(so, um yeah. i'm back to being lazy and not editing, don't hurt me. and nadia, i'll block you)

♥║ twenty-eight ║♥

"Hyung," Jungkook mumbles, pinching the bridge of his nose as Taehyung scrambles them through people, both of them not quite steady on their skates. The boys catch them, Jimin standing up in concern, but a look from Jungkook has him sitting back down, assuring everyone else.

Taehyung throws open the bathroom door, a single stall. He locks the door behind them, mumbling to himself as he wraps toilet paper around his hand.

"Hyung," Jungkook tries again, wanting to tell him to calm down, that he's really okay. It hadn't hurt that much, and a nose bleed isn't exactly traumatizing.

When Taehyung turns to Jungkook, Jungkook's lips part.

Taehyung is crying.

The elder goes to the sink, wetting the paper some.

"Taehyung..." Jungkook drops the honorific, his concern more important as he places a hand on Taehyung's shoulder.

Taehyung shrugs him off. "Here," he says, acting as if there aren't tears running down his cheeks. "Keep pressure on it, okay?"

Jungkook decides to stay quiet, doing as he's told. He puts the toilet paper to his nose, maintaining the pinch as he leans back against the door. Taehyung stands a bit awkwardly in front of him, crossing his arms over his chest. He tries to sneakily wipe at his cheeks with his sleeve, but he can't hide the tears when Jungkook has already seen them.

Jungkook isn't so stupid to think those tears are because of his nosebleed.

"Don't listen to him," Jungkook says softly, knowing it must be because he heard what Bogum shouted.

Taehyung squeezes his eyes shut, pressing more tears out of them. He turns his face away from Jungkook.

"H-he was probably teasing, but..." Taehyung takes in a deep breath, his eyes meeting Jungkook's. "I can't do this, Jungkook. I can't keep trying to appease everyone."

Jungkook frowns. "What are you talking about?"

Taehyung pinches his eyes shut again. "My mom... she..." Taehyung sniffs, wiping his eyes. "She wants me to get married after I graduate."

It feels like the heaviest weight possible just sank into Jungkook's stomach. His throat goes dry, his chest unusually tight. "Oh."

"Then there's Bogum, wanting me to be this perfect little brother. There's the coach wanting me to take an athletic scholarship for basketball. There's Mister Yumi loading me colleges because of my GPA. There's my mom with this perfect vision of a perfect son, and I just can't keep up with all of it. The teachers, my family... you."

Jungkook doesn't notice his nose has stopped bleeding. He's too focused on the lump swelling in his throat.

Taehyung's eyes are red now, but they don't waver from Jungkook's. "I can't be the person you deserve to have, Jungkook."

Jungkook is scared to speak. Like the littlest thing he says will make Taehyung walk right out of his life when he's barely walked into it.

"I just feel smothered by everything and I'm sick of it," Taehyung grumbles, rubbing his fists into his eyes. "Sorry. I didn't mean for this to become a rant session, I just... I guess Bogum set me off."

Jungkook watches Taehyung come closer, his heart increasing with each step.

"Your nose stopped bleeding," Taehyung says. "That's good."

Really?

He's going to act like he didn't almost break Jungkook's heart two minutes ago?

Like he didn't just have a mental breakdown?

Taehyung wipes the rest of the blood away with fresh tissue, but when he reaches up again, Jungkook grabs his wrist. Taehyung's eyes widen a bit. He's not used to Jungkook making any sort of movement first, especially not one so forward.

Jungkook holds tightly to the thread of courage he's managed to find.

"I don't care about what your brother says. I don't care about what anyone says, except you. I've never... I've never had anyone make me feel you do. Like I'm... like I'm important. Please, just... please don't let anyone control you like this."

Taehyung's hands suddenly cups Jungkook's cheeks, causing the younger to close his eyes in comfort. "You're so important," Taehyung whispers, his breath brushing Jungkook's lips. "I don't want you ever questioning that."

Right when Jungkook can't handle the tiny space between them any longer, there's a banging at the door that makes both of them jump.

"Hurry up. The kid wasn't dying!"

Taehyung's strokes Jungkook's cheek with his thumb before letting his hand fall away, a terribly sad gloom in his eyes. He takes a few breaths before gesturing Jungkook to move so he can open the door. "I had to kiss him better, remember?" Taehyung snaps, not meeting Bogum's eyes as he exits.

Bogum smirks—so it's all a joke to him, after all. "Funny. That's a disgusting thought, though." He punches Jungkook a little too hard in the arm. "Still breathing, I see. I was just trying to help you speed up, not trying to hurt you."

Jungkook gives him a tight-lipped smile. "Yeah. I-it's fine. B-but I think I'm d-done for the day."

Bogum shrugs. "Suit yourself. There's plenty of girls in the rink to go around, though. I've already got one's number."

Luckily, Bogum skates off before Jungkook has to come up with a cringe-worthy reply to boost his already giant ego. Huffing, Jungkook bends down to unlace the skates, tugging them off his feet. He returns them without wanting to see them ever again.

When he reaches the group's table, everyone is giving him a worried look.

"All good," he assures them, taking a seat next to Jimin.

"You might be," Hobi says, "but Taehyung certainly isn't."

Jungkook follows Hobi's finger to where Taehyung is standing in front of a vending machine. He's rubbing the dollar between his fingers, like he's scared to spend it. He's just standing there. Staring.

"Yeah," Jungkook mumbles. "He's got a lot of pressure on him right now."

"I'll fight someone," Jin says.

"No, you won't," Yoongi replies with a roll of his eyes.

"Want to fight me on that?"

Yoongi rolls his eyes again in response.

"What happened?" Jimin asks. "Taehyung looked like he was crying and I saw you had a bloody nose."

Jungkook scrunches his nose thinking about it. "Bogum pushed me, trying to help me gain speed and I lost my balance. Tae is just tired." It's not his place to mention anything Taehyung said, anyways.

None of them are very enthused to hear about it, but the pizza Jin ordered arrives and everyone fills their thoughts with food instead. Taehyung and Bogum both come back to the table, separately, and Taehyung is sure to keep his eyes away from his brother. It's so painful for Jungkook to watch, he's even lost his appetite.

After everyone, except Jungkook, skates for a while longer, the group is tired and ready to split ways. It's almost three in the afternoon, anyways. They've been here for a few hours, and definitely got their money's worth.

Jungkook's mom is waiting in the parking lot, right on time. He breathes a sigh of relief, glancing over at Jimin. "Are you coming or...?" As he trails off, he darts his eyes to Yoongi, who's waiting for Jin to come out since he drove most of them there.

Jimin purses his lips. "I... I think I'll stay. We didn't get a chance to talk much."

Jungkook smiles. "Good. Go be an understanding boyfriend."

"Yeah, yeah. You be a supportive one, got it?"

Before Jungkook can say that, one, Taehyung isn't his boyfriend and two, he's already supportive, Jimin has already walked off. Jungkook shrugs to himself, sliding into the passenger seat of his mom's car.

His mom is frowning curiously, watching Jimin slip his hand inside Yoongi's, visible relief washing over the elder's face. "Is Jimin...?"

Jungkook chuckles. "Yeah, Mom. Jimin is gay too."

"Sheesh." She shakes her head. "And there society was telling me gays weren't normal people."

Jungkook gives his mom a proud look. She's definitely grown to be incredibly accepting, and so much more open-minded. "Well, if you asked Jimin, we aren't as normal."

"Why's that?"

"He would say we're smarter and more fabulous."

His mom laughs, shaking her head. "Well, it's not my place to argue, is it?"

Jungkook grins, then remember he hadn't told his mom about his fancy date tonight. His cheeks redden as nervousness suddenly swallows him whole. He clasps his hands together, staring out the window. "H-hey, Mom? I'm g-going out tonight, okay?"

"Twice in one day? That's a record for you."

"Very funny." He rolls his eyes, then warily glances over. "Is that okay, though?"

"Who are you going with and where?"

He blushes again, keeping his eyes straight ahead. "Taehyung. T-to dinner."

"Oh, if it's Taehyung then—" Then realization dawns on her and her lips part. "Oh. So... dinner, huh?"

He groans, rubbing his face. "Just say yes, and don't make this embarrassing."

"What? There's nothing embarrassing about your first date."

"There is when you look shocked."

"I'm not shocked! I'm just... well, yeah, a little shocked." She reaches over and pats his leg. "Yes, you can. Only because I like Taehyung. He's such a gentleman. He's so kind and helpful and respectful, too. He's the whole package, and—"

"Mom, I get it. You're obsessed with him."

She gapes at him, then puts her eyes instantly back on the road. "Not obsessed, just impressed! I'm very appreciative you found someone like him, Jungkook. Is it so bad that I'm grateful?"

He smiles a little. "No, it's not."

***

"Aw, look at my handsome boy!" his mom gushes when he walks down the stairs a few hours later. He wanted to leave while she was in the shower, but she made sure she was out in time before he left.

"Please don't," he grumbles.

She smiles at him with the biggest, proudest eyes he's ever seen, and somehow he's not as embarrassed anymore. But then she says, "Oh, just imagine all the girls that will be swooning over you. Won't that be ironic when they see you with a boy?"

He shakes his head. "I really can't believe you sometimes."

Mina comes out of the kitchen, confused. "Why do you look like you're going on a date?"

"Because he is," his mother says, her smile still big.

Mina's eyes bulge. "Wait, really? With who? Have we met her?"

There's a sudden awkward silence as Jungkook scratches the back of his head. Mina doesn't exactly know the term "gay," she just knows her brother loves to talk to his best friend.

But his mother doesn't hesitate. "With Taehyung. You like him, don't you, Mina?"

Mina looks like she's trying to process it a moment before she nods. "Yeah. He was really nice to me at my birthday."

Albeit Mina still seems confused, she doesn't ask about the fact that her brother is going on a date with another boy. Either she's saving the question for when he leaves, or the way her mother announced it made it normal enough for the ten year old.

The doorbell rings, Jungkook's chest instantly tightening.

"Is it too much to get a picture?" his mother muses.

"Yes," he answers sharply, giving her a look as he moves for the door. He ushers them both away, much to his mother's dismay, then he opens the door.

Taehyung stands there in a white button down and jeans, making Jungkook falter for the briefest of moments. The grin on Taehyung's face makes his heart beat even faster.

"See," Taehyung says. "I knew you'd look beautiful."

Heat creeps up his neck. He's never been called beautiful. Not with such... intimacy.

Noticing the effect Taehyung has on him, the elder chuckles. "Let's go before you start stuttering again."

Jungkook gawks at him. "T-that's rude."

Taehyung doesn't stop smiling as he starts walking down towards his car, forcing Jungkook to follow. His mom peeks around the corner of the kitchen to wave at him, which he humiliatingly returns after realizing she'd heard Taehyung compliment him. When he closes the front door, Taehyung is holding the passenger door open.

"Ready?"

"Yeah," Jungkook says with a heavy breath.

Truth be told, he's not ready at all.