"Watch out for the-" Taehyung started before being interrupted by Yoongi tripping through the entrance of his house. "Step."
"Thanks for the warning," Yoongi groaned. Yoongi looked at his surroundings immediately confused as to why the door lead them into the kitchen. "Why are we already in the kitchen? Who the hell designed your house?"
"Oh, we had to come through the back door. I lost the key to the front, so..." Taehyung shrugged not being phased by his situation. The two walked through the tiny space, Yoongi trying hard not to hit his shoulders on any of the utensils hanging from hooks on the walls, as they made their way out through the doorway and into the lounge. It was small and cosy, very different from what Yoongi was used to, and Taehyung lead him to the sofa where the two fell in relief almost straight away. Yoongi moved his head to face Taehyung with a grin.
"Don't suppose your parents have any alcohol?"
"Probably, but I think maybe we should have some delicious, nutritious, healthy, good ol' water. Don't you?" Yoongi grimaced at Taehyung's words, before the younger was already up and heading towards the kitchen. Yoongi sighed as he looked around, taking in the decor around him. Warm tones of red covered the walls, curtains, and sofa, with a lighter wood covering most surfaces as well as the floor. The house as a whole looked... Incomplete. Almost as if Taehyung's Mom had started renovating but never finished. Various ornaments of different animals covered the book shelf and tables, giving a strong nature vibe when paired with the wood and large window that would usually bring in lots of light. A framed photo occupied a space on the small table next to the sofa arm, placed next to dirty coasters and rings from where the coasters had failed to be used. Despite being close to such a mess, the frame itself looked freshly cleaned. The photo showed a slightly younger looking Taehyung with his Mother and another boy around Taehyung's age now. His brother. A hand rested on the boy's shoulder, but where an arm should follow, instead a massive tear line could be seen. The hand had a ring on it, as did Taehyung's Mother's, and slight hair rested on the knuckles of the rough skin.
"That was the last photo taken of all of us together." Taehyung stood at the door with two glasses of water in his hands. "If you're wondering why that one." Yoongi swallowed, feeling like he'd invaded his family's privacy even though the photo was out in the open. The glasses made a sound as they were placed on the table in front of the sofa, drawing Yoongi's attention away from the photo for a moment. "Drink," Taehyung instructed, pointing to one of the glasses on the table, before sitting down again.
"Fine." Yoongi reached to the glass, taking small sips. "Happy now?"
"Ecstatic."

Music floated through the air, a soothing atmosphere filling the room as the gentle sounds of soft piano and muted high hats took over. Taehyung and Yoongi had sat talking for some time, both reaching almost fully sober states.
"It wasn't his fault. Not really. It wasn't anyone's fault, they just... Dealt with it differently I guess..." Taehyung held the photo frame in his hand, looking at it. "I think my Mom just wanted someone to be angry at. And I think My Dad... I think he just didn't want to be hurt anymore. He wanted to let go but my Mom wasn't ready. Hell it's been three years and she still isn't ready." Yoongi watched Taehyung's expression as he spoke.
"What about you?"
"What?"
"Have you... Let go? Like... Really let go. Or are you just putting on a brave face for other people?" Taehyung looked into Yoongi's eyes, startled at the phrasing of the question.
"I like to think I've moved past it, but... Honestly, as long as my Mom's a mess over it, I will be too. Her sadness is almost like a reminder of his death. Constantly there, failing to hide..." He breathed in.
"I get that." Yoongi caught himself looking at Taehyung's lips and quickly looked back up, coughing before standing up. "I'll go get us some more water." He grabbed the glasses and walked into the kitchen, filling them up at the tap and walking back.
"Did you fill those up with tap water?" Taehyung asked.
"Uh, yeah?"
"The tap water isn't drinkable. You need to use the jug in the fridge." He stood up, taking the glasses from Yoongi.
"Oh. Sorry."
"It's fine. You didn't know." The two stood extremely close to each other and Yoongi noticed his eyes wandering again.
"Yoongi..." Taehyung looked at his lips as well. "Are you homophobic?" Yoongi's eyes snapped back up as did Taehyung's.
"What?"
"When you and Jungkook were fighting. You called him a... A flaming homo..." Yoongi lowered his head disappointed with himself. "I just... I can't be friends with some one who thinks they're better because they're bi instead of fully gay..."
"I don't think that. Seriously, I don't." Yoongi sighed. "I wanted to aggravate him. I thought that if I brought up a diary entry that Jimin told me about, then maybe it'd make him mad enough to hit me," Yoongi said.
'Why would you want him to hit you?" He put the glasses down on the table again.
"Because I deserve it."
"What do you mean, you deserve it?" Taehyung asked.
"I'm a mess of a person, Tae. I drink too much, I smoke too much, I have hallucinations and then get mad when I don't have them, I-"
"Hey." Taehyung grabbed Yoongi's chin gently, keeping their eyes locked together. "Just because you might be struggling, doesn't mean you're worth any less than anyone else. You don't deserve to get hit. Not by a long shot."
"You don't know me well enough to be the judge of that."
"But I know you well enough to see that you're not a bad person." The air around them felt warm as the two stood so close together, and the feeling of Taehyung's fingers on Yoongi's chin was only adding to the heat. Yoongi swallowed hard.
"Why does it feel like you're about to kiss me?" He asked, voice quieter than before.
"Because I've been wanting to all night. And the alcohol is still in my system a little bit."
"We should go to sleep." Yoongi moved away, Taehyung's hand releasing from his face. "If you want, um... If you want we can... Cuddle..." Taehyung's eyes widened. "I'm sick of feeling lonely," Yoongi continued. Taehyung nodded softly.
"Yeah... I'd like that."

Books and paper scattered themselves all along Jungkook's bed, a closed pen pressed to a page moving along the lines as Jungkook whispered them to himself over and over again.
"Plasma membrane. Correct. Éndocytosis. Correct. Prokaryotes. Correct. They're... Not?. Incorrect. Ah, really. We did? I don't remember that. Sorry. Robert Hook. Correct. No, I knew. Is-" His whispering is interrupted by a gentle knocking on his bedroom door, his Mom slowly opening it to enter. Jungkook quickly collected his various notes and books, hiding any evidence of what he was reading.
"Hey... You alright in here?" His Mother asked. She stepped into the room, Jungkook clearing space on his bed for her to sit down.
"Yeah, I'm just... Studying." Technically, that's not a lie. She sat down and looked at her son. He looked... Tired.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Jungkook played with the pencil in his hand, watching it intently as he did so, a nervous habit. Mrs. Jeon gently touched Jungkook's hands, stopping the movement and causing her son to look her in the eyes.
"Well, your friend got shot for starters... You know you can talk to me, right?"
"I can't... Not... Not about this at least." Jungkook let his gaze fall down again. He wanted to tell his Mom everything, but he couldn't. She wouldn't understand. She wouldn't even believe him, most likely.
"Are you... In trouble?" Jungkook's Mom asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Like. Drugs, or-or money, or anything like that-"
"No, God. Mom, no, nothing like that." Jungkook moved his hands so he was holding his Mother's. "We're dealing with it, okay? You have to trust us. You have to trust me. Please..."
"I trust you, Jungkook, but... You have to understand how this is for me. As a Mother, as your Mother. I want to be able to help you in any way I can." Jungkook hesitated for a moment.
"There's nothing you can do." Just believe in me. "I have to do this on my own." Just tell me you love me in case it's the last time I see you. "It's the only way." Just tell me you're proud. The two sat in comfortable silence for a while, letting the emotions hang in the air. "We, um..." Jungkook started. "We find out if Jimin lives or not today..." Although it dodged the finer details, it was still the truth. "I mean... There's a high chance he'll live. He has to live otherwise none of this makes sense, but..." He breathed in deep. "There is still a slight chance that he won't make it. And if he doesn't, then... Then it's all my fault." He stared at nothing in particular, the heaviness of the situation sinking in his heart. He had been so certain that this was going to work but after that conversation with Jimin, he wasn't so sure.
"I'm a cat." 
"I'm a cat trapped in a box, and you're the one that has to open it."
Was Jimin trying to say that he was both dead and alive? Like Schrödinger's cat? Trapped in a box with an unknown fate until the truth is discovered? If that was the case then there was still the possibility of error. Both Jimin's life and the universe were at stake. Jungkook couldn't mess this up. He just couldn't.

Walking into the bedroom only took a few seconds, it not being located far from the living room they were previously in. Yoongi looked around, taking in the atmosphere. It didn't look lived in or personalised, at least not in the way he had expected. There were no bright colors or whacky patterns like he had expected from the younger, instead a warm minimalist design greeted his eyes.
"I would have expected something a bit more punchy," Yoongi said.
"Punchy? What do you mean?"
"You know. Bright, intense, wa-PAH!" Yoongi karate chopped the air to emphasise his point, coughing awkwardly at the change in persona. "Don't get me wrong. It's nice. Just not what I expected." Taehyung smiled before speaking,
"Probably because it's not my room."
"What? Then why are we in it?"
"This is my Mom's room, I usually sleep in the living room. Whenever she's out for the night, I'm allowed to sleep in the bed though."
"Wait, so you only have one bedroom in the house?" Yoongi asked. As soon as the words left his mouth, he immediately felt guilty. He knew there was only one bedroom, what was Yoongi thinking? He didn't need to ask, he didn't need to make it uncomfortable. He cursed himself in his mind but Taehyung didn't look too bothered.
"Um, yeah. It was all we could afford at the time on such short notice. I told her she could have the room since I used to fall asleep on the couch all the time at our old place."
"I shouldn't have asked, I'm sor-"
"It's fine. It's not like we're struggling or anything, we just... Had to make some adjustments to our lifestyle is all." He smiled and headed towards the bed, sitting on it. "It does mean that there's only one bed though."
"Well I said I wanted to cuddle, didn't I?" Yoongi had crossed his arms. Not angrily, or sternly, but more to hide himself and feel smaller. Something about the idea of being so comfortable and vulnerable with someone felt so strange after all these years, but he didn't want to shy away from it. He wanted to embrace it. Taehyung stared at the elder, hesitation in his voice.
"I um... I sleep... In my underwear... Is that-?"
"Yeah, me too," Yoongi interrupted.
"Okay." The two looked at each other, breathing audible against the silence in the room. Taehyung let out a laugh. "This doesn't have to be so awkward, you know."
"Don't blame me! You're awkward too!" Yoongi exclaimed.
"I'm only awkward because you are!"
"Okay! Then... I'll stop being awkward."
"Good." They both laughed this time, before Taehyung stood up and took off his shirt. "There's nothing awkward about it."
"Right," Yoongi said, ignoring the increase in his heart rate as he took off his shirt as well. "Just... A couple of gay guys sleeping practically naked together..."
"Thought you said you were bi."
"That's basically half gay, isn't it?" Yoongi said as he looked down, taking off his jeans. Although his eyes were tempted to move down, Taehyung kept his attention on the elder's face.
"I don't think it's as simple as a direct split down the middle but," he pulled down his own jeans, "you're the one with the identity, I guess." The two stood looking at each other before Yoongi made his way to the bed, getting under the cover and turning away as soon as possible. This earned a laugh from Taehyung who joined in beside him and wrapped his arm around Yoongi's abdomen. Yoongi felt stiff under Taehyung's touch, clearly not used to the sensation anymore. "You don't have to be afraid, you know? I'm not going to hurt you."
"I know," Yoongi quickly said. "It's just been a while since I've shared a bed with someone... And you're really warm..."
"We can take the cover off if you want?"
"No, I... I like it." Taehyung smiled to himself at Yoongi's words and moved even closer to him. Maybe it was okay for Yoongi to feel safe and loved for once...

"Taehyung-ah..." Taehyung's eyes fluttered open, a whispering of his name disrupting his sleep. "I'm really sorry, I..." As his eyes adjusted to the dark, a crying, shaking Yoongi sat in front of him, facing away. "It happened again. I- It- I'm sorry." His breathing was uneven and his eyes darted around in panic.
"Woah woah, hey, what happened?" Taehyung sat up and held Yoongi close to him, searching his face for any sign of anything.
"He- It was- He was-" Yoongi struggled to get the words out through his tears. "It was Hoseok... His face- I-" He breathed in sharply as more tears began to erupt from him.
"Hoseok? What?" Taehyung rubbed circles into Yoongi's back in an attempt to soothe him.
"I..." He breathed in slowly and shakily. "I sometimes have these dreams... Hoseok's back but. He's not really, he- his face, it's- it's the same as the night of the shooting. Cold and-and-and vacant and- he- and it just- he-" Yoongi stopped himself, his breathing getting erratic again. "Fuck. I'm so sorry, Tae. I- I don't mean to, I just-"
"Hey, hey, it's fine. You don't need to apologise." Yoongi quickly turned and buried his face into Taehyung's shoulder. "Just breathe in and out, okay? I um... I read somewhere that if you breath in for four seconds, hold it for seven-"
"And breath out for eight, yeah I know." He pulled away. "Hoseok used to tell Jimin to do that whenever he had a panic attack... Fuck." He curled up small, letting his head rest on his knees, with his hands clutching at the sides of his head. "I thought I was done with these. I thought I didn't have to deal with this anymore, but... Everything just-"
"I get it. I do. It's okay, I'm here for you." Taehyung placed a hand in Yoongi's hair, stroking it lightly. Yoongi's body relaxed under the touch, shaking stopping almost instantly. "Just tell me what you need me to do for you, okay?" Taehyung assured him in a quiet soft tone.
"Just keep doing that," Yoongi's voice mumbled quietly. Taehyung chuckled lightly to himself.
"Sure thing." The two stayed like that for a while, Yoongi working on calming his breathing down and soaking in the comforting touches from the younger. It had been so long since Yoongi had last had any dreams or flashbacks related to the shooting and it pained him that they seemed to be back. They may be able to save Jimin, but that didn't mean that the image of Hoseok's corpse wouldn't be ingrained in Yoongi's mind forever. His cold dead eyes staring back at him would be a picture painted in his subconscious for the rest of time and he knew it, but it was nice to pretend that it wouldn't. At least for a little while. He took the hand that was stroking his hair and held it in his own as he repositioned himself to be in front of Taehyung. "Are you okay?" Taehyung asked.
"I think so," he replied. He moved Taehyung's hand to rest on his cheek, putting his own on Taehyung's cheek in return. He leant in and let their lips connect, the younger of the two being slightly startled. The kiss was soft, and full of emotion, Yoongi pulling away slowly and looking into Taehyung's eyes. "Thank you. That was a lot easier to go through with you here."
"You don't need to thank me, Yoo-" Yoongi held his finger up to Taehyung's lips.
"Hyung... You can call me hyung." He withdrew his finger, revealing a soft smile on Taehyung's face.
"Okay, hyung." He smiled and Yoongi did the same before gently pushing Taehyung's body down onto the bed and crawling to let himself be able to lay with his head on the younger's chest.
"Hand," Yoongi demanded. Taehyung looked at him puzzled, before Yoongi looked up and grabbed the younger's hand himself. "Hand," he said, holding it in the air, as if to demonstrate that was what it was, before laying back down and placing it on his head. Taehyung chuckled quietly, moving his hand to create the same motions from before, earning a small movement and noise barely audible from Yoongi indicating his comfort as they both slowly drifted off to sleep once again.

As light shone through a gap in the curtains, highlighting the dust particles dancing in the air, a soft guitar melody, shortly followed by singing, filled the air. Taehyung opened his eyes at the gentle, yet jarring, sound and reached his arm across to turn it off. He moved slowly and with caution in an attempt to not wake the one attached to him. Soft sounds emitted from Yoongi. Whether from the movement or the continuation of the ringtone, Taehyung wasn't sure. He successfully reached his way to his phone, seeing a caller ID on screen reading 'Kim Namjoon'. He clicked to answer out of curiosity and whispered into the device.
"Hello?"
"Hey, have you heard from Jungkook?" Namjoon's voice spoke.
"No, why?" Taehyung continued to whisper.
"He stormed off yesterday and I feel bad. Why are you whispering?"
"Uh..." He looked to the boy resting against his chest with his arm draped over his body, trying to find an answer that wasn't as intimate. "Yoongi stayed the night at mine since he didn't want his parents to see him drunk."
"So? He's not going to hear you from another room." Taehyung paused, trying to come up with an excuse, but failing miserably.
"He's not, um... He's not in another room..."
"Did he refuse the bed or something?" Namjoon said. Taehyung's eyes lit up.
"Yes. That's exactly what happened. We're both in the living room, him on the sofa, me on the floor."
"Then why don't you just move to the bedroom so you can speak?" Shit.
"Is that Namjoon?" A groggy voice spoke. Yoongi stretched his arms and licked his lips showing that he was clearly awake now, despite his eyes still being closed shut. "What does he want?" Taehyung pulled the phone down from his ear slightly, hand covering the receiver.
"He's asking about Jungkook," he said.
"Mm, gimme." Yoongi reached out his hand, asking for the phone with his eyes still shut and body still pressed against Taehyung. He grabbed the phone from Taehyung's grasp, giving up on getting permission, and began to speak. "I'd assume Jungkook is at home since he, like me, enjoys sleep. Sleep, which I would like to get back to. Go to his house. If he's not awake, I'm sure his Mom will answer." He handed the phone back to Taehyung before snuggling back into his chest.
"I um, I don't want to go alone though. I feel like he hates me," Namjoon spoke.
"He doesn't hate you. He could never hate you, you know that." Taehyung now spoke at a regular volume, his voice still gentle from sleepiness. "Just go speak to him, okay?"
"Okay. Sorry to bother you, Tae."
"It's fine, don't worry." He reached a hand into Yoongi's hair once again, stroking gently. "I'm sure we'll both fall asleep again soon enough."
"I'll text you if anything comes up."
"Okay. Bye, hyung."
"See you." Taehyung hung up the phone, breathing out heavily, looking at the boy on his chest.
"Hyung?" He asked.
"Mm?"
"Can we talk about last night?" Yoongi froze, his breath halting for a moment.
"Why do you want to talk about it?" His voice was muffled slightly, his face being somewhat squished against the younger's body.
"Because I want to know if it was real or not... Whether it was just something in the moment or... I don't know..." Taehyung's voice trailed off at the end as Yoongi began to sit up, hand still keeping contact with Taehyung's chest.
"Do we really have to think about it? We already have so much going on, I... I really don't want to add feelings shit on top of it."
"Don't you think there'll be more 'feelings shit' if we just leave it as an unknown mess?"
"Who says it has to be a mess?" Yoongi started. He sounded so soft and fragile compared to other time the two had spoken. It was strange seeing him in this way, so vulnerable and gentle. "Was it messy with you and Jungkook?" Taehyung blinked a few times at the sudden question.
"Sometimes... Yeah. We were so worried about potentially ruining our friendship that we became afraid to commit. And now... I've lost my chance with him forever because of that."
"Do you regret it?" Yoongi let his hand trail delicately along Taehyung's chest as he spoke. "Losing your chance?"
"Surprisingly... I don't." He tried not to get distracted by the soft touches on his body as he spoke. "I think that some things are meant to happen the way they do. If Jungkook and I got together properly then maybe he wouldn't have fallen for Jimin. Or maybe he would have and I would have gotten angry or upset about it and not helped in anyway. If things didn't pan out the way they did then maybe we wouldn't have been able to save Jimin."
"We haven't saved him yet. Don't get your hopes up," Yoongi interjected.
"Okay, but we know it works though."
"No we don't, Tae." Yoongi's hand stopped it's movements, defeat inching its way to his heart.
"You don't know... Do you?" Yoongi looked up at the younger's words, confused. "Jungkook's seen Jimin. Several times. He's alive, Hyung." Yoongi paused, processing the information.
"Holy shit."

The two finally separated and got dressed, Yoongi borrowing a sweatshirt from Taehyung which, due to the size difference, swallowed him whole. His clothes from the night before smelled like alcohol and general night-out-ness, so a change for the new day was certainly needed.
"Do you want breakfast or anything?" Taehyung spoke up.
"Just some coffee would be great."
"One coffee coming right up." He left the room, heading towards the kitchen and grabbing some instant coffee from the cupboard. Yoongi followed and winced slightly at the sight of instant coffee being used. He knew he shouldn't complain, but part of him was slightly disappointed at the downgrade from his usual morning beverage. As Taehyung boiled the kettle, a text had come through on his phone.

Kim Namjoon
Couldn't find JK but he called me and told me we should all meet up. Thoughts?

Coffee making production came to a halt as he took the time to reply.

You
All? As in Yoongi as well?

Kim Namjoon
Yeah. I think it's about the third. He sounded really nervous.

You
Okay, yeah sure. I'll let hyung know.

Kim Namjoon
Glad to see you two are getting along well now.

You
Yeah, you could say that, haha.

Taehyung put the phone down, tending back to the coffee, stealing occasional glances at Yoongi through the doorway which connected the two rooms. The elder boy sat on the sofa, phone in hand, social media at his fingertips, the screen brightness helping to wake him up a bit more.
"Hyung," Taehyung's voice called through as he walked to approach the couch. "Jungkook wants us all to meet. You good with that?"
"Uh, yeah. I guess." His eyes didn't move from the screen in front of him.
"You sure?"
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" His voice was dismissive and unattentive, his focus on the various tweets attached to his device instead.
"Namjoon said it might be about the 3rd... I just wanted to make sure you're okay to talk about it. You know, considering what happened last night..." Yoongi froze and locked his screen.
"I'll be fine." He turned his head to look at Taehyung. "Seriously, don't worry about me." The sound of the kettle clicking caught Taehyung's attention, pulling him away from the conversation. He continued making the coffee, bringing the mug out to Yoongi, along with a glass of orange juice for himself. "Are you not eating anything?" Yoongi asked.
"I'll grab something on the way to meet the others."

The four decided to meet up at a café, Taehyung then choosing to buy food there instead. Jungkook had already arrived by the time the two had showed up and ordered some food and drinks. They sat around one of the tables by the window, Yoongi and Taehyung sitting on one side, and Jungkook on the opposite. Jungkook sipped on his hot chocolate as they all took their seats, Taehyung happy with his choice of hot chocolate and a chocolate brownie to go with, and Yoongi pleased with his choice of more coffee, only this time in iced form. Chatter began as they waited for Namjoon to join them.
"I'm sorry for storming off without explaining yesterday..." Jungkook suddenly said.
"I'll be real, I don't remember much of yesterday," Yoongi replied, sipping from his coffee. Taehyung whipped his around to look at the elder.
"You don't?" Yoongi looked at Taehyung with an expression as if to say 'of course I remember that' but the meaning was lost on the younger of the two. At the realisation of this, a hand made its way to Taehyung's thigh, placing itself gently as a comforting gesture. The hand was retracted faster than the speed of light as the bell above the café door rang and Namjoon made his way to the table. As soon as Namjoon came into view, Jungkook instantly stood up, running over and hugging the tall boy in front of him.
"Woah, hey. You alright?"
"I'm so sorry for snapping at you." Jungkook's voice was muffled by the fabric of Namjoon's coat. "We don't have time to be mad at each other, so let's not be. Okay?" He kept his face buried in Namjoon's shoulder as the elder patted his back gently.
"I should have told you the second I realised. I'm sorry. No hard feelings though. Alright?" The younger nodded, still holding on tight.
"So, what now?" Yoongi spoke up. "We have maybe a week until we need to do the switch. Is everything ready? Do we even know how to initiate the switching?"
"I assume sleeping pills again," Namjoon answered. "That's what we did last time, right?"
"It worked then, so it should work this time too," Jungkook chimed in.
"Hey, Jungkook," Yoongi said. Jungkook looked the elder in the eyes, his expression soft. "If you want to practice anything or just go over it, just call me, okay?" He swallowed. "This has to go well. You know that, right?"
"Yeah, hyung... I know."