Archive of Our Own ^beta

Beomgyu’s school library, if you could even call it that (the so-called ‘library’ consists of about three bookshelves), is where he and his friends spend most of their free time. Now, while the library wasn’t exactly their first choice, their school’s astounding lack of consideration for the basic human needs of its pupils left them with little choice. Freezing outside in the noisy quad and cramming into the disease infested cafeteria both sounded rather… unappealing. So, Beomgyu and his friends settled with the school’s embarrassing excuse of a library – fun fact: the aforementioned three bookshelves didn’t even have any books on them. 

The library was bearable; warm and sanitary enough. The main issue Beomgyu personally had with the place was with the people who run it: the librarians.

Becoming a student librarian is, in the words of Regina George, social suicide. The only people who choose to become student librarians are the weirdo kids who don’t have any friends and, as a result, don’t actually have anywhere else to spend their lunchtime. Beomgyu doesn't mean to be cruel, but it’s true. Besides, he doesn't think the weirdo kids really mind as they’re too busy living up to their freaky reputations. One such librarian, a quite tall and far-to-smiley boy, appeared to put on a whole performance every time he announced that the library was closing. It’d been about half a year and Beomgyu had yet to understand a single word from that guy's mouth. Another unique character on the library staff was the girl who always walked around in her blacked-out sunglasses with her blazer completely buttoned up, patrolling the place like some sort of special agent. She was hardly subtle too, with the way she peeked around the corner and openly stared at people, trying to see if they’re… Beomgyu didn't even know. Did she think they were smuggling drugs or something? Regardless, the library staff were an odd bunch.

The majority of the student librarians however, were still not the main issue with the library. No, no, no. Beomgyu’s apprehension about the library stemmed from one person in particular: the one and only, Kang Taehyun. The head librarian. 

Kang Taehyun, in Beomgyu’s opinion, was the most infuriating person he had ever had the displeasure of meeting. At this point, Beomgyu was almost 100% certain that Taehyun had something against him because he seemed to be hell-bent on embarrassing Beomgyu every chance he got.

The very first time that Beomgyu met the older boy, it had been a surreal experience to say the least.

To get into the library, it was necessary to have a library pass that you could get from reception — it was a first come first serve kind of thing. So, on one particular day, Beomgyu was a little late out of class and the receptionist had already run out of passes by the time he got there. He figured it was okay: after all, he had a fairly good relationship with the head librarian – a lovely girl by the name of Shin Ryujin – so he’d probably be allowed in without a pass just this once.

After a short trip up to the second floor, Beomgyu reached the familiar door of faded-blue, complete with a shiny purple sign reading: ‘Believe in your shelf!’

Beomgyu could only roll his eyes at the pun — it was almost instinctual by this point, considering how many times he’d read that stupid sign. His hand reached out for the doorknob and he pushed open the door. However, just as he was about to step forward, a body suddenly blocked his path.

“Library pass, please.” Said a voice that Beomgyu certainly didn’t recognise and a wave of social anxiety washed over him as he immediately whiped his head up to behold the owner.

He’d barely lifted his face two inches before he found himself looking directly into a pair of dark brown eyes.

“Jesus!” he screamed and stumbled back in surprise, “You nearly gave me a heart attack!” 

He half yelled and half just breathed at the stranger because, holy fuck, it was way too early in the morning for this shit. Also, his coffee maker was currently broken so his tolerance for this kind of crap was severely lower than usual.

The guy just chuckled softly and apologised and yeah… this guy's definitely a sociopath, thought Beomgyu.

His heart was still racing in his chest but he took a moment to survey the stranger. The boy was a little shorter than Beomgyu, but he looked very well-built, with warm tan skin and inky black hair that curled over his forehead. 

Okay… so maybe he’s a sexy sociopath.

“Who are you?” Beomgyu said rather accusingly, not liking how this random (kind of super attractive) dude just showed up out of nowhere and proceeded to scare the living daylights out of him. Beomgyu had never seen him on the library staff before so…

“Kang Taehyun. The new head librarian.”

Beomgyu blinked as the sentence slowly registered in his head. New- what? What did he just say?

“Where’s Ryujin?” Beomgyu could only blurt out, confusion and slight panic evident on his features.

“She decided to step down. She said she was struggling with trying to balance library duties as well as being captain of the dance team.” The boy, Taehyun, replied simply.

Well, Beomgyu could understand that. He made a mental note to go check up on her whenever he had the chance.

A few awkward minutes went by and Taehyun was still looking at Beomgyu expectantly – it took him a moment to realise why.

The library pass. Oh.

“Oh-” He stuttered, unsure what to do now since his free-entry plan no longer had much hope of success,  “I don’t- I don’t have a pass…”

“You don’t… have a pass?” Taehyun raised an eyebrow, and as per usual, Beomgyu’s priorities flew out the window instantly because all his mind could muster was: hot.

Not a good time for a gay panic.

The younger boy shifted awkwardly on his feet, not quite sure what to do with himself as Taehyun regarded him with an unreadable expression. Amusement soon etched its way onto the boy’s features and his lips curled into a lazy smile. 

“You really should make sure to get one from the reception,” He said, arms crossed over his chest.

“I kno-”

“But since you’re cute, I’ll make an exception.”

A smug grin split across Taehyun’s face and he stepped aside to allow the younger boy through the door.

Beomgyu felt his entire body flush with embarrassment. Did he hear that correctly? Was the hot and kind of irritating new head librarian flirting with him? Beomgyu suddenly scowled at the thought. 

Who is this guy, to make The Choi Beomgyu , the most confident gay around (debatable), blush?

Absolutely not.

He said nothing more as he quickly rushed past the grinning boy and headed into the library, searching for his friends. The sheer audacity of that guy. He pressed the cool skin of his hands to his flaming cheeks and grumbled to himself.

For the rest of the day, he pretty much just wallowed in self-pity and embarrassment, and ever since that first meeting, Beomgyu and the head librarian have had an… interesting relationship.

“I’m hungry!” Whined Yeonjun for the nth time, earning him a smack from Soobin.

“Just go buy something from the cafeteria,” Hummed Huening Kai, not looking up from the comic book he was reading.

“Are you serious?” Yeonjun grumbled, “I’m not tryna get food poisoning, thanks.”

“Then quit your bitching,” Hissed Soobin.

Yeonjun just stuck his tongue out childishly and Soobin smacked him again.

It was peaceful for a few moments, Yeonjun quiet due to his pouting, Kai reading his comic and Soobin and Beomgyu slaving over their evil maths homework that was literally due next period.

However, the peace was broken when Yeonjun suddenly gasped.

“Oh my god!”

“What now?” Groaned Soobin, already in a bad mood because of maths and so done with his boyfriend’s antics.

“They have cookies!” He practically squealed, bursting Beomgyu’s eardrum in the process.

He was pointing to a group of people on the other side of the bookcase, who were, indeed, sharing a packet of cookies.

Beomgyu rolled his eyes, “So?”

“Cookies, Beom. Cookies!” Yeonjun whined again and started wiggling in his seat excitedly.

Beomgyu just rolled his eyes again but Kai, the fucking enabler that he was, just had to open his mouth. 

“Why don’t you just ask for one of the cookies?”

Beomgyu and Soobin immediately refuted the idea and turned away from the bookcase slightly in embarrassment; not wanting to have anything to do with the shenanigans of their two most idiotic friends. 

Of course they didn’t listen, and Kai, for some godforsaken reason, suggested to Yeonjun that he write a note and pass it through the bookshelf, asking for a cookie. As if that was any less weird and creepy than just straight up asking someone you don’t know for food. 

Yeonjun did it anyway.

And, to Beomgyu and Soobin’s great surprise, they actually gave him a cookie. 

Turned out, they only had one cookie left anyways, so they just passed the whole packet through the bookcase. 

Yeonjun cheered in excitement, but, just as he was about to open the packet and devour the cookie, inevitably getting crumbs everywhere, Beomgyu ripped the packet out of his hands. 

“Hey!” He yelled, reaching to snatch it back.

“Be quiet!” Beomgyu hissed, holding the packet out of the other’s reach “You’re not allowed to eat in the library.”

“So?” Yeonjun practically growled, “I don’t care, give it back!”

“Stop it,” Beomgyu’s voice lowered to a stern whisper, “You don’t want him to come over here, do you?”

“Who?” Yeonjun asked, stopping his struggle slightly.

“Me.”

Beomgyu’s eyes widened and he tried to hide his panic as the very person he’d been dreading appeared to just materialise in front of them.

Now, it’s important to note that the aforementioned library passes are printed on bright green sheets of paper. And on those luminescent squares, there is one thing written just below the library logo. No eating.

It was the golden rule of the library.

That they just been caught breaking.

Taehyun smiled, his voice kind but firm when he asked, “Why are you eating in the library?”

And of course, all of Beomgyu’s friends, the absolute traitors they were, froze like deers in headlights and went completely silent.

His brain whirred as he came to the realisation that, once again, he was going to be single handedly responsible for trying to get them out of this mess. Something he was getting quite adept at, considering his friends’ collective complete lack of brain cells.

Not that he could really say he had any himself… but that’s not the point!

Beomgyu looked up at Taehyun, trying to appear as innocent as possible. “We’re not eating.” 

Although it was technically true, it was entirely unhelpful and Beomgyu mentally face-palmed at his lame defence.

Taehyun raised an eyebrow, unconvinced and somewhat amused as he pressed on, “Why do you have cookies?”

What Beomgyu knew he couldn't do was rat out the nice people that were kind enough to give a random person some of their food, so the cogs in his brain started turning as he tried to come up with a good excuse. The universe really didn’t appear to be on his side however, as nothing came up. So, he resorted to stumbling and mumbling through broken pieces of what really was the truth. 

“We weren’t eating… we just have the cookies.”

Now Beomgyu was pretty much certain by this point that Taehyun thought he was an actual imbecile – only 20 minutes before this confrontation, he had attempted to get into the library without a pass once again and the older had told him he could only come in if he was doing school-work, to which Beomgyu had responded with some embarrassing little tune along the lines of ‘everyday we work, everyday we grind’. Taehyun just gave him a mildly entertained look and walked off. He took that as an okay to enter. 

So he was fairly sure the older boy was losing his patience with him when he sighed and said, “Just put them away.”

Beomgyu quickly reached over and grabbed his bag, attempting to stuff the cookies away and get this whole situation over with as quickly as possible. However, that was precisely when Taehyun seemed to notice that the packet was practically empty.

“If you weren’t eating, why is the packet empty?” He questioned.

Beomgyu could only stop and look up at the other, trying to process what he had just said. “What?”

Taehyun repeated himself, a pleased little smirk forming on his lips. “If you weren’t eating, why is the packet empty?”

The packet wasn’t technically empty, Beomgyu’s brain supplied unhelpfully. Maybe best not to say that though…

Flustered, the younger just blurted out the first thing that came into his mind. “We ate them at breaktime!”

They were in the library at breaktime.

Unfortunately, Beomgyu realised his mistake a little too late, and Taehyun was grinning at him with so much satisfaction that Beomgyu suddenly had the urge to deck the younger in the face.

He’d definitely get kicked out of the library for that.

Luckily though, Taehyun seemed to be done with humiliating Beomgyu for the day. He told them again to just put the cookies away and Beomgyu did as hurriedly as he could.

The moment he was finally gone, Beomgyu let out a breath of air. Part of him was afraid they really would get kicked out of the library this time.

There was a beat of silence before Yeonjun spoke up again.

“Beomgyu can have the cookie since he took the blame.”

Beomgyu smacked him over the head. Hard.

A few days later, Beomgyu was on his way to reception to get a library pass, praying to whatever gods exist that there would be one left, when something caught his eye.

A small group of people, all huddled together near the end of the science corridor. Momentarily distracted from his previous quest, he walked closer and noticed two of his friends from the year below, Riki and Sunoo, and they were talking to three other people he didn’t recognise. He watched the group with a piqued curiosity which only morphed into suspicion when he saw Sunoo exchange something with one of the people. 

Beomgyu waited for the other three to leave before approaching the pair, ready to reprimand them about doing drug deals on school property. Tsk, amateurs.

Riki smiled when he noticed Beomgyu approaching and waved him over faster. Confused, Beomgyu hurried over and became a little freaked out when he realised that the two were just smiling at him mischievously, not saying anything. 

It took him a moment, but eventually, he noticed it. The lump of almost fluorescent green laying in Sunoo’s palm - the stack of library passes.

“What the fuck?” Beomgyu yelled, flabbergasted. He heared a distant and half-hearted “No swearing” come from one of the teachers on patrol and he muttered a small apology before grabbing the two younger boys and all but dragging them into the bathroom across the hall.

Once inside, he slammed the door shut and locked it. Library passes were serious business, okay? They were practically worth gold in this school and if the feeling of dread swirling in his gut and the devilish smirk on Riki’s face was anything to go by, this wasn’t good.

“Where the fuck did you get those? Did you steal them?!” Beomgyu was frantic and panicking just thinking about it. He wasn’t necessarily a stickler for the rules but this… this must be criminal or something. Could they go to jail for stealing school library passes? Oh god-

“No, we didn't steal them,” Sunoo giggled, and Beomgyu instantly breathed a sigh of relief. Well, whatever it was, it couldn't be worse than that.

“We broke into the library office and made them.”

Or maybe it could.

“What!?” Beomgyu screamed. “You- you broke in- you- Are you INSANE!?” He flailed his arms about manically and started pacing the room while ranting.

“Dude chill. It’s not that deep.”

“It's not that- It is that deep! What if we get banned from the library? This has to be illegal!” He continued rambling and circling the bathroom in panic.

“Oh c’mon man,” Sunoo laughed, “We’ve already sold about twenty of these things and not a single one has been called out as fake. Do you really think the librarians are that smart?”

“Sold- You’ve been selling them?” Beomgyu gawked at the two in complete disbelief.

“Yup! 1000 won per pass. We’ll be rich in no time,” Riki grinned and held his hand up for a high five which Sunoo returned just as smugly.

Beomgyu could not, for the life of him, remember why he ever became friends with these people.

“Lemme see one,” he said hesitantly, still shocked and conflicted by his friends’ devious plan.

Riki proudly took one of the passes from Sunoo and handed the little green square of paper to Beomgyu. He smiled and placed his hands on his hips like a preschooler looking triumphantly at their crappy finger-painting.

Beomgyu held the strip of paper up to look at it and the colour drained from his face at what he saw.

Because, there, on the clearly hand-cut square of paper, was an almost satire doodle of the library logo and the words ‘library pass’ scrawled in awful handwriting. Beomgyu closed his eyes and raised his head to the ceiling in pity – pity for his friends’ stupidity or for himself for being friends with these idiots in the first place? He didn’t know.

What he did know however, was that he wanted to murder the two boys infront of him. 

Soon enough, the librarians realised that some of the passes being used were forged and they started checking them more thoroughly when people attempted to enter the library. Riki and Sunoo, still alive only thanks to Beomgyu’s mercy, decided to lay low and stop going to the library for a few days – Beomgyu had forced his own group of friends to follow suit, just in case. Beomgyu had also ‘confiscated’ their stash of fake passes, much to their dismay, to ensure that no more were handed out.

A notice was put out asking for any information about the culprits and soon the whole ordeal was all anyone at school could talk about. Beomgyu just prayed that none of the people that Sunoo and Riki sold the passes to would be low enough to rat them out.

It was about a week later – just a simple Thursday lunchtime – when Beomgyu was sat in the grimy cafeteria. Soobin sat opposite him; he was droning on about some baking show he’d seen on the TV last night and Beomgyu was half-listening. He vaguely registered Soobin offering him the rest of his half eaten packet of Mini-eggs and, of course, he took them gratefully and stashed them in his coat pocket for later.

It was then that it happened.

A scratchy-squeaky sound resonated throughout the hall as the intercom turned on and a harsh voice rumbled out.

“Kim Sunoo, Nishimura Riki and Choi Beomgyu to the principal's office. Kim Sunoo, Nishimura Riki and Choi Beomgyu to the principal's office.”

Soobin immediately burst out laughing at Beomgyu’s mortified expression but the other could only stand up silently and grab his coat as pure trepidation rushed through his body.

He hurried to the principal's office; Sunoo and Riki were just reaching the door too as he arrived and the older two shared an apprehensive look. Riki still had a mischievous glint in his eyes and a little grin on his lips and Sunoo had to smack him so he’d stop looking like he was enjoying the whole thing. 

Beomgyu knocked on the door and they waited.

They heard a sharp voice yell, “Come in!” Before they entered the room.

The first thing he saw when he stepped into the room was him. Taehyun . And Beomgyu nearly ran right back out the door because he was standing right there, behind the principal, arms crossed and an amused smile playing at his lips. And he was looking directly into Beomgyu’s eyes.

Beomgyu stopped breathing for a second and was only pulled out of it when he felt Sunoo shove him slightly, muttering a ”dude move” as he stepped into the room too.

The principal instructed the three to sit down as she also took a seat. Taehyun stayed standing.

Now, as said before, Beomgyu was not a stickler for the rules. But he’d never been in enough trouble that he’d been called to the principal’s office. In fact, he was pretty sure the only interaction he’d ever had with this tragic woman was when he mistook her for the cleaning lady and tried to put his snickers wrapper in her bag. What? It's not his fault that her handbag looked like some sort of eco-friendly trash bag. 

Regardless, he hadn’t exactly interacted with this woman much so he wasn’t entirely sure what to expect.

Turned out, he didn’t need to expect anything, because Mr. Head Librarian himself decided to take the reins. Once again, Beomgyu found himself being interrogated by the hottest man he’d ever seen and he was so embarrassed that he wanted nothing more than for the ground to open up below him and swallow him whole.

Beomgyu wasn't really following what was being said, far too busy rethinking all of his life choices as Taehyun and the principal rattled on about a tip they received or something.

He only really came out of his little daze when he noticed that the room had gone silent. He looked to the side to see his friends looking at him expectantly and he opened his mouth to ask what was wrong when a cough from above made him jolt.

He tilted his head up slowly, unsure, and his heart stopped when he locked eyes with Taehyun. The boy was looking down at him, holding his hand out like he was waiting. 

Beomgyu eventually realised that he must have said something to him. His brain scrambled to remember whatever it was that was said as he stared blankly up at the younger boy.

“Your coat. Your pocket.” Taehyun stated simply and that was when it clicked.

The stash of passes that he took from Sunoo. He had put them in his pocket for safe-keeping but he never took them out. 

Well. 

That was going to look a tad bit incriminating. 

Beomgyu was still holding his coat in his lap, clutching it desperately as his mind bubbled with anxiety. He couldn't go down like this. This was such an embarrassing reason to go to jail. He should've just murdered Riki and Sunoo when he had the chance – at least then it would’ve been worth it.

He was brought out of his inner turmoil for the second time that day when he felt Taehyun trying to tug his coat from his grip.

He seized in horror and stood up to yank his coat away from the older boy. Only, Taehyun pulled harder too and they started doing something akin to a mini game of tug-of-war. In a desperate attempt to get his coat out of the older’s grip, Beomgyu wrenched the material out of the boy’s hand. Unfortunately, Taehyun had a stronger grip than Beomgyu, which he should’ve expected, and the coat just twisted violently, causing Beomgyu’s pocket to rip open.

Green strips of paper exploded out of Beomgyu’s coat pocket, followed by a tumbling cascade of Mini-eggs from the half-empty packet he’d shoved in there earlier.

Oops.

The Mini-eggs splayed out on the floor below their feet, painstakingly rolling to every corner of the room. The library passes kept fluttering as they fell through the air and settled on the ground. It was almost pretty, like a kaleidoscope of green butterflies, but when one sheet landed in the principal’s hair and Beomgyu made eye-contact with the woman, he could see she was hardly amused.

Nervously, Beomgyu turned his gaze towards the boy still stood in front of him. He prepared himself for a dark glare or a scowl creasing that pretty face, but when he finally faced him, his heart skipped a beat. Taehyun was still sporting that amused little smirk, but his eyes were glistening with something else. Something different. Something that almost looked… fond.

Beomgyu nearly passed out from humiliation.

Okay, so maybe Beomgyu overreacted just a little bit. Apparently forging school library passes did not warrant going to prison. However, Beomgyu was beginning to think that being arrested would’ve actually been the lesser of two evils compared to this. 

Because Taehyun’s insufferable grin as he reached forward to pin a stupid little badge to Beomgyu’s sweater had the younger flushing; both in shame and also because Taehyun smelt really good up close. What? He’s only human…

Taehyun looked ecstatic as he leaned away from the younger and his smile was oh-so teasing as he spoke. 

“Choi Beomgyu, welcome to the library staff.”

Fuck.

Beomgyu opted not to respond, despite the plethora of very colourful comebacks whirling around his brain. He just stood there. Rather defeated and disbelieving at this turn of events. Him? Working in the library? Oh no- He was officially one of the weirdo kids.

The younger boy was busy thinking about what ridiculous quirk he was going to adopt as part of his new role as a school loser when a hand waved in front of his face and brought him back to his surroundings.

“Are you even listening to me?” It was Taehyun, with his usual smug smile and just all-round mocking presence and Beomgyu distantly noted that he might be the most attractive boy that he’s ever wanted to deck in the face.

“Yes.” He just mumbled in response.

“Great! Then let's get started.” Taehyun began explaining Beomgyu’s first list of tasks to complete and it was at this point that the elder officially lost his last ounce of self-respect.

It was Monday, Beomgyu’s absolute least favourite day of the week (no questions asked), and Beomgyu was on his first official day working at the library. 

Technically, he’d started on Friday, but within ten minutes of being there, he’d managed to embarrass the absolute shit out of himself when he walked straight into one of the empty bookshelves and, as a result, caused the rest of the bookshelves to fall over like a line of dominoes. Look, maybe if the shelves actually had, I don’t know, books on them, then he would’ve had a chance to notice them in front of him. Regardless, Taehyun must’ve felt really sorry for him or something, because the younger boy just told him to go home and rest.

Which only irked Beomgyu more.

Taehyun must've thought he was an absolutely incompetent idiot. Which, to an extent, may have been true… but he didn’t want the other boy to think that!

Beomgyu didn’t even give himself time to think about why  that might be.

Anyways, back to Monday.

Beomgyu was not having fun. Taehyun had given him a list of tasks almost as tall as himself! He wasn’t even half-way through and was already exhausted.

And it seemed that someone had finally realised that libraries were indeed supposed to have books in them (shocker), because half of his task appeared to literally just consist of unloading and organising all the new books.

What a thrilling way to pass the time.

Beomgyu was in the middle of mindlessly unpacking one of the new orders of books, grumbling under his breath and regretting all of his life choices, when Taehyun showed up next to him out of nowhere and scared the hell out of him once again. Only this time Beomgyu was already a little on edge and couldn't even stop himself before he was whacking the other around the head with a copy of The Philosopher’s Stone. Hardback.

Taehyun clutched his head and crumbled with pain; Beomgyu was by his side in an instant, muttering countless apologies and trying to get him to sit down. 

So much for not looking like an incompetent idiot.

Taehyun’s body was shaking once the elder finally got him to sit down on a chair and, for a moment, Beomgyu was terrified that he’d made Kang Taehyun of all people cry – that was until he realised that the other was… laughing.

“Are you okay?” Beomgyu stammered out, face starting to flush with red hot humiliation – once again. That was starting to become a very regular occurrence around the younger boy.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” Taehyun chuckled as he brought his hands down from his head, “Are you?”

“What?” Beomgyu’s face scrunched in confusion.

“Well, that was quite a violent reaction,” Taehyun continued, “You seem very tense today so I wanted to know if you’re okay.”

Briefly, Beomgyu wondered how Taehyun had paid enough attention to him to notice his rigid mood today, but he brushed the thought away as quickly as it came.

“Um. No, I'm fine. I’m sorry for hitting you,” the elder simply replied, a little dazed at the whole interaction.

Taehyun eyed him sceptically for a few moments before changing subject – much to Beomgyu’s relief.

“I actually came to ask you if you wanted a drink from the cafeteria. I was thinking about heading down to get some juice.” The younger looked almost nervous as he dangled the question and Beomgyu would've found it endearing if another thought wasn’t suddenly tugging at his brain.

“But you aren’t allowed food in the library,” He said. He would know, after The Cookie Scandal™. 

“Yeah. But you are allowed drinks”, Taehyun explained. A little smile drew on his lips as he added, “As long as you don’t pour milk on our serials.”

...

What.

The awful joke was followed by what could have probably been considered the longest and most awkward stretch of silence Beomgyu had ever experienced.

“Sorry.” Said Taehyun, suddenly a lot more quiet.

And… was Beomgyu hallucinating, or was that a faint blush that he could see.

Beomgyu tried really hard to hold in his laughter, but it was in vain.

Beomgyu giggled, face split into a wide smile as he spoke. “That was the worst joke I've ever heard. But props for trying,” He grinned.

Taehyun looked back up, surprise on his face for a split second before he schooled his features. But Beomgyu still saw the hint of a smile ghosting the other’s lips.

And it was in that moment that Beomgyu came to the realisation that maybe, just maybe, Kang Taehyun was not as insufferable as he’d once thought.

Somehow, there was no evidence to prove that Riki and Sunoo had actually played a part in the whole forgery incident, so it was only Beomgyu who had to suffer through working as a librarian as punishment. The two had practically gone MIA since the meeting with the Principle. Not that Beomgyu could blame them, considering what he was going to do to the little rats the moment he found them.

They were right to be wary of a pissy Choi Beomgyu.

Beomgyu’s other friends however, seemed to really enjoy watching Beomgyu suffer while he worked in the library. Especially Huening Kai, who liked visiting him quite often on his journey to complete and utter social suicide. (Kai had tried to console him: saying Beomgyu didn’t have much of a social life in the first place, but all he got in response was a third volume encyclopaedia being launched in his direction.)

“Beomgyu! What have I told you about throwing books,” scolded Taehyun as he made his way over to the two.

“Killjoy,” Grumbled Beomgyu and scowled at the younger boy. Still, he didn’t miss the way Taehyun’s arms looked delicious in the muscle tee he was wearing.

It was nearing the summer, so their school had decided to be a bit more lax on the dress code due to the hot weather. Something that Taehyun was apparently taking full advantage of.

No. Snap out of it Beomgyu. This is Kang Taehyun you’re thinking about.

Dear lord, he needs to get a grip.

“Oh hey Taehyunnie!” Giggled Kai once he saw the black-haired boy, “How’s your day going.”

Beomgyu’s mouth dropped open at that. “ Taehyunnie ?” He asked incredulously.

“Yeah!” Grinned Kai, “Taehyunnie is one of my favourite people! If it wasn’t for his tutoring, I would’ve totally failed Physics last year.”

Kai laughed and looked up at Taehyun brightly, completely unaware of the look of outrage and betrayal on Beomgyu’s face.

“Hey… Taehyun,” Kai giggled again, a bit more mischievously this time, “I bet you’re really enjoying working so close to Beomgyu-hyung everyd- ouch! ”

Kai stopped talking abruptly when Taehyun elbowed him in the ribs, smiling over at Beomgyu innocently and… kind of disturbingly.

The older boy could only look between the two in confusion. What was that about?

“Uh,” Started Beomgyu, baffled, and still a little betrayed (he’ll get his revenge on Kai later), “I’m gonna go and unpack some more of the new book orders.”

Taehyun nodded in acknowledgment before Beomgyu walked away.

After the elder was gone, Kai smirked and turned to Taehyun again.

“You know… I think Beomgyu-hyung is looking for a tutor too,”

“Really?” Asked Taehyun innocently, not catching on to the other’s playfulness.

Kai grinned, “Yeah. I think you could really help boost his grades in Biology .”

The loud smack of an encyclopaedia echoed through the library once again.

Beomgyu didn’t hate exercise, but he certainly didn't like doing it beyond what was considered absolutely necessary.

However, if he’d known that working in the library would require this much physical exertion, he probably would’ve participated in Gym class a little more.

Beomgyu grunted as he moved another box of books over to their designated shelf. He dropped it onto the floor with a huff – he’d organise them on the shelves properly later.

“Having fun there?” Drawled Yeonjun from one of the tables near him.

For some reason, the older had decided to spend his free period annoying Beomgyu while he worked tirelessly through Taehyun’s stupid list of chores. 

“Shut up,” He hissed, “You try doing this for an hour straight.”

“No, thank you,” Grinned Yeonjun, “It’s much more fun watching you struggle.”

“Fuck off,” Growled Beomgyu as he bent down the pick up another box.

However, when he stood back up, he lost his balance a bit and started to toppled backwards.

Before he could even brace himself for impact with the floor, he felt a pair of strong arms wrap around his body and help steady him.

“Be careful,” He heard a voice say as the arms let go and then Taehyun’s face was appearing in front of him. He took the box from Beomgyu’s hands and placed it on the gound in front of him.  

“Are you okay?” He said.

He sounded genuinely concerned and Beomgyu could only stare at the younger blankly as he nodded.

Taehyun smiled. It was bright and blinding and why was it suddenly feeling so hot?

“Just let me know if you need help, okay?” Taehyun continued, Beomgyu still practically gaping at him.

The younger crouched back down to pick up the box again and Beomgyu’s gaze followed his movements, eyes glued to Taehyun’s arms as they flexed with the action. He was still staring shamelessly when Taehyun stood back up, smiled another breathtaking smile, and then walked away to put the box down with the others.

Yeonjun had watched the whole scene unfold with a knowing grin.

“You like him.”

“What? No I don’t! Why would you think that?” Beomgyu squeaked, the words coming out far too frantically for them to be true.

“Mhm,” Was all Yeonjun said in response as he settled back into his chair, smirking.

As Beomgyu walked home that evening, he couldn’t stop thinking about Yeonjun’s words.

Him? Liking Taehyun? Yeah, no way.

His mind wandered back to all the reasons he disliked the boy. All the times Taehyun had purposely made Beomgyu embarrassed.

Yet, the more he thought about it, the more he realised…

Taehyun never made him get embarrassed. Beomgyu just always seemed to get embarrassed when the other boy was around. And it was because of things that he would never usually be embarrassed about were it anyone else.

So why does he care so much what Taehyun thinks of him?

Then it seemed to click.

Because he does like Taehyun.

Beomgyu always knew he found the other boy attractive, but he’s also always had a weird fixation with the younger boy. From the moment he first met Taehyun and he shamelessly flirted with him. The way he’d watch Taehyun in class because he was so smart and knew the answer to everything. The way he’d gaze a little too long at Taehyun’s patient smile when he saw him tutoring other students after school. It wasn’t because he hated him and found him insufferable, it was because he liked him.

Wow. Maybe he actually is an incompetetant idiot.

But what is he supposed to do now? How does he just act normal after that realisation? Does he just avoid Taehyun?

Beomgyu wasn’t stupid, he had the feeling that Taehyun liked him too, if the way he seemed to flirt with him was any indication.

But wait. What if Taehyun was just a flirty person? What if Taehyun didn’t actually like him and Beomgyu had misread it and now he’d gone and caught feelings and-

Yep.

There is only one solution.

Avoid Taehyun at all costs.

Turned out, avoiding Taehyun while they both worked together in their small and cramped excuse of a school library was easier said than done.

“I can’t do this,” Whined Beomgyu as he flopped across the table his friends were sitting at.

Soobin reached out a hand to pet his brown hair.

“Poor Beomie,” He pouted teasingly, “He doesn’t know how to handle his feelings. Isn’t it cute?”

Beomgyu slapped his hand away.

“I’m serious guys!” He yelled out, maybe a little louder than intended, “This is torture. Do you even understand how hot Taehyun looks lifting boxes in this heat? I’m dying here!”

“Why don’t you just, I don’t know, tell him?” Yeonjun drawled matter of factly.

Beomgyu wanted to punch him. What does that hag even know? He pined after Soobin for a year before he finally got the guts to confess.

“As if you’re one to talk,” He grumbled.

Yeonjun blushed. “That’s different. Soobin was really hard to read! How was I supposed to know he liked me back? Plus, he kept spending all his time with that Daehwi guy-” He continued mumttering to himself angrily.

Soobin just rolled his eyes, a fond smile on his face.

“What Yeonjun means to say,” He directed a serious gaze at Beomgyu, “Is that it’s very clear that Taehyun likes you too.”

“Really?” Mumbled Beomgyu, still full of self-doubt.

He felt a sharp flick on his forehead.

“Ow! Hyuka! What was that for?”

Huenging Kai gave him a deadpan expression.

“Are you an idiot or are you an idiot?”

“Wha-”

“Answer the question, Choi Beomgyu.” 

“Ignore him,” Soobin sighed just as the bell rang to signal that the next period was starting soon. 

“We’ll see you later, okay?” Said Soobin, patting the younger on the head as the rest of them got up to leave.

“Okay…” Mumbled Beomgyu, too dejected to even push the elder’s hand away.

He waved to his friends lazily as they left the library to go to their next classes. He had a free period next which meant another hour of watching Taehyun lift boxes while wearing that stupid black muscle tee that he always seems to have on.

The universe must really want him to suffer.

Beomgyu was busy organising the new books onto one of the shelves when suddenly, a group of kids burst into the room.

He panicked, unsure of what was happening, and whipped his head around to look for Taehyun. He breathed out in relief when he saw him talking to a woman on the other side of the library and headed over to talk to him.

He waited for Taehyun to finish his conversation with the woman before he spoke.

“Who was that? What’s going okay?” It came out a little more frantic than he had intended but he didn’t really care.

“One of the classes from the middle school down the street is holding a lesson here this afternoon,” He explained simply.

Oh, okay. That made sense.

Taehyun must’ve noticed Beomgyu’s unsure expression and placed a hand on the elder's arm, “It’s okay. All we have to do is watch over them to make sure they’re being sensible. Their teacher will still be here.”

Beomgyu flushed and his arm burned at the touch. He just nodded, trying to act cool and willing the rising blush to disappear.

“You watch over this side and I’ll go over there, okay?” Offered Taehyun, a reassuring smile on his face.

Beomgyu nodded again, suddenly not trusting his voice enough to speak.

Taehyun gave him another lazy smile and walked over to the other side of the library.

That boy needs to stop smiling like that. Beomgyu’s seriously going to go into cardiac arrest one of these days.

He was startled out of his thoughts by a child screaming and running past him.

Well, this is going to be fun.

Beomgyu had nothing against children. He actually really loved them. He just kind of had a personal vendetta against middle-schoolers. Yeonjun told him it was because Beomgyu himself had the mental-age of a middle-schooler, and, well, he couldn’t really argue with that.

The point being, Beomgyu in a small room full of middle-school kids was definitely not going to end well.

Beomgyu was watching over the side of the library that Taehyun had assigned him to when he suddenly smelt something.

It kind of smelt like… chicken.

He scanned the kids in the area, and soon enough, located the culprit.

He got up and walked over to the little boy. He was lounging on one of the beanbags in the corner of the library, eating one of those packets of chicken bites. They honestly looked kind of disgusting – exactly the kind of thing Beomgyu would expect a middle-schooler to eat. Dis-gos-tang.

“You aren’t allowed to eat in the library,” He said calmly.

The kid looked up at him, a bored expression on his face.

“So?” He challenged, looking all smug with himself.

Beomgyu gritted his teeth. This is exactly why he didn’t like middle-schoolers. They’re cocky and self-entitled and think they’re way cooler than they actually are.

But Beomgyu needed to keep calm and not attack a child. He really would go to prison for that.

“So put that away,” He stated, very professionally if he does say so himself.

But this kid seemed hell-bent on testing his patience.

“No.”

Beomgyu scowled.

“I said-”

He stopped when something hit him on the cheek. Something cold. Something moist. Something that had the unmistakable smell of chicken .

“Did you just-” He breathed out, trying to stay calm, “Did you just throw chicken at me?”

The kid shrugged, an evil little grin spread across his stupid face, “Whatcha gon’ do ‘bout it.”

That’s it. 

Beomgyu smiled, a little bit manically, and slowly reached down to pick up the chicken.

“Wanna see what I’m gonna do about it?” He smirked.

The kid looked at him, still completely unfazed by the crazed switch in Beomgyu’s demeanour.

“This!” Beomgyu yelled, hurling the chicken right at the kid’s face.

The kid gasped, getting smacked right in the eye.

“You. Did. Not.” The boy huffed out, standing up and glaring at Beomgyu.

“Oh yes I did, pipsqueak. So take that.” Beomgyu smiled triumphantly and placed his hands on his hips. But his mini celebration only lasted for so long before he noticed the group of kids circling around him. 

His head whipped back and forth, panic taking over him. Shit. He’s about to be mauled by a bunch of middle-schoolers, isn’t he? His worst nightmare is actually coming true!

“GET HIM GUYS!” One kid screamed.

And before Beomgyu could even finish processing what was going on, he was being pummelled by chicken bites.

He squeaked as a half-biten piece of chicken hit him right on the nose. EW! 

He fell to the floor and curled up defensively in rock-formation as projectile chicken continued to fly across the room.

Beomgyu wanted to take back everything he had ever said.

This was officially the most humiliating moment in his entire life.

Not even The Cookie Scandal™ could top this.

“Enough!” He heard a stern voice yell and the chaos immediately halted.

“All of you out. Now.”

Beomgyu raised his head slightly, preparing himself in case the onslaught of chicken continued.

A hand placed itself on his back and he visibly relaxed when he looked up and saw Taehyun.

“Are you okay?” He asked, helping the older sit up.

“Yeah,” Beomgyu replied, dusting himself off a little, “That was so scary.”

He heard a snort beside him and snapped his head to the side to see Taehyun holding a hand over his mouth.

Beomgyu gaped. “Did you just laugh at me?”

Taehyun was silent for a few seconds before he completely burst out into laughter.

“I’m sorry,” He breathed between giggles, “I’ve just,” Another wheeze, “I’ve never seen someone get beaten with chicken before. By a bunch of kids too!”

He continued cackling and Beomgyu crossed his arms over his chest, unimpressed.

“It’s not funny!” He whined, “My life flashed before my eyes!” He waved his arms around for emphasis.

“Okay, okay,” Taehyun breathed, holding onto Beomgyu’s arms to stop his movements.

It was quiet for a while as the two just stared at each other. Taehyun was still chuckling a little and the look he gave Beomgyu was so utterly fond that Beomgyu felt his heart melt a bit.

Maybe now was his chance.

With a sudden burst of confidence, Beomgyu opened his mouth. But just as he was about to finally go for it and ask the younger out, he was interrupted.

“Oh my god! I’m so sorry!” It was the women from earlier. The teacher of class that had just battered him with chicken bites.

She rambled on, apologising profusely for her class’ behaviour. Taehyun got up to talk to her, saying something about ‘having more control’ but Beomgyu wasn’t listening. He just smashed his face into his palms and groaned.

This evil universe seriously had it out for him.

Beomgyu was sulking.

He grumbled to himself as he stacked books onto the shelves, practically throwing a few of the poor things as he pouted and pitied himself.

Then, something caught his eye through the gaps in the bookshelf. He glared at what he was seeing on the other side of the library.

Taehyun appeared helping some girl look for a book. As he normally would, it’s a part of his job. Only, this particular girl was clearly trying to flirt with Taehyun. Beomgyu scowled as he saw the two laughing and smiling away and he had the sudden urge to shove the book he was holding down the girl’s throat.

He looked around, trying to see if anyone else was witnessing this girl blatantly hit on Taehyun, but the library appeared practically empty. Great. Even more opportunity for this girl to steal Taehyun away from him.

He slammed the book onto the shelf, finally losing it when he saw the girl giggle and lightly hit Taehyun on the chest.

He can’t watch this anymore.

He swallowed down his desire to scream and run across the library like a jealous lunatic and instead took a deep breath. 

He turned around to start stacking the books on the shelf behind him, facing the other way so that he didn’t have to look at the infuriating scene anymore.

Beomgyu just tried his best to distract himself by organising the shelves. He was reaching up to place a book on the top shelf – it wasn’t difficult since he was tall – when he suddenly felt a presence behind him. A body pressed close to his back and a hand grabbed onto the book he was holding.

He whirled around in surprise and came face-to-face with Kang Taehyun.

His breath got caught in his lungs and his mind suddenly felt so fuzzy that he almost didn’t hear what Taehyun said.

“This book is supposed to go in the ‘M’ section.” He explained, reaching over to place the book where it was meant to go.

“Oh- I- Oh,” Beomgyu stuttered out, still breathless when Taehyun didn’t move from in front of him.

They were so close. Beomgyu could feel the heat of the younger’s body and if he leaned forwards even a little bit, their lips would touch. Beomgyu swallowed, his gaze now fixed on Taehyun’s lips because of that thought.

“My eyes are up here you know,” Taehyun grinned and Beomgyu’s eyes immediately snapped up, locking with the younger’s.

“What’s up with you today? You don’t seem happy,” Taehyun’s smile was still smug but his eyes glinted with a genuine concern.

“Oh,” Beomgyu mumbled, “It’s nothing. I- I’m fine.”

Taehyun hummed, leaning in closer, so close , and Beomgyu held his breath.

What the actual fuck what happening.

“I meant to thank you, actually,” Taehyun said quietly, voice so low that it made a shiver run down Beomgyu’s spine.

“For what?” He whispered.

Taehyun grinned again, “For thinking I look hot when lifting boxes.”

Beomgyu’s heart stopped.

“I- How did you know that,” He breathed, not even bothering to deny it.

Taehyun’s eyes were bright and tender, glistening with amusement.

“You’re quite a loud person, Gyu,”

The nickname slid off Taehyun's tongue like honey, sweet and golden and thick enough to completely cloud Beomgyu’s mind. 

“Oh.” He whispered, suddenly far too gone for his brain to formulate anything more.

“Gyu,” Taehyun murmured. He was so close. So, so close and Beomgyu’s lungs were almost gasping for air at how breathless he felt.

Their lips were almost touching when Taehyun spoke, so quiet that Beomgyu felt it more than he heard it, “I like you.”

And then their lips were pressing together. It was gentle at first and Beomgyu let out a sigh at the contact. Taehyun’s lips were so soft and so warm and the way they locked against his felt so right. Beomgyu let out a soft gasp as Taehyun kissed him deeper, pushing their bodies impossibly close. A hand came up to tangle in Beomgyu’s hair, tugging lightly and angling his head so they could touch deeper, harder, closer. So close . Beomgyu wrapped his arms tightly around Taehyun’s waist, pressing the pads of his fingers into the hard muscles of Taehyun’s back. A soft whine left his throat when Taehyun nipped his bottom lip, and Beomgyu opened his mouth so the other could slip his tongue inside.

Beomgyu released another moan when Taehyun sucked harshly on his lower lip. The younger pulled away slightly, chuckling when Beomgyu tried to chase his lips, opening his eyes and pouting at the black-haired boy.

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that,” Taehyun breathed, dipping back down to peck Beomgyu again, “You drive me crazy.”

“You know,” Beomgyu murmured, lips lightly brushing over Taehyun’s as he spoke, “If I could rearrange the bookshelves, I’d put U and I together.”

Taehyun pulled away, looking at Beomgyu blankly for a second. 

The elder cursed himself. What in the living fuck just came out of his mouth?

But Beomgyu was snapped out of it when he heard Taehyun abruptly explode into giggles.

“My joke wasn’t as bad as that, was it?” Taehyun wheezed.

“No,” Beomgyu grinned, a little relief washing through his body, “Yours was worse.”

Taehyun’s smile was so big that it reached his eyes and Beomgyu’s heart softened. He leaned in for another delicate kiss, unable to help himself.

“Hey,” Taehyun giggled again, “Wanna come back to my place? I heard you’ve been needing help with Biology- ow! ”

Beomgyu smacked him. “That wasn’t even funny, that was just vile.” He scolded. His smile still hadn’t faded and he intertwined his hands with Taehyun as he said, “But I think I can accept the offer.”

Taehyun beamed and pulled Beomgyu by the hand towards the library exit before Beomgyu stopped him.

“Wait! Do you have a lot of overdue library books at your house,” He asked.

“What? Why?” Said Taehyun, a little baffled at the elder’s random question.

But Beomgyu just smirked at him.

“Because you’ve got fine written all over you.”