As Jungkook was walking he heard a slight hiss in pain. His ears perked at the noise and immediately rushed to open the door. Taehyung yelped at the sudden brash entrance of Jungkook and just stared at him.

                They both stood there as a heavy silence pressed down on them. “Don’t you have someone to help you with that?” Jungkook finally said gesturing to the gauze and anti-biotic in Taehyung’s hands.

                Taehyung shook his head meekly and continued to not say anything, much to Jungkook’s annoyance. “Like your mom? My mom always cleans me up when I fall.” he tried again.

                Still silence. Taehyung just openly gaped at him, opening and closing his mouth as though he had something to say then thought better of it. Taehyung whirled his eyes back onto the bottle in his hands and continued his fruitless attempt to open it.

                “What’s wrong with you today? Here give me that.” He said snatching the bottle from his hands. It was aggravating just to watch him. Jungkook wetted the cotton before shoving it and the bottle back at him.

                “Wipe the blood off with this.” He instructed bluntly.

                Taehyung nodded but continued to avoid Jungkook’s eyes. He lifted the gauze up to his lip and began cleansing the wound and in a sharp breath of air at the sting.

                “…Sorry” Jungkook blurted out causing Taehyung’s hand to halt momentarily before he shrugged and resumed wiping the dried blood on his face.

                “It’s fine.” He responded his voice surprisingly steady and cold much unlike the childish carefree one he was used to.

                Jungkook was taken aback by the clipped response but tried again, “I know we hate each other and everything…” Jungkook paused and Taehyung rose his eyebrows in slight amusement at the statement.

                “B-but!” He hurriedly continued, “But what happened out there? Like the actual story.”

                Taehyung tossed the bloody gauze in the trash bin and swiftly screwed the cap back on the anti-biotic before turning to face Jungkook. Jungkook stared into his eyes and pressed further, “Taehyung.”

                “It’s nothing, okay?” He said as he tried to pass Jungkook through the door.

                Jungkook held out an arm and barricaded the door with his body. He squinted up at Taehyung in suspicion not buying his excuse to escape. “Just tell me.” He urged with more force.

                “No. Why would you even care? You ‘hate’ me, remember?” Taehyung responded snidely.

                Crap. He said the wrong thing. He knew better than to taunt his rival in this state. Jungkook in a breath and heaved a sigh and scratched the back of his head at the realization. He should be nice.

                “You know…” Jungkook started, “It’s just one game.”

                Taehyung took a step back and let out a subtle laugh in disbelief. “You of all people know that isn’t true.”

                Jungkook shifted his weight from one foot to the other not knowing what to do. “…Yeah you and your play was appalling but you’re just off your game. I’m sure next week you’ll be fine.”

                Taehyung looked him dead in the eye with utter confusion before stating, “What? Are you comforting me? I don’t need it. Let me through.”

                Jungkook clicked his tongue his stubborn side kicking in. “Like hell I’d comfort someone like you.” He spat out before he could think about what he was saying. “I merely came to get you to tell me a valid excuse for playing that way.”

                Taehyung scoffed, “Oh and I need to give you an excuse why?”

                Jungkook’s veins pulsed from his neck as it strained from clenching his teeth at the disgrace in front of him.

                “You think you have a right to talk like that after what you just pulled!? You ruined the entire tournament, Taehyung!” Jungkook yelled coarsely his voice rising in pitch matching his anger. He just didn’t get it. Jungkook had been playing seriously and although he won, he felt as though he was being mocked. Like Taehyung didn’t think he was worth playing his best for.

                “You let your team down! You let your coach down! You let me down!” Jungkook seethed through his clenched jaw. He felt as though acid was filling his senses and he could already feel anger coursing through his veins causing his hands to fold into fists and his knuckles turn white from the pressure.

                But as soon as the wave of anger rushed through him it vanished as he visibly saw Taehyung flinch at his words. Jungkook couldn’t see it very well, but he was pretty sure Taehyung’s eyes were glassy and filled with another emotion he thought would be foreign to someone like Taehyung. Shame. Remorse. Guilt.

                And suddenly a pang of guilt grappled at Jungkook’s gut. He watched as Taehyung bit nervously at his bottom lip to stop the valve, that kept his emotions in check, from coming loose. He didn’t want to cry in front of Jungkook. He was the last person he wanted to be weak in front of.

                Jungkook brought his head to his hands and moaned in frustration. Why was it so hard to talk to this guy? It’s not as though Jungkook really wanted to hate him… it was just that feeling of being inferior to him that made Jungkook hold this unreasonable hate against the other. He knew it, yet his young pride and ego prevented him from acknowledging it. And that was where Jungkook made his first mistake. Holding that unreasonable hatred against Taehyung.

                “Taehyung just tell me what’s wrong. Whatever it is, as long as you pick up or act next game, everything’ll be fine-“

                Taehyung cut him off. “No!” Taehyung snapped his eyes up to meet Jungkook’s. “What could you possibly know? Everything’s not going to be fine. It’s not ‘okay’” He put quotations around the word mocking it’s meaning.

                “And why not!?” Jungkook strained his face reddening from anger. All Jungkook tried to do was be sportman-like and apologize like his mother said but nooo. Taehyung just had to stir up that anger that only he brought out in him.

                “As I said, just make up for this game with your next one! I just can’t understand why my rival is acting so pathetic to the point where I’m actually ashamed to call you my rival after how worthless you played today!” Jungkook’s voice rose to a shout.

                “Well I’m sorry to disappoint, Jeon! Some people don’t have life as easy as you!” Taehyung yelled back his voice straining against his throat