Jungkook keeps Tae's hand held tightly in his own the whole way to school, but as they arrive at the school gates he feels the other boy slow down and try to disentangle their fingers. Turning, he frowns, "What's wrong?"

Taehyung looks down, "I don't want everyone else to see you holding the gay nerd's hand. You'll lose all the popularity you've gotten."

A sharp pang shoots through his heart at the smaller boy's dejected expression. Tightening his hand, he refuses to allow the slim fingers to slip from his own. "I don't care about any of that anymore. I want them to see."

Striding forward through the gates, he becomes immediately aware of heads turning in their direction, and whispers start as people register their hands. The attention follows them through the halls as they head to class, with Jungkook having to quietly ask Tae for a reminder of what class to go to first, since it's been a decade for him. Inwardly he chuckles at the thought that he was going to go through high school all over again. 'I must really love him.'

A sudden commotion in the hall has everyone turning their heads, as Yugyeom shoves his way through the crowd, a disbelieving expression on his face. "Kook! What the hell are you doing with that freak again?? You don't need to stick with the fag anymore, you're one of us now."

Jungkook freezes, his muscles tensing at the way Yugyeom has just referred to Tae. Gritting his teeth, he takes a threatening step forward. "I'm not one of you, and I never will be. And if you insult or hurt my boyfriend again, I'll break your kneecaps. Understand me?"

The bully snorts, "Oh, so you're a fag now too? And you're gonna try to defend the little queer-"

The sudden crack of bone on bone cuts him off, the fist landing on his jaw sending him falling to the floor. Moaning, he cups his jaw, the pain shooting through it making him question whether it may be broken. Feeling a sudden weight on his knee, he struggles to concentrate on the furious raven haired boy towering over him, one boot pressing down hard on his knee.

"Last warning Yugyeom; leave my Taehyung alone. You don't talk about him, you don't talk to him, you don't touch him, hell, you don't even fvking look at him. Otherwise, I will make it so you need a cane for the rest of your miserable life. Is. That. Clear?"

Yugyeom swallows, panic filling him at the cold dark look in Jungkook's eyes. Giving a desperate nod of his head, he squeaks out,"Yes, I understand. I won't ever mess with him again, I swear."

Satisfied, the ravenette takes Tae's hand in his own again before walking to class, uncaring of the crowd that parts to let them through. Yugyeom struggles to sit up, embarrassment flooding him at the giggles and whispers all around him. But as bad as that is, the memory of the look in the other boy's eyes makes ice shoot through his veins. Something had changed Jungkook; he wasn't the immature boy desperate for acceptance anymore. The person he just faced was determined, and scary as hell. Yugyeom knew he would not be doing anything to get in Jungkook's sights ever again.

Taehyung stares at Jungkook, his mouth wide open. He'd always loved the taller boy, but he'd never looked quite so hot as he did now. The smaller also felt a flutter of excitement when he remembered what the other boy had said to Yugyeom. "Um, Kookie?"

The ravenette paused, raising his charcoal brows, "Hmm?"

The brunette felt his face heat, "W-what you said to Yugyeom, did you mean it?"

Jungkook frowns, "You mean about breaking his-"

"No,", the smaller shakes his head, his voice strained, "Not the violent stuff. The part where you called me your b-boyfriend."

The taller smiles at Taehyung's flustered state, pulling him closer to kiss his forehead. "Of course I did, baby. Is that ok with you? Because if not-"

"IT IS!", Tae's face resembles a tomato, but he quickly nods, "I-I'd love to be your boyfriend Kookie."

Jungkook beams, pulling his Tae into his arms. He doesn't know why he got a second chance with the boy he loves, and he doesn't know who to thank, but he has never been so grateful for anything in his life. 'And I will never take him for granted again. I won't waste this opportunity to be with the one I love.'

Ten years later

Jungkook pushes through the door, the sound of crying immediately reaching his ears. Following the sound, he comes to the kitchen, to see his husband pacing the floor with a wailing toddler on his hip. "Aww, Chimchim, don't cry! You can have another play date with Hobi and Yoongi in a few days, I promise. Can you calm down for me, please? I need to finish making dinner."

Jungkook gives a smile, stepping forward, "Here, I'll take him, babe."

Tae turns startled eyes to his, "Kookie! I didn't hear you come in!"

The taller slides his arms around the toddler, pressing a kiss to his damp and chubby cheek. "Are you giving Eomma a hard time Chim?"

The boy's face immediately brightens in a cheery smile, his eyes squeezing almost shut. "Appa!"

The tired man feels his heart melt at their son's grin. Turning, he sees the soft smile on Tae's face, and can't help but press a kiss to his soft lips. "I love you so much Tae."

The brunette kisses him back, one hand stroking their son's silky hair, "I love you Kookie."

AN: Ok, so this was originally going to be the first one-shot in a collection I've been working on. But when it got out of hand, it seemed too long to call it a "one-shot" anymore, so now it's just a short story I'm publishing all at once. I don't plan on doing a sequel or anything, as it feels "complete" to me. If you enjoyed it, check out the drama that inspired it, "Somehow 18". It stars Choi Minho from Shinee. The drama is actually very different from the story I've written. Minho's character is a nerd with a crush on a girl who helps him when he's bullied. But he lets the bullies use him to bully her for revenge, and a few days later she commits suicide. Years later, he follows a vision of her back in time, and wants to save her. Along the way he finds out that her life actually had a lot more pressures than just the bullies at school. It's a good story, with a bittersweet ending.