Jeongguk sat on his couch, head lowered at the set of notes over his lap. His teeth were dug lightly into his pink lips, eyes scurrying past the page in front of him, trying to feed its information into his brain.

The sound of a door clicking made him look up, his gaze now directed to the shirtless man who emerged from down the hall. That being, of course, none other than his own boyfriend, whom had stayed the night at his place.

"You were in the shower?" He spoke up, letting his stare linger on the man's oh-so-wonderfully tanned skin and abdomen, where water droplets remained in a glisten.

It had been almost three weeks since Taehyung had the overdose that had landed him in the hospital. Three weeks, since that heavy talk with V—the very talk that had stirred a change between Jeongguk and the fierce alter.

Because, since then, V had been strangely calm. Or at least for the few times he would even front around him.

Despite the fact Vante had been in control last night, up until they had woken up together this morning, Jeongguk could tell that after his morning shower it was now V who was in control of Taehyung's body. He could tell by his gaze, and even the small walk the male made to approach him in the living room.

"Mhm. What is that?" The man's husked morning voice rumbled from his throat, and he took a seat beside Jeongguk over the couch.

"Homework," the boy hummed gently, his head turning to meet the other's gaze. "You look tired. Yesterday's gang meeting ran late, huh? I didn't even hear you when you left."

The alter's piercing eyes remained on the younger, the usual blank expression on his face. He looked away briefly, towards the window beside them.

"We barely slept." He spoke in a coarse voice, blinking slowly. "And I have to go right on back to Abyss, after class."

Jeongguk's brows lowered, a pout threatening to poke from his lips. "Is it because of those Coin group people you guys are affiliating with..?"

Taehyung was silent for a moment, and then finally he nodded his head a little. "Some Acre fuckers picked a fight with Bangtan recently, and a couple guys are gonna fight it out at Club Micro this weekend, so. Scooping the Coin group to our side right now isn't a bad idea."

The younger's stare lingered on his boyfriend, a hint of a smile at the corner of his lips, simply because he loved when V spoke to him honestly about what was going on. Even if it had to do with gang matters. He wanted to support him and the other alters with anything.

But quite frankly he wasn't fond of the frown that had formed on the older's face, and he was itching to do something about it. So naturally, he moved the stack of papers over his lap and placed them to the side, only to scoot his body closer towards the other.

His palms then pushed in tightly over the man's cheeks, pressing them down and making his lips pucker out.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Taehyung's voice cut in through his scrunched lips.

Jeongguk snorted out a laugh at the blunt words.

"I'm squishing your cheeks."

"Don't do that."

"And why not? You look so cute," Jeongguk flashed him his bright bunny smile, eyes gleaming with dots of countless sparkles.

Taehyung stared blankly at him in silence, and the boy simply returned his gaze in innocent patience.

If this were Dot, his face would've probably been a deep red by now.

If it were Taehyung, he would have likely stammered sheepishly over his words.

Vante would've grinned largely back at him.

And it seemed when V got flustered, he stayed quiet as to not say anything he would deem embarrassing.

Jeongguk had taken good note of all that.

"Why aren't you saying anything? I miss your princely voice already.." Jeongguk whined out dramatically, bottom lip slipping into an innocent pout.

Taehyung's face remained stagnant, though his gaze lowered sharply to the boy's lips.

"Keep pouting at me like that. I'll bend you over right on this fucking couch and give you something to really cry about," the man suddenly growled out, and Jeongguk's face dropped, gaping at Taehyung with flushed cheeks.

He then returned his hands quickly to his side and ignored the burning feeling in his face. But despite his slight embarrassment, Jeongguk boldly proceeded to straddle the older's waist, seating himself over his lap. Taehyung lifted his head to return eye contact, head tilting back a little while he awaited the boy's next words.

But Jeongguk didn't dare speak. Instead, he gently cupped the male's face into both hands and drew closer. Closer, closer. Until his lips met the tip of Taehyung's nose, where Jeongguk kissed his mole once. Then twice. Repeatedly.

The man's eyes closed, basking in the feeling of the pretty boy's kisses, and after a moment Taehyung's eyes lifted back open, and the two were back to gently staring at one another.

"I missed you.." Jeongguk whispered softly, speaking the words he'd meant without a doubt.

Because, it was true. Although V had told him weeks ago that he wanted to try for him, Jeongguk knew that the alter was still holding back. Still letting the others front around him instead, because he thought maybe Jeongguk would be more comfortable that way.

But truthfully Jeongguk enjoyed his time with V, as well. Despite all they've been through, all of Taehyung's alters were equally important to him. And he craved for his bond with V to get to a state that was just as comfortable as it was with the others.

At the three words spoken through kisses over his mole, followed by the three words spoken through the air between them, Taehyung blinked back at the boy with slightly widened eyes.

It was all so fascinating. While Taehyung's face itself was very expressive, V didn't quite utilize its face muscles much. Didn't show emotion. But Jeongguk, he could just tell. Could tell how to read the alter's emotions by now.

Because; happiness, sadness, embarrassment... V expressed it all through a blank face. The giveaway—the secret to reading into his emotions, was all in the look in his eyes.

And right now, he could tell that somehow V was flustered by his words.

But instead of speaking up a response, the man lifted one hand to embrace Jeongguk's cheek into his large palm.

His lips drew closer. "You missed me, hm? That it?"

Jeongguk could feel a shiver trembling through his veins at the rough voice against his ears, eyes shutting at its impact.

"Tell me how much you missed me."

Jeongguk propped his arms over the older's shoulders, tilted his head to the side while Taehyung dug down to place kisses on his smooth neck.

"S-So much.." He gasped out airily. "I missed you so much, h-hyung.."

The man growled out a hum in response, hands securing below Jeongguk's waist while he bit lightly on a patch of his skin. But before he could get around to leaving a mark, Jeongguk promptly pulled away, his cheeks tinted an adorable pink.

"Wait, um, I—... I have a presentation today.." He squeaked out below his breath.

Taehyung merely blinked back at him. "So?"

"Soo... no hickeys.." A quiet huff. "I wanna look professional." The boy watched as the older gave a roll of his eyes, and he slowly lifted himself from Taehyung's lap. "In fact, let's-... f-finish getting ready. We'll be late for class!"

Taehyung watched as Jeongguk's gaze eyed him up and down, perhaps taking in the sight of his abs just one more time before he retreated down the hall, eager to hide his flushed face from the older.

He gave an amused chuckle, the low laugh reverberating inside his throat.

"Hm. Whatever you say, Jeon."

※ ※

"You're doing it all wrong!" Jimin whined while he stood behind his two best friends, both of which sat over stools beside a large canvas.

The trio were attending their shared art class together, working on their collaborative group assignment. That being, one person from the group was to sketch out a drawing while the other two were to paint it in their own vision.

"What do you mean it's wrong? Ggukie and I are only painting the way we've interpreted it," Hoseok huffed in a sassy tone, taunting the blond with his paint brush.

Jimin narrowed his eyes at him, then reached to point his finger to a spot on the canvas.

"That's supposed to be a rain puddle. Y'know? Cuz it's obviously raining?"

"Well now it's the blood of the bunny's enemies," the older shrugged, directing his red-tinted brush towards the canvas again. Jeongguk's short giggle was heard from beside them, and he looked up from the left side of the canvas, where he was painting said bunny in a greyed white hue.

"Just let the artists do their thing, Jiminie. We'll take your beautiful drawing up to legendary status, just you wait."

"Oh my god.." Jimin mumbled. "Aren't you getting a little too cocky these days?"

"He's in his honeymoon era," Hoseok jumped in, causing the blond to snort out a laugh.

Jeongguk lifted his brows, a pout forming over his lips while he watched his friends cackle at him.

"What are you guys talking about.." He whined, and Hoseok's grin only widened.

"You and Taehyung during lunch?" He feigned disgust. "So clingy."

"Yeah, he was aaall over you," Jimin moved to hug Hoseok from behind, settling his chin to his shoulder. "Like this. Tae was embracing you and sleeping on your shoulder all possessive and shit."

"Mhm, mhm," Hoseok nodded, "And he looked like a giant next to you."

Jeongguk's cheeks flushed a bright burgundy color, frowning while his friends teased him. But they just couldn't help it—it was too funny watching the small boy get all flustered merely from their words.

"Well, h-he barely got any s-sleep from that Bangtan m-meeting, so... I let him rest on my shoulder..."

"What about me? I was at that meeting too." Hoseok rolled his eyes, gave careful flicks of his brush over the canvas.

Jimin laughed loudly, and seconds later the professor showed up to the front of the room and began to dismiss the class.

Jeongguk rushed to put away all the painting materials, wanting to free himself from any more teasing remarks his best friends could come up with. And before they knew it the boy was slipping his bag over his shoulder and waving to them.

"Okay well, gotta go now, love you guys. Bye!"

Jimin and Hoseok watched as he sped out of the room, jaws lowered in awe at the younger's quick escape.

And Jeongguk hurried down the hall, wandered to the neighboring building not far from the one he had darted out from. After all he had agreed to meet V after class, at a different art room, where the photography club was hanging around today.

He quickly sped through crowds of students, making turns until he finally found the room. He noticed right away that the door remained open for anyone to stroll in, and took it as his chance to peek his head through the frame, to scan the large studio in search of handsome dark haired male. And of course, it didn't take him long to find him. Not one bit, and certainly not when his eyes were always naturally drawn towards the man.

But it wasn't until his gaze settled on him, that Jeongguk felt his feet freeze up in place, watching as Taehyung rested on a cushioned seat at the corner of the room, a girl plopped over his lap.

She was straddling him, one arm wrapped around him while she giggled at something he had said, her face drawing closer to his. Jeongguk gulped down at his saliva, fists clenching tightly beside him while Taehuyng's head then turned to the side.

And in that moment, the two men's eyes met.

Except, Jeongguk couldn't quite bear to stand there not even a second longer. There was a strange whirling inside his stomach, a bad taste at his tongue. He turned swiftly to walk back out the room, not bothering to step even a foot further toward the sight he had walked in on.

It was very unlike him, he thought.

To feel such a consuming feeling of... Rage? Jealousy? He wasn't quite sure. All he knew was that he couldn't stand the sight of Taehyung with anyone else but himself. And he could've been just a little more forgiving, had he not previously encountered the man in such scenarios with different women the past few days.

Harmless, he thought. He had dismissed it as something harmless, considering Taehyung was popular around the school, and naturally ladies would yearn for his attention. He knew that wasn't something he could control.

As Jeongguk hurried back down the hall, letting these thoughts consume him, he suddenly felt a large hand at his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks.

"Why are you running from me?"

A short breath trembled from his lips, and Jeongguk slowly turned around to see Taehyung—well V, now standing there in front of him. He swallowed a breath and spoke firmly.

"What do you mean..?" His brows lowered accusingly. "Was I not interrupting something back there?"

The man scoffed out a short laugh. "With that girl? Fuck no. She's just a club mate."

Jeongguk's lips pressed together. "And why was a 'club mate' sitting on your lap?"

The other merely shrugged.

"She does that sometimes."

"Does that sometimes?" The younger repeated incredulously, which made Taehyung grunt out.

"Holy shit, Jeon, it's not like you walked in on us having sex. What the fuck do you want?"

Jeongguk reached to hold the strap on his bag, squeezing his grip on it while he tried his best to stop his lips from trembling.

"You're right.. But for all I know you could've been kissing her before I walked in, or.. even just flirting is-... It just bothers me." He spoke in a wavering voice. "At the very least don't have some girl on your lap if you're mine.."

Taehyung's brow perked, his void eyes merely watching the defeated expression on the boy's face.

"I told you." His raspy voice finally pushed out into the air between them. "I'm trying."

The two were back to gazing at each other while Jeongguk seemed a bit dissatisfied with the answer. He lowered his head, teeth digging to his bottom lip before he spoke his next words quietly.

"Are you sure you even like me..?" He nearly whispered. "Or are you just using me as an excuse to prove to yourself that you're capable of dating a guy? Simply using me as revenge on your uncle..? If that's the case it can be any guy, V. It doesn't have to be me. I want to be your lover... not your so called 'revenge'."

Jeongguk's eyes suddenly widened when he felt his face being grabbed, and his head was forcibly lifted to meet Taehyung's eyes. His eyes, where a flame burned wildly inside his pupils.

Before the man could say anything, his thumb brushed lightly over the mole below Jeongguk's lips.

"Fuck you, Jeon." Taehyung mumbled beneath his breath. "I finally put my trust into someone again, and this is how you're returning the favor."

Jeongguk's large doe eyes blinked back at him, lips parting as tears threatened to gloss over his vision. He felt his heart slowly sinking to his stomach, realizing that strangely enough, the alter was right.

He had already opened up to him. Already expressed his flaws. On women, and his difficulties staying faithful. Jeongguk knew all of this, and yet... He wasn't one to give up.

So why would he start now?

Sure, it was hard to push down that feeling of jealousy that would ignite inside him, every time he'd see the alter being particularly close with a woman. Flirting with them, even. Over the past few weeks, he'd catch V doing those things. Getting close to different girls, whether they were classmates or merely acquaintances.

But he also understood that was the only life V had ever known. It would be impossible to change overnight, and with time the man could learn to break the habit of succumbing to those desires.

He's admitted it, after all. That this was the reason he had trouble staying faithful. Jeongguk knew he should keep being patient. That V would grow out of it eventually.

"I-I'm... I'm s-sorry.." He exhaled quietly, voice shaky. "I-I'm.. You're r-right.."

Taehyung slowly released his grip on the boy.

"Don't apologize to me." There was brief silence while he took a step back and let Jeongguk wipe at his eyes. And then he spoke up again, after slight hesitation. "It's not because you're a boy.."

Jeongguk sniffled softly, and the other continued.

"I'm not taking revenge on my uncle by being with you. I'm taking revenge on him by finally doing whatever the fuck I want. By being with whoever I want." His gaze was elsewhere while he spoke. "That's you."

A few seconds rolled by, and Taehyung's strong gaze was back on Jeongguk, whose head was lowered, chest rising in a quiet inhale.

"Yeah?" That deep voice uttered. The very one that always seemed to light sparks to Jeongguk's very core.

He pursed his lips out, pushing the word from his mouth while he avoided the fierce stare he could feel remained over him.

"Y-Yeah."

※ ※

Four men sat beside a round table through the dim lighting in the room, waiting around while they let themselves bathe in the lingering silence between them. A good kind of silence. One that implied the four of them had been in deep thought over the same topic.

The lull in the room was soon broken by a light knock on the door, and one of the seated men—Kim Namjoon, rose from his chair and leaned his fingers over the tabletop.

"Come in." He spoke, and at those words the other three men followed their leader and stood up as well.

The door swung open. A muscular bearded man, a Bangtan guard, stepped beside the doorframe and looked at the other four.

"The guests are here, sir." He spoke up, hand over his belt.

Namjoon gave a mere nod. "Let 'em in."

The guard then retreated to follow orders, and Namjoon's shoulders relaxed while he glanced toward the other men—Yoongi across from him, who stood beside Ranger. And to his right was Taehyung, whom he was well aware was currently V.

He had chosen a good team for this meeting, that was for sure.

Just as the thought crossed his head, he refocused to the sound of footsteps that proceeded. Inside the room walked four other men, one after the other. Namjoon casually crossed his arms, waited on them to approach the free seats at the round table, then made a gesture for them to take a seat.

"Please, make yourselves comfortable." He said in a courteous voice, and the group of eight men all simultaneously sunk down to the chairs behind them.

"Thanks again for inviting us out here, RM, sir." One of them spoke up, and Namjoon turned to look at the raven short-haired man. "Allow me to introduce us both. My name is So Kuro, and this is my fellow gangmate Yeong Daeho—" He pointed to his left, at a younger looking, ginger-haired man. "We are both high-ranking captains of the Coin Group."

"Very nice to meet you," Namjoon cracked a welcoming smile while the two men bowed their heads at him. "Thank you both for coming all the way out here. As you know I'm RM, Bangtan's leader." He turned to his right. "These two men next to me are high-ranking captains as well. Kim Taehyung and Min Yoongi."

At the mention of their names, one of the men on the left narrowed his eyes, brows lowering to a permanent frown, a fire burning inside his direct gaze while he stared at the other two.

Namjoon continued. "And the one seated next to them is Ranger, our high intelligence officer. He will be in official charge of all missions regarding Coin and Bangtan, so... Feel free to get comfortably acquainted with him."

The men proceeded to bow at each other once more, and then Namjoon turned to look to the remaining two at his left. "And finally, these two lovely guys over here are high-ranking captains from Namida. As you know, Bangtan and Namida are highly affiliated. We've been allies for years now, so these two are here merely to observe as we form a relationship with a new gang. That's you guys, of course."

One of the Coin men, Kuro, nodded his head, and the two directed their attention to the Namida guys.

"Lovely to meet you both," a vibrant voice spoke up. "I'm Tanaka Hiro. And this cheerful lad next to me is my gangmate, Park Minseok."

The frowning man nearly grunted out, and Taehyung blinked back at him curiously, oddly finding his name to be quite familiar from somewhere.

"Quite sorry to interrupt—" The guy, Minseok, then suddenly spoke up. "But I was told only two captains will be repping each gang, respectively. So why is this Mr. Ranger here attending our meeting, hm? Is a high intelligence officer really needed when you have two 'capable' captains?"

Namjoon's lips slowly parted, slightly confused at the abrupt remark, though he kept a faint catering smile on his face. "Well, right..." He cleared his throat. "As you can see, Ranger is not a repping captain, but rather he's in charge of Coin matters for—"

"With all due respect, Park," Taehyung's deep voice cut in, his intense gaze now fiercely settled on the other. "Reps from Namida were only invited here to spectate, as a sign of loyalty to our alliance. I strongly suggest you keep your comments to a minimum and do what you've been sent here to do. Spectate."

A silence fell over the large room. The other four men exchanged brief glances, while Minseok merely narrowed his eyes at the Bangtan captain.

"Right." He hummed insincerely. "My apologies. Do go on."

And with that, the men proceeded to discuss the mission they were to execute later that night. Though, the conversation was mostly led by Ranger and the two Coin captains, while the rest listened in with intricate focus.

Once the discussion was over, Namjoon stood from his seat and began to escort the two Coin men to the exit. They uttered respectful farewells, and soon only the four Bangtan men and the two Namida captains remained.

"Again, thanks for taking time out of your day to attend this brief meeting," Namjoon sighed softly, returned to his seat and gave a nod towards the two allies. "I know Namida's busy these days with new drug imports."

"Not a problem, sir. It's always lovely to do business with our favorite allies." Hiro gave a warm smile, head bowing politely. Then he turned to look at his comrade, who was sat with arms crossed, a stern look on his face as he seemed to be contemplating something.

Namjoon blinked twice, then straightened his shoulders while he rested one hand over the round table.

"Minseok-ssi. Is there something you'd like to discuss?"

The man lifted his head upon hearing his name, then squinted his eyes while he glanced at the other three Bangtan men.

"Actually... yes. There is."

Namjoon flashed another coaxing grin. "Do tell."

"I would like to request an exchange of one of your repping captains for this whole Coin matter. I refuse to work with him."

There was a moment where Namjoon turned his head to meet eyes with his three men. And after a few seconds, he finally returned Minseok's gaze.

"Come again?"

The Namida captain slowly uncrossed his arms, hands forming into fists while he gave a provoking glare towards the man seated across from him, steam nearly flaring from his nostrils.

"Min Yoongi." He spoke up. "If I'm not mistaken, my younger sister is quite popular among Bangtan men. But this man here," he seethed his words out, "This man was stupid enough to impregnate her."

A dead silence.

Five sets of eyes were now on Yoongi, who was seated with his head lowered, unable to meet the gazes of the guys around him. And after an excruciatingly long silence, the still air was finally broken by Taehyung's sudden piercing laugh.

"Pffft! Oh man, this is fucking hilarious!" The man belted out, then bent forward in his seat while he gave a devilish grin towards Minseok. "Ha! I knew you looked familiar."

Minseok's gaze redirected towards him.

"You're Misun's brother! No fucking way." Taehyung cackled manically, gave a slap to his own thigh while he leaned back to catch his breath.

Minseok ignored Taehyung's comment and addressed Namjoon once again.

"I understand our gang relations are excellent. Bangtan is Namida's most trusted ally, and vice versa. Which is precisely the reason I decided not to murder this guy in cold blood." He gestured towards Yoongi. "But even so, I refuse to work with him, and my opinion on that cannot change. So I suggest you find a new captain to bring to this table next time, or personal matters will be brought into gang business, and interfere with this delicate mission."

Namjoon's mouth gaped open, watching as Minseok rose from his chair abruptly, and turned towards the door.

"That is all. Let's go, Hiro."

Footsteps began to fill the room. Hiro hesitated to stand up, then shot a look of apology towards the others before hurrying to catch up to his comrade's side.

And with the echo of the door shutting, the Bangtan men were left to their solitude.

※ ※

Jeongguk gave two light knocks at the door, feet hugged together while he then waited patiently until it swung open, revealing his boyfriend's handsome face on the other side.

"Hey.." He pushed out a gentle smile, stepped inside Taehyung's apartment with meek steps.

A hint of a smirk tugged at the corner of the man's blank expression.

"Hi."

"H-How was the.. meeting?" Jeongguk's gaze lifted, settling over his boyfriend's disheveled hair and weary eyes.

"Real fun. Best time of my life." The man spoke in a sarcastic monotone, and the younger giggled softly beneath his breath.

"Then, aren't you glad I'm here to make your day better?' Jeongguk's amused grin persisted on his face while he moved to wrap his arms around the taller man. He lifted himself up on his toes and smooched Taehyung's lips twice.

The older merely blinked down at him, hands moving to settle to the boy's waist, but as if out of sheer instinct his palm caught grip of Jeongguk's full ass cheeks instead.

"How will you make it better, hm?" The man's deep, gritting voice sent a wave of heat to the younger's pale skin. "Tell me."

Jeongguk felt himself squirming, thighs pressing firmly together while he exhaled briefly. He blinked up at the older with his large doe eyes, an innocent sparkle in his gaze, one that was gentle, inviting. Taehyung's focus was then redirected to the boy's pink dewy lips, glistening with the same intensity as his dilated pupils.

The sight alone made him squeeze a strong grip on Jeongguk's ass.

"M-Make-..." The younger stammered in a whisper. "I'll make you feel good.."

Taehyung's dark gaze persisted, though internally he was salivating over the look on this pretty boy's face.

His pretty boy.

That much was a given, for there was no one else this boy could possibly belong to.

"You've been going to your therapy sessions twice a week..." Jeongguk continued, lips moving beside Taehyung's neck. "Taking your meds, too... Trying for me..." A light smooch over the older's skin made the two's stomach flutter. "You deserve a reward."

"Mmn.." Taehyung hummed in satisfaction, once the younger began to trail his lips over his neck with a line of repeated kisses. "Very cute, bun. But you've got it all wrong."

Jeongguk pulled back a bit, then fluttered his eyes open while the two's gazes met once more.

"This isn't some reward." He grabbed Jeongguk's cheeks in a firm hold. "I'm merely taking what's mine."

With those words, came the clash of the two men's lips against each other's. Jeongguk's surprised squeak came muffled against the older's lips, and Taehyung slid his large hands up to secure a grip over the boy's slim waist. Right where they belonged.

The two engaged each other in a lustful kiss, bodies moving naturally in steps down the hall while they refused to break away from each other. Taehyung pushed Jeongguk against the hallway wall, head digging to the side to bite into his neck. With that he earned a cute high pitched yelp from the sensitive boy, and Taehyung wasted no time in lifting him beside the wall, letting Jeongguk wrap his legs around his hips, while his arms secured back over his neck.

Taehyung engaged him into another kiss, and the two made out profusely while the older carried them to his bedroom, where he was quick to land Jeongguk over the mattress.

Jeongguk gasped out a breathy exhale, then let his eyes fall shut while Taehyung settled above him and resumed biting in various spots over his neck, enjoying the way the boy squirmed beneath him at the feeling.

He let his toes curl, hands gripping to the bedsheets as Taehyung's love bites were glossed over with light kisses across his skin. And when the older's teeth sunk particularly deep, turning his skin a dark red hue, Jeongguk's eyes snapped open, a whiny whimper slipping past his lips. His head fell swiftly to the side, hands swimming past the bedsheet's fabric; and that was when his fingers slid over a small cloth.

Jeongguk's gaze lowered, eyes now focusing on the pale pink object that had been sitting over the mattress while his body sought pleasure from the man's lips. He stared at it profusely, head pulsing, and he slowly processed what it was he was looking at. When it finally clicked inside his brain, Jeongguk let the hefty breath he had held up in his lungs finally push out into the air between them, and his free hand hoisted toward Taehyung's shoulder.

"V..." He muttered. "Stop.."

The older's lips drew back, head pulling away to look at the boy who was now gazing at him with glossy eyes. Jeongguk wriggled beneath him, then turned over on the bed to pry himself away from the man. Taehyung merely blinked at him, a bit perplexed as to why Jeongguk was suddenly standing up, a frustrated frown evident on the pretty boy's brows.

"What's wrong?" He finally spoke up, watching the younger begin to pace a bit.

Until suddenly Jeongguk stopped in place, and found strength within himself to meet the older's eyes.

"We just t-talked about this earlier... I thought y-you said you were trying.." He found himself saying the words out loud, though his hands trembled beside him.

Taehyung settled himself over the sheets and scoffed lowly. "I did say that, yes."

"Are you sure you even know what it means to try?" Jeongguk's teeth clenched.

"What are you getting at."

The boy's lip quivered.

"You had a girl over."

At those words Taehyung's head tilted slightly to one side, observing Jeongguk's distraught demeanor while he revealed what it was he was holding in his left hand.

Which was, of course, a pair of pink panties, the piece of cloth he had found buried between the man's bedsheets.

"If you're going to g-give in to your desires and sleep with w-women, can you at least n-not lie to me about it like you did with Yerin?" Jeongguk spoke in an unstable voice, trying his hardest not to let any tears surface in his eyes.

No, at least not now.

But it was getting harder not to, when Taehyung merely stared back at him with the usual dead eyes, not making any effort to speak a single word.

Although Jeongguk wished he would. Wished he would retaliate with something—anything, to suggest that it was some sort of misunderstanding. That Jeongguk was being unreasonable again. That he had simply misjudged the situation.

But the man merely sat there. Not moving, and not saying a word.

So the tears surfaced at the boy's eye sockets, and he swung his hand, threw the cloth directly toward the older.

"Y-You're s-such a liar." He managed the words out, hands reaching to wipe at his cheeks. "Liar."

Through heavy throbs of his heart he turned around, darted swiftly past the bedroom door. Unable to remain in the man's stare any longer.

✱