Jungkook isn't good at this sort of thing.

Patching people up is Jimin's area of expertise. Jungkook only ever provides the first aid kit. He doesn't know anything about how to treat wounds - how much alcohol to use, where it's safe to touch, how to freaking stop his hands from shaking - but Taehyung doesn't complain. Taehyung doesn't really say anything.

"I'm sorry," Jungkook mutters for the millionth time, when he presses the cloth to a cut on Taehyung's cheek and he winces. "Did they come at you with knives?"

"Fingernails," Taehyung mutters, and it makes Jungkook a bit sick. It's the most he's gotten out of him so far, apart from the fact that he got beaten up by some kids, which doesn't count because it was obvious.

They're both on the bed, which is frankly a terrible idea when they're dealing with blood and ointments, but Taehyung looks so exhausted and ready to keel over that Jungkook doesn't want to make him sit anywhere else. He's leaning against the wall, Jungkook hunched in front of him, staring vacantly at whatever he does as if it's someone else's body.

"It's not as bad as it looks," he says quietly, and Jungkook freezes. It's the first complete sentence he's said. "You should see the other guys."

Jungkook gives him a flat look. He doesn't mean to be rude, but he really, really can't believe that.

Taehyung tries holds his gaze for ten seconds before relenting. "They...barely have a scratch."

That was more likely.

"Who were they," he asks, as gently as he can. Taehyung doesn't reply immediately. He watches as Jungkook unrolls a roll of bandages.

"Friends," he says at last. Then he sees the look Jungkook is giving him and corrects, "Enemies?"

"Your classmates?"

"Nah. No, they were..." he stops, swallows, like he wants to say something but then thinks the better of it. "Not my classmates," he says.

Then he asks the question that's been weighing them down for too long, "Why did they want to hurt you?"

Taehyung shrugs, his expression empty. "Heck if I know, Jungkookie."

It isn't right. He's hiding something for sure - usually Taehyung tries to get away with lying by making too much eye contact, leaning too far forward, faking an earnestness that he would never really feel. But sometimes he goes beyond that, and simply shuts off. Doesn't lie, but doesn't share. Demands to be left alone without even voicing it.

It's already messed up that he's come to Jungkook instead of Jimin. It isn't because of friendship, or sentiment, or even because Jungkook is the sole owner of the first aid kit - no matter how much he likes Jungkook, Jimin would always be his first choice. Always.

But Jimin would ask questions, and Jungkook doesn't, and that's the only possible explanation.

"I'm calling Jimin-hyung," Jungkook says hesitantly, reaching for his phone. "He's probably awake."

Taehyung grabs his arm mid reach, suddenly alert.

"Don't," he says, and it's half a plea, half a warning.

They sit like that for what seems like too long, Jungkook's eyes wide, hand still outstretched, Taehyung holding it firmly with a fierce expression.

"Don't call Jimin," he says again.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing's going on," Taehyung hisses, and it's such a far cry from his usual demeanour. He's seen Taehyung throw tantrums, he's even seen him in fights, but he's almost never harsh towards Jungkook. He's been mad at him, sure, even shouted at him once, but this...this doesn't make sense. And for what, for trying to call Jimin?

Jungkook tries to tug his arm away, but Taehyung's grip tightens. "Don't even mention this to him, Kook-ah. Do you understand?"

"Hyung, it's not like you can hide this, your eye is freaking purple - "

"Don't mention this to him," Taehyung repeats, slowly, dangerously. "I'll take care of the rest."

Jungkook bites his lip. He wants to go and get Jimin right now - Jimin who always knows what to do, who'll patch Taehyung up in no time and get him out of his own head, but. But.

"I won't," Jungkook mutters, and he hates himself a bit more.

Taehyung lets go of his arm hesitantly, like he still expects Jungkook to make a mad grab for his phone. His arm throbs a bit as circulation returns to it. "Thanks," Taehyung says, after a beat. "I'm sorry."

Jungkook shakes his head wordlessly, starting to wrap the bandages around Taehyung's hand. It's strange enough that Jimin hasn't returned on his own - he never stays out so late without Taehyung or Jungkook. For all their talk about 'going out more' and 'meeting new people', they can't stomach doing it without company.

"He's never out so late," Jungkook says, just leaving the information hanging there.

"He's with Hoseok-hyung, don't worry," Taehyung says, which doesn't answer the pressing concern. Did they have a fight? Was that it? Did he fight with Jimin and then go out and pick a fight against the first gang he could find?

It doesn't make sense. Nothing makes sense.

When he's done, Taehyung shifts on the bed, wincing, trying to make himself comfortable on Jungkook's pillow. Jungkook had hoped to get him to change his clothes at least, but Taehyung's breathing is already slowing, so he just pulls the covers over him, turns off the lights, and stumbles out to the bathroom to get the blood off of himself.

The purple eye looks worse in the morning.

Taehyung spends about fifteen minutes covering it up with make up, fifteen minutes that they really can't afford with their nine AM class, and it honestly doesn't make it look any better. He hides behind a pair of sunglasses and a cap tugged low, the collar of his jacket turned up, and all in all looks like a giant sign that says I am Suspicious, please be Suspicious of me.

"Jimin hyung won't fall for any of this," Jungkook says, more to himself than to Taehyung, as he bounces nervously at the door waiting for his friend to hurry up. They're going to be late. There's no way Taehyung will be able to run there, or even walk as fast as they usually do, even though he won't admit it. They're late.

It doesn't matter, Jungkook reminds himself, trying to channel his anxiety in a different direction. He can skip this class if he has to. Dealing with Taehyung is his first priority.

"I won't run into him today," Taehyung says.

Jungkook gives him a look that tells him precisely what he thinks of that, which is that it's a load of nonsense. "You won't run into Jimin hyung?"

Taehyung glares at his shoe laces, like he wants to tie them but isn't sure he can afford to bend down. Jungkook sighs and crouches before him, tying them for him.

"Our schedules are more different than you think," Taehyung says, patting Jungkook on the head at a lack of what else to do. "We always just find a way around it. This will be easy."

"And unnecessary," Jungkook mutters, mostly to himself. He gives the shoe laces a final tug, tying them tightly enough to last the rest of the day. When he straightens up Taehyung is frowning at him.

"It isn't," he says. "You'll see."

He says it like you'll see means if things go right, you won't have to.

Maybe it's creepy, maybe it's overbearing, but the minute the bell rings for Jungkook's lunch break he's off to the science block to find Taehyung again. He texts both him and Jimin on the way there, individually, asking them where they are. Taehyung doesn't reply, but Jimin does (bless his soul for always replying, always), but what he says is

didnt come to class today. am hungry. pls bring food when coming back.

Jungkook doesn't even know what he's suspicious of anymore, but his worry is rising every second. Are they trying to stay away from each other? He hopes it's not a fight, and he hopes to god that whatever has happened between them has nothing to do with Taehyung getting beaten up. Everything is already too messed up as it is.

He stands for a bit under a tree near the east wing, where they usually meet, fidgeting with his phone. He tries calling, but Taehyung doesn't pick up. The phone seems to ring forever.

Finally, he just sits under the tree, waiting. He hasn't bought lunch in his haste to get here - which he doesn't understand himself, it's not like the science block would stand up and walk away if he arrived a minute later - but he's more concerned about where his friend is. He'd said his classmates had nothing to do with it, but Jungkook isn't sure what to believe. Or if he should believe anything at all.

He leans back against the tree bark, fiddling with his phone to make it look like he's actually doing something, while in reality he scrolls through his app list again and again and again.

Again and again.

Again and again.

He isn't hungry, he doesn't think, but there's a dull thrumming in his stomach. Maybe he is hungry, and has just forgotten how to identify basic bodily functions.

He freezes when a pair of feet step into his line of sight. A large shadow is cast over him, and for a second Jungkook can't decide which would be worse - looking up and seeing what this possible terror looks like, or dying without knowing what killed him.

"Are you looking for Taehyung?" a voice asks kindly, which isn't what Jungkook expected. He looks up hesitantly. The man is tall, but he's smiling, and looks mostly harmless and somewhat...familiar.

It takes Jungkook a moment to place his face.

"Kim Namjoon-ssi," he says, surprised. The guy who, according to Taehyung, keeps burning down the lab.

Namjoon's eyebrows raise. "You know me?"

"Tae hyung has mentioned you." In addition to being well known for laboratory destruction, Namjoon is, apparently, a freaking genius. He's in his final year, despite being Hoseok's age, has too many awards to count and a hundred percent scholarship, and is like the role model of every science major to ever walk through the campus gates.

"Huh," Namjoon says, like he hadn't expected this but is sort of happy.

Jungkook has never understood how he and Taehyung became friends - as far as he and Jimin have managed to piece together from the stories, it involved a bottled frog and a test tube of lead chloride. Which is fairly normal, considering Taehyung's friendships, so neither of them questions it.

It strikes Jungkook what an awkward position he's in, on the ground, craning to look up at this genius, but he thinks standing up would make it even more awkward.

"You're the kid who hangs out with him, right?"

"Probably," Jungkook says, although Jimin is still shorter than him and a very likely candidate. "Is he here?"

Namjoon shakes his head. "I told him to get back to the dorms," he says, and Jungkook feels his stomach sink in dread. Namjoon realizes this and continues hastily. "He's fine, he's fine...he just seemed too tired. A bit out of it. His body is still sore, so it's best if he rests a bit."

So Namjoon knows about what happened. Namjoon knows, and Jimin doesn't. Heck, Jungkook was the one who had to deal with him yesterday and he still has no idea.

"Namjoon-ssi," he starts, tentative. "Who hit him?"

Namjoon blinks in surprise. "He didn't tell you," he realizes, more to himself. "But he said - is he trying to hide this?"

Jungkook nods.

Namjoon bites his lip, like he's torn between telling Jungkook and respecting Taehyung's privacy. But Jungkook thinks privacy has nothing to do with anything - if you get beaten up on the streets you don't want privacy, you want a knife and a freaking lawyer.

"Some second year dance majors," Namjoon says quietly. "He wouldn't tell me their names, I was trying to report them. From what I managed to get out of him they weren't complete strangers - he already knew them through another friend of his."

Slowly, horribly, Jungkook is starting to understand.

And he hates it. All of it.

Jungkook's coffee is going cold.

He doesn't even like coffee - he isn't sure why he ordered it. He's swirling his spoon around in the cup, staring absently at the mini whirlpool it's making. His books are stacked up on the side of the table, untouched. Not even opened.

The good thing about this remarkably mediocre cafe is that it's never crowded, so they never kick him out. He could swirl his spoon all day and no one would complain.

The door chimes as it opens, and of course Min Yoongi himself walks in, when Jungkook already has enough to worry about, with a thick jacket to ward off the cold. His mood darkens even more.

Yoongi doesn't notice him at first. He places his order and then keeps texting someone, eyes glued to his phone. When his inhuman sized cup of coffee arrives, he turns to find a place to sit, spots Jungkook, and stops.

Please don't sit here, Jungkook thinks, trying not to stare openly. He raises his hand a bit in greeting. Please don't sit here.

Thankfully, Yoongi doesn't. He waves back at Jungkook and slides into the next booth, dedicating his entire attention back to his phone. Jungkook almost sighs in relief.

He's briefly reminded of the half finished painting still sitting in his back pack, but he's in no mood for art now. He's in no mood for anything. He doesn't want to see Taehyung, or Jimin, or even Hoseok. He just wants to keep swirling this coffee which probably tastes terrible.

Taehyung has a ridiculous sense of honour.

He actually takes being made fun of pretty well - if staring blankly at anyone who tries to insult him and possibly not even hearing them counts as dealing pretty well. But when it comes to literally anyone else, he has a ridiculous sense of honour. Within the first month of meeting him, Jungkook had seen Taehyung try to pummel a man for making a waitress uncomfortable, spray soda over a guy for kicking a dog on the streets, and scream from a safe distance of about a hundred meters at two guys brawling on the road. Whenever Jungkook mentions anyone giving him trouble, Taehyung's first question is always when do I kill them. With a calm, completely straight face. Jungkook has learned not to mention names to him.

Second year dance majors, Namjoon had said. And they had a mutual friend of some sort. They were clearly Jimin's friends, and Taehyung had clearly offended them somehow - which could have only been if they had offended Jimin, which would explain why Jimin had stayed in the dorms all day.

It seems the most likely explanation, but Jungkook isn't sure.

The cafe is mostly quiet - except for a ragtag group of boys sitting at the opposite wall, a girl two seats away from them typing into her laptop, and Yoongi, Jungkook is the only other customer. No one is talking except for the group of boys, and they're rather quiet about it, until one of them lets out a spectacular snort.

Jungkook glances up.

They're huddled together, watching something on one of their phones. The sound from here is horrible quality, mostly static and background voices, but he can vaguely, vaguely make out the music of a G-Dragon song, one that he's been hearing too much recently, both from Jimin and Hoseok. The new routine they're working on together.

He's staring openly now.

"What even are those clothes," one of the boys is saying, while the others snicker. "Is there anything that you can't see?"

It could be anyone, Jungkook tells himself, even though his heart rate is rapidly increasing. There are thousands of people dancing to that song this very instant - just because Jungkook's friends aren't in a good place now doesn't mean that literally everything leads back to them. These could be any random jerks making fun of someone Jungkook has never met.

"How does he even get to dance next to Hoseok?" another guy says, sounding a bit put off. "I mean, look at him. He sucks."

There's a pause, a few mumbles of agreement, and then a "Maybe it's because of those clothes."

There are snickers all around again, and Jungkook tightens his grip on his spoon. Yoongi glances up at him, frowning, and then turns back to his phone.

"No wonder his boyfriend was so pissed."

"Really did a number on him yesterday, though."

That does it. Jungkook looks around a bit, as if he might find someone to help, so he can point and say isn't this enough proof? Isn't it? But obviously there's no one to go to, no one who would even care what college kids do to each other in their spare time, so he's left staring, anger rising dangerously, while they laugh and crack dirty jokes and point at the screen.

He isn't sure what he wants to do - punch someone, kick someone, shake his fists and scream? - but he stabs his spoon into his coffee and stands up, ready to give those freaks a piece of his mind or at the very least a black eye -

-when out of nowhere a hand grabs the back of his shirt and drags him down to sit.

"The hell are you doing?" Yoongi asks flatly, like Jungkook has lost his mind.

"Uhh..." Jungkook says intelligently. His eyes dart between Yoongi and the gang of boys still laughing away.

"What is it today," Yoongi continues. He isn't looking at him anymore, already back on his phone. "Revenge? Justice? An urge to protect humanity from common jerks?"

Jungkook shifts uncomfortably. His previous rage is confused by this sudden turn of events and is teetering nervously at the edge of his temper, trying to figure out what to do. "I think they beat my friend up," he manages to say.

One of the guys lets out a high pitched recount of Jimin's voice shrieking Hoseokie-hyuuuung and Jungkook is standing again, forget punching, he's going to freaking kill -

-and Yoongi promptly drags him down again.

Jungkook glares at him.

"This is not how you get revenge," Yoongi tells him patiently, almost bored. He finally, finally puts his phone down, locking the screen and stuffing it in his pocket. "It could be, granted, but you're also going to end up suspended. I doubt you want that."

I don't care, Jungkook wants to say, but Yoongi is already standing and moving out of the booth. He picks up his coffee mug - which, Jungkook realizes, is still half full - and gives Jungkook a serious look.

"Now," he says, "Whatever happens, don't move from here."

What? "Wait, Yoongi-ssi!" he starts, but Yoongi ignores him, starts to walk towards the counter, stumbles, and spills the contents of his mug over one of the guys' lap.

There is instant silence, and then instant chaos.

"Dude, what the hell?" the guy asks, trying to wipe himself down with his hands. Fingernails, he remembers Taehyung saying out of nowhere. The guy's fingernails are hideously long.

"Sorry," Yoongi says, with zero feeling. "But it's not like it could make you look worse."

"The hell?"

"If you're jealous of someone else's clothes, you should really just say so," Yoongi adds. And then, because he thinks he isn't being annoying enough, he flashes the guy a wide grin.

Jungkook barely has time to spring to his feet and shout before the first punch lands.

Yoongi stumbles backwards, holding his face. Then he smirks, slow and dangerous. "Well," he drawls, voice low and deadly amused, "now it all becomes self defence."

He throws the next punch, and then everything goes straight to hell.

Fifteen minutes later Jungkook and Yoongi are outside on the sidewalk of some unknown place, somewhat bruised, somewhat beaten, and overall in pretty bad shape considering the other guys.

"What did we just do," Jungkook asks the sky, which doesn't seem to have a clue either.

"You got your revenge," Yoongi says. "And I got to punch some kids. And some kids got punched. I'd say everyone wins."

Jungkook doesn't know if he should thank him or tell him that he has serious issues.

His head is throbbing a bit from when one of the guys rammed him into the counter, and his knuckles are cracked and broken. Strangely, though, Jungkook doesn't feel like he's lost at all. He did land a few good punches, and overall he feels pretty good about himself. It's probably just his adrenaline running wild, but still. He feels like he's done something right.

Yoongi seems equally relaxed. There's a nasty gash on his elbow that he doesn't seem to have noticed yet. He has his hands in his pockets and is staring ahead, his expression oddly calm considering what they'd just been doing.

"You weren't supposed to jump in," Yoongi says, after a moment.

Jungkook gapes at him. "I was supposed to just let you get beaten up?"

"You were supposed to let me beat them up."

"I don't think you noticed, Yoongi-ssi, but...that wasn't happening."

Yoongi scowls in the general direction of nothing. "You can call me hyung, kid," he says. "We did just get into a fist fight together." And then, "Your friends are going to kill me. Forget your friends, Hoseok is going to kill me."

Hoseok. Right. Was that why Yoongi had jumped in? He was pissed on behalf of Hoseok? "Why would he kill you?"

Yoongi raises three fingers. "One, I got into a fight. Two, I got you into a fight. Three - ah." He fumbles for his phone as it starts to ring. "Speak of the devil," he says, finger wavering over the accept button. "News spreads fast."

They both watch the phone ring with bated breath. Jungkook isn't sure why. Finally, Yoongi thumbs accept, eyes already closed like he's bracing himself. A long stream of curse words, surprisingly loud, come belting through, and Jungkook instantly understands Yoongi's hesitance.

"Hi, Hoseok," Yoongi says, when it sounds like the curses won't stop any time soon.

"Don't you hi me," he hears Hoseok screaming from the other side. It isn't even on speaker. His hyung is amazing. "If you want to go die go die on your own, don't drag little kids into it!"

Little kid, Jungkook thinks glumly. He's only two years younger, for god's sake.

"I did tell him not to help," Yoongi deadpans, and there's another stream of curses. "Okay, I'll just wait while you cool down."

Hoseok doesn't cool down for a very long time. Jungkook feels a bit awkward listening in, so he pulls out his own phone, swiping through his texts. Where are you, says Jimin. Where are you, says Taehyung. I'd asked for food, says Jimin. Your door is locked, says Taehyung.

Maybe news doesn't fly so fast after all.

Yoongi finally hangs up, his mouth turned down a bit more than usual. He'd probably gotten one hell of a lecture. Jungkook finds it a bit funny, actually, that Hoseok can talk down someone like Min Yoongi. Everyone has their weaknesses, he supposes.

"Did you..." Jungkook starts, and then reconsiders his words.

"Did I what."

"Were you mad because they mentioned Hoseok-hyung?"

Yoongi shrugs, and doesn't answer the question. "I don't like kids like them," he says instead. He turns to Jungkook. He's bruised and beaten but he looks like himself. Like the person Jungkook hears over his headphones, rapping and spitting anger in every direction. Like the person who crawled through the mud to get where he is today.

But what he says is, "I didn't even finish my coffee. You want to get another?"

Jungkook doesn't - he doesn't even like coffee, but he nods anyway.

As expected, Jimin is Not Amused by Jungkook's grand adventure.

"But...but they deserved it," Jungkook says desperately. He's sitting on Taehyung's sofa, which is like, the only clean part of the room right now, while Jimin stands above him, scowling like Jungkook is some rowdy kid. Taehyung is somewhere hidden in the mess, the sounds of explosion from his phone the only evidence that he's still here.

"I knew Min Yoongi was good for nothing," Jimin seethes. "Dragging a freshman into fighting five freaking people - "

"We did do pretty well," Jungkook points out.

"You did not do pretty well, you did pretty stupid. This could have gone in so many different directions - "

"I think they did pretty well," Taehyung pipes up, from wherever the heck he is.

"No one asked you, you tried to fight five people on your own, clearly your opinion means nothing here and nothing anywhere else."

Taehyung lets out a sound that may have been agreement, or may have been him talking to his phone screen. So Jimin knows. The secret is out then. Jungkook knew he couldn't keep it for long.

"You weren't heroic at all," Jimin continues fiercely. "Do you get that? Do either of you get that?"

"Yeah," Jungkook says, but doesn't mean it.

"Sure," Taehyung says, with equally zero feeling.

Jimin presses his palm to his face like he's willing himself to calm down. "I don't know why either of you exist," he says. "Please die very soon."

As if on cue, Taehyung's phone makes a series of horrible explosions, and then loudly says 'You died. Game over. Better luck next time.'

"Now look what you did," Taehyung says, aghast. Jimin picks up the nearest thing on the floor to throw at him, can't figure out where he is, and curses at him instead.