BLACK ON BLACK | TK

Chapter Fifteen

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"I surrender who I've been for who you are
For nothing makes me stronger than your fragile heart
If I had only felt how it feels to be yours
Well, I would have known what I've been living for all along."

Taehyung spent most of his days painting since that was his main job and his only source of income, even if it didn't feel like a job for him. Taehyung did it because he enjoyed it—because it was the only passion he had and he adored it. Still, it was stressful—being an artist. Not going out for days and locking yourself up was something he often did because, for Taehyung at least, when a source of inspiration found him, he had to grip it in his fingers and paint until he could feel content with his finished project. Jimin was the one who always knew why Taehyung suddenly went missing for a few days, the older making sure that nothing bad had happened to him and that he was just distracted by his work. In those days, Jimin always appeared in his apartment with fresh food, take out, food for his dogs, even resumed to taking care of the dogs' daily walks since he knew how stressful everything could become for his friend. Taehyung was extremely grateful for having someone like Jimin in his life and he often thought that everyone deserved a person like his friend in theirs—kind, filled with love and warmth. Jimin was simply the kindest human Taehyung's ever met.

By then, Taehyung had already become accustomed to his freind's antics so he now ignored the sounds around him or the sound of the door opening since it was always only Jimin who came to his apartment, his friend already owning a key to his door. Jimin moved around like he lived there himself and that didn't annoy Taehyung—it made him feel good, knowing that his friend was comfortable enough to do all that on his own without thinking that he was being a bother.

On that day, he did the same thing, sitting on his chair for hours and paining, because there was a huge exhibition coming soon and Taehyung had to finish a series of paintings to present in it in order to find sponsors and buyers. When he heard the door of his apartment open, he ignored it as he made himself more comfortable in his chair, his large sweatshirt falling down his body as he felt shivers down his whole body for a few seconds. Taehyung was normally a person who enjoyed the colder seasons but that didn't mean he enjoyed feeling cold. Jimin always told him he was unreal because, even during the warmest days of summer, Taehyung still slept hidden under a thick blanket. His body always felt cold and that day, especially, it felt even worse—like he was freezing from the inside out. He has a sweatshirt draped over his body and a pair of sweatpants—he even had a thick, comfortable, socks on but he still felt like freezing.

When the sound of the door echoed around him, Taehyung took the time to retrieve a think blanket from the stool nearby him, draping it around his shoulders as he picked up his paint stained brush and resumed his painting, making sure to let Jimin know that he was aware of his presence.

"There's money for food on the table, Jimin!" He raised his voice, hoping that the other would be able to hear him from the entrance. "Get as much as you want!" Continuing, Taehyung put his brush back on the canvas and swiped it over some areas.

He heard footsteps approaching but he blocked them out for a few seconds since he was too focused on blending the colors on his canvas together. Still, when a voice that was most certainly not Jimin's echoed behind him, Taehyung found himself dropping his brush on the floor, a silent curse falling past his lips when he noticed the stain of paint that was now covering his floor.

"I've already brought food and it'll be my treat this time." The voice seemed to fill the whole space of his apartment, making the silence Taehyung was used to feel irrelevant then. It felt warmth, hearing that voice inside the comfort of his home—it felt like that voice was what's been missing from the safety of his apartment.