YOU BEFORE I KNEW | JIKOOK ✔

7. BROKEN TRUST

Lately, it hasn't seemed to get any better than this.

And usually, the thought of skipping class always made Jimin's skin crawl. Because he has always strived for perfection.

But to him, right now, perfection is the sight of the stunning, spotty sky from the school rooftop. How the white clouds drift carefully within a sea of blue, broken up by sharp rays of sun. The breeze cards through his blond hair like a gentle caress from loving fingers.

Jimin look to his left when he feels Taehyung's head land against his shoulder. He looks the boy's face over, thankful the bruising around his eye has gone down and the split in his lip has almost healed over entirely.

"We should have done this earlier," Taehyung remarks with a soft exhale leaving his nostrils, looking forward.

"I agree," Jimin replies, playing with Taehyung's blue hair. "It's nice up here. It feels like I'm in control for once. Everybody else looks so small."

Taehyung hums. "Can I ask why you're skipping, though? As far as I know, you've never skipped a single class. This feels really spontaneous and kind of odd." He lifts his head and looks at Jimin curiously, moving some of his blue hair behind his ear.

It's been a few days since Jimin's broken confession to Jeongguk. It wasn't his intention to spill everything, but in the heat of the moment, anything is possible. He also hasn't talked to Jeongguk since then, either. Whenever he's at the house, he avoids him and hides away in his bedroom because he can't face him. He isn't exactly sure what he's supposed to say and he also isn't sure what kind of emotions he sees in the brown haired boy's eyes when their gazes meet.

All he knows is that it's something he has never quite seen before.

"I can see that you're thinking. Now I just need to know what about." Jimin blinks and faces Taehyung once again, realizing that he zoned out.

"There's a lot going on inside of my head, Tae. Kinda feels like my brain is scrambled," Jimin replies, breaking into a weak smile.

The blue haired boy nods his head, placing one of his hands on Jimin's knee. "I know it isn't really fair of me to say this because I didn't confide in you. But I'm a good listener. So if you want to talk about it, you can." Jimin once again finds himself looking at the fading purple around Taehyung's eye, and the faint dip running down his bottom lip.

He'd rather not talk about it but seeing the state that Taehyung is in makes him think. It wouldn't be right to keep something a secret that involves his own best friend.

"I don't know if this is really that big of a deal, but for some reason, I feel like it is." Jimin places his hand on top of Taehyung's, running his fingers over the boy's knuckles. "I had a sorta fight with Jeongguk Hyung a few days ago. I ended up saying some things and your situation with your mom accidentally slipped up. It's nobody's business but your own so I just wanted to say that I'm sorry," he explains solemnly.

Taehyung's eyes drop to their hands and he pulls on his bottom lip. "It's okay, I guess. It's not like he's going to judge since he's also gay, right? But, uh... well, does Jin Hyung know about it?"

Inwardly, a current of confusion passes Jimin's mind, but he keeps a neutral expression. "No. He was passed out on the couch. Why? Are you worried he'll treat you differently if he knew?" he asks.

Taehyung shakes his head, pulling his hand out from beneath Jimin's. He looks back over at the sky and messes about with his own slim fingers. "No, I was just wondering. That's all."

Jimin studies Taehyung's profile but doesn't say anything. He leans back, admiring the sky with a feeling eating away at his gut. He managed to clear some of what was clogging up his thoughts, but there's still this whole ordeal with their math teacher. He can't seem to scope out the appropriate words or the courage to speak up so he remains silent.