Jeongguk decided he didn't like small towns the very moment he arrived.

Back in New York, he could be completely invisible at school. Nobody had to notice him, nobody except a few kids had to know his name, he didn't even have to know his next door neighbors.

Cedar Creek, a tiny town somewhere in Georgia, (though without an old paper map it was hard to tell exactly where) was completely different from that. When they first arrived in their new house, they had scarcely been there for a day before neighbors from both sides had brought them a plate of cookies.
Before Jeongguk's bed was fully assembled in his room, they had been invited over for dinner. And by the time they had settled in to their house all the way, the entire population already had their own impressions about the Korean family from New York.

The switch was rough enough for Jeongguk, but it got even worse when school started. It wasn't that the academics were difficult, he didn't struggle with any of his subjects to the point where it stressed him out.

Rather, it was the attention he was getting from girls that threw him off. They would giggle when he walked by, playing with their hair and whispering to one another.

He appreciated the girls that weren't like this, the ones that treated him like a normal guy. He quickly found they were fun to hang around, a welcome break from the constant hyper-masculine guys surrounding him on all sides. He had never really fit in well with that crowd to begin with .

He wasn't really into football, so he never got in with the jocks. The intellectual kids didn't really welcome him either, his average grades not enough to impress them. He had met a few guys who were nice enough though.

He had met a boy named Jimin who lived a few blocks down. He was sort of small, but seemingly very mischievous. His mother also made excellent banana bread.

A guy named Yoongi, who ended up being his lab partner in science, seemed nice enough. He hadn't talked much, though he was always humming and tapping his fingers against the lab table.

He'd also met his neighbor on the right side, Namjoon. He seemed more content to have his nose in a book than to be talking to someone, but when he did speak it was often brief, and weirdly deep.

By Jeongguk's fifth week of school, he was already fed up with the girls. He just wanted to get his schoolwork done, and they did everything in their power to divert his attention. He had never guessed the girl who sat behind him in math could have so many questions about a single homework sheet, each requiring a full conversation to answer.

As he opened the door to his room and collapsed on his bed, he noticed a paper airplane sitting on his desk. It was a wonder it hadn't flown away with the open window. He figured that's the way it had come in, or there were strangers in the house.

He dragged himself off the bed and picked up the small plane. On the side there were a few messily scribbled words that read "open me!". Suspicious, as the friendliness of this small town often made him, he unfolded the creation. Inside was a handwritten note.

Dear Neighbor Boy,
Welcome to our street! I would say hi in person, but I wanted to make a good first impression that's not as awkward. My name's Taehyung, and I live next door to you. My bedroom window is the one facing yours. I hope we can be friends.
Sincerely,
Taehyung Kim

Jeongguk closed the note and stared at the window, hoping to see this mysterious neighbor. However, the curtains were drawn and window closed. He couldn't return a note to give the boy some kind of response. With a sigh, he tossed the paper plane back on his desk and flopped back onto the mattress. At this rate, he wasn't getting any homework done.

Later on that day, after Jeongguk had (miraculously) finished everything he had to do, he heard a window across open. Once his eyes adjusted to the dimmer light outside, he could see that a boy was peeking his head out of the open sill.

From the faint light produced by the other boy's lamp, he could make out wavy black hair and a well-defined jawline. He was looking at the moon, which was strange because it was hardly visible that night.

He had been curious about this neighbor in the hours since he'd gotten the note, and now he could finally see him. Opening his own window despite its squeaky protests, he managed to get the attention of the boy looking out the window.

"Hey, are you Taehyung?"

The boy stared at him for a second before responding.

"That's me. And you're...umm-"

"Jeongguk"

Scratching the back of his neck at the awkward situation he had gotten into, he took the paper plane from his desk and held it up.

"You sent this right?"

"Sure did. You're the one that's gotten the attention of all the girls huh?"

Jeongguk laughed nervously, fiddling with his glasses.

"Yeah. Not that I wanted it."

"Why's that?"

Jeongguk shrugged, replacing his glasses on his nose and wringing his hands nervously.

"Dunno... I'm just not big on attention I guess."

"Makes sense."

Taehyung rested his elbow on the windowsill, chin in hand. He looked over Jeongguk with a curious glance.

"So how do you like Cedar Creek?"

"It's okay. Definitely different from New York. When I was there, there were so many people, I kinda... blended in I guess? Here, everybody knows my name. I've gotten a tray of cookies from your house and Namjoon's. And everyone says y'all, which I can't understand."

"Well, I'm sure you'll get used to it. All the new kids do eventually."

"Yeah, if I don't get eaten alive..."

He mumbled under his breath, looking down and picking at the peeling paint of the sill. The boys, really, were his only genuine concern. Sure the girls were bothersome, but he really didn't want the attention of the guys. With the exception of a few they didn't seem like the friendly type, and he thought it'd be best to keep a distance, especially with all their girlfriends out to get him.

"Oh I wouldn't worry too much about that. Seokjin and I are more the type they'd go for."

"What do you mean by that?"

"We're just a little different from them. They don't want anything out of the ordinary, in their eyes there's no room for it here.

"How so? I mean- if you don't mind me asking. I don't mean to pry or anyt-"

"No, you're fine. You should know anyways. Seokjin is gay, I'm bisexual. I'm not super open about it because this town is so conservative."

"Oh..."

Jeongguk chewed on his lip, hesitating for a moment while he decided what to say. The older boy sat up a little, moving away from him to give him space.

"Sorry if I made you uncomfortable, I just thought you should know so..."

Would this be a good time to come out to him?

"I'm gay."

Real smooth there Jeongguk.

So how was the first chapter? Any feedback is always appreciated!
-BunBun