Art Block

Chapter Twenty

CHAPTER TWENTY:

[Trigger Warning: violence]

"Yoongi," Taehyung started, slurping down his noodles.

"Mm," he mumbled around a mouth full.

"How's it been with Hobi since your date?"

For some reason, completely unbeknownst to Taehyung, the latter started choking, gaining the unwanted attention of the couple sitting at the table next to them. They were eating at their favorite noodle place, it was dark and not very crowded, just what Taehyung needed in order to conceal himself from the press.

"Uh, why? Why does it matter?" Yoongi asked, his cheeks heating up. Could it be from lack of air? Embarrassment? Being caught off guard? Taehyung could only guess.

"Come on, you guys had a good time, right?"

Yoongi nodded his head, wiping his mouth with a napkin, refusing to meet Taehyung's eyes.

"Yoongi...what aren't you telling me?"

The older shook his head and took a shot of soju, busying himself to avoid the conversation. Clearly this was a touchy subject...but Taehyung didn't particularly care. Yoongi was always supporting his emotions and talking to him through tough shit, so this was his time to give back, let him know how much he cares...and maybe to berate him a little. Just a little...

"Alright, let me ask you this: have you texted him? Talked to him since then?"

Yoongi shook his head, Taehyung's eyes widening in disbelief. "I cannot believe you...and I can't believe Hoseok...He's so outgoing! I'd picture him as the guy to text right after you got home!"

Yoongi cleared his throat awkwardly, the pieces puzzling together in Taehyung's mind. "You haven't answered his texts?"

"No," he muttered out embarrassingly. And he should be embarrassed, Tae thought, why wouldn't he text back??

"Why?!" he said a little louder than necessary. Hoseok was such a nice guy! And Yoongi had come back from the date looking like the happiest man on earth. He even gushed about how great of a time it was! Taehyung doesn't understand what went wrong...

"I just-" he took a bite of his noodles, stalling for time.

Taehyung took a mouthful of noodles too, not wanting them to go cold.

"I don't know what to say," he finished. "Yeah, I had a great time. He's a great guy, we both know that, but some part of me is a little insecure, I guess? I don't know. I'm not sure I even make sense, but it's been a really long time since I've been in a relationship and I don't want to mess this up. So when I went to reply I couldn't think of how to respond correctly or in a way that wouldn't make me come off as weird and by the time I thought of something too much time had passed and I thought it'd be weird if I answered so late and I've just been overthinking and spiralling and I already managed to mess things up before they even started." As soon as he finished his anxious ramble, he threw his elbows onto the table and held his head in his hands.

Taehyung wasn't expecting that response in the slightest. It's been a long time since Yoongi has come to him with any of his worries, and he feels partly responsible for that. If Yoongi weren't too busy tending to Taehyung's emotions, then maybe he'd have more time to work on himself, and rid himself from these anxieties. And if Taehyung weren't so caught up in himself, then maybe he would've caught on to why Yoongi seemed so opposed to dating and help him through it. But alas, his selfish need to be sad or wallow in self pity for three days straight has obscured his eyes from seeing what's truly important. Why can't he just be a better friend? Why can't he take care of Yoongi just as much as Yoongi cares for him?