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Valentine's Day - Because of course Valentine’s Day would fall six days after their first date.
(This falls a few days after their third date where they exchange handjobs (aka the next to last scene of part 3 of Could You) and a few days before their dinner date with Jungkook.)
***
“How could Valentine’s Day come right now?” Taehyung asked, staring at the calendar in his phone like it would rearrange itself for him.
“It comes once a year, every year,” Jimin helpfully pointed out. “The calendar continues whether or not you have a boyfriend.”
“But we’ve only been on three dates!” Three great dates. So much kissing. Yoongi smiling for him. “But— There should be a gift! Right? What are you giving Hoseok?”
“We’re going to a concert,” Jimin said.
It made Taehyung want to go off like a teakettle. Okay, so that wasn’t going to help him at all. He couldn’t just call up Yoongi and say hey, we’re going to a concert, is that cool? Plus, Yoongi was busy. They’d hung out briefly during the weekend, with Jungkook, and then Yoongi had been eaten up by work. They’d texted, but there was Taehyung staring at Valentine’s Day two days away. Was it even a day Yoongi cared about? Some people didn’t.
“There’s not enough time,” Taehyung said. “It’s too soon!”
He’d been so focused on other stuff, like life, and school, and Yoongi’s mouth, that there’d been no time to plan. It was two days away! Two days! He’d been failed by the calendar, and everyone who should’ve warned him. That was too dramatic, but he didn’t know—
“I know what you should give him,” Jimin said, leaning back with a smile on his face that Taehyung almost didn’t trust.
“What?” Taehyung demanded.
He’d have accepted all suggestions. A deck of cards. A rubber band. A shot glass. None of which would have had any place in Yoongi’s apartment.
“I just think it’d be really cute… Since you were crushing on him and didn’t know it the last time, it’d be cute to make him cookies again. That’s a nice Valentine’s Day gift.”
Taehyung was frozen for a moment before reaching and gripping Jimin’s hand. “You. Are the best best friend. In the whole— That’s perfect. You’re perfect.”
Jimin ducked his head with a bunch of false modesty.
“And I know more about what Yoongi likes this time, too. Maybe coffee. Coffee and chocolate? Might help him get through some of the work he’s doing!”
“Maybe I’ll make some for Hoseok, too. We’ll have Valentine’s Day cookie gift making party! Unless you want to make them all yourself again?”
He was being teased, he knew it, but he shook his head. “He’ll feel my sincerity without me having to do that,” Taehyung said.
And bopped Jimin when he tried to coo at him.
Maybe he had had a crush on Yoongi when he’d been making the cookies, or maybe it’d just been hero worship, or something in between. He’d just wanted Yoongi to like him, to approve. To give something back when Yoongi was doing so many nice things for him. And Yoongi was still doing nice things for him, like smiling at him, and kissing him, and wanting to go on dates with him. He curled a fist against his mouth, giggling into it, and not caring that Jimin was giving him a fond but judging look.
But he marshaled his forces, and typed out a message. Before he got too far, he had to know if Yoongi was even on board.
Valentine’s Day is coming at a strange time! Is it okay if I give you a little gift? Taehyung texted. And he waited. And waited. And two and a half seconds later, he saw Yoongi was typing back. He blew out a slow breath.
If I wasn’t eye deep in this case, I’d take you out. Is it something you want to give the day of?
Taehyung chewed on his lip, thinking. He could postpone the baking, except he really couldn’t with Jimin joining, too, but he also thought it’d be nice to be able to give it on the actual day. But he also didn’t want to put pressure on Yoongi, or make him feel bad, or maybe make it seem like a bigger deal than it was. He wasn’t trying to swoon on Yoongi, just do something nice for him. While maybe also swooning a little.
I’d like to? But if it won’t work out, that’s okay! It can be another day!
I like it, if it works out. We can have something to remember - Best chance if you can swing by the office, I can come downstairs for a few minutes.
Taehyung’s face nearly broke smiling. That was perfect.
***
After getting affirmation that he wasn’t going to be giving Yoongi stale cookies if he had to wait, probably, they started researching recipes and what they’d need to make them. It led to a shopping trip, way better than by himself because he had Jimin next to him to help weigh the options of what they were buying.
“I don’t think there’s that much difference, other than a name,” Jimin said, looking between two flours kind of skeptically.
And that was true, so they got through that. And with Hoseok banished from the apartment - actually leaving after a little cooing and kissing had happened - they could work their magic. Or, their messes, as cocoa powder went exploding over half the counter.
“Chocolate emergency!” Taehyung half shouted. “Do we still have enough?”
“We still have enough,” Jimin confirmed, angling the container and turning his head to let out a tiny sneeze. “That looks worse than it is.”
“It looks like half the chocolate in the world,” Taehyung said, shivering. But, it was one less crisis. They measured, and spooned, and stirred, Taehyung taking video as Jimin put on his best muscle man face trying to get the dough to come together.
“That’s great! You’re doing it! Just a few more!” Taehyung cheered.
“I regret my choices,” Jimin grunted, stirring majestically.
But he got them where they needed to be.
The oven in Hoseok and Jimin’s apartment was a little smaller, so it limited how many they could bake at once. It was fine. It just meant that they ended up leaning against one side of the counters and staring at the oven like the cookies might try and leap out and escape.
“It’s not going to be much of a surprise to Hoseok when he gets back and smells what’s been happening.”
“That’s okay,” Jimin said, laughing. “He’ll probably eat most of them when he gets back and be happy about it. And you’re going to deliver yours to Yoongi at work.”
Taehyung giggled helplessly, leaning over as Jimin tickled him a little.
“They probably won’t make me wear a tie to get into the lobby,” Taehyung said.
“Probably not, or he’d have told you. I'm glad things are going good,” Jimin said.
“Yeah, really good,” Taehyung said, and tried not to actually turn red when Jimin starting oohing at him. “He’s really careful. He told me, where I was living was safe. No matter what. I mean, I know it’s not in writing or anything, but—“
“At least he knows it could be a concern.”
Taehyung nodded at Jimin. “Exactly. He’s just been really good about everything.”
And he smacked Jimin for starting the oohing up again.
“I’m really glad, though. That it’s working out, and you’re happy. I know you were attracted to him, but sometimes getting it versus wanting it is a little different. That and dating him just being new.”
“Sometimes I wonder if it’s just Yoongi, or guys in general. But I guess, it doesn’t really matter? My head always thought I’d end up with a girl.”
“And have a dozen babies. What?” Jimin asked, when Taehyung eyeballed him. “I mean, you can have babies with Yoongi. I hear trying the old fashioned way is fun, too.”
Jimin batted his eyelashes, which didn’t help.
“You’re not innocent at all,” Taehyung complained. Did Yoongi even want kids? It seemed way too early to even think about that, when Taehyung was still trying to figure out himself. “You didn’t have any question when you started dating Hoseok, though.”
“Well, no. I knew he was sweet, and smoking hot, and—“
The timer rang and almost startled them into cardiac arrest, and they crawled forward, staring even harder at the cookies.
“They look done? I think?” Taehyung said.
“Get the oven mitt!”
They even got the oven door closed after, huddled around the pan as the cookies cooled slightly so they could break one open and determine if yes, they seemed right. But when that was deemed a success, a second pan went in, and they went back to the floor.
Taehyung huffed, his mind going back to Jimin’s assessment of Hoseok. “I remember your first Valentine’s Day with him. It was like you were trying to propose!”
Jimin’s little chirrup of embarrassed laughter had Taehyung patting him. Well, and that day hadn’t come nearly as soon after they’d started dating so there was a lot more weight to it.
“It’s really hard when you’re trying to show someone how much you love them with a gift! I mean. I don’t really even think it’s possible. Some people are really big on gifts, though? It makes them feel good. But yes, learn from my mistakes.”
“But it turned out okay.”
“It did. We made love for… I don’t know. It seemed like hours.”
There wasn’t any sound in the kitchen except for Jimin laughing and trying to fight off Taehyung’s covering of his mouth. His mind was pure! He didn’t need to know! But they relaxed back together, Jimin still snickering.
“You were really in love with him.”
“So in love with him. I want that for you, too!”
“Me, too,” Taehyung said. He’d never really had a chance with someone. And it wasn’t like he and Yoongi were going to be some kind of repeat of Jimin’s relationship. They’d have their own path, and were making their own foundation, and that made him really happy. And Jimin being happy for him too was a seal of approval, and a comfort. Maybe he would’ve questioned himself more without it, or if Jimin had been really concerned. And, he wasn’t kidding himself. He knew Jimin was definitely still concerned - worried for Taehyung, and his heart more than anything, though.
They ate cookies and leaned together on the kitchen floor, and laughed. And that was at least one of the best things about having a best friend.
***
It was a fly by the seat of their pants kind of mission. Yoongi knew in general when his meetings were, barring impromptu ones, and even then, Taehyung huddled up outside of the building waiting for Yoongi to say he was okay to go down. Mostly, he didn’t want to spend too much time in the lobby like he was loitering. He wasn’t! Just waiting for Yoongi, great guy he was dating. But the second Yoongi indicated he was on his way, Taehyung walked into the lobby and positioned himself in the general direction of the elevators, but away from the flow of foot traffic. The ceilings were high, music playing, people dressed nicely. No one could really see what Taehyung was wearing under his coat, and it was a pretty nice coat.
For some reason, Yoongi striding off the elevator with such purpose and looking for Taehyung - dressed in a suit, in the building he worked in - got to Taehyung on a really… Really deep level. So… Hot, his brain finally supplied, like some kind of law general out for battle, striding through his subjects to Taehyung, his— His dude in waiting. He didn’t know. He had no idea. Despite his best efforts on trying to clean up, he still felt ridiculously underdressed. But he also didn’t really have enough brain cells to process it, the closer Yoongi got. Yoongi. They’d been on three dates, had touched each other’s naked dicks. His lips pressed together in a flat-lined smile and Yoongi was definitely laughing at him.
“No one’s going to bite you here,” Yoongi said. “You look good. Way nicer seeing you standing here than most of the people I usually see.”
It was like Yoongi had heard his thoughts. “You look good, too,” Taehyung said back, wishing he could maybe carve it into stone or something. Yoongi had no idea what he did to Taehyung’s…entirety. And he liked Yoongi’s secret little smile, hoping that made him feel just as good as Yoongi’s words had him. And no, they weren’t just there to compliment each other, and he offered the bag he’d been clutching sweatily. “I brought your gift! Cookies. Now that I know I… like you. And I know what you like! So they’re coffee and chocolate this time.”
The gift bag was a little squished, but it was still nice and shiny as a gift should be, protecting the cookies held inside it.
Yoongi stuck his nose in the bag after he took it, inhaling.
“Smells great. These’ll help me get through today. Everyone in the office is going to be jealous, though.”
Taehyung giggled, rapidly shifting from foot to foot and knowing he was probably smiling his face off. A thing he had done! That made Yoongi happy!
“I’m not going to give you cookies for everything,” Taehyung clarified. Just in case Yoongi was wondering. “It just seemed kind of…”
“Full circle?” Yoongi offered, when Taehyung flapped and couldn’t come up with a word.
“Yeah,” Taehyung said softly. Going from not knowing why he thought of Yoongi so highly, to realizing he was neck deep in a crush, to starting to date.
“I get to appreciate them a little differently this time. Whatever you want to give is fine. Ah. Here,” Yoongi said. He pressed a bag into Taehyung’s hands, and Taehyung peered inside, staring at the cobalt blue mug lying on its side. “This is a gift, but not my actual gift, since I don’t have that yet. It’s just a mug with the law firm logo, but I figure, why not, you’ll have it if you’re thirsty. It’s clean.”
To drink out of? To keep in the kitchen where Jungkook might drop it and break it? No, he thought he was going to keep that in his room and maybe put something in it so it’d be safe. And so he could look at it. A lot. And he hadn’t said anything, flushing as he looked up to see Yoongi watching him.
“Thank you,” Taehyung said. He clutched it to his belly like a small egg he could protect. But Yoongi flicked his head to the side like it was nothing.
“Well, for getting me an actual break instead of being chained to my desk… Come here, I need to tell you something,” Yoongi said, moving his head to the side of Taehyung’s away from any people. “Thank you.”
Those were the words. But what happened after Yoongi breathed them, like he was telling Taehyung a secret, was a brush of Yoongi’s lips against his cheek. Unnoticeable to anyone but Taehyung.
“I’ll text you. And send you a picture when I get a chance to try the cookies. I’ll have to defend them with my life when the smell gets out,” Yoongi said.
Taehyung laughed. “Okay! I’ll text you, too. Have a good night— I mean. A good rest of the day at work.”
Yoongi grinned, hoisting his bag of cookies as he turned back for the elevators. “I will. Safe trip back. Study!”
“I will!” Taehyung called after him, laughing a little breathlessly. He was. He was going to go straight back home, and—
He was going to go home and relive Yoongi kissing his cheek in public, and Yoongi’s smiles, and Yoongi thanking him. And Yoongi taking part of his day to meet him, and thinking of him. Taehyung beamed down at the bag he was holding. He was pleased beyond all measure with the mug. He couldn’t have loved it more if it’d had “Min Yoongi ♥ Kim Taehyung” on the side.
***
It wasn’t like Taehyung waited for Yoongi to keep his word and send Taehyung a picture of him eating a cookie. It wasn’t like he’d left Yoongi’s office building and wandered two blocks in completely the wrong direction before having to detour and take the long way around going back to the subway so that Yoongi - from his office! - wouldn’t accidentally see Taehyung’s mistake. It definitely wasn’t like the quick hug, and the kiss, took up every bit of his brain. He wondered how many dates it’d take before it all became commonplace, before looking at Yoongi smiling at him wouldn’t make his whole body vibrate with disbelief and happiness. He kind of hoped it never all went away, that there was always a little bit of wonder. It was just hard to picture that far out when his brain was a semi-constant din of Yoongi Yoongi Yoongi.
At his text tone, Taehyung snatched up his phone and stared at the message and picture Yoongi had sent. “Working hard,” was the caption, with a picture of Yoongi, frowning in faux-concentration, a cookie clutched between his teeth.
It was his new lock screen, immediately. His thumbs were actually shaking a little as he typed out a response, hitting send and his brain screeching to a halt as he realized it could be taken as a double entendre.
Chocolate looks good on you he’d sent.
A few seconds later, he received a blushing emoji in return.
It matched Taehyung’s face, too. But he sent Yoongi a picture of him after he’d gotten out of his classes, drinking tea out of his new mug. Pinky up in the air, like he was trying to be fancy.
Cute - almost like we’re drinking out of the same one, Yoongi sent back, with a picture of him in just about the same position. Probably not with tea, though. But he was wearing glasses, and oh, Taehyung maybe had a moment. He looked tired, too, though Taehyung at least hoped talking with him was making his day a little stressful. But if he’d minded not being able to meet up with Yoongi, it was well away from him then. Just staying connected, getting to see Yoongi those few minutes when they’d exchanged gifts, that was a gift. Plus, Jungkook was single as a spring breeze, so they trounced each other at games and ate pizza, so that was good, too.
We’ll see if we can meet for lunch tomorrow. Have a good night, Yoongi texted as he was going to bed.
Sleep well Taehyung replied. And he held onto the phone for a little while, like it would make Yoongi know he was imagining holding onto him. He wondered how Yoongi liked to sleep, and bet he was cute when he did. And thinking about that, it was difficult to say whether it made sleep easier to come by or not.
But Yoongi had been right, about them getting to meet up. Taehyung had fled out of the apartment and sprinted to the subway. No ankles broken, or anything. Yoongi was just getting his coat off when Taehyung entered the cafe in a rush of cold air. So, he wasn’t late at least, which was good.
“Hi,” Taehyung said, grinning as he sat down opposite of Yoongi. It was the first time meeting Yoongi somewhere they were going to eat at, with Yoongi usually taking him, so he was all aflutter inside from that and the frantic dash and the wiggling on the subway, willing it to go faster. They’d been texting furiously all morning - him maybe more furiously than Yoongi - and it happened to line up between Taehyung’s first and last classes of the day, and Yoongi finally untangling himself to take a late lunch.
“Good timing! I was afraid someone was going to snag me on the way out and make me have to cancel or make you wait,” Yoongi said. “If I get to leave the office again today before going home to sleep, I’ll be surprised.”
“Hope you were actually able to sleep last night!”
“Working and thinking about sleeping, sleeping and thinking about working,” Yoongi sighed. And as soon as they’d ordered their food, Yoongi set a box up on the table, pushing it toward Taehyung as he moved his coat aside a bit more. “The gift I didn’t have yesterday.”
“Oh. Oh! I was happy with the mug,” Taehyung said. And he maybe flushed a little at the curl of Yoongi’s lips, like he found that cute or something. It wasn’t like he’d bought Yoongi anything, and ingredients didn’t really count when they went toward the end product. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t excited! Yoongi had never given him a gift before, not in a box, not where it was secret.
His eager, fumbling fingers finally got the top of the box open. Under a card was another box, revealing a game figurine he’d been talking about getting. Not hugely expensive, just something he hadn’t been able to justify yet. But just seeing it in his hands, from Yoongi, had his throat locking up.
“I— You— It’s— Jungkook told you?”
“He has his uses,” Yoongi said.
Taehyung laughed, wanted to struggle out of his chair and zoom around the table to give Yoongi a hug. But they were in a busy cafe, and Yoongi’s hand was sliding toward him like Yoongi could feel his indecision. He clutched it like a lifeline, Yoongi’s fingers gripping around his right back.
“Thank you!” Taehyung said. “That is so—“
“Happy first week of dating,” Yoongi joked.
Valentine’s Day had been six days. And that day, seven. Seven days from their first date. He grinned, staring at Yoongi’s fingers still locked in his, and how much he admired them. They hadn’t really held hands a lot, and that was fine. They could if they wanted, whenever they wanted.
“I like your hands,” Taehyung blurted. Which wasn’t cafe-appropriate conversation, or an appropriate reaction to Yoongi’s sentiments.
“I like yours, too,” Yoongi said, tapping against one in emphasis.
Taehyung’s mouth was open to respond, mostly to ask what exactly Yoongi liked, how, and to tell him more, when he saw the incoming food.
“Oh,” he said, taking back his hand, putting his gift back in the box and moving it away so that there was room on the table. The food was still steaming as they thanked the waitress, looking back at each other and simultaneously giggling.
“Before I forget, Seokjin sent me this picture earlier,” Yoongi said, holding out his phone so that Taehyung could see the picture displayed there. It was Yoongi sitting at his desk - the plant Yoongi had dusted right there! Yoongi’s office! - with a hand on his keyboard and an arm curled around the bag that Taehyung had given him. Like some kind of dragon protecting his hoard.
“Cute!” Taehyung said. He half wanted to make that his lock screen, too. Having feelings was hard.
“Seokjin did get one. Sacrifices sometimes need to be made for the sake of work harmony. He really liked it, too.”
That was good. Compliments were fine as he laughed and squirmed. “You could share them if you wanted! I’m glad you liked them!”
“I did. No burned fingers this time?”
“You weren’t supposed to remember that!”
But that Yoongi did remember, that he cared, and grinned as Taehyung blustered, that meant everything in the world.
The half hug on the sidewalk as they parted was as much as Taehyung got, feeling Yoongi’s pat on his back for most of the trip home. Taehyung didn’t even see or think about the card until after he got into his room. He unpacked his prized gift, and noticed it sitting there in the box. He wondered why Yoongi hadn’t reminded him of it, but sat and turned it over. It had his name on the outside, neatly written. And it wasn’t a card of hearts or flowers or sappy words, just a simple picture of a mountain and a plain inside with more of Yoongi’s handwriting.
I don’t know what to write. We haven’t been dating very long, but it feels like longer. Whatever time we get today won’t be enough, but I file tonight. Keep some time free this weekend, because unless my job eats me, I’ll want to see you.
Thanks for taking a chance on me.
Taehyung sat there for a long time, staring at Yoongi’s name scrawled at the bottom, the date written carefully above the letter itself, and the words in between. He was— Yoongi? Yoongi had written that, to him. Not full of a lot of… He didn’t even know. It just felt sincere, and true, and Taehyung was having a hard time just thinking about it. He could hear every word like Yoongi was saying them, and his throat almost hurt as he rubbed against it and his neck. Maybe Yoongi hadn’t even wanted him to read it there, in the cafe. But Taehyung needed him to know he’d seen it. While inside he was molten, he was utterly steady as he grabbed his phone, typing out a reply.
Thank you again for the figure! You were a good choice. ;) And not just for gifts! Good luck with filing!! Looking forward to the weekend!
He got back a laugh, and a happy emoji. Yeah, he was really looking forward to it. Yoongi couldn’t even know how much.
***