"If Lady Macbeth went back to plant the daggers on the guards, wouldn't there be blood dripping everywhere?"

 

Yoongi almost groans aloud as the teacher stops reciting his notes to the class, actually contemplating the answer to the question asked. Yes, his hand is cramping from the excessive notes he's had to rapidly jot down before he forgot what Mr. Park said and the break is a relief to his aching joints, but he can complain about the pain later when the class has finished reading the scene. Which they haven't yet, as Seokjin likes to interrupt every few minutes or so with an unrelated question.

 

Yoongi turns around to shoot a glare at the elder sitting in the back of the class, slouched in his chair and scrolling on his laptop as the professor finally answers. Seokjin lazily glances up and catches Yoongi's gaze; the younger's eyes widen and he immediately turns around, running his fingers through his hair nervously, adjusting his glasses.

 

After the professor gives his evasive and seemingly philosophical answer, Yoongi sneaks a glance behind him only to find Seokjin staring right back. A smirk blooms on his face and Seokjin opens his mouth to ask yet another question. Yoongi glares openly and Seokjin continues to smirk.

 

Yoongi bangs his head on the desk.

 

When the bell rings, Yoongi gathers his supplies and waits outside the entrance of the classroom. He grabs Seokjin's arm as he exits and wow, maybe I've horribly misjudged this, Yoongi thinks as he has to tilt his head up to look Seokjin in the eyes. Seokjin leans against the doorframe, an eyebrow raised.

 

"You-" Yoongi pushes up his glasses, swipes a hand through his hair, "you need to stop asking questions during class."

 

Seokjin gives a bemused look, the corner of his mouth curving up. "Stop asking questions during class," he repeats, voice incredulous. Yoongi detects a hint of mockery and he frowns.

 

"You know what I mean. Stop asking those stupid, unrelated questions that push the entire class behind."

 

Seokjin huffs out a small laugh, glancing to the side before stepping closer to Yoongi, the tips of their shoes almost touching. "And if I don't?"

 

Yoongi almost squeaks, his eyes wide. He readjusts his glasses and Seokjin's eyes catch the movement. "Just- don't, okay. I want to get through Macbeth as quickly as possible. Don't distract the class anymore."

 

Seokjin hums, reaching up to tuck some hair behind Yoongi's ear and the younger flinches away. "Okay. I won't distract the class anymore."

 

Yoongi breathes a sigh of relief, ducking his head to ruffle his hair. When he looks up, Seokjin is hovering over him and Yoongi yelps, almost tripping over himself before Seokjin grabs him by the waist.

 

"A bit clumsy, aren't you?" Seokjin smirks and Yoongi rolls his eyes, pushing the elder away.

 

The next day, Seokjin is quiet and Yoongi is pleasantly surprised, until Seokjin suddenly moves seats, sitting right next to Yoongi. The younger mentally curses the teacher for having double desks instead of separate ones.

 

Mr. Park begins his droning monologue of notes and Yoongi immediately starts writing, head ducked and concentrating on the words from the teacher. Yoongi feels his ears unconsciously redden, the strange prickle of someone's eyes on him. He glances over to see Seokjin staring at him, a hand rested under his chin. Yoongi's eyes widen and he shifts to the left, away from Seokjin and his unfaltering gaze.

 

"You should ease up on your grip on the pen," is whispered and Yoongi startles, Seokjin's voice much closer than expected. Yoongi looks over and spots the elder's arm draped behind Yoongi's chair, Seokjin leaning towards him.

 

"What the hell are you doing?" Yoongi attempts to move away but his thigh hits the leg of the desk and Seokjin drags his chair closer until the metal of the seat is pressed to Yoongi's chair.

 

"You should dye your hair," Seokjin muses, ignoring Yoongi's question. He brushes his fingers through the younger's hair and Yoongi stiffens, his heart racing oddly.

 

"Seokjin-"

 

"Blonde," Seokjin cuts in, and Yoongi's heart stutters for a bit when he catches a glimpse of a smile from the elder. Seokjin's eyes meet Yoongi's and his smile widens, void of the malevolence and mischief he usually sees.

 

The bell rings, signaling the end of class, and Yoongi immediately turns to Seokjin after he's shoved his supplies into his backpack.

 

"I thought you said you wouldn't distract the class anymore."

 

"I'm not." Seokjin steps closer and Yoongi has to lean his head back further to meet his eyes. "I'm just distracting you."

 

Yoongi can feel himself blushing, the warm crawl of blood rushing to his face that he tries his hardest to will away. He nervously runs his hand through his hair. "What's that supposed to mean?"

 

"That means..." Seokjin pauses, stepping even closer to reach up and brush a stray eyelash on Yoongi's cheek, under his glasses. "I find you fascinating." Seokjin's hand finds its way back onto Yoongi's hair.

 

"What the..." Yoongi mutters as he ducks out of Seokjin's reach, running his own fingers through his dark hair.

 

"Green." Seokjin says, his voice definite. "You should dye your hair a mint green."

 

Yoongi notices something a week into his new predicament. Besides the floral tattoo on Seokjin's shoulder, which he's made plentiful offers to show Yoongi, he realizes Seokjin always leaves his phone on the desk, placed in a corner away from Yoongi's immediate gaze. At first, Yoongi just assumed Seokjin left his phone out, despite the fact that he never touches it. One day, though, Yoongi spots Seokjin briefly tap the screen of his phone and open a voice recording app, the recording already twenty minutes in. Yoongi doesn't say anything about it, but he does catch Seokjin stopping the recording when class ends.

 

"Why would someone need to take a voice recording during a class?" Yoongi picks at his lunch, hears Namjoon make a contemplative hum.

 

"Maybe the person's an undercover agent!" Hoseok suggests, eyes wide in awe. "Or a detective or a reporter or-"

 

"Why are you asking?" Namjoon cuts in.

 

Yoongi's eyes flick to Seokjin sitting at a table diagonal to theirs, his own group of friends with him. Seokjin takes a bite of his sandwich and squirms in his seat in delight. "Just curious."

 

The next day, after class, Yoongi's curiosity gets the best of him and he pulls Seokjin aside yet again.

 

"Careful with these little chats of ours," Seokjin teases, breaching Yoongi's personal space as usual, "People might suspect we're dating."

 

Yoongi rolls his eyes but can still feel the beginnings of a blush climbing up his neck. "Why did you record yesterday's class?"

 

Seokjin's half-smile drops. "I-" Yoongi furrows his eyebrows slightly; he's never seen Seokjin this hesitant. Seokjin rubs a hand over his right wrist. "I injured my wrist a while back, and Park let me record his lectures for my notes."

 

"Oh." Yoongi glances down at Seokjin's hand. "I didn't know; I never saw a cast or brace or anything."

 

"That's the point," Seokjin murmurs, low enough that Yoongi can barely hear it, despite how close they are. He raises his voice to say, "It's nothing big and I didn't want to create a huge fuss about it."

 

"Wait, so you've never gotten your wrist checked out by a doctor?"

 

"It's fine, it'll heal."

 

"No it won't." Yoongi grabs Seokjin's hand, feels the elder flinch at the touch. He lightens his touch, pressing his fingers gently around the wrist. "If you don't properly heal your wrist it'll stay damaged for the rest of your life."

 

"I didn't break my wrist, Yoongi, I just hurt it." Seokjin pauses and Yoongi looks up to a small smile on the elder's face. "You're worried about me."

 

Yoongi's eyes widen and he sputters, about to let go when Seokjin twists his hand and grabs Yoongi's wrist. He tugs slightly and Yoongi stumbles forward, right into Seokjin's chest. Seokjin tilts Yoongi's head up, leaning down; Yoongi's heart beats erratically and instead of moving away, like expected, his grip tightens on Seokjin's arm. Seokjin makes a pleased hum as he inches closer and Yoongi his bottom lip unconsciously, gaze flickering between Seokjin's eyes and mouth.

 

They don't notice the footsteps approaching, but Seokjin does sigh, the breath fanning over Yoongi's face, when a hand is clapped onto his shoulder.

 

"Seokjin! Kinda strange to meet your boyfriend like this, huh?" Seokjin pulls away to turn to the other male and Yoongi takes in a breath, feeling how rapidly his heart is beating. The elder's touch still ghosts along Yoongi's arm and chin.

 

"Taehyung," Seokjin responds, exasperated, "what do you want?"

 

Taehyung is already distracted, though, cooing at Yoongi with wide eyes directed to his hair. "He would look so nice with a different color." Taehyung's eyes light up and Yoongi feels uneasy. "I have a whole box full of hair chalks and dyes that I can use on your pretty, untainted hair."

 

"Excuse me?" Yoongi says, incredulous, effectively snapping Taehyung out of his trance.

 

"I'm Taehyung! Seokjin's friend." Yoongi glances at Seokjin, who rolls his eyes, but the younger can see the fond smile on his lips.

 

"I'm-"

 

"Oh, don't worry, I know who you are. You're Yoongi!" Taehyung slyly glances to the side and leans in close to Yoongi. "Seokjin talks about you a lot. It's actually kind of annoying." He steps back, absentmindedly circling Yoongi.

 

Yoongi's eyes flick to Seokjin. A slight smile curls at the edge of the elder's lips as he watches Taehyung energetically step around. Their gazes lock and Seokjin's smile widens, the corners of his eyes crinkling. Yoongi's heart thumps, threatens to beat out of his chest, and he barely remembers to smile back.

 

They never talk about their near-kiss, but Seokjin's touches and gestures become more intimate; he links their pinkies together under the desk, plays with the hair at Yoongi's nape, draws circular patterns on Yoongi's neck. He leans over to rest his head on Yoongi's shoulder, and although it's more difficult for him to take notes, Yoongi tries his hardest not to jostle Seokjin as he writes.

 

A two weeks later, Taehyung sits with Yoongi during lunch, his hair a dusky purple. Namjoon and Hoseok share intrigued looks before shifting their attention to Yoongi who barely acknowledges them, too busy attempting to follow Taehyung's rapid talking. Seokjin comes moments later, pressing onto Yoongi's left side, and two others trail along.

 

"When did you get so popular, Yoongi?" Hoseok teases, eyeing Seokjin's hand winding its way around Yoongi's waist to grab his right hand. Yoongi barely notices the touch, his fingers automatically curling between Seokjin's. He does, however, flinch when Seokjin rests his chin on his shoulder, Seokjin's mouth dangerously close to Yoongi's ear, chest pressed against back.

 

"Sorry about all of this," Seokjin apologizes, soft and quiet for just Yoongi to hear. "My friends really wanted to meet you." His left hand taps out a beat on Yoongi's thigh. Seokjin raises his voice to introduce the others.

 

"That's Jimin and Jungkook," he says, nodding to each person respectively. "And Taehyung."

 

"This is Hoseok and Namjoon." Yoongi points to each person with his left hand. "Guys, this is Seokjin."

 

"I didn't know you had a boyfriend," Namjoon comments, gaze flickering between the pair.

 

Yoongi immediately stiffens, straightening in his seat and pulling his hand away from Seokjin's. The warmth of Seokjin's palm still ghosts along his hand. "Seokjin isn't my boyfriend."

 

The table is silent as the loud chatter of the students around them drown out the tension forming. Seokjin's fingers freeze mid-tap, slowly finishing out its beat before sliding down the side of Yoongi's thigh.

 

"So," Seokjin says loudly, breaking the silence, his hand still resting by Yoongi's side, "tell me a bit about yourselves."

 

"I feel like I have to apologize," Yoongi blurts out after their shared Literature class. Seokjin stands a few good feet away, his hands shoved into his pockets, and Yoongi blames the air blowing from the air conditioner onto his neck for the shiver that runs through his spine.

 

Seokjin sighs, glancing at the floor before looking back at Yoongi. "There's nothing to apologize for. You're right, we aren't dating."

 

"I-I mean," Yoongi scrambles to add, not quite understanding why he feels the urge to defend himself, "you've never asked me out and I don't know if there's ever been any real indication that you actually like me-"

 

"Right," Seokjin cuts off. "It's- it's been a long day. I should get going, my brother is probably waiting for me outside."

 

Yoongi pauses, unable to say anything as if the wind was knocked out of him, his unconsciously clenched hands slowly unfurling. He shifts his weight back, moving to grip his upper arm tightly. "Right."

 

Seokjin nods slightly before turning around and walking away.

 

When Seokjin is out of sight, Yoongi follows the elder's steps out of the school. He barely makes it out of the courtyard when someone from behind harshly grabs the collar of his shirt and pulls, his backpack acting as a cushion for his back as he falls. He groans in pain and thunder rumbles above as laughter is heard.

 

Before Yoongi is done registering the full pain in his lower back, he's dragged onto his feet, his backpack left on the floor. The other plucks Yoongi's glasses off of his face and tosses them to the ground. When Yoongi is finally able to focus on the face in front of him, he doesn't recognize it.

 

"What the ," Yoongi mutters, and the other smirks, gripping Yoongi's collar tightly. Droplets of rain begin to fall from the dark clouds above.

 

"Tell your pretty little boyfriend that Jaehyuk said hi, will ya?" Yoongi barely has time to open his mouth before the first blow comes. A fist smashes against his left cheek and Yoongi feels the splitting pain on his lip, the throbbing ache on his cheek.

 

Rain pours over them, heavy drops of water spotting his clothes and drenching the two boys. Yoongi kicks out and meets Jaehyuk's shin, but the latter just laughs and shoves Yoongi forcefully.

 

"I can see why Seokjin likes you." Jaehyuk grips Yoongi by the shoulders and knees him in the stomach, watching with a sick satisfaction as Yoongi doubles over, sliding down the brick wall of the side of the school. "Where's your knight in shining armor now, huh?"

 

Yoongi forces himself onto his feet and glares at the other. With an arm wrapped around his middle, Yoongi uses all of the strength he has and punches Jaehyuk in the face. He stumbles back, shocked, and dabs at the blood trickling from his lip. Jaehyuk's stance changes and Yoongi doesn't have the energy in him to try to run away as his legs give out and he leans against the wall for support.

 

"You shouldn't have done that, you little-" Yoongi flinches, anticipating another hit, but nothing comes. Instead, Jaehyuk's arms are restrained behind his back, Seokjin towering over him.

 

"You gonna finish that sentence, Jaehyuk?" Seokjin asks, his voice sharp as he tightens his grip on the other's arms. Yoongi's wide eyed gaze meets Seokjin's, and the elder's jaw ticks.

 

Yoongi's head spins and he doesn't quite understand how Seokjin can be here. He squeezes his eyes shut, trying to get some relief of his pounding head, his hands scrambling for purchase on the brick wall.

 

Yoongi hears Seokjin shout his name before everything goes dark.

 

Yoongi wakes up on a white leather couch, his wet clothes sticking to his skin uncomfortably. Thunder rumbles outside, the drops of rain tapping sharply against the windows. As he tries to sit up, a gentle hand on his chest halts him. Seokjin sits on the edge of the couch, his hair matted to his forehead and his breath labored. Yoongi flinches when Seokjin helps him into a sitting position, a stinging pain on his chest. Yoongi hesitates before he slowly pulls up his shirt, taking in a shuddering breath when he sees the reddish-blue bruises along his abdomen. He hastily pulls down the garment, balling the fabric in his fists.

 

"You're awake," Seokjin starts, swiping a hand through his wet hair. Seokjin's hand reaches out to hold Yoongi but he pulls away at the last moment, fingers nervously flitting over one another.

 

"Before you start asking questions, I was thinking you'd want to take a shower first. The bathroom is the last door on the right and my room's across the hall, there's fresh towels and you can grab something warm from my closet and... yeah." Seokjin trails off, glancing down at his hands. Yoongi notices the the small scrapes along Seokjin's knuckles and the bruise on his jaw that matches the one of his cheek.

 

"How'd you know?" Seokjin's head whips up at Yoongi's question. "How'd you know I was in trouble?"

 

"I didn't. I went back to talk to you but then I saw Jaehyuk and I knew something was wrong."

 

Yoongi nods, still in a daze, and stands up, walking over to the bathroom. The water is a warm and sweet relief to Yoongi's aching body. After Yoongi cleans himself of asphalt crumbs and dirt, the shower smelling faintly of the strawberry shampoo he used, he fully takes in the wounds on his stomach. He presses his fingers along a bruise, hissing as pain erupts from the spot, and he quickly blinks back the tears forming.

 

Yoongi quickly dries himself off and glances at his soaked clothing. With a sigh, he towels off his hair and wraps another tightly around his waist.

 

He hesitantly steps into Seokjin's room, his heart racing, feeling like an intruder. Yoongi looks around, taking in the soft pastel colors of the walls and bedsheets. He zeroes in on the partition leading to the closet, tightening his hold on the towel around his waist and glancing through Seokjin's clothing.

 

"This is so wrong," Yoongi murmurs to himself as he pulls the first black sweater he sees off of its hanger.

 

"This is really wrong," Yoongi repeats, louder, as he haltingly picks out a suitable pair of boxers. He reddens at the image of Seokjin wearing them, the black and white grid pattern stretched around his upper thighs and snug around his hips-

 

Yoongi shakes his head furiously, warmth crawling down his neck and over his face. He shuts his eyes and hastily puts on the clothes. He also attempts to find a wearable pair of pants, but Yoongi soon realizes Seokjin is too tall and his own legs too thin to properly fit any of Seokjin's pants. Dumping the towel into a nearby hamper with a sigh, he quietly exits the room, tugging the sweater down as it rests innocently halfway up his thighs.

 

Yoongi makes his way over to the kitchen, rain softly pattering in the background. Seokjin stands by the stove in a plain shirt and pyjama pants, searching the cabinets for something before he hears Yoongi enter. His eyes widen the moment they land on Yoongi and he closes the cabinet door with a loud bang, making both of them flinch.

 

"You're-" Seokjin clears his throat, takes a step closer to Yoongi, "you're wearing my sweater. My largest sweater, to be exact."

 

"Coincidence," Yoongi replies quickly, fingers curled around the sleeves of the sweater. Seokjin steps forward again and Yoongi steps to the side.

 

"You're also not wearing pants," Seokjin adds, cocking an eyebrow. Yoongi moves to stand behind Seokjin and the elder turns around, facing him.

 

"Your pants don't fit me," Yoongi defends, resolutely ignoring the voice in his head retorting with you could've grabbed a pair of his shorts, I'm sure you own baggier clothing. His arms move to cross over his chest and the action lifts the edge of the sweater higher. Seokjin glances down at his bare legs with a slight smirk and Yoongi immediately pulls down the garment, blushing furiously. "You're insufferable."

 

"I'm also awfully attracted to you right now." Yoongi's heart almost skips a beat and as he takes a step back, Seokjin takes one forward.

 

"Only right now?" Yoongi attempts to joke, but his voice shakes and when Seokjin shifts closer, he doesn't move.

 

"Right now. Yesterday. A week ago. A month ago. I don't think there's ever been a time when I haven't been attracted to you." Seokjin takes another look at Yoongi, eyes tracing over Yoongi's form from bottom to top. Seokjin hums, the corner of his mouth tilting up. "You should keep my sweater."

 

Seokjin slowly backs Yoongi to the counter, trapping him with arms on either side. Yoongi leans back, heart racing, as Seokjin leans in, giving an ample amount of time for Yoongi to pull away. Instead, Yoongi's hands clench the edge of the countertop and Seokjin presses a light kiss on the younger's neck, dragging his lips down to a collarbone. The elder pulls down the collar of Yoongi's sweater and Yoongi tilts his head, exposing more skin. A low, breathy sigh escapes as Seokjin marks Yoongi's pale skin, kissing and along his clavicle.

 

His small sound turns into a yelp when Seokjin suddenly hoists Yoongi onto the countertop, standing between his legs and pulling Yoongi flush to his chest by the hips. Yoongi's ankles cross behind Seokjin's back and he sits taller than the elder, able to easily dig his fingers into Seokjin's soft hair. Seokjin's hands rest on Yoongi's thighs, pressing softly into the skin.

 

Seokjin's eyes trace over Yoongi's split lip, the bruise blooming on his cheek, moving up until their gazes lock. The elder leans up to rest his forehead on Yoongi's, eyes slipping shut. Silence remains for several moments, the slow pattering of raindrops serving as background noise. Yoongi's eyes flicker over Seokjin's face, over smooth eyelids and long eyelashes, over round cheeks and an arched nose, down to soft, pink lips.

 

"Thank you," Yoongi breathes out, the words barely reaching Seokjin before Yoongi leans in, pressing his lips to Seokjin's. The elder pauses before responding, gently kissing back, hands sliding up to rest on Yoongi's hips. Seokjin pulls away slightly, watching as Yoongi follows the movement with half lidded eyes. Their eyes meet and Seokjin's grip tightens on his hips. Yoongi breathes out against Seokjin's mouth and the elder takes the opportunity to kiss Yoongi again, tilting his head and eliciting a soft moan from the younger. Seokjin's fingers dance along Yoongi's hip bones, shifting to run under the oversized sweater and press against smooth skin.

 

Yoongi doesn't know how much closer they can be, with Seokjin's hands on his waist and his own arms moving to wrap around Seokjin's neck, their chests almost pressed together. This time, Yoongi breaks the kiss, and his attention goes to the tattoo on Seokjin's right shoulder, tracing his fingers over the soft colors and beautiful designs. Seokjin takes the time to slowly mark up Yoongi's pale neck, murmuring quiet words into his skin as he kisses along Yoongi's throat. Yoongi's fingers trace over the blooming pink and purple petals of the flowers inked on Seokjin's arm, pausing when Seokjin's hands run up his spine as he a particularly dark mark under Yoongi's jaw, drawing out a quiet sigh from the younger.

 

"Wait, wait," Yoongi interrupts softly, and Seokjin immediately pulls back, facing Yoongi again. "Do you know why Jaehyuk was targeting me?"

 

"I may have gotten into a fight with his boyfriend." Yoongi straightens in his seat, leaning back a bit, and gives Seokjin an incredulous look as he absentmindedly tucks stray hairs behind Seokjin's ear.

 

"May have? What happened?"

 

"He was picking on my brother so we got into a fight. He hurt my wrist and I broke his nose. Pretty fair, right?" Seokjin grins as Yoongi rolls his eyes, fingers threading through Seokjin's hair. "Well, his boyfriend is head bully or whatever and he's got nothing else to do but mess with innocent people and he wants to get back at me. I hurt his boyfriend, he hurts mine."

 

Yoongi tugs Seokjin's hair lightly. "I'm not your boyfriend."

 

"Don't you want to be?" Seokjin grins, playful and cheeky.

 

"No," Yoongi bluntly answers and Seokjin immediately pouts. "Why would you think I like you?"

 

Seokjin hums, leans in a little closer when Yoongi's hands meet to entwine behind Seokjin's neck. "If I remember correctly, wasn't it you who kissed me?"

 

"Was it?" Yoongi teases, inching closer himself and letting his hands dangle off Seokjin's shoulders. "Maybe you should show me what happened, just to help me remember."

 

"When did you get so flirtatious?" Seokjin murmurs, eyes half lidded and hands trailing along the length of Yoongi's back.

 

"I realized I needed to express my feelings in a better way," Yoongi replies softly, closing his eyes briefly as Seokjin presses a kiss to the corner of his mouth.

 

"I'm sorry for overreacting before. You didn't even say anything wrong but I still acted terribly and because of that you got hurt." Seokjin glances up, gaze flickering over Yoongi's face. "You also lost your glasses because of me."

 

Yoongi shakes his head, placing a hand on the uninjured side of Seokjin's jaw to catch his attention. "I have another pair, and my vision wasn't that bad to begin with. Besides, you don't have to apologize, we were both idiots. I'm just sad we both had to get injured for us to realize it."

 

"I really was coming back to talk to you," Seokjin says quietly, tilting his head to press his lips to Yoongi's palm. "But I guess you beat me to it, right?"

 

Yoongi hums, shaking his head a bit. "No, still you. You're the one who practically attacked me when you saw me in your clothes."

 

"You have to admit it's kinda y," Seokjin grins, winking. "Seeing you swamped in my sweater and boxers. When I told you to grab some of my clothes, I was half expecting you to come back with your soaked clothing on."

 

"You're absolutely shameless." Yoongi retorts. He glances around, turning his head left and right before looking back at Seokjin. "Hey, where's your brother?"

 

"At Jimin's, meaning we have the entire house to ourselves," Seokjin answers, raising an eyebrow suggestively. Seokjin leans in and Yoongi laughs breathlessly, stopping Seokjin's puckered lips with a hand before they can come any closer.

 

"Take me out on a date first."