Taehyung's POV

I managed to corner Jungkook before we went off to vocal rehearsal. He was standing to the side from the rest of the members with unfocused eyes and that goofy smile on his lips. As soon as our team meeting was finished, the majority of the members filed out of the room for the vocal room leaving just Jungkook, Jimin and I. I bit my lip and glared in Jungkook's direction.

"Hey," Jimin nudged me. "Give it a break won't you, it's just Jungkook."

I glowered at him. "What, as the maknae, he has the right to pick on me?"

Jimin was at a loss for words for a brief moment. "We all know, you're not the only one crushing on that Jaehwa girl."

I almost swung my fist at him. "I am the only one."

"Alright alright! Geez, you don't have to be so defensive about it."

With a scoff, I straightened my jacket and took a step towards Jungkook. The moment I did, he met my eyes.

"Hyung!" He beamed at me.

I said nothing. The mood was gone, I didn't want to confront him when he was smiling. Almost as if not noticing him, I turned mid-step and moved towards the door.

"Hyung, I asked Jaehwa out."

"Jungkook!" Jimin hissed at him, but it was too late.

There was no constraint as I grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the wall. Jungkook lifted his chin and snickered, licking his lips maliciously. He was, no doubt, taunting me.

"Why are you doing this to me?" I growled at him. "WHY!"

He ran a hand through his messy hair and grinned. "Hyung, dating is not allowed, and anyway, you deserve much better than just Jaehwa."

"Just Jaehwa?" I scoffed. "I don't think you're in a position to judge who I like."

"And you're not in a position to like anyone at all." He retorted back.

"And you are?" I bellowed.

There was a moment of silence where we just stared at each other, eyes filled with malice. The more we talked about this subject, the more irritated I was getting. It shouldn't bother me at all and yet, it was like I needed his approval before I advanced any further with my feelings for Jaehwa.

He wasn't giving it to me.

"Taehyung, let's just give it a res-" Jimin started.

"Tell me Hyung," Jungkook pushed me back, making me stumble backward. "When you signed that contract, did you ignore the fact that you weren't allowed to date?"

I could feel the fury rise up within me, nothing he was saying was getting through. My vision was starting to turn red from the absolute hatred and disgust I had against Jungkook. He was over-stepping his boundaries.

"When you have been training for years, how can you look at me and tell me you're going to sacrifice all of that? For someone like her?" He continued despite Jimin trying to shut him up. "How hyung?"

"I don't need your approval." I said, my voice was shaking. "I never did."

"Tae..." Jimin's voice was soothing, but it didn't help.

"What's between Jaehwa and I, does not need to be announced to every one." I muttered, not once losing eye contact with the maknae. "You can keep pretending that you have feelings for her, but I'm not going to buy it."

I turned away, done with the subject, but behind me, he didn't seem to want to let it go.
I felt a hand on my shoulder but could barely prepare myself before a fist came flying towards my face, crashing, and knocking me over. Next thing I knew, I found myself on the floor with Jungkook glaring down at me with a face full of a mix of pain and regret.

"Hyung, wake up." He bellowed. "You and Jaehwa will never have a chance together. I don't need to be the one telling you this!"

I watched him turn out the door without another word, head fuming with anger. He seemed just as frustrated as me and I had no idea why. Beside me, Jimin extended a hand to me, to which I ignored before pulled myself up to my feet.

"Tae, Jungkook is just looking out for you, you didn't need to be so harsh." He muttered eyeing my cheek warily.

"Me?" I scoffed at him. "Was I harsh? Who was the one that threw the punch?"

Jimin was silent for a while. "Well, you were taunting him, sort of."

"Don't." I held up a hand to him. "You're always on his side."

"What's that supposed to mean?" He crossed his arms. "I don't always take his side."

I almost burst out laughing if it wasn't for the stinging sensation still on my cheeks. It had always been one of the things we teased Jimin about around the house. For some mysterious reason, he always had a sweet spot for the maknae. It wasn't like Jungkook had never made trouble for him, it's just that he liked him better than everyone else.

"What is it?" Jimin asked me after a few minutes of silence between us. "We have to get to our vocal meeting, the hyungs will be-"

I shook my head, cutting him off abruptly. "I don't feel like going."

"Tae-"

Again, I shook my head, this time not taking no for an answer. Without another word, I stormed out of the room and headed towards my one and only safe haven. The place I can find peace at, the place that no one, not even Jungkook can take away from me.

The cafeteria, where Jaehwa and I shared our memories together, the good and the bad.

-----
Jaehwa's POV

I hadn't particularly wanted to work in the cafeteria, no matter how much I wanted to deny it, it was the place that Taehyung and I have been seen together. I scowled at the thought of lunch with the two boys.

Taehyung and Jungkook, why were they so clingy?

I wish Yoongi would be like that, how great would that be?

My grip tightened as I caught myself with that thought and immediately started beating myself over it. Working here at Big Hit, thoughts like that with any of the members was strictly forbidden, and Yoongi was definitely no exception. With a large sigh, I scrubbed furiously at the table with my cloth, my heart racing with the memory of Yoongi's face from just a days ago.

"Jae, you're here!" The familiar raspy voice called to me from the entrance of the cafeteria.
I froze, realising who it was that just stepped into the cafeteria. However before I could turn around and tell him off, something hard pressed against my back, pushing me forward slightly. I could feel the individual hairs of his head, poking through my sweater, prickling the skin on my back in a desperate need to connect with me.

Startled, I tried to turn around, only to be stopped by his grip on my arms. "T-Tae- V?"

"Don't do that." He murmured, his voice rumbling through my chest. "Don't call me by my stage name, even the fans don't do that."

Again, I struggled to turn around to look at him. "Taehyung, what are you doing?"

His grip loosened slightly as if giving up. "What if they're right? We're not meant to be together?"

"What?"

"What if, I'm just..." His voice drowned out and the next thing I knew, Taehyung was sniffing behind me.

A stab of guilt pierced through my heart as I felt him wipe his eyes angrily with his arms. With his head still pressed against my back, we stood in the middle of the cafeteria without speaking to one another. The sound of his sniffing echoed in my ears and I too found tears starting to roll down my cheeks.

It was strange, the two of us standing without looking at each other, both of us crying about something we want but could not get. Although I didn't want to admit it, Taehyung was definitely in love with me, and I to Yoongi, both of which were impossible.

I gave one last loud sniff and flipped around in my spot, spinning out of his grip to face him. His makeup was smeared around his eyes and his puppy-like eyes drooped with despair. I wiped away his tears and, with a swift pull, I brought his face into the base of my neck, holding him in a tight hug.

"It's okay Taehyung." The words flew out of my mouth as whispers, but in my mind, they came out different.

It's okay Jaehwa, it's okay.

Notes

Long time no update~

*is supposed to be studying right now but I ran off and decided to write this haha*

enjoy~~