jeongguk is the first to wake courtesy of his blood-curdling alarm. just as he suspects it does little to stir taehyung from his sleep and so the brunette takes it upon himself to shake the boy softly.
"taehyung, it's time to get up. we have to go to school soon," jeongguk states as he rolls out of bed, throwing a clean shirt on.
taehyung babbles incoherently as he stuffs his face further into the blankets and twists until he's found yet another comfortable position to lay in. he scratches at his butt and jeongguk rolls his eyes.
"i said get up!" he shouts and smacks the boy on the ass.
taehyung groans and lifts his front half, propping himself up on his forearms. the boy looks as though only a part of himself is present meanwhile the other half is still lodged in some sort of dream. and it must have been a good dream at that because some of his hair is flat meanwhile the other strands curl and twist in every which way.
"...i'm up," he murmurs quietly, morning voice a mixture of husk and gravel.
"take a shower. i'll go downstairs and see if momma made some breakfast," jeongguk suggests, to which taehyung simply nods and sits up lazily, ruffling his hair.
jeongguk stuffs his feet into a pair of slippers and leaves his bedroom, closing the door so that taehyung can have proper privacy. he pads down the small staircase and although his first mission is to seek out the kitchen, he finds his mother asleep on the couch, still dressed in her work attire.
and to this, the boy frowns. she still has makeup on her face although it's smudged. her pair of heels have been kicked off of her feet, piled just at the end of the couch. he knows that she works late but it's never been this bad before. the only conclusion he can seem to draw from this is that she stayed out much later than she usually does. if he knew just exactly which bar she worked at he'd go confront them, however he doesn't, and just maybe it's none of his business.
jeongguk suspires quietly and leans down momentarily to press a soft kiss to her forehead. he grabs a spare blanket from one of the old recliners and throws it over her sleeping body, tucking some of her hair behind her ear. he just wants what's best for her.
he looks at her one last time with a particular feeling of sadness in his eyes and twists on his heel, deciding to head back upstairs. jeongguk would rather not risk waking her up due to being noisy in the kitchen. she deserves all of the rest she can get.
jeongguk isn't surprised to hear that taehyung's shower is still running as he enters his bedroom. although he isn't too worried being as they still have roughly an hour left until they have to be at school. he knows his best friend takes longer than most people do to get ready in the morning and so he accommodates to taehyung's slower speed; especially knowing that with that particular tone of voice he used yesterday, something must be off.
he decides to kill some time by scrolling through his phone, swapping between different apps to pass the time by. maybe five minutes later although it feels like an eternity, the water stops running and taehyung ambles out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist. jeongguk looks at him once and doesn't find the need to stare at his body any longer. that rather scarring, very small phase has passed.
"do you wanna borrow some of my clothes? we're roughly the same height," jeongguk suggests.
"sure..." taehyung murmurs, seemingly hiding his face as he helps himself to the brunette's drawers, picking out some comfortable clothes.
jeongguk furrows his brows as he studies the side of taehyung's face, wondering why he's being so evasive. rather than saying anything he slowly stands to his feet and walks up to his best friend. the boy isn't paying attention and the brunette grips his chin softly, aligning their faces.
taehyung is trying to resist jeongguk's hold, slim fingers wrapping around his wrist. however the brunette is much stronger and manages to keep hold, staring into his eyes.
"...tae, have you been crying?" jeongguk asks.
taehyung's jaw stiffens. he's blinking and although the water is gone, the brunette can see that his eyes have grown in size; a tad bit more puffy. his eagerness to escape also seems to be rather tell enough.
"...no," taehyung denies the soft, harmless accusation immediately and finally manages to tug jeongguk's hand off of his chin, looking away immediately.
jeongguk concedes, frowning while watching taehyung shuffle through his drawers. this negligence isn't something he's used to with taehyung and in fact as he can recall, they've never once hid anything from each other.
"...you realize you can tell me what's up, right? i know something's wrong," the brunette states to encourage as his arms intertwine over his chest.
taehyung finds a few pieces and sighs. the expression tailored newly onto his face is one of defeat. jeongguk has seen the boy down before but never has it been to this extent. for the most part he's messing around and making childish jokes - all the while maintaining status with the girls at school. this is different. he's being different.
"it doesn't matter. i know you're going through your own shit with school and football. you don't need anymore stress on your plate," taehyung says as he lowers one of the brunette's shirts down his body.
jeongguk can't help but roll his eyes. "this is going to sound gross but your shit is my shit. my shit is your shit. we're in this together. we have been ever since kindergarten. you can tell me what's wrong, taehyung. you know you can."
"...it doesn't really matter. it's just family issues. everybody has them. i'm not special," taehyung replies curtly and shamelessly drops his towel to pull on a new pair of boxers.
jeongguk's expression doesn't change. he doesn't want to force the words out of his best friend but he also doesn't want to seem undependable. it's a tough situation for them both, to put it simply.
"...did your mom make breakfast?" taehyung asks and next comes the pair of grey joggers.
jeongguk shakes his head. "i can tell she had a long night. we'll just stop somewhere on the way to school. how's that sound? i'll pay," he offers.
taehyung looks up at him and jeongguk is silently thrilled to have gained some of his attention.
"...i can't make you pay for me. jeongguk, if anything i should be the one paying for you. you bought pizza last night. breakfast is on me," taehyung rebuttes as he combs his fingers through his own hair.
jeongguk hums. "if that's what you want. i still have to get dressed but then we can head out, okay? meet me in my car but be quiet when you're walking down the stairs. i don't want you to wake my mom up," he warns.
taehyung sniffs. "such a momma's boy."
the brunette sends his best friend a small glare and watches his back as he exits the bedroom and shortly the front door closes. jeongguk quickly changes into a new pair of clothes and reaches for his car keys as well as phone, heading toward his vehicle (however not without giving his mom's forehead one last kiss).
"i didn't even realize how early it was. you wake up at the same time every day?" taehyung questions while staring out the window.
"yeah... well i try to, anyways. the only time i get to see my mom is in the morning before school and typically im in bed sleeping before she gets back," jeongguk replies as he starts up his car.
taehyung hums. "she's a hard worker, gguk. and so are you. it's good you guys have each other."
jeongguk peers over to the right, frowning softly while staring at the back of taehyung's head. how it can seem sad from such an angle, he has no idea. however the boy is clearly suffering yet decides to keep his conflicts to himself.
regardless yet still with wondering care, the brunette pulls the car out of park and begins to drive to school. the drive there is quiet. taehyung doesn't utter a word and simply perches his chin in his palm as he stares out the window in thought.
he wasn't this bad the night prior but maybe something changed within such a small frame of time? perhaps he got a text or maybe something started to sink in the moment he left home. perhaps the peace of jeongguk's home made him realize just how crucial the plight of his family relationship currently is.
the possibilities are ceaseless and as they conjure endlessly in jeongguk's mind, he doesn't realize how close he is to the school until he's honked at for being still at a green light. the brunette apologizes with a small wave and proceeds with the drive, very soon pulling into the student parking lot.
the moment the car is put into park taehyung is jumping out of it. jeongguk doesn't get to say anything before the door closes. he sighs quietly as he watches his best friend's forlorn figure enter the school and finally turns his vehicle off.
the brunette gathers his things and climbs out of the car, sure to lock it afterward. jeongguk walks into the school and where taehyung would be otherwise he isn't and his stuff has already been grabbed from the locker.
he exhales quietly, locking the locker after he grabs his binders and makes his way to his first class, mind occupied by not only jimin who he has yet to see but his unresponsive best friend.
-
it's finally the last class of the day - both jeongguk's favourite as well as least favourite. any glimpse of jimin's sweet, sugary face is a piece of heaven on earth. and although he acknowledges that he's getting better, he still has trouble trying to govern the rate of his sporadically beating heart.
he walks into english and decides to sit beside namjoon rather than the back corner just for precautionary measures. jeongguk notices that taehyung's silently claimed seat is vacant and there's no trace of him otherwise.
it seems as though everything happens to be going wrong and to make matters worse, jimin walks into the classroom. initially the sight of his entirety depicts a much needed breath of fresh air. rather than being parted his fringe falls delicately down his forehead, resting just below his eyebrows. on this day his skirt is a soothing, tame yellow and his sweater is baby blue. his sneakers are white small slip ons, halting just below the fineness of his ankles.
the boy is holding his books to his chest and as he takes a couple steps further into the classroom, their eyes meet. typically jeongguk would shy away, however whom he recalls to be handsome although brooding follows in behind jimin.
the brunette hadn't realized how tall he really was, and although the cheerleader is quite small, he's evidently tall standing.
jimin lifts his small hand into the air and waves at jeongguk. the brunette's lips creep into a small smile and he waves back, forcing himself to ignore the nerves biting at his skin.
and then from what jeongguk can tell, jimin's waist is pressed and he's forced to move into the very corner him and jimin usually sit at on good days. the only difference being he's no longer the one occupying the seat next to the cheerleader.
he's isn't sure what it is - well, he wants to believe he isn't sure what it is. but he knows that it's jealousy in it's ripest of form. the reason being that it's a feeling he's never quite felt before and that's why he can differentiate it from the rest.
and jealousy is jealousy, yes. however the pure feeling of resentment jeongguk has coursing through his veins currently as he stares at the handsome taller boy is unprecedented. he's watching the way his hand collides with jimin's, how their thighs touch. he can't help but feel as though the cheerleader appears rather uncomfortable as he repeatedly tries to shift away, only to be caught up with or held in place.
god, the frustration and anger jeongguk can feel building up in his bones is almost terrifying. the brute sentiments are encouraging him to think things he shouldn't consider doing.
and yet here he is, standing up in the middle of class, walking up to jimin's desk. the teacher asks what he's doing however he ignores her and curls his fingers around the pretty cheerleader's wrist.
jimin peers up at jeongguk with parted lips and curious eyes and lets out a very tiny squeak as he's tugged out of his seat and out of the classroom.
the brunette doesn't really know what he's doing. he's never been one to skip out on class yet for some reason this seems reasonable enough.
jimin is saying things jeongguk can't quite catch. his adrenaline is pumping through his veins and drowning at all that should be perfectly audible. this isn't like him. he doesn't get worked up easily and most definitely not over boys.
"jeongguk," jimin breathes quietly from behind and a gentle gasp parts his lips the moment he's brought into the boy's washroom, caged against a wall.
the brunette's hands are on either side of jimin's head. he's staring the blond in his moon shaped eyes and as he does so, he can physically feel himself loosening - returning back to his calm state.
jimin's cheeks overtake the sweet display of pink cotton candy as he's peering up past his lashes, small fingers curling around the hem of jeongguk's shirt. his lips are parted and the football player is staring at them as he gathers himself, breathing shallowing out and steadying.
"he shouldn't touch you like that when you clearly don't want it," jeongguk states in all confidence which temporarily throws jimin off track.
"...it's okay, bun. i can handle him," jimin murmurs softly as he keeps his gaze trained on jeongguk, small fingers curling deeper into the dulcet fabric of his loose long sleeve.
"...he needs to learn his boundaries," the brunette breathes as he studies the cheerleader's saccharine face when it twists with confusion and concern.
"gguk, what are you trying to say?" jimin questions quietly.
jeongguk goes taut, feeling the blond's small hands run up his body with tender care until they're situated on his nape, fingers woven and gentle as his fingertips dip into his warm skin.
the goosebumps that speckle on jeongguk's body are evident and the reaction jimin has stimulated in him is even more clear as he gasps quietly himself, losing some of his composure.
jimin pulls jeongguk's ear close to his lips and he whispers into them once again. "tell me, bun."
the football player swallows thickly, hands still pressed against the wall next to the boy's head.
"...i don't like it when other boys touch you, jimin," jeongguk whispers back with much more husk.
the football player can feel jimin's lips as they curl against his ear into a satisfied smirk. one of the blond's hands rise and slowly move along jeongguk's arm until it stops on his, their fingers intertwining.
jeongguk's resolve is dwindling by the second. the more the cheerleader touches him, the more he falls victim. and right now is certainly no exception as jimin is slowly leading the brunette's hand to his waist, easing his palm softly over his ass.
the football player is hesitant as he feels the material of jimin's skirt in the heart of his hand and not only that but the round shape of his ass. he's stiffened now and although it's a feeling so foreign, it feels positively right in this moment.
"...but you can touch me, bun. and the difference is is that i want you to."
(a/n): things are getting spiccyyy. they're getting bolldderrr.