"Come back here, coward!" Yoongi shouted after the red hooded man, who only seemed to sprint faster away the longer he was chased. The two traveled up the staircase, across platform after platform, until the fleeing man reached the top, pushed open a heavy door. And Yoongi caught a taste of the chilly wind blowing from outside. "You can't be serious..." he murmured, reaching the large doorframe that lead toward the rooftop.

The moon was on a waning phase, snugged into a blanket of grey clouds. Yoongi peered a glance at it, then refocused on the man who had reached a few feet of distance from him. He let out a ragged breath, maintained his position beside the closing door, so that his body could block the stranger's only escape route.

"Well, well..." He chuckled softly. "Didn't you just dig your own grave? Not very smart of you, to run upstairs and trap yourself."

The man in the distance gave a frustrated breath, and just then Yoongi heard footsteps approach from behind him.

"Hyung, you alright?" Suzo burst through the door, a concerned furrow to his brows.

"I'm fine. Just stay right there by the exit. Make sure this guy can't sneak past us."

The younger nodded, gulped at the tense scene unfolding in front of him. He watched as Yoongi made leisure steps towards the hooded man, who only seemed to back away the more the distance began to close in on them.

"What the fuck do you want?" Finally, the man spoke up.

Yoongi smirked. "You're one of them Acre assholes, aren't you? That's why you ran when you saw me."

The man cursed beneath his breath, kept his gaze directly on Yoongi, as if to contemplate his next course of action. He analyzed the situation. Already, he was outnumbered—that much he knew. Whether or not the boy by the doorframe knew how to fight, he was still at a disadvantage. So he decided to do the only feasible thing he could. The only thing an Acre guy could ever do against someone affiliated with Bangtan.

He chose to fight.

Without wasting even another second, the hooded man made his resolve and dashed forward; was quick to throw a fist towards the shorter male in front of him, hoped that maybe he'd be able to catch the other off guard.

But Yoongi reacted quickly, blocked the punch and swung a counterattack, his fist connecting across the man's face. The Acre guy stumbled back with a drag over his feet, though he quickly recovered by aiming another punch toward Yoongi's stomach.

"Careful!" Suzo shouted from the distance, watching with eyes laced in worry. And Yoongi withdrew three steps, causing the hooded man to miss. The momentum flung him forward, and the Acre man only took it as an opportunity to grasp onto the Bangtan captain's legs. He pushed with all his might, successfully shoved Yoongi to the ground, where they both began a battle of who could connect the next punch first.

Suzo's jaw dropped, watching while the two men rolled over the rugged concrete, dodging and swinging desperate attacks. And then—he heard a clack behind him, the rattling of the doorknob. He jumped in place, startled by the way the door swung open abruptly.

And at the distance, the Acre man pulled a knife from his pocket, lifted it into the air, aimed right at Yoongi's chest.

Suzo's eyes bulged, a curt gasp leaving his lip. "Hyung, look out!!"

And then—

Bang!!!

There was a sudden silence, though Suzo could hear the loud beating of his own heart trembling inside his chest. He blinked repeatedly, saw how the knife remained lifted up in clear view, the Acre man stared directly at Yoongi while he towered over him on the ground, a stunned expression on his face.

The knife clattered down beside him, and the hooded man fell along with it to the side, a string of blood now seeping from his leg.

"Fuck!" The guy shouted, and Yoongi was quick to get up and snatch the knife from the ground, his gaze traveling towards Suzo where the sound of the gun being fired had come from.

But beside Suzo stood Kim Taehyung, a gun in his hands, aimed directly at the hooded man.

"V!" Suzo called out, "Holy shit, you came just in time."

Taehyung belted out a loud laugh, wiped his thumb over his nose. "Hm. That's right." He lowered the gun and tucked it into his large trouser pockets. "I did cum. I came a lot. Just in time too, mm? See that?"

With a roll of his eyes, Suzo flared his nose and chuckled softly. "Not how I meant that, but works out either way so I won't complain."

Taehyung merely snorted, then took a casual stroll to approach the two men, one of which was peering at him with narrowed eyes, and the other who clutched his leg in agony.

"Now what do we have here?" Taehyung seethed out, lowered himself to bent knees so he could watch the bleeding guy closely. He reached forward, pulled the hood from the guy's head to reveal his face.

And Taehyung stared at him.

For a few long seconds he watched the guy utter curse words and grunt at how badly his leg hurt.

Then, Taehyung burst out into more laughter, an amused grin plastered over his lips. "Shit," he pointed a finger at the guy. "This is fucking hilarious!"

Yoongi blinked as he watched the two, brows slowly rising. "You know him..?"

Taehyung roared into more laughter, which gradually calmed into quiet snickering, while he reached to pull out a handkerchief that was tied over his belt loops. "Oh Chulsoo..." He wrapped the rag over the man's leg, tied it, and squeezed it harshly. "I remember you, cunt."

"Fuck..." The Acre man hissed, head falling back as the pain shot up his leg, somehow pulsing in every inch of his body.

"We're taking him with us," Taehyung spoke to Yoongi, though his eyes remained fixated on the Acre guy—on Chulsoo.

Yoongi brows rose in shock. "What? Like that, all wounded?"

"Mhm.." Taehyung gave a nod, pulled another handkerchief and began to tie Chulsoo's hands together to restrict his movement. "We're gonna take him back to Abyss, have Seokjin treat his bullet wound, and hold him there to question him. Get some shit out of him, y'know?"

"So we're holding him hostage..."

Taehyung grinned and turned to look at Suzo, who watched the scene with wide eyes.

"Fuck... you two really are Bangtan guys, aren't you...? The real deal.."

"Secret's out. Not that it was much of one in the first place," Taehyung shrugged, then reached down to lift Chulsoo over his back to carry him.

"You won't get away with this.." The man grumbled out, having lost the energy to retaliate against terrible odds.

"Aww," Taehyung cooed. "Don't be so scared now." His eyes fell dark, the smirk on his lips now long gone. "Behave. We'll just have a little talk, hm?"

※ ※

Jeongguk laid over his mattress, curled to a fetal position over his gentle bedsheets, toes wriggling beside each other at random intervals. He hugged a pillow to his chest, one that was almost as tall as he, face stuffed into the cushion to hide his puffy face.

There was a piercing silence in the room, a still in the air that the boy had grown accustomed to. He'd lost his sense of time, unsure of how long it had been since he last stood from the mattress. Though eventually there came a gentle knock at his door. He paid no mind to it, and the person on the other side knew it well. So they carefully stepped in anyway, approached Jeongguk with furrowed brows and tight lips.

"Gguk... You've been coming home straight from school and locking yourself up in your room for 2 weeks now." Jimin let out in a quiet breath, afraid that if he spoke up any louder his best friend would shatter to pieces. "I'm worried about you."

Jeongguk uttered nothing in response, body remained stagnant even as he felt the mattress shift down beside him, indicating Jimin had taken a seat on the bed.

"Can you please tell me what happened..?" The blond placed a gentle hand over Jeongguk's arm. "I know I can't be much help, but... I can listen. And it really hurts seeing you this way.."

The younger wavered. Truly, he felt bad for shutting himself out from the world the past few days. But he didn't know how to tell his best friend that he'd never felt such miserable emotions hit him so badly in his life before.

Didn't know how to tell him that he thought he knew heartbreak the night he'd found out Seojun had cheated on him, and that he had been wrong. That nothing could ever bring him the pain he felt now, on this mattress, thoughts of only one man swirling his brain.

And Jeongguk didn't know how to tell him that his eyes had been used to color, yet now he saw the world in blues and greys.

And that even though he didn't feel like himself, and that there was only one man to blame for it—that he couldn't help but feel his heart long for that one man.

The man who had brightened his colors, and stripped it all the same.

"I'm a-alright.." The boy whimpered, the sound emitted muffled against the pillow. Jimin's brows lifted, a complicated look upon his face.

"No, you're not..."

There was a moment in which none of them said a word.

And then the boy couldn't hold it back anymore.

So he spoke. Against the pillow he cried out the things that made his heart ache, all concerning that one particular man. And Jimin listened in silence. To every word Jeongguk spoke, nodded his head patiently although the boy couldn't see him, and he could feel the emotions gnawing at him as though they were his own.

Eventually Jeongguk had finished his rant, and a long silence fell over the bedroom. Jimin kept his gaze out the window, at the night sky, searching for the moon that hid behind clouds.

"Jeongguk, I-I'm so sorry..." he finally let out, a waver in his voice. The younger gave a sniffle and slowly pulled from the pillow, finally revealed his messy tear-stained appearance. "This is all my fault..."

Jeongguk blinked slowly, hand coming up to wipe at his tears. "W-What are you talking about...? How can any of this possibly be your fault?"

Jimin squeezed gently over his best friend's arm, then gave it a light rub. "I... told, um..." A breath trembled from his lips. "I told Taehyung to reject you so that-... so that you wouldn't involve yourself with him anymore. I knew it would hurt you and yet... In the long run I felt it was the option that would best keep you safe."

There was a long string of silence again, and Jimin slowly withdrew his hand back upon his lap.

"I'm really sorry, Jeongguk. I... didn't think you'd take the rejection this badly, and... Who knows, maybe Taehyung would've returned your feelings and been a better person had I just kept my mouth shut..."

The younger's brows furrowed, pouted lips tucked out as he stared at the wall beside the looming windowsill. He seemed deep in thought for a while, running back the memories of how Taehyung had interacted with him in his head. The smiles he gave him, the words he spoke to him, the gentle blaze in his eyes when he'd look at him. He ran them over in his head, with his newfound knowledge in mind. Had Jimin's words really affected Taehyung's behavior?

He gave a quiet sigh and weakly lifted himself from the blankets, sitting up on the bed to get a better look at Jimin.

"I don't know about that..." he mumbled out, after a long pause. The blond boy watched the younger in unwavering focus, unsure of what Jeongguk had meant. "I really... don't think Taehyung's the type of man to let anyone shift his opinions so easily..."

"So then.." Jimin clasped his hands together. "You don't think he listened to a word I said to him?"

Jeongguk shook his head sideways, thumbs brushing over the back of his hand in a light caress. "I'm sure whatever you said to him, didn't matter in the end at all.. The conclusion he came to—that was something he reached all on his own. So, you really don't have to feel guilty about it. Either way I know you were just looking out for me.."

Jimin's lips quivered, an empathetic rush of dismay filling his chest.

"You don't blame me then...?"

The younger gave a light scoff, lifted his chin to make direct eye contact with the blond. "I would never blame you for anything, Jiminie. You should know that by now."

Jimin gave another nod, his gaze now lowered to the mattress. Because, he knew. If he were to look at the expression over his best friend's face just then, he may just burst into tears he wouldn't know how to control.

"Taehyung, he-..." Jeongguk swallowed, the words he'd meant to convey had gotten stuck in his throat. But still, he forced them out. "He made up his mind... And I c-can't... I can't change it, so... I know it's impossible to flip a switch and stop loving him, but.." He gripped on to the hem of his shirt, gave it a gentle tug. "I'll have to try. Or at least pretend I don't love him until it becomes my reality... That's all that's really left for me to do."

Jimin's heart clenched. He knew firsthand how impossible it was to ignore feelings of love toward another. Though he had no idea that someone like Jeongguk would end up going through the same thing. Frankly he didn't wish this experience upon anyone, let alone the person that meant most in this world to him. And he couldn't figure out why it was that he felt such guilt for it.

But before he could open his mouth to give a response to the boy, there was light knocking again, and the door pried open behind them.

"Is, um... Is Jeonggukie okay..?" A familiar voice seeped into the bedroom, and Jeongguk lifted his head to see his red-haired hyung peering over at them.

"Oh right, uh... Hoseok is here, too.." Jimin wiped at his face and gave a small smile. "He was really really worried about you as well, and... He's the one who drove me here to check up on you."

Jeongguk returned the smile, leaned forward a bit as he gestured for the older to step inside the room. "You were worried about me?" A quiet chuckle left his lips, and he watched as Hoseok placed his hands to his waist and approached them with attitude.

"Of course I was worried, you jerk!" The older huffed. "You haven't been yourself for days and barely spoke a word to anyone! After classes you'd head straight home and probably never left your bed once nighttime came around. How could I not worry?"

"I'm sorry.." Jeongguk sulked, shoulders slumping while Hoseok settled himself to the boy's right side over the mattress, opposite to Jimin. "I just had a lot to think about. A lot of emotions to process.. It's not like I really know what to do now, regarding my feelings for Taehyung, but... I won't hide from them anymore..."

"That's right," Hoseok cracked a grin. "My little Ggukie is a strong man. You've had your moment of moping around but you have to bounce back to the real world at some point, no?"

The younger giggled softly. "I suppose so—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Hoseok wrapped an arm over the boy's shoulder and slammed him down over the sheets, then nestled him to his chest in a side hug.

"Taehyung missed out on having a great person by his side. That's his loss, okay?" Hoseok spoke against his ear, and just as the words left his mouth Jimin joined the two, cuddling himself to Jeongguk's side, arm flung across the boy's stomach.

"Yeah!" Jimin puffed out eagerly. "Show him what he's missing!"

Jeongguk's cheeks tinted a light pink, heart fluttered at the supportive words from his friends. He realized just then what a mistake it was, to shut these two out for over two weeks. His biggest support system, the two people he held so close in his heart. They'd always be there for them, whenever he needed someone to lean on.

Why he had forgotten that, he wasn't quite sure. But he was just happy to have them here now, cuddled at either side of him, murmuring words of encouragement from both sides. Jimin's small hands patting at his belly, and Hoseok's leg thrown over his waist.

Jeongguk's smile grew big.

That's right. These two were all he needed, right then and there.

※ ※

"Fuck, that stings!" The Acre man seethed out while Seokjin disinfected his wounded area. There was a clatter of tools, and then a cotton-like texture was pressed against Chulsoo's leg.

"So who exactly is this guy again?" Seokjin narrowed his eyes, annoyed at the way the guy bitched and moaned to just about every action he took to treat him.

Taehyung peered over at them from where he was seated at the opposite side of the room. "Remember a couple weeks ago, when Acre guys were running around picking fights with Bangtan members just to try and get us to rat out our leader?" He scoffed out a laugh. "As if any of us would be stupid enough to ever do that shit."

Seokjin nodded, not breaking focus from his work.

"Back then, this fucker had the nerve to pick that fight with me." Taehyung crossed his arms, watched Chulsoo as he struggled against the handcuffs restricting his hands, which had also been tied to the wall behind him. "Gathered up men and beat me down. Lucky for them I wasn't keen on fighting back that day."

"Those were my orders at the time.." The man seethed out. "I'm sure you fuckers don't feel remorse for doing much worse than what we did to you."

"Your gang's the one trying to start a fight with us," Taehyung's gaze darkened. "So accept the shit you receive from the actions you take, hm?"

"You assholes were the ones that stole from us!"

"I don't know where the fuck you got that from," Taehyung spat. "Not that it even matters."

Seokjin gave off an annoyed grumble. "Can you two children stop arguing while I finish up here or will I have to silence you both at once?"

Chulsoo shot a death glare at Taehyung, whose amused smirk had returned over his lips, cigarette on hand while he laid comfortably over the couch beneath him.

Then the oldest continued. "So then... who's that guy?"

Taehyung turned to look in the direction Seokjin was glancing at, only to see Suzo quietly standing by the wall.

"Ah, he's... a friend." A puff of smoke left Taehyung's mouth as he spoke. "Met him at Club Micro. He knows well what goes on in that place, so I gathered some info there."

Suzo awkwardly looked over at the older Bangtan captain and gave a polite bow. "Nice to meet you... I didn't-... Um, V never told me he was in a gang, so... This is all very new to me."

"Don't worry, kid, as long as you don't piss us off you'll be fine." Seokjin spoke from where he sat, finally bandaging up the wound.

Chulsoo looked Suzo in the eyes. "I wouldn't trust these guys if I were you."

Seokjin squeezed the bandage wrap tighter in response, causing the man to gut out in pain.

"And I'd be careful with your words if I were you."

"That's right," Taehyung added, an arm on the couch top, thighs manspreading over the cushioned seat. He spoke with words laced in venom. "What we're about to do to you isn't gonna be fun for you. So don't make us fucking angry."

Eventually Seokjin rose from his chair, gathered his medical equipment and looked over toward Taehyung. "Well, I'm just about done here. He's all yours."

Taehyung gave a curt nod, a menacing grin curving to his lips after he stood from the couch and walked up toward the man sitting pathetically against the wall.

"So," he leaned down to look at him, hands grasping a cluster of hair strands harshly. "Where shall we begin our interrogation, hm?"

✱