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Its maybe a little after six. When the ball of quaking fire has left its place in the sky and the shift is taken over by its darker counterpart, the moon, instead.
Okay, so figuratively from what Taehyung has learnt in school, it isn't really the sun that has retired, but rather because mother Earth is just idly rotating on her own and causing the view to change, but hey, let's just skip all that physics gibberish shall we?
Taehyung isn't high, well arguably he could say he's high on life (he knows that if anyone would to have heard of his bad little joke, they would all moan in pain and push it all to the bad influence of a very proud Jung Hoseok), but yeah, he was pretty much stone cold sober. So yes, maybe being a gang had its little perks, freeflow supply of weed for one and then some, but Taehyung has never once touched those.
Okay so maybe that's a lie. Maybe there's been a few incidents here and there that all ended with him having intense munchies, but hey, no harm done besides an emptied fridge right?
Taehyung is sure though,that whatever benefits that he has gained from Cypher, is much more than measely weed, alcohol, fame, power or girls even, that joining a widely reknown gang is usely said to bring. Taehyung isn't that much interested in those things, and he is absolutely certain that at least ninety percent of the members in Cypher feels the same.
The feeling he gets from this little ragatag group (a group of at least a few thousand over members , he ignores), is the warm feeling of bond. Maybe its a bit cliché, but Taehyung has never known the true fuzzy feelings of being in a real family, but he is sure that what he feels for Cypher, is exactly the same.
Its rare to find alone time, between balancing the daily rounds and sorting of new recruits, Taehyung also sometimes gets tasked to watch over Butterfly factory and Nevermland. There's always a person by his side, Seokjin's "buddy system" made sure of it.
So when Taehyung finds himself all alone in their downtown hideout, his mind is a little numb and the silence pricks at his skin a little too much for his liking. He stares at the ceiling, eye blanked over as his mind thinks about everything and absolutely nothing at the same time.
He isn't sure how long he stares, soaked into nothingness and merging with the couch. So it's arguably understandable when Taehyung nearly rolls off the couch and face plants on the floor when something cold presses against his cheek and shocks him out of his staring contest with the ceiling.
"Easy there " he hears, and a firm hand grips tightly onto his side before he can roll off the edge of the couch.
Turns out, the culprit was non other than his favourite sunshine hyung(in a corner, Namjoon cries) and sidekick, a chilled can of soda.
"Hyung I almost died" he whines, but takes the offered can anyways.
"Hey, I called you twice when I came in" Hoseok lifts his own can, and Taehyung watches his apple bob along as the water rushes down the long throat "its not my fault you just ignored me".
Taehyung wants to open his mouth to object, because there's no way he'll ever intentionally ignore Hoseok, not ever in this lifetime or the next few hundred. Taehyung relents though, because if it means he has to stop sipping his favourite can of grape soda, then he'll hold off the debate for another time.
"Besides, you have a pretty hard head. I'm sure you'll do more damage to the floor then it'll do damage to you" Hoseok teases and laughs when Taehyung resorts to pouting over his straw.
"So what are you doing here alone?" Hoseok asks, shifting Taehyung over so he can squeeze onto the couch as well.
"I finished my rounds earlier than usual. Seokjin hyung says I can have the rest of the day off" Taehyung shrugs, and nudges his head onto Hoseok's thigh. Its meaty, Taehyung muses, and decides that Hoseok's thigh is much more comfortable than the pillows on his bed.
"What about you?" He asks, staring up and giggling when Hoseok gives him a funny look.
"I'm pretty much free for the rest of the evening. The dealing got a last minute hold back so we came back here instead".
"Yoongi hyung is here too?" He asks, glancing around the room to make sure he didn't miss seeing the other.
Hoseok hums, nudging his head towards the direction of one of the rooms "I'm not surprised you didn't hear him, he ran in the moment we reached the base".
Taehyung grins at that, shaking his head amusedly at their personal human epitome of the sin: sloth.
The two of them sits there for awhile, staring blankly at nothing while breaking the silence occasionally with the sipping noises. Taehyung revels when Hoseok's fingers thread through his hair, a slow comforting motion that almost lulls him to sleep.
"Hyung?"
Hoseok hums in question, sending a low rumbling vibration that Taehyung can feel travel down all the way to his diaphragm. His head is still lolled back against the backrest of the couch so Taehyung can't see if the elder has his eyes closed.
"Hyung I'm hungry" Taehyung whines, and his stomach growls loudly in agreement.
There's a loud chuckle from Hoseok that instantly places a smile on Taehyung's lips, and it only gets wider when amused crescent shaped eyes meets his.
Taehyung is really comfy in this position, really really comfy and to be honest, he wouldn't mind putting off the meal if it meant that he got to laze around in this cloud nine for even just a few more minutes.
It seems that the elder has other plans though. So Taehyung has to begrudgingly lift himself up into sitting position when Hoseok starts shaking his leg, signalling for him to get up.
"Chicken, Pizza or Burgers?"
The answer is obvious and Hoseok knows it before Taehyung even lifts himself off the couch to yell.
"Burgers!!"
--
They end up at a burger chain five minutes away. It's an old rundown place, white walls with crusting paint and yellow tiled floor that had dirt in every seam. So yeah, maybe the place didn't look the fanciest, and shame that they didnt have a delivery or drive-through service, but damn if they didn't serve the best burgers Taehyung has ever tasted in his 21 years of living.
So Taehyung is queueing in line(yes there's actually a line, told you the food was good) and squinting real hard at the orders on the paper in Hoseok's squiggly handwriting, trying to decipher the written words. When its his turn to order, he reads mechanically and refrains from breaking his perfect poker face when the cashier gives him an expression of true horror.
"Sir, let me repeat your order" says the guy in the banana-yellow uniform before he reads off the order for five chicken burger meals and seven grilled mushroom beef sets, glancing up every now and then to check for a sign of amendments "will that be all?".
Taehyung hums, pretending to consider, before he adds on another two side orders of apple pie, just for the fun of it. Its worth it, he decides, when the guy's eyes becomes so wide, they actually might be big enough to replace Jupiter.
"That'll be all thanks" he says and passes over the money when the cashier reads the figures off incredulously.
It takes a little more than five minutes for them to prepare his order, and Taehyung must say that he is utterly impressed with their effeciency. He knows the guy is watching when he leaves, twelve full paper bags hanging off his arm, so he makes it a point to shashay out of the doors like he was flaunting his shit on a runway.
When he returns to the parked bikes, Hoseok is looking at him like Taehyung just got beamed down from outer space.
"What the fuck Tae" and its a bit shocking because Hoseok hardly ever swears, moretheless direct it at him "how many burgers did you buy?"
"Errr... " he pauses to think, and eyes the bags that were hanging off his arms "there's twelve burger meals right? And I bought another two apple pies because the cashier was looking at me weird".
Then Hoseok let's out a really loud laugh, the one that makes his lips stretch into a shape of a heart and never fails to make Taehyung's tummy go warm and fuzzy. Its loud and clear, and a few heads turn when it echoes down the busy street. Hoseok's bent over with laughter and there's tears in his eyes when he finally straightens up.
"Repeat for me what you ordered?" Hoseok asks, exhaling heavily as he leaned up.
"Five chicken burger meals with onion rings and seven grilled mushroom beef sets with fries. All Pepsi" Taehyung recounts word for word and that's all it takes for Hoseok to break into another laughing fit apparently.
Taehyung isn't sure why Hoseok is laughing, but its pretty contagious, and damn if Taehyung doesn't feel a bit proud to be the cause of it.
"Taetae" he hears Hoseok breathe out, finally straightening himself again and wiping the tears from his eyes "I wrote for three chicken burger meals and one grilled mushroom beef burger".
"Oh" well that's explains it.
"There's two of us Tae, three if you count Yoongi hyung. Did it not seem weird for me to order twelve full burger meals?" Hoseok asks, and there's a teasing tilt in his voice that Taehyung is so familiar with.
"Dont judge me," Taehyung defends "I just thought you were really really hungry hyung" and he knows he's straight off pouting right now, but it isn't exactly impossible for someone to devour all these burgers by themselves right?
Hoseok grins wider then, and there's this fond look in his eyes that Taehyung either want to bask in it, or hide his entire head into his jacket like a turtle with its shell from.
"So I guess we are doing delivery tonight then" Hoseok chuckles, and takes half of the load "let's go back to the base first".
Hoseok proceeds to get on his bike, lumping the packets all together and tying them to his hand.
Taehyung nods, mirroring Hoseok's position and places the six bags in between his legs. He makes sure to tie them up together tightly so the cans won't fly out if he jerks too much.
Times like these he wonders why they didn't think to install a case at the back for storage. Then again, its pretty bulky, and he's sure Yoongi would make a mean comment about how ugly it looks.
So they make do. Its a little troublesome , having to make sure that the bike doesn't tilt too much in case the packets topples over, but its only a five minutes ride, so it'll do.
-
They manage to get back to the base with no accidents, and Taehyung is a bit surprised to find the fries and onion rings all in perfect condition and not mixed together like a cocktail.
So while Taehyung laid out their little spread on the dining table, Hoseok went to wake their lethergic friend.
A mop of mint green soon appears from the doorway, trailing sluggishly behind Hoseok as the latter drags him over to the kitchen.
Taehyung will always be impressed by how easily Hoseok makes it. He remembers the one time he had tried waking Yoongi to get breakfast with him and ended up nursing a bleeding nose when Yoongi head butted him and shoved him down the bed without warning. "He won't realize he's done it" Seokjin told him, and true enough, he found a subtly worried Yoongi questioning him about his swollen nose that very afternoon.
"Why the hell are there fifty packs of burg-" Yoongi starts, squinting his eyes at the pile on the table. "-the fuck? Is this a party?"
"Twelve packs hyung" Taehyung supplies, stuffing his mouth with fries when Yoongi shoots him a look.
"Chicken or beef?" Hoseok asks, digging through the bags and tossing the beef that Yoongi grunts for. Taehyung watches in interest as the elder catches it easily, tearing through the pack and bites on the burger savagely.
"Their apple pie is pretty good" Hoseok quips, pulling up a slice and munches on it appreciatively.
"Right right?" Taehyung grins, "I knew I made a right choice. Imagine how much we'd miss if I didn't get this".
"I think Namjoonie will like it" Hoseok hums, feeding a part of it to Yoongi when the elder opens his mouth and silently demanded for a bite. There's no downturn in Yoongi's lips, so Taehyung knows he likes it as well.
"So whats our destination for later?" Taehyung chews thoughtfully. He knows that Namjoon is at Nevermland, and since Hoseok mentioned him for the pie, there's no doubt that they'll be dropping by the club tonight.
"Nevermland and 24/7. Jiminnie and Junior are coming back here soon, so we'll leave a pack each for them" Hoseok replies, swallowing the burger in his mouth and downing it with the fizzy drink.
"We taking the car?" He asks, picking at the last of his fries and stealing a hand full of Yoongi's onion rings. There was still at least seven packs leftover and he isn't sure he wants to ride all the way with that load balancing while he speeds.
He knows Hoseok prefers taking the bike to the car anyday, and even though Hoseok is equally skilled in steering both, the elder prefered being able to feel the rush of the opposing wind when he rides.
"You think you can carry it all while I bike?" Hoseok returns, "we can leave the drinks here, they wont need them anyways" and Taehyung nods. It shouldn't be a problem really, especially since now he doesn't have to worry about rolling cans.
So after cleaning up and washing greased hands, the two headed out through the main door. Yoongi leant against the doorframe as they hopped on, cigeratte in hand and dazed look in his eyes as Taehyung hugged the packets of food to his stomach.
"You want to come hyung?" Taehyung enthusiastically invites, and grins even wider when Yoongi gives the predicted sour face and reply.
"Thanks for the invite kid, but no". Hoseok snorts in laughter, and shakes his head at that.
Yoongi grins, a lazy cheshire smile that makes him resemble the cat from Alice in wonderland. He tosses the last of his stick on the pathway and stubs it out with his slipper.
"Alright go, get lost" Yoongi deadpans, and waves them off before turning back into the house, shutting the door behind him as they leave the driveway.
-
It takes them less than ten minutes to get there, and predictably, the ride is much smoother now that he doesn't have to multitask. Hoseok's jacket is zipped up so it doesn't flap in the wind, Taehyung slots his hand in the wide pocket, enjoying the warmth throughout the journey.
It takes them only twelve minutes to reach the supposed twenty-minutes-away destination. Taehyung was smart enough this time to put on the helmet when he pillions for Hoseok.
Hoseok had decided to drop by 24/7 first instead of Nevermland even though the latter was closer. When Taehyung had asked about it, Hoseok had mumbled out something about soggy fries and tastebuds of a royalty, most of it muffled out by the roaring of the wind and the helmets.
The first time Taehyung was introduced to 24/7, he wasn't sure what to think of it. Okay, so maybe the cafe served the best Caramel macchiato he's ever tasted, and their Double Chocolate Peppermint frappe was to die for, but that isn't the point he's trying to get here.
The cafe was a warm cozy little thing. Slightly dimmed lights, delectable selection of pastries and beverages, and coziest couches to exist. It was the epitome of peace, serenity and normality, everything that contrasted and contradicted Cypher.
Jimin had been the bold soul to speak his mind, tossing the question out very casually as the group enjoyed the freshly baked treats.
"Hyung, why do we own a cafe?"
Seokjin had very testily warned him to swallow his food before he talked, going on a long lecture about table manners. When he was done talking their ear off, he gave a wistful sigh before a very secretive smile emerged.
"I've always wanted a little bakery or restaurant you know" Seokjin had said, "food and culinary has always been my passion". And that was that. The unspoken words somehow rang loudly and clearly in their heads, imprinting a harsher reality in their heads.
Taehyung and Jiminnie hadn't asked anymore after, choosing instead to swallow the bittersweet tastes on their tongue and keeping mum. Its no secret that although the clubs were one of Cypher's main revenue source, 24/7 would always be Seokjin's favourite.
There were still a few tables when they arrived. The doorbell chiming as it signalled their entrance. The full timer on shift recognised them immediately, greeting them warmly before she waved them to the second floor.
They returned a smile as thanks before quickly sliding through the staff lounge and heading for the stairs. When Seokjin spots them, they are greeted with a whiff and a face of scrutiny.
"Did you actually bring in fast food to my cafe?" Seokjin glares, burning holes into the crumpled brown paper bag and Hoseok. Taehyung giggles, but stops immediately when narrowed eyes shifts to him.
Hoseok seems unperturbed by their leader's behaviour, rolling his eyes at the eldest as he strutted towards the red couch.
"Don't be a prick hyung" Hoseok scoffs, ever the daredevil, and sets a bag of chicken burger with onion rings on the coffee table, right stark in front of Seokjin tauntingly.
Seokjin places a hand to his chest, acting all parts offended at Hoseok's blatant disrespect. "Excuse you?" He asks with theatrical astonishment.
"Taehyung and I were so kind to bring it all the way here too" Hoseok sniffs, face clenching in dramatised agony, and nods to him "right Tae? All this unappreciated effort".
Taehyung takes his cue and nods sullenly, pulling the kicked-puppy face that he knew many were weak for and kneeling to the carpeted floor for extra effects.
Seokjin looks unimpressed.
"Well, I guess we'll take our burgers somewhere else then" Hoseok says, reaching out to grab the packet away.
Seokjin's eyes widen before he smacks Hoseok's hand away, snatching the packet back before Hoseok could make a second attempt. Taehyung has to hold back the laughter that threatens to slip from his throat.
"Rude" Seokjin scolds, sounding more like a eighty-seven year old nagging grandmother than a revered gang leader.
"You're welcome" Hoseok fakes a frown, stomping over to the exit where Taehyung was. "Toodleloo grouch, we shall bestow our presence elsewhere".
His hand is on the handle, door swinging open when Hoseok suddenly grins and halts. Taehyung can already forsee the intent before it slips from his lips.
"And since we're so rude and obviously unwelcomed, I guess we'll just save this amazing apple pie for the others then" Hoseok says, not waiting before he powerwalks out the door "let's go Taetae".
Taehyung let's out his laughter this time, turning back just enough to see the start of Seokjin's protest before he closes the door with a very enthusiastic "bye hyung!".
He knows the two of them will never hear the end of it once Seokjin returns to the main base, but still for the snickers, its all worth it.
"Alright one down, six to go" Hoseok pats a hand on his head, messing up his hairdo a little, and tosses him a grin.
"Next stop, Nevermland".
-
When they arrive, two of the rookies are watching the front door. Their dark expressions brightening when they spot them. "Hey Hobi hyung! Hey V hyung!" They greet and cheers loudly when Taehyung passes them two packs of food.
"Busy tonight?" Hoseok asks, and eyes the queue behind. Minjae nods, starry eyes as he regards his superior.
"Yeah, its pretty much flooded. We haven't had any trouble though" and Hoseok nods, giving them both an encouraging pat on the shoulder before strolling in. Taehyung gives them a "hwaiting!!" And follows after.
The bass reaches the soles of his feet before it reaches his ears and Taehyung gets blinded for awhile when a bright stream of light hits his face.
The club is packed beyond reason. Weirdly enough, especially since its a weekday, and the dancefloor is jammed with moving and sweaty bodies.
Taehyung doesn't remember there being a special event or occasion, so he is pretty confused by the sheer amount of people stuffed in the place.
They make their way towards the second floor, sliding past the human barricade and running up once they reach the stairs.
"Heyyyyyy" Namjoon drawls, walking over from verander when they bust through the door, making a grand entrance "what are you two doing here?".
Jeongguk, who was previously on the couch, gets up when he spots the many packets of food in their hands. "Burger?" He questions, doe eyes getting even wider as he makes grabby hands at them.
"Yeah sure, nice to see you guys too" Hoseok teases but passes the packets to the youngest anyways.
"You guys made a trip all the way here just to bring us food?" Namjoon asks suspiciously, taking a few of the packs away from Taehyung and relieving him of the weight, finally.
"Nah, Tae bought too many burgers so we decided to play delivery boys" Hoseok chuckled when Namjoon gave them a look of disbelief.
"Accidentally bought what, five burger meals..?" Namjoon asks incredulously. They've done much stranger stuffs, Namjoon himself being in most parts of the shenanigans, so Taehyung doesn't understand why he's looking at them weird.
"Twelve burger meals actually, and two pies" Taehyung kindly corrected, and shrugged when both Namjoon and Jeongguk shot him a confused expression.
"Right..." Namjoon agreed, apparently unwilling to pursue the matter, before he started digging through the bags.
"Try the apple pie Namjoon, you'll love it" Hoseok pushed, and the strategist went straight ahead to it, abandoning his midway attack on the beef burger.
Namjoon full on assaults the box, tearing the cover right off even though that obviously wasn't at all his intention. The pie is his first priority now, so Taehyung eyes the torn off carton as it gets carelessly thrown to the back of the room.
There's a obscene munching sound followed by very sexual moaning before Namjoon gives his more appropriate verbal approval.
"10/10 would bang". Scratch the appropriate.
Jeongguk scrunches his nose in disgust "eew hyung, gross" he complains, but apparently wasn't deterred enough to take a slice of the pie for himself.
"Good right?" Taehyung prods, stealing a slice from the box as well and letting himself indulge for all this hard errand work (barely).
Jeongguk nods heartily, feeding the last bit of it to Hoseok who had all but collapsed onto the couch.
"JB and Mark are here?" Hoseok asks, swallowing the pie before he speaks (Seokjin would've been proud) .
"Yeah the usual. Jackson is scouting for the new place though, but I think Bambam will pass by with the Got7s cells soon" Namjoon nods, having picked up his leftover burger again.
Hoseok hums, leaning lazily against the armrest and stretching his body out like a cat, somehow Jeongguk is undisturbed from his position.
"Pass the bags to them will ya?" Taehyung isn't sure who Hoseok is directing the request at, so he finds himself nodding along with the other two.
Namjoon and Jeongguk are still eating, so he makes it his responsibility to bring the rest of the packets down to the other. "Thanks Taetae" Hoseok mumbles, eyes closed and voice already laced with drowsiness.
He makes it through the crowd and back, doesn't stay long by the bar with JB before trudging back to "safety". When he returns, Jeongguk is already washing his hands and Namjoon has all but horded the other couch. The smell of grease still lingers strongly in the air conditioned room. Hoseok has a hand over his eyes, but from the breathing, its obvious to Taehyung that he's merely resting and not asleep.
When Taehyung takes his turn to cleanse himself off the oil slicking his fingers, Jeongguk apparently takes advantage and steals the spot that Taehyung was obviously eyeing for.
"Kookie get off" Taehyung whines, attempting to pull the younger off from where he had chosen to sprawl all over Hoseok.
The younger clings even tighter at that, wrapping both arms around thin waist and hiding his face between Hoseok's neck and shoulder blade. The little shit.
Jeongguk winces loudly when Taehyung sinks his teeth into Jeongguk's bicep.
"Ouch hyung!" Jeongguk cries, shrinking further back into the couch, and Taehyung smirks at him.
There's a low chuckle that shakes Jeongguk a bit, and Hoseok peeps from below his hand to look at them, amusement glinting in his eyes. "What are you guys doing?"
A hand reaches out to Taehyung and he grabs it reflexively. "I was going to sleep there hyung," he starts and sulks at Jeongguk when the younger squints his eyes at him.
Namjoon, having been silently all this while, merely sighs before waving Taehyung over to his side. Hoseok gives his hand a squeeze before Taehyung begrudgingly make his way over to the other 94-liner.
Namjoon let's out an "oof" when Taehyung throws himself down into Namjoon arms, head almost hitting the elder's chin.
"Aren't you guys supposed to be 21 and 19 years old respectively?" Namjoon wails, struggling to bring up his squashed finger from under Taehyung's weight.
"You're not very huggable, hyung" Taehyung snarks, and chomps down on Namjoon's shoulder. It ends up hurting his gum instead.
Namjoon feigns hurt, and starts blabbering about youth and no respect. "What's the difference anyway? Logically speaking, I should be nicer to lie on, bigger surface area and all".
"You're hard" Taehyung explains, and it takes awhile to realise what he had just said, the silence already sinking in to his brain before the innuendo does.
"Really?" Namjoon dares ask, patting his hand down to confirm the statement "no I'm not?".
From the other couch, Hoseok let's out a bark of laughter and Jeongguk is giving them a very judgmental look.
"Again. Eew hyung, gross".