CHANGE OF RULES

CALL BLUFF

'Well me-'
'I've already did.'
'You wish, hyung.' was the deadpan answer and he chuckled in response. 'But am I really seeing this, hyung? Are you really smoking?'
'Jeon Jungkook, this in fact is a cigarette. And you are in fact yelling at four in the morning.' Taehyung smirked lopsidedly, dragging a long breath from his cigarette as he lazed on the hood of his car.
He'd been sitting there for a good hour already, his stress-habit the very best thing to do as he stared up at the starless sky.
Thinking.
'Isn't this a bit familiar?' Jungkook asked, waving the smoke away.
'That we are meeting at o'clock in the morning? Maybe we should make it a custom.' Taehyung smiled, because he sent a text to Jungkook just out of a silly impulse since he did not want to go back to the dorms after everything that'd gone down in him, and he hoped that maybe their maknae was still up – speaking of which... 'And just what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in Jimin's arms?'
'Well if you must know...' Jungkook rolled his eyes as he climbed up next to him. 'No. I don't sleep with him every night.'
'Shame on you.'
'Shame on you for not coming home on time.' was the answering drawl and Taehyung nearly choked on his cigarette.
'Sorry, I thought Yoongi-hyung would want to know where you were too.' Jungkook shrugged, not sounding sorry at all as he grinned at Taehyung's pout.
'I sure as hell want to know what upset Jin-hyung and Hoseok... So fess up.' Yoongi nodded, standing next to the car with a mighty frown.
'Hyung, a whole lot of went down in the past couple of hours so I'm not sure where to begin.' Taehyung shrugged.
'How about from the beginning? Always a good start.' Yoongi suggested with a raised brow.
Taehyung took a long drag on his cigarette and blew out the smoke slowly.
'My secret is out.'
Yoongi's eyes widened in understanding, but Jungkook just frowned at him in question.
'And does he...?'
'No, he still doesn't know.'
'Okay, stop. What are you talking about? And why does it involve angsty smoking in the dark?' Jungkook asked and Taehyung chuckled at the picture.
Angst. How he wished to never be associated with that word. Never again.
'I like Namjoon.' Taehyung said simply, waiting for an outburst, or any overreacting that his hyungs already produced.
'Okay.' Jungkook nodded after a beat of silence. 'So?'
Taehyung turned to him in surprise as Yoongi snorted.
So? So there were million things wrong with it, but the worst was keeping quiet and he just shook it off with a so...
'Stop freaking out.' Yoongi hit his arm, cutting his thoughts short.
'Yeah, it's nothing to freak out about.' Jungkook shrugged. 'So why are you down and why did you upset the mother-hens?'
Taehyung lit up another cigarette, his inhaling the only noise as the others waited for his answer.
'They thought I would be happy to be in this situation...' Taehyung said softly. 'But I only got angry at them, since I've already decided that I'm not confessing. Because I don't have a chance.'
'Bull.' Jungkook and Yoongi chorused and Taehyung chuckled at that.
Another drag, another beat of silence.
'I know.' Taehyung nodded.
'You know?!' Yoongi exclaimed. 'I already gave up hope that you would ever say that...' he smiled and Taehyung smiled back.
'As you so kindly pointed out, I'm an idiot.'
'You are just weird.' Yoongi chuckled, ruffling his hair up.
'Well I'm living with you, of course I'm weird.' Taehyung smiled lopsidedly, accepting the playful head slap without complaints.
'But why would you even think like that, hyung?' Jungkook asked. 'Nothing ever deterred you from speaking your mind before.'
'Well Kookie, that is because my very first love rejected me back in high school.' Taehyung smiled bitterly. 'And did not just reject me but shut me out completely even though we were supposed to be friends... Then there were rumors of how I tried to force him into kissing me and such things, there were bullies and I was singled out, not my happiest memories. I don't know what would have happened if we'd not moved to Seoul...'
Jungkook just stared at him dumbfounded as Yoongi sighed, because he already knew the story and it still upset him.
'Hyung, that's awful...'
'No. What awful is that since then I could not trust anyone with my feelings – I never ever wanted to fall in love again, much less confess. It's stupid to think that the same thing would happen even if he is straight, but...' Taehyung shrugged.
'No, no. Of course it's not stupid. But you can't cut yourself off from happiness because of it.' Jungkook shook his head.
'I guess I kind of figured that out today...'
'Took you long enough.' Yoongi grumbled.
'And what brought on this sudden change of attitude?' Jungkook asked, before Taehyung could retort – their maknae was quick when he wanted to be and probably understood the weight of this admission.
'I had and I didn't enjoy it.'
'...wow, that was just such a Taehyung-thing to say.' Jungkook deadpanned.
'And you not enjoying is equal to the end of the universe, so explain.' Yoongi added, raising a brow.
'What I mean is that I'm not happy right now, that I just deluded myself all this time. I always thought it would be better to keep quiet, to stay a safe distance away... But I realized tonight that it hurts more. And I want to change this situation.' Taehyung clarified, gaze lifting up to the night sky as he watched the smoke swirling away.
Just like his resolve to keep everything a secret.
'Does that mean that you will confess?' Yoongi asked, sounding a bit skeptical.
'I'm not brave enough for that yet.' Taehyung shook his head.
'So what will you do then?' Jungkook asked, smiling in understanding and Taehyung leaned against his shoulder with a sigh, not reaching for another cigarette.
'I've got absolutely no idea.'
'So that's what this smoking is about...' Yoongi said softly.
It was.
The empty feeling clinged to him, settled in him and he was scared. Scared that it would stay like that.
But he was scared to make the next move too, he could not just tell Namjoon his feelings...
It was stressing, and he smoked to regain a resemblance of balance in this sudden chaos.
'But it can't stay like this, right?' Jungkook asked. 'You seem sure of that.'
'Yeah.'
'Hyung, this is one stupid situation you know.' Jungkook sighed. 'Couldn't you've been more obvious, like Jimin? Namjoon-hyung might have even noticed it unlike me.'
'If I'm that obvious Namjoon-hyung might run away.' Taehyung chuckled.
'Okay, point taken.' Jungkook admitted, sounding still embarrassed about his denseness.
'Stupid situation indeed.' Yoongi deadpanned, pushing at Taehyung to sit up next to them as well. 'You might as well continue with whatever you were doing recently.'
'Spending an awful lot of time with Namjoon-hyung?' Jungkook piped up.
'It was not that much.' Taehyung whined, sad that he indeed lost his touch if even their maknae noticed.
'Right.' Jungkook and Yoongi chorused again, and they high-fived each other as Taehyung let out a long suffering sigh.
The three of them sat there in silence, but Taehyung felt much better already... It was better with support.
'So that's where you were!' a new voice announced and Yoongi immediately perked up.
'Hyung, is this a group therapy or something?' Taehyung chuckled as Hoseok jogged up to them.
'No.' he smiled, pecking Yoongi on his cheek as he laced their fingers together. 'That would need at least one completely sane person to be present.'
'True that.' Jungkook chuckled as Taehyung glanced at Hoseok carefully.
'Nothing to apologize for.' Hoseok reassured him immediately. 'I assumed things without knowing how you feel exactly.'
'I was still an .' Taehyung said softly.
'I never said you weren't.' Hoseok grinned, making the others laugh.
'Gee thanks, I feel the love.' Taehyung pouted, but he was relieved that Hoseok was not mad at him.
'So I guess something big happened cause that's an awful lot of cigarette butts.' Hoseok noted, as he glanced at Yoongi and Jungkook for confirmation.
'He had -' Jungkook nodded.
'And he didn't enjoy it.' Yoongi finished and Hoseok gasped, clutching his chest dramatically.
Taehyung turned to hide his face into Jungkook's shoulder – it was embarrassing.
Even for him.
'That's scandalous.' Hoseok teased, reaching over to pat his head. 'But seriously what's the matter?' he asked, voice serious.
'I felt empty, hyung. I still do.' Taehyung said softly, glancing at Hoseok who smiled in understanding – his eyes sad because he knew what that felt like too.
'Empty?' Jungkook asked. 'As in what am I doing with my life empty?'
'Yeah, it was an awful thing to realize.'
A silent pause, before Yoongi sighed.
'Well aren't you just suddenly deep.' he teased and Taehyung was glad for it.
He hated this solemn seriousness, because he still liked to have fun.
But he had to realize that he needed it from something entirely different then meaningless and flirts.
He needed it from someone entirely different.
'Deep doesn't suit me.' Taehyung agreed 'I'm supposed to be you better, fun loving half.'
'Hah. As if.' Yoongi grinned.
'I don't know, hyung. I think he is right.' Jungkook grinned too.
'Come here, you sassy brat.' Yoongi warned, but Jungkook was quick to escape and Yoongi, after glancing at Hoseok in silent communication, followed to chase him a bit around the parking lot.
'Tae.' Hoseok said softly. 'That emptiness is because you think your life is meaningless right now but that's not true, okay?'
Taehyung nodded. Because he knew, he had the best friends.
'And I know you don't want to ruin your friendship, but consider this. Namjoon is the most open minded guy out there – he would never hurt you.' Hoseok added, because if anyone then he knew the most about each and every one of them.
'I know.' Taehyung nodded getting off his car too. 'I know, I just can't do it. Not yet.'
'That's okay, I'm just glad you are ready to move on.' Hoseok said and hugged him, and Taehyung gladly accepted it, holding on tight.
'I don't mean to ruin the moment.' Jungkook chuckled, hiding behind them from Yoongi. 'But I think we should head back before gramps here causes serious harm in himself.'
'Jeon Jungkook.' Yoongi said in an exaggeratedly calm tone, as he tried to catch Jungkook by his hoodie. 'You should start running again. Because if I catch you, I'm going to kill you.'
'Okay kids, enough.' Hoseok laughed, grabbing Yoongi's hand. 'It's time to go home and let mother-Jin know that Taehyung is safe and sound.'
As they were heading back, snark flying between them, Taehyung was quiet.
He was thinking, trying to figure out the solution, but he came up empty handed... His stressful, sleepless night was already catching up with him.
He was so tired.
So cold.
'Taehyung!' Jin yelled as he spotted them by the entrance. 'I was so worried!'
'Hyung I was just out playing-'
He didn't have the chance to finish as Jin crashed into him, hugging him tight enough that it was nearly painful.
'I thought you did something stupid...' Jin sniffed into his shoulder.
'He is always doing something stupid, you shouldn't have worried about something like that.' Yoongi grinned.
'I guess that's right.' Jin sighed, pulling away to look Taehyung over.
'Hyung...' Taehyung pouted.
'But he is our stupid, so I can be worried.' Jin smiled, searching Taehyung's gaze and nodding as if he'd seen everything he wanted to know.
Taehyung guessed that they still had to talk later.
'Are you all crazy?' a groggy voice asked, a yawn stifling the last syllables. 'It's ing five in the morning, what are you even doing out here?'
It was Jimin, eyes barely visible as he shivered slightly in his pajamas by the door.
'None of you were in your room, none of you answered your damn phones and all of you were out of your ing minds since yesterday-' Jimin went into an angry rant, until Jungkook stepped over to engulf him in his coat.
'Okay, we get it.' Jungkook chuckled as Jimin struggled to be able to see out from the coat-embrace.
'So what's gotten into everyone?' Jimin asked, glaring at them viciously – the effect dampened by how he snuggled up against Jungkook.
'Oh nothing.' Jin grinned as he pulled Taehyung towards the building.
'Yeah, it's nothing really.' Hoseok shrugged as he walked past Jimin with Yoongi.
'Taehyung just had a slight identity crisis.' Yoongi added.
'Oh and he has a crush on Namjoon-hyung.' Jungkook said, pecking Jimin's head.
'Oh, okay.' Jimin nodded, before it finally hit him. 'What?!'
Based on the octave he hit, Taehyung thought he owned one long talk to Jimin as well.

He was expected in Jin's room for breakfast and their eldest pampered him, babied him and all around treated him like a porcelain doll.
For which he , and it was good that even though an entirely basic belief crumbled in him, he could get this much normality back.
'Morning.' Namjoon greeted when he got back from another all-nighter at the studios.
'Hi.' Jin waved, not even bothering to nag him as he continued to fill Taehyung's plate with a new creation.
Taehyung leaned out from behind Jin to wave at Namjoon too, and his hyung raised a brow at the weird welcome.
'Did I miss something? I usually get an earful by now.'
'Taehyung has all my attention, sorry.' Jin threw back over his shoulder.
'...okay.' Namjoon nodded, gaze fixing on Taehyung as if trying to read out from him what'd happened.
And Taehyung suddenly wished that he would, because as much as he wanted to change things he was still unable to come up with a working plan...
And he only had two months to figure it out.
But the truth was still unimaginable to stay.
___________________________
Sorry for the lack of Namjoon, but Tae needed to get his head and heart straight! Let's see where this new resolve and clean start will lead to~

Also I don't know about you guys, but this comeback just blew my mind... Everything about it is absolutely amazing~ <3
What's your favorite song/part of the MV? Mine is probably House of Cards, right after Run :)

PS. And if the comeback was not enough... My beta just killed me again.
Like, when the hell did you even have time for this woman! :D
PPS.
Happy Princess Day! >3<