Love Me || Taekook

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School suddenly seemed so much more daunting than it had before. Taehyung couldn't help but feel nervous, his fidgety hands displaying this to Jungkook and Yugyeom who were standing with him just outside of the building.

"Try to calm down a bit, Tae. It's gonna be okay just remember to keep your composure and remember what Mr. Jung said." Yugyeom smiled as he spoke, though it was only visible through his eyes. They, along with every other kid from the pack, wore medical masks, a part of the excuse their leader had put together for the mass absence of the students.

"Yeah, you're right. Act like nothing happened." Taehyung took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, calming his nerves slightly and holding himself still. He nodded to both himself and the others before starting the walk into the school. Aside from the looks they received and the whispers about Jungkook being crazy, nothing too out of the ordinary happened.

The three boys parted ways once they reached Jungkook and Yugyeom's class though the strongest alpha objected, wanting to take Taehyung safely to class first. Of course, the younger rejected the idea and ran off by himself.

"I just hope nothing happens...."

Yugyeom rolled his eyes. "He's not a toddler. Come on, we've got our own issues to deal with. You've gotta face the guy you pulverized." He grabbed Jungkook's arm and pulled him into the classroom, going to their seats as other students filed in before the first bell.

"I don't see the new kid. He must be taking the day off or something." Yugyeom looked around the classroom, only spotting faces of those he'd seen before. "Guess you get an extra day to think up an apology."

"Fuck off..." Jungkook mumbled to himself even though it was aimed at his best friend. Once their teacher entered the room and made announcements for the day, he raised his hand. "Ma'am, I was wondering if the new student was here today."

"Ah...Jungkook. I hope you're asking so that you can deliver a proper apology." There was a few snickers from the other students, but the teacher ignored them. "However, I can't really tell you since he's not in this class. Mr. Takuya Ito is in the class below this. You'll have to wait until after school to speak with him."

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"Tae!!!! You're back!!" Jisoo screamed and ran through the hallways when she spotted her friend, nearly tackling him with a hug. "Oh my god! I missed you brat! Where's Jimin? I gotta tell him about what's happened in the last few days!"

Taehyung laughed and took a step away. "He's still at home. There's a really bad virus going around our part of town, so we all had to stay home for a while. Jimin got it.."

Jisoo gasped and covered her mouth. "Oh no! Is he okay? Is it serious?"

"I'm not sure to be honest. I tried calling him once, but Hoseok picked up instead. It sounded bad..."

"Wait...Hoseok as in the super strong dude that Jimin was depressed over? That's a weird person to pick up his phone." She raised a skeptical eyebrow at the situation and loosened her jaw to speak only to be interrupted by the bell. "SHIT!!!! I gotta get to class! See ya Tae!!"

Taehyung rolled his eyes playfully and went into his own class, taking his seat quickly and getting ready. He relaxed a bit in his chair, glad that he could come back to school. Even though he hated it sometimes, he missed learning from the teacher in person and talking with friends.

"Alright kids! Let get today started. First of all, welcome back to you guys that were forced to stay home. I understand the circumstances, and I've been instructed to provide any help and assistance you need. This doesn't mean you're going to be excused from all your work. I've lengthened your due dates for the time being, but it won't last long so be sure to keep up with your work. Now, let's take attendance-"

Just as the teacher was about to call of names, someone burst through the door. He apologized several times and then rushed to his seat, the only empty seat left in the room. The one next to Taehyung.

"Ah, right. Before we get into attendance, I'll reintroduce our new transfer student. This is Takuya Ito. He moved here from Japan with his family, so please be kind and help him out in any way possible."

Taehyung froze. He kept his eyes glued to the kid next to him. He could feel his heartbeat speed up out of fear, the faded bruises and healing cuts all over his face only reinforcing the knowledge that this was the boy Jungkook beat up.

"Miss!" Taehyung shot up from his desk. "I don't think it's a good idea for Takuya to sit with me. There was a virus that broke out among my neighbors and I might accidentally give it to him. Could I please move seats?"

"Ah yes, as I said earlier, the principal told me about the situation. He informed me that there would be no problems as long as you kids wore your masks properly. You'll be staying there. Pease be considerate and help out Takuya. I placed him there specifically so you could help him. You are the top of the class after all."

"Oh....I understand. Thank you..." With a nervous gulp, Taehyung sat back down. His eyes unknowingly wandered up to the boy next to him only to be met with pupils staring back. He looked away quickly and pulled out one of his textbooks, looking ahead and starting on the homework early to keep himself busy.

Taehyung set his textbook to the side once the teacher finally started the lesson. He rapidly took down notes, doing his best to ignore Takuya. Though, his tactics only worked temporarily.

Physical Education came around, and of course Taehyung was told to partner up with the new kid once again. This time there really wasn't anything he could do.

At first it was silent between the two, but Takuya eventually spoke up. Each time he pulled himself into a seated position, he'd notice how Taehyung kept looking away. It bothered him.

"Why do you keep avoiding me? Do I smell or something?"

"Huh?" Taehyung looked at Takuya with widened eyes. "Oh! No, it's nothing like that. It's just....awkward I guess. Since um....my friend..he's the guy that hit you before."

"Oh. Well, that's fine. I mean...it's not like you're the one who did it. Why did he do that anyway?" Takuya did one last sit-up before the gym teacher blew a whistle, making the two switch positions.

"Well...You uh...you look a lot like a jerk. Wait- that came out wrong. Um...you look like someone he used to know. They hurt him a lot in the past, so when he saw you he just kinda lost control." Taehyung turned his focus to the exercise as he talked, hoping the new guy wouldn't catch onto his lie.

"Really? We must look really similar then..." Takuya seemed to contemplate the information. "I suppose he's not really a bad guy then. If it was just a protective reaction, then I can't really get mad at him for it."

"You're just going to let it go like that?" Taehyung was dumbfounded.

"Well, yeah. I wouldn't like it if someone decided to judge or hate me because of some misunderstanding or something I can't control, so I don't want to assume the worst about him. I've gotta see what he's truly like before I make any decisions."

Silence again, but somehow less strained. It was as if a hazy fog had lifted over the two, bringing understanding to both of their minds. Taehyung also decided to stop judging and assuming before he gathered his own information, and he stopped trying to avoid Takuya. After all, he hadn't seen concrete proof of his association with the church. Maybe the new kid wasn't bad after all.

A/N

Sorry for any typos or grammatical errors. I didn't proofread since I really just need to publish something.