♫♫♫♫♫♫♫

"Never did I think I'd live to see the day." Jimin has a smile pulled tight from ear to ear, giddy in whatever he was about to say.

Taehyung looks at him wordlessly, his eyes growing into saucers. "Kim Taehyung, are you jealous?"

Tae immediately abandons his hand mixer and brownie batter, placing his hands on his hips. "Jealous of what? Of you and Yoongi? Of course not. You guys are so cute, I just wish he'd bend you over and--"

"Taehyung!" Jimin turns a furious shade of red and playfully throws some flour over his shoulder at Taehyung. "You know exactly who I'm talking about. I saw the way you were looking at him last night." Tae freezes up, remembering how he was staring icicles into Jeni and Jungkook last night. Reminiscing on the thought, his eyes start rolling every which way. "I was doing no such thing. They're a cute couple, that's all." 

Yes. An adorable couple indeed.

Adorably disgusting.

I guess he likes the innocent ones. So he can take their ity and run.

Ugh..he's such a ing pig. 

Taehyung's brain is on autopilot while Jimin is unknowingly talking to himself. When he realizes Taehyung isn't listening to a single word, he steps on his best friend's foot and watches him wail in pain. "God Jimin, what the hell!" Jimin smiles apologetically, clinging to his friend. "You added way too much nutmeg. Jin's gonna yell at you."

He rubs his poor foot and looks down at his mixture. Sure enough, there's an entire quarter-cup of nutmeg seeping its way into his batter. Tae reaches for his bowl as if to grab the handful of spice back. "No, no no!" Jimin shakes his head and sighs, grabbing a clean bowl for him to start over. He rubs his flour-coated hands on his pink "Dig In!" apron and firmly places a hand on Tae's head. Firmly planting his feet, he reels his middle finger back and delivers a strong ttakbam to Taehyung's forehead. He crumples to the floor in pain as Chef Jimin looks down at him in disapproval.

"For someone who isn't jealous, you sure are distracted today." Taehyung pouts cutely, scraping his failed batter in the sink. "I'm sure Jin will understand. He only teaches Cooking 101 because he needs an excuse to eat large increments of food at once, for free." Sensing Jin can hear his gossip, Taehyung awkwardly looks over his shoulder to find Jin glaring at him while indulging in some pizza. He resumes whispering, with a laugh. "See." 

Jimin grins in response and pours his batter into heart-shaped cake pans. Jimin does this with grace and gusto, only adding nutmeg for garnish at the top of his brownies. Tae his head to the side, wiping chocolate off of his nose. "So that's where I messed up. That's not what the cookbook said, though..." He flips through the pages cluelessly, making Jimin laugh even more. "Every baker knows the most flavorful and important ingredients go on the inside. The nutmeg is simply for a slight tinge of oh yes." Jimin's eyes close blissfully. "Put good in, get good out."

A lightbulb goes off in Taehyung's head and he pulls out his revenge diary. He scribbles in the little book of evil and shuts it with a wide grin on his face. Sensing something amiss, Mother Jimin spins around from the oven and frowns when he sees Taehyung plotting. "Geez. Take a day off, why don't you. You've got thirty days to ruin the boy and you're already making great progress." 

"I just got a great idea and I couldn't let it get away. This, Jimin...you've inspired me. Ciao!" Taehyung's apron is off and in the air before Jimin can get to scolding.

"Wow. I need to raise better kids..." Jimin his spoon in defeat, sighing.

♫♫♫♫♫♫♫

Taehyung refuses to evict the evil tendencies that live in his brain. It's conjuring up one delicious idea after the next, each one more diabolical than the last. Gathering things from his locker, he shuts it and snickers mischievously as he makes his way to gym class. He can't help the rush of adrenaline when he imagines the possible outcomes of his revenge plots, and it's so easy to be evil when he's found so many reasons to hate Jungkook. He has archery today and he certainly isn't imagining accidentally landing an arrow in Jungkook's leg during gym class. As the scenarios fill his head he turns the corner to an unwanted sight. If he wasn't such an , he would think these frequent Jungkook sightings occurred because of karma.

Jeni is pressed against Jungkook's locker while he stares longingly into her eyes. She adjusts the collar on his gym uniform and smiles, pecking him lightly on the lips. "Don't be nervous. You're great at everything and I'm sure you'll do just fine." 

He kisses her forehead before lacing up his cleats and stretching briefly. "Thanks baby." They exchange a few more sappy things that Tae refuses to give a about before Jungkook finally walks off towards the gymnasium. Taehyung gags, clutching the strap on his quiver and walking far behind Jungkook as to remain undetected.

ing .

Tae's steps are getting angrier and angrier as he walks, and he bounces back to Jimin's jeering from this morning. He could never be jealous, not when it came to someone he hated this much. Tae scoffs aloud as he even thinks that forbidden thought, and he doesn't realize how loud he's getting. "Jealous. ing jealous," Tae shakes his head and chews harder on his gum, making incessant popping noises. "jealous of what? He should be jealous of me. I'm smart, I'm talented and handsome, I'm ing great."

His shoes and tropical-flavored gum are making more noise than his grumbling, and it doesn't take long for Jungkook to divert his attention to the maddening clicking behind him. His face lights up and he waves at Tae.Despite being completely ignored, he slows his steps to walk with Taehyung.

"Hey Taehyung, how are--"

" off, Jungkook."

"I'm great, thanks for asking." Jungkook is just smiling at him, and Tae has to stare at the boy in disbelief. The sunshine and butterflies radiating from the boy and his smile are making him queasy, and he stops in his tracks. "Was I not clear?"

"I didn't mean to bother you. I just wanted a partner to practice with. It's my first time and--"

"Jimin is my partner."

"Jimin is paired with Yoongi." Jungkook tilts his head slightly, coaxing Tae to look over at Jimin. He's standing next to Yoongi, laughing way too hard at a lame joke he made and avoids Tae's glare and presence altogether. Taehyung looks at the floor, searching for a reply. He takes a mental note to curse Jimin out later. "Like I said, off."

Taehyung is about to march off when he feels a strong hand wrap firmly around his wrist. His back hits the marble wall behind him as he's pushed behind the gym doors and out of sight. Jungkook places one hand on either side of his head. With his head hanging low and his lips dangerously close to Tae's ear, Tae is almost ready to himself when the much larger male closes him in and he has no choice but to submit.

"Let me tell you something," Jungkook comes even closer, so close that his chest is hovering just above Taehyung's. " you're really starting to boil the out of my blood with all of this attitude." Tae is stuttering for a reply, but he barely gets a word in before Jungkook is slightly above a whisper but not nearly close to yelling. "We had a fight twelve years ago, Tae. I'm sure twelve years has given you enough time to treat me like a human being again. It's our senior year of high school...after this you'll never have to see me again. No one is asking you to my , but at least be cordial. I've given you that much and more. You need to build a bridge and get the over it."

Taehyung is taken aback by the complete 360 sweet Jungkook just made to some new Jungkook, who evidently had run out of s to give judging by his language and demeanor. Tae remains a great pretender and is still able to retort in the sassy way he knows how.

"It must've been so easy for you to get over it, you've got a perfect life. Everyone loves you, you have good grades, a nice house and a perfect little girlfriend. Why do you even give a fraction of a if I speak to you or not?"

"You're so ing selfish," Taehyung realizes he is more frightened at  Jungkook's low tone, despite his entire body shaking. He looks like he wants to explode and Tae can hear every sharp inhale through his nostrils in an effort to keep calm. "nothing was easy for me. Does it really kill you that much inside to know that I'm happy with or without you? It took me years to get over you. When I turned seventeen I had to face the fact that you were never going to even glance in my direction again. That's when I kicked this sick obsession I had with you and started living a normal life."

Tae sinks his teeth in his bottom lip, preparing to say something. He doesn't know what to say at all with so much guilt filling up in his gut, too shocked from Jungkook's confessions. He's at a loss for words when Jungkook lifts his head and he can see straight into the chestnuts that are normally warm and inviting, now angry and intimidating. " I'm being selfish? You...you put me through a lot and--"

"Damn," Jungkook chuckles as Tae quirks an eyebrow. "I guess all those wet dreams I had about you weren't . All the times I ed to you, all the birthday gifts I had to send through your mom because you wouldn't even look at me, all of the songs I wrote for you during lonely nights just don't come remotely close to your level of suffering. Puberty was a for me--it didn't help that I was so emotional and couldn't stop thinking about ing you either. I've taken more cold showers than I can count after having gym class with you freshman year. You were my best friend and you meant the world to me, but you turned your back on me so fast over a simple accident. Maybe I should run into a tree and hope a tooth pops out. Seems that's the only way you'll ever forgive me."

Did he just say that?

He couldn't have. I must be hearing .

What the is going on?

Jungkook just casually told Tae that he used to e to fantasies involving him without batting an eyelash. He just told Taehyung that he's thought of taking his body in much more aggressive language than he could handle, and it's almost impossible for Taehyung to keep his hand from pulling on the hem of his shirt. All of a sudden it's extremely hot and Taehyung's eyes are closing. He's a deep shade of red and he's unable to get a sentence out with this confession on the table.

His heart is drumming in his chest and he can hear the sound reverberating throughout his body as he tries to prevent himself from sliding off of the wall. He wants to run and hide because it's clear he's beyond embarrassed, but Jungkook's muscular frame is preventing him from doing so. Jungkook is dangerous when he's angry but Tae is fully aware of this. Strangely, his body is filling with adrenaline and he's getting a rush from all of this. If he didn't know any better, he'd say he was getting .

Had he known these thoughts lie beyond Jungkook's delicate smile, he would have left him alone. Taehyung feels himself feeling things he shouldn't; things that enemies do not feel for one another. He can smell the pure musk of Jungkook's cologne invading his nostrils, and scent makes him dizzy with euphoria. With a dry lump in his throat, he needs to say something before Jungkook notices him awkwardly shifting from one leg to another.  He wants to call off the bet now. No, he needs to call off the bet.

 "I'm sorry you had to go through that but...how is that my fault?" Tae doesn't think of a single logical thing to say, blurting out whatever came to mind at the moment. He immediately wishes he hadn't opened his mouth, because he shrinks as he watches Jungkook's adams-apple slowly rolling as he swallows. He's quiet for about five minutes, his hands are still caging Taehyung in. His expression is unreadable and his eyes are dormant; he stares above Taehyung's head and closes the distance between their chests. He almost forgets that Jungkook wants to strangle him, until Jungkook roughly yanks his chin towards him and forces him to make eye contact.

"How is it your fault? You mean to tell me you don't remember?"

"I remember you knocking my tooth out. As far as I'm concerned that's...that's all I needed to remember." When Tae forces out the first segment of his sentence, Jungkook's eyes grow in disbelief.  The veins in his neck are protruding from his soft skin and he struggles to keep calm, and Tae notices a thin leather strap running around his neck. The material strains against his bronzed skin and leaves angry red marks, similar to how Jungkook is fuming. 

"We're reviewing memory in Psychology," Jungkook begins, and Taehyung is suddenly perplexed from the sudden change of topic. "Our teacher recently discussed hindsight bias. The tendency to falsely believe through revision of your older memories to include new information." Jungkook rises from Taehyung's level and slides his hands off the wall, relaxing his muscles and straightening himself.  His heat and scent dissipate and allow Taehyung to regain his composure, although dizzily. "I wonder if that's something you suffer from. Denial is your favorite word, after all." 

With that, Taehyung watches the younger male disappear around the corner before he even has a chance to assault him with expletives. He falls to the floor, feeling utterly defeated by such a controlling presence. Though he wants to badly to call the bet off, Jungkook's sudden retaliation just wets his appetite for more.

Because if Taehyung is sure about one thing, he doesn't like to lose.

♫♫♫♫♫♫♫

"You're lying." Jimin let his arrow fly to the outermost circle with an incredulous gasp. He's very aware that he's not at archery, which had given him the opportunity to get some pointers from Yoongi (who isn't either, but more than Jimin) and an excuse to be touched by the elder. He's even worse at archery when he's trying to listen to gossip Tae is so shakily providing as he mounts his bow above his shoulder. "I know I lie a lot, but even that shook me to the core. He just let it all hang out. Jimin, this is getting deep."

Jimin's eyes are downcast. "Gosh, I never thought this would be so entertaining. It's like a drama that I need to tune in to every week. I'm caught and I can't get out!" Taehyung frowns as he shoots an arrow and scores a 6, glancing across the field when he hears Namjoon cheering. Jungkook is walking back from collecting his arrows, having scored all 10's. Taehyung's eye twitches as his blood boils.

Cocky bastard. "My first time" my .

"My life is not  a soap opera! You hated the whole idea but now that he bit back you're getting excited. Pick a side!"

"If he bites back that means you could lose. I'm more than excited. I'm damn well peachy, in fact." Jimin sticks his tongue out and earns a grin from Tae despite the severity of his little "situation". Tae isn't worried as he has a bunch more in store for Jungkook, starting with a cute senior shooting 9's in the field opposite him. A senior who effectively hypnotized every male in the junior and senior classes combined. 

After finishing up the last of his quiver, Taehyung made his way over to the young lady who had freshmen scrambling to and fro returning her arrows as she shot them. "Good morning, Hwasa."

The girl with fox-like eyes turns to him with a usual smirk on her lips and a lollipop in , delighted but weary. "You never just up and say hi to me unless you want something. Out with it, Hyungie."

"I hate when you call me that," Hwasa playfully jabs him on the shoulder, interrupting him effectively. "I need you to seduce someone for me."

"Wow, is that all I'm good for? I know I was blessed with these thighs, but I'm also funny as all hell too." Hwasa teases over and over, and Tae is seriously about to give up before she grabs his gym shirt. "Wait, wait! You have to explain the terms and conditions first. I'm not a floozy, y'know." Taehyung grins at her interest and places hands on her shoulders. "Just flirt him up a bit. You don't have to do anything more than that. Wear those black garters from Halloween and he'll pop faster than you can say 'annyeonghaseyo'. You looked great in those." 

"Aigoo. I've taught you well," She pokes out her bottom lip, questioning him again. "but you're dodging my question. Who are we dealing with here?"

"Jeon Jungkook." She laughs like Tae is joking, but his expression remains rigid.

"Don't get me wrong Jungkook is really hot and all, talented and gifted in the nether regions," Hwasa punctuates her sentence with a wink, and Tae frowns. "but I'm more into older guys. Like...Namjoon." Hwasa's eyes flutter to a particular idiot limping around the field and goofing off with Jungkook like a third-grader, and he's almost surprised Hwasa sees a difference.

"No one is telling you to marry the guy! Just rile up his hormones a bit so I can get a decent picture. I'll even throw in a date with Namjoon." Taehyung makes a spontaneous promise he can't keep, but Hwasa bites the bait so fast he couldn't take it back even if he wanted to. "Deal."

"See you after school, partner in crime."

♫♫♫♫♫♫♫

With classes done for the day and Yoongi's polaroid camera dangling from his fingers, Tae waits for Hwasa to finish changing in the girl's bathroom. He expects Jungkook to hang around after school closes to spend quality time with his beloved soccer ball, and confirms his prediction when he spots Jungkook at his locker. When more than five minutes have elapsed, he knocks on the bathroom door impatiently. "You're not getting ready for the Golden Disk Awards in there, are you? Hurry up!"

"Would you stop yelling at me? Trying to get these things over my thighs is painful enough!" Taehyung huffed when she stumbled out of the bathroom. He smiled at his friend, eager to see her work her magic. "Well, someone looks like a snack." Hwasa poses, an "if I do say so myself" air about her, prompting Tae to explain what she needs to do.

"He's right around the corner. Just do that Hwasa thing you do and chat him up until he's putty in your hands. When I sneeze, that means I have what I need."

"A sneeze? Couldn't you come up with a cool code word?" Taehyung rolls his eyes. "Just go!"  He gently shoves her and she stumbles out into the open, immediately spotted by Jungkook. She plays it off and struts towards him, stopping at his locker. "Hwasa-ssi? Hello," Jungkook is mid-bow before Hwasa dramatically shushes him, placing a finger to his lips. He's beyond confused, his eyes shifting from her finger to her sultry gaze. "I was watching you in gym class today, Jungkookie. I didn't know you had such a way with your hands." Jungkook thanks her politely, seemingly unaffected by her charms. 

"Thank you, Hwasa-ssi. It was actually my first time, so that's quite refreshing to hear."

"You don't have to use honorifics with me. I don't mind you being close with me." When Hwasa says "close" she presses Jungkook into the locker and looks up into his eyes innocently. Taehyung is frantically flailing about behind the corner, impressed with how forward Hwasa is being.

Just a little more...come on Jungkook.

"Could you spend a little private time with me next time? I'd love to know how you shoot so well."  Hwasa's thigh is pressing against Jungkook's groin and he's dying to get away from her, way too polite to push her away. She's about an inch away from his lips when she hears a loud sneeze. Before he can reply, she instantly backs off of him, smiling and bowing. "Actually, I just forgot that I'm allergic to...erm...exercise. Bye!" Hwasa speeds down the hallway, almost tripping around the bend before high-fiving Taehyung and making her way back to her locker. 

Tae can barely control his laughter, shaking the polaroid vigorously as it becomes visible. He dives across the hallway to prevent a bewildered Jungkook from seeing him and makes his way to the music room. Clicking the door open, he scans the room full of instruments for a particular purple violin case that stands out from the rest. He slides the polaroid through the slit in the smooth surface, and slips out of the darkness without a sound.

♫♫♫♫♫♫♫

The next  day Taehyung is polishing his saxophone in the music room while Jimin stretches on his ballet bar. Jimin's motherly instincts activate when he notices Taehyung won't stop smiling. "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything."  He watches as Jeni enters the room, bowing to all of her peers before settling down to tune her violin. "I'm innocent, Jimin." Taehyung smiles cutely, poking a finger in his cheek. Jimin cuts his eyes at him, following his attention to the red-haired girl who has a palm placed over in horror. She abruptly shuts her case to avoid calling attention to herself, trying to hold back tears. "Tae, what the hell did you do to that poor girl?"

He should be bringing her lunch any minute now.

"She's collateral," Taehyung shrugs. "it but she'll find someone else. They were only together since the beginning of the school year. Plenty of fish in the sea." Jimin concludes his stretching and joins Taehyung on the floor. "I don't know why I love you. You're so evil." He furrows his brows when a familiar dirty blonde enters the room with the usual melon soda in his hand and a bento crafted with care in the other. He's wearing his glasses today, perhaps to make up for his lack of a tie to complete his uniform. Taehyung wonders why he picked today to look disheveled and simply sits back, allowing his creation to unfold in luxury.

Jungkook smiles at Jeni as he approaches her, puzzled when she stares at him coldly.

His confusion quickly turns to stinging pain when she raises her hand.

She slaps Jungkook so hard the sound echoes throughout the room and the students fall silent. His glasses fall to the floor, cracked and ruined as he wipes the blood trickling from his nose. 

"Jeon Jungkook, don't you dare. We're done."

She storms out of the room before Jungkook can react, and Taehyung suppresses his satisfaction by silently biting down on his reed.

"Ouch."

♫♫♫♫♫♫♫

Lol I'm such a terrible author. I lowkey hate writing Kookie suffering like this but every Kookie has his day I suppose. Cameo by Hwasa because she's excellent and I stan talent. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and you can always drop a comment or a message if you'd like! See you in the next one, and thank you so much for reading!