Chapter Text
He hadn’t meant to find the ring. He wasn’t trying to snoop; he was just looking for his stolen hoodie in Daniel’s closet. It was his favorite hoodie though! Sue him for wanting it back! But as he was rifling through the clothes piled on the closet floor, he noticed a small, black, velvet box in the corner, carefully placed behind a shoe rack. Daniel wasn’t one for much jewelry, but he knew Taehyung was. Well, he’d better, at least, after nearly three years of dating.
Taehyung wanted to respect Daniel’s privacy, he really did. But excitement and curiosity got the better of him, and he reached behind the shoe rack to grab the little black box. He held it reverently for a moment, before deciding fuck it, and opening the box.
Inside sat a truly blinged out diamond ring, the kind suited to royalty. An engagement ring, and an expensive one at that. Honestly, it was a little gaudy even for Taehyung’s tastes, and he’d hinted to Daniel many times that if they were to ever get engaged, he wanted a purple gemstone in the middle, not a diamond. Daniel had never been the best listener, though, and Taehyung knew that. But ultimately, Taehyung didn’t care. He was too happy. Daniel wanted him, and forever, and he’d cared enough to buy something that clearly had an exorbitant price tag just for Tae. It took everything in him not to start crying then and there on the closet floor.
He couldn’t help but wonder if Daniel had meant for him to find it, anyways. He knew that box was there, after all, and he was the one who let Tae rifle through his closet for his long lost hoodie. If he really wanted to keep it from being discovered, he would have gone to look for the hoodie himself.
Right?
Before he could ponder this further, he heard footsteps coming down the hall. Quickly, Tae snapped the box shut (and noted that it made such a satisfying click sound), and did his best to place it back exactly how it had been. He doubted Daniel would notice if it were slightly off, but he didn’t want to take any chances. He resumed his rifling right as the door opened.
”Tae?” Daniel’s gruff voice questioned, coming up behind him. “Did you find it yet?”
”Uh, n-no, not yet,” Tae tried to cover, hoping the emotion wasn’t evident in his voice. He cleared his throat before continuing, “Your closet is a mess! How could I find anything in here?”
“Sorry,” Daniel said a little sheepishly. “These first few weeks of the school year have been kicking my ass. You know how busy I’ve been, barely having time even for us. Laundry has kinda been the last thing on my mind… But I know it’s in here somewhere! I saw it just last week.”
”It’s fine,” Tae sighed. “I was just hoping to wear it to dance rehearsals today.”
Daniel’s nose wrinkled. “You’re still going to that club? I thought we agreed that it’s a waste of your time and energy.”
”No, you agreed that and then stopped listening when I said I was still going to go,” Tae responded, but there was no venom in his voice. In fact, his tone was borderline playful.
He knew Daniel wasn’t a fan of dance, but Tae just thought he was being silly. According to Daniel, it just took even more time away from two already very busy PhD students, and unnecessarily exhausted his boyfriend. Therefore, a waste of time and energy. But Tae loved dance so much. It was his outlet, and he’d made a lot of friends there, too! Privately, he thought maybe Daniel was a little jealous of that. But he’d never voice that thought to him.
”Whatever…” Daniel muttered, arms crossing. “I stand by what I said.”
”I know you do, babe,” Tae responded, getting up from his position huddled on the floor to cradle his boyfriend’s face and give him a kiss on the cheek.
Daniel looked uncomfortable.
Taehyung sighed, pulling back. “Sorry, sorry, I know you hate the pet names.”
”It’s whatever,” he assured, but he still sounded a little irritated.
Tae sighed again and turned back to the closet, scanning it. Then, his eyes lit up.
”Oh! FOUND IT!”
The hoodie was hanging up in the corner, half hidden behind Daniel’s collection of designer polos. It was an old thing, one that his sister had given him years back, and he cherished it for that reason alone. It was purple, his favorite color, and just the right amount of cozy for the early fall day that they were having. Tae took it down and hugged it to his chest, nuzzling the fabric with his cheek.
”Ahhh, there you are! I missed you,” he cooed to the hoodie.
”You’re so weird,” Daniel said, but he was laughing, so Tae knew he didn’t mean it.
“Love you, too,” Tae shot back. For a brief second, something flashed across Daniel’s face, but it was gone so quick he thought he must’ve imagined it. “See you later for our date tonight?”
”Yep, I’ll meet you there,” Daniel replied, smiling easily.
”Awesome, can’t wait!” Tae squealed before giving Daniel a kiss on the cheek and practically skipping towards the door.
He completely missed the way Daniel sighed, sagging in relief as Taehyung left the apartment.
___
The early fall air was nice and crisp as Taehyung stepped outside, pulling his cherished favorite hoodie over his head. It smelled like Daniel’s detergent and something else he couldn’t quite place, but it was almost… flowery? But Taehyung shrugged it off. Strange things happened in that closet that Taehyung would never be able to explain. He hugged himself through the hoodie, beaming.
It was a good day.
As he stepped into the dance studio, Tae greeted his friends with a warm smile and hugs. His closest friend, Park Jimin, looked at him a little suspiciously.
”Not that it’s unusual for you to be in a good mood,” he started to say when Tae gave him a funny look, “but this level of sun-shining-out-of-your-ass is usually reserved for Hobi-hyung.”
“I’m not sure if I should feel complimented or offended,” Hobi said from next to them.
“Complimented,” Jimin replied immediately.
Taehyung pulled his two friends close, eyes shining with excitement, and all but squealed, “I found a ring in Daniel’s closet.”
Jimin gasped, and Hobi beamed like the sun, slapping him on the back.
”So you think he’s gonna pop the question soon?!” Hobi stage whispered.
Tae nodded. “I’m hoping tonight. He’s taking me out to dinner at a fancy steak restaurant.”
Hobi nodded seriously. “The perfect place…”
Jimin watched them talk about the proposal conspiratorally with thinly veiled amusement. But there was something else in his gaze that Taehyung only recognized after years of friendship: concern.
”What?” Tae asked, only a little defensively. He knew that, while Jimin was happy for him, he and Daniel had never been each other’s biggest fans. “Aren’t you happy for me?”
Jimin’s gaze softened, and he answered gently, “Of course I am, Tae, but… I worry. Are you sure you want to do this, now?”
“What do you mean? We’ve been dating for like three years. I’m twenty-six. It’s not like I’m rushing into anything.” His tone was definitely defensive now.
”It’s not that—“
”Then what could it be?” He pouted a little petulantly, refusing to believe that Jimin’s light beef with his boyfriend would influence his feelings so much that he’d disapprove of Tae’s dream coming true.
Jimin sighed. “I know you’re, like, head over heels for him, but… I don’t like how he treats you. You’ve admitted yourself that he can be controlling, and that he even doesn’t want you to come to dance anymore, and… it just really rubs me the wrong way… I just don’t want you getting hurt, or stuck in a bad situation.”
Hobi looked between them awkwardly. He hadn’t met Daniel personally, so he wasn’t sure of the intricacies of their relationship, but Tae only ever talked highly of him.
Taehyung drew in a sharp breath. “Daniel’s not like that! He would never hurt me! At least… not on purpose! Stop letting your stupid personal beef with him blind you to the fact that he’s a great guy.”
With a huff, Taehyung turned away and started getting ready for practice.
A moment later, he heard the practice room door squeak open. Not unusual, of course, especially since the promotional festival for all the clubs had just been that week, so there were a lot of new people joining. What was unusual was the venerable silence that fell across the room, broken up by gasps and whispers. Tae looked up to see what the fuss (or, lack thereof) was about, and locked eyes with the most gorgeous man he’d ever seen. He was wearing a leather jacket, plain white t-shirt, and blue jeans that hugged his toned thighs, holding what Taehyung assumed was a motorcycle helmet against his side. His ears were stacked with several small hoops, and to top it all off, he had a lip ring. Said man seemed equally as taken aback by the sight of Taehyung.
He heard some of the whispers around him.
“Isn’t that the guy that was in the news? About securing that huge grant for the biomedical engineering department before he even started here?”
“--kook, I heard he punched a professor last week…”
“I heard that he’ll tear anyone who crosses him to shreds…”
“Well, I heard he has a mysterious past—”
“--nobody knows, like, anything about him—”
“Isn’t he the new PhD in Daniel’s department, the one that he called his ‘sworn enemy’ last week?” Jimin whispered from beside Taehyung. All Tae could do was shrug, unable to look away. “I mean, really, who has a ‘sworn enemy’ anyways?”
He hadn’t expected his boyfriend’s rival to be so notorious. And… well… for lack of a better term, hot. His chestnut hair curled and parted perfectly around his face, framing his deep brown, adorable almond eyes just right. And don’t even get Tae started on his body, oh my god—
Tae mentally slapped himself. He had a boyfriend, soon to be fiance, for god’s sake! He couldn’t be thinking about another man like this. Now, if only he could look away… but it seemed like they were locked in some sort of unspoken staring contest. Tae cursed himself internally.
Finally, Hoseok turned to what caused the hushed whispers in the room, and his eyes lit up in recognition.
“Ah, Jeon Jungkook, right? I’m Jung Hoseok, lead dancer and choreographer for this competitive dance club. We met at my booth at the Festival for the Arts, remember?” He greeted warmly.
Jungkook tore his eyes away from Taehyung, and turned to answer Hoseok. “Yeah, I remember! Good to see you again, Mr. Jung.”
“Aish, please, call me Hobi-hyung!”
Jungkook smiled, shrugging off his leather jacket and setting it down with his bag and helmet, revealing his ripped, like absolutely shredded, arms, that also just so happened to be covered in tattoos. Taehyung’s eyes widened. Jimin gave a low, quiet whistle from somewhere behind him.
Taehyung’s phone buzzed in his hand, finally freeing him from the intense eye contact with the gorgeous man he now knew as Jeon Jungkook.
Daniel<333:
Hey, slight change of plans. Let’s meet back at my apartment instead. I have a surprise for you.
Tae grinned big and proud, instantly forgetting all about this Jungkook guy, and suppressed a happy dance. Soon, the music started, and Hobi was shouting out directions over it. Despite the disagreement with Jimin, Taehyung practically floated through practice.
After an hour and a half of going over basic choreography for the club’s dance recital at the end of the semester, Hobi finally called it for the evening, congratulating everyone on their good efforts that day. Jimin rushed over to Taehyung as he packed up his stuff, but Tae ignored the smaller man in favor of rushing out to meet his boyfriend. He’d have to go home to shower and change first, but he wanted to waste as little time as possible getting to the good part. And he kind of wanted to forget this dance practice (or, rather, what Jimin said to him) ever happened.
“Tae–”
Jimin reached for him as he brushed past, but all he got in return was a backward glance and Taehyung harshly tugging his arm free. But that momentary distraction, that harsh movement, is how he found himself colliding right into someone else’s solid, muscular back. He ricocheted so hard he sent the other person stumbling, and fully expected to land flat on his own back. His eyes automatically squeezed shut, bracing for impact, but a hand caught his flailing arm just in time.
“Shit, are you okay?” a surprised but smooth voice asked from above him. He slowly cracked his eyes open, only to find himself face-to-face with Mr. Jeon Gorgeous himself, who was looking at him with concern and hauling him back up the rest of the way.
It took him a moment to realize that he had been asked a question.
“Oh! Y-yeah, sorry…” Taehyung replied, throat feeling oddly constricted. “Are you? I didn’t mean to crash into you, sorry!”
“Me? Oh, yeah, I’m fine. Don’t worry about me,” he replied easily, like it was nothing.
“Okay, great,” Taehyung replied awkwardly, unsure what to do now. “Well, uh… I’d better be going now, but uh, it was nice to meet you! And, uh… thanks!”
Taehyung was out the door before anyone had a chance to react.
___
Taehyung groaned, letting his head hit the shower wall with a dull thud as he recounted the events of the day’s dance practice in his head. He was irritated, embarrassed, and most of all, ashamed. He felt terrible for letting his mind wander to another man. He knew it was normal to find other people attractive, that it wasn’t wrong, per se, if he thought someone else looked good while he was already in a relationship, as long as he didn’t act or dwell on it. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was terrible for it. Daniel, he thought, would never look at someone else the way he looked at Taehyung. He was good like that.
Taehyung, apparently, wasn’t.
He sighed. There was nothing he could do about it now, he supposed, other than move forward and be better. He decided he’d pick up some flowers on the way over, as a little surprise for Daniel. Tae knew that he liked roses.
The guilt continued to nag at his conscience, though. He meticulously scrubbed himself clean, a little too harshly, in an attempt to quiet the thoughts. When he stepped out of the shower, his skin was bright red from both the hot water and his vigorous washing. But at least he was clean, and a little more relaxed.
He took a deep breath. Maybe he wasn’t perfect. Scratch that, he was far from perfect. But he knew Daniel wanted him anyway (his boyfriend had always been too accepting of his flaws, always usually gently correcting his mistakes and missteps, and Taehyung was glad to have someone who cared so much that they would go out of their way to make sure Taehyung acted acceptably. Taehyung had never been good at reading the room, or at knowing exactly how to conduct himself in certain situations, and knew he only got away with it because he was pretty), so he continued getting ready. For Daniel.
He put on his best black dress pants and a pair of black oxford shoes, opting to pair it with a button up underneath a navy blue sweater, because that was Daniel’s favorite color. He always said that Taehyung looked best in blue, anyway. It went well with the current color he sported in his hair, a beautiful silver that accentuated his hair’s natural waves wonderfully. Privately, Taehyung thought he looked best in purple, maybe even red, especially with his current hair. But who cares, right? He’d move heaven and earth for Daniel; what was a little color preference compared to that?
Besides, if this truly was the night Daniel asked him to marry him, he wanted to look his best.
After adjusting his hair and double checking his appearance in the mirror, Taehyung was officially ready to head out. He’d pick up the roses on the way. He thought about texting Daniel that he might be a few minutes behind, but Daniel was always running late, so he figured he wouldn’t notice.
Grabbing his phone, wallet, and keys, he left his apartment at 7:30pm on the dot.
___
He arrived at Daniel’s apartment at 8’o’clock sharp, red roses in hand. He went to knock on the door, only to notice that it was slightly ajar. Daniel must’ve left it open for him.
He walked in and, when he didn’t immediately see the other man, headed for his room, figuring he was still getting ready, though he hated that Daniel would just leave the door open unattended. Anyone could’ve come in!
He froze in the hallway when he heard a voice that wasn’t Daniel’s. A woman’s voice. For a moment, he thought the worst. Someone had broken in, hurt Daniel, and was now raiding his apartment. But then he noticed a scent. It was familiar, almost… flowery? And, he noted, nothing else seemed amiss in the apartment. No signs of a struggle, no forced entry, not a single thing out of its usual place.
Then he heard Daniel. And his heart stopped.
“--you have to go now, babe. If you stick around much longer, I’m gonna be so late to meeting with Taehyung, and it’s gonna look suspicious.”
Suspicious?
Babe?
Despite having recently had his legs replaced with jelly, Taehyung crept closer, heart pounding. He could just barely see into the room. Daniel’s back was turned to him, blond hair shining in the dim lighting, facing a woman with beautiful long, silky, black hair.
“When are you gonna drop that guy and finally commit to me? I mean, I get it, everyone knows he’s gorgeous, but that’s nothing compared to us,” the woman’s voice rang out.
The scent, which must’ve been her perfume, was now unmistakable. It was the exact scent that he’d noticed on his favorite hoodie earlier that day, mixed with Daniel’s detergent. Suddenly, a thought hit Taehyung that made him feel sick.
He’d let someone else, her, wear it. His favorite hoodie. The one his sister had given him, the last thing she’d given him, before she…
“This whole ‘open relationship’ thing was supposed to be temporary, but it’s been three years of sneaking around with him. The only reason I don’t think you like him more is because we went ring shopping together. Ring shopping, Daniel.”
Taehyung stopped dead.
There was no denying it now: Daniel had been cheating on him. Or, rather, cheating with him. It hit Tae all at once that, for what he had thought were three years of love and commitment, he had just been… the side piece.
His breath hitched, just a little too loud in the silence of the apartment.
Daniel whipped his head around, face dropping like a stone when he spotted Tae in the doorway.
“T-Taehyung!”
Daniel, at the very least, had the grace to look ashamed. Panicked, even. He approached Taehyung slowly, arms spread in front of him, like Tae was a wild animal that might bolt or bite him if he made any sudden movements. Which, to be fair, Taehyung just might.
“W…what are you doing here? We were supposed to meet… at the restaurant…” he trailed off as his gaze dropped down to the bouquet in Taehyung’s hand. He looked like someone had just kicked his puppy, and Taehyung would’ve reveled in it if his mind weren’t otherwise occupied.
“...you texted me,” Taehyung began hoarsely, “to meet you here. You… you said you had a surprise…”
Daniel’s head snapped back to the woman behind him, who was wearing an unremorseful smirk.
“What did you do?” He all but cried at her. She shrugged, and it would’ve seemed innocent if not for the pointed look on her face. Daniel turned back to Taehyung, who he had come to stand right in front of. “I–I never wanted you to find out this way… I swear, I-I was going to tell you! I was gonna break it to you tonight! I was just… trying to figure out how to let you down gently…”
Daniel reached out to grab Taehyung’s free hand, but Taehyung smacked him away with the bouquet. The crinkling of the cellophane was deafening in Taehyung’s ears.
“Gently?” Taehyung spat out. “You’ve been cheating on me, this whole time, and you thought you could let me down gently?”
He let out a humorless laugh.
“Tae, please– let’s just talk–”
But Taehyung was already walking away, trying to preserve as much of his dignity as he could. He could hear Daniel rushing after him.
“Please, baby—”
“Oh, now you wanna start with the pet names?” Taehyung asked bitterly.
“Please, if we could just talk…”
Taehyung whirled around to face him, to look the man he loved in the eyes one last time and tell him,
“Go fuck yourself.”
With those words, Taehyung threw the bouquet at Daniel’s face, hard, and stormed out, slamming the door behind him. He was never one for explosive anger, but he felt that, for once, it was justified in that moment.
“Just let him go, Daniel!” he heard the woman shout through the door.
And Daniel didn’t come after him. He didn’t know if he was angry or relieved about that.
So Taehyung ran, and ran, and ran. He didn’t stop running until he thought he might throw up, practically collapsing on the grass as he dry heaved over some bushes.
Daniel had changed.
Or had he?
He had always been like that, hadn’t he? The realization broke Taehyung’s heart too much to think about right then. It was as if all the pieces of a puzzle had come together, and Taehyung was suddenly seeing Daniel and everything he did in a whole new light.
The control over his time, the monitoring of his activities, the tardiness, the possessiveness, the not-so-gentle correction of his quirks, the pet names, the blue…
He always kept Taehyung blue.
And worst of all, he’d snapped at his best friend over it. Jimin was right about Daniel, and he hadn't deserved to be talked to the way Taehyung had talked to him earlier that day.
With shaky hands, Taehyung pulled out his phone, dialing a number he now knew by heart.
“Pick up, pick up, pick up,” he muttered to himself, trying to stop the tears from welling up in his eyes.
“Tae?” Jimin’s worried voice finally came over the line. “I thought you were supposed to be out with Daniel?”
“Jiminie…” his voice cracked over the speaker.
“Taehyung, what’s wrong?” Jimin asked urgently.
“I’m so sorry… You were right,” he cried through the phone.
“What?” Jimin asked, confused and concerned.
“He… he’s been ch-cheating on me, Jiminie!” Taehyung sobbed, unable to stop the tears from overflowing with the admission.
There was a pause as he took in the information. And then,
“That bastard!” Jimin cursed. But he didn’t sound surprised.
Taehyung made a choking noise over the line, gagging over the bushes once more, but there wasn’t much in his stomach to heave up. Just sad, sad acid burning his throat.
There was supposed to be steak…
“Oh, Tae,” Jimin sighed sadly, sounding genuinely hurt for his best friend. “Where are you? I’m coming to get you, okay? We’ll have your favorite ice cream, and you can tell me all about it.”
It was a horrible day.
But at least the universe had sent him Jimin.