back with another update (:

To think out of all the things Jeongguk would be doing today, he would be running after Taehyung in a grocery store.

Right before they could reach Eunwoo's house, Taehyung decided to ambush a grocery store. He didn't really receive Jeongguk's permission, but there wasn't really much time unless Jeongguk wanted to lose him in the goddamn store.

He didn't really run this fast anymore, hell, it wasn't recommended he ran at all, though he couldn't exactly explain that to Taehyung. But that wasn't what mattered right now.

"We're actuallly gonna do this?" Jeongguk sputtered, gasping for air as he skid to a stop next to Taehyung, who was studying the wall of eggs in front of them probably for the cheapest brand.

"Yes, we are," Taehyung declared, reaching down for a case and handing it to Jeongguk. "It's on your bucketlist, my guy."

"Well yeah, I remember writing it," Jeongguk said, brows furrowing when Taehyung put two more cartons into his arms. "Hey, don't you think—,"

"—Revenge is better with style, Jeon," He waved a finger at him, that stupid smirk toying on his lips already. "It's all or nothing." He patted his back.

"Okay, it's all or nothing until we get caught!" He shot back, trying to keep up with him. While they were roughly about the same height, Taehyung had insanely long legs. Not that Jeongguk was checking him out— it was an obvious quality!

And god, he hated it. It was a pain in the ass trying to keep up with him, his lungs having to work overtime to support his sad excuse of a body. Along the way, Taehyung did end up noticing his struggle.

Thankfully he didn't say much, instead he slowed down but the determination in his dark eyes raged on. Jeongguk appreciated it, sort of.

"Why are you so fired up?" Jeongguk asked when the two of them were suddenly in the toiletry aisle. He knew where this was going, and to say he was excited wouldn't be the right way to put this.

Honestly, he didn't know what to feel. It wasn't like he really hated Eunwoo. Okay, he was still angry because the guy was a fake ass jerk, but he didn't blame him for leaving him behind back then since a lot of people, including himself, thought he was going to die so it wouldn't have mattered anyway.

It was probably Eunwoo's own little fucked-up way of tying up lose ends— or well, cutting them off. It happened a long time and even if the things he said were hurtful, Jeongguk wasn't so sure if they should actually do this. Leave things in the past, y'know?

Taehyung, on the otherhand, didn't agree. At all.

"Why wouldn't I be? We're gonna trash that douchebag's place," He shrugged, brushing the silver hair away from his eyes. "He had it coming."

"You're acting like you were the one he offended," Jeongguk snorted.

"Yeah, 'coz he did. Offend me, that is," Taehyung said, coming to stop in front of a wall of toilet paper. He crouched down, grabbing a set and propping them beneath his arm.

"Do you take everything so personally?" Jeongguk asked. Taehyung stood back up, turning to face him, but the expression on his face, the frown, nearly caught him off guard.

"No," Taehyung said, looking absolutely ridiculous hugging those toilet paper rolls close to his chest, but Jeongguk knew this wasn't the time to make fun of him. "He just bothers me."

"It shouldn't. It's not your situation to worry about," Jeongguk let out a breathy laugh, though it sounded more like a scoff. Taehyung rolled his eyes, and once again he turned around and started walking.

"Are you really giving me attitude, Kim?" Jeongguk joined his side with ease this time. At least when he was irritated, he wasn't power-walking with a passion.

"Do you not like it when people worry about you?" The suddenness of his question made the skin between his brows furrow.

"How does that relate to this?" Jeongguk scowled.

"Answer my question," Taehyung nudged his side.

"Why should—," The word's died on his tongue when Taehyung shot him a dark glare. Deflating a little, Jeongguk settled with rolling his eyes and begrudgingly muttered a quiet "sure".

"Well let me worry about you just this once and egg this bastard's fucking house," Taehyung said. "You might not be angry anymore, which I highly doubt, but even if we say you aren't, I'm mad. Hell, I'm super pissed off."

With all honesty, Jeongguk didn't know what to say. God, he really didn't know a lot of things, especially when it came to Kim Taehyung. Surely, he would be arguing and calling him a whole bunch of insults out of aggravation but now? Nothing.

Obviously, he didn't want his pity or his time, and god, he wanted to say that. He said it before. To Sae. To his classmates. To random strangers who pretended they knew him and pitied him just for the sake of preserving their 'good' concious.

It was there, playing on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't bring himself to say it for some ridiculous reason. It was weird to be cared for when most of the time people did it only because, let's face it, it always ended up being a trend to support the dying kid.

But with Taehyung, he wanted to believe he was like the rest. There wasn't any way to prove he wasn't.

He didn't know him, so he couldn't have cared. There was no possible way he did, and this, this was ridiculous to even think about.

"You're weird," Jeongguk ended up saying, but he knew it was a weak attempt to insult him. At that, the edge of Taehyung's lip tugged upward. He knew it. Of course he did.

"I care," Taehyung corrected, leading him to the self checkout register. Jeongguk handed him all the things before crossing his arms over his chest, giving him the nastiest glare he could muster. He wasn't going to fall for this anytime soon.

"C'mon Ggukie-kins," Taehyung slid his credit card into the machine, glancing over his shoulder and sparinh him a crooked smirk. "You'll enjoy this."

"What makes you think I will?" He grumbled, snatching the bag of eggs from Taehyung as he handed it over to him.

Taehyung shrugged, running his hand through his shaggy hair, "Because I'm here." He wiggled his brows at him.

"Sure," Jeongguk snapped, following him out of the store. "We'll get in trouble."

"Don't be so negative," Taehyung mused. Jeongguk rolled his eyes, preparing himself to jog and catch up to the older. Mid-run, Taehyung glanced over his shoulder, giving him the biggest, goofy smile he could muster despite Jeongguk's scowl.

"We're gonna have the best time ever!"

"You people are too rich," Taehyung murmured in awe as they pulled up into Eunwoo's neighborhood, which happened to be massive modern homes lined up perfectly together.

"Sae is rich. Not me," Jeongguk corrected him, drumming his finger against the side of his door. "Eunwoo's parents are part of the entertainment business. They're never around though."

"I can tell," He said, taking one last survey of the street ahead of them. "Man, I feel like I'm in some kdrama, or something."

Jeongguk snorted." You're really that impressed over houses? Oh, park there," He pointed at the empty curb adjacent from the front of Eunwoo's house.

Thankfully, Taehyung obeyed without a snarky comment. "Well, yeah. I've never been here. Not everyone gets black cards and happen to be too rich for a vending machine," He snorted after setting the car to park.

"But again, that's Sae's money, not mine," Jeongguk said, nose scrunching, growing oddly defensive. "I barely use her money for anything else."

"Okay," Taehyung said, reaching behind them to grab the stuff they needed. "Never said you were spoiled, if that's what you think I was gonna imply."

"Right," He rolled his eyes, knowing Taehyung would have called him spoiled anyway. "So, what's the plan?" He asked, gesturing at the bags.

"Fortunately we're both wearing hoodies," Taehyung playfully reached over and tugged his jacket string. Jeongguk gave him a dirty look and swatted his hand away, but he ignored him like he always liked to do.

"So, we take these out, put our hoods on, and go fuckin' nuts. No plan, just get him back for being a douche," He said, practically bouncing in his seat from excitement. He swore this guy was getting way too into this.

"That's all?" Jeongguk asked, following Taehyung outside of the car once he got going, toilet paper rolls in his arms. Sighing, he snatched two cartons of eggs and followed Taehyung over to Eunwoo's property.

"Let loose, Jeon. Let all that pent up anger free in the form of eggs and cheap toiletries," Taehyung said, already yanking his hoodie over his head, though it did nothing to contain the grey mess of hair escaping from beneath it.

Jeongguk quietly tugged his own hood on. "This is awkward." He declared when both of them stood in front of the house, neither one making a move.

"Well why aren't you doing something?" Taehyung asked, nudging his side with his elbow.

"Because I don't know how to start," Jeongguk snapped back.

"Just throw a damn egg," Taehyung grabbed one from the rack and tossed it a little in the cup of his massive palm. "Like, just throw it. With your hand."

"Wow, so descriptive," Jeongguk rolled his eyes, fingers digging into the rough carton. He reached into the cardboard, fishing a cool egg out and staring down at it.

"We can't stay here all day," He mused. "You gonna throw it or not, pussy?" Jeongguk whipped his head toward the older, his brows arched.

"Did you just call me a pussy?" He said slowly, pronouncing each word carefully, making sure he knew he was offended. Since it was Taehyung, he just nodded and most likely didn't care.

"Yeah, 'cuz you are. You're letting Eunwoo win that easily? Seriously, this is your chance to remind him you're not some weak, sick kid, Jeon. Fucking fight back. This is your chance." As much as Jeongguk didn't want to agree with him, Taehyung was right.

Jeongguk let Eunwoo and his kinda-friends walk all over him. In another circumstance, he probably would have called his crap out and curse him to oblivion. Maybe even humiliate him the same way he did all those years ago just for pay back.

Unfortunately for him back then, he was so sick he physically and mentally didn't have the energy to mess with the guy who did him wrong.

But now? He was healthy. Somewhat. But now, he could get back at Eunwoo. He could make his day shitty, make him hurt the same way he made him feel. Even if it was just for a single day, at least he could replicate that exact feeling of stupidity and hopelessness and anger, right?

Eunwoo cut him off two years ago without a fucking care. No explanation, no apology. Just nasty stares and disgusting rumors. He didn't even care to stay or even hesitated to hurt him— so why should he?

"I hate you," Jeongguk said, glancing back and forth between Taehyung's smug smirk and the egg in his hand. He inhaled slowly, chest rising and falling.

"But you also hate Eunwoo." And with that, he threw the first egg.

It hit with a nasty splat against the window, the shell bursting in an explosion of runny clear liquid and bright yellow yolk that ruined the surface. His breath came out ragged, his lungs tightening as he saw the mess gather into a yucky pool on the floor, and soon enough, he was reaching for more.

One egg, then another, and another. He kept throwing, ignoring how his lungs squeezed and his heart raced in his ears. Taehyung was cheering him on, encouraging him to keep going, even throwing some eggs himself.

And for some reason, it felt good. Not good in the sense you said it and didn't mean it, but the type of good where everything was liberating and easy and adrenaline spiked his veins and made his stick limbs ache in the best possible way.

It hurt, and he was trembling, but the staggered laughter that ripped out of his throat mixed with all the pent up anger and frustration and pain fueling his every move made it all worth it.

With each egg, it was like he was letting go of something. While Eunwoo might have tied up the loose ends by cutting him off, he was ending their story with eggs. Fucking eggs of all things.

It was ridiculous, but then again Eunwoo was the ridiculous douchebag for leaving him when he needed someone, when the last bit of normal of his life was in his hands and he just took it. Ripped it away from him before he could realize how badly he would miss it.

Fuck Eunwoo. Fuck his kinda friends. Fuck all of them, their rumors, and their superficial friendships that meant nothing. Fuck the normal he could never have yet missed so, so badly.

They didn't matter to him anymore.

If Jeongguk meant nothing, they were nothing too.

His eyes burned, his joints ached, and his lungs were on practically fire, eating away at his chest until his throat was dry from every dry heave he haphazardly inhaled. He kept flinging those eggs, unaware of how red his face was, or how his brows were scrunched over his forehead in a tight bunch.

Even his eyes were aching, pain prickling at the back of his sockets but there was nothing more to cry out. His jaw ached, clenched so tight his teeth were nearly grinding. And fuck, he was shaking now, not trembling, his breath coming out in brief, ragged, puffs.

"Jeongguk?" He didn't realize Taehyung was calling out his name. Everything was fuzzy, and god his ears were ringing.

He threw more dumb eggs specifically targeted over Eunwoo's window, blood boiling hot at the faded memories that resurfaced of the nights they spent together when life seemed okay, normal even. The evenings where they sat on that ledge beneath his window, air dense with sugary vape juice vapor and their bodies huddled close, buzzing with warmth as the cool Seoul breeze ruffled through their clothes.

Their conversations poured into his mind, replaying in flashes. He remembered how it felt to actually have company he enjoyed when they talked about girls, idiotic teachers, and parties— all the things dumb teenagers ranted about because they thought they knew better when they really didn't.

He thought of the times where they were so fucking privileged to believe they had time on their hands to figure everything out. The times they fucked around, acting like they were infinite, and invincible and he was stupid enough to believe—

"Jeongguk," Taehyung's low voice cut through his trance, his fingers having a vice grip over his bicep.

"Jeon, your hands," He coughed lightly. "You're just crushing the eggs now."

Jeongguk averted his gaze to his shaking hands, unable to put together a proper sentence as his mouth ran dry seeing egg smeared over his palms. There were shells in his skin, their sharp edges stinging against his fingers.

The frustration subsided in his chest as Taehyung eased his grip on him, noticng how he grimaced at his roughness. It burned faintly now, the sparks dying as Jeongguk caught his breath, letting his weak lungs catch up.

Taehyung tried to touch him again, but Jeongguk shoved his hand away. He shook his head, laughing bitterly, hoarsely at the scene in front of him.

It was a fucking mess. He was a mess.

And somehow it still felt good.

"Here," Taehyung said, handing him a towel he must have fetched from the back of his car. Jeongguk took it from him, mumbling an inaudible thanks as he wiped the goop off his fingers.

Neither of them said a word, though it wasn't like Jeongguk cared anyway. He didn't care. There wasn't a reason to care. For a second, however, he started coughing, violently, his chest being ravaged by a dry wheeze.

Taehyung tried to help him, stuttering about him needing water but Jeongguk simply shook his head, holding him in place by the sleeve of his flannel. He hit his fist over his chest, trying to get a hold of himself, and soon enough, he swallowed, hard, standing straight once again.

"Now that was fun," Taehyung said, watching as Jeongguk coughed weakly into his fist. "You got some repressed trauma, my guy."

Jeongguk shot him a dirty look. Taehyung raised an eyebrow at him, "What? You do."

"Okay, but seriously, take it easy. One more cough and you'll fucking fold up like a plastic folding table," Taehyung grabbed him by the wrist and took him back to the car.

He helped Jeongguk lean against the side of it as he opened the back and snatched a waterbottle from somewhere. Taehyung basically forced him to take it, even though Jeongguk wasn't sure if he wanted to drink sketchy water, but he took it and the water felt nice against his throat, even if it was awfully lukewarm.

Once he was done, he swallowed hard, capping the waterbottle and letting his arms fall to his sides. The two boys' gazes drifted back to the modern house destroyed by eggs and the toiletpaper Taehyung managed to throw in last minute. It wasn't a sight, like at all.

"That looks horrendous," Jeongguk said, voice terribly hoarse. Taehyung chuckled warmly.

"Yeah, you went all out," Taehyung hummed. He could feel his dark eyes staring at him.

Jeongguk fiddled with the cap of his waterbottle, keeping his head down, "You gonna say I'm fucking weird, or something?"

"Nah," Taehyung said, "I was gonna ask if you wanted to talk about it."

"Why would I want to talk about it?" Jeongguk scoffed bitterly.

"Because you brutally assaulted his house with egg and kinda almost died. I think I have the right to be concerned."

"So? That was the point of this, right?" Jeongguk whipped his head up to meet Taehyung's gaze, but for some reason, he couldn't read his expression like he usually could. He was staring at him the same way he would stare at his phone: passive and awfully pensive.

"Talking about things helps, Jeon. You look really upset," Taehyung said. "And if you think I'm gonna leave, or judge you, I'm not. I'm staying right here."

"Wow, so assuring of you," He rolled his eyes, sarcasm dripping off every word.

"I mean it."

"Yeah, sure," Jeongguk licked his own chapped lips. He uncapped the bottle and brought the rim to his lips before saying, "I lied earlier. We were good friends. Eunwoo and I, that is."

"I assumed so," Taehyung murmured.

"But not anymore. He's a selfish shithead," He spat.

"He is," He nodded along. "But you miss him, don't you." Jeongguk almost flinched.