| 55th

The next few days were really just moving past.

Dreadfully getting up every morning at five, working through the day and going to sleep at 12 at night.

This was their company's way of trying to put other things on their mind than Jonghyun.

Unsure if that was the best solution, yet it seemed to be working.

Today was Taehyung's birthday, a day he has not been looking very forward to.

Just done with washing his face, he headed into the living room.

"Morning", he grumbled, but had no more time to feel miserable, as Jungkook swirled him around.

"Happy Birthday, love!", he exclaimed.

"Thanks, Koo", Taehyung mumbled half heartedly and faked a smile.

The other guys gathered around too and each gave him a short hug.

"So what you got planned for today Tae?", Namjoon asked and gave him a warm smile.

"Oh uh... nothing much, I guess."

"No no I organized a few things actually", Jungkook then said.

"I don't know if you're still going to that party tomorrow but I- er- called my mom and we can go have dinner there tonight...", he said and expectedly looked at Taehyung.

Taehyung looked at Jimin.

Jimin shrugged.

"Yeah sure", Tae nodded. He wasn't all too thrilled to now have to be polite and extroverted but Jungkook did his best to make him happy and he knew that.

"Thank you", he said.

Jungkook smiled and his hand slid on Tae's back, caressing him gently.

Taehyung acknowledged that but didn't know how or if to react to that.

He took a step ahead, out of Jungkooks touch.

"I'll be at the studio", Tae said and walked away from the others, back to his room to change.

He had just taken his pyjama off, when Jungkook walked in.

"Jungkook I'm changing!"

Jungkook chuckled.

"I've seen your body before, you don't have to be ashamed. You're beautiful."

"I'm not ashamed! I just- I was changing- you can't just walk in. What about Privacy?"

Privacy? Jungkook was baffled.

"Knock next time", Taehyung huffed under a breath.

"Fine, sorry", Jungkook said and left the room with a undefined look on his face.

Taehyung sighed and sat down.

Well done, he thought to himself.

He didn't want him to leave but he felt uncomfortable with someone just walking in like that. Even if that someone was Jungkook.

It was still his own body.

Was it not?

He buried his face in his hands and just pulled his knees up to his chest.

He didn't cry but he longed for that comfort that, that... that... understanding for this situation.

He remained in that position for a little while, maybe hoping someone would check up on him.

But no one came.

After a few minutes he let out a light grunt and got up.

He cant just expect someone to save him. Maybe he had to save himself.

So he packed some stuff and called a bodyguard to be accompanied to the dance studio.

"Mr Kim, are you sure, you don't want to take someone else with you to the dance studio? I heard you study dances better if you dance with other people...", the bodyguard started the conversation.

"Just Taehyung please, and well no, not this time, i just want to look into the choreography more precisely today and I can't do that with a large group of people", he answered.

"But Mr Kim-"

"Taehyung."

"Erm, Taehyung... you don't seem in the best mood to go somewhere alone."

"I have you, don't I?"

"Well yes of course, Mr Kim- Taehyung... but-"

"It's fine. Really."

The bodyguard sighed.

"If you say so."

At the studio, the bodyguard just waited in front of the door, giving Taehyung the space he requested.

He spent two hours fighting the steps of the dance, trying to make it seem effortless.

Of course it wasn't working.

Today seemed to be the day where nothing was working.

He recorded himself and when he was done, he sat down with his phone to check where he was doing things wrong within the choreography.

Again and again he went over it, but nothing seemed to change.

Every time he made the exact same steps, though he tried to do it differently.

Again he sat down on the ground and checked the video.

Getting more and more frustrating, his brows furrowed.

He grabbed his phone tight and threw it across the room, a loud impatient groan coming from his lips and the sound of his phone shattering following soon after.

Taehyung leaned against the wall and covered his face with his hands.

Stupid dance, he thought.

Stupid feet.

Stupid phone.

Stupid- "hey, are you okay?"

Tae looked up.

"Fine."

Jungkook kneeled down.

"You don't seem fine to me."

He reached out to Tae but Taehyung moved away.

Jungkook sat down opposite of him.

"Will you tell me what's going on?"

"Nothing's going on", Taehyung mumbled into his sleeves.

Jungkook smiled.

"So you haven't been avoiding me?"

Taehyung looked away.

"Ah.", Jungkook made and chuckled. He came a bit closer to Taehyung, his hands carefully finding space on Tae's knees.

"I'm just not feeling well. I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize for that, Tae. I- I know these past days have been difficult, I get it. I think... I think I may have acted difficult too. I wasn't the easiest person to be around, I admit that."

Taehyung looked at him.

"No, you weren't. I didn't understand why it was such a problem for you that I wanted to spend time with Jimin."

"It's not a problem-", Jungkook said immediately and then sighed.

"I just had that dinner planned with my parents and it all seemed go perfectly, and I wanted to make sure my parents like you."

"Not to sound arrogant here but- why wouldn't they?"

"They... they love me and all but... when I told them that you and I... lets just say it took them a moment to understand and accept it. And I just wanted it to be easy and nice and for them to understand that we are having a good time with each other."

Taehyung stayed quiet and listened. Eventually he took Jungkooks hand in his and held it, playing with his fingers.

"And I was scared that if I told them we'd have to reschedule...they'd think less of our relationship. Because we didn't manage to communicate properly. And the schedule was tight and...", Jungkook explained and his voice slowly trailed quieter.

"I was stressed and I tried to make everyone happy but... I should have talked to you."

Tae smiled and held his hand a bit tighter.

"Yes you should have. But I was stressed too. I could've talked to you as well and I failed that. We're just humans. We're not perfect and that's alright."

Jungkook nodded, agreeing.

"I actually wanted to comfort you and now it's the other way around", he chuckled lightly.

Taehyung grinned.

"Ah well. It is what it is."

Jungkook nodded and his eyes trailed around the room. He noticed the phone a few meters away.

"May i ask what your phone is doing back there?", Jungkook pointed.

"Oh- uh- I got angry and I possibly threw it away."

Jungkook laughed.

"What could your phone have done that made you so angry?"

"I was unhappy with my progress. I tried the new dance but i don't think i have the mentality to study something right now", Taehyung explained.

"Do you want to show me? Hoseok showed me a few days ago, he's taught me half of it already. Or... do you want to do something else?"

Taehyung considered his help.

Finally he nodded.

"Okay, fine."

Jungkook pulled him on his feet and they got to work.