Taehyung woke the next morning to full sunlight, penetrating his eyelids, filtering through the dirty window between his bunk and the next. It was slightly shocking, to have come to after the sun had risen so far into the sky. Over the last week, Namjoon or Jin had woken him up well before dawn had actually struck in order to get ready for practice. As crazy as it seemed, Tae had actually fallen into the routine pretty quickly and had become less whiny as each morning passed.

But it was Saturday, he suddenly remembered. Which meant that they were being given a free two days without practice of any kind. He knew better; that J-Hope and Jungkook would likely still disappear to the studio to dance. That Namjoon would be working on music in the corner of the living room as soon as he could. Even Yoongi, who often looked as though he was doing nothing, would likely be working on the various tracks Tae had heard so much about in the last week.

But for now, his phone screen read 10:09 am and was blinking with a message from Minjun about the latest progress he had made in the video game he had received for Christmas. Tae shook out his bangs and replied to the text before glancing around the shared bedroom to take stock of who else was still asleep. Yoongi's form was still filling his bed, curled up tightly underneath the thick blankets he had piled onto his bunk.

The rest of the room seemed empty, making Tae the second to last one to awaken. Maybe he really hadn't gotten used to the schedule, just to being woken by his hyungs. Throwing his legs over the side of his bed, the lanky teen pulled his favorite hoodie out of the suitcase that lay sprawling between the bunks. He yanked it over his head as he padded barefoot down the hall and into the living room.

"Taehyung! It's about time you woke up!" Jin was grinning at him from the doorway to the kitchen where he was leaning casually. Tae reached up to ruffle his bangs out of his eyes again and stuck out his tongue at the older boy. It was really getting to be time to trim his hair, but his mom wasn't around to do it and he wasn't even sure if his hair was his to change anymore. It was probably something he should bring up to the producers or Mr. Bang.

Tae's eyes flicked around the room until they settled on the two boys sitting across from each other at the small dining room table. It was only made for two, maybe three people max, at a time, making everyone either eat in shifts or spread out across the entire living room for each meal. But now, Namjoon and Jungkook sat eating together quietly as music played softly from Namjoon's phone that rested on the tabletop.

"Morning everyone." Tae nodded at Namjoon and tried his best to ignore the sullen teen that was equally ignoring him. His voice was gravelly from too much sleep and the tailends of his mild cold. Something about him speaking caused Jungkook's head to whip around and look at him with bewildered, darkening eyes. The eighteen year old found this odd and shook his head before retreating into the kitchen to find his own breakfast. He didn't see the way Namjoon cocked his eyebrows at Jungkook; nor did he see the way the maknae's neck flared red as he returned to slurping up his noodles.

"I made a bunch of stuff for breakfast, if you're hungry. Or I can make you something else." Jin appeared over Tae's shoulder as he looked at the various bowls of noodles, rice, meats and vegetables that covered the countertops. "I got a little carried away. I never get to cook in the mornings. Only when we come home from practice and I'm too tired to really do much."

He could tell that his oldest hyung was slightly shy about the gesture, so Tae grinned rectangularly at him and moved to grab a bowl out of the cabinet to fill. "It looks great, hyung. Probably better than my mom's cooking; just don't tell her I said that."

They laughed and chatted with each other until Tae's bowl was full and he was joining the other two guys at the table. Jungkook sat slumped over his bowl, his eyes hidden behind his dark hair and the hood of his sweater. It looked ridiculous while inside the apartment and therefore, without thinking, Tae reached over and yanked the hood down. He ruffled the boy's bangs so they would leave his eyes.

Everyone in the room visibly stiffened. Tae noticed, but pretended he didn't and turned to pick up his chopsticks and start in on his breakfast. Namjoon and Jin stared at Jungkook, waiting for his usual reaction upon being touched, which was to either have a small freak out and/or storm out of the room. But neither happened. They watched the maknae's shoulders release from their position next to his ears and his breathing start up again. He too returned to eating his food.

Tae didn't understand what the big deal was; why everyone insisted upon tiptoeing around Jungkook. He had experienced the guy's sudden mood shifts, but ultimately he was just a harmless kid that clearly had some social anxiety. Tae glanced up and saw that Jungkook was staring at him out of the corner of his eye, which he could now see since he had brushed aside the bangs. Tae watched a small smile dance across Jungkook's nonexistent lips.

Namjoon got to his feet and left the room, a perplexed look slipping onto his face as soon as his back was turned to the younger guys. Tae could hear him talking quietly to Jin in the kitchen. They were always doing that; talking quietly to each other in other rooms.

"Um, hyung?" Jungkook's voice startled Taehyung slightly, causing him to look up at him from over his bowl with a noodle hanging out of his mouth. It made the younger boy laugh unexpectedly and strange tingles shot through Taehyung's body at the noise.

Slurping up the noodle, he cocked an eyebrow. "I told you, you don't have to use honorifics with me, Jungkookie."

Jungkook nodded, gazing down at the table. Tae glanced down as well, noticing that Jungkook seemed to be staring off at his own hand that rested on the wooden surface. He had the sudden urge to reach out and play with Jungkook's fingers; the thought was so startling that he reared back in his seat and tucked his own hands under his thighs. "You had a question?"

"No- I just," Jungkook tilted his body so he could see into the small kitchen. Jin and Namjoon were still talking to each other, but louder and about nothing particularly interesting. He settled his dark eyes back on Taehyung. "I just wanted to thank you for the toothpaste."

To be honest, Tae hadn't expected him to say anything about the small gesture. After their strange tiff the day before, he had been upset and bewildered. He didn't know why they had both gotten so heated so quickly; it again reminded him of his relationship with Jeongyu. Volatile most of the time. But, unlike when he fought with Jeongyu, Tae had felt a sickening drop in his stomach that he couldn't shake. So he had bought Jungkook the toothpaste, hoping it would bridge whatever gap he had built between them again; surprisingly it seemed to have worked. Building a relationship with Jungkook seemed to be like beckoning a feral cat; only slow, deliberate movements until the animal was comfortable enough to not run away.

"You're welcome, Kookie. I'm sorry about- well, you know. I don't know why I got so upset, or why I made you so upset, but I'm sorry."

Jungkook shook his head vigorously. Tae was struck by how innocent and doe-eyed he looked, his bunny teeth sinking into his bottom lip so hard it seemed painful. "It was my fault, I shouldn't have-"

Suddenly, Hoseok was busting into the room through the front door. "Good morning, everybody!" If he noticed the strange proximity between the two youngest members, whose heads were slowly pulling together across the table, he didn't let on. "It's about time you were all up. Is Yoongi-hyung up yet?"

"I'm up. But if you don't stop shouting, I will go back to bed." Yoongi shuffled to the couch and lay immediately back down with his arm flung across his eyes. "Why are you so insufferably energetic today?" Hoseok grinned and flopped down onto Yoongi's outstretched legs, causing him to yelp out in mock outrage before shoving the taller boy to the floor. "Get the fuck off of me." He growled it, but it didn't hold any actual malice.

Luckily, Hobi seemed to know this and just chuckled at his hyung before leaning his head back against Yoongi's knee. "It's actually nice outside today. The snow's basically all melted and it's not freezing cold. We should go do something."

"Like what? We have no money." Yoongi pouted from behind his arm-shield.

It was true. Since Tae had shown up in Seoul, he had quickly realized that his new family was not any more affluent than his old one. Big Hit was a tiny company, that had thus far not produced any successful groups, and therefore only had enough money to pay for the boys' crowded apartment, skimpy food budget, and a small allowance that would get them life's simple basics. Tae didn't mind. He was used to living on small budgets and he hadn't exactly expected for them to be rich during their trainee years anyway.

"We could go to Namsan. If it's really that nice outside everyone will be out today. We might be able to join a basketball game or something." Namjoon offered from where he leaned on the wall next to the small tv they all shared. "Could go hiking too if anyone's into that."

Everyone nodded in agreement, even Yoongi, who was enticed by the idea of getting to play basketball with people who actually knew what they were doing, unlike Hobi who he usually played with. So it was settled, they would all get ready to go and leave within the hour. Jin had offered to make a packed lunch for the group so they could stay out well into the afternoon. And Namjoon had volunteered to help him, not that he would be much help with the actual cooking part due to his expertise in burning everything he touched.

When everyone was ready to go, still slightly bundled up in long pants and hoodies due to it still being January, they all headed out onto the surprisingly warm streets of Seoul. Taehyung was walking along the sidewalk in the back of the group, since he was definitely the least knowledgeable of the big city streets when Jin fell back to walk with him. He glanced up to nod at his hyung before turning his concentration back to balancing on the edge of the sidewalk, putting one foot in front of the other heel to toe.

"You like My Neighbor Totoro?" Jin asked nonchalantly, his hands shoved deep into his hoodie pocket.

Tae startled slightly. His head shot up to look at the older boy; he watched the older boy smile widely, exposing his perfect teeth behind plump lips. "How did you know? Do I exude anime nerd or something?"

Jin snorted, knocking shoulders with him as they walked. "No, dumbass. You're wearing a Totoro hoodie."

Of course he was. He hadn't changed out of the hoodie he had thrown on upon stumbling out of bed. Hoseok had only really given him time to throw on deodorant and run a brush quickly through his tangled mop of hair before insisting that they leave. Dark strands now tickled the bridge of his nose and his closed eyelids. It really was getting entirely too long. He could have pushed it up or to the side, but he wasn't taking any chances on revealing his five-head.

"It's cool, dude. I love Totoro. It's not my favorite Studio Ghibli film, but it does have the cutest merch." Tae was surprised that Jin watched anime for some reason. The older boy was dripping with socialized confidence. A confidence that even Taehyung, who was used to feigning his own in front of others, found impressive. If not slightly daunting. And he was constantly referring to his own beauty. But it didn't come off as self-centered as it almost felt like self-deprecation that was so deeply hidden you couldn't quite pick up on it without really paying attention. Jin continued, "Do you watch other stuff? Actual television animes? Because I haven't found anyone else to watch them with."

They continued to walk behind the others as they chatted, but they seemed to be falling further and further behind as time went on. Eventually, the four boys in front of them had turned the corner without them. It was nice to have one-on-one time with the oldest of the group; Tae hadn't really gotten to know him much past his unbelievable cooking and the way he mothered Jungkook into an annoyed stupor each day.

"I do. Watch other stuff, I mean. Have you seen Sailor Moon?"

Jin nodded enthusiastically, "Yes! But I'd watch it again if you wanted to."

Taehyung agreed and they continued to walk on. They had fallen into a comfortable silence and the younger boy assumed that was the end of their conversation until they reached the others, so he was surprised when Jin spoke up again. "Where did you go yesterday?"

"Yesterday?" His sleep the night before had been so long and actually restful that yesterday seemed like weeks in the past. "What do you mean, hyung?"

Jin shrugged nonchalantly. The action would have been convincing if Tae hadn't noticed the way the older boy chewed on the inside of his cheek. "We just noticed that after you fell, you disappeared for a while. We asked Mrs. Lee and she said that you and Doyun had left. But you came back later, without Doyun-"

The rest of the statement dropped off, as if he wasn't exactly sure what else it was that he wanted to say. Tae felt slightly uneasy about the prospect of being watched by everyone around him all the time. He had grown slightly used to the way Yoongi seemed to always be creepily aware of everything, but he didn't know the other guy's were watching him too. "Oh. I was just upset- about the fall. And Doyun came down from upstairs and thought going for a walk might help."

"Did it?"

Taehyung was confused by Jin's question, "Did it what?"

"Help get over the fall?"

The younger boy shrugged. "Not really. I'm still frustrated, but I'm trying not to think about it too much." This didn't seem to be the answer Jin was prodding for, so he continued. "We just walked around a bit. Doyun said he just didn't want me to mope about it, like I'm known to do. We didn't even talk much, just walked around."

Tae wasn't sure why he felt like he needed to explain himself. It was really no one's business what he did when it was his "break-time," which is what he was considering being sent out of the dance studio. But something about the conversation seemed mildly accusatory, and somewhere deep inside he feared that Jin would question his feelings for Doyun the same way Jungkook had.

He watched Jin nod with pursed lips and shift his eyes around the gradually filling streets. More and more people were appearing around them, along with more and more cars honking and weaving through the traffic of downtown Seoul. It was almost too loud for him to hear the older boy, who was now walking so close that they brushed shoulders in order to avoid all of the other pedestrians bustling around them. "How does Doyun know you so well?"

"He doesn't." But the denial flew from his lips too quickly and he bristled at the way the older man's eyebrows flew upwards into his bangs. "He was the producer that scouted me in Daegu. I guess he just feels like he pulled me into this and so now he has to help me out. I didn't plan on auditioning that day, I was just there for my best friend, but he convinced me to try out. So now I'm here and he's the only person I knew before you guys, so I guess he knows me the best out of everyone."

Tae knew he was rambling, but he just allowed himself to in the hopes it came off as explanatory instead of panicked. Jin opened his mouth to say something as they were turning the corner that the other's had abandoned them past. Both boys were surprised to see them waiting only ten feet away despite having previously been so far ahead. As they strode up, Jin asked why they had waited for them. It didn't seem to be a common practice. It was either keep up with Yoongi, who surprisingly walked the fastest out of all of them despite seemingly being in no hurry to actually get anywhere, or get left to fend for yourself.

"Well, we just thought it would be best to wait for you two. We can't have the visuals of the group scooped up by kidnappers, now can we?" Namjoon's comment made Jin slap at his chest while the taller boy tried to defend himself while laughing loudly.

Yoongi, who was slumped against the dirty wall of a boarded up storefront, mumbled just loud enough for Taehyung to hear. "More like, we were told to stop by the maknae and for some reason we listened."

Jungkook's ears seemed to tinge the tiniest bit pink and, as if to prove that he wasn't invested in waiting for the group, the youngest took off towards the entrance to the park that they were coming up on. Tae was tired of the weird back and forth with Jungkook. The kid could be sweet one minute, but then his personality would disintegrate into ash and all that was left was the snarky loner who left everyone behind. The eighteen year old was tired of it, and for some reason, with tension already filling his body from his talk with Jin, he decided to take it out on Jungkook.

So he ran up beside him, well aware that they were leaving the others far behind as he did. They were entering the park now, striding quickly between the giant stone's that constituted the east entrance to the main grassy area. Despite it only being mildly warm outside, when the biting wind actually died down, the park was littered with families. A small girl with pigtails ran between Jungkook and Taehyung, screaming and laughing as she chased after the family dog. Not wanting any kids to overhear him cuss, Taehyung dropped his voice and leaned into Jungkook as he spat. "What the fuck is going on, Kook?"

It seemed to surprise the other boy, who faltered a bit in his power walk. However, he quickly regained his pace and even pushed ahead like he planned to leave Tae behind. Which he obviously wasn't going to get away with. Taehyung reached out and clamped his hand on the black hood of his sweater, either in an attempt to pull the maknae backwards or propel himself forwards. "You can't shake me off, Jungkook. Tell me what's wrong. We were fine just back at the house."

But what had been fine back at the house clearly wasn't fine now. Jungkook spun around and shoved Taehyung. Not hard, just enough to detach himself from the hood. Clearly the touching that everyone was so surprised to see before wasn't fine now. "Can you just leave me alone? Why does everyone keep fucking touching me?" Jungkook did not keep his voice down for the sake of the children, which caused a particularly irritable mother to harrumph loudly before pushing her twin boys towards the playground a hundred feet away.

"Why do you hate being touched so much? It's not normal. The way you push and pull people away all the time. One minute you're completely fine and I think we're friends. But the next you're sulking again and I can't even talk to you!" They weren't walking anymore. Instead, they were facing each other, chests huffing in the middle of the sidewalk. As a person on a bike rode up, they had to step to the side, but maintained the face off.

"That sounds like a personal problem. I didn't ask for you to talk to me. I didn't ask to be friends with you. With any of you. I'm here to train, become an idol, and make something of myself." Jungkook spit the words, unsure if he meant all of them. But he continued just the same. "I don't give a shit if any of you like me or if we ever talk. Just leave me alone to do my job and I'll do the same."

Tae tried to keep his feelings locked down. He couldn't possibly be hurt by a boy he met only a few weeks ago. By a guy he moved in with less than a week ago. But everything about the relationships he was forming with his fellow members were surprisingly intense and rapid. Maybe it was living with people who weren't family, but he felt as though there was an intensity he'd never experienced with Minjun or any of his other transient friends. And with Jungkook, well, he'd never wanted to punch someone in the face so quickly after getting to know them.

Never in his life had he fought with someone this quickly. Or as often. What was this, their third argument? Was their relationship just destined to be turbulent? Was this push and pull that was so irritating and draining something he would have to put up with forever? He had watched the boy interact with the others. They didn't seem to get the same treatment as Tae did. Namjoon practically walked on water, Jin was a mild annoyance to the maknae but was ultimately treated with respect like an overbearing mother, Hoseok and Yoongi were tolerated in so far as they didn't push him too hard, which they never did.

But Taehyung. Clearly there was something particularly distasteful about him to the maknae. And if that was the case, he had no desire to be somewhere he wasn't wanted. "Fine. I'll leave you alone. That's all you had to say."

He turned and walked away. Which was of course right as the others were walking up. Namjoon saw the look on Taehyung's face as he attempted to brush by him. He reached out and grabbed the younger man's wrist, halting him from rushing past. "What's going on? Taehyung? Jungkook?" When neither boy answered, Namjoon sighed loudly and turned to who he assumed would be the more reasonable one. Tae hadn't pulled out of his grasp just yet, but he was itching to so he could get far away from the maknae. His urge to punch the sixteen year old was only growing in magnitude. "Taehyung, please. We can't let ourselves get pulled apart. We have to be a team."

Taehyung tried to refrain from rolling his eyes out of respect for the leader. He really did like Namjoon, but his anger at Jungkook was clouding his ability to care about anyone's feelings. "I'm sorry, hyung. But I'm not interested in being a team with Jungkook right now. And according to him, he's not interested in being a team with any of us, ever."

With that, he did yank his arm from Namjoon's grasp, though he did it as gently as his wounded pride would allow. He stalked past an uncomfortable looking Hoseok and caught eyes with Yoongi. As usual, the older man's eyes were opened lazily, but Tae could see intelligence and recognition in his eyes. He didn't stop, just sidestepped the shorter man and stalked off in the direction of the picnic tables.

Jungkook balanced on the top of a bench, his feet on the seat where he should have been sitting. He was watching Yoongi dance around the outside basketball court with more speed and grace than he'd ever seen the man move with. It was almost comical. That his moves on the court looked more like dancing than anything he had ever done in rehearsals. Hoseok was trying to keep up, but Yoongi had insisted that the other boy play for the other team. He claimed he was trying to make the teams more even, but it was clear he just wanted to play with people who actually knew the game. And who didn't think it was fun to chase him around the court trying to tickle him in the middle of said game.

Jungkook felt rather than saw Namjoon's tall frame collapse onto the other side of the bench. He refused to look at him. So he narrowed his eyes and allowed them to flick back and forth across the court with the most intense concentration he could muster. He had hoped that his lack of acknowledgement would deter the leader, but he should have known better.

"Do you want to talk about it?" It was a surprising approach, Jungkook had to admit. If it had been Jin, he would have already been mid-lecture on how unfair and childish Jungkook was acting. Which he already knew, but it was too late to simply apologize. He didn't think his pride could take a hit that strong. So he shook his head and continued watching the game unfolding unevenly in front of him. Hoseok's team was losing. Badly.

"I don't want to get involved in your business if you don't want me to, Jungkook. I'm only trying to be a friend to you by asking." Jungkook didn't say anything. "But as the leader of the group, I have to be more forward. Is this not working? If Taehyung being added to the team is causing strains, we have to talk about that as a group. None of us can afford for this to not work out."

Still no response, just the strafing of eyeballs. "Jungkook. For real. There have already been murmurs at the studio of kicking Taehyung out. If you two don't get along-"

"What?" Jungkook's voice came out more panicked than he meant for it to, his voice raising to an octave he didn't know he could hit outside of a run. His exclamation had been so loud that the players on the court had turned to look at him. All but Yoongi, who paused to wait for everyone else to look, but stared off as if he didn't need to look to know what was happening. "Why are they talking about getting rid of him? He just got here!"

Namjoon nodded, happy that the younger boy's dark eyes were finally on him, even if they were blown open out of panic. "I know he just got here. Which is what I've been telling them, but they aren't sure if he can take it. His singing was basically all that got him through the auditions and he hasn't been up to par this week." Jungkook started to argue but Namjoon held up a hand. "I know, Jungkook. Tae told me he thinks he's had a cold all week and that's been affecting his throat. But it's not just that.

"His dancing is obviously not a strong point. I'm aware I'm not the one to talk, but they were really hoping to balance Jin, Yoongi, and I out with a better dancer. I think the only thing they're still happy with is his visuals." Namjoon sighed as he himself glanced out at the basketball court for a distraction from Jungkook's doe eyes. "I'm trying my best to convince them to keep him, but if you two don't get along and we can't make this work long term, I'll stop trying."

Jungkook was stunned. He knew that Taehyung was struggling but it really was only the first week. And the cold… That had been his fault, the roof, which only made him feel more terrible. He didn't want him to leave. Their tiny quarrels weren't enough to kick the kid out of the group. They were nothing and ultimately they were all his fault. He knew he had an intimacy problem. When he felt like he was getting too close to someone, he would push them away rapidly and with force.

But Taehyung didn't treat him like most other people did. Maybe it was their proximity in age, but the older boy refused to baby him or tiptoe around him when he was being a dick. He met him head on, a battle of wills that Jungkook could feel himself losing every time until he stalked off.

"No." Jungkook spoke without thinking, but he immediately knew he meant it. "I don't want him gone. We'll- We'll work it out, hyung. It's my fault anyway. I'll apologize. It wouldn't be fair for him to lose his one vote of confidence against the producers over this stupid fight."

He watched a small smile slip across Namjoon's face; it almost looked like he was proud of him. He tried his best to not flinch as the older boy reached out and ruffled his hair before rising from the bench. "That's good, Jungkook. Because I really think you and Taehyung are going to be fine. Maybe just- loosen up a little bit. No one's here to hurt you. The chip you keep on your shoulder… You don't need to have it with us. Now let's go eat lunch. I see Jin unpacking it over there."

Jungkook hopped down from his perch and followed the leader away from the court and towards the rusted picnic table that Jin and Taehyung had commandeered as their own. Jungkook tried to avoid looking at Taehyung, but ultimately failed when Jin conspiratorially ordered them to begin laying out the food for everyone together. The oldest of their hyungs clearly tried to make it nonchalant, the way he disappeared as soon as they started working together, but it was clear he was trying to give them space.

Prepared to apologize once again, Jungkook opened his mouth and turned to Taehyung with sagging shoulders. But he was cut off, "I know that you're sorry, Jungkook. I know that Namjoon told you to apologize and that you are for the sake of the group. I appreciate the gesture, I just really don't want to hear it right now."

He hadn't been expecting that response. Or, he guessed it wasn't really a response at all since he hadn't gotten to say anything first. He made to speak once again and was cut off with a large hand flung up between them. "Please, just don't. We're cool. We don't have to be friends, just teammates. I'm just as fine with that as you are." With that, the older boy threw the extra paper bowls he had been laying out into the bag of supplies and walked away, leaving Jungkook to finish assembling lunch.

It was surprising to him. How much it hurt when someone just said their piece and walked away without caring about what you had to say. But that's what he'd been doing the whole time to all of his hyungs. He wished he could have told Tae that he wasn't fine with only being teammates; that being his friend was something he desired. But it was too little, too late, so he just continued to set up the table by himself.

Lunch was an awkward affair. In a very valiant effort to force the two youngest boys to talk to each other, Jin had stealthily arranged everyone into a seating chart that left Jungkook and Taehyung squished together. They continuously bumped elbows, despite desperately leaning away from each other to avoid doing so, but they still refused to speak.

Hoseok, who was sitting on the other side of Jungkook from Taehyung, kept up a healthy rambling about the basketball game he had just lost to Yoongi's team. Yoongi didn't say much about the victory, but elation was dripping from him to accompany the rivers of sweat that were cascading down his face.

"But I actually made a basket! I've never been able to do that before!" Hobi continued past mouthfuls of Jin's food. "We should play more often, hyung!"

"Sure, sure." Yoongi bobbed his head noncommittally, his eyes raking across the tense maknaes as Taehyung tapped away on his phone while Jungkook stared intently far off into the distance. "Hey, Taehyung. I don't think I have your phone number."

Slightly confused by the comment, Tae's eyebrows knotted together across his forehead. "Oh. No, I guess we haven't exchanged any of that yet. I don't think I've actually gotten any of your numbers." He glanced around the table, purposefully leaning forward to see Hoseok, whose body was hidden behind Jungkook's in his line of sight.

Yoongi reached out and motioned for the eighteen year old's phone, placing his own in the boy's palm with the contact screen open. It took a few minutes, but Taehyung's phone made its way around the table before it was slid definitively in front of Jungkook. No one spoke, waiting for the maknae's reaction. Carefully, the youngest picked up the phone as if it might shatter in his hands. Everyone watched openly as he keyed his contact information in before extending the phone sideways towards Taehyung.

Tae reached out to grab it, but at the last moment, held the younger boy's fingers tightly around the phone, refusing to let him pull away. He waited, patiently, though he began to lose his resolve as he realized the rest of their team members were staring even more intently at the interaction now. Finally, Jungkook shook his dark bangs out of his eyes and stared into Taehyung's openly apologetic and questioning ones. Something passed between them, but no one was sure what it was other than a silent apology, from both parties.

"Thanks, Kookie." Taehyung said quietly, finally letting go of Jungkook's fingers and returning his phone to his back pocket. As if a spell had broken, everyone returned to their food and the small talk conversations they had previously been having. Luckily, the awkward tension in the air had released slightly. They all pretended to not notice the way Jungkook's shoulders deflated into relaxation. Namjoon in particular had to bite back a smile as he watched the two maknaes' upper arms and shoulders push into each other as they settled into their close quarters on the bench at last.

"What are you guys doing?" Namjoon asked incredulously from the small dining room table. As soon as they had all gotten home, he and his laptop had taken up a seemingly permanent residence on the tiny surface. But now, he had finally glanced up from his work to see three large bedroom comforters (one of which he was pretty sure belonged on his bunk), a pile of pillows, and multiple bowls of snacks appear on the floor of the living room.

Taehyung and Jin were pulling the small coffee table across the carpet and into the corner of the room to make more room for their makeshift bed on the floor. The two of them were dressed in what looked to be their pajamas, despite it only being 5:30 pm and nowhere near time for bed. Taehyung's hair was sopping wet, as he hadn't really dried it after climbing out of his speedy shower, and Jin was griping at him about how the pillows would get wet with his hair that way and how likely he would be to get a cold.

"Just go blow dry it or something! Or wrap it in a towel! It's like a mop." Jin frowned as he reached up to brush the younger boy's bangs from his eyes before making a disgusted sound and flapping his hand around to shake off the water on his now sopping hand. "Quickly though!"

Namjoon still hadn't gotten an answer to his question when Taehyung had mumbled "Yes, hyung" to Jin's request before disappearing down the hall once again to follow the elder's orders. So he cleared his throat and rose to his feet. Jin was still setting up their pallette on the floor, tucking a small Jigglypuff plush into the crack of two pillows. "Hyung?"

"What's up?" The oldest man's eyes didn't leave his task, arranging and rearranging the bowls of snacks on the floor in what he thought would be the most pleasing progression of taste.

Namjoon sighed and leaned against the doorframe to the kitchen, "I was just wondering what you guys are doing?" He could hear the communal hair dryer blowing mutely from behind the closed door to the bathroom.

"Oh!" Jin rose to his feet and spun around. "Taehyung and I are going to have a Sailor Moon marathon. We figured if we get started early enough, we can make some serious headway tonight." He watched Namjoon's face scrunch up in amusement and his head rock slightly back and forth on his shoulders. "What?" Jin was used to being teased by the others, particularly Namjoon, so he wasn't actually offended. But to keep up appearances, he pretended to be.

"Nothing, hyung. I'm just glad you guys are getting along so well." Namjoon sunk down the wall to sit on the floor, his knees pulled up to his chest as he watched Jin settle into his own spot in the blankets a few feet away.

Jin nodded. He picked at the skin on his thumb, his eyes glued to the quickly reddening skin. "Someone needs to be nice to the kid." His voice wasn't loud, he didn't want to be heard by Taehyung in the bathroom or anyone else that happened to be hanging around. But Namjoon heard him and nodded solemnly in agreement. It seemed to serve as permission for the floodgates to open and Jin to put a voice to what they had all been thinking over the last week. "What the hell is going on with them? I just don't get it; everytime I think Jungkook is starting to get comfortable and open up to us, he pulls back. And they have some sort of weird tension that I just don't understand. It's like they hate each other but it's only been a week. What are we going to do?"

Jin was always this way. Worrying about the others more than was probably his job to worry, but he just couldn't help it. It was endearing and welcomed by everyone, including Namjoon, although the relationship between the two of them had always been more of equals despite the age discrepancy. The nervous picking got worse before Namjoon reached out to still the older man's hands.

"They don't hate each other. I don't think Taehyung dislikes Jungkook at all, from what I've seen. I just think- it's growing pains. He's pushing Jungkook more than he wants to be pushed and it's causing some friction. They'll be fine." He wasn't so sure himself, but his talk with the maknae had made him feel slightly more at ease, knowing that he didn't want Tae to be kicked out of the band. He listened for the blow dryer, which was still going strong down the hall, before leaning in to whisper to Jin the thought that had been nagging at him all day. "Doesn't it seem like.. Something else is going on?"

"Like what?" Jin's eyebrows rose skeptically, but he had also dropped his voice and leaned in.

"I don't know… Just- There's almost like, sexual tension or something." Namjoon shook his head like he had already talked himself out of the theory. "Or maybe I'm imagining things. We're cooped up in this house or at the studio so much; maybe they're just both going stir-crazy. I know I am."

At that moment, the bathroom door opened to reveal a now bone dry Taehyung with his phone in his hand. The two oldest members shifted apart as he strode into the living room, his eyes still trained on the screen he was tapping a message into. When he was done, he glanced up and grinned a rectangular smile at Namjoon. "Oh, are you going to watch Sailor Moon with us, hyung?"

Namjoon shook his head. "No, I'll leave that to you guys. I think I'm heading to the studio with Hoseok and Jungkook."

"Oh." Taehyung sank into his spot next to Jin, suddenly intently focused on his phone again. The two older members exchanged knowing glances, but said nothing.

Suddenly, the bedroom door flew open and the blurred form of Hoseok came streaking through the living room and into the kitchen. "Need me to pack you a water bottle, Joon?" The energetic man called over his shoulder as he passed.

"No thanks. I'm probably not going to dance with you guys; I just need a change in scenery to keep working on these lyrics..." Namjoon's voice faded as he followed the other member into the kitchen.

Jin turned to Taehyung, waiting until he looked up from his phone to smile at him and ask, "Are you ready?" The younger boy opened his mouth to reply, but Jungkook had come slinking into the living room and Tae's mouth snapped conspicuously shut.

Even though the number exchange at lunch had dissolved some of the tension between them, Tae was still smarting from the way Jungkook had dismissed him as just a coworker. He probably should have forgiven him, knowing the mood swings were just a part of the kid, but it had really hurt his feelings. He was trying his best to pull the boy out of his shell, but the constant resistance was exhausting; and as rewarding as the small smiles and moments of comradery were, he was losing his resolve.

So he trained his eyes on his phone, where a text message had suddenly blipped onto the screen from an unknown number.

Unknown: Hey taehyung this is doyun.

Taehyung: Oh! Hey, what's up?

Doyun: nothing much

Doyun: was just thinking about u

Doyun: thought id see how ur day off was

"Who're you talking to?" Jin's voice held more curiosity than malice as he leaned over Tae's shoulder to look at the text conversation. However, it was instinctual when the eighteen year old dropped his phone from between his long fingers and into his lap where the older boy wouldn't see the conversation. It seemed to be too late though, because Jin was smiling teasingly at him. "Doyun, huh? Man, he must really like you. I think he's only ever texted Joon and it was about work."

Taehyung could feel his cheeks heating up, but he swallowed it down and tried to look anything short of panicked. "Who says he's not texting me about work?"

Jin laughed, a barking, seal-like guffaw that wracked his whole body. "'I was thinking about you' doesn't exactly sound work related. I think he's just making up excuses to-"

"I'll meet you guys downstairs." Jungkook's voice cut over Jin's. It was too loud and clearly strained. But it was directed towards Namjoon and Hoseok in the kitchen, not towards the two boys curled up on the floor. Tae's eyes shot up to see the sixteen year old's dark eyes narrow and a large lump that must of been his tongue push into his cheek. And then he was gone; out the door in a flash, leaving behind only the reverberation of the slammed front door.

No one said anything for a moment, though Namjoon and Hobi had appeared in the kitchen door as soon as they had heard the slam. Taehyung was bewildered. What could possibly be his problem now? Was he just perpetually angry? Didn't he get tired of being so pissed off all the time? Tae was exhausted just from being around it.

Namjoon and Jin were holding a silent conversation with just their eyes, something Tae was slowly getting used to living with. It was slightly frustrating, never understanding what they were talking about or if they were discussing him behind his back. But it didn't seem malicious; it just seemed like they had a mutual understanding of what it took to run the group together, despite Namjoon being the official leader.

"I'll talk to him." Namjoon finally said out loud to the room at large. He motioned to Hobi that they should leave before crossing to the table to pack up his laptop for the trek to the studio.

"Is it my fault?" Taehyung asked the room, staring at the loose string he was picking at on the tattered gym shorts that served as his pajamas. He didn't want to look at any of them, but when no one answered, he lifted his eyes to glance at the three other members. "Is Jungkook's constant attitude problem because of me? Or has he always been like this?"

Jin opened his mouth to speak, but a voice from the hallway cut him off. "He's always been stand-offish, but something about you has him all sorts of riled up." Yoongi entered the room and settled on the couch, ignoring the warning glances everyone but Taehyung was sending him. The youngest member in the room was simply staring at the rapper with wide, bewildered eyes, waiting patiently for a further explanation.

He hoped he would actually get some clarity from Yoongi, who seemed to be the straightest shooter out of everyone in the house. He didn't have to wait long.

"I think he doesn't know how to deal with you. You unnerve him, constantly catch him off guard. It's too much for his little hormonal brain to take." Yoongi smiled softly to soften his statement, he didn't actually mean anything against the maknae after all. "The touching is probably the main thing."

Taehyung's tone turned argumentative quicker than he meant for it to. "But I didn't even touch him. I wasn't even talking to him! Jin and I were talking about Doyun. What could that possibly have to do with him being a hermit crab who wants no fellow crustaceans to penetrate his shell?"

He hadn't meant it as a joke, just a well-placed metaphor, but it still had the other members laughing unexpectedly. He pouted, waiting for them to finish before turning to Jin. "Can we just watch our show now?"

"Sure, Tae." Jin smiled appeasingly at him, before turning to the others. "You guys better get going before he takes off without you. It's going to get dark soon; we don't want him walking downtown alone."

Namjoon and Hobi nodded, saying their goodbyes and disappearing out into the hall. Yoongi had not moved from his spot on the couch; in fact, it looked as though he was settling in for the long haul. "Are you joining us, Yoongs?" Jin asked as if he couldn't believe it. When the tiny rapper nodded, Jin grinned widely before passing him a bowl of seaweed snacks to munch on. "Fantastic! The more, the merrier!"

Once the lights had been switched off and Jin was settled into their sea of blankets, Tae was allowed to start the first episode of the show. He waited as long as he could stand it before he dug his phone out from under his legs to check his messages.

Doyun: u there?

Taehyung: Yeah, I'm here. Sorry, teammate/roommate drama. My day off was… decent enough. Sadly I think I'm ready for school to start up

Doyun: lol i forget how young u r

Doyun: makes me feel like a creepy old man

Taehyung: Why? You're not that much older than me. Are you? Wait, how old are you?

Doyun: oh, i thought i told u

Doyun: im 32

Taehyung: oh. Okay. Well that's fine. No big deal. You wouldn't even know, but now I feel really awkward for not calling you hyung…

Doyun: im kidding, Taehyung. im 20

Doyun: not ancient

Tae must have made a noise or something at the revelation that he hadn't been wildly inappropriate towards a producer all this time, because he looked up to find Yoongi openly staring at the side of his face. It still freaked him out, the all-knowing owl that was Min Yoongi, but he was slowly learning to deal with it. He raised a questioning eyebrow towards his hyung, trying to keep from disturbing Jin, who was clearly very in to the first episode of Sailor Moon.

"He's probably jealous of that." Yoongi's voice was low and only barely reached Taehyung's ears. Then his tiny hand reached out and a short, stubby finger poked gently into Taehyung's cheek. "Whoever makes you smile like that is someone to be jealous of if you're Jungkook."

Whatever that meant.

Jungkook had spent a great majority of Saturday night dancing through any and every routine Hoseok could throw at him. They didn't talk much, which he appreciated. The older dancer was normally pretty talkative, even during dance lessons with the whole group, but dancing alone with Jungkook allowed him to focus in on perfecting the moves. It was no secret that Jungkook had improved greatly since he had first joined the group and was now to a level that could reasonably keep up with the head dancer.

They had worked and worked until they were drenched in sweat and breathing so heavily that Namjoon had heard them past his headphones. Which was when he decided it was time for them to return to the apartment. But it had been so late, and the streets so dark, that they had been forced to call up a producer to take them home. It was something Mr. Bang often encouraged them to do, although they hated to bother any of the staff during their off hours. But they ultimately had no money for a cab, so they relented and called for a ride.

When they finally reached the apartment, they found Jin and Taehyung passed out on the floor together. As they had entered the quiet living room, they had been motioned to keep quiet by a lurking Yoongi, who was coming out of the kitchen with a bowl of ramen. He held a finger up to his lips, pointed at the two curled up together on the floor, and rolled his eyes before stalking off towards the bedroom.

Jungkook had snuck past his two hyung's sleeping forms, trying desperately to fight down the bile that rose in his throat when he saw how casually Taehyung's arm was flung across Jin's waist. They were legitimately spooning, with Tae's front to Jin's back, and the sight made Jungkook's blood boil momentarily before he remembered the various girls he had seen Jin parade through the studio over the past few months. Something about being an up-and-coming idol really seemed to work out for the oldest member's pickup game.

So he had gone to bed with the others, pretending to fall asleep just as quickly, though it had definitely taken a few hours for his eyes to finally fall closed. He pretended to not notice that he only fully relaxed when he heard a creaking from below his own bunk as someone settled into their bed at last.

Sunday was more of the same. More Sailor Moon. A healthy dose of cleaning at the behest of Jin, who proclaimed that they really should do so at least once a week given how many people were squeezed into the tiny apartment. And more working for those dedicated enough to squander their last day off on the same routines they would be continuing to practice for months to come.

They had all been allowed to split off and do their own thing with the promise that everyone would be back in time for Jin's family meal that he had insisted on making in celebration of Jungkook and Taehyung's return to school the following day. Everyone had agreed in order to avoid his screeching and had enjoyed their afternoon in peace.

But now all six of them sat together around the coffee table, knocking elbows and rearranging plates so everything would fit on the too small surface as they ate. It had been a long day of watching anime for Jin and Taehyung, with the others filtering in as they pleased. But such a long day of binge watching meant they had been snacking the whole time, so now that Taehyung was actually sitting down for a meal, he wasn't very hungry.

This clearly didn't apply to the others, who were ravenously shoving food into their mouths at rapid speeds. Yoongi and Hoseok were shoving each other with their elbows, trying to keep the other from bumping the chopsticks out of their hands. Taehyung chuckled at the sight. He himself hadn't even bothered filling a bowl, so was now sitting on the floor with everyone, leaning back on his hands to stay propped up. Jin must have noticed.

"Aren't you hungry, Taehyung?" He looked slightly worried. "I can make you something else if you don't like this."

Before Taehyung could explain that he loved Bulgogi, but just couldn't fathom filling his stomach any more, Jungkook snorted from his spot across the table. "What? You would never make something different for any of us. You've literally told me to fuck off and find my own food before." He was acting incredulous, but there was laughter in his eyes as he teased the oldest member. "You must like Taehyung more than the rest of us."

Jin reached over to slap Jungkook's shoulder, decently hard before rolling his eyes and picking up his chopsticks. "I definitely like him more than you, brat. Now eat your food or I'll take it away."

It went quiet for a little bit, with everyone stuffing their faces and clacking away on their phones. All of a sudden, Namjoon's head shot up and he cleared his throat as if he was about to start a formal meeting. "I just got a text from Mr. Bang and it looks like they're holding more auditions over the next few weeks. We should have a new member within the next month or two."

"Oh, shit. That was fast. I thought we were capping at six?" Yoongi questioned while reaching for Namjoon's phone to read over the texts. The leader handed over the phone without question, which Tae found slightly surprising. Although, he probably shouldn't have considering how close the two men were, being both the first two members of the group and from the same underground rap scene. Or so he had picked up from walking in and listening to conversations between the two of them.

Namjoon shook his head and answered Yoongi's question even though he was clearly going to get it answered himself, probably for the benefit of everyone else in the room. "They thought that six would be the number, but now…" He licked his lips and looked anywhere but at Taehyung, which immediately sent panic shooting through the eighteen year old. "Well, they just think they should focus more on the dance aspect of the group. To round us out, you know."

No one said anything. They didn't have to. Six hadn't been enough because the sixth member wasn't pulling his weight. It stung, like the tears that were threatening to fill Tae's eyes, to know that he was putting them in a position where they needed someone else to fulfill his role since he couldn't do it alone. It made him feel stupid for staying at home over the free weekend when he could have gone with Hobi and Jungkook to the studio to work on his dancing.

Taehyung knew he needed all the practice he could get, but he just hadn't wanted to pass up the chance to hang out with Jin. And binging Sailor Moon was fun. It made him feel like he was at home with Minjun. It made him feel like he was actually making friends with someone in the group outside of just being coworkers. But like Jungkook had said, it was the work that mattered. His family was depending on him to make this work; they had given up so much money, time, and effort to let him pursue this spontaneous dream. And it wasn't just them. The other members needed him to perform as well. They all needed this to work out so badly, you could feel it in the air when they talked about the distant, but also somehow impending debut they were all working towards.

"Well that makes sense. It takes a variety of people to counteract your gracelessness, Joonie." Jin grinned cheekily at the younger man, clearly trying to cut the tension that had just filled the room. He received some sort of food item thrown at his head in response.

Taehyung decided that not only was he not hungry, he wasn't all that interested in sitting around watching other people eat. So he rose to his feet, crept from the living room to the bedroom, and threw himself into his bottom bunk. He was still determined to not cry, even as he was now alone, but he couldn't help it. Hot tears streamed down his cheeks and off of his chin. He buried his face in the pillow and took shallow, labored breaths through the fabric.

He couldn't do this. That much was clear. He wasn't talented enough and although Doyun had originally assured him that being visually appealing was a majority of the job, that clearly wasn't the case. Not to mention, he was positively sure that he didn't even fulfill that requirement. Why was he even here? Because Doyun had recommended him? He wished the older man hadn't. He wished he was at home, in his family's living room with his parents, spending his last evening before the school year started back up with the people that loved him unconditionally. The people that didn't watch and critique him through every part of his day.

God, he was homesick. The busy, double schedule for the week had taken his mind off of most of the aching, but now it was flooding in and knocking the breath from his lungs. He was choking on sobs now, close to hyperventilating. He prayed that the others couldn't hear him, that he had closed the door when he had entered the bedroom. He didn't even have the energy to glance up and check. If he could just go to bed, it would all be better. If he could just cry himself to sleep, avoid the headache and puffy eyes that a decent cry like this would ultimately produce, he would be okay in the morning.

Back in the living room, no one was really all that hungry anymore. What had felt to Taehyung like a simple walk to the bedroom had come off as a desperate escape from the situation and conversation that was taking place in the living room. It was ultimately Namjoon that spoke up, as usual, as was expected. "I'll go check on him, I think."

"Well, what if he went to sleep? He might just need to rest. It's been a rough week. It's always the hardest and longest; maybe we just give him time?" Jin was biting the inside of his cheek repeatedly while wringing his hands in an almost textbook definition of worry.

"If he's asleep already, I won't bother him. I just think he should know that we care and are here if he needs to talk." Namjoon hadn't quite gotten up yet, but it was clear he planned on rising to his feet soon. "Has anyone talked to him? Is he doing okay? Does he… Has he heard anything about the producers or anything?" His eyes were trained on Jungkook now. He was the only one that Namjoon had told about the secret discussions he had been privy to in the studio. But the maknae kept his eyes on his bowl, where he was swirling leftover rice around in circles.

Namjoon hadn't really expected a response, so he sighed and started to look away. He almost missed the imperceptible shake of Jungkook's head. No, he hadn't mentioned it to Taehyung. And everyone else at the table looked slightly confused, so clearly no one else had either. So it wasn't as bad as Namjoon had thought. "Okay, then. I'll be right back."

"I think Jungkook should go." Yoongi had reached out and grabbed the leader's arm to keep him from leaving. "You know, if it's just homesickness, I think he'd be the best person for Taehyung to talk to. We all remember how hard it was for you to deal with when you first came; you were the only one out of us that was still dependent upon your parents, being so young and everything."

Yoongi was speaking directly to the maknae now, his dark eyes almost challenging him to deny it. The rapper could be cruel in his bluntness, speaking exactly what he was thinking as it came into his head, but it was almost always constructive and necessary with the understanding that he was only trying to help everyone else do the right thing. But Jungkook wasn't looking at him, still glaring down into the mostly empty bowl.

"Plus, I thought you guys were friends."

This was the comment that bit into Jungkook more than Yoongi probably meant for it to. His head shot up and he snarled unhappily at the older member, "Aren't you his friend? Why don't you go talk to him?"

The animosity was unexpected, but the declaration was not. Yoongi stared at Jungkook for a few long seconds, seeming to scope out the youngest member and not entirely like what he saw. But eventually he just shook his head before climbing to his feet next to Namjoon, who was standing awkwardly and watching the whole exchange. "You're right. I am his friend. And friends should probably help each other out instead of pushing each other away."

Yoongi patted Namjoon on the back as he passed, urging the man to return to sitting on the floor. He didn't say anything else, just disappeared down the hallway.

Jin glanced at Namjoon, who was now sitting again, with furrowed brows and worry in his eyes. They spoke to each other silently, in code as always, but this time even Hoseok picked up on the nuances of the muted conversation. Suddenly, Jin and Hoseok both rose to their feet and left the room. There weren't any places to go that weren't currently being occupied by sullen teenagers, so Hobi quietly suggested that they put on their coats and go for a walk. Jin nodded in agreement and followed the normally smiley, but now slightly sullen man out into the apartment hallway.

The two members left in the living room didn't look at each other. They didn't say anything either. They simply both picked up their chopsticks and returned to their meals in silence, waiting for the appropriate time to enter the bedroom to fall into their own restless slumber.

Taehyung woke the next morning to the alarm on his phone. It was the first time he had done so in a month, with the break not requiring any particular wake up time. And during the first week of training, someone else had always woken him up to head to the studio. But he had set his own alarm this time. It was the first day at a new school.

He climbed out of his bunk, using the light of his phone to search through his suitcase for the uniform that had been dropped off by a producer a few days before. This situation was kind of every kid's nightmare; to start a new school the last semester of your senior year of high school. But he wasn't overly worried. He'd make friends, or he wouldn't. He'd like his teachers, or he wouldn't. It was comforting to know that high school was just a finish line to cross. He had built in friends out of (at least some) of his fellow members and he was already working towards his future in a way that most other 18 year olds couldn't boast.

After finding all the pieces of his uniform, Taehyung slipped into the hallway and across to the bathroom, careful not to wake anyone. The sun was not yet up, but he hadn't wanted to oversleep and lose his opportunity to groom himself in the way he wanted. So he climbed in the shower and got started on a more extensive morning routine than he had ever gone through in his life.

Eventually, Jungkook had emerged from the bedroom in his own wrinkled, disheveled uniform. His dark hair was standing up all over his head, but somehow still managed to look flattened by sleep. At this point, Taehyung was sitting in the living room on his phone, passing the time until it would be time to leave. Getting ready had taken much less time than he had thought, despite actually blow drying and putting product in his shaggy hair.

"Aren't you going to shower?" He asked the maknae from the couch. Jungkook groaned quietly and shook his head. "Did you take one last night?" Tae got a nod this time, but he kept pressing. "You know, I don't think I've ever seen you go into the bathroom to shower."

Jungkook said nothing; he was pulling on his shoes and shoving some stacked up books into his backpack. Taehyung continued, "Do you shower often? Like, I've seen everyone else at least mention going to take a shower. But not you. When do you do it?"

He didn't expect a response, and he didn't get one to his questions, but Jungkook did finally turn to look at him. "Are you ready to leave? We might as well clear out of here before the others wake up for their jobs."

"They work?" Taehyung was baffled. They had been home with him and Jungkook the whole week. None of them had mentioned doing anything but practice during the days. "All of them?"

Jungkook shook his head. "No, just Namjoon and Yoongi right now. Namjoon works temp positions in offices around the city as they need him. Last week must not have had an assignment. And Yoongi delivers food for a restaurant up the street, but he only works part time there. I think Jin and Hoseok are looking for openings too."

Taehyung was still a little thrown off by the revelation. "Huh. Well, okay then. I guess I just didn't really think about what their days would be filled with." He grabbed his own already filled backpack and motioned Jungkook towards the door. "So, what do we do on normal days? Go to school and then the studio right after..?"

They were walking together through the hallway and Taehyung couldn't help but feel some relief that the younger boy was willing to talk to him today. He was nervous enough as it was; he didn't want to have to figure out the new school and routine all by himself. Jungkook cleared his throat as he pushed open the door to the building and stepped out onto the cold streets.

Luckily, they had both had the foresight to grab their coats on the way out. Sometimes, with how warm Yoongi liked to keep the apartment, it was easy to forget that it was still the middle of winter outside. "Yeah, it's kind of rough sometimes. I'm normally already tired when we make it to the studio. But classes all day; when those let out we head to the studio and practice until dinner and then go home. Do the whole thing over Monday through Friday. Then on the weekends we have double schedules like we did last week. It's pretty… exhausting."

Taehyung nodded along, feeling slightly overwhelmed already. "Hey, thanks for letting me walk with you. I'm… sorry about all the shit that's been happening. I hope- Well, I'll try not to bother you too much at school."

Jungkook shook his bangs into his eyes, something Taehyung noticed was his way of trying to avoid eye contact. "Oh. Yeah, it's all good. Don't worry about it, man." Tae nodded and they walked on. They didn't really speak again until it was clear they were getting close to the high school.

The sun had fully risen from behind the horizon and was now lighting up the bustling streets filled with other teens in school uniforms just like Tae and Jungkook's. "Well, this is it. I think, you'll probably get your schedule in the office or something." Jungkook pretended like he didn't know; like he hadn't been just as new to this school not that long ago. He grimaced at the older boy and pled with his eyes when he asked, "Do you need me to show you around?"

Taehyung could tell that this was the absolute last thing Jungkook wanted to do. The younger boy was glancing around them at the students that were passing, possibly making sure no one he knew saw them together. That was a little painful, but Taehyung understood. Jungkook clearly didn't want any extra attention brought onto him.

"No, I'll be okay. Could you at least-" But Jungkook was gone in a flash, and Taehyung was left alone on the steps leading up to the three story building. He glanced around and noticed a group of girls whispering behind their hands and conspicuously pointing at him. He groaned internally. He loved girls, to be friends with, but… His fear of confession was so rampant that he pulled away from any female attention. He hoisted his backpack up his shoulder and pushed into the building.

It wasn't all that dissimilar to his old high school. Sterile, tile hallways with lockers and hand-made posters lining the walls. But his old school had been filled with familiar faces and there was no one familiar here. It hit him once again how out of his element he was. Taehyung glanced around desperately for some sign of the front office and luckily it was well-positioned very near to the entrance.

The woman manning the front desk was kind and looked him up on the computer in order to print his schedule and provide him with some kind of instruction on how to get to his first class before turning away to help the next student. So Taehyung just kind of strode through the hallways, glancing around at his fellow students to try and get a feel for who he would get along with. His first class was Trigonometry, of course his least favorite, but he found the room easily and slid into an empty seat towards the back of the room. He hoped it wouldn't be too painful.

When the teacher arrived to begin class, she overheard the students whispering about the new transfer student in the back and so of course she made him stand to introduce himself. "I'm Kim Taehyung. I just transferred here from Daegu," He heard someone in the room whisper 'Yeah, we could tell.'

He didn't let the comment shake him. He refused to let this school be a repeat of his last, where he was either ignored or found to be too weird to conceivably not bully. So he flashed his best imitation of an idol smirk and continued, "I'm here as a trainee for an idol company. We'll be debuting soon."

Well, the last part was a lie. He had no idea when they would be debuting, but the impressed looks and envious glances he got made the fib worth it. Taehyung sat back down feeling better now that people seemed to at least be curious about him for something other than his weirdness. Class began and he fell quickly into the normal rhythm of staring out the window and largely ignoring the lesson. Maybe this wasn't all that different from home after all.

When class was over and the teacher dismissed them, a tall, muscular boy sitting at the desk diagonal from Taehyung leaned over to get his attention. "Hey, I'm Moonsoo." Taehyung greeted him in return as they exited the classroom together. "My younger brother just became a trainee at JYP. What company are you with?"

Tae blanched. Everyone clearly knew JYP, but he doubted very much that anyone had heard of BigHit. And now the brag he had found so brilliant only an hour before now seemed like a giant pile of shit he had walked right into. But he wanted to be honest, so he said sheepishly, "Oh, it's a little company. You probably haven't heard of it. We're… Kind of up and comers I guess."

He fully expected Moonsoo to scoff at him and walk off, because, you see, Moonsoo looked way more like idol material than Taehyung. He was gorgeous, to put it bluntly. His hair was a shiny black that was perfectly styled into a towering coiff, he had large diamond studs in his ears and his teeth were quite possibly the straightest, whitest, most blinding teeth Taehyung had ever seen. Even his uniform, which should have been just a standard issue one like the one Tae was wearing, looked like it may have been tailored to fit his muscular frame.

Taehyung's own brain betrayed him and began to really try visualizing what kind of chest was under the uniform top, but he forced it down quickly and swallowed the lump in his throat.

Moonsoo did not scoff. He instead flashed those perfect teeth and threw an arm around Taehyung's shoulders as if they had been friends their whole life instead of just having met 20 seconds ago. "That's all good, dude. Tell you what, why don't you find me at lunch? You can sit with me and my crew. So you aren't alone."

It seemed genuine, but was also such an abrupt invitation that Taehyung faltered. Was this guy setting him up for some cruel shit? He didn't want to walk into something like an idiot. But Moonsoo must have been pretty observant because he noticed the hesitation and chuckled aloud. "I'm not fucking with you. We aren't a hazing group. I just thought you might like some company at lunch. It can be pretty awkward to eat by yourself and the cafeteria is just insanely cliquey, you know? But hey, it's totally up to you. No pressure at all."

And then the tall boy was gone. And Taehyung's shoulders were cold. And there was a new group of girls giggling at him in the hallway, but this time it seemed to be related to the actually attractive man that had just walked off. So Tae wandered around until he found his next class; and then the next and the next, until finally, it was lunch time.

He thought he had seen Jungkook in the crowd between classes a few times, but the person had disappeared before he had gotten a good luck. He had meant what he'd said, he wouldn't bother the maknae if he didn't want to be seen with him.

Moonsoo had been right, the cafeteria was extremely cliquey. There wasn't an empty table in sight. And unless you wanted to sit with the other outcasts that had no one to sit with and therefore congregated in silence, you were pretty limited on your options. So Taehyung was relieved when he saw Moonsoo rise to his feet and motion him over to the empty spot at his already extremely crowded table.

Introductions were made, but there were so many that they all blurred together and Taehyung decided he would just refer to everyone as 'hey you' until he could really put in the effort to learn all the names. So far, there was no "Sike! You can't sit here you fucking nerd!" thrown at him, so he settled in to eating the lunch Jin had so lovingly packed him. Everyone else was eating cafeteria food, but they didn't make any comments on his own packed lunch.

It was all going fine until he heard on of the girls across the table whispering to her friend about some guy in one of her classes. Tae wasn't all that interested in the conversation until he heard Jungkook's name fall from the shorter, plumper girl's lips. That got his attention extremely quickly.

"Like, he's cute, in a kind of toddler throwing a temper tantrum way. But I don't see him as potential boyfriend material or anything." The taller girl sneered through dark plum lipstick. "Besides, I heard he just plain ignored the last girl that hit on him. Like he left her just standing there. Didn't say anything. She was so humiliated, she puked. He seems like a prick."

The plump girl opened her mouth with the clear intention of arguing, but Taehyung cut in before she could speak, or before he could think better of it. "He's not a prick. He's just shy."

They both stared at him, not really sure of what to say in response to that. Moonsoo broke in, "Oh, do you know Jungkook, Taehyung? Jeon Jungkook, that is. I think there's a few Jungkooks in the school, you know."

Taehyung nodded once and returned to his meal. He was so stupid. Keeping his mouth shut and leaving Jungkook alone was pretty much the only thing he had been asked to do by the maknae. He had already fucked that up.

"How do you know him? I thought you just got here." Tall girl asked skeptically. Taehyung noticed passively that neither she, nor the plump girl had eaten anything since they sat down. Instead, they were both sucking on pieces of ice they had filled cups with at the soda machine across the room. That's… probably not healthy.

He shrugged. "Oh, he's just a trainee with me. We're in the same group."

Well that just changed everything. Suddenly plump girl and tall girl were enthralled. "Oh my gosh, he's going to be an idol too? You should totally introduce us! Or just give us his number and we'll skip right to that.

"Isn't he a little young?" Taehyung was uncomfortable now. Something told him that Jungkook would definitely not want these girls to have his number and he had no intention of giving it to them. In fact, just the thought of them messaging the sixteen year old, flirting with him as openly as they seemed to be willing to, made Taehyung's stomach turn. "He's only sixteen."

"Uh, we're only fifteen. How old are you? You look like a baby. No, wait- like a fairy." Tall girl laughed at the double meaning. Fairy, gay. Fantastic. And so it begins.

Moonsoo cut in before things got out of hand. "Taehyung's a senior with me. We're in the same Trig class. And calling someone a 'fairy' isn't cool. I've explained this to you two."

And that's all it took to put the whole thing to rest. Moonsoo seemed to have some sort of power over, not just the girls, but everyone in the group. Taehyung wondered what he had gotten himself into, but he wasn't too overly concerned. School drama was just school drama. And in five more months, it would all be behind him.

They all returned to more mundane conversations, and Taehyung was left to eat his lunch quietly while observing said conversations. Tae connected eyes with Moonsoo, who grinned openly at him. The guy seemed cool. Way too cool to be hanging out with Kim Taehyung. But he would take it for now. He didn't want to spend the next few months all alone at school. All in all, it wasn't a bad first lunch.

The rest of the day passed by in a blur that looked identical to the morning. As each class began, Taehyung stood up to introduce himself, although he left out the trainee part now so as to not gain too much attention. No one was mean to him, but no one paid much attention either. Before he knew it, the day was over and he was waiting for Jungkook outside on the steps as the maknae had told him to do in a text earlier in the day.

He hadn't been waiting long with the younger boy appeared, grabbed him by the arm of his coat and dragged him quickly away from the school. "Let's get the fuck out of here."

Taehyung stumbled to keep up despite their similar leg lengths. "What's wrong, Jungkook? Was your day bad?" No answer. "Can we please slow down? I can't walk this fast." Not that he was really walking; more like being dragged through the busy streets of Seoul trying to avoid being hit by a rogue taxi cab.

"Oh, sorry." Jungkook slowed and let go of Tae. "I just hate that place so fucking much. I'd give anything to just not go."

"Why? Do you not like your classmates?"

Jungkook chuckled but it was devoid of any actual humor. "Fuck no. I tend to operate on the assumption and belief that everyone fucking sucks and I hate them just on principal." This was new. Jungkook had always been stand-offish, but never blatantly hateful. "I can basically only stand you guys. Fuck everyone else."

The confession seemed to slip through his lips without any forethought. Jungkook's eyes widened for a moment before narrowing back into a glare. "But whatever, let's just get to practice."

Something in Taehyung's chest swelled. Jungkook didn't hate him; or at least that was the case if he was looped in with 'you guys'. And that felt good. Knowing that deep down, Jungkook did at least tolerate him. And that mixed with the fact that he may have actually made some friends that didn't think he was a freak, made this his most successful first day of school ever.

And that night's dance practice and vocal lessons seemed to be the best they'd ever been too.