(a/n: now it's time for the REAL conflict, bitches. *evil laugh* also, read the lil disclaimer at the end! it's not a triggering chapter or anything like that but it's just a little note from me!)

it was the following day.

taehyung had accepted the date invitation despite jimin's efforts to deter him from doing so.

jimin felt kinda bad since he knew that there would be an absolute meltdown if jeongguk found out about this. he felt that it was his responsibility to talk taehyung out of it but he failed.

god forbid jeongguk hears about this. he thought.

now, jeongguk was a chill guy in the sense that he was easy to be around and easy to talk to. nonetheless, when he first came to the school, people thought they could pick on him since he was a younger kid and one of the "artsy nerds". however, they soon learnt that although jeongguk found joy in things like photos, films and drawing, he wouldn't hesitate to beat the shit out of you.

jeongguk knew he wasn't a pushover and he made sure that everyone else knew that too.

he was kinda soft but still deadly. exactly how he earned the nickname "muscle bunny" around campus and people introduced him to new kids by saying "the one who looks like a sport major but is actually artsy as fuck".

whenever an inspector comes to the college, they always assume that jeongguk is one of the jocks and they give such a taken aback look when he tells them that he takes classes for photography, film-making, media and the sorts.

jeongguk doesn't exactly dress "like a jock" either so he didn't really get how people were still mistaking him as a hetero, douchebag, quarterback but he honestly didn't care.

as long as people knew not to mess with him.

he got bullied in elementary for being so quiet and weak. then he got bullied in middle school for having bunny teeth and still being as shy as he was in elementary. then he got bullied for the first two years of highschool for being the mute kid who carried a camera around his neck and spoke to no one but his 5 friends; he wouldn't even speak to teachers.

after all of that, in his third year of highschool, he came back looking hella ripped and everyone was so confused.

"is that the weird kid who carries around the camera?"

"since when did he work out?"

"is it just me or did he get way taller?"

"yo, his arms though."

"since when was jeongguk hot?"

ever since he started working out, talking back to bullies, defending himself and being more outgoing, he's always been a popular kid.

popular girls wanted to date him, jocks wanted to befriend him, the so-called "nerds" were scared of him.

but he never changed.

in front of his six friends, he was still the same funny, shy, quirky, bunny-like kid that they met years ago.

he never dated any of those bitchy popular girls, he never hung out with the football team and he never bullied the "nerds".

he was only strong in front of other people because he didn't want to be picked on again.

he was scared of people not liking him again.

he didn't want people to hate him like they did back then.

he knew that basing yourself on other people's opinions wasn't healthy but he didn't care. because he needed that feeling of being loved and looked up to. he needed that feeling of acceptance. the feeling of social security.

validation.

because of this, only one thing about his character changed.

he became possessive.

selfish, if you will.

he went from feeling so small to feeling so big in just one summer so of course it would mess with his head a little.

now that he had everything, he clung to that with all his strength.

so when people tried to take things away from him, he didn't take it lightly, even if it was only a small thing.

on another note, as he grew up with taehyung, he saw how his parents belittled the boy. but because of his shy personality, he never talked to him about it. he didn't know how to.

but once he was able to defend himself and he had built up his tough exterior, he took it upon himself to protect taehyung. to be his shoulder to cry on. to listen to him. to hug him. to whisper comforting things to him. to look out for him. to defend him.

taehyung was the person who reminded him that his strong exterior wasn't all for nothing.

the person who gave him purpose.

he wanted to keep him safe.

sure, they had been "enemies" since birth but that only made them closer.

jeongguk didn't only protect taehyung. he looked out for all six of his friends, and even if he saw a random kid getting picked on, he'd always step in.

jeongguk knew what it was like to feel helpless and he never wanted other people to feel that way.

all that being said, jeongguk's posessiveness mixed with his desire to protect people wasn't a good fusion in a lot of situations.

in jeongguk's selfish mind, taehyung was his. sure, he'd never try to control taehyung or force him into anything but that didn't stop him from getting mad about situations like the one at hand.

he'd never act like taehyung was his but that never stopped him from thinking that he was.

when jeongguk saw taehyung with anyone other than him or the other five boys, his thoughts would repeat the same word.

mine, mine, mine.

he knew he was selfish but again, he didn't really care. to him, as long as he never acted upon this selfishness then it was alright to think that way.

along with his possessive nature, came his "knight in shining armour" persona.

if he got bad vibes from someone, he'd never let any of his friends go near them.

if someone insulted or made fun of his friends, joke or not, he'd take it personal.

in his eyes, he was the only one who was allowed to annoy and poke fun at his friends. if anyone else did then they simply had a death wish.

that's why jeongguk's group was the group no one ever really messed with. it's because jeongguk never let them.

the six other boys had talked to him about being too selfish and taking things too seriously but it never worked so they just accepted that it was just the way he was.

in terms of the situation at hand, jeongguk hadn't even met bogum properly yet. he's only ever said a few words to the guy.

but he already hated him.

the first few times he interacted with him, he noticed that he always seemed so smug for no reason.

he didn't like it.

now, he knew that bogum was a nice guy because despite his weird initial vibe,  he actually turned out to be pretty cool and he was always kind to his friends and other people at the school.

he was basically known as the "prince charming" of the campus.

so, jeongguk didn't hate him because he was a bad person. he hated him because he was trying to steal something from him.

taehyung.

in his head, taehyung was his. and in his head, he needed to protect him from bogum even if he wasn't a physical danger to him.

right now, he was sitting in seokjin and hoseok's dorm with the six other boys. they were having movie night, as per usual.

everyone was finding their spaces to sit.

jeongguk sat on the beanbag last time so he wanted to sit on the couch this time.

he looked across the couch and pouted, "i have no room~"

namjoon spoke up, "just sit next to taehyung."

oh yeah, there was room. it's just that the only space available was right next to taehyung. a person he wasn't too fond of at the moment.

he sighed, "i'll just sit on the beanbag."

he pulled the beanbag from the corner and, as he was about to sit down, someone spoke up.

"wow, you're so childish that you won't even sit near me?" taehyung rolled his eyes.

"shut up taehyung, there was no need for any comments." jeongguk said, attempting to shut down what he knew would be a new fight.

"well i'm sorry that you're being petty. you'd seriously rather sit on the floor than sit next to me?" taehyung glared.

"i said shut up."

"why should i?"

"because i'm not in the fucking mood to have another fucking argument with you! just shut the fuck up!"

as this was happening, the five other boys were watching quietly. not wanting to get caught in the crossfire.

jimin and jin watched with particular interest.

"no! i don't have to listen to you! and i'm not starting an argument. you're being a petty bitch." taehyung said with a strong attitude.

"so what you're saying is that if i was sitting there, you'd want to sit next to me?" jeongguk asked.

taehyung didn't answer.

"exactly! so shut the fuck up." jeongguk said.

"whatever! it's not like i care if you sit with me or not. you're not my boyfriend or something." taehyung yelled.

jimin and jin both winced internally.

"if you don't care then why did you even start this fight?! besides, i know i'm not your boyfriend. i think we ALL know who your boyfriend is."

even yoongi was speechless and worried at this point.

"what's that supposed to mean? huh?" taehyung sneered.

"oh, nothing. but maybe if you only came here to pick a fight with me, you shoud've just stayed with your little prince charming." jeongguk teased, unplayfully.

no one could tell yet, but there was hurt behind his voice.

"oh my god, what is your problem with bogum?!" taehyung sighed, exhausted.

"oh, i dunno, maybe it's the fact that you ditched your best friends for some sweet-talker and then just waltzed back in out of nowhere and acted like you didn't treat me like a slave and forget all of us for two weeks!"

the room was so silent that you'd hear crickets if they appeared.

"if you wanted me to be okay with bogum maybe you shouldn't of fucking replaced me with him." jeongguk added, the pain now evident in his tone.

everyone else noticed but apparently taehyung didn't because what he said next set off a fire in jeongguk.

"well it doesn't matter and you can't control my life. if i want to go on a date bogum then i will. in fact i am, in two days actually. so instead of trying to own me, why don't you at least act like you're happy for me. you're supposed to be my best friend. be a good one."

jimin covered his face, scared for what was about to happen.

they all saw the look in jeongguk's eyes and they knew that it was way too late to try and calm him down.

the previous sadness he had was replaced with rage.

oh yeah, did i mention that not only was jeongguk possessive and defensive but he also had intermittent explosive disorder? it was passed down from his father. it was mild, which he was greatful for, but it was still there. the disorder usually begins development in childhood and teenage years. another reason why he got bullied. other kids thought he was weird because he was always so silent but would suddenly burst out in anger occasionally. they called him a freak for it but once jeongguk became more intimidating, they made sure to never provoke his temper.

his disorder was another reason that his parents encouraged him into working out in the summer. they knew that their son needed something to release his anger with since there were no specific medications for his issue. so, they let him take up boxing and payed for the personal trainer that he had for two years as well as practicing meditation and countless breathing exercises with him. it helped him a lot and his therapist was amazed with how well jeongguk was able to control his temper when he came back after the summer.

now jeongguk was eighteen. his outbursts weren't frequent since he still did boxing to this day and spent a lot of his spare time at the gym. however, recently they'd become more noticable.

everyone knew that it was because of "the taehyung situation" but, of course, they never said it out loud.

seokjin saw the look on jeongguk's face and he wanted to help but he didn't know how to at the moment.

taehyung was the one who calmed jeongguk's temper usually but this time he was the one who caused his anger.

"I'M NOT TRYING TO OWN YOU!"

seokjin stood up and walked to jeongguk slowly, reaching out to touch his shoulder, "jeongguk, i think-"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP! DON'T TOUCH ME!" he yelled, pushing him away.

taehyung watched the scene unfold and that's when he realised: i really shouldn't have said that.

jeongguk put his attention back on taehyung and looked at him with a stare that would melt holes through his skull.

"DON'T EVEN DARE SAY THAT I TRY TO CONTROL YOU CUZ YOU KNOW THAT'S BULLSHIT! I DO EVERYTHING YOU WANT ME TO AND NEVER ASK FOR SHIT BACK. IF ANYTHING, YOU THINK YOU CAN CONTROL ME."

taehyung stayed silent. he knew he was in the wrong.

jeongguk's fists were clenched tightly. he dug his fingernails into his palms that already had cresent-shaped scars on them. a bad coping habit.

jimin was sniffling quietly with his face agaist yoongi's chest. he hated seeing his friends fight so badly and he always cried when jeongguk had an outburst because it scared him.

yoongi was petting the small boy's head lightly, trying to ease his nerves although he was nervous himself.

hoseok and namjoon were watching quietly, wondering how they were going to fix this mess.

seokjin spoke up again, softly, "jeongguk, breathe please."

jeongguk tried to listen, he took a deep breath in but he still felt angry.

he took a step closer to taehyung and the older boy flinched.

"listen to me. i am your best friend, okay?! not supposed to be! i AM. so don't try and make me feel sorry for you when you don't fucking deserve sympathy! i've been nothing but good to you and then you expect me to be okay with you replacing me?! you've got to be shitting me, taehyung!"

taehyung had no reply.

"instead of telling me i'm a bad best friend, why don't you take a look at yourself! you're telling me to at least act like i'm happy for you? well if you were a good friend you wouldn't want me to pretend i'm okay when i'm not! i'm sorry that i'm protective over you but i'm not letting you sit on your high-horse and tell me that i'm a bad friend! don't EVER fucking DARE say that to me ever again!"

he was shaking.

he wanted to hit something but he couldn't since the only thing he saw was taehyung and he'd never hit taehyung. never.

"jeongguk-"

"don't fucking talk to me. since i'm such a shitty best friend. in fact, why don't you go complain about me to your little pre-school crush and just leave me the fuck alone before i end up hurting you."

"you wouldn't-"

"i know i wouldn't. but you don't seem to know that. i saw how you flinched when i got close to you. some 'best friend' you are, huh?"

with that, he stormed out, slamming the door so hard that it echoed down the hall.

as soon as he walked out, jin came chasing after him.

he wasn't about to leave a raging jeongguk wandering around the campus alone.

taehyung stayed there, looking at the floor in silence as a single tear rolled down his face.

his brother, namjoon, tried to speak up.

"tae-"

"it's okay. i don't care."

those were his last words before he walked out of the dorm, wiping tears as he left.

meanwhile, with jin and jeongguk

"gguk! jeongguk!"

seokjin was jogging after jeongguk who was stomping down the hallway, going nowhere in particular.

"what the fuck do you want?!"

"i want you to calm down!"

as the oldest of the group, jeongguk's parents trusted seokjin to make sure things like this didn't happen. he knew he had to try and fix this.

jeongguk kicked the wall furiously, trying to release some sort of tension.

seokjin gently touched his shoulder and spoke softly but clearly to him, "jeongguk i need you to calm down. can you do that?"

he didn't answer, he just continued to fidget.

seokjin sighed, "come, let's go to your dorm so you can chill out, okay?"

jeongguk simply nodded, refusing to speak.

he followed him back to the dorm and opened the door, letting jin follow him inside.

"you remember your breathing thingy?"

jeongguk nodded.

"good. isn't it three breaths in then count to four as you go out, first?"

jeongguk nodded and sat down with seokjin opposite him.

the next fifteen to twenty minutes were spent in jeongguk's room in silence. just breathing.

once it was over, jeongguk sighed and fell back onto his bed.

he finally spoke.

"why did i do that?"

"what d'you mean?" jin asked.

"i lost my temper with him. i've never done that before. why did i do that? i made him cry."

"but he wasn't crying, i-"

"i know him. i know he cried after. he definately cried. because of me."

seokjin sighed since he knew he was right. taehyung was too sensitive to leave an argument like that without shedding a single tear.

"you should sleep, jeongguk."

"i don't wanna sleep here."

"come, you can sleep at my dorm. i texted the other guys to leave."

jeongguk nodded and silently put a change of clothes and a toothbrush in a bag before leaving the dorm.

~ten minutes later~

taehyung had taken a walk around campus to clear his head. now he came back to his dorm, expecting to see his best friend but being met with nothing but empty rooms.

he sighed sadly and took his shoes off before laying in his best friend's bed.

when he was upset, he was always there to comfort him.

but not this time.

both boys fell asleep with the same thought.

this is all my fault.

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

•3093 words
•not edited or proof-read
•another updateeee and it's long as hell lmao XD
•i told you that this would be the REAL conflict and i wasn't lying :P
•i also used this chapter as a way to get to know more about jeongguk as a character since i gave taehyung a lil backstory so it was only fair!
•DISCLAIMER: i did research IED beforehand but if you know about it or suffer from it then please forgive me if you do find anything that's not 100% accurate♡♡♡
•s t a y  s a f e !
•love you <3

peace out xoxo,

nixy.