Frenemies//Jikook (DISCONTINUED)

3.

   [ [A Leader's Do's and Don'ts] ]

A tense silence falls over them, until Hoseok decides to finally break it. "I'll go after him," he offers, already standing up. Namjoon shakes his head, halting the orange haired male's movements. "No. Let him go."

The leader turns to look at Taehyung next. "Would you and Hoseok mind showing Jimin around the place?" The silver haired male brightens at the request. "No, we wouldn't mind at all!! Come on, Jimin, we'll introduce you to the others." He grabs his hyung's arm and together they usher the new one out of the room, door softly clicking shut behind them.

As soon as the three remaining males are left alone, Yoongi rounds up on Namjoon like a predator ready to pounce on his prey. His eyes blaze with fury while his mouth is stuck in a snarl."What the fuck was that, Kim Namjoon?"

Namjoon sighs and runs a hand through his hair. "This world doesn't revolve around him, hyung," he says wearily. "He needs to respect my decisions as the leader and learn his place."

His explanation earns a loud scoff from the mint haired male.

"You talk about leadership, but you just violated the basic rules of a leader like it was nothing," Yoongi sneers,"A leader doesn't bluntly point out his teammate's flaws to hurt them. That's exactly what you did to Jungkook. The kid's only 19, and he's been through some rough shit as a kid. His past filled him with insecurities and made him defensive, and you used it against him like it was a weapon. Give him a fucking break, Namjoon. He's just scared of being replaced again."

"You think I'm not scared?" Namjoon asks, voice barely above a whisper. Every hint of calmness he held before disappears before their eyes like a crumbling mask.

The sight of their leader losing his usual cool makes Yoongi's anger fade into nothing but concern.

"He came back from his last mission with a bullet lodged into his shoulder. The pained look on his face when Jin hyung removed the bullet was enough to haunt me in my worst nightmares." The youngest of the three closes his eyes and gulps as he feels his mouth go dry, painfully reminded of the haunting memory.

--Flashback--

"Fuck, fuck," Jungkook hisses through gritted teeth, face scrunched up in pain. His face is paler than his usual healthy tan, and a bead of sweat is trickling down the side of his forehead. "Shit, it hurts like hell."

Jin clicks his tongue as his hands move quickly to get the bullet out, not flinching at the blood staining his gloved hands. "If it weren't for the bullet stuck in your shoulder, I would beat your ass up for cursing."

Jungkook laughs despite the pain. "If only that were true--Fuck!" His words are cut off by his own tortured groan. "Hyung, be gentle!!!"

And the tears unconciously welling up in his doe eyes really broke his hyungs' hearts.

--Flashback ends--

The purple haired male shakes his head, ridding himself of the memory. "What if the bullet hit something more delicate?" he asks, more to himself than to anyone else. "We would have lost our youngest dongsaeng, and it would have been my fault."

"Let me ask you something, Joon," Jin speaks up at last, no sarcasm or hostility in his tone. "Why did you recruit Jimin?"

"Because he can protect Jungkook," Namjoon answers without a moment of hesitation. "Jimin can look after him when we can't."

Jin nods, a knowing smile appearing on his face as he looks at the younger male. "But Jungkook doesn't know that, does he?"

Realization dawns on Namjoon's face as he finally understands what the eldest member is trying to tell him.