happy fridayayayayay
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Life was moving very fast for Jungkook.

It always had, to be fair, but as of recently it was starting to feel like he was just going through one life changing event after another. It was like he had knocked over a domino without realizing it, and now everything was starting to fall down.

Within three weeks, he had gone from being a fairly bad teenager - to a wanted criminal with plans for a next hit. It was daunting, and it made his head hurt if he thought about it for too long.

The last time he had seen Jimin and Yoongi was almost a week ago now, which was when it was revealed to him that there was a possibility of a new heist in the works. This was both exciting, and scary.

Exciting, because this time around he would have Jimin's expertise and skill the whole way through. Scary, because it was just another step deeper into a life of crime. He knew that he shouldn't dwell too much on that fact because it was what he signed up for after all when he offered his help to Jimin.

He knew deep down though, that if his life wasn't on the line, he would have never chosen this option.

"Namjoon's been asking about you."

Jungkook was currently sprawled across Taehyung's couch, and had been focused on the television in front of him before he was snapped out of it by his friend's words. Taehyung himself sat on the floor in front of the coffee table, counting out whatever money he had made from the past week. "Apparently you really rubbed him the wrong way last time you saw him."

"All I did was stop letting him treat me like his bitch." Jungkook replied, wiping a few crumbs off of his chest and sitting up partially. "When did you even see Namjoon, anyway? I thought you stopped buying off of him."

Taehyung shrugged, a bored expression on his face as he tied a rubber band around a stack of bills and threw it on the table.

"I ran into him on my way to the corner store." He explained, Jungkook humming in response and glancing at the television once more. "I don't agree with him on much, but I'm not going to lie - he's right when he says that you've changed a lot."

Jungkook's eyebrows shot up, and he looked over to catch Taehyung's gaze once more. His older friend didn't look upset, but Jungkook knew that he was silently begging for answers. It had been so extremely difficult to lie and brush Taehyung off every single time the older boy asked where he had been or where he was going - but what else could he do to prevent this from getting worse?

"What do you mean by that?" Jungkook knew exactly what Taehyung was going to say. He was going to say that he was so much more closed off and distant. That he knew that he was keeping a handful of secrets hidden away.

"I feel like I don't even know who you are anymore." Taehyung's words were soft, but they dealt just the same amount of damage. "You're always gone, and when you come back you're covered in new cuts and bruises. You hardly even talk to me anymore, and when you do it feels like I'm talking to a shell of my old friend."

Jungkook gulped, looked down at the couch cushion to avert his gaze. There was hurt flooding into Taehyung's eyes, and it was too much to handle. "You always seem like you're biting your tongue. I know you robbed a fucking bank! What could be so much worse than that, that you can't tell me?"

Jungkook took in a shaky breath, curling his hands into fists beside him.

"Nothing, Hyung." It seemed like these two words were becoming the most common thing he would say to Taehyung nowadays - and it hurt because they used to be able to stay up all night talking about their lives and telling stories.

It was different now.

"Stop saying that!" Taehyung's brows were furrowed, staring Jungkook down as the younger male refused to make eye contact with him. "I'm losing my mind here! I am so terrified that one day you're going to walk out of that door and never come back! I have no idea what you're getting yourself involved with anymore, but I know that it's just getting more and more dangerous." He took a deep breath. "I can't just be a place to stay Jungkook, I used to be your best friend. Just tell me."

Jungkook's phone buzzed beside him on the couch, the younger boy being overjoyed to have a new distraction from this conversation with Taehyung. His eyebrows shot up in surprise to once he realized it was from Jimin.

The thief had given Jungkook his phone number the last time they had seen each other, stating that it was to keep him in the loop on anything that he may be planning with Yoongi. This was exciting to Jungkook. He now knew where Jimin lived, had his phone number, and knew a little bit about him. It was undoubtable that the older male had begun to trust him.

"Just remembered you still haven't given me the tapes back. Gotta hand it to you, you're damn good at distracting people." Jungkook read the text quickly, frowning softly at the words that he read. He really didn't mean to keep the tapes of him and Jimin hostage for so long, it was simply that it was just one more thing his overworked mind couldn't keep track of.

"Not distracting you. Just keep forgetting them." He typed back quickly, before throwing his phone back down and bringing his focus to Taehyung once again. The older male was sitting cross-legged, resting his head on his hand as he stared at Jungkook with an extremely tired expression.

He was hurting him, and he knew he was. It felt like the better option though, in comparison to letting Taehyung fall into the same position he was.

"I just don't want you to get hurt, Hyung." Jungkook finally confessed, breathing out a heavy sigh. "I've gotten myself tangled up in something that I won't be able to get out of nicely, and I just can't let you get involved with it too."

He clasped his hands together, looking up at Taehyung with sincerity in his eyes. "I know that you don't want me to deal with my problems on my own, but some of them... I have to."

Jungkook stood up, walking across the carpeted floor until he stood next to Taehyung. He sat down next to his friend, crossing his legs and turning his body towards him. "I can't share all of my burdens, Taehyung. I hate shutting you out, but I'd rather that than be the reason that you're in danger."

Taehyung's lips were turned down into a frown, his fingers fidgeting with the many rings he wore.

"I don't think you understand how hard this is to comprehend, let alone accept." He met Jungkook's gaze for only a moment, before dropping it down to the carpet again. "I just... I don't know. I don't want it to sound cheezy, but you're like my younger brother." He sighed heavily. "I know I'm not the exactly a role model, I just... I hoped you'd never end up worse than I was."

The atmosphere around them was tense. It was clear that their friendship was teetering on the edge of collapse every time that they spoke. There were just too many lies piling on top of each other and creating a net that they were both caught in.

Was it even worth it? The money? The luxury? Was it worth losing his friend over?

He placed his hand on Taehyung's knee, his frown only deepening when his action just made his older friend look sadder.

"I just don't want you to get hurt." He just kept repeating himself over and over again, because what else was he supposed to do? Being on Jimin's good side really meant nothing here, he knew that they were both good as dead if he told Taehyung anything about the older thief.

The whole situation gave him a constant headache.

"I already am." Taehyung sighed, looking at Jungkook with tired eyes. He looked exhausted, not bright and cheerful like he used to be. Jungkook knew that the reason for this, was stress.

Breaking through the otherwise deafening silence, both Jungkook and Taehyung startled when the older male's doorbell rang through the whole room. Jungkook watched as Taehyung looked over to his door with a raised eyebrow, confusion on his face as he slowly pushed himself into a standing position. Taehyung had frequent visitors, but it was clear that this time around he definitely wasn't expecting anyone.

This immediately intrigued Jungkook as well, who turned around in his sitting position so that he could catch a peek at the front door.

Taehyung shook out his hair and sighed before opening the door, expecting nothing but some random student coming to him to buy something. His rings clinked against the metal doorknob as he grabbed hold of it and twisted to open his front door.

It wasn't a student.

That much was clear about the male who stood on Taehyung's doorstep. His face was youthful, but everything else about him was mature. His silvery grey hair pushed off of his forehead effortlessly and exposing his natural brown roots. A white button up covering what Taehyung could tell was a well built body. Scars and bruises covering his knuckles profusely, but scarcely anywhere else on his body.

A black car was parked on the road behind him, the window rolled down so that whoever was driving it could see what was happening.

The silver haired male's lips were turned down into a resting frown, his gaze expecting as he stared Taehyung in the eye. Subconsciously Taehyung found himself taking a step back, immediately sensing something dangerous about the male who stood in front of him.

"Are you Taehyung?" The male asked, Taehyung not able to mask to surprise he felt when it became clear that whoever this was already knew who he was. He found himself nodding silently, too stunned to form words. "Thought so. Is Jungkook around? I need to grab something from him."

The moment Jungkook had even heard Jimin's voice coming from the doorway he felt sweat begin to bead up on his forehead. Jimin and Taehyung meeting was something he would have never wanted to happen. It would only cause for more lies to dance around, and a more complicated story to keep straight.

He found himself slowly standing up, keeping himself hidden from Jimin's view as he made his way closer to the door. His heart was practically beating out of his chest, feeling as if his two worlds were colliding in the worst possible way.

"Yeah, he's here." Taehyung's words made him freeze, burning holes into the back of his friend's head who refused to look at him. "Do you and your friend want to come inside? It's cold out."

As soon as the mystery male let Jungkook's name leave his lips, Taehyung knew that he had something to do with whatever was leaving Jungkook so distant. Eyes are said to be the window to the soul, and if that was true - then Jimin's was dangerous.

His eyes held no emotions - they were cold, closed off, and unyielding. There were recent cuts and bruises on his hands too, but they were healing. Right about the same stage of healing that Jungkook's bruises were in too. "Any friend of Jungkook's is a friend of mine, I really don't care if you step in for a bit."

Please say no. Jungkook hoped that if he silently pleaded enough, his words would visualize in real life. He couldn't hold up a conversation with all of them. He'd let something slip.

Taehyung watched as the male in front of him thought for a moment, before exhaling softly. He turned around, waving his hand in a motion that told the male in the car to come over.

"Sure."

—
a/n

Long chapter! over 2k words in this gah damn
hopefully I didn't miss anything while editing hehe

- Charlie :)