The huge training hall was almost empty, one lone figure punching away at a well padded dummy in the middle of the room. The dull thwacking sounds that each blow made felt oddly satisfying to the lone trainee, resonating through the echoing hall and floating up to the rafters high above.

Step, step - thud thud. Jump back lightly then repeat. The boy concentrated on his form, keeping his core steady, his feet in line. His teacher Yoongi's stern voice in his mind reminded him of the things he had to work on. Keep the arm straight as you punch, but not locked in place. That will make the shock reverberate through your whole body. When you jab, aim for the chin. Short powerful jabs, not soft pushes - keep your elbows in and your guard up, idiot! How many times do I have to tell you?

Step step - thud thud. Pause. Step step, thud thud. Jump back. Repeat. Step step, thud thud. Pause. Step step, thud crunch- The figure cursed and doubled up, clutching at his hand. A flood of cuss words and muttered curses mixed in with pained hisses escaped the boy as he slowly straightened up and examined his hurt hand. It was nothing serious, he noted with relief, shaking the sore limb out with apprehension. He'd missed the padded chest and face of the human sized dummy and hit the wooden pole instead - his knuckles were bruised and bleeding lightly but thankfully not broken.

He sighed. Rummaging in the pocket of his sweatpants, he drew out his stele and drew a small iratze on his bicep. He hissed lightly as the rune burned - he wasn't too used to the process of marking himself with runes just yet. Still, his arms already bore many more marks than they had just a few weeks before - now, the runes for strength and agility, endurance and equilibrium trailed deep black trails up and down his arms, alongside many more. Sighing again, he tossed his stele down on the thick mat near the wall, stretching tiredly. It was 2 in the morning and he still couldn't sleep, so he'd ended up here, working out his frustration by practicing his moves again and again. That week's lessons were all about physical combat, which was why he was learning all about how to punch and jab, kick, duck and roll, block and evade. 

"Jungkookie, what're you do- doing up?" yawned a sleepy voice from behind him. Surprised, he turned to see a bleary-eyed Jimin, rubbing his eyes with an adorably tiny fist. His other hand was covered by the sleeves of his oversized shirt and he had a soft warm blanket draped around his shoulders.

"I couldn't sleep," he confessed sheepishly. "Why are you up, hyung?"

"Bad dream," murmured Jimin with a pout. "I was gonna go to Yoongi hyung's room but I got thirsty so I went to get a drink first." He stifled another yawn behind his hand before continuing. "The light was on here so I came to see who was training at this time of night."

"Oh," Jungkook grinned, waggling his eyebrows. "So you were going to Yoongi hyung's room, huh?" Jimin scowled and snapped his wrist, whipping the blanket at Jungkook like a lash. Jungkook laughed and dodged easily. The two boys' brand new relationship had been outed to the the whole Institute the day before when Taehyung and Sungjae had walked in on the two of them kissing. The pair had then proceeded to scream as loudly as they could (which was, indeed, super ing loud,according to one annoyed Min Yoongi) and had brought the rest of the crew running, believing the Institute was somehow, impossibly, under attack.

"Brat," Jimin muttered, but his fond tone made it clear he wasn't really all that mad at the younger. Wrapping the blanket securely around himself once again, he hid another yawn behind his hand. "So you're not gonna go sleep?" he asked, worried about his dongsaeng.

"I guess I'll have to eventually," Jungkook sighed, "but I just can't sleep. Too many thoughts."

"Oh," was the only answer he got, Jimin already halfway to falling asleep on his feet.

"Go sleep, hyung," Jungkook bit back a laugh, patting his smaller friend on the back.

"Mm," Jimin murmured, too tired to protest. "Go t'sleep soon, Kook-ah. S'late." He shuffled slowly around and left the hall, yawning yet again as he left. 

Jungkook turned back to the dummy with a small smile, which quickly fell away as he stared distastefully at the inanimate figure. Screw it, he thought, pulling off the thin protective bandage-like-gloves that had been covering his hand and tossing them to the ground. He followed their path soon after, flopping to the floor and staring up at the ceiling. The smooth wooden planks cooled his hot skin as he lay sprawled in a starfish position, both legs and arms spread wide.

He knew exactly why he couldn't sleep - his thoughts were filled with all sorts of worries, many of them featuring a certain boy with a box-smile and fluffy brown hair. He swore he was going crazy with the way the object of his sleep-depriving thoughts kept teasing him, invading his private space and initiating all sorts of skinship one moment then seemingly dancing out of his reach, infuriatingly far away, the next. He knew by now that touching and cuddling were just Taehyung's way of showing affection, hugging people and clinging to them like a little koala, but it still confused and bewildered him whenever he sent him such mixed signs.

Another thing that kept bothering him was the way Taehyung kept hanging out with Sungjae. Jimin he had no problem with - he was Taehyung's Parabatai, after all, and besides, he knew Jimin had Yoongi. Now, Yook Sungjae was another question entirely. The guy was handsome - even he had to admit that - and funny, bright, talkative and most importantly, he had the same slightly unusual, special way of thinking that Taehyung did. You could call it a sparkle, or maybe a slight craziness. 4D-thinking, alien-ness, all those worked too. Jungkook could practically see Taehyung light up whenever he and Sungjae shared a strange thought or special idea that no one else understood. It made him both jealous and worried.

Little did Jungkook know that Kim Taehyung was well aware of the way he felt - or at the very least, had a pretty good idea of it. Taehyung was in no way dumb, even though his brother often about his frequent Blank Tae moments when he spaced out, looking spectacularly gormless with his mouth hanging slightly open and his eyes unfocused. He'd noticed the way Jungkook looked at him, especially when he was with Sungjae, and the way he blushed and stuttered whenever his teasing got too much.

It pleased him, especially since he himself liked the younger boy very, very much.

He'd therefore been relieved to find that his suspicions about Jungkook and Yoongi's relationship were correct. The sheer amount of relief he'd felt when Yoongi had confirmed his thoughts had been what led him to realize his feelings for Jungkook. The heady rush of happiness he'd felt had been far, far above the amount of relief he should have felt about his best friend's crush not dating someone else. 

Sungjae was fun to be with and they got along spectacularly well, but he wasn't Jungkook. He didn't make him feel butterflies in his stomach, or want to kiss him senseless. He didn't find himself trailing after the other with his eyes, drooling over his every move. He didn't daydream about Sungjae's smile or his voice. No matter how handsome or funny he was, he didn't think about him in that way. He did for Jungkook. Oh, yes; Jeon Jungkook somehow made him experience all these and more. 

Sungjae found this all hilarious. He loved riling Jungkook up secretly, being extra attentive and caring to Taehyung whenever their jealous Maknae was watching. And that was where Taehyung got his brilliant idea - he would try to make Jungkook jealous and possessive enough to stand up for himself and finally confess. He and Sungjae drew up the plan one night in his room, giggling like schoolgirls from under the blanket fort they'd constructed. Jimin, once the Yoonmin fiasco was over, was immediately let into the know, and the three troublemakers spent many an hour brainstorming ideas on just how to get shy, insecure Jungkook to confess his feelings.

Once Jimin knew, Yoongi did also, by extension. He was mightily amused by the whole thing, since he knew just how much Jungkook liked Taehyung. He decided he wouldn't take part in the whole project, instead electing to sit back and watch the drama unfold, preferably with a tub of popcorn in his hands and his boyfriend to cuddle up to beside him. 

The big plan was put into motion on a rainy Sunday afternoon. The Tokyo Institute boys were leaving on the following Wednesday, and Jungkook honestly couldn't have been happier about it. He really liked the Tokyo boys, but his jealous side kept getting in the way of really enjoying his time with them, and so he was really looking forward to the day when they - he and his friends - would be left on their own once more. The three 95 liner boys plus Yoongi the ever present boyfriend and a slightly reluctant Jungkook were going out to watch a movie and then go shopping, maybe eat something, just have fun in general. Jimin had pestered Jungkook into going, despite how unwilling the youngest was to 'fifth wheel you idiots'.

So far, all of Jungkook's worst fears were coming true. Yoongi was absolutely no help at all, always glued to Jimin's side, listening to whatever he was twittering on about in a high, happy voice with absolute goo-goo eyes. Taehyung and Sungjae were similarly glued to each other, whispering about something he couldn't make out and giggling like fools. Jungkook trailed behind them miserably, glaring at Sungjae's annoyingly broad back and thinking about how much he hated the shade of blue that he was wearing. Something that annoyed him just as much as the way they were acting was the fact that the two boys' long overcoats were practically the same, save their color. Sungjae wore a vibrant blue trench coat, neatly buttoned up, while Taehyung wore a similar camel one, hanging open over a brown and white striped jumper. They looked like a couple, Jungkook thought sadly.

"Jungkookie~!!" Taehyung called, turning to look behind him with a smile.

Jungkook jumped, startled. "Yes, hyung?"

"Come on, the movie's about to start!" Grinning happily, Taehyung grabbed Jungkook's arm and pulled him into the theater. Jungkook's heart bounded in happiness that his hyung was finally noticing him. This time, he would get Taehyung to sit beside him and not that annoying intruder, he vowed to himself. Steeling himself, he turned to the excited boy next to him and cleared his throat.

"Hyung, do you want to sit next to me....?" His voice trailed off as he saw Taehyung waving to Sungjae who smiled and patted the empty seat between him and Jimin. He sighed, resigned to his fate.

"Jungkookie, I'm really sorry but there are no more seats in this row!" Jimin exclaimed to the crestfallen Maknae who looked up, incredulous. "Don't worry though, we saved you a seat just behind us!"

"Behind-" Jungkook spluttered, indignant. He couldn't believe this. Huffing, he plopped down in the seat Jimin indicated, grumbling to himself. He had a perfect view of Taehyung and Sungjae's seats from here, he discovered in dismay. All through the movie, he couldn't concentrate, too distracted by the way the two boys in front of him were whispering among themselves. His eyes widened as he saw Taehyung rub Sungjae's ear. Taehyung often did that to him, too, rubbing his ear randomly or just fondling them, squishing the soft lower parts like clay. He felt somewhat disappointed and more than a little betrayed that Taehyung was doing the same thing to Sungjae. Before he even knew it, the movie was over and the five were trailing out of the cinema, stretching to relieve their cramped muscles.

"Oh," Jimin exclaimed, stopping short at the door. It was raining, and none of them had thought to bring umbrellas. Yoongi sighed and pulled Jimin close, taking off his coat and using it to cover both their heads as they headed outside. Jimin blushed, giggling happily, and Jungkook rolled his eyes, pulling his own coat over his own head. He was just about to step outside when he saw something that made him stop short. His heart thumped loudly, once, twice, before falling down, down, down, settling in the bottom of his stomach as if filled with lead. Taehyung had pulled off his coat and was holding it over Sungjae's head, not even bothering to cover his own self. Jungkook noticed dully how Taehyung was just a little taller than Sungjae, allowing him to rest the arm holding his coat on Sungjae's shoulder. Everything seemed dull, as if he was looking through a thick glass. He watched Sungjae smile bashfully, one hand sneaking out to hold onto Taehyung's sweater, and felt his heart give another pained thud. The two seemed so happy together, as if they were in their own world. He looked down at his feet. His eyes became strangely blurry as he stared down at his shoes, not really seeing his Timberlands properly through a layer of tears.

"Jungkook...?" he heard, Taehyung's voice sounding oddly concerned. He felt a soft hand on his shoulder and jerked away as if burned. "Kookie?" Taehyung asked, really worried now as he stepped closer. Jungkook stepped back blindly. He felt so stupid. Why was he acting like this? Taehyung grabbed his hand, trying to pull him back to reality, and Jungkook ripped it away before turning and sprinting out into the rain. "Jungkook!" Taehyung yelled, chasing after the distraught boy. This wasn't the way things were supposed to go, he thought wildly as he dashed through a puddle in pursuit of the fleeing Shadowhunter. Sungjae stared after the two, just as worried as Taehyung. He knew better than to follow them, but he hoped with all his heart that they managed to clear things up. He hadn't expected the youngest boy to react so strongly to their acting and he felt bad about it. If Jungkook got seriously hurt because of this, because of him, he knew he wouldn't be able to forgive himself, and so he prayed to every deity he knew that when the two came back, they would be smiling and holding hands.

-----------------------------------------------

"Jungkook! Wait up!" panted Taehyung as he chased behind Jungkook. The boy was fast, so much faster than Taehyung, and he was having trouble catching up to those powerful long legs. Jungkook meanwhile was too embarrassed to stop. He felt ashamed of the tears that were sparkling on his face, and was grateful to the rain for disguising the tear tracks so well. "Jeon Jungkook! Will you stop running aw- oof!" Jungkook skidded to an immediate halt at the pained grunt Taehyung let out behind him and spun round to see the other grimacing in pain on the ground as a worried cyclist apologized for running into him. 

"Hyung!" he gasped, worried, hurrying back and falling to his knees beside the fallen boy. He fluttered his hands over Taehyung's body, unsure where to touch him to check he wasn't hurt. He shot a death glare at the cyclist who was still apologizing, and the stranger gulped at the deadly look he was being given.

"M'okay, Kook-ah," Taehyung grunted, sitting up and wincing at the pain that shot through his body. "I'm fine, don't worry," he repeated reassuringly to the sorry stranger, who apologized once again before pulling up his bike and slowly cycling away, still shooting worried glances back at the pair on the ground.

"You idiot!" Jungkook scolded, pulling off his coat to wrap it around the soaked and muddy Taehyung. The rain was letting up now, fading to a light drizzle. "Why didn't you look where you were going?"

Taehyung huffed in annoyance. "I was kind of busy trying to catch up to you, you know." Jungkook sighed and looked down guiltily.

"Sorry, hyung," he mumbled. Taehyung just frowned and caught his hand, tugging him closer until he could throw his arms around his neck.

"Why did you run away like that?" he complained, dropping his head onto the space between Jungkook's shoulders and his neck, nuzzling his cold red nose into the younger's wet clammy skin. He ignored the way Jungkook's heart started speeding up and let out a content sigh when hesitant arms came up to wrap themselves around his body.

"I uh, I was just..." Jungkook trailed off, unsure what to say to explain his sudden escape. Taehyung puffed a hot exasperated breath against his collarbones and Jungkook's breath hitched slightly as his ears reddened. The older boy pulled back slightly to scowl up at the one he was clinging to, water clinging to his long eyelashes and making his eyes look starry and out of this world.

"You weren't supposed to get upset!" he whined, pouting unhappily. Jungkook stared down at him, utterly confused. The way Taehyung was looking up at him was not helping him concentrate - he kept getting distracted by the delicate beauty of the boy staring up at him.

"What?" he asked, and Taehyung rolled his pretty brown eyes. "You were supposed to get all jealous and pull Sungjae off of me, not get upset and run away!" he scolded, hitting Jungkook's chest with a lightly clenched fist. "You almost gave me a heart attack, making me feel like an utter douche!"

"I- what?" repeated poor confused Jungkook, who just couldn't understand what Taehyung was saying. "Then... are you saying that was all an act?"

Taehyung rolled his eyes. "Well, duh," he shot back, "no , Sherlock." He paused, before correcting himself, "Almost all. We weren't expecting it to rain, but the rest of it was planned, yeah."

"But... why?" Jungkook asked, brain still too confused to catch up to Taehyung's trail of thought.

"Why do you think?" Taehyung cried, throwing up his hands in exasperation. "Because you wouldn't tell the truth and just confess already!" He stopped there, realizing he'd said too much.

"You... knew?" Jungkook asked, face starting to grow red in anger and embarrassment. "You knew I liked you?"

Taehyung tried to backtrack quickly. "No! I mean, I suspected! So I was just, just trying to help you to confess." The damage was done, though.

"By making me jealous?" Jungkook asked quietly, voice darkening in anger. Twin pinpricks of red had appeared in his cheeks, and his eyes were stormy with irritation.

"Yes," squeaked Taehyung, looking down in shame. Jungkook pulled away from him and Taehyung's arms dropped limply to his lap.

"So you knew I liked you, and instead of talking to me about it, you decided to make an utter fool of me by telling someone else and involving him in a plan to make me lose my cool and blurt out my feelings?" Jungkook asked in a deadly calm, low voice that had Taehyung cowering, ashamed.

"I thought... I thought it might make it easier for you to confess," he defended himself in a tiny, shaking voice.

"That wasn't your choice to make!" Jungkook roared, finally losing his temper. "By the Angel, hyung, that wasn't up to you to decide for me! Don't you get it?" He gestured wildly with both hands. "If I was going to confess, I should have been left to do so on my own terms! By doing this, you take away all the meaning, all the importance of the confession. Do you even know why I was having such a hard time telling you how I felt?"

Taehyung shook his head silently.

"I lived on the streets for years before I joined the Shadowhunter academy, hyung. My own parents threw me out, calling me a freak and telling me they didn't need a problem child like me. I lived all this time, looking out for only myself, determined not to get hurt any more. I decided not to let anyone hurt me, decided to keep my heart locked away, never letting myself open up and start liking someone, not even letting myself make any friends. And then I met you, and I started thinking that maybe I didn't have to stay like that all my life, that maybe I could try trusting someone else with my heart again. And you, you just threw all that effort I took, coaxing my heart out of its shell, convincing myself to let go and just try trusting you, you threw all that away by treating it as if it was nothing." He was shaking by now, trembling with anger and hurt.

"Is this all a joke to you? Is it so easy for you to just give your heart away, offering it up to people for them to treat as they wish?" Taehyung shook his head frantically, tears flooding down his cheeks. He tried to take Jungkook's hand, but he yanked it away, voice choking on his own tears.

"I really like you hyung, I don't even know why but I just do. But I'm scared. Scared to give you the power to take my heart and break it. Scared to get hurt again, like I was before. I was going to tell you when I was ready, but you- you-" he broke off, sobbing, and Taehyung felt his own heart breaking into tiny pieces at the sight of Jungkook's pain. 

"Kook-ah, I'm sorry," he apologized, crying hard. "I didn't know. I wasn't- I didn't think."

"Yeah," Jungkook laughed bitterly. "You didn't think."

Taehyung flinched slightly. "I didn't mean to hurt you," he whispered. "I really didn't."

Jungkook sighed. "I know, hyung," he said quietly, voice sad and vulnerable. "You didn't know. But that doesn't make things any different."

Taehyung gulped. "What... what can I do to make things right?" he asked cautiously. "I don't want- I don't want to lose you." He hung his head, sniffling softly. Jungkook was silent for a long while, and the minutes felt like hours to Taehyung, who regretted everything he'd done that day.

"Just- just give me some time, please," he finally replied, studying the back of his hands, head hanging down. "I need time to sort out my feelings, start trusting you again. I know you didn't mean it, but it still ruined all the things I've managed to build up 'till now. I need to start again, start from the very beginning." He paused, before continuing hesitantly. "I know it will be hard, hyung, but please, could we act as if we were just friends again, just until I manage to pull myself together? I don't want things to be awkward. Please, just until I become brave enough to confess to you properly."

"Of course," Taehyung promised readily, smiling carefully at the other. "Take all the time you need. Just... just don't change your mind." He mumbled the last part, ears reddening, embarrassed. Jungkook cracked a smile for the first time since he'd started crying.

"Don't worry," he promised Taehyung. "I won't. Just wait for me, until I get brave enough to ask you out on a real date." Taehyung smiled wider at that, relieved.

"Then.. are we good?" he asked cautiously, and Jungkook nodded determinedly, meeting his gaze.

"We're good."