A/N: Don't be scared by the title ^^

-

The flashing of red light is hypnotizing. The screaming of the sirens is static in his ears.

As Jungkook's limp body is hauled into the ambulance, Taehyung is in a daze.

As the paramedics hook the ravenette into an oxygen pump and frantically monitor his condition, he is in a daze.

As they stop at the hospital and rush Jungkook into ICU, Taehyung is in a daze.

Colours blur into white and words merge into white noise. He still can't process what happened.

One minute he is seconds away from death.

The next, he sees Jungkook, a bullet wound in his gut.

And then he hears those words.

"I love you"

The words he's been dying to hear for the longest time. The words he was craving for from the very core of his heart. The words he never thought he'd hear from Jungkook.

He's heard them now.

God, they were beautiful. So light, frail, delicate.

But the heaviness behind each syllable, the heartbreaking tremble in his tone as he said it, the melancholy it held;

Taehyung had always wanted Jungkook to say those words to him.

But he never wanted them to be his last.

Taehyung sighs with a heavy heart as he listens to the dull patter of rain outside, his mind reeling back into his memories with every silvery droplet that collides with the ground.

"What's wrong?" Taehyung asks softly, breaking Jungkook from his thoughts.

Thunder crashes around the school and Jungkook slightly tenses at the sound. He looks up at the boy sitting on his lap and stares into his sparkling doe eyes.

He lets out a small breath. "I'm afraid."

Taehyung furrows his eyebrows even further. "Of what?"

A spark of lightning crackles across the sky, brightening up the dim room with a hue of electric blue.

"Of storms," comes the timid reply, something rather unexpected from someone so strong and powerful like Jeon Jungkook.

Despite stereotypes, even a big scary lion needs some hands to cradle it in times of fear. Taehyung knows this.

And so he smiles softly as he wraps his hands around Jungkook, bringing him into a tight embrace.

"It's okay, I'll protect you," says the tiny boy as he clings onto the other's much larger body.

-

"Kim Taehyung?" A voice calls out to him. Taehyung pokes his head up to see a man in a white coat looking around.

He abruptly stands up and walks over to the doctor. "A-Ah yes, that's me. Ho-How's Jungkook?" He asks, urging his voice to not quiver.

The doctor sighs, looking over at the boy with a calm expression. But Taehyung notices the glint in his eyes. There's something else there. Pity.

"I'm sorry to inform this to you but the patient was in a very critical condition. He didn't make it. He died during the surgery."

The words cause Taehyung to freeze. Did he hear that correctly?

Jungkook died?

He's dead?

"W-What?" the blue-haired boy says as he stumbles away from the man.

No, this can't be. It can't be true.

"N-No!" He says as he backs away.

"Sir," the doctor says calmly.

"N-NO!" Taehyung screams.

"Sir," the doctor repeats but Taehyung continues to shake his head as tears blur his vision.

"NO!" He says while shaking his head.

"SIR!"

Taehyung jolts awake at the voice. He looks up to see a nurse in front of him, the petit lady adorning a worried facial expression as she watches the trembling boy.

"Are you alright?" she asks softly.

Taehyung looks around, "w-where's the doctor?" He asks with slight confusion.

She smiles in reassurance, "he's still in the surgery room."

Taehyung frowns. So he was dreaming? "I-Is the patient okay?" He asks anxiously, his voice numbed with fear at the possibility of the dream being a reality.

"I'm not sure yet, dear. But I'm sure the doctor will come out soon and tell you his condition-"

Just as she's saying this a tall man in white coat steps out from the ICU room.

"Mr Kim Taehyung?" He asks.

Taehyung stands up hesitantly and walks towards the doctor. "Y-Yes?"

The older man smiles at him, making Taehyung feel slightly at ease.

"Good news," the doctor says. "The surgery was successful."

Taehyung almost cries in relief. "I-It was?" He asks dumbly, feeling his heart finally relax a little at the doctor's words.

The man nods, "Yes. He was in a very critical condition when he got here. To be honest with you, we thought he wasn't going to make it. You could say it was a miracle. He managed to pull through the surgery and is now, thankfully, in a stable condition."

Taehyung smiles shakily, feeling almost light-headed from the relief he feels. He sighs a ragged breath and bows to the doctor in gratitude.

The doctor smiles and places a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder, "He's on sedatives right now so he's still asleep but you can go in and see him if you like?"

Taehyung nods at the man, unknowing of what to say. "T-Thank you, doctor."

The doctor smiles at him before moving aside to let the boy walk into the room. Taehyung takes reluctant steps towards the room and carefully pushes open the door. He opens it hesitantly, his heart beating erratically.

The sight he's met with is heartbreaking.

Jungkook is asleep on the small white bed, several wires hooked to him as a steady heart monitor beeps next to him. The boy looks frail, his once tan glowing skin is now a papery white. His hair is slightly tousled and his body looks drained of energy.

It's strange seeing him like this. The once ferocious lion now looks like the little helpless lamb.

Taehyung slowly walks up to him and sits down beside him on the bed, making sure to avoid touching any of his injuries. As he stares at the unconscious boy, he lifts up a trembling hand and places it on top of Jungkook's.

Taehyung feels his eyes blur with tears as he continues to stare at the boy and he hastily wipes them away. But they keep falling. And so in mercy of his emotions, he drops his head and starts crying, not knowing whether it's due to relief or mourning.

Maybe a bit of both.

For if he had known...

If he had known that that tall menacing dark-eyed boy that he bumped into on the first day would one day be a story to tell through wrinkled lips...

A story about how he, a homosexual, fell in love with the homophobic bully.

A story of how they had spent days together, cherishing the warmth of their contrasting bodies, indulging the solace from their varying heartbeats, bordering the lines between platonic and intimate.

How their unspoken love turned into unbounded betrayal. How comfort became pain and a once-thriving heartbeat numbed to a dull lifeless throb.

The story of breakfast notes and burnt water. Of hidden lakesides and unexpected police arrests. Of drug runs and bullet wounds. Their story. The story of him and Jungkook.

If he had known that this would be their story, he would have never looked into those dark eyes twice.

He would have turned away and never looked back.

He would have left before he loved and ran before he was ruined. Before they were ruined.

But deep down, Taehyung knows.

Knows that even if he stopped looking at those dark eyes, even if he turned away, even if he left...

They would still get their story.

Because this isn't a story bounded by fate.

Deep down, he knows that there is a stronger force that drives the means of this seamless tale.

The very force that tore them apart. The very force that tied them together.

A craving like no other that manifested in their youthful hearts.

Love.

And so maybe that's why he's crying. Relief because he loves him and pain because he loves him.

Why must love hurt like this?

Taehyung barely registers the arms grabbing onto his waist and pulling him down onto a chest. He only finds himself crying harder because he's hit with that nostalgic scent of a minty musk.

"Bambi," the voice croaks, concern lacing his broken tone.

"Why?" Taehyung cries out pitifully.

"W-Why me? Why you? W-Why us?!" He cries.

Jungkook, still slightly in a daze, looks down at the boy on his chest. "W-Why what?"

The blue-haired boy pulls away slightly, sniffling. "W-Why..." he starts while looking down at the boy with tear-filled eyes.

"Why must this be so hard for us?"

Jungkook's knows what he's talking about.

"W-why can't w-we be happy? Why must we get hurt?" The boy continues, his gaze trailing over to Jungkook's bullet wounds.

"Why..." he whispers out brokenly. "Why did you take the bullet for me?"

Jungkook reaches up towards the boy's blue hair to brush it out of his face but stops his movements and then drops his hands.

"Because..." the ravenette starts, voice barely above a whisper.

"I-I nearly lost you once, Bambi..." he says while tightening his grip on the bedsheet.

"I couldn't bear losing you again."

Taehyung then looks up at him. "B-But why all of a sudden? Y-You called me a fag, Jungkook. But n-now, you're saying you love me? You- you took a bullet for me! I-I thought you despised me."

Jungkook chuckles sadly, his own eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I never despised you, Tae. It was only ever myself that I despised."

"I n-never hated you. I was just a coward and was too scared to admit what I truly felt."

Taehyung looks up and stares into the boy's dark eyes as he continues to speak.

"Homosexuality for me means trauma. It means abuse, torment... betrayal. And so I turned myself into the trauma that once haunted me. I became abusive, I tormented people, I betrayed you. It was a defence mechanism."

He sadly smiles at the smaller boy. "It was my shield. I-I didn't realise that the shield protecting me was reflecting the bullets into you. I didn't realise that protecting myself meant I was hurting you. B-Because I was selfish. And even though I saw the pain behind these big doe eyes," he says as he reaches his shaking hand over to cup Taehyung's small face. "I chose to ignore it."

"Because it was me before you."

Taehyung tilts his head slightly, "w-what changed?"

Jungkook smiles slightly at the boy, lips pulling up into a nostalgic curve. "My heart," he whispers. And the two delicate words seem to cease both their breaths as they stare at each other in awe.

Jungkook finally drops his gaze, his gentle smile now drooping into a frown. "But by the time I realised, it was too late. I had already broken you."

"W-Why couldn't your heart have changed earlier?" Taehyung cries out. "This is all I ever wanted, Jungkook. For you to love me like I love you."

The ravenette's breath hitches at that.

"For someone to just love me back."

The smaller aggressively wipes away his tears, "I-I was so happy when we were together. I-I thought I f-finally found someone that cared for me. I t-thought that what we had was special b-because for once in my life, I felt special."

"But-But," he pauses and lets a small sob wrack his body. "But then you left. I felt so helpless. Y-You're all that I had and you left, left without batting an eye, left me feeling lost, feeling w-worthless. The one person that I hoped would be good for me turned out to be my most painful experience."

Taehyung sighs and clears his throat. "I-I wish your heart had changed a little earlier, Jungkook." He sniffles. "I wished it changed before you could have hurt me."

He looks at the ravenette with a wavering smile. "I was used to getting hurt, I was hurt all my life." He lifts a shaky hand and traces a tear stain that had brushed down Jungkook's cheek. "But for some reason, when you hurt me, it was worse. B-Because with you, I actually had hope. I hoped that you wouldn't break me as well."

Jungkook closes his eyes and exhales raggedly. "I'm sorry," he whispers into the heavy atmosphere. "I'm s-sorry for hurting you." A silvery tear streaks down his pale cheek, leaving behind a light trail of anguish and regret. "I'm sorry for breaking you."

He then opens his eyes and stares directly into the warm irises above him, "I'm sorry that it had to be m-me. I'm sorry it had to be me that won over you're precious heart. I'm sorry it was me," he repeats.

His voice trembles with the wave of emotions that clogs his throat. He feels like he can't breathe, he can't hear, he can't see. All he senses is the presence of the boy he fell in love with, sitting there by his side.

The boy that he's lost for good.

But maybe...maybe after all these lonely nights, maybe after all these draining days, maybe after all the tears and heartbreak.

Maybe there is hope.

Taehyung reaches up once again and wipes the stray tear off Jungkook's face. "B-But maybe I'm a fool, Jungkook," Taehyung says slowly. "Maybe I'm being crazy, maybe I can never learn a lesson because... because even after all this, even after all that's happened..."

"...I still can't help but fall for you."

Jungkook freezes, unable to comprehend the words that left the smaller boy's lips. "W-what?"

"You broke my heart. B-But sadly, it still beats for you. Only you."

"B-Bambi-"

"And yes, you hurt me, yes, you played with my feelings, yes, I will never be able to forget what you did but..."

He slowly drags his hand down the boy's chest and towards his abdomen where the bullet wound lays. He gently traces over the bandaging as a small smile flickers onto his lips.

"But I think everyone deserves a second chance."

Jungkook looks stunned, he looks at a loss for words. Was he hearing things correctly? Is Taehyung really forgiving him?

"B-But- I," The ravenette stutters.

Taehyung's doe eyes meet Jungkook's, the soft gaze ceasing the ramble of words that were bound to spill from his lips.

"What you said last night, did you mean it?" He asks. "Do you... do you really love me?"

Jungkook's features soften at that, he brings his hands to Taehyung and slowly intertwines their fingers.

He brings the boy's hand to hover over his chest, right on top of his heart. The rhythmic patter vibrates into Taehyung's palm, lulling him with reassurance. "I've always meant it," he whispers ever so gently. "Yesterday was just the first time I said it out loud."

Taehyung feels his heart accelerate at his words. He clutches the material of the boy's shirt, "t-then what do you say, Jungkook?" He says as tears pool in his eyes once again.

"H-How bout we start over?"

Their hearts lurch at the question and Jungkook answers immediately by tugging him down and pulling him into a kiss. Their wet cheeks graze against each other as their trembling lips meet in a now foreign embrace. Jungkook wraps his arms around the smaller and Taehyung threads his quivering hands into those ruffled black locks, both indulging in that feeling that they haven't felt in a while. That feeling of being at home. Their empty hearts slowly fill with warmth as their heartbeats echo with effortless synchronisation. Their lips tangle with passion and need, breaths hitching, gasping, drowning in the feeling of bliss, drowning in the feeling of each other.

They hold onto each other so desperately, their bodies shaking with all these emotions that they seemed to have held back.

They had kissed so many times before, had felt the warmth of one another's lips so many times. Yet this time, it feels so different. It feels new. It feels real. Because this time there has been a change of heart and a change of mind. This time, the glue to the mould of their lips isn't lust or need but rather the feeling of mutuality. Mutual feelings. Mutual understanding. This time, they kiss while reading the same page of that damned book of theirs.

They pull away, both of them feeling breathless.

"I'm sorry," Jungkook whispers again as he cups Taehyung's face.

Taehyung smiles gently, "I know."

"I love you," Jungkook breathes out, voice barely audible.

Taehyung buries his face into the crevice of the boy's neck, smiling at the sound of his rushing pulse.

"I know," he whispers into his neck.

I do too.

~

{2 WEEKS LATER}

"Are you nervous?" Jimin asks as they walk down the hallway, holding their ridiculously long robes in their hands.

Taehyung shrugs, "not really, I'm cool with it now," he says with a small smile.

Jimin frowns but nods. "If you say so."

The boys walk down the hall until they spot a familiar ravenette waiting at the end of it. "Ah look it's your lover boy, Jeon," Jimin snickers. Taehyung blushes and lightly whacks Jimin's back.

"Shh, be quiet, someone might hear you."

"Hey," Jungkook greets the two with a smile, eyes directed solely on Taehyung. He pulls the smaller into a hug. "How are you feeling?" He asks.

"I'm so nervous," Taehyung squeaks into his chest.

Jimin drops his jaw in mock-offence. "WOW OK. Play cool guy with me and turn baby mode on him, I see how it is," he crosses his arms and pouts. Taehyung giggles, still clinging onto Jungkook.

Jimin makes a face, "fuck, I hate this shit. You two make me feel single as fuck. I hate third-wheeling-"

"Hey guys, sorry I'm late, my shift ended only an hour ago," Emily says as she approaches the group.

Jimin pauses his sentence and stares at her with wide eyes. "O-Oh, hi, i-it's you again."

Emily smiles that beaming bright smile of hers, "Hi," she says while giggling.

Taehyung pulls away from Jungkook and smiles brightly. "You're here!" He exclaims, looking as giddy as ever. He pulls the girl into a hug before pulling away to check out her outfit.

"Woah," he gasps. "Red is definitely your colour. I would be so into you if I was straight."

Emily rolls her eyes and slightly shoves him, "stop. I can't take compliments. I might accidentally kill you or something."

Taehyung laughs, "but she looks so good, right guys?" He turns to the two boys behind him.

"Y-Yeah, I- wow- beautiful- I mean-like-oh-um I--you-" Jimin rambles, getting redder with each word he stutters out.

"You look nice," Emily says calmly as she gestures towards Jimin's suit.

Taehyung could practically envision the metaphorical anime-style nose bleed that Jimin has when she says this.

"Oh- hahahahahahha- i have a big dick- FUCK WHAT- I thanks," Jimin practically cries out.

Jungkook snickers next to him, "real smooth."

"Shut up!" Jimin exclaims while turning away from the girl and patting his face.

Emily looks at the blond, looking slightly concerned but also slightly amused. "Ahh, yeah. Well, me and Tae better get going. He needs my professional stylist assistance to help him get dressed," she says while exaggeratedly flipping his hair.

Taehyung shakes his head, "I do not, you insisted-

"You called me at 3 in the morning crying over out you accidentally put your suit the wrong-"

"HAHAHAH LET'S GO!" Taehyung exclaims as he drags the girl away. Jimin turns around and the two boys watch the pair leave. They watch as the blue-haired boy bursts into laughter while getting shoved by the blond.

A small smile slips onto Jimin's face. "He looks happier these days," he whispers.

Jungkook nods, "yeah," he says with his own smile. "Yeah, he does."

The past two weeks have felt unreal to him. It still shocks him that he has the smaller by his side once again. He thought he had lost him for good. He can't express how happy he feels, how thankful he is to be with him again. These past few days he's done everything to prove it; He's done everything to prove that he truly does love the boy. He's done everything to show that he cares.

There's just one more thing he needs to do.

"You know, you've changed a lot since back then," Jimin states, breaking him out of his thoughts. Jungkook looks over at him, "I know," he says softly, a small smile flickering on his lips.

"I-I still don't get how you went from being that homophobic bully to... to this," he says while gesturing towards him.

Jungkook lets out a deep breath. "It's cause of him."

Jimin smiles, "yeah. I think Taehyung has this special ability," he says while looking up at his old friend.

They stare at each other, nostalgia running past their eyes.

"To change people."

Jungkook nods and then looks down at the ground. "You know, I always regretted it," he says while rubbing his shoes on the tiled floor.

Jimin tilts his head in question.

Jungkook chuckles, sounding rather sad. "I regretted losing you as a friend. I...I think that that was my first mistake."

Jimin stays silent for a bit. "I-I don't know what made you act like that, Jungkook, but- but I'm glad you've changed now. I'm starting to see your old self again, the boy I used to call my best friend."

Jungkook snaps his head up at this, "You do?"

Jimin nods with a gentle smile.

"I...I never got to say it but," he looks at Jimin hesitantly. "I'm sorry," the ravenette says.

For ruining our friendship.

Jimin doesn't say anything, he just simply smiles. "You know, you look like a beached whale wearing a swimming suit right now so how about you go and change into your suit?" He teases.

It's okay, I forgive you.

Jungkook scoffs, "Okay Mr, 'I have a big dick'."

Jimin scowls, "wow, and suddenly my fist feels so attracted to your face."

"Aww, you're attracted to me? I'm sorry but I'm taken." He states with a smile playing on his lips.

Jimin bursts out laughing and shoves the boy. "Wow, you're still just as much of a loser as before!"

"HEY-"

"Bye," the blond waves before running off.

I'm glad to have you back, old friend.

~

Noise buzzes through the thick walls of the gigantic cathedral as a swarm of teenagers settle down in their seats. The stinging bite of the twilight breeze teases their shivering bodies, despite them all being covered in layers of formal attire. The rows of boys sit in the freezing conditions, jittery with excitement that tugs at their youthful hearts as the dim golden hues of the cathedral lights rest on their eager faces.

Jungkook turns around in his seat to Jimin who is seated two rows back. "Where's Tae?" He whisper-shouts to the boy. Jimin simply replies with a shrug. Jungkook frowns as worry starts to creep up on him. The graduation is supposed to commence in a few minutes yet there still isn't any sign of the blue-haired boy. Just as Jungkook's about to go look for him, a small figure stumbles into the seat next to him, mumbling apologies to the people around him who glares at him in annoyance. 

"Am I late?" Taehyung asks as he pats down his robe.

Jungkook doesn't answer. He's too enthralled by the boy's ethereal appearance to respond. Taehyung looks beautiful. He's clad in a tight-fitting black suit that accentuates his delicate curves and has this gorgeous silky tie wrapped effortlessly around his neck. His black graduation robe makes him look slightly older and his light blue hair shyly compliments his dark attire.

He looks breathtaking.

"You look beautiful," Jungkook whispers as the boy sits down next to him. Taehyung blushes, "O-oh, Thank you." Taehyung then looks over at Jungkook and stiffens in his seat. He looks away quickly as a firey hue captures his pale cheeks and instead opts to stare at the front of the cathedral.

"Y-You look g-good too," he squeaks.

Jungkook chuckles as he tugs on the cuffs of his shirt.

Before Jungkook can get a teasing word in, the sound of the mic crackling interrupts them.

"Good evening, fellow students, parents, staff and friends." The principle looks over at the crowd with a practised smile. "It's an honour to be here once again..."

The speech seems to drone on and on, the crowd slowly losing interest as the teacher rambles on about what great achievements have been made.

"...And may god bless you all," the principle finally finishes off, inducing loud cheers from the crowd. They all cheer because that boring ass speech finally finished.

Soon enough, names are being called out and students make their way towards the stage to get their few seconds of glory. The time stretches on into a tiring loop of repetitive name calling and repetitive echoes of applause until finally, all the students have received their diploma. 

"Congratulations to the class of 2020, we are very proud of your achievements. Can we get a final round of applause for our 2020 graduates?" The principle calls out. 

The place erupts into cheers, the loud applause accompanied by the occasional boyish wolf whistles fill the cathedral, making the cold spacious room feel rather warm and cozy. 

Taehyung grips onto his diploma as a smile settles on his face. 

I did it.

His smile soon wipes off when the principle returns to the mic. "Okay student- ah, please settle down now- anyways, to finish off these memorable years of school, we will have a performance by our wonderful school choir."

uh-oh. 

Taehyung feels his heart accelerate and looks over at Jungkook with a frantic expression. 

"It's going to be okay," Jungkook mouths as he gives the boy a reassuring smile. The pair soon make their way towards the back of the cathedral to where the choir group is.

 Everyone participates in the choir but only a selected number of students actually perform. Taehyung, unfortunately (and fortunately?) was selected. 

"OKAY DIMWITS, GROUP UP BECAUSE I NEED TO GIVE YOU LITTLE SHITS A PEP TALK!" Mr Tay yells as he frantically waves his hands around everywhere. The group squeezes together and waits for the teacher's words, all of them fearing whatever it is that is about to come out from the man's mouth. 

The man breathes in deeply before clamping his hands together. "Just know that if any of you mess up, I will have your heads. Got it?"

The students gulp, "y-yes sir."

"NOW GET OUT THEIR AND SING LIKE YOU MEAN IT!"  

"Yes sir," the group hum out before nervously making their way onto the stage. Taehyung feels himself tremble as anxiety claws at his chest. The minute he steps out onto stage, he's blinded by a bright tacky light that shines directly in front of him, making him dizzy and slightly light headed. 

He notices the hundreds of eyes staring his way, scrutinising him, judging him, waiting for him to fall apart. 

His hands slightly tremble and his breath goes shallow. 

I can't do this I can't do this I can't do this

"Breathe," whispers the soothing voice next to him. He glances towards the ravenette who's staring at him with a gentle smile. "Breathe, Bambi."

Taehyung nods and takes a deep breath, trying to grip onto Jungkook's words. 

Just breathe, he repeats to himself. 

Soon, the orchestra in the background starts playing the soundtrack and the kids all brace themselves for the first line. 

My mother said I'm too romantic 

Their voices all blend with a beautiful harmony that echoes through the ancient walls of the cathedral. The luscious melody tingles against the skins of onlookers, evoking a wave of goosebumps from them. The choir continues to sing, their voices melting into the instrumental and erupting into a breathtaking tune. 

Time stills but speeds on by and before they know it, it's finally time for that long-awaited duet. 

Jungkook looks at Taehyung as they both step forward and smiles at him. Taehyung smiles back and takes another deep breath, trying to reassure himself that he will do okay.

"Fire on fire would normally kill us" he starts, his honey-like voice captivating the audience, stilling them into an enthralled silence. 

"With this much desire, together, we're winners" Jungkook joins, there's a tangy sting to his voice that adds fuel to the honey, enriching the golden syrup into liquid gold that runs down the seams of their vocals.

Jungkook turns slightly and looks at Taehyung, catching the boy's attention who then also turns to face him. 

"They say that we're out of control and some say we're sinners"  Their voices mould together and form this fragile delicacy, like a layer of thin ice that holds the bluest of waters beneath it.

"But don't let them ruin our beautiful rhythms" 

"Cause when you unfold me and tell me you love me" Taehyung sings, his voice holding this breathy power behind it that stills everyone's hearts. 

"And look in my eyes" The ravenette's soothing voice sweeps the icy temperatures with an inkling of warmth as the two boys stare into each other's eyes. 

"You are perfection, my only direction," their melody echoes into the crowded space but somehow it feels like it's just them. It feels like they are singing to each other, without the hundreds of eyes watching them. 

Their voices are barely above a whisper, a dying flame that ricochets off the walls of the silent hall, a gentle harmony that seems to silence out the lulling instruments behind them; 

"It's fire on fire."

Their voices cease, leaving the gentle piano and the echoing violin to take their place. 

Taehyung watches as Jungkook takes a small deep breath which he assumes is a breath of relief but as he's about to step back, he finds himself being corrected. 

Without warning, Jungkook grabs him by the waist and pulls him into a kiss. In front of everyone. Taehyung slightly gasps into the kiss, completely shocked by Jungkook's actions. 

The tacky blinding light shines brightly onto them, illuminating their embrace with its radiance. The music continues to play, silencing out the gasps and horrified curses of the people in the crowd. Jungkook tunes out all the sounds and focuses on the boy he's kissing. He holds onto him like a porcelain doll and lets his lips gently graze Taehyung's petal-like lips. The kiss is short-lived as they pull away after a few seconds but they both feel so utterly breathless. 

Everyone is left in utter shock after witnessing the sight. What is this?! The homophobic bad boy kissing the gay kid?

The choir and Taehyung are all too stunned to sing the last two lines of the song so Jungkook ends the song by himself, his lonesome voice filtering through the shock that has settled amongst the crowd. He stares at Taehyung, his lips pulled into a bright grin as the boy stares up at him in awe. 

Jungkook raises his hand and cups his rosy cheeks. 

"You are perfection, my only direction..."

"...it's fire on fire."

The music slowly eases off and now the entire cathedral is left in silence. Suddenly, a loud cheer erupts from the back. The two boys turn to find Emily on her feet, cheering frantically like a madwoman as she smiles with tear-glazed eyes. A few other's follow her lead, clapping along with her to create an echoing series of applause. 

Some don't clap, they simply stare at the two boys with utter disgust. But they both ignore that. The walk back into their line and bow to the audience along with the rest of the choir. Soon, the velvety curtains close and all they can hear is the erupting chatter from the audience. 

"Oh my god," Taehyung squeaks. "Jungkook- you-you just- you," he stutters.

Jungkook nods, "I should have done that a long time ago."

Taehyung opens his mouth to protest but he's cut off by a booming voice. 

"BOYS!"

Oh fuck. Jungkook totally forgot about this. 

Mr Tay approaches them with crossed arms and a raised brow. 

"What was that?" he spits, staring at the two boys with a menacing expression. 

Jungkook isn't one to usually get scared but for some reason, this man makes him want to curl into a ball and hide. 

"U-uh, sir, I-I'm- so-uh."

The teacher continues to glare at them but then suddenly, his expression softens. 

"Finally," he says while shaking his head. 

The two boys frown, "what?" Jungkook asks confusedly. 

"It only took you brats, what, six months?"

"Took us six months to do what, sir?" Jungkook asks as he furrows his eyebrows. 

"To finally get that duet right. That's what," the man exclaims. "I told you every time that there was something wrong with your duet but you never got around to fixing it."

"Wait- you wanted us to make out in front of everyone as part of the duet-"

Whack.  "No you thick-skulled moron," Mr Tay growls as he wacks the ravenette across the head. "CHEMISTRY! Every single time you performed that duet, you two never had the right chemistry. Your voices were beautiful every time but the song felt empty because each time you sang, you never had chemistry."

Taehyung blushes at the teacher's indirect compliment. Omigoshhejustcalledourvoicesbeautiful

"B-But sir, aren't you mad?" Jungkook asks hesitantly. "We kinda- um-kissed and we're boys and -uH," Jungkook says as he awkwardly scratches the back off his head. 

The teacher scoffs before pulling his wallet out of his pocket. He opens the beige purse and shoves it in front of the two boys. The two boys stare at the small picture of a man, sitting on a wooden chair with a wide smile. 

"That's my husband," the teacher whispers. 

Both their jaws drop. Mr Tay is GAY?! 

The teacher rolls his eyes at the boys and pulls the wallet away. "What? You expect everyone in this school to like those ridiculously annoying women?" 

Jungkook nods, "I-I mean, y-yeah. This place is kinda known for being homophobic and stuff."

The teacher shrugs, "a place doesn't have to represent an entire population now does it?" 

Taehyung shakes his head, "n-no. No it doesn't."

The teacher sighs and then point at the two boys. "This," he says while gesturing towards their interlaced hands. "Remember to treasure it. It's very hard to get, it's very easy to lose. But it's the best thing that will happen to you."

And for the first time, the pair gets to witness a flicker of a smile on the man's wrinkled face. 

"W-We will, Sir," Jungkook says while tightening his grip on Taehyung's hands. 

The teacher nods before looking around. 

"What are you looking for, Sir?" Jungkook asks. 

"A broom," he says with a grumble. 

"I absolutely can't believe you two little shits pulled that stunt. My eyes had to suffer seeing you all lovey-dovey on MY stage. Disgusting. Didn't I tell you not to pull anything, huh?!" The man exclaims as he finally picks up a small broomstick.

The two boys widen their eyes in fright and immediately take off, running as far away from the man as they could before he reaches them. They giggle like children as they run into the hallways, still hand in hand and smiling widely.

They walk down those polished hallways while joking around, laughing like madmen at the tiniest things. They're stopped by a voice yelling out to them. 

"Go to hell, you fags," a brown-haired boy yells to the pair. 

Taehyung freezes and tugs at Jungkook's hand to get him to walk away but the ravenette ignores him and steps closer to the boy. 

The brown-head slowly back off, gulping slightly as Jungkook walks closer and closer to him. The ravenette backs him up onto a wall, causing the boy to slightly shiver and avert his gaze. 

"Oh yeah?" The ravenette asks as he lifts up his arm. The boy flinches, preparing himself for the harsh impact of Jungkook's fist. 

"Well, I guess I'll see you there then," Jungkook states before dropping his hand onto the boy's head and patting it. The boy blushes in embarrassment at the other's demeaning actions and immediately rushes off. 

Jungkook spins around with a smile and then walks towards Taehyung who stares at him with wide eyes. "I-I thought you were going to beat him up," the boy squeaks. 

Jungkook chuckles at his adorably big eyes and kisses the shell of his ear. "Mmm, didn't want to waste too much time on a piece of shit when my precious baby is right here," he whispers teasingly. 

Taehyung gasps and blushes, "Jungkook," he whines as he stomps away from the laughing boy. 

"You're not supposed to-" Taehyung stops his sentence when he bumps into a chest. 

"I'm sorry- Hoseok?" 

The boy looks down at the younger and slightly raises his brows. Taehyung looks over and notices that the rest of his old group is behind him. Seokjin, Namjoon and Jinyoung. 

Taehyung cowers his head and slightly backs off. Hoseok stares at the boy for a minute longer before he snarls. 

"Stay the fuck away from me," he spits. 

Taehyung nods frantically and backs off. The group send him lingering glares before strutting off. 

Taehyung ducks his head and sighs sadly but then feels a warm arm wrap around him. 

"You can't have everyone accept you, Bambi," Jungkook whispers as he strokes the boy's back. "That would just make this all too easy, wouldn't it?"

Taehyung nods. 'Y-Yeah, yeah I guess." 

Jungkook tugs at the boy's arm and they continue walking down the hallway. 

Taehyung leans into Jungkook's side and starts to ramble on about a manga he read when he stops himself in his tracks and squints his eyes. 

"What?" Jungkook questions, looking down at the boy confusedly. 

"Damn these stupid contacts!" Taehyung exclaims. "Jungkook, who's that over there," he whispers. 

Jungkook turns his head in the direction that Taehyung points at and utilises his 20/20 vision. He chuckles upon seeing it, "oh, what a sight," he laughs.  "That's Jimin and Emily."

Taehyung gasps, "no way! What are they doing?"

"They're just walking," Jungkook shrugs. "He seems to be a lot more confident when we're not around," he says while noting the way Jimin smoothly slides his arm around Emily's waist. 

Jungkook then bursts into laughter. 

"What? What happened?!" Taehyung asks while tugging at the ravenette's sleeve. 

"She pushed him off," Jungkook cries while clutching his stomach. 

Taehyung giggles but then shakes his head. "D-don't laugh you meanie! Jimin really likes her."

Jungkook nods, a smile still painting his features. "Yeah, I know- shit, they're coming this way. Quick, let's get outta here before he sees and embarrasses himself even more."

The two clutch onto each other's hands as they run off. They run out the corridors until they're finally in front of the school gates.

They both burst into laughter, breathing heavily as the exertion from running catches up to them. "I'm gonna die," Taehyung wheezes. 

Jungkook frowns, "don't joke about that. With how athletically unfit you are I might actually take you seriously."

Taehyung scowls, "Might I remind you of that one time when I did 41 pushups?" He states while bringing his arm up to flex. 

Jungkook brings himself closer to inspect the boy's biceps. 

"O-Oh my god, Tae," he exclaims. 

"What?!" Taehyung asks as he drops his arms, looking up at the male worriedly. 

"C-Call the police," Jungkook says while backing away. 

"What- w-why?!" Taehyung asks fearfully while looking around. 

Jungkook looks up at the boy with wide fearful eyes, "S-Someone stole your muscles."

The ravenette then proceeds to burst out into a fit of laughter, slapping his knee at his own joke. Taehyung rolls his eyes, "haha, you're a comedian, we get it," He states unamusedly.

Jungkook continues to wipe a tear off his face and looks up at Taehyung with a wide grin. 

"Come on silly, let's go. We can't be joking around about your muscle deficiency. We're going to be late for our dinner reservation," he says while walking off. 

Taehyung follows behind him, mocking the boy in a high pitched voice. They reach the school gates and Taehyung pauses, turning around. 

He looks up at the sign above him. 

Welcome to Helville High

He sighs as a flood of memories suddenly swarm his brain. He remembers his first day here. He remembers how he stepped into the school, feeling nervous as ever. He remembers how hard it was for him to try fit in and how even at the end, he never really fit in. He was so scared when he first entered this school because he knew the real meaning behind this infamous name. Helville High? It should have been named homophobic high because that's what it really is. A place filled with homophobia, a place filled with homophobes, a place that hated homosexuals. And as Taehyung, the closeted gay boy, entered through those gate on his first day, he knew that he was going to experience hell. And he wasn't wrong. 

His time here was hell. It was filled with hurt, with pain, with malice. His time here was a constant struggle. Taehyung looks up past the sign and up at the peaks of the tall building. He sighs, remembering how just a few weeks ago, he was standing on top of that building, about to take his own life, about to end his miserable existence. But somehow, the bounds of fate and the strings of time saved him from falling. He was still alive. He survived. 

He looks back down at the sign, remembering how on his first few days he constantly questioned himself on whether he was going to survive this place or not. 

He slightly smiles to himself, "You survived." 

 It was a long journey, a long tiresome journey. But he survived. Kim Taehyung, the blue-haired boy that likes men, survived the school made for straight males. And not only did he survive, but he also found something very special during the journey. Something that he never expected to find in a place like this. 

"Bambi, you coming?" Jungkook calls out from behind him. 

Taehyung turns around and nods. 

He knows that this is just the start of his journey, he knows that he will have to endure a lot more obstacles along the way. 

Jungkook smiles at him and slides his hand into Taehyung's smaller one. Taehyung looks down at their interlaced hands and smiles to himself. 

But at least this time... 

He looks up at Jungkook. 

...he has someone to endure it with him. 

Who would have thought that in a place filled with homophobia, a place meant to oppress sexuality, a place meant to ruin...

Who would have thought that in a place like this, a beautiful story would blossom? 

The tale of how the little gay boy and the homophobic prick stole each other's heart. 

The journey of Bambi and Jungkook. 

The story about how they fell in love. 

{ T H E   ❦   E N D }

A/N: There will be an epilogue! 

Bruh I'm so unsatisfied with this chapter but I already kept you guys waiting for three weeks so this is the best I could do rn.

Anyways, I'll save the sap-filled thank you for the epilogue but just know that I love you guys so much. Thank you for reading Homophobic High!

Also, listen to this masterpiece. The lyrics are so deep bro, that was one of the reasons I chose this song as their duet thing. 

https://youtu.be/vk_xq1P7vIU