Jungkook sighed as he exited class that night.  He yawned tiredly, blinking slowly.  His head was spinning from all the things the teacher was talking about.  They made no sense to him, though he tried his best to understand, for his family’s sake.  He shook his head.  Some things are supposed to be hard to understand.

In the midst of his thoughts, a hand came down on his shoulder, and he yelped, trying to blindly punch the offender.  A familiar, low laugh came from the other, and Jungkook frowned.

“That’s not funny, Taehyung!” he scolded.  “You literally gave me a heart attack!”

The other laughed some more before wiping a fake tear.  “Your expression was priceless,” he chuckled.  “I can’t believe you didn’t see me coming!  People say I can’t scare people.”

Jungkook shook his head, smiling before asking, “What are you doing here?  The West Wing is the other way.”

“Rude,” Taehyung said, blowing a raspberry.  “I was just coming to see if your class was still going on.  It’s late, ya know.”  He threw an arm around Jungkook’s shoulders.  “Can’t just have my cute, little dongsaeng walking around campus at night, hm?”

The younger pushed him away.  “Hyung, are you drunk?”

“No,” Taehyung deadpanned before laughing and half-hugging him again.

Jungkook looked up at him.  “Hyung?”

“Hm?”

“Could you not touch me like that?”

Taehyung let go and backed away a bit.  “Oh --?”

“Don’t you think it’s a bit early?” Jungkook asked him.

“Eh?  Early for what?”  Taehyung tilted his head to the side.  “What do you mean?”

Jungkook blushed.  “Well, don’t you think that’s something couples do?”

Taehyung laughed loudly.  “Jeez, this kid…” he muttered.  “You think I like you or something?”

Silence filled the air, and the two realized that they definitely weren’t kidding anymore.  Jungkook stared at Taehyung with wide eyes as the other boy stared back just as shocked.  Neither of them could say a word.  The only sound they could hear was crickets chirping.

“Do you…do you like me?” Jungkook asked.  “Or something?”

“Or something,” Taehyung answered with a small smile.  “I’m not sure.”

Jungkook laughed a bit.  “Tell me when you’re sure.”  He held out his hand.  “For now, we’re friends right?”

He couldn’t see in the bad lighting of the street, but Taehyung flinched as he shook Jungkook’s warm hand.  “Yeah.  Friends.”

--

As Jungkook lay in his bed that night, he stared up at the ceiling and thought.  He closed his eyes tightly and tried to sleep to no avail.

It’s too early.  The last thing I need is to get myself emotionally unstable.

He turned over to his side and frowned into his pillow.  Stop thinking about what Mom thinks!  It’s your life right?  So just live it the way you want to!  Don’t be shy about it.  He turned to the other side.  What the heck am I thinking?  He said he doesn’t like you.

He said, “Or something.”

So that’s not the same thing as liking me!

“Jungkook?” his roommate, Hoseok, mumbled tiredly.  “Stop rolling around like that.  I can’t sleep.”

Jungkook turned over and saw the outline of his roommate in the doorway.  “Sorry, hyung.”

Hoseok came and the light before sitting on the bed.  Jungkook sat up and hugged his knees to his chest.  “Is something going on?” the older boy asked.

Jungkook shook his head.  He then asked, “Hyung…have you ever been in a situation where…where you’re trying to figure out if someone likes you, but everything says it’s not possible?”

The older boy laughed.  “Sounds like you’re in serious right now.”

“It depends how