aaand the moment we've been waiting for~

---

"No! Not again!" He shut his eyes. Covered his ears.

SLAM!

His eyes were open; ears uncovered. A textbook sat upon his desk. He gulped. He brought his eyes up, and there was his teacher, hands on her hips and staring at him sternly and expectantly. "You should know by now, I don't appreciate students dozing off during my class."

"O-oh- Sorry, Mrs. Lee. My bad."

He'd been drawing less, lately. He hadn't been feeling up to it, ever since his run-in with his father. He'd traded the time he usually spent doodling for time spent daydreaming, though not about pleasant things. Unless one of those things was Jeongguk.

He told himself a thousand times that his crush- his fixation- on him was foolish and shallow. He felt that way, regardless of hardly knowing him. Wasn't it just because he was pretty? Foolish and shallow.

Yet, when I think about him, my stomach weaves itself into knots. How long will it take to make it go away?

Before Taehyung could even begin to think of an answer, the metallic clanging of the bell filled his ears, and class was over; students eagerly piling out of classrooms, ready to go home, flowing through the hallways like crowds of minnows, pushing to get out first as if the doors were gaps in a fishing net.

Taehyung was in no such hurry to escape. He took his time, doing his best to quiet his mind as he strolled through the hallway. Halfway there he met Jimin, who'd just emerged from the room in which he spent his last period.

"Have you found-" Jimin stopped talking as soon as Sorah silently joined the pair, walking beside them without acknowledging them. Among all the minnows, she seemed as though she would be the shark. Or maybe a squid. Electric eel?

The point of the matter being- Sorah's presence was daunting, thicker and heavier than the water in which such a thing would swim. Perhaps it wasn't entirely her demeanor itself, but that his interaction with her symbolized something that made his head thick with worry. However, Taehyung seemed to have no other option than to place his fate in her deceptively delicate hands.

The three shared no words as they walked outside beside each other, paused at the curb, then boarded the bus once it stopped and the doors opened.

The ride felt long, yet at the same time it flew by, leaving Taehyung without a second to take a deep breath. Sorah's stop came and went, and she stayed with the two until the whirring and melted scenery stilled to reveal Taehyung and Jimin's houses when the bus stopped.

"Can we stop by Jimin's house so I can change? I brought a real outfit to make a better impression," Sorah stated as she left her spot on the smooth brown bench to take her place in the single-file line that formed instantly when the doors opened.

"Yeah, sounds good," Taehyung replied, while Jimin nodded. Two minutes later, Taehyung sat on Jimin's bed while Sorah changed in the closet. Taehyung was biting his lips, twiddling his thumbs, looking all around the room and Jimin watched him with a sigh. He'd never seen his best friend so anxious.

"Taehyung, I really think you'll be fine."

"I know, I know. I'm sorry. I'm trying to stop thinking so negatively. I'm doing my best."

Jimin sat down in front of him, grabbed hold of both his hands and uttered, "Deep breath." Taehyung's breathing remained the same: a little shallower and faster than usual, his chest rising and falling more dramatically. "No, for real. Take a deep breath."

This time Taehyung listened. He shut his eyes and inhaled until Jimin told him to stop and let it go. He kept his eyes closed and let Jimin reassure him, lowering his voice to say, "Even if your parents find out about everything, I'm here for you, you got that?"

"Got it," Taehyung murmured. Jimin then promptly flicked his forehead to make him snap back into action as he heard the light switch flip off in the closet and the door creak open. He opened his eyes and there was Sorah, holding her shorts and t-shirt under one arm decorated with two silver bracelets.

She tucked a strand of black hair behind her ear. She'd taken it down from the bun it had been in all day at school. A similar silver necklace dipped down between her exposed collarbones and the crescent moon that hung at the bottom and laid flush against bare skin, resting just above the square neck of a cropped tank top. He noted that this was the first time he'd seen Sorah wear a skirt. It fanned out into wide pleats that ended at her mid-thigh and flowed pleasantly when she moved.

He wasn't afraid to admit- she looked stunning. She was a shark indeed. On the outside, a shark bears an air of quiet, mystical beauty gripped with mystery, and Sorah matched that perfect.

"You'll definitely make a good impression." Jimin said what Taehyung thought.

"Thanks.. I think."

"Anyway, you two better go now or Tae will end up chickening out."

"Yep, let's go, Taehyung," Sorah stuffed her clothes into her backpack, which she left tucked against Jimin's wall, then grabbed Taehyung by the arm and tugged him along. "I've got a penny board to earn."

The boy shivered in nervousness and hung his head as he followed behind her.

"Good luck, my little toaster strudels," Jimin called, breaking out in an accomplished smile when he heard Taehyung snicker. "Tell me what happens as soon as possible!"

"I'll text you, Minnie." And with that, Taehyung could stall, hide, and plan no longer. Sorah had an iron grip on his forearm as she drug him out of safety and across the yards to his own house. His feet grew heavy. His heart thumped.

The sky had gone cloudy and humidity gathered as a storm rolled in.

If Jeongguk were here, maybe he'd make the sun shine again.

He comforted himself with that thought, though, it was mostly a joke. He didn't really mean it. It would've been nice, though, to have that dreamy sunshine pouring through instead of the small droplets of rain dripping onto his face at the moment. And once again he was aware of his feet carrying him toward (possible) impending doom.

Oh, grow up already!

But there was no time to grow up and quit being the frightened child he was, because Sorah had dragged him all the way to the door, and now stood outside it, waiting expectantly. With a gulp, he opened the door, held it open for Sorah, and removed his shoes.

"Wait here a sec. I'm gonna find my parents." He walked into the kitchen. "Mom?"

"Here!" She called from the living room. "Oh! Let me just get your father, he's upstairs," She exclaimed, rising from the couch and quickly disappearing upstairs. Sorah removed her beat-up sneakers and politely placed them by Taehyung's.

Taehyung grimaced at the sound of his father's heavy footsteps as he came downstairs, a sound he'd always seemed to hate. He waved as he watched his parents walk in take seats at the table. He studied his mother's face. She wore a pleasant smile, but beneath it, there was still that same hint of worry from earlier. Why was she worried?

Tearing his eyes from his mother, he finally looked at his father. It was something he generally avoided doing, but now he watched it closely, and tried to judge the emotions written in it. He couldn't come up with much.

"Well, who is this mystery person, hm?"

And here comes the end of all the stalling.

"Ah- Yeah." He flashed a glance toward Sorah, who was hidden in the entryway. "You can come in, now." And so, she did. Yun Sorah, who struck fear into the hearts of many a freshman, maybe even some of the sophmores and juniors as well, the girl who rarely smiled, who looked like she could and would fling you across the room and laugh and the sound of your cracking bones if you ever crossed her, smiled sweetly and brightly as she entered the room, smartly tucking herself just slightly behind Taehyung to come off as almost shy.

"Mom.. Dad.. I wanna introduce you to my-" He gave a short pause in which he intertwined Sorah's fingers with his, and gave her a sickeningly sweet and adoring smile before finishing with "-my girlfriend, Sorah."

He heard a quiet gasp from his mother and looked back to see a warm smile on her face. The worry had completely dissolved and it clicked in that moment.

She was worried that I'd bring her a boyfriend to meet, wasn't she?

He refused to let the thought linger in his mind as it would have certainly forced him to stop smiling and acting lovestruck and bashful.

   And then his father, well, Taehyung couldn't recall seeing this expression on his face before. He actually appeared to be quite... pleased. His lips were parted in a note of surprise, and similarly, his eyebrows were raised, but his expression carried traces of a smile.

   Taehyung had seen his father smile before, but as far as he could remember they were not genuine, happy smiles. They were formal, polite, business smiles built to sell a product or persuade a customer. He was a man of few smiles, few words, and few affections, which had always caused Taehyung to wonder why his mother, a bubbly, rather high-energy woman, had taken an interest in him. But, as Sorah showed off her beauty and faked charm, he saw it. It was small, but it was a real smile from his father.

    "Hi~!" Sorah raised her voice a little higher and made her voice a little brighter. He didn't much like this Sorah. He decided he'd much rather be a bit scared of Sorah than have her act like this. But she fit the role well. She was a performer, an actor in the play of his family affairs, and he didn't need to like her character. Only his parents did

    His mother gushed as she said hello, excitedly complimenting Sorah, with an "Oh, your name is adorable!" and a "Goodness, Taehyung, you found a pretty girl."  She just laughed, a little nervously, as a reply.

   "Why don't you come sit down? Would you like something to drink?"

   "Oh, could I have water, please?"

    "Of course! Taehyung, why don't you be a gentleman and get your girlfriend a glass of water?" his mother suggested. Sorah took a seat at the table and glanced over her shoulder at Taehyung, showing an amused little smirk, which Taehyung reciprocated.

   As he opened a cabinet to grab a glass, he thought to himself, Is it just me, or is this actually going well? Is is really gonna be this easy?  He filled the glass about three-quarters full and carried it back to the table. He set it in front of Sorah and uttered, "Here, babe." He said it as if the name had just slipped out and pretended to be embarrassed that he'd let his parents hear him use such an affectionate nickname. Yuck.

   "Thanks." She took a sip.

   "So, how long have you two been going out? Taehyung hasn't mentioned anything," his mother began with her questions. Taehyung's eyes widened a little. That was a question he should have been, but was not prepared for.

    Thankfully Sorah spoke up for him. "About two months, now? Right?"

    He quickly nodded. "Uh-huh. We started going out in March. So yep, two months."

    "Did you ask her out?"

     "Yeah, I di-" Sorah cut him off with a light punch to his shoulder.

    "Did not~ I had to ask you, you liar," She giggled. 

Sorah giggling. What a weird sound.

   "Okay, I've been caught." He hung his head. "She asked me if I wanted to come with her to see a movie. She's very convincing."

   "So I take it you've been telling me you're off to Jimin's house when you've really been going on dates, huh?"

   "Well... Maybe," Taehyung muttered, feigning guilt. "Sorry, I just didn't wanna get your hopes up if we didn't keep going out."

   "That's okay. She makes up for it." Sorah failed at containing a little snort. "So, Sorah, tell me a bit about yourself."

    "Uhh, I'm the same age as Taehyung, so I'm in most of his classes. I like longboarding and iced coffee, and, shoot um, I don't know what else to say. I guess I'm not so interesting if I can only think of those two things," she joked.

   "Do you have siblings?"

    She shook her head. "Mm-mm. It's just me and my mom at home."

    "No dad? Oh, sorry, that might've been a bad thing to say."

    "No, no, It's okay. Yeah, my dad died when I was 15. Had cancer."

   "Oh, that's terrible. I'm sorry."

   She shrugged dismissively, but her smile was gone. "It's alright. Things happen. I got over it."

    "Well.. Do you like art? Taehyung is really into all types of art, though I'm sure you know that already."

    "No, not really. I paint sometimes, but I'm not really an artist. I do like watching him draw, though."

   "Isn't he great?" She grinned, proud.

   "Yeah, he's really good," Sorah smiled slightly, and he knew she genuinely meant that. He averted his eyes, looking down at his hands, folded and resting between his legs on his chair.

   "Speaking of Taehyung, what is it about him that made you go up and ask him out?"

   "He.." She turned to look at him. "He's always quietly humming to himself, doodling all over his arms with a little smile on his face. I thought it was cute. I wanted to know more about him, yknow? So I asked him out, and he was so sweet and caring that I couldn't let him go."

    "Aww, Taehyung, she's a keeper!"

    "Moooom," Taehyung groaned. "How about I decide that?"

    "Well, have you decided that?"

     "I- uh-" He was caught off guard. "Well... yeah."

    "Alright, I'm satisfied. Sorah, you may have his hand in marriage."

     It was then that his father finally spoke up. With a chuckle, he began, "Hana, let's not send our son off just yet."

Not that you'd care.

   "Okay, okay, she can stay for dinner, just so we're sure," the woman compromised. "How do you like the sound of ginger pork and crispy tofu?"

   "That sounds amazing. I'd love to stay for dinner."

    With that, Taehyung's mother went off to scrounge up the ingredients and get cooking, while Taehyung, Sorah, and Taehyung's father remained seated at the table. It was silent, and with his father there, very uncomfortable.

    "How about we play a game while we wait? We have a couple board games laying around," Taehyung suggested.

   It was the most uncomfortable board game he'd ever played. He wasn't used to actually conversing with his father and didn't find it pleasant. However, he somehow found it comforting that Sorah was beside him, strangely, as if she would protect him in some way from the man. He didn't threaten to make any physical wounds, but Taehyung's body held emotional scars, purple bruises, and pink scrapes that he was tired of receiving.

   Soon enough, it was over, and the table was cleared and decorated with a platter of glazed, golden ginger pork, and another of pan-fried, crispy, brown tofu. Side dish bowls held shredded snow peas, rice, kimchi, and spicy cucumber slices. Sorah had been concerned about making a good impression, yet it seemed his mother was thinking the very same thing.

   Sorah seemed to be in heaven. Her head was tilted back as she took in the scent, mainly coming from the pork, eyes-half closed. "Help yourself," his mother generously said.

    "Thank you for the food!" He'd never heard Sorah sound so enthusiastic. She ate with vigor, gladly downing a large bowl filled with everything offered on the table.

    "You eat so well," his mother commented, smiling once again. "Too many kids these days just don't eat enough."

   "It's very easy to eat well when the food is so good. Thank you, again." She finished her bowl, and Taehyung took it to the sink along with his. She stood and appeared at Taehyung's side. Both of them faced Taehyung's parents, and Taehyung snaked an arm around her waist, pulling her close. It was weird.

    "Well, I guess we better let you get home to get your homework done," Taehyung remarked, looking at her in a manner that he hoped seemed to be endearing.

    "That's true." She pouted. "I hate to leave, but you're right." She looked at the parents. "Thank you very much for having me. Dinner was amazing!"

    "Of course! Come back soon!"

    "Right. See you later!" Both parents waved, and Taehyung removed his arm from her waist, holding her hand to lead her out. He opened the door to darkness outside. They'd been there for about two hours. Two hours of discomfort, but it was worth it.

I can't believe that worked. Sorah was amazing.

   As soon as the door was shut behind them, they seperated, but stayed close to each other and both let out celebratory noises. Taehyung was chanting a string of excited 'Yes!'s, and Sorah was beaming as she laughed at Taehyung. He hadn't expected her to share his happiness.

   "Man, I can't believe that worked. Thank you so much!" Taehyung shouted. All of a sudden, he was pulled into a tight hug. His eyes blew up to twice the size. Sorah was willingly hugging him. It felt nice, unlike when he had sort-of side-hugged her a moment before. He felt like maybe, just maybe Sorah might have begun to have positive feelings toward him. Maybe they were friends, now?

   "I'm really, really glad it went good."

    "Really?"

    "Really." She pulled away, and gave him a determined nod. "Also, I'm excited to ride my penny board." Taehyung laughed.

    "Alright, go get your stuff from Jimin's house. Actually- do you want me to come with you, or are you good going in alone?"

    "I'm good. Go back in."

    "Okay. See ya, Sorah. You're the greatest."

   "I know!" Sorah called out as she turned and walked away. He did the same, stepping inside. He jumped, just slightly, when his father was standing right in front of him, just inside the door.

    "O-oh, Dad, hey..."

    His deep, unsettling voice began to speak. "Son, I want to tell you, I'm proud of you." A large, heavy hand landed on his shoulder, then gave it a job-well-done pat. But it didn't feel like praise. It made Taehyung want to shrink away and wash off his shoulder, shivering with disgust at the touch. He didn't want his father to only be proud of him for getting a girlfriend. Not that he cared if he was proud of him or not.

   "Okay..." He slipped away as soon as his father removed his hand form his shoulder. He passed his mother in the kitchen, smiling at her. "Do you like her?"

   "She's great, Taehyung. She's perfect for you." He nodded, an unpleasant taste settling in his mouth as he did so. He trudged upstairs, sprawling out on the floor and grabbing his phone.

   He pulled up his conversation with Jimin, and before he could type out a thing, Jimin flooded it with messages.

-------

minnie: DUDE

minnie: WHY DIDNT YOU TEXT ME

minnie: ALSO WHY DID SORAH JUST YELL, "knock knock, lemme in, jimmy"

minnie: oh she's here for her backpack

minnie: you're supposed to tell me about it, not herrrr

minnie: where the frick are you

tae: sorry im here

tae: my dad was talking to me :/

minnie: ew

minnie: what happened tho

tae: surprisingly, it went like.. perfect

tae: she's a really good actor

tae: they believe it. my mom loves her and my dad.. he.. said he was proud of me.

minnie: ...

minnie: waht

tae: same

tae: he said "son, i want to tell you, im proud of you" and im like,, i don't care??

tae: why does it take me getting a girlfriend for him to be proud?

tae: why does he have to be my dad?

minnie: i know bro

minnie: but you know my dad has offered to adopt you

minnie: he was joking but i think he also kinda meant it

tae: yeah :') id love that

minnie: but, focusing on the positives,, it went good!! huzzah!!

tae: what the frick who says huzzah

minnie: me

tae: fair

　☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙  ‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾　

that was a long one

how we feelin

idk how i did on this but i feel okay with it