peace | taekook

chapter six

taehyung stared into the emptiness of his fridge and cursed himself for not buying groceries while he was near the store the other day. nights and coffee shops had made his need to cook obsolete but the churning of his stomach, a gnarly hangover creeping in, reminded him that he needed to at least keep some crackers stocked.

"why are you banging cabinets so loud?" jimin poked his head out from his bedroom. his blonde hair was strewn about, his torso completely uncovered.

taehyung rolled his eyes, "tough night?"

"how can you tell?" he glanced down to reveal purple and red marks all along his collar bone and neck, "good point! are we ordering delivery or are you going to attempt to cook with an old bottle of soy sauce and potentially expired pasta?"

the dark-haired male crinkled his nose in disgust at the thought of the combination falling into a pit of last night's tequila binge, "i fucked up jimin."

"what do you mean?" the boy was already scrolling on his phone, searching for a place that would bring avo toast right to their door step.

"what i said to jungkook last night! who am i? who do i think i am?" his head fell to the counter, grateful for the sensation of cool granite, "i was so aggressive. that's not me!"

"it's drunk you?"

"drunk me isn't real me. now he's going to expect me to be a certain way! i'm pretty sure i asked him to paint me naked?" taehyung felt himself tugging at strands of hair, desperate to take back his ask.

"oh my gosh! you could display it in the main hallway or better yet, your office!" jimin clapped at the thought of namjoon walking into a half naked picture of his brother; he'd be floored and horrified.

"i have to go tell him that i take back what i said and that we should probably just never talk unless it's for something related to us never talking again." taehyung frantically searched for his second sandal and a pair of sunglasses, disregarding the fact that jimin was looking at him like he was insane, "and you know what, i'm going to write him a check for that painting and i'm going to gift it to somebody for some birthday down the line so that i don't walk past something that says jungkook on it for the rest of my life!"

"you are jumping past a conclusion and into a whole little delusional world you made up. now, important question! coffee? or matcha?" the blonde disregarded the scene in front of him for a moment to focus on food.

"neither... i'll just grab a bagel on the way back."

"aww!" jimin cooed, "your stress food. you really are worked up?"

"has that not been completely clear?" taehyung suddenly felt like he was talking to a brick wall, "just never mind; i'll see you later."

the dark haired male escaped down the hallway, the shuffling of his sandals against the carpet and the dinging of elevator buttons the only noise in the entire complex and yet, his head felt like it would explode with each one. everything felt amplified, aggressive even as it hit his ear drum.

the sounds of the city didn't help. the whole place never slept despite time constraints and weekends- everyone was always out in full swing. he saw a group pass with yoga mats, a few couples holding hands and arguing over lunch spots. in the distance he could see his favorite sin-filled shop but he wouldn't allow himself to stop. not until he'd talked to jungkook.

his stomach wouldn't allow it.

most people would have forgotten the route immediately but something about the path to jungkook's studio seemed like it was paved in gold. he remembered the stoplights, and the crossings, and the little grocery store that sat off the street before. he remembered the torn apart billboard that led him all the way to the tattered tattoo sign which was currently unlit despite the buzz that was clearly visible through the window.