Another man's treasure

"What are you doing out after dark?"

"What do you think I'm doing out after dark?"

The two men laugh, looking at each other before turning back to the small silverette.

"What're you looking for?" The one on the left asks, his breath showing in the cold air as he speaks.

"Hard stuff," Taehyung answers, his arms crossed as he trembles in the cold. "To keep warm."

"Hm," The one on the right hums. "Little thing like you won't need much to warm up."

"Name your price," Taehyung shrugs. "Although...I don't really have any money."

"What do you have?" The same guy smirks.

"What do you want?" Taehyung asks, trying to not cringe at himself. He had one goal in mind, and that was to get as much booze into his system as he could until he forgot about the story Jimin told him.

That's all it was after all, a story. It was
Taehyung's decision whether or not it was reality.

Right now, he wanted to believe that it was just a stupid story. But he knew deep down that Jimin was telling the truth, although it made no sense to him—it made too much sense not to be true.

So instead of crying himself to sleep he decided to go get blackout drunk.

No matter what it took.

~

It was too cold outside and the streets were almost completely empty. Only a few people out not minding curfew, him being one of them.

He knew if he was caught out past curfew that he'd be beating or worse by one of the officers, but he was too drunk to care as stumbled along to his garage.

When he gets there the light is on, and when he opens the door he steps into a slightly heated room.

A contrast from the cold, but not much relief from it.

"Where have you been?" Jeongguk asks as soon as he enters, his expression oddly worried.

"Y-You came back on, huh?" The silverette slurs, hiccuping as he locks the garage door while holding a clear bottle of alcohol.

"It's nearly below freezing outside and you don't have a coat," Jeongguk says in a worried tone. "Not to mention it's well past curfew now. Where were you?"

"Jeongguk," Saying his name reignites the feelings Taehyung was trying so hard to forget about right now. Hearing his voice made him feel like he was suffocating, seeing his face made him feel like he was going to die all together. "J-Just stop, okay? Just stop."

"What happened to your neck?" The android asks.

"Nothing," Taehyung mumbles, unaware of the bruises forming on his neck. "Stop talking, please, stop talking."

"I am going to need an explanation, Taehyung," Jeongguk says firmly. "Your blood alcohol level is high and it's not like you to disappear."

"Stop talking like him," Taehyung says as he plops down in his sleeping area, some of the alcohol sloshing out of the bottle. "You aren't him."

"Talk to me, Taehyung," Jeongguk persists, walking over and joining him in his sleeping area. "You can tell me what is bothering you."

Taehyung shakes his head. "I want you to go away, Jeongguk. I don't want to see you, I don't know what I thinking when I made you."

"You regret making me?"

"Yes,"

"...Because I hurt Jimin?"

"No, because you're hurting me,"

Jeongguk looks away, gaze focused in front of him as he processes Taehyung's words. "How am I hurting you?"

"Because," The silverette says, taking a long swig from the bottle before putting it to the side with a cough. "You look like him."

"Jeongguk?" The android asks looking at him.

"Yes Jeongguk," Taehyung says looking back at him with tears in his eyes. "But you aren't him." He says, his voice quivering. "Why can't you be him?"

"I'm sorry," Jeongguk says taking the silverette's face in his and thumbing away his tears.

Taehyung closes his eyes, more tears falling as the android presses a kiss to his forehead. He lets out a small sob when Jeongguk pulls him into a hug, laying his head in the crook of his neck.

He wants to pull away, but at the same time he doesn't. Being this close to the android allowed him to hear the mechanic hum of his machinery.

The sound comforted him somehow, it calmed him.

But it didn't erase the feelings stirring deep inside of him, it didn't dull the pain of reliving his conversation with Jimin over and over again.

He couldn't help but wonder why Jeongguk didn't just take him with him, why he didn't just let him go too.

He just couldn't understand why he would leave him here to suffer.

~

Jeongguk walks towards the market Taehyung had taken him to before, his eyes focused straight ahead as he walks with a purpose.

The sun was high and it was definitely one of the warmer days, but Jeongguk didn't shed a drop of sweat. Of course he didn't.

When he gets to the street market he searches the sea of faces until he sees the face of the man Taehyung had spoken to before.

Lodi.

    "Excuse me," Jeongguk says getting his attention.

    "Hey, AI," The man laughs. "My stars, you look so fucking real."

    "I need your help," Jeongguk says straightforwardly.

    "Uh, alright," Lodi chuckles. "What can I do for you?"

    "You mentioned before that you may know someone who would want to buy me, for a decent price," The android explains. "How soon can you get in touch with them?"

    "What, are you for sale now?" The man asks, looking around past the android. "Where's Taehyung?"

    "I am," Jeongguk says. "Whatever they are willing to pay, you take a percentage and leave the rest to Taehyung."

    "Why all of the sudden?" Lodi asks suspiciously. "Something wrong with you?"

    "No," The android answers. "I am no longer wanted here, that's all."

    "I can get someone down here in the next hour that would pay a good price," The man says. "100k cosmos."

    "You take 25k and leave the rest to Taehyung,"

    "30k,"

    "Deal,"

Lodi laughs a bit hysterically, clapping his hands loudly. "You wait right there," He says gesturing inside the tent behind him.

    "They'll be here soon."

~

Taehyung wakes up with a groan, his head pounding as he sits up. A wave of nausea washes over him but he pushes the feeling away as he rubs his eyes with the heels of his hands.

He tries to remember what happened last night and he's immediately embarrassed by what he can remember, which wasn't much.

He opens his eyes against the light, looking around the garage and finding it empty.

    "Jeongguk?" He calls even though the android obviously isn't there. He figures that he must've gone out on his own again so he doesn't panic.

He stands on shaky legs, walking over to where he kept his water rations and twisting open a canister. He drinks from it slowly, the feeling of the liquid settling on his empty stomach making him even more nauseous.

He groans, turning to go lie back down. He stops short when he glances at his computer, double taking when he sees a document opened on the screen.

He walks over to get a closer look, blinking to clear his vision as he reads the single sentence on the page.

I am sorry I couldn't make you happy.
—Android613VK (Jeongguk)

Taehyung drops the canister in his hand, the water spilling out onto the floor as he takes a closer look at the sentence. "No," He utters, his headache worsening as he realizes what is going on.

"No," He says again, backing away from the computer before turning to put his shoes on.

He moves quickly, despite how sick he was. Rushing out of his garage in search of the android.

He doesn't know exactly where he should be looking, Jeongguk's only been two places around here.

Taehyung's garage and...the market.

Lodi's words immediately replay in Taehyung's foggy mind, he curses out loud and heads in that direction as fast as his weak legs would carry him.

He practically runs the entire way, calling out for Lodi as soon as he gets there.

"Have you seen Lodi?" He asks a few people on the way there, the first two people ignore him but the third person points him down the street. He walks until he spots the man. "Lodi!"

"Taehyung," The man smiles when he sees him rushing up. "I didn't expect to see you today~"

"Have you seen Jeongguk?" Taehyung pants, trying to catch his breath. "Did he come here?"

"The android?" Lodi asks. "Yeah he did, I have something for you from him."

"Where is he?" The silverette asks as Lodi turns and walks into his tent. He walks out holding a tan satchel full of something. "Did he tell you where he was going?"

"He said he wasn't needed here no more for some reason," Lodi says dropping the bag on the table. "Might want to go straight home with this."

"What is this?" Taehyung asks opening the satchel, his stomach drops when he sees the money. "Where did this come from?"

"Jeongguk, he sold himself to the people I know," Lodi explains. "He wants you to have this. It's 70k cosmos."

"Tell me you know where they're taking him, Lodi," The silverette says looking at the man. "Did they say where they were going?"

"Headquarters, it's about twenty minutes from here," Lodi says. "Longer if you walk."

"I have to go," Taehyung says turning to leave.

"What about the money?" Lodi stops him.

Taehyung hesitates but he turns and grabs the satchel before walking away. He didn't know where headquarters was and he knew he couldn't make it there in the heat on his own.

He had to get in touch with Yoongi.