Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/11686911.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Rape/Non-Con, Underage
  Category:
      M/M, F/M
  Fandom:
      방탄소년단_|_Bangtan_Boys_|_BTS
  Relationship:
      Jeon_Jungkook/Kim_Taehyung_|_V, Kim_Taehyung_|_V/Yoon_Jeonghan, Jeon
      Jungkook/Lalisa_Manoban_|_Lisa, Min_Yoongi_|_Suga/Park_Jimin, Jung_Hoseok
      |_J-Hope/Min_Yoongi_|_Suga, Kim_Namjoon_|_Rap_Monster/Kim_Seokjin_|_Jin,
      Kim_Namjoon_|_Rap_Monster/Min_Yoongi_|_Suga
  Character:
      Jeon_Jungkook, Kim_Taehyung_|_V, Yoon_Jeonghan, Park_Jimin_(BTS), Min
      Yoongi_|_Suga, Jung_Hoseok_|_J-Hope, Kim_Seokjin_|_Jin, Kim_Namjoon_|_Rap
      Monster, Kim_Sejin_(Manager), Bang_Shihyuk, Lalisa_Manoban_|_Lisa, Jung
      Hyun, OC_-_Character, Jung_Jiwon, Gayoung, David, Michelle, Ton_Sang_Jun
  Additional Tags:
      Non_AU, Idols, Idol_Kim_Taehyung_|_V, Idol_Jeon_Jungkook, Idol-Verse, Top
      Jeon_Jungkook, Power_Bottom_Kim_Taehyung_|_V, Band_Fic, Jeon_Jungkook_Is
      Bad_at_Feelings, Jeon_Jungkook_&_Kim_Taehyung_|_V_Are_Best_Friends, Jeon
      Jungkook_Being_an_Asshole, Jealous_Jeon_Jungkook, Kim_Taehyung_|_V-
      centric, Angst, Angst_with_a_Happy_Ending, Religious_Guilt, Religious
      Conflict, Homophobia, Homophobic_Language, Homophobic_Jeon_Jungkook,
      Roommates, Dorms, Light_Dom/sub, light_Violence, Explicit_Sexual_Content,
      Explicit_Language, Mildly_Dubious_Consent, Dubcon_Cuddling, Pining,
      Sexual_Tension, eventual_taekook, Mentioned_Jeon_Jungkook_/_Lisa, Friends
      to_Enemies_to_Lovers, Tsundere_Jeon_Jungkook, Fantasizing, Praise_Kink,
      Very_Very_Slow_Burn, Character_Development, Recreational_Drug_Use,
      Smoking, Eventual_Smut, Manhandling, Alcohol, Jealous_Kim_Taehyung_|_V,
      One-Sided_Attraction, Older!_Jungkook
  Stats:
      Published: 2017-08-02 Updated: 2017-11-25 Chapters: 8/? Words: 27081
****** Decadence ******
by Rhyung
Summary
     Kim Taehyung is a carefree, fluid individual, the polar opposite of
     his bandmate and roommate Jeon Jungkook. They develop a strong
     friendship despite their many differences. However, when Taehyung
     grows confused as to the nature of his feelings, he goes about
     resolving them in a dangerous manner. Jungkook tries distancing
     himself but finds himself being constantly sucked back in.
     Drama, angst and fluff.
     // This fic spans from fetus BTS to YNWA era BTS //
Notes
     (Jk and Tae are the same age, Tae is a month younger.They're both 16
     right now.)
     This fic is going to be super slow ... I'm also bad at getting things
     done on time so ... you know what to expect. This isn't proofread so
     bear with me. This chapter is roughly 1.5k, but future chapters will
     probably be much longer.
***** Did You See *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
Taehyung was panting heavily as he struggled to drag his suitcase up the steep
flight of stairs. Beads of sweat had begun forming on his forehead as he sighed
and sat down on a step, observing his surroundings forlornly. People walked
past him as the minutes ticked by, his head resting on his suitcase and his
eyes heavy with sleep.  
 
“Kim Taehyung?” A gruff voice called out.
 
Taehyung pried open his eyes to a short, stocky man standing a step below him.
He rushed to stand up, almost toppling his suitcase over. A flashy grin and a
bow later, Taehyung confirmed his presence.
 
“Welcome Taehyung, I’m Bang Shi Hyuk,” he smiled proudly, “I’m so glad you’re
on time, if there’s one thing I disapprove of, it’s tardiness.”
Taehyung giggled nervously, “ Are, um- Are any of the others, um, are they here
y-yet?” Shihyuk chuckled at the young boy’s stuttered question.
 
“No, you’re the first to arrive, and you know what that means.” Taehyung’s eyes
widened and he racked his brain for a possible answer.
 
“It means you get the first pick of course!” Shihyuk gave him a jolly slap on
the back and began leading him up the stairs, motioning a stray staff member to
carry his suitcase.
 
Taehyung shrunk in his grip, his eyes frantically taking in the long, shabby
corridor at the top of the stairs. “First pick in what sir?”
 
“You may decide which room you like best! I would recommend the room at the end
of the corridor on the left. It's spacious and you’ll have lots of space for
the rather big suitcase you’ve bought.” He chortled good naturedly.
 
Taehyung blushed with embarrassment as he glanced at the staff member carrying
his suitcase. He was coloured a bright red and covered in a sheen of sweat, his
glasses sliding down his nose, misted white due to his heavy breathing.  
 
“Well, I’ll leave you to unpack. I’m sure the others will be arriving shortly.
Oh and, dinner’s at 7,” he informed Tae, glancing down at his cheap watch, “
That gives you 2 hours to get sorted, I trust you’ll do well?”
 
“Um, y-yes sir, of course,” he managed to say with a small smile. Bang PD
grinned and gave his shoulder a squeeze of reassurance, turning around and
making his way down the stairs with the drained staff member.
 
What am I going to do? He thought to himself as he shuffled down the corridor
with his luggage. I can barely say a sentence without making a fool out of
myself. The room at the end of the corridor on the left had a golden number
‘14’  hanging in the middle, the door was oak and heavy he realised as he
pushed it. His mouth fell open. The room was huge, 4 beds on each side making a
total of 8, each area with their own cupboards and bedside tables. At the far
end of the room, there were 3 large windows, draped in silver blackout
curtains. The room wasn’t particularly fancy or luxurious, but Taehyung smiled
contentedly as he wheeled his suitcase towards the windows and gazed out at the
city, glowing orange with the coming sunset.
 
Just then the door was being pushed open once again, signalling the arrival of
another trainee. Taehyung was faced with the lanky back of a boy hauling his
suitcase in and almost falling over. He rushed towards him to help out and the
boy let out a loud laugh and wiped his sweaty hands, holding one out to greet
him. “Hey, I’m Jung Hoseok, but you can call me Hobi.” He smiled widely showing
all his teeth, his eyes turning into crescents.
 
Taehyung grinned and shook his hand, “I’m Kim Taehyung, Uhm, I don’t really
have a nickname- b-but my mother calls me Tae?” He finished unsure of what else
to say. The boy, Hobi, stared at him quizzically then wrapped an arm around his
shoulder and chuckled, “Tae it is then!” Hoseok looked around the barren room,
“I guess we’re the first ones here.”
 
Taehyung nodded, “It means we get first pick!” He looked up at the taller boy
excitedly who smiled warmly in response.
 
“I think I’ll take the bed on the right next to the windows,” he said aloud,
thoughtfully. Hoseok walked over to the bed opposite, “I’ll take this one then,
you’ll get to see this sunshine when you wake up every morning!”
 
For the first time since his arrival at Big Hit, he felt a wide box grin
forming. “I guess that’ll improve my life expectancy,” he joked as made his way
over to his suitcase and began unzipping it.
 
“It sure will!”
 
                                       ~
 
Both boys unpacked and chatted animatedly about their goals, families, and
friends. Taehyung discovered that Hoseok was an amazing dancer and rapper
(which Tae found himself slightly envious of.) He had a sister too who had
encouraged him to pursue a career with his natural talents.
 
An hour passed and both of them had nearly finished unpacking as four boys came
in one after the other. Everyone made introductions, almost overwhelmed by all
the new faces. He learnt that they had been with Bang PD for almost half an
hour discussing this and that. The shortest of the boys was a chubby cheeked
kid named Park Jimin who had already clung onto a bored looking boy named Min
Yoongi. The eldest, Kim Seokjin was helping Kim Namjoon with his luggage, who
was apparently a genius and had already been residing at Big Hit in another
room prior to even Taehyung’s early arrival.
 
                                       ~
 
Taehyung plopped onto the bed- his bed, which was freshly made and unlocked his
shitty phone, typing out a text to his mother. He observed the room and noticed
that there were 6 of them all together now which meant two beds would be left
empty. “Hey guys, is uh,” everyone turned to look at him expectantly, except
for Namjoon who was engaged in a rather dramatic battle with his foldable
chair, “Uhm, is everyone here, or … “
 
Jimin sat at the edge of Hoseok’s bed, fiddling with the covers, “Bang PD-nim
mentioned that another boy auditioned, but he’s called in saying he might be a
bit late.” A crash sounded as Namjoon finally managed to pry open the chair,
almost knocking over Seokjin’s table lamp. “Oh yeah, he’s a real nice kid,”
Namjoon started, frowning slightly at the household appliance.
 
“Wait .. you’ve already met him? Seokjin hyung’s been telling me that he was
scouted by a bunch of big companies. Why’d he come ‘ere then? It’s all a tad
bit dodgy don’t you think?” Yoongi drawled as he leaned against Hoseok’s
cupboard.  “No no no, nothing like that,” Namjoon arms flailed in the air
wildly, “he just said the others didn’t have what he was looking for y’know?
That authentic R&B feel. He’s an intelligent kid, surprisingly so for his young
age. He must 15 or 16?”
 
“I’m 16 too!” Taehyung was glad he’d have someone his own age, not that he
didn’t like his hyungs, it’d just be nice to have someone younger to talk to.
“Yah, don’t just ditch us and stick to the new kid okay?” Seokjin reprimanded
him, pointing a finger at him in warning.
 
“I won’t! I won’t! Shall we all go down for dinner now? PD-nim mentioned it
started at 7.” Jimin hopped up at Taehyung’s words and skipped to the door
dragging Yoongi along with him. “I’m so hungry I’m going to dieee, let's gooo
GUYS!” All six of the young, energetic lads mocked Jimin’s high pitched voice,
teasing him as they made their way towards the dining area for a welcoming meal
of chicken and beer.
 
                                       ~
 
Halfway through dinner, with the chatter and friendly buzz at its peak,
Taehyung remembered that he’d taken off his lucky ring and placed it on his
bedside table when visiting the bathroom. A sudden panic rose in him as he
began to worry. “Is something the matter Tae?” Hoseok questioned him having
noticed that he had spaced out. “Uhm, no I’m just going to pop up to the roo-
to our room for a minute.” Hoseok frowned slightly as Taehyung excused himself,
but was soon caught up in Namjoon’s vivid storytelling.
 
He climbed the stairs two by two and shoved open the door, only to have it hit
something hard. Taehyung peered around the corner suspiciously. A boy dressed
in black jeans, a black Chanel hoodie, and a black Dope hat sat on the floor,
his suitcase wide open. Taehyung’s gaze climbed up his face, they boy seemed
young, with a cute baby face and wide eyes. “H-hi, I’m uh Kim Taehyung.”
 
The boy tilted his head to the side and one corner of his mouth lifted as he
held out a confident hand. “I’m Jeon Jungkook.”  
 
Taehyung had forgotten all about his ring.



Chapter End Notes
     Stay tuned for more
***** Never Know *****
Chapter Summary
     Maybe their first impressions weren't all that accurate ...
Chapter Notes
     Still quite short ... I'll probably be posting the third chapter
     today too though ^
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Taehyung settled in gradually, along with the rest of the room. 5 months passed
by in a flash and soon enough it was January. The dynamics of his relationship
with his hyungs had changed quite a bit. Namjoon hyung took responsibility for
everyone, helping them improve vocally and Seokjin hyung would help the room in
social and emotional matters. Yoongi was pretty quiet usually, but when it came
to practice he would talk non-stop, suggesting ideas and areas in which to
improve. His passion was positively infectious. To Taehyung, Yoongi hyung and
Hobi hyung had become his blood brothers, taking care of him and finding
themselves unable to refuse any of his requests. Jimin provided Tae with all
the gossip he needed and was always available to lend a helping hand in his
mischievous pranks … He also no longer stuttered when he spoke. Well, except
for when he spoke to Jungkook.
 
When he had first met the boy, Taehyung had thought that they would become the
best of friends, mainly due to their similar ages. Jungkook had looked fairly
friendly to him. And he was. He was also very quiet, keeping mainly to himself
and rarely being in the room. He would either be practising, studying for
school or having meals with his hyung Jung Hyun. Taehyung had met Jung Hyun,
who had praised him calling him cute and fawning over his jacket and woolly
scarf, claiming his fashion sense was the best. Taehyung had blushed profusely
and managed to stutter out his thanks under the unnerving stare Jungkook had
fixed him with.
 
He would never admit it aloud to the others but he was intimidated by Jungkook,
and he was also in awe of him. Jungkook rarely spoke to anyone, but when he did
it was always wise words and sensibilities. In the months they’d spent around
each other, Jeon Jungkook had never lost his cool or laughed aloud. He never
hung out with Tae and Jimin, which the other didn’t seem to mind but it irked
Taehyung. Did he think he was too good for them? Did he think that Jimin and
him were immature and childish? However, these thoughts came rarely and were
fleeting.
 
“Okay guys, do you know why we’re having a group meeting?” They were all sat on
Hoseok Hyung’s and Jimin’s bed as per Namjoon’s request. Everyone else shook
their heads.
 
“Is is because of the trainee event?” Taehyung spoke up. “Exactly! I see you’re
the only one who’s been reading the notice board Tae, well done!” Namjoon hyung
praised him and his cheeks stained pink at the acknowledgement.
 
“A trainee event will be taking place until midsummer and all seven of us are
expected to attend. I’ve had a meeting with Bang PD-nim and if we do well, our
debut will be pushed up, maybe even as early as the end of this year.” Hyung
explained, unable to hide the excitement in his voice at the prospect.
 
“What’s a trainee event?” Hobi hyung asked, confused.
 
“Ah, well .. we’ll be in groups with trainee’s from other companies and our
practices will be held in those groups.” Everyone started talking at once, some
voices excited and some in protest. Taehyung and Jungkook remained quiet, both
stuck in their thoughts, “Okay okay! No need to panic guys! Nobody is moving
anywhere yeah? We’ll still be with Big Hit and in this room, it’ll just be
during the day, think of it like school.” Jimin groaned next to him at the
mention of school and Taehyung smiled wrapping an arm around his shoulder.
 
“I’m sure it’ll be fun right? Plus debuting earlier sounds AMAZING!” Taehyung
exclaimed attempting to cheer everyone up. There were nods and sounds of
consent from the others as he looked around the huddle. Except for Jungkook,
who was looking to the side, his expression slightly sour and deep in thought.
 
                                       ~
 
Taehyung rubbed his eyes sleepily and reached over for his glasses, grabbing
his phone. 5:52am. His throat was drier than his social life. He slung his legs
over the bed, squinting at the light of dawn seeping in through a gap in the
curtains. The others seemed to be fast asleep, except for Namjoon, Seokjin and
Jungkook Hyung who's beds were empty. He frowned to himself and made his way to
the kitchen to pour himself an ice cold glass of water. As he sat at the
breakfast bar trying to wake himself up fully he heard voices from Namjoon’s
studio. Shuffling quietly down the music corridor and peering in through the
room’s window, he observed Namjoon hyung seated at his desk against which
Seokjin hyung was leaning with his arms crossed. He couldn’t see either of
their faces. He could see Jungkook’s though, and he looked pissed off. His arms
were moving animatedly, his jaw was tense and he spoke quickly. Taehyung’s eyes
grew wide as he watched the argument unfold, unable to hear clearly. Then his
eyes met Jungkook’s. The elder tensed and said something that he couldn’t make
out. He moved away from the door as Jungkook began to exit the studio. He
walked right past Taehyung.
 
Tae followed him down the corridor and into the kitchen, “Uhm, J-Jungk-” He
stuttered, feeling stupid as he spoke facing Jungkook’s back.
 
“How much did you hear?” Jungkook asked quietly.
 
“W-what? I didn’t hear anything. Uhm hyung, I-I wasn’t listening in or-or
anything like that!” Jungkook turned around to face him, leaning against the
counter and gazing at him, perplexed. “Then what were you doing? Hmm?”
 
“I j-just came uhm came downstairs for some wa-water and I-I heard arguing so-”
 
“Oh okay.” He began to walk away, clearly not interested as long as Taehyung
hadn’t heard his discussion with the Hyungs.
 
“Hyung?”
 
“What?” Jungkook replied without turning around, his voice barely above a
whisper.
 
“Uhm, a-are, uh, are you okay?” Taehyung breathed out hurriedly. The other boy
turned around, surprised at first, then his face became devoid of any emotion.
“I’m fine Taehyung, you should rest.” His voice resonated with finality.
“Aren’t you coming up as well hyung?” Taehyung questioned and he twisted his
hands around, shuffling in his slippers and Ryan bear pyjamas. “... yeah, yeah
I might as well.” Jungkook decided.
 
They walked up the stairs in silence and got into their respective beds. Even
though Seokjin hyung’s bed separated both boys, Taehyung felt too close to
Jungkook as he lay in bed, feeling suffocated by even the older boy’s presence.
He turned onto his right side and eventually fell into a troubled sleep, images
of Jungkook’s accusing stares and judging gaze filling his dreams.
 
                                       ~
 
Two Hours later at 8 am, he awoke, feeling as if he had barely slept, to an
almost empty room. Only Hobi hyung lay on the bed opposite him, snoring lightly
and hugging his messy bed sheets. He smiled sleepily to himself and begun his
day. Today was the first day of the Trainee event and he was as nervous as
heck. What group would he be in? Would they like him? What if they were all
super talented and made fun of Taehyung’s barely adequate dancing and singing
skills? No matter how much Yoongi and Seokjin hyung assured him he had an
amazing voice and the charm of a thousand idols during breakfast, he still felt
uneasy.
 
They had been sorted into groups by some very important looking men in suits
and Taehyung was on the verge of tears. His group seemed okay, but Taehyung had
made a complete fool out of himself, forgetting his own name and stuttering out
his introductions like a right idiot. No-one would want to pair with him now
for sure. He looked around the room for any signs of his roommates, his eyes
landing on Jungkook. It was the first time he was seeing Jungkook smile.
 
“That’s Jeon Jungkook y’know?” Apparently, every company wanted him, imagine
how talented he is!” A boy in his group had gripped his arm and began gossiping
in hushed tones. “I wish I was in his group, he looks so cool and friendly.”
Taehyung snorted and the other boy looked at him with surprised.
 
He cleared his throat and pried the boy’s arm out of his own, “He’s my
roommate.” The boy’s expression changed to one of awe. “You’re so lucky! How is
he, eh?”
 
“He’s … exceptionally ordinary.” The boy frowned as if that couldn’t possibly
be the case. Taehyung smiled to himself, turning to look back at Jungkook, who
was now roaring with laughter, one hand gripping his stomach and the other
gripping a boy’s arm.
 
“Say, who’s the one next to him?” He questioned the boy. “Oh, that’s Yoon
Jeonghan. He’s a real doll isn’t he.” Taehyung nodded, agreeing with him. The
boy had a milky skinned, thin, shapely face and beautiful features. But the
unique selling point was his long, brown, silky hair which cascaded down to
just below his shoulders.
 
“They look good together, I can already imagine them as bandmates. The fans
would love them,” another boy commented, observing the pair. “Yeah,” Taehyung
agreed, focusing solely on Jungkook, “They look good.”
 
                                       ~
 
By mid-February, the seven boys had settled into their groups and the practices
were beginning to feel like just another part of their everyday routines.
Taehyung and Jungkook’s groups were in the same entertainment company and their
practice sessions took place just a few doors down from each other. They still
didn’t see each other much and to be honest, with his busy schedule, he found
himself thinking of the other boy less and less. The small amount of time that
Jungkook did spend in their room prior to the trainee event had now been
replaced with spending time with Jeonghan Hyung. Taehyung had spoken to the
charming boy on numerous occasions and found him to be good company. He was
intelligent, welcoming, funny and extremely talented. He could see why Jungkook
liked the boy and found him worthy of his time.
 
“Oi Taeeee, I’m bored,” Jeonghan had snuck into Taehyung’s group and the
mentors for their practice sessions were absent today. He sighed, “Well what
should I do hyung? There’s not much to do in here for fun now is there?” He
gesturing around the studio at the recording equipment. “Then let’s sneak out,”
the taller boy whispered back. Taehyung raised his eyebrow and frowned
disapprovingly.
 
“Oh come one, you’re such a good boy Tae, let’s sneak out! We’ll take Jungkook
and Sen with us too!”
 
“You know what? Let’s do it, and I’ll lead the way.” Taehyung said bravely.
 
The scheming pair made their way towards the other studio in order to collect
the other two unaware boys. Jungkook barely even glanced at him as he came in
behind Jeonghan, refusing to acknowledge his existence. They explained their
plan and made their way towards the exit.
 
All four boys were huddled closely together as they snuck around the side of
the building, giggling and pushing each other as they went. “I-Isn’t that the
intern noona?” He whispered. “Shit,” Jungkook chuckled, “C’mon, let’s go the
other way before she sees us.” Jungkook grabbed his hand in his own as they ran
around the building and onto the buzzing streets of the city. They stopped to
catch their breaths, grinning widely at each other and panting.
 
Taehyung felt as if the world was his.
 
                                       ~
 
Luckily they weren’t ever caught, the sneaking out incident was soon forgotten,
but not what came from it. Jungkook and Taehyung grew closer, spending time
with each other even in the absence of Jeonghan. They would team up during
activities and even began seeing each other in between classes during school.
The hours on end they spent together in the room relating tales of life before
they became trainees was evidence enough of their growing friendship. It was
almost as if they were making up for lost time.
 
On this particular Saturday evening, the room was planning on going to see a
movie. Whilst everyone else was absorbed in planning how to take in food
without getting caught, Taehyung and Jungkook were sitting on the latter’s bed
sharing a tub of Ben & Jerry’s and giggling as they reminisced Namjoon’s
destructive capabilities, rating them from best to worst. Of course, Seokjin
hyung had reprimanded them and defended Namjoon, but the boys were unstoppable
in their tormenting.
 
In the middle of another fit of laughter, Taehyung spotted Jimin out of the
corner of his eye, looking rather sullen. The two hadn’t conversed properly for
weeks, mainly due to Taehyung’s new found friendship with Jungkook. It seemed
that even though the boy had opened up to Tae, he still remained wary of the
others, keeping his speech short and not taking part in their group activities.
The hyungs didn’t seem to mind, but Jimin had felt highly offended and not
knowing to do, he was taking it out on Taehyung. He felt bad of course, but
Jimin was had been avoiding so what could he do? He had considered trying to
talk to the sulking boy but was afraid he’d reject his advances, so he settled
for the awkward looks they exchanged from time to time. Jeonghan didn’t seem to
mind the fact that Jungkook wasn’t spending time with him as much either.
 
“Hey, shall we take some of those cheesy crisps with us to the movie? What’re
we watching anyway? I bet it’s one of those basic action movies,” Jungkook
drawled, rolling his eyes. Taehyung gasped in response, “It’s the new Avengers
movie, duuude, I’m fuckin’ stoked!” He bounced on the bed excitedly, almost
dropping the ice cream tub as Seokjin shouted, “Language!” “Yes mom,” he
replied and both boys giggled.
 
Taehyung sighed with satisfaction, they were seated at the back of the theatre,
the armrest between him and Jungkook pushed up and their sides pressed together
comfortably. Taehyung leaned his head on Jungkook’s shoulder and reached for
the popcorn, sipping on his oreo milkshake. His legs were still aching from
practice that morning but he felt better than ever. It was like nothing could
go wrong, nothing could touch Taehyung.
 
But Jungkook felt … exceptionally ordinary.
Chapter End Notes
     Criticism is always welcome ^^
***** Summertime Sadness *****
Chapter Summary
     Taehyung unknowingly steps into dangerous waters following Jungkook's
     betrayal ... Or is it all just a big misunderstanding?
Chapter Notes
     My second update in the same day .-. It's super short though, I'll
     start posting a single, longer chapter instead of multiple short
     ones.
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Bang Shihyuk was pacing in his office, the boys were all asleep and he’d
received a call from a production company regarding their debut. Shihyuk knew
his boys were talented, like so many others. But there was something about
them. A sense of originality, a pure, innocent passion that was hard to come
by. At first, he had worried that their strong personalities would clash, but
they had proved him wrong. They worked together as a single unit as if they had
known each other their whole lives. He knew that the others were right when he
was advised to prepare the boys for a debut by the end of this year. However,
much like a parent, he was afraid they would cave under the pressure. He didn’t
think his small company could support them any longer. Logically, it would be
wise to begin preparing them now. He sighed, feeling drained mentally and
physically.
 
                                       ~
 
“Hyuuung, I want to go to the park with the others,” Taehyung whined as he sat
opposite Jungkook on his bed. “Well go then, I’m not stopping you am I?”
Jungkook didn’t even look up as he spoke, currently absorbed in the practice
test he had been assigned for homework. Taehyung almost giggled at the way his
glasses had slipped down his nose and his bunny teeth were visible over his top
lip. Jungkook was so cute sometimes it was almost unreal. He resumed pouting
and tugged on the older boy’s arm. “But I want you to come too or It won’t be
any fun! Come on Hyung, you’d go if it was Jeonghan asking,” Taehyung added,
holding his breath as he waited for a response. Jungkook looked up at Taehyung
and raised an eyebrow, “This has nothing to do with Jeonghan Tae, I don’t even
know where that came from. I just have a lot of work to catch up on,” he sighed
and rubbed his eyes under his reading glasses, “you know I’m behind in school.”
 
“Fine then, I’ll just go with the others.” Taehyung knew what Jungkook was
saying made sense, he knew that the excuse was valid, but he just couldn’t help
but feel disappointed. “Before Taehyung could walk away to join the others
downstairs, Jungkook grabbed his arm, “No hard feeling, right?” Taehyung lit up
and he couldn’t stop a small, shy smile from escaping, “Of course hyung! Make
sure you do well on the test.” Jungkook returned his smile sheepishly.
 
                                      ~  
 
“WATCH OUT TAE!” Tae whipped around, but it was too late, Hobi hyung tackled
him onto the ground spraying him with water. “Ew, hyung! That’s gross! You just
drank from that and now your saliva’s all over my face!” Hobi let out a
maniacal chuckle, “Not yet, little one,” he said as he leant down and licked
Tae’s cheek. He shrieked and threw the elder off him, wiping frantically at his
cheek and running to Seokjin hyung to complain about Hoseok’s antics. “It’s
your fault too Tae Tae, you always provoke him first,” Instead of consoling
him, Jin had taken to reprimanding the messy boy too. He pouted at Jin and
grabbed onto him with sweater paws, knowing the elder would coddle him in
response. “Come on, I’ll buy you some ice cream from the convenience store.”
Seokjin sighed, knowing he’d lost the battle and that his nagging had fallen
onto deaf ears.
 
                                       ~
 
Taehyung was tapping his foot impatiently as he waited for the shop assistant
to finish with the customer before him when he heard a laugh. A VERY familiar
laugh. It sounded just like Jungkook, but no, it couldn’t be, could it?
Jungkook had clearly been busy, with no intention of even leaving their room.
He had completely forgotten about the ice cream in his hand that he’d been so
excited to eat as he walked down a few aisles and peered around the corner. And
sure enough, Jungkook was standing in front of the window of the convenience
store, with two steaming, uneaten cartons of ramen on the high table in front
of him. His back was to Taehyung and he seemed to be waiting for someone.
 
Tae was so befuddled, he couldn’t think of a single reason as to why Jungkook
was here when he had clearly given him excuses and claimed he was busy. Was he
going to surprise Taehyung? Had he- had he lied to Taehyung? He stepped forward
wanting an explanation, “Hey Hyu-” Just as he called out a bell rang as someone
stepped into the store. Jeonghan Hyung. Jungkook had heard him call out just as
Jeonghan had walked into the store and he had glanced at Taehyung, his eyes
widening, then at the latter. Taehyung stepped back quickly so as not to be
noticed by the other, that would only make things awkward.
 
The cashier was available now, the small queue having dissolved whilst Tae was
unaware. He paid for his ice cream and walked out, unable to look towards the
pair as he left. His stomach churned and with each step he took he felt
increasingly uneasy. When he arrived back at the park, he muttered a quiet
‘thanks’ to Jin hyung for paying for the ice cream but ended up giving it to
Hobi. “Are you sure you want me to have it? You never share food,” Hobi
exclaimed, frowning, “Did something happen?” “It’s fine hyung, I’m fine .. Just
not hungry. Actually, I think I’ll head back.” Tae shifted his eyes so Hoseok
hyung wouldn’t be able to see the tears he was blinking away. A lump formed in
his throat and he began to walk towards the Big Hit building, ignoring his
hyung’s protests. He didn’t know why he was being so sensitive. Jungkook was
just his friend … He was allowed to have other friends and spend time with
them, right? He didn’t have to lie to him about it though, he thought as he
sniffled. It was a warm night in June, and warm, unexplained tears streamed
down Taehyung’s face. He didn’t want to go back to the dorms and sulk in his
bed, and he certainly didn’t want to face the others when they returned, so he
walked past the shabby building and into the city.
Chapter End Notes
     A bit of a cliffhanger really ~.^
***** Blue Neighbourhood *****
Chapter Summary
     Taehyung wonders into the city and meets someone with a lust for life
     as Jungkook tries to clear up the misunderstanding. The mysterious
     stranger wiggles his way into their lives and Tae discovers
     Jungkook's religiosity whilst snuggled up to him in bed.
Chapter Notes
     The longest chapter so far with a reading time of almost 14 mins :
     o Barely uploading this before the next day officially begins ^
     Also, my spelling is a bit different cause I'm British; so yep.
     (I don't have a beta for this so if you're interested hmu. I do go
     over it myself a few times though and check the grammar and spelling
     so hopefully, there'll be minimum or no errors.)
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Taehyung found himself situated in the middle of a busy street. Neon lights and
tall buildings surrounded him. Drunk, inebriated men and women were scattered
around, coming in and out of loud clubs and … other places. He ducked his head,
shoving his hands into his pockets and continued walking down the street. “Hey!
You over there,” Taehyung’s eyes widened at the random man stalking up to him
and he quickened his pace. “U-uhm s-sorry, I think uh- y-you have the wrong g-
guy,” He swerved the man and turned into a quiet street, stopping to catch his
breath. He was sweating slightly, his thin shirt stuck to his body and his
jeans feeling uncomfortable. Taehyung felt a sharp pang of homesickness right
then, he just wanted to go home to his parents and younger siblings and live a
quiet life. The city was suffocating him and the people in it terrified him. He
leant back against the wall and faced up towards the starless, smoggy sky. A
boy rounded the corner and he turned to look at him. The boy hadn’t noticed
Taehyung yet, he was lighting a cigarette and covering the flame with his hand.
His pretty face was contoured by the fire and stray strands of his black hair
fell into his lined grey eyes. He looked up as if he had felt Taehyung’s eyes
on him, and held out his cigarette towards Taehyung, “Need a smoke?” He spoke
Korean with a foreign accent, and it only intimidated Tae further. He recoiled
from the offer and turned to face forward, clearing his throat. “Well okay
then,” The boy shrugged and bought the offered cigarette towards his plump
lips, taking a long drag and letting the smoke pass through his lips
nonchalantly. Taehyung watched him out of the corner of his eyes, wondering why
the stranger hadn’t left the awkward atmosphere that he had created. “You want
me to leave, yet you’re staring at me as if you want to talk.” The boy drawled
out, still staring ahead. “I-I I’m-” Taehyung’s cheeks coloured and his mouth
fell open, the other boy’s confidence subduing him.
 
He chuckled and turned to observe Taehyung, his lips lifted up at the corners
but it wasn’t what Taehyung would’ve called an innocent, friendly smile.
“Follow me,” he said with certitude and rounded the corner, disappearing from
Tae’s sight. His mouth fell open, he wasn’t going to follow him! This guy was a
complete nutter! Who did he think he was? And why was a so certain that
Taehyung would come after him? He scoffed and turned towards the sky again,
folding his arms. He wasn’t going to listen to that crazy bastard, he could be
some total psycho or something. Yeah, he thought, I’ll just stay here for a
while.
 
But as the minutes ticked by, Taehyung’s itch to find out where the boy had
gone grew and grew until he couldn’t take it anymore. He rounded the corner and
pushed open the door of the first building. It was like nothing he had ever
seen before. A lounge bathed in purple light with a bar at the far right end
and an iron staircase leading up to a seating area. There were people dancing
to the edgy but upbeat music and others cuddled up on the cushioned, long
seats. The weird boy was nowhere to be seen though. “Hey love, I never do this,
but I’ll buy a drink just for you, what d’ya say?” A scantily clad woman
approached him, gripping his upper arm and wrapping her vulture like nails
around him. “N-no thanks,” He slipped past her and climbed up the stairs,
behind the seating area was another cosy booth with men and women alike
sprawled along the seats, enjoying drinks and laughing over the booming music.
He noticed a corridor with rooms lining the right side, the last door was fully
open and but he was unable to see inside. He walked down the dimly lit corridor
and as he neared the door his phone rang. “Shit,” Namjoon’s name lit up his
screen and he bit his lip. He should definitely head back … maybe he should
just finish exploring this place first? Yeah, that seemed like the logical
thing to do he thought as he put his phone on silence and pocketed it.
 
Taehyung took a deep breath and a few more steps, reaching the doorway. He was
stunned as he watched the boy from the alleyway hovering over another boy. At
first, he thought they were fighting but his face soon became red as he noticed
that they were kissing. His brain short-circuited and all he could do was watch
on as his heart pounded in his chest and his phone buzzed in his pocket. Was he
hallucinating? Was this the ‘city life’ as everyone had called it back home?
The boy looked up and straight into Taehyung’s eyes as he continued his
ministrations and the shamelessness in his demeanour shocked Tae to his core.
 
He took a step forward and the boy detached his red, swollen lips from the
other’s neck and smiled in invitation. “Enjoying the show pretty boy?” Taehyung
gulped and rubbed his forearm with his hand as he shuffled awkwardly. “What-
uhm, what are you doing?” The other boy shrugged on his button up and laughed
at Taehyung's inept question. “A friend of yours?” He questioned the foreign
boy, tilting his head towards Taehyung. Taehyung frowned, “I’m right here you
know.” The pair laughed as if he’d said something absurd. “What’s your name,
eh?” “uhm Taehyung, Kim Taehyung.” The boy grinned as if the answer had pleased
him, “And what were you doing around the corner? Crying over some girl?” His
tone mocked Taehyung as he pulled out and lit another cigarette. The other boy
had finished dressing and kissed the foreigner chastely in between drags and
brushed past Taehyung, his fingers brushing against his arm. A shiver ran
through him. “You haven’t told me your name.” The boy chuckled, “Avoiding the
question, are we? My name’s Chae Jae Seong, but you can call me Jae,” He
smirked at Taehyung as if he’d meant something completely different from what
he’d said. “So honey, what has you so down, hmm?” Jae patted the spot next to
him on the messy black, silk sheets. “I- n-nothing,” Taehyung deflated, feeling
careless for even thinking about trusting this unorthodox stranger. His phone
buzzed again and he wrenched it out of his pocket. Jungkook’s name flashed on
the screen. Guilt rose in him and he remembered how he’s gotten here. He
sighed. Why was he like this?
 
“Taehyung? Tae are you there!? Answer me goddammit!” But it wasn’t Jungkook on
the other end, Yoongi’s voice rang loud and clear. And furious. The other boy-
Jae-Seong raised his eyebrow and moved to prop himself up against the
headboard, “Taehyung, honey, come here.” Taehyung flushed and lifted the phone
to his ear, “Who- who the fuck was that!? Kim Taehyung, tell me where the
bloody hell you are RIGHT NOW.” “Hyung- I -I’m coming back to the dorms okay?
I’ll be 10 minutes tops.” He hung up before he could get a response and quietly
watched Jae, smoke lingering around him, his skin painted in purple. He looked
ethereal and like the embodiment of sin simultaneously. “I guess you’re leaving
then,” The other boy said, almost dismally as he walked over to him. Taehyung
took a step back and looked up at him, “Don’t …” Jae smiled at him, “Let’s at
least exchange numbers if you won’t be giving me a goodbye kiss.” He blushed
and nodded at the taller boy. “Your phone?” They exchanged numbers and Taehyung
walked back down the corridor, feeling uncomfortable and unsatisfied. He turned
to look back at Jae, who was leaning against the doorframe. “You’ll come back I
trust?” He sounded hopeful but Taehyung shook his head slightly and frowned,
“I’m sorry Jae Seong.” He couldn’t come back, not even if he wanted to, which
he definitely didn’t want, he told himself. Taehyung would be lucky if he was
still alive tomorrow. He groaned feeling utterly drained.
 
                                       ~
                                        
The door closed quietly behind him and he made his way up the staircase. He’d
made it back to the dorms a little after 2 am, he was hoping the hyungs would
be sleeping but Taehyung knew it was wishful thinking. He pushed open the door
to the room and he was instantly hounded by the others. He winced and looked
down at his feet, his face going red. “Okay, everyone! Quiet down! Taehyung …
firstly, are you okay?” Namjoon spoke in a surprisingly soft tone. “I-I’m fine
hyung, I just didn’t want to come back to the dorms after I left the park and I
wasn’t really tired. I just went for a little walk in the city and I didn’t
realise how late it had gotten. My phone was on silent and I kinda lost track
of time?” Jin hyung sighed out in relief and hugged him, “I was so worried Tae
Tae, I thought you’d gotten lost or kidnapped or something, god, don’t ever
scare us like that again okay?” But all Taehyung could see over Seokjin’s broad
shoulder was Yoongi hyung’s accusing stare. He knew. He thought Taehyung had
been with someone. A boy. Taehyung flushed with shame and averted his eyes. He
didn’t know why he felt so bad. He hadn’t done anything, Jae didn’t even lay a
finger on him, but he felt so ashamed in front of Yoongi. As soon as Jin
released him from his embrace, Jimin latched onto him, “Tae Tae!,” his round
eyes were swimming with tears, “I’m so sorry! I thought I’d never see you
again, and I hadn’t even gotten the chance to apologise!” Taehyung grinned and
held his friend tightly, “It’s my fault, I should’ve made up with you earlier.
I’m sorry Jimin.” Everything felt so much clearer now. Maybe he had needed
this, Taehyung thought to himself.
 
“Well, I don’t know about you guys but I’m exhausted,” Hobi hyung patted his
back and everyone voiced their tiredness in response.
 
                                       ~
 
An hour later everyone was sound asleep, but Taehyung lay awake mulling over
his eventful night as he stared at Jungkook’s empty bed. The door was pushed
open quietly and Jeonghan entered with a giggling Jungkook. The pair held
coffee’s and Jungkook’s baseball jacket was draped around Jeonghan’s slim
shoulders. He felt a sharp pang in his chest and squeezed his eyes shut,
evening out his breathing. He reopened his eyes when he heard the door open and
close, knowing Jeonghan had left. His eyes met Jungkook’s instantly and the
other boy looked away in surprise which only hurt Tae further. He turned around
in his bed and stared at the closed curtains blankly. His head was pounding
with the pressure of the hot tears he was holding back and the painful lump in
his throat grew. Why was he so weak? Why did he care so much? Jungkook was
trying to make as less noise as possible as he changed and got into bed,
leaving Taehyung to pass out an hour later from pure exhaustion.
 
When he awoke the next day panic rose in his chest. It seemed to be midday and
the room was barren with all the curtains pushed back. Had no one woken him up?
Just then Yoongi hyung walked in sweating, confirming that Tae had in fact
missed practice and was currently missing school. Fuck. He sighed and got up.
“Tae?” He held his breath, knowing what his hyung would be curious about. “Yes
hyung?” He turned and sat at the end of his bed rubbing his eyes. “Are you sure
you’re okay?” “I’m fine hyung.” He couldn’t look Yoongi in the eyes knowing
what the elder knew. “You know you can tell me anything right?” He gripped
Tae’s shoulder reassuringly as he sat next to him. “I know you’re at that age
y’know … it’s understandable.” “Hyung!” He blushed furiously knowing what
Yoongi was referring to. “It-It’s not like that! I jus-” His hyung cut him off
chuckling, “It’s okay, you don’t need to explain yourself, Hyung just doesn't
want you to get caught up with the wrong people. We care about you Taehyung-ah,
we protect you because we care. Not everyone is like us, not everyone will
understand the things you do like we do.” Taehyung’s eyes welled up and he
nodded. “Hey, I’m not telling you off, yeah? I just want you to consider how
we'd feel in the future. Okay?” He wrapped an arm around Tae awkwardly, having
never been one for much physical contact. “Thanks, hyung.” He looked down at
his hands, feeling embarrassed.
 
“Anytime.”
 
                                       ~
 
The day passed slowly and quietly for Taehyung, he had been excused from all
activities for today as Bang PD-nim had felt sorry for the young boy, thinking
that the immense pressure of trainee life had left him depleted. If only he
knew.
 
Jimin had skipped school in favour of practice today and he was currently
sitting cross legged opposite Taehyung, narrating the story of how he’d stolen
Hobi hyung’s ramen a week ago and he still hadn’t noticed. Jungkook walked in
and glanced over at Taehyung. Jimin sensed the tension immediately and gave him
side-eye which caused Tae to smack his arm and motion for him to continue with
his oh so interesting story.
 
“Taehyung?” Jungkook stood stiffly next to Seokjin’s bed. “Can you come outside
with me for a minute?” Jimin wiggled his eyebrows at Tae and hid a cheeky grin
behind his hand.
 
“Uhm, yeah, sure.” He followed Jungkook out of the room, down the stairs and
... out of the building? “Where are we going?”
 
“I just wanted to talk to you outside, get some fresh air y’know?” “Uhm, w-what
did you want to say?” Jungkook frowned when Taehyung stuttered. “About last
night … “
 
He stiffened, “It’s okay.” “Jungkook crossed his arms, “What? What do you mean,
I thought you-”
 
Taehyung stood upright and looked into the other’s eyes. “It’s okay, I mean,
you were spending time with Jeonghan and he’s your friend right? There’s
nothing wrong with that. You don’t have to explain anything to me. You can do
what you want with your time,” Taehyung finished, trying to appear firm. Hurt
flashed in Jungkook’s eyes before he resumed his stoic, unreadable expression.
“Alright then.” He brushed past Taehyung and into the building.
 
Taehyung felt the distance between them increase as he stood there motionless.
Never before had he regretted a decision instantly after he had made it. Before
he could fully process the extent of what he’d done, his phone buzzed. Chae Jae
Seong. He’d almost forgotten about the strange boy and the memories rushed back
suddenly. “H-hello?”
 
“Hey babe, I was wondering if you wanted to meet up or something … unless
you’re busy?” Taehyung flushed at the casual endearment, “Uhm, I’m not r-really
busy or anything, I-I guess?”
 
“Great! How about-” Tae huffed and cut him off, “Jae, don’t you get it? I can’t
meet you, I’m- I’m a trainee.” There was silence on the line. “That doesn’t
change anything.” Taehyung sighed, exasperated. “I can’t be seen meeting you or
people like you, it could resurface later and it could hurt my career, you know
that.” A pause, then, “People like me?” Jae’s voice was uncharacteristically
quiet, devoid of its usual playfulness. “Y-y’know … you,” he struggles to
finish off, “You kiss boys, a-and you smoke and hang out at those places.”
 
“And?” He was beginning to become more and more frustrated. “So what Tae? Who
cares what people think? It’s not you who’s doing all that, it’s me! And I’m
no-one important.” He didn’t know how to respond to that, the boy did have a
point. But Taehyung new other people wouldn’t be as ‘accepting’ as Tae. “Fine,
fine.” He sighed and finally gave in to the other’s insistent nagging. “But no-
where public just yet.” He could hear the grin in Jae’s voice when he spoke,
“I’ll come to you then, where are you?”
 
Taehyung had given him directions to the building and was waiting anxiously in
his room for the boy to arrive. Everyone was doing their own thing, talking to
their families, finishing off work, chatting, or in Hobi hyung’s case, snoring.
Jungkook sat on his bed, seemingly completing some work. A knock sounded at the
door and Tae sprinted towards it before anyone else could, cracking it open
slightly to see Jae Seong accompanied by a disapproving staff member. Taehyung
smiled weakly, he could tell why. Jae had black eyeliner rimming his grey eyes,
smoking out into a faint red, his ears were over pierced and his clothes were a
bit too tight. “He says he’s here for a ‘Tae.’ That wouldn’t be you by any
chance, would it?” Taehyung cleared his throat, “Uhm, yeah, th-that’s me.” The
staff member pushed Jae forward slightly and walked away with a nod.
 
“Sooo … can I come inside?” Jae pushed past him without waiting for a response
and Tae stood meekly behind him as he looked around the room. The others turned
to look at him in confusion and Yoongi raised a knowing eyebrow at taehyung.
“Uhm- Guys, this is Ch-” Jae cut in as he walked down to the only unoccupied
bed, assuming it belonged to Taehyung. “I’m Chae Jae Seong. Nice to meet
everyone.” They all turned to look at Taehyung, even Jungkook. “He’s a friend
of mine and I thought he could uh- visit me I guess? I’m sorry for not asking
you guys.” Yoongi spoke up, saving Taehyung from any awkwardness, “It’s fine
Tae, don’t fret it.” Taehyung nodded, shooting Yoongi a grateful look and
joined Jae who was curiously flipping through a book on his bed. “This is well
boring Tae, do you actually read this stuff?” He questioned raising an eyebrow
at the European history book. “Y-yeah, it’s pretty cool y’know.” Tae defended
his reading choice as he turned pink. “Not when you’ve studied it in school it
isn’t.”
 
“You studied abroad?” He looked up at Jae, that explained a LOT. Jae chuckled
and they eased into a comfortable conversation about Jae’s background. He’d
glance at Jungkook occasionally out of the corner of his eye and they boy
didn’t seem fazed at all, doing his work studiously as if nothing had happened.
 
 “Trouble in paradise?” Taehyung shook his head, “It’s nothing.” Jae nodded
slowly, “Mhmm, of course it isn’t. You should talk to him first, I should
probably be leaving now anyway,” He leant forward and whispered into Tae’s ear,
“I’m sure your roommates feel the same way.” Taehyung blushed a deep crimson at
the close proximity and got up to walk him to the door. “See you around Tae.”
The boy ruffled his hair and kissed his forehead causing Tae to part his lips,
dazed. “Take care,” and he was gone.
 
“Tae … who was that?” Seokjin approached him, not even a millisecond later. “I
didn’t know you had friends like that.” Hobi hyung stated as he approached him.
“Friends like what?” He questioned nervously. “He was so cool!” Jimin bounced
towards him, tugging on his arm, “How do you know him?” Tae scratched his neck
nervously, “I just met him yesterday on my walk in the city.” Seokjin was
thoughtful, “Well, he seems nice, but I wouldn’t recommend investing too much
time in friends right now Tae, I’m sure he’ll understand if you explain it to
him.” “Y-yeah, don’t worry.”
 
                                       ~
 
After practice and a light dinner, all seven members were walking up the stairs
and Taehyung purposely slowed down in order to keep pace with Jungkook at the
back.
 
“Hey.”
 
Jungkook looked at him, slightly cautious, “Hey, what’s up?” Taehyung fiddled
with the sleeves of his oversized shirt, “Uh, I wanted to apologise about
earlier. I-I’m sorry for not giving you the chance to say what you wanted to
say.” Jungkook smiled at him, “It’s okay.” “N-no, I want to hear you hear you
out.” They’d reached the room but the pair stayed outside in the vacant,
noiseless corridor. “I didn’t lie to you Taehyung, I wouldn’t do that, trust
me. I was planning on staying in and doing my work, but I didn’t understand a
question and I called up Jeonghan … you know he’s in my class for Math right?”
Taehyung flushed with embarrassment and looked down, feeling stupid. “Well, he
suggested we have some ramen and then finish the assignment over some coffee. I
wouldn’t say no to spending time with you just to spend time with Jeonghan if I
wanted to Taehyung. You know that.” He felt Jungkook’s sincerity through his
words and he felt so foolish and petty. Is that how Jungkook saw him too? He
was so naive and immature and he hated himself for it. “Tae tae?” Jungkook
placed a finger under his chin and lifted his face up, looking into his eyes.
“I’m sorry for being such a brat kook,” He sniffled and Jungkook wrapped his
arms around him smiling fondly, “It’s okay, we’re both brats and that’s why
we’re best friends.
 
They sat on Jungkook’s bed, chatting about nothing and everything from after
dinner till midnight when all the others had fallen asleep. Tae’s eyes began to
droop as Jungkook laughed at a funny face he’d pulled.
 
“Do you wanna sleep Tae?” Jungkook held his face in his hand and Taehyung shook
his head sleepily causing the other to giggle.
 
“Liar,” he whispered and got up to pull the duvet to the side. “Come on, you
might as well sleep here.” Taehyung climbed into the bed and watched as
Jungkook got ready for bed, only looking away when he lifted his shirt. “I’ll
sleep in your bed, okay?” But Taehyung grabbed hold of Jungkook’s pyjama
trousers sleepily not wanting to be left alone, “Stay with me kookie.”
 
Jungkook hesitated, then climbed into the bed wordlessly and faced away from
Taehyung. He murmured a prayer of thanks to the Lord for the day and the
sustenance it had bought him, switched off the lamp and closed his eyes. Tae
was already half asleep by then, but the prayer had caught his attention.
“Are you a Christian?” He asked, genuinely curious. Jungkook laughed sleepily
and turned to face Tae, “Aren’t you?” The question confused him in his current
state of mind with his eyes half closed, “Well yeah, I guess. I don’t really
believe in it though? I mean, I believe in God but …” Jungkook frowned
slightly, “Oh, well, I guess each to their own, right?” “Mhmm.” He snuggled
into Jungkook and sighed contentedly. “Hey … can I take you somewhere tomorrow
Tae?”
 
“Wherever you want.”
Chapter End Notes
     Where do you think Jungkook's going to take him? Also, what do you
     guys think of my OC Jae Seong? Love him or hate him?
***** Flames *****
Chapter Summary
     Jungkook reveals where he goes in the mornings, BTS debuts, an old
     friend returns and Taehyung finds out a bit about Jungkook's moral
     scale.
Chapter Notes
     I might start updating every other day instead of every day since the
     chapters are longer that way.
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Taehyung woke up at dawn sweating slightly, the warm weather and Jungkook’s
body heat creating a cocoon of calidity for him. He was awake long enough to
realise that he was half on top of the other boy, who lay on his back, with his
arm snaked around Jungkook’s middle. When Taehyung woke up again he was alone
in the bed and it seemed emptier than ever even though it was only made for
one. He lay his head on his arm and watched the others sleepily as they
prepared for the day.
 
Jungkook came into the room, his hair wet and a towel draped over his
shoulders. “Good morning Tae,” he smiled lustrously as he toed on his slippers.
“You should get ready so we can leave.” Taehyung’s eyebrows furrowed together,
“Leave?”
 
“I didn’t think you’d remember,” he chuckled as he sat down, “I’m going to take
you where I go every morning before practice and school.” A secret place?
Taehyung thought to himself. He filled with excitement at the prospect of
finding out where Jungkook disappeared off to every morning. He had always
assumed that Jungkook met Jung Hyun in the mornings, but he didn’t think that
was the case anymore. He hopped up nodding frantically at the proposition.
 
They were walking down a quiet road with a pair of wrought iron gates at the
end and Taehyung felt a shiver go up against his spine. It was 6:30 am and the
air was uncharacteristically chilly, causing him to wrap his arms around
himself. “Where are we going Kookie? The road has a dead end … unless you’re
taking me to that graveyard,” he giggled nervously, afraid that it was, in
fact, where they were headed. Jungkook remained silent and continued leading
the way, always a few steps ahead of Taehyung. They reached the gates and an
old man carrying a rake unlocked the chains wrapping around the rusted bars.
Jungkook bowed shortly and lead Taehyung down a long, downhill path by the
small of his back. “W-why would you come to a graveyard? That’s uhm, a bit …”
He trailed off unsure how to put it. “I don’t come to this graveyard
specifically, I visit the Church adjoining it every morning to pray,” Jungkook
said matter of factly, unfazed by the return of Taehyung’s stuttering and his
obvious discomfort. “I wanted you to come with me … I thought we could pray
together today.” Taehyung’s eyes widened as they climbed up the grey, stone
steps with the gothic building loomed over them. Twin gargoyles were perched
high up on each side of two turrets erupting from the church. Their mouths, if
you could call them that, were opened mid-snarl and dull, metal wings framed
them. Jungkook noticed him staring, “It’s a listed building because it’s so old
and an important part of the ancient architecture. The current owners can
repair it slightly, but the authorities restrict them from making any other
changes.” Taehyung nodded slowly and gulped as they walked down the aisle.
Weeping angels lines the sides and strange statues loomed in the corners, he
felt as if their eyes were moving, following the pair as they reached the
altar.
 
 “Kneel with me.” They knelt down and Jungkook lifted his hands, clasping them
together and holding them in front of him. Taehyung watched as he closed his
eyes, his long eyelashes fluttering across his cheeks and his pink lips moving
in a silent prayer. He doesn’t know how long he observed Jungkook in that
state, but he felt as though he could continue to do so forever. His ominous
surroundings were forgotten and all he could see was Jungkook, and the longer
he stared, the more angelic the boy seemed. It was as if an aura of light was
surrounding his body, and Taehyung knew that it was an illusion due to his
unblinking eyes and the limited amount of light, but it didn’t take away the
beauty of what he was seeing. Slow, glimmering tears began to fall from
Jungkook’s eyes, “Have mercy on me, God, in your goodness. In your abundant
compassion. Blot out my offence. Wash away all my guilt; from my sin cleanse
me. For I know my offence; my sin is always before me. Against you alone have I
sinned; I have done such evil in your sight. That you are just in your
sentence, blameless when you condemn. True, I was born guilty, a sinner, even
as my mother conceived me. Still, you insist on sincerity of heart; in my
inmost being teach me wisdom…” Taehyung listened on as Jungkook finished his
plea for forgiveness, amazed at the openness and innocence in his tone.
 
The other boy finally opened his eyes and turned to look at him. His nose was
red, his cheeks stained with tears and his eyes glistening. Taehyung tilted his
head, “Did you do something bad?” Jungkook laughed earnestly and stood up,
brushing the knees of his jeans and offering Taehyung a hand. He took his hand
and copied Jungkook’s actions. They walked back down the aisle in silence, his
unanswered question hanging in the air.
 
Taehyung stuck close to Jungkook as they strolled through the eerie graveyard,
they hands brushed against each other and Taehyung felt a bubble of warmth rise
in his stomach, he gazed towards Jungkook who was looking straight ahead with
his mouth was set in a firm line. “It's kind of uh, scary here, but I'm glad
you brought me,” Taehyung hooked his hand around Jungkook's elbow shyly, “I
could come with you every day, I-if you don't mind?” There was no response
until they crossed the gate, “I’d like that Tae, but I do hope you'll pray next
time instead of staring at me for about 15 minutes.” Taehyung blushed and
looked away as they walked on. He hated the idea of waking up so early, getting
ready, walking through the creepy graveyard and kneeling at the altar of the
dilapidated church until his knees throbbed. But he didn’t mind it if he got to
be with Jungkook all that time. Somehow the elder was slowly becoming the
centre of his universe and if he stopped to think about it, maybe he would’ve
realised the dangerous waters he had plunged himself into.
 
When they returned to the dorms, everyone was gathered in the sitting area. “We
were waiting for you two! Come on, sit down. PD-nim has an announcement!” Hobi
hyung was practically bouncing.  As Jungkook and Taehyung sat cross-legged on
the large cushions situated near the couches, Bang Shihyuk entered, “I trust
you’re all doing well?” There were nods and murmurs of consent across the
group. “Now, I’ve been discussing this with a lot of people for quite a while
and I have finally reached a decision,” he took a deep breath, “Your debut has
been pushed up.” Everyone whooped excitedly, including the staff members.
 
“Yes it’s all very exciting but it also means you’ll be putting in extra work!
You’ll be given a 6-week break so spend the time wisely with your family and
friends. When you return in August your 10-month schedules will have been
prepared for you and we’ll be aiming to reveal you by June.” Taehyung fell
still as he absorbed the plethora of information. It felt so real now. He felt
Jungkook’s hand on his and he glanced up at him. The elder grinned and Taehyung
filled with warmth. It was all going to be okay.
 
                                       ~
 
The holidays passed by slowly, but when the final week arrived he felt as
though he’d only been home for a weekend. His younger brother and sister were
still as cute and as annoying as when he’d left them and his parents nagged and
coddled him just the same. He spent the holidays texting Jungkook frequently
and spending many nights listening to Jimin ramble on and on about his cute
neighbour. He had to pack practically everything this time as he’d be away for
even longer.
 
It took him a while to adjust to the rigorous schedule when he returned. No-one
complained though, all filled with determination which was strengthened due to
the ultimatum they had been given now. Their bond grew further and soon it was
as though they had all been together since forever. Jungkook and Taehyung would
often visit the old church not having time to do so every day. He would receive
an occasional text from Jae Seong who seemed far more civil and … angelic, one
could say, compared to his initial impression. Jeonghan was busy most of the
time and when he wasn’t Jungkook and Taehyung would be.
 
The months rolled along rapidly and soon enough they had debuted as BTS.
Practice intensified and so did the pressure. A year passed releasing albums,
mini-albums and singles. Taehyung couldn’t imagine not being with his hyungs,
not being a part of the band, and the others felt the same way. They might not
be filling all of their seats just yet but they were determined to see their
goals through. Jungkook opened up to Taehyung slowly, he still kept at a
certain distance and could only take so much of Taehyung’s cuddles before he
would retire to his preferred solitude. Taehyung just giggled the rejections
away knowing the other boy was just introverted by nature.
 
                                      ~
 
It was new year's eve and they had just performed a show outdoors in the frosty
weather. The members had planned on going out for some barbeque to celebrate
before they started preparing for the release of their new album. They
clambered into the van and headed back to the dorms to freshen up and soon they
were on their way to the cosy bbq place. “Jk you should treat your hyung you
little brat, I’ve been buying you extra meals these days,” Yoongi teased him as
they sat down. Jungkook grinned, “But you’re supposed to buy for me, you’re my
hyung! You can’t make me buy you food.” Yoongi reached out and pulled on his
ear, “Why you little- I didn’t raise you to be such a disrespectful shite.”
“Then who did hyung?” Jungkook’s grinned widened and the members roared with
laughter at his bold, cheeky response, even Yoongi couldn’t hold back the fond
smile that formed on his lips.
 
“Order up peasants, I’m buying tonight,” Taehyung cheered and wrapped his arm
around Hoseok’s shoulder, “You’re the best hyung.” He gave him a thumbs up and
made a cute face which had Hoseok clutching his chest dramatically. “Ah! I can
spend my money happily knowing I have such a cute baby brother.” Taehyung
giggled and ordered as much chicken as he could.
 
A voice sounded from behind them, “Taehyung? Is that you?” It sounded vaguely
familiar, but he couldn’t place it until he turned around. There stood Chae Jae
Seong in all his glory. He’d gotten even more handsome over the past few years
if that was possible. His sense of style had matured slightly, the punk kid
vibe mellowing out into a soft grunge look. Half leather and half denim black
jeans stuck to his long legs and a slightly distressed maroon shirt wrapped
around his lean upper body. He had bulked up a bit too, his shoulders were now
much broader and his biceps strained against his short sleeves. Tattoos snaked
down his arms and covered his hands. His piercings were kept to a minimum, as
was his previously dramatic makeup and hair. It now fell into his eyes, jet
black and thick.
 
By the time he had finished his head to toe examination and reached the boy’s
face, he was already moving to occupy the empty seat. “Who would’ve thought I’d
bump into you tonight?” Hobi hyung nudged Taehyung slightly and he escaped his
trance, “Jae Seong-ah, it’s been a while.” Seokjin chuckled at the other side
of the table, “Well that’s an understatement. How’ve you been?” Jae turned the
face Jin, crossing his legs gracefully, “Pretty decent, I run a lounge in
Itaewon now so I’ve been busy.” Namjoon perked up, “Ah, running a business,
must be laborious.” Jae grinned and leaned forward, “You guys can talk. You’ve
all been busy, I hear you’ve gained quite a bit of popularity these days.”
Namjoon waved his hand in the air dismissively, “Nah, we’ve still got a long
way to go.”
 
Their food arrived then and their attention was instantly diverted from the
pretty boy. “I should leave you guys to eat, see you around?” He directed the
question towards Tae as he stood up to leave and the dazed boy nodded, unable
to form a coherent sentence at that moment. As he turned around his gaze met
Jungkook’s. The boy was looking at him thoughtfully, his brows furrowed
together and a slight frown on his lips. “Kookie?” He asked cautiously. “Hmm?”
Jungkook didn’t seem to be fully aware of his surroundings. “Aren’t you going
to eat?” He snapped out of his day dream and looked at the food filling the
table as though he hadn’t noticed its arrival. “Uh, yeah … yeah.”
 
                                       ~
 
They returned to their dorms, buzzed on beer and full of chicken. Hoseok hyung
fell asleep as soon as his head hit his pillow and Yoongi sat on his bed
grumbling about something no-one could understand. Jimin was complaining to
Seokjin about Namjoon’s snoring and Tae stood facing his cupboard. He was sure
he’d forgotten something but he couldn’t remember what it was. His mind was
slightly hazy and his inability to recall the small detail was frustrating him.
He felt Jungkook come up behind him. The elder pressed himself against
Taehyung’s back and wrapped his arms around him. He flushed instantly,
forgetting all about his little dilemma as butterflies filled his stomach and
his face became fiery. Jungkook’s mouth brushed his earlobe and Taehyung almost
groaned right there and then. “What’s wrong Tae tae?” The nickname had never
felt so sinful to him than it did right then, “I-I forgot something, I think?”
His pitch increased slightly and his voice wavered. Then, just as quick as the
touch had come, it disappeared, the only thing that convinced Taehyung it had
ever happened in the first place were the flames that still burnt around him.
 
Jungkook walked around him and inspected his desk picking up an object and
turning to face Taehyung once again, “Is it this?” He twirled Tae’s lucky ring
in his fingers, inspecting the black and silver band. “I noticed that you
weren’t wearing it today.” Taehyung rushed forward grabbing the ring and
sliding it down the middle finger of his right hand. Jungkook raised an eyebrow
at the strange nervousness in the younger’s demeanour. “What’s so special about
it anyway? Is it a family heirloom? Or perhaps … a girl gave it to you.” He
smirked at Taehyung and the boy blushed slightly, “N-no, it was a friend of
mine actually. He left school because his family was moving abroad.” Taehyung
looked away, the departure of his ex-best friend still fresh in his memory.
Jungkook’s expression went from playful to apprehensive, “Oh, sorry for
bringing it up.” Taehyung giggled shyly and shook his head, “No, it’s okay,
It’s been years now.” They sat down together, his head in Jungkook’s lap who
sat cross-legged reading a thriller novel. He would occasional run his hand
through Taehyung’s fluffy, brown hair and massage his neck lightly at which the
other would sigh in contentment.
 
After 12 it was officially 2015 and the room cheered as they huddled together
on the balcony watching the fireworks. They had so many plans for this year,
both personally and as a group and the fresh start that the new was presenting
them with was much needed. Taehyung gazed at Jungkook who had his sparkler in
the air along with Jimin, his wide smile made his eyes turn into crescents,
wrinkling cutely at the ends, and Taehyung’s heart ached at the sight.
 
                                       ~
 
The group had released their first Japanese album which had gained them a lot
of attention and fame, both abroad and in Korea. This fueled their enthusiasm
as they finished filming and recording for their 3rd and 4th mini albums. They
would often sit and talk about the upcoming albums due the to the personal
natures of some songs. Filming for the ‘I Need You’ music video had been a
struggle, and in the end, they’d decided to release two versions. Taehyung had
been the one to break the news to the group when the Dope MV had begun to rack
up an incredible amount of views and they felt as if their hard work was
finally beginning to truly pay off. Although it still felt too early to
celebrate, the members’ spirits were soaring. Jungkook and Taehyung had become
even closer and the members knew that wherever one of them was, the other would
soon follow. The fans loved their friendship too and dubbed them inseparable.
Jungkook had opened up considerably, he would share his problems and even
incited skinship first. Taehyung tried to never push the other but he would
become frustrated when Jungkook would clamp up for no reason. Taehyung didn’t
complain about it outwardly but his mood would turn sour and the members would
notice that something was up between them. It was hard to contain the ups and
downs of their intimate friendship when everything was out in the open.
 
This particular day had been spent with Jungkook blatantly avoiding him for no
apparent reason and as a result, Taehyung was on edge. The elder probably
thought he was being subtle about it but it was clear to Taehyung and it
annoyed him to no end. They had just finished practice and he was planning on
confronting Jungkook when Yoongi held him back before he could enter the room.
 
“Tae, talk to me for a minute.” Taehyung sighed and leaned against the wall of
the hallway, avoiding his hyung's eyes. “Something’s happened between you two
again, hasn’t it?” Yoongi started, crossing his arms. “You two have to sort
your shit out ‘cause I’m getting tired of seeing this constantly. When you’re
together you’re both over the moon, but then something happens and it’s like
someone’s died. Look, I know you’re close, but this is just getting unhealthy.”
Taehyung went red with embarrassment at having his friendship psychoanalysed
and being explained to him so bluntly. He knew Yoongi hyung was only talking to
him because he cared or he wouldn't have even bothered, but it didn’t soften
the blow that the truth held. “Hyung, I can’t help it, he’s just so ... ugh. I
don’t even know how to explain it! One minute everything’s fine and the next
he’s acting as if I cursed him or beat him up.” Taehyung gazed at him
dejectedly, genuine frustration painting his face. Yoongi lifted a hand to his
face and looked away, deep in thought.
 
“Have you talked to him about it?” Taehyung shook his head in response. “Why?”
The elder frowned at him.
 
“I-I guess, I don’t know how to? I mean, when we’re fine again I feel like if I
bring it up he’ll start becoming distant.” Yoongi nodded and his lips formed a
tight line, “I’ll talk to him for you.” Taehyung’s eyes widened and he gripped
his hyung’s shoulder, “No! He’ll know I talked to you about it! Please hyung,
just- just leave it, I’ll sort it out somehow.”
 
                                       ~
 
Later that night Taehyung was wrapped up in a cocoon of blankets in his bed
texting Jae to take his mind of the boy who was currently two beds down from
him when he felt his bed shift. “Oh my- oh,” he’d nearly had a heart attack,
but looked up and realised it was Jungkook, fiddling with his fingers.
 
“What’re you doing?” Jungkook spoke quietly. Taehyung put down his phone and
sat up slightly, “Uh, I was planning on sleeping, since it’s like nearly 12
y’know.” Jungkook cleared his throat awkwardly, avoiding the other boy’s eyes
and chewing on his bottom lip. Taehyung untucked his duvet from under him and
patted the space next to him and the elder crawled over to the free space and
pulled the duvet back up. Taehyung’s phone buzzed with another text from Jae.
 
Are you asleep honey?
 
He’d completely forgotten about the conversation he’d been holding before
Jungkook’s impromptu arrival.
 
Sorry about that, I’m still awake. Kinda tired tho.
 
Jungkook had caught a glimpse of his screen and he raised an eyebrow but said
nothing.
 
Awe you little cutie. You should come by the lounge, maybe it’ll remind you of
our first meeting;)
 
He blushed and Jungkook shifted next to him, “What does he mean by that?”
 
Taehyung’s mouth opened and closed as he thought of an excuse stuffing his
phone under the duvet. “I-uh, I met Jae at a bar that day,” Jungkook had turned
to look at him now, his expression unreadable. “Huh, and what were you doing
there?” Taehyung flushed and pulled the blanket around his shoulders, “I uhm,
kinda ditched the others at the park and went for a walk around the city.”
Jungkook chuckled darkly, “I didn’t know walks consisted of visits to the bar
nowadays.” Taehyung whined and scooted closer to the elder, pouting up at him,
“I wasn’t going to go in! Really! B-but I’d never been in one before and I just
wanted to see.” Jungkook looked unimpressed at the lame excuse. “And what did
you see?”
 
Taehyung looked down and he felt his stomach churn as the memories played out
in his head. “N-nothing much, really, j-just the standard stuff.”
 
“You’re lying Tae, it’s so obvious. What did you see that’s got you all worked
up?” Taehyung mumbled and Jungkook leaned down placing a hand behind his ear,
“What? I didn’t catch that?”
 
“He was kissing someone,” Taehyung said quietly. Jungkook was silent for a
moment, “So? I mean, you see people kissing all the time right?” Taehyung
pursed his lips, “He was kissing another boy Kookie,” He had almost whispered
the words.
 
 “Oh.”
 
There was an awkward pause. “What did you do?” Taehyung ignored his phone as it
buzzed once again, “I j-just watched? I didn’t really kn-know what to do … it
was my first time seeing something like that.” Jungkook turned to him with a
serious expression, “You know it’s wrong right? He’s your friend but what he
does is unnatural.” Taehyung’s eyes widened, “But lot’s of people are like
that, it’s a- a hormone thing … isn’t it?” Jungkook frowned, “No Taehyung,
that’s just an excuse. It’s a sin.”
 
Taehyung swallowed anxiously and nodded, “We should sleep now, long day
tomorrow.” Jungkook made to get up but Taehyung gripped the hem of his shirt,
“You’re here already so you might as well stay.” Jungkook shook his head and
lifted the blanket, “I don’t want to disturb you in your sleep.”
 
“Nonsense, you sleep like a gentleman.” Taehyung giggled and reached over the
elder to tuck him in. “Night Kookie.”
 
“Night Tae tae.”  His heart clenched for some reason. Despite Jungkook being
next to him, it felt as though he was worlds away, out of Taehyung's reach.
Chapter End Notes
     Writing Jungkook is so painful :') Can't wait to develop his
     character further. Expect serious angst in the future; Also the
     rating will probably be going up from the next chapter.
***** Don't Let Me Down *****
Chapter Summary
     Taehyung is fed up and he decides that getting down and dirty with
     Jae will solve things. Jungkook is furious and the drama ensues in
     Japan.
Chapter Notes
     WARNING: There is explicit smut in this chapter, so if you're a smol
     bean or that's just not your thing, DO NOT proceed. (Or just skip it
     y'know.) Also, it's Tae's first time and he thinks that some things
     are okay when they're not. I'll explain further at the end.
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Taehyung would often climb into Jungkook’s bed when he found himself unable to
sleep and wrap himself around the elder, seeking comfort. In Jungkook’s half
asleep state he was more lenient and didn’t seem to mind the cuddling. However,
the emptiness Taehyung felt didn’t seem to go away. He felt restless
constantly: during practice, in the recording room, and even whilst they
performed. Half the year had already passed and Taehyung was becoming fed up,
he needed to break up his routine and do something.
 
“Hello?” Jae’s sleepy voice sounded from the other end of the line.
 
“Uhm, hey, it’s Taehyung.” He bit his nails nervously as Jae responded, “Oh,
hey honey, what’s up?”
 
“I- uh I was thinking of popping around to the lounge? Like, tonight, maybe, if
that’s okay.”
 
“That's more than okay Tae tae! I’ll send a cab to pick you up.” He could
practically hear the other boy smiling.
 
“No! I mean, you don’t have to do all that for me.”
 
“It’s okay, I’d come to pick you up myself if I could. How does 9 pm sound?”
Taehyung swallowed dryly, “Y-yeah, sounds good.”
 
“Great! See you tonight.” The call ended and Taehyung bit his lower lip. What
was he doing? And more importantly, how was he going to sneak out without the
others noticing?
 
                                       ~
 
They had choreography practice from 7 till 10 pm which was perfect for
Taehyung. At around 8:30 pm, he excused himself claiming he had eaten something
bad and his stomach was aching so he could return to the room, shower and
quickly get ready. He slipped on a pair of leather pants with a belt, a loose
white button up which he tucked in at the front, a pair of oxfords, and
pocketed a face mask just in case. Just as he’d finished touching up on some
light makeup, the door opened and he whipped around. Jungkook stood across the
room with his hands in the pockets of his sweatpants, looking unimpressed.
Taehyung swallowed anxiously and opened his mouth to make an excuse.
 
“Where do you think you’re going Kim Taehyung?” Jungkook strode up to him and
backed him up against his cupboard. “I thought you weren’t feeling well?
Shouldn’t you be getting into bed?” Taehyung avoided the elder boy’s eyes and
gripped the edge of the doorframe of his wardrobe. “I-uh I- I’m meeting up with
a friend.” Jungkook raised a shapely eyebrow at him in suspicion. “What friend?
It isn’t that Jae Seong guy is it? You shouldn’t be hanging around him.” Just
then a horn sounded from outside. “I’ve got to go hyung, I’m going to be late.”
He made to leave, but Jungkook stepped forward until he was almost flush
against him, his legs between Taehyung’s and his right-hand flat against the
wardrobe. “I don’t like this one bit, just because he lives his life a certain
way doesn't mean he should drag you into it.” For some reason, the spitefully
spoken words jabbed at his heart and he looked into Jungkook’s eyes and spoke
without hesitation, “Maybe that’s who I am too hyung.”
 
Jungkook gaped at him, unable to speak and stepped away from the other as if he
had burnt him. Taehyung walked around him and headed out towards the taxi.
Tears threatened to spill from his eyes as he greeted the driver politely and
looked out of the window as the buildings rushed past. What had he done?
Jungkook would probably avoid him for the rest of his life now. They definitely
couldn’t be friends anymore.
 
But Taehyung was tired, tired of acting a certain way to impress Jungkook and
hiding his curiosity to make sure the other would accept him. Even when he lay
with the elder at night, he wasn’t at ease, spending hours on end thinking
about who he was and what he was feeling. It wasn’t fair that everything
affected him, that even as Jungkook had thrown those vicious words at him all
he could think about was the heat pooling in his stomach and the way Jungkook’s
white shirt stuck to his chest, damp with sweat.
 
He arrived at the lounge and thanked the driver, tipping him. The exterior was
pretty swanky, sophisticated with just enough neon for it to be tasteful. He
entered without any hassle from security and instantly spotted Jae with a drink
in his hand chatting to a group of people.
 
“Tae! You made it.” Jae waved him over and he strolled towards the group
noticing the looks of approval and even recognition. “Don’t worry, only certain
people are allowed in here so you’ll be safe from the reporters.” The group
laughed and they all settled into comfortable conversation. Soon enough,
Taehyung found himself at the bar with Jae, two drinks down and another
clutched in his hand as he threw his head back at the bartender’s lame joke. He
felt fairly sober and knew what he was doing as Jae led him up the stairs, down
a private corridor and into a poshly decorated room. He giggled as the taller
boy wrapped an arm around his waist and nosed at his neck, “Jaeee,” He whined
at the elder who continued to tease him. “Tell me what you want baby,” he
whispered, his lips brushing against Taehyung’s earlobe causing him to shiver.
“I- Just touch me,” Tae stuttered breathlessly as heat coiled in the pit of his
stomach. Jae pulled back and smirked, leading the shorter boy towards the four
poster bed and pushing him down. Taehyung bounced as he fell back onto his
elbows and watched as Jae took off his shirt in one swift motion and climbed
over him, kicking off this shoes. His muscles rippled as he placed one arm
beside Taehyung's head and let the other hand trail down to the hem of his
shirt. Before he knew what was happening, his shirt was being yanked over his
head and Jae was placing wet kisses down his neck, his collarbone and his
chest, swirling his tongue around Taehyung’s nipples briefly and revelling in
his moans before continuing his journey. He unbuckled the trembling boy's belt
and unzipped his pants as he gazed into the other’s eyes. “Jae, p-please.” The
elder chuckled and mouthed at Taehyung’s semi-hard member through the cloth of
his boxers eliciting a choked sob from the boy, who gripped the sheets and
thrust up into Jae’s mouth. He slid Taehyung’s boxers and trousers down and off
his long legs, crawling back up and gripping Taehyung's waist as he looked into
his eyes. Jae wrapped his fingers around his now fully erect cock and licked up
from the base to the tip, circling the head a few times before taking him in
whole. Jae smiled around him as Taehyung released an almost animalistic moan
and reached down to grip the boy’s hair. Jae pushed down further and relaxed
his jaw as Taehyung’s cock hit the back of his throat. “I’m gonna, I-” Taehyung
inhaled sharply.
 
Jae deep throated him and began bobbing his head up and down as the other
groaned and arched his back. He pulled off a bit, sucked up his shaft, “ Come
for me Tae tae.” Taehyung heaved and ropes of cum shot down Jae’s throat. He
swallowed every last drop, milking Taehyung for all he was worth.
 
Jae sat up shuffled over to Tae, licking into his mouth. “Hold still.” The
younger boy complied and Jae unbuckled his pants and took them off, throwing
them over the bed blindly. “Turn around for me baby.” Taehyung followed his
instruction willingly, his desire and desperation apparent in the quick motions
of his body. Jae leaned over him and sucked on his earlobe, “Such a good boy.”
Tae moaned at the praise, panting as Jae’s impressive length rubbed against his
ass. The elder squeezed some lube into his palm and coated his cock, lining it
 up against Taehyung, “W-wait, shouldn't we uhm- use protection?” Jae laughed
against his back, “I'm clean and you're definitely clean Tae, it's okay babe,
just trust me.” Taehyung swallowed and nodded, resting his head against his arm
as Jae pushed in. The pain was blinding, he felt tears roll down his cheeks as
the other pushed in further. “It- it hurts Jae.”
 
“It's okay Tae, just breathe, it'll get better.” Jae continued to push into him
until he was buried in his ass. The sharp pain had barely dulled when Jae
pulled out and thrust back into Taehyung, groaning against his shoulder as he
snaked an arm up his torso and wrapped it around his throat. Taehyung gasped as
Jae hit something inside him that almost left him immobile. He forgot all about
the pain and pushed back into Jae, “M-more, plea-”
 
Taehyung was suddenly lifted up and pushed against the headboard roughly as Jae
increased the speed of his thrusts. He squeezed Tae’s ass and tightened his
grip around his neck. “Fuck Tae tae, I've been fantasising about this moment
since the day I met you. I had this room built just for you, so I could fuck
you against this headboard and make you come again and again.” Taehyung moaned
and turned his head slightly to capture the other’s lips in a hot, messy kiss,
“Say my name baby,” Jae whispered against his red, swollen lips, angling his
hips upward and hitting the spot inside him that made Taehyung squirm and gasp,
”J-Jae, Jae, touch me please.” The elder complied, one arm gripping his
shoulder insanely tight as he pounded into him and the other reached down to
stroke Taehyung’s cock in time with his thrusts. “Ah, I’m gonna cum, Jae!” He
reached back and threaded his fingers through the elders messy, black hair,
their backs rubbed together with each thrust, slick with sweat. “Mmm, baby boy,
let me see you cum again.” Taehyung groaned at the endearment and came right
then, imagining brown eyes and pouty red lips. He was panting against his arm
as Jae came inside him and rested his head on Tae’s shoulder.
 
“Fuck, that was ... I don't even know.” Jae grinned and kissed him again,
pulling out as the pair rearranged themselves and lay together in a tangle of
limbs. Cum dripped down his legs but he was too exhausted to clean up, barely
wiping himself with some tissue from the bedside table. His ass ached and so
did his shoulders, Taehyung expected bruises and a shitload of pain tomorrow.
 
                                       ~
 
He awoke groggily the next day and felt panic rise in him when he realised he
was in an unfamiliar room, in an unfamiliar bed. Jae Seong's tattooed, muscular
arm was wrapped around his waist firmly and he was unable to move. Taehyung
felt around for his phone and found it in the pocket of his jeans which were
within arm’s reach. 20+ missed calls and 60+ texts. He looked through his
messages and most of them were from Yoongi hyung, he sighed knowing the
inevitable lecture that awaited him once he returned. There was a single
message from Jungkook:
 
Call me as soon as you get this.
 
Taehyung gulped, he was well and truly fucked. He shook Jae, “Wake up you big
oaf!” Jae groaned and rolled over causing Taehyung to huff and sit up. He
clearly wasn’t a morning person. Quickly dressing in last night clothes he
dialled Jungkook’s number.
 
“Where are you?” Jungkook spoke as soon as he answered the phone, his tone
slightly aggressive.
 
“I- At the lounge in- in Itaewon.” Taehyung held his phone nervously in both
hands.
 
“I’ll be there in 20.”
 
Taehyung went into the en-suite and groaned as he saw his panda eyes, his
makeup was atrociously smudged across his face. He washed his face and used
some random cream he found in the cupboard below the sink. His blouse was
creased and his hair was a mess. He combed through it with his fingers and
dampened it with some water. Sighing in resignation, Taehyung took one last
glance at Jae’s sleeping form and made his way down the stairs and out the
back. Jungkook was leaning against a car and he glared at Taehyung as the
younger walked around to the passenger seat.
 
“Get in the back.”
 
Taehyung’s mouth fell open, “Hy-hyung?” Jungkook got in and buckled up,
ignoring Taehyung. The ride back was painfully silent and the radio was soon
turned down by Jungkook when their own song began playing. Taehyung pouted when
they arrived and Jungkook hadn’t even bothered to wait for him to get out of
the car before walking into the building. “Jungkook! Talk to me, you’re killing
me here.” The elder ignored him and walked into the kitchen, pouring himself a
glass of water. Taehyung shuffled up to him and looked at him sullenly. “Please
Kookie, say something.” A vein stood out in Jungkook’s neck as he put down the
glass and turned to Taehyung.
 
“Did you sleep with him?” Taehyung flushed and looked down at his hands,
entwining his fingers together. “I’ll take that as a yes.” He began walking
away from the younger.
 
Taehyung grabbed his arm and stood facing his back, “Are you going to stop
talking to me just because of that.” Jungkook didn’t turn around but spoke with
disgust, “Just because of that? Taehyung you slept with another guy! How did
you expect me to react!?” Taehyung felt a lump form in his throat. “That
shouldn’t change anything. I’m still me and I’m still your friend. You can’t
throw that all away because of this.” Jungkook stiffened and turned to face
him. “You’re not you Tae, not anymore. I don’t know who you are.”
 
His eyes welled up with tears, “Y-you don’t mean that, do you?”
 
Jungkook’s jaw tensed and he looked away. Taehyung clutched onto his shirt and
pulled him closer, “Kookie, you didn’t mean that r-right?” By now tears had
begun to fall down his face and he sniffled. Jungkook wrenched his hand away
and turned to walk away.
 
“Don’t walk away from me, please Jungkook. I’ll stop! I’ll stop everything, I
promise!” Taehyung cried out, but the elder kept on walking and didn’t look
back.
 
He crumpled onto the floor, leaning against the kitchen island as he sobbed.
His hands covered his face, now damp with tears.
 
“Taehyung! Taehyung, what the- Are you okay?” Seokjin hyung rounded the corner
and bent down, cradling him in his arms and holding his head against his
shoulder. He continued to weep against his hyung’s shoulder, soaking his shirt.
He cried until his mouth and eyes ached and his head pounded. His heart
clenched in his chest and when he thought of Jungkook he’d curl up even more
against Jin’s chest, crying even harder, the rejection wracking his body with
sobs.
 
                                      ~
 
A week passed and Taehyung would practice half-heartedly, sing without any
passion and perform listlessly. When he returned to the dorms he would wrap
himself in his blanket and cry silently, not responding to anyone. Jungkook
stopped coming to the room after a day, only returning at night. Jimin would
sit with Taehyung, rub his back, read to him, and gossip to try and cheer him
up. It worked sometimes, but only for a few minutes before Taehyung would
resume his moping. Namjoon, Yoongi and Hoseok had tried talking to him, but his
one worded answers and careless attitude left them discouraged. Yoongi hyung
had even tried talking to Jungkook, but the boy had brushed it off with a laugh
and claimed he didn’t know what the other was talking about. It broke
Taehyung’s heart to hear that as he gazed at Jungkook forlornly through the
dance room mirror. The elder had stopped talking to him entirely, pretending as
if he didn’t exist. Taehyung had received heaps of texts and calls from Jae but
he couldn’t find it in himself to respond to a single one.
 
All in all, it was probably the worst week of his life. He tried getting over
it but it was impossible since Jungkook was always around. They couldn’t fully
avoid one another, they  lived  together.
 
It was Friday afternoon and the room was a mess. Everyone was packing to leave
for their first Japan tour the next day and there were clothes and other items
strewn everywhere. Taehyung was folding his shirts quietly with his headphones
in, missing the story Namjoon was narrating. He would’ve been excited but he
couldn’t really bring himself to feel anything at this point.
 
Jungkook, being the golden boy he was, had already finished packing and was
sitting down sipping some coffee whilst reading a novel. Taehyung squinted,
scratch that, it was  his  novel. His eyebrows furrowed together in fury, how
did this boy have the AUDACITY to be reading Taehyung’s novel WHILE ignoring
him. He was positively shaking at this point.
 
“Uh, Tae? Are you okay?” Jimin called out worriedly, the rest of the room
turned to look at him whilst Jungkook remained blissfully unaware. Taehyung
ripped his headphones out and stalked over to the oblivious boy, stepping over
luggage and rubbish. Jungkook looked up at him as he approached, his eyes
widening as Taehyung stopped barely a centimetre away from him and wrenched the
book out of his hands, giving him a furious look and stomping away. Jungkook’s
mouth opened and he looked at Taehyung then back at his empty hands then at the
room who looked between the pair with an uneasy expression. The tension in the
room was so damn heavy, you could’ve sliced it with a samurai sword.
 
Jungkook slowly put down his coffee and walked over to Taehyung who had resumed
packing with his headphones in. He reached out and placed a hand on the pile of
clothes the younger boy was about to pick up. Taehyung glanced up at him, his
mouth downturned and his eyes practically slits, he removed one side of his
headphones, “What the fuck do you want?” He growled out and Jungkook couldn’t
ignore the pure hatred in his voice. “Give me the book back, I was in the
middle of a sentence before you rudely snatched it away from me.” Taehyung
snarled, “Why would I give you my novel to read when you clearly fucking hate
me. What gives you the right to utilise MY FUCKING STUFF.” The rest of the room
was trying their hardest to resume a normal conversation amongst themselves as
they continued packing, but they couldn’t help but listen in to the pair’s
quarrel. “Taehyung, stop being a petty little shit and give me the goddamn
book,” Jungkook spoke in a dangerously quiet tone as he grabbed the other’s arm
roughly. “Oh, I’m the petty one? I’m not the one who’s acting like you don’t
exist asshole!” Taehyung was becoming increasingly infuriated at Jungkook’s
superiority complex. “I’m not acting like you don’t exist, not everything’s
about you Tae.” The elder narrowed his eyes at him and tried to walk around him
to his bedside table where the novel in question had been placed. “Ah I see, it
must be a total coincidence that you stopped acknowledging my existence after I
slept with Jae!”
 
Jungkook gaped at his shamelessness. “Taehyung, what the fuck!?” He hissed at
him, whispering, as his hands turned into fists by his side. “What? That’s what
happened didn’t it Jungkook? I fucked a boy and you’re crying about it like the
little pussy that you are.” The room fell completely silent and Jungkook was
coloured red from head to toe. He grabbed Taehyung’s arm, shaking, and
manhandled the boy out of the room as the members tried to process what the
bloody hell had just happened.
 
The pair exited the room and Jungkook pushed Taehyung against the wall of the
corridor roughly. The shorter boy trembled, “W-what’re you gonna do Kookie? You
gonna hit me, hmm?”
 
Jungkook’s eyes softened instantly and he frowned. “I would never hit you Tae
tae, why would you say that.” Taehyung choked and turned away from Jungkook’s
hurt gaze. “Tae …”
 
“It’s none of your business anyway, it’s not like you care.” Jungkook placed a
hand on his already bruised shoulder and Taehyung flinched away from the touch.
“What the hell, why are you acting like this?” Jungkook was becoming frustrated
and Taehyung was glad, it was better than if he started behaving as if he
cared. “I’m not acting like anything, just stay the fuck away from me.”
Taehyung’s bangs covered his eyes as he looked down. If Jungkook had bothered
looking a bit closer he would’ve seen his damp cheeks and the bruise peeping
out of Taehyung’s shirt. But he didn’t. “Fine, if that’s what you want.”
Taehyung’s heart screamed in protest, but he kept his lips locked as the other
walked back into the room. He wiped at his tears frantically and swallowed the
painful lump in his throat. When he entered, the room fell silent and Jungkook
looked as if he had just been arguing. Everyone avoided his gaze except for
Yoongi hyung who glared at him and looked slightly hurt, probably because he
had to find out with everybody else. Taehyung resumed packing even when
everyone left for dinner. When he’d finished he climbed into bed and read Jae’s
texts falling asleep before anyone returned.
 
He awoke at 5 am, feeling fully rested and energised, aside from a dull
headache. He finished tidying up from the day before and picked out shapely
black slacks that cut off at his ankle, a black belt, and an oversized, blue
dress shirt. His collarbones were on show so he rummaged around for some heavy
duty concealer to cover up the fading bruises on his shoulders. He packed his
leather handbag as the others started waking up. By 6 am, everyone was ready
and headed towards the airport, no-one spoke about the incident that took place
the previous day. In fact, no-one spoke at all. Even Hobi hyung and Jimin were
silent, which was a fucking miracle, to be honest. The airport was fairly quiet
and soon enough they were sitting on the plane. Most of the members slept on
the roughly 2-hour flight, but Taehyung scrolled through his social media and
played some games, not even realising as the time passed by. He hadn’t looked
at Jungkook even once, except for at the airport. Darn, the skinny jeans he had
on today did wonders for his thighs. Taehyung sighed and the tannoy system
announced that the plane was descending. He loved Japan, the food, the games
and the fashion. He couldn’t wait to perform their new Japanese albums, but
even though he was physically prepared, mentally he felt drained. The stress of
everything that had happened was eating him up and every day felt exhausting.
 
They exited the plane and waved to the camera’s and fans before they were
ushered into a big, black van and taken to their hotel in Tokyo. Even though it
was morning, everyone was sleepy as they arrived.
 
“Have you all decided who you’ll be rooming with?” They shook their heads.
 
Jimin skipped over to him and interlocked their arms, “I’ll stay with Tae.” The
manager nodded, There are four rooms so one of you can stay alone or stay as a
group of three and leave the room empty.
 
“I’ll stay alone.” Everyone turned to look as Jungkook except for Tae who
looked down, fidgeting. Yoongi and Hoseok roomed together and Namjoon and
Seokjin took another room. Their first show wasn’t until tomorrow night so they
were relatively free until the next day. Jimin chatted and explored the room
enthusiastically for about 10 minutes before passing out on the bed. Taehyung
snorted and slapped his ass making his way towards the bathroom to wash up. He
wrapped a towel around his neck and slipped on some boxers when a knock sounded
at the door. Wondering who it could be, assuming the others were asleep, he
opened the door. The hallway was empty. He frowned and stepped out, looking
around. He turned to go back in when the door next to his opened and Jungkook
stepped out. In nothing but a white robe. Taehyung’s eyes widened and he looked
away instantly, sprinting into his room, “Wait! Tae-” He slammed the door shut
and his face flushed. Jimin was sitting up on the bed, his head tilted to one
side as he took in Taehyung’s half naked form. “Uhhh ..”
 
A knock sounded at the door and Taehyung stiffened. “Who is it?” Jimin asked
him curiously making to get up.” Taehyung held out his palm, gesturing for him
to remain seated. “I-I’ll check.” He cracked open the door and peeked out with
one eye. Directly opposite his face was Jungkook’s bare chest.
 
“Was it you who knocked before?” Jungkook questioned him, one hand on the door
trying to push it open. Taehyung pushed back, “N-no, someone knocked on ours
too, m-must’ve been a prank or something,” he was mumbling towards the end,
looking right past Jungkook, “Oh, right. Sorry for disturbing you.” Taehyung
was about to shut the door when Jungkook put out his foot. “Wait. What’s that?”
He reached forward and moved Taehyung’s towel slightly. Fuck. Shit. FUCK.
 
Jimin chose the moment to appear behind him, Jungkook pushed the door open
fully and grabbed Taehyung’s towel, sliding it off his shoulders. Yellowing
bruises were spread out across his pale skin. Jimin gasped and stepped back.
 
“What the fuck Tae?” Jungkook pulled him forward and shook him. “TALK TO ME,”
Jungkook’s hands moved up to grip his face. Taehyung closed his eyes and bit
his lower lip. “I fell. I hit my shoulders against something hard. I didn’t
know it would leave some marks.” Jimin spoke quietly, “Why’re you lying? And to
us? Can't you even tell  us ? What’s wrong with you?”
 
Jungkook was shaking with rage, he took hold of Taehyung’s upper arm and yanked
him out into the hallway. Jimin followed after them frantically, “What’re you
doing!? Jungkook!” He didn’t respond and banged his other fist loudly on both
doors next to theirs. Taehyung struggled in his grip but was far too weak
compared to the other. Both doors opened and the other four members came out.
They instantly became alert as they took in a semi naked Taehyung whose torso
was covered in fading bruises and a VERY enraged Jungkook.
 
“What the actual fuck is going on,” Yoongi stepped forward and pulled Taehyung
towards him, glaring at Jungkook “Let go of him before I throttle you, you
little shit.” Namjoon and Seokjin hyung rushed forwards to get in between
Yoongi and Jungkook as Hoseok tried to pry Taehyung’s arm away from Yoongi’s
right grip. “Do you think I did this!? I’m the one who had to notice what he
was hiding-” Yoongi gaped at the taller boy, “You expect me to believe you
weren’t getting back at Tae-”
 
“SHUT UP! Can both of you just shut up and let me go,” everyone turned to look
at Taehyung and the pair’s grips instantly loosened. “Don’t follow me,”
Taehyung turned and walked into his and Jimin’s room, slamming the door behind
him.
 
Jungkook gaped at the door and Yoongi grabbed him by the ear, “You’re going to
tell me everything you know in 10 seconds before I karate chop you into next
week.”
 
“Ow, ow, hyung, let go, I don’t even know anything myself.” Yoongi opened his
mouth to respond but Jimin cut him off, “It’s true, Jungkookie just spotted the
bruises when taehyung opened the door for him. None of us noticed.” Everyone
was silent. Taehyung had been hurting and none of them had noticed. Even when
it was out in the open, they just hurt him even more.
 
                                      ~
 
Taehyung sulked in the room alone, not answering to anyone. He’d put Jimin’s
unpacked luggage outside the room and was now watching Wolverine surrounded by
the (probably expensive) room service he’d ordered. He would’ve felt guilty for
a lot of things, but not tonight. Taehyung was sick and tired of being treated
like a rag doll. He was a talented, handsome young man who deserved a lot more
than he was getting right now and he was going to sit on this huge bed in a
fluffy red Versace robe and slippers and watch this goddamn movie like the king
that he was. (He’d probably curse the author for the amount of angst too if he
knew.) He watched as Logan locked lips with the pretty Japanese actress on the
screen and sighed. Despite everything he had right now, he was alone.
 
Just then a knock sounded at the door and he rolled his eyes, probably one of
the others. “Room service!” A high pitched voice called out. Taehyung frowned,
he had already gotten what he’d ordered. He slipped off the bed and opened the
door to tell whoever it was that they’d made a mistake when a hand wrapped
around his mouth and he was pushed into the room. He struggled against the
grip, but the man was strong and he reached around the wall and switched off
the light, wrapping his arm around Taehyung’s waist. He sniffed and went still.
“Jungkook?” He knew that cologne, it was Hugo Boss. He’d recognise it anywhere.
 
“... Uh, no?” Taehyung giggled and turned around, “You-” He stiffened and
stepped away, remembering that they weren’t like that anymore.
 
Jungkook cleared his throat, “How are you?”
 
“I’m fine ... You should leave.” Taehyung fiddled with the sleeves of his gown.
 
Jungkook stepped forward and reached out, but dropped his hand when the other
boy cowered away from the touch. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry for everything Tae.
Every day of this week felt like years and I shouldn’t have reacted the way I
did.” Taehyung was silent.
 
“Please, talk to me,” Jungkook pleaded.
 
“I’m tired Kookie, just go,” Taehyung bit his lip and looked down causing his
bangs to hide away his tearful eyes. Jungkook stepped forward and tentatively
wrapped his arms around the slightly shorter boy. “I can’t leave again. Not
after I heard you asking me not to turn away from you again and again in my
sleep all week.” Taehyung began to sob onto the elder’s shoulder as the
exhaustion and pain from the whole week came crashing down. Jungkook manoeuvred
them over to the bed and sat with Tae as he cried continuously, whispering
apologies and assurances. When his tears finally subsided Jungkook lay him down
in bed, cleared up the mess, switched off the television and climbed in next to
him.
 
“I’m not asking you to do this right now Taehyung, but you have to tell me
what’s going on okay?” There was a pause and Jungkook began to think that the
other was asleep. Then Taehyung turned around and buried his head into the
crook of his neck and nodded lightly. Jungkook’s heart ached at how small and
vulnerable the boy was. He wrapped an arm around Tae’s waist and pressed their
bodies together, falling into the most peaceful sleep he’d had all week.
Chapter End Notes
     Okay, so I noticed that I end with Vkook snuggled up in bed a lot^
     I wanted to make a few things clear about the smut that was in this
     chapter. What Jae said to Taehyung about not needing to use
     protection was VERY wrong. He took advantage of the fact that
     Taehyung didn't have any previous experience. It doesn't matter how
     clean you think you are, using protection is very important because
     it prevents diseases such as AID's (which practically ruins people's
     lives). He didn't prep Tae either and only used lube, which would
     hurt like a bitch. The unnecessary roughness was also kinda wrong as
     it was his first time and Tae didn't show any indication of being
     into that, nor did Jae ask him. The reason I'm saying all this is
     because I want you to know that I've written the smut in this way for
     the sake of the story and the plot and NOT because it's right. Dw,
     the eventual vkook smut will be totally different.
     Also, on a lighter note, did ya notice that 4th wall break :')
***** Read My Mind *****
Chapter Summary
     The tour comes to an end, the tension increases, a 'friend' returns
     and true feelings are revealed.
Chapter Notes
     Some smut ahead - kinda.
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Taehyung’s eyes were still swollen when he awoke, but he was happily wrapped up
in Jungkook’s arms. The elder’s mouth was open slightly and he was snoring,
Taehyung giggled and turned around in his tight grip watching the other’s
breath stutter slightly as he shifted. “Jungkookie, wake up.” He cupped
Jungkook’s cheek lightly and the boy opened his eyes to Taehyung’s shy smile.
“Hey Taetae,” He grinned lazily causing Taehyung’s heart to clench in his
chest. Jungkook yawned and shifted to lay on his back, one arm still under the
smaller boy, wrapped around his slim waist. “What time is it?” Jungkook was
looking up at the ceiling stretching lightly. Taehyung fumbled around for his
phone and his eyes widened, “Uh … Kookie,” he started nervously, “I think we
should get up now.” Jungkook turned to look at him sleepily, “Why? Do you need
the bathroom or something?” Taehyung put down his phone and shook his head,
“It’s- uhm, it’s kinda past 1 o’clock… in the afternoon,”  He watched as the
elder’s expression went from confusion to understanding and then to panic.
“What!? But practice was at 10 am! Tell me you’re joking,” Jungkook shot up his
voice rising as he spoke. “N-no, we’re so late and the manager’s going to kill
us.” Taehyung groaned and buried his face into his pillow. Jungkook was running
around the room gathering his things, “I don’t understand why no-one woke us
up! Namjoon hyung has the key cards to all the rooms,” Jungkook had already
slipped on loose jeans and a white shirt, “Get up Tae! Come on, we need to go!”
 
Taehyung grumbled against his pillow, “We could just … stay here,” he said in a
small voice peeking up at Jungkook. “You’re being ridiculous, of course we have
to go to practice, our concert’s practically in a couple of hours.” Jungkook
disappeared into the en-suite and Taehyung got up slowly, his shoulders were
still dully aching as they had been for a week but the bruises had almost
completely disappeared. He ditched his robe and raided his still unpacked
suitcase in his boxers for some clothes. As he made his way to the bathroom
Jungkook was coming out and the other accidentally bumped into him causing
Taehyung’s face to scrunch up as the soreness in his torso increased. The other
frowned, “Tae, why does that still hurt?” Jungkook spoke quietly keeping his
distance.
 
“It doesn’t, really! Let’s hurry up and go before we get into any more
trouble,” his lips stretched into a thin smile that didn’t reach his eyes and
he brushed past Jungkook and entered the bathroom, locking the door behind him.
He didn’t know why it hurt so much, why his whole body had hurt when he’d woken
up in the lounge next to Jae. Was it meant to? He knew that people sometimes
had bruises but they were hickeys … was that different? Taehyung shook his
head, they were guys, so he would be in more pain anyway right? And things were
different, he thought, Jae and he weren’t lovers, they’d just hooked up that
one time. Yeah, he nodded to himself in the mirror. Everything was fine.
 
                                      ~
 
By the time they’d hollered a cab and arrived at the stadium, they were fully
awake and looked fairly presentable. The members were sitting around on the
couches backstage, scrolling through their phones or sleeping. Yoongi and Jimin
smirked at each other as the pair entered.
 
“Well, look who’s decided to grace us with their presences,” The others looked
up and exchanged secretive glances. Jungkook crossed his arms and huffed, “Why
did no one bother waking us up?” Hoseok laughed mischievously, “Well, you two
looked  so  cosy and we just didn’t want to disturb you!” Taehyung flushed
immediately and Jungkook’s mouth opened and closed like a fish. “Y-you came
in?” Jimin was practically on the floor, clutching his stomach as the other
members tried to suppress their laughter. Yoongi got up and flashed his phone
screen at the oblivious pair. On the screen was a picture of Taehyung and
Jungkook cuddled up together, deep in sleep. Taehyung’s face was pressed into
the other’s neck and Jungkook’s chin rested on top of his head, his mouth wide
open and his arms wrapped around Taehyung as if the boy would run away. His
face turned an alarmingly dark shade of red which crept down his neck and
coloured his ears. “Delete that right now! Hyuuuung!” Yoongi threw his phone
onto the couch and settled on top of it grinning to himself. “You two look so
cute! I wanna eat your faces oh my gosh,” Jimin gushed as he gathered a very
startled Taehyung and an enraged Jungkook into a hug.
 
“Soo, you made up?” Namjoon raised an eyebrow as he questioned Jungkook.
Taehyung blushed and eyed the boy in question from beneath his bangs. “Well,
yeah,” Jungkook cleared his throat glancing at Taehyung from the corners of his
mouth, then looking away when he realised the boy had already been observing
him.
 
Taehyung laughed nervously, “He kinda uhm- ambushed me in the middle of the
night, I thought he was some kidnapper or a saesang fan! But yeah … we’re
friends again.” Seokjin smiled fondly at how extra Jungkook had been in regards
to such a simple matter, the boy would never change. “Well, we’re glad! We
don’t have to tiptoe around you two anymore.” The group let out sounds of
affirmation and soon enough they were called back to resume practice. This time
as a whole band. Together, despite everything.
 
                                       ~
 
Soon enough it was the last night of their tour, they’d just returned from a
performance and had retired to their respective hotel rooms. Taehyung and
Jungkook had been rooming together since that night, the elder of the two too
embarrassed to cuddle him anymore so Taehyung would often find himself being
awoken at night to a flustered Jungkook trying to remove himself from Taehyung.
The experiences would’ve been significant if it weren’t for the fact that they
were too sleepy to register them.
 
On this specific night, Taehyung had been given a 6 pack of beer by Yoongi
hyung, (despite the fact that both him and Jungkook couldn’t legally be
drinking yet) and had been told to keep it quiet from Namjoon and Seokjin. He
was settled on the bed, freshly showered, sipping his second beer when Jungkook
returned from his own shower.
 
“Hey, whatcha drinking?” Taehyung shrugged and handed the other a can. Jungkook
squinted at the label and read aloud in heavily accented English, “Stel-laa
Art-Artois? Is this alcohol?” Taehyung nodded and continued drinking. “Where
did you get it from? We can’t even drink! What if the hyungs find-” Taehyung
smirked cheekily in his direction, “Yoongi hyung’s the one who gave me it in
the first place,” Jungkook shook his head disapprovingly, “Oh come on Kook,
don’t you want some? It’ll help you relax.
 
If he was to be honest, it tasted like piss, but he was slightly buzzed after a
can and it made the generic Japanese talk show that was plastered onto their
television screen a hundred times more interesting. Jungkook turned to look at
Taehyung who was halfway through his third can, his cheeks were flushed a
pretty pink, his plum lips impossibly glossy, and his bright, wide eyes were
slightly glazed.
 
Taehyung must’ve noticed him staring and he turned to look back at Jungkook.
The lack of space between them was both suffocating and intoxicating. When had
they gotten so close? Taehyung licked his beer stained lips and his gaze
slipped to Jungkook’s own cherry red lips. Oh god, what was he thinking? He
looked up into Jungkook’s eyes, they were almost fiery, a molten brown. Heat
coiled in the pit of his stomach at the intensity of the other’s gaze and he
ripped his eyes away and back to the screen swallowing dryly.
 
What the hell was that? That weird moment of … attraction? He’d felt it and he
was sure Jungkook had too. Taehyung could still feel him burning a hole into
the side of his head. He got up suddenly and rushed to the small balcony
adjoining the living room, unlocked the doors and stepped out. The air was
relatively warm but cold enough to cool him down. He tied his robe tighter and
stepped up to the railing, looking out over the city. He didn’t think about
what had just happened, not wanting to discover anything that could possibly
ruin what he’d just gotten back.
 
The balcony door rattled behind him and he whipped around, Jungkook was leaning
against the doorframe which his arms crossed, his robe was practically open,
revealing his smooth chest and black, silk boxers that clung to his muscled
thighs.
 
Taehyung gulped, “Y’know what? It’s uhm, quite cold out here, I think I’ll
just-” He tried to manoeuvre himself around the taller boy but Jungkook gripped
his arm and stood up straight, leaving the least amount of space he could
between them. “Taehyung?”
 
He looked up at Jungkook, “Y-yeah?” He was trapped in his grip and entranced by
all the emotions playing out on the other’s face. He felt hesitant arms grip
his waist and his breath stopped short. Jungkook took the last step and
diminished all the space between them. Their bodies pressed together and
Jungkook’s arms wound themselves around Taehyung’s slim waist, almost
possessively. He leant down burying his face into the crook of Taehyung neck as
said boy’s fingers brushed between Jungkook’s shoulder blades. They stood still
for a few minutes flush against each other. Taehyung heart was beating
incredibly fast and he was sure the other could feel it through the thin
material of his robe. He felt light headed unsure if it was the result of all
that beer or Jungkook’s intoxicating scent.
 
It was all becoming too much and he retracting his hands from the other’s back
and pushed at his chest slightly, stepping around him and into the living area.
Jungkook followed after him, “Tae-” he started before he was cut off by a
nervous laugh, “It’s getting late isn’t it- good night Kookie.” He kept his
back to Jungkook as he made his way to the bed, picked up some cans, depositing
them onto the bedside table and climbing into bed. He closed his eyes but his
ears were aware. Taehyung listened as Jungkook stood still for a moment then
made his way over to the bed, he switched off the television, and took the
remaining two beer cans and placed them into the mini fridge disappearing off
to the bathroom. Taehyung finally breathed out and turned over onto his back.
What the hell was going on? His heart hurt and so did his head from thinking
about Jungkook and what the boy was trying to do to him.
 
He fell into a fitful sleep and woke again feeling like only a few minutes had
passed. The room was incredibly dark, the curtains were drawn and the sunset
had passed already. His shoulder was being crushed by something hard and his
left leg was numb.
 
Jungkook lay partially on top of him, one leg draped over Taehyung’s. He
blushed at the proximity and tried to pry his leg and arm from under the
sleeping boy but it was useless, so he shook Jungkook’s arm lightly, “Kookie,
you’re squashing me,” he whispered into the dark and the other stirred. “Hmm?”
Jungkook hummed sleepily and moved an arm over Taehyung and around his waist,
pulling him closer. Taehyung’s mouth rested against the elder’s collarbone and
Jungkook’s thigh was slung between his legs. He went beet red at the intimate
position and pushed at Jungkook's chest but the elder only tightened his grip
on his waist and pushed his leg further. Taehyung panicked and clamped both his
legs against Jungkook's to prevent him from going any further. His stomach
flipped as Jungkook nosed under his ear unconsciously.
 
Oh God, why wasn't Jungkook waking up? This was so embarrassing! How was he
supposed to sleep like this? A plethora of feelings hit him as his mind went
into overdrive. Jungkook shifted slightly onto his side so Taehyung wasn't
buried completely under him anymore. He breathed out shakily and tried moving
the other away using his body. Big mistake. Taehyung's hips slid up to meet
Jungkook's and his cock brushed against the other’s thigh. He moaned as the
pleasure caused by the friction coursed through him and he wrapped his arms
around Jungkook's neck loosely. Taehyung bit down on his lip, fuck it had felt
so good but he really needed to get Jungkook of him now. If only the other
would wake up. “Kookie please, wake up,” he whispered urgently against his ear
but his only response was to push his thigh further up between Taehyung's legs.
His heart was racing as he tried to suppress a groan but failed. His arms
unwilling tightened around the other's shoulders and his hand gripped the
other’s hair in desperation.
 
He stiffened as he felt Jungkook's lips graze against his neck. Was he awake?
No … he couldn't be. He must be moving around in his sleep. But the pressure
against Taehyung's neck increased and the other opened his mouth, hot breath
fanned out across his skin and he shivered. The muscled arm around his middle
pulled him in causing his back to arch, “Ju- Kookie …” his hips moved forward
against Jungkook's thigh and his head fell back at the delicious pressure
against his cock. His boxers tightened around him and he felt something against
his leg. Jungkook was hard too. Fuck this was so wrong, on so many levels, but
he couldn't stop. Not when the other's tongue darted out against the sensitive
skin of Taehyung's neck and his mouth sucked lightly. Taehyung moaned and
ground his hips down as the hand on his waist made contact with the bare skin
of his lower back under his robe.
 
No, he couldn't do this, not with his best mate. Jungkook was probably dreaming
about some girl and Taehyung couldn't take advantage of him like this. He
pushed against Jungkook's chest, untangling their leg, turning onto his back,
and pulling the covers over his head. His heart rate decreased slowly and he
felt the other shift in his sleep. It felt like hours had passed until his body
returned to its normal state and he fell asleep.
 
                                       ~
 
When morning came he got ready and packed for the 10 am flight back to Seoul in
a peculiarly empty hotel room. There was no sign or Jungkook or his belongings.
It was too early for Taehyung to come up with an explanation for why he’d been
left alone but he knew it probably had something to do with the night before.
He would’ve felt guilty but he hadn’t done anything wrong and that was a fact.
If it wasn’t for Jungkook’s sleeping habits Taehyung wouldn’t have even woken
up in the first place. Maybe the other boy knew that, he thought, maybe
Jungkook was embarrassed because he’d had an inappropriate dream. Well, he
couldn’t know for sure anyway, he could only speculate.
 
On the plane ride back he was drifting in and out of sleep when Namjoon nudged
him, “Hey Tae, take a look at this,” his tone was quiet and slightly secretive.
He took the phone Namjoon had been offering him and rubbed his eyes sleepily.
It was a fansite of some sort:
 
‘Fans spot hickeys on BTS’ Kim Taehyung?’
 
His eyes widened and he felt as if he’d stopped breathing for a moment. Fuck,
he was done for. Taehyung scrolled down frantically, scanning the article and
studying the pictures of him with a light purplish bruise on his neck and hints
of yellowing bruises under his dress shirt. The article claimed that he’d been
with someone recently and a while back and that was the reason for the bruises
being at varying stages. Taehyung groaned and Namjoon leaned over taking his
phone back. “I’m not going to probe you Tae, and there’s no need to panic, the
bruises are very faint, including the recent one that’s - uh, on your neck and
only one article’s been published by a fairly unpopular website. I’ll go over
everything with Bang PD-nim and the other manager hyungs and we’ll bury this
before it grows yeah? Just- be more careful in the future.” Namjoon smiled
shortly, squeezing Taehyung’s shoulder.
 
 “Thanks, hyung, I’m sorry for causing trouble.” He pouted at his elder and the
other responded by waving a hand in the air dismissively. He wondered if
Jungkook had seen the article. Would he realise what had happened the previous
night? He knew Taehyung couldn't have the hickey from anyone else since he’d
been with Jungkook nearly the whole time. Fuck, another problem.
 
                                       ~
 
The rumour died down, it took a while due to some fans speculating that
Taehyung was being abused in some sort of way. However, within a week
everything calmed down and most people had forgotten that it’d even happened in
the first place. Jungkook had been fairly normal with Taehyung although he kept
physical contact to an absolute minimum. The band was finishing up on plans for
the remaining Japanese albums and had the rest of the year to finish off
recording them. Some preparations for the 2016 album were also being put
together already. Taehyung was hopeful and remained passionate despite
everything. But he should’ve known that this fake sense of peace and security
could only last so long before the mess beneath would be brought to light.
 
They were in the middle of a recording session, Taehyung and Jungkook were
seated next to each other laughing at Seokjin and Namjoon who were dancing
comically to the beat when the door was shoved open and, before anyone could
react, Taehyung was being wrenched from his chair, his headphones clattering
onto the floor as he was roughly manhandled by none other than Chae Jae Seong.
He gasped as the man held onto him, one hand tightening on his shoulder and the
other gripping the side of his face brutally, “Taehyung, what the fuck! You
haven’t been replying to my texts or answering my calls and then you run off to
fucking Japan and block my number!? I don’t know what I did wrong baby, tell me
and I’ll fix-” He was thrown off Taehyung by Jungkook and Hoseok restrained
him.
 
Taehyung gripped Jungkook and let out a choked sob, “You crazy b-bastard.”
Jungkook wrapped an arm around his shoulder and guided Taehyung’s head to his
chest as if he was hiding him away from what had just happened. Jae struggled
against Hobi’s grip and Namjoon rushed to hold him back, “Taehyung, Taetae …
please. Whatever I did, forgive me. You were happy with me, right? Why did you
stop taking my calls and texts? I know you read them all. Please, Taehyung!
I’ll do anything, I even came here for you, I’ve been trying to get past
security since before you went on tour.” Taehyung was beginning to feel bad, he
thought Jae had sounded like a complete psycho at first but it was  his  fault.
He had ignored the other without any regard for his feelings so of course, Jae
would act this way right?
 
“You can let him go, guys,” he said in defeat, stepping away from Jungkook. The
other’s gaped at his and were about to protest, “It’s fine, trust me.” Hoseok
and Namjoon released Jaeseong reluctantly. “I- I should’ve texted you. I’m
sorry Jae, I really am. I was just going through some things at the time.” Jae
rushed forward and cupped the shorter boy’s cheeks in his hands, “Really?” he
looked over Taehyung’s face frantically, “It wasn’t me? You’re not angry at me
for anything?” Taehyung looked into his grey eyes and smiled, “It wasn’t you
Jae, you didn’t do anything.
 
“Oh really? So all the bruises-” Taehyung clasped a hand over Jungkook’s mouth
and the other furrowed his eyebrows furiously.
 
“Bruises? From me? But I didn’t- Oh,” realisation dawned on Jae’s face and he
pulled Taehyung into his chest and wrapped an arm around his waist smirking at
Jungkook smugly, “Those were just a result of a good night together, y’know
what I mean? Those things happen when you get a bit caught up in the … throes
of passion you could say.” Jungkook turned red and glared at Jae.
 
“No actually, we don’t know what you mean asshole. There’s no excuse for what
you did to him so why don’t you fu-” Taehyung laughed nervously, interrupting
Yoongi, “It’s okay hyung, he didn’t mean it like that, right Jae?” He gazed up
at him and the other smiled at him fondly turning to Yoongi, “Yeah, Taetae’s
right.” Yoongi had a look of betrayal in his eyes as he opened his mouth in
shock at Taehyung.
 
“I’ll call you okay? I promise, but we need to practice right now hyung.”
Taehyung flashed his best, box smile at Jae, who ruffled his hair in response,
“Make sure you do, see you later honey.” He exited the room and the members
turned to look at Taehyung who smiled sheepishly.
 
“Are you just really kind or fucking stupid Tae, because I can’t tell the
difference and I’m baffled.” Jungkook crossed his arms and fixed him with a
look of exasperation.
 
“I was in the wrong Jungkookie, I shouldn't have ignored him, he had every
right to-” Jungkook cut him off abruptly, jabbing a finger at his chest, “Don’t
you dare finish that sentence. He had no right to come in here and throw you
around like some kind of rag doll and you know it. This is why I told you not
to get involved with-” Taehyung frowned and grabbed Jungkook’s wrist, “No
Jungkook, you told be to stay away from him because he’s gay … but I’m just
like him. So whatever you’re going to say isn’t even valid.” Jungkook lowered
his arm and the others returned to their seats, becoming uncomfortable. “That’s
not the point anymore! It’s not about whether he’s-  gay , he’s just a horrible
fucking person and you’re not going to call him or text him or-” Taehyung was
slowly becoming more and more outraged at the other’s words, “You don’t have
the right to tell me what I can or can’t do! You’re not my father Jeon Jungkook
and you’re not my bloody boyfriend either. You’re my friend and that means you
support my decisions not dictate my life! Stop treating me like an idiot,”
Jungkook’s expression changed from one of rage to bewilderment, “Tae I’ve never
treated you like that,” he stepped forward and raised his hand to comfort the
smaller boy but Taehyung stumbled backwards and whispered harshly, “You always
have Jungkook, from the day I met you 3 years ago, you’ve always made me feel
like I’m not enough, not talented enough for you, not religious enough, not
compliant enough, not good enough. I tried to impress you for so long, to mould
myself into your ideal friend but I was so unhappy, every day felt like a
chore, I had to convince myself to live another day and you never noticed, not
until I went and slept with Jae.” The room was completely silent. Jungkook’s
eyes were wide and his shoulders were slumped. Taehyung turned towards the
others and bowed as tears slipped from his eyes, “I’m sorry guys, this won’t
happen again.” He brushed past Jungkook, wiping his tears as he sat down. The
other quietly took a seat beside him and they continued the session.
 
There was no laughter this time.
Chapter End Notes
     Oh no Tae, what am I making you say and do, you naive boy :')
     Jungkook is becoming more tolerable now, praise the lord and all his
     miracles. I'm writing another Taekook fic rn, but I'm not planning on
     bringing it out for a while because I want it to be perfect. This fic
     is kinda a small idea that I had, and I'm just going with the flow
     now^
***** If You Don't Love Me Now *****
Chapter Summary
     Taehyung thinks he's changed?
     Confrontation, Jealousy and ... an established relationship?
Chapter Notes
     I'm trash. But I'm back. Ayeeeeeeee
See the end of the chapter for more notes
All of Taehyung’s previous summer’s seem to have passed by in the same blurry
manner in his memories. He felt significantly different this year, considerably
wiser and as if he could really see everything around him for the first time.
He registered his surroundings with a scrutiny and a dimension that he’d never
possessed before. Taehyung was free from the restraints that he’d worn himself,
to begin with, and had now finally removed. His unique idiosyncrasies were his
own once again and not dictated by Jungkook’s thoughts or ideals. He was who he
was, not whoever he thought the other had wanted.
 
To begin with, the emptiness was unbearable, mostly due to the fact that all he
knew was how to mould himself into someone else. He would have to ask himself
who he really was over and over again until he realised he couldn’t be the
Taehyung he’d been before meeting Jungkook because he  had  met Jungkook. He
would be the Taehyung of the present, one who had made mistakes and changed and
was now moving forward. Perhaps to make more mistakes, but it didn’t matter
because he would be making his own choices now, beneficial or detrimental.
 
Recording sessions made up the majority of the band’s schedule now as well as
occasional shoots and brief overs for MAMA and the late 2016 concept. Taehyung
hadn’t spoken to Jungkook since his outburst almost a month back. He would
often catch the other staring at him absentmindedly and something would jab at
his heart, but he was quick to dispel any rising hopes, knowing that despite
how fond he was of the other, they weren’t good for each other. To distract
himself, Taehyung would read, write, dabble in music composition and practice.
It seems Jungkook needed some distractions too since he spent an unhealthy
amount of time working out and making elaborate smoothies.
 
Jae had invited him to the lounge on multiple occasions but it seemed that the
universe was working against the two as they didn’t ever seem to be available
at the same time. They’d planned to meet up on Sunday and Taehyung was hoping
nothing would pop up out of the blue. He had a genuine interest in the other
and felt as if he was the only one who knew him the way most people didn’t.
Every time the other would look into Taehyung’s eyes he would smile knowingly
as if he knew Taehyung’s innermost thoughts. In high contrast with the way in
which Jungkook had looked at him in the past; either with disapproval or such
intensity that he still shivered at the memory; he supposed that it was a
result of the other’s hatred of Taehyung’s habits and morals.
 
It was almost dinnertime and he was currently waiting on Jae Seong's text
regarding when he would be picking Taehyung up on Sunday. However, after
staring expectantly at his phone for a couple of minutes, he sighed and joined
the others as they left the room.
 
“What’s up Tae? Are you tired?” Jimin wrapped an arm around his shoulder as
they made their way down the stairs.
 
“Jae was supposed to text me about our plans tomorrow. I think he’s busy right
now, but I haven’t even thought about what I’m going to wear or if we’re even
going to be free then.”
 
Jimin squeezed his arm reassuringly, “Why’re you panicking, I’m sure everything
will be fine. Plus Seokjin ordered pizza today! Your favourite!”
 
“Taehyung frowned, “That’s Koo-Jungkook’s favourite, hyung,” He looked back and
saw Jungkook staring at him already, the other averted his gaze in an instant,
flustered at having been caught. Jimin glanced worriedly at Taehyung’s solemn
expression, “Well, who doesn't love pizza eh?” He tried cheering the other up
as they all sat down.
 
Halfway through the food fest, Taehyung’s phone began ringing and he almost
dropped his pizza as he tried answering his phone without getting grease on it.
Hoseok chuckled and handed him some tissues.
 
“Jae? Hi- yeah.” The other’s continued eating and watching television as Jae
informed him that he’ll be coming to pick Taehyung up at 6 pm the next day.
 
“Oh, 6 pm? I uhm- sure. Sounds good.” He felt as nervous as he was when he’d
met the other for the first time. In his peripheral vision, he watched as
Jungkook’s jaw clenched and his tongue poked at his cheek.
 
“I’m sorry- what did you say? I didn’t catch that.” Taehyung stuttered wiping
his hands, his phone wedged between his ear and his shoulder. “Really? I’d love
to.” He’d just agreed to head over to the other’s house for a little get
together with some friends. Taehyung’s box smile spread across his face and he
had butterflies in his stomach. He ended the call and smiled to himself as he
trotted merrily to the kitchen.
 
He was stood at the sink washing his hands when someone cleared their throat
behind him, he whipped around, one hand gripping the sink and the other placed
above his heart.
 
“You scared me!” He breathed out as he realised it was just Jungkook leaning
against the counter opposite him. The elder pursed his lips and crossed his
arms, his hard gaze locked onto Taehyung.
 
“You have plans? For tomorrow?” Taehyung opened his mouth to deliver a snide
remark but closed it again, not wanting their first conversation in a while to
be another argument.
 
“Yes. I do.” By now, both of Taehyung hands were gripping the edge of the sink
and the tension in the air was suffocating him.
 
Jungkook huffed, “Is it anyone I know?”
 
“Yeah, Jae’s picking me up tomorrow.” He observed the way the other’s jaw
became more defined and moved to one side, he looked almost as if he was
jealous Taehyung thought and the idea baffled him.
 
“He’s picking you up, like a date … Are you? Dating I mean.”
 
Taehyung chewed nervously at his bottom lip, Jungkook never failed to make him
feel as if he was doing something wrong. “N-no, not yet I guess.”
 
Jungkook pushed himself off the counter and strode forward, still quite a
distance from the smaller boy. “So you want to? Do you like him?”
 
Taehyung squinted his eyes and frowned, “And in which way does that concern
you?”
 
Jungkook bristled at the harsh tone and stepped forward again causing Taehyung
to lean back slightly.
 
“You’re the one who’s been acting weird all day and you looked like you were
about to cry out of happiness when he called you at dinner.”
 
“I did not!” Taehyung’s frustration increased tenfold, “Stop watching me all
the time if I bother you so much.”
 
Jungkook ground his teeth together and took another step towards him. Taehyung
gulped unintentionally. “Are you  trying  to piss me off?”
 
“Well, I don’t have to try very hard do I?” He couldn't stop himself from
answering back and was left to watch the other’s reaction intently, unable to
take back his words.  
 
“God, you’re so- I don’t even know! Can’t you just answer the fucking
question!?” Jungkook stepped closer again and Taehyung shifted. All this time,
the elder boy’s anger had made him feel weak and inferior, it was only now that
he could clearly see the upper hand belonged to him. Jungkook was his to
control and only he could ignite the most acute and destructive emotions from
the otherwise reserved boy.
 
“No actually, I don’t want to. I don’t want to tell you, what’re you going to
do about it?” He looked up at Jungkook and smiled, a glint in his eyes.
 
Jungkook’s mouth fell open at the younger’s shamelessness and the coyness in
his smile, “Are you being serious right now?” Jungkook placed both his hands on
top of the other’s at the edge of the sink, crowding him.
 
“You never used to be like this Tae, that bastard’s influencing you-” Taehyung
cut him off, practically snarling, “I’ve always been like this, just not around
you. I tried becoming another person to meet your high as fuck standards but
you still didn’t like me as much as I wanted you to, and now that I’m myself
again you fucking hate me. We’re completely different people hyung and I don’t
know why you just can’t accept it and leave me alone!” Taehyung was breathing
raggedly by now and tears of rage were threatening to spill down his cheeks, he
could hear the ominous click as Jungkook clenched his jaw.
 
“I don’t hate you, I hate the things you say to me. Just because I don’t react
like everyone else it doesn’t mean that I don’t feel what they do. You insult
me and act as if it doesn't hurt me. I’m not some kind of god or superhero
Taehyung, I’m just like you,” Jungkook’s eyes softened as he continued, “I
didn’t know how much I was pressuring you, and for that, I’m sorry. I really
am. But you’re just as much to blame as I am for everything else. I never asked
you to change yourself for me or devote as much time and effort as you did,
that was all up to you. I have friends who don’t necessarily live in a way that
I would approve of but I’m still friends with them. Sure I’ll make my
disapproval of their actions apparent but I’ve never prohibited them from
continuing with their actions. Frankly, that’s not my job … and I’m not going
to lie, you were different from everyone else, right from the start, I may not
have shown you or told you about how I felt but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t
feeling it, does it? I wasn’t trying to change you to fit my ideas, I merely
showed you my way of thinking and the way in which I went about doing things
and you followed.”
 
There was silence then and Taehyung looked away. He was right, Jungkook was
wrong for not noticing how much everything he was doing was affecting Taehyung
but he himself was the one who took it too far, and all this time he’d been
blaming the elder. They had both been in the wrong.
 
Taehyung moved his hands against Jungkook’s and clasped them together, “I’m
sorry, for being so naive, and- everything else.” He felt the tension leave the
other’s body as he shifted closer to Taehyung.
 
He swiftly removed his hands from Jungkook’s and placed them against the
elder’s chest, pushing him away slightly.
 
“But, I can’t do this anymore… I’m not refusing to acknowledge everything
that’s happened, I just don’t see any point in trying to make things work when
we keep on making mistakes. I’m sorry for hurting you, it won’t happen again.
You don’t have to worry about me anymore hyung, we don’t have to try so hard,
we’ll  just  be friends okay?” He looked up and Jungkook was frozen in place,
he blinked and looked at Taehyung nodding slowly.
 
“If that’s what you want.”
 
Those infamous words uttered as indifferently as the first time.
 
~
 
“Ow, hyung you’re poking my eye!”
 
“Can you stay still Taetae, stop moving your head so much or I’ll have to tie
you to the bed.” Jimin was attempting to line Taehyung’s eyes perfectly. It was
5 pm on Sunday and the room was watching with fascination as the shorter boy
practically sat in Taehyung’s lap and was wrenching his eyes open.
 
“I’ll do it myself! Please, just- ohmygod, my eye!” He whined and Jimin huffed
finally letting go.
 
“Fine, I’ll pick out what you’re going to wear okay?” Without waiting for a
response he began raiding Taehyung’s closet.
 
Taehyung held up a mirror and brushed up on his makeup without wrecking his
eyesight. “It’s nothing special Jiminie,” he sighed, watching as the other
threw out possible outfits haphazardly, “I’ll just wear jeans and a shirt.”
 
Jimin whipped around his mouth widened comically, “Tae! I can’t believe you
think I’d actually let you go to Jae’s lounge like that!” Yoongi laughed
raucously and Taehyung turned to glare at the elder. “It’s just a lounge, I’ll
probably spend most of my time with Jae.”
 
“It’s the W0 lounge Taetae, anyone who’s, well, anyone will be there. And
you’re going to go back to his place afterwards rig-” Taehyung jumped forward
and clasped a hand over Jimin’s mouth, whispering lowly, “You’re not supposed
to say that out loud!”
 
Jimin licked his hand and Taehyung removed it instantly his face scrunching up
in disgust.
 
 “Well, it’s true so you’ve gotta look  extra  good.” Jimin threw a pair of
leather pants from the RUN mv wardrobe onto the bed along with a sheer dress
shirt with an extremely wide neck, which put his collarbones and shoulders on
display. Taehyung gaped at him, “I can’t go out like that!”
 
“Don’t worry my friend,” Jimin smirked wickedly fishing out a Gucci leather
jacket with a tiger obnoxiously emblazoned on the back, “Just drape this over
your shoulders until you get there.” He had to admit, Jimin had a brilliant
sense of style.
 
It was quarter to six and Taehyung was fully prepared. He sat nervously at the
edge of his bed waiting for a text. His phone buzzed and he stood up so fast he
felt the blood rushing to his head, “He’s here!” Jimin rushed over and fixed
Taehyung’s hair even though it was perfect, “Go on then.” He grinned and pushed
him towards the door. Taehyung left the room sparing one last glance at
Jungkook’s empty bed. When reaching the bottom of the stairs he checked the
hallway and crept out of the fire exit making sure none of the staff had seen
him. Jae pulled him into a hug as soon as he spotted him and he led him around
to the side of the building, opening the passenger side door for him. Taehyung
flushed and got into the expensive looking car. How much did he make anyway? If
he had VIP clientele … he was probably loaded. Taehyung blushed, why did he
have the train of thought of a sleazy golddigger?
 
It was his first time coming to the lounge after that day and as he entered he
flushed at the memory and glanced at Jae, who was already greeting a bunch of
people. “Hey, shall we grab some drinks?” Jae returned and placed a hand on his
back, Taehyung nodded as he was led to the bar.
 
He was slowly becoming hotter and beads of sweat were beginning to form on his
forehead but he wouldn’t remove his leather jacket out of embarrassment. What
if it was too much? Jae had so many important looking friends and he didn’t
want to embarrass the other. Jae slid a cocktail towards him, “You okay babe?”
Taehyung nodded and took a sip of his drink. Out of the corner of his eye, he
noticed someone familiar seated on a couch, he swore it was Jeonghan, but no …
he hadn’t seen him in forever. “Hey, who’s that?” Jae swivelled around on the
bar stool, “Ah, Yoon Jeonghan, do you know him?”
 
“Yeah, haven’t seen him in a while though.” Taehyung gazed at Jeonghan
curiously. Jae was already on his second drink, “He’ll be at the after party so
you can reintroduce yourself.” Taehyung nodded as he continued sipping his
cocktail. The salt lining the sides of the glass was burning his lips but he
welcomed the pain.
 
Jae was dressed in slacks that made his legs look absolutely heavenly and a
black button down which clung to him in all the right places. Taehyung shrugged
his leather jacket off and sat back on top of it casually, eyeing the other
sideways.
 
He turned towards Jae, frustrated that the other wasn’t paying attention to
him, “Can I have another drink? Something stronger?” Jae paused mid banter with
the bartender, “Yeah sur-” His smile dropped slightly as his gaze fell onto
Taehyung’s barely covered torso and his demeanour shifted instantly. Jae’s
irises widened under the harsh white light of the bar and the grip on his
whiskey glass tightened causing his knuckles to strain and whiten.
 
“Jae?” He asked, his eyes widening as the other flushed and turned to order
another drink.
 
Do I really look that bad? He thought as he glanced down at himself self-
consciously.
 
The elder slid the drink over to him and got up, pulling the jacket back out
from underneath Taehyung and draping it back onto his shoulders.
 
“I don’t want anyone else to see you like this Tae.” He said in a hushed tone,
lips brushing against Taehyung’s earlobe. He shivered as the other pulled back,
a spike of fear rising in him at the possessive tone of the elder.
 
~
 
Jae was an amazing drinker, only slightly tipsy even after they’d just done
countless shots. Contrary-wise, Taehyung felt as if the world was a huge bass
guitar and he was being tossed from string to string. The other clutched onto
his side as they separated from the group they’d just been mingling with,
“Shall we leave now Tae? I suspect everyone will begin to arrive at my house in
a while since it’s almost 11 pm.”
 
“Yeah, I need some fresh air anyway,” Taehyung’s words were slightly slurred as
he was ushered out of the building and into Jae-Seong’s car. He rolled his
window down completely and felt cold flush going through his hair as the wind
whipped past him. They drove in silence, excitement danced in his stomach at
the prospect of attending a house party full of elites.
 
They pulled up to the gates of an architecturally modern house painted a
blinding white, all sharp edges and smooth design, a few expensive looking cars
and black vans were already parked along the slightly too big driveway.
 
As they strode towards the glass doors Taehyung turned to watch Jae; the other
had his hands in the pockets of his slacks and he wore a lazy grin. He realised
he didn’t know much about the older man who seemed comfortable with turning up
fashionably late to his party. Who was he really?  Taehyung thought as Jae
turned to face him. He knew the other couldn’t have generated such a large
income from running a lounge, despite the prestigious location of it and the
high fee. Maybe he had rich parents? He’d never heard the other mention any
family though. Uneasiness consumed his posture as Jae’s grin widened, baring a
row of straight, white and perfect teeth. It seemed that physical closeness
didn’t necessarily mean they automatically knew everything about each other.
 
“Shall we?” He observed the hand held out to him as they stood in front of the
glass doors with hesitance. He could turn back. Turn back, hail a cab and
return to the comfortable, familiar surroundings of his dorm. In contrast to
his thoughts, he slipped his hand through Jae’s as they strode in. There were
quite a few guests holding drinks and mingling as a few servers threaded
through them with appetisers. When intrigued eyes turned to gaze upon him, he
realised what a pair they must be. An idol with an innocent boxy grin and a
club owner with tattoos covering almost every inch of available skin and the
self-assured smile of a shark. He felt slightly out of place under the
scrutinising stares.
 
“I hope everyone’s enjoying themselves!” A few guests whooped and threw their
hands up as Jae laughed good-naturedly, “Drinks will be restocked soon and the
DJ will be arriving any moment. Until then, make yourselves comfortable.” He
gestured across the spacious living room if you could even call it that,
littered artistically with designer couches and edgy bars with even edgier
mixologists behind them.
 
Jae wrapped an arm around his waist and leaned in, “If anyone asks, tell them
we’re old acquaintances and you’re a supplier of mine, okay?” Taehyung nodded
slowly, unsure of what he’d have responded with anyway. What were they?
Fuckbuddies? He needed a drink.
 
The doors slid open behind them again and Taehyung turned his head slightly,
still enclosed within Jae’s grip. Jeonghan emerged, his hair tied back and a
small smile graced his thin lips. Taehyung smiled warmly as he watched
recognition bloom on the other’s face. He was about to call out a greeting when
someone else emerged through the doors.
 
He was clad in a black suit with a skinny tie, his physique impeccable as if
honed from years of exercise.
 
“Jungkook?” Taehyung spun around completely in Jae’s tightening grip, unable to
keep his tone neutral. Jungkook grinned sheepishly, “The one and only.”
 
“What’re you doing here?” Bewilderment coloured his voice and he felt Jae pull
him closer.
 
“I thought I’d surprise you … y’know. I was free tonight anyway.” Jungkook
scratched his neck nervously looking towards Jae-Seong, “I mean if that’s
okay?”
 
Taehyung glanced up at him
 
“Yeah, of course. No problem.” He noticed how strained the response was and the
subtle clench in Jae’s jaw. Did they know one another properly already?
 
“Great! I couldn’t think of who to bring as a plus one until Jungkook called me
up after so long and said he wanted-” Jungkook cut off Jeonghan with an elbow
to his side and an exaggerated cough, his gaze fixed onto the metal adorned
hand on Taehyung’s waist.
 
“Shall we have some drinks?” Jungkook gestured towards the bar and Jeonghan
nodded eagerly seeming to have forgotten about his little slip up already.
 
They shared drinks and conversed lightly amongst each other. Taehyung would
occasionally catch Jungkook’s eye, however, the other seemed fixed upon the
idea that his presence wasn’t unusual at all and he’d smile casually. This
frustrated Taehyung immensely. He wasn’t a very confrontational person usually,
but Jungkook made him want to shout out and throw the ridiculously expensive
ornaments at the smug elder. Taehyung sighed contritely into his whiskey.
 
“So how do you know Jae, Taehyung?” Jeonghan looked at him expectantly from the
opposite end of the curved counter.
 
“Uhm-” Taehyung eyed the Jungkook, who seemed to be trying to look as though he
wasn't interested. He felt Jae place his hand over Taehyung’s considerably
smaller one and clasp it tightly.
 
“Tae and I met when he was just a trainee! We hit it off straight away.
Although, regrettably, we did lose contact for a while …” Jae trailed off as
Jeonghan nodded comprehensively.
 
“That’s bound to happen with lives like ours, I’ve lost too many good friends
similarly myself. It’s delightful to hear that you’ve reignited your previous
friendship.” Jeonghan flashed a brilliant smile and tilted his head to the
side. Taehyung watched Jae’s eyes soften at the other’s courteous response.
 
“We’ll have another round on me!” He called out to the bartender, seeming to
have been highly pleased with the long-haired man’s silver tongue. But Taehyung
didn’t miss the shift in Jeonghan’s demeanour as he continued to observe him.
The way his gaze fell to Jae’s heavily tattooed hand on his own causing him to
shuffle in discomfort, his expression afflicted. Taehyung took another sip of
his whiskey, closing his eyes as the burn slithered down his throat and warmed
his chest. His eyes opened to an unfocused Jungkook, his wide, bunny-like eyes
surveyed Taehyung intently.  
 
“Jungkookie,” Jeonghan’s hand wrapped around the elder’s bicep, “Let’s go get
you introduced to those producers I was telling you about earlier.” Jungkook
ripped his eyes away from Taehyung and nodded briefly, his mouth pursed and he
was promptly dragged away into the masses of people.
 
Taehyung sighed, his elbows were on either side of his glass and his face was
resting in his hands so that he was cupping his cheeks. He might’ve been more
than slightly drunk but he would fight anyone who mentioned it to him.
 
“Tae?” Jae-Seong turned away from the couple who had occupied Jeonghan and
Jungkook’s stools. “Do you want to get away for a bit?” Jae reached out and
brushed Taehyung’s feathered bangs back and away from his slightly damp
forehead. He breathed out shakily and leant into the touch, nodding lazily. Jae
chuckled and excused himself from the guests.
 
He led them to a terrace which faced the manicured lawn, marble statues and
minimalistic pool of the garden. Taehyung stepped forward and gripped the iron
handrail lightly, the chill emanating from it coursing through him and fighting
the fever of all the alcohol he’s consumed. He felt arms wrap around his waist
and watched as hands clasped together at his stomach.
 
“Tae,” Jae-Seong sighed into his neck, “Can I ask you something?” Taehyung
leant his head the other way to accommodate the elder and nodded, “Sure,
anything.”
 
“Does Jungkook have feelings for you?” Jae murmured casually against him as he
tensed.
 
“No, he doesn’t,” he turned to face the elder, their faces only centimetres
apart, “What makes you think so?”
 
“I guess it’s the way he looks at you, it just seems too fond and affectionate
to merely be the gaze of a friend.”
 
Taehyung blushed at the seemingly absurd assumption and chuckled nervously,
“Well, you must be mistaken, we’re not exactly on speaking terms right now.”
 
Jae raised his eyebrows and nodded slowly, “I see. What does he think of me?”
 
“He didn’t approve of you at first, at all. But he’s fine now, I guess? You
don’t need to worry about him, I doubt you’ll be seeing him around much. I’m
surprised he turned up here.”
 
“It must’ve been because he knew you’d be here,” Jae said quietly causing
Taehyung to laugh dismissively. “I’m not sure what you think is going on
between the two of us Jae, but I can assure you you’re wrong. We’re not like
that,  at all. ”
 
Jae pouted and kissed the tip of Taehyung’s nose and the other giggled,
“Shouldn’t we be focusing on ‘us’?”
 
“Hm, we should,” He raised a hand to hold Taehyung’s cheek, “What do you think
about us Tae tae? About me?”
 
Taehyung shivered and searched the other’s eyes frantically, was he serious?
He’d always thought Jae would keep him at a distance since the other had never
mentioned anything after that night years ago. Did he want to pursue some sort
of proper relationship with him? Or was Taehyung just a friend to him?
 
“I .. uh-I, I like you? I mean- yeah.”
 
Jae threw his head back and laughed before looking at Taehyung fondly. “Always
so good with words,” Taehyung blushed, embarrassed at Jae’s good-natured but
sarcastic response to his ‘feelings.’
 
“I like you too Tae. A lot actually … and I’ve been meaning to ask you this for
a while now. I guess I’ve just been stalling because I felt like you and that
Jeon boy were …” He raised a hand to scratch at his neck, grimacing at the lack
of eloquence and the implication of his unfinished sentence. Taehyung bit his
lip, unsure of Jae’s awkward behaviour. The elder had always been the more
confident and outgoing out of the pair and his current demeanour seemed alien
to him.
 
“Anyway, that’s all cleared up now, so .. I was wondering if maybe we could try
to-”
 
“Date?” Taehyung interrupted him eagerly and cringed mentally at how desperate
he must’ve sounded.
 
“Yeah, date. I mean, if you’re into .. me?” He giggled at how flustered and
unsure Jae seemed at the whole ordeal.
 
“I am. I am, so stop doubting me so much and have a little faith will you?” He
leant into the elder and placed a hand on his chest, smiling reassuringly.
 
The light, net curtains draped on either end of the french doors framing the
balcony fluttered as if someone had rushed past. The pair turned
simultaneously, only to find themselves alone.
 
“It was probably the wind. It’s getting quite chilly, we should head in.”
 
Taehyung frowned, suddenly hyper-aware of the lack of wind. “Yeah, we should.”


The guests were slowly disappearing as the night continued, making use of the
plethora of rooms available at their disposal. Jae-Seong was entertaining a few
of his friends, telling a ‘story’ that seemed to never end. Taehyung was sat a
few metres away sipping on his (fourth?) glass of rum and cola when he felt the
leather couch curve down beside him.
 
“Just got a call from Joon hyung, we need to go back.” He sat up at the
familiar voice and turned to squint at the familiar face, shifting forward to
get a closer look.
 
“Uh, Taehyung? What are you doing?” Jungkook leaned away from him, his face
scrunching up.
 
“Oh! Jungkookie! It’s our little Jungkookie,” He reached up to squeeze the
elder’s cheeks, it seemed to be a plausible action right now.
 
“Ew, I’m not- Oi, get off.” Jungkook swatted away Taehyung’s hands and smoothed
his hands over his suit jacket, “I’m your hyung, don’t treat me like a baby.
You’re drunk and I’m taking you back.” He gripped Taehyung’s wrists and stood
up.
 
“Going somewhere?” Jae appeared beside Taehyung and supported him against his
side.
 
Jungkook tightened his jaw and flared his nostrils involuntarily at the sight,
knowing the context behind their intimacy. “Yes, actually. I’ve received a
message to return with Taehyung, so if you don’t mind-” he moved forward to
grab Taehyung from Jae before the other was pulled away. How symbolic.
 
“I do. Mind, that is. I’m sure it won’t be much of a deal if you were to return
alone.” Jae raised an eyebrow at him, making the whole matter seem trifling.
 
He huffed and rolled his eyes, “I’m sure your reputation allows you to party
all night, but  we  have to maintain a certain standard.” He placed a hand on
Jae’s shoulder and put pressure on his collarbone cleft with his thumb in order
to loosen his grip on Taehyung. Jae crumpled under the pain and hissed, glaring
at him and he began to guide Taehyung towards the door. He was confident Jae
wouldn’t cause a scene, he cared too much for his image.
 
Getting a semi-unconscious Taehyung into a cab was hard enough so he called the
hyungs down to carry his dead weight up the stairs.
 
“Jesus kookie, he’s plastered!” Hoseok said as he patted the sweat on his
forehead with his shirt.
 
“Yeah,” he sighed, lifting the covers around the senseless buffoon spread out
on his bed, his mouth wide open, “He drank like a starved man on his deathbed.”
 
“And you didn't stop him?” Yoongi asked, incredulous.
 
Jungkook turned to face him, a solemn expression on his face as he said
melodramatically, “Trust me hyung, there was no stopping him once he started.
He’s a madman. A madman I tell you!”
 
“Shut up and go to sleep everyone, we all stayed awake waiting for Tweedledum
and Tweedledee to return from their adventures at some strip party and we’re
exhausted.” Yoongi flopped onto his bed like a dead fish.
 
Taehyung grumbled and turned towards him, fist clenching his shirt. “Stay
here.”
 
The lights switched off as everyone retired to bed one by one.
 
“I can’t, I’ve got to sleep now. You too Tae, go to sleep,” He whispered
removing the other’s hand.
 
“Sleep here.” His eyes remained closed and he pouted causing Jungkook to take a
deep breath and look away. Well, he was too tired to walk back across the room
anyway.
 
He clambered into the bed and attempted to keep a safe distance from Tae in the
single bed. The scene from the balcony replayed before his eyes as he lay
unmoving on his back, a hand tucked behind his head. He could tell that
Taehyung wasn’t as enthusiastic about Jae as the other was about him. Or maybe,
he was wrong. Despite knowing the younger for so many years he was unsure of
whether he was reading him right. Not that it mattered now. His  former best
friend  was officially in a legitimate relationship with an asshole.
 
He sighed, grumbling as he turned to face the back of Taehyung’s head. He
didn’t know that Jungkook knew and Jungkook couldn’t tell if that made the
whole ordeal better or worse but he’d use it to his advantage for the time
being. His frustration and helplessness got the better of him and he reached
out, wrapping an arm around Taehyung’s middle to pull him flush against his
front. He could smell alcohol from Taehyung’s open mouth and the way his soft
stomach would rise and fall under Jungkook’s spread fingers.
 
Whatever the two of them were to each other now, Jungkook couldn’t take losing
anymore.
 
Chapter End Notes
     That pressure points knowledge though :))
     I haven't even started Chapter 9 yet so expect a lengthy wait :')
Please drop_by_the_archive_and_comment to let the author know if you enjoyed
their work!