Rumor has it | KV

20

Truth to be told, Jungkook was possibly more nervous than Taehyung. Because unlike Taehyung, he knew his friends. They were loud, vulgar, had a bit of a mean streak and wouldn't behave.

But they were also loyal to the core, caring, loving, protective and Jungkook cherished every single one of them. Still, he so desperately hoped they wouldn't start telling Taehyung embarrassing stories about him. Knowing them there was a high possibility they would whip out his toddler pictures or the one time he had slept in Mingyu's bathtub with open, drooling mouth.

The closer they got to their table, the more Jungkook assured Taehyung as he noticed the petite other fiddling with his fingers, digging his nails into his palms. A habit he had whenever he got anxious, something Taehyung didn't even realize himself but Jungkook did. It was a sign of self-harm and Jungkook didn't like it at all.

"You don't have to be nervous, Sweetheart. They already like you. Plus, I'll be with you all the time, I'm gonna sit next to you and Jimin will join us too, so you won't be alone. Okay?"

Again, Taehyung was so grateful that Jungkook was so caring and understanding, tugging shyly on Jungkook's free hand. He surprised the jock by intertwining the fingers, blinking up to him with his big almond eyes.

"Okay. I trust you, Jungkookie."

The blue-haired spluttered, not ready to be called a nickname and he could only stare at Taehyung baffled, forgetting everything around him. He was so in awe with the little angel next to him that he missed their arrival at the footballers' table.

"Heya, it's Blueberry And he finally brought Taehyung!"

They were greeted overly enthusiastically by Jungkook's friends Eunwoo, Mingyu, Yugyeom and Jungkook's own best friend Seokjin. There were also two guys of the football team that Taehyung was unfamiliar with, one with brunet hair and the other with silvery hair. All of them were very handsome and Taehyung felt intimidated, feeling highly out of place.

Bless Jungkook for getting himself together, placing the tray down next to Eunwoo and slapping him on the back – a warning – before pulling Taehyung down on the seat next to him. There was an empty spot next to Taehyung, all the jocks greeting him friendly and excitedly, Yugyeom and Mingyu nearly vibrating from how badly they wanted to talk to Taehyung, that much was visible in their eyes.

There was a girl confidently approaching their table, obviously aiming for the empty seat next to Taehyung. But Jungkook, bless him, reached over Taehyung and explicitly placed Taehyung's and his bags on the free seat.

"Sorry, we're waiting for someone," he told the girl whose skirt was shorter than her top and Taehyung wondered how she was allowed to walk around in it, judging the strict dress code of the school.

The girl huffed, choosing to glare at Taehyung – which huge mistake – and stalked away humiliated.

"She ain't sitting here ever again, that's for sure," Eunwoo grumbled before turning and reaching over Jungkook to offer Taehyung his extended hand. "Hi, Taehyung. I'm Cha Eunwoo. It's an honor to finally meet you." At the last exclaim, Eunwoo threw a pointed look at Jungkook who groaned.

Taehyung smiled timidly and shook Eunwoo's hand. "It's nice to meet you formally," he replied, having already met Eunwoo on many occasions and still trying to convince the male to join the book club whenever he had the chance. Eunwoo was already familiar to him so he wasn't afraid of him. How much has changed already. Taehyung liked the change, liked not being afraid of social interaction for once.

He had met nearly all of Jungkook's friends by now, Yugyeom being in one of his classes, who had apologized for maybe giving off the wrong impression which caused Taehyung to actually lose his shyness and warm up to Yugyeom a bit.