Tales of the Unspoken

Axioms and Galaxies

Hoseok's most ardent wish was a shower and a full night's rest. The practice went on till later than he initially planned. He agreed together with Jungkook that it most certainly wasn't their best evening. Although everything started with a high level of energy, they had to stop various times because the maknae got tired faster than he cared to admit and he kept messing up. They even had a coffee mid-rehearsal, in order to be able to continue. Hobi suggested it as a way for Jungkook to relax for a couple of minutes and possibly pick himself back up. The results were still disappointing. Unfortunately, even if they made progress and accomplished certain things, it moved too slowly for either of them to be happy about the practice.

Hobi patted the maknae on the shoulder as he tried to comfort him one last time before entering his room and heading straight for the much-needed shower. The poor attempt at cheering him up was completely ignored by Jungkook who dragged himself back to his room, obviously dissatisfied with the very late hour and quasi-failure.

Hobi entered his room quietly and hit the switch to turn the lights on in the bathroom. As soon as enough light pierced the darkness, he observed that Taehyung's bed was empty. He approached it to make sure that the boy was not hidden under the covers and when he realized he was alone he hit the main switch and went in for his shower, surprised.

Jungkook pushed open the door to his room and entered with a loud sigh. He was frustrated and tired and his head was hurting. The pain was enough to be annoying but it wasn't serious. With no intention of being quiet, he dropped his backpack on the floor and hit the lights.

Just as it was a surprise for Hobi to see that Taehyung was missing from his bed, it was a revelation for the maknae to see the boy sleeping between his black sheets. He was hugging Jungkook's pillow and his hair was a complete mess from all the tossing and turning. Tae looked undisturbed, with his lips parted, as he occupied the entire bed in a weird sleeping position that seemed comfortable and impossible at the same time.

A wave of happiness washed over Jungkook when he saw how ridiculously peaceful Taehyung was, despite all the commotion. The maknae allowed himself a couple of seconds to enjoy the sight before going in his own bathroom to wash up and prepare for the night.

He got into the shower and figured out the best temperature for the water. He knew that hot water was recommended for muscle pain and he forced himself to keep it above the heat he was used to. As expected, it did help but it also made him extremely drowsy and sad. His body hurt under the splashes of water and bruises screamed at him here and there, reminding him that the practice was a catastrophe. He felt like crying because nothing in his life made sense anymore. He was loved and he did his best to be worthy of all of it but he couldn't shake the feeling that everything was fake... fake happiness, fake life... fake love...

Did he start crying? He didn't know. If he did, then his tears were as warm as the water pouring over his face. After he finished cleaning himself he looked in the mirror and his eyes were red and puffy. His body was giving off all the signals that it needed rest but his mind was sluggishly refusing to shut down rampant thoughts. He blamed the coffee and got dressed for bed.

He slid under the covers and turned to Tae which was sitting on his side.

"Hey, Kookie... you smell nice." Two wide eyes observed him through the darkness, like stars in the dead of the night.

Jungkook felt a shiver rush down his spine and tickle his tired limbs. It was incredibly good to hear Tae's playful voice. He took Tae's hand in his and he kissed the palm gently. He didn't want to find an explanation for his gesture as he didn't want to hide the fact that his cheeks were wet again.