Fractured Glass

Chapter 06

The tension was hot and thick in the air, building up until Taehyung thought he was suffocating. The heated glares the older males were giving each other left the brunette in a panic, eyes darting back and forth. He suddenly wished he hadn't left the apartment. The original apartment that is. If he hadn't left, Jimin wouldn't be angry. Jimin wouldn't have gotten in a fight with Jungkook. Jimin wouldn't be drunk at this time of day. Everything, Taehyung knew, was his fault. He didn't even need the bruising grip on his wrist to tell him that.

He could feel himself breaking down, the clockwork in his mind crashing from the sudden overdrive of emotions. Little by little his features lost expression until the all-too-familiar blank look was all that remained. He had locked himself away in the only place he knew he was truly safe. His mind. No one could reach him there as long as he did as he was told obediently.

Yoongi was the first to noticed the significant change in the youngest male. He watched as the fear drained away into something far worse, nothing. Concern washed over him and he no longer felt the need to teach Jimin a lesson. He could do that later. Right now his focus was solely on the person who needed it the most. "Taehyung? Fucking hell, c'mere. At least cry or something. I can deal with tears, but I can't deal with this. Come on, let's go home. I'm sure Jungkook is up now and you know he'll be worried." The redhead murmured quietly, gently taking his brother's friend's held wrist while painfully pinching Jimin so he would let go. He gently pulled the taller male to him, giving him a side hug while returning a glare towards the short male.

"You better sleep with both eyes open, Park Jimin, because the next time I see you, I will make it my job to make your life a living hell. Leave Taehyung alone and fuck off!" He growled, tugging Tae with him out of the store. Good thing he had paid before he noticed Jimin and Taehyung or that would have been a hell of a lot more awkward. Really, he would kill to just deck Jimin in the face, but he didn't want to ruin the guy's obviously caked on makeup. Who knows how that shit would have looked on his hand? Plus he rather not cause a scene and get banned from the only pharmacy on this side of town.

The walk back to his apartment left Yoongi with a chill he knew wasn't from the weather. Taehyung hadn't spoken a word the whole trip and it was really starting to rub the older male the wrong way. He didn't like not having the other smiling stupidly at him or saying something really weird that didn't make a whole lot of sense. This silence just left him feeling worse than on days where he woke up late with none of his work done and spilled his coffee on himself. Basically he felt miserable.

When they did finally arrive, though, Jungkook was not a happy camper. If Yoongi had been in any mood to joke around, he would have compared his brother to an overprotective mother. He was practically seething with worry as he hobbled (okay so maybe the redhead cracked a smile at this) over to the pair and smacked the back of both their heads, not even bothering to read the atmosphere as he continued to rant about how much they had freaked him out by not being there when he woke up.

"Aish, you're such a fucking baby. Get over it and back the fuck off. It's not our fault we were late in returning home especially since I almost decked the asshole that started this whole mess." Another thing Yoongi and Jungkook had in common? They both couldn't keep their mouthes shut when they were on a rant, revealing details they had meant to keep a secret.

"You saw Jimin? Fuck Yoongi! Why couldn't you guys just stay here? Tae did he hurt you? Oh my god. He did, you've shut down again. Tae no you can't do this. Wake up. You have to wake up, Taehyung. He can't hurt you anymore." Cue more motherly fretting. Jungkook held his friend tight against him, playing with the brunette locks as the other continued to stand stiffly like a statue. "Wake up. Get those gears moving again. Tae-"

"Stop. You're embarrassing yourself." Taehyung responded coldly, pushing himself away with his eyes on the ground. He was like a completely different person and Yoongi felt extremely bothered by it. So much so, that he picked his old habit of scratching at his arms again. It was something to keep his mind off of the robotic words of Taehyung and the hurt that blossomed on Jungkook's features. He had never seen his brother like that. It was unsettling and made his stomach hurt. Yoongi watched, torn, as his brother ran off to hide his tears in his (Yoongi's) room considering the spare was Taehyung's.

The oldest swallowed thickly as he glanced between his room and Taehyung. He knew as a brother he was obligated to comfort Jungkook, but on the other hand, he felt like the brunette shouldn't be trusted alone. He was about to turn away, to follow his brother, when he stopped and glanced at Tae once more, some unknown force pulling him the look.

The younger college student had tears welling up in his eyes despite the thin line his lips were pressed in. Yoongi's discomfort only increased when that teary gaze was turned to him and it felt like the world had stopped spinning, the air grew still, nothing move, when the brunette spoke once more.

"Sometimes I wonder if life is actually worth living. Why exist when all you cause is pain?" With that said, Kim Taehyung was gone. Physically he was still there, but you knew his heart had shattered today and it was hard to tell if there were any fragments of glass left to piece together. Funny, bright, weird, compassionate, and caring were all adjectives one would use to describe Kim Taehyung. Suicidal was not.

Yet here the words had been spoken.

Yoongi was lost in confusion.

Jungkook was lost in a bittersweet love.

And Taehyung was lost in the pain of the past.