“Did you like it?” Taecyeon’s voice and eyes were full of unrestrained hope. He nervously grinned at Jaebeom, trying not to set his expectations for the answer high. They had finished the day, Wooyoung leaving early to go do some work with the members disapproving yet concerned stares following him as he left. Jaebeom at the time, had a calculating gaze from weary eyes which Taecyeon didn’t think would be appropriate to ask about at the time. 

“I missed this,” Jaebeom’s smile was genuine, Taecyeon knew the difference between this smile and the one he would put on just for the sake. He knew this smile was it , and it made him feel like there were fluffy clouds inside his stomach lifting him towards the sky. He also knew that the other members overheard Jaebeom’s answer, and he also knew that they knew what this smile meant. After all, even if the other members were standing a little bit away with their heads down, they couldn’t hide the aura of warmth they were emanating. Like a furnace, no, that seemed harsh. Like a fireplace. He truly did feel at home with s, and he didn’t want to leave. Jaebeom frowned at his change in demeanor and Taecyeon reminded himself that people were watching his face fall. He brightened again because this was a bright moment. 

“Would you consider doing it again?” Taecyeon asked, and he could feel the other members play even closer attention now, their ears perking up and eyes not very discreetly glancing at the pair. 

“You’re asking as if we just went on a date,”Jaebeom snorted, the hint of what he had used to be with them resurfacing after all those years. “Sure, man. I’d like it,”

The other members all released a breath and there was a wistful smile on their faces, only after they spent the entire day together would Jaebeom retain the snarky part of his personality. They quickly shuffled away now, relieved at Jaebeom’s answer and finally willing to give the two privacy. Jaebeom snorted at their actions but the fond light in his eyes wasn’t missed by Taecyeon. He looks at the man standing in front of him now, his black hair swooping down his forehead and that western way and the piercings on his ears glinting from the lights on the street. Taecyeon doesn’t know what made him confess, made him say what he hadn’t even said to s yet. “People want me to leave 2pm,” 

“What?” Jaebeom now was truly taken aback, a feat which hardly anyone had succeeded in. 

“To just act, it’s my parents and agent and even JYP doesn’t mind it as long as I’m with them,” Taecyeon stared at the floor, kicking the small bits of gravel and rocks on the sidepath. He examined the lines that criss crossed themselves to cement the pattern etched in the floor. Jaebeom was quiet, probably thinking, because he actually thought before he spoke. 

“Taecyeon, do you really want to leave?” Jaebeom spoke slowly, but his voice was sturdy, carrying the same confidence he executed through his body posture. Taecyeon shook his head, but then paused. 

“I don’t know,” he admitted. Jaebeom nodded sympathetically, except not exactly that because Jay wasn’t sympathetic most of the time, he was empathetic. Perhaps that’s why Taceyeon had said this to him, because in his mind he was still holding on to leader Jaebeom. But it wasn’t Jaebeom’s responsibility to listen to him anymore, to give him advice or to talk to the other members about this. Taecyeon was in over his head and he despised it, he didn’t want to rely on someone who wasn’t there to share the burden. 

“Talk to your members, man,” Jaebeom breathed out softly, he opened his mouth again but a sound didn’t come out until a few seconds later. “Don’t… What I’ve learnt is don’t let anyone else decide for you, it’s your choice.”

Jaebeom may not be the leader anymore, but damn it he could relax Taecyeon’s mind in a way that only someone with the leadership could. It didn’t matter if Jay said it with his dry husky voice or the more nasally toned one, he made Taecyeon stand taller. Taecyeon would try, he would really try to make this decision by himself, but he had always been a little bit of a people pleaser. Jaebeom saw him contemplating, and as always, he was right that it was time for all of them to depart. He gave each member a quick side hug along with a reassuring squeeze for Taecyeon, which was pleasantly surprising. Jaebeom was not the most tactile person and the half-hugs were the most he’d usually ever done, this shouldn’t have grounded Taecyeon as much as it did. He squared his shoulders, plastering a goofy smile on his face as to not dampen the high s were currently in as they made their way back to their dorms. 

“I’m glad you did this,” Minjun was the one to murmur it to him, wide smile that exuded the same energy as Jaebeom’s. The eldest often had a lot to shoulder, and Taecyeon had only tried to help him by taking some of that load. It didn’t look like it was working though, Minjun and him hadn’t talked in a long while. 

“Yeah, I agree,” Nichkhun patted Taecyeon’s back, the thai looked sort of regal in the streetlight. He was the best dressed out of all of them today, a white shirt and black trousers, which weren’t really that fancy but compared to everyone else’s pants and t-shirts. He truly looked like a prince. Taecyeon didn’t hesitate to voice his thoughts out, if anyone who had ever thought something good about him actually said it to his face, he would feel much happier than he did in the present. Nichkhun rolled his eyes but the other could see him glowing, definitely regal, his skin was like a halo. Taecyeon now had to cringe at his words as well, he loved his friends but apparently his thoughts loved poetry more. 

He did have a tendency to exaggerate. But it was so much easier to be happy when every small good thing was suddenly amplified. Mediocre was a worse feeling to him than bad, just enough wasn’t enough for happiness.