art || vkook || discontinued

a mess

yoongi gave taehyung permission to stay the night, knowing that the painter is exhausted. the initial plan was for him to sleep on the couch but jungguk had protested, insisting that the bed in the guest room is big enough for two people. his adorable, pouty lips and sparkling doe eyes had caused the others to cave, not that they had any intention of turning him down to begin with. as soon as the boy is given confirmation that he and taehyung will share the room, jungguk makes his way down the hallway at the fastest pace he can manage to clean the space up.

yoongi stands at the mouth of the hall, watching jungguk in case he falls. he sighs, turning back to the other two men once the bedroom door closes behind the boy. he sits on the coach and allows himself to fall to the side, laying his head in namjoon’s lap. taehyung smiles at the sight, admiring the relationship the two have. the brunet can’t help but feel a hint of jealousy as namjoon cards his fingers through yoongi’s hair. it’s become rare that he and his roommates have moments like this and he misses them with all his heart.

when taehyung had first moved in with jimin and seokjin, when he had been fragile and scared and hated everything about himself, it was a common occurrence for the three of them, along with hyunsik, who had lived with them at the time, to all lay on taehyung’s bed, squished together and arms around each other. it was in those moments that the brunet had felt safest, when he had felt happiest. he laid there each night with three people who loved him more than he had ever been loved before, giggling as jimin kissed the scars that litter his stomach, and he was able to feel whole again.

taehyung had taken a long time to get better. it was almost two years of crying and screaming and wishing he was dead, but he improved. he feels like that’s when the affection stopped; once he was past the point of needing constant reassurance that he wasn’t a waste of time and space, once hyunsik left, jimin and seokjin, though they didn’t love him any less, seemed to distance themselves a bit. they no longer had late night cuddle sessions, no longer held taehyung as he fell asleep. he knows that his friends have no intention of abandoning him, but, sometimes, his insecurities get the best of him, sometimes he spends hours, curled up in a ball on his bed, reminding himself that he is loved.

taehyung doesn’t realize how far his mind has wandered until a rough voice breaks through his thoughts. he startles, takes in a shaky breath, and turns his attention to the source of the sound. yoongi is sitting up, worried gaze glued to the painter. it’s when their eyes meet that taehyung notices that his cheeks are wet. he runs the backs of his hands against his face, laughing at his own, as he deems it, childish display of emotion.

“sorry, i didn’t-”

“hey, don’t apologize.” yoongi offers a compassionate smile as he creates a bit of distance between himself and namjoon. “c’mere.” he pats the space he has made on the couch and taehyung makes his way over, wedging himself between the two older men.

the brunet’s eyes are fixed on his hands. he’s embarrassed, he always is after public emotional displays, but the kindness that radiates from the expressions of both yoongi and namjoon tells him that he has no need to be ashamed. taehyung had been intimidated by the pair at first, namjoon’s size and yoongi’s hard-set eyes making for quite the scary duo, but, through continuous interaction, he has come to the conclusion that, although a bit rough around the edges, the two men are nothing but kind.

“you wanna tell us what’s wrong?” yoongi pulls taehyung toward him, the painter now leaning into the blond’s side, head on his shoulder.

“just feeling a bit melancholic, i suppose.” he sighs, closing his eyes. “it’s dumb.”

“if it’s enough to make you cry then it isn’t dumb, taehyung.” the blond pulls the elastic from taehyung’s hair with a gentle hand before running his fingers through the brunet locks, doing his best to offer comfort.