taehyung was about to finish up his review of the company's updated income statement for the month when the shrill ring of his cellphone made him jump the slightest in his office chair.

"are you free in an hour?" jungkook's calming voice came through the speaker, immediately bringing a small beam up onto taehyung's lips without the latter even realizing it.

"of course. it'll be my lunch break, jungkook," taehyung stated, reaching over to switch his computer monitor off with his free hand.

"yeah, i figured," jungkook responded with a soft chuckle. "so, i had the genius and marvelous idea of taking you out for a lunch date."

"oh, i'm kind of— w-wait, a what?" the CEO did a double-take, nearly letting his phone slip from his grasp as his eyes widened in surprise.

"well, no, i-it doesn't necessarily have to be a date," jungkook was quick to elaborate after hearing taehyung's panicked reaction through the call and also starting to panic himself. "i-i just— it could just be two bros casually hanging out, y'know? it could be a chill brunch where we rant about life, or it could be us drinking out of one cup with one— wait, fuck. please ignore that last part."

"you're rambling," taehyung murmured, somewhat amused at how straightforward the younger could get one moment before instantly transitioning over to being all flustered the next moment.

"right, yeah. s-so, uh, feel free to perceive it however you want. i just really wanted to go out with you. shit, not in that way!" jungkook panicked again, mentally slapping himself for his habit of always spouting everything that comes to mind.

"woah, slow down. i know what you mean, jungkook," taehyung paused hesitantly. "it's just... at the moment, i don't know if it's the best for me to be seen hanging around with you."

jungkook went silent for a couple of brief seconds before taehyung heard him sharply exhale on the other side. "oh, ouch."

"no! wait, sorry, that came out wrong," the blond made haste to apologize, feeling his heart wrench at how hurt jungkook obviously sounded through the speaker. "i-i'm sorry, it's not that i don't want to grab lunch with you. it's just... so damn complicated and it's been turning my head into a mess. i'm so sorry."

"no no, don't apologize. i get it," jungkook soon assured. although taehyung couldn't see his face right now, he was positive that jungkook was mustering some kind of forced smile on his end. "don't worry, i completely understand — i just wish that you would finally open up to me about that complicated matter that's going on in your life right now because god knows that i genuinely want to help you, tae. but hey, i'm not pissed or anything, really. i'll just wait until you're ready to talk to me and ask you out for lunch another day, yeah?"

"jungkook—"

"i'll talk to you later, i guess?"

taehyung internally groaned. fuck it. "wait, i changed my mind! uh, i-i want to get lunch with you, jungkook."

jungkook let out an audible sigh. "tae, you don't need to feel bad or feel obliged to—"

"no, i really want to go out— i mean, eat with you. i really do."

"for real? great!" taehyung could practically hear the wide grin in jungkook's abruptly uplifted tone. "i'll pick you up at your office in about an hour when your break starts?"

taehyung stilled in his seat. "pick me up? we're not going to jin-hyung's cafe? hold up, where exactly are we going?"

"ah, you're already asking too many questions, mr. kim. you'll find out later, be patient." jungkook claimed with a teasing, throaty laugh that could drive anybody into a hot and bothered haze, especially taehyung. "see you in an hour."

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"you seriously didn't have to pay for me," said taehyung for the fifth time since the two males have placed their order at the counter prior to settling down with a decent window seat and having their meals brought over to them by the kind waitress who happened to spend an entire minute openly gushing over how handsome they both were.

"just let me treat you this once, tae. it's the least i can do for deliberately making you come to lunch with me. besides, it's not like it's some posh restaurant which you probably go to on a regular basis. it's literally just ramen," jungkook retorted.

"why do you sound like you're guilty of forcing me to come eat with you? jungkook, i wanted to eat with you," taehyung reminded with a lopsided frown.

"well, i wanted to pay for you," the younger wittily shot back.

"touché," taehyung grumbled, pulling up a faux-pout of defeat. "and for your information, i do not go to posh restaurants regularly."

"by not regularly, i suppose you mean you only go to those kinds of restaurants every other month, right?" jungkook queried with a smirk, followed by that same teasing laugh from before that secretly drives taehyung insane. "i'm just joking around. lighten up, my dude."

"it's kind of hard to lighten up when there's so much that's going on right now," taehyung muttered out from under his breath before he could even stop himself. "shit, sorry. i didn't mean to say that—"

"hey, no, i get it," jungkook cut the elder off with an affirmative nod of his head. "i just... i truly wish you would let me help you, tae. i don't want to see you fight your battles all by yourself; i don't want to you to feel like you're alone in whatever you're going through," he revealed, reaching over the table to cautiously place his warm palm over taehyung's relaxed one with a sad smile.

taehyung immediately felt his cheeks flame up at the sudden hand contact but didn't want to pull away despite how loud and rapid his heartbeats were becoming, so loud to the point where he was 80% sure that jungkook could probably hear them as well.

"you're already helping me plenty by being here right now." taehyung shifted his hand a bit so that their fingers could interlace slightly but not completely. "i'm so sorry, jungkook. please believe me when i say that i want to open up to you about it as well, but i really can't, at least not yet."

"i know, and i believe you. i'm perfectly fine with waiting," jungkook asserted. in more aspects than one. "just please promise me that never forget that whenever you need someone to be there for you, i'm always going to be merely one text or one call away. always."

"i promise i'll remember that. thank you, jungkook," remarked taehyung as he desperately fought back the whine that almost escaped his throat when the ravenet eventually pulled his hand away in order to resume eating.

as the two men continued digging into their bowls of ramen and indulging in each other's presence for as long as possible, seemingly in their own little world, both of them failed to notice the peculiar hooded man peering out from behind one of the trees outside the restaurant and staring straight at the two.

even though the hooded figure was quite a distance away, the photo that was just snapped and displayed brightly on his phone's screen was what would successfully ruin the rest of taehyung's day.

it was a picture of taehyung and jungkook deeply engrossed in their conversation while their clearly semi-woven hands rested atop the restaurant table.

a/n: fr mock exams don't got any mercy on me whatsoever like pls stop