The previously silent cafeteria filled with the students' sonorous voices and laughs once the bell rang, ready to relish their one-hour break.

After getting something to eat, the seven boys sat at their usual table and began bantering about an array of things. But as a few minutes passed, Yoongi detected something rather strange, and it didn't take too long for everyone else to notice it as well.

Jeongguk wasn't holding his notebook or his cooking book as he ate. He was instead conversing with the others and even cracking smiles here and there.

The realization hushed them up and incited them to share baffled glances, then they narrowed their eyes on him.

Carefree and unaware, Jeongguk took another bite of the delicious sandwich, but halted every movement when their intense gaze came to his attention. He continued to chew, confused about what was happening, and placed the sandwich down as he gulped. "What?"

"You're talking to us," Jimin spouted off.

"You don't even have your notebook on the table," Seokjin added.

Jeongguk stayed still, looking back at them with the same puzzled expression as a flash of surprise streamed through him by his own actions.

It was the first time he had left his notebook and cooking book in his locker instead of bringing them with him, and that was because Taehyung was waiting for him outside of his classroom to accompany him since his teacher let them go a bit earlier.

And he was so thrilled to see the boy again he forgot about anything else.

Jeongguk dropped his head once he registered what had happened and cleared his throat as he shifted in his seat, feeling a tad embarrassed to admit it.

"Guys, stop making him feel uncomfortable," Taehyung said with a faint chuckle at the younger's cuteness, giving a chain of fond caresses on his back. "We're just a little surprised. That's all." He redirected his gaze to Jeongguk and smiled softly, but he stiffened as his eyes traveled behind him, landing on the two guys he had overheard talking about the Jeon tragedy yesterday.

Brows knitted in an irritated frown, Taehyung chose to disregard their piercing stare, which was riveted on Jeongguk, thinking they would stop at some point.

"Sorry, Kook. We're actually happy you're chatting with us instead of being in your own world," Seokjin reassured with a beam, and everyone nodded in agreement.

"That's the power of love, you know that, right?" Jimin leaned closer and whispered to the younger of the group, clearly teasing him.

"Shut up," Jeongguk murmured as he shot him a glower, but a smile surfaced on his lips upon seeing Jimin burst into subdued giggles.

Suddenly, the entire cafeteria fell dead silent when a booming bang resounded through the place, startling most of the students.

Taken aback, the six boys also gazed at Taehyung, who was now standing with his hands still planted on the table from the bang he created, a dark aura of fury engulfing him. "Are we a television or a mirror or something?"

It was obvious that his crossly spoken question was directed to those two boys from yesterday, who didn't stop staring at Jeongguk and whispering things to each other. They shared a look, trying not to seem intimidated, and the black-haired, unnamed boy spoke. "No?"

"Then why the hell are you staring at us?"

"Is it illegal?" he asked with a snort and turned to his friend, both cracking up.

Their laughter only piled up more outrage in Taehyung's gut if that was possible, so much his body began twitching as he stomped his way to them before anyone could stop him, fingers digging into his palms. "I'll tell you what it is. It's fucking annoying, so if you have something to say, say it in front of us instead of being two little bitches gossiping behind our backs."

"Yah!" the other guy, the blonde one exclaimed as he jumped to his feet, thrusting his jaw forward. "Watch your fucking mouth."

"Did I say something that's not true? And back off, jackass. I'm not afraid of you." Taehyung gave his shoulder a rough shove, leading him to stumble.

"You fucking..." he gritted out as he glared at him and lifted his arm, ready to throw a punch, but Jeongguk flashed up in front of him, grasping his fist in a bone-crushing grip.

"Be careful where you raise your fists, stupid. You'll get hurt," Jeongguk said in a calm voice that bordered mockery as he pressed his hand down, twisting it enough to evoke a muffled groan from him. "Now fuck off," he added with a growl, releasing his hand with a fling.

"You'll regret this, both of you," the blonde said while holding his aching arm in his hug, his tone brimming with venom despite his fearful eyes.

"You piece of-" Taehyung pitched forward to follow them, but he was cut off and immobilized by Jeongguk, who laced an arm around his stomach.

"Yah, calm down. Do you want to get suspended?"

"No, but those two fuckers-"

"Since when do you curse so much? Who are you?" A chuckle came with his question as he was fascinated and surprised at the same time. "Fuck it, come with me." He gripped his hand and dragged him away, leaving a hurried 'we'll be back' behind for their five friends.

Although in a maze, Taehyung let him take him whenever he wanted, but his itch to know what he was doing only intensified when he led him into the storage room. "Care to explain-"

The rest of his question was drowned in a fiery kiss as he found himself pressed against the wall with Jeongguk's hands fastened around his waist.

Moans of ecstasy - the same mind-blowing ecstasy as yesterday - veiled the two boys in their overheated make-out session, feeling as if nothing could satiate their lust for one another.

"You were so damn sexy back there," Jeongguk muttered between kisses, sucking his bottom lip between his teeth at the end. "Seeing you all angry and feisty. Hell, I wanted to put you in your place so bad." Another short round of biting lips and eager tongues gliding against each other started then.

Taehyung smirked in the kiss, buzzing with excitation, and with one swift move, he swiveled him around, pushing him into the wall instead. "Put me in my place? Maybe I should put you in your place for meddling." He attacked his neck without wasting a second, nibbling his skin in a way that had Jeongguk feeling dizzy with pleasure. "You know you'll lose this year if you get suspended again. Why did you get involved?"

"Fuck." Jeongguk groaned as he tried to process his words in his drunk mind to answer him. "And what was I supposed to do? Let that guy ruin your pretty face? No way."

The older ground against him as he pulled him into a peppery kiss, educing strangled moans from him by his lecherous actions.

Letting his hands now roam freely on his well-built body, demanding more and more, Taehyung accidentally brushed his fingers against the bulge in Jeongguk's pants, and he whimpered the moment Jeongguk clamped his teeth in his lower lip a notch harder than before.

"Are you playing games now? Teasing me, huh?" Jeongguk uttered, voice husky and thick with lusciousness.

"It was an accident," he managed to say through his heavy breathing, his self-restraint hitting its limits as he felt wet kisses on his neck and Jeongguk's rock-hard length rub against his.

"I bet it was. But since it's the third time I made you hard, I should take care of it, right?"

"What? Here?"

"Why not?" Jeongguk asked, something impish coating his voice and a suggestive smile dancing on his face. He drew closer to capture his lips, but the older stopped him with a faltering hand on his chest.

"Because anyone can walk in on us at any time. So control your hormones." He flicked his forehead lightly, stifling an amused chuckle once a whine reached his ears and saw the younger rub his forehead with a puppy-like expression.

"If you want me to control my hormones, you should get off me and sit next to me like the good boy you are."

Taehyung huffed a laugh at Jeongguk's saucy, sarcastic tone. "Fine." He detached himself from him rather demonstratively to taunt him a bit and stood next to him, leaning against the wall.

Jeongguk snorted at his actions and bumped his shoulder, both chuckling faintly. "Why did you get so angry before, though?"

"Those two guys were staring at us and clearly gossiping about something, so I got mad."

"They were staring at us or just... me?"

Taehyung cast him a sidelong glance, not confident enough to meet his gaze, and ducked his head.

Noticing his mood change, the caramel-haired boy broke into a fond smile as he slipped his arm around his shoulders. "Thank you for wanting to protect me." He trailed a short line of tender kisses on his cheek, finishing it with a peck on his lips. "But don't worry too much about it. I'm used to it. To have people talking behind my back. It's nothing new."

"But... what if they tell everyone? About the article."

"Hmm, it will suck then. I'll be a ticking bomb ready to explode if someone says something to me. I don't know if I'll be able to handle it."

Lines of worry mixed with sadness framed Taehyung's features as he gazed at his solemn face, wanting desperately to find a way to help him. The only thing he could do was to interlock their fingers and give a couple of comforting squeezes at his hand, letting him know he wasn't alone in this. "Nothing will happen. Don't worry."

"How can you be so sure?" Jeongguk glanced down at their joined hands and couldn't rein back his smile at his caring move.

"I just am."

"If you're thinking about fighting Johan to shut him up and control his friends, you can't, Tae. That bitch is stronger than you think."

Taehyung threw his head back with the wave of laughter that exploded out of his mouth. "Sometimes it's better to use your brain than your fists, Kookie. Although I really want to beat him up a little."

"You're right, but don't do anything. I don't want you to get hurt."

"I won't get hurt. Don't worry." He slid in front of him and snatched his gorgeous face, showering it with lots of honeyed kisses.

Jeongguk enfolded him in his arms as his faint chuckles traveled through the room, feeling a new, different kind of affection he never felt before.

After covering every inch of his face with kisses, Taehyung stayed still with his lips curved into a smile, gazing at him with such fondness it struck tremors of warmth into Jeongguk's scarred heart.

The only thought in the younger's mind at that moment was how his simple, little smile was like a ray of sunlight illuminating all the darkness he still had inside him and the soothing effect it had on him.

"Kook?"

"Hm?"

"What are you thinking so intently?"

The corners of Jeongguk's lips tipped up as he chuckled, and he ran his fingers through his violet, velvety hair, pushing a strand behind his ear. "That you're so beautiful. And so, so precious." He slanted forward after a few moments of staring at each other tenderly, and they shared a slow kiss chock-full of gentleness, merging not only their bodies, but their hearts as well without even realizing it.

🥀

Taehyung finished his next and final class for the day a bit earlier than the others again and strolled along the hallway, heading towards his locker. His mind was in overthinking mode, trying his best to find a way to help the younger. Fighting Johan or his friends is pointless. I could blackmail him, but I have nothing on him. How can I find dirt on him?

"You have some guts, Kim Taehyung."

The deep but rather derisive voice froze him in his spot as he was about to pull the last book out of his bag. He turned his head to the side, only to see Johan stand there with his hands buried in his pockets and a cocky smirk plastered on his lips.

Oh, how much he wanted to slap it off his face.

He resumed what he was doing, chanting in his head to stay calm and not lash out at him no matter how much he desired to, and finally locked his locker. "What?"

"I'm talking about your little show in the cafeteria. You're not as weak as I thought, or you're just stupid? I haven't figured that out yet."

Fury simmered in Taehyung's chest by his words and incendiary behavior, and it truly took everything he had to keep his cool. "And why would I be stupid?"

"Because you're messing with my friends, silly." A wicked snicker accompanied his response as he chucked him under his chin with no other intention than to mock him and get him all riled up.

Taehyung would be lying if he said that it didn't work because fuck, he was seething by now. He smacked his hand away, unable to inhibit himself any longer, and he glowered at him with rowdy eyes.

"Wow, you can't hide your emotions at all, Taehyung. You hate my guts, huh?"

There it was again, his loathsome, jeering laugh that Taehyung was already sick of hearing. "Yes, I deeply, sincerely hate you, you piece of shit. Not only you played Jeongguk, hurt him, spread rumors about him, but now you want to hurt him even more by telling everyone about that article? How can you do this to someone? Don't you have a conscience? Morals? Anything to make you a human being? Because if you forgot, you are a human being. Why don't you act like it?"

"You're defending a murderer's son and you're telling me how to live my life instead? And not only you defend him, but you like him too? Disgusting."

"You're disgusting," he growled between clenched teeth, squeezing his hands into fists. "You better keep your mouth shut about that article, you and your two little friends. Don't act as stupid as that haircut makes you look because you are gonna regret it. I promise."

"First, fuck off for insulting my flawless looks. And second, don't you know you shouldn't make promises you can't keep? You're all talk, Kim Taehyung. You won't be able to do shit to me. You're that useless."

"We'll see about that," Taehyung said and took off, bashing his shoulder against Johan and overlooking his sinister chuckle.

That fucking douchebag, I hate him! He screamed in his head as he continued to walk with long, angry strides. Think, think, you have to do something!

He arrived at the exit soon enough and slammed the door open, drawing in a mouthful of fresh, pacifying air. Then it hit him. He fumbled to get his phone out of his pocket and called his father without much thought.

"Taehyung? Why are you calling? Don't you have classes? Don't tell me you skipped your classes again-"

"Dad. No, I didn't skip my classes. I just finished. I need your help."

"Are you in trouble again? Didn't I tell you-"

"Dad, please. I never ask for anything and I wouldn't have called if it wasn't important."

"Fine. Tell me."

"Okay, you have many connections, right? With the police and stuff as well."

"I don't like where this is going."

"Just listen." Taehyung sighed for the nth time, rolling his eyes sky high. "Can you ask your friends or something to do a background check on someone?"

"Taehyung! Doing a background check on a civilian is illegal."

"I know, but it's super important. There's this guy at the uni who is messing with me and my friends. I just want something to blackmail him and shut him up. You don't want anyone to shame me, right? Because then I'll be shaming you and the whole family."

Silence reigned over them for a while as his father released a sigh. "You're finally thinking about your family too. Well done, son. I'll look into it and call you again. I need his full name."

"Oh my God, thank you! I'll text you his name because I don't remember his surname right now. Thank you, really."

"Okay. Don't thank me. Just continue to study hard and make me proud."

"Yes, dad," he uttered, even though he knew he couldn't do that. He couldn't make him proud because the way he wanted to live his life was completely different from what his dad wanted.

After saying bye, he texted Jeongguk to ask for Johan's full name so he could send it to his father as soon as possible.

Jeongguk: Why are you suddenly asking about Johan's full name?

Taehyung: Just tell me and I'll explain when we meet. Where are you, by the way? The class ended already.

Jeongguk: Seo Johan. Why? Do you miss me?

Taehyung: Thanks. We were together like an hour and a half ago. It would be crazy if I missed you, right?

Jeongguk: Don't know. I miss you, though.

Taehyung: Yeah, right 😂

The younger stared at his message, his expression somber, and his chest feeling heavy. There's no way he still thinks I only want sex from him, right? No, he's smarter than that, right?

Jeongguk: I'm serious, though.

Taehyung's brows bumped together in a baffled frown, not really knowing what to think about his response.

It took him longer than normal to text him back, so long that Jeongguk's teacher finally let them go, and he was now standing behind the violet-haired boy.

"Hey."

Taehyung jolted in his spot as he heard his voice, almost dropping his phone by his scare. "H-hey."

"You didn't answer." Jeongguk jiggled his phone in front of him, but stopped his movements as he discerned his awkward, bewildered state. "Are you okay?"

"Um, yeah." He hung his head and found the opportunity to text his father, using it as an excuse as well to avoid eye contact.

Not wanting to make him feel more uncomfortable than he already seemed to be, Jeongguk forced out of his mind whatever happened. "So why did you want Johan's full name?"

And Taehyung narrated everything that happened before with Johan and about his plan to find dirt on him, as if he wasn't dumbfounded about Jeongguk's last message.

⚜✳⚜

Another update, yay! I did some last-minute corrections as I reread it just now, so if you find any mistakes, please let me know💜

Will Johan tell everyone about Kook's past? What do you think? 🤔

Thank you all for waiting for me and continuing to support me and my work. Love you lots💖