Their dinner tonight is a lot more pleasant- both of Taehyung's brothers are home (without boyfriends), which means that his mom has something more to focus on than just him (score!).

Seokjin and Hoseok both take turns talking about their classes, and how difficult they are. He doesn’t really want to see the imploring looks that his mom is giving him, so he keeps eye contact with his potatoes for most of their conversation.

Halfway through their meal, his mom says, “Oh, Tae, I want you to come with me to my yoga class tomorrow after school- there’s some of my old sorority friends I want you to meet. I think that meeting them might get you into the mindset to think about schools.”

Immediately he remembers that he's hanging out with Jungkook tomorrow. His stomach drops a little bit at the prospect of telling his family. He knows that his sisters and dad won’t care, but mom…

He waits for her to stop talking before he says, “Mom, I can’t, I’m going out tomorrow.”

“I think you can skip the library for one day, don’t you think?” she says, scooping potatoes onto her fork.

“I’m actually hanging out with a friend.”

His mom stops with a forkful of potatoes halfway to .

“What?” Taehyung asks. That’s when he realize that everyone is looking at him.

“Just surprised, that’s all.” His mother waves her hand nonchalantly, but there’s a glint in her eyes that he knows too well. She’s going to start asking questions.

“What are you doing?” Seokjin asks quickly. He must have noticed mom’s look.

Taehyung pauses, thinking. “I actually don’t know,” he realizes, “He never said.”

There’s silence again, and he curses himself. He shouldn’t have said ‘he’.

“Oooooooh!” Hoseok says with a sly grin. “Who is he?”

“Just a friend.” he says quickly, but he feels his face burning red. “His name is Jungkook.”

“Mm-hmm?”

“That’s it.” He says. “He’s in my first couple classes.”

Hoseok and mom both give him expectant looks, like they’re waiting for more details.

“That’s cool, Tae.” Seokjin says quickly. He shoots a thankful look at him as they resume their dinner. His dad starts talking about one of his patients- an old man with an odd sense of humor- and he's able to relax slightly.

While he's putting his plate in the dishwasher, he hears a beep coming from his phone.

New Message

From: Jungkook

6:37 pm

Why do chemists like nitrates so much?

Taehyung puts his plate away. Jungkook must be doing his chemistry homework. He answers him quickly:

New Message

To: Jungkook

6:38 pm

Why?

He goes back to loading the dishwasher with Seokjin. Hoseok seems to have made himself scarce, which is not an unusual occurrence in their house. Beep beep.

New Message

From: Jungkook

6:40 pm

Because they’re cheaper than day rates! (Insert laughter here!)

At his answer, he almost drops the glass he's holding. With a snort of laughter, Taehyung texts him back. He only half notices Seokjin giving him a sly smile.

New Message
To: Jungkook

6:42 pm

That was actually very clever. More than I thought it would be, anyway.

New Message

From: Jungkook

6:44 pm

Thank you for your faith in me. I appreciate that.

He smiles at Jungkook’s text before sending one of his own. Seokjin is still watching him, but he doesn’t react to his gaze.

New Message

To: Jungkook

6:46 pm

You’re welcome!

They finish loading the dishwasher as another beep comes from his pocket.

New Message

From: Jungkook

6:48 pm

I also appreciate your sarcasm. Whatcha doing?

At this, he excuses himself quickly and goes to his room. Seokjin follows him, calling for him to stop before he reaches his room. The two of them have always been close, so he doesn’t object to him following him.

“What’s up?” he asks Seokjin. 

“Nothing.” He says, with a huge grin. “Just want to hear about your boy.”

“He’s not mine. We’re friends, Jin hyung.”

That’s a nice thing to say- he has a friend that’s not Jimin… though he loves him to bits and pieces, maybe it’s good for them to have someone else to talk to.

Seokjin smiles at him. He is positively beautiful. He has big eyes and really high cheek bones that makes it look like he’s smiling all the time, which he usually is.

“Do you want me to talk to mom and Hoseok about pestering you?”

For a second he's tempted to say yes. Seokjin is always good with people, but then he thinks about Momo, and how if he needs to fight his own battles, he should at least start with his mom.

“No, that’s all right.”

Seokjin smiles “Let me know if you need anything. Like clothing advice for tomorrow.” He winks on his way out the door, and Taehyung turns back to his phone to find two new messages from Jungkook.

New Message

From: Jungkook

6:50 pm

Tae? Hellllllooooo?

New Message

From: Jungkook

6:54 pm

Tae! Tae! Tae!

New Message

To: Jungkook

6:56 pm

You’re so impatient!!

New Message

From: Jungkook

6:59 pm

:) Whatcha doing?

New Message

To: Jungkook

7:01 pm

Brotherly talk with Seokjin. You?

New Message

From: Jungkook

7:03 pm

Interesting. How’d it go?

New Message

To: Jungkook

7:06 pm

Perfectly fine, thank you very much. So what are you doing?

New Message

From: Jungkook

7:07 pm

Tired of typing

New Message

To: Jungkook

7:09 pm

I think you’re just lazy.

New Message

From: Jungkook

7:10 pm

Fine then. Calling you.

Before he can text him back, Taehyung's phone starts playing Ba Nah Na Nah from the Minions. It’s been his ringtone forever, since he was a freshman.

He stares at the caller ID, and sees JUNGKOOK. He hesitates before answering. He's not really good at talking on the phone, but he knows he’ll keep pestering if he doesn’t answer.

“Hello?”

“Hello?”

“Jungkook?” he asks.

“Jungkook.” He says.

Taehyung snorts. “What’s up?”

“I’m calling you. Duh.”

“Yes, but why?”

“To tell you dumb chemistry jokes. I’m in my element.”

He can’t help it, he giggles. “I can’t believe you just used that one.” He gets up to close the door, just in case anyone is lingering in the hallway (mainly Seokjin or Hoseok…or mom).

“Come on, Tae, it’s my best joke!”

“You should probably get some more jokes.”

“Well then,” Jungkook huffs. “I guess I’ll just let you guess where we’re hanging out tomorrow.”

His inner control freak comes out, “No, you have to tell me!”

“Nah, it’ll have to be a surprise.”

“You’re mean.” Taehyung smiles into the phone.

“Eh, whatever. I wasn’t going to tell you anyway.”

He smiles. “Sure you weren’t.”

Part of him is surprised at himself. He was expecting their conversation to be awkward, but it’s very comfortable…normal even.

Suddenly Taehyung hears a shout in the background. It sounds like a high-pitched squeal of a girl.

“That would be my charming cousin.” Now Jungkook's talking to someone else. “Say hi to Tae.”

“Hello?” There’s a girl’s voice on the other end of the line.

“Uh, hi. I’m Tae.”

“Krystal. Don’t let my irksome cousin bother you, kay?”

“Um, okay?”

There’s a scuffle on the other end of the line, and then Jungkook is back, “Don’t mind her,” he says.

“You two seem close.”

“Well we are at the same age. We sometimes wear matching outfits or more like she forces me into one.”

Taehyung snorts. “I’d love to see that.”

“I bet you would. Then you’d post the pictures to the internet and I’d never live it down.”

“You definitely wouldn’t.”

He hears another shout, and Jungkook says, “I’d better go, dinner.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

“Sure.”

“Bye Tae.”

“Bye.”

About ten seconds after the click on the other end, his door flies open with a huge BANG. I bet there’s a dent in my wall now, he thinks ruefully.

“What the hell?” he exclaim.

“You’ve got a date!” Seokjin shrieks. “Details, now!”

His face is burning. He could kill Seokjin. “I already told you, it’s not a date!” It’s not like he likes me anyway.

“I still want details!” Seokjin plops himself down on his bed and stares at him. He looks like an overgrown toddler.

“You’re not going to leave until I tell you something, aren’t you?”

Seokjin nods.

He sighs. He ends up telling his brother all about Jungkook. Seokjin smiles through his whole story, laughing out loud when Taehyung tells him about the chemistry jokes.

“You’ll have to tell me all about it tomorrow,” he says excitedly.

He nods, “Will do. It won’t be very exciting though.”

Seokjin smiles, “You should wear that,” he points to a blue sweater hanging in his closet as he leaves the room. “It’ll bring out your eyes.”

He ends up on his email a little while later. True to his word, Jimin emailed him again.

Message Recipient: 

From: 

That boy sounds totally HOT! I’m so excited for you- you should kick his girlfriend to the curb! Updates needed soon!

Jimin

He sends Jimin an email back, telling him all about him and Jungkook’s conversations, and how Jungkook won’t tell him where they’re going to hang out tomorrow. Almost immediately he get Jimin's response.

Message Recipient: 

From: 

You’re kidding? He’s totally flirting with you, and that is SO a date! Don’t even get me started! If you’re going after school, make sure you wear a cute outfit. Get Seokjin to help you, he’s always brilliant at that sort of thing! I’m glad to hear that the girl you mentioned before is his cousin, too! But definitely ask if he has a girlfriend, just in case!

Jimin