Chapter Text
October 5th
Jungkook
“Tae, seriously. I love you but no -” Jungkook’s voice is a mixture of panic and excitement. His friend - his well-meaning best friend is trying to help him put together his outfit for the night. He’s already offered up three bowties to him. They’re cute , Jungkook thinks, but he isn’t sure he wants to look cute . He also doesn’t want to seem too formal, either. That’s why he doesn’t want to wear any kind of tie. He’s still unsure about the suit, really, but it’s not like he has anything else he could wear that remotely looks as nice.
He’s wearing the one suit he owns, given to him for his high school graduation. It was never fitted for him. It actually used to be a little loose on him - it’s a hand-me-down from one of his cousins. But two years of working out steadily in college has his muscles filling out nicely. It’s a blessing, because now the suit looks like it was made just for him.
It’s pretty nice, though, now that Jungkook is wearing it again for the first time since high school. It’s a simple suit - a black blazer and matching slim pants. He also wears a clean white button-up underneath, buttoned all the way up. His gaze in the mirror is interrupted when he sees Taehyung reach out an arm to place a different coloured bowtie on his neck, just to see if this will win Jungkook over.
“ No bowties .” Jungkook insists in a whine, handing the fluffy-haired boy back the accessory he was offered and trying his best to ignore the pout. (Taehyung’s pout is legendary, honestly. As much as Jungkook may claim that he’s immune, he certainly isn’t.) “Seriously, where did you even get all of these?” Jungkook mumbles, knowing that the answer is probably that cute little thrift store a few blocks down. He frequently sees bags from that store sitting on the counter, with Taehyung’s newest finds. Taehyung’s love and interest in fashion is just a defining staple of who he is.
That said, their styles don’t always align. Jungkook usually just wears large, black, baggy clothing. And that’s about it. Taehyung seems to experiment with his style and his accessories as much as he can.
Jungkook turns back around to fuss over his hair in the mirror. “Should I put it up?” The boy asks, running a hand through his long, wavy hair. It reaches past his ears and looks a little messy, just as it is. “Do you think I should do The Bun?” Jungkook asks, pulling his hair together and grabbing an elastic to secure it. The pieces of hair nearest his face fall out, framing his face. He turns to Taehyung with a pout. “I should have just gone for a haircut, right?” He remorses.
It’s much too late for that, though. He has a date with Jung Hoseok in less than an hour.
Taehyung
Taehyung stares over Jungkook. A few seconds pass before he scrunches his face and bites his lip, like it’s physically painful to leave off on the fashion side of things like this.
“Wait .” He puts his hand up. “Before we talk about hair - you can’t just wear a black suit jacket, a white shirt, and nothing . Please, either wear a tie or change the shirt. I have a black one!” He appeals to Jungkook’s love of black. “Or a nice blue one. But you can’t just-... At least let me get you a waistcoat!”
Jungkook
"Waistcoat..." Jungkook repeats, scrunching his nose. "Is that the little vest thing that goes under the jacket?" He asks, like the absolute fashion noob he is.
But! "A black shirt would be nice..." He admits, to no one's surprise. "Do you have a black waistcoat too?" He asks. That would look nice, wouldn't it? An all-black suit?
Taehyung
“I do, but I’m not lending it to you for this outfit!” He says the words with a cheerful smile on his face as he retreats to his room. Once he comes back, he lifts the aforementioned black shirt up to Jungkook’s chest. “See? Better. Sleek~. But a waistcoat with this would be too much.” Taehyung waves a hand. “You don’t want to be too formal, right?”
Now, though, Taehyung’s gaze moves to Jungkook’s hair. He sucks on his bottom lip as he considers things. “Hmm. How do you feel about gel? But The Bun looks cute to me! Especially with your ears.” He reaches up to casually skim the back of one of Jungkook’s ears with a finger.
Jungkook
Jungkook pouts, huffing a bit because, yeah, he doesn’t want to be too formal. He doesn’t want to come off like he’s trying too hard. Which - really, he kind of is. But he’s just really nervous, and really excited. He’s only seen the guy in passing before, but hot damn is he attractive. And from everything he’s heard (mostly from Jimin), the guy is a total sweetheart.
He really wants to make a good impression. Not too much, not too little.
Taehyung holds up the black shirt in front of him. Jungkook appraises it in the mirror, nodding absentmindedly. “That is better.” He admits.
Taehyung eyes his hair, then, and asks how he feels about gel. Jungkook shakes his head - he’s never been a fan. His roommate insists that The Bun looks okay, though. That it’s cute, especially with his ears. Jungkook turns his attention back to the mirror with a blush as Taehyung pets at one of his ears, which twitches under the touch.
“Okay.” He breathes, and then pulls off his coat jacket, which he hands to Taehyung before removing the white button up and grabbing the black one. He dresses quickly and takes another look in the mirror, nodding. He turns to Taehyung. “Am I missing anything?”
Taehyung
Taehyung just smiles at the question, playfully, mischievously. His fluffy, golden tail swishes behind him, peeking out from around his sides every time it goes back and forth.
Eventually, he speaks. “I have one last idea.” He looks like he’s pleading for Jungkook’s patience and to give him the time and hear him out “Makeup.”
Jungkook
The younger’s eyes flash nervously. He doesn’t usually touch makeup much - has preferred to stay away from it, for one reason or another. Taehyung is always trying to get him to wear some, though. And normally he’d decline - but
He remembers the last time he let Taehyung do his makeup. And he felt really good about himself. It really accented his eyes and Jungkook nods, realizing fully that he’s at the point of no return.
“Just - something - not too much, Hyung.” Jungkook warns, perhaps pleads as he sits down on their shared bed, awaiting his fate. “I’m trusting you.”
Taehyung
At the first sign of an ‘okay’, Taehyung’s already busy grabbing his makeup bag. Mainly, he uses this stuff when he’s on shoots - they usually have actors supply their own makeup if they can. “I’m only gonna do something to make your eyes look more striking. Don’t worry.”
Once he grabs the eye pencil that he’s looking for, he hops onto the bed with the excitement of a child. He’s already got his tongue trapped between his lips, looking for a starting point. But before he does anything, he locks eyes with Jungkook again. “You’re sure you’re okay with it? I won’t do it, otherwise. You look fine already - I just think this will be the cherry on top.”
Jungkook
Jungkook is grateful to have an attentive friend. “It’s fine, Tae.” He smiles, sincerely. “I’m just nervous,” he murmurs, as Taehyung approaches him with the eyeliner. “Not about the makeup, just - about the date.”
First dates are always nerve wracking. Especially since the last date he went on was such a disaster. Actually, so was the one before it, too. Jungkook just doesn’t really have a good track record.
“He’s really hot,” Jungkook laments. “Do you wanna see his picture again?” He asks, lamely.
Taehyung
Taehyung gives Jungkook a sympathetic look when he confesses to being nervous. He gestures up with his hand to get his friend to look up at the ceiling so that he can line just a bit under Jungkook’s eyes - just a little at the corner.
After he’s done- “Close.” His voice is quiet and gentle as he requests Jungkook close his eyes now, so he can get just the edges of his eyelids. It’s as his eyes are closed that Jungkook offers to show Taehyung Jung Hoseok’s picture again. Taehyung smiles and giggles. “I think I remember.” Jungkook has only shown him that picture once practically every day that he’s known of the man’s existence. “But sure, I’ll look again. Ah, hold still !”
Jungkook
Jungkook follows all of Taehyung’s instructions. The boy doesn’t want to see Hoseok’s picture again, unfortunately, which has Jungkook pout and slump just a bit, which Jungkook is scolded for. He goes stock-still, his ears falling flat down towards his shoulders. But Taehyung has said that he will look again, and Jungkook excitedly reaches blindly on the bed to find his discarded phone, to be able to pull up the boy’s instagram again.
When he’s allowed to open his eyes, he unlocks his phone and goes to @hopeworld and goes to click on the first picture, which he remembers being a cute selfie near the pier. “Look at hiiiiim,” Jungkook whines, passing the phone up for Taehyung to get a better look at. “It’s unfair, really.”
More seriously, Jungkook says, “I don’t know how I’m gonna talk to him. How does he just look like that? Is that... legal?” He asks.
Taehyung
Even after Taehyung scolds Jungkook, the younger is still fidgeting. “Yah! Stop moving!” He sees now that he’s reaching for his phone. “Hey! Jungkook-ah! It can wait! Stop !”
It’s too late, though. The younger has his phone in his hand and he’s ready to scroll through it. Taehyung hunches his shoulders, a little miffed, and growls. It’s to say that he wasn’t happy about that. But his look lightens again, looks more sad and exasperated when he sees the way Jungkook flinches ever so slightly at the sound. “I could’ve poked you in the eye!” Taehyung laments. “Bad!” He bops Jungkook on the head with his eye pencil.
Taehyung sighs when he’s passed Jungkook’s phone and is faced with the familiar picture of Jung Hoseok. “Just relax. He’s just a guy. You’re a guy too! You can connect on that.”
Jungkook
Jungkook can only really giggle when Taehyung tells him he was bad and the worst he does is bop him with the eye pencil. “Sorry, Hyung.” He’ll try to be still now.
...After Taehyung sees the picture again he’ll be still. Taehyung sighs - he must have seen it so many times now. Jungkook grumbles at the boy’s advice. Great. They can connect on both being guys.
Except that Jung Hoseok is an extremely attractive man, with a personality worth vouching for (according to Jimin) and... well. He owns his own business. He’s successful.
And then there’s Jungkook, who dresses like a potato most days, and just really doesn’t compare.
Looking at his phone now, though, has Jungkook realize that it’s time to go soon, or else he’ll be late. He’s to meet Hoseok at Hope World, where they’ll go who-knows-where. Jungkook will need to hop on the bus to make it in time for 7, when they agreed to meet.
“Tae,” Jungkook inhales anxiously. “I should go soon. How much longer for my face?”
Taehyung
“Oh I’m done, Kook-ah! Look.” Taehyung moves aside so that Jungkook can see himself in his mirror. “I only did a very little bit, but I think it really makes you look cool.”
The elder snickers then, lips pulling up at a corner in an expression that says that he’s enthusiastic to tease. “Which is an area that you really need help in, you know? So I think I did a great job.” It’s a joke, of course. Jungkook is perfectly cool on his own.
Jungkook
Jungkook is eager to get a look at himself, and as soon as he does he smiles up at Taehyung. He even lets Taehyung’s comment about him needing help with looking cool slide. “Thank you, Tae. I don’t know how you did this so quickly.” He praises.
He jumps up then, not a minute more to spare. He grabs his phone and then his wallet and keys. “Okay. I’ll text you later.” Jungkook says, nerves bubbling up inside of him as he approaches the door. “You’ll be here when I get back, right?” He’s sure he’ll need him to gush to, is why he asks.
Taehyung
Taehyung giggles at Jungkook’s praise and shrugs. “I said I was only doing a little. That’s all I did. The rest is your natural handsomeness.” He beams, rocking backwards on the bed, his hands braced in front of him.
It’s a straight shot from their bed to the door of the apartment, so as Jungkook walks, Taehyung keeps an eye on him. He nods at the question. “Yep, nowhere else to be tonight. Good luck!” But then, he tilts his head, wondering, “Hey, do you want me to walk you to the bus stop?”
Jungkook
Taehyung may tease and joke around a lot, but he also knows what to say at the right time. Jungkook is grateful to hear that he's handsome right now. He smiles, comforted. It's also comforting that Taehyung will be around when Jungkook gets back.
But - one last comfort, maybe. Jungkook nods at Taehyung's offer to walk him to the bus stop. "Thanks, Hyung." He's appreciative - of everything.
Taehyung
Taehyung nods, smiling, and begins to make his way to Jungkook when he realizes- “Oh! Just one last thing!” He grabs his cologne and rushes over, spraying some on one of his own wrists, which he then rubs, unsolicited, on Jungkook’s neck, and the younger’s own wrists when his hands are presented to them.
He grabs his jacket and puts the cologne bottle down at the same time. With a pat on Jungkook's back, the two leave their apartment.