Jimin opened the door after the third knock. He smirked when he saw Hoseok fidgeting with his jacket.

“Date night?” Jimin asked.

“Yeah,” Hoseok smiled, “Is Taehyung ready?”

“He said he’ll be done in five minutes,” Jimin answered.

“Great,” Hoseok gave a shaky smile.

“So,” Jimin leaned against the doorway, “You like Taehyung?”

“Yeah, is that a problem?”

“Not with me,” Jimin shrugged, “But for you there might be.”

“What do you mean?”

“Taehyung’s past boyfriends were all rich guys with cars worth more than your apartment. You have high standards to live up to.”

Hoseok would have interrogated Jimin, if Taehyung hadn’t walked out at that moment. He grabbed his hand, the one that wasn’t carrying the jacket, and tugged Hoseok toward the elevator doors.

Hoseok couldn’t focus on the movie.

He did manage to get the names of a few ex-lovers from Taehyung at dinner.

And after he kissed Taehyung good bye at the door, he pulled out his phone for a quick Google search. Yes they were all ridiculously wealthy old white men. At least Hoseok had better looks, until one of the names showed a tall man with a sharp jaw line who looked classy as in a suit. Hoseok sighed, his body fell limply onto the steering wheel.

Jimin was right, Hoseok had tough competition. However, what he lacked in expenses, he made up in spirit, he kept telling himself.

The thought didn’t work.

He went to sleep that night still feeling mediocre.

~~

When Taehyung checked his phone after the meeting, he had five missed calls and three texts from Jimin, all saying “GET THE HOME!!”

He rode the bus back, Seokjin had chemotherapy and Hoseok was working late, and ran up four flights of stairs when the elevator didn’t open fast enough. He stopped after he opened the apartment door.

There was a bouquet of roses in the arms of a large stuffed bear, so large its ears almost grazed the roof. Taehyung leaned on to the doorway for support, red faced and laughing so hard his stomach hurt.

Jimin walked out into the living room, he sighed, “I know its Valentine’s Day, but isn’t this too much?”

Taehyung pulled the roses out of the bear’s arms, there was a red envelope hidden behind them. In Hoseok’s sloppy cursive Taehyung’s name was written in white ink. Taehyung smelled the roses.

“No,” he smiled, “I wouldn’t expect less from Hobi.”

Hoseok was working late that night, but Taehyung waited, leaned against the door to his apartment until he heard the ring of the elevators opening and a groggy photographer walk out of their doors. His hair was disarray and the camera bag hung off his shoulder. He blinked twice then squinted before calling out, “Taehyung? Did we make plans for tonight?”

Taehyung shook his head, no.

Hoseok’s shoulders relaxed, from relief Taehyung assumed. Then they tightened again, “What are you doing here?”

“I saw the bear,” Taehyung smirked, as he stepped closer to Hoseok, “Jimin hates it, he says it takes up too much space.”

Hoseok slumped, “Sorry, I asked for the biggest one without thin-”

Taehyung leaned in and kissed him, effectively interrupting the photographer. When he pulled away, Hoseok was still leaning in, confused, but more awake than before.

“Don’t be sorry, I loved it,” Taehyung responded. Hoseok’s gaze intensified. Taehyung could feel his face heating up so he kissed Hoseok again.

And another kiss for the bear.

And one for each rose.

And for each rose petal, and each thorn on the rose, and for every single leaf attached to the rose stem.

And then Taehyung had his arms around Hoseok’s neck. Hoseok lifted him up, and their mouths didn’t disconnect as Hoseok unlocked the apartment door and led them to his bedroom. Their winter jackets were shed and thank god for wide neck sweaters, so that Hoseok could press soft kisses to Taehyung’s neck. This was unfamiliar. With past boyfriends, things were intense. There would be biting, there would be scratching, Taehyung would wake up the next morning with bruises of fingertips on his hips. This was tender. Hoseok left lingering kisses on Taehyung’s collarbone, his fingers barely brushed the skin under Taehyung’s shirt. He kissed Taehyung, on his tongue. Taehyung whined when Hoseok pulled away, but Hoseok nuzzled his nose. He tugged on Taehyung’s sweater as he asked, “Can I?”

Taehyung remembered his first awkward time in the handicapped bathroom during his freshmen year of high school, and how that nameless senior hadn’t asked permission before unbuckling Taehyung’s belt.

 He swallowed before answering, “Yes.”

Hoseok slowly pulled it off. Taehyung felt his face heat up again, Hoseok’s gaze was intense, and it’s not like this was Taehyung’s first time, but usually everything was more frantic. No one lingered long enough to stare. Taehyung strung his fingers behind Hoseok’s neck. Hoseok smiled down, “You’re beautiful.”

Hoseok leaned over Taehyung, used his elbows as support, and began kissing Taehyung’s face, “God Taehyung you’re beautiful.”

Taehyung kissed his lips. He didn’t want to show vulnerable he felt in that moment, how exposed he felt opening himself up for Hoseok. He didn’t want to show how sensitive was to Hoseok’s touch. So Taehyung tugged on Hoseok’s hair and wrapped his legs around Hoseok’s waist in attempt to speed things up, so Taehyung would be more confident.

No, Hoseok kept his pace painfully slow, and was sure to kiss every part of Taehyung, and ask before touching.

Taehyung cried when he came.

And Hoseok wiped away the tears, and kissed him on each cheek, on his temple, on his nose.

They slept with Taehyung using Hoseok’s arm, the arm that wasn’t wrapped around his waist, as a pillow, with Hoseok’s nose buried in his hair.

Taehyung woke up, when the sun peeking through the blinds landed on his face, to a half empty bed. But the blankets were still warm. He curled into the place where Hoseok once was, and buried his face in the pillow.

When the bed shifted from new weight, he peeked up from the pillow. It was Hoseok, with damp hair and his shirt still ed. Taehyung gave a lazy smile. Hoseok smiled back.

Taehyung tugged his shirt to pull him down, he tasted like mint toothpaste, “Good morning.”

“Yeah it is good,” Hoseok smiled, he slid an arm around Taehyung and gave him a languid kiss.

“So cheesy,” Taehyung laughed against his lips.

“Shut up,” Hoseok began peppering his face in kisses, “You love it.”

“Yeah I do,” Taehyung held Hoseok’s face between so that he could kiss him properly.

Hoseok was impatient this time. He pulled Taehyung so that there were chests were flushed together. Taehyung slid one hand and trailed it down Hoseok’s neck, under his shirt, his torso. Hoseok grabbed his wrist when he reached the zipper, “I have work.”

“Call in sick,” Taehyung pouted while playing with Hoseok’s shirt collar, “and stay with me.”

“If only,” Hoseok laughed.

He stopped when Taehyung grinded their hips together.

“Taehyung,” he reprimanded.

“But Hobi,” Taehyung kissed his jaw up to his ear, “Think of all we could do.”

After two more heated kisses and Taehyung’s hand ‘accidentally’ rubbing Hoseok’s crotch, Hoseok sent a quick text saying he wasn’t going to work that day. And then he pinned Taehyung to his bed, laughing as he kissed him.

~~

Taehyung undid Kookie’s leash.

“Hey, how was the walk?” Nam Joon asked.

“Terrible,” Seokjin peeled off his winter coat, “she found a mud puddle outside.”

Nam Joon’s eyes widened.

“Don’t worry, Taehyung hosed her down outside,” Seokjin kissed his temple, “But you still have to give her a bath. She smells awful.”

“Great,” Nam Joon sighed as he wrapped an arm around Seokjin’s shoulders.

Taehyung didn’t remember Nam Joon doing that before. Then again, one must give less s about being judged by society when their partner was diagnosed with cancer. Taehyung could sympathize with that.

“Are you staying for dinner?” Nam Joon asked.

“That depends,” Taehyung spoke, “are you cooking?”

“Nope I am,” Jungkook walked in to the living room, “I want to eat today.”

“I’ll stay,” Taehyung played with Kookie’s face.

“I know how to cook.”

Seokjin smiled and patted Nam Joon’s head, “Sure you do Joonie,” before walking out.

Nam Joon followed him, “No really, I can cook.”

Taehyung’s phone vibrated. He read the message, and smiled as he typed his reply.

“Is that from Hoseok?” Jungkook asked.

“Yes,” Taehyung said as he walked into the kitchen.

“You guys are gross.”

Taehyung shoved his shoulder. Jungkook smirked. “What do you need help with?” Taehyung asked.

“I said I wanted to eat, go play with the dog.”

“I know how to cook.”

Jungkook’s eyebrows raised.

“I can cook better than Nam Joon,” Taehyung muttered.

He sat down on the couch, Kookie rested her head on his lap. Taehyung alternated between watching TV, scratching Kookie’s ears, and texting Hoseok.

~~

Nam Joon was at that stage where he worried that anything could make Seokjin more sick than he already was, which didn’t make sense because said patient was becoming less pale. Nonetheless, Hoseok wasn’t surprised when he got the call asking if he and Taehyung would keep Seokjin out of the apartment while it was painted.

“Are paint fumes, toxic?” Taehyung asked.

“Kind of, if you inhale too much,” Jimin, in a low cut muscle shirt, pushed the couch to the middle of the room, “They’re staying at our apartment tonight.”

“Oh, am I sleeping on the couch or you?”

Hoseok wrapped his arms around Taehyung’s shoulders, “Why don’t you stay at my place? They can sleep on your bed.”

Hoseok felt an intense, brief pressure on the back of his head. When he turned around, there was a dog toy on the floor and Seokjin was glaring intensely.

“That’s why,” Taehyung smiled. He rubbed the back of Hoseok’s head, where the toy hit.

Hoseok leaned in so that their foreheads were touching.

Another toy hit the exact same spot as the last one.

“Ow!” he shouted at Seokjin.

“Did you learn nothing from the first one?” Jimin laughed.

Taehyung smiled too, the traitor.

Hoseok took a step back and held his hands up in surrender. Seokjin, content with this new arrangement, smiled and hooked the leash onto the dog collar.

“Don’t come back until I call you,” Nam Joon said.

“I won’t,” Seokjin waved dismissively.

“I’m serious.”

“So am I,” Seokjin smiled.

Hoseok watched Nam Joon’s stress visibly flow out of him. His stiff shoulders loosened and his stern gaze dropped to soft smile. He pulled Seokjin into a hug, “Be safe.”

“It’s just the mall,” Seokjin buried his face in Nam Joon’s shirt.

“I know, I still worry.”

“I think I’m going to puke.”

Everyone turned to the entrance. Yoongi was leaning against the doorway, smirking. He held up the plastic bag in his hand, “I brought beer.”

“Bastard,” Nam Joon muttered.

After a few more promises of safety, and declaring Hoseok the official holder of the dog’s leash, they were free to go on their mall adventure.

One hour equaled two stores. Two stores equaled to three bags. Three bags which they insisted Hoseok carry because he was their official slave for the day. Why did Hoseok agree to this?

“We needed a driver,” Seokjin teased.

“You have a car,” Hoseok whined, “You could have driven yourself.”

“Then who would watch Kookie?” Taehyung pouted. Hoseok looked at the Samoyed dog sitting next to Taehyung, it too was pouting.

Hoseok groaned, “Stores should be dog friendly.”

“Should but aren’t,” Seokjin handed Hoseok the leash, “Wait out here.”

Hoseok begrudgingly took the leash, “Have fun.”

“I’ll make it up to you,” Taehyung promised.

“No he won’t,” Seokjin teased as he dragged Taehyung into the clothing shop.

Hoseok slumped on the bench with Kookie smiling by his feet, at least she was enjoying herself. She hopped onto the empty spot next and buried her face in his arms. Hoseok smiled as he scratched her ears. No, he couldn’t stay mad at the dog. It wasn’t her fault that they were stranded. It was Nam Joon’s. Because painting the apartment was his dumb idea. Therefore Hoseok should give him hell next week at the office.

Or not. That was something Yoongi did every day. He was the king of annoying coworkers, only when he felt like it.

Hosoek remembered his first week, when he found a long letter saying why the newspaper didn’t need him any more signed by the head editor. Hoseok panicked. Yoongi laughed, at the end of they day he admitted it was a fraud he made. That bastard.

Taehyung came out twenty minutes later. Hoseok stood up, ready for his mall slave duties, “Where’s Seokjin?”

“He went to the bathroom real quick.”

Taehyung dug in his bags and pulled out a scarf. He wrapped it around Hoseok’s neck, “For the days you don’t wear a tie.”

“How do those things relate?” Hoseok asked.

Taehyung grabbed the ends of the scarf and used them to pull Hoseok closer and kiss him.

He smiled when they separated, “That’s how.”

Hoseok smirked, “Can you show me again?”

“Seokjin’s back.”

“Goddammit!” Hoseok jumped away.

Taehyung laughed. Seokjin linked arms with Taehyung, “They’re having a sale at the electronics store. Let’s go.”

“Adventure!” Taehyung shouted.

Hoseok sighed, but still smiled as he grabbed the bags and the dogs leash.

They didn’t get back to Taehyung’s apartment until after dark. Seokjin kicked Hoseok out as soon as they arrived. But Taehyung did run down the hall after him to give a long good bye kiss. And whisper filthy promises in his ear for next time.

Hoseok was red faced and aroused by the time the elevator doors opened.

Taehyung, the traitior, only smiled and waved good bye.

~~

Sundays, being the day before Monday, were previously accepted with annoyed acceptance by Hoseok. However, Saturday nights became promoted to “date nights” meaning Sunday mornings were for "morning after" brunches, thus redeeming their aforementioned bad merits.

On Sunday mornings, Hoseok would put his skills from his previous part time job as a waiter at the diner near his campus to work and go all out for breakfast. Today he was attempting Belgian waffles, because his mother gave him a wafflemaker for his birthday. Why did she give him a wafflemaker?

“Maybe that’s her way of apologizing for not talking to you for eight years?” Nam Joon suggested when they were all in his cubicle earlier that week.

“Nah man,” Yoongi yawned, “The box is open. Someone gave it to her, she didn’t like it, so she thought her son would use it.”

“Why would she assume I would use it?”

Yoongi shrugged, “Maybe she thinks you’re the stereotypical feminine gay dude.”

Yoongi was an idiot. But Taehyung smiled when Hoseok told him about the waffle maker, that was enough reason to keep it.

Taehyung walked out of the bedroom wearing one of the hoodies that was too big for Hoseok, let alone tiny Taehyung, and Spiderman boxers. He rubbed a sleepy eye with the black sleeve hiding his hand. He yawned. He blinked at Hoseok a few times before his face stretched into a lazy smile, “Good Morning Hobi.”

Waffles weren’t important.

Hoseok pulled Taehyung back to the bedroom.

The boxers came off.

But the hoodie stayed.

~~

Taehyung dipped two fingers into the cake on his pink paper plate.

“Yes but who will help me when the copier is jammed,” Ah Young pouted.

“You’ll do fine,” Seokjin reassured her, “Bradbury was telling me how much you’ve improved these past few weeks.”

She beamed, “I would still be lost without you.”

“I’m sure you’d be fine.”

“Someone is trying to take all the champagne,” Taehyung interrupted.

They looked to the drink table where a woman with short hair was trying to fit all three bottles in her tiny purse.

 Ah Young’s smile turned sympathetic. “Oh Hyeri, I’ll go stop her,” she said in an endearing tone.

She walked over to the short haired girl and whispered in her ear. The girl looked affronted. Ah Young spoke again. The girl pouted as she put the bottles back on the table. Ah Young smiled and kissed her cheek. The girl didn’t smiled back, but she did blush.

Seokjin sighed, “I’m going to miss her.”

Taehyung smeared the frosting on his fingers across Seokjin’s face. Seokjin glared, Taehyung gave a cheeky smile. “Really?”

“After today I can’t bother you at work,” Taehyung faked a pout.

Seokjin rolled his eyes, “Fine, only because it’s my last day.”

“Hey remember how Ah Young started talking in Korean halfway through the speech?”

“Yes,” Seokjin used a napkin to clean his face.

“Watch this,” Taehyung pulled up a video on his phone. At first it was focused on a confident Ah Young, then switched to a red eyed Seokjin. But when she spoke in Korean it turned to the rest of the employees, whose expressions all went from happy to terribly confused. Johnson and Bradbury were frowning by the time she finished.

“Oh my god,” Seokjin laughed.

“It’s good to be a minority,” Taehyung laughed.

His phone vibrated, it was a text from Hoseok.

“Hey Seokjin,” Taehyung elbowed him, “Take off your shoe.”

Seokjin’s eyebrows furrowed, but he complied. Taehyung slipped off his shoe, placed it next to Seokjin’s, and snapped a photo. He typed up a new message and sent it to Hosek.

“Really Taehyung?” Seokjin smiled, “Why are you so dumb?”

“You still love me right?”

Seokjin looked away.

Taehyung leaned against Seokjin’s arm and whined, “Jin.”

“Yeah, I do,” Seokjin smiled.

Taehyung sent one last photo to Hoseok. One of him and Seokjin, there last selca from work.

~~

The taboo teams were divided as follows: Jungkook, Jimin and Taehyung were the “babies” (Jin chose the name) and Hoseok, Yoongi, and Nam Joon were the “old guys” (Jungkook shouted the name then ducked when Nam Joon reached for his neck.) Jin was the referee because Kookie refused to get off his lap. The Babies were winning, 15 to 12.

It was Jimin’s turn “It has-”

“Eight legs, octopus!” Taehyung shouted.

“Yes,” Jimin shouted and flipped the card to the bottom.

“Whoa, you’re cheating. That can’t be possible,” Yoongi interjected, “Seokjin buzz them.”

“They’re following the rules,” Seokjin shrugged.

“Time’s up!” Hoseok shouted, “Our turn.”

“But Yoongi interrupted us,” Taehyung whined.

“Too bad,” Hoseok shrugged.

“Now that’s cheating,” Jungkook grumbled.

Redemption was sweet, the Old Guys didn’t make any points that round.

“How did you not get Pulp Fiction?” Yoongi yelled.

“Because that was the worst Samuel L Jackson impression I have ever heard,” Hoseok ruffled Yoongi’s hair.

The rest of the room laughed as Hoseok and Yoongi argued over whose fault it was. Either way they lost. Final victory went to the Babies team when they made six points in one round.

Yoongi threw up his hands in defeat, he groaned, “I swear they cheated.”

“No, you’re just that bad,” Jungkook teased.

“Watch your mouth, brat.”

Nam Joon helped Seokjin stand up, then wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pressed a kiss to his temple. Hoseok wanted to reach for Taehyung, but Seokjin’s glare prevented that.

Kookie fell asleep on Jungkook’s lap, so he waved good bye to everyone from his spot on the couch.

“We’re doing this again next week, right?” Yoongi asked.

“Sure, why not,” Seokjin smiled. Nam Joon pulled him closer.

“Good, I’m going to get you brat!” Yoongi shouted at Jungkook.

“Cool,” Jungkook didn’t even look up.

Yoongi groaned, “Kids these days.”

Taehyung didn’t follow Jimin into their apartment next door.  And when Seokjin closed his own apartment, Taehyung reached for Hoseok’s hand.

“Keep your hands off each other until after you drop me off,” Yoongi warned.

Taehyung leaned in and kissed Hoseok, just to hear Yoongi’s groans of annoyance and pleas to God for an early death.

AN: Do I even need to tell you guys how much fun I had while writing this chapter??

Everything is pretty!! Even the NamJin couple :3 

And the Hyera couple, my first time writing Girl's Day!!