"This can't be happening..." Taehyung mumbles. He hears the shit-eating grin when Jimin says, "Oh, believe it, buddy boy. It's happening."
Sixteen-year-old Kim Taehyung is in his final year of high school and has yet to get a girlfriend. He has only ever loved one thing: music. Specifically, American Rock music. He's never met another person who even acknowledges it, but he's okay with that. More for him!
That is, he's never met anyone else until he started receiving notes in his locker from a secret admirer with lyrics from various beloved songs within the genre.
(or)
Kim Taehyung is discovering that maybe he isn't as straight as he thought he was. That's not a bad thing, right?
Forelsket [forɛlskəd] {Danish}; being totally in love - an ineffable euphoria experienced when one is enamored with someone
If it was possible to marry a guitar solo, Kim Taehyung would’ve asked this one a long time ago.
Currently, he is standing on top of his bed in his Batman pajamas, striking every other note with his air guitar as the radio blares on. He hears this song all the time, even though he's never been able to catch the title. The only lyric he is able to pick up from it all is after the guitar solo when the singer says, “disappear like man was never here.” Pretty depressing lyric, but the chords are badass.
The song is near its end when he hears a brutal pounding on his door. “Taehyung-ah! You’re supposed to be ready for school by now, you time-dull mule!”
He flashes a grin at the closed door. “Sorry, eommoni!”
Taehyung rushes (2112) to get his clothes on. He ends up with a Bon Jovi, “You Give Love A Bad Name” shirt with the first pair of jeans he grabs, which happen to be the darkest he owns. “Crazy B*tch” is playing through his room as he touches up in front of his mirror. He puts on just enough eyeliner to still look natural and plays around with his grayed-lilac hair until he's satisfied with the way it looks. He grabs his usual dark leather jacket and a pair of socks before he shuts off his radio and bedroom light.
He walks into the kitchen to grab a quick breakfast when someone clears their throat behind him. He turns around to find his mom holding an umbrella. “Don’t forget this, it’s raining.”
Taehyung feels himself cringe with every part of his soul as he reaches for the umbrella. “Thanks, eomma-”
She pulls the umbrella away from him last minute and taps her cheek with her finger. He smiles at her and bends over to give her a kiss on the cheek.
“I know how much you hate the rain,” she says as she hands Taehyung his umbrella.
He doesn't try to hide his confusion, “I thought the forecast said it would be mostly sunny today?”
“Yeah, well everyone knows how unpredictable weather is.”
“If the weather is unpredictable, then why try to predict it in the first place?” He stares off into space to look like he's deep in thought.
She chuckles at Taehyung and reaches up to kiss his cheek.
“Go get ‘em, tiger,” she walks back to her room.
Taehyung grabs a banana to have on his way to school as he walks out the door with his things. He takes out his mp3 player and puts his earbuds in as he hits play on “Born For Greatness”. That’s where his playlist starts as he takes his daily 15-20 minute walk to school, umbrella held high.
~
Taehyung walks through the front doors of campus and scouts out his friends. He walks up to them, “Hey, guys-”
Just then, one of his friends lets out the highest pitched scream possible for a man. He turns around to Taehyung and slaps his arm, “Bro, the FUCK?! I TOLD you not to scare me like that!”
Taehyung giggles while holding his now sore arm, “Sorry, Hobi-hyung.”
"Hey, man, what’s up?” Another one of Taehyung's friends greets him, holding his hand up for another high-five-hand-shake-thing. He slap-grabs it, then they simultaneously pat each other’s back. “Hey, Yoongi-hyung.”
Suddenly, a pair of arms wrap around Taehyung's waist, “Don’t forget about meeeee~!”
He chuckles and pets the small boi, “No one could forget you, Chim~.”
He gasps animatedly, “How come you call Hoseok and Yoongi ‘hyung’ and not me?!”
“Because we’re the same age, remember?” Taehyung smirks.
Chim - whose real name is actually Jimin - mumbles something about Taehyung and someone else always being ungrateful.
“So, what did y’all do over the weekend?”
“Please don’t use that word ever again, Hoseok,” Yoongi rolls his eyes.
“What? ‘Y’all’?” Taehyung asks in his best western American accent. Jimin and Hoseok laugh their asses off as Yoongi stares at him in disbelief.
“Yes. That word.”
“Oh. Sorry, y’all- I mean Yoongi.”
Another chorus of laughter from Jimin and Hoseok.
“Why am I friends with you all?”
“Y’all,” Jimin corrects him.
Taehyung joins Hoseok and Jimin in laughing as Yoongi’s ears overflow with steam.
Taehyung finds himself at his locker, only now noticing they've been mindlessly walking around the campus. He decides to stop at his locker. Everyone else stops around Taehyung to let him put his stuff away. Jimin, Yoongi, and Hoseok are talking about whatever they talk about when, as Taehyung opens his locker, a tiny slip of paper falls out. He bends over and picks it up, noticing there’s something written on it.
I don’t know if you feel the same as I do, But we could be together if you wanted to
He reads the note again, slightly dumbfounded. Arctic Monkeys? Nah, it must be a coincidence of some sort. Sure, it’s not hard to notice Taehyung likes American rock music, but as far as he knows, he's the only one who does. He doesn't even own anything Arctic Monkeys. He tries slipping the paper into his back pocket-
“Yo, Tae, whatchu got there?!” Hoseok asks as he takes the paper from Taehyung, showing it to his other two friends as well.
“Dude, what the fuck? You got some secret admirer or something?” Yoongi asks.
“I guess,” Taehyung shrugs. His friends don’t seem to like that answer.
“You guess?! Dude, there might be some totally hot chick playing hard to get and you shrug it off like it’s nothing?” Jimin rants, wide-eyed.
He shrugs again, “Guess I’m just not looking for a relationship right now.”
Now his friends are absolutely floored. “Bruh, you’re a third year in high school. If you don’t get in a relationship now, I don’t think you ever will,” Hoseok says, the other two nodding in agreement.
“Whatever,” Taehyung says as he snatches his note back. “It’s not yours to worry about.” He pockets the note successfully this time and piles his stuff in his locker. Taehyung makes his own way to his first class, replaying the note in his head five times over. Another thought pops into his head as he thinks.
Dude, there might be some totally hot chick playing hard to get…
...there might be some hot chick…
...hot chick…
Taehyung's not sure if that’s what he wants.
Incipient [inˈsipēənt]; just beginning to exist or appear
As Taehyung's sitting at his friends’ usual spot for lunch, he looks over the note from earlier. He doesn't recognize the handwriting, so he can’t figure it out from there. He decides to put the note away just as his friends walk up to their table.
“Hey, guys,” He greets them as they sit down.
“Yo, bro, you doing alright? You kinda look like you’re plotting murder,” Hoseok says.
He gives him a reassuring smile, “I’m fine, hyung. Just thinking.”
“About murder?” Jimin asks, trying to hide a smile. Taehyung lightly shoves Jimin with his shoulder.
“No, not about murder,” Taehyung says. “Just about the note from this morning.”
“I thought you said you didn’t care about that?” Yoongi asks, only half interested.
“I never said I didn’t care about the note. I just said I wasn’t looking for a relationship.” He sips his drink.
“Still, the girl’s definitely looking for one,” Hoseok makes a point.
What if it isn’t a girl? Taehyung almost catches himself saying. He bites his tongue and shrugs instead.
“It’s just,” Taehyung starts, “I can’t help but think about how similar it is to a song by one of the bands I listen to.”
Hoseok and Jimin snicker. “Well, someone’s been doing their research,” says the latter.
“Or,” Yoongi adds, "maybe she already likes American rock.”
“Or maybe she’s a stalker,” Hoseok says, laughing. Jimin laughs too and looks to see if Yoongi’s laughing along.
Taehyung shakes his head. “When was the last time you’ve seen me in an Arctic Monkeys shirt?”
The three stare off in thought. “Okay, you’ve got a point there,” Jimin said. “I know someone who has one, but it’s not a girl,” he takes a bite from his food.
Taehyung just about chokes. He has a coughing fit then slams the table. “WHAT?! You mean to tell me that you knew someone all along that likes the same kind of music I do and you never told me?”
“Well I was gonna do it later, but it’s kinda hard considering how shy the kid is. Sorry.” He says in a monotone.
“Kid?” Yoongi repeats. “Wait, you know someone that’s younger than you and Taehyung?”
Jimin nods. To that, Taehyung gets surprised. “Really? That never happens,” he says.
Yoongi scrunches up his face, “Don’t talk with your mouth full, please.”
“Oh, sorry,” Taehyung says before swallowing food he didn’t know was there. “But anyway, we're usually the youngest.”
“Out of what, all the people that you know?” Yoongi asks, gesturing to him and the other two friends.
“Guess you’re right,” Taehyung shrugs. “Do we have anything else to talk about?" he asks, suddenly uninterested.
Then the day rolls on.
~
Taehyung stares up at the ceiling in the dark. Sleep never comes easy to him. He usually just thinks until he blacks out. It’s usually about whatever stupid thing he talked about or wants to talk about, but this time it’s about Jimin’s unnamed friend. He can’t help but find it hard to believe that there’s someone else besides himself at his school that likes American music. He's always sort-of gotten called out for being the “cracker lover”, but it never bothered him. He knows that everyone has something that separates them from everyone else. Taehyung's just happens to be his music taste.
Although he'll admit, he'd be lying if he said he didn’t wish for someone to talk about music with.
That’s the last thought Taehyung has before sleep sweeps him in.
~
The walk to school this morning was disgusting.
Since it rained all day yesterday, everything was still damp and muddy, and there were dead worms everywhere. Needless to say, Taehyung was grateful for the mat placed at the front of the school.
Taehyung talked to his friends per usual, leaving only to put his stuff in his locker. It’s probably a surprise only to Taehyung, but another note falls from his locker. He picks it up from the ground.
I gotta take a little time, a little time to think things over I better read between the lines, in case I need it when I’m older
Okay, now Taehyung's a little reluctant about his coincidence theory. Those are definitely Foreigner lyrics. He smiles at that thought as he pockets the note, finding the one from yesterday too. Maybe Taehyung should put them in a better spot? He thinks this as he heads over to his first class.
As Taehyung's walking, he brushes someone’s shoulder. He turns his head to throw out a quick “sorry”, but all he sees is a blur of black hair turning the corner behind him. Taehyung shrugs and continues on his way.
Because what’s the use of dwelling over someone if you’re never gonna cross paths again?
Taehyung lets a song get stuck in his head as he sits in his seat.
I wanna know what love is...
Excogitate [eksˈkäjəˌtāt]; 1 to think out; devise; invent 2 to study intently and carefully in order to group or comprehend fully
It’s 10:30 at night when Taehyung decides to grab his phone for music purposes. He plays some AC🗲DC with earbuds plugged in. Suddenly, he gets a text from a new group chat.
SMOL BEAN: What’s up, fuckers?
gramps-_-: you woke me up
SMOL BEAN: I DON’T GIVE TWO FLYING SHITS I wanted some social interaction juices
gramps-_-: sometimes I feel like I’m the only sane person on this planet
SMOL BEAN: Why? :/
Brotato Chip: I’M YOUR HOPE
gramps-_-: that’s why
At this point, Taehyung decides to chime in with an entrance only friends would understand.
Green Tae: wut wut in da butt
He's guessing he shocked them into silence.
He scrolls through social media to wait it out. Not too long later, there’s a text from the chat that leaves Taehyung in shocked silence.
UNKNOWN NUMBER: Um… who is this?
They're not alone.
UNKNOWN NUMBER: Oh, come on, Namjoon! You should know Jimin by now, for Christ sake
There are two of them.
UNKNOWN NUMBER: Yah, I’m not that dumb! I don’t know who the other three are.
UNKNOWN NUMBER: Obviously, they’re the friends he was talking about introducing to us. If you paid attention to anything but your phone for a second, you would know that.
UNKNOWN NUMBER: You’re one to talk! What about the times we’ve gone on a date and you’re too busy gushing over some boy band in Japan?
UNKNOWN NUMBER: Unnecessary and not the point. God, is this really how you want your first impression to be like?
UNKNOWN NUMBER: Sorry, hyung.
gramps-_-: You two argue like a married couple
Taehyung has to hold himself from laughing out loud.
Green Tae: OML HYUNG WHY XD
gramps-_-: because
SMOL BEAN: I applaud you, good sir, for pointing out the obvious
UNKNOWN NUMBER: Yes, we do plan on getting married after graduation, right Joonie?
SMOL BEAN: I think you killed Namjoon hyung
gramps-_-: Namjoon?
UNKNOWN NUMBER: Do I know you?
gramps-_-: Underground?
UNKNOWN NUMBER: Yoongi hyung?
SMOL BEAN: OH SHIT!!
At this point, Taehyung saves the name he's able to pick up into his phone.
Namjoon Hyung: I didn’t know you went to the same school as me.
gramps-_-: Likewise
Brotato Chip: Holy shit, Yoongi hyung was social?
gramps-_-: Fuck off, Hoseok
UNKNOWN NUMBER: WATCH YOUR FUCKING LANGUAGE, CHILDREN
gramps-_-: And I’m guessing you’re the long-awaited boyfriend?
UNKNOWN NUMBER: AWWWWWW, you talk about me, Namjoonie?
Namjoon Hyung: Of course, babe.
UNKNOWN NUMBER: THAT’S HYUNG TO YOU
Namjoon Hyung: Love you, too…
Taehyung still couldn’t believe his eyes.
Green Tae: Wait… two guys dating at Seoul City High School is a thing?!
UNKNOWN NUMBER: You mean not everyone knows?
Namjoon Hyung: …
Green Tae: Jiminiiieee, why didn’t you tell meeee??
SMOL BEAN: THAT’S HYUNG TO YOU
UNKNOWN NUMBER: Awww, another small child?! I only know of one other person that’s younger than Jimin
Brotato Chip: Don’t let the small one fool you, he's the same age and sounds like he hit puberty twice
UNKNOWN NUMBER: 0.0 shit
gramps-_-: he also has the mentality of a five-year-old
Green Tae: Come on, hyung, give me SOME credit
Green Tae: Mentally, I’m 3 years old ;3
SMOL BEAN: That sounds about right
Namjoon Hyung: Sooo… who are you people?
Brotato Chip: I’M YOUR HOPE
gramps-_-: that’s Hoseok
gramps-_-: I’m assuming you know who I am
Green Tae: and I’m Taehyung
Namjoon Hyung: Nice to meet you all. My name is Namjoon.
UNKNOWN NUMBER: I’m Seokjin
FINALLY, A NAME!
Green Tae: Nice to meet chuuus ^.^
Brotato Chip: The fuck happened?
gramps-_-: who are you and what have you done with Taehyung?
SMOL BEAN: No need for first impressions, Tae. The other half already got theirs in the bag -_-
Seokjin Hyung: Everyone’s glaring at YOU, Namjoon!
Namjoon Hyung: I’m not the only one at fault, here…
gramps-_-: well, kids, it’s getting a little too late for my taste, so I’m going to sleep
Seokjin Hyung: EXCUSE ME I AM YOUR HYUNG YOU DO NOT CALL ME A KID
gramps-_-: I was counting mental ages. You’re all a bunch of preschoolers.
SMOL BEAN: Luv u, hyung!
gramps-_-: Ew, what the fuck, Jimin?
Brotato Chip: HOLY SHIT IT’S 3 TILL MIDNIGHT
Green Tae: Panic
Seokjin Hyung: HOLY SHIT
SMOL BEAN: HOLY SHIT
Green Tae: at the Disco :3
Namjoon Hyung: What?
Green Tae: Band name
Seokjin hyung: That’s not any group I’ve ever heard of
Green Tae: No, like an American rock band :/
Two minutes and no response.
Fuck.
Wait, Taehyung just got a text.
Seokjin Hyung: OMG YOU’RE THE ONE!!!
Namjoon Hyung: Hyung, don’t!
Green Tae: Um…?
SMOL BEAN: Don’t
SMOL BEAN: Say
SMOL BEAN: A word
gramps-_-: A word
Brotato Chip: Didn’t you go to bed?
Seokjin Hyung: Aren’t you kids supposed to be going to bed? It’s past your curfew
SMOL BEAN: Sorry, eomma ;3
Namjoon Hyung: I was just gonna go, anyway
Brotato Chip: GOODNIGHT!!!
Green Tae: Night, hyungs
That is when Taehyung closes his phone for sleep.
When he wakes up in the morning, he goes through their messages again and smiles. Just then, a new text enters.
UNKNOWN NUMBER: And you all say I’m obnoxious
~
Taehyung's sitting at lunch with his friends while he holds today’s note.
I hate to look into those eyes
And see an ounce of pain
Guns N’ Roses this time. The song is a classic, too. This definitely is not a coincidence. He puts his note away in awe as he picks up on the conversation happening.
“OH MY GOD, IT’S JIMINIE!!”
Whatever peace they had crumbles as a wide-shouldered man ambushes Jimin in a back hug. Jimin is laughing while the rest of them exchange confused looks.
“Namjoon, look, it’s Jimin!”
“Why can’t you just bring him over here, hyung? This kid doesn’t wanna budge.”
Everything makes sense now as we hear the conversation being shouted across the cafeteria.
“S...Seokjin hyung?” Taehyung hesitates a not-so-wild guess. Seokjin suddenly seems aware of the other people at the table as he takes them in one by one.
“Oh, I forgot Jimin had friends,” he deadpans. Jimin gets a look of mock-offense as he turns to face Seokjin. “Aren’t you one of my friends?”
“Nah, I’m your mother. I would never choose you,” Seokjin claps Jimin’s shoulder (kinda hard) a couple of times.
“Wanna go over to our table? It’s where all the cool kids hang,” Seokjin asks with a smile.
“Can they come, too?” Jimin asks, looking at his other friends. “Duh, I wasn’t just asking you, brat,” Seokjin rolls his eyes as he pulls Jimin up to stand.
“Come on, your legs aren’t gonna move themselves,” he says over his shoulder as he’s already walking away.
“Hyung, wait!” Jimin chases after Seokjin. Yoongi, Hoseok, and Taehyung reluctantly follow. Taehyung gets placed in the back of the conga line by the time they reach the new table.
“Guys, this is Namjoon,” Seokjin says, gesturing to a man who looks handsome but too awkward for his own good. He raises his hand and lets out a sheepish 'hello'.
“And this-” Seokjin gestures to nothing before realizing there was no one. “Wha… Jimin, where’d the brat go?!”
Jimin looks around the cafeteria before his eyes land on their target. “Found him,” he says before he dashes off. Not too long later, he comes back with a flailing, black-haired kid towed behind him. He only gets him to shut up after mumbling something in his ear, which makes the kid look at Taehyung and blush in embarrassment. He then follows obediently (and shyly) to where they are.
“And THIS,” Seokjin says, putting his hand on the kid’s shoulders, “is Jeongguk.”
The kid - who is apparently Jeongguk - seems to look at Taehyung expectantly. Jimin clears his throat.
“Well,” he starts, “that’s Yoongi… that’s Hoseok…”
Taehyung chimes in (with a haven’t you people ever heard of), “And I’m Taeh-”
Namjoon suddenly seems like he’s about to fall down a canyon backward before Seokjin barely catches him. He puts a hand on his chest, wide-eyed.
“Jesus Christ, kid, you sound like the incarnation of puberty and testosterone!”
Jimin, Hoseok, Yoongi, and Taehyung start laughing then, soon followed by Seokjin. Namjoon and Jeongguk just stare at them in confusion. As Taehyung calms down enough to say something to Namjoon, he notices something he probably should have noticed earlier.
Jeongguk’s wearing a Metallica shirt.
Ad Hoc [ˌad ˈhäk]; formed, arranged, or done for a particular purpose only
Taehyung stares at Jeongguk’s shirt, completely dumbfounded.
He looks at Jeongguk's Metallica, then looks down at his own AC🗲DC, then to Jeongguk's Metallica, then at his own AC🗲DC. He points to Jeongguk's shirt, grabs at his own, then looks up at Jeongguk's face. Jeongguk looks as, if not more confused than Taehyung is. Hell, he even looks a little scared. Taehyung doesn't even notice his mouth is open until he closes it. They both kinda stare at each other, the conversation around them a blur. It isn’t until they see a hand wave in their view when they remember to blink. They both look sharply at the source of the hand.
“Finally,” Hoseok says. “Welcome back to Earth, you two.” He smirks at both their faces. “I see you enjoyed your trip.”
Taehyung shoves his shoulder roughly, “Dude, fuck off!” Hoseok chuckles while shaking his head.
“Well then, it looks like you two have a lot to talk about-”
“nOPE NOPE THERE’S NOTHING TO TALK ABOUT WE’RE FINEpleasedon’tleavemealone,” Jeongguk suddenly freaks out, clinging onto Jimin’s arm for dear life. Taehyung and his friends stare at him in shock, while Jimin, Seokjin, and Namjoon roll their eyes.
“Jesus Christ, Guk, he doesn’t bite! Besides, it’s good for you to socialize like a normal human.”
“B-but..” Jeongguk looks around frantically, “I have friends already! Hyung, please don’t-”
“Oh no, too late, I’m already walking away,” Jimin deadpans as he frees his arm and leaves, followed by everyone else. Jeongguk and Taehyung look everywhere but at each other, not sure how to go about this.
“So,” Taehyung says, trying to start something, “Metallica, huh?”
Jeongguk looks at him and nods, then nods to Taehyung's shirt. “AC DC?”
Taehyung fakes a gasp of offense, “You obviously don’t know them well enough if you pronounce it so wrong! It’s AC lightning bolt DC. Only true intellectuals know this,” Taehyung pushes up imaginary glasses on the last sentence, eyes closed. Jeongguk snorts, and when Taehyung opens his eyes, Jeongguk's smiling.
That’s when he actually starts to notice what Jeongguk looks like.
He has these big doe eyes that seem to compliment his bunny-like smile. His matte black hair curls inward on his forehead, allowing some of his golden skin to peek through. Taehyung wanted to stare for longer, but he also wanted to not make things awkward. “You listen to any other bands?” he finds himself asking.
Jeongguk smiles wider, “Of course,” he answers smoothly. Yet, as soon as he opens his mouth again, the bell rings around them, signaling lunch to be over.
“Well, darn,” Taehyung says, looking at the big clock. “I guess we’ll talk more soon?” He turns back to Jeongguk's direction, only to find him gone. Taehyung looks around the room and catches him padding his way through, disappearing in the crowd. Taehyung can’t help but chuckle and shake his head. Cute he thinks to himself, heading his own direction. It isn’t until he's laying in bed, halfway to sleep, when his eyes shoot open and he rolls over to his back, staring at the ceiling.
It’s 10:30 at night when Taehyung decides to grab his phone for music purposes. He plays some AC🗲DC with earbuds plugged in. Suddenly, he gets a text from a new group chat.
SMOL BEAN: What’s up, fuckers?
gramps-_-: you woke me up
SMOL BEAN: I DON’T GIVE TWO FLYING SHITS I wanted some social interaction juices
gramps-_-: sometimes I feel like I’m the only sane person on this planet
SMOL BEAN: Why? :/
Brotato Chip: I’M YOUR HOPE
gramps-_-: that’s why
At this point, Taehyung decides to chime in with an entrance only friends would understand.
Green Tae: wut wut in da butt
He's guessing he shocked them into silence.
He scrolls through social media to wait it out. Not too long later, there’s a text from the chat that leaves Taehyung in shocked silence.
UNKNOWN NUMBER: Um… who is this?
They're not alone.
UNKNOWN NUMBER: Oh, come on, Namjoon! You should know Jimin by now, for Christ sake
There are two of them.
UNKNOWN NUMBER: Yah, I’m not that dumb! I don’t know who the other three are.
UNKNOWN NUMBER: Obviously, they’re the friends he was talking about introducing to us. If you paid attention to anything but your phone for a second, you would know that.
UNKNOWN NUMBER: You’re one to talk! What about the times we’ve gone on a date and you’re too busy gushing over some boy band in Japan?
UNKNOWN NUMBER: Unnecessary and not the point. God, is this really how you want your first impression to be like?
UNKNOWN NUMBER: Sorry, hyung.
gramps-_-: You two argue like a married couple
Taehyung has to hold himself from laughing out loud.
Green Tae: OML HYUNG WHY XD
gramps-_-: because
SMOL BEAN: I applaud you, good sir, for pointing out the obvious
UNKNOWN NUMBER: Yes, we do plan on getting married after graduation, right Joonie?
SMOL BEAN: I think you killed Namjoon hyung
gramps-_-: Namjoon?
UNKNOWN NUMBER: Do I know you?
gramps-_-: Underground?
UNKNOWN NUMBER: Yoongi hyung?
SMOL BEAN: OH SHIT!!
At this point, Taehyung saves the name he's able to pick up into his phone.
Namjoon Hyung: I didn’t know you went to the same school as me.
gramps-_-: Likewise
Brotato Chip: Holy shit, Yoongi hyung was social?
gramps-_-: Fuck off, Hoseok
UNKNOWN NUMBER: WATCH YOUR FUCKING LANGUAGE, CHILDREN
gramps-_-: And I’m guessing you’re the long-awaited boyfriend?
UNKNOWN NUMBER: AWWWWWW, you talk about me, Namjoonie?
Namjoon Hyung: Of course, babe.
UNKNOWN NUMBER: THAT’S HYUNG TO YOU
Namjoon Hyung: Love you, too…
Taehyung still couldn’t believe his eyes.
Green Tae: Wait… two guys dating at Seoul City High School is a thing?!
UNKNOWN NUMBER: You mean not everyone knows?
Namjoon Hyung: …
Green Tae: Jiminiiieee, why didn’t you tell meeee??
SMOL BEAN: THAT’S HYUNG TO YOU
UNKNOWN NUMBER: Awww, another small child?! I only know of one other person that’s younger than Jimin
Brotato Chip: Don’t let the small one fool you, he's the same age and sounds like he hit puberty twice
UNKNOWN NUMBER: 0.0 shit
gramps-_-: he also has the mentality of a five-year-old
Green Tae: Come on, hyung, give me SOME credit
Green Tae: Mentally, I’m 3 years old ;3
SMOL BEAN: That sounds about right
Namjoon Hyung: Sooo… who are you people?
Brotato Chip: I’M YOUR HOPE
gramps-_-: that’s Hoseok
gramps-_-: I’m assuming you know who I am
Green Tae: and I’m Taehyung
Namjoon Hyung: Nice to meet you all. My name is Namjoon.
UNKNOWN NUMBER: I’m Seokjin
FINALLY, A NAME!
Green Tae: Nice to meet chuuus ^.^
Brotato Chip: The fuck happened?
gramps-_-: who are you and what have you done with Taehyung?
SMOL BEAN: No need for first impressions, Tae. The other half already got theirs in the bag -_-
Seokjin Hyung: Everyone’s glaring at YOU, Namjoon!
Namjoon Hyung: I’m not the only one at fault, here…
gramps-_-: well, kids, it’s getting a little too late for my taste, so I’m going to sleep
Seokjin Hyung: EXCUSE ME I AM YOUR HYUNG YOU DO NOT CALL ME A KID
gramps-_-: I was counting mental ages. You’re all a bunch of preschoolers.
SMOL BEAN: Luv u, hyung!
gramps-_-: Ew, what the fuck, Jimin?
Brotato Chip: HOLY SHIT IT’S 3 TILL MIDNIGHT
Green Tae: Panic
Seokjin Hyung: HOLY SHIT
SMOL BEAN: HOLY SHIT
Green Tae: at the Disco :3
Namjoon Hyung: What?
Green Tae: Band name
Seokjin hyung: That’s not any group I’ve ever heard of
Green Tae: No, like an American rock band :/
Two minutes and no response.
Fuck.
Wait, Taehyung just got a text.
Seokjin Hyung: OMG YOU’RE THE ONE!!!
Namjoon Hyung: Hyung, don’t!
Green Tae: Um…?
SMOL BEAN: Don’t
SMOL BEAN: Say
SMOL BEAN: A word
gramps-_-: A word
Brotato Chip: Didn’t you go to bed?
Seokjin Hyung: Aren’t you kids supposed to be going to bed? It’s past your curfew
SMOL BEAN: Sorry, eomma ;3
Namjoon Hyung: I was just gonna go, anyway
Brotato Chip: GOODNIGHT!!!
Green Tae: Night, hyungs
That is when Taehyung closes his phone for sleep.
When he wakes up in the morning, he goes through their messages again and smiles. Just then, a new text enters.
UNKNOWN NUMBER: And you all say I’m obnoxious
~
Taehyung's sitting at lunch with his friends while he holds today’s note.
I hate to look into those eyes
And see an ounce of pain
Guns N’ Roses this time. The song is a classic, too. This definitely is not a coincidence. He puts his note away in awe as he picks up on the conversation happening.
“OH MY GOD, IT’S JIMINIE!!”
Whatever peace they had crumbles as a wide-shouldered man ambushes Jimin in a back hug. Jimin is laughing while the rest of them exchange confused looks.
“Namjoon, look, it’s Jimin!”
“Why can’t you just bring him over here, hyung? This kid doesn’t wanna budge.”
Everything makes sense now as we hear the conversation being shouted across the cafeteria.
“S...Seokjin hyung?” Taehyung hesitates a not-so-wild guess. Seokjin suddenly seems aware of the other people at the table as he takes them in one by one.
“Oh, I forgot Jimin had friends,” he deadpans. Jimin gets a look of mock-offense as he turns to face Seokjin. “Aren’t you one of my friends?”
“Nah, I’m your mother. I would never choose you,” Seokjin claps Jimin’s shoulder (kinda hard) a couple of times.
“Wanna go over to our table? It’s where all the cool kids hang,” Seokjin asks with a smile.
“Can they come, too?” Jimin asks, looking at his other friends. “Duh, I wasn’t just asking you, brat,” Seokjin rolls his eyes as he pulls Jimin up to stand.
“Come on, your legs aren’t gonna move themselves,” he says over his shoulder as he’s already walking away.
“Hyung, wait!” Jimin chases after Seokjin. Yoongi, Hoseok, and Taehyung reluctantly follow. Taehyung gets placed in the back of the conga line by the time they reach the new table.
“Guys, this is Namjoon,” Seokjin says, gesturing to a man who looks handsome but too awkward for his own good. He raises his hand and lets out a sheepish 'hello'.
“And this-” Seokjin gestures to nothing before realizing there was no one. “Wha… Jimin, where’d the brat go?!”
Jimin looks around the cafeteria before his eyes land on their target. “Found him,” he says before he dashes off. Not too long later, he comes back with a flailing, black-haired kid towed behind him. He only gets him to shut up after mumbling something in his ear, which makes the kid look at Taehyung and blush in embarrassment. He then follows obediently (and shyly) to where they are.
“And THIS,” Seokjin says, putting his hand on the kid’s shoulders, “is Jeongguk.”
The kid - who is apparently Jeongguk - seems to look at Taehyung expectantly. Jimin clears his throat.
“Well,” he starts, “that’s Yoongi… that’s Hoseok…”
Taehyung chimes in (with a haven’t you people ever heard of), “And I’m Taeh-”
Namjoon suddenly seems like he’s about to fall down a canyon backward before Seokjin barely catches him. He puts a hand on his chest, wide-eyed.
“Jesus Christ, kid, you sound like the incarnation of puberty and testosterone!”
Jimin, Hoseok, Yoongi, and Taehyung start laughing then, soon followed by Seokjin. Namjoon and Jeongguk just stare at them in confusion. As Taehyung calms down enough to say something to Namjoon, he notices something he probably should have noticed earlier.
Jeongguk’s wearing a Metallica shirt.
Ad Hoc [ˌad ˈhäk]; formed, arranged, or done for a particular purpose only
That night, Taehyung wastes most of his hours thinking back to his encounter with Jeongguk. It felt nice to try and make a new friend, and he'd really like to try and talk to him again. Especially since he's never met another person who listens to his same taste in music. Maybe, someday in the future, they can plan days where they just get lost in music together. Yeah, that would be nice. There’s just one problem, though.
Why can’t he stop thinking of him as cute??
It’s very obvious that he's not a girl, so then why? He wonders if there’s even a term for it. That’s when his brain makes the obvious epiphany that of course, there’s a term for it. Guys liking other guys are called ‘gay’. He knew that.
He looks at the time to see that it’s almost 3 am. He's thought about texting Jimin about the matter, but considering everyone is more than sure that Taehyung's straight, he decides against the idea. He knows that Jimin says he can trust him with anything, but Taehyung doesn't want to be telling someone about who he is when he's not even sure what he is. It’s better for Taehyung to figure something like this out on his own.
That’s one of the last thoughts Taehyung has before letting the need for sleep take over. It's only one of the last, because the actual last thought Taehyung has is Jeongguk’s smile, and what his laugh might sound like.
~
The next morning, Taehyung heads to his locker alone. He's still having some of last night’s thoughts in his head, and he wants to get rid of those before someone notices or something. As his mind is searching for how he could cheer himself up, a tiny slip of paper falls out of his locker when he opens it. He grabs at it three times before catching it.
So close no matter how far Couldn’t be much more from the heart
Forever trusting who we are Nothing else matters
He guesses he didn’t need to look that far.
Taehyung finds himself smiling down at the note. He'd be lying if he said he wasn’t looking forward to another one of these notes. He wasn’t sure if this was going to turn into a normal thing or if it was only going to last for a week. Either way, Taehyung's grateful for these small words of affection. He's still smiling like a goofball as he shuts his locker, making his way to his classroom and staring at the note.
Taehyung guesses he should’ve been paying more attention to where he was going because before he knew it, he runs into someone.
“Yah, watch where you’re-... Taehyung?”
He finally looks up to see who he bumped into. “Seokjin hyung?”
“Well well, fancy seeing you here,” he quirks an eyebrow. “What’s with that smile on your face?” Before Taehyung could answer, Seokjin's already reading the note he got, then he smirks.
“Ah, young love,” he says simply, patting both of Taehyung's shoulders before walking away. Taehyung turns to him, “Hey, hyung?”
He stops and looks back at Taehyung, “Yes?”
“Do you happen to know who this is?”
He smirks again, “If I did, I wouldn’t want to tell you,” he says before walking out of sight. Taehyung shrugs and continues on his way, smiling away again. He starts humming along to Nothing Else Matters as he sits in his chair and takes out his stuff. He can’t help but think, though.
Didn’t Jeongguk wear a Metallica shirt yesterday?
~
It’s been a month or two, and Taehyung can honestly say that he's fucked.
He's found a place to keep all his notes, and they’ve just been constantly coming every school day. They’ve started to become Taehyung's favorite part of the day, and he can’t wait to meet the person who is leaving them.
And then there’s Jeongguk.
Ever since Jimin introduced his two friend groups, they've all merged into one big cult. They're all perfectly chaotic together and they all equally enjoy terrorizing the people around them and spewing random thoughts at three am. Now that Taehyung thinks about it, he thinks that last part is just him. Everyone else just yells at him to go back to sleep and leave everyone else to their peace and quiet. They all love him, though, so it’s alright.
And then there’s Jeongguk.
After their first awkward encounter, they've been talking more often to each other and it’s been great. They've even hung out with each other by themselves outside of school, sharing songs with each other that they thought the other might’ve not heard of before. Taehyung thinks that anyone who looks at them can say they're close. There’s just one tiny problem…
Let’s just say that Taehyung definitely likes boys.
It’s not like he knows if he's bi or if he's full-on gay, but he for sure likes boys. Especially one in particular. With an adorable bunny smile. And black hair. And some very nice muscles.
Yeah, he definitely has a crush on Jeongguk.
It’s definitely not a bad thing, but it’s not the best thing, either. You see, Taehyung still hasn't been able to talk to Jimin about it, so he's the only one who knows what’s up. He's been thinking about different ways to bring it up, but it’s not like Jimin's ever by himself these days.
Except for right now, that is.
Right now, Taehyung and Jimin are both over at Jimin's house, scrolling through whatever on their phones. Taehyunf looks up at Jimin and tries to think about what different ways he could lightly bring this up.
“I think I like Jeongguk.”
Or that works, too.
Jimin drops his phone and jumps, staring at Taehyung with an expression he's never seen before, “You… you what?”
Taehyung sighs and looks down at his lap, “It’s just been recently… like a week or two ago. Or a month. Or however long we’ve known each other. Look, you can’t talk to anyone else about this, because this is pretty much the first time I’ve actually liked someone, and the fact that it’s on a guy kinda scares me-”
“Tae, it’s fine,” Jimin says, touching Taehyung's arm. He looks up at Jimin, “I said you could tell me anything for a reason. If something is troubling you that you don’t want a single soul knowing about, just say it. I’ll always be here for you no matter what, bro.”
Taehyung stares into his eyes then takes a deep breath. “Jimin,” Taehyung starts. “Something is troubling me that I don’t want a single soul knowing about.”
Jimin laughs softly, “And that something is you liking Jeongguk, right?”
Taehyung nods. “Also adding the fact that literally everyone ever thinks that I’m one hundred percent straight at the moment.”
It’s Jimin’s turn to nod. “I understand that. You have my word that your secret is safe with me,” He smiles like he’s repeating his words through his actions. Taehyung smiles back at him, hoping Jimin can read his ‘thank you.’
“Although, I’ve gotta be honest.”
Taehyung quirks an eyebrow as Jimin smirks.
“I’m not really all that surprised.”
Admissible [ədˈmisəb(ə)l]; that can be accepted or admitted
I’ll be there for you These five words I swear to you
When you breath I want to be the air for you
Taehyung reads the words in tune. He loves himself a good Bon Jovi. He pockets the note and continues on his way. As he walks into class and takes a seat, he quickly scrolls through his social media apps. He's about to swipe past a recommended profile when the word 'anonymous' stops him. It’s a profile called GCP, finding out later by reading their description that it stands for Golden Closet Photography. It looks like an ordinary photography profile until Taehyung reads back to what caught his attention.
I will also answer any anonymous questions or give advice on anything you need in my DM box ❣
Taehyung considers this offer for a good minute. However, in a frantic decision caused by the teacher walking into class, he clicks 'follow'.
~
Taehyung sighs into the emptiness of his room from where he lays on his bed, facing the ceiling. He stays silent for a couple of seconds, before letting out a slightly exaggerated sigh. A couple of more seconds later, and he lets out an over-exaggerated sigh. He sits up, “I’m bored!” He exasperates towards his wall. An idea pops into his head, and before he can judge if it’s a good or bad one, he's acting on it.
TO: Jeonggukie~
You free anytime soon?
He waits a couple of seconds before putting his phone to sleep. He sets it down when he gets a notification, immediately picking it back up.
Jeonggukie~
I’m free now if you want?
Taehyung smiles.
TO: Jeonggukie~
That’d be perfect! Your place, or mine like usual?
Jeonggukie~
Yours
TO: Jeonggukie~
Alright! See you then~
Jeonggukie~
See ya
Taehyung giggles a little to himself as he sets his phone down, ready to tidy up his room. His eyes glaze over the last note he had received. He gasps and moves quickly. He reaches his hand under his bed and pulls out a spiral notebook. The store's stickers and price tag are still on the cover, making it look brand new. Taehyung opens it and turns about fifteen pages or so before finding the next open spot. He takes some tape and attaches the lyrics on a page, being shared by five or more others. When he's done, he kisses the note before closing the book and shoving it lightly back into its place. That’s when Taehyung hears a knock at the door. His heart flutters a little as he approaches the door a little too eagerly. As he haphazardly fixes his hair, he tries to think of a cool-yet-funny saying. He comes up with about four and decides to try the first one that pops in his head as he opens the door.
“Well well well, if it isn’t fancy meeting what the cat finally decided to show up.”
Jeongguk stares at Taehyung with wide eyes, “Um...hi?”
Taehyung tries to cover up his embarrassment as he giggles and steps aside to let Jeongguk in. Way to go, jackass he thinks to himself with a smile to Jeongguk.
Taehyung watches him kick off his shoes, already heading towards Taehyung's room. “So, what’s on the playlist today, Gukkie?” he asks when he catches up, walking in step side-by-side. Jeongguk makes a noise as if he was thinking. “Dunno,” He shrugs. “You could pick something this time if you want?”
Taehyung starts thinking about it, “You sure? I don’t wanna throw you into something you’ve never listened to before.” Jeongguk shrugs, “I’m sure it’ll be fine. It’s not like you’ve heard everything I’ve played before, either.”
But I have Taehyung almost catches himself saying. “You’d be surprised,” he decides to say instead. He grins at Jeongguk as he picks up the pace, running into his room. Taehyung jumps and flops on his bed with an ‘oof!’ as he unlocks his phone and searches for a good starter song. He's almost got one playing when Jeongguk comes sauntering in, making himself comfortable.
“You ready for a LOAD OF AWESOMENESS??” Taehyung hits ‘play’ on the song before Jeongguk has a chance to answer, making it clear he was asking a rhetorical question. The song Taehyung ended up choosing was “Do I Wanna Know” by Arctic Monkeys. Taehyung looks to Jeongguk, searching for a reaction. For a moment he thought he saw a great flash of familiarity, but it seemed to die down immediately. Taehyung can’t help but giggle, catching Gukkie’s attention. “So you know the song?” he asks. Jeongguk nods, looking past Taehyung. “One of my favorites,” he put it simply.
Taehyung smiles at him, teeth and all. He sways to the beat, singing along with the guitar. It takes Taehyung a while to catch himself staring. He can't help it, though… Jeongguk with the perfect lighting (though every kind of lighting is perfect for him), and the perfect angle (every angle is perfect), and the perfect setting (every setting is perfect), and the perfect hair (you get the gist)...
Besides, it’s Jeong-fucking-guk.
While staring at him (thank Gods he doesn’t seem to notice), Taehyung catches him singing along to a couple of lines.
“I don’t know if you feel the same as I do, but we could be together if you wanted to…”
He quickly glances towards Taehyung, making him look away in hopes Jeongguk doesn’t know he was staring. When Jeongguk turns his head back, Taehyung stares at him again, squinty-eyed.
Could it be…? It couldn’t…
Only one way to find out.
Trouvaille [tro͞oˈvī] {French}; something lovely discovered by chance
“Even if I wasn’t, Jimin, it’s too late now. The damage is already done."
“I’m just wondering if you’re ready to find out so soon.”
“It’s been three months, Chim, not yesterday.”
“I just want to make sure-”
“Yes, I’m fine, Mom,” Taehyung rolls his eyes and smiles into the dim light as he finishes taping paper to the inside of his locker vents. He shuts his locker and sighs into the empty hallway, “I just hope they’re worth waking up at ass-o’clock.”
Jimin smirks, “Oh, trust me, they are.” Taehyung turns fully towards him and cocks an eyebrow. “So you know who it is?” Jimin’s eyes widen for a second, probably realizing he said too much already. He then smiles and shakes his head, putting his hands on Taehyung's shoulders. “Just know that it’s not who you’d expect,” he takes out his phone to check the time, “Come on, people might start coming in.”
As Jimin walks down to the furthest corner of the hallway, Taehyung looks to the big clock in the hallway, deep in wonder.
~
Seoul City High School is like your typical American high school, Taehyung likes to think. It has nice, clean, and sharp double lockers (Taehyung was lucky to get a top locker) that are color-coded for each grade. First-year lockers are a soft pink, second-years' a bold yellow, and third-years' a pale lilac (which Taehyung loves). The same color codes are used on classroom plaques, originally made to lessen confusion on new students. The rooms that aren’t for classes or classrooms that teach more than one grade are a dull gray, like the office, the cafeteria, the library, etcetera. In all honesty, this place looks like a Tumblr girl barfed all over it in her sleep, but Taehyung doesn't mind all the different aesthetics. That is, he wouldn’t mind them right now if he didn't have to stare at them for such a long time.
“Come on, Chim~!” Taehyung whines in Jimin's ear. “It’s been an hour, and I really need to pee!”
“I just told you, Tae! This is usually the time we go inside, they could stop by at any minute!”
“It’ll just be really quick! Pleeeaaase?” Taehyung squirms where he's squatting next to Jimin, earning a sigh and an eye roll. “Fine, but make it quick,” he waves Taehyung off. At that, he stands from their station behind a corner and hauls ass to the bathroom, sighing in relief. After about a minute of business, he gets a text.
SMOL BEAN: Someone’s on their way over! He has a note in his hand!
Shit!
Taehyung quickly finishes and washes his hands, then starts sprinting back towards their camping spot. “What’dImiss?” he asks hectically and out of breath. All he's met with was wide eyes. “I thought it was him, but I couldn’t be sure…”
Puzzled, Taehyung turns to see who’s there. As his eyes find their target, he lets out a small gasp, his jaw going slack.
Golden skin.
Doe’s eyes.
Matte black hair.
Arctic Monkeys shirt.
Fuck.
This can’t be happening.
This can’t be happening.
This can’t be happening.
“This can’t be happening…” Taehyung mumbles. He hears the shit-eating grin when Jimin says, “Oh, believe it, buddy boy. It’s happening.”
There, standing at the opposite end of the hallway from them, trying to force paper into Taehyung's locker, face in an (adorable) pout of frustration, was the last person Taehyung thought he'd see. He steps out from the shadows of their hiding place, hesitantly making his way to his locker.
His profile freezes, expression gone white. He slowly turns towards Taehyung, embarrassed grin dressed with his slight blush. “Um… Surprise?”
Taehyung blinks once, then points to Jeongguk's hand. “Can I see the…?” He nods, hair covering his eyes as he hands Taehyung the note.
Hand in mine, into your icy blues And then, I’d say to you, “We could take the highway
With this trunk of ammunition, too” I’d end my days with you, in a hail of bullets
Taehyung starts blushing in awe, looking back up at Jeongguk for some form of confirmation. He gets it in the form of a hair-hiding Jeongguk who looks like he’s debating whether to run away or not. Before Taehyung knew what he was doing, he grabs Jeongguk's wrist and starts dragging him someplace more quiet (and private) than the hallway. Taehyung can sense Jeongguk's slight tremble as he pulls him behind him. Taehyung ends up taking him to the library and in between non-fiction aisles (where he knows they won’t be disturbed). Taehyung stops them and turns towards Jeongguk to say something. “Guk-”
Taehyung wraps his arms around Jeongguk's neck, pulling him into a tight embrace. Jeongguk gasps, frozen to Taehyung's touch. He keeps his voice low, “I don’t think it’s weird… I think it’s really charming… and cute. It’s true I’ve never been with a guy before, but I’ve also never been with a girl, either.”
Taehyung can feel the surprise through his tight grip on Jeongguk, “But… how? You’re so perfect- I mean…”
“That’s not the point,” Taehyung presses on. “The point is, I’ve never felt this way for any person before, and it’s actually kind of scaring me, the fact that my first crush is on a boy.”
“Wait… So you mean..?”
“Yes, I have had a crush on you. For a good while, too.”
Taehyung hears a sigh of relief escape from him. “However,” Taehyung feels him tense, “I’m not sure if I’m ready for a relationship yet. Yes, I wanna see where things go between us, but I wouldn’t feel right dating you when I’m not sure of myself. Everyone around me thinks I’m straight, and it wouldn’t be fair to them if I suddenly shoved us into their face. Then there’s my mom.” Taehyung feels Jeongguk nodding against him. “Permission to ask a question?”
Taehyung giggles quietly, “Permission granted.”
“Can I still take you out on dates and stuff?”
Taehyung mulls over this for a minute, enough to make Jeongguk squirm. He then tightens his grip, “Yes you may.” Taehyung hears the smile on Jeongguk's face as he lets out a breathless laugh, finally returning his tight embrace. He mumbles good so quietly, Taehyung is barely able to catch it. Taehyung suddenly remembers something, “On one condition.”
Taehyung feels Jeongguk's questioning look on him before he says, “You let me take you on dates, too.”
Jeongguk lets out a breath, “Yes, of course.” Taehyung hums into his neck (that he's now nuzzled in), and they stay like this in comfortable silence.
Until the bell rings.
They both quickly pull apart as they hear the warning bell give them five minutes to get their asses into class. They catch each other’s eyes, then start to giggle shamelessly, walking out of the library in step. When they get to a point where they have to split, they exchange goodbye's and make their separate ways. As Taehyung makes his way into class, he sits in his desk when someone taps his shoulder. He turns around, “Yo, what’s up with you? You look like you just smoked the best dope Seoul has to offer.”
That’s when Taehyung realizes he's been smiling like an idiot the whole way here.
Taehyung shrugs, shameless, before turning back in his seat.
~
It is ass-o’clock when Taehyung's awoken by the sound of his notifications going batshit crazy. Yawning and rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he checks the source to see if it’s worth his fucking time or not. It turns out to be the group chat, so he opens it. He only scrolls until he finds the part that’s interesting.
MoMmYjIn: son in this world it’s either yeet or be yeeted
gramps-_-: wtf is a yeet
Brotato Chip: something only hip kidz experience
JOONpiter: okay, first of all, never spell kids like that again
JOONpiter: second of all
JOONpiter: you’re hip?
Brotato Chip: i didn’t aks for this desrespecc
gramps-_-: okay that’s great now can everyone shut it it’s literally too fucking early for this
SMOL BEAN: Hey, everyone! ^.^
gramps-_-: Hey, Jiminie
MoMmYjIn: AAAAAAAAWWWWWWWW!!!
MoMmYjIn: yOuNg LoVe <3
JOONpiter: Jin…
Brotato Chip: Love?
SMOL BEAN: wym?
gramps-_-: …
MoMmYjIn: what?
JOONpiter: Jin, we’ve talked about this
JOONpiter: Not everyone’s gay, remember?
Taehyung gives an involuntary shiver at the sudden topic change. He decides not to read into the awkward subject shift and scroll to the bottom of the chat, where a new message comes in.
Jeonggukie~♡: This chat makes me wonder why I even bother breathing.
Taehyung smirks, typing a quick reply.
Green Tae: We only have 2 minutes to live, but every breath we take resets the clock ⚬△⚬
MoMmYjIn: ...wut?
Brotato Chip: NOOOOOOooOoOOooOoooo!!!!
gramps-_-: god dammit tae
SMOL BEAN: god damn it Tae
Jeonggukie~♡: See?! This just proves my point!
JOONpiter: Actually, that’s not entirely true. Some people have the ability to hold their breath for longer, therefore their timer gets reset to however long they can hold it in for. Unless, of course, they’re underwater, then in that case taking a breath shortens your timer even further than holding it.
MoMmYjIn: Namjoon
MoMmYjIn: I love you
MoMmYjIn: But you’re the reason this family’s drifting apart
JOONpiter: the disrespect
gramps-_-: and on that note, I’m going to bed
SMOL BEAN: G’nite, Yoongi!! \(^△^)/
gramps-_-: goodnight, Jimin
Brotato Chip: Night, hyung!
Gramps-_-: later, asshole
Brotato Chip: ༼;´༎ຶ౪༎ຶ༽
Brotato Chip: ouch
Green Tae: and on that note, I’m heading off, also
Jeonggukie~♡: Night, hyung!
Green Tae: Nightie night, Gukkie~
Jeonggukie~♡: (^v^)/
MoMmYjIn: Wait wait wait, what the FUCK just happened??
JOONpiter: Did he just-
JOONpiter: He let Tae call him Gukkie!! :0
SMOL BEAN: KIM TAEHYUNG, EXPLAIN YOURSELF!
Taehyung chuckles sleepily as he locks his phone, rolling over and shutting his eyes. But he immediately receives a text message that makes him turn right back around (you see, he has a special sound for when this one person messages him).
Jeonggukie~♡
Sweet dreams, hyung~! ♡
Taehyung gives a warm smile to the abyss of his room after responding.
TO: Jeonggukie~♡
♡
Kilig [kēˈlēg/kiˈliɡ] {Filipino}; the heady-sublime rush you experience right after something good happens, particularly in love
The first thing Taehyung wakes up to this Saturday morning is his phone ringing. He answers the phone without checking the caller.
“Hel-”
“You. Me. Movie marathon. Get all the snacks you can carry.”
“Jiminie, what-”
“Did I stutter?”
At that, they both hang up and Taehyung starts raiding his pantry downstairs. He's gotten a decent amount of snacks piled up on the counter when he hears quiet footsteps.
“Whatcha doing, tiger?”
Taehyung turns around to find his mom searching for her non-sugary cereal. When he sees her struggling on her tippy-toes, he rushes in to grab the cereal for her before she can hurt herself. She gives Taehyung a grateful smile as she takes the cereal from his hand. He heads back towards his pile, “Jiminie invited me for a movie day at his place, he’s having me bring the snacks.”
His mom smiles and hums in understanding. She starts pouring cereal into a bowl, “So when are you gonna think about settling?”
Taehyung gives a light-hearted chuckle, “What do you mean, eommonie?” She looks over at him, a slightly sad smile, “I mean, when are you going to find yourself a girlfriend?”
He's taken aback by the unexpected question. He lets out a nervous laugh as he turns his attention back to his snacks. “I dunno, Mom. I haven’t really thought about it.”
Taehyung hears a tsk tsk and the sound of the fridge door opening and closing. Then the sound of milk being poured. “Maybe it’s about time you do, tiger.” He looks back at her and throws a quick smile before swiftly turning back to the pantry. He then decides the snacks he has are enough and starts filling recycling bags in haste. It takes about thirty seconds before kissing his mom on the cheek, leaving and throwing a quick “Love you!” over his shoulder.
“Wait, Taeh-”
He's gone before she can finish.
~
Taehyung gets to Jimin’s front door when he finally lets out a sigh of relief. He wasn’t running all that fast, yet he's gulping for air. He feels as though he can hear the future now.
“Who the hell is this man in your bed? What the hell is he doing there??”
“What?! Boyfriend?!” You’re gay?!?!”
“Haven’t I raised you better?”
“He’s not allowed in this household, and neither are you!”
“I trusted you.”
“Holy shit, Tae, are you alright?!”
Taehyung looks up from his position on the ground, bags on their side, and tears gathering under his eyes.
“I-I…” Tears start flowing uncontrollably down his cheeks as he hiccups through whatever words he's saying.
“Hey, hey…” Jimin kneels in front of him, taking Taehyung into his arms. Taehyung wraps his around Jimin's and buries his face in Jimin's chest, clinging to the long sleeves of his shirt as if his life depends on it.
Who knows? Maybe it does.
Litost [ˈliːtost] {Czech}; a state of agony and torment created by the sudden sight of one's own misery
Taehyung spent the night at Jimin’s and went to school from there. He apologized to his mom for leaving so abruptly, telling her he was afraid of being late. She only seemed slightly skeptical, but otherwise took his word for it. After Taehyung calmed down, he told Jimin about the conversation with his mom and what he thought that meant for the future.
“Tae,” Jimin had said last night, “I’ve practically known you since diapers. I know your mom, if she were to throw you out just for being gay, that wouldn’t be like her at all. Meaning I don’t see her reacting that way.”
Taehyung looked down at his lap, “But what if she does?” he mumbled. “What was that, Tae?”
He quickly shook his head, “Nothing.” Jimin sighed but decided to drop it.
And now he's here. Zoning out in class.
“Mr. Kim!” A bellowing voice interrupts his train of thought. Taehyung startles, sitting up straighter. “Yes, ma’am?”
“Do you have something on your mind that’s more important than learning a language that will help you with the rest of your life?” The teacher crosses her arms, cocking her eyebrows. Taehyung hesitantly shakes his head. “N-no, ma’am. Sorry.” He lowers his gaze to his English worksheet. She makes a disapproving noise before returning to her lesson. Taehyung tries his best to pay attention to her, but only zones out to some pencil graffiti on the pale lilac desk.
~
“Hyung!”
Taehyung looks up from the ground and turns around, only to smile and giggle at the childish boy running towards him.
“Heya, Gukkie~” Taehyung snakes his arms around Jeongguk's waist and squeezes him in a hug. When he feels him hugging back, Taehyung subtly nuzzles his face into Jeongguk's neck before pulling away.
Taehyung seriously hopes there’s no blush on his cheeks.
“Howzit goin’?” he asks, giving a pat on the shoulder. Taehyung can tell Jeongguk's trying to hold a blush also. Luckily (he hopes) they're covering it up well enough to where they look normal. They're just a couple of straight men having a normal conversation. Just a couple of guys being dudes.
God, Taehyung just wants to hold his goddamn hand already.
"I'm doing good," Jeongguk smiles. They start walking to the cafeteria side by side, "How about you, hyung?"
Taehyung returns his smile, "I'm doing great, now that you're here," he mumbles. Jeongguk tilts his head, "What was that, hyung?"
"GRAPEFRUIT JUICE!" Taehyung shrieks, trying to cover up his gay panic. Jeongguk cocks his eyebrows, then lowers his head and giggles.
Yeah no, it just got worse.
"Grapefruit juice, huh?" He tilts his head and looks at Taehyung. "Could've sworn you said something else."
"N-nope," Taehyung shakes his head rapidly, "I said what I meant and meant what I said." Jeongguk laughs (and it's the most adorable thing he's ever heard), throwing his head back and turning a few heads (and it's the most adorable thing he's ever seen). Taehyung can't help but stare because hells yes, bitches, he just did that.
"Look at the two lovebirds going on a stroll," Hoseok says with a shit-eating grin. Seokjin snorts while Namjoon looks like he wants to say something. Taehyung just tries hard not to blush. "Funny funny har har," he rolls his eyes, smiling and taking a seat next to Jeongguk. "What have you fuckers been up to?"
Jimin abruptly stands up, pointing an accusing finger at Hoseok. "THIS ***** STOLE MY LAST TATER TOT!"
Hoseok acts shocked, then pretends to push back long, luscious hair. "Not my fault you let your guard down."
Jimin gasps, mortified, "You take that back!"
"Oh, God…" Yoongi rolls his eyes, but he looks like he's secretly enjoying the unfolding drama. Taehyung grins uncontrollably, quietly sipping from his juice box.
"You better watch where you leave your Sprite laying around!"
"YOU LEAVE MY BABY ALONE!"
A gentle brushing on his leg is what breaks Taehyung from the conversation.
He freezes, trying to figure out what the hell it is. The thing must sense his tensing up, because it stops, then slowly covers his thigh.
A hand. It's a hand.
But whose hand…?
He looks to his right from his peripheral vision to find-
Oh shit, it's Jeongguk.
Taehyung chokes on his juice, covering it up as a laugh when he gets looks. He smiles at his friends, slightly dying on the inside. He rubs the back of his neck, nervous. He doesn't need to look to know Jeongguk is smirking. He looks anyways and immediately regrets it, because why does he have to look so fucking good all the time?!
Jeongguk must be reading his mind or something because at that moment Taehyung feels his hand lightly squeeze his thigh. Taehyung bites his lip slightly, trying not to give them away. He then distracts himself with his juice box again, making himself seemingly bored. He yawns, even though he's not tired. Jeongguk lightly squeezes his thigh again, knowing what it's doing to him. Taehyung slowly slides his hand down his thigh, reaching Jeongguk's. He moves it over Jeongguk's, feeling his hand twitch in surprise. Jeongguk then flips his hand over and intertwines their fingers. Taehyung feels him gently hold his hand as Jeongguk caresses it with his thumb. Taehyung's heart flutters and his breath hitches slightly as he grips Jeongguk's hand, not wanting this moment to be over. He starts to ever so slightly lean towards Jeongguk-
"Taehyung!"
Taehyung jumps out of his thoughts, sitting up straight. He blinks at his friends, "Huh?"
Jeongguk wears a shit-eating grin as Hoseok, Jimin, and Seokjin snicker. "I said," Jimin speaks through his laughter, "Are you enjoying that juice box?"
Taehyung freezes and looks down to find a plastic straw almost bit in half, and what used to be an apple juice box, which has now been turned into a crumpled mess. Taehyung blushes in embarrassment and throws it on his tray, causing a roar of laughter. Taehyung groans and puts his head down, hiding his face with one arm and squeezing Jeongguk's hand. He squeezes Taehyung's hand back once in apology, still stroking it with his thumb. Taehyung sighs and looks up at Jeongguk with his eyes. His mind starts to wander… how did he end up like this? A few months ago Taehyung would've thought he was straight. He never would've imagined in his wildest dreams about thinking a guy was cute, let alone wanting to date one. So what's wrong with him? Why the sudden change now, when he's almost out of high school? He should've had his whole life figured out by now, yet he can't figure out why he likes and doesn't like certain people. Is there something wrong with him? Why is this happening?
Jeongguk looks down at Taehyung and smiles wide, somewhat resembling a bunny. Taehyung blushes lightly and smiles back, biting his lower lip. He squeezes Jeongguk's hand, knowing the answer to his questions.
Because beautiful angels like Jeon Jeongguk exist.
~
The bell rings and Jeongguk squeezes Taehyung's hand one last time before letting go and standing up. He ruffles Taehyung's hair playfully before walking towards Jimin. "See you guys around," he says in a small voice before following Jimin's lead. Jimin slows down a few steps to let Jeongguk catch up before smirking. "Aren't you glad that I can keep a secret?"
Jeongguk blushes and smiles shyly at the ground, bumping Jimin with his shoulder. "Quit being embarrassing, hyung~!"
"Quit being a wussy, Guk~!" Jimin imitates Jeongguk's tone and makes a funny face. Jeongguk giggles as he feels his face turn pink. "Stoooop~"
Jimin laughs and puts his arm around Jeongguk's shoulders. "I'm only messing with you, bro." Jeongguk looks down at Jimin's feet to see him walking in his tip-toes to keep up with Jeongguk's height, but he doesn't say anything. "You should be thanking me, Guk. I knew you liked him the minute you guys made eye contact, I just had to guide him in the right direction."
Jeongguk smirks internally, knowing that Jimin doesn't have the full story. "Yeah, thanks hyung… we've been getting to be close friends."
Jimin beams, letting go of Jeongguk's shoulders (and returning back to his normal height). "Just let me know if I need to help start something stronger," he winks at Jeongguk just before turning towards his class. Jeongguk blushes all the way to his desk, silently cursing Jimin in his head. As soon as he sits down, he gets a text. He checks it from the lock screen;
Momma J: I forgot to ask- how's my future son-in-law?
Jeongguk smiles a little, before carefully typing out a reply;
TO: Momma J: He says he's doing great, now that I'm here.
Jeongguk silences his phone and anticipates a digital scream in about an hour.
Naz [ناز] {Urdu}; the pride you feel from being loved
"This can't be happening..." Taehyung mumbles. He hears the shit-eating grin when Jimin says, "Oh, believe it, buddy boy. It's happening."
