Jungkook was gentle in setting his stuff down, careful not to bother the library-goers who were either studying or reading. Quiet chatter didn't have that respect. While gossip was never something he followed, Ji-eun's words still popped up, emboldened across his mind.
"Are the rumors true?"
The poor guy still had no idea what she could've meant by that. Curiosity killed the cat nine times, as the story goes. He shouldn't worry about it so much. So why was he worrying about it so much?
The whispers of two male voices behind his seat capture his focus as he pretended to scroll his phone. "They must be fighting," one, a higher voice, whispered. "One of my friends told me they ate during this period."
"Be quieter; he might hear you," the other responded.
"That guy only has ears for his boyfriend. He never talks to anyone else."
Is that the sort of thing people find interesting to gossip? Gay couples? Jungkook paid more attention to his scrolling rather than the irrelevant prattling from behind. He didn't need to know about two guys dating each other. It wasn't his business.
Still, somehow, the words of the two peers met his ears against his will. Now that he'd started listening, he couldn't seem to stop. "I don't understand why everyone pays attention to those two in the first place," the lower voiced male said. "How many people even know their names?"
"Well, that one's Jungkook. . ."
The listener stopped scrolling on his phone upon hearing his name. The rumor he was involved in was him having a boyfriend? How could anyone believe that? Jungkook had dated a generous amount of girls, and not once a guy. The whole thing was stupid. He wouldn't waste his time dwelling on it.
"I think the other was. . . Jisuk? He has black hair."
"That really helps."
"I don't know how else to describe him. He's got an oval face and eyes that remind me of that one four-sided shape."
"A square?"
Jungkook tried to refrain from turning around and telling them to be quiet. They were speaking nonsense and nothing more than that.
"No. . . I'll draw it." There was a shuffling of papers and the sound of a pencil scratching against one in a hurry. "This thing."
"That's a parallelogram, dumb ass."
"I'm taking Calculus. I don't need to know shapes. But, yeah, anyways, his eyes are kind of like that, and his lips are big- Oh! It's Jimin. That's his name."
Jungkook lifted his gaze from his phone to the wood of the table. It all made some sort of sense now, why Jimin had been pushing him away. Why they couldn't be as close as they'd used to be. He knew that Jimin was always worried about what others thought, so that rumor must be tearing him apart. He and Jungkook were different in those terms. The younger didn't care.
"I think I know who you're talking about. Park Jimin, right? He's not very attractive."
And suddenly he did care.
Jungkook stood from his chair and turned to glare at the two gossiping males. Some other occupants of the library were watching him now, curious as to why he was being a distraction. He kept himself from saying anything despite his desires to tell them they weren't half as good-looking as Jimin was. He knew better than doing that. All the other people in the area would begin to talk about that next, and the rumor would only become more talked about.
His glaring was cut off by his phone ringing. He heard some annoyed sighs from the few who'd actually continued their work. Jungkook hurried to answer the call.
"Now's not a good time," he whispered, his hand cupped around his mouth and device. The person he'd answered to was Jimin. He knew it just from the way his breathing sounded.
"Where the hell did you disappear to?" the caller asked impatiently. "I need to talk to you about something. It's important."
"I can't talk here, Jimin." There were whispers too quiet to distinguish from behind him, prompting a roll of his eyes. "Where are you?"
"The restroom."
"Which restroom?"
"They're going to meet in a school restroom?" the higher-pitched one clarified, giggling a little. "I didn't think two guys would be so active."
"The east wing one closest to the lunch room. Hurry up! It's urgent." Jimin ended the call, and Jungkook glared once more at the two males behind him. One was covering his mouth with his hand, the other seemingly trying to get something done. He shook his head. They watched him as he left the library, then returned to what they were best at.
"Who tops?"
...
Jimin paced, chewing on his fingernails. Why had she suddenly noticed him? They didn't share any classes and never spoke before that. The idea of it being a prank was all he could think until his friend arrived with a face of worry.
"Why did you need to see me? What is it?" Jungkook examined him immediately upon entering, looking him up and down with those dark eyes. "Are you okay?"
"Not really!" Jimin replied in a strained voice. "I'm so embarrassed-"
"I think I know what this is about," the younger interrupted quietly, nodding with a mission in his eyes. He put his hands on the older's sides and got onto his knees.
"What the hell are you doing?" Jimin asked in a loud whisper. "Get up!"
Jungkook made a shushing sound before letting go of his friend to put his hands on the floor instead. He leaned down to look under the stalls, clarifying no one was in there. "Alright," --he used a normal volume now-- "we're okay." The taller of the two grabbed onto the other's sleeve, being shaken off once he was on his feet.
"Wash your hands."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know how you are." Jungkook obeyed, moving for the sinks and pushing the base of his hand into the button of the soap dispenser. An amused smile played across his lips as he lathered up his hands and placed them beneath a running faucet. "A, B, C, D, E, F, G. . ." His expression remained playful. Jimin's? Quite the opposite. "I'm doing it just how you taught me. You proud?"
"I'll be proud when you take something seriously for once. I'm trying to vent to you and you're messing around."
"Washing my hands is not 'messing around', Jiminssi." He lifted his head and met Jimin's gaze through the mirror. "I'll request your humble apology."
The shorter one sighed loudly, very clearly annoyed. "This was a mistake." He turned around and headed for the door. Jungkook hurried to turn the water off and pull a paper towel from the dispenser, passing Jimin to stand in front of the door.
"I'm sorry," he apologized in a sincere voice, no smile present as he dried his hands. "I'll stop messing around."
Jimin sighed again, that one more out of calming down rather than irritation. "I'm just stressed. You don't have to say sorry. Can you help me now?"
"Oh, right." Jungkook leaned back against the door now. He tossed the balled up paper towel into the nearby trash can. "Did she notice or are you just humiliated?"
"'Did she notice'...? Notice what?"
"Don't be shy. It happens sometimes. If she saw you then just apologize to her, and if she accepts it with a smile, ask her to dinner. If she does anything else then don't speak to her again. She wants nothing to do with you."
Jimin squinted, shaking his head. "What exactly are you talking about?"
"Aren't you talking about Yuri's short skirt? I saw you looking this morning when I passed you in the hall before third period. You know, when you were ignoring me."
"I was not looking at Yuri's ass! I'm not like you."
"So what you're saying is I can talk to her?" He wore a smile, even through getting his chest slapped at. Jimin's glare mellowed him out enough for him to clear his throat. "So what was your dilemma then?"
"Why weren't you at lunch?" the older asked, quiet despite there being no one there. Even though he didn't want to admit it, he was hurt that the younger ditched him like that without a word.
"I needed to catch up on some homework. I was in the library."
Jimin's chest tightened. "That's all?" It wasn't believable that Jungkook would rather do school work over talking to his best friend. The both of them usually stayed up late swapping answers, whether it be over the phone or at each other's house, but lately they hadn't been speaking as much as they used to. How had Jimin not noticed that sooner?
"Yeah," Jungkook lied.
"Well. . . . While you were away, Ji-eun stopped by to talk to me. . ."
Shit, the taller cursed mentally. Were his efforts wasted in the end? Despite his internal worries, Jungkook painted a smile on, nudging Jimin with the back of his hand. "And?"
"She asked me to hang out with her on Friday. . . . I told her I couldn't, and so now I'm going to her place on Saturday instead," Jimin spilled. He didn't seem excited at all. "She gave me her number and said she's going to send me her address."
"That's great, though!" Jungkook's smile was still fake. That was fine, though, because Jimin clearly couldn't notice when things were fake. Jungkook didn't like Lee Ji-eun. Not one bit. Especially not when her request for Jimin to go to her house sounded like a booty call. "Why do you seem so worried?"
Jimin scratched the back of his neck. He'd never told Jungkook about the group chat because he assumed the younger would look down on him for reading about gossip and rumors. To keep tradition, he wouldn't tell him now, either. "I heard some stuff that Ji-eun dumped a guy for being a bad kisser."
"And you're scared because you're a bad kisser?"
Jimin swatted Jungkook with a whine. "I don't know if I'm good or not! I've never kissed anyone. . . You know that I've never had a girlfriend. Still you make me say all this shit and embarrass myself."
Jungkook's smile turned real, but it was a teasing one. "Do you want to practice with me?"
Jimin was about to reply with something vulgar, but was silenced by the sudden collision of his back to the tile wall, Jungkook's hand snaking through his hair to force his head against his shirt.
The opening of the bathroom door silenced him before he could complain.
"Fags," a deeper voice slurred. It likely did look that way. Jimin's heart raced out of fear of being caught, or at least, that's what he told himself it was racing for. Jungkook didn't seem as worked up. His heart rate, and the older could tell, was completely regular. Wasn't he scared someone would think that they were dating?
A stall door locked. The taller turned his head slightly to make sure the coast was clear before returning back to facing Jimin. He almost didn't want to move from that. Just because of how vulnerable and small the shorter one looked. "Let's go," he whispered anyway as he inched backward. But his friend didn't seem to want to let go of his shirt by the way he was clinging onto it - like he was attempting to shrink.
Jungkook lowered his hand to Jimin's shoulder and gave him a shake. His eyes instantly moved to see over the shoulder of the male in front of him. The fabric of Jungkook's shirt was still not free.
"We better hurry to leave," the captive one said in another quiet voice. Jimin leaned back against the wall, releasing the shirt in the process. He brushed shoulders with the taller while passing him to get to the door where Jungkook would follow him out.
The hall was empty, but the commotion from the lunch room could be heard from there. No one walked all the way to the east wing to go to the bathroom. Not when there were two sets in the commons alone. Jimin truly hadn't expected anyone to intervene.
"This way," the shorter directed, grabbing Jungkook's wrist to lead him into a custodial closet. By a stroke of luck, there was no janitor in there. "Give me your shirt."
Jungkook had just finished closing the door behind them. "What? Why?"
"Whoever walked in on us might figure out it's me." He blindly fixed his hair with his hand. "I'm the only one with this sweatshirt."
"That's not a good idea." His eyes landed on the small fingers playing through Jimin's hair. A part of him wanted to grab them and give them a scolding. They were doing it wrong. "If people see you wearing my shirt then they'd become suspicious. Just take your sweatshirt off."
"I'm not wearing a shirt under it," he replied in no hesitation, clearly frustrated. His hand fell, thankfully, to his side. "We wouldn't be in this dilemma if you hadn't pushed me into the wall like that."
"If I hadn't. . ." He thought back to what that one guy in the library had said. "That guy would've thought we were about to do something worse than me holding you against the wall." His eyes found the mop of messy hair again. "And he would've seen our faces-- Sorry, I have to fix this. It's really bothering me." Jungkook stepped closer and corrected the wrongs that the older had made on himself.
Jimin bowed his head forward to make it easier for the taller one. "But he wouldn't have anything to tell his friends, would he?" He paused until he was allowed to look up again, knowing when this was by the ceasing of gentle combs through his hair. "Do you have a second shirt? In your locker maybe?"
"Yeah, but it's a school shirt- the one you always make fun of me for having."
"Go get it," Jimin said, running a hand through his fixed hair only to messy it up again. "I'll have to deal with the embarrassment."