Content warning throughout the entire book: mentions of homophobia and homophobic slurs
It was a fact Jeon Jeongguk hated school with every fiber of his being. Because of his lack in interest in any subject and his distaste in trying to pick up any book, he failed the same year twice in a row.
Jeon Jeongguk was in his last year of highschool but had almost reached the age of twenty. Many students made fun of him for that. Twice, his classmates had graduated without him, and twice had he waited outside of the graduation party to stir trouble with the jocks who hated his guts.
Jeongguk didn't always win every fight he started but he sure didn't care about winning or losing. He loved the thrill of it. He loved seeing his component's pain, pain that he had caused.
Maybe that's why he had found himself in a nearby gym one day when he had just turned 16 years old. His mother had disappeared for days on row again and Jeongguk's knuckles had been bleeding from punching a hole in the thin plaster wall in their living room. With a wrapped up hand he had entered the gym, adamant on getting his energy out.
He had always loved pushing his body to the limit. He did it by fighting but also by working out until his arms or legs collapsed. It was a sweet kind of pain and he loved feeling it course through his veins.
When wandering around the gym he had been noticed by the gym owner's son, a broad shouldered guy with long legs and a lean body. He had brown curls that were kept unruly and dark almond eyes which had kept their gaze trained on the sixteen year old. "You look like you could use a hand."
Jeongguk had despised Kim Taehyung at first. He had been a handsome, youthful college student of the fine age of nineteen, already sporting bruises from the continuous boxing matches he did in weekends.
"Does it now?", Jeongguk had retorted. He had crossed his arms and had felt his knuckles throb with pain, the bandage sliding against his arm.
The handsome worker had raised an eyebrow and Jeongguk had felt oddly intimidated by the other's sharp stare.
He had absolutely hated it.
"It's your first time here, I can tell. What are you wanting to do here? I'd like to help." Taehyung had a name tag clipped to his shirt but Jeongguk has refused to look at it.
"Listen here fellow." Jeongguk had put up his best glare, the one he knew made all his classmates stay clear of him. "Leave me alone because you wouldn't want any trouble with me!"
Little had Jeongguk known that he was talking to the local boxing champion. Neither had he realized this person he had loathed from second one was going to become his boyfriend in the next year.
"You have quite some pent up anger inside of you, little one", the older male had retorted. His voice had no trace of malice nor any sharp edge, but it still triggered Jeongguk to become angry.
No one had called him little one, ever. The name was a clear sign of Taehyung looking down on him, he had figured, and in all his rage he had swung his right fist forward.
His fist had been met with a large hand and was clasped in the tight grip of the other male. "If you want to fight, I'd advice you to do so inside of the boxing ring."
Jeongguk had immediately agreed to this as he had tried to get his fist free out of the other's grip. Taehyung had released him with sigh and had led him towards the empty boxing ring where his life would change from that day forward.
Jeongguk had of course gotten his ass kicked that day. But against his own expectations, he had found an ounce of respect for Taehyung inside of him. That respect had only grown after weeks of going to the gym and getting trained by him.
Taehyung taught him how to control his breathing. How to pace his hits and take a defensive stance. Whenever Jeongguk got something wrong he'd lose his temper. He had always been quick to lash out in anger but whenever Taehyung could see his inner turmoil working, he'd near the boy and give him words of encouragement.
"It's alright Jeongguk, you don't need to get it right every time. You're good, one of the best trainees I've ever had."
Jeongguk had chuckled. "I'm the only trainee you've ever had."
Taehyung had given him a look. "Now now, don't spoil the fun little one."
Taehyung had continued to keep calling him this petname. It didn't bother Jeongguk as much as it had done in the beginning. For some reason it sounded nice coming from Taehyung, like there was a kind of fondness laced with the two words.
"You're not doing anything".
Jeongguk dropped his arms with a loud huff, beads of sweat trickling down his forehead. "What do you mean I'm not doing anything? I'm hitting the cushion!"
"You're making contact with the cushion but you're not properly hitting it. You're swinging your fists around with no real intent on where they land." Taehyung had dropped the cushion and had given him a hard stare. "You're usually not like this Gguk. Did something happen to make you this upset?"
"M'not upset", Jeongguk had mumbled. His side ached. It throbbed with vigor and Jeongguk could imagine the blue bruise spreading out further, developing him whole.
"Let's just get on with it", Jeongguk had spoken. He was pent up with energy and he needed to lose it or he'd burst.
Taehyung made no effort to pick up the cushion again. He just examined the other with a strong stare which made Jeongguk squirm.
"Taehyung". He had felt agitated. "Pick up the damn cushion or I'll take a swing at you."
"See", Taehyung had spoken with a soft hum. "There is something upsetting you."
"At this exact moment it's you who's upsetting me", Jeongguk had said. "Pick up the cushion."
Without any words of warning Taehyung had stepped closer. His hands had enclosed around the boy's body, head slotting next to Jeongguk's.
The seventeen year old Jeongguk had squeaked in surprise and then he was wincing. Taehyung had pressed certain spots on his body before finding the big bruise on the left side of his waist.
"What happened little one?"
His voice had been so soft and soothing and they had been in Taehyung's private practice room which smelled of his familiar deodorant as Taehyung's body warmth engulfed his own and then Jeongguk blurted out what had been bothering him.
"My mother came to pick me up at school."
It was a start of a long story. The story of Jeongguk's mother's alcoholism, her frequent disappearance, her mental breakdowns, her slowly degrading health and their financial state.
When Jeongguk's mother had appeared at the end of the school day, Jeongguk had frozen at the gates, veins filling up with ice.
She had been drunk. The stench of alcohol had spread almost onto the school grounds from where she was leaning against their dingy little car.
And oh god had she driven to school in this state? Alarm bells had gone on inside his head and then he had been running towards her, grabbing the bottle of wine out of her grasp.
"What are you doing here?", he had cried out, "Did you drive here?"
He cared for his mother. It had been only the two of them for the past ten years. He couldn't lose her in a dumb car crash caused by her drinking habits.
His mother hadn't been able to form any words before bending down and puking onto her shoes. He had winced at this before helping her inside the car after she was done.
A few of his classmates had walked past in that moment. They had thrown remarks, awful and terrible things which made Jeongguk fill up with anger.
After securing his mother in the passenger's seat, he had stormed towards them and landed the first hit.
They had been with five. He couldn't fight five people all at once. Beaten up and bloody he had pushed himself off the ground where they had left him and heaved himself to the car.
He couldn't actually drive. He hadn't gotten his license yet but it was better than letting his drunken mother drive them to their death.
Blood had been dripping down his body and it had ached with every movement he had made. In this state, with a drunken mother next to him, he had driven the dingy car home.
Finally arrived he had taken a shuddering breath and broken down into the garage next to his sleeping mother.
Taehyung took up the role of Jeongguk's protecter after he had come to know about the boy's home situation. He cared for the boy, brought him to school and cooked him meals whenever Jeongguk's mother abandoned the house for another week or so.
Soon, after a terrible night of Jeongguk destroying his bedroom at home in a fit of rage after his mother had come home with the news that she was pregnant with no way of knowing who the father was, he crashed at Taehyung's place.
Broken and sobbing he had fallen into Taehyung's arms and then he was kissing him with a sort of vigor that had surprised even himself.
When they had woken up, cuddling and half naked from the impulsive make out session the night before, Taehyung had confessed and suddenly they were boyfriend, though feeling as though nothing dramatically changed now that they were official. They had always been together all of the time either way.
Two years later and they were still together, two years later and Jeongguk still hasn't told anyone of him being in a relationship with another guy.
People at his school already found out about his alcoholic mother. What would they do when they found out troublemaker Jeon Jeongguk takes it up the ass?
A little look into taekook's past. There will be more glimpses of their past but so now you know how they met :) thank you for reading ♡
(to clear things: Jeongguk is now 19. He met Taehyung when he was 16. He kissed Taehyung at 17 and so now two years later he's 19 going on 20) (creating flashbacks is hard my dudes)