School AU bc why not + some side Taemin at the end :)
(Converse High)
Jungkook was hot. Like really hot. Hottest sixteen-year-old in the school. The moment he stepped through the door, he got stares and whispers from basically everyone. As a first grader, the interest didn't do his confidence much good, but he soon got used to it. He was one of the youngest in the high school but his looks and cute charm got him special privileges that other first graders would kill for, such as not being beaten up.
After a while, Jungkook started to own his notoriety. He hadn't really paid much attention to his appearance before, but now it was basically his identity. Through the first term, he stayed as just a cute, young kid. After the holidays, he turned into a full-blown, smoking hot, teenage heartthrob. And he loved it. Within two months, three girls and a guy admitted they had a crush on him. Jungkook sweetly let them down. So sweetly that no one even held any resentment. He was good friends with all four of them, despite having never even really met them before that.
So Jungkook had a reputation. He looked like a bad boy and acted like a sweetheart. He was basically perfect. Except he didn't like anyone. Almost everyone else was crushing on him and Jungkook didn't go out with anyone. There were rumours that he was secretly dating someone else, that he was asexual, that he had PTSD from a past relationship (he was sixteen though, like really?). All anyone knew was that Jungkook would befriend his pursuers but he didn't actually want to date anyone.
Or at least, that's what everyone thought. The truth was very different. The reason Jungkook didn't date anyone wasn't that he didn't like anyone. It was that the person he did like just happened to be one of the few people in the school that didn't like him back. And that was the most infuriating thing in the world. Because Kim Seokjin was beautiful. Stunning, even. Jungkook was 100% in love with him and Seokjin was 100% straight. Jungkook wanted to scream.
Walking down the corridors, Jungkook got smiles and winks from a lot of students. Seokjin didn't even glance at him. Jungkook prayed that someday, he would get noticed, if even for a second, by the third grader but that day was being incredibly elusive. That was, until, Taehyung found out.
"OH MY GOD YOU'VE GOT A CRU- " Taehyung had begun to yell before Jungkook slammed a hand over his mouth. Taehyung was the first boy to confess to him and they had been friends ever since. Jungkook knew that Taehyung wasn't totally over it, but they could still laugh about it together. Except now, Jungkook was not laughing.
"Do you want to get killed in your sleep?" he hissed. Taehyung shook his head and Jungkook took his hand away from the elder's mouth. Taehyung was grinning and Jungkook regretted staring too long across the canteen. "You have to swear you won't tell anyone, okay?" Taehyung shrugged,
"Sure. I mean I can't say I'm not offended that it isn't me but not everyone can have good taste, so…" Jungkook punched him in the arm. "Anyway, he goes to my photography class outside of school, if you want me to casually tell him how great you are." Jungkook stared at him.
"That is a horrible plan that I am definitely going along with. When's your photography class?" Taehyung checked his watch.
"Wednesdays, so I've got it today, actually. Wow, it's Wednesday? I had an assignment due today that I did not start. Whoops." Jungkook laughed. Taehyung was a strange kid. The bell rang for the end of lunch and Jungkook left Taehyung to go to his lesson. In the hall, he passed Seokjin and very nearly tripped over. He managed to regain his composure before anyone saw. Well, anyone else. Seokjin made direct eye contact with him as he passed, leaving Jungkook to blush and stare after him. A few people in the corridor saw this, so he covered it up by winking at a girl in his class. He turned around and kept walking. That would take some explaining.
That evening, he received a text from Taehyung. It read,
Tae: Ayo i have soms newwwwws.
Jungkook was about to ignore it before he remembered where he had been. He replied,
JK 3: what
Tae: number 1, ur crush is fit as hell I didn't notice b4 lmao
JK 3: I knew that already
Tae: also he gay
JK 3: wHAT
Tae: yh and we're like friends now. U want his number?
JK 3: omg yes tae wtf of course gimme gimme
JK 3: please?
Tae: thats better
Jungkook waited for what seemed like forever for Taehyung to send the number. When he got it, he immediately said bye to Taehyung and opened a new chat with Seokjin.
Unknown: hey
Jin-hyung: Do I know u?
Unknown: i'm Jungkook in 1st grade
Jin-hyung: Okay
Jin-hyung: Did u want smth?
Jungkook had not thought this through. He literally had no excuse to be talking to him. Jungkook tried to think of any reason to be texting a random 3rd grader.
Jungkook: are u any good at english? I need tutoring and I heard u could help
Jin-hyung: Who told u that?
Jungkook: idr. it might have been tae but im not sure
Jin-hyung: I have literally known taehyung for the space of an hour and a half and we mostly just talked abt squirrels
Jin-hyung: So idt it was him but I guess I could help with ur English
Jin-hyung: When r u free?
Jungkook squealed. He had actually asked his crush to go out with him. It was a totally platonic study session but he was still proud of himself.
Jungkook: tmrw any good?
Jin-hyung: Cool
Jin-hyung: Meet me in the library after skl
Jungkook: Kk :)
The next day, Jungkook could not focus. He didn't concentrate on any of his lessons because he was so excited for after school. He was going to try and listen to his English teacher but he realised that the less he knew about the dumb language, the better. After his last lesson, a physics experiment that dragged, Jungkook practically sprinted to the library to meet Seokjin. He looked around and saw Seokjin sitting at a table making notes on something. Jungkook walked over to him, suddenly nervous.
"Seokjin-ssi?" he asked and Seokjin looked up, eyeing Jungkook curiously. "I'm Jungkook. You said you were going to help me study English?" Jungkook was being overly formal and polite even though Seokjin had definitely seen and heard him before. Seokjin gestured to the empty seat and Jungkook sat down.
"Well then, Jungkook, I suppose we should get started. What are you struggling with in particular? Or is it just all of English? It's a pretty fucked up language, if we're honest, like the grammar is totally backwards compared to Korean, its phonics and alphabet make no sense and just it breaks its own rules all of the time. I don't know why we have to learn it but here we are, I suppose." Jungkook looked at him and smiled slightly. Seokjin had sped up as he got further into his rant and it was honestly impressive.
"I mean, very true," Jungkook replied and Seokjin ran his hand through his hair. Jungkook tried not to let his mouth hang open.
"Sorry. I've got a similar speech about biology if you want to hear it." Jungkook laughed and got out his textbook. This was going to be a lot of fun.
As the weeks passed, he studied with Seokjin almost every other day. Although he didn't really need the tutoring in the first place, Jungkook found that English did make slightly more sense now that Seokjin had explained some key issues. As he skipped into the library for what had to be his sixth lesson, he found Seokjin at his usual desk, but without any of his resources out like he usually had. Jungkook sat down.
"Hey. Where's your stuff?" he asked.
"I don't have it," Seokjin replied bluntly. Jungkook was confused.
"Okay… why not? Don't we have a lesson today?"
"Jungkook, you don't need tutoring. You never did." Jungkook swallowed. He had been discovered, but how? He really didn't want to stop hanging out with Seokjin and he didn't want their time to end.
"What do you mean? I don't know how I ever survived English without you," Jungkook smiled. Seokjin placed a few sheets of paper on the table. Jungkook recognised it as one of his tests. One of the ones he got full marks on. One of the ones from the very first weeks of school. How the hell had Seokjin gotten hold of that?
"You gave it to Taehyung so he could revise," he answered without even hearing the question. "Why did you lie? I could have been tutoring someone else. Or doing homework." Jungkook lowered his head. He felt really guilty now. He had wasted Seokjin's time for a stupid crush. Because he was a little schoolboy who just wanted to be near the person he liked. Jungkook didn't think he had ever felt so stupid.
"You're right, I'm sorry. I just… I sort of really like you and this was an excuse to talk to you. It's idiotic, I know, I can't believe I only just realised that. I'm gonna go before I waste any more of your time. Thanks though, it really did help." Jungkook stood up and he knew his cheeks were burning red. He shut his bag and he was about to walk away when Seokjin muttered,
"I swear to God; I am going to kill Kim Taehyung." Jungkook looked back and saw that Seokjin was smiling in disbelief.
"What did he do?" Jungkook asked, wondering if he was overstepping his boundaries. Seokjin smiled and stood up.
"It's a nice day, Jungkook, let's go get ice cream," he said and Jungkook followed him blindly. He could have sworn that Seokjin was mad at him, but you don't get ice cream with people you're mad at. Once they were out of the building, Seokjin elaborated, "Taehyung told me you liked me, like, two weeks ago." Jungkook choked on his breath.
"He what?! Can I help you kill him, please? That boy needs to learn to keep his goddamn mouth shut."
"Careful, Jungkook, he's older than you," Seokjin berated. Jungkook remembered his place and kept quiet but stayed fuming at Taehyung's betrayal. "Anyway, he told me you liked me but I honestly didn't believe him. Because honestly? What would a smoking hot freshman like you want with some random senior?" Jungkook had to really focus in order to keep walking. Because otherwise, he would trip again. He would literally fall for Seokjin but probably less hard than he already had.
"Um…I-I'm sorry, what?" Jungkook stammered and Seokjin smiled. He ruffled Jungkook's hair and said,
"You're cute when you're flustered." Jungkook forgot how to talk. Someone spoke from somewhere near them,
"You're saying he isn't normally cute?" It was Taehyung, who had probably been following them for a while without Jungkook noticing. Seokjin just laughed.
"No, he's usually just fine as hell." Taehyung bit his lip.
"Damn straight."
Jungkook managed to find his voice from wherever it had run off to when his crush and best friend started complimenting him. All it could say, however, was,
"Tae!" Taehyung grinned,
"Jungkookie, I'm kidding! I'm on my way to a date literally right now. His name's Jimin and he's really cute so don't think I'm still hung up on you." They reached an intersection and Taehyung turned the other way, leaving Seokjin and Jungkook to walk to the ice cream place by themselves. Jungkook coughed, seeing if he could talk.
"So… do you want to, like, be my boyfriend, o-or whatever?" he hoped he came off more confident than he sounded, but that was pretty unlikely. Seokjin just held his hand as they walked down the street. He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and made Jungkook face him. He smiled.
"I'd like that." He leaned in and kissed Jungkook with the sweetest, softest lips in the universe. All Jungkook could think was that God must be so fucking proud of this creation.