COTTON CANDY SKIES | JIKOOK ✔

[🍬] Twenty-two

It's extremely late at night as Jeongguk walks through the front door, keeping as silently as possible. He places his sneakers on the shoe rack, bent over. He flinches softly the moment the lights turn on and he straightens his back, gawking at his mother.

Her arms are crossed, yet she doesn't seem angry; rather confused. Myung-hee also doesn't say anything. Her lips are flat but her eyebrows are curved deeply, easily displaying the state of her perplexion. And as her eyes bore into Jeongguk's, the brunette drives his chin faintly into his chest, peering up at her with guilty doe eyes.

"Jeongguk, you had me worried sick. I got a phone call late in the evening saying you skipped your classes. And not only that but you haven't been answering any of my texts," she brings up however she doesn't raise her voice.

Jeongguk scrunches his nose softly, gaze falling to the floor. He doesn't exactly know what to tell her. Granted she knows about Jimin, however saying he snuck off with him to mess around in the back of his car doesn't seem like the greatest excuse.

However it doesn't seem to matter.

"Jeongguk, is that a hickey on your neck?" Myung-hee asks, pointing a finger in his direction.

The boy's head darts up and his hand moves swiftly to cover his collarbone, albeit the wrong side entirely. He begins to blush heavily and it seems as though the harder he tries to hide it, the brighter his face glows.

"Oh my gosh, it's totally a hickey! Jeongguk!" Myung-hee's mouth falls open but her lips are quirked at the corners. Despite the shock in her eyes, she's just as entertained.

Jeongguk's brows furrow. He stares at her confusedly, unsure as to why she seems happy about it. At least she isn't angry, but... happy?

It's evident that she's holding her tongue back, restlessly eager to make an assumption that will be spot on. She's basically running on the spot, grinning foolishly.

"Okay!" Jeongguk caves, lips pouted. "I was out with Jimin... but there's more to it than that! We didn't just skip because we wanted to."

His mother's ecstasy quells, as does the smile on her face. She's giving Jeongguk further attention, taking a few steps closer until an arm's reach. "What do you mean? What happened?"

Jeongguk curls his lips in, clearly hesitant. He doesn't want to put anymore stress on his mother's shoulders than she needs to carry. However he's simply urged on with a simple look and he concedes once more.

"...Jimin and I kissed one day after a football game," he says and notices how she tries to keep herself cool in light of such a revelation. "There's this other boy. He uh... him and Jimin were kind of a thing. Well, I guess he saw us kissing and outed us to the whole school. So we... left for the rest of the day."

His mother's face falls. She sighs and very soon they're sheltered by quietude, neither knowing quite what to say. Jeongguk's cheeks are slightly puffed out and he toys with his fingers. He doesn't realize he's being approached and soon he's pulled into her warm embrace.

Sadly, it's not something he gets to experience often. Her warmth. And so he stand impossibly still with his arms wrapped tightly around his mother. And he feels weak for it, but he begins to sniffle quietly into the crook of her neck.

"Oh, baby... I'm so sorry," she whispers against the shell of his ear, flattening her hand along the back of his head. She winds her fingers through his curly brown hair. "Is Jimin okay?"

And for a moment, Jeongguk doesn't say anything however ponders. Because even though Jimin didn't react to it just the same, it doesn't mean he was any less effected. Not to mention they ended up getting home so late. The blond assured him that his father wasn't home but anything is possible. And now, he only starts to worry more.