Taehyung was a competitive boy to say the least.

Yoongi was the smartest boy in class.

And you might have guessed it already.

They were rivals.

Taehyung huffed and pushed his glasses higher, glaring at the boy that sat diagonally in front of him. As expected, Yoongi was placed first in class for the test again and Taehyung second. Both rivals were childhood friends and Taehyung never came across anyone else who could beat him other than Min Yoongi, be it in sports, academic, or other performances.

“I don’t mix with others who aren’t up to my standards.” Little Taehyung held his nose in the air and said arrogantly. Taehyung’s father had introduced Yoongi to him and being the stubborn little boy he was, Taehyung objected to being Yoongi’s friend.

“Let’s have a challenge then.” Yoongi smirked and pointed his tiny index finger towards Taehyung.

“Bring it on!” Taehyung raised his left eyebrow in amusement. No one had ever dared to challenge Kim Taehyung and the latter was in for it, he thought.

Boy, was he wrong. Yoongi aimed straight for Taehyung’s gut and knocked him onto the ground when Taehyung was caught off guard. Frowning, Taehyung tried to trip Yoongi with his leg but Yoongi managed to dodge it effortlessly, holding Taehyung down.

“I win.” Yoongi grinned while Taehyung panted heavily, trying to rid himself out of the latter’s grip.

“Let go of me.” Taehyung frowned and squirmed. He was taken aback. No one had ever beaten the invisible Taehyung and he thought that his status was going to stay for a long time. That wasn’t until Min Yoongi came along and proved him wrong. They were both 7 years old at that time.

And from then onwards, Yoongi would always beat him in every single thing. Surprisingly, Taehyung didn’t hate it as much as he thought he would. Taehyung loved challenges and Yoongi would never fail to disappoint him. And thus they became rivals, or at least they were to Taehyung.

Turning back to face Taehyung, Yoongi smiled. “I’ve won yet again.”

“I’ll win you the next time!” Taehyung huffed, shoving his test into his bag. “I believe I’ll win you one day!”

“Try your best then.” Yoongi walked over and ruffled Taehyung’s hair before strolling out of the classroom, humming softly.

No, he didn’t hate Yoongi. At times like this, he hated himself more. He had to be the best, said his father. Furthermore, Taehyung didn’t get why Yoongi was way better than him. He had the car, the servants, extra classes, when Yoongi didn’t. But no matter what he did, Yoongi would still prevail over him.

“I challenge you!” Taehyung grinned widely, confident that he would surely beat Yoongi this time.

“To?” Yoongi asked, clearly amused by Taehyung’s confidence knowing that he would win yet again. However Yoongi knew that Taehyung was persistent and giving up wasn’t something he knew of.

The said boy smiled. “Running a whole lap around the park.”

If Yoongi had calculated correctly, they had probably challenged each other 53 times in running over the past 11 years ever since they met.

“And if I win, I’ll have you for a day.”

As predicted, Yoongi emerged the winner, leaving a sulky Taehyung following behind him the day after. The shorter boy grabbed Taehyung close, nudging his sides.

“Come on, don’t be so sulky on our date.” Taehyung flushed a deep shade of red and choked on his spit.

“W-what?” Yoongi shrugged and slipped his hands into his pockets.

“Tell me!” Taehyung tugged at Yoongi’s shirt while Yoongi simply shook his head.

Out of the blue, someone brushed in between the both of them, pushing Yoongi out of Taehyung’s grip. Taehyung immediately lost his balance and fell face flat onto the ground, groaning.

“Ouch.” Taehyung held his knee, whimpering. Yoongi immediately rushed to Taehyung's side and inspected his wound.

“Stay still.” Yoongi commanded and took out his handkerchief to tie around the latter’s knee. “Can you get up?” Yoongi’s eyes were filled with worry and a hint of something else that Taehyung couldn’t make up.

Taehyung slowly nodded and grabbed Yoongi’s hand, wincing in the process.

The shorter shook his head. “Let me carry you instead.”

Although Taehyung opposed to the idea, he eventually gave in to Yoongi’s persistence. Yoongi’s back felt surprisingly warm, though Taehyung would not admit it. He rested his head against Yoongi’s back, listening to the latter’s rapid heartbeat while he unconsciously drifted to sleep.

“I’ll win you next time.” Taehyung suddenly muttered out in his sleep, startling Yoongi.

“Do you want to win me that badly?” Yoongi laughed softly. “You’ve already won my heart.”

I hope you guys like this. And do comment on what kind of taegi stories you'd prefer me to write: fluff / angst.