Jeongguk stood outside a local coffee shop, playing with his phone and trying not to look like he had spent a solid two hours picking out his outfit, and then another half hour making his hair look just the perfect amount of messy.  He had been waiting on his number one fan to meet him for about five minutes, and that was enough time to make Jeongguk feel a little jumpy, worrying that he might not show.  Not that it was a date or anything.

 

Exactly one minute and forty-six seconds later, not that Jeongguk was counting, Taehyung, his self-proclaimed number one fan came breezing down the street, stopping in front of Jeongguk.  Taehyung looked at him and smiled, making the younger feel like time had stopped for a moment as he gazed at Taehyung’s beautiful smile; at the way his eyes crinkled up when he smiled; at the way his hair blew slightly in the breeze. Jeongguk continued to let his eyes wander, taking in the sight of Taehyung, until his eyes landed on what looked to be a homemade t-shirt.

 

“You like it?” Taehyung asked, skipping all greetings once he noticed that Jeongguk had noticed his shirt, which was bright pink and read “Jeongguk’s Biggest Fan!!” in handwritten, sparkly blue characters.

 

“Why,” is all Jeongguk managed to get out before the older of the two started twirling slowly so that Jeongguk could get a full view of his masterpiece, causing Jeongguk to groan and attempt to cover his face with his hands.

 

“I thought you would like it.  That’s the reason I was a bit late.  I was making this bad boy,” Taehyung nodded and flapped the hem of the shirt a bit, exposing his skin, causing Jeongguk to take hold of the hem and push it back down.  Nobody (but Jeongguk) needed to see that.

 

“I’m glad you’re here.  I got a bit worried you wouldn’t show,” Jeongguk admitted, rather sheepishly.

 

“Hey, I’m always where I need to be.  Shall we go in?” Taehyung grinned, and placed his hand on the younger boy’s lower back to him inside the coffee shop before he could even answer.

 

-

 

Once they were seated and had their orders in front of them- an Americano for Jeongguk and some sugary sweet drink for Taehyung- they sat in silence.  It was an awkward silence, broken only by Jeongguk’s giggles that erupted when Taehyung got a bit of whipped cream on his nose.

 

“What?” Taehyung asked, oblivious to why Jeongguk was giggling at him.

 

“Here,” Jeongguk said, and he wiped the whipped cream off of the older boy’s nose, smiling.

 

“Thanks,” Taehyung said, and for fear that things would turn awkward again, he decided to kick up some kind of conversation.  “So, Coffee Table Lampshade.  You’re the drummer?”

 

“Yeah, but I sing, play guitar and bass, and I write some of the songs, too,” Jeongguk answered, taking a sip of his drink.

 

“Woah, so you’re, like, really talented,” Taehyung grinned, and a soft blush formed across Jeongguk’s cheeks.

 

“I guess,” he said the tips of his ears turning red, and took another sip.  “What about you? What are you good at?”

 

“Well,” Taehyung pondered for a moment, getting more whipped cream on his nose in the process, “I know a lot about bees.”

 

“Bees?” Jeongguk asked, reaching across to wipe Taehyung’s nose again.  “Like buzz, buzz bees?”

 

“Yes, like buzz, buzz bees,” Taehyung nodded, grinning.

 

“How much do you know about bees?” Jeongguk asked, admittedly curious as hell.

 

“Well, if we’re ever involved in a bee-related situation, then you’ll find out,” Taehyung nodded, bouncing his eyebrows.

 

 

Jeongguk shivered, because he was a little scared, a little intrigued, and just a little bit , thanks to the wild look in Taehyung’s eyes.

 

“Bee-related situation?” Jeongguk asked.

 

Taehyung just winked and smeared some of his own whipped cream onto Jeongguk’s nose, smiling.  “I think this is going pretty well, for a first date.”

 

“Date?” Jeongguk’s eyes widened, but his curiosity was interrupted by his phone vibrating in his pocket.  He fished it out and unlocked it to check it, flashing apologetic eyes to Taehyung before reading the message on his phone.

 

From: Mean Yoongi

Dude you are so bad at dates

 

From: Mean Yoongi:

Me, Hoseok, and JimJam followed you guys here lmao.  Look for us, we’ll wave

 

Jeongguk looked up, glancing around the coffee shop, and sure enough, there were Yoongi and Jimin, waving at him from across the room, Hoseok missing in action.  Jeongguk groaned and put his phone away.

 

“What’s wrong?”  Taehyung asked, looking at him with concern.

 

“My bandmates are here, they followed us to spy on us,” Jeongguk answered, burying his face in his hands.  While he was stuck in his embarrassment trap, Yoongi and Jimin sauntered over to their table.

 

“Jeongguk, what’s up my dude?” Yoongi leered, and Jimin crossed his arms like a cool guy.

 

“Why are you here?” Jeongguk groaned, his head still buried in shame.

 

“We were nosy, Kookie,” Jimin shrugged, his arms still crossed.

 

“I told you not to call me that,” Jeongguk pouted. 

 

“Hey?” Taehyung greeted the two of them, trying to make sense of what the hell was going on.

 

“Hey man.  What the is that shirt?” Yoongi asked, noticing the “number one fan” shirt.

 

“It’s nice, isn’t it?” Taehyung grinned, and Yoongi grinned his approval back, holding a thumbs up.

 

“You should sell those at our gigs,” Jimin nodded.

 

“Hell yeah,” Yoongi nodded, this time holding out his fist for Taehyung to bump with his fist, which he did.

 

“Didn’t you guys say Hoseok was with you? Where is he?” Jeongguk asked, attempting to change the subject to Taehyung would not be tempted to mass-produce those shirts.

 

“You mean Hoeseok? Yeah, he’s getting laid in the bathroom,” Yoongi nodded and pointed in the direction of the bathrooms.

 

“Damn, where does he get his game?” Jeongguk whistled.

 

“Not from the same place as you, obviously.  You at dates,” Jimin rolled his eyes.

 

“I think he’s doing okay,” Taehyung nodded defiantly.  Jeongguk smiled at him appreciatively, and for a moment they looked at each other, and it felt like they were they only two in the whole coffee shop.  Jeongguk sighed, content, and Taehyung’s grin widened significantly.

 

“Gross,” Yoongi grimaced, interrupting their sweet moment.

 

Jeongguk turned to glare at him, and Jimin started tugging on his sleeve.  “Hey, let’s go somewhere else, and leave them alone.” At least Jimin could take a hint.  Yoongi rolled his eyes but let Jimin tug him away.  Everybody knew he had a soft spot for Jimin, and Jimin exploited it.

 

“Hey, maybe we should get out of here, too?” Taehyung asked after the other two had left.

 

“Yeah, we should,” Jeongguk nodded and they gathered up their things and left the coffee shop, smiling awkwardly at each other.

 

A few minutes later, Hoseok emerged from the bathroom, bright-eyed and dazed, before he noticed that he was the only member of Coffee Table Lampshade left in the shop.  “Where did everybody go?” he asked, but was interrupted by a girl pulling him right back into the bathroom.

 

-

 

After walking around the city for a while, Jeongguk and Taehyung found themselves in the park, walking around aimlessly and carrying on a solid conversation.

 

“So what about the other two guys? You know, the dimply manager and his wife that makes the really good sandwiches? I half expected them to show up,” Taehyung said, kicking pebbles as they walked.

 

“You mean Namjoon and Seokjin? They’re out of town right now for Seokjin’s cousin’s wedding or something like that, I have no idea,” Jeongguk shrugged, kicking pebbles along the path as well.

 

“They’re at a wedding together? That’s so cute~,” Taehyung sighed and Jeongguk laughed, and nudged the older boy’s side a bit with his shoulder.

 

They walked a bit in silence, a comfortable silence this time, occasionally nudging each other until it was all interrupted by a bee that decided to fly around Jeongguk.

 

“Hey, pesky bee!” Jeongguk said, swatting at it, which only proved to make the bee angry.

 

Taehyung looked over at him, breathed in deeply and whispered to himself, “It’s my time to shine,” be grabbing Jeongguk’s hand to still it.  “Quit swatting at it.  If you just hold still and breathe calmly, it will leave you alone,” Taehyung advised, and sure enough, the bee went away after a few seconds.

 

“Wow,” Jeongguk said, turning to look at Taehyung, grinning broadly at him.  “My hero.”

 

“Bees are my calling,” Taehyung said proudly, continuing to walk with the younger, deciding not to let go of his hand.

 

Jeongguk just smiled and squeezed the other’s hand as they walked together, occasionally stopping to smell the roses or play on the playground.

 

-

 

A few hours later found them still swinging on the swing set, Taehyung pushing Jeongguk with nightfall quickly approaching. 

 

“Hey, it’s getting dark,” Jeongguk said as Taehyung gave him a big push.  He kicked out his legs and reached his hands out for the early stars in the sky, but they were always just out of his grasp.

 

“It’s an odd question, but do you like stargazing?” Taehyung asked.

 

“Yeah, why?” Jeongguk tried to look back down at the older boy in confusion but didn’t quite pull it off.

 

“Just come with me,” Taehyung grinned, and he yanked the swing to a halt, startling Jeongguk, who almost fell out.

 

“Hey-“ he quipped, but Taehyung just reached for his hand and pulled him off in some unknown direction.

 

-

 

“Um, Taehyung? I thought you asked if I liked stargazing?” Jeongguk asked, very much confused.

 

“I did,” Taehyung nodded.

 

“Then why are we inside your house? I don’t see any stars,” Jeongguk said matter-of-factly.

 

“Just follow me upstairs,” Taehyung said, and dragged a blushing Jeongguk up the stairs before he could argue.  “Now, cover your eyes,” he instructed once they reached his bedroom door.

 

Jeongguk did as he was told, and he heard Taehyung open his bedroom door, and he felt him guide him into the room before setting him down on something hard.  He felt Taehyung leave him, and he ran his hand across whatever he was sitting on.  It felt plastic and cold.

 

After a moment, Taehyung spoke up again.  “Okay, uncover your eyes,” and Jeongguk did, letting out a gasp.  The walls and ceiling of Taehyung’s room were covered in glow-in-the-dark stars.  He looked down at what he was sitting on, and it appeared to be a bed with a red racecar frame, and he was sitting on the hood of it.  He looked over at the older boy, who was grinning sheepishly.

 

“Wow, Tae, this is, wow,” Jeongguk said, staring at the ceiling in amazement.

 

“I read somewhere that it was romantic to lay on a car hood with the person you like and gaze up at the stars together.  I don’t have a car, so I figured this was the next best thing,” Taehyung explained, smiling brightly at Jeongguk’s amazement and wonder-filled eyes.

 

“This is even better than the original,” Jeongguk said honestly, and he patted the place next to him on the hood, and Taehyung came over quickly and sat down next to him. He took Taehyung’s hand in his and squeezed it lightly, softly brushing his thumb across his skin, and he felt so warm.   “You know, the stars are catching the glitter on your shirt and it’s sparkling more than usual.  I like it, honestly.”

 

Taehyung turned his head to face him, smiling.  “I’m glad you like it, Kookie,” he grinned, causing the tip of Jeongguk’s ears to turn red. 

 

“That nickname sounds so much better when you say it,” he sighed, resting his head on Taehyung’s shoulder. 

 

Taehyung smiled softly and squeezed Jeongguk’s hand before scrunching his nose.  “Hey, look at that, over there,” he said, pointing his finger towards the wall.

 

“Look at what,” Jeongguk asked, raising his head from the older boy’s shoulder to look.  Taehyung took this opportunity to capture Jeongguk’s lips in a kiss, the younger boy’s eyes fluttering shut, barely catching the glow of the older’s skin under the stars.

 

Taehyung pulled away from the kiss hesitantly, gazing into the younger boy’s eyes.  “Wow.”

 

“Wow is right,” Jeongguk smiled, in a daze.  “I guess you can say that kissing you really puts the stars in my eyes,” he followed up, flashing a cheesy grin and slapping his knee.

 

“What a dork,” Taehyung playfully ruffled the younger’s hair.

 

“But you like it,” Jeongguk said confidently, grabbing Taehyung’s shirt collar to pull him in for another kiss.

 

-

 

The hours of the night passed on, and the two lay together, a tangle of limbs and comfort on the hood of that racecar bed, sharing occasional kisses and smiles, oblivious to anything but each other.  That is until Jeongguk realized, Oh , it’s midnight, my mom is going to kill me. Taehyung offered to walk him home.

 

They walked back hand in hand, stealing glances of each other illuminated by the soft glow of the moon.

 

“I had a really nice time today,” Jeongguk smiled softly, swinging their hands together as they walked.

 

“Me too, I’m glad you invited me out.  I’m glad I get to be the groupie that actually dates a band member,” Taehyung grinned, causing the younger to blush.

 

“You got lucky,” he said, trying to hide his pink cheeks to no avail.

 

Taehyung just laughed and pecked his cheeks.  They walked for a bit more until Jeongguk stopped abruptly at a house that Taehyung assumed to be his.

 

“Thanks for walking me home,” Jeongguk curtsied awkwardly, following it with a playful wink.

 

“Anytime, babe,” Taehyung said, and pressed one last chaste kiss to Jeongguk’s lips. The younger blushed before giving Taehyung a kiss of his own and then quickly disappearing into the safety of his house, leaving the older boy dazed on the front stoop.

 

Once inside, Jeongguk raced up to his bedroom and pulled out his phone, quickly reading all the messages.

 

From: Mean Yoongi

Did you finally get laid lol I’m guessing no lol

 

From: Mama Jin

Yoongi sent me pictures of your date with weird concert boy so cute !!!!!! XD

 

From: Park Ji

Did you finally stop at dates lol I’m guessing no lol

 

From: No One’s Hope

Dude sorry I missed your awkward in date lmao

 

From: Nam

Saw your date pictures, I’m so proud of you son

 

From: Mean Yoongi

Does weird concert boy still send nudes

 

Jeongguk rolled his eyes as he read all the messages and decided to ignore them in favor of texting Taehyung instead.

 

To: #1 Fan

I forgot to ask, but when can I see you again?

 

It took seconds for a reply to come through.

 

From: #1 Fan

Tomorrow, same place, same time?

 

To: #1 Fan

Will you be on time this time?

 

From: #1 Fan

I may not be on time, but like I said before, I’m always where I need to be.