chapter synopsis: hoseok's love for his kitten hyung grows a little more each day, yoonseok encounter a strange bunny suited man, and jeongguk questions his purpose in life for the fiftieth time this year.
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i feel worthless.
i was born against my own free will, forced to endure the many hardships this cruel world threw my way.
i never wanted this. i never agreed to this.
yet now i'm expected to make something of my life. become a 'productive citizen'.
i have no idea what that purpose is or what it will be.
i waste away, letting the seconds and the minutes and the hours pass by as my meaningless existence creeps closer towards imminent death-
"jeongguk!! stop moping around and get your ass back in here!"
damn. can't even be depressed in peace.
my life is purposeless.
but soon, i have to make a decision.
either that or i'll be the newest bum on the block.
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'gosh.. i really don't know what any of this even means...' a distraught hoseok thought to himself, staring down at the blank multiplication worksheet in front of him. his nervous nibbling on the end of the sparkly green mechanical pencil intensified as he eyed his peers, one after another going up to turn in their papers.
the brunet haired boy glanced at his desk mate, a silent cry for help, but it went unnoticed.
'he's so cool. he already finished, now he's studying even more!!' a small whine left him, his anxiety growing with each passing minute. 4th period would be over in thirty minutes and he hadn't even finished the first row of problems!
'should i ask him for help? what if he thinks i'm lame?!' the internal debate within the third grader continued as more and more students shuffled to the front of the room, papers completed and stress free.
hoseok finally mustered up the courage and tapped on the older boy's shoulder, biting his lip.
a fourth grade math textbook was propped up on yoongi's desk to give the illusion that he was being a good student, reading the next chapter like the teacher instructed after having finished his worksheet. but in fact, the platinum blond was taking a nap until class was over.
being disturbed by a brunet on the verge of tears wasn't on his agenda though.
the elder sat up, massaging his sore face from having it rested on the wooden desk before boring into hoseok's chestnut colored eyes. "what?"
"can-can you help me?" he asked meekly, pointing once again to his blank worksheet.
the desk mate's gaze shifted to the multiplication assignment and a tired sigh left his lips.
with one swift motion, yoongi turned the paper over to its backside, revealing the answer key to the problems on the front. "there."
the entire milky way could've been seen within the eight year old's brown eyes, them becoming wider than saucers.
hoseok looked at the blond as if he just made a miracle happen with his bare hands, which, in a third grader's eyes, he kind of did.
the younger boy's admiration for him grew 10 times that day, hoseok would never forget how his hyung saved him from inescapable failure that morning (even though the assignment was only a minor).
yoongi, unbothered, lay his head back down behind the textbook, continuing his interrupted nap.
meanwhile, in the front row of the class...
"i swear to god, namjoon, if you tell her, i'll kill you and no one will ever find the body!!!"
"she's going to find out anyway! it's better to tell her now than have her find out about it and punish us all!"
seokjin had his desk mate, kim namjoon, in a headlock trying to force the goodie two shoes boy's hand down before he got the attention of their teacher.
namjoon was going to 'snitch', as seokjin put it, on the class and tell the teacher that she had accidentally printed the answer key on the backside of their assignment. but seokjin wouldn't allow it.
"it's literally so easy! anyone could do this with their eyes closed!"
"not everyone is megamind like you, namjoon!"
"you don't know what 2 times 10 is?!"
"shut up!"
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jeongguk sat down in one of the pastel pink tulip chairs, an exasperated sigh leaving his lips after taking a sip from his iced boba tea. today had been a long day.
"we've only had one person come in today.." jieun mumbled, mostly to herself, tone somber and solemn.
"well.. one is better than none."
"that one was you, dumb ass."
"oh."
jeongguk removed the pink bunny mascot head and set it on the table beside his drink, running a hand through his matted black hair. today had been a long, uneventful day.
"we have to get some kind of business before the end of next month." she said, "otherwise we'll have to close..."
the younger glanced over at the cage near the window, eyes searching for the familiar grey and white bunny rabbit.
said bunny, named boba, was snuggled up in the soft hay of their cage, free of any worry.
closing time was approaching soon, and since they hadn't got any customers, there wasn't really any cleaning up to be done. jeongguk rummaged through his pocket, setting a few bills on the table before grabbing his drink and tucking the big bunny head under his arm.
"we'll figure something out, noona. don't worry." he assured, though his voice lacked any real emotion.
that's what people had been saying to him this whole time. 'you'll figure it out' and 'don't stress', yet his first year of college was almost over and he still had no idea what he wanted to do with his life.
with that, the male left the small and empty cafe.
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it was nearing the end of the school day and yoongi wanted nothing more than to go home and hibernate in his bed until the next morning. the fourth grader kept his tired eyes on the clock above the whiteboard, paying no mind to the science lesson the teacher was going over. 'three more minutes..' his inner monologue chanted, counting down the seconds as they passed.
the bell sounded its final ring, signaling the end of the day. boys and girls alike dashed out the school doors, not bothering to let their teachers finish speaking. these elementary schoolers didn't tolerate that 'the bell doesn't dismiss you, i do' bullshit.
yoongi took in a deep breath of the fresh outdoor air, holding the strap of his backpack tight as he started on the path home. he had this feeling in the back of his mind that he was forgetting something, but it probably wasn't important-
"hyungie!!"
there it was.
hoseok pushed his stubby little legs as far as they could go, desperate to catch up with his older friend before he left him... again.
"we have to go home together, remember?" the brunet reminded, placing his small hands on his knees while he caught his breath.
yoongi stared down at the younger with eyes void of any emotion. 'this guy is slowing me down.' he thought bitterly, hoping the other would hurry up.
hoseok smiled, realizing this time the blond was actually waiting for him rather than continuing to walk. "your mommy said we had to hold hands too, so we don't lose each other!"
the brunet went to hold the other's hand, only for it to be smacked away.
"don't touch me."
"o-okay."
the two continued on their way home, hoseok rambling about his new action figure that he had gotten because of his good grades. yoongi said nothing in response, focused on getting home.
hoseok didn't mind the silence between them though, he deemed yoongi as a listener more than a talker, just like his favorite plushie mang.
halfway through their walk home, the younger of the two spotted something on the other side of the road. a guy dressed in a full on pink bunny suit!
"yoongi hyung!! look! look at that guy!" hoseok pointed to the man just on the other side, frantically trying to get the blond's attention. but he was so focused on getting home, he wouldn't even look in the boy's direction!
"sir!! sir!! mr. bunny!!"
hoseok decided the only way he'd get yoongi to see this ridiculous looking guy was if he got him to come over to them.
but this only earned him a smack on the back of the head.
"ow!! what was that for?!" hoseok whined, rubbing the back of his neck, chocolate eyes glaring at his friend.
"are you trying to get us killed, dumb ass?!"
"ooh you cursed-!"
"we don't know that man! he could be a serial killer hobo!"
"...a hobo?"
"yes! look at the way he's dressed. only crazy hobos dress that way."
hoseok took another glance at the man dressed in the pink bunny suit, and after what yoongi told him, it didn't look as stupid and funny as he thought.
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"sir!! sir!! mr. bunny!!"
jeongguk's attention was caught by a young voice seemingly calling for him, a small grade school boy waving him over.
it was the costume, he already knew. this wasn't the first time something like this had happened. he decided to go along with it though, wondering who'd they'd ask if he was this time. the easter bunny? the energizer bunny? thumper? bootleg bugs bunny?
he began to head over to the two boys, a tired smile in his face. his part time job didn't pay much, but entertaining kids was satisfying enough.
"it's a serial killer hobo!!"
jeongguk's smile faltered, eyes widening a bit as the brunet who had called him over began screaming and running for dear life, his blond companion following only a few steps behind.
yoongi snickered quietly to himself, loving how gullible third graders were, especially hoseok.
"he's gonna kill us all!!"
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a dejected nineteen year old boy walked into the living room of his shared apartment, eyes trained on the wooden flooring, soul long gone.
taehyung and jimin watched the pink bunny suit clad jeongguk stand in the doorway, bottom lip poked out in a pout.
"what happened this time?" jimin broke the silence, worry laced in his tone.
"i was called a hobo."
"..."
"...that's rough, buddy."
"tae!"
that comment earned him a hard smack on the back of the head, followed by a slight glare.
jimin sighed and walked over to their youngest and wrapped an arm around him, struggling since the bunny head was kind of big. "sit down, why were you called a hobo?"
jeongguk removed the bunny head and sighed, placing it in his lap as he took a seat on the sofa beside his hyung. "i don't know... some kid was calling me over because of my outfit and then all of a sudden he started screaming bloody murder and ran away while yelling that i was a serial killer hobo and i was going to murder everyone..."
cue taehyung's snickering, which was immediately shut up by a more intense glare belonging to his soulmate.
"uh well... have- have you eaten yet?" jimin promptly changed the subject, offering a sheepish smile.
another somber sigh left the onyx haired boy as he pulled at his long curls. "i'm so useless. i don't know what i want to do with my life, i can't attract any customers at my job, and apparently i look homeless with this damned bunny suit on!"
"maybe you could major in art like tae!" jimin suggested, "i mean we've all seen how talented you are at painting, gguk ross." he complimented.
"yeah! or maybe you could be a personal fitness trainer! get others in shape!" taehyung chimed in. this was also a common occurrence. everyday, jeongguk would come home from his job moping about how his life sucked, and everyday his two best friends would suggest different things the male could major in.
and everyday, he'd turn down every idea, feeling that none of them quite fit him.
"i have some assignments i need to work on.." he muttered, dismissing both boys as he headed to his room. jeongguk seriously wondered what was wrong with him.
jimin and taehyung were able to pick their majors so easily, there was no hesitance, no delay. jimin was on his way to the becoming a professional contemporary dancer as well as a model, while taehyung was majoring in the arts. he envied them both, it was no secret. the two males had their whole life ahead of them it seemed, planned perfectly and all figured out.
yet jeongguk was still figuring it out. lots of people told him there was no rush, but he didn't like to be last. he didn't like feeling as though he was falling behind.
lots of people told him he had many talents, he could do almost anything he put his mind to. and while that was true, the ebony haired boy didn't want to do just anything. he wanted to do something that he thought was meant for him, something that would make him happy, something that would make his life worth living, waking up every morning to see another day.
jeongguk opened up his laptop and gathered his notebooks and pens, preparing to take notes for the last class he missed.
he just hoped he wasn't meant to be the dusty crusty bunny mascot of a failing cafe for the rest of his life.
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mochabol/borayomi here! i know it's just the first chapter but i'm really curious to know your thoughts so far. what'd you think?
remember to vote on the chapter if you enjoyed it!! have a lovely day ッ︎.