RUSE || Taekook

FORTY TWO || C1F5J3J5O4XJ5O3F5

He loves Yoongi, a lot more than he can ever love Taehyung.

Taehyung's eyes roll back.

Coward.

The alter smiles at Jungkook.

Jungkook's left eye twitches.

He can tell the latter wants to say something but holds them-self back because they'd be inaudible anyways.

Jungkook's glare intensifies and the alter laughs genuinely.

It's Shritha.

Jungkook's gaze softens and he breathes in, looking away, gazing at the vast ocean beneath the helicopter.

--------

Reaching the island, the helicopter lands on top of a hotel that seems to specifically have been designed for the members of Ruby and Sapphire.

Shritha's eyes roll back and Taehyung starts giving out orders, planting guards, setting up the room, rigging all the exits and other stuff Jungkook really doesn't care about.

"And Jungkook, you—"

Jungkook grabs Taehyung by the forearm and leads him into the hotel, rough in his actions.

Taehyung doesn't protest.

Once off the roof and inside, Jungkook relishes in the cold air from the air conditioner, taking a few seconds to catch his breath and calm himself as much as he can.

"Jungkook, look—"

Jungkook presses hard on Taehyung's bicep and pulls him closer, seething in the elder's face, both of their hair still a mess from the helicopter ride, "I want to talk to you. Make sure it stays that way."

Taehyung's breath hitches and he doesn't give more of a response than that.

"Which room do you have access to?" Jungkook asks.

"The—the penthouse."

Jungkook strides to the nearby room, dragging Taehyung with him, placing Taehyung's thumb on the fingerprint scanner against the door.

It doesn't work.

"Huh, no..." Taehyung chuckles sheepishly. "I don't have any prints on my thumb."

Jungkook frowns and looks at Taehyung's thumb. It's... blank.

"What?"

"They were branded off," Taehyung says quietly, extending his ring finger towards the scanner.

Jungkook's chest heats up with the urge to murder Taehyung's assaulter himself. "Why?"

"What?" Taehyung gasps, pressing his ring finger on the scanner, the scanner beeping and turning green immediately.

"Why was it branded off?"

"Uh..." Taehyung moves towards the open door but Jungkook holds him in place.

"I don't remember, okay?" Taehyung shrinks into himself, moving closer to Jungkook. Then his voice comes down to a whisper, "I don't remember a lot of things."

Jungkook shoves him into the room, locking his sympathy up in a cage because no way is he letting Taehyung get away with something as big as hiding Yoongi.

The penthouse is big, the living room in itself huge with sofas littered across in a pretty room, a wide screen TV stuck to a wall. There's a wall window on one side which provides an exit onto the balcony with fake grass and a gazebo adorning it.

The penthouse follows a blue and gray theme, contrary to the red in the group's name.

To Jungkook's right, there's a hallway that no doubt leads to other riches.