Chapter Text
The sun is scorching hot on that summer day. Sweat drips down Taehyung’s back, and he hasn’t heard a single word come out of their teacher’s mouth for a little while, even though he’s sure he’s talking. Well, he can clearly hear him, but he’s definitely not listening.
He’s talking about some rules about a game they’ll be playing… was it dodgeball? He couldn’t care less.
He’s too distracted to think about something as unimportant as the rules of dodgeball when Park Jimin is right next to him looking so soft and pretty.
Jimin. His boyfriend. Kim Taehyung’s boyfriend. ‘Wow…’ the word makes him dizzier than any hot summer day could. ‘That’s my boyfriend…’ he thinks. It’s still a bit surreal to him that they’re now dating. ‘Maybe another week…’ and he’ll finally register the fact that Jimin likes him back.
They warmed up a while ago, by running around the field three times and stretching, yet he’s still so red in the cheeks. Taehyung can see Jimin from the corner of his eye, and even though it’s a bit blurry, he could confidently draw out his profile on a canvas, if asked. From his fluffy, ruffled hair to his chin, not before stopping to admire his button nose and plump lips.
He shakes his head. He should stop staring. It might look suspicious. And that’s the last thing they want right now. He tears his eyes away from the prettiest pink and focuses on the dull brown sand of the ground.
Taehyung has his hands behind his back this whole time, gently massaging the spot below his shoulder blades, where his backpack never stops to abuse him during exam season. It’s a dull pain right now, he’s just massaging it to distract himself from… his biggest distraction. So, when Jimin looks over with worry in his eyes and rests his arm on Taehyung’s shoulder, he already knows he zoned out way too far into his head again.
He gives Jimin a quick nod of reassurance and a smile to drive the point home. ‘I’m fine!’ he says with his eyes. Jimin smiles and nods back, satisfied at the moment. And suddenly the worry in his eyes is replaced by a familiar look. ‘We’ve got a secret…’ it said. Taehyung’s chest erupts with butterflies, ‘Ah. Our secret…’. And just like that , shyness takes over and Jimin looks away. He looks around to see if anyone noticed anything.
Everyone seems to be in their own world. Taehyung lets out a breath. Safe. ‘What a fun secret…’
Jimin lets go of his shoulder and his arm dives lower, lower down his back ‘till it brushes Taehyung’s hand, very intentionally. And Taehyung, as weak as he was, takes the chance to hook one finger around Jimin’s. He hooks their pinkies together and gives it the tiniest squeeze.
He can’t see it, but he can feel Jimin’s heart hiccup and he has to battle a smile. His tummy flips around and his own cheeks are starting to feel hot.
Jimin lowers his hand and Taehyung takes it completely, squeezing it softly and making the older blush further.
At this point, their teacher stops to check on Jimin. “Park, are you alright back there? Didn’t have your breakfast? You look like you’re gonna faint!”
Their teacher seems worried that the heat is the reason he’s looking all red like a little tomato. ‘Hah, if only they knew…’ Taehyung feels way too smug.
Jimin lies and agrees, but he’s all shy about it. “Sorry, I overslept today and got late… so I had to.” He pats his cheek with the back of his free hand to try and calm himself.
Taehyung can only admire him with a smile for now, strangely proud that he made Jimin all flustered. He tugs at their intertwined fingers again.
He shouldn’t enjoy it, but there is something about trying not to get caught that is so thrilling. So, both of them feign innocence and turn back towards the teacher, pretending to listen to whatever rules they were discussing.
Since both of them hadn’t been paying attention during the rules, they got eliminated first, and as a result, they are the last students in the showers. ‘A blessing in disguise…’ Taehyung thinks happily. They barely get a moment like this. A moment away from everything and everyone. A private little moment of being together, alone. It’s a strange kind of excitement, settling on his skin like the humidity in the room.
“What was that?” Jimin asks, his head still stuck inside his shirt because he was too lazy to unbutton it before putting it on.
Taehyung snorts and unbuttons the first button to free him, fondness bubbling in his chest. “What was what?”
His head pops out and he’s still all red over his cheeks. “You know, that thing you did back there.” Jimin looks too embarrassed to say it. Taehyung tilts his head in confusion, but he clicks his tongue in annoyance. He knows his boyfriend is doing it on purpose. “That thing! The pinky thing. What was that?”
“Ah, that…” Taehyung tries to lock eyes but both of them fail miserably. “I dunno…” He mumbles, “… felt like it. Was it bad?”
Jimin approaches him with a serious expression and gulps, tucking a damp strand of Taehyung’s bangs away from his eyes. “Please, do it again.”
Taehyung thinks he would rather do something else. His eyes travel down his boyfriend’s pretty features. He’d rather kiss Jimin, he concludes, on the pinks of his cheeks and especially on the pinks of his lips. Jimin seems to read his mind. His cheeks blush even more, inviting him to do as he was thinking.
But… not here… not now.
Not when there was a risk of someone walking in on them.
So for now, he takes Jimin’s hand in his own and links their pinkies together like they’re making a promise.
And maybe they are, as they stare at their linked fingers, their linked hearts beating faster every second, when Taehyung says, “I want to kiss you later.”
A tiny gasp escapes Jimin, “Ok…” he says, already out of breath from just hearing about it.
They leave the room, anticipation fizzling in their nerves, waiting for time to go by faster.
And so, this little game of tug and pull, a secret language of ‘kiss me’ and ‘soon’, becomes more frequent the more time they have to spend apart. Everyday begins with a promise, and hopefully, everyday ends with more.