wallflower | taekook

eight.

"The punishment of every disordered mind is it's own disorder."
— Augustine of Hippo

Taehyung POV

It only took a second after that door slammed for me to feel bad. The loud noise was like a slap to the face, the silent anger from Jungkook directed only at me and completely missed by Jimin and Hoseok as they continued to talk.

"Alright, I better go-" Jimin started and I easily cut him off as I stood up from the chair placed nicely in his living room, "I changed my mind, can I come?"

Jimin rose an eyebrow and crossed him arms over his chest. It may have looked intimidating if it wasn't for the pink fluffy ball hanging from his car keys that he held. "What changed?" There was a small change to his expression, the lift of his lips into a tiny knowing smile as his mind went off on impossible amounts of conclusions he can draw from barely knowing anything.

"I'm hungry, and you're paying because I left my wallet at home." I shot back quickly, smiling at the end to seem more polite as my friend only rolled his eyes.

He grumbled something and then said goodbye to Hoseok, me doing the same before we left the apartment and headed down to the parking garage to get Jimin's car.

There was no bright red hooded figure standing around as I subtlety looked for him. Jimin was talking and I wasn't paying attention as I was more focused on thinking about what I was going to say to Jungkook and wondering to what level he will be annoyed to see me walking up. I just figured if he wasn't answering my texts then my only chance to say anything would be in person.

But when the time came, and I saw him leaning against Jimin's car with those round glasses and black mask pulled over his mouth and nose, my throat was dry and mind blank.

"I picked up a stray." Jimin said.

Jungkook looked up from his phone and pulled out the headphones he had plugged into his ears, the calm and relaxed features of his face changed into slight crinkles at the corners of his gleaming eyes as they narrowed when he saw me approaching with a dumb grin on my face.

He scoffed once again and tugged down the mask aggressively, "Shot gun." and then another door slammed between us for the second time in mere minutes.

To say the car ride was awkward would be an understatement. Jimin sat oblivious in the drivers seat as he sang along to some girl group playlist he made while Jungkook would watch him with a smile and sometimes record the blonde haired boy. All while I sat in the backseat quietly and didn't know where to look, I felt like I was invading in their friend time. But at the same time, I could watch Jungkook freely act in a way I have yet to see.

The smile on his face was wide and genuine, teeth displayed brightly as lips parted for quiet giggles to escape when Jimin tried to hit a high note and would look incredibly surprised with himself when it didn't sound half bad.

I let out a light chuckle at one point, immediately silencing myself for not wanting to invade and seem like I was eavesdropping. Jimin smiled at me through the rear view mirror and said something, but I was focused on the side glance cast my way by the other boy. Jungkook's smile had faltered slightly and seemed to realize someone else was in the car. His phone was left in his lap and he messed with his fingers, but he looked back once again with a somewhat neutral face, there was no sarcastic scoff or cold glare. Baby steps to a better chance at speaking.

At this time of night the mall wasn't close to being busy. Stores would be starting to close in about two hours and everyone was either in the food court eating some version of dinner or just walking around casually until they had to leave. Jimin was once of those casual walkers and gasped at everything that sat on display in the windows. "Jungkook!" he breathed walking up to one of the boutiques, "There's that waist pack that comes with the pins and one of them is a koala!"