Chapter Text
“Aren’t you supposed to study?”
Taehyung jumps in surprise. Someone just slapped him on the back. He turns to find Yoongi right behind him and pauses the video he was watching on his phone.
“You’re a student,” says the older one calmly, “Study.”
The younger boy recovers from the shock and bursts out laughing.
“Don’t be so grumpy, Suga-hyung! This video is really funny, do you want to watch it with me?”
Yoongi continues to stare at him with a blank expression.
“Namjoon-ah said that you have to complete all your assignments, unless you want to suspend.”
Taehyung grimaces. The second hyung can be so boring!
“And that’s what I was doing,” he replies, “I was just resting a bit.”
“I watched you, you’ve been distracted for more than 20 minutes.”
“It wasn’t 20 minutes!”
“I was like you, Taehyung-ah,” he continues without raising his voice. He never does, he doesn’t need to. “In high school I wasted my time, let my homework pile up, and then-”
“You really are a grandpa, hyung,” he laughs a little and fakes a yawn, then puts on his headphones and continues dancing in his chair, “come on, have fun with me!”
He regrets it a second later when he sees Yoongi’s frown.
“Okay, okay, I’ll let go of my cell phone, see?”
“You’re hopeless, kid,” Yoongi snorts before leaving the room.
Taehyung smiles at the older man’s back. Yoongi can seem so scary at times, but the second maknae finds him simply adorable. However, he might have a point. He knows he should continue with his schoolwork, but the homework is excruciatingly boring. Besides, he still has two days to finish, so he finds it no problem to watch a few more videos.
Those few videos turn into two full hours. He has long since forgotten his books and plopped down on his bed. Right now he’s trying to find something good to watch on Netflix, when he hears Jimin enter the room. The older one lies down next to him.
“What are you watching?” Jimin asks.
“I haven’t decided yet.”
“I heard Suga-hyung complaining a bit about you with Joonie-hyung.
Taehyung takes his eyes off the screen.
“Really?” he frowns quizzically, “why, what did I do?”
“I didn’t hear correctly,” Jimin shrugs, “something about your homework, I think.”
“Oh, that!” He lets go now, “It’s nothing, you know how hyung gets.”
Jimin doesn’t laugh with him.
“But did you finish your homework?” asks the older one a bit seriously.
“Oh, come on, Jimin-ah, you too?”
“Tae-Tae, our teachers will be angry if”
Taehyung suddenly jumps out of bed.
“Our teachers!” he says, smacking his forehead, “what an idiot I am, we have the same teachers, we have the exact same assignments, and you’ve already handed in all yours, so you can lend them to me. It’s lucky that we study together, isn’t it?”
Jimin doesn’t seem as excited as he is.
“You’re kidding, right?”
“Of course not. Wait, don’t you want to help me?”
“You know I can’t do that!” Jimin jumps up, “the teachers will realize it’s my homework. If you want my help, you can ask me any questions you have and-”
“That’ll be the same as doing it all by myself!” Taehyung moans, “come on, Jiminie, I’ll just copy a couple of things, I won’t do it in the same words! You’d save me a lot of time.”
“No, Tae, I won’t do that,” Jimin insists.
Taehyung backs away a bit annoyed. They’re supposed to be best friends. Friends are supposed to help each other, right? He tells him just that.
“That’s not going to work, Taehyungie,” laughs Jimin, “You can’t pull out the best friend card just so I can pass my homework to you. Besides, it cost me a lot to do it, you know that.”
He starts to fill with anger. Jimin’s being so selfish. It’s just the stupid homework, which surely earned him top grades. Unlike him, Jimin’s crazy about always getting the highest grades and pleasing all his teachers. Taehyung doesn’t even feel able to stay awake during his classes.
“Yes, I understand, you got very good grades in your homework, and you don’t want the same thing to happen to me, do you?” he replies acidly.
Jimin looks hurt.
“Hey! It’s not my fault you’re lazy!”
“I’m not lazy!”
“Then do your damn homework!”
“Hey, guys, what’s all the fuss about?”
Hoseok just entered the room the three of them share.
“Jimin is a cocky jerk!”
“Taehyung is a lazy slob!”
The rapper looks confused between the two.
“Come on, don’t treat each other like that,” Hoseok asks, “will you explain to me what’s going on? Stop, stop! Don’t start yelling, one at a time. Let’s see, you start, Jiminie.”
“Taehyung got mad because I don’t want to give him my homework.”
“I didn’t ask you to give it to me!”
“Tae, I said Jiminie would talk first.”
Taehyung folds his arms with a grimace.
“What do you mean by that?” asks Hoseok.
“That’s just it, Hobi-hyung,” Jimin continues with that same smug grimace he does so perfectly well. “Taehyung has hundreds of tasks-”
“It’s not hundreds!”
“Taehyung-ah!” Hoseok cuts him off impatiently, “Please, Jiminie, go on.”
“I said that Taehyung has hundreds of tasks and now he wants to”
“It’s not hundreds!”
Hoseok seems to have reached the limit of his patience. He proves it by throwing a slap behind his head. What’s everyone’s business today with hitting him?
“Hey!” Taehyung protests, but the rapper just gives him an icy stare. Hoseok is usually a bright sun full of good humor, so those rare occasions when he gets angry are frightening.
“Go on, Jimin-ah,” Hoseok asks.
“-and now he wants me to give him my homework so he can present it as his own, instead of doing his own thing.”
“Is that true, Tae?” Hoseok looks at him a little surprised.
“No, Hobi-hyung!” he defends himself, “Jimin’s just twisting things around. I didn’t want him to give me his assignments, just to let me borrow them to base a little on them and make my own, I was thinking of changing the words.”
Hoseok slaps his forehead with one hand.
“Really, Tae?” He laughs a little, “you know you have to do your own homework, it’s not fair to ask that of Jiminie.”
“That’s what I said, and he started calling me names! “Jimin shouts again.
“You called me lazy!”
“Because that’s what you are!”
“Stop, STOP, STOP,” Hoseok again steps between the two as their fight starts to get physical with a couple of shoves. “I don’t want to hear any more. Did you get any homework done, Taehyung? I want to see what you’ve done.”
The younger one looks at him in surprise. He expected that from his other hyungs, but never from the funniest of them.
“Why do you want to see it?” he stammers a little.
“So you didn’t do anything, did you?” Hoseok sighs in disappointment. “I thought so. I heard Yoongi-hyung scolded you for not working on your homework, and apparently you didn’t care.”
He doesn’t say anything in his defense. It’s so absurd to be scolded like a little kid! Why do they always treat him like a baby? Even the maknae isn’t treated like that.
“Maybe because the maknae gives no reason to be scolded,” he hears his hyung say.
Ah, so he said it out loud. That happens to him often.
“Come on, Hobi-hyung...” he says in a whiny voice, “I don’t like it when you act like that. I’ll finish my homework, I promise, I just wanted a little help, that’s all.”
“That kind of help isn’t fair, you know that, don’t you?” replies the older one with a soft smile.
Taehyung shrugs his shoulders.
“I guess. Sorry, Jiminie.”
His friend doesn’t seem too pleased with the apology but decides to accept it.
“Well, what movie do you want to see?” Taehyung jumps up a second later, his mood newly renewed now that they’re not fighting, but the other two don’t quite match his enthusiasm, “What, you don’t want to watch anything? Shall we play on the console, then?”
“Taehyungie, what did you just promise?” Hoseok sighs.
“But I’ll do it tomorrow! It’s 9:00, it’s too late to study.”
“But not to play, huh?” laughs Hoseok.
“Of course!” replies Taehyung cheerfully, not getting the message. But one look from his hyung seems to make it clear, “Come on, Hobi-hyung, I’m so tired!”
“If you have the energy to play, you have the energy to study. Come on, get back to your desk. And don’t look at me like that, don’t make me call Joonie.”
Taehyung grunts resignedly. From the desk, he watches his two roommates lie down on one of the beds to watch a series together. It’s so unfair! But he knows he has no choice, so he fixes his eyes on his literature book.
It’s been three hours since he started working again, and his progress has been minimal. At what point did he let 17 assignments pile up? He would like to go back in time and beat up the Taehyung who made such bad decisions in the past few weeks.
He’ s supposed to write an essay on a book that of course he didn’t read. He looks up a couple of summaries on the internet, but apparently his teacher took painstaking care to assign them a book that probably only he and his own author read. Well, and probably Jimin too.
Taehyung turns to the two members sleeping in the beds behind him. How he envies the tranquility in which the boy who years ago finished high school, and the boy who has no problem finishing his homework on time, can sleep. He looks at the desk next to his own, the one belonging to Jimin. All his school supplies are neatly organized. He knows that in one of his folders must be the essay from that boring book. He decides there’s no harm in glancing at it to get a general idea of the story.
He makes sure Jimin and Hoseok are still asleep before opening the drawer where he knows Jimin stores his papers. He laughs a little as he sees the folders arranged in alphabetical order. It doesn’t take him long to find the essay. It’s graded with a massive 100 at the top. He’s not surprised at all. He quickly reads between the lines but discovers that a thousand-word essay explains little or nothing about a 752-page book. He groans in despair. How on earth will he ever finish his homework? And it’s in literature that he gets the worst grades!
He peruses the essay in his hands and weighs his options for several minutes. Is it really such a bad idea to paraphrase Jimin’s words a bit to make his own essay? It can’ t be called plagiarism if he just uses some of his ideas! Yes, he can definitely do that. He takes one last look at his roommates before he picks up his pen and starts writing.
When he finishes, he can’t help but admire his work. It’s a completely different essay! He just had to borrow some of Jimin’s opinions and add a couple of expressions of his own. One less assignment! As soon as he turns it in tomorrow, his literature teacher will see that he really is committed to completing all of his work. He decides that he has earned a break and lies down next to Jimin, putting an arm around his back.
It’s no secret that evenings in the rehearsal room are quieter while Jimin and Taehyung are at school. The maknae’s also in school hours, but Jungkook’s presence or absence is not usually indicative of the mood within the group. After all, the boy’s usually very quiet.
The other duo, on the other hand, fills the other members with hustle and bustle and explosive energy every afternoon they return from school. Jimin always arrives with the willingness to train hard for hours, with an energy that the other members come to envy. Taehyung, on the other hand, usually maintains a charming humor, goofing around the room and provoking several laughs (and a few scolding) among all the members.
So it comes as a surprise to Namjoon when the boys enter dressed in their training clothes without saying a word. Taehyung’s face is twisted into an expression of utter misery; his red eyes are indicative that he has been crying. Jimin, meanwhile, looks on the verge of bursting into a rage. Neither of them gives any explanation about what’s going on when the hyungs stop the rehearsal and turn around in concern.
“Guys, did something happen?” speaks the leader.
Namjoon knows that these two have one of those friendships where they go from being besties to the biggest enemies in a matter of hours. However, he can’t help but worry, especially about the younger one, who looks like he’s about to cry.
“Are you okay, Tae?” he asks again, “Did you have a fight?”
The younger one just shakes his head and wipes the tears from his eyes.
“Jiminie, what happened?” Jin says, “come on, guys, it can’t be that bad.”
“It’s okay, hyung,” grunts Jimin getting into position, “can we start? Anyone want to turn on the music?”
“Wait, Jimin-ah,” Namjoon stops him, “we’re not going to do anything until you tell us what happened.
“It’s nothing, hyung!” Jimin defends himself.
“Hey, you don’t have to use that tone with me,” Namjoon scolds him. “You both know you can’t bring fights here; did you forget the dumpling incident? If you can’t behave yourselves, then you’d better go out and settle your business outside.”
Jimin frowns even more. He’s the most temperamental member of the group, and he shows it with every glance. Namjoon decides to ignore his disrespect, he knows he needs to resolve the underlying situation. He turns to Taehyung; the boy’s very open with everything that goes through his mind, so he’ll probably find a better answer from him.
“Come on, Taehyungie,” he says, gently placing both hands on the younger boy’s shoulders, “tell us what happened.”
The boy twists his face into a pout before leaning against his chest to start crying. Namjoon hears a derisive snort from Jimin, who now rolls his eyes and folds his arms.
Hoseok also approaches Taehyung and strokes his hair.
“Hey, Tae-Tae, calm down, tell your hyungs what’s going on.”
The second maknae doesn’t stop crying. In contrast, Jimin suddenly seems very interested in doing so.
“He’s just playing the victim!” he spits angrily, “come on, why don’t you tell them what happened!”
Namjoon sighs. It’s going to be a long afternoon.
“You explain it to us, Jimin-ah,” he asks, trying to keep his patience.
“He stole my homework!” Jimin flaps his arms, “just what I asked him not to do! Yesterday he copied my literature essay and turned it in as his own, our teacher obviously found out and because of him I got punished for supposedly lending him my homework, he cancelled both of our grade and now the idiot is crying like he’s the victim!”
Namjoon freezes in the hug he’s giving Taehyung. He pulls him off his chest a little and forces him to look at him.
“Taehyung, is that true?”
The boy averts his face. It’s all the confirmation Namjoon needs. He pushes him away completely and puts on his sternest expression.
“Taehyung!” Jin interjects, “Why did you do that? That was so wrong!
“As if that matters to him,” grunts Jimin, “because of you my GPA is going to go down!
“I thought you stayed up doing your own homework! You didn’t listen to anything I told you? You have no respect for what your hyungs tell you!”
Taehyung cries even louder in the middle of the rehearsal room. It’s lucky they’re the only ones present. Namjoon sighs wearily before turning firmly to Taehyung. He knows that the youngest is in no condition to rehearse, and just like the other members, he doesn’t want to see him right now.
“Go home,” he orders, “we’ll talk in the evening.”
“B-but I want to”
“Obey for once, will you?” he asks without further discussion. Fortunately, the boy turns toward the exit.
As he watches Taehyung leave, Namjoon turns to Jimin and finds him with the same angry expression. The boy’s body trembles with rage. He definitely doesn’t need his dramas.
“You should leave too, Jimin-ah,” he says without raising his voice.
“WHAT?” The younger boy protests jumping from his seat, “but it’s his fault! Are you also going to punish me for something I didn’t do?”
“You can’t train with that attitude,” he explains, “and I’m not punishing you, I’m giving you the afternoon off to cool off.”
“I don’t need the afternoon off!”
“Jimin-ah, don’t make me force you, just go, will you?”
The boy looks at him with absolute fury, lets out a growl and kicks the floor before stumbling out of the room and slamming the door shut.
When the place falls silent, Yoongi speaks for the first time.
“Teenagers,” he growls in a deep voice, “all we need is for Jungkook to also have a hormonal explosion today and our afternoon will be a lot of fun.”