***Taehyung POV***

A couple of girls giggled behind me and I immediately shrunk further into my coat, pulling the collar up to hide my face. Glancing back, however, I realised they were just looking at some make-up at the end of the aisle. Still tense, and fairly paranoid, I tugged at my face mask, making sure it covered as much of my face as possible. As a precaution, I pulled up my hood to cover my brown air and then turned back to the front, tapping my foot nervously on the floor of the store while I waited my turn at the till.

I glanced at the bottle and the stack of pills in my hand and smiled ruefully. I hoped these would help.

My stomach rumbled, and I wished I’d stuck around and finished lunch, but I had wanted to get here as fast as I could. Patting my tummy in apology, I thought back to lunch.

After having given a lengthy explanation to the building manager as to why the fire alarm had mysteriously gone off, take away had been ordered and was now spread on the dining table, where the members of both groups were now seated at awkwardly.

Rap Mon had arrived just as mysteriously as he had disappeared, only to be met with soaked carpets and a bunch of disgruntled teenagers. He sat at one end of the table, JB at the other, with BTS across the side of the table to his right, and Got7 on the side to his left.

JB just ate quietly, ignoring everybody around him, as did basically everybody else. I nudged Jungkook, who was sitting to my right, with my foot but he just smiled at me and carried on eating.

The awkwardness was killing me… it was the sort of awkward like when you’re sitting in the middle of a test hall, and you’re stomach suddenly sounds like a dying whale and everybody just turns to look at you and giggles… except 10 times worse.

Then Jinyoung came in looking all annoyed and stuff a=and pulled his chair out so violently that he hit himself in the shin with it.

It was cute how he pretended he hadn’t just done that.

“Nice of you to join us.” JB muttered from behind his glass of coke. “took you long enough.”

If looks could kill, JB would have been a puddle of goo on the floor by then for the look Jinyoung gave him before sitting down.

Then Jin spoke up softly and asked, “How is Mark?”

That’s when we realised there was someone else missing at the table.

“He’s fine. Luckily the sprinkler system didn’t hit his room that bad.” For some reason his cheeks were dusted with pink as he said that. “But it didn’t help either. Have the managers called back?”

Jin shook his head.

“What?!” Once again, everybody looked up. I wished they’d all stop shouting. I was going to get hiccups. Jungkook froze and looked up slowly, cheeks puffed out. With a smile, I poked him. “What happened to my Markie-pooh?” The buff blonde- Jackson- who had spoken, looked like he was about to cry.

“He’s got a fever from when he was standing out in the pouring rain without a freaking coat on while we waited for them,” he spat venomously as he gestured to Jimin and Jungkook, who were sitting in front of him.

I was confused. “Why were you waiting for them?”

Once again, I was the centre of attention.

I gasped. “Do you guys already know each other?” I looked at Jungkook, hurt; I thought we’d decided to tell each other if we ever joined a secret club.”

Jungkook swallowed quickly. “What? No- I’ve never met him before today, I don’t even know his name!”

He had just enough time to narrow his eyes at the mischievous glint in mine before I spoke.

“That’s harsh Kookie, harsh. I know a gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell, but that’s denial gone too far.” I said, eyes wide in shock.

Jimin pitched in. “Yeah Kookie, you’re taking the whole international playboy thing a bit too far- you’re still a baby.”

“Oh my gosh Kookie, how did you turn out like this?” I shook my head sadly.

“This was not the way we raised you,” Jimin gasped exaggeratedly.

Jungkook looked at me, then at Jimin, as we looked at him in mock disappointment, and then dropped his head to the table. “Why is everyone picking on me?” he whimpered.

Jimin and I burst out laughing and high-fived across him.

“Boys stop picking on the poor baby,” scolded Jin mildly.

“I’m not a baby!” Jungkook sobbed into the table, and Jimin and I both just laughed harder.”

Suga hyung reached around me and patted Jungkook on the back comfortingly.

I looked up. “So, what happened to the red-head hyung?”

Jinyoung shook his head slowly. “He got a fever when we were waiting for you.”

“Wait, so you weren’t waiting for Kookie?”

“I was- “

“So, you were waiting for both of us?”

“No, I was- “

“You weren’t waiting for me?” My bottom lip quivered; there I was, getting excited over nothing.

“WE WERE WAITING FOR YOUR ENTIRE GROUP! But you guys decided you were too high and mighty to bother to come on time, so he stood out there in the freaking rain without a coat!” Jinyoung shouted as he slammed his hands down on the table.

The table shook, the cutlery clattered, and everybody jumped at his outburst.

“And now he’s lying there with a burning fever and we’re not allowed to out, so I have to wait until the managers come with the medicine and I called them almost two hours ago and they still. Aren’t. Here.”

“Jinyoung.” Jackson’s voice was low and warning.

“What?” He him.

“Lay off them for a minute, it wasn’t their fault. They- “

“What the hell? Are you seriously sticking up for them?”

“You realise we’re sitting right here?” Jhope growled.

“Oh, shut it, don’t start acting like you’re all angels here; at least we have the decency to say it to your faces.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“It means that we already know your little game.”

Suga cocked his head to the side in confusion. “our ‘game’?”

“All you want is to become popular. You don’t care about whether you’re good, you don’t even care about your fans, you’re just interested in popularity, in sales, in making a name for yourself and becoming rich, that’s all.”

“And now that you’ve used up EXO’s fanbase, you’re after ours,” added Bambam. “But guess what- you’re not going to have it.”

Jhope looked around at all the members of Got7 in turn. Some of them appeared to be too ashamed to meet his eyes, but the others stared right back at him coldly.

“And… you all think that”

The silence held the answer.

“You’re all freaking crazy,” He muttered, and stabbed his fork down into the ramyun wit added vehemence.

“It’s not like we did it on purpose! We weren’t trying to be late, we were just slow packing and V wanted to finish watching My Little Ponies so- “

“Jimin!” gasped Jin.

He clapped his hand over his mouth, realising what he’d just said, but it was too late.

Jungkook snuck a hand onto mine under the table, rubbing his thumb against the back of it in soothing circles, but I was oblivious to the sensation with five pairs of angry eyes on me.

“Are you serious?” Jinyoung spat. I cringed ack at the way he was glaring at me now. My heart started hammering wildly agains