𝐔𝐍𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐓𝐇𝐘 || Vhope

c.29

Chapter 29: Thron

Taehyung's hands were a bit unsteady as he prepared a late dinner. Hoseok hadn't returned from work yet, the medical staff working overtime, but it was getting late. Surely Hoseok would return soon?

Taehyung cut his finger and dropped the knife, hissing. Dammit.

He leaned against the table and forced himself to take a few deep breaths. It didn't help. The feeling of dread didn't disappear.

He was scared.

He didn't like the look in Hoseok's eyes when Hoseok had walked away from him. Hoseok had looked like a man who was resolved to do something very unpleasant but necessary. Had he pushed Hoseok too far?

By the time dinner was ready, Taehyung was nearly sick with worry.

Why wasn't Hoseok back yet?

Finally, there was the sound of a car in the distance, approaching the house, and Taehyung's heart started thumping so hard he could feel it throughout his entire body.

He wiped his hands, ignoring his stinging finger, glanced at the table for the last time, making sure he didn't forget anything and waited for Hoseok to come find him.

But Hoseok didn't. The front door opened and closed, and there was the sound of footsteps heading upstairs.

And then nothing.

Ten minutes passed.

His anxiety increasing, Taehyung left the kitchen and headed upstairs, too.

He found Hoseok in his bedroom, fresh out of the shower and changing.

"I'm going out," Hoseok said, slipping into a dark shirt.

"But...but what about dinner?"

"I'm not hungry," Hoseok said, zipping up his jeans. He grabbed his jacket and strode to the door past Taehyung.

"Hyung," Taehyung said, grabbing his arm.

Hoseok finally looked at him. "Look, this is fucking with my mind," he said. "This—our relationship—has become a total mindfuck. It's too much and not enough." A muscle pulsed in Hoseok's jaw. "I want things from you that you can never give me, and, to be totally honest, I don't trust myself not to pressure you into something you don't want. We need some boundaries. I never thought I'd say this, but it was easier for me when I pretended to be a friend and nothing more."

Taehyung swallowed. He had a feeling he wasn't going to like this. "What do you mean?"

Hoseok's lips pressed into a thin line. "No more kissing and excessive touching. I'm going out and I'm going to get laid." Gently, he withdrew his arm from Taehyung's loosened grip and walked out of the room, leaving Taehyung frozen in his place.

When the door slammed shut downstairs, Taehyung's knees gave out. He sat heavily on Hoseok's bed and stared blankly into nothing.

Okay. He needed to think rationally. Everything was fine. This was what they had agreed on, wasn't it? This was what he'd suggested himself back in the States: that although he would try to make Hoseok happy, Hoseok would have to get sex elsewhere. That was what he had wanted—that was what he still wanted. He didn't care who Hoseok fucked. It was none of his business. One-night stands that couldn't steal Hoseok from him weren't a threat; he didn't give a shit about them.

Except his stomach felt like a hard ball of iron, clawing at his insides and trying to climb up his throat.