But Beautiful

part 20

“Yellow,” Jungkook commented, crouching down beside Taehyung. It was late afternoon, the physiotherapy having gone well, Taehyung even doing more reps than he was asked. Jungkook felt confident that he would regain his strength, especially with consistent encouragement. He watched the patient paint swirls of yellow on the canvas, which remained mostly blank save for some splotches of blue. “You’re using more color now,” he added, resting a hand on the small of his back. “I like it.”

Taehyung dunked his paintbrush into a cup of water, adding some haphazardly to the canvas. Jungkook watched the water mix with the streaks of thick yellow he had just painted, thinning it out and spreading in abstract shapes. Taehyung leaned his head towards Jungkook, resting his cheek on the top of his head as he dipped his wet paintbrush into the blue paint, adding watercolor splotches to the running yellow, creating messy lines dripping a muddled green.

“Have you thought about painting anything in particular?” Jungkook asked, his insides feeling fuzzy and warm at the show of trust Taehyung made. “Maybe flowers, or trees, or animals…” he trailed off, coming to a stand once Taehyung leaned forward to open the tube of red paint, squeezing a dollop onto his palette. Jungkook looked over him, gently resting his hand on the back of Taehyung’s head as he started mixing the new color with the water, the results a more rust colored brown than red. “Have you had a shower?” the resident asked, fingers getting tangled in his hair as he tried to run them through it. Taehyung shook his head, standing up abruptly and taking his painting into the supply room to dry. Jungkook began capping the paints, curiously taking note of the notebook that laid beside Taehyung’s chair. He wondered if there was anything written in it, standing up to take the paints into the supply room. “I saw your notebook,” he began, watching Taehyung rummage through art supplies. “Have you gotten the chance to write anything yet?”

Taehyung turned and looked at him, reaching his hand out and leading Jungkook from the small room when he grasped it. He went to the corner, picked up his notebook, and held it close to himself. When he began walking out of the social room and started down the hall, Jungkook was paged to Dr. Yoo’s office.

“I have to see Dr. Yoo,” Jungkook said, Taehyung changing course and heading towards the man’s office. Jungkook laughed at the swift change in direction, a little surprised at the wide strides Taehyung made towards the doctor’s office. When they arrived, Taehyung opened the door, pushing Jungkook inside ahead of him before boldly taking a seat next to Jungkook when he sat down.

“What a lovely surprise,” the older man commented, a genuine look of astonishment on his face. “What brings you to the office?” he asked Taehyung, who kept his eyes averted but jolted Jungkook’s hand forward, showing him their intertwined fingers. “Ah, are you two a package deal now?” he chuckled, looking at Jungkook as the resident’s cheeks flushed, a shade of pink blooming over them.

“Ah, he was going to take a shower, I believe,” Jungkook said, clearing his throat. “He did a lot of hip abductions today. I did a gluteal fascia release afterwards because he was quite sore, but I’m really proud of his hard work.”

“That’s a lot to be proud of,” Dr. Yoo replied, looking over Taehyung. “Is he going to shower alone this time or did he invite you with him?” he joked casually, the two other men now both red in the face.

“I, I mean, he just… I had mentioned-”

“I’m just messing around, Jungkook. You know how I feel about it.”

Taehyung looked up at the resident, tilting his head to the side as if asking him for details. Jungkook smiled at him, turning his attention back to his mentor. “I know, sir. I was just accompanying him.”