Before the Dawn (jikook/ vminkook)

20. The plan

Taehyung hadn't meant to make a habit of it, but here he was. After school he'd do his homework, go spy on Jungkook and Jimin, come home and dance until he was too exhausted to feel, and collapse into bed.

Sometimes he'd touch himself, too, while the memories were still fresh.

He still missed talking to them, but this routine helped to lessen the ache of the gap they'd left in his life.

Taehyung couldn't even bring himself to feel guilty about the spying. He wondered if that made him a bad person. Because surely he should feel guilty, right? He thought about it sometimes, but he figured he wasn't doing any harm. So, he didn't regret it.

Until he did.

But it had nothing to do with morality, or the like.

It had been a cold night. Taehyung had felt the thrumming of his heart increase with every step he took towards Jungkook's house. But when he arrived, his excitement left his body in a flood. No one was home.

It hadn't taken long before Taehyung heard it.

The voices.

Carried on the ocean breeze, drifting inland in the night. Laughter, chatter, and the occasional hoots and hollers. It all sounded painfully familiar.

Taehyung let himself wander towards the beach a short distance away.

And sure enough, there they were.

Not just Jimin and Jungkook. Everyone. Even from quite a big distance away Taehyung could recognize them: The whole dance group. Changmi and San. Hell, even Mina was there.

All having fun without him. It was like they'd forgotten about him altogether.

A nagging feeling of emptiness spread through Taehyung's chest. It felt like someone had hollowed him out with a spoon. It was hard to describe the type of anger that accompanied the hurt. It was swelling in his belly, feeding an ugliness he never knew he possessed.

He couldn't let them all forget about him just like that. He knew immediately he wasn't going to hide in the shadows any longer. He wouldn't cower in corners to give Jimin and Jungkook space. No. He needed them to see him. He needed to be in their lives again, as much as they were a constant presence in his.

How could they think so little of him, when they were all he thought about? It wasn't right.

The idea struck him, then. He'd make sure they couldn't couldn't get rid of him.

He couldn't enroll in their classes or force them to hang out with him outside of school. But there was one place he could think of where they'd have to spend numerous hours with him each week.

One place where they'd have to be closer to him than they'd ever been.

One place where no one could ignore him:

the dance team.

On the walk home, Taehyung was already planning the song he'd use for his audition.