Give it to you
"Oppa," Minah responds mockingly, whirling around to smile wickedly at Taehyung. He keeps his face blank and narrows his eyes though his heart is racing a mile a minute and his entire body is burning with panic. "I was just telling your boyfriend--"
"You need to leave," Taehyung almost growls. It takes Minah by surprise, but only for a moment.
"Why? That worried about your bet? I was in the middle of warning him about you. Shouldn't you be the one leaving instead?"
Taehyung's eyes snap to Jeongguk's form, and he feels his heart splintering. There are tears streaming down the younger's face, skin pink and blotchy, and he looks beyond confused; hurt.
"Leave, Minah." His face is dangerously dark, and Minah's eyes widen before her eyes settle on Jeongguk and she fixes a smirk on her face.
"Sure," She shrugs. "I've done my job." She brushes past Taehyung, making sure to shove at his shoulder as she goes. The sound of her footsteps echo from the corridor for too long before the door slams shut. The sound rings in Taehyung's ears.
There's silence for a minute as they stare at each other, Jeongguk's bottom lip trembling violently, before he sinks to the ground, back pressed against the ledge.
Taehyung is at his side in an instant. "J-Jeongguk," he whispers, cupping the younger's tear - streaked face. "What did she say?"
Jeongguk's fingers curl around Taehyung's wrists, gripping tightly like it's his only lifeline.
"S-she said," Jeongguk whimpers, eyes welling up, "that you were trying to seduce me. For a bet." His voice pitches higher, cracking at the end before his small frame shakes with tears.
Taehyung wants to punch himself in the face, wants to be the one crying like thisas his fingers shakily wipe at the seemingly endless stream of tears.
"She's lying, r-right?" Jeongguk hiccups.
Taehyung's lips press into a thin line as he tries not to let his body succumb to the weight of the guilt pressing down on him.
"R-right?"
Taehyung wants to say yes. Make all of the hurt go away, but he's lied enough to Jeongguk.
"No," he says.
Jeongguk's fingers tighten into a death grip, and Taehyung can feel his fingers pale as he cuts off circulation.
"So... I'm a bet?" Jeongguk sobs, and Taehyung's face crumples.
"No, Jeongguk. You're not." Jeongguk squirms, attempting to push away as he's holds onto Taehyung.
"How can I trust you? H-how do I know you're not lying?" Jeongguk's eyes swim with hurt and Taehyung's never felt more like an asshole.
"Jeongguk... listen to me for a second." Taehyung pleads as Jeongguk continues to ramble. The younger snaps his mouth shut, like he's hoping Taehyung will say something that will make him
believe.
"It... started out that way," Taehyung says, feeling so disgusted with himself that he has to pause.
"It started out as a stupid bet... but then I got to know you..."
Jeongguk's lips continue to tremble, and he listens to every word, holding them to him like it's the
only thing left.
"I realized that I like you. So so much. And I don't care about a stupid bet. I care about you."
Taehyung leans forward, until they're eye to eye, and he hopes Jeongguk can see that he's being sincere. That he's telling the truth, and owning up to his mistakes for the first time in his life.
"I'm so sorry I hurt you. And I understand if you don't want to see me anymore. But I want you to know that everything I feel for you is real."
And Jeongguk wants so desperately to believe those words. For the first time in his life, someone had shown interest in him, cared about him.
Taehyung's words sound so real and Jeongguk
grapples with them, holding them close to his heart. He doesn't want what he and Taehyung have to be ruined by a misunderstanding. He likes Taehyung... so much. Does he really want to end
this beautiful relationship because of something so childish, so petty?
Jeongguk sniffles. "I... I trust you, Taehyung." he says quietly. His voice is hoarse and shaky from crying, but Taehyung's gotten used to the younger's soft spoken ways and the relief that floods through him almost knocks the wind out of him.
"Thank you, Jeongguk," Taehyung whispers, leaning forward on his knees so he can press their foreheads together. "Thank you." He closes his eyes, basking in the feeling of Jeongguk's skin
against his.
The weight of it is heavy. Taehyung knows he's only one of two people Jeongguk wholly trusts, and he doesn't ever want to screw up again.
Jeongguk's fingers loosen from around Taehyung's wrist and move to Taehyung's uniform shirt.
He fists the material in his hands and shyly brushes their noses together.
Taehyung opens his eyes and the world around them falls silent. He can see every eyelash, wet with tears, count the flecks of gold in his dark brown eyes, smell the sweet innocence that is
Jeongguk, and he loses his breath.
Jeongguk blinks slowly as Taehyung gently brushes his thumbs across his cheeks, wiping the
wetness away.
"C-can I kiss you?" Taehyung whispers. Jeongguk's eyes widen just a fraction, before he nods.
Taehyung's never felt so grateful in his entire life, because for a moment there, he felt like everything he had with Jeongguk was going to disappear from him forever, that he'd never get to hold him like this. Never will he break the trust that Jeongguk had so easily given him back. He'd prove how true his feelings were.
So he tilts his head slightly to the right, sliding his hands down to cup Jeongguk's jaw, and leans forward to press their mouths together.
Jeongguk lets out a stuttered breath as their lips meet, and lets Taehyung move his mouth to a rhythm that he clumsily follows. His hands curl tighter into Taehyung's shirt, and his entire body floods with warmth and for once, he feels genuinely loved. He knows they have something special. Nothing could tear them apart.
He'd do anything for Taehyung.
They kiss until they're breathless and dizzy, nothing in the real world echoing in their ears, and they break apart, but only slightly, so they can breathe, but still impossibly close.
"Jeongguk..." Taehyung breathes, like it's the only word he'd ever needed to know, and everything else he'd ever learned means nothing compared to this boy in his arms, giving him his heart.
"I'm sorry," he murmurs again, and Jeongguk shakes his head, but the older cuts him off. "You deserve more than just an apology, Gukkie. You deserve the world." Taehyung sets his face in determination.
"I'm going to prove myself to you. Prove that I'm worthy of you."
Jeongguk's face flushes in embarrassment. "I feel like I should be saying that," he mumbles.
"No, god no," Taehyung runs his fingers over Jeongguk's cheeks, wiping at the remaining wetness as he shakes his head. "You deserve everything. And I'm going to give it to you."
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