Bargain (Not Met) (JungHope)

Interlude - Invitation

It was when Hoseok and Taehyung were already packing up their belongings and bidding each other goodbye that the manager released an abrupt exclamation.

"It's Christmas Eve today!" Taehyung had announced, the tone of his voice bending the words into that of shock.

Hoseok startled at the outcry and took a few moments to digest and confirm the information before nodding his head slowly, a look of utter surprise blooming across his face at the forgotten holiday.

"It is," he ended up saying in reply, tone cautious.

Hoseok could see both Jimin and Jungkook halt their attempts at walking back home upon Taehyung's announcement, faces peering curiously at both Hoseok and Taehyung. Hoseok could tell that the angel and demon had also let the date of the holiday slip their minds; a hard mask of stoic shock converted Jimin's usual soft features, and a wide-eyed excitement sparkled within Jungkook's blood red eyes.

"Hyung," Taehyung said, startling Hoseok out of his improv observation of his companions.

"I completely forgot to tell you this since we were so busy with the research and all," he continued upon Hoseok's hesitant nod, "but I'm hosting a Christmas party back at my place. Wanna join?"

Hoseok shrunk into his winter coat upon hearing those words escape Taehyung's chapped lips and slowly began to close his eyes as a poor impersonation of meditation when listening to Jungkook release a squeal of delight from behind him.

He knew he had signed up for something like this happening when he willingly agreed to spend more time with the ticking-time-bomb of a manager. It shouldn't have surprised him that the manager was beginning to see him as more than a coworker or research buddy with how many hours in a day they spend in the same proximity of each other. But then again, it wasn't precisely unprofessional to celebrate a national holiday such as Christmas together. But it was also a holiday meant to be spent with either family or loved ones, and Hoseok's pretty sure he didn't fit into either one of those categories in relation to Taehyung.

"Uh," Hoseok said eloquently. "I dunno, Taehyung-ah..."

"Whaddya mean you don't know!" Jungkook cried out, startling Hoseok into a frozen, silent trance. "Just say yes, for God's sake! You'll break his heart if you say no!"

"Hey, hey!" Jimin interjected, placing a firm hand on the bridge of Jungkook's tense shoulder. "You're not allowed to meddle with Hoseok-hyung's choices like that! Aren't you just supposed to be observing your clients' until time's up?"

Jungkook shouldered Jimin's hand away and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "You're the one meddling" before doing his signature pout.

"Hoseokie-hyung?" Taehyung called out, approaching Hoseok's still form with slight hesitance. "Are you okay?" He seemed to deflate even further before Hoseok could give him a proper answer. "Did...did you not want to go...?"

Hoseok panicked at the sight of Taehyung disheartened expression, and he hastily stepped toward the manager to give the man some sort of comfort, before realizing that would be crossing all kinds of lines and stubbornly rooted himself in place.

"I-I'll go!" he insisted, fists clenched tightly at his sides and face flushed from both the cold and the adrenaline pumping through his blood. "I'll go to your party, Taehyung-ah. So"--don't look so sad--"don't worry about it!"

Taehyung grew a relieved smile, but Hoseok could still see some of the clouded worry drifting across his eyes which caused a twang of guilt to pluck at his heartstrings.

"Okay, good." Taehyung shifted his hold on the bag straps that hung tight to his shoulders. "The party officially starts at eight, but I'll give you special permission to visit early, Hoseokie."

Hoseok offered Taehyung a smile he hoped was cheerful, but he could feel a slight twitch in his lip betray the fact that it more than likely looked wry and forced, and cringed when he heard Jungkook release a shout of victory.

--

Taehyung's penthouse was everything Hoseok wanted his shabby apartment to be: spacious, luxurious, and clean; the big three in Hoseok's world.

The penthouse opened up to an eloquent living room. The open space showcased a lounge area with a wide-screen television plastered against the wall and looming over the arrangement of couches and loveseats. A flourishing potted plant or two could be spotted along the entertainment center, which also displayed a wide variety of movies and games, from horror to kiddy. A bookshelf was also placed along a blank space of cream colored wall and was almost overflowing with a collection of oddball novels.

The living room connected to the kitchen, which looked a little too clean. Like, a it-had-never-been-used type of clean. The cabinets, the counter, the stove--all of it was spotless. But upon closer inspection, Hoseok was able to confirm his theory of Taehyung's neglect of the kitchen when noticing a thin layer of dust that had gathered along the surface of the island that separated the kitchen and the dining room. Taehyung made sure to quickly move on to the open balcony before Hoseok could scrutinize his cooking habits any further.

When Taehyung tugged open the glass door, a rush of winter wind invaded the heated air of the penthouse and sent a deep shiver through Hoseok's body. Taehyung guided Hoseok down the slight step that was below the door by taking a gentle hold of his hand and even went as far as to assist Hoseok in placing the pair of slippers that were already out there onto his feet. Hoseok accepted the chivalrous acts with a nervous giggle and did his absolute best to ignore the snicker that Jungkook released in response.

Taehyung continued to guide Hoseok across the balcony toward their destination of the railing, but Hoseok couldn't help but ogle the thick layer of snow that shrouded the pool's cover that laid unbidden between the area of space.

"Not gonna lie, the height gets to me sometimes," Taehyung said with a gentle chuckle when they neared the railing. "But the view's amazing, so I'm sure the gut-wrenching fear is plenty worth it."

Hoseok was sure that he would have joked along with Taehyung had it not been for the fact that the view of the city from above had halted his entire thought process.

The sky-high buildings were all dusted with a soft layer of that beautiful white powder, and it gleamed and reflected the modest sunlight that shone on it, which was somehow more dazzling than the obnoxious, neon Christmas lights that Hoseok had failed to notice during the past month. The streets below bustled with the lives' of millions and the sounds they created echoed their way up to Hoseok's ears, intermingling with one another as they produced the familiar song of city life.

He closed his eyes and felt winter's breath blow across his tingling cheeks in a gentle caress, numbing his terribly chapped lips and stuffing his reddened nose with future sneezes. He took a gulp of air and shuddered as its chilling hands pierced his lungs and nearly stilled his heart. His eyelids fluttered open as he released the breath back into the sky and he watched as the breath materialized into a pocketful of air before being delivered to the steadily increasing winds.

Breathtaking, was the word Hoseok felt within his soul but held no breath to enunciate.

"Nice, isn't it?" Taehyung questioned at the same time Jungkook shuffled forward to stand beside Hoseok.

"Very," Hoseok murmured dreamily. He spared a glance over to Jungkook, only to raise his eyebrows slightly when seeing that the demon was gazing at him rather than the city.

"What?" he questioned, voice hardly above a whisper, addressing Jungkook with a light tap against his relaxed arm.

"You looked peaceful for a minute there, hyung," Jungkook replied simply. A tender smile blossomed across his face as the city lights danced in his blood red eyes. "It was nice seeing you like that."

Hoseok snorted softly and turned his attention back toward Taehyung, who had since directed his gaze down at the city. "Thanks for showing me this, Taehyung-ah." He smiled gently at Taehyung's side-profile. "I'd never thought I'd be able to see a view like this until...well, actually, ever."

Taehyung turned his eyes away from the city's landscape and gazed over at Hoseok with that familiar tender look in his eyes.

"Glad to have pleased you, Hoseokie."

A/N - tender, love, and care is in the air, lads