish the family name, bringing up unnecessary past incidents such as high school, the engagement and now his terrible work ethic. It was weird how hearing these things didn't triggered his anger. No, only when-

"...let me guess, that boyfriend of yours made you-"

"What?" he gritted out, tone dripping with detestation.

A short chuckle played through the phone. "Still getting angry so easily?"

"Only when you give me a reason to."

"Oh, are you mad that I called?" Mr Jeon asked sarcastically. "How do you think I fe- no, I want to hear your reason for not showing up to work today."

Jeongguk rolled his eyes, fingers gently grazing the side of Taehyung's face.

"I had something important to do."

"More important than work?"

He smiled.

"Yes."

He could tell he was getting on his father's nerves. A string of almost-inaudible cusses sounded distantly on the other side. Then he heard the old man taking in a deep breath. "Son, enough. I know we've had this on-going rivalry or whatever it is between us for quite some time now but you need to stop with all your childish ways..."

Jeongguk's smile dropped. What the hell? Childish ways? This was literally the first time he ditched work without a legit reason.  

"...the way you've been behaving is unacceptable. First you turned down that promotion. You don't visit your mother and I at all ever since you moved out. We've done everything in your favor, calling off the engagement, accepting you-" There was a huge pause here before, "for liking men. We even welcomed Taehyung with open arms for dinner that night. Now, don't you think the moment has come to stop all this nonsense? You've had your fun, now it's time to get back to real life."   

The fuck was he hearing? Back to real life? Jeongguk's hand was practically shaking. He pulled back from touching Taehyung, getting up to his feet at the same time. In a few quick strides, he made his way out the room, quietly shutting the door behind him. Once he was outside...

"What-" He pinched the bridge of his nose. "What the hell do you mean by that?"

"I mean that it's only a matter of time before you come back to us and realize that we were right all along. You'll see soon enough, that this- the tantrum you're throwing is just a phase. Just like you did in high school."

Jeongguk was extremely pissed off now. There were so many things he wanted to say, to yell back at the old man; how oblivious his parents were to his troubles growing up, how they think they did a great job raising him by controlling his every move. Perhaps it looked like he was rebelling now because for the first time, he was free. He was happy.

With Taehyung. 

He could've told his father all this. Although, what was the point? He'd be wasting his breath. You see, there were the kind of parents who're just downright horrible. They turned out this way for some reason and while life may be hard on their kids, they just needed to realize their mistakes. There was room to improve and be better.

But then there were the parents who're too set in their ways, their own opinions and ego to accept their mistakes. People like this are oblivious to how their actions and words are perceived by others around them. They don't see how wrong they can be about something because to these people -as cliché as it sounds- the world revolves around them. 

It was obvious which category Jeongguk's parents fitted in.

So he let go of the anger inside him, as hard as it was. With a deep breath, he briefly licked his lips and proceeded to speak calmly.

"Dad, I'm not going through a phase. This is the life I want. As I've already told you, I'll give you your money back. Don't worry, you'll be expecting it very soon now and after that..." His tone got even more serious. 

"...I'm going to take Taehyung with me and we're going to leave here."  

He heard a gasp through the phone. Of course his father would be shocked. This was the first time Jeongguk had directly told him about his plans to move away. And now that he'd said it out loud, he realized one thing.

He couldn't care less about what his parents thought.

"Jeongguk! No you don't-" his father's voice blared through the phone but he smoothly ended the call without a care in the world.  

It was quiet again.

Jeongguk started making his way back to Taehyung. Somehow, he'd ended up all the way in the living room while talking on the phone. As he walked, his hands were twitching. It was probably all the talk about his 'anger problems' that was making him tensed at the moment but even he couldn't deny the feeling coursing through him. 

He really felt like punching something right now.