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Upon walking into the apartment complex, Taehyung already felt out of place in his casual sweats. But he didn't care. Jeongguk needed him. It's a little strange, he thought earlier, that someone as big as him would need help from someone like himself, but then he remembered they were friends. And friends help friends. No matter what. So here Taehyung was, looking completely out of place with his hood hanging over his head, careful of any reporters that may be in disguise, and making his way to the elevator which would bring him to one of the top floors.
Not only was he worried about going to a new place, his hands were sweating in his pockets as he thought about Jeongguk. He's never texted him like that before, so abrupt and straight forward. It worried him.
Apartment 503...right in front of him. Deep breaths, he thought. Deep breaths.
He rang the doorbell. Silence.
"Hey Tae." Taehyung looked up at the sound of his voice, putting his phone into his pocket. The doorbell must work.
"Hey..." he trailed off, his features scrunching together as he took in the dark circles around the younger's swollen eyes, posture sagging in on itself. "Oh my gosh, Gguk, are you okay?! You know what? Don't answer that, it's obvious you're not. But why did you call me? It's ten o'clock, you should be sleeping-...what?" Taehyung stopped once he saw the first tear fall down his cheek, a little smile accompanying it. The juxtaposition threw him off, as though the tears couldn't help but slip out, the idol's exhausted state betraying the strong front he was trying to uphold.
"Thank you for coming," his voice cracked, wavering smile still on display.
Taehyung immediately stepped forward with his arms out, cupping the younger's soft cheeks as he wiped at the tears flowing down his face. "Of course," he soothed. "Shhh you're alright."
Jeongguk nodded with his eyes shut, sniffling a little as he tried to compose himself. Taking hold on Taehyung's wrists, he stepped back so they were both inside his apartment, shutting the door behind him. And bringing the older's hands down with a little squeeze from his own, he laughed a little.
"Why are you laughing?" Taehyung asked softly, still a little worried as the no longer crying boy shut the door behind them.
"I'm just such a mess," he chuckled again, "It's kinda funny."
"It's really not, Gguk. You're working too hard."
"Hey," he stepped forward, placing an arm on the other's shoulder. "I'm fine. There's no reason to pout."
And Taehyung would've believed him...would've believed him if he had not just seen the other break down less than thirty seconds ago before magically appearing back to normal.
"Why did you call me over?" he asked instead, not bothering to argue.
"I just needed some company...and it's been a while since I've seen you." Indeed it has. Taehyung missed the boy like no other. Stressing about his well being, whether or not he was taking care of himself, over working; it all made him worry.
"It has, yeah," he smiled. "So what do you want to do? I'm sure standing in the doorway of your luxurious apartment isn't all you have planned for the night, is it?"
The younger laughed, shaking his head. "No, definitely not. You can take your shoes off if you want and we can put on a movie."
"...You're trying to get me to sleep over, huh?" he raised a suggestive eyebrow.
"No!" he defended himself, cheeks turning a little pink. "That's not what I-no!"
"Oh," he fake pouted, "So you don't want me to stay over," he nodded his head in understanding, "I get it...yeah."
"Tae," he complained, "I just want you here. And if you fall asleep, that would be alright too."
Taehyung couldn't help but smile, loving the effect he had on the younger. "Alright," he said, taking his shoes off. "Let's watch a movie."
***
When he tells you Jeongguk's couch is comfy...it's an understatement. His butt practically sank into the couch as soon as he sat, the plush cushions welcoming him greatly.
"Why the hell is your couch so nice?" he asked. Jeongguk had just sat next to him and raised a brow at the strange question.
"Because I have to sit on it?" he asked dumbly.
Taehyung shook his head and clicked his tongue, muttering, "Rich people," under his breath.
"Hm?"
"Nothing! What movie are we gonna watch?"
***
They decided on watching Camp Rock, a classic Disney movie filled with bad acting, okay singing, and even worse dancing. But it was a classic. And Taehyung figured it'd be enough to distract Jeongguk from his own thoughts for a while.
"Why the hell does she do that thing with her shoulders?" Jeongguk asked as she started singing 'Too Cool'.
"Because she's too cool to do anything else, duh." Taehyung received a little pinch to his knee at that. Somewhere within the first ten minutes of the movie Jeongguk had laid his head on the older's lap. Taehyung was overjoyed if not anything else. Not only did he get to play with the boy's hair, he felt satisfaction in knowing he was resting his body. He can only imagine how sore his muscles must be from five weeks of constant dancing.
"Your logic doesn't make any sense," he mumbled, "But neither does the movie...so I'll let it slide.
Taehyung giggled, bringing his hand away from his hair and giving his shoulder a nice squeeze, causing the other's breath to hitch before deeply letting it all out. Yeah...he must be in a lot of pain, Taehyung concluded.
"On a scale of one to ten, how bad do you feel physically, and don't lie."
Five seconds of nothing but the T.V. playing passed before he spoke up. "Six?" he questioned.
Taehyung poked his shoulder blade resulting in a little hiss. "Eight. Definitely an eight."
"...Can I try to help?" Jeongguk rolled onto his back, disregarding the girl's performance.
"How?" he asked softly.
"Well, Hoseokie hyung is a dance major so I'm used to him overworking and his muscles becoming really tight. When we would meet between classes I'd try to loosen some of the tension, give him a little massage...It works for him! So if you want me to try, I'd be more than happy to help."
Jeongguk sucked his bottom lip into his mouth as he contemplated, staring up at the boy who looked breathtaking from every angle. It couldn't hurt to try, right? "Sure, you can try."
"Alright, you're gonna have to sit up though."
With a groan, Jeongguk got up and took a pillow, placing it on the ground in the dimly lit room, the only light coming from a lamp beside them and the glow from the television. Once he sat down on it in between Tae's legs, he rolled his shoulders back, sitting up a little straighter.
Taehyung brought his hands down and placed them on his shoulders, four fingers curling over the front and thumbs staying on the back of his shoulders. Rubbing lightly, just to gage how tense his shoulders were, he came to the conclusion that this would hurt the younger due to how tight his muscles were. "Take in a deep breath. This is gonna hurt before it feels better."
When he saw the younger's shoulders rise and fall, he dug his thumbs into his shoulders, starting from the bottom and moving up in a semi circular motion as his four fingers curled in. He repeated the motion, moving along the span of his shoulders and dipping lower into the shoulder blades, trying to break up the knots that have formed.
"You doin alright?" he asked after a couple minutes, wanting to make sure the pain wasn't unbearable.
"Yeah," he let out a ragged breath. "Yeah, it's helping."
"Okay."
The night went on like that, Taehyung massaging the younger's back, loosening the muscles as they semi paid attention to the movie.
Once Taehyung saw Jeongguk's head start to nod, he removed his hands and helped lift him back onto the couch, laying his head on a pillow and stretching his legs out.
This poor, exhausted boy was still the most beautiful thing Taehyung had ever seen. Though amidst his tiredness he still managed to lift an arm out, silently making room for Taehyung to join him. And so he did. He laid down between the couch and the boy, resting his head on his chest and wrapping an arm around his torso. Within seconds he felt the man beneath him doze off, his breaths evening out and his heartbeat steadying under his ear. The soft couch and the thought of being so close to the other brought him enough peacefulness to knock him out as well.
***
"Bitch what the fu-" Taehyung rolled onto his back and rubbed his eyes. Why the hell was his pillow gone?
"Sorry babe, I have to head to the studio," he heard from a distance. The kitchen maybe? Taehyung never actually got a tour.
Cracking his eyes open, he noticed it was still dark outside. "Dude, it's pitch black out. What do you mean you're 'going to the studio'?" Finally sitting up, he turned his head towards the voice, propping an arm over the back of the couch to see the younger is indeed in the kitchen.
"First of all, why did you call me dude? That's weird. Second of all, my album comes out in two days and I need to practice the new choreo. Hobi hyung changed some of it and I'm not yet perfect."
Taehyung stood up, walking over to meet him in the kitchen despite his body screaming at him to get a couple more hours of sleep. "Jeongguk," he said, voice deep and groggy from being unexpectedly woken up early. "You need more sleep. If you think you're going to be able to stand on a stage and not pass out in two days, you're wrong. Go back to sleep, seriously."
Taehyung was standing in front of the exhausted man who leaned against the kitchen sink, arms folded across his chest. "I'm fine, Tae. You can go back to sleep, don't worry about me. Plus I feel a lot greater after your massage!"
"Gguk," he took a step closer, "When was the last time you looked in a mirror?"
"I dance in front of a mirror every day. What do you mean?"
"I mean," he took a step closer, about two feet separating the two. "When was the last time you actually looked at yourself? Close up. You have bags under your eyes, dark circles as well. Your cheeks are starting to sink in and you don't look healthy. You aren't healthy. You're exhausted, Ggukie, you need sleep. You're body can't handle this much strain. You're human, Gguk. Humans aren't immortal. No one is going to be disappointed in you or your performance if you take a couple hours, or even a day to rest. But they'll be scared, terrified if you pass out on that stage or come onto it looking like a ghost. So please," he close the distance between them, placing his hands on his shoulders, "Go back to bed."
The younger's lips quivered as he nodded his head, digesting the information. He knew Tae was right, he knows he needs to take care of himself. He knows his body and he's aware that it won't be able to take much more. But the thought of disappointing fans, his hyungs, the management, all kept him going. Just a short amount of pain for a spectacular outcome, he thought to himself. Well that was stupid...incredibly stupid.
"Gguk, why are you crying?" Taehyung whispered, bringing his hands up to his cheeks, carefully wiping them away.
"I-I didn't know I was crying. I'm sorry, I can't really control it."
Taehyung felt a strong desire to hug the boy and decided not to resist the urge and just go for it. He wrapped an arm around his back and placed a hand on the back of his head, bringing it down to his chest where the boy could cry freely.
"I get it," he comforted, "You're exhausted. I'll text Joon and Hobi hyung and let them know you're gonna stay back for a couple more hours. I'm sure they'll be fine with it." Taehyung squeezed his eyes shut at the sound of a choked sob. "It's alright." He rubbed his back. "Let's get you back to bed, hm?"
Nodding his head, Jeongguk sniffled before pulling away. It would be a lie if Taehyung didn't feel cold as the other drew his arms back to his side.
"Now I don't know where your room is so you'll have to lead me," he nudged.
"Okay," he chuckled softly.
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I was gonna have smth happen in the chapter but I couldn't fit it in...ig this book is getting made longer. But I think we got some relational development? No? Okay. Just me🤡