Y'all are NOT ready for this chapter lmao

"Y/n, wake up! Momma says you'll be late for school!"

"Calm down Hyunnie, my alarm hasn't gone off yet."

"It's almost seven-thirty."

You spring out of bed like a rocket and at the speed of light, fly to your closet and grab your uniform.

"Thanks Dohyunah," you say hurriedly. "Lemme change real quick and I'll be out in a sec okay?"

"Noona, what happened to your face?"

Your fa- oh shit! You forgot about last night! You don't have time to cover up the bruises on your face.

"Nothing, Hyunnie,  I was just... playing around with makeup."

"Oh. Well, I don't think you should keep doing makeup," Dohyun says innocently. "It's not very good."

You smile. "Thanks, I won't," you say warmly. "Now get out so I can change okay?"

Dohyun leaves the room and closes the door.

After you change into your school uniform and throw on your backpack, you tear out of your bedroom and kiss Dohyun goodbye at the door, hurry to the bus stop with a painful limp, and make it just in time before the bus leaves.

Thank god you won't be late.

•••

You need to apologize to Yoongi.

You saw him once in the hallway earlier, but he didn't see you, and the moment you caught sight of his silky raven hair, an overwhelming wave of guilt washed over you and made you nauseous. You don't know what came over you yesterday. You can't embarrass yourself by acting like that ever again. You need to apologize.

He's... he's your only friend now. You can't ruin this over some stupid weed that you only wanted to try once.

So you head straight to the piano room, because if you don't apologize to Yoongi, you will never know if he'll want to be your friend again or not. If he doesn't... you don't know what you'll do.

You didn't realize how much you had come to depend on his presence. You became friends out of necessity, but now it feels like more than that.

When you enter the usual classroom in the abandoned school wing, you don't hear the familiar sound of the piano. Yoongi isn't in here.

Where could he be?

You open the door to head back outside- maybe Yoongi's in the cafeteria with the others.

Or maybe... maybe he's avoiding you. You yelled at him pretty bad yesterday. Maybe he hates you now.

You back into the classroom again and close the door.

He probably doesn't want anything to do with you. He probably hates you and will never talk to you again. Maybe he's telling the others in the cafeteria that you're a mean bitch and you'll forever be an outcast.

Your eyes fill with tears at the idea of being alone again.

You head over to a corner and curl up into a ball, because the only way to deal with your problems is by hiding from them.

The door opens. Yoongi? You look up to see who just walked into the room.

It's Seokjin, trailed by Yoongi. You get up and limp toward them hurriedly. "Yoongi, I-"

"Woah woah woah," Seokjin interrupts, looking at you with wide eyes. "Slow down."

Yoongi looks everywhere in the room but at you, and the guilt washes all over you again.

"But I need-"

"What the hell happened to your face?"

At that, Yoongi lifts his gaze to yours, and when he sees the bruises, his gaze turns to stone.

"I-"

"It was the Spice Girls, wasn't it," Seokjin says, eyebrows furrowing. He looks pissed. "Yoongi, come on. Let's go find the girls. We need to have a talk. Y/n, come with us."

"Wait, I need to t-"

Seokjin hooks his arm with yours and pulls you toward the door, and because he doesn't know about your limp, you trip and stumble forward into Yoongi. He catches you, a little startled, and steadies you on your feet.

"It's not just your face," he says quietly. "Where else did they hurt you?"

You push him away and brush yourself off. "It's nothing," you say. "I'm fine."

"Clearly not," Seokjin says. "Come on. We're gonna put an end to this." He hooks your arms together again, but this time he takes a slower stride so that you can keep up. Your thigh burns with the effort. On the way out of the classroom, Yoongi walks behind you and Seokjin, flip phone in front of his face.

"Yoongi, I wanted to-

"Hoseok says the girls are in the cafeteria," Yoongi interrupts you. "He told Saebom that we're coming."

"Good," Seokjin says. "Make sure they stay where they are. It's time to give them a taste of their own medicine."

What does he mean by that? You puzzle over that for the rest of the way to the cafeteria, where you are escorted straight to the middle tables where all the popular kids are.

"Y/n!" Chortles a cheerful voice. Hoseok appears in front of you with a bright smile that vanishes as soon as he sees your face. "What happened to your-" he looks at Seokjin. "Is that why..."

Seokjin nods. "Come on," he says. "Where are they?"

"Saebom's talking to them over there," Hoseok says, gesturing to a table crowded with students. Hoseok hooks your other arm with his and together, he and Seokjin escort you to the middle of the chaos. Your heart beats faster in your chest the closer you get to the Spice Girls, and you cling tighter to the boys on either side of you.

"Seokjinah, who is that? I've never seen her before."

"Ah Kim Seokjin! Come listen to this, the Spice Girls are spilling mad tea!"

"Did you hear what they were saying?? They ran into someone last night who insulted them!"

You hope your very presence insults them. Yoongi passes in front of you and clears a way for you and the other boys to pass. When the Spice Girls come into view, your heart drops.

You're afraid.

"Move out of the way," Seokjin says. "Saebom! Come here!" Seokjin leaves your side to be replaced by Saebom, who stares in shock when he sees your bruises. "What happened to your-"

"Shut up," you mutter. You don't need everyone asking you about your face today. Saebom swallows and looks away, startled by your hostility.

"Tasha! Yubeen!" Seokjin shouts. The Spice Girls are all sitting on a table in a circle, gossiping to one another and being eavesdropped on by all the surrounding students. The two girls that were called, Ginger and Pepper, look up at Seokjin's voice and spot him, then tap the others' shoulders to get their attention.

"I've got something I want to talk to you about," Seokjin says angrily. The girls are none the wiser, completely oblivious to his fury.

"Seokjinah!" Anise says. "Come join us, we were just-"

"I don't want to hear it," Seokjin says. "Don't act like I don't know."

"Know... what?" Anise asks, looking a little nervous. The other girls glance at each other confusedly. Wonho stands behind them, looking a little embarrassed.

Seokjin turns around and grabs your hand, then pulls you up next to him in front of the girls.

"Look at her," he says crossly. "Do you see what you did?"

The girls stare at you, blinking, and you fix your gaze on the floor, ashamed and afraid. They're going to kill you for this. A comforting hand places itself on your shoulder, and you look back to see Hoseok. Instead of his usual cheery smile, however, his angular face is twisted into a nasty glare directed at the girls in front of you.

You didn't think he had it in him to look this threatening. Not to mention, he barely knows you, so him getting territorial is... it feels like he has your back.

"Seokjinah, it wasn't us," Ginger says. "We haven't even seen her since-"

"Shut it, Tasha," Seokjin says. "I know it was you four." He glances at Wonho. "Five. You there. You're supposed to be a man by now!" Seokjin yells at the big ape. "What kind of gentleman beats up girls in his free time? You're a cowardly bastard, always doting after the girls and succumbing to their every wish. Do you think they really care about you that much? You're wrong."

Seokjin shifts his gaze back to the girls. "Do you think this kind of thing is okay? How the hell could you do something so horrible!?"

You thought Seokjin was intimidating when he was yelling at you and Yoongi, but this brings a whole new definition to scary. This is a side of Seokjin you would not like to see often. You didn't think he could be mean to anyone- even if they deserved it.

"No, don't look at me, look at her. Get a good look at her face. See her? She's a part of my group. You don't mess with my friends. If you ever do anything like this again, I'll see to it personally that you pay for it."

Nutmeg begins to cry. "Seokjinah, I don't understand, why are you being like this?"

"I've said all I needed to say," Seokjin says coldly. "Come on Y/n, let's go."

Hoseok tugs you the other way and you turn, and as you begin to step away from the now-quiet crowd of students, you hear a quiet, but firm, "Wait."

Everyone turns to face Yoongi, who's glaring at the girls.

"I want them to apologize."

What?

Seokjin folds his arms and looks expectantly at the girls, and Hoseok brings you right up in front of them.

"Wha-what?" Anise says, eyes wide and shiny. She glances at you with distaste, then looks at Seokjin. "J-Jinnie, you can't-"

"Do it," Seokjin says curtly.

Anise looks hopelessly at the other girls, then at you. Despite how afraid you are of the consequences you'll face later, you can't help but relish the look of pure embarrassment and disbelief on her face.

She swallows, glances back at the other girls, nods in agreement with them, then turns to look at you again.

"We..." Anise swallows. "We're um... We're sorry."

"Yeah, we're really sorry, Y/n."

The girls murmur their awkward agreement and look at you with guilt and sympathy in their eyes.

What an illusion.

"Y/n?" Seokjin says. "Are you satisfied with that?"

You nod. "Yes," you say quietly. "Thank you."

"Wait," Yoongi says yet again. Still looking at the girls with a stony expression, he grabs your arm again before you can leave.

"I want a real apology," he says. When the girls stare at him in confusion, he clarifies.

"On their knees."

Oh god.

The girls gasp and look at Seokjin, who raises his eyebrows and nods at them to obey. Anise gulps, looks around her at all the other students, and then looks back at you, her face completely red. You half expect her to start yelling at everyone, or start crying.

Slowly, hesitantly, Anise kneels to the ground. The other girls follow suit. You can hardly believe what you're seeing in front of your eyes. You glance wide-eyed at Yoongi, who squints at the girls, unimpressed.

"Further," he says.

With a contempt glance at Yoongi, each of the girls, one by one, places their palms on the floor before them and bows, so low that their noses touch the dirty cafeteria tile.

All of this, because Kim Seokjin is watching. The power that boy holds, all because he is handsome...

Yoongi nods with approval, grabs your hand, and drags you away from the group with no regard for your limp. You stare helplessly back at Seokjin, only to find your gaze met with glares from the Spice Girls.

"Yoongi, where are we-"

"Shut up."

You go silent and reluctantly follow Yoongi out of the cafeteria and back to the piano room.

When you step inside, he closes the door, drops his backpack, stands squarely in front of you, and folds his arms.

"What the hell happened to you?" he demands. "When did they do that?"

Well... he is mad at you, but not for the reason you thought.

"It... It doesn't matter," you say, "I-"

"It doesn't matter?" Yoongi scoffs. "You got beat up by a group of girls with absolutely nothing in their heads except thoughts about their hair and their nails, and you're just going to pretend it didn't happen?"

"It's not important right now because I wanted to- I just-" You grasp your hair frustratedly. "I didn't want any of this to happen! I just wanted to apologize to you."

Yoongi's gaze softens.

"I- I was an asshole," you say, looking at the floor. "I said those stupid things all because... all because of something stupid, and I... I didn't mean any of it."

"I know."

You look back up at Yoongi confusedly and tilt your head to the side. "You..."

"I know," Yoongi says, as if it's obvious. "You don't need to tell me that. I get it. You're... not the only one who's acted like that after being exposed to drugs. That part was my fault."

"No, it wasn't," you say. "I asked for them. And I know why you didn't give me any more. I'm actually glad you didn't."

"It doesn't matter anymore," Yoongi says. "You don't need to worry about it. I wanna know exactly what happened with the Spice Girls and when the hell you ran into them."

"As... as soon as I left your place actually," you say. "I was walking back home and they were out on the streets and they saw me."

"Shit, I knew I should have followed you," Yoongi mutters, cursing at the ground. "Now look what-"

"Why the hell would you have followed me?"

"Because I..." Yoongi purses his lips, turning pink. "I um... I was worried. About you. It-It's nothing."

He was worried about you. The thought alone startles you. You begin to blush yourself.

"Well... I'm fine," you say. "I mean, I am now."

Silence fills the space between you two for a moment- the first silence you've shared that has ever been genuinely awkward.

Yoongi clears his throat. "U-uhm... Anyway... is there... anywhere else you're hurt?" he asks. "I don't mean... I just... are you... okay?"

"No." It doesn't take much to be honest with Yoongi.

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Not really," you say. "But... I'm glad you don't... I'm glad you don't hate me. For yesterday."

"You're not hurt anywhere else?"

"I am, but..."

"You took care of yourself alright?"

You nod. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little banged up."

For another long, awkward moment, you stare at the floor, Yoongi stares at the ceiling, and both of you look anywhere but at each other.

Until Yoongi clears his throat again and turns toward the piano. "Do you need peace and quiet or can I..."

Yes. God, yes, please play. Anything to go back to what's normal.

"I don't- I don't mind," you mumble.

"Okay good," Yoongi says, but instead of going to the piano himself, he grabs your hand and pulls you over to it. He pulls out the piano bench and sets you down on the edge, then lets go of your hand and sits next to you.

"Let's play something," he says. You swallow, stuck on the fact that you're sitting so close to Yoongi on the piano bench that your shoulders are pressed together.

"This piece is really simple," Yoongi says. "See, you only really need one hand for this one. You just need to roll your knuckles over these keys and then-" he plays a couple of notes on the keys a little to your right, his arm stretching in front of you to reach them. It's hard to focus on the notes he's playing when you suddenly catch a subtle whiff of cologne, and it makes your brain slow down.

Before, you didn't think about how he smelled. You didn't care. Now, you realize just how pleasant and familiar and comforting his cologne is.

"Are you listening?" Yoongi asks. He stops playing, one finger still pressed to a piano key. The note fills the empty silence and rings in your ears.

You blink back to reality and turn your head to find yourself mere centimeters away from Yoongi's face, much closer than you realized. He seems to realize it too, because his eyes widen and his breath ceases. For a moment, all you can do is stare at each other.

Yoongi's skin, up close, is prettier when you actually take a moment to look at it. His skin glows, milky white and smooth. His nose is the perfect shape for his face, and his pink lips appear soft and plush- not that you're really looking at his lips, no. That would be weird.

What really catches your attention is his eyes. The curve of his eyes is catlike, gently sloped to give him a mild, mellow expression. The darkness in them isn't threatening or intimidating, it's gentle and caring.

The sound of the piano stops when Yoongi lifts his finger off of the key and slowly, delicately, hovers it over your cheekbone. You stare at him with bated breath, afraid to speak, anxiously awaiting what happens next. The moment seems to last an eternity before Yoongi's thumb finally brushes over your cheek, gently tracing a bruise left by the Spice Girls.

Oh god no.

"Does it hurt?" Yoongi whispers. His thumb is cool and firm and oh so distracting, and you can't seem to take your eyes off of his, and you can feel his breath on your face, and though neither of you moves, it feels as if the space between you is shrinking, and his eyes finally shift to yours-

Yoongi lets go of your face and turns back to the piano, his cheeks and ears turning bright pink.

"So the melody for the higher part goes like this," he says, as if nothing just happened. "Pay attention- it's really easy once you get the hang of it."

You decide to play along, because you don't want to think about what just happened. You stare down at the piano keys Yoongi is playing and follow along one octave higher. He goes through the motions slowly, allowing you to keep up, and after showing you a short chunk of the song, he lets you practice on your own a couple of times before teaching you the next chunk.

After showing you four different parts of the song, and you can play them altogether back to back, he scoots over a little bit and sets his hands above the lower piano keys to get ready to play. He taps his foot slowly against the floor. "Hear that?" he asks. "That's the tempo, okay? You're gonna play everything you just learned at that speed. Start when you're ready."

You nod and rub your palms against your skirt before positioning your right hand above your own set of keys. What is Yoongi gonna do? Is he going to play with you?

After one curious sidelong glance at Yoongi, you focus on the piano keys, take a breath, and begin to play the melody Yoongi just taught you.

He begins playing his own notes. The sounds join perfectly with yours, and a rush of excitement and happiness begins to course through your veins. You focus hard on your part so that you don't mess up, because the two parts sound so beautiful together that if you mess it up, you'll break the magic spell the music is putting you under.

You and Yoongi are playing together, in an abandoned music room, on an old dusty piano, and you've never felt so alive. Is this what Yoongi feels every time he plays the piano?

When the song comes to an end, you rub your sweaty hands on your skirt again and try to contain the excitement coursing through your veins and the triumph that washes over you. You can't stifle your smile, though, and before you have a chance to realize it, you feel Yoongi's cool finger under your chin, lifting your face and turning your gaze toward him.  He examines your face- which isn't smiling now, because suddenly you can't breathe again- and lets go.

"I don't think I've ever seen you smile," Yoongi murmurs.

"That's because I don't smile," you reply.

"You should," Yoongi says. "It's pretty."

Your heart slams against your ribcage suddenly, and butterflies begin to hatch in your stomach.

Yoongi stares at you for another moment, then turns back to the piano and readjusts his fingers over the keys. "Again," he says blushing again. "But this time, do it faster."

Aw how cute was this? I'm dying this is adorable. Something more was going to happen, but I decided that that would be far too fast for these two characters specifically, so you're going to have to wait for that little something more ;)

Have a good day/night!<3

-L