One Shot

You warily eyed the people in the convenience store while silently perusing the aisle. "Good...there isn't much people in here..." you thought but still, you didn't let your guard down.

It only took one mistake...one mistake that could very well cost you everything.

You shuffled closely to the shelves and made sure to lower your cap. You weren't in the range of the surveillance cameras anymore but you could never be too sure.

Hurriedly but without any obvious movements that would draw attention your way, you began grabbing as many food items as you could inconspicuously.

You made sure to stuff them underneath your layer of clothes and then looked around for anything else you might have needed.

Your eyes zoned in on a Snickers bar and you gulped. Usually you never took more than what was necessary but after the week you were having, one little chocolate bar wouldn't hurt...it wasn't like you weren't already a fucking criminal anyways...

Your hand reached out for it but you paused a few moments before you touched it and then smacked your cheeks. "Stupid! Remember why you're doing this in the first place...the more you take, the more tempted you'll be to stay this way..." you berated yourself and then lowered your arm.

Just the bare minimum. That was all you allowed yourself to take.

With unshed tears and one last wistful look to the delectable treat, you reached for a pack of instant rice but then felt someone grab your wrist.

Your entire body tensed apprehensively and your heart raced in fear.

Shit! You were too careless and let your guard down. This is it...you were caught and you were going to pay the consequences for your stupid lack of control in wanting a damn Snickers bar.

The tears that you initially refused to let surface was now growing harder to hold back and you had to clamp down on your lips as to stop them from trembling.

Any second now and the person in charge would start screaming, so you squeezed your eye shut and braced yourself for the worse...

The bag was snatched out of your grasp and you gasped in protest as your eyes snapped open but before you could grab it, you made eye contact with a tall man who looked down at you, an unreadable expression on his face.

You recognized him but you couldn't recall where.

Without any words however, he turned and headed straight for the cash register, making you panic.

Just when you thought he was going to rat you out though, you saw him grab his wallet and your jaw dropped.

W-was he paying for it?...

You started shaking, for different reasons now, and you gritted your teeth in anger.

Who did he think he was to be doing this for you...

You knew your anger was misplaced but after the shitty week you had gone through and the amount of things you had failed to steal, this man was a perfect victim to unleash your fury upon.

You were being irrational but at the same time your pride didn't allow you to accept anyone's pity, especially not from this handsome stranger. You couldn't afford to be indebted to someone -literally and metaphorically.

And because you also couldn't afford to be caught, you did the only thing you could do to protect yourself...

You turned tail and ran.
——————————————————
Taehyung inhaled the fragrant and savory scent of his cup ramen and then slurped up the delectable treat.

As he chewed the noodles, his thoughts drifted off to a time in his past when everything was still perfect.

The time when he was accompanied by 6 other friends as they all sat in this exact store eating the same snack they always did.

He sighed but tried not to think about how that all went to hell.

"Shit" he cursed. In his moment of stupor, the broth had splattered onto his white uniform and he groaned in annoyance but then shrugged his hoodie on to cover it up. He looked around the store for tissue but something in the mirror had caught his attention.

He gazed, intrigued, at the reflection of a woman who was huddled in one corner of the store and then frowned slightly.

He couldn't see past the cap that was currently shielding her eyes but only her lips which, he noted with concern, was currently melded into a frown.

Taehyung's eyes trailed down to her hair which from where he was sitting, looked silky and for some unknown reason he wanted to run his fingers through them -to see if they were really as soft as they seemed.

He blushed slightly when he realized how creepy that sounded and he cleared his throat pointedly before he resumed studying the woman.

Despite the baggy hoodie that covered any hint of curves on her, Tae was captivated.

The way she carried herself made it impossible for Tae to look away. This woman had an aura of defiance and her stance made sure that anyone who approached her knew that she didn't mess around.

Why was she so guarded?

Unfortunately that wasn't the most pressing concern at the moment. He could see the slight movement she made as she stuffed her bag with as many items as possible and Tae scowled.

He didn't understand what made her want to steal. Was it to fit in with the crowd? He knew how peer pressuring went and stealing would lead to nothing but regret...not to mention that it also brought back unpleasant memories, making him bite down hard on his bottom lip.

It was none of his business though and it wasn't his place to get involved with a stranger's life choice -regardless of whether or not it ruined her life but before he could turn away, he saw the glossy sheen of her eyes that carried tears which were on the verge of falling -the look that spoke volumes.

It told him that she didn't have a choice.

The same as him, he reminisced...but the difference was that he had his hyungs to stop him from going down the wrong path.

Maybe this was a sign, now that he met another person who was in a similar place.

He had the chance to help make someone's life better.

Before he knew it his legs were carrying him to her direction.

As he got closer he noticed that she was eyeing some chocolates with yearning, making it hard for him to fight back the slight tilt his lips made in amusement.

"...Stupid! Remember why you're doing this in the first place...the more you take the more tempted you'll be to stay this way..."

That confirmed what he already assumed. "So she definitely isn't doing it for fun..." he looked down at his hand and quickly made a decision.

He was now behind her and when she reached for another item on the shelf, Tae clamped his hand firmly on her wrist and immediately felt her jerk in shock.

He watched as she bit down hard but ignored it for now and eyes the black bag she held in her left hand.

Without a word he snatched it and saw her instinctively reach out for it.

Tae's eyes met hers and he saw surprise, confusion -even recognition?- and then defiance, all filter pass her expressive eyes that were still glossy with the salt of her pain.

His heart thudded painfully in his chest and despite not knowing this stranger, he felt her pain...he wanted to take that away, even if he couldn't do much.

Again, he didn't speak and only turned towards the cash register.

The least he could do was pay for this and then he could use that as an excuse to interrogate her about her actions.

He pulled his wallet out but then he heard the sound of the door swing open.

"Shit she's running!" He thought in panic. He hadn't realized that she would abandon her bag. It made him wonder just how desperate she was and why she didn't have to think twice about abandoning something she took the time to steal.

It was more important than getting caught.

There was something she was protecting.

He cursed. Quickly he grabbed handful of chocolates -he couldn't tell which one she was looking at- and threw them in the bag as well, right before shoving his credit card in the employee's hand.

Tae shouldered the backpack and ran out the door, vaguely hearing it chime in the back of his mind as he scoured around the area.

She was nowhere to be seen.
——————————————————
You panted and rested on hand on the wall to catch your breath and clenched your fist.

"Dammit!" You growled and slammed your fist against the wall, immediately feeling the throb it made in protest for the harsh treatment.

That bag had food that should have fed you and him for at least three days...

You felt your eyes water and this time you didn't hold it back. Nothing was going your way right now and you wished that just once life would give you a break.

You sloppily wiped away the hot tears and sniffled. There was no time to sulk, you had a mouth to feed and you'd be damned if you went home empty handed.

The dark orbs of the mysterious man's eyes made you pause for a second however and you furrowed your brows, unable to pinpoint why he seemed so familiar to you...

You reached for your phone in a daze but then you gasped. "No no no no no!" You ranted in horror because it only just dawned to you.

Your phone was in your bag and your wallet too.

And in the wallet was your ID...

...the ID that had your address on it

Your eyes widened in worry. "기현아! (Kihyun-ah!)" He was alone at home and if the guy was kind enough to buy everything you stole, you were sure he'd make sure it got to you.

You couldn't let him get to Kihyun though. If anything happened to your baby brother...

You growled and took off in a sprint.
——————————————————
Taehyung cursed under his breath and roughly sat on the pavement while blowing his bangs away in a frustrated huff. He eyed the black backpack with curiosity and pouted.

He may as well see what he had paid for...

He straightened up and unzipped the bag even further and blinked in surprise.

Most of it was instant food with a couple of toiletries here and there. He lifted up a shirt and paused. It was a uniform shirt. But not just any uniform, it was the female counterpart of the uniform he was wearing...

"She goes to our school?" He thought in surprise and he grinned once more.

So there was still hope.

He dug further into the bag and his hands brushed against something smooth. He pulled it out and chuckled dryly.

"Really? She left her wallet behind?" He thought with a sweat drop.

Now the proper gentlemanly thing to do was to obviously put everything back and hunt her down in school.

But this was Taehyung, and he had already done his good deed of the day.

Besides, it was easier just to go through her stuff and return it today. Convinced by his reasoning, he opened the wallet and peered inside.

There was a couple of bills he rifled across and then his fingers brushed against a Polaroid photo. He pulled it out and his eyes widened slightly.

The girl was smiling without restraint and he could tell it was the same girl he had seen today, but only younger.

Besides her there was a boy, she had her arms resting on his shoulder with a peace sign and Tae's eyes softened.

Quietly he put it back and grabbed one of the cards. It was an ID and he perked up. "Y/N..." he mumbled and his lips quirked in a small smile.

There was an address written just for him.

Perfect.
——————————————————
Tae didn't know why his heart was beating nervously but he knew for sure that he was excited. He wanted to see you again and still, he couldn't explain why.

He knocked on the door and fidgeted awkwardly as he waited.

Suddenly there was a loud padding of footsteps and he gulped. The door swung open. "Seriously Y/N? You forgot the keys to the house aga-"

The boy blinked in surprise, his mouth hanging open when he saw someone else besides his sister and he narrowed his eyes.

Taehyung studied the boy and noted that it was the same kid in the picture.

"I don't know who you are but my sister isn't interested. Goodbye" He slammed the door in Taehyung's face and the said man stood there, frozen and unable to comprehend what just happened.

He looked around him and sighed. Again, he knocked firmly on the door.

"Go away!"

"...I have your sister's bag and wallet"

There was a moment of silence and then the door swung open again as the boy studied Tae in disdain.

He saw the same uniform his sister wore so he was sure he wasn't too much of a threat...She'd definitely want her stuff back too...

He grumbled and opened the door even wider and Tae perked up. "...come inside"
——————————————————
Taehyung raised a brow as he continued being scrutinized by the boy sitting across him. "Yes?" He asked and the boy huffed.

"How do you know my sister?" He suspiciously questioned and Tae chuckled.

How cute. He was protective over her despite looking like he was around 8 years old.

"I don't." Tae answered back honestly.

He could tell by now that you were stealing for your brothers sake and that the kid had no idea what was going on so he decided that a little white lie wouldn't hurt. "...but she accidentally left her bag behind the store and disappeared before I had the chance to return it to her so here I am" he finished lightly and the boy's eyes widened.

"...she should take better care of herself" He whispered and Tae tensed. He had the decency not to pick on those words so he decided to change topics.

"What's your name kid?"

"...Kihyun...and I'm not a kid! I'm 9 years old!" He retorted back with a scowl and Tae laughed while reaching into the bag. "Of course...my bad Kihyun..." he pulled out a candy bar and handed it to the boy who brightened up.

"I love KitKat! Thank you..." He trailed off and then blinked. "Uh...what's your name?" He asked bluntly and Tae snorted.

"Taehyung"

"Well thanks Taehyung" he beamed brightly and ripped the packet open.

Tae dug into the bag and pulled out a Snickers bar that he threw in and Kihyun smiled. "That's Y/N's favorite" he said with a grin and Tae paused.

So that's what she was looking at earlier...

Slowly he placed it back in the bag and pulled out a Milky Way bar instead.

"...so tell me a little bit about you guys"
——————————————————
You panted and wiped your forehead as you approached your front door. It seemed to be quiet inside so you let out a sigh of relief and rifled through your pockets for the keys.

Once inside, you heard the sound of Mario kart and shook your head. Kihyun needed to cut down on all the games he played...

You frowned though as you looked around the house. Soon the two of you would have to move out...you didn't earn enough to keep up with rent and you were ready to drop out of high school so you could work full time...the thing was, nobody hired high school dropouts so you were stuck between a rock and a hard place...

This was by far better than being separated with your brother though. You'd be damned if you let the system tear you two apart...he was the only one you had left and you were the only one who could protect him...

You shuffled into the living room tiredly. "Yah! Kihyun-ah how long have you been on that gam-"

You choked in surprise and broke out into a fit of coughs when you saw the man from earlier...playing a game with your little brother.

"Oh? You're back" Kihyun simply responded and then jumped up. "Y/N! Taehyung's the only one who can beat me at Mario Kart! That's crazy right?"

You nodded weakly but your eyes never left the man sitting cross legged on the floor. "...Kihyun, let me just talk to, Taehyung, for a bit okay?" You murmured as your tongue rolled over the new name.

Kihyun, the ever so innocent child, nodded happily and bounded off to his room. "You'll come back again tomorrow right?" He asked Tae excitedly and the said man chuckled while patting the boy's hair.

Tae glanced at you for a brief moment and then turned back to your brother. "...it's all up to the boss" he joked and Kihyun laughed brightly and ran off.

Now that you two were alone the tension was palpable. You eyed him warily and didn't relax for one second. You were going to have to drill Kihyun about letting strangers in again...

"What do you want from me?" You asked, cutting straight to the chase. "...I can't pay you back for everything so just take it" you added on and Tae huffed.

"Will you relax?" He demanded and you tensed even more. "I don't know you at all and you managed to end up in my house. How can I fucking relax!" You hissed lowly and Tae raised one brow.

"...maybe you shouldn't have left your bag there then hmm?" He questioned and you faltered.

Dammit...

Your cheeks flushed in embarrassment and you knew you were only taking your anger out on him because of what he had seen you do...you were ashamed because this wasn't who you were.

You gulped and looked away. "I-I know...I didn't think you'd buy everything for me though..." you whispered so softly and you didn't think he heard you.

His eyes softened and he tentatively walked towards you. "...why did you do it?"

You froze. "T-that's none of your business" you answered him stubbornly and he sighed but took a step back. He wasn't going to overstep his boundaries...yet.

He could tell you had a rough day.

You watched Taehyung nod acceptingly and your mouth parted slightly in shock. You expected him to prod even more but he stepped down.

For some reason that made your heart race.

He went to the kitchen and you relaxed slightly. In those few moments of interaction you could tell he wasn't a terrible person...but was it too soon to trust another guy?

You were interrupted when you felt something dumped on your head. "Wha-"

"Don't leave without your shit next time" he berated and you watched, wide eyed as he deposited your bag into your hands.

Before you could respond Kihyun ran out. "You're leaving now?" He asked with a pout and immediately Tae grinned brightly. "Mhm. I'll see you around kiddo. Don't bully your sister too much alright?"

Kihyun ran towards you and you blinked in surprise. "Tae's coming back tomorrow right?" He asked excitedly and you grimaced but pulled out a big smile. "Well Tae's probably busy Kihyun..."

You watched his eyes sadden and cursed yourself inwardly for how much control the damn brat had over you. He was just too cute. "...b-but if he isn't then sure, he can come back tomorrow"

The bright smile resurfaced and he faced Tae. "Are you busy??" He asked expectantly and Tae laughed.

"No, I'll see you tomorrow then" he answered back but his eyes were on you and you flushed.

Tae waved to your brother with a big smile and then with one final wink to you, he walked out the front door with his hands in his pocket.

The moment he stepped out however, his smile faded away and on his face was a dark look as he put two and two together.

He saw no sign of parents in your house and he knew that you were probably working while studying but that wasn't enough.

So you were stealing for your brother.

As he headed back home, he made it his mission to make sure you two were okay. He didn't know why but he knew it felt right.
——————————————————
The realization washed over you now. Kim Taehyung went to your school...he was the one you had seen a couple of times...

If you remembered right, he was the bright and happy guy everyone looked up to. He had this group of friends and you never saw them apart but recently you hadn't seen those guys around...

You heard your phone ring and you reached into your bag for it. Your eyes widened.

It was a message, from Taehyung...

'Don't eat it all at once, see you tomorrow"

When had he placed his number in...but then the words processed and your brows furrowed. "...eat what?" You thought while heading towards the kitchen to prepare for dinner.

You froze when you caught what was sitting on the table and eyed it in disbelief.

There was a pile of Snicker bars...

You slowly reached for one while shaking your head and then laughed, catching yourself by surprise.

You hadn't laughed so freely in a while...

"Thank you"

You hit send.

...Not just for the chocolates
——————————————————
Tae had come in the next day as promised and while you figured out how you were going to pay the next bills, the two boys kept themselves occupied with their games.

You had made dinner for them both and a couple hours later Kihyun had fallen asleep.

Your fingers gently brushed your brother's hair from his forehead and you watched his chest rise up and down. "...Thank you for paying for it" you whispered and Tae turned to face you but said nothing. He knew what you meant.

He saw your cheeks flush pink. "Cute..." he thought before he could help himself and then blinked in embarrassment.

He didn't know what was wrong with him...

"...know I haven't thanked you properly but I'll pay you back. I promise"

Tae missed some of the things you said but caught the gist of it and then smiled boyishly.

Your heart skipped a beat when you saw his smile and you silently berated yourself. "You've literally only known this man for two days! Get yourself together!" You'd scolded silently.

He pinched your cheeks and you protested incoherently but he cut you off.

"You can repay me back by not stealing again." He simply responded and you frowned.

You...you couldn't do that...you didn't want to tell him that you were dropping out of school either so that you could work full time...

But suddenly you felt a slip of paper in your palms and he stood up while stretching. He covered up his yawn and smiled softly at you.

"I'll see you tomorrow" he murmured and walked off without another word.

You were too surprised to stop him and only after you heard the soft click of the front door closing, did you open up the paper.

It was the name of that popular cafe around your town...and a phone number.

'My friend owns the place and I told him you were looking for work. Just ask for Jin and tell him Taehyung told you about him.'

The writing became blurry and your tears dripped onto the paper with a soft patter.

You shakily stood up while sniffling but then you heard something drop onto the ground from your pocket. You bent down slowly to pick whatever it was up but then paused.

You held back a surprised laugh.

It was a Snickers bar.
——————————————————
After the referral, you had spoken to Tae about everything. It was the least you could do for him. He deserved to know what he was helping you with.

You told him about your parents, the struggle you went through to support your brother by yourself, the jobs you piled on together with school work that grew more difficult to balance each day, how you reached a new low and resorted to stealing...

He sat quietly throughout every single thing you told him and when you finally broke out into a sob, he reached for your hands and held them.

He didn't know how much that one action meant to you.

And despite how much he protested your idea of dropping out of school, he understood and respected your decision.

That had been three years ago.

You had grown since then and now manage the same cafe Tae helped you get a job at in place of Jin.

You blushed when you recalled how Kihyun had one day asked the two of you if you were dating, to which Tae waggled his brows in response to and said "We are now"

Life had changed so much since that day and you knew that if Tae had never appeared how he did and paid for your items, you would've gone down a much darker path.

Now you were in full custody of your brother which meant that the system wouldn't place you two apart and you also had a steady income.

You snapped out of your reverie when you saw Tae throw something in the air. You caught it and looked down at the packet of hard candy in your hand and you shook your head.

"I'm going to get fat you know?" You muttered sarcastically and Tae shot you a dazzling grin as his eyes raked you up and down, he took his time.

You flushed at his scrutiny...no matter how much time had passed, he still made you feel giddy and special every single day.

To distract yourself, you ripped open the wrapper and popped it into your mouth, sucking on the sweet treat and he chuckled.

"That's a shitty way to thank your sugar daddy you know?" he joked and you choked on air.

"T-Taehyung!" You screeched but he lifted his hands up calmly and flicked your forehead.

"It's a joke" he said with an amused huff and stuck his tongue out at you.

"W-whatever! You need to stop with all the candies...never mind that you always seem to strategically place Snickers around me all the time..." you mumbled under your breath and he grinned but his eyes softened.

"I know you like them a lot though"

Your heart skipped a beat and you didn't trust your voice so you shot him a weak smile and sighed.

"Still..." you berated but he pointedly ignored you.

You made a clacking noise with the candy and Tae scrunched his nose. "That's so bad for your teeth" he muttered and you stuck your tongue out as a sign that you didn't care.

"What flavor is it?" He murmured and you smirked. "Like hell I'll tell you" you shot back smugly but that seemed to have been a mistake because he then smiled cockily.

"Tsk tsk...you still think you can win against me huh..." he whispered, deepening his voice and your eyes widened as you scrambled off the ground but you were too late.

Suddenly you were sprawled on your back as your boyfriend looked down at you with an evil grin. "So what flavor did you say it was?" He repeated innocently and you narrowed your eyes in defiance.

"I didn't say anything!" You retorted back stubbornly. "...and I sure as hell won't tel-"

His lips pressed against yours and instinctively your mouth parted.you felt his tongue brush lightly against yours and you gasped, feeling the electricity run through your body but just as quickly as he stole a kiss, he pulled away.

You lay there in shock but then Tae lifted you back to a sitting position. Your mind was still whirling from his attack and he chuckled at how disheveled you were.

"...I like grape too" he said cheekily and you gasped, snapping out of your daze when you realize the candy was no longer with you.

"You se-"

But again, he cut you off. Tae seemed to be doing that a lot these days.

"You know what you stole that day which you never returned?" He whispered and you immediately dropped your retort while frowning as you thought over his words.

He was talking about that day in the convenience store three years ago...but you had made sure to pay him back for every single thing no matter how much he protested back then...

You frowned in confusion. "I'm sure I gave everything back?"

He shook his head "Nah...this is something that I won't let you return" he easily said.

You scowled and pushed yourself closer to him. "You lied? I thought you said everything was settled! I told you I wanted to give back everything, even the stupid shit. What did I steal that I haven't paid you ba-"

"My heart"

You shut up.

Tae gazed at you from the corner of his eyes with a relaxed smile and then leaned over to kiss you softly.

"...and I told you, I don't want it back anytime soon" he whispered.
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Wasssssup Biatches!

Okay so let me tell you why this took so long to write. (Here we go)

I initially wrote another story and was almost down with it too but then I was just like. 'NOPE' it just didn't feel right so I had to write another story again.

Hahaha sorry about that 😅 I hope you enjoyed it though and if you did, let me know! ♥️

Hope you lovely readers have been taking care of yourselves!

(And yes, I did base the beginning of it from the Love Yourself videos)