A week passed, flowing like a serene river, same as usual, and without surprises.

Taehyung continued sharing bits about him with the Jeongguk, but he didn't struggle to do that so much. It came out naturally to talk about the things he liked, and also ask questions about him to know more about that boy, who had become a reason to smile in his mire of distress.

He still blushed terrifically when Jeongguk gave him compliments out of the blue or draped an arm over his shoulders to walk together somewhere for no reason at all.

He wasn’t complaining though; maybe his heart was racing madly when he was with Jeongguk, but he couldn’t help it. He had turned into a sucker for his hugs and any kind of skinship with him, to be honest.

🥀

Thirty minutes before their shift, the two boys were sitting at a table with all of Jeongguk’s friends and Jimin. It was the second time the whole group was together, but it was just as stressful and awkward for Taehyung.

He never did well with groups of people. He was used to having only Jimin to chat and have a good time, and now he had to deal with six other people simultaneously.

It was daunting, to say the least.

“Kook, are you ready for your match this Sunday?” Seokjin asked. It had been a while since he got to see the younger box, so he was rather eager about it.

“Yeah, but I don’t have a good feeling. My opponent is like really good. He has won a lot of championships.”

“That doesn’t mean anything. And it’s a friendly competition, so don’t sweat over it much. Even if you lose, it doesn’t matter,” Hoseok tried to appease him, but the look on Jeongguk’s face screamed disagreement at his every word.

“Whatever you say, if he loses, he’ll have a breakdown.” Yoongi snickered bitterly since he knew he was right.

While his friends nodded along with Yoongi’s remark, Jimin and Taehyung seemed quite baffled. “Why?” the fluffy-haired boy asked as curiosity overcame him.

“I just... I don’t like when I lose,” Jeongguk mumbled.

“Yeah, that means he’s getting emotional as fuck and blames himself and stays away from boxing for like a week,” Namjoon said, earning a few soft chuckles and a glower from the younger.

“They didn’t have to know that!” Jeongguk hissed while he moved on the edge of his seat to avoid Taehyung’s penetrating gaze since he was sitting next to him. He wasn’t proud of his behavior when he was losing a match, but he didn’t know how else to deal with it.

A hand grasping his shirt and tugging him back in the most gentle way possible stirred Jeongguk to sigh and recline in his seat. “Losing is a part of life, Kookie,” Taehyung whispered as he lowered his hand, fingertips trailing his arm down to his wrist almost imperceptibly until he intertwined their hands with hesitant moves.

Jeongguk endeavored to hide his astonishment at the sudden action. Taehyung had never initiated skinship before, let alone hold hands with him.

“Kook, you okay? Why are you red?” Seokjin questioned, intrigued by the color change of his cheeks.

“I—I'm fine, I have to... make some coffee.” Jeongguk moved his hand, wanting to pull it away, but the grip tightened around it.

“You already have coffee,” the boy beside him said under his breath. Even though he could feel his cheeks flame by his own actions, Jeongguk’s blush was the sole thing he could focus on at that moment.

“You’re right.” Jeongguk fully turned his head and peered at him, squeezing his hand just a drop more. His expression was solemn as his mind was unsure of what to think, and his heart was on the verge of malfunctioning by its speedy pulse.

Taehyung maintained eye contact but his gaze became glazed as he got lost in those two galaxies that were drilling holes into the darkest parts of his soul.

“Guys?” Jimin called, wary, and it was enough to shatter their small bubble.

The two whisked their heads away from each other, hands breaking apart in panic but as subtly as possible.

“I-I should—I’m going to the bathroom.” Taehyung exploded out of his seat and scurried away, unable to stay with the younger any longer.

“I’m gonna make another coffee.” Jeongguk vanished from the table in just a few seconds as well, leaving the five boys in utter confusion.

“What just happened?” Jimin asked, eyes wide in puzzlement.

“What do you think? They like each other, but they’re too dumb to realize it,” Hoseok sneered as he shook his head.

“What!? Taetae has a crush on him and he hasn’t said anything to me? Unacceptable! Unbelievable! Not believable! I don’t believe it—“

“Yeah, we got it!” Yoongi exclaimed, a shade of frustration in his tone. “It’s just our assumption. But I think everyone saw how they stared at each other just now and then ran for their life.”

“Chim, why don’t you go talk to Taetae, hmm?” Hoseok suggested. “But don’t be obvious.”

“Okay, and someone should talk to Kook.”

“We already know that Jeongguk likes him,” Yoongi stated with a light shrug.

“What!?” Namjoon and Seokjin, who had no idea about it, whisper-yelled in unison. “How?”

“We just happen to know. It’s not important. Chim, you should go because Taehyung will start his shift any time now,” Yoongi said, and the other gave him a firm nod.

  
Jimin found his best friend sitting in the changing room, and it seemed as if he were having a conversation with himself. “Taetae. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah.”

“Come on, something is on your mind.” He offered him a delicate caress on his shoulder. “You can’t hide from me.”

“I’m just... confused, I guess.”

“Why?”

A mask of agitation veiled Taehyung’s face as he bit his bottom lip, his fretful eyes wandering around the room. “I think... I think I like J-Jeongguk?”

“That’s good! Why are you confused?”

“Because I can’t like him. We—We're too different. Why would he like me back? I don’t have anything to offer him.”

“Taehyung.” He laid both hands on his shoulders and looked at him with a serious expression. “You are an amazing person and anyone would be lucky to have you. Why do you think like that about yourself?”

“I think I’m too messed up now for relationships. And I don’t want to mess him up as well. I’ll only be a bother to him. He deserves so much more.”

“Yah! You’re not a bother to anyone. I don’t want to hear that from you ever again, okay? You deserve something good in your life finally, and Jeongguk is something good, Taetae. You’re not the one to decide if you’ll mess him up or be a bother to him. I’m one hundred percent sure that Jeongguk will never see you as a bother.”

“I don’t know, Chim. Um, I have to work now, but thank you for listening.” He smiled faintly as he muffled him into his hug.

“Anytime.”

. . .

The two boys behaved as if nothing happened when they started working, and a few hours passed by peacefully.

That was until Taehyung’s blood turned ice cold, his heart fell, and his eyes bristled with terror upon seeing his hyung walk into the cafe with a friend of his.

With a haughty smirk on his face, Jongwon met Taehyung’s gaze and beckoned him to follow them to their table.

Jeongguk espied his tense body and his tremulous tiny steps as he edged away from the bar.

“H-h-hyung? Why—Why are you—“

“Talk like a fucking man, you cunt,” he hissed with distaste as he took his seat.

“W-Why are you here?”

“I wanted to see the place you work, of course, Tae. Or to be honest, to see how much you whore around. Look at you, you’re such a slut.” His gaze darkened with fury at the sight of his exposed shoulder. He clawed at his hand and wrenched him closer to fix his sweater that had slipped off his shoulder.

“H-hyung, please—please not here. Please not here,” the terrified boy spluttered, his sunken eyes filling with tears.

Jongwon clicked his tongue in annoyance as he shoved his hand away. “Get us two beers and don’t start crying like a fucking pussy as you do every time.”

That was one of the rare times Jongwon had been aggressive to him in public, and Taehyung was horror stricken to the core. If one of the employees saw what had just happened, he didn’t know how the hell to explain any of it.

He somehow managed to hold back his tears as he made his way back to the bar. “Two beers,” he announced, not even seeing who was standing in front of him.

“What’s wrong with you?” Kang Joon asked as he narrowed his eyes on him.

“Kang Joon, prepare the beers.” Jeongguk emerged from the back. The moment the other barista left, he set his anxious gaze on him. “Taehyung, what the hell was that? Did that guy hurt you? Should I call Chang Wook?”

Taehyung stood there as if he were lifeless, his vacant gaze glued to the counter, his shoulders slouched, and his heart split into thousand pieces.

“Taehyung?” he called again, apprehension surging through him, as he extended his hand and cupped his cheek.

Taehyung jounced back when he sensed the contact, staring at him moon-eyed, and praying that his hyung didn’t see that because if he did, he was in for a long, harrowing beating. “Don’t—Don’t t-touch me.”

Jeongguk instantly jerked his hand away as his brows bumped together and a pout took over his lips. “Okay, I’m sorry. Can you tell me what's going on?”

“Jeongguk... Just please, leave me alone. I can’t—I can’t.” Unable to strangle his suffocating tears anymore, he broke down.

“Hey, Taetae, calm down, it’s okay. Why don’t you go take some fresh air, hmm?”

“No, I-I have to—to serve t-this,” Taehyung whispered as he furiously wiped his tears with his sleeves and then took some deep breaths.

“No, you don’t. Inhyuk can do it.”

“You don’t understand,” he uttered in despair. With a few more gulps of air, he forced his tears to stop. “Don’t interfere. Let me handle it.” He directed his gaze to Kang Joon who placed two beers on his tray.

Jeongguk couldn’t do anything else than watch through despondent eyes as the quivering boy took the tray and strolled off.

“Ah, my little sluty dongsaeng is quick. I’m surprised you can do something right,” he commented with a fiendish chuckle, making his friend laugh as well.

Taehyung put the beers on their table without saying anything and slightly bowed before he disappeared.

He couldn’t calm down. Although he didn’t shed any more tears, with Jongwon’s presence there, he just couldn’t find peace. Jeongguk didn’t ask him again what was wrong, but the older knew he was glancing at him nonstop.

How could he just explain to him who was that and what exactly happened? He didn’t want Jeongguk to pity him or start treating him like a helpless, fragile boy. Maybe he was helpless, but he hated the idea of Jeongguk seeing him or even thinking about him like that.

⚜✳⚜
 

Who do you think is gonna confess first? 🤗