title: no blueberries
pairing: kim taehyung x reader
genre: angst, fluff, minor smut, romance, college!au, minor artist!taehyung
word count: 12.3k
prompt: no more!taehyung gets his heartbroken to the point he doesnât even love his favorite fruit, blueberries, anymore. then he meets you, the complete opposite of the girl of his dreams, and suddenly, blueberries taste sweet again.
warnings: explicit smut,,, but short :)
a/n: she/her is no more!oc :) also, thank you guys for your support for no more & for the interest of the spin-off for taehyung !! (also donât come at me at the end if i made any mistakes bc i gave up on rereading any of my work LOL iâve sat on this too long)
His love for the color blue dissipates along with her slipping through his fingers.
GENRE: Fluff, smut, angst. Non idol AU. College AU. Best friends to lovers. Slice of life.
WARNINGS: Explicit sexual content, unprotected sex (stay safe!), so much fluff you might pass out
WORD COUNT: 18.3k
DESCRIPTION:Â It is said that if someone folds 1000 paper cranes, they will receive one wish. Kim Taehyung has been folding you paper cranes since he was six years old. He wonât tell you what heâs going to wish for once he reaches his goal, but even into your twenties, all you know is that heâs been wishing for the same thing every time.
Youâre six years old when you receive your first paper crane from Kim Taehyung.
Your first year of elementary school is almost overâthereâs only two months left until summer break, and youâve been counting down the days until you are finally free to wake up as late as you want and play with your friends until the sun goes down.
Thatâs also why it strikes you as odd that thereâs a new transfer student, his newly assigned seat right beside yours, being introduced to the class. His eyes are big and wide underneath a fringe of dark brown hair, and heâs cute in the way that all kids are cuteâwith rosy cheeks, big ears, and a shy demeanour that tells you that he would most likely rather have stayed at his previous school.
After a brief introduction of Hello, Iâm Kim Taehyung, he shuffles over and takes his seat. He doesnât really look at you, keeping his head down as he pulls his notebooks from his backpack. You see that the margins are covered in doodles, little cartoons and make-believe stories etched onto every far corner of the page.
You open your mouth to introduce yourself, but the sound of your teacherâs voice has you facing the blackboard once more. You try not to think too hard about the new boy sitting beside you, gently humming to himself as he doodles butterflies in an open meadow.
At recess, youâre playing with a few friends, doing cartwheels and rolling around on the grass. Youâre giggling with your friend, Chaeyoung, when you hear a ruckus happening not too far away.
pairing: idol!taehyung x idol!reader (ft. non-idol!jungkook)
genre: fake dating au, enemies to lovers, love triangle (eventual) | fluff, angst
word count: 1.2k
warning/s: none.
summary: Two artists â one a rising idol with a well-liked image, the other an acclaimed idol with a recent scandal â are forced into a fake relationship as part of a publicity stunt orchestrated by their management.
Taehyung impatiently tapped his fingers against the wooden table as he waits for Mr. Han, one of the executives of the company, to start the meeting but it seems like the executive is too busy dealing with his phone to notice his presence or could it be the fact that he was trying to ignore him on purpose, prompting Taehyung to look at his manager as if to silently ask him a âwhat now?â but his manager dismissed him, mouthing him to wait as if thatâs not what he has been doing for the past ten minutes.
âTheyâre hereâ Mr. Hanâs secretary said as she entered the room with two other women following behind her â one whom Taehyung recognizes as one of the artistâs managers in the company but he canât exactly point out which artist in the company sheâs handling until you came into view.
âSorry, thereâs just some minor changes we had to do for her stage fittingsâ your manager spoke on behalf of you.
Taehyung stood up, following everyone else as they bow in greeting but his gaze remained on you even as he sat himself down, leaving him to wonder as to why your presence is needed for this meeting because for all he know, this is just one of the nth meetings â more like scoldings â they had in the past week all of because one of the hotel staff leaked the CCTV footage of him and a girl he met in the bar making out and getting handsy in the elevator.
âNow that everyone is here, shall we start?â, Mr. Han placed his phone on the chest pocket of his polo as he intertwined his hands together atop the table, âSo, as you all know, Taehyung is continuously receiving negative backlash not from only the media but the general public as well in regards to the scandalous video that surfaced online about a week ago, causing the companyâs and his image to suffer despite releasing an apology statement. On theââ
Taehyung huffed in disbelief, âYou call that a scandal? Thatâs an invasion of privacy.â
âWell, thatâs not what the public sees,â Mr. Han sighed as he massaged his temple, beckoning the woman with the round rimmed glasses whom you believe is the companyâs PR Manager to continue, âLetâs just get straight to the point, Millie.â
âHello, Iâm Millie and I hope everyone had a great morning,â Millie said enthusiastically, smiling brightly despite everyoneâs somber faces, âWell, to simply put it, we have already established a plan that will possibly divert the publicâs attention away from Taehyungâs scandal.â
You dumbfoundedly looked at your manager, wondering what role could you possibly play in this meeting considering that this is the first time youâve personally met Taehyung despite working in the same company but your manager could only nudge you, urging you to listen to Millieâs talk.
âY/N here has earned herself a good reputation of being the nationâs sister,â Millie said as she rounded the table, placing down a brown envelope right in front of you and Taehyung, âAnd we believe, that with Y/Nâs help and cooperation, she could eventually fix Taehyungâs reputation.â
âIâm sorry but what do I have to do with all of this?â You asked.
âYou may check the contents of the envelope to know,â Millie clasped her hands, excited to see the scheme she planned with her team, Mr. Han, and your managers.Â
You unsealed the envelope, thoughts running around your head as to what this plan could be. Could it be a song collaboration? A music video feature? A variety show appearance? but none of it was what you expected as you read the document in front of you.
âWeâre going to date!?â you widen your eyes as you look at Millie then to Taehyung who holds the same expression as you.
âAs a publicity stunt, of courseâ Millie clarified.
âIâm sorry, I'm having a hard time trying to understand this,â you massaged your temple as you try your best to remain calm, âWho thought of this? Who thought itâs a good idea to create another scandal to cover another scandal?â
âAgain, itâs an invasion of privacy,â Taehyung retorted in frustration.
âCan you please sit down and relax?â Mr. Han interjected between the two of you.
Taehyung sat down begrudgingly, âHow come no one told us about this before the contract was made? Don't Iâ we have a say on this?â
âWeâve pitched this already to your managers and we have their approval to push it through,â Millie chuckled nervously as she looked at both of your faces, âBesides, this stunt will last for only 3 months and itâll end before you know it.â
âYou knew this?â you whispered to your manager who could only look at you apologetically.
âItâs for your benefit too,â your manager said.
âHow so?â
âYour comeback is in 3 months and they said that this stunt will help boost your popularity outside the nation.â
Well, Taehyung has been in the music industry far longer than you have and he has garnered global popularity but wouldnât this be more beneficial to him than to you? Wouldnât your reputation be tarnished if youâre associated with him?
âI think itâll be better if we run through the contract clauses first, shall we?â Millie suggested but no one dared to speak as everyone just looked at her and she took the silence as a go for her to start.
You let out a sigh as you reluctantly read and listen along with Millie as she went on to explain in detail the arrangement of the stunt like how the first month will consist with the two of you going out somewhere in public to âsecretly dateâ and how the media outlets will be tipped off by the company regards to your location so that theyâll have a chance to capture the perfect publishing material photo to be released on the public at exactly the first day of the year, branding the both of you as the fake new year couple.
You boredly sat throughout the contract reading, drowning out Millieâs voice, thinking how you have no option to disagree but to only comply with the whole thing considering that youâre just a fairly new artist in the industry with 2 years of experience under your belt.
âHere you go,â your manager said, interrupting your thoughts as she handed you a pen to sign the contract and the non-disclosure agreement.Â
Defeatedly, you signed the contract, putting all of your trust to Mr. Han, Millie, and your manager for this publicity stunt to work.
âAlright, now that everything is settled, I'll be making a group chat for the 3 of us so I could coordinate with you your schedules, okay?â
âGreat,â Taehyung sarcastically quipped.
Millie â who still canât read the room â gestured for the two of you to shake hands and you being the junior, you extended your hand towards Taehyung.
âIâm looking forward to working with you, Taehyung,â you try to be as polite as possible, cringing at how fake you sounded.
Taehyung quickly shook your hand not even looking your way as he rushed out of the room like heâs not the very reason you got dragged into his mess, prompting you to drop your fake smile and roll your eyes.
What a great way to start.
â
next>
A/N: Helloooooo, i'm back from the dead lmao. It's been 4 years since i last wrote since sooo many things happened.
If you want to be tagged, don't hesitate to reply or drop by my asks. Hope you'll like this!
đ§Ąđ my queen. i have been sent here by the guardians of the moons to slip a drabble request of spooky-weenie love. we can keep it rated pg 13, imply relationship/smut if you desire. however i shall be here â looking for the young lad taehyung, dressed up as prince charming at a heavily intoxicated halloween party. frantically searching for his partner, oc!cinderella, as he realizes the strap to one of her heels have broke and she is walking around barefoot without her shoes on (typical cinderella amirite?) and as the goodest of boyfies â he is just trying to take care of his girl. oh, and he discovers â after searching throughout the entire complex â that she has accidentally gone overboard after her last intense and competitive game of beer pong and oc has found solace in a bush outside the house đđ đ„č to where her tiara sits crooked on top of her drunken head and her prince charming comes to assist her with whatever else has gone wrong đ€Șđ§Ą
â Pairing: Taehyung x f. reader
â Summary: Taehyung loves being your prince charming, even if it means trying to find where youâve wandered off to in the middle of a Halloween party without your shoes.Â
â Word Count: 1,657
â Genre: Established relationship, Fluff, Drunken Silliness
â Rating: 18+ Minors are strictly prohibited from engaging and reading this content. It contains explicit content and any minors discovered reading or engaging with this work will be blocked immediately.
â Warnings: Taehyung is a simp!!! Recreational drinking, reader is absolutely tanked but in a funny way, Taehyung is drunk but not as drunk, general descriptions of being drunk, one very sweet kiss, talks about toes djgdogidjgid, one sexual thought slipping through Taehyungâs brain
â Published: October 10, 2023
â A/N: THIS IS FOR MY QUEEN MAGGIE!!! MY BEAUTIFUL, WONDERFUL SAILOR MAGGIE! Everyone is just going to have to accept the bit about the toes and the running around barefoot in this because listen - we had a vision and I stuck with it and!!! Taehyung just loves her even if sheâs ten-toe hogging it around a party with no zappatos on!! This was so fun and sweet to write and my god I need to write Taehyung more because Iâm so down bad for him rgoidjgodijgdoigj. THIS IS ONLY GRAMMARLY EDITED SFODIGJ PLEASE FORGIVE ME EVERYONE.Â
â Disclaimer: All members of BTS are faces and name claims for this story. This is entirely a work of fiction and by no means is meant to be a projection, judgment, or representation of real-life people. Any scenarios or representations of the people and places mentioned in works are not representative of real-life scenarios.
| Masterlist | Ask | Haliween Requests |
When Taehyung sees the silver pair of heels kicked off outside of Jiminâs bathroom, he knows itâs over for you. He still canât help but smile, bending down to scoop them up by the straps, dangling off of his fingers.Â
Jiminâs house is full of creatures and goblins and ghouls and in Taehyungâs case, a prince. The itchy fabric of the Prince Charming costume is nearly insufferably where it rubs at his neck, the overcoat sweltering in the heated atmosphere of the Halloween party.Â
Music thumps as Taehyung navigates out of the hall, swiveling his head as he goes. Fifteen minutes ago you had announced rather loudly - and with a wicked lean that nearly knocked over the beer pong table youâd been championing - that had to relieve yourself. Taehyung watched with a buzzed grin as you picked your way toward the hall, lifting the skirts of your Cinderella dress to avoid anyone tramping on it.Â
Now, thereâs no Cinderella dress in sight.Â
Taehyung pops into the kitchen, hoping to find you drinking water. Only Yoongi hides in the kitchen, ripping off the cat ears Hoseok has stuck on his head. Taehyung spots the fridge and realizes that you might want water when he finds you. He needs water to find you, the room spinning a little and his mouth still awash with the aftertaste of the witches' brew Seokjin had plied him with.Â
âHave you seen Cinderella anywhere?â Taehyung asks Yoongi.
Yoongi scowls as he wets his hands under the faucet and starts wiping at the cat nose on his face.Â
âI think she went out in the backyard. Something about a pumpkin at midnight.â Taehyung snickers and shakes his head. âShe was also missing shoes. And said something about pong champ.â
Taehyung holds up the items in question. âI think she might have crushed it a little too much at the pong table. She's running around barefootâ
âWell, it is Halloween. Maybe sheâs in touch with the Hallowâs Eve or whatever Or your princess turned into a werewolf and is currently howling like a fiend.â
âUh-huh. Good luck with your cat nose.â
âGood luck with your princess. Or werewolf.â Â
Little does Yoongi know, Taehyung is always lucky with you. From the day that he bumped into you in a coffee shop, to the first date you went on, to years later, sharing an apartment above the coffee shop you love so dearly, Taehyung has been lucky every day.Â
He grins thinking about it, opening up the back door and heading into the year. Itâs a crispy night, cool air brushing against the sweat gathered at the back of his neck. He pauses for a moment to shrug out of the itchy, cornflower blue overcoat of his Prince Charming costume to reveal a white tee.Â
Tying the coat around his waist, Taehyung surveys the yard. Thereâs no one outside that he can see, but the porch lights reflect all the way to the fence. Jogging down the steps, he glances up at the sky. Itâs the perfect night, a thousand stars mapped across the world in perfect silence.Â
It makes sense that you would come out here, he thinks. You love to look at the stars, but most of all, Taehyung knows youâd like to lie down somewhere and look at the skies after having something to drink. Knowing you, youâd have come out for fresh air after realizing how drunk you were in the bathroom, only to get distracted by the sky.
He loves that about you, though. Loves that he can somehow piece together the way your mind works, loves that the natural course of trajectory for you was through the kitchen and out into the yard with a flippant comment about a pumpkin.Â
âJagiya?â Taeyhung calls out, warm breath fogging in front of him.
âPa-riiiiince!âÂ
Taehyung turns around to look at the garden. He raises his brows when he sees your legs sticking out from the mulch. He presses his hand to his mouth, trying to conceal his laughter and shock that you are crushing Jiminâs marigolds.Â
He jogs over to you, finding you on your back with your hands tucked behind your head. You donât seem to mind that youâre splat in the middle of flowers and dirt, your misty eyes fixated up on the sky with your mouth open in a dizzy smile.Â
You look radiant. Bathed in moonlight, eyes wide and lost in the sky. Even if your crown is a little crooked and your dress is a little stained, Taehyung feels his heart rate speed up. You may be dressed as a princess for the night, but you look like a goddess. Ethereal.Â
Taehyung feels a little dizzy. You reach for him and he complies, unable to say no to you as he sits and feels the marigolds crush under his ass. Your hands are warm and soft in his as you sigh in delight, thrilled to see him.Â
âThe stars are so wonderful,â you breathe. You turn your head. He notices the yellow petals stuck in your hair. Your face changes from wonder to something else. Adoration, he thinks. Taehyungâs stomach flips as you squeeze his hand. âAlmost as beautiful as my Prince Charming.â
âMy Cinderella is beautiful too.â He holds your shoes up. âEven if she is running around ten-toeing it, barefoot in the middle of the night.âÂ
You squeal, making grabby hands at the shoes. He lets you have them, laughing as you grab them and hold them to your chest, closing your eyes. Your head lulls to the side and he can see the sleepiness pulling at your edges.Â
âYouâre sloshed, huh?â
âLike a coke slushie from the movie, Your Princely-Highness-Lord.âÂ
He canât fight his grin. âHave you had any water?â
âChampions donât drink water.â He holds out the bottle of water to you anyway. You reach for it but miss several times before your greedy little fingers get a hold of it. As he lets it go, you loose your grip and it hits you square in the face. âMotherfucker, the water is attacking the champion!â
Time to get you home.
âItâs after midnight, Princess Champion. We gotta hitch a ride on the pumpkin.â
âGet the cat to drive,â you mutter, not opening your eyes. âHe was trying to wipe his nose off in the kitchen.â
Picking himself off the ground, Taehyung manages to get you up and dusted off. You sway in front of him, looking up at him with half-lidded eyes. He can see the desire boiling there, and though it makes the blood rush to his groin, he ignores it, knowing you both need bed.Â
Kneeling down, Taehyung slips your shoes back on. Heâs careful, lifting your feet by the ankle to delicately slide the straps up. Youâre nearly asleep as he works, eyes fluttering as his touch skims along your cooling skin. Itâs only then he realizes that your shoe is broken and that leaving it on your foot and having you walk is dangerous.Â
Sighing, he takes them back off, intent to carry you to the Uber and up to your apartment. His fingers make you wake up a little, swinging your head down as you say, âHey weirdo. I have a boyfriend - a prince, to be exact - and he wouldnât appreciate you touching my toes. Those are his.â
Taehyung laughs and stands up. He looks down his nose at you. You have to tilt your head back to see him, breath coming out in sweet little puffs that smell like juice. âOh,â you say as Taehyung lowers his mouth, nose brushing yours. âYouâre my boyfriend. These are your toes.âÂ
âThey are,â he agrees. He steals a sweet kiss from you. Your mouth is warm against his, lips softer than ever. A shiver ripples through him as you melt into his touch, content to put your weight on him and let him hold you up. He always will. âLetâs get those toes home and in a pair of Sailor Moon socks, hmm?â
âYeeeees.âÂ
The Uber home is quiet. You immediately lean into Taehyung, smashing him against the door as you knock out. He smiles all the same, wrapping a warm arm around you. He kisses your head before leaning his forehead against the window, feeling the cool glass bring him all the way back to sober.Â
Lights blur by outside. Orange and purples of Halloween, smears of costumes, and partygoers coming and going from their haunts for the evening. Once youâre at your apartment, he rouses you and lifts you up, carrying you up the stairs as you go. Your crown only falls off your head once, which he dutifully sets you on the ground to collect so you donât loose - in your words - the honor of your kingdom.Â
You sprint the rest of the way to your apartment then, tearing through the halls in your bear feet until youâre inside and on the bed panting, completely in disarray.Â
Two glasses of water, pajamas, and Sailor Moon socks later, youâre crashed in the bed, snoring lightly. Taehyung grins at your form, opening the drawer of the dresser where he stores his pajamas. Seeing you in your shared bed in his shirt, hand reaching out looking for him is the perfect end to this night.Â
Sliding into a t-shirt and sleep pants, he moves to close the drawer before he hesitates. At the bottom of the drawer is a black, velvet box. Itâs perfectly square, and Taehyung smiles when he sees it, thinking about the way your eyes were starry and lost as you looked at the sky. He pulls a shirt over it - it only needs to be hidden for a few more days.Â
Shutting the drawer he turns to look at you. His sleeping beauty, now.Â
Biting his bottom lip, Taehyung laughs. Itâs after midnight, but your spell on him isnât broken. It never will be. And he cannot wait to slide the ring on your finger instead of sliding slippers on your feet.
Synopsis: You were forced to marry for convenience, so you practiced your vows in the forest, but you didn't expect the branch coming alive after you marry it. You thought you saw a ghost, but he was worse, a corpse groom.
K. Taehyung x f. Reader
4.7K words.
Genre: Corpse bride au | yander-ish.
Tags: inspired by Corpse bride by Tim burton, arranged marriage, Infatuation, obsessive behavior, Original male character (Victoria's male version from the movie), Tae is so deeply in love with reader, he's whipped, dead Taehyung (he'll come back to life for smut purposes lol), captivity, innocent and naive reader, gothic vibes, Taehyung's a wolf in sheep clothes, possessive behavior, bad ending for reader but not for Tae, smut and dub-con s3x.
From the series masterlist; Hush.
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You tapped your fingers against your dress impatiently, you didnât want to be there, you didnât want to be wed to a stranger. The huge living room greeted you and your parents, the place looked cold and lifeless, your soon to be parents in law were standing before you, with grimaces on their faces. You felt them staring at you -judging you- so you crossed your arms over your chest, almost as if you were shielding yourself from their stares.
âGood evening Mr. and Mrs. Everglot!â Greeted your mother with a big smile, you noticed contempt flashing Mrs. Everglot face, but it disappeared as soon as it came.
âWhy, you must be VictorâŠâ said your father with a gentle smile.
The boy before you was pale and scrawny, like a fragile Victorian kid. You couldn't believe youâll be wed to this dull looking boy.
âSmile Dear,â whispered Mrs. Everglot to his husband, and the man did try his best to smile but he made a weird grimace instead, and of course your parents chose to ignore the pathetic attempt.
âWeâll be taking tea in the east room.â Commanded Mrs. Everglot with a blank bored face, turning around to walk towards the east side.
You noticed them walking away and leaving you behind almost as if they forgot about your existence. You sighed with slumped shoulders, blinking with excitement when you spot a piano in the corner of the living room. You glanced around before sitting to play it. You let your fingers play the keyboards, turning them into a sweet melody.
âYou play very beautifully.â That voice startled you, making you jump away from the piano.
You felt your cheeks heating with embarrassment at being caught by the fragile Victorian boy.
âDo forgive me, I didnât mean to be rudeâŠâ You muttered biting your inner cheek.
The boy chuckled shaking his head.
âOh please donât apologize, Iâm not like my parents.â He said smiling, easing your tense shoulders.
But the moment was interrupted by a dramatic gasp.
âY/n! Victor! How improper of you two being alone before the wedding!â Yelled Mrs. Everglot, making the fragile boy roll his eyes. You bit your bottom lip trying not to laugh.
That woman was such a prude.
After the unnecessary scold, Victor and you were practicing your vows for the wedding. The problem was that your brain wasnât braining, if that makes sense. You were making mistakes every time.
âWith this hand I⊠I will uhm, lift your, your-â
âSorrows,â finished softly the fragile boy, you smiled at him in gratitude.
âSorrows,â you repeated.
âYour cup will never- never empty⊠and uhm, for I will be your⊠your wine!â
You heard a deep and disappointed sigh behind you.
âWith this candle, I will light-â you interrupted yourself when the candle flame goes out, lighting it up again.
âIâd light your way in the darkness.â
âI will,â scolded the priest, but you ignored him.
âWith this ring, I ask you to be mine.â
The ring fell to the floor, rolling under Mrs. Everglot's dress. You didn't think twice before pulling it out from under her dress, regretting your action almost immediately when you accidentally set his fabric on fire.
Long story short, it was a disaster. Your parents were ashamed, and a strange woman save the day by putting out the fire. You felt your lips wobbling and your gaze blurring, you didnât mean to be so clumsy, you were just trying your best. You ran away from the house, after all everyone was ignoring your presence, so you werenât worry about them wondering where were you going.
Your eyes were teary and your chest stung with shame and helplessness. You were so deep in your thoughts that you didnât realize that you were walking into the forest. It was already night; the forest floor was covered in blankets of snow with the moonlight as the only source of light. You paced around with knitted brows and clenched fists.
âThat pale boy must think Iâm a fool,â You spoke out loud to yourself, with a long sigh. âIt shouldnât be that difficult to say a few simple vowsâŠâ You muttered, clearing your throat to practice your vows again.
âWith this hand I will- i⊠uhm, cup your wine? Fuck no, with this uhm⊠candle! I⊠i⊠set your annoying mother on fire,â you mumble kicking a branch.
You look up to watch the beautiful moon, spinning around and imagining you were at your wedding, everything was perfect and Victorâs parents didnât hate you.
âOh hello Mrs. Everglot, you look lovely this evening,â you smiled to a trunk, spinning around with your fluffy dress.
âWith this hand, I will lift your sorrows,â you said raising your hand. âYour cup will never empty⊠For I will be your wine,â you carry on with an imaginary cup. âWith this candle I will light your way in the darkness.â
And then you stopped, watching the shiny ring on your palm.
âWith this ring, I ask you to be mine,â you whispered softly, placing the ring on a branch as if it was a finger.
And suddenly, the earth shook beneath you, making you gasp with horror at the sight of the branch coming back to life. Or more like a man rising from the earth, or from the death.
In front of you stood a handsome man, dress for a wedding. His boxy smile and left white eye were charming, unlike his ragged suit and cadaveric purple-like skin. You spotted some of his rib bones through a hole in his wedding suit.
You blink hard and quick, thinking you went mad. You screamed with fear when the man walked towards you, showing you his finger wearing the ring. His grin never eased.
âI do.â He replied with a deep voice, bringing his face an inch closer to yours. âNow kiss the groom.â He whispered lowly, brushing your lips.
And when his mouth touched yours, everything turned black.
âSheâs still so soft and warm,â said a distant voice, making you frown and blink slowly your eyes open.
Your eyes widened with horror and your mouth opened with a scream at the sight above you, there was two men looking down at you, the both of them were definitely dead. The one in your right didnât even have arms. It was horrific, straight out of a horror movie.
Where the fuck were you?
The place seemed like a bar cave, with skeletons speaking and living corpses looking at you with confusion and pity.
âOh donât frighten her Yoongi, maybe sheâs one of those that doesnât know theyâre dead yet,â the man on your left says with pity in his gaze, making you gasp with disbelief.
âDead? The fuck are you talking about! Iâm alive, is⊠is this a dream?â You whispered the last words to yourself, maybe you just were in a bad dream. Nothing to worry about, right?
âYou two leave her alone, donât overwhelm my wife,â the mysterious man from the woods ordered with a stern voice, however his gaze was gentle and fixated on you.
You blinked with knitted brows, did you hear him right?
âWife?â You muttered with confusion, but everyone ignored you.
âOf course tae, we are very aware of your temper,â said the man named Yoongi.
âTo the newlyweds!â Yelled the other man, raising a beer and making everyone repeat the words with joy.
âNewlyweds!?â This time you shouted out the words, watching them with horror written on your face. As far as you know you were still single, yet to be wed but single.
âYou said your vows so beautifully in the woods my dear,â the deep and dark voice from the mysterious mantook your attention again. His gaze was still lingering on you, looking at you with adoration in his eyes. You didnât know how to react at his intense gaze, so you averted yours instead.
âI⊠did?â You muttered to yourself, remembering your rehearsal in the woods. You didnât mean to wed a corpse.
âYou did, my love.â His words were sugary sweat, as if they were trying to melt into your ears.
You gulped, feeling a deep and primal fear squeezing your chest, you were about to have a panic attack. You wanted to run away now.
âWell, let me introduce myself, Iâm Namjoon, the waiter. I died a year ago and-â You interrupted him by grabbing a dagger from a corpse to aim it at them as a threat.
Your mind was foggy and your thoughts erratic, you werenât thinking straight.
âGet away from me! I-I have a knife and Iâm not scared to use it! Give me questions now!â You yelled with panic.
âI think you mean answers sweetheart,â your supposed husband mention with amusement.
You blinked feeling like a moron. Realizing you were threatening literally corpses.
âEhm, yes, answers. Thank you.â
âYouâre welcome,â he said calmly, walking towards you with every step screaming confidence and elegance. He stopped inches from your body, leaning his beautiful face to yours. You flinched when you felt him curling a lock of your hair with his finger.
âAs you can see, Iâm a dead groom, with a very⊠tragic past. I was betrayed in life the day of my wedding, I thought Iâd doomed for eternity until you said your vows to me, as a gift from life⊠or dead.â He caged you against the bar counter with his arms at each side of you and his body leaning even more closer, making you lean your back on the counter as an attempt to get away from him.
âOur poor Tae, he was so handsome and naĂŻve in life. Always wearing his heart on his sleeve, that snake of a woman manipulated him to keep his money.â Said Yoongi with anger on his voice, while he was speaking, tae didnât look away from you for a second. His intense gaze was piercing you.
âAnd our Taehyung has always been a romantic with a kind heart, for that woman to murder him in cold blood on his wedding day. But he made a vow, to wait for his true love.â Continued Namjoon.
You felt a pang of guilt cross your heart, that was truly a tragic and sad story. No one deserves to die in such way.
âTaehyung,â you whispered his name, making him inhale sharp.
âYes, my moon.â He said back, smiling at you gently.
âIâm⊠really sorry for what happened to you, but I think there is a misunderstanding,â you tried to say, getting away from Taehyung with him following your steps.
âThere is none my love. We are married.â Irritation flashes his handsome face.
âWeâre not!â You yelled, and then you ran away.
You ran as fast as you can, almost tripping a couple of times. You watched with horror and fear the corpses surrounding you, passing in your way between a person cut in half. You watched all of their organs.
But then exhaustion drugged your movements, making you stop to take a deep breath and calm your racing heart. Your eyes burned with tears at the realization that you were lost, with nowhere to go. You sit on a bench and sob your heart out like a child.
âOh my dear, what are you doing here alone sweet thing.â Taehyungâs voice cooing at you made you look up at him, feeling relieved to see at least one familiar face. You hiccupped with fat tears streaming from your eyes, making Taehyung knit his brows with deep concern. He opened his arms and you rushed to them, hugging him tight.
âI want to go home,â you sobbed into his chest, wetting the fabric of his shirt.
He shushed you, stroking gently your hair and tightening his grip on your body.
âYou are home.â His words only made you cry harder.
But then a thought crossed your mind, maybe if you manipulate him to take you up to the world of the living then you could escape from this marriage.
âTae, i- I want to introduce you to my parents,â you said not looking into his eyes.
âSure Mon Amour. Where are they buried?â He asked cheerfully.
Your stomach twisted at his words.
âThey are⊠alive.â
His brows knitted for a moment, but he smiled again.
âThen we must find a way to go up.â He said taking your hand to pull you with him.
And thatâs how you two ended up in front of an old skeleton magician, who was trying to find a spell in his huge and dusty book.
âAha! There it is, a spell thatâll allow Taehyung to go to the world of the living,â said the skeleton before coughing loudly.
Taehyungâs grin was wide, he was so charming and beautiful like this, it was such a pity and waste that he was dead.
The skeleton that resembles an old man, gave Taehyung an egg, telling him to eat it to be able to go up. After he does, a cloak of smoke wrapped you both, you felt dizzy for a second, with Taehyung holding your hands. And then you blinked slowly, noticing with joy that you were in the woods again.
âYes!â You shouted without being able to contain your relief.
Taehyung smiled gently at you, although he has a white dead eye, his gaze was full of life and love. Your smile fell at the guilty pang piercing your heart, it was a little bit cruel to leave him like this, but you have no other choice. You donât belong to the world of the dead, at least not now.
âI- uhm, Iâll look for my parents to bring them here. Iâll go ahead, wait here for me and donât move,â you said clearing your throat, trying to look convincing enough.
âSure thing, Iâll wait right here,â he said cheerfully, sitting on a piece of log. Looking at you with a hint of innocence and trust. You averted your gaze, unable to bear looking into his eyes.
âIâll⊠Iâll be right back,â you muttered, walking away from him.
At first your steps were calm and confident, until you turn your head back realizing you were far enough to run like a mad woman, and you did, gasping by how fast you were running. You burst with happiness when you got to the town safe and sound, back home.
But Victorâs house was on the way, and you needed to give him some explanations as to why you disappeared the night before the wedding. You climbed to the balcony of his room, too scared to face his parents at this hour.
Your grin widened when you watch him reading on his bed, so you tapped his window eagerly. He jumped with surprise at the sight of you.
âWhat on earth are you doing here!?â he whispered shouted to you when he opened the balcony doors, and you walked past him into his room.
âIâm so sorry for disappearing, i-I am so scared Victor. Something really bad and weird happened to me! I got wed to a corpse groom against my will!â You knew you sounded like a maniac, probably making no sense to Victor. But there was no other way to explain what happened to you in the woods.
âWhat? Iâm confusedâŠâ Victor said carefully, with his brows knitted and looking at you as if you grew another head. You sighed deep at his words.
âI know I sound crazy, but Iâm telling you the truth. Iâm running from-â
You were interrupted by the balcony doors bursting open and slamming against the walls, making Victor and you startle. There, on the balcony, stood Taehyung, with an intimidating aura. He looked frightening without his typical smile, looking at you two with a cold face.
His steps were large and heavy, pulling you away from Victor with force, tightening his grip around your arm.
âY/n? whoâs that?â Taehyung asked between teeth, not breaking his heavy gaze from Victor.
âHeâs my⊠my-myâŠâ Your brain literally bugged at that moment, blank and without any rational thought.
âIâm his soon to be husband.â Replied Victor, making you open and close your mouth like a fish, you wanted to deny it but you just couldnât because it was the truth. You didnât know how well Taehyung will cope with that information.
âYou wish,â said darkly Taehyung, pulling you away with him. You two disappeared into the cloaked smoke that brought you here. And you witnessed the horrified face of Victor before vanishing away into the air.
You were again in the place of the old magician skeleton, with Taehyung crying in front of you. Your heart was clenching with pity and anger, he didnât have any right to take you away from Victor!
âYouâre a liar!â Sobbed Taehyung, with tears streaming from his betrayed eyes.
You gasped in disbelief.
âExcuse me? Iâve never lied to you!â
âYeah sure, go back to that other man,â said lowly Taehyung, with venom and hurt in his voice.
âYou are the other man!â You shouted, feed up with his victim complex.
âNo Iâm not! Youâre married to me! Heâs the other man!â He screamed with his voice breaking at the last words.
âHeâs got a point though,â the skeleton commented softly.
There was a moment of silence, you didnât know what to say at this point. Taehyung looked defeated with his shoulders slumped.
âAnd I thought this was going well,â he muttered, making you feel even worse.
âLook, Iâm so sorry you have to find it out like this, but I donât want this marry.â
Hurt flashes Taehyungâs face, his eyes swan in tears again.
âBut why? Itâs because my eye, isnât it?â He whispered sadly, looking vulnerable and hurt.
âNo! Of course not, your eye itâs very⊠lovely, you are very lovely, and handsome. But thatâs not the point.â You pinched the bridge of your nose in exasperation. âThe point is, that weâre not meant to be! Youâre⊠dead, and Iâm alive, this just canât work.â
âWell, you shouldâve thought about that before saying your vows,â he replied with an angry scowl and crossed arms.
âWhy canât you understand that this is a mistake! I would never, ever, marry you!â
You regretted your words immediately after watching Taehyungâs crestfallen face. He just stood there, saying nothing back and turning around, leaving you alone with your thoughts.
âWell, a marriage isnât a marriage without arguments, isnât it?â You ignored the skeleton, feeling really bad with yourself.
You went out, ignoring the corpses watching you with curiosity, you were the only one with a beating heart and they know it, everyone knows it except Taehyung.
With a sigh, you sit heavily on the bench, biting your bottom lip with no clue of what to do down here without the company of Taehyung. Are you doomed to be in the land of the death? Maybe that was your destiny, in some way, the universe fulfilled your wish; you wonât marry Victor, but at what cost?
You searched for Taehyung after a couple of hours, asking every corpse If they have seemed him, but they never answered your questions.
And then you listened a sweet piano melody from afar, your body followed the sound as a sailor going after the call of a siren. Your feet brought you to a small terrace where Taehyung was playing piano, he looked absorbed in his own little word, until you sat beside him on the pianoâs bench, making him startle and widen his pretty eyes.
But he blinked his surprise away, snorting with a roll of his eyes, ignoring you to keep playing. You played the keyboards too, following his melody. He side-eyed you with annoyance, playing quicker the piano, making you smirk playing even more quicker than him. Your hands touched at some point, and you noticed how Taehyungâs defenses broke down little by little, enjoying the melody you two made, smiling softly at you.
âThat was so beautiful,â you say breaking the comfortable silence. Taehyung only nodded at your words.
Your lips curled down, feeling that pang of guilt in your chest again.
âLook, Iâm so sorry for what I said earlier. Youâre the most interesting and handsome man Iâve ever met, and if death werenât separating us, Iâd fall head over heels for you.â You said softly, trying to make him understand why you two werenât compatible at all.
He just hummed, not looking at you.
âSo the only thing you want from me⊠itâs a beating heart?â He asked trying to look nonchalant, but you noticed the tension of his lips.
âI⊠I mean, I can be dead to be with you⊠at this point, thereâs nothing left for me up there,â you muttered, you didnât miss Victorâs parents flattering the woman that turn off the fire of Mrs. Everglot dress, she seemed interested in marrying Victor.
âNo.â Growled Taehyung with anger, a fire burning his dead eyes. âI would never take that away from you, life is a gift, and youâre full of it. Thatâs whyIâm head over heels for you, my moon.â He whispered the last words, full of love and passion, melting your heart and filling your eyes with tears.
Youâve never felt more loved and seemed in your life, but it felt wrong, because the feeling wasnât mutual. You appreciate him, yes, you think heâs beautiful and sweet, also yes. But you didnât love him.
âI have to be honest with you Tae, I just⊠donât feel the same, and I canât guarantee you that my feelings will change in the future.â
Taehyung smiled with sadness and determination, holding tightly both of your hands and stroking lovingly the back.
âI have enough love for the both of us, even If you never love me, even if you hate me. Iâll never leave you.â He said like an oath, one heâs not willing to break.
You blinked at his words, taken aback. It felt more like a threat rather than a confession of love, but you didnât mind. It felt nice to be cared for.
âOkay.â You whispered, looking into his pretty eyes.
âI have something to show you,â his voice dropped an octave, and his gaze darkened for a moment, but he returned to his bright persona immediately. You nodded slowly, not sure why you felt uneasy all of a sudden.
He took you to a hidden cottage deep in the land of the death, it was hauntingly beautiful, its garden has dead roses and dark sunflowers. Charming and deathly, just like Taehyung.
He showed you a death rose covered in honey, smirking at you like the Cheshire cat, with a mischievous and a naughty glint in his eyes. You narrowed your eyes, raising a brow when he remained silent.
âSo? You wanted to show me a withered rose?â You asked with a frown, not sure what the hell you two were doing in that cottage. âDo you live here?â You changed the subject, watching your surroundings with curiosity.
âYes, we live here. And⊠this rose itâs enchanted, it will bring me back to life, itâll make my rotten heart beat again.â
You freeze at his words, whipping your head towards him in shock, watching Taehyungâs eyes darkening. His gaze was intense and unreadable, staring piercingly at you like a hawk, a predator ready to pounce and chase its preys if it dares to run away.
You gulped hard, blinking and processing his words.
âAre you sureâŠit-itâll work? I mean, Iâm sure it will, we got up a couple of hours ago.â You rambled, trying to think how to say your next words. âIf⊠if, this works, that means⊠we can go back to the land of the living?â You asked softly and cautiously, watching his every expression as if you were dealing with a wild animal.
Taehyung only smiled at you, but it didnât reach his eyes. That smile looked forced, so unlike him.
âOf course, my moon, we will go to your home. I want to meet your parents after all,â his voice sounded constricted, as if he was restraining himself.
âIf you donât want to do this, then donât. Do it because you want it, not to please me.â
This time his smile was genuine, sparkling his eyes.
But then his gaze darkened again, like a dusty cloak covering his eyes, his intentions.
âDonât worry about me, although I have to tell you something. To make this spell permanent, thereâs one condition.â He said, not breaking his heavy gaze from you.
A chill run down your spine at his odd vibe.
âWhat condition?â You asked with your brows knitted.
âWe have to consummate the marriage,â he said lowly, approaching you with slow steps.
You widened your eyes at his proposal, no fucking way. You wonât fuck a corpse.
âTaehyung youâre dead. Iâm not fucking a corpse, Iâm sorry.â
To your surprise, his smirk didnât falter.
âDid I say Iâll fuck while dead? No. This spell will revive me, but only for 4 hours, thatâs why we need to⊠be intimate to make it permanent.â He said calmly, getting even more closer to your body.
You didnât know what to say to that, it wouldnât be a problem if he was alive, right? But⊠he was still a stranger, and you didnât feel comfortable being intimate with him.
âI donât knowâŠâ
âDonât you want to go back home? To be with your parents? Wouldnât be easier if you tell them youâre already married? I promise to give you space up there, I can love you from afar.â His tone was deep, and his stare burned with determination.
âI⊠guess youâre right.â You whispered, not knowing what else to say.
It canât be that bad. Right?
Taehyung smirked mischievously, his eyes glinting with eagerness. He took the withered rose, eating its petals covered in honey. Staring at you while swallowing each one of them.
And then⊠he changed.
His purpled skin tone turned tan with a healthy glow, his lips changed into a cherry tone. His hair was more ebony and shinning, and that hole that showed his rib bones, was covered with new skin.
He looked alive.
Your lips parted and your eyes widened with fascination. You took one large step to be an inch closer to him, putting slowly your hand on his chest. Laughing with joy at the feeling of his heart beating against your palm. You just witnessed a miracle.
âIâm impressed,â you said feeling his heart, he felt so alive.
Taehyung pulled your hand towards his lips, kissing it softly and staring at you heavily. His lips lingered on your hand, brushing the inner of your wrist.
And then he carried you in bridal style, making you gasp in surprise by the sudden movement. You wrapped your arms around his neck, watching how he took you deeper into the cottage, laying you on the mattress of his bed.
He lingered above you, caging your head and body with his hands and legs, staring down at you with hunger in his eyes. His left white eye didnât change of color, making you smile. It was his charm.
And then he kissed your smile away, sucking and biting your lips like a starve man, swallowing all of your sounds as if he wanted to devour you.
Your head spined because of how rough he was kissing you, not breaking the kiss to give you a chance to breath. You felt him tearing off your clothes like a savage, making you frown and whimper. It was a lot, you tried to turn your head away but he growled, gripping your chin to attach his lips again.
âTae. I, I donât know if this is-â
âYou said yes, I wonât let you set a foot outside until Iâm buried balls deep inside you.â He snarled, with anger and lust clouding his intense eyes.
He widened your legs until your knees brushed your shoulders, baring you open to him. You felt your cheeks heating with embarrassment, youâve never felt more exposed in your life.
And Taehyungâs eyes glinted with so much hunger that it scared you, the grip he has on your legs was tight, not letting you go.
âYouâre mine,â he growled.
And you teared up, feeling like a lamb that fell into its predatorâs trap.
â Summary: In your world only a few rules exist: donât reveal your true identity to anyone, kill or be killed and, most importantly, do not get caught. It only takes a few moments for the scale to be tipped to the wrong side, for the fine equilibrium to be easily ruptured by an inexplicable turn of events and for you to lose the only person that ever mattered to you. With the love of your life lost in the distant past, you are left with only one option: get caught.
â Word Count: 29.101 words
â WARNINGS: lots of violence, murder/death, mention of wounds and blood, gore, graphic depictions of sexual intercourse, oral (receiving), fingering, hickeys, dirty talk, cussing, penetrative sex, unprotected sexâ the sex scene is not very kinky but it is very passionate ;)
â Authorâs Notes: This story is part of the âUnder Fireâ collab hosted by the @btssmutclub ! â„ Make sure to check the rest of the stories because they are all bomb **  || The main plot of this story was based on this prompt: here.
I tried to research a lot to write the scenes set in the past but if there are some errors, please do not mind them too much, I really tried! â„
â PS: I know some of you struggle to read long fics on Tumblr so hereâs the AO3 link to read it more comfortably: here!
â 6th May 2018, h 23:58 || Seoul, South Korea
 In your world only a few rules exist: donât reveal your true identity to anyone, kill or be killed and, most importantly, do not get caught.
Taehyungâs scream behind your back comes in the form of your name, the urgency in his tone goading your legs to move even faster, begging you to keep going and not to stop, not to even look back. But you do look back, because that is the only way you think the dread in your heart will be quenched but, instead, you are met with the most terrifying sight you could have possibly envisioned.
Genre/tags: Fluff, strangers to lovers, simp! Taehyung, christmas cliche, some mentions of Yeontan passing (RIP Yeontan đȘœ)
Pairing: Taehyung x she/her reader
a/n: I was again inspired by their song, winter ahead's music video is just truly beautiful :') Happy holidays everyone!
âTell me your name.â
âNo.â
âBut, why???â
You rolled your eyes, simply walked past the guy who had been pestering you for weeks now.Â
Allegedly, his name was Kim Taehyung. Ever since he moved to the town and bumped into you that one time at an art exhibition, this was all he ever did. You found out he was a sculptor, and that a few of his pieces were in fact shown that time. No one was supposed to know about this information because he was using an alias called âVanteâ, but your friend Namjoon who was the art curator was a bit nosey. That was also probably how this Taehyung guy found out about your workplace.Â
To be quite honest, you didnât know why someone like him would want to move in a small town. He had looks, money, and supposedly fame too. He looked more like a Los Angeles or Paris kind of person. With those wavy black hair, perfect sculpted by the gods face, you would assume he was a model. But instead here he was, disturbing your cleanup duty.Â
âNamjoon said that youâre the same age as me.âÂ
âNamjoon needs to shut the fuck up sometimes.â
âWow, easy.â He chuckled, slumping down on the table. âI never ask him for your name though. I want to achieve it myself!âÂ
You looked around your donut shop and sighed. You still needed to clean the tables and it was already half an hour past closing time.Â
âIâll help.â He stood up with a boxy grin, pointing his finger up.Â
âYou can help me by going home.â You rolled your eyes.Â
âCome on⊠I have no friends here.â He whined.Â
âNamjoon is your friend, no?â
âHeâs barely in town.âÂ
âIâm sure you can make friends elsewhere.â You said as you wiped the counter.Â
He hummed, puffing his cheeks. âWhy donât you hire me? I can work part time. Iâm mostly free! It seems like a lot of work just by yourself hereâŠâÂ
âItâs only busy on holidays, usually I can manage it very well. And I do have a staff with me, heâs just currently not here since his dad is sick.â
He chewed the inner part of his cheeks, seemingly in thoughts again. He didnât say anything but you saw him started cleaning the mess from the tables and throwing them to the trash.Â
âSo, how long have you been running this place?âÂ
âItâll be two full years this December.â You said, your voice slowly going far as you moved to the kitchen.Â
The man quickly followed you, clearly still wanted the conversation to keep going. You didnât even bother to tell him away at this point. Maybe the company wasnât so bad.Â
âThatâs cool.â He nodded, looking around the kitchen. âHave you always loved baking?â
âWhat is this, an interview?â You glared.Â
âMaybe?â He giggled.Â
âAs a kid I used to want to study fashion and tailoring, but money was tight and I ended up just going for a normal and boring degree which is, accountancy.âÂ
He voiced an âahâ and nodded. âIf you have the chance, would you still do it? Pursuing fashion and allâŠâ
âI donât know.â You sighed, hands full with the dishes. âThe shop needs me. She doesnât have anyone else.âÂ
âShe?â He looked at you in amuse.Â
âYeah, itâs a she.â You held down a chuckle.Â
He quietly helped you dry the plates and put them on the rack.Â
Finally finished with the chores, you turned off the lights and grabbed your jacket. As you moved to the door, the man just followed you around like a puppy.Â
âSee ya, Taehyung.â You waved blankly and turned away, walking to the opposite direction.Â
âWait!â He called, making you stop in tracks. âDo you want me to drive you home?â
âMy home is just a ten minute walk.âÂ
âThen Iâll walk you!â He smiled happily.Â
âIâm not giving away my address to you.â You folded your arms.Â
âUh⊠text me when you get back home then?â
âI do not have your number.â
âThatâs why we need to change that now.â
âItâs fine.â You turned your back again, the disappointed expression in his face went unseen to you. âThank you for the offer though.âÂ
He sighed with a smile, but waved his goodbyes to you anyway. There was always a next day, he thought.Â
You didnât see him again until the next three days. This time he dropped by for a coffee, that you had recently noticed was bought for the sake of buying something, and a chocolate donut along with it. It seemed like this time instead of bugging you, he just sat there, sketching on his small sketch book, looking like he was shooting an advertisement for your cafe.Â
He never greeted you nor had he said anything to you and he had been sitting there for four hours now. Your staff had offered to talk to him, but it just did not feel right to disturb him while looked so passionate. The shop wasnât too busy at the moment anyway.Â
âYou sure heâs not a creep?â Jungkook, your staff said to you in a whisper.Â
âCanât exactly say heâs not one, but heâs harmless.â You told him.Â
âHe hasnât touched his coffee.âÂ
âI donât think he even likes coffee.â
âThen why even order one?! What a weirdoâŠâ Jungkook looked at the guy with side eye.Â
You heard the entrance door opened and saw a costumer. âKook, handle the register for me, Iâll talk to the guy.â
Jungkook nodded and you went inside the kitchen. Grabbing an empty cup, you filled it with water before heading to the man sitting prettily at the corner.Â
Taehyung was quick to put down his pencil and book as soon as he saw you placing down a glass of water. âOh, hello!â He gave you a warm smile.Â
âYou need to drink something.â You told him, pointing at the water with your eyes.Â
âThanks, I already have the coffee thoughâŠâ
âYou havenât even taken a single sip from it, Taehyung.â You folded your arms, leaning slightly at the table. âWhy order one when you donât like it?â
His eyes beamed. âYou noticed???â
âYouâve been here for hours and the cupâs still full.â
âSorry,â He chuckled and then took a full sip from the glass of water. âI wanted to look cool.âÂ
You rolled your eyes. âI donât like coffee either. Not by choice cause I have acid reflux.â You told him.Â
âWeâre bonding already, I see⊠miss, uhâŠ?â He eyed you.Â
âNice try.â You turned, walking away from him. You hoped he didnât see the corners of your lips curled up ever so slightly.Â
In the next few days he continued to visit your cafe to seemingly work on his sketch, but he did not get any coffee anymore. Instead, he now ordered some lemon tea alongside the chocolate donut.Â
Usually, your shop would be closed on Sundays. You needed some time for yourself in order to prioritize your mental and physical health. But with the Christmas and New Year just around the corner, the place had been extra busy so you decided to open half day on Sundays just until the holiday season was over.Â
That was why Taehyung looked so excited when he walked past the cafe and saw the lights on.Â
âWelcome to Adore, whatâ oh.â You dropped your greetings as soon as your eyes met.Â
âYouâre open on Sundays now?âÂ
âOnly during the holidays.â You simply said. âWhat can I get you?â
âCherry jam filled donut?â He asked, pointing at the glass display.Â
âYup. Itâs a holiday special.âÂ
âInteresting.â He hummed. âIâll get one.â
âAlright. Anything else?â
âNope. Please do print the bill with the cashier name on it this timeâŠâÂ
âYouâre never gonna give it up, huh?â
âYouâre so dramatic. Weâre basically friends at this point, why canât I have your name?â He chuckled.Â
You shook your head in disbelief. âIf thereâs nothing else, that would be twoââ
âBoba-eyed boy isnât here today?â He asked while looking around.Â
âJungkookâs shift doesnât include Sundays.â You sighed. âCan we please proceed? Thereâs a line behind you.â
âRight, sorryâŠâ He grinned awkwardly and paid the order. He waved you goodbye in a goofy way before exiting through the door.Â
A lady who was a returning costumer was next in line. She smiled at you and spoke, âIâve never seen him around before.â
âHe just moved here around a month or so.â You told her. âWhat can I get you today?â
âOh, the usual would be great, darling.â She smiled and you quickly typed matcha latte into the order. âIâd like the holiday hamper too, they look adorable.âÂ
You immediately went to get the donut set. âI know, right?â You smiled at her.Â
You quickly typed and tally her order. After she was done with the payment, she spoke up again. âThat boy seems nice⊠and seems into you.â She snickered.Â
âPlease donât mind him.â You smiled at her and sighed. âHe just has a lot of time in his hands.â
âDonât be so negative, sweetheart. Itâs almost Christmas.âÂ
She smiled before waving you goodbye, as you did the same to her.Â
After the half day, you decided to spend your free time at the mall, window shopping and some actual light shopping too since you were looking for small gifts to give to your friends. On the way home, you were surprised to see Taehyung in front of your shop. He was tiptoeing in cold, hands in his pocket, trying to take a peek inside the closed store.Â
âYouâre here!â He waved cheerfully. âI didnât know you closed early?â
âI only open until three on Sundays.â You said, feeling a little nervous seeing him outside work. âDid you wait for meâŠ?â
âI want to give you this!â He quickly handed you a piece of paper, what appeared to be a ticket. âThereâs a small art pop up at the town park next week. I have some of my works there and I was wondering if you want to come and see them with me?â He looked at you with hopeful eyes.Â
You looked at the ticket and at him back and forth. A small art exhibition wouldnât hurt anybody. The ladyâs words somehow flashed through your mind. Maybe you needed to loosen it up a bit with the negativity.Â
âIt wonât clash with your work! Itâs on Sunââ
âSure.â
âAww, man⊠I was hopingâ wait, did you just say yes???â He widened his eyes at you. It was funny how he was already expecting you to reject him.Â
âI mean, Iâll probably go either way soâŠâ You shrugged. âIâm surprised Namjoon hasnât told me anything about it.â
âI told him not to.â He smirked.Â
âWell, that explains it.â You broke into a small smile.Â
âWow.â He gasped. âI just made you smile.â
Your expression dropped when you realized. âYouâre crazy.â
He giggled, appeared to be very happy with himself. âWanna take a stroll?â
Both of you ended up sitting down on a random bench across the river. The cold winter air was making you shiver and Taehyung being Taehyung, he quickly removed his coat and draped it across both of you. So now you were sitting shoulder to shoulder, under the moonlight.Â
âOh, I forgot to tell you, the cherry donut tasted great! You should keep it on the menu.â He showed you his thumbs up.Â
âReally? I wasnât so sure with the jam since I made them from scratchâŠâ You thought. âItâs not overly sweet? I was worried the powdered sugar would be too much.â
âNope.â
âYou sure?â
âWhy?â He turned to look at you with a mischievous grin. âYou donât trust my opinion?â
âN-No! Iâm just making sureâŠâ You looked away.Â
Never knew looking at him in such close range would be this⊠nerve wracking. You never noticed his beautiful lashes, nor how unique his eyes were, one eye with monolid and the other had double.Â
You cleared your throat, backing away slightly. You wondered why it suddenly felt hot even though you were out in the cold winter weather.Â
âIs there a reason why I canât know your name?â He suddenly asked.Â
You looked around, fidgeting the hem of your sweater. âYouâre too positive, too eager⊠It scares me.â
You were smiling, but Taehyung didnât like the way your expression looked. The smile looked like it was laced with sadness behind it.Â
âWhat made you decide to move here?â You asked, changing the topic suddenly.Â
He looked like he wanted to protest, but chose not to. âI canât stand the big city. Always thought I was born to live that life, but turns out I hate the crowd.âÂ
âDid you not have your alias before?â
âI used to star in movies.âÂ
âDamn, didnât know youâre THAT famous.â You pouted your lips, impressed.Â
âIâm no Ryan Gosling or anything, my thing was only on small movies or series.â He chuckled.Â
âWait, so you quit just like that???â
âMy company kept pushing me on projects that donât represent me. I was so fed up of putting on a facade in front of everyone, including behind cameras when meeting people in parties and whatnotâŠâ He sighed. âAnd with my dog passing away recently, I thought a fresh start might be good for me. Cutting off all the toxic branches, you know?â
âIâm so sorry for your lossâŠâ You couldnât help but to feel sad hearing his story.Â
âItâs okay. Heâs been sick for so long, so heâs happier now somewhere.â He smiled. âDo you wanna see his pictures?â
You widened your eyes in surprise. âI can?â
âSure. Just a secâŠâÂ
He took out his phone and showed you a few photos from a dedicated album. Your heart melted upon seeing the images of the adorable Pomeranian. There was a few photos showing the dog wearing costumes, some he took with his friends, and even some selfies of him with the late dog.Â
âHis name was Yeontan.â He said, fingers still scrolling through the phone, letting you see more pictures.Â
âIâm sure he was a good boyâŠâ You gave him a smile.Â
âThe best.â He smiled back, almost teary eyed.Â
Maybe it was the festivities around you, making your heart softened, but you finally agreed to him walking you back home. It was almost awkward to say goodbye as deep down you wanted to hug him. Not only as a farewell, but you wanted to comfort him after hearing his story. You were fighting with your inner morals and self respect, then ended up with a simple fist bump. To be fair, that was more you coded anyway.Â
He was very sweet, waiting in front of your house, making sure you entered the door before leaving. You had to shoo him away through the window to make him leave. The sound of his laughter as he waved at you, sounded like a soft Christmas song.Â
You did not get to see him until the day before the exhibition. You and Jungkook were busy cleaning up the place, and you could hear your staffâs growl when the sound of the door bell could be heard, thinking it was a costumer coming on closing time.
âOh, itâs the creep.â
âHello, boba boy.â Taehyung greeted playfully at the guy.Â
âI do not like this guy.â Jungkook pointed to him and looked at you.Â
You gave Tae a small smile before patting Jungkookâs shoulder. âI donât either.â You chuckled.Â
âOh, yeah sure!â The younger guy protested, rolling his eyes.Â
âIâll be done in ten minutes.â You looked at the guy who was waiting next to the door.Â
âTake your time.â He smiled at you, but earned another glare from the staff boy.Â
After you were done and Jungkook went home, subsequent to giving the waiting man a few death stares. You heard Taehyung huffing and puffing, hands inside his pocket, while you were locking your entrance door.Â
âWhat do you wanna talk about?â You asked him.Â
âThe exhibition is tomorrowâŠâ
âI know.â You giggled. âAnd?â
âHey, I donât have your phone number to just text this thing, okay?â He said in defense, making you laugh. âI have something to give you thoughâŠâ
âOh? You donât have to!â
You backed away one step from him but that did not stop him from taking out something from his pants pocket. He took out a small maroon colored jewelry box, and your heart was racing out because, to random people this might look like he wanted to propose to you.
He opened the box and showed it to you. A beautiful silver-plated Vivienne Westwood necklace was inside of it, you could notice it right away with the iconic Saturn orb.Â
âTaehyung, I canât accept this! I donât even have anything to give youâŠâÂ
âI just think itâd look great with formal looks, for the exhibition and allâŠâ He looked away shyly. âJust take it, please.â
Your hands were slightly trembling as you reached out for the box. âThank you. Itâs really beautiful.âÂ
âUh huh.â He grinned, rocking back and forth playfully. âSo uh⊠can I finally have your phone number? I kinda need to know when to pick you upâŠâ He looked at you with hopeful looks.Â
âSure.â You chuckled.Â
âYes!â He threw his fist up, before quickly recollecting himself and cleared his throat. âUh, hereâŠâ He handed you his phone.Â
As you typed your number in, he suddenly stopped you.Â
âDonât type your name in!â
You looked at him with crooked head, wondering if he had lost his mind. The fact you were about to do it too.Â
âJust tell me tomorrow, if you want to.â He grinned.Â
âOkayâŠ?â You chuckled and handed him back the phone. âWhatâs this all about?â
âWhereâs the fun if I tell you.â You could see his cheeks turning a rosy color despite the low light.Â
âSuspicious.â You eyed him, couldnât help a smile. âBut Iâm intrigued.â
He flashed you his usual boxy grin, hands inside the pocket as he blew a cold smoke. âIâll take you home?â
You might not realized it, but Taehyung had slowly but surely began to tear down the barrier you built one by one. Whether it was the constant affection, random jokes, or the small details that he would always noticed, whatever it was, his presence made you felt safe.Â
Came next day, you had texted Taehyung when to pick you up at your home after work. The struggle and anxiety of choosing the right outfit really joined late. The whole day you thought you had figured it out, but when you finished putting it all together, you started overthinking. Does Taehyung like woman in skirts? Does he prefer woman with hair up or down? Would it be too much if you wear a little bit of makeup?
The choices landed on a simple black mini dress with a white shirt under it. It was the most formal-but-not-try-hard-but-also-still-cute kinda outfit you had. Your red plaid patterned pumps matched the whole theme of the Vivienne necklace that was gifted to you days prior.Â
As you take a look at your reflection in the mirror, your phone rang. Expecting it to be Taehyung, you looked up the caller name revealing your friend Namjoon instead.Â
âHello?â
âYouâre coming to the exhibition, right?âÂ
âI am. Why?â
âTaeâs picking you up?â
âYeah, I think heâll be here in fifteen.âÂ
âIâm assuming things are well between you and him?â There was a hint of sneaky teasing in his tone of voice.Â
âDidnât know you were trying to make something happen between us.â You said as you looked at the mirror, applying lipgloss.Â
âWasnât suppose to, I donât think that was his initial intention either.â The guy chuckled from the other line. âBut I donât know man⊠I just think itâs good to see you with someone again, no? Youâve been through so much and I think Taehyung is a good person.â
âLetâs not get ahead of ourselves here, we donât even know if heâs even thinking that way.âÂ
âWell, I know.â He emphasized. âDude wouldnât even make a move without my permission.â
You broke into a smile. âI didnât know youâre that protective of me.â
âHey, ever since what happened with that sick bastard, you had been shutting yourself down. You kept yourself busy with work, you donât even socialize that much anymoreâŠâ He sighed. âAnd I know you are scared. I know youâre afraid of people that show you so much interest so fast, people who are all sunshine and happiness. But donât you think itâs about time you try to trust again?â
âI donât know Joon⊠to be honest with you, I feel safe with him. He seems like he has the purest intention, and even if he doesnât even think about this romantically, I still want a friend like him. ButâŠâ You paused. âThatâs why itâs even scarier. Heâs broken all the walls Iâve built. If he hurt me, Iâll be back to ground zero again.âÂ
âItâs always worth the risk.â Your friend said sternly, assuring you. âAnd donât worry, Iâll personally punch him in his goddamn top five most handsome men face if he ever tries to hurt you.âÂ
You laughed. âThank you, Joon.âÂ
âGo get dolled up. I want jaws on the floor when you arrive.âÂ
âThatâs not gonna happen, but whatever.â You laughed again. âSee ya.â
âSee you, lover girl.â
You had your fair share of Christmas movies. You were also never much of a romantic person yourself, so the Christmas movies dreamy golden retriever boy coming to sweep you off your feet cliche was never your cup of tea. But never say never, people said.Â
The sleek back hair, the preppy white button up, the black suit. Who were you kidding, did this person steal his outfit from a movie set or something? You were sure you were getting picked up by a friend, not the prince himself.Â
âHi.â He said, a bit breathless.Â
âHi there.â You said bashfully. âYou look great.âÂ
âDonât steal my line.â He laughed, pulling his collar slightly. âOh shit, I forgot.âÂ
âWhat is it?â
You saw the man quickly ran to his car and picked up something from the back seat.Â
Lord saves us all. He came back with a bouquet.Â
âOh my god.â You rolled your eyes, laughing. âYou canât keep doing this!â
âItâs too much, is it?â He eyed you with a smirk.Â
âI like them though.â You smiled as he handed you the flowers. âAlthough I must admit, red rose is a bit overrated.âÂ
âIt matches your shoes though.â He pointed out.Â
âI guess youâre right.â You giggled. âWait just a sec, Iâll vase them.âYou came back a few minutes later after quickly finding a jar for the roses. âReady?â
âAfter you.â He playfully said.Â
You had the opportunity to bond over music taste through the car ride. You shared your playlist and so did he. You tried your best to not sneak in looks but you caught him doing the same thing a few times, in which both of you just laughed it off.Â
âWow, sheâs finally out and about, folks!â Namjoon greeted you as soon as both of you were in sight.Â
âI do go out sometimes, youâre exaggerating.â You slapped your friendâs arm jokingly.Â
âBuying groceries doesnât count.âÂ
You rolled your eyes. âLetâs just leave this guy.â
Taehyung laughed. âWasnât planning on letting him trail us anyway.â
âYou guys are disgusting. I am busy too, excuse you.â Namjoon shook his head playfully. âEnjoy the show, donât forget to see the main piece!â He eyed Taehyung, wiggling his eyebrows.Â
âWe get it. Now shoo.â Taehyung gestured with his hand at the tall guy. Namjoon laughed once again before leaving the two of you. âShall we?â He asked, gesturing his arm in hopes you would link yours over.Â
You nodded and happily obliged.Â
He cleared his throat as both of you start walking. âIâm supposed to be your tour guide and I rehearsed my whole opening speech, but now Iâm nervous as hell with you being this close to me.â
Your cheeks flushed and you giggled. âItâs okay, letâs just both be visitors today.â
âAlrightâŠâ He breathed out. âYou can ask questions if youâd like. Not everything here is mine but I know a thing or two about them too.â
Soon your eyes landed on a grayscale painting with random splashes of shapes decorating it. You let go your hand from his arm, stepping closer to the artwork, admiring it from close range. The amount of small details made up for the lack of vibrant colors, the visible brush strokes and different textures made it look very unreal to you.Â
âCaught your eye?â
âIt must took a lot of time and effort doing all the different textures and details.â
âYeah, it took me months. Made this while thinking about the last time I fell in love.â He smiled at you.Â
You were taken aback. Your eyes went down to the small signature done by the man himself. âOne wouldâve think being in love involves more bright colorsâŠâ
âIt was more complicated than that.â He stepped closer and stood next to you, eyes on the painting as well. âThere was a mix of emotions in there. Happiness, sadness, the in betweens⊠But all of that memories belong to my past, hence the gray palette.âÂ
You were debating if you should ask more about the said past.
âYou could ask, you know. If youâre curiousâŠâ He said, as if he could read your mind. âItâs okay, we ended on good terms. She just fell out of love. I guess I just bore her.â
âThatâs awful. How could someone find you boring?âÂ
You froze when you realized what you had just said.Â
The man chuckled as soon as he heard. âThank you for the compliment.âÂ
You turned away, blushing. âLetâs move on.â You walked ahead.Â
He followed your pace and walked aside you. âWhat about you? Whatâs your past like? If you donât mind me askingâŠâ
âI donât really have that much experience.â You said with eyes still roaming the area. âNamjoon didnât tell you anything?â
âHe loves to gossip but he also cares about you very much, so no.âÂ
You smiled and puffed a sigh. âIt might not sound like that much of a big deal, but the last person I dated lovebombed me at the lowest point of my life. I was dealing with the loss of my grandma, moving back to this town to continue her bakery, and he came to me just like that only to leave me for another woman like I was nothing.â
âHey, that is a big deal what are you even talking about.â He stopped and looked at you, seemingly a bit pissed too after hearing your story.Â
âI try not to let it get to me anymore, I guess.â You pulled the hem of his sleeves, signaling him to continue walking further. âItâs getting better now, thank you.â
âThank you?â He eyed you.
âYeah, thank you.â You smiled.Â
He chose not to question it and just continue the tour with a big grin decorating his face. The two of you continued the tour before Taehyung suddenly stopped you from making a turn to the last room to see.Â
âUh, before you go I need to tell you something⊠I want you to know that this didnât happen on purpose.â He plastered a nervous smile.Â
âWhat are you talking about?â
âThe inspiration didnât quite reach me until the very last few days⊠I was supposed to sculpt a whole different thing, but I ended up with a bust.âÂ
âOh? Then I canât wait to seeââ
âWait,â He grabbed your wrist, stopping you. âI want to let you know that I made this because itâs all thatâs been occupying my mind the past few weeks and I donât mean it in a creepy way⊠in case youâre offended.â He chuckled nervously again.Â
âWhy would I get offended?â You looked at him suspiciously.Â
He took a deep breath and breathed out heavily. âLetâs go see it.âÂ
Once you were inside, the first thing that caught your eye was a huge bust sculpture facing back. There was somewhat of a drip effect coming from the neck downwards, huge mess of concrete pooling at the bottom, creating the illusion of an unfinished raw work. From the looks of it, the statue seemed to be of a woman, but you couldnât judge for sure. As you stepped closer, circling to get a better view, Taehyung quietly followed you from behind.Â
You began to notice the ear, the side profile and how oddly familiar looking it was. Once you finally see the full front view, it all made sense to you.Â
The sculpture was in fact made to look like you. It had your eyes, nose, lips, everything. It was you, with your hair up like how you would during work hours.Â
âT-Tae⊠is thisâŠâ
âYeah.â He rubbed the back of his neck, looking at you with reddened cheeks. âWhat do you think?â
You were still in awe, speechless of seeing a literal art piece of yourself, most importantly, presented to the public eye. You werenât sure if screaming or crying would be the appropriate way to react.Â
Seeing you stunned silent, Taehyung began to panic a little. âItâs creepy, isnât it? Iâm sorryâŠâ
âNo!â You quickly voiced out. âItâs just⊠Iâm just loss of words. I canât exactly believe what I see.âÂ
âI canât either.â He said, looking uneasy still. âIt just happened out of nowhere. I only realized when I was already halfway done with your nose.â
âIâŠâ You took a good look at the piece again, before continuing. âItâs really beautiful. I wasnât even sure itâs me until I see the full view.â
âWell, thatâs how you look in my eyes.â He giggled.Â
You blushed. Clearly you didnât have any comeback ready in you for this.Â
âIf you look closely, this piece doesnât have a name yet.âÂ
You looked down to see the name plate empty, as told. Then something just connected in your head. This cheeky smart bastard.Â
âWanna name it?â He looked at you with a big contagious smile on his lips.Â
You nodded, mirroring the smile he had on. Instead of immediately saying your name, you stepped closer and hugged him, in which he instantly returned, resting his head on top of yours. In his embrace you looked up and finally told him your name.Â
The expression he had was mixture of joy and surprise. Both of you bursted into laughter in unison. For a moment, the world seemed to have stopped just for you. You even forgot the existence of other visitors wandering around. It was just you and him.Â
Taehyung took out something from his side pocket, a black marker, which he wiggled playfully in front of you. He looked left and right, making sure no one would notice, before he quickly wrote something on the golden plate.
âWhat if someone sees you?!â You whispered.Â
âDonât worry, Namjoon already knows.âÂ
He chuckled and took your hand in his, intertwining your fingers together as he led you through the exit. You didnât get to see exactly what he wrote on the plate, safe to assume it was probably just your name.Â
Little did you know, Namjoon had reached the room, examining the new named sculpture, with the word âLoveâ now scribbled on top of its name plate. He couldnât help but to be happy for his dear friends.Â
â» going to get a piercing au/completing bucket list au + my brotherâs best friend au + tattoo artist!taehyung
â» genres: smut, romance
â» length & status:Â 10k words; complete
â» rating & warnings: 18+; taehyung has tattoos and piercings, he and his big hands are illegal, taeâs oral fixation is entirely out of control, nipple sucking/breast play, semi-public sex (? idk tbh), the pussy eating he does is sloppy and gross, squirting, nasty/messy sex, unprotected sex (wear a condom and be safe kids OR ELSE), riding, creampie, pussy stuffing cuz tae has a big dick (I donât think you understand itâs GIGANTIC), multiple orgasms
â» summary:Â Youâre not sure how you ended up here, but maybe a shitty ex and a horrible breakup had a hand in what placed you in front of the tattoo parlor. It was already a nerve-wracking experience, but what you never expected was seeing that the owner and artist giving you nipple piercings was your older brotherâs best friend you hadnât seen in ages. to make things even worse, he got fucking hotter.
PART TWO [FINAL] | READ PART ONE HERE. | READ ON AO3Â
⟠18+ Explicit contentÂ
⟠xtremity; 9
⟠pairing: Murder suspect!Yandere!Taehyung x Therapist!Female
⟠word count: 18k
⟠warnings: Mental illness, mentions of murder, heavy dubcon bordering noncon, sadistic/manipulative/possessive!Tae, masochistic!therapist, mentions of medication/drugs, profanity, degrading dirtytalk, rough/painful sex, marking/biting, choking, forced orgasm, unprotected sex, crying, so much cum her womb swells at some point, angst, violence towards art :(Â
This fiction contains deranged desires and morals, please check all the warnings before you read.
A/N: The sequel has finally arrived. Itâs been a thrill to write this with đanon, who is such a lovely and amazing writer. Iâm honored to have created this with them, and Iâm excited to finally share this with everyone whoâs been anticipating part two. Also a big thank you to @chimoonaââ for making the banner, cheering me on and helping me finish this up when I felt like my brain was going to wither away. Please let me know if you love it and how it made you feel. xoxo
Genre: Fluff & Humour, Best Friend to Lover!Au, College!Au (sort of)
Summary: Thereâs no doubt about it. Youâve always been thirsty. And *ahem, not just for water. Everyone and their mothers knows it and so does your best friend Taehyung. Though, rather than desperate, heâd like to say that youâre naturally bold. Sometimes, he wishes he could be that way too.
Warnings: Themes of low self-esteem, hints of fat-shaming and very mean people. Swearing.
Cr.
The Ultimate Guide for the First Day of School:
Backpack
Pencil Case
Laptop
Pens and Pencils
A Notebook
Binoculars
Thatâs right. Binoculars are the absolute essential. If you forget everything else, youâll still survive but without your trusty pair of binoculars - ten times zoom power, military and hunting purpose, night vision, made in Germany - youâll be nothing.
âOh man, heâs hot.â You press the lens to your eye sockets, licking your lips and salivating immediately. The guy youâre observing is at least six feet in height, a slight shadow around his mouth that exhibits how his testosterone levels are high enough to grow a beard, ab muscles defined through his tight shirt. âHeâs smokingâŠten-out-of-ten.â
~summary: down at the riverbank is a boy whose eyes hold each swell of the waves, whose hair ruffles like the reeds. but the peaceful magic of the river may become your only sanctuary when wilder forces come into play
~pairing: taehyung x f!reader
~word count: 13.6k
~fluff, angst, childhood friends to lovers, fantasy au, historical au, spirited away inspired
~rating: pg13
~warnings: fantasy violence, kids being mean, flooding, storms, mention of arranged marriage, war, potentially implied drowning, I gush about taeâs hair too much
~a/n: omG Iâm finally back!! much like the last time I participated in @toikiiiââs wonderful ghibli collab, I have ended up with something wayyy out of hand compared with what I expected haha - I srsly thought this one would not be as long! but somehow⊠here we are. it mainly consists of lots of scenes and some giant time skips, so bear with me!
I havenât done such a chunk of writing in so long and itâs honestly wild, Iâm pleased with it but I have no idea on the quality hahaha. please let me know what you think! I hope you enjoy this <3
Small feet slipped clumsily down the muddy bank, your shrieks and giggles accompanying each bump on your way down.
Reaching the bottom, you pushed through the tall reeds that grew beside the river. Water seeped into your shoes and the hem of your skirt, not that you paid it any mind. Maybe your parents wouldnât be too impressed when your returned home, but you were too impatient to try the small contraption clutched in your hands.
Father probably meant for you to cross the bridge and walk down to the flattest river bank. Instead, you had rushed down on this side of the bridge, simply wanting to reach the water as soon as you could.
~summary: everything in your world has changed. everything, that is, except the boy who still believes there are spirits in the forest.
~pairing: taehyung x reader
~word count:Â 16.6k
~my neighbour totoro au, artist!taehyung, fashion designer!reader, childhood friends to lovers, comfort, fluff, slight angst, slow burn, totoro just wants them to be together
~rating: pg13
~warnings:Â mentions of burnout, mentions of a toxic work environment, a skipped meal, a tiny bit of blood, being outside in bad weather, heights?
~a/n: hi everyone, long time no see! welcome to my first fic since my hiatus!! this is for the ghibli collab which is being run by @birbdaeâđ this one is for anyone who likes ghibli films, wants some comforting boyfriend vibes from tae or just vaguely chaotic totoro contentđthis one turned kinda long, but I hope Iâve captured the ghibli vibes well!
I would love to hear if you read this and what you think! come chat with međ
Taking you over familiar roads, the bus bumped gently against uneven ground. But you didnât so much as blink, cheek resting against the glass which rattled slightly in its pane.
You knew this place.
Something about returning down these roads stirred memories within you, though they tugged more at your body than your mind. The haze of smiles and childish laughter these streets made you recall felt alien to you.
But you knew that if you were to set your feet down in the earth here, they would be able to take you home even with your eyes closed. Your hands have memorised the shapes of the leaves in the forest and the wind would push your hair back like an old friend.
glimpse: you feel as if the world would stop revolving without taehyung in it, so you protect him with all your might. taehyung thinks that heaven wouldn't fall even without you in it, so he revokes every fiber of your being.
alternatively, you're taehyung's guardian angel and you'd go to hell and back for him â even if you get nothing in return; even if you never receive the love that you give.
[ heavy angst i'm telling u rn, wholesome n comforting moments here and there, unrequited love (at first), so much longing, emotional constipation, mentions of intercourse (not between the main pairing), self-doubt and loathing, mentions of blood n injuries, jk's a literal devil but his acts of evil include making fun of a funky-looking bird, this fic isn't biblically accurate/specifically religious at all because i never intended it to be in the first place :) ]
notes: and it's finally here <3 took me about three days to write sporadically but really, this idea's been sitting on my drafts for already half a year!! once again gonna reiterate that this fic is gonna be on the heavier side so pls read with caution!!
as always, lmk what you think <3 send in feedback n love to my askbox anytime!! even replying to this post sends me over the moon :)
âIs that him?â
Jimin hears you ask for the thirteenth time ever since you've landed on Earth â and that was four minutes ago.
He would like to think that he's a patient man, really. He'd like to think that he's calm and not irritable even when the peer (friend, if you really push him to consider you one) he's with at the moment tends to be repetitive.
Time is merely a social construct and angels, of all beings, know that something which is meant to be undefined and infinite shouldn't be constrained by two little hands moving clockwise. Sure, five minutes in Heaven is still five minutes on Earth, but with you in tow?
Jimin could swear easily that you make time either faster or slower than it should be.
"Don't you think I would've already pointed it out to you if we saw him already? After all, this is why we came down here, hmm?"
He's a snippy angel, that's what he's been told. He's a considerate and caring one but he just tends to become a little bit sharp with his tone and the way he lazily looks at people before he rolls his eyes, playing it off as if he's praying to the sky.
Jimin knows that he's not exactly the textbook version of what should be strictly good and holy, but seeing you giggle at the way he snaps at you, he's reminded that maybe, just maybe, you may be his favorite mentee that he's ever had.
"Right, right. Please caw immediately when you spot him, okay?" you plead to him and you don't miss the way he guffaws at your request, crossing his arms against his chest while you peer at the pedestrian lane at any sign of him.
It's raining and it's the first time you've been here.
Everything overwhelms you but it's the good type of sensory overload that you feel within your senses. Everything feels so raw and real and saturated that your body feels heady trying to take it all in.
The rain actually dampens the silk of your shirt and for once, it's dark outside. The skies are dark and muted and no longer bright, but it's still illuminated by the moon you've only barely seen through your lifetime. It's cold and gloomy but you allow yourself to bask in it, unaware of the fact that you're unconsciously shivering.
The streets are busy and loud but at the same time, they lull to the same comfortable noise you've expected it to be. There's laughter and eagerness and concern that you can pick up within the mix that it makes your head whip at every passing person.
People walk through you given that you and Jimin are invisible to their sights, but you don't mind. You can't scoff and avoid people who walk into you just like how Jimin does because they're too enticed with their lives going on that you want in on it. You grow interested at every passing conversation and every dulling thought that you interact with.
Jimin literally has a grip on you with the way his hand is fisting the back of your shirt to stop you from wandering because the exact spots where the two of you are now are exactly what's intended, not requiring any of you to seek out what's already predestined.
"Is that him?"
You ask the moment you see the back of someone's head that looks like the silhouette of him passing at the crosswalk, about to free yourself from Jimin's grip when he tugs you back with a sigh.
âNot everyone who passes by is automatically your human, Y/N.â
Jimin tolerates your presence and even if everyone thinks he has no choice but to, considering the fact that you're his last mentee that he needs before being promoted, he genuinely does like having you around.
But in moments like these, when your eyes are too bright following even the silhouette of someone that resembles your human; when your hands reach out unconsciously to carry burdens that you aren't even sure of entirely â Jimin fears that you'd be hurt.
Youâre smart. You're too kind. You're a little too trusting and devoted. You're too dedicated and loving. You're too much of everything good and too less of anything bad; too much of everything selfless and too less of everything self-serving.
Jimin believes that he has no fear but he thinks that the pathetic bone-chilling goosebumps he gets are reserved for his mentee who's yet again trying to break from his hold to try and chase someone down; his mentee who took the rashest yet most endearing way to his heart, enough for him to look at you as a sibling he's prayed countless of times for. Enough for him to insult you in his head as he tries to reign in his worries.
You are a stupidly, irrationally devoted person.
âMinnie, they canât see us right?â
He indulges you by agreeing with no complaints to ease your nerves, biting back remarks about how this was already a given if you take into account how many people have already walked through the two of you. Even more, he lets your nickname for him pass as he doesn't even look fazed when you glance at him.
âNot a single trace. Weâre only-â his eyes follow the blinking of the pedestrian stoplight as the green glow times out, his ears perking up at the familiar roar of an engine he can't mistake, "seen when we want to be seen."
The rain still drops and even though it's faint enough for you to go through yet heavy enough for you to feel, all that your senses could register is him.
Youâve been training for practically hundreds of years. You're short-handed for the whole period itself because majority of guardian angels train for thousands but with Jimin overseeing you, he didn't necessarily feel that you needed the extra time.
You feel too aware and in tune with him because all you have is tunnel vision at this point. No longer could you hear the bustle and feel the rain because the world stops for you even if it doesn't for anyone no matter what.
âThatâs him.â
Jimin speaks definitely but he already knows that you were sure of it even before he opened his mouth, eyes glancing at you as you peer at him nervously before looking at the human who's merely stuck in traffic.
âY-yeah? That must be him, right?â you rhetorically ask even if you know that there's no answer otherwise, eyes in disbelief yet your heart in credence as you only gaze at your human with pure curiosity.
Your human, the one who's sat at the convertible and has his gaze blank even if the world around him is clear-cut. Your human, the one with the silky dark hair and the blatantly expensive clothes that are getting damp by the minute. Your human, the one with the distinctly beautiful features that look devoid of everything pleasing.
âKim Taehyung.â
The world stops for you even if the ticking stoplight should tell you that it hasn't. You feel driven and compelled for something you don't even know of and Jimin knows he starting to lose you for one of his only fears.
Your eyes are too bright and your hands start to itch to try and relieve whatever burden your human has, the one fatal flaw of yours that he picks out from the start already becoming glaringly evident.
You are a stupidly, irrationally devoted person.
âRead his files, right?â Jimin asks for the sake of conversation, momentarily pulling you out of your trance as you nod eagerly.
You've read Taehyung's files only a couple thousand times and as much as you know him by calculated words and scripted assumptions, seeing him in the flesh the first time is incomparable to every description you've tried to coax out of your mentor.
âOnly brought you down so you could take a look at him before your official job starts next week. If you suddenly realize you donât like him, then Iâm sorry but there is literally nothing I could do.â
You harbor no dislike for your human and you think that you never will because in this angle, he looks every bit lovable. He looks every bit of the fruition from your rigorous training and sleepless nights of worry. Taehyung's only twenty-six years of age but he's worth the hundreds of years of your own, willing to take him under your wing even if it costs your training to be a thousand.
âYou could, however, file a complaint to HR explaining why you donât want to protect the human thatâs fated to you," Jimin continues and his tirade against human resources keeps you grounded, coaxing a laugh out of you as he's frenzied to explain. "Theyâd give you a response perhaps a millennium later, but thatâs alright of course!â
He's become so worried for you that he turned his attention into becoming too worked up instead, effectively working when his trepidation becomes irritation instead. It's passive-aggressive of him and he knows it entirely that he wills himself to change the topic, unaware that you're no longer listening.
Jimin's too absorbed with stressing how HR annoys him to no end that he realizes belatedly that his fist is no longer grabbing you by the back of your shirt, eyes widening in surprise.
âWhat are you-...â
His feet stop at the sight of yours walking to where your human is, figure completely determined with no mind to your surroundings.
In all honesty, Taehyung hasn't even realized that it was raining.
He's drained from yet another party his appearance needed to be in. He's done nothing besides go through the motions of having objective fun in the name of downing shots, flirting left and right, and making a show out of his dignified name. Yet again, he did nothing besides going through activities of what's supposed to be letting loose but he feels so stiff.
He's an heir at his family's company. He's a socialite at his friends' parties. He's someone so famous that sometimes, people collectively forget that they don't even know what or why he's popular.
In his car, by himself, Taehyung's neither an heir, a socialite, or a celebrity.
Either he doesn't know that it's raining or he does yet he doesn't care, but either way, it's a sight your heart can't take to bear.
Jimin watches as you walk with purpose to where your human is and before either of you could realize, you're sat at the dock of his car and your wings that you rarely flex are out. The wings you don't even fluff and feather in special occasions are out and it's to shield a human who could simply push a button to shelter him from the rain.
Taehyung blinks once, twice, when he realizes that the outpouring of rain has suddenly stopped. He'd already known prior that the sky was raining and he'd grown numb to the soft pitter-patter, but now that it's suddenly stopped, then does the feeling of the raindrops return.
He looks left and right and he barely flinches in realization that the sky's only stopped falling for him, the bizarreness of the situation not quite hitting him.
He looks up and you gasp out of reflex, momentarily forgetting that youâre invisible but if you focus just a bit more closely, Taehyungâs eyes harden as if he could see you â his eyes curious and glassy yet firm, making you believe that he could truly see you.
His car shifts back into drive and the moment it revs forward is the instance that you walk back to Jimin, eyes trained on the vehicle as it speeds off.
Your visit should've already been done the moment your eyes landed on Taehyung but your mind is the furthest thing away from succumbing into rest, making a mental note to make him drive a little less haphazardly.
There's not much traffic anymore which is why you could see from a distance how despite the roads being empty, he switches lanes ever so often; maybe it's for the thrill, maybe it's for the feeling.
You watch until you could no longer see him from a distance, but you know you can still feel him. You watch and you smile until the back of your shirt gets crumpled again and Jimin coaxes you to snap out of it.
Thatâs your human.
Taehyungâs your human.
( ⥠)
Taehyung likes anticipating things.
He wants to buy a bottle of booze heâd never drink and a candle heâd never light. At the top of his head, he makes lists in his mind to lull himself back to sleep because counting sheep never worked for him. When you ask him what he wants, heâd answer in detail and stop talking until it satisfies the itch in his mind.
He has every capability to be able to anticipate things without fear of draining out his wallet and in his mind itâs so much worse. Heâs weaponized beyond belief and thereâs no actual threshold for him to stop anticipating â but he does it nonetheless.
Taehyung buys the 25-year old Japanese single malt whiskey even if he just wants to display it on his shelf and rarely ever thought about drinking it. He looks forward to drinking it one day, and he doesnât know what heâs waiting for, but he postpones each urge he has. He could easily buy another bottle for him to consume and retain the other as a display piece, but not once has he thought about actually doing it.
He buys the custom-made artisan candle in the shape of the cake that his mother used to bake for him and have the scent of it modeled to replicate the smell of his childhood blankie. Itâs beautiful without a doubt, but all he does is keep it inside a glass display box away from sunlight and gaze at it.
He's always known he could have duplicates of the things he treasures the most. He could have the most beautiful moments of his life reproduced over and over again but despite having the capability, he chooses not to because that's the problem itself.
Taehyung has and could have everything to the point that he holds himself back.
He holds himself back from repeating anything worthy enough of his effort because the more he orbits around the same loop, the more that he feels detached with the very reason he's done it in the first place.
He isn't irked when he sees the wonky vase he's made for his mother out of a whim when he was 17, bored, and had too much money in his pockets. The clay's imperfect and the sage green glaze doesn't save it. It looks swanky and too bourgeoise in their family home and that's coming from him, the too many 24k gold leaves haphazardly stuck on the vase starting from the bottom. It's an eyesore but Taehyung doesn't want to recreate the vase, this time with more finesse and vision, because he finds no point going back to a memory that's already been lived in.
He was young at 17, bored, and had too much money in his pockets when he decided to rent out a whole pottery studio to work in it privately and make a vase for his mom. He takes it home to her and they have a good laugh about it.
It's a pure memory he wants to leave untouched.
"Going out tonight, don't follow me."
Taehyung jogs down the stairs with the most mundane and unsuspecting outfit he could find in his closet to walk around in at night â the dull grey get-up coincidentally being a luxury brand, but it's good enough for him.
"I can't not follow you, sir."
Namjoon emphasizes through his teeth, his hands held in front of him as he asserts his figure at the bottom of the staircase; a not-so-subtle way to tell him that he should be tailing him wherever he goes at this time of night.
Taehyung's had Namjoon as his bodyguard for what feels like forever because even if the guy only has a couple of years on him, it seems to him that they've grown together. His bodyguard four years ago was definitely not this buff, that much he's sure of. In fact, he's being lenient in this tone because Namjoon of four years ago would've just tailed him no matter what without uttering a single word.
And now, they banter just like how brothers would.
"Jeez, I can manage, trust me. Does this outfit scream socialite to you, hm?" he juts his hip out, motioning to the monochromatic ensemble he has on that he deems simple enough.
"No," Namjoon replies almost immediately and his client thinks that he's already cleared just like that, but Taehyung's yanked back just as quick when he attempts to walk past him. "No, not only do you look like a socialite, but you also look like an heir to a billionaire â you are both, sir."
"Shut up," he whines, rolling his eyes, "and I know you're not calling me by my name just so you could get on nerves."
"My apologies," Namjoon smiles too sweetly for his own good, "my apologies sir dimwit." His hand comes to lightly smack Taehyung on the back of his head that earns him an appalled scoff, widened eyes looking frantically him.
"What the hell was that for?!" he sputters, soothing the barely-hurting spot on his head before the hand he uses to do it is grabbed by the wrist.
"You're going out tonight wearing the saddest looking pair of sweatpants but you're wearing a Patek Philippe on your wrist. It's like you want to be robbed."
"Hey, maybe I do want to be robbed," Taehyung chimes, easily earning himself another swat which he barely dodges. "What? I've been protected my whole life! I atleast want to feel a thrill."
The moment the words leave his lips, he immediately grasps how entitled and disconnected he sounds like.
Namjoon knows that the younger boy means well and he tries his best to understand (he really does) that Taehyung and of his like have a much different set of problems than what he has. Itâs perhaps an ill-painted joke that was supposed to be lighthearted but he canât just let him get away with it this time, considering the two of them have grown close enough to make jabs at him.
âRight. I am so, so sorry youâve been sheltered and stable your whole life, Taehyung.â
âI didnât mean it that way,â he mumbles under his breath, suddenly meek as he looks down on the floor.
Itâs not much of a tense silence because itâs normal for them to poke fun at each other every once in a while, but what he does know is that itâs weighted.
Itâs a little sudden even if the two of them stand in parallel positions with Namjoon having his jaw set and his gaze burning through Taehyungâs scalp, and the latter being the one to look away until the purpose of why heâs still here pops into his head.
âAre you religious?â
Namjoon deadpans at the question popped out of the blue, throwing in a shrug when it sinks into his head that the questionâs asked insistently.
âSometimes.â
âDo you believe in a higher power?â
âWhen I need to.â
Namjoon doesnât plan on elaborating as much as Taehyung doesnât plan on asking, looking at him boredly.
Silence doesnât engulf them anymore but either way, the atmosphere remains loaded but perhaps itâs only one-sided because Taehyung bounces back, a perk in his step as he fixes his posture.
âGood,â he affirms. âThen just believe in that higher power you have that someoneâs watching over me tonight.â
âSomeone?â he chuckles at the animosity of the being that Taehyungâs implying, although not against it either.
âMhmm. Anyone, someone. Just think of it as someone looking over me to keep me safe. Look, someoneâs watching over me too while I go out alone tonight!â
Taehyung smiles as he explains, feet angling towards the door already as he continues.
âYouâre saying this just so I wouldnât be on your tail.â
The motive behind his little existential question and answer moment is clear as day and neither of them try to serve the dignity for themselves because Taehyungâs halfway through the door and surprisingly, Namjoon is rooted in the same spot.
âI sure am,â he chuckles and after lingering for one more second to know that he wouldnât have a security detail for tonight, he says a rushed goodbye before bolting to the door. He almost trips on his feet at excitement but he plays it off, continuing with his bit. âWould you look at that! I didnât trip.â
Taehyung smiles as he collects his keys by the foyer, looking back at his bodyguard with a faux look of amazement in his features.
âSomeone caught me, donât you think?â
Namjoon sighs in resignation as he just dismisses him, knowing that he wouldâve gone even without his permission not unless he literally manhandles him back inside the mansion. âJust donât do anything stupid, Tae. Please.â
Taehyung knows to himself that heâs mostly sensible by all accounts and takes pride in it. Heâs eerily too self-aware that he knows what exactly to pick himself apart for, even if he opts to keep his observations to himself.
He knows heâs being curt when he barely bats an eyelash to an employee that bares his all in pitching a product he didnât even bother reading about. He couldâve had the opportunity to prove that he isnât a half-baked socialite who gets to sit in meetings with his mother, but he passes up on the chance simply because he feels unwilled to prove anything to anyone at this point.
He knows heâs being apathetic when he always looks as if heâs put on hostage whenever he takes pictures of himself with Scooby to send to his mom, serving as proof that he takes care of the hyacinth macaw. The pictures he sends consist of the big blue talking bird perched on his shoulder, a less than pleased obligatory smile on his face. Is Scooby his actual bird? No. But is Scooby his momâs bird that she tearfully gave to Taehyung when he moved out, even if he clearly didnât ask for it, with the reason that she doesnât want her son to be alone? Yes.
He knows heâs being rude when he goes out of his way to eagerly deny that heâs a mamaâs boy even if sheâs present in the scene. The both of them know that itâs true either way, but he also knows that it brings him nowhere because itâs clear as day that the two of them have a healthy mother-son relationship that people would trade riches for.
Taehyung knows heâs being reckless when he heads straight to the crowded lively pier thatâs more or less gonna attract attention to himself; the only one with sunglasses at the dark of the night, and the one who looks like a complete tourist craning his neck up to look at fireworks.
In under no circumstance has he ever blended into a crowd. Kim Taehyung the socialite is someone whose face as a baby was revealed in a magazine with a payment thatâs more than enough to support him through his lifetime. Heâs the name that precedes commonality in and before itself.
He stands out too much and heâs blissfully unaware to the point that heâs garnered quite an audience with the purpose to look at a guy whoâs peering up at the sky. Heâs entranced to the point of disconnection that he only snaps out of his adoration when he harshly gets pulled by the arm, an offending screech immediately escaping him.
âWhat are you doing outside without Namjoon? Why did you go out dressed like this?!â
He could swear that he was only grabbed for a second and that the tree line heâs in now is atleast thirty feet away from the pier, the confusion overtaking him before the anger registers completely that someoneâs just grabbed him.
âNext time, donât just make abrupt outings like these, alright? And what are you doing wearing a flashy watch like that? Taehyung, think about it! Do you know that anyone could make a shiv from the corndog sticks theyâre selling here? Anyone! Hey, what if someone randomly stabbed you for your watch, huh? Youâre just-âŠâ
The complete bemusement Taehyung knows he feels is soon dissolved because looking at you, someone who he doesnât have a single clue of, melts away the anxiety of going out alone that he didnât even know he felt. He doesnât know one bit about the person standing in front of him whoâs blubbering worriedly and is wearing a far noticeable outfit than him, but itâs odd for him to not feel any fear towards you.
Youâre carried away with worry to the point that you donât even notice the human standing scarily still in front of you is trying to catch your face, head tilting to catch yours thatâs anxiously whipping about.
âHey. Stop it.â
The way Taehyungâs voice reaches your ears paralyzes you completely, eyes moving with a newfound curiosity to see if heâs addressing you.
He resists the urge to tilt his head rudely when he finally gets to catch your gaze, instead being worse off when he nods his chin to you in acknowledgement.
âWho are you supposed to be?â
Youâre prepared for this. Jiminâs been prepping you almost your whole existence on what you should answer when your human asks you who you are. Thereâs a manual for almost every situation including when you willingly show your physical form to a human but god would you suggest to Jimin once you see him again to make a manual entitled: What should a guardian angel do when they accidentally reveal themselves in a fit of worry because they trailed after their human who unknowingly put himself in danger?
Your mouth dries despite the numerous hypothetical question-and-answer portions youâve had with Jimin. You give yourself pep talks every sunrise that youâre quick-witted but holy shit do you feel unguarded, tripping over your words as you try to be as easy-going as you could.
âIâm supposed to be your guardian angel. Wait, not supposed, I mean assigned. No, no, that sounds forced. Well no, Iâm not forcing myself on you! But I mean â god, Iâm just saying that Iâm your angel! Whether you like it or not, Iâm your guardian and â oh no, do you not like me? Please like me because Iâm not implying that you donât have a choice but-âŠâ
Taehyungâs eerily self-aware.
He knows that heâs baffled beyond measure to hear what heâs hearing now and see what heâs seeing now and that if anything, itâs awe-striking that heâs trying to be level-headed in this situation.
He knows that itâs rational to be thrown into a loop to have something as simultaneously big and mind-bending of a revelation to be dropped by someone equally as unfathomable.
He knows that heâs not particularly and devotedly religious nor spiritual in the first place but even that would not be enough of a reason to make sense of the whole concept of you.
What Taehyung doesnât know is that despite walking away from you wordlessly and calling it a night, he gets home safe because of the proclaimed angel whoâs promised its existence to him. He doesnât know that heâs walked in a warm and well-lit path without anyone standing in the way of him, nor does he know that the serene buzz of fireworks that he hears all the way home is exclusive to him.
Taehyung doesnât know you yet, but he knows that heâd be able to get home just fine even if he hadnât met you tonight.
Atleast thatâs what he believes.
( ⥠)
âIâm sorry but you are-?â
Namjoon blinks hardly to look at you, eyes straining from the train of thought that his mindâs enduring at the moment.
Being a bodyguard, heâs already had his fair share of unexplainable experiences. Is this the first time that Taehyung asks him to meet someone to scope them out? Definitely not. Is this the first time that Taehyung asks him to profile someone with no prior explanation? Of course not. Is this the first time that Taehyung asks him ambiguously to scope someone out with a highly-specific explanation? It is and thereâs no logical explanation to what he feels.
You admire Namjoon who stands before you, looking past his tense and confused exterior to instead notice some of the marks that he carries. Youâve read about Taehyungâs file extensively and in it for the most part is the buff bodyguard that keeps staring you down.
Youâre grateful for him and the healing scratch you see on his bicep, one you know that heâs gotten after getting Taehyung through a mob outside a concert that theyâve attended. Youâre thankful for him and the bruises on his elbows from pummeling against paparazzi from your humanâs latest trip abroad. Heâs been Taehyungâs angel on earth even before you properly came into the picture and you canât thank him enough.
Heâs a little bit mean but it doesnât deter you, prompting you to answer him eagerly.
âTaeâs guardian angel.â
âTae?â he tilts his head at the use of the nickname, earning him a shriek from aforementioned guy.
âThatâs what youâre checking?â
Truth be told, he didnât even know what to expect from Namjoon when he told him to meet you. He looked calm even when not a second later that he agrees, you already come through the door because youâve followed Taehyung home. He didnât know what to make of Namjoon meeting someone whoâs probably volatile if what all of youâre saying is true, but Taehyung for sure knows that he didnât expect this.
Namjoon looks calmer than he expected him to be. He looks laid-back and not anxious at all, his eyebrows relaxed and his jaw unclenched as he looks at you in the way that he doesnât find you a grave threat at all. Heâs always on-guard given the nature of his job and yet he acts as if itâs his day-off.
Namjoon extends his hand out, probably awaiting for something of yours that it makes you flustered, recalling all the things youâve brought with you thatâs significant enough for him to ask for.
âIâm gonna need to see an ID.â
The shock that consumes your features is apparent, a breathless sigh leaving you. âAn ID?â
You werenât prepared for this impromptu interrogation at all. Jiminâs once explained the concept of humans being verified by a piece of plastic with holographic film on it and the both of you agreed that itâs pathetic to even attempt to have one, seeing to it that neither of you arenât bound to the land you step on anyway.
The concept is so pathetic and important at the same time that it makes you want to grip your hair out because of course! Namjoon is Taehyungâs bodyguard and of course heâll protect him, starting by verifying your identity first.
âExcuse me,â Namjoon gently interjects, taking a few steps back to come near to Taehyung whoâs leaning against the wall. He tries to be subtle as he motions his head to you, a genuinely curious lilt to his voice. âIs miss guardian angel here a stripper?â
Taehyung chokes on nothing, eyes widening tremendously. âW-what?â he coughs, shoulders trembling from the abruptness. âNamjoon, come on man,â he grimaces at the tactless tone and thatâs coming from him. Him!
You obviously overhear their conversation and the frantic flailing of your hands remind them that youâre still here. âIâm a real angel, trust me! Look, I can even call my mentor to prove my existence.â
âOh you have a mentor?â Namjoon snickers, itching his temple as he comes back to standing in front of you. âNice.â
âI know itâs easy not believing me but-â
âIâm glad you do.â
If anyone were to tell Namjoon that heâd be interviewing a supposed guardian angel in his bossâ office (whoâs younger than him in age) while in his sweatpants because this flow of events happened extremely fast, he would smack you in the face to never say shit like that again.
âAnd Iâm not mad at all because this is great! Namjoon, this is exactly why youâre perfect as Taehyungâs bodyguard. Youâre always wary and thatâs what he needs exactly. No one comes close to your skill â wait, I pretty much do but you get my point,â you ramble continuously, only being aware of the cold glare on you when you take the time to look up. â⊠right?â
Namjoon knows as far that his name isnât the only thing you know. He knows as far that no stalker would ever act the way youâre doing right now because ill-intended people like those would always have their intentions transparent no matter the facade â your intentions are desperate but they only reek of innocence.
He gets praised for his skill and is brought down the next second because this stranger whoâs just barged in poked at his job in his own place of work, disregarding the compliments altogether to roll his eyes at you and peer at Taehyung.
âWhy did you want me to meet her again?â
âI didnât want you to. She just keeps following me,â he shrugs all too well, already knowing that heâs set you up perfectly to be the receiving end of Namjoonâs rudeness.
The bodyguard returns his gaze at you, eyes narrowed in reply. âThat makes you a stalker, not an angel.â
The sigh that leaves you sounds close to being tired, your hands bunched together as you plead with him longer. In all honesty, itâs a fair comparison but following Taehyung is your job as an angel! You already know that youâre only irritating the both of them further at your insistence but you wonât leave without maximizing your efforts, in utter hope that it would come to fruition.
âPlease trust me. Look, my mentorâs coming any second now. I could prove it to you even before then but-â
âThen prove it.â
Jiminâs communicated back to you that heâll be beside you in less than ten minutes because heâs still straightening things up with HR, since apparently, heâs âaccidentallyâ set the supervisor named Seokjinâs desk on flames and he was âapologizingâ by the time youâve contacted him.
You canât wait any longer for him because you know that it would only raise their disbelief for you in the first place, springing you into action. The first thought that crosses your mind is to look at the room, skimming on what you could utilize.
The three of you are in Taehyungâs study anyway and the way that itâs massive reminds you that you need to narrow down it immediately. You look around frantically, eyes landing on Tae whoâs laid down on the couch with his phone in his hands that you snatch it away immediately; the same speed that he told Namjoon about what he felt back in the pier being apparent.
âTake a picture of me now.â
The phoneâs outstretched for Namjoon to take, finding it a little silly that you look so determined and the only thing youâre holding onto (quite physically and mentally) is a phone. He doesnât question it, taking it from your hands with his eyebrows raised on how exactly would this pan out.
He obliges with little to no enthusiasm at all as you hurriedly place yourself next to Taehyung, lazily holding the phone up to a point that it paints the scene of Tae glaring at the back of your head for snatching it in the first place, and you looking straight at the camera with a tiny smile.
Namjoon doesnât even count and presses on the gallery to show you the picture because thatâs exactly what he does too when Taehyung asks him to capture photos, briefly glancing at it to ask whatâs your point-
And then he stops.
Namjoon retracts the phone before you even get to point it out, eyes blinking rapidly to look down on the screen.
Only Taehyung is in the picture.
He switches between random photos at the gallery and yet no matter which way he scrolls, the picture remains the same. Taehyungâs glaring at the air. Thereâs no shadows of your figure to be found, nor a single speck of motion that suggests youâve just moved really quickly to get out of the shot before he even pressed capture.
âIâm not there,â you softly say as if it isnât obvious yet, staying rooted in your position next to Taehyung, âbut Iâm here.â
Namjoon brings up the phone again but this time he takes a video, making his hand stable and wobbly at the next as he even zooms in repeatedly, pressing end as he keeps looking back and forth between you and the lack of you on the screen.
Youâre still not there.
âGo to your room, Tae.â
âDonât need to tell me twice,â he snickers as he walks past his bodyguard, snatching his phone back before he shuts the door on his way out.
You could predict youâre not completely off the hook yet with the way Namjoon looks at you with much curiosity, the both of you knowing that itâs laced with hesitancy through and through.
âIâm not trusting you just because you donât show up in a picture.â
Admittedly, the whole thing of you being capable to show yourself to people in real-time while being unable to do so in any tangible evidence such as footage, is not the soundest idea of proof you could offer. After all, disappearing from screens isnât all that promising because electronic devices are fallible.
Namjoonâs attention is blatantly piqued, his eyes twinkling with something else other than curiosity. âNo tricks?â
âYou want me to take my shirt off?â you take your offer further and it takes him aback, later explaining to avoid him misinterpreting your words. âFor you to see it clearly, I mean.â
âSure,â he nods solemnly but his voice is caught on your throat, the atmosphere shifting in volumes when he raises the question. âWhy are you trying to gain my trust first? Iâm not your human.â
Another thing you admire about him is his sensibility. Heâs keen to pick up on things and takes his cues well, not waiting on opportunities to make things known and instead make them himself.
âYou trusting me means more than you think to Taehyung,â you admit. âHe values your judgement a lot.â
Namjoon comes from a big family and he knows what itâs like to treat someone as such. Familyâs messy and broad at all accounts and he knows that Taehyung comes close to someone he could treat as a younger brother, the admission coming from an outsider (although not exactly) still taking him by surprise.
Taehyung rarely trusts but when he does, itâs boundless. It covers him by extension and the both of you know that if thereâs anyone in the room that Taehyung would entrust his life to, itâs not the actual guardian angel that comes in the form of you.
âI can get rid of you, yâknow?â Namjoon speaks thickly, sounding more of a realization than it is a threat. âAnd Taehyung would probably never question me.â
âI know that,â you nod in full understanding despite the true implications of what heâs saying, âyou canât really fully get rid of me, but atleast let me show you before you do â please?â
Thinking about it, Namjoon wouldnât lose anything at all from this interaction. In fact, heâs the one with the upper hand because someone of supposed divinity is asking for his permission. Your eagerness to prove yourself looks pitiful at this point that he relents. âTurn around.â
You donât waste a second in taking your shirt off that it momentarily stuns Namjoon, looking away briefly until he realizes that he shouldnât take his eyes off of you if he truly wants to believe. You shudder not because your skin is exposed, rather you feel slightly uncomfortable with the way you feel your wings unfurl. Only your back is visible to him but it makes you feel as if youâre naked, keeping your gaze down to avoid looking at your own appendages on any reflective surface.
Surprisingly, you donât like your wings. Clearly, Namjoon doesnât know that but he doesnât need to since voicing out your unease would only raise his suspicions for you.
Jimin knows the most of your dislike for your own wings and how unlike any other angel, you donât feel comfortable nor prideful of yours. This whole experience itself wouldâve felt more uncomfortable if you showed them to anyone whoâs much closer to you, but seeing to it that itâs only Namjoon whoâs close to a complete stranger, the weight feels lighter.
The unease you feel is only a prick instead of a sting â this is for Taehyung anyway.
Namjoon didnât know what to expect in the first place but seeing this, seeing you, he feels relieved when he sees wings appear in front of his very eyes, seamlessly sprouting from your own back. He didnât know if he wanted to believe you in the first place but seeing how his figure slacks and his breathing stabilize, he knows the answer for himself. He doesnât realize that his handâs moving on its own to touch them, your figure immediately shuddering at the touch that he snaps out of his curious reverie.
âWhat are you doing here?â he breaks the tension effectively even if the silence felt more comforting than it is suffocating, his question knowingly out of the superficial context it once took.
âIâm here to protect Taehyung.â
âWhat do you think Iâm here for then?â Namjoon asks with no malice, eyes unblinking because he feels as if youâd disappear from his sight at any second.
âThatâs your job,â you reply honestly, knowing what he was trying to imply. âBut itâs my destiny.â
He purses his lips in thought of how you donât waste a beat in responding back to him. Youâre more than serious and you even acknowledged that your purpose is already his job. The job of protecting Taehyung is already taken and yet here you are, incessantly wedging yourself in.
âI exist for it.â
âYou donât feel sad about it?â he asks with a sigh, shoving his hands into his pockets to prevent himself from picking at his cuticles. âThat you exist solely to protect Taehyung?â
Namjoonâs only met you today and yet the pity he feels for you lasts for a lifetime. He thinks that youâve been handed the shortest end of a stick and something as trivial as protecting a human is the sole purpose of someone ethereal â itâs unfair for you.
âHis first thought was to take you to me with the intention of getting rid of you.â
Itâs beyond obvious that getting rid of you one way or another is Taehyungâs plan. He let you follow him when in the handful times you did, heâs warded you away by yelling or sticking to someone else to ignore you.
You arenât clueless, you know that Taehyung easily led you right to Namjoon to have you taken care of.
âThereâs nothing sad about it,â you shrug, picking up the pity you hear from his voice. âI actually could exist for myself when something happens in particular,â you admit, catching his attention once more.
Namjoon stands curious as he finds himself waiting for your next words, looking closely to see that your expression remains genuine.
âBut until then, Iâd live for Taehyung as much as he wants me to.â
âIf he doesnât?â he counters, squinting his eyes at the deep commitment he picks up from someone he pities more than himself.
âThen Iâm thankful that he wanted me enough at some point to not want me anymore.â
.
.
Taehyung paces at the living room, his angry shuffling surely being audible even if youâre across the massive area.
âYouâre allowing her to be around?!â
âJust think of her as Scooby.â
Namjoon carelessly replies, going over Taehyungâs itineraries and schedules while heâs sat on the floor. Heâs perfectly relaxed and if only he didnât know better, heâd mistaken Taehyung for the hyacinth macaw itself with the way heâs squawking and flying all over the room.
âNoisy, follows me around, and fusses over me?â
âYup,â he hums, earning him a frustrated scoff from the younger boy. âOr just think of her as a second bodyguard.â
âDo I need to pay her?â
Taehyungâs voice switches out from his irritation, making his bodyguardâs head whip up to catch his gaze. Itâs surely not the matter of money that made him focus, but instead itâs the insinuation that lies underneath his question. Just a second ago, Namjoon thought he would be fired for expressing his judgement and now?
âDo you want her around?â
Taehyung stops pacing, his gaze blank before he shakes his head fervently. âNo, she annoys me,â he reasons, gesturing his hands to point at you whoâs probably exploring his house at the moment. âBut I canât shake her off because you didnât get rid of her!â
âJust try it out or something,â he sighs and what truly confuses him is if Taehyung just truly wanted to get rid of you, heâd do it himself because he has more than the power to do so, regardless of his bodyguardâs opinion. âIf you donât want her around then go file a restraining order against an angel if you could.â
âSo she is an angel?â his eyes widen at the immediate turn of the conversation, a breathless scoff leaving him as he couldnât be any more annoyed at this point.
âI believe her,â he admits, turning to see Taehyungâs reaction. âDo you?â
âPerhaps.â
The two of them are distracted within their own thoughts that none of them notice your eager descent on the stairs, only taking attention when they hear the door to the patio opening.
You already look so well-inhibited in his own house that he couldâve mistaken you for someone who lived their whole life here, only clicking into his head belatedly when he sees Scooby perched on your shoulder.
âWhat are you doing? He couldâve flown away!â
âDonât worry, Tae. Look, Iâm fine!â you narrate in excitement as you make a show of even stepping out to the shaded patio, waving your arms around that itâs a miracle Scooby doesnât even flinch from your actions.
âLook, Iâm fine!â
Taehyung was surely about to rip you a new one and kick you out of the house himself but the repetition of the words is what stops him, all of his vulgar words flying out the window when he points to Scooby in confusion.
âHe doesnât know-â he shakes his head at the distraction, momentarily reserving his anger for you later. âYou taught him that phrase?â
âMhmm, I only said it twice to him!â
Taehyung could only take so much within a day and the moment his bird repeats your words when normally, it would take several weeks for him to even repeat a single one, it hits him in the head entirely.
It only dawns on him that thereâs a stranger, whoâs his guardian angel in an odd turn of events, is in his home after being spoken to by his usually skeptical and rude bodyguard, and on top of all that â with his bird perched on your shoulder.
âYou should leave.â
âNo thank you.â
âAre you shitting me right now?â he grits his teeth, eyes narrowing in anger. âAre you telling me no?â he guffaws, tilting his head in mockery. âAs in no, youâre not gonna leave my own home even when Iâm asking you to?â
âYou donât want me to leave,â you offer with a small smile, the hint of playfulness still in your eyes that it annoys him unlike no other.
âAnd you know exactly what I do and donât want?â
Taehyung fires back and heâs only met with silence. You donât move a single inch and hell, you donât even look fazed. You look completely normal as if he hadnât just exploded on you that it makes him stomp away, going up the stairs to avoid you completely.
âUnbelievable. Kick her out, Namjoon!â
âDoorâs open,â Namjoon hums with disinterest as he hears Taehyung retreat up the stairs, sparing you a glance as you walk to him.
âYou do know that Iâm gonna come back, right?â
âOh, I know that,â he chuckles at your giddiness despite what just happened a few seconds ago, standing up from his seat on the floor to pat on his shoulder, Scooby instantly transferring to his as he preens on his earring.
âSee? Youâre exactly like Scooby. You could leave anytime, but you donât. You could fly away, but you come back,â he hums, petting the macaw. âBut donât sweat it out thinking about the bird analogy. I could just be describing lice at this context.â
âKick her out, Namjoon!â
Now thatâs a sentence Scooby has already heard a lot of compared to picking up a phrase from you freakishly quick, making him laugh at the way thereâs almost always a delay whenever he parrots what he hears.
Namjoon opens the front door for you and you exit with a bounce on your step, bidding him goodbye with the promise of seeing him later.
âThatâs what Iâm doing, buddy.â
( ⥠)
In your first month with Taehyung, you hear him cry the loudest.
His sobs reach your ear painfully and in a second, you find yourself already standing outside of his bedroom door, ear pressed to the door in alert.
Namjoon is nowhere to be seen and youâre unsure if this is the first time this has happened, but either way, none of it matters because youâre here now. His cries make your hair stand in place that you canât even will yourself to knock, immediately entering his room.
Itâs already dark in the dead of the night but you could clearly see the outline of him against his bedframe, sat up as his sobs wrack his body raw.
Truth be told, Taehyung doesnât even know why heâs crying. He doesnât know why exactly heâs crying but he allows himself to because heâs hurting immensely with no idea.
âTaehyung, are you okay? Talk to me,â you mumble as you intrude his space, putting your hands on both his arms but it only makes him hunch over more, turning his face to his hands.
Heâs folding over with pain and it tears you apart all over, your own tears springing from seeing him suffer.
âIâll take the pain away,â you assure him, tilting your head down for him to see you as you hold him tighter. âIâll take your pain away, okay? Can you hear me, Tae? I promise.â
Tonight, Taehyung's heart feels the heaviest without reason. It clenches around nothing but it feels like bursting, driving him to the point of tears.
But tonight, he isnât alone. The pain that he feels subsides until it feels that it hasnât even existed in the first place. It only feels like the residue of a phantom pain he once knew, the visceral grip releasing him eventually.
Your heart is the one that feels the heaviest at the dead of the night, but none of it matters to see Taehyung carrying one less burden on his shoulders.
( ⥠)
In your second month with Taehyung, you see a bruise on his neck.
You were only meant to survey the area around, really. He had insisted to eat at a hotelâs rooftop restaurant and even if Namjoonâs already eating, you still make sure just to see if anyoneâs coming over to approach him, despite the lack of people in the space because you couldnât be too sure.
Both boys are already getting started on lunch and if you didnât know any better that Namjoon ordered for you, you wouldâve felt more than appreciated to assume that Taehyung picked out your dish. Youâre just about to lean your head back down to the table when you catch the flash of red, figure immediately straightening then.
The bruise is unmistakable even if your eyes only graze it for a second, seemingly-fresh with the way you could see the faint outlines of burst blood vessels on the surface.
âWho did this to you?â your voice isnât as gentle as it was and even that makes Namjoon look up even if he wasnât the one being addressed, wanting to find what your fuss is about. âTell me while Iâm still asking.â
âTaehyung, who hurt you?â
You repeat again and this time youâre more insistent, making his brows furrow in frustration because he doesnât get you in the slightest bit. He hurriedly swallows his food, wiping his lips with a napkin before leaning against his chair.
âWhat the fuck are you talking about?â
The new angle grants you an unlimited view of the bruise on his neck, his relaxed figure making his hoodie shift to the side.
âThat!â you inwardly wince as you squint to look closer, your view suddenly being obstructed when he goes back to hunching over the table.
âNo one hurt me, stupid,â he rolls his eyes, grabbing the collar of his hoodie to show you the bruise himself. âThis is a hickey.â
Taehyung thinks the expression on your face is pathetic because heâs unsure if youâre really this slow or if angels are absolutely clueless, but either way he feels the urge to rub it into your face more.
âI had a great time last night if you must know.â
His bragging gets lost on the audience because Namjoon groans to his pasta while looking away, meanwhile youâre only deadpanning at him as you recall his bodyguard saying that Taehyung often has hook-ups and by safety measures, he has to (unfortunately) stay nearby just in case.
The concept of Taehyung being hurt while apparently having a great time is lost on you but you no longer question him, your only concern being that heâs in pain.
âB-but this must hurt,â you try again, reaching your hands out from across the table. âLet me heal you,â you stand quickly, trying to coax Namjoon into switching seats with you in which he agrees to in a daze because heâs still swallowing down his food before trying to diffuse the situation.
âHuh? What are you doing?â Taehyung grumbles, moving away from you even if your hands never reach him, swatting them in the process. âStop!â
âBut youâre hurting!â you dodge his swats to press a finger on the hickey, your enhanced hearing picking up a slight wince from his throat that only proved your point further.
âIt doesnât even hurt that much,â he reasons, pushing your chair away from him with sheer strength, taking it one step further by moving his chair too. At this point, only Namjoon is the one whoâs proportional to the table. âPoint is, I donât need you to take this hurt from me because I want this hickey on me.â
Taehyung clearly remembers you going into his room the night he cried, distinctly reminiscing the way the hurt he felt from his chest lifted that time. He remembers the night clearly and yet not once did he bring it up, going about his days without even thanking you for it.
He was vulnerable at the time and it just happened that you were there â he hates the interaction now that heâs moved past it.
âWhy do you want it?â
âYou ask so many questions!â he snaps because you simply just wonât give up even if heâs already moved you away from him, eyes narrowing at how youâre already back to his side before it even hit him. âWhat, are you gonna ask me how many times weâve fucked last night? How many positions I took her in? How much I came?â
He rambles on until he feels Namjoonâs heel dig into his shoe, stopping his tirade momentarily to look at him in annoyance.
âStop it,â his bodyguard just whispers, looking away from the situation that has since turned sour the moment Taehyung opened his mouth.
Taehyung rolls his eyes but stays quiet nonetheless, sparing you a glance specifically just to mock you further but your gazes never meet, your line of sight only fixed on your plate until you mumble.
âPlease just come to me when you need it healed.â
He pokes his tongue against his cheek because youâre just too much, scoffing before going back to his lunch thatâs tellingly been silent.
âI donât need you.â
( ⥠)
In your third month with Taehyung, he asks you for a favor.
Youâre used to your evenings being silent, that much youâve observed here on your time on earth. Thereâs always a buzz outside of Taehyungâs house but youâve learned quickly to tune them out, instead focusing on the sounds that are important to you â heartbeats.
Youâve heard Taehyung coming out of his room from a mile away but itâs to your shock when the door to your room creaks open, a head peeking from your doorway to reveal none other than you human.
âI need you to take me out.â
âRight now?â you clarify, feet already angling to get out of bed but you make sure to not seem ecstatic that heâs the one coming to you this time. âTake you out where?â
âJust this store, theyâre closing soon,â he waves his hand before tucking into his pocket, letting it known that heâs leaving the house with his sleepwear on without bothering to change. Taehyung somehow has a clue of whatâs running through your head, rolling his eyes in second nature. âIâm only taking you because Namjoon doesnât want me to go anywhere.â
âHe doesnât want you to go anywhere because youâre still trending,â your nose scrunches, atleast having the decency to put on some socks before you put on your slippers later because from what youâve seen in humans, the combo was apparently comfortable that it makes you want to try them out yourself.
You understand Namjoon completely on why he doesnât want Taehyung to go out especially since his nameâs still under hot water, considering that he had only been the headlines of articles just last night. In fact, you support his bodyguardâs precautions completely because itâs the most rational decision to ever make, making you applaud his skill more and more.
âYeah, yeah. Shame on me for getting some,â he dismisses, remembering how the pictures circulating now are of him mistakenly going out of the front entrance of a hotel at the dead of night, looking thoroughly fucked out with yet another hickey just barely visible.
You already know what youâre gonna do but Taehyung catches on slowly, tapping his feet impatiently (yet quietly because Namjoonâs a light sleeper) on the floor.
âI thought you were my guardian angel, huh? Why do you not want me now?â
âI do want you!â
You reply just as quick without a single thought, standing up once you finish putting on your socks. Taehyung resists the urge to laugh at how desperate you are in clarifying your yearning for him, waiting for you by the door instead. âThen what youâre gonna do is take me now to the store, and you never speak about it to Namjoon.â
It only happens at a blink of an eye in order for the two of you to appear just a few steps away from the store heâs told you about, aware of the fact that itâd be suspicious for the two of you to pop inside out of nowhere.
The whole thing of you coming in and out unannounced never gets old for Taehyung, and although heâd never say that your teleporting jig excites him whenever you bring him around, he merely mumbles his thanks before walking ahead of you.
The store carries a barrage of art supplies and despite the volume of how much there it is, youâre more amazed at the fact that itâs all fit into the quaint and small place. Out of the whole block, the store Tae urged you into is the one thatâs not well-lit nor flashy. Itâs the only space one could walk past without straining their eyes and it could be easily missed, but with the way that the inside of it feels warm, you know why Taehyung comes here often.
Heâs already preoccupied by the time you approach his vicinity, his fingers plucking tubes of paint from the lived-in shelves and making quick work of putting them underneath an exposed lightbulb to confirm the color. You watch him work by himself until the pile he has on his hands is steadily getting full.
âDo you paint?â
âDo you ever shut up?â he mumbles under his breath but it takes on a rather playful tone, making you smile in the process.
âSorry,â you whisper, playing along as you peer into his hands. âWhat are you gonna paint?â
Taehyungâs brows knit in concentration as he looks for a specific brush from the bunch he sees in a basket, mouth parting in focus that he spews whatever comes first in his mind to make conversation with you.
âA fallen angel,â he whispers in a faux spirit of secrecy, giggling at his own attempt of banter. His eyebrows wiggle in mischief as he jokes, finally finding the thin brush that he was looking for. He hums in contentment to himself but it strikes him that thereâs no reply from you when normally you wouldâve been way more talkative, but he brushes past the impending suggestion of his conscience that he might be falling guilty. âYikes, did I hit a nerve?â
Taehyung has never been good at small talk.
He knows heâs being facetious when he continues just so it wouldnât seem like heâs starting to get nervous of why youâve become speechless all of a sudden, willing his gaze to seem steady.
He may be quite mean sometimes, but it doesnât mean he doesnât have a conscience.
âWhat happens to you if you fall?â
Your eyes unfocus at the sudden turn of conversation, your mouth drying at the upfront question. âI-âŠâ
âIâm not interested.â
Taehyung goes back to giggling, turning his back on you as he pays for his items in cash, sneaking in a sigh of relief throughout his chuckles because heâs just barely managed to escape the impending guilt of his own words.
The atmosphere should already be back to normal which is why he doesnât hesitate on walking right next to you closer than he normally would, handing you the bag of his newly-purchased supplies. âCarry these for me.â
You take his load without a word, carrying it without complaint to distract yourself because for a moment, you genuinely thought that Taehyung was watching his words and felt guilty belatedly, making him speak to you more than what you were accustomed to.
âSee? When you talk less and only come around when I need you to, we could get along.â
You donât know what to feel when he laughs sweetly before patting you on the head, taking the long way home with you by actually walking back.
âThereâs a good angel.â
( ⥠)
In your fourth month with Taehyung, you ask him if you could have a visitor over.
In all fairness, your friend had only given you a heads-up just now that he would be visiting tomorrow, making you panic inwardly because you know more than anyone that meeting him here on earth is much more complicated than it is anywhere else.
You will the entirety of your shame to dissipate when you ask Taehyung, your gaze flicking to everywhere else but him which is a first. You hated inconveniencing others for your own sake but this time you choke down what little pride you had, devoid of any other choice besides being indebted to Taehyung for a day.
âYouâre a visitor in my home and youâre asking me if you could have one?â
Heâs not necessarily mad that youâre inviting someone else to his home. If he wants to put it lightly, heâs surprised youâve even built up the courage to ask him, partially curious on why youâd go through this limbo in the first place.
Namjoon elbows Taehyung to signal him that maybe a little kindness wonât hurt. Heâs particularly grew fond of you because with you around, his jobâs significantly become less stressful, more lenient, and actually happier. Surely, granting you to have a visitor (even if it isnât his house youâre talking about) wouldnât be the worst thing in the world.
Right?
âYouâre right, Iâm sorry. Itâs just that heâs banned from most places and-â
âFuck it. Fine. Whoâs your visitor?â
The both of you speak at the same time and your eyes widen at him granting your request even if it was only nudged (more like elbowed) out of him, the smile immediately reaching your eyes.
Namjoon is the only one who catches your words, eyes nervously flicking around as he squeaks to himself. âWhatdoyoumeanbannedfrommostplaces?!â
Neither of you pay attention to him because Taehyung only waits for your answer, snapping you out of your reverie to answer whoâs coming over.
âJungkook.â
He takes one, two seconds to process what youâve just said, question marks floating above his head that it finally prompts you to expand further sensing the confusion in his face.
âJeon Jungkook.â
âYou expect me to know who Jeon Jungkook is?â Taehyung pinches his nosebridge at how you automatically assume he knows everyone whom you mention, the amusement behind it hitting him suddenly that he covers his mouth with his hand to pretend to be annoyed. âWhatever, just have him over and donât ruin a single thing in my house.â
He goes up the stairs before his own giggles escape his lips, leaving you alone with a half-terrified, half-curious Namjoon.
âIs this Jungkook an angel?â he asks in a whisper, his thoughts flying faster than how his hands drum against his thigh because he canât deny his trepidation.
The way your pupils flicker makes Namjoon nervous because normally youâre never unsure, a sound of pure shock emitting from his throat. âO-oh! Heâs an angel⊠somewhat.â
Your vague answer had already reached Taehyung before the day even ended, pleasantly oblivious to the way he spends the night thinking on who exactly is your visitor and why the hell did he agree.
Nobody expected Jungkook to look this intimidating.
Heâs intimidating both in his built and aura, the edge of charisma that he oozes feeling so unattainable that it puts both men in slight unease. They most certainly did not peg for the two of you to be friends (or even be acquainted in the first place) because you look gravely mismatched.
Jungkook looks around Taehyungâs house with a critical gaze and pursed lips, walking slowly with his arms across his chest that everybody looks at him.
Namjoon doesnât know whether he should be wary with the way heâs acting or if he should ask for tips on how to make the entire room scared of him.
Taehyung surely knows that he feels offended with the way your visitor looks around, feeling threatened even if he doesnât admit it out loud because only he should be able to walk around like this looking as if heâs in disgust, not this random guy.
âEh. You could do better.â
Jungkook says to no one in particular and Taehyung scoffs under his breath, the snappy remark getting stuck in his throat the moment you respond to his loaded statement.
âThis guyâs already assigned to me, I canât do anything about it.â
âThis guy?!â Taehyung mutters under his breath in disbelief on how youâre suddenly dragging him, eyes widening as he trails on your heels in anger until Namjoon drags him back, the latter wanting to watch from afar in doubled curiosity.
Jungkook comes up every now and then to ease himself from boredom, knowing that his visits to earth would be more entertaining now that youâre here. Youâre easily an entertaining and calming being to be around with, knowing that youâre easily up there on the list of people he wouldnât throw into a fire pit no matter what.
âI can do something about it,â he rasps his voice intentionally, a terrifying tingle run down the spines of both guys, but only Namjoon would have a fourth of his dignity to admit that his heart practically dropped down to his ass.
Jungkook plays around a lot and you laugh at his light-hearted joke, even if you wouldnât put it past him that heâd actually take it into seriousness.
You thought that they (read: Taehyung) would leave you alone because just yesterday, not one bit of intrigue or excitement was expressed and yet here he is, desperately trailing behind you to even sit at the same table that you and Jungkook were sat on.
Scoobyâs perched at your shoulder, eating from your palm. The bird placed on you is stupidly large and just too blue, his eyes apart that the whole caricature of him looks funny â itâs easily one of the most entertaining sights Jungkookâs ever seen in his lifetime.
âWhat a stupid bird.â Taehyung sighs, looking at Scooby whoâs never been this clingy with him before.
âStupid bird,â Jungkook snickers under his breath once he hears Taehyung utter them, thoroughly making sense. âHe looks so funky,â he whispers to your ear, chuckling in absolute amusement.
Jungkook takes your hand away so it would be out of Scoobyâs reach, but before he knows it, his wrist is slapped by a glaring Taehyung.
âThatâs his food. Donât play with it.â
The whole world seems to still with how neither one of you moves an inch. You could literally feel Jungkook grow warmer beside you that you have to put your hand on his thigh to calm him down.
âYouâre messing with the literal devil, Taehyung,â you glare, scratching at your temple.
âJungkookâs the devil?!â Namjoon whisper-yells from a distance, his hands flailing wildly before he takes his head into them.
âHe was messing with his food!â Taehyung reasons to you but it falls on deaf ears, your eyes straight-out pleading to just cut it out and apologize.
âI was just poking at your stupid birdâs food!â
âDonât talk about him that way.â
Taehyung may have called Scooby stupid just seconds ago, but that doesnât mean anyone else could call his bird stupid.
âYou literally-â
âShut up.â
Taehyung seems keen in digging a deeper grave for himself, making you resort into calling him by his full name harshly, gaining his attention irritatedly.
âJungkook can be even meaner than you are, Tae,â you grit through your teeth, âso please stop and just let him call Scooby stupid for once.â
âHear that? Iâm the meanest,â your friend backs up, smugly crossing his arms as he takes your words as a compliment.
âOh please, I could be the devil if I wanted to,â Taehyung rolls his eyes. âIâm so mean that I could make Y/N cry right now.â
Before he could even process it, Jungkook smacks the back of Taehyungâs head so hard that heâs certain his brain shook for a second.
âIâll make another circle of hell just for you.â
âIâm touched.â
âYou wouldnât be once-â
âJungkook, look! Scoobyâs being stupid again!â you exclaim as you convince the bird to bow politely, hoping itâd be enough to catch your friendâs short attention span.
His eyes return back to normal, an innocent hearty laugh leaving him as he looks at the ridiculously stupid bird you have on your shoulder.
âHe looks so funky.â
( ⥠)
In your fifth month with Taehyung, you walk on him being the most peaceful heâs ever been.
His studyâs been flipped upside down besides the one corner that he stands on, the one area devoid of clutter even if itâs where he does all his work in the canvas.
Pictures are stuck everywhere that serve as a semblance of inspiration for Taehyung, the multitude of trivial photographs and highlighted pages of poetry taking shape into familiarity.
Rarely do you linger around him when heâs at home and you know heâs safe, especially when heâs in his study, but you couldnât help visiting considering heâs not once left the room for hours.
You know youâre being nosy when you look around the room, eyes landing on what seems to be a pamphlet.
âI know what youâre already thinking,â Taehyung hums, the first one to speak to you ever since you came into his space. He could sense from a mile away your urge of wanting to ease his burden, but this time he beats you to it first. âDonât help me on this one.â
âYou donât need my help.â
You sincerely answer, making him raise his head in wonder. Rarely do you agree on things that concern both him and your purpose but this is a moment that youâve come to cherish, no matter how brief.
âYouâre already the best at this than whatever help I could offer.â
Taehyung thinks youâre sweet.
âThanks,â he gently says, going back to what he was doing.
He doesnât kick you out this time, not uttering a single word as he allows you to linger. You find it weird that heâs not in a hurry to shoo you out but youâre accustomed to it. You let yourself linger for just a few minutes while you watch in silence, shutting your door on the way out.
Maybe youâre not so bad to have around after all.
( ⥠)
Jimin thinks that if thereâs hell in heaven, heâd be the first angel to occupy it.
âSeokjin.â
He addresses the older guy in front of him curtly, trying not to think how the both of them are wearing the same cream sweater unintentionally and how it irks him starting from the back of his neck, taking two deep breaths in reminder to never wear this sweater again.
âAh ah ah, youâre reporting to me right now,â he tuts at Jimin, believing that if he squints his eyes just enough, heâd be able to glaze over the fact that wearing the same sweater as someone in the same room is downright embarrassing. âItâs Mr. Kim Seokjin.â
Additionally, Jimin thinks that if hell were to cram itself into a single structure, it would definitely manifest into the HR Headquarters. Of course in fitting fashion, in order for an individual to get into hell, theyâd have to wait a minimum of a millennia to even step into the building.
âOf course,â he smiles with his teeth visible, putting his hands across his back. He bows his head slightly to Jin whoâs sat on a chair across his standing figure. âI meant Seokjin, hereâs the brief on Y/Nâs time on earth.â
Ah, theyâre just getting started.
Jimin starts his presentation but not even a minute into it that he gets interrupted, even if he hadnât opened the floor for inquiries.
âHow many months has she been with her human?â
âSix. If you may please look at the screen, you can see how thatâs already stated.â
Jimin motions rigidly, his tone overly-polite that it sounded borderline threatening. He points to the presentation that heâs crammed on doing last night, having done it from scratch because thereâs no ready-made templates so he made-do with the color scheme he found at a brownie mix packaging and a bunch of your pictures that he had to edit into the slides.
Did he need to impress Seokjin? Not really. Did he feel the urge to impress Seokjin in order to spite him because for some reason, theyâve just been bickering for the past decade over god knows what? Yes.
âTechnically, Y/N and Taehyung are doing well,â Jimin starts off but even he sounds uncertain, earning a hum from Jin who doesnât so convinced either.
âNon-technically, Y/N and Taehyung are not doing well.â
Jimin switches to the next slide of a picture he took of you crying as you both drank coffee atop a mountain on a whim. You were distinctly crying for two reasons: a) because you could finally confide to your mentor and youâre transitioning from mentor-mentee into friends, and b) because the night prior to your impromptu coffee date, Taehyung had told you to get lost quite strongly.
âY/N had been given residence in his home and provided with everything she needs out of formality. Taehyungâs never been harmed with her around, and the statistics show that sheâs a lot more effective than his existing bodyguard.â
Jin nods in understanding, although he canât exactly tell whereâs the part that tells you and your human arenât doing well.
âThe problem is that Taehyung hates her.â
âBut he keeps her aroundâŠ?â he furrows his brows in confusion because thereâs absolutely no obligation in holding onto something you hate, the option of letting go purely being uninfluenced.
âI know â and thatâs even worse. Y/N doesnât want to abandon her post either because she loves Taehyung too much.â
Jinâs ears perk up at the l-word and as much as his gaze inquires, Jimin already opens up in a shy mumble of how he could be so ambitious of narrating. âLook, sheâs my friend too, okay? I could tell what she feels.â
Meetings like these were necessary and happened every six months but bias aside, Jiminâs not too confident that thereâd be a second meeting.
Jinâs not as close with you compared to how Jimin and Jungkook are, but he recalls having a few laughs with you every now and then. Heâs well-ware that the department he works in is notorious for being extremely slow and occasionally bitchy, but in the numerous times that heâs seen you in line at the HR, you always throw him a smile.
He asks off-handedly and vaguely but the both of them know what heâs pertaining to anyway, both of their heads down in thought.
âDo you think itâs gonna happen?â
âI canât necessarily predict,â Jimin admits, playing with the rings on his fingers. âBut Iâm just saying that itâs not impossible for Taehyung to do it.â
âI hope Y/N doesnât get hurt,â Jin purses his lips in genuine concern, knowing that if he had to pick someone who heâd protect from falling, it would be you.
The silence that engulfs them is calm yet heavy, their lack of bickering remaining absent at the possibility that both their minds go to; your life at stake.
âI havenât prayed in a long time,â Jimin looks down on his feet, a weighted sigh leaving his lips that sounds defeated by all accounts, âbut for Y/N, I will.â
( ⥠)
In your seventh month with Taehyung, someone attempts to hurt him.
Itâs already a given that with you around, Taehyungâs infinitely more guarded compared to only having Namjoon in tow. âHe feels safer with you around,â the bodyguard says to you out of the blue when the two of you wait for him to finish getting ready.
He says it like someone had asked him what the time was and as casual as it seems, it means the absolute world to you. Youâve already known initially that Taehyung isnât the most expressive human alive, showing his appreciation in whichever ways he deems appropriate.
Heâs as expressive as heâs impulsive. Namjoon had bought him a burger one time because the food they were serving at a party happened to be everything Taehyung was allergic to, and by the next day, the bodyguard wakes up to a watchbox placed in front of his door.
Heâs as soft as heâs vibrant. Youâve only had a few opportunities to see your human interact with his mother, but every time you catch sight of them, Tae almost always has his hand on her arm to keep her close to him.
Taehyungâs unpredictable, that much you find about him today.
You and Namjoon flank him at both sides at all times in public. The two of you arenât his only security detail because heâs always had a hoarde of guards following him for big events (as per instruction by his mom), but two of you are the closest.
Things like these are already mundane for him no matter how extravagant they could be. He was due to make an appearance at an evening gala that accumulated a record-worthy number of sponsors â itâs just a Thursday for him.
Taehyungâs so used to these things that he doesnât even hesitate to walk straight without batting an eyelash, his tunnel vision only going straight ahead to tune out the crowd forming around him. His attentionâs only on himself that he fails to see the rising commotion. Not even ten steps into the venue, in a mix of people crowding him, someone at one point brought out a knife.
It happened too quick that the attempt was only belatedly registered the moment you intervened. You take the assailant by yourself whereas Namjoon took charge of removing Taehyung from the venue entirely, the other security details equally as jolted by the crowd that they all pile onto Taehyung, barely a silhouette now that heâs shrouded while walking away.
It was a frenzy that cancelled the gala altogether but none of it mattered because as Taehyung made headlines for having been attempted on, you bleed.
Itâs a mystery to you on how the unfamiliar shade of red comes from your own skin. How did this even happen? All that you remember doing in the short span of seconds is you throwing his figure to the wall, a sight that ignited the commotion more. You do remember the pathetic excuse of a knife, dull and rusty, barely lodging into your side as the stranger yielded it blindly. What you donât remember at all is the pain that comes with it, only a dull thrum of the hurt you arenât used to.
Youâre bleeding but none of it matters because it isnât Taehyung whoâs going through this pain â itâs you.
âYouâre not supposed to be hurt,â Taehyung could only stare at your exposed skin, eyes nervously flitting to Namjoonâs hands every now and then to see if heâs hurting you. âWhy are you bleeding then?â
No oneâs ever tried to harm him this way nor has Namjoon ever been hurt to this extent.
Taehyung was panicked to realize that as soon as he was jammed back into his car, youâre the only one whoâs been separated. Not one of his guards came to aid into you and it angers him beyond comprehension.
"You never bleed."
The realization sinks into him that not once have you bled the entire time youâve been with him. No paper cuts, not even a single scratch from Scoobyâs sharp claws whenever he perches on you. Not once did he see you hurt and it makes his stomach sink when he sees your eyes screw tightly, that even without a single sound, he could tell that youâre hurting.
âNo, no. You're not supposed to,â he breathlessly laughs but thereâs no humor in it whatsoever, his eyes pricking all of a sudden.
"Has this ever happened to you before?"
Namjoonâs hands tremble while he patches you up but from the severity of Taehyungâs question, even he stops in his actions. He doesnât know what to hear but the moment you reply in a daze, he knows that itâs not the answer he wanted.
"No."
Taehyung notices the way the liveliness drain from your face, your suddenly quiet demeanor giving into his conclusion that you clearly knowing something about whatâs happening to you.
"What does this mean?"
"Nothing," you answer a little too quickly, rolling your eyes as you nudge Namjoon to wrap up quickly. "It means angels can bleed too."
The only angel Taehyung knows is you; he knows almost nothing about them to begin with, but what he does know that you, out of all the people he knows within this earth and not, donât deserve the pain that is meant for him.
"Do something about yourself," he mumbles, hanging his head down to try and soothe the vertigo he gets from seeing you hurt. "Go to a hospital. Call Jimin."
âDo whatever you need to do to make yourself better,â he says in his head, his eyes no longer being able to meet you.
You donât know why heâs throwing such a big fuss that his bodyguard had already managed to fix. The pain is nothing to you but a dull ache and youâve been hurt more than a mere graze could.
You donât know why you grow angry at your human at his sudden display of concern for you, making you clench your jaw because you want him to stop worrying for himself instead â you arenât worthy of his concern.
"Let go of it already, Taehyung."
"How am I supposed to let it go when my guardian angel's bleeding? How are you-" he snaps, making him hiss in realization that heâs raising his voice at you. âHow are you supposed to protect me this way?"
Taehyung rarely asks you questions but among the handful heâs inquired, this was the most trivial, nonsensical, and pathetic question youâve ever heard.
"I'll protect you even if I bleed."
( ⥠)
In your eighth month with Taehyung, he asks you a question out of nowhere.
"Why havenât I ever seen your wings before?"
Taehyungâs attitude changed ever since youâve bled.
When the incident had happened, you took the initiative in distancing yourself from him, barely just enough for you to protect him still. You would go through your motions of the day by accompanying him wherever and relieving any pain heâd feel, but you no longer lingered around him.
Whenever Taehyung ate out, youâd drag a fork against his meal and bring it up for you to smell if there was anything, and then could he eat. Youâd do it still, but Taehyung would wait for a beat for you to play around and blow his food for him; sometimes intentionally eating slower to see if youâd put food from your plate into his.
Heâs used to you having one hand on his elbow with the other arm outstretched when walking through a crowd, but what he looks for nowadays is your cold hand on his skin, having to steal another glance at you when he walks without your guidance.
He still bothers you occasionally at night to take him somewhere since Namjoon wouldnât allow him, and you oblige wordlessly. Sometimes he makes you take him to places he doesnât even want to (sometimes borderline sketchy) for the sake of testing out whether youâd make conversation with him if itâs only the two of you, but you donât.
When you bled, you know what it meant. It wasnât a definitive conclusion but you know that somewhere along the way, youâve grown vulnerable. Youâre not above pain anymore because youâve shot underneath its threshold.
Itâs said that when an angel bleeds, theyâre nearing the worst point of pain in their lifetime.
"You can't see them?
You ask curiously to Taehyung who came out to join you in the patio by his own accord, his hands meekly tucked into his pockets. He nods no and you get what heâs pointing to, understandable that angels are known by their feathered appendages.
"Normally, you should see them whenever I have them out."
"Do you have them out right now?" his eyebrows furrow, tilting his head to gaze at the back of your shirt. Heâs nervous to know if youâve had them out the whole time and all along, heâs the only who couldnât see them.
You chuckle at the panic on his face, sincerely answering. âNo."
A silence that comes from you is a silence that always puts Taehyung at unease. Heâs grown accustomed to your bubbliness that he no longer treats your words as white noise, learning to listen to you actively than in passing.
"When was the last time you had them out?"
âWhen I needed to prove myself to Namjoon.â
Eight months had passed by so quickly yet at the first six, it felt like an eternity to Taehyung. Lately, time had been passing for him too fast in the blink of an eye that he gets nervous whenever the night comes, the feeling of unease rising in his stomach for reasons he didnât even know of.
âDescribe what your wings look like, I'll try to picture it in my head."
The request, or rather the implication that he wanted to know what you look like flies over your head. Your wings are your own for formalityâs sake ,but not once did you feather them out to look at them as an extension of yourself.
Your wings arenât pretty.
Jiminâs wings are perhaps the prettiest pair that youâve ever seen, the gentle hues yet the overwhelmingly beautiful structure of them being so fitting for himself that you canât imagine them belonging to anyone else. Youâve seen a handful of wings in your lifetime â including Jungkookâs that are elegant and sophisticated in their own way.
The realization dawns on you that Taehyungâs asking to see a part of you that you donât want to, and knowing him, perhaps the sheer underwhelm your wings bring is what would set him away further from you.
"Maybe some other time, Taehyung."
"But I want to-"
This time itâs you who leaves him, not sparing a single glance back at him.
"Some other time."
( ⥠)
In your ninth month with Taehyung, you learn that he has a girlfriend.
Crossing his heart, Namjoon promises you that Taehyung and Hyori are a fairly new couple. He knew her when he was just starting out as his bodyguard, pinning her to be a family friend. Sheâs a constant face in all the socialite functions that Taehyungâs been attending for as long as he can remember. And if you can remember correctly, youâve already seen her numerous times.
In fact, you only learned of their relationship accidentally. Theyâve fucked several times through the years (the bodyguard confirms) but it was only two weeks ago that they decided to try out an actual relationship. Namjoon swears up and down that he was meant to let you in on the secret this week, but you beat him to it when you knock on Taehyungâs study to see a woman slung around him.
Hyori looks like someone whoâs been shaped by the gods themselves and youâd be the first angel to admit it. She could easily pass for divinity, and just by her looks, you wouldnât blame Taehyung for falling for her.
But Hyori makes you uncomplacent.
She smiles charmingly but thereâs just something about her that makes your skin crawl. Your hands are cold because you have the warmest heart but god does her warmth bother you to no end, making you hold your own breath around her.
Thereâs something about her that reminds you of bleeding even if the only thing sheâs done is hug you politely, even her sweet scent reminding you of the metallic taste of red.
"I don't feel good about her, Tae."
Taehyung could only sigh at your paranoia, rolling his eyes at you because heâs in too much of a high to pay attention to your worries.
"Well isn't it a relief that what you feel about her has no significance nor bearing to me?"
( ⥠)
In your tenth month with Taehyung, you confide in Jungkook.
âI feel like sheâs a devil. Like a literal devil.â
He came over again but this time with no prior notice. He was growing bored down under but despite his abrupt appearance, Taehyung couldnât care less, already preoccupied with entertaining Hyori.
Jungkook follows your gaze as he pets Scooby on his shoulder, tilting his head in inspection before answering.
âNah. Not one of us.â
Your friend denies your suspicions and oddly enough, this is the only time that youâve been unsettled for someone not being a devil. Hyori is a force to be reckoned with, and a human at that, that frustrates you all the more because she just has to be the ultimate at everything.
âNot one of us! Not one of us!â
Jungkook immediately laughs at Scoobyâs repetition, letting him preen on his ear piercings. âSmart bird! Youâre not stupid anymore, are you?â
âItâs okay, itâs okay!â
He furrows his brows at the sudden change of words, realizing that Scooby isnât looking at him anymore but to you instead, leading his gaze right to your blank one.
Jungkook could recognize that look anywhere, smiling to himself as he pats the back of your head.
âYouâre jealous?â he tries asking, earning an offended scoff that just confirmed his assumption. âLooks like someoneâs in love.â
âGive it a rest,â you sigh tiredly, stirring the coffee that Namjoon gave both to you and Jungkook with his hands trembling. Heâs still certainly not used to Jungkook and how he did a party trick of rolling his eyes back to his skull just to tease the bodyguard. You feel tempted to ask Jungkook to put a tiny dancing flame on your palm, just for the sake of distracting yourself. âThis isnât my first time falling in love.â
âTrust me, I do know that,â he wiggles his brows and you know that you wouldnât hear the end of it, âyou havenât given your first love a call these days?â
âShut up.â
Your first love wasnât a sensitive issue â in fact, you love talking about him because thereâs nothing inherently bad about how you ended that you refuse to do so. Youâd entertain his mention any other day besides now, because you know that Jungkook likes comparisons and consequently, getting into your head.
He doesnât rasp his voice intentionally, only lowering it into a whisper but it only turns worse with what he says.
âIf you ask me, Taehyung isnât even half of who Yoongi is.â
âThatâs because youâre his friend.â
Yoongi and Jungkook are the closest pair of friends youâve ever met, so much so to the point that during the times you and Yoongi were still together, Jungkook would tag around in dates and even insist on sleeping between the two of you whenever you napped.
You knew Jungkook through Yoongi and despite being broken up with your first love, you donât regret anything and anyone youâve ever known through him.
Jungkook was never one to make his worries known but in the rare times that he did, one of it was of you and his closest friend breaking up. You remember him begging and praying that nothing changes between his dynamic with either of you, and it was safe to say that nothing did.
âHey, I donât just befriend any angel, yâknow?â heâs not trying to get into your head this time around. He knows about his bias but he doesnât you to take it lightly, deciding to spread all the cards out on the table first.
âIf you ask me-â
âIâm not asking.â
âDonât put all your harvests into one basket,â he blurts, tapping his fingers onto the table to get you to focus.
âWhy?â your eyes squint at the analogy, unaware of how another made-up saying could possibly relate to you.
âBecause thatâs greed,â he cheekily smiles, dropping it immediately when he sees you arenât joking around. âFine, seven deadly sins aside, what Iâm saying is,â he clears his throat, putting aside his desperation.
Sometimes, you think that itâs Jungkook in this universe that wants you to get back with Yoongi the most.
âWould you really rather give all your love to a human who doesnât give it back, or would you rather take a few of your love instead and give it to someone who would?â
âJungkook.â
He frowns at your stern tone, crossing his arms as he purses his lips.
âYouâre falling and we both know it.â
Jungkook sees right through you and itâs something you canât avoid, finding no use in even sheltering your gaze from his eyes that seem full of pity.
âTrust me, baby,â he sighs, pressing a chaste kiss to your temple. âItâs the only pain you canât protect yourself from.â
( ⥠)
In your eleventh month with Taehyung, Hyori breaks up with him.
The two of them were going exceptionally well, almost to the point that she was over almost everyday in his study doing whatever they pleased.
The two of them went along perfectly which is why you couldnât think of any tangible reason of why would they break up, immediately going to Taehyung to try and ease the pain in his heart youâre sure he must be feeling.
The moment you opened the door to the patio is the exact second that his head turns to you, instantly standing up from his seat and charging towards you that it made you back up into the living room altogether.
Taehyungâs mad, angrily crying with his finger pointed at you.
"She broke up with me because she thought you were my girlfriend!â
Your mouth dries at his words, pupils unfocusing at what he was insinuating. Youâve never done anything to come between them and in fact, you made a point in avoiding them whenever they were together. In reality, you even went against your judgement of trying to protect Taehyung because there was something about Hyori you canât decipher, instead leaving them alone so heâd be pleased.
âBut I didnât-â But I didnât do anything.
Anything you do is what seems to set off Taehyung further, walking past you in a rage he couldnât contain.
"Oh my god! Just disappear, wonât you?! I wouldnât mind."
( ⥠)
AN OPEN LETTER TO KIM TAEHYUNG: Donât do art. Stick to being a rich douchebag.
The headline on your phone glares at you.
Today was meant to be a special day, really. Jimin had taken the initiative to take care of the little celebration he and Seokjin had in mind because after all, today was your one year with Taehyung.
The two of them had put aside their banter for several weeks and came together to throw you a tiny shower of happiness that you deserve for all that youâve endured. They planned their little speeches upon seeing you all until the filling of the cake they were going to surprise you with.
And then the omen came.
The rain was pouring even if they asked headquarters repeatedly if it would and they said no, since most of the activities of the day they planned revolved around sunshine.
Then they ignored the omen.
The moment morning rolls around and your eyes open, you see Jimin and Seokjin by the end of your bed, their smiles too big for your own good. Their energy was purely innocent and happy that you canât help but mirror them, awed that they even remember what today was for.
The minute you go downstairs to introduce them to Taehyung â no one could be found downstairs, not even Namjoon who wakes up the earliest.
7:01
he didnât tell you???
i thought you knew
weâre setting up for his exhibit
7:17
i forgot what today was im sorry :(
happy one year!
just come here!! taeâs in a good mood anyway
Youâve spent the day with Jimin and Seokjin instead even if they insisted that they wouldnât mind at all if you join Taehyung instead, their conscience for you overpowering them to see you bummed.
It shouldnât come a surprise to you at all that out of the two of you, youâre the only one who remembers the significance of your meeting a year ago. A year is nothing to your concept of time but itâs a year that youâve lived and loved the most â itâs the same year that has passed and no matter how accomplished you feel, itâs on your end.
You donât blame Taehyung for his indifference because nothing on your manual told you that he needed to change for you; it wasnât a give or take relationship, per se. Your existence isnât rooted on reciprocity but rather selflessness, your own destiny revolving around keeping a human safe.
Itâs your day thatâs supposed to be celebrated the most but in actuality, itâs the day youâd never forget because of how much you hate it.
The day hasnât ended and you hate it the most with the way itâs been a year and still, in your own pathetic way, youâre the one who ends up relying on your human instead of the other way around.
Taehyung barely needs you and what you hate the most about it is how much youâve endured throughout, even if he had told you time and time again that he wants nothing to do with you.
You would never receive the love you give and it drains you endlessly.
The commitment you had a year ago is tainted with the way that from this day alone, youâve realized much more than you could ever have for the past three hundred and sixty-four.
Taehyungâs opening show was a disaster.
The exhibit itself wasnât even publicized, his real name not even being used for the registration in the first place. Only his mother and Namjoon knew about him being a part of this exhibit; he was happy. He was on a high the whole night because as he lingered, dressed nothing like how he normally would with his face covered with a mask, people loved his craft.
People loved something of his that didnât have his face nor name in it and itâs the sight that made him feel the most recognized he had been in a while. Namjoon had kept calling him over while pointing at his phone but Taehyung just laughs, mistaking his frantic actions for praise.
Itâs only until Namjoon had forcibly plucked him outside of the gallery and shoved him into the front seat that Taehyung realizes what he was getting at, the bright screen of his bodyguardâs phone illuminating the dim interior of the car.
AN OPEN LETTER TO KIM TAEHYUNG: Donât do art. Stick to being a rich douchebag.
His stomach churns at what he reads, trying to will his eyes into looking away but he just canât stop scrolling, the lump in his throat growing by the second to the point it gets harder to breathe.
Thereâs pictures of him in his study, canvas upon canvas displayed the more he scrolls. Some where heâs holding the brush while looking at his work in passing, some where his face is seen while he looks at the camera, some actually videos of him painting and some of him shirtless while walking around his study.
Everything in the article is unmistakably him â thereâs no way around it.
The articleâs penned anonymously but he puts a name to each piece of media heâs ever seen, the urge to throw up rising from his throat.
Hyori.
Taehyungâs sick to his stomach just by thinking how evil the woman had been and how dumb he was for not questioning his intentions once. The high he felt just minutes ago feels like a fever dream in the new low that he drowns from, crying violently in the backseat while Namjoon drives ahead.
Heâd been so blind and trusting that he gets angry at himself, pounding his head weakly because his thoughts are louder than what he could manage, humming to himself in a desperate attempt.
Taehyung refuses to even go inside his room, much less the house, because in every which way he goes, heâd pass by his study and heâd feel like imploding.
He lets himself become drenched in the patio because it hasnât stopped raining and itâs the only sound loud enough to overpower his mind, heaving under the heavy droplets.
His thoughts only stop the minute the rain stops falling down on him on a circle, even if it continues pouring on everywhere else besides him.
Taehyung needs you.
The firs thing he does when he feels you sit next to him is embrace you, loud sobs wracking his ribs that it feels like he has no bones by the way he slacks over your figure, his heart hurting the heaviest.
âPlease take the pain away.â
Taehyung pleads to you and you squeeze him tightly, carrying the pain he felt. You wouldâve taken the burden out of his heart even if he didnât ask you to. You keep taking the pain away from him and for a second, you felt you could no longer bear it with how substantial it is, but you donât stop.
You donât stop taking your humanâs pain away until you feel him relax into your hold, a sigh of relief being released in solitude, resisting your own urge from whimpering outloud.
You realize that even if youâre the highest in the room, youâd never stop needing Taehyung and it would be your downfall.
Taehyung needs you in rainy days when his heart feels the heaviest.
Unlike you, Taehyung doesnât need you when the snow is falling and everything set into place by the universe is content in their positions.
He doesnât yearn for you when he isnât hurt and put into inconveniences that only you could solve for him.
He doesnât look for you when the sky above is heavy and the earth beneath is cold, because he has you to keep the universe in balance for him at all times.
Taehyung only wants you around when he needs you.
Your humanâs relaxed to the point that he just gives in to his fatigue, his head laid on your shoulder with his eyes blinking slowly, ready to sleep at the next gust of wind that would lull him into a dream.
You look at him for what you think is the last time, thumb pressing into his cheek that it makes him open his eyes wider.
You kiss him.
You hold Taehyung by his face and kiss him fully for only a second too long, pulling away even before you run out of breath.
Taehyung isnât shocked, but his eyes only blink lazily, a small smile on his lips as he shakes his head.
"Don't kiss me,â the small smile is still on his face and his voice is the most gentle youâve ever heard. "You're kissing me because I'm sad.."
"I'm not,â you chuckle, pleasantly surprised at the way he isnât flipping out at all. His headâs back to being perched on your shoulder, looking into the city below him while you continue. "I really just wanted to kiss you."
Neither of you are mad at each other. Whatever youâve felt today before you saw each other remains only to yourself, the weight of each being relieved because itâs you who carries them both.
A year has already passed and this is only the first time that Taehyung lets you in completely, and the fault of it all is something you cannot trace. You donât live as humans do but this is the most alive you have ever felt in your lifetime, feeling the need to explain why youâve kissed him out of the blue.
âI kissed you because loving you is all I know."
Taehyungâs laugh erupts from his chest and itâs the warmest sound youâve ever heard, the syrup of it spreading to your hands as this is the only time youâve felt them to be warm.
"Then unlearn it, silly.â
His voice isnât raised â itâs just calm. His features arenât laced with anger and his eyes are calm without malice. Taehyung talks to you about your confession as if heâs talking about the weather, taking it casually and in a stride.
âYou remind me of a stray cat, yâknow?â he hums, patting your thigh. âI feed you once and you keep coming back to me.â
His head is turned away from you and he wants to keep it that way. His heart may be light but the only concern heâs been carrying the past year is the final weight that he wants to get rid of.
"I don't want you to be my guardian angel anymore."
The words donât hurt you in the same way you thought they initially would, but you know the pain would settle in your bones sooner or later.
"Say that one more time."
Taehyung doesnât know why youâre not going on your knees to make him take his words back but he figures that youâre just indulging him like you always do, complying obediently.
"I revoke you."
He connects all his misfortunes in his life, especially from the past year, directly to you and your involvement with him.
"One more."
You hum, patting his head for what seems to be the last time. Jimin and Seokjin stand from a distance unseen, but you refuse to look at them when you know youâd crumble immediately.
"I repulse you."
.
.
.
.
Taehyung wakes up to one less heartbeat in his house.
The moment he comes down the stairs and calls out to no one in particular, but no one (read: you) greets him, even if he could clearly see Namjoonâs figure standing by the middle of the living room â
Youâre not there anymore.
The moment he comes down the stairs, heâs hit by the familiarity that this is exactly his house before you came along.
There should be houseplants hanging from the ceiling at the corner of the room but theyâre nowhere to be found, not even a single trace of the holes the screws left behind.
There should be multiple ribbons tied to Scoobyâs cage because youâve once told them that it would serve as his room decor, but not one strand of the fabric could be seen on his cage.
There should be a quilt at your bed and a picture of him on your nightstand but theyâre nowhere to be seen because the room that they open the door to, is the same room the house had before you moved in â an empty one.
âNo, no, this canât be happening,â Taehyung repeats under his breath, his breathing picking up at the lack of you and why thereâs nothing in his home that suggests you were here.
He opens his phone and demands Namjoon for his but none of the pictures have you in it, the blank space in the middle of when the three of you would go out for walks staring right at Taehyung.
The tears prick at his eyes because even if he remembers what you look like, thereâs nothing he owns that would make him see you.
âAsk the clouds to remember,â youâve told him in passing. He wasnât actively listening to you at the time but it appears in his head from the numerous times heâs racked it for any sign of you.
The sinking feeling he has on his chest weighs him down but he remains rooted, knowing that maybe if he gets hurt just enough, you would come to his side and relieve him of his pain.
"Not my Y/N, please. Please,â he prays to no one in particular, eyes screw shut while the skies remain gray. "I'm your human, remember?"
No one answers him and itâs a silence that makes his mind the noisiest, the overwhelming feeling of hurt raising to his throat that he looks around in paranoia, seeing if you were just playing tricks with him.
"You can't leave me â n-no, no! Not this way."
Taehyung thinks heâs seeing things because he sees shadows of you that he canât reach out for, a whine bubbling at his throat when he looks at the sky. âGive me back my angel, please,â he asks endlessly, staring into the sky that floats above him.
He stares into the sky long enough that it makes him see white hot pain, but it doesnât matter to him because his own hurt doesnât bring you back.
Taehyung anticipates and anticipates your voice, apologizing to him for making him worried. He anticipates the way youâd pat his hair and beckon him to eat breakfast. When he closes his eyes at the count of three, you should be here. If he prays just hard enough, you would come back to him because the angel that he knows always would.
One.
Two.
Three.
Taehyungâs pain doubles in weight when he doesnât see you even if heâs put his hands together and pleaded to the heavens. All he sees is Namjoon distraught trying to catch a flash of blue that flies out the patio even in the rain, settling onto the chair you always used to sit on.
Scooby is the last thing he wants to see at the moment, flicking at the air next to the stupid bird to get him to scram.
Scooby doesnât even move an inch because he only tilts his head at Taehyung, his voice parroting the same sentence heâs been hearing from you for the past year.
Synopsis: Spending Halloween serving preteens greasy popcorn and cleaning spilled soda off the carpets isnât what you had in mind for a fun night. But lucky for you, your night is about to get real interesting when a series of unfortunate events start occurring throughout the movie theater and your soon to uncover the horrifying curse that surrounds your part-time job.
Based on the Disney classic;Â Phantom of the Megaplex
You hand over the two red slushies to the couple over the counter alongside a tray of nachos.
âEnjoy the movie.â You say as they gather their food and swiftly make their way down the long dimly lit movie theater hallway.
The young girl sitting on one of the benches outside the restroom entrances gave you a harsh glare. Her arms were tightly crossed and if you were being honest , her attempts at looking even the least bit intimidating were humorous. She looked severely constipated more than anything.
âYouâre not seeing the movie no matter how much you grind those little cavity filled teeth of yours. â You deadpan to your sister who only further scowls.
âDid you just see those two nerds who went inside? The guy looked like he was about to vomit over his food.â Yulhee exclaimed referring to the guy who had indeed been shaking slightly when you had given him his drinks , you figured he was on a first date or was just severely afraid of horror films.
âThe guy was clearly of age. Something youâre not, now you can either go to the arcade like I first told you to or you can sit there and shut up.â You snapped, not needing the added stress of your little sisterâs incoming tantrum.
The night was already a disaster. It was the 90th anniversary of the famous horror film from the 1930âs Phantom starring the deceased actor Kim Taehyung. A known legend among horror film fanatics and to make things even more chaotic, this movie theatre was located in his hometown.
And of course it all happened to fall on Halloween night.