Paper Hearts

15

People say expectations hurt the most. When you expect something, and it fails you, the disappointment hurts. People don't hurt you, expectations do, tumblr had told Taehyung one too many times. So he had lived the majority of his life without expectations and disappointments.

Taehyung stealthily ran his eyes over the crowd of students in the corridor as he closed his locker. Jimin stood beside him, busy fiddling with his phone. "Looking for someone?"

The brown haired boy shook his head in faux confusion. "Nope."

But as soon as he said the words, he actually happened to find the "someone", walking through the hall with Min Yoongi beside him. His head snapped in Jungkook's direction, a little too obviously, and Jimin chuckled. "If you say so."

Taehyung looked down at the book in his hand, pretending to be busy when actually his entire attention had been directed to anticipating the younger brat's voice calling him "baby boy" or something equally peculiar. It never came.

Taehyung looked up slowly, eyes trained on Jungkook. The younger, whose eyes would've once found Taehyung in any place or time, looked straight ahead, eyes cold and dark. He walked ahead, right past Taehyung, leaving a trail of iciness behind him, that made the older cower into the lockers behind him. Jeon Jungkook had walked past Taehyung without even glancing in his direction or acknowledging his presence. Like he didn't exist.

Yoongi slowed down behind Jungkook, giving Taehyung a little smile and then resuming his path to wherever Jungkook was going.

"Was it just me..." Jimin began. Don't say it, you three inch fool, Taehyung thought. "Or did he just walk past you like you're invisible?" You had to fucking say it.

"Like I care," came the answer. Taehyung might have lied to many people, but the one person he had never lied to was himself, and he wasn't just going to pretend that Jeon Jungkook's indifference towards him hadn't made him want to scream in frustration.

He wasn't quite sure why he felt that way, his thoughts ranging from "Fucking finally, now I'm free" to "Why the hell do I feel like yelling at him for doing that". But he did know one thing. Tumblr was right. Expectations hurt.

• • •

"Hyung," Jungkook said into the receiver. "I know this is, like, the third time I'm asking for this- but...it's worse than it was last time. I just- I need a place to crash for a few weeks."

"I'm sending my car. Dean will drive you to where I am right now, which mind you, isn't somewhere you can fool around. It's only been a week since I moved in, so I need you to behave."

The drive was shorter than Jungkook had expected, and the destination even more so. Taehyung's house didn't look much different than it did last time, expect the flower pots near the staircases. Pink flowers.

Wonder who put that there, huh.

"Jungkookie!" Jin wrapped his arm around the younger before he could even look up. "I missed you!"

"Me too, hyung." Jungkook bit his lower lip. "How did you move here?"

"I'm going to marry the person who lives here, duh."

"What?" The younger's eyebrows disappeared behind his hair, his eyes widening simultaneously.

"Yeah. His name is Namjoon. I'm sure you'll love him."

"Oh."

Less than six minutes later, Jungkook was seated on the couch, staring up at Jin. "Boys! Jisoo! C'mon down, he's here!"

Jisoo came in first, nodding in his direction and sitting on the opposite end of the couch. Namjoon came after that, smiling awkwardly and waving at the younger boy. Taehyung came in last, audibly gasping at the sight in front of him.

"Jungkook?" Taehyung's expression was so comical, that a week ago, Jungkook would've climbed a mountain to extract it out of him. But as he sat on the couch, the memory of Taehyung looking at him like he was filthier than scum still fresh in his mind, he looked down at his shoes and cursed his misfortune.

"Hi," Jungkook said monotonously.

"How do you know each other?" Jin asked, curious.

"Same class," Jungkook said before Taehyung could even open his mouth. "Jin hyung, I really think you've done me enough favours for a lifetime. I really should leave. Besides, I'm sure it would be really uncomfortable for y-"

"It wouldn't," Taehyung blurted. Jungkook looked up at him, but the older looked at the ground, fidgeting with the sleeve of his sweater. "Be uncomfortable, I mean. Of course, we'd have to share a room, because you can't share it with Jisoo but I don't really mind. In fact, I-"

"Right, we get it," Jisoo said and looked at Jungkook. "Can we have dinner now? I'm hungry."

Dinner consisted of Jungkook shoving bits of tteokbokki into his mouth while simultaneously avoiding his now-roommate's gaze. He had thought of escaping the situation by going back home, but Jin clearly wasn't taking any of that nonsense.

"So, Jungkook," Namjoon began. "How's school? Thought of college?"

Jungkook looked up, surprised by the genuine smile Namjoon wore. "Uh...I've got so-so grades...but I might just get into Stanford on an athletic scholarship."

"Stanford?" Namjoon repeated, eyebrows disappearing under his hair as he raised them. "That's amazing. Football? Basketball?"

"Football," Jungkook said and looked back at his food. Perks of having a rich dad, too.

The rest of the dinner was relatively quiet and it wasn't until Jin had picked up the dishes and wished him good night that his brain decided to reel with anxiety. He looked at the carpet under him, not daring to look up at Taehyung, who was already walking hesitantly towards him.

"Jungkook," he said. "You must be tired. I'll run you a hot bath."

"No," Jungkook said, a little too sharply. "I- uh- you don't need to-"

He stopped short of words when Namjoon's hand landed on his shoulder. "You should, you know. You'll feel more relaxed."

"Um, okay."

A hot bath, okay. A hot bath when Taehyung was right on the other side of the door, not so much.

• • •

Author's note:
Sorry for the late updates~