A few months younger and blonder Taehyung laid on his back, head hanging off the end of his best friend's bed, boredly tapping buttons on a game controller as his vision blurred on the upside down television screen.

"Yah, hyung can you at least try to help. You're killing the team here," Taehyung's unlikely bestfriend whined from the head of the bed.

"I'm doing my best Kookie," Taehyung whined back, scrunching up his face and wiggling the controller over his head as if it were proof of his hard work.

"Come on hyung. Help me beat this game before school starts-wait no, no,no,nooo," Jungkook'z desperate pleas quickly turned to distreseed cries as his game character was ambushed from behind,"Hyung!"

"Sorry not sorry." Taehyung replied monotonously.

To anyone else Taehyung would come off as uncaring and lazy, while the latter may not be entirely false. But Jungkook knew the other well enough to see otherwise. Jungkook couldn't remember when he first talked to Taehyung.  He was a year older in school and didn't really make friends or hang out with any certain crowd. Jungkook still considers it a miracle that they actually met and clicked.Taehyung was a loud, rambunctious kid. Always bouncing off the walls or saying so weird revelation or observation.  Other kids thought he was weird and out of this world. A 4D kid, an alien, and they didn't keep their thoughts to themselves. But what intrigued Jungkook the most was that Taehyung never batted an eye at the rude comments or obvious exclusion. No, he laughed in his bullies faces when they taunted him. If the pushed him, he'd just scoff and ask them some ridiculous rhetorical question that had such large words that it left the kids around him frozen in shock and confusion.To be frank, it was quite easy to misunderstand Taehyung.

However, as they got older Taehyung sort of mellowed out. He was still considered weird and alien-like,  especially since he dyed his hair quite often throughout his high school years. His tongue was still sharp and his universe in his mind got even bigger, much so in his favorited insults. He was a smart kid in high school, but he got kind of lazy.  His language teacher freshman year adored him. His gym teacher not so much. He was just rather average in his other classes. He did well, but he didn't try and he really didn't have to.  So when the first part of sophomore year rolled around he was just too lazy to be bothered to do much school work, which proved to be bad influence on Jungkook's studing habits (and and caused a couple heart-to-heart chats between the two boys and Hoseok)

The two teens continued with Jungkook's game (Taehyung actually doing something useful this time, albeit not by much) until a knock sounded on Jungkook's bedroom door. The black haired boy paused the game and shouted (though in Taehyung's opinion he didn't need to) "Come in!" The door opened to reveal Jungkook's older brother, wearing athletic clothes and a duffle bag hanging off his shoulder.

"Oh, hey Taehyung-ah. "

"Hi Hoseok- hyung," Taehyung waved weakly, suddenly feeling the effects of hanging upside down.

" Hyuuung what do you want? We're on a time crunch here." Jungkook waved his controller at the screen.

"Well I was going to ask if you wanted to play some soccer with the team, but Taehyung's here and you guys seem busy so I'll just go alone..." Hoseok exaggerated a sigh and turned around to go back out the door.

"Ah! Hyung wait!" Jungkook threw his controller on the bed next to Taehyung and leaped over the stationary boy.

Hoseok turned around with a teasing smile," Yes baby brother?"

"The team as in the school team team?" Jungkook latched onto his brother's arm.

"Technically it's not THE school team. Tryouts haven't come yet, but yes it's the same guys that were on the team last year." Hoseok pat his brother's head," But you should stay an play with Tae Tae, unless he's okay with you leaving him to go. " he added with a faux innocent smile.

" But- TAEHYUNG PLEASE! I MUST GOOO! " Jungkook fell at the foot of the bed facing the now upright blonde.

"But it's cold outside. I wanna stay here where it's warm," Taehyung whined.

" Please hyung! I will buy you food, anything !" Jungkook pleaded.

"Why don't you just come with us Taehyung-ah?  Jimin will be there," Hoseok persuaded.

"Please hyung! You know how much I love soccer and the guys from the team will be there! The actual team! I can raise my chances of getting on the team if they like me!" Jungkook begged grabbing Taehyung's hands.

"I don't know about-" Hoseok started bit was cut off by Taehyung.

"Fine! Just quit with the puppy eyes!" Taehyung got off the bed and walked to Jungkook's closest," But I'm taking one of your coats."

" THANK YOU HYUNG! " Jungkook squealed and hugged an unsuspecting Taehyung before kicking him and Hoseok out of his room so he could change.

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"it's too cold..." Taehyung whined under two coats a scarf and beanie ( beanie courtesy of Hoseok)," How can you guys be wearing that?"

"You don't feel it when you run around Tae - ah, " Hoseok laughed and softly pushed the bundle of clothes.

"Then why are you so bundled up, hyung?" Taehyung grumbled.

"Cuz I'm the keeper, I don't do much running..."

"Hypocrite! " Taehyung shouted in mock surprise before shivering as a gust of wind blew past.

The three boys were on their way to the local park where the soccer team normally met for off season fun. There were a variety you of other sports fields like basketball and tennis courts and a baseball diamond. The The fields were marked off, though they could use some more paint, and had metal goals held down by soggy sandbags.There was  a single set of metal bleachers with three rows of seats on one side of the field.  When the three boys reached the field a small group of boys were already there either lounging on the bleachers or warming up by running around the field and passing a ball.

"Ay J-hope!" A round faced boy jumped up from his position of taking up two rows of seats and waved.

"Hey!  What's up Suga? " Hoseok left the younger boys' sides to hug Yoongi.

"Been awhile hasn't it?" Yoongi smiled, throwing an arm over Hoseok shoulder.

"Yeah, break pushed us too far apart, " Hoseok joked then pulled the other towards his brother," Hey, this is my brother Jungkook and his friend Taehyung.  Jungkook is going to tryout for the team."

"Cool, nice to meet you guys. I'm Min Yoongi,  varsity sweeper, "Yoongi introduced.

" Hey Yoongi hyung!"  a new voice shouted.

The group turned to see two new boys run onto the field.

"Jimin-ah! Namjoon-hyung!  where's  Seokjin - hyung? " Yoongi yelled as the boys crossed the field.

"We went to go get him, but his mom turned us away at the door" Jimin informed, running over to the bleachers to put on his gear..

"Said he was pretty sick," Namjoon rolled his eyes at Jimin's not - so - much answer and followed the black haired boy to put on his cleats.

"Well Jungkook - ah,  I hope you brought some cleats 'cut looks like I've got an open spot on my team. Let's see what you can do."Yoongi smiled and clapped the boy's shoulder in a friendly gesture.

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Taehyung couldn't say that he was bored, though if anyone asked he would definitely say he was. The game proved o be amusingThe boys on the field laughed and fooled around. They cheered and jumped on each other when someone scored and pushed each other around.Taehyung laughed loudly everytime Hoseok or Jungkook fell or got knocked down or tripped, causing the ball to not - so - accidentally be kicked in his direction, possibly even bouncing loudly off the bleachers near himself.Eventual ye found himself  sitting next to a sweaty Jimin,whom had just been subbed out and finally noticed Taehyung's presence. Jimin was honestly surprised to see the blonde, but soon got over it and happily chatted with the boy as he rested.

"I don't get this game at all..." Taehyung eventually mumbled from under his many layers.

"What don't you get?" Jimin asked incredulously," Eleven people on each team, and they all want to get the ball in the other's goal."

"Yeah, but how do you guys call this fun? It's so ... so sweaty and" Taehyung winced as o mm e of the boys got tripped and fell to the ground, earning quite the grass stain on his shins," so dirty." Taehyung grimaced under his scarf and hat.

Jimin just laughed at the boys misery before running back onto the field to switch with another boy.

Taehyung huffed and sunk deeper into the cold metal bleachers.

"Jungkook is never going to hear the end of this..."

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Some time later the boys got tired, the air turned freezing, and the sky got darker, so they decided to call a quits with the BTS team beating the Shinee team by two points (mainly because they were unfairly staffed in advantage). Jungkook walked back over to a frozen Taehyung laughing ng happily with his new soccer-hyungs.

"Jung Jungkook you owe me food now, so you better have your wallet and a nice restaurant with a heater in that duffle bag of yours or I might just bite your head of instead," Taehyung growled as the younger seat next to him, scooting closer to share Taehyung's warmth.

"Hey,  that not a bad idea, though not the eating Jungkook's head part- I'm starting to like him. You guys wanna head out and get some grub?" Yoongi asked arms seeming stuck around Hoseok with glue, or maybe they were just frozen together," My treat."

The leftover boys cheered loudly and huddled together as they followed the elders out of the park.

Six of the boys from the BTS team sat down in a warm noodle shop. The boys sat at a rectangular table away from the front door and tried to retrieve the warmth they lost on their walk. The group quickly ordered their food and warm beverages before removing sweaty jackets and warm winter acessories.

"I hate winter," Taehyung whined as he pulled his scarf of, having returned feeling in his neck and face.

"Well, not all of us can fly over to the states when it gets cold, hyung," Jungkook spoke through a mouthful of noodles and elbowed his friend in the side.

"Ha," Taehyung laughed bitterly," If only I could be there now. My parents made me come back early so I could get ready for school. I have temperature control problems,  ya know ? I need warm weather to survive!" Taehyung sighed and glared at his bowl of noodles.

" Woah,  wait a minute. You've been in Jeiju for the entire break?" Yoongi gaped," Are you rich or something?"

"Yoongi, he's stacked," Hoseok smirked and pat the other on the back,"Like seriously, His family has a 'winter home ' out there. "

"Damn kid. Just who are you?" Namjoon raised his eyebrows in question.

"Kim Taehyung. My parents are big time company entrepreneurs and owners." Taehyung shrugged.

"Wow, and you go to Bang Si Hyuk high?" Namjoon nodded with an impressed look on his face," Of all the great rich kid schools out there,  you close Bang Si Hyuk. "

"Well it's not like I'm some pretentious pick who get everything from their never present parents who think they can buy love by giving me ever thing I want," Taehyung shrugged, staring at Namjoon nonchalantly over the rim of his plastic cup.

"Eh," Namjoon uttered shocked.

The entire table quieted, even the sound of bamboo chopsticks halting. The boys looked either shocked or uncomfortable or flabbergasted at Taehyung's rudely truthful comment. The silence was only broken a few minutes later by Jungkook's laughter and Hoseok joining just for the sake of making noise.

"Oh my gosh hyung," Jungkook choked out through laughter," You do realized that your parents are 'never present' and 'give you everything you want'." Jungkook smiled and took some food from Taehyung's bowl.

"Yeah but they do that because they love me and actually know what i want without having to ask because-"

"They love you," Hoseok finished for Taehyung," and even though you spend every other week at our house, I believe that."

" That's because you've met my parents hyung." Taehyung reminded

" So what are they like? All this talk about stereotype defying rich people has made me curious,"Jimin asked good naturedly, " I've never been to your house Taehyung-ah. "

"That because you'd probably break something, " Taehyung scoffed.

"What's there to say?" Hoseok shrugged," They're normal adults."

"With about enough money to buy half of Korea." Jungkook exaggerated.

"Yah, I'm not that rich," Taehyung rolled his eyes while the other boys just laughed.

The boys finished eating with Yoongi and Hoseok reluctantly agreeing to pay. They slowly redress ed in their outer wear and bowed to the waiter that started cleaning up their table before slipping outside into the cold

"Tae - ah are you staying over tonight?" Hoseok asked breaking away from Yoongi as he walked in a different direction with Jimin and Namjoon to go home.

"Yeah, better than being alone at home and suffering from boredom," Taehyung scooted closer to the two Jung brothers," If your family's okay with it."

"You're always welcome at our house kid," Hoseok chuckled warmly, stealing the blonde's borrowed beanie to ruffle his hair.

"Thanks hyung."