october 29, 2018
as usual, jimin and taehyung were heading to class together. they were currently entering the campus, bundled up in scarves and hats to shield themselves from the freezing breeze which swept in from the north. jimin's hands were shoved deep into his coat's pockets, his breath visible in short puffs. taehyung didn't seem to mind the cold as much as the shorter boy; he was only wearing a light jacket and scarf.
after a particularly cold, strong gust, jimin flinched closer to taehyung, his teeth chattering. taehyung looked down at the shorter boy fondly, chuckling quietly. "you're really that cold?" he inquired, to which jimin nodded quickly as he wrapped his arms around himself, hugging himself.
"here," taehyung murmured, removing his own jacket and placing it on jimin's shoulders. jimin immediately shook his head, denying the extra article of clothing.
"but then you'll be cold," jimin argued, his voice high-pitched and whiny. "i'll be fine."
taehyung smiled softly, wrapping his jacket further around jimin. "nah," he laughed. "the cold doesn't bother me that much anyway."
jimin let out a hmph as he snuggled into the jacket, breathing in taehyung's strong scent, detecting a faint whiff of strawberries and vanilla; he immediately felt a lot warmer, both on the inside and on the outside. jimin looked up from his shoes, spotting his friends standing together in the distance. "oh, look," he pointed towards the group as he quickened his pace. "the crackheads are here, too."
taehyung laughed and began to pick up his pace to keep up with jimin, eager to talk to and catch up with their friends. as if on queue, a boy unfamiliar to jimin stepped in front of the duo out of nowhere, stopping them in their tracks. "look who got himself a boyfriend," the blond-haired boy snickered without missing a beat, staring directly at taehyung.
taehyung immediately stiffened, his fingers curling into tight fists. "chanyeol," he growled. "what do you want?"
chanyeol smirked, leaning in closer to taehyung, his hot breath all too close for taehyung's liking. "i'm just here to remind you of how you'll always be a nobody. no one likes gay people."
before taehyung could respond, chanyeol turned to jimin, towering over him. "and who are you?" jimin tried to stutter something, but was quickly interrupted by a scoff from chanyeol. "actually, don't tell me. i don't care about people like you." he smirked, drawing out the last word.
jimin froze, his bottom lip quivering as cold tears pricked his eyes. this scene was too familiar. far too familiar. taehyung bit his lip angrily, tasting the metallic tang of blood as he raised his clenched fist slowly. chanyeol noticed and laughed menacingly. "go ahead, hit me. suck my dick, taehyung. you ain't gonna scare m-"
chanyeol's taunting was interrupted by a loud thwack. he doubled over, his hands flying up close to his nose, where warm, sticky, blood was now flowing down from.
taehyung lowered his fist, a satisfied smirk playing on his face. "fuck off," he snorted. "also, asking me to suck your dick is kind of gay."
loud cheers resonated through the clearing, for the confrontation had drawn in quite a large audience. chanyeol was a widely known bully, though not many people had the guts to stand up to him due to his big size and threatening words.
taehyung gripped jimin's hand tightly and gave it a squeeze, smiling down at the shorter boy who was now staring at taehyung in awe. "let's go. the others are probably waiting for us."
"thank you," jimin managed to stutter, his eyes wide. he wanted to say so much more, but it felt like a rock was wedged in his throat.
thank you for standing up for me when no one else would.
