Chapter Text
The blue was always there, surrounding him.
Long gone was the blonde that had shone under the sun and made his heart flutter.
Everything was blue.
Hoseok couldn't believe him.
Min Yoongi was ignoring him.
And he had blue hair?
Since the first moment Hoseok first stepped into his new school, he was met with the sight of the now blue haired boy, surrounded by a group of people that seemed to be his friends—or at least that's what Hoseok believed as the group passed a ball around, laughing at something Hoseok couldn't hear from where he stood.
Hoseok had made the terrible decision to walk over to them, as he saw the only face he had recognized (and why wouldn't he, Yoongi was gorgeous, the prettiest thing Hoseok had ever seen), but the only thing he had received were a few glances and a look that said— "I think you've mistaken me for someone else" —and that sucked. That felt awful, and Hoseok wasn't one to be shy or embarrassed by anything, but in that precise moment he had felt ashamed and angry at the other guy for not giving Hoseok the time of day, when Yoongi knew him. He knew him. Even the group around Yoongi had fallen silent, glancing from one boy to the other questioningly, looks of surprise and confusion coloring their expressions.
Apparently, Min Yoongi didn't remember how he had shoved his tongue in Hoseok's mouth last month. Right. School was going to be different for Hoseok this year, and he only hoped to meet someone who could help him around without having to face the other boy. What had happened? Did Yoongi not—
“Ah,” he let out a groan as another body clashed into him, almost tumbling Hoseok to the grass. First day and he's already bumping into people on the outskirts of the school. When he looked up, he found two wide eyes staring back at him behind round glasses, a guy mumbling apologies while he helped Hoseok pick up textbooks that had fallen to the floor. Hoseok's Monday was starting off at an agitated pace, and he was already thinking about dance class after school to relieve the stress.
“I'm so sorry,” the stranger blushed, flashing Hoseok a shy smile. His eyes went round and Hoseok thought he looked like a lost puppy.
“Don't worry! This happens all the time,” he giggled. Maybe it didn't happen all the time but he didn't want the other boy to feel bad. Hoseok was that nice. The stranger handed Hoseok his backpack and apologized again.
“Please, it's okay. I'm actually a bit lost and I didn't see where I was going,” he said with a placating smile, “I'm Jung Hoseok.”
The boy mimicked him, his cheeks getting puffier as he grinned back. His brown curls waved with the fresh wind of the chilly morning and he brushed his bangs away with his index finger.
“Hello, I'm Kim Taehyung.” The guy bowed politely and Hoseok chuckled lightly.
“Nice meeting you, Taehyung-ssi.” Taehyung didn’t look much younger than him, maybe a year or two.
Taehyung smiled warmly, “I could show you around if you want, Hoseok-ssi.”
“Hyung is fine.” He fixed his backpack on his shoulder, “And please, I could need your help. This school is so big, I can't even find my first class," he added with a pout.
“It's like a maze, I got lost on my first day too,” Taehyung agreed with a chuckle that got caught in his throat when some students walked past them, talking loudly. Hoseok's instinct told him who was in that group and he didn't even dare to look, but with the sigh that Taehyung let out as he glanced at the boys, Hoseok became more curious.
“Who are they?” he asked, even though he knew who was sporting that blue hair.
“The basketball team…” Taehyung sounded like he was longing for something, sighing loudly again, while he brushed his curls away from his eyes. Hoseok frowned.
“Are they.. .popular ?” Hoseok hated that word. Popular or not popular. Who the hell determined people's worth? It was freaking pointless. They were teenagers, ready to graduate and start living their lives far away from people they could never ever see again. It shouldn't matter how they dressed or how they looked. They were just kids growing up.
“Yeah, they are.” Taehyung glanced at Hoseok briefly before following the basketball team with dreamy eyes as they disappeared inside, which Hoseok guessed, was the main building. “They win every tournament all thanks to their precious captain—Min Yoongi.”
Hoseok felt a tug in his chest at the mention of his name.
“Don't worry though, they are good people, they stay away from trouble and things like that. They are actually pretty cool. Seokjin-hyung is in the school play too, he's-he's amazing.”
Hoseok hummed. He hated how he could catch the unspoken feeling that Taehyung seemed to be going through. Longing. Crush. Hoseok had felt that in the summer that was merely gone, a time when he had thought Yoongi really liked him as more than friends, when Hoseok believed they had a real connection.
Well, apparently he thought wrong. He was the only one to catch feelings.
•••☼•••
Imagine Hoseok’s surprise when he found out he shared one class with the only person that had turned his eyes away from him today. Two hours sitting behind Min Yoongi, staring at the back of his head.
All he could see for the entire class was blue. Yoongi’s hair was the colour of the lake they had swam at camp, that reflected the sun in light blue hues as the bodies dunked and dipped in without a care in the world.
It hurt to remember how happy he had felt a month ago. Had he been a participant in others' joyful moments too? He wonders if Yoongi thought about him. Even just a little. God. Hoseok didn’t want to think about Yoongi anymore, because Yoongi had clearly been pretending to be someone else, pretending he didn't recognize Hoseok at all, and Hoseok wasn’t going to wallow about something that could never be. He’s not going to pretend either. If Yoongi decided to speak to him, Hoseok would answer like he would to anyone else, but he won’t fool himself; he won't be as genuine and nice as he always was. Yoongi had made it clear when he chose to ignore him—he didn’t care about Hoseok.
Whatever. Maybe Hoseok wanted to convince himself to not have hope, that it was best if he forgot about all of it. About him . About the gentle touches and the soft kisses.
The bell rang and Hoseok realized he hadn’t been paying attention to anything at all. He cursed under his breath. Day one and he was already drifting away, thinking about things that shouldn’t matter. He was supposed to ace his studies and graduate soon. He needed to focus. Tomorrow would hopefully be a better day.
“Please, wait a moment. I haven’t dismissed you yet.” The chemistry teacher looked at her students that were already packing, wanting nothing more than to leave the classroom.
“Next class we’re working in pairs and I’ll be deciding them. Start reading about the macromolecules, page 15.” As soon as the teacher said those words with finality in her tone, the students released an exasperated sigh under their breaths, that the professor chose to ignore.
When Hoseok’s parents told him that this school in Seoul would be much harder, at first he didn’t believe it, but now he was wondering if he was ever going to graduate at this point. After attending classes today, Hoseok would say it was definitely more difficult than his last school. Changing institutions had been hard, especially leaving friends behind and starting his last year in high school, right after his mother took a new job in the big city. He understood her, it was a great promotion she couldn’t turn down and Hoseok was proud.
“Yoongi-ssi, can I word with you?” The teacher’s voice brought Hoseok back. His heart beated faster as Yoongi stood up and walked towards the professor. Meanwhile, Hoseok zipped his backpack as he tried not to listen to their conversation, but his attention was drawn away when he heard the teacher call his name.
“Yes, seonsaengnim?” He got closer with slow steps, watching as Yoongi sent him a quick look before glancing back at Professor Choi. Hoseok hated how his stomach churned with one look from Yoongi, how the fire in him only grew stronger. He sighed and approached his teacher with a polite smile.
“Hoseok-ssi, how is your first day going? Are you adjusting well?” Professor Choi asked with a gentle voice, while Hoseok tried to focus on her and avoid Yoongi's awkward stance. It looked like he was fidgeting with the sleeves of his red jacket, and it was distracting.
“Yes, thank you, seonsaengnim. I met some really nice people who guided me around.”
Not Min Yoongi, he wanted to add but bit his tongue as he glanced at Yoongi briefly. Hoseok bit down harder on his tongue when he caught the blush on Yoongi's cheeks.
“I'm glad, Hoseok-ssi.” Professor Choi smiled and glanced between the two of them. “I was thinking Yoongi-ssi here could help you in this class if you have any questions or trouble, as he is our best student.”
Yoongi tensed and Hoseok's heart clenched.
No, no, no, no.
“Oh, um...” he tried to speak but his words failed him.
Yoongi best student. Yoongi pressured to help him, to talk to Hoseok because he was obligated to.
Everything sucked.
“Maybe it could be good if you both worked together for the next assignment.” Professor Choi looked like she was already set on the idea, while Hoseok was still processing.
Working with Min Yoongi. The guy whom Hoseok had made out with all summer long and had ignored him as soon as he arrived at school. Like nothing had ever happened between them.
Great.
Cool.
Whatever.
Hoseok blinked at Professor Choi and then faked a small smile at Yoongi, who was still standing awkwardly still with his lips pursed in a tight line.
“Of course, I'm sure we'll learn a lot from each other, seonsaengnim.” Hoseok looked right into Yoongi's desperate eyes, while his fake smile got wider and wider.
He might have fooled the teacher because she left with a small smile and a nod, leaving the two boys alone in a heavy silence that was soon broken when Hoseok started walking towards the door, feeling his heart beating faster as he got away from the other boy.
If he got close to Yoongi, his heart beated loudly in his ears, if he got away from him, Hoseok's body decided to betray him either way.
He was tired.
“Listen, Hos—”
Hoseok didn't stop to listen to what Yoongi had to say. He had been hurt enough for one day. He walked until he bumped against a big chest and apologized profusely but kept walking without looking back.
Tears threatened to spill from his eyes but he forced them away. He needed to breathe, dance, sleep, and hope that the next morning everything was easier than today's occurrence.
•••☼•••
Dancing was his refuge, his safe mental space to clear his mind, to let go. His legs moved on their own, feet drawing figures on the tiled floor.
He had been dancing since he was a kid, thanks to his older sister who had introduced him to hip hop. He missed her. Jiwoo was at college and left him all alone. She would have listened to Hoseok ramble about Yoongi and his pouty lips and his freaking beautiful eyes that had turned darker every time he wanted to kiss Hoseok.
Why was it that every single time he ended up thinking about Yoongi? It was unfair.
Hoseok threw his arms up over his head, feeling the bones on his back cracking at every turn and twist. He took a deep breath until he let go, his chin touching his chest, whole palms clasping the floor ahead of him.
This- this was everything that mattered. This was good.
A door opening took him out of his relaxation, and he looked to the side, tilting his face to find a petite boy entering the studio.
“Oh—hi! Are you new?” The blonde tilted his head sideways, getting at eye level with Hoseok, and smiled, making Hoseok chuckle.
Hoseok stood up slowly, stretching his arms on his sides, and nodded. “Hi, yes. I'm Jung Hoseok.” He introduced himself with a small bow.
“Nice to meet you, I'm Park Jimin.”
They bowed and smiled at each other, and soon, they were chatting as if they knew each other for a long time. Their spark was instant, and Hoseok felt so at ease with Jimin that at the end of the class they walked home together since they lived really close by, as Jimin had told him. What were the odds in a big city like this one?
“I didn’t see you at school today.” Jimin frowned after Hoseok had told him he was attending a school nearby and Jimin had looked surprised he hadn’t crossed paths with him before.
“I guess we have different classes,” he began with a pout that made Jimin giggle. “Maybe tomorrow we can meet at lunch time?” he asked with a wide grin and Jimin reciprocated with the same excitement. Hoseok felt his heart at home. He was glad he had met two incredibly amazing people today. “I actually met someone that guided me around ‘cause the school is pretty big,” he chuckled.
“Oh, who?” Jimin raised his eyebrows, the comment piqued his interest. “Have you met the basketball players or the cheerleaders?”
“Uh, yeah…” Hoseok felt his heart impossibly beating faster at the mention of the team. Apparently everyone knew them, and the thought of never seeing Yoongi again was very naive, he knew.
“They aren’t so bad as they look,” Jimin laughed, waving a hand around before settling it over Hoseok’s shoulder but not fully touching him. “A bit tsundere but they are nice…”
“I guess, that’s what Taehyung-ah told me too.” He offered Jimin a tight lip smile, just thinking about everyone knowing him was making his throat close. Jimin stopped walking and turned to him.
“Wait, Taehyung-ah as in Kim Taehyung?” Wide eyed, Hoseok nodded. Jimin squealed in delight. “Oh my god, you met Taehyungie? He’s my best friend!”
“Really? Wow, I guess this city is smaller than I thought,” Hoseok said, a bit shocked. Jimin squeezed his arm with his tiny fingers in a comforting manner—maybe because Hoseok looked puzzled with the realization that many people he had encountered today knew each other for years.
“Don’t worry, hyung. I’m sure you’re going to fit right in with everyone. You’re very nice.”
“Thank you, Jimin-ah, you’re nice too.” Hoseok beamed at him and resumed walking as Jimin kept telling him about a tall guy whose name was Kim Namjoon, from the basketball team, that was too hot for Jimin to handle, and many other things Hoseok wasn’t listening too. He was too preoccupied about his study partner to fully engage in the conversation, but Jimin didn’t seem to mind.
“Okay, hyung, this is my house! Should we exchange numbers so we can meet at lunch tomorrow?” And so they did, and no longer after Hoseok was saying goodbye and walking to his place, with Min Yoongi on his mind and how he still had their chat saved on his own phone.
He was fishing his phone out of his sweatpants to read those messages once again, when it vibrated in his hands.
Jimin added you to dancers & taetae
Hoseok smiled to himself.
tae: wait, what? how do you know hoseok hyung?! :O :O
jimin: dance class! hoseok hyung is AMAZING.
hoseok: not better than you, jimin-ah! ☺
tae: hey, i can dance too! -.-
Maybe everything was going to be alright.
•••☼•••
The week passed in a blur of projects and assignments, and Hoseok was so overwhelmed that Jimin and Taehyung had to drag him out on the weekend to a nearby park that was beautiful enough to let him think about anything else. Hoseok was thankful to have met those two because if not he would have been really lost in school. Lunch time had been awesome and kind of relaxing for him when Yoongi wasn’t near him of course. If he arrived at lunch with his teammates, Hoseok made sure to look the other way, not giving him the time of day. Yoongi didn’t deserve it.
“Hey, hyung! Are you listening?” Taehyung waved a hand in front of his face as Hosoek focused on his friends that were looking at him expectantly.
“What?” He blinked away from the pair of guys that were skating on a rink not too far away. Hoseok had such bad luck it was disastrous. Once he thought he was free from seeing the one person he didn’t want to see...how fucking cliché was that Yoongi skated and was right in front of Hoseok. To hell with his treacherous mind that found it hot.
“I asked if you wanted to come to my house tonight? I make great bibimbap,” he said proudly, to which Jimin snorted.
“Your mom makes it.”
“I help her,” Taehyung feigned being offended, driving a hand to touch his heart. Jimin shook his head and then smiled at Hoseok.
“Do you want to come, hyung?”
Hoseok got distracted for a second when a screeching noise of a skate halting where he was made Hoseok gulp before answering. “Yeah, of course. I want to try Taehyungie’s cooking.” He smiled kindly at Taehyung, who looked pleased and over the moon.
“Great!” Taehyung said and Jimin smiled too, but somehow he found himself following Hoseok’s eyes to where the other group of guys were joking around.
“Hyung, do you know Yoongi?”
Hoseok never felt his head turn so fast—he actually got whiplash—as his eyes fell on Jimin’s inquiring gaze. Hoseok’s mother always told him he was too transparent that he couldn’t hide what he was feeling, so he wasn’t surprised by someone as perceptive as Jimin—he had found out during the week-had realized about Hoseok’s intrigue with Yoongi. (It was far from intrigue, it was more of anger and deception.)
“Uhm…” he hesitated, feeling his heart wanting to jump out of his chest with every second that he wasted thinking about Yoongi. “I—we—”
“It’s okay if you don’t want to tell us, hyung.” Taehyung looked at him with tight lips and nodded as well as Jimin.
He sighed and licked his lips after, trying to find the words to explain. He looked down at his hands and played with one of his silver rings as he spoke. “We meet at summer camp.” He peeked from his lashes and continued, “We had—we had something and—” he checked to see if the other two were listening and looked down at his hands again, “And he pretended he didn’t know me when I came to say hello.”
Hoseok looked up once more, finding Jimin and Taehyung encouraging him to keep going with kind eyes. It made Hoseok feel better to have someone to talk to. Finally. “I don’t get it. Why would he pretend? He even sent me messages when we left camp and then nothing. I took it as a sign he was busy and all...and I was shocked to see him again but—I was happy and then he…” he swallowed the lump in his throat and fought the tears in his eyes, “He said he didn’t know me, that I was mistaking him for someone else.” Hoseok scoffed. What an asshole.
“What an asshole.” Jimin said as if reading his mind, and Hoseok let out a breathless chuckle.
“Yeah, what the hell? I’m sorry, hyung.” Taehyung pouted and took Hoseok’s right hand in his. “Although..” he glanced at Jimin and they shared something Hoseok didn’t understand until Taehyung continued. “We didn’t know Yoongi liked boys. I don’t think anyone does.” He bit his bottom lip.
“Not that it’s anyone’s business,” Jimin added and Taehyung agreed, while Hoseok was too shocked to think properly. “But yeah, he shouldn’t have said that and treated you poorly.”
Maybe Yoongi was just scared. Hoseok sighed deeply, sniffling as Jimin took his left hand in his and squeezed tight. “And now we are study partners in Chemistry, so I have to talk to him on Monday.”
Taehyung cleared his throat, “Maybe this is your chance to talk to him and clear things out?”
“Maybe he will apologize too.” Jimin encouraged him with a soft smile.
“Maybe...” His eyes drifted, unconsciously, towards the place where Yoongi was minutes ago skating around, but he wasn’t there anymore. Hoseok looked back at his friends and smiled faintly, “Maybe I will.”