Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“OMG, did you see Beomgyu-Oppa at practice yesterday? He looked so hot!”

“Ugh, I know! God, what I’d do to have him look at me for even a second…”

Kang Taehyun would roll his eyes if he didn’t hear girls say almost those exact words every time he set foot on campus. Actually, scratch that—he still rolls his eyes, because wow, seriously? Does no girl on campus’s life not revolve around Choi Beomgyu?

It seems like everyone’s lives revolve around him. There isn’t a day that people don’t talk about him, and Taehyun can’t comprehend why. He doesn’t see what’s so great about Beomgyu, when at the end of the day, he’s just another eighteen-year-old trying to survive high school until graduation. If you ask Taehyun, he surely doesn’t think someone like Beomgyu—cocky, egotistical, arrogant, and careless of other people’s feelings—deserves to be idolized.

But it seems like Taehyun’s the only one at their high school whom feels that way.

Yet, at the same time, he guesses he isn’t better off than Beomgyu, feeling this way about him when he barely even knows him. They’ve barely ever talked—Taehyun doubts Beomgyu even knows he exists—and everything he knows about Beomgyu, he has heard it from other people. He’d be ignorant, too, if he just based his judgments on Beomgyu solely on what other people, whom don’t even know him either, say.

Alas, Taehyun tells himself that regardless of how he feels towards Beomgyu, anything related to him isn’t his business. He and Beomgyu are on two different sides of their high school: Taehyun is a nerd, therefore has straight As, his nose is always stuck in a book of some sort, and he barely has any friends. 

(one, actually—choi yeonjun. unlike taehyun, he isn’t a nerd and is considered one of the popular kids, so taehyun doesn’t know how yeonjun is still his best friend, but either way, he’s still immensely grateful for him. he’d go crazy without him.)

Beomgyu, on the other hand, is everything Taehyun isn’t: tall, charming, unbelievably hot, and can get anyone he wants with just a simple flash of his infamous grin. He also has a bunch of friends—whether they’re real or not, whom knows—and a bunch of girls (and a few boys) hanging on his every word. He’s the most popular guy in school, and the fact that he’s the captain of their soccer team doesn’t help with how attractive people find him, his popularity, or his ego. 

But whatever. It’s not like Taehyun cares. He has a life. 

Which, speaking of, he’s currently trying not to end right now as he sits in the library with a senior he’s pretty sure is a super, super senior.

“If I knew Mr. Lee was going to make a tutor as rude as you tutor me, I would’ve never accepted,” he pouts, ironically childishly, as he scribbles down whatever Taehyun just told him—or whatever he managed to understand.

Taehyun rolls his eyes. “Am I rude, or have you annoyed me with not paying attention for the entire session to the point that I’ve stopped caring about being professional?”

The double super senior looks at him in slight disbelief. “Even before I met you, you weren’t professional.”

“Yes, I was,” he says with a small frown.

The guy scoffs, now in pure disbelief. “That was you being professional?”

“Yes.” Taehyun’s frown deepens. He thought that was obvious.

“You have more issues than I thought, then,” the double super senior mutters under his breath, yet Taehyun still hears him.

“What did you just say?”

“Nothing!” The guy smiles quickly, pretending as if he didn’t just say something completely ironic, considering the fact that he’s still a senior in high school, and reaching twenty years old. 

Which is what Taehyun would tell him if he had the energy. Instead, he shakes his head and returns to his own notes. “I finished going over with you the worksheet Mrs. Chae gave you, so we’re done here.”

The double super senior doesn’t bother hiding his relief. He quickly packs up his things and doesn’t even bother saying bye to Taehyun before fleeing the library.

“Woah, who’d you scare off this time?” comes a familiar, chuckling, amused voice.

Without having to look up, Taehyun knows it’s a certain pink-haired male coming his way. He continues focusing on annotating his notes as he lets out a small scowl at Yeonjun’s words.

“I didn’t scare anyone off,” Taehyun says with a small huff.

“Ha, right.” Yeonjun chuckles louder as he takes the seat the double super senior was in. “You know, for someone so short and so nerdy, you do scare people easily.”

“And unfortunately, it doesn’t work on you,” Taehyun sighs playfully.

“Aw, of course not, silly!” Yeonjun gushes, throwing his arms around Taehyun’s shoulders and leaning his chin on the nearest one. “I’m your bestie. You could never scare me off, even if you wanted to.”

“Bummer,” he mutters, only to barely hold back a squawk when Yeonjun pinches his side.

“Don’t you ever get tired of doing homework?” Yeonjun says with a small whine as he pulls away, and looks at what Taehyun’s doing. “Even looking at you doing homework is hurting my brain.”

“What is there to hurt?”

“I’m five seconds away from punching you.”

Taehyun giggles. “Then don’t look at me doing homework. You have other people you can hang out with, you know.”

Without even having to look up, Taehyun already knows Yeonjun is pouting dramatically. “So you’re saying you don’t want to hang out with me?”

Taehyun lets out a small smirk. “Totally what I’m saying.”

Yeonjun narrows his eyes at him and pulls his earlobe lightly. “Rude.”

Taehyun laughs. “For real, though, hyung. You know I’m going to take a while here, and you’re gonna get bored, so why don’t you go with your other friends for now?”

“Because none of them are you,” Yeonjun mumbles with a pout.

“Aw, hyungie!” Taehyun coos. He finally puts his pencil down and turns to Yeonjun with the biggest smile, ruffling his hair like a child. “You are so cutie for saying that. You really feel that way about me?” He lets out a fake sniffle.

Yeonjun rolls his eyes, nudging him. “Shut up, and finish your homework, so we can leave sooner, nerd.”

Taehyun snickers, but indeed returns to his homework. He doesn’t have much to do, and for the next ten minutes or so, Yeonjun entertains himself by humming and looking around the library as if he's never been to one, and as if it’s his first day on earth.

“Okay, all done,” Taehyun announces minutes later, much to Yeonjun’s relief.

“Finally,” he says. “I thought I was going to lose my mind there.”

Taehyun rolls his eyes, making Yeonjun laugh. He watches Taehyun pack up his things before he gets up, and the two begin walking out of the library.

“Hey, I thought you had a library shift today,” he says as they walk out into the hallway.

“No, that’s tomorrow,” Taehyun corrects. “For today, you’ll be graced with my presence.”

“More like cursed.”

Taehyun reaches to pinch him, and Yeonjun squeals as he runs a couple of steps ahead. 

Seconds later, though, they fall back into step with each other and talk about whatever comes to mind as if nothing happened. But just as they reach the school’s gates, it becomes clear that they’re not the only ones anymore, since they can hear loud chatter and squealing—mainly from girls—coming from nearby. Taehyun doesn’t even need to look up to know that it’s Beomgyu’s fan club making all that ruckus.

“So annoying like always,” Taehyun grumbles, planning on just continuing to walk ahead.

But that plan’s interrupted when Yeonjun suddenly gasps so sharply, grips his arm, and shakes him so hard, he doesn’t know how his head is still intact.

“He’s here,” he hears Yeonjun whisper after he gets over his whiplash.

“Who’s here?” he grumbles, having forgotten for now who’s the only one who makes Yeonjun act like this.

“Who do you think, dumbo?” he hisses, motioning very violently to their right.

Once again, Taehyun doesn’t have to look up to know who Yeonjun is motioning at. Nevertheless, he still looks up, mainly to humor him, and indeed, his eyes land on a familiar raven-haired male, who’s lounging next to another familiar raven-haired male, both of them seeming very pleased at all the attention they’re getting. Taehyun just sighs.

Just his luck that his best friend is in love with the guy he despises the most’s best friend, Choi Soobin.

“Alright, now let’s leave before he notices you and comes over this way with their fan club,” Taehyun grumbles, grabbing Yeonjun’s wrist to drag him along with him.

“But-”

“No buts. Remember what happened last time?”

Yeonjun immediately stops frowning. He certainly does remember last time. There’s no need for a repeat of that.

“Fine,” Yeonjun says in defeat.

Seconds later, it’s still silent between them, and Taehyun can’t help but feel guilty. He knows he probably shouldn’t have dragged Yeonjun away like that, but he did do it for both of their sakes. Still, he did it mainly so he wouldn’t have Beomgyu in his line of sight any longer, so his reasons for it are more selfish than selfless.

“Sorry, hyung,” he eventually says. 

Unlike him, though, Yeonjun isn’t overthinking anything. He genuinely seems confused as he turns to look at him. “About what?”

“Dragging you away like that. I know you wanted to stay.”

Yeonjun waves him off. “Nah, you’re right. I don’t ever wanna deal with their fan club again.”

Taehyun lets out a small smile, relieved Yeonjun is on the same page as him. “Besides, if he truly were a real one, he’d be the one coming up to you, not the other way around.”

“Or maybe…” Yeonjun muses, tapping his chin in thought. Taehyun recognizes the teasing glint in his eye and the teasing edge in his tone, yet he doesn’t know where he’s going with this, so he makes no effort to stop him. “You just didn’t want to be breathing the same air as Choi Beomgyu anymore, because the longer you are, the more likely you’ll fall in love with him.”

“W-what?!” Out of anything, that’s the last thing Taehyun expected Yeonjun to say, so gradually, he begins even choking on his own saliva out of disbelief. Yeonjun can just laugh and not bother to do anything to help him stop.

“What?” Yeonjun says innocently, as if he didn’t just say something so absurd.

“Why in the world would that be the reason as to why I don’t want to be near that guy?” Taehyun says, still in high disbelief, as he looks at Yeonjun as if he grew two heads.

“I dunno.” Yeonjun shrugs. “Maybe down the road sometime this week, you realized your hatred for him is actually love.”

“Okay, first of all, I don’t hate him. I just…strongly dislike him-”

“-Same thing-”

“-and second of all, why the fuck would I even develop feelings for him?”

“Dunno,” Yeonjun muses, tapping his chin in thought again. “The brain is a complex thing.”

Taehyun rolls his eyes. “I think maybe you’re projecting your feelings for Soobin onto me.” 

Immediately, the teasing look on Yeonjun’s face is replaced with a dreamy-eyed one, and he sighs, as if he were in love. Which he is. “Ah, Soobin. My man. My one and only. My love.”

“Girl, you barely even know him.”

“You know, sometimes I wish you were delulu with me instead of being so realistic.”

“Someone has to knock some sense into that empty brain of yours.”

Taehyun barely misses the pebble Yeonjun throws his way.

⚽︎

Minutes later, they’re in Taehyun’s bedroom. His parents are still working, so they have the house to themselves for now. Yeonjun is lying on his stomach on Taehyun’s bed, popping some grapes into his mouth, as he scrolls through his phone, whilst Taehyun is sitting at his desk, typing things up on his laptop. Yeonjun thinks he’s searching up how to become more of a nerd, and has to bite his lower lip to stifle back a laugh at that.

“Did you know sports season is coming up?” he asks minutes later as he comes across a post about it on his Instagram feed.

“Don’t tell me you want to go to the games,” Taehyun says, not looking up from his laptop, although knowing exactly Yeonjun will want to go.

“Heh, I’m not saying that right now,” he says, a bit cheekily. He looks back at his phone, seeing that the post says something about football, then soccer, which reminds him of something. “Ooh, I wonder if football or soccer season is coming up first.”

“I don’t get why you care so much about those games,” Taehyun mutters, before it quickly hits why right after. “Wait, never mind.” Soobin, of course, is in one of the sports teams. Taehyun just can’t care less to remember which one.

“Speaking of, you’ve never told me why you hate Choi Beomgyu so much,” Yeonjun says, looking at Taehyun.

The raven-haired male side eyes him. “You better not say anything related to the atrocity you said earlier.”

Yeonjun barely hides the smirk he wants to let out. “I’m not going to. I just want to know why you hate him if you’ve never even said one word to him. Ever.”

“Have you not heard what people say about him?” Taehyun says, finally looking away from his laptop to look at Yeonjun. “Especially girls? They all, like…idolize him, which is weird. He’s just your typical eighteen-year-old. What’s so special about him?”

“Uh, maybe the fact that he’s the captain of the soccer team, and not to mention that he’s fuck-me-in-the-ass-the-entire-weekend hot?”

“...Weird comparison, but okay.”

“You seriously hate him just because of that?” Yeonjun raises a brow.

“It’s not just that,” Taehyun says. “He just gives off manwhore vibes, especially since, you know, he is one. He also seems way too cocky and arrogant for anyone’s good, and as if his ego is probably bigger than his dick. Which is probably small as fuck, anyway.”

“That’s not what I hear from Hana and the other girls,” Yeonjun mutters, popping another grape into his mouth.

“See, that’s what I mean,” Taehyun says. “It’s like everyone’s lives revolve around him. He’s not a celebrity, he’s not some huge pop star, so I don’t get why people are so infatuated with him.” 

“Again, because he’s knee dropping, jaw aching, tongue drooling, bend-me-over-a-desk-and-rail-me-daddy hot?”

“If you’re saying these things about Beomgyu, I don’t even want to know what you think about Soobin.”

Yeonjun laughs. “Oh, don’t worry, you’ll know soon. But back to Beomgyu. I’m sure he’s more than what people say. Maybe he’s not as bad as you think.”

Taehyun looks at him, slightly narrowing his eyes. “You’re only saying that because you want to befriend him to get closer to Soobin.”

“No, I don’t, shut up.”

Taehyun shakes his head with a small smile before sighing as he leans back in his chair. “Either way, you can say whatever you want, hyung, but I won’t change my mind about him. Choi Beomgyu is in no way special, and he’s just a cocky, egotistical ass, who couldn’t care about anyone, let alone the people he fucks, except himself. I’d seriously jump off a bridge or something if I ever got forced to do something even remotely related to him.”

“Damn, I think you’re the only one who feels like this. Even the teachers are in love with Beomgyu.”

“Which just proves my point even further.”

“Well, still, maybe Beomgyu isn’t as bad as you think.”

“You’re saying all this as if I’m ever going to have anything to do with him,” Taehyun says with a small chuckle. “If you haven’t noticed, hyung, Beomgyu and I are on two different sides of high school. He’s the most popular guy in school, I’m the school’s ‘nerd’—you do the math.”

“I suppose you have a point, but you and I are on two different sides of high school, too,” Yeonjun says pointedly. “And we’re best friends.”

“Yeah, because we’ve known each other since we were kids. I barely even know Beomgyu. I don’t want to, either.”

“If you say so.” Yeonjun shrugs. He begins swinging his legs back and forth and looks back down at his phone before sparking up another conversation on a different topic.

⌞ ⚽︎ ✮⋆˙ ⌝

Taehyun would like to think that he’s probably the smartest person in the entire school. He has a strong 5.0 GPA, takes all honors classes, is part of a few clubs—nineteen, to be exact—president of almost all, and after school, he has library shifts, where he helps out the librarian in whatever way he can. He wants to get into a good college, so he tries to take on as many extracurriculars as he can, even if he doesn’t like doing them.

But if there’s anything Kang Taehyun is, then that’s being an overachiever.

“Seriously, Taehyun-ah, I do not know what I’d do without you,” his third-period teacher, Mrs. Son, says gratefully. “I think I would’ve gone crazy already.”

“Aw, of course, Mrs. Son.” Taehyun smiles. “Anything I can do to help.”

“You’re such a sweet boy, Taehyun-ah,” Mrs. Son praises. “Always helping others in need. Whoever you end up with, she’s going to be a lucky girl.”

Taehyun just smiles politely, not bothering to correct Mrs. Son, and tell her he’d rather eat his own barf than ever end up with a girl. He doesn’t think she's homophobic, but he just doesn’t want to deal with her apologies, and claims that she shouldn’t have assumed, and whatnot.

“Is that everything you’ll need then, Mrs. Son?” he asks.

“Ah, yes,” Mrs. Son replies, still smiling brightly. “Just get those boxes out of my trunk, and bring them to the teacher’s lounge. I completely forgot to do so in the morning, so no wonder I left my car feeling like I was forgetting something. Oh, and do be careful, Taehyun-ah. The boxes are a bit heavy, and I don’t want you hurting yourself. But you’ll be okay, right? You seem like such a big, strong boy.”

Taehyun just continues smiling, not bothering to correct Mrs. Son this time either, and tell her he hasn’t been to the gym ever since he was thirteen. He’s now sixteen, so it’s been a while.

“And don’t worry if the bell rings,” Mrs. Son adds. “I’ll write a note to your fourth-period teacher excusing your tardiness.”

Taehyun nods, gripping Mrs. Son’s car keys tighter. “I’ll be right back then, Mrs. Son.”

His teacher nods with a smile, and Taehyun leaves her classroom. Third period is about to end in around seven minutes, and he doubts he’s going to haul a trunkful of heavy boxes into the teacher’s lounge, which is all the way down the hallway, in that short amount of time, but as said, he’s horrible at saying no to people, and he’s an overachiever. 

He arrives at Mrs. Son’s car minutes later, and unlocks the trunk—only to stop in his tracks when he sees just how full her trunk is of boxes. He doesn’t even know how she managed to close the door. But he tells himself not to worry, thinking he can just carry two boxes at once, one on top of the other, and finish faster.

But the second he tries that idea out, he almost throws his back out.

He quickly places the two heavy-as-fuck boxes down on the asphalt and comes to the dreadful realization he’ll have to make more than fourteen trips for each box his dear teacher, for some reason, has in her trunk.

This is on you for not learning how to say no to people.

Rolling his sleeves up and pushing his glasses higher on his nose, Taehyun picks up the first box with a grunt and gets to work.

✮

It isn’t until almost lunch that he finally finishes. He would’ve finished sooner, but being the clumsy ass that he is, he tripped on box #4 and spilled all its contents onto the floor. It took him longer than necessary to put everything back inside, and even longer to get his glasses to behave and stay on his nose. But at least he’s finished now, and is trying really hard to ignore how disgusting he feels being drenched in sweat and panting as if he just ran two marathons. 

He locks Mrs. Son’s car behind him and begins his way back to her classroom. He’s barely reaching the school’s gates when the bell rings, signifying the end of fourth period. Students start coming out of classrooms, and Taehyun keeps his head down, not wanting any of them to see how red he is in the face or how sweaty he is. He eventually reaches Mrs. Son’s classroom and opens the door, relieved to see that she’s the only one there.

“Oh, Taehyun-ah, you’re back!” she says, happy to see him. “I was about to go look for you.”

“Sorry.” Taehyun smiles apologetically, hoping his panting will calm down soon as he hands her car keys back to her. “I had a bit of trouble.”

“But you managed to get everything done?”

Taehyun nods. “Of course.”

Mrs. Son’s smile brightens. “See, and that’s why you’re my favorite.”

Taehyun knows he shouldn’t, especially after all the unpaid, probably illegal child labor he just did, but he still finds himself asking, “Is there anything else you need help with?”

“Oh, no, you go enjoy your lunch, sweetie,” Mrs. Son replies, much to his relief. “You’ve done enough.”

Taehyun nods and turns to his desk, where his backpack still is. He makes sure nothing’s missing before pulling it on.

“Oh, one more thing, Taehyun-ah,” Mrs. Son says before he can even say his goodbyes to her. “Mr. Lee and I want to see you in his classroom after school.”

“After school?” Taehyun’s eyes widen a little. “I’m not in trouble, am I?”

“Oh, no, of course not,” Mrs. Son quickly assures. “We just…need to talk to you about something.”

“You can’t tell me now?”

Maybe it’s just Taehyun’s imagination, but Mrs. Son looks a bit nervous for some reason. “Uh…no. It’s better if Mr. Lee and I tell you together.”

“Um…okay,” he says, finding all of this weird, but feeling too sweaty to deal with it. “I’ll see you after school, then.”

“Great!” Just like that, Mrs. Son’s smile returns. “Thank you again for your help, Taehyun-ah. Enjoy your lunch.”

“You, too.” Taehyun gives her a small smile before finally leaving her classroom. He is not about to go out to the cafeteria like this, though, so he turns and begins heading to the bathroom.

“Knew I’d find you around- Oh, eww, why are you so sweaty?” comes a certain pinkette's voice behind him.

“Mrs. Son made me carry heavy ass boxes from her car to the teacher’s lounge,” Taehyun explains.

“How many boxes were there?” Yeonjun asks with a small scoff.

“Fourteen.”

“The hell they gonna do with fourteen heavy boxes?”

Taehyun shrugs. “Beats me. I just care about not being so sweaty anymore.”

“Yeah, we need to fix that,” Yeonjun agrees as he eyes him, making him give him a small, half-hearted glare.

They arrive outside the boy’s restroom moments later, and Taehyun walks in first. Yeonjun walks in after him, and they head for the sinks. But just as they arrive, one of the stalls opens, and Taehyun looks up, only to regret it when his eyes land on a familiar mop of raven hair. Beomgyu seems too interested in making the girl he just had a quickie with giggle that he doesn’t even focus on where he’s going, making him shoulder check Taehyun. The shorter scoffs, about to say something, and Yeonjun knows he is, so he opens his mouth to try to stop him.

Only for Beomgyu to beat them both, and only say, “Watch it, nerd,” before walking out of the bathroom with the girl clinging to his arm.

“I’m going to kill him,” Taehyun scowls, moving to go after Beomgyu.

“Hey, hey, how about first we clean all your sweat?” Yeonjun quickly grabs his arm to pull him back. “Then we can focus on killing Beomgyu.”

“He’s lucky I’m all sweaty,” he grumbles as he heads back to the sinks.

“Yeah, he could probably body slam you without lifting a finger, but yeah, he’s the lucky one,” Yeonjun mutters as he grabs a few paper towels, missing the glare Taehyun sends his way.

“I seriously hate that guy,” Taehyun scoffs. 

“Yes, we know,” Yeonjun says with a small sigh. “But remember, sweat first, killing Beomgyu later.”

“I swear, next time I see him, I’ll-”

“Tae, focus.”

Taehyun glares at Yeonjun through the mirror, but Yeonjun is too focused on taking out his makeup from his bag to even notice, so he grumbles under his breath. If he didn’t have to meet Mrs. Son and Mr. Lee after school, he totally could’ve taken on Beomgyu.

“You should be so thankful I carry makeup wipes with me everywhere I go,” Yeonjun says as he begins using one to clean the sweat off Taehyun’s face. “Otherwise, you’d be stuck with crusty school paper towels to clean your face, and I don’t think they’re good for your skin. Or anyone’s skin, for that matter.”

“Why do you even carry so much makeup, though?”

“For emergencies? Duh, why else?”

“What kind of emergency would require you to use makeup?”

Yeonjun sighs. “I don’t have the mental capacity to explain it to you right now.”

“Do you ever?”

“I seriously will drench you in sink water if you don’t shut up.”

Taehyun snickers.

Thanks to Yeonjun, it’s almost like he never spent basically two hours hauling heavy boxes and making more than fourteen trips back to and from Mrs. Son’s car. The older boy finishes cleaning off his sweat and somehow has his shade of foundation and concealer, and applies some on him, because apparently, “You can never go wrong with looking more glowy thanks to makeup instead of sweat!”

“Did Mrs. Son even give you something in return for helping her with all that?” Yeonjun asks as they leave the restroom and begin heading to their usual hangout spot during lunch.

“No,” Taehyun replies with a small sigh.

Yeonjun shakes his head at him. “You gotta stop saying yes to these people, especially if they’re not giving you anything back.”

“I know,” he says with a small groan. “But it’s hard.”

“Not really. It’s just a two-letter word. You’d think someone as smart as you would be able to say something simple.”

“Hyung, I’ve dealt with so much today. I don’t need to deal with your shenanigans either,” Taehyun says with a small, half-hearted scowl, which makes Yeonjun let out a small smirk. “Now, instead of making fun of me, why don’t you feed me?”

“What am I, your mom?”

“Sometimes.”

Yeonjun rolls his eyes. “I feel like me feeding you daily is the only reason you stay friends with me.”

Taehyun smiles at him. “At least you know now.”

Yeonjun glares at him, which makes him laugh, and barely manage to avoid his punch.

“What did Mrs. Son say after you returned from doing illegal child labor, though?” he asks minutes later, as they’re both almost halfway through the jjigae his mother prepared for them.

“Just thanks, and how much of a ‘sweet boy’ I am.”

“That’s it?”

Taehyun swallows the spoonful of jjigae he just took before adding, “She also told me she and Mr. Lee want me to meet them after school.”

“Who’s Mr. Lee?”

“My math teacher.”

“Oh. But isn’t Mrs. Son your psychology teacher?”

“Yeah. I found it weird, too, but technically, psych kinda goes with math, so.”

“I guess,” Yeonjun mutters. “But it’s still kinda weird that they both want to see you. At the same time. Teachers only do that when someone’s in trouble, and I doubt that’s the case for you.”

Taehyun lets out a small sigh. “They’ll probably want me to tutor someone else. That’s the main reason teachers ask to see me after school.”

“You should really start saying no, then. You already have a lot on your plate.”

“I know, but-”

“-The more stuff you have to put on your resume, the better,” Yeonjun finishes with an eyeroll. “You really are an annoying overachiever, you know that?”

“Thanks, I try.”

⌞ ⚽︎ ✮⋆˙ ⌝

Almost three hours later, Taehyun finds himself walking to Mr. Lee’s classroom. He still doesn’t know exactly why he and Mrs. Son want to see him, but just like he told Yeonjun earlier, it probably has something to do with them wanting him to tutor someone else. He just hopes whoever they want him to tutor won’t be a pain in the ass like the last guy.

Taehyun walks into the classroom, relieved to see that it’s empty, save for him and the two teachers who want to see him. Both of their faces light up when they see him, and he gives them a small smile.

“Hi, Mrs. Son and Mr. Lee,” he says, giving them a small bow. “You two wanted to see me?”

“Ah, always such good manners, Taehyun-ah,” Mrs. Son praises, smiling brightly. “We’re glad you could make it.”

“Everything’s okay, right?” Even though he highly doubts it’s true, Taehyun knows there’s always a possibility, even a small one, that he’s in trouble or did something wrong. It never hurts to make sure. “I’m not in trouble or anything?”

“Oh, no, no, no, of course not,” Mr. Lee quickly assures. He then glances at Mrs. Son as he continues, “Mrs. Son and I just want to ask you for a…favor.”

“Oh.” A bit of relief washes over Taehyun, and he can already tell where this is going. “Sure. Anything.”

“There’s a student Mr. Lee and I both have,” Mrs. Son says, also glancing back at Mr. Lee, before they both look back at Taehyun. “In fact, I’m pretty sure most of your teachers have him, too, and the rest of them would be here with us if they didn’t have meetings to attend.”

Taehyun’s eyebrows subconsciously furrow. This is the first time all of his teachers have agreed that a student of theirs needs tutoring, especially by him.

“So I guess this is pretty important,” he says.

“Yes,” Mr. Lee confirms. “You’re the student we trust the most, hence why we’re asking you.”

“What exactly are you asking of me?”

“If you can tutor one of your fellow peers.” Mrs. Son’s smile grows a little.

“Who?”

“I’m pretty sure you know him.”

“How can you not?” Mr. Lee adds with a small chuckle.

But despite their words, it still doesn’t click in Taehyun’s brain who they’re talking about. “How can I not know who?”

Mrs. Son opens her mouth to respond, but that’s when they hear footsteps nearing them. Taehyun turns to see who’s about to walk in through the door, only for his heart to drop when his eyes land on a familiar, stupidly handsome, and cocky face. The boy’s hands are in the pockets of his jeans—which he technically isn't allowed to wear—there’s a bandana in his hair (also not supposed to wear), and his uniform shirt and tie are all crooked (which are also against the rules). He has a lazy grin on his face as he walks in, and when his eyes land on Taehyun, that’s when it finally clicks to the youngest what Mrs. Son and Mr. Lee are asking of him.

“You want me to tutor him?!” he exclaims in disbelief as he turns back to the teachers.

“Yes,” Mrs. Son replies, smiling hugely as if she sees nothing wrong with the arrangement. And she most likely doesn’t, because just like every other person in HYBE, she idolizes Beomgyu and worships the ground he walks on. She even looks at him with her eyes shining a bit brighter. “Beomgyu-ah, I’m sure you know your new tutor, Kang Taehyun.”

Before the youngest can open his mouth to point out he hasn’t agreed to be that yet, Beomgyu beats him to talking, his gaze sweeping over him, as a slightly husky chuckle escapes him, “Nah, never seen him before.”

Taehyun almost bristles. “We literally bumped into each other in the bathroom during lunch.”

“We did?” Beomgyu’s perfectly threaded—not that Taehyun notices—eyebrows furrow. Then it seems to hit him, and he nods. “Ah, now I know why your words didn’t strike me as familiar. We didn’t bump into each other. You bumped into me.”

Taehyun’s mouth drops in disbelief. “No, I didn’t!-”

“I can tell you guys are going to get along very well,” Mr. Lee interrupts with a smile just as huge as Mrs. Son’s. Taehyun gawks at him in disbelief, unable to believe he truly is blind just like everyone else when it comes to freaking Choi Beomgyu.

“So, you two should come to an agreement on when to meet up,” Mrs. Son suggests.

“Wait, no, not so fast, Mrs. Son,” Taehyun says. If Yeonjun were here, he’d be proud of him for finally speaking up and not saying yes right away. “I haven’t accepted yet.”

“Oh.” Mrs. Son looks surprised. “Sorry then, Taehyun-ah. I just assumed you did since you always do right away.”

“You do?” Beomgyu’s eyebrows raise a little in amusement, and that’s when Taehyun realizes he’s chewing gum. Totally not in the hottest way, either. 

“You know chewing gum’s not allowed in school, right?” Taehyun deadpans, to distract himself from that.

Beomgyu grins, purposely blowing a bubble. “Oops.”

Unsurprisingly, neither teacher standing just two feet away from them gets him in trouble, or at least scolds him like they would with any other student. Taehyun included.

“I don’t know if I can accept,” he says, side eyeing Beomgyu briefly before turning back to the teachers. “I already have a lot on my plate, and I tutor other students, too-”

“Oh, please, Taehyun-ah,” Mr. Lee says with a small frown, taking the ravenette by surprise. He’s never seen Mr. Lee look or sound this desperate. “We wouldn’t be asking you if it weren’t important.”

“All your other teachers agree on this, too,” Mrs. Son adds, also frowning.

“Okay, but-”

“Look, we know you have a lot on your plate,” Mr. Lee says. “And asking you to tutor Beomgyu-ah is a bit of a stretch, but this is important, Taehyun-ah.”

The shorter lets out a small frown. “Can’t you simply ask someone else to tutor him?”

“We could, but we trust you the most,” Mrs. Son says. “We believe you’re the only one who’ll be successful in helping him. It’s really important that you help him raise his grades, Taehyun.”

“Why do you keep saying that it’s ‘important’?”

“Do you not know who I am?” Beomgyu finally speaks up with a chuckle, making Taehyun (against his will) look up at him. His smug tone makes Taehyun want to slap the equally smug look on his face off. “In case you didn’t know, and live under a rock, I’m the captain of the soccer team, sweetheart. I’m pretty important.”

Taehyun simply looks at him, unimpressed. “So? I’m pretty sure you’re replaceable.”

Beomgyu chuckles. “Wow, you really do live under a rock.”

Taehyun has to remind himself he’ll be the one getting in trouble if he pounces on Beomgyu to throttle him.

“No, I just don’t see what the big deal is,” Taehyun says, slightly gritting the words out.

“Beomgyu-ah’s the best on the team,” Mr. Lee says. “Even his coach doesn’t want to lose him. Without Beomgyu, the whole team falls apart.”

“Unfortunately, Beomgyu-ah’s grades aren’t so great,” Mrs. Son continues. “And despite how much he loves Beomgyu and wants him to stay on the team, his coach has to follow the school’s grade policy for sports, which is that if a player has failing grades, they’ll need to be kicked out in order to focus on their academics, since they’re more important.”

“His coach, of course, doesn’t want to lose him, as we said,” Mr. Lee says. “So he came up with a compromise, and told Beomgyu that if he could get his grades up before their next—or first game, I mean, he won’t be kicked off the team. But if he can’t get his grades up, he will be kicked out.”

“What a bummer,” Taehyun mutters sarcastically under his breath.

“Which is why we’re saying this is important,” Mrs. Son says. “So we’re being truly honest when we say we wouldn’t be asking you of this if it weren’t completely necessary, Taehyun-ah.”

“We understand if you say no,” Mr. Lee says, but something in his tone makes Taehyun figure they actually won’t understand. “But we really hope you won’t.”

Taehyun stays silent, not knowing what to say. A big part of him wants to say no, and that for all he cares, Beomgyu can choke on his own dick. But after listening to their teachers’ explanations about his situation, and how much trust they have in him to let him fix it solely based on his intelligence and academic excellence, it certainly does boost his ego a bit. Plus, if it were any other student, he would’ve already said yes. 

But that’s the thing. This is Beomgyu they’re asking him to help. Choi Beomgyu, the one person he finds irritating the most out of the entire school. If anything, he’s sure 99.99% of their tutoring sessions will go with Beomgyu fooling around, not wanting to pay attention, pissing him off more than he already does, and the rare, like really fucking rare, but very realistic 0.01% chance of Beomgyu actually paying attention, and doing his work is almost enough to make him want to say no.

“I…I don’t know,” he finally replies, much to his teachers’ dismay. “Like I said, I already have a lot on my plate, and given what I’ve heard about him, I doubt Beomgyu will be a good student to tutor. I’ll probably lose even more of my mind, and I don’t need that in my life.”

“That’s a first,” Beomgyu says. But he sounds more amused than surprised, or hurt.

Taehyun ignores him for both of their sakes.

“We understand, Taehyun-ah,” Mrs. Son says, both she and Mr. Lee trying (but failing) to hide their disappointment. “It was worth a try to ask.”

See, and that’s the reason why Taehyun hates saying no to people. The pure disappointment and look of feeling rejected and betrayed on their face is something Taehyun absolutely hates to see, and it makes him feel as if he can’t breathe unless he fixes that. 

So he blames it on his stupid, fucking unnecessary need to please people when he says without thinking, “O-of course that’s what I’d say if I were actually saying no. Which I’m not!”

Mrs. Son’s and Mr. Lee’s eyes widen. “You’re not?!”

“N-nope,” Taehyun lies right through his teeth, fake smiling so hard his jaw hurts.

“Oh, Taehyun-ah, you don’t know how much those words relieve us!” Mr. Lee beams, looking so relieved. “You really had us scared there at first, though.”

“Yeah, I felt like I was about to have a heart attack,” Mrs. Son agrees, before surprising Taehyun by hugging him. “Oh, you’re doing us all such a huge favor, Taehyun-ah.”

“Heh, of course,” he mutters, a bit nervously, as he slightly awkwardly pats her arm.

She pulls away and beams at both of them. “Well, I guess it’s official now! Beomgyu-ah, Taehyun-ah’s going to be your tutor from now on, so I expect that you treat him with utmost respect, okay? No fooling around.”

“Aw, Mrs. Son, is that how lowly you think of me?” Beomgyu says with a small, fake pout, which makes her giggle.

“You’re a smart kid, Beomgyu-ah,” Mr. Lee says, clapping his hand on his shoulder. “You’ll do great, especially with Taehyun-ah right by your side.”

“Ah, now I really do remember you!” he says as he gets a good look at Taehyun. “You’re the nerd I bumped into in the restroom earlier.”

The shorter is bristling for so many reasons, but the first thing he says is, “It took you that long to confirm that with yourself?”

Beomgyu shrugs. “You don’t really have a memorable face. Sue me for not remembering which nerds I bump into.”

Mrs. Son must’ve sensed that Taehyun truly was going to do some sort of violent act on Beomgyu, since she speaks up right before he can do anything: “Alright, well, this is good! You two should share numbers, socials, or any sort of contact information to make this all easier.”

“I know you guys barely know each other, but I’m pretty sure you’ll have a blast with each other. Eventually,” Mr. Lee adds, and Taehyun wants to gag at his words.

Beomgyu grins, his gaze lazily sweeping over Taehyun’s body. “We sure will, Mr. Lee.”

Taehyun seriously already regrets having accepted.

Chapter Text

“They said what?! And you did WHAT?!”

Taehyun winces at the pinkette’s loud voice, whilst still pacing around his room, and nibbling on the nail of his thumb. 

“You are seriously…” Yeonjun is too starstruck for words.

“Don’t even tell me, okay?” Taehyun says with a small frown. “I know what I did, hyung. I don’t need you shoving it in my face.”

It’s been over an hour since Taehyun was with Mrs. Son, Mr. Lee, and Beomgyu. After he signed away his doom, and Beomgyu was his usual infuriating self, their teachers made them give each other their numbers. Taehyun never thought he’d see the day he had to do something with Beomgyu, let alone have to give his number to him. In fact, he always prided himself on the fact that he was probably the only person in their entire school whom didn’t have Choi Beomgyu’s number.

Until now, where Beomgyu’s contact lies heavily in his phone, as if taunting him. 

Once they shared their contact information, Taehyun didn’t even wait until they could decide on what day their tutoring sessions should start, because he left right away. He probably stunned the older three, but at that moment, he couldn’t care less. All he wanted to do was see Yeonjun, get home, and spill everything to him, because he needed to share his misery with his best friend. Which he just finished doing now, and said best friend can’t believe his ears.

“But I thought you hated Beomgyu!” he exclaims, scrambling to sit upright as he continues staring at Taehyun in disbelief. “And now you’re willingly going to tutor him for who knows how long?”

“God, hyung, I know,” he groans, putting his face in his hands. “You have no idea how badly I want to kill myself.”

Yeonjun seems to have finally gotten over his shock, since he lets out a chuckle. Which then evolves into giggling and laughter, and he’s laughing his ass off at Taehyun’s despair.

“Are you done?” he says monotonously. 

“I just…” Yeonjun giggles, tears almost forming in his eyes. “H-here you were just yesterday—even earlier during lunch, in fact—saying how much you hate Beomgyu, and would never want anything to do with him, and now…you’re his assigned tutor! Oh, this is gold!” He starts wheezing from how hard he’s laughing.

“Haha, so funny,” Taehyun mutters bitterly. 

“Aw, don’t be grumpy, Tae,” Yeonjun snickers. “At least you’ll be people pleasing just like you always are.”

“You know, I’m seriously starting to hate you right now.”

“Hey, I’m not the one who forced you to say yes to tutoring Beomgyu,” Yeonjun says, raising his hands. “You did that all on your own, bud, and all because you can never say no to people.”

“I know. Why do you think I want to kill myself so badly right now?”

“Oh, this is all just so ironic,” Yeonjun chortles. “Here you are, Choi Beomgyu’s #1 anti, and yet, you’re gonna be forced to spend who knows how many hours each day tutoring him.”

“Are you done making fun of me?”

“Aw, is the baby gonna get more grumpy?” Yeonjun coos, reaching to pinch Taehyun’s cheek.

Taehyun glares at him, slapping his hand away. “I’m five seconds away from punching you.”

“Sure you are,” he chuckles. “Wow, thanks, Tae. I really needed that laugh.”

Taehyun rolls his eyes and collapses onto his bed. “I’m so glad my misery brings you so much joy.”

“I’m glad of that, too.” Yeonjun grins, and Taehyun kicks his arm.

“At my funeral, have Twice perform ‘Cry for Me,’ so people can indeed cry for me and the cause of my unfortunate death.”

Now it’s Yeonjun’s turn to roll his eyes. “Stop being such a drama queen.”

“Funny coming from the biggest drama queen out there himself.”

Yeonjun glares at him, and Taehyun sends him a small smirk. 

“All jokes aside, stupid, I’m sure you’ll do fine,” he says. He notices Taehyun opening his mouth to complain, but he stops him before he can. “And before you return to being a crybaby, just hear me out. Yes, you might find Beomgyu insufferable, and yes, he might drive you crazy, and yes, he probably won’t be paying much attention, and yes, he is the school’s playboy, too, so he’ll probably flirt with you, or flirt with someone, and yes, he might not take it seriously, and yes, he’ll-”

“Okay, everything you’re saying is not helping.”

“The point is, you’re the one who’s basically in control,” Yeonjun finally says, which Taehyun finds a bit ridiculous. How will he be the one in control? He doubts he’s a match for Beomgyu’s weird persona. “Beomgyu’s the one in need here. His spot on his precious soccer team is on the line, so this is all for him. If he doesn’t want to pay attention, then that’ll be on him when he gets kicked out of the team. So if you ever need to keep him in check, just remind him that his grades are so bad, even his own precious coach can’t do anything to keep him on the team. And then boom, he’ll be the best tutoring student you ever had.”

Taehyun looks at him doubtfully. “I think you’re just making it easier than it sounds.”

“Well, given what I’ve observed whenever I just so happen to cross paths with Soobin and his friends-”

“-You mean, what you’ve noticed from stalking him?-”

“I think handling Beomgyu isn’t so hard,” Yeonjun says, completely ignoring what Taehyun just said. “I mean, Soobin can do it. Why can’t you?”

“Uh, maybe ‘cause your boyfriend’s the school’s bad boy, therefore has more experience in telling people what to do, and oh, I don’t know, he’s been friends with Beomgyu for longer than I’ve been born?”

“Nah, I don’t think it’s that,” Yeonjun chuckles, waving him off, and Taehyun shakes his head at him. “I’m sure you’ve got this in the bag. You always do.”

“Hopefully,” Taehyun mutters.

“And if not…” The teasing glint in Yeonjun’s eyes and in the edge of his tone appears again, but just like last time, Taehyun doesn’t know in what direction he’s going, so he doesn’t stop him. “Maybe you’ll learn how to tame him, anyway. You have the perfect chance to get yourself a boyfriend here, Tae.”

“Ugh, hyung, this again?!” he groans, shuddering in disgust at the mere image Yeonjun put in his head with his dumb words.

“What?” he snickers. “Just think about it. Isn’t your current situation such a perfect love story?”

“I will really shove my foot down your throat if you don’t stop talking about your disgusting delusion of me dating that fuckboy.”

“Some delusions can become realities,” Yeonjun teases, and squeals as he barely misses the shoe Taehyun throws at him.

“Where do you even come up with these dumb ideas?” Taehyun asks, still looking at him in disgust. 

“Hm, I dunno.” Yeonjun shrugs as he sits back down, letting out a small giggle. “It’s just something about you and Beomgyu that looks…right in my head.”

“Pfft, no wonder then,” Taehyun scoffs. “You’ve been messed up in the head.” 

Yeonjun glares at him before he lets out a small smirk. “Say whatever you say, but I’m already shipping it. Ooh, what’s a good ship name for you both!?”

Taehyun barely holds back another gag. “Don’t even bother. Over my dead body will I ever find Choi Beomgyu attractive, let alone date him. I’d rather fail all my classes than ever even hug him.”

Yeonjun snickers. “Whatever you say, Taehyun-ah.”

⌞ ⚽︎ ✮⋆˙ ⌝

When Yeonjun leaves later that day, the raven-haired male is working on his notes. His parents have already returned home, he said hi to them earlier, and now he’s back in his room. But regardless of how hard he tries to concentrate on his notes and schoolwork, Yeonjun’s words won’t leave his head. 

Taehyun is mainly joking whenever he teases Yeonjun for not having a brain, or that his head isn’t screwed on properly. His best friend is smart, especially when he wants to be, but it’s situations like these when Taehyun really wonders if Yeonjun’s actually okay in the head. Yeonjun has known of his hatred—or dislike—for Beomgyu ever since it began, and never even teased him about his ‘dislike’ being attraction in disguise until now. 

And now, all Taehyun can think about is how wrong Yeonjun is. There is no way in hell he would ever like Beomgyu, because his opinions of him will never change. Not unless the playboy himself changes, but Taehyun finds that possibility very low. 

Yet, some wicked, weird part of his brain can’t help but think about what’d happen if Yeonjun did turn out to be right. It makes him think of how he and Beomgyu would look as a couple, and what type of boyfriend he’d be. Not that he’s ever had the chance to be one, either. In his seventeen years of living, Kang Taehyun has never had a boyfriend. Sure, he’s had crushes, but his shy, awkward, nerdy self never let them go any further than that, which leaves him a virgin in every aspect of the dating (and sex) life. 

But then those thoughts are quick to vanish, and are replaced by thoughts of how Beomgyu would be as a boyfriend. Taehyun can’t see Beomgyu being a boyfriend, though, since he’s known for just sleeping with people. He isn’t the commitment type, so Taehyun doubts he’ll be getting into a relationship anytime soon.

But the thoughts of Beomgyu being unwilling to be in a relationship because of his playboy status begin making Taehyun think about how he is in bed, and given his persona, Taehyun thinks of him in the dominant position. He imagines Beomgyu flustering him, catching him off guard, using those big hands of his to place them on his slim waist, pull him closer, whisper dirty nothings into his ear-

Taehyun immediately stands up from his desk chair before those thoughts can go any further. He can feel how red he is in the face, and covers his face with his hands as he groans into them. There is no way in hell he just imagined scenarios with Beomgyu in them. 

Yeonjun is seriously getting into his head.

“I hate him, I hate him, I hate him,” he mutters to himself, still pacing in his room. “There is no way I will ever find that fuckboy hot. No. Way. Get yourself together, Taehyun.”

He downs an entire glass of strawberry milk, blasts Twice music as loud as he can without his parents telling him to keep it down, and buries himself in schoolwork for the next few hours to keep his mind off a certain soccer team captain.

⌞ ⚽︎ ✮⋆˙ ⌝

For the first time in forever, Kang Taehyun is dreading going to school.

If you haven’t noticed yet, school is Taehyun’s ‘thing.’ It’s where he feels most himself, and yeah, he might be seen as nerdy by most people and called a nerd, but he doesn’t care when he’s in his habitat. Therefore, he looks forward to going to school. He gets to see and hang his best and only friend, bond more with his teachers, and learn new things. What is there not to look forward to? Nothing has ever changed his excitement for going to school.

Until he was forced to tutor Choi Beomgyu.

Even spending only a couple of minutes with him in Mr. Lee’s classroom was tiring enough for him—and he didn’t speak much to the older. He can’t imagine just how tiring their tutoring sessions will be.

His parents have already left for work, so Taehyun isn’t surprised to see the kitchen empty as he walks in. He eats his breakfast a bit faster than normal, grabs a protein bar for later, and makes sure he has everything before leaving his house. Just like always, he sees a certain pinkette already waiting for him as he walks out of his apartment building.

“What’s wrong?” Yeonjun asks as soon as he is close enough.

Taehyun’s eyebrows furrow a little as they begin walking to their school. “What do you mean?”

“You look distressed,” Yeonjun replies. He tilts his head a little. “And almost a bit constipated.”

Taehyun rolls his eyes. “My bowel movements are fine, thank you very much.”

“Then why do you look so constipated, and as if it hurts?” Yeonjun then gasps, an idea hitting him. “Is it because we’re heading to school? Are you finally normal? If you are, stop it. I want my old BFF back.”

“I’m not dreading school because it’s school,” Taehyun explains. “I’m dreading it because of-”

“Oh, now I get it,” Yeonjun interrupts with a smirk, and this time, Taehyun can sense what he’s about to say. “You’re dreading seeing your boy-”

“I swear to god, do not even finish that sentence, hyung.”

“Why not?” Yeonjun giggles. “It’s true.”

Taehyun groans, putting his face in his hands again. “No, it’s not! How can it be true when I bet you Beomgyu doesn’t even remember my name?”

“You don’t know that.”

“He doesn’t even remember the names of the people he sleeps with. I highly doubt he’d remember my name, since I’ve never even talked to him before.”

“You never know,” Yeonjun sing songs, his smirk growing a little. “Maybe he fell a bit in love yesterday.”

“You know, you’re not helping.”

“Aw, I’m glad.”

Taehyun rolls his eyes. 

Luckily, for the rest of their walk to school, Yeonjun decides to have mercy on him, since he changes the subject. They talk about whatever comes to mind, and much to Taehyun’s relief, avoid the topic of Beomgyu and their upcoming tutoring sessions. 

When they arrive at HYBE, Yeonjun immediately has to leave Taehyun’s side, since apparently, he promised one of his teachers he’d meet with them before school to talk about his grade, so that leaves Taehyun all alone. Not that he minds. Sure, he’d prefer having his best friend with him as he walks to his locker, but he can surely live without him for a few minutes.

Taehyun arrives in front of his locker a few seconds later, and it’s as if he’s on autopilot as he begins turning the dial for his locker combination. He’s so focused on making sure that he doesn’t mess up on any numbers that he doesn’t hear the footsteps nearing him. Not even the person leaning their body against the locker next to his.

“Hey,” comes a familiar deep voice that makes him freaking jump.

He looks up, only for more dread to overcome him when he sees whom just walked up to him. Beomgyu is leaning against the locker next to his so nonchalantly, and as if he owns it, and looking at him with that lazy yet so intense gaze that has almost everyone on their knees. But the fact that he came up to him as if they were buddies, and distracting him, which led to him messing up his combination, makes the shock on Taehyun’s face get replaced with a small scowl.

“Can I help you?” he says, sounding uninterested.

“You’re my tutor, right?” Beomgyu says. “Kang something?”

Taehyun clenches his jaw subtly. “Yes, that’s me.”

“Cool,” Beomgyu says, and tilts his head in such a way that if Taehyun weren’t trying to refrain from seething at him, he’d understand why so many people get on their knees for him. “So, when’s our first session?”

Taehyun’s eyebrows raise a little. “You’re actually taking this seriously?” he says out loud before he can stop himself. He meant to only keep it as a thought, not actually say it to Beomgyu’s face.

“‘Course I am.” Just like that, the serious look on Beomgyu’s face is replaced with its usual cockiness, and Taehyun is reminded of why he dislikes him so much. “Why wouldn’t I? My spot on my team is on the line, isn’t it?”

“Yeah…it is,” Taehyun agrees, still unable to believe his ears.

“So, after school good for you?” 

“...Yeah,” Taehyun replies, albeit wanting to say no badly. “We can meet in the library.” 

“‘Kay.” With that, Beomgyu turns around, and Taehyun can just stare at him, still a bit in disbelief.

“Oh, good, you’re still here.” Luckily (or not), Yeonjun’s voice breaks him out of his thoughts as it comes behind him. When Taehyun turns to face him, he raises a brow at the look on his face. “Something happen whilst I was gone?”

“Uh…no,” he lies. Given Yeonjun’s teasing earlier, Taehyun knows better than to tell him anything related to Beomgyu now. “I just…forgot my locker combination.”

Unsurprisingly, that doesn’t strike Yeonjun as odd, even though Taehyun has never forgotten his combination. He just shakes his head at him a little before telling him what happened whilst he met with his teacher. Taehyun mostly pays attention, nodding, laughing, and adding in his own comments when he should, but a part of his mind can’t help but still think about the interaction he shared with Beomgyu just a few moments ago. He wasn’t expecting Beomgyu to be the one to come up to him first, let alone be the first to initiate everything else regarding their tutoring sessions. Taehyun thought Beomgyu was going to let him do all that. He also knows there was no use in lying to Yeonjun about what happened, since he’s going to figure it out sooner or later that he’ll be tutoring Beomgyu later today, but Taehyun doesn’t want to deal with that right now. For now, all he wants to do is mentally prepare himself for his first tutoring session with the school’s infamous playboy.

⌞ ⚽︎ ✮⋆˙ ⌝

During third period, Taehyun is trying to focus on remembering all the neurotransmitters that are released from synapses—although he already knows them all by the back of his hand—when, unsurprisingly, Mrs. Son comes up to him with such a huge smile on her face.

“Hi, Taehyun-ah,” she greets.

“Oh, hi, Mrs. Son,” Taehyun returns with a small smile, looking up at her. He’s a bit surprised she came over to him, but he has a feeling of why she did.

“How’s everything going?” she asks.

Taehyun thinks she’s asking about the assignment she just assigned, so he replies, “Oh, it’s going great. I think it’s really interesting how all these different neurotransmitters can be released from the ends of a neuron, and how they can all-”

“That’s great, Taehyun-ah, but that’s not what I’m asking about,” she interrupts.

“Oh.” Taehyun feels a bit embarrassed. “It’s not?”

Mrs. Son shakes her head. “I meant about you and Beomgyu-ah. How’s everything going between you two?”

“Oh, well, we haven’t really started on the tutoring sessions yet.”

Mrs. Son’s eyebrows raise, and she begins looking a bit concerned. “You haven’t?”

“But we will today,” Taehyun is quick to assure. “After school in the library, in fact.”

“Oh, that’s a relief,” Mrs. Son says, putting a hand over her heart. “For a second there, you had me thinking you were going to let us all down.”

Taehyun slightly forces a smile. “God forbid that,” he says, a bit sarcastically.

Mrs. Son doesn’t hear the sarcasm in his tone, since her smile even grows a little. “You’re such a sweet boy, Taehyun-ah. Always so helpful. I’ll look forward to hearing how everything goes.” With that, she walks away to head back to her desk.

But now that she’s gone, Taehyun can’t concentrate on his work anymore. All he can focus on now is Mrs. Son’s words, what she said about him letting them down, and it's enough to make him forget every neurotransmitter there is for the rest of the period.

Mrs. Son’s words continue to stay in his head, even after class ends. He only sends her a small smile on his way out, and on the way to his locker, he tries to distract himself, but he can’t. He tells himself he should move on, because eventually, he’ll see Yeonjun again, and Yeonjun will immediately tell something’s wrong. Taehyun doesn’t want to worry him, or make him mad about Mrs. Son’s words, so he better shove Mrs. Son’s words to the back of his head.

And he’s about to be successful, until he hears a loud, almost excessive, high-pitched laugh from nearby. He looks up, and as if fate is playing a cruel joke on him, his eyes instantly land on a certain raven-haired boy, whom’s unsurprisingly surrounded by a group of girls. One of them—or in fact, all of them—laughed at some joke he just made, and he has that lazy grin on his face, which makes them all swoon. But for Taehyun, it just makes him envy him for looking and being so relaxed, whilst he’s over here feeling such a huge weight on his shoulders for agreeing to save the most loved boy of the school’s grades.

That alone is enough to make Taehyun’s hatred—dislike—for Beomgyu grow, and he distracts himself with not-so-nice thoughts of him for the rest of fourth period.

⌞ ⚽︎ ✮⋆˙ ⌝

“Do you wanna go to a cornfield after school?” Yeonjun asks a few minutes into their lunch, which is enough to halt every thought in Taehyun’s mind right away, and even choke a little on the bibimbap Yeonjun’s mother packed for them.

“W-what?” Taehyun says once his small coughing fit is over.

“The cornfield. After school,” Yeonjun repeats, as if that makes it even clearer. “Wanna go?”

Taehyun’s eyebrows furrow a little, and he’d be looking at his best friend as if he grew two heads if he weren’t used to his antics by now. “Okay, one…which cornfield? I highly doubt there’s any close to us. And two…just why would we go to one?”

“Dunno.” Yeonjun shrugs and pops another piece of his share of bibimbap into his mouth. “Just wanna go to one and vibe or something.”

“Well, even if I wanted to go, I can’t.”

“You can’t?” Yeonjun’s eyebrows furrow this time. Taehyun rarely ever says no to his ideas, regardless of how eccentric they are. “Why not?”

For a second, Taehyun thinks about lying to him, but then he figures there’s no point. Yeonjun being his best friend for years has its downsides sometimes, and one of those includes being able to see right through him, especially when he lies. So even if he did lie, Yeonjun wouldn’t believe him. And even if he somehow did, he’d find out the truth sooner or later.

“I’ll tell you, but you have to swear you won’t say anything, or be weird about it,” Taehyun warns, giving him a look. “I swear, hyung. If you do, I’ll tell Soobin you like him.”

Yeonjun gasps. “You wouldn’t dare!”

“I would if you say anything weird about what I’m about to tell you.”

“Fine,” Yeonjun huffs, giving him a small glare. “I promise I won’t say anything, or be weird.”

“Good,” Taehyun says. He takes a deep breath before finally informing, “I have to tutor Beomgyu in the library after school today.”

Yeonjun’s eyes widen, and his mouth drops open a little. Taehyun can see that he so badly wants to say something, but it seems as if he remembers what Taehyun warned him about, and so he struggles to keep his mouth shut.

“H-how-?” is the only thing he manages to say coherently.

“He came up to me in the morning,” Taehyun starts. “Whilst you were meeting your teacher, actually. He asked when we were starting our sessions, and we agreed we could do it today after school at the library. So…that’s what we’re doing.”

“So that’s why you were acting so weird?!” 

“Heh, yeah.”

“You freaking liar, you told me it was because you forgot your locker combination.”

“I know.” Taehyun gives him a small smirk.

Yeonjun glares at him before letting out a shit-eating grin. “So. It’ll be you and Beomgyu, alone, in a quiet, and some would say even intimate place. Hm, interesting.”

Taehyun narrows his eyes at him. “You promised you wouldn’t say anything, or be weird.”

“I’m not,” he says, raising his hands defensively. “I’m just simply making observations.”

“Yeah, right.” Taehyun rolls his eyes, not believing him.

Yeonjun snickers. “I expect a complete debrief about it, by the way.”

“As if I’m telling you shit.”

“Aw, c’mon, why not?” Yeonjun laughs. “Aren’t I your cutie, little bestie?”

“No,” Taehyun huffs.

Yeonjun laughs even harder. “Don’t get your panties in a bunch, Tae. I’m just teasing you.”

“About someone I’ve made it clear I don’t like very much.”

“But that’s what besties are for, though!”

“Forget I told you anything,” Taehyun grumbles, stubbornly stuffing his face with an entire bibimbap.

Yeonjun giggles. “Jokes aside, though, I wish you luck. Beomgyu doesn’t seem like the best type of person to tutor.”

“You got that right,” Taehyun mutters, which sounds muffled due to the food in his mouth.

“Do you want me to come?” Yeonjun offers.

“No,” Taehyun is quick to reply. “Knowing you, you’ll say your ‘weird’ stuff in front of him.”

“What? Me?” Yeonjun looks offended as he points to himself. “Pfft, lil’, ol’ me would never do anything like that.”

Taehyun rolls his eyes. “Yeah, and you don’t get jealous of every girl who even looks in Soobin’s direction.”

“Okay, yeah, duh, because what makes them think they have the right to look at my man?”

“Says the boy who’s too much of a wimp to even hold a proper conversation with him.”

“Shut up, I’m working on it.”

Taehyun shakes his head before letting out a small groan and putting his face into his hands. “I really am dreading this, hyung.”

“You’ll be fine.”

Taehyun uncovers his face to look at him. “You really think so?”

“Yes,” he so obviously lies with a toothy grin.

“You should really start teaching me how to say no to people.”

“Now you want me to teach you?”

“Yes,” Taehyun groans, laying his head down on the table.

“Look, you’re probably overworrying for nothing,” Yeonjun says. “It’ll be over before you know it.”

“Hopefully, or I’ll kill myself.”

“Why do that when you’ll potentially be getting yourself a man-”

Yeonjun’s interrupted when Taehyun shoves almost an entire roll of bibimbap in his mouth.

Eventually, lunch ends, and Taehyun heads to his fifth and sixth periods with dread creeping up in him, especially once sixth period begins coming to an end. When the bell finally rings, he’s already full of dread. He doesn’t want to walk out of the classroom, but Mr. Lee’s huge smile is just as creepy as Mrs. Son’s was, and Taehyun doesn’t know if staying here is a better option. So, with a deep breath, he begins hesitantly making his way to the library.

Luckily (or not), he doesn’t encounter Yeonjun on his way there, so he figures Yeonjun left already. The thought makes him let out a small sigh, but he doesn’t focus much on that once he arrives in the library. He gives the librarian a small smile before skimming the room for a certain playboy. Much to his slight surprise, he doesn’t find him anywhere, but before he can worry or question it too much, he tells himself he did arrive a bit early. After all, Beomgyu’s always surrounded by girls, his teammates, and friends, so it’s a given he isn’t here yet.

A part of Taehyun wants to take the chance to get the hell out of there, but then he fears Beomgyu would tell their teachers that he flanked, and Mrs. Son’s words from earlier run through his mind. He’d rather die than disappoint any of his teachers, even if it relates to Beomgyu.

He finds an empty table a few seconds later, which is luckily almost in the back, and sits down on it. He places his backpack down on the chair next to him and begins taking out his supplies. Once he’s done, he looks at the clock and sees that it’s been only five minutes since the final bell rang. Taehyun begins thinking Beomgyu won’t come, but for some reason, he tells himself he should give him the benefit of the doubt and not come to conclusions so quickly. So he opens his psych notebook and begins annotating his notes about neurons as he continues waiting for his tutee.

⚽︎ 

Almost an entire hour has passed, and Beomgyu still hasn’t shown his face.

Taehyun hates himself for deciding to give him the benefit of the doubt. He should’ve known better. Unkind thoughts of Beomgyu run through his mind again as he scowls, already stuffing his things back into his backpack as he stands up from the chair he was sitting on. He’s zipping his backpack up and about to pull it on to get out of the library already, when he suddenly hears chatter coming from the entrance. He looks up, and his eyes land on just the boy he was waiting for for almost an entire sixty minutes, finally walking in, and still having the audacity to look as if he owns the place.

Taehyun is already bristling the second Beomgyu lays eyes on him.

“‘Sup,” Beomgyu greets, his hands in his pockets, as he makes his way over toward him. 

“‘‘Sup’?” he repeats in disbelief. “That’s all you have to say?”

Beomgyu raises a brow. “Uh, yeah? What else am I supposed to say?”

Taehyun’s fist clenches slightly. “You’re almost an entire hour late.”

“Oh, shit, really?” Beomgyu laughs, as if Taehyun made some funny joke, and glances at the clock. “Wait, but we never agreed on a time, so technically, I’m not late to anything.”

Taehyun barely refrains from pouncing on him. “We said we’d meet up after school!”

Beomgyu shrugs. “Still never said a specific time, so again, I’m not late. But aw, cute that you were waiting for me for this long. You don’t have anything else better to do?” He even tilts his head a little, looking Taehyun up and down as if mockingly.

“No,” he grits out, which is unfortunately the truth.

“That must suck,” Beomgyu chuckles as he takes off his backpack. “So, we getting this done or what?”

Taehyun inhales sharply, telling himself Beomgyu is not worth ruining his perfect reputation, as he takes off his backpack again and sits back down. Beomgyu sits across from him, his backpack also on the chair next to him, and looks so uninterested that Taehyun would think he doesn’t even care about improving his grades to not be kicked out of his precious team.

“What class is your lowest grade in?” Taehyun asks, trying to remain calm.

“All of ‘em,” Beomgyu says with a small grin. He does that dumb head tilt again. “Shouldn’t that be obvious?”

Taehyun raises a brow. “So you have Fs in all your classes?”

“Pretty much.”

“How did you even let your grades get this badly?”

Beomgyu lets out a small chuckle, looking him up and down again. “What do you think, sweetheart?”

“Can you stop calling me that?” he grumbles as he focuses on taking out his supplies again. “I have a name.”

“Right.”

Taehyun rolls his eyes. “What's your schedule, then?”

Beomgyu chuckles. “Don’t you know it already?”

“No?” Taehyun looks up at him, making their eyes lock. “Why would I?”

“Everyone else does.”

“Well, I’m not ‘everyone else.’”

“Hm, yeah, that much is clear,” Beomgyu mutters, but loud enough for Taehyun to hear.

Taehyun bites the inside of his cheek to refrain from saying anything vulgar. “Can you just tell me your classes already or not?”

Beomgyu lets out a small smirk before he begins sharing them. Much to Taehyun’s surprise, they have almost every class in common. The only class they don’t share is PE, since Taehyun doesn’t need to take it as a junior, and he’s not in any sports, and Beomgyu has soccer. But every other class, even the hard-to-get-in AP ones, they share, just not in the same period.

“Why do you look so surprised?” Beomgyu asks.

“We…share almost every class,” Taehyun replies.

Beomgyu raises a brow slightly. “We do? Huh, I must really not ever notice you, then. Which isn’t really a surprise, I guess.”

Taehyun gives him a small glare before it falters slightly. “But…how did you even get into AP Calc, AP Lit, AP Physics, AP Chem, and AP Psych?”

“You make it sound as if I’m too dumb to get into those classes.”

Taehyun stays silent.

“Ah, now I understand,” Beomgyu chuckles. “Not only are you one of the nerdiest nerds out there, but you’re also one of those people who thinks just because I’m a popular jock, that means I’m also dumb?”

“Well…yeah.”

“Hate to burst your bubble then, sweetheart.”

“You’re not bursting anything if you’re failing all of your classes, dimwit.” The nickname comes out before Taehyun can stop himself, but he doesn’t regret it.

“‘Dimwit’?” Beomgyu looks more amused than offended or hurt, which only angers Taehyun further. “Huh, that’s a new one.”

Taehyun sighs, reminding himself again that Beomgyu is. Not. Worth. It. He’s worked hard to have an untouchable, pristine reputation, and he won’t let some ass whom seems to only think with his dick make all his hard work go down the drain in just a few minutes.

“You know what, let’s just get started,” he grumbles. “Do you at least know which class has your lowest F?”

Beomgyu gives that lazy grin again as he leans back against his chair, even manspreading a little. “What do you think, sweetheart?”

Taehyun almost slams his own head against the table.

This is going to be a long day.

Chapter Text

“Are you sure you don’t need me to stay, Ms. Choi?” Taehyun asks the sweet, old librarian of their school as he adjusts his backpack. 

“I’m sure, honey,” she replies with that gentle smile of hers. “There isn’t much to do around here, and besides, it looks like that gentleman from earlier already tired you out enough.”

Gentleman? Gentleman, my ass, Taehyun thinks bitterly, but keeps a slightly forced smile on his face for Ms. Choi’s sake.

“That’s no biggie, Ms. Choi,” he says, waving her off. “I can stay if you need me. Really.”

“It’s alright, Taehyun-ah,” she chuckles. “I might be getting old, but I’m pretty sure I can turn the lights off by myself once it’s time to close. Thank you for offering, though. I don’t think the library would still be standing without you.”

Taehyun smiles and bows to her. “Of course, Ms. Choi. I’ll take my leave, then. Have a good night.”

“You too, honey.” The librarian smiles at him before he leaves, and finally walks out of the library.

As he begins walking down the hallway, Taehyun isn’t surprised to see that the sky is already dark. Checking his phone, he sees that it’s nearing seven p.m. It isn’t his first time leaving school this late, but it is his first time doing so for a reason he didn’t want.

And that ‘reason’ goes by the name of Choi Beomgyu.

Ever since the two became tutor and tutee, it’s as if Taehyun can’t catch a break from calling himself stupid. This time, it’s because he can’t believe he really thought for a second that the fuckboy would actually be a good tutoring student. He mainly believed this because of Yeonjun’s words, saying that Beomgyu would—should—care about improving his grades since it depends on him not getting kicked out of his precious team, but both he and Yeonjun thought wrong. 

Today just proved how big of an ego Beomgyu truly has. He so dedicatedly believes nothing could ever jeopardize his position on the soccer team, because apparently, his “Coach just loves [him] that much.” Taehyun has never heard something so egotistical in his life before, even if it is true. Therefore, their entire tutoring session was a complete pain for him because Beomgyu was just on his phone, manspreading in that stupid way of his, and barely paying any attention to what he said. Taehyun tried multiple times to get Beomgyu to pay attention to him, and even snapped at him, but did Beomgyu even bat an eye? No. He even ended their tutoring session early, and when Taehyun said he can’t leave when they’re not done, and haven't even gotten anywhere, Beomgyu just responded with, “Aw, it’s cute how you think I’ll listen to someone as small as you,” before leaving. 

That was two hours ago. Taehyun was so filled with anger that he didn’t think he could go home like that, and he also didn’t want Beomgyu’s stupidity and laziness to get to him, so he spent those two hours studying and doing his work in the library. Still, despite how little time he and Beomgyu spent together, it was enough to drain him.

Hence why Ms. Choi probably preferred he go home rather than stay, and help her with the library.

Not that Taehyun minds. If he had stayed any longer, he would’ve missed the last bus and would’ve had to walk home in the dark. Not that he’s scared of the dark—pfft, he totally isn’t—but he’d rather be safer than sorry, and not get molested or jumped whilst simply trying to walk home.

Calling or at least texting Yeonjun goes through his mind more than once on the way to the bus stop, but Taehyun is just so tired. He knows talking to Yeonjun will just lead to him venting to him everything that happened between him and Beomgyu earlier, and in response, Yeonjun will tease him about them getting together like he has been. Taehyun barely has any energy to even think about looking forward to school tomorrow, let alone sit through Yeonjun’s endless and annoying teasing.

Once he arrives at the bus stop, Taehyun takes out his earphones, connects them to his phone, and shuffles his playlist. He skips through the first few songs until he lands on a Twice song, and immediately, he feels a bit more relaxed. He leans against the pole of the stop as he waits for the bus to arrive, and lets Twice’s heavenly vocals calm him for now.

He’s so into the Twice song currently playing that he doesn’t notice the two most likely homeless men who just appeared. But they certainly notice him, and despite the smirks growing on their faces and the not-so-innocent whispers they share as they look Taehyun up and down, they don’t do anything. They maintain their distance, which is a good thing for an unaware Taehyun, whom is just glad the bus finally arrived.

During the bus ride home, Taehyun fights off the urge to fall asleep. He doesn’t trust any public space, let alone sleeping in them. He has important stuff on him and in his backpack, and he’d really not prefer having to buy them again or pay the school for them. So he blasts heavy metal music in his earphones until he arrives home.

As he steps off the bus, thanking the bus driver, Taehyun still doesn’t notice the two homeless men whom have been eyeing him even before the bus arrived. He doesn’t notice the way their eyes follow him home, or the way they study the neighborhood he lives in, either. But being around any creepy people is the last thing on Taehyun’s mind, since all he wants to do is go home and lie on his comfy bed.

The first thing he smells as he walks through the door is the smell of his father’s famous meatball spaghetti, and he perks up as he quickly takes off his shoes to check the kitchen for his father. But instead, he finds his mother, whose eyes light up once they land on her son.

“Oh, sweetie, you’re finally home!” she says, going over him to hug him tightly like always. “Gosh, you took so long to come home, I was about to go get you.”

Taehyun smiles, a bit sheepishly, as they pull away. “Heh, sorry. Where’s dad?”

“Taking a work call,” Taehyun’s mom says as she returns to the kitchen. 

“Man, and here I came quickly to see him,” Taehyun mutters sarcastically, and lets out a small squeal as he barely manages to avoid the hit his mom sends him with the wooden spoon in her hand.

“Yah, you should be relieved to see your mother, too,” she scolds with a small tsk. “Who knows when will be the last time-”

“-I see you, yes, I know.” Taehyun rolls his eyes. It’s not the first time his mom’s given him that lecture.

His mom gives him a look before shaking her head, albeit a small smile tugs on her lips. “Go leave your backpack in your room, wash up, and then go greet your father, so both of you can come eat dinner.”

“Try not to burn down the kitchen,” he says, and immediately backs away when he catches the look his mom sends him.

“Yah, you’re acting like I can’t cook,” she huffs.

“Well…can’t you?” Taehyun knows the only reason his mom’s in the kitchen is because his father left her in charge of stirring the noodles—but that’s it. Neither he nor Taehyun trusts her with anything else related to making food.

“...Just go wash up, you punk.”

“As you wish, mama.” Taehyun grins, making her roll her eyes, and he giggles as he heads down the hallway to his room. He can hear his father still on his work call in the bedroom he shares with his mom, so Taehyun doesn’t disturb him for now. He heads into his room, takes off his backpack, and leaves it on his desk chair before heading to his closet to change out of his uniform. He changes into a simple hoodie and sweats, and puts his uniform in his hamper for his mom to dry clean later, before heading to the bathroom to wash up.

Just as he’s walking out of the bathroom, his father finally appears from his room, looking a bit tired. But as he looks up, and his eyes land on his son, the tired look on his face is replaced with a happy one, and he smiles at Taehyun as he accepts him into a hug.

“You’re finally home,” his dad says as they pull away and walk back to the kitchen. “I thought you were never coming back.”

“Heh, sorry.” Taehyun smiles, a bit sheepishly. “Your spaghetti smells good.”

His dad smiles, a bit smugly. “It always does.”

Taehyun rolls his eyes at him, and his dad laughs. They arrive in the kitchen, where his dad takes over the noodles, and he and his mom help set up the table. 

Minutes into their dinner, his mom finally asks, after they stopped talking about their last topic, “So, why did you arrive home so late?”

“Did you have library duty again?” his dad adds.

Taehyun knew these questions were coming, but he still doesn’t know whether or not to tell the truth. And if he does, he doesn’t know how much he can exactly reveal.

“Um…not exactly,” he replies after swallowing his last bite of meatball.

His mom’s eyebrows furrow a little. “Then?”

Taehyun hesitates before finally saying, “I was tutoring someone.”

“Oh.” A bit of relief washes over his dad’s face. “Phew. Your hesitance was making me think you were out there doing drugs or something.”

“Dad, you know I’d never do those things.” Taehyun gives him a look.

“I know, but kids your age are really…special these days,” he mutters as he takes another bite of spaghetti.

“Ignore your father,” Taehyun’s mom says, rolling her eyes at her husband, before she gives their son a small smile. “Tell us more, sweetie. Who are you tutoring this time? Do we know them?”

“Mom, the only person you know from my school is Yeonjun-hyung, and that’s only because he’s my best friend.”

“I know,” his mom snickers. “I just always like asking.”

Taehyun shakes his head at her a little before hesitating once more. “Well, the kid I was tutoring is just…someone I know.”

Both parents give him a look.

“I…I don’t know what you want to hear,” he says, a bit nervously. Why? He doesn’t know, but his parents’ gazes aren’t helping. “I barely know them. They’re just someone else I’ve been asked to tutor.”

“Oh, well, at least you’re helping someone else, sweetie,” his dad says with a smile. “That’s the important thing. But you’re not overworking yourself, are you?”

“No.” 

“Okay, good,” his dad says, returning to his food. “Because whilst your mom and I are proud of all your accomplishments and everything you’re doing, we don’t want you overworking yourself. That’s the last thing we want from you, okay? It’s okay to take a break every now and then.”

“I know, Dad.” He lectures him about it every week.

The three Kangs continue with dinner. But whilst Taehyun and his dad dropped the topic of whom he tutored, Taehyun knows his mom hasn’t. He can tell by the way she looks at him whenever he talks, or whenever she asks a question, and by the small glint in her eye. He's just grateful she’s deciding to ask him about it later—most likely when his dad isn’t around.

When they finish dinner, Taehyun’s dad helps clean the table, and Taehyun and his mom wash and put away the dishes. His dad stays outside the kitchen, out of earshot, and Taehyun knows that’s the perfect opportunity for his mom to finally ask what she’s been wanting to ever since the start of their dinner.

“So…” Unsurprisingly, he guessed correctly. “You never really answered my question earlier.”

Taehyun feigns confusion as he scrubs a plate. “What question?”

Unfortunately for him, his mom is the only other person besides Yeonjun whom can see right through him. “Don’t act all confused. You know what I mean, Tae.”

The raven-haired male lets out a small sigh. “It’s really nothing, Mom. There’s not much to tell.”

“Taehyun.”

“Okay, fine,” he quickly gives in, especially since his mom used that tone. “He’s a…boy in the grade above me, and I wasn’t lying when I said I don’t really know him that well. I just know what other people say of him.”

“And what do they say?”

“I don’t think you wanna know.”

“Well, at least you didn’t say this in front of your father,” his mom says with a small sigh as she grabs a pile of plates to put away. “Who knows what his overprotective ass would do.”

“Probably go all crazy at me mentioning a boy,” Taehyun giggles.

“Especially one who’s older than you,” his mom adds, and Taehyun giggles again. But then his smile falters as he remembers how his tutoring session with Beomgyu went, and his mom doesn’t fail to notice. “What’s wrong?”

Taehyun rakes through his brain to find a way to put his response nicely. “Well…you know how I like tutoring?”

His mom nods. “Yeah, it’s one of your most favorite ‘nerdy’ things to do.”

“Yeah, well, let’s just say this guy is enough to make me want to hate it.”

His mom’s eyes widen, and her jaw drops in disbelief. “Really?”

Taehyun nods. “Yes, Mom. He’s just so… God, I can’t put into words how much I…dislike that guy.”

“Pfft, based on your words, I think you don’t only dislike him,” his mom mutters as she dries another plate.

Taehyun shakes his head, leaning against the sink. “The one person I can’t tolerate out of the entire school, and our teachers pair me up with him, and of course me being unable to say no, I accepted. So I was tortured for two hours after school.”

“What makes him so bad?”

“He has literally the worst GPA in the entire school. He has all Fs in his classes, and get this, mom: he and I have the same schedule, just different periods.”

His mom’s eyes widen. “No.”

“Yes,” Taehyun groans, putting his head in his hands. “I don’t know how or why that’s possible, but that guy’s basically as smart as me, Mom!”

“Not really if he’s needing you for tutoring and help to improve his grades,” she says pointedly.

“He doesn’t even want my help!” Taehyun exclaims with a scoff, making his mom’s eyes widen again. “Which is stupid, because he’s the captain of the soccer team, and his grades are making him be on the brink of getting kicked out, but does he care? No! He says his coach ‘loves’ him too much to ever kick him out, so he isn’t going to bother trying. And he didn’t! He spent the entire tutoring session on his phone, ignoring everything I said, and even ended the session early! Without my permission, and when I tried to complain, he made fun of my size before leaving.”

“...Wow,” she says, clearly in too much disbelief to say anything else. “He sounds like…”

“An egotistical asshole?” Taehyun grumbles, aggressively scrubbing a spoon.

“One, language.” His mom gives him a look before taking the spoon away from him. “Two, don’t take it out on the spoon. And three…believe it or not, you’ll get through this, sweetie.”

“You think?” he scoffs.

“Yes, because you’re my son, and I know I raised a strong, independent, young boy who can get himself through anything. But if you need my help, I’ll gladly be there.”

“I just don’t know what to do, Mom,” Taehyun sighs as he leans against the sink again. “I don’t ever want to tutor that guy ever again, but at the same time, I’d rather kill myself than ever disappoint any of our teachers. They’re all counting on me to save that guy’s reputation and grades. Mrs. Son even almost had a heart attack earlier because she thought I wasn’t going to tutor her ‘precious’ student.”

His mom’s expression turns serious. “Do you want me to talk to the school, then? Because it’s ridiculous they’re putting all that pressure on a seventeen-year-old. Especially my seventeen-year-old.”

“No, it’s fine,” Taehyun mutters, although he doesn’t know if it really is. “I just… I don’t know what to do, Mom. This guy irritates me like no one else ever has. He’s the reason I came home so late today.”

“But didn’t you say he ended the session early?”

“Well, yeah, but because of him, I spent the next two hours studying and working so his laziness and stupidity wouldn’t get to me.”

“Of course you did,” his mom says with a small chuckle.

“I really don’t know what to do, mama,” Taehyun says, looking down at the sink with a small frown.

“I do,” his mom says, grabbing his chin gently to turn his face towards her. “You persevere through this like the strong person you are. And if you can’t, you stop, even if it means ‘disappointing’ your teachers, because I care more about you than those dumbasses who think pressuring my boy this much is a great idea. And you should care more about yourself, too, than about pleasing people who so clearly care more about someone else rather than you. If you really don’t think you can get through this, baby, you should quit. It’ll be okay. It won’t be the end of the world.”

“Yeah, but…”

“But nothing. You’re quitting if it’s too much for you. End of story.” His mom then goes back to washing the dishes as if their conversation never happened. But as she washes a glass, and without looking up from it, she adds, “And don’t tell your father about this. I don’t need that in my life, and I don’t think you do, either.”

All Taehyun can do is just nod, whilst his mind is like a whirlpool full of endless worries and overthinking.

⌞ ⚽︎ ✮⋆˙ ⌝

Later that night, Taehyun can’t sleep. 

He can hear both his parents snoring down the hall—albeit his mom swears she never snores—and envies both of them for being able to sleep so soundly.

Against his own beliefs and sayings, here Kang Taehyun is, unable to sleep because a certain popular boy whose name starts with Beom and ends with gyu is running through his mind. 

But not in the way you’re thinking. No, Taehyun is thinking of what he’s going to do with this whole tutoring situation, whilst also coming up with different ways of murdering Beomgyu without getting caught.

He knows his mom is right—if it really troubles him this much, he should quit. After all, he isn’t the only tutor available and capable at HYBE High, and his teachers were crazy to think he could ever handle Beomgyu, anyway. So what if he disappoints them? And so what if they can never trust him with anything ever again? And so what if they think differently of him? And so what if they choose someone else to be their teacher’s pet, be their favorite student, the one they go to for help and for everything else? And so what if they decide not to write him recommendation letters anymore? None of that would matter because at least Taehyun would be free of Beomgyu.

At the thought, Taehyun turns and screams into his pillow.

He seriously hates Mrs. Son and Mr. Lee for putting him up to this. He also more seriously hates himself for being too weak to deny, or at least be more insistent that they let someone else do it. He just has to be a people pleaser, doesn’t he?

Despite all the conflicts running around as if they’re in a serious marathon, where they’ll be forced to shoot puppies if they lose, in his mind, Taehyun still comes to the same conclusion: he’s not a quitter, and he wasn’t raised to be one. 

He tries not to let the thought of ‘tutoring’ Beomgyu again tomorrow haunt his mind, dreams, or nightmares as he closes his eyes, and desperately hopes sleep will overcome him soon. 

Chapter Text

The next morning, Taehyun, of course, dreads going to school again. It’s his second day of dreading, and he’s starting to worry about becoming a different person, and going from one of the nerdiest nerds out there to becoming one of those crummy kids like a certain raven-haired male, whom shall not be named, and have failing grades, and the worst GPA out there. But even thinking about the possibility is enough to creep him out, so he tries not to let himself spiral too much into that fear.

Once he’s dressed in his uniform with his hair and teeth brushed, his backpack hanging off one shoulder, he leaves his room to head to the kitchen. The apartment is quiet, just as it always is in the mornings, so he thinks his parents are at work. Both of them work early in the morning, sometimes even leaving before he wakes up, so he wouldn’t be surprised if he’s all alone right now.

Hence, he almost lets out a high-pitched scream and drops his phone when he sees his dad calmly sitting at the dining table, drinking his cup of coffee, and reading a damn newspaper as if he didn’t just scare the wits out of his own son.

“Oh, morning, sweetie,” his dad greets with a smile. 

“D-dad, what are you doing here?” Taehyun asks.

“Um, enjoying a cup of coffee in my own home?”

Taehyun rolls his eyes, putting his backpack down on a chair. “You know that’s not what I mean.”

His dad lets out a small chuckle. “I for once enter work later than usual today, which gives me enough time to drop you off at school for once, too. And Yeonjun-ah, too, I figure, since you two come as a package deal. Unless you’d prefer to walk, anyway?”

“No, I’d very much appreciate it if you took us,” Taehyun says. It’ll be nice to be so rushed in the morning for once. “Let me just tell hyung, then.”

His dad nods, and Taehyun takes his phone out to text Yeonjun that his dad is going to take them to school this time, so he doesn’t need to wait for him outside like always. Yeonjun replies seconds later, sounding happy as Taehyun expected, and also as he expected, saying he’s gonna come up for some free breakfast, too. Taehyun just shakes his head at him, before putting his phone down, and beginning to make breakfast for him and Yeonjun, as well as a proper breakfast for his dad that isn’t coffee.

“Oh, I’m so glad you got my amazing cooking genes,” he says after thanking Taehyun when he placed a plate of eggs and French toast in front of him. “I don’t know what I’d do if I were the only one who could cook in this house.”

“Mom isn’t that bad of a cook, Dad,” Taehyun says with a small chuckle.

“That’s what she wants you to think,” his dad grumbles as he digs in. “One time when we were dating, she burnt the food so badly, the smoke alarm wouldn’t stop ringing, and the whole building had to be evacuated.”

Taehyun shakes his head, giggling as he sits down in front of his dad. “I’m sure she’s improved by then.”

“I doubt that,” he mutters, before furrowing his brows a little as he chews. “Hey, come to think about it…your cooking has improved these past few times.” He looks up at Taehyun with a deadpan, almost angry look. “You don’t have a boyfriend now, do you?”

“What?” Taehyun almost chokes on the bite of egg he just took. “H-how did you get from me cooking to me having a boyfriend?”

“I don’t know! What if your cooking’s improved because you’ve been cooking so much for him?”

Taehyun sighs and returns to eating. “Dad, I don’t have a boyfriend.”

“You better not,” his dad huffs. “Boys your age only go after one thing, and you know what that thing is? For a chance to get in between your legs. You’re way too young to have a boyfriend, let alone be doing anything unholy, so you’re forbidden from having a boyfriend, young man. You need to focus on your studies, and that’s it. You shouldn’t let some crusty boy distract you from that. Besides, I’ve already told you you can’t date ‘til you’re thirty.”

Taehyun can just sigh again, whilst resisting the urge to roll his eyes. If he had a penny for every time his dad gave him this lecture, he wouldn’t need to even study anymore, because he’d already be the richest man alive.

“Yes, Dad, I know,” he says. “I’m not lying when I say I don’t have a boyfriend.”

“Good,” his dad huffs. 

Taehyun shakes his head at him. The two eat in silence for a bit before they hear the front door open, and the sound of someone taking their shoes off. Then, they hear footsteps nearing them, and Taehyun doesn’t have to look up to know it’s a certain pinkette.

“Morning~!” he greets cheerfully. 

“Yeonjun-ah!” Taehyun’s dad’s eyes light up at the sight of his second son. “Oh, gosh, honey, it feels like forever since I’ve last seen you!” He stands up to hug him.

“We just saw each other two days ago, Pa,” he says with a small chuckle as they pull away.

“Which feels like forever ago,” Taehyun’s dad says as he sits back down.

Yeonjun giggles before looking at Taehyun. “Oh, hey, Tae.”

“Hi, hyung.” The shorter isn’t even surprised that his best friend sounds less excited to see him. “I left you some eggs, toast, and coffee on the stove.”

“Oh, thank god, I’m starving,” Yeonjun mutters as he walks over to the kitchen to help himself.

“So, Yeonjun-ah, how’s it going between you and Soobin?” Taehyun’s dad asks as Yeonjun joins them at the table. Ironically enough, Taehyun’s dad only feels overprotective of boys when it comes to his biological son, whilst letting the boy he claims is his second son, which means he should also be overprotective and overbearing about boys to him, gush and fantasize about boys, and have boyfriends all he wants. 

Almost immediately, a shy smile grows on Yeonjun’s face at the mention of his longtime crush. “Well, just the other day…me and him made eye contact during second period.”

“So juicy,” Taehyun mutters sarcastically. He still remembers the entire overly excited and gushy rant Yeonjun had given him during break that same day.

“That is juicy!” his dad says, his eyes widening a little. “Eye contact with your crush? That’s him basically saying he notices you, too.”

Yeonjun covers his face with his hands shyly. “You think so?”

“Yup,” Taehyun’s dad says. “Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been looking right at you.”

“Dad, you’re just feeding hyung’s delusions,” Taehyun says pointedly.

“Delusions can become realities,” his dad says, making Taehyun wish he and Yeonjun wouldn’t hang out so much.

“That’s what I say!” he exclaims, and he and Taehyun’s dad high-five.

Taehyun just shakes his head at them both and tries to focus on finishing his food.

Minutes later, he’s almost done when his dad and Yeonjun finally stop talking about Soobin. They finish their conversation with a laugh before Yeonjun turns to Taehyun and finally remembers how he spent the rest of his afternoon and evening yesterday. He lets out a small gasp, his eyes lighting up, and he turns fully to the younger.

“You are so fake for not telling me everything yet,” Yeonjun says.

Taehyun’s brain is still focused on tuning out Yeonjun’s conversation with his dad that he doesn’t realize what Yeonjun is saying. “Telling you everything about what?”

Yeonjun gives him a look. “Really? You’re going to play dumb?”

“Dumb about what?”

Yeonjun sighs. “About yesterday! You know, when you were alone in the library with Be-”

Taehyun is quick to slap his hand over Yeonjun’s mouth.

“Alright, boys, hurry on up, and finish your breakfast,” Taehyun’s dad says as he gets up, picking up his plate and mug. Much to Taehyun’s relief, he doesn’t seem to have heard what Yeonjun was about to say. “Or else we’ll be running late.”

“Okay, Dad.” Taehyun smiles at him, a bit nervously, still not taking his hand off Yeonjun’s mouth. It doesn’t strike his dad as odd, since he’s used to their ‘eccentric’ shenanigans with each other. He just calmly gets up from the table, places his dishes in the sink, and walks down the hallway to probably finish getting ready.

Yeonjun waits until Taehyun’s dad is out of earshot and sight before finally licking Taehyun’s palm. That makes Taehyun squeal as he quickly pulls his hand away, and he glares at him.

“What was that for?” he huffs. “You could’ve just told me to shut up.”

“Would you have?”

Yeonjun stays silent.

“Exactly.”

“Okay, but still,” Yeonjun grumbles. “The one person who’s allowed to put his hand over my mouth is-”

“Okay, stop, I don’t want to hear what kinky fantasies you have for your man.”

Yeonjun lets out a small smirk. “But for real, why’d you do that for? I was just going to ask how it went yesterday with Beomgyu.”

“I know. Don’t you remember how weirdly overprotective my dad is?”

Yeonjun’s eyebrows furrow a little. “He is?”

“Yes?? Don’t you remember that one time I accidentally talked about how annoying a boy classmate was being to him and my mom, and he interrupted me to give me an hour-long lecture about not getting a boyfriend?”

“Oh. Right,” Yeonjun snickers. “But doesn’t he know you tutored Beomgyu, anyway? I mean, you got home pretty late last night.”

“I only told him that I was tutoring someone. I never told him who exactly.”

“Mm, that’s smart.”

“Yeah, so shut your big mouth, especially about that asshole around my dad,” Taehyun says, lowering his voice a little, just in case. “I don’t want or need him to give me another hour-long lecture.”

“Or maybe you should just get the lecture over with because sooner or later, you and Beomgyu are going to get together, anyway.”

“I’m going to throw you out of the car if you don’t stop.”

“We’re not in the car yet.”

“Hyung!”

“Yes, Taehyun-ah?” Yeonjun grins.

“I don’t know how I deal with you,” Taehyun mutters, rubbing his temples.

“I don’t know how you do that either,” Yeonjun says, tapping his chin a little in thought. “I’m a special case.”

“Special case of stupid and delusional, maybe.”

“Yah, I’m going to-”

“Boys, we ready?” Taehyun’s dad’s voice comes before Yeonjun can finish whatever violent threat he was about to give Taehyun.

“Yup!” he calls back with a smirk directed at Yeonjun, whom just glares at him.

His dad comes back to grab the keys, whilst Taehyun picks up their dishes and places them in the sink. He doesn’t have time to wash them right now, so he simply rinses them before turning and grabbing the last of his things. He and Yeonjun meet with his dad at the front door, and the three head to the elevator to go to the parking garage.

Minutes later, they’re in his dad’s car, and he’s driving them to their school. His dad is in the front, and he and Yeonjun are in the back. It’s silent between them for now, the only sound in the car being the music playing on the stereo.

That is, until Yeonjun decides to be a menace again and says, “Pa, hypothetically, how would you feel if Tae were tutoring a boy at our school?”

Taehyun’s head snaps to Yeonjun so fast, he’s surprised his neck doesn’t crack. Yeonjun has a pseudo-genuine look of confusion on his face, but Taehyun can see the ghost of a smirk on his plush lips.

Taehyun lets out a small scowl. “You freakin’-”

“I wouldn’t be happy about it,” his dad replies, letting out a small scowl that mirrors his son’s. “That much is obvious. But I guess if it were completely mandatory, it’d be…fine.” He sounds as if it’s paining him to say those words, though.

“Huh, interesting,” Yeonjun says, glancing at Taehyun, whom’s glaring daggers at him.

“Why do you ask, honey?” Taehyun’s dad asks, glancing at him through the rearview mirror, before his eyes narrow as he looks at his son. “You’re not tutoring a boy, are you, Tae?”

“No, dad,” he lies. “Hyung’s just being a menace and playing around.” As payback, he pinches Yeonjun’s thigh, making him barely hold back a squawk.

“Well, he better just be,” Taehyun’s dad mutters. “You already know how I’d feel if you were tutoring a boy.”

“Yes, I know, Dad,” Taehyun sighs. For a few seconds, he decides to stay silent to not start anything between him, his dad, or Yeonjun, but then he realizes Yeonjun might still open his big, dumb mouth, so Taehyun, as payback, and with a pseudo-genuine, confused look on his face, just like Yeonjun did earlier, he questions his dad, “Dad, how would you feel if hyung’s crush was actually the bad boy of our school?”

This time, it’s Yeonjun’s head that snaps so quickly toward him, and he’s staring at him in disbelief. Taehyun just gives him a small smirk before turning back to his dad to wait for his answer.

“Well, that’d be no good,” he says, just like Taehyun expected. “Boys are no good, let alone those who cause trouble on purpose. They’re bad influences, too, and I wouldn’t want either of you surrounded by boys like that, let alone be romantically infatuated with them.”

“Huh, interesting,” he mocks Yeonjun’s words from earlier.

“Now, why do you both keep asking me these supposed ‘hypothetical’ questions?” Taehyun’s dad inquires. “Are they actually hypothetical?”

“Yes!” Yeonjun and Taehyun answer in unison quickly. Almost too quickly.

His dad doesn’t seem as if he believes them, but then figures it’s too early in the morning to try to figure out two teenage boys. He just shakes his head at them and continues focusing on driving them to school.

They arrive at HYBE minutes later, and Yeonjun and Taehyun thank the ravenette’s dad for driving them. The three say their goodbyes before Yeonjun and Taehyun get out of the car, and Taehyun’s dad drives away. That leaves the two alone, and the first thing Yeonjun does as they begin walking to the gates is pinch Taehyun’s arm.

“Hey, what was that for?!” he exclaims as he rubs the spot Yeonjun pinched.

“For asking your dad all those questions!” he exclaims back.

“That was payback for all those questions you asked first!”

“Heh, that was because I wanted to torture you,” Yeonjun snickers, making Taehyun roll his eyes. 

“When do you not torture me?” he grumbles.

“Aw, Taehyun-ah, that’s my job as your dearest, cutest, bestest bestie,” Yeonjun gushes as he wraps an arm around Taehyun’s shoulder and nuzzles his cheek against his.

“Yeah, yeah.” Taehyun rolls his eyes, but does nothing to push him away.

Yeonjun snickers. They walk to Taehyun’s locker first, since it’s closer, and Yeonjun doesn’t want to bother going to his. As Taehyun puts in his locker combination, Yeonjun looks around them, and seconds later, he hears a high-pitched giggle coming from nearby. He looks up, his eyes landing on a small crowd of girls surrounding a certain soccer team captain, whom’s looking at all of them with a smirk on his face. Yeonjun barely focuses on Beomgyu, though, looking around them to see if the playboy’s best friend is here yet. Unsurprisingly, he isn’t.

“You know that crush of yours is never early.” As if reading his thoughts, Taehyun speaks up, albeit not looking up from where he’s grabbing his books yet. “Perks of being the bad boy, remember?”

“I know,” Yeonjun says with a small sigh, leaning against the locker next to Taehyun’s. “I just wish I could catch him arriving for once.”

“Why?” he asks with a small smirk. “You’re always stalking him, anyway.”

Yeonjun gives him a small glare. “Nuh uh. Our paths just happen to cross at least once a day.”

“Right.” Taehyun doesn’t believe him.

“Shut up,” Yeonjun grumbles.

Taehyun chuckles before letting out a small curse when he realizes he got the wrong textbook. As he switches it out for the right one, he fails to notice the way Yeonjun’s eyes dart back to a certain popular boy, and finally remembers he was with his best friend for almost two hours yesterday.

“Hey, you never told me how it went with Beomgyu yesterday,” Yeonjun says, just as Taehyun is closing his locker. “And don’t try to get out of it, either. I held back from asking the entire morning because of your dad, so now you can’t not tell me.”

“Fine, but you better not begin with those atrocities you’ve been saying,” he says as they begin walking in the other direction.

Yeonjun lets out a small grin. “No promises.”

Taehyun rolls his eyes before letting out a small sigh. “Well, you were wrong, hyung. That asshole in no way cares about his grades, even if he’s on the brink of getting kicked out of his precious team, so of course our tutoring session went horribly.” He then rants and vents to Yeonjun for the next few minutes about how annoying, infuriating, and maddening Beomgyu was during their entire tutoring session, and how he still had the audacity to not only end their session early, but also basically insult him for his size.

“You are a bit smaller than average,” Yeonjun muses as he looks Taehyun over.

Taehyun almost bristles. “No, I’m not! You guys are just giants!” He then huffs, pushing his bangs back. “But not the point. The point is, I don’t know how I’m going to do this anymore, hyung. Just like I thought, that asshole is unbearable. Why is it up to me to deal with him?”

“Um, maybe because you can’t say no?”

“Don’t remind me,” Taehyun groans. 

“If you hate it so much, why don’t you just quit?” Yeonjun asks. “Tell your teachers to ask someone else to tutor him.”

“I don’t want to disappoint them,” Taehyun says with a small sigh, which comes as no surprise to Yeonjun. “You should’ve seen the look on Mrs. Son’s face yesterday when I told her that asshole and I hadn’t started tutoring sessions yet. She looked like I had betrayed her and killed her entire family.”

“Well, that’s her problem,” he says with a small scowl. “It’s not right that she and the rest of your teachers are putting this huge responsibility on your shoulders, on top of everything else you’ve got going on.”

“You’re sounding like my mom.”

“And yet you’re still not listening to either of us.”

“Because…I’m not a quitter, okay?” Taehyun says at last. “If I start something, I’m going to finish it. Even if it ends up killing me in the end.”

“Tae, you can not be serious,” Yeonjun says, looking at him with a small frown. “From what you told me about yesterday, Beomgyu sounds like a lot of work to deal with. And you’re already dealing with a lot. Not only are you in the hardest classes to get into, but you’re the ‘teacher’s pet’ of every single one of your teachers, which means they rely on you for everything, you’re the president of almost every single club you’re in, you take on every extracurricular you can, and you have library duty. You can’t balance all that whilst stressing yourself out tutoring Beomgyu. At this point, you’ll sprout gray hairs before me. You need to quit. It’s not healthy. School is important, yes, but you should have time for yourself and your personal hobbies.”

“Being a nerd is my hobby.”

“Tae-”

“Look, I appreciate your concern, hyung, but I’ll be fine,” he says, although he doesn’t know that himself. “This isn’t my first time tutoring someone whilst juggling everything else I have going on.”

“Yeah, but you’ve never had to deal with someone like Beomgyu before,” Yeonjun says, and knows he has Taehyun there. “So stop it before you burn yourself out.”

“I…can’t, okay?” he finally admits. “I can’t handle disappointing people, especially my teachers.”

“Taehyun-”

“I’ll be fine,” he reassures. “Really. Just trust me, please.”

Yeonjun gives him a small look. “You say that, but it won’t be long before you’re venting to me about Beomgyu again.”

“Well, yes, because you’re my venting outlet,” he says with a small grin. “And besides, venting helps you feel better and take off some stress. I should know, since I’m in AP Psych.”

“Aren’t you barely starting AP Psych?”

“Okay, shut up, I still know things.”

“Fine,” Yeonjun says in defeat. “Just promise me you’ll take a break every now and then?”

Taehyun nods with a smile. “I promise.” He even holds out his pinky.

Yeonjun looks at it, before looking at Taehyun, whom’s looking at him a bit expectantly. He lets out a small sigh in defeat and wraps his pinky with Taehyun’s, just in time for the bell to ring.

“I’ll see you later, nerd,” Yeonjun says. 

“Bye, hyungie,” Taehyun returns, letting out a small giggle when Yeonjun gives him a small look, before walking away.

Taehyun begins making his way to his first class, whilst trying not to give Yeonjun’s words too much thought. But then he gives up, unable to help it. He appreciates Yeonjun’s concern and knows he’s right—taking on everything he currently has going on, plus tutoring Beomgyu, is taking an enormous toll on him already. He’s risking burning himself out for the first time in his career of being the best nerd out there, and all simply because of a five-year-old in an (insanely hot) eighteen-year-old’s body. And not only does Yeonjun think this, but his mom, too. In fact, she thinks he’s already told his teachers he’s quit, and is expecting that of him. 

But Taehyun can’t bring himself to do it. He can’t bring himself to disappoint anyone, even if that means possibly burning himself out in the process. He made the foolish mistake of agreeing to tutor the one boy he hates most in the entire school, and now he has to deal with the consequences for being unable to say no. 

He just hopes he and his mind will still be in one piece by the end of it.

⌞ ⚽︎ ✮⋆˙ ⌝

After learning Beomgyu’s schedule (almost against his will), Taehyun is relieved they don’t share any class period, despite them both taking the same classes. He spends enough time tutoring Beomgyu—he seriously wouldn’t know what he’d do if he had to share at least one class with the ravenette.

Which is why, as he walks into his fourth period, a.k.a. AP Literature, he doesn’t think anything of it. He walks to his seat in the front, and sitting at the table behind him is the vice president of one of his clubs, so the two talk about their next event as they wait for the bell to ring.

When it does not too long after, Taehyun is already back in his seat, facing forward, with all his materials taken out. His notebook is already open to the page they’re currently on, and his eyes are focused on the teacher as he gets up to start the class.

“Good morning, everyone,” he greets. “I know you’re all excited to continue reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, but first, I have an announcement to make.”

Unlike his classmates, Taehyun doesn’t find the teacher’s words odd. He thinks the teacher’s just going to announce some project they have to do on the book or something alike, which makes him hope the teacher won’t make them partner up, and if he does, that he’s assigned the partners already.

“Please don’t tell us we have a project,” one of Taehyun’s classmates groans, as if reading his and everyone else’s minds.

“No, this isn’t that,” their teacher assures with a small chuckle. “What I have to announce is that we’re getting a new student today. Well, not ‘new,’ per se, since he’s been attending this school, but new to our class period. And I hope you’re all nice to him.”

Now does the teacher’s words strike Taehyun as a bit odd, but he still doesn’t realize whom he might be talking about.

“Your new classmate should be here soon,” he muses, glancing at the clock. “He should’ve already been here, actually,” he mutters, mainly to himself, but Taehyun still hears him. “But I’m sure we can just-”

The teacher is cut off when the classroom door is suddenly opened. Everyone, including Taehyun, looks at whom opened the door, and much to his complete, utter dismay, his eyes land on the one boy he was relieved he didn’t share a class period with.

No. Oh god, no. Please don’t let this be true. Oh god, this has to be some joke-

“Beomgyu-ah.” The teacher’s entire face is lit up by how huge he smiles as the ravenette nears him. “Glad you could make it.”

“Wish I could say the same,” Beomgyu replies with a sarcastic smile.

It seems as if every teacher is immune to sarcasm, since the teacher doesn’t even react to Beomgyu’s. He continues grinning hugely as he motions to him to the class, turning back to them. “Class, this is your new classmate,” he says. “I’m sure you all already know him, but everyone, please welcome Choi Beomgyu.”

Almost immediately, the classroom erupts into chaos. Girls’ squeals and efforts of trying to catch the fuckboy’s attention are the loudest noises in the room, and the boys are just clapping and whooping now that they’ve got their role model in the same class period as them. Everyone is happy, ecstatic, and joyful that their favorite person is their new classmate, and if they were allowed, they’d probably be throwing a party for him right now.

But there’s one person whom isn’t happy about this at all, and that honor goes to Taehyun. Here he was, happy and relieved he wouldn’t be forced to see Beomgyu at all until after school, but that hope was quick to go down the drain. Ironically, by another teacher. Not only does he have to be tortured by Beomgyu at the end of school, but now he has to endure him during one of his favorite classes, too?

“Now, hmm, where should you sit?” the teacher muses, scanning the classroom.

Taehyun is too busy drowning in his misery at his seat, his head in his hands, to have even heard what the teacher said. But even if he did, he’d be safe. He already has a partner, whom isn’t here today, but he’s sure the teacher would remember the seat next to him is occupied-

“Ah, there’s an empty seat!” the teacher says. “Right next to Taehyun-ah, too.”

Dread makes Taehyun freeze completely in his seat. He uncovers his face and looks up at the teacher, whom still has that stupid grin on his face.

“Beomgyu-ah, go sit down next to Taehyun-ah,” he says. “Ah, and isn’t he your tutor, too? Wow, fate must be pulling you two together a lot lately.”

Taehyun almost audibly gags.

Luckily for him, it seems as if Beomgyu doesn’t want to sit next to him either, as he turns to the teacher to ask, “Isn’t there another empty seat? I don’t really want to sit in the front, especially next to some rando.”

Did he seriously forget who I am already?!, Taehyun exclaims to himself, looking at Beomgyu in disbelief. They literally just met two days ago, and spent two hours together yesterday alone.

“Sorry, Beomgyu-ah, but I need you to catch up, and who else but your tutor to help you do that?” The teacher continues grinning. “Besides, I’m sure Taehyun-ah is ecstatic to help you out. Aren’t you, Taehyun-ah?”

Fuck. No.

“I…sure am, Mr. Jeung,” he lies straight through his teeth.

“Great!” Their teacher, Mr. Jeung, beams. “You truly are such a help, Taehyun-ah.”

“Hm, I’m glad,” he mutters, whilst cursing every god out there for putting him in this situation.

Mr. Jeung then moves on to start talking about the book they’re currently reading, but for once, Taehyun isn’t paying attention to him. Instead, he’s paying attention to Beomgyu, whom’s making his way over to the desk right next to his. No, literally. Mr. Jeung has the desks in his classroom touching in pairs, so it’ll be easier for when he wants them to facilitate discussions with each other. 

Kill me now.

As Beomgyu sits down, Taehyun gets a whiff of his cologne, which, surprisingly, doesn’t exactly smell…horrible. But Taehyun quickly shakes his head to rid those thoughts. Everything about the playboy next to him is horrible, including his crusty cologne. 

“Have we met before?” comes the popular boy’s infuriatingly sexy deep voice. He rests his cheek against his fist as he looks at him. “You look familiar.”

Taehyun’s jaw clenches. “Are you for real right now?”

“Uh, yeah?” Beomgyu raises a brow. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

Don’t punch him, Taehyun. He’s not worth it. He’s not worth it, he’s not worth it, he’s not worth it…

“You seriously can’t be asking me that,” Taehyun says lowly once he remembers Mr. Jeung is still talking.

“Heh, I know.” Beomgyu chuckles as he leans back against his chair. “You’re cute when you’re annoyed, sweetheart.”

His words catch Taehyun so off guard that he can’t stop himself from choking on his own saliva. His coughing fit gets even Mr. Jeung’s attention, and he stops talking to look at him in concern.

“Gosh, Taehyun-ah, that sounds like a bad cough,” Mr. Jeung says. “Are you getting sick? Do you need to get some water?”

“N-no,” Taehyun replies, his voice sounding a bit strained. His face is a light shade of red, mainly from his coughing fit, but also because he can feel everyone in the classroom’s eyes on him. “I’m fine. Just…swallowed wrong.”

“Okay, but if at any moment you feel like getting water, go help yourself, okay?”

Taehyun just nods, hoping his nonverbal response is enough to make Mr. Jeung drop it and go back to teaching. Luckily, he does, and a bit of relief washes over Taehyun, before he turns and glares at Beomgyu, whom has a slightly smug and amused look on his stupid face.

“What the hell was that?” Taehyun snaps, lowering his voice.

Beomgyu feigns confusion, even tilting his head a little. “What was what, sweetheart?”

“Don’t play coy,” Taehyun scowls. “You called me…cute.”

“Yeah, so?”

“W-why would you ever-?”

Beomgyu smiles and leans in so close, Taehyun can feel his breath against his face. And instead of having bad breath like Taehyun hoped he would, Beomgyu doesn’t. In fact, his breath smells minty, and feels nice and hot against Taehyun’s skin-

Stop. It.

“Have you looked at yourself in a mirror, sweetheart?” Beomgyu whispers huskily, and his voice drops an octave. Specifically, into a certain satoori, but Taehyun can’t figure out which one, especially not right now. “You have this cute but sexy nerd thing going on, and your glasses keep slipping down your nose. With the way you look so focused makes me wonder if you’d put as much attention as listening to my every word, and if your glasses would look just as cute sliding down your nose as I-”

“Beomgyu, Taehyun, I’m glad you two are getting along, but I’d really appreciate it if you two could talk some other time.” Much to Taehyun’s (immense) relief, Mr. Jeung’s voice appears before Beomgyu can finish his sentence. “Preferably when I’m done talking.”

Taehyun quickly turns away from Beomgyu, hoping his face isn’t as red as it feels. “S-sorry, Mr. Jeung.”

The teacher just smiles at him before he continues talking. Taehyun’s face still feels so hot, and he tries to concentrate on opening his book to the page they’re on, and not focus on anything related to the ravenette sitting next to him.

Luckily, Beomgyu doesn’t say anything for the next few minutes. He doesn’t disturb Taehyun either, and even seems bored as Mr. Jeung drones on and on about their book. Only Taehyun pays severe attention, and even takes as many notes as he can, even if they’re unnecessary. He feels his glasses slipping down his nose more than once, and every single time he slides them back up, all he can hear is Beomgyu’s voice in his head, making him hate him even more.

“Alright, now for the next few minutes, I want you all to talk to your partners about chapter ten, and what significance it has to the plot,” Mr. Jeung says eventually, much to Taehyun’s dismay. “Be ready to share what you discuss in a few.” With that, he turns to his desk, letting his classroom erupt into chatter.

For a second, Taehyun contemplates ignoring Beomgyu completely and talking to himself about chapter ten and what significance it has. But as if he couldn’t get any more annoying, Beomgyu of course, isn’t about to stop having his fun with him.

“What happened to that sharp mouth of yours?” Beomgyu says teasingly. “Have nothing smart to say now?”

“...Shut up,” Taehyun grumbles with a small scowl, still not looking at him.

Beomgyu chuckles. “Make me, sweetheart.”

“Ugh, is flirting all you know how to do?” Taehyun’s scowl grows, and he finally turns to glare at him. “Can’t you ever take anything seriously?” He turns back to facing forward as he tries to work on one of the problems on the worksheet Mr. Jeung handed out yesterday.

Beomgyu grins and leans back against his chair again. “I think you need to relax, sweetheart. You’re making that little nerdy vein in your forehead pop.”

Taehyun, finally done with Beomgyu’s bullshit, slams his pen down. “Don’t call me that, Captain Dumbfuck.” He spits out the first insult that comes to mind.

Out of all the insults Taehyun could’ve called him, “Captain Dumbfuck” was the last one Beomgyu was expecting. He can’t help but choke a little on his own laugh as he leans forward, his eyes lighting up a little in amusement. “Captain…what?”

Taehyun feels his face heating up again, embarrassed that “Captain Dumbfuck” was the best he could do, but it suits Beomgyu perfectly. He turns dead serious as he crosses his arms. “You heard me. Fits you better than ‘sweetheart’ fits me. You strut around like you’re king of the world, but at the end of the day, you’re just a dumb jock with a crooked tie and a 1.0 GPA.”

Beomgyu barely even looks offended. Instead, his smirk grows, and he leans a little back against his chair. “Ouch. Straight to the GPA, huh? You’ve got claws, sweetheart.”

“Keep calling me that, and I’ll make sure your GPA flatlines into negative numbers,” Taehyun grits out.

“Wow, is the little kitty bearing his claws right now?” Beomgyu says in mock shock, and Taehyun is about to snap at him again.

But that’s when Mr. Jeung gets up, and asks whom wants to share what they discussed. Taehyun doesn’t want to get called out by him again for talking, so he simply glares at Beomgyu, whom hasn’t stopped smirking, before turning back to Mr. Jeung to pay attention. Or to try to, at least.

⚽︎ 

Wanting to stay the petty person he is, Taehyun wants to leave their fourth period without saying anything to Beomgyu. But he knows if he doesn’t, the taller won’t say anything either, and one of them has to be the bigger person here. Unsurprisingly, that responsibility falls on Taehyun.

But despite that, he finds himself still unable to ask. Beomgyu is busy chatting it up with one of the boys in their class, whilst two girls are waiting for their chance to talk to him. Taehyun doesn’t want to waste his time waiting for a chance to talk with him, so he sighs, telling himself he can just text Beomgyu later, and pulls his backpack on. He begins making his way out of the classroom, sending Mr. Jeung a small smile on the way.

“So are you going to tell me when our next tutoring sesh is, or are you going to leave me hanging?” comes a familiar voice behind him, much to his surprise.

Taehyun turns, growing more surprised when he indeed sees Beomgyu behind him. His eyes dart to the boys he was talking to, and the girls waiting for a chance to talk to him, and Taehyun sees that all five are disappointed that they were left hanging. But Taehyun doesn’t focus much on that. What he does focus on is the fact that Beomgyu willingly left them to talk to him.

“Well…I don’t know if I can today,” he says. “I have club meetings after school.”

“So you really don’t have a life out of school?”

Taehyun bites the inside of his cheek to refrain from saying something vulgar. “Why are you even asking, anyway? You didn’t exactly pay attention yesterday.”

Beomgyu shrugs. “Yeah, ‘cause I was bored.”

“And you won’t be bored this time?”

“Most likely will, but Coach will find out I’m not attending the sessions, and he’ll get mad at me, and I don’t need that in my life, so.”

Taehyun lets out a small sigh, and subconsciously, he and Beomgyu walk out of their classroom together. “Well, we can meet up in the library around five. I’m sure my meetings will finish by then.”

“Really? You want to meet up two hours after school ends?”

“Do you want to meet up or not?”

“Hm, fine,” Beomgyu says, before smirking. “It’s fine, anyway. I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to keep myself occupied during those two hours.”

Taehyun immediately knows what he’s implying. “Gross.”

Beomgyu’s smirk grows a little. “Jealous, sweetheart?”

“What is there to be jealous of? Your STDs?”

“Aw, and I was wondering where your snarky mouth had gone,” Beomgyu says. He adjusts his backpack on his shoulder as he says, “I’ll see you at five then, sweetheart.”

“Captain Dumbfuck,” Taehyun mutters under his breath, before yelling out louder, “Don’t be late this time!”

“Cute how you still think I’ll take orders from you.” Beomgyu winks over his shoulder.

“You little-”

“Um, did I just see you walk out of class with Beomgyu?”

Taehyun tenses up a little at the familiar voice behind him, and he slowly turns around, letting out a slightly nervous smile when his eyes land on a certain pinkette. “Oh, hey, hyung…”

Yeonjun just continues staring at him in disbelief.

“Uh, so are you ready for lunch-”

“What the hell was Choi Beomgyu doing walking out of the same class as you, and with you?!” 

“Hyung, can you-”

“Don’t tell me to calm down,” Yeonjun warns. “What the hell, Taehyun!? You never told me you and Beomgyu were dating!”

Taehyun’s eyes widen, and he’s quick to shush him. “Because we’re not. Geez, why do you always jump to conclusions so fast?”

“So what was he doing walking out of your class?”

“Because one, I unfortunately share that class with him now, and two, we were talking about when to meet up for our next tutoring session.”

“So you’re basically dating.”

“Hyung-”

“Ah, I so called it!” Yeonjun squeals, clapping his hands. “What color theme do you want the wedding to be?”

“Hyung,” Taehyun groans. “There’s no wedding. You’re delulu enough over Soobin. Don’t be delulu over Beomgyu and I, especially since it’ll never happen.”

“You never know,” Yeonjun sings as they begin walking to their usual hangout spot during lunch.

“I will punch you.”

“I don’t think Beomgyu would like his boyfriend’s hands to be all injured-”

“If you don’t stop, I swear I’ll tell Soobin you like him.”

“Fine, fine,” Yeonjun chuckles, making Taehyun side-eye him. 

It’s quiet between them as they continue walking, and Taehyun starts thinking maybe Yeonjun will drop it. But it’s not even ten seconds later when he starts humming the nursery rhyme of kissing in a tree, which undoubtedly includes Beomgyu and Taehyun, and the younger can just glare daggers at him, whilst all Yeonjun does is smile innocently.

Chapter Text

For the first time ever, Taehyun is seriously considering switching schools.

It’s now nearing five p.m.—4:51, specifically—and he’s trying to clean up after his last club, Mathletes, but he can’t, because his vice president and secretary won’t stop gushing over a certain fuckboy.

“Did you see his outfit today?” his vice president says with a dreamy sigh. “It’s like he knows he’s hot.”

“Oh, he definitely knows,” his secretary says, also letting out a dreamy sigh. “God, he’s just so sexy. I’d kill for a chance to have at least one night with him.”

“Eun-ae, c’mon, you’ve gotta have more self-respect than that,” Taehyun says, finally joining their conversation, as he gives her a look.

“Heh, not really, Taehyun-ssi,” she says with a slightly sheepish chuckle. “But you understand, right? I mean, this is Choi Beomgyu we’re talking about.”

“Right, and he’s just so amazing,” Taehyun mutters sarcastically as he turns back around to continue cleaning up.

It seems like everyone in this school is immune to sarcasm, since his secretary, Eun-ae, squeals and looks at their vice president with a sparkle in her eyes. “He so is! God, Taehyun-ssi, I’m so glad you agree.”

Thankful his back is turned toward them, Taehyun rolls his eyes. “Alright, can you two at least help me pick up a bit? I’m sure that won’t stop you from talking about your lil’ crush.”

The other two seem a bit sheepish that they’ve been called out on not helping, and begin doing so. But they only pick up two things before they’re back to gushing about Beomgyu, which leaves Taehyun all by himself to clean everything else up. You’d think students in a mathletes club would at least have the common sense to clean up after themselves, but unfortunately, it seems like only Taehyun has that trait.

Much to his dismay, picking up after their last club meeting and repeatedly reminding his vice president and secretary to help him clean up takes longer than he expected. By the time he’s done and finally checks the clock, it’s ten minutes past five. Which also means he’s ten minutes late for his and Beomgyu’s ‘meet up’ in the library. Not that he’s exactly looking forward to it, but he’s always early for everything, never late.

“See you tomorrow, Taehyun-ssi!” Eun-ae and their vice president wave at him as they walk out of the classroom.

“Bye.” Taehyun gives them a small smile, whilst wishing he could tell them to their faces that they need to be more helpful next time.

By the time he finally walks out of the classroom the mathletes meeting was in, it’s already five-fifteen. He curses to himself as he rushes to the library, whilst trying to convince himself that Beomgyu is most likely not there yet. It works, since Beomgyu was almost an hour late yesterday, so Taehyun doubts he’s going to be the one waiting for him this time.

But the second he steps into the library, he’s proven wrong. Leaning against the bookshelf near the same table they were at yesterday is Beomgyu, who has a smirk on his face, his arms crossed, as he flirts with some girl Taehyun doubts he knows. Just like any other of Beomgyu’s victims, the girl has a pink hue on her cheeks, and she’s twirling a strand of her hair around her finger shyly. She also giggles at almost everything Beomgyu says, which undoubtedly inflates his ego, and neither she nor Taehyun misses the way Beomgyu checks her out. It flatters and flusters her; it makes Taehyun unimpressed, and even want to gag a little.

Luckily, Beomgyu notices him just as he’s walking to their table, and he looks back at the girl. He says a few last words to her, which makes her blush deepen, and Beomgyu winks at her before leaving to join Taehyun at the table. Taehyun just watches him, unimpressed, as he takes off his backpack.

“Glad I could get a front row seat to your flirting,” he mutters sarcastically, focusing on taking his things out.

“Hm, me too,” Beomgyu says with a grin. “Did you enjoy the show?”

“Very much. Can’t you see just how jealous I am that that girl got your number, and I didn’t?” Taehyun rolls his eyes, a small scowl subconsciously forming on his lips.

“Aw, sweetheart, there’s nothing to be jealous about,” Beomgyu fake coos. “You already have my number, remember?”

“Yay me,” Taehyun says monotonously, making Beomgyu chuckle.

“Anyway, someone was late for once,” he says, amused, abruptly changing the subject.

“Er, sorry,” Taehyun apologizes before he can stop himself. “My mathletes club ran longer than expected, and I had to stay behind to fix things up with no help.”

Beomgyu raises a brow. “You’re seriously in a mathletes club?”

Taehyun looks up at him with a small frown. “Yeah?”

“So how nerdy can you get?” he says with a small, teasing grin.

Taehyun gives him a small glare before looking back down at his materials and finally sitting down. “Just…sit your ass down, and let’s get started, Captain Dumbfuck.”

“You’re sticking with that?”

“Are you sticking with calling me ‘sweetheart’?”

“...Touché.”

Taehyun resists the urge to roll his eyes. “Anyway, let’s get started, before it gets too late. Now I hope today you will actually pay attention.” When he gets no response, he looks up, only for his gaze to harden when he sees Beomgyu on his phone, scrolling. “Are you serious right now?”

Beomgyu chuckles at something he sees on his phone, clearly not paying any attention to him.

Not knowing what else to do, Taehyun rips a tiny piece of paper off the back of his notebook, rolls it into a ball, and throws it at Beomgyu’s head. That gets his attention, and he finally looks up, not missing the angry look on Taehyun’s face.

“Did you throw something at me?” Beomgyu asks, a bit in disbelief.

“Yes,” Taehyun almost grits out. “Can you not live without your phone?”

“What do you think, sweetheart?”

Taehyun’s gaze hardens even more. “Can you focus?”

Beomgyu sighs and finally puts his phone down. “I’ll try, but no promises.”

“Thank you,” Taehyun mutters in relief. He goes over the lesson plan he made for Beomgyu yesterday after their first session, thinking (and hoping) this would help him get on track. “Now, since we barely got anywhere yesterday, why don’t we go over your first class, AP Calc, again?”

“Sounds boring,” he says with a small yawn.

Taehyun clenches his jaw a little. “Of course it’s going to sound boring to you, but we’re going to have to get it done, anyway, if we want to get somewhere.”

Beomgyu smirks and looks him up and down. “I definitely know somewhere I want to get to.”

Taehyun definitely doesn’t blush at that, and he scowls. “Is sex the only thing on your mind all the time?”

“No. Sometimes I have soccer, flirting, eating, and winning for my team on my mind,” Beomgyu says, matter-of-factly.

Taehyun is really trying not to lose his patience here. “Then why don’t you add ‘being a good student’ to that? It’ll make this easier for both of us.”

“Easier for you, you mean,” Beomgyu says with a small chuckle. “I’m good.”

“Maybe because you’re not taking this seriously?”

“Mm, no, I don’t think that’s it.”

Taehyun barely resists the urge to throttle him.

⌞ ⚽︎ ✮⋆˙ ⌝

Unsurprisingly, even after an entire hour, they’ve gotten nowhere.

Beomgyu won’t stop messing around, Taehyun can’t keep him in check, and they spend more time bickering—mainly on Taehyun’s part—than actually getting any work done. By the time he checks the clock, Taehyun realizes they have to finish for today, with once again not getting anywhere.

“You know, being on your phone the entire time, and not paying attention to me, isn’t getting us anywhere,” he says with a small scowl as he closes his notebook.

Beomgyu chuckles at something on his phone before looking up at him. “Did you say something?”

“Can you not go five seconds without checking your phone?” he snaps, packing up the rest of his things.

“Pretty much,” Beomgyu says. He notices Taehyun putting his things away, and his smile grows. “Are we done for today?”

“Yes,” Taehyun grumbles.

“Oh, thank god,” Beomgyu says, letting out a small groan as he stretches. “I’m exhausted.”

“Yeah, because you worked so hard,” Taehyun mutters sarcastically.

“Aw, I’m glad you recognize that.” Beomgyu beams, and Taehyun gives him a hard stare.

“If you’re just going to be on your phone the entire time, and not pay attention at all, I don’t see the point of these sessions,” Taehyun says as he stands up, pulling his backpack on.

Beomgyu stands up as well and subconsciously waits for Taehyun, so they can walk out of the library together. “To satisfy Coach.”

Taehyun gives him a look, not even noticing they’re walking out of the library together. “Won’t he notice we’re not getting anywhere when he sees that your grades aren’t improving?”

“Nah,” he chuckles. “Coach doesn’t focus on things like that.”

“Wasn’t he the one who said you need tutoring because of your bad grades?”

“Hm, maybe,” Beomgyu says with a small shrug. “Wasn’t really paying attention.”

“When do you ever?” Taehyun grumbles under his breath. 

“Damn, it’s this dark already?” Beomgyu says, mainly to himself, once they walk out of the school doors.

Taehyun feels his heart drop a little. He had been so focused on trying to get Beomgyu to focus that he didn’t even realize how late it was getting. Despite checking the time occasionally, it seems as if it didn’t click in his brain that the more time that goes on, the darker the sky will get.

“Hopefully, the buses are still running at this hour,” he mutters under his breath as he takes out his phone to check.

Yet it seems as if Beomgyu still hears him, since he raises a brow at him. “You’re gonna take the bus at this hour?”

“Uh, yeah?” Taehyun looks up at him with a small frown. “I don’t really have another option besides walking.”

“Isn’t it a bit too late to take the bus?”

“It’s not even eight p.m. yet. I’m sure there are still a few buses.”

“But what if there’s not?”

“Then I’ll go walking.” Though, Taehyun would really not prefer it to come to that.

Beomgyu tilts his head a little, shoving his hands into his pockets. “I can give you a ride.”

Taehyun almost drops his phone from how shocked Beomgyu’s words just made him.

“Y-you…what?”

“I’ll drive you home,” Beomgyu says, as if he offers Taehyun rides home every day. “It’s pretty dark.”

“You want to drive me home?” Taehyun is still in disbelief.

“Yes?” Beomgyu raises a brow slightly. “Why do you look so surprised?”

“I just…didn’t think you had the capability to care for people like that.”

“Haha, very funny.” Beomgyu rolls his eyes. “Now c’mon, my car’s still in the parking lot.”

“Woah, I never said yes to your offer,” Taehyun says before Beomgyu can take a step.

Beomgyu turns back to him with a slightly amused look. “Then are you saying no?”

“...Maybe.”

Beomgyu raises a brow. “Really? So you’d prefer to ‘hopefully’ catch a bus at this time, or go home walking, than let me drive you home?”

“Pretty much,” Taehyun mocks Beomgyu’s words.

“You know there’s a chance of you getting molested, kidnapped, followed, raped, and killed?”

“I’ll take those chances.”

Beomgyu chuckles. “Wow, so you’d really prefer risking your life like that than letting me give you a simple ride home?”

“Yes,” Taehyun replies with no hesitation.

Beomgyu lets out a small scoff, a bit in disbelief. “Alright, you do you, then. See you later, nerd.” With that, he walks away, leaving Taehyun there still standing at the top of the school stairs.

Once Beomgyu is out of sight, that leaves Taehyun completely alone. A slight feeling of paranoia creeps over him as he realizes that, but he tries to shove it down. He made the choice of deciding to be alone, and he needs to be fine with that. It’s what he preferred rather than being with Beomgyu, isn’t it?

Taking a shaky breath, Taehyun begins walking down the school stairs and heads toward the nearest bus stop. He’s pretty sure Beomgyu is safe at his home now, and kind of envies him for it. But at the same time, there is no way he would’ve survived a car ride with him. He can barely survive even breathing the same air as him for a few minutes, let alone being alone in a small space for even longer. And on top of that, he’d rather die than ever let Beomgyu know where he lives, or risk the chance of his dad seeing a boy dropping him off.

Yeah, so even if Taehyun did want a ride home, he would’ve been better off accepting a stranger’s ride than Beomgyu’s. That would just give the older more leverage, and probably make him think he has a chance of getting into his pants. Which he doesn’t, and never will. Taehyun would rather die a virgin than ever let Choi Beomgyu’s probably small as fuck dick ever get close to him.

Luckily, nothing happens to him on the bus ride home. He stays hyperaware of his surroundings and tries comforting himself by reminding himself that this isn’t the first time he’s gotten home this late. Nothing happened to him then, and nothing will happen to him now.

He thanks the bus driver before getting off the bus, and completes the short walk to his apartment building. He arrives outside his apartment door minutes later and unlocks it, pushing it open after. He can smell his father’s cooking coming from the kitchen, as well as chatter, which lets him know both parents are already home.

“I’m home!” he calls out, taking his shoes off by the door.

“We’re in here!” his mom calls back from the kitchen.

Taehyun leaves his backpack on the couch before walking to the said room. Indeed, both his parents are in there: his dad by the stove, and his mom leaning against the sink as they talked about whatever they were talking about before their son got here.

“Hi,” he greets with a smile, kissing them both on the cheek.

“Second time this week you’ve gotten home this late,” his dad says as he checks on the food.

“Tutoring again?” Taehyun’s mom guesses.

“Yeah,” Taehyun confirms with a small sigh. “Sorry. I lost track of time.” He makes short eye contact with his mom and knows she’s going to interrogate him about it later.

“Well, at least you got home safe,” his dad says. “Just make sure to be more aware of time next time, alright? I don’t want you always coming home at this time. It’s too dark out.”

“I know, Dad. I’ll try to arrive earlier next time.”

As his dad finishes cooking, Taehyun and his mom help set up the table. They begin eating not too long after, and the three converse whilst they eat. When they finish, Taehyun and his mom clean up the table with his dad’s help, before they begin washing the dishes. His dad goes to the living room to take a work call, which leaves Taehyun and his mom alone.

“So did you really arrive late because you were tutoring?” she asks, lowering her voice a little.

Taehyun lets out a small sigh. “Yes, Mom. Why else?”

“I don’t know. Maybe you have a secret boyfriend or something.”

“Ugh, you’re being just like dad.”

“Well, sorry if I wanna know about my son’s love life.”

Taehyun rolls his eyes. “I would’ve arrived earlier, but I had to take the bus.”

“Wait, hold on.” His mom stops drying the dish in her hands as she looks up at him. “Were you tutoring the boy you were complaining to me about the other night?”

Taehyun slows down his scrubbing, not looking at her. “Um…no?”

She can see right through him, though, and knows he’s lying. She gives him a look as she puts a hand on her hip. “Really, Taehyun? Didn’t I tell you to quit?”

“No, you suggested that I should,” he corrects, which he instantly regrets the second his mom’s gaze darkens a little.

“Yeah, but my ‘suggestions’ are never really suggestions,” she reminds. “That’s me telling you what to do. Why didn’t you listen?” 

Taehyun stops scrubbing as he lets out a small sigh. “Because I…I can’t disappoint my teachers like that.”

“Tae-”

“You don’t have to lecture me,” he interrupts, finally looking at her. “Yeonjun-hyung already did that for you.”

“And you’re still not listening to either of us?”

“Because I know what I’m getting myself into, and I know myself, Mom. I can handle it.”

“But you already-”

“-have a lot of stuff going on, I know,” Taehyun finishes. “But you know I’m an overachiever. You know I can achieve anything, even if it seems impossible.”

“I just don’t want you to burn yourself out.”

“I won’t,” Taehyun says, albeit not knowing that himself. “I’ll be fine.”

His mom doesn’t seem as if she believes him, but she lets out a small sigh in defeat. “Fine. But the second you start feeling like it’s too much, you quit, okay?”

“Promise.” He kisses her cheek before returning to washing the dishes.

“So, how did it go with that boy this time?” she asks seconds later, making sure her husband is still out of earshot.

“The same,” Taehyun sighs.

“Really?”

“Yes,” Taehyun groans. “God, the way he infuriates me, mom…”

“Then why did you get home so late? You should’ve just ended it the second you saw he wasn’t trying.”

“Because I couldn’t give up that easily,” Taehyun says with a small huff, which makes his mom roll her eyes a little. “But I would’ve arrived earlier if I didn’t have to take the bus.”

“Did your ‘student’ take the bus, too?”

“No, he has his own car.”

His mom scoffs. “What, and he didn’t offer you a ride?”

Taehyun hesitates before correcting, “No…he did.”

His mom’s eyebrows furrow. “So why did you still take the bus?”

“Have you not been listening to me, Mom? I hate that guy. I’d very much prefer even walking home alone at night than ever accepting a car ride from him.”

“Taehyun, you can not be serious.”

“Mom-”

“Do you not know what can happen to you at this hour?” she scolds. One of her hands lets go of the cloth she’s drying the dishes with, only to smack the back of her son’s head. “You can’t be this reckless, Taehyun. Something could’ve happened to you!”

“Okay, but nothing did!” he says with a small pout, rubbing the spot she hit. “And this isn’t the first time I’ve gotten home this late by myself.”

“What, and are you waiting for something to happen for you to finally understand?!” His mom glares at him. “You can not seriously hate this boy that much.”

“Oh, but I do.”

His mom’s eyes narrow. “You hate this boy so much, you’d prefer to risk your own life than let him drive you home? Especially when that’s the least he can do after making you miserable in every interaction you guys have?”

“You just don’t get it, mom,” Taehyun says with a small whine. “You don’t get why I hate him so much-”

“-maybe because you won’t tell me, either-”

“-and besides, I’d be risking having dad see him dropping me off,” Taehyun adds. He knows it’d be a long shot his dad would, considering they live on the fifth floor, but you never know. His dad could be looking out the only window that looks out to the world outside, which is in the living room, or he could be arriving from somewhere at the same time as them. Taehyun is already miserable enough being with Beomgyu. He doesn’t need his dad’s lectures adding more to his misery (and for sure embarrassment, since the lecture would happen in front of the popular boy).

“That still isn’t excuse enough for you to reject his offer to drive you home,” Taehyun’s mom continues scolding. “I’d rather have your father lecture you for hours on end than find out something happened to you because you were too petty to accept a nice boy’s offer of giving you a ride.”

“You did not just call this ‘boy’ nice.”

“Taehyun.”

“Fine, fine,” he huffs. “...I’m sorry for not letting the supposedly ‘nice boy’ drive me home.”

“Good.” His mom lets out the same huff he just did. “You better accept his offer next time.”

“Yes, mom,” he sighs, knowing damn well he won’t.

“What are you two yelling in here about?” His dad’s voice makes them both jump.

“Uh, n-nothing, love,” Taehyun’s mom lies, giving her husband a slightly nervous smile. “We were just…splashing each other with water. Well, more like your son was splashing me.”

“Alright…” Her husband looks between them, and both are just smiling at him, a bit nervously. He thinks they’re acting a bit weird, but he shrugs it off, blaming it on how tired he’s getting. “Just don’t spill too much water, then. Our water bill’s high as is, plus I don’t want to be slipping in here.”

“‘Course, dad.” Taehyun smiles at him, his nervous smile looking a bit more convincing than his mom’s. “We’ll clean up, don’t you worry.”

His dad nods, looking between them once more, before finally leaving.

“That was close,” Taehyun’s mom mutters in relief.

“That wouldn’t have happened if you weren’t yelling at me,” Taehyun says with a small huff.

“And I wouldn’t have had to yell at you if you used your brain earlier.”

“...Whatever.”

⌞ ⚽︎ ✮⋆˙ ⌝

Later that night, Taehyun is freshly showered and in pajamas. It’s nearing eleven p.m., and all he wants to do is finish his skincare and climb into bed. All of his homework is done, of course, but he always likes to work on his notes, study, or find something school-related to do before sleep. But he finds that was all before he began tutoring a certain raven-haired male.

Just as he is pushing his hair back with his fluffy, pink bunny headband, Taehyun hears his phone ring from where he left it on his desk, so he walks out of the bathroom and back into his room. Once he grabs his phone, he can see whom’s calling him: Yeonjun, unsurprisingly.

He answers the call, putting it on speaker, as he walks back to the bathroom. “Hello?”

“Hey, Tae,” Yeonjun greets. “Did I wake you?”

“No,” Taehyun assures, adjusting his headband. “I’m just starting my skincare.”

“Ooh, twins!” 

Taehyun smiles. “Why’d you call?”

“No reason. Just felt kinda bored, and decided to see what my dear bestie’s up to.”

Taehyun chuckles. “Well, hate to sound boring, but I’m not doing much.”

Yeonjun then gasps, startling Taehyun. “Wait, do you have me on speaker?”

“Yeah, but both my parents are in their room,” he assures, starting on his skincare. “So they won’t hear us.”

“Good!” Yeonjun says with a small squeal. “I had completely forgotten you tutored Beomgyu earlier!”

Taehyun sighs, unsurprised that Yeonjun is starting with this. “Please don’t start with your shenanigans.”

“I won’t,” he snickers. “Or I’ll try not to.”

Taehyun can just sigh.

“So?? Don’t leave me hanging! Tell me what happened.”

“Hate to burst your bubble, hyung, but nothing interesting happened.”

“That’s what you think. I’m pretty sure something did.”

“Nope,” Taehyun says, sounding a bit bored. “Unless you count that asshole once again not paying attention to anything, not listening to me, and just being on his phone the entire time as interesting.”

“He did the same thing again?”

“Unfortunately. But not surprising.”

“That’s…frustrating.”

“Imagine how I feel,” Taehyun mutters, before letting out a small scoff. “And I still have to put up with him.”

“Nothing you tried telling him worked?”

“Nope. Everything I said went in through one ear and out the other.”

“Does he really not care about his grades?”

“At this point, I highly doubt he does.”

“Wow. Now I’m starting to see why you hate him so much.”

Taehyun is a bit surprised. “You…do?”

“Well, I’m still rooting for you guys, but yeah. What he’s doing isn’t exactly ‘hot,’ as he might think it looks like.”

“I just…don’t know what to do,” Taehyun sighs. “I don’t want to keep wasting my time like this, but at the same time, I can’t really do anything about it.”

“You can try telling your guys’ teachers.” 

Taehyun lets out a small scoff. “And you really think they’ll listen—or believe me? They all worship that asshole, remember?”

“Want me to knock some sense into Beomgyu?”

Taehyun lets out a small chuckle. “You sure you wanna do that? I don’t think your man would appreciate you hurting his best friend.”

“True…” Yeonjun mutters, and Taehyun can hear the gears in his head turning. “But I don’t GAF. If he doesn’t want me to hurt his BFF, then his BFF shouldn’t be hurting my BFF, and wasting your time like this. No one does this to my bestie and gets away with it.”

“Aw, hyung, I forgot how cutie you can be at times,” Taehyun fake coos.

“...Shut up,” Yeonjun grumbles, making Taehyun laugh. “But there’s seriously nothing you can do?”

“Not really,” he sighs. “So I guess I’ll be disappointing my teachers, anyway, since that asshole’s grades won’t be improving either way. Man, now I really hate that bastard.”

Yeonjun gasps, as if a bright idea just came to him. “What if I get Soobin to talk to him?”

Taehyun raises a brow and pats his face dry, finally done with his skincare routine. “Yeah, and how are you going to do that? You can barely even say one sentence to him without stuttering.”

“Sh-shut up, yes I can.”

Taehyun chuckles, shaking his head at him. He walks out of the bathroom, turning the light off behind him, and walks back to his room. “Anyway, besides that, that asshole…kinda surprised me today.”

“He did? I thought he was just being an ass.”

“He was. But he…wasn’t at the same time.”

“Huh?”

“He…” Taehyun takes a deep breath, knowing what response Yeonjun’s about to give him. “He…offered me a…ride home.”

Just like Taehyun expected, the other line stays silent. He doesn’t bother pulling his phone away from his ear to check if Yeonjun is still on the call. He knows he is—he’s just taking a while to fully process what he just said.

It isn’t until Taehyun is lying down on his bed that Yeonjun finally explodes, “He WHAT?!?!?!”

Now is when Taehyun pulls his phone away—to protect his eardrums from damage.

“I know, I couldn’t believe it either,” he says as he puts his phone back against his ear.

“Choi Beomgyu, the fuckboy of our school, who’s infamous for not caring about anyone except himself and Soobin, offered you, a boy he barely knows, a ride home?!”

“That’s literally what I just said, hyung.”

“Well, excuse me if I still can’t believe my ears!” Yeonjun exclaims in disbelief. “H-how… What? Are you sure that was really Beomgyu?”

“Hm, no, I’m sure it was his ugly twin.”

“Oh. That all makes sense, then!” But then, Yeonjun lets out another loud gasp. “Wait, wait, wait! Does that mean…Choi Beomgyu drove you home in his sleek, black Audi RS5 Sportback?”

“...How and why do you know his car’s full government name and model?”

Taehyun can practically hear Yeonjun’s smirk over the line. “You really wanna know?”

“Right, never mind then,” Taehyun mutters. “But to answer your question…no, I didn’t.”

“What?” Yeonjun is once again in slight disbelief. “You mean to tell me you didn’t ride in Beomgyu’s Audi RS5 Sportback?”

“Okay, can you just call it a ‘car’?”

“It is not just a car! It’s-”

“Wrong person you’re about to rant to, hyung.”

“Heh, right,” Yeonjun says, a bit sheepish. “But what do you mean you didn’t ride in Beomgyu’s car?! What did you ride in, then?”

“The bus.”

“The bus?!”

“Uh…yes.”

“Why in the world would you ever ride that when the Choi Beomgyu was literally willingly offering you a ride home? Are you out of your mind?!”

“No,” Taehyun says with a small huff. “But I wasn’t about to ride the same car as him.”

“I swear, if you tell me it’s because of your hatred towards him…”

“What else would it be? Forget what I’d say before. That guy is a complete asshole, and you’re crazy if you thought I’d willingly get into his car with him, let alone let him see where I live.”

“So you did all this out of pride?”

“Yes.”

“Taehyun-”

“There’s no need for you to lecture me,” he says, already knowing where Yeonjun was headed. “I already got that from my mom. I don’t need it from you, either.”

“You’re supposed to be smart! What happened to that?”

“Look, I am fine, completely safe, and nothing happened to me. It isn’t the end of the world just because I didn’t accept Beomgyu’s offer to drive me home.”

“Do you not know how many girls would kill to be in your spot?”

“And do you not remember how I really couldn’t care less about that?”

“Still. Beomgyu was just trying to do something nice.”

“For once,” Taehyun adds, before scoffing. “But I doubt it. He probably thought he was going to get something out of it.”

Yeonjun sighs, not even bothering to deny Taehyun’s statement, since he knows he has a point. “I guess, but he would’ve backed off if you said no. It’s never been said to him before, but I don’t think he’d stoop that low just for a quick fuck.”

“Probably, but still, I’d rather not put myself through that.”

Yeonjun sighs. “You really are something, Tae.”

“Aw, I know.”

⌞ ⚽︎ ✮⋆˙ ⌝

The next morning, during the walk to school, Taehyun has to endure Yeonjun’s lecturing on accepting a ride home, especially when it’s dark, from a known acquaintance (even if it is beomgyu), despite having told him the night before that he didn’t need a lecture from him, either. But of course, Yeonjun didn’t listen, so here Taehyun is, stuck with another lecture from his other mom.

When they get to school, they head over to Taehyun’s locker like always. Yeonjun’s lecture has stopped by now, and instead, he’s focused on looking for a certain bad boy, even though he knows his crush won’t get here until later.

“Are you going to tutor Beomgyu today?” Yeonjun asks once he sees Soobin truly isn’t here yet.

“Most likely,” Taehyun sighs, taking out his stuff. “Which will once again just be a huge waste of time.”

“The offer of me beating some sense into him is still there.”

Taehyun gives him a look before closing his locker, clutching his books to his chest. “That’s not necessary, hyung. Though, I would very much like seeing that.”

“Then what are you going to do?”

“Suffer through it? Not much I can do.”

“Oh, I know!” Yeonjun’s eyes light up when an idea comes to him. “Why don’t you talk to Beomgyu’s coach?”

Taehyun’s eyebrows slightly furrow. “I…don’t know. I doubt he’d even want to talk to me. And besides, won’t that make me seem like a tattletale?”

Yeonjun shrugs. “That’s on Beomgyu for not paying attention.”

“Still, I don’t think that’d do anything,” Taehyun says. “That asshole told me his coach loves him too much, apparently, to ever kick him out, and that he only put him up for tutoring as a façade to hide his favoritism towards him. I doubt he’d even care if I told him his favorite student isn’t doing well in tutoring.”

“Everyone in the whole school really does love Beomgyu, don’t they,” Yeonjun mutters, finally getting it.

“Yup,” Taehyun says with a small sigh. “But it’s whatever. Hopefully, he gets kicked off his team, anyway, so I won’t have to deal with him.”

“You should sue him!”

“With what money for a lawyer?”

“Uh…you could hold a…lemonade fundraiser?”

Taehyun shakes his head, yet he can’t help the small giggle that slips out. “Thanks, hyung, but I don’t think that’d be much help.”

“Are you sure there’s not anything I can do to help?”

“I’m sure, hyung,” Taehyun replies, giving him a small smile. “Thanks, anyway.”

Yeonjun nods, albeit still wishing he could help Taehyun out in some way. 

Chapter Text

Taehyun’s composure is barely hanging onto a thread by this point.

It’s been two weeks since his and Beomgyu’s tutoring sessions started, and have they gotten anywhere? If Taehyun had to answer on a scale of 1-10, 1 being absolutely nowhere, and 10 being they’ve gotten through everything, and Beomgyu’s grades have skyrocketed, he’d say -8. He doesn’t even know how he hasn’t crashed out yet. 

Every single session goes the same: they meet up at the library, Taehyun is early, Beomgyu is late, Beomgyu is cocky and insufferable, Taehyun is trying not to murder him, Taehyun tries to get them straight to business, and Beomgyu just spends the entire session on his phone, not paying attention at all. There are even some instances where he sees cute girls nearby and leaves Taehyun at their ‘study’ table all alone, just so he can flirt with them. All Taehyun can do is stare at him in disbelief and anger, because the one time he tried scolding Beomgyu about it in front of the girls, they got so offended and angry at him, telling him who does he think he is to talk to their “Oppa” like that, and to watch his tone. The whole time, Beomgyu was just smug and let the girls crowd him even more as they turned their attention back to him, forgetting all about Taehyun as if they weren’t just threatening to embarrass him in front of the entire school if he didn’t respect the school’s “golden boy.”

You would think that at this point, Taehyun has at least shared this with one of his teachers—but you would think wrong. Despite Yeonjun’s persistent suggestions of just telling on Beomgyu, Taehyun doesn’t. That would just show he isn’t as good a tutor as his teachers think him to be, and they’d think he’s a disappointment. And that’s not something he’ll let them think of simply because of Beomgyu. So, despite every fiber in him telling him to throttle Beomgyu once and for all, he holds himself back.

He honestly thinks he’s starting to get used to it.

(which is a lie, of course. nothing beomgyu will ever do will taehyun ever get used to.)

But then, he still has one tiny, small dilemma: Beomgyu’s grades won’t improve if he keeps this up. So either way, their teachers will find out their sessions aren’t helping, and see that Taehyun isn’t as helpful as they thought. But Taehyun tells himself not to worry too much. It’s been two weeks, and all their teachers have asked is how great a student Beomgyu is. Taehyun knows better than to tell them the truth, since they won’t believe him, so he just fake smiles so hard, his jaw hurts, and tells them that Beomgyu’s such a great student. It makes their teachers beam, but at least that’s the only question they ask him. 

Hence, Taehyun thinks he’s fine.

Until one fateful day, a week later, when he’s walking to his locker alone, earphones in, and planning on going straight home. It’s already nearing six p.m., he’s gone to four club meetings today, almost fought one of his vice presidents over their upcoming club event, and got told by his AP Physics teacher that he can do better on his FRQs next time. So you can imagine just how ‘great’ his day is going.

To make matters worse, Yeonjun isn’t even with him. Not that he would be on any other regular day anyway, since, unlike Taehyun, he isn’t part or a president of a gazillion clubs, so he doesn’t have to stay after school for as long as the ravenette does, but Taehyun would still very much prefer having his best friend here with him. He’s so tired after today’s events, he’s sure that even something stupid coming out of Yeonjun’s mouth would make him feel ten times better.

But alas, life isn’t that kind, so he has to deal with being alone right now. At least his favorite Twice song is blasting in his ears right now. 

As “Moonlight Sunrise” hits its bridge, engulfing Taehyun in Sana’s heavenly vocals, he begins turning the dial on his locker to open it, not noticing the almost six-foot build heading his way. He still doesn’t even notice it when it leans against the locker against his, nor when the mouth on it speaks. He’s solely focused on putting his books away neatly that he isn’t aware of his surroundings.

Yet, he’s forced back into reality when one of his earphones is yanked out, broken out of the trance Twice was putting him in. He looks up, already narrowing his eyes and preparing to send a death glare to whomever just had the audacity to do that, when, much to his surprise, his eyes land on a familiar fuckboy. He begins panicking a little, thinking they had a tutoring session today, and he forgot because of everything else he needed to do.

Nevertheless, Taehyun keeps his calm. He doesn’t want Beomgyu to see him in a state of panic, so he settles for a glare and snatches back his earphone from Beomgyu’s hands. “What?” he snaps.

“Woah, hello to you, too, sweetheart.” Beomgyu grins, clearly amused.

“Did you just come by to say hi?” Taehyun grumbles, turning back to his locker and putting his earphone back in. Against his will, he lowers the volume to hear what Beomgyu has to say.

“Aw, it’s cute how you think you’re that special,” he says with a small, fake coo, making Taehyun inhale sharply. “But no.”

“Then what, Captain Dumbfuck?” he scowls. It then falters when he realizes again that he and Beomgyu probably had a tutoring session today, and he forgot, and despite not wanting to show Beomgyu his panic, it doesn’t seem to hit him. “Don’t tell me we had a session today. Oh god, I missed it, didn’t I? Is that why you’re so smug right now? Fuck, I knew I was forgetting something today, OMG, out of all days to be forgetful-”

“Alright, calm down, pretty boy, it’s not that deep,” Beomgyu says with a small chuckle.

Taehyun turns to him with a sharp glare. “‘Not that deep’? Maybe it’s not important to you, but unlike you, I care about my academics.”

“Cool.” Infuriating Taehyun even more, Beomgyu doesn’t even look fazed—or interested. “But don’t put your pretty panties in a bunch, sweetheart. You didn’t miss our tutoring session today, because we didn’t have one.”

Relief falls over Taehyun, albeit a small part of him doesn’t know why. Isn’t it better if he and Beomgyu don’t have tutoring?

“That’s good,” Taehyun mutters.

“Yeah, I came to tell you about something else, actually,” Beomgyu says, and Taehyun’s surprised he still has more. “We need to do our ‘tutoring sessions’ somewhere else.”

Taehyun stops what he’s doing, which is organizing his notebooks by color, and looks at Beomgyu. “What?”

“I’m literally right next to you. How did you not hear what I said?”

Taehyun ignores what he said for once. “W-what do you mean we have to do our ‘tutoring sessions’ somewhere else? Why in the world would we ever do that? Why in the world would I ever want to do that? I suffer enough even being in the same school as you.”

“You know, you’re so cute with your words sometimes,” he says, smiling a bit sarcastically. 

“Captain Dumbfuck…”

Beomgyu rolls his eyes. “My Coach is asking for the results of our lil’...tutoring sessions.”

Now that’s when Taehyun finally rips out his earphones himself, staring at Beomgyu in disbelief. “What?!”

“Seriously. Are you deaf or something?” Beomgyu lets out a small frown.

“What the hell do you mean your Coach is asking for tutoring results?”

Beomgyu shrugs. “I dunno. That’s the only thing I paid attention to.”

Taehyun glares at him. “Are you freakin’ serious right now?”

“I think I am,” he says, a bit thoughtfully. “But if you think about it, why would I be joking about this?”

“Because you’re…you!” Taehyun exclaims. “You dumbfuck, you better not be messing with me right now.”

“If you don’t believe me, you can go talk to my Coach right now,” Beomgyu says with a shrug. “He’s still here, but I think he’s leaving soon.”

That’s enough for Taehyun to move. He doesn’t know where Beomgyu’s coach’s office is, but he’s sure as hell going to figure it out, because there is no way Beomgyu is telling the truth.

“Do you even know where his office is?” he calls out as he barely breaks a sweat catching up to Taehyun.

“No,” he grumbles. “But I think it’ll be easy to find.”

“You’ve never even set foot in the sports area before, but okay,” Beomgyu chuckles, and Taehyun tells himself to focus more on the matter at hand than on at least punching Beomgyu in the face.

Since he truly doesn’t know where Beomgyu’s coach’s office is, Taehyun lets Beomgyu lead the rest of the way. But he’s fuming the entire way, completely not happy about whatever this is. They reach the coach’s office minutes later, and Taehyun is a bit relieved to see that the man is still in there.

“Hey, Coach,” Beomgyu greets, not even bothering to knock as he walks into the man’s office as if it’s his. 

“Oh, hey, my best player on the team!” Beomgyu’s coach beams as he looks up from organizing his things, and it makes Taehyun barely resist the eye roll he wants to make. Great, just what he needs: another person in this school thinking Beomgyu’s their gift from god. “What’s up? I thought you had already gone home.”

“I was about to, but I needed to tell my ‘tutor’ what you told me,” Beomgyu says, before motioning to Taehyun. “And here he is, because he apparently doesn’t believe me.”

Beomgyu’s coach looks away from Beomgyu to look at the shortest, making their eyes meet. Just like Taehyun thought, Beomgyu’s coach looks like your regular coach: graying hair, a few wrinkles, and on the heavier side. He looked intimidating and scary through his office window, but given how brightly he’s beaming at the mere presence of Beomgyu, he looks like a softie. Taehyun almost finds it ridiculous.

“Ah, so you’re the infamous tutor!” Beomgyu’s coach continues to beam. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Taehyun-ssi. Nice to put a face to who the teachers say is the smartest kid in the entire school.”

Taehyun lets out a small smile, a bit of his annoyance disappearing at the coach’s compliment. “Uh, y-yeah, nice to meet you, too, sir.” He bows to him. Despite his persisting anger, he still has manners.

“Ah, just call me ‘Coach,’” he allows, waving him off. “So, you came because you don’t believe what I told Beomgyu-ah?”

“Uh…yes,” he admits, now feeling a bit awkward. “I just… We’ve gone two weeks without any of the teachers asking for this, which is why I am a bit surprised.”

“Well, we teachers decided to give you guys two weeks to get situated with each other before asking for some results,” the coach explains. “And now that it has been two weeks, we figured that’s enough time to ask for and see at least some improvement.”

“Heh, right…” Taehyun chuckles, a bit nervously.

“So, I take it that everything has been going well?” the coach asks, looking between the two.

“Do you even have to ask, Coach?” Beomgyu chuckles, leaning against the shelf the man has in his office, as he sticks his hands in his pockets. If Taehyun weren’t too busy trying not to curse him out, he’d be trying not to focus on how hot Beomgyu looks standing like that. “You know me well enough to know the answer to that.”

“Hm, yeah, I guess I do,” his coach says. “So everything’s going well, then. That’s good to hear! Taehyun-ssi, again, I can’t thank you enough for doing all this.”

“It’s…my pleasure,” Taehyun lies straight through his teeth. 

“But either way, even if I do believe you two are doing great, I’m still going to need those results,” the coach continues, which is just what Taehyun was wishing he wouldn’t say. “Mainly for paperwork and all that, no biggie.”

“Yes, of course,” Taehyun mutters, not knowing what else to say. 

“I wouldn’t be asking for them if it weren’t for the principal,” the coach continues. “I believe you two are doing great.”

“We totally are,” Taehyun continues lying.

“Great!” The coach beams again. “Then turning in the results should be no biggie.”

“Is there a certain deadline we have to turn them in?” Beomgyu finally speaks up.

“Preferably as soon as possible,” the coach replies. “But if not, by the end of the week is fine.”

Taehyun just nods, not trusting himself enough to open his mouth. That means they have only four days to improve Beomgyu’s grades. It might seem easy, but Taehyun knows it won’t be, which is why it’s stressing him out.

“U-understood.” Taehyun smiles, hoping he doesn’t sound or look as nervous as he feels.

“If that’s all, then you two can head on home,” the coach says, glancing at the clock. “It’s getting pretty late, anyway.”

Taehyun is the first one out of the coach’s office, not wasting a second to move. Beomgyu stays behind to exchange a few more words with his coach, probably to say his goodbyes, and hear his coach praise him endlessly for something he didn’t do, which leaves Taehyun outside, stressing on his own. By the time Beomgyu walks out of his coach’s office, Taehyun is nibbling on the nail of his thumb, multiple scenarios of what their teachers will do once they see their results running through his head.

“Told you I wasn’t lying.” Beomgyu’s deep, infuriating voice breaks Taehyun out of his thoughts.

“How are you so calm?!” he exclaims, looking at him in disbelief. “Did you not just hear what your coach just said?!”

“Uh, yeah? I’m not deaf.”

“Dumbfuck, it is not the time to mess around,” Taehyun grits out. “Your Coach is asking for results. Results that are supposed to be obvious by now, because it’s been two weeks already. Oh god, they’re going to see that we’ve gotten nowhere, and then they’ll think that I’m-”

“Woah, what’s up with you putting your pretty panties in a bunch lately?” Beomgyu interrupts, raising a brow at him. “It’s not that deep, sweetheart.”

“Stop saying that to me!” he snaps. “It is that deep, because they’re going to see that we’ve gotten nowhere these past few weeks, all because you have the attention span of a goldfish, and can’t focus on anything that isn’t related to you or your dumb, stupid dick, because it’s like you can’t live life without it, and argh, we’ve gotten nowhere because of you! And now I’m going to get in trouble because of your lazy, egotistical, stupid, fucking-”

“You know, by the rate you’re ranting, it’s almost like you’re asking me to kiss you to shut you up.”

“W-what-?” Taehyun’s voice cracks off, almost high-pitched, as his face begins heating up. He tries to ignore it, but he knows Beomgyu’s words caught him off guard, enough for him to fail at trying to hide his blush. 

“You’re cute when you blush,” Beomgyu says with a small smirk, tilting his head in that stupid way of his.

Taehyun’s mouth is agape; he can’t find any words to say. Beomgyu chuckles, sounding smug, and that’s enough for Taehyun’s face to feel even hotter, and for him to close his mouth, narrowing his eyes as he glares at him.

“Shut up!” Taehyun snaps. “I-I’m trying to be serious here.”

“I know you are.” Beomgyu’s smirk remains, and Taehyun’s glare deepens. “But it’s hard to take you seriously when you look so cute, sweetheart. Almost like a tiny, angry, lil’ kitten.”

“I’m not tiny nor do I look like a kitten,” he grits out, clenching his hands into fists, as he continues glaring up at Beomgyu.

“Sure,” he says, sounding as if he doesn’t believe him at all. “But anyway, I don’t see what the big problem is here.”

Taehyun scoffs in disbelief. He opens his mouth to rant off to Beomgyu angrily again, but much to his surprise, the next thing he knows, a big, warm hand is covering his mouth, preventing him from letting out comprehensible words.

“Just listen for once, will you?” Beomgyu says, lowering his voice a little. 

Taehyun glares at him before slapping his palm away and wiping his mouth with his sleeve. “Ugh, don’t ever put your hand on me again, especially on my face. Who knows where it’s been.”

“Still proving my point of looking like an angry, lil’ kitten.”

Taehyun glares at him.

“Anyway,” he chuckles, “what I keep trying to say is that there’s nothing to worry about. Coach was probably just bluffing. He’s never asked for results before, and so why would he now? I’m sure he was just pulling your leg because that’s how he likes to mess around.”

“Did he tell you he was?”

“No, but I know him,” Beomgyu says with a shrug, seeming completely unbothered. “There’s nothing we have to worry about, sweetheart. So calm that pretty, big brain of yours, and relax. Coach was just bluffing, and we don’t have to give him any ‘results.’ That’d be kind of dumb.”

“But don’t you think-”

“No,” Beomgyu cuts off. “And no to everything else you think of. Stop putting that big brain into overdrive, and just relax. Like I’ve said, we’re fine. Now go home, or do…whatever it is that you nerds do.”

Taehyun gives him a small glare. “How can you be so relaxed?”

“Like this,” Beomgyu smirks at him, before beginning to walk away. “See you tomorrow, nerd.” Before Taehyun knows it, he’s out of sight.

Taehyun is left alone in the hallway, and he’s so focused on everything that just happened with Beomgyu and his coach that he doesn’t even remember how late it’s getting. Not until he hears a door close near him, and he reminds himself it’s probably six o’clock by now.

Usually, paranoia would creep up on him, and intrusive thoughts would fill his mind about being followed, or something alike, as he walks to the nearest bus stop, but today, those are the last things on Taehyun’s mind. All he can think about is the entire situation with his least favorite person and his coach. One part of him is saying that Beomgyu is lying, and saying that they don’t need to worry about this just so he won’t have to do any work, when they actually do have to worry. But the other part of him is saying that maybe, just maybe, Beomgyu is telling the truth this time. Maybe his coach is pulling their leg, and he doesn’t actually need any results.

If Taehyun weren’t so tired, and he were more in his right mind, he’d never think Choi Beomgyu would ever be right about something. But because he is tired, and he doesn’t want to give any of this more thought, he tells himself that Beomgyu is telling the truth—the coach is pulling their leg, and they have nothing to worry about.

⌞ ⚽︎ ✮⋆˙ ⌝

But of course, life is never that easy.

“He told you what?” Beomgyu’s coach looks at Taehyun with a raised brow, his burly arms crossed over his chest, as he looks like he can’t believe a word that just left Taehyun’s mouth.

“Th-that maybe you were just pulling our leg, and don’t actually need any results,” he repeats, a bit hesitantly.

Beomgyu’s coach shakes his head. “That Beomgyu, I swear to god…”

“Is it not true?” Taehyun asks, a bit nervously, although he’s pretty sure he knows the answer.

“No, it’s not, Taehyun-ssi,” the coach confirms, much to the younger’s dismay. “I truly wasn’t lying when I said I need results from your tutoring. Why would I lie about that?”

“I-I don’t know,” he mutters, biting his lower lip a little. “Maybe to, um…be funny?”

The coach shakes his head. “I should’ve expected Beomgyu to pull something like this. That’s on me for not thinking ahead.” He lets out a small sigh and looks back up at Taehyun. “I do need those results, Taehyun-ssi. The principal needs them, and so do I. As much as I love Beomgyu and having him on my team, sometimes favoritism doesn’t cut it.”

The ravenette sighs, mainly at himself rather than anyone else, or the situation. “I should’ve expected it. I don’t know what I was thinking, either, trusting Beomgyu like that.”

“You trusted your friend,” the coach tries to console. “It happens to the best of us.”

Taehyun has to bite his tongue to prevent himself from scoffing and telling the coach that Beomgyu would never be his friend. He’d rather eat his own barf than ever let that happen.

“S-so you really need those results, then?” 

“Yes,” the coach confirms. “Still by the end of the week.”

Since three days have gone by with Taehyun believing Beomgyu’s lies, it’s now Thursday.

“So…by tomorrow, then?” 

“Yup.” 

“That’s…great,” Taehyun mutters, trying not to panic.

“I believe in you guys.” The coach smiles, placing a friendly hand on Taehyun’s shoulder. But to Taehyun, it doesn’t feel so friendly right now. “I’m sure despite Beomgyu’s lil’...‘prank,’ I’ll still receive good results.”

“T-totally.” Taehyun fake smiles. “By chance, do you know where Beomgyu is?” So I can go ahead and finally kill him.

“Uh, no, sorry.” The coach smiles apologetically. “He’s most likely in the field or something. That’s where I always see him whenever I leave my office during lunch.”

Except, the only problem is that it isn’t lunch right now, but break. Thanks to Yeonjun, Taehyun knows that Beomgyu and his squad (including soobin) shift hangout spots during break and lunch, so they aren’t always the same. 

“It’s fine,” Taehyun lies, even though it is the complete opposite. “I’ll find him.”

The coach nods. “I’ll be looking forward to those results.”

I wouldn’t if I were you, Taehyun wants to say, but manages to bite his tongue on time.

The coach then walks away, leaving Taehyun standing there in front of his locker, trying to figure out what to do, whilst also trying not to have a mental breakdown.

“Okay, I’m back.” A familiar voice breaks him out of his thoughts, and he looks up, his eyes landing on a certain pinkette, whom left for a few minutes to grab them a snack from the cafeteria. “They finally had the good snack bars, so here you go. You still like the cinnamon one, right?”

Taehyun can only give a small nod, not really paying attention as he doesn’t even grab the bar Yeonjun is handing him.

“Hey, everything okay?” Unsurprisingly, Yeonjun can tell something’s off right away. “Did something happen whilst I was gone?”

“You know how I told you that on Monday, that asshole and I went to his coach’s office because apparently, he wanted to see results of our tutoring, only for the asshole to tell me after that his coach was just pulling our leg, and we actually didn’t have to worry about it?”

“Uh…I guess.”

“Well, Beomgyu’s coach just came over and told me that we actually do need to worry about it, because he and the principal actually do need it. So this entire time, that asshole was just lying to my face, and making us waste time without getting anywhere—again—these past three days, and now, we only have until tomorrow to have the results, and knowing that asshole, we’re not going to get anywhere, so the results will look bad, which will make me look bad, and instead of believing me if I tell them it’s the asshole’s fault, our teachers will think it’s my fault, and they’ll hate me, and think I’m a loser, disappointment, and-”

“Okay, you’re ranting now,” Yeonjun interrupts, keeping his tone a bit gentle. “So let’s calm down and take a few deep breaths. Deep breath in, deep breath out…” He inhales and exhales with Taehyun for the next few seconds until Taehyun has calmed down enough.

“God, hyung, what am I going to do?” he groans. “I am so fucking stupid for believing that asshole! God, what was I thinking?”

“You weren’t,” Yeonjun says, and before Taehyun can give him a look, he continues, “because you were tired. You had gone through a lot that day, and you have enough kindness to believe what people say, even if they’re lying.”

“Well, not anymore,” Taehyun scowls. “I’m going to find that asshole, and I’m going to choke him until his stupid eyes pop out of his stupid head, and-”

“Okay, still in a school setting, Tae.”

“I can’t believe this.” He returns to groaning, putting his head in his hands. “I am really done for this time.”

“Okay, hey, how about instead of moping, you find Beomgyu and confront him?” Yeonjun suggests.

“Confront him about what?”

“About the way he’s been acting?”

“Don’t you think I’ve tried?”

“Well, then, confront him in front of his coach. I’m pretty sure he’ll care then.”

“And you think his coach will believe me?”

“It won’t hurt to try.”

“Yes, it will, because then I’ll end up looking like an idiot.” Taehyun runs his fingers through his face before an idea hits him, and his eyes narrow. “No, you know what? It’s about time I confronted this asshole, because I’m not going to let him continue making me feel this way. So you know what I’ma do? I’ma go up to him and tell him off in front of everyone. I don’t even care if his fan club is there. Maybe it’ll show him that I do mean business.”

“Yes, you go, Tae!” Yeonjun encourages, matching his best friend’s stern look. “You tell that asshole off!”

“Yes,” he huffs. “Now, where is he?” Without waiting for Yeonjun to respond, he begins marching down the hall.

“He’s near the bleachers.” Unsurprisingly, Yeonjun knows where he is (since soobin’s with him, too), and he speed walks to match Taehyun’s pace.

“Are you sure you want to come with, hyung?” he asks, letting Yeonjun lead him. “Your man’s going to be there, and I’m not sure if you’ll be able to act normally.”

“Don’t worry about me,” Yeonjun says. “Just worry about Beomgyu.”

“Yes, right.” Taehyun’s eyes narrow again at the mention of the jock.

Yet, by the time they reach the bleachers, the bell rings, signifying the end of break. Usually, Taehyun would immediately begin heading to his third period, not wanting to be late, but not today. In fact, he finds himself not even caring—actually, no, he does care. Just not enough to stop from confronting Beomgyu, though.

But much to his surprise, even despite all the students passing them to get to their third periods, Taehyun still doesn’t see Beomgyu anywhere. He doesn’t hear his infuriating voice or smug chuckles either, leaving him confused.

“I thought you said he was going to be here,” he tells Yeonjun, looking up at him.

But Yeonjun isn’t even paying attention to him—or their surroundings. Instead, he has a lovesick, dazed look on his face as he stares at someone, and Taehyun doesn’t even have to turn to know whom it is. Nonetheless, he still turns, his eyes indeed landing on a familiar bad boy, who's wearing a black leather jacket over his uniform button-up instead of the dark blue blazer they are required to wear, and making the few girls around him giggle at every single movement he makes. But unlike Beomgyu, Soobin doesn’t care about impressing or flirting with them. He just simply smirks at their giggles and obvious oggling, finding it amusing, before taking out a pack of cigarettes, plucking one out, and putting the tip of it in his mouth as he uses his other hand to take out a lighter. As the vice president of the student council, Taehyun knows it’s his duty to scold Soobin for doing so, but before he can take a step, Soobin is already turning and walking away. Taehyun doesn’t bother going after him, knowing it’d just be a waste of time.

“Ah, did you see him?” Yeonjun sounds just as lovesick as he looks. “Did you see how hot he is?”

“Yes, he’s so hot for breaking half of the school rules,” Taehyun mutters, unamused. “You said that asshole was going to be here, and he isn’t, hyung.”

“Huh?” Also unsurprisingly, seeing Soobin is enough alone to make Yeonjun forget about everything and everyone.

“That dumb jock,” Taehyun reminds. “You said he’d be here, and he isn’t.”

“Ah, right.” Yeonjun clears his throat and looks around them. “Well, he’s usually with Soobin, so I don’t know where else he could be. Anyway, we should get to class, Tae. The bell’s about to ring.”

Taehyun knows Yeonjun has a point, but for some reason, he doesn’t want to get to class without knowing where Beomgyu is. His eyes land on a group of girls whom are always hanging around Soobin and Beomgyu, and without thinking of what they might say or react, he heads over to them.

“Hi,” he greets, making them look up at him. Almost immediately, the smiles drop from their faces, and they look uninterested. “Do any of you know where…that boy you all for some reason obsess over is?”

“He has a name, you know,” one of the girls scoffs, as if Taehyun just greatly offended her.

“Cool. Do you know where he is or not?”

“Why do you want to know?” another girl huffs, crossing her arms defensively.

“Yeah, Beomgyu is ours,” another adds. “More specifically, mine. So go find yourself another boyfriend, nerd.”

“Trust me, that dumb jock is all yours,” Taehyun says with a sarcastic smile. “Can you just tell me where he is?” He hesitates before adding, almost against his will, “Please?”

Another girl’s scowl turns into a small pout, and she looks away, almost looking dejected. “Some…other slut got lucky, and he took her with him to the bathroom.”

“The bathroom?” Taehyun’s eyebrows furrow. “Why would he take her to-” It then hits him. “Ugh. Really?”

“Right?” The girls mistake his disgust for jealousy. “I mean, what makes her so special?”

The girls then continue talking in envy and jealousy about the girl whom “luckily” got to be the one to have a quickie with Beomgyu today, and Taehyun rolls his eyes at them, turning back around and returning to Yeonjun, whom looks a bit amused. But before either of them can say anything, the bell rings, signifying the start of third period, which means they’re both late.

“Is this not bothering you at all?” Yeonjun asks, looking at Taehyun in slight surprise.

“Not right now,” he says. “All I want to do is find that asshole.”

“Wow. You supposedly hate his guts, and yet here you are, breaking your own rules just for him.”

“It’s not for him,” Taehyun says with a small scowl. “I’m just done with his bullshit, and would rather deal with him right now than later.”

“Right.” The teasing glint in Yeonjun’s eyes returns, but for once, he doesn’t say anything. “Well, do you still need me to stick around?”

“No,” Taehyun says with a small huff. “You’ll probably say even worse in front of him. Just get to class, hyung. Sorry for making you tardy.”

Yeonjun waves him off. “Don’t worry about it. I’m always tardy, so my teachers are used to it by now. I expect an update about what happened with Beomgyu later.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Taehyun rolls his eyes, and Yeonjun lets out a small smirk before turning and walking away.

Once Yeonjun is gone, that leaves Taehyun alone, and he tries not to focus on the fact that for the first time ever, he’s late to one of his classes, and instead tries focusing on finding the boy causing him such misery right now.

Since he doesn’t know much about the linguistics of innuendos or what most sexual terms mean, Taehyun doesn’t exactly know what a “quickie” is. He hopes the word lives up to its meaning, meaning it’s something quick, so he doesn’t have to wait long for a certain jock to appear. 

It takes him five minutes, but Taehyun finally finds the bathroom Beomgyu went to with the “lucky” girl. A bit to Taehyun’s relief, he doesn’t need to go inside the bathroom, since at the same time he comes across it, Beomgyu comes out, the girl he chose coming out behind him with a small, barely visible limp in her step. To Taehyun, it isn’t visible, but he still knows what the two did, making him barely hold back a gag.

“You asshole,” he grits out the second he’s close enough. Luckily for him (ironically), the girl seems too fucked out to even realize he’s there, and she begins walking away, probably to her third period.

“Oh, hey, sweetheart.” Beomgyu grins, lazily putting his hands into the pockets of his trousers. His uniform looks a bit wrinkled, which is against the rules, but that’s the last thing on Taehyun’s mind. “Didn’t expect to see you. Isn’t a lil’, goody two-shoes nerd like you supposed to be in class right now?”

“Why the fuck did you lie to me?” Taehyun gets straight to business, ignoring Beomgyu’s words.

“Lie to you?” Beomgyu’s grin falters, and he raises a brow slightly. “When did I ever do that?”

“On Monday. You know, when you lied and said your coach was just ‘bluffing’ and ‘pulling our leg’ about the tutoring results.”

“What are you talking about?” Beomgyu seems genuinely confused.

“Don’t act like you don’t know,” Taehyun snaps. “What the fuck, you dumbfuck?! Because of your dumb lie, we didn’t get anything done this entire week, and the results are due tomorrow! Do you not realize how fucked we are, Captain Dumbfuck?”

Taehyun never knew his anger could reach a whole ass different level, not until he hears the amused chuckle that falls from Beomgyu’s mouth.

“Wow, shit, Coach was serious?” His grin returns fully, and unlike Taehyun, he doesn’t seem worried at all. “Huh.”

“You lil’-”

“Alright, angry kitten, don’t get your pretty panties in a twist.” Beomgyu rolls his eyes. “It’s not the end of the world.”

“Not the-?!”

“I’ll talk to Coach.” Beomgyu shrugs, as if that’s simple. “I’m sure he’ll be understanding, and I’m sure he truly was just pulling your leg.”

“I swear, if you say that to me one more time-”

“Who knew such snarkiness could fall from such a pretty mouth,” Beomgyu smirks, catching Taehyun a bit off guard. “Keep snapping at me like that, and I’ll think you’ve fallen for me.” 

“Ew, fall for you?” he scoffs. “In your dreams, Captain Dumbfuck.”

“Aw, sweetheart.” Beomgyu’s smirk remains as he steps closer, making him tower over Taehyun. The shorter hates how he has to tilt his chin up a little to maintain eye contact with him. “Don’t you worry about that.” He leans down, his lips barely brushing Taehyun’s ear, as his voice lowers into that husky tone of his. “In my dreams, we do way better things. Things that don’t include you snapping at me, and maybe putting that pretty mouth to some other use-”

Taehyun scoffs, ignoring and hating how hot his face is getting, as he pushes Beomgyu away. “Y-you’re disgusting! What the hell is wrong with you?”

“Nothing,” he laughs. “Geez, you’re so easy to rile up, sweetheart.” 

“I am going to-”

“Let’s keep things family-friendly.” Beomgyu pats Taehyun’s shoulder, and is smart enough to move his hand away before Taehyun can do something violent to it. “Now, so you can stop worrying, I’m going to talk to Coach, and you’ll see that he truly is just pulling our leg. Not that it’s not fun annoying you so easily, but I have other things to do. See you later, angry kitten.” With that, he walks away, leaving Taehyun alone in the hallway, indeed fuming like an “angry kitten.”

Taehyun truly hates how easily Beomgyu can get under his skin. But he tries not to focus on that. He instead tries to focus on hoping that Beomgyu will at least fix this ‘misunderstanding’ between him, his Coach, and Taehyun, but knowing Beomgyu, the youngest truly doubts that’ll happen.

⌞ ⚽︎ ✮⋆˙ ⌝

“-and then I dreamt that we named our goldfish Molly, and that our firstborn had his dimples and my eyes, and that then he got me pregnant with quintuplets, which is insane…”

Taehyun’s eyebrows keep furrowing the more Yeonjun continues talking about his weird dream last night, but doesn’t comment on it just yet, letting him finish first. Being with Yeonjun is the only thing distracting him from Beomgyu, their tutoring, and the results the older’s Coach is asking for. 

The fact that it’s finally lunch also helps. Taehyun just wants to get through the next thirty minutes enjoying the lunch Yeonjun’s mom packed for them, listening to the rest of Yeonjun’s weird dream about his future with Soobin, and refusing to think of a certain raven-haired boy. 

And it’s working.

Until it doesn’t.

“-so dream me began thinking that I look fat being pregnant, so when I asked Soobin if he felt the same, and he didn’t respond right away, I started bawling my eyes out-” Yeonjun suddenly stops himself, his eyebrows furrowing as he looks at something (or someone) behind Taehyun.

“Why’d you stop?” he asks.

“Is it just me, or is Beomgyu heading our way right now?”

“What?” Taehyun finds that ridiculous, and he turns. Indeed, he sees Beomgyu heading their way, still with that lazy confidence, and making all the girls around them look at him and blush as he passes. 

“Why is he coming over?” Yeonjun questions. He then gasps when something hits him. “Did you invite him to eat lunch with us, Tae?!”

“What? Ew, no,” he immediately scoffs. “Why would I do that?”

Yeonjun shrugs with a small smirk. “Oh, I don’t know…”

“Shut up, hyung,” Taehyun grumbles. “I hate him, remember?”

“As you keep saying.”

Taehyun opens his mouth to retort, but before he can, Beomgyu finally reaches them. He stops in front of their table, making Yeonjun and Taehyun look up at him—Yeonjun in pure amazement and amusement; Taehyun in pure displeasure.

“Is there a reason why you’re at our table right now?” he demands. For all he knows, Beomgyu and his squad never come to this area of the school grounds during lunch.

“Wow, I feel so heartfelt by your kind greeting,” Beomgyu says sarcastically.

“I wouldn’t be messing with him right now, Beomgyu,” Yeonjun mutters, but loud enough for the shorter to hear, as he pretends to be more focused on the kimchi bokkeumbap his mom prepared.

“I’d listen to Yeonjun-hyung,” Taehyun warns, glaring up at Beomgyu.

“Fine, fine,” he chuckles. But then his smile falters a little as he looks at Taehyun, making their eyes meet, and the ravenette tries to ignore how he struggles a little to maintain their eye contact. “I came over to tell you that…I did talk to Coach.”

Taehyun perks up a little at that. “And?”

Beomgyu looks a bit sheepish. “He, indeed…wasn’t pulling our leg.”

“...I am going to end you.”

“Listen, honest mistake.” Beomgyu raises his hands defensively as he takes a step back. Taehyun is back to glaring at him, and it feels like it’s burning into his soul. “How was I supposed to know Coach was actually serious?”

“Because he’s your Coach! You’re supposed to know how he is!”

“Hm, that’s true, I guess,” Beomgyu muses with a small laugh, making Taehyun’s glare deepen.

“This is not the time to laugh!” he berates. “Knowing you and your dumb, minuscule brain, I know it hasn’t hit you what this means, but it’s hit me! We are seriously so fucked right now, and all because you can’t take anything seriously, or even know when someone, especially an authoritative figure, isn’t lying. Argh, I could just-”

“Is he always like this?” Beomgyu looks away from Taehyun to look at Yeonjun, whom just looks amused.

“Only when it comes to you.” Yeonjun smiles.

“I don’t even get how you’re so calm!” Taehyun continues, ignoring the older two. “In case you haven’t noticed, which I know you haven’t, we have until tomorrow to turn the results in, so unless you are a hundred percent sure we’ll be able to get that done, I advise you keep that dumb, stupid smile off your stupid ass face! We are fucked, you idiot!”

“Geez, such vulgar language from such a nerdy mouth,” Beomgyu mutters, and Yeonjun has to grab onto Taehyun’s arm, so he won’t pounce on him. “Calm down, will you?”

“Oh, you did not just tell me to calm down-”

“I did, because what are you so worried about?” Beomgyu scoffs. 

“What am I so worried about?” Taehyun repeats, his jaw clenched. “Maybe the fact that there won’t be anything good to turn in because of you and your usual tomfooleries every single time we have a tutoring session? Even if we have one today, what would be the point? There wouldn’t be any improvement in your grades in just one simple day, so excuse me if I’m not calm enough for you right now.”

Beomgyu sighs. “Look, I’ll…admit that I don’t pay the best attention, but that’s because we’re in the dumb, boring library.”

“Offending me is not helping you here.”

“Of course that offends you,” Beomgyu mumbles, mainly under his breath, but Taehyun still hears him, and his glare deepens. But before he can say anything, Beomgyu continues, “What I’m trying to say is that because I find the library so boring, I can’t focus in there.”

“That makes no sense,” Taehyun retorts. “The library is there for people to focus.”

“Not for me.” Beomgyu shrugs. “I can’t focus in there.”

Taehyun inhales sharply. “And you’re barely telling me this, why?”

“Because it wasn’t important ‘til now.”

“You are…truly unbelievable.”

“Heh, thanks.” Beomgyu lets out a small smirk, mistaking Taehyun’s words as a compliment. 

Taehyun rolls his eyes. “What do you suggest we do, then? I don’t think there are other places we can do our tutoring in.”

“Ooh, you guys can go to each other’s houses,” Yeonjun is quick to suggest, his eyes shining a bit mischievously at the idea.

“No, thank you,” Taehyun is quick to turn it down. “I’m not letting him see where I live, let alone let him step a foot inside.”

“Ouch, sweetheart,” Beomgyu says, a bit teasingly.

Taehyun side eyes him. “There’s no need for us to go anywhere. The library, or anywhere else in school, works just fine.”

“Mm, no, not really,” he says. “I just said I can’t focus in the library, and I also find school boring, so being here in general anyway will also not get us anywhere.”

“Then what do you suggest we do?” Taehyun demands, exasperated.

“Hm, I don’t know,” Beomgyu smirks, his head tilting that ridiculous(ly hot) way of his, as he looks Taehyun up and down. “As long as you and I are alone…I think we can get a lot done.”

Taehyun tries to ignore the blush creeping up his face as he focuses on glaring daggers at Beomgyu for his comment. But what doesn’t help is the delightful gasp Yeonjun let out behind him, whom’s clearly on board with Beomgyu on the idea of them being truly alone somewhere. Most likely somewhere private.

“Stop thinking with your stupid dick for once,” Taehyun scowls. “We don’t exactly have a lot of time here, dimwit.”

“Why are your panties always in a twist?” Beomgyu chuckles. He looks at Yeonjun. “How do you deal with this?”

The oldest lets out a small giggle. “I don’t have to. He’s not like this with me.”

“Aw, so I’m special to you, Taehyunie?” Beomgyu teases.

Taehyun fumes even more. “Do. Not. Call me that.”

“You have a problem with ‘sweetheart,’ and you have a problem with this, too? Wow, is there something you don’t have a problem with?”

“Okay, yeah, Taehyun’s forehead vein is popping hella right now,” Yeonjun mutters, straightening up as he glances at Taehyun. He looks back at Beomgyu. “I wouldn’t make things worse if I were you.”

“Fine,” he snickers, before tilting his head a little. “What were we talking about again?”

Before Taehyun can explode, Yeonjun replies for him, “Where you guys can study now, since you apparently find the library ‘too boring.’”

“Oh. Right. Hm…” Beomgyu looks like he’s deep in thought before coming up with something. “We could go to a café.”

“A what?” Taehyun doesn’t think he just heard right.

“A café,” Beomgyu repeats. “You know, you’re starting to make me think you truly are deaf.”

Mainly for Beomgyu’s sake, Taehyun ignores that. “Why in the world would we ever go to a café?”

“We need to study, no?” Beomgyu raises a brow. 

“So instead of being in a quiet and peaceful library, you’d prefer a probably noisy, busy café?”

“Yeah.” Beomgyu shrugs. “Maybe it’ll help me focus better.”

“Hm, you focusing? We have better luck putting me as captain of your team,” Taehyun mumbles.

“Look, it’s the only option we’ve got,” Beomgyu says, sounding a bit serious for once. “Unless you truly do want to go to each other’s houses.”

“Nope,” Taehyun quickly denies. “The café’s...fine, then.”

“Good. After school sound good?”

“Duh.” Taehyun glares up at him a little. “We don’t exactly have a lot of time to do it any other time, thanks to you.”

“Aw, you’re welcome.” Beomgyu gives him a toothy grin, making Taehyun’s glare sharpen. 

“Hey, is, um…Soobin hanging with your group right now?” Yeonjun asks, a bit shyly, and it should be a relief to Beomgyu, because if it weren’t for him, Taehyun probably would’ve pounced on him already.

“Pretty sure,” he replies, turning his gaze to him. “Why?”

“N-no reason.” Yeonjun’s face turns almost as pink as his hair as he looks down at his food, and Taehyun just lets out a small sigh.

“You know, if you have such a huge crush on Soobin, you should just go ask him out,” Beomgyu says with a small smirk, immediately catching onto Yeonjun’s light blush. “I’m sure he wouldn’t mind someone as hot as you asking him out.”

“Ugh, can you not go one day without flirting with someone?” Taehyun groans.

“Aw, don’t worry, sweetheart,” Beomgyu says, his smirk returning, as he leans closer to him. “I still have some flirting saved for you.”

“Gross.” Taehyun frowns in disgust and leans away. “Now go away. I don’t want your idiocy spreading to me and hyung.”

“Forgot how sweet you are with your words,” Beomgyu says, still smirking. “See you later, sweetheart. And Yeonjun-ssi, don’t forget what I told you about Soobin.” With that, he walks away, finally leaving the other two alone.

“Ugh, finally he’s gone,” Taehyun huffs, returning to his food.

“Do you really think what he was saying is true?” Yeonjun questions, sounding a bit hopeful.

Taehyun looks at him, halfway through chewing on his kimchi bokkeumbap. “About Soobin?” he says, a bit muffled.

Yeonjun nods. “You really think…I have a chance?”

Taehyun gives him a look. “Hyung, have you seen yourself in a mirror?”

“Okay, but-”

“No buts. You’re sexy, you find him sexy, so just get together already, so you can make sexy babies.”

“T-Tae!”

“What?”

Yeonjun nudges him, not bothering to hide how pink his face is this time. He tries to focus on his food to help his blushing tone down, and once it does, he turns back to Taehyun to ask, “So, you’re really gonna do the whole café thing with Beomgyu?”

“I have to,” Taehyun replies with a small sigh. “We have to turn in the results tomorrow. We at least have to try.”

“And you really think doing the session in a café rather than the library is going to help?”

“It has to,” Taehyun says with a small groan. “We don’t really have another option.”

“I guess,” Yeonjun muses, figuring Taehyun has a point. Then something hits him, and he lets out a small smirk. “But that means you’ll be going to a café with Beomgyu. Alone. You’ll sit at a table meant for two, and probably in a small corner or something. Some people might even-”

“Do not even dare to finish that sentence.”

“What?” Yeonjun giggles, chewing on a bit of his bokkeumbap. “I’m just stating facts.”

“Facts, or your delusions?”

“Facts. My delusions always come true, don’t they?”

“There’s a higher chance of you asking Soobin out than that asshole and I ever even being friends.” Taehyun almost gags at the thought.

“Yah, you’re making it sound like I’m never going to ask Soobin out,” Yeonjun says with a small huff.

“Well, are you?”

“...Shut up.”

Chapter Text

“You’re, for once, canceling a meeting?” The brown-haired girl’s eyes widen, unable to believe her ears.

“Yes,” Taehyun replies with a small sigh. “I don’t want to, but I unfortunately have to.”

“May I ask why?” Chaewon, the vice president of his SAT/ACT club, asks. “This is really so unlike you, Taehyun-ah.”

“I have to go tutor…someone.” The ravenette knows better than to say whom he’s tutoring. He doesn’t doubt that Chaewon is one of those…“girls.”

“But you usually don’t let tutoring get in the way of your club meetings.” Much to Taehyun’s dismay, Chaewon seems like she pays more attention than she lets on.

“Yes, well, now I have to.” Taehyun gives a slightly sarcastic smile. “Can you tell the rest?” I don’t want to have to deal with their overbearing questions, too.

“Sure,” Chaewon assures. “You wanna reschedule our meeting now, or?”

“Later,” Taehyun answers. His brain is too preoccupied with a certain fuckboy to think straight for anything else. “I’ll text you.” If I remember.

“Okay.” Chaewon smiles. “See you later then, Taehyun-ah.”

“Bye.” The taller one gives her a small smile back before leaving the classroom. He begins walking toward the school’s gates, dreading every step he takes. It’s now the end of school, which means it’s time for him and Beomgyu to go to some café, just so Beomgyu can supposedly study “better.” Taehyun is, of course, dreading it, but what other choice does he have? Not that he has one to begin with. If he did, he wouldn’t have canceled his SAT/ACT club meeting today, and he’d currently be holding that meeting if it weren’t for a certain playboy.

Unsurprisingly, Taehyun arrives at the school’s gates first. He knows Beomgyu knows that they agreed on meeting up after school, but Taehyun also knows Beomgyu will use the excuse of them never agreeing on a specific time to justify him being late. And frankly, Taehyun is a bit relieved. At least it gives him a bit of time to mentally prepare himself to spend time with Beomgyu somewhere that isn’t school.

It’ll be as if you two are on a date, Yeonjun’s teasing words from earlier run through Taehyun’s mind, and he quickly shoves them to the back of his mind. There is. No. Way. this is anything like a date. If anything, it’s the opposite of one. Taehyun is basically being forced to go when he’d rather kiss a girl than spend time with Beomgyu, especially somewhere that isn’t their school, and it’d be highly unrealistic either way. Choi Beomgyu is not the type of guy to ask someone out on a date—he’s the type to get them in bed, get in between their legs, and then, after, pretend as if they never existed. And Taehyun isn’t that foolish to fall for Beomgyu’s charm.

(or, as he likes to believe, lack thereof.)

Unsurprisingly, but still annoyingly, Beomgyu doesn’t show up until fifteen minutes later. He’s talking with a few of his buddies, whom Taehyun couldn’t care less to learn about, and Taehyun just glares at him the entire time it takes Beomgyu to finish laughing with his buddies, dap them up, and finally make his way toward him.

“‘Sup,” Beomgyu greets casually once they’re close enough.

“About time you showed up.” Taehyun barely holds back a scowl as he gets up from where he was sitting.

“Aw, were you waiting for me, sweetheart?” Beomgyu says with a fake coo.

“Shut up, and let’s just get this over with,” Taehyun grumbles.

Beomgyu chuckles, following him out of the school’s grounds. “I see someone’s still got their pretty panties in a twist.”

For both of their sakes, Taehyun ignores him. “So, where’s this dumb café you want to go to?”

“Not far,” he says after thinking for a second. “Five, ten minutes tops away from here.”

“Okay, then let’s go.” Taehyun turns to begin walking, but Beomgyu’s chuckle stops him. “What?”

“Five, ten minutes tops in car,” Beomgyu says. “It’ll take at least thirty minutes to get there walking.”

Taehyun’s jaw drops a bit in disbelief. “Well, just how far is this stupid café?”

“Not far if we’re going in car.” Beomgyu grins. When that doesn’t calm down Taehyun’s glare, he adds, “It’s only around three blocks away.”

“I am not getting inside your car,” Taehyun says, almost gritting it out.

Beomgyu raises a brow, crossing his arms. “Really? So you wanna waste even more time, time we supposedly don’t have, according to you, to walk all the way to this café, which is thirty minutes away, just because of your pride? Wow, angry kitten, I didn’t think you were so prideful.”

“I’m not,” Taehyun grits out this time, which is ironic. “I barely even want to be talking to you right now. What makes you think I want to ride in the same car as you?”

“Again, such heartfelt words from you,” Beomgyu says sarcastically, tenderly placing his hand over his heart.

“Choose another café,” Taehyun grumbles, looking away.

“All the other cafês are at least twenty minutes away by car, and even longer if we walk, but sure, let me choose another one…”

Taehyun glares up at him. “Are you serious right now?”

“Hey, if you don’t believe me, you’re free to search nearby cafés yourself.” Beomgyu raises his hands defensively. “And knowing you, I don’t think you’d want to go to the other cafés, so it’s either we go in my car to this cafè, or back in the library it is, and we once again get nowhere, and turn in bad results to Coach and the principal. But hey, it’s all up to you, sweetheart. No pressure.”

Taehyun’s glare deepens, but he doesn’t say anything, mulling over his options. Whether he wants to admit it to himself or not, he knows Beomgyu is right—they really don’t have any other option but to go to the café Beomgyu mentioned first. All the other cafés will take too long to get to, and what would be the point, anyway? He’ll have to ride in Beomgyu’s car anyway, and for an even longer amount of time. At least this one will hopefully take only five minutes. 

“...Fine,” Taehyun finally says hesitantly after a few more moments. His hard gaze remains as he looks up at Beomgyu. “Let’s go to the…first dumb café you mentioned.”

“In my car?” he purposely asks, grinning.

“Yes,” Taehyun forces out, making Beomgyu’s grin widen.

“Great! So nice coming to an agreement with you, Taehyun-ah.” He grins cheekily at the shorter, making him want to throttle him, but he manages to hold himself back. Beomgyu turns and begins walking in the direction of the school’s student parking lot. Hesitantly, Taehyun follows him.

On the way to the parking lot, Taehyun tries to ignore the few pairs of eyes that follow him and Beomgyu. It isn’t a surprise that most people stare at Beomgyu, but Taehyun can tell that they’re staring at him, too. Probably and mainly because they can’t believe someone like him is with Beomgyu. Taehyun can just hope they soon remember that staring isn’t nice.

“How do you deal with these stares every day?” he can’t help but mutter to Beomgyu a few seconds later.

Beomgyu’s grin turns smug, merely glancing at a group of girls whom are staring mainly at him. That’s enough to send them squealing amongst each other. “You get used to it.”

“People should really stop,” Taehyun says, glancing around them, before side-eyeing Beomgyu. “Your ego’s already big enough.”

“Yeah?” he smirks. “I’ve got something else that’s pretty big, too-”

“Ew, shut up!” Taehyun is quick to shout, making Beomgyu laugh.

“See what I mean?” he chuckles. “You’re so easy to rile up, sweetheart.”

“I will purposely make you crash your ‘precious’ car, Captain Dumbfuck.”

Beomgyu’s smirk returns as he looks at Taehyun. “I’d like to see you try, baby.”

The change of “sweetheart” to “baby” is enough to make the younger almost trip over his own feet, and send his heart beating so fast as if he just ran a marathon. His face also heats up instantly, and he can’t even think of a comeback, too flustered to even think straight.

If Beomgyu notices, he doesn’t make it noticeable. He simply continues walking with that smug look on his stupidly handsome face and winks at a girl they pass by.

Seconds later, they finally arrive at Beomgyu’s car, which almost makes Taehyun stop in his tracks. He has heard countless times from Yeonjun about how “rich” Beomgyu is, and supposedly, Soobin is as well, and how it has something to do with their family’s long line of wealth, but up until now, Taehyun thought all of that was just pure urban myths. He didn’t expect them to be true, especially because what eighteen-year-old actually owns probably the most expensive sports car on earth?

Apparently, Choi Beomgyu does.

Standing before them is a car no high school senior should have, or be allowed to have. Either Yeonjun spread to him false misinformation, or Beomgyu barely bought this car recently, because instead of an Audi R5 Sportsback, a sleek, black Lamborghini Revuelto stares back at them, and Taehyun is left there, almost speechless.

Out of all cars, Taehyun didn’t expect Beomgyu to have a freaking Lamborghini. He expected him to have a rich boy car, sure, but not probably the most expensive one on the market. All it does is hit him in the face with the fact that Beomgyu truly is rich, and it isn’t just something Yeonjun came up with.

“Th-this is your car?” is the only thing Taehyun can say, finally looking away from the vehicle to look at its owner in disbelief.

“Yup,” he replies proudly. “Isn’t she a beauty?”

“How…?” Taehyun can’t even find any words to say.

“Cat got your tongue?” Beomgyu chuckles as he takes out his keys.

“Y-you’re a freakin’ senior!” Taehyun exclaims once he finally finds his voice again. “How the hell are you driving this around? I-it’s probably worth a fortune!”

“Not really. Just around six hundred grand.”

“Six hundred-?” Taehyun almost chokes on the words. It would take his family their entire lives to ever make that kind of money. But here Beomgyu is, having spent that same amount on just a simple car.

Surprising Taehyun even more is when Beomgyu unlocks his car and goes over to open the passenger’s door for him. But Beomgyu being a gentleman isn’t the only thing that surprises him—instead of the passenger’s door opening like a normal car door, it lifts itself up with a hiss. All Beomgyu had to do was just pull on the handle a little—or press a button on the key remote. Taehyun doesn’t know, and you can’t blame him for not paying attention.

“So, you getting in, or are you just going to continue standing there drooling?” Beomgyu’s slightly smug voice breaks him out of his thoughts. 

Taehyun gives him a small glare, trying to ignore the way his face heats up a little. “I-I wasn’t drooling.”

“Right.” Beomgyu doesn’t sound like he believes him, his face still smug.

Taehyun narrows his eyes at him and finally moves. He walks to the passenger’s side and is able to see the interior of the car clearer. But he doesn’t want Beomgyu to say he’s “drooling” again, so he gets over himself and gets inside the car. That leads to him immediately getting engulfed with the scent of Beomgyu’s cologne, the same one he couldn’t help but think smelled nice the day Beomgyu got transferred into his chemistry class. But he shakes his head at those thoughts, not even noticing Beomgyu closing the door behind him, and rounding the car to get in the driver’s side.

The driver’s scissor door also lifts itself up with a hiss, and Beomgyu gets inside. He lets the door close behind him, and Taehyun is silent for once. His eyes survey every inch of the luxury car’s interior, noticing how the seats are red leather, probably custom-made, and everything else looks way too expensive for him to touch.

What catches his eye the most, though, is the heart-shaped charm covered in pink glitter, hanging from the rearview mirror, with the words “Best Bro Ever” barely visible under a crooked sticker of a bunny. 

The words “Best Bro Ever” definitely get Taehyun’s attention. He didn’t know Beomgyu had siblings. And from the appearance of the charm, Taehyun can’t help but assume they’re younger. He always thought Beomgyu was an only child, especially since Yeonjun, seeming to know some things about Beomgyu, because he learns them from the things he knows about Soobin, never told him anything about it. But it seems like Yeonjun doesn’t know about it, either.

Taehyun opens his mouth to ask, but interrupting and startling him, making him jump, is the sound of the car’s loud engine as Beomgyu turns the car on, which makes a low, throaty purr that Taehyun knows makes every nearby head turn.

“I thought nerds like you weren’t the type to break rules.” Beomgyu’s voice breaks him out of his thoughts again.

“H-huh?” Taehyun looks at him in slight confusion.

“Seatbelt?” Beomgyu motions to the one next to him.

“Oh, right.” Taehyun clears his throat a little, flustered that he got caught lacking once again. Trying to ignore how hot his face is for the second time, Taehyun grabs the seatbelt, pulls it over his upper half, and buckles it in. Once Beomgyu hears the noise of the buckle, that’s when he shifts the gear to drive and starts driving way too fast. Faster than anyone should be in a parking lot surrounded by teens.

“S-slow down!” Taehyun exclaims, gripping onto anything he can reach for dear life, his heart dropping at the fact that Beomgyu barely managed to avoid running someone over. 

“Slow down?” Beomgyu lets out a small laugh. “I am driving slow, sweetheart.”

“This is you driving slowly?” Taehyun asks in disbelief.

“Yup,” Beomgyu replies, revving the engine once they stop at a stop sign. “Besides, this car isn’t meant to follow the speed limit.”

“I knew I shouldn’t have agreed to get inside your car,” Taehyun says, only to squeeze his eyes shut once Beomgyu steps on the gas again.

“Relax, will you?” he says. He keeps his left hand on the steering wheel, whilst his right one reaches up and opens the overhead console. He takes out the pair of sunglasses in there, which Taehyun doesn’t doubt are the latest, fanciest model, and puts them on. If he weren’t so scared for his life right now, Taehyun would be trying to stop himself from finding this so hot of Beomgyu.

Due to the jock’s speeding, they arrive at the café in four minutes. By some miracle, they didn’t get pulled over and arrive safely in one piece. Still, Taehyun is left a bit shaken, and he almost doesn’t want to get out of the car. Not that he can, anyway. He doesn’t know how to work the “scissor doors,” so he’s left waiting for Beomgyu. Luckily, the older notices he hasn’t gotten out yet, so he opens the door for him and even smugly extends his hand out to him to help him up. But Taehyun still has a bit of pride left, so he gives Beomgyu’s hand a small glare as he gets up on his own.

“Did you really have to drive that fast?” he grumbles as he grabs his backpack, before letting Beomgyu close the door.

“Again, I wasn’t driving fast,” he says as he locks his car. “If anything, I was probably driving too slow.”

“‘Too slow’?” 

“Do you have to overreact for everything?”

“You’re lucky my best friend’s in love with yours.”

Beomgyu raises a brow. “How does that make me lucky?”

“Because if any harm were to come to you, Soobin would be upset over it, and Yeonjun-hyung wouldn’t like it. So it’s thanks to hyung that you’re still in one piece right now.”

“Oh.” Beomgyu’s smirk returns. “Nice to see you’re thinking about putting your hands on me.”

Taehyun glowers at him, but tells himself it won’t get him anywhere wasting his energy insulting and yelling at Beomgyu when the taller one takes everything as a joke. So Taehyun just sighs and follows Beomgyu to the entrance of the café. Once they’re close enough, he finally looks up, slowing down a little as his eyes land on the moderate building of the café. 

From the outside, it doesn’t look like much. It’s tucked between a laundromat and a stationery shop, and its charm lies in how unintentionally inviting it is. Warm golden light spills from the glass windows, softening the view of people inside bent over laptops or chatting in pairs. The sign above the door reads Brewtique, its cursive slightly chipped, giving it that cozy, lived-in feel. 

Everything about it—even the street it rests on—doesn’t seem like something Beomgyu would choose. If anything, it’s probably something Taehyun would choose, not some cocky playboy like the ravenette next to him.

“Have you been here before?” he asks, expecting a no from Beomgyu.

“Yeah,” he replies instead, much to his surprise. “A few times, I think.”

Taehyun’s eyes widen a little. “You have?”

“Yes?” Beomgyu raises a brow slightly, looking down at him. “Why are you so surprised?”

“Because nothing about this screams you.”

“I thought a nerd like you would know not to stereotype,” Beomgyu says with a slightly crooked smile.

“Shut up,” Taehyun grumbles, too focused on walking inside the café to get away from Beomgyu to even notice how the fuckboy opens the door for him, and lets him walk in first, before walking in after him. 

Inside, the café smells of espresso and toasted vanilla, the kind of scent that seeps into clothes and lingers for hours. Low music hums from an old speaker tucked behind the counter—not loud enough to interrupt conversation, just soft enough to fill the silences between words. The wooden floors creak faintly under every step, worn smooth from years of traffic, and the tables don’t quite match—some dark oak, some painted pastel, all bearing the faint rings of old coffee cups. Lightbulbs hang low on curled wires, their amber glow painting everything in honey light.

Behind the counter, a glass display case shows off fresh pastries: flaky croissants dusted with powdered sugar, fruit tarts glistening under the lights, and an uneven stack of chocolate muffins that look homemade. A chalkboard menu stretches across the wall above, covered in looping handwriting and the occasional doodle of a cat and steaming cup. Near the back, a few old bookshelves lean with the weight of paperbacks customers have traded over the years—spines cracked, pages yellowed, the smell of old ink mixing with coffee steam.

Despite how aesthetic and cozy the café’s vibe is, Taehyun still can’t help but find a part of it a bit eerie. Beomgyu really chose this? Choi Beomgyu has really been here before?

“Do you know what you want to order?” Once again, Beomgyu’s deep voice breaks him out of his thoughts.

“H-huh?” he mutters, looking up at him.

“What you want to order.” Beomgyu motions to the chalkboard menu.

“Oh. Right.” Taehyun’s face heats up a little, and he ignores it (or tries to). He looks up at the chalkboard menu, just to humor Beomgyu, because he already knows what he wants to order. If he’s going to get through this, he’s going to need something strong, not something sweet like he usually gets.

“So, whatcha getting?” Beomgyu asks.

“A black coffee,” Taehyun replies, almost monotously.

“Yeah, right,” Beomgyu chuckles.

Taehyun stares at him blankly.

Beomgyu’s smile falters. “You can not be serious.”

“I am, since I have to get through this with you,” Taehyun grumbles, looking away.

“Has anyone told you just how sweet you are with your words?”

Taehyun rolls his eyes.

“Are you getting anything else besides your boring, black coffee?” Beomgyu asks once they’re second to next in line.

“No."

“Really? You’re not hungry at all?”

“Nope,” Taehyun lies. He’s just grateful his stomach didn’t tell on him.

“If you say so.” Beomgyu shrugs, letting it go, much to Taehyun’s relief.

Moments later, the person in front of them leaves the line, meaning Beomgyu and Taehyun are next to order. Taehyun thought they were going to order separately, but he guesses not. If anything, he’ll just tell the cashier that they’re paying separately.

“H-hi.” The cashier’s voice makes Taehyun look at her, but unsurprisingly, she isn’t even looking at him, or between him and Beomgyu—she’s only looking at the tallest. She even seems a bit dazed as she stares at him, whom, of course, has a smug look on his face. 

“Hi,” he returns. Taehyun doesn’t miss the way he looks the cashier up and down, which makes him want to gag. “Surprised they let a girl as pretty as you work here.”

Beomgyu’s compliment immediately makes the girl flush, and she shyly looks away. “I…I’m not that pretty.”

“That’s exactly what pretty girls who don’t know how pretty they are say,” he says, arching a brow with a knowing look. His eyes drift to the girl’s nametag pinned on top of her brown apron. “‘Eunji.’ Hm, a pretty name for an equally pretty girl.”

She nervously giggles, looking only at the screen in front of her. “S-so, um, what would you like to order?”

“Is there anything on the menu that’s as sweet as you?”

Taehyun swears he’s going to make both of them choke on the cashier’s tips if they don’t stop.

“Probably,” she mutters, before finally looking at Beomgyu in the eye, “but none of them would compare to how delicious you probably taste.”

“Eunji-ah, is everything going okay?” her manager calls out, making the cashier tense, and her eyes widen a little. Her manager stops by, looking at the screen. “Why are you holding the customers up?”

“Ah, my apologies, sir,” Beomgyu speaks up, bringing the manager’s attention to him. “I was just asking a lot of questions about your specials.”

Almost instantly, the manager’s narrowed eyes relax, and he smiles, almost too brightly. “Ah, alright! Well, I hope my employee answered all of your questions, sir.”

“She did,” Beomgyu says, glancing at her. “I’ll just have a vanilla latte with extra whipped cream, please.”

The cashier, “Eunji,” nods and types his order in. “W-will that be all, sir?”

“No,” he replies, before looking at Taehyun. “Know what you want, sweetheart?”

The ravenette almost wants to yell at him, finding it ridiculous how he can go from flirting with some stranger, and back to flirting with him. But he doesn’t want to waste more of their time, so he just inhales sharply.

“I’ll just take a black coffee,” he tells Eunji, whom types it in.

“Anything else?” she asks, her and her manager mainly looking at Beomgyu expectantly.

“And two chocolate croissants, please,” he answers as he takes out his wallet.

Eunji nods and types it in. Taehyun doesn’t even notice, since he’s moving his backpack from his back to his front to grab his wallet, getting ready to pay. But just as he’s taking out his card—the one his parents gave him for “emergencies”—and looks up, he sees a black card in Beomgyu’s hand, which he simply taps against the card machine, which immediately approves his payment. Taehyun’s mouth drops open a little in disbelief.

“W-would you like your receipt, sir?” Eunji questions.

“No,” Beomgyu responds, putting his black card back into his wallet and pocketing it. 

“Your order number is 120, and will be called out soon,” the manager informs with a smile.

“Alright, thank you.” Beomgyu smiles and drops a twenty-dollar bill in the cashier’s tip jar. He gives her a small wink before walking away, and Taehyun forces himself to walk after him, so he isn’t left standing alone in the line looking like an idiot.

“How much do I owe you?” he asks Beomgyu as he lets him choose a booth near the back. 

“Owe me for what?” he says as they sit down.

“For the coffee,” Taehyun says, placing his backpack down next to him. 

“Nothing.”

“What do you mean ‘nothing’?”

“I’m pretty sure you know what ‘nothing’ means, nerd.”

“Obviously, I do.” Taehyun gives him a small glare. “Just tell me how much I owe you.”

“I already did.”

“I don’t owe you nothing-”

“It’s just coffee, sweetheart,” Beomgyu says with a small chuckle. “It’s not a big deal. Besides, take it as a ‘tutor fee,’ if you will. I have to pay you back somehow, right?”

Taehyun mentally short-circuits for a little. Did Choi Beomgyu really just…treat him to coffee?

“By the way, choosing black coffee?” Beomgyu’s deep voice brings him back. “That is such a grandpa thing to do.”

Taehyun narrows his eyes at him. “Are you calling me a grandpa?”

Beomgyu’s lips quirk upward. “Yes.”

“Well, you’re one to talk,” Taehyun says with a small huff. “Your drink is basically dessert. We only came here for tutoring, remember?”

A mischievous glint forms in Beomgyu’s eyes as he looks at him, subtly looking him up and down. “Not my fault I like my coffee how I like my people: soft and sweet.”

Taehyun’s eyes narrow more. “Really? You were literally just flirting with the cashier, and now you’re back to flirting with me?”

“Yes.” Beomgyu doesn’t even look sorry. “I told you I always have some flirting saved for you.”

“Wow, I’m so flattered.” Taehyun rolls his eyes.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were jealous, sweetheart,” Beomgyu says, a bit teasingly.

“Me, jealous?” Taehyun scoffs. “Of what, a guy who can barely keep it in his pants, and a girl who gets distracted by a mediocre guy? Yeah, can’t you see how I’m reeking with jealousy?”

“Oh, I can totally see that. You might want to pipe down the jealousy a little, babe.”

Taehyun rolls his eyes again. “Can you not go an hour without flirting with everything that has legs?”

“Hm, maybe,” Beomgyu replies. “But I choose not to.”

“Of course you do,” Taehyun mutters. “You know what, we came here for tutoring, not to just waste time like always. You better hope being here in this café actually helps, Captain Dumbfuck. We need to get something done.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Now it’s Beomgyu’s turn to roll his eyes.

Before Taehyun can open his mouth to grumble something about how Beomgyu should roll his eyes more, since maybe he’ll finally find a brain back there, their order number is called. Left a bit stumped, but used to always getting things by himself, Taehyun moves to stand up. But much to his surprise, Beomgyu gets up first than him, moving to the pick up counter. Nevertheless, Taehyun isn’t going to be foolish enough to assume Beomgyu will get his drink as well, and stands up, following Beomgyu to the counter.

Unsurprisingly, but annoyingly, Eunji is at the counter, too, that same shy smile on her face as she talks—flirts—with Beomgyu again, whose hands are around his and Taehyun’s drinks. But Taehyun isn’t about to be waiting around, and grumbles under his breath as he joins Beomgyu, snatching his drink away from his hand.

“Can you stop flirting for once?” Taehyun complains, glaring up at him. “We have work to do.”

“Sorry about him,” he says with a small chuckle, only paying attention to Eunji. “You know how jealousy can be.”

Taehyun’s mouth opens in disbelief. “‘Jealousy-?!”

“Oh. I’m sorry.” Eunji looks a bit taken aback and a bit guilty for some reason, as she looks between Beomgyu and Taehyun. “If I knew you two were a couple, I wouldn’t have flirted.”

“W-what?” he says hoarsely, unable to believe his ears.

“Well, you two are together, aren’t you?” Eunji looks a bit dumbfounded.

“No!” Taehyun exclaims before Beomgyu can even open his mouth. “Ew. God, no.”

Eunji tilts her head a little. “But weren’t you just jealous…?”

“No,” Taehyun grits out. “This idiot likes making up lies to torture me. Trust me, him and I? Never going to happen. For all I care, he’s all yours, but later. Right now, we need to get to work.”

“Okay…?” Eunji still looks a bit confused, but relieved that Beomgyu is indeed single.

Taehyun doesn’t bother staying to hear the rest of the other two’s conversation. He grabs his drink from the counter and returns to his and Beomgyu’s table, still fuming and almost wanting to gag. He tries to distract himself by taking out his supplies from his bag, and just as he’s finishing, Beomgyu finally returns.

“I see you’re back in nerd mode,” he says, taking a sip of his latte.

“Can you actually shut up for once?” Taehyun groans.

“Nope, I don’t think so.”

Taehyun inhales sharply. “You know what, we’re not going to get anywhere bickering. So let’s just get straight to work, and start with your first class, AP Calc.”

“Do we have to?” Beomgyu mutters.

Taehyun ignores him. “You have missing assignments dated all the way back to the first week of school. I don’t think Ms. Hwang accepts late work from before last week, but hopefully, she makes an exception for your case. So, let’s start with the worksheet she handed out on that day…”

Beomgyu blows a raspberry with his lips, slouching in his seat as he watches Taehyun take out the said paper. He doesn’t move a muscle as Taehyun takes out two pencils, an eraser, a scientific calculator, and a piece of scratch paper.

“Do you know how to do this?” he asks, pointing to the problems.

“Dunno,” Beomgyu sighs, looking away.

Taehyun’s eyes narrow. “We’re not in the library anymore, Captain Dumbfuck. You said being somewhere new was going to help you focus.”

Beomgyu lets out another sigh and sits up. “Fine, fine.” He looks over the questions on the worksheet. “I think I remember how to do it.”

“Good.” Taehyun hands him one of the pencils. “I’ll look over your work and answers once you’re done.”

“Yes, boss,” he mumbles sarcastically under his breath. But for once, he actually gets to work, much to Taehyun’s surprise.

However, it doesn’t last long, since five minutes later, Beomgyu stops. 

“My hand’s cramping,” he says with a small pout.

“You’ve barely even written anything.”

“Do not invalidate my hard work.”

Taehyun rolls his eyes. He takes a sip of his coffee, almost cringing and gagging at the strong, bitter taste, but reminds himself he chose this drink. He needs to finish it, whether he wants to or not.

“Okay, I need help,” Beomgyu announces a few seconds later. “I don’t get how to do problem three.”

“Shouldn’t it be the same as the first two?” Taehyun says as he turns the paper towards him.

Beomgyu shrugs, leaning back against the seat. “Dunno.”

Taehyun heaves a sigh. He looks over the problem and sees where Beomgyu could have gotten confused. He begins explaining it to him, and when Beomgyu’s dumb mouth doesn’t say something as equally as dumb, Taehyun thinks he’s actually paying attention for once. He even ignores the way Beomgyu’s tapping his pen, thinking that helps him pay more attention. 

What he doesn’t notice is Beomgyu beginning to doodle on his notes. 

Taehyun continues explaining how to do the problem, still thinking Beomgyu is listening.

That is, until he says with a grin, leaning his cheek against his fist, as he tilts his head a little at him, “So if x equals y, does that mean we’re like, soulmates or something?”

Taehyun stops explaining and doesn’t move for a second. Then he slowly looks up, his gaze darkening by the second. “Are you serious?”

“What?” Beomgyu’s grin widens.

“Did you listen to anything I just said?”

“Only a little. Everything else you said just made me realize just how much of a nerd you are.”

“You are unbelievable,” Taehyun mutters with a groan, putting his head in his hands.

“So I’ve been told,” Beomgyu says smugly.

Taehyun glowers at him from across the table. “Can you never take anything seriously?”

“I feel like if I answer, your nerdy forehead vein is going to actually pop out of your head.”

“Dumbfuck.”

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“Focus,” Taehyun says sternly. “For once in your life, can you just…focus?”

Beomgyu’s grin returns, and he looks him up and down. “Will I get anything out of it?”

“Me not slapping that stupid grin off your face.”

“Aw, but then how else will I get your hands on me?”

Taehyun’s glower sharpens. “The only reason we’re here in this stupid café in the first place is because of you. According to you, being somewhere that isn’t our school’s library was going to help you focus better, but so far, I’ve seen no difference.”

“I have. I haven’t been on my phone ever since we got here.”

Taehyun opens his mouth to retort, but that’s when he realizes Beomgyu is right—he indeed hasn’t been on his phone ever since they arrived. Not even to check the time. And that’s completely unlike him.

“You’re…right,” Taehyun mutters.

“So see, being here is helping.” Beomgyu beams.

“Then keep up the…‘decent’ work, and actually focus.”

“Only if you give me something for it.” Beomgyu’s smirk returns.

Taehyun scowls. “The only thing I’ll give you is a trip to the ER when I shove your pencil so far up your nose you’ll start writing equations with your brain.”

“Aw, the kitty’s claws are returning,” Beomgyu says with a small coo. “Cute.”

Taehyun shoots him a look.

“Fine,” he says with a small sigh of defeat. “I’ll…pay attention.”

“Thank you,” Taehyun says in relief. “But I swear, Captain Dumbfuck, you get off topic again, I seriously will staple your mouth shut.”

It seems like Beomgyu wants to respond with something flirty and smug to that, but the daggers Taehyun is glaring at him right now stop him, and he gives a sheepish smile.

“Yes, sir.” Beomgyu salutes him.

Taehyun rolls his eyes and heaves a sigh before returning to Beomgyu’s AP Calc worksheet. He explains the problem Beomgyu was stuck on to him again, and when he glances up at him, he’s surprised to see that Beomgyu truly is paying attention. Taehyun glancing up at him makes him look back, and their eyes meet. But it’s only for a second, because Taehyun is quick to turn back to the worksheet and focus on explaining.

Neither of them seems to notice just how pink Taehyun’s ears turn, though.

Before they know it, a few hours have passed—not that either of them notices, though. They’re so focused on their work that they haven’t noticed how dark it is outside now, despite being near a window, and how almost empty the café is. 

And all because for the first time since their sessions started, Beomgyu actually paid attention. Not the entire time, since he’s Beomgyu, but it’s the most attention he’s ever paid. He even completed two or three worksheets by himself. Taehyun couldn’t believe his eyes, and still can’t. But he guesses Beomgyu’s assumption was correct—being in their school’s library truly didn’t help him focus.

“Hi, sorry to interrupt.” Snapping them out of their studious atmosphere is Eunji, whom looks a bit sheepish as she stops by their table, holding a broom in her hands. “I just came to remind you two that we close in twenty minutes.”

Taehyun’s eyes widen a little. “Y-you do?”

Eunji nods. “It’s eight-forty right now.”

Taehyun’s eyes widen more. “It is?” He taps his phone screen to light it up, and indeed, it is eight-forty. 8:41 now.

“Yes, and we close at nine,” Eunji says.

“Oh, okay, thank you.” Taehyun gives her a small smile. “Sorry, we must have lost track of time.”

Eunji gives him a small smile back, and her eyes linger on Beomgyu before walking away. Once she’s gone, that leaves Beomgyu and Taehyun alone again, and both, especially Taehyun, are left in slight disbelief.

“Did time really pass by that quickly?” Beomgyu mutters as he grabs his phone for the first time in hours. He also indeed sees that it’s nearing nine p.m.

“That’s…unreal,” Taehyun says as he begins picking up his things.

“You know what that means?” Beomgyu says, not doing anything to help pick up.

Taehyun doesn’t bother looking at him, wanting to focus on picking up their table. “What?”

Beomgyu’s smug as he replies, “That for almost an entire six hours, I actually focused for once.”

“More like four hours,” Taehyun mumbles. “We spent one hour wasting time, thanks to you, when we got here, and another hour because you got hungry. By the way, you still haven’t told me how much I owe you for the coffee and…food.” He refuses to say dinner, because he is not and never will admit that he and Beomgyu had dinner together.

“It’s still more than I ever had before,” he says pointedly. “And we got work done. We might actually have good, usable results to turn in to Coach tomorrow.”

Taehyun finally stops, realizing Beomgyu is right. “That’s…right.”

“I always am,” he says smugly.

Taehyun gives him a small look before he returns to picking up their things. “This is actually unbelievable.” He lifts his head sharply to narrow his eyes at him. “Is this the true you, Captain Dumbfuck?”

“All me, sweetheart.” A crooked smile tugs on Beomgyu’s lips.

Taehyun rolls his eyes. He grabs their trash—yes, even Beomgyu’s—and gets up from his seat to go throw it away. Wanting to be more of a menace, Beomgyu gets up and follows him. 

“Aw, you’re so nice for throwing my trash away, too, sweetheart,” Beomgyu says.

“Shut up,” Taehyun grouses with a small huff. “I’m only doing it since you paid for my coffee and…food. For some reason.”

“Ever think that maybe I’m just trying to treat a pretty boy like you?” Beomgyu’s voice comes out all husky, making Taehyun’s stupid heart skip a stupid beat.

It’s also enough to make him try not to focus on the effect Beomgyu’s flirt and husky voice has on him, which leads to him not paying attention to what’s around him. More specifically, on the spilled coffee near the counter and trash bins that neither Eunji nor the other café employees have cleaned up yet. So, when he accidentally steps on it, it makes him lose his balance, slip, let out a small yelp, and he would’ve fallen right on his ass (or face)—if it weren’t for the warm, big hands holding his slim waist to keep him steady. The hands came instinctively, and rest on his small waist protectively, gripping it tighter than they should, and they pull him a little towards their owner.

For a few seconds, everything stops: the noise fades, Taehyun feels the warmth of Beomgyu’s hands, and as he turns a little, their eyes meet, and it’s enough for Taehyun to wonder if maybe he’s been wrong about him this entire time.

But then he immediately pushes him off, face pink. “You could’ve let go already, you know.”

“If you're sure you won’t fall for me again?”

Taehyun scoffs, shooting daggers at him. “I-I didn’t even fall for you in the first place! I slipped.”

“Right,” he says with a lopsided grin.

“...Shut up,” Taehyun protests, and marches off to their table to pick up the rest of their things. Beomgyu chuckles and follows after him.

Once they have all of their things, they head toward the doors to the café. Eunji notices that they’re leaving, so she rushes up to them (more like beomgyu), and hands him a small slip of paper with a slightly shy smile. She then bows to both of them, thanking them for coming. Taehyun just gives her a slightly fake smile back, too focused on just getting out of there that he once again doesn’t realize that Beomgyu opens the door for him, and lets him get out first. As Taehyun walks out onto the sidewalk, he hears Beomgyu sharing a few last flirty words with Eunji before finally walking out of the café himself and joining him.

“Let me guess—she gave you her number?” he says, unamused.

“Yup,” Beomgyu says, a bit smugly. “What else can you expect when you have this face?”

“You sure are full of yourself,” Taehyun mutters, turning to walk away.

“Where are you going?” Beomgyu asks before he can even take a step.

“Uh, home?” Taehyun raises a brow at him. “Have you not seen what time it is?”

“Yeah, but I’m asking because my car’s that way.” Beomgyu points behind them.

“And when did I say I was getting in your car?”

“You’re seriously with this again?”

“Yes,” Taehyun says with a small huff. “I seriously mean it when I say I don’t want to spend more unnecessary time with you in your car.”

“Ouch, sweetheart.” But if anything, Beomgyu just looks more amused and smug than offended or hurt. 

Taehyun rolls his eyes, but because he was raised with good manners, he hesitantly says, “But…thank you again for the coffee and…food.”

“My pleasure, Taehyun-ah.” Beomgyu gives a toothy grin, before his eyes dart to the almost half-empty cup in the younger’s hands. “I still don’t get why you ordered a simple black coffee. You didn’t even finish it.”

“Because it tastes like ass,” he mutters with a small frown.

“But I thought a forty-year-old like you loves black coffee,” Beomgyu teases.

“Shut up,” Taehyun huffs. 

Beomgyu chuckles. “Let me drive you home, sweetheart.”

“No thanks.”

“And I thought I was the one with a lot of pride.”

“I am not riding in the same car as you again. Doing so earlier was enough. I already spent more than enough time with you today, too.”

Beomgyu crosses his arms. “Then how are you going to get home?”

“Uh, the bus?”

“And where’s the nearest bus stop?”

“Down the street.”

“Okay, then I’ll walk you.”

“Captain Dumbfuck-”

“Either you let me walk you, or you let me give you a ride home. Your choice.”

“I don’t even know why you want to walk me to the bus stop,” Taehyun grumbles as he begins walking without telling Beomgyu. Nonetheless, the ravenette easily catches up with him. 

“Someone as pretty as you shouldn’t be walking down the street at a time like this,” Beomgyu drawls, eyes flicking over him.

“And here you go, flirting again,” he says, glancing at him, a bit dryly.

“Just stating facts, sweetheart,” he says with a grin, putting his hands into his pockets.

Taehyun rolls his eyes. It’s silent between them for a while before he says, “You…turned out to be right.”

“About what?” Beomgyu asks as he looks at him.

“About not being able to focus in the library. You focused way better in the café.”

“Of course I didn’t lie,” Beomgyu says, a bit smugly. “I’m not a liar, sweetheart.”

“Sure,” Taehyun mutters, not believing him.

“It hurts me that you don’t believe me.” Beomgyu lets out a slightly exaggerated sigh.

Taehyun rolls his eyes. “You’ll live.”

Beomgyu chuckles. Seconds later, they arrive at the bus stop, and checking his phone, Taehyun sees that the bus will arrive in five minutes.

“Still don’t understand why you’d prefer a crusty bus over my precious Lambo, but alright,” Beomgyu mumbles, looking down the street to see if the bus is near. “You know, a lot of girls would kill to be in your place.”

“Ugh, you sound just like Yeonjun-hyung,” Taehyun groans before he can stop himself. 

“I do?” Beomgyu raises a brow. “How exactly?”

“N-never mind,” Taehyun mutters, looking away as his face heats up a little.

“No, please do tell me. The only reason why Yeonjun would ‘sound like me’ is if he gets told about me, which only one person would do.” Beomgyu gives a lazy grin. “You talk about me, pretty boy?”

“No,” Taehyun snaps, way too quickly. “A-and stop calling me that.”

Beomgyu chuckles. “Right, so if I ask Yeonjun about it, he’ll tell me the same?”

“Captain Dumbfuck, don’t you even-”

“So even when I’m not there, I’m still on your mind?” Beomgyu interrupts, his tone dipping low. “That’s kinda hot, sweetheart.”

Taehyun’s cheeks are burning by now, and he’s just grateful it’s too dark for Beomgyu to see just how much he’s blushing right now.

“You’re…disgusting,” is the only thing he can spit out. “And you’re funny if you think you’re even in my mind in the first place.”

“Seems like I am, since Yeonjun talks about me to you.”

“He doesn’t,” Taehyun blatantly lies.

“Not what you said just a few seconds ago.”

“You heard wrong,” Taehyun says with a small scowl. “Never will I ever talk about you, Captain Dumbfuck, unless it’s to talk about how idiotic you are.”

The corner of Beomgyu’s lips quirks upward. “You’d still be talking about me.”

“You little-”

 Interrupting Taehyun is the sound of the bus’s engine nearing them, and the headlights glaring at them.

“You’re lucky my bus is here,” he mutters as it stops in front of them.

“Yes, I’m so lucky for not witnessing you struggling to reach me,” Beomgyu mocks. 

“Fuck off already, Captain Dumbfuck, will you?” Taehyun scoffs under his breath as the doors of the bus hiss open.

Beomgyu lets out a small laugh, his eyes never leaving Taehyun as he gets on the bus. “See you tomorrow, pretty boy.”

Taehyun doesn’t even turn as he flips him off, making Beomgyu laugh. Eventually, the doors of the bus hiss closed, and the bus drives away. Beomgyu stands there for a few seconds, watching the bus drive off, before letting out a small sigh, which almost sounds content, as he walks to his car.

Chapter Text

The second he steps in through the front door, Taehyun hears his parents talking in the living room. He winces a little at the realization that they’re both still awake, since this is the first time he’s come home this late, and he isn’t sure what their reactions will be.

“About time you’re home, young man.”

Apparently, not good ones.

Hesitantly looking up, Taehyun’s eyes land on his parents, whom are now standing a few feet away, his mom’s arms crossed, whilst his dad has an eyebrow raised, and both don’t exactly look very happy.

“H-hi…” Taehyun smiles nervously.

“Don’t try to act all cute,” his dad says. “Have you not seen what time it is, young man?”

“Yes, but-”

“We were worried sick!” his mom exclaims. “We were about to gather a search party to go look for you. Why didn’t you answer any of our texts or calls?”

“I’m sorry.” Taehyun bows his head down. “I silenced my phone, and I guess I was too focused on…what I was doing to even hear it vibrate. I really am sorry. You know I would’ve answered if I heard.”

“Where even were you?” his dad demands.

“Um…” Taehyun hesitates in responding. He doesn’t know whether to tell the truth or not, because if he does, his parents will ask why he was doing his tutoring at a café, instead of at his school, like he normally does, and then it’d be even harder to lie. Especially to his dad. “I…I was out. With, uh…Yeonjun-hyung.”

“You were out with Yeonjun?” His mom doesn’t seem to believe him, raising an eyebrow. “Where are your shopping bags, then?”

“We, uh, didn’t go shopping,” he continues lying, but even he can’t believe it. If he and Yeonjun don’t go shopping during a hangout, did he really hang out with Yeonjun? “We just went to a café, and…lost track of time.”

His parents still seem doubtful, but since their son very rarely lies to them, they’re stuck thinking he’s telling the truth.

“So, if we call Yeonjun right now, and ask him if it’s true, he’ll say yes?” his dad says.

“Yes.” Taehyun fake smiles, and luckily, since he’s been fake smiling so much lately, it comes out like a natural smile.

His parents look at each other for a few seconds before his mom sighs in defeat.

“Fine,” she says, much to his relief. “But you ever come home this late, and don’t answer any of our texts or calls, or don’t at least check in, you’re grounded, Taehyun. You understand?”

Taehyun nods. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Alright,” she mutters with a small huff. “Have you eaten yet?”

The question makes Taehyun remember how Beomgyu bought him food—not dinner—at the café a few hours ago, but he quickly shoves that thought to the back of his mind.

“Yes,” he replies. “Hyung and I ate at the café.”

His dad still has an ounce of doubt on his face, but just like his wife, he decides to let it go. “Alright, sweetie. Well, it’s pretty late, so we won’t keep you up any longer. Just try not to do this again, okay?”

Taehyun lets out a small smile. “Okay. Again, I’m very sorry. It won’t happen again.” Hopefully.

“Better not,” his mom grumbles.

Taehyun smiles, a bit sheepishly, and kisses them both on the cheek, bidding them a goodnight. They bid him back the same thing, and he walks to his room. He waits until he’s inside and has closed the door behind him to quickly take out his phone and go to the messages between him and Yeonjun.

taehyun:
HYUNG

taehyun:
HYUNGGGGGGG

taehyun:
Whatever u do do NOT tell my parents u weren’t w me today

taehyun:
U were and if they ask tell them we were at a café all day after school and ate there too and lost track of time

Unsurprisingly, Yeonjun replies a few seconds later.

yeonjun:
u want me to lie to ur parents ?? 😮

yeonjun:
that is not what a good child does kang 😵

taehyun:
Omg hyung SHUT UPPPPP

taehyun:
Just PLEASE do me this favor or i’m getting my ass whooped

yeonjun:
why ?? what’d u do 😳

taehyun:
…

taehyun:
Youre funny if u think i’m telling u

yeonjun:
NO TELL MEEEE PLEASEEEEE

yeonjun:
i will srsly die if u don’t tell me n u’ll get arrested n locked up in jail foreva bc i’ll say u were my cause of death n ppl will like

yeonjun:
uh

yeonjun:
IDK BUT TELL ME

yeonjun:
i can’t die before at least having one of soobin’s insanely daddy large hands on my ass at least ONCE 😣😢

taehyun:
Ok one GROSS

taehyun:
Second … i don’t wanna tell u bc ik how ur ass is by now and i’m srsly kinda too tired to deal w ur bs rn

yeonjun:
wait ..

yeonjun:
WERENT U N BEOMGYU SUPPOSED TO GO TO A CAFÉ TOGETHER TODAY ????

yeonjun:
OMG IS THAT WHY U DIDNT WANNA TELL ME

yeonjun:
HEH JOKES ON U THEN CUZ I WAS RIGHT THERE WHEN YGS AGREED ON THAT 😎

taehyun:
… right i had forgotten abt that

yeonjun:
RAHH SO HOW DID IT GO ?????

yeonjun:
do NOT leave me hanging kang taehyun or istg 

yeonjun:
TELL ME EVERYTHING

yeonjun:
DID YGS KISS

yeonjun:
DID U AT LEAST HOLD HANDS

yeonjun:
WAS HE A REAL GENTLEMAN N BOUGHT U UR COFFEE TOO 😆

yeonjun:
I NEED EVERY SINGLE DETAIL EVEN DOWN TO HOW HE LOOKED AS HE DRANK HIS COFFEE AND HOW HIS ADAMS APPLE LOOKED

taehyun:
I’m not telling u anything rn

yeonjun:
WHAT

yeonjun:
NO U CANT DO THIS TO ME

yeonjun:
TAE 💔💔💔💔💔💔

taehyun:
Girl take a chill pill will u

taehyun:
I was going to say i’ll tell u everything TMRW. i just need u to promise youll do me that favor of lying to my parents

yeonjun:
oh

yeonjun:
then aw ofc i will muffin !! u can always count on me 😘

taehyun:
Ok thank u

taehyun:
Now stop spamming i needa go to sleep

yeonjun:
oh so ur saying i’m boring u 

taehyun:
We are not starting this again.

yeonjun:
ok ! 😊 but u better tell me everything tmrw kang or else i’ll spank ur butt

yeonjun:
OR BETTER YET i’ll tell beomgyu u like him 😈

taehyun:
No need to go to such extreme disgusting measures

taehyun:
I’ll tell u everything tmrw hyung dw

yeonjun:
ok thank u oh so very much 😘

yeonjun:
sweet dreams now my dear sir 💝

taehyun:
Gn weirdo

Taehyun lets out a small giggle at his and Yeonjun’s texts before putting his phone away. He can still hear his parents moving about and talking outside his room, probably in the kitchen, but he doesn’t focus much on that, knowing they’re just cleaning up a little more before finally going to bed.

Thinking of his parents makes him think about what happened just a few moments ago when he came home. If he hadn’t acted so quickly, probably even his dad would’ve seen right through his lies, and he would’ve been forced to tell the truth about why he got home so late.

(but really, it wasn’t even that late. to him, at least, coming home at nine-fifteen is barely anything.)

And if he had told the truth, his parents would’ve known that he spent the last six hours in a café, alone with Choi Beomgyu, a boy. That would’ve sent his dad into a haywire, and he probably would’ve gotten so furious, his face would have turned red. Taehyun would’ve gotten the worst lecture of his life, and his dad would’ve grounded him for all of eternity. It is a bit of a stretch, considering the fact that all Beomgyu and Taehyun were doing was tutoring, and Taehyun hates Beomgyu too much to even consider him a friend, but that’s just how his dad is. His dad will never be okay with him ever hanging out alone with a guy whom isn’t Yeonjun, and is always constantly reminding him he can’t get a boyfriend until he’s at least thirty. And even by then, Taehyun doubts his dad will still be okay with him getting a boyfriend at that age.

His mom, on the other hand, would’ve been surprised, and she wouldn’t be able to believe her ears. But then she’d grow so ecstatic, thinking that her little boy finally has a boyfriend, and already planning the wedding.

So, Taehyun is just grateful he was quick on his feet and came up with a lie before his parents could even suspect a thing.

But then these thoughts lead to Beomgyu coming to his mind, and he lets out a small sigh.

He plops down on his bed as he thinks about how his day after school ended went. He can’t believe that for the first time ever since he came to the realization that he didn’t like Choi Beomgyu, and never will, he spent almost an entire day with him. What he can’t believe even more is the fact that Beomgyu actually paid attention for once. Not once did he go on his phone or get distracted by something. Sure, he doodled, flirted, and made annoying jokes, but he still paid attention to what Taehyun was explaining and finished a few of his missing assignments.

Taehyun truly thought they’d once again get nowhere, and going to the café would be a huge waste of time, but…Beomgyu proved him wrong. Choi Beomgyu, out of all people, proved him wrong.

“This can not be real,” he mutters with a small groan to himself, covering his face with his hands.

Have I been wrong about that asshole this entire time? he can’t help but think to himself as he uncovers his face. But then he remembers what kind of person Beomgyu is, and is quick to get rid of that thought.

Just because Beomgyu paid attention for once, and was actually a good tutee today, doesn’t mean that’ll be true for the rest of their tutoring sessions. Taehyun shouldn’t suddenly start thinking that just because today went well, that means he’s been wrong about Beomgyu. He hasn’t. Beomgyu is still an egotistical, cocky, smug ass, whom cares about no one except himself, and the only reason he behaved decently today was only a coincidence. Or because he truly couldn’t focus in their school’s library. Either way, he’s still the same ass he’s always been, and Taehyun won’t be foolish enough to think otherwise.

He nods to himself sternly at that and gets up. He walks toward where he left his backpack, which is on his desk chair, and unzips it. He takes out the black folder he has in there, where the left side holds all of the worksheets Beomgyu finished today. If they—most likely him—turn those in to their teachers tomorrow, they might actually have good results to turn into Beomgyu’s coach.

Today’s events are really starting to mess with Taehyun’s usually so composed brain. He doesn’t want to sound so repetitive, but he truly can’t believe everything that happened today with Beomgyu. Besides him flirting with him and the cashier/barista, Eunji, and being annoyingly smug like always, everything else he did was like whiplash to Taehyun. Even offering him a ride home was so unlike him. 

The thought of Beomgyu’s car also makes Taehyun remember the charm he saw hanging from his rearview mirror. It had the words “Best Bro Ever” barely visible under the sticker of the bunny on it, which could mean two things: Beomgyu’s siblings gave it to him, or someone else did, and, for shits and giggles, put those three words on it. But Taehyun highly doubts that. The charm looks like the work of a child, probably around five to six years old, whom are most likely Beomgyu’s actual siblings. And that strikes Taehyun as odd. During his entire time of knowing Beomgyu, he never thought the fuckboy would be the type to have siblings, let alone ones that are younger than him. No one seems to know about that side of him, and it seems like he doesn’t go around talking about it, either—which also strikes Taehyun as odd. Beomgyu is the type to always talk about himself, even if the situation doesn’t call for it, so why don’t more people know or at least talk about the fact that he’s a big brother? It might seem unnecessary and weird to talk about that, since who goes around talking about other people’s siblings, but this is Choi Beomgyu we’re talking about. Everyone talks about everything about him, even if it’s unimportant. If people knew Beomgyu had siblings and that he was older than them, they’d definitely talk about it.

But no one ever has, which means Beomgyu has never told anyone about his siblings before. Probably to Soobin, but that doesn’t count, since the bad boy’s his best friend. That’s another thing Taehyun can’t wrap his head around. Why wouldn’t Beomgyu jump at the chance to talk about something else about himself? Everyone glorifies him already—they’d probably glorify him even more if they found out he’s a ‘caring’ big brother.

Alas, Taehyun tries not to think more of it. Beomgyu and his weird decisions are not his problem, and why is he even thinking of them, anyway? He shouldn’t be, and he curses himself for even giving Beomgyu a second thought. He shudders at the realization of thinking about Beomgyu more than he should, and forces himself to only focus on organizing the worksheets he and Beomgyu worked on and completed today, before getting ready to take a shower, still preventing himself from thinking about anything even remotely related to Beomgyu.

⌞ ⚽︎ ✮⋆˙ ⌝

The next morning, Taehyun wakes up to an empty apartment, which he’s used to. His parents usually work early in the mornings, so on most days, he wakes up with them already gone. He contemplates whether he should go to school today, before letting out a small groan, and finally getting up.

Since he was too tired to take a shower last night, Taehyun heads to the bathroom to take one. He thanks his mom in his mind for ironing his uniform last night, and leaves it where it’s hanging on his closet door as he enters the bathroom. He turns on the showerhead before beginning to take off his pajamas. 

His playlist fills the air as he waits for the water to warm up. Once it’s warm enough, he steps in and begins showering.

But he’s halfway through rinsing his hair from his shampoo when he hears what he thinks is the sound of his front door opening. He grows a bit alert, since he knows that it isn’t his parents—they rarely ever forget things, and if they do, they still wouldn’t come back for it. But as he stands still and continues listening, he doesn’t hear anything else, so he hesitantly shrugs it off, thinking he was just hearing things. He goes back to rinsing the shampoo out of his hair.

Only to hear a very familiar voice yell out, “Tae!” a few seconds later.

“Hyung?” Taehyun mutters, mainly to himself. Is he that sleep-deprived that he’s imagining Yeonjun’s voice?

“Tae!” He gets his answer when the bathroom door is suddenly slammed open, the said pinkette appearing, looking almost frantic.

“Hyung, what the hell?” Taehyun groans. “Do you not see that I’m taking a shower here?”

“As if it’s the first time I’ve seen you naked,” Yeonjun says with a small scoff, and Taehyun lets out a sigh. “I can not believe you’ve been leaving me hanging for this long.”

“Leaving you hanging about what?” he says with a small scoff this time, finishing rinsing shampoo out of his hair to move on to putting on conditioner. 

“About what happened between you and Beomgyu yesterday!”

“Of course, you came to ask about that. How did you even get in?”

“Your mom gave me a spare key,” Yeonjun replies smugly.

“Since when?”

“Since the first time I came over, and she and your dad fell in love with how amazing I am.”

“Of course she did,” Taehyun mumbles.

“Enough chit chat about that,” Yeonjun says. “Tell me what happened between you and Beomgyu yesterday.”

“There’s really not much to tell, hyung,” Taehyun says, moving on to washing his body. “We went to the café, we did our tutoring session, and left. That’s it.”

“Boring,” Yeonjun groans. “And we both know that’s not true, or else you wouldn’t have texted me last night to lie to your parents.”

Taehyun curses himself, having forgotten he had done that.

“So you’re not getting out of this one, young man,” Yeonjun finishes with a small huff.

“Can you at least wait ‘til I’m done showering?”

“No. I’ve been waiting long enough.”

Taehyun sighs. “Fine, but you better not be weird about it, hyung.”

“When have I ever been weird about something you tell me about you and Beomgyu?”

“Uh, all the time?”

 “Um…I don’t think that was me.”

Taehyun rolls his eyes. “Well…after school, I had to wait up for that asshole like always, because he can never be on time for anything. Then, we…discussed”—more like bickered (mainly on taehyun’s part)—“about which café to go to until we agreed on one. And we had to go in car to get there faster, so we had to…” He doesn’t even want to say it, already knowing what Yeonjun’s reaction will be.

Yeonjun’s eyes light up. “You guys had to go in his car, didn’t you?!”

“...Yes.”

Yeonjun lets out a small squeal. “OMG, you went in his Audi R5 Sportsback?”

“No,” Taehyun says with a small huff. “You were wrong about that. You need to step up your game, hyung.”

“What? Why?”

“That asshole has a freakin’ Lamborghini.”

Yeonjun’s jaw drops. “He does?!”

“Yes,” Taehyun scoffs. “What kind of eighteen-year-old needs a car like that?”

“Erm, actually, he’s still seventeen,” Yeonjun corrects. “He doesn’t turn eighteen ‘til March.”

“That makes it even worse. What kind of seventeen-year-old needs a dumb Lambo?”

“Uh, hot guys like Beomgyu?”

Taehyun rolls his eyes. “Of course you find it hot.”

“You don’t?”

“I find it obnoxious,” Taehyun mutters. He finishes with his shower, so he turns off the showerhead, leaving the room filled with a bit of steam. “Pass me my towel, please, hyung.”

Yeonjun hands it over to him without thinking, only focused on learning more about Taehyun’s “date”—Yeonjun’s words—with Beomgyu. “Okay, so what happened? You got to his car, and then what? Did he open the door for you like a true gentleman?”

“He had to anyway,” Taehyun says as he dries himself off. “I don’t know how to work those dumb doors on his dumb car.”

Yeonjun is giddy. “Wow, this just keeps getting better and better! And then what happened?”

“Well, we got inside his car, and that’s when I found out that the asshole has siblings.”

“He does??”

“So you didn’t know?”

“No…”

“Then he truly doesn’t talk about them to anyone,” Taehyun mutters, mainly to himself.

“How did you find out he has siblings, though?” Yeonjun asks as Taehyun steps out of the tub, his raven hair damp, and with the towel wrapped around his slim waist. He walks out of the bathroom and down the hallway to his room, Yeonjun following behind him. “Did he tell you?”

“No,” he replies. “But he had, like, a charm thing hanging from his rearview mirror, and it said ‘Best Bro Ever’ on it. From the looks of it, I think he has younger siblings.”

“Really? Huh, he looks like the type to have older siblings.”

“That’s what I thought, too,” Taehyun agrees as he puts lotion on himself.

“I can not see him being an older brother,” Yeonjun says. “His personality is way too chaotic for that. If he truly does have younger siblings, they probably don’t listen to him.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if that was true,” Taehyun says with a small scoff as he begins to get dressed.

“Anyway, what else happened?” Yeonjun questions, returning to their original subject. 

“Well, he drove us to this café a few blocks away, and it looked like somewhere he’d never go, but surprisingly, he told me he’s gone there a few times already.”

“What did the café look like?”

“Like a café you and I would go to, not one the school’s fuckboy would.”

“Huh, that is weird…”

“Anyway, what was not surprising is that he flirted with the cashier before we could even put our order in,” Taehyun continues as he starts gathering his things for school. “The cashier obviously flirted with him back, and it was annoying standing there having to witness that.”

“You sure you were annoyed?” Yeonjun asks with a small smirk. “You sure you weren’t just-”

“Do not even dare finish that sentence.”

Yeonjun snickers. Taehyun gives him a small glare before he continues telling him what happened yesterday. He hesitates for a while before deciding not to tell him about Beomgyu paying for his coffee and drinks, and the way he had caught him by the waist when he slipped by the trash bins as he was throwing away their trash. Yeonjun is already teasing him enough about the entire thing; Taehyun doesn’t need or want his teasing to grow worse. 

By the time he’s finished telling Yeonjun (almost) everything, they’re already making their way to school.

“That…truly doesn’t sound like Beomgyu,” he says once Taehyun finishes.

“Right? That’s what I’m saying.”

“He actually paid attention and did his work for once?”

“Unbelievably so.”

“That sounds nothing like him. Are you sure it was the real Beomgyu you were with?”

“I don’t even think so.”

“But you know what the best part of that was, Tae?” Yeonjun questions, a bit smug.

Taehyun side eyes him. “Don’t even say it-”

“You were on a café date with Beomgyu yesterday!”

Taehyun opens his mouth to yell at him for even putting that out into the universe, but before he can even speak a word, they hear gasps behind them. They both turn around, their eyes landing on a group of five girls. Judging by their uniforms, they also go to HYBE, and Taehyun curses himself for not checking just how close they were to their school, just in case Yeonjun said something ridiculous like what he just said a few seconds ago.

“You went on a date with Beomgyu-Oppa yesterday?!” All five girls look at Taehyun in shock, as well as mild jealousy.

“Uh, ew-”

“Oh, he totes did,” Yeonjun says smugly, swinging an arm around Taehyun’s shoulder. “Can’t you just see how in love he is with your Oppa?”

All five girls’ jaws drop, and they stare at Taehyun in disbelief.

“How dare you steal him away from us!” one of them exclaims.

“Why would he go out with a nerd like you?” another scoffs, looking him up and down in distaste.

“What, and you think he’d go out with you?” Taehyun bites back before he can stop himself. He was too caught up in snapping back at the girl that he didn’t even think of what the consequences would be. Now it sounds like he truly did go on a date with Beomgyu yesterday.

“Hey, do not speak to her like that!” another girl huffs. 

“He’s right, though, Bora,” another girl says, seeming as if she’s realizing something. Her friends look at her as if she grew two heads. “Beomgyu-Oppa went out with him instead of us. And we’ve been after him for who knows how long!” She turns back to Taehyun, with almost a pleading look in her eyes. “How did you do it? How did you get Oppa to notice you, let alone go out with you?”

Her words seem to hit her friends, since they realize she has a point, and they turn to Taehyun, too. All five of them begin asking him how he managed to get Beomgyu’s attention, and to give them tips on how to get him to ask them out. Their voices overlap each other, not giving Taehyun a chance to talk, let alone even tell them that he didn’t actually go out with Beomgyu.

“Alright, girls, why don’t we give him a bit of space?” Yeonjun luckily steps in, subtly stepping in front of Taehyun, which makes the girls take a step back.

“But he hasn’t answered any of our questions!” one of them whines. 

Yeonjun gives her a look. “You really think he will? Why would he give you any tips on how to steal his man?”

The girls’ jaws drop again, and they narrow their eyes at Yeonjun.

“Beomgyu-Oppa does not belong to him!” one of them scowls.

“Really?” Yeonjun lets out a small smirk. “Well, out of all six of you, he’s the one who managed a date. According to all of you, neither of you can even seem to get your ‘Oppa’s’ attention.”

The girls stay silent, knowing Yeonjun has them there.

“So don’t be jealous ‘cause he got to go out with Beomgyu, and you didn’t.” Yeonjun sticks his tongue out at them as he links his arm with Taehyun’s.

The ravenette gives him a small glare. “Hyung, you are so-”

“Fine!” one of the girls huffs. “Not like we care, anyway. Beomgyu-Oppa will probably just want to have his fun with you and then leave you! You’re not even that pretty, either.”

With that, the girls all let out “hmph!”s before walking away, still fuming. That leaves Yeonjun and Taehyun alone, and Yeonjun looks smug, whilst Taehyun can’t believe what just happened.

“Hyung, you idiot!” Once it finally hits him, Taehyun smacks Yeonjun’s arm. “What the hell did you just do?!”

“What?” Yeonjun feigns innocence.

“Don’t play dumb! You made those girls believe I was really out on a date with that asshole yesterday!”

“Weren’t you?” Yeonjun says, a bit smugly, as they continue walking to their school.

“No!”

“That’s not what it seems like.”

“Choi Yeonjun-”

The older grins. “Yes, Taehyunie?”

“I’m going to kill you.”

“Too bad we’re already in school.” Yeonjun sticks his tongue out at him a little, and Taehyun glares at him. He hates that Yeonjun knows he wouldn’t dare lift a finger at him in school, for fear that a teacher sees, and gets him in trouble.

“I am so killing you later,” he grits out as they walk to his locker.

Yeonjun giggles. “If you say so, Tae.”

“You know, the longer you stay with me, the longer I want to punch you.”

“Go right ahead, then.”

Taehyun’s glare deepens. “Do you want me to tell Soobin about your feelings?”

Yeonjun’s smug grin immediately falters. “What?”

“I swear I’ll tell Soobin you like him. Now that will actually be true.”

Panic flashes across Yeonjun’s face. “You wouldn’t.”

“I would, since you have no problem spreading lies about me.”

“No, no, I’m sorry!” Yeonjun exclaims. “I shouldn’t have told those girls you went out with Beomgyu yesterday! Please, oh, please forgive me! I…I’ll even buy you as many sweets as you want after school. Just please don’t tell Soobin how I feel. Please, please, please, please, please, please, please-”

“You better buy me a lot of sweets,” Taehyun grumbles as he unlocks his locker.

“Oh, I swear I will.”

Taehyun side eyes him before he begins taking out his things. Yeonjun nervously stares at him for a few more seconds, and once he deems Taehyun has calmed down enough, which is around five seconds later, he starts talking about his day yesterday. Taehyun is grateful they dropped the Beomgyu-café thing, and making sure he got everything he needs from his locker, he closes it. Only for both him and Yeonjun to almost jump when they see someone leaning against the locker next to his.

“Morning, sweetheart.” Like always, Beomgyu has that stupidly smug grin on his face, and all Taehyun wants to do is slap it off. His eyes then dart to Yeonjun. “Nice to see you’re not actually a loner.”

“What do you want?” Taehyun looks at him blankly.

“Can’t I come over and say hi?” Beomgyu tilts his head a little.

“Uh, I may or may not have already annoyed him enough this morning,” Yeonjun says, a bit nervously and sheepishly. “So, if I were you, I wouldn’t add more to that, Beomgyu.”

“Fine, fine,” he says with a small chuckle. “I came over to ask if you’ve turned in the worksheets yet.”

“Oh, yes, can’t you see how I’m bending over at your every will?” Taehyun says sarcastically.

“Oh, I’d very much like to see you bent over for me, sweetheart,” Beomgyu says cockily, letting his eyes roam every inch of Taehyun’s body. Like the traitor he is, Yeonjun lets out a small giggle, a bit muffled behind his palm.

“I’d rather steal Soobin away from Yeonjun-hyung than ever do that,” Taehyun says, now glaring at him, and not missing the gasp Yeonjun makes behind him. “But you know what, it’s too early to deal with your stupid shenanigans, so no, dimwit, I haven’t turned in the worksheets yet.”

“‘Kay, cool,” Beomgyu says, “‘cause I was thinking I could turn them in with you.”

That surprises both Yeonjun and Taehyun.

“Y-you do?”

“Why not?” Beomgyu shrugs before he lets out another grin. “It’d be nice to hear our teachers praise me endlessly.”

“Of course, that’s what you’re focused on,” Taehyun mutters, rolling his eyes. “Why don’t you turn them in yourself, then? That way, I don’t need to waste my time on something else related to you.”

“Aw, but where would the fun in that be?” Beomgyu says with a small pout. “Don’t you want our teachers to endlessly praise you, too?”

“With you there? Yeah, they’ll only praise you.”

“Mm, I think that’s just your way of saying you don’t want to go with me.”

Taehyun sarcastically smiles. “Hey, it seems like you do have a brain in that big airhead of yours.”

“You should go with Beomgyu, Tae,” Yeonjun speaks up, making Taehyun look at him in disbelief. “If Beomgyu goes by himself, his teachers will think he’s just turning in random assignments. They won’t believe they’re actually his.”

“Yes, exactly,” Beomgyu is quick to agree.

“Yeah, right,” Taehyun scoffs. “Everyone glorifies you, including the teachers. I doubt they won’t believe you.”

“It still wouldn’t hurt to go just in case,” Yeonjun says pointedly. But Taehyun knows what he’s actually trying to do, and he glares at him.

“Yes, it will hurt,” Taehyun counters. “I already spent more than enough time with this idiot yesterday, and I don’t need more of his idiocy spreading to me.”

“Fine, don’t go,” Beomgyu says with a small shrug. “Just don’t get annoyed when my teachers don’t put in the grades, which will mean we won’t have any good results to turn in to Coach. But sure, let your pride get in the way, sweetheart.”

Taehyun inhales, almost sharply, and glares at him. “I know what you’re trying to do.”

“I’m not doing anything.” Beomgyu feigns innocence.

Taehyun narrows his eyes at him. “Fine. But I’m only going to make sure you don’t screw up.”

Beomgyu shrugs. “Good enough for me.”

Taehyun lets out a small sigh and turns to Yeonjun. “I’ll be back, hyung.”

“Oh, take your time.” The pinkette waves him off, still grinning. “Trust me, I won’t mind.”

Taehyun gives him a look, to which Yeonjun responds with a toothy grin. Taehyun rolls his eyes before turning around to begin walking toward Beomgyu’s first class.

“So, how’d you sleep last night?” he asks. “Pretty bad, I assume, since you had to take the crusty bus home instead of my amazing car.”

“I slept like a baby, actually,” Taehyun refutes, not even looking at him. “Especially since I didn’t have to choke on your overwhelmingly strong cologne for a second time.”

“Aw, sweetheart, if you wanted to choke on something else, you could’ve just asked.”

Taehyun scoffs. “You’re disgusting.”

“Sure, but now that I’ve got you thinking about it, haven’t I?”

“What? Ew, gross-” Taehyun cuts himself off when he looks up, only for his eyes to land on five familiar girls. He recognizes them from earlier—how can he not?—and panics a little as they look between him and Beomgyu. He doesn’t doubt they’re assuming the ‘boyfriends’ are together, and their glares are out of jealousy, and he quickly steps in behind Beomgyu to hide behind him. For once, Beomgyu’s taller height has an advantage.

“Nerd?” Beomgyu is obviously confused, and he turns, almost exposing him. “What are you-”

Against his will, Taehyun grips Beomgyu’s arm before he can turn around, and fully expose him. “Don’t ask. Just keep walking.”

“But why are you-”

“Captain Dumbfuck, please just keep walking.” Taehyun glances at the group of girls warily and curses under his breath when he sees them nearing him and Beomgyu.

Albeit still confused, the jock isn’t about to refuse, especially since Taehyun, for once, said please to him, and continues walking. Taehyun resumes hiding behind him as they walk, and eventually, they lose the crowd of girls. Once he makes sure they’ve definitely lost them, Taehyun steps out from behind Beomgyu and sighs in relief.

“Okay, what was that?” he demands, furrowing his eyebrows at him.

“What was what?” Now it’s Taehyun feigning innocence.

Beomgyu raises a brow at him. “You hiding behind me? You don’t even like breathing that close to me.”

“Uh…” Taehyun quickly rakes his brain for a lie. “Y-you had a…fly on your back.”

“Really? I had a fly on my back, so you decided to hide behind me for a good twenty seconds?”

“I…wasn’t hiding.”

“Has anyone told you how bad you are at lying?”

“I’m a great liar,” Taehyun huffs defensively.

“Oh, right, which is why there was a fly on my back, and why you swatted it away with your hand like a normal person does, instead of going behind me as if you were hiding from someone.”

“Yes, exactly.” Taehyun smiles awkwardly before clearing his throat and continuing to walk. “We should hurry. The bell’s about to ring.”

Beomgyu still wants to continue nagging him about why he was truly hiding behind his back, but he doesn’t get the chance, since they arrive at his first period, AP Calc. He doesn’t really like this class, and he lets out a small sigh as he opens the door for Taehyun and lets him walk in first. Unsurprisingly, Taehyun doesn’t even notice the gesture and walks in, not paying attention to Beomgyu walking in behind him as they both look up at their teacher, Ms. Hwang.

“Oh, Taehyun-ah.” Her face lights up at the sight of him, before her eyes light up when her eyes land on Beomgyu behind him. “Beomgyu-ah!? Wow, what a nice surprise. I don’t have to see you for another…” She looks at the clock hanging on the wall. “Ten minutes.”

“We came to turn in some worksheets,” Taehyun says. “As you know, this…” He glances at Beomgyu, wondering what would be an appropriate term to call him in front of their teacher. “Your student’s coach has required that he get tutored to help improve his grades, so we started with your class, Ms. Hwang. We…know it’s a lot to ask, but we were wondering if-”

“Yes!” she replies before Taehyun can even finish.

He looks at her, his mouth a bit agape. “I…I didn’t even finish-”

“Doesn’t matter,” she interrupts again, smiling brightly. “Whatever it is, I know it’s going to help Beomgyu-ah improve his grades, so consider the answer to all your questions a yes, Taehyun-ah.”

“Al…right,” he mutters, still a bit dumbfounded. He then clears his throat a little. “Um, so we finished most of the worksheets Beomgyu had to turn in. We couldn’t finish the rest, since…” He doesn’t want to tell Ms. Hwang the real reason, since that would just make it seem as if he can’t handle Beomgyu, so he settles for a partial truth. “We got distracted with the other assignments we had to do. But I assure you, we can turn in the rest of what he owes soon.” He fishes the worksheets from the black folder in his backpack and hands them to her.

“Ah, perfect!” she says happily, not even bothering to look through the worksheets. She looks at Beomgyu fondly and proudly. “I always knew you had it in you, Beomgyu-ah.”

“Heh, thank you, Ms. Hwang,” he says smugly, and Taehyun resists the urge to roll his eyes at him.

“Where were you guys studying?” Ms. Hwang asks. “I swung by the library yesterday, and didn’t see you guys.”

“Oh, that’s ‘cause we went to a café,” Taehyun informs without thinking. “We thought a change of scenery would help…your student focus better.”

“A café?” Ms. Hwang’s eyebrows raise a little before she smiles warmly. “Aw, how cute.”

Taehyun gives her a small frown. “How is that cute?”

“Because you guys were on a date!”

Taehyun’s jaw drops, and he almost chokes on his saliva.

“A-a what?” he manages to croak out.

“A date!” Ms. Hwang repeats, just as happily. “I never saw it coming, but I guess I can see it! The school’s best straight-A student and the jock… Such a perfect pair!”

Taehyun can just stare at her as if she grew two heads.

“See, sweetheart?” Beomgyu’s smug voice lowers an octave, and he wraps an arm around Taehyun’s small waist. “Even Ms. Hwang can see we look great together.”

The feeling of Beomgyu’s arm around his tiny waist is enough to snap Taehyun out of it, and he glares up at Beomgyu, pushing his arm away. He then turns to Ms. Hwang, whom isn’t at all deterred by that.

“Ms. Hwang, we”—he vehemently points to him and Beomgyu—“are not dating. And never will be. We’re not even friends.”

Ms. Hwang’s smile falters. “You’re not?”

“Against my better wishes, no,” Beomgyu says with a small sigh. “You don’t know how heartbroken I was when I learned my own tutor doesn’t want to be friends, Ms. Hwang.”

“Oh, honey,” she frowns, and pats his arm. She turns to Taehyun. “Why don’t you want to be friends with Beomgyu-ah, Taehyun?”

The younger refrains from glaring daggers at Beomgyu. “I just want to focus on getting things done, Ms. Hwang, and I fear that becoming…friends will get in the way of that.”

“But now you’ve hurt Beomgyu-ah’s feelings.” Ms. Hwang’s frown deepens as she squeezes Beomgyu’s hand. “It’s going to be okay, Beomgyu-ah.”

“You are such a drama queen,” Taehyun mutters under his breath. “You know, Ms. Hwang, we really do have to turn in the rest of the assignments to the rest of our teachers, so we have to leave.”

“Oh, yes, of course. Just try to cut Beomgyu-ah some slack, okay? He’s already going through a lot with your rejection.”

Taehyun almost bristles. “I’ll see you later, Ms. Hwang.” Without waiting for her response, he walks out of her classroom. When Beomgyu joins him a few seconds later, his pseudo-sad look replaced with his usual smug one, Taehyun almost pounces on him. “Why’d you do that for?!”

“Do what?” Beomgyu plays innocent as they begin walking to his second class.

“Don’t play dumb with me!” Taehyun snaps. “You know what you did.”

Beomgyu lets out a small smirk. “Do I?”

“You little-”

“Calm down, will you, Hulk?” Beomgyu rolls his eyes. “I played a lil’ joke. No biggie.”

“‘No biggie’?!” Taehyun repeats in disbelief. “Our teachers literally worship you! You telling one of them that I don’t want to be your friend will make them hate me! Oh god, you freaking Dumbfuck, I knew you were dumb, but I didn’t know you were this dumb.”

“Can you never take a joke?” Beomgyu says with a small chuckle.

“You and Yeonjun-hyung should be best friends at this point,” Taehyun grumbles. “You both think your ‘jokes’ are hilarious.”

“Aw, me and your best friend have something in common? How cute.”

Taehyun glowers at him. “I am five seconds away from ending you.”

“If you can even reach.”

Taehyun would actually do it if they didn’t arrive at Beomgyu’s second class.

⌞ ⚽︎ ✮⋆˙ ⌝

Hours later, it is finally lunch. Somehow, Taehyun has survived until then. Being with Beomgyu in the morning took a toll on him, especially thanks to Beomgyu’s relentless joking around and annoying words, and Taehyun truly did want to throttle him. But he held himself back, because that would only get him in trouble. 

And now, he’s just hoping for some peace and quiet during his last break of the school day.

But of course he’s never been that lucky.

“God, hyung, you should’ve seen how annoying he was in the morning,” he rants angrily to Yeonjun, whilst shoving his mouth with the lunch the taller’s mom prepared for them, so his words come out a bit muffled. “I swear I’ve never wanted to punch anyone in the face more. He’s the most insufferable person I’ve ever met-”

“Aw, see, you do talk about me, sweetheart.”

Taehyun’s ranting immediately comes to a stop. He hesitantly looks up, his eyes sadly (for him) landing on the one boy he thought—hoped—he wouldn’t have to see again. At least, not for now.

“What do you want?” Taehyun says blankly, holding back a groan.

“To ask Yeonjun a question,” Beomgyu says. Before Taehyun can even ask him what he wants to ask, he’s already asking it, “So, Yeonjun, does Taehyun ever talk to you about me? You know, besides right now.”

Taehyun’s head snaps right up, and he gives Yeonjun a warning look. “Hyung, don’t you even dare-” 

“Um…I’m not sure if I should answer that.” Yeonjun smiles, a bit nervously, for once not torturing Taehyun any further.

Beomgyu’s smirk grows. “No need anymore. That answered my question enough.” He looks back at Taehyun. “I didn’t know you were that obsessed with me, sweetheart. I’m flattered. I thought you hated me.”

“I do,” he scowls. “Everything I’ve said about you is in disgust and hatred. Now. What. Do you. Want?”

“Feisty,” Beomgyu chuckles. “You’re lucky I have my girls waiting for me. I just came to inform you that Coach wants to see us after school.”

That gets Taehyun’s attention, and his angry look falters a little. “He does?”

Beomgyu nods. “In his office, so don’t be late. Or do. I don’t really care. Unlike someone.”

Taehyun ignores his last comment. “Why does he want to see us?”

Beomgyu shrugs. “Beats me. He just told me to spread the message.”

Taehyun’s eyes narrow a little. “And you couldn’t have taken the chance to ask him why he wants to see us?”

“Nope.” Beomgyu grins proudly. “Now, if you excuse me, a pretty girl is waiting for me to do her in the janitor’s closet. I’ll see you later, sweetheart. Yeonjun.” He smiles at both of them before sauntering away with his hands lazily in his pockets.

“See how annoying he is?” Taehyun scowls as he turns back to Yeonjun.

“If you think about it, Beomgyu probably has STDs,” he says, instead of paying attention to what Taehyun just said.

Taehyun gives him a look. “Really? That’s what you’re focused on?”

“What? It’s true,” he says. “He’s slept with almost everyone in this school. I wouldn’t even be surprised if he’s even slept with the teachers.”

“Ew, gross, hyung,” Taehyun says, scrunching up his face a little. “Why would a teacher sleep with a student?”

“Horniness?”

“Okay, I’ve now lost my appetite.”

“I just wonder how many condoms Beomgyu carries with him,” Yeonjun continues musing. “It’s certainly got to be a lot, given how much he sleeps with people. In a day, probably.”

“Are you done?”

Yeonjun looks at him. “Don’t tell me you haven’t thought about it, either.”

“Why would I?” he says with a brow raised slightly. “I’m not wasting my time giving that idiot another thought, especially if it’s related to anything sexual.” 

“Of course you don’t,” Yeonjun says with a small sigh. “You virgin.”

Taehyun’s jaw drops a little, and he narrows his eyes at him slightly. “Me being a virgin has nothing to do with not wanting to think of that asshole sexually.”

Yeonjun groans. “Not even once?”

“No. That’s gross.”

“You’re boring.”

“And you’re sex deprived.”

“So are you.”

“Yeah, but unlike you, I can function normally without it.”

“Not my fault Soobin won’t even look at me,” Yeonjun mutters with a small sigh.

“Maybe if you told him how you feel, he would.”

Yeonjun smiles, a bit sheepishly. “I think I’m good,” he says, making Taehyun shake his head at him.

Lunch eventually ends, and Taehyun walks Yeonjun to his fifth period before he heads to his. Before he knows it, the last bell of the day rings, signifying that school is over. Taehyun is relieved about that, and all he wants to do is get his club meetings and library duty over with already and go home. The thought of all the things he has to do now is enough to make him forget that he actually isn’t let off the hook yet—he still has other things to do.

On the way to his locker, he fails to notice the stares and whispers that follow him. It’s mainly girls whom are the ones giving him looks, and whispering about him amongst themselves, but some boys can’t help but whisper about him, too. Taehyun doesn’t even notice, too focused on unlocking his locker, and going over in his head what he has to announce in his foreign language club. 

He’s so into his thoughts that he doesn’t even notice someone coming up to him and leaning against the locker next to his as if they own it. Not until he closes his locker and looks up, only to jump when his eyes lock with familiar dark brown ones.

“Ugh, can you stop doing that?” he says with a small scowl.

“When were you going to tell me that our session yesterday was actually a date, sweetheart?” Beomgyu smirks, tilting his head a little.

Taehyun’s scowl falters, and his eyes widen a little. “W-what?”

“And nice to know that we’re dating, too,” Beomgyu adds. “I don’t recall asking you out, or you asking me out, but I guess that’s a nice touch. I’m flattered that you tell other people besides Yeonjun about me. Guess you really are obsessed with me.”

Taehyun’s face feels so hot, it’s even spreading to his ears, which are undoubtedly red, too. “I-I never-!”

“Though, I don’t think that was the brightest move to make,” Beomgyu continues, still with that stupid smirk on his face. “Don’t you know just how crazy my fan club can get?”

Taehyun finally gets over himself, but the redness on his face doesn’t tone down. “What are you talking about?”

Beomgyu raises a brow. “You haven’t heard?”

“Haven’t heard what?”

“People are talking about us, sweetheart. And according to them, we’re dating. Actually, according to you, apparently.”

Taehyun’s jaw drops, and he stumbles over his words. “W-what-?”

“Some girls said earlier that you told them you went out on a date with me yesterday at a café. That news spread to everyone else eventually, and now everyone thinks we’re dating.”

That’s when it finally hits Taehyun: Yeonjun told that group of girls in the morning that he and Beomgyu went out on a “date” yesterday, and unsurprisingly, those girls obviously yapped it off to everyone they could, most likely out of jealousy and envy.

“And I thought you hated me.” Beomgyu crosses his arms, still grinning.

“I do hate you.” Taehyun glares at him. 

“Then why did you tell those girls we went out on a date yesterday?”

“I didn’t!” Taehyun snaps. “It was freaking Yeonjun-hyung! He lied to those girls to tease me, and ugh, of course, those weirdos yapped it off to everyone they know! Argh, I am so going to kill Yeonjun-hyung for this-”

“Blame Yeonjun all you want, pretty boy,” Beomgyu says, lowering his voice a little. “But at the end of the day, you still let him say those things about us.”

Taehyun’s jaw drops. “No, I didn’t-!”

“Aw, it’s okay, Taehyunie,” Beomgyu coos. “Everyone else is in love with me. You’re just another poor victim who couldn’t help but fall for my charm, too.”

“I did not fall for anything,” Taehyun grits out, clenching his fists. “You are the biggest and worst idiot I’ve ever met, and I’d rather lick a stupid toilet than ever even hug you. Besides, I don’t even know why people believed those girls. You’re not exactly the type to settle down in a relationship.”

“True,” Beomgyu says with a small chuckle. “But I guess the picture of you and I just looks right in everyone else’s heads.”

“Don’t make me barf on an empty stomach,” Taehyun grumbles as he adjusts the notebooks in his hands. “Now, if that’s all you wanted to say, go away. Even breathing the same air as you is affecting me negatively.”

“Did you forget what we have to do?”

Taehyun looks back up at him. “We had to do something?”

“Uh, yeah? We had to go talk to Coach, remember?”

“Ugh, right,” Taehyun mutters, cursing himself for forgetting. “Let’s go quickly, then. I don’t want to be late for everything else I have to do.”

“Of course, a nerd like you has more things to do,” Beomgyu teases.

Taehyun side eyes him. “At least I’m doing something productive, and not fucking around, unlike some people I know.”

“‘Fucking around’ is still being productive, you know.” Beomgyu grins, all teeth and trouble. “Especially when it results in you bringing pleasure to you and whoever you’re-”

“Okay, shut up,” Taehyun is quick to interrupt, almost shuddering in disgust. “I don’t need to hear about your sex life.”

Beomgyu chuckles, but luckily doesn’t say anything else.

They arrive at his coach’s office moments later, and just like last time, he doesn’t bother knocking. Instead, he walks in right away, and Taehyun walks in after him. His coach looks up, and his face lights up when his eyes land on them.

“Oh, my perfect player and his tutor!” The coach stands up to do that weird handshake guys do between each other. “I was wondering when you two were going to show up.”

“Sorry, Coach,” Beomgyu says with a small chuckle. “Taehyun-ah and I had some…things to talk about.”

“It’s all good,” his coach assures. “As long as you both are here.”

“So, did you receive the results?” Taehyun asks, a bit hesitantly.

“Yes,” Beomgyu’s coach replies, but his face stays neutral, so Taehyun can’t tell whether the results were good or bad.

“And how are they?” he says, despite being unsure if he wants to know.

“They were good.” The coach smiles, much to Taehyun’s relief. “But they could’ve been better.”

“What…what do you mean?” he questions, feeling as if he’s going to faint.

“The assignments didn’t really change Beomgyu-ah’s grades,” the coach explains. “They just made his grades go from an F minus to a simple F. Beomgyu-ah still has failing grades.”

“B-but I thought turning in all those assignments was going to help,” Taehyun says, a bit dumbfounded.

“They did a little,” the coach says. “But I told his teachers to stay strict with their late work policies and not exclude Beomgyu just because he’s their favorite. Trust me, it was very hard for me to do, but it was necessary.”

“Wow, Coach, you’re really doing me like that?” Beomgyu sighs, but what irks Taehyun is that it sounds playful. Once again, Beomgyu is not taking any of this seriously.

“Principal’s orders,” his coach sighs, before he smiles at them. “But really, good work, you two. If you keep this up, Beomgyu-ah’s grades will improve in no time.”

“Y-yeah.” Taehyun smiles faintly. “Is that all then, Coach?”

“Yes,” he answers. “I just wanted to inform you two of the results.”

Taehyun nods. He bows to him, before leaving his office. Beomgyu stays behind to talk with his coach for a while longer before joining Taehyun outside.

“What we did yesterday wasn’t good enough,” he mutters, mainly to himself, but Beomgyu still hears it.

“Wasn’t good enough?” he repeats with a small scoff. “Sweetheart, you did hear what Coach said, didn’t you?”

Taehyun shakes his head. “That still wasn’t good enough.”

Beomgyu shrugs. “Good enough for me.”

“Of course, for you,” Taehyun mutters with a small scowl, before it falters. “But not for me.”

“Look, we did fine,” Beomgyu says, not seeing what the big deal is. “We did what we could in the span of one day, and managed to see some change. So stop worrying that big brain of yours, and just focus on what else we can do from here.”

Taehyun’s eyebrows furrow a little, and he looks up at Beomgyu. “Did you just…try to comfort me?”

“No,” he says with a small scoff. “I’m just stating facts, sweetheart. Your overthinking gets us nowhere and just wastes our time. So if you’re done freaking, I’ma take my leave. Later.” With that, he walks away in that lazy gait of his.

Taehyun glares after him. He doesn’t know what he was expecting, and calls himself foolish for thinking Beomgyu would be comforting him out of the ‘goodness’ of his heart.

That asshole has no good in his heart, Taehyun thinks to himself as he begins walking to the classroom his foreign language club is in. He’s infamous for making people think he cares about them, before dumping them like trash. Don’t know what I was thinking. 

God, I seriously hate him.

⌞ ⚽︎ ✮⋆˙ ⌝

It’s nearing six p.m. when Taehyun is finally done with his club meetings and library duty. He walks out of the library, sending a small smile to the librarian. He begins walking towards the doors of the school, thinking he’s alone.

Which is why it almost scares him to death when he suddenly feels a hand on his shoulder, making him almost jump out of his own skin.

“Oops, sorry, Taehyun-ah!” Luckily, it’s just his vice president of their student council, whom looks sheepish. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Eunkyung,” Taehyun says, a bit in relief. “What are you still doing here? I thought you had gone home.”

“Nah, I was fixing up a few things,” Eunkyung says as she begins walking with him to the school doors. “You headed home?”

Taehyun nods. “You?”

“Yeah, my mom’s picking me up soon.” A coy smile then spreads on Eunkyung’s face, but because she and Taehyun aren’t really friends like that, he doesn’t get suspicious over it. “So, I’ve heard from a few little birdies something so interesting about you.”

“You have?” No one ever talks about him, since he’s kind of unknown in their school.

“Mhm.” Eunkyung’s smile goes from coy to smug. “You are so fake, Taehyun-ah. I thought we were at least friends.”

Taehyun’s eyebrows furrow a little. “What do you mean?”

“When were you going to tell me you were dating Choi Beomgyu?”

Taehyun immediately groans. With all his club meetings and library duty, he had forgotten that people think that of him now.

“I didn’t tell you because it’s not true,” he says, covering his face with his hands. “That stupid jock and I are not dating.”

“Really?” Eunkyung looks surprised. “Then why is everyone saying you are?”

“Because people are stupid and believe anything,” Taehyun groans. 

“Aw, but look at how shy you’re getting!” Eunkyung squeals. “Are you lying to me, Taehyun-ah?”

The ravenette resists the urge to glare at her. “Why would I-”

“Oh, my mom’s here,” she interrupts, looking at the car pulling up. “I’ll see you later, Taehyun-ah! And I expect the full details of how you and Beomgyu got together tomorrow!” Not letting Taehyun say anything, she walks over to her mom’s car and gets in, leaving Taehyun there on the top of the stairs, fuming a little.

But alas, he groans, telling himself to just get over it. People like to spread rumors, but they’re over it the next day. Hopefully, that’s the case. And maybe it will be, since it is Friday, and people will most likely forget about him and Beomgyu supposedly dating by Monday.

That’s enough to comfort him for the rest of the way to the bus stop.

⚽︎

The first thing Taehyun hears as he steps in through the front door of his apartment is new voices. He recognizes them as belonging to his aunt, uncle, and cousins, and whilst he’s surprised that they’re here, since his parents didn’t tell him anything about it, he’s also happy to see them.

“I’m home!” he calls out, closing the door behind him.

“Eek, Tae!” Undoubtedly, that’s his cousin closest to his age’s squeal, and Taehyun hears her running toward him, before she ambushes him in a hug.

“Hi to you, too, noona,” he giggles as he hugs her back.

“Oh, it’s been literally foreva since I’ve last seen you!” she says, hugging him tighter, before pulling away. “Wow, look at you. You’re so grown!”

“We last saw each other two months ago, noona,” he says, amused.

“You grew a lot in two months, then!”

Taehyun seriously doubts that, but doesn’t say anything as he giggles. “Where’s hyung?” he asks.

“He’s in the kitchen with our parents,” his cousin says. 

“Not that I’m not happy to see you guys again, but what are you doing here?” Taehyun says as they walk to the kitchen.

His cousin smiles smugly. “You’ll see.”

Taehyun looks at her suspiciously, and she just gives him a toothy grin. They arrive in the kitchen, where he sees his parents, aunt, uncle, and cousin’s fiancé, whom all look happy to see him.

“Oh, honey, come here, and give your auntie a hug!” she says, extending her arms out to him.

Taehyun lets out a small giggle, leaving his cousin’s side to step into his aunt’s embrace, and hugs her back. “Hi to you, too, Auntie.”

“Oh, how I’ve missed you,” she says as she hugs him tighter.

“Alright, love, let the boy breathe,” his uncle says with a small chuckle.

“You just want your chance to hug him,” his wife says with a small huff.

Taehyun giggles. He hugs his aunt for a while longer before she reluctantly lets go of him and lets him hug his uncle. He’s happy to see him as well, and they hug for a few more moments before they pull away. That leaves him with his cousin’s fiancé, and the two beam at each other as they also hug, expressing how much they’ve missed each other. Lastly, Taehyun hugs his parents, whom have been looking at him fondly the entire time.

“I’m very happy to see all of you,” he says as he pulls away from his parents. “But what are you doing here? I didn’t even know you guys were coming.”

“We told your parents not to tell you,” his aunt says with a smile. 

“Why?” 

“We wanted to surprise you with our news,” his cousin says as she looks at her fiancé.

“What news?”

“We’ve finally decided on a date!” his cousin informs happily.

Taehyun’s eyes widen. “You have?” His cousin and her fiancé have been engaged for almost a year now, and as crazy as it sounds, they still hadn’t decided on a date. Until now, it seems.

His cousin nods. “Yeah, we’re getting married on November 23rd.”

“So in two months?”

Her fiancé nods. “That way, it gives everyone, including us, enough time, especially to RSVP.”

“And since you guys are our favorite aunt, uncle, and cousin, you get the first invites,” Taehyun’s cousin says with a small snicker as she takes out four invites from her bag. “One of course for Yeonjun-ah.”

“You each get a plus one,” her fiancé adds, before looking at Taehyun’s parents. “Which I assume you two won’t need.”

“No,” his mom chuckles, “but I’m sure Yeonjun-ah and Taehyun-ah will.”

“But hyung’s getting his own invite,” Taehyun says, a bit confused.

“That’s…not what she means, Tae,” his cousin says, a bit hesitantly.

“Then?”

Since neither his cousin nor her fiancé wants to say it, his uncle says it for them: “Grandma Gyeong is coming.”

Almost instantly, Taehyun gets why neither cousin wanted to say it. Dread fills him, and he looks between the other four in disbelief. “She is?”

“Unfortunately,” his cousin says with a small sigh. She’d hesitate to say it, given that the grandma they’re talking about is their moms’ mother, but they understand. 

“We invited her just to be nice,” Taehyun’s cousin’s fiancé says with a small frown. “We didn’t think she’d actually be able to go.”

“But she is,” Taehyun’s uncle says. “She told us her doctor gave her the green light for her granddaughter’s wedding, so she’s going.”

“Oh god,” Taehyun groans. The reason why he and his cousin extremely dislike their grandmother is because she’s not exactly the nicest lady out there. She judges you on everything you do, say, wear—even on how you breathe. But what she judges you on the most is whether you have a partner or not. If you don’t, she criticizes you endlessly, pointing out each possible flaw you might have as if they’re the reason why you don’t have a partner. She didn’t start doing that with Taehyun until he was fourteen, and it was his mom’s thirty-fourth birthday. She asked him where his date was, and when Taehyun said he didn’t have one, dumbfounded, she tsked, and immediately began berating him for it. He would’ve ended up crying if his dad hadn’t saved him from her.

“You know you didn’t really have to invite her, right?” he tells his cousins with a small frown.

“We know, but she would’ve given us hell for it,” his cousin says with a small groan. 

“So basically, in the span of two months, I need to find someone to be my…date.”

“Not happening,” his dad is quick to step in. “You are not finding yourself a date, Taehyun, because you’re not going to have one. End of story.”

“Uncle-”
“Hajoon-”

“No, my little boy is too young to even be with another boy,” he says with a small huff. “I’m sorry, Taehyun, but you’re not bringing some boy to your cousin’s wedding.”

“Dad, Grandma Gyeong is going to-”

“Doesn’t matter,” his dad interrupts. “I’m not letting you bring some measly boy to our family event. And if your grandmother has something to say about it, I’ll deal with her.”

The rest sigh at Taehyun’s dad, already knowing how he is.

“I’d still have one if I were you, just in case,” Taehyun’s aunt whispers to him once his dad is distracted.

“You could pretend you and Yeonjun-ah are dating,” Taehyun’s mom suggests.

“No, Grandma Gyeong would see right through that,” Taehyun sighs. You’d think an elderly woman like her wouldn’t be so observant, but unfortunately for everyone, she is.

“I can tell my cousin Beomseok to pretend to be your date,” his cousin’s fiancé offers.

“No,” his cousin denies before Taehyun can even think about it. “I am not putting Tae through that.” She looks at him. “Trust me, Tae, you do not want Dohyun’s cousin as your date.”

“Why not?”

“You just don’t.”

“You’ll be fine, honey,” his uncle assures, patting his shoulder. “I’m sure a pretty boy like you will be able to find a date.”

“If his father doesn’t stop him from it,” his mom mutters.

“Well, good thing the wedding’s in two months,” his cousin says pointedly. “Hopefully, Uncle Hajoon is over it by then, and you’ve gotten yourself a date.”

“Worst case scenario, you try your best to convince Grandma Gyeong that you are dating Yeonjun-ah,” his cousin’s fiancé says, trying to sound positive.

Taehyun just sighs, already knowing he’s doomed.

Chapter Text

It isn’t until almost midnight that Taehyun’s aunt, uncle, cousin, and her fiancé leave. The seven take their time in saying their goodbyes, and once the other four are gone, it leaves Taehyun alone with his parents. Luckily, his parents seem to not remember the whole “date” situation for his cousin’s wedding, or they’re too tired to bring it up, so they don’t talk about it. Instead, the three spend a few minutes drinking the last of their teas, his parents ask him how his day at school went today, and he replies, obviously skipping out on the parts that involve Beomgyu, the dumb rumors that Yeonjun practically started, and anything else related to that. Then, he helps his parents clean up a little before the three finally say their goodnights to each other and head off to bed.

Since he took a shower in the morning, Taehyun only goes into the bathroom to brush his teeth and do his nighttime skincare routine. But just as he’s pushing his hair back with his fluffy pink headband, his phone begins ringing. Unsurprisingly, it’s Yeonjun, which makes Taehyun let out a small smile, since he was thinking about calling him, too.

Taehyun answers Yeonjun’s call before focusing back on his skincare. “Hello?”

“Hi!” Also unsurprisingly, Yeonjun sounds way too excited for almost twelve-thirty a.m. “Did I wake you?”

“No,” Taehyun replies with a small chuckle. “I’m barely doing my skincare.”

“Ooh, twins! I just finished doing mine.”

“That’s a surprise. You usually take forever doing yours.”

“It takes hard work to achieve this glass skin of mine, Tae.”

The ravenette chuckles. “What’s up, hyung? Why’d you call?”

“No reason. Felt bored, so I decided to call my bestie. But then he didn’t answer, so I had to call you.” Yeonjun lets out a small sigh at the end, and Taehyun rolls his eyes at him.

“Haha, very funny,” Taehyun mutters, making Yeonjun snicker.

“Anyway, what time did you end up coming home today?”

“Almost six-thirty,” Taehyun replies after thinking for a bit, but then his eyes light up as he remembers something. “Ooh, that reminds me! Guess who was here when I came home?”

“Uh…Twice!” Yeonjun blurts the first idea that comes to mind

“Pfft, I wish,” Taehyun scoffs. “But no, it was Jiwoo-noona and Dohyun-hyung. They came with my aunt and uncle, too.”

“Ooh, really?” Just like Taehyun, Yeonjun gets along very well with his cousin, too.

“Yeah. They got here before me, too, and my parents didn’t even tell me they were coming over.”

“Oh, so was it like a surprise visit?”

“Just for me.”

“So your parents knew?”

“Yup. According to noona, she wanted to surprise me, so she told them not to tell me.”

“She wanted to surprise you about their visit, or something else?”

“Both, I guess. And I assume you’re going to be very happy about what I’m about to tell you.” Unlike Taehyun, Yeonjun is always up for a good party, even if he’s forced to bring a date. Knowing him, Taehyun knows Yeonjun won’t have any trouble with that. “Noona and hyung finally decided on a date.”

“They did?!” Indeed, Yeonjun is happier than ever.

“Don’t get too excited. Grandma Gyeong is going.”

“So I need to find a date?”

“Yup.”

“Pfft, piece of cake.”

“Lucky you,” Taehyun mutters.

“Not really lucky if you think about it.” Yeonjun then begins sounding pouty. “My date won’t be who I want it to be.”

“Then make it be who you want it to be?”

“Heh, no thank you.” Yeonjun chuckles, a bit sheepishly, making Taehyun shake his head at him. “Anyway, that means we should go shopping!”

“No, it doesn’t. The wedding’s not for another two months. It’s on the twenty-third of November.”

“Still wouldn’t hurt to go shopping early,” Yeonjun says cheekily. “Why don’t we go tomorrow? And don’t try coming up with an excuse to not go, because I watched you finish all your homework during lunch. It’s a Saturday, too. We haven’t hung out in so long, Tae…”

The shorter sighs in defeat. As much as he doesn’t exactly like going to the mall or shopping that much, he and Yeonjun indeed haven’t hung out in a while. With all that’s been going on with Beomgyu and their tutoring sessions, Taehyun has barely had time for his own things, let alone to have free time. And besides, he and Yeonjun always do some sort of shopping during their hangouts—it wouldn’t be one without it.

“Fine,” Taehyun says in defeat, making Yeonjun gasp in delight. “I’ll just have to ask my parents.”

“Please, they’re going to say yes,” he says, waving it off. “You wanna meet there at the mall, or I come to yours first, or you come to mine, and we head to the mall together?”

“I’ll go to you, since you always come to mine to walk to school. What time?”

“Two-ish…?”

“Sounds good to me.”

“Yay!” Even through the phone, Taehyun can feel Yeonjun’s excitement radiating, which makes two of them.

Taehyun eventually finishes his skincare routine, but even so, he and Yeonjun are still talking. They continue talking on the phone for the next two hours, and probably would’ve called for longer if it weren’t for Taehyun’s mom scaring the hell out of him when she suddenly opens his bedroom door, demands to know why he’s still awake, and orders him to go to sleep. Knowing that if he refused or complained, it would lead to her not permitting him to go out with Yeonjun tomorrow, Taehyun hesitantly says his goodbyes to him and ends their call. His mom narrows her eyes at him a little before leaving, and Taehyun sighs. He still has a bit of energy left from talking with his best friend for so long, but somehow, he still manages to fall asleep not long after.

When he wakes up the next morning, the apartment is quiet. He doesn’t doubt it’s empty, since his parents are most likely off at work right now, and he checks the time: almost ten a.m. That leaves him almost four hours to get ready until he has to leave for Yeonjun’s house, so he isn’t that rushed. 

But since he still lives with his parents, he can’t go anywhere without their permission, so once he’s brushed his teeth and done his morning skincare, he grabs his phone to call his mom. She fortunately answers right before the call can go to voicemail, and Taehyun makes it quick, since he knows she’s at work and doesn’t have that much time to call. He asks her if he can go out with Yeonjun, she unsurprisingly says yes, saying he deserves it after working so hard this week, and even sends him twenty dollars, “just in case.” Taehyun thanks her before she says her goodbyes, since she has to return to work. Once their call ends, Taehyun texts Yeonjun to inform him that his mom said yes, which leaves Yeonjun ecstatic.

Somehow (but luckily enough), for the next few hours that it takes him to get ready, Taehyun doesn’t think of anything school-related, especially anything that has to do with a certain fuckboy. Maybe this shopping-with-his-best-friend break truly is more beneficial for him than he thought.

Thanks to having a fashionista as his best friend, Taehyun has been trained to not dress in his usual “lazy” outfits for whenever he and said best friend hang out. If he does, Yeonjun will have his ass, and after the long week—read: past two days—he’s had, Taehyun doesn’t need that in his life. But he still doesn’t want to do too much, so he settles for a baby blue cropped sweatshirt, light blue washed jeans, and chooses a white pair of Nike shoes to match. He straightens his raven hair, parting it to the side, and puts on a bit of makeup. After grabbing the last of his things and spraying on a bit of perfume, he leaves his house. 

Unlike Taehyun, both of Yeonjun’s parents don’t need to work. His father makes enough for the three of them, hence why Yeonjun lives in the nicer part of town. He isn’t exactly a rich kid, but there’s a noticeable difference between his family’s and Taehyun’s tax brackets. He’d also have a car already if he weren’t too scared to learn how to drive, which wouldn’t leave him and Taehyun walking to each other’s houses to meet up, or having to take the bus, or, in some instances, an Uber or Lyft, whenever they want to go somewhere.

Fifteen minutes later, Taehyun arrives outside Yeonjun’s house. He walks up to the door and rings the doorbell. A few seconds later, a woman whom looks almost identical to Yeonjun opens the door, and her smile grows once her eyes land on her son’s best friend.

“Taehyun-ah!” She extends her arms out for a hug, and the younger gladly steps into her embrace. “God, I haven’t seen you in forever, sweetie.”

“Nice to see you again, too, Mrs. Choi,” he says with a small chuckle.

“Ah, what have I said about calling me that?” Yeonjun’s mom scolds playfully as they pull away.

“Oops.” Taehyun smiles sheepishly.

Yeonjun’s mom shakes her head at him with a smile and lets him in. “Yeonjun-ah will be down in a bit. Can I offer you anything? Water? A snack? Have you eaten breakfast yet?”

“I’m fine, thank you, Ma,” he says with a small giggle. “And yes, I’ve eaten breakfast already.”

Yeonjun’s mom smiles, satisfied with his answer. The two talk for the next few moments, Taehyun catching her up on what’s been going on with his life. But with her, he also doesn’t mention anything related to a certain playboy. Just like her son, Yeonjun’s mom is a big romantic and will find any possible reason to ship him with Beomgyu. Taehyun already deals with enough of that from Yeonjun.

The pinkette’s mom and Taehyun are talking about how he feels being a junior now, when they suddenly hear footsteps nearing them. They look up, and their eyes land on Yeonjun, whom’s dressed in a black leather jacket on top of a white shirt, which is tucked into light blue skinny jeans. Brown suede Chelsea boots are hanging from his hands, so he can put them on once they’re outside. His pink hair is slightly tousled, looking as if he woke up with his hair already like that, but Taehyun knows it took him a while to perfect that hairstyle. His makeup is also light, which is rare for Yeonjun, but Taehyun figures he makes up for it in how ‘unique’ his outfit is, especially when they’re just going to the mall.

“I thought we were going shopping, not to a photoshoot,” Taehyun says, a bit teasingly.

Yeonjun smiles, a bit coyly. “It doesn’t hurt to look this good shopping.”

His mom chuckles. “You look great, honey.”

Yeonjun smiles at her, thanking her. He gets the last of his things, whilst his mom continues talking with Taehyun, and once they’re ready, the two say bye to the older’s mom, and leave the house. They begin walking toward the bus stop, talking and laughing a little about their phone call last night.

It isn’t until they’re seated on the bus, on the way to the mall, that Yeonjun asks, “So what are you going to do for noona’s wedding?”

“Uh…nothing?” Taehyun replies, a bit confused. “Just attend, I guess.”

“Not what I mean, dummy.”

“Then?”

Yeonjun rolls his eyes. “You said your Grandma Gyeong’s going.”

“Ugh, right.” Taehyun had honestly forgotten about that. “Well, not much I can do about it. I’m not dating anyone, and unlike you, I’m not brave enough to ask some rando to be my date.”

“You don’t have to ask a ‘rando.’” A small smirk grows on Yeonjun’s face.

Since a certain ravenette hasn’t crossed Taehyun’s mind all day, he doesn’t get what Yeonjun is getting at. “I doubt that. You’re the only real friend I have, and all my other ‘friends’ are girls, and I really wouldn’t prefer bringing them as my ‘date.’ I’m not friends with them like that, either.”

“Again, not what I’m talking about.”

“Then what are you talking about?”

“Oh, I don’t know.” Yeonjun rolls his eyes. “Probably no one, and I’m speaking crazy, because you totally don’t know a hot, single boy in our school who has so much potential to be your date, and woo your entire family at the wedding. Especially your grandma.”

Almost immediately, Taehyun gets whom Yeonjun is talking about, and he almost gags. “Ew! Why in the world would I ever want to invite him as my date?”

“Uh, to avoid facing your grandmother’s wrath?”

“Yeah, no thanks,” Taehyun scoffs. “I’d rather face her ‘wrath’ than ever have that asshole be my date, let alone willingly bring him to a family function, and let him meet my entire family. Not to mention how my dad will react. He already banned me in front of noona, hyung, and my aunt and uncle from bringing a date, so just like me, I don’t think he’d be very happy about me bringing a date…especially that…asshole.”

“Your dad wouldn’t have to know,” Yeonjun says cheekily.

“No, hyung. That asshole will not be my date.”

“Aw, why not?” Yeonjun whines, despite knowing exactly why. “It’ll be so perfect.”

“How in the world will that ever be perfect?”

“Because it’s the perfect trope! You, the handsome boy’s number one hater, and he, the smug, charismatic boy who loves to push your buttons, as each other’s date at your cousin’s wedding. You’ll start the wedding, thinking you still hate him, but then a slow song will happen, and that will change everything.” Yeonjun finishes it with such a dreamy look on his face that makes Taehyun seriously wonder if he’s okay.

“At this point, you should become a fanfiction writer,” Taehyun mutters, before quickly adding, “But not for me and that asshole.”

“Aw,” Yeonjun pouts.

Taehyun shakes his head at him. Thankfully for him, they drop the topic of Beomgyu being Taehyun’s date to his cousin’s wedding and talk about other things. The bus soon drops them off at the bus stop near the mall, and Yeonjun and Taehyun walk the short distance to said building. The second they step inside, Yeonjun’s face lights up, and Taehyun is just glad being in the mall will make Yeonjun forget about everything and everyone else, including Soobin, since talking about him will eventually lead to talking about Beomgyu, and Taehyun doesn’t want to talk about the soccer player anymore. He just wants to enjoy hanging out with his best friend for the first time in a while.

And that’s what he does for the next few hours. He and Yeonjun go from store to store, the excitement in Yeonjun palpable, and it even lifts Taehyun’s mood. He doesn’t buy as many things as Yeonjun does, but he still has a few bags in his hands. 

“Can we go eat now?” he asks with a small whine hours later. It’s now nearing five o’clock, and Taehyun hasn’t eaten since breakfast, which was hours ago. The adrenaline he felt being with Yeonjun at first and shopping has faded mostly, so now his hunger is hitting him.

“Ooh, yeah, I’m getting hungry, too,” Yeonjun replies, much to his relief. But just as they start walking toward the food court, he gasps and stops in his tracks, making Taehyun stop, too. “Tae, do you see what I’m seeing?”

Taehyun lets out a small frown, looking up. All he sees are just more stores, none of them catching his attention. “Uh, no.”

“There’s a Sephora here!” Yeonjun points excitedly to the black and white striped store. “I didn’t know there was one here at this mall!”

“That’s very cool, hyung, but we should-”

“Oh, please, pretty please, can we go there first?” Yeonjun asks pleadingly, even clasping his hands together. “I swear we can get food right after.”

“Why can’t we get food first?”

“I heard earlier that they dropped their newest collection of Laneige today, and it tends to sell out pretty quickly,” Yeonjun explains, but since he’s still overexcited, his words come out a bit rushed. “And it’s already late enough, so if we wait even longer, it might be sold out by the time we get there, and OMG, Tae, I really need that collection, so can we please, please, please go?”

Taehyun sighs in defeat. He knows Yeonjun by the back of his hand, and knows he won’t want to go to Sephora just for Laneige. He’ll get what he wants from the brand before getting distracted and dragging Taehyun around the store. Knowing himself, Taehyun will also get distracted eventually, and they’ll be in the store for what feels like hours, and Taehyun is hungry. But he knows Yeonjun won’t stop begging they go to Sephora, so he doesn’t really have another choice.

“Fine,” he says, making Yeonjun squeal and hug him.

“You’re the best!” Yeonjun beams as he pulls away. “Dinner will be on me.”

Taehyun gives him a look, yet can’t help but let out a small giggle as Yeonjun links their arms together, and they begin walking to Sephora. When they arrive, they see how slightly packed it is, like always, but that doesn’t deter Yeonjun as he leads Taehyun to where the Laneige items are. 

Just like Taehyun predicted, Yeonjun doesn’t only get Laneige. He begins walking around the store, and Taehyun follows him. It isn’t long before he gets distracted by the makeup brands as well, and the two become engulfed in looking for makeup products they probably don’t need.

It isn’t until ten minutes later that Taehyun breaks out of his Sephora trance, and only because he hears loud chatter and a few squeals nearby. Looking up, his eyes land on a small crowd of girls near the entrance of the store, and all of them are surrounding something—or someone. Taehyun can’t tell from where he’s standing, but he honestly couldn’t care less, so he looks back down at the Jimmy Choo perfume in his hands.

But he’s barely placing it back in its place when he feels footsteps rushing towards him, and he doesn’t even need to look up to know it’s Yeonjun. Taehyun isn’t exactly fazed, thinking the taller’s just excited to show him another of his favorite brands, or a perfume he thinks smells amazing.

“Tae.” But his tone and the look in his eyes make the shorter think it’s not that, which makes him wonder what’s going on. “I think I’m going to die.”

“Why?” he asks, raising a brow slightly.

“Guess who I just saw.”

One name comes to Taehyun’s mind, but he doesn’t believe it. Why would bad boy Choi Soobin ever come to the mall, let alone to Sephora?

“Who?” Taehyun questions, since he can’t think of anyone else whom could get Yeonjun this excited.

“Soobin!” he replies, much to Taehyun’s surprise.

“S-Soobin?” he repeats, not knowing whether to believe his ears—or Yeonjun.

“Yes!” The older one nods frantically. “The group of girls near the door? It’s because of him!”

That fills Taehyun with dread. Soobin and Beomgyu are like an inseparable duo, so if Soobin’s here, then that must mean…

“And guess who’s also here? Your man!”

Taehyun narrows his eyes a little. “He is not my man.”

“Whatever.” For once, Yeonjun is too focused on something else to correct Taehyun on that. “Soobin’s here, Tae! Oh god, I am freaking out. What is he doing here? Do you think he followed us?”

“Oh, yes, because he totally knows we exist,” he says sarcastically.

“Now’s not the time to be sarcastic, Tae!” Yeonjun whines, obviously panicking. “Should we leave? We should leave-”

“Hyung, we are not leaving,” Taehyun says, grabbing Yeonjun’s sleeve before he can move an inch. “We got here first, and just because your crush is here doesn’t mean you should flee. Let’s just stay here. Don’t you want to continue shopping?”

“Not really,” he mutters, and Taehyun knows it’s because now that he’s aware that Soobin’s here, he’s too nervous to think straight. “We should leave, Tae. Beomgyu’s here, too, remember?”

“Oh. Right.” Taehyun’s grip on Yeonjun’s sleeve falters, and he starts considering whether they should leave. Today has been such a great day so far, and Taehyun doesn’t want that to get ruined by seeing Beomgyu, let alone interacting with him. But like always, his pride gets in the way. “Either way, we’re not leaving just because they’re here. That’s ridiculous, hyung. Let’s just pretend they’re not here.”

“You know I can’t do that,” Yeonjun says.

Taehyun shakes his head at him. Unlike before, he doesn’t leave Yeonjun’s side this time and stays with him as they continue browsing through the section they’re in. He can still feel how nervous Yeonjun is, and tries to distract him by asking him questions about the makeup products they come across. It seems to help, but not enough to keep Yeonjun’s mind off of Soobin, and the fact that he’s only a few feet away.

“Oh, hyung, you know what I just remembered?” Taehyun says casually, as if nothing has been happening. “The eyeshadow palette I want isn’t in this area. It’s by the one we passed earlier, so I’ll be right back.”

“I’ll go with you,” Yeonjun is quick to offer.

“No,” Taehyun denies. “We’ll be closer to the door, and knowing your ass, you’re going to make a run for it. So you’re going to stay here, where I can keep an eye on you.”

“But-”

“No buts. I’ll be quick. Don’t move.” Not letting Yeonjun start another complaint, Taehyun leaves him. The thought of going after him anyway crosses Yeonjun’s mind, but he knows it won’t be pretty for him if he ignores Taehyun. He’s already nervous enough with Soobin being here—he doesn’t need Soobin witnessing Taehyun scolding him.

So, listening to Taehyun, Yeonjun stays where he left him. He tries to distract himself by looking at the products around him, and somehow, it works. He forgets almost completely that his crush is here and begins looking through the products that interest him. He grabs a few that catch his eye and turns to head to the perfumes, which are on the shelves behind him. But just as he’s turning, he isn’t aware of the 6’1, almost 6’2, build behind him, and he collides with it. It’s almost enough to drop both of their things, and Yeonjun gasps, cursing himself.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean-” he starts to say, only to freeze.

Soobin raises an eyebrow. “…You good?”

Yeonjun just stares.

There’s a brief, unbearable silence. Then Soobin says flatly, “You gonna blink or…?”

Yeonjun stammers, “I—I know you.”

Soobin’s gaze sharpens just slightly, amused. “Do you.”

“I-I mean, I go to school with you! I’m not a stalker or anything—I swear—I just—”

Soobin gives him a long once-over. “Huh.”

“H-huh?”

“You’re cute when you panic.”

Yeonjun clutches a shelf for support. “I-I’m not—”

“You here alone?”

“W-what? No!” Yeonjun scans for Taehyun like he’s a lifeline. “I’m with my best friend—he’s getting something—I’m not alone—”

“Doesn’t look like he’s coming back,” Soobin says calmly, glancing over his shoulder.

But then Taehyun does return. The second his eyes land on Soobin, his steps falter.

“Oh,” Taehyun deadpans. “You.”

Soobin doesn’t even blink. “You," he returns, before adding, tone detached, “You look familiar, but I doubt we've met before."

“I probably look familiar because I’m your stupid best friend’s tutor,” Taehyun says blankly.

Soobin doesn’t even look offended that he called his best friend stupid. “Right, the ‘tutor.’ Nice to finally meet the person who’s been making Beom finally raise his grades.”

“Couldn’t you have done it as his best friend?” Taehyun says, raising a brow. He doesn’t miss the warning nudge Yeonjun gives him, but he ignores it.

Soobin shrugs. “He’s not my responsibility.”

“I thought bad boys had loyalty.”

Soobin smirks—not the teasing kind, but the dangerous kind. “I don’t do babysitting.”

“Oi, Soobin, what’s taking you so long?” Interrupting them is a new, familiar voice, which Taehyun has been dreading to hear. He begins praying that the owner of the voice isn’t making his way toward them, but when it comes to Beomgyu, has he ever gotten what he wants?

“I thought you had already left with that blonde chick,” Soobin says as he looks up. 

Much to Taehyun’s dismay, Choi freaking Beomgyu joins them—but he isn’t alone. His arm is around a blonde, which makes Taehyun assume she isn’t the “blonde chick” Soobin is talking about, because if she were, Beomgyu’s arm wouldn’t still be around her.

“I did,” he says. “And now I’m back with another blonde chick. You’ve been taking that long.”

“I’ve been a little preoccupied,” Soobin says, looking at Yeonjun, whose face flushes pinker, and he looks away. 

Soobin looking at someone in front of them makes Beomgyu do the same, and amusement and a bit of surprise fill him when his eyes land on a familiar raven-haired male, whom doesn’t exactly look happy to see him. But that’s the last thing that stays on Beomgyu’s mind when he notices how Taehyun is dressed, and the light makeup on his face. At school, Taehyun is always in some hoodie and jeans, and he never wears makeup.

“Sweetheart.” Beomgyu grins, yet he keeps his arm around the blonde. “What a surprise seeing you here. Didn’t peg you for a makeup type. Kinda hot.”

Taehyun glares. “And I didn’t peg you for a functioning human being, but here we are.”

Soobin lets out a soft snort. “How come you’ve never introduced me to your tutor before, Beom?” 

“Because he always has his pretty panties twisted in a bunch,” he replies with a small smirk, which makes Taehyun glare at him. “And also because I couldn’t care less to. Now, if you excuse me, this pretty girl and I have some business to do. Later.” He doesn’t send any of them another glance before turning and leaving with the blonde still clinging to him.

Next to him, Soobin and Yeonjun continue talking, Yeonjun somehow able to say coherent sentences this time, but that’s the last thing Taehyun is paying attention to. For the first time since they met, Beomgyu brushed him off as if he were the annoying one. And the way he told Soobin, his best friend, that he couldn’t care less about introducing Taehyun to him is making Taehyun feel something he can’t—and won’t—describe. 

“Tae.” Yeonjun’s voice and a hand on his arm breaks him out of his thoughts. “You okay?”

“Huh?” is all he can say.

“You looked a bit dazed,” Yeonjun explains. “And you were zoning out. Everything okay?”

“Y-yeah,” Taehyun replies with a small smile, yet he doesn’t know whether that’s true. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

Yeonjun squints but doesn’t push. “Soobin said he’s treating us to dinner. You in?”

Taehyun glances at Soobin, who hasn’t said a word. If it were any other regular day, Taehyun would’ve said no and come up with some probably poor excuse as to why he can’t join them for dinner, just so Yeonjun can be alone with Soobin. But everything that just happened with Beomgyu is still running through his mind, and being alone will just engulf him in those thoughts, and that is the last thing he would ever want.

“Didn’t think the school’s bad boy would have such kindness in his heart,” he says, looking at Soobin, to distract himself from thoughts of a certain soccer team captain. 

Soobin doesn’t even blink. “I just enjoy watching people get uncomfortable when they don’t know my intentions.”

Yeonjun, already half in love, smiles like that was romantic. “That’s…so mysterious.” Taehyun gives him a look before they head to the checkout section, since he and Yeonjun still haven’t bought the things in their baskets.

As they stand in line, Soobin and Yeonjun are engulfed in another conversation, and Taehyun half pays attention to it, half doesn’t. Even before they’re dating, he’s already third wheeling them—but he’s happy for Yeonjun. He really is. At least he’s finally getting somewhere with his crush after being in love with him for so long.

Chapter Text

Despite being known for being their school’s bad boy, and infamous for breaking rules, and being a cold, selfish asshole, Soobin keeps his word of treating Yeonjun and Taehyun to dinner. The three grab something from one of the restaurants in the food court, and thinking Soobin was just pulling their leg, Yeonjun and Taehyun take out their phones to banter about whom gets to pay—only to get interrupted when Soobin pays for all three of them in the midst of their arguing, and looks at them unamused when they stare at him in slight shock. Yeonjun is the first one to break out of his shock, and he quickly trails after Soobin like a lost puppy. The two sit at an empty table, and, of course, Yeonjun sits next to Soobin, leaving Taehyun in front of them.

For the majority of their dinner, it’s only Soobin and Yeonjun whom are conversing. If you can even call it that. Ninety-nine percent of the time is Yeonjun rambling his heart out to Soobin, stuttering over his words here and there. Soobin, being this cold, ruthless boy, looks as if he couldn’t care less about what Yeonjun is telling him, but Taehyun knows better. If Soobin truly didn’t care about listening to Yeonjun, he would’ve told him to shut up already. Or hell, he wouldn’t have even invited them to dinner at all.

Unsurprisingly, once again, Taehyun ends up third wheeling them. But it’s nice to have something to focus on rather than the thoughts occupying his brain. It’s also amusing and entertaining to see how Yeonjun’s simp side truly comes out, because sure, Yeonjun has always been a simp for Soobin, and has been for so long, but this is the first time in the months he’s been crushing on the bad boy that they actually interact.

After they finish eating, the three continue walking around the mall. Soobin and Yeonjun stay walking in front of Taehyun, whilst the ravenette pays them no mind, sipping on his drink here and there as he looks around the stores around them. As they walk, he can’t help but notice that they haven’t seen a familiar fuckboy ever since they ran into him and Soobin at Sephora earlier, which is a bit odd, since he and Soobin came together. But then Taehyun is quick to shake his head at those thoughts. Why is he even giving that a second thought? It’s not like he cares. Beomgyu is probably off flirting, kissing, or fucking some girl he barely knows, and here Taehyun is, wondering why they haven’t seen him in a while. He calls himself stupid for even letting himself think about Beomgyu for a second. Beomgyu was so quick to dismiss him earlier—he should do the same.

But of course, when it comes to Beomgyu, he never gets what he wants.

For the next hour they continue walking around, Beomgyu stupidly stays in Taehyun’s mind—against his will. He hates himself for even giving Beomgyu a second thought, but no matter what he tries, nothing makes him stop thinking about him, which is stupid. Why is he thinking so much about the boy he hates most in the world?

Eventually, it’s just Yeonjun and Taehyun again. Soobin leaves, since he claims he needs a smoke, and is already running late for another thing, so Yeonjun shyly thanks him again for dinner, before watching him leave like a lovesick fool. Taehyun just looks at him unamused.

“I still don’t see what you see in him,” Taehyun says, crossing his arms. “He was cold, distant, and smelled like, what, smoke? the entire time. It was mainly you doing the talking, hyung.”

“That shows he’s a great listener,” Yeonjun says with a dreamy sigh.

Taehyun rolls his eyes, knowing that with every flaw he points out in Soobin, Yeonjun will just find a way to make it sound dreamy and irresistible. “Alright, weirdo. You wanna continue shopping, or start heading home?”

“We should get froyo before we leave,” he suggests, and Taehyun nods in agreement.

Minutes later, the two are walking out of the mall, shopping bags hanging from their forearms, whilst they eat their frozen yogurt. It’s silent between them for now as they focus on eating and make their way toward the nearest bus stop. Taehyun is just waiting for Yeonjun to explode, which is why he hasn’t said anything yet.

It isn’t until they’re on the bus that Yeonjun finally explodes. He doesn’t even care that they’re surrounded by strangers, whom keep looking at them every time he squeals too loudly. Taehyun is a bit self-conscious of all the stares they’re receiving, but he focuses more on how happy his best friend is, squealing and ranting to him excitedly about finally interacting with his crush.

They arrive at the bus stop near Yeonjun’s house before they know it, but even as they get off the bus, Yeonjun isn’t done squealing. Not even when he’s unlocking his front door, and he and Taehyun step in, taking their shoes off by the door.

It isn’t until they hear his father’s voice coming from the dining room that Yeonjun finally stops squealing, which makes Taehyun let out a small giggle.

“Don’t say a word,” Yeonjun whispers.

“Sure, hyung,” Taehyun says, amused.

They walk deeper into Yeonjun’s house and pass by the dining room, where they see his parents eating dinner. The two look up, smiling when their eyes land on their son and his best friend.

“Welcome back, you two,” Yeonjun’s mom says. “I take it you two had a lot of fun?”

“We always do, Mom.” Yeonjun grins, a bit cheekily, as he goes over to kiss his parents on the cheek.

“Taehyun-ah, what a surprise seeing you here after so long,” his dad says.

“Heh, sorry,” Taehyun says, a bit sheepishly. “School has kept me busy.”

“Don’t you remember Tae is the biggest nerd out there?” Yeonjun says, making Taehyun give him a look.

“At least that means he has good grades,” his dad says, giving his son a look.

“Hey, I have good grades, too,” he says with a small huff.

“Right,” his mom says with a small chuckle. “Anyway, what was all that ruckus about?”

“What ruckus?” Taehyun asks.

“When you two came in,” Yeonjun’s dad clarifies. “It sounded like Jun was squealing. What were you squealing about, sweetie?”

“Uh…” Yeonjun looks at Taehyun. Just like the ravenette’s dad, Yeonjun’s dad is also extremely overprotective. He doesn’t like it when Yeonjun mentions hanging around other boys, unless they’re Taehyun. And he’s only okay with Yeonjun hanging around the shorter, since they’ve known each other since they were kids, they’re best friends, and the two don’t like each other like that. Otherwise, his dad would probably forbid him from hanging with Taehyun, too.

Surprisingly, though, Yeonjun’s dad didn’t always used to be like this. Back when Yeonjun was younger, he was more laid back, and just found it amusing and sweet if his son had a crush on a boy, or if he caught him talking to and about one. But then, once they started hanging out more with Taehyun and his family over the years as the two grew up, Taehyun’s dad shared his reasons for being overprotective to Yeonjun’s dad, whom found Taehyun’s dad’s overprotectiveness valid, and decided he should be the same with his son. So now, just like Taehyun, Yeonjun has to deal with a way too overprotective dad.

Hence, he’s hesitating on giving his parents a proper response. He knows his mom will be ecstatic that he finally got to talk to Soobin, since she knows about his crush, but his dad will probably not be too happy about it. Not to mention how he’ll react if he finds out Soobin, the guy his son is in love with, is basically the school’s delinquent.

“There was just a really good sale at the mall,” Taehyun lies, saving Yeonjun’s ass. “You know how hyung is, always getting excited over something as simple as a sale.” He smiles, a bit nervously, at Yeonjun’s parents, hoping they believe him.

“Classic Jun,” Yeonjun’s mom chuckles, her and her husband seeming to believe Taehyun, much to his and Yeonjun’s relief. “So, did you two buy a lot of things?”

For the next couple of minutes, Yeonjun and Taehyun give the older of the two’s parents a small haul of everything they bought. Once they finish, Yeonjun’s dad asks if they’ve eaten, and the two say they have, Yeonjun struggling to hold back a smile and his blush, since the mention of dinner reminds him of Soobin, before they excuse themselves upstairs to his bedroom.

“That was so close,” he says as he closes the door behind them.

“Literally,” Taehyun agrees. “Thank god I was able to think so quickly.”

“Thank god my parents believed you,” Yeonjun adds.

“Are you going to tell your mom later, though?” Taehyun asks as they place their bags on Yeonjun’s desk.

“Um…I don’t think so,” he replies with a slightly sheepish smile.

“Why not?”

“She’s already asking what type of guy Soobin is,” Yeonjun explains. “And you know how bad I am at lying, so it won’t be long before I tell her the truth, and if I do, I seriously doubt she’s going to be okay with me still having a crush on him.”

“Maybe that’s a sign you shouldn’t be crushing on a delinquent like Soobin.”

“Shush,” Yeonjun huffs, making Taehyun laugh. “And anyway, you’re one to talk.”

“I’m one to talk?” Taehyun raises a brow. “How?”

“You’re crushing on a guy who just goes after people to get into their pants, and then throws them away like trash once he gets what he wants from them. He’s not exactly any better.”

Almost immediately, Taehyun gets whom Yeonjun is talking about, and he scoffs. “That asshole would be the last person I would ever crush on.”

“Stop lying to yourself, Tae.”

“What? I’m not-”

“I saw how…betrayed you look earlier when Beomgyu left,” Yeonjun says, much to Taehyun’s slight surprise. “How he didn’t even give you another glance before walking away? Yeah, I noticed how that made you feel.”

“Th-that…that didn’t make me feel anything.”

“When are you going to stop lying to yourself?”

“I’m not,” Taehyun says, giving him a small glare. “I’m not crushing on that asshole, and never will be.”

“Then why did you look so hurt when he told Soobin he couldn’t care less about introducing you to him?”

That catches Taehyun off guard, and he doesn’t respond as quickly as he’d like.

“Exactly,” Yeonjun says. “It hurt you, which means you feel something for Beomgyu.”

“Yeah, hatred,” Taehyun says once he finally finds his voice. “All that did was remind me how much of a complete ass that asshole is, and I didn’t look ‘hurt.’ I just… It caught me off guard, okay? That’s it. I couldn’t care less about what that asshole does, so no, hyung, I don’t have a crush on him. Stop projecting your feelings onto me, because I don’t have any, especially not for him.”

“If you say so,” Yeonjun says, sighing in defeat. He knows Taehyun better than anyone, probably even better than Taehyun himself, so he can tell that throughout every word Taehyun says, he’s lying through his teeth. But he won’t be the one making Taehyun realize that. He’ll have to realize that on his own.

⌞ ⚽︎ ✮⋆˙ ⌝

Monday comes way too quickly for Taehyun’s liking—but the thought leaves him a bit unsettled. Not in a bad way, per se, but he never thought he’d find the day he thought the weekend passed by too quickly. Back then, he’d think it was passing way too slowly, since he just wanted to go back to school already. But he knows why now he’s dreading going to school, and he refuses to give another thought to the reason why.

After eating something small for breakfast, he meets Yeonjun outside his apartment building. Yeonjun is happy to see him and immediately goes into a rampage about how nervous he is seeing Soobin today, and whether Taehyun thinks Soobin’s going to notice him now.

Despite how he woke up today, Taehyun isn’t about to take that bad energy out on Yeonjun, so he lets the pinkette cheer him up with his nerves. It’s enough to distract him from thoughts about a familiar older boy, and he even laughs here and there, and makes his own comments about how Yeonjun should feel if he sees Soobin today. Soobin is the school’s bad boy, after all—there’s not really a guarantee he’ll even come to school today.

But Taehyun is snapped back into reality the second they arrive at HYBE. All conversations have at least quieted down a little, because now, most students are all staring at them. For a second, Taehyun thinks they’re staring at Yeonjun, since he’s popular amongst most of them, but then, as they pass by a group of girls, Taehyun realizes they’re not even noticing Yeonjun. They’re all staring at him, and he can’t comprehend why.

Yeonjun obviously notices, and he lets out a small frown. He knows the lack of popularity his best friend has, so it isn’t normal for their peers to be staring at him as if he’s a popular kid. All the girls staring at him have some sour look on their faces, too. Getting overprotective, Yeonjun’s frown is replaced with a small scowl.

“Okay, can we help you?” he calls out. “Why are you all staring at my best friend?”

Yeonjun’s (rhetorical) questions are enough for a few people to look away, but the majority just glance at each other before looking back at Taehyun. 

“Hyung, what’s going on?” he whispers to Yeonjun, trying to hide behind him.

“Hell if I know,” he whispers back. “But I’m not liking this.”

“How did you do it?” A girl’s voice snaps them back, and they both look at her. She’s with her group of friends, and they’re all looking at Taehyun with frowns and distaste on their faces.

“How did I do what?” he asks.

“Get Beomgyu-Oppa to notice you,” her friend clarifies, and it immediately hits Taehyun why everyone is staring at him. With everything that went on during the weekend—read: on Saturday—he must’ve forgotten what rumor Yeonjun intentionally or unintentionally made spread throughout their school on Friday. That’s on him, too, for convincing himself the entire school would’ve forgotten their dear golden boy is finally “dating” someone. “How did you do it?”

“Look, I didn’t do anything, okay?” Taehyun says, a bit exasperated. “So stop bugging me about it.”

“Why are you holding that information away from us?” another girl says, looking offended. 

Great, this is just what Taehyun needed. Not only does he need to convince Yeonjun that he doesn’t feel anything for Beomgyu, but now he needs to convince their entire school that he isn’t dating him.

“How about you all shut up, and mind your own goddamn business?”

The deep, slightly annoyed voice makes everyone look up, and Yeonjun’s eyes are the only ones to light up. 

“Maybe let it enter your thick skulls that even if Taehyun was dating Beomgyu, he wouldn’t tell you jack shit either way,” Soobin continues, scowling. “Why would he tell any of you pathetic vultures how to go after his boyfriend?”

No one says anything.

“Exactly,” Soobin scoffs. “Now scram.”

Just like that, all the groups that were gathered around Yeonjun and Taehyun disperse. In just five seconds, it’s like nothing was happening, and it was simply another school day.

“You alright?” Soobin asks. But Taehyun doesn’t need to be a blind fool to know that he’s only directing that question to Yeonjun.

“Y-yeah, we’re fine,” he replies, clearing his throat a little. Taehyun doesn’t fail to notice how his face turns almost as pink as his hair. “Thank you.”

Soobin nods before his dark eyes shift to Taehyun. “You’re not really dating Beomgyu, are you?”

“No,” he confirms. 

“Then why does everyone believe you are?”

“Someone made the mistake of telling a group of girls that, and then they all spread it to the rest of the school.” Taehyun glances at Yeonjun, whom has a slightly sheepish look on his face as he looks away.

“And of course they were stupid enough to believe it,” Soobin mutters, shaking his head. “Leave it up to Beomgyu’s victims to think he is suddenly the type of guy to do relationships after only using them for sex.”

“They’re infatuated and obsessed with him for no reason in the first place,” Taehyun says. “Of course they’re going to believe that.”

Soobin looks at him. “Something tells me you don’t like Beomgyu very much.”

Taehyun raises a brow. “It’s taken you this long to realize?”

“At least two people in this school have a brain,” Soobin mumbles, glancing at Yeonjun, whom doesn’t notice.

“You’re sounding as if you don’t like your ‘best friend’ that much either,” Taehyun says.

“No, that’s just how I sound when I talk about everyone,” Soobin says blankly. “But I do find it stupid how everyone—or almost everyone, I mean, in this school looks at him as if he hung the moon, when he couldn’t care less about any of them.”

“Yes, thank you,” Taehyun says, relieved that someone finally feels the same way about Beomgyu. Even if it is said ravenette’s best friend, as ironic as it is.

Yeonjun can just stand there next to Taehyun, listening to his best friend and crush talk to each other, almost bonding, and totally not feeling jealous at all.

Luckily, he’s saved by the bell.

“Well, I’m, uh, gonna get to class,” he says, giving them, mainly Taehyun, a small smile.

“I’ll walk you,” Soobin offers, much to Yeonjun’s surprise.

Yeonjun’s face heats up. “O-oh, you don’t have to-”

“I got to school early for once,” Soobin interrupts. “Might as well make use of it.”

“O…okay,” Yeonjun says shyly, his face turning as pink as his hair again. As he and Soobin begin walking to his first class, he turns his head to look at Taehyun in panic, and Taehyun can just let out a small laugh, sending him a thumbs up.

Taehyun watches his best friend and his crush walk away, and can’t help but notice the height difference between them. He finds it cute and makes a mental note to talk to Yeonjun about it later, so Yeonjun can have something else to squeal about when it comes to Soobin and crushing on him.

Once the older two are out of sight, that’s when Taehyun turns and finally begins walking to his first class. It won’t be until another three periods that he’ll see a familiar soccer player after not seeing him for two days, but he tells himself to just focus on his first three classes for now. He can focus on that jerk later.

⌞ ⚽︎ ✮⋆˙ ⌝

‘Later’ comes way too quickly for Taehyun’s liking. Third period barely ended, and now he’s headed to his fourth period, AP Lit. It’s been the only class he shares with Beomgyu for the past few weeks, and before, it used to be almost torture not only sharing a class with him, but also being forced to be partners with him. His true partner, the one whom he had before Beomgyu came along, was surprised and a bit offended that their teacher quickly replaced her just like that, but then it seemed as if whatever spell Beomgyu has their school under hit her again, and she was quick to feel flattered that Beomgyu took her spot.

Just like you can expect, Beomgyu doesn’t pay much attention in that class. Whenever their teacher is teaching, he simply doodles in his notebook or whatever notes they have that week, and whispers stupid jokes and flirts to Taehyun. The ravenette is left dealing with Beomgyu’s shenanigans and refraining constantly from punching his teeth in.

As he arrives at the entrance of his fourth period, Taehyun doesn’t let the sight of the empty seat next to his relieve him. He’s come to know that just because Beomgyu isn’t there already doesn’t mean he’s absent. It just means he’s off doing other things, probably having a quickie with someone somewhere he shouldn’t be, and coming in right before the bell rings, or a few seconds after it does. Although their teacher isn’t as affected by him as the rest of the teachers are, he’s still pretty much affected by him, since he never makes him get a tardy pass. It annoys Taehyun, but he’s told himself he should be used to it by now.

On the way to his seat, Taehyun smiles at their teacher, whom smiles at him back. He sits down and begins taking out his supplies, organizing them on his desk. The bell rings not long after, and just like Taehyun predicted, five seconds after it does, a certain soccer team captain comes strolling in, his raven hair a bit tousled. To others, it looks like it normally does, but Taehyun can tell why it's like that.

“Beomgyu-ah,” their teacher, Mr. Jeung, says with a small smile. “Nice of you to join us.”

Beomgyu smiles back, albeit sarcastically. “At least one of us feels that way.” He makes his way to his seat next to Taehyun, and the shorter one pretends as if he doesn’t even notice him. “Was the makeup just a one-time thing?”

Despite himself, Taehyun finds himself looking up at Beomgyu in confusion. “What?”

“You wore makeup on Saturday at the mall,” he explains. “But now you’re back to no makeup. So, was it a one-time thing?”

Taehyun scoffs and looks back at Mr. Jeung, who's teaching. “You’re ridiculous.”

“Ridiculously hot, maybe,” Beomgyu says, and even without having to look at him, Taehyun can already tell he’s smirking.

“How about ridiculously stupid?” Taehyun mutters.

“I see you’re back to being feisty,” Beomgyu says, a bit cockily.

Taehyun rolls his eyes, deciding to ignore him now. Luckily, Beomgyu just finds his sudden silent treatment amusing and doesn’t say anything else. Nevertheless, he doesn’t pay attention to what Mr. Jeung is saying—only Taehyun does. He writes down notes and is stuck in studious mode that he doesn’t even remember Beomgyu is right next to him.

“Alright, now for the rest of class, I want you and your partner to discuss the presentation coming up,” Mr. Jeung says thirty minutes before class ends. “If you have any questions, you know where to find me. Oh, and no goofing off, everyone. Try to get this done today.” With that, he walks to his desk, and the classroom erupts into chatter.

Knowing how Beomgyu is, Taehyun knows better than to even ask him about the presentation coming up. All the work will be on him again, and even though he doesn’t like that, he’ll have better luck convincing his dad to let him hang with a boy whom isn’t Yeonjun than convincing Beomgyu to do some of the work, too.

“We should make going to the café a daily thing,” he says minutes later, snapping Taehyun out of studious mode.

His hand stops midway from writing down notes, and he looks up at Beomgyu. “What?”

“Is your memory that bad already, grandpa?” he asks teasingly.

Taehyun narrows his eyes at him. “What are you talking about, dimwit?”

“Going to the café,” he says. “We’ve only gone once. We need to go more times if we want to make more progress.”

“You say that as if you actually care about your grades,” Taehyun scoffs, turning back to his Chromebook.

“Look, for some reason, Coach is on my ass about them,” Beomgyu says with an eyeroll. “And I don’t want to go through any more of his whining, so I just want to get this over with. Won’t making progress be better for you, too?”

“I…guess,” Taehyun mumbles hesitantly.

“Exactly.” Beomgyu grins. “So, we should make going to the café a daily thing.”

“I can’t,” Taehyun says, much to Beomgyu’s surprise.

“You can’t?” He raises a brow. “Or are you just saying that?”

“I’m not just saying that, Captain Dumbfuck,” Taehyun says, a bit through gritted teeth. “I don’t exactly have a lot of free time.”

That seems to surprise Beomgyu, and his eyebrows raise a little. “Really?”

“Why do you look so surprised?”

Beomgyu shrugs. “You’re the biggest nerd out there. I didn’t think nerds like you would have any plans after school.”

“Well, for your information, I do,” Taehyun huffs. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I’m the president of almost all the clubs in the school, and being the president isn’t easy. I also have library duty. Not to mention all the homework I have to complete, too.”

“Wow, that’s…unreal.”

Taehyun gives him a small frown. “What’s unreal?”

“That a nerd like you can be so…busy.”

Taehyun glares at him. “So you went on thinking I didn’t have a life.”

“Basically,” he chuckles, making Taehyun clench his jaw. “And I still think that. Who goes around wasting their time for some dumb clubs?”

“People who would want to get into a good college.” 

“You’re a nerd,” Beomgyu scoffs. “You have straight As, and probably always did. What else do you need? I think you’re just being an overachiever and bragging about it. Geez, I wonder how Yeonjun deals with someone like you. He must get tired.”

“How about you worry about your own life and friends?” Taehyun scowls.

“Aw, sweetheart, did that strike a nerve?”

Taehyun inhales sharply and looks back at his Chromebook. He will not give Beomgyu the satisfaction of seeing him all riled up. “No. Now shut up. I’m trying to focus here, since your ass doesn’t want to help.”

“We still need to discuss the café thing.”

Taehyun groans, having forgotten about that. “Fine. Well, I can’t do the daily thing, so what do you want to do?”

“What weekday is your busiest?”

“Almost every day, especially now that I have to deal with you.”

“Okay, then on what day do you have the most free time?”

“Fridays,” Taehyun replies. On those days, he’s already done with almost everything he has to do. All that’s left is studying for the week after’s courses, but he figures he can stop doing that, for the sake of tutoring. 

“Okay, then how about we go to the café on weekends?” Beomgyu suggests. “Including Fridays, if you don’t include them as a weekend.”

“So Friday, Saturday, Sunday?”

“Do you know any other weekend days?”

“No…” Taehyun mutters. “So that’d be three days? And for who knows how many hours? That’s a lot of you time…”

“Nervous?” Beomgyu grins.

“No, dreading it,” Taehyun says blankly.

“Too bad, so sad,” Beomgyu says smugly. “You signed up for it. So, can you do the weekends or not?”

“I…guess,” Taehyun says hesitantly.

“Good!” Beomgyu beams. “But we should probably decide on an extra day during the weekdays. I don’t think we’d make a lot of progress only doing the sessions three days a week.”

“Three days a week is enough,” Taehyun scoffs. “I don’t want to see you any longer than that.”

“You’re going to have to suck it up, sweetheart. Do you want to do only three days a week, and endure me for longer, or do you want to do it for more than three days a week, and cut our time shorter? I’m fine with either one.” 

“...Shut up,” Taehyun grumbles, hating that Beomgyu has a point.

“Make me,” he says, a bit lowly. When Taehyun side eyes him, he continues with what they’re talking about, “So, what other day do you have more free time?”

“Wednesdays,” Taehyun replies. The library isn’t open for that long on those days, so he doesn’t have library duty.

“Great!” Beomgyu beams again. “We’ll go to the café on Wednesdays and the weekends, then.”

“Yay,” Taehyun says sarcastically.

“Aw, don’t sound so excited about this, sweetheart. I’m sure we’ll have a blast.”

“I’m only agreeing because you finally paid some attention last time, and we got work done,” Taehyun says. “But if we go on Wednesday, and you’re goofing off again, I’ll convince your coach not to let you even practice. And before you say anything, he probably will listen to me. You saw how serious he is about you raising your grades, and I’m your tutor. You really think he won’t listen to me?”

“You threatening me is kinda hot,” Beomgyu smirks, resting his cheek against his fist, as he looks at him.

“And of course you can only think with your dick,” he mutters, returning to his notes.

“You would, too, if you saw it. Want to?”

“No.” 

Chapter Text

“I can’t hang out during the weekends anymore,” is the first thing Taehyun tells Yeonjun as they meet up near the cafeteria. Fourth period ended a few minutes ago, and Beomgyu was already gone by the time the bell rang. It doesn’t faze Taehyun, since Beomgyu has been doing that ever since he moved to his fourth period, and it’s not like he cares, either. 

“Don’t tell me you signed up for another nerd thing,” Yeonjun says with a small groan.

The look on Taehyun’s face is enough to confirm Yeonjun’s worries.

“Tae,” he groans. 

“It wasn’t willingly,” Taehyun grumbles. “This time, it’s against my will.”

“Really?” Yeonjun doesn’t believe him. “How is doing something school-related ‘against your will’?”

Taehyun sighs. “Because it relates to he-who-shall-not-be-named.”

Almost immediately, it clicks in Yeonjun’s brain, and the displeasure on his face is replaced with a cheeky one. He lets out a small giggle. “So you’re spending the weekends with Beomgyu now. Interesting.”

“Ugh, not like that,” Taehyun says in disgust. “It’s just for tutoring. As I said, I’m doing this against my will.”

“Right, right.” Yeonjun doesn’t believe him, but then the cheeky look on his face is replaced with a small pout, and he sighs, almost dramatically. “But wow, I never thought I’d see the day where you, my dear, li’l, old bestie replaced me for a boy.”

“You are so dramatic.” Taehyun rolls his eyes. “First of all, I am not replacing you, because again, I am doing this against my will, and second of all, I would never replace you, hyung. Especially not with a boy like that asshole.”

“Aw, you truly mean that?” Yeonjun fake sniffles.

“Yes, dummy.”

Yeonjun lets out a small squeal and wraps his arms around Taehyun’s neck to pull him close and hug him. “And that’s why you are so cutie, Tae.”

The ravenette shakes his head, making Yeonjun giggle. Eventually, they reach their usual hangout spot, and Yeonjun takes out the lunch his mom prepared for them today.

“Why are you guys doing the tutoring things during the weekends, though?” he asks, which comes out a bit muffled due to the food still in his mouth as he chews. “I seriously doubt it’s for what I’m thinking.”

“It isn’t,” Taehyun is quick to deny, knowing Yeonjun thinks he’s just using tutoring as an excuse, and that actually, from now on, Taehyun will for some reason start going on little dates with the boy he hates most on the weekends. “We’re going for what I told you earlier, hyung: tutoring.”

“And you two can’t do that during the weekdays?”

“No,” Taehyun says with a small sigh. “I’m busy almost all the time, and the only free time I have is during the weekends. And that asshole wanted to add an extra day, so now, I’m not available Wednesdays, either.”

Yeonjun’s eyebrows raise a little. “Beomgyu suggested adding an extra day?”

“Yeah…”

“Hm. Interesting.”

“It’s not what you’re thinking,” Taehyun says, giving him a small look. “Both of us would just like to be done sooner with all of this.”

“Did Beomgyu tell you that?”

“Yes, actually,” Taehyun says, knowing Yeonjun was expecting a no to use it against him. “He said he doesn’t want to tolerate any of his coach’s whining about his grades anymore, so he also wants to be finished as soon as possible.”

“Or maybe just like you are, he’s also lying to himself.”

“Hyung, not this again.”

“Do you still hate him?”

“What do you think?”

Yeonjun shrugs. “I dunno. I just thought that after all the time you two have spent together, it’s made you soften for him or something.”

“Pfft, yeah, right,” Taehyun scoffs. “It’s done the complete opposite, hyung. That guy truly is a jerk, and being forced to tutor him is always making me wonder what people see in him, and why they idolize him.”

“So you truly believe you’ll never soften up for him? Not even a little?”

“No,” Taehyun says with a small frown. “And honestly, it offends me a little that you think I ever would.”

“I just thought the more time you were with him, the more you got to know him.”

“Okay, so, hyung, I think it’s been time you know this,” Taehyun says, a bit seriously, “but we have a thing here in our heads called a brain. You should use it sometimes.”

“Oh, shut up.” Yeonjun crumples up a tiny piece of his straw wrapper and throws it at him, but it only makes it a few feet before falling on the table. “But if you supposedly hate Beomgyu so much, how are you going to tolerate him? Not only do you have to see him four days out of the seven days of the week, which is something most people don’t do with the people they supposedly hate, by the way, but you also have to see him during school. Knowing you, it’s going to drive you crazy.”

“I think it already is,” he says. “But I have to push through this.”

Yeonjun shakes his head. “You and your need to please people.”

“Shut up.” 

“So where are you guys going?” Yeonjun asks. “‘Cause I doubt you’ll be able to use the library.”

Taehyun hesitates. He doesn’t want to tell Yeonjun the truth, because then his teasing will truly start, but what else can he say to him? Regardless of what he says, the place will be somewhere that isn’t school, since it isn’t open on the weekends, or open for that long after school on Wednesdays, so Yeonjun will know they’re not doing their sessions at school, anyway.

“We’ll be going to the…café,” Taehyun hesitantly informs. “Surprisingly, that asshole managed to concentrate the last time we went, and actually got some work done, so we’re going again.”

“Hm.” Taehyun doesn’t fail to notice the small smirk on Yeonjun’s face, but for both of their sake, he pretends he doesn’t see it. “So once again, it’s just going to be you and the boy you supposedly hate at a café, which is a starter place for a date for some people. Interesting…”

Taehyun rolls his eyes. “How many times do I have to say this is all against my will?” Despite asking, he doesn’t even need to hear Yeonjun’s answer. He already knows that no matter how many times he says it, it’ll just go in through one of Yeonjun’s ears and out the other.

“I’m just making simple observations,” he says. “I’m not saying anything.”

Taehyun narrows his eyes at him a little. “Right…”

For the rest of their lunch period, Yeonjun continues interrogating Taehyun about his and Beomgyu’s tutoring sessions at the café. He asks him what time they’ll go, how long will they stay, if he’s going to let Beomgyu treat him to coffee, and tells him that if he does, it’ll be an official café date, since Beomgyu’s being a true gentleman—Taehyun certainly doesn’t blush a little at that—and if he’s going to dress up for their sessions. When Taehyun outright and blankly says no, Yeonjun’s eyes light up, and he suggests that he let him dress him up, then. When Taehyun once again says no, Yeonjun still has a smug look on his face, as if he knows something Taehyun doesn’t, but either way, Taehyun isn’t letting him dress him up. That’d be stupid when it’s just a simple tutoring session (even though it is with probably the hottest boy in school). He’s never dressed up for his other tutees—why would he for Beomgyu?

By the time lunch is over, Taehyun is already done with Yeonjun and his little ‘interview.’ Yeonjun, of course, found tormenting Taehyun funny, and whilst Taehyun knows his best friend means no harm, and he’d probably do the same if the roles were switched, a small part of him still wants to throttle Yeonjun.

“Oh, by the way, we have plans after school,” he informs out of nowhere, on the way to Taehyun’s fifth period. 

“‘We’?” Taehyun’s eyebrows furrow a little. “Who’s ‘we’?”

“Me and you, silly!” Yeonjun replies with a big smile, linking his arm with Taehyun’s. “Who else?”

“I dunno. Maybe you and your man?”

Yeonjun’s smile turns giddy. “It has to do with him.”

Taehyun looks at him, a bit suspiciously. “I’m not going.”

“Tae-”

“Even if I wanted to go, I can’t,” he says pointedly. “Today’s Monday, a.k.a. my busiest day of the week. I think you know how packed my day’s going to be, hyung.”

“Okay, but your ‘responsibilities’ don’t start until three-thirty. And this thing I want to do won’t take too long. It’s even here in school! Please, oh, pretty please come with me? I don’t wanna go alone.”

“Come with you where?”

Yeonjun smiles, a bit sheepishly. “To watch Soobin practice.”

“Practice what-” That’s when Taehyun remembers that, despite being this cold, bad boy, Soobin is still part of a sports team. “Oh. Do I have to go?”

“It is your sacred duty as my bestie,” Yeonjun says, a bit firmly, with a small huff.

“Can we even go watch him practice?”

“Yeah,” Yeonjun replies. “There are always students watching the sports team practice. I think getting watched, too, helps them feel better about the real game, since they’re getting really watched there.”

“Why don’t you want to go alone?” Taehyun asks with a small groan. “You have before.”

“Nuh uh,” Yeonjun corrects. “I’ve gone with my other friends before, but they’re fake, and also have crushes on Soobin, so I don’t like going with them. I know you couldn’t care less, and you tolerate my crush on him, and you’re my number one BFF, and I love you, so please, please, please go.”

Taehyun lets out a small sigh. The school year started a few weeks ago, and it’s about to be the end of September, so no sports have had any games yet, but they have begun practices. Nevertheless, even if it was already…whatever month sports season starts, Taehyun still wouldn’t waste his time going to one. What would be the point? He isn’t interested in any sport, he finds them confusing, and none of his friends are in sports teams. If he did go to one, he’d be bored out of his mind and wishing he could be somewhere with a desk doing his homework or studying instead.

But this is Yeonjun they’re talking about…

“Fine,” Taehyun says in defeat, making Yeonjun’s eyes light up. “But only up until three-thirty. Right after, I’m leaving your ass.”

“You’re the best, Tae!” he squeals, hugging him again.

Taehyun sighs, but a small smile still grows on his face as he hugs Yeonjun back. “Yes, I know.”

Seconds later, they reach Taehyun’s fifth period, and Yeonjun says his goodbyes with such a bright smile on his face. Taehyun just shakes his head at him and tries to simply focus on his class instead of thinking about how bored he’ll most likely be watching Soobin’s practice.

⌞ ⚽︎ ✮⋆˙ ⌝

The second he walks out of his sixth period, Taehyun is jumpscared when he almost collides with a familiar 5’11 build. He gasps and is about to open his mouth to apologize, but he can smell that vanilla perfume from anywhere.

“Hyung, don’t scare me like that,” he scolds.

“Sorry.” Yeonjun is too excited and giddy to look sorry, though. “I think you know what time it is.”

“Yes, time to watch your man throw balls around,” Taehyun mutters with a small sigh. He lets Yeonjun link his arm with his as they begin walking to wherever the sports section is. 

“Do you think he’s there yet?” Yeonjun asks.

“Probably not. He’s never on time for things. I don’t even get why he’s in a sports team if he’s supposedly the school’s delinquent.”

“I wonder that, too,” Yeonjun agrees, before letting out a dreamy sigh. “He’s just so mysterious, isn’t he?”

Taehyun shakes his head at him, and on the rest of the way to wherever Yeonjun is leading him, he lets him rant off to him about how “dreamy” Soobin is.

They arrive a few minutes later, and much to Taehyun’s slight surprise, they arrive at the school’s gym. He didn’t know what he was expecting, but he thought since he and Beomgyu are best friends, that Soobin would be in soccer, too. But unless HYBE’s soccer team isn’t like any other soccer teams, and they practice inside an indoor gym instead of a field, Taehyun guesses he assumed wrong.

“What sport is Soobin in exactly?” he questions as he and Yeonjun walk inside.

But Yeonjun doesn’t even need to reply for Taehyun to get his answer. Looking up, his eyes land on the way the gym is set up. Its floor is already marked with a basketball setup, but the basketball team isn’t currently playing. Instead, the basketball hoops are put away, and in the center of the floor is a net. More specifically, a volleyball net. On one side are around five players, whom will play against the other five on the other side. Their practice hasn’t started yet, but Taehyun can tell it will soon when he notices one of them bringing a ball to the court. He knows the gist of volleyball, but he’s never watched a proper volleyball game—or practice, in this case—before. Nonetheless, he’s already bored. 

Whereas Yeonjun is only focused on one of the players. Standing right in the center of the side closest to them is a familiar 6’1 boy, whose typical leather jacket, dark colored shirts, and jeans are replaced with his volleyball uniform: the jersey has a striking deep navy blue design complemented by clean black and gray accents, and stands out with its dynamic pattern of vertical black lines that radiate downward from the chest. It has a matching navy V-neck collar that is paired with the school’s logo on the chest. The navy blue shorts contain the player number “05” displayed in black and an additional logo near the hem. 

Soobin is just standing there, and Yeonjun is already swooning.

Taehyun doesn’t fail to notice, and he lets out a small chuckle. “You know, at this point, you should dress up in a little cheerleader uniform to really show your support.”

“Maybe I should.” And of course, although Taehyun was just joking, Yeonjun takes his suggestion seriously.

“Does he even know you’re here?” he asks. “Did he invite you?”

“Not…explicitly,” Yeonjun replies, a bit hesitantly. “But earlier, when he walked me to class, he did mention he was having practice later, so…”

“Your deluded mind took that as an invite,” Taehyun finishes. 

Yeonjun can only smile sheepishly, his cheeks turning a light pink.

Taehyun shakes his head at him. The practice still hasn’t started yet, since now the team is discussing something, but Taehyun wishes they would just start already. Time isn’t stopping, and he has his first club meeting soon. Looking at the clock, he can only stay for another fifteen minutes before he has to leave, whether Yeonjun wants him to or not.

“Let’s stand over there.” Yeonjun’s voice breaks him out of his thoughts, and he pulls on his arm—which is still linked with his—a little as he motions somewhere. 

“We’re fine here,” Taehyun says, a bit confused. They’re sitting on the bleachers, which is the bestest view they could have of the practice, and of Soobin, so he’s confused as to why Yeonjun would want to move somewhere else.

“Y-yeah, but Soobin won’t see us if we’re standing by the door,” he mutters, getting up, which forces Taehyun to get up, too.

“Don’t you want him to see you?” he questions pointedly as they walk to a spot by the gym doors that lead to the field outside.

“Yes...and...no.” 

Taehyun shakes his head at him. They arrive at a spot near the second pair of gym doors, and from here, they can only see one half of the team, but Taehyun figures that doesn’t matter, since Soobin’s still in their line of sight. He’s sure Yeonjun doesn’t mind staring at Soobin’s back profile, either.

Luckily, the game doesn’t take long to start, and despite himself, Taehyun finds himself paying attention. He still doesn’t get what the point of the game is, what the rules are, and how to play, but he finds himself hooked, anyway. Unlike Yeonjun, he’s paying attention to the actual practice, whilst the older one is most likely only paying attention to Soobin.

For someone whom’s cold, detached, and doesn’t seem to care about anything, the bad boy is surprisingly stellar at volleyball. He doesn’t make any whiffs, he’s quick on his feet, and even glares down at his own team, which is enough to scare them into playing better. Now Taehyun can see a little why Yeonjun likes him so much.

Midway through the practice, sudden cheering and whistles can be heard. The noises come from outside, but they’re loud enough to be heard clearly inside the gym, and they startle Taehyun. It annoys him, although he still wonders why the cheers appeared. But then he shrugs it off, deeming he couldn’t care less. Checking the time, he sees he only has around eight minutes left before he has to leave for his club meetings.

“Do you see him?” Yeonjun gushes to him, his eyes fixed solely on Soobin. “Do you see how hot he is? God, the things I’d let those hands do to me…”

“That reminds me,” Taehyun says, “you and Soobin have a height difference.”

Yeonjun’s eyes widen a little. “It’s noticeable?”

Taehyun nods. “You look small compared to him.”

Just like Taehyun expected, that makes Yeonjun blush like crazy. He covers his face with his hands out of shyness, making Taehyun laugh. 

“I think that’s another reason why we’d look great together,” Yeonjun says once he gets over most of his shyness.

“I don’t get why you don’t ask him out already,” Taehyun says. “You’re usually very confident and don’t let anything scare you.”

“Have you seen Soobin? Even if I weren’t crushing on him, I’d still be scared of him,” Yeonjun mutters, making Taehyun shake his head. “Not that I am in the first place. More like…intimidated. Plus, what if…what if he doesn’t feel the same way?”

“Then he doesn’t,” he says with a small shrug, making Yeonjun nudge him. “What? It’s the truth. If he doesn’t like you back, it’ll be easier for you to move on.”

“I don’t think I would even be able to.”

“You wouldn’t be able to, or you wouldn’t want to?”

Yeonjun stays silent.

“Just confess to him, hyung. What’s the worst that can happen?”

“Uh, he could hear me?”

Taehyun rolls his eyes. He doesn’t press more on the topic, and lets Yeonjun go back to gushing to him about how Soobin looks practicing. Two minutes before three-thirty, Soobin and the rest of his team finally have an interval, so Taehyun takes that chance to take his leave. By the time they’d return to practicing, he’d have to leave, anyway.

Taehyun turns to Yeonjun, whom’s still staring at Soobin with hearts in his eyes. “Hyung, I-”

Interrupting him is the sound of loud cheering and whistles coming from outside again. They startle him just like earlier, and this time, it annoys him more. He lets out a small scowl, but turns back to Yeonjun, not letting the loud noises deter him from leaving. But just as he’s opening his mouth, the doors next to him and Yeonjun open, revealing a familiar fuckboy he hasn’t seen since three hours ago.

But much to his surprise, Beomgyu looks…different. He still looks infuriatingly cocky, smug, and annoying (in taehyun’s opinion), but for the first—actually second—time since Taehyun’s known him, he isn’t wearing his uniform. Instead, he’s wearing another uniform, one Taehyun thought he wasn’t allowed to wear for now: his soccer uniform, which consists of a blue soccer jersey with black geometric detailing on the sides and shoulders, and a white number 13 on the front, along with the school’s logo. The jersey is paired with crisp white shorts, knee-high black socks with triple white stripes, and black cleats. But what stands out most to Taehyun is the black headband in Beomgyu’s raven hair, which is something he’s never seen him wear, and never thought he would. Taehyun refuses to acknowledge the way he freezes, as well as the way his heart skips a beat at the sight.

“Oh, four eyes.” Beomgyu’s deep, smug voice and new nickname for him break Taehyun out of his trance. “What a nice surprise seeing you here.”

Taehyun’s jaw clenches. If there’s anything he hates in the world besides being a bad student and not pleasing people, that would be being called “four eyes.” He used to always be called that in elementary school, a few times in middle school, and once or twice in his freshman year. So it’s been two years since he’s been called that by anyone, and for it to come out of Beomgyu, out of all people…it fills him with an inexplicable rage.

“Hey, Beomgyu.” Yeonjun quickly steps in, smiling nervously, once he quickly detects Taehyun’s filling rage. “I didn’t know you were practicing today.”

“We barely started today,” Beomgyu informs. He looks away from Yeonjun to look at Taehyun. “Nice to see I have such an effect on you, sweetheart.”

The shorter one is still glaring at him. “Why would you ever have an effect on me?”

Beomgyu shrugs. “Ask yourself that. But I saw the drool escaping your mouth when I appeared.”

Taehyun scoffs. “I wasn’t drooling.”

“Sure, four eyes.” 

“You little-”

Yeonjun holds onto Taehyun’s arm to hold him back from pouncing on Beomgyu. “I think I speak for Taehyun, too, when I say I’m surprised you’re even allowed to practice.”

“What can I say?” he says smugly, running his fingers through his hair, which the headband makes look even hotter. But Taehyun tries to focus on his rage instead of focusing on that. “Coach can threaten all he wants, but at the end of the day, he’s a sucker for this face, too.”

“He shouldn’t have let you even practice,” he grumbles.

“Aw, don’t twist your pretty panties in a bunch, sweetheart,” Beomgyu says with a small coo. “I still need to get my grades up if I want to be in the games, so I still need you, don’t worry.”

“Yay me,” Taehyun says sarcastically. 

“Is that what all the loud cheering was?” Yeonjun asks.

Beomgyu nods, a smirk growing on his face. “I was making a few goals, so of course, my fan club was going crazy.”

“They’d go crazy at you simply breathing,” Taehyun scowls.

“Can you blame them?”

Taehyun glares up at him. “Yes.”

“Surprised you’re here,” he says, crossing his arms. “I never took you for the type to watch a sports team practice.”

“I’m not,” Taehyun corrects. “I’m only here for hyung.”

“That makes more sense,” Beomgyu muses. He turns to look at what practice they’re watching, and lets out a small chuckle when he sees what team it is. “That makes a lot of sense, actually.”

“Cool, can you go away now?” 

“Aw, but I thought you’d feel better with me here, sweetheart,” Beomgyu says with a small tilt of his head, taking a step closer.

Taehyun is too busy glaring at him to notice. “Why would that make me feel better? If anything, it makes me feel worse.”

“I forgot how kind you are with your words,” he says, making Taehyun’s eyes narrow into slits. 

“Why are you even here?”

“To see you, of course.”

Taehyun just stares at him blankly.

“My team and I need more balls,” he replies properly with a chuckle. “So I came here to get them. Nice to see that you care about me, baby.”

Taehyun ignores the effect that pet name has on him, which is hard to do, given the way his face is heating up a million degrees. “Argh, it’s like you have the inability to ever call me by my real name.”

“We’ve known each other for almost a month now, sweetheart. I thought you would’ve known that by now.”

“It’s still annoying, Captain Dumbfuck.”

“Hey, the same goes to you, then.” Beomgyu winks at him before finally leaving to walk over to one of the doors on the other side of the gym. Taehyun figures that door leads to the room where they keep the sports equipment, and he totally doesn’t stare at Beomgyu’s surprisingly muscular thighs as he walks there.

“He’s so annoying,” Taehyun mutters to Yeonjun in annoyance.

“If you think about it, you guys kinda argue like an old married couple,” he says with a small giggle. “Well, more like you argue. Beomgyu just takes it and annoys you even further.”

Taehyun almost gags. “Ew, hyung. Do not ever say that to me again.”

Yeonjun giggles, making Taehyun side-eye him. They both go back to watching the volleyball practice, but it isn’t until Yeonjun makes another gushy comment about Soobin that Taehyun remembers he should’ve left minutes ago. He gasps as he quickly takes out his phone, his heart dropping a little when he sees that it’s 3:35. His first club meeting of today started five minutes ago.

“Oh my god, hyung, I should’ve left earlier!” he says, putting his phone away. “I’m late.”

“What time is it?” Yeonjun asks.

“3:35,” Taehyun replies as he adjusts his backpack. “I’ll see you later, okay?”

“I-I’ll walk you,” Yeonjun offers as he also begins adjusting his backpack, but Taehyun knows he only wants to so that he won’t be alone watching Soobin practice.

“No, you stay here,” Taehyun says. “Continue watching your man practice. Maybe even finally ask him out. Bye now, hyung.” He walks away before Yeonjun can say anything.

⌞ ⚽︎ ✮⋆˙ ⌝

It’s nearing 6:35 when Taehyun finally finishes everything he needed to do today. He went to four club meetings, and finished his last one a bit late, so he was a few minutes late to the library for his library duty. Fortunately, Ms. Choi couldn’t care less about what time he arrives, as long as he arrives eventually, but he still apologizes profusely to her, and promises it’ll never happen again.

Yeonjun probably went home two hours ago, after Soobin’s volleyball practice ended, and Taehyun wonders how it went. But knowing his best friend, Taehyun knows Yeonjun most likely left before the practice ended, so Soobin wouldn’t see him. Taehyun finds that a bit pointless, since Soobin now knows Yeonjun exists, and willingly wants to talk to him, but Yeonjun moves around him with the caution of a mouse who knows the cat has already seen him. Taehyun just hopes Yeonjun gets over himself soon and asks Soobin out already, because one, it’d be nice to not have him in his ear constantly gushing and ranting to him about his crush, and two, he hasn’t been to a wedding in so long.

But alas, Taehyun figures that Yeonjun’s problem, not one he has to deal with. After everything he’s done today, he just wants to go home. His parents are most likely home by now, probably making dinner, and his stomach growls a little at the thought of his dad’s cooking.

“Of course, the biggest nerd out there is still in school.” The deep, smug voice behind Taehyun scares the living shit out of him, making him jump.

Taehyun turns, a small scowl already forming on his face the second his eyes land on Beomgyu. “Don’t scare me like that, Captain Dumbfuck.”

“Hm, not only are you an angry kitten, but you’re a jumpy one, too,” he notes, a bit teasingly, as he nears him.

“Do you want something?” he says blankly.

“Oh, there are plenty of things I want,” Beomgyu chuckles, raking his eyes over Taehyun’s body.

Taehyun ignores the way his face heats up and continues walking to his locker. “You’re insufferable.”

“And you’re hot,” Beomgyu replies as he follows him.

Taehyun resists the urge to throttle him. “What do you really want, Dumbfuck? And don’t reply thinking with your dick.”

“That’s gonna be hard, but okay,” he says with a playful sigh, making Taehyun roll his eyes. “Coach wants to talk.”

That stops Taehyun midway through opening his locker, and he looks at Beomgyu, making their eyes lock. “He does?”

Beomgyu nods. “Yup. And don’t ask why, ‘cause hell if I know.”

“Of course you don’t know,” Taehyun grumbles as he returns to opening his locker.

Beomgyu chuckles and leans against the locker next to Taehyun’s as he watches him put his stuff away. “So, how did watching Soobin’s practice go? Did the nerd find it entertaining?”

“Does the fuckboy find himself funny?” he replies with a sarcastic smile.

“Touché,” Beomgyu chuckles. “But to answer your question, of course I do. Why wouldn’t I?”

“You’re so full of yourself, you know that?”

Beomgyu just smirks.

Once Taehyun is done putting his stuff away, he closes his locker and turns to Beomgyu, whom’s just watching him. He tries to ignore the effect Beomgyu’s gaze has on him, and how shy he feels under it as he gives him a small glare. “Why are you staring at me? And what are you still doing here? Doesn’t your coach only have to talk to me?”

“No,” he answers, much to Taehyun’s slight dismay. “He wants to talk to both of us, but mainly you. And even if he didn’t, I’d still be here, because I can’t let a pretty boy like you walk all alone, remember?”

“We’re literally still in school,” he deadpans as they begin walking to Beomgyu’s coach’s office.

“You never know, sweetheart.”

“Right.” Taehyun rolls his eyes before he lets himself look at Beomgyu. The jock is back in his school uniform, letting him know that he still hasn’t left school at all yet. It reminds Taehyun of how he saw him in his soccer uniform earlier, and he tries not to focus too much on the mental image. “Anyway, why were you practicing earlier? I thought that wasn’t allowed for you yet.”

“Coach loves me too much to bench me,” Beomgyu says with a grin.

“Then why is he forcing me to help you raise your grades?” 

“Dunno. Coach works in mysterious ways.”

Taehyun rolls his eyes. They arrive at the coach’s office minutes later, and like always, Beomgyu walks right in without knocking, leaving Taehyun to walk in behind him.

“‘Sup, Coach,” he greets. 

“Hey, Beomgyu-ah,” his coach returns with a small chuckle, before his eyes light up a little when they land on Taehyun. “Taehyun-ah! So nice to see you.”

“Hi, Coach,” he says with a small smile, giving him a small bow. “Your…student said you needed to talk?”

“Yes,” he confirms. “I assume you saw Beomgyu-ah in uniform earlier.”

“I did, but not because I went to look for him,” Taehyun says, before the coach can get any ideas.

“Right, well, I also assume you were surprised by that?”

“I was,” Taehyun says. “I thought the plan was to not let…your student do anything soccer related until his grades improved.”

“That was the plan,” the coach agrees. “But Beomgyu-ah here is a tough negotiator, and he’s good at convincing, so I had no other choice but to let him practice. He’s the team’s captain, anyway—they’d be a mess without him, especially on the first day. But I did tell him there is a catch, so I’m not giving him a freebie, if that’s what you think.”

That is what Taehyun thinks, because just like everyone else at their dumb school, Beomgyu’s coach worships him. “What’s the catch?” he asks instead of saying that out loud.

“I’ll let him practice with his team, and all that,” the coach says, “but if by the time the season starts, and his grades aren’t at least all Cs, he won’t be able to participate in any game. Even if he does negotiate and try to convince me like he did today.”

“So, he might be practicing for nothing?”

“Basically,” the coach agrees, since there’s no better way to put it. “That’s why I wanted to talk to you, Taehyun-ah: to tell you this, and so that you’re aware of what’s at stake here.”

“Yes, your student’s spot in his precious soccer team.” Taehyun forces a smile. That's always been at stake, so it's not like it's anything new.

“I hope this is okay with you,” the coach says. “I don’t want you to think your tutoring is for nothing.”

“No, the fact that your student won’t be able to be in the games if he still has failing grades by then is reassuring enough,” Taehyun says.

“Good.” The coach lets out a small smile in relief before giving Beomgyu a small look. “And so neither of you thinks I’m pulling your guys’ leg again, or just joking around, I’ll tell you right now, Beomgyu-ah, I’m serious about this. The principal is in on this, too.”

“Yes, I know, Coach,” he says with a small chuckle. “Trust me, I won’t let you down.”

“I know you won’t.” His coach pats his shoulder, and Taehyun resists the urge to roll his eyes. The coach then turns to him. “Do you have any comments or concerns, Taehyun-ah?”

“Nope.”

“Alright, then that’s all,” the coach says. “Get home safely, you two.”

Taehyun bows to him before leaving his office. Beomgyu stays behind for a few more moments before also leaving. He catches up to Taehyun, whom side eyes him.

“Are you taking your coach seriously now?” Taehyun asks.

“Sure,” Beomgyu replies with a small shrug, which is enough to let Taehyun know there’s a part of him that doesn’t.

“You really think that no matter how your grades turn out, your coach will let you play in the games?”

“Yes and no,” Beomgyu says. “I know Coach is serious about me improving my grades, but if it came down to it, I know I’d be able to convince him.”

“You sure have a lot of confidence in yourself,” Taehyun mutters.

“‘Course I do,” Beomgyu says proudly, making Taehyun roll his eyes.

“You still have to pay attention during our sessions,” he reminds sternly. “You saw how serious your coach is about this. I’m sure he’ll be strict about you paying attention, too.”

“Yes, nerd, I know.” Now it’s Beomgyu whom rolls his eyes.

“Can you ever call me by my real name?” Taehyun grumbles.

“Sure, as long as you do, too, sweetheart.”

Taehyun stays silent.

“That’s what I thought.” Beomgyu is smug, and he glances at the clock hanging on the wall near them. “You’re heading home now, right?”

“Yes,” Taehyun confirms, albeit a bit confused. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you sound concerned for me, Captain Dumbfuck.”

“Don’t think too highly of yourself, sweetheart,” Beomgyu chuckles. “You’re the only tutor all my teachers trust to tutor me. It’d be torture going through the process of finding another one if something happened to you.”

“Wow, I feel so touched,” Taehyun says blankly.

They reach the doors to the school, and Beomgyu looks at him. “How are you getting home?”

“By my magical bus that can fly in the air,” he replies, almost monotonously, as he begins walking down the stairs. 

“Haha, very funny,” Beomgyu says, trailing after him. 

“I’m taking the bus, Captain Dumbfuck,” he says properly as he turns to look at him.

“You know I can very easily drive you home, right?”

“And you know what my answer is to that, right?”

“You seriously are that petty?”

“No, I just seriously hate you that much. Not to mention the fact that you almost killed us the last time I got in your stupid car.”

Beomgyu gasps, as if Taehyun just greatly offended him. “Do not speak about my baby in that way. She is not stupid. You know what, fine, I won’t offer you a ride home, then.”

“Good.”

“Good,” Beomgyu echoes with a huff. “Bye then, four eyes.”

“Yah, you asshat-!”

Beomgyu’s laugh trails behind him as he walks to the student parking lot.

I am seriously going to kill him, Taehyun thinks to himself, fuming, as he begins walking angrily—more like stomping—to the nearest bus stop. 

Chapter Text

Despite every fiber in his body wanting to do the exact opposite, Taehyun can’t forget, let alone stop thinking about, the way Beomgyu looked in his soccer uniform. Or the way his headband tied the look together, and made him look ten times hotter. Which Taehyun, frankly, finds ridiculous. How can something as simple as a stupid piece of fabric make someone look so irresistible? He even finds himself ridiculous for being unable to stop thinking about it. He’s supposed to hate Beomgyu. He does hate Beomgyu.

So why can’t he stop thinking about him?

Taehyun calls himself stupid. No matter how hard he tries, Beomgyu stays in his mind, so he tries to mask that by acting like Beomgyu is the vane of his existence the following day. He scowls at the mere mention of him, even if he catches a small glimpse of him, and doesn’t talk to him at all during fourth period. It’s not that hard this time, since Beomgyu isn’t interested in talking when he’s too busy texting. If it were any other student, they would’ve gotten in trouble already, but since it is Beomgyu, nothing happens. If it were any other regular day, Taehyun would be annoyed by that, but today, he forces himself not to care. He stays in this mindset for the rest of the day. Whether Yeonjun notices or not, he doesn’t make it obvious, and Taehyun is glad he doesn’t. He doesn’t need that today.

But then, the next day, it’s Wednesday. It’s the first day Beomgyu and Taehyun will start regularly meeting at the cafés for tutoring, and Taehyun is, of course, dreading it. He’s expecting for the school day to pass, him to tolerate Beomgyu being his usual annoying self, go to the three club meetings he has scheduled for after school, and then begrudgingly make his way to the café with the stupid boy he’s forced to tutor. 

But what he’s not expecting is for his bedroom door to suddenly slam open just as he’s reaching over to his phone to turn his alarm off. The noise scares the shit out of him, and he jumps, almost falling off his bed, as he quickly looks up to see whom the hell did that. Surprisingly, but not really at the same time, his eyes land on a familiar pink-haired male.

“Hyung, what the actual-”

“No time for your whining,” Yeonjun says, sounding as if he means business, as he makes a beeline for Taehyun’s closet. “We need to get you ready.”

“Get me ready for what?” he asks with a small groan. He’s too sleepy to deal with Yeonjun’s shenanigans.

“For today? Duh.”

“There’s nothing going on today,” Taehyun groans. “Get out of my closet, hyung. What are you even looking for?”

“For a decent outfit,” Yeonjun replies, still looking through Taehyun’s clothes. 

Taehyun rolls his eyes. “Even if you could find one, I’m not wearing it. It’s against the school’s rules to wear something that isn’t our uniform, remember? And I’m not about to break a rule.”

“Yes, we all know you’re such a good goody two-shoes.” Yeonjun rolls his eyes. “But you don’t have to wear this outfit during school.”

“Then? I don’t see the point-”

“You start your first café tutoring session with a certain someone, remember? You need to look nice for it.”

“Oh my god,” Taehyun groans, covering his face with his hands. “Hyung, I thought you had dropped that! I already told you I’m not dressing up for that.”

“It’s funny how you think I’m giving you a choice,” Yeonjun mutters, turning back to Taehyun’s closet.

“How did you even get in?” he asks.

“Your mom let me in.”

“My mom’s still here?”

“Mhm.”

As if on cue, Taehyun’s mom shows up at the door, dressed in her usual work attire, but for some reason, not in a rush to leave. It leaves Taehyun confused.

“Mom, what are you still doing here?” he questions. “Shouldn’t you have left for work already?”

“My shift starts later than usual today,” his mom answers. “I can drop you two off at school if you want.”

“Only drop me off,” Taehyun grumbles. “This maniac here can walk himself to school.”

His mom chuckles. She knows Taehyun only calls his best friend names like “maniac” when Yeonjun is concocting a plan that he doesn’t agree with. Most of the time, they amuse her, and she sometimes even indulges in his plans. Taehyun pretends to be annoyed at first, but he eventually goes along with it.

Yet, there’s something about him today that makes his mom think he won’t exactly do that this time.

“What are you planning now, Jun-ah?” she asks.

“I wanna get Tae all dressed up for his date later!” Yeonjun replies, all excited.

Taehyun’s mom’s eyes widen, and a smile quickly grows on her face as she looks at her son. “You have a date, sweetie? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because there’s nothing to tell,” he says, glaring at Yeonjun. “Hyung’s just overexaggerating and being delulu like always.”

“Or maybe you’re just in denial,” he says, sticking his tongue out a little at him.

“Denial about what?” his mom questions.

Before Taehyun can even open his mouth to tell Yeonjun that he better not open his mouth, Yeonjun beats him to talking: “I’m sure Tae has told you about that boy he tutors, hasn’t he?”

“Oh, yes,” his mom confirms. “The boy who drives him crazy, right?”

Yeonjun nods. “Well, they’re going to a café later today to supposedly ‘study,’ but I just know it’s going to turn out to be a date! Which is why I want to dress Tae up for it because he should at least look nice for his first-ever date.”

“You have seriously gone crazy, I swear to god,” Taehyun mutters, taking his uniform to the bathroom to change.

“Aw, that sounds so sweet, honey!” his mom calls out. “I remember my first date, and how nervous I was. It’s okay to feel nervous, you know? It just means it’s special. And you should at least look a bit nice, honey. It wouldn’t hurt.”

“I’m not going on a date!” Taehyun yells for what seems like the nth time.

His mom and Yeonjun look at each other.

“I don’t think we’re going to get anywhere with him,” she tells him, lowering her voice a little, so Taehyun won’t hear her.

“Yeah, knowing him,” Yeonjun says, rolling his eyes. “But the makeup part is fine, I guess. He’d barely let us put anything except lip gloss, and that’d wear off by the end of school, anyway.”

“Ooh, but we can do his hair,” Taehyun’s mom suggests.

“I don’t think he’s going to let us do that, either.”

Seconds later, Taehyun appears from the bathroom. He’s brushed his teeth and hair, his glasses look clean and straight on his nose, and he looks almost polished in his ironed school uniform. His mom and Yeonjun have stopped talking by now, but he still looks at them suspiciously.

“I am not letting either of you ‘doll me up,’” he says sternly as he moves around them to get his backpack.

“We didn’t even say anything,” his mom says.

Taehyun lets out a small scoff. He’s still on high alert, just in case the other two try something, but much to his relief, they don’t. It confuses him a little, but he doesn’t dwell much on it. At least they’ve left him alone.

“So, what’s this boy like, Taehyunie?” his mom asks once the three of them are in the kitchen, and she’s helping him make breakfast.

“Mom,” he says, a bit in a warning tone.

“What?” his mom says, feigning innocence. “Besides the fact that you hate him, and he’s a bad student, I don’t know much about him. I’d like to know more about the boy who might potentially be my son-in-law in the future.”

“I am going to end you,” Taehyun whispers to Yeonjun.

“What did I do?” The older is also feigning innocence, which almost makes Taehyun want to stab him with the butter knife in his hands.

“There’s nothing to tell about this ‘boy,’ okay?” he says, a bit gritted out, as he continues his breakfast. “He’s not important, and never will be, regardless of what hyung says, Mom.”

“But-”

“No. Or else I’ll tell dad that it was you who broke his lucky wooden spoon.”

That’s enough to shut his mom up.

It’s silent between the three for a bit, a bit of tension surrounding them, but luckily, since Yeonjun is here, it doesn’t last for long. He eventually sparks up conversation with them, mainly Taehyun’s mom, and it’s almost like they were never on the topic of a familiar fuckboy, or getting Taehyun ready for his supposed “date” with him.

Soon enough, Taehyun’s mom is dropping them off at school and driving away once they’re safely inside. Yeonjun is talking about something to Taehyun, and the ravenette is just glad he’s dropped any topic related to a familiar jock as they make their way to his locker.

But Yeonjun is halfway through his story when they’re interrupted by a girl coming up to them. By the nametag on her blazer, Taehyun can tell that she’s a freshman. She looks a bit nervous, and still has a bit of baby fat left, just like any student her age would. After all, she did barely get out of middle school, but it still confuses Taehyun as to why she came up to him. He’s never seen her before, doesn’t share any classes with her, and he’s pretty unknown in their school. The only reason people besides Yeonjun come up to him is because they’re forced to be tutored by him. Otherwise, people barely even give him a second glance.

“Uh, h-hi.” The freshman sounds just as nervous as she sounds, and she can barely keep eye contact with him, which weirds him out even more. “Sorry to bother you, but…you’re Kang Taehyun, right?”

“I…am,” he confirms, a bit hesitantly, as he glances at Yeonjun, whom looks just as confused as he does. 

“I-is it true that you’re dating Beomgyu-Oppa?” the freshman asks, finally looking up at him.

The question throws Taehyun a bit off guard. He thought the little scene Soobin made the other day was enough to let people know that he’s in fact not dating Beomgyu, but he guesses some people were, for some reason, stupid enough not to believe it.

“No, it’s not true,” he says, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. “Why do you ask?”

“Well, I was just hoping that, um…” The freshman clears her throat and hands something to him. “Y-you could give this to him.”

Taehyun grows more confused and takes whatever the freshman is handing him: a folded piece of paper. When he opens it, he finds a phone number scribbled neatly across the page—along with a brief, shy confession addressed to Beomgyu.

Taehyun would’ve preferred being bullied to being put in this position.

“You know you can just give this to him yourself, right?” he says, as nicely as he can, as he looks back up at her.

“I know,” she says, smiling a bit sheepishly, “but every time I muster up the courage to do it, I chicken out. A-and when I heard that you were ‘dating’ him, I gave up. But now that you’re not actually dating him, and that you’re his tutor, too, I thought, what better person to give this to? A-and I know you barely know me, but it would really mean a lot to me if you gave this to Beomgyu-Oppa.”

Taehyun lets out a small sigh. He doesn’t have the heart to tell the freshman that the playboy she so badly wants to date would never want to date her, or anyone, for that matter, but he also doesn’t want to be the one hurting her either by telling her no. He truly doesn’t want to give this dumb piece of paper to Beomgyu either—because what is he, his admirers’ messenger boy?—but he curses his need to please people.

“Sure,” he replies, forcing a smile. “I’ll make sure to give this to him.”

Relief falls over the freshman’s face, and she smiles brightly. “Oh, really, you would?! Oh, thank you!” She bows to him before turning and running back to her friends, whom are waiting nearby, to tell them the news.

“You could’ve just told her no, you know,” Yeonjun says pointedly as Taehyun pockets the note.

“You think I didn’t want to?” he sighs, beginning to open his locker. “It’s bad enough people still think I’m dating that asshole, and now what, his fan club thinks I’m their messenger?”

“You know it might just get worse from here, right?”

“Don’t remind me,” Taehyun groans quietly as he begins getting his things, and Yeonjun can just laugh.

Luckily, for the next few hours, no other members of Beomgyu’s fan club come up to Taehyun to ask him to deliver something to Beomgyu. It’s an immense relief for him, since he knows that just like it happened with the freshman from the morning, he wouldn’t have been able to say no to them, and he has no need to carry so many notes of people’s confessions to Beomgyu, let alone have another reason to interact with the older.

When it’s time for fourth period, Taehyun is dreading it. It’s the period he shares with Beomgyu, and sits with him, and he just doesn’t want to interact with him just yet. Or ever.

“Hi, Taehyun-ah,” his teacher, Mr. Jeung, greets, breaking him out of his thoughts.

Taehyun looks up at him, giving him a small smile. “Oh, hi, Mr. Jeung.”

“Everything okay?” he asks.

“Yup,” Taehyun replies with a slightly fake smile as he sits down at his seat. “Why do you ask, Mr. Jeung?”

“You just seemed a bit down as you walked in.”

“Oh, I’m just…sad lunch can’t come any sooner,” Taehyun says the first lie that comes to mind.

Somehow, Mr. Jeung seems to believe him. “Tell me about it. Anyway, how are things going between you and Beomgyu-ah?”

That question throws Taehyun a bit off guard. It’s usually his other teachers, especially Mrs. Son, who ask how things are between him and Beomgyu. Mr. Jeung seems as if he couldn’t care less about it, despite intentionally pairing them up together, and hasn’t asked any questions about it until now. 

“Oh, um, everything’s going…great,” Taehyun partially lies. “I’m surprised you asked for once, Mr. Jeung.”

“I know, I surprised myself, too,” he says with a small chuckle. “But it’s nice to see things are going well. Keep up the good work I’m sure you’re doing, Taehyun-ah.”

“Thank you, Mr. Jeung.”

Not too long after, the bell finally rings. The seat next to Taehyun is still empty, but he doesn’t give it much thought, thinking Beomgyu’s going to walk in late like always. But that doesn’t happen. Not a few seconds later. Not a minute later. Not even five minutes later.

Not that Taehyun is paying attention, though. 

But the next time he does, which is midway through Mr. Jeung’s reading, he realizes the seat next to him is still empty. Looking at the clock, he sees that there are ten minutes left of class. Beomgyu would’ve been here by now. He isn’t the type to skip class.

What do I care? Taehyun scolds himself, quickly snapping himself out of it, as he catches up to the paragraph Mr. Jeung is reading. That asshole couldn’t care less about anything or anyone, except himself. And I’m not about to start worrying why he’s not here. I don’t care, and never will. That asshole is probably spreading his STDs to some other girl. I have better things to worry about.

That’s what Taehyun tells himself for the rest of fourth period, but even so, Beomgyu still lingers in the back of his mind. He tries not to pay attention to it, and instead focuses on finishing the last of his annotations on the page they’re reading. When that’s done, he focuses on packing up and leaving, sending a smile to Mr. Jeung on the way, instead. He refuses to give Beomgyu a second thought, and when he sees Yeonjun moments later, he focuses on him.

“Have you seen Soobin anywhere?” he asks as soon as they’re close enough to each other.

“Hi to you, too, hyung,” Taehyun says, amused, as they walk to their usual hangout spot.

“Sorry, hi. Have you?”

“Uh, no.” Even if he did, Taehyun’s sure he wouldn’t have noticed, but he figures Yeonjun doesn’t need to know that. “Why?”

“I haven’t seen him anywhere,” he explains. 

“Well, he is a delinquent,” Taehyun reminds with a small shrug. “He’s probably just ditching or skipping school.”

“I guess,” Yeonjun mutters, sighing. “I miss him.”

Taehyun gives him a look, which Yeonjun fails to notice.

“Have you seen…that asshole anywhere?” Taehyun asks once they sit down, and Yeonjun is taking out their lunch.

“You mean Beomgyu?”

“Unfortunately.”

“Mm, I think I saw him earlier during passing period for second,” Yeonjun says after thinking for a bit. “Why?”

“‘Cause I still have the dumb confession note that freshman from the morning gave me,” Taehyun grumbles. “I don’t want to keep carrying it around.”

“Don’t you share fourth period with him?”

“Yeah, but he didn’t go today.”

Yeonjun’s eyebrows raise a little. “He didn’t?”

“Nope.”

Yeonjun lets out a small smirk, but Taehyun is too busy digging into their shared lunch to notice. “And of course you notice. You miss him?”

“No.” Taehyun gives him a small glare. “And obviously, I notice, hyung. He’s my stupid partner.”

“Seems like fate keeps pulling you two together,” he muses.

Taehyun rolls his eyes. “You sound just like our teachers.”

Yeonjun raises a brow. “Your teachers tell you that?”

Taehyun instantly regrets saying anything. “...No.”

“Aw, they do?!” Yeonjun’s eyes light up. “That means they must ship you guys, too! OMG, see, Tae, I’m not the only one! I think that’s a huge sign you guys should get together already.”

“I’m not starting this with you again,” Taehyun says, a bit in a warning tone.

Yeonjun snickers. “That is a bit weird that he didn’t show up for fourth period, though. He isn’t the type to skip class. My man is.” He then lets out a small gasp. “Maybe my man is influencing yours to become a delinquent.”

“He’s not my man,” Taehyun corrects, before adding, “And I doubt that. That asshole was probably just off screwing some other girl in his fan club.”

“Yeah, that makes more sense,” Yeonjun agrees. “But wouldn’t he have shown up eventually? I mean, I don’t think he’s ever fucked one of his ‘fan club’ members for almost an hour. Unless he was really horny today.”

“Okay, can we not talk about this anymore?” Taehyun says with a small grimace. “I’m losing my appetite.”

“Fine,” Yeonjun chuckles. “Do you think that means he’ll skip your guys’ café ‘tutoring session’ today, then?”

“He better not,” Taehyun says with a small scowl. “He was pretty adamant about meeting today, so if he skips, it won’t be pretty for him.”

Despite being shorter and smaller than Beomgyu, Yeonjun doesn’t doubt that Taehyun can do some pretty damage to him.

The rest of lunch, and fifth and sixth periods pass by in a blur. Taehyun totally doesn’t think of Beomgyu during any of his last two classes. Not even as he walks to his locker, grumbling to himself about still having the freshman’s note in his pocket. He’s so focused on that as he’s opening his locker that he doesn’t even notice the familiar raven-haired male heading his way.

“Hey, sweetheart,” a sultry, deep voice says, almost right by his ear, startling the hell out of him.

“Didn’t I tell you to stop doing that?” he scowls as he tries to ignore the small shiver that runs down his spine.

“You did,” Beomgyu says with a small smirk. 

Taehyun rolls his eyes and focuses on putting his things away. “What do you want? And don’t reply thinking with your microscopic dick.”

“It’s not microscopic, but okay,” Beomgyu mutters, leaning against the locker next to Taehyun’s. “You missed me today?”

“No,” he replies with a small frown. “And I never will.”

“That’s a bummer,” Beomgyu says with a small sigh, and he takes a step closer. He looks Taehyun up and down with such a heated gaze that it sends another shiver down Taehyun’s spine. “Everyone misses me.”

“Y-yeah, well, not me,” he scowls, cursing himself for stuttering, as he turns back to his locker. 

“Right,” Beomgyu chuckles. “Anyway, I just came over to inform you we can’t leave for the café right now.”

“Why not?” Taehyun asks. And not because he cares. He’s just asking for the sake of their tutoring session.

“I have soccer practice. Kinda can’t miss it, especially as the captain.”

At the mention of Beomgyu having soccer practice, the image of how he looks in his uniform—especially with that bandana on—flashes in Taehyun’s mind. It’s the one thing he couldn’t stop thinking about almost all of Monday and all of Tuesday, despite himself. The reminder of that is enough to send another shiver down his spine, and he refuses to acknowledge the way his face heats up.

“Th-that’s good,” he says, cursing himself once again for stuttering. “I can’t right now, anyway. I have meetings to go to.”

“Of course you do, nerd.”

“At least I’m not just throwing a ball around,” Taehyun mumbles with a small scowl.

Beomgyu’s smirk grows a bit, and he tilts his head a little. “Aw, are the kitty’s claws coming back out?”

Taehyun looks up at him blankly. “Don’t you have a practice to get to?”

Beomgyu lets out a small chuckle. “Don’t miss me too much, sweetheart.”

“Funny for you to assume I miss you at all,” Taehyun mutters.

“I should be out by five-thirty-ish,” Beomgyu says. “But if I’m not, be a doll, and wait for me by the school entrance, yeah?”

“Not like I have another choice.”

“Good boy,” Beomgyu says huskily right by his ear, which instantly makes Taehyun freeze. Beomgyu simply walks away as if he didn’t just short-circuit every inch of Taehyun’s brain.

Snap out of it, Taehyun, he scolds himself as he grabs the notebooks he’ll need for his meetings. You are not blushing over that asshole. 

(his cheeks stay pink all the way to the classroom of his first meeting, though.)

⌞ ⚽︎ ✮⋆˙ ⌝

Much to Taehyun’s dismay, his club meetings end earlier than Beomgyu’s soccer practice. One of his meetings ended earlier than he thought it would, but even so, he doubts he would’ve finished after Beomgyu, anyway. He lets out a small sigh and walks to his locker to put his notebooks away and trade them for the folder and other notebooks he has for his and Beomgyu’s tutoring sessions. 

Beomgyu still hasn’t appeared, so Taehyun has no choice but to wait for him by the school entrance. It certainly doesn’t remind him of how Beomgyu praised him earlier, and Taehyun shoves that thought to the back of his mind, scolding himself for giving it a second thought. As he reaches the school entrance, he can see that the sun is setting, and he just hopes that Beomgyu will appear before the sky gets dark.

It isn’t until almost 5:45 that Taehyun hears loud chattering and footsteps nearing him that he finally looks up. His eyes land on a few boys he’s never seen before, whom are all carrying athletic bags, and looking a bit sweaty. But then, his eyes land on Beomgyu, whom’s dressed back in his regular school uniform. His infamous bandana is nowhere in sight, which Taehyun finds himself relieved about, and he’s carrying his athletic bag, too. But unlike his teammates, he’s carrying it over his shoulder, and it doesn’t exactly look light. It makes Taehyun begin wondering how strong exactly Beomgyu is, and if he could probably lift him without even breaking a sweat-

Nope, we are not going there.

Taehyun pretends as if he hasn’t been staring at Beomgyu the entire time as he goes back to his phone. He pretends to be scrolling, and then goes to his and Yeonjun’s messages to make it seem as if he’s texting. But he’s just typing gibberish to look busy, and doesn’t stop until he hears the school doors being opened.

“About time you arrive,” he grumbles as he gets up, grabbing his backpack.

“I see you are capable of being obedient,” Beomgyu says, a bit smugly. He merely nods to his teammates as they say their byes to him, before he turns back to Taehyun.

“Don’t say it like that,” he mutters, ignoring the way his face heats up a little. “That sounds weird. And again, I didn’t do it for you.”

“Right, sweetheart.” Beomgyu doesn’t seem to believe him. “Let’s stop wasting time then, and let’s go.”

“We’re not going in your car, are we?” he says before Beomgyu can go far.

Beomgyu raises a brow at him slightly. “You have another option?”

“The bus?”

“Funny for you to assume I’m going to take that crusty thing when I have my own car,” Beomgyu says, crossing his arms.

“Well, I’m not getting into your car,” Taehyun says with a small huff.

“We’re really starting this again?”

“You almost killed us last time!”

“Ugh, stop overreacting.” Beomgyu rolls his eyes. 

Taehyun bristles, his fist clenching by his side. “We’re going walking, or taking the bus.”

“Going walking will take thirty minutes,” Beomgyu reminds, giving him a small look. “You sure you want to spend thirty extra minutes with me, sweetheart?”

“Then let’s go on the bus.”

“It’ll take fifteen minutes by bus. Thirteen extra minutes you’ll be spending with me, sweetheart.”

“Beats going walking,” Taehyun says stubbornly, narrowing his eyes a little. “I’m not getting into your car.”

Beomgyu sighs, and it might be Taehyun’s imagination, but he swears he hears him release a small growl, too. Beomgyu looks away, tonguing his cheek a little, as he runs his fingers through his hair. Taehyun tries not to focus on the fact that it’s probably the nth hottest thing he’s ever seen Beomgyu do.

“Look, I just want to get the dumb session over with. I’m tired from practice,” he says, and it’s the first time Taehyun has seen him actually serious, “but nothing is stopping me from just simply going over to you, and throwing you over my shoulder, so we can get to my car already.”

Taehyun squints a little and subconsciously takes a small step back. “You wouldn’t.”

“Wanna bet?” Beomgyu takes a step closer. 

As much as he doesn’t want to get in Beomgyu’s car, Taehyun doesn’t want to be hauled over Beomgyu’s shoulder like a stupid sack of potatoes, either. That’d be even more embarrassing than being seen in Beomgyu’s car. Not that there are a lot of students still at school to begin with, let alone in the student parking lot, but Taehyun still doesn’t want to risk it. 

“...Fine,” he finally says in defeat. “We’ll take your…stupid car.”

“Finally,” Beomgyu says in relief. “Let’s go, then.” He turns and begins walking to his car without even waiting for Taehyun.

The shorter grumbles incoherent curse words about Beomgyu under his breath as he follows him, not liking this one bit. His arms stay stubbornly crossed on the way to Beomgyu’s ridiculous, ostentatious car, and he can’t believe he’s let this happen to him again.

“You act like I just kicked your puppy,” Beomgyu says, breaking the silence between them as he glances at Taehyun.

“Feels like it,” he mutters.

“You’re so dramatic, you know that, sweetheart?” Beomgyu says with a sarcastic smile as he takes out his keys. He unlocks his car, and the scissor doors open with a hiss. That’s a relief for Taehyun, since at least this time, he doesn’t have to depend on Beomgyu to open the door for him.

The two get inside Beomgyu’s car, the scissor doors closing behind them. Taehyun is engulfed in Beomgyu’s (not) disgusting cologne, and the red leather seats feel smooth under him. The heart charm he saw last time is still hanging from the rearview mirror, and he can’t help but stare at it as he buckles himself in.

“Can you try not to kill us this time?” he says as he tightens the seatbelt around him more.

“Can you not be dramatic for once?” Beomgyu retorts as he turns the car on, the engine coming to life with a low, throaty purr. He opens the overhead console and takes out the sunglasses in there to put them on. Taehyun finds that ridiculous, since the sun is already setting, for god’s sake, but for the sake of not starting another argument, he bites his tongue to keep quiet.

It’s silent between them as Beomgyu drives out of the student parking lot. He’s certainly driving faster than someone should in a parking lot, but at least it’s slower than last time, and he isn’t close to running someone over.

Taehyun wants to stay petty and keep the silence, but as he glances at the heart charm hanging from the rearview mirror again, he can’t help but ask, “Did you make that?”

“Did I make what?” Beomgyu says, revving the engine, and stepping on the gas as he begins driving on the street.

Taehyun’s heart drops a little, and he grabs the handle above the door in a white knuckle grip. “The heart charm from the rearview mirror. Did you make that?”

“Oh.” Beomgyu glances at it before looking back at the road. “No, I didn’t.”

“Then who did?”

“Cute that you suddenly care about me, sweetheart,” Beomgyu says with a small smirk. 

“I don’t,” Taehyun scoffs. “I’m just curious.”

“Right,” Beomgyu chuckles.

Taehyun rolls his eyes. In his annoyance, he doesn’t even notice the way Beomgyu avoided his question, and didn’t answer.

Just like last time, they arrive at the café in practically two minutes. Beomgyu parallel parks somewhere close enough and shifts the gear to park. He unbuckles himself and gets out. Taehyun is left alone, kind of stuck, since he doesn’t know how to open the doors. He unbuckles himself and waits for Beomgyu to open his door as he grabs his backpack. Beomgyu opens his door a few seconds later, and Taehyun gets out. Beomgyu closes the door behind him, and all Taehyun can focus on is how aesthetic the café, Brewtique, looks as the sun is setting.

“Hey, is this session a date, too?” Beomgyu’s deep, teasing voice breaks Taehyun out of his thoughts as they begin walking to the café’s entrance. “I figure I should ask, and know before the entire school does before me.”

Taehyun gives him a small glare, hoping he isn’t as pink as he feels. “No, it isn’t. And neither was the last one. That was just a dumb thing Yeonjun-hyung said to mess with me.”

“If you say so,” Beomgyu chuckles. They reach the café doors, and Taehyun is so busy wishing murder on him that he doesn’t even notice the way Beomgyu opens the door for him and lets him step inside first. Beomgyu steps in after him, and they step in line behind the two people in front of them. “But if it is a date, I wouldn’t mind.”

“You say that as if you do dates and dating,” he says with a small scoff.

“True,” Beomgyu says with a small grin. “Gosh, you’re starting to know me so well, sweetheart.”

“No, you just make it obvious with your stupid fuckboy persona.”

“Still means you pay attention to me.” Beomgyu gives him a small wink, which Taehyun rolls his eyes at.

“You wish,” he scoffs.

Beomgyu smirks and steps closer to him. “You know what I do wish? To have you un-”

“I will seriously punch you.”

“Cute how you think your small fists will be able to do any damage,” Beomgyu says as he straightens up, looking at the menu.

“You little-”

“Hi!” The cashier’s enthusiastic voice interrupts Taehyun, making him look at her. Much to his slight surprise, they don’t have the same cashier as last time—it’s another girl, whom Taehyun doesn’t doubt Beomgyu will flirt with. “Welcome to Brewtique. How may I help you?”

“Does this café only hire pretty girls?” Indeed, Taehyun turns out to be correct.

“I…I think so.” The cashier’s bright smile turns into a shy one, and her cheeks turn a light pink. “I mean, I don’t know if I’m pretty, so…”

“Well, you are,” Beomgyu says, looking her up and down. “I mean, if I were in charge of hiring, you’d definitely make the cut,” he adds casually, leaning an elbow on the counter. “Probably the reason I’ll keep coming back, too.”

The cashier laughs softly, clearly flustered. 

Taehyun’s jaw tightens. Here Beomgyu was earlier, talking about wasting time if they went walking to the café, or took the bus, but now here he is, wasting time anyway, flirting with their cashier.

“Can I order now, or are you two going to continue flirting?” he asks blankly.

“O-oh, yes, my apologies,” the cashier apologizes, her blush deepening a little. “What would you like to order, sir?”

“A black coffee, please,” Taehyun replies. He knows he’s going to regret it, since he got the same thing last time, and didn’t even finish it—not to mention the fact that black coffee straight up tastes nasty—but he has to keep his energy up to deal with Beomgyu somehow. His stomach growling a little also reminds him he hasn’t eaten in almost six hours. “Oh, and a strawberry danish, too, please.” He moves his backpack from his back to his front to take out his wallet, and the “emergency” card his parents gave him.

The cashier nods, tapping his order in. “Will that be all, sir?”

“Ye-”

“Do you have anything that smells and tastes as delicious as you do?” Beomgyu interrupts, with that flirty glint in his eyes. 

“O-oh, um…” The cashier’s blush returns, and Taehyun rolls his eyes. “I don’t know about that, but…we do have a drink called ‘Pink Velvet Latte.’ I-it’s a creamy vanilla latte blended with berry sweetness and finished with a soft pink hue.”

“Perfect, I’ll get that,” Beomgyu says with a small grin, and the cashier stays with that shy smile as she taps his order in. “I’ll also get a triple chocolate scone, please.”

The cashier nods, tapping that in, and looks up only at him as she smiles, a bit dreamily. “Will that be all?”

Beomgyu turns to Taehyun. “Want anything else, sweetheart?”

“No,” he replies, a bit gritted out.

“That’ll be all, babe,” Beomgyu tells the cashier, whose blush deepens once more. She tells him how much it’ll be, and just as Taehyun is lifting his card to tap it against the card machine, Beomgyu once again beats him to it. His black card makes an appearance, and neither the cashier nor Taehyun fails to notice it. But unlike the cashier, Taehyun is annoyed to see it, because that means that once again, Beomgyu paid for his things.

“Would you like your receipt?” the cashier asks Beomgyu.

The soccer player opens his mouth to probably give her a flirty response, but Taehyun doesn’t stay to hear it. He leaves them to find an empty table, and fortunately finds a booth near a window—almost like the one he and Beomgyu sat at last time. He sits down, placing his backpack next to him, and begins taking his supplies out.

“You’re so small, I didn’t even see you leaving,” Beomgyu says as he finally joins him, sliding into the seat across from him.

“Okay, first of all, I’m not that small,” he says with a small glare. “And second of all, can you stop doing that?”

“Doing what?”

“Paying for me. I can pay for my own things, you know.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt that. But what have I said about wanting to treat pretty boys like you, sweetheart?”

“You were just flirting with the cashier.”

“So?”

“So, why are you flirting with me?”

“I’ve always told you why, sweetheart,” Beomgyu says, a bit cockily. “I’ll always have some flirting saved for you.”

“You’re insufferable,” Taehyun mutters as he goes through his lesson plans. 

“I know,” Beomgyu says smugly.

Taehyun rolls his eyes. “At least tell me how much I owe you.”

“Do you not know what ‘treating you’ means?”

“Captain Dumbfuck-”

“There’s only one way I want you to pay me back, but I don’t think you’d be up for that, sweetheart.” Beomgyu grins cockily, looking him up and down.

Taehyun gets what he means almost immediately and tries to ignore the way his face heats up. “Y-you’re disgusting.”

“Still want to pay me back?”

“...Shut up.”

Beomgyu just laughs.

Taehyun is midway through scolding Beomgyu about taking his things out when they hear their order number being called moments later. Beomgyu gets up, but just like last time, Taehyun won’t be foolish enough to think that he’s also going to get his stuff, so he gets up as well. They walk to the pick-up counter, where the cashier is waiting, and her shy smile returns as she notices Beomgyu walking up to her.

“H-hi,” she greets. “Your drinks and pastries are ready.” She slides only his over to him, leaving Taehyun to reach to get his own.

“Thank you…” Beomgyu grins at her and lets his eyes drop to her nametag. “Haeun. Pretty name for a pretty girl.”

“And you were complaining about wasting time,” Taehyun grumbles, a bit under his breath, as he grabs a straw for himself and a few napkins.

Beomgyu hears him say something, though, and he looks at him. “What was that, sweetheart?”

The cashier, “Haeun,” seems to misinterpret the reason for Beomgyu’s pet name for Taehyun, and her eyes widen a little. “O-oh, I am so sorry. I didn’t know you two were together.”

“W-what?” Taehyun almost chokes on his saliva. He can not believe this is happening to him. Again.

“You two are together…aren’t you?” Haeun asks, a bit hesitantly, as she looks between them.

“God, no,” Taehyun says immediately. “What gave you that idea?”

“Maybe your obvious jealousy,” Beomgyu replies with a small smirk, making Taehyun glare at him.

“I-I’m so sorry,” Haeun says, bowing. “If I had known-”

“Don’t apologize,” Taehyun interrupts. “He and I are not dating, and never will be. He’s all yours. But not right now. Right now, we have work to get done.” He gives Beomgyu a look.

“I’ll be there in a few, sweetheart,” he says.

“You can’t just-” Taehyun stops himself, knowing he shouldn’t bother when his complaint will just go in through Beomgyu’s right ear, and out the left one. He sighs, shaking his head, and grabs his cup and pastry. He turns to begin walking back to his and Beomgyu’s table, but in the midst of fighting with Beomgyu and correcting Haeun about her assumption, he must’ve missed the other order number being called out, and so just as he turns, he collides into a six-foot build that was just about to go around him too late. Their collision is almost enough to send him straight to the floor if he didn’t catch his balance right on time, but his head did collide with a broad chest. It aches a little, and he lets out a small groan.

“Oh, I am so sorry.” A kind, masculine voice comes from above him, which also sounds worried and guilty. “Are you okay? God, I’m such a clutz. I didn’t mean to bump into you, I swear.”

“I-it’s fine,” he mutters, still trying to get his vision to focus. He reaches up to adjust his glasses, only to realize they’re not on. His heart drops a little, and he’s about to begin panicking when he sees them in front of him. Despite his blurry vision, he knows it’s the stranger whom’s handing them to him, and he smiles in thanks as he puts them on. He blinks a little for his vision to clear, and once it does, his breath is caught in his throat.

Standing right before him is a six-foot-tall, silver-haired male, whom’s probably the (second) hottest man he’s ever laid eyes on. The guy in front of him has a softness to him that makes him feel at ease almost instantly. Despite how intimidating his tall height is, it makes him look boyish rather than imposing, all long limbs and an easy posture, with broad shoulders that make him look sturdier than he first appears. His silver hair frames his face in a way that makes him look perpetually gentle, especially paired with his wide, expressive eyes. His smile comes easily and feels honest as Taehyun blinks up at him through his lens. 

“You alright?” The guy’s voice sounds just as soothing as Taehyun thought.

“Yeah, I…I’m fine,” he replies, still a bit taken aback.

“Are you sure?” the guy asks with a small frown, sounding worried. “I didn’t bump into you too hard, did I?”

“No,” Taehyun assures with a small smile. “S-sorry about that, by the way. I should’ve looked where I was going.”

“No, it’s me who should be sorry,” the silver-haired male says. “I was the one to bump into you.”

“Uh, this whole ‘who bumped into who’ thing could go on forever,” Taehyun says with a small chuckle. “So let’s just agree we’re both sorry?”

“Sure,” the guy chuckles. He opens his mouth to say something else, but that’s when he and Taehyun hear a feminine voice yelling from the entrance to the café. Taehyun doesn’t understand what she says because she speaks in German, but he guesses she’s calling out to the guy in front of him, whom seems a bit sheepish. “Sorry, I need to leave. Sorry again for bumping into you.” He steps around Taehyun to grab his drink and gives him a last smile before walking away. He joins the girl at the doors and is soon out of sight.

Nevertheless, Taehyun finds himself still stuck in the same spot he’s in, still staring after the guy.

“Sweetheart?” Beomgyu’s voice breaks him out of his thoughts, and Taehyun looks up at him. “Everything okay?”

“Uh, y-yeah,” Taehyun replies, clearing his throat a little, as he begins walking back to their table. “Why do you ask?”

“You look like you saw a ghost,” Beomgyu says with a small chuckle, following him.

“I was just…zoning out,” he says the first excuse that comes to mind.

“If you say so,” Beomgyu says, not sounding as if he believes him, but that’s the last thing on Taehyun’s mind as they sit back down. He takes a long sip of his black coffee, trying to ignore how extremely bitter and disgusting it is, and swallows it. He then gets right to work, making Beomgyu get right to work, too.

Taehyun is so focused for the next few hours that the handsome silver-haired male from earlier doesn’t cross his mind again. He solely focuses on his tutoring session with Beomgyu and doesn’t let anything else distract him. Much to his surprise, Beomgyu pays attention once again (but of course also fools around here and there, making stupid jokes and flirts). It’s enough to make Taehyun forget about everything, including the confession note he still has in his pocket that he still hasn’t given to Beomgyu.

That is, until he feels it when he’s looking for his phone to check for the time.

“Uh, h-hi.” A familiar voice stops by their table, and Beomgyu and Taehyun look up, their eyes landing on Haeun, whom looks a bit sheepish, holding a rag and a spray bottle, probably for cleaning the tables. “I’m very sorry to interrupt, but we do close in ten minutes.”

“Oh, damn, already?” Taehyun mutters as he takes out his phone. Indeed, it’s eight-fifty. “Sorry, we must’ve lost track of time.”

“I-it’s alright,” Haeun assures with a slightly nervous smile, her eyes lingering on Beomgyu. “Take all the time you need.” With that, she walks away, but neither Beomgyu nor Taehyun fails to notice the blush on her cheeks, which amuses Beomgyu and makes Taehyun roll his eyes.

“Why are you rushing, sweetheart?” Beomgyu asks as he notices Taehyun beginning to pack up. “Haeun just told us there’s no need to rush.”

“Yeah, to please you,” he grumbles. “I doubt she’s the manager, so I also doubt we can actually take ‘all the time we need.’ You should pack your things up, too.”

“Nah, I’m good.” Beomgyu takes a sip of his drink and doesn’t bother helping Taehyun.

For once, the younger one doesn't say anything about it. He doesn’t want to start another banter—he just wants to finish cleaning up and get out of the café, so he can get home already. He knows his mom knows where he is, so she’ll know why he’ll be returning home so late, but his dad doesn’t know. He’s not sure what excuse his mom will give him, but he’s pretty sure it’s not a good one.

“You think we caught up on enough work?” Beomgyu questions as they both get up.

“Hopefully,” Taehyun replies. “But I doubt one simple assignment for each of your classes will be enough to make your grades go from Fs to even Ds.”

“We gotta start somewhere,” Beomgyu says with a small grin, which makes Taehyun roll his eyes. He makes his way toward the café doors and isn’t surprised when Beomgyu doesn’t follow him. He knows it’s so he can talk with Haeun a bit more, and probably get her number—which reminds Taehyun of the freshman’s note he still has in his pocket. He takes it out and unfolds it to make sure it really is the note, yet as he stares at it, he can’t help but falter. For a second, he begins thinking if he should truly give the note to Beomgyu, because knowing him, he’ll most likely laugh at it, and then throw it away. Something tells Taehyun that Beomgyu’s already had his fun with that freshman, which means he doesn’t want anything else to do with her. Taehyun knows that the second Beomgyu comprehends what the note says, he’ll laugh it off, make some comment about it, and throw it away. He’ll never call the freshman, and the freshman will be heartbroken.

But deep inside, Taehyun knows that’s not the only reason why he doesn’t want to give the note to Beomgyu.

Yet, he quickly shakes his head at all of those thoughts. Whether he wants to give Beomgyu the note or not, it’s none of his business. He agreed to do something for someone whom is depending on him to follow through. It isn’t like him to not follow through, and he’s not about to stop doing that just because it’s Beomgyu. Even if the soccer team captain just throws the note away, it’ll be his problem, not Taehyun’s. He’s just the messenger.

“Aw, are you waiting for me, sweetheart?” Beomgyu’s deep voice snaps him right out of his thoughts.

“N-no,” he huffs. “I just need to give you something.”

Beomgyu raises a brow. “You do?”

“Unfortunately,” Taehyun sighs as he hands him the note. Beomgyu grabs it, and Taehyun makes sure their fingers don’t even brush as he pulls his hand away. “One of your freshmen admirers asked me to give this to you.”

“And you said yes?”

“Not like I had much of a choice,” Taehyun mutters, which is a complete lie. He did have a choice, but just couldn’t use the one that sounds like no. Nonetheless, Beomgyu doesn’t need to know that.

“Didn’t know you’d be okay with being my fan club’s messenger boy,” he says teasingly, still not unfolding the note.

“I’m not,” Taehyun snaps. “It was just this once, so tell them not to start coming up to me, because this was only a one-time thing. I’m not going to be some messenger boy for the rest of your fan club.” That has a high chance of being a lie, but again, Beomgyu doesn’t need to know that.

“Right,” he chuckles. 

“You’re not going to open it?” Taehyun motions to the note, which still rests unfolded in Beomgyu’s palm.

“Hm, don’t know,” he says, pretending to mull over it. “Two girls just gave me their numbers, and they’re both probably cute. You can’t blame me for being unable to choose.”

“Yes, I can, because you can’t keep it in your pants.”

“That’s true,” Beomgyu agrees, and his grin grows. “I’ll just call both, then.”

“Both?” Taehyun’s eyebrows furrow. “Can’t you only be with one?”

“I could,” Beomgyu says, “but I choose not to.”

“How would that work?”

Beomgyu raises a brow, but he’s more amused than anything. “Don’t you know how threesomes work, sweetheart?”

“No…”

“Wow, and here I thought, a smartie like you would know everything, even sex terms,” Beomgyu says, feigning shock. “But what was I expecting, actually? You’re a nerd—of course you don’t know what a threesome is.”

“Well, excuse me for not wanting to sleep with everything that has legs,” Taehyun scowls.

“Sounds like jealousy to me.”

“I’ll be jealous of you when pigs fly.”

“Wouldn’t take much to make that happen,” Beomgyu says cheekily, and Taehyun rolls his eyes. 

“I should get paid for dealing with you,” he mutters, rubbing his temple.

“You do get paid,” Beomgyu says, matter-of-factly. “You get paid with my amazing presence.”

“Wow, how lucky am I,” Taehyun says blankly.

“You sure are, sweetheart. You should appreciate it more.” Beomgyu smirks at the growing annoyance on Taehyun’s face, and he lets out a small chuckle. “C’mon, let’s go, before it gets any later.”

“‘Let’s’?”

“You’re back to being petty?”

“I can go home on my own and take my time. I’m in no rush.” Taehyun actually is, since the longer he takes, the more worried his dad gets, but Beomgyu doesn’t need to know that.

“You’re pretty stubborn, you know that, right?”

“And you’re an asshole, you know that, right?”

“Thanks, I try.” Beomgyu grins proudly.

Taehyun rolls his eyes. “Bye, Captain Dumbfuck.”

“Bye, sweetheart,” Beomgyu chuckles. “Try not to dream of me tonight.”

“I never dream of you,” Taehyun grumbles as he begins walking to the nearest bus stop.

“Sure you don’t!” Beomgyu calls out after him, and Taehyun rolls his eyes. Yet this time, he can’t ignore the irritating way his heart betrays him, beating faster for no good reason.

Chapter Text

When Taehyun gets home, he hesitates on opening the door, thinking that his dad’s waiting for him (im)patiently on the other side, whilst his mom is trying (but failing) to keep him distracted. Taehyun rarely gets lectured by his dad, and with how much of a people pleaser he is, you can assume how much he hates getting lectured by anyone, especially by his parents. He knows he didn’t do anything bad, but his dad won’t see it like that. 

You can’t exactly stay out here forever, Taehyun reminds himself as he chews on his lower lip. With another shaky inhale, he tells himself to just get over himself, and without another second thought, he finally unlocks the door and pushes it open. He steps inside, not looking up yet, as he takes off his shoes, in fear that his dad is standing a few feet away from him, staring into his soul.

But much to his surprise, when he looks up, Taehyun only finds his mom walking out of the kitchen.

“You’re finally home,” she says, a bit in relief, with a smile as she goes over to hug him.

“Uh, y-yeah, hi,” he says, hugging her back, still a bit stunned. “Is Dad not home yet?” That’d be a wild possibility, but still a possibility.

“‘Course he is,” she says with a small chuckle as she pulls away. “He’s just already asleep.”

“Oh.” A bit of relief falls over Taehyun, but he still can’t help but remain a little confused. “He is?”

His mom nods as she leads him to the kitchen. “He was in a lot of meetings today, which all tired him out, so he went to bed early. Which is in your favor, since that means he’s not witnessing you finally coming home at this time.”

“What if he asks tomorrow?”

“Then we lie,” his mom says, a bit cheekily, with a small wink.

Taehyun lets out a small giggle, glad his mom has his back in this.

“I was just making myself a cup of tea,” she says. “Want some?”

“Please.” Taehyun needs to get rid of that black coffee taste still in his mouth somehow.

“So…” His mom gets up to check on the tea and takes out a mug for him. “You going to tell me how the date went, or leave me hanging?”

Taehyun rolls his eyes. “How many times do I have to say it wasn’t a date?”

“Right, right, forgive me then,” his mom chuckles, but Taehyun knows she’s not actually sorry. “How did your ‘tutoring’ go, then?”

Taehyun squints his eyes a little at her. After what she tried to help Yeonjun pull in the morning, he’s not sure if he wants to tell her anything.

But as if on cue, his phone starts ringing before he can even open his mouth, and he sees that it’s a certain pink-haired male trying to FaceTime. Knowing how his best friend is, Taehyun already knows what Yeonjun wants to FaceTime about.

“Hi, hyung,” Taehyun greets with a small sigh as he accepts Yeonjun’s FaceTime.

Yeonjun’s face pops up onto the screen, and from the background, Taehyun can tell that he’s in his room. And because he knows him too well, Taehyun can also tell that Yeonjun is lying on his stomach on his bed, most likely swinging his legs behind him, which Taehyun knows is his telltale sign of wanting to gossip.

“Tae!” Unsurprisingly, Yeonjun is happy to see him. “You’re home!”

“Uh, duh?” Taehyun raises an eyebrow a little. “Where else would I be?”

“Oh, I don’t know, probably with Beomgyu?”

Before Taehyun can respond, he hears his mom gasp behind him, and she quickly comes over with the two mugs in her hands. She hands Taehyun his, but all her attention is on Yeonjun, as the two look excited to even be in the same room for the call.

“Is that Taehyun’s lover boy’s name?” she says, seeming happy that she finally knows it.

“Yes!” Yeonjun nods eagerly at the same time Taehyun almost snaps, “He’s not a lover boy, let alone mine!”

“You should really meet him, Ma,” Yeonjun says, completely ignoring what Taehyun just said. “Trust me, if I weren’t head over heels for Soobin for so long now, I’d definitely be crushing on Tae’s ‘student.’”

“Ooh, okay, now I want to meet him even more!” His mom’s eyes light up, and she turns to her son. “Honey, when are you going to introduce me to him?”

“Never,” he says, narrowing his eyes at her a little. “He’s not important, Mom. There’s no need for you to meet him.”

“But he’s my future son-in-law!” She gives a small pout. “I need to at least meet the man you’re destined to spend the rest of your life with.”

“Stop letting hyung brainwash you,” Taehyun says, glaring at Yeonjun, whom just smiles innocently. “Don’t you remember everything I’ve told you about this boy? He makes me miserable, remember? You were just hating him with me, Mom,” he whines.

“Okay, but I haven’t heard you talk about a boy who isn’t Jun-ah in so long,” his mom says in the same whiny tone. “It’s only natural for me as your mother to want you to end up with this boy.”

Taehyun gives her a look. “With the same boy who I’ve said multiple times drives me crazy?”

“Yes! That’s the best type of boy to end up with!”

“That’s what I’ve been saying!” Yeonjun says, and Taehyun’s mom looks at him with a small gasp.

“You are both ridiculous,” Taehyun mutters with an eyeroll as he gets up to get the honey for their tea. “Forget I even told you anything.”

“You won’t even tell me why you hate this boy so much,” his mom says pointedly. “So excuse me if I still want you to end up with him.”

“Shouldn’t me hating him be enough for you to hate him, too?”

“You hate anyone if they even look at you wrong, Tae,” Yeonjun says, Taehyun’s mom nodding in agreement. “You can’t really blame your mom for not understanding just how much you hate Beomgyu.”

“Okay, well, my reasons for hating him are more valid than just because he’s looked at me wrong,” Taehyun says, a bit matter-of-factly, as he pours the honey into his and his mom’s teas. “Which he has, but not the point. This boy is insufferable, Mom. I would rather eat a live cockroach than ever even hug him.”

“Then why do you even bother with him anymore?”

His mom’s question makes him stop midway from pouring the honey, and he looks up at her. “What?”

“Why do you even bother with him anymore?” she repeats. “If you hate him so much, tell your teachers to assign him another tutor. If you truly hated him, you wouldn’t be going out of your way, doing all the endless academic stuff you have to do, and still going to a café with him out of all places—which is pretty romantic, by the way—just to simply ‘tutor’ him. That’s not what you endure for a boy whom you supposedly hate the guts of. So tell me, honey, why do you still bother with him?”

The words are right on the tip of Taehyun’s tongue, but he can’t find himself saying any of them.

“Couldn’t have said it better myself, Ma.” Yeonjun sounds so proud on the other line.

“N-no, it’s not like that,” Taehyun says once he finally finds his voice. “I’m not doing all that just for him.”

His mom raises a brow. “Then who are you doing it for? Because I doubt you’re doing it for yourself.”

“My teachers are depending on me to do this, like I’ve said multiple times before,” Taehyun says. “And…and I’m not a quitter, okay? So yes, he drives me crazy, and I want him to get run over in traffic, but I won’t disappoint my teachers just because of that. They’ll think I’m weak and untrustworthy, and I won’t let a boy like him make their perceptions of me change. So no, contrary to what you both think, I don’t tolerate doing everything I’m doing because I ‘like’ him. I do it because I can’t tolerate disappointing my teachers even more, even if it means tolerating that stupid boy.”

His mom and Yeonjun look at each other, but neither of them says anything.

“So that’s how you truly feel?” she asks. “You’re just doing all this for your teachers?”

Taehyun gives a small nod. “Yes.”

“Somehow, it’s believable,” Yeonjun says with a small sigh. “We both know how much of a people pleaser Tae is, Ma.”

“True…” she mutters, still staring at her son. “But still. I’m sorry, honey, but I just can’t believe you’re really doing all this just so your teachers won’t be disappointed. You’re adding more responsibility to yourself, something else to pile onto yourself on top of everything you already have piled, and barely having any time to yourself because you’re helping a boy you can’t tolerate improve his grades—all just to satisfy your teachers. I’m sorry, but I can’t believe it.”

“Well…believe it or not, it’s the truth, mom,” he mutters as he stirs his tea with a spoon, staring down at it instead of his mom or Yeonjun.

“You’re not going to tell us how it went earlier at the café?” he asks, as if to change the subject.

Taehyun finally looks up from his tea to give him a small look. “You really think I want to, especially now?”

“We won’t say anything,” Taehyun’s mom promises. “Right, Jun?”

The pinkette looks a bit unsure, but with a small look from her, he gives a small nod. “Right.”

“Even if I wanted to tell you guys, there’s not much to say,” Taehyun says. “We went to the café, I tutored, and that’s it. Nothing really interesting.”

“That’s what you always say, but then it turns out at least one romantic thing happened,” Yeonjun complains. “You guys didn’t even, like, make intense eye contact or something?”

“Nope.”

Taehyun’s mom squints her eyes a little. “Are you lying to us?”

“Mom!”

“Fine, fine, we’ll believe you,” she says. They stay quiet for a few more seconds before she questions, “You’re really sure nothing happened?”

Taehyun rolls his eyes. “I’m sure.”

His mom and Yeonjun look at each other, as if debating whether or not they should believe him.

It isn’t until almost two hours later that Taehyun is finally heading to bed. The last two hours, he spent them FaceTiming Yeonjun with his mom. They fortunately dropped the subject of him and Beomgyu and tutoring him, and moved on to other things. They probably would’ve talked for longer, but Taehyun cut it short, since he claimed he was too tired to continue talking. Since it was his phone Yeonjun was FaceTiming on, his mom and Yeonjun agreed, and so they ended the call. Now, Taehyun is barely heading to the bathroom to wash up.

But as he stands there in the shower, letting the hot water run over him, he can’t help but think about everything that happened earlier: Beomgyu telling him to “be a doll,” him listening to what Beomgyu said (even if he’ll continuously deny it), seeing Beomgyu carry his heavy looking athletic bag, and wondering just how strong he is, Beomgyu calling him “obedient,” them arguing over taking Beomgyu’s car, Beomgyu threatening to throw him over his shoulder if he didn’t just give in to taking his car, them arriving at the café, Beomgyu of course flirting with the cashier, Beomgyu paying for his things again, them surprisingly getting work done for the next three hours, him finally handing the freshman’s note to Beomgyu, and him rejecting the fuckboy’s offer of driving him home.

But what is stuck inside Taehyun’s head the most, and what he can’t stop thinking about, is when Beomgyu called him a “good boy.” It’s been in his mind nonstop ever since, and although he got a little distracted with their tutoring, he’s back to thinking about it. Taehyun knows he shouldn’t, especially when he repeatedly claims he can’t stand Beomgyu, but he can’t help it. It’s the first time the jock has said something so sultry and something like that to him before. Sure, Beomgyu has obviously flirted with him before, and Taehyun is (kind of) used to it by now, but Beomgyu has never said something so…intimate like that before. 

He was lying when he told his mom and Yeonjun that nothing interesting happened between him and Beomgyu today. Multiple things happened, including the fact that Beomgyu fucking praised him out of nowhere, but Taehyun doesn’t need his mom’s and best friend’s teasing getting any worse. Plus, that would just make them think he and Beomgyu are more destined to be together, and might even make them also think Beomgyu wants to get together with him, which Taehyun knows would never happen. 

Choi Beomgyu is anything but the boyfriend type. He isn’t the type for commitment, and he proves that by forgetting about and ignoring every person he sleeps with. He uses his infamous charm to get people to trust them, gradually leading them to spread their legs for him, and that’s all he wants out of them. He doesn’t want a relationship. He doesn’t want to “settle down.” He’d be the last person on earth, probably, to ever do that. There’s a small part in Taehyun that wonders if maybe Beomgyu’s scared of commitment, but even if he is, the point still stands: he would never be anyone’s boyfriend, regardless of whom they are.

That includes you, Taehyun.

The nerd snaps out of his thoughts at that. He comes back to life and barely realizes just how long he’s been standing there, staring off into space, as he thinks about the boy he hates most in the world. He shakes his head at himself, reaching for his shampoo to properly start showering.

As he lathers his hair in shampoo, with Twice’s “Cry For Me” playing in the background, Taehyun doesn’t even realize how even his ult group can’t distract him from these thoughts like they usually do. Even his efforts to stop aren’t working, and he doesn’t get why. So what if Beomgyu isn’t the type to date? That doesn’t affect him whatsoever. That’s Beomgyu’s decision, and if that’s what he wants for himself, then so be it. It isn’t any of Taehyun’s business, even if that means Beomgyu wouldn’t even want to date him, either. It should relieve him, after all.

Shouldn’t it?

Yes, Taehyun thinks to himself with a small huff, not even noticing the aggressive way he’s scrubbing his hair. Nothing relieves Taehyun more than the fact that Beomgyu wouldn’t want to even date him. That is a relief. Why would Taehyun want to date him? Beomgyu is insufferable and cocky, and his ego is already big enough. Besides, with all the girls in his fan club, Taehyun doubts Beomgyu even thinks of him at all. For all he knows, Beomgyu probably hates him just as much as he does, and masks it extremely well, better than he ever could, with all his flirtiness, because that’s just who he is, and has realized it annoys him more than anything else does. And even if Beomgyu didn’t hate him, he already likes pushing Taehyun’s buttons. There’s no difference there.

He truly is an asshole.

Moments later, Taehyun steps out of the bathroom. His raven hair is damp, his skin looks glowy thanks to his skincare, and he’s dressed in his usual pajamas: an oversized shirt and plaid pajamas. All he’s planning to do is head straight to bed, but he almost lets out a small yelp as he barely manages not to bump into his mom just as he’s stepping out of the bathroom.

“Oops, sorry, honey,” she says with a slightly apologetic smile. “You heading off to bed?”

Taehyun nods. “Yeah. You should, too, mom.”

“I know, I’m about to,” she assures with a small smile. “Oh, before I forget, let me get your uniform so it’s ironed for tomorrow.”

“You know I can do it myself, right?” Taehyun says as he follows her to his room.

“I don’t mind, honey.” His mom gives him a small smile and grabs his uniform from where he left it on his bed. “You have everything ready for tomorrow?”

“Mhm.” Taehyun always does. “Do you have a later-than-usual shift tomorrow, too, or are you back to going in at your original time?”

“I’m back to my original time,” his mom replies with a small sigh. It’s silent between them for a bit, and she watches her son as he plugs in his phone by his nightstand. She hesitates for a little before finally asking, “So…there’s nothing really going on between you and this ‘Beomgyu’?”

Taehyun sighs. Just when he was thinking his mom had finally let that go. “Mom-”

“I’m just asking,” she says, raising her free hand a bit defensively. “You know I just want the best for you, honey.”

“Trust me, that boy is not what’s best for me,” Taehyun mutters with a small scoff.

“And you’re still not gonna tell me why.” His mom says it more like a statement than a question because she knows it’s the truth.

“Why do you even want me to get together with him so bad?” Taehyun questions with a small frown. “I get why hyung’s doing it, but why you?”

“Well, like I said earlier,” his mom says as she sits down next to him on his bed, “it’s the first time I’ve ever heard you talk about a boy constantly who isn’t Yeonjun. It’s in my nature as your mother to get excited, honey. Plus, it just sounds like the perfect love story. You, this nerd, and he, this smug jock, who drives you crazy, and is forced to get tutored by you, his number one hater. It’s the perfect premise for a good love story.”

Taehyun rolls his eyes. “You let hyung get into your head too much.”

“Maybe,” his mom says with a small giggle. “But c’mon, you’ve gotta at least see where I’m coming from.”

“I do,” Taehyun says with a small sigh, looking down at his lap. He understands his mom is just excited and getting ahead of herself because it is the first time he’s ever mentioned a boy. He’d probably do the same if the roles were reversed. But then again, his mom should understand his side of the story as well, even if she doesn’t know it entirely. “But I’m not lying when I say nothing is going on between us, Mom. There never will be. That boy isn’t the type to date.”

“Maybe,” she agrees. “Or maybe you can bring that side out of him.”

“Me?” Taehyun scoffs. “Please.”

“Hey, don’t just dismiss yourself like that!” his mom huffs, seeming offended. “I didn’t carry you for nine months, go through all the hardships of pregnancy, and push you out of my body just for you to have doubt in yourself like that. You are a beautiful, young, intelligent boy who’s worth more than you think. Don’t undermine yourself like that, honey.”

“It’s just…” Taehyun sighs. “Even if I did have feelings for this jerk—which I’m not saying I do—it wouldn’t even matter. He wouldn’t date someone like me. Why would he? He’s this popular, good-looking jock, who everyone, even the teachers, is in love with, and he can have anyone he’d ever want. Meanwhile, I’m this nerd, who only has one friend, I’m unknown in the school, and I’m invisible unless someone needs help with homework. I don’t stand out, I don’t get chosen, and when people look at me, they don’t see someone worth wanting—they see someone useful only for homework and test answers. I don’t see someone like him ending up with someone like me.”

“You’re worth more than all of that, honey,” his mom says softly, brushing a loose strand of raven hair in front of his eye behind his ear. “And anyone who can’t see that isn’t too good for you—they’re simply not good enough. I didn’t raise you to measure your value by how many people look at you.”

“Yeah, well, this boy doesn’t look at me,” he mutters. “Not in the way it matters.”

“Do you wish he would?”

Taehyun stays silent.

Which is answer enough.

“Well, he’s stupid for not doing that,” his mom says with a small huff, which makes him release a tiny smile. “You’re worth more than what you think, honey. Never forget that.”

“When did you turn into such a good pep talker?” he asks, a bit teasingly.

“I’ve always been, thank you very much,” his mom says, a bit matter-of-factly, before she softens a little. “I just haven’t had to use it much lately. Until now.”

Taehyun lets out a small chuckle. “I’ve kinda been a mess, haven’t I?”

“You could never,” his mom says with a small grin as she engulfs him in a hug. “And even if you are, you’re my mess.” 

Taehyun lets out a small giggle, hugging her back.

“Now get some sleep, okay?” she says as she pulls back. “You most likely have a long day tomorrow, knowing you, nerd.”

“Mom!” 

“I obviously meant that with love,” she says cheekily, making Taehyun give her a small look. She chuckles and kisses his forehead. “Sweet dreams, honey. And remember what I said.”

“I know,” he says, before looking up at her. “But really, Mom, I don’t have any feelings.”

“Feelings for who?”

“For that boy.”

“Right.” His mom doesn’t believe him, but she figures it’s too late to have that talk, too. “He sounds like a jerk, anyway.”

“That’s because he is one.”

“Yeah, probably stay away from him,” his mom advises, even though she doesn’t mean it. She stands up, Taehyun’s uniform still in her hands. “I’ll leave this hanging by your closet door.”

Taehyun nods, giving her a small smile. “Thanks, mom.”

“Of course, honey.” She walks to his bedroom door and lifts her hand over the light switch, about to turn it off. “Sweet dreams.”

“Sweet dreams, mom.”

She smiles and finally turns the light off before walking out of her son’s room and closing the door behind her.

⚽︎

Almost thirty minutes later, she finally finishes ironing Taehyun’s school uniform. Not that it had many creases, to begin with, which she’s thankful for. She knows her son is a perfectionist, even with the way he keeps his clothes, and that’s one part she likes about his perfectionism.

Glancing at the clock, she sees that it’s nearing midnight. She probably should’ve gone to sleep an hour or two ago, but it’s not like it’s the first time she’s gone to sleep at this hour. She puts Taehyun’s uniform on a hanger, making sure to do it perfectly, so it won’t crease, and heads over to his room.

Just like she thought, as she turns on the light, she sees that Taehyun is fast asleep. His bedsheets are half off his body, and she hangs his uniform on his closet door before going over to him. She adjusts his bedsheets, making sure he’s covered properly, and can’t help but stare at him fondly. Even now, at almost seventeen, her son still reminds her of when he was a baby, and how even then he’d sleep so peacefully. He still has that youthful look to his face as he sleeps, and his mom can’t help but admire just how pretty he looks. She pats herself on the back for making such a beautiful child.

But then she can’t help but think back to their conversation earlier, as well as when they were FaceTiming Yeonjun. Despite what Taehyun told her about him, she still wants to meet the boy he’s tutoring. Besides, it’s not like Taehyun has told her much. All he’s said is that the boy is basically a jerk whom makes him miserable, but that’s it. She knows her son is easy to annoy, so she also knows it doesn’t take much to get someone to achieve that. 

That just makes her want to meet this boy even more. She wasn’t bluffing to Taehyun, or annoying him more on purpose, when she told him that this whole thing between him and mystery boy is the perfect premise for a love story. She’s probably even seen the same thing happen in a book or movie once, and now it’s happening to her son. You can’t blame her for being excited, especially not as a mother. Taehyun can deny it all he wants, but she knows him. She knows that if he truly hated this boy, he wouldn’t get so passionate about his “hatred” for him, let alone go out of his way to go to a café with him just to “tutor him.” 

Alas, Taehyun’s mom lets out a small sigh. She brushes her son’s bangs back gently and leans down to press a soft kiss on his temple. She gives his sleeping face a small smile before leaving his room, closing the door behind her. She walks to her and her husband’s bedroom, and as she finally gets ready for bed, she can’t help but think to herself just how much she’s looking forward to meeting Taehyun’s mystery boy one day.

⌞ ⚽︎ ✮⋆˙ ⌝

The next day, which is Thursday, is uneventful for Taehyun. He and Yeonjun walk to school together, Yeonjun teases him a little about his and Beomgyu’s café date—which Taehyun strictly claims is not a date—they get to school, and go through their classes. It surprises Taehyun a little that he rarely sees Beomgyu throughout the day before fourth period, but he tells himself not to give the playboy a second thought. It’s not like he cares about him. When fourth period comes, Beomgyu is his annoying self like always, and Taehyun has learned how to tolerate him by now. But fourth period is the last time Taehyun sees him, since he doesn’t see him for the rest of the day, which he tells himself he should be relieved about. After school, he goes to his necessary club meetings and library duty, before finally heading home by bus.

When Friday comes, Taehyun is thankful Yeonjun didn’t get the wild idea to burst into his room as he did on Wednesday to “doll him up” for his and Beomgyu’s tutoring session later. Yeonjun would’ve just wasted his time, and Taehyun would’ve started the day with a bad morning.

The two walk to school together, and when they arrive, they head for Taehyun’s locker. But just as he’s opening it and interrupting Yeonjun’s story halfway, the same freshman from Wednesday comes up to them, a nervous yet hopeful look on her face.

“Uh, h-hi,” she greets with a small bow. 

“Um…hi,” Taehyun returns, a bit confused, as he gives her a small bow back. 

“Sorry for coming up to you out of nowhere again,” she says, a bit sheepishly. “I-I was just wondering if…you gave my note to Beomgyu-Oppa.”

Taehyun almost rolls his eyes. Of course, that’s why she came up to him. 

“I did,” he assures. “I don’t see why I wouldn’t have.”

“Well, I’m just asking ‘cause…” The freshman seems hesitant to say it, but Taehyun can see where this is going. “H-he hasn’t even called or texted.”

“H-he’s probably been busy,” he says with a slightly fake smile, ignoring the nudge he gets from Yeonjun.

The freshman’s eyes light up a little. “You think so?”

“Totally.” Taehyun continues fake smiling and doesn’t miss the way Yeonjun rolls his eyes at him. “I’m sure he’ll call or text you soon.”

“Really?” Relief falls over the freshman’s face. “That’s a relief! And here I thought he was never going to talk to me again. Thank you, Taehyun-ssi!” She bows to him before happily skipping back to her friends.

“You know you just gave her false hope, right?” Yeonjun says, a bit amused, as Taehyun looks back at his locker.

“I know,” he groans. “But what else was I supposed to say?”

“The truth?”

“That’s too mean,” Taehyun says quietly.

“Now you care about being mean?”

“Well, for her, yeah!” Taehyun says with a small pout. “I couldn’t just be a dick to her for no reason.”

“Yeah, well, you still ended up being a dick anyway, because now she really thinks your man’s going to call her.”

“He’s not my man.” Taehyun’s pout is immediately replaced with a small glare. “And you don’t know, maybe he will call her.”

“Right, maybe when pigs fly,” Yeonjun mutters, making Taehyun give him a small look. But then he lets out a small smirk. “I think it would’ve been more effective if you told her to back off, though.”

“‘Back off’?” Taehyun repeats with a small frown, focusing on taking out his things from his locker. “Back off from what?”

“From going after Beomgyu.” Yeonjun’s smirk grows.

Taehyun rolls his eyes. “This again, hyung?”

“What? Don’t tell me it’s not what you wanted to do.”

“It’s not,” Taehyun says sternly. “And never will be. Besides, what would be the point? Beomgyu is a manwhore, and always will be. He’ll sleep with anyone stupid enough to fall for his dumb, nonexistent charm.”

“Maybe you could change him.”

“Maybe you should get to class.”

“Ah, you didn’t deny what I said!”

“Get to class, hyung.”

⌞ ⚽︎ ✮⋆˙ ⌝

Almost four hours later, Taehyun is finally in his fourth period. It’s the period he dreads the most—and that’s saying a lot, because he doesn’t dread any other class period—and all because of one certain raven-haired male. But he tries not to think of him much as he walks into the class.

As he does, he almost instantly sees Mr. Jeung by his desk, whom looks up right as Taehyun walks in. The two make eye contact, and Taehyun gives him a small smile. Mr. Jeung smiles back at him, and Taehyun thinks that will be all as he heads to his desk.

But he stands to be corrected when he continues feeling eyes on him. That feeling doesn’t go away, not even almost two minutes later, so he finally looks up, only for his eyes to land on Mr. Jeung, whom’s still smiling at him. But now, it just looks weird, and starts creeping Taehyun out.

“Uh, Mr. Jeung?” he calls out hesitantly. “You okay?”

“Ah, yes, sorry,” Mr. Jeung replies, seeming to snap out of it. “It’s just… I am so happy for you, Taehyun-ah.”

“You…are?” The ravenette doesn’t know what Mr. Jeung would be so happy for about. His grades are stellar, as well as his work ethic and academics, but that’s always been the case, so Taehyun doubts Mr. Jeung is talking about that. “About what?”

“Why, about you and Beomgyu-ah, of course!”

More confusion grows in Taehyun, but he can slightly tell where this is going. “W-what about him and I?”

“Your relationship!” Mr. Jeung’s smile grows. “I just heard! Congratulations, Taehyun-ah. You know, I never saw it coming, but I guess it does make sense.”

Taehyun almost chokes. Mr. Jeung is now the second person to still think he and Beomgyu are dating, even after the whole commotion Soobin did. “Where did you hear that?”

“I heard some students talking about it,” Mr. Jeung explains, still smiling brightly. “That is amazing to hear, Taehyun-ah.”

“N-no, it’s not,” he scoffs before he can think.

Mr. Jeung’s smile falters a little. “It’s not?”

“No, because it’s not true,” Taehyun finally informs. “Your…student and I are not dating, Mr. Jeung.” It’s getting annoying how much I have to correct people on this.

“Oh.” Mr. Jeung’s eyes widen. “You’re not?”

“We’re not.”

“Oh. Then why were those students saying you two were?”

“It was just this dumb rumor that was spread,” Taehyun says, not bothering to mention that it was his own best friend whom started it. “Don’t believe everything you hear, Mr. Jeung.”

“Yes, right, how silly of me.” The teacher now looks a bit flustered. “Sorry, Taehyun-ah. You’d think I’d know better.”

You really would, Taehyun thinks, a bit bitterly, to himself, and bites on his tongue to refrain from saying it out loud. “It’s okay, Mr. Jeung. Honest mistake.”

Mr. Jeung gives him a small smile, and luckily returns to whatever he was doing on his desk. Taehyun is relieved that he let it go and focuses on taking out his things. The bell rings seconds later, and Mr. Jeung starts the lesson for today. But of course, a few minutes into it, the door opens, and a familiar soccer team player arrives.

“You look hot today,” he tells Taehyun with a small smirk as he takes his seat next to him.

“You say that to me every day,” he mutters, keeping his eyes on Mr. Jeung.

“And it’s true every day,” Beomgyu says, making Taehyun roll his eyes.

Much to Taehyun’s relief, Mr. Jeung doesn’t make them do any partner-related work, talking for the majority of the class. He talks so much that he doesn’t even notice it’s almost time for the bell to ring, and doesn’t stop until the bell actually does ring. He ends class there, reminding them to do the homework, and the students begin packing up.

“So, are we still going later?” Beomgyu asks as he simply zips up his backpack. He didn’t bother taking out any materials, since he never does any work in the class.

“To the café?” Whereas Taehyun is busy packing up his things.

“Where else, nerd?”

“Well, I don’t know, Captain Dumbfuck,” Taehyun says with a small glare. “Most of the time, you say the stupidest things.”

“Yes, to the café,” Beomgyu says as he and Taehyun walk out of their class. “We still going or not?”

“Yes,” he replies with a small sigh. “That’s what we unfortunately agreed on, isn’t it?”

“Aw, don’t act like you hate it, sweetheart,” Beomgyu says with a small coo. “I know you secretly enjoy being alone with me there.”

“Right, ‘cause can’t you see just how amazing I think you are?”

“Yeah, I can,” Beomgyu smirks. “It’s so obvious.”

Taehyun rolls his eyes. “Why are you even asking, anyway? You’re the one who set it up for us to go on Fridays, too.”

“One, to make sure, and two, to tell you you’re going to have to wait for me.”

“Again?” Taehyun groans.

“Yup. I have practice.”

“You couldn’t have chosen days you don’t have practice?”

“Mm, well, no, because I can’t see in the future, sweetheart.”

“Whatever,” Taehyun sighs. “Not like I have a choice, anyway.”

“You don’t,” Beomgyu agrees smugly, making Taehyun give him a small glare. “See you later then, sweetheart.” With that, he winks at him before walking away.

⌞ ⚽︎ ✮⋆˙ ⌝

After school, and after saying bye to Yeonjun, Taehyun heads to his club meetings. He ends up having three today, and then right after the last one ends, he heads straight to his library duty. The librarian is happy to see him, and she keeps him entertained as he restocks and organizes textbooks by updating him on her life (which is really giving him updates on her gazillion cats). His duty doesn’t end until almost five-thirty, which relieves him, since that means he doesn’t have to wait for Beomgyu for long.

The rest of the day goes by just like Wednesday did: Beomgyu catches up to him, they argue over whether they should take Beomgyu’s car or not, yet their argument is shorter this time, they take Beomgyu’s car, Beomgyu drives way faster than they should, they arrive at the café, banter, Beomgyu flirts with the cashier, banter some more, and banter even more as they begin their session. But just like the last two times, Beomgyu focuses, and they manage to get work done. The cashier once again has to come by their table to remind them they close soon for the two to realize what time it is, and they—more like Taehyun—begin packing up their things.

Taehyun tells himself he should just head to the bus stop already, so he won’t have to be with Beomgyu anymore, but he remembers the freshman—how she came up to him earlier, and was all worried about Beomgyu contacting her. 

Therefore, Taehyun can’t stop himself from asking Beomgyu as they leave the café, “So, did you ever end up calling that girl?”

“What girl?” Unsurprisingly, Beomgyu doesn’t know what he’s talking about.

Taehyun heaves a sigh. “The girl whose note I gave you on Wednesday?”

Beomgyu raises a brow slightly. “Doesn’t ring a bell.”

“Of course it doesn’t,” Taehyun mutters, rolling his eyes.

“It’s nice to see that you care, though, sweetheart,” Beomgyu says, tilting his head, a bit cockily. “I didn’t know you cared so much about who I call.”

“I don’t,” Taehyun says, almost snapping at him. “She just came up to me in the morning, and was asking if I had given you her note or not, because you hadn’t called or texted her yet.”

“Damn, desperate much?”

“God, you really are a jerk.”

“Just for calling a girl desperate?” Beomgyu raises a brow again. “Wow, someone’s sensitive. You don’t even know her.”

“Neither do you, apparently, and yet, you’re still treating her like trash.”

“I don’t treat girls like trash,” Beomgyu scoffs. “I just don’t pretend they’re special when they’re not.”

“That’s exactly what treating them like trash is!”

“You’re the one getting worked up over it,” Beomgyu says, eyes narrowing just slightly. “Not her. Why?”

“Because it’s not fair that you’re treating them like this,” Taehyun says. “They practically worship you, and you’re acting as if they’re just gum on your shoe.”

“I didn’t ask to be worshipped.” Beomgyu, for once, doesn’t even look cocky or smug—he looks serious, and his gaze is so heavy that it makes Taehyun want to cower under it. But somehow, he doesn’t. “So that’s their problem, not mine. They know what kind of person I am, and yet are still stupid enough to fall.”

“You really are an asshole.”

“That’s news to you?”

Taehyun just stares at him. Anger is still boiling in his blood, but all he can do is stare at Beomgyu, probably in disbelief. The older one is just staring back at him, unamused and unfazed. It barely hits Taehyun how they must look: two teens standing outside a closed café in the middle of a dark sidewalk, yelling at each other. If anyone was passing by, they would probably think they were crazy.

“You’re right,” Taehyun finally says, his voice a tad quieter. “Those girls are stupid to fall for someone like you. God knows why anybody would even fall for an ass like you.” With that, he walks away, not even noticing the irony in his own words.

⌞ ⚽︎ ✮⋆˙ ⌝

The next morning, Taehyun is woken up when someone bursts open his bedroom door and walks in as if they own the place. Despite still being half asleep, Taehyun knows whom it is.

“Hyung,” he groans, his voice still groggy with sleep, as he pulls his bedsheets over his head. “It’s still early.”

“Exactly!” Yeonjun agrees, and Taehyun can hear him moving around his room like a man on a mission. “Barely even gives us enough time for what we need to get done for today.”

“What are you talking about?” Taehyun whines.

“Uh, you going to the café with Beomgyu later? Duh?”

Taehyun opens his mouth to complain about that, but then the memories of what happened last night run through his head. He closes his mouth and doesn’t say anything. Which is unusual for him, and Yeonjun knows that. He takes Taehyun’s silence as a bad thing and stops what he’s doing to look at him.

“Tae?” Yeonjun calls out. “You okay?”

“...Yeah,” Taehyun replies, yet he doesn’t know if he’s lying or not.

“What’s wrong?” But of course, Yeonjun can see right through him. He doesn’t bother pulling the bedsheets off him yet and settles for sitting down next to him on his bed.

“Nothing,” he mutters, burrowing further into his sheets.

“I know something happened, dumbo.”

“Nothing happened! And why are you calling me a dumbo?”

“Because you’re acting like one.” Yeonjun rolls his eyes and finally pries the bedsheets off Taehyun, whom barely fights, and winces at the sunlight. “Now, tell me what’s going on.”

Taehyun sighs. “I just…I don’t wanna go to the café later.”

Yeonjun rolls his eyes. “When do you? That’s not a surprise, crybaby. Now c’mon, we need to-”

“I’m being serious, hyung,” Taehyun interrupts, which makes Yeonjun look back at him. “That asshole and I…”

Yeonjun’s eyes widen, and of course, he jumps to conclusions. “Oh my god, what happened?! Did you guys kiss?! Did you guys confess your undying love for each other?! OMG, is your guys’ wedding finally happening?! Is it so awkward now because you guys kissed, and now you don’t know how to act around each other?! Did you guys kiss with tongue?! Was it magical?! Give me all the deets, Tae-”

“We didn’t kiss, hyung!” he cuts off with a small huff. “God, why do you always jump to conclusions like that?”

“Well, can you blame me when you’re so vague?!” Yeonjun exclaims, giving him a small glare. “What happened, then?”

Taehyun sighs. “We…fought.”

“Oh.” Yeonjun falters. “Well, that’s not a surprise. You guys always fight.”

Taehyun shakes his head. “Not like this. We had a real fight last night, hyung.”

“Oh.” Yeonjun doesn’t doubt Taehyun is telling the truth, especially since he doubts Taehyun would ever joke about something like this. “What was it about?”

“It was so stupid,” he sighs, running his fingers through his hair. “I had asked him if he ended up calling that freshman. He obviously didn’t know who I was talking about, which led to this whole fight, and I ended it with…telling him that anyone who falls for him is stupid, because…why would anyone fall for an ass like him.”

“Oh.” Yeonjun doesn’t know what else to say.

“You should’ve heard us, hyung,” Taehyun says quietly. “Even he was yelling back.”

“Damn, that bad?”

Taehyun nods, covering his face with his hands.

“Hey, maybe it wasn’t that bad,” Yeonjun tries. “Maybe Beomgyu’s forgotten all about it.”

“Yeah, right.” Taehyun finds that hard to believe. “I’m pretty sure he’ll remember me basically calling him a heartless jerk, and saying anyone who falls for him is stupid.”

“I mean…it’s kinda the truth.”

“Not the point, hyung!”

“Right, right, sorry.” Yeonjun clears his throat. “But maybe Beomgyu deserved it. He deserved to be humbled like that. Not everyone is brave enough to tell him that, let alone to his face.”

“Trust me, it did feel good saying that,” Taehyun says. “But now I have to deal with him. God, why did I open my big mouth?”

“Hey, no, don’t beat yourself up over this,” Yeonjun scolds lightly. “That idiot deserved it. You did what was right, Tae. Don’t feel bad.”

“You think I want to?”

“Look, you’re going to have to see him sooner or later, whether you like it or not. It’s better to see him sooner to get it over with.”

“I guess,” Taehyun mutters, knowing Yeonjun has a point. “But what if he hates my guts now?”

“I don’t think his ego is that fragile,” he says with a small chuckle. “And even if he does hate your guts, then…that’s a him problem. You’re just there to tutor him, and that’s it.”

“But what if he-”

“No buts,” Yeonjun interrupts. “Now stop worrying about a man, and get up. You have a lot to do today.”

“No, I don’t,” Taehyun says with a small frown.

“That’s what you think.” Yeonjun grins, making Taehyun stare at him suspiciously.

“Hyung, what did you do?”

“Me? Nothing. Why do you automatically assume I did something?”

“Because I know you.”

“You overthink too much,” Yeonjun chuckles, pushing Taehyun to the bathroom. “Just freshen up, Tae, so we can start on breakfast.”

“You haven’t started it yet?”

“I thought it’d be cruel if I burned down the apartment whilst you were still asleep.”

“You say that as if you can’t cook better than me,” Taehyun mumbles as he walks to the bathroom.

When Taehyun comes out, he hears Yeonjun moving around in the kitchen. He joins him and sees that he didn’t need him to make breakfast, after all. Taehyun shakes his head at him and takes the plates out.

“So, does that mean you’re not going to the café today?” Yeonjun asks as they serve the food.

“I…I don’t know,” Taehyun replies with a small sigh. “I don’t even know if he’s showing up. What if I do, and he doesn’t? That’d be embarrassing, plus a total waste of time.”

“You could drop by his house to make sure he indeed does go.”

“Oh, yeah, because I totally know where he lives, and I’m just confrontational like that.”

“You were last night.”

“Hyung!”

Yeonjun snickers, before he realizes something. “Wait, don’t you have his number? Why don’t you just text him?”

“Did you seriously just ask me that right now?”

“Okay, but what other ideas do you have?” Yeonjun gives him a look. “We don’t have a lot of options here.”

“You know what, if he doesn’t decide to show up today, that’s his problem,” he decides. “We should be mature about this. We should move on from last night, and simply focus on what’s important: these dumb tutoring sessions.”

“Don’t know how ‘important’ they are if you’re calling them dumb, but okay.”

“What am I so worried about, anyway?” Taehyun says with a small scoff. “That asshole deserved those words I said to him last night. He deserved to be humbled. He doesn’t want people saying stuff like that to him? Then he shouldn’t be doing those things in the first place.”

“Yes, exactly,” Yeonjun agrees. 

“Yeah, and I hate him anyway,” Taehyun continues. “It’d be better for me if he doesn’t show up. Like, yeah, it’ll be a waste of my time if he doesn’t show up, but at least I won’t have to deal with his annoying ass the rest of the day, anyway. Yeah, so either way, this is a win-win. Fuck that asshole.”

“Yeah, you go, Tae!” Yeonjun whoops and high-fives him.

“Oh, but it’s going to be so awkward.” Almost immediately, the determination on Taehyun’s face fades into worry and a bit of panic. 

Yeonjun chuckles, shaking his head at him. “Did you guys even agree on a time to meet up today?”

“Yeah,” he mutters, leaning against the kitchen counter. “We said around two p.m.”

“Two p.m.?” Yeonjun’s eyebrows raise a little. “Wouldn’t it be better to go earlier?”

“According to that asshole, he doesn’t wake up ‘til noon,” Taehyun informs, rolling his eyes. “He even claimed going at two is pushing it, but I threatened him with telling his coach he skipped our session. He pretended not to care, but he agreed.”

“Okay, so it’s almost nine-fifteen right now…” Yeonjun muses, glancing at the clock. “That means we have around five hours… Okay, I think that’s enough time.”

Taehyun gives him a small, weird look. “Enough time for what?”

“Well, enough time to get you ready, silly!”

“Ugh, hyung-”

“Before you start being a crybaby like always,” Yeonjun says, leading them to the living room to eat, “hear me out. If we doll you up, not only will it make Beomgyu fall harder for you, but it’ll also show him that you mean business, and that last night didn’t affect you.”

“Okay, first of all, that asshole hasn’t fallen for me at all, so I highly doubt it’ll make him fall more for me,” Taehyun says, making Yeonjun roll his eyes. “And second of all, how will me getting all ‘dolled up,’ which I know that for you, it means wearing most likely an inappropriate outfit with my hair and makeup done, show him that I mean business? All it’ll show him is that I’m trying to impress him or something.”

“Exactly!” he exclaims, his eyes lit up. “It’ll make him think you are, when you’re really not. It’ll trick him. It’s called reverse psychology, Tae.”

“No, it’s called you being delulu, and thinking getting me dolled up will do something.”

“Okay, but c’mon, please?” Yeonjun whines. “You’ve never let me doll you up before!”

“Liar,” Taehyun accuses. “We’ve gone to fancy events before, hyung. I’ve let you dress me up for those.”

Yeonjun rolls his eyes. “Your cousin’s second birthday party, and your grandpa’s bingo night are not ‘fancy events.’”

“I’m not going all glammed up for this stupid tutoring session, hyung. And even if I did want to—which I don’t—what would be the point? There’s a chance that asshole won’t even show up.”

“Okay, maybe,” Yeonjun agrees, “but if he doesn’t, then it’ll show him what he’s missing out on.”

Taehyun sighs. “Hyung-”

“Okay, okay, I won’t go full-Yeonjun fashionista on you,” Yeonjun assures. “Just at least let me help you choose your outfit, and maybe do your makeup. You can choose how to do your hair.”

Taehyun narrows his eyes at him a little. “The outfit better not show any more skin than necessary, and the makeup better not consist of fake eyelashes.”

“Cross my heart that neither of those will happen.”

“...Fine,” Taehyun hesitantly gives in, making Yeonjun squeal. “But only because I agree with you a little—maybe it will show that asshole that last night didn’t affect me at all.”

“Eek, you’re the best, Tae!” he squeals, throwing his arms around him into a hug.

“Yes, I know,” he says with a small, playful sigh as he hugs him back. “But what are you going to do today, hyung? We’d usually hang out today.”

“Hm, that’s a good question,” he says as they pull away. “I don’t know. I think I’m just going to stay home, be in my pajamas, and binge-watch romcoms all day. Probably with my mom, so at least we’ll both be having fun.”

“You will,” Taehyun grumbles. “I most likely won’t.”

“We’ll see about that,” Yeonjun says cheekily. “Now hurry up, and eat before your food gets cold. We don’t have all day, Tae!”

The shorter one shakes his head at him, but still does as he was told.

⌞ ⚽︎ ✮⋆˙ ⌝

Ten minutes before two p.m., Taehyun is standing before the floor-length mirror in his bedroom, staring at his reflection. The boy staring back at him is wearing a black, cropped jacket with subtle gold piping along the seams. Underneath, there’s a yellow-and-black plaid shirt that’s been styled intentionally loose and slightly untucked, peeking out at the hem and sleeves. The jacket rides up just enough to expose a strip of his toned midriff—if he even lifts his arm a little. Paired with the jacket and shirt are black straight-leg pants and black Converse sneakers. 

As for his hair, he got to choose how to do it, so he parted it and softly styled it, letting it frame his face nicely. As for his makeup, courtesy of Yeonjun, he’s wearing soft brown eyeshadow on his eyelids, paired with thin, winged black liner, and his natural lashes are curled and coated with black mascara. His lips consist of a coat of soft rose gloss, and a lightly applied muted rose blush is on his cheeks. 

This is Yeonjun’s version of ‘toning it down.’

“Hyung, are you really sure this isn’t too much?” Taehyun asks with a small frown, yet he knows Yeonjun is the wrong person to ask this.

“I’m sure,” he replies for the nth time. “You look nice, Tae. Your look is very simple, and it looks as if you put no effort into it. Stop overthinking it.”

“You really think it looks like that?” The small frown stays on Taehyun’s face as he looks back at himself in the mirror. “The jacket and shirt you chose are very cropped, hyung. If I even lift my arms a little, I’m showing skin.”

“Yes, that’s the whole point!” Yeonjun beams, seeing no problem with it.

“I don’t know, hyung…” Taehyun bites his lower lip a little, still unsure.

“What are you so worried about, anyway?” Yeonjun questions, raising a brow slightly. “I thought you didn’t care what people thought of you, let alone Beomgyu.”

“I don’t,” Taehyun says instantly, narrowing his eyes a little. But it falters as he looks down at himself. “But what if it’s too much for a simple tutoring session?”

“It isn’t,” Yeonjun reassures for what seems like the hundredth time. “I’m not lying when I said I really toned it down, Tae. This outfit is casual and looks effortless. If anything, I don’t think Beomgyu, out of all people, will notice, anyway.”

Those words alone are enough to make all of Taehyun’s worries disappear. Yeonjun is right—Beomgyu would be the last person to even notice how he’s dressed. And even if he did notice, so what? Taehyun isn’t doing it for him. If it weren’t for Yeonjun, he’d be going in a simple hoodie and sweatpants.

“Okay, you’re right,” he says. “I’m ready to go, then.”

“Uh, you’re almost ready to go,” Yeonjun corrects. Taehyun opens his mouth to ask what he means, but that’s when Yeonjun returns with a perfume bottle and sprays a decent amount over him. “It wouldn’t hurt to smell nice.”

Taehyun isn’t about to argue with that. He checks the time, and when he sees it’s two o’clock now, he tells himself there’s no need to panic. Beomgyu will most likely show up late, anyway. If he even decides to show up, that is.

Taehyun begins gathering his things, putting them all in his backpack. He makes sure he has everything before pulling it on and turning to look at Yeonjun.

“Are you coming with me?” Taehyun asks.

Yeonjun’s eyebrows raise a little. “You want me to?”

“Not for the entire session,” Taehyun says. “Just to accompany me on the bus ride there.”

“Beomgyu isn’t picking you up?”

“No. Ew, why would he?”

“That’s what a gentleman would do.” But then it hits Yeonjun, and he lets out a small chuckle. “Never mind, forget what I said. I forgot Beomgyu isn’t exactly a gentleman. Sure, Tae, I’ll come with. I’ll finally get to see what the café looks like, and see if it is as romantic as I imagine.”

“It’s not romantic at all, but okay,” Taehyun mutters. “Let’s go, then.”

Minutes later, the two best friends are on their way to the nearest bus stop. When the bus arrives minutes later, they get in and continue talking for the rest of the way to the café. They arrive before they know it, and when they’re a few feet away, Taehyun points to it, leaving Yeonjun a bit surprised.

“Beomgyu was really the one who chose this place?” Now Yeonjun sees where Taehyun was coming from.

“Yup,” he replies. “I couldn’t believe it myself, either.”

“That is so weird,” Yeonjun says, still in slight disbelief. “I can not see someone like him coming somewhere like this.”

“Makes two of us.”

“You think he’s already here?” Yeonjun questions as they continue walking toward Brewtique.

“I doubt it,” Taehyun says. “I don’t see his stupid car anywhere.”

“Hey, what have I said about talking about my baby like that?”

The other two freeze at the familiar voice behind them. It’s enough to make Taehyun feel self-conscious about what he’s wearing again, and all of Yeonjun’s reassurances from earlier slip from his mind. He starts wondering if maybe he should cover up, despite it being unnecessary, since he already is, and if it looks like he tried too hard. But before he can stop himself from panicking even further, he feels Yeonjun’s grip on his arm tighten, and he’s being forced to turn around with him to face Beomgyu.

Once he faces him, Taehyun realizes it’s his first time seeing the soccer team captain wear something that isn’t a uniform. Beomgyu already looks great in both of his uniforms—his school and soccer ones—but he probably looks even better in his own clothing. He’s wearing a light-wash denim jacket that has a relaxed, boxy fit. Underneath is a navy hoodie, slightly oversized, with white graphic text across the chest. The hood peeks out from under the jacket, and paired with both are black straight-leg pants. Around his neck rest black over-ear headphones, and hanging from his right shoulder is his backpack. His raven hair falls naturally around his face, slightly tousled, and from what Taehyun can tell, he’s wearing minimal to no makeup.

“Oh, hey, Beomgyu,” Yeonjun greets with a small smile. “We weren’t expecting to see you here so soon.”

“Clearly,” Beomgyu says, a bit amused. “Otherwise, I don’t think I would’ve heard Taehyunie here slander my precious baby.”

Ignoring his stupid, rapidly beating heart, Taehyun narrows his eyes at him a little. “When did you even get here? I didn’t hear or see your car arrive.”

“That’s why you should always be aware of your surroundings,” he says, a bit smugly, and Taehyun stares at him blankly. “But I got here a few minutes ago, actually. Probably even before you. I was just busy doing something.”

“Busy doing what?” Yeonjun asks what Taehyun is thinking.

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” is Beomgyu’s vague, smug response. “I’m surprised to see you here, Yeonjun-ssi. I didn’t know your li’l nerd friend needed a bodyguard for a simple tutoring session.”

“He’s not my bodyguard,” Taehyun says with a small scowl. “He just accompanied me during the bus ride.”

“Right,” Beomgyu says with a small chuckle, not seeming to believe him. “Well, Yeonjun-ssi, I assume you’re not going to stay, then?”

“Unfortunately, no,” Yeonjun replies. “I have…stuff to do at home.”

“That’s great then,” Beomgyu says with a small smirk. “Leaves your dear, li’l best friend all alone with me.”

“You act like it’ll be the first time,” Taehyun grumbles.

“Kinda will be,” Beomgyu says. “We’re here for the first time on a non-school day, three hours earlier than we usually come, and on Saturdays and Sundays, the café closes at eleven. So we’ll have more time being all alone, sweetheart.”

“Okay, I think I should take my leave now,” Yeonjun says with a small chuckle. “Good luck with him, Beomgyu. And Tae, try not to kill him, yeah?”

Taehyun glares at Beomgyu. “No promises.”

“Don’t worry, Yeonjun-ssi,” he says with a grin, slinging an arm around Taehyun’s shoulder. “Your best friend’s in capable hands.”

“If you say so,” Yeonjun says with a small giggle, almost bursting into laughter when he sees Taehyun push off Beomgyu’s arm, and the murder look in his usually doe, sparkling eyes. “I’ll see you both later. Try not to kill each other.” With that, he waves and walks away, leaving Beomgyu and Taehyun alone.

“I didn’t know you needed a chaperone, sweetheart,” Beomgyu says, turning to him. “Hm, but come to think, maybe someone as small as you does need one.”

Taehyun’s glare deepens, but then he looks away as he takes a deep inhale. “You know what, I’m not going to start this session with threats of ending you. Let’s just go inside.”

“Oh, I’d definitely love to go inside,” Beomgyu smirks, and Taehyun barely refrains from slapping that stupid smirk off his stupid face. 

This time, since he’s in front of Beomgyu, Taehyun opens the door to the café himself and steps inside, not even bothering to hold the door open for the taller. Beomgyu just chuckles at that and steps in after him. They stand in line before the two people in front of them, and Taehyun looks at the menu. He knows he’s going to order a black coffee anyway, but at least it gives him something to do.

“Did Yeonjun dress you up?” Beomgyu’s infuriating deep voice breaks him out of his thoughts.

“What?” Taehyun looks up at him, furrowing his eyebrows a little.

Beomgyu motions to his body. “You’re dressed like that. I assumed you would’ve come in simple sweats or something.”

“Well…you assumed wrong,” he says with a small huff. He knows that if he told Beomgyu that Yeonjun did dress him up, Beomgyu would’ve thought he let him on purpose because he’s doing it for him. That is a complete lie, and Taehyun won’t have Beomgyu thinking that. “What do you say about stereotypes?”

“Well, sorry for assuming a boring nerd like you wouldn’t come dressed up like this,” he says, a bit teasingly, and Taehyun gives him a small glare.

“I dressed up like this because I wanted to, okay?” Taehyun huffs. 

“Hey, I’m not complaining here,” Beomgyu says, raising his hands, a bit defensively. He lowers his voice a little as he asks, “You always look like this outside of school, or is today just special?”

“Why would today be special?” Taehyun scoffs.

“Oh, I don’t know…” Beomgyu says, feigning confusion. “Maybe because it’s the first time we’re seeing each other on a weekend, and about to spend probably the next nine hours together.”

“I still don’t see anything special about today.”

“Right,” Beomgyu chuckles, not seeming to believe him. “You still look hot either way, sweetheart. Makes me wonder what’s under-”

“Shut up, before I really punch you.”

Beomgyu snickers, but luckily does stop talking.

When the person in front of them walks away, meaning it’s their turn, Taehyun looks at the cashier, giving her a small smile, and opens his mouth to order. But that’s when he realizes that she’s the same cashier from the other day, Eunji, and notices the way she’s averting eye contact with both of them, especially Beomgyu. The fuckboy looks a bit smug, and as Taehyun stares at her for a bit more, he realizes the way she’s standing is a bit odd. As if she’s leaning all her weight on one foot, or if something is sore or something.

“Um, are you okay?” Taehyun asks

“I-I’m fine,” Eunji replies with a small smile. “How may I help you today?”

Taehyun still finds the way she’s standing and acting a bit weird, but decides to shrug it off. He orders his black coffee, not looking at her anymore, as he moves his backpack from his back to his front, ready to take out his “emergency” card. But that’s when Beomgyu speaks up and orders for himself as well, and Taehyun knows that once again, taking out his card was pointless.

Still, Taehyun tries beating Beomgyu to tapping his card against the card machine, but just as he’s about to reach for it, a hand bigger than his grabs his wrist. It isn’t a harsh grip, but it’s still firm enough to grab his attention. It’s also enough to distract him, and next thing he knows, Beomgyu is tapping his black card against the card machine.

“Y-your order number will be called out soon,” Eunji says as she hands Taehyun the receipt, which confuses him. He wasn’t the one whom paid, so why is she handing him the receipt? And why is she still averting eye contact with Beomgyu?

“Um, okay, thank you,” Taehyun says, grabbing the receipt. He glances at the jock, whom is whistling a small tune, his hands in the pockets of his hoodie, as he walks toward an empty table. “Okay, what was that?” he asks once he catches up to him. 

“Whatever do you mean, sweetheart?” Beomgyu feigns confusion as he finds an empty booth near a window and sits down.

“You and the cashier,” Taehyun says as he sits across from him. “Why was she refusing to look at you?”

“I don’t get what you mean.” But despite his words, Beomgyu still has a crooked grin on his face.

“Stop lying,” Taehyun says, glaring at him.

“Who says I’m lying?” Beomgyu raises a brow. “I truly don’t get what you mean, nerd.”

Taehyun narrows his eyes at him, but then that’s when it hits him. Earlier, when he and Yeonjun first saw Beomgyu, the older had said he had actually arrived a few minutes before them, and had barely shown up because he was “busy doing something.” His answer was vague when Yeonjun asked what he was doing, but he had that same annoying cocky look on his face as he does now. Taehyun goes back to how Eunji looked around Beomgyu and the way she was standing. Taehyun isn’t one to understand how sex innuendos work, but it’s kind of obvious here.

“You slept with her?!” he hisses quietly, so no one will hear him.

“About time you realized,” Beomgyu says, amused.

“No wonder she wouldn’t look at you,” Taehyun mutters.

“That’s proof I always get what I want, sweetheart,” Beomgyu says cockily, giving him a small wink.

Taehyun looks at him, unamused, which makes the cockiness on Beomgyu’s face grow. It isn’t long before their order number is called out, and this time, Taehyun doesn’t bother going with Beomgyu to get his drink, too. He just stays sitting there, thinking about what he just found out, and how it relates to the fight he and Beomgyu had last night. Although neither of them has brought it up—yet, at least—it’s already present. What they were fighting about is exactly what’s happening now. Beomgyu claims he doesn’t treat girls like trash, but Taehyun knows he’s never going to call Eunji ever again. Looking at her from his seat, Taehyun can see the hopeful look on her face as she hands Beomgyu their drinks. But Taehyun knows she isn’t going to get what she wants. Beomgyu will have broken yet another girl’s heart, and still claim they’re the stupid ones for falling.

It hits Taehyun that Beomgyu might never truly change, after all.

Chapter Text

The last few hours have been…interesting for Taehyun. To say the least.

Besides having to deal with Beomgyu, his shenanigans, and tutoring him, he’s also surprisingly had to deal with Eunji and her shenanigans, too. At first, he was surprised when she started doing it, but then his shock turned into annoyance, before his annoyance turned into pity, for lack of a better word. He felt bad that she felt the need to do more than what her duty as a cashier and simple barista called for, just so she could get Beomgyu to even glance at her. 

It was almost enough for Taehyun to tell her her efforts are futile, but he knew Eunji wouldn’t believe him. Despite how embarrassing it was to watch, what he felt more than second-hand embarrassment was annoyance, and maybe a bit of anger. Whenever Eunji came by, Beomgyu would pretend she wasn’t even there, and if she somehow caught his attention, he’d act indifferent towards her. All the charm he showed her before was gone, and his smirks and words went from smug and cocky to sarcastic and maybe even mocking.

“Hi!” Somehow, even after almost four endless hours of her trying, Eunji’s voice and smile remain chirpy. “May I offer you two any refills on your drinks?” Although she asks them both that question, her gaze is only on Beomgyu.

“Um, no, we’re good, thank you,” Taehyun replies with a small smile, which has been the same response he’s given her the last five times she’s asked in the past thirty minutes. Beomgyu is busy working on an AP Calc problem—or at least, pretending to be.

“Okay.” Taehyun doesn’t notice the way Eunji’s smile falters a little. “If you need anything, I’ll be over there.” She points vaguely to the counter, and when she turns, her eyes land on Beomgyu again, expecting him to be watching her. But of course he isn’t—only Taehyun is, and he gives her a small nod.

“Yeah, we know,” he says through his fake smile. “Thank you for reminding us.” Again.

Eunji nods, smiling at him, before darting her eyes to Beomgyu. Just like a few seconds ago, he still isn’t even looking at her, and Eunji heaves a sigh. But she puts her customer service face back on, smiles, and bows to Taehyun before returning to the counter. Taehyun’s eyes can’t help but follow her, and he lets out a real sigh, knowing it won’t be long before she’s back again.

Once he looks away from her, he looks at Beomgyu, who is still focused on the Calculus problem. Taehyun knows there’s a chance Beomgyu might actually be focused, but at the same time, he wouldn’t put it past him if he’s just pretending to be.

“This is getting annoying, Captain Dumbfuck,” Taehyun says, a bit lowly, in case Eunji is somehow nearby.

“Hm?” Beomgyu still doesn’t look up from the worksheet. Now Taehyun knows he isn’t really that focused.

“Pay attention,” Taehyun snaps, kicking his shin under the table.

“Hey!” Beomgyu finally looks up, giving a small pout as his eyebrows furrow. “What’d you do that for?”

“For not paying attention,” Taehyun snaps again. “We both know you’re not actually that interested in calc.”

“I could be,” Beomgyu mutters, looking back down at the worksheet, as he taps the pencil in his hands against the table.

Taehyun rolls his eyes. “Can’t you just do something about it already?”

“Excuse me, I was hard at work until you rudely interrupted me.”

“I don’t mean that.” Taehyun resists the urge to roll his eyes again. “I meant Eunji?”

“Who?”

Taehyun glares at him. “Eunji. You know, the cashier you slept with?”

Beomgyu simply raises a brow.

“Don’t act stupid with me!” Taehyun hisses, lowering his voice a little. “You know who I’m talking about.”

“I really don’t,” Beomgyu says, sounding bored, with a small shrug as he takes a sip of his drink. “I figured you would’ve known that by now, sweetheart.”

“Now I really wonder how girls even find you attractive enough to sleep with,” Taehyun groans, mainly to himself, as he puts his head in his hands.

“Isn’t that obvious?” Beomgyu’s smug voice returns. “This face, plus what I have downstairs-”

“Look, this stupid café is stupidly and somehow the only place you can focus in,” Taehyun interrupts with a small scowl. “And now you’ve ruined that by playing with one of the girls who works here. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, and you probably haven’t, because all you have in that dumb brain of yours is useless air, but it has been awkward, and honestly embarrassing to deal with because that girl you slept with won’t leave us alone, because she’s trying to get your attention. All because you can’t man up and just tell her yourself you just wanted her for sex.”

Beomgyu shrugs, looking simply uninterested, which just irks Taehyun further. “Not my fault she can’t take a hint.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously.” Beomgyu looks at him with that same uninterested look, which Taehyun so badly wants to slap off. “I never told her I was going to call, text, ask her out, or even talk to her after we were done. If she didn’t want to get involved with me, she could’ve just simply said no, and we wouldn’t be having this problem.”

“Ah, so now it’s her fault?”

“Isn’t that what I just said?”

Taehyun puts his head in his hands again. He doesn’t even know why he bothered. Beomgyu is never going to listen. He’s always going to think he’s in the right and think Taehyun is crazy for telling him he should treat the girls he sleeps with like humans.

It’s just like their fight last night all over again.

“You really have a god complex, you know that, right?”

“Oh, I know,” Beomgyu smirks, and Taehyun returns to glaring at him. “Anyway, you hungry? I’ve been starving for the last couple of minutes, but couldn’t do anything with you yapping in my ear.”

Taehyun inhales sharply, reminding himself that Beomgyu is not worth it.

“Just be quick, and go order something,” Taehyun mutters. He should realize it’s futile to knock some sense into Beomgyu.

“Oh, I’m not getting anything from here,” he says with a small chuckle as he gets up. 

Taehyun raises an eyebrow up at him. “Why not?”

“‘Cause it’s not real food,” he replies. “And me going up to the counter will just give that girl more hope.”

“That ‘girl’ has a name.”

“Cool. You coming with?”

“No,” Taehyun says, almost sharply, as he narrows his eyes at him. 

Beomgyu shrugs. “Suit yourself.”

“Don’t take too long!” Taehyun calls out after him. Beomgyu doesn’t even glance at him, simply leaving through the café doors as if he came alone.

Once Beomgyu is gone, Taehyun sighs. He calls himself stupid for even telling Beomgyu anything. Why did he? What Beomgyu does is none of his business, and none of his concern. If Beomgyu wants to screw every girl there is and not even bother to learn their names, then that’s on him. Taehyun shouldn’t care. He doesn’t.

But then…why is there a persistent nagging feeling in his chest?

Taehyun stares down at the table, looking over the papers, pens, and pencils he and Beomgyu have scattered over it, for so long that he’s sure his simple staring turns into glaring. He snaps himself out of it and tells himself that maybe buying himself something to eat will help distract him. He leaves his and Beomgyu’s stuff as is on the table and gets up to head to the counter.

“Oh, hello!” Much to his dismay, Eunji is the only cashier available. “How may I help you?” Yet, despite her tone and question, Taehyun knows she couldn’t care less. The way she looks behind him, and subtly around them, lets him know she’s only worried about Beomgyu, even though he’s clearly not here anymore.

“Can I get half a dozen mochi donuts, please?” But for now, Taehyun couldn’t care less. He’s already tired, albeit it’s barely six p.m., and all he wants right now is to munch on something sweet to one, overpower the bitter black coffee taste in his mouth, and two, to hopefully help him focus on anything that isn’t related to Beomgyu.

“Of course!” Eunji continues beaming as she gets a bag ready. “What flavors?”

Taehyun skims through the display case of the donuts. “All of them, please.”

Eunji nods and puts two of each flavor into the bag. She folds the bag and taps the order in. “Will that be all?”

“Yes.” Taehyun takes out his “emergency” card from where he pocketed it earlier, after Beomgyu ended up paying for him again. 

“That’ll be nineteen.”

Taehyun nods and taps his card against the card machine. As the machine approves his card, he realizes it’s his first time paying for himself here.

“Would you like your receipt?” Eunji asks as it prints out of the card machine.

“No, that’s okay.” Taehyun gives her a small smile, and he grabs the bag that holds his donuts as she hands it to him. But as he looks back up at her, he sees her subtly scanning around their surroundings, and he knows it’s because she’s looking for Beomgyu. Again. He tells himself it’s none of his business, but before he knows it, he’s already opening his big mouth to say, “Hey, um…can I offer you a piece of advice?”

“Oh.” Eunji looks a bit surprised, but she lets out a small smile. “Um, okay.”

“Forget about him,” Taehyun says, taking her more by surprise. “He’s not good for you.”

Eunji’s cheeks turn a light shade of red, and she looks down, clearing her throat. “I-I, uh, don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Taehyun gives her a small look. “You do. You came by our table almost ten times earlier in just twenty minutes to ask if we needed refills. Only waitresses do that, and I know you’re just a simple barista, with no need of having to do that.”

Eunji’s eyes fill with a bit of hope. “Do you think he noticed?”

Now Taehyun is really cursing himself for opening his dumb mouth. He doesn’t know how to let her down gently.

“You passed by at least every five minutes,” he starts, a bit hesitantly. “You kept offering refills, pastries, and other stuff. But not once did he look up from his paper.”

“So…no?”

“…No, girl.”

The hope in Eunji’s eyes diminishes, and she looks down. Taehyun doesn’t even realize she’s crying until he notices the way her shoulders shake a little, and the way she blinks rapidly.

“I-I just don’t know what I did wrong,” she says, her voice breaking a little. “I thought I was…good enough.”

“Look, that’s just the kind of asshole he is, okay?” Taehyun says, softening a little. “You shouldn’t waste tears over a guy like him.”

“I really thought he liked me…” Eunji whispers.

Taehyun frowns. Maybe he really shouldn’t have said anything.

“H-hey, don’t-”

“I-I’m sorry,” Eunji says, wiping her tears away, as she takes a step back. “Excuse me.” With that, she quickly scurries off, disappearing behind the door that leads to the back.

That leaves Taehyun just standing there, and he sighs. A part of him knows what he did is right, warning Eunji about Beomgyu, and snapping her out of that deluded state, but another part of him can’t help but feel guilty. If he hadn’t opened his mouth, Eunji wouldn’t most likely be crying her eyes out right now.

A frown stays on his face as he returns to his and Beomgyu’s table. Even the mere mention of Beomgyu is enough to annoy him, and he stuffs his mouth with the first mochi donut he grabs from the bag. He doesn’t even care if consuming all the mochi donuts will give him a stomachache later—at least it’ll distract him from murderous thoughts of his tutee.

⌞ ⚽︎ ✮⋆˙ ⌝

It isn’t until over an hour later that Beomgyu finally returns. Like a fool, Taehyun kept waiting for him (impatiently) at their table, wondering if he was going to return, or if he just used going out to buy “real food” as an excuse to actually go home. Taehyun kept telling himself he should just call or text him to see if he actually did leave, but his pride kept refraining him from doing that.

When an hour and a half passes, though, that’s when Taehyun figures he might as well just go home. Who knows when Beomgyu might be back, and he isn’t going to be wasting his time waiting for him. 

But he’s barely turning around from throwing away his trash when he sees that the jock he was just thinking of throttling walks through the café doors, his hands in the pockets of his jacket, seeming to not have a care in the world. Taehyun’s eyes narrow a little at the sight of him, and Beomgyu must’ve felt his glare burning into his soul, because he looks up right at him.

“Oh, there you are, sweetheart.” Beomgyu lets out a small grin as Taehyun nears him. “Was wondering if you had left me.”

“I was about to,” Taehyun says with a small scowl. “I thought I told you not to take long.”

“And I thought I’ve told you I don’t take orders from such a small person,” Beomgyu retorts, making Taehyun’s eyes narrow again.

“You are unbelievable,” he mutters under his breath, storming back to their table.

“Heh, thanks, I always get that.” And of course, Beomgyu takes his words as a compliment.

“Did you even actually get something to eat?” Taehyun asks, although telling himself he shouldn’t be asking when he doesn’t care.

“Aw, sweetheart, it’s nice to see that you care about my well-being,” Beomgyu says with a bright smile.

“I don’t,” Taehyun says immediately in such a monotonous tone. “I just wanna know if you’ve just been wasting my time for the past almost two hours.”

“Don’t get your panties in a twist, sweetheart,” Beomgyu says with a small chuckle. “I’m a considerate person, you know. I don’t ever waste people’s time. I make it enjoyable instead.” He gives him a small wink.

“Enjoyable or torturous?” 

“Depends on how you see it,” Beomgyu says with the smuggest grin out there. “Or how you want it, too.”

Taehyun looks at him in slight disgust before looking back down at the papers scattered around the table. “Can we just get back to work?”

“Do we have to?” he says with a small sigh.

“Do you have to be annoying all the time?”

“Yes,” Beomgyu says smugly. “Or how else will I get to annoy you?”

Taehyun just looks at him blankly, which makes him let out a small chuckle.

“Fine, fine,” he says, clearly having too much fun with this. “Let’s get back to work then, angry kitten.”

Taehyun shoves any murderous thoughts that appear to the back of his head and indeed tries to focus on getting back to work.

Somehow, they get work done for the majority of the next three hours. Of course, Beomgyu being Beomgyu, he can’t go an entire fifteen minutes without making at least one joke, flirt, or sexual innuendo, sighs dramatically when Taehyun makes him complete another worksheet assignment, and goes on his phone once or twice. At first, it annoys Taehyun, and he’s about to snap at him to put it away, but then he calms down, figuring they’ve been hard at work for the past almost six hours. He deems Beomgyu can have a small phone break.

But now, Taehyun wants to use Beomgyu’s phone, too—to smack some sense into him.

“How do you not get what the question is asking for?” Taehyun asks, exasperated, almost scowling.

“Because I don’t!” Beomgyu exclaims, his eyebrows furrowed. “The way you’re wording it isn’t helping, either.”

“It’s not helping because you’re refusing to understand,” Taehyun retorts, narrowing his eyes. “What’s so hard about it, anyway? The question is asking, ‘Explain how shifts in perspective affect the reader’s understanding of the conflict.’” When Beomgyu continues staring at him blankly, he groans. “Did you even read the book?”

“Do you think I’d still be so confused if I did?”

Taehyun inhales sharply. “And you didn’t think to tell me earlier?”

“I didn’t think I’d have to,” Beomgyu says, seeming almost genuinely confused, as he expected Taehyun to somehow read his mind. 

“Why the hell-” Possibly angering Taehyun further, he gets interrupted by the sound of a phone ringing.

“What kind of ringtone is that?” Beomgyu asks with a small chuckle.

“Shut up,” Taehyun grumbles, looking for his phone from where he stuffed it in his bag. A piano version of Twice’s “Be as ONE” continues playing as his phone continues ringing. He finally takes it out and is a bit surprised to see that his dad is calling him. He’s about to answer, but then that’s when he remembers where he is—and with whom. He doubts Beomgyu will stay completely silent throughout his phone call with his dad, and he is not going to risk having his dad hear another boy’s voice whom isn’t Yeonjun’s.

“Who was that?” Beomgyu says when Taehyun doesn’t answer the call on time.

“Uh…” Taehyun clears his throat, putting his phone down. Maybe it’s better if he didn’t answer. “My dad.”

“Aw, is the kitten’s daddy checking up on him?” Beomgyu says teasingly, tilting his head a little, making Taehyun give him a small glare.

“Shut up,” Taehyun says with a small scoff. “Focus on the question instead.”

“Ugh, that again?” Beomgyu says with a small groan. “I still don’t get what it’s asking for!”

“It’s literally in the question!” Taehyun is about to go off on him, but then that’s when his phone begins ringing again.

“I think you should get that,” Beomgyu says, a bit smugly.

“Shut up.” Taehyun gives him a small glare before looking back at his phone. His dad is calling again, and he knows he won’t stop until he answers, especially if he finds out he’s not home right now. He lets out a small sigh and hesitates before grabbing his phone, answering the call, and placing his phone to his ear. “Hello?”

“Finally you pick up.” His dad’s voice comes in through the other line. “I was about to call your mother to make sure you were alright.”

“Heh, sorry,” Taehyun says, a bit sheepishly. “I was a bit…distracted.” He glances merely in Beomgyu’s direction, unsurprised to find him already on his phone. “Um, why the call, Dad?”

“What, can’t I call my favorite son?”

“I’m your only son, but okay,” Taehyun says with a small chuckle. “It’s just, you don’t usually call when you’re at work.”

“Well, I’m on my break right now, so I figured I’d call. Are you home right now?”

“Uh…” Taehyun hesitates in responding. He doesn’t know whether to lie to his dad or not. He knows he’s going to lie to him, anyway—there is no way in hell he’s going to tell him he’s with Beomgyu, especially since that’ll just send him into a haywire—but he’s never been good at lying to him. But then again, his dad will know he’s lying anyway if he says he is home, and he comes home early to see that he’s not. “I…I’m not, actually.”

“I figured. You’re at Yeonjun-ah’s, then?”

“M-mhm,” Taehyun lies with a slightly fake smile, albeit his dad can’t see it.

“Hey, sweetheart, maybe once you’re done talking to daddy, we can get back to work,” Beomgyu says with a slightly sarcastic smile.

Taehyun narrows his eyes at him, about to open his mouth to tell him to shut up, and ask since when does he suddenly care about focusing on work, but that’s when he hears his dad say, “Honey? Who is that? I thought you said you were with Yeonjun-ah.”

Panic fills Taehyun, and he quickly rakes his brain for a lie. “I am with hyung, dad! W-we’re just, um…watching a…movie.”

Beomgyu smirks, taking the chance to mess with him. He raises his voice a little to say, “I didn’t know I was like a movie to you, sweetheart!”

Taehyun’s eyes widen. There’s no way his dad didn’t hear that and put the pieces together. He scowls at Beomgyu, kicking his shin under the table, but all that does is make Beomgyu laugh. Taehyun glares at him before quickly getting up and moving as far away as he can from the table, which is almost near the restrooms.

“Okay, Taehyun, what’s going on?” His dad’s voice sounds more serious, and Taehyun knows he is, since he called him by his name.

“I…” Taehyun rakes his brain for a lie, making a mental note to kill Beomgyu later. 

“Are you with a boy?” Taehyun’s dad’s voice turns dangerously calm, and Taehyun knows he’ll be seriously fucked if he doesn’t come up with something fast.

“N-no,” he lies, gulping a little. “Hyung just has some of his…cousins over.”

“Doesn’t he have only girl cousins?”

“N-nope,” Taehyun chuckles nervously, once again lying. But his dad doesn’t need to know that. “So is that all then, Dad? ‘Cause I’m kinda busy.”

“Will Yeonjun-ah’s parents be dropping you off?”

At his dad’s question, Taehyun’s mind immediately goes to Beomgyu. But then he’s quick to shake that thought out of his head. After last night, and with the way things are going between them so far, it’s given him more reason not to let Beomgyu drive him home. But then, if he doesn’t let Beomgyu drive him home, he’ll have no other option, since the buses around this area of the city stop working around ten-thirty. His only options are to either let Beomgyu take him home or have his dad pick him up.

Neither is a great option. 

“Honey?” His dad’s voice breaks him out of his thoughts.

“S-sorry,” he says. “Um, that’s what I was going to ask you, Dad. Hyung’s mom’s…car doesn’t work, so she can’t take me, and his dad is, um…going to be busy at work still.”

“No problem then, honey.” Luckily, his dad doesn’t see a problem with it, since what Taehyun told him has happened before. “I’ll pick you up, then. What time do you want me to?”

“Um…around eleven-fifteen?” Taehyun estimates, since he figures that’s how long it’ll take for him and Beomgyu to pack up, leave the café, and banter, before Beomgyu leaves for his dumb car.

“Sounds like a plan. I’ll see you then, honey.”

“See you, Dad,” Taehyun returns with a small smile. “Bye. I love you.”

“I love you more, honey,” is all his dad says before ending their call.

Usually, Taehyun wouldn’t let him just leave like that, since he’d argue that he loves him more, and it would escalate into this whole ‘who-loves-who more’ argument, but today, he’ll make an exception. What he and his dad just talked about goes through his mind, and he just hopes Beomgyu will be out of sight before his dad arrives, or else, they’ll both most likely be in trouble.

With a sigh, Taehyun pockets his phone and begins walking back to his and Beomgyu’s table. Surprisingly, he sees that Beomgyu isn't on his phone anymore, and instead taps the pencil in his hands slowly against the table as he stares—more like glares—at the worksheet in front of him. Taehyun just thinks he's simply dreading finishing it, so he doesn't think much of it as he sits back down across from him.

“You ready to get back-”

“In the future, I’d like it if you stayed out of my business,” Beomgyu’s (for once) sharp voice cuts in.

The sharpness of his tone and words takes Taehyun by surprise, and he looks up at him in slight confusion. “What?”

“Stay out of my business,” he repeats, finally looking up at him. His gaze is just as sharp as his tone is. “You don’t like what I’m doing? That’s your problem, not mine, but don’t use it as an excuse to interfere with what doesn’t concern you.”

Taehyun has to bite his tongue to refrain from snapping back at him, especially when he doesn’t know what Beomgyu is referring to. If he snaps back, it’ll just make matters worse, and that’s not what either of them needs.

“What are you talking about, Captain Dumbfuck?” he asks.

“The ‘cashier.’” Beomgyu’s voice goes from sharp to cool, but its effect remains the same nevertheless. “You just had to act like you were her lord and savior, didn’t you?”

“I-”

“You’d think someone as smart as you would know how to mind their own business, and not interfere in other people’s lives.”

It finally hits Taehyun what Beomgyu is talking about, especially when he sees Eunji at the counter. Her eyes are still a little red and puffy from her crying earlier, and even though the sad and betrayed look in her eyes remains, the way she’s looking over at Beomgyu makes Taehyun think she must’ve told him something, whilst he was away on the call with his dad. Undoubtedly, she must’ve mentioned him, too, which is why Beomgyu is all pissy right now.

“Look, I don’t know what Eunji told you,” Taehyun starts, emphasizing her name on purpose, as his eyes narrow a little, “but I’m assuming she told you off for just using her, or something alike. And yeah, I did tell her something, but only to get her to stop embarrassing herself just to get your attention. Whether it was my business or not, she needed to know the truth about you.”

“The truth about me?” Beomgyu repeats, a bit in disbelief. “I never hid from her what type of guy I am. If she still wanted to think I was looking for a relationship or something, that’s on her. It’s not my fault she can’t take a hint.”

“So now it’s her fault?”

“Who else’s could it be?”

“Maybe yours?” Taehyun almost snaps. 

“I didn’t make her fall for me,” Beomgyu says coldly. “She chose to. Just like everyone else who gets too close. So stop acting like I owe these girls anything, because I don’t. They knew what they were getting into, and were still stupid enough to fall. Like you said last night, who would fall for an ass like me? Apparently, every girl I sleep with, because they all expect me to be more to them.”

“That still doesn’t give you the right to treat them like they’re disposable,” Taehyun retorts, almost just as coldly. “And it doesn’t make you any better, either. It just proves you’re an asshole.”

“I never said I was better,” Beomgyu replies flatly. “I just don’t lie about what I am. You’re the one pretending this makes you morally superior.”

Taehyun glares at him. “You don’t get to say that about me. You don’t know anything about me.”

“You don’t know anything about me, either.”

“I do.” Taehyun’s glare turns icy cold, and his mouth spews out words he can’t control. “You are an incompetent, selfish, heartless bastard, who couldn’t care less about anyone except himself. Hell, you probably don’t even care about Soobin, and he’s your best friend. You treat girls like they’re trash, when really, you’re the only trashy one here. You don’t get to act like you’re superior to everyone when you’re not.”

“And you are?” Beomgyu raises a brow. “At least I’m honest about being selfish. You hide yours behind good grades and good intentions. And maybe you’re right in doing that, because that’s all people will ever need you for, isn’t it? Even your own teachers don’t see you as anything more than just a smart kid.”

Beomgyu’s words hit deeper than Taehyun wishes they would. He can just stare at him, praying to every god out there that his eyes don’t tear up. His hand begins to shake by his side, but he clenches it into a tight fist. 

“If that’s all I’m good for,” Taehyun says, his voice growing quieter, “then at least I’m good for something, and I’m not known for just throwing people away. At least my intentions benefit people, so screw you, Beomgyu.” With that, he doesn’t even bother picking up his things. He simply grabs his backpack, unzipped and all, with his phone already in his pocket, and storms out of the café. 

He knows Beomgyu would never chase after him, but Taehyun still walks a good four streets away from the café before stopping. He doesn’t even recognize where he is, and he has the urge to succumb to his intrusive thoughts. But the cold night breeze helps him stay alert, and wrapping one arm around himself to help endure the cold, he takes out his phone and dials a familiar pinkette’s number.

“Hello?” comes his best friend’s voice seconds later.

“H-hyung.” Taehyun feels his throat closing up, but he clears it. “Um…are you home?”

“Uh, yeah.” Yeonjun sounds a bit confused. “I’m just watching a movie with my mom. Why, what’s up, Tae?”

“C-can you guys come pick me up?” 

“Already? But it’s not even eight-thirty yet. Don’t tell me you just want to leave Beomgyu already.”

Taehyun stays silent as he feels the tears beginning to burn in his eyes.

“Tae?” Yeonjun says when the ravenette still hasn’t responded.

“Can you just pick me up, please, hyung?” he says, almost so quiet, he doesn’t know if Yeonjun heard him.

Fortunately, Yeonjun recognizes the call for help in his tone right away. “Of course. We’ll be right there.” With that, he hangs up.

Taehyun doesn’t even worry about Yeonjun not knowing where he is. He does know, since they’ve shared locations ever since they knew they could. He pockets his phone and forces himself not to break down, telling himself it’d be stupid and useless to, as he sinks down on the curb, hugging his knees to his chest.

Please arrive soon, hyung.

⚽︎

When he sees a pink car stopping in front of him out of the corner of his eye, that’s when Taehyun knows Yeonjun and his mom are finally here. He hasn’t even grabbed his backpack yet when Yeonjun is already getting out of the car and rushing over to him.

“I’m here, I’m here,” Yeonjun says quickly. Once he’s close enough, he doesn’t even hesitate before pulling Taehyun into his arms. “You’re not alone anymore.”

Yeonjun’s words are enough to almost make Taehyun break down, but he forces himself not to again. He blinks back the tears and clenches the soft material of Yeonjun’s hoodie as he hugs him back.

“Are you okay?” he asks, a bit frantically, as he pulls away. He holds him at arm’s length to make sure there’s not even a scrape on him. “You’re not injured or anything, are you?”

“No, hyung,” he assures, unsurprised Yeonjun jumped to conclusions.

“Maybe we should still take you to the hospital, just in case-”

“Hyung.”

“Fine, fine.” Yeonjun doesn’t seem like he wants to, but he lets it go. He leads Taehyun to his mom’s car and gets in the backseat with him.

“Hi, Ma.” Taehyun gives her a tiny smile.

“Hi, sweetie.” She smiles at him sympathetically, reaching out her hand to him. He places his in hers, and she gives it a small squeeze. “We came as fast as we could. I didn’t know how urgent it was, so I ignored a few stop signs, not all.”

“That’s okay.” Taehyun’s smile grows barely a little. “It’s not that urgent. I just…wanted to leave.”

Yeonjun’s mom nods, and she shifts the gear to drive. “Do you want to go anywhere special, or straight home with us?”

“Straight home, please.”

“That’s okay,” Yeonjun says, his arm wrapped snugly around Taehyun. “We have ice cream at home, anyway.”

“We even have your favorite, Tae,” Yeonjun’s mom adds, which comforts him better.

“Thank you,” he says softly, and the older two smile at him.

Throughout the entire ride back to the Chois’, Yeonjun’s mom plays Twice music on the stereo to help Taehyun calm down. That, plus Yeonjun’s embrace, helps, but not enough to make him forget everything.

They arrive at the Chois’ house minutes later, and Taehyun doesn’t see Yeonjun’s dad’s car in the driveway, so he knows it’ll just be the three of them for now. They get out of Yeonjun’s mom’s car and head inside. 

“Do you want me to leave you two alone?” she asks Taehyun. 

“No, it’s fine, Ma,” he replies, giving her a small smile. 

Yeonjun’s mom nods, and she goes to the kitchen. That leaves the younger two alone, and Yeonjun leads Taehyun to the living room. When they arrive, they sit down on the couch. Taehyun places a cushion on his lap and fiddles with a loose string as they wait for Yeonjun’s mom to return.

“Okay, so I have strawberry and cherry ice cream,” she says when she does, holding the two tubs with three spoons. “Which one, sweetie? Or do you want both?”

“Strawberry, please.”

Yeonjun’s mom nods and hands him the tub. He grabs it, and she sits down next to her son.

“So what happened, Tae?” he asks. “You were with Beomgyu, weren’t you?”

Taehyun nods and uncaps the ice cream. 

“Who’s Beomgyu?” Yeonjun’s mom says.

“This boy Tae’s forced to tutor,” Yeonjun explains. “Who may or may not be his future husband.”

His mom gasps, her eyes lighting up. “Really?”

“No, Ma,” Taehyun says before Yeonjun can reply, a bit sadly. “That’s the last thing he is, and ever will be.”

“Something happened with him,” Yeonjun says it as more of a statement than a question.

“We…fought.”

Yeonjun’s eyes widen a little. “Again?”

“How many times have you guys fought?” his mom questions.

“This was our second time,” Taehyun replies, quieter. 

“What did you guys fight about this time?”

“The same thing we fought about last night,” Taehyun sighs, looking down at his ice cream. “But it was different this time. He…he told me to stay out of his business, and to stop interfering with his life.”

Yeonjun’s mom’s eyebrows raise a little. “Well, what did you do?”

“Mom,” Yeonjun hisses quietly, nudging her.

Taehyun sighs. He’s grateful there are somehow no tears in his eyes, and he hopes there won’t be as he explains to Yeonjun and his mom the entire story. But he knows that has a low chance of happening, so he takes a shaky breath before he begins from the top. As he explains, the burning in his eyes returns, and he blinks rapidly every now and then to keep the tears from falling. It isn’t until he gets to the end, where he tells the older two what Beomgyu told him before he left, that they gasp.

“That fucking bastard.” Unsurprisingly, Yeonjun is furious, so much so that he’s cursing around his mom. But for once, she doesn’t say anything about it. “He really had the audacity to tell you that?”

Taehyun nods, and his vision blurs as tears fill his eyes. “I-I know I shouldn’t take him seriously, but…he’s right. All everyone knows me and wants me for is for my brain. Th-they…they couldn’t care less about me.”

“Hey, no, don’t think that about yourself,” Yeonjun’s mom scolds lightly. “Don’t let that boy put those thoughts into your head. You are way more than that, Taehyun.”

“Am I?” he says quietly with a small scoff.

“Oh, when I see that asshole again, he is really going to get it,” Yeonjun scowls, now standing and pacing the living room. “If he thought he could mess with my best friend and get away with it, oh…” He chuckles. “He is in for a world of pain.”

“I-I don’t know why I even bothered,” Taehyun says, now scoffing at himself. “He was right—I…I should’ve minded my own business. I-I say I don’t care, but then I go and do this. Maybe I am just as stupid.”

“Taehyun, no,” Yeonjun’s mom says sternly, scooting closer to him. “You are better than this. You are smarter than this. It hurts me that you’re undermining yourself like this. Especially over a boy.”

“Ma-”

“No, now you listen to me,” she huffs. “I know it’s not my place to say anything, because I’m not your mom or anything, but I think your mom would agree with me when I say you did the right thing. You did the right thing protecting those girls when they had no one to protect them, and thought they were getting with the man of their dreams. This ‘Beomgyu’ is the stupid one, not you. If anything, you have more brains than he ever could. Now, who is he to make you think about yourself like this? Aren’t you the one tutoring him? Isn’t he the one who needs help fixing his grades, because he was dumb enough to let them go to junk? Isn’t he relying on you at the end of the day?”

Hesitantly, Taehyun nods.

“So really, what worth does he have?” Yeonjun’s mom continues, which makes Yeonjun let out a slightly surprised giggle, since he’s never heard her talk about anyone like this. “All he sounds like to me is a jerk who refuses to face his problems, and instead uses sex as an escape. Which is one of the worst escapes someone can use. After alcohol, drugs, and murder, of course, but that’s besides the point. And after all, Taehyun, he’s a freaking senior needing help from someone a year younger than him to help him even pass the semester! If anything, he sounds like a joke.”

“You’re kinda sounding like my mom right now,” Taehyun says with a small smile.

“Good,” Yeonjun’s mom says with a small huff. “Because I know she cares a whole lot about you, and I do, too, Taehyun. It hurts me that you’re letting a joke like this boy make you underestimate yourself. And honestly, the Taehyun I know would rather fail all his classes than ever let that happen.”

Taehyun looks down at his lap at that, knowing she’s right. But he refuses to acknowledge the reason behind that.

“It’s probably…hormones or something,” he mutters.

Yeonjun, being Yeonjun, despite the situation and his anger, lets out a small smirk. “So you’re saying the situation with Beomgyu is making you hormonal?”

“Yeonjun,” his mom scolds, making him snicker.

But then he gets serious once he remembers what they’re talking about. “No, forget what I said,” he scowls. “Don’t ever get hormonal over him, Tae. He’s a good-for-nothing, and oh, next time I see him, I’m going to… I don’t know, but I’ma do something! He hurt you, and that’s unforgivable.”

“He didn’t hurt me,” Taehyun mutters, which makes the older two give him a look.

“It’s okay if he did, sweetie,” Yeonjun’s mom says softly, giving his hand a small squeeze. “I mean, it’s not okay that he did, but it’s okay for you to feel that way. His words were hurtful, and he shouldn’t have talked to you like that.”

“Are you…going to quit being his tutor?” Yeonjun asks hesitantly.

“I…I don’t know,” Taehyun replies with a small sigh, which is the truth. “Won’t it just show him that I’m weak and a crybaby?”

“Who cares what he thinks,” Yeonjun’s mom scoffs. “If he thinks that, then so what? It’ll just prove he’s even more stupid.”

“All of this is enough to make me want to stop shipping you two,” Yeonjun huffs, which makes Taehyun release a tiny smile. 

“You shouldn’t have in the first place,” he says. “He would’ve never gotten with someone like me.”

“Yeah, because you deserve better than a doofus like him.” Yeonjun’s mom scowls, but then it falters as she realizes something, and she looks a bit sheepish. “Wow, sorry, I didn’t even mean to curse like that. But god, this is just making me really emotional.”

“If you say so, mom,” Yeonjun giggles.

“If you don’t want to quit being his tutor, then don’t,” his mom says, focusing back on Taehyun. “Show him who’s boss. And if you do want to quit being his tutor, then quit. You’ll still be showing him who’s boss, since you’ll show him you won’t tolerate his B.S. Again, very sorry for the cursing.”

The youngest’s smile grows. “Thank you, Ma.”

“Of course, sweetie.” She smiles and squeezes his hand. “Don’t let him get to you.”

After checking numerous times that Taehyun indeed does feel better, Yeonjun and his mom try to distract him from thoughts of Beomgyu and what went on earlier. Yeonjun’s mom goes to the kitchen to get more snacks, whilst Yeonjun goes to the hallway closet to retrieve the big, fluffy blanket he and Taehyun use whenever they binge-watch whatever they can find on the TV. It’s big enough for Yeonjun’s mom to fit in as well, and Yeonjun returns to the couch with it. He spreads it over himself and Taehyun as they curl up next to each other on the couch, and discuss it for a bit, before agreeing to watch The Devil Wears Prada. Yeonjun’s mom joins them just as it’s starting, and curls up next to them on the couch.

After a while, Taehyun remembers to text his dad, since he doesn’t need him to pick him up anymore. All his dad sends him back is a thumbs up, which lets him know he’s surprisingly still at work. But Taehyun figures he can ask him about that later, and puts his phone away.

Halfway through the movie, Yeonjun’s dad comes home, and he’s not that surprised to see that Taehyun is there, too. They offer him to join them, and he agrees. 

It isn’t until it’s nearing almost midnight that Taehyun decides to finally go home. Yeonjun’s dad agrees to take him home, and he waits for him and Yeonjun in the car as he says his goodbyes to Yeonjun’s mom.

“It was nice seeing you today, sweetie,” she says as she hugs him. “Though, I wish it were under different circumstances.”

“Me too,” he agrees as they pull away. 

“And remember what I told you,” Yeonjun’s mom says, a bit sternly. “You are worth more than what you think, or what that dumb boy makes you believe.”

“I know. Thank you, Ma.”

“Oh, of course.” She can’t help but bring him in for another hug, which makes him giggle as he hugs her back.

Moments later, he and Yeonjun are in the older’s dad’s car, in the backseat together. Yeonjun’s dad is in front, and he lets them talk amongst themselves as he drives them toward Taehyun’s apartment.

“Do you want us to walk you up, sweetie?” Yeonjun’s dad offers once they arrive.

“No, that’s alright,” Taehyun replies with a small smile. “Thank you, though.”

Yeonjun’s dad smiles back at him. “Goodnight then, sweetie. Thank you for visiting.”

“Thank you for having me,” he returns as he unbuckles himself. He then turns to Yeonjun. “Bye, hyung. I’ll see you soon.”

“Bye, Tae,” he says as they hug. He takes the chance to whisper in Taehyun’s ear, “Are you sure you don’t want me to beat that asshole up?”

“I’m sure,” he replies with a small chuckle. “As much as I’d like to see that, violence isn’t the answer.”

“Okay, party pooper,” Yeonjun grumbles as they pull away. “Wait, but what about tomorrow? You guys agreed on seeing each other on Sundays, too, no?”

“Yeah…” Taehyun curses himself. He had forgotten about that. “But you know what, that’s a tomorrow problem. I just want to be in bed right now.”

“Okay.” Yeonjun gives him a small smile. “Goodnight then, Taehyunie.”

“G’night, hyung.” He gives him and his dad a last smile before finally getting out of the car.

Minutes later, he’s finally stepping into his apartment. He can hear chatter coming from the kitchen, which lets him know both parents are still awake.

“I’m home!” he calls out as he takes his shoes off by the door.

“We’re in the kitchen!” his mom calls back.

Taehyun walks over to said room and sees both parents having a cup of tea as they talk. Both of their faces light up at the sight of their son, and they hug him as they greet him.

“How was it with Yeonjun-ah, honey?” his dad asks, beating his wife to talking. But his question takes her by slight surprise, and she looks at Taehyun with subtly wide eyes.

“It was great,” he answers, which is the truth. “We were just binge-watching movies and eating snacks.”

“That sounds great, honey,” his mom says, albeit still a bit surprised. She thought he was out tutoring Beomgyu all day, not with Yeonjun. “Um, are you hungry?”

Taehyun shakes his head. “No, I’m fine, thank you.”

“You tutoring tomorrow, too?” his dad asks.

“...Yeah,” Taehyun replies, although he’s not that sure of that himself.

“Well, I’m sorry, honey, but you’re going to have to call it off,” his mom says, a bit apologetically. Her words relieve him, but at the same time, they don’t.

“Why?”

“Your Aunt Harin and Uncle Minjoon invited us over,” his dad informs. “We’re going to brunch with them, and then Jiwoo and Dohyun are coming over later, and they offered to help them make their invites.”

Taehyun would very much spend his Sunday doing that rather than ever doing something related to Beomgyu, especially now, but he doesn’t want to. The last thing he wants is to be the one to cancel their session tomorrow, even if he does tell Beomgyu the truth about why he’s canceling, because it’ll just look like he’s using his family as an excuse.

“That’s…great,” he says with a fake smile. “But are you sure I can’t miss it? I mean, I’m sure aunt and uncle would prefer having a double date with you both-”

“Nope, they want their favorite nephew there, too,” his mom cuts off, much to his dismay. “We’re leaving early, so you should go to sleep soon.”

Taehyun knows there’s no point in arguing with his parents about letting him skip, so he kisses their cheeks goodnight before going to his room. He closes the door behind him and groans as he plops down onto his bed. He is fucked. What is he going to do? Beomgyu is going to think he’s a wimp for canceling tomorrow, especially after their fight earlier. Not that Taehyun cares what Beomgyu thinks about him, but he’d rather not have Beomgyu think he’s a complete crybaby.

Not knowing what else to do, Taehyun calls Yeonjun.

“Hello?” Like always, the taller one answers a few seconds later.

“Hyung, I need your help,” Taehyun says, a bit frantically.

Yeonjun gasps on the other line. “Did you murder someone?”

“No,” Taehyun says, gnawing on the nail of his thumb. “Not yet, at least. But that’s not the point. My parents are making me go with them tomorrow to see my Aunt Harin, Uncle Minjoon, Jiwoo, and her fiancé.”

“Aw, how fun!” Obviously, Yeonjun doesn’t see the problem here. “I miss Jiwoo.”

“I’ll ask my parents if you can tag along,” Taehyun assures, which makes Yeonjun gasp in delight. “But hello, hyung, I’m kinda having a crisis right now.”

“Right. What’s going on?”

“I can’t do this family outing tomorrow.”

“Why not?”

“‘Cause I kinda have that tutoring session with you-know-who tomorrow, too?”

“Oh. Well, just tell your parents.”

“I did! They still want me to go!”

“Oh, hm, yeah, I can see how this is a toughie.”

“What am I going to do, hyung?” Taehyun groans. “I can’t tell that jerk I have to cancel.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’ll make him think I’m flanking because of our fight earlier! He’ll think I’m weak or something.”

“So?”

“I can’t have him thinking I’m some crybaby.”

“What do you care, Tae? If he does, that’s his problem.”

“It’ll make him have less respect for me. Not that he has any to begin with,” Taehyun mutters. “But still. I can’t be the one who cancels, hyung, but at the same time, I can’t not go to my family outing tomorrow. I don’t know what to do.”

“You could tell Beomgyu that your house caught on fire.”

“There’d be something in the news about that.” The part of the city they live in hasn't caught on fire in more than ten years.

“Um, you can tell him…your cat ran away.”

“I don’t have a cat.”

“He doesn’t need to know that.”

“No offense, hyung, but that still sounds like a crybaby excuse.”

“You can tell him you double-booked, because there’s another loser you have to tutor.”

“Ugh, none of this will work, hyung,” Taehyun says with a small groan, tugging at his hair a little. “No matter what excuse I give him, he’ll still think I’m lying to get out of it. I’m hopeless.”

“Maybe I can ask Soobin for help.”

Taehyun immediately perks up at that. “Soobin? You have his number?”

“...Maybe.”

“Why didn’t you lead with that?!”

“Heh, I kinda forgot,” Yeonjun says, a bit sheepishly, which makes Taehyun roll his eyes at him.

“Wait, but how is he going to help, though?” Taehyun asks as he thinks about it. “Won’t he just tell the dimwit of his best friend the truth? He’ll expose me, hyung! You know what, I don’t think this is a good idea-”

“Stop overworrying for once, will you? I’m sure Soobin couldn’t care less about what problems you’re having with Beomgyu. In fact, I’m sure he’ll even be on your side.”

“Really? Wouldn’t he side with his BFF?”

“...Probably. But it wouldn’t hurt to try, right?”

Taehyun wants to say that it could hurt to try, but what other option do they have?

“Fine,” he gives in. “But what will you even tell him? To make that jerk believe why I have to miss tomorrow?”

“Of course not,” Yeonjun says with a small scoff. “I’ll just ask him if he can hang with Beomgyu tomorrow.”

“Won’t he find it weird that you’re asking him that?”

“Maybe, but YOLO.”

Taehyun can’t help but let out a small giggle, despite himself. The other line is quiet for a while, which lets him know that Yeonjun is indeed contacting Soobin. He gets up from his bed to pace around his room as he waits for Yeonjun to come back.

“Okay, I texted him,” he informs a few moments later.

“What did you say?”

“What I told you: if he can hang with Beomgyu tomorrow.”

“Just like that?”

“Uh, yeah? How else am I supposed to say it?”

“Maybe you could’ve tried to make it sound less weird?”

“Eh, oh, well.”

Taehyun shakes his head at him.

“Oh, he replied!” Yeonjun gasps a few seconds later. “He said he was going to ask Beomgyu to hang out anyway, since he wants to…uh…”

Yeonjun doesn’t say anything for the next long, thirty seconds.

“Uh, hyung?”

Yeonjun clears his throat. “H-he wants to hang out with him anyway ‘cause he wants to, uh…ahem, go…work out with him. That’s what they usually do on Sundays, anyway…”

Now Taehyun gets why Yeonjun stayed silent for so long. He was probably trying not to pass out at the mental image of his lifelong crush working out.

“That’s good then,” Taehyun says. “Tell him if he can, like, urge that jerk to go with him, though. Tell him not to take no for an answer.”

“He’s asking why I’m telling him so. Should I tell him?”

Taehyun hesitates. On one hand, Soobin is Beomgyu’s best friend. He could very easily side with him and expose Taehyun being the one to insist they hang out tomorrow. That would just make Beomgyu think even less of him, which is what Taehyun is trying hard to avoid. But on the other hand, Soobin does agree with him about Beomgyu’s fuckboy persona. If he finds out about the fight, he’ll most likely (and hopefully) take his side in it.

But the possibility of him siding with Beomgyu instead of him is higher than him doing vice versa.

“D-do you think he’ll tell him?” Taehyun asks, a bit nervously.

“I don’t think so, and maybe especially if I tell him not to.”

“Okay,” Taehyun says. “Tell him, then.”

“He’s saying he’ll make Beomgyu hang out with him tomorrow, then,” Yeonjun informs a minute or so later. “And he won’t take no for an answer.”

Relief falls over Taehyun. “Oh, thank god. Tell your man I said thank you very much.”

“Will do,” Yeonjun says happily as he does so.

“I’m surprised you even have his number,” Taehyun says. “You didn’t even tell me when you got it. Fake.”

“Heh, sorry,” Yeonjun apologizes sheepishly. “Remember that one time he walked me to class? Yeah, ever since then.”

“Did you ask him for it, or did he just give it to you?”

“I, uh…asked him for it,” Yeonjun admits shyly. “I decided to just go for it. The worst he could say was no, right? And luckily, he didn’t, and he gave me his number!”

“That’s good, hyung!” Taehyun says happily, almost completely forgetting about his prior dire problem. “So, have you guys been texting? You know, besides now?

“Um…no…?”

“What?” Taehyun says, almost in disbelief.

“It’s not my fault!” Yeonjun whines almost instantly. “I think all the courage I had in me got used up when I asked him for his number, so now I’m too scared, nervous, and shy to even text him. Seems like he’s feeling the same, since he won’t text me, either.”

“Okay, well, you basically texted him first right now, no?” 

“Well, no, because we have texted before,” Yeonjun corrects, which confuses Taehyun a bit more. “But only for, like… school-related stuff.”

“Really? The school’s bad boy has texted you for ‘school-related stuff’?”

“Yes,” Yeonjun replies with a small huff.

“Alright, hyung,” Taehyun says with a small chuckle. It is a bit unbelievable that Soobin would ask about school stuff, since most of the time, he doesn’t even care to show up, but he believes Yeonjun. “So besides ‘school-related stuff,’ you two haven’t texted at all?” 

“Nope,” he confirms with a small sigh.

“Why don’t you make the first move, then?”

“Did you not hear what I said earlier? All my courage is gone. All of it was used up to ask for his number. I think it’ll be nearly impossible for me to be that brave again.”

“What happened to confident, flirtatious Yeonjunie?” Taehyun says teasingly.

“He’s gone when it comes to that stupidly, ridiculously hot man.” Yeonjun sighs, almost dramatically, which makes Taehyun laugh.

“Maybe Jiwoo-noona and I can be your wing people tomorrow,” he says.

“Ooh, so am I invited, too, then?”

“I still have to ask, but I’m ninety-nine percent sure it’s a yes, hyung.”

“Ooh, yay! I haven’t seen noona in so long!”

“Okay, then you should probably go to sleep now,” Taehyun says as he glances at the clock. “We’re apparently leaving early tomorrow for brunch.”

“Way ahead of you, Tae. I’m already finishing my skincare.”

Taehyun giggles. “Okay, hyung, I should get to it, then. See you tomorrow. Oh, and thank you for helping me and texting Soobin. I know it took a lot of courage for you to do that.”

“It did,” Yeonjun says with a slightly playful sigh, which makes Taehyun shake his head a little. “But anything for you, Taehyunie.”

He lets out a small chuckle. “Goodnight, hyung.”

“Goodnight, Tae.”

Yeonjun ends their call, and the ravenette stares at the black screen of his phone for a few seconds. He breaks out of it not long after and heads to the bathroom to brush his teeth and do his skincare. He’s done moments later and heads back to his bedroom to change into his pajamas. As he changes and finishes getting ready for bed, he thinks about what happened today. He knows he’ll have to face Beomgyu sooner or later, but for now, he’ll settle for later. A voice in the back of his head calls him a coward for making that decision, but he’d rather be a coward than see Beomgyu anytime soon.

Hopefully, seeing and being with his family tomorrow will be the perfect distraction.

Chapter Text

Unlike Taehyun, Choi Soobin has never woken up to an empty house before. Just because his parents are off to work doesn’t mean their house stays silent. Their staff is already up and hustling in the early hours of the morning, sometimes even before the heads of the household wake up. But that’s what is expected of them—Choi Doyoon and Choi Soyoon run a tight ship.

Soobin would prefer it to stay that way. With his birth giver and her sperm donor gone, no one is there to scold him endlessly, pressure him to have a future he doesn’t want, and he’s alone to do whatever he wants. As the only child, and with parents whom care more about their work than their child, he has all the freedom any person his age would want.

“Good morning, Mr. Choi.” One of the maids’ voices—he’s never cared enough to learn their names—breaks him out of his thoughts as she bows to him. “Your parents have left already-”

“I can see that,” he interrupts, a bit coldly. “I’m not blind.”

“Right, my apologies.” The maid clears her throat, a bit embarrassed. “Would you care for some breakfast then, Mr. Choi?”

The ravenette merely glances at her before walking toward the kitchen, not bothering to reply to her. When he arrives, he sees one of the cooks and a few maids bustling around. But the second they all notice him, they stop what they’re doing to bow to him and greet him. He, of course, ignores them all and looks at only the cook.

“Is my breakfast ready yet?” Soobin asks blankly.

“Oh, almost, Mr. Choi!” the cook assures. “It just needs-”

“I don’t care what it needs,” Soobin says, almost snapping at him. “It should’ve been ready already.”

“Yes, my apologies, sir.” The cook bows to him before he quickly begins finishing his breakfast.

“Here’s your breakfast protein shake, Mr. Choi,” one of the maids says, handing it to him. She then hands him his water bottle. “And here’s your gym protein shake.”

He grabs both from her wordlessly, and she bows to him before walking away to continue the rest of her duties. He goes over to the dining room to sit at the dining table, and once he sits down, he begins drinking his breakfast protein shake, scrolling through his phone for a bit, before opening his messages with a certain younger raven-haired boy to ask him if he’s almost ready yet.

“Here is your breakfast, Mr. Choi,” the cook says moments later, placing down the plate in front of him. “Do you need anything else?”

“No,” he replies blankly. 

The cook nods, and he and the few maids behind him bow to Soobin before leaving him alone. He finishes his breakfast not too long after and leaves his dishes there as he grabs his water bottle and walks toward the front door. 

“Here is your gym bag, Mr. Choi,” one of the butlers says, handing it to him. “Would you like me to get you anything else?”

“No,” he replies, just as blankly again. 

“Oh, before you leave, sir, your parents asked me to remind you that the luncheon for the Im family is tomorrow,” the butler says before he can leave. “They would like you not to make any plans for tomorrow, and to join and attend with them without any problems.”

Soobin just stands there, not saying a word. He digests the butler’s words, which makes his jaw clench a little. He remains silent as he continues walking, but the butler knows he heard him. He walks into the garage, where his sleek, black MTT 420RR is waiting for him. It’s the most expensive thing he’s bought behind his parents’ backs, and earned him the worst punishment of his life, but it was worth it.

He mounts the bike, securing his gym bag and water bottle, before turning his baby on. The engine revs to life, and he twists the handlebars, feeling a power surge run through him as the engine revs louder. He pulls on his helmet and makes sure everything’s secure before opening the garage door and beginning to ride to Beomgyu’s house.

The two best friends live fifteen minutes away from each other, but thanks to his motorcycle, Soobin makes it in five. He parks near the curb of Beomgyu’s house and kicks down the rear brake lever. He takes off his helmet, just in time to see the garage door to Beomgyu’s house opening, and a familiar black Lambo coming out.

“Here I thought I was going to have to wait for you again,” Soobin says as Beomgyu’s Lambo nears him, and Beomgyu rolls down the window.

“Decided to take mercy on you for once,” he says, a bit smugly. “You ready to leave?”

“Yup.” Soobin kicks up the rear brake and puts his helmet back on.

“Race you there?”

“If you’re looking forward to losing, sure.”

“We’ll see about that, Choi.” With that, Beomgyu rolls up the window and drives away before Soobin can even blink. But Soobin doesn’t even bat an eye. He’s quick to drive after him, the two racing each other to the gym they frequent together.

They arrive at the same time, but Soobin doesn’t count that. whoever finds parking first is whom wins in his book, and he knows he and Beomgyu will argue about it, anyway. He finds parking soon enough, and just as he’s swinging his gym bag over his shoulder, he sees Beomgyu walking up to him.