Archive of Our Own

"Mr. Kim?"

"Here."

"Mr. Jeon?"

"He's here unfortunately."

The class erupts into laughter at Taehyung's slight towards Jungkook.

"That's enough Mr. Kim."

Jungkook squirms in his seat glaring at Taehyung for the twentieth time this week. The prolonged eye contact sits heavy in his chest so he turns around to try to focus on Professor Jung's attempts to reign the class's attention back in and continue with the lesson.

Looking around the room, Professor Jung starts seeing the usual pattern of students dozing off during his lesson. He can see the blank stares behind the students eyes so he decides to make an announcement that he's sure will garner their undivided attention.

"Alright class, listen up!" he says with a smile on his face, "I have some exciting news for you all."

"What? Is Taehyung moving to Antarctica?" mumbles Jungkook.

Professor Jung loses control of the class once again as they start laughing at Jungkook's quip.

"That's enough you two! Take your problems somewhere else and keep it out of my classroom. In fact," he starts with a smirk on his face, "it would do you some good to take it to the library after class! Kim Taehyung, Jeon Jungkook, Park Jimin and Min Yoongi, you're in Group 1. I want a 20 page paper on 'History in the Early 19th Century in the U.K.' on my desk by Monday morning."

Before he can move on to distribute the names of the other group members, he's once again interrupted by a yell from both students, "WHAT?!"

"Why do I have to work with dumb and dumber?!" exclaims Taehyung.

"HEY YOU BRAT! Wait, who's dumber? Me or Jungkook?" Yoongi chimes in.

"I'll leave that up to your imagination." says Taehyung with a wink towards Jungkook.

"For this behavior" he says gesturing towards the boys, "you're going to have to learn to work together. Now sit down unless you want to get a zero on your participation grade," glowered Professor Jung.

They were aware there was no point in arguing with Professor Jung. He was fed up with the outbursts in class, the underhanded comments, and the incessant arguments between Taehyung and Jungkook. He knew that making them work together would either cause them to kill each other or to start working together, either way it was a win-win situation for him.

After a grueling thirty minutes, class finally ends and Jungkook finds himself lost in the horde of students shuffling out towards the library to work on their projects.

Jimin catches up to Jungkook as he's walking and introduces himself with a warm smile. As they're in the midst of introductions, Jungkook notices Yoongi and Taehyung off in the distance, walking towards them. With a scowl on his face he mumbles, "Great, here comes Kim" as Jimin looks up making eye contact with Yoongi. He turns away with a soft flush and smiles, "Come on, he can't be that bad. I mean Yoongi seems nice and if they're friends don't you think Taehyung is nice too?"

Taken off guard Jungkook mutters, "That's what I used to think but appearances can lie." After realizing what he said, Jungkook turns to Jimin to make sure he didn't hear him but Jimin is too distracted by the sight of Yoongi to even notice Jungkook had let that comment slip.

After a few seconds, Taehyung and Yoongi catch up to them, jogging to keep the same pace. Yoongi tugs Jungkook under his arm and tries to rustle his hair but Jungkook playfully shoves Yoongi away, causing the other to bump into Jimin. A small smile creeps up onto both Yoongi and Jimin’s faces as they face away from each other. The raven-haired boy watches Yoongi reddening as he attempts and fails to make eye contact with Jimin to talk to him, “’m sorry it was this kid’s fault” he lets out. Jimin just giggles saying "It's okay" with a blinding smile, effectively causing Yoongi to flush even deeper. Having watched the interaction occur, Jungkook can’t help himself but to snort at how oblivious they both are. Hearing Jungkook's laugh seems to snap Yoongi out of his shyness as he elbows Jungkook hard in the chest.

This exchange thoroughly throws Jungkook through a loop. Min Yoongi, the king of being blunt, is currently blushing from just hearing Park Jimin giggle at him. It looks like Jungkook is going to have to help his best friend out this time.

Yoongi looks up and notices the smirk on Jungkook’s face still hasn't been wiped off which only makes him more embarrased. Yoongi runs up and attempts to put him into a chokehold to shut him up before he can make fun of him but before he can even reach the younger’s neck, Jungkook had grabbed him and hugged him. “Hyung, you know you’re shorter than me right? Why do you try?” he lets out with a loud laugh.

What neither of them noticed were the two eyes piercing through both of their side profiles as Taehyung observed, fuming.

After a quick five minute walk, they find themselves at the library. As soon as they get inside, Jungkook sits down gesturing towards the seat next to him for Yoongi to sit. Before Yoongi can even get closer to the table, Taehyung rushes to sit next to Jungkook stretching his feet across the two seats across from them in order to prevent anyone else from sitting with them. With a slight glare towards Taehyung, Yoongi holds a seat out for Jimin and says he can sit with him, motioning for him to come over. Once again they both find themselves blushing at Yoongi's forced courageousness. Jungkook picks up on the nervous energy and decides he's going to intervene to give his friend a little push.

The afternoon drags on as they begin working on their project together. They had divided up the work into four equal parts, Jungkook taking the lead because it seemed like Taehyung and Yoongi couldn’t focus for more than thirty seconds at a time. Taehyung could feel his irritation climbing every time Jungkook would look towards him and roll his eyes. Unfortunately for both of them, they kept making uncomfortable eye contact. Every time Jungkook would shift, he would see Taehyung staring at him and quickly look down.

After the thirtieth time of feeling eyes on him, Jungkook's patience expires, "What are you looking at Kim?"

"Nothing much Jeon” he spits out almost venomously “I just wanted to see how long it would take you to read the same thing that I read in five minutes. So far you’ve outdone yourself taking an astounding thirty minutes. I think even snails run a mile faster than that Jeon,"

"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you but I finished that section twenty minutes ago and I'm working on the next section now. Maybe if we had a little less brawn and a little more brain on your part we'd be able to get this over with and I wouldn't have to bother you with my presence anymore," exclaimed Jungkook, "I know neither of us want to be here."

Taehyung takes this opportunity to keep pushing him, “Brawn you say? Bet you think about how I’m super strong don’t you.” he says with a wink towards him.

Jungkook flushes and tries to steer the conversation away from him, “The only thing I think about you Kim is when I calculate how many more semesters I have to deal with your insufferable jokes and miserable attitude.”

At this, Taehyung shifts in his seat to face forward and away from Jungkook. It seemed like that had struck a nerve. Everything they ever say to each other while they're arguing was nasty enough to hurt each other but it seemed like lately Jungkook had meant it more than he used to. On the other hand, Taehyung has been replaying the horrible night of Valentine's Day in his head over and over for months, and something in Jungkook's tone reminds him of it once more. Taehyung had thought that if he didn't talk to him anymore, maybe he could move on and forget that night but something in his heart was now telling him otherwise.

~~~~

Finally, the group finishes their research for the project and divides the writing up into parts to do over the weekend. They are all heading outside to go back to their dorms when Taehyung and Jungkook realize that they are alone leading the group. They turn around and see Jimin and Yoongi lingering by the entrance and walking along slowly, smiling at each other. Yoongi is carrying Jimin's books in his left hand and keeps awkwardly pushing his hair back with the right. Taehyung and Jungkook collectively let out a scoff as they see what is happening. They turn towards each other abruptly because of their reactions and realize how close they are standing. Jungkook quickly backs away and says "Yoongi never changes huh..." as he looks up to the trees to avert looking Taehyung in the eyes. Taehyung begins doing the same sort of chuckling at his response as he looks back at Yoongi and yells "Hurry up lover boy, I'm hungry!"

Yoongi looks at him with a grimace and turns beet red. Jimin looks down at his shoes and pretends he didn't hear anything.

Yoongi and Jimin start walking a little faster fueled by the embarrassment of being called out. When Yoongi and Jimin finally catch up to them, Jungkook takes this opportunity to pull Yoongi aside.

"So are you going to tell me or do I have to ask?"

"Tell you what kid?" he says, kicking a small pebble to avoid eye contact.

"I knew you would make this difficult," Jungkook giggles "do you like him hyung?"

Yoongi just nervously shakes his head and denies it. "What makes you think that? N-No! I don't," he stutters.

Jungkook stares at the blonde waiting for him to continue.

"Well I mean... he's so fucking pretty. He's also smart. He’s a total sweetheart Kook. Okay... Maybe I like him a little bit" he finally whispers.

Jungkook just laughs and shoves him slightly, "You're such a softy hyung. Good, I'm glad you're finally going to date someone who's worth your time. It's time to get over Mingyu don't you think?"

Yoongi nods in agreement and looks down at his feet contemplating his next move.

From the side, Taehyung is watching the whole exchange and can feel jealousy bubbling up inside of him. He recognizes the feeling and calms himself down as he watches both of them return to the group.

He begins to question his own mind. All he can think about is the fact that he supposedly hates Jungkook and he shouldn't care if he is laughing with another guy, especially not Yoongi. Leaving their past aside, he should be happy because Yoongi is his best friend and whatever makes Yoongi happy should make him happy too. He's repeated his hatred for Jungkook in his mind over and over again like a mantra and it didn't seem to work because he was still always lingering on his mind. He's managed to partially convince himself that he hates him but there's this incessant nagging in the back of his mind questioning why it hurts so much to see him smile at another guy the way he had smiled at him before.

With a little struggle, Jungkook had convinced Yoongi to invite Jimin to the movies that night to "celebrate" that they are almost finished with their project.

Yoongi takes advantage of the fact that the four of them are together to ask Jimin but chickens out at the last minute. In a moment of panic, Yoongi adds in that Jungkook and Taehyung are going too so as to not pressure Jimin into thinking it's a date. He is too afraid Jimin would feel uncomfortable if he asks him out alone. After he blurts out his plan Jungkook and Taehyung both stare at him with wide eyes.

"What? I'm going where?" they both say at once.

"You're both so funny guys. Remember? We had planned on going to see that movie, the one with that actor you like. I think it was Choi Chulsoo," says Yoongi as he elbows Taehyung.

Taehyung catches on and looks at Jimin, at Jungkook and then back to Yoongi, "Oh yeah, I thought I told you that I wasn't going to go because I have a date with a special someone," he says as he smirks at him.

"Yeah, I bet that special someone is another random you’ll pick up outside of a frat tonight" scoffs Jungkook, "it's okay Yoongi hyung, I'll go with you guys. It'll be fun."

Taehyung turns and looks at Jungkook while saying, "You know what, never mind. I can always meet up with my date tomorrow,” he says towards Jungkook, watching his reactions, “Let's go watch the movie," he says walking ahead.

~~~~

Later that night Yoongi has to essentially drag Jungkook into the movie theatre because he is adamant about refusing to go anywhere with Taehyung.

Due to all of the ruckus that the two are causing, Taehyung keeps looking over at them. His eyes land on Yoongi's thin hand holding Jungkook's waist as he's trying to pull him along. He’s fuming with the sense of possessiveness that overcomes him. The brunette gets tired of seeing Yoongi holding Jungkook like that and forcibly pushes himself to stand in between them. Jungkook immediately stiffens because of the close proximity to Taehyung. Attempting to get as far away from the Taehyung as possible, he runs to catch up with Yoongi only to be blown off and ignored due to the other's focus on Jimin.

Finally Taehyung, being sick of his behavior, grabs his hand pulling him off to the side and says, "They want to be alone. Just leave him alone for once! Is it that bad being with me?"

Jungkook is frozen. He should expect that from him, but their exchange of harsh words over time has managed to hurt Jungkook to the point where he is about to snap, "You're the one that hates me remember? If you're going to be such a jerk about this don't even talk to me the rest of the night," he retorts and walks away from all of them.

Taehyung lets him walk into the theatre and take his seat, trailing behind him. He cautiously takes the seat next to him, sitting in the row behind Yoongi and Jimin. Jungkook glares at him as he sits down and in response he murmurs, "Yoongi told me not to leave you alone," as they both turn their bodies away from each other.

Finally the movie is starting and the uncomfortable silence is broken. The movie begins with a club scene. There is a group of people dancing and suddenly the two protagonists lock eyes from a distance. The music fades and they stare into each other's eyes realizing that they have met their soulmates. Taehyung glances at Jungkook as he is watching the movie and smiles to himself at the wonder radiating from his person. Jungkook is eating popcorn mindlessly and watching the movie, with a gleam in his eyes that rivals the stars in the sky. "Nothing's changed," he thinks to himself as he starts to remember all of the time they spent together. He soon realizes that spending time with the younger is only going to bring back the memories of the good times and unfortunately is going to stir up the memories of everything that happened on Valentine's Day.

~~~~

Valentine's Day

This is the first Valentine's day Taehyung had been looking forward to. He had never really found himself looking forward to this "holiday" because he never found anyone he wanted to share it with. But today was a little different. Today, Taehyung walked into his fraternity party with a plan. He had finally decided to tell Jungkook how he felt about him.

Taehyung had ordered him a custom necklace charm that was meant to hold a grain of sand from their favorite beach. The beach where Taehyung had first realized he had fallen for the younger. After picking it up, he walked into the party with his nerves on fire and asked around if anybody had seen him, as the younger had already texted him saying he was there. One of his frat brothers mentioned he had seen Jungkook going into his room, so Taehyung headed there with a smile on his face.

He was practicing his speech in his head over and over again as he walked there in case he froze up from his nerves. The door to his room was slightly ajar which only made his nerves spike. As he was about to open it and go inside, he looked in and saw Yoongi and Jungkook hugging on his bed. He stumbled backwards and rubbed his eyes. He wasn't seeing things. It was Yoongi and Jungkook. When? How? Yoongi had always told him Jungkook was just his best friend. But then again, Taehyung had always told Yoongi the same thing and look where he is now. As the realization sank in, It felt like everything came crashing down around him.

Taehyung walked away from his bedroom with his heart shattered. Everything he had planned to say to Jungkook had left his mind and all he could think about was the betrayal he felt on the part of his two friends.

The scene was replaying in his head. He kept seeing Jungkook and Yoongi together, and in his room. He walked out to the dance floor and just stood on the side in silence, looking off into the distance trying to sort his feelings out. He couldn't believe he actually thought Jungkook felt something for him. Jungkook and Taehyung had promised to always be there for each other, regardless of anything. Jungkook knew him better than he knew himself. He knew all of his secrets and his dreams. He knew what made Taehyung happy and what made him sad. They had not been apart for longer than 24 hours since they had met. Taehyung actually thought that maybe, just maybe, Jungkook had fallen in love with him too. He thought those nights they had cuddled close to one another basking in each other's warmth because neither could sleep, and those yearning looks they shared across the room when they were out with friends had meant the same to Jungkook as they meant to him. It took getting his heart ripped out from in front of him to realize, everything had all been in his own mind.

His two best friends were together, and where did that leave him? Friendless and loveless. He had made the mistake of falling for Jungkook and never questioned whether or not he may have feelings for anyone else.

He was lost in his thoughts when suddenly Yoongi came up to him and stood next to him. He saw Jungkook sit down about five feet away from them without greeting him and all he could do was laugh at how little he mattered to them. He could sense how awkward Jungkook was, but Yoongi on the other hand was acting as if nothing had happened.

They were standing in silence until Yoongi asked, "Hey, so did you invite anyone here tonight?" taking him off guard. Taehyung didn't know what he was getting at. "No. Why should I? Isn't the point of parties to meet new people anyways?" he said looking off into the distance. Yoongi continued, "Well since you’re not here with anyone, I’m leaving this brat with you. Since the two of you don’t have dates, maybe you can enjoy each other’s company a little tonight" sensing Taehyung's hesitation he went on, "Come on, are you just going to leave this cutie sitting there?" Taehyung was fuming. He kept replaying the scene from his bedroom in his head and trying to make sense of the situation. If they were together then why was Yoongi trying to get rid of Jungkook and leave the latter with him? Taehyung turned and looked into Jungkook's eyes, looking for a semblance of an explanation. The minute they locked eyes, Jungkook abruptly turned away avoiding eye contact. With all of his bubbling up frustration reaching its limit, Taehyung exclaimed "Why would I want anyone else's rejects? Do I look like a good Samaritan to you? Am I here to pick up scraps no one else wants?" He could not bring himself to look at his friends before he stormed off.

Taehyung was livid. The only explanation he had as to why Yoongi would say that is that he had rejected Jungkook and he was pushing him off onto him. He wasn't taking anyone's sloppy seconds. His pride was already hurt enough as it is knowing he had been dumb enough to fall for a boy who didn't even give him a second glance.

Jungkook was listening to the entire conversation with his heart in his throat. He had asked Yoongi for help with telling Taehyung how he felt about him. He had been nervous because he thought it would ruin their friendship and Yoongi found him in Taehyung's room panicking and pacing around. He sat him down and explained it was better to be out in the open than to regret it later. Yoongi had been comforting Jungkook and convincing him to put himself out there. In order to calm the younger down and placate some of his fear, he had hugged him. Yoongi had always been like an older brother to Jungkook, and he couldn't be more grateful to have him in his life. But Taehyung, he had always been different. He had always been more. From the moment they met there was an immediate spark between them. It was like an invisible connection that made them forcibly gravitate towards each other. It had always been obvious to everyone around them except themselves.

Jungkook had come to terms with his feelings for Taehyung and was willing to bare his heart, but now that he heard Taehyung's response, he had wished the ground would swallow him whole. He was angry. He was hurt. He had prepared his heart for a rejection, but not for humiliation. For the short time he had known Taehyung, the older had seemed like everything he had ever wanted in a partner, in the man he loved. Taehyung had, at one point, respected him. He looked at Jungkook like he hung the stars in his sky and over time they became close friends, inseparable to no end. But now, how could he look his best friend in the eyes knowing how he thinks?

"A reject? Is that all I am to him? Does he think nobody else wants me? Apparently he's too good for me!" he shouted at Yoongi. Yoongi couldn't do anything but listen because he had no idea what had overcome Taehyung. "Jungkook, I swear I didn't expect him to react like this I'm sorry," said Yoongi as he held his hand and cupped his face to make him look up. Jungkook was on the verge of tears and Yoongi couldn't stand to see him like this.

Taehyung was pacing back and forth in the hallway. He knew he shouldn’t have acted so irrationally. It wasn’t necessarily Yoongi and Jungkook’s fault that he had his heart broken, because neither of them knew any better. He had finally decided he would put his friendship above his own feelings, and wanted to apologize for his behavior. Taehyung had come back in the room thinking he should apologize to them immediately. After all, they had all been friends for long enough that he felt they would understand. As he walked back into the room, Taehyung saw Yoongi holding Jungkook's face and his heart sank. He walked away knowing that he could never look at them together again.

~~~~

After that night, Taehyung avoided Jungkook at all costs and broke contact with him in every way possible. They would run into each other on campus sometimes, and the overwhelming need to pull Jungkook into his arms out of sheer longing would overcome him. Every time he would gather the courage to approach Jungkook, he would take one look at his face and would be crushed with memories of the younger fawning over Yoongi. At first, both boys acted as if they had never known each other. Jungkook was hurt by Taehyung's words and Taehyung was hurt by Jungkook's actions, so they both thought the only way to protect their own hearts would be to pretend they never existed in each other's lives. Every time they ran into each other on campus there were lingering looks and halted breaths as they caught each other's eyes. The ember of what once was there still burned and instead of dying out, it flamed into a false hatred for one another.

At some point those lingering looks forced their yearning to speak to one another. Taehyung's pride was still hurt. More than his pride, his heart was hurt because he lost his best friend and his first love in the same night. Instead of facing his pains head-on he started taking them out on Jungkook by picking on him. This led to their constant bickering and arguing. If he couldn't have him, he could at least keep him close in another way.

Taehyung felt stupid for caring so much. He hated himself for thinking he should have listened to his father, but after everything that happened it seemed like he was right.

At the end of winter break Mr. Kim had come on campus to drop him off and despite all of Taehyung's attempts to avoid it, he had met Jungkook. The fear of his father embarrassing Jungkook slowly subsided once he laid eyes on the boy he had missed so much. He knew Jungkook was charming enough that he'd be able to change his father's mind about "working class" people. Unfortunately for the both of them, he was wrong.

Mr. Kim, being the CEO of a large corporation, only cared about mergers and acquisitions. His love for his business and wealth had bled into his relationship with his only son. Any time Taehyung would even consider having a mind of his own, Mr. Kim would painfully remind him of his duty as Kim Youngsoo's son. Mr. Kim had been planning for Taehyung’s marriage from the moment of conception, sifting through countless offers with competent business partners until he would find one that would benefit him the most. Unlike Mr. Kim, Taehyung had been unable to discard his own emotions and from a young age, he had sought the warmth of love and familiarity in those around him. His constant distrust of others caused by the whisper of his father’s voice in the back of his head had been cause to many destroyed friendships and failed almost relationships. The emptiness he felt from his seclusion combined with the boy's want for love was slowly tearing him apart. When Yoongi came into his life with a gummy smile and an edge to his words, he managed to overturn all of Taehyung’s negative thoughts about trust and friendships. The moment Taehyung would begin to fall into the usual patterns of self-hatred and distancing himself, Yoongi would show up to his house with a smile on his face ready to soothe and comfort the younger some times and bite back when the other sought to hurt their friendship other times. With Yoongi’s help, Taehyung had become a social butterfly and managed to befriend many, but trust few.

Upon first glance, Kim Youngsoo had already made up his mind as to Jungkook's character. Focusing on background and upbringing, Mr. Kim decided that he was solely interested in his son as a meal ticket. He wasted no time in warning Taehyung about Jungkook's intentions. "Be careful son, it's the doe-eyed ones that take you for everything you have. You need to aim higher. Look for someone who can contribute to this family, not drag it down. What is a kid with no future going to contribute? He's probably looking for a one-way ticket out of mediocrity, and he's found it in you."

Replaying his father's words in his mind, Taehyung finds himself admiring Jungkook's profile. As a blinding light from the screen beams onto Jungkook's face, the older is able to catch a glimpse of Jungkook's sniffling face. He seems so enveloped in the film, he doesn't even feel Taehyung observing him. Somewhere deep in his subconscious, Taehyung knows he had been agreeing with his father's words out of spite, but as he sits there observing the other’s large, glistening eyes, flushed cheeks, and soft smile hiding behind the nervousness of his chewed bottom lip, he finds it hard to see what his father had seen. Now that Taehyung finds himself sitting next to Jungkook, finally able to admire him the way he wished he could for so many months, it becomes hard to think of anything other than the curve of his lips and the smiling eyes that used to greet him. "There's no way he's like that... You're wrong," he mumbles out loud. His outburst catches Jungkook's attention, the younger turns to him and stares confused. Once Taehyung realizes he accidentally spoke out loud, he clears his throat and quickly shifts in his seat to face the screen praying that Jungkook will pretend nothing happened.

Soon the movie is over and Taehyung realizes he hasn't paid attention to any of it. The close proximity to Jungkook hadn't allowed him to concentrate in the slightest. A large part of him still feels hurt at the unknowing rejection, but an even larger part is tired of enduring the hollowness left behind when Jungkook stepped out of his life.

Jungkook could feel Taehyung’s eyes on him throughout the movie. Having him within an arm's reach prevented him from turning towards the other to question him, for he feared that he might give in and reach out for him. He found himself fidgeting in his seat and a flush creeping up his neck at the unexpected attention. Enveloped in his thoughts, he found himself falling into the trap of remembering the good memories between them. He thought of the times before Taehyung had decided he wasn't good enough for him. Both too lost in their memories to realize it, they soon find themselves sitting staring at a dark screen once the movie ends. It isn't until Yoongi approaches them, Jimin trailing behind, that they regain clarity and realize they're still next to one another in a now empty movie theater.

"Hey guys, we have an idea. Since it's still early, do you guys want to head to our beach and walk around? You know, like old times?" Yoongi suggests with a bright smile, directed mostly at Jungkook. Taehyung stands up and walks out upon hearing Jungkook’s assent. The memories of their broken friendship had made him realize that no matter how far he tries to push Jungkook, he can’t stop himself from wanting to be close to him. But coming to terms with his feelings, he's not sure if he can handle another heartbreak.

~~~~

They drive up to the beach in Yoongi's car with Jimin riding shotgun. The front of the car is lively and fun with Yoongi and Jimin laughing and singing along with the radio. Meanwhile in the backseat, Taehyung and Jungkook are both facing away from each other in silence, looking out of the window into the dark night.

Eyes focusing on the single light of the fast-approaching beach, Jungkook begins to have second thoughts. Maybe he shouldn't have agreed to go after all. He knew all it was going to do was bring him more pain, especially due to the fact that the three of them would be hanging out on the same beach where only a year ago, they spent time enjoying each other’s company until sunrise, laying on the sand laughing and looking up at the stars.

The four of them arrive at the beach after a tumultuous one hour drive. Jimin and Yoongi take off walking alongside the shoreline and Jungkook and Taehyung stay behind awkwardly wading in the tide.

Jungkook looks in the direction that Yoongi and Jimin are walking and remembers how that used to be the three of them. Taehyung notices Jungkook staring in their direction and moves to stand in his direct line of vision effectively blocking him from being able to look at them.

"I need to talk to you," he mutters with the last ounce of courageousness he has left.

"What do you want Taehyung? I really don't feel like arguing anymore. I just want to relax" Jungkook says as he sits down along the shore.

Sensing Jungkook's rejection, Taehyung starts getting aggravated, "Who says I want to argue with you? I'm trying to be nice here."

"I'll believe that when hell freezes over. I know you hate me Taehyung. I heard you loud and clear every single day for past six months. I'm just asking you to leave me-"

"I don't hate you Jungkook..." interrupts Taehyung before he goes on.

He pauses, "Then why are you like this? You bother me, you argue with me, then sometimes you won't even look at me. You obviously don't consider me your friend anymore, if you ever even did consider me one, so what makes you think you can pretend to be nice to me right now?" spits out Jungkook in one breath. He is getting angrier by the second and Taehyung can sense it. Everything the younger had been bottling up was finally exploding out.

"I just wanted to stay away from you okay! I can't be near you! Do you understand? You're not good for me. What am I supposed to do if you don't want to be with me? I couldn't be your friend Jungkook because I have feelings for you!" exclaims Taehyung.

Jungkook could feel his muscles tensing as he makes a fist to not break out into tears, "I'm not good for you? I don't understand Taehyung. If this is how you feel then why are you even talking to me? Just leave me alone and move on! You can’t be my friend but you can’t leave me alone? I don’t know what you want from me Taehyung. Don't drag me into your dilemmas and play the victim card as you downgrade my entire existence."

"I... I didn't mean it like that. I’m just… Everything my father’s said is ingrained in my mind Jungkook. I’ve been repeating his words like a mantra these past few months because I had to get over you, I needed to get over you. You just make me so angry. I want to stop caring about you but I can't. I want to stop liking you. I wish I liked someone my father approved of. Trust me, if I had a choice in the matter I would leave you alone. But it feels like I don't. Even if I can't be friends with you, I can't stay away." Taehyung said; the pain in his eyes evident as he finally let out everything he had been holding in.

Jungkook looks at him with tears in his eyes. He finds himself tired. Too tired to take his mood swings anymore. Had Taehyung genuinely liked him, he would have cared about Jungkook's feelings too and not just his own.

"You're selfish Taehyung. Did you ever stop to think about how I would feel about this whole thing? Did you think about my feelings when you called me a reject? Or even just now, when you said your father thinks of me as beneath you, or that you wish you could like someone at your level? You are the most selfish child on Earth Taehyung and I want nothing to do with you, so go ahead and tell your father that his little boy is safe from the conniving 'poor boy'."

With a quick turn in his step, using every ounce of courage left in his body, Jungkook walks away from him and leaves him stunned. Taehyung truly hadn't been considerate of Jungkook’s feelings. He thought he only cared about Yoongi and not him. Now, looking back at his own behavior, he realizes just how selfish he had been in his actions and hurtful words. If he kept allowing it, his pride would only serve to turn him into someone like his father. He knew his dad had no reason for hating Jungkook but somewhere, deep down, Taehyung had been blinded by his own feelings of rejection and betrayal.

Jungkook is walking off in the distance and the older knows if he lets him walk away, there’s no coming back from it.

Feeling exhausted, Jungkook sits along the shore digging his heels into the ground and drawing lines in the sand. He can feel the tears welling up in his eyes. Everything that Taehyung had said was replaying over and over again. A small part of him had been relieved at hearing his former best friend did not truly hate him, but a larger part was disappointed and in disbelief. Had Taehyung truly cherished him the way he implies, he would have cared that Jungkook cried himself to sleep for the first month that Taehyung cut him off with no explanation. He had his heart stepped on like a welcome mat by the one boy he thought he could trust with his life. If Taehyung ever even considered him a friend, he would have longed for Jungkook in the same way he longed for him.

The sky is getting lighter as the minutes pass. They have lost all sense of time during this seemingly endless night. The stars are slowly disappearing into the daylight. As Jungkook watched the stars being consumed by daylight, he felt his worries begin to disappear alongside them. He closes his eyes and enjoys the feeling of the sunlight starting to wash over his body, warming him. He had forgotten how light he feels experiencing the sunrise over the horizon. The peaceful crashing of the waves is disrupted by the sound of someone approaching him, effectively snapping him out of his reverie. The faint smell of roses and sandalwood overtake his senses, immediately alerting him as to who is approaching him. In an attempt to grasp onto the last semblance of peace, Jungkook turns away from the meanderer, leaning into his knees.

"I'm sorry," the brunette mumbles.

"I know," says Jungkook monotonously.

"I know I don't deserve to even have you as a friend. I'm sorry for how I acted and I'm sorry for what I said. I realize you were right. I'm selfish. I'm selfish because I wanted to have all of you or none of you. I'm selfish because I want my life to be picturesque and I wish my family would accept you. I'm selfish because when I realized that you liked Yoongi, instead of being satisfied with you by my side as a friend, I decided to push you away and insult you and make you hate me, because it'd be easier to deal with than to admit how I really felt about you" he blurted out. “I just keep messing everything up. I can’t live without having you by my side, even if you’re just my friend Jungkook, I miss you so much.”

The sounds of the waves crashing onto themselves mimics Jungkook’s tumultuous heart as he attempts to make sense of Taehyung’s words.

After an apparent struggle with himself, Jungkook attempts to qualm his own worries. “You can’t have everything in life you wish for Tae. Sometimes you have to make a choice and most of the time you end up hurt. What I don’t understand is what made you believe I like Yoongi?”

"I saw the two of you at the Valentine's Day party at my frat Jungkook. You could have told me the truth. You could have told me how you felt about him so I wouldn't get my hopes up anymore. I saw you in my room," he says, the pain evident in his eyes.

"You mean you saw us talking? You saw Yoongi comforting me when I was panicking about confessing to you how much I liked you? Is that what this is all about?" Jungkook asked dumbfounded.

"Yes, I saw you toget- Wait... How much you liked me?" Taehyung says gaping at him.

"Yes you idiot. I was going to tell you that day and you ruined everything," sighs Jungkook remembering his harsh words. “The day of the party, I was preparing myself to confess everything to you that I had been forcing back. I thought you were my Taehyung, the kind, gentle, and loving Tae that had been by my side through everything. But you suddenly turned on me. You said things to me that I never expected to leave your mouth Tae, and I don’t know if I can forgive you for it.”

"I didn't know... I was going to tell you my feelings for you that day and I saw you with Yoongi. The only thing I could do was react in the only way I know how. I closed myself off and I lashed out on you both even though I know you didn't deserve it and I'm so sorry for it. The only thing going through my mind was that I lost the only boy I have ever loved and that I will ever love," says Taehyung. “I saw you two hugging and you seemed to be happy with him, so I just excused myself before I saw something that would hurt even more.”

"Look at us, we've both been hurting for months because of a stupid misunderstanding and all you had to do was talk to me and I would've listened. Maybe if you spoke up we wouldn't be in this mess," he muttered.

"You don't listen very well so how am I supposed to talk to you," says Taehyung with a smirk on his face.

"What do you mean? I'm listening right now," Jungkook spits out annoyed at his criticism.

"So you're not going to say it back then?" he asks.

"Say what?"

"I just told you that I love you and all you're doing is arguing about how good of a listener you are!" exclaims Taehyung.

A blush crawls up Jungkook’s neck as he finally processes the older’s words. Debating if his own heart was ready for this, Jungkook stayed silent. Was there any way he could trust Taehyung to love him throughout all the trials they’d face? Even if it meant going against his own family? If things had been this difficult to this point, they’d only get worse. How can he be so sure that Taehyung would be able to handle the bad times as well? As his mind is racing with these thoughts, debating whether or not it was worth his time in the end, he feels a soft grip on his pinky, pulling him out of his thoughts.

“You don’t have to decide anything now, I understand if you need time to think about things Kook. I just want you to know that I’m ready for this. I’m ready for you and me. Please trust me and give me one more chance to fix us.”

Jungkook feels the weight of his words in his chest as he locks eyes with Taehyung, watching the sun glimmering in the reflection of his sincere eyes. The soft smile that Taehyung only has for him, a smile that plays upon his plush lips radiating warmth. Everything about Taehyung screams at Jungkook to take the leap of faith, to finally come home.

"I- I don't know if I'm ready for this. I do love you," he finally whispered, “but we need to communicate better if this is going to work. I want to be sure that you and me are going to be okay.”

“I know,” whispers the brunette, hesitatingly approaching Jungkook, “I know we have a lot to talk about so I understand if you want to take this slow.” Jungkook grips Taehyung’s hand a little tighter, making the latter look up.

“We should take it slow but I do want to start this over with you. I miss my best friend. I miss having you in my life in any way possible,” the raven-haired boy muttered.

Taehyung bit back the smile threatening to surge from his happiness and slowly pulled Jungkook towards him into his embrace. “You know the first time we came here was the day I realized I had fallen in love with you. We were sitting on the shore laughing, you looked over to me with those doe eyes of yours and I knew I was a goner. I know that I haven’t made it easy, and I know I don’t deserve a chance with you, but I also know that I couldn’t ask for anything more than this. I just want to be able to show you the greatest moments in life by my side. I want to prove to you that although we fight, distance ourselves over misunderstanding, or whether you choose to be solely a friend again, I will never leave your side again.”

Jungkook feels a lump in his throat as he tries to hold back tears. Sensing his emotions, Taehyung leans forward to kiss his forehead. This is the Taehyung he had known. This is the Taehyung that he had fallen for. The remnants of the cold-hearted Taehyung began fading away in his mind as this Taehyung, his Taehyung, took up the place he had reserved for him in his heart.

They both close their eyes, listening to the tide washing up on shore and feeling the warmth of the sun radiating onto their skin as they lay on the sand holding each other.

"Do you want to head back now?" asked Jungkook stirring from his spot.

Taehyung sighs as he admires Jungkook's features in the sunlight, "No. Let's stay here. I want to enjoy the place where we finally surrendered to our love with the sun as our only witness."

-The End-

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BONUS:

Farther down the beach, Yoongi and Jimin had taken a seat at the edge of the shore to talk. They had spent all night getting to know each other. Yoongi had found out that Jimin is a dance major who is only taking their shared history course to try to fulfill his history gen. ed. and would rather dance than sleep. Jimin found out Yoongi’s love for music transcends anything he’d ever seen before.

As Jimin watched Yoongi talking about music, seeing his eyes shimmered from happiness as he explained that he had managed to sell one of his tracks, he realized that he was too far gone. The small smile on Yoongi’s face as he spoke about the first song he had ever produced, made Jimin’s chest tighten. He wanted to keep that smile on Yoongi’s face forever if he could, and he was sure as hell going to try.

Yoongi finally noticed he had gone on about his music for a while and decided to turn the subject back around to Jimin so he could hear him talk again. When he turned to face Jimin he saw him already looking at him. The tender look in his eyes and the way his lip gloss seemed to shine in the sunlight made Yoongi forget what he was about to say.

Yoongi panicked and started turning away, “I wonder where these crazy kids went, I haven’t seen them in a whi-“ he turned back towards Jimin to see the latter sporting a soft smile on his face. Yoongi looked down quickly to avoid blushing even more profusely.

Jimin cut him off, “Yoongi hyung, can I do something I’ve been wanting to do all semester?”

Yoongi flushed red and snapped his head up to look Jimin in the eyes, “What is it Jimin-ah?”

Then slowly, Jimin leaned in towards Yoongi’s face, testing the proximity to see if Yoongi would move away. As he got closer he saw Yoongi’s eyes widening, but he didn’t move away. Slowly Jimin got so close Yoongi could feel his breath on his lips. Almost as if giving him a sign for him to reciprocate, Jimin finally spoke “I’ve been dreaming about this for so long hyung,”. At that, Yoongi finally pulled Jimin in and felt his plush lips against his own. Melding their lips together, Yoongi finally felt complete.