[requested]

summary : from strangers, to study partners, leading to playful conversations. are you in love? or is it a mere infatuation?

a/n ; if u read this before,, i just added more scenes bc it wasnt that heart-fluttering before so u can reread it lelelel

genre : schoolmate au // fluffy, fluff && soft taehyung eheheh╰(◡‿◡✿╰) squish squish squish

word count : 3,400+ idk im lazy to check lmao

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You never remembered when you had last fell in love.

Being a college student, you barely had time to develop feelings for someone because you always had your nose buried in a book. However, at times, you do feel the need to be embraced. You wished you had someone to care for you, one that would feed you knowing that you had been skipping your meals revising for your upcoming examinations, one that would hold you tightly in a hug and could simply take your stress away.

You never really experienced falling in love, until it came to one day.

You were studying in the school library packed with other students who were busy revising for the mid-year papers. The library was silent, there were only sounds of students flipping pages and scribbling on their notebooks. Although the library was capacious, it felt unusually stuffy that day with other students sighing heavily as they stared blankly at their textbooks.

You absent-mindedly wrote mathematical formulas on a blank sheet of paper, before crushing and tossing it into your bag. You were completely drained out after spending half of your day attending classes. Since your brain couldn't take in whatever was written in your study notes, you decided to stare at it blankly in procrastination.

"Uhm, excuse me?" A voice whispered, but was clear, "Is there anyone sitting here?"

You instantly looked up to see a guy standing opposite you, holding a pile of books in his hands. Goodness gracious, you blinked, feeling your stomach tighten as you stare at the gorgeous looking young man before you. His hair was delicately disheveled, his brows shaped into a deceivingly perfect arch that followed the slight curve of his eye and his sharp nose hooked over his pretty plump lips which were slightly dry, evidently showing his exhaustion.

"N-No," You sat up straight and kindly offered the seat infront of you. He mouthed a 'thanks' before pulling out the chair and sitting down before you. He settled all his things on the table and opened his book, starting his revision.

You then pretended to be reading your book, but you realised you were stealing glances at him from time to time. Instead of studying your notes, you were studying his perfect features, marveling at him. His brows knitted into a frown as he slightly bit his pen, trying to solve the questions on his paper and you unknowingly smiled, finding him adorable.

An hour later, you finally got started on your revision, but when you were scribbling down some notes, your pen, unfortunately, ran out of ink. You mentally cursed, rummaging through your pencil case only to find out that you had no other pens to use left. There were, however, about six other pens that already ran out of ink which you were too lazy to dispose and replace them with new ones. You took a glance at the guy you were staring at in awe from before, feeling a little hesitant to interrupt his learning.

It took you so long before you finally mustered up enough courage to lightly tap on his book to get his attention. "Uh, do you have a pen you could lend me?" You asked, your cheeks unknowingly turned light pink, feeling bashful when you made an eye contact with him.

To your relief, he nodded, grabbing one from his pencil case. His fingers slightly brushed your palm as he handed the pen to you, making your heart skip a beat at the subtle contact. A total loser you were. "Thank you," you said, smiling and he returned the smile ever so kindly.

It was already evening and you were about to pass out after finishing chapters of revision. You had one last chapter to catch up on for the day before you could finally head home and be in the comforts of your bed.

You struggled to keep your eyelids wide apart as you continued to study despite your back aching. Minutes later, you could no longer resist the growing fatigue, hence you finally rested your head on the table to take a short break, but you eventually dozed off to sleep.

  __________________ 

You felt someone nudge your shoulder and you instantly woke up. You hissed, feeling the burn in your eyes at the sudden exposure of light. You took awhile to process your surroundings, and you squinted as you finally glanced up to find the pretty young man looking down at you, blinking owlishly. Your eyes widened, "Uh,–"

You looked around you once again, a few lights were already shut off and there were no other students left but the two of you in the library.

"The library's closing, let's leave," He said, smiling. You were staring up at him in a daze, while he was already helping you pack your things on the table, keeping all your stationeries neatly back in its case.

"Ah, sorry," You murmured in a raspy voice as you rubbed the sleep off your eyes, standing up from your seat to pack your books in your bag and left the library with him.

Just when you were about to step out of the school building, the night sky turned red and the thunder roared loudly before raindrops started pelting heavily on the pavements. What a great timing, you thought as you frantically rummaged through your bag, hoping that you had remembered to bring the umbrella this time, but of all days, today you didn't.

"Wanna share?" You heard a familiar, gentle voice coming from next to you and you looked up to see the same guy you sat with in the library earlier. He held an umbrella over both of your heads, smiling down at you. You swore your knees almost buckled, you couldn't believe someone that good looking was willing to share an umbrella with you.

"M-Me?" You internally cursed yourself because you kept stuttering whenever you tried speaking to him. "Well, I guess. I forgot to bring mine, should've checked the weather forecast this morning or something, hahah."

With that, you both walked together down the street, sheltered from the rain under the small umbrella the gentleman was holding. You were a blushing mess throughout the whole walk and you were silently wishing that the darkness of the night city could disguise your nervous self. He's just sharing an umbrella with me, calm down, you mentally reminded yourself.

Somehow, the umbrella felt so tiny but you tried to keep yourself atleast an inch away from him because you felt he'd freak out if you get too close. Still, you couldn't move too apart from him or half your body would be drenched under the rain, so you had to envelop your arms across your chest and ensure you were as small as possible to fit under the shelter of the umbrella.

Not long after, you both had to stop before a pedestrian crossing and had to wait for the green light to cross. The thunder booming and the raindrops drumming on the pavements were so loud but the silence between you and him was much louder.

"Where do you live? Maybe I could send you back home?" He broke the silence as he kindly offered, "Or if you're uncomfortable with the idea then I'll just lend you my umbrella and go off?"

Your heart swelled at his kindness. Can he get anymore perfect?

You thought for awhile before responding, "I live nearby, if you do not mind sharing the umbrella until we reach my apartment building? I do not wish to make you walk in the rain and catch a cold."

He smiled and nodded. Just then, his gaze turned away from you and you watched as his eyes dilated, looking at something approaching somewhere behind you. Immediately, he wrapped an arm around your shoulder and pulled you close to his chest as he took a step back, making you perplexed but a second later a car drove by fast, its tyres speedily running over puddles and the muddy water could've splattered on you if he hadn't protected you.

You let out an audible gasp, feeling his tight grip on your shoulder and that only made you feel more bashful than ever. He let go of you soon after, sadly, and pursed his lips as he looked elsewhere, waiting for the traffic light to turn green and pretending to be cool after making your heart flutter so much that you felt like it was about to burst.

Minutes after, which passed by so quickly, you both finally reached your apartment building. He sent you to the lift lobby, making sure you were sheltered before he was about to leave.

"Thank you so much," You spoke to express your gratitude, "I owe you one, or maybe two, because you also lent me a pen this afternoon. What a good-hearted person, you are."

He scratched the back of his head sheepishly and you watched his lips curl up into a smile after listening to your compliment, "Ah, it's nothing."

It definitely felt like you both were dreading the separation, but the elevator reached the ground floor and you had no choice but to leave from his sight.

"Goodnight, be home safe," You managed to say meekly. Although you were shy, you wanted him to know that you appreciated his help alot. Or rather, you were actually finding things to say so that you could delay the separation and relish in the sight of him a little longer.

But he waved goodbye, and you took the sign and quickly entered the elevator and pressed the button to shut the doors before pressing the button to the eleventh-storey.

Then you realised, you forgot to ask for his name but you sighed as you thought you probably wouldn't see him again.

   __________________   

The next day, you headed to the library after a long lecture to begin your dreadful revision again. To your surprise, Mister Charming was sitting alone at a corner of the library and you naturally took steps towards him without a thought. You couldn't stop yourself to run off when you realised you were already standing before him and he was already looking up at you.  Immediately, you tried to think of a reason why you had to speak to him.

"Ah, your pen, I forgot to return it," You came up with the lame excuse and started digging your bag to search for his pen. You started to regret appearing before him and you wished you could disappear into thin air that instant. Most of all, you hated how silly you must've looked fishing for his pen in your bag that it made him chuckle at you.

"You can have it," he said and flashed you a boxy smile.

"Really? Hm, thanks. I'll go," you hurriedly say and was about to turn away before he spoke.

"If it's not too much to ask for, would you mind studying with me? I mean, I'm alone so I was wondering if you wouldn't mind keeping me accompanied," he asked, his eyes showed a hint of hopefulness. It felt like he needed you to be around as an energy booster to make studying more bearable.

"Well, I guess," you tried your best to sound as if you were not as delighted as you were internally. Of course, you were more than glad to do so.

"Anyways, I'm Kim Taehyung. What's your name?" he asked, and that was what had led both of you to becoming friends, eventually exchanging phone numbers and having long conversations, whenever.

   __________________     

At times you were still shy, but you grew comfortable speaking to Taehyung. After a long day of attending classes, you'd meet him at the library to study together, somehow feeling a high level of motivation whenever you're revising together.

And you couldn't deny, you had a little crush on Taehyung. Whenever he's tired of studying, he'd rest his head on your shoulder and that alone could make your heart flutter so much. You weren't sure if it was love or mere infatuation, but there was something about him that garners your attention all the time, the way he laughs, the way he speaks, the way he acts. You knew you couldn't hide your feelings for long.

It was a day before your examinations and as usual, you spent your day revising with Taehyung at the library. The studying session was a little more serious than usual because you both had to squeeze as much information as possible in your brains before sitting for the paper the next day.

When night came and the library closes, you both headed to the nearest tented food stall to have supper together. You still felt strange at the fact that you both were already close enough to have meals together in a short span of time, but it wasn't as if you weren't enjoying his company anyway.

Meals with Taehyung were never awkward. Because you're the introvert, he led most of the conversations but since he's so bright and was such an enthusiastic speaker, you also weren't afraid to exchange opinions and hold a conversation with him. He's such an interesting person to speak to, unendingly sharing his past experiences, some of which were so amusing that you wouldn't be able to hold in a laughter and you'd let out an audible chuckle which he adores, alot.

After awhile, the topic changed and he suddenly asked a question you never expected. "Have you ever kissed someone?"

You almost spat out your food when you processed his question in your head, but knowing him, he's just full of random questions and you just kept your cool before you responded.

"Uh, nope?" You bit down on your lip, not sure if you're supposed to be embarrassed about it.

"Gosh, I thought I was the only one!" he laughed, and you awkwardly laughed along.

"Why'd you question me that?" You got a little curious.

"Everyone else in college has made out and it bugs me everytime I bump into a couple having their intimate session in every corner of the school, you know," he complained with a mouthful of food.

"Have you ever, wanted to try kissing someone?" You were surprised that you had the guts to question him such a thing but you immediately got embarrassed that you couldn't even look up at him so you were just staring down at your plate.

He suddenly grew silent, smiling to himself, "I don't know, maybe."

You simply smiled, heart slightly shattering at the thought that he already has someone else in mind and surely enough, it isn't you.

After the supper, Taehyung kindly offered to walk you home because it was pretty late at night. He even went up the building along with you to the door of your apartment, giving an excuse that he was afraid you might trip on your way up.

You both turned quiet a heartbeat too long when you finally reached the door to your apartment. "Thanks," you simply said, digging for keys in your bag. Then you realised he wasn't leaving yet but instead he stood still beside you, hands in his pocket as he looked at you. "Uhm, and goodbye?" You softly said, puzzled as you noticed how he avoided your eye contact for a second.

"That's all?" He asked, making you quirk an eyebrow.

"... And good luck for tomorrow?" You said, before mistakenly assuming that he wanted his money back for paying for your meal earlier. You chuckled, "So you want me to pay you back for my meal?"

You noticed how his eyes momentarily gazed down at your lips, before looking back up at your eyes again.

"N-No, I mean, I think I shouldn't leave without a good luck hug or something, you know, or a kiss– uhm, wait no. I mean, I mean– shit." he cursed, before biting down on his bottom lip, as if making an attempt to stop himself from saying anything anymore.

Your face reddened when you understood what he meant. A kiss? Did I hear him correctly? You looked up at him with widened eyes, trying to hold in your smile but to no avail because he looked so endearing when he's embarrassed. The outgoing Taehyung you knew suddenly appeared so vulnerable before you.

He shifted uneasily in his spot. "Nevermind, I'm heading home. All the best for tomorrow," Taehyung mumbled under his breath, turning away from you to leave.

Your senses suddenly came alive and your instincts made you instantly grab his wrist, stopping him before he could walk off any further.

"Hold up," you gave a tiny smile, "What'd you say?"

You were sure you heard him right, you were absolutely sure, but you just wanted him to tell you again, in fear that you were perhaps, only hearing things.

Your hands remained wrapped around his wrist, gently pulling him a little closer towards you.

He stared down at you, his expressions evidently showing how nervous and uneasy he was getting.

"A hug, or something else, a kiss, I guess, I don't know," He tried to mask his anxiousness with a straight face.

Your heart went beating wildly without a warning– A kiss. You definitely heard him. He wants to kiss you.

You thought you had the words to say, but nothing came from your lips except a silent gasp. You were too surprised, you could do nothing but look at him as so many thoughts ran through your mind.

He slowly looked away, trying to make a run but he didn't, in fear that he'd lose the very chance to convey his love for you. The sight of him getting fidgety was utterly adorable you couldn't help but curl your lips into a smile.

"Ugh, whatever, alright." He hesitated for a moment, before turning to you again, barely making any eye contact. "Look," he paused, "I think I like you."

As if you weren't already expecting that coming from him after he just told you that he wanted to kiss you, you felt your heart bursting out of happiness in your chest. Unknowingly, you were only paying attention to every word that slips out of his mouth.

"I don't know if I'm just crushing on you or I'm really in love with you but I just really wanna kiss you and–"

You couldn't stop yourself when you were already grabbing Taehyung's face in your hands, pulling him down and crashing your lips into his. Adrenaline coursed through your veins as you confidently kissed him. Butterflies formed in your stomach, your mind was running wild, and so was your heart.

Before Taehyung could take the chance to process everything, you parted your lips from his, feeling panicked that he didn't react much to you besides getting frozen from your sudden move.

"Woah, are you sure you never kissed someone before?" He questioned and you laughed.

"I like you too," you admitted shyly. You were more than glad that he felt the same way about you. By now, you were sure your face was as red as the sweater you were wearing, but you couldn't care less.

Taehyung wore a smile as dazzling as his eyes before he slowly spoke, "So, will you kiss me again?"

You chuckled as you wrapped your arms around his neck, and without thought, you brought your lips to meet his soft, angelic lips. Taehyung encircled his arms around your waist, pulling you closer and deepening the kiss. You felt so enchanted experiencing your first kiss, and the fact that it was his first too makes your heart swell with so much delight.

Grinning against your lips, he slowly pulled away from you, taking his warmth away. The urge to keep kissing him was almost unbearable, but you bit down on your lip to hold yourself back.

"Hmm, we'll talk more about us after our exams are done, I guess," he said and he was in such a blushing mess, and so were you. "Good luck for tomorrow," he said, patting your head gently.

"You too," you shyly turned away, attempting to unlock your door with shaky hands.

He was finally walking away, but just when you were about to enter your apartment, he returned to you. "Uhm, one more thing."

You gave him a puzzled look, but the next moment he was embracing you in a quick tight hug, before he released you and walked away sheepishly. You shook your head humorously as you watched him leave.

You smiled to yourself. You never knew, your infatuation could be your first kiss.