Jeongguk nervously bounced his leg up and down, biting on his lip. He had knees apart on the chair with his hands in between, clasped on top of each other. Glancing at the wooden clock, Jeongguk's eyes travelled to the colourful, abstract paintings that cluttered the wall, admiring the intricate patterns.

Jeongguk's eyes then shifted to Taehyung, who was dressed in a thick, black turtleneck sweater, accompanied by a charcoal-coloured coat on top. He sat on the chair with his back straight and legs together, trying to look proper however, he too was just as anxious.

It was a Tuesday afternoon. Jeongguk was just in the middle of a very exciting English class when he was told to head down into the theatre department. Into Mr. Han's office.

Jeongguk anticipated that it was because of what happened during their punishment and how the theatre hall was left a mess. It didn't take a genius to figure it out.

Speaking of their punishment, Jeongguk received an earful from Jimin the next day during one of their classes, asking him where he was and like Taehyung, he was vague. The whole story did take a while to explain and Jeongguk was too tired.

When he was called down, Jimin found it a bit funny. He teased Jeongguk, asking him what he did to be asked to come to the office whilst Jeongguk just gulped.

When he was outside the door, he exchanged a quick glance with Taehyung, who was also summoned to the office, that confirming his beliefs.

Jeongguk gave Taehyung a small smile before turning the door handle, sheepishly entering the office with Taehyung following behind.

Mr. Han, meanwhile was on the phone when he two entered. He silently offered them a seat and to wait a couple of minutes whilst he finished up his phone call.

"-And don't forget to buy the milk! Okay, love you. Bye!" Mr. Han smiled, ending the call. He cleared his throat, now steering his attention to the two boys.

"Now, by the looks of it. It seems that you two know why you're here. Am I correct?" He began, resting both arms on the desk.

Jeongguk turned his head around to Taehyung who merely gulped. He turned his head back around and shakily sighed. "Y-yes. Is it about yesterday's punishment?"

"Ding! Ding! Correct you are, love." Mr. Han giggled but then his expression morphed into something more serious.

Jeongguk pursed his lips, waiting for his next words.

"Something I'd like to know, love, was why the theatre hall was left a complete mess! Hearing from the cleaners, it wasn't an easy task to mop up. Any clue as to why it was left that way?" Mr. Han snapped, now standing up from his chair with his palms on the desk.

Jeongguk swallowed thickly, he opened his mouth, trying to get his words out. "W-we were locked in the hall and we couldn't g-get out and so we had to stay f-for the night and-"

"Love, get to the point please. I don't have time for you to not be clear with me here." Mr. Han spoke coldly, wiping his glasses with his shirt. Jeongguk could feel Taehyung's gaze on him, his thick bangs falling over his face.

Jeongguk froze, not knowing how to get around this situation without him and Taehyung getting in even more trouble.

He bit the inside of his cheek, Jeongguk was planning to tell the complete truth but with the situation being as it is, mixed with how nervous he was, that wasn't possible. Deciding to take one for the team, Jeongguk made up a quick lie.

"W-well. I, um- I accidentally tripped o-over the mop buckets and the water spilled everywhere and I'm r-really sorry-"

"Great, we got a reason for one part of the problem." Mr. Han sarcastically replied, sitting back down. "Have any idea of how you two ended up camping out in the projection room?"

"A-actually-"

"No, Jeongguk." Mr. Han interrupted him for the third time, he turned towards Taehyung, watching how he nervously played with the sleeves of his coat. "Taehyung, sweetie." He called out, making Taehyung look up from his sleeves and look in front of him through his fringe.

"You haven't been talking much. What's your take in all this? Do you know what happened?"

Jeongguk looked at Taehyung through his side view, tapping his feet softly as he wondered what Taehyung was going to say.

Taehyung sunk into his seat, brushing a couple black tufts of hair out of his face. "I- We weren't- we weren't doing anything that we're not supposed to do there, I promise." He uttered out, clearing up any misunderstanding of what anyone could think they were doing.

Mr. Han chuckled lowly. "I'm glad, love. Now, are you going to tell me why you and Jeongguk were hanging around there?"

Taehyung touched his lip, picking at the skin as he prepared his next few words. He shakily sighed. "J-Jeon had a cold and he got water a-all over him and got a really bad fever and-" Taehyung paused, digging his nails into his thigh as he took a moment.

"And?" Mr. Han urged, wanting to get to the bottom of this.

"A-and he fainted. The theatre room was really cold and I- I knew the projection room had insulated walls so I put him there and let him rest until he got warmer and his fever went down." Taehyung finished with a loud sigh, balling his hand into a fist above his thigh, clenching the fabric underneath.

Jeongguk watched how Taehyung explained the whole story, doe eyes wide. Mr. Han raised a brow, he looked back over to Jeongguk. "Is this true?"

Jeongguk nodded his head frantically, brown strands of hair falling onto his face in the process. "Yes! It is! Th-then Taehyung got a fever b-because of me so we had to stay in the projection room so w-we wouldn't freeze to death!" He stammered, flicking those strands of hair away from his face.

Mr. Han leaned back on his chair, eyeing the two boys suspiciously. Taehyung had his head hung low whilst Jeongguk was gnawing on his bottom lip.

"Alright. You can go."

Jeongguk let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He scrambled out of his seat and stood up, looking at Mr. Han questionably.

"Huh?"

"I said you can go. You're not in trouble since most of this was my fault since I left the door locked. Go on now. Off with you two."

Jeongguk looked over at Taehyung who was just as confused but had a look of relief in his face. Taehyung rose from his seat, brushing himself off.

He looked at Mr. Han with a small smile painted on his face. "Thank you, Mr. Han." And with that he strolled to the door, opening it and leaving the office.

Jeongguk stood there, eyeing the door as soon as Taehyung left, he had his arms by his sides, donning a dark-grey oversized hoodie.

"Jeongguk, love. You're allowed to go too." Mr. Han smiled, alerting Jeongguk.

"O-oh right. Thanks," Jeongguk mumbled, exiting the room.

He saw Taehyung walking down the halls with his hands in his coat pockets. Jeongguk quickly put his hood up, running to catch up with the other.

"Taehyung! Wait!" He cried.

Taehyung paused, turning back to see Jeongguk jogging towards him. His lips curved upwards into a smile.

"Well. At least we're not in trouble." His husky voice spoke, beginning to walk again.

Jeongguk scratched the back of his neck and laughed, walking next to Taehyung. "Yeah. Turns out telling them the truth wouldn't have been the best idea."

"I mean, it was my fault for throwing the water on you." Taehyung mumbled, looking down. He stopped walking. "If I- If I didn't then your fever wouldn't have gotten worse and you wouldn't have fainted and-"

"Hey, hey. It's alright." Jeongguk waved his arms, smiling. He put a hand on Taehyung's shoulder, making him look up. "Besides. You made up for it by taking care of me so it's all good."

Taehyung shook his head. "It was nothing, Jeon."

Jeongguk took his hand off Taehyung's shoulder and quirked a brow, smirking. "Still calling me by my last name, are you?"

Taehyung scoffed, crossing his arms. "Yeah, and what about it?"

Rolling his eyes, Jeongguk playfully shoved Taehyung by the arm to which Taehyung laughed it off.

"Why did they even make us mop the hall if the cleaners were going to?"

Taehyung shrugged. "Maybe it was just for the sake of the punishment, they didn't even give us soap to work with." He muttered, and Jeongguk nodded.

"Probably."

They began walking again, the two didn't talk or anything but it was a comfortable silence. Taehyung looking ahead of him whilst Jeongguk was paying attention to the ground, listening to the sound of their footsteps.

The two eventually made it out the door, walking outside. They both paused to turn to each other.

"So, I'll see you around?" Jeongguk asked, looking at Taehyung through his thick lashes.

Taehyung nodded, holding out a hand to shake. "Yeah, you will."

Jeongguk was about to shake Taehyung's hand but paused, looking at Taehyung hesitantly before giggling.

"Is your hand still sweaty?"

Taehyung chuckled, shaking Jeongguk's hand himself instead of waiting for him to. "That's for you to judge." He quipped.

"See you, Jeon." Taehyung sighed, walking away from the opposite direction.

Jeongguk stood there, hand still out. He stifled a giggle, putting his hand into his hoodie pocket.

He made his way back to class, super enthusiastic to get back to his class and finish the rest of his lesson.

White sparkles of snow fell from the gloomy sky, covering the pavement with its frosted blanket.

Many children hurriedly rushed outside to experience the falling of the snow with their parents chasing after them in a panic, insisting they wear a jacket in the biting cold.

Everyone else who was already outside stopped to admire the frosty beauty, mouths agape in awe. The sun struggled through the clouds to shed its light upon the icy streets, only a few streams of sunlight managing to bleed through the clouds.

Picturesque.

That's one way to describe the setting of it all, albeit a tad bittersweet as the frigid cold kept pinching Jeongguk's rosy cheeks.

Breathing a little warm air into his mittens, Jeongguk rubbed his hands together before pressing them against his face, his oversized coat covering his small frame. He smiled warmly to himself, watching how a Winter Wonderland was being birthed right in front of him.

Jeongguk was happy he was able to make it back outside in time after his class had finished. He had to dash to his room to fetch his coat before running back out, just in time to see the very first snowfall in a couple of years although it was late by a month. It was rarely cold where he lived.

He continued to walk along the pavement, walking past the many stores and cafés that offered a slither of mercy from the harsh outdoors but Jeongguk stayed put, determined to enjoy this weather as much as he could.

As he strolled around the streets, a huge gush of wind blew past him. Jeongguk suddenly felt an odd presence behind him, like it was following him.

He quickened his pace, dashing on the snow-covered grounds as the wind only got harsher, howling in the distance. It was a miracle that Jeongguk hadn't slipped yet.

The figure behind him started speeding up too, lightly jogging after him. Jeongguk panicked. The wind was getting louder and louder, deafening the sound of his footsteps crunching on the snow.

Jeongguk's scarf moved with him, bouncing up and down with each step he made. He could hear the person's heavy footsteps right behind him as another harsh gust of wind was thrown his way.

By now, Jeongguk was running, letting out small panicked cries as he tried to run for his life. Just as he was about to turn the corner, he felt a gloved hand grab his shoulder. Jeongguk was prepared to scream. What did they want-?

"Y-Yoongi?" Jeongguk breathed out, doe eyes looking at the figure in front of him.

Yoongi sunk to his knees on the frosted ground, a hand grabbing his chest as he tried to catch his breath.

"Please- please don't run like that. I swear to god you nearly killed me by making me have to run a marathon for you." He panted, swallowing every so often.

Jeongguk blinked, his long lashes fluttering. His confused expression turned into a pout, he crossed his arms childishly. "Maybe you could've called out my name instead of running like a maniac. I would've stopped earlier if I knew it was you."

Yoongi eventually got up, wet patches from the snow were evident on his jeans. "Oh, whatever. You know now so what's the point?"

Jeongguk shook his head in disbelief. He leaned his back against the wall, sighing. "So, how's geography been going for you ever since choir was cancelled?"

When Jeongguk was still taking choir, he sat next to a particular raven-haired boy going by the name 'Min Yoongi'. Jeongguk really enjoyed Yoongi's company, although he could be a little cold sometimes, he really made his lesson a bit more entertaining.

Yoongi groaned, pressing his palms against his head. "I hate it. Really saw music as a career goal so that's why I'm taking extra classes outside of school."

Jeongguk perked up. "Oh? Are you?"

"No, I just lied and I'm actually really happy that choir is cancelled."

"What?"

"I'm just kidding. Anyway, enough about me. What lesson were you thrown into?"

Jeongguk was about to groan too but found himself not being able to. Confused, he went with his original reply.

"Th-theatre?"

"Why do you sound confused?"

Jeongguk bit his lip. He'd usually be dreading theatre and crying at the very thought of the subject but he couldn't find it within himself to be frustrated. In fact, Jeongguk was sort of looking forward to the class and he didn't know why.

"Ah. My bad- but yeah. I'm taking theatre."

Yoongi nodded, "That's pretty cool-" He quickly glanced at his watch. "Look, it was nice talking to you, Jeongguk but I gotta go! I have piano lessons!"

"Yeah, okay see you-" But before Jeongguk could finish his sentence, Yoongi was off, trudging through the thin layer of snow that coated the pavement.

Jeongguk giggled at his antics and began walking off, back to admiring the winter snow. He eventually found himself entering the bakery he was planning to visit, the smell of freshly baked pastries filling his nostrils.

The bakery reminded him of the coffee shop that was just around the corner. The overall vibe was peaceful. The walls had pastel pink and white stripes along with a couple of paintings of scenery spread across with 2000's music casually playing in the background.

"Jeongguk?"

Startled, Jeongguk turned around to see Jisoo behind the counter, donning a pink, frilly apron.

"Woah- you scared me! Wait, Jisoo? Why are you here? I thought you worked at the coffee shop."

Jisoo shrugged. "I do, but I'm also working here. Money's been a little tight recently but I'm doing the best I can." She sighed, resting her arms on the counter.

Jeongguk nodded but that morphed into a giggle soon enough. He stood there, hand clasped over his mouth as he tried to contain his laughter.

Confused, Jisoo gave Jeongguk a questioning look. "What's wrong? Why are you laughing?"

Jeongguk pressed his lips together, bringing a hand to point to his hair. "You got a little.."

Jisoo patted around her scarlet hair, feeling a powdery substance near her bangs. She ran her fingers down her hair, discovering the bits of flour on her fingertips.

Jisoo scoffed, aggressively ruffling her locks to get rid of any excess flour. "Ugh! I can't believe you, Jeongguk!" She angrily muttered, continuing to pat down her hair.

Jeongguk giggled, placing his hands behind his back. "It's not my fault that you're so messy!"

Rolling her eyes, Jisoo adjusted the strings of her apron. "So, what brings you here?" She asked, tying the knot securely.

"I heard this place had pretty good pastries so I decided to stop by." Jeongguk sighed, taking off his scarf. "Must be hard working here alone."

Jisoo laughed. "Oh, I'm not alone. There's another baker here but he's just at the back-"

Just as Jisoo finished her sentence, an orange-haired boy walked in, wearing a simple black apron. He had a tired expression on his face.

"Speak of the devil- Hey, Baekhyun!" Jisoo waved.

Baekhyun seemed to be a little out of it since he was a bit shaken when Jisoo called out his name. "What- Oh! Hey, Jisoo." He yawned, rubbing his eyes with his two fingers. He stood next to Jisoo, arms on the counter.

"Yeah," Jeongguk spoke. "I'm tired too."

"Huh? Oh hello. Who's this, Jisoo?"

Jisoo sighed to herself. "Baekhyun, this is Jeongguk. Jeongguk, this is Baekhyun."

Jeongguk smiled to which Baekhyun smiled back although it wasn't as enthusiastic because of how tired he was.

"Hey, Jeongguk. Yeah- sorry if I don't sound bothered enough. I've been up all night doing a stupid project because my group couldn't be bothered helping me." Baekhyun groaned, looking at Jeongguk with his bloodshot eyes.

"Mood. Like- it's called a group project for a reason." Jisoo complained, and Jeongguk just smiled and nodded along holding his scarf with one arm whilst the other held onto the counter.

"Oh shit- I forgot why we're getting paid. Come on, Baekhyun! We have muffins to bake! Bye Jeongguk!"

Jeongguk watched Jisoo scurry to the back, dragging Baekhyun by the arm as the two aggressively started baking, hearing shouts of instructions coming from Jisoo.

"No, Baekhyun! You're not supposed to cream the butter and sugar together! That's for cupcakes, you dumbass!"

Sighing, Jeongguk stepped back from the counter and went to look for a seat. The bakery was pretty packed so this priced to be a difficult task.

His eyes scanned the room for a few second, unable to find any empty seats but Jeongguk stopped when he noticed a familiar figure with thick, wavy locks in one of the tables in the far corner.

Taehyung.

God, why was he everywhere?

Jeongguk huffed before walking up to him, a sly smirk trailing up his features. Taehyung seemed to not notice his presence as he was too busy nibbling on his chocolate chip muffin.

"Hey, Taehyung!"

"The fuck- Oh, it's just you, Jeon." Taehyung sighed, swallowing the last mouthful of his food as he looked up at Jeongguk.

Taking a seat, Jeongguk's smirk never left. "I thought you said bakeries were stupid?" He remarked, putting his scarf down and resting his elbows on the table.

"Shut up." Taehyung retorted. "That's in the past."

"That was literally a week ago."

"Irrelevant."

Taehyung wiped a couple of crumbs from his lips. "How's your cold?"

"My cold? Well-" Jeongguk paused, he realised he hadn't been coughing, sneezing or sniffling all day. That was a good sign for sure. "I- I think it's going away so that's good."

Taehyung nodded, "Yeah, it is."

Jeongguk glanced up at the display cases that served an array of treats. "Are the pastries any good here?"

Taehyung was just mid-bite into his muffin. He choked for a second before quickly chewing it down, covering his mouth for a moment. Taehyung swallowed. "They are. But for some reason, I can taste the blood, sweat and tears that went into making these."

Jeongguk gave a half-laugh, glancing at the empty counter.