Nyctophilia // A Taekook Story

F I F T Y - F I V E

Taehyung was pissed.

His caramel-gold skin was flecked with chalky streaks of chipping, ebony-black paint, and sweat coated his entire body like a suffocating suit. His legs ached and whined from standing on the ladder for so long, and his arms felt so sore the boy expected them to drop at any moment.

After the four men had gotten home in the morning, Yoongi proposed the idea to begin painting the studio. All of them had agreed giddily (especially Hoseok and Taehyung), almost immediately splitting responsibilities and getting to work.

However, the painting wasn't the problem.

Taehyung's problem was Jungkook.

The ravenette had been not-so-discreetly ignoring the brunette like the other had ceased to exist. Taehyung hadn't thought much about it at first, but when Jungkook had chosen to work as far away from him as possible, it was obvious something wasn't right. And the averting-his-gaze and not-making-eye-contact weren't helping much either.

I don't even get why he's ignoring me? Taehyung furrowed his crescent brows, staring intensely at the thick, dark liquid that sealed the dull, gray stone underneath. Did I do something wrong? Did he not like the ponytails I gave him? I told you they would be too cringey, Taehyung. But he looked so adorable in them.

"Tae!" Hoseok's mellow voice brushed Taehyung's sweat-dripping ears. The brunette glanced down from the top of the sturdy ladder, smiling tiredly at his hyung. "How's it going?"

Beads of sweat rolled down the fawn-eyed man's sun kissed temples, his coffee-brown hair pushed back with the golden-rod headband Taehyung had given to him as a gift. Black paint was crumbling off his long fingers, and his loose, cotton shirt kissed his handsome body in all the right places. Hoseok had been working as long as Taehyung, yet somehow the older was still sparkling like a swaying, crystal chandelier.

"It's all good, Hyung," Taehyung replied, mustering up the gentlest smile he could manage without making his tension transparent. "I'm almost done with the final coat. How are the others holding up?"

Hoseok pressed his back against the painted (and dried) wall before sliding down to rest on his bum. He brushed his wrist over the skin above his upper lip, capturing the diamonds of sweat that kissed his tan skin. "They're done with the second coat of beige. Yoongi Hyung started with the streaks of lime green, and Jungkook is working on placing the wood tiles down."

Taehyung nodded. It was true the men had been working for hours, but they were all fueled with the motivation and the strive to completely renovate the studio.

Hoseok had managed to scrape up enough money from his extra shifts to buy the smooth (and slightly worn) wooden tiles that would replace the hard, brittle, cement floor despite the other three men's constant offering of help. The honey-eyed male truly had been determined to pay for it all himself, so that's what he had done.

"Does Kook need any help? I'm almost done with the painting, so I can go in and help place all the wood," Taehyung asked, dipping his thickly-bristled brush into the deep black paint before lathering it onto the exterior.

"Nah, he said he was good," Hoseok sighed, resting his head back against the burning wall.

The brunette glimpsed at his exhausted hyung, his heart twisting lightly. He got up earlier than all of us; I mean, after cutting down the pills, he's always the one that wakes up first.

Hobi Hyung looks so tired.

A blissful thought suddenly swished into his mind like a fresh, crisp breeze. I should order a big feast once we're done with the painting. It'll be like a mini celebration. I got pay check pretty recently anyway.