"Why are you even such a fan of some brewed leaf water," Jeongguk asks while handing Taehyung the cup of tea he just made.

It's past 5pm, maybe an unusual time for having tea. But that doesn't matter much to Taehyung. In his opinion, any time is tea time. 

"Well, first of all, it's not like anybody is forcing you to make tea. And on top of that, to bring it to me. So there is that," Taehyung sniffs and accepts the steaming hot cup.

He gingerly blows at it. hoping Jeongguk won't notice he's not going to drink it anytime soon. Not with that sweltering heat outside that's already making it difficult for him to concentrate. His whole body is itching since noon. He definitely needs to remember taking sweat reducers tomorrow. Sure, wearing loose clothes helps but there is a limit to how much his thin flowy beige cotton shirt can do. 

Taehyung snaps back out of it as Jeongguk throws a mighty pout at him and mutters,

"I want to, okay?"

He swivels around on his chair to place the hot cup on the desk, smiling softly to himself.

"Alright," Taehyung recons.

"Anyway, back to your question. I like tea because it's calming as , comes in so many flavors and literally is the answer to all problems. You're feeling down? Have a nice cup of tea and get comfy on the couch until the world is a better place again. It's raining? Cup of tea and a book at hand while lounging in a chair next to the window are made for weather. You feel a bit under the weather? There are at least ten kinds of tea that can help you feel better, faster than any medicine could. Honestly, the existence of tea is just a wholesome concept," he closes his little speech.

Jeongguk leans against the doorframe to Taehyung's office, skepticism written all over his face.

"Okay but coffee is hot brew water too and that stuff you do not like...?"

"Coffee is evil," Taehyung spits with vigor. "It's Anxiety Juice with a capital A and capital J. It makes you have three heartbeats for the price of one, you get jittery as , have to pee every five minutes and can't sleep," he huffs. "It tastes terrible and is super easy to screw up more than it already is by nature. And if you drink more than four cups you can talk to electricity or some . I have heard war stories from coffee-drinking poor idiots, you wouldn't believe it."

"Okay okay calm down, I got it. Jeez."

Taehyung narrows his eyes at the younger. "Did you really, though?"

"You jerk," Jeongguk laughs. Pushes himself off the door frame to head back to his own room. "Yes, I did. You know what, forget I ever asked."

"Yah, Jeon Jeongguk! I'm still older than you, you little dip!"

"Do I look like I care?"

Jeongguk is back in his office with the door open and the two of them are having a shouting match across the hallway.

"You will care once I start calling you princess again," Taehyung yells with glee.

"Don't you ing dare!"

There is someone snickering outside and somebody else snorting. Taehyung gets up to shut the door at last, face glowing. He didn't mean for the whole office to hear their exchange. But only a few seconds later there is a knock. 

"Uhm, come-come in," Taehyung peeps. Still feels embarrassed. Watches the handle being pushed down and the door swinging open, revealing his smiling boss.

"Good afternoon, Taehyung-ssi. I see you two get along well," Namjoon says. Looks at him like a fond father.

For a moment Taehyung wonders where the other got that from. Granted, he's just been yelling down the whole office with his little insults. But then again he would never behave like that with someone like Baek. Never speak freely like that. So maybe it does make sense in a kind of twisted way?

He just nods, still not quite sure what Namjoon wants to get at.

"That's great, I'm glad then. Please keep up the good work." Namjoon waves at him, gives another dimple smile and leaves as sudden as he came.

"...Sure," Taehyung belatedly says to the empty space. Still puzzled by the appearance of his boss. 

KIm Namjoon, Park Bom, that brat Jeongguk - why does everybody have to be so confusing here? Seriously.

Taehyung keeps grumbling about it, creating monologues in his head where he complains to each respective one of his co-workers for their weird behavior while taking tentative sips of his tea.

Maybe five minutes later, a Morse message from Jeongguk comes through.

'Princess yourself,' he knocks.

Taehyung snorts into the cup, spraying hot tea everywhere. He leaps up with a loud course and scrambles for tissues. So much to his serene little tea time.

"Yah, you er!"

The faint snicker sounding through the wall makes the mess a bit more bearable.

Not soon after that little malheur - Taehyung was just revising the things Namjoon pointed out to him via mail about the latest project he submitted - his phone starts ringing. 'THEY'RE TAKING THE HOBBITS TO ISENGARD' blasts through the room and Taehyung is quick to whip his phone out and accept the call because one, he embarrassed himself enough for the day with being noisy and oversharing and two, it's the custom ringtone for Jimin.

Park Jimin, his soulmate and best friend and sadly the only person Taehyung ever got convinced to watch all six Tolkien movies together. Why everybody else has such a bad taste to deny the offer of binging on LOTR or The Hobbit is beyond him. 

"Chim-Chams, whassup?"

"Taehyungie, my bro, my dude, my bestest best man I love you how are you doing sweetie," Jimin sing-songs with sweet voice and oh. Taehyung knows that sound.

"What, are you drunk?!"

The offended gasp he gets in return is answer enough.

"What, no?," Jimin squawks. "It's not even 6pm, you can't get drunk before at least 9pm, everybody knows that. . bro. Dumbro."

Taehyung rubs his face. "Okay then why are you drunk already this early? Did something happen?"

"I keep telling you I'm not drunk!"

There is the sound of something slamming down and a little hiccup. Taehyung can picture him perfectly, the rosy tint on Jimin's cheeks, the little beak when he pouts, the chubby fingers wrapped around one of his many crystal glasses. Jimin has a thing for those and it surely hasn't gotten better over the years.

"Alright, whatever you say," the younger tries to placate. "So why are you calling again?"

"Oh, right."

Another hiccup. Goddammit, he sounds adorable. If they weren't life-long best friends and soulmates Taehyung would probably have the biggest crush on him. Jimin is just precious like that, so delicate yet burning bright with passion. Taehyung takes the time Jimin needs for collecting himself to silently swoon over his best friend. Man, he should treat him more often, call him more often. Be a better best friend. Jimin deserves the world.

"Alright, so," Jimin speaks up with wobbly voice. "I was just, y'know. Thinking. As you do. About, about how I'm so lonely. And how you're lonely too. Except you are just lonely because you are too stupid to do something about it-"

"Wow, thank you."

"You're welcome. Anyway, as I just said. you're stupid. I mean Jeonggukkie is literally right there waiting for you to un-stupid and you just? Continue to stupid? And to oblivious-e? What are you, a brainless Skittle?"

"Okay first of all, that's not how converting adjectives works."

"It is now!"

Taehyung rolls his eyes. "No it's not and you know it. C'mon, you were top of the class, Jimbles. No one would've ever caught you dead mistreating grammatical rules."

"You could've been, too," Jimin sniffles. "The only reason I was top of the class and not you was because you never seriously tried. Don't think I didn't notice. I know you let me have the top position because you are just too kind to actually fight with me." At the last words his voice softens until it's barely more than a hushed whisper. For a few moments Jimin barely sounds drunk anymore.

"I," Taehyung blinks, tries to digest what he just heard. To come to terms with the fact that Jimin can read him like an open book, even the pages he doesn't want him to see. "I, that's not... that's not what we've been talking about. You didn't, we weren't... I mean, you know."

"Yeah, yeah I know. I do," comes the soft admission before Jimin turns bold and loud again. "So because you are stupid I bet you didn't declare your undying love to the poor boy yet, did you? Hmm? Did you tell Jeongukkie how much you adore him already?"

"What the Jimin, will you shut up please," Taehyung whisper-yells. Eyes darting to the wall separating their two office rooms. He knows Jeongguk can't possibly have heard Jimin's voice coming out of the phone. But. The fear is still very very real.

"There is literally just one thin wall between us, thin enough for us to clearly hear the Morse messages we knock against it, dude can hear tons of what's going on in my room!"

"Ohmygod this is so gay!" Jimin is back to his jolly self just like that. "Really?! Are you really knocking Morse code at each other? I love it! Love how gay that is! Did you teach him? What else can you hear of each other, hm? Did you together yet?"

Taehyung can't even splutter out denials quick enough to stop Jimin from chanting "GAY GAY GAYGAYGAY!" from the top of his lungs.

Jimin's gay enthusiasm reminds him of that one oboe girl of TwoSetViolin - no wait, wrong channel. Uhhh what was their name again? Orchestra, musicians... Classical musicians uhm... ReactToTheK! Yeah, these dudes - reacting to 'Monster' by Irene and Seulgi. And for a precious second Taehyung can't decide whether to be utterly terrified of Jimin's loud vocal organ or don a blissful smile at the memory of the reaction video.

Jimin takes the decision from him with shouting "KIM TAEHYUNG WANTS CHILDREN FROM JEON JEONGGUK", making Taehyung end the call, shove his traitorous phone in the inside pocket of his bag, zip it shut and kick said bag far away from him.

His breath goes ragged as he stares at the wall and prays to whatever god there is that Jeongguk please did not hear a single word.

Oh, right. Distraction. If he manages to take off Jeongguk's mind with something weird and completely unrelated, then he will forget what he just heard. In case he did hear anything at all. Correct? Correct.

So Taehyung takes his office phone and short-dials Jeongguk. The younger accepts after the second ring.

"What-"

"Did you know a spider can hold eight guns at once," is the first-best thing Taehyung blurts out. , he didn't even think this through. Where is he supposed to go with this?

"...Okay but how does it walk then?"

Bless that guy! Jeongguk doesn't even question his strange prompt.

Taehyung chews on his lip, thinks about the counter-question.

"Alright, did you know a spider can hold seven guns at once."

Jeongguk hums. "That sounds better."

"Okay, cool!" Taehyung already wants to hang up, sees his mission complete but before he can do so, Jeongguk shoots another question.

"Wait, does that mean the spider has to hop on one leg?"

"Uh... yeah I guess so?"

"Okay."

"Yeah."

"Mhm."

"Okay bye." Taehyung shoves the phone back into its charge base.

Mission accomplished, probably. Hopefully.

He's itching all over again.

It's well past ten when Taehyung notices how Jeongguk is taking his sweet time finishing the kongguksu. Usually they are both done by now, and save at home. Something is going on. Taehyung furrows his eyebrows.

"Hey you alright?"

"Oh yeah, peachy," Jeongguk huffs. 

Taehyung gives him a disapproving look and after a while the younger relents.

"Sorry. It's just. Look out of the window."

Taehyung cranes his neck to look past Jeongguk through the window revealing Seoul at night, colorful lights filtering through a watery sheen.

"...It's night?"

"No!" Jeongguk throws his hands up. "I mean yes but that's not what I mean."

"...It's raining?"

"YES! It's ing pouring, has been for a while. And I forgot to bring an umbrella or something."

Taehyung blinks. "Oh."

"Yeah, oh. And I hate getting wet, with my clothes sticking to me everywhere and ugh. But I don't exactly live around the corner, so."

He sighs, a somewhat upset sound. Hunches in on himself, shoulders hanging, metal chopsticks aimlessly clanking against the bowl with his kongguksu. Taehyung just wants to wrap him up in a blanket and hug all the worries out of him.

"So yeah I've been killing time," Jeongguk admits meekly. "Was hoping the rain stops at some point but clearly it won't do that, not anytime soon."

"You know," Taehyung steals some of Jeongguk's noodles, long since done with his own serving, the younger shouting a weak protest. "I could just drive you."

Jeongguk blinks at him with big doe eyes. "Huh?"

"Huh what?"

"I mean... you drive?"

"Oh please." Taehyung helps himself to some more of Jeongguk's noodles, maybe chewing a bit more aggressive than needed. "Dude. Yes I drive, yes I do have a drivers license, yes I own a car and know how to use it. Thank you very much."

"That's not what I- sorry."

The older waves it off. "Whatever. You still eating this or?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah. Sure."

Ten minutes later they are out of the office and down at the parking deck, Jeongguk marveling at the sleek look of Taehyung's Acura. It's not hard to miss with it being the last remaining car at this hour.

"Wait, I know this car."

Taehyung raises an eyebrow and leans against the driver's door. "You certainly do, I drove us to the fish market the other day. One more reason why you shouldn't act surprised at the reveal that I can drive, by the way."

"Oh. Uhm, right."

Jeongguk ducks away from Taehyung's gaze however the older doesn't miss the faint pink dusting Jeongguk's cheeks, the way his tongue darts out nervously.

"Cute," Taehyung mutters before he can stop himself.

Jeongguk's head snaps up.

"Huh, what?"

"Nothing. You gonna get in?"

"I, yeah of course."

While he waits for Jeongguk to get in and buckle up, Taehyung ramps up the audio system and starts his current driving playlist. Lorde's 'Yellow Flicker Beat' starts filling the car in all its glory. Taehyung closes his eyes, tips his head back, soaks in it. He loves himself some damn good studio premium speaker system here.

When he opens his eyes again and turns around to check on Jeongguk, the younger quickly turns his head away. Taehyung furrows his eyebrows but doesn't comment on it.

"Oh, by the way," he says while maneuvering the car out and back on the road, "Uncle Iroh would be super disappointed at you for calling tea just mere leaf water."

"Still prefer Korra."

Taehyung huffs. "He appears in Legend of Korra too, idiot."

The way to Jeongguk's block doesn't take long. Honestly, Taehyung could probably make it within five minutes. But a side-glance at Jeongguk vibing to The BossHoss, a German duo making some kind of energetic cowboy country music and Taehyung's latest musical discovery, makes him change his mind. At the junction where he'd have to turn right, he continues straight ahead and follows the Teheranno for some more. 

Roughly fifteen minutes - two Streetdance film soundtracks, 'Can't hold us' by Macklemore, and 'Take me home' by ATEEZ - later, Taehyung parks the car right in front of Jeongguk's stoop. It's still raining albeit not as bad as when they left the office.

"Wait," Taehyung says with one hand on Jeongguk's wrist to keep him inside while the other hand pats around under the backseat. After some grunting and stretching he pulls back with a triumphant grin, dark red telescopic umbrella dangling from his finger.

"Just so you know," he remarks, extending his arm for Jeongguk to take the offered umbrella, "this is my favorite umbrella. I expect my baby back tomorrow morning."

"Okay...?"

Jeongguk accepts it with a wary look. Taehyung makes a shooing motion at him and the younger makes to climb out of the car, hand on the handle already.

"I bet it's just a red umbrella like every other," he mutters.

"Yah!," Taehyung japs. "I heard that."

"Whatever, hyung."

"No no, don't 'whatever' me." Taehyung's hand shoots out to get ahold of Jeongguk once more. "Listen, you will see what I'm on about when you open it. And if you don't know what it is that you're seeing there... well. Then I'm afraid we don't know each other any longer." His expression is solemn at the last part. And honestly, Taehyung is only half joking.

The look Jeongguk gives him is more suspicious than ever. With a last glance at the older he opens the car door, holds the umbrella as far from him as possible and pushes the button on the umbrella handle. The device unfolds, revealing a second inner layer that looks like some kind of old pergamum.

Jeongguk steps out forgetting to say goodbyes, eyes trained on the umbrella's underside as he tries to decipher the countless words and markings covering it.

Taehyung gives him the time to figure it out. Clenches his hand around the steering wheel as he notices how his fingers thrum against it. Doesn't want to seem nervous or impatient. He counts the seconds until realization will hit the younger but gets distracted by Jeongguk's profile. Looks at the slope of his nose, the slightly parted lips, the fluffy black hair. Starts counting at 37 instead of zero. 

He's at 46 when there is a gasp and Jeongguk pulls the open umbrella closer until he's half disappearing in it, looking like some kind of mushroom.

"Holy ! Really? No way..."

Taehyung leans over the passenger seat, tries to look under the umbrella and catch a glimpse of Jeongguk's face. He snickers when he sees the younger standing in a puddle.

The umbrella lifts again to reveal a brightly smiling Jeongguk.

"This is so cool!"

Taehyung hums. "Is it, now?"

"Uhum," Jeongguk nods. Still smiling, teeth on full display. Gosh, what an adorable image. Focus, Taehyung, focus! "Which house are you, what's your patronus and what wand you've got?"

"Alright, alright, you passed the test," the older laughs. "I'm a Hufflepuff. You?"

"Aw, man. Ravenclaw." 

Taehyung squints. Can it be- is Jeongguk actually pouting? Why? Because they're not in the same house? What. No, nooooo, no way.

Jeongguk clears his throat. 

"Uhm. Thank you. For, y'know. Bringing me home, taking me on a little tour. And the rad umbrella."

"Which I do want back!"

Jeongguk rolls his eyes. "Yeah yeah, figured. Just. Thanks, man."

Taehyung's reply comes out way more soft and intimate than he meant. He's just so damn fond. 

"Don't mind it, really. Anytime."

He means it.

"Huh. Okay..."

Jeongguk's eyes flit around and he chews on the inside of his cheek.

"So, uhm. What did you say again you paid for the car?" 

Taehyung purses his lips, hums. "I think it was around 40.000.000 Won? No wait, actually a bit more because I swapped out the leather seat covers for cloth."

"Wow okay, uhhh... that's. That's quite a bit. Huh. 40.000.000 Won. Okay. Cool. Yep, I'm chill."

Jeongguk looks positively flustered, eyes all big and wide. It's an expression he doesn't sport often. Taehyung mentally files it away to 'The many faces of Jeon Jeongguk'.

"Wait," the younger furrows his eyebrows.  "Isn't it usually the other way round? Don't people usually swap cloth for leather?"

"Hm, yeah, usually. But leather sometimes feels super sticky and also heats up to Hell degrees in summer. I prefer not to get cooked in my own car just to have a stylish interior."

"...Oh. Makes sense."

"Yep."

Again, Jeongguk shuffles around, eyes going here and there, just not to where Taehyung is still sitting. 

"So... what model is it again?"

It's so damn obvious he's stalling. Taehyung smiles even if the younger can't see it. Outright refuses to look at him.

"It's an Acura ILX 2021, platinum pearl white. Acura's a brand of Honda if you wanna say so. For the more costly models and such," he explains.

"Aah."

"Mhm. Any more questions for the night?," the older asks in obvious amusement.

"No, no I think I'm good."

Jeongguk's gaze drops down to his feet and goddamn, Taehyung has to make a real effort to not laugh out loud at the pure misery on the poor lad's face. Yeah, seems he noticed he's been standing in a puddle for the last five minutes. Bless.

"Alright, yeah, I'll just. Go home. Cuz this is here, my home, I mean. And. Yeah."

The umbrella does nothing to hide how Jeongguk turns bright red.

This time Taehyung can't fight the laugh.

"You got it champ," he snickers. "See you tomorrow, then. Goodnight."

"Uh. Thanks. I mean you too. Urgh!"

Jeongguk face-palms and Taehyung laughs again. Pulls the door closed and drives off. A look in the rear mirror shows Jeongguk studying the umbrella again. Taehyung smirks. Yeah, his umbrella with the Marauder's map printed on the inside is super cool. It's the only non-sweet merch he bought at the Warner Bros Studios in London.

Best purchase ever.

"Honestly, I have no idea where you always get that from," Taehyung interrupts Jimin's gleeful monologue.

Jimin gasps. Drama queen.

"Excuse you? Did you or did you not just tell me boi was flustered as when you dropped him off? Isn't that the sole reason why you're calling me late at night?"

"I mean, yeah," Taehyung admits. Kicks off his shoes and socks and wiggles his toes. Freedom! "But that has nothing to do with the bull you've just been spouting again."

"It has everything to do with that, you . Jeonggukkie literally got post-date drop-off vibes from you. I tell you it's true. Mark my words."

"But there hasn't been - and never will, don't you get started on that whole mess again - a date. I brought him home straight from work. There's nothing romantic about it."

"Okay first off all you're wrong and second of all, you're so wrong,"Jimin exclaims. "You guys were leaving the office together. Gay point number one. You were leaving together after a shared meal. Gay point number two, three and four. If you just think about it for a second you will realize that in a sense all of your lovey-dovey late night dinners at work can be seen as dates. So you already had loads of dates. You date daily!"

"For 's sake, we are not dating!"

"Yes you are, you're just too damn stupid to realize it."

Taehyung punches a pillow. "It was not a date! And he doesn't think it was either."

"But he does," Jimin chirps in full mischievous dwarf mode. "What other reason could he have to act the way you said he did? Come one, you are not really that dense, Tae."

"But it wasn't a date."

It wasn't, it wasn't, it wasn't. They just had dinner together. Like everyday. It's nothing unusual, a lot of people have dinner with their co-workers together. Right?

"Maybe not officially. But that's why I said post-date vibes. Emphasis on vibes. As in, not quite but almost there. Honestly, can you just listen to me once? The whole 'you calling me to seek answers'- thing doesn't work if you're not listening to my vomit of wisdom, dude."

"More like, vomit without the wisdom part," Taehyung mutters.

"Yah, you brat!"

Taehyung is quick to shoot another remark before Jimin can get into his 'pay more respect to your elders' kind of mood. ("What I'm saying is that I was born in Busan first." - "No Sherlock. Out of the two of us you are the only one born in Busan at all, that makes your argument nil." - "My point still stands!")

"Why would he think it was a date-ish thing anyway?"

"Oh, I don't know, Taehyung." Jimin's voice is dripping with sarcasm. "You tell me. Why would he think it's a date-ish thing after you paid for dinner and you two ate all alone together, offered to drive him because poor baby doesn't like to get wet, took him on a prolonged ride in your fancy car, got him home safely after making sure he had fun, offered him your beloved Harry Potter umbrella for the last three metres, grabbed his wrist to make him stay longer not once but twice and told him you would bring him home anytime again? Why, oh why could he possibly think there was a hint of spice and romance in there? Hm?"

"There is nothing romantic about all of that."

"Screw you," Jimin sniffs. "I like my opinion better than yours."

"Of course you do."

"Yah!"

Jimin fakes enough offense to call quits and ends the call with a "Kim Taehyung, you insensitive brute."

Taehyung sighs. He's still sprawled like a starfish on his large bed. With a big yawn he lets the phone slip out of his hands. Watches with mild interest how it slowly slides over the silken bedsheets, hovers over the edge and, at Taehyung shifting his weight, flops down on the ground with a dull thud.

"Ugh, can you not," Taehyung groans.

Doesn't move a finger for another five minutes before body-rolling to the edge and fishing for the device with one hand.

The fishing gets faster once his loud ringtone cuts through the night and Taehyung remembers neighbors in general are a thing. Sometimes they even dare to be home. His hand closes around the blaring phone and he turns around to lay in bed comfortably once again.

"Actually," Jimin says as soon as Taehyung accepts the call, "the only thing you need to do for believing I'm telling the truth is this: you gotta invite Jeongguk out on a date and see how he reacts."

Taehyung stares at the high ceiling for a long minute.

"...Wait what?!?"

A/N:

Did I just build my own custom Acura ILX on their official website to see how much this would actually cost? ...Well , maybe.

Btw update on my flat: the kitchen is still nowhere in sight and I am getting a little impatient -_-

Also on another note, it's been weeks since I last painted or drew and it's honestly killing me T.T

Anyway, hope you are still enjoying to read this story haha hope you have a good day ^^