I have finals this week.

Naturally I write fanfiction instead

(I promise I will finish "Stay" this summer)

Thank you for 4000+ views, and for upvoting and commenting :D

“Everything can be measured,” Hoseok said.

Taehyung watched as Hoseok worked through the physics problem, yellow pencil scratching the surface of the paper. There were bite marks on the pencil, from moments when Hoseok would think with furrowed eyebrows and gnaw on the wood.

“The weight of the earth, the volume of the Pacific Ocean, even the stars in the milky way, there are ways to calculate those figures,” Hoseok met Taehyung’s gaze and smiled before handing him the paper.

Taehyung looked briefly at the problem, all the previous mistakes corrected, then looked up and asked, “But what if you run out of numbers?”

Hoseok smiled, “There will always be more numbers.”

He spent the last thirty four minutes of their tutoring session explaining the laws of motion to a young Taehyung. That force doesn’t grow or shrink, it doesn’t deteriorate, just gets recycled for something else. And that once an object was in motion, it stayed in motion until another object obstructed it.

Taehyung stared at the sole freckle on Hoseok’s lip while he talked, and wondered, if he counted all of his days, would he be old enough to kiss those lips?

“The universe is measured in quantities,” Taehyung said, “nothing is proved until you have the numbers to support it.”

His statistics textbook was turned over next to him, words pressed against the grass and dirt. He blindly reached into his backpack and pulled out a dented box, a sole cigarette lay inside of it.

Jungkook leaned over and lit cigarette between Taehyung’s fingers with his zippo lighter.

“What about thoughts?” Jungkook asked “you can’t measure those.”

“Sure you can. If you were an author, your thoughts would be measured in the number of books you’ve written.”

Jungkook leaned closer, so that his head was resting on Taehyung’s arm, “And emotions?”

Taehyung blew out a stream of smoke, “What do you thinks lie detectors are for? And heart monitors? They know how people feel, they calculate that for us.”

“And love? How many times does my heart need to beat for me to say I’m in love with someone?”

Taehyung used to ask himself the same question, when he was in the seventh grade on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from three to seven. He would sit across from Hoseok, with his legs tucked under him and pencil poised, and counted the pulse on his wrist as Hoseok uncovered the mysteries of the universe through numbers.

“I don’t know,” Taehyung answered.

Jungkook stole Taehyung’s cigarette and inhaled deeply before exhaling a steady stream of smoke. They laid there, on the grass, and watched the clouds lazily pass overhead.

“We have spent three thousand five hundred and ten days in school. We are ready to move on,” the valedictorian said. The graduating class shouted their agreement behind her.

In the sea of Navy blue and gold tassels on the football field, Taehyung could just barely see Jungkook’s tall frame. Half of the time he was hidden by the guy behind him. But when he walked to receive his diploma, he made eye contact with Taehyung. Taehyung waved. Jungkook smiled, rabbit teeth that he never grew out of in sight, and made a peace sign with his fingers.

Taehyung had to drive three hours to return to his hometown, and it will take him another three hours to get back to his university for his eight am class tomorrow, but the warmth in his chest told him that the trip was worth it.

Jungkook ran straight to Taehyung once they were dismissed. Taehyung held out the bouquet, “Even boys deserve flowers, sometimes.”

Jungkook took the bouquet, then tightly enveloped Taehyung in a hug. Taehyung buried his face in Jungkook’s neck. Jungkook had grown. He wasn’t just skin stretched across too long limbs. This Jungkook was taunt muscles and a strong back, crushing Taehyung with the force of his hug, but it’s been too long.

“Is three hundred and eighty four enough?” Jungkook asked against Taehyung’s ear.

Taehyung pulled away, “Enough for what?”

“Everything can be measured,” Jungkook said, “So if I thought about you every day for three hundred and eighty four days, is that enough for me to say I like you?”

His cheeks were red, he looked more insecure than he had a moment ago. And Taehyung did not understand why.

He peeled one of Jungkook’s hands off of his waist and kissed his fingers, “More than enough.”

Jungkook smiled, before looking insecure again. It took only a moment for him to lean in and press a chaste kiss to Taehyung’s lips.

And as Taehyung kissed back, and pressed soft fingers on Jungkook’s neck, he wondered how many days it would take, how many palpitations of the heart, before he can say he’s in love with Jungkook.