Wild For You

13. Baby Steps

Taehyung thought that existing as a tiger for the last forty years had been hard, but it wasn't nearly as hard as trying to converse with Gemini. After Namjoon had seen the state of his shredded pants, he had left the two of them to talk while he ran off to grab Taehyung another pair. Gemini seemed slightly confused about why Taehyung couldn't do it, but didn't argue, especially not since Namjoon left her with a new selection of books to look at that needed to be shelved. Taehyung stood numbly alongside her while her eyes scanned the book jackets, picking up a book once she had found one she had liked.

'You've got to say something to her,' thought Taehyung as he stood watching her eyes thoughtfully read the book summary of the book in her hands.

Taehyung found though - that every time he tried to open his mouth to talk - he'd be immediately closing it. He couldn't help but think of Chan-mi every time he looked at Gemini. Chan-mi had been the last woman he'd been with and it had ended horribly. As Taehyung fought to keep images of her death from his mind, he lifted his head and made eye contact with Yoongi. Yoongi had sprawled back out on the sofa with his arms crossed across his chest. He was faking sleep; Taehyung having already caught him once cracking one eye open to look his way. Taehyung knew that Yoongi didn't trust him. That fact was as clear as day.

As Taehyung looked at Yoongi, he paled when he thought he spotted Sung-ho standing a few feet behind him; his lack of eyes not dispelling the fact that he was looking right at Taehyung with a twisted smile on his face. Taehyung closed his eyes for a moment as he moved to lean back against the bookshelf, trying to take slow breaths to steady himself.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Taehyung opened his eyes. Sung-ho was gone and instead Gemini's face was in front of his. She looked at him with her eyebrows narrowed in concern. She put aside the book that she had been looking at before reaching out a hand to gently put it on his forearm. The sudden touch jumped him, causing her to look even more concerned. Sure he had hugged Namjoon and leaned on him for support once already, but he still wasn't used to being touched human-to-human anymore.

"You look like you've seen a ghost or something," continued Gemini. "You look super pale. How about you try sitting down?"

Taehyung nodded his head as Gemini kept her gentle grip on his arm, helping him to sit down on the floor. She moved to crouch down in front of him, pressing the back of her other hand to his forehead.

"You don't feel like you have a fever or anything," said Gemini. "Maybe you're overheated. I can go get you some water..."

Taehyung began to panic. Gemini was about to walk away and who knew if she would walk too far away and cause him to turn back into a tiger right in Yoongi's view. Just as Gemini was about to move away, Taehyung reached out a hand to gently grab a hold of her wrist.

"No...I'm fine. Stay?..."

Gemini paused as she looked at him before nodding.

"Are you sure you're okay though?"

Taehyung quickly nodded his head. Gemini looked at him for a moment more before moving to sit down beside him on the ground. Taehyung could tell that Gemini was still looking over at him, but he didn't know what to say. He put his hands in his lap, looking down at his fingers as the silence stretched between them. It felt so foreign to him to have his fingers back; a blessing that would be taken away from him again the moment Gemini left.

"You don't speak very much, do you?" asked Gemini finally as Taehyung lifted his head to look over at her before shaking it.

"Why not?"

"I...I worry about saying stupid," he admitted with a blush tinting his pale cheeks.

"Look, I'll let you in on a secret," said Gemini, pretending to drop her voice to a whisper even though she wasn't. "Yoongi says stupid things all the time, and yet he still talks."