A/N: This whole chapter belongs on an episode of Kookie's questionable reality MTV :) (I mean the whole book does honestly but like...)
This is the last chapter before the epilogue for real this time :')
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"I'm finna freestyle, Tae. Again."
Taehyung took Yeontan by the paws, standing him up on top of their desk so he could make him dance. "Go on, then, Kook," he said.
Jungkook took a deep breath.
"Bitch I'm in detention, everybody know I'm gay—"
Yeontan twerked—
"Used to just date Jimin, but now we're dating Tae-"
Jungkook stapled his homework packet together—
"Gonna hang out with them all fucking day—"
Taehyung held his envelope in front of Yeontan so he'd lick it—
"And if Chou gives us more envelopes Imma punch him in the face."
Jungkook pretended to punch Mr. Chou in the face.
So apparently dogs weren't allowed on campus. And now Jungkook and Taehyung got to have lunch dentention on top of their after school detention.
Even if they'd had the best presentation in class, and even if everyone was totally in love with their puppy and his sick backflip that he'd done, they'd still somehow ended up here.
And did Jimin ever get detention for bringing a cat to school?
Absolutely not. Taehyung had a feeling Mr. Baek felt bad for him after Yoongi left him standing there all alone and didn't want to make him feel worse. Either that or Mr. Chou just hated them. Probably both.
"YOU GUYS!" Jimin burst through the door, and Jungkook's homework packet pages went soaring all across the room. "It's happening."
He was out of breath, gasping for air and leaning against the doorway. Sticky strands of black hair clung to his forehead like he'd been running all around frantically, and he had an excited grin plastered on his face.
"What now, baby?" Jungkook said as he bent down and picked up his papers.
"Rap concert—" Jimin pointed down the corridor and gasped for air— "In the assembly hall—" He coughed— "Imma save you guys a seat!"
And then he turned and ran away, both of them watching Jimin in silence all the way until he disappeared behind a wall they couldn't see past.
"Man," Jungkook sighed and stuffed his stapler back into his drawer. "I hate when he leaves, but I love watchin' him go."
Taehyung turned and looked at him, tilting his head to the side. "See, this is exactly why I married you, Kook," he said, lacing their hands together.
He tried to keep a straight face, but his lips were turning upwards. And the more his lips turned upwards, the more Jungkook couldn't hold in his giggles. And then, they were both laughing hysterically.
"Just kidding!" Taehyung said, pulling Jungkook up by the hand. "We'll never get married!"
"Marriage is for losers who only have one boyfriend," Jungkook shrugged.
He'd read Taehyung's mind.
Taehyung pecked Jungkook's cheek, and the two of them grabbed Yeontan and walked off down the hallway hand-in-hand, leaving their workload behind.
~<>~<>~<>~
"I have a present for you, Kookie," Jimin informed him, giving his face a few pats before he bent down and grabbed his bag from the ground.
Jungkook's hands shot out and grabbed Jimin's sides as he almost slipped off Taehyung's lap from the seat right next to him, and he steadied him in place.
The three of them were sitting in the very front row of the assembly hall, and students of all grades were slowly filling in, one- by- one.
When word got out that president Kim Namjoon would actually be rapping for his presentation, literally everyone wanted to watch. Videos of him and Yoongi from that night at his party were popping up more than ever on Twitter and Instagram, and people were going fucking crazy.
Kim Namjoon also had what everyone liked to call an "apprentice", a fancy term used for someone learning from a master of their craft. And Kim Namjoon was certainly a master of rapping.
That apprentice was a particular rainbow-enthusiast and straight- A student named Jung Hoseok.
No one outside of his friend circle had ever heard him rap before. But President Namjoon only ever said good things about him. And if the president said it, then it was always true (because the people at this school were fucking idiots).
Jung Hoseok also happened to be the boyfriend of Min Yoongi, President Namjoon's sexy rapper-partner in crime. As for whether or not he'd be making an appearance on stage, no one knew. But the world could hope. They certainly could hope.
Some students had even gone as far as to make signs for them, and for a school that was supposed to be "prim" and "proper" like theirs, these signs were along the lines of the exact opposite.
Taehyung wasn't a hundred percent sure what Yoongi's "tongue technology" was supposed to mean, but it sounded dirty. And some girl in the row behind them had a sign that read Daddy Namjoon, and that was definitely dirty.
Last time they'd been in here was the first day of school when Namjoon was giving his speech about the wonders of education and a whole bunch of other bullfuckery. Now they were back, and he was eager to watch him and Hoseok blow the roof off this place. He'd heard them practicing a few times, and Hoseok was surprisingly good for someone who'd never rapped before. He liked to act like he wasn't, but Taehyung could tell even Hoseok knew he was good— he just preferred to stay modest.
As they waited, Taehyung leaned over Jimin's shoulder and kissed him on the cheek for a bit too long as he dug through his bag.
One arm was around his waist as he held Jimin in his lap, and his other hand was laced in Jungkook's as he held Yeontan in his lap.
Yep. He was proud to admit he was living his best life.
Jimin sorted through his pens and notebooks and gum wrappers and all the other miscellaneous rubbish he'd stuffed in there, and Jungkook snorted, whispering something in Taehyung's ear about how his alter would flip out if he knew what Jimin's bag looked like right now.
And then, Jimin pulled out a headband with two hot-pink bunnies on it, placing it on top of Jungkook's head.
"It's the weird pink bunny guy that you like!" Jimin said, pulling some of Jungkook's hair out for him and kissing his forehead.
Jungkook raised both hands to his hair and squished the bunnies with his fingers, and he burst out into laughter. "Oh my god! I didn't know they make headbands!"
"They do, baby!" Jimin said, and Taehyung could feel his own lips unraveling into a smile. "And I got Tae something too..."
Taehyung gasped.
Oh my gosh. Getting a present from Park Jimin was like better than having Christmas and your birthday combined, because just that one present alone was special enough to last you a lifetime. Once when they were little, Jimin brought him one of those blue plastic alien rings that he got on Halloween, saying it reminded me of you. How? He didn't know. But he'd worn it every day for the rest of the school year. He still wore it sometimes.
He reached up and squished Jungkook's bunnies while Jimin dug through his bag again, and he found himself bursting into giggles too. Jungkook took the opportunity to lean in and kiss him, and then he brushed their noses together, which made him giggle even more. Taehyung didn't even notice Jimin was holding another headband in his hands until he placed it in his own hair, kissing his cheek.
"There you go, Tae Tae," Jimin whispered. He hugged Taehyung and leaned his head against his chest, closing his eyes. Taehyung stared down at him, and his heart did a million-trillion flippy things.
He nudged Jungkook's arm, lowering his voice to a whisper. "What's on my head, Kook?"
"Two red hearts with eyes and weird-ass yellow lips," he whispered back.
Taehyung squished one of the hearts, tracing its shape with his finger. "Cool."
He squeezed Jimin tighter and stroked his back, continuing to live his best life.
Just then, Min Yoongi flopped down in the seat right next to him, sipping on a bottle of sprite.
The glass kind, just like the ones Hoseok kept in his fridge.
His hair was tussled, his lips bright pink and swollen. And right away, Taehyung noticed the myriad of red marks that decorated his neck and collarbones like god damn constellations, trailing down his hoodie. Holy fuck. Someone reallllly liked him...
"Gosh, you guys are so ᵃ ᵈ ᵒ ʳ ᵃ ᵇ ˡ ᵉ," Yoongi said with a smile.
Taehyung actually had to bite his lip as he held back his laughter.
Wow. He didn't even know those kinds of words were in Yoongi's vocabulary. He and Hoseok must've had some top-notch sex.
Jimin turned his head against Taehyung's chest at the sound of his voice, and he flashed Yoongi a look.
"Jimin's mad at you," Taehyung blurted out. He didn't bother asking why Yoongi was here since he'd already had a feeling he'd come crawling back. Also, being an adult without at least a high school diploma in this economy was actually terrifying.
"Yeah, I can see that," Yoongi said, giving Jimin's shoulder a cautious tap with his soda bottle. "Sorry, Jimin. If you want, we can call it even for you not being able to keep your big mouth shut?" He held out a hand.
Jimin's face scrunched into a frown, but he rolled his eyes and shook his hand anyways. "Whatever. At least I'm not gonna get a big fat F, unlike you."
"Hey!" Yoongi flashed him a hurt look, and some of his sprite splashed onto the ground when he put a hand against his heart. "I was going through some stuff, Jimin, okay? Stuff that wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for you—"
"By stuff, do you mean your boyfriend walking around like a fucking god?! Cause we were all going through that, Yoongi-hyung!" Jimin pushed himself off Taehyung's chest, and he waved a hand between the three of them. "We almost died because he was so hot! And if we could still do our presentations, so could you!"
Taehyung nodded his head in agreement; it was true. He'd never felt the need to drink a bottle of water so fast before.
"I mean, I dunno if I almost died, but yeah, he's pretty bad," Jungkook shrugged.
Taehyung's brows knitted together. "Bad?"
"Yeah," Jungkook said. "Like he's hot as fuck."
Taehyung nodded again. He was really learning so much from Jungkook. Sometimes he even felt like he was dating Urban Dictionary itself, and he still didn't know whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. Maybe he could ask him what tongue technology was later.
"Why are we even in here?" Yoongi asked, looking around.
Almost all the seats were filled at this point, and it was getting harder and harder to hear each other over the noise-- part of the reason Taehyung always dreaded assemblies. Most of the time they were for things they could really care less about too, like how the tennis team almost won that match but still lost. Like if you didn't bring home the trophy, why should he have to clap?
"For Joonie-hyung's presentation, obviously," Jungkook told him, like 'god, get with it.'
"What?"
Taehyung gestured at all the signs behind them, and Yoongi flipped around in his seat.
His entire body went rigid.
Yoongi's irises crashed against Daddy Namjoon and Min Yoongi's Sexy Tongue Technology, lips pressing together tighter and tighter as he read each sign, yet the rest of his face remained oddly expressionless.
He took a sip of sprite and turned back around.
"Hey, Kookie," Yoongi said, eyes staring straight ahead.
"What, Yoongi-hyung?"
He let out a short, quiet laugh. "Is Joon by any chance rapping for his presentation?"
Jungkook looked at both Taehyung and Jimin like what? And Taehyung gave his boyfriend a shoulder shrug along with his other boyfriend.
"Yeah," Taehyung answered for him. "He and Hobi-hyung have been practicing all week. Did they not tell you?"
Yoongi shook his head, and his lips did this weird twitchy thing. "By 'Hobi-hyung', are you talking about like, as in my boyfriend, 'Hobi-hyung'?"
"Yeah!" Jimin nudged Yoongi with his elbow. "Who else?"
"Like 'Hobi-hyung' as in like Hoseok?"
Jungkook rolled his eyes all the way up to the bunnies on his head. "Yes!"
"Like Hoseok as in like Jung Hoseok?"
"Of course!" said the girl behind them holding the Daddy Namjoon sign, setting it down and leaning her arms against Yoongi's seat. Her eyes were all dreamy, even star-struck. "You know, Jung Hoseok who's hot and learns how to rap with Namjoon after school?"
Yoongi turned back around, and he went silent. Dead silent.
"Hey, Kook?" Taehyung whispered, tapping his shoulder.
"Yeah, baby?"
"I don't think Hobi-hyung or Namjoon told Yoongi about their project."
At that, the two of them exchanged the same looks of 'oh fuck.'
"I got this," Jimin whispered, putting a hand up. He reached into his pocket and pulled out Kat, setting her down in Yoongi's lap. Yoongi picked her up and snuggled her against his chest for a few, short seconds before he pushed himself out of his seat and bolted towards the assembly hall doors.
Taehyung's eyes followed him as he clumsily made his way down the aisle like a lost toddler waddling through a crowded grocery store, bumping into people and zigzagging in all different directions.
"Should we follow him?" he asked.
"Probably, yeah," Jungkook sighed, already helping him and Jimin up. Taehyung gave his headband a quick adjustment, and then the three of them were chasing after him. Hopefully he wasn't trying to drop out again.
~<>~<>~<>~
「メイクを借りてありがとうございました!」Hoseok said, handing his eyeshadow pallet and flat iron back to the anime club president.
Honestly, he'd had no idea there was an anime club at this school until Seokjin brought him over to their room down inside the basement, asking if they could "borrow some of their weeb stuff".
They said no, but then Hoseok tried actually asking them nicely in Japanese, and they'd developed a sort of respect for him. He'd even agreed to help teach some of the younger members who were still trying to learn the language after school sometimes, and now they all called him 'Hobi- Senpai'.
All he had to do was make sure they never found out he didn't actually watch anime.
The purple-haired president waved a hand in the air as he took his makeup back, flashing Hoseok a friendly smile. They all called him Kaichou, so he had no idea what his actual name was. He was wearing some sort of "sexy butler" getup that looked oddly familiar, but Hoseok couldn't for the life of him figure out where he'd seen it before. Yoongi would probably know.
「アーいえいえ！君のようなイケメンは感謝するべきには必要がない」(Oh, no no, someone as handsome as yourself doesn't need to thank me) he told him with a wink, placing a hand on Hoseok's shoulder. If he didn't know any better, Hoseok might've thought the anime club president was そぶりしてる -ing on him right now. He laughed it off.
「本当のアニメキャラクターみたいだね！」（He looks just like a real anime character now doesn't he?!) said another girl from the back of the room, staring at Hoseok with her hands laced together. A few other members looked up from whatever video they were all watching on her iPad just so they could nod in agreement.
Hoseok blushed; wow, what a compliment! 「みんなーやめて！恥ずかしいー」(You guuuys, stop it, you're embarrassing me!) he told them through fits of giggles.
Just then, the president leaned in close enough to whisper in his ear, sending a tiny shiver down his spine. Hoseok averted his gaze to one of the Iwatobi Swim Club posters on the wall, pressing his lips together into a tight line since he could still feel himself smiling like an idiot.
「もしカレシと別れたら、僕を見つける場所知っているよ」(If you and your boyfriend ever break up, you know where to find me) he whispered, slipping a piece of notebook paper into his hand.
Hoseok had a feeling he knew what it was, so he stuffed it into his pocket without opening it. Looked like he was going to have to let Kaichou down easy.
He mustered up what he hoped was his best apologetic smile and said, 「じゃー実は。。。カレシと結婚することにした」—
"Oh my god, would you shut up, Hobi?" Kim Namjoon groaned from the back of the room. Hoseok whipped around, watching as he threw his head back against the wall in frustration. "You and Yoongi are not 'getting married'. Just because your boyfriend tells you something like that in the middle of sex doesn't mean—"
"Hey." Seokjin gave his boyfriend a firm pat on the back. "Don't burst his happy-Hobi bubble, okay? If he wants to think he and Yoongi are getting married, then let him think he and Yoongi are getting married. They're already practically living together anyways."
Hoseok went silent. Kaichou gave him a look, and then he walked away. He wasn't interested anymore.
Hoseok sighed and made his way back over to Namjoon, who'd developed an unusual, but critical case of irritability ever since he and Yoongi returned to school. One that was so critical it was actually rather intimidating.
"I didn't know you spoke Japanese," Hoseok said.
Okay, no, that was stupid. Of course Kim Namjoon would speak Japanese.
"Of course I speak Japanese," Namjoon said, mesh shirt shimmering against the warm glow of the basement lighting. "Got Chinese under my belt too. I have a 4.9 GPA, y'know." He tilted his head to the side. "What's your GPA?"
Namjoon's eyes were eager as he crossed his arms over his very, very muscle-ey chest.
Hoseok froze. Was he supposed to know his own GPA? Did people usually know things like that?
It was lower than a 4.9, he knew that much. Usually his test scores always came back good, so he'd never really worried about the number too much. He struggled a bit in literature because he couldn't sit down and read for long periods of time without getting distracted, but other than that he'd always assumed it was fine.
Quietly, he gave him an, "I don't know", because he didn't. He snuck a glance over at Seokjin to see if his face would reveal any sort of hint about whether or not he should feel stupid. Except he already did.
The way Namjoon chuckled at his response was chilling.
"Right, well, I guess you wouldn't keep track of things like that," Namjoon said, slinging an arm around his boyfriend's shoulders. "Y'know, it's probably a good thing you never joined our club. I don't think you could handle it."
Hoseok nodded. Vaguely. "Yeah, you're probably right." He tried giving Namjoon a smile too, but it came out as more of a flat line.
"I mean, no offense, but you're just not very... well, responsible." Namjoon whispered the last part, like it might lessen the blow. Hoseok never understood why people did that. He also never understood why people said 'no offense' when 99 percent of the time it was offensive. Not that he even disagreed with Namjoon— he just wasn't sure if he was a fan of the way he'd said it.
He and Namjoon were friends now, weren't they? Hoseok hoped they were, at least. The only reason he'd even been enjoying their after-school rap sessions was because Namjoon made them fun, and he was going to miss sneaking up to the rooftop with him every day.
Maybe it was never meant to last, though. Maybe he and Namjoon were just a one-week sort of thing, and then things would go back to the way they used to be.
Just then, Seokjin released himself from his boyfriend's arms and made his way over to the door.
Namjoon scrunched his face in confusion. "Wait, where are you going?"
"Hm?" Seokjin looked over his shoulder. "Oh, yeah, I'm leaving. You can come find me when you're done being a jealous bitch, 'kay, baby?"
The door shut quietly, and Namjoon's jaw dropped.
His cheeks flushed red as a firestorm, and Hoseok flicked his gaze away, all the way down at his boots.
He didn't know why he felt the need to give Namjoon some privacy, but he did. Sort of like when he'd go over to Seokjin's house and one of his parents would yell at him for not putting the dishes away, or like the time he accidentally broke three glasses trying to teach him the cup song. He'd go in another room if he could, but there was no other room.
Hoseok squeezed his eyes shut. "Sorry," he said.
"For what?"
Hoseok still wasn't looking at him, and he didn't think he wanted to from the icicles protruding out of Namjoon's words just then.
He shrugged. "I dunno, for making things complicated, I guess—"
"No, see, that's exactly your problem, Hobi," Namjoon snapped and pointed a finger at him. "You let people walk all over you, and then you apologize for doing literally nothing, and it just makes people feel even worse."
Hoseok kept silent.
Namjoon let himself fall into one of old desk chairs that the school didn't use anymore, and he put his face in his hands.
Then, his voice went quiet— ghost quiet. "Stop being so fucking naive, Hobi, okay? You're in a mesh t-shirt. You look hot as fuck, and now my boyfriend suddenly decides to be friendly towards you. Any person with a damn brain would be concerned."
Hoseok shook his head; that wasn't true. Not even a little bit.
"Joon, your boyfriend is far from interested in me, okay?" He told him.
Namjoon still didn't look anywhere near convinced, so Hoseok did what he knew how to do best-- ramble. "If he was interested in me, he would've already made a move because that's just how he is. Like one of those scary snapping turtles."
"What?"
"Yeah." Yeah, basically, exactly.
Namjoon furrowed his brows, and then he shook his head. "You're weird, Hobi. You think my boyfriend's not into you because he's a fucking turtle—?"
"No, jeezes chri—" Hoseok took a deep breath. "Look, I'm trying to say he doesn't fuck around, y'know? Every time he was into me, he made it very, very clear, and he never once hesitated. That's because when he wants something, he goes after it, and he doesn't let anything get in his way."
Not even Yoongi.
Namjoon tilted his head to the side a little, and Hoseok could tell even he knew it was true.
Still, he kept proving his point. "Seriously, Joon, crushes fade all the time. And it's nothing against the person, it just means you've like, lost interest in that sort of way, I guess..." Hoseok took a quick glance behind his shoulder, lowering his voice. "Like back in the day, I kinda used to have a crush on Jimin. Can you even believe that?"
"Yeah, actually I can," Namjoon said abruptly, and Hoseok felt his stomach twist a little. "Cute, short dude with weird personality and black, fluffy hair?" He raised his brows. "The guy's practically got your name written all over him, Hobi."
No.
Fucking.
Way.
Hoseok looked down at his boots because now literally all the blood in his body was surging towards his face.
"That's even the whole fucking reason I asked you to help Yoongi find his classes last year."
Wait...
"What?"
"Yeah. Because I knew he'd get your little Hobi- heart fluttering, and then you'd realize Jin wasn't your type like at all, and then you'd break up with him faster." Namjoon shrugged, smiling to himself. "I didn't think he'd actually like you back, but hey, it worked out, I guess."
Well.
Thank gosh Namjoon and Seokjin were a couple now, because two evil geniuses needed to stick together.
"So you set us up, basically?" That was basically what he was saying, wasn't it? In his own, twisted, evil genius way, he'd set them up to fall in love?
"Sure," Namjoon offered him.
And that was good enough for Hoseok.
He walked over to his chair and gave him a firm pat on the shoulder, and Hoseok swore he saw a literal angel sitting before him.
"Thanks, man," he said with a slight sigh. "Your best friend is hot. Like really, really hot."
Namjoon flashed him a proud smile. "You're welcome, Hobi," he said.
"Like ten out of ten, hottest guy on the planet."
Namjoon chuckled. "Okay, well, I dunno if--"
"Like I dunno how you didn't like kissing him at the cafe that day, cause I would've taken him straight home with me--"
"Wait, what--"
"I'm gonna marry your best friend, Joon. Just so you know."
Namjoon rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I got that. I'm real happy for you two." He pushed himself up. "Anyways, I'm sorry about, y'know... being an asshole earlier. I don't actually think any of those things."
Namjoon looked at the ground and stuffed his hands in his pockets, and his glasses slipped down his nose.
Right-- Hoseok figured as much, anyways. And if the story Seokjin told him was a hundred percent accurate, Namjoon apparently thought he was perfect, even though that was far from the truth.
"I've already forgotten about it," Hoseok told him. He offered a hand, and Namjoon's eyes looked up at him over his glasses.
"Friends?"
Namjoon nodded and gave him a small smile.
"Friends," he said, and the two of them shook hands. When Namjoon pulled away, he let out a deep breath and flicked his glasses up his nose.
"Guess we should probably get this show on the road, huh?" He said, to which Hoseok nodded his head eagerly. "Cause you know what they say: it ain't gonna rap itsel—"
"YOONGI-HYUNG NO!"
Just then, Min Yoongi burst through the anime club doors holding a gun.
A water gun.
From the cheer squad's car-wash fundraisers.
"Jig's up, Daddy Namjoon!"
Yoongi laughed and pulled the trigger of his bright orange and yellow water gun, quite literally the size of an actual rifle, and marked his aim at his best friend's face.
Hoseok took a few steps back.
Actually, no, he took like a lot of steps back, like as far back as he could go. And everyone else in the 部室 (club room) did the same.
"Hey, Hobi," Namjoon whispered, the two of them walking backwards, arms linked around each other's. "You know how you were saying you were gonna marry that guy?"
Hoseok nodded. "Mhm."
"You still wanna do that?"
Hoseok took one glance at his boyfriend, faded mint hair sprawled all over the place and his eyes narrowing as he stepped closer to them. His tongue was sticking out too, like a child concentrating on a serious piece of artwork. Except Yoongi was concentrating on shooting his best friend in the face.
"One-hundred percent, Joon," Hoseok sighed. "One-hundred percent..."
Just as Yoongi was about to release the trigger, Taehyung and Jungkook burst through the doors at lightning's pace, jumping up behind him and tackling him to the ground.
"Gimme the damn water gun, Yoongi-hyung!" Jungkook demanded, the two of them rolling around and wrestling for control over the weapon as Taehyung held his legs down. Yoongi kicked him and flipped over so that he was laying down flat on his stomach, and he placed himself on top of the water gun like a chicken lying on an egg.
Taehyung made a risky move; he yanked the water gun out from under him, but as soon as he gripped it, Yoongi pulled the trigger, splashing water that soaked Taehyung from his head all the way down to his belt.
Just like that, Taehyung fell backwards onto the ground, landing with a loud thud.
"Tae, no!" Jungkook screamed and crawled over to him, shaking him by the shoulders violently. "Come on, baby, get up!"
"Kook..." Taehyung reached out slowly and grabbed his hand, and Jungkook's eyes followed him in fear. "Tell Jimin I love him, okay? And I know you and I were only together for a short period of time, but... I-I love you, Kook. I love you so, so much."
"Tae..." Jungkook brushed the wet strands of blue hair out of his face and leaned in close, kissing his lips. "I love you more, baby, and just so you know, it was never in a platonic way, it's actually very, very sexual--"
"Okay." Taehyung flipped up and pushed Jungkook aside, undoing the buttons of his blazer and shaking out his hair. "Hobi-hyung, your boyfriend found out about your project and now he's literally gone insane."
Taehyung pointed a finger at Yoongi as he stood up on his own two feet, cranking the lever of his water gun for a second time. He slowly made his way over to where they were standing, and everyone in the room backed up along with each step he took.
"I'll handle this," Namjoon whispered, unlinking their arms. Before Hoseok knew what was happening, he jumped up onto one of the old school chairs and clapped his hands together, gathering everyone's attention. 「アニメクラブのみんな！出ていけ！」
In a flash, everyone did as they were told and got the fuck out.
Hoseok took a seat on top of one of the desks and hung his head as Namjoon hopped down, marching his way over to Yoongi.
He couldn't look at his boyfriend right now. He didn't want to look at him. All the previous "instructions" Yoongi had given him about his rapping had been disobeyed this past week, and was he in the mood to be screamed at again? Absolutely not.
"Yoongi Min," Namjoon snapped, ripping the water gun out of his friend's clutch. He kicked a chair out for him and pointed a finger at it, and Yoongi flopped down, letting out a sharp huff of air.
"I have had to deal with your 'freak outs' more times than I can count now, but this?"
Namjoon waved a hand in Taehyung's direction, who was sitting there in silence on the floor as Jungkook ran his hands through his soaking wet hair.
"You've officially gone off the rails. I mean seriously, you're gonna shoot water at your own best friend and your boyfriend because you're a little upset?"
"Hey, I wasn't gonna shoot him!" Yoongi claimed, scrunching his face into a frown as he glanced over at Hoseok. "I'd never shoot him. I... I love him."
Hoseok's head shot back up, and he found Yoongi gazing at him with the same, soft gleam he'd had in his eyes before they'd left his house.
He couldn't stop the way his heart fluttered and how his stomach literally did five summersaults down a hill, even though he wasn't entirely sure if this was something normal people would get flustered over.
"Awww, Yoongles..." Hoseok smiled back at him and swung his legs. "I love you t—"
"Hey!" Namjoon pointed a finger at him, and Hoseok jolted backwards. "Don't fucking flirt with him right now! And you." He pointed a finger at Yoongi. "Is it really so terrible if everyone appreciates the talent you have and thinks you're actually kind of cool?"
Yoongi threw his hands up in the air. "Um, of course--!"
"No, it's not!" Namjoon tugged at the ends of his hair, and Hoseok swore he actually saw one of the silver strands turn white. "God, what is even your problem, Yoongs? All I wanted was to rap with my best friend like we used to, but you freak out every single damn time--"
"I wanted that too!" Yoongi shot out. He launched himself out of his chair, and he stepped right in front of Namjoon's face. "I wanted that so badly, and you ruined it!"
"How the hell did I ruin it?!"
"Because, Joon, rapping was supposed to be our thing! Not some fucking thirst-trap for people to make gross signs over!"
Namjoon went silent, and Hoseok faced away, staring down at his shoes again.
Who were they even kidding? Yoongi wasn't going to want to rap with Namjoon again just because Hoseok was there. If anything, he'd made the situation ten times worse.
Just then, Jimin burst through the door holding Kat above his head.
"I found her!" He announced happily, and the four of them all looked up as he waved her around. "She was hiding under the bleachers in the gym, so luckily I was small enough to fit under there, and-- wait, what the fu--"
Jimin looked back and forth between his boyfriends and Yoongi, lowering Kat as the realization registered on his face.
"You shot my boyfriend?!" He gave Yoongi a what the fuck glare before he rushed to Taehyung's side and released Kat onto the ground, and he wrapped him up in his arms. He kissed both Taehyung's cheeks, and for someone who'd just gotten his uniform drenched, Taehyung sure looked like the happiest guy alive.
Hoseok could already see Yoongi's eyes fading out like car headlights, just like he always did whenever he knew he'd messed up. He stood with his arms hanging loosely against his sides, his lips folding into an anxious frown. Quietly, he whispered, "Sorry, Jimi--"
"No, you know what?" Jimin sighed, shaking his head. "This is all Namjoon's fault, isn't it?"
"What?!" Namjoon glared at him, and Jimin glared at him right back. He opened his mouth to say something more, but Jungkook pulled his boyfriend into a hug and patted his head before he could.
"Ignore him, Joonie-hyung," Jungkook told him. "Jimin's still learning how to keep his mouth shut sometimes."
Namjoon had the expression of a person who was done with literally everything. The English project, the people around him, being president, life in general.
"Kay everyone shut the fuck up," he said, switching into scary president mode. "Me and Yoongi are gonna talk, and no one else is gonna speak for like five minutes. Got it?"
Everyone nodded their heads.
"Okay." Namjoon grabbed a chair and pushed it over next to Yoongi's, and he sat down and patted Yoongi's seat. "Com'mere, Yoongs. You're not in trouble, but just sit."
Yoongi hesitated, then sighed and walked back over to his seat without looking at him.
Taehyung leaned in to whisper in Jungkook's ear. "Does he like actually get in trouble sometimes—?"
Namjoon whipped around and flashed him his scary president glare, and that was all it took for Taehyung to close his mouth and lace his hands in his lap.
Namjoon put an arm around his best friend's shoulders and pulled him in close, and Yoongi looked down, twisting Kat's tail around his finger.
"Look, Yoongs," he began, already making his hand gestures as he searched for the right words to say. "Just because people like what you do, and they make weird signs, and sometimes they chase us down the hallways..." Namjoon blinked a few times and made more hand gestures. Hoseok held his breath.
"It doesn't mean that it's not like, our thing anymore. It's always gonna be our thing. Even if the entire world knows about us someday, it doesn't matter, because when I was rapping with you that night at the party, I barely even noticed the people below us. Did you?"
Yoongi didn't say anything.
Hoseok could tell he felt the same, though. Even if Yoongi had been wasted that night, some part of him had to have enjoyed it. After all, alcohol could only do so much, and Yoongi rapped like he'd been having the time of his life.
Actually, Hoseok always thought part of the reason the crowd was having so much fun was because Namjoon and Yoongi were having fun.
"And y'know, I get not wanting a whole bunch of other people to know about it, cause it's hard when something you love changes so drastically. But I'm always gonna be right behind you, Yoongs. And as long as we're together, then nothing has really changed has it?"
Jungkook snorted behind them, elbowing Jimin's side as they both smacked the ground and fought back giggles. "Behind you--"
"KOOKIE," Namjoon snapped. Jungkook laced his hands in his lap.
Yoongi looked up at him, and Kat licked his hand. Hoseok could see his boyfriend's eyes light up when they met Namjoon's, and he nuzzled his head against his friend's shoulder. Kat copied him and nuzzled her head against Yoongi's arm.
"I liked when it was just our thing," Yoongi said quietly. "It felt like... like no one could touch us. Like no one else even mattered."
Hoseok felt a frown forming on his lips.
That "no one" was a "someone". He could tell.
"I know, Yoongs," Namjoon told him and gave his shoulder a squeeze. "I liked when it was just our thing, too. But back then, the two of us were really all we had, weren't we?" He looked over at Hoseok, and Yoongi's eyes followed his gaze. "Now you have another person who loves you. Maybe even more than I can."
Hoseok gave him a small smile, and Yoongi smiled back at him, which only made his smile grow wider.
"Um--" Jimin pushed himself out of Jungkook's arms and marched his way over to Yoongi, hugging him from behind. Yoongi jumped in surprise, and Jimin squeezed him extra tight.
"'Scuse you, Namjoon, I love Yoongi-hyung too. Y'know, that's like really inconsiderate of you--"
Taehyung got up and dragged him away.
"You learned how to rap for me?" Yoongi said. His face was warm and bright, and Hoseok wanted to kiss it.
He nodded his head. Well-- it was mostly for Yoongi's sake, anyways. Rapping was also just kind of fun. He honestly didn't think it would be, especially since the only time he listened to that genre of music was when Yoongi insisted that he blast his "hardcore rap" into Hoseok's ears. And by hardcore, he usually meant songs with way too many gunshot sound effects and overly explicit lyrics.
"He's really good at it too," Taehyung told them, and Hoseok blushed from the way he'd reported it like a fact. He didn't know if he was considered good or not, but Namjoon seemed to think so, and that was really all he needed. "It's like... like he was just meant to do it, y'know?"
Jimin nodded his head in agreement. "It's true. Hobi-hyung is just like... like the coolest ever, isn't he?" He made a heart with his hands and held it up for Hoseok to see, staring into his eyes with an intense gaze that low-key freaked him out just the tiniest bit. "I'm your biggest fan, Hobi-hyung," he whispered.
They all watched as Jimin reached into his bag and dragged out a folded piece of paper, then unfolded it until it was the size of a sign he could hold over his head with his big, stupid grin.
And then Hoseok burst out into laughter. The kind where actual tears welled up in his eyes and he was clapping for no reason.
Was that supposed to be him? And Yoongi?? "Did you draw that, Jimin?"
"Nahhh, I just colored it," Jimin said, pointing a thumb at Jungkook. "I made Kookie draw it last night. He's got like a whole bunch of secret talents!"
Jungkook snorted again. "Yeah, secret talents—"
Taehyung smacked him across the arm. "Okay, is literally everything dirty to you?"
"Pretty much, yeah." Jungkook nodded, deadpan.
Namjoon squinted his eyes, holding his glasses out in front of his face. "Wait, but what the fuck is that scribbled on the bottom?"
Jimin slammed his sign into his lap and let out a frustrated huff of air. "You know what, Namjoon? Why don't you go ask the Jimin that can read!"
At that, both his boyfriends' eyes filled with horror, and Hoseok felt his stomach drop.
What, what, what???
Jimin latched onto Taehyung and buried his face against his chest, squeezing his hand so hard Hoseok could see his knuckles turning white.
Jungkook was already getting up.
"Alright, baby, we're gonna go take a breather, okay?" He pulled Jimin up before he could even agree and pecked him on the cheek, waving at Taehyung to come with them. His voice was soft and calm, barely even above a whisper, and Hoseok had to admit he was impressed; he had to be screaming on the inside.
Within the blink of an eye, the two of them pulled Jimin out of the room, and then they were gone. Jungkook and Taehyung didn't mess around when it came to their boyfriend's disorder anymore. Not even a little bit.
On the other hand, Hoseok could make out what Jimin wrote perfectly. And well... it was probably a good thing Namjoon couldn't read it.
"Um..." Namjoon turned back towards him and Yoongi, scratching the back of his head. "Anyways... actually, you know what, Yoongs? Can we just move past the whole motivational speech and have you rap with us? Cause it's just going terribly--"
"Yeah, I was gonna say that too," Hoseok said. Not that he would've done a better job, but this had to be like one of the worst attempts at a motivational speech in history.
"Okay, sure." Yoongi smiled and nodded, pushing himself out of his chair. With Kat in his hands, he made his way over to the door and motioned for them to follow.
Namjoon and Hoseok both looked at each other.
"Wait, you really mean it, Yoongi?" Hoseok pushed himself up too, and he smoothed out his mesh top. He sort of wished the anime club members would've told him how itchy the material on this thing was going to be, otherwise he would've stayed the hell away from it.
"Well yeah, I mean, if you're gonna be there." Yoongi shrugged, already making his way outside.
Hoseok's heart fluttered.
"See, I told you he'll do anything for you," Namjoon muttered, nudging him with his elbow. The two of them followed in Yoongi's footsteps, and for the first time, Hoseok could actually feel himself getting excited about the whole thing, the butterflies in his tummy he'd been lacking the entire week.
This was actually happening.
Namjoon flung an arm around his shoulders as they walked behind him, footsteps echoing against the empty hallway tile. "Next order of business," he whispered, letting out a breath. "We gotta get that guy to fix his hair, like it's real bad right now--"
"One thing at a time, Joon. One thing at a time."
~<>~<>~<>~
Being a new couple, Jimin still hadn't quite found that perfect balance when it came to kissing Taehyung. They either came in the form of little pecks on the lips, or he kissed him like the entire world was ending.
Right now the world was ending.
And Taehyung liked it.
"I love you," Jimin whispered for the third time now, hugging him tight as Taehyung kissed him with fervor again, trying not to smile too much. It was actually quite the challenge; he literally could not stop smiling. And if he smiled, he couldn't really kiss Jimin properly. Jimin didn't seem to mind, though, which was nice.
"I love you more," Taehyung mumbled in between kisses for the third time now, his voice breathy. He was fully aware of how cringey they sounded, and Taehyung was shamelessly embracing it. Jimin hugged him tighter every time he told him, like they hadn't been kissing for over twenty minutes now. Hell, maybe even liked they'd never kissed before.
They'd figured out soon enough that someone forgot to take his meds this morning, probably because he'd been a little too excited about coming to school. Taehyung couldn't blame him though; he'd been pretty excited too. After all, this was their first day being like an actual, official couple. Or whatever you called three people in a relationship.
Luckily, Taehyung always carried extras for Jimin in his bag because, well... Jimin couldn't exactly stay mentally stable for very long without them. Which high-key sucked and made Taehyung question why the world wasn't fair and why cute people like Jimin had to worry about things like that, but it was what it was.
Now Jimin was all good, and the two of them were waiting on the floor of the backstage area while Jungkook went to go find something sugary for him. He said it helped his alter whenever Jimin was feeling out of it, which was interesting since they'd never tried that before.
"Check this out, Jimin."
Jungkook threw a tiny box into his lap and knelt down next to him, and Jimin pulled off Taehyung so he could look down.
"It's the weird pink breadstick things that you like!" Jungkook said. He wrapped his arms around him from behind, and he squished Jimin in between himself and Taehyung.
Jimin's entire face lit up, and he ripped the box open with zero hesitation. "No way! I didn't know they had these here!"
"They do, baby!" Jungkook laughed, and Taehyung couldn't resist kissing him; he was cute when he didn't know what Pocky Sticks were.
Just then, someone behind them let out a deep, heavy sigh, the pitter-patter of footsteps echoing in the distance.
Kim Namjoon pulled back the curtains as the three of them made their way backstage, and Taehyung turned to find him with his face buried in his hands. "You guys please... please stop—"
"You ready to make this assembly hall our bitch, daddy Namjoon?" Yoongi laughed and smacked his friend on the back. Hoseok lips folded inwards as he desperately fought to keep a straight face.
"Oh fuuuck you, crazy hair, at least I'm not going out there looking like I just rolled out of my boyfriend's bed." Namjoon gave him and Hoseok the once over, and Jimin's lips slowly turned upwards.
"So you guys do have sex!" He laughed and pointed a finger at them.
Hoseok's jaw dropped, and he hugged his arms against his chest like he was naked. "S-stop it, Jimin! I've never had sex in my life!"
Well, if that wasn't the biggest god damn lie Taehyung had ever heard...
"Yeah, no, I remember very specifically a time when you and Yoongi were arguing, and you told me to go upstairs," Taehyung began, and he could already feel himself shuddering at just the thought of it. Hoseok's eyes grew wider, his whole body going rigid.
"I sat up there for ages doing homework, Hobi-hyung, and by the time you two finally came up there, you were making out with each other like wild animals and ripping off each other's clothes. I had to cover my eyes, Hobi-hyung. I had to cover my eyes and bolt out the door after you threw Yoongi on your bed and were literally two seconds away from banging right in front of me. You scarred me, Hobi-hyung—"
Hoseok slammed the play button on the stereo, and the assembly hall speakers blared with music.
Their music.
"What the— why the fuck did you do that?!" Namjoon screamed and threw his hands up in the air as everyone in the audience cheered their names, pacing back and forth and hyperventilating. "We didn't even have time to get ready, Hobi!"
"We're as ready as we'll ever be, Joon! Plus you're goin' first, so it doesn't really matter for me and Yoongi, does it?!"
Taehyung lifted up the curtains and snuck a peek at the audience, all of them getting out of their seats and standing. The lights were dimmed, a thousand phone flashlights in the air. People were even crowding the stage, holding their cameras up so they could film the moment they walked out on stage. At this rate, they could've been charging actual money.
"God, you guys are like actually kinda famous, I guess," he said, pulling the curtain back. He'd seen them rap at the party, but having everyone come out of their classes just to watch them made their level of popularity even more real.
"The intro's almost over, Joon!" Yoongi pushed him towards the stage, Namjoon looking like he was just about ready to pass out. "You gotta go! Otherwise this whole thing is gonna look real weird!"
Taehyung chuckled. As if this whole concert wasn't already weird enough as it was...
Namjoon swept one of the microphones out of the mic stand, which were usually only used by people in either theatre or band. He flipped the switch on, closed his eyes and took a deep breath, and ran out onto the stage, all of them watching in silence with their jaws slack.
"ALRIGHT, I BETTER SEE ALL YOU FUCKERS MOVING, OR YOU CAN GET THE FUCK OUT!"
Namjoon pointed at the audience with his microphone, and everyone screamed and cheered for their president, waving their signs around.
"I-I don't think this is school appropriate anymore," Jimin said, eyes wide as they all watched Namjoon take the stage. His mesh shirt was shimmering under the spotlights like he was an actual, ethereal being, and he was blowing a kiss at someone in the audience— someone with very blond hair.
"Come on, Yoongs, let's go!" Hoseok took his boyfriend by the hand and practically ran towards the curtains.
"Wait, but, Hobi, I..." Yoongi looked down, stuffing his hands in his hoodie pockets. "I'm nervous—"
"Well you gotta get over it, Yoongs, cause we don't really have time for the whole cliche stage fright bit right now!"
"Yeah, I know, I was just kidding," Yoongi laughed, grabbing his microphone. "Let's go!"
The two of them ran out onto the stage with huge, stupid smiles on their faces, following in Namjoon's footsteps, and Jimin watched them like two little birds leaving the nest.
"There they go," he whispered, unfolding his sign and holding it up high over his head. "I always believed in them."
"Believed in what?" Jungkook laughed.
Jimin gave him a shrug. "I don't really know. It's just that they've been through so much with everything that's happened, y'know? And now look at them... doing rap concerts together..."
Jungkook laughed again, wrapping an arm around each of his boyfriends shoulders and pulling them in close. "You wanna start like a singing group sorta thing? Like just the three of us?" He kissed Taehyung's cheek, and he felt himself blush against the feeling of his lips. "I bet it'd be real sexy," he said, then kissed Jimin's cheek, nuzzling his nose against his shoulder.
"Nah, I think we should open up an Etsy shop," Jimin said with a smile.
Taehyung honestly couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not. For Jimin's sake, he hoped he was, because Jimin's arts and crafts skills were sketchy. And what the fuck would they even be selling?
"Um, Jiminie, I dunno if OH GOD—""
A cacophony of powerful sound radiated throughout the assembly hall and animated the audience below, a multi-headed beast of vibration Taehyung could feel throughout his entire core.
"WHATEVER YOU DO I'LL KILL FOR"
Namjoon's voice echoed throughout the entire school, the rappers commanding the stage, and Jimin screamed at the top of his lungs.
They might as well have been at a real concert, because the three of them were already owning it.
Yoongi didn't even need alcohol to have stage presence. He naturally had it, and his energy wasn't any less than the night at the party. Some people were just like that, Taehyung supposed, although he'd had his doubts at first.
The normal, apathetic, unamused Yoongi had been replaced by a boy who smiled and hyped up his best friend every chance he got. He moved around the stage with his hood up, never staying in one place for too long, and Taehyung could tell he was feeling every single syllable Namjoon sang.
Not that he didn't think Hoseok's emo boyfriend was lovely and all, but this was the most attractive he'd been in their time of getting to know one another. Passion was a good look on him.
On the other hand, Hoseok's energy didn't surprise him even a little. After all, he was Hoseok, and this was probably just one giant session of karaoke for him. The only difference was that he looked like a glittery god with his mesh shirt and crayola crayon hair, and his rapping skills were far superior to his singing skills.
And Namjoon was Namjoon, sophisticated president by day, and badass rapper by night, he guessed.
When Hoseok's part started, Jimin screamed at the top of his lungs again and hopped on Taehyung's back.
"Why are you on my back?!" He shouted over the noise and turned to look over his shoulder. He jumped up slightly so he wouldn't topple over, wrapping his arms around Jimin's legs. "Go on Kook's back! He has biceps!"
Jimin ignored him and shook him by the shoulders like a wild monkey, and Taehyung took in a few, deep breaths.
"THIS SONGS LEGALITY WILL MAKE EVERYONE FALL INTO A TRAP--"
Hoseok shouted into his microphone and walked up towards the crowd without a care in the world, and Jimin was literally going insane. He ran a hand through his hair all sexy- like, and the words "hang hang over bang" were shot out into the crowd with a driving force that had everyone screaming bloody murder. Taehyung didn't know what that meant, but it sounded awesome.
Oh my god. Hoseok was so cool.
Even better, he could tell he wasn't the only one who thought so; Yoongi stopped walking around and stared at Hoseok, frozen with his mouth wide open. It was reverse shock, a revelation. Hoseok wasn't just rapping, he was proving a point; you think you can spit fire? Well so can I.
And he was.
Now he and Jimin were screaming at the top of their lungs like idiots.
"YEAH GO HOBI HYUNG GO!" Taehyung cheered with all his heart and soul, from the very depths of his entire being.
"WE WORSHIP YOU HOBI HYUNG!" Jimin sobbed and waved his sign around, stars twinkling in his irises as they watched the literal angel that was Jung Hoseok.
Jungkook rolled his eyes. "God, you guys are such Hobi fanboys," he said. "He's just rapping. It's not like he OH MY GOD YOONGI HYUNG—"
Yoongi flipped his hood down, and Jungkook gasped, hands over his mouth.
Literally. That was all Yoongi did. But it was so intense.
The three of them could see his face crystal clear now, and that was when all of them came to the same realization— things were about to get real.
"S U G A AKA AGUST D"
"YEAH YOONGI HYUNG SLAY YOU'RE THE BEST HYUNG EVER I LOVE YOU SPIT THAT FIRE," Jungkook hollered, and both Jimin and Taehyung glared at him. God, what a Yoongi fanboy...
Yoongi bent down low, hair hanging over his eyes as he rapped into his microphone, and the crowd went wild. Taehyung hated to admit it, but... the audience seemed to have a favorite, to put it lightly. Not that they weren't going wild for Hoseok and Namjoon as well, but there was something different in the way they cheered for Yoongi.
It could've just been the dozens of marriage proposals being screamed at him left and right, but it felt like so much more. Yoongi rapped because it was what he was meant to do, like the field had chosen him, and the audience recognized that.
Every syllable the boy breathed was like he'd never sing again. He made each word count, gave it its own special meaning. He wasn't just rapping to satisfy his friends, or because he got a kick out of it; Yoongi rapped because he needed to rap.
"SO MANY HATERS, BUT NO PROBLEM I KILL"
The three of them all shouted the chorus, and this time Hoseok was the one to jump up and splash his water bottle into the audience.
"NO!" Jimin shrieked and shook Jungkook's arm all around, pointing an accusatory finger towards the stage. "I WANTED TO FEEL HOBI HYUNG'S HOLY WATER TOO—"
"BUT I DON'T CARE, YOU CAN'T CONTROL MY SHIT"
Taehyung knew it was never going to be just Yoongi and Namjoon ever again. Not when the three of them looked like that— like they were three people who belonged on stage together.
"I BECAME A NINJA WHO OVERCAME DISTRUST AND RETURNED"
"LEMME FEEL IT!" Jimin was still screaming, kicking, and crying as the audience all burst into applause that literally could've broken Taehyung's eardrums. "IT'S NOT FAIR, I'M HIS NUMBER ONE FAN, I HAVE A SOPE SIGN—"
~<>~<>~<>~
They all got an A on the project.
"Move Tae, you're taking Hobi- hyung all for yourself," Jimin said as they both hugged him as tight as they could. They were standing in their usual spot by the lockers, and the others were proooobably somewhere around here. Jimin didn't really care at the moment.
"No I'm not, Jimin." Taehyung squished Hoseok even harder out of spite and gave his boyfriend a glare. "You just like him too much—"
"No you—"
"You guys," Hoseok squeaked, "I- I need air—"
"You did so good, Hobi- hyung," Jimin told him for the tenth time now and closed his eyes, patting his stomach. "We just love you so much... you're like... like a superstar... and you— hey!"
Yoongi pushed them out of the way and hugged Hoseok with the biggest smile on his face, and Hoseok squeezed him right back, the two of them leaning their foreheads together.
Jimin scoffed. "Oh, okay, I see how it is Hobi-hyung, you like hugging your boyfriend more than us now, huh? Well you know what? I—"
And then they were kissing.
Like full- on making out. Taehyung and Jimin did not exist, and the two of them were going at it like they had nothing to lose, touching each other in places that had Taehyung dragging Jimin alllll the way down the corridor.
No one needed to see that. Ever.
"Eww, Hobi-hyung's in love," Jimin snickered, earning him a swat on the back as they walked.
"Hey, leave the guy alone," Taehyung mock-scolded him. "Didn't you hear all those marriage proposals up in there? Basically everyone wants to make out with Yoongi..." He paused, stopping midway down the hall with a half- smile. "Well— except me. Cause I love you, Jiminie."
Taehyung took his hand and kissed it, and Jimin rolled his eyes, even though he was smiling like a big dummy. Ugh, Taehyung made him blush way too easily.
Sometimes Jimin wondered how obvious his crush on him must have been. It was getting better now that they were actually together, but back when the school year first began, he used to blush even when Taehyung made eye contact with him while talking.
They'd been talking since they were freaking seven. Back when they had deep conversations about whether or not SpongeBob and Patrick were into each other—
"Yeah, well, they better make it quick, cause Yoongi-hyung said he wants to 'chat' with me," Jimin said and pulled his phone out, checking the time.
"Really?" Taehyung's brows wrinkled. "About what?"
"Stuff."
At that, Taehyung frowned.
Not the best response, Jimin knew that. But that was all he could offer him. Taehyung didn't understand his and Yoongi's relationship, and he didn't need to. Not right now, at least.
And just as Taehyung was about to open his mouth, the stomping of someone's shoes as they ran down the cooridor interrupted him just in time.
"Mind if I borrow him for a sec?" Yoongi asked, out of breath. Whether that was from running, or making out, he had no idea.
Jimin could tell by the look on Taehyung's face that he did mind, and he couldn't help but sort of like it; just a few months ago, he would've killed to have Taehyung flash another guy the protective boyfriend glare.
Still, he gave Yoongi a small smile and a nod. "You're all good," he said, already heading in the opposite direction. "I'm gonna go find Kook," he told Jimin. "Gotta make sure he's not just sitting there and zoning out again. He does that sometimes..."
And then he was gone. Yoongi started heading down the corridor, and Jimin followed.
"You did good," Jimin told him, keeping his gaze forward as they walked. "Although I feel like that kinda goes without saying at this point."
"Thanks," Yoongi mumbled, and right away Jimin could tell he'd had to say so many "thanks" that the word was becoming exhausting. He made a note not to compliment him for a few days.
"I was a little sad we didn't get to do our project together, but I still had fun working with you this week, Yoongi-hyung."
Jimin looked over at him, hoping he'd say something along the lines of "me too" like a normal person, but Yoongi kept silent.
Jimin couldn't read Yoongi's expression. Normally he could read anyone's expression, soak up other people's emotions as if they were his very own, but Yoongi's, well...
Then, Yoongi finally came to a stop.
No one else was around them.
"I wanted to give this to you while you were at my house a few days ago, but... I wanted to use it one last time," he began bracingly.
Jimin watched him with his arms at his sides as Yoongi slipped off his favorite black hoodie, static electrified strands of hair springing up over his head.
He handed it over.
"It's yours, right?"
Jimin stared down at the lump of fabric in his arms, hugging it against his chest.
He nodded.
"S' my alter's, but yes."
At that, Yoongi gave him a small smile. Jimin thought he looked ever so slightly awkward now, like he didn't know where to put his hands. He grabbed the ends of his tie.
"Thank you," Yoongi said. "For letting me borrow it for so long. Y- your alter left it when he visited me in... i- in the hospital, a-and you don't know how much comfort it gave me knowing I had someone—"
"You can keep it if you want," Jimin cut him off. It was practically his now anyways, not to mention he looked better in it.
But Yoongi shook his head, and the smile on his face warmed Jimin's heart.
"I don't need it anymore," he said.
The End.
__________________________________
A/N: This story was written very slowly over a course of three whole years. That's a long time!
I've changed a lot since I started writing this story, like a lot. I used to be really into dark/angsty themes, but now I think I'll try my hand at something a bit more lighthearted and fun. I'm also okay with writing smut now so that's nice 😂
I'll leave Sope here for now :) There's other ships that I need to write about, but maybe in the future I'll do Sope again!
Thank you so much for making it to the end!! Hope these characters didn't make you lose too many brain cells ☺️