Across the Tracks | KTH
~summary: Don’t cross the tracks. Never once did you question what you had been told your whole life – at least not until a certain boy makes that a bit more difficult...
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | drabble
~pairing: taehyung x reader (she/her) ~word count: 7.1k ~dystopian au, strangers to lovers, angst, fluff, inspired by lady and the tramp ~rating: pg15 ~warnings: adoption, dystopia, violence, breaking and entering, arrest, electric shocks, burns, scars, swearing, probable overuse of the nickname ‘pidge’ oop
~a/n: hi guys, and thank you to everyone being so kind about the first part!! Again, cr to the wonderful, amazing @un2-verse for the initial idea, ilyy! Now, to everyone, enjoy the fic and don’t hesitate to come chat with me about it🥰
You weren’t exactly aware of moving. The moment you came to your senses was the same that your thick plastic bracelet connected with the back of a skull.
Still staring in shock at the figure that crumpled to all fours before you, you didn’t spare a moment to see as the other assailant was thrown off. The man was weakly moving, but the remnants of your fear mingling with the horror of your situation left a nasty taste in your mouth.
Meanwhile, your rescuer had turned their attention to you.
“Hey,” the familiarity of the voice was still lost on you, “hey, pidge?”
A hand landing on your shoulder finally forced your eyes to drift away from the man on the floor, currently stirring and groaning. When you faced Taehyung, it was to find soft, dark eyes watching you with a hint of concern.
Glancing back at the two men on the ground, Taehyung showed you his side profile for a second.
“Let’s get out of here, yeah?” his voice remained low, cautious.
He waited for you to go first, so you carefully stepped around the men, staying as far away from them as possible. Back in the connecting alley, you had to wait for Taehyung to reach your side to know where to go.
“What are you doing out here, huh, pidge?” he eyed you as you set off beside him.
Since you had started moving again, your hand had naturally gravitated over your shocker again, and you glanced down at it now.
“I… got lost,” your voice was small.
“You don’t strike me as the type to be anywhere near here, cub,” he spoke, deep voice cutting off for a moment as he peered around a corner before leading you down it, “so how’d you get lost?”
“I, um…” trailing off, you turned your eyes to the ground. How to tell him that you had run off like a child?
But he was alerted by your silence, looking back down at you.
“Pidge?”
“I- it was my fault-“ you started, throwing your hands out in defeat.
Taehyung stopped in his tracks beside you, startling you to halt as well. Though his hand began to reach out, slowly, he seemed to think twice and dropped it. Either way, you realised what he had noticed, the cause for his shock.
“They didn’t…” his head shook almost imperceptibly.
But you had already drawn back, pulling your handicapped wrist firmly into your chest, somehow self conscious under his sad stare.
Barely a blink, however, and the agonising stinging was shooting through you again. Involuntary cry leaving your lips, your knees seemed to give up as the electricity burned you.
But instead of meeting the stony ground, your body fell against another, two hands hurriedly pulling you against him by your upper arms. As the shock subsided, the ground returning to your feet, you pulled away. Your form still shook.
Gulping back the tears that had been startled to your eyes, you avoided his captivating gaze.
“You were right,” you sniffed
In the corner of your eye, you saw his hand lift. One finger brushed gently up your cheek, clearing back the hair that had fallen across it.
“I didn’t want to be, pidge,” his deep voice was like velvet, coating something so sad. “Let me see?”
Patiently, he waited until you eased the arm away from your chest. As you held it out, his fingers ghosted against your skin, just to hold the hand in place. Training his eyes intently on the device, he rotated your wrist.
At the same moment as him, you spotted the crack running up the plastic. A short laugh escaping as he looked up at you, Taehyung’s breath blew onto your skin, raising goosebumps in their wake.
“You did good, little cub,” he chuckled, “his head’s gonna hurt. But we gotta get this off.”
“Do you know how?”
Tilting his head, he seemed to give it some thought. Chewing the inside of his cheek, he looked down the alleyway, although when you followed his gaze you saw nothing.
“…yeah, I might have an idea,” he eventually nodded.
In a flash, a grin lit up his face, erasing the seriousness of before. Setting off again, your eyes widened as his hand slipped down from your wrist to grip your own.
Swallowing, you hurried after him, trying not to think too much about it.
In the end, you were quite glad for his touch. The neighbourhood he led you through made you uneasy; even more delapidated houses lined the streets, water splashing at each corner where the pipes were invariably broken, more graffiti littering the brickwork.
So although your eyes couldn’t help but wander, peering down every turn and darting to any small sound, you stuck close to his grounding presence.
Winding further through this unknown part of the city, the drizzle never ceased. Thankful for the brisk pace you were travelling at, you tried to control your shivering, clamping your jaw shut to stop your teeth chattering. Your blouse was all that protected you from the air, and it was being plastered against your skin.
However, Tae’s eyes missed nothing. Between checking the streets around you, he periodically looked back to you at his side.
When his hand first pulled away from yours, your fingers chased desperately after his, not wanting to lose a fraction of warmth.
“Hey,” he laughed, “don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere.”
Instead, he shook his arms from his black coat. Not waiting for you to take it, he dropped it directly onto your shoulders. As you shoved your arms inside, the warmth made you sigh.
“Thanks.”
“No problem,” he grinned, hand landing on your shoulder as he turned to look ahead. “We’re here.”
In front of you stood an enormous building. Large chimneys rose from its roof towards the sky. The dark of the walls seemed even blacker than the night, floodlights positioned periodically along its large perimeter fence doing little to illuminate the place.
“Exciting, isn’t it?” Tae stood in front of you, throwing his arms out, inviting you to admire the place.
But you only eyed the man in front of you, his midnight hair dripping a little onto his black clothes. Not that he seemed to care, equally dark eyes glittering as he grabbed your hand again and practically jogged onwards.
“What are we doing?” you hissed.
Tracking his way along the fence, he suddenly stopped in front of you, not bothering to answer.
“After you.”
The way he bowed, twirling his hands, made him seem like a butler. However, there was no fancy entrance to match; he was ushering you through a narrow hole in the fence, raw ends of wire snaking inwards.
You looked back and forth at the boy, those eyes watching you hopefully, and the tear in the fence.
Sighing, you slipped through, only catching the hem of your trousers before safely emerging.
“Where are we?” you whispered as Tae joined your side.
“This is the car factory,” he said, “it’s going to get that shocker off.”
“Oh,” you frowned stepping forwards-
Only to have a hand stop you.
“Stay close to the fence,” he warned, easing you back so you walked between him and the perimeter.
Although your feet trailed after him, your heartbeat near enough doubled when you noticed his secrecy. This was not something you should be doing.
“We’re- we’re breaking in?!” you exclaimed, wary of your volume.
A smirk met you as Tae looked over his shoulder.
“Why, does that scare you, pidge?”
But as you spluttered for a response, another jolt of electricity shot down your arm.
Yelping, you clutched at the fence beside you. When you opened your eyes, all traces of playfulness had disappeared from Taehyung’s face – instead, he was closer, hands reaching for you as he lowered to your eye level, searching for your gaze.
Finding you staring back, his eyes darted down to the heavy shocker on your arm.
“You wanna get that off, don’t you?”
A shaky breath left you.
“Yes…”
“Then follow me.”
Taehyung had promised to be back.
Still nestled in his coat, your fingers fidgeted as you kept your eyes on the patch of darkness he had faded into. Maybe he’s going to leave you, your mind spun in circles, he’ll steal something and leave you to take the blame.
Your heart knocked steadily against your ribs, no sound louder than your breathing and the light spatter of drizzle.
You already knew he had a history with the controllers, and this didn’t look good for you. But, glancing nervously behind you at the gaping blackness that lay down every alley, you knew you would fare no better if you left either.
Teeth trapping your lower lip, you hunched your shoulders and kept waiting.
It wasn’t too long untill a loud wail cut through the night. Practically leaping with fright, you whipped around, trying to identify what was happening.
The moment you turned back, Taehyung was right in front of you-
And getting closer still.
“Run!” he called over the siren.
With no time to ask questions, you quickly spurred your feet into action, racing away from the building Tae had just come from.
“Did you get caught?” you panted.
“No,” somehow he managed to send you a grin, “that’s not where we were aiming for.”
Bewildered, you opened your mouth again, but a shout rung out. Across the yard, nearer to the factory, several figures were running towards the source of the alarm.
Luckily the far edge of the factory was finally drawing near, and with aching limbs you pushed forwards, falling against the bricks the moment you rounded out of sight. Taehyung was right beside you, exhilirated grin still fixed in place even as his chest heaved.
“What now?” you breathed.
“In here.”
Shoving himself away from the wall, Tae moved to the base of a long window. Bars ran the whole way up, slicing your view of the factory inside.
As you watched on with alarm, he reached for the lowest bar and used one small hop to boost himself up. Eyeing him as he clung onto the bars and looked down to you, you shook your head.
“This is crazy.”
For some reason that only seemed to make him smile wider.
“Come on then cub, what are you waiting for?”
“We’ll- we’ll get caught..” you punctuated your unease with a glance behind you.
“Not if we’re quick.”
Chewing at your lip, you reminded yourself of the weight on your wrist, the uncomfortable burn still lingering there. You were just about ready to give in when he spoke again, those big eyes fixing themselves on yours once again.
“You can trust me, pidge.”
With only a small huff, you stepped forwards and hoisted yourself up behind him.
Maybe you were a little crazy, too, to be doing this. But despite the slight slick of drizzle on the cold metal, the climbing wasn’t too hard, more like climbing a ladder. You were well practiced in maneuvering your way up trees in the park, so you made quick work of the window.
At the top, you were met with another window, this time without bars. Presumably they didn’t expect anyone to reach it, as there was no lock apart from a latch that broke with enough force from Taehyung.
With his hands off the bars and shoving the pane up to let you in, however, your heart leapt once again to your mouth, this time spurring you on rather than causing hesitation.
Ducking inside, you quickly dropped onto wooden floor. The window scraped shut behind you, Tae’s hand finding yours again and pulling you to the right. Your footsteps fell softly within the shadows that climbed the walls, the dust drifting within slivers of moonlight that filtered through the windows.
Rows upon rows of abandoned workbenches stretched through the long, thin space. The next room was the same, though with more bits of machinery you couldn’t recognise also lined up on the countertops.
Slowing, Taehyung observed every one as you went past, but quickly tsked and sped up again, onto the next room.
“Aha!” he breathed in elation.
Though you could barely see a difference between this room and the last, you obliged as he led you, squeezing between benches, towards a machine that was bolted to the wall. Letting your hand fall from his, he investigated, closely examining every edge of the metal until he found a button.
As he pressed it down, a rumbling, though quiet, seemed to blare through the space.
Tae glanced back, but not at you, his eyes travelling to the doorways first.
“Come here,” he beckoned you.
Catching your wrist as you moved closer, he lifted it and placed it at the edge of a metal plate in the centre of the thing, illuminated by a dull yellow light that had flickered into life.
“What are you-“
“Stay still.”
Another button and the grating of metal made you both wince. At the firm grip on your wrist, you realised your hand had jolted from its place.
A metal column was steadily descending. Heading resolutely for your arm.
Just as your eyes widened in slight panic, Tae piped up-
“You know they use these things to shape the doors and stuff? This whole room, just for car doors! They use steel, it’s easy to mould-“
A gasp left your lips as you felt a small but definite tug on your arm. The metal had met with your bracelet, avoiding your wrist. Its pace barely slowed as it ploughed through the plastic as if it was butter, soon falling uselessly away from your wrist.
A gasp of joy left you as you were finally free to carress the irritated skin.
Cradling it, you rubbed gently to loosen your silver bracelet that had imprinted onto your skin when it was clamped underneath the shocker.
“Shit-“
You saw it at the same moment as Taehyung. A blazing red line was etched on your skin, winding around your wrist like another piece of jewellery.
“What’s this?” he was asking, fingers easing the gifted bracelet away from your skin.
“My parents gave it to me,” your eyes didn’t leave it, “when my papers came.”
“It’s silver.”
Blinking, you finally looked up at him.
“I think so.”
He drew his lip between his teeth.
But before either of you could speak again, a muffled shout broke you apart. Stepping in front of you, Taehyung moved forwards until he could see down from the window, jaw set.
With a curse, he spun around and grabbed your unharmed wrist, kicking the remnants of the shocker away under a bench.
“We need to go.”
Instantly alerted, your feet were already heading back the way you came, to the window, but you barely made it one stride before Taehyung was pulling you back. Eyes fixed ahead, he never returned your questioning stare as you flew through more doorways, past rows and rows until you were dizzy.
Somewhere below, a heavy clunk sounded as the main door to the building was opened.
And beyond the doorways you had passed through, at the other end of the building, footsteps could be heard echoing throught the space.
Shooting a look back in alarm, you thankfully found no one on your tail yet. The moment you looked forwards again, Tae was leading you down a rickety metal staircase, not caring about the din as you tore down it.
Feet landing on the ground floor, your eyes searched fruitlessly for a door.
“Tae, how do we-?”
The question froze in your throat as you turned around to him wrenching a grill off the wall.
“Quick, pidge,” he ushered you urgently forwards, “this vent comes out at the back, go!”
Both above and on this floor, footsteps were getting closer as you stared into the dark vent.
“What-“
“Just go, quick!” his hands pushed you gently forwards, but you could sense their jitteriness and took a deep breath, diving in headfirst.
There was enough room to get on your hands and knees, so you shuffled forwards as fast as you could, rounding a bend almost straight away. At the scraping of metal, you looked back to assure yourself Tae was behind you.
Only you were met with empty space.
Gaping, your mouth opened and closed in panic, knowing it unwise to speak up. Desperation was clawing at you however, the heavy footfalls of the guards audible even within the vent.
“Evening, gentlemen,” Taehyung’s voice floated through the grate, tone easy.
You gulped nonetheless.
“Lovely night we’re having,” he continued, oblivious to the way your heart was squeezing its way up your throat.
A bang rattled the metal covering just around the corner, Tae’s body slamming against it as you jumped away, hand flying to clamp over your mouth.
“What are you doing in here?” a voice you didn’t recognise snarled.
“Ah, well you see“ – how Tae was so calm you had no idea – “I was walking my dog and he saw this rabbit and chased it through the fence! I didn’t see where he went, I thought it might have been here, but as you can see, he’s not-“
“You think you’re funny, huh?” a new, equally unfriendly voice, interrupted.
“Well, I wouldn’t-“
Tae’s words were once again cut off with a harsh clatter of metal against brick. Jostling and scuffling was all you could hear for a moment, retreating further down the dark vent until the sounds grew fainter.
Eventually, near silence returned.
Sucking in a steadying breath, you inched back towards the grate, peering through a gap.
Taehyung was nowhere to be seen.
He was probably among the small gaggle of people walking away from you, but you couldn’t see well. Chest suddenly feeling tighter, you shrank back.
Glancing down the vent Tae had sent you into, it looked a lot smaller now. It felt like forever that you hesitated, the people in the factory disappearing completely from view while you grappled with the obvious conclusion.
If you were to follow Tae, nothing good could come of it except that two of you would be in trouble rather than one.
As much as you wanted him, it was perhaps a selfish part of you that knew you never wanted to cross paths with the controllers. It would surely destroy your conscience, your reputation.
So, with Tae’s words echoing in your head, you turned away.
This vent should come out at the back… okay, getting out shouldn’t be too hard. If you just got to the other side of the fence… but then, what would you do? You barely knew left from right in this area, how would you ever find your way back?
What if more people found you, tried to catch you like they had before?
A small voice reminded you that Taehyung wasn’t exactly a model citizen either, but at least he had helped you.
Not long later, you came face to face with another metal grate. Though it took you minute to shimmy it open, the metal rusty and screeching all the while, no one seemed to be alerted by the time you clambered out.
Fixing it back in place, you came to a stop.
The fence was only feet away from you, unlit as this was the back of the property. Beyond, you couldn’t make out much more than sparse bushes in the darkness.
Even the drizzle was dying now, forcing you to wallow in complete quiet as you remained frozen. The burning skin around your wrist still tingled, not allowing your pain to be forgotten.
You swallowed hard.
If you had felt alone before, you felt much more deserted now with the absence of Taehyung.
Wringing your hands, you glanced left as if it would bring you answers. With a sigh, you looked the other way down the building – only to jump out of your skin.
As you choked on a gasp, Taehyung’s grin only grew on his face, laughing at your fright.
“Taehyung! When did you get there? How did you-?”
“Didn’t think I’d leave you alone, did you, pidge?”
Still reeling in your shock, you merely blinked, prompting another deep laugh from him. Slinging an arm around your shoulder, he strode towards the fence, tilting his head to look down at you.
“Now, let’s get out of here, yeah? There’s a lot more to do.”
“But- Tae, what happened to you? How did you get away?”
Slipping through the fence first, you squinted at a cut on his head. It certainly hadn’t been there before.
“Plenty of practise, pidge,” he said, returning to your side. He offered up nothing more than a smile, but there was nothing behind it this time.
Sighing, you dropped the matter and fell into step beside him. Where his feet steered, you would follow, still none the wiser about exactly where you were. Though your fingers hovered over your wounded wrist, they dared not even skim the tender skin there.
After the fourth time it slipped down, making you wince, you quietly slipped your bracelet off and into your pocket.
“You hungry, pidge?” Tae nudged you after a few more minutes.
“I- I guess…” you shrugged, “I don’t want to trouble you-“
Tae actually laughed out loud then, throwing his head back. His arm landed across your shoulders, squeezing lightly.
“You’re no trouble, pidge. Never think that.”
“O-okay,” you returned, perplexed as he fixed you with a stare.
“First stop,” he announced then.
On reaching a run-down door, not even as tall as his shoulders, he clicked his heels, hands behind his back. When you laughed at him, he seemed satisfied and reached forward to rap on the door.
For a few moments, nothing happened, your eyes sliding between Tae and the door as he stood epectantly.
Eventually, the door – which was more like a plank – squeaked open, revealing a platinum-haired man. Poking his head out, a gummy grin lit up his face.
“Tae!”
“Hey Yoongi,” he greeted, stepping back so that you were visible, “I was hoping we could see Joon?”
Shuffling your feet, you watched Yoongi’s face darken slightly, casting his eyes over you.
“Yeah, sure,” he nodded, though his eyes never left you.
Melting away into the darkness inside, Yoongi was soon replaced by a taller man who hit his head on the doorframe as he came to meet you.
“Hi, I’m Namjoon,” he smiled at you, still rubbing his crown, “Tae, what can I do for you?”
“This is Y/N, she’s had a rough night,” Tae ushered you forward, “do you have anything for burns?”
Carefullly, he raised your wrist to Namjoon. Pushing his glasses onto his head, Joon leant forwards, squinting at the damage with a low hiss.
“Yeah, I should have something,” he stood back, “how did that happen?”
“Shocker. Silver bracelet,” was all Tae offered in explanation.
“Gods, those disciplinariums ought to be shut down,” Joon shook his head, then, “I’ll be right back.”
It wasn’t long before he returned with the promised treatment, helping you apply a cream that instantly soothed your skin.
“Okay, we’d better be off,” Tae rubbed a hand over your back as he said farewell.
Thanking Namjoon, you nervously took the small tub of cream he pressed into your hand. Waving as you walked away, you found the shabby door had already closed.
“Did we pay him?” you muttered.
“Don’t you worry about that, pidge,” he just grinned.
“B-but mother and father told me-“
“Things are different here, cub,” he explained, “if you have the money for something, great. But this side of the tracks, dunno if you can tell, but we’re not exactly well-off.”
“Did we- did we steal?” you whispered, scandalised
“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” he chuckled. You only gaped.
“Stealing is wrong!”
“Some people on your side of the tracks ought to be told that, pidge,” he quirked his head, bitterness creeping onto his face, “they take everything from us, and then pretend to make it better by stealing our children too.”
Stunned into silence, you merely blinked up at him. His mouth was set in a grim line as he turned to you.
“I’m sorry, pidge, but you gotta understand. You’re from round here too, when it comes down to it. It’s not ‘lucky’ that you got picked up by some rich couple, it’s a damn shame you have to be on the other side to have a shot at a decent life.”
“I- I think I understand,” you swallowed, “but don’t the people here work? Like father does? Then you shouldn’t have to steal.”
Tae chewed on his lip as he led you into a small alley, still moving slowly.
“It’s a bit different for us, pidge,” he spoke, “we make stuff in the factories, it gets sold on the other side. We work for them, and they don’t pay us enough to buy the stuff we’re making.”
Letting his words sink in, turning them over in your mind as you tried to make sense of them, you broke the silence as you came towards the end of the alley. Your voice was quiet, uncertain. Tae made everything you had been taught seem… unfair.
“Is there… is there really no way? No way out?”
As Tae seemed to chew on his words, his steps slowed. You had come around the corner, warm light seeping into the darkness from the back window of the nearest building. Instead of a cramped alley, this space opened up into a small yard.
A single breath in had your mouth watering – a rich scent was emanating through a vent at the back.
Just as you took another, a shout.
“Hey, looks who’s here!”
The door was thrown open. Tae’s chuckle reverberated in your ears as you startled, stumbling back into his chest.
“Here’s dinner,” he smirked.
“My favourite tramp!” a man greeted as he hurried out, an apron swishing around his knees, “it’s been a while, Tae.”
“Hey, Jimin,” they exchanged a brief hug before Jimin’s eyes fell on you.
Under his keen gaze, you shrank back.
“Who’s this?” he tilted his head towards you, but addressed the question to Taehyung.
“This is Y/N,” Tae fell back to your side, arm falling over your shoulders once again. “We’re kind of hungry.”
“You could at least pretend you want to see me,” Jimin scoffed, but broke into a smile, “but fine, food it is.”
Though Jimin fixed Tae with a stare and a quirked eyebrow, he said nothing else before whipping back inside.
“Hey pidge,” Tae started, “come with me.”
Hand gliding back into place, to intertwine his fingers with yours, he gently pulled you forwards. Reaching the back window of what you now presumed to be a restaurant, a small alcove revealed a narrow set of steps.
“Careful now, pidge,” he warned.
Schooling the curious frown off your face, you obliged, climbing ahead of him.
As you reached the precipice, all the breath was stolen from your lungs.
The stairs opened onto a small roof terrace; nothing to see in itself, a derelict rail running around the edge and a small table perched to the side. But the view…
Never before had you seen your city like this. Sprawled out, vast even in the night that hid away the corners of it, and dotted with flecks of light. Head slowly turning, trying to take it all in, you let your mouth hang open. Behind every prick of light was another family, another life you may never cross over.
It was as if the constellations had landed, just for you.
“Pretty good, right?”
Though you were reluctant to tear you eyes from the city, you were rewarded for your efforts with Tae’s dazzling smile. Perfectly at ease, he basked in the timid glow of night.
When his eyes turned to you, the world stopped moving.
You thought maybe you could forgo all the sparkle of the lights for the burning dark of his eyes.
“Having fun, lovebirds?”
Jumping back from Taehyung at Jimin’s voice, you noticed just how close you had gotten.
Either way, a grateful smile made its way to your lips at the steaming plates of food he bore, carrying with them that heavenly scent from the yard down below. Pausing for a moment before he handed the food over, you saw Jimin’s eyes flick between the two of you.
But as Jimin retreated, Tae pulled out a chair for you, once again bowing as if this was a five star hotel rather than an old roof terrace.
If you were honest, you were a bit uneasy about the chair being able to hold you, but it dutifully remained intact, allowing you to enjoy your meal.
And enjoy it you did.
Senses overwhelmed, you weren’t sure where to look. The awe-inspiring city lay right there, but an equally handsome man was opposite you, the lights sparkling in his eyes even as he slurped at his pasta.
Perhaps it was the fact you were starving hungry, but the meal was just as heavenly as the view, tastebuds gorging on the delicious sauce. Though you longed to dig in as Tae was, your table manners were firmly drilled in, so you persevered with your fork, twirling the spaghetti neatly around.
Somewhere along the way, your manners did devolve. As Tae leant back, stretching with a satisfied sigh, you were scooping the stuff into your mouth.
It wasn’t until you found him staring at you, soft smile curving his lips, that you froze.
“Sorry-“ you mumbled, hastening to wipe at your mouth.
“Hey, it’s alright,” he chuckled, then cleared his throat. “I was – ahem – just wondering if you wouldn’t miss a couple forkfuls of that.”
Ah, so he was making heart eyes at the food. You could hardly blame him and simply nodded, allowing him to take a scoop.
Laughing at his somewhat guilty eyes, you shovelled another mouthful for yourself, still slurping at the pasta in a way mother would surely scold you for, if she could see.
To your alarm, however, you found yourself yanked sideways as you did so. Eyes widening, you found your lips pressed awkwardly to Tae’s, one strand of spaghetti holding you there. It took you a second to react, hurriedly biting down and pulling away the moment you came to your senses. Nervous laughter was startled from you as you averted your gaze, heat rising rapidly in your cheeks.
But Tae’s eyes never dropped.
The barest hint of a smirk still graced his lips, gently sliding away into nothing as he watched you. Eyes lingering, he swallowed.
When you looked up, his lips were parted slightly as he stared at you. If you blinked, you might well have missed it, though, as he hastily pulled his mouth back into a smile. Then he turned away, forcing his gaze back to the city before you.
“It’s a beautiful night.”
His voice was low and raspy, taking him by surprise. Clearing his throat, a short glance at you instilled his hope that you hadn’t noticed.
Each of you obligingly let silence settle, leaving the leftover spaghetti untouched.
Instead, you sat back, content in letting the cool air wrap itself around you. Playing dot-to-dot with the spots of light, you didn’t mind the barest breeze that teased stray strands of your hair. All the while you were aware of the warmth coming from Taehyung at your side.
A deep sigh left him, joining the course of the air as it brushed past you.
“You see that pidge?” his eyes stayed on the city as he sighed. “There’s a world beyond that. Not everywhere is like this. They don’t have this side of the tracks and that side.”
Pulled from your reverie, you gave into his magnetism, finally fixing your gaze on him again. Gesturing at nothing in particular, he continued.
“We could run away… let this place break itself apart and- and just go where we please.”
The sparkle in his eyes was almost enough to spark something in your heart too. But down there among the dark, was your home. Your brother.
“But Tae, my family…” you whispered. As soon as the words left your lips, your teeth clamped around your tongue, some faint wish of having never said those words.
Taehyung shook his head, gaze falling to his hands where they rested in his lap.
“When you aren’t tied down… when you aren’t tied down then you can think these things. They can’t keep you forever, you know. True chidren move out, become people… you shouldn’t have to stay and look pretty on the shelf for them, pidge. Your dreams don’t have to live where you close your eyes.”
He turned to you then. You couldn’t have breathed if you wanted to.
Again, it seemed you had fallen into this man’s magnetic pull, somehow closer than you remembered getting. His eyes were too powerful for you to pull away from, somehow wide and shining while something dark flickered beneath those irises.
It was a slow surge as he moved forwards, his breath falling onto your cheek, your lips.
The darkness of the night, the city, the terrace, blurred at the corners of your vision, unable to look away from the entrancing boy – every fleck of gold in his eyes, each eyelash, sloping down, and now dropping shut-
There was no impact as his lips met yours, feather-soft as they pressed together.
You moved together with ease, slotting into place perfectly as your lips brushed. That was all it took. The moment you confirmed what he was silently asking, he was pressing into your mouth, lips much more than a phantom and very, very real.
Fingers that were resting lightly at your jaw now fervently tugged you closer.
Your head was spinning by the time both his hands were on you. Moulding to his touch, you indulged in his mouth as he pulled you onto his lap, hand gliding over your back. Craving more of him, you eagerly pushed closer, leaving no space for the breeze to weave between your bodies.
Breath fell hot between you as the kiss broke at last, but you found you had been robbed of all words.
“Just stay with me for tonight, pidge.” Tae’s voice was breathy, casting itself to the wind inches from his lips. A hopeful grin spread onto his face. “What’s life without a little adventure?”
Exhaling, you nestled into him once again, casting your eyes back out to the glimmering lights of the city. And he seemed happy with that, arms curling securely around you while they still could.
That night, you both dreamed of running away.
Fingers were trailing winding paths through your hair, rousing you from sleep. It was only slow, the world piecing itself together inch by inch around you, but now you blinked blearily, light filtering through your lashes.
When the hand withdrew from your head, you pried your eyes further open, twisting around.
Taehyung was already looking at you. Soft smile playing on his lips, he ran his hand once more over your head at your pout.
“Sorry, cub, didn’t mean to wake you,” he chuckled.
“No, no,” you shook your head, fidgeting to an upright position as a yawn forced its way out, “wh-what time is it?”
Only a shrug answered, a vague wave towards the sky. Turning, you found the city sprawled out ahead of you, but this time bathed in light as a glow pierced the horizon.
Gnawing at your lip, you kept in your words. It was morning, and you had never been away from home this long, even if it wasn’t your parents waiting for you there. You already missed this moment, knowing you would have to go.
Tae pulled you to his chest again, arms snaking their way around your middle, the ghost of his lips on your neck-
Sighing heavily, you turned back to him, though you didn’t meet his eyes.
“Tae I- thank you, but, I should go home now.”
A moment of silence elapsed, Tae’s arms not budging from where they circled you.
Then, he deflated. Releasing you from his lap, he nodded, more to himself than anything.
“Alright, pidge. Let’s get you home.”
Descending from the terrace, you let the view fade from sight without looking back. The walk was steady, but it seemed to stretch on for hours with the torture of walking beside Tae, unable to give in to your urge to reach out for his hand.
But you couldn’t allow yourself to do that.
Idly observing as the houses you passed became freshly painted, weeds between the paving slabs turning to freshly mown lawns, you tried to reason with yourself. What would Jin and Hoseok think? Not only had you crossed the tracks, but you had broken into a building with the notorious Taehyung.
And then eaten delicious spaghetti with him.
And kissed him.
Resolving never to speak of it again, you cast your eyes down. Why was your common sense betraying you now? Don’t associate with the other side, that was unspoken rule number one. You were better off here, you were lucky to have mother and father.
But that wasn’t what Tae had told you.
And something in you believed him. After your whole life being shooed away from the true children, watching them go to school and learn and do all the things you couldn’t, you wondered why they had taken you in after all.
“What flowers do you like, pidge?”
Double-taking, you were ripped from your thoughts to find Tae calling from behind you.
“I- I don’t know…” you frowned, eyes travelling to the property he had stopped beside.
“Okay pidge, wait here,” he grinned, “gonna need something to remember me by, right?”
He jumped. He jumped, vaulting over the short front wall before you could even utter a sound of warning. Dashing forwards, you watched with wide eyes as you saw him tramp through the garden like it was his own.
“Tae! What are you-?”
Stopping in front of a pristine flower bed, Taehyung’s hands fell on his hips.
“You gotta have a little fun, pidge! It’s harmless, don’t worry! Now do you like yellow or purple best?”
“Uh, um, purple,” you quickly decided, hoping to hurry him along.
Glancing over your shoulder, you scanned the road for anyone watching, bouncing on the balls of your feet as your fingers tapped impatiently on the wall. Finding nothing, you looked back to find Tae focussed intently on the flowers in his fingers, twisting the stems together with his tongue poking out.
Against your better sense, a smile fought its way to the surface.
Then, to your left, voices. Whipping your head around, you searched for the source, which revealed itself as two men emerging around the corner.
Head to toe in black, they sported a small orange stripe on the shoulder of their uniform.
Your heart rocketed in your chest, feet instantly backpedalling, but the controllers already had their eyes on you.
“Tae!” you caught his attention.
As if in slow motion, you watched him find the controllers standing at the corner, watched them locate him, and watched them each start running.
Feet slamming onto the concrete beside you, Tae was already gripping your hand.
“Now’s where we get going,” he panted.
Not hesitating for a second, both of you sped off immediately. Still fairly close to the tracks, despite being on your side, Tae seemed much more familiar with the streets than you. At some point your hands broke apart as he threw himself into a narrow path between houses.
Skidding around the corner after him, you did your best to keep up. The heavy boots thudding close behind were certainly good motivation.
Another turn and a fence stood resolutely in your way. Unfazed, Tae barely slowed down as he hopped over it with ease.
Scrambling after him, your foot slipped, scraping your calf against the wood. Still, you jumped again, struggling to reach the other side. The barrier was nearly as tall as you, only letting you snatch a glimpse of Taehyung disappearing through another garden.
Your eyes stayed on him as a bruising grip pulled your shoulder.
You didn’t struggle as your arms were yanked behind your back, manhandling you against the wall with barely enough time to turn away. Harsh brick scratched at your face while metal dug into your wrists for the second time.
Shoving you forward roughly, your feet nearly lost the ground, but you caught yourself, watery eyes staying on the ground while the hands on your arms marched you away. All you could do was hold in the gasps that constricted your throat.
You couldn’t even look back.
It had been a minute or so since Taehyung last heard the footsteps. Allowing his legs to drag him to a stop, his back fell against a wall, chest heaving. Nonetheless, a wide smile lit up his face with exhilaration.
“You alright, pidge?” he turned, one shoulder staying on the wall as he rolled around to see you.
The street was empty.
Upright in an instant, Tae’s smile vanished in a second.
“Pidge?”
He was already half-yelling but couldn’t bring himself to care when everywhere he looked showed him a distinct lack of you. Spinning in circles, his eyes roamed desperately to no avail.
Breath falling in choppy pants, he set his body in motion again, driving himself to the last corner he turned, then the one before that and the next one… at every empty space, his heart dropped agonisingly.
No no no, he had lost you! He was supposed to be getting you back home, safe and sound.
As much as he didn’t want you to go, this was never in the plan.
Forced to give up, though he must have been running for some time, he dropped his gaze to the flowers still held loosely in his hand.
Petals collided with concrete as Taehyung turned away.
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