Chapter 12 – My Jealousy
_______________________________________________
 

Remember that no matter what happens, I’ll never hate you.

     “What the hell is going on?” Taehyung growled as his eyes widened at the scene of Jeongkook’s lips touching Jimin’s, the younger’s eyes closed as they kissed. Jimin was immediately startled and backed away, separating himself from Jeongkook who didn’t seem willing to budge much. Taehyung stomped over and stood by the middle of the bed so he would tower over the two of them equally.

Jimin dropped his head and squeezed his eyes as he thought about whether he should say anything. Jeongkook sat up straight and slowly glanced up at Taehyung who glared at him with shock.

“Jimin hyung just had some cream on his lips.”

“And so you got it off by kissing him?” Taehyung blasted the words out sarcastically. Jeongkook’s expression barely changed though. He gave Jimin – who was hiding his face into his sleeve – a short glance before looking back at Taehyung and replying with a nod.

Jimin lifted his head and gave Taehyung a look of I-can-explain-but-I-have-no-idea-where-to-start. “T-Taehyung-ah, don’t misunderstand. This was just…it was just…”

Taehyung felt his eyes uncontrollably flare up. Far out; he didn’t want to ever get angry with Jimin, and he didn’t mean to. Something just came over him. “Just what, hyung? What?”

With the two totally ignoring Jeongkook for a moment, the maknae floated his eyes between his hyungs, lifting an eyebrow in awkward suspicion. He definitely felt like there was something they weren’t telling him.

“I…I don’t know. It just…happened. But it doesn’t mean anything.” Jimin shook his hands in front of him and glanced at Jeongkook, feeling guilt rush through him when he saw the hurt in the younger’s eyes.

Taehyung eyed the cake that sat between them. “What’s this for?”

Jeongkook looked up at him with innocence over his beautiful face, “It’s Jimin’s birthday…”

That reply took both Taehyung and Jimin back because one: the blazing orange-haired knew very clearly that it was not Jimin’s birthday, and two: Jimin felt terrible for letting the dumb words slip out of his mouth. Jeongkook had come over to celebrate his birthday for goodness sake, why did he have to be so cruel?

“B-birthday?” Taehyung glanced at the gift Jimin had bought him the previous night; he still hadn’t opened it yet.

Jimin and Jeongkook both nodded silently before Jeongkook got off the bed and made his way to the door, leaving with a mutter that they’d enjoy the cake.

Taehyung watched as Jimin turned his head and stared at the door with worried eyes, not moving away for a long time. He grabbed the white bag off his desk and slid it into his big pocket for later.

“Hyung!”

Jimin looked up at Taehyung and couldn’t maintain eye contact for more than five seconds before he averted his eyes away. He was seriously guilty to both him and Jeongkook right now.

“S-sorry, Taehyung-ah. I really- I really didn’t mean for it to happen. We were eating cake and then he told me I had something on my lips. He said he’d clean it off for me but when he leaned in instead he pushed his lips onto mi-“

“Enough hyung, I don’t want to hear it!”

Taehyung immediately gave Jimin an apologetic look when he saw the fright he gave him. He let out an exasperated groan and sat down on his own bed, dropping his head.

“Do you hate me?” After that unanswered question from Jimin, the two stayed in dead silence for a few minutes. Taehyung felt like scrunching himself up and throwing himself off a bridge – what the hell was he doing? Yes, they kissed but– but Jimin’s not his boyfriend, he has no place to be angry with Jeongkook for kissing him. Jimin on the other hand, was already scrunched up. His eyes were shut as he sulked quietly.

Eventually, Taehyung couldn’t stand the freezing atmosphere between them and spoke first. “So…” Jimin lifted his face from his palms and listened, “you’re certain Jeongkook kissed you, and not you kissed him.”

Jimin lifted his right hand and straightened it, “I promise. I swear. I would never kiss other people randomly, Tae.”

“Other people?”

Jimin nodded. “People other than you.”

That sent a blush to Taehyung’s cheeks, and like a wet sponge, all his anger suddenly squeezed out of him. Damn you Park Jimin, always the sweet talker.

“But…where did you go?”

“I just…had to go somewhere.”

Jimin frowned lightly before nodding and lying down on his bed. He thought about what he had found in Taehyung’s bag, the red stain on his jumper the previous night as well as the strange whip post stand he saw the one time he visited his house. Blood, blood, blood; it was the only thing that linked the three, and Jimin felt his spine shiver each time he put these pieces together. The ultimate puzzle piece solver however – and he knew this harsh truth clearly – was only if he ever witnessed with his own eyes just exactly what Taehyung did when he sneaked out of the dorms on certain nights.

“Are you okay?”

Taehyung let out an amused chuckle, “That was out of the blue. Yeah, why?”

“Nothing, I was just wondering. And aren’t you going to wish me happy birthday?”

Taehyung lied down and glanced at the ceiling, “No.”

“Why?”

“… Because it’s not your birthday.”

“Oh yeah? And how would you know that?”

“Because your true birthday is on October 13.”