Jeongguk avoided Taehyung at all costs. Continuously. For days.

In his classes with him, he didn't meet his gaze even if Taehyung was talking to him. At their breaks, he always left the table every time with a different excuse if Taehyung stopped by with Hoseok to say hi. After their classes, he stayed at least half an hour in the classroom doing nothing but waiting for Taehyung to leave so he wouldn't run into him.

He didn't want Taehyung to talk to him. He still wasn't ready to have his stomach dropped to the floor and his heart pulled to pieces. He knew the older didn't think much about what happened. He knew for him it happened in the heat of the moment and that was it. He knew it was a onetime thing. And he didn't want to hear all these things coming out of Taehyung's mouth.

Taehyung, on the other hand, was quite bothered by his behavior. He didn't even let him articulate a single word, nor that day, nor when he saw him at school. And he attempted countless times to have a conversation with him, but Jeongguk always dismissed him and disappeared from his sight in haste. He couldn't understand why he was acting that way. All he wanted was talk about what happened. Jeongguk didn't have a reason to avoid him. At least that was what Taehyung thought.

And to be honest, Taehyung couldn't erase from his mind what happened. He couldn't forget how feathery his lips were, how smooth and beautiful his skin was, how his body reacted to his touches, how irresistible he looked when he was underneath him, how heavenly it was when he moaned and whimpered. He truly couldn't forget what happened. And it would be a lie if he said that he didn't want it to happen again.

Putting aside for a moment how much he craved to have Jeongguk underneath him again moaning his name, he had enough of his stubborn ass. So on Friday, after school ended, he waited outside of the school gates as he did in the last three days, but this time, he wouldn't leave without seeing him.

After ten minutes, he saw his friends walk together towards the exit, but Jeongguk wasn't with them as usual.

"Mr. Kim, you're here again, I see," Seokjin said with a smile. "Let me guess, you're waiting for Hoseok again."

"Yes, of course."

Jimin contemplated the affected smile on his face, seeing through his lie with ease. "Um, guys, you can go ahead. I'll find you in a bit."

The others shot him confused looks but shrugged it off and walked away as they were asked to.

"Do you have something you want to say?" asked Taehyung.

"Do you have something you want to ask?"

Taehyung observed him — specifically, he observed his taunting smile and suppressed his urge to roll his eyes. "No."

"Are you sure? Because Hoseok left an hour ago since he had an appointment with a massage therapist so you're definitely not waiting for him."

Taehyung sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. "Okay, where is Jeongguk?"

"He was in the classroom the last time I saw him. He's been staying in school for a while after our classes the past three days. When I asked him why, he just said that he was too tired to walk right away and that he wanted to relax before going home," Jimin explained, nonchalant. "He's been avoiding you, right?"

"It's no secret apparently."

"Did something happen between you two? He isn't talking."

"No, everything is fine."

"Yeah, I bet it is," Jimin snickered. "Just go find him. I don't think he's coming out anytime soon." And with that, he waved at him as he strolled off to catch up with the others.

Taehyung didn't waste a second; he stormed back into the school and towards Jeongguk's classroom. He found the door half open and peeked inside. He spotted him right away, sunk in his seat, hood over his head, eyes closed, and arms crossed over his chest. He pushed the door completely open and shut it behind him with a sonorous thud.

Jeongguk jumped in his seat, his wild eyes staring in big, flickering circles at the intruder. "What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here? Avoiding me again like you did the past three days?"

"I'm not avoiding you," he muttered, keeping his eyes riveted on the desk as Taehyung stood right in front of him.

"I suggest you cut the crap because I hate liars," he spat out, voice thick with something rowdy as all of his patience drained out of him. He dug his palms onto the desk, his resolve to get the answers he needed shining through his dead set expression.

But everything came crashing down as he gazed at the saddened lines decorating Jeongguk's face and the listless fiddling of his sweater.

"Jeongguk, was it really that bad for you?" he asked in a sobering whisper that matched the gloom nesting inside his heart. "Was it so awful you can't even look at me? Because it was the first time I did that with a guy, and to be honest, I have no idea if what I did was right or if it felt good for you." The desperation in his voice traveled to his eyes, shading them with a doleful veil of bitterness.

Each word drove into his chest with cutthroat force, gouging holes of remorse that left it bleeding the tears Jeongguk grappled to smother. The idea of Taehyung thinking about these things all week turned him into a guilt-ridden wreck that didn't dare to lift his head and meet his gaze. "No, Taehyung, how could you think that? Me avoiding you has nothing to do with how sleeping with you was."

"Then what's the problem? Why can't we just talk about what happened?"

"Because I already know it was a onetime thing. There's really nothing to talk about."

"A onetime thing?"

"Yes, I mean, it can't be anything more anyway. I know it happened in the heat of the moment for you and that's it. I don't expect you to start caring about me now and take me out on dates and stuff. This isn't a movie or a fiction where I'll end up dating my teacher, right? And I don't need you to say all these things too because I know them already. We should just go back to how things were."

Jeongguk heaved himself to his feet, chin tucked into his chest, and plodded towards the door as a suffocating silence washed over the room. The closer he got to the exit, the heavier his heart felt as if it were an organ that burdened him instead of keeping him alive.

"Back to where?"

Wistful eyes crawled over the floor and landed on Taehyung's achingly confused ones. "Before befriending each other." The eye contact sustained for seconds until the inflictive weight of his words became so profound it coerced him to break it and wander away from him. For good.

🥀

Settled in the safety of his house, Taehyung regretted everything. He regretted not constraining Jeongguk to shut up and let him talk. He regretted staying frozen and unable to say anything when Jeongguk told him they should go back to how everything was before befriending each other.

But he was also scared. Feeling something so strong for one of his students and most importantly for a male student terrified him. He couldn't delineate its exact definition, but he knew he craved more. Especially after taking a small taste of him. After touching his whole body, after tasting his lips, after pleasuring him. It wasn't possible for someone to not crave more after feeling such bliss.

 
Jeongguk was emotionally drained. It was devastatingly hard for him to say all those things to Taehyung. It felt impossible to throw him out of his life just like that. But he did it for Taehyung's sake. He wanted to give him an out and save him the trouble. He didn't have to say all those things himself. Jeongguk knew them already. And he also knew he was doing the right thing. As much as it hurt him, he knew it was for the better.

How it happened and he found himself crying, he didn't even realize. He hugged his knees tightly as he was sitting on the couch, his head laying on them with a myriad of tears pouring down his cheeks. He needed Taehyung the most then to tell him that sleeping with him was rapturous, that his touch was the most delicate, heart-melting, electrifying and made him feel things he had never experienced before.

It wasn't just about sex. It was about the moment right before when Taehyung asked him twice if he was sure. It was about before he pushed in when he kissed him softer and sweeter than anyone else. It was about the compliments he gave him. It was about after sex when Taehyung asked if he was okay and if he hurt him.

Unable to deal with this alone anymore, he decided to call Jimin.

"Kook! What's up?" Jimin chirped, but his smile faltered at his silence. "Kook?"

"Jiminie."

"Wait, are you crying? What the hell happened?"

"Can you come over?"

"I'm coming right now. Are you gonna be okay until I'm there?"

"Yeah." Jeongguk wiped his tears and took a series of deep breaths as they ended the call.

 
It didn't take long for Jimin to arrive since his dad drove him there, and he was soon outside of his house, ringing the doorbell on repeat.

Jeongguk slid the door open. His sobs had ceased as he waited for him, but a few tears still escaped his swollen, bloodshot eyes.

"What happened?" Sadness engulfed Jimin's face at the sight, and he enfolded him in his arms. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

Jeongguk withdrew and shuffled towards the couch with Jimin trailing right behind him. "Whatever I'm about to say, you can't tell anyone. Seriously, no one. Promise me."

"Of course, Kook," he reassured in a soft tone. "My mouth is zipped."

"Okay... please don't scream." He sighed, glancing at the quizzical look on his traits. "I had sex with Taehyung."

Jimin gasped and slapped a hand over his open mouth, eyes popping in shock. "Seriously!?"

"Yes."

Still surprised to the bone, Jimin spoke after a moment. "How was he?"

"Jimin! That's not important!"

"But it is! Was he daddy material just like we thought? I bet he was. He's hot as fuck."

"I can't believe you! How is that important? I'm crying here!"

"Yeah, but why? Was he bad? That's why you're crying? Did you do something to embarrass yourself? Did you—"

"Shut up! Nothing like that happened. He wasn't bad. He was amazingly good, and I didn't do anything to embarrass myself!"

"Then what's the problem?"

"The problem is that I want more."

"Then go get more." He shrugged a nonchalant shoulder.

"Okay, I don't know why I even called you."

"Oh, come on! Why can't you go get more?"

"Because it was a onetime thing for him and that's it. Because he's my teacher and it's not okay to think about him all the time and want him to touch me like he did three days ago. Because—"

"Wait, that happened three days ago and you didn't say anything!?" Jimin cried.

"That's not the point!"

"For your information, I'm hurt, but continue."

"What else is there to say? This isn't a movie or a fiction where I'll end up dating my teacher. He had said this himself. And all I want to do right now is date the shit out of him. He's in my mind all the time. And don't get me started about the sex. He's a very skillful daddy material man, and it was his first time with a guy."

"Wow, sounds like you've fallen for him," Jimin snickered.

"What!? I have most certainly not."

"Come on, Jeongguk, stop being in denial. You obviously feel something for him."

"Yeah, but he doesn't."

"Did he actually say that? Did he say that it was just a onetime thing?" He inspected as Jeongguk tilted his head up to give him a look — a rather hesitant look which screamed guilt. "Oh my God, he didn't."

"Well, he didn't actually say that, but he didn't deny it either!"

"Yeah, I'm sure you didn't even give him a chance to talk! You have been avoiding him for the past three days, and the poor guy was waiting for you after school every day!"

Silence again. Jeongguk couldn't say anything because he knew his friend was right. "What should I do?"

Jimin sighed. "If you're not ready to talk to him now, don't. But you should talk to him. Hear what he has to say. Even if it was just a onetime thing for him, it's better to know it for sure instead of assuming things."

And Jeongguk could only stay silent since he knew his friend was right. Again.

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