“I’ll be waiting for you after school, (Y/N)-ah. Did you remember to bring your lunch?” your mom pinched your cheeks, smiling fondly at you. 

“Yes!” you chirped right back.

“Did you bring your gym clothes?” 

“Yes!”

“Did you bring your backpack?”

“Of course.”

“Did you-”

“I’ll see you after school, Mom,” you interrupted her before she could launch into a full-blown interrogation. “I have to go meet my teacher now!”

“Okay, and make sure to let her know that you’re the transfer student. I’m sure the school has informed her, but just in case,” she tucked a loose strand of hair behind your ear.

“I got it, don’t worry!” you smiled brightly. “I’ll see you soon, love you!”

You happily skipped away, excitement bubbling in your chest. It was going to be your first day attending a new school and you couldn’t wait to make some new friends. 

You quickly made your way to your assigned classroom, glancing around at the unfamiliar environment.

“Oh, you must be the new transfer student!” a middle-aged lady beckoned you over and you hesitantly complied.

“Hi, I am Mrs. Hong and you’re (Y/N), right?” she smiled kindly at you. You nodded back, suddenly too nervous to say anything.

“I’ll let you introduce yourself in a minute, I’m just waiting on a few late stragglers,” she led you towards the front of the room and suddenly the once noisy classroom was deafeningly silent.

You felt eyes follow the back of your head, watching your every move. 

Mrs. Hong positioned you in the center of the room, before turning you around to face the class.  

“Everyone, listen up! Today we have a new addition to our class! She just moved and transferred to our community. (Y/N), why don’t you introduce yourself?” she looked towards you.

You cleared your throat, your palms becoming clammy with sweat. 

“Hi,” you squeaked, unused to the spotlight of attention. “I’m-”

Your introduction was interrupted by a loud slamming of the door, followed by the entrance of a boy wearing an overly large T-shirt and baggy pants, a lollipop. 

There was another awkward pause as you held a silent staring contest with the boy who reminded you of a fluffy, sleepy lion. 

He suddenly broke out into a wide grin, sprinted towards you, and ended up tackling you into a hug.

“You must be (Y/N)-ah!” he squealed in excitement, jumping up and down. 

“Who are you?” you could barely breathe as you struggled against his iron grip.

“Kim Taehyung, at your service,” he let go of you and bowed ridiculously. “Ohmygee, we’ve heard so much about you and I can’t believe that you’re finally here and GUESS WHAT we’regoingtobethebestestoffriendsandhavesomuchfunblowingstuffuptogetherandheylookwe’rewearingthesamecolor-”

And this was how you met your best friend, Kim Taehyung, full-time professional weirdo. 

Oh boy, welcome to second grade. 

*~*

After spending almost half a decade together, you still weren’t used to Taehyung’s no-filter, shameless way of going about things. Frankly, you didn’t think you’d ever be able to handle anything that he throws at you.

You weren’t bothered by it, since that’s what turned boring afternoons into some of the best days of your life and kept you on your toes for what to expect next.

Okay, scratch that. There was one thing that made you want to pull your hair out and strangle either Taehyung or yourself.

And that thing was: skinship.

There was no stopping him, he was completely unpredictable. 

One moment he wouldn’t even be in the same room as you, the next he’d have his head in your lap, playing in fascination with your fingers. 

What made you anxious had almost become a habit for him. Holding hands, hugging for minutes at a time. All of these were aspects in your relationship that left you confused and more than a little annoyed.

“For the nth time, we’re not in second grade anymore! Let go of me!”

“Not a chance.”

*~*

Piles of trash poured out of your locker and landed in a heap at your feet. You stared down at the bags of empty soda cans and half-eaten burgers, trying not to let the tears get to you.

It had been a few months since this had started occurring, perhaps even from the start of your last year in middle school.

Of course, Taehyung didn’t know about this, which was why it had continued to increase in frequency.

Oh, Taehyung. Where do you even begin with him. 

The kid had a dramatic growth spurt the summer leading up to your last year and suddenly instead of being mere centimeters taller than you, he was a full head taller. 

Not to mention, he had begun to fill out. He had always been on the thin side, but instead of being viewed as scrawny, there was a more masculine edge to his lean built. 

To put it simply, Taeba (a nickname you had affectionately given him after watching The Lion King together) had grown into Taefasa. 

The fluff ball that had tackled you on your first day of second grade was turning into a man.

You didn’t even try to deny this anymore because maybe you had always known.

Maybe it was from the way girls suddenly began to whisper and giggle hysterically whenever he walked into the room, or maybe it was the way that his voice had gotten so deep. 

As you bent down to clean up the mess your tormentors had created, it finally hit you, full-force.

You gasped, curling yourself into a fetal position, as you let the tears stream down your face. 

This wasn’t second grade anymore. 

*~*

Freshman year. 

Threats from girls became more and more common.

Your daily routine consisted of avoiding Taehyung’s craziest fangirls as best you could, and trying to pretend like you didn’t feel the entire cafeteria’s eyes slowly mutilating your body as Taehyung talked animatedly about his new obsession. 

He would randomly grab your wrist to make sure you were paying attention, before launching back into his monologue, never removing his hand.

You glanced around uneasily, wondering how he never noticed anything. Never noticed the occasional flour marks on your school uniform or the battered state of your school textbooks.

But you didn’t blame him, because he was Taehyung. A single smile of his made all the bullying worth it, all the hardships disappear, if even for a second. 

You were strong, strong enough to take it. 

After all, you weren’t in second grade anymore. 

*~*

Sophomore year. 

“Yah! (Y/N)-ah, wait up!” you heard his voice calling for you, but you only hastened your pace towards the school exit.

You almost sighed in defeat when he still managed to catch up to you, easily swinging an arm around your shoulder.

“Someone’s eager to get out of school,” he chuckled, ruffling your hair.

You managed a grimace of a smile before automatically shrugging yourself out from under his arm.

“Yeah, I guess,” you put some distance between the two of you, missing the crack in Taehyung’s smile as confusion entered his eyes.

He shook his head quickly, clearing his mind of any negative thoughts. Instead, he managed an even brighter smile and reached for your hand.

He had barely grabbed onto it before you retracted that as well, shoving your hands into your pockets.

This time he frowned and stopped walking.

You noticed the absence of his presence and mentally debated whether you should keep walking or turn around and confront the situation.

You found your body turning on its own accord, as Taehyung gripped onto your elbow and forced you to look at him.

“Are you okay, (Y/N)-ah? You seem a bit off these days,” he murmured, worry and concern etched all over his handsome features.

“I’m fine,” you sighed, running a hand through your hair. “Just stressed from school.”

“You know, you can ask me for help on homework or-”

“I think I’m going to pass on that,” you repeated the phrase you had suddenly grown accustomed to giving him. “I’m a bit tired and I think a nap-”

“No, (Y/N)-ah, talk to me,” he replied sternly. 

“I’m just really not feeling well-”

“No, this has been going on for months. We never hang out anymore and every time it’s the same excuse. If you’re going to lie, you should come up with better excuses. But (Y/N)-ah, you know you could never fool me and that’s why I’m here. I want to help you.”

That’s when you snapped. 

“Help? Help me, Taehyung? Please! You’re doing anything but helping me! I wouldn’t be having these problems if it weren’t for your stalker fangirls that have crossed the line way too many times and made my life hell. So, if you call that help, just realize that it sure as hell is not,” you were ranting now, throwing ridiculous nonsense at him and you just couldn’t stop this word vomit, even as you saw a look of pure hurt flash across his face.

“(Y/N)-ah,” he called gently, reaching for you, but you stepped backwards and his face crumbled further.

It crushed you, it crushed you to know that you were the one that was doing this to him. 

“Please, (Y/N)-ah, please,” he begged, “don’t avoid me, I’ll help you, I promise I-”

“Taehyung, we are not in second grade anymore!” you screamed, immediately regretting your words as soon as they came out.

He froze in place, his eyes flashing and accusing you with every ounce of disbelief and rage he held in his being. 

“Yeah,” he simply muttered. “I guess we’re not.”

*~*

Junior year. 

The two of you spent the entire summer without contacting the other.

Despite your wish for reconciliation, you were too afraid of the damage that you had caused, scared of making it worse.

You held on to this belief stubbornly, battling with your newly discovered feelings.

When Taehyung had suddenly been ripped out of your life, he had also taken the exciting and spontaneous moments with him.

There were days where you clutched at the empty feeling in your chest, the pain so intense that you could barely function. There were days where the pain would fade to numbness and you wouldn’t be able to feel anything.

There were days when you cried yourself to sleep. More importantly, you realized that you missed him, every day.

You missed his contagious laugh, his twinkling smile, his deep voice, his sarcastic remarks.

You missed him.

When the new school year started, you found yourself constantly looking around to see if you could spot him. Would he be in any of your classes this year, would you pass him in the hallways and share a brief greeting?

You shook your head quickly to clear these thoughts. The two of you hadn’t spoken for a few weeks already, let alone even seen each other.

For all you knew, your ex-best friend could be a complete stranger to you now.

You were so consumed in your thoughts that you didn’t watch where you were going, only to have it bite back at you as you found your books suddenly sprawled across the floor and your bottom having made painful contact with the cold tiled floor. 

“Sorry,” you felt your face burn in embarrassment as you scrambled to reassemble your materials. “It was my fault I wasn’t watching where I was going-”. 

“Here.”

You paused, just barely registering the shudders that rushed through your body. You would recognize this voice anywhere.

Your head snapped up and you could hardly believe that he was really there, staring back at you with those mischievous eyes that you had missed. 

“No, it was my fault. I was in your way,” he had finished gathering your things up and was clearly about to make his exit, his voice rather calm but with a slight edge of bitterness in it.

“Wait, Taehyung,” you suddenly called out. He stopped, his stance a bit defensive and unnatural, all traces of the Taehyung you had known gone.

“Do you need something?” he said slowly, his eyes a bit round in shock.

“I-I,” you didn’t know what to say, your words escaping you. He stood there, waiting, and when it appeared as if you weren’t going to finish your thought, he began to walk away again.

“I miss you!” you blurted out in panic, and he froze once again, his brows furrowing.

You read the conflict in his eyes, the unwillingness in his body language to believe your words.

He let out a snort eventually, shaking his head slowly. 

He faced you once again, a gleam coating his eyes, and you thought for a moment that he was going to start crying. 

“So you think a sorry was all I needed?” he let out a dry chuckle, leaving you to feel rather unsettled.

“No, not at all,” you shook your head. “You deserve so much more than I could ever offer you.”

“Say that again, I dare you,” he glared hard at you. 

“Taehyung, I get it if you want to stop being friends-”

“Shut up!” he cried, his eyes showing anguish and frustration. He ran his hands through his hair roughly, frantically glancing around him. His eyes met yours again and there were so many pent-up emotions that you had a hard time comprehending.

“Tae, what-”

“Don’t you see how much you matter to me? There was never anything I regretted about our friendship until you decided to start keeping things from me. Because, (Y/N)-ah, I thought we were friends. We handle the good, the bad, and the ugly together. Don’t feel like you’re a burden because you aren’t. You are and will forever be my priority so why, just why, are you like this to yourself? Why are you doing this to us?” he questioned harshly. 

“I-,” you lowered your head. “I just…I know I don’t deserve for this friendship to work out but I just, there are so many things that I want to tell you but oh god I care about you so much and I just don’t want to overburden you and-”

You were cut off when he suddenly wrapped his arms around you, pulling you into a tight hug. 

“Come to me next time, (Y/N)-ah, don’t push me away,” he whispered into your air, his breath tickling your neck.

“Okay,” you murmured, relishing in the feeling of having him so close to you. 

You weren’t planning on letting go this time. 

——————————————————————————————–

Things returned to normal, or as normal as they could get. Taehyung was speaking to you again, but remained at a distance that you wished was nonexistent.

He stopped trying to hold your hand or wrap you into a hug or ruffle your hair. The most he would offer was a high-five and it didn’t help that you weren’t sure how to act on your own feelings for him. 

Every time he reached for your hand but let his hand fall midway, you felt like you were being stabbed by a thousand sharp knives.

But you decided to let it go for now, instead choosing to focus on schoolwork and other pressing matters such as college entrance exams that were less than a year away. 

You still hadn’t told Taehyung about the whole bullying situation, and now it had gotten to the point where boys would make passes and try to take advantage of you.

This happened a few months into junior year when you had left your class to go to the bathroom.

You were walking back from the restroom when a tall male that you weren’t too familiar with blocked your path.

He was well-built, and quite attractive, you had to admit that. But the sneer on his face immediately had you backtracking and trying to plan an escape route.

“Hey, (Y/N),” he called sweetly and you broke out into a sweat.

“H-How do you know my name?” you stammered, eyes scanning frantically for the nearest exit.

“You caught my eye,” he smirked again and you were utterly repulsed.

“Well that’s very flattering of you but I need to head back to-”

“Oh no, no, no. You aren’t going anywhere, missy. Not until I’m finished with you anyway. And that’s if you can walk after what I do to you,” he cackled and you thought you swallowed some bile that had risen to your throat.

“We’re on school grounds. If you don’t mind, I’d just like to get back to class,” you attempted to step around him but he grabbed your arm and began dragging you towards a more secluded area of the school. 

“Let go of me!” you screamed, tears freely flowing from your eyes. “Let go of me!”

“Shut up and make this easier for the both of us,” he growled. 

He eventually arrived at an empty hallway, dragging the both of you towards the darker end of it. 

“Taehyung, Taehyung, Taehyung,” you started chanting, your teeth clattering together in your trembling state. “Oh god, please don’t let this happen-”

You finally managed to free yourself from his grip and made a mad dash to swerve around him, but he effortlessly caught your waist and pinned your back against the lockers, trapping you between him like a predator ready to feast on its prey.

“Stop, please, no,” you shook your head, holding up your arms in front of your chest. 

He easily trapped your arms in one of his own, wrapping a hand around the back of your neck.

“Let go, let go, please,” you cried, refusing to submit to his will. 

He ignored your pleas, staring hungrily at your lips. He began to lean in and you thrashed your head from side to side, not allowing him to gain a clear opening.  

“Let go of me right now or I will make you regret it,” your voice was surprisingly even but your heart was ready to burst through your chest.

“Oh, I don’t know,” his grip on your neck tightened and your head was no longer able to move. “We’re just getting started here.”

Suddenly a shadow loomed over the both of you, and the next thing you knew, you were sitting on the floor and watching in shock at the unexpected arrival of a very angry Taehyung. 

He had tackled the boy to the side, throwing punch after punch at him, slamming him against the wall. 

“Don’t you EVER touch her again, you disgusting piece of sh*t,” he yelled. “If you do, I’ll break you in half you-”

“Taehyung, stop!” you cried out, just as a crowd had gathered around the three of you, probably having heard all the commotion you had been making. 

“Boys, break it up!” the teachers charged forward, yanking Taehyung away from the boy who now had a split lip and bruised jaw.

“Tae,” you croaked, collapsing onto your knees, your legs sliding weakly across the floor.

He turned to look at you, before rushing to pick you up and hold you towards his chest. 

You couldn’t stop the tears, letting them soak through his uniform.

“Tae.”

“Shh,” he whispered, lifting you up before everything turned black. 

——————————————————————————————–

When you came to again, you found yourself staring into a pair of concerned brown orbs.

“Oh , thank god you woke up,” he swore, cradling you into a hug.

“What?” you attempted to sit up, but he let go abruptly and stood up. 

“Oh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to,” he rushed over his apology. “I know you don’t like being touched I just…I gotta go back to class.”

He ran out of the door and despite the unexpected turn of events, you watched him go with a heavy heart. 

You sighed inwardly to yourself, a small frown tugging at the corners of your lips. 

“I guess we’re not in second grade anymore.”

*~*

Senior year. 

The boy that had attempted to take advantage of you had been expelled the following day and your junior year ended in peace. 

You had had to attend counseling as a way to help you control your aftershock but Taehyung had been with you every step of the way. 

The bullying had finally stopped and your feelings for Taehyung had only grown. 

Things returned to normal, Taehyung becoming even more touchy-feely and into skinship. 

People were even starting to ask if you were dating yet, to which you would blush and shake your head.

“We’re just friends,” you would insist

“Come on, Y/N-ah, you are so not just friends,” they would retort. 

And you honestly didn’t know anymore. The lines were becoming blurry again and you thought maybe both of you had crossed a line without being completely aware of it.

You were sure of the way you felt, but the fear of an unrequited love stopped you from acting upon your feelings.

Until the day you caught him receiving a confession from another girl. 

He had been sweet in his rejection but the fact that he rejected the girl did not even register in your mind.

You were overcome with jealousy, no it was more intense. An overwhelming sense of disappointment and sadness washed over you and you had made eye contact with him before bursting into tears and rushing off.

You avoided him for the following week, an emotional wreck, before he finally cornered you one day and demanded an explanation. 

“(Y/N)-ah, I know you’re avoiding me,” he frowned down at you, not liking the silence that greeted him in response. 

“Yah, talk to me. Did I do something wrong?”

“No, I just,” you took a deep breath. It was now or never. “I-”

“I like you,” the both of you said at the same time. Your eyes widened slightly but he only offered a goofy grin. 

“Like more than just a friend,” you clarified.

“It’s the same for me,” he confirmed simply. 

“Then why haven’t you done anything about it?” you suddenly snapped at him and he chuckled dryly.

“Because a certain someone was avoiding me,” he shrugged and you internally fumed at how easily he had turned your words around. 

“Hey, (Y/N)-ah,” Taehyung called fondly, tugging your hand towards him. He pulled you towards him and you blushed at the close proximity. 

“Hmm?” you replied, turning your head to the side only to find his brown eyes staring at you intensely.

“Does that mean I can kiss you now?” he asked.

“Wha-”

He leaned in suddenly, pressing his lips gently against yours, before pulling away and leaning his forehead against yours.

It had been short, but sweet, and full of promise. 

You could feel the smile radiating from the warmth of his being, and the corners of your lips tilted upwards unconsciously. 

“We’re not in second grade anymore.”