Taehyung knew what Jungkook was doing. He'd caught him staring at their classmates, and it hadn't been the first time. He knew, but he'd missed their relationship so much that he wasn't ready to give Jungkook up just yet.

Was he being selfish? Absolutely.

But it seemed as though the whole world had come to revolve around Jimin, had been revolving around Jimin since even before his abduction. He was the favorite. Tae didn't mind because he didn't care about being liked as much, but he knew it mattered to Jungkook. But it was hard not to love Jimin immensely. So hard in fact that Tae - not that he would ever tell it to Jimin - was sort of enjoying not having Jimin in their class, just so he could spend more time with Jungkook. He knew that was a horrible thing to say, but it didn't mean that he loved Jimin any less. Simply that, well, Jimin could be a bit of a distraction. It was like he'd stayed young while everyone else had grown up. He was needy, dependent, unable to be left alone.

Tae didn't mind that. He liked being around Jimin. But he knew that if Jimin were there at school with them, it would be hard to balance his attention between Jimin and Jungkook, and now that he'd gotten both of his triplets back, he didn't want to have to choose sides or only play with one of them. He wanted it to be equal.

Which was why Jimin's absence made everything a little bit easier. Although Tae couldn't admit that because he didn't want to hurt Jimin's feelings. Even if Jimin didn't cry as much now as when he was a kid, he was still more sensitive than the others, and Tae didn't want to hurt him in any way.

But, whether he admitted it or not, he enjoyed his alone time with Jungkook.

"I'm just saying," Tae went on, gesturing in the air with his spoon. "They really should make one utensil that is part fork, part spoon. That way, I could eat soup with chicken, and I wouldn't have to grab two different utensils."

Jungkook tolled his eyes, used to Tae's nonsense. "They already have that, Tae. It's called a spork."

Tae shook his head vehemently. "Nuh uh! Even if it did exist, it would be called a fpoon!" He leaned in closer, about to whisper a trade secret. "The f is silent."

Jungkook couldn't bite back his bunny tooth grin, overcome by just how crazy his brother was, before quickly smoothing out his smile, although the corners of his lips stayed upturned. "First, it's a spork. Second, they do exist, and they are literally sitting five meters away next to the lunch trays. Third, what's the point of a silent f? Then it's like there's no fork in it at all."

Tae nodded slowly, narrowing his eyes. "You have a valid point there." He straightened suddenly. "All right, I've got it! A foon!"

"You just dropped one letter."

"The genius is in the simplicity," Tae said assuredly before leaning back into his seat and continuing his lung as though he'd never brought the point up at all. "Kookie?"

Jungkook looked up, slightly surprised. Usually, it was Jimin who called him that. Tae hadn't called him that in...a long time.

Not that he minded. "Yeah, Tae?"

"Do you think Jimin will come back to school?"

Jungkook stares at Tae, who now looked completely serious, no trace of amusement on his face. It was like looking at a different kid altogether. "Um...I don't know, Tae...Probably...You know he's been studying..."

There was a long pause before Tae nodded twice, looking down at the table. "If Jimin comes back, will you still sit with me?" he asked, not looking up.

Jungkook frowned. "Where is this coming from, Tae?"

"It's just that I know you're only sitting with me because you don't want to leave me by myself, so I was just wondering, if Jimin comes back...are you going to leave and make better friends?"

Jungkook blinked. "I..."

"Right," Tae said, looking up with a smile, but it was stretched too tightly across his face. "Of course you have better people to sit with. Why would you want to sit with the weird alien kid anyway? I know." Tae laughed, but it was fake.

I shouldn't have asked him. I've ruined it. It was all going well until I opened my stupid mouth. I should have just pretended that everything was okay, that I didn't notice him staring at all the people he'd rather eat with.

Tae stood up, but he was stopped by a tug on his sleeve.

"Where are you going?" Jungkook asked with a frown.

"I don't know," Tae answered honestly. "Somewhere else."

Then you can eat with whoever you want to.

Tae pulled away from Jungkook and started walking aimlessly down the hallway, stopping only when he saw a kid from their class being pushed against a locker by a bigger kid.

It's none of my business, was Tae's first thought.

I don't want to get involved.

I don't want to get hurt.

Tae wasn't a hero. At least, not for people he didn't know. He was only felt brave next to Jimin, who needed him to be brave. He didn't get involved with people or their problems. He stayed by himself. He didn't get hurt that way.

There were a million valid reasons going through his mind as to why he shouldn't intervene.

But there was at least one that made him walk over to the locker.

What if it were Jimin?

Which was quickly followed by,

What if it were Jungkook?

Which was followed by,

What if it's just a stranger who needs help, and I'm the only one around?

He tapped the bigger boy on the shoulder, and he turned around. "What do you want?" he growled.

"I..." Now that Tae was here, he didn't know what to say. He wasn't used to talking to the other kids, aside from Jungkook. He didn't know what to say to them. Was he trying to start a fight? Or should he try to just remove the tension from the situation?

Why did I think this was a good idea?

"Um..." Tae sighed.

Well, frick.

"Can you not?" he asked after a second.

"Excuse me?" the boy asked.

"Can you just not do whatever you're doing?" Tae tried again. "I'm pretty sure it's a bad idea, so how about you stop so we can all walk away happy, okay?"

The boy looked at him a second before laughing. He let go of the one boy, who slumped down to the ground. "Who the heck are you to be telling that to me?"

"I'm...I'm nobody," Tae said a bit late, taking half a step back.

"That's right, you're a nobody," the kid snapped, and Tae frowned.

If I hit him, will I get in trouble? Is that how this works?

Tae was hesitant, and that's probably what cost him. He did fine in brawls with his siblings because there was no fear of the unknown. But Tae wasn't ready when the boy brought his fist back, and instead of ducking or swinging his own, he just shut his eyes and winced.

But the punch never came. Instead, Tae opened his eyes to see Jungkook standing in front of him, a hand on the other kid's shoulder.

"Hey, no need to resort to violence, okay?" Jungkook asked, and when the boy frowned and went to punch again, Jungkook gave him a small push backwards, just enough to throw him off balance.

"Leave them alone, yeah?" Jungkook repeated, smiling and tilting his head, and the boy finally left. Then Jungkook turned around and sighed, crossing his arms. "What were you doing, Tae? You could have gotten hurt."

"I..." Tae leaned over to look at the boy behind Jungkook. "Are you all right?"

The boy flinched before looking up. "Y-yeah, thanks, I guess..."

Jungkook looked between them, trying to figure out their connection, before putting an arm around Tae and turning him around, walking him back down the hallway. "C'mon, we have to finish lunch."

"Don't you have a bunch of friends to eat lunch with?" Tae mumbled.

Jungkook ruffled Tae's hair roughly. "Stop being stupid, Tae. I want to eat with you so stop being such a hormonal teenage girl about it."

Tae laughed, surprised, but he got caught in thinking. "Jungkook, why did you follow me?"

Jungkook hesitated before shrugging. "I didn't want to eat alone."

"Well, why'd you step in front of me?"

"Because you're not the only one who can protect us, you know," Jungkook said, smiling while looking down. "You don't always have to be that kid. I'm here for you too, Tae. I've got your back. Always."

Tae smiled, also looking down, and the two boys went back to finish their lunch.