Roses and Coffins| kth x jjk

19. Pain

Taehyung flung his camera on the bed, frustrated at himself. He stopped trying to take a good picture a few minutes ago, admitting defeat after his lack of attention.

What could he do? He couldn't even sit still for a moment.

Taehyung paced around in his room and eventually collapsed on the bed. Immediately, there's a picture painting itself behind his eyelids. A picture of a small nose, pink lips caught in between bunny like teeth. His heart ached to touch the pictures, but at the same time he wanted to throw them far far away.

After that little incident at the shop, he couldn't stop thinking of the younger. The way his voice resembled the soft winds, light and airy. The way his eyes, just an ordinary brown, seemed to look like pools of molten chocolate, warm and inviting. The smoothness of his skin, how soft it felt under his hand-even if it was for a second-was something he couldn't make himself forget.

Taehyung stood up and walked towards his closet. Silks, cottins, polyester, a dozen fabrics and colours decorate its insides. He absolutely adored the clothes he's secured over the years, each extremely loved and cared for. He loves the feel of fabrics, their ruffles, their blends all doing wonders to his mood. After some thinking, Taehyung pulls out a light blue shirt, pairing it with beige slacks. He opened the drawer for his shoes, exhaling softly as he put on his favourite black canvas shoes. They're just too comfortable to resist.

Exiting his room, Taehyung slowly walked through the quiet corridor, the railings, below which the main hall was seen, cold under his long fingers. The chandelier hung from the ceiling, now not as bright as it were before when Irene and Jungkook had arrived. Taehyung swears he can almost imagine what this place would be like if mages started coming here again. He closed his eyes and stopped, drifting away to a different time, with a constant buzz of energy, wisps of beautiful and numerous shades flowing in the air and entertaining with golden ones. He saw the Library of-

"Taehyung? What are you doing?"

Taehyung startled and stumbled back a bit, all sceneries evaporating from his mind as he took in the person before him. Jimin had a slight pout, which he usually did whenever he was confused, and was carrying a clipboard with him. If he noticed his best friend's slightly messed up hair, he didn't say it. Everyone already knew who'd be the reason behind it.

"Hey," he replied, his voice betraying his efforts to seem upbeat. Jimin's eyes turned cloudy with worry, the reaper not caring to hide his emotions.

"You want to talk? Let's go to my office."

Before Taehyung could voice any of his protests, Jimin took his hand and dragged him down the stairs, all the while talking animatedly about the new show he was watching. It felt nice to think about something else, as he found himself asking in questions from time to time. Jimin reached the brown double doors and pushed open, Taehyung following in closely behind.

Huge shelves lined the walls, reaching the ceiling. Ladders were placed after every few rows, each one glowing golden as Jimin entered. The older set the clipboard down, and the glow diminished from them. Crystals balls sat on the wooden shelves, each one an array of pastel colours, souls with years of memories and deeds swirling inside the cases. Taehyung wondered absentmindedly how they'd look after the winter solstice, when all souls would be collected and sent to the Halls of Judgement.

Jimin broke his train of thoughts as he thrusted a glass filled with pineapple juice forward.

"A glass for your thoughts?" Taehyung smiled.

"How's Yoongi hyung doing?" Jimin raised an eyebrow at that.

"And why, pray tell, are you asking me about him?"

"You know why, you both are so disgusting its hard to even stay in the same room anymore."

"We're not! We're just....affectionate."

Taehyung rolled his eyes.

"Sure, enough to make a public display of it. I can't believe you guys had the audacity to full on make out while I spread ketchup on my bread."

Jimin started to get that look in his eyes, where he turned all starry eyed and looked like he could hold the entire universe in his irises. Taehyung mentally oh-ohed. He messed up.

"You wouldn't understand, Tae. It's not only the fact that we're in a relationship or we're in love. I love him, I love showing it off too, even though Yoongi doesn't like it at times. I can't help it, every time I see him, I feel like I only have these few moments, to show him I love him. I feel as though he'll disappear if I'm too late, that maybe this is the last time I'll see him again."

Taehyung lost all mischief as he heard Jimin's words. Jimin never, ever told him things like these. He's wondered about how Jimin and Yoongi came to be, Baekhyun once telling him that they'd he'd know in due time.

"Why Jiminie? Did...did something happen before...?"

Jimin smiled at him, and it's a very sad smile, a smile that seemed to hold a lot of pain. Taehyung wanted to so desperately take it away.

"You could say that. It was a really long time ago, but I don't think both of us would ever forget those gruelling years. I've hated Fate for years even after it happened...but I guess I realised something as my hatred started fading day by day."

"What was it?"

Jimin looked up, and gazing straight at his eyes. It held so much intensity, Taehyung wanted to look away. But he couldn't, at least not now.

"Sometimes pain is the only way love can heal."