habits
word count: 1070
rated e for everyone buy me a cactus
taehyung has a habit of getting lost and jeongguk just wants to buy more cactuses. 

taehyung has gone back to their house after buying grocery with his mom. it’s not until they’re on the doors that he realizes he forgot to buy the pack of watercolor he needs for his art project.

"the train arrives at quarter to eight, you can still catch it if you run." his mom tells him and gives him a pat on his left shoulder that says an encouragement of you can do it son. taehyung sighs and runs off to the station. (what he figures when he gets there is that the train doesn’t come until eight and that moms are always right. he probably needs to exercise.)

the line of people waiting are a variety of students and men in suits. taehyung’s leaning on the wall as he catches his breath when someone comes up to him, smiling.

"h-hyung…" the guy mutters, tensing a little, looking unsure. "how long have you been here in seoul?" the guy continues and then smiles again. he has this bunny teeth that taehyung notices and the latter thinks it’s cute. 

"4 years." taehyung says simply then smiles back. 

the guy breathes out a sigh of relief, a big one that feels he has been holding for an hour and checks his phone to type what seems like a message. (later on, taehyung finds his thoughts about the sigh right but the other wrong. the guy was listing up accomplishments he had made for the day, not a text message.) 

the train finally comes and they enter it as soon as possible - the guy pulling taehyung in a battle among who gets to ride the train first. “hyung” the guy begins when they get inside, smiling again, taking big breaths. “do you ” he pauses, still catching up, “do you know a place where to buy cactuses?” 

the truest of all things is that taehyung doesn’t know any place other than their apartment, the convenience store below their building and his school. the guy looks at him with so much expectation and if taehyung tries to describe it better, the guy’s eyes are glowing like those anime characters he’s watched before. (they’re shining and saying something that nobody can’t say no to. taehyung is just a person, he can’t say no too.) 

the guy asks a series of questions about what type of cactuses does he think are available and how much each pot would cost. taehyung’s good at acting so he gets away with whatever the other guy asks. (or that the guy whom he later finds out has a name called jeongguk, is bad at reading people’s lie. but either way, they go along well together, too well that they miss all stops except the last one.) 

"hyung, this place doesn’t seem like it sells any cactus." jeongguk speaks, holding the tip of taehyung’s elbow, making circles around it, from small to bigger ones. taehyung looks around and doesn’t recognize anything.

"do you know this place?" taehyung asks and the younger shakes his head in response. "this is my first day in seoul hyung!" jeongguk speaks and it’s only that time taehyung takes notice of the accent on his words. "i thought you knew where we’re going." jeongguk adds.

"i knew i was supposed to go the school supply store beside the supermarket."  taehyung whispers and brings the younger closer to his side. (it’s cold, taehyung would like to explain. the coat jeongguk is wearing feels warm and his shampoo a scent of vanilla that taehyung really likes. that’s it really.) 

"i just want to buy cactuses~ but there are no cactuses~" jeongguk hums as they walk side by side. taehyung could form out a heart from their breaths one at a time. 

"hyung are we lost?" jeongguk asks this time. taehyung replies with "what’s with cactuses anyways?", trying to search through google maps on how do they go to the supermarket, the one with the big red sign in front from the place where they are. 

jeongguk doesn’t notice and answers the question about cactuses like he’s waited for it to come. (later again, taehyung finds out it is true. the kid waited for it since they met on the subway station.) 

"first of all, cactuses are cute!" he exclaims, pointing his hand up to the skies. "plus they’re hydrophillic or something. they love water. i love water." jeongguk continues as if it’s making sense. "and water’s amazing, they can like adapt to given circumstances because of these molecules they have. i don’t pretty much know the science terms for it but they’re flexible." taehyung thinks he’s done but jeogguk speaks up again. " i just started this before leaving busan. i buy cactuses to represent people i get to be flexible with. you see, i might even buy one and name it after you!" 

he sees the smile again and then it fading as jeongguk asks if they’re lost. taehyung keeps a mental note to buy a cactus once they get back. 

"hyung!" jeongguk pleads this time and taehyung dials his mom’s number and says sorry.

(his mom isn’t always right. she shouldn’t have let taehyung out at night. “i have a friend!” taehyung tells her on the other line) five minutes after, they’re walking to where taehyung’s mom told him so. 

"it’s just a habit." he tries to explain to jeongguk fiddling the ends of his coat. "i get lost all the time." 

jeongguk smiles and says “everyone has a habit hyung.” he starts counting his and taehyung’s money combined and by the end of it he figures it’s enough for a bus ride on the way back. “hyung. let’s just speed up our walk to that stop so we can get home. but you have to promise me you’d come with me to get my cactuses!” jeongguk says pointing to the stop sign on the corner of the next street. 

taehyung wonders if he is that approachable that jeongguk decided to stick with him and tell him a part of his life on the train ride not longer than an hour. jeongguk’s gentle and cute. taehyung decides he likes him too. (not that he thinks jeongguk likes him although later on things fall right. the latter tells him he likes him too.) they walk the sidewalks and taehyung presses his arm around the younger and squeezes him tight. 

jeongguk smiles and looks him in the eyes. “hyung is this your habit too?