Even before the invasion of posters along the corridors, in the canteen, and on the back of every restroom stall; even before the members of the Drama Club came around with their flyers and verbal advertisements, Jungkook knew that the first day of performance was drawing near.

 It ought not to be anything new. Jungkook had been walking home alone for years. Yet, it did not sit well with him how the spot beside him was empty as he trudged down the known road, thinking of nothing but how Taehyung was going to be like on stage as Juliet.

Surely, it was a natural curiosity.

After rehearsing the script with Taehyung, it was normal for him to be curious, right? He thought about it, but couldn’t really picture Taehyung in a dress. He could see, however, Kai in tights of scorching red and a cap with a huge feather in it fawning all over Taehyung right in front of everybody in the audience.

As much as tried not to think about it, the image was not a favorable one.

Jungkook had to constantly shake himself mentally for thinking thoughts he ought not to think about. He thought them anyway and then his mental shaking became jarring.

“Hey, Taehyung!” called Baekhyun when he spotted the orange haired boy walking down the corridor.

“Oh! Hey, Baekhyun!” Taehyung called back cheerfully as he trotted over the dark haired boy.

Baekhyun stood with Chanyeol and Yoongi smack in the center of the corridor, the crowd giving them wide berth as it passed. A certain tall, conflicted, dark haired Jeon was significantly missing but no one in the trio seemed to be bothered by it.

“On your way to rehearsals, pretty boy?” Chanyeol asked playfully.

“Yeah. Oh, say…do you guys want to buy tickets for the play?” asked Taehyung in turn.

Baekhyun leaned down and said, “That was exactly why we were looking for you!”

Taehyung perked up at that and promptly produced a booklet of tickets from the pocket of his blazer.

“Cool!” he cried. “And for that you get an early-bird’s discount.”

“Baekhyun’s a closet Shakespeare fan,” Chanyeol revealed, extracting his wallet almost reluctantly. Baekhyun grinned rather evilly as Chanyeol threw him a telling sidelong glance. Taehyung noted that Chanyeol was paying for two.

“You know the drill, Chanie!” Baekhyun sang. “Tops pay!”

“Two, for me and Namjoon, Tae. Thanks. Um… I am paying on his behalf,” Yoongi spoke up, tucking his file under his arm so that he could pat his pockets for his wallet. “Is it free-seating?”

“Nope,” Taehyung told him, shaking his head and tearing off a ticket. “But since you bought the tickets early, you got some of the best seats in the theater and you are all also sitting next to Jimin and Hoseok.”

At the mention of the red head’s name, Yoongi’s hand suddenly faltered and the money fell from his hand to the floor. He picked it up hastily and upon straightening up said in a voice too contrived to be real, “That’s cool, Taehyung!”

Taehyung said nothing until he had handed Yoongi the tickets. When Taehyung’s hand did not let go of the tickets, Yoongi looked up to see the orange haired boy smiling at him all too knowingly. “Jimin talks about you all the time.”

Baekhyun and Chanyeol snickered as Yoongi blushed a deep crimson.

“R…really?” Yoongi stammered. “I…didn’t know…”

“Yeah,” replied Taehyung, letting go of the tickets. “He does.”

Baekhyun clapped a hand on Yoongi’s shoulder.

“You hear that, Yoon?” Baekhyun asked.

“Say, I need to get going,” Taehyung cut in, regrettably.  I’m glad you guys are coming. It’s too bad Jungkook isn’t though. But still—“

Baekhyun was always one to be sharp and it did not escape him that the orange haired boy’s countenance turned wistful for just a split-second when he spoke.

“Jungkook isn’t going?”Baekhyun asked as if to confirm it. Baekhyun didn’t know why but he was starting to feel a little annoyed. Chanyeol noted this and backed away a step, as did Yoongi.

Taehyung had his head down as he replaced the ticket booklet and the money in an envelope. For the length of time it took for him to do that, no one could see his expression.

“Yeah. Said it was not his thing,” Taehyung answered, looking up at the dark haired guy. With a laugh, he added, “Typical Jungkook.”

Baekhyun peered down at the younger boy for a while, but not too long to make the other feel uncomfortable. Then he said, “Say, Tae. I suddenly remembered that I have a friend who said he was interested in watching the play. He’s from another school you see. So could I have one more ticket, please?”

Jungkook knew something was not right when he opened the mansion’s front door to find his friends, Baekhyun and the others, at his doorstep, all spiffily dressed. Jungkook knew there was to be no argument when Baekhyun strode past him into the mansion and up the stairs.

Jungkook knew there was to be no escape from whatever Baekhyun had planned for him when Namjoon and Chanyeol—the burlier guys of the group—each took an arm of his and led him in Baekhyun’s trail.

They got him past a most surprised Henry and into his room, where they locked the door and, after throwing him unceremoniously on the bed, proceeding to strip him. Yoongi got hold of slack’s waistband and tugged. Chanyeol got him out of his shirt while Namjoon clamped him down with little effort.

“What is the meaning of this?” Jungkook demanded once he found his voice, struggling against Namjoon’s amazing strength.

Baekhyung strode over to his wardrobe and threw it wide open.

Scrutinizing the selection, he answered absently, “You’re going out, Jungkook my boy.”

“Out? What do you mean, ‘out’?”

“Ah, these will do,” Baekhyun murmured, pulling out a black dress shirt, a black jacket, and a pair of dark jeans. “I bet you want your Vans?” And he threw this article on the bed along with the rest of the of the clothing he’d chosen.

“Baekhyun!” Jungkook barked, boxer clad and still struggling against Namjoon’s hold.

“You’re going out with us to appreciate some Shakespeare,” Chanyeol’s boyfriend replied, continuing to poke around in Jungkook’s wardrobe. “Now put those on. Let’s all get going before we’re late. No entry once the performance starts until the break is called for the next act, you know! We’ll miss the whole Act I!”

Jungkook went still. Glaring up at his friend, he gritted out the words, “I am not going.”

Baekhyun crossed his arms then and Chanyeol looked up to see eyes that he knew, from years being with the dark haired boy, told him Baekhyun was in a mood that was not to be messed with. For a while, the whole atmosphere was tense as the two of the most headstrong people around tried to stare each other down.

Finally, Baekhyun broke the silence.

“Why are you so averse to watching the play?”

“I’m not!” Jungkook cried, then as if catching himself a little too late, muttered. “It’s just not my thing.”

“Yeah, sure. Yoongi, get him into his pants. Jungkook, I shall assume you’ve showered,” Baekhyung said, turning around once more.

“I’m not going.”

Baekhyung whipped around from his search for cologne, still holding a bottle he managed to find.

“You aced the test on Romeo and Juliet and you are secured an ‘A’ as your final grade for this class, without having to write a single research essay. The least you can do is go to Taehyung’s play. He’s helped you enough,” he said, tossing the bottle onto the pile of clothing articles.

Jungkook went silent and still. There was yet another pregnant pause before he quietly said, “Let go. I can dress myself.”

The three other boys looked over at Baekhyun. At the pissed off boy’s nod, they let go of Jungkook and got off the bed. Baekhyun crossed his arms over his chest and watched as Jungkook sat up on his bed, rubbing at a wrist. He did not flinch when Jungkook lifted glowered eyes up at him from under his dark bangs.

“You’re an , you know that, Baekhyun? A ing .”

Baekhyun only grinned and said, “Why, thank you and I’m sure Chanyeol will agree with you.” As Chanyeol grinned, he spun on his heels and walking away said, “Oh, be grateful, Jungkook. I don’t even pay for my own tickets most of the time.”

The door closed on Baekhyung and the rest of the group. Jungkook felt like spitting on it.

Trust Baekhyun to be spoiling things for him like this. Jungkook was trying to avoid this day, avoid going for the performance on all the days it ran, because he knew some things were going to be destroyed for him, within him. He was going to be hurt; he was going to wish he’d never gone. But right then, with his friends waiting on the other side of his door and the drop from his room to the ground—a good enough distance to be breaking something—there really was no way out of it.

Of course, it wasn’t going to make a difference whether he went or not. He was already neck deep in something and sinking deeper still—every day, every hour, and every minute.

Jungkook dressed himself in the clothes that Baekhyun had picked out for him, but decided to replace the black t-shirt with a plain white one out of spite and remained sullen throughout the whole journey to school’s theatre house.

The theatre was bathed in a warm, orange glow when the gang was ushered in. Jimin and the bundle of joy, Hoseok, were already seated and looking through their programs when they arrived.

Jimin spotted Yoongi and immediately waved at the older boy over.

Yoongi was hesitant but when the rest of the gang (excluding Jungkook, who trudged like it was the last place on Earth he wanted to be at) clambered about behind him and practically pushed him into seat. He had no choice but to sit there.

Jungkook was seated right at the edge of the row, directly beside Baekhyun. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back into the plush seat. It was going to be a long, long night.

“I am so excited! This is the first time I’m watching a play in a theatre!” Jimin whispered loudly to Yoongi, unable, as always to keep the excitement out of his voice.

“Me too!” Yoongi was heard replying, simply happy to be sitting beside the red head and basking in the full glow of his attention.

Jungkook wanted to just close his eyes and drown out their voices.

Well, at least there was one happy camper around. Why, what a love struck fool that Yoongi was. Jungkook frowned at the thought. Why did he feel like a hypocrite thinking that?

“And you know what?” Jimin whispered again, sounding both conspiring and gleeful. “Tae’s going to have his first kiss stolen on stage! By another boy!”

Jungkook almost bolted upright. He couldn’t help but turn his face towards the (inappropriately) excited red head. He could be thankful, at least, that everyone was also looking at Jimin.

“You mean the first time Juliet gets kissed by Romeo? In that scene?” Baekhyung demanded.

“But rehearsals,” Chanyeol added, leaning so far forward that he was almost spilling into Namjoon’s lap (much to the chagrin of Baekhyun). “Surely, they practiced it during the rehearsals.”

Jimin continued grinning and shrugged.

“I think Kai has a thing for Taehyung, you know. And knowing how Kai loves drama, he would not want to steal that kiss any other way. Frankly, I’m excited.”

“Saints do not move, though grant for prayer’s sake.”

Taehyung looked up from the script, which he’d already memorized actually, and found that he was feeling very nervous.

Kai was looking down at him, as if gazing down at a fond plush toy, and if that was not bad enough, the dramatic boy was leaning down towards him reciting:

“Then move not, while my prayer’s effect I take.

Thus from thy lips, by thine, my sin is purged.”

It was all part of the play, which was why Taehyung ought not to flinch when Kai’s hand found its way to his cheek or when their noses touched. Yet, Taehyung still scrunched up his eyes tightly as he waited for the kiss to come, the kiss he found he dreaded.

Kai’s chuckle came as sporadic puffs of warm breath on Taehyung’s cheek, making him open his eyes again.

Kai drew away just far enough so that he could look at Taehyung properly but not far enough for the intimacy to be broken.

“We’ll just pretend to kiss, okay?” Kai whispered very close to Taehyung’s ear so that only the latter could hear the words.

Taehyung was about to feel relieved when the senior added with a suspiciously evil smile. “The actual kiss will take a place on stage. Save those lips till then, yeah?”

Romero cleared his throat then and the two pulled away, with Taehyung still feeling more worked up than he ought to be.

Taehyung found himself in front of the mirror again. This time, he was sitting down in his petticoat and corset having the wig’s hair curled and styled. He had to endure a manicure and a pedicure on Jin’s whim just before, and had to be careful about his nails.

He found it most inconvenient and despite everything, wondered why any girl would want their nails so pretty. The script lied wrangled in his hands and he found that he was having a mental blockage. No words from the play could come into his head and he was frightened that he would forget everything.

A light poke on his right cheek startled him out of his musings. He looked up to see Jin looking at him through the mirror.

“Hey, lighten up! You look tense!” he chirped, poking him again. “Juliet is supposed to look innocent, not fretting like some mother waiting for her kid at the door.”

Taehyung had not realized the extent of his facial expression until he caught sight of it himself. He had to laugh.

“Yeah, you’re right. I am just a little…not, make that a LOT nervous for the performance.”

Jin went back to doing the hair. Of all the actors, he paid practically close attention to Taehyung. He liked the boy, no in the romantic way but as a person. There was something utterly magnetic about his personality and he was always sure to give anyone a good laugh. It was not common to see Taehyung like this…no, not simply in a petticoat and corset, but tense and unsmiling.

Jin leaned down to place his face beside Taehyung’s and patted him on both his shoulders. “You will be fine, Tae. Kyungsoo told me you were superb during the rehearsals. Even the seniors were impressed.”

Taehyung just snorted a light at that and watched as Jin carefully circled another bit of his hair.

“Anyone special coming to watch?” he asked, intent on his work.

At the question, Taehyung immediately thought of Jungkook. Mentally shaking himself off the thought, albeit unsuccessfully, he replied, “My parents and little brother are coming tomorrow.”

Jin took up another section of his hair and giggled. “I don’t mean that kind of special, Taehyung…”

“Oh,” Taehyung said, laughing in kind, only goofily. “No. No one in particular.”

Jin noted that Taehyung sounded a little sad but mentioned nothing. He completed the rest of Taehyung hair and wig and proceeded on to the make-up, claiming that he could not trust anyone else to do Juliet’s make-up.

They did not speak another word. Taehyung watched his transformation into Juliet and felt calmer.

When all was done and Taehyung was in the dress, Jin gave him a playful slap on the and said, “Make the audience go wild, Tae!”

The announcement for all in the audience to turn off their mobile phone was made. Backstage everyone in the cast told each out to a break a leg, since wishing each other good luck was sort of a taboo for theater.

Taehyung got a lot of appreciative one-overs and playful bows form those playing the male roles in the play. He looked across the backstage area and met Kai’s eye. The senior winked at him and Taehyung smiled back. He wanted to grin his usual grin but he could not find it himself to do so.

A hush had overcome the audience.

Backstage, Taehyung closed his eyes and took in a deep breath.

Those in the first act took their places center stage.

The curtain rose to reveal a perfect rendition of the elaborate multi-story stage of the Elizabethan Globe Theatre where Shakespeare’s plays used to be performed. The Chorus, all of them wearing the same nondescript black cloaks and expressionless masks, stood together like a choir.

“Two households, both alike in dignity…”

With that so began, Act 1.

The famous play went flawlessly, displaying the talent that the school’s Drama Club was famous for. Jungkook had to admit that it was quite an experience watching the play first hand after having gone through the whole script with Taehyung, dramatizing the very parts that were played before his eyes on stage.

There were times where Jungkook found himself mouthing the more witty pieces of conversation along with the characters. Those times he would have to catch himself and look to the dark headed boy sitting beside him to see if he’d been caught.

To his relief, Baekhyun was very much engrossed in the play, along with the rest of the audience present.

Kyungsoo played Tybalt and Chen, Benvolio, to perfection. Their fight in the very first scene of the play set the stage for more to come, as it was both compelling and comical. However, Jungkook couldn’t help but dislike Paris’ character a little and the talk that Paris had with Lord Capulet reminded Jungkook of the time he first found out that Juliet was—

“She hath not seen the change of fourteen years,

Let two more summers wither in their pride,

Ere we may think her ripe to be a bride.”

-- only thirteen when all of this took place in the play.

However, almost every person in the audience was awaiting the entrance of that new kid that somehow clinched the star role of Juliet. Word had gotten round among the seniors that the junior was pretty, coveted not only by the President of the Drama Club himself, (who happened indeed to be playing Romeo in the paly), but the very son and heir of the family who founded and ran the school. Such news was enough to make everyone curious as to what this new kid was made of and, of course (and most importantly), what he looked like in a dress.

“Taehyung!” he heard someone hiss very near his ear. He had pretty much calmed down, especially after listening to the banter and later swordfight between Kyungsoo and Chen. Still he jumped before turning around to see Romero bending towards him, his hand at his mouth to whisper:

“Get ready; your cue is coming next.”

“Oh, yeah,” Taehyung replied, giving his corseted, dress-covered torso one last pat before making for stage left from which he’d enter in Act 1, Scene 3 of the play.

“Taehyung!”

The orange haired boy looked back. He saw Romero smiling at him.

“Break a leg.”

From the stage came the Nurse’s call, a tinge of Xiumin’s posh accent still apparent in the voice:

“Now, by my maidenhead, at twelve years old,

I bade her come. What, lamb! What, ladybird!

God forbid! Where’s that girl? What, Juliet!”

Taehyung stepped into the scene to a thick hush from the audience.

Juliet entered and there was audible catch in everybody’s breath, especially Jungkook’s. All eyes were on her, looking for nuances that indicated the real gender beneath the dress and demeanor. There were none.

No one was fully prepared for how Juliet was going to appear on stage. No one was prepared at all for the sight of Taehyung in a dress. No one expected a boy could look so…pretty.

“Wow! That Taehyung sure is pretty in that dress…” someone said to this friend right behind where Jungkook and his friends were sitting. “Too bad he’s a guy. If he were a girl, I’ll corner him…and…”

Jungkook could not stop himself from sending them his famous glare over his shoulder. They emitted a sqeak and sand down in their seats. When Jungkook turned back to the play, he noticed Baekhyun looking at him out of the corner of his eye, smirking just a little. Jungkook chose to ignore it and turned his attention to the play instead.

The dress Taehyung was wearing looked like it had been made for a princess. The neck scooped down over a chest which had a slight rising that Jungkook was sure Taehyung didn’t have before. Of jewelry, Taehyung only had on pearl earrings and a necklace.

On stage, Taehyung did not have time to take in the thickened silence. He delivered his first line on stage without a glitch: “How now? Who calls?”

Jungkook watched as the stage lights came on again to reveal a ballroom scene with masked party-goers mingling with each other, creating a cheery buzz.

 Since the moment of his appearance on stage, Kai had been keen to be in the limelight as much as possible. As such, while his character was supposed to try and blend in with the party in Act 1, Scene 5, Kai stood out so much with his over dramatics that that task was impossible.

That did not bother Jungkook as much as Juliet’s present entrance into the scene with the rest of the Capulet family. For the first time Juliet and Romeo were on stage at the same time and Jungkook kept recalling what Jimin had said before.

He was aware then that whole thing bothered him a lot. He was able to admit to himself then he cared for Taehyung enough, no… in an odd, unexplainable way, cared for him so much that he didn’t want Taehyung’s first kiss to be taken by a pompous, carrot-headed, drama-king, on STAGE, in front of so many people. Heck, he didn’t want Taehyung’s first kiss to be taken by anyone at all. He was also not going to lie to himself that despite him sitting calmly in his seat, his usual serious expression in place, and arms crossed over his chest, despite him looking so unaffected, he was actually quelling an insane desire to climb onto the stage and punch the living daylights out of Kai. Why, Tybalt’s rapier looked about good right then.

Then there came those lines, those lines that came before the kiss. Jungkook tried not to listen, but was saying the lines along with Romeo. He tried not to look, but at the point where Romeo kisses Juliet in the play, he looked up and saw… saw Kai leaning forward, and their lips touched, lightly and then once more before Juliet proclaimed that Romeo kissed like he had learned it from a book.

Sometimes, there were disadvantages about having the best seats in a theater.

It was strange, Jungkook felt like he lost something that moment. Lost something so important and so profound.

The rest of the play went with a blur. At the last scene, Jungkook closed his eyes as Juliet said:

“This is they sheath; there rust,

And let me die.”

He felt it already; what a mistake it was for him to be there, watching the play. If he had not came, he would be at home thinking about the scene where Romeo kisses Juliet and he would not have known about Kai’s plan to steal Taehyung’s first kiss on stage. He would not have seen it.

Something told him that he had let something go, sometime time in the past, and that the kiss on stage would not have been Taehyung’s first.

There was a reception after the play. Jungkook did not want to go. The last thing he wanted was to see Taehyung and the rest of the cast.

The last, last thing he wanted was to see Kai with Taehyung, and the rest of the cast. But Baekhyun and Chanyeol, born perhaps from the lowest circle of hell seeing how they were always making Jungkook’s life more miserable than it already was, dragged him to stay for it.

They bought chocolates and wanted to give them to Taehyung, since, according to Chanyeol, it was polite to give someone a gift after their performance to show that you appreciated it.

Jungkook had nothing to give but Baekhyun had insisted (in true Baekhyun style) that he should at least stay and congratulate Taehyung.

Jungkook did not see the point since Taehyung had only performed and not given birth.

“Stay anyway,” Baekhyun said and that was that. Jungkook knew it was childish to keep arguing.

Perhaps, the truth to the matter was that he wanted to see Taehyung no matter under what circumstances. There was nothing rational about feelings sometimes.

The reception was held in the large gathering area outside the performance theatre. It was just a little beyond the ticketing counters and tables laid with a buffet had been set.

While everyone milled around, Jungkook stood apart from the party like an outsider looking in. Yoongi was talking to Jimin, Namjoon and Jin near the dessert table.

Yoongi was probably hoping for Jin and Namjoon to leave despite his benevolent smiles and laughter. Baekhyun and Chanyeol were somewhere. So Jungkook stood alone with a Styrofoam cup of innocent, children’s party punch in his hand. He would have been glad for the solitude.

Only he wasn’t.

He had wanted to see Taehyung; that was true. When the orange haired boy finally did come out, in a white shirt tucked into slim back pants, his hair back to normal, Jungkook had straightened up and pushed himself off the table he was leaning against with a hand. But no sooner he had done that, the Drama Club President had swooped in on Taehyung and taken the orange haired boy by the waist to take him around the room to receive the congratulations from everyone.

There was nothing left in him for anger. Jungkook lost everything during that kiss. He contemplated stepping out and away from the party, to which he never belonged. But he heard his name called and the voice made him turn back.

That voice could probably call him from the dead, even if he were to be shot in the head.

He saw Taehyung running up to him, while Kai watched, his expression maddeningly serene.

“You came!” Taehyung said happily right into his face. “I thought you said you wouldn’t!”

He found himself looking into a pair of beautiful chocolate orbs and those eyes had only before been filled with sorrow on stage when looking upon the figure of a dead lover. He faltered inwardly. How could eyes do that?

Steeling himself, he replied, ice cold, “ Baekhyun had an extra ticket and Yoongi wanted company.”

Taehyung’s face fell for just a fraction of a moment and Jungkook felt like killing himself. His lies were hurting but there was nothing he could do to take them back. Taehyung grinned and landed a light punch on Jungkook’s shoulder.

“I’m still glad you came,” Taehyung said, in a voice much softer than he was used to speaking.

Rigidly Jungkook stood, arms crossed and feigning disinterest he never felt. His mind was saying a lot of other things like: Shake his hand and say ‘Good job, Taehyung’ or maybe ‘Excellent performance, Taehyung’.

But no.

He only kept quiet and an awkward silence rose between them like an unpleasant, embarrassing smell.

In the background, music started up. The old kind, like the one in the dance scene during the party scene of the play. Taehyung turned to look at the band for an instant and Jungkook took the opportunity to look at the back of Taehyung’s head, noting how awkward he was.

Turning back, Taehyung asked excitedly, a thumb pointing in the general direction of some dancing couples, most of which were male-male, “Hey, do you want to—“

“No,” Jungkook replied far too quickly.

Taehyung took an involuntary step back at that.

“If he wouldn’t, I most certainly would.”

Taehyung spun around and almost collided into the body of another man. Sehun stopped him from doing so with two hands on Taehyung’s waist and smiled down at the younger man.

“You made a beautiful Juliet,” Sehun commented letting go of Taehyung, smiling still.

Sheepishly scratching the back of his head, Taehyung said, “Yes, but as Taehyung I am hardly—“

“Ah,” Sehun interrupted him. “True beauty hardly has anything to do with gender or the costume.”

Jungkook watched Taehyung laugh at the remark. His hand tightened over the cup as he looked on. Only before he had been in. Taehyung was talking to him, but Jungkook couldn’t even hold a decent conversation. Then, as Sehun flirted with Taehyung, he was out again.

“Now,for  the object of my coming here,” Sehun went on. Taking Taehyung’s hand, he asked, “Will you do me the honor of a dance, my lady?”

Taehyung was looking up at the gentleman and laughing amusedly. “I am not wearing my dress anymore.”

“Let me correct that. Will you, my dear sir, do me the honor of a dance?”

Jungkook frowned, unaware that he, like Sehun, was awaiting the answer.

Taehyung glanced at Jungkook. Jungkook only looked back indifferently. When he tried to take a sip of his punch, which had long since disappeared, Taehyung turned to Sehun and said, “Sure.”

Sehun took Taehyung’s hand and led him away, though not before looking back at Jungkook with an expression that strangely did not carry within any sort of triumph, only something that bordered on pity. Not that Jungkook needed any. No.

Inside, the bearer of the dark toned tresses was beating himself up severely. He watched, increasingly pained, as Taehyung was led to the dance floor and then settled into an immaculate ballroom waltz with Sehun.

It was a little funny because Taehyung was hardly a maiden without the flowing dress, but the two of them seemed to be enjoying themselves. He saw the two of them talking as they danced and then Taehyung seemed shy as Sehun peered down interestedly at him, then Sehun chuckled, Taehyung laughed and Jungkook could hear him from where he stood. Jungkook felt himself wanting to stomp over and break it all up.

Angry with himself for thinking that and for various other things, he turned and made to leave.

Only he almost collided into Baekhyun and Chanyeol, leaning on the table, drinking from cups and watching the two dance. Jungkook swore they had not been there before.

“You should have asked him to dance,” Chanyeol said, not looking at Jungkook.

Jungkook grunted and left.

“Say Baek,” Chanyeol spoke up again, turning to his boyfriend. “Why do we keep doing this Jungkook?”

“Because he’s too stupid to see,” replied Baekhyun, rolling his eyes.

“Oh,” Chanyeol uttered, not appearing very thoughtful about it. “You want to dance?”

Jungkook has some of the best friends in the world. They really…watched out for him.

They made school days fun. Jungkook loved them, most ardently…

“Hey I’ve been watching you,

Every little thing you do

Every time I see you dance

In my homeroom class

Makes my heart beat fast…”

Jungkook. Really. Loved. Them.

Jungkook was not one to show his emotions too easily but at the sound of Baekhyun’s voice singing Hey Juliet, he hissed irritably and banged his books into his locker the next day.

“Cut it, Byun,” he said warningly, sending a glare the dark haired boy’s way.

Baekhyun’s voice lowered to a whisper but he still continued singing loud enough for Jungkook to hear:

“I think

You’re fine

You really blow my mind

Maybe, some day

You and me can run away

I just want you to know…”

And then Baekhyun bellowed out the final lines of the chorus:

“I want to be your ROMEO,

HEY JULIEEEEEEET! HEY JUILET!”

Thus, causing the students passing by to stop whatever they were doing and look. At Jungkook’s glare, they went about their businesses again somewhat hurriedly.

Baekhyun started guffawing. Soon after Chanyeol and Yoongi came along, laughing as they heard Baekhyun’s voice from down the hall.

“You wanted that part, Jungkook. I can tell. You wanted to be the one who said, ‘Call me but Love and I will be new baptized’,” said Baekhyun dramatically clasping his hands.

“I see somebody memorized the whole thing,” Jungkook said, leaning against his locker.

To this Baekhyun replied, “Don’t change the subject, Sourpuss. You got to face the facts.”

“There’s nothing to face.”

Baekhyun only smirked and opened the door of his locker.

“Whatever you say, Jungkook. Whatever you say,” was all he said as he put in his books. Seeing Yoongi, Baekhyun turned and drawled, “Heeeey! At least here’s someone who had made progress!”

“Hey guys,” Yoongi greeted them shyly. “It’s really nothing, Baek.” Then as a way of explanation to Jungkook, whom Yoongi was sure knew nothing, said to the young man, “I asked Jimin out.”

Jungkook continued to look at his friend, not able to quell the sudden envy that rose in him.

“And he said ‘yes’,” Yoongi went on, as if to elicit some sort of reaction from Jungkook.

“Good for you,” said Jungkook finally before turning to his locker and closing it. “About time too.”

“Thanks, Jungkook,” Yoongi replied, laughing a little. “Maybe you ought to make a move too.”

“What move?” demanded Jungkook, looking steadily at Yoongi who do not seem to quaver under such attention.

“We all know what move, Jungkook,” Yoongi began.

Baekhyun butted his head in and added,” Yeah. Listen to the lover boy, Kookie, and ask Tae—“

“May I be let in on the gossip too?” a voice spoke up from behind Jungkook, causing him to start, hopefully not visibly.

He spun around to find Taehyung standing there, looking pretty much like Taehyung instead of Juliet  in his school uniform.

“Taehyung!” Baekhyun cried, going over to the boy and suddenly putting a hand under the younger boy’s chin. “Gosh! You are really pretty, Taehyung! You know that? I bet you have a ton of admirers after the two day’s running of the play!”

“Admirers?” Taehyung asked, appearing a little confused. “No, I don’t think—“

“But you are soooo cute, Taehyung!” Baekhyun went on. Still holding on to Taehyung’s chin and tilting it up uncomfortably high, Baekhyun turned to Jungkook and added, “Don’t you think Taehyung’s cute, Jungkook?”

Taehyung was looking at Jungkook with eyes that no one could possibly say ‘No’ to, and it was not even intentional. Jungkook did not want to say ‘No’ anyway, because that would be a lie. Instead he turned away  and mumbled, “Whatever.”

“Say, Jungkook,” he heared Taehyung speak up. “Wanna walk home together like we used to?”

Jungkook ignored Baekhyun mouthing  ‘like we used to’ to the rest and focused on the orange haired boy, who had effectively made a mess out of him, flipped  him all over the place, and made him question himself the way he never had to before.

What was it about this orange haired boy that could shatter Jungkook’s carefully constructed cold demeanor and knock down the walls he’d painstakingly built?

The word was out before he could stop himself: “Sure.”

Something told him party poppers were going off and cheers were being hollered by his friends behind him, but he didn’t want to turn and see their faces.

“Enjoy your walk, Jungkook!” Chanyeol and Baekhyun called out as Jungkook walked off with Taehyung.

The walk went with Taehyung chattering beside Jungkook as usual, mainly about the two days of the play and how it was like on stage, how nervous he was, how he couldn’t see the faces of those in the audience, save for those sitting in the front row, and how (to Jungkook’s secret amusement) he actually liked his dress, but couldn’t say the same for the manicure and the tiresome hairstyling.

“We are going to put the play up for another two days,” Taehyung explained to Jungkook finally. “It is going to span the whole of next weekend.”

“That popular?” asked Jungkook, only briefly glancing at Taehyung.

“No, that’s not it. You know that kid Zhang Yixing, but everyone calls him Lay?” Taehyung asked in turn, looking at Jungkook.

When Jungkook nodded, he went on, “You see, his sister is undergoing treatment for Leukemia. He is one of the stage hands for the play and a scholarship student like me. So anyway, I thought, we could perform the play for the public and help him out you know?”

It struck Jungkook that this was just the sort of thing for Taehyung to do and couldn’t help smiling a little to himself.

“You think Lay will be fine with charity?”

“Sometimes, you got to put aside pride for someone you love, Jungkook,” Taehyung explained, not looking at his companion but up at the quickly gathering dusk.

Jungkook glanced at Taehyung again, but said nothing.

“Sehun was really nice,” Taehyung said suddenly, sounding to Jungkook, almost dreamy. “He said we can perform at the opera house his parents own and offered to be in charge of invitations—we need VIPs, you see—and the ticketing.”

Jungkook felt the prick. So Sehun was nice to Taehyung… Of course, Sehun had the right personality, the right connections. Sehun was quite the gentlemen and Sehun would dance with Taehyung. Sehun could charm Taehyung. What could Jeon Jungkook do?

“And Kai was for the idea a hundred percent!” Taehyung cried excitedly. “He even organized additional rehearsals ‘cause we will need to do even better since some really important people are coming to watch.”

Yes, Kai. What could Jeon Jungkook do?

Jungkook became aware of his repeated self-evalutaion and felt annoyed at himself. His annoyance unfortunately showed his expression causing Taehyung to quiet down for a while.

‘Maybe Jungkook doesn’t like Kai’, Taehyung thought uneasily.

They went past Taehyung’s house and, before Jungkook realized the mistake, were approaching the tall gates of Jungkook’s mansion.

“Taehyung—“ Jungkook started to protest but was immediately cut off by the orange haired boy, walking on and not looking at Jungkook as he spoke.

“It would be a good change, Jungkook.”

At the gate, they stopped and found themselves facing each other. There was a little side gate through which Jungkook would enter to go up the path to his house. Jungkook suddenly had the idea to invite Taehyung over for dinner, only he didn’t know how. On all the other occasions Henry was there to invite Taehyung for him. Jugnkook felt acutely how socially inept he was. Taehyung looking up at him the way he was then—without veil, all steady and sincere—was not helping matters one bit.

 In a moment of epiphany, it occurred to Jungkook that Taehyung meant more to him than anything else in the world. That was why he kept every single gift Taehyung gave him, even if they were miniature furniture sets he knew he didn’t need. That was why the Jungkook as a child worried, as only Jungkook could worry in true Jeon-style, about birthday presents for the orange haired boy. That was why he hated it when boys in school hung around Taehyung so much and hated how Kai and Sehun were both trying to sidle up close to his friend.

That was why something, perhaps his heart, perhaps his spleen, broke when he saw Kai kiss Taehyung.

Taehyung had always been special in the way he stood up for others, especially back when they were younger, and when someone was in need of help; Taehyung was always the first to lend a hand. No matter the walls Jungkook built, no matter with what immutable material, Taehyung was always able to find a way through.

Jungkook could never do that. What could Jeon Jungkook do? What could Jeon Jungkook do indeed?

Right then, Jungkook had the urge to lean down to Taehyung and take, just for a while, what had been stolen from him on stage some days before. Maybe he would take Taehyung into his arms and press him close.

 Maybe, just maybe, he could forget he was Jeon Jungkook for once, forget what it meant to be Jeon Jungkook.

Without thinking he had his hand on Taehyung’s cheeks and that was the first time he had touched the boy since their past playground fight. The cheek was soft, very soft…as if puberty never happened. Brown eyes stared up at him, widened with surprise though, in doing so, it perhaps beckoned to Jungkook as well.

“Jungkook?”

Jungkook only shook his head, desiring Taehyung to speak no more, and pressed his forehead against the orange haired boy’s. Taehyung did not jump back as Jungkook half-expected him to. Instead he took a step towards Jungkook and Jungkook knew, despite the cloud that marred his usual caution and rationale, that if they sealed it all then, they were both going to tumble into an abyss they couldn’t climb out of. A smart person, in full knowledge of the implications would stop and take a step back, explain that it was all a mistake. But Jungkook, despite knowing his situation, was not feeling very smart then. He pressed a hand to Taehyung’s back and pulled the chocolate eyed boy closer to him.

No turning back.

The sound of a car screeching to a halt at the gate caused them to pull away from each other. For a while, all either could do was stare at each other as if they had just committed the biggest sacrilege in the world. Taehyung stood muted; his eyes couldn’t have been bigger, his heart pounding in his chest. Jungkook was in no better shape, and his mouth opened sporadically, trying to bring out words but those words, whatever they may have been, would not come. Jungkook wanted to apologize, he wanted to shout, he wanted to curse and swear, and he wanted to confess everything he’d ever felt, he wanted to call out to the universe to stop time just for them…

“Jungkook.”

Neither of them heard the car door open, what more see the elderly man climb out of it. When they broke their gazes and turned, Taehyung saw the burly man, about his own grandfather’s age, standing by the immaculately shiny black car in his equally impeccable suit, his hands resting on the golden knob of his ivory cane. Jungkook stared at the man, not knowing who he was for a while.

It was the man who had called out to Jungkook the second time Jungkook heard his name called and as his mental cloud cleared, Jungkook saw his grandfather and the steady way the eyes of the elder Jeon was taking him in.

“Just came back from school, Jungkook?” The elder Jeon asked, though tone was by no means conversational.

It was just a question and yet if had the potential to make anyone nervous, yet under the man’s gaze, Jungkook did not falter, only said, “Grandfather.”

Unperturbed, the elder Jeon asked again, “Why didn’t you take the car?”

“I…” Jungkook trailed off, looking back at Taehyung, his mind racing question about what he ought to do and whether his grandfather had seen what had passed, or nearly passed between Taehyung and himself. Turning back to his grandfather, Jungkook replied, “I prefer walking.”

“Get into the car, Jungkook,” The elder Jeon told his grandson. It was more of a command than anything else. “The driver will drive you in.”

For a moment, no one moved and Jungkook perceived the sound of the wind mocking life around him. In time, he turned his body a little and indicated Taehyung to his grandfather. “This…this is Taehyung,” Jungkook said by way of introduction.

“Nice to meet you, sir,” Taehyung chirped, going to extend his hand to the elder gentleman even if everything was unnerving.

His own grandfather would have taken that hand and pumped it up and down with an energy that belied his age, however, the elder Jeon did not even look down at the hand as he climbed back into the car without so much as a glance at Taehyung. It took Taehyung a moment to understand what was going on and once he comprehended where he stood with the elder Jeon, he lowered his hand and clenched it by his side.

Jungkook made to leave but hesitated and looked back at Taehyung. When Taehyung turned his eyes away from the car and looked at Jungkook, the latter found that the gaze was the hardest one he’d ever had to meet. Jungkook felt aghast. He knew how his grandfather could be, but the way he acted toward Taehyung was less than human…

Jungkook tried to open his mouth to apologize but no words could be formed. As for Taehyung, he saw clearly the chasm that gaped between Jungkook and himself, the chasm none of them could cross. It would have been bad if Taehyung had been a girl of inferior birth (as compared to the Jeon family), but it was ten times worse that he was a young man of inferior birth.

In time and with much effort, he grinned.

“Hey, I shall not disturb you family reunion and be on my way,” he said, already starting to walk backwards towards his house on the lesser side of the neighborhood. “See you in school, Jungkook!”

Jungkook watched with not a little pain as Taehyung turned and hurried off. At the persistent tug of his grandfather’s gaze, Jungkook took his eyes away from the road and walked towards the car, his world suddenly spiraling into bedlam.

Once Taehyung heard the care door slam shut, he started running. He did not even bother looking back to make sure that Jungkook was still not standing there to see him. Taehyung cursed his stupidity as he ran past his house and turned into the town. He didn’t feel like going home too early that day.

He had one question to think about: Why a Jeon?

If anyone had stepped into the second Jeon mansion, they would have guessed that the elder Jeon was home even without meeting with the said person.

The atmosphere was that of rigid orderliness and the servants did not even dare look at each other as they passed in the corridors, what more strike up a conversation among themselves. It was as if the walls were staring at them to make sure they performed their duties to perfection. Henry did not straighten up from his welcome bow until he heard his name being called be the elder Jeon.

Dinner was a silent affair. The elder man sat at the head of the long table, with Jungkook a few seats on his adjacent left. All that was heard was the clink of silverware and the occasional serving and pouring of food and drinks. Jungkook felt that it stretched for hours and while usually he barely tasted his food, during that dinner, he tasted it even less.

When it was over, the old man laced his fingers together, elbows resting on the table, as the servants cleared the remains of dinner away, and leveled his gaze once more on Jungkook, who had taken to studying the patterns on the ornate placemat before him.

The old man reached for his glass of wine and asked casually, “Who was that boy outside the gate with you just now?”

Jungkook met his grandfather’s eyes briefly before replying, “Taehyung.”

“What’s his family?” The old man went on, swirling the wine in his glass as he did so.

“Kim.”

“Never heard of them,” The elder Jeon declared dismissively. “Not business people, are they?”

“His parents are researchers. His brother is a teacher at my school.”

The old man let out a snort. “Salary men.”

Jungkook clenched his jaw and said nothing.

“How could he afford the school fees in your school?”

“He…” Jungkook found it hard to reveal. “He’s on a scholarship.”

“A charity boy,” The elder Jeon sniffed. Leaning back in his chair, he went on, “The standard of you school had dropped a significant amount if they are allowing that sort of rat-bag in.”

“They only give out ten scholarships every year,” Jungkook couldn’t help but argue.

“I thought that the school would be good for you, Jungkook, but it seems that it does not hold anything for you anymore.” The wrinkled man looked at Jungkook. “It is time you move to the first Jeon mansion.

Jungkook sat up straighter and could not help but stare at his grandfather in horror.

“This place will be sold—“his grandfather went on.

“And the mansion staff?” Jungkook demanded to know.

“Naturally, they will be told to a permanent holiday.”

“You can’t do that!” Jungkook was not in the habit of raising his voice to this grandfather but right then he could not help himself. There were some of the serving staff lined up behind him and yet the wrinkled man could say it all so easily without even batting an eyelid.

The old man stared at his grandson before saying, “If you move to the first Jeon mansion, there will be no need for them or this mansion. Over there, you will be enrolled into the finest school which will prepare you for the university of my choice. It would also easier for you to integrate into the Jeon business.”

He paused and settled back into his chair. “It is time you learn the ropes, Jungkook. Your father never had a chance to and you wouldn’t want to fail him, do you? And be a weak link?”

There. The old man always knew when to pull it out and use it against Jungkook: his father’s unfulfilled dream, the fact that Jeon Jungkook was his father’s son, the sole heir to the Jeon business empire, and also, the one with the greatest potential to be the family’s weak link.”

“You will meet a pretty girl there,” The wrinkled man continued, casting the briefest of glances Jungkook’s way. “Not in that school full of…funny boys.”

Jungkook’s hands clenched into fists where they rested on his laps under the table. He did not lift his eyes from the tabletop for fear that seeing his grandfather’s face might make him punch the old man.

It was no pretty girl he wanted…but siring an heir for the next generation was part of the future that loomed before him. Even as he came to terms, painfully slow, with how he felt… about the school… about Taehyung, about what he wished he could have, could do, there was in his consciousness what it meant to be Jeon Jungkook.

“We will be leaving by the end of the next week, Jungkook.”

He, the old man, seemed could only talk in commands and rhetoric.

By the end of the next week…Jungkook clenched his hands tighter.

“Everything will be settled by then and it will give you ample time to pack.” Jungkook’s grandfather paused and looked at his grandson who, since the conversation took the particular turn, had not lifted his eyes from the tabletop. “You will be coming, Jungkook.”

Jungkook let out a breath and loosened his hands. To run the family empire, to be his father’s son, that was what he wanted, wasn’t it? That was why he had been holding himself back all these times…with his friends…with Taehyung.”

Kim… Taehyung.

“Yes, I will, grandfather.”

With that, he pushed himself away from the table and muttered a barely audible “Excuse me” and strode out of the dining room. On the way out, he went past Henry, but he didn’t dare meet the butler’s eyes. 

A/N: Sooooooooooo yeahhhhh xD Anyways, I hope you happpened to love this chapter! Since the last chapter happened (and even before honestly) everyone has been supportive of this story, and I just couldn't be happier. As I take matters into my own hands, I will say that I have already started writing the ending chapters....and there's only two chapters left ^_^ BUT BECAUSE OF THAT, I PROMISE TO MAKE THEM SUPER AMAZING, SO I MAKE UP FOR IT. 

I look forward to seeing your guy's reaction to the ending chapters, all I can do is hope you all willl love it. Other than that, untill later my lovelies!!!! ^_^