The Buddy Program

10 | learn some things

"But now I got you," He said, grip firm as he helped Jeongguk stand up. "I got you, Jeon. Chill."

"You fucking chill!" Jeongguk whispered angrily, almost slipping again but Taehyung was quick and this time, actually kept him upright. "I hate you. I fucking hate you!" He cursed.

"No you don't," Taehyung rolled his eyes. "Now stop flailing around, you fuckin' twig. Stand up."

Jeongguk muttered a few more curses, but much to his own surprise, he was able to stand. "Holy shit, did you do some last minute witchcraft?" He asked, amazed at how steady he was.

"Sure. Let's say that," He snorted, easing his grip on Jeongguk's elbows. However, it was at that moment where Jeongguk made the wrong decision to snap his head up, and when he did, he bumped his head against Taehyung's chin, causing Taehyung to let go of him.

"Fuck!" He stumbled back, arms flapping wildly at his sides before he fell hard on his ass. God, if people weren't staring then, they were most likely staring right now.

"Jesus christ," Taehyung groaned quietly, clutching his jaw as he swore lowly. Jeongguk was breathing heavily on the ground, his ass aching beneath him and his chest incredibly tight.

"Are you okay?" Taehyung asked, still rubbing at his chin. Jeongguk, still dazed, blinked up at him. When their eyes did meet, Taehyung's worried expression eased. Instead, the corners of his mouth tugged upward and his lips pressed into an awkward line.

Soon enough, Taehyung's head hung forward, his shoulders now trembling as silent laughter rattled in his chest. He ran a hand down his face, snickering quietly to himself as he shook his head. Jeongguk, on the otherhand, scowled, not at all appreciating this ridiculous slander.

"Are you just gonna stand there and laugh, or are you gonna help me up?" He snapped, trying his best to ignore the knot in his throat, the burning all over his neck— oh and the fact a lot of heads were turning in their direction! Great!

"Goddamnit," Taehyung wheezed, grabbing his wrist and yanking him back up. He pulled him close, ignoring the way Jeongguk's features contort from disgust. "You're such an idiot."

"Me? An idiot? You're the one who dragged me," Jeongguk snapped, lightly shoving Taehyung's chest. He winced, but the smile he wore didn't budge.

"So? You're so light," Taehyung teased, shaking his skinny wrist in front of him. "I can flick you, and you'd fly away."

"God I— You. Ugh, you know what? Can we get to the hockey stuff already?" He tried to change the subject, tried to do anything to get them out of this- this position.

This whole oh-yo-our-chests-are-touching shindig wasn't really his cup of tea. Neither was looking up and having Taehyung's face incredibly close to his own, so close he could feel his heart stutter against his own and his hot breath fan across his cheek. Feeling incredibly hot in his jumper also wasn't fun.

"Sure thing." Thankfully, Taehyung got the message, and the two broke apart awkwardly. Well, at least Jeongguk could properly breathe now. There was that.

After giving him some brief pointers on how to skate and balance, Jeongguk somewhat got the hang of it but he wasn't a natural. It was whatever, since Taehyung eventually decided he was a lost cause and proceeded to give him a hockey stick. No extra help was going to help the poor guy.