Sighing, Jin stood and went to pick up the few items the younger man left behind, wondering what happened in the short time they were outside. He paused when he picked up Jungkook's phone, the text messages were making his phone buzz continuously and he raised an eyebrow when he read the name.

'Park Yoo-Ra.'

"Well, shit..."

......

Kim Taehyung was furious.

Tonight was the night of the sleepover.

Everyone was gathered at Jin and Namjoon's new house, all of them smiling, chatting, and watching movies. Now and again, Hye-Young would pop in to talk to her parents and play games with her uncles. Jimin occupied himself with Na-Rae, trying to get in some practice before he and Yoongi's appointment with the obstetrician to see if they succeeded in conceiving a child.

Myung-Soo was happily snuggled into Hoseok's side, rubbing at his ample belly and eating brownies. Jin was sitting cross-legged, sipping at a glass of wine while Hye-Young was clinging to Namjoon, complaining about how one of her toys didn't get along with her teddy bear at the tea party. The blonde was patient with his daughter as they waited for Jungkook; the dual-haired man said he would be running late.

Why?

Well, they didn't know, but everybody knew about what happened between him and Taehyung.

Jin and Jimin wished they could offer some comfort for the second youngest in their group, but they weren't sure how. Hoseok texted him, hoping if he could get Taehyung's mood to lighten, then the younger man would open up, but all Tae talked about was how excited he was about the baby arriving. Namjoon was next to try. He visited the younger Kim at his apartment but ended up tripping over Yeontan and almost broke his leg. So, he was forced to sit still to not injure himself any further or hurt any animals in the same area.

Yoongi was the last to try, but Taehyung avoided him like the plague. The ravenette knew if Yoongi could corner him, he would break down and tell him everything.

Tonight they were going to try again. The hyungs hoped they could get Taehyung in a good enough mood along with a few sips of alcohol; then the ravenette would crack and finally vent his issues. After the break-up, Taehyung closed off his heart, never telling them anything, and always dealt with his problems alone. He's done it for so long that when he would go to speak, the words are in the back of his throat. It was a habit they were hoping to break before Taehyung exploded like a bomb.

Speaking of Taehyung, he was walking around, looking fabulous as always, glass in his hand with some sweet strawberry wine. The ravenette was sure Jin spiked it with more potent alcohol because he was feeling rather light-headed.

The beautiful male knew one of Jungkook's favorite colors was red, so being the petty bitch he was, Taehyung made sure to wrap himself in a beautiful red pajama top.

Since two days ago, he hadn't heard or talked to Jungkook. Hell, he hadn't heard from Kyo either.

At the museum, Alyssa told him Kyo had a family emergency and left the night before to head to Tokyo, but when Taehyung tried to reach him, Kyo forwarded his calls. So, he sent multiple texts asking if he was okay, and so far, he hadn't heard anything. Coming to hang out with his hyungs would generally put him in a good mood, but since Jungkook would be there, and they would be drinking and staying the night; the last thing Taehyung wanted was to open himself up to the younger man just to be made a fool of once again.

Taehyung's eyes narrowed when he remembered the bitch that had the nerve to facetime Jungkook when he was trying to get it in.

Yoo-Ra.

From the few details he knew about the woman, she was an ex of Jungkook's, but they remained in contact. Taehyung didn't know of her until he and Jungkook entered the third year of their relationship and the way he found out is what pisses him off the most.

One night, Taehyung woke up because he was cold, and like always, he would snuggle up to Jungkook, but the younger was nowhere to be found. Leaving their bed, Taehyung went to search for him. That's when he found Jungkook with a woman in their living room. When he tried to ask, Jungkook told him it was nothing and shooed him away.

Thinking it was an emergency because Yoo-Ra looked shaken up and had a bruise on her arm, Taehyung decided to give her space and go back to their bedroom. He sat at the end of their bed, Yeontan in his arms, a blanket wrapped around both of them. Taehyung assumed Jungkook would have come to him, giving him the details and ask for his input on the matter.

But Jungkook never did.

So, with a heavy heart and a mind full of negativity, Taehyung was forced to lie back down in their bed, Yeontan in his arms, and he fell into a restless sleep. The memory caused familiar pain to resurface, but he shooed away the thoughts and sipped at his alcohol.

What Yoo-Ra and Jungkook had going on now wasn't his business, but the old scars were reopening, and he was ready to beat Jungkook's ass. His sister could snatch Yoo-Ra up, snatching her cheap synthetic weave out while doing it.

At first, Taehyung asked questions, worried there might be something amiss, and if she was in danger, he wished to be of some help. But whenever he would ask, Jungkook just said he had it handled and refused to talk about it. That's when the doubt and mistrust began to set in. After that night, Jungkook would be seen with Yoo-Ra at restaurants and always talking to her on the phone. Knowing this, Taehyung would ask if everything was okay, but Jungkook would act suspiciously and brush it off.

After that, Taehyung stopped being nice and became more aggressive.

"Tae, baby, what are you doing?" Jimin walked over, a blush on his cheeks and a broad smile on his beautiful face. Sighing, Taehyung opened his arms and allowed Jimin to hug him, the smaller male pressing against him and resting his head on his shoulder. The older male smelled suspiciously of alcohol, but for all he knew, Jimin could have quickly snuck a glass of wine when no one was looking.

Even though he and Yoongi were trying to conceive, Jimin believed he wasn't pregnant because three tests came back positive, and two were negative. So, he and Yoongi were going to the doctor to make sure. Due to the stress of knowing and wanting a baby, Taehyung was sure Yoongi might have allowed a few sips of something strong so Jimin could relax.

"Just thinking." The taller responded. Jimin nodded before leaning upward and pressing a kiss against his friend's cheek. Sliding his hand down, Jimin interlocked their fingers and pulled Taehyung over to the karaoke station.

Twenty minutes later, the party was starting to kick off. Jin and Namjoon put the girls to bed, so the adults were allowed to access the hard liquor. Myung-Soo was passed out on the couch, belly twitching slightly whenever the baby would kick.

That preggy sleep is the best.

Hoseok excused himself to take his fiancee upstairs and put him to bed so he could come down and join his friends.

Taehyung and Jimin were doing karaoke, singing, and imitating dances while Yoongi stared at his beloved with hungry eyes, cheeks flushed from the bottle of vodka in his hands. Namjoon and Jin were dancing, the two awkward men sharing tender kisses as they stared at each other, eyes glowing with love. All that was left was for Jungkook to show up, and he was almost three hours late, passing the time he told them to expect him. But he was forgotten as everyone continued to party, and Hoseok came running downstairs, diving onto Yoongi and sneaking a sip of vodka from the bottle.

Soon, a knock sounded, and Jin tore himself away from a touchy Namjoon to open it. Jungkook stood on the doorstep, a smile on his face, a bottle of alcohol and snacks in his hand.

"About time, give me that." Jin snatched the bottle of wine from the younger man's hand, and he eyed the date. Namjoon stepped aside and allowed the younger man inside, a smirk coming to his face when he noticed Jungkook's doe eyes finding Taehyung.

"Oooh, where did you get this?" Jin asked. Jungkook rubbed at the nape of his neck, trying to keep his eyes away from Taehyung, who was singing Last Dance with Jimin.

"One of my dad's. I snuck it out when he wasn't looking. He'll bitch, but who cares?"

Giving a nod of approval, Jin took the bag of snacks and handed them to Namjoon. The younger smiled to his hyungs, throwing his head back and laughing when Yoongi and Hoseok flipped out of the chair while Hoseok chugged the bottle he swiped from the older male.

Going to sit on the sofa, Jungkook tapped his fingers against his knees and contemplated what he should do. Jin returned to dancing with Namjoon, and by the looks of it, they would be doing more than dancing soon.

Turning his attention away from the older couple, Jungkook focused his eyes back on Taehyung and Jimin as the song changed and a familiar beat started to pulse through the karaoke machine. The music was sensual; it was perfect for couples to dance too but luckily for Jimin. Since his husband was fighting off a drunk Hoseok, Taehyung was more than honored to be the beautiful male's dancing partner.

'Hey baby, we can dance slowly

My darlin', I'll be all you need (you need)

I know it hasn't been your day, your week, your week, your week

So put it all on me (woo)'

As he watched the two swirl around each other, Jungkook could feel the jealousy start to claw at his heart. Taehyung was smiling, eyes alight with happiness as he stared at Jimin intensely, licking his lips when the smaller male turned and started to twist his hips. Those eyes used to stare at him that way, those long fingers used to trail over his lips up to his jawline, that tongue would come out and swipe over his bottom, lapping at the mole under his bottom lip like Taehyung was quenching a raging thirst.

It's been almost a year since they broke up.

Jungkook watched as Jimin and Taehyung danced around the living room, the two men laughing and occasionally throwing flirty glances. As soon as the song's chorus hit, Taehyung pulled Jimin close, and the two started to sway. Their faces flushed and shining from the alcohol nestled in their bellies.

It wasn't fair that it was supposed to be him and Taehyung, not Jimin and Taehyung.

Biting his lip, Jungkook glanced at Yoongi, who was now fighting off Jin. The older male was trying to feed the petite rapper a chocolate-covered strawberry. Hoseok was now resting in the recliner, face shining like he's covered with oil sheen, and he was glaring at the ceiling. It would be about another hour before Hoseok joined Myung-Soo in the bed. The poor ball of sunshine couldn't handle his liquor.

Seeing his perfect opportunity, Jungkook stood and clapped his hands, gaining everyone's attention in the room. He mainly did this to separate Jimin and Taehyung, and the two were so close he was sure they would end up sneaking a kiss before the night was over with.

"Um, RM-hyung, what about the good news you had to tells us?" The Maknae asked. He approached Namjoon; the blonde stared at him blankly for a few seconds before it registered.

"Oh right. Guys, gather around, please?" The blonde called for the attention of his friends.

Hoseok just slightly turned his head, not bothering to rise from his comfortable position. Taehyung and Jimin placed their microphones down and came running over while Yoongi nodded, giving Namjoon all of his attention, and Jin took the chance to shove the strawberry in his mouth. Rolling his eyes, Yoongi ate the sweet treat making Jin smile happily.

"Alright, so you guys know how Jin has been working hard on his restaurant, and we've been thinking about making it a chain?"

All of them nodded, eagerly awaiting for Namjoon to say what they all thought. The blonde did not disappoint; wrapping his arm around Jin's waist, he pulled his husband to him in a loving hug, planting a kiss on his plump lips before turning back to their guests.

"Well, we have signed a contract to make it into a chain and will be opening twelve all around this area. There will be another on the other side of Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Il-San, and so many other places and..." Their group's eldest blushed a pretty pink and pulled an ultrasound picture out of his robe pocket.

"We're expecting baby number three!"

Everyone stared in awe for a few minutes before the success of their friends slapped them in the face. Bouncing up and down, everyone cheered and congratulated Namjoon and Jin on their success and the third Kim child joining them in the following months.

"Wait...you were drinking wine!" Jimin accused like he didn't sip on some vodka earlier. The brunette rolled his eyes and put the glass chute up to the smaller male's nose, and Jimin swooned at the intoxicating smell of sweetness. The drink was sweet, but there was no scent of alcohol to be detected.

"I've been drinking some cheap bubblegum shit Joonie bought me. It's okay, but I miss my wine and champagne." Jin pouted. Jimin 'oohed' and stole a taste of the sweet liquid. Eyes widening at the taste, he snatched Jin's glass and quickly downed the rest of it before sneaking off to the kitchen and searching for more.

Taehyung smiled at his hyungs, truly happy about their news, and he was excited to hold another child that got the Kim genes. The ravenette paused when his phone buzzed. Holding up a finger, Taehyung walked to the back of the house and slipped out of the side door. The number was unknown, and Taehyung furrowed his brows. Taehyung registered his family and friends, but he answered the call in case it was his parents or sister.

"Hello?"

'Tae?'

The ravenette's breath hitched when Kyo's voice came through the speaker. His heart was beating wildly in his chest, and he checked the time on his smartwatch.

It was after midnight.

"K-Kyo? Why the hell haven't you messaged me in two days? Are you mad at me?" Taehyung's voice was dripping with concern as he tried to understand why his friend would be calling so late.

'I'm sorry. My phone got stolen, but I was calling to tell you...I won't be coming back to Seoul. Not for a while anyway.'

Taehyung felt guilt flood over him.

Would Kyo be trying to stay away if it weren't for him trying to get back with Jungkook?

Granted, they weren't getting back together, and it was just a nightcap.

Meaningless sex.

Casual sex.

Just...sex with an ex.

"Is it because of me? Did I chase you away? I'm so sorry--"

A breathless chuckle came over the phone, and Taehyung felt his cheeks heat.

'No. I promise it's not because of you. My mom fell sick, and she...she took a turn for the worst. I'm here until we get some definite answers to her conditions. I have to be here for my dad and sisters. I hate to leave you.'

Rubbing his hair out of his face, Taehyung nodded as Kyo started to go into a more detailed report on his mother's condition.

The reason Kyo was in Korea was to find work while traveling and taking photos. While passing through Seoul, he found out his parents needed help with their medical bills, so he found a job and sent them money from his paychecks. Kyo went home to Tokyo to check on his family and see his siblings. But with his mom being so weak and his dad working himself to death, Kyo had to remain in Tokyo and help his father so he wouldn't fall ill from dealing with high amounts of stress.

"I-I understand. Do you know when you'll be back?" As much as he hated to admit, Taehyung would miss the eccentric and kind man. Even if he couldn't picture him as a lover, he would always see Kyo as a close and trusted friend.

'I...I don't know. I can't leave again until I make sure my family is okay, and from the looks of it. I'm not sure when I can come back again, if at all.'

"O-Oh..."

'I'll keep you updated, beautiful, and the first chance I get, when I finally do come back, we'll go to your favorite restaurant."'

A smile found Taehyung's face. It was always amazing how Kyo would always try to make him feel better even though he was the one with the crisis.

'And Tae?'

Taehyung felt his throat swell with emotion, tears pooling in his eyes.

"Y-Yeah?"

'If you love Jungkook...it's okay. We all make mistakes and if you want to be with him, then go ahead. Don't wait around for someone you can't love.'

The last sentence ripped Taehyung's heart in two. It wasn't that he couldn't love Kyo. It would just take some time to get over his past relationship. He never asked Kyo to wait for him. He just assumed the man was dealing with him because he was waiting for a chance to be the boyfriend.

"I can...I need time--"

'No, Tae. Even when you were pissed off at Kookie, you still hunted for him. If something ever happens and you wish to try again, then I'll be here, but you need to be with who you want and not settle.'

"I'm not settling, though."

Another chuckle sounded, and Taehyung could picture his friend's face. Kyo would be looking down, pinching the bridge of his nose, trying to figure out what to say next, but as he continued to think of Kyo, the image warped and the older man turned into a fair-skinned beauty with rabbit teeth and two-toned hair.

Placing a hand over his mouth, Taehyung blinked, hoping his tears would disappear, but they just dripped past his water line and slid down his cheeks, curving and gently dripping from his jaw.

'Get the answers you want, Tae. Find out what he's been hiding. But I have to go. I got to get up early and help my dad with the bakery. I--'

There was a pregnant pause as Taehyung waited for Kyo to finish. Taehyung heard a sigh from the other end before Kyo came back, voice shaking slightly.

'...I love you, Tae. I'll talk to you soon.' The Japanese-man whispered. Taehyung gasped, heart wildly beating inside his chest.

"K-Kyoshi--" The line went dead.

Taehyung gazed down at his phone before sighing and dropping it into his pocket. The ravenette turned to head back inside, wiping at a few stray tears but paused when his eyes caught sight of Jungkook staring at him through the glass door. Straightening his back and squaring his shoulders, Taehyung went to open the door and brush past Jungkook, but the younger male snatched him and pulled him against his chest.

"What?" Taehyung's voice broke, trembling.

Jungkook stared into his eyes, unwavering.

"We need to talk."