When The Tiger Lilies Bloom | Taekook

28. A Piece Of Me

"I don't know, Jimin.."

The voice from the other side came out strained, as if his best friend was doing something other than dancing and Taehyung didn't want to go there with his imagination skills. Knowing that Jimin has all ears to him, even if he was murdering someone, Taehyung continued with his ramble while curling to himself on the couch, in their shared apartment.

His glance got struck by the rain drops hitting the window, the splattering sound making a rhythm with his heartbeats, mind feeling at ease after the chaos had ended for good, even if it took a little time for him to accept wholly.

He had found ways to stop his raging heart from thinking about that one thing that would squeeze the life out of him, and he started doing something productive again, that is- painting.

"It felt like I was talking to myself. As if I was standing in front of a mirror and the reflection was talking to me"

He had never thought to share that experience with anyone. But weeks later, here he was, reminiscing about what happened at the library, what he saw like a dream in between his short nap.

Now that he felt it was safe to touch that topic again, he oh so badly wanted to talk to Jimin about it and it had nothing to do with his best friend nagging him day and night to get something out of him about what really happened between Taehyung and---

"It must be some dream, Tae. You know how weird library naps could get"

Oh, he knows. Once he was sleeping on his usual table with his Philosophy note open, drooling on the pages and after an hour when he opened his eyes he was right on the table of--

"Tae, you there?"

Jimin panted hard through the phone and Taehyung scrunched up his nose while shifting his body slightly on the couch.

"Are you sure you're really dancing, Diminie? Or are you making out with Hobi--"

Knock.

Taehyung could hear Jimin cursing at him, saying that the call was on loudspeaker but he didn't care since the knocking on their apartment door did not seem to stop.

He sprinted on his legs with a puzzled expression on his face, thinking how it was a rainy evening and no one in their right mind would go to other dorm rooms- unless they wanted to prank.

He walked cautiously towards the door, not hanging up on the phone in his hand, and took the ketchup bottle in his other hand- for safety measures, of course- not that he was planning to use them.
He tried his level best to ignore the screaming of Jimin through the phone and twisted the doorknob.

"Tae, who's at the door? Don't open it if you can't see them through the peephole. I swear to God, if it's that Mark and his friends again invite you to that weird party, then I'm going to--"

"--Kook--!"

"Okay, never mind"

Before Taehyung could register everything, the phone in his hand beeped, indicating that Jimin had cut the call and would probably be biting his nails thinking about the million ways to get out of the dance studio and reach Taehyung.
He wanted to laugh at the thought but it all came back to his senses when he held his gaze straight with the man in front of him.

It was really Jeon Jungkook, gone the liveliness of his face, completely drained in the rain, face pale, dark circles under his eyes, hair sticking to his forehead, lips chapped as if he sucked the blood dry out of them, hands curled into a fist and looking like a total debacle in front of him.

Taehyung held his breath tight while looking at the younger. He knew the chain of hurt was slowly starting to sting from the back of his head, filling tears in his eyes but he was also aware that he came too far from the pain and suffering.