venom

CHAPTER 40 | A Good Person

Taehyung can't maintain a straight face.

As the R.I bustles around him in swarms of customary dark clothing, tangled in belts, pockets, and buckles of onyx complexity, screens and devices fastened into the suits occasionally going alit as Hoseok tampers with them on a cracked, gravelly curb, the corners of Taehyung's lips twitch into a irrevocable grin. He does not even bother to acknowledge the bewildered glances of his trusty teammates, or the bashful ignorance emitting from you as you assist Namjoon in a distant conversation. He easily notices your manner, the one in which you can barely add any replies or comments to the violet-haired man, who is staring after you with furrowed brows and almost comical attempts to engage you in an intellectual trading of words.

There's a skip in his step as he circles around a variety of scattered members, sliding in minuscule inquiries about the upcoming plan, their opinions and such. His brows relax and his eyes lightly crinkle as he listens in, some more tentative with their speech than others at being a witness of his unusual jovial mood — it is not until he approaches Jungkook with a smug look on his face that he gets thrust into a series of penetrating questions.

"What's got you so spunky this morning?" Jungkook throws in casually.

Taehyung never ceases his planned diversions. "Nothing." He says while folding his hands in a fidgeting manner behind his back, whilst gazing off into the distance at Hoseok accompanied by Yoongi. The tangerine-haired hacker uses rusty, loyal screwdrivers to take apart the small, complex lit screen on the blond's wrist. His eyes waver to the opposing couple nearby them; you and Namjoon. "It seems you're the only one not busy," he adds.

Jungkook smiles sheepishly, but there's a hint of arrogance behind his deceiving, mild doe eyes. "I woke up early to work out." Taehyung scrutinzes him evidently. Jungkook then rambles, "So we could do our best. I have a feeling we'll be leaving soon. Nothing like being prepared, right?"

"Indeed," Taehyung murmurs, his stare uncontrollably flickering towards you. You make brief eye contact, flush in immense color, and then furiously tear your eyes away.

Observantly, Jungkook stitches his brows together, attempting to gain your glance towards him instead, but you seem headstrong about your choice to focus your awareness upon Namjoon and nobody else. He huffs gently.

"We'll probably leave tonight, before it gets too dark," Taehyung speaks indifferently. His nose scrunches. "Now that we know where W.R.A.I.T.H is, we can rush them, get what we need, and then get out."

"But —"

"We've been passive too long," Taehyung dismissed the younger's impending interrogations.

It goes quiet, the sound of small, echoing talks amongst the R.I throughout the abandoned, dusty building bouncing off enclosed, stuffy high walls. Taehyung can sense Jungkook's frustration from beside him, quivering inside his bones — something pricks him inside as a warning that this exasperation not only stems from Taehyung's insensitive and elusive personality, or his extraordinarily jolly mood simply pouring out of him today, but from another source. He never perceived Jungkook as somebody so attentive, but he guesses that's what infatuation does to a man.