The music pulsed like a heartbeat, a rhythmic throb of bass that shook the very foundations of Night Shot. The air was thick with weed and the scent of aged whiskey, a haze of vice and sin that clung to the walls like an unshakable curse. But none of it was what disturbed Venom.

It was him.

Kim Taehyung.

She had been watching from the shadows, keeping tabs on him, but this—this was too much. He was drinking himself into oblivion, night after night, drowning in expensive liquor as if it could wash away his pain. His usual confidence, that effortless smirk, had cracked. And it fucking hurt to see him like this.

She had told herself she wouldn't get involved that he needed to find his own way out. Their paths were good to be left unmerged, but he didn't leave a reason for her to stay out of it. She stepped in his direction once again. This time not to destroy him! This time to save him! But watching him spiral, watching the fire in his eyes dim—her heart refused to stay quiet.

Tonight, she was done watching.

Tonight, she was dragging him out of this hell.

The bartender froze when she stopped in front of him.

"Where?" she asked, her voice cold.

The man hesitated.

Her gaze cut through him like a blade.

"Upstairs. Private lounge." She didn't wait for more.

"One more shot, please." Taehyung's voice was low, raspy, almost drowned beneath the club's heavy bass. His fingers drummed absentmindedly against the cold marble countertop, the rhythm as erratic as his thoughts. The dim neon lights painted his skin in deep purples and blues, but nothing could mask the exhaustion carved into his sharp features.

The bartender shot him a glance, filling the glass with its dark poison. "Bad day?"

Taehyung scoffed bitterly, rolling the glass between his fingers. "Bad life."

The bartender chuckled dryly. "Poor you."

Ice clinked as the drink was slid toward him, but just as his fingers reached for it—

A hand intercepted.

Pale, slender fingers adorned with delicate rings wrapped around the glass before he could, lifting it effortlessly. Taehyung's eyes followed the movement, his mind already hazy from the alcohol, making him question if it was real or just another cruel trick of his intoxicated thoughts.

But she was real.

She pressed the rim to her lips, tilting her head back as she downed the drink in one go. She barely flinched at the sting of alcohol, only licking the remnants off her lips before placing the empty glass back on the counter. "Bitter," she mused, her voice smooth, laced with something unreadable. "My type."

Taehyung stared. No. He gawked.

The smoky eye makeup made her gaze even darker, sharper. The dim club lights reflected off the gloss of her lips. Her jet-black hair was slicked back, damp as if she had just walked out of a storm. And that outfit— Short. Dangerous. Paired with high boots that caged her legs in a way that left little to the imagination.

A smirk kissed her lips finding him gawking, tilting her head, she purred "What? Do I look that good?"

The spell broke. Taehyung scoffed, rolling his eyes to hide the way his chest constricted.

"One more," he said, turning back to the bartender, his tone clipped.

Venom arched a brow at his dismissal, her smirk faltering. Another glass was placed in front of him. Again, before his fingers could even graze it—

She took it. Taehyung clenched his jaw as she tilted her head back and swallowed the drink in one smooth motion. "Ugh, love it." She exhaled, setting the empty glass down with a soft clink.

Taehyung was not amused.

"Would you stop stealing my drinks?" he growled, barely holding back his irritation. "If you wanna drink so bad, order your own."

Venom leaned in, eyes flashing. "Would you stop being an asshole and ordering more?"

Her words struck like a slap. His lips parted slightly, but no words came. "Since when did you even start drinking like this, huh?" Her voice lowered, almost a whisper, but it carried the weight of something deeper—something raw, something desperate.

"None of your goddamn business," Taehyung spat.

She scoffed, but there was no humor in it. "Oh, trust me, Kim Taehyung—it is my business."

He snorted, turning away, waving the bartender down again. "Gimme a—"

"You." Venom cut him off, this time addressing the bartender instead. Her hand moved in a blink—swift, calculated. The cool glint of a gun slipped from her holster, now held loosely in her grasp, the muzzle pointed just enough for the message to be clear. "I will empty this little baby in your skull if you pour him even a drop more."

The bartender stiffened, his eyes widening in fear. He stepped back, glancing between them as if weighing his options. One look at the woman who had somehow entered the club armed, and the decision was made. Without a word, he disappeared behind the counter.

Taehyung's expression darkened.

"Why the fuck are you here?" he snapped, glaring at her.

She twirled the gun once before sliding it back into her holster. "Maybe," she mused, tilting her head. "I'm stalking you."

Taehyung let out a dry laugh, shaking his head. "Maybe you should mind your own business."

But even as he said it, his fingers curled into fists on his lap. His heart pounded too fast, too hard—not just from the alcohol, not just from her presence, but because she was here. Because she was watching him destroy himself, and she wouldn't let him.

Because even after everything— Even after all the shattered pieces they left behind— she still saw him. And that was the most terrifying part.

The music pounded through the club, a deafening beat that rattled the walls, yet between them, there was nothing but silence. A suffocating, unbearable silence.

Taehyung could feel it—the weight of her presence, the heat of her body so close to his, and the damn ache in his chest that never went away. Not even with the alcohol. Not even with the haze that clouded his mind.

She wasn't supposed to be here. She wasn't supposed to care.

But here she was, standing in front of him, looking like she was made of sin and salvation all at once. And fuck, he wanted to push her away. He wanted to hate her. But he couldn't.

Not when she was the only person in this godforsaken world who could still make his heart feel like it was about to explode.

She exhaled, her voice razor-sharp. "You think drowning yourself in cheap whiskey is going to make the pain go away?"

Taehyung scoffed, eyes dark and unfazed. "Worked so far."

"Liar."

The word struck like a slap. His grip tightened on the glass counter, knuckles turning white. "Why are you here, Jiahn? Oh no wait- what was it again? Venom!? Why are you here?" His voice was mocking, low, and dangerous. "To watch the show? To see how far I'll go before I finally fall apart? Your little broken puppet huh!"

She let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head. "You're already falling apart. And I can't fucking stand here and watch it happen."

He turned away from her, but she wasn't having it.

"Look at me."

He didn't move.

"Taehyung."

Her fingers grasped his jaw, forcing him to meet her gaze. The touch sent a violent shiver down his spine, but he clenched his teeth, refusing to let it show.

"You think I don't know what you're doing?" she whispered, her grip firm. "You're punishing yourself because you don't want to punish me."

His throat went dry.

"You think if you drink enough if you destroy yourself enough, the pain will go away. That it'll get better," she continued, her voice breaking, but she held herself together. "It won't."

Taehyung let out a hollow laugh, his tongue darting out to wet his lips. "And what the fuck would you know about pain, huh?" His voice was cruel, venomous. "You broke me. You walked away and let me rot. And now you're back? Acting like you give a damn?"

She flinched. Just barely. But he saw it. Something inside him twisted.

She inhaled sharply, regaining her composure. "You think I wanted to leave you? You think it didn't fucking kill me?" Her voice shook, but her eyes burned with something raw. "You are the only thing in this world that I have ever loved. And you are tearing yourself apart piece by fucking piece, and I can't—"

Her voice broke, and Taehyung felt his heart crack open with it.

"Then why did you leave?" he whispered. His voice wasn't angry anymore. It was wrecked.

Venom's fingers twitched against his skin, her lips parting slightly, but no words came out.

For the first time, she looked vulnerable.

"I thought I was protecting you," she finally admitted, voice barely above a whisper. "I thought you'd be better off without me. After knowing what filth I am born out of, I knew you'd not want me anymore"

He let out a sharp breath, his hand coming up to wrap around her wrist. "You were wrong."

Silence. A brutal, suffocating silence.

She swallowed hard, her gaze locked onto his. She was wrong! She has never been wrong before! But now... she was.

His throat tightened. His fingers twitched where they wrapped over her wrists. "If it hurts you then don't- don't watch me ruin myself" he whispered hoarsely.

Her jaw clenched. "That's not an option."

His head felt heavy, his pulse pounding like war drums beneath his skin. He should be angry. He should tell her to leave, to walk away, and never come back. But instead—

Instead, he found himself reaching for her.

His other hand reached forth to hold the small of her exposed back, his grip firm but hesitant. He felt her pulse quicken beneath his touch, felt the way her body tensed but didn't pull away. Within a swift pull, he made her fall into his laps, their breaths caught in their throats at the sudden proximity.

The air between them was electric, too much and not enough all at once. Her scent, her shaky breaths, the heat of her bare skin, the tremble in her fingers—everything was too much.

Taehyung exhaled shakily, his forehead resting against hers, his grip on her tightening. "You ruined me" His voice was a broken whisper. "You fucking ruined me, and I still—"

He couldn't even say it. She let out a shuddering breath, her fingers curling against his shirt. "Then let me fix you."

He squeezed his eyes shut, his pulse hammering against his ribs. "You don't get to fix me," he murmured. "You are the reason I'm broken."

Venom bit her lip, her breath hitching, her body so close he could feel the way she trembled against him. "Then break me too."

The words snapped something inside him. Before he could stop himself, his lips crashed against hers. Desperate. Messy. Angry. The taste of whiskey and regret, of pain and longing—it was all there, bleeding between them as if they could drink each other down like poison.

She gasped against his mouth, her fingers fisting in his shirt, pulling him closer as if she could disappear into him. And maybe that was the only way to save each other. Or destroy each other completely.

He kissed her like he was starving, like he had been drowning for far too long and she was the first breath of air he had tasted in ages. But there was nothing soft about it—only fire, only destruction. His fingers dug into her waist, pulling her impossibly closer as if he wanted to mold her into himself, erase the space that had ever existed between them.

Her hands gripped his shirt like she wanted to tear it apart like she wanted to carve her name into his skin. The world around them blurred—the blaring music, the dim lights, the drunken murmurs—it all faded into irrelevance. The only thing that mattered was the fire burning between them.

And yet, beneath the hunger, beneath the anger, there was something else. Something neither of them could name.

Pain.

The kiss was pain.

It was the ache of nights spent apart, the agony of words left unsaid, the scars of choices they couldn't take back.

Taehyung pulled away first, but barely, his forehead pressing against hers as he panted, his breath fanning over her lips. His eyes were wild, a storm raging within them.

"Tell me to stop," he rasped, his voice thick with something dangerous. "Tell me to fucking stop."

She didn't. Instead, her fingers tightened in his hair, tugging just enough to make him groan. "No. I realized I don't care if I'm right or wrong anymore. I just—I need you, Taehyung."

The words cut through him, sharper than any blade. His fingers trembled against her hips, his heart slamming against his ribs so violently it hurt. He hated her for this. For coming back. For making him feel everything he had spent so long trying to kill.

For making him want her despite it all.

His head tilted slightly, his lips brushing against the shell of her ear. "Then prove it."

Her breath hitched.

"Prove to me that you're not gonna run this time" he murmured, his grip tightening around her waist. "That you won't disappear when I wake up tomorrow. That I won't find myself alone again, drinking myself into oblivion because every person I've ever fucking loved keeps walking away from me."

She swallowed hard, her hands sliding down to rest against his chest, feeling the erratic rhythm of his heartbeat. "I won't run" she whispered, pressing a slow, lingering kiss against his jaw. "Not from you. Never from you."

Taehyung closed his eyes for a moment as if letting himself believe her words would be his final undoing.

Then, without another word, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her with him—away from the bar, away from the suffocating crowd, into the dimly lit corridors of the club. His pace was hurried, frantic, and she followed without hesitation.

Because whatever this was—this fire, this destruction, this love—it had already consumed them both. And there was no turning back.

She barely had time to think before Taehyung yanked her inside a private lounge, the heavy door slamming shut behind them. The pounding bass of the club became nothing more than a distant hum, the dim neon glow painting his face in flickering hues of red and blue.

His breathing was ragged, his jaw clenched so tightly she thought he might shatter.

"I hate you," he rasped, his voice barely above a whisper.

She felt the words slice through her like a blade, but before she could react, he took a step closer, crowding her against the wall.

"I hated watching you leave, I wanted to punish you then and there" His fingers curled into fists at his sides. "I hate that no matter what I do, no matter how much I drink, no matter how many times I try to forget, you're still here." He pressed a hand over his chest, over his heart, his entire body trembling with the weight of his confession. "You're in my fucking bones. And I can't get you out."

She swallowed hard, her own hands shaking as she reached for him. "I never wanted to be something you had to forget," she whispered. "But I left because..."

Because I was scared.

Because loving you was the most dangerous thing I've ever done.

Because losing you would have destroyed me more than leaving ever did.

But she couldn't say any of that.

Instead, she whispered, "I thought it was the only way to save us."

Taehyung let out a bitter, breathless laugh. "Save us?" He took another step closer, his body flush against hers now, his heat searing through her like fire. "Do I look fucking saved to you?"

Her breath hitched as his fingers brushed against her jaw, tilting her face up to meet his gaze—dark, stormy, filled with something raw and aching and unholy.

"You have completely ruined me" he murmured. "In all possible ways"

Something inside her snapped.

"Taehyung-" she whispered, her fingers fisting in his shirt. And then his lips crashed against hers again. Desperate. Brutal. Starving.

It wasn't just another kiss—it was war. Teeth clashing, hands clawing, bodies pressing together like they were trying to disappear into each other.

She gasped against his mouth, and he groaned, deep and guttural, lifting her up with ease. Her legs wrapped around his waist on instinct, his hands gripping her thighs, her hips, anything he could reach.

"Fuck," he growled against her lips, his forehead pressing against hers as he tried to catch his breath. "You drive me insane."

Venom swallowed hard, her nails dragging down his back, feeling the way his muscles tensed beneath her touch. "Then stop fighting it," she whispered, pressing her lips to his jaw, to the pulse pounding in his throat.

Taehyung shuddered. His fingers tangled in her hair, tugging just enough to make her gasp. "I hate you," he breathed.

She voiced, leaning in until their lips were barely touching. "No, you don't."

And then he was kissing her again, harder, deeper as if he was trying to carve his name into her soul. And maybe he already had.