Worst Behavior

15. pride

[ 15. pride ]
J E O N G G U K

moment we've been waiting for
and also 5604 words????

▂▂▂▂▂

When Grace appears at his front door at the break of dawn, Jeongguk and Taehyung are already ready. The drive to Chicago is six hours away, and in order to be able to get there in time for the parade, the group has to leave before the sun rises.

"Ya'll ready?" Grace asks, busy tying back her blonde curls with a scrunchie. Jeongguk checks his bag one last time before giving her a thumbs up. He glances over at Taehyung to see if he's ready, and when their eyes meet the boy nods tiredly.

"Let's getting going," She claps her hands together excitedly. The trio follow her to the car. Jeongguk and Grace end up giggling the entire time while Taehyung's hiding under his hood while they pass Rachel's bedroom window.

Upon reaching the car, Grace shouts 'shotgun' and leaps into the passenger seat. Taehyung and Jeongguk don't really care much - they have planned to sit by each other anyways. And surprisingly, Grace's dad isn't that bad. He tells them to call him Dan, and when they get onto the freeway to Illinois, he ends up telling them a lot of stories.

Jeongguk finds himself listening to Dan's stories most of the time, completely entranced by his experiences. He tells the trio about his experiences in pride marches and how he protests along with the LGBT community during his free time. He also tells childhood stories about Grace, and Dan even cracks a few dad jokes that have all of them groaning at how cheesy they are.

"Are you two a couple?" Dan asks Jeongguk into the third hour.

Grace is sucking on a bright blue ring pop and Taehyung is staring out the window quietly. Billy Joel is playing on the radio in the background, and Jeongguk can feel the cool wind whip through his cheeks from Grace's open window. However, the question gathers all of their attention.

"Me and Grace?" Jeongguk says slowly, his statement sounding more like a question. Grace snorts in the front seat, and from the mirror he can see her roll her eyes.

"Guk, my dad knows," Grace laughs, plopping her ring pop back into her mouth.

Jeongguk's lips form an oval, realizing his mistake. "Oh." He chuckles awkwardly and sinks back into his seat, his ears a bit hot.

Dan laughs from the driver's seat. "I know, not a popular idea back at home with your folks, huh?" He taps the wheel, a smile present on his face.

"Right," Jeongguk nods, lowering his gaze to his lap. "My parents wouldn't be happy if I was gay, or well, anyone actually." He admits, chuckling softly while he fiddles with his fingers.

"Well kid, all I can say is be honest to yourself even though it seems hard at first. It makes living easier," Dan tells him. He can feel Grace's dad's eyes on him. "One day this damn country will realize they can't stop people from loving who they want, and you wouldn't have to worry." Jeongguk nods quietly, unsure of what to think of his response.

He then notices Taehyung's frowning, and before he can ask him what's bothering him, Taehyung asks Dan, "When do you think they'll realize what they're doing is wrong?"

Dan glances at him from the mirror. For a minute, he doesn't answer. He fixes his gaze on the road, and after awhile he simply shrugs.

"Don't know, honestly. Eventually they'll wake up on some Saturday morning and realize same sex love is the same as straight love and that there's no use in fussin' about it anymore. Things like this are unpredictable." He tells him.