taehyung couldn't sleep that night. then again, he never really could sleep the night before the first show. the only thing that had him falling asleep was finishing a bottle of coconut rum mixed with pineapple juice, followed by nearly half a bottle of nyquil.
his driver greeted him around noon, polite smile and the usual small talk. most of it ran through the mans head as he slipped into the backseat again. he didn't even take off his sunglasses once inside the car, not even bothering to do anything to the deep bags under his eyes from the lack of sleep. that would get fixed later on.
"are we there yet." taehyung grunted, eyes closed and head fallen back against the seat. his driver chuckled lightly, "haven't even pulled away from outside your home mr. kim." he said.
the rockstar just groaned again. he would need to shape up his act in the next twenty minute car ride, considering the show was tonight and this was not the time to be a sleep deprived hungover loser. "do you have any advil?" he leaned forward over the middle console, getting a no in response and just sighing.
the twenty minutes seemed like two, the boy groaning again when he felt the car stop and the driver tell him they had arrived. from now on it was show time, even though the concert didn't start for a few more hours. it was show time for him.
that changed everything. the second he opened that door and stepped out, feeling the sun on his face and the adrenaline starting to fill his system. it was like a switch, the tired and grumpy part had suddenly fallen asleep, only leaving the rest to be ready to hear those chants of his name and song lyrics being sung back to him.
people greeted him as he walked up, sunglasses still on and mask pulled up. he only nodded to them, barely uttering back greetings as he hurried on to one place in particular.
at this point he knew where he was going. there was no need to look at the signs as he walked through the backstage corridors. there was a piece of paper taped to one of the doors saying dressing room in big bold letters. taehyung shoved open the doors and surprised those already inside.
it was his design team looking up at him, two boys and a group of girls. "wow you're on time." hoseok said, smiling at him. he didn't get one in return, but that was expected. he already knew how the rockstar got before a show. taehyung just flipped the male off, heading straight for the stylist seat and plopping down on the cushions.
"good morning." jungkook said, eyeing the boy carefully and wondering where the usual ray of joy had gone. there was a cloud somewhere.
taehyung took off his sunglasses and tossed them onto the table, on top of organized makeup products and other hair items. that had the stylist raising an eyebrow, looking at the younger through the mirror. "you look like shit." he said.
he made a face, scoffing a bit at that comment. "then do your job and make me look better." taehyung shot back. the usual playfullness was absent, and he just took out his phone to start scrolling through it. he was too busy staring at his screen to notice the way jungkooks eyebrows set, a subtle frown at the way he was suddenly being spoken to.
but he clenched his jaw, ignoring that odd feeling settling in his chest as he reminded himself that this was his job and he had things to do. jungkook grabbed the hair clips, pushing the boys bright red bangs back and clipping them in place away from his face.
nothing. no reaction and no comments. jungkook stood there and did the boys makeup like he was practicing on a model. it was a shell of the man he'd been hanging out with a few weeks ago — and it was a reminder that this was work and they were no longer hanging out like that.
it wasn't even anything. jungkook reminded himself of that as he applied the primer and the concealer and everything else the boy didn't really need. he used a brush to apply a soft smokey eye, accentuating the shape of his eyes and adding a hint of red over both lids that matched his suit for the first set.
they were pretty, making the brown stand out even more. except those pretty eyes stayed staring down at his phone. jungkook put the brush back in the cup and left the palette there as well, "done." he said, not even receiving a thanks as the rockstar stood from the chair to walk over to wardrobe and greet hoseok. jungkook couldn't help the way his jaw clenched while he cleaned up his station, using a baby wipe to clean off the swatch from the back of his hand.
"you're going to do great." onda smiled, helping the rockstar get into his jacket, the lack of a shirt underneath showing off tan skin and the layers of necklaces hanging around his neck. "thanks." he mumbled.
"thank you for that." hoseok said once walking by and snatching the males phone to hide it until after the show tonight. taehyung glared at his head designer but didn't argue, he had to focus right now anyways.
the male walked to the mirror, checking himself out and adjusting the way the jacket fit on his shoulders. "what time is it?" taehyung asked, not tearing his eyes away from himself and his reflection. he looked good, and everyone tonight was going to love it.
"time for you to go." hoseok started to push him out the door, getting him on schedule and back stage to get his in-ears and mic pack all ready to go. he always needed that push.
jungkook glanced up from his bag, seeing the way the young rockstar walked out without another word. he scoffed a bit, just to look back down at his bag and getting his things ready for the breaks between sets — a small fan and some tissues and water bottles.
there was no reason to leave just yet, he was only needed in twenty minutes standing on the right side of the stage to cater to the rockstar. jungkook still walked out though, because standing in place had him thinking too much. "let's go." he said to two of the girls, who grabbed their things and hurried after the tall male already out the door.
that switch wasn't just seen by the rockstar, noticing the way he went from nerves to pure anticipation for those lights to blind him and send his soul to his wildest dreams. taehyung knew this already about himself, but he didn't know anyone paid enough attention to him to see this too.
except, it was very clear, to see how quick priorities change and how class was easily established. for a moment, jungkook actually enjoyed the time he spent with the boy. that seemed to change the minute it became about business, and he clearly became just the head makeup artist. nothing more.
it was easy to say those things, to call the boy a spoiled rich child who lived too high in his own mind thinking he was a rock god. jungkook could tell himself those things, to dislike the boy and ignore the way he felt for assuming things, that he was just a makeup artist. it was much harder to keep believing those things once he looked at that guy, seeing how he stood there with long legs and a pretty face. that was all it took for the ravenette to forget all those negative things, thinking back to the few times they hung out, and he really couldn't help but smile just a little.
