Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
╚═ "raise him right" ═══╝
jeongguk trudged up the snowy walkway, his hands shoved deep in his coat pockets. the fur on his hood tickling the skin of his neck. the crisp winter air swirled around him as he headed towards the dorm buildings.
after jogging up the two flights of stairs to the third floor, jeongguk stopped in front of a door that had been left ajar. there was a dry erase board with various little messages written on it; jeongguk snorted at the doodle of a dick in the corner of the board with the initials M.Y beside it.
the eighteen year old pushed open the door, dropping his backpack to the ground. "hyungs?" he called out. he nearly screamed when he suddenly felt a body jump onto his back. "jiminie hyung! i told you to stop doing that!" the younger boy complained, glaring up at his best friend, who only grinned and hopped off.
"want something to drink?" jimin asked, walking over to the mini fridge in the corner of the room, next to the desk. jeongguk nodded as he removed his coat, hanging on the hooks on the back of the door, and jimin reached inside the fridge and tossed him a bottle of soda. "tae's in class," jimin said and collapsed into the desk chair, sipping his own drink. jeongguk nodded and laid down on taehyung's bed, which was the bottom bunk, propping himself up on his elbow.
"so," jeongguk began, twisting open the cap to his drink, "what's up?"
the younger had received a text during his fourth period class from jimin asking-no, demanding- that jeongguk come by their dorm after school. he'd of course been a bit suspicious as to what was so urgent, but knew that it had to be important, if jimin's message had been anything to go by.
he'd texted namjoon to tell him he'd be home by supper and informing him of his whereabouts. jimin and taehyung were pretty much the only people namjoon let jeongguk hang out with, mainly because the younger had known them for years and trusted them with anything.
jimin bit his lip, a red tint colouring his cheeks. jeongguk gasped, "it's a boy, isn't it? jiminie hyung is in looove!" the boy exclaimed, excitement shining in his chocolate eyes.
"yah, s-shut up!" jimin reached out to kick jeongguk but missed as the younger rolled closer to the wall, out of the reach of jimin's short leg.
"i'm right, though. you can't lie to me, hyung. so? who is it? do i know him?"
jimin nodded, averting his eyes to the ceiling. jeongguk watched closely as his best friend's gaze travelled all around the dorm room, landing everywhere except jeongguk. jimin finally rested his stare longingly at the door, and then it clicked for jeongguk.
"oh my god."
jimin turned, "what?"
"it's taehyung hyung." jeongguk didn't need more than a furious blush and jimin burying his head in his sweater sleeves to know he was right.
"how long have you had feelings for him?" jeongguk sat up, taking a long sip of his soda.
"um, maybe a few months? i was kinda just gonna keep it lowkey and try to get over him, cause i know he won't like me back, but then at the party last weekend..."
"you did shit, didn't you?"
"we were drunk, though!" jimin wailed. "which means it didn't mean anything to him!"
jeongguk hummed. "they do say drunk thoughts come from a sober mind."
"what's that supposed to mean?"
"basically the booze gave him the courage to do whatever he'd wanted to do but was too scared to do until he got a few drinks in him."
jimin looked up hopefully at his youngest best friend, "you think so?"
jeongguk smiled. "just flirt with him, see how it goes. i mean, hyung. if he doesn't want a piece of the jibooty, something has to be wrong with him."
➴
"you're late coming back." namjoon commented as soon as jeongguk got in the door. he was at the kitchen table, textbook and notes spread out in front of him as he typed on his laptop.
the ravenette shot his brother a glare. "i never said what time that i'd be home. chill the fuck out, hyung."
"watch your language!"
jeongguk paused on the stairs, "you swear more than i do! and i'm eighteen, for god's sake!" with that, he stomped up the stairs and slammed the door to his room.
namjoon sighed, saving his essay before shutting the lid to his computer and leaning back in his chair. he tidied his books and pushed them to the side to resume his work later.
he was just trying to raise his little brother right. it had been his job for almost four years now, ever since namjoon's father fell in love with ms. jeon. they married after a year of dating and soon namjoon's new stepmother moved in with her fifteen year old son. at first, jeongguk had been shy and adorable, and namjoon was fond of the kid.
one day, jeongguk's mother had approached namjoon, asking him to promise that he would take care of her son if anything ever happened to her. of course, namjoon agreed, although he was slightly worried by the desperate look in his sweet stepmother's eyes.
a year later, she was dead. the family found out she'd been secretly battling cancer, and then namjoon was left to look after a sixteen year old boy who'd just lost his mother. mr. kim started working more to provide for his family now that he was by himself, and namjoon had to step up at the age of nineteen and raise his little step brother, because he'd made a promise and kim namjoon didn't break promises.
namjoon became quite protective over jeongguk, always making sure to know where the boy was at all times and ensuring he never got a chance to get into any trouble. an issue namjoon came to recognize as jeongguk grew up, was that the boy was ridiculously adorable and he would surely attract the attention of many boys and girls. so, namjoon played the role of a overprotective parent and intervened any time someone took an interest in his little brother.
however over the years, jeongguk had gotten brattier and put up with less and less of namjoon's protectiveness, leaving the elder at a loss. he didn't know what to do. he knew jeongguk was right, he was eighteen now and could technically do whatever he wanted, but namjoon was still so scared of anything bad happening.
because no matter if he was fifteen or eighteen, jeon jeongguk was his little brother and he would do anything to keep him safe.
