A/N: I hope you guys like it!! ^_^ 

Jeon Jungkook strode up to a table at the back which had been immediately vacated by the sophomore who had been sitting in it, when the said young man met the boy's frightened freshman eyes the moment he stepped into the classroom. 

Beside the table Jungkook had just occupied,  a slim black haired boy languidly sat in the lap of his grey-haired boyfriend with his arms wrapped around the other guy's neck. He looked at Jungkook and grinned, dark eyes glinting with certain humor. 

"Always the bad boy aren't you Kookie? First day of school and you are already scaring the little boys with those stares of yours," he said casually. His voice overly sugar-sweet with a snicker which was mirrored nicely by Chanyeol, the guy whose lap he had made himself comfortable. 

"Cut it out Baekhyun. So I guess you were held back too?" Jungkook asked, loosening his tie and leaned back in his chair while resting an arm on the backrest. 

"Uh-huh," Baekhyun affirmed with nod, gritting his teeth. "My attendance last year was only a measly 24%. I thought they were joking about the minimum of 75% attendance thing but it seemed they actually kept count. They even barred me from the exams which I actually studied for." 

"You lovebirds just need to turn up for more classes instead of just ing around," said Jungkook with an amused smirk. "It's amazing they let you both keep your dorm rooms. I guess they are too stupid to know what you two do inside either of them." 

"Har. Har. Har," Baekhyun responded sarcastically. "You are held back too because your attendance only chalked up to 17%! At least we had some urgent things to attend to." 

"You can't blame me for being bored in classes where I practically know everything," The other young man said smugly. The smug look went as fast as it came however, as he suddenly remembered something. "But this time I can't be retained. My grandfather wants me in the University he picked for me." 

"Still that old man's er aren't you?" 

Jungkook whipped his head to the maddeningly grinning haired boy and was about to retort furiously with something when a voice came from behind him: "First day of the semester and already at each other's throats? How we remain good friends, I don't know." 

"Yoongi?!" all three of them, even Chanyeol, exclaimed in unison as they turned their astonished eyes to the blonde, paled skinned pal of theirs. Of all four of them, Yoongi had the best grades and was the only one who took his studies seriously, not to mention his student council history. 

"You're retained too?" Jungkook could not hold back his astonishment. Yoongi clenched his teeth and bared it in annoyance at the reason behind his retainment. 

" I was suspended for a year remember? The principal accused me of bringing a woman into campus!" 

"Which you did," Baekhyun pointed out practically. 

"She's my cousin! Hoseok's sister! We're all cousins!" Yoongi shouted near hysteria, gesticulating furiously despite all the heads his shouting had made turn. 

"People in the past married cousins all the time," being Baekhyun's dismissive answer. 

"Baek you're not helping and ewww gross," Yoongi responded. “I shouldn't have agreed to show her around but still, it was not as if there were absolutely no women in this campus. There's the Calculus teacher and..." 

Yoongi drifted off to a stop when he saw that the three of them were silent and that Baekhyun was feigning concentrated interest at something in the far corner of the fast-filling room. He turned towards Baekhyun's object of interest and startled. While he was speaking, apparently a particularly cute red head had streamed in with a tall brunette and a couple of other guys. 

Baekhyun was quick to notice that Yoongi's attention had been caught and drawled, "Say...isn't that the kid you couldn't stop talking about since we were in middle school? The one who lived down the street from you whom you saw every day on your way to school. Whom sometimes walked home with you. Whose parents invited you over before and in whose home you slept over once when your parents were not home, leaving you with an aching side because you dared not to turn to see him asleep?" 

"He is hardly a kid anymore eh Yoon?" Chanyeol added knowingly. 

Yoongi looked like he was about to have a seizure. He sat rigidly in his chair, looking on as the red head took a seat at the far corner by the window, his brunette friend took the seat behind him. Yoongi still had not recovered from his shock when the red head took to look around the classroom and spotted him sitting like a stone statue in his chair. 

He could barely respond when the red head lifted a hand and subjected it to a vigorous wave. 

The red head shot up in his seat and bounded over to where the gang was sitting. 

"Hey Yoongi! I didn't expect to see you here! I thought you'd be-" 

'Keep it cool. You need to appear friendly and normal', Yoongi lectured himself inwardly. 

" I was suspended for a year for bringing my female cousin into the campus so I am retained," Yoongi blurted out in one breath, "And hey Jimin." 

Jimin was taken aback by Yoongi's train of hastily spoken words and had to take a while to decipher everything that was being said. In time he laughed heartily. 

"Oh man that's too bad. This school sure had some tough rules huh?" Jimin remarked looking about the room. "It sure was competitive getting into this school." 

"Yeah and it being an all-boys school, you have to be careful not to be felt up by the other boys," Baekhyun added, grinning when Yoongi shot him a don't-ruin-his-innocent-mind look. 

"That's expected but I doubt I am that attractive to other boys," Jimin replied with laugh. He seemed to be rather intrigued by the fact that the haired boy who was talking to him was sitting in the lap of another taller looking guy. Still looking at Yoongi with a certain glint in his eyes, Baekhyun replied, " Oh you never know...." 

Perking up, Baekhyun offered his hand, " Oh by the way, I am Baekhyun and this is my boyfriend Chanyeol. This sourpuss here Mr. Anti-Social is Jungkook. Don't bother he won't shake your hand." 

Jungkook proved him wrong by firmly shaking the short boy's hand and even giving it a hard squeeze much to Yoongi's distress. Jimin extracted his hand and commented on his grip. Jungkook only replied with a 'hmmmm'.

"We are so excited to finally meet you," Baekhyun went on not noticing Jungkook's little show of strength. "We've heard so much about you from Yoongi. He likes--" 

Yoongi's eyes widened to  comical proportions, as he stared at Baekhyun. His head was shaking in small movements, so as to not let Jimin see. His wide, dark eyes beseeching as he mouthed as subtly as possible, "No". Baekhyun could not wipe the evil grin from his face. 

"He likes your hair," Baekhyun finished. For all his cruelty at times and his sassy queen silent tantrums when he was mad, Baekhyun was not one to cause his friends pain. If Yoongi loves Jimin, it was always best that he professed it himself. Unless Baekhyun saw that a push was badly needed, he would not intervene. "Been wanting to dye it red for some time now." 

To the company's mild surprise, Jimin turned and demonstrated how much of a neighbourly bond there was between the blonde older guy and himself by touching the former's blonde bangs. 

"Don't Yoon," he said a clump of hair falling over the face of the older guy. "I think it looks better blonde." With a good-natured laugh, he let go and added, "We can't have two reds can we?" 

Baekhyun mouthed "Two reds" to Chanyeol who had to stifle a knowing laugh. Yoongi saved his glower for later because Jimin was still examining his hair and commenting on how he loved the blonde colour on him.

"You like soft blonde hair Jimin?" Baekhyun asked in a very suspicious attempt to be simply friendliness. 

Jimin touched his own hair and scrunched up his nose as he answered, " Nah. It would not look as good on me." 

"Do you like blonde hair on your men Jimin?" Baekhyun was not going to let it go. 

"I don't have any man if that is what you mean."

The red head's face read no deception and gave no indication that he was being just as cheeky with his answer as Baekyun was with his question. 

'God this boy is green!' Baekhyun thought in bemusement. 

Yoongi felt himself breathe out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness for Jimin's "green-ness". Baekhyun's question was giving away too much. 

Just then, their form teacher a certain Mr. Smith, stepped into the room and called for order. Jimin gave Yoongi a parting smile and wink, which sent Yoongi's heart dropping out and rolling on the floor, under his  feet and in between table legs, before bouncing back to his seat. 

"You can't wait any longer, Yoon. You need to teach that kid the ways of us men," Baekhyun said, leaning across Jungkook's table in a conspiring manner, as if to pass top-secret information to Yoongi. His tone carried with it, mock seriousness. "I suggest that the next time we have Physical Education, jump him in the locker room, confess your love and get on the benches. Jungkook, Chaneyol and I will make sure no one goes into the room." 

"You would do that?" Yoongi hissed and Jungkook actually smirked at the image. Which one: Chanyeol and Baekhyun in the locker room or Yoongi and Jimin in the locker room, we couldn't tell for sure. 

"Back there!" Mr. Smith's voice boomed across the room. "Quiet! And you misters! Such public displays of intimacies are not allowed in class or anywhere else on high school grounds!" 

Baekhyun retorted insolently even as he slid off Chanyeol's lap and settled on his seat in front of his boyfriend, “But this is not really considered a public space and no one seemed to mind.“

A round of titters ran through the room but died down as soon as Mr. Smith swept a glare about the room. He was about to say something which spelled along the lines of "You will be serving detention mister" to Baekhyun but was stopped when the classroom door suddenly busted open and a figure ran in while clutching his bag for dear life and panting. 

"Oh what do we have here," Baekhyun drawled, genuinely interested in the latest student who had arrived. He thought he had seen no one interesting besides Jimin this year but this young man was quick to draw his attention. At this point, Jungkook, who have been near dozing, looked up and startled. He looked around to see if anyone saw him start but saw that everyone was looking at the young man who had just arrived. 

'What is he doing here?' he demanded inwardly. 

He frowned and looked harder. Some things had changed but that young man up front, apologizing to Mr. Smith was definitely who he thought he was. The guy's hair, a vibrant orange , was styled perfectly to fit with the boy's complexion. The boy had a longer face and a slenderer body which was, though still slender but nevertheless no longer the body of a boy; a boy he had known from his past. The voice was only just a little deeper than it used to be...

Jungkook couldn't help but remembering the boy. He looked the same, yet so different. When he first met the boy in primary school, the boy had the worst dress sense ever: shorts with long socks. On top of that he was loud and gregarious and always seemed to be getting on Jungkook's nerves. They fought a lot even though they were in different classes because Jungkook used to pick on older boys at the playground and that particular boy would have none of it. Small as he may be, but Jungkook remembered he could deliver some really painful punches. The frequent playground fights ended up being ritual friendly playground fights all the way till they were about twelve and fourteen. Jungkook's iciness never seemed to be intimidating to the boy and he was always the one to come up to Jungkook and let him have it when he needed to. Yet the fights were always the best part of school for Jungkook, never mind the detention they got or the cleaning duty. Of course as they boy grew older, he thankfully shed his dumb shorts and socks for better looking jeans instead. It was some time after Jungkook turned thirteen that...

"And then he was gone," Jungkook told the gang with his usual nonchalance at the end of the day's classes when they stuffed their things back into their lockers. "Must have transferred to another school or something. I was just surprised to see him in class today that's all." 

Yoongi had been more concerned about the more pressing  issues such as the reading list for Literature class which proved to be an immense cause for distress. Just as he was about to say something about it, a collection of voice approached them from around the corner and caused them all to turn. Baekhyun turned away first just as the group appeared and rolled his eyes at Yoongi. Yoongi only smiled knowingly. 

"Have you seen the list of all the new students for this intake?" a heavy deep voice asked before the person asking came into view. Their immaculately polished shoes clip-clopped across the floor as they walked, seeming oblivious to all the commonplace hullabaloo in the corridor. However, people made way for them and they passed with no acknowledgment of such honors bestowed upon them in crisp uniforms, bearing  proudly the crests of their aristocratic families on the front of their blazers. 

"I have, and I must add, being rather out of my character here, that the certain Kim Taehyung looks awfully...attractive," a clipped voice mused. "It is a pity that he created such a bad impression of himself on the first day of school so I heard."

At the name, Jungkook looked up and recognized Sehun. His family owned the school and he pretty much had access to all school facilities and information. His family was also the one who gave out the scholarships which allowed Kim Taehyung, yes that was the boy, to study in this school. 

"He may improve upon further notice so do not give up on him yet," a shorter black haired Xiumin remarked with a smile. 

Baekhyun and Chanyeol executed mocking sweeping bows as the group of two passed. As always they ended up being snubbed by the school's resident royalty but still had a good laugh over it because they knew the two- Sehun and Xiumin- were deliberately ignoring them. Their "majesties" never had much time for lowly retains and commoners unless they stuck their royal fancies. 

"Well my dear," Baekhyun said, imitating a London Street accent of the Victorian ages as he turned to Chanyeol. "Isn't Sehunnie looking well today?" 

Chanyeol, barely containing his laughter could only respond with, "Yes!" And the two burst out laughing, stumbling into each other. Yoongi just shook his head in bemusement. When the two were not entwined in each other, they were best friends. That was how they started anyway. Best friends. Yoongi heaved a heavy sigh.
 

There was still hope for him and Jimin yet. 

Word of Sehun's immediate approval of Kim Taehyung got around the school rather quickly (boys gossip too) and the aforementioned junior soon attained the privileged position of 'princess' of the school much to boy named Jin's dismay. Taehyung was blissfully unaware of his new found royal status and over a short period time became one of the more popular kids in school. 

Jungkook constantly watched from his corner as the orange head chattered at a mile an hour about practically everything. Taehyung was always looking spiffy in his uniform even though the sleeves of his blazer were always folded to the elbows and his red and green tie was askew half the time. Jungkook chewed his cud on the difference between the boy he always fought with in the playground and the young man stood in front of him just on the cusp of adulthood. He must have grown a lot smarter over those years to have attained the school's prestigious scholarships. Jungkook feigned stony disinterest but watched as Taehyung chattered with some friends as he sat on his desk with his feet planted on the seat. He had gotten tight with Jimin and Hoesok: the brunette dance master of the cohort. Taehyung was taller and Jungkook had to admit that there was a certain grace in everything he did which had been absent when he was still only a loud, uncouth boy. He was very handsome and in a lot of ways pretty too...especially his eyes. What had happened to bring on such a change?

"It's called puberty," he heard Baekhyun's voice close to his ears. He shrugged Baekhyun away, concealing the start he got from the sudden intrusion. He couldn't believe that he had said it all loud somehow. Either that or Baekhyun was a bloody mind-reader. 

"Hmm," Jungkook grunted and closed his eyes, his arms crossed over his chest as usual. 

Baekhyun took his seat in front of Jungkook, straddling the chair and eyed his friend curiously. 

"Why are you wondering about that kid over there?" Baekhyun asked. He looked over his shoulder at Taehyung and added appreciatively, " A real looker isn't he?" 

"He didn't used to look like that," Jungkook found himself saying involuntarily. 

"Well looking like that now, he couldn't have been very ugly as a kid," Baekhyun pointed out. "Who was he to you in the past anyway?" 

"Nobody. Just a kid." Jungkook's reply was laconic. In truth, he desperately wanted this conversation over which he argued inwardly, was uncalled for since he had nothing to hide. Where was the teacher anyway? 

"Fine be that way. But something tells me...there is more than that meets the eyes in this whole thing." 

"Cut it Baek. I don't do relationships remember? They are a waste of my time." 

"Indeed," Baekhyun said simply but his smile said a whole lot more. 

Jungkook cursed under his breath but on impulse looked over. He saw Taehyung was looking his way. When their eyes met, the orange haired boy smiled a very familiar yet tantalizingly new smile. Jungkook didn't smile back, only darted his eyes away and closed them once more. 

Nine-year-old Kim Taehyung never knew how to bake. Yet after detention with Jungkook that particular day, he wanted to bake something for the cold, overly serious boy. 

"You mean you never had cake before?" Taehyung asked, his dark chocolate eyes growing rounder by the minute," Never ever? EVER?" 

Jungkook, the then child of seven, crossed his arms and scowled before wincing at the sharp pain in his face where a dark shadow was spreading from one of Taehyung's blows. 

"Never," he answered angrily. " Now would you shut up?" "Quiet you two!" The teacher in charge of detention snapped from the front of the empty classroom. 

"But it's your birthday tomorrow right?" Taehyung whispered insistently. "How come you never told anyone?" 

"Because I don't want any idiot celebrating it moron!" 

"Quiet Jeon! Otherwise it'll be double detention for you and your grandpa will be informed." 

Jungkook blanched at the mention of the old man and settled back, gritting his teeth at the injustice of it all. He turned to send a death glare at the boy sitting next to him but Taehyung had his face forward, angelically quiet and seemingly deep in thought for a boy so young. Jungkook looked at him for a while, willing him to turn so that they could have a staring match. Despite the intensity of Jungkook's glare, the older boy did not turn. However when detention was over, Taehyung actually looked over at Jungkook and disarmed the older boy with a wide, wide grin. 

"See you tomorrow!" Taehyung called out as he ran down the hallway. Young Jungkook stood at the doorway staring after him. 

It was strange how memories worked. How the fights they had seemed vague at this age and all he could remember was that the fights always psyched him up for anything. So what if he returned to the Jeon's second mansion to find his grandfather there with a cane. So what if he was caned after that for fighting in school and creating a bad image for the family. The fights always made every other thing paled in comparison. However despite their significance, one completely unrelated moment stood above all the rest in Jeon Jungkook's memories. 

Seven year old Jeon Jungkook waited in the playground just outside of the school. He was not going home until he had a fight. That day he would win. 'Taehyung is late,' he fumed as he rocked himself gently on a swing. Letting out a frustrated grunt, he kicked the dirt with his sneakered foot. Coward! he want to shout. 

Something was up to his face. Something that smelled like dirt. Jungkook drew back and looked down. Something dark resembling garden soil ( and smelling like it) was packed into a disposable cake tin. On it were small stones arranged to spell his name wrongly as "Jungkuk" and eight colourful candles placed in an arc over the name. 

He looked up into the radiant face of his daily opponent just as the older boy cried out, "Happy Birthday Kookie!" 

"Since it is your birthday today we will not fight okay?"  younger Taehyung said as he handed the astonished older boy the mud pie. "I went home straight after detention yesterday and got all the stuff ready before making this. Appa would not let me use the oven so I thought this would be just fine." 

Jungkook looked down at the packed mud in the silver plate. It was heavy, being packed as tightly as it had been. He felt a little strange, especially when Taehyung started to sing a birthday song for him. The first time he wanted to celebrate his birthday, his grandfather had admonished him severely. There was no time in the world for such things the old man had told him. Only power. There was space for only power; the building of an immense business empire. Jungkook had been brought up that way ever since. 

Right then he held a plate of mud and did not know how to exactly to react. A part of him for some strange reason wanted to break into a smile and another part of him wanted to scream out the irrationality of the whole affair to him. 

He picked the latter, as always. 

"You can't eat dirt twerp." 

He half expected Taehyung to start looking hurt and cry. No such luck. If there was something about Taehyung that kept drawing him, it was the fact that Taehyung never did things the way Jungkook always thought he should. The older boy sat in the swing next to him and started playing on it very contentedly. 

"Maybe someday Jungkook, I will make you something you can eat. How about that? But that would be years and years from now when I grow up and Appa will let me do things!" he said as he swung. His face looking towards the distant sky which was by then starting to gain a rosy tinge. 

Before Jungkook could reply with anything, Taehyung jumped from his swing and started running off while shouting over his shoulder, "Tomorrow we fight! And I will win!" 

Jungkook felt as if he lost that day... but it had not felt like a bad loss.

Jungkook was late getting home that day. And when he got home, he sullenly told one of the servants to get him a small flower pot. Once the item was delivered to him, the servants watched curiously as he locked himself up in his room. The next day, the cleaning maid found the small pot filled with dirt and a small seeding was already starting to appear. The pot had a unlighted candle stuck into it and some stones strewn about the top of the soil. He forbade anyone to touch it and could only trust himself to water the plant as it grew over the years. 

This of course, he had never told anyone. How such a child had created such a profound impact on him was something he could hardly fathom. 

"Heads up Jungkook! Dream like that and you can kiss your good looking face goodbye!" Yoongi's voice pierced through his veil of thoughts and shortly after that, Jungkook saw the soccer ball that was hurtling his way. 

With a grunt he jumped, caught the ball with his chest and kicked it to Baekhyun in the midfield. Extra Curricular Activities were such a drab work, especially when it was the trials for the newcomers. After the sophomores and seniors had their little match, the soccer trials began. Jungkook and Yoongi followed the rest of the soccer club members to the side of the field outside the playing area. They plonked themselves down onto the grass with their water bottles to watch the soccer trials. Baekhyun and Chanyeol took to play the commentators, calling themselves Ali and A.J much to the amusement of everyone else watching. 

The freshies were not too bad although Jungkook did spot some who could barely dribble to save their asses when the time called for it. He turned to Yoongi and his look said everything. Yoongi only smiled, shook his head and took another gulp for water. 

A noise from the tracks surrounding the field caught Jungkook's attention. Apparently the Track-and-Field trials were on the same day. Unlike soccer, they had a lot to cover so there trials were spanned over a period of two days. He spotted a familiar head of red locks among those warming up for the running numbers and glanced at Yoongi knowingly. Yoongi's eyes were already locked on the figure to notice Jungkook's look. 

Jungkook was about to turn back to the trial on the field when something else caught his attention and made him do a double take. Among those people who were warming up, he could spot a familiar figure talking while smiling to Jimin at the same time. A familiar figure name Taehyung. He was clad in only a plain white T- tucked loosely into running shorts and Jungkook did not fail to notice how slender Taehyung's body was, as if puberty never happened. 

The runners took their starting positions. Jimin was not in that particular number so he stood to one side and looked like he was going to cheer Taehyung on. Taehyung grinned at his friend and crouched into the start position. When the gun went off, Jungkook was almost taken aback when the boy shot out like he had been on compressed springs. 'He's fast!' he found himself thinking. 

It was the 400m run and all he could see of Taehyung was a sort of white streak around the soccer field. Even those on the soccer trial stopped to watch. 

Taehyung came in first with plenty of room between him and the person in second position. Jimin ran up to him once he was at the finish line and Jungkooks saw the senior-in-charge read out something from his clipboard to Taehyung who beamed and high-fived Jimin. 

Jungkook saw that Hoseok was also there, smiling as usual...and Sehun was there as well, seated in the viewing gallery of the grandstand with the rest of his aristocratic conveys. Jungkook felt his face twitch a little at the sight of the taller young man. 

The 1600 m trial came next. Taehyung was an amazing short distance sprinter but not much of a long distance runner. The honor of the title went to Jimin, who was one to pace himself out rather that use up all his energy in a single burst of speed. Once the gun went, he was off. Unlike Taehyung, he did not push himself any further up front until the next round and subsequently gradually gaining speed until he was at his last lap. 

When the 1600 m took place, Yoongi's attention was once more on the track rather than the soccer trails going on in the field. He caught Jimin's attention and the red head brightly lifted a hand to waver as he ran. Yoongi grinned and showed him a thumbs-up sign. Baekhyun and Chanyeol were, fortunately, back playing commentators and did not notice the exchange, otherwise Yoongi knew that they would not let him live it down. 

The locker room was packed as the trials all ended at about the same time. Boys were clamouring, mostly half-dressed, to get their things from the lockers or were simply pulling their weight around. For boys, no matter what their age, would always be boys. 

The older ones were quick to exploit their authority to gain spaces on the benches. In one corner, a squeak sounded followed by raucous laughter where some freshman actually got playfully d. With all that going on around him, Yoongi found himself praying hard that no one would come onto Jimin. 

Just as he spoke it in his heart, the very object of his locker room anxiety came out of the bathroom area clad only his jeans with a towel across his shoulders and a waterproof bag from his clothes swinging in one hand. Yoongi ducked behind the safety of his opened locker door and put on a magnificent show of rummaging through his things. He had noticed all the span of toned, blemish- free skin and it was making him burn right to the tips of his ears. 

However a voice made him look around his locker door once more and he was just in time to see Anthony, the school's star baseball player approach Jimin as said boy was taking his T-shirt from his locker. Anthony's smile was almost seductive and definitely spelled "coming on to you". Yoongi watched, poised to step in when he had to. The locker room was apparently a favored place to get . 

"Wow Jimin!" Anthony exclaimed as he approached the younger guy who still had his T-shirt in his hands, "You were really good out there on the track!" 

"Gee thanks!" Jimin replied brightly, taking his time to put on his T-. "And you are?" 

Anthony winced a little. 

" That must hurt," Jungkook remarked from where he sat tying his shoelaces. 

Undeterred by Jungkook's remark which he had overheard, Anthony held out his hand and introduced himself, "Anthony. Anthony Sallas. Star of this school's baseball team." 

Someone could be heard groaning and another gagging, but Anthony valiantly ignored them. 

"Nice to meet you Anthony," JImin returned, shaking his hand. 

He was a little surprised when Anthony didn't let go of his hand after the handshake. 

Anthony was leaning in closer by then and Jimin looked on, a little puzzled. 

"So Jimin, do you have-" 

Whatever he wanted to say, he couldn't complete because something hard smacked straight into the side of his face with great force. He fell to the side and started cussing, forced to let go of Jimin's hand. 

"What the was that?!" he exclaimed, clutching the side of his face and sending a 

glare around. 

"Oops! My bad!" a voice called from the crowd of snickering boys and soon a certain  haired boy emerged. He bent over Anthony as he scooped the baseball he had just previously thrown Anthony's way. 

Baekhyun helped Anthony up and with a great quantity of concern in his voice went on to say, "Oh! I am so sorry Anthony. My pitching really needs work." 

"I can ing see that!" Anthony shrieked right into Baekhyun's face as he stood up, cupping a had over the fast-bruising side of his face. "This will take weeks to return to perfection!" 

Baekhyun made a great show of brushing the grime from Anthony's shirt front and said, 

" I think you are the one to show me how it is done Anthony. How about we..." 

He led Anthony away from the bewildered Jimin out of the locker room. As he passed Yoongi and Jungkook, he gave the former a knowing wink. Yoongi took the cue and smiled his thanks. 

As Yoongi went over to Jimin, Jungkook noticed someone else emerge from the bathroom, clad in his T-shirt and jeans while rubbing his orange hair dry. All eyes turned appreciatively to the newcomer. From some angles he realized, Taehyung could easily pass of as girl. Someone gave a whistle and Taehyung ,blissfully unaware, went straight to where Yoongi and Jimin were; where his locker obviously was. 

He passed where Jungkook sat. Bu then Jungkook was already looking away but he waited till Jungkook looked up again before smiling and continuing on his way. 

Jungkook found himself not only a little puzzled. He did not know what to make out of the orange haired boy. 

Since day one of school, Jungkook had expected Taehyung to bound up to him and start chattering the way Jimin did to Yoongi. Yet Taehyung kept his distance and never spoke a word to him. Jungkook who liked his solitude and quiet, wasn't sure he liked this silence between them. Jungkook wondered whether Taehyung even remembered him after all those years of abscence. 

Jungkook's silent musing was disrupted when something wet stung his face. He looked up to see Baekhyun returned, from where ever he had left Anthony flicking a towel at him. The second assult caught him in the eye and he cussed. Jungkook looked at Chanyeol who was rolling deodorant onto his armpit. From the way Chanyeol was grinning at him, Jungkook didn't think he was going to be much help stopping his boyfriend. Baekhyun prepared the towel for another assualt. 

" you Baek-" 

Jungkook's words were cut off abruptly by a distant rumble, a rumble which made everyone including himself groan.