"Hyung, is there something wrong with Jungkook and Taehyung?" Hoseok asked him a couple of days later. Seokjin glanced to where Taehyung and Jungkook were sitting. They were on complete opposite sides of the couch, curled into themselves even though they were way too far away to touch each other anyway. Seokjin sighed. He told Jungkook to talk to Taehyung, so why wasn't he?

"They're usually so cuddled up to each other. They're, like, attached at the hip. Do you think they're in an argument or something?" Hoseok asked. Seokjin continued to stare at the two of them. He studied them hard for a few minutes. Jungkook was shivering. His arms were wrapped around his torso, almost protectively, almost the same way he'd been holding himself the other night at the party. And Taehyung's eyes were red, most likely from crying or lack of sleep. He'd been sleeping in Jungkook's shared room with Jimin for the past couple nights.

"I'm not sure what happened." Seokjin lied. He went back to cutting up some onions for breakfast. He tried not to get too distracted this time around in fear that he would accidentally chop off a finger or, worse, his whole hand. Hoseok continued talking, giving theories, and they all came close but not quite close enough. He didn't include Seokjin stepping between them in any of his assumptions.

Seokjin settled for bed with Jungkook like any other night. It had been a few weeks of tension ever since that night at the party. Seokjin found himself constantly wondering if Taehyung had been drunk, if that's why he broke up with Jungkook. He also wondered if the two of them had ed before they broke up- because that would have been awful; Seokjin could only imagine.

Seokjin looked over to Jungkook. He was making the bed, rearranging the pillows to give Seokjin his favorites and take his own favorites. He looked depressed, had been for quite a while. And Seokjin wished he had something else to say other than "talk to him," but he didn't have any other advice. What other advice was there to give? Forget about him? That wasn't an appropriate option.

"Jungkook-" Seokjin tried to grab the younger boy's attention, but their focus both steered towards the door when it slammed open. Taehyung was standing there, eyes wet and red. He had a few bruises on his arm, a red mark on his cheek, and he was shaking all over. Jungkook looked more taken back than Seokjin felt.

"Taehyung." Jungkook said quietly. Taehyung stepped into the room and shut the door behind him. When he turned, his gaze caught Seokjin's. They held eye contact for a few moments, and then Taehyung was turning to Jungkook. Both of them were tense as all hell, and Seokjin felt like he would snap it half, everything was so heavy and thick.

"I need to talk to you." Taehyung said to Jungkook. Seokjin stood for a moment, made a move to leave, but Taehyung outstretched his hand, snapped his fingers to grab his attention. His eyes were wide, his voice strained, "No, don't go anywhere. Stay. I need you, too."

The words left more tension on their backs. Need. No. Really, no. Taehyung wasn't allowed to need Seokjin; he needed Jungkook. He could want Seokjin, sure, but no needing- needing wasn't allowed. Seokjin backed away from the door until he was sitting on the bed. The look on Jungkook's face was surprised, and Seokjin could bet he was thinking the same thing.

"Jungkook, I love you." Taehyung said. He kept his hand outstretched for Seokjin, too, probably to make sure he wouldn't leave. "Really, Jungkook, I love you. Okay? I do, and I've said it before, and I'll say it again and again and again. And I-I regret dumping you, okay? I regret making love to you and then just leaving you at that party because I was afraid of something getting between us. I'm sorry, and I love you, and I need you, and I want you to forgive me. Please."

"You need Seokjin?" Jungkook asked, and he didn't really sound angry or sad or offended. Taehyung had to think about it for a few moments. When it came to him, he paled, and he dropped his hand from where it was pointed at Seokjin. "Jungkook, baby, I didn't mean it that way-"

"But you still want him?" Jungkook asked, tilting his head. Seokjin wished he had the courage to speak up or the strength in his legs to get up and walk out, but Taehyung wanted him to stay- needed him to stay, and Seokjin wasn't sure why yet. What could Taehyung possibly have to say to him? That he was sorry? Because Seokjin didn't really want an apology anymore.

"I do." Taehyung whispered. He stepped a little bit closer to Jungkook, almost as close as they were at the party. And Taehyung put his hip in the same place he'd placed it when they were standing in the kitchen, when Jungkook had put his soda down and Taehyung was kissing at his neck. Seokjin was scared of what he was about to witness.

"But I want you more. I need you more. Okay? Okay?" Taehyung asked. He tilted Jungkook's face up so they were looking at each other. One heartbeat, two heartbeats, three heartbeats- Jungkook pulled Taehyung in, kissed him hard on the lips. Taehyung pushed Jungkook back, fell with him onto their bed. Seokjin was on his own bed, lucky for him. He stared at them for a moment, how they writhed together and rutted against each other. And then he stood up, because this was another one of those things that he just wasn't allowed to see.

"No," Taehyung said, his voice a bit muffled, as half of the word was said into Jungkook's mouth. He turned and called Seokjin back, because, apparently, he didn't feel like letting him go yet. "No, hyung, stay. Please. Stay."

"But you're..." Seokjin trailed off. Jungkook's hair was already a little frizzed up and they'd hardly even done anything yet. And Taehyung's clothes were messed up and there were wrinkles on his shoulders from where Jungkook had been gripping his shirt and Jungkook's eyes had gone wide and everything was just so- "You're kind of, uh, busy right now."

"Join us." Taehyung choked, and Seokjin almost choked, too. Join them? How could he? He'd only been thinking about wanting them and it had all blown up in his face. It blew up in Jungkook's and Taehyung's faces, too, but Taehyung didn't seem to care all that much. "I know it's sudden and I don't know if you even love us but we both want you and you couldn't possibly get between us if you're just with us so please, please- join us."

"You want me to...." Seokjin trailed off. He wasn't actually sure what Taehyung was asking. Did he was Seokjin to join them right now or in the long run? It sounded like the long-run, "you couldn't possibly get between us if you're just wish us," but Taehyung was pretty frantic right now, one hand tangled in the front of Jungkook's shirt, the other outstretched for Seokjin, both shaking. Seokjin shouldn't, he knew he shouldn't. It was wrong. He would only get more between them if he was right there.

"You don't have to have with us." Taehyung said shyly, lowering his hand. His grip on Jungkook's shirt loosened a little, and his cheeks had gone pink, but he didn't stop, wouldn't let the shyness keep him from saying what he wanted to say. "I just... I want you to join us. Because we love you, we really do, and I don't want to be a stupid coward again and let my fear of wanting you keep me away from needing Jungkook and I just- I want- please."

Seokjin looked to Jungkook, wondering why Taehyung hadn't even looked to Jungkook for an opinion. But, judging by the look on Jungkook's face, they'd talked about this before, or had come to an agreement of some sort through the touches they shared behind Taehyung's back. And Seokjin was so tempted- so, so tempted, but how could he let himself get between Taehyung and Jungkook again?

"I can't. I'm sorry." Seokjin whispered. He spun on his heels and was out the door in a second. He felt the gazes of Jungkook and Taehyung on his back as he went, and he felt so guilty already for walking away like that. But what else was he supposed to do? Joining them would've been such a mistake- right? Because he would have gotten between them eventually- right? Or someone would've wanted more or wanted less or wanted out of it and it would have been an ugly mess and Seokjin wanted to see Taehyung and Jungkook happy together with only each other to get in the way of anything, if anything.

Seokjin made his way down to Jimin's room. He felt bad for the boy, having to sleep alone all these nights. Jimin said he didn't mind being alone, but Seokjin, being so observant (and talking to Yoongi about it), knew that he did mind. Jimin liked company- loved company, and he got so lonely and sad without someone there to talk to him or at least look at him when he was talking.

Seokjin didn't bother knocking before he went in. The light was off but the lamp was on and Jimin wasn't alone. Yoongi had him all wrapped up in blankets and his arms, and both of them were asleep. Seokjin tilted his head. He didn't think Jimin would've found someone else to sleep with him, especially not Yoongi, because Yoongi slept all alone- just how he liked it. But here he was now, so Seokjin turned, closed to door soft, and went out to the living room. He slept with no blanket even though it was nearing winter, because he really didn't want to go back to his room to get one.