Archive of Our Own ^beta

The twinkling lights of the city below tempted Taehyung from where he stood at his hotel window.

Japan always had a way of reeling him in. He didn’t know if it was the bright colors of store fronts, or the fact that he could actually enjoy the city without being concerned about possibly being mobbed.

There was a lively thrum in the air that made him want to go out and explore everything. His camera had been collecting dust on the hotel desk since they arrived for their Japan tour, and Taehyung wanted to go out and fill up his film again. His ears longed for the sound of the shutter, and his shoulder missed the familiar weight of the device hanging from its leather strap.

Nodding to himself with resolve, Taehyung turned away from the window and ventured over to the hotel closet. Since they performed a lot of shows in Japan he had formed the habit of unpacking his suitcase and hanging up his outfits. It was easier to see all of his options that way.

After tapping his chin in thought, Taehyung reached for his long brown coat and a Gucci sweater he bought while in America.  He slipped them on and paired them with plain black pants. The mornings were starting to warm up, but the nights brought back the biting cold.

Taehyung grabbed his camera, slipped his wallet and phone into the deep pockets of his coat, and snatched up a black face mask before exiting the room. He shot a quick text to his manager about his plans for the night, before turning the corner and coming to a stop in front of a different hotel room.

He only gave himself three seconds to second guess whether or not what he was about to do was a good idea, before he raised his hand and knocked on the door. In life, he learned it was better to just go for it instead of overthinking everything. Especially when it was something that had to do with Min Yoongi.

“Manager hyung?!” Yoongi called through the door, sounding a bit groggy.

Taehyung nervously ruffled his hair, wondering if bothering Yoongi had been a mistake. He could easily run off and go meet up with his manager alone, but his heart was already set on Yoongi coming with him. The older man had been willing to go out and see the city with him in New York, so Japan shouldn’t have been any different.

Still, Taehyung hesitated. Sometimes he didn’t know what mood he would find Yoongi in, and even though he knew Yoongi had a soft spot for all of his dongsaengs, facing him head-on often terrified Taehyung, even to this day.

“N-No,” he finally replied, tone soft. “It’s me… it’s Taehyung.”

Nothing but silence came from within the room, and for a moment Taehyung thought Yoongi was pretending to not have heard him, but then a lock clicked out of place and the distinct sound of the door handle turning could be heard.

Taehyung took a step back before the door even opened, wanting to give Yoongi enough space. He was always cautious of that; did his best to not cling on to him like he did with others.

“Taehyung-ah?” Yoongi greeted, squinting up at Taehyung with only the dim glow of the hallway lights to reveal his features. “What’s wrong? I thought you were turning in for the night.”

Taehyung fiddled with the strap of his camera. “I was but… I had an urge to see the city all of a sudden.”

Yoongi raised his brows in disbelief. “Now? Did manager hyung agree to it?”

A sheepish smile lifted Taehyung’s cheeks. “I kind of haven’t checked my phone to see if he replied yet.”

Yoongi stared at him for a few seconds longer, eyes raking up and down his form, likely taking in the sight of his camera too, before sighing.

“You want me to come with you?”

Taehyung let out a breath of relief. He was almost afraid he would have to spell it out for him. “Yes please.”

Yoongi turned around and walked back into the room, leaving the door open for Taehyung. “Come on in. I have to change first.”

Slightly surprised by how easy that entire interaction was, Taehyung followed after Yoongi and closed the door behind him. His hyung’s room was immaculate as usual, the bed sheets looking only slightly rumpled from where he was laying on it. Unlike Taehyung, Yoongi still had all of his clothes packed away in his suitcase. There was a bowl of ramen sitting on the desk, still wrapped in its packaging, and all of his music equipment was out but turned off.

“Were you about to eat?” Taehyung asked, a slightly worried expression on his face. Getting Yoongi to eat more than twice a day was already a feat in and of itself, he didn’t want to interrupt his hyung’s dinner.

“Yeah but we can probably stop and get something. I’m sure there’s a couple of fast food chains still open,” Yoongi answered from where he was bent over his suitcase.

Taehyung nodded and sat down at the chair in front of the desk. While he waited for Yoongi, he looked over all of his up to date equipment. Yoongi took his composing very seriously, and it was clear in all of the high-tech gear he bought for recording over-seas. Taehyung couldn’t help marveling at the fancy new mic he had.

“Got that one delivered just before we left,” Yoongi suddenly spoke up, startling Taehyung and making his hand dart away from touching the expensive mic. He looked over and felt his ears warm up at the sight of his hyung shirtless. “It helps to get rid of the echo most hotel rooms cause.”

“Cool,” Taehyung answered, diverting his gaze towards the mic again.

“I’ll let you try it tomorrow,” Yoongi continued, finally pulling a shirt over his head. “Check to see if manager hyung answered back.”

Taehyung pulled out his phone and thumbed through his messages. Their manager had given him a positive response, saying that he was itching to go for a walk anyway, and that he would meet the two of them downstairs.

Satisfied, Taehyung pocketed his phone again and gave Yoongi a thumbs up.

After Yoongi layered up and grabbed his own phone and wallet, the two of them made the trek down the hall to the elevators. They rode it to the ground floor in silence, but Taehyung wasn’t put off by the quiet atmosphere between them. Being around Yoongi often gave him the same feeling hugging a pillow while he slept did. It was a comfort he appreciated.

When the elevator doors opened their manager greeted them with a warm smile.

“Pretend i’m not even here,” he said, gesturing for the two to lead the way.

“How about Shibuya?” Yoongi suggested. “You should be able to get some really good photos there.”

Taehyung nodded with a hum. “Agreed!”

______________________

Click!

The camera whirred as Taehyung pulled his eye away from the lens. The scene before him was like that out of a movie. Yoongi, standing there, LED lights flashing bright across his face as he stared up at the blinding billboards in awe.

Taehyung wondered if his hyung knew that he didn’t just take pictures of the city; that Yoongi was often a part of the scenery as well.

Shibuya crossing started to feel stifling the longer they stood there, so the two of them began venturing further into the nightlife, their manager not too far behind.

Despite wearing a cap low over his eyes, and sporting a black face mask of his own, Taehyung could still see the excitement flitting across Yoongi’s face from time to time. His hyung smiled whenever they came across colorfully dressed Harajuku girls, and grabbed Taehyung’s wrist to pull him over to shop windows lined with cute characters.

The clothing stores were their most favorite places to explore. By the time they walked into their third one, Taehyung already had three new shirts and a jacket. Yoongi picked out a couple of caps as well, and a pair of shoes Taehyung was sure he bought for the thick soles. “Anything to make hyung taller, right?” he had teased him, only to receive an elbow to his stomach.

“Are you still hungry?” Taehyung asked, almost completely forgetting about Yoongi’s unopened ramen back at the hotel. “I don’t think a lot of food places are open anymore, but a bar should be. The menu probably won’t have a lot of options, but we can try one out.”

Yoongi put down a small figurine that had caught his eye in the shop they were currently standing in. He peered over at Taehyung while the younger searched up places in the area and shrugged. “The hunger passed, but I don’t mind stopping at a bar. I was actually thinking of grabbing a drink but… I didn’t really think you would want to.”

Taehyung’s cheeks colored. “And why not?”

Yoongi gave him an incredulous look. “You aren’t really the drinking type, Tae.”

“That doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy one every once in a while,” the singer argued back.

A snort of laughter escaped Yoongi, but he squeezed Taehyung’s shoulders and flashed him a reassuring eye-smile. “Fine, find us a bar, Taehyungie,” he sing-songed.

Taehyung had the sneaking suspicion he was being teased, but he pulled up a few bars in the area and decided on the nearest one. Yoongi followed him through the crowds, keeping close to his side and practically hanging off of his arm. Taehyung didn’t mind it, of course. It wasn’t every day that he got to be this close to his Yoongi hyung.

The place they arrived at was small but well loved. It had a mellow atmosphere that Taehyung appreciated after being assaulted with a cluster of noises all night. Music played at a respectable volume from the overhead speakers, and people chatted with each other over colorful drinks and dark liquor.

Taehyung steered Yoongi over to the non-smoking section of the bar counter and took a seat on one of the stools. The place had booths too, but the younger always found it easier to see his options when he was up close to the bartender like this. Glancing behind him, he noticed that their manager had chosen a booth and was now scrolling through his phone.

“We should head back to the hotel after this,” he said aloud to Yoongi. “I keep forgetting manager hyung is with us. He hasn’t complained but I bet he’s tired.”

Yoongi nodded with a light chuckle. “You’re right. We shouldn’t torture him any longer.”

The both of them decided on one drink each. Yoongi opted for whiskey, while Taehyung picked out a margarita he thought was pretty.

At least, it was supposed to be one drink.

Taehyung’s margarita tasted more like juice than alcohol, so he ordered another, and Yoongi approved of the bar’s taste in whiskey, so he got a refill as well. Their arms brushed as they leaned close together, talking about everything and anything. Getting food was completely forgotten while they enjoyed each other’s company. Yoongi voiced his concerns over the small mistakes made throughout their concert that day, and Taehyung talked about all of the things he wanted to accomplish with the songs he was currently working on.

“You should let me listen to them one day,” Yoongi said, his voice sincere.

“I know but…” Taehyung stared down into his drink, slowly twirling the small straw he had been given. “... I know you have a lot going on with your own composing. Besides, Namjoonie hyung has been helping me out a bit.”

Yoongi kept staring at him. Taehyung knew he was because a prickly heat always ghosted along his flesh whenever Yoongi stared at him like that.

“What? You think I can’t help you too?”

Taehyung quickly shook his head. “No! That’s not what I think, I just— Hyung, I like these moments with you, when we’re just sitting and being together. I don’t want things to always be business between us.”

Yoongi was starting to frown now, and Taehyung almost panicked, wondering if he said something wrong. This was why he hated drinking alcohol. It made his mouth move faster than his brain, and that was already something he was working to control even while sober.

“Whether it’s business or casual, I always want you to feel like you can come to me for help, Tae,” Yoongi confessed. He raised his glass to his lips and tilted back the rest of its contents. Taehyung looked away when he caught himself staring at the rapper’s bobbing Adam's apple for too long.

“I know, hyung,” he mumbled, and took another sip of his drink. He felt warm, despite the occasional gusts of cold air that entered the bar whenever someone opened the front door.

The music playing overhead slowly trickled into his consciousness, and he noticed it was a song completely in English. It made his ears perk up and latch on to the tune. He found that he really liked it.

“Hey,” he said, his mouth doing that talking before thinking thing again.

Yoongi looked at him with a perplexed expression, nose and cheeks flushed from the liquor. “Yeah?”

“Dance with me.”

A gummy smile flashed at him in surprise. “What? You serious? But there's no one else dancing.”

“So?” Taehyung countered, an impish grin gracing his features as well. “We dance in front of people all the time.”

“Yeah and that's at our concerts,” Yoongi said in exasperation. “With five other people on stage with us and thousands of our fans in the audience.”

“We can pretend manager hyung is a fan,” Taehyung suggested. He didn't know exactly what he was saying, all he knew was that he really wanted Yoongi to dance with him.

His hyung continued to give him a disbelieving look. “How many fingers am I holding up?” he asked, lifting three in front of Taehyung's face.

The younger slapped his hand away and pouted when Yoongi started laughing at his expression.

“I'm being serious, Hyung! The song is almost over, c’mon!”

Before Yoongi could protest again, Taehyung grabbed his hand and hauled him over to the open space between the booths and the bar counter. He didn't dare look in their manager's direction, already picturing the teasing smirk on the man's face as he probably recorded their shenanigans to show to the other members later.

“You're lucky I'm tipsy,” Yoongi groaned, letting himself be manhandled into position by a giddy Taehyung. The younger took Yoongi's hands in his own and placed them on his waist. Then, with a smile that had Yoongi glancing everywhere but at his face, Taehyung wrapped his arms around Yoongi's neck.

Maybe i’ll rely on all the things that I did right.

They swayed, Taehyung desperately trying to hold in his giggles, and Yoongi doing his best to calm the red flush spreading all the way up to his hairline. Dancing like this left them with nowhere to run. Taehyung liked that Yoongi had no choice but to acknowledge his presence.

Because i’d give you all the years of my life.

Yoongi accidentally stepped on his toe, but Taehyung laughed it off and pulled him closer. The shorter male looked mortified, but relief glinted in his eyes when Taehyung’s fingers started to play with the hair at the nape of his neck. In those few moments, it was like they were the only ones in that crowded bar, dancing the night away to a tune in a foreign language.

So, what about these feelings I've got?

Taehyung licked his lips and stared at the freckle on Yoongi’s cheek, suddenly finding his eyes too intense to gaze into. The song made his mind buzz, and Yoongi’s hands on his waist made his heart tremble. He wanted to be closer, even though it wasn’t physically possible in the current state they were in.

“Hyung,” Taehyung breathed.

Yoongi’s brown eyes penetrated his, unblinking in the warm glow of the overhead lights.

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

Yoongi glanced away, fixating his stare on something just past Taehyung. It made the younger pout, and he jostled Yoongi until the elder reluctantly looked at him again. His face was full of trepidation, but Taehyung couldn’t understand why. It wasn’t like he ever lied to Yoongi. No, every single word that ever left his mouth came straight from his heart.

We got it wrong, and you said you had enough.

“... Thanks, Taehyungie,” Yoongi bit out, looking almost reluctant, but Taehyung wasn’t about to let him take the easy way out.

He refused to let Yoongi pretend like the text he sent him a few months back hadn’t happened. It had made him so happy to see those three words written out to him at the end of a long paragraph, but Taehyung was willing to admit he was greedy for Yoongi’s love. He wanted to hear him say it out loud too. He wanted Yoongi to stop hiding behind words on a screen and just come out and tell him with his own mouth.

“Say it back,” Taehyung frowned, his voice taking on a deep tone that actually made Yoongi shiver.

The rapper rolled his eyes and tried to pull away, but Taehyung held him in place. “Come on, don’t do this right now, Tae.”

“What’s wrong with right now?” Taehyung demanded, his pout worsening. The sober part of his brain was telling him to shut the hell up and let Yoongi go. It was a miracle he even managed to get his hyung to leave the hotel. He shouldn’t ruin it now.

But the Taehyung who had two margaritas felt bold.

The Taehyung who had his arms full of his favorite person felt like he could accomplish anything in the world.

But what about these feelings I've got?

Yoongi gave his hips a reassuring squeeze. “I… There’s nothing wrong with right now but you know these things are hard for me to say.”

“It doesn’t have to be,” Taehyung whispered.

Yoongi shook his head and glanced over at their manager. Thankfully, the man had been texting away the whole time.

“Say it, and we’ll go home,” Taehyung offered. “We’ll stop dancing and get out of here.”

Yoongi looked like he was mulling over his options. Taehyung tried not to coo over the little crease between his brows. “I actually didn’t mind the dancing as much as I thought I would.”

The taller of the two smiled. “Me neither.”

Yoongi took in a deep breath and pulled them into a hug, his chin hooking over Taehyung’s shoulder as he rose up on his tiptoes.

“I love you, too.”

Taehyung’s heart stopped and the music faded away.

I couldn’t be more in love.