[ 11. old friends ]
J E O N G G U K

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Jeongguk is starting to notice how more popular Taehyung is getting at their school.

When he first came, people were curious. A New Yorker coming to their small town is surely something they feel obligated to investigate. Jeongguk had thought they would have lost interest ages ago, but since Taehyung has joined the football team (much to Jason and the gang's disinterest) his popularity has skyrocketed.

Out of nowhere Taehyung has suddenly replaced Jason, and it shows.

"I hate his ass," Jason seethes, a muscle twitching angrily in his clenched jaw. Jeongguk glances up from his plate of food, following Jason's gaze over to Taehyung's table where he's currently being bombarded by girls.

"No need to repeat it," Steven crumples a napkin and throws it at Jason, the edges of his lips quirking upwards in amusement when he turns to glare at him.

Jeongguk ignores them, filling his mouth with meatloaf and mashed potatos as his attention fixates on Taehyung. Tiffany and Maria are on either side of him along with their usual group of girls that follow them like bees.

Taehyung doesn't look so interested in their attempts at flirting, though Jeongguk can't help but feel a twinge of jealousy whenever a girl would get too close. His tongue presses into his cheek as Tiffany hooks her arm with his, and with that, his appetite to eat disappears.

A part of him finds it completely ridiculous for even thinking this way - Taehyung and he are just friends who kiss occasionally. Plus he could care less if a girl flirts with one of his friends, so it makes absolutely no sense why he's getting so irritated watching Taehyung and Tiffany.

Though, he supposes there's more to it.

Perhaps part of him is jealous of Tiffany and Maria since they're able to flirt so openly with Taehyung without the fear someone would look down upon them. Perhaps it's that odd feeling he gets when he realizes that he can never do the same with Taehyung in public considering the fact most of their interactions are hidden in the night at their special gazebo.

He ends up staring too long, and for a split second his gaze meets Taehyung's. The blonde flashes him a smirk, making his cheeks instantly warm up. Jeongguk sucks in a breath, averting his attention to his food.

"Everything about him pisses me off," Jason complains, bitterness lacing his words. "I bet he won't last a single night at the Lake."

"Bro, you can't even last a night at the Lake," Brian snickers alongside Steven. Jeongguk can't help but smile too, though it instantly falls when Jason slings his arm over his shoulder.

"Taehyung's probably a pussy like Jeon here," He teases him and reaches over to ruffle Jeongguk's hair.

He squeaks, swatting the boy away as best as he can. However, Jason doesn't let go, instead pulling Jeongguk close to his side. From a few tables away, Jeongguk notices Taehyung is staring over at their table now, completely ignoring Tiffany and Maria.

"Let go," Jeongguk deepens his voice to sound more tough. He then pulls Jason's arm off of him, his features crumpling into a scowl when Jason pats his head.

"What I'm saying is that we should invite Taehyung to the lake!" Jason exclaims, his words instantly making Jeongguk freeze in his seat. His jaw dropping slightly, Jeongguk tries to say something but Jason's quick to cut him off.

"I mean, he joined the football team right? We should ask him to come," He says smugly, his smile broadening when Steven and Brian nod along, agreeing with his plan.

Jeongguk, on the otherhand, thinks it's a horrible idea. The Lake is literally Hell on earth. Sure, they are sinners themselves but sinning at the Lake by drinking and doing God knows what is like begging to be caught.

"Don't," Jeongguk frowns, curling his fingers into fists on his lap. "Taehyung won't say yes."

"Why, lookie here," Jason shakes his head, mischief twinkling in his blue eyes. Jeongguk tenses when Jason flicks his forehead, his hatred for the boy bubbling within him. He tightens his jaw, hating to look small in front of Jason and his group.

Sitting up taller in his seat, Jeongguk pushes his hand away from him. "Fuck off Jase."

"Is our lil' Jeonnie 'fraid we're gonna steal his only friend?" Jason coos, his tone mocking as he flicks Jeongguk's forehead again. Jeongguk closes his eyes, drawing in a short breath when Jason flicks him again.

"Fine, go ask him," His throat feels dry when he finally speaks, their squeaky laughter irritating him even more.

"Will do, Jeon," Jason cackles, nudging his shoulder roughl. Jeongguk rolls his eyes, pressing his tongue against the side of his mouth as Jason drapes his arm over his chair, keeping a tight grip on the plastic until the lunch period ends.

However, that isn't what is bothering Jeongguk when the period passed. It's something else, or well, someone else to be more specific.

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Yelping, Jeongguk doesn't have to know who it is when he's yanked yet again into the janitor's closet.

This time instead of freaking out, his lips are instantly crashed onto Taehyung's soft ones. His eyes splay wide open for a moment before he melts into Taehyung's touch. His fingers find their way to his golden locks as Taehyung deepens their kiss, his tongue teasing his bottom lip.

Pulling away for a moment, Jeongguk still isn't able to get a word out when Taehyung lifts him up and sets him on one of the storage boxes.

He grunts softly into Taehyung's mouth when he kisses him again, this time with a little more intensity as their mouths move in sync with one another. Jeongguk hums, parting his lips to allow Taehyung's tongue to explore the rest of his mouth.

Kissing Taehyung is like colliding with Hell and meeting Heaven at the same time. Both of them know how bad it is, yet they kiss each other with such desperation and need that all of society's opinions don't seem to matter to them any more in the moment. All that matters is each other, and as Jeongguk pulls Taehyung close, eager to taste him again and again, Taehyung pulls away for air.

"I hate Jason," He murmurs, leaning their foreheads together. Jeongguk giggles, pressing a feathery kiss to the edge of Taehyung's kiss-swollen lips.

"It's mutual," Jeongguk smiles, taking the opportunity sling his arms around Taehyung's neck. "Jason doesn't like you either."

"Good," Taehyung replies, his hands squeezing Jeongguk's thick thighs. Jeongguk's breath hitches in his throat when Taehyung's thumb brushes against the material covering his dick.

"You know, I'm not one to get jealous," His voice sounds deeper, his usual sharp words turning into a husky drawl.

Jeongguk leans his head back, allowing Taehyung to leave wet kisses down his neck and to his collarbone where it then gets ticklish and he ends up smacking the back of Taehyung's head.

"Ouch doll," Taehyung pouts, puckering his lips. Jeongguk mumbles a quiet 'sorry' and pecks Taehyung's lips as an apology, completely blissed out just by staring at the beautiful boy.

"Why don't you get jealous?" Jeongguk asks curiously, tilting his head to the side. Taehyung chuckles lowly, shrugging.

"There's no point. You get what you get in life, and if you do get envious then you're clearly not appreciating what you have," Taehyung explains with a small smile. "My old friend Yoongi told me that."

"Yoongi?" Jeongguk's never heard Taehyung mention any of his New York friends before. Whenever they reach the topic, something like pain would flash in his dark eyes and Taehyung would change the subject.

"Min Yoongi was the gayest gay I ever met and he rocked it," Taehyung laughs gently, looping his thumbs through Jeongguk's belt loops to pull him closer. Instead of the usual pain in his eyes, there's something bittersweet.

"How did you guys meet?" Jeongguk asks, squirming slightly when Taehyung's cool palms slip up the back of his shirt.

"Well," Taehyug nibbles on his bottom lip while massaging Jeongguk's small muffin top with his thumbs, "I met Yoongi in school. We went to an all-Asian school, but it was him who stood out."

"He must be important."

"Very," Taehyung nods, giving him a gentle squeeze. "He wrote a rap dissing the rich Asians and their shoulder pads."

"Shoulder pads?" Jeongguk's eyebrows arch in shock. Taehyung lets out a sweet laugh.

"Yeah, but doll, we're straying from what I meant to tell you," He removes his hands from underneath his shirt and places them on Jeongguk's thighs. "I don't get jealous often."

"Okay, me too," Jeongguk answers, but Taehyung simply shakes his head.

"I'm not jealous of Jason, but he shouldn't be belittling you like that," Taehyung's lips fall into a frown, his tone softening. Jeongguk's lips then curve into an 'o' shape.

Jeongguk takes the chance to cup his small hands around Taehyung's face, his brow furrowing in concentration as he tries to make Taehyung smile by messing with his lips. He doesn't like it when Taehyung frowns. There's something about his smile that comforts Jeongguk, and of course, smiling is better than frowning.

"It's okay, I can deal with him," Jeongguk assures him, grinning proudly when Taehyung's lips are successfully molded into a smile.

Taehyung sighs, reaching up to cup Jeongguk's hands with his own. "Doll, nobody should be embarassing you like that in public."

"It's okay," Jeongguk repeats, but this time his words are a little more strained. Taehyung remains silent, uneasiness dancing in his chocolate irises.

Sighing, Jeongguk traces his thumb beneath his eyes and to his cheeks. Lost in the moment, he traces little drawings on his cheek and connects the dots to all the little moles he can find.

"I've dealt with him my entire life," Jeongguk tells him, lowering his voice to a whisper. "I know Jason better than anyone."

"Okay, I trust you to deal with it," Taehyung replies softly, sealing their lips with another sweet kiss that has them both losing track of time.

Realizing how late it is and knowing they don't have time after school to hang out, Taehyung ends up sucking Jeongguk off before leaving to go home together.

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"Ever thought of getting a girlfriend?" Jeongguk's mom asks out of nowhere while the duo are cleaning the dishes. Jeongguk pauses as he gives his mother a skeptical look.

"What?" He frowns. His mother merely hums and snatches the plate from his hands to run it under the water.

"Remember Grace? That girl you went to your first dance with?" His mom chuckles, nudging his side gently. "Her family is coming back. Her parents went through a nasty divorce, but wouldn't it be lovely to meet her again?"

"Mom what did you do?" Jeongguk groans, taking a step back from the sink to face his mom.

His mom frowns, "Nothing. I just thought maybe you and Grace could get together again? She is a beautiful young lady."

"Mom please answer me," Jeongguk runs a damp hand through his hair, sighing in frustration. "What did you do?"

"Okay, gosh," She laughs airily, shaking her head with a bright smile. "I invited Grace and her mother to dinner since your Dad won't be here tonight. Angeline is a sweetheart, and plus we haven't seen them in so long!"

"Why?" Jeongguk doesn't know why he feels so betrayed. Grace is a forgotten memory in the back of his mind, but as he stands there remembering her he can't help but feel nauseous.

Grace was the first girl he actually interacted with back in middle school. He only asked her to the dance because Jason pressured him to, though she wasn't that bad. He didn't want a date, yet his mom and Jason thought it would be nice to experience their first dance.

So, he went with Grace. She left immediately after the dance so he had no chance to really get to know her more. He didn't care much when she left, and he expected to never see her again.

Unfortunately, here he is, having to see her again.

"'Mom I don't want a girlfriend," Jeongguk tries to talk some sense into her, but his mother instantly interrupts him by splashing him with water from the sink.

"I'm only suggesting you to get one," She shrugs, returning to the dishes. "I think Grace suits your introverted personality."

"Bless my heart," Jeongguk whispers underneath his breath. Before he can try to convince his mom to let him live, the door bell rings.

"Get it! It must be them!" His mom squeals with excitement. Jeongguk rolls his eyes, cursing softly as he jogs over to the door.

He's already expecting Grace and her mother, but when he opens the door, he's caught off guard when he sees Taehyung standing at the door.

"O-oh, Taehyung," He gulps, his cheeks feeling warm when his eyes trail down to his slightly exposed chest where his shirt is unbuttoned.

"Hey," Taehyung runs a hand through his sandy locks, a crooked smile sitting on his lips. "Rachel was wondering if you guys want to have dinner with us."

"Oh," Jeongguk blinks, his lips pressed tightly into a thin line. This is a predicament. "Uh, well," He chuckles uneasily, his hand lifting to scratch the back of his neck.

His gaze flits to over Taehyung's shoulder when he hears the slam of a car door. He curses again, nearly shrinking in his stance when he spots an older woman and her daughter walk up to his driveway.

"Not a good time," Jeongguk chuckles awkwardly, his voice slightly pitched as his attention flits between the two people and Taehyung's questioning gaze.

"Why? I can take you to my room and we can fuck~," Taehyung wiggles his eyebrows suggesively. At this, Jeongguk shakes his head quickly, hoping he'd get the signal to shut up.

Taehyung's expression falls when Jeongguk pushes him aside, a stiff smile fitting onto his lips when Grace runs up to him and nearly jumps on him as she throws her arms over him.

"Jeonggukie!" She laughs sweetly, pulling away to give him a pretty dimpled smile. It's been years since Jeongguk has seen her, and goodness, he hasn't realized how puberty can affect girls just as brilliantly as it did with Taehyung.

"Hey, Grace," Jeongguk chokes out, still a bit caught off guard by the way she greeted him. When he looks over at Taehyung, he gives him an apologetic smile noticing the way his smile has turned into a frown.

"Who is she?" Taehyung asks, his voice low. Jeongguk scratches the back of his neck, an uneasy chuckle leaving past his lips as he stands there between them.

"Grace Anderson," He answers, his mouth feeling dry when Taehyung's gaze studies him closely. He doesn't know what's going through his mind, but by the looks of it, it's obvious he's jealous.

"An old friend of mine!" Grace answers, pulling him in for a tight hug. "Who are you?" She asks, innocently.

Jeongguk hopes Taehyung wouldn't say anything, but when Taehyung answers he chokes on his saliva.

"I'm his secret lover," Taehyung deadpans, entirely serious. "Nice to meet you, Grace."

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👀 ya'll are probably screaming at me