[ 20. just friends ]
J E O N G G U K
im gonna miss updating
frequently fjsjd
edit;; mela didnt do her research for once pls clown me if u see something wrong
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During lunch, Jeongguk approaches his table where Grace sits with Justin beside him, and the moment they sit down Grace immediately notices them and drops her fork.
"Justin Johnson is that you?" She gasps, scanning the boy from head to toe, completely in awe. Jeongguk's eyebrows draw together, confused. He didn't think Grace knows him, but by the looks of it, they seem to be friends.
"I haven't seen you in years," Justin chuckles, reaching over to give her a fist-bump. Jeongguk sits there, still really, really confused as the two casually talk.
"How do ya'll know each other?" Jeongguk asks. Grace simply chuckles in response, smiling wide. "That's not helpful," Jeongguk grumbles, pouting.
"We went to the same soccer camp every summer until she left," Justin explains, looking down at him with that dimpled grin of his. Jeongguk nods shyly, clamping his mouth shut as he feels his cheeks heat up when Justin slings his arm over his shoulders.
Grace's smile falls, realization kicking in as her gaze darts between the two blushing boys. "Am I being dumb or am I missing something?" She waves her fork at them, her brows furrowed.
"Nope nothing to see here at all," Jeongguk replies hastily, elbowing Justin's side before he can reply. Grace gives him a skeptical look.
"I think I'm just seeing things," Grace shakes her head, stabbing her fork into her salad. "It's great to see you again though," She adds, her lips forming into another smile all over again.
"So Jeongguk, about that movie later," Justin pats his shoulder to get his attention. Both Grace and Jeongguk turn their head towards him, but Grace's reaction is more confused than anything.
"Movie? Please tell me I'm hearing things," She says slowly, sounding a little suspicious. Jeongguk laughs awkwardly, removing Justin's arm from his shoulder.
"We're gonna watch a movie at his house," Jeongguk tells her, trying hard not to make anything obvious. Grace nods, watching them carefully with narrowed eyes.
"Oh, so you're not inviting me?" Grace hums, focusing her oddly scary gaze on Jeongguk. Justin chuckles awkwardly, scratching the side of his neck. "I mean, you can come I guess?
"Are you two going on a date?" She then asks out of nowhere, startling them both. Justin and Jeongguk glance at one another, lips sealed and not knowing what to say.
"It's more like a friendly hangout," Justin shrugs, a crooked smile forming on his lips. Grace nods silently, pursing her lips but nonetheless leaving the topic alone.
Just as Justin and Jeongguk are about to relax, Grace claps her hands together, getting both of their attention. There's this wicked smirk on her face, mischeif twinkling in her eyes. It scares Jeongguk a little, not knowing what she's planning.
"Well then, if it's so friendly, can Tae and I join in?" Grace's smile isn't so friendly anymore, and Jeongguk knows it. He gulps, looking at Justin for help. Sadly, Justin looks just as cornered as him.
"You mean Taehyung? The new captain of the varsity football team?" Justin asks, his brow furrowing. Grace nods eagerly, batting her eyelashes obnoxiously as she pillows her chin in her palm.
"Exactly, that guy. Isn't he a looker? All girls adore him, and some boys too if you consider it," Jeongguk can feel her stare boring holes into him. She wants an answer - he knows it, and she's not gonna back down until she gets one.
"Sure? I don't know him that well," Justin laughs uneasily. Jeongguk shrinks in his seat, his cheeks burning hot. There's no way both of them are getting out of this.
"Taehyung's a good guy, you know," Grace's staring at him now, not caring if she looks suspicious. "He tries to make up for his mistakes, knows when he's at fault, and is pretty loyal."
Jeongguk chews on his lip nervously, hoping this would all end soon and the damn bell would just ring. He nudges Justin's side, but he doesn't seem to understand what's going on. Sighing, Jeongguk slumps in his seat, giving up. Grace is going to eat him alive.
"Well, 'course he's gotta be great. He's your boyfriend after all," Justin chuckles, the edges of his lips curling into a small smile. Grace's face drains of all color, probably realizing that she looks equally suspicious too.
Swallowing, she nods stiffly, "Right. He's my boyfriend. My number one," She forces out a laugh, twirling one of her curls with her finger.
"Maybe we can all hang out together, like a double date minus the date," Justin suggests, and Jeongguk wants to do anything but that. He shakes his head, mouthing Justin to take it back, but Grace is just too darn fast.
"Cool! I'll tell my boyfriend that," She grins, cringing slightly. Justin smiles at her, ducking his gaze to his lap as he fidgets with one of his bracelets. Jeongguk just sits there, defeated.
Justin then gets up, saying he has to go prepare for a swim meet later today. He waves goodbye to the duo despite Jeongguk wishing him not to, and the moment's he's gone, Grace slams her hands on the table.
"Why the fuck are you going on a date with another dude? Friendly outing my ass, it's obvious ya'll are attracted," Grace snaps, smacking the table again and making Jeongguk jump in his seat.
"You told me to explore my sexuality," Jeongguk mumbles, flinching when Grace picks up her plastic fork, preparing himself to get hit with it. Thankfully, she doesn't throw it, instead setting it down with a sigh.
"Dude, I meant explore it with Taehyung. You two trust each other. You were each other's firsts," She reasons, her tone softening. "Guk, what are you doing?"
"He asked me out at church a few days ago and we've been talking since," Jeongguk explains, not able to meet her eye as he stares at his lap, guilty. "Plus Taehyung doesn't trust me enough to tell me what's wrong."
"Jeongguk," Grace groans loudly, covering her face with her hands. Jeongguk closes his eyes shut, exhaling softly. "I'm sorry."
"Nah, don't be," She sighs, running a hand down her face. It's obvious she's disappointed with him. "I can't control who you wanna date."
"But that's the thing. I don't wanna date him. I barely know him," Jeongguk frowns, lifting his gaze up to meet hers, his brows creasing. "I-I just said yes."
"Then tell him that dude. You can't play with both of them like that, especially since you've done so much with one of them," Grace tells him, gesturing over at the table where Taehyung's sitting.
He looks over to where she's pointing and notices how Taehyung's ignoring every girl's advance, focusing instead on the football jocks.
He feels his heart tighten in his chest watching Taehyung laugh and smile that boxy smile of his, his own lips curving into a saddened grin realizing that he has listened to him. He can't help but feel a little bad about accusing him for being a cheater when Taehyung isn't even interested one bit in them.
"See, he's trying," Grace murmurs, keeping her voice low for the two of them to hear. "We gotta cut him some slack, Guk. He's in a lot of pain right now, so all we can do is wait for him to tell us."
Jeongguk sighs, suddenly wishing Taehyung is sitting with them again. A part of him really misses him a lot, yet another part is still hurt.
After all, Taehyung did snap at him when he was trying to help, but then again, Grace is right. He's probably going through a lot at the moment.
He glances back and forth between his two friends, unsure of what to do or say. For a second, Taehyung's gaze meets his, and they end up staring at each other for awhile until Taehyung breaks it off to continue a conversation.
"I'm not telling you to ditch Justin, but please make up your mind first. Don't jump into shit without truly feeling for it, you know?" Grace says, getting his attention back. Jeongguk nods, considering her words fully. He supposes he understands a bit more now.
"Alright, I promise," Jeongguk nods, his features lighting up with a smile as he holds his pinky out. Grace grins back at him and connects their pinkies without hesitation.
"Promise you won't lead them on, okay?" Grace warns him. Jeongguk nods again, squeezing her pinky tight. "I promise."
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Justin's rich.
That's the first thing that passes through Jeongguk's mind after seeing his house. It's huge with a big swimming pool, many spacious rooms, and expensive furniture.
Of course Justin's rich. He's attending an ivy league school, and those schools aren't very cheap. Well, he was going to attend one, but nonetheless he's rich.
"Ya'll wanna watch it in my room or the family living room?" Justin asks, stopping at the huge kitchen to make some popcorn. Jeongguk follows him, jaw hanging and eyes wide as he tries to take in the entire setting.
Jeongguk's still stunned by the amount of rooms, and he swears they passed like five living rooms already. He snaps back to reality, watching Justin make actual popcorn in a popcorn maker. How much money does this dude have?
"Doesn't matter," Jeongguk squeaks, too afraid to touch anything. Justin lets out a laugh, gesturing him to come sit by the island.
"I should have told you huh," He runs a hand through his dark hair, an apologetic smile on his features. "I didn't think it was important," He chuckles awkwardly.
"Nah, it's cool," Jeongguk smiles at him, deciding it's best to stand by his side. There's no way he's going to touch these things. They're way too expensive and nice for a person like him.
The doorbell then rings, and as Jeongguk's about to get the door, Justin holds him back. "The maid will get it," He tells him, and instantly Jeongguk feels stupid. Of course he has a maid.
Unsure of what to do, Jeongguk pokes his tongue into the side of his cheek. Grace's words are replaying in his head, telling him to be careful, and more importantly, figure things out with Taehyung before jumping into something else. She's obviously right though- Grace knows more than him.
"Hey Justin," Jeongguk says, his stomach gurggling a little at the buttery scent of fresh popcorn. He watches as Justin scoops popcorn into a bowl and heads to the fridge, grabbing four sodas.
"What's up?" He questions, setting everything on the counter. He faces Jeongguk with a smile, his dimples flashing.
Again, it's like butterflies erupt in his tummy whenever he looks at him, and he can't think of anything else but that. He needs to focus - he has to tell him.
Jeongguk nibbles on his bottom lip, trying to think of a way to word things until he's suddenly interrupted by Grace shouting in the distance.
Both of them turn their heads to see Taehyung and Grace walk in, the duo not looking happy next to each other. Jeongguk's gaze instantly flits to their intertwined hands, that familiar weird feeling making his heart skip a beat.
He makes the mistake of meeting Taehyung's eyes, and instead of those butterflies from Justin it's pure, heavy guilt.
"Damn, your house gets bigger and bigger every time," Grace shakes her head, practically having to tug Taehyung along. He can feel Taehyung's stare on him, silently asking for answers, but Jeongguk tries his best to push it aside for now.
"I don't know about that," Justin laughs, draping his arm over Jeongguk's shoulders.
At this, Jeongguk tenses as he watches Taehyung's eyes widen for a split second before it's replaced with a forced smile.
"Wanna head over to the living room?" Justin asks, and the others nod along. They grab their food and follow him, and the entire time Justin's arm is around Jeongguk's shoulders.
The tension is thicker than air as they settle down on the couch. Jeongguk sits right in between Taehyung and Justin, and there's no way denying how angry Taehyung looks.
His jaw is tightened, a muscle twitching on the curve of his jawline. Occasionally he will lick his lips, his hard gaze eyeing Justin and Jeongguk every now and then. Grace, who is beside him, keeps smacking his side when it gets too obvious but it doesn't quite work.
It's uncomfortable, and honestly, Jeongguk wants this next few hours to end fast.
"Anyone up for Back to the Future?" Justin asks, the VHS in his hands. Grace scoffs, rolling her eyes as she springs off the couch.
"You got totally bogus tastes in movies," She grabs his forearm, glancing over at Taehyung and Jeongguk before averting her attention back to him. "Say, do you have a library of them somewhere?"
"Why? We ain't watchin' a dumb romance movie if you're asking," Justin's brows furrow, his lips pulling into a slight grimace. Grace smacks his shoulder, scowling.
"I'm hurt you think I like romcoms,"
At this, Jeongguk snorts. Whenever she comes over, all she wants is to watch romantic comedies. He meets Grace's eye and mimics her, which in turn, gets him a dirty look that makes him laugh.
"So, is it down the hall far away from here? Your collection?" Grace chuckles, pushing Justin out the doorway. She's quite the unstoppable force, so it's not long until they're gone, leaving Jeongguk and Taehyung alone.
This is her plan all along, isn't it.
"Hi," Jeongguk shifts on the couch, positioning himself so that he's facing Taehyung. "Hey," he breathes, running a hand through his golden locks.
Jeongguk licks his lips, unsure of what to do knowing Grace is gonna stall for them for a while. Taehyung looks reluctant to do much, something that looks like pain glowing in his dark eyes. They haven't talked since their fight, and honestly, they have no idea where to pick up.
"If you really didn't like me, you could have told me," Taehyung keeps his voice low, breaking the silence, pain evident in his tone. Jeongguk tenses, realizing he's talking about Justin.
"It's not what it looks like," Jeongguk whispers, his brows drawing together. "He's just a friend." Taehyung rolls his eyes, scoffing, not entirely believing him.
"Then why was his arm around you like that?" Taehyung asks, his tone bitter. Jeongguk frowns at him. Jealousy burns in Taehyung's powerful gaze, the way his jaw twitches and his tongue flicks across his lips making him uneasy.
"We're only friends," Jeongguk assures him, reaching out to put his hand on Taehyung's. He glances down at their intertwined fingers, scowling.
"Jeongguk, I like you a lot, but the question is, do you even like me back?" Taehyung questions, his voice shaky.
Jeongguk blinks, caught off guard. The two of them have never really discussed what they are even though they've done things couples usually do. Jeongguk still hasn't put a label on how he feels, his sexuality something he hasn't put aside much time to think about.
All he knows is that Taehyung feels right. They've done everything together- they're each other's firsts for everything.
When he's with him, he doesn't worry about it being sinful. All those nasty thoughts, his beliefs, his values don't matter when he's with him. He doesn't care that he's sinning, and the guilt he feels alleviates in his presence.
It's like he can be free with Taehyung even though society hates them. He doesn't have to be afraid, knowing well Taehyung is holding his hand and helping him every step of the way.
It feels right, and there's no other way to explain it.
"Of course I like you," Jeongguk whispers after a moment, swallowing back the knot building in his throat. Taehyung says nothing, his irises flitting to his lips.
"I'm really sorry," Taehyung murmurs, his hand reaching up to cup Jeongguk's cheek in his palm. Jeongguk instantly melts into his touch, the familiarity warming his heart.
"It wasn't your fault," Jeongguk replies, finding himself leaning forward, their foreheads resting against one another's.
"It was," He chuckles softly, his thumb stroking his cheek. Jeongguk feels his breath hitch in his throat, their closeness making his thoughts numb in his mind.
"I never told you what was wrong."
"Well I wasn't being patient," Jeongguk counters, his lips curling into a gentle smile. Taehyung rolls his eyes, smiling.
"Guk, I ignored you 'cause I was afraid," Taehyung says, his gaze falling to his lips. He moves his thumb, running the pad of his finger over his bottom lip, the tension shifting into something different, something more intense.
"Afraid of what?" Jeongguk asks, slightly confused. Taehyung doesn't answer.
Their noses brush gently against one another's, the two of them fractions away from kissing one another after so long it's almost impossible to deny themselves of their feelings.
"Afraid you wouldn't like me anymore out of all things," He exhales shakily, his hands slightly trembling. "Afraid I'd lose you and everything else all over again."
"Please don't force yourself," Concern glows in his doe eyes, his hands reaching up to rest on his broad chest. Taehyung gulps, nodding stiffly.
"Tell me when you're ready," He whispers, tracing his thumb over the outline of his collarbone. "I'll be here, waiting."
No longer able to hold back, Taehyung presses his lips onto his, kissing him firmly as Jeongguk's words melt against his mouth.
Taehyung's hands cup each side of his face, their lips moving with a sort of urgency neither one of them can describe. Groaning softly into his mouth, Jeongguk grabs fistfuls of his shirt, pulling him harder against him, wanting more as Taehyung circles his arms around him pulling him into his lap.
Neither one of them are hesitant, the gentleness not what Jeongguk wants after all this time he has spent away from him. His tongue slips into his mouth, demanding yet careful, tasting all of Jeongguk yet savoring him at the same time.
He wants to be closer, wants to kiss him until he can't feel the thoughts running in his mind. His heart swells, adrenaline kicking in, and the hint of rebellion on his tongue. Taehyung tastes like heaven and hell, his aftershave, his cologne, and the familiarity of his touch washing over him.
When they finally pull away for air, Taehyung's hands clutching his thighs and Jeongguk's fingers tangled into his hair, they look at one another, breathing heavily.
"I literally leave you both for one fucking second."
Their heads instantly turn to the doorway where Grace stands, trying her hardest to look annoyed but unable to stop the smile on her face.
Jeongguk's face flushes, his skin practically on fire as he gets off of Taehyung's lap. The two of them listen to Grace snickering in the background, and it's not long until Taehyung chucks a pillow at her direction.
"Where's Justin?" Taehyung grumbles, making a silly face when Grace flips him off and throws the pillow right back at him. Jeongguk lets out a laugh, realizing how much he has missed hanging out with them.
"I made him search for The Little Mermaid," Grace shrugs, walking over towards them. She hops over the back of the couch and lands right between them, her arms slinging over their shoulders.
"Little did he know it's right there," She laughs, pointing to the VHS shelves right beneath the television. Jeongguk snorts, elbowing her side.
"You're really mean," Jeongguk shakes his head, grinning toothily. Grace shrugs, freeing one of her hands to flip her hair over her shoulder. "It's what I do best."
"Okay, so, you two okay?" Grace asks, looking back and forth between the two. Jeongguk nods, and so does Taehyung, the duo smiling shyly at one another.
"Hold up, I need to talk to Justin," Jeongguk sighs, running a hand through his hair. He keeps Grace's words in mind especially, knowing very well the girl knows more about stuff like this than him.
"I suggest you go do it now," Grace jabs her thumb over her shoulder. "Kid's gonna be there for awhile."
Jeongguk glances over at Taehyung, fidgeting with the edge of his sleeve nervously. Taehyung nods at him, smiling gently at him to go. Finally getting up, Jeongguk takes in a deep breath.
"I'm gonna go talk to him," He nods to himself, smoothing out the creases of his jumper mostly to waste time and mostly because he's too nervous.
His two friends give him a thumbs-up to encourage, but as he turns to the doorway to go find him, his smile falls spotting Justin standing there the entire time.
Crap.
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okay sorry i gave up 🤧
i really want taekook bad fjsjd
BUT this isn't the end of justin... (;