lovestrippedbare | 𝕖𝕟𝕖𝕣𝕘𝕚𝕔𝕠

"Yeah, those ones," Yoongi says, pleased both with having come up with something and with how pleased Jungkook seems in turn. "I think they take the stinger away before they let people touch them, but yeah, it's their tails, I think." He huffs out a laugh and shrugs. "I don't know that much about marine life either. We'll learn about it, I guess."

He has vague memories of going to an aquarium when he was younger, but if he learned anything particularly interesting, he's forgotten it. He just remembers it being a cool, dark space with lots of fascinating creatures. There might be a crowd, since it's a weekend, but even if that's true, he'll just keep a tight hold on Jungkook's hand. No one really notices them in a crowd and the mass of people tends to be easier for him to handle if Jungkook is with him.

"They take the stinger away?" Jungkook asks, surprised by the thought. He blinks to himself a couple of times, tilting his head. It's a little harder to imagine when he doesn't know exactly how attached the stinger is to the body, or how deeply embedded it is in the tail. From the sting rays he's seen in pictures and tanks before, Jungkook has to imagine that the zoo doesn't do anything too mutilating. "I hope it's not painful for them, like when you declaw a cat or something. Did you know that the claws are actually attached to bones? So that if you declaw them, it's actually removing the bone and it makes a lot of trouble for those cats."

He puffs out his cheeks. "I hope taking the stinger away isn't something like that. I'd rather risk getting stung, in that case," he admits, before smiling off to the side and squeezing Yoongi's hand. "But it'll be fun to learn about that stuff either way. I really like learning things with you."

"Poor cats," Yoongi says. "I didn't know that." It seems unnecessarily cruel to remove a creature's bone. He can understand Jungkook's perspective on the stingers; he'd rather risk getting scratched than hurt a helpless cat. He's more of a dog person, and he wonders if it's the same for them, but it just doesn't seem fair to cats.

"I guess we'll find out. If they have them, we can ask." It's cute, how much Jungkook likes new things, learning and exploring. Yoongi's much more introverted, more likely to self-isolate. Jungkook is good for him in that way, he thinks, pulling him out of his shell and into the world. On his own, he doubts he'd ask any questions of staff, no matter how curious he was, but he wants to learn things, to find answers for Jungkook.

Jungkook stares out into midair for a few seconds, piecing together what bits he can picture about sting rays, and what else seems to follow with logic. It seems unlikely that the entirety of the tail is a stinger, in part because he's pretty sure he's seen sting ray tails whip around flexibly before, which can't make for a great sting. He's guessing that the flexible nature of the tail also probably helps with the swimming thing. So at the very least, a sting ray with its stinger removed should still be able to swim freely. Also, Jungkook's pretty sure that lots of stingers on other animals break off to make sure the venom fully sinks into the enemy — like bees and stuff.

So maybe a sting ray's stinger breaks off pretty cleanly and without major injury to the animal. That seems pretty ideal.

By the time he reaches his conclusion, Jungkook blinks, realizing that he isn't sure exactly how much time has passed since he zoned out. He glances sheepishly in Yoongi's direction.

"Sorry. Was thinking about stingers."

It’s all Yoongi can do not to back Jungkook up against the nearest wall and kiss him. He’s so utterly ridiculous, but so earnest in it that it’s utterly charming as well. But they’re still in pubic, too many people around to take such risks. He settles instead for reaching out to wrap his arms around Jungkook’s neck, laughing. “You’re so fucking weird sometimes,” he says. He loves it, though. It’s cute to watch the way Jungkook gets lost in his own thoughts. Sometimes he wonders what exactly goes on in there.

“Did you come to any conclusion about them?”

Jungkook lets himself get dragged a little to the side under the weight of Yoongi's arms, pursing his lips only in a brief pout. Maybe being called fucking weird isn't the biggest compliment out there, but the way Yoongi's smile shines now, Jungkook finds himself unable to regret the mental tangent in its entirety, the little musings that he's probably picked up after spending so much time around Namjoon.

There's just a whole lot of world to ponder, Jungkook figures. He may not be patient enough to learn all the facts, all the time, but the bits and pieces he picks up give his life more color.

"I think they probably break off. Wouldn't that make sense?" Jungkook asks with a small raise of his brow. "Stingers are supposed to have some kind of venom in them, right? And like, what if the first stick doesn't work? I bet most stingers have some kind of way to break off so that they get stuck in the enemy's body and do more damage. Make it easier to run away. Wouldn't that make sense? And then it'd be less terrible if the aquarium broke off some of the stingers."

There are moments when Yoongi's whole being thrums with love for Jungkook, a sudden blossoming in his chest, warm with affection. He's so thoughtful and there's a sweetness, a gentleness, to his thoughts, his desire for the safety of these creatures. He imagines things Yoongi never stops to consider.

He leans over to press a quick kiss to Jungkook's cheek. "I love you," he says. "That makes a lot of sense, yeah. Like bees, right? They do that, break it off. It's probably the same." Some species of bees die from it, he's pretty sure, but it can't be that many of them, since that seems like a pretty stupid evolutionary mechanism. "Mm, but wouldn't they grow them back then?"

The kiss is enough to flood Jungkook's face with warmth, cheeks practically glowing as he glances in Yoongi's direction and smiles. He's not sure what he's really done to merit a declaration of love — his brainstorming doesn't have all that much to do with actual science, just a hazarded guess — but knowing that he's capable of making Yoongi laugh and smile with his antics is all Jungkook needs. Knowing that he's capable of it through simply being himself makes it all the better.

"Yeah, like bees! But hopefully, uh, breaking it off doesn't also take guts and stuff out, because I think some bees die from that," Jungkook says with a cringe. "I definitely think, if they don't die, the sting rays would probably grow them back, but it probably takes some time? Like growing another tooth or something. And maybe for those first couple of days afterwards, it's totally safe to touch them."

"I almost don't even want to ask someone who works there," Yoongi says. "I like your explanation." Of course, however they explain it at the aquarium, he feels reasonably sure that the outcome will be that the sting rays are okay with or without their stingers, if only because they'd never admit to visitors if they were hurting the animals in some way. But not knowing whether or not to believe what they say invokes a cynicism that Yoongi finds he prefers to ignore, at least this once.

"Or maybe they just aren't all poisonous," he adds after a moment's thought. "Maybe it's only certain breeds or types." He glances over at Jungkook, stealing glimpses even as he tries to pay attention to where they're going. It's not nearly often enough that they get a chance to walk around like this, not giving a shit who sees them holding hands like this.

"What, because my explanation is kind and doesn't end up with anyone hurt?" Jungkook laughs, rubbing at the back of his neck with a free hand. He's not naive enough to think that the world always works out in such a way where everyone gets what they want at minimal cost or pain. Aquariums don't always have the greatest track record when it comes to keeping their animals happy — Jungkook's pretty sure that zoos don't, either — but he has to hope that things only improve with time and greater understanding. "We should probably look it up on our phones... but I don't know, it's not like they really have to have any petting sections at the aquarium, so I don't think they'd hurt an animal so much just to make one."

He perks up at Yoongi's suggestion. "And yeah! Maybe it's only some types that sting. And there are others that are just... rays," Jungkook agrees, glancing back at the road when Yoongi does, and tugging out his phone to double-check that they're still headed in the right direction. His calves are starting to feel a little sticky with the drying of the seawater, and Jungkook hopes that there'll be a bathroom at the aquarium where both of them can get cleaned up a bit.

It's true enough and Yoongi smiles at Jungkook's assessment. Jungkook's not naive enough to think the world is that kind, but he sees hope more clearly than Yoongi does. It's one of the many things Yoongi cherishes about him; next to Jungkook, it feels easier to imagine some good in the world, to imagine a better future, for themselves if nothing else.

While Jungkook checks the directions, Yoongi pulls out his phone, too, to do a quick search. "Ah, okay," he says after a few moments, "it's true. Not all of them have stingers. And the ones that do can grow them back. So we got it right." It makes a lot of sense, he thinks. Aquariums may not be the best places for the creatures to be, but they're at least nominally supposed to care for them and about them. Besides, they probably don't want to run afoul of any animal rights groups.

"Ah! That's a relief. Ahhh, that's great, now we can pet the rays and we don't have to worry about whether or not they're hurting," Jungkook says, stretching his arm out and back, until he gets a satisfying crack from somewhere in his spine. He would have encouraged them to see the rays anyway, knowing that Yoongi's suggestion would imply some type of interest, but it's relieving nonetheless to learn that there's no lasting harm being done to the animals. At least, not on a maiming level.

"I'm glad there's so much that can be looked up these days; can you imagine how long it would've taken us to figure it out if we still had to use books and stuff?" Jungkook muses, mind on hyperdrive and wandering on random tangents, still energized by the view of the ocean and its salty breeze. "Kinda makes you wonder why they don't just let us use our phones for tests, since that's how we figure stuff out in the real world. No one's really expecting you to keep things memorized forever."

"Because apparently that's cheating," Yoongi says dryly. It doesn't actually make any sense, given that Jungkook raises a valid point. They're going to use their phones to figure out what they need to know on the fly anyway. All the memorization seems like little more than pointless torture. "The whole system is based on how things were done when they were our age. It doesn't make sense anymore."

Granted, yes, it's useful to know how to find this information in books or to have certain things tucked away in the back of his head for future use, but most of it is just ridiculous. He's rarely without his phone and most of what they learn has no day-to-day purpose anyway.

"Just makes school feel kinda ridiculous," Jungkook muses quietly as they walk down the length of the street. So often, the berating that comes from adults is directed at how lazy young people are, how unwilling to shoulder hard work — but Jungkook thinks about his hyungs, thinks about all the things he's been willing to do on his own, when the motivation is clear and the subject matter interesting. It's not that any of them are afraid of hard work, or expect to be handed things for free. But when the hoops seem so arbitrary, when there's so little care shown in actually developing them as individuals, it becomes hard to focus. Hard to understand why it's necessary to sit in the classrooms for as long as they do.

No wonder Jungkook feels so much better now, running away from the confines of the desk and classroom.

"I wonder if we'll be as stuffy when we get to be that age. We won't, right? We'll remember how shitty it was to be this age, how much the adults never seemed to listen... but we'll be different," Jungkook decides.

Yoongi pulls a face at the idea of their being anything like their teachers or parents. "We will," he agrees. "After all the shit we've been through, we won't forget." It's not like he plans to let memories of his difficult adolescence mar his adult years, but he doesn't think anyone can just leave behind the pain and the trauma he and his friends have endured. They'll be better. They'll be more compassionate.

"They can't all be terrible," he allows, "but maybe the ones who are nicer, who remember, just don't become teachers." Not all of his teachers have been horrible, but even the good ones have failed to make him understand why the school system is the way it is. Most of them are, at best, indifferent. Maybe they've seen too many kids who didn't care for the same reasons he doesn't care. He only works as hard as he does for his father's sake and his future with Jungkook, not because any of it matters much.

"I guess being a teacher doesn't pay as much as entering the corporate world," Jungkook nods, nose wrinkling at the thought. He's never thought particularly much about what sort of job he wants to have in the future, though sparing other kids the kind of trouble they've been put through feels like it might be a worthy cause. He'd be more attentive than most of the teachers he's had, Jungkook thinks. Even if he wouldn't necessarily be the best at preparing them for exams, he'd care about the students as individuals, he'd keep an eye out for anything bad that might be happening for them at home.

Isn't that what kids need most, sometimes?

"Seems like it could be pretty rewarding though. Maybe lots of kids are jerks, especially when they're our age, but... kinda makes you wish more adults fought for us. Cared about us," Jungkook shrugs. "Even the troublemakers have redeeming qualities, if you look for them."

"What, like us?" Yoongi teases, nudging Jungkook with his hip. For all that he plays hooky more than he should and gets into fights, Yoongi knows there are kids who are more trouble yet. His teachers are more exasperated by him than angry most of the time. They talk about wasted talent, but he still gets good grades and, in the end, with the way school is, that's what counts. "Yeah, I mean, I guess we might have one or two good qualities."

It really is a problem, though, and though he only has to deal with high school for a few more months, it's something Jungkook is stuck with for a while. Besides, he suspects university professors aren't likely to be much better. "Maybe I should teach music."

"I always thought of us as more the 'not living up to their potential' category than the troublemaker category," Jungkook admits, pausing in his steps until he's able to briefly bump his knee against Yoongi's butt. The truth is that Yoongi probably has a point — all of them skip class fairly regularly, which should be enough to get on the administration's bad side. Even with passable grades, the empty desks can't be a good influence on other students.

But if their grades stay up, what's the point of sticking around any longer than they have to? Jungkook's never quite understood the need of adults to keep track of every minute of their schedules.

"I think you'd be really good at teaching music," he adds, tone softer. While Jungkook tends to refrain from pushing the idea too much, knowing how much else Yoongi's balancing in his pursuit of higher education, he'll never be able to find it in himself to dissuade Yoongi from exploring his music further. "Make sure the love of classical doesn't disappear with the next generation."

It's something Yoongi's found himself thinking about since Jungkook first suggested it. He always assumed that university would be followed by an office job somewhere he could work slowly and steadily up the corporate ladder, but the idea has never been fulfilling. But then, he never thought fulfillment was the point; that would be something he'd find outside of work. With a future in Jungkook's embrace planned, that didn't seem so bad. But maybe, maybe, he doesn't have to worry so much about what he'll be able to make when they'll both be working. Maybe a teacher's salary is good enough. Maybe it would be worth it to feel he was doing something that makes a difference. Music might not help anyone pass their exams with better grades, but it matters.

"I think I'd really like that," he admits. "And there's always a need for teachers, right? Even music teachers." He tugs gently at Jungkook's hand, urging him to fall back into step alongside him. "Ah, but what would you teach if you became a teacher?"

"There will always be a need for teachers. Like, plenty of parents who want their kids to get started on learning an instrument early too, even if there aren't school positions," Jungkook agrees readily, thinking about how many of their classmates know how to play an instrument, even without having taken classes in school for it. None of it will matter half as much as their entrance exams for university, but there's still a certain amount of prestige that comes with knowing an instrument, a sort of admiration that parents will pour on the younger generation.

He's even seen some of it from his own mother, though he's sure she'd be more enthusiastic if she heard Jungkook play more often than she does.

But Jungkook pauses them, running over the latter part of Yoongi's statement again in his head. "Wait, are you — did you really — are you implying that I don't have any skills?" Jungkook laughs, elbowing Yoongi in retaliation. "C'mon, I'd at least be decent as a physical education teacher."

Yoongi laughs, elbowing him back. "I meant, what would you want to teach?" he corrects, but he can't begin to hide his amusement at Jungkook's reaction. "Gguk, you'd be great at it." His expression softens a little, fondness coloring his expression. "You'd be great at whatever you wanted to do." Some subjects may be more his strong point than others, true. But Yoongi has no doubt that, anything Jungkook really set his mind to, he would accomplish.

He can imagine it, too, how easily they could be happy that way, with him teaching music and Jungkook out on the field with the kids. It isn't simple work by any stretch of the imagination, but it would be satisfying in a way he doubts office work would be. Some people are cut out for that kind of thing and he thinks he'd be good at it if he wanted to, the way he always planned to be. It's just not where his heart is.

Jungkook wrinkles his nose in a pout, only slightly marred by the way he can't seem to stop smiling. Okay, so maybe Yoongi didn't intend on insulting Jungkook's intelligence after all — but the sudden turnaround to believing that Jungkook can do anything he wants also doesn't feel right. "Bullshit," he blurts out with a laugh, grinning from ear to ear as he shakes his head. "If I suddenly decided I wanted to go, I don't know, astrophysicist or something, there's no way that I'd actually be able to get that done. I'd need like. Three of me to all be spending time constantly studying."

It doesn't bug Jungkook much that there are certain things he'll never accomplish. Maybe it'd be nice if he tried a little harder for his mother's sake, tried to make things work in math and history and all those subjects that he just doesn't have the heart for, so that he at least keeps career options open in the future. But the thing is — he just doesn't have the interest. He'll pull teeth where he needs to in order to make a comfortable living, but getting him to reach above and beyond in his efforts will be hard.

"Maybe we just have you go the teaching route and I'll... I don't know, I know mom probably doesn't want it, but I always figured something more hands-on was right for me. Something where I can work until my body's exhausted."

Yoongi bites his tongue, trying to stifle his laughter, at Jungkook's response, which is, admittedly, perfectly fair. If Jungkook really wanted to apply himself, there's plenty he could accomplish, but he's no more capable of being an astrophysicist — or even a math teacher probably — than Yoongi is of giving up music.

"Well, it's your life," he says, "not hers. If you want to do something hands-on, you should." It's easier to say than it is to actually go against what their parents want, admittedly, but he still believes it. He can imagine his father's disappointment if he goes into education, but shouldn't he be able to do what will make him happy? It's not like he can't earn a living from it. They might have to look a bit to find a place where they can both satisfy themselves, but he doubts they'd want to stay in Seoul anyway. "What would you do? What kind of hands-on?"

"Yeah... best of both worlds would be to make her proud while also not draining my soul, though," Jungkook admits. He knows that it doesn't make sense to let a parent dictate a child's entire life, but there's also a significant part of him that feels indebted to his mother for all the years she spent looking after him, particularly the years between his father's death and her marriage to his stepfather. Jungkook knows how much stigma she faced, remembers all the nights she cried.

It makes it hard to think of disappointing her, even if Jungkook knows that chances are he might do that anyway, being a son who's in love with another boy. Being a son who has no desire to live out his life in corporate offices.

"But, I don't know, I'd have to look into salaries, but like. Being a physical education teacher wouldn't be bad! Or a gym trainer. Or dirtier stuff, like being a mechanic or being a farmer, it all sounds pretty fine to me. I just like the feeling of my body being totally worn out from work. Feels like a lot more of an accomplishment than finishing a book," Jungkook muses.

"Ah, well, if that's what you want," Yoongi says, trailing off with a suggestive arch of his brow. He huffs out a laugh a moment later, tipping his head back to look at the sky. Really, if they're being serious, they both have to consider salaries and benefits and what their choices mean for their future. He still thinks now and then of having children someday, and though that's a long way off, what he chooses now still affects their future.

But that's the thing. It's their future. They have to make something of it they can be happy living with. "We could work at the same school. Be the teachers everyone gossips about. Though any of that could be good. And you've got time to decide which one to pursue."

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject