A/N: Extra-long chapter for all my lovely subbies and cute commenters :) Enjoy <3

In terms of poor life decisions, Jungkook prides himself for making a laughably low number of them.

But his poor life decisions tend to be exceedingly poor, as he sits sandwiched between Suga and Jimin who are excitedly digging at his ribs while Namjoon hones his interrogation skills. Friends, he scoffs. What are they? He doesn't have any, it seems, as the four put on devilish grins.

"So what did you let V put on your table?"

"Lili?"

"Ooooh they're on first name basis now aren't they." Jin coos and Jimin jabs him particularly hard. He'd flex his abs in retaliation, but school causes him to slack off exercise.

"I'm talking about Taehyung's freaking stuffed lion."

"And I'm talking about how you called it whatever the hell its-name-is-Lily?"

"Lili. It's lion lion twice without the o and n."

Suga cackles. Jungkook tries to wrestle his left arm out from his grip but Jin pushes down on his shoulders so hard he's almost certain to shrink a centimeter. Screw friendship, this is more like bullying. He struggles, but Jimin clings onto him with a "this is for your own good you idiot" and it's a little difficult to protest when he sees Namjoon giving him a Very Serious expression.

"Mhmm. So you let V leave his germ-infested what's-it's-name Lili lion on your table? That's against everything Jeon Jungkook stands for."

What does he stand for again?

Oh, right. He's anti-stuff toy because they're dust-filled germ-infested death traps, he's anti stuffed toys for grown men and he makes damn clear to Jin that fairy princesses are for sissies (but they can still be friends), he's anti intrusion of personal space because it's his.

Well, said stuffed lion isn't as bad as he thinks. For one, it sits between both their tables and doesn't take up an obnoxious amount of space like Suga’s headphones do. It's almost kind of cute, the soft brown eyes and the furry tail, and it always smells of like the hard candy Taehyung constantly eats during class. He's almost gotten used to the cherry smell coming from his mouth and the artificial red dye on his tongue when he talks. Almost. Sometimes he worries for Taehyung's health and it's not because he's concerned, he simply doesn't want him to suddenly collapse on him during geography class. Because blood is Not Pleasant, not because he’s actually squeamish and afraid of it.

Taehyung also isn't as bad as he thought; he's actually a pretty decent seat mate. For one he actually understands what the geography teacher says when she goes on a mile a minute, and he's very useful when it comes to pairwork. With his help it's not that much of a struggle to understand geography, and although he won't say, he's grateful. No, not even park Jimin on truth or dare can get that out of him (he tried, and Jungkook can still remember the sting on his throat from whatever cancer-causing concoction he forced down. Disgusting.)

It also doesn't hurt that Taehyung is practically a walking world map + geography textbook in a cute guy bundle, and Jungkook may or may not have a soft spot for his face. That's just because he's only a superficial human being and who doesn't like cute faces? Certainly not Jeon Jungkook, especially when cute face has an amazingly adorable smile that makes him want to pinch his cheeks and coo for hours. Sort of what Jin does to him sometimes, sparking Namjoon’s anger.

"Hello? Earth to Jeon Jungkook, are you receiving?"

"Too busy thinking about a certain alien." Suga says, and the whole table roars with laughter. Jungkook can't even bring himself to protest, because it's true. But not in that way. Nope, not at all. Just a momentary lapse of concentration. Those kind of things happen, don’t they? (but not to him).

"And so?" Namjoon asks, putting on his best serious face again while Jimin continues his uncontrollable laughter. Boy needs to learn some self-restraint.

"It's... okay?" He doesn't know what to say, really. It's somehow okay when it shouldn't be and conceptually he knows he's supposed to protest and rage against Taehyung but that's just not what he wants to do. It sort of feels nice, right even, to see Lili sit on his table and Taehyung sometimes absent-mindedly at it’s fur or play with it randomly. Super sweet that it causes cavities.

“Oh my god. Are you guys getting this on camera?” Jimin says, laughing spell broken.

“Wait let me film this. Hold there. Suga, you’re not in the frame. Okay good.” Jin says, handphone emerging from his jeans pocket as he assembles everybody in front of his pink Maplestory phone case.

“What.”

“Nope nope, go back to stupid Jungkook mode. It’s so rare to see you so dumb. May 5^th, 3:17p.m. Jeon Jungkook for the first time since birth is dumb. Okay, Namjoonie go on.”

“And what does this mean?”

“That it’s somehow okay and my blood pressure isn’t rising?”

Namjoon lets out a world-weary sigh. Jungkook wonders what he’s done wrong. Normally it’s the two of them complaining about the idiocy of everyone else, so the only logical conclusion is that now he’s the idiot. Which doesn’t even make any sense. Still, it’s the only thing that can explain why everyone is making a Bid Deal about this.

“You like him.”

“Excuse me?”

Because that is not true, this is not happening and somehow his ears-to-brain contraption isn’t working very well and Namjoon didn’t say you like him, he said something else completely different and his brain is just not computing and yes he must be going a bit mad-

“Oh my god did you catch his blush!” Jin sort of spazzes while holding his camera perfectly straight, because his so-called friends are all terrible that way.

“He’s so dumb I cannot.” Jimin shakes his head.

“You. Lack. Swag.” Suga drawls.

“Okay for your sake let’s say this really slow okay? You. Like. Kim. Taehyung. Or V. Or whatever pet name you have for him in that convoluted mind of yours.” Namjoon speaks to him like a child (or Suga when he’s being particularly stupid. Jungkook feels very insulted.)

“I what.”

There is some serious case of misunderstanding and miscommunication here. He most definitely does not like like Taehyung, that is not in his ten-year plan for the future.

“And he calls us dumb!” Jimin whines

“Love makes people dumb, he says, but he’s dumber than all of us combined now!”

“I most definitely do not like him my brain has never-“

“Do you want to see your face right now.”

Suga shoves a camera angled for selfies and for the first time he realizes how red his face is. Now that he thinks about it, his cheeks are a little hot. Which is to be expected. Such false accusations are embarrassing, are they not?

“I’m just embarrassed-“

“You’re not just embarrassed. You’re embarrassed because it’s true. If it wasn’t you’ll shoot it down calmly with no fear because that’s just who you are.” 

That.

That makes too much sense.

Wait.

That cannot make any sense.

He most definitely does not like Taehyung or V or whatever he chooses to call himself (and he thinks Taehyungie is a very cute name) but he’s behaving like he does-

.

He is so screwed.