rosy cheeks- tk

𝐜𝐡.𝐟𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧

Taehyung watched as Jungkook shut the door, his hand still in the air after waving to him. He looked around his apartment, looking for something to do. He walked around for a few minutes before walking into their shared bedroom.

He flipped on the lights, walking in and looking around for his favorite light green pacifier. He checked in all of the drawers, under the bed, the closet, even in their bathroom. He searched the whole apartment from top to bottom, all the drawers hanging open in his wake.

He shrugged his shoulders, grabbing some cash and walking out the door. There was no point in him going crazy over a $10 pacifier if he could go get another one.

~

Taehyung walked into the baby store in the mall, going straight for the pacifier section of the store. He looked all over, trying to find just the perfect one.

He found a green pacifier, the color slightly darker than his first one. The handle was a navy blue, a small kitten engraved on the right side. He grinned as he picked it up, grabbing the largest sized pacifier to buy. He glanced down at it, frowning when he realized that it was a little small for him.

He approached the counter, flagging down one of the sales associates. His hands were clammy and shaking slightly as he put the pacifier down on the counter. The nervousness was flowing off him in waves, and the man approaching him could tell as he flashed Taehyung a reassuring smile.

"What can I do for you?" the man asked politely.

"U-Uhm I was wondering if you had a-any bigger sizes of this pacifier?" Taehyung asked, trying to avoid the man's eyes.

"Well, I'm not sure. I believe that the biggest size we have. How big is your child? That will help in deciding which to pick," the man offered, typing away on his computer.

"W-Well, it's not for a-a child, per say," Taehyung said.

The salesman's eyes furrowed in confusion. "Then who is it for?"

"I-It's for, um, m-me," Taehyung said, flinching as the man's eyes widened in shock.

"I-I'm sorry. What do you mean 'for you'?" the man spit out, his face contorted in utter disgust. "You're fucking repulsive! Get the fuck out of my store!"
Taehyung whimpered as he turned around, running through the small crowd that had gathered around the entranceway.

He lost his footing, tripping in the middle of the group, whimpering as the people around him stared at him with revolting looks on their faces.

Taehyung ran out of the store, trying to keep the tears from falling down onto his cheeks. He stopped running just as he exited the mall, looking up at the sky to try and stop himself from crying. This was the second time this had happened to him now. He was starting to believe they were right.

He looked back at the parking lot in front of him and spotted some people looking at him. Taehyung's cheeks burned and he avoided their eyes, starting to walk away from the store. He sniffled, his nose getting a little runny and his throat getting tight.

Taehyung wandered through side streets, obviously not learning his lesson from before. He pulled his hood up over his face and avoided everyone he could. He eventually stumbled upon a small playground, choking back his sobs. He hid under the slide until he stopped crying so hard.

His bum was starting to hurt from the wood chips, so he stood up and sniffled, wiping his face. Taehyung moved over to the swings and sat on one, softly kicking the ground to move him a bit.

~

Jungkook picked his phone up for the tenth time, checking for a text from Taehyung he knew didn't come. He was really worried about Taehyung. He had turned up the last time, but he was lost and hurt. Jungkook didn't know if he could handle that again - him or the elder. Giving up, he called Hoseok.