Jungkook grinned as Yoongi attempted to stuff more than a handful of grapes into his mouth, and he watched one of them roll straight out of his tiny palms.
"What are you doing?" Jungkook questioned, and giggled at how he was having great difficulty chewing; the strain in his jaw was evident.
Yoongi responded with a muffled sound and hand gestures that Jungkook didn't understand at all, but it urged a burst of laughter to erupt from his mouth, and he laughed loudly. Until his eyes landed on Taehyung, that was.
And for more than a second - almost more than a second - their eyes met.
Jungkook felt a rush of emotion flood his insides and let it mercilessly crush his heart, because all of this is my fault, I shouldn't have done this to us in the first place. He instinctively stood up, his chair dragged against the cold cafeteria tiles emitting a painful squeak, and Yoongi glanced up at him in concern.
Taehyung couldn't look away either. He was unwillingly frozen. His thoughts were at war with each other. Should I approach him? Or should I walk away?
"Taehyung!" A voice seemed to snap him out of it, and he tore his gaze away from Jungkook.
"Jungkook?" Yoongi gently shook the boy's wrist. "Wakey wakey~"
"T..." The name was at the tip of Jungkook's tongue, but his voice failed him.
Just like that, their strings of fate unravelled, and Jungkook watched Taehyung's back fade.
Where's Jimin? Taehyung thought in alarm; his heart was thudding dangerously. I swear I heard his voice.
"Hey, let's eat out in the school yard today. I have something to tell you." Jimin quickly stated, and rushed past Taehyung who didn't delay in trailing along.
The wind had been getting warmer recently, despite it getting closer to winter, but no one complained.
"Okay, let's sit up there." Jimin gestured towards a wall, and Taehyung couldn't look away from his untucked shirt, and unordered buttons. He was probably with a girl just now or something.
Whatever.
"Are you okay? How were your lessons? You look exhausted." Jimin patted him on the back, and waited for his answer as they walked slowly.
"Same old. I just saw Jungkook though-"
"What?! Did you speak to him?"
"No...but I wanted to-"
"Stop it." Jimin groaned, and kicked himself off the ground and straight onto the brick ledge. "You're not supposed to think like that. Here, give me your stuff."
Taehyung handed him his backpack, and climbed up onto the wall himself.
"So, step 1." He rooted through Taehyung's messy backpack, and pulled out a notebook and a pen. "First, you have to look the part."
"Hm?"
"You have to be attractive."
Taehyung scanned over Jimin's disheveled hair and sighed. "What does that even mean?"
"It means you have to style up a little- no, a lot. Clothes, hair, personality even."
"What, like you?" Taehyung scoffed, and prodded his finger at a visible part of Jimin's chest, who instinctively whacked his hand away.
"I might not be chic right now, but I'm definitely sexy. Wouldn't you say?" Jimin grinned widely at his remark, despite his heartbeat roaring in his mind at Taehyung's touch.
"Sure. I can be sexy too, though. Watch." Taehyung latched his hand onto Jimin's wrist, and rested it on his head. "You just have to ruffle my hair.." And Taehyung flicked off his top button. "And I'll do this-"
"Stop!" Jimin quickly moved his hand away, and looked at the notebook in his lap with the hopes that his blush wasn't completely visible.
"But that's how you look right now!"
"This is...different...it was because I was with someone earlier, you shouldn't naturally be walking around like-"
"Okay, just, tell me what to do." Taehyung opened the notebook and clicked his pen.
"What're you doing?"
"Making a list. Tell me."
Cute.
"Okay, as I was saying earlier, then. Step 1, look the part. Before that though, you need to remember that being a playboy is a game and you should never take your feelings seriously within it. You have to be cool about everything. If a girl doesn't text you back, stay cool. If you get rejected, stay cool. If you make a slip up, stay cool-"
"Sorry, just slow down a little." Taehyung murmured, and Jimin glanced at his hand as he scribbled down words scruffily. "Do I have to attract girls, too? I'm not really into girls..."
"It's better if you do both, since it's more fun, but then it's up to you."
"Okay."
"Aight. Also, you'd want to be noticeable, but still be you. I'd recommend dyeing your hair after school today, I could help you out with that."
"I'll definitely get into trouble by my parents if I do that."
"Make a note of it anyway. Oh, and changing the little things are quite important too. No stuttering, avoid blushing, be subtle, no smoking; it's not cool, and most importantly, no falling in love whatsoever." Jimin pressed on his last point so persistently that Taehyung glanced up at him.
"Say, have you ever...fallen in love?"
Jimin blinked, and sighed out in frustration. "Please, we're completely different. I'm only saying it because it might be difficult for you since you have those 'i'm-waiting-for-the-one' ideals. They don't exist. There isn't one person out there that lives just for you. Love is just life's placebo. It's an emotion that makes you feel better, and happy, but when you find out it's a complete lie, it'll leave you in pieces."
Taehyung listened intently to every word that ushered it's way out of Jimin's mouth, and the sad expression he wore that the other had never seen before. So he's a playboy because he's brokenhearted. That's probably why he told me to give it a shot.
He talks with such experience, without realising what he's actually saying to me.
Jimin looked towards Taehyung to find a sympathetic expression shaded across his face, and his eyes widened.
Did I...did I just give myself away? Why is Taehyung looking at me like that...?
"Sorry." Taehyung whispered, and brushed his fingers lightly over Jimin's nails. "It must have been horrible if you changed like that."
You're not allowed to console me. You of all people...
Jimin yanked his hand away and jumped off the wall. "Ah, another rule. Never be reserved to one person. Oh, and no excessive swearing. It's really unattractive. I have places to be. See you after school."
"O-Okay-"
"No stuttering~" Jimin cooed softly, and turned around giving Taehyung a wink that put the sparkle of the stars to shame.
Taehyung smiled in return, and clutched his shirt the moment Jimin was out of sight.
Seriously...why am I like this?
