If Taehyung had one wish right now it would be for the ground to swallow him up.

Because anything- surely ANYTHING would've been better than this. To sit here and witness that heartbreaking look on Jimin's face, not knowing what to say as all the words were choked up in his throat. How? Just how on earth could this have happened. Yoongi in love- with him? Fuck, it sounded so alien. So taboo. He always saw Yoongi as an older brother- a hyung!

Right now, it didn't matter if Taehyung had subconsciously seen this coming as alarming as that was. He needed to know why Jimin was suddenly saying all this. Did Yoongi say something to him?

Taehyung started internally freaking out- oh no, did Yoongi actually tell Jimin that he was in love with him?! No. No way right? That didn't sound like Yoongi. He wouldn't do that. 

"Jimin," Taehyung breathed out. "How- no. This is crazy. Did Yoongi tell you that?"

"No."

Oh thank god.

"Then how-"

A loud groan left Jimin as his tiny eyes narrowed into mere slits. "I didn't need to ask him, Tae. It's so obvious." He took another swing of the soju like that was the only thing keeping him sane at the moment. "It's been so clear this whole time. It just took me a while to see it."

"See what?" Taehyung asked, eyes big, inching forwards towards the table.

"The way he acts towards you."

"Oh my god." Taehyung shook his head, doing his best to refute everything... everything that Jimin had told him and everything he was about to. How can he conclude that Yoongi loved Taehyung just because of the way he acted around him. It was absurd! It was illogical! 

"It's ridiculous!" He snapped, voiced getting a little loud though the fact that they were in public was the farthest thing he cared about right then. "How can you assume he has feelings for me just because of the way he acts around me?! His actions doesn't necessarily mean anything." 

Jimin scoffed and this was all getting very heated now. "It's not just that! He even does it in front of me."

What?

It took Taehyung some time to process that. He tried to compose himself a bit and continued with a softer tone this time. "What do you mean he does it in front of you?"

He watched Jimin suck in a deep breath. "Remember that one time back in college when you sprained your ankle. He picked you up because I couldn't be there to help you get home."

Taehyung nodded slowly, remembering bits of that day. Jeongguk wanted to drive him home but then Yoongi showed up and took him instead. 

"When I called him to ask for his help, he agreed right away." Jimin mumbled the last part. "Later I found out that when I called him, he was already leaving Seoul to go back to Daegu for work. He made a huge turn all the way back just to get to you." 

By now, Taehyung was left frozen. This couldn't be true right? No way did that happen. He didn't even think where Yoongi came from to pick him up on that day. He was too preoccupied with leaving Jeongguk standing there without so much as a goodbye. 

"It can't be..." He muttered, more to himself.

"He did the same thing on the night you wanted to leave to Daegu after the thing with Jeongguk's engagement- hah," Jimin chuckled again. "I can't believe I didn't see it then. Nobody- nobody would just rush right over to drive somebody that far at that fucking hour without feeling anything for them."

"Jimin..." Taehyung called, unsure of what to say at first. "He- he did all those things because you asked him to." He eventually reasoned.

Jimin shook his head, disregarding those words. "You know what makes all this worst. It's that a part of me already knew from the beginning that he liked you. The first time I asked him out after getting his number the night he dropped you off at our apartment, do you know what was the first thing he said to me when we were on our first date?" Jimin smiled in that helpless, broken way which felt like a knife had just pierced through Taehyung heart.

"Yoongi asked me where you were. He didn't even know that we were on a date and more importantly, he was expecting to see you."

And now that knife dove deeper into him. 

His gaze was starting to get blurry. It was torture to sit there and hear all this. He couldn't find the words to comfort Jimin because for once, he was the cause to the problem between Jimin and Yoongi. It was him; the source to this unfortunate issue. Taehyung's inability to respond to any of this led to Jimin continuing with what he had to say like a bullet train. The man was on a roll, listing all the times Yoongi cared for him in a way that a normal friend wouldn't. 

"Do you know that Yoongi hates western food. Yet he went to the diner you worked at all the time. But of course I don't have to tell you this. You obviously already know seeing as he's being doing this way before I met him." Jimin exasperated, getting up from his seat as he leaned over the table to Taehyung who had his head hanging low.

"You still don't know what I mean by he does it in front of me now? He shows how much he cares about you even when I'm next to him. I was just too dumb to see it- or maybe I was lying to myself because I didn't want to believe the truth."

"Jimin-"

"He gets shy when you act cute, he can't look you in the eyes sometimes. The only person he doesn't smoke in front of is you..."

Taehyung finally looked up at Jimin who had watery eyes. His heart raced within his chest. The look on his best friend's face right now- he did this. Never in his life would he thought that he'd ever hurt Jimin in any way. Although now, for months Jimin had been suffering with his feelings towards Yoongi and Taehyung was by his side oblivious that it was him- he was the one standing in the way.

As clear as it was, Taehyung still didn't want to believe it.

No, it was just a misunderstanding.

This can be fixed.

Taehyung stood up, matching the other's height. There was a hopeful glint in his eyes, just barely flickering but it was there. "Jimin, maybe if you just talk to Yoongi. I-I'm sure he'd-" 

"No."

"But-"

"I said no." Jimin pressed, eyes getting big. "Yoongi's never to find out about this, okay. Knowing him, he'll apologize to you and he'll surely come clean to Jeongguk. You wouldn't want that now would you?"

It was at this moment when Taehyung finally thought about Jeongguk. Fuck! Let's just say that if Jimin was right and Yoongi did have feelings for him, then it'd be the end. He couldn't imagine how Jeongguk would react to all this. This wasn't a simple thing. No. Jeongguk and Yoongi were friends- good friends at that. What was going to happen to their relationship if this got out?

"See, you know I'm right. You're scared of Jeongguk finding out." Jimin commented.

Taehyung didn't like this. He didn't like this situation and especially not the way Jimin was talking to him. It felt all-too-familiar, like someone who had threatened him before... He didn't want to say that Jimin was threatening him right now but it sure felt like it; like they weren't friends, like they were enemies and it was saddening really.

"We don't know if it's true." Taehyung mumbled, now keeping his eyes on the table between them.

"Tae, I don't know what else to say. I think I've laid out all the facts already." A sigh. "It's okay if you don't wanna believe me but this is a first love type of situation. No matter what, you never forget your first love even if it's someone who barely talked to you at school a billion years ago. Point is, you never forget and to Yoongi, you're his first love."

It was getting hard to speak again. No matter how Taehyung looked at it, there was really nothing he could do to help with this problem between Yoongi and Jimin. What made things worst was the fact that Jimin refused to confront Yoongi about it and above all, he had to keep this from Jeongguk. 

"You're lucky Tae, you already found the one and the great thing about it is he loves you back..." 

And then he went on to say one thing that struck a nerve inside Taehyung.

"...so what would you know about all these fucking hardships."

Maybe it was the alcohol in Jimin that made him say that- yeah it was definitely that. Also, frustration and stress often made people say and do certain things they might not mean at that time. To Taehyung, he was already having a crappy day before coming here with the hopes that his best friend's company was going to make him feel better. This was the last thing that he expected.

While his chest rose and fell with slight anger and fists balled by his sides in suppression, Taehyung thought about the last time he'd gotten this mad. One thing he realized that getting upset wasn't going to make this situation any better. His poor friend was drunk for goodness' sake. Just let it go.

So Taehyung breathed out, keeping his gaze down still not wanting to face Jimin. "How can you say that?"

Then Jimin, like a completely different person, made an 'oh' face pretending to remember back. "Of course, how can I forget everything that you went through with Jeongguk." He scoffed. "I mean, I was right there next to you through every step of the way." 

As soon as he said that, Taehyung raised his head to look at him. "So let me be there for you too. Please, we can-"

"NO." Jimin snapped. "Don't you see," He hesitated a bit before- "You're the reason this is happening."

Oh wow, so it was finally out. Taehyung stood still though the ground felt like it was shaking, about to crack open and swallow him like he'd initially wanted it to. Only it was kinda pointless now because everything that needed to be said had been said. He had no control over his body to go after Jimin who was walking away right then, his frame getting smaller and smaller until it disappeared into a car that drove away. 

A cold tear rolled down his cheek but he couldn't feel anything. It wasn't the numbness from the cold weather- no. It was something far worst. The pain he felt from Jimin's last words to him burning inside him, making it harder to breathe like there was actual smoke coming out from him. 

As Taehyung finally grasp the reality that he was in right now, those words repeated itself on a loop in his head.

"You want to be there for me? Then give me some space."