When Taehyung opened his eyes he found himself standing shirtless in front of a humid mirror, arms lifted, his hand holding a towel over his damp hair. He stood there, blinked repeatedly at his own reflection until he eventually recognized himself to be in his own bathroom; and realized he must've slipped back into consciousness after the alter before him had taken a shower.

His brows lowered in focus. He tried to fight the fuzziness swarming illogically in his head, but to no avail, he couldn't remember much since the last time he had fronted.

With a gentle breath past his lips he let the towel hang from his hair, then turned to exit the bathroom in mere boxers. A chilly air hugged his flushed skin as he stepped into his bedroom, and he was quick to take notice of a piece of paper placed very visibly over his desk. He let himself walk closer for a better look, and read the simple note written on the page:

' you have a date with jeon jeongguk on saturday. wear something nice. '

- V

Taehyung's lips parted, hands quickly snatching the note and re-reading it about a million times in his head. Then finally, he darted towards his phone, the towel over his head slipping down to the floor from the swift speed of him launching himself onto his bed.

He grabbed the device nested on his mattress and seated himself while he quickly dialed a certain contact's number. His thigh shook impatiently while the phone rang, waiting to connect, pupils dilated in anticipation.

"Hello?" A cute innocent voice answered. It nearly brought an instant smile to his face.

"Baby.." He spoke gently, his body somehow finding a proper posture to sit in. "Um.. Hey, it's me. It's Taehyung."

There was a curt pause before the boy's tone became slightly higher in pitch, from sheer excitement.

"Hyungie.. When did you front?"

"Just now, darling." He replied with a faint smile, then his face became serious again. "Uh, Jeongguk, I—... Did you speak to V recently?"

"Um.. yes." The boy spoke shyly. "He walked me to class yesterday."

Taehyung opened his mouth to reply, but waited a moment to articulate his thoughts. Though, really, he wasn't sure why he hesitated. Perhaps he wasn't quite fully used to Jeongguk knowing of his disorder and being so okay with it. He had almost forgotten that he didn't have to muster up any round-about ways to figure out what had happened while he wasn't conscious—but rather, he didn't have to lie to the boy. He could now just ask him directly, and that alone was a huge weight off his shoulders.

"I see.." He mumbled quietly. "Did he do anything to hurt you?"

Jeongguk was silent for a moment before answering.

"No, he-... was pretty calm. Said we could go on a date, even."

"You and him?"

"Us. All six of us. Me and the other you's." A short giggle. "But he made it sound like it would be you and me, and the alters are just going to watch. S-Something like that, I'm... not quite sure how this all works just yet."

"That's okay, baby." Taehyung cracked a small smile. "I get it now. He left a note saying the date's on Saturday, but... Did we decide on a place?"

"Mmm.. no. But, I'd like to go to Boryeong. They have a winter costume festival this weekend!"

"Mmn, yeah? You gonna dress up all pretty for hyung?"

The sudden silence told the older that his baby was most likely a blushing mess right about then, which only drew an amused laugh out of him.

"Can I dress up, too?"

There was a mocking scoff at the other line, and the younger finally spoke up.

"O-Of course you can. It's a black and white theme, I t-think.. Just so you know."

"Hm, perfect." He gave a light chuckle. "It's a date, then."

Jeongguk's flustered voice rang in the man's ears. "Y-Yes. It's a date." Then a pause. "Want to walk to campus together?"

"Walk to-..." Taehyung trailed off, his head snapped to look at the time, which was very early in the morning. Early enough where a few more minutes would make him late to his class. "Oh shit.."

"You had no idea you had class, did you?" Jeongguk giggled, causing the older to pout.

"Gimme a break, I just tuned into reality minutes ago." He huffed.

The boy laughed louder. "True, you're forgiven then. I'll see you soon?"

"Yes you will, pretty boy."

"Hehe~ good!" The boy piped up. "Love you, hyung."

Taehyung's lips pushed into a large smile, his heart bouncing in a loud throb. He could feel that warm feeling lining his stomach, the pumping of his blood.

And with a hoarse yet tender voice, he gave his response.

"Love you too, my sweet baby."

※ ※

Before they knew it, Saturday came around faster than expected. They had been anticipating this day—the day of their very first official date together.

The two lovers had woken up early in the morning, dressed comfortably and caught a long 3 hour train ride to Boryeong; all of which Jeongguk had spent with his head leaned over Taehyung's shoulder, fallen into a deep slumber. Needless to say the older had snuck in plenty of secret photos he took of the two, just so he could later admire the boy's sleeping face on his own time.

After their arrival, the two took a cab to their hotel and settled their small luggage beside their single king-sized bed. It didn't take long for Taehyung to watch the younger haul himself against the mattress and sprawl out, stretching his arms and legs over the sheets.

He let out a quiet laugh and stepped towards the bed to copy the boy's actions. Once Taehyung plopped his body directly over Jeongguk's, he ignored the boy's grunts and nestled his cheek against Jeongguk's neck, inhaling his floral scent.

"You tired?"

He merely hummed in response, eyes shutting while he seeked warmth from the sheets below him, and of course, his massive boyfriend's body above his own.

"Does baby need more beauty sleep, hm?"

The boy replied once more in a lazy hum, and Taehyung lifted his head to place gentle smooches over the back of his neck. Truthfully, that's all he intended to do before getting up. But then he made the mistake of resting his head over the younger's shoulder blade, where his eyes gently shut and his body let itself relax.

And that's how the two lovers fell asleep, right there on the hotel bed. Their peaceful breaths and the still atmosphere linked perfectly with the warmth their two bodies provided.

Taehyung thought he didn't quite deserve this. Didn't deserve the surge of sheer luck he had gotten, upon meeting Jeon Jeongguk. Because—the prettiest boy he'd ever laid eyes on, loving him back unconditionally? Accepted him for who he was, and yearned to be with him just as much as Taehyung himself yearned to hold him?

Some kind of god of fortune must've smiled upon him that night, when Taehyung had found the kneeling boy beside a lamp post, crying over an ex lover.

And that same boy was laying with him now, in a hotel bed, on a trip for their first date.

Taehyung's eyes fluttered open, unaware of how long it's been since they had dozed off. His head lifted from Jeongguk's back, and he carefully removed himself from the mattress—quietly, as to not wake the cute sleeping boy. His jaw dropped into a yawn, hands now rummaging his bag to finally get ready for the festive event: he'd brought over a simple yet classy black suit, a silky white shirt beneath it and black trousers. As he pulled the shirt cuffs up to his wrists, the man took note of the time and decided to finally wake his sleeping beauty.

"Hey.. I'll go grab some food for us, alright?" Taehyung cooed out while Jeongguk rubbed his eyes after being shaken awake, grumbling noises coming from beneath his breath. "Be ready when I get back!"

Just like that the older was wandering the nearby streets outside the hotel, where he found a diner with delicious photos of bibimbap on their menu. While he waited on his order, his phone began to buzz from his pocket, rumbling until he pulled the device out curiously, eyes catching sight of who it was that was calling him. He raised the phone against his ear and took a seat over a high stool.

"Hyung. What's up?"

"Hey Tae," Namjoon's voice rumbled out. "You guys arrived there okay?"

"Mhm. We'll eat and then be on our way to the event."

"Good." He could almost see the faint smile that must've been at the man's lips. "Well, I wanted to update you on something in the meantime."

"Yeah? Is it about the gang?"

"Yes." A clear of his throat. "We'll be moving forward with our plans to work with the Coin group soon, but a mission came up for me back in America. I'll be gone at the end of next month."

"Hm. For how long?"

"Shouldn't be longer than two months, I believe."

"Your order, sir." A man spoke up a couple feet away, and Taehyung lifted his head to see an employee place a takeout bag in front of him. He uttered a word of thanks, then stood to exit the diner. The cool breeze swept alongside him while he answered his gang leader.

"I see. I'll make sure to report anything of note while you're gone, then."

"Thanks." Namjoon continued. "But actually I called to let you know I'll be putting Ranger in charge of Coin Group matters on our end."

Taehyung paused before slowly proceeding down the street. "Ranger?" His brow rose. "He's competent, that's for sure, but... He's never been in a position of leadership for a full mission before."

"Exactly why I need him to start. Don't tell him this, but... This mission will be a test for him. If he does well, I'd like to promote him to be a captain. That's also why I need you to watch what he does, observe how he thinks."

Taehyung bit his lip, an array of questions swarming his head on this sudden decision. But quite frankly he knew very well that his leader had made up his mind, and he wouldn't act on these things without thinking endlessly on them first.

"Can you do that for me?"

He let out a quiet exhale and looked up, finally spotting the hotel across the street. "Yes, sir."

"Good. Thanks, Taehyungie. Now enjoy your date~ Wear protection!"

"Wha—"

The line cut off. Taehyung pulled his phone from his ear with a roll of his eyes and approached the hotel entrance, where he spotted a woman standing there beside the door, blonde locks lifting slightly in the wind.

He reached the entrance space, and the girl turned at the sound of his footsteps, meeting his eyes while he drew closer.

Taehyung looked at her, and his eyes became large in bewilderment once he realized that was no woman, but rather Jeongguk in costume.

"H-Hey.." Jeongguk spoke up, a mixture of amusement and embarassment laced in his voice. His hands lowered to grip at the edge of his skirt. Taehyung's jaw dropped, and for a moment he was unable to utter a single word while he examined his boyfriend's new look up and down repeatedly.

The boy was wearing an all black minidress, the top part framed with a crop top component, that then connected to a skirt that just barely covered below his crotch. Then Jeongguk's legs were adorned by a laced thigh garter and high rising boots, while his arms were covered with a lace sleeve.

But it was only once Taehyung examined the boy's long, blonde wig that he came to realize what it was Jeongguk had dressed as.

"Are you... dressed as Misa, from that one manga?" He managed a small chuckle, though truthfully his eyes were heavily preoccupied elsewhere.

"Y-Yes, from my favorite comic.. Death Note," Jeongguk shyly grabbed some strands of his wig and began to brush through them. "Does it look stupid on me...?"

Taehyung shook his head furiously, and looked directly at the boy with fiery eyes. "Nonsense. You pull it off really well. In fact I'm convinced you can pull anything off. Besides, it's a costume party no? I'm sure the real dumb ones will show themselves there."

The younger let out a quiet giggle and then narrowed his eyes at Taehyung, taking the time to eye his tight black suit, and noting the dark shades propped on the blazer. He slowly crossed his arms and snapped his hip sassily to one side.

"Are you supposed to be from Men In Black?"

A mischievous grin spread over Taehyung's lips. "Fuck yeah. Now let's go eat, baby. Don't want the food getting cold now, do we?"

※ ※

Although the cab ride to the fair was much shorter than expected, it was nearly an eternity in Taehyung's eyes. That's right, an eternity of being entirely distracted by his boyfriend's costume, to be precise. Because, really, he just couldn't look away. No, his eyes were practically glued to the boy's thighs, that were somehow even prettier with those lacy thigh-highs squeezed against them.

He wasn't sure how he had managed not to salivate at the mouth, the way the skirt portion of his minidress did little to cover much below Jeongguk's waist. He wanted nothing more than to turn the cab around, go back to the hotel and fuck his boyfriend senseless with that pretty costume on.

But, well. He was getting ahead of himself.

"Hyung, look! The ferris wheel is so big!!" Jeongguk's excitement snapped the older back to reality, where he followed the direction the boy was pointing at, only to indeed find a large ferris wheel structure standing tall from the outside area. He let himself be dragged by his bouncy lover, who was quick to skip his way toward the entrance.

It was instant, how Jeongguk felt like a small boy all over again, gaping with big eyes left and right at all the attractions set up—some in tents, some out in the open. He had no idea where on earth to even begin. Taehyung was quick to take notice of his indecisiveness, and pulled the boy off to the side, guiding him toward a shooting booth.

"Look, baby.." He spoke beside his ear. "It looks like you can win some tickets by shooting at those rubber ducks."

Jeongguk shifted his attention toward a tall man who was currently aiming a toy rifle gun at a wall, where rubber ducks were moved quickly across on a conveyor. A quiet laugh left him. "He's missing almost every shot.."

"It's probably hard to aim. They're moving the ducks inconsistently too—"

"I can do it," Jeongguk huffed with confidence, straightening his shoulders and stepping up to wait for his turn. An amused smirk pulled over Taehyung's lips as he followed behind him, and soon enough Jeongguk was walking up to the guy in charge of the booth.

The man before him had apparently won 50 tickets, and Jeongguk was highly determined to top that score, no matter how difficult it seemed.

"Evening, miss. What kind of gun would you like for this challenge? Take your pick." The guy spoke with surprising enthusiasm, and Taehyung held back his laughter at his boyfriend being confused for a woman. Though it didn't come as much of a shock to him, considering the boy's cute round face pulled it off well.

Jeongguk's cheeks flushed a rosy pink, and he lifted his finger to point at a toy gun in the corner.

"A revolver, huh? Good choice!" The guy reached for the toy while Jeongguk placed a bill of cash at the counter, then he got into position at a reasonable distance from the wall of duckies.

Taehyung's grin became large, though his eyes remained in focus to observe precisely how well his baby would do. Once the booth man began the timer, Jeongguk raised the gun up and began to push the trigger repeatedly, shooting toward the rubber ducks without much hesitation. Taehyung watched as most shots missed, but every now and then a yellow duck would tumble to the floor, already scoring him more tickets than the man before him.

"How'd I do?" He gave a bright bunny smile once the timer had come to a stop.

Taehyung walked toward him and leaned down to kiss his forehead. "You did so good, baby. Saw you got two of the red ducks. Apparently they're worth 5 points instead of one."

Jeongguk's smile widened before he turned to watch the booth man calculate his score, then turned back to Taehyung with a newly formed pout. "He called me 'miss' before.."

The older belted out a loud laugh, and Jeongguk frowned adorably, slapping his hand at Taehyung's shoulder.

"It's not funny!"

"Aw baby.." Taehyung cooed, reaching to cup the younger's plump face into his large hands. "You've just got such a pretty face, and you look so cute with long hair. Besides, it only means you're pulling off the costume well, no?"

Jeongguk's bottom lip tucked out while he lowered his gaze, having felt a rush of shyness at the man's touch and sudden proximity. "I j-just wanted to try wearing an outfit like t-this..." He mumbled out. "I like the skirt part on the dress. Is t-that weird?"

Taehyung smooched the boy's forehead once more. "You look absolutely beautiful, darling." He leaned closer, lips beside Jeongguk's ear, husky voice dropping to a whisper. "It's driving me crazy, baby. I'm trying real hard to behave, when all I really wanna do is drag you behind all these booths and fuck you so good you forget who you are."

Jeongguk's eyes widened, hands becoming clammy while he shakily reached to clasp Taehyung's waist, his words having caught him completely offguard. A sharp exhale squeaked from his throat, taking the air from his lungs while his skin heated to a dangerous temperature. But before he could even think on what he could possibly utter in response, the booth man had returned back to the counter with a roll of tickets.

"Congrats, you won 180 tickets!"

Jeongguk quickly pulled back and stumbled while turning toward the man, head bowing to hide his face while he took hold of the tickets. He then fled back to Taehyung's side, holding a hand up to cover his flushed cheeks. "U-Um, that's-.... This-... This isn't... t-too bad, a-actually!"

Taehyung held back from laughing and embarrassing his lover any further, and instead placed a gentle hand to the younger's shoulder. "Of course not. You did amazing!" He cooed the encouraging words out before turning to the man behind the booth. "Can I give it a try as well, sir?"

"Yeah sure thing, bro!" The guy gave a peppy response, then brought out the tray of guns. "Take your weapon of choice."

Taehyung efficiently scanned the toys in front of him, then confidently reached to grab the pistol into his firm grip. The booth man's brows raised, and he hesitantly retreated the tray back to his side.

"So I'm not really supposed to help customers, but... Are you sure you want to go with that one? It's a bit tougher to use."

"That's alright," Taehyung merely responded, then cleared his throat while he walked into place in front of the wall. Jeongguk remained stood by the counter, his big curious eyes now watching as Taehyung then lifted the gun up to aim.

And then the timer began.

Taehyung got to work right away—aimed grip moving to shoot at the rubber ducks effectively, his steady hands targeting with accuracy at each shot. The duckies fell over at a speedy pace, and once the red ducks began to show it wouldn't take long before they were scattered over the floor as well.

Jeongguk's jaw dropped in unison with the man behind the booth's, almost comically, while the two watched the scary accuracy Taehyung wielded. Each shot the man took wouldn't go to waste, and a poor rubber duck would fall to the ground in utter defeat.

"H-He's not even missing any of them.." The booth man commented in disbelief, unable to tear his gaze from a sight he'd never seen before. Jeongguk managed to close his mouth, swallowing a gulp, his heart beating loudly inside his chest.

Mostly because, well... He thought his boyfriend looked so incredibly sexy like this. His prominent brows lowered in focus, dark eyes attentive to his rubber prey, his dominant stance oozing competency.

Needless to say, Jeongguk was melting. For a second he thought he'd experienced falling in love all over again. With the same hunk of a man.

Two minutes passed. The timer stopped, and so did Taehyung's precise shooting. He lowered the toy gun and walked off to return it to the counter, and Jeongguk was frozen in place, still processing what he'd just seen.

Once the older caught a glimpse of Jeongguk's gaping expression, he let a quiet chuckle slip past his lips.

"H-How are... you so good at that.." The boy mumbled.

Taehyung laughed again, then lowered his voice while he gave his simply answer. "You do realize I've been trained by Namjoon to shoot real guns, right?" He wrapped an arm around his lover. "Of course this is easy for me."

"R-Right.." Jeongguk laughed along with him, flustered at how he had managed not to realize that of course Taehyung would be good at handling a toy gun. He was a gang captain, for fuck's sake.

Yet with that, the first booth of the fair was over and done with. Taehyung's proficient skills earned them a thousand more tickets, that could apparently later be redeemed for prizes. As such, the two continued to walk around, attempting more challenges that would earn them tickets, and trying a few rides that peaked their interest.

As they walked down a couple more booths, hand in hand, Jeongguk glanced toward a gated area in the distance, spotting groups of people that were sliding over a large ice rink.

His lips parted, gaping at the sight of the shiny area of ice in awe. "It's really amazing that they've managed to set up an ice rink here.." Jeongguk commented softly, smiling at the sight of small children as well as couples who seemed to be enjoying their moment of fun gliding on the ice.

He then felt Taehyung's grip on his hand gradually loosen, and when there was no response from the older he turned to look at him, only to see that Taehyung's eyes were practically glued in focus to the rink.

"Hyung...?" He giggled. "Did you want to try ice skating?"

An adorable glimmer appeared in the man's eyes. Jeongguk waited patiently while Taehyung merely stood there, staring at the rink for a long few seconds, and then the man reached to grab the younger's forearm. Jeongguk blinked in silence, Taehyung's hand tapping repeatedly on his arm as though to demand his attention. So the boy carefully spoke again.

"Dot..?" A gentle smile curled on his lips. "That's you, isn't it?"

Taehyung's gaze finally tore from the rink and met Jeongguk's eyes. He gave a shy nod of his head and bit his lip.

"You came out here because you want to ice skate?"

Another shy nod.

Jeongguk laughed again, softly this time. "Okay, Dotie. Let's take you ice skating!"

He grabbed hold of the man's arm and guided him quickly toward the rink. As they waited by the entrance, and even as they worked to put on their skating shoes, Jeongguk couldn't help but notice how cute the alter seemed, looking around the area and watching people slide over the ice. He hadn't quite had such a killer urge to pinch his boyfriend's cheeks as badly as he did just then, but for the sake of them putting their rented shoes on, he managed to contain himself.

Soon enough the two were wobbling towards the rink, where Jeongguk reached to grasp Taehyung's hand tightly, watching as he carefully stepped one foot atop the ice.

"I-I won't lie, Dot, I'm not a very experienced skater.." Jeongguk spoke up in a hesitant voice. "I'm sure I'll be falling on my ass a few times, so.. There's your warning in advance."

A grin formed over Taehyung's lips, shoulders raising slightly in a silent laugh. He then shook his head, a determined look on his face.

"What's that? You won't allow me to fall?" Jeongguk teased, making cautious steps to follow behind him. Truthfully he wasn't too sure if Dot had any experience skating or not, but the man seemed so keen on it Jeongguk could only guess it was either his first time or he was indeed some sort of pro skater.

For his own sake, he hoped it was the latter, and once the two had finally made it inside the rink, Jeongguk had gotten his answer.

Immediately, he began to wobble to the side, slipping carelessly against the ice; only for Taehyung to hold him tightly, then haul his body up and correct his posture. With the man's help, Jeongguk finally managed to stand upright, his feet frozen to the ice in fear of making any missteps. He gripped Taehyung's hands tightly, using them as a lifeline and praying he wouldn't dare let go.

With a nudge of his head Taehyung signaled for them to start moving, and Jeongguk began to slide carefully in short strokes. His skates smoothed past the ice, and soon he stopped applying force once he realized Taehyung was pulling him, guiding him along the rink. They started from one end and worked their way to the other, circling around and running a second lap, even. Until eventually Jeongguk gained the confidence to part his body back a little, though he was still clinging onto Taehyung's hand for dear life. The older led him to a careful spin, as though they were slow dancing in their skates, and was ever so patient to Jeongguk's overly careful movements.

So much so that at some point Jeongguk forgot all about his fear and began his helpless giggles, and all Taehyung could do at such a sight was admire the pretty boy, who looked even more gorgeous when he was having fun. Once again the alter felt that odd pulsing in his chest, that undeniable ache—the sheer feeling of longing whenever Jeon Jeongguk was around.

It was a feeling so strong that his heart ran weak palpitations. It became so unbearable that sometimes he had to force himself to look away, which was precisely what he did right then in that moment. His gaze darted toward the side, where a small row of bleachers rested right near the rink. There were a few people seated there, perhaps family members or friends waiting on their loved ones to finish their time skating.

That was when he had caught glimpse of a peculiar man in a blue jacket who was sat there, alone, staring over in their direction. More particularly, at Jeongguk.

And it didn't take him long to realize that the man was admiring him. Perhaps thought that Jeongguk was a girl, and was shamelessly checking him out despite the fact his boyfriend was right there with him.

He thought it was unacceptable.

That a man was looking at his beauty. His Jeonggukie.

In that moment, something must've taken over him. Something he couldn't quite fight, as the minute he turned back to look at Jeongguk he was already taking action. Taehyung, or rather Dot's hand pried away from the younger's, only to cup the side of his cheeks. He gently pulled their bodies closer, stabilized them on the ice, and engaged Jeongguk in a tender kiss, all in one swift movement.

Jeongguk's eyes became large before he quickly fell into the feeling, refused to question it in the moment, and finally let his body relax. With a slow flutter, his eyes fell closed and he returned the man's kiss with a feverish passion. Their locked lips pressed together. At some point a little tongue may have gotten involved, but Jeongguk wasn't paying much attention to those details, but rather the loud beating of his heart barely allowed him room to think.

He gasped in a puffed inhale, then moved to continue the kiss until he realized Taehyung had pulled back. When he opened his eyes he saw the man's bewildered expression staring back at him, face flushed a crimson hue.

Jeongguk mirrored his expression, and watched as the glint in Taehyung's eyes slowly flickered. With one sudden retreating movement the man skid back and tumbled down toward the ice, causing the younger to fall along with him.

"Shit—..." Taehyung muttered, quickly lifting himself from the cold frozen flooring, then moving to help Jeongguk stand back up. The younger gladly accepted his help, and the two eventually returned to their own two feet above the ice. "Sorry. Are you okay..?"

Jeongguk gave a scoffed chuckle and nodded. "Yeah, I'm alright.." He paused. "Except-... Well, it looks like Dot ran away from me again.."

A weak smile formed on the older's lips. "Yes, I saw.." He spoke up softly. "Give him some more time. He'll only gain more and more confidence around you.."

"Y-Yeah..." Jeongguk hummed beneath his breath, then looked up at the other with a weak smile. "Should we... go check out the other area we missed now?"

Taehyung reached one hand to scratch behind his neck, head turning coincidentally toward the same direction Dot had seen the blue jacket man.

And noticed that the man was still staring directly toward Jeongguk.

"Yeah.." Taehyung huffed out a sigh, eyes slowly narrowing. "Let's get out of here."

※ ※

Next on the agenda, was more rides. More booths. More walking around, trying plenty of different foods—corn dogs, mandu, hotteok, anything they found along the way.

And more importantly, more hand holding.

Needless to say that Jeongguk was thoroughly enjoying having his hand engulfed into the older's much larger one, keeping him close through the crowd of people. Whenever their arms would brush against each other's, Jeongguk swore he felt static zap into his veins. It turns out that something as plainly simple as holding hands, was still so incredibly dear to him.

In fact, any passing second at Taehyung's side felt like the time of his life. Things he could only dream about before—for the older to hold him, kiss him, love him back.

He now had it all.

"What are you thinking about, hm?" Taehyung's deep, rumbling voice boomed into the boy's ears. Jeongguk quickly snapped from his thoughts and gave a sheepish smile.

"O-Oh, it's nothing, just-..." He timidly looked away, scanning the nearby activities. "I'm really... j-just having so much fun right now. T-Thanks for coming all the way out here with me, hyungie.."

Taehyung blinked down at him in surprise, ignoring the skip of his heartbeat, the shiver at his skin. He tightened his grip on his lover's hand and grinned back. "I'm having fun too, darling."

Jeongguk mustered up the strength to lift his head and meet the older's eyes, smile slowly widening. He watched as Taehyung then turned to look back in front of them, and suddenly he came to a halt. Jeongguk stopped beside him, waited for him to speak.

"Holy shit, there's a haunted house here." Taehyung blurted out with obvious excitement laced in his voice, eyes glistening at the large sign that read 'Haunted Maze Escape' written in bold green letters. "A haunted house, Jeongguk!" He perked up again. "Let's go, let's go—can we go?"

Jeongguk let out a quiet giggle, watched in sheer amusement while Taehyung leaned back and forth to eye the place eagerly.

"You just couldn't resist yourself, could you, Vante?" Jeongguk's laugh came louder this time, and Taehyung snapped his head to look at him, clearly impressed.

"At this point I shouldn't even be surprised you could tell it was me.." Taehyung muttered in a chuckle. "What gave it away?"

"You getting all excited over some simple spooky maze," Jeongguk rolled his eyes teasingly and began to drag the man forward.

"Simple, you say? Now don't come crying to me when you get all scared and whine like a little baby."

Jeongguk scoffed. "Not gonna happen."

The two proceeded to purchase their entry tickets, and Jeongguk couldn't help but think odd thoughts that persistently lingered around in his head all of a sudden.

Thoughts like, how he had spent a good portion of the date with Taehyung, but had still managed to have little moments with the other alters. Dot, at the ice rink. And now Vante. Considering he'll probably never meet X, that would mean he only had V left to spend some of their date with.

But that was just it. He knew V wasn't going to front, just to spend time with him.

At least not now. He knew the alter would let the other three have their quality fun with him, but V himself wasn't going to give much thought to their first date. After all, he had told him he'll experience it vicariously through Taehyung, and it's not like V would be caught dead on a date with a boy.

It was something Jeongguk was just going to have to accept. The most he could hope for from V at this point was his blessing with the others.

But somehow, the thought still made him a little sad.

Despite everything he had gone through with the alter, Jeongguk still wanted to have a moment with him on their date. Even if it lasted only seconds. That way he could say he cherished the day with all of the Taehyungs equally.

"Yay, yay~ Haunted maze~!" Taehyung, or rather Vante chanted, pulling Jeongguk along with him. They made their way down the narrow hall where it seemed the event guide was going to explain the rules of the maze. Rules like, how if you get lost you are to find a panic button and press it. Or how the 'monsters' in costumes aren't allowed to touch you, let alone harm you. And of course safe words, for if you felt unwell.

Taehyung began to lose focus once the woman began to warn them about flashing lights, and as he looked around the group of people that were accompanying them inside the maze house, he spotted quite a familiar man.

The one from before, in the blue jacket.

His brows lowered, piercing eyes locking on the guy who seemed to be paying attention to the guide woman, and not toward Jeongguk this time.

And he decided not to think much of it. Decided that the staring on the ice rink was a pure coincidence, it seemed. Nothing to really worry about.

A decision he wouldn't have chosen to make, had he known that the minute they stepped into the darkened maze room, Jeongguk would end up disappearing from his side entirely.

✱