The room was silent as the remaining members glanced at each other, still trying to process what just happened. Jin's gaze was fixed on the floor where Jungkook had been minutes ago, eyes wide as the scene replayed in his head.

Namjoon's eyes were still locked on Yoongi's, waiting for him to determine the next step for resolving this issue. Yoongi, who was still stunned by what had occurred, didn't know what to say and started to regret letting the fight get as far as it did.

Sure, he understood Charlie's anger and felt like she had every right to retaliate, but as a leader, he should've stepped in sooner. "I think we should give them both a bit of time to cool down. I'm sure neither of them want to talk right now, not after what just happened. I've got Charlie, do you think you can talk to Kook?" he requested, waiting for a response from Namjoon, who simply nodded before watching Yoongi trudge off down the hall to his study.

Namjoon let out a heavy sigh, dismissing the other members as he tried to think of how to best approach Jungkook about this whole situation. He plopped down onto one of the couches, letting out a heavy sigh as he leaned his head back, running his fingers through his hair.

Hoseok, who was still standing in his spot, glanced over at his boss, walking over to the couch and occupying the seat next to him.

"What the hell happened anyway?" Namjoon asked, head still resting against the couch as he closed his eyes, trying to ease the slight headache that was forming from the commotion earlier.

"Charlie made a last-minute change to the plans and ended up in the enemy's crossfire. Jungkook didn't have a visual and told both her and Jimin to stand down, but she proceeded anyway and almost got herself killed in the process," he informed, leaning back into the cushions as he stared at the table in front of him, Jungkook's frantic voice replaying in his head as he had asked Charlie to stand down.

Hoseok could hear the way the younger man's voice shook slightly when he asked for permission to shoot, the desperation behind his tone evident as he waited for confirmation from Yoongi. He sat there silently next to Namjoon, both of them deep in their own thoughts. Namjoon finally raised his head and glanced up at the clock, letting out a small groan before standing up.

"I guess I better go talk to Jungkook," he mumbled, heading towards the stairs when Hoseok called him, causing him to turn back as he waited for him to continue.

"Let me talk to him," he offered. "I'm the one responsible for him, right? He was the one who got paired with me when they got recruited, so I'll talk to him. Besides, it'll probably be less intimidating coming from me. Trust me, I've got this," Hoseok reassured, offering Namjoon a sincere smile while the man stared back at him, taking his words into consideration before nodding in agreement.

Namjoon watched as Hoseok ascended the stairs, hoping that everything would go well. He decided to go talk to Yoongi and inform him of the change of plans. He knocked on the door to the study, not even waiting for a response before walking in.

Yoongi glanced up at him, clearing his throat before sitting up in his chair. "Did you need something?" he asked, a stoic expression resting on his features as Namjoon strode over towards one of the vacant chairs, sitting right across from Yoongi.

"I just wanted to let you know that Hoseok is going to talk to the kid, said it would probably be less intimidating than having me confront him. When are you going to go talk to Charlie?" he inquired.

"Soon, I just don't know what the fuck I'm supposed to say," he grumbled.

"You, Min Yoongi, actually have nothing to say? Well shit, I'm sure that hell is freezing over as we speak," Namjoon teased, earning a chuckle from his friend as he flipped him off while Namjoon grinned at him. There was a comfortable silence that settled between them before Namjoon spoke up. "Can I make a suggestion?" he offered, causing Yoongi to hum in response, noticing the serious expression on Namjoon's face now.

"Make sure she's in check, mentally and emotionally. That incident with Jungkook... she wasn't there Yoongi. She was back in her past, and you and I both know that things can take a dark turn when that happens," he said.

"I'll make sure to address it," Yoongi replied, lost in his own thoughts as he recalled the look in Charlie's eyes as she tightened her grip around Jungkook's neck. He let out a heavy sigh before getting out of his seat, focusing on the task at hand as he went to go find Charlie.

After her fight with Jungkook, Charlie had stormed off to the basement since she needed a release with all the pent up anger she still felt. She quickly wrapped her hands and worked through a couple punches, letting herself burn off the excess energy. When she felt fully exhausted and a little calmer, she unwrapped her hands and headed towards the medical room.

She tried to clear her mind of the fight she had with Jungkook as her thoughts shifted to Gigi and the other two girls they had rescued tonight. She decided to visit the girls and check up on them, grabbing a couple bandages and vitamin packs, throwing them into an extra bag that was laying there.

"Are you hurt?" a voice said from behind her. When she turned to see Yoongi standing in the doorway, Charlie quickly finished putting the supplies in the bag and faced him, a small frown on her face.

"No. This is just in case Raven doesn't have enough supplies," she replied. Charlie kept her gaze lowered, a little embarrassed at what had transpired earlier, knowing the entire house witnessed that whole fight go down.

"You're going to Raven's?" Yoongi crossed his arms and walked into the room, moving closer to Charlie.

"Yeah," Charlie answered, still avoiding his gaze as her hand came up to her earring, fiddling with the small piece of jewelry.

"You know, I'm sure he regrets what he said," Yoongi spoke softly, finally getting Charlie to look up at him as she felt her heart clench slightly, the pressure tightening around it as she was taken back to their fight.

Jungkook's words rattled in her head as she tried to keep calm, but the pain they inflicted still remained. She was surprised at how angry he was and couldn't understand why, but when he reminded her of how weak and defenseless she was before he moved into their old house, she was only disappointed in herself.

When those words had hit, she felt worthless, thinking about what she could've done to better protect herself back then. She shouldn't have let it happen. She should've fought more, she should've done something... Maybe if she did something, then Jungkook wouldn't have had to step in to protect her.

She had worked so hard to prove that she was no longer that helpless girl, that she was now stronger and more resilient... it hurt that Jungkook couldn't see that, and that he still felt like she needed to be rescued. He was the only one who couldn't seem to understand it, and she felt like she had to prove it to him that she was strong enough and could take care of herself, that she wasn't completely worthless.

"I'm not apologizing," Charlie muttered as she shifted the bag over her shoulder.

"I'm not asking you to apologize, that's your decision to make. He's your best friend though, regardless of how pissed you are at him right now, the two of you still have to talk this shit out rationally, like adults. We also still need to talk about what happened. You weren't letting him go Charlie, even after he tried to tap out," he said, watching her carefully as she avoided his gaze yet again.

Charlie remembered feeling Jungkook's hand against her arm, practically begging to be let go, but she held on tighter, only picturing the faces of all the men who had hurt her. Regret started to fill her, especially she knew that Jungkook had never hurt her and never would... yet she couldn't control herself and ended up hurting him.

"I don't know what came over me," she mumbled. "I just-" she paused, at a loss for words while she desperately tried to get rid of the imagine of her arm locked around Jungkook, cutting off his air supply.

"You lost control," Yoongi said. "I get it, our past usually tends to rear its ugly head when we least expect it and causes us to lash out at others, but as a leader, it's my job to make sure that everyone's safe. I need to make sure you're good, because after what happened tonight, I'm concerned about you losing control again."

She whipped her head up, feeling her heart pounding as she felt this heavy,sinking feeling in her gut from the implication of his words. "So what does that mean?" she inquired, anxiously awaiting his answer.

"You need to watch yourself," he said, his voice stern and low as his eyes remained locked onto hers. "I know that you were angry, and I still think you had every right to be since that was a low hit on his part to throw your trauma back in your face, but you went too far. That shit that went down tonight? It cannot happen again, do you understand me?" he asked while she nodded, feeling some of the tension in her chest lessen slightly, but the guilt still gnawed at her, leaving an unsettling feeling in her stomach.

"It won't, I promise," she reassured. Yoongi's hard exterior started to crumble as he observed the young woman in front of him, still impressed with how far she had come in the few years she had been with Bangtan. Sure, they still had their disagreements and she was stubborn as hell, but he also noticed how much she had grown and how she always took care of the others. She had her flaws, hell, all of them did, but her determination and drive were admirable qualities.

"You know, you are so much more than just a pretty face Charlie," he said, her eyes locking onto Yoongi's soft gaze. "I've told you before that I see how strong and determined you are, and don't you think for once that any of us only see you as a woman whose main role is to lure out our targets. You are a part of this team, this family, and are essential." Yoongi meant every word, and he hoped that she would be able to understand how vital she was to the team for all of her skills and talents.

Charlie could feel the heavy tug on her heart at his words, feeling the room closing in on her as she felt slightly overwhelmed with everything. "I uhh, I just need to get out of the house for a while," Charlie said, swallowing hard while Yoongi merely nodded his head in response.

He stepped aside and gestured towards the door, allowing her to pass by him. He wanted Charlie to be able to do what she needed, and if she wanted to leave, then he wasn't going to stop her. He watched as she quickly made her way to the stairs, but stopped at the bottom and turned towards him.

"Thanks Yoongi," she said before rushing up the stairs.

He finally let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding in. Jungkook and Charlie had a bond that no one in the house seemed to have, and he was terrified at the thought of it crumbling. He hoped that Hoseok's conversation with Jungkook was going at least a little better than his had with Charlie.

Hoseok had spent a few minutes just standing in front of Jungkook's room as he tried to figure out what to say to him. Even though he had volunteered to do this, he still didn't know the best way to approach, but he could only hope that Jungkook wouldn't slam the door in his face. He took a deep breath before finally knocking on the youngest member's bedroom.

Not hearing a response on the other side of the door, he slowly opened it and saw Jungkook sitting at his desk, cleaning a small handgun that he typically used for practice.

"Hey Kook," Hoseok greeted as he closed the door behind him and sat on Jungkook's bed.

"What?" Jungkook's voice pierced through Hoseok like ice and he couldn't tell if the younger was more angry or hurt by what had transpired earlier. When he didn't hear a response, Jungkook turned towards Hoseok, glaring at him. "Are you going to yell at me too?" Jungkook clenched his jaw, still fuming from how everyone seemed to take Charlie's side.

"I was scared too, you know," Hoseok mumbled as he looked at his hands clasped together, elbows resting on his knees. The silence hovered over the two as Jungkook put down the piece he was cleaning and looked over at Hoseok. "I always get nervous before a mission, and when I heard Charlie change the plan...it really terrified me, especially since neither of us had a visual on them." Hoseok looked over to see Jungkook watching him intently.

"Then why the hell didn't you say anything?" Jungkook asked, clearly annoyed that no one else tried to stop her.

"You really think that anything I was going to say would have stopped her?" he questioned. Jungkook stood up and started pacing around his room.

"I don't know, maybe? She wasn't listening to me, maybe you could have gotten through to her," Jungkook argued as he made eye contact with Hoseok, who just shook his head.

"Once she sets her mind on something, there is no one that can convince her otherwise. You should know that," Hoseok replied.

"I do," Jungkook said, letting out a heavy sigh as he sat down on the bed next to Hoseok. "But how can I do my job if she won't listen to me? It's reckless, and it can put her and the rest of the team at risk," he added while Hoseok nodded.

"I'm sure Yoongi will talk to her about that," Hoseok said, pausing briefly before he shifted the conversation. "How are you doing Jungkook? Are you ok?"

Jungkook furrowed his brows, confused as to why Hoesok was asking about his well being.

"Your best friend just tried to strangle you Kook," Hoseok continued, noticing the anger turn to pain on the younger's face. "I know you said something that really pissed her off, but she did the same to you."

"I don't know how to feel Hobi," he mumbled, avoiding his gaze. "I'm angry, hurt, confused." Jungkook started to stand, working off some of his growing energy as he paced around his room again. "I want to be upset with her, I really do, but I keep thinking of reasons why she went so far, almost defending her in my head." Jungkook chuckled a little at the stupid thought, softly shaking his head as he felt the pain settling in his chest.

"Like how?" Hoseok asked, wanting a little more elaboration.

"Like..." Jungkook ran his fingers through his hair, contemplating his next words. "I wonder if she thinks that she doesn't matter to anyone, or that her life is unimportant, so she takes risks to help others without thinking about the consequences." Jungkook watched as Hoseok nodded his head in agreement. "I just wish she would see how much we all care about her," Jungkook continued as he sat back down, running his hands over his face.

"Or just how much you care about her?" Hoseok asked as Jungkook snapped his head up.

"Well yeah, of course I care about her," he retorted, not quite understanding what Hoseok was implying with that question.

"I know that, but how much do you really care for her Kook?" he questioned again, rewording it so that Jungkook would catch onto what he was truly asking.

"What are you getting at?"

"The two of you have been with us for a while now, and I've watched you both slowly start to grow into different people. At first, the two of you were just a couple of scared kids who had no idea what the hell you were getting yourself into, but now," he said, pausing as he glanced over at Jungkook. "It's just different. You're both started to grow into mature adults, and I can see the way you look at her," he commented.

Jungkook's eyebrows furrowed, trying to dissect the meaning behind his cryptic words. "What the hell do you mean?" he asked, feeling his heart thudding frantically against his chest as his palms started to get sweaty, slightly uncomfortable with the turn this conversation was taking.

"It's not the same way that you would look at a friend," Hoseok states, giving Jungkook a look. "I noticed the way you were watching her when she had to go undercover at Cliff Hangers, and then there was that little moment you had in the van earlier. Do you still believe that she's just a friend?" he inquired.

Jungkook froze as the words hit him, trying to keep his breathing steady as his eyes shifted to his hands, absentmindedly playing with his fingers. He never thought anyone had noticed, but with Hoseok calling him out on it, he felt like a little kid who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He could feel his face flush as he tried to make sense of these new feelings and hated how he couldn't figure out where they stemmed from or why they made him feel so awkward around his best friend.

Jungkook cleared his throat before finally looking back up at Hoseok, doe eyes intently staring at the man in front of him. "I was at Cliff Hangers to protect her, so of course I'm going to look at her. She went in unarmed and put herself on the line, it was my job to keep her safe. As for whatever you think you saw in the car, it was just me being a good friend. We've always taken care of each other and we always will, that's what friends do," Jungkook said, his voice slightly tense.

Hoseok nodded, offering him a small smile in order to ease the slight tension. "I know Kook, I'm just saying, maybe the reason why things are so weird between the two of you lately is because things have changed," he stated. "Just... nevermind, forget I said anything about that. The two of you still need to talk though about what happened tonight," he reasoned while Jungkook let out a deep breath before laying back on his bed.

"I know, I promise I'll talk to her soon, I just need some time," he muttered, still thinking about her words from earlier. He couldn't deny the way that his chest tightened as she told him that she didn't need him, a pain that he still felt as her words echoed in his head.

Hoseok nodded, patting the younger's knee before standing up. "If you ever need anyone to talk to, I'm here for you," he reminded him before leaving Jungkook alone with his confusing and overwhelming thoughts.

~☾~

Charlie took a deep breath before knocking on the front door of Raven's apartment. Hearing muffled voices on the other side, she let out a small smile, glad that she made the decision to visit the girls. When the door opened, her smile grew at Jade, who looked extremely excited to see her there.

"Charlie!" Jade grabbed Charlie's arm, pulling her inside and wrapping her arms around her. "What are you doing here, love?" she asked.

"Too much testosterone lately, I just needed a girls night," she admitted as Jade closed the door and led Charlie to the main living room.

"Oh, did you want to go out tonight?" Jade asked.

"Nah, I just want to hang out with you all," Charlie said. Once they reached the living room, Charlie saw Raven and Gigi talking, both dressed comfortably and lounging on one of the couches as Raven took a sip out of the wine glass in her hand. They stopped their conversation and looked over at Jade, smiling when they noticed Charlie trailing behind her.

"Charlie darling!" Raven shouted, getting up and practically running towards her as she pulled her into a hug, eager to see her. "What are you doing here?" she asked, grinning as she pulled away, furrowing her eyebrows as she noticed the bag over her shoulder.

"I just needed to get out of the house," she replied, offering her a smile. "I also figured that I would come and check on the girls, see how everyone's doing."

"Well, one of the girls already went home," Raven informed her, ushering her to sit on the couch as Gigi scooted closer towards the end, offering Charlie some space. "The younger one is in Gigi's room sleeping. She already got in touch with her family, they should be here in the morning since they have quite the distance to travel," she added while Charlie nodded, dropping her bag to the floor before glancing over at Gigi.

"How are you? Any injuries that you want me to check on?" Charlie asked while Gigi grinned, shaking her head.

"Raven already took care of that for me," she replied. "Besides, I only had a few minor lacerations and bruises, nothing too serious or life-threatening."

Raven noticed the slight pout on Charlie's face as the younger girl nodded in response, leaning back into the cushions while Jade occupied the one-seater, grabbing her glass before taking a sip as she also glanced at their visitor. Raven glanced over at Jade, offering her a look as they both seemed to agree that something appeared to be off.

"Hey, how about the two of you go out and get some food? We can watch a movie and just get a chance to talk and enjoy staying in," Raven suggested, turning towards Jade and Gigi. Jade nodded, picking up on Raven's cue as she grabbed Gigi's wrist, pulling her along with her.

Raven stood up, calling Jade back as she handed her some cash for the food and a small gun. Charlie's eyes widened as she stared at the weapon before looking up at Raven, who had an amused smirk on her lips.

"What, you think you're the only one who knows how to handle a weapon?" she teased, causing Charlie to chuckle as she shook her head, watching as Gigi and Jade left the apartment. "I figured after what happened, it was better to be cautious," Raven added, a more serious expression on her face as she walked back over towards the couch, sitting next to Charlie as she turned her body slightly so that she was facing her.

"So spill, what's going on?" Raven asked, watching intently as Charlie tensed, avoiding her gaze.

"Nothing," she quickly replied, forcing a smile on her lips as she looked up at Raven, who merely gave her a look in response.

"It's not nothing Charlie, I can tell that you're upset over something, so talk," she pushed, refusing to back down as she tried to pry the answer out of the younger woman.

Charlie knew that she wasn't going to let up, so she let out a heavy sigh as she unloaded everything: from the last-minute change in the mission to her argument with Jungkook, and finally, to that stupid fight back at the house when she had pulled him into a chokehold after he hurt her with his harsh words. "Jungkook was completely out of line and couldn't even see it!" she concluded, noticing the way Raven gave her a small smile before shaking her head at her.

"No honey, he wasn't, you were," she softly stated while Charlie shot her a dirty look.

"He yelled at me and treated me like a child because I didn't listen to him! Even Jimin and Hoseok didn't object to me going in, so he had no right to lash out at me," she argued, her voice starting to raise a bit as she felt the frustration building. "He basically told me that I can't fend for myself and that he always needs to be there for me, he crossed the line!"

"I understand that, but you took it too far. Why do you think he reacted that way?" Raven asked, watching as Charlie lowered her head, shrugging her shoulders in response. "I'm pretty sure you both said some things in the heat of the moment that crossed a lot of lines. Then, on top of that, you proceeded to strangle him. Don't get me wrong, I'm proud of you for standing up for yourself, but you really hurt him Charlie."

Charlie froze as she thought about that, not realizing just how much of a mess she made of this whole situation by overreacting. She felt horrible, letting out a deep sigh as she buried her face in her hands, feeling the guilt settling into the pit of her stomach as she felt queasy, the memory of her choking Jungkook replayed over and over again in her head.

"I really fucked up, didn't I?" she muttered while Raven scooted closer towards her, wrapping her arm around Charlie's shoulders as she offered her some comfort.

"You can always make up for it, you know," she said, watching as Charlie glanced up at her, waiting for her to continue. "Jungkook's a good guy Charlie, and I know that you can't stay mad at him forever. Just talk to him about it and apologize," she suggested. "The two of you have something special together, don't let this ruin that," she added, giving her a teasing look while Charlie tried to understand the change in tone when she said that last sentence.

"Why do you say it like that?" she asked, feeling her heart pounding as she waited for Raven to explain, her hand immediately going to her earring as she started to fiddle with it.

"Because... there is obviously something going on between the two of you lately," she said, her tone soft as she offered Charlie a small smile.

Charlie sat there, trying to process Raven's words. It felt like everything slowly started to click into place as she thought about how everything had changed. The awkward air between the two of them lately, the strange tension she felt at the club, the different way that she looked at him, or even the way that her heart sped up when he was around her... but that didn't necessarily mean anything, did it?

"He's my friend. There's nothing going on between us and there never will be," she mumbled. "Besides,Yoongi had already expressed his dislike towards having relationships in the house. He said it'll just complicate things, and he's right," Charlie admitted.

"Putting Yoongi's opinion aside, would you want there to be something more between the two of you?" Raven asked, causing Charlie to whip her head towards her as she felt her heart thudding faster and faster against her chest.

Would she want something more? "I don't know," she admitted, feeling overwhelmed and confused by all her emotions. She didn't have time to play with the ludicrous idea of something that would never happen.

Besides, she still had to apologize for what had happened earlier today, her main concern being to try to repair the damage to their already fragile friendship. She was terrified that the distance between them would continue to grow more than it already had the longer she put this off.

She stood up, quickly slinging the bag over her shoulder as she was rushing to get out only to stop when Raven grabbed her arm, pulling her back. "Where are you going?" she asked.

"I should go home, I've got to talk to Jungkook," she frantically replied, trying to leave again but Raven's grip tightened.

"He will be there in the morning Charlie, give him and yourself some time apart for a bit. Besides, it's late," she advised. "Jade and Gigi should be back with the food soon, so stay, please," she reasoned, letting out a small sigh of relief as Charlie sat back down. Raven nervously watched the young woman as she appeared to be lost in her thoughts, hoping that she didn't complicate the matter any further. 

A/N: I know there were some people who were Team Charlie and others Team Jungkook. Hopefully you can see how they both felt...they just need to talk to each other. 

Thoughts?? ----------->