Nyctophilia // A Taekook Story

F I V E

Get your shit together, Kim Taehyung. Taehyung was standing in front of a building, his arms at his side, trembling like an earthquake. In one clenched fist was the slip of paper he found, and in the other was his shivering courage. 

After Jennie and Taehyung's long walk, they finally reached the destination. Jennie, of course made sure Taehyung was okay before she slipped down an alley way to Expresso. Taehyung had said and assured her that he would be fine, but boy, was he wrong.

Truth be told, Taehyung had no idea why his nerves were twitching violently inside his body. I'm just going to thank Yoongi and return his sweater. He glanced back at the chipped, gray building in front of him that seemed to loom over Taehyung like a tangible shadow. Taehyung shuddered at the thought and gripped the cotton-candy pink sweater tightly. 

Get your shit together, Kim. No one wants to see a random guy who ran out of  hospital show up at their doorstep shaking like a drunkard. Taehyung exhaled, and he lifted the fist that was supposed to have his courage in it to knock the dusty door. 

As he brought his knuckles closer, the door opened and Taehyung jumped so far back he probably broke some record. His heart was pounding in his ears as a person peeked their head out. 

The man had a confused expression on his honey-colored face, but it immediately turned into a guilty smile as he noticed how petrified little Taehyung looked. "Oh, my apologies," he spoke. His voice was smooth and strong, but it wasn't overpowering. "I didn't mean to scare you." The man stepped out from behind the door.

When Taehyung finally learned how to breath again, he smiled softly. "That's okay. I was just surprised when you opened the door," he chuckled, scratching his dark brown hair.

The man walked closer. He was the complete opposite of the dreary, doom-radiating building. His eyes were orbs of dark chocolate, but they were bright and lively like tender rays of sunlight on a summer morning. A wide, friendly grin was spread across his face, and just glancing at it Taehyung felt his lips curl into a smile. 

His peach t-shirt was tucked loosely into some strawberry-red pants, and his wavy, caramel hair swished from side to side as the man stuck his hand out. "Jung Hoseok. But Hobi is fine," the man said.

Taehyung slowly shook Hoseok's hand, grinning at the warmth. "Kim Taehyung. Pleasure to meet you."

Hoseok nodded gleefully. "I saw you standing outside for a solid... what? Thirty minutes?" Taehyung's cheeks turned the color of Hoseok's pants. "I was waiting for you to come in, but I guess I got slightly impatient," he said sheepishly.

"Oh, that's okay. I was thinking about whether I should go in or not," Taehyung explained.

Hoseok glanced back at the building before looking at Taehyung again. "I just bought the place, so it looks pretty trashed-up. But it's not a haunted house, so you don't have to worry," he laughed.

Taehyung cocked his head to the side. "Haunted house?"

"Never been in one?"

Taehyung shook his head. "I've never even heard of it," he blurted. But the second after he said, regret washed over him. What are you saying, Taehyung? You can't just say stuff like that or people are gonna figure out something's wrong with you. What if they take you back to the hospital? A part of Taehyung's brain scolded. Another tiny part of him whispered, But Hobi doesn't seem so bad. Besides, I wouldn't mind seeing Chanwoo again. I still have to apologize.

"Really?" Hoseok asked, jolting Taehyung's out of his racing thoughts. "Oh my goodness! They are like the coolest things ever! Like you just go inside, and it's all dark and spooky, and you hear these suuuuper weird noises. Then out of the blue... Boom! Something pops out, and I swear I scream my ass off every single time," Hoseok rambled. His movements were very animated and lively, each gesture representing so dramatic that Taehyung laughed loudly.