Chapter Text
Jungkook checks himself out in the mirror for the upteenth time. He started leaving his hair more curly and natural, allowing it to leave his forehead exposed. His jaw has sharpened, he noticed, but his cheeks remained round and childlike. He spent a long time staring at his nose: he has a love-hate relationship with the thing. Jungkook realised he’d been staring at himself for an almost obnoxiously long amount of time. He shook his head and huffed a laugh at himself. Leave him be, he’s nervous alright? It’s his first day at Seoul University and if it weren’t for Jimin-hyung being with him, he’d be a nervous wreck. Jimin is in his third year so he knows the university like the back of his hand. The two boys are sharing a dorm, which is perfect as they’ve been best friends since high school back in Busan. Jimin has been Jungkook’s big brother and partner in crime, and Jungkook knows how lucky he is to have the older boy in his life. Speak of the devil, Jimin walks in to tell Jungkook it’s time to go to orientation.
“You’re gonna be fine, Kook. Everyone is pretty friendly - including the professors.” Jimin said to him, running a hand through his bright pink locks.
Jungkook nodded and then followed Jimin out onto campus. They walked to orientation where Jimin proceeded to reassure him that he’s just a text away.
“It feels like you’re my dad dropping me off at school, hyung. As you said, I’ll be fine ! I’m not that nervous now that we’re here. Besides, you yourself said I’m a charmer- I’ll make friends really quickly.” Jungkook said cheekily.
“Yah, you little brat.” Jimin said, ruffling the younger’s brown hair. “That’s true but be humble about it,” he said laughing.
“Bye Jiminie”, Jungkook said with a hug. Jimin responded by flicking his forehead and telling him to call him hyung. Jungkook pouted and was about to complain before he made eye contact with a boy sitting at a lunch table a few meters away.
A very, very beautiful boy. A very, very beautiful, very intimidating boy.
The boy had bright blue hair and honeyed skin. Even from here, Jungkook could see how thick and long his eyelashes were. Jungkook vaguely realised that the boy’s eyes were staring right at him. Jungkook felt a jolt of awareness flit this through his body, causing his fingers and toes to curl up. They must have been making intense eye contact for a good few moments, cos Jimin turned to see what Jungkook had been staring at. At this, the boy seemed to realize he’d been staring too, cos he simply appraised Jimin before turning to a shorter boy lilac hair who’d just joined him.
“Did you just make prolonged eye contact with Kim Taehyung, or did I imagine that?” Jimin asked, tilting his towards the boy to indicate who he was speaking about.
Kim Taehyung. Taehyung. Jungkook decided he likes that name very much.
“Uhm, I guess?” Jungkook said, finally tearing his gaze away from Taehyung and towards Jimin. “Who is he and why is he so unfairly attractive?”
Jimin snorted before sighing in agreement. “Ugh, I know. He’s yummy - but he’s not up for grabs. That boy is ice cold. The only person he talks to is Min Yoongi, that one who greeted him just now. Yoongi’s got that whole pale, tsundere, I’ll-end-you-with-words-alone thing going for him and I dig it. Those two are probably the hottest boys on campus, and the least available.”
Jungkook looked at Taehyung and Yoongi, still sitting at the lunch table, and watched in fascination as Taehyung seemed to almost-smile. The corner of his lips quirked up and his eyes crinkled. Jungkook tried to figure out why that alone was so ridiculously attractive. Taehyung seemed to sense Jungkook’s gaze and flickered his eyes up to pierce into Jungkook’s. As soon as their eyes met, Taehyung’s face turned blank before he quirked up an eyebrow in question. Jungkook, albeit a bit flustered, gave a shy smile at the blue-haired god. Taehyung appraised him for just a second before getting up and walking with Yoongi to class. He didn’t turn back and Jungkook pouted at the fact.
“Oh my god. You did the eye-contact thing again! I’m telling you Jungkook, he’s not worth pining over. It won’t go anywhere, trust me.” Jimin said, clearly worrying about Jungkook. Jimin knows how innocent and sensitive Jungkook is. He doesn’t trust that Taehyung won’t hurt him, and it’s Jimin’s job to protect the maknae.
Jungkook just brushes his hyung off, giving him a bear hug before dashing into the orientation room. Jimin let out an amused chuckle before heading off to class.
Throughout the day, Jungkook couldn’t help but think about blue hair and dark eyes. That almost smile. He wondered what Taehyung’s real smile looked like. Heck, whatever it looked like Jungkook was sure it would send him into cardiac arrest. Jungkook has always been a bit (read: a lot) of a hopeless romantic and Jimin always warned him about being too vulnerable. Jungkook has never dated anyone and has never really even had a proper crush on someone. He’s certainly never been so intrigued just by looking at someone like he was by Taehyung. This is new and a little concerning, but Jungkook has come to a conclusion nonetheless. He needs to get to know Taehyung. It’s for science, he reasons.