#restarting over again kth | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

joon-ipersgirl · 2 years

Text

“fallen” - kth oneshot

genre: fallen angel!au, angst - like hella

pairing: fallen angel!taehyung x nephilim!reader (f)

summary: once a guardian angel, taehyung is now forced to spend his days on earth as a fallen angel while he waits for his judgement day. he’s made a new life for himself and is doing everything in his power to not add to his past transgressions as he works towards redemption. however his already long journey seems to only get longer each time you step a tempting foot into his bar.

when an old acquaintance of his stumbles across you, taehyung’s display of possession ignites a new game - one that didn’t end well the last time he played. it doesn't help that he can’t think straight when you’re around, but he can’t help but feel something is off about you.

old habits die hard as taehyung finds himself trying to protect you. maybe redemption can wait. ultimately, isn’t love the greatest gift of them all?

word count: 20.3k

warnings: alcohol, cursing, mentions of violence and blood, mentions of religious ideas and God, guns, mentions of minor character death (car accident), appearances by felix and hyunjin from stray kidz, fallen angel!jimin

a/n: whew it’s been a journey to get here. i’ve been writing this for over a year (i was supposed to post this for halloween 2020, then tae’s birthday, then halloween 2021 and now here we are...) and i’m so happy to have it done, especially since i scrapped the first version and restarted the whole fic. this was my first time writing something super angsty so i hope i did the story and characters justice. inspired by “hush, hush” by becca fitzpatrick. as always, feedback is welcomed and high appreciated. happy reading and happy birthday taehyung!

full masterlist

“You’re staring. Again.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Yes. You are.”

“I’m n-”

“How many times have you wiped down that same spot on the bar?” Taehyung glances over at Yoongi and then at his hands, stopping his motion. “See? Staring,” Yoongi emphasizes.

“There was a spot there,” Taehyung murmurs as he stashes the damp cloth under the counter.

“What was that?” Yoongi asks. Taehyung says nothing. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. Why don’t you just talk to her? You know you want to.”

Taehyung finds you at your favorite table - the one located in the center of his bar - in one of your favorite numbers: a sleek turtleneck and knee high boots. This is not the first time Taehyung has seen you. In fact, this may be the third time this week you’ve stumbled into his bar. Though the chilliness of autumn has finally settled in, it doesn’t stop you from wearing his favorite skirt on you. A picture of sin. Taehyung closes his eyes at the thought. Temptation is what had gotten him here in the first place. No, as much as he wants to, he won’t.

“It’s just not a good idea,” Taehyung replies as he moves to clear a few empty glasses. It’s busier this Thursday night.

“Do you normally have good ideas?” Yoongi asks as he pours a margarita.

Taehyung glares at Yoongi. “You know what? You’re right. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to hire you.”

“You know that’s not what I meant,” Yoongi says with a frown. “It just feels like you’re fighting a losing battle, that’s all.”

“Well, I need to win this one,” Taehyung grumbles as he ignores the advances of another young woman and takes her order. It’s so common that he doesn’t have to do much to dodge their fluttering lashes and flirty smiles, already able to predict their moves and shoot them down successfully. He doesn’t say it to be big-headed - it’s hard to resist the face of an angel. There’s only one woman who had gotten under his skin and he would like to keep it that way.

“I’m just not understanding why,” Yoongi thinks aloud as he pauses in his actions. “You’re already damned. What difference does it make?”

Taehyung frowns at his statement. “While my salvation is out of the question, it doesn’t mean I have to drag someone else down with me,” he replies as his eyes slide over your form. He watches you laugh at something your friend says, a joke that he doesn’t quite catch over the noise.

Everything about you is pure and good - a true light in the darkness of his world - and he’s happy to keep things just the way they are. Taehyung has always seen you as a ray of sunshine, an ethereal being much like himself but without the long list of fuck-ups attached to his record. The pull he feels toward you is strong though. A harsh tug in his gut whenever he makes eye contact with you. Like now. The smile you give him warms him further and he raises a hand in response.

“Wow, not only are you damned, you’re awkward as fuck too,” Yoongi chuckles and Taehyung hurls his wet cloth at the older man’s head. “You’d better get it together, lover boy. She’s coming over,” Yoongi says with a jerk of his head and a small smirk on his face.

To Taehyung’s dismay, Yoongi is right. Almost as though time has slowed down, Taehyung watches you slip through the crowd. His eyes never leave yours as you squeeze past the tables, holding his attention. He tries not to focus on the subtle sway of your hips. It’s no use. Suddenly, time snaps back into place and you’re in front of him now, a shy smile on your face.

“Taehyung,” you say gently.

“Y/N,” he says in return, his voice even though he feels nothing of the sort on the inside. “What can I do for you?”

Glancing back at your friend - who gives you a conspicuous thumbs up - you lean a little closer toward him and say, “First, some drinks. An Aperol spritz and a cosmopolitan, please.”

“Not your usual. Special occasion?” Taehyung asks as he turns to pull out the respective glassware.

You grin. “Trying to set the right tone for the night is all.”

“And what might that be?” Taehyung hums, intrigued.

“Hopefully success,” you answer. “What are you doing tonight? Like after this?” you continue easily.

Taehyung pauses as he holds both tumblers in his hands and hears the subtle change in your tone. He regards you for a moment before slipping back into his more nonchalant demeanor; he had a feeling where this was going. “Backstock inventory. Deliveries are coming in the morning,” is his reply.

He watches you process this information, chewing on your lip thoughtfully as your trace nonsense patterns into the wood. Taehyung can’t afford any slip ups, not even when you look so disappointed at his words and he wants to give in to whatever little game you and your friend have cooked up.

“That doesn’t sound too exciting,” you pout. “All you seem to do is work, Taehyung. Where’s the fun in that?”

“You have only ever seen me at work, Y/N,” he chuckles as he slides the drinks to you.

“Fair point. What do you do for fun, then?” He feels your fingers brush against his own and his skin jumps from the sensation. He’s not sure if you cock your head from your question or his reaction to your touch.

Yoongi’s annoying call of, “He doesn’t!” travels across the bar and Taehyung turns to glare at him. “Don’t waste your time, Y/N. Taehyung’s version of fun involves brooding and pining and - ouch!”

“Shut the fuck up, Yoongi!” he hisses. Taehyung’s punch may have been a little too hard for the human to bear if his grimace was anything to go by.

“For someone who’s all about redemption and holier art thou, you sure are fucking aggressive,” Yoongi grumbles and peers at his arm for any bruising. Taehyung doesn’t say anything but turns to look at you, only to find you already staring at him. He feels your blush burn in his chest.

“Brooding and pining could be fun,” you shrug. “In a sick and twisted kind of way,” you trail off after thinking about it. Yoongi snorts and Taehyung has the strong urge to step on his foot with just enough force to break a few toes.

“Shouldn’t you be heading back to your friend?” Taehyung asks, changing the subject.

“Oh,” he hears the rejection in your tone and immediately wishes he could take it back. “Yeah, you’re right. Stefan can only pre-game for so long before he’s ready to hit the town so we should probably get going. Thanks for the drinks, Taehy- Oh! My purse! I’ll be right back!” you exclaim and are scurrying off before he can tell you the drinks are on the house. It’s the least he could do after disappointing you.

Yoongi whistles as he walks away. “Yeah, you’re really a goner, man. Hey, can you get me an ice pack? I want to try and reduce the swelling as much as I can. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure Y/N pays!” he calls as Taehyung ducks under the bar and heads to his office for the small first aid kit.

On his way back, Taehyung knows he shouldn’t feel guilty but he does. While this was not your first conversation, he can only imagine the courage it would have taken you to even suggest he come out with you tonight. It’s better this way though. The sting would keep both of you away from one another, an ever present reminder as to why it was important Taehyung should stay away from you.

“Ah! There he is!” Taehyung looks up at the sound of the familiar voice and a scowl settles on his face. Hyunjin.

“What? Can a man not visit a brother to support his fine establishment?” Hyunjin asks as Taehyung tosses the ice pack to a nervously waiting Yoongi. “Is this seat taken?”

“It was actually,” he says, arms crossed tightly against his chest after resuming his position behind the bar. “And we’re not brothers. Far from it actually.”

“Wow, I see it’s not the customer service that keeps your doors open,” Hyunjin chuckles and perches on the bar stool. Taehyung thinks he looks like a vulture, and rightly so; Hyunjin always seemed to be conveniently nearby a disaster.

“How can I help you, Hyunjin?” There is no trace of friendliness in his tone as he stares his old friend down.

“Oh, I just came for a chat. See how you’re doing. Is that a crime?”

Taehyung ignores the obvious sarcasm loaded in the question. “Again, how can I help you? What do you want, Hyunjin?” Taehyung repeats, a little more edge in his tone.

The presence of Lee Hyunjin always left Taehyung feeling uneasy. Hyunjin was no angel - no pun intended. Not anymore. Among some of the first to fall, his reputation preceded him. His ability to appear like his former self was unmatched. More than a few unlucky souls, human and otherwise, had fallen victim to his devilish charms. Taehyung was no stranger to his cruel games, the early days of his fall marred by incessant teasing from his elder. Hyunjin was unrelenting in his trickery, sucking any of the redemption left in the newly fallen for his own twisted gain. There was no redemption for Hyunjin and Taehyung wanted no association between them. He might be damned, but he sure as hell didn’t want to be dead.

“What are your plans for Cheshvan, Taehyungie? Up to anything fun?” Taehyung hears Yoongi’s sharp inhale at the mention of the holiday and Hyunjin chuckles at his reaction. “I forget your little friend knows more than he lets on. What do you say, Yoongi?” Hyunjin calls over the noise. “Are you up for a little fun with Taehyung and I?”

Taehyung is grateful that Yoongi chooses not to comment on the double proposition.

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t heckle my staff.”

“Right, right. My apologies, Yoongi. It seems as though Taehyung has staked his claim on you, but I’m sure I could find someone else here, no?” Taehyung bristles as he watches Hyunjin survey the room with ease. It was like watching an experienced hunter track his prey. “You always have the prettiest people come and see you. Like her, wow. Too tall though. And he would put up too much of a fight, don’t you think, Taehyungie? But her” - he follows Hyunjin’s line of sight right to you gathering your things under the one working bright light of his establishment - “she seems like a fun time.”

“No,” Taehyung says firmly. Hyunjin is slightly startled by Taehyung’s tone, but his wicked smile returns quickly.

“No?” Hyunjin echoes. “But Taehyung -”

“No,” the word rumbles in his chest. Taehyung knows he has Hyunjin’s full attention now, the strong display of possession piquing his interest.

“Well, I must say I’m more than intrigued by your reaction. In fact, I haven’t seen you react this strongly to someone since -” Thunder rumbles in the distance and from his peripheral vision, Taehyung can see the worry etched onto Yoongi’s face.

“Don’t go there, Hyunjin,” Taehyung warns and moves to take an order.

“Oh, of course, Taehyung. I know how hard it was for you to lose Fallon so- oops.”

Taehyung grits his teeth. Hyunjin is testing his patience - and he knows better than to succumb to the games - but he wants nothing more in this moment than to rip Hyunjin apart limb by limb. “It was years ago now though. I thought you’d be better with it. You know she didn’t stand a ch-”

The glass in Taehyung’s hand shatters and an audible gasp leaves the patrons closest to him. Taehyung doesn’t feel a thing. “Taehyung!” Yoongi shouts and rushes to his side, pressing a cloth to his palm. Hyunjin, Yoongi, and himself know it’s only for theatrics though; Taehyung’s hand would be completely healed in a few more seconds.

Yoongi’s exclamation has drawn your attention though, and Taehyung watches in horror as you force your way to the bar, stopping right next to Hyunjin. “Taehyung! Are you okay?!”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m good. Don’t worry about me. You should get going though. Wouldn’t want you to be late or anything,” Taehyung urges, adamant at putting as much distance between you and Hyunjin as possible.

“Are you sure? How did that even happen?!” you exclaim, pushing a few strands of hair out of your face as if it would help you see any better.

“Oh, our Taehyungie is quite clumsy when he wants to be,” Hyunjin comments casually but Taehyung doesn’t miss the way he assesses you.

“I - really?” you ask as you turn to Hyunjin and Taehyung’s heart sinks. “He doesn’t seem like the clumsy type,” you murmur as you look at him again.

“Taehyung doesn’t seem like a lot of things,” Hyunjin hums mischievously. His statement makes you pause as you look over Taehyung again.

Though Taehyung doesn’t mean to be rude, he knows it comes across that way when he asks, “Weren’t you on your way out, Y/N?”

You stutter as you look at him but Hyunjin cuts in. “Now, Taehyung. That wasn’t very nice of you. I apologize on his behalf. Y/N, was it?” he says while turning to you. Taehyung’s grip around the towel grows tighter. “I’m Hyunjin, a friend of Taehyung’s.”

“Really? It’s nice to meet you, Hyunjin. I don’t think I’ve seen one of Taehyung’s friends here before.” Taehyung watches you shake hands with the devil incarnate. His lip turns up in a snarl, Hyunjin’s name coming out too low for a human to hear and Taehyung knows Hyunjin is ignoring him when he lets his fingers linger against yours for too long.

“Oh, we go way back. I don’t think I’ve seen you here before though, Y/N.”

“Seriously? I’m here all the time! Right, Taehyung?” you exclaim. “I’m sure he must get tired of me,” you murmur, embarrassed.

“Really? I guess I’ll be seeing you more often then.” Hyunjin rests his elbow against the bar. The grin he wears is playful.

Taehyung is internally seething and thunder rolls overhead again. Watching Hyunjin’s fascination with you increase was unnerving. He knows nothing good can come from this as he listens to you voluntarily give information to the person who needs it the least. What seemed like small talk to others was only the beginning of Hyunjin’s assessment.

“Y/N, are you coming?! Spiral is going to be so crowded by now!” Stefan’s shrill voice carries well over the noise and Taehyung has never been more grateful for your friend’s presence.

“One second!” you yell back. “Are sure you’re okay?” you ask once again, giving Taehyung your full attention.

He nods tersely. “I will be.” Once you leave, he thinks.

“Okay. Well, it was nice meeting you again, Hyunjin. See you later, Yoongi! Bye, Taehyung,” you whisper softly.

“I think I’ll be heading out myself. Don’t want to overstay my welcome,” Hyunjin jokes and Taehyung thinks it’s too late for that. “Taehyung, I will see you later and Y/N, I will see you soon.”

Though it wasn’t a question, you still answer with a, “Yes, of course. I’ll be here!”

“I’m counting on it,” Hyunjin says as his eyes meet Taehyung’s, a wicked promise behind them.

As easily as he had appeared, Hyunjin slips through the crowd and into the night with you and Stefan following behind. More than a few pairs of eyes follow - Hyunjin still manages to carry his ethereal grace with him. Taehyung feels the ache between his shoulder blades more now that he’s relaxed some. His mind is going at inconceivable speeds as he tries to figure out how to keep Hyunjin away from you. Throwing the cloth around his hand onto the bar countertop, Taehyung runs his hand through his hair in frustration.

“What the fuck just happened?” Yoongi whispers as he accepts the payment of a guest.

“Hyunjin’s started a new game,” Taehyung sighs. Yoongi’s eyes widen.

“For Y/N?” Taehyung nods. “Fuck.”

Fuck indeed.

The following week, Taehyung is on high alert as he watches you laugh at something your friend - this time it’s Rin - says at your usual table. You’re dressed more casually tonight, no time to change because of the spontaneous nature of the meeting. Or so he’d heard. It’s quieter this Tuesday night which means Taehyung has more time to scan the area he deems as your safe zone (a three feet radius that Rin just manages to fit into) for any immediate danger. Old habits die hard.

While Taehyung hadn’t seen Hyunjin since his last appearance, “no news is good news” could not be applied to his elder.

“So, Cheshvan is coming up,” Yoongi begins as he wipes down his side of the bar. Taehyung hums an acknowledgement, eyes never leaving your form. “Do you have a plan?”

“Do you have a plan?” Taehyung counters with a scowl. No, he did not have a plan.

“No need to, remember? Gene skipped me, or whatever. Just a boring old human over here.”

“You sound upset at the fact you can’t be possessed once a year,” Taehyung chuckles as he leans against the back wall.

“Possession seems to be a small price to pay for the rest of the perks being Nephilim gives.” Taehyung raises his eyebrow in question. “Oh, come on! You can’t tell me you don’t like having super strength, super speed, and impeccable hearing. Exactly,” Yoongi huffs as Taehyung shrugs his shoulders.

Not quite the experience of actually being a fallen angel, a Nephilim still enjoyed the benefits of being his offspring with their increased sense abilities. The blood that ran through their veins made them stronger and more appealing than the average human. It could be considered a blessing and a curse; on one hand there was rarely a human that could resist a Nephilim’s charms, but on the other, consciously losing control of yourself to another being wasn’t a very pleasant experience.

“Are you heading out of town with your brother this year?” Taehyung asks. Yoongi nods.

“Yeah. He thought it was better for me to come. Especially since it looks like you guys are basically having a fallen angel convention this year,” Yoongi grumbles.

“I don’t know where they’re all coming from. It’s not like this is the capital where the chances of finding an unsuspecting Nephilim is high.”

“Maybe that’s the point,” Yoongi counters. “Why stay somewhere that you know is high risk?”

Taehyung shrugs. “Maybe hiding in plain sight is better,” he says, his eyes finding you again.

Now, you’re joined by a young man. Rin has invited him to sit down and Taehyung remembers seeing him a few times before. It was almost always like this with you being the “it girl” of his regulars, the one people flocked to to converse with or left lingering stares as they hoped you’d spare them the slightest glance. He’s an average looking guy - nothing too out of this world - but Taehyung feels the jealousy start to bubble in his chest. He knows he shouldn’t though. You don’t belong to him. The ache between his shoulder blades starts to grow at the anger of not being close to you while this other guy can. Taehyung can’t stand it.

“I’m going to get more ice. Do you need anything?” Taehyung doesn’t wait for Yoongi to respond before he’s ducking through the small crowd and toward the stockroom.

Taking a left, Taehyung firmly shuts the door behind him and rests his forehead against it. He closes his eyes and attempts to count the beats of his heart, hoping to ease some of his intense feelings. Taehyung doesn’t understand why you do this to him - why he’s so affected by you and your little actions. Sweat beads on the back of his neck in the dark room as he forces the tempting thoughts from his head. He wouldn’t cross that line. He couldn’t. If not for himself, then for Fallon. The pain between his shoulders burns a little more at the thought of her name.

Maybe it was time to call it a night; Yoongi could handle the bar on his own. Wrenching open the door, Taehyung pauses when he hears your soft giggle coming from down the hallway.

“No, I don’t have a boyfriend,” you giggle again. You sound drunk.

“So, what’s wrong?” The guy from your table. “You’re not shy, are you?”

Taehyung hears your breath stutter in your chest before you say, “No. I just - I like someone else.” His heart twists in his chest at your words.

“What does that have to do with me?” Taehyung is already moving towards you as the young man finishes his question.

“I’m just not interested,” you stammer, heart rate picking up.

“I don’t see what the issue is if -”

“She said she’s not interested,” Taehyung growls, pushing the young man away from you.

“Taehyung!”

“What the -”

“Quiet,” he says to you before turning back to your aggressor. Between your soft confession and the intentions of this guy, Taehyung’s blood is boiling.

“Hey! You don’t get to talk to her like that!” the young man yells. He straightens up to his full height, a few inches taller than Taehyung, but Taehyung doesn’t care.

“No. You don’t get to talk to her like that.”

“What the fuck is your problem, man?!” He pushes Taehyung by his chest.

Taehyung pushes back with a little more force than necessary. “You’re my problem. Get the fuck out of here, asshole.” The young man stumbles back into the wall of the brick alcove, the thud! echoing in Taehyung’s ears. “Now,” he snarls.

Something in him registers the aggression in Taehyung’s tone and body language, and Taehyung watches his eyes widen in acknowledgement; this was not a fight this young man would win. Dazed but still coherent, the man brushes past you both, mumbling under his breath. “Wasn’t worth the fucking trouble anyway,” Taehyung catches and whirls around but you stop in front of him, blocking his path.

“Taehyung,” you call to him and he looks down at you. You gently place a hand on his forearm.

“It’s not worth it.”

Anger simmering slightly, Taehyung nods. “Get your things. I’m taking you home.”

Though you open your mouth to protest, one look from Taehyung has you closing it and diligently crossing the bar to do as you're told.

“What happened to getting ice?” Yoongi asks when Taehyung returns. “And why does Y/N look so flustered?” Narrowing his eyes, Yoongi turns to his friend. “What did you do?”

“Nothing. Look, I’m taking her home. You know where the keys are, right? Make sure you wash the drain covers and don’t forget to date those wine bottles,” Taehyung reminds him.

“Can you handle that? Taking her home?” Yoongi asks hesitantly.

Taehyung shrugs. “I don’t have a choice,” and Yoongi nods.

When you return to his side, Taehyung can’t help but feel more at ease. It’s the most contradictory feeling Taehyung thinks he’s felt in his entire existence.

“Um, Rin said she’s okay with getting an Uber so not to worry about her.” He softens at your timid voice, thinking of how he must have scared you in the dark alcove. “Do you need to get your things?” you ask softly.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

You both call your goodbyes to Yoongi who wearily watches you go. Taehyung guides you to his office, shrugging on his heavy peacoat and grabbing his satchel bag. Leading you out the back exit, he opens the side door for you to enter the parking lot.

While Taehyung doesn’t think Yoongi’s apprehension is misplaced, he does think it’s a little overboard. Why would it be difficult for him to get you home? All he was doing was ensuring you were safely locked into your apartment before he went on his merry way. How hard could it be?

“Here,” Taehyung says as he helps you into his car. You nod your thanks and Taehyung shuts the door firmly behind you. He slides into the driver’s seat and turns to you expectantly. “Your address?” he prompts when you say nothing.

“Oh! Right. Um, it’s off Lexington and Myers. Right by that old -“

“- Chinese spot,” he butts in. “Yeah, I know the place.” Taehyung knew a lot of places from his many years in the city.

Starting his ‘68 Ford Mustang, Taehyung pulls easily onto Fifth Street, heading away from the bustle of downtown. He sets the temperature at 79 degrees, much too warm for him but he knows you’ll appreciate it after seeing you shiver the small distance from the receiving door to his car.

It’s silent as he makes his way through the streets. Taehyung wishes he could read your mind. Unfortunately, that was not an ability bestowed on angels - of any kind. He thinks you look nervous, the uncomfortable kind that makes him want to comfort you. Instead, he keeps his hands firmly on the wheel, the leather just biting into his skin to cause him some discomfort. Yes, the pain was good. It would keep him sharp.

Making the left on Lexington, Taehyung slows as he looks for Mingsu’s. The Xiao’s had been there longer than he had - which was saying something - and Taehyung could not forget the familiar red awning.

“It’s just over there,” you say pointing. The building is old, chipped brick and mortar. Five stories high and sandwiched between a 7/11 and a mom and pop store, Taehyung doesn’t think it fits your usual glitz and glamour. The alley between it and the convenience store definitely doesn’t. Then again, Taehyung doesn’t know your usual. Except for your drink: a Gibson martini on the rocks. “Well, this is me,” you state hesitantly and begin to unbuckle your seatbelt.

“Wait, Y/N.” Taehyung reaches for you, placing a hand on your arm, but retracts it almost immediately after. “I just - I wanted to apologize for tonight. I shouldn’t have spoken to you that way. I just wanted to help but I could have done so in a better way. So, I’m sorry,” he finishes.

“You did help, Taehyung. I don’t even want to think about what he would have done if you weren’t there.” You both shudder, though Taehyung suspects for different reasons.

“Still. Telling you to be quiet was uncalled for. I really am sorry.”

It’s now your turn to rest your hand on his arm. “I appreciate it. All of it. Thank you.”

Taehyung feels much warmer with your hand resting on his arm. The weight of it almost seems to sear his skin through his thick pea coat. Suddenly, the space in his car has gotten much smaller. Clearing his throat, he says, “Let me walk you to your door.”

Always the gentleman, Taehyung helps you out of the car. The chilliness of the night air soothes the burn he feels across his skin from the gentleness of your hand in his. He waits patiently as you dig through your small purse for your keys. He thinks you should always have them out before you get to your door but he decides this isn’t the place to lecture you. Not tonight.

“Would you like to come in?” you ask as you hold the main door open. Even on the top step, you have to look up at him, your gaze sheepish through your long eyelashes. Taehyung pauses, mouth slightly open as he regards you.

“Uh,” he clears his throat, “I don’t think that’s a very good idea, Y/N.”

“Right, of course. Sorry. Um, well thanks again. For tonight. I’ll see you around?”

“Yeah, absolutely,” Taehyung replies. Though he wants to say something else, he leaves it at that. Giving him one last smile, you turn and head up the stairs. Taehyung exhales and begins to make his exit.

“Stupid, stupid, stupid,” he mutters to himself as he smacks his hand against his forehead. The internal conflict was going to drive him insane. Inhaling deeply, Taehyung tries to calm the desire screaming in his blood. It was no use to dwell on what could never happen. Then, he realizes the screaming isn’t coming from him but you. Somewhere inside the building, you’re screaming and Taehyung can’t stand it.

Not wanting to draw too much attention to himself, he realizes he can’t just break down the front door and moves to the darkness of the alley. Inside, he hears the crashing of some object. The side of your building has a fire escape, old and rusting, that Taehyung thinks would just manage to support the number of people who would need to use it in the face of an emergency. Glancing back to the main street where he parked, Taehyung easily makes the jump, the ladder sliding down from his weight.

Taehyung moves quickly as he tries to locate you. He curses himself for not following you all the way up to your apartment. If something were to happen to you - No. He wouldn’t let that happen. Hearing nothing from the third floor, he ascends to the fourth as he tries to dodge the open windows that may spot him. Taehyung wonders what kind of people live in your building as he hears no movement to help you or frantic calls to the police.

Finally, Taehyung hears the additional voices - two men - coming from the last apartment. Unfortunately, the fire escape doesn’t reach that far. Internally groaning, Taehyung swings himself onto the windowsill of the empty apartment in front of him; he’s grateful for the extra room in his slacks. He gingerly inches his way across the face of the building to what he hopes is your apartment.

From the light streaming in from your open front door, he can make out your writhing body as the two men try and subdue you. Anger flares in his gut and Taehyung doesn’t hesitate to put his fist through your window. So much for stealth and surprise. At the noise, your attempted capturers turn and Taehyung’s rage grows tenfold at the sight of their faces.

“Felix! Jimin!” Taehyung hisses. The younger angel drops your legs in fear and taking this opportunity, you kick out, landing a square hit on his thigh and sending him down onto one knee. Though Taehyung is curious as to how you were able to do so, he doesn’t waste any time to scramble inside your tiny apartment. While he wouldn’t want to have his first visit be like this, Taehyung wishes he had more time to take in your space. “What are you two doing here?!”

“Oh, just having a little fun. Right, Y/N?” Jimin says with a vicious grin, hand tightening the grip he has on your hair and causing you to gasp in pain. Taehyung feels more than hears the grumble in his chest.

“Jimin, don’t antagonize him,” Felix warns as he stumbles to his feet. “Hyunjin said -”

“Shut up, Felix!”

Taehyung should have known Hyunjin would have never handled his dirty business hisself. He’s not quite sure what Hyunjin had planned by having you kidnapped - as if Taehyung wouldn’t not have noticed you not showing up at his bar. Felix and Jimin weren’t the best men for the job either. With the former being scared of everything but his own shadow and the latter having a temper that rivaled the devil himself, the two of them barely had a working relationship.

“I’d prefer not to have to hurt either of you tonight. Just let Y/N go and leave,” Taehyung says, slowly closing the distance between you and Jimin. He notices the broken plant pot on the ground as the object he heard fall earlier. In all honesty, they should have had you by now, but Taehyung sees you’ve put up a good fight. Pride threatens to swell in his chest.

Jimin rolls his eyes. “Oh fuck off, Taehyung. You can’t have everyone for yourself. What about the rest of us?”

“I’d suggest you stop talking right now, Park Jimin,” Taehyung growls.

“Or what? You’re all bark and no bite, Kim Taehyung. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a job to do.”

As Jimin attempts to drag you out the door, you cry out from the pain radiating from your scalp. Taehyung lunges forward and grabs Jimin’s hands that are threaded through your hair. He can hear your stammering heart as he stands over you and wrenches Jimin’s hands from your hair, a sickening crack! sounding as Taehyung breaks one of Jimin’s fingers. The satisfaction Taehyung feels from his actions is disgraceful but he doesn’t care as he swiftly checks over you. “Are you okay? Anything broken?” You shake your head with tears in your eyes.

“Don’t just fucking stand there, Felix! Grab her!” Jimin wails, cradling his right hand. Glancing back over his shoulder, Taehyung sees Felix brace himself for a fight. Quickly, he pushes you across the room and out of immediate danger.

Taehyung turns just in time to block Felix’s incoming fist with his forearm. The younger angel counters with a quick jab to Taehyung’s ribs and he knows he’ll have some serious bruising over the next few hours. Adrenaline pumping through his body, Taehyung sends a crackening punch to the right side of Felix’s face, causing him to stumble back a few paces. Behind him, he hears Jimin grunt as he straightens the finger Taehyung so graciously broke. He didn’t have much time left before he lost his advantage. Or before the police show up.

Taehyung is able to block two of Felix’s attacks but misses the third as one of his kicks connects with the side of his knee. He hears Jimin move, the fallen angel using his strength to propel himself forward at Taehyung’s exposed back, but Taehyung anticipates the move and uses Jimin’s momentum to launch him over himself, the movement sending Jimin crashing into Felix and the two of them into your old leather sofa. Taehyung scrambles to find you among the mess.

There, you’re cowering by the breakfast bar. Blood crusts your hairline and your breathing comes out labored.

“Hey, hey. Look at me, Y/N. I need you to do something for me, okay?” He quickly glances over his shoulder to see his two opponents gathering their wits for another round. He fishes in his pocket for his car keys. “Listen to me, yeah? I need you to grab whatever you can and then take my car - here are my keys - take my car and drive to Cedar Hills Point, okay?” You’re looking at him dazed and Taehyung grabs your face, making you focus on him. “I know you’re scared, but I’m going to come and get you. I just need you to get out of here safe first. I promise I’ll come and get you, Y/N. I promise. Can you do that for me?” You nod frantically and he presses the keys into your shaking hands.

He helps you to your feet just as Jimin launches himself at you and you scream. Taehyung just manages to intercept and take the full hit of his action, redirecting the motion away from you but sending himself crashing into the island behind him, his back bearing the full brunt of the force.

“Taehyung!” you scream again and move toward him but he holds out one hand to stop you.

“No!” he chokes out, the exhale excruciating. “Go, Y/N!” he yells while holding onto Jimin. He thrusts his knee into Jimin’s abdomen in quick succession, each movement making Jimin groan in pain. Taehyung nearly sighs in relief when he sees you scramble to what he assumes is your bedroom. He lets Jimin’s limp body drop to the ground while he tries to catch his own breath. Hunched over with his hands on his knees trying to get some much needed air back into his aching body, he misses Felix head for you as you emerge from your bedroom, backpack in hand.

Though Taehyung tries to muster every cell in his being to make it to you in time, he knows he won’t. He tries anyway. Instead, he’s surprised to see you dodge the hit. Apparently you are too, but you take the time to use Felix’s momentum against him, pushing him roughly into the wall before stamping your foot directly onto his femur - the same leg you had kicked earlier. Angry now and with tears streaming down your face, you send your knee straight into his nose and Taehyung is pretty sure you’ve fractured it. Felix’s howl of pain confirms it.

“Go, Y/N. Quickly,” he reminds you as he stumbles to his feet. Your eyes are wild as you turn towards his voice and he wants nothing more than to calm the storm raging in your eyes. He moves between you and Jimin as you pick your way through the debris. He just barely notices your wince and he knows your knee must be swollen from hitting Felix. You pause at the door, turning to him and Taehyung nods his encouragement. You nod back once before you’re scampering down the stairs and it’s not long before Taehyung hears his car door slam and tires squeal against the pavement.

Straightening, Taehyung walks gingerly over to Jimin who is writhing on the floor in pain. Taehyung feels no remorse at the fact that he more than likely broke three of the young man’s ribs. “You’re a piece of shit, Kim Taehyung,” Jimin wheezes as he clutches his side.

“Shut up, Park. Where’s your leader?”

“What’s it to you?” Jimin spits.

“He and I need to have a conversation,” Taehyung replies.

“Did someone call for me? Oh my, what did I miss here? Wow -” Taehyung turns to Hyunjin, perched in the window, “- I didn’t think you had it in you, Taehyungie.”

“This is your fucking fault, Hyunjin,” Taehyung growls as he takes a step closer to his elder.

“Oh no. I’m sure it was your fists beating into these poor angels’ faces, not mine. Look at my poor Felix,” Hyunjin tuts as he steps fully into the room. “Was that really necessary, Taehyung?”

Taehyung chuckles. “That wasn’t me.” Hyunjin’s eyes widen as he walks over to the still bleeding angel. Crouching, he inspects his face much to the protest of Felix.

“Oh. Oh. It seems as though you’re right. Oh stop blubbering you big baby!” Hyunjin snaps and shoves Felix’s head into the wall. Taehyung grimaces for him. “It’s only a fracture. A hit from Taehyung definitely would have broken it.” Hyunjin stands, reflecting on the scene around him. “I know you find this to be just as interesting as I, hmm? There should have never been this much damage,” he ponders. Glass crunches under Hyunjin’s feet as he moves.

Ignoring his own questions around the matter, Taehyung asks, “What exactly was your plan, Hyunjin? Kidnap her until Cheshvan? And then what?”

Hyunjin shrugs. “I’m sure she would have come to enjoy my company,” he says with a wicked grin. Taehyung’s body lurches forward at Hyunjin’s implication before he can stop himself. “Calm down, Taehyung. You’re in no place to challenge me. Remember what happened last time?”

Thunder rolls overhead as he does. As much as he hates to admit it, Taehyung knows Hyunjin is right: he is in no shape to take his elder down. At least not right now. Taehyung attempts to relax his shoulders, bitterness and anger holding them taut.

“Oh my, giving up so easily?” Hyunjin tuts a sigh. “No wonder Fallon died the way she did.”

Immediately Taehyung is shoving Hyunjin by his chest, the action sending the older angel backwards and nearly through the open window. Lightning flashes behind him as Hyunjin finally lets his anger be known. Taehyung feels the energy radiate between them - the culmination of years of unrest and unspoken words. There was a storm brewing in the sky, a physical representation of the face-off occurring between the two fallen angels. It feels good to get a rise out of his elder though, have him scrambling to gather his wits.

“You’ve grown bold, Taehyung,” Hyunjin notes as he brushes off the plaster from his black shirt. “Seems like it’s time to put you back in your place.”

Then, sirens are heard in the distance. Taehyung doesn’t think he’s ever been more grateful for the slow reaction of the armed boys in blue. Sensing that time is more of the essence than teaching Taehyung a lesson, Hyunjin crosses the room and pulls Jimin to his feet. Taehyung doesn’t hesitate to make his exit but pauses at the window. Turning he says, “This is the last time I’m telling you: stay away from Y/N, Hyunjin. And don’t forget to close the door on your way out,” he finishes with a smirk.

Quickly, he vaults himself through the window, to the top of the roof, and into the night sky.

Though Taehyung’s side is aching, he feels at ease in the air. He had wished he’d remembered to remove his coat though, the wool material now sporting two gaping holes from his wings. Glancing below him, Taehyung sees the red and blue lights race towards the scene of the crime. There’s no sight of Hyunjin, Jimin, or Felix and Taehyung wonders if they got away in time. Would it be better if they had? He isn’t sure.

Climbing higher into the sky, Taehyung banks left and heads away from the city and towards the mountains. Cedar Hills Point was the closest landmark he could have given you without jeopardizing his own safety. He hoped you had managed to make it there safely, no doubt the adrenaline from tonight waning.

He misses being in the sky and takes his time enjoying the short flight to his destination. It wasn’t often he had the opportunity to just let himself be; avid hikers and nature-goers were a real threat to his peaceful existence up in the mountains during cool summer nights. This is why Taehyung is grateful for the slight cloud cover he gets, almost positive that he’d be spotted from below on any other given night with his flying coat and flapping wings.

From this height, he easily spots his trusty Mustang parked under cover of a few withering trees. Taehyung circles overhead before choosing to land at the open mouth of the dirt track you had pulled onto from the main highway; Cedar Hills Point was only a few kilometers around the bend. Shrugging off his coat, he sighs at the damage as he makes his way to his car. Hopefully you wouldn’t notice the gaping holes in the back.

At first, he thinks his car is empty. The engine is off and he can’t make out your figure in any of his seats in the darkness. Taehyung starts to worry that somehow Hyunjin had gotten to you first until he hears the shakiness of your breathing.

“Y/N?” he calls softly as he rounds the car. In the darkness, he recognizes the floating backpack as you crouched behind the passenger seat, hands covering your head. “It’s me, Y/N. Taehyung. You’re okay. I’m here now.”

At his words, your head pops up and Taehyung’s heart aches at the sight of your frightened eyes. He visibly sees you relax at his presence before you reach over to unlock the doors and scramble out from your uncomfortable position. “Taehyung!” you sob.

The force that you tackle him with has him stumbling back, surprised, but he catches you nonetheless, hand holding your head to his chest.

“I’ve got you,” he whispers into your hair.

Quickly, Taehyung slips his keys from your tight grip, ushers you back into the passenger seat, and then tosses your heavy backpack and his ruined coat into his trunk. Gravel spits up in his rearview mirror as Taehyung heads back onto Highway 75 and towards the direction of his mountain-side home. Every few seconds Taehyung checks on you. He’s a little worried as you curl into yourself, your eyes distant and breathing shallow.

Taehyung ignores the speed limit in favor of getting you to his home as fast as physically possible. The winding road leading up to his estate sits off the highway, away from prying eyes. Most people would never think anyone lived this far up, the air nearly too thin for any normal human being. Taehyung thought it was almost the most charming part of the property when he’d first viewed it 17 years ago, his own personal defense system against any mundane visitors. But no, the real charm was the valley view he saw of the city lights at night and the shining sun he woke up to every morning.

The two-story winter home sits lonely in the middle of the lot. Large bay windows exposes his minimalist living room and kitchen on the ground floor even this far out, the former being on the side of the house closest to the sheer drop of the mountain-side. Much to the realtor’s horror, Taehyung had opted not to have a fence installed, citing it would “ruin the killer view”. The left-side of the house was covered by the thick pine trees threatening to invade his quiet home but Taehyung didn’t mind too much. It was just another natural (free) security system used for his benefit.

Even in your current state, Taehyung feels a small bit of pride blossom in his chest as you awe at his home. He easily parks his car into the garage, shutter sliding closed smoothly behind them.

“Here we are,” he whispers into the silence, afraid to startle you. You give him a small smile before opening your door and stepping out. Taehyung follows suit, grabbing your bag and his coat before rushing to let you in through the side door.

“Please,” he begins, slipping off his shoes and gesturing to the additional pair of house slippers next to his own, “make yourself at home.” Shyly, you nod and start to unlace your boots, only to nearly topple over until Taehyung sets you steady. “Let me,” he says gently.

Kneeling before you, he undoes your shoes and helps you into the slippers. Taehyung clenches his jaw in hopes of not falling into the domesticity of his actions. He knows it would do him no good to wish on the impossible though every fiber of his being screams at him to give into the temptation. “How are you feeling? Can you stand for a little longer?” he asks to distract himself. You nod.

“This way,” he guides you to the open space of his home. “I’ll make this quick - I can only imagine how much you need to sit down right now. This is the living room and here’s the kitchen - please feel free to help yourself to anything in the fridge, the cabinets, whatever.” He moves and you follow quietly behind him to the main entryway where stairs split the large space into two and lead to the second level. “Upstairs to the right is my room and to the left is the guest bedroom. It has its own bathroom so you’ll have some privacy. There should be some clean towels in there too. Let me know if there isn’t. Please also let me know if there’s anything I can do for you, Y/N. I want you to feel safe though I know it may be hard given the circumstances.” He turns to you. “You’re more than welcome to stay here for as long as you need. I -”

“Thank you, Taehyung,” you cut him off. “I appreciate it. I just - I need a moment.”

“Yes, of course. Do you need hel-”

“No, I got it,” and you take your bag from him. “To the right, yes?”

“No, the left,” he corrects you gently.

“Right, right. Okay.” Though the smile you give him is sad, Taehyung lets you go without another word.

Silently, he moves to the kitchen. He can’t help but feel as though he’s further overwhelmed you, the sound of the shower running drowning out any insight he might gain from his impeccable hearing. Taehyung isn’t sure what he should say if you ask him any questions. Realistically, what could he say? Oh, sorry for almost getting you kidnapped tonight. Old feud between me and an old buddy of mine - a harmless game really. You know how fallen angels are. Oh yeah, we do actually exist.

No. Absolutely not.

Taehyung scrubs at his face harshly before leaning over the sink. It was already bad enough that he had displayed his almost problematic possessiveness toward you earlier tonight to then fight off your abductors with superhuman strength to now have you at his home in the mountains away from approximately 92% of the population. He groans at the thought; there would never be an explanation good enough to convince you he wasn’t insane. The truth was so far-fetched it really was the only thing that made sense.

Acknowledging this fact, Taehyung straightens and moves to turn the heat up for you - though his internal body temperature makes anything above 64 degrees feel like the entrance to Hell - when he pauses, the coolness of the air brushing against his heated skin. Slowly, his gaze widens before he’s tearing his t-shirt over his head. Sure enough, two gaping slits sit in the back of the material.

“Oh shit,” he whispers. “Oh shit!” Balling the ruined article of clothing to his bare chest, Taehyung wonders if you’d noticed. “Stupid, stupid, stupid,” he murmurs as he takes the stairs two at a time, ignoring the protests of his still-healing body.

Shutting his bedroom door firmly behind him, Taehyung tosses the evidence of his true existence into the wastebasket by his bedside. The moon shines through his windows as he wills his breathing to calm down. Had you seen it? Even if you had, there was nothing he could do about the matter now; angels could not erase memories though Taehyung wishes God had granted him that power for more than a few reasons tonight. Taehyung sighs. No, the only thing he could do now was patch up his bruised body and tackle the monstrous misfortune in the morning.

Taehyung is still awake when the sun rises. Sunlight streams through his window, highlighting the room in a soft orange glow. His body feels stiff - rigid - as he fails to relax into the high quality silk sheets he splurged on for that exact reason. Rembrandt’s The Storm on the Sea of Galilee stares down at him from its mounted place on his wall.

Contrary to popular belief, Taehyung had recovered the classic piece of art a few years after it was stolen on a random trip to Amsterdam. While he hadn’t found the other missing pieces, Taehyung couldn’t bear to part with the painting much to Fallon’s dismay when she had first seen it.

The memory of her causes Taehyung to close his eyes. Much like the disciples in Rembrandt’s painting, the unsettling sea of emotions rolling in his heart threatened to toss him overboard. As much as he cherished their short time together, Taehyung still can’t help but wonder if it was worth it. If she would still be alive had Taehyung heeded the warnings.

It’s those thoughts that have Taehyung stealing his weak resolve when he hears you shuffle downstairs in the early morning.

He pulls on the worn, cotton sleep shirt and knots the loose pajama pants low on his hips as he cracks his bedroom door and listens for you. The soft hum of the kettle tells him you’re in the kitchen. Taehyung is silent as he descends the stairs, the sunshine brightening up the space.

“Good morning,” he greets you and you jump.

“Oh! Good morning. I didn’t think you’d be up so early. I hope I didn’t wake you,” you murmur shyly. Taehyung can’t help but smile.

“I’m an early riser,” he responds as he leans against the counter.

“Me too. Here.” You push a steaming cup of jasmine tea his way. “Your favorite right?”

Taehyung raises his eyebrows as he graciously accepts the warm drink. “How’d you know?”

“It’s my favorite too,” you reply and pop another tea bag into another cup. “You’re also running low compared to the peach green tea so I figured it was that one.”

“Looks like I’ll have to run out and get some more then.”

You hum your affirmation and Taehyung decides to bite the bullet.

“So, how are you feeling? How did you sleep?”

“Good, I guess. It doesn’t hurt to blink anymore and I think I got most of the blood out of my hair last night,” you say thoughtfully as you gently prod your hairline.

Taehyung must admit that you do look much better. There’s more color in your cheeks and your eyes have more life to them. “No other bruises or injuries I should be concerned about?” You shake your head with a giggle.

“No, I’m doing much better. Thank you. How are you doing though? I feel like you took most of the hits. I don’t think you should be standing,” you murmur as you take a step closer to him. Taehyung stands up properly. Still, you move closer. “And your face. Shouldn’t it be bruising? You look like you barely got hit…”

Taehyung catches your hand as it moves to his face.

“Y/N,” he says in an equally low volume.

You apologize and move back. “Maybe we should make some breakfast? Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.”

“Y/N,” Taehyung begins but the ringing of your phone cuts him off.

“It’s Rin. I should answer. She’s probably worried.”

“Yeah, of course,” he says and moves out of your way. You’re upstairs and shutting the bedroom door faster than Taehyung can pour his cold tea down the sink.

He finds himself in the same position from last night: hunched over and cursing his previous decisions as he contemplates his next steps. If he comes out and just says it, you’d think he was crazy. All he wants to do is make sure you’re safe. Somewhere that he can somehow protect you without seeming like an overbearing creep looking to hold you hostage. In fact, he’s surprised you haven’t asked to leave yet and he’s slightly worried that Jimin may have caused some internal damage neither of you are aware of when you return downstairs.

“So, apparently I’m on the local news?” you say and sit on the stool under the island.

“Is that so?” Taehyung asks as he turns to face you. “What are they saying?”

“Right now - a burglary and maybe a kidnapping. Rin saw and called to make sure I was okay. I told her I was safe and I’d notify the police too so they wouldn’t look for me.” Taehyung nods at the information.

“Y/N -”

“Do you think they really would have kidnapped me?”

Taehyung pauses before he nods slowly.

“But why? I don’t even know those guys. I’ve never seen them before and I don’t owe anyone any money - well I owe Stefan $130 for some drinks a few weeks ago but I told him I’d pay him back! $130 wouldn’t warrant calling out hitmen to attack me, right?!”

“Y/N -” Taehyung begins again.

“You wouldn’t do that to your friend, right? If Yoongi forgot to pay you back for -”

“- Y/N, listen to me,” and Taehyung grasps your flailing arms in his hands. “It’s not your fault. You’re overthinking. You did nothing wrong.” He sighs. “It’s mine,” he murmurs.

“Yours?” you ask and cock your head to the side regarding him. “How could it be yours?”

Taehyung gently sets your hands on the countertop before he meets your eyes. “I let my emotions get the better of me when Hyunjin visited the bar.”

“Hyunjin? Your friend?” Taehyung can see the confusion in your face as it scrunches up.

“We’re not really friends. Not anymore at least. He - he had been interested in you and I told him you were off limits.”

You laugh loudly at his explanation. “Off limits? And he thought kidnapping me would be better? That doesn’t make sense, Taehyung.”

Dropping his head, Taehyung sighs. It seemed like the truth would be the only thing that would make you believe him.

“Have you ever heard of Cheshvan, Y/N?”

Taehyung watches your eyes harden before you’re schooling your features and casually saying, “The holiday, right? It’s sometime this month, isn’t it?” Taehyung nods. “What about it?”

“I don’t want you to think I’m crazy, but what I’m about to say may have you believing I am.” Taking a deep breath, Taehyung tells you the truth. “You’ve heard of angels, right? Ethereal beings that carry messages to humans and live in Heaven with God, that he has a whole army of them ready to fight for Him and all that is good? Well, they exist. And I’m one of them.

“Well I was before I fell. Fallen angels exist. We live here between Heaven and Hell waiting for our judgement day to see if we’re eligible for Redemption. Hyunjin is also a fallen angel. The two guys who tried to take you - Felix and Jimin? - they are as well. Hyunjin has given up on Redemption and spends his time torturing the rest of us in any way he can. Because he saw how… protective I am of you, he started a new game. One that didn’t end well the last time we played. So, yes. It is my fault that you’re in the predicament you’re in right now and I’m sorry.”

It’s silent in the kitchen as Taehyung watches you process his small speech. He’s not sure which reaction he’s hoping for but the silence is unnerving. He feels as though he’s bared his entire soul to you and yet you sit in front of him like he told you water is wet and the sky is blue.

“Y/N?”

“Prove it.”

“What?” he stutters.

“Prove it,” you emphasize. “Prove to me that you’re a fallen angel and I’ll believe what you said is true and that I’m not a victim of some random attack that occasionally happens in this city.”

Taehyung is thrown for a loop at your request. While he’s happy that you aren’t laughing at him, he can’t help but feel concerned that you’re so calm. Sure, a bit of skepticism was always healthy, but this seemed like too much. Unless…

“O-okay then. We need to go outside.” He doesn’t wait for you to follow and opens the sliding door to his backyard.

This is Taehyung’s favorite view: the neatly groomed green grass that disappears over the edge of the cliff, overlooking the valley of the city below. The sun is warm on his face as he stretches his shoulders, his body humming with excitement at being in its true form. Taehyung tugs his sleep shirt over his head and lets it fall onto the ground.

“Why are you -”

“I don’t want to ruin another shirt,” he explains.

Rounding his shoulders, Taehyung sighs as he releases his hold on his wings. They emerge slowly as though Taehyung has woken them up from a sweet slumber. He can’t help but smile as they unfurl to their full size, visible even in his peripheral vision, and fluttering gently in the morning breeze. Taehyung turns to face you, hesitant at your reaction.

“Holy shit,” you whisper, hands covering your mouth. Taehyung blushes under your gaze.

“Hi,” he says lamely and you wave slowly, taking in the sight of his wings. At full extension, they nearly shade you from the sun. “Believe me now?”

You nod. “They aren’t fully black,” you whisper, hand cautiously reaching forward. Taehyung steps closer to you.

“No, I’m not that bad,” he grins. “Gently,” he says as he guides your hand to touch.

His feathers flutter at the slight brush of your fingers and he closes his eyes at the sensation. The sensitivity of his wings was sometimes overwhelming, the feeling pulsing straight up his spine. It felt like it was enough to stop his heart beating every so often.

Watching you marvel at them makes Taehyung wish he had done better throughout this new lifetime. Edges tinged with black feathers reminded Taehyung of his past transgressions. Only a few pure white feathers remained - two to be exact. The rest were a cloudy grey, an almost ombre effect occurring from the base until they turned into that wretched black.

“Does that mean there are other things that go bump in the night?” you ask curiously.

Taehyung shrugs. “Anything’s possible right? Fallen angels and their offspring don’t really go bump in the night though,” he chuckles.

“Offspring? You guys can have kids?”

“It’s not as common as it sounds but it is possible. They’re called Nephilim. They don’t have wings or anything, but they are physically more attractive and stronger than most humans,” Taehyung explains. You hum in acknowledgement.

“Speaking of wings, this means you can fly right?” Taehyung’s laughter fills the space between you. He shrugs, non committing. “That doesn’t seem like a yes,” you note, eyes narrowed in skepticism and Taehyung laughs again. “Seems like another thing you’ll have to prove.”

Before Taehyung can ask what you mean, you’re taking off straight toward the edge of the cliff. And then disappearing over it.

Heart in his chest, Taehyung takes three powerful strides before he’s diving after you. His wings are tucked close to his body as he wills himself to fall faster. The smile on your face only enrages Taehyung further as he reaches out for you. Were you insane? 350 feet was barely enough time to catch you but he does it, wings opening up to stop the two of you from plummeting to your death.

“Are you fucking crazy?” he growls, wings gently flapping, a tiny swirl of dust emerging below your feet. “You could have died.”

“Mhm. But I didn’t. I knew you’d catch me,” you comment as you place your hands lightly on his shoulders. Taehyung clenches his jaw.

Ignoring you, Taehyung pulls you closer to him as he begins his smooth ascent. “Don’t ever do some dumb shit like that ever again,” he grumbles.

“No promises,” you chuckle and Taehyung groans.

The next three days pass by quietly as Taehyung and you develop something similar to a routine: he meets you downstairs each morning and you greet him with a cup of his favorite tea, the two of you make breakfast while you answer some emails and complete a few assignments until it’s time for him to head to Antarri’s. Then, he’d come home to you curled up on his sofa waiting for him.

Taehyung has come to enjoy your presence in his home, much to his chagrin. The constant need to remind himself this is temporary fills his mind nearly everyday. You’d both agreed that it would be best for you to stay with him until Hyunjin became bored of his game and found a new target to fixate on. Though he knows it’s wrong, Taehyung hopes it’ll be a while.

It hasn’t gotten easier for him to ignore the pull in his belly every time he watches you ascend the stairs in some of the shortest shorts he’s ever seen in his few thousand years of existence. Taehyung is sure that you feel it too with your lingering stares and soft lip bites. The temptation is almost suffocating, especially tonight when Taehyung returns home early and finds you in the kitchen freshly washed and wrapped up in just a towel.

“I didn’t think you’d be home so soon!” you startle.

Taehyung swallows hard before he says, “It was slow tonight.” A bead of water slowly makes its way down the side of your neck and Taehyung is fascinated by its path along the column of your throat. So much so, he’s unconsciously closed the small distance between you with an outstretched hand. Catching himself, Taehyung apologizes.

“No, it’s okay,” you murmur and place his hand on your jaw. His entire body sings at your acceptance. Desire blooms in his chest when you press your face into his palm and close your eyes.

You look so soft below him. Thick eyelashes brush the tops of your cheek and Taehyung is positive he can count the number of freckles you have from where he currently stands. The faintest smell of either peach body wash or shampoo tickles his nose as he stares at you. Your skin is cooler than his own but warm nonetheless. Hesitantly, Taehyung cups your face with his other hand, thumb brushing the plump flesh of your lower lip.

“Y/N,” he whispers. His ears are buzzing in warning but he can’t hear it over the ringing of your radiant smile. Your answer to his internal debate is a delicate brush of your lips against his own.

Taehyung feels like he’s on fire.

Releasing his iron-grip on his self-control, Taehyung presses his lips to yours more firmly. The pull he felt in his belly is nothing compared to the pleasure he feels of having you in his arms. Each kiss leaves Taehyung breathless but yearning for more. It’s when you swipe your tongue against his bottom lip that Taehyung pulls away and holds you at arm's length.

“I - shit,” he curses. He takes another step back.

“Taehyung,” you say and reach for him while trying to adjust your towel from slipping further.

He shakes his head, hand pushing roughly through his dark hair. “No, Y/N. I shouldn’t have done that. I’m supposed to be protecting you, not dragging you down with me!”

“Taehyung, it’s okay -“

“No,” he growls. “I won’t be responsible for the loss of another innocent life. I won’t.”

And with that, he’s tearing off his shirt, wrenching open the patio door, and throwing himself into the night sky.

The storm that rages outside pales in comparison to the emotions Taehyung feels in his chest. His mind is frazzled as he soars higher into the atmosphere. Raindrops garner no reaction from the fallen angel as he screams his frustrations into the void. Why had he let himself succumb to the temptation? Had he not learned his lesson? Was the possibility of eternal damnation not enough to deter him from his fleshly desires?

Taehyung breathes hard as he hovers above the city. He knows he’s being reckless, knows that if anyone below squints hard enough they may be able to make out his figure and the last thing he needs in this moment is to explain who he was and what exactly he was doing. Taehyung gives up on pushing his damp hair out of his eyes once he spots the familiar Lee’s Laundromat a few blocks below. Yoongi’s apartment would only be a few minutes away.

Banking left, Taehyung lands gracefully on the terrace of Yoongi’s rooftop apartment. Dim light illuminates the old, wooden bench in the light rain, no doubt indicating the young man awake and slaving away at his sound engineering assignments. Taehyung tucks his wings away and then is knocking on the front door. He hears the grumbles of his old friend - a few curses mixing in as he more than likely stubs his toe on that same pesky end table Taehyung has told him time and time again to move - before he answers the call.

“Aish, what are you doing here? And why aren’t you wearing clothes?”

“Can I not just come and visit my good friend?”

“When you say it like that? No. You sound like Hyunjin. What’s going on? My brother is supposed to be here early tomorrow night and you know how he gets around you. What did you do?” Yoongi asks, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

“I kissed her,” Taehyung sighs defeatedly.

“Oh fuck,” Yoongi whispers and opens the door wider. “Fuck, this is not good.”

Silently, Taehyung steps inside and this time welcomes the warmth. Yoongi’s place is small and neat except for where he works: a worn two-seater takes up most of the space in the living room, under it a carpet that has seen better days, and a small TV rests on its stand. As a sound engineering major, piles of paper sit scattered around empty takeout cartons, evidence of Yoongi’s dedication to his craft. Taehyung takes a seat on the worn furniture, catching the T-shirt Yoongi tosses at him with ease.

“So, what happened to ‘it’s not a good idea’ and ‘saving her salvation’?” Yoongi asks as he sits next to his friend.

“I- I don’t know. It was fine at first but -“

“You realize you’re in over your head?”

Taehyung sighs as he holds his head in his hands. “She’s just so… intoxicating. We didn’t even kiss for that long but I felt like I was on fire,” he groans. “And I didn’t want it to end.”

“Hmm. Sounds like you’d suffer eternal damnation for this girl. Which also sounds like another story you know all too well,” Yoongi sings. Taehyung glares at him. “I’m just saying. The coincidence is too strong for it to be just that.”

“What are you saying?”

“How hard would it be to believe that Y/N is Nephilim?” Yoongi suggests. Before Taehyung can protest, Yoongi continues. “Just hear me out, okay? You said she didn’t react to your torn clothing, she broke a fallen angel’s nose, and she jumped off a cliff to prove you could fly. If she’s not Nephilim, she’s batshit crazy.”

Considering his case, Taehyung ponders Yoongi’s words. Both Hyunjin and himself were quite shocked to see Felix’s nose fractured; no amount of human adrenaline should have been able to accomplish that. Taehyung also considered your reaction to Cheshvan unusual - the feigned nonchalance though you seemed uncomfortable at the mention of the holiday. Plus, what if Taehyung couldn’t fly? He didn’t believe you had a death wish but if he hadn’t caught you, did you know you’d be okay?

“So, you think she’s Nephilim and that’s why it’s getting harder? Because Cheshvan is approaching,” Taehyung reasons.

Yoongi shrugs. “Maybe? Maybe she knows someone who’s Nephilim and that’s why she wasn’t surprised. Either way, Y/N isn’t as innocent as you think she is.”

“Well, what do I do now?”

“Talk to her?”

“I can’t do that.”

Yoongi rolls his eyes. “For someone who’s supposed to be wise and mature, this is not the behavior I expect from someone who’s nearing his 400th birthday,” he chides.

“Correction- it’s been 400 years since I fell. I’m much older than that. Either way, my age has nothing to do with it,” Taehyung scoffs. “I just think we have bigger fish to fry - like keeping Hyunjin away from her until after Cheshvan.”

“So, you’re going to leave her alone. In your house. Unprotected.”

“When you say it like that, it sounds bad.”

“Because it is bad,” Yoongi groans.

“Just for tonight, Yoongi. I’ll go home tomorrow and try to talk to her. I just need some space to clear my head and figure out what to do next, okay?” Taehyung pleads.

Yoongi shrugs. “As long as you’re gone before my brother gets here. We don’t want another situation like three years ago.”

“I really wasn’t trying to -”

“Ah! Just leave it alone, Taehyung. Leave it alone.”

Taehyung wishes he had left in his car as he sits in the back of the rundown taxi. Abiding by Yoongi’s rules, Taehyung is gone before his brother appears but is left stranded as the setting evening sun is still too bright for him to fly home. He inhales deeply as the driver chatters along the bumpy journey. He’s in no mood to make small talk as he concocts his plan on how to avoid you.

While he knows he’s just delaying the inevitable, Taehyung isn’t ready to have this conversation with you. The more he remembers Yoongi’s words, the more his stomach fills with dread at the thought of you being Nephilim. Taehyung couldn’t bear the thought of potentially hurting you for a few hours of reprieve - of dulling his senses enough through possession to get even the smallest glimpse of human life again. He’d given into the temptation before, but he wouldn’t fall victim to it again. He couldn’t.

So, instead of entering his home through the front door, Taehyung waits until the taxi is out of sight before unfolding his wings and landing gently onto his balcony. He’s happy he remembered to keep it unlocked as he slips into his bedroom. Just faintly, he can hear you on the phone speaking to someone downstairs as you make some tea. Though he wouldn’t admit it, Taehyung is happy that you’re still here.

It’s when he turns on his shower that Taehyung realizes he’s made a big mistake; the sound of water rushing through the pipes would alert you of his presence. Your pounding footsteps echo in his ears as he struggles to finish removing his pants and barricade himself behind his locked bedroom door.

“Taehyung!” he hears you scream as he scrambles towards the door. Unfortunately, you beat him to it, bursting in with eyes blazing.

To Taehyung, you’re still blindingly beautiful. Like the sun - scorching - but providing him with the necessary warmth he needs to survive - as long as he maintains his appropriate distance. The downturn of your lips makes Taehyung want to crack a smile as you stand before him with your hands on your hips. Taehyung tries to ignore the rise and fall of your chest until he sees it.

“Where did you get that?” he asks breathlessly.

“Get what? Where were you?” you huff, ignoring his question. “I didn’t even know if you were-”

“I haven’t seen this in years,” he whispers as he stands from his fallen position. “I thought it was lost in the fire…” Slowly, he reaches out and traces the gold locket.

“It- it was a gift,” you stutter as you instinctively clasp onto it, your fingers brushing against one another.

“From who?” Taehyung inquires again. “Who gave this to you?”

“My donor’s mom,” you say quietly.

Taehyung stares at you, confused. A donor? Whatever for? “A donor for what?” he asks.

“I - I was really sick when I was younger. I’d been on the waiting list for a few years but then my condition started deteriorating and I was airlifted to Cedar Hills Hospital to try and ease the pain,” you explains. “The following night, I got worse. My aunt was worried I wouldn’t make it. By some miracle, they were able to find me a donor. There was a bad accident and a young woman came in from a car crash - she was basically unconscious and the decision was left to her mother, Anita. She asked them to donate whatever they could and they chose me to receive Fallon’s -”

“Stop,” Taehyung whispers. “Please, Y/N. Just stop.”

Taehyung turns away from you as he takes shuddering breaths. He needs to calm down before he does something else he regrets. He doesn’t know what to say. He doesn’t know what to do. All he can feel is the pain that rolls in his chest like a tidal wave before it crashes.

“Did I say something wrong?” you whisper.

“No. Everything you say is just perfect,” he sighs dejectedly. “And that’s the problem.”

“I don’t understand what’s going on, Taehyung. What are -”

“Just go downstairs, Y/N. I’d like to be alone,” he admits as he heads toward the bathroom.

“Why? I’m just trying to understand why all of this is happening to me. You say you want to protect me but why do you keep shutting me out?!” Your voice raises as you finish.

Thunder rolls in the distance as Taehyung slowly turns to face you. He can feel the palpable energy between you as you face off in his bedroom. The strain in his shoulders grows as he stands before you, the pressure threatening to snap as he struggles to keep himself together. It’s these strong emotions that reminds Taehyung of the contradicting beauty of Cheshvan and ultimately the reason he severs the tie as he backs away from you. “This isn’t the time for this conversation,” he announces firmly.

“Then when?” And Taehyung sees her stubbornness etched into your brow - and he wonders how he hasn’t noticed it before. The similarity among your mannerisms, the ache he feels in his chest when he looks at you, the electricity that dances along his skin when you touch.

“I don’t know.”

In his heightened state, the chatter in the bar is uncomfortably loud. While he knows the weekends are important for business, tonight he wishes he could shut everything down. Unfortunately, he needs time and space to process and he can’t do that around you. His presence only surprises Yoongi as Taehyung ducks behind the bar.

“What are you doing here? I thought you’d be curled up under a throw blanket with the love of your -”

“Well, I’m not now am I?” Taehyung snaps.

Yoongi narrows his eyes. “You didn’t talk to her, did you?”

“Define talk,” Taehyung says as he picks up a bottle of bourbon and pours himself a shot. “Because she said a lot of things.”

“Such as?” Yoongi probes. The liquor burns slightly as it goes down. “I thought you said no to consuming the merchandise.”

“It’s mine. I can do what I want,” Taehyung huffs as he pours another one. “She said Anita gave her Fallon’s locket - the one I gave Fallon - after she received her heart from the car accident.”

“The gold one?” Taehyung nods. “Oh fuck,” Yoongi whispers and pries the shot glass out of Taehyung’s hand. He winces as he swallows. “Did you tell her about -”

“Tell her what? ‘Oh, the heart you received once belonged to the love of my life who I just so happened to get murdered and caused me to suffer from eternal damnation’?!” he exclaims, the bourbon spilling as he flails his arms in exasperation. He lowers his voice after he makes eye contact with one of his patrons. “And the fact that her being Nephilim has heightened this whole experience for the both of us?”

“Taehyung, you need to tell her about the relationship. The poor girl’s probably confused as hell.”

“Yoongi, I can’t. You know how much it pains me to even think about her,” Taehyung whines.

“I don’t think you have much of a choice right now,” Yoongi murmurs, eyes looking past his friend.

When Taehyung follows his gaze, he sees you standing in the entryway. Even in your dark and disheveled state, the light always seems to illuminate your best features. Taehyung swallows deeply as he eyes his leather jacket over your frame, the small streak of possessiveness bubbling in his chest. Your heavy boots echo in his ears as you dodge his customers, fierce eyes set on the bar and ultimately him.

“Y/N,” he breathes when you draw near.

“No more games, Taehyung. We need to talk,” you say sternly. “Now,” you emphasize when he doesn’t move.

“Y/N, this really isn’t the place to-”

“I don’t care,” you interrupt and Taehyung can feel the unbridled energy rolling off you as you stand your ground.

Taehyung sighs, opens his mouth to argue, when Yoongi speaks. “Maybe you should take her to the back? Before there’s a scene.” He murmurs the last part as his eyes shift over the not so subtle eavesdropping patrons. Taehyung heeds his friend’s advice, ducking under the bar, and pulling you down the narrow hallway to his office.

“Well?” you asks, arms crossed as you lean against his desk. “Are you going to start talking?”

“Where would you like me to start, Y/N?”

You open your mouth and then close it again, lips set in a grim line. “Why did you leave last night?” you ask quietly.

“I didn’t want to make another mistake.” He grimaces when he sees you wince and tries again. “I just wanted to protect you.”

You groan, a harsh hand running through your hair. The gesture reminds him so much of Fallon. “You always say that. From what, Taehyung? What could possibly be so dangerous that I need to be protected from?”

“Me.”

“I don’t understand,” you whine. “I don’t get why I’m feeling like this. Why it’s so intense all of a sudden, why I think about you so often -”

Chewing his lip, Taehyung decides to give in. “It’s because of Fallon,” he says.

“My donor?” He nods. “What does she have to do with anything?”

Running his fingers through his hair, he shares his hypothesis. “I think you receiving Fallon’s heart has amplified any connection we have. On top of you being Nephilim.”

“You knew about that part?” you ask sheepishly.

“I wasn’t sure but it seems like you’ve just confirmed it. When did you find out?”

“In high school? Everyone expects their first Fall Formal to be a night of adventure and mine surely was,” you say sourly. “I didn’t know my date was a fallen angel and thought I’d just had too much to drink. I guess he’d actually taken possession of me? I’d always been able to push my natural limits but couldn’t understand why. No one else in my family seems to have the gene so when you explained it to me, I figured that was what had happened.”

“So you knew I was a fallen angel?” he asks.

You shake your head. “I only had the other guy to compare you to. That, and the stories my aunt told me, but I thought they were just stories. You weren’t like him or any of the characters, though. You’re different.”

When you take a step forward, Taehyung steps back. “I’m not this nice guy you’re painting me out to be, Y/N. I’ve done terrible things over my lifetime - many of them unforgivable. You’ve seen my wings. They aren’t like that by accident. I made choices and I have had to suffer the consequences, some more unbearable than others,” he whispers.

“What happened?” you asks equally as quietly. “Please, Taehyung. I need to know.”

“Fallon and I had met spontaneously at Mingsu’s,” Taehyung begins reluctantly. “She used to take all the orders at the front to help pay for college; she wanted to be a psychologist. I was smitten from the moment I saw her. She wasn’t your traditional beauty that you’d see aspiring artists try to replicate over time, but a quick sketch that came out so incredible you’d cherish for the rest of your life even after you’d lost the paper you’d drawn on,” Taehyung reminisces. “Whenever she wasn’t at school or work, we were together. At that time, Hyunjin and I were fairly amicable and he’d noticed the change in my behavior. He wanted to meet the woman who’d ‘taken’ his friend. I thought I was just being jealous but deep down I knew it was a bad idea.”

You shift closer to Taehyung, placing a comforting hand on his arm as he continues. “I went to pick Fallon up after her shift at Mingsu’s but Mr. Xiao told me that someone had come to get her about ten minutes before.”

“Hyunjin?!” you gasp. Taehyung nods.

“I was so panicked that I left my car right outside the shop and took off. Fallon didn’t live too far from Mingsu’s so I headed to her apartment first. I was a few blocks away when I knew something was wrong; Fallon’s heart rate was too fast.

I found Hyunjin cornering her against the wall and I almost lost it; he was trying to possess her. Only, Fallon was human. How he didn’t realize, I’m not sure. Maybe he did and it was more reason for him to get rid of her. Fallon saw me and tried to come to my side but Hyunjin grabbed her. Things were starting to get heated and we were bringing on a storm -“

“That happens when you get upset, right?” you clarify.

Taehyung nods. “Thunder rolls for me and lightning strikes with Hyunjin. I just wanted Fallon to be safe so I gave her my keys and told her to head to our spot -“

“-Cedar Hills Point. Now I know why that place gives me the creeps-“

“Exactly. Hyunjin told me he only wanted to ‘talk’ to her and he wasn’t planning on doing anything but I knew he was lying. I told him I’d appreciate if he didn’t try to contact her again and he said he wouldn’t -”

“-But?”

“He’d already sent his men after her. I was foolish to have trusted him and I should have let her go when I had the chance, before Hyunjin had become interested. I was selfish,” Taehyung responds.

In that moment, Taehyung had felt something was wrong when Hyunjin had agreed so easily to give up his game but he was so worried about getting back to Fallon that he hadn’t questioned it. Having that much power trying to enter an unwilling vessel - one who couldn’t actually accept - was enough to kill.

“And then she dies?” you ask softly? Taehyung nods stiffly.

“I thought she had died when the car exploded-” he turns to look at you - “but it seems she was able to make it out because here you are,” he says gently.

“I’m so sorry, Taehyung.”

“Don’t be. It’s nice to have some of her still here in you. I see a lot of her in you now that I think about it,” he replies after a moment.

“So this is why I’m so drawn to you. Why I wanted to move here and why I felt like I couldn’t leave. I’ve never stayed in one place for very long,” you admit. “Maybe this is why I’m always on the road during this time of year. Maybe it was Fallon’s way of protecting me until she could bring me back to you.”

Taehyung can’t help but to smile at your words.

“Well, what happens now?” you ask.

“I’m not sure, but we can discuss it at home? Maybe get you some more things from your apartment?” he suggests, standing.

“Yeah, I’d like that,” you grins. Taehyung returns it with a smile of his own.

He isn’t sure what to make of this new development. So much has been said. He’d fucked up one of the best things to happen to him that night Fallon died, but somehow she’d found him again. Through you. While he isn’t sure how much of what he feels towards you is his unconditional love for Fallon, the pull of your Nephilim blood, or his fondness for you, he’s grateful that he’s with you now. God truly did give his hardest jobs to His strongest soldiers. How ironic.

“So my aunt might have mentioned that Nephilim are basically immortal. How true is that?” you ask as you both leave his office, heading back to the frontend of the bar. Taehyung goes to respond but his chuckle dies in his throat when he spots Jimin sizing up Yoongi at the bar.

“Jimin,” Taehyung hisses and immediately puts himself in front of you.

At the mention of his name, Jimin turns to face Taehyung. “Old habits die hard, huh Kim? You lost your guardian angel title a long time ago though,” Jimin chuckles darkly.

“Get out of here, Jimin. Your kind isn’t welcome here,” Taehyung snarls. It’s low enough that the other customers can’t hear but loud enough to make Jimin smile in the face of the challenge.

“My kind? Oh Taehyung, it seems you’ve forgotten where you came from. Maybe I should remind you,” Jimin taunts.

Taehyung makes to step forward but stops when you grab his arm. “Don’t. He isn’t worth it,” you whisper.

Jimin scoffs. “You’re one to talk, Y/N,” he sneers. “Well Taehyung. Why don’t we see who’s really worth it, hmm? Pick one.”

“What?” Taehyung stammers.

“Are you deaf? Pick one,” he emphasizes. When Taehyung fails to answer, Jimin sighs dramatically. “You’d think you’d have learned to think a little quicker on your feet after all this time. Fine. I’ll pick for you,” Jimin says with a sinister grin.

“What are you-“

Before Taehyung can finish his question, Jimin is lashing out at a cornered Yoongi. Taehyung is across the room and over the bar in a flash, any thought of concealing his supernatural ability out the window. He manages to grab Jimin’s wrist just as they wrap around Yoongi’s throat, Taehyung’s friend’s eyes wide in fear.

Around them, chaos ensues as customers rush to get away from the commotion. Bar stools, tables, and chairs clatter around the room. “Hmm, a good choice Taehyung. But I think Felix has made an even better one,” Jimin comments casually, his eyes sliding over to where Taehyung previously stood.

Turning his head quickly, Taehyung only sees your failing legs as you’re dragged down the hallway by Jimin’s partner. Anger grips Taehyung just as how he grips Jimin, and with a harsh twist, he’s snapping the fallen angel’s wrist with ease. Jimin howls and Yoongi takes the opportunity to properly slip out of his grip and roll across the floor and out of immediate danger.

Taehyung grabs Jimin by his neck, feeling the dull thud of the angel’s pulse under his fingers, as the two of them lean against the bar. “Where is he taking her?” Jimin only laughs as he cradles his hand. “Where?! Damnit!” Again, Jimin doesn’t answer. It’s in this moment that the rage that was so perfectly coiled snaps.

With an unusual calmness, Taehyung straightens. Then, he raises Jimin and slams him with enough force to splinter the wood on the floor. Blood splutters from Jimin’s mouth. Taehyung only looks at him with disgust.

“Taehyung!” Yoongi rasps. “This isn’t the time. You have to go! There’s only a few hours until Cheshvan.” Taehyung pauses as he stands again, silently checking over his friend but Yoongi only shoos him away. “I’m fine!’ he insists. “Go! Before you lose more time!”

Taehyung rushes out of the receiving door just as tires screech against the damp tarmac. He doesn’t hesitate as he swings open the door of his Mustang and jams the key into the ignition. Peeling out of the back parking lot, Taehyung barely misses crashing into a lamp post as he makes the sharp right turn.

Downtown is filled with cars as Taehyung tries to safely navigate the streets. His mind is frantic as he tries to remember what the license plate said. Was it CJ4- something? L8NJ5? He slams his hand against the steering wheel in frustration. What was it? He doesn’t have to wait long to find out.

A few car lengths ahead of him, the rear window of a 2003 Mercedes Benz is kicked out, glass skittering across the trunk and onto the ground. Taehyung is sure it’s you and it’s confirmed when he sees the familiar blonde head of Felix wrestle you back down. Shifting his six cylinder car into fifth gear, Taehyung starts to close the distance between you.

Taehyung yells your name out the window as you speed through the financial district. Again he sees your head pop up through the open window and his heart constricts at the sight of your tear stained face. You’re gagged and Taehyung can tell from your awkward position that they’ve restrained your hands behind your back. This makes for a difficult escape but Taehyung can’t lose you. Not when he’d just found you again.

Suddenly, the Benz swings left, heading away from the heart of downtown and toward the Harbour District. Taehyung just manages to make the turn, the blaring noise of the semi-truck he’d cut in front of rattling in his chest. He can make out your figure fighting back as the car swerves into the other lane. Fortunately, the streets here are much quieter in the nighttime because deliveries were done in the morning.

Taehyung tastes the salt in the air as he presses his Mustang forward. He isn’t sure how he’ll get you out of this situation alive. While he doesn’t regret his decision to save Yoongi, he does regret not keeping his ass in the house and talking to you like an emotionally intelligent adult. Maybe all of this could have been avoided. No, Hyunjin would have never allowed it. Taehyung’s face sours at the thought of his elder.

The sound of a motorcycle drags Taehyung out of his brooding. In his rearview mirror he spots a pair of riders fast approaching. More than likely, they would be of no help to him. Taehyung makes his decision then. It was now or never.

Kicking his car into sixth gear, Taehyung crosses into the opposite lane and then swings his car into the back of the Benz causing it to fishtail. Taehyung barely recovers as the driver in front of him tries to keep his car straight. From his side mirror, he sees the biker on his right pull a gun and Taehyung immediately swings his car and knocks the biker to the ground. The bike skids before stopping a few feet away. Silently, Taehyung hopes the biker is a fallen angel. He couldn’t deal with another death on his already long list of fuck-ups.

The second biker drops back slightly as Taehyung pulls into the opposite lane again. This time he’s met with a pair of blinding white headlights at the entrance of the Hudson Memorial Tunnel. Taehyung slams his foot on the gas - his last attempt at fishtailing the Benz - before he swerves back into the correct lane. This time Taehyung is successful and barely manages to dodge the spinning car as he comes to a stop a few feet past the entrance of the tunnel. The SUV Taehyung nearly crashed into zooms past before turning, tires screeching against the pavement, and facing in the opposite direction it came. Next to it, the second biker idles.

Taehyung scans the Benz quickly for any sign of life. He knows he didn’t hit it too hard but he can’t hear anything over the sound of adrenaline rushing through his ears. He nearly breathes a sigh of relief when the back door is kicked open but almost as quickly does it vanish when he sees Felix dragging you out by your hair. You fall to the ground with a heavy thud and Taehyung winces.

“Seokjin’s out cold!” Felix yells to the waiting party, trying to drag you to the waiting vehicle. Quickly, Taehyung opens his door.

“Y/N!” Taehyung calls and takes a few steps forward.

“Ah! Now where do you think you’re going?” Taehyung freezes. Hyunjin. The older fallen angel leans against the open door, chin resting against his folded arms. “Surely not where I think you are,” he finishes.

“I should have known you wouldn’t give up,” Taehyung mutters. His voice easily carries across the fifty feet separating them.

“Well, of course. You’ve made this our most entertaining game yet, Taehyungie,” Hyunjin replies.

“And I’m tired of your fucking games, Hyunjin.”

“Ooh, testy. Well, why don’t we end it? All I’m here to do is collect my prize. And just before our favorite holiday. Right, Y/N?” Hyunjin taunts.

Taehyung watches your body freeze at the mention of your name and thunder rolls overhead. Hyunjin glances up with a smile. “Careful now, Taehyung. You remember how things went down the last time we got into a little fight. Rain wasn’t the only thing that soaked the earth,” Hyunjin says darkly.

The next roll of thunder is so loud, it sounds like the sky is splitting open. Taehyung is enraged, the composure he’d kept for most of his existence snapping for a second time that night. With a rush, his wings emerge in their full glory. At their sight, Felix’s grip falters, giving you enough time to drop out of his grip and roll underneath the Benz. Felix scrambles to reach you as Hyunjin screams that he’s an idiot.

Taehyung takes the chaos in stride as he crouches low and then uses his wings to propel himself the 25ft with two flaps of his wings. He grabs Felix as he tries to reach for you under the car, the momentum carrying both him and Felix to stop a few feet short of Hyunjin and his entourage. Winded from the blow, Felix coughs below Taehyung. Lightning flashes when Hyunjin screams, “Fucking shoot him!”

With another strong flap of his wings, Taehyung vaults into the sky just as a rain of gunfire rains down on his previous position. He grimaces when he sees Felix’s body jerk at being hit and he hopes the young angel doesn’t die. Another strangled scream leaves Hyunjin and the sky lights up again as the older angel starts to lose it a little.

Taking this as his chance, Taehyung tucks his wings and drops the sixteen feet to land right behind the biker. He grabs the gun with both hands and then slams his knee repeatedly into the biker’s abdomen. Once he’s able to wrench the gun from his foe, Taehyung sends a crackening kick to the man’s ribs and watches as he falls to the ground. Before he can unload the gun into the wheels of the SUV, the driver fires two quick shots - the first shattering the window and the second grazing Taehyung’s cheek as he manages to move his head in time. That could have been very bad.

There are only a few ways an angel can be killed - fallen or not - and Taehyung is 100% sure a bullet to the brain is not something he could heal from in a few hours.

“Taehyung!” he hears you scream and Taehyung’s head is whipping around to the sound of your voice.

“Forget him! Get her!” Hyunjin commands as he shuts the door to the SUV.

“Penelope! The car! Go!” Taehyung shouts as he regains his wits. He watches you scramble across the tarmac, clutching your right shoulder, as you stumble to get your feet under you. “I’m right behind you!”

The SUV’s tires screech against the wet gravel - a steady downpour has begun - and Taehyung watches in horror as you struggle to shift his car into first gear. If there was ever a time he hated having a manual car, it was now. Taehyung is launching himself into the air, the rain cold against his skin, and is then landing squarely on top of the hood of the SUV. While it isn’t enough to stop the SUV, it does reduce the impact as the front of the vehicle slams into the driver side door. A crack of lightning has Taehyung turning swiftly and sending his right foot through the windshield and into the face of the driver. He thinks he may have killed him.

Glass glitters like diamonds under the night sky and Taehyung breathes heavily through his nostrils. Chancing a glance over to his elder, Taehyung is met with a clenched jaw and seething stare. The rage rolling off Hyunjin is almost enough to make Taehyung cower until your frantic voice snaps him out of it. Taehyung is slipping over the hood of his car, into the passenger seat, and throwing the car into first before he says, “Drive”. You floor it.

The car swings wildly as you pull off but you’re able to correct it as you enter the tunnel. Taehyung hears your labored breathing and rests his hand gently on your thigh. “You’re okay. I’ve got you,” he says in what he hopes is a reassuring voice. You nod though your eyes are still wide with fear.

“Where do I go?” you ask in a hushed whisper. It’s dark in the tunnel, only illuminated by the usual lights lining the ground. It’s then that Taehyung sits up suddenly.

“Shit,” he curses.

“What?” When he doesn’t immediately respond, you repeat yourself. “What is it, Taehyung?”

“We have to go back. At the end of the tunnel is the harbour where they load and unload the ships - and then the sea. We can’t get back to the city this way,” he explains while glancing in the rear view mirror. No sign of Hyunjin. Yet. Taehyung wonders if they could just swim their way to safety.

Taehyung tells you to stop the car. You do, hands resting at ten and two like any good driver. “Y/N,” he murmurs as his hand finds the side of your face. You lean into his touch, covering his large hand with your small one. He presses a gentle kiss against your hairline, turning your face to kiss you properly, but you stop him.

“No,” you say firmly. “This isn’t a ‘goodbye kiss’ time, like you don’t think we’ll make it out of this - like a ‘just in case’. You can’t kiss me until we get out of this. Both of us.”

Taehyung smiles but agrees to your terms. “Would you like to drive, or would you like me to?”

“I- I want to do it. I need to,” you stammer as you execute a three point turn in the slightly narrow tunnel. “For Fallon.”

“For Fallon,” Taehyung echoes and then you’re flooring it again.

The Mustang lurches forward, wet wheels wailing against the gravel. Taehyung will surely have to replace his tires. If he makes it out of here alive. From his peripheral vision, you’re a vision of confidence as you race back the way you came. Your comment about Fallon has Taehyung wondering if this was how she looked before she crashed.

Scared. Determined. Beautiful.

As you’re approaching the end of the tunnel, Taehyung sees a figure set directly in the headlights of the damaged SUV. There’s no doubt in his mind that it’s Hyunjin. Rain continues to pour as they approach the end of the tunnel. It’s then that Taehyung realizes Hyunjin has mounted the second bike and waits for you. His gaze is fierce through the visor of the helmet and Taehyung braces himself for what’s coming. The rain is pouring heavily now.

“What’s he doing? Why isn’t he moving?!” you exclaim, grip tightening on the steering wheel.

“I’m not sure,” Taehyung murmurs as Hyunjin revs the bike. “I think it’s another game.”

“End of the line, Taehyung! It’s time for me to collect my prize!” Hyunjin yells, his voice carrying easily into the tunnel as the distance between you shrinks. He snaps the visor down, revs the bike once more, and then is accelerating right towards you.

You gasp but keep the wheel straight as the roar of the two engines fill the tunnel. Taehyung had never thought about his death but he thinks this is a fitting way to go as his mind drifts to Fallon and her last moments. It’s like she’s with him now, in you. Noise starts to fall away as Taehyung imagines all of the things he won’t get to do with you and he’s a little sad. He’s closing his eyes at the thought of his fantasy when he hears you scream.

When he looks at you, all he sees is courage as you shift the car into its final gear and it lurches forward under the strain. Taehyung thinks you’re brave. Even if tears are running down your face and your heart sounds like it’s about to beat out of your chest. You’re braver than he is and that fact nearly makes Taehyung ashamed. He should be the one protecting you yet he’s sitting here like a coward. It’s this thought that makes him grab your hand and the two of you stare down Hyunjin as time speeds up.

At the last second, when Taehyung is positive that he can see the soul Hyunjin lost behind his eyes, Hyunjin swerves out of the way. Taehyung turns to watch the bike skid out from under his elder, sliding further down the tunnel. Hyunjin doesn’t move.

“Oh shit!” you curse and Taehyung is turning just in time to see the front of his Mustang kiss the front of the SUV. Then, he’s crashing through the windscreen and landing with thud next to the banged up Benz.

Taehyung spits up blood as he rolls onto his side. His head no longer feels attached to his body, the pain in his neck excruciating. He’s fairly sure he hasn’t broken anything but then again internal bleeding wasn’t necessarily painful. He coughs again as he tries to get air into his lungs and his chest burns from the action. Briefly, he wonders if you were also thrown from the car but when he looks up he doesn’t see you.

Taehyung can make out the back of his Mustang and the side of the SUV through his blurry vision. If he can just get up, he can check on you - get you somewhere safe. While he knows he’s moving, the gravel inside of his torn shirt reminding him very painfully, the distance to you does not seem to be getting any shorter. Taehyung rolls onto his back and the stars in the sky greet him with a gentle twinkle. Your gentle, “Taehyung,” has him turning his head.

He watches as you tumble out of the car, landing harshly on your hands and knees as you too spit up some blood. Taehyung reaches out for you, wishing he could comfort you as he croaks out your name. His warning doesn’t reach you in time.

Hyunjin is not gentle as he pulls you to your feet. “You didn’t think you could get rid of me that easily?” he pouts. Though the helmet tried its best to do its job, Hyunjin is still left with a sizable gash on his cheek and forehead. His usual clean-cut attire is gone as the rain continues to fall, leaving his clothing stuck to his lithe frame.

“You’ve certainly put up a much better fight than your predecessor,” he comments casually. “Though I guess it is fairly difficult to fight from a burning car. In fact, I think you’ve lasted the longest out of any of Taehyung’s conquests. Gold star for you, Y/N!”

“Why are you doing this, Hyunjin?” you choke out as you try to stay upright from the awkward angle Hyunjin has you at.

“Well, why not? Taehyung doesn’t mind, do you Taehyungie?” Hyunjin chuckles and Taehyung struggles to get to his feet. “You shouldn’t since we’re family, though you don’t act like it anymore.”

“We were never a family, Hyunjin. You’ve never known what a family is during your entire existence,” Taehyung says with as much conviction he can muster through the pain in his lungs.

Hyunjin frowns. “Now that isn’t true Taehyungie. Who took care of you when you first fell? Who took you in when you were stripped of your beloved guardian title?” he spits. “No, you left our family when you chose that wench over me.” Hyunjin glances up at the sky, the moon slightly covered by grey clouds. “But it’s not too late to come back home, Taehyung. Come. Redeem yourself. Let us show Y/N how we celebrate Cheshvan. Just like the old times.”

Your agonized scream tears Taehyung from his stupor. He watches your knees buckle under Hyunjin’s force, his hands pressed tightly against your temples; he had begun the possession process. “No!” Taehyung shouts as he charges forward, wings stretched to their full size.

Hyunjin easily sidesteps the attack, letting you crumple to the ground in pain and cackles. Taehyung’s reactions were more delayed after the crash. “Aren’t you tired of the games, Taehyung?! You can’t beat me!” Hyunjin bellows. “In fact, I’ll show you just how weak you are.” With a sinister grin, Hyunjin unleashes his wings.

Blacker than the charcoal that stains canvas, Hyunjin’s wings still hold the same imposing aura they did when Taehyung last saw them. The feathers are sleek in the rain and glisten under the moonlight. With their sheer power, Hyunjin quickly closes the distance between the two and grabs Taehyung by the scruff of his neck like any cat to her kitten. Taehyung lands harshly next to your shaking body as Hyunjin tosses him aside.

“Do it,” Hyunjin goads, head jerking in your direction. Taehyung shakes his head. “Take what is rightfully ours, Taehyung.”

“No,” Taehyung whispers as he gently touches your cheek. He can hear the erratic pattering of your heart in his ears. All he wants to do is get you home where you’ll be warm and safe.

“Do it!” Hyunjin commands with clenched fists.

“No,” Taehyung says more firmly. He turns as he stands to face his elder. “Their life isn’t ours to fuck with Hyunjin. I’m sick of your taunting, your bullshit family lies, and your fucking games. I’m done!” he says, teeth gritted.

Lightning flashes across the sky. “Done? There’s only one way for this to end and we both know you’re no killer, Taehyung,” Hyunjin chuckles.

“For your sake, you better hope you’re right,” Taehyung growls.

“You’re the one who cares about Redemption, Taehyung, though you don’t seem to be doing a very good job since you’re still down to two white feathers. Well, let’s see who’s blood will join Fallon’s tonight, hmm? I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty. Do your best, angel,” Hyunjin sneers.

Thunder rolls and lightning strikes as the two fallen angels go blow for blow. Taehyung is exhausted from his previous injuries but he can only see your’s and Fallon’s petrified faces in his mind when he thinks about giving up and his body giving out. He can’t have that. Not when you were so brave before.

With a shout, Taehyung doubles down his efforts, sending five quick punches to his opponent’s abdomen. Hyunjin stumbles back. His composure is gone when he launches himself at Taehyung, the sheer force of the impact sending him flying backward and into the side of the wrecked SUV.

“Come on Taehyung! Can’t you do better than that?!”

“Maybe not, but I can!” you yell as you jump on Hyunjin’s back.

Hyunjin lets out a garbled cry. Taehyung knows he’s just as stunned as Hyunjin is. Protruding in between the gap of his shoulder and neck proudly stands a jagged piece of glass no doubt from the shattered windows of one of the cars. Crouched behind him is your small frame, hands bloody and breath ragged.

“You little bitch!” Hyunjin screams, blood pouring from the wound. He spins to grab you but Taehyung is already grabbing him by the back of his neck. With the last of his strength, Taehyung raises his nemesis off the ground while Hyunjin tries to pry the glass out.

“End of the line, Hyunjin. Game over,” Taehyung says and slams the other fallen angel into the ground; it crumbles beneath him, outlining his body with cracks like white chalk at a crime scene.

“Taehyung! Are you okay?!” you cry out and catch him clumsily as he collapses. “I’ve got you,” you whisper. He’s exhausted as he stares up at you. Blood crusts your bottom lip and all he wants to do is kiss away your pain. He nearly does until he sees the remorseful look on your face. “I’m so sorry. This is all my fault. You’re hurt because of me,” you sob. “Need to get you home,” you murmur as you gently cradle his head but frantically look around. “Stay here, okay?”

Taehyung doesn’t have much of a choice. Assessing his injuries, he knows he’ll need copious amounts of rest before he’ll be anywhere near top form. He doesn’t think he’s been this beat down in his entire existence. If Hyunjin isn’t dead, Taehyung will have to call upon God Himself for the strength he would need to defend himself. Nearby, he hears the engine of a car sputter twice before turning over.

“I got one of the cars to start. I don’t think you can move, so I’m going to have to drag you okay? Fuck, I’m so sorry, Taehyung,” you apologize again as you reappear. Grunting, you drag Taehyung across the tarmac. He squeezes his eyes closed as the gravel bites into his skin. How he wishes he could just fly the two of you home.

When he opens them, his eyes find Hyunjin’s glazed over ones. The beating of his heart is slow and faint. Taehyung can only imagine how much blood he’s lost; it would be a miracle if he survived. He grimaces at the memory of the jagged edge protruding from Hyunjin’s smooth skin.

Gently, you set Taehyung in the passenger seat and strap him into the least beat up car: the Mercedes Benz you were kidnapped in. You press a kiss to his cheek and Taehyung sighs at the sensation, chest ablaze. “I’m so fucking sorry, Taehyung. So fucking sorry, but I’m gonna take care of you. I promise. I’ve got you,” you repeat softly and speed off. He wants to chalk it up to being in his delirious state and adrenaline-shocked system that he imagines the haunting words that echo from the scene of the crime.

The drive to his home feels much shorter as he drifts in and out of consciousness. It’s dark as the two of you stumble inside and up the stairs. Taehyung isn’t sure how you’re managing to carry nearly 80% of his weight with your own injuries but he’s grateful anyway. He lands with a flop on his bed.

“I’m gonna get something to clean you up with, okay?” Taehyung nods weakly as you disappear into his bathroom. Gingerly, he props himself up and tries to remove his shirt.

“Hey, let me do that,” you chide him.

“Not the circumstances I imagined you’d be undressing me under,” he chuckles as you help him rest against the pillow.

“So you’ve imagined it?” you joke as you wipe his face and neck with a washcloth. “Could have fooled me.”

“Hey,” he grabs your chin, “don’t do that. I just don’t -”

“-want to hurt me? Yeah, I know. I think I should be the one worrying about hurting you. You could have died, Taehyung,” you murmur as you frown at his yellowing bruises.

“None of this was your fault, Y/N. Do you hear me? None of it,” Taehyung emphasizes and holds your head in his hand, as if that would make believing him easier. You only nod sadly. “Please don’t worry yourself about any of this. I can clean the rest of myself up so why don’t you get changed and then we’ll sleep here. Tomorrow’s a new day and we’ll tackle whatever happens together, okay?” Again, you only nod.

After a quick shower and change of clothes for both of you, Taehyung settles into his sheets with you in his arms. And while he wishes he could have drifted off to the sweet smell of your peach body wash, Taehyung can only recall the scent of blood and the hushed whisper of his elder, “son of God, man of renown, in fallen fire and brimstone shall you drown.”

It’s oddly quiet when Taehyung wakes up. The sun seems much brighter as he squints at his Rembrandt painting. He’s sore but immediately he can tell he’s in much better shape than last night. When his fingers meet nothing but cool sheets instead of your warm skin, Taehyung sits up abruptly. The silence is deafening. He can’t hear your heart beating or the soft whispers of your breath. Taehyung hurries quickly across the hall, ignoring his body protesting at the sudden movement.

The guest bedroom is empty. A neatly made bed greets him as he glances around the room. Your heavy backpack is nowhere to be seen and only the faintest traces of your peach fragrance lingers in the air. His living room is also empty as he heads downstairs. No sign of your shoes by the door or the leather jacket you wore last night thrown across his sofa. He feels uneasy as he makes his way into the kitchen.

On the island, propped up by his favorite tea mug, is a white envelope with his name written in slanted cursive. Beside it, a neon yellow sticky note. Taehyung approaches the items as though they may hurt him. In fact, he’s sure they will as he picks up the Post-it.

Before you read the letter, please make yourself our favorite tea. Drink it outside and enjoy the view. You deserve it.

Sighing, Taehyung reluctantly does as he’s told. The tea is nearly as warm as the sun when he steps outside; he slept much later than he’s used to. The sight of the city in the valley below doesn’t fill Taehyung with the feeling of contentment as it usually did. Sitting at the edge of the deck with his feet planted in the grass, Taehyung tears open the envelope and begins to read your goodbye letter.

Taehyung,

I hope you listened to me and made the tea. You need something that will make you feel good right now. I think you know where this is going. I’m not sure where to start but I think I’m sorry is as good a place as any. You’re in all this pain because of me. I checked so many times to make sure you were still breathing, I don’t think I slept. I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you. It would be too dramatic to say “die”, wouldn’t it?

You have such a beautiful life here and I almost ruined it. Yoongi was almost hurt because of me. So many people could have died. You could have died because of me - because you were trying to protect me. I know you won’t be very happy but I only want to protect you, to show you that I’m eternally grateful for everything you’ve done for me since we met again because I love you. I love you so much it’s hurts. But it hurts more to stay so leaving is the best option - that way Hyunjin can’t use me like he did. This way we’re both safe, even if it’s apart.

I know you think you lost your guardian angel title, but last night proved how ready you are for Redemption. God knows you’re one of the best He has out there. I’m so sorry to be leaving you like this. Please don’t try to look for me. Thank you for giving me a place to stay, fighting for me, and loving me the way you do - in this life and the last. I hope to find you in the next one. Again and again and again.

Faithfully and forever yours,

Y/N

Inside the envelope is the gold locket you were wearing - the same one he had given Fallon all those years ago. He clutches it tightly as he stares down at your words. You’d left him. Vanished without a trace with only this to remember you by. Tears prick the corners of his eyes as he struggles to contain the sob threatening to burst from his chest. Guilt and grief wrack his body because he couldn’t save you from the most dangerous thing of all: himself.

The cry slips from Taehyung’s mouth before he can stop it and once the first one is out, he can’t bring himself to hold back the rest. The locket feels like it’s about to burn his palm as he holds onto it tightly, his elevated body heat radiating around him. Taehyung isn’t sure how long he sits like that as he cries. In a way, wasn’t this what he had wanted? You are safe and away from him. Though he wishes he knew roughly where you were so he could keep others away from you, he knows it’s better this way. The two of you wouldn’t be tempted, he wouldn’t taint your soul, and your salvation would be left intact. That was more than he could ask for.

At that thought, Taehyung exhales in acceptance and his wings release with it. The pressure from the past few days melt away as they hum in the gentle breeze. They feel lighter as they stretch to their full length, knocking over his cup of tea. Softly, he curses. He’ll have to make another one as this one has no doubt gone cold. Taehyung bends to pick up the cup and turns to head inside when he stops after seeing his reflection in the sliding glass door. The cup slips from his fingers, shattering against the wood but Taehyung barely notices. He can only laugh in disbelief as he gazes at his reflection in the glass.

Taehyung turns his face to the sun in greeting with a crooked smile and a heavy heart - God really did have an ironic sense of humor. Nestled in the dark abyss of his past transgressions, and slightly above his left shoulder, is the new addition of a pristine, white feather.

full masterlist

#taehyung fanfic #taehyung x reader #taehyung oneshot #bts fanfiction #kth angst #fic: fallen

58 notes · View notes

httpknjoon · 27 days

Text

(re)starting over again | kth; 14

plot | Your four-year relationship with Taehyung was going well and strong. Until he was involved in a car accident, resulting to him losing some memories. By some, it means everything that happened five years ago. Things he remember? His friends, his bakeshop, and his ex girlfriend from the past. With that, you tried to keep up, restarting over again.

words | 4.9K+

genres | fluff, angst, amnesia au

pairing | taehyung x reader, hoseok x reader

note | *cue that tiktok sound* okay, guys. we're back. did you miss us? hi! I'm back with my monthly update 💀 I already outlined everything. there are six chapters left in this series (not including the drabbles). thank you so much for patiently staying around. i appreciate y'all a lot. let me know your thoughts, enjoy reading!

main masterlist | series masterlist

When did texting someone become so hard?

It has been exactly three days since Taehyung got to talk to you again. He offered to drive you home after your date failed to show up. You said yes. You two had a friendly conversation in his car. Like you were old friends, which you were. But were you? It’s complicated. For the first time in years, he heard your laugh and saw you smile just like in the photos he saw when cleaning up at your shared house. He remembered you waving at him with a soft smile on your lips before getting into your apartment building.

You also said you never changed your number and you would reach out. But he wants to update you about the small celebration the bakery will have later next week. He tried typing something but later erased it before he could even finish the first word. He doesn’t know what to type or how to begin a conversation. So he just typed a single character and hit the send button.

It was past six in the evening. You were already in your PJs after a long day at work. Treating yourself with dumplings and beef fried rice from the nearest Chinese restaurant in your area, you let yourself indulge while your favorite sitcom plays on your TV screen.

“You’re not easy-going, but you’re passionate, and that’s good. And when you get upset about the little things, I think that I’m pretty good about making you feel better about that. And that’s good too. So, they can say that you’re high maintenance, but it’s okay because I like…maintaining you.”

You found yourself pursing your lips when your favorite character said that line. It was one of the quotes that stays in the back of your head almost every time. You were about to reach for the remote control to play it back again. But your phone, which you set into silent mode an hour ago, vibrated. Your eyebrows shoot up as you read who sent you a message.

From Jung Hoseok

Hi, YN. I really regret missing our date last time. Would you be willing to give me another chance with a cup of coffee this Friday? I know a great cafe around the city 🙂

The day after he failed to show up at the restaurant, you woke up to a text message from Hoseok apologizing again. You reassured him that you understood and he promised to make it up to you. You didn’t really expect anything from that and thought that he would just pass by like your past dates that Martha set up. So seeing him reaching out again was unexpected.

You smiled as you typed a reply.

To Jung Hoseok

Will there be tea? I don’t drink coffee.

You see those three dots immediately popping in, indicating that he’s typing. So you quickly typed in a follow-up message.

To Jung Hoseok

Just kidding! I’m okay with Friday. Around 5 PM?

He was quick to reply,

From Jung Hoseok

Okay. Should I pick you up?

You thought you would just feel pressured if he picked you up at your home. So you just offered an alternative.

To Jung Hoseok

We can just meet there :) Just send me the cafe’s location.

From Jung Hoseok

[location pin]

To Jung Hoseok

Thank you! See you this Friday then.

From Jung Hoseok

See you, YN!

That’s a date for Friday, which is a few days from now. Even though he reached out again, you thought of keeping your expectations low. Because it helps avoid disappointment. You probably learned after your last dates with those guys you met before.

You continued playing the episode you were watching. Not even five minutes later, your phone vibrated again. You thought Hoseok forgot something. But immediately after reading the contact name, you froze staring at your screen.

From Aaa Love

👋

Of course, you quickly recognized who it was. Suddenly, you felt a sense of nostalgia in your head after seeing that name for a long time. Years after keeping this contact hidden on your list, you totally forgot that you never changed his contact name even after the accident. You cannot even remember when you hid his name in your list. Maybe it was one of those nights you were drunk with friends and made some decisions.

Before replying, you renamed the contact.

To Kim Taehyung

Hi, Tae 🙂

While waiting for his reply, you recalled that night. You remembered feeling good entering your apartment even though your date didn’t show up. When Jisoo asked you how it went through a video chat, you said that the date didn’t happen.

“Then, why do you look happy?” she asked that time.

That’s when you snapped out of your daze, “D-Do I?”

“Yeah, you’ve been smiling ever since we got on this call.”

“Oh…” your lips formed a thin line before speaking again. “I… I saw an old friend in the same restaurant.”

The last time you and Jisoo really talked about Taehyung was still the time she showed up unexpectedly after her wedding. You cried, she cried.

“Really? Who?”

“Taehyung.”

You wait for her reaction and you gradually see her eyes widen.

“What? What is he doing there? Did you talk?” she asked with surprise in her tone.

“Apparently, he’s doing some business here. And yes, we talked. He offered to drive me home.” you shared.

“And?”

“It was nice.”

Your simple and short answer had Jisoo simply staring at you through the screen. It was like she was studying you. You knew she had a lot to say in her head based on her quiet reaction. But then, she just said,

“Okay.”

From Kim Taehyung

Hello, YN. Just making sure I have the right number here haha

Taehyung finally replied. You let the episode play in the background as you tap on your screen,

To Kim Taehyung

I told you I didn’t change it!

From Kim Taehyung

I know, I’m sorry hehe

Just by the text, you can imagine him awkwardly laughing as he says that. Before you can reply, another text popped in.

From Kim Taehyung

Btw the celebration will be in the bakeshop. Next Saturday, 2 PM.

From Kim Taehyung

It’s a late lunch event with friends and family. We’re hoping you can come 😊

Reading that, a smile formed on your lips. With you working at school, you are usually free on weekends.

To Kim Taehyung

Will do!

“Can you put dinosaurs in it?”

“Of course, bud. Anything you like.”

Taehyung softly ruffled Jihoon’s hair, who remained focused on coloring his activity book. The little kid’s birthday is coming up soon and the preparations for it had begun. Since Jimin would be the one making the multi-layered birthday Jurassic-themed cake, Taehyung offered to make the cupcakes.

A couple of toys, specifically, dinosaurs, are all over the table that Jihoon and Taehyung occupy. And ever since he arrived at the shop this morning, the kid kept talking about his favorite animal. Being the best uncle that he is, Taehyung listens while being quietly amazed by how much Jihoon knows about dinosaurs.

“Ashley just sent a copy of the contract in our e-mail earlier. She wants us to review it first before finalizing.” Jimin spoke while placing an apple juice box on the table.

Jihoon scoots a little to accommodate his father sitting next to him. He stayed busy with his crayons.

“Have you read it?” Jimin asked.

Taehyung shakes his head, “I haven’t. I think I left my phone on silent while doing those lemon tarts.”

“Well, I think you should read it. They put something they probably forgot to mention before.” his friend noted.

His eyebrows draw together before reaching for his phone. Taehyung immediately clicked on the file sent to him from Ashley. He carefully read word by word written in the document. He thought everything was already mentioned in their online meeting days after he went to Incheon. Until he read one of the sections of the contract.

Staffing Arrangements

The bakery agrees to temporarily assign one of its capable bakers to work at the restaurant in Incheon for four weeks, beginning on the first day of offering the pastries on the menu of the restaurant. During this time, the assigned baker will head pastry production, equip training for restaurant staff, and guarantee regular quality control. The restaurant agrees to cover the entrusted baker's salary, expenses, and even housing if demanded.

After pausing for a few seconds, Taehyung scanned his eyes all over that part again. Just to make sure he understood it right. He looked back up to Jimin, who had his arms crossed over his chest while waiting for a reaction from him.

“So?”

“This means one of us had to stay here while the other had to manage around in Incheon.”

September is usually dry and warmer in Incheon.

After living in this part of the country for around two years now, you already got better at predicting the weather and climate. But today, your predictions were proven wrong when you had to stay under a waiting shed while the harsh raindrops poured continuously. You were too confident that you left your umbrella at home.

4:12 PM

You looked down at your phone. It has been almost thirty minutes since you stood in this shed, waiting for your usual bus to arrive. But you don’t know why there have only been two buses that passed by. You were unable to get on any of those since both were packed, considering the unexpected rainfall. You tried booking a cab but there’s nothing around your area at the moment. Your friend, Aileen already left earlier with her husband while Martha offered to drive you home but you live almost twenty minutes away from her. So, you kindly rejected her offer. Again, you were too confident that you would be able to ride the bus quickly.

Puffing your cheeks, you began dialing someone’s number. He answered after the second ring.

“Hey, Hoseok…” you greeted.

He was quick to reply, “Hi, are you on your way? I’m driving to the cafe.”

“Yeah, uhm, I’m kinda running late for our date tonight.” you chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of your head. “I’m sorry.”

“Oh, it’s okay. Everything alright?”

“Haha, yeah. Just waiting for a bus to stop by here the school. It’s raining like crazy today.” you mentioned.

“Yeah, it is… you know, I can pick you up if you want to.” he offered.

Your eyebrows lifted, “Really?”

“Of course, YN.”

“Okay, thank you so much!” you smiled, finally.

“No worries. I’m on my way.”

“Okay, take care,” you said before ending the call.

With your plans of getting ready pre-date at your home canceled, you sat on one of the benches in the shed and touched up yourself quickly. You reapplied your lipstick with your front camera as your mirror. You ran your hand through the stubborn flyaways of your hair before tying it into the easiest half-up, half-down hairstyle you know. You’re still in your usual work clothes, a statement T-shirt (with a friendly and maybe corny quote written on it and jeans. Originally, you would wear something cuter. But this one will do. Even though the cool breeze makes you wish you wore something warmer too.

And less than five minutes later, a black Audi stops right in front of the stop. Your legs bounced restlessly. The windows were tinted dark so you cannot really see who’s inside. But the door on the other side of the car opened and there, you recognized the man from the pictures on Martha’s phone. Almost like sunshine, his smile as he made his way to you made you smile too. Your fidgeting legs had already calmed down as he stopped in front of you.

“YN?” He asked since this was the first time you two really saw each other.

You nodded, “Hi. You’re Hoseok, right?”

Although you were at ease with his arrival, there was still an awkward tension between you two. But it tones down when you two chuckled.

“Yes, nice to meet you.” he smiled again. He quickly noticed you hugging yourself. “It’s cold. How about let’s get you inside?”

“Sounds good.” you agreed.

Joining him under his transparent umbrella, your shoulders brushed against each other, and you could feel his warmth beside you. He opened the car door for you while ensuring no raindrop would touch your skin. You mumbled a small ‘thank you’ when you finally got to sit inside. You watched as he made his way back to the driver’s side of the car.

“Are you okay? Everything’s fine?” he asked immediately.

“Yeah, thank you again for picking me up,” you replied.

“You’re welcome,” he replied before reaching for something from the backseat.

Your eyes widened when you saw what it was. It was like your eyes sparkled as he handed you the small bouquet of yellow tulips, tied with a matching gold ribbon.

“I’m really sorry for missing our date last time.” he apologized, watching you appreciate the flowers.

It has been so long since you received flowers. You cannot even remember when was the last time. So you cannot help but feel this funny feeling in your stomach while you look at the flowers. Especially since yellow tulips are your favorite.

“You didn’t have to. I understand why,” you spoke, tilting your head in his direction. Your voice was small and soft.

“Still, you waited for me alone in that restaurant. I cancelled last minute… Do you love it?”

“Of course, I love yellow tulips!” you exclaimed before taking in its subtle scent.

“I’m glad. I may or may not have asked Martha for help with those.” he chuckled.

Hoseok began driving while you find it more comfortable being around him. He has this infectious smile that brings more warmth in this rainy weather. It probably helps when he’s with patients.

“How long have you been waiting there?” he asked, starting up a conversation.

“Oh, you know, like half an hour.” you sneered at yourself. You hear him gasp. You chuckled, “To be fair, it is a rainy day. I can usually find a ride easily. I just didn’t expect that it would rain today.”

“It’s usually sunny at this time of the year,” he noted.

“It is. I was already waiting for the bus when the rain poured,” you told him.

“I thought you and Martha usually go home together?” he asked, looking from the road to you for a quick second.

“Sometimes. But I feel bad for making her drive past her house for like twenty minutes,” you revealed.

You tried offering to pay for her gas but she declined. Although she constantly assured you that it’s fine, you feel like an inconvenience, especially after a busy day at work. You are very aware it’s a you problem. But it’s just the way it is.

You shifted in your seat, “How about you? Did you have work today?”

He nods, “Ah, yes. I got off my shift earlier this day. Then went home to see my dog before dropping her off at my sister’s.”

“Oh, you have a dog?”

“Yeah, a senior dog but Mickey’s still the family’s baby.” he chuckled. “We take turns with her. Some days, she’s with me. Or my sister’s or my parents’.”

“So, you’re originally from here in Incheon?” you asked, curious when he mentioned his family.

He shakes his head, “No, we moved here when I was in high school. I left during college. Then, came back when I began working. I like staying close to my family. And you?”

“No, I moved here from Seoul two years ago.” you shared.

“And what about your family? They stayed there?” he asked.

“Nope, I’m an only child. My parents died years ago– Please, don’t say you’re sorry. It’s fine, it’s been so long.” you chuckled when you saw how his expression changed. “But I do have my Aunty Belle. She’s around the city too. She looked after me until I left to study in SNU.”

“You went to SNU too?” Hoseok exclaimed.

You beamed, “Yes– Wait, we’re here?”

He laughed, “Yeah.”

Distracted, you didn’t notice the car arriving in front of the cafe Hoseok talked about. He told you to wait for him, leaving the car with the umbrella. He opened the car door for you and helped you with the umbrella. He does the same thing when opening the cafe’s front door for you. And when a bell clangs when the door opens, you get reminded of your favorite bakeshop back in Seoul.

“I’ll be having iced americano and a slice of carrot cake. How ‘bout you?” Hoseok turned to you as you two stood in front of the staff.

“I’ll have green tea and banana muffins,” you answered.

After ordering, you two sat on one of the empty pearly white tables and chairs near the glass window while waiting. It was a well-lit place. It has a minimalist and clean aesthetic. Hoseok sat across you, tapping his fingers along to the music playing in the background.

“So, what made you agree to do this blind date?” you asked him.

“Well, I’ve been single for the last three months and I never really tried blind dating before so I said yes when Martha told me about you,” he answered.

“Well, I hope she said nice things.” you two chuckled.

“Don't worry, she did.” He assured you. “How about you?”

“Martha had been setting me up for blind dates these past few months because I’ve been single ever since I came here in Incheon. The last dates I went to were unsuccessful so she promised that this one was gonna be great. So I agreed for the last time.” you told him.

“And so far, how is this one going?” he asked cheekily.

You pretended to think for a second, humming as you rubbed your chin. He laughed.

“It’s going great. You get plus points for my favorite flowers.” you smiled.

“Even though I didn't show up last time?”

He seemed really apologetic about that. He brought it up again for the nth time even though you already told him countless times that it’s okay.

You puffed, “Hoseok, it's fine. I really do understand. I used to work at a hospital, things can get a little spontaneous. No worries about it.”

A staff member came with your orders. She carefully placed your drinks and food on your table. You can feel your shoulders relaxing as you feel the warmth of the tea on your tongue when you take a sip from the cup.

“How was it?”

You smiled, “Nice. Perfect for a rainy day. How did you find this place? I don't think I ever reached this part of the city.”

“This is the only open cafe I see whenever I get off from my shift very late at night. I love their coffee here.”

You nodded while taking a bite from the banana muffin you ordered. And you quickly recognized its difference from your usual banana muffin. You look at Hoseok who's enjoying his cake.

“How was it?” he asked, pointing his fork at your muffins.

“This feels a little dry and the texture’s a bit rough,” you whispered, not really wanting the nice lady at the cashier to hear you.

You don't want to be critical. But you just got used to having a soft and fluffy banana muffin or even bread with the right amount of sweetness in it.

He leaned a bit forward, mirroring you, “Really?”

“Yeah, seems like it had a lot of flour,” you added before offering him one of the muffins.

You watched him take a bite and chew on it. After gulping it down, you wait for his opinion.

“It is dry.” he nods before putting the muffin down. “You seem to know a lot about bread. Do you bake?”

No, but I know someone who put his heart out and is a perfectionist in baking.

Instead of saying that, you shake your head.

“Oh, no. But I do love a lot of bread and pastries. I just know friends who bake back in Seoul.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. We probably didn't get to discuss that in the meeting we had.”

Taehyung, along with Jimin, sat at the same table since that morning. Jihoon’s mom already picked him up earlier and the shop was already sold out by 5 PM so they closed early. Now, they are just having a call with Ashley about the contract.

“So, it means that based here on the contract, you want one of us to stay there in Incheon to oversee the pastries.” Jimin clarified.

“Yes, we just want to make sure that the quality of the products will be the same as what you have there in Seoul. Also, we thought that it might be better for our crew members to personally learn about it from the baker himself.” Ashley explained through the call set in loudspeaker mode.

Jimin looked at Taehyung who nods with that. This time, Taehyung has a question.

“You said that there would be a salary?”

“Yes. There would be a separate salary for the baker who will be staying here with us for four weeks. And since traveling from Seoul to Incheon can be a hassle, if you want to, we can also provide temporary accommodation with complete furniture. My husband runs a condominium business here so the accommodation would be on one of his buildings.”

Both of the men’s jaws dropped with that information. Their eyes were wide as they met each other's gaze. They definitely didn't expect that information from her. They were unaware of how rich she was. They just know that she runs a great restaurant in Incheon.

Jimin cleared his dry throat, “Okay, thank you for clarifying it. But we hope you can still wait before we sign the contract since me and my friend still have to talk about it.”

“Sure, of course. Just reach out to us whatever your decision is.”

“Thank you. Have a great night.”

As soon as Jimin ended the call, the two exchanged looks.

“So?” Taehyung began.

Jimin shakes his head, “I can't. Jihoon just began going to school. You know what my co-parenting arrangements with his mom are.”

Taehyung nods. After learning about Jihoon’s existence, Jimin wanted to make up for those years he missed. He was hands-on in everything that his son takes part in. He is also helping Jihoon’s mom in looking after him since she is currently working in a nine-to-five job.

“It's fine with me. I went on vacation there once. It's nice there. Plus, we can split the salary.” He commented.

And he didn't really have any obligations here in Seoul. Unlike his best friend. It would be easier and better if he went. Jimin can manage the shop while taking care of Jihoon. Taehyung is flexible in working everywhere.

“It would also be nice to stay in a new place.”

“No, but the living finances in Seoul are really more expensive than here.”

You don't sure how long has it been since you and Hoseok arrived here in the cafe. You already finished your tea while the ice on his drink has already melted. The only muffin left was half-eaten. The plate of his carrot cake was already on your after he let you finish it when he noticed that you liked it after giving you a taste.

“It is. That's also another reason why I came back here.” Hoseok exclaimed. “I can't stand living with another careless roommate again.”

You laughed when he referenced his bad roommate experience he told you earlier. Hoseok has been funny and nice ever since he picked you up today. He talked about Mickey, his life back in Seoul, and a little bit about his family.

“But you said you stayed in Seoul after graduating, right?” he recalled.

“Yes, I did.”

“How? Did you live alone?”

“At first, I became roommates with my best friend there, who’s also a nurse. That lasted for a couple of years... Then, I moved in with the guy I was dating at the time.” You told him.

��Like in his apartment?”

You shake your head, “We bought a house.”

His jaw dropped, “You bought a house? In Seoul?!”

“Yeah, we did some research and saved up for it starting from our first anniversary. Apparently, foreclosed properties are cheap there.” You shared it like a fact.

Taehyung was the first one to bring up the idea of living together a few weeks before your anniversary. After talking about it, you two did some research and went to a lot of open houses. Then, you found out about foreclosed properties. Taehyung and you looked in about four foreclosed houses before landing on the one you called home.

“What happened to the house after you broke up?” He asked.

You purse your lips, “He's living in it. But we agreed to talk about it soon.”

How soon is soon though?

“So it was a good breakup?”

“Yeah. I guess so.”

The last sentence was almost a whisper by the end. You cleared your throat as if something was stuck in it. It was your turn to ask.

“How about you? How was your last relationship?”

Hoseok leaned back on his chair, crossing his arm over his chest, “It was great for the most part. We’ve been together for only one year. I actually proposed to her.”

Your eyebrows scrunched together, “Really? What happened?”

“We had a lot of misunderstandings in the last months of our relationship. It can be about everything. But mostly, she gets mad whenever I have an emergency in the hospital and I understand that. So one day, we harshly broke up during a fight before I left for work.”

“So it's a bad breakup?”

“Yeah, a bit bitter.” He sneered. “But at least I don't share any property with her.”

It was a teasing remark to lighten up the mood. You grimaced and rolled your eyes. He laughed.

“The lady was too kind to ask us to go,” you said as Hoseok drove.

The moment you and Hoseok realized that the rain had stopped and the sky was already dark, you two got up and left. Hoseok insisted on paying, even playfully threatening to throw your wallet away if you ever pulled it out of your pocket.

“I’m sure she doesn't mind. She gave us free cupcakes.” He replied, pointing to the box resting on your lap.

“Are you sure you don't want to take this?” you asked because he handed you the box as soon as the lady gave it.

“Yeah, just update me with your review about it. I'm interested to hear more about your thoughts.”

You bit your lip from hearing that, “Okay.”

After a few minutes of listening (and singing along) to songs that played in his stereo, you arrived in front of your building. Of course, Hoseok opened your door for you. He helped you with the bag you brought to school so you could carry the flowers and cupcakes.

“Should I help you to your apartment?” He asked while you slid your bag into your arm, struggling.

You gave up, letting him take your bag and the cupcakes, “Okay. Come in.”

You opened the door to your building and led the way to the stairs. He assured you that he was okay as you kept on looking back at him. And when you unlocked your apartment, you turned around.

"Do you want to go inside? Water, juice, or anything to drink?” You offered before putting the things on the counter near your door.

He smiled, “It's fine, I can't stay for too long. My next shift is at nine. I just want to make sure you'll make it to your door without dropping any of those.”

You looked down at your watch, “Oh my god. It’s already past eight. You should go! I should've taken a cab.”

“YN, it's okay! It's still early.” he chuckled. “Plus, I had a really great time talking with you.”

Your stomach flutters, looking at him. You noticed the same smile you saw earlier.

“I hope this isn't the last time we'll go out.”

You nodded, “Of course. Martha did it right this time.”

“How about next weekend? Sunday?” he asked.

“Sure, I’ll be back from Seoul by then.”

His eyebrows raised, “Really? I’m going to be in Seoul for a conference on Saturday. When are you coming there?”

“The same day! I’m going to visit some friends.”

“Maybe we can go there in Seoul together? So you don't have to commute.” He offered.

“That sounds good!” You agreed before looking down at your watch again. “But I think you should go now. I know you still have to do stuff before going to work.”

“Okay. Let's just talk about it later.”

“Okay. Thank you for the flowers and everything, Hoseok,” you state before leaning in to give a quick kiss on his cheek.

He smiles, “You're welcome, YN. Tonight was great.”

“Text me when you make it to the hospital. Drive safely! Good night.” You said as he walked back.

“Good night, YN.” He waved before walking down the stairs.

You closed the door to your apartment before leaning your back on it, looking at the yellow tulips on the counter.

What a lovely night.

taglist rules

RESTARTING OVER AGAIN TAGLIST [CLOSED]

@iamkookiesforyou @aianloveseven @hoodalmighty @taebangtanbabe @nooojaaam @hiimnothing @annenakamura @taebangtanbabe @shin-ie @prlan @starlight-night0 @teddybeartaetae @http-fayeradise @tannies-luv @betysotelo18 @honsoolgloss @aurorathi @paulaaa97 @satisfied18 @telepathytae @talkyoongitome @sofilsword @rengoku1missu

PERMANENT TAGLIST

@dunixxd @cixrosie @jksjx @embrace-themagic @buttvi @starbtslove @missseoulite @vanntaesworld @kenqki @imajinthis @stopeatread @seolaquotes @greyrain23 @chimchimmarie @petalsofink @jayhope88 @moonchild1 @laylasbunbunny @nikkiordonez12 @ficluvr613 @misshale21

#bts angst #bts x reader #bts series #taehyung angst #taehyung fluff #taehyung x reader #taehyung au #taehyung series #bts amnesia #taehyung amnesia #bts established relationship au #taehyung established relationship #restarting over again kth

191 notes · View notes

httpknjoon · 6 months

Text

(re)starting over again | kth; 12

words | 5.3k

genres | fluff, angst, amnesia au

pairing | taehyung x reader

warning/s | mentions of death, drinking, disease (cancer)

note | surpisingly, i am still alive lol i'm kidding. i apologize for the delay! the bad headaches are now gone and the fever has cooled down. and now, the update's here! to everyone who sent their messages, tysm I appreciate it 🥺 I didn't mean to ghost y'all, I'm so sorry! anw hope u enjoy reading this one :)

main masterlist | series masterlist

Ever since you were young, you liked things to go the way you planned it. When you were younger, you carried a small notebook with you. Your father gave you your first one during the holidays when you were seven. In there, you make your own little bullet journal, listing off the things you would want to do for the upcoming days. With your messy handwriting, you even wrote your far future plans.

As a child, you used to see things with your rose-colored glasses. Everything seemed real and attainable for your small hands. You thought you just had to follow the usual path of your plans and you would be fine. But things do not always go according to plan. You learned it the hard way.

You always dreamt of being a nurse. At age eight, you were a frequent visitor to the hospital. Not because you were sick yourself, but because you and your mom had to go back there from time to time with your dad who was receiving treatment for his disease. You wanted to take care of him. So you did what a little girl could do, listen to your dad’s heartbeat through your plastic toy stethoscope and kiss his pain away. He would always call you his favorite nurse and you would give him your toothy grin. After a year, when you were nine, he lost his battle with cancer.

Confused and in sorrow, you almost crossed out that dream from your list. You had a hard time understanding why you had to lose your dad at such an early age. Your friends had dads, how come you lost yours before you could even reach middle school? Then, you became angry. Your father was always in treatment in the hospital. Hospitals are meant to cure people, right? Your little kid brain thought. It felt unfair to you.

But then, you and your mom later left the small neighborhood you were living in and moved in with your aunt– her older sister. Aunty Belle is a nurse herself, a surprise for you as you didn’t know you have a relative who works in the same place you loathed at that time. But you couldn’t bring yourself to hate her, she was warm and welcoming when you arrived in her humble abode in Incheon. She doesn’t have a family of her own so she took good care of you and your mom. She became your third parent while your mom deals with the grief of losing her husband.

“It’s fun. You get to meet wonderful people every day and help them to feel better.” your aunt replied once when you asked her about her job.

Aunty Belle never got tired of your questions and curiosity about nursing. Slowly, you began rebuilding your plans. The dream of being a nurse is back, added with your other dreams: making your mom happy, and living independently (like your aunt). You studied hard, aiming for higher grades and going to the best college for your dreams.

But at age fifteen, Aunty Belle became your legal guardian when your mom passed. Through your aunt, you learned that your mother has been struggling heavier than you expected. Your aunt was extremely worried for your mom that’s why she begged her to come and live with her. You always thought your mom was getting better with how she cried less day by day and even took a job as a receptionist in a dental clinic.

Since then, you have become more understanding and emotionally sensitive to everyone. The feelings you had years ago when you lost your dad were creeping around you. This time, instead of being angry at something else, you felt like this one was on you. You blamed yourself for not seeing the signs from your mother’s eyes. How she became more reserved or how her eyes were often blank whenever she tried to smile for you. Maybe you were too focused on reaching your plans that you didn’t give any attention to her. You were angry, hurt, and in guilt. It’s too overwhelming and is heavy in your heart. It reached the point where you broke down during breakfast, in front of the toast and bacon Aunty Belle prepared for you, weeks after your mom’s funeral.

“I should’ve seen it. I should have seen that she was not okay.” you sniffed as you looked down your plate. “I was supposed to make her feel better and happy.”

Crying, you pushed your plate in front of you and just covered your face with your palms. You repeated the words over and over again like you were reminding yourself how you failed as your mom’s only child.

“Oh, sweetie…” your aunt whispered before sitting beside you and enveloping you in a hug. Her hand moved up and down your arms, making you feel warm. “It’s not your fault. You are the best daughter she could ask for. She loves you more than anything else.”

After that morning, Aunty Belle made sure to get you the best help. She guided you in everything she could and supported you with your choices. She made sure that you will still pursue your plans, never stopping you from doing what you want. Years later, you graduated from high school and were about to embark on a new journey.

“You know that you can just have this place,” she mumbled when you were packing your things. “I’m selling it anyway.”

“But Aunty, this isn’t in my plan. You know how bad I want to live in Seoul.” you smiled at her.

Because of your efforts and hard work, you got accepted into one of the best universities in another city. You later moved from Incheon to Seoul to finish your studies and become a nurse there. While Aunty Belle sold her home and followed her own plans of living with her longtime best friends under one roof.

But none of what happened in the last few years was part of your plans when you were younger. You didn’t really see yourself coming back to Incheon after living in Seoul for the longest time. You never thought you would leave your job in the hospital you dreamed of and work in a slightly different environment.

Two years ago, you left home. The house you had plans in with someone else. You were the one who broke off those plans and moved away without really telling anyone. You remembered that night like it was yesterday.

Every step you took away from him felt like a piece of you fell on the ground. Your vision was all blurry and you had to cover your lips as you sobbed. You clutched onto your gown while you remind yourself that you need to do this. For the sake of your own being. But still, there is this voice telling you to stay– to turn around and come back to him.

“YN, honey,”

Looking up, you see Julia looking at you with sympathy. She walked towards you with open arms and you immediately just broke down on her dress. Listening to your sobs, Julia eyes her date, whom you didn’t notice was there waiting too, to get in the car.

Your whispered voice muffled in the hug, “I hate this so much,”

The whole drive home, Julia and Chanyeol respected your silence in the backseat. They put on some radio music and chatted about the wedding while your teary eyes just looked outside the window. They were like your parents that night. When you guys passed by McDonald’s, it took one nudge from Julia to make Chanyeol turn the car back around for the drive-thru. She ordered your food for you in a separate bag so you could have something to eat when you reached home. When you arrived in front of your house, they helped you with your small bag.

“Thank you so much, guys. I’m sorry this is our first meeting, Chanyeol.” you tried to lighten the mood as you three stood on the porch.

He smiled, “It’s fine. Everyone has their bad day.”

You chuckled before Julia nudged her again with her elbow. Then, she turns to you.

“What time are you leaving tomorrow?”

“Probably early morning. I already have the keys to keep my apartment so I can go there now too if I want to.” your words rambled as your head felt like a mess.

“Okay, call me. I’ll pick you up–” Before you can say anything, she lifts her finger. “And no, I won’t take no for an answer. I wanna see your new place.”

They left after Julia made sure you were fine. Walking into your house for the last time, you tried to go straight to your room to change from your gown to your pajamas. Then, you cried again. And again. And again.

The last time you woke up in that house was the morning after that. You woke up before dawn. The sky was barely lit and the moon was still present above you. You promised yourself that you would leave like a ghost. Like what you have been doing the last few days. Cleaning up, your hand ran on your bedsheets to smoothen out the wrinkles. Fortunately, almost ninety percent of your clothes fit in two pieces of luggage. You just have to leave a few things that you’ll probably get when you get back.

From Julia

Will be there in five

Five minutes left, you find yourself sitting in front of your vanity mirror. Making one last check, you pulled the small drawers in the table. That’s when you saw that old pearl ring Taehyung bought you in the flea market. A heavy sigh from your chest makes its way out of your lips. Holding it between your thumb and index finger, you stare at it.

We tried, didn’t we?

Before any tears can fall, you simply close your eyes. Your chest heaves. You clutched that ring in your palm for some minute, like you were giving your one last goodbye. Then, you carefully place it next to your keys. You decided to leave your keys as you don’t want to come and go here in secret as you always have the tendency to do that especially if you want to avoid a person. Like you were doing now. You want to come back here better and hopefully, talk to Taehyung in the future.

Feel at home, this house is yours too. Paint the walls with the colors you like, buy new furniture, and fill the frames with new memories. Just please don’t sell it. I’ll try to reach out as soon as I can. For now, live the last years you missed.

You wrote on a piece of paper that you left on the same table. In the weeks you two lived together after the accident, you knew how he struggled to adjust to this house. Now that you’re going, you wish for him to feel comfortable in this house you two shared and called home. The pieces of furniture and shade of blue that took over every wall in the house were picked by both you and Taehyung when you bought it. The frame kept every memory you and Taehyung love to look back on in the span of your four-year relationship. But if it means for him to feel at home, you won’t mind if he wants to change things around the house. Even though it will probably break your heart harder than it is now.

“You…”

It was only your first morning, the second day in your new apartment in Incheon when someone came knocking on your door. You were still organizing your place and unpacking when you heard continuous heavy knocks. Almost instantly, your eyes widened when you saw who it was through your door’s peephole. The person spoke again as soon as you opened your door.

“You moved?!” Jisoo immediately pushed through your door and welcomed herself in. “You moved here?!”

Based on the tone of her voice, she was more angry than surprised. Her eyebrows were scrunched together while her nose flared. Her hands were on her hips like she was waiting for an explanation. Your lips opened for a second before it closed again. You softly scratched your cheek before opening your lips again,

“I-I thought you were on your honeymoon vacation.”

She tilts her head, “Well, I’m not. Am I?”

“Why are you here?” you mumbled, sounding scared at her.

The thing is, Jisoo rarely gets angry or annoyed. You had known her ever since you began working as a nurse and you learned she have the longest patience for everyone else. But when she runs out of it, you don’t know how she will react.

“Why are you here?” she returned your question with raised eyebrows. “You did not tell me you were moving here or resigning in the hospital! What happened?”

You closed the door and quietly walked back to your messy living room since you knew she would follow. She did and continued,

“I saw the shift schedule like two hours ago and you’re not there. I had to ask Gail and she said you resigned. You were not answering my calls or messages! I had to call Julia. Then, she told me you moved here– What the fuck happened? I was only busy for like two weeks and next thing I know, my best friend’s in another city and hospital.”

You sat on your grey couch while Jisoo still stood in front of you. You looked away as your replied,

“Well, actually I’ll be working in a school–”

Jisoo’s tone went higher, “What?!”

“I applied as a school nurse–”

“No, no, no.” she shushed you. “Tell me everything that happened. Everything.”

So you did. But first, you asked her to sit down next to you. You ordered food by app as you don’t really have any stock of food at the moment. While you were waiting for the food, you began telling her about what happened. From how you met Lily to how you happened to be where you are right now. Jisoo listened intently. As you went on, you noticed her shoulders and facial expression softened up. From her jaw being clenched tight, her lips were formed into a slight frown. You tried not to cry throughout the whole story-telling impromptu but your voice did shake and you just felt your best friend’s warm hands somewhere in the middle of your story. At the end, you find yourself leaning your head on her shoulder while she leans hers on top.

“I and Joon just decided to go on honeymoon next month. Plus, I have a toaster and an air fryer in my car.” Jisoo broke the comfortable silence you two shared with a random sentence.

You lifted your head, looking at her, “What? Why?”

“We received like a ton of it from the wedding. We had to give some stuff away rather than selling it and I just knew your place is probably still empty. So I just bought some. I have plates too.” she smiled.

“But what if I was the one who gave you that toaster?” you asked, squinting your eyes.

“You did not.” she chuckled but your expression didn’t change. She blinked and asked with a feeble voice, “You did not, right?”

Your lips broke into a smile, “Yeah, we didn’t.”

She pouted before you two laughed and hugged. Just like that, you and Jisoo are okay.

Unlike any of your past decisions, nothing was truly planned when you decided to move away. Aunty Belle, whom you visit every now and then, comforted you about it and said that life just happens like that sometimes. And that’s how your two years went. Unplanned. You just applied for the first good job you saw, which happened to be being a school nurse in a preschool. You moved to another apartment after just a few months since your initial place is farther on the subway you always take to get to the school every morning.

Working with kids, you always miss your patients back in Seoul. Particularly, Naeun, whom you are still in contact with. You visit her a couple of times when you go to Seoul.

And there were times when you thought you saw Taehyung. Not just in Seoul, but also in Incheon. The first one was just months after you left, you were on your way to preschool when you saw him in the subway. But you thought it was just a look-alike and impossible since he would not have any reason to come here. Plus, you were feeling a little down that week as it was supposedly your fifth anniversary. The next time is when you come to Seoul to visit Naeun. It was a busy Sunday and you stopped by a toy store in the mall to get a gift for your favorite patient. It was a bit crowded since it was on sale. So you lost him in the blink of an eye.

The most recent one is when you came to Seoul for Julia’s birthday. You had a few drinks with your friends and everything was already slightly blurry. But you swore you saw him when you were waiting for your Uber late at night. You were with Julia, who was waiting with you just to make sure you’d be safe. She was talking about something but your eyes caught a man walking on the other side of the road with his head down on his phone. The small light coming from his screen made you recognize him. It’s him, you’re sure.

Although you have visited the city a couple of times already, you never drop by the bakeshop or the house. You never even contacted Taehyung. There were times it crossed your mind. But you never did. You miss him. God knows, how much. But you don’t know what to say about the house, him, you, or the relationship you two had.

You and Jimin talked seldomly. The first one was a week after you and Taehyung officially went separate ways. He would ask how are you and you would do the same thing. You were surprised but happy at the same time when you learned he had a kid, who happens to be Jisoo’s nephew. You two had this unspoken rule to not talk about Taehyung because Jimin doesn’t bring him up and you are too shy to ask. But you know they are doing well, you heard they expanded the shop.

In the whole two years, Taehyung never really left your mind. It’s hard. Especially when you would still get random reminders of your relationship in unexpected ways. In what was supposed to be your fifth anniversary, you got a scheduled e-mail from his account. Every year, your phone calendar still updates you to buy him a gift a month before his birthday. And just like last month, you found an old picture in one of your bags. Something you probably slipped there long ago. It’s a picture taken years ago during your first snow in your house with a handwritten caption, TOO MORE SNOWY DAYS TOGETHER. It was in his handwriting.

“Goodbye, Nurse YN!”

A little kid waved his little hand to you while his mom politely smiled at you. You waved back and continued walking back from your small clinic. This is how your day ends in school: tiny voices saying goodbye and sometimes giving you warm hugs. You were never really busy since you worked with two other school nurses who you became friends with.

“Oh, hey, YN.”

You just sat in front of your computer screen, recording some student’s health records, when your co-nurse popped into your shared office. Martha just found her recent hobby a couple of months ago after you told her that you haven’t been dating for the last couple of years.

You exaggeratedly sighed and did not even look at her, “What do you want?”

“YN sounds so tired of you already.” Aileen, your other co-nurse, laughed while organizing her files.

“I know, she is.” Martha chuckled. She turns to you, “I know a guy…”

You paused from what you were doing, “Martha–”

It’s not like you’re not interested in dating. It took you more than a year to be open again to the idea and so far, you’ve gone into two dates from Martha’s recommendations. But both were not a match. The first one is a great guy but he seems like he cannot get over an ex since he talked about her half of the time. While the second guy is just rude. That’s all you can say about him. The date was all about him not liking how the steak was cooked and how one of the waiters was too kind to you. It was horrible.

“No, no, honey. Listen to me first.” Matha cuts you off. “I personally know this guy. He’s my cousin and… he also works in the medical field! He’s a doctor.”

An eyebrow raised. A doctor? Well, you never dated one before. But you knew doctors were better than that last guy you mentioned.

Aileen joined, “Is he the one you showed me earlier?

“Yup,” Martha replied, popping the ‘p’ sound.

“Oh, you’ve got to see him, YN. The guy is gorgeous!” she exclaimed. “If you won’t date him, I will!”

The three of you laughed. Of course, Aileen can’t. She is currently seven months pregnant with her second child and married to one of the teachers in this same preschool.

“Just don’t tell Seb,” she added, mentioning her husband.

You still haven’t said anything even though you are admittedly interested. Martha pulled her phone out.

“Wait, I’ll show you his account.”

“Oh, that dress suits you perfectly!”

Jisoo’s voice filled your room as you fixed the dress on your body. Even though you two are in different cities, she is still your go-to every time you need to dress up for something. Usually, through Facetiming. The date is fine-dining. So, you tried on different dresses for Jisoo to pick on and eventually, you two agreed on the same one.

“Don’t forget your coat! It might get cold,” she advised. “Now, turn around again!”

You giggled before doing what she said. You heard her cheer and compliments, making you smile.

“You are stunning!”

“Thank you so much for helping me, Jiji,” you said with a small smile.

“You’re welcome. Just have fun, okay? Let me know how it goes later.” she told you and you nodded. She spoke again, “Now, go! Book that Uber already.”

“Okay, okay. Bye! Call you later. Love you!” you waved.

She waved back, “Love you, take care!”

You ended the call and moved to another app to look for a ride. Your date initially asked if you wanted him to pick you up. But you just agreed to meet him at the restaurant he invited you to. He seems nice. Martha said her cousin has been single for a while now. After his last relationship, he just gave most of his time to work.

To +82 65 78** ****

Hi! I’m on my way. See you there.

You sent your date the message when you finally got in the car you booked twenty minutes ago. It did not even take a few minutes before he replied,

From +82 65 78** ****

Okay, see you there! Take care.

Pursing your lips, you look outside the window of the moving car. You hope for the best for tonight. You hope Martha’s recommendation is at least okay this time. Maybe the universe could prove to you that Taehyung is not the only guy in the world who could make the butterflies play around in your stomach. Or the only guy who would be patient enough with your tendencies. You just have to know that he is not the only guy in the world. Period.

As much as you won’t say it, dating Taehyung for four years made him your standard for everything. You already met two versions of him; one before the accident and one after the accident. They are almost the same person but the latter just brought you a lot of pain because of various circumstances. But you know and feel he shows his emotions in other ways.

“We’re here.” the female driver, whom you saw is Val, said as she stopped the car in front of the brightly lit restaurant.

You smiled before getting out of the vehicle, “Thank you.”

Starry Night lives up to its name. As you noticed before, the whole place is lit up with many lights. Carefully, you walked inside with your strappy heels. The staff smiled and greeted you, and you greeted them back.

“Good evening, madam. Welcome to Starry Night. How may I help you?”

“I have a reservation under Jung Hoseok’s name.” you politely replied.

“Oh, okay. Let me check our list. Excuse me.” the host scrolled down his iPad for a minute. “The name’s here! Please, follow me to your table. This way please.”

You followed him while looking around the place. It’s not too crowded and it has a romantic feeling because of the lights and jazz music. You know someone who would have loved to go here. Before you sit down, the host assisted you with the chair and offered to take your coat. You agreed. Pulling out your phone from your purse, you update Hoseok that you just arrived. You put your phone down and studied the whole place again with your eyes.

A woman caught your eye. She was talking and chatting with the chef in the side station. They looked like they were waiting for someone to enter the door. Your gaze were broke off when someone spoke from your side.

“Good evening, ma’am. My name is Soojin and I’ll be your waiter for tonight. Would you like to order something?” the young waiter smiled.

“Oh, I’m still waiting for my date…” you murmured. “But can I have some water please?”

“Certainly, ma’am. Excuse me.”

Soojin left as you said thank you. As she was gone from your sight, your eyes landed on the man who was entering the restaurant. Dressed in a nice black coat over a light blue shirt, you quickly recognize him. Your mouth runs dry while your heart beats like a horse’s footsteps in a race. You were frozen.

What is he doing he– Fuck.

Your eyes meet. You can see his eyes widening as his lips gaped slightly. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down while you practically lost your hearing. All you can hear is the drum inside your chest.

Fuck, you cursed again.

What are the chances for this to happen? Is the universe playing or simply fucking with you? You asked for a great date and it gave you this. The man you’ve been holding as your standard ever since.

It burns.

His eyes. You can feel them as you take a sip from the ice-cold glass of water. After the host led him to one of the empty tables in your line, your eyes traveled everywhere except on his spot. You two were literally just an empty table apart.

Is he here for a date? Why here? In Incheon, really? Can’t he just date people from Seoul?

It has been nine minutes, you’ve been counting. Your hand rests on your knee, to stop your knees from jerking up and down, while the other rests on the table with your phone. You’ve been texting but erasing messages to Hoseok. You don’t think you can do this. With Taehyung being just a few feet away from you, it felt wrong to be with someone else. You should have been sitting right in front of him.

Slowly, you try to move your eyes in his direction. You paused when you saw that he was staring at you too, unmovable. Are you supposed to smile? Wave? Nod. just nod. You were about to do that when the same woman from the side station walked up to him, covering your view of him.

“Hi, good evening!” you heard her honey-like voice greet him. “I’m Ashley.”

You noticed Taehyung stood up. They shake hands and you don’t really hear the rest of their conversation. You began texting your date,

To +82 65 78** ****

Hi. Where are you?

You’ve been alone for a while now.

Taehyung noticed. The glass of water on your table is almost empty. The waiter already come back to you a couple of times now. He can see you chewing on your lower lip as you check your phone every minute that passes by.

Did your date just stand you up?

His hands clutched as he thought of that idea. He knew you didn’t deserve that.

“I think this is good! Not too sweet, not too spiced. It’s soft too. Just perfect.” Ashley snapped him from his thoughts.

Taehyung tried to concentrate on what he originally meant to do here, “Yeah… uhm… Jimin, my friend, really tries to balance the texture and taste. It’s his own carrot cake recipe that he worked on before we even had the shop.”

Ashley already had a taste of every cake he brought. Five open Tupperware are on their table, including the cheesecake you love. She began talking about the other cakes and dessert while Taehyung stole some glances at you again. This time, you are on call. You pursed your lips before replying to whoever it was. He can read the disappointment through your eyes as your lips form into a small frown. You sighed before saying, it’s fine, I understand. No problem.

“Okay, these are really good. I think your products will be a great addition to our menu.” Ashley spoke again.

Taehyung looked at her with surprise, “Oh, wow. That’s… great.”

Did he just get this deal?

“Yeah, I trusted my chef when he said he had the best Tiramisu in your shop and I’m glad I did. These desserts are perfect and really satisfy my sweet tooth.” She compliments.

Taehyung bowed his head, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Your desserts deserve to be everywhere. Haven’t you guys thought of opening a branch here?” she asked.

“Oh, we’re still figuring things out. We just expanded our main shop in Seoul.” he chuckled.

“Well, I might go there when I visit Seoul.”

“Please do and let us know.” he smiled.

“I will. By the way, the contract is not ready now. But we are definitely having this deal! Can you and Jimin visit here again next week or maybe me and my head chef can visit your shop in Seoul?” Ashley offers.

“I still have to discuss that with my friend.”

“Oh, sure. Sure. Here, we are okay with any decision. Just let us know. You guys have our e-mail and numbers, right?” Taehyung nods. “Okay, I guess… that’s a done deal.”

Ashley stood up and offered her hand. Taehyung stood up too and shook her hand.

“Thank you so much.” Taehyung smiled.

While Ashley replied, he stole another glance behind her. That’s when he sees you standing up and walking back to the host at the entrance of the restaurant. The host had an apologetic look on his face as you talked to him. He helped you with your coat. It seems like you’re leaving with your date being a no-show.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude. But I would have to go for now..” Taehyung carefully said.

Ashley smiled, “Oh, of course. Yes. You can go. But one more thing… can you leave these cakes?”

Taehyung chuckled with that, “Of course!”

“Thank you! See you in the contract signing!”

“See you.”

Taehyung took his coat from his seat and left in a hurry. You were already gone, possibly out of the restaurant. He said thank you to the staff who opened the door for him and he immediately searched around. That’s when he sees you standing, looking down at your phone.

“This one’s just a few minutes away–”

He took a deep breath before saying, “YN?”

taglist rules

RESTARTING OVER AGAIN TAGLIST [🔧🔨 ]

@iamkookiesforyou @aianloveseven @hoodalmighty @taebangtanbabe @kthsmoon @nooojaaam @hiimnothing @hiqhkey @annenakamura @taebangtanbabe @shin-ie @prlan @starlight-night0 @teddybeartaetae @http-fayeradise @tannies-luv @betysotelo18 @honsoolgloss @aurorathi @paulaaa97 @satisfied18 @telepathytae @talkyoongitome

PERMANENT TAGLIST

258 notes · View notes

httpknjoon · 7 months

Text

(re)starting over again | kth; 11

words | 2.8k

genres | fluff, angst, amnesia au

pairing | taehyung x reader

warning/s | -

note | AAAAND WE'RE BACK! it's been a month since the last update! consider this as a new season for mc and tae :)) u might find this chapter a little fast-paced or not idk.. let me know ur thoughts! enjoy reading <;3 ps. sorry for the errors!

main masterlist | series masterlist

A couple of years passed, two to be exact, and a lot of things happened. The bakery became more crowded. It was renovated and had a larger space instead of moving the entire bakery to another place. They began hiring extra help, usually part-time working students who used to be customers in the shop too.

Also, turns out that Jimin has a kid. Taehyung met Jihoon just a week after his best friend learned about his existence. Jihoon is a carbon copy of his dad, Taehyung thought. His eyes disappear when he smiles. Now, they have a little baker running around the kitchen usually on weekends.

Aside from those changes, Taehyung now lives in a studio apartment just a five-minute walk away from the bakery. He moved in just weeks after you left. The said apartment is not that big, just enough for him to rest in after work. Jimin commented that he treats that place like a hotel since Taehyung didn’t really personalize it to make the ambiance like a home. The whole place was plain, not even considered minimalist. Just plain. The walls were untouched. It was off-white when Taehyung came and it remains the same now. He didn’t really bother to invest anything in the place.

The house you two bought and lived in is still being taken care of. By him. Taehyung cleans up there once a week, just in case you reach out to visit home again and maybe talk about what to do with it. And when he feels like it, which is almost rare, he sleeps on the couch in the living room. He never really entered the guest room, which became your bedroom after the accident, except the time he got home after Jisoo and Namjoon’s wedding. That room was spotless, just like how you left it. The only things you left that night were on your vanity table; your house keys, the vintage pearl ring he bought you back in the flea market, and a folded paper.

The letter says, “Feel at home, this house is yours too. Paint the walls with the colors you like, buy new furniture, and fill the frames with new memories. Just please don’t sell it. I’ll try to reach out as soon as I can. For now, live the last years you missed.”

He never painted the walls with another color as he found the shade of blue that spreads around the house perfect. He never bought any furniture and still kept the same ones you had. He thought it fit the theme of the house and his preference. And yes, the picture frames show the same photos they originally had. It felt home that way for him. But he chose to move to the apartment because he always felt like he was missing something. The house is cozy and comfortable. But whenever he tries to lie on supposedly his bed, it feels empty. Once, he tried playing jazz music around the house, but it just got lonelier so he turned it off and just continued cleaning.

But he did try to keep up and look back at the things he forgot through his friends and the things he found at the house. Jimin, Namjoon, and sometimes Jisoo were patient with his questions. Jisoo, your best friend, was understandably distant from him at first after you went away. But she adds details to the stories Namjoon tells and later, became amiable with him. Jimin’s mom still looks after him and brings him food when she visits the city. There were a few times she mentioned Taehyung’s mother but he didn’t really care about her. So he ignores it.

“You know, you’re a handsome man. Don’t you have any lady?”

One of their common customer, a man in his seventies once asked him. It was not the first time someone asked him such a thing. He always shakes his head with a smile as an answer. It would lead later with an offer to meet someone they know. Taehyung would shyly and kindly decline these offers, saying he really doesn’t feel like dating for now. It’s true. The idea of him dating someone else felt wrong. It was like his own body rejected the idea as he felt uneasy with that thought.

“So, it’s that time of the year.”

Taehyung was pulling his third pan of cheesecake out of the hot oven with his oven gloves when he heard Ava, their longtime part-time staff, say that. She sounded amused but not surprised. He looked up and saw her leaning on the door frame with her arms crossed. She had a smug smile on her face.

“I swear, you should just declare this particular day as Cheesecake and Banana Bread Day just to make it official,” she added, teasing.

Taehyung looked at her, unimpressed, “It’s selling. In fact, my cheesecakes are one of our best sellers here… What are you doing here anyway? Go back to the front.”

He scolds her, she just rolled her eyes, unbothered. Ava was one of the students who knew Taehyung even before his accident. She went from being a loyal customer to a reliable staff of the shop. She has been enjoying the pastries in the shop ever since she was twelve and now, sixteen, she also enjoys getting into small banters with her older bosses. She is usually candid, and not shy to share her thoughts. Taehyung sees her as a little sister most time.

Given that she began working here after you left, Ava doesn’t really have an idea why Taehyung bakes a few batches of cheesecake and banana loaves on this specific date. She doesn’t know you and that you are celebrating your birthday today. Taehyung learned about that fact after his phone notified him weeks after you went. Since then, he has baked your favorites on your special day.

It’s the third time now. It’s probably a slim chance but he hoped to see you around the bakeshop, enjoying pastries. But so far, he hasn’t seen you around. In fact, he hadn’t even heard from you ever since that night. He thought he saw you a year ago in the subway when he came to Incheon to go sightseeing, but he lost you before he could take a second glance. He didn’t know where you moved since he respects your space but he wondered if you really moved that far. He wonders about you every now and then.

Jisoo posted a short clip in her Instagram Stories months ago. It’s just a clip of a long trail and he swore he heard you in the background noise of that clip, telling your best friend how tired you are from hiking. Then, the clip ended.

“Not because it’s best selling you would make a ton of it. It’s something about demand and supply– I don’t know,” she conceded, breaking Taehyung’s train of thought. “Anyway, I’m here because someone called on the phone, asking for you.”

Taehyung’s heart stopped for a second. His hopes almost blasted out of his soul but he tried to stay calm before asking Ava, “Who is it?”

“I don’t know. But it’s a woman. They said they want to specifically talk to you.” she replied, unaware that the man in front of him was holding his breath. She continued, “They are actually waiting on call right now.”

Taehyung almost sprinted to the front desk of the shop. Still in his mint green oven gloves, he reached for the telephone. His heart is beating fast while his gut is twisting tight. He paused when he realized he had nothing to say. He doesn’t know what to say if it’s you. Are you going to talk about the house? Should he greet you with Happy Birthday first and offer you your favorite cheesecake? Maybe you won’t like– Stop.

Taehyung took a deep breath before exhaling. He spoke, “Hello, this is Kim Taehyung, co-owner of The Sweet Spot. How can I help you?”

“Oh, hi.”

His heart dropped. Okay, relax. He told himself. It’s not you.

There were nights when Taehyung would find himself awake. And tonight is one of those nights. He just lay on his bed, staring at the blank ceiling. He always had trouble falling asleep, maybe a side effect of his accident. He doesn’t know anymore. But he knows that it makes his head go crazy with random thoughts when times like this happen. And now, he thought of something.

That’s when he picked up his phone and keys, along with his coat. He drove away from his apartment.

The bell above the door rang when he entered the convenience store to pick up a few beers and chips. His cold hands stayed in his coat’s pockets as he looked around the store, waiting for the clerk to scan his stuff. Just when the worker was about to say the prince, the bell clung again.

“No, wait. I’m just really hungry. Wait for me… Yes, I have money here.”

Everything went quiet and suddenly all that he could hear was that voice. Your voice. He’s sure of that. He looked back and saw a woman’s back going into one of the aisles. His heart raced once again. You’re here?

“Dude, you okay?” the tired clerk asked, looking at him with heavy bags under his eyes.

Taehyung looked at him, and broke out of his headspace, “Yeah, yeah. I’m sorry.”

He pulled out his cash and paid. He can still hear your voice like you were talking with someone on your phone.

“Do you want anything– Oh, the honey-butter chips I want ran out of stock.”

Taehyung looked at the chips in his hand. He looked at the clerk who also looked at him like they understood each other without saying anything. Taehyung placed the chip back on the counter.

“Just give this to the girl,” he whispered before turning his back.

He didn’t look back. A cool blow of wind brushed on his face when he walked out the door. For a second, he inhaled and exhaled again to calm his nerves. He got in his car, putting the pack of beer on the other seat. As he started the car, his eyes landed on the side mirror.

Yes, it’s you. Definitely.

You just walked out of the same store, still on your phone, as you walked away grinning with your honey butter chips. You walked on the other end of the pathwalk. Taehyung pursed his lips and drove away.

His lips remained sealed but his head was exploding with questions. That was the closest he had seen you since the night you said goodbye. How are you? Why are you in the city? Did you live around here? It can’t be. Jisoo told him you left the hospital you used to work at.

Instead of driving back to his apartment, Taehyung ended up parking in front of your deserted house. He had his beer with him as he turned the key on the doorknob. He stepped into the said home feeling colder even though he still hadn’t removed his coat. He placed the drink on the center table in the living room and plugged in the TV for background noise. He put on a random show, which happens to be FRIENDS.

Opening a can, he sat on the couch, pulling a couple of books he left under the same table. Photo albums and scrapbooks. You never told him such things exist in here, he just found them after cleaning around the house. It was personalized by you and him. He could tell by the design and handwritten captions.

Almost everything was documented through photos and other knick knacks like receipts from a movie you two saw together. Browsing through the pages of it, it felt like looking at other people’s relationships even though he was in the photos himself. In one of the photos, he saw himself with a camera. He didn’t even know he had one. He tried searching around the house for it but he never found it.

You had more solo portraits in the said books than him. He figured out why. Maybe he really loved capturing you as his subject. You looked the same in every picture: happy and in love. Most of your pictures were candid, taken without you knowing. Then, a handwritten date by him will be seen below it. Each photo was adorable. Some are just random ones. You were brushing your teeth or showing off your colorful scrubs (which was written in the caption: BOUGHT HER YELLOW DUCKIES SCRUBS I THINK SHE LIKES IT).

Taehyung spend his sleepless nights like this, looking back at what he missed. He read through articles before that the possibility of getting his memories back is a hit or miss. So he learned to just go on and maybe accept how things became. He tries to move forward at the same time he tries to look back. It’s quite confusing sometimes.

IT’S HER… I’M SURE

That was the caption in one photo of you dating just weeks after you two moved into this house. In the picture, your back was turned as you sat in front of your vanity table. You can be seen fixing your hair while looking at your reflection. Taehyung’s eyebrow raised with the caption. He wondered what it meant. He turned the page to the next one but was greeted with nothing but a blank page. Turns out, that was the most recent one.

“The main branch of their restaurant is somewhere in Incheon. I’ll send you the address after the call.”

Taehyung listened to Jimin through a loudspeaker call. His hair is still damp from a shower. Standing in front of the mirror, he compares two coats that would suit the rest of his outfit. He felt the need to look presentable tonight.

“You will meet the owner herself, Ashley. She said you can just introduce yourself to the host and he’ll lead you to your table… Ava kept the samples in the shop. She said she put them in different Tupperware so you can spot it right away.” Jimin instructed.

“Okay, okay.”

He heard his best friend sigh on the other line, “I’m sorry for the short notice, Tae. I totally forgot Jihoon will be staying with me tonight.”

Tonight, Taehyung will be meeting a special client. It’s the one who called a couple of weeks ago, during your birthday. it‘s a big restaurant that is planning to put the bakeshop’s products on their menu for dessert. Specifically, the cakes. The head chef was the one who brought up their product to the owner, whom he will meet now. Jimin initially agreed to meet the said client but his co-parenting schedule had some shifts. Just an hour ago, Taehyung learned he’d be the one meeting the client. It’s not like he had plans anyway. So, he immediately prepared himself.

After picking the clothes, Taehyung blow-dried and brushed his hair. His best friend sent the main address minutes later and so he left his apartment. He first drove by the shop, which closed a little earlier today. A lot of cakes were made for sample. It includes Jimin’s Carrot Cake, his own cheesecake, and six other more. Taehyung left with a brown bag of the samples.

His fingers tapped with the beat of the song playing on the radio as he drove his way to the restaurant. It was a peaceful night on the road.

This will be the first time Taehyung will be going back to Incheon since that time he went sightseeing. He stayed there for just three days before, it was days after his phone notified him about your supposedly fifth anniversary. His emotions were all over the place because of the aftermath and the demanding work in the bakeshop around that time. So he asked Jimin for a very short break. He still hasn��t got a car then so he took the subway throughout the whole time. It was during his last day there when he saw a glimpse of you in the crowded subways of that city. He remembered you were in your scrubs, your hair was cleanly kept in a low bun, and you were walking opposite of his direction. Then, he blinked. You were gone in the crowded place.

“Good evening, sir.”

Almost forty minutes later, Taehyung arrived at the restaurant, Starry Night. He was greeted by the host as he entered the elegant place. It has a great ambiance, romantic. It is a fine-dining restaurant and seems like a perfect spot for dinner dates.

He said his name when he was asked. And while the man looked down at his guest list, Taehyung’s eyes traveled around the place. And not even a minute in, his eyes stopped at someone who he felt had been staring at him.

His eyes widened at the sight. A stunning woman, clad in a black dress, stares back at him with surprise. His mouth ran dry, he had to gulp. Now, he’s sure. He’s sure.

It’s you.

taglist rules

RESTARTING OVER AGAIN TAGLIST [🔧🔨 ]

@iamkookiesforyou @aianloveseven @hoodalmighty @taebangtanbabe @kthsmoon @nooojaaam @hiimnothing @hiqhkey @annenakamura @taebangtanbabe @shin-ie @prlan @zzztaegizz @starlight-night0 @teddybeartaetae @http-fayeradise @kiwuki @tannies-luv @fuckthinking @betysotelo18 @honsoolgloss @aurorathi @paulaaa97 @satisfied18

PERMANENT TAGLIST

@dunixxd @cixrosie @jksjx @embrace-themagic @buttvi @starbtslove @missseoulite @vanntaesworld @kenqki @imajinthis @stopeatread @seolaquotes @greyrain23 @chimchimmarie @petalsofink @jayhope88 @moonchild @laylasbunbunny @nikkiordonez12 @ficluvr613 @misshale21

257 notes · View notes

httpknjoon · 8 months

Text

(re)starting over again | kth; special chapter

words | 1.5k

genres | fluff, angst, amnesia au

pairing | taehyung x reader

warning/s | -

note | the best way to celebrate my birthday is through writing angst lol this is the lastpain for mc and tae for now. see y'all in chapter 11! enjoy reading!

main masterlist | series masterlist

This is probably the closest you two have ever been after the accident. His hand was on your waist while the other held yours. He looked at your eyes looking back at him too. No words were said under the starlit night sky. But it was strangely comfortable this time. He finds it strange not in a bad way. It was strange because slow dancing with you was just so easy.

How did you even end up in this situation?

Earlier, Taehyung saw you leaving the reception after talking with the newlywed couple. You hugged both Jisoo and Namjoon before he heard you saying you were going. But a lot of guests were still at the reception event, he probably noticed just a few ones going like Julia and her date. Still, everyone is enjoying the celebration when you walk away with your clutch and bouquet of tulips. He followed after you.

“YN,” he called behind you.

You stopped, turning around, “Yes?”

Then, a familiar soft instrumental played in the background, indicating the newlyweds making their first dance inside the venue. As if he hadn’t learned anything from last night, he said the first thing he could,

“Can we dance?”

“Sorry?” you said with an awkward chuckle.

But Taehyung went on. Based on what you said from the night before, this might be his last chance. Might as well take a risk.

He gulped before answering, “Please? Before you go?”

You blinked before sighing, “Okay… Here?”

Taehyung looked around. Since his invite was unplanned, he pointed to the first space he spotted. The space where the wedding ceremony occurred hours ago. The chairs and the whole set-up were still there. You accepted when Taehyung offered his arm to assist you as you two walked to the spot.

“Okay, you put this here. It’s fine.”

Feeling lighter now, you chuckled when you noticed him being unsure if he should hold your waist. You see his hand lift but he puts it down. So you took it yourself and put it on your waist and just like a long-lost bracelet you wore on your wrist again, his hand on your waist brought waves of nostalgia in you. And Taehyung felt the same thing. Nostalgia. Even though his earliest memory of you is you in his hospital room. Touching you, looking at you, and slow dancing– everything just felt right with you in it.

And he knew that there was something special with you. But he cannot just really point it out now. But he can say how your eyes spark brighter now than last night or days before this.

But I promise you this

I'll always look out for you

Yeah, that's what I'll do

The lyrics play in your head as your thumb draws circles on Taehyung’s shoulder. His soft gaze can surely make you melt but you knew you needed to be strong.

Looking at Taehyung in this light reminds you of how much he made you love slow dancing. Before meeting him, you always thought it was too cheesy. But this man would always pull your hand to sway you in a song he played or hummed. He would do it unexpectedly; in the times you didn’t know you needed it. And God knows how much you need it now even though the Taehyung in front of you didn’t know anything about these endless memories you have with him.

“And if I accidentally step on your toe?” you asked randomly when he pulled you in for a slow dance on a random Wednesday night.

He smiled as he shook his head, “Don’t worry, you won’t.”

“I will,” you said, looking down to watch your feet.

“My love,” he calls for you, softly pulling your chin up so you can meet his eyes. “You know me so well and so do I to you.”

“So?” you asked, pursing your lips.

“It means we have this wonderful connection and understanding to one another. You can just look into my eyes to know what my next move is. You’ll feel it.” he rested his forehead on yours before he whispered, “Just follow what you feel.”

Now, slow dancing with Taehyung is a bittersweet reminder for you of old memories you’ve been wanting to have again. You miss slow dancing at the most unanticipated time of your day. You miss his blueberry cheesecake. You miss opening your eyes in the morning, just to be greeted by his puckered lips and small snores. You miss hearing old jazz, coming back home. You miss drinking tea with him late at night while talking about each other’s day. You just miss him.

Although the moon and stars are your only light at the moment, Taehyung can see the glistening in your eyes, along with pain and sadness. You turned your head down while biting your lower lip as tears began slipping down. Gently, Taehyung places his chin above your head, listening to your quiet sobs, as you sway along the soft melody in the background. A crack was beginning to form in his heart, and he felt helpless. He wished that the accident just never happened. He knew you and what you two had was more than special. It’s awful to get you through this hurt.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered the words he knew he should say, voice breaking. “I’m so sorry.”

He whispered it over and over again, hoping it could make what you feel less heavy, as he planted kisses on your hair. You just listened to his apologies, closing your eyes. Tears continuously slipped down your cheeks. In every sorry he lets out; you nod. It was like your way of telling him that it’s fine. Because he knows that is who you are: patient and understanding.

“I’m sorry. Let me apologize. I have my faults too from the start.”

You can feel Taehyung’s hand moving from your waist to your back. This time, he’s just hugging you, still swaying.

“I will try harder. Please, please don’t get tired of me yet. I’m sorry.”

This time, you didn’t nod. It took you a few minutes to pull away and look up at him again. Your hands moved from his shoulders down to his arms until you held his hands. It made him feel warm for a second. With tear-stained cheeks, you smiled at him.

“Thank you for this, Taehyung.” you began, softly squeezing his hands. “But I need to go.”

You closed your eyes as Taehyung turned his head down, his heart breaking at the process. You continued,

“I appreciate you trying and giving me a chance to take care of you. But I just really have to go. I need to do this.”

You sniffed, chuckling with a bitter taste in your mouth, “I really thought I could last months without you saying I love you to me… But how can I do that if you always made me feel loved? I got used to you doing the love part for me that I forgot how to do it myself when you also forgot about me… Now, I needed to learn that on my own.”

Taehyung is still not meeting your gaze. So you softly lift his chin. Then, you held his cheek with your thumb feeling his cheekbone, comforting him as you told him,

“I’ll go with Julia and Chanyeol tonight since they are driving back home. I’ll make sure I’m gone by the time you get home. Please don’t come after me or contact me. It will be easier for me. We can talk about the house when I get back on my feet again. But for the moment, you can do whatever you want with– Please don’t cry, Tae.” Your voice shakes when tears run down her cheeks. “Please. We need to be apart,”

“A-Am I going to see you again?” he murmured, in a sob.

You pursed your lips before answering, “I don’t know. I honestly hope so. I hope our roads cross sometime, someday.”

Taehyung’s lips formed into a frown and he closed his eyes, tears just streaming freely. When he opens his eyes, he sees you staring at him endearingly with the same sadness in your eyes. With his cheek still in your palm, you stepped closer. Taehyung can feel his heart beating heavier but faster. Everything around him is silent except for the rustling of the leaves nearby and he can only focus on you. He can feel knots being formed in his stomach as your other hand holds his chest. Your touch simply brings warmth and coziness to him. You leaned in slowly and Taehyung closed his eyes.

Soft and sweet. Those were the first words in his head as he felt your lips on his. He felt a spark of electricity in his system at that moment. It felt right and perfect. He wanted to touch you and pull you closer but you pulled away before he even could. It felt long and short at the same time. Unexpectedly, you two both had tears slipping down your cheeks. His heartbeats were loud, he feared you even heard it. Your lips quivered as you told him with a heavy heart,

“I love you. I love you so much than you could remember, Taehyung.”

With that, you turned your back and walked away.

taglist rules

RESTARTING OVER AGAIN TAGLIST [🔧🔨 ]

@iamkookiesforyou @aianloveseven @hoodalmighty @taebangtanbabe @kthsmoon @nooojaaam @hiimnothing @hiqhkey @annenakamura @taebangtanbabe @shin-ie @prlan @zzztaegizzz @starlight-night0 @teddybeartaetae @http-fayeradise @kiwuki @tannies-luv

PERMANENT TAGLIST

243 notes · View notes

httpknjoon · 8 months

Text

(re)starting over again | kth; 10.5

words | 3.5k

genres | fluff, angst, amnesia au

pairing | taehyung x reader

warning/s | -

note | more angst haha I swear rainbows and sunshine are coming soon. icymi, I made a spotify playlist for this series! it gets updated every time I write for mc and taehyung. expect it to be angsty haha! anyways, enjoy reading this one. let me know y'all's thoughts.

main masterlist | series masterlist

“Are you sure about this?”

Gail, your supervisor, looked at you while holding the paper you gave her just minutes ago. Your heart beats heavier and louder as you stood in front of her. Gail was never a terrifying supervisor to you. She was always considerate. But this thing that you’re doing right now is still nail-biting. You came to work early today just so you can talk to her. No one knew about your plan except you.

“Yes,” you replied, unconsciously fiddling with the fabric of your scrub pants.

She stared at you for what felt like a minute. You cannot even read what’s going on in her head. Her eyes wore no emotions and her lips formed a thin line. She moved her sight to the paper again. You felt like you needed to say something.

You cleared your throat, “I’m sorry if it seemed too soon.”

“Oh, it’s fine. We all know two weeks is the minimum time for notices like this.” Finally, her lips broke into a small smile, easing you for a little, as she looks at you again. “May I ask your reason for making this decision?”

You didn’t hesitate on telling your true reason, “I need to take a break and a new environment due to recent circumstances.”

That was two days ago. Gail approved your resignation letter after that exchange and was supportive of your decision. She said you can come to her anytime if you need a recommendation letter for your next employer. Your two-week notice began that same day without anyone– even Jisoo or Julia– knowing. You don’t want to disturb Jisoo because she’s already stressed enough with her wedding.

“You coming home?” Julia asked as you two get your bags on your lockers.

You two just finished your graveyard shift at seven o clock. You just had a twelve-hour shift but you’re still off to somewhere.

You shook your head, “Not yet. I’m taking a train to Incheon.”

Her head tilted in your direction, “What? Why? That’s like an hour's ride from here.”

“I’ll be checking this studio apartment unit I saw online,” you answered like it’s not a big deal.

Her eyes widened almost instantly, “You’re moving?!”

You quietly nod your head to her surprised question. A hint of excitement was also obvious in her tone.

“That’s far! Have you told Jisoo yet?”

“Nope.”

“How about Taehyung? Is he going to travel from there to his shop every day? And the house–”

“I still haven’t talked to him about it.” you cut her off calmly before she can ask anything else.

Julia was quick to understand what you meant. Your lips formed into a small, sad smile after saying that. Julia just waved her hand back when you waved yours as you bid goodbye. She instantly knew that moving to a new place isn’t the only life-changing choice you’re making in your life right now.

It was a couple of days before Jisoo and Namjoon’s special day, exactly three days in your two-week notice. Raindrops just happened to visit every night you have a late night shift. You didn’t notice the weather until you heard the roars of thunder while you were in the shower.

You were busy the whole day in your room. Just cleaning up, feeling like a robot, numbly working so much but eating less. You only had a late breakfast. Taehyung made you buttermilk waffles with fruits, leaving it in a Tupperware on your kitchen counter. You ate and made sure to leave no dishes in the sink. Like a ghost, that’s how you liked to describe your recent presence in your shared home.

You find yourself busy since morning, removing photos in the frames you displayed before and folding some of your clothes from your closet to your luggage. Then, you prepared for your eight-hour shift. Just five minutes past ten in the evening, you walked out of your room ready to go.

“Hey.”

You saw Taehyung sitting on one of the chairs on your kitchen counter. A thin sheet of smoke from the cup on the table showed he was drinking tea.

“Hi.” you greeted him shortly.

The shorter your response is, the smaller the chances of small talk, you thought.

“I packed you some light snacks there. Just some granola and fruits. Also, yogurt.”

You want to feel something. The joy and giddiness you always have when Taehyung does nice things for you, pre and post-accident. Something that will make your day and shifts your mood. But you almost felt nothing now.

“It’s raining hard tonight,” he mumbled, looking outside the small window in your kitchen.

“It is.”

You tried to busy yourself with putting the snacks he prepared in your bag, not even looking up at him. Not until he said,

“Can I walk you to the stop?”

Finally, you looked at him. He cannot assume if you’re surprised based on your expression because your face remained blank. No emotions at all.

He continued, ”I just want to make sure you’ll get to work safely.”

“Okay.” Whatever you say.

“You know, you don’t have to do any of this.” You were just looking ahead as you resumed, “You’re not obligated to do anything with me.”

“I wanted to do this.” He replied.

You knew he was looking in your direction through your peripheral vision. As much as you wanted to believe his sincerity, you don’t want to get your hopes high. He was just being nice. That’s it.

Before you go, he handed you another extra umbrella. No one said a single word. You sat away from the windows, just at the back of the bus. Because you knew damn well that you might feel guilty if you see Taehyung frozen on the same spot, waiting for your bus to leave.

“Wake her up. I’ll take out our stuff.”

Jimin unfastened his seatbelt after parking the car. Taehyung turned his head back to your direction. You have been sleeping throughout the whole night and none of them bothered to wake you up when they had a quick stopover since they knew you came from an overnight shift earlier. He got off his seat, gently closing the passenger door.

“YN….” he softly calls for your name.

It took him two more calls before you hummed and moved on to your seat. Your eyes were still closed as you respond to him, still half-asleep,

“What?”

“We’re here…”

Slowly, your eyes opened. You blink a couple times before rubbing your eyes as you sat back properly. Slightly confused, you looked around. He watched as you slowly get back to your senses and realize that you have arrive at the event venue.

“Oh…” you said under your breath. You ran your hand on your dress to smoothen out the tiny wrinkles. Unexpectedly, you turned to Taehyung, “How do I look? Did my hair–”

“Lovely,” he murmured.

For a moment there, you thought you heard a small beat inside your chest. You stare at each other’s eyes and the first thing you sense was familiarity. Then, longing. Then, abruptly, you looked away. Taehyung wasn’t sure if your eyes began glistening before you blinked away. He was about to ask when Jimin spoke outside the car,

“Is she awake? Let’s go. The rehearsal is starting soon, we still have to get these bags in the hotel.”

Thank God, you found a slight relief. Taehyung moved out of your way to let you get out of the car. Minutes later, you, Taehyung, and Jimin are walking to the entrance of the hotel when someone greeted you.

“Oh, my god. Hi!”

Yoonji, Jisoo’s cousin and also one of the bridesmaids, greeted you on your way into the small hotel meant for guests. He recognized her as one of the girls who brought you home after Jisoo’s bachelorette party. You two hugged for a quick second while she smiled politely at Taehyung and Jimin, who introduced himself.

“You can just go tell the receptionist your names. Then, they will say what’s your room number,” she instructed in a little hurry. “The rehearsal will be starting in a few minutes!”

She was pulled by another woman, who you assume is Jisoo’s other relative. You followed what she said and the receptionist was pleasant when she asked for your names. After that, she handed out two keys.

“Room 23 is for Mr. Park. Room 27 is for Ms. YN and Mr. Kim.” Kath, the said receptionist, said.

Your jaw almost dropped while Taehyung froze. Jimin, who stood between you two, immediately noticed your silent reactions. He took the initiative to ask,

“Uhm… May we request another room?”

Kath shook her head, “I’m sorry, sir. But the Kims were the ones who arranged everyone’s rooms.”

You cleared your throat as your brain began processing again, “But do you guys have other available rooms that we can pay for?”

“We’re currently fully booked, miss. We assume the Kims already booked enough rooms for their relatives and other important guests. So we had our further rooms booked for other visiting guests in town.”

After squeezing your eyes shut while listening to her explanation, you just forced a smile, “Okay, we understand. Thank you.”

Your rooms were on the upper floor and there were only stairs. Taehyung offered to carry your small luggage for you but you declined. Both men could not tell if you were pissed as you kept a straight face until you and Taehyung stood in front of the twenty-seventh room. He unlocked the door for you two.

“Hm.”

You unconsciously let out a heavy sigh as you and Taehyung scanned the whole room with your eyes. The room was not that… spacious. But it has what a guest needs. A king-sized bed, closet, own bathroom, a table and a chair, and flat-screen television mounted on the wall for entertainment. Plus, a big window with big curtains.

“You know, maybe I can just go to Jimin’s,” Taehyung, who’s standing behind you, suggested.

But you looked at him, “Do you want to?”

“What?” he blinked, maybe he misheard it.

“Do you want to go there? I mean, this is a king-sized bed. I’m fine sharing it, less hassle. We can put a divider or something.” you recommended, pointing to the bed.

“Are you okay with that?”

You nod, “Yeah. Are you?”

“Okay.” Taehyungs nods too.

“Okay,” you whispered.

It was silent again after that. The atmosphere was weird and maybe suffocating. You are starting to hate this kind of air every time you’re with him. It’s encouraging the decisions you’ve been thinking about lately. Breaking the ice, you looked up at him.

“Uhm, we should go. The rehearsal’s starting soon.”

“Thank you for helping make tomorrow the perfect day for us.”

The wedding rehearsals earlier were quick as it was not that complicated. Everyone was later invited to the rehearsal dinner. Your seats were pre-arranged. So of course, you two sat next to each other.

Jisoo was in the middle of her dinner toast when Taehyung took a glance at you. Your sights were focused on the couple who stood in the middle of the event. Your lips formed into a relieved smile as your eyes brighten.

"Tonight, we appreciate you, the people we treasure the most. We toast to having the best wedding team ever!"

Everyone raised their glasses of wine and champagne and took a sip from their drinks. Then, everyone began talking to someone while enjoying the rest of the dinner. Everyone around you and Taehyung is having fun conversations. Even Jimin, who is now talking to some guests. After stealing another glance in your direction, he thought of making a conversation with you.

“I’ve never seen Namjoon that happy,” he mumbled as he looked at his friend.

Unexpectedly, you responded, looking at the couple, “So is Jisoo. Look at their smiles.”

“How did they meet?” he asked.

“Oh, it’s a really good meet-cute.” you chuckled, shoulders visibly relaxing.

Then, you began talking about the beginning of your friends’ love story. You were proud as you shared that you were present when they first met. And after days of getting blank stares and rejections from you, Taehyung can see a genuine smile on your face again. He can listen to more of your stories if that is what it takes for you two to be okay again.

The conversation plays out until you and Taehyung decided to get out of the event since guests began going too. From Jisoo and Namjoon’s meet-cute, the topic jumped to how you had a couple of double dates with them. You were enjoying telling stories that you almost forgot about that gloomy feeling you’d been having in you for days now until Taehyung asked another question while you two stroll your way back to your shared room.

“Maybe we could do that again with them?”

You turned your head at him, raising an eyebrow, “What?”

“Double dates. It seemed like we had fun with them,” he replied, hands in his pockets as he smiled softly.

Then, once again, these heavyweights slowly landed on your shoulders and you can feel something breaking inside of you, making you clutch your palm on the skirt of your dress. Taehyung quicking took notice of you pausing and looking at him with lips slightly parted and the joy in your eyes faded, worrying him.

“Hey? You okay?” he asked gently, looking at you.

With that, you snapped out of your trance and nods, “Yeah, sorry.”

God! Get ahold of yourself. You remind yourself. You remembered your things packed back at home and the resignation you signed days ago. You already had a plan and this sudden idea from Taehyung should not change any of it. Unconsciously, you let out a sigh. Taehyung’s heart beats faster.

“Did I say anything wrong?

“Oh, no.” you forced a smile as you took steps with him to the stairs. You let out an awkward chuckle, “I just don’t think we can do double dates anytime soon.”

“Ah, yeah.” he went along.

And it’s silent all over again. But this time, there was this air between you two. You both can feel that someone wants to say something to another. But, both of you two can’t. With every step closer to your room, the air gets thinner and thinner. And when you stood outside your door,

It shattered.

“Can we talk?”

“Can I talk to you?”

Both you and Taehyung said at the same time. You two were staring at each other when you said that. And when you two realized what happened, you looked away with an airy chuckle. You opened the door and he followed inside.

“So… are we going to talk here or outside?” Taehyung spoke when he saw you opening the curtains, letting the fresh air get into the room.

“Uhm, here’s fine,” you replied before inhaling again on the small balcony.

The original plan was to let Taehyung know about your plans after this event. But you just can’t keep it anymore. Especially after you reacted with Taehyung offering ideas like double date again. Taehyung wanted to wait too and he was willing. But he felt he needed to say what he wants now. It might help your relationship at the moment.

“Okay,” you whispered.

You sat on the soft mattress of the bed. Taehyung took a seat on the chair next to the table, just a few feet away from you. He watched as you bit your lip, looking down. You fiddled with your fingers and he can see your chest heave. You were visibly nervous and it makes him wonder what are going to say.

“YN–”

“Can–”

He nods at you to continue and you did, “I was just going to ask if I can go first.”

“Sure,” he answered, leaning back in the chair.

“Okay. Thank you,” you said every word with the heaviest sigh since you find your heart pounding like crazy just now.

With all the will in your body, you focused your sight on the man in front of you. His hair was pushed back and the first two buttons of his shirt are unbuttoned. His eyes gaze back at yours, you wished you can just communicate with him through this since it might be easier. But you can’t. And within seconds, you can feel the tears at the edge of your blurring sight.

“Taehyung…I… Uhm…” you stuttered when you see a flicker of concern in his eyes. But you continued, “I’m leaving.”

He just stared after you said that. Then, you read the confusion on his face, “What?”

You gulped, “I’m leaving this… arrangement … or whatever this is called. Us. I’m leaving us.”

Your hands shake while waiting for a reaction from him when you said that. But you cannot read his face anymore so you went on.

“I’m moving out of the house. I already looked for an apartment. I know, the house is our shared property. We can talk about the whole splitting thing when I–”

“Are we breaking up?” Taehyung finally said something. His eyebrows were scrunched and his eyes were surprised. But his tone was in between shock and sadness. And maybe mad. You cannot tell.

“Is there even any relationship to break?”

That was the first thing that came into your mind and you barely thought about it as you said it. You matched his tone. Now, it feels like you two were overwhelmed with emotions and the silence that followed after your question helped to at least make you calm a little.

Taehyung, on the other hand, is not off his peak of emotions. But he was quiet. He doesn’t know what to feel. He cannot tell what he’s been feeling. Even after what happened these past few days, he didn’t expect to hear this from you.

“You don’t know me, Taehyung. I’m basically a stranger to you and I’m more than grateful to you for at least letting me take care of you after the accident. But it’s not your obligation to be with me just because I was your girlfriend. The last thing that I want is to force you to stay committed–”

You were ready to end the conversation just like that. But Taehyung cut you off,

“What if I want to? What if I want to be with you now?”

“What?”

You didn’t sound happy. Because you’re not. Taehyung sensed it, you felt quite the opposite when he said that. Still, you stumbled with words.

“Wh– No! N-No, you don’t.”

“I do,” he said like you were challenging him to say it.

You remained unhappy and let out a firm, “No.”

“I do. Why do you keep–”

“Because that would just make me feel shit! You only want me now because you learned what happened between you and Lily!”

Taehyung’s mouth immediately ran dry. For the first time ever since the accident, you raised your voice at him. It’s like watching a volcano explode. Warm drops of tears flow down your cheeks. Your lips were quivering as you continued. Your shoulder shakes as you continued,

“You can’t just choose me like that! That’s fucking unfair! I– I’ve been feeling nothing but awful and lonely for the longest time. I can’t even sleep without having a nightmare about that night! And now that I’m trying to do something for myself, you’re telling me you want to be with me? Right after talking to your ex behind my back? The ex that you originally remembered as your girlfriend? Taehyung, that’s just so fucking unfair.��

You remained seated on the bed but your hand was clutching on the sheet under you. Your voice became weaker as you reached the last sentence. Wiping your tears, you cleared your throat,

“If you want me now, that would make me feel like someone you just kept around as a second choice. You know?”

Hearing that, Taehyung instinctively shakes his head, “No, it’s not like that–”

“But that’s how I feel right now,” you confessed in a sad whisper. “And I’m scared that the longer I try to keep this relationship, the higher the chance I’ll lose myself in the process.”

That was another confession. After countless talks and reflection with yourself and your close friends, you knew that sooner or later you have to go for your own. It just took you long to accept it and take a step. You were hopeful then.

It took some minutes for someone to say something again. There was like a big question in the room with you, asking, what’s next. Taehyung who remained speechless in the same chair, just watched you quietly. While you got up from the bed and reached for your phone and room keys.

“Five years was a lot to be missed and forgotten, Taehyung. I just think that if we go on our separate ways, you can focus on exploring what you lost without the pressure of being committed to me. And I can try to focus on myself again.”

taglist rules

this series' taglist is currently under-construction and renovation lol reply if you want to be added

RESTARTING OVER AGAIN TAGLIST [🔧🔨 ]

@iamkookiesforyou @aianloveseven @hoodalmighty @taebangtanbabe @kthsmoon @nooojaaam @hiimnothing @hiqhkey

PERMANENT TAGLIST

290 notes · View notes

httpknjoon · 1 year

Text

(re)starting over again | kth; 9

words | 1.6k+

genres | fluff, angst, amnesia au

pairing | taehyung x reader

warning/s | -

note | all i can say is I greatly recommend listening to ceilings by lizzie mcalpine while reading. that song was playing in the background for hours while I was writing this one. anyways, have fun reading!

main masterlist | series masterlist

“No, no.”

You held on to the bags tighter when Taehyung tried to carry them for you. Ever since that interaction with Lily earlier, you’ve been quiet. You two stood next to each other while waiting for the car you booked for your ride home. He stole glances at you and you were just looking anywhere but at him. When the car arrived, you placed the grocery bags between you two, not speaking much.

His chest felt heavy throughout the whole ride. It felt harder to breathe like he was drowning in silence while you look outside the window. The image of your smile fading from your lips when you heard about Lily going to the bakery days ago kept replaying in his head.

“I can do this alone,” you said, almost in a whisper.

There were five large grocery bags. You brought the three on your own, walking ahead of Taehyung when you arrived in front of your shared home. He can tell you were struggling from behind. So he immediately catch up and opened the door with his keys. You didn’t say anything and just went inside, heading straight to the kitchen.

You were quick as you dropped the bags on the kitchen island. You immediately brought the items out of the bags. Taehyung followed what you did wordlessly.

“I told you, I can do this alone,” you repeated in a stern tone.

He answered shortly, “I want to help.”

You stopped. Taehyung looks up and he sees you staring at him with what seems like a blank gaze. You sighed heavily. Like you were annoyed. Suddenly, the thought of you possibly getting tired of him crosses his mind.

“Fine, do it on your own then.”

It was childish, you thought. But you can feel your bones aching right now for some reason. And you don’t think staying in one room with Taehyung right now would help you feel any better.

“YN…” he called your name. You didn’t respond verbally but you turned around and raised an eyebrow. He asked, “Can we talk?”

You bit your cheek before looking away, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

That answer from you made him breathe in sharply. None of you two even mentioned what you were going to talk about. He nods repeatedly, respecting your decision.

“Okay. But can we do this together? I don’t know where all this stuff goes.” he admitted.

Your expression somehow softened. He swore he saw a glimpse of something in your eyes before you dipped your chin, “Sure.”

One by one, you two placed everything you grocery item you bought. You remained quiet and focused as you kept your head down, and Taehyung could feel the tension in the air. He doesn’t feel it easing anytime soon.

“The candies go into the jar. Those breakfast cereals are in the big empty jar too, the ones next to the candies. Soda cans and those yogurt drinks just put them properly in the fridge.

“Too organized, eh?”

He tried to lighten up the mood with a soft snarky comment. He hoped to hear maybe a small chuckle or see a small smile on your lips. But you just turned away, like his comment just traveled from one ear to another. He ignored his muscles tensing after earning no reactions from you. You were distant and avoided eye contact. Your voice was dull.

“The teabags–” your voice shakes, Taehyung noticed. You cleared your throat, “The teabags go to the container in that drawer.”

He still noticed that you were trying to stable your voice as you instructed him with your back facing him. He mumbled a little okay before following your instructions. His head is starting to form ideas that maybe you’re mad. You won’t even face him right now. Before he can even think of more thoughts about that, a small noise is enough to break his thoughts. A sob.

Taehyung paused, processing if he had heard the right thing. Then, another one follows… and another. Everything around him gets quieter and all he can hear is that small, restrained sob from you. He turned around. He immediately spotted your shoulders shaking while your back still facing him.

“YN?” he called for you, worried.

Your shoulders tensed. It took you a minute to respond to him. Instead of saying anything, you hummed.

“Hmm?”

“Y/N…” he called you again since you remained turned against him.

You cleared your voice and from behind, he can see that you were wiping something on your face before finally turning around.

“Yeah?”

You kept your response small, not letting Taehyung catch more emotion in your voice. But your face failed you from hiding. He can see your still-damp, red-rimmed eyes and tear-stained cheeks. You were biting your lower lip so hard as if you were clinging to the thin thread of strength left in you.

Contemplating if he should ask you about whatever made you cry or just ignore it as he did in mornings when he saw you spacing out with heavy eyebags, he knew he need to say something at the moment.

“Are you okay?” he asked with a soft tone.

The thread was instantly cut by that question. A single tear trickled down your eye and your lips formed into a frown. You feel like your knees are turning into jelly. You sniffed and tears just continued to flow from your eyes.

Whatever facade you put on in front of him ever since he woke up from that accident was just shuttered with a simple question from him. The weight of thoughts and questions in your head is too much that you felt like just dragging your head while your heart felt squeezed out.

From the other side of the kitchen island, Taehyung watched you break slowly piece by piece. Your palm covered your lips as you shake your head. He can hear cracks forming in his heart with the sight in front of him. He was about to take a step toward you. But you spoke,

“P-Please. Don’t come near me, don’t try and hold me” you sobbed, trying not to stutter with words. “I think I will just break down here if you’ll hold me. I don’t think I’ll be able to keep it together longer…”

But even though Taehyung accepted your rejection of receiving any comfort from him, you began breaking down. Just full-on sobbing behind your palms. You were whimpering like you were still trying to stop yourself from crying. But you just can’t. Everything hurts but you also felt numb at the same time.

“I don’t know anymore.” you wept, admitting while meeting his stare

Taehyung looks down, “I’m sorry…”

“Oh, no. no. no. Please don’t say sorry.” you panicked, shaking your head. “You see, I understand why you invited her to your shop, baked her something, and talked with her. I understand why you wanted to see her after your accident. Because Lily is your girlfriend… right?”

As much as it hurts you to say that, you two knew you were right. His head and his memories are all from five years ago. The bakeshop’s there. Jimin’s there. Lily is there. And you, he will only get to know you months after he broke up with Lily.

You continued, “No, she is. Right? Five years ago. Before we met. Lily was the only woman in your life. She was the one in my place and I can’t be mad with that.”

When you said that, his eyebrows raised like he was surprised to hear you say that. He opened his mouth to say that you can, you can be mad. You have the right to do so. But you resumed, with a shaky, teary laugh.

“And… and how can I be mad? How am I supposed to be mad at you? Of course, you will always come back to what you remembered. And I am just unlucky that you didn’t meet me five years ago…” you paused. Your voice gets weaker and smaller as you mumbled, “I am basically a stranger from the moment you woke up from that hospital. I understand all of those things. But what I don’t understand is why you haven’t told me about her? And I hate that I don’t understand because all I can think about are these questions inside my head… Taehyung, what am I to you here?”

Everything gets quieter with that question from you. The question repeated over and over again in his head. While your heart was getting torn into pieces just by looking at him. You know him too much to read through his face and see that he is trying to think of something that won’t hurt you. He looked like a little kid lost in this new place and you felt bad for him. Your emotions are all mixed up but the pain is definitely up there. Your heart breaks for you, for Taehyung, and for everything that led up to this moment.

“I know you wanted to know what happened between you and Lily in the last five years…” You sighed and your voice breaks when you continued, “But Taehyung, I’m also here… We also happened.”

You inhaled sharply, looking away from him, before walking away from the kitchen. Alone, Taehyung stood frozen in the same spot for a long time. He thinks quietly, thoughts and questions flying around his head. He sighed heavily. He doesn’t know how long he stared at the thin air before he looked around, seeing the unorganized grocery items. So, he tried to continue. He tried to remember where he would have liked to put everything.

Never go to bed angry :)

Taehyung once wrote that on a piece of paper and stick it on your refrigerator door just a few weeks after you two moved in together. You saw it in the morning after you two resolved your unending misunderstandings after living in one place together. You two were adjusting and learning more about each other.

During that conversation, you learned that you tend to run away, keeping your feelings in you than talking about it with him. Taehyung hates miscommunication so he always tried to talk about everything with you with full honesty. He said most relationships end just because of misunderstanding and overwhelmed emotions. And if you’re going to let that emotion and misunderstanding stay overnight, it might lead to an ugly ending.

Now, that piece of paper is squeezed between the pages of that old book you read before. You kept it as a reminder to yourself.

Now, you lie awake on your bed, tears streaming from the corners of your eyes. You’re angry. You’re tired. You’re confused. But mostly, you’re in pain. You don’t think you can talk this emotion to existence. It’s just a lot.

For now, you just want to cry and silence the thoughts in your head by putting yourself to sleep.

taglist rules

RESTARTING OVER AGAIN TAGLIST [closed] @halesandy @boohoobabe @hopeonysus @taffyteffy @pnlpbnl @arusio @rpkth @cinnamonruts @xyahrinx @betysotelo18 @sugaslittlekookies @doublebunv @dahliasbouqet @lust-kth @aria-grace-scott @milkteallday @hoodalmighty @kiwuki @http-fayeradise @daydreamiies @starlight-night0 @chaoticbisous @mageprincess7 @byunniebaekhyunnie @hiimnothing @koreanaestheticc @shin-ie @blancflms @jeonkoookiee @satorinnie @rjsmochii @yoonglesdoll @somewhereinthestarss @turnthepageandbeburnt @heyjiminnie @bri-mal @teddybeartaetae @kaal-ee @nikkiordonez12 @motivatedprocastinator @butterflieshee @iamkookiesforyou

PERMANENT TAGLIST

@dunixxd @cixrosie @jksjx @embrace-themagic @buttvi @starbtslove @missseoulite @vanntaesworld @kenqki @miyukihoshi @stopeatread @seolaquotes @greyrain23 @chimchimmarie @petalsofink

#bts angst #bts fluff #bts x reader #bts series #bts imagine #bts au #bts amnesia #taehyung angst #taehyung fluff #taehyung au #taehyung amnesia #taehyung imagine #taehyung fanfic #restarting over again kth

285 notes · View notes

httpknjoon · 11 months

Text

(re)starting over again | kth; 10

words | 4.3k+

genres | fluff, angst, amnesia au

pairing | taehyung x reader

warning/s | -

note | oh my god. hi, everyone! i'm still alive haha i apologize for the *long* delay. may wasn't my month 🙃 but now, i'm here and I split this chapter, so expect a 10.5. this is A LOT OF ANGST. no fluff for now. just full-on gloomy. also, i'll be replying to everyone who sent their asks soon! tysm for sending 'em. again, i apologize for the delay! enjoy reading :)

main masterlist | series masterlist

Someone’s a little gloomy today.

The sound of echoing thunder woke you up today, along with the rings of your alarm in your phone. 5:15 AM. You groaned as the brightness from your phone’s screen hit your vision. After five more minutes of just staring at the most uninteresting wall in your room, you get up from your bed to prepare for work.

Unsurprisingly, your head feels heavy and so is your chest and eyes. Every step of your bare foot on the ground strangely felt like you were floating into space. The weather is cozy and cold, but you didn’t even flinch when the cold water hits your skin. You stood under the shower, the heater not even on, just staring at your feet.

I mean, he could have told me.

The sentence popped into your head. There is this part of you that is in between the scale of angry and sad after knowing about Lily visiting the bakeshop and talking to Taehyung. You wondered if Taehyung even had planned on telling you or if he don’t think he should have told you. You are starting to think he was only friendlier with you these past few days because he learned what happened between him and Lily. You’re beginning to think that he is only nicer to you now after bad their relationship went.

But did he even owe me that? I’m basically a stranger to him.

Another idea, opposite the other one, crossed your mind. You always try to be understanding and put yourself in his shoes in this confusing situation. The fact that your boyfriend doesn’t really have any idea who you are always staying in the back of your head. It’s always there as a reminder that Taehyung doesn’t know you. And his not telling you that he met up with his ex-girlfriend days ago confirmed that you are probably someone in the background for him. Someone… who suddenly lives in this house with him.

And thanks to that confirmation, more questions were formed by your brain.

You shut your eyes close and turned your head up, feeling the waterdrops on your face. Sighing, “Who even am I here?”

Taehyung, what am I even to you here?

The question floats in Taehyung’s head over and over again. The pain and confusion in your voice also play on a loop, adding weight to his shoulders and thorns in his throat. He wished he could answer that question easily, but he can’t. Seeing someone who treated him with care and kindness break down in front of him because of him is a slap on his face.

Because Lily is your girlfriend… right?

More guilt built up in him when he learned that you were aware that he still initially saw Lily as his girlfriend after he woke from the accident. It surprised him to hear you say that you cannot be mad with that. When you said that, he almost instantly wanted you to be angry at him, to let out every emotion you were feeling at the time.

Because you are too considerate and kind… and patient with him and this situation you’ve been put into. You didn’t even have to stay; you could’ve just left him the moment the doctor told you about his amnesia and all. But you stayed… and even looked after him for a whole month. Looking back at everything now, he knew. He should have just told you.

He thought you would be mad at him for reaching out to an ex. He didn’t know how you would react if he asked about Lily. He didn’t know you and he admit that was his fault. He has been working on knowing you these past few days, but now after last night, it felt too late. He should have made an effort earlier than this. As much as he hates it, Taehyung’s list of should haves is getting longer.

Now, a tray of chocolate chip cookies bakes in this oven you two have in your kitchen. He decided to make some after having trouble sleeping. He was shifting and turning on his bed for hours, possibly because of two causes: his head injury and you. Earlier, you were talking about how much you’ve been craving cookies. He knows that his cookies cannot resolve what’s going on right now, but he hoped that they will make you feel better. Even a little.

Taehyung managed to sleep for a couple of hours but still woke up later two hours past midnight. He quietly prepares and bakes the ingredients for the cookies. He was quick as it was the easiest pastry he can make. By the time he was putting the tray in the oven, he heard grumbles of thunder.

Should I put it in the jar? Or…

Almost thirty minutes past three, Taehyung yawned as he waited for the cookies to cool down before he stores them. He looked around your kitchen. In these quiet moments, he is finally starting to notice some details in some corners of this place. Particularly, the kitchen. He wondered if he picked the color of the walls or what to put in it when you two bought the house. His curiosity begins to grow about what you built together throughout your four-year relationship.

He wondered how great everything was before he lost his memories of the last five years.

You were supposed to leave at six o clock. But you didn’t realize how much you took your time with your thoughts that you ended up leaving twenty minutes late than your plan. Rushing to leave, you didn’t bother for breakfast and ran straight to the front door in your scrubs and jacket with backpack and umbrella in hand. If you still have time to spare when you arrive at the hospital, you’ll just buy something in its cafeteria.

As you get off the bus, you speed-walk to the hospital. You were too in a hurry to recognize who greeted you along the way, but you just greeted them back anyway. By the time you reached the locker room, you were catching your breath with less than ten minutes left to prepare for your shift.

Thank God, Jisoo’s not here. You sighed when you looked at yourself in front of the small mirror in your locker. Your eyes… were puffy. It’s not that bad. But everyone who will look directly at your eyes would tell the difference. You hoped no one else would notice.

“Good morning!”

Your eyebrows raised. Julia’s jolly greeting filled the quiet room when she entered. A couple of nurses who were also there greeted her back while you hid behind your locker door, trying to think of a quick remedy or even an explanation for your eyes. Because next to Jisoo, Julia is your closest friend here. She started working here two years ago. Her kind and sociable nature made her a friend to everyone. You three immediately went friends during a mutual graveyard shift schedule.

“Hey, YN. Good morning.” she opened her locker, which was next to yours.

You gulped, “Good morning, Ju.”

After one last look in the mirror, you closed the door. Julia was busy organizing her things in the locker, while she continues speaking.

“Jisoo’s already on break for her wedding, right?” she asked, still not giving you a glance.

“Ah, yes. For only one week though.” You replied, trying to act normal. You don’t know if you should go or wait for her to time in since you two usually do—with Jisoo if your shift schedule match up.

“You know, my dress for the weekend is still in the— Oh, what happened?”

In a quick glance, she immediately spotted a certain emotion on your face. Concern was written all over her face as she stopped and faced you.

“W-What?” you chuckled awkwardly, looking away.

“Why did you cry? What’s going on?” she asked softly, still worried. “Are you okay?”

Oh, that question. You don’t know what the hell that question has, it always breaks you down. You bit your lower lip as you looked back at Julia. You tried to hold on to the strings that were putting you together.

You sighed shakingly, “Yeah.”

A small, sad smile formed on her lips, “You sure?”

You feel like if you try to say anything again, it will just turn into a sob. So, you just nod. Unexpectedly, she reached out her arms and hugged you. Julia knew something was wrong. Well, she can definitely read through your eyes and the simple quirk of your lips that you probably don’t know you do whenever you’re bothered or tired. She can even feel the weight you’ve been carrying in an embrace.

“How about let’s go out together later? After this shift?” she offered.

“Sure.” You agreed, washing down any effort to put a useless mask on your emotions.

The cookies that he left on the kitchen counter for you were left untouched. He left it in a Tupperware, something that can fit in your backpack, along with a small post-it, written: cookies u can bring @ your shift today :)

He likes to think that the Tupperware probably went unnoticed by you instead of thinking that you ignored it. But what if you did? The idea of you being mad at him scares him.

“I swear, whoever will eat those cupcakes would choke on rainbow sprinkles.” Jimin entered the kitchen when Taehyung was just spacing out. He hung his coat behind the door and put on his apron. “What’s up?”

“Hmm?”

Jimin went on, “I arrived twenty minutes late and you already made two batches of blueberry cupcakes, one tray of snickerdoodles, and a lot of banana bread. What’s going on?”

Taehyung stared at him for a second, having battles in his head if he should tell his best friend about what happened. Jimin didn’t fail to remind him about telling you about Lily. And if he learns how you reacted last night—Oh, just sucked it up. Taehyung exhaled.

“YN learned about Lily.”

Jimin raised an eyebrow, “You told her?”

“She found through Lily herself,” Taehyung replied and he can read the confusion on his friend’s face.

“Huh?”

Taehyung went on telling how you and Lily introduced yourselves, how you introduced yourself as his friend, how Lily shared that she visited the bakeshop just last week, and how you remained quiet and bottled up with emotions until you two went home.

“She was so upset, she didn’t want to talk about it,” Taehyung recalled. “But she just broke down and she is still so nice in the middle of telling me how she feels. She told me that she cannot be mad at me for meeting up with Lily or for everything else. Because she understands. She always understands and I’m sure she is a wonderful person– but… But I really didn’t just give us a chance. She reminded me that we also happened after asking me who is she in this whole thing.”

He paused, remembering almost every word you said to him last night. He was too busy chasing what happened five years ago that he ignored someone and something important in his present time.

“Then, who is she to you?” his best friend asked.

“I… I don’t know.” Taehyung sighed, unsure. “But she’s not a stranger. Calling her a stranger would be an insult. I know she’s much more than that.”

There was a few seconds of silence. Taehyung looked down, resting his hands on his working table. Jimin just pats his shoulder for comfort. He knew saying things like I told you so or anything close to that is just useless. Taehyung already knew what he had done, he don’t need more reminders that he probably fucked up.

“Well, you need to figure that out.”

“I know.”

“I don’t know anymore, Ju.”

You wiped off the tears on your cheek as you confessed. Finally, after a whole day shift at the hospital, you get to open up to someone. As soon as you two left the hospital and changed into your casual clothes, Julia drove you two to her apartment since you don’t really feel like going anywhere. She ordered pizza and non-alcoholic drinks, which were delivered just minutes after you two arrived there.

No time was wasted. She didn’t even have to ask again for you to open up. For the last forty minutes, you’ve been telling whatever you feel like sharing to your friend. It did take off some weight on your chest as she listened and nods.

“I mean, I know that he’s just trying to know what happened between him and his ex. But I cannot understand why he didn’t tell me… Or maybe ask me about it. I know something about it. He told me how they broke up years ago. He told me what went wrong. Just like how I shared experiences with my past relationships too. And that’s how it used to be.” You reached for another tissue Julia offered. “We used to tell each other everything. Communication and honesty always mattered to him.”

“And it would have been nice if he let me know about his plans on talking with Lily. It’s perfectly fine by me. But he didn’t and now I’m starting to feel that he sees me as nothing. Just a person around him, who lives in the same house as him—or worse, he sees me as someone who just looks after him… like his nurse.”

The last thought squeezed your heart out. Taehyung even had a hard time introducing you yesterday to Lily. You took the initiative to introduce yourself to his ex as his friend. You don’t know what to feel about it. Should you be mad or sad? But can you blame him? You can never blame Taehyung. You always try to understand what he went through with that accident and what he is going through now. But as much as you hate to admit it…

“I feel like I’m burning out. I’m fucking drained.”

Another tear rolled down your cheeks while you shake your head. Saying that sentence felt like a confession of a crime. You don’t know why. You didn’t follow with another sentence again. Julia gave you a glass of water to help you calm down.

“You can take a break too, you know?” she whispered as you gulped in the liquid down your throat. “You can pause…”

Julia was gentle with her tone and choice of words.

“I think, you've already done enough. You took a month's leave to take care of Taehyung, to at least help him adjust to these big changes happen. You waited for him to ask about you or your relationship, which he did– Well, he tried. You are great. You were nothing caring and understanding for him and your relationship.” She paused and held your hand, preparing you for what she is about to say. “But he… he just has his eyes on people he knew before you.”

You almost hissed with the harsh sentiment of your friend. It felt like someone pulled the band-aid off your fresh, unhealed wound. But still, it felt like you needed to hear that. Julia, on the other hand, saw you flinch and held your palm tighter.

She continued, “The Taehyung you met before the accident is different from the Taehyung you live together now. As you said, five years ago, he went through a breakup with his ex. That breakup may have caused changes in him that made him into the Taehyung you initially met.”

It’s complicated. But you get what she is trying to say. A lot of things happened in Taehyung’s life before you two crossed paths. He broke up with Lily, and his bakery began to hit success and invest in other stuff in his life. A lot of other changes happened. Then, you two met through mutual friends.

“And please, YN, let yourself feel things.” Julia spoke suddenly, making you meet her gaze, “It’s unhealthy. Be sad, be mad, or be happy. Or simply take a break if you feel like it. Don’t deny yourself of feeling anything. You can be mad.” She said it like a reminder. “You have every right to feel so. I know you’re trying to justify Taehyung reaching out to an ex behind your back as part of this knotty situation. But at least, out of respect to you, he should have at least told you before or after he did so.”

“That’s why you’re so burnout right now, hon. You’ve done nothing but give and give. You forgot about your limits too… Are you even still okay working in the same hospital after everything?”

She asked and almost instantly, you remembered the night of the accident. You were waiting for your boyfriend to pick you up in the same spot you always waited in. Then, you received this call. Next thing you know, you’re seeing him getting pulled out of the ambulance. Bloody and bruised. Your stomach twisted with the recollection of his state that night. Thankfully, Julia called your name, snapping you out of your trance.

“Just know that you’re not alone in any of this. You don’t have to carry everything on your own. Jisoo and I are always here for you. And I really appreciate you opening up to me now.” She smiled softly before pulling you in for another hug.

After that hug, you two moved on to lighter topics. You asked her about her preparation for Jisoo and Namjoon’s special day at the end of the week. She talked about Chanyeol, her plus-one for the wedding. She shared about how things are going and you’re genuinely happy to see her happy. You ended up leaving at seven. Julia offered to drive you home, but you kindly refused, saying you need to be alone for a short while.

“Okay, just let me know when you got home.” She smiled and of course, was enveloped in the warmest hug you’ve ever received recently.

Just like when you left home earlier, the sky was dark and gloomy as you wait at the bus stop. Raindrops began falling just minutes after you got on the bus. You sat on the farthest empty seat your eyes spotted. Watching the raindrop rolling on the glass window, you thought about Julia and everything she said.

Change.

You wondered if change can help your emotional burnout while leaning your head on the cold surface of the vehicle. Truthfully, working in the same hospital after the accident is difficult. The first day you returned after your month-long leave you found yourself stopping in your tracks at every spot your feet took you that night of the accident. You also don’t enjoy the pity glances or smiles you get from your colleagues who knew about the accident. There were times, someone would approach you and say something nice or motivational. You appreciate the effort but it’s making your work more of a reminder than a distraction for what happened.

You get off the bus with a new idea and even more uncertainties in mind. You still felt like a deflating balloon floating your way to get home. After your breakdown, you wonder how Taehyung would react. He seemed pretty quiet last night. The Taehyung you know would prefer talking with you to at least mend these issues. But now, you’re really just tired and would rather organize your thoughts alone.

And when you walked up your front porch, you stopped as you saw the lights on in the kitchen. He’s home early. You turned the knob, preparing yourself with any awkward tension that is always suffocating. Walking in, a delicious smell of flavor filled your nostrils. You’re not planning to say anything but then, he greeted you.

“Oh, hey…”

It was short but soft. His lips formed a small, tight smile. He was indeed cooking as he holds a wooden spatula and you can hear the crinkling sound in the pan. You noticed he is wearing a familiar apron and a headband, exposing his forehead, to avoid his jet-black hair in sticking on the sweaty corners of his forehead.

“Hey.” you greeted back, forcing a polite smile on your lips. “You’re home?”

Taehyung noted the lack of any emotion in your voice or even eyes. You just looked exhausted. But he replied, “Yeah, we kinda closed early. Sold out.”

He smiled again, hoping that maybe you would smile back at him. You didn’t. Instead, you zipped your lips. And there it is. The awkward silence took over--not only the kitchen—but the whole house. He looked at you and you looked at him. It didn’t even last a couple of seconds. You looked away again, scratching your eyebrow.

“I should probably go—”

“I’m making dinner. Maybe—"

You two broke off the silence at the same time. You waited for him to continue but his nod asked you to resume.

“Yeah, uhm, I should go to my room.” You mumbled, not meeting his eyes. You just can’t.

It’s Taehyung’s turn to scratch the back of his neck, “Uhm, I made dinner. I was wondering if we can eat together.”

You timidly shake your head, “I’m kinda full… I had pizza with Julia. But thank you for the offer though.”

You were about to leave, wanting to leave this room since you were having the hardest time breathing with the thick tension. But Taehyung called your name,

“I was hoping we can talk… about everything.”

You turned around, finally looking at him. Suddenly, his heartbeat was louder than anything else for him. He can already see the rejection on your face. Like you’re not in the mood for anything that had to do with him. But he wishes his deduction is wrong. On the flip side, you can see his fingers fiddling with the spatula as he said that.

You exhaled, “I can’t, Taehyung. I really had a long day. I’m sorry—”

“No, it’s okay. Don’t apologize. We can talk whenever you’re ready.” He awkwardly raised his hands for thumbs-up. He saw your worried eyes landing on the dish he cooked. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll store it when it cools down. You can microwave it later if you get hungry.”

A simple, worn-out nod was your only reply before leaving him alone. His smile slowly fades as he turned down his chin.

He waited. Patiently. The morning after that, he waited for you to leave for work before he does. He goes home before you do. He prepared breakfasts and dinners for you, but you always seemed to be running late going to work and exhausted when you get home. And the rainy season didn’t stop. Taehyung once offered to walk you at least to the bus stop when you had a graveyard shift. He’s glad you didn’t decline and walked side by side with him under the umbrella.

“You know, you don’t have to do any of this.” You murmured in the middle of that five-minute walk to the bus stop. You were just looking ahead as you resumed, “You’re not obligated to do anything with me.”

“I wanted to do this.” He replied, glancing at you, hoping that he will meet your eyes. But he didn’t.

You didn’t say anything anymore. Even when you got on the bus and he handed you the extra umbrella he brought. But he really did. Even though you two haven’t really done a lot of activities together, he liked doing things with you or for you.

Now it’s been days since you broke down, you two still haven’t talked about it. Jimin told him to be patient and give you time. But the more time he gives you, the more he felt like you were already slowly drifting away from him.

“Are you sure? We still have space for another passenger.”

Taehyung heard you from the living room as he pulled his small luggage out of his room. He wore a white collared button-down, with the sleeves folded before it reached his elbows, tucked in beige suit pants.

“Okay, Ju. See you there. Take care.”

Your smile fades as you ended the call. With every emotion washed out on your face, you glanced up at him. Your eyes simply scanned him from head to toe before you spoke, “Let’s go?”

Jisoo and Namjoon will be having their rehearsal and the following dinner in the same area as their wedding. It’s in the same event place as their wedding venue. The couple already prepared rooms for a few guests, so that you can stay overnight for the wedding tomorrow. You, Taehyung, and Jimin will be carpooling in a rented car, with Jimin taking the wheel for an almost two-hour drive straight to the dinner event.

“Be careful, it’s fragile.”

You teased Jimin as he helped you carry the wedding gift for your soon-to-be-wedded friends. Taehyung carried yours and his luggage to the car.

“I am careful.” Jimin scoffed.

“Oh, I apologize. I’m just worried. You do have small hands.” You jested that made Taehyung choke and laugh.

“Ha. Ha. Ha.” His best friend laughed dryly, squinting his eyes at you. “You two are bullies! It’s not that small.”

You chuckled once again before stopping when Taehyung opened the backseat door for you.

“Thanks.” You mumbled.

Taehyung sat on the passenger seat while Jimin took the wheel. In the first quarter of the ride, you still managed to join chit-chat. Jimin was the one who sparked up topics, which you were grateful for as you don’t know what would happen if it’s just you and Taehyung in this car. But as time went on, you yawned and slowly lost yourself to take a nap.

a/n: i'm thinking of updating/resetting the taglist for this series. kindly comment below if you still want to be tagged. thank you so much for your support <3

taglist rules

PERMANENT TAGLIST

@dunixxd @cixrosie @jksjx @embrace-themagic @buttvi @starbtslove @missseoulite @vanntaesworld @kenqki @miyukihoshi @stopeatread @seolaquotes @greyrain23 @chimchimmarie @petalsofink @jayhope88 @moonchild1

293 notes · View notes

httpknjoon · 1 year

Text

(re)starting over again | kth; 8

words | 3.5k+

genres | fluff, angst, amnesia au

pairing | taehyung x reader

warning/s | -

note | things about to get more complicated... thank you so much for everyone who shared their thoughts about mc and tae. i love you guys so much. here's the new part, enjoy reading!

main masterlist | series masterlist

Fucking hell.

The moment you opened your eyes, you instantly felt a throbbing headache. It hurts that it feels like every vein in your head is pulsing. Maybe that was an exaggeration. But you’re sure you won’t be able to function properly today. You might as well just bury your head on this pillow as you were lying on your stomach, which you unconsciously do when you get exhausted. The only comfort you can get is from this comforter weighing on your back. Closing your eyes, you groaned, sensing the dryness of your tongue and throat. You suddenly remember why you rarely go out now.

You rolled on the bed, now lying on your back. Trying to retrace last night’s event, your last crystal clear memory is singing and dancing along with everyone to some Rihanna song. Bright, colored lights tower over you. You don’t remember much from Jisoo’s bachelorette party after maybe four or five shots. You’re unsure. But you have blurry recollections of Yoonji helping you to walk to your front porch with another girl, probably one of Jisoo’s cousins. The knocking on your door and someone opens–

Shit.

Your eyes shot open, maybe too fast and it triggered your headache more. You looked down at your clothes. That’s when you realized you are now wearing Taehyung’s old shirt and some grey lounge shorts. As if some lightbulb clicked in your head, you registered that your bed doesn’t have grey sheets or white pillowcases. You immediately sat up, the comforter pooling down your waist. You ran your hands on your hair and gripped it like it is going to help your headache while the realization truck hits you.

You’re in Taehyung’s room.

Peppermint… Chamomile… Ginger.

Taehyung looked at your small stock of teabags. He picked out the ginger type, it would help your hangover. It’s already nine in the morning and you’re still not coming out of his room. He checked on you quietly earlier when he woke up and you were still asleep. He took over the couch for the night. It was a little uncomfortable, almost spending the first few minutes tossing and turning in the small space.

“I might go there a bit later today,” he told Jimin through a phone call.

“Okay. Headaches?” his friend asked, concerned.

“Nope. YN went home wasted last night from Jisoo’s party. I’ll wait for her to wake up before I go.”

“Oh, yeah… Okay.” Jimin giggled on the other line.

Taehyung raised an eyebrow while checking in your fridge, “What’s with the reaction?”

“Nothing… I just remembered the fruit story, the one where she cried over blueberries and like all of the fruits.”

Well, she did cry last night. He immediately remembers your emotional confession last night. Unconsciously, his lips formed into a smile as you ended it with your admiration for his infamous banana bread.

“Tell me about it.”

You don’t know how you ended up where you at now and you don’t know if you have the guts to ask Taehyung. It’s been so long since the last time you drank too much. And you only blackout from drinking once before this.

“You were crying over blueberries and strawberries last night, love.”

You remembered your boyfriend laughing as he told you that two years ago. That’s when you learned you’re an emotional drunk and promised to not drink that much again unless you’re with Taehyung.

Where is he? I hope he already left.

You wished he chose to go to the bakeshop today as you were too embarrassed to see him. You hoped that you didn’t cry over inanimate things again. With a throbbing headache, you hold your head in your hands. Finally, after talking to yourself and building the courage to get up, you decided to make his bed. As you were putting back the pillows properly, you cannot help but look around what used to be your shared bedroom.

It’s been almost two months since you last stayed here. It reminded you of Taehyung’s room five years ago when he was still living with Jimin. He only followed a palette of the monochromatic color of greys and white. You saw the old record player he bought on the same spot you saw it. There’s also the same small notepad he kept on the bedside table since he loves writing down his random ideas for the bakeshop… it was like nothing much changed with the man you knew before.

Except he didn’t know who you were.

You shook your head with the thought. Sighing, you take one more glance around the room before walking out. You go to your room leaning on the nearest wall or object you can lean on to at least help you to balance. Your black dress from last night was scattered on the floor, along with your other clean clothes from your closet. Why is it so messy in here?!

You tried to scoot away from the idea that you probably cried your heart out in front of Taehyung. As much as you wished you didn’t, you just know you did. So going to your bathroom, you already expected smudged mascara under your eyes or any makeup on your face. But you didn’t.

“Huh.”

You stood confused in front of the mirror, trying to recall if you did anything on your face last night. Nothing came to mind. Your mind seems to really shut down around the time you’re still at the party. Giving up, you freshened up by splashing water on your face. Minutes later, instead of going back to bed because of your headache, you decided to go get something to fill your stomach.

And as you go out of your room, you immediately heard a noise from the kitchen. You pursed your lips as you instantly knew you were not alone. You prepare yourself mentally, against your headache, as a way to save face for taking over his room.

“Good morning.”

As if he already felt your presence, Taehyung greeted as he turned around with a plate of toast, eggs, and bacon. With his spatula, he points to the seat on the kitchen counter, asking you to seat. You did.

“Morning…” you awkwardly replied as you watched him work around the kitchen. “Uhm, you’re here? You didn’t go to the bakeshop?”

He shakes his head, “I waited for you to wake up. I knew you’ll be suffering from the hangover from last night so I prepared you breakfast.”

On cue, he placed the plate in front of you. There was also a glass of orange juice and another warm cup with a teabag in it. Although still embarrassed, a soft smile formed on your face as you looked at it. You eyed him again, scratching the back of your neck.

“Thank you, Tae… but you don’t have to do all of this, I can manage,” you spoke softly.

“It’s fine, YN,” he replied before placing his own plate next to you. You followed with your eyes as he sat next to you. Avoiding his gaze when he turned to you, saying, “Let’s eat?”

You nodded. You don’t know what to feel at the moment. He was acting nice and (maybe) normal. Maybe you didn’t do anything crazy the night before? Maybe you just asked to sleep in his room? You don’t know. But where did he sleep? Did I ask him to sleep next to me? Because you are aware that drunk people can get clingy sometimes too.

Before you get to do anything with your food, you dropped your fork on the counter. Your shoulder slumped as you puffed,

“Did I do anything stupid last night?”

You are now turned to him as you expressed your pent-up question. Taehyung looked at you. His eyes scanned your expression and you tried to do the same. But you are finding it hard to read him when you’re overthinking about things you possibly did.

He bit off his toast, “Nope.”

You tilted your head, “Nothing?”

He shook his head, “Nothing.”

You sighed like weights got lifted off your shoulders, “Okay, that’s great to know. Thank you…” You began eating. “It’s just that I had history–”

“It’s not like you cried over the names of the fruits last night,” Taehyung whispered that it made you pause from chewing.

“What?”

Taehyung had to bite his lower lip to stop himself from grinning from your dumbfounded reaction.

“How did you know about that?” you asked again. This time, more suspicious. “Who told you?”

And when he just chuckled, you just figured out who did. Jimin. You covered your face with your hands. The headache was triggered by the embarrassment you’re feeling right now.

“That was one time! That was the only time I got wasted other than last night and I don’t even remember crying over it that bad. I won’t know it happened if I didn’t do it in yours and Jimin’s apartment back then.” you rambled.

Taehyung laughed, gently removing your hands from your face. He holds your hands as he uttered, “It’s nothing to be explained about. I think you’re right blueberries do deserve other names. Something more creative like strawberries.”

You rolled your eyes, stopping yourself from smiling when he recalled that drunken argument you fought two years ago.

“But did I cry again last night? Be honest,” you questioned.

Your heart beats heavily as Taehyung, once again, stared at you for a second before he answered. He nodded with a smile and you exhaled heavily. You were ready to be in full stress mode when he immediately caught your hands again,

“Again, it’s nothing to be worried about. You just cried over the fact that you love my banana loaf and cheesecake.”

“And cheesecake?” you repeated. “Why would I bring that up?”

Ever since you got a taste of his blueberry cheesecake years ago, you loved it. But when you heard him one time complaining about how long that one takes to prepare, you don’t really want to demand cheesecake from him. And if you do crave them, just like these past few days, you will drop by their shop to see if they have them available. Overall, you don’t really talk about cheesecake around him. Especially since he likes baking things as soon as possible even though you just briefly mentioned it in a conversation.

“Because I brought some from the bakery last night.”

“You did?!” you didn’t mean to sound excited like a kid. But you are.

Taehyung smiled, “It’s in the fridge. You actually ate some last night. You don’t remember?”

“I don’t.” you shrugged. “I don’t even remember how I ended up in your room– I’m sorry about that. Where did you sleep?”

“The couch and don’t worry about the whole thing. It’s fine.” he quickly assured you. “Now… how about we eat this whole plate first. Then, we can go have that cheesecake?”

“Sounds great to me.” you smiled. Before picking up the toast again, you turned to him. “Thank you, Tae.”

“No worries.”

“I want to sleep.”

Taehyung made you drink another sip of water before he agreed to take you back to your room. You waited for him to clean up the kitchen and store the left cheesecake in your fridge. And when you saw him turning the knob to your room.

You asked with a puzzling look on your face, “Where are you going?”

“To your room,” he replied.

“Oh, no, silly. That’s the guest room. This is our room.”

Giggling, you point your index finger to his bedroom door. Too tired himself, Taehyung just watched you turn the knob and enter his room. You immediately found comfort on his bed, sighing as you rest your head on his pillows.

“Ah, this is nice.”

Taehyung just stood there, hands on his hips, figuring where he should sleep. He knew he cannot make you sleep in your room. He understood this was your old shared bedroom and since you were probably so wasted to remember everything that happened, he don’t want to protest.

“Whatcha doing there? C’mere.” you slurred your words as you fight your eyes in opening. “By the way, that cheesecake… you should make those every time… like weekly… or even daily! It’s heaven but like in food form.”

He laughed at that. Minutes later, he was too busy thinking if he should stay with you until you falls asleep that he didn’t notice you drifting away until he heard your small snores. He looked at you. You lay on your side as you hugged another pillow. Taehyung smiled before tucking you in his comforter.

It’s been a couple of days since your hangover. Taehyung ended up staying with you that whole day. You insisted you can deal with your night out aftermath alone. But he insisted harder that he is not going anywhere. Admittedly, you can feel a change with Taehyung. He seemed more comfortable with you. He would start conversations, sometimes tease you like a friend, and make jokes.

The next day, you felt better and had a short duty while he went back to the bakery. Now, you two are back at home, having breakfast together again.

“Why do we need to buy cookies from the store? I could just bake for you,” he asked as he read through your grocery list.

“I’ve been craving for those.” you reasoned out.

He gasped dramatically, a hand on his chest, “And my freshly baked homemade cookies cannot provide those cravings?”

You chuckled, shaking your head, “Trust me, comparing anything you baked to anything from a supermarket is like comparing a diamond to a regular stone.”

“Well, that’s too nice–”

“But as I was saying, I am really just thinking of cookies for days now,” you interjected. “And I love your cookies! Especially the chewy one with chocolate chips.”

“Then why don’t you just ask me to make those for you?”

“Can I?” you asked back, unsure.

“You can! I bake for a living, remember?” he quipped, making you snortle.

“It’s not like I can demand cookies from you just because you are a baker, Tae. I know you’ve been busy with the bakery these last few days.

“Because I’m baking… anyway, we’re crossing this one off this list, I’ll bake a batch here later after we go grocery shopping,” he said while literally crossing off the cookies in the paper.

Last week, you scheduled your grocery shopping to be today since a lot of things will happen later this week. Tomorrow, you’ll be back at work again. You have duties for the next two days and after that, Jisoo and Namjoon’s wedding will take place this weekend. Your best friend is currently taking advantage of her two-week-long leave for her special day. The venue is a bit of a drive. You, Taehyung, and Jimin will be carpooling in his car with your friend and Jisoo’s bridesmaid too, Julia.

The sun made everyone aware of her presence as you and Taehyung leave your house. You’re glad that you opted to wear something suitable in this hot weather. Since none of you two can drive or had any vehicle to drive, you two strolled to the nearest bus stop.

“You know, this could be like our routine.” you quipped while you two sat next to each other on the bus.

Taehyung gave a single nod, “Yeah, sure. Just tell me in advance when are we going to do this.”

“I’m just kidding,” you replied.

“Well, I’m not. This is the least I can do for you and the house. You’ve been looking after me for months.” he uttered and you can feel the guilt in his tone.

“I wanted to do that, Taehyung.” I’m your girlfriend, you wanted to add but you don’t think he is still comfortable with that idea. “Plus, you looked after me too the other day.”

“You were wasted for a night. I was in a coma for a month.” he compared and you just rolled your eyes, shaking your head.

“Just know that you don’t have to feel obligated with things like this.”

“Noted, ma’am.” he teased.

The bus stopped at the nearest stop to the grocery. The beeps of scanners welcomed you two as you entered the store. He went to get a cart while you brings out your list. You led him while he pushed the cart.

“Have we ever done this? Grocery shopping?”

“Yeah, we use to do this every month.” you smiled. “We both enjoy the feeling of buying groceries. You know, like the sense of being adult.”

Taehyung chuckled, “I get it. It’s satisfying.”

“Yeah, that’s it.” you nod.

You and Taehyung continued to chat as you shop for what you two put on your list. Of course, each of you placed various items that were not listed. You two will probably regret it later. You’re glad to know that you two still agree on some things.

“Oh, wait. I forgot about something in the dairy section.” you paused.

“Okay, let’s go get it,” Taehyung responded, ready to pull back your half-filled cart.

“No, you can go get these. I’ll catch up.” you left after handing him the list.

Taehyung pushed the cart to the snacks aisle. He sees the chips you listed and decided to get some of his own too. He was about to move to reach for a couple of bars of chocolate when someone called him,

“Tae?”

He paused, immediately recognizing the voice before he even turned his head. And when he did, he sees Lily pushing her cart in his direction.

“Lily,” he spoke with a forced smile. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, you know, shopping.” she quipped while showing her grocery basket, unaware of the gears turning in Taehyung’s head. “That’s a lot of shopping to do yourself.”

“Oh, I… I’m here with someone…” he stuttered.

He looks behind him to see if you’re coming back. His heart stopped when he spotted you behind Lily, coming back with laundry detergent in hand. He saw how your smile fell when you notice the woman in front of him. Your eyebrows furrowed but continued walking toward him. Lily immediately noticed you when you stopped in the middle to put some yogurt in your cart.

“Hi,” you smiled at her.

You knew who she is. Taehyung has already talked about her before and you saw her images before. This is the first time you have ever seen her personally and you can definitely tell why she can do modeling for a living.

“Oh, hi.” she smiles back.

Her voice was soft. You didn’t know much about her since you and Taehyung didn’t really go into details with talking about your past loves. But the thing is… Taehyung is currently in the past. You suddenly felt weak with the idea. This is the woman Taehyung was hoping to see the moment he woke from the hospital a month ago. You knew from Jimin that he was looking for Lily before. She is the girlfriend he knew, the one he remembers.

“Oh… uhm… YN, this is Lily… my friend.” Taehyung awkwardly introduced her. He doesn’t know if you have any idea about her since he never really brought up any topic about her. “Lily, this is YN, my…”

His voice trailed off. He doesn’t how should he introduce you. Will it hurt to introduce you as a friend? Or should he introduce you as his girlfriend? His heart was pounding. You, on the other hand, know why he paused. So you just decided to pull the Band-aid off and resume his sentence,

“Friend. I’m his friend too. I help in the bakery,” you lied.

It was like Taehyung heard that hint of pain in your tone as you introduced yourself. You had a smile on your face that are so good that it can get anyone fooled.

“Oh, really? Do you bake too? I just went there last Saturday. I saw Jimin but I don’t remember seeing you.” she told you.

Your eyebrows furrowed. Suddenly, you remembered seeing Jimin in the mall when Taehyung said that the bakery was busy that day. You were starting to connect things and Taehyung can see it in your face. Your jaw clenched before you turn to him.

“She did?” you asked before swallowing heavily.

You don’t know why but you felt like something in you died. Or someone just kicked you in your gut.

“Yes…” he looked away.

“And Taehyung made his famous cheesecake that I really liked. He was insisting that I take it for free. But I was like, no. I paid for like half of it!” she shared like it was a funny story. She was the only one enjoying this whole thing.

That’s why he brought the cheesecake home. You frowned.

“Anyway, I should go. I still have a lot to go through here.” Lily checked the time on her phone. “Nice to see you again, Tae. Nice meeting you, YN.”

Again, you forced a smile as you turned to her, “Nice meeting you.”

Lily walks off and you watched her back as she gets farther. She seemed nice and really friendly too. Taehyung watched as your smile faded. He looked away when your eyes landed on him. He felt the sweat forming on the corners of his forehead.

“Let’s go on self-checkout.”

taglist rules

RESTARTING OVER AGAIN TAGLIST [will edit] @halesandy @boohoobabe @hopeonysus @taffyteffy @pnlpbnl @arusio @rpkth @cinnamonruts @xyahrinx @betysotelo18 @sugaslittlekookies @doublebunv @dahliasbouqet @lust-kth @aria-grace-scott @milkteallday @hoodalmighty @kiwuki @http-fayeradise @daydreamiies @starlight-night0 @chaoticbisous @mageprincess7 @byunniebaekhyunnie @hiimnothing @koreanaestheticc @shin-ie @blancflms @jeonkoookiee @satorinnie @rjsmochii @yoonglesdoll @somewhereinthestarss @turnthepageandbeburnt @heyjiminnie @bri-mal @teddybeartaetae @cinnamonruts @kaal-ee @nikkiordonez12 @motivatedprocastinator

PERMANENT TAGLIST

@dunixxd @cixrosie @jksjx @embrace-themagic @buttvi @starbtslove @missseoulite @vanntaesworld @kenqki @miyukihoshi @stopeatread @seolaquotes @greyrain23 @chimchimmarie @petalsofink

258 notes · View notes

httpknjoon · 1 year

Text

(re)starting over again | kth; 7

words | 2.2k+

genres | fluff, angst, amnesia au

pairing | taehyung x reader

warning/s | drunk mc

note | it's been so long! i apologize for the long delay. i missed writing for this series. this is a bit shorter but I'm trying to get back on pace with mc and tae. more drama soon. thank you so much for waiting! let me know your thoughts. enjoy reading!

main masterlist | series masterlist

“Hellooo, looove!”

You shuffled out from the hold of your friend and tried to walk towards Taehyung. But midway through the short distance, you almost fell and he immediately ran to catch you in his arms. Since you were too out from everything, he just swept you off your feet and carried you in a bridal style. You giggled.

“Haha! you smell good.” your voice was muffled as you buried your face in his shirt.

Taehyung, who was still a little surprised with seeing you like this, looked at the two ladies you were with. He could feel their eyes scanning him up and down as he stood there. While the other raised an eyebrow, one of them finally uttered,

“So, I assume you’re Taehyung?”

He nods, trying to ignore the stare he is getting from the others, “Uh, yeah… thank you for taking her here.”

“No problem. I’m Yoonji, by the way.” she smiled and noticed Taehyung’s discomfort. She looked at the girl who helped you a while ago. Like she was telling her to stop through her eyes. Then, Yoonji turned back to him, “Don’t mind her. It’s just that YN cannot stop talking about you ever since the alcohol got into her head. Everything we do, she brought you up.”

“Heck. She’s like my boyfriend is… blah, blah, blah. And when some guy tried to buy her a drink, she just didn’t stop talking about you to him. It’s funny.” the other girly finally spoke.

Taehyung looked down at you, who was falling asleep, in his arms. He squeezed his eyes close as he felt guilt creeping up his body. He can hear both Lily and Jimin telling him that he should have told you about his plans. His thoughts broke off when someone from the van honked. He looked up and saw Yoonji nodding her head to whoever was in the van.

“Well, we should go now. We still have more ladies to take back to their homes.” she joked.

“Ah, yes.” Taehyung chuckles awkwardly, seeing someone from the van signaling them to go. “Thank you again.”

The ladies smiled and walked away while Tae carried you inside, pushing and closing the door with his foot. He heard you hum when the door accidentally banged loudly. You slowly opened your eyes. Your voice was raspy as you called for him,

“Love?”

It’s the first time he heard you call him that. He never had someone call him with that term of endearment and didn't really mind it much. But he cannot help but feel his heart soften with the word.

You repeated, “Love? Tae?”

From your point of view, you can only see Taehyung. The ceiling and lights around him were all blurry and hazy, highlighting the face you’ve loved ever since you met him. You smiled just by seeing him.

“Hmm?” He just hummed in response, knowing that you probably won’t remember tomorrow that you called him that. He was opening your bedroom door when you spoke again, “Why are you carrying me?”

“Because you almost fell on our doorstep because you have too much to drink–” Taehyung paused when he entered your room and turned the lights on.

The first thing he saw was the framed picture next to your bed. It was like his eyes automatically set on it. He can see himself smiling in the picture as he looks at you who was smiling at the camera. It was seemingly taken at an outdoor place. Presumably beach. You wore a yellow printed dress with bright red hibiscus tucking your hair behind your ear. Admittedly, it seemed like something he would do. The word, third, was written below the right corner of it.

“No, I didn’t!” you exclaimed, taking his attention away from the photo. “I’m not drunk, love.”

A soft smile formed on his lips as he put you down on your bed, “Of course, you’re not.”

Lines were between your eyebrows as you squinted your eyes at him. Then, you sat, saying, “You don’t believe me.”

And before Taehyung can even reply to that, you spoke again, “I’m thirsty.”

He nods, “Okay, wait here.”

This is not the first time he take care of a drunk person. He remembered looking out for Jimin once when they were younger. He remembered picking up Lily at party months into their relationship too because she was drunk-dialing him nonstop at one in the morning.

Taehyung was about to go left when you whined,

“I’m coming with you!”

You stood up so quickly that you struggle to balance yourself. Everything around you is spinning. And based on the look on your face, Taehyung can tell what’s coming next. He rushed you to your bathroom and as soon as you take sight of the toilet, you fell to your knees and just let yourself throw up in it. He immediately helped to gently hold and remove your hair away from it.

“Fuck.” you cursed in between.

And later on, Taehyung was helping you to go back to your bed even though you claimed: “I can walk, love! I am fine. My feet are okay–” you were cut off before you even finish that sentence as you ran back to run back to the toilet again.

“I want to sit here. I hate the bed, it’s too soft.” you just sat on your carpeted floor when he walked you to your bed.

“Okay, let’s sit here.” he followed, flopping on the ground in front of you.

Due to your heaving, your eyes were damp from the tears. Your makeup turned into a mess, although he was sure you looked amazing before. The glitters and dark mascara were everywhere around your eyes. Suddenly, he remembered to ask:

“Do you have any makeup remover?”

You lazily nod, “Mhm, I do. On my vanity table.”

“Okay, let me get that. Wait here, YN.”

“I’m not going anywhere, love.” you giggled drunkenly, resting your head back on the mattress.

Taehyung smiled, shaking his head, before getting up. Your table was organized enough for him to easily get what he knows he needs to at least clean off the makeup. He knew about this through Lily. Since she was a model, she often work with cosmetics. She asked him to buy some stuff for her when she was busy. Makeup wipes were one of them.

“Come here,” Taehyung whispered as he sat back.

You pulled your head back up from the comfortable mattress and looked at him. Taehyung put on a headband on you to again, move your hair away from your face. And when he was softly pushing it back your forehead, you murmured,

“I miss you, love.”

Taehyung didn’t catch it clearly and paused, “What?”

“Your hands. They’re soft.” you babbled. “I like them.”

“Well, thank you, YN.”

He began, opening the wipes. To keep your head up, he gently held your chin while wiping off the makeup.

“It’s refreshing. I love makeup wipes.” you babbled with your eyes closed.

He bit his lower lip to stop himself from giggling at your cute ramblings. After a few more wipes, you began telling more stories.

“I wish you came with us,” you told him as he threw the used wipes in the small trash can in the corner of your room.

“YN–”

“Love. Call me love. You’ve been calling me by my name. Are you mad at me? I told you I’m not drunk.” you loosed your arms over your chest.

“YN is your name.” he reasoned.

“And I’m your fucking girlfriend.” you tried to look mad but ended up looking adorable with your pout and whiny tone.

Not wanting to cause any more issues, he sighed.

“Love…” he called you, checking if you had issues with it. It was a little strange for him to call you that but at the same time, it rolls off nicely from his tongue. He continued, “It was a bachelorette party. Of course, I cannot go with you.”

“Yeah, but I still wished you were with me. There were guys at the bar who was just too stubborn...” your voice trailed off.

Taehyung, who sat back, paused and glanced at you. The idea of somebody bothering you during what was supposed to be a great night quickly pissed him off.

“Why? Did they do something?” he asked, trying to remain calm.

But you shook your head while removing your shoes, “Nothing. Some guys asked for my number and even tried to buy me a drink. But I told them for like twenty times that I have a boyfriend.”

“Good.”

“I hate this,”

Abruptly, your fingers reached for the top button of your blazer dress. Taehyung’s eyes widened, and he stopped you by caging your hands, which are struggling to unbutton, in his.

“What are you doing?!”

“I hate this. It’s hot!” you complained, starting to feel irritated.

Panic strikes quickly, and he held your hands, “Okay, okay, love. You can go change but I’ll go outside. I’ll go get you something to drink, okay? Can you do that on your own?”

You frowned, “You’re not staying here?”

“I can’t– I mean, no.”

“Okay,” you said, still frowning.

Taehyung nods as he sighed, “Okay.”

He got up and helped you stand on your own too. He walked out of your room after he made sure you can do things on your own. As soon as he closed your door, he found himself in the small hallway between your room. Once again, he exhaled, hands on his hips, eyes staring into space. He was supposed to tell you about Lily tonight but with your state right now and possible hangover tomorrow, he knew that his plan would have to be postponed.

“Here.”

You stopped wiggling in your seat when Taehyung placed a bottle of water on the countertop. He had already opened it for you. It’s only been a couple of minutes since you changed your clothes and go to the kitchen, where your boyfriend is. And when you surprised him with your entrance, he quickly took notice of the shirt you were wearing. He didn’t bother asking you about it, but he knew, it was his.

You felt the relief in your dry throat when you drank almost the bottle.

“Love, I want to eat,” you told him.

“I can go make–”

“What’s that?”

Your index finger pointed to the box on the kitchen island and Taehyung traced what you were pointing at with his eyes. It was the cheesecake he brought home earlier.

“Oh, it’s something I made earlier in the shop. Cheesecake,” he replied.

“I like that! Gimme a slice!” you exclaimed, clapping your hands.

Taehyung grinned, “You might find it too sweet.”

“Definitely not, love. I always love your cheesecakes. You know that.” you giggled and the grin on his face slowly fades.

He wished he did knew about that. He mainly prepared this dessert for someone else, who he never talked with you about. He doesn’t even know if you know about Lily. He hates that he’s starting to realize a lot of things he didn’t know about you.

You let out a satisfied hum when you got the first taste of the cake. Your lips formed into a smile as you rested your chin on your hand.

“How was it?” he asked.

“Amazing as always.”

You take another sliver while staring at him like he was a dream. You looked at him so intently that Taehyung began wondering if there was something on his face. But then, he remembered you’re drunk. There was only silence the whole time he watched you enjoy the small slice of cheesecake. He didn’t ask you any more questions or start any conversation since he, himself, is tired since it was already almost three.

“I love your face,” you said it so casually and it made him scoff.

He has been getting several compliments from you just tonight. It’s probably just because you are drunk, and loves to ramble about everything you see. But then, your eyes became glossier as you rested your head on your palm on the countertop.

“I love your eyes. Most especially, your lips. I love everything about you so much. I love that you have that voice because it really calms me down after my shift. And I’m so happy I always get to see you after a long day at the hospital–” you huffed with tears already slipping from your eyes. “I just love you so much and you make the best cheesecake ever– also, banana bread.”

The last line made him chuckle. Yes, you are drunk and maybe dramatic. But, he can feel the sincerity of your words. No one has ever made such a confession for him. A pang hit his heart. All he can feel now is the heaving feeling in his chest. It must have been hard to be in your place with everything that happened. You have been nothing but nice and caring towards him the whole time. Even though he doesn’t remember anything about you.

He reached for your cheek and wiped off the tears with his thumb. You visibly relaxed from his touch. Like a puppy, you leaned into his warm palm.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, so low that it was almost inaudible.

You probably didn’t hear it since you didn’t react. You just glanced at him with a soft smile and droopy eyelids. Instead, you said:

“I want to sleep.”

taglist rules

RESTARTING OVER AGAIN TAGLIST @halesandy @boohoobabe @hopeonysus @taffyteffy @jkismyasmr @pnlpbnl @arusio @rpkth @cinnamonruts @xyahrinx @betysotelo18 @sugaslittlekookies @doublebunv @dahliasbouqet @lust-kth @aria-grace-scott @milkteallday @hoodalmighty @kiwuki @http-fayeradise @daydreamiies @starlight-night0 @chaoticbisous @mageprincess7 @byunniebaekhyunnie @hiimnothing @koreanaestheticc @shin-ie @blancflms @jeonkoookiee @satorinnie @rjsmochii @yoonglesdoll @somewhereinthestarss @turnthepageandbeburnt @heyjiminnie @bri-mal @teddybeartaetae @cinnamonruts @kaal-ee @vanntaesworld @nikkiordonez12 @butterflieshee @iamkookiesforyou

PERMANENT TAGLIST

@dunixxd @cixrosie @jksjx @embrace-themagic @buttvi @starbtslove @missseoulite @vanntaesworld @kenqki @miyukihoshi @stopeatread @seolaquotes @greyrain23 @chimchimmarie

222 notes · View notes

httpknjoon · 2 years

Text

(re)starting over again | kth; 6.5

words | 3.8k+

genres | fluff, angst, amnesia au

pairing | taehyung x reader

warning/s | flashbacks ahead (you might get confused)

note | Hello! MC doesn't have many appearances in this one but I promise she will have more in the next one. I just want to say THANK YOU for your comments and asks from the last one! I really loved reading them! I hope you'll enjoy reading this one too. Let me know your thoughts!

main masterlist | series masterlist | previous |

FIVE YEARS AGO, Taehyung briefly moved out of his shared apartment with Jimin. He had constructed a plan in his head just a couple of weeks after the bakery opened. Since the said opening was a total success, Taehyung decided to find an apartment of his own, one that is near their business location. Luckily, he found one that he thinks is perfect.

“Move in with me?”

One and a half months later, after living in his own place alone, he asked Lily the question. They just finished watching a movie and just spooning on his couch. He tried to calm his heavy-beating heart as silence took over. The fact that he could not see Lily’s face didn’t help. She remained quiet and he tried to wait patiently. But then, Taehyung felt Lily’s hand moving his arm on her waist, heightening his emotion. But she moved, turning around just to meet his eyes.

“I would love to.” she smiled.

There, it felt like a new chapter had opened in Taehyung’s life. Lily doesn’t have many things, so within that same week, she moved into his one-bedroom apartment. Admittedly, they were both excited. The thought of living in the same house and doing something domestic with his special someone fed Taehyung’s romantic views of things.

But they were dating for only six months at that time and that was also the same time they had known each other. Living together, in the beginning, was all about rainbows and butterflies. But once they went past that phased, they began learning more and more things about each other that can be a more significant issue in their relationship soon.

“Babe, have you seen my eyeliner?” Lily asked as she rummages through the perfectly set throw pillows on their couch.

“No, I haven’t, darling.”

Taehyung watched, still wearing his apron since he just finished trying some new pastry in the kitchen. Lily hurriedly looked for that eye makeup, even looking under the surface of their carpet and other furniture in the living room.

Somewhere in their first four weeks of living together, Taehyung learned how his girlfriend often misplaces her things. Every time she would come back home, she would just drop her stuff everywhere. One time, he even found Lily’s makeup purse in the freezer. He would trip on the neon pink high heels lying around the living room or accidentally sit on her favorite shade of lipstick on their couch. Taehyung is very much aware that he is not the neatest person in the world. But at least he cleans up every time he makes a mess in their kitchen.

“Can we watch other things?”

Another thing he learned, they have different tastes in both music and series. Taehyung was fine at first since he knows everyone has different interests. Every time he puts on a Marvel movie on their TV, Lily would ask to play another thing. He would give way and watch reality shows with her. But that’s what happens every single time. Lily always gets what she wants. Taehyung tried making her watch one of his favorite films with him but she ended up sulking. They did not even get to finish it.

Then somewhere sometime during their third month of living in one home, Lily dropped hints about her thoughts on his career path.

“What’s that smell?”

Lily walked out of their shared bedroom. She was ready to leave for an advertisement photoshoot her mom booked her. It’s early in the morning, the clock just ticked to six. Taehyung was trying out another recipe before he gets to the bakery later.

“Oh, I was baking this–”

Lily cuts him off before he can finish his sentence, “I don’t like it.”

“What?” His head tilted in her direction. His confused eyes met her empty ones.

“I don’t like it,” she repeated.

He chuckled, thinking that she was kidding, “Darling, it’s cookies.”

“Yeah, but I don’t like the smell of it. Plus, I think the smell of everything you bake sticks to every fabric in this apartment,” she explained.

Taehyung stopped from what he was doing and crosses his arms over his apron-wearing chest, “So what are you trying to say?”

“I am trying to say don’t bring your baking stuff here in our unit. You and Jimin have your own shop to do all that.”

Picking up her changing tone, Taehyung just sighed, “Okay. Let me just finish this single batch.”

“Great. I appreciate that.” she smiled. “Anyways, I got to go, babe. Mom will tear my ear off if I show up past her scheduled time.”

It began with that: Lily complaining about the smell. Later, the ‘mess’ he makes when baking in the kitchen. Then suddenly she hates the clicking sound of the oven when he is using it. She said that it distracts her. Suddenly, there is a list of a hundred things she does not like about baking in general. Jimin even noticed it when he visited there one time.

“I’m just saying, why do it here? Why do baking in this kitchen?!” Lily hissed as she drops her purse on the couch. “I hate that my house has to smell like a bakery all the time–”

“For your information, this is my house too.”

“Yet I was the only one who paid the bills for last month.”

“It was one time and I already paid my share, Lily! The bakery is just starting out and–” Taehyung tried to explain but she interrupted him once again.

“I should have told you this. I knew that bakery will never work.”

Taehyung paused, trying not to display his confusion and little shock with that, “What?”

But Lily remained angry as she lets wordy come out of her lips, “If I am being honest, I don’t see any potential from it, Taehyung. I think both you and your friend are just wasting your money and time on starting your own business! You should have just accepted that contract offer from my–”

Two months into their relationship, Taehyung met Lily’s mom when he decided to accompany her on going to her photoshoot for that day. He would drive her to her shoots every time that he can. Lily would complain that the road traffic would make her late and Taehyung would try to ease her up with a lighthearted joke. Sometimes, it would work. Sometimes, it would not.

Anyways, Lily’s manager is her mom ever since she was a kid. When he met her, Taehyung was waiting for Lily somewhere in the studio during her photoshoot. Her mom was late but simply sat on the vacant monobloc beside him. They don’t know each other but her mom kept on saying things like: “Isn’t she pretty?” or “She should have posed this way.”. When she asked him if he was one of the staff members, Taehyung chuckled respectfully and introduced himself as the model’s boyfriend.

“I don’t remember my daughter telling me she is dating someone,” she uttered with a strict tone.

For some reason, Taehyung felt a little terrified hearing that since she seems like a very stern person. Also, it was his first time meeting the parent of someone he dates. Lily later introduced them to each other formally after the whole shoot. Gladly, her mom invited him to an unexpected lunch. Lily said he doesn't have to say yes if he doesn’t want to. But Taehyung accepted the invite. In the middle of that same lunch, her mom complimented him on his looks, asking if he also works in the same industry. Taehyung shyly denied it and proudly replied about starting a bakery with his best friend, sharing that they have been dreaming of it since they were little kids. He remembered seeing her mom’s face grimace upon learning that. Lily looked away. Taehyung tried not to think much of it.

“So you’re saying you never believed in me?” Taehyung interjected, voice a bit weak. But he wants her to deny it. He wants her to say that he was wrong, that he was just overthinking things, and that she is just using the wrong words to express herself.

But Lily paused and chewed her lower lip, crossing her arms over her chest, “It’s not that I don’t believe in you. It’s that I think baking is not for you. More opportunities are made for you than playing with flour every day.”

Taehyung’s shoulder slumped as his breath shook, “It’s my dream. It’s my passion, Lily.”

“And not every dream or passion can get you far. And when things don’t go well with your bakery, it’s like you pour all your money in the drain, and it–”

“It would be gone.” he sadly finished her statement. ”But at least I tried.”

There was a moment of silence after that. Lily remained standing in the middle of their small living room while Taehyung slowly sat on the sofa. After hearing her say those things, he cannot stop himself from questioning everything. Not just their relationship, but also his own being. He hated the feeling, it reminded him of his mom.

“I thought you were going to support me in this, Lily. I supported you with yours,” he mumbled.

“Babe, I’m just saying this because I care for you. Please don’t take offense from it. I– Where are you going?” Lily asked when she noticed him picking up his phone and keys as he stood up.

Taehyung frowned and simply shook his head, “I need some fresh air.”

“When you said that, I felt like I already knew where our relationship was heading,” Lily spoke.

It’s been almost an hour since Lily came to the bakery to meet him. Jimin left a while ago too, so they can have some private time. The moment they sat on one of the empty chairs in the shop, Lily already requested to please don’t bombard her with questions. She was delicate and sympathetic talking to him.

“Okay, Taehyung. I know that you are confused and have thousands of questions in your head. But I will give you two options. A, you will ask me all of your questions– one by one— and I’ll answer them. Or B, we will pick up where was your last memory and I’ll tell what happens later on.” Lily placed her clasped hands on the table.

Taehyung pursed his lips, staring back at her. It took him some seconds before forming a response.

“Are you going, to be honest?”

“Of course,” Lily replied, followed with a small smile of assurance.

So he chose the second option with the trust that she would be truthful in telling their story. Here they are, almost an hour later, Taehyung tried to digest everything he just heard. Yes, Lily shared her side of the story but he could also imagine what he could have felt at that time.

“I was already feeling guilt all over me by the time you got back. It was only an hour. I was planning to apologize to you but you said you wanted to end everything between us.”

“I think, you were only out for less than an hour. And the longer you were not there with me, all these heavy, negative emotions started to weigh over me. I hated it. I was like a ticking bomb.” Lily sighed in regret for her own actions before. “The emotions were all mixed up. I was growing mad and sad at the same time. I was starting to question myself about what I said. So when you got back, I was overwhelmed with emotions. When you tried to have a proper conversation with me, it just emerged into this another argument. Then you said that if we will not meet halfway by settling our differences, we should just break up. And I, being a prideful person, immediately agreed and packed up my things the same night.”

Lily rolled her eyes at her own description of her past self. That is how she sees herself from that event of five years ago.

“Prideful?” Taehyung repeated, evidently confused with her use of words.

She looks at him, “Looking at it now, I had so many realizations. Prideful because I was too proud before. I thought I was right with what I said and expected about your career and business. So when you said the thing about of break up, I felt like ‘Oh, okay. It will be your loss. I won’t be the one who will be a failure.’. Then before I left, you told me one thing.”

“What is it?”

“You hoped that I feel the same happiness in modeling in the same satisfaction you get from doing your passion.” she smiled softly. “I think you said that because you want me to understand back then why you went with baking and having a co-owned bakeshop even though it was a very risky move to do.”

Taehyung nodded wordlessly. He knew he needed some time to fully process everything. But for now, he felt pleased with what he heard. Everything somehow made sense.

“The truth is I was never into modeling. My mom was always the one who pushed me to it ever since I was four.” Lily revealed and Taehyung’s mouth gaped. “So after us and some realizations, I finally decided to leave her management. I began working on the career I really wanted, the one I went to study for.”

“Cosmetology,” Taehyung mumbled with a tone of understanding. “You told me before that you only went for that course since it will contribute to your modeling.”

Lily chuckled, “Well, I also used that as an excuse to my mom so she will let me take that course. But I have been dreaming to be a stylist ever since I was eight. I tried telling my mother about it before but she always rebuked it... One thing I learned is I did the same thing to you and I am always sorry for doing it. I just never say it to you after we broke up.”

“Why? Did we never meet each other again?” he asked, shifting on his seat.

“Nope. I saw you many times near the salon before since there is a bakeshop supply store there. But I was always ashamed to approach you. I am always ashamed of how and why I left. I felt like approaching you would be just a disturbance to your peace and you seemed happier after us.” Lily’s lips formed into a smile. “I’m glad that my poor expectations before were proven wrong. You and Jimin have one of the best bakeries in the city. Although I never walked in here again, people around me always have your products. Even my son loves your cheesecake.”

Taehyung blinked as he tried not to look surprised, “You have a son?!”

“I do! Wait…” Lily excitedly reached for her phone and showed him her current lock screen. It’s an image of a toddler messily holding a chocolate ice cream cone. “His name is Leehyun. He turned two three months ago.”

Taehyung can feel the happiness and love radiating from her as she talks about her son. Her eyes sparkles while she stared at Leehyun’s picture, all while telling a short story about him. It simply showed how time has already gone by and she is doing better than before.

“He looks cute.” he complimented. “Actually, I made some cheesecake. You should take it home as a gift.”

“Oh, no. I will pay for it!” Lily uttered.

“Yeah, you should. You literally said that my business is going to fail before!”

Taehyung joked and luckily, Lily quickly picked that up. She first looked at him with a dramatic shocked expression before they shared a good laugh. After that, they glanced at one another with more relaxed smiles on their faces.

“I’m really sorry, Taehyung. What I did and said before is all wrong and hurtful. You deserve someone who can give an equal amount of attention, care, and love you deliver to everyone, including to me when we were together. I am sorry for ever doubting you and your passion five years ago. It was all my fault for projecting my insecurities and other issues to you. I really, really hoped that you are having greater people and things around you now.”

Her voice quivers towards the last sentence. Taehyung stared at her for a minute, studying her face. Her eyes were glistening like she is about to cry. She was biting her inner cheeks. He knew she is sincere. Sincere but nervous. So he gently reached out for her hand that was on the table. It’s frozen cold.

“We’re good.” he simply said, followed by a nod and smile.

Hearing that, Lily sighed shakily. Her shoulders visibly slumped like weights have been lifted off them. It made Taehyung wonder if she have been feeling that heavy before they met here today. Taehyung rarely hears such a genuine apology so he decided to forgive her. He always hoped to hear one from someone for a long time now anyway.

“Thank you. It means a lot.” Lily stated. She exhaled again before asking, “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“How are you now? Like do you place out of place here in the bakeshop after waking up?”

Taehyung leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest, “I… I’ve been confused a lot of times. Many customers come in here talking to me like I know them when I really do. But Jimin helps me to explain to everyone what happened. Also, adjusting to the new house, he helped me.”

“That’s great! I cannot imagine how hard would it be if you were dating someone before the accident.” Lily shared, unaware of your existence.

The thought of you quickly popped into his head as he felt his stomach drop. Taehyung gulped, “What? Why?”

“I mean, you forgot about– Wait, you are not dating anyone, are you?” Lily noticed how his demeanor changed so she asked.

“... I am. She’s a nurse.”

“Oh my god.” she covered her mouth. “How long have you been dating each other?”

“Four years. We’re also living together.” Taehyung replied so stiffly, more nervous because of Lily’s reactions.

“Oh my god,” she repeated, sadder this time. “Please tell me she knows that you are talking with me right now, Taehyung.”

His heart beats faster as he wordlessly shook his head as an answer. The guilt was all coming back to his body when Lily called his name with a disappointed tone.

“Tae… You should have told her about this. Does she hate me?”

“No… I don’t know,” he replied, pursing his lips.

“Does she even know about me?”

“I don’t know.”

Lines formed between her eyebrows before she asked a question again, “Do you even talk to her?!”

“Of course!” Taehyung quickly replied. He hated how he sounded defensive.

Lily looked concerned. But she just said, “Okay, can you promise me that you will tell her about this when you got home?”

Taehyung nods, “Yes, I promise.”

Maybe he really just wants to be left alone.

You stared outside the van’s window, leaning your head against it. It’s been a couple of hours since you and Jisoo saw Jimin at the mall. You tried not to think much about it but you failed. You were thinking of why Taehyung told you they are busy at that hour. Why Jimin is in the mall? Or is any of them lying?

Your head remained occupied throughout your preparation for Jisoo’s bachelorette party. Luckily, you managed to still make your glittery makeup great and amazing. You even styled your hair to a sleek high bun in favor of the black mini blazer dress you’re wearing. You also wore dark high pumps for it.

Currently, Jisoo’s cousins, the bridesmaids, picked you up. As soon as you got in the van, they made you take a shot of alcohol. You were the last one to fetch before you all go to the place they planned to go to. The maid of honor is with Jisoo, she will be the one to take her there. Julia was supposed to come too but her shift schedule got in the way. Nonetheless, you never felt out of place with Jisoo’s family.

“Here, take another shot.” Yoonji handed you a shot glass filled with tequila once again.

You turned your head to her and giggled, “I already took one.”

“Yeah, but you seemed to be thinking a lot of things. This one will help you forget it for the meantime,” she replied with a smirk.

“Okay.” you laughed and drank it. “I just hope I don’t forget too much!”

Lily did stay for another hour after making him promise. They, mostly Lily, talked about the last five years. She shared how she already cut her mom off, how she met Leehyun’s father and many more. Before she left, Taehyung tried to give her the whole cheesecake in a cute box. But she urged on taking only the half as she don’t want her son having too much dessert.

“You should take the other half to your girlfriend. She’ll love it,” she advised as she insisted on paying him full price for it.

In the end, she left the money on their counter and hastily exits the bakeshop. Taehyung laughed as he watched her leave since Lily knows that was the only way he will accept her payment. When Taehyung was already closing down the shop minutes later, he received a text message from Lily.

It was nice seeing you again, Tae! Thank you for today and the cheesecake. Take the money and put it in your cash register! LOL! Anyways, keep that promise, okay? Let me know if she hates me, just kidding! Good luck, Taehyung! :)

He smiled reading that one. Then, he messaged Jimin, updating him, and texting that he will be closing the shop. Although alone, he managed to do it fast. Taehyung went home with a box of half cheesecake in his hands. He already made a plan to tell you about everything tonight. He’s hoping that he can wait for you to come home.

SOMETIME AROUND 2AM, Taehyung woke up to knocks on the front door. By then, he found himself sleeping on the couch in the living room with the television playing some random movie. He was waiting for you to come home. It took him half a minute to get up and realize that it was already late.

“Kim Taehyung, are you in there?!”

Someone outside the door continued knocking– slamming on the door. He figured that maybe it was you. So, he opened the door. He did not expect what he sees.

There is a short-haired woman in front of him. You were at the back being supported by another woman since you seemed like you cannot balance yourself. Your hair looked a little disheveled as your head kept on nodding down like you are falling asleep. Then slowly, you looked up at him. He can already tell you had too many drinks. From a blank stare, your expression changed to a happy and surprised look when you recognized who he is.

“Helloooo, looove!”

additional note: wasted mc coming up soon. let me know your thoughts! thank you for reading.

RESTARTING OVER AGAIN TAGLIST [closed for now] @halesandy @telepathytae @boohoobabe @hopeonysus @taffyteffy @jkismyasmr @pnlpbnl @arusio @rpkth @cinnamonruts @xyahrinx @betysotelo18 @linours @sugaslittlekookies @doublebunv @dahliasbouqet @jeontier @lust-kth @aria-grace-scott @milkteallday @hoodalmighty @kiwuki @seolaquotes @daydreamiies @starlight-night0 @chaoticbisous @hoodalmighty @mageprincess7 @byunniebaekhyunnie @yady24 @hiimnothing @koreanaestheticc @prlan @hautae @shin-ie @blancflms @jeonkoookiee @satorinnie @rjsmochii @yoonglesdoll @somewhereinthestarss @dxestars @hoonicookies @turnthepageandbeburnt @heyjiminnie @bri-mal @teddybeartaetae @kaal-ee @vanntaesworld

PERMANENT TAGLIST @dunixxd @cixrosie @moonchild1 @jksjx @embrace-themagic @buttvi @starbtslove @missseoulite @alpacaseoks

273 notes · View notes