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“Tae!!! Breakfast!”
Taehyung blinked awake to the shout. Jin. Of course. He lived with Jin, his older brother, and Namjoon, Jin’s husband—a situation he still occasionally found himself mentally re-labeling as “family” rather than “roommates.” It was a small, warm comfort. He was always cold.
“Coming!” Taehyung called back, throwing off the covers and stumbling toward the washroom. The familiar routine—brush teeth, splash water, change clothes—felt automatic. He wasn’t a morning person, but he was a breakfast person, and Jin’s breakfast was… Jin’s breakfast.
He found them already at the table. Jin, meticulous even in his sleep-rumpled state, was smoothing a napkin over Namjoon’s plate. Namjoon, the police chief, was already halfway through the news on his datapad.
“Good morning, Tae bear,” Namjoon said, not looking up.
“Morning, Joonie hyung, morning hyung.” Taehyung slid into the chair Jin gestured toward. He waited, stomach rumbling, for the food.
Jin slid a plate piled high with pancakes in front of him. The sight made Taehyung’s hands twitch with excitement.
“Yay!! Pancakes…” He did a little victory dance with his hands, earning a sigh from Jin.
“When will you grow up, Tae?” Jin asked, but it wasn’t a real complaint.
“You're spoiling him, Joonie. He’s 19 now,” Namjoon retorted, putting down his datapad.
Taehyung didn’t bother to correct them. He knew how much they both loved him. They’d raised him since their parents died—Jin, the protector; Namjoon, the indulgent uncle. He’d bloomed under their care, all bubbly and outgoing.
After breakfast, Namjoon left for work. Taehyung helped Jin with cleanup, then headed out to the garden. This was the part of his day he loved most.
Taehyung’s garden was a riot of color—flowers of every shade, blooming under his gentle care. He was halfway through deadheading roses when he heard a motorcycle rumble to a stop next door. A car followed it, sleek and black.
‘Oh… someone’s moving in,’ Taehyung thought, craning his neck toward the fence. And then he saw *him*.
The man was tall, broad-shouldered, dressed in black jeans and a leather jacket. But it was his face—angelic, almost babyish—that stopped Taehyung’s breath. A stark contrast to the leather and steel.
‘Oh my God,’ Taehyung breathed, eyes glued to the stranger. He watched as the man walked toward the house with another who came out from the car. Taehyung assumed it was the real estate agent as he has seen him few times and watches as they go inside.
After a short while, they come out and the real estate agent shakes the hand of the stranger and leaves. The stranger stays at the doorway for few seconds before he looks up to see the boy staring at him from the other side of the fence.
The moment their eyes met, Taehyung felt something shift inside him. A warmth bloomed in his chest, like sunshine on cold skin. A thousand butterflies erupted in his stomach. It was everything he’d only read about in stories.
The stranger held his gaze for only two seconds before turning and disappearing inside, slamming the door behind him. Taehyung remained rooted to the ground, heart hammering.
“Did I hear a sound from next door?” Jin called from the house.
“Tae?? Hello?!”
The sound of Jin’s voice snapped Taehyung out of his trance. He ran inside, grabbed his phone, and dialed Jimin’s number. It rang twice before Jimin picked up.
“Jimin, Jimin, Jimin!”
“What, what, what?!” Jimin’s voice was laced with concern.
“Oh my God, you have to come here right now.” Taehyung’s voice shook with excitement.
“Why? Are you okay? Did something happen?”
“Yes, something wonderful happened. I want you to come and meet someone.”
“Huh… who?”
“My future husband.”
“Say what?!! What the hell are you talking about, Tae?”
“Come on, come on. Hurry up.”
Taehyung raced to the window overlooking the new house and scanned the garden. He saw Jimin’s bicycle arrive, and ran out to meet him. He heard Jimin greeting Jin and immediately dragged him outside again.
"Come on, let's go meet him." Taehyung squealed as he dragged Jimin to the other house. "Wait!! How do I look?"
"You look gorgeous bub. Now lets see this future husband of yours." Jimin said affectionately as he rang the door bell.
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