Thread by @tictactaetertot

AU where Tae is a sells magic potions & Guk is the delivery boy who brings him his ingredients. Valentines has always been a busy time for Tae so in his rush, he trips & spills a potion all over himself.

The next day, everyone starts acting odd around him. Everyone but Guk.

Guk honestly thinks he’s going to deck someone within the next five seconds. Tae had frantically scrambled into the debatable safety of his delivery truck and confessed to spilling one of his potions all down his front a couple of days ago and Guk hadn’t thought anything of it.

That was, until this morning when he had pulled up and was forced to wrestle past a crowd of (at least) twenty revellers strong who had decided to camp outside of Tae’s shop apparently ready to sing him praises every time the older man so much as breathed in their direction.

‘Move,’ Guk hisses, kicking a man in the side and dislodging the boombox he was holding up in the air. The boombox falls to the ground and turns off with a sad sounding crackle. The man proceeds to fall over and lands on the person next to him creating a domino effect of fallen

bodies which clears a path to the front of Tae’s door.

Guk considers it to be a win.

‘This is getting ridiculous,’ Guk pants as he slams the door shut behind him. When he does, Tae jumps at the noise before whipping himself around.

‘Oh, it’s just you,’ the older man breathes, relaxing. Then, ‘wait, don’t you feel…’ the man makes an incomprehensible gesture to the air between them and Guk huffs out an impatient breath.

‘Don’t you want to…’ Tae trails off again. There is a bang from behind Guk on the shop

door, a voice shouts something along the lines of, ‘PLEASE, I HAVE A HOUSE IN THE BAHAMAS,’ and he opens it to shout, ‘PISS OFF!’ at the people outside because - honestly, the audacity.

Tae had always been popular. It was an unfortunate fact that Guk had struggled to come to

grips with in the years that he had known him, but this morning was truly something else.

He is surprised to see that his angry shout works. The crowd seems to get shocked back into awareness and then they smoothly disperse to continue with their day.

‘Oh my god,’ Tae breathes,

‘Guk, this is important. Do you feel attracted to me?’

‘What,’ Guk squeaks, heart leaping to his throat. He makes dying, panicked noise, like a cow stuck in a tree. ‘Hah. What. No. Never. Attraction? I don’t know her. Where would you get that idea?'

‘Guk,’ Tae beams, he comes forward to hold Guk’s hands in his and Guk thinks he’s going to have a stroke. ‘Guk, I think I spilled a love potion on myself. But somehow, I'm safe with you.’

‘Wdym?’ Guk asks, heart clenching. Then, he latches on to what he felt was the most important part of Tae’s sentence. ‘Wait, are you in danger? Have people /hurt/ you?’

He should’ve known that he had let boombox-man off too easily. If that man had touched Tae in any way, Guk is

going to track the man down and beat him with it.

‘No,’ Tae hurriedly says, cutting into his plans, ‘no, just everyone has been falling all over themselves. Like you saw this morning.’

‘Oh, has this been going on since the potion spill the other day?’

‘Yeah,’ Tae laughs,

ruefully using a hand to ruffle at his hair and Guk manfully resists smoothening the strands back into place when the other man is done.

‘But you don’t deal with love potions?’ Guk asks, confused. He would know. Guk had tried to subtly ask for one last year and had been

subjected to the longest lecture on free will and the dark, manipulative nature of trying to force complex emotions such as love on others.

He’d been sufficiently cowed, so to learn that Tae’s possibly stocking them now is...odd. It makes his chest twinge a little, makes him

wonder what had made Tae change his mind.

‘Well,’ Tae hedges, ‘this was for a special case.’ Guk’s chest twinges again. ‘And it wasn’t...exactly a love potion.’

‘So it wasn’t for the shop?’ Twinge.

Tae’s eyes dart to the door like he’s seriously considering making a break for

it. Outside, a second wave of admirers start to gather and it’s like the sight of them deflates him completely.

‘No,’ the older man finally admits on an exhale. ‘It wasn’t for the shop, and it’s failed anyways, so. There's that.’

A million more questions bubble to the surface, but then the light changes and Guk gets a good look at Tae’s face. He’s a little pale and he has eye bags like fresh bruises underneath both his eyes.

‘Tae,’ Guk says instead, concerned, ‘why haven’t you been sleeping?’

‘Well, it’s a little difficult when I always have to be on guard, you know?’ Tae replies and the already minimal level of humour is completely sucked out of the situation.

‘When does the potion wear off?’

‘I’m not sure,’ Tae confesses. At Guk’s incredulous look, he continues,

‘well. I didn’t make this one. Jimin made it for me.’

Jimin is another potions master from two towns over.

‘Call and ask then?’ Guk suggests, a little sardonically.

The look on Tae’s face gives him his answer before the other man even opens his mouth. ‘Oh /really/ Guk, wow.

I would’ve never thought to —’

‘Alright, alright,’ Guk folds, ‘why can’t you talk to him?’

‘Well, it seems like whatever this potion does, it affects people over the phone too? And. Uh.’ Here Tae breaks off and flushes a deep red. ‘Jimin’s got a really dirty mouth.’

Guk forcefully shoves the jealousy that rises at the thought of what Jimin could’ve said to elicit that look on Tae’s face aside and tries to concentrate on getting results. ‘I’ll talk to him then,’ he offers. At Tae’s protesting look, he continues, ‘you’re my last delivery today

anyways. So I have the time.’

Tae reluctantly agrees and then, despite Guk’s protests, proceeds to open up the shop whilst Guk goes to the back and dials Jimin’s number.

‘Thanks Guk,’ the other man says before Guk shuts the door to the back room. ‘And sorry for the trouble.'

‘Don’t be,’ Guk replies. In a strange way, he’s a little glad that this has happened. They haven’t gotten the chance to talk like this ever they both graduated, so as strange as the situation is, it’s nice. It brings him back to the days where one of them would get up to mischief

and the other would try to fish them out of it. Guk knows that they’d had to grow out of their little JeonggukandTaehyung bubble eventually, but some days he misses it fiercely.

As he lifts the phone to his ear, Tae smiles at him, like he knows.

*

‘It’s a /what/ potion?’

‘A love detector potion,’ Jimin explains after Guk had spent the first 5 mins of the call chewing him out for putting that look on Tae’s face. ‘The tome here says that it’s meant to ‘unveil your true love’, whatever that means.’

‘/Whatever that means/?’ Guk half screeches.

‘Well,’ Jimin says. Hesitant in the way that he is when he knows he’s about to get his ass whooped, ‘the writing is a little faded.’

‘You gave Tae a potion you were /unsure of/?’

‘He really wanted one, okay?’ the man over the phone defends and Guk’s stomach drops.

‘Why?’ he

whispers, trying to keep the hurt out of his voice. By the answering sound Jimin makes, he isn't successful at hiding it.

‘He’s been...lonely? I guess? Ever since — you know.’

He does know. Tae had fallen into a deep, all-encompassing love with someone who had later revealed

themselves to be the biggest wankstain the world has ever known back in high school and has never dated since. Just the thought makes Guk’s lips pull back in an involuntary snarl.

‘So,’ Jimin continues, ‘he’s been seeing all these couples coming around lately bc it’s Valentines

and he told me he got tired of being a single pringle, you know? Like, he got tired of feeling ‘unloved’, or wtv.’

‘But he’s not —’ Guk starts on reflex and then he forcefully slams his hand to his face to make his mouth shut up. Outside there is a panicked shout & a clatter.

When he peeks out the door, he sees that a customer is trying to seductively lean across Tae’s counter and Guk charges back outside on instinct.

‘You know what,’ Guk says, decision made after successfully chasing her off and concluding his conversation on the phone.

‘Close the shop today,' he says to Tae, 'Jimin says he and Namjoon are going to work on it and until they find the answer to whatever is happening. So until then, you’re coming w me.’

*

‘Hey,’ Guk whispers, carefully shaking Tae’s shoulder to wake him. When they had arrived at Guk’s flat he had taken one look at the uncharacteristic droop of Tae’s back and had herded him into bed.

Despite how Tae’s pallor has made a marked improvement in the 3 hours he had been

resting, Guk’s starting to question the wisdom of allowing the other man to borrow his sleep shirt and his bed when he’s now being attacked by the image of the elder’s messy hair and flushed skin.

The image alone would have driven a lesser man to his knees, but Guk clutches at

the fraying edges of his reasoning with a strength of will that only a life with the temptation of Tae in it could forge.

On the bed, Tae makes a grumpy noise before slowly opening one eye.

Guk’s willpower whimpers at the attack and staggers a little to the side.

‘Have you

been watching over me this entire time?’ Tae murmurs and Guk flushes, caught. ‘Keeping me safe now, huh? Where did my little Gukkie go?’

Tae’s tone is wistful, but before Guk can react, the other man swiftly switches gears. He runs his fingertips up Guk’s side. He digs them

into the spot between his ribs that only his fingers seem to be able to find and once he does, Guk almost squirms off the bed giggling.

‘There he is,’ Tae laughs and dances away when Guk moves to retaliate. They end up hopelessly tangled in the sheets. When he recovers, Tae’s

face is so, so close and Guk swallows noisily.

‘Jimin called earlier,’ Guk rasps. Tae’s breath is hot on his cheek and he closes his eyes. ‘He said he’s found a way to make this all go away.’

‘That’s great!’ Tae enthuses. He lets out a relieved breath. ‘Do I have the

ingredients for the antidote?’

‘Yeah,’ Guk replies, shaky, ‘I’m pretty certain.’

‘Why are you being so secretive?’

‘Just. Before we do this. There’s just something really important I need to make sure of.’

Guk makes a frustrated noise as he tries to gather what he wants to say together. ‘You know,’ Guk begins again, thinking of what could drive Tae trying a love potion of all things and remembering Jimin’s voice when he had said Tae has been feeling a little lonely lately. ‘Tae,

you know there’s...nothing wrong with being single, right?’

Beneath him, Tae startles a laugh. He’s pressed so close that Guk can feel every rise of his chest when he breathes. He says, ‘yeah, of course I know,’ but Guk can tell from the way he flits his eyes away, that he had

hit the nail on the head so he stays silent.

‘It’s just,’ Tae starts again, cracking first like he always does whenever they play this game, ‘it’s been years, you know? Years since —’

/Some asshole thought it would be funny to see if they could get the school witch to date

them/, Guk finishes for him in his head. He squeezes Tae tighter in his anger and Tae pats his arm and gives him a small smile.

‘It’s alright Guk. I’m over it now,’ Tae murmurs.

‘I’m not,’ Guk says, voice flat. ‘And it’s not ‘alright’, it was fvcked up and you should’ve let

me —’

He’s cut off by Tae’s laugh. Guk’s still pissed, he doesn’t think he’ll ever not be, but they’ve had this conversation over a million times, so he lets it go.

‘Anyways,’ Tae continues, teasing smile dropping from the corners of his mouth, ‘the rest of the guys are all

paired up you know? Yoongi’s having a kid in two months, you’ve got people lined up around the block desperate for a glimpse of you during your morning run and then there’s...me. Perpetually single Kim Taehyung. So I just thought,’ he sighs, ‘the potion was meant to, idk, make it

obvious if someone had their eye on me, that was all. Not cause all...this. I just wanted to know if there was someone out there who...loved /me/, you know?’

‘But people do love you,’ Guk protests. His heart hurts.

‘Yeah,’ Tae agrees, voice wet, ‘for a joke, or as a friend, but never more. I just wanted to know that there wasn’t something, idk, wrong? I guess? About me? Because no one ever picks me.’

‘What?’ Guk breathes, eyes welling up. ‘Tae. You’re not single bc there’s something /wrong/ with you.’ Then he continues, too honest by half, ‘you’re still you, whether you come with someone attached or not. And you’re perfect.’

‘I wouldn’t say perfect,’ Tae laughs, trying to

deflect.

‘I would,’ Guk insists, not letting him. ‘Tae, you’re the guy who set an alarm to make sure you remembered to check in with Hoseok bc he said he was nervous about flying that one time. You’re the guy who saw a skinny little kid get pushed over in the playground and did

something about it, even when you could’ve stayed back and laughed like everyone else.’

‘Anyone would’ve,’ Tae protests.

‘No. But that the fact that you think that they would, is another thing that is wonderful about you. You changed my life that day. I don’t know who I would

be now if you didn’t walk over and offer me your hand. So you’re perfect, okay? Bc you are kind, and you’re always trying your best to do good by ppl.’

‘So, I might be single, but at least I’m nice, right?’

‘That’s not how it works, Tae. You don’t have to ‘justify’ being

single to anyone, bc your relationship status isn’t sth that needs to be excused. Whether you’re in a relationship or not is just a footnote, okay? And I know it might get a little lonely at this time of year, so it's hard to not look at others and be like 'what about me?' and

that’s fine too. It's fine to be a little sad sometimes. But everyone moves through life at their own pace and your pace is just fine.’ When Guk is done, he heaves a breath.

He feels raw but it had also felt good to say all those things. They don't often have serious talks.

‘Okay,’ Tae breathes. His voice is shaky. ‘Yeah, Guk. You’re right.’

‘I want you to say it.’

‘I’m pretty awesome, and a relationship status has no bearing on that.’

‘Good,’ Guk approves, a little shaky himself now that he knows what’s coming up next. ‘So, about the potion..

it did work. Just not in the way that you thought it would.’

‘What are you on about? Everyone’s just wanting in on my pants, which isn’t what was supposed to happen at all. Well, everyone but you.’

‘Exactly.’

‘What?’

‘The potion makes it so everyone...suddenly falls madly

in love with you. And everyone’s acting out bc they don’t know how to keep those emotions at bay. Everyone, except for the ppl who already deal w those emotions each and every day.’

‘Guk,’ Tae trembles. ‘What are you saying?’

‘Come,’ Guk commands, detangling their bodies

and leading Tae to the balcony by the hand. It's well into the night now, so the stars are bright.

When they reach the doors, Tae digs his heels in and protests, ‘what are you doing?’

Guk's flat faces out to a busy street and so a couple of people have already caught sight of

Tae and have stopped to stare - trapped in the potion’s thrall.

‘I'm going to cure you now,’ Guk says. ‘If this works, all these people are going to go away.’

‘Yeah, but if you're wrong, you're going to start a riot.’

‘I'm not.’ He's sure, but his heart is jackrabbiting

nevertheless. He cannot believe he's finally going to do this.

Guk puts a hand to the back of Tae's neck to pull him closer & the sound of the city around them fades completely. It leaves him with the sight of Tae & the moonlight dancing in his hair. It leaves him breathless.

‘Guk,’ the older man stutters, when Guk reverently runs his nose down the curve of his cheek. Guk breathes in, smells the fresh scent of amber, light and vanilla. He thinks there must be starlight on Tae's skin.

Then, Tae tilts his head, closes his eyes. He says, ‘please.’

Guk finally moves in. The first brush of their lips feels quiet. Like the world had always been just slightly off centre and it is only just slipped back into place.

It feels right. Someone moans into it, he doesn't know who. Guk presses closer, swallows the the sound up.

Tae parts his lips and Guk licks into the space, greedy.

Then, Tae jerks & yanks himself away. ‘Oh no, oh my god, Guk I'm so sorry, I've just wanted this for so long I -’

Guk shushes him by pressing his own face into Tae's neck.

He's lips are still tingling from the remembered heat of their kiss and he never wants to forget it.

‘Are they gone?’ he asks.

‘Are who gone? Guk this is serious, we need to get to Jimin. Maybe you're not immune after all, shit I'm so-’

‘The people outside, Tae, are they gone?’

‘Who cares about them they -’ there's a pause, and Guk knows Tae's looked. ‘They are. Guk, what’s

going on? Did the potion wear off? Did you cure me? But... you don't have any magic.’

‘I didn't need any magic,’ Guk replies. He's so happy he thinks he's going to burst. He pulls back, admires the flush on Tae's skin and he is filled so much love he doesn't know what to do with

himself so he pulls Tae's hand to him instead. Guk presses his lips to the skin of the older man's palm. It is warm.

‘I didn't need any magic at all,’ he finally reveals, looking Tae in the eyes. He feels himself flush bc the fact that what he is about to say is true, doesn’t

make it any less cringe-worthy.

‘The potion effects stop after true love's kiss.’

‘Oh,’ Tae breathes and this time, he is the one who leans in first.

This kiss tastes even better than the last.

(The next one does too.)

*FIN*