Practice, practice and more practice. That basically summed up Taehyung's entire week. The boy had been with Jungkook almost every single day of the week to practice the song he was going to sing in the very first live show. While it normally would have been a bit tiresome for the grey haired boy he hadn't really minded doing so much this week. The practice with Jungkook kept his mind away from all the shit that had happened last week and he truly was thankfull for that. Of course the singer also hadn't minded spending more time with his coach too. Jungkook and him had grown closer than ever before and Taehyung definitely couldn't deny that he had some feelings for the younger male. Then again he didn't blame himself for that fact, Jungkook was just perfect.

A soft sigh left the grey haired boy's mouth as he thought of all the events that had happened last week. Together with Jimin the two of them had sneakily stole some of Taehyung's possessions back when Bogum had been at work and now the grey haired boy was living together with his best friend. While Jimin's apartment wasn't that big Taehyung was definitely thankful he was allowed to stay there. Somehow it had felt really wrong to just keep infiltrating Jungkook's personal space all the time and while the younger had told Taehyung he could stay as long as he wanted in the guestroom the older boy had politely declined. It just felt wrong and since the grey haired boy really treasured the friendship he and Jungkook shared right now he wasn't willing to put that on the line.

Currently Taehyung was waiting in his dressing room. Since he had made it to the liveshows he was currently priviledged to his very own dressing room and that really made the singer feel like a true star. Of course he knew he wasn't even close to be one but a man could dream, right?

In less than ten minutes Taehyung had to make his way over to the stage to sing his song. An excited yet nervous feeling was present in the grey haired boy's body and he slowly took a deep breath in through his nose, while letting the air escape his lungs again through his mouth. This would be the very first time this season that the voice would be aired on live television. Every mistake Taehyung made would be watched by at least a few million people. Ohh how the grey haired boy just prayed that everything would go well.

The tactic for tonight was simple. Jimin would be watching him from the audience and right from the very first start Taehyung would just look for his face and focus on him the entire song. Jimin had been his best friend for ages now and somehow the grey haired boy was pretty certain the nerves inside his body would calm down a bit once he spotted the friendly face of his best friend.

The song Jungkook and Taehyung had chosen for this liveshow was quite hard. Even though it had been Taehyung who had requested to actually sing this song he had definitely doomed himself with quite a challenge. It had lots of higher notes that Taehyung would usually sing and the original singer's voice was a bit higher than his own. However somehow when Jungkook had asked Taehyung if he had a song in mind that he'd like to sing he had instantly replies with 'Beautiful mess'. Somehow that had been the first to come up to his mind and thus that would be the one he would be singing tonight.

Time flew by and before Taehyung knew it he was getting ready to walk up to the stage when suddenly a loud beeping noise filled the small space of his dressing room. Immediately the grey haired boy raised both his eyebrows in confusion before he quickly walked over to the small table where his phone was laying before opening it. It couldn't have been Jungkook or Jimin who had texted him since the two of them were actually busy watching the performances of the other contestants and apart form those two Taehyung hardly got any texts anyway.

A deep sigh left Taehyung's mouth as suddenly the familiar name of Bogum popped up on his screen. The red heart which had been behind his contact name ever since the two of them had gotten together was still present and Taehyung briefly closed his eyes. This literally had been the last thing he had needed right now. His whole body was practically eating itself up due to the nerves rushing through it and now only to make it even worse his soon to be ex boyfriend decided to text him, right before he had to go up stage.

Goodluck tonight baby. I know you can do it!

Another deep sigh left Taehyung's mouth as he read through the text and decided to put his phone away without replying. He would deal with this stuff later, right now he needed to get to the stage and prepare himself for the song he was going to sing. Of course Taehyung knew damn well that he and Bogum needed to talk about everything that had happened and the grey haired boy still needed to tell his boyfriend that he didn't want to continue with their relationship. However right now all that could wait, he had to sing a song as best as he could.

Quickly the grey haired boy left his dressing room and began to make his way to the back of the stage. He could hear the faint noise of Hoseok talking to the people at home and saying that if they wanted a certain contestant to stay in the race then they had to text a certain number to vote for them. Taehyung smiled softly at the words that had just left Hoseok's mouth. Within a few seconds that same voice would announce him and that would be his cue to walk on the stage and completely nail his performance.

"And up next we have a man with possibly the lowest voice we've ever heard in this program. The public has got to know him as a hard working and passionate boy who's dream it is to one day become a professional singer. Ladies and gentlemen give it up for Taehyung!" Hoseok spoke as he tried to hype up the public a bit before he pointed his arm in the direction where Taehyung was supposed to come on stage. The grey haired male quickly walked up the stage and immediately his eyes grew big at how much people were watching him. He knew that this stage would be quite a lot bigger than the one he had sang on during the battles and the blind audition. However this truly was unexpected by him.

Taehyung took a deep breath in before he walked up to the mic stand and nodded his head a bit. This would be it. This was his time to shine and he wouldn't let some small bit of stage fright conquer him. It was his dream to stand here and now that he was finally able to do so he wouldn't let himself fuck this opportunity up.

Before Taehyung knew it the music to the song he was going to sing started playing and the boy briefly closed his eyes as he let every single music note fill his ears. He had been living and breathing this song for over a week now and he knew every single tone of it by heart. Now the only thing left to do was nail it.

When the world shakes us

Trying to take us out of line

As the first two sentences left Taehyung's mouth a small smile started to play on his lips and he decided to open his eyes for the very first time in his performance. Immediately his eyes began to scan the audience for his best friend. However the lights on the stage were quite bright and thus Taehyung couldn't seem to make out any individual in the audience.

Fear of tomorrow

Feelings we borrow for a time

Fear started to creep up Taehyung's spine and a feeling of panic slowly started to take over his body. He couldn't find his comfort person and this wasn't going how he had planned it at all. Taehyung quickly closed his eyes again, trying to sing the words that left his mouth as beautiful as possible. This whole performance already didn't go as Taehyung had planned and he could only hope that it wouldn't be too noticeable for the coaches and the people at home.

Water so deep, how do we breathe?

How do we climb?

Taehyung slowly let himself get lost in the beautiful tones of music that filled his ears. He knew damn well that he should open his eyes soon. Who would want to watch a singer that keeps his eyes closed his entire performance. However the fear of all those people staring at him was still very much present in Taehyung's body.

So we stay in this mess

This beautiful mess tonight

A sudden rush of confidence suddenly filled Taehyung's body and he quickly opened his eyes again. The bright lights from before were still slightly blinding him and made it unable to look for Jimin in the audience. Not knowing where to look now Taehyung's eyes started to dart around the stage, trying to find something or someone who could calm his nerves with a single look, now that his person of choice was unavailable. Suddenly however, Taehyung began to look at the coaches, one by one. Jennie and Jisoo were smiling at him while Yoongi had a smirk on his face. However once Taehyung locked eyes with Jungkook his whole tense aura fell off.

And we don't have a thing to lose

No matter what they say or do

From that moment on Taehyung only looked at Jungkook. The younger had a small smile playing at his lips while his eyes portrayed a proud look in them. The brunette made Taehyung feel like there wasn't anyone in the room but them. Jungkook made Taehyung feel that bit of safety he so desperately needed.

I don't want nothing more

Our love is untouchable

At that moment Taehyung decided to just drop everything he had and give it his all. No more nerves soaring through his body. No more scared feelings getting the best of him. Right here, right now the only thing that mattered were him and Jungkook. Taehyung would sing this song for the boy who he had only known for a couple of months now yet dared to call one of his best friends already. Jungkook brought out the best in Taehyung and it was time to show everyone what the best in Taehyung actually meant.

Even in the line of fire

When everything is on the wire

Even up against the wall

Our love is untouchable

Our love is untouchable

When the colors turn gray

And the lights all fade to black again

We're in over our heads

But somehow we make it back again

Water so deep, how do we breathe?

How do we climb?

So we stay in this mess

This beautiful mess tonight

And we don't have a thing to lose

No matter what they say or do

I don't want nothing more

Our love is untouchable

Even in the line of fire

When everything is on the wire

Even up against the wall

Our love is untouchable

Taehyung absolutely nailed the rest of the song, his newfound confidence visible on his face and Jungkook looking more proud than ever before. All the while Taehyung had only held eye contact with his own coach, finding the strength in the brunette's face to show the world who he was and what he was capable of.

Before the grey haired boy knew it the song was over and the dim lights turned off only to be replaced with even brighter lights. A proud smile was visible on the singer's face and a soft sigh of relief left his lips now that he knew that he hadn't fucked up anything. He had made himself proud and he was more than statisfied with how his whole performance had turned out.

Before the grey haired boy noticed it Hoseok already ran up to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders while his eyes looked impressed. "Wow Taehyung. That was amazing!" The presenter spoke in his mic before he then turned towards the coaches and looked at them with a smile on his face. "Yoongi, what did you think of the performance?"

Immediately the mint haired rapper leaned a bit forward before he locked eyes with Taehyung. "With every performance you do Taehyung I get more salty about the fact that you are not in my team. You gave an outstanding performance today and I'm pretty sure you'll reach the finale without any difficulties." Yoongi spoke while smiling, a genuine tone lacing his voice. Immediately Taehyung's own lips began to form a smile and a happy feeling began to grow inside his chest.

Yoongi was known as someone who always spoke his mind. He wouldn't sugarcoat anything a contestant did and he wouldn't care to say it if someone had fucked up. The fact that Yoongi out of all people complimented him meant a really big deal to Taehyung because he knew that if it came from Yoongi then the older male truly meant it.

"Jungkook, would you like to say something to your own team member?" Hoseok then continued, giving the opportunity to comment on the grey haired boy's performance to none other than his own coach. Jungkook immediately nodded before he smiled happily at Taehyung. "Your voice is amazing and you know I think about it like this." Jungkook spoke and immediately Taehyung nodded. Every single time the two of them had practiced together the younger would comment on how much he loved Taehyung's voice and how he was the most unique voice he had ever heard.

"However when you stepped on that stage I could clearly tell that you were nervous and I must say you being nervous made me nervous too. However you pulled yourself together and you absolutely nailed this performance and for that I am so proud of you Tae." Jungkook spoke while locking eyes with Taehyung and sending him a genuine smile. Taehyung smiled back while a soft red blush began to form onto his cheeks. Jungkook knew him well enough to be able to read his body language and he had noticed him being really nervous. However he had also noticed Taehyung pulling himself back together and for that the grey haired boy was quite proud. He hadn't disappointed Jungkook.

"Taehyung did his absolute best today so that he doesn't have to go home and you can help him with that! Text Taehyung to 1332 and make sure that we will be able to watch another performance of him next week!" Hoseok spoke inside his mic again while focusing on one of the cameras. Taehyung smiled politely at the camera too and before he knew it he was making his way off the stage again while a proud feeling was soaring through his veins. He showed Korea all of his capabilities and he hadn't made a complete fool out of himself.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

❤️