“Ⓗey, do you know the guy over there? With the girl leaning on his shoulder?” he asked whilst nodding towards their direction, and when Taehyung glanced over his shoulder, his eyes landed on Jungkook who was staring back at him already.

“That’s him,” Taehyung muttered, only for Yoongi to hear. “The guy I’m in love with. And that’s his girlfriend.”

Yoongi’s eyes drifted further. “Who’s the third wheel?”

“My wingman,” Taehyung snorted whilst subtly glaring in Hoseok’s direction, but he didn’t notice at all. “He’s my best friend, but he just found out I fancy Jungkook, and when he got a girlfriend, he’s been grinning all over, which is slightly starting to scare me a bit now,” Taehyung laughed nervously.

Yoongi chuckled at his remark. “Seems like a good friend. He’s probably trying to make them like each other less or something, or maybe even trying to make that Jungkook boy like you instead.”

Taehyung snorted again. “Yeah, good luck with that.”

“To be honest,” Yoongi started, “the boy Jungkook keeps staring at you. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he’s jealous to see you with me.”

Taehyung didn’t dare to look back again, but remained his gaze onto his friend in front of him. “Really?” he asked hopefully, but then he realised it was pointless. There was no way Jungkook was jealous; he had a girlfriend, and he was straight. Why would he be jealous if Taehyung hung with his other friends? “I have to get back to work,” Taehyung said as he stood up and continued his work. He did in fact glance at Jungkook every once in awhile, and sometimes their eyes would even meet, but Taehyung was too nervous to hold it and looked away immediately.

Soon Taehyung’s shift was over. Surprisingly, Jungkook and Hoseok were still by their table, but Areum had left long time ago, probably pissed their date was ruined. Why Jungkook was still here was beyond Taehyung’s thoughts.

“Ji - Jimin?” Taehyung heard a voice stutter not too far away from him. He turned around, only to spot Yoongi looking like he had just seen a ghost, and that ghost was his colleague, Park Jimin.

“Do you know each other?” he asked as he approached closer to them. That’s when Taehyung could see Jimin’s face clearer, and he looked just as surprised – and horrified – as Yoongi.

“You can say that,” Jimin replied, barely audible.

“I need to go,” Yoongi said, almost breathlessly, and quickly left the diner in high speed. Taehyung wanted to go after him, but Jimin had grabbed his arm, stopping him.

“You have still some work left,” he said, “go after him when you’re done and he’s calmed down.”

“Calmed down? Is he upset?” Taehyung asked with furrowed eyebrows.

“He’s…shocked.”

Taehyung wanted to ask further how they knew each other, but Jimin had quickly disappeared from his sight, and not many seconds later, he was already on his way out as his shift had ended, and the small male stormed out of the diner.

“Taehyung,” someone called for him when he had removed his apron and was ending his work. “Can we talk?”

Taehyung gulped. “Can’t it wait till tomorrow at school or something Jungkook?” he asked, trying to avoid the male at all cost.

“No,” he said, “I need to know why you’re avoiding me.”

Taehyung wasn’t ready for this. Just out of nowhere, and started running towards the exit and ran on the street, but Jungkook was still following behind. “Taehyung!” he called after him. “Taehyung, stop!” Before he knew it, an arm grabbed him again, as he was being forced to stop. He hadn’t realised it was raining until his body suddenly started shivering as he was only in his white t-shirt; he was regretting wearing white now.  “Why are you running away from me?” It was weird hearing Jungkook talk like that to Taehyung. It was like he was crying, but he wasn’t. He sounded somewhat hurt, but Taehyung didn’t know why. Why would he be hurt? He had everything he wanted at the moment, whilst Taehyung had lost everything. It was he who was supposed to be breaking now, not the other one.

“I - I’m not,” Taehyung pressed out, still having his back against Jungkook, refusing to face him, but Jungkook was holding tightly onto his wrist.

“I’m not stupid, you know,” he muttered. “I can tell something’s wrong. You’re avoiding me, and Hoseok is helping you, isn’t he?”

“Fine!” Taehyung yelled as he snapped his hand back from the other’s grip. “Yes, I am avoiding you!”

Jungkook’s jaw dropped. “But why? What did I do?”

Taehyung was glad it was raining. It was easier to hide his shining eyes into the rain and darkness, making it almost impossible to detect he was almost crying. “It’s not you who did anything. It’s me. It’s all my own fault, not yours,” Taehyung mumbled. He was regretting saying anything at all. Jungkook would figure it out. He’d know.

“What did you do then? It can’t be that bad for you to be avoiding me?” he still asked further.

Taehyung didn’t want to say anything anymore, and he was about to turn around again, but Jungkook had predicted it before he had time to escape, and quickly grabbed his hand as he held onto it too tightly for Taehyung’s liking.

“I don’t want you to avoid me,” Jungkook almost whimpered, which only made Taehyung tear up more. “I don’t want to lose your friendship. You’ve been a better friend to me than anyone else for so many years. I don’t want to lose you.”

“Let me go Jungkook - “

“No! I won’t!” he yelled, but as the two males struggled, they didn’t notice the car closing up on them on the road. Taehyung was facing his back against it, and as it was just one metre away, Jungkook managed to spot it, and he quickly wrapped his arms around Taehyung and used his body weight to jump away from the car.

By his high reflexes, they managed to escape a horrible accident as the car hadn’t honked - or even tried to warn them at all - but there was still blood on the road, and when Jungkook heard Taehyung scream in pain, he realised the other was hurt after all.

Jungkook had rushed the other male to the hospital, as his leg was most likely broken. He was carrying Taehyung bride style all the way; although it was tiring, he still bit his lips together for his friend. It was his fault after all. If he didn’t keep holding his friend back, or just spotted the car sooner, they wouldn’t be in this situation.

After some time, a doctor came back to Jungkook. “It was you who brought him in, right?” he asked, and Jungkook nodded. “Good. His leg was broken, but we managed to fix it and stop the bleeding. He’ll be all right, but he has to use crutches until he’ll be strong enough to walk on it again and it’s been healed properly,” the doctor explained.

Jungkook nodded again, and not longer after he saw Taehyung coming out of a room with his leg wrapped up with plaster and crutches under both his arms.

“How are you?” Jungkook asked as he ran up to him.

Taehyung was staring at him with wide eyes. “You’re still here?”

Jungkook giggled as he lightly tapped his chest. “Of course I am idiot. I was worried about you.”

Taehyung blushed, but hoped the other didn’t notice.

The blond male had never used crutches before, and therefore it was a challenge moving around with them now, but Jungkook was beside him to help him on the way.

“I’ll walk you home,” he had said to him. And until they were standing outside Taehyung’s house, Jungkook was hesitant. “Do you…want me to come inside?”

“What?” Taehyung gasped surprised.

“To help you? You’re still wobbling like crazy with those,” Jungkook pointed at the two sticks Taehyung was really starting to despise already.

“Uhm, no, that’s okay thanks,” he rejected.

Jungkook still wasn’t sure, so he put his hand in Taehyung’s jacket pocket and fished out his phone.

“What are you doing?” Taehyung asked with a frown.

“Adding my phone number, what does it look like I’m doing?” he joked. “Dial your password.” Taehyung did what he said, and Jungkook successfully added his number onto Taehyung’s phone. “Call or text if you need anything. I don’t live too far so I’ll be the quickest to come.” Jungkook was about to leave, but he decided to stay even if Taehyung said he was okay.

“You can go now,” Taehyung said, but Jungkook stood still.

“No, I’m staying to make sure you don’t need help.”

Taehyung sighed. “I said I don’t need - “

“If do you don’t need help, then it wouldn’t be hard for me to stand by and see it for myself? If it’s like you say, then it wouldn’t be a problem, now would it?”

Taehyung sighed in defeat and locked themselves inside. He tried his best to do things on his own whilst Jungkook was standing further back, observing his every movement.

Although he was wobbling all over the place and clumsily walked on furniture and walls, he still managed to do stuff himself, and he felt proud to prove to Jungkook he didn’t need to be here.

“See? I can handle myself,” he said proudly, but Jungkook just crossed his arms and sat down on the sofa in the lounge as Taehyung was on his way to the bathroom to change and get ready for bed when the darkness had approached outside.

When Taehyung came out again he was in his pyjamas and he sat down beside Jungkook on the sofa, and next an awkward silence filled the room.

“What did you mean earlier?” Jungkook suddenly asked. “About avoiding me because of you?”

Taehyung shut his eyes tightly. He was hoping Jungkook had forgotten it all, but apparently he hadn’t.

“Do you, by any chance, fancy me?”

Taehyung didn’t dare answer. He couldn’t say no as his voice would give it away he was lying anyways, but he didn’t want to openly admit it either. But Jungkook knew by now. He finally knew Taehyung’s feelings towards him.

“I’m sorry,” he said, “I didn’t know. And I wish I could do something about it, but I can’t, and I like my girlfriend,” he explained. It still hurt Taehyung like being hit by a bus, but he remained calm. “I’ll wait outside your house before school to help you on your way and take your school bag.”

And with that, Jungkook disappeared before Taehyung’s eyes. That’s when he let all his tears out he had struggled to tame all day. He broke down in his tears again, alone. When he stumbled towards his bedroom, he accidentally bumped against his closet, and it only released his emotions and started hitting it with his fists and the wall.