Gucci Boy

Day Twenty

Please be more patient than usual for the next few weeks for updates on all of my works. Those who know me know that I have been struggling with a strained shoulder and some joint problems, and have been doing physical therapy for a few weeks. They added in armbands to my PT this past week, which is good, except that it has caused my pain to go back to the level it was at about two months ago. I am a musician and need my shoulder fully functioning (as best as can be, I suppose) by the time I go back to college in about two-three months, so I need to focus on my recovery. I have also been sick a lot recently and have had a difficult time getting better due to the stress of my injury and my summer classes. I will update every few days, but it will be rare for me to update more often than that. For this story, I usually write the next few chapters over a couple of days, so the updates may be more frequent than my other work.

Thank you everyone for reading this, and thank you all for being patient with me while I recover. I purple you all!

I hope you enjoy this update! 😊
~~KJ💜

"I feel the love
And I feel it burn
Down this river every turn
Hope is a four letter word"

"God, you're such an ass, Jungkook!" I felt a light punch to my arm, but it was hard enough to leave my arm throbbing.

"Hey! It's not being an ass, it's called being honest, Baek."

He threw a handful of popcorn at me, making me laugh. I kicked him lightly in the shoulder, causing him to fall off the couch, spilling the bowl of popcorn all over himself.

"See?" Baekhyun chuckled. "An ass."

I opened my mouth to respond when I heard a knock on the door. I checked the time on my phone and cursed. "Shit I didn't think he was coming today."

I got up and opened the door, seeing a smiling Taehyung. "Hey Kookie!"

"Hey Tae. Um, I'm sorry, I didn't realize that you were coming today."

"I wasn't. My boss said he didn't need me to come in so he gave me the day off, and I figured we could hang out!"

"Jungkoookkkk. What's taking so long?" I heard Baekhyun's feet getting closer before the door opened all the way. I felt my breath hitch as I felt my friend wrap an arm around my waist, pulling my body close to his.

Taehyung's eyes went wide as he took a step back. "Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't realize that you had company. I'll get going now and leave you alone."

"Tae-" I called out to him as I watched him walk away, not turning back.

"Jungkook, it's cold, let's go back inside."

I frowned, feeling awful for Taehyung. I sighed as I started to close the door. "Yeah, okay."

••••
Taehyung's POV

I stuffed my hands deeper into my pockets to try and keep the cold away from my already freezing body. My legs had the path memorized by now, from the many trips I had taken to his place. Before I knew it, I was at his door. I could hear his laugh from inside the apartment, and I smiled. I was glad that he was happy, I just wish it was with me.

My knuckle tapped the same pattern on the door, letting Jungkook know that it was me instead of someone else. He wasn't expecting me, after all. I was desperately missing the younger and wanted to see him, and hear his voice, so I called in sick to work so I could spend the day with the other.

"Hey Kookie!" I smiled brightly at him, unable to notice how his smile dropped slightly when he opened the door.

His eyes darted around nervously as e spoke. "Hey Tae. Um, I'm sorry, I didn't realize that you were coming today."

"I wasn't. My boss said he didn't need me to come in so he gave me the day off, and I figured we could hang out!" I didn't want him to see how desperate I was for him to want to hang out with me, for me to be the one to make him laugh and smile.

"Jungkoookkkk. What's taking so long?" I heard a somewhat familiar voice sing from inside the apartment. My heart dropped, along with my smile when I saw the other male's arm wrap tightly around Jungkook's waist. Jungkook seemed slightly startled, but he didn't pull away from the touch when he was forced closer to the other.

My eyes went wide as I took a few steps back, suddenly feeling swarmed with awkwardness. "Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't realize that you had company. I'll get going now and leave you alone." My hands squeezed back into the pockets of my coat as I turned around, headed back the way I came. I heard him call out my name, but I shook it off.

The only noise that filled my ears was the breeze rustling through the trees. My mind zoned out the voices, the car horns.

I pulled the keys out of my pocket with shaky hands, fumbling to slip the key into the lock on the door. I entered my apartment, dropping the keys on the table by the door and slammed my back against the door, feeling my body give up as it slid down to the floor. My body was raking with sobs, unable to stop shaking. My bony arms wrapped around my thinning stomach in attempt to push the nausea I felt away.

I wish I was strong enough to handle the situation at hand, and I thought I was, but I am not. The pain I feel is becoming too much. I miss him. I want him to be with me again. But he is happy without me. He doesn't need me to feel like his life is complete, I realized. I am not his priority like he is mine. We are on two opposite ends of the spectrum.

I dug into my pocket, feeling the familiarity of the cold metal on my finger tips. I had been clean for three weeks. I refused to ruin the streak now, as much as I wanted to.

I forced my frail body off of the ground and into my bedroom. I collapsed on the soft mattress, wrapping the thick blankets over me, allowing me to wallow in my own misery.