✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

"get off me dude" obviously, jeongguk didn't allow anyone to cling to him except for taehyung so hoseok, with a pout that clearly expressed sarcasm, dismounted from the boy's back and positioned himself by his side once more as they walked around the campus. since namjoon had a class, it was only jeongguk and hoseok.

"so how do you feel after seeing taehyungie?~"

rolling his eyes, jeongguk glared at the male. "i told you not to call him that"

"why not? you do!"

"exactly, i do. only i can call him that" jeongguk had a smug look on his face and hoseok visibly cringed. he could never get used to the boy's obsession with his best friend, it was so clear jeongguk could do anything for taehyung and hoseok wondered if jeongguk had any idea to what point his obsession could take him and end up making it look weird- to the world and to himself.

they sat down on a bench and jeongguk pulled out his phone.

"you know jeongguk"

"mhm?" the boy didn't look up from his phone as he typed out a text for taehyung. after their talk in the morning, taehyung had rushed out for his class. it had been only a few hours but jeongguk wanted to see him again already.

come on, it had been nearly 2 years, obviously he would be yearning for his best friend.

"don't you fucking hate texting and calling? you never answer to any of our texts"

"oh yeah, i hate it" jeongguk's tongue peeked out in concentration as he observed keenly how taehyung had seen his texts and was currently replying.

"then why the fuck are you always bombarding poor taehyung with texts and calls?" hoseok frowned but jeongguk didn't pay any attention as he read taehyung's text and then smiled.

jk:
imy tae
can we please hang?
at my place?
let's watch a movie, I'll make you makguksu
taeeee :(
you aren't mad r8?
we solved things!
hey
taeeee I'll cry

taetae:
jeongguk stop spamming me!

jk:
you didn't reply, I was worried

taetae:
im in class dumbass!
I'll text u later. don't spam me now, bye

jk:
:(
I'll be waiting

with a sigh, jeongguk stuffed his phone in his pocket and looked at hoseok finally. "yeah what were you saying?"

hoseok sighed, his friend sitting there dumbfounded. "do you actually give a fuck about anyone else than taehyung?" jeongguk took time to think- this guy was actually thinking about it.

"at least make it less obvious man!" hoseok rolled his eyes as he stood up. "i have classes in a bit, not like you care but i'll see you later"

"you're not mad are you?" jeongguk innocently asked. obviously hoseok and namjoon are his really good friends, but when they are compared to taehyung, it becomes difficult for jeongguk to answer, but it didn't mean he doesn't think of them as friends.

"am i?" hoseok showed his middle finger and grinned. "see you later bastard"

"yeah" jeongguk grinned as well. he liked how none of his friends were too pushy on this topic. they knew taehyung was his first priority and perhaps that happens when you are friends with someone for so long- someone who's almost like a family. right?

╍╍╍╍

after a long and exhausting day, taehyung's last lecture finally came to an end. as he exited the classroom, he was taken aback to see jeongguk casually leaning against the wall. upon catching sight of the starlet boy. he stood upright as a bright smile adorned his face.

"what are you doing here?"

"you didn't text me back tae"

"oh i was busy. but how did you know i was in this class?"

"is that important?" jeongguk shrugged before casually draping his arm around taehyung's shoulder, causing the latter to almost lose his balance.

jeongguk's physical appearance was no joke - he was no longer the skinny boy he used to be. in fact, his physique now resembled that of a hulk with his well-defined muscles and increased height. although taehyung had also grown tall like jeongguk, but he hadn't experienced the same level of muscular development. he didn't even wanna imagine what kinda training jeongguk had gone through to have such drastic body changes.

letting out a sigh, taehyung walked with jeongguk clinging to him. "where's mira?"

"asking about her already huh" hearing jeongguk's cold tone taehyung turned his head to look at him, seeing that blank look on his face with slightly annoyed eyes.

"well, i mean shouldn't you give her some time?" taehyung didn't want jeongguk to give time to mira, so it was ironic coming from him. but he can't keep a taken man under his wings all the time either. it was the right thing to do, push jeongguk away until these feelings would subside which taehyung knew wasn't going to happen so easily.

"why? do i annoy you?" jeongguk sincerely asked and something in taehyung burned.

annoy? and jeongguk? that was such a ridiculous question. jeongguk is clingy, he's territorial and he's fucking obsessed with taehyung but taehyung never found any of his acts to be annoying. if anything, they were so endearing and made him feel special all the time. taehyung would hate jeongguk to think that way. even though he wants to push the boy away, taehyung knows he can never do it while hurting jeongguk in the process.

at least for now.

"no... it's not like that" taehyung gulped as he walked slowly, jeongguk removing his arm from him but still walking alongside him. "you know it's different now..."

"how?" jeongguk asked, irritated.

they found themselves on the campus grounds, the sun slowly descending in the sky, casting a warm orange glow upon them. the atmosphere was serene and peaceful, but taehyung couldn't help but worry about the brewing storm of anger that seemed to be simmering within jeongguk.

it has always been like this. whenever someone, including even taehyung, dared to question the strength of their bond, jeongguk would become volatile. it was strictly forbidden for anyone to even entertain the idea of doubting their friendship, as jeongguk held it in such high regard - to an almost unhealthy extent. taehyung understood it well, now regretting saying those words.

"nothing, let's go. come on" taehyung grabbed jeongguk's pinkie and pulled on it, looking tired. he didn't want to argue because it would get them nowhere.

but amidst of everything, jeongguk couldn't help but marvel at the way taehyung's brown eyes seemed to glow under the warm rays of the sunlight, illuminating his tired face and making it radiate with a stunning brightness. the contrast between his honey-smooth skin and his hair perfectly complemented his soft features, enhancing his overall beauty. jeongguk had truly missed this sight, as it had been far too long since he had taken the time to observe taehyung's face up this close and get lost in the mesmerizing depths of his sparkling brown amber eyes, which seemed to hold the entire universe within them.

"ggukie... please?" taehyung pulled on jeongguk's finger again, snapping the boy out of his trance as he blinked at taehyung before nodding.

taking it as a sign, taehyung started walking and jeongguk followed behind, watching the back of taehyung's head, lost in his own thoughts.

"tae"

upon hearing his name, taehyung turned his head at the boy who stood there, just staring at him.

"yeah?"

"even if i have a girlfriend, you know you will never be replaced, right?"

jeongguk's words had pierced through taehyung's heart, so badly that taehyung clenched his fists while looking at jeongguk who didn't dare to look away, holding the eye contact.

so many things to say- but taehyung said none of it.

instead he smiled, punching jeongguk's chest playfully. "it better not, asshole"

jeongguk smiled back brighter. "let's hang at my place" he offered as he grabbed taehyung's hand, intertwining their fingers, pulling him towards his bike parked outside.

"today?" taehyung was unsure. despite hanging out at jeongguk's place almost all the time, he was hesitating right now. it looked weird didn't it? so taehyung quickly added, "i feel sleepy gguk"

"so what? you sleep better on my bed anyway" jeongguk grinned.

"n-no i don't!"

"yes you do. now come on, i'll make us some makguksu"

"ughh how can i say no to that?" taehyung chuckled, giving in.

they then got on jeongguk's bike, taehyung placing his hands behind him to grab on the edge of the seat and jeongguk looked back, "what are you doing?"

"huh?" taehyung was confused before jeongguk grabbed his hands and wrapped them around his torso.

taehyung's heart skipped a beat as he tightened the grip around jeongguk's torso since the boy was starting the engine.

taehyung has done this before. it was normal but his damned heart just couldn't stop beating so loudly, putting him on edge if jeongguk could hear it since his chest was pressed firmly against jeongguk's back.

they drove to jeongguk's house without saying much. once they arrived, jeongguk unlocked the door and casually discarded his shoes, leaving them haphazardly at the entrance.

"you spoiled brat still haven't changed your bad habits" taehyung let out an annoyed sigh as he took it upon himself to organize jeongguk's shoes, placing them neatly next to his own.

"come on, it doesn't matter. you can do the same~" jeongguk turned to face taehyung, their eyes meeting and playfully started walking backwards. a mischievous smile spread across jeongguk's face as he couldn't help but giggle when taehyung responded by rolling his eyes.

"you're not a kid gguk. be a bit mature yeah?" taehyung entered the house and jeongguk's laughter came to an abrupt stop as he fixed his gaze on him, a smirk on his lips.

"mature huh?" jeongguk leisurely licked his lips while making his way toward taehyung, causing the latter to abruptly stop in his tracks. taehyung couldn't help but notice the smug expression plastered on jeongguk's face- oh that look screamed trouble.

just then jeongguk stood right before him, hands in his pants pocket as he looked at taehyung like he had something in his mind.

"back away dude you're too close" taehyung felt a surge of tension coursing through his body, causing him to stiffen up.

rather than retreating or creating distance, jeongguk boldly leaned in, bringing his face closer to taehyung's ear.

however, instead of softly murmuring anything, jeongguk gently and erotically slid his tongue along the back of taehyung's ear, causing taehyung to shudder. since it was so sudden, taehyung instinctively clung to jeongguk's shoulder for stability.

but when reality hit him, he quickly pushed jeongguk away and wiped his ear with a flushed face. "the hell are you doing?!"

"i'm 24 tae. i know everything"

by everything what did jeongguk mean? taehyung didn't want to know as he smacked jeongguk's head.

"ouch, what was that for?"

"stop playing around and go make me makguksu"

"ay ay sir" jeongguk chuckled as he went to the kitchen.

now there stood taehyung alone with his fingers lingering over his ear, the skin was warm and wet- wet with jeongguk's saliva. taehyung turned red as he went to the washroom to wash his face, making sure his face wasn't too red for the boy to look at and tease him about it.

╍╍╍╍╍

afterward, jeongguk and taehyung enjoyed their meal while they settled themselves comfortably on the couch, watching a movie together. taehyung casually placed his leg over jeongguk's thigh, while they leaned against opposite corners of the couch.

"it's been so long since we have done this" taehyung exhaled, finishing his bowl.

"i missed it" jeongguk muttered under his breath, the silence in the huge space delivered those words to taehyung who smiled dimly. "me too"

abruptly jeongguk's phone rang, it was namjoon calling. jeongguk didn't want to answer it but since it was namjoon, there must be some reason the boy called so he picked it up.

"hello"

"hey jk, what are you doing?"

"watching a movie with tae. why?" taehyung's ear perked up at his mention as he glanced at jeongguk then back at the tv screen.

"i'm... not even surprised anymore. but good thing taehyung is with you. we are throwing a party tomorrow for the returning students."

"oh cool"

"what cool? you and taehyung are coming, right?"

"do we have to?" jeongguk sighed, not wanting to go. tomorrow was the weekend and he had already planned to spend the whole day with taehyung.

"yes man! you two are the stars of the show! gotta come at any cost"

"alright i'll think about it"

"you- tae is coming for sure. that way you will come too" namjoon grinned and jeongguk could sense it and that made him frown.

"he's not going if i'm not going"

"that's for him to decide. now tell him or i'll text taehyung!"

"i'll tell him. fuck off now" namjoon chuckled at that and then cut the call.

"what was all that about?" taehyung spoke while stretching his arm and then letting out a yawn, feeling sleepy since it was already too late.

"namjoon's throwing a boring ass party."

"oh, it's for the returning students?"

jeongguk gave a side eye, "how do you know?"

"anyone can tell" taehyung sat upright, "we are going right?"

"you want to?" jeongguk whined, giving his bambi doe eyes to convince taehyung to not go but the boy ignored it.

"of course! it's been so long. we should catch up with others"

"but others don't matter to me" jeongguk groaned, sliding against the couch. taehyung blinked at him and they looked at each other before looking away. "i mean, it'll be pretty boring"

"doesn't matter." taehyung yawned again. "i'm going"

"alright. we will go but now let's sleep. you're literally dozing off" jeongguk rose from his seat and firmly grasped taehyung's arm, urging him to rise as well. taehyung, still in a state of grogginess, slowly opened his eyes and struggled to stand upright but did nonetheless.

in his drowsy condition, his rosy cheeks puffed out and his lips formed a cute little pucker. jeongguk wanted to squeeze those bread-like cheeks, but he managed to control himself and instead led taehyung to his bedroom, hand in hand. taehyung didn't have much time to process or worry about it as sleep gradually overtook him.

reaching the bed, taehyung plopped on it and lay on the side he always did back in the days. it had been years since he had last slept in this bed, but as soon as his head hit the familiar pillow, exhaustion washed over him and his eyes involuntarily closed. taehyung had always struggled to fall asleep in unfamiliar places or anywhere that wasn't his own bed, but jeongguk had always been the only exception.

pulling the blanket over taehyung's sleeping form, jeongguk also joined and laid down on the other side. when he was about to close the lamp, taehyung mumbled.

"can you give me an extra pillow?"

jeongguk turned his head to see taehyung scooting closer, looking up at him with big eyes. cute. jeongguk thought.

"why?"

"you know i cuddle in sleep"

"so what? you can cuddle me, you have always done that" jeongguk made a weirded-out face as if the whole day taehyung had done nothing but made normal things abnormal.

"y-yeah i know but we have grown up gguk. it's not appropriate now"

"i don't give a fuck tae. you wanna do something, fucking do it." jeongguk looked into taehyung's eyes, "do you wanna cuddle me?"

the question was spoken in such a soft tone that taehyung's heart warmed up. exactly, nothing they do is wrong. it can't be, their friendship was one of its own, the society couldn't define it and jeongguk was so open to accept it. why was taehyung pushing him away then?

perhaps, knowing there was a thin line he couldn't cross and doing all of these things would only push him toward that line.

however when jeongguk asked so affectionately, taehyung couldn't simply lie.

biting down on his lips, he nodded. he wanted to cuddle jeongguk, he loved it so much. the way their bodies would entwine on the bed, the gentle sound of their breathing harmonizing with jeongguk's strong arm encircling his form and the comforting feeling of his face nestled in the intimate space between jeongguk's neck and shoulder- he loved all of it.

"then that's all it matters. what you want tae, i'm willing to do it all" jeongguk flashed a smile, which taehyung reciprocated without realizing.

after jeongguk switched off the lights, he edged closer to taehyung, extending his arm for him to rest his head on. taehyung accepted the gesture, nuzzling his face into jeongguk's chest.

many years in the past, falling asleep in jeongguk's embrace was nothing for taehyung. however, tonight was different. it proved to be a challenge as taehyung's heart raced uncontrollably, due to jeongguk's close proximity. in an attempt to regain composure, taehyung shut his eyes tightly and focused on regulating his breathing. perhaps he shouldn't have asked for that pillow since now his peaceful slumber had been disrupted and all he could feel was the warmth radiating from jeongguk, the gentle exhales that escaped his lips, and the comforting presence of jeongguk's arm encircling him- all he could feel was jeongguk.

"goodnight tae"

"goodnight gguk"

╍╍╍╍╍

the next day, jeongguk found himself basically begging taehyung to stay, but taehyung came up with various excuses to leave.

it was evident that taehyung had not been able to get a wink of sleep the previous night. if he spends any more time together with jeongguk, he was going to go crazy. moreover, jeongguk could sense taehyung's reluctance to stay, so he didn't push the matter any further. with a sullen nod, he reluctantly allowed taehyung to leave, though it was clear that he was upset about it.

however, they both knew that they would see each other later in the evening, so it was just a temporary separation.

after having breakfast with jeongguk, taehyung finally left and arrived at his place. as he was unlocking his door, the door beside his own swung open, revealing yoongi stepping out.

"oh hyung. good morning" taehyung smiled at the older who nodded with a short smile.

"good morning taehyung" yoongi noticed the bag with taehyung and the male figured taehyung wasn't home yesterday, and though it was none of his business, he felt the urge to tease the younger.

"sleepover at girlfriend's house?"

"what? no. just a friend" taehyung chuckled awkwardly. just a friend.

"oh well, you don't look like you got any sleep at your friend's place." the eyebags under taehyung's eyes didn't go unnoticed by the older.

"yeah, i should get some sleep now" taehyung tiredly chuckled.

"mhm, you should. see you later" while yoongi left, taehyung entered the house and with a sigh, he hopped in the shower, then ate something light and decided to sleep until it was time to leave for the party.

*buzz* taehyung's sleep was interrupted by the sound of his phone. with drowsy eyes he picked up the call without seeing who it was and held it against his ear, still cozy under his blanket.

"tae! where the hell are you?" taehyung abruptly sat up after hearing the voice booming from the other side of the call.

"gguk..." taehyung muttered as he looked up at the clock and saw it was past seven. "oh shit!"

"you were sleeping? are you for real?" jeongguk sighed, the anger visible in his voice.

"i'm sorry! text me the address, i'm coming right now"

"i already texted you tae. just open your phone and make it quick"

"yeah, wait a bit" taehyung then rushed to his washroom and got ready. opening his phone he saw how many texts and calls he had gotten from jeongguk.

"he's gonna be so mad" taehyung internally face-palmed as he rushed out of the house and got on the bus.

the restaurant wasn't that far so it didn't take him much time to reach. upon reaching, he hurriedly opened the door and saw the familiar faces.

he noticed jeongguk's back of head and let out a relieved smile knowing he hadn't left out of anger since it was basically taehyung's plan to come.

"sorry i'm late" taehyung reached the tables where everyone was.

but his smile faded when he saw who was sitting beside jeongguk.

mira.

━━━━━━━━━