A sea of darkness floats in front of him.

Even after struggling with it for quite some time, Taehyung still tries to open his eyes. Each time brings the same result: a pit of nothingness both his heart and soul fall into. Despite his lack of vision, he still senses the presence next to him long before she holds his hand.

"How are you holding up?" Ariel asks, Taehyung sighing and sitting up.

The bed creaks underneath him, his fingers clammy. The answer rests on the back of his tongue. The true answer, anyway. His next words are far from what he desires to say. "I'm... okay. Not good, not bad. Not even in the middle. Okay."

He wishes he could see her face, the little crinkles of her eyes. Instead he sees specks of nothing. Absolutely nothing. He tries to open his eyes once again, and he's not sure what it is, but he can practically feel Ariel noticing his struggle. 

"I can't imagine what this is like for you," she says, her hand in his bringing at least a temporary comfort. "Tae, you didn't deserve it. Any of it. The Underworld, blindness... Jungkook."

"I didn't, but neither do you. And I'm still breathing. As long as I'm still breathing, I'll make sure you don't have the same fate."

"I know I won't."

Taehyung goes still for a moment. "You do?"

"Of course I do."

"How?" he asks, attempting to not sound desperate.

"Because you're going to watch over me." 

When she squeezes his hand and says those words, for a moment, he feels like he can see again. Not because he actually can, but because she gave him a motivation to actually get out of bed. Speaking of, he kicks his legs over, Ariel guiding him to the ground. Taehyung highly doubts he'll be able to get used to his new world, but that doesn't mean he can't try.

"Do you know if Hobi will be home soon?"

"He should be," she says. "Any minute now. Jimin's waiting for him at the front. Did you want to go with?"

"No. I just want to walk around a little bit. What do you say, want to walk with me? And don't say yes because you're pitying the blind old man." Tae pauses to chuckle. "Or is old man Jimin's title?"

"Sorry Tae Tae, only Jimin gets to be called old man. I'll call you young man instead."

"Call me that in front of Jimin and we got a deal."

Ariel snickers, Taehyung's ears lighting up in delight at that. The young girl guides him to what he thinks is the door, the creak louder than he anticipated. Ariel steps through first, helping him outside after. Taehyung pretends to know where he's going, Ariel doing most of the walking for them.

"Hey kid?"

He can feel her head turn as they go. "What's up Tae Tae?"

"Do you have a last name?"

She pauses, both with her body and her mouth. He slows with her, the two completely halted in the hallway. His ears pick up on the tiny breaths leaving her nose, his eye searching for the source of the sound. It never comes.

"No."

Tae wants to pry, but he knows prying never helped anything. In the Underworld, he got whatever information he wanted whenever he wanted it, which satisfied his high curiosity. Now he has to respect everyone's boundaries. It shouldn't be a struggle, but it is. He isn't sure if that's his pride or his desperation for eyesight talking. Lord what he'd do to see the conflict on Ariel's face. Maybe then he'd have his answer.

They continue their trek, Ariel and Tae silent. When she stops next, he remains quiet. "It's beautiful," she whispers, leaving his side for a moment. He tries to not panic, and to his surprise, it actually works. "We're by a window, Tae Tae. I've always loved all the nature. I didn't get much chance to see it as a kid."

He searches for the windowsill, Ariel guiding him to it. Taehyung places his hands on the concrete, smiling as he runs the pads of his fingers over each crack and crevasse. "Why didn't you have much chance?"

"My parents didn't let me out much. It's always been my dream to dance in the rain. Dance until I forget that I ever existed." She stops for a moment, chuckling. "Honestly, I don't even think I have a birth certificate so... maybe I don't exist at all."

"We'll get you a new one when things settle down."

"You can do that?" she asks.

"I know a guy. Underworld or not, I still have connections. People who like me and will help me, but it has to be after this whole war thing. They won't help me for any price right now."

"I'd really appreciate that, Tae Tae. Thank you." Before he can process what's happening, the girl is hugging him from the side, Taehyung grinning and wrapping an arm around her. "Please stay with me," she whispers, nuzzling her head against his arm. Taehyung gives her a pat, hoping he's looking in her direction. Based on her small snicker, he can tell he is.

"I will kid. I promise."

~~~

You trace your finger down the barrel of your pistol, the metal ringing quietly. Yoongi's in the shower, and it's giving you flashbacks to yesterday, when you and him had a blast. Maybe more of a blast than you should have had. Regret is a feeling you often get after sex or any form of pleasure. After everything you've done, you wonder if you deserve it. The obvious answer would be no, but there's not much you can do about that right now. You're trying to redeem yourself. Does that count-

"Princess."

Jimin comes over, pecking your cheek in greeting. A sign of respect. Again, something you're not sure you deserve. You place the pistol down and shift your stare to him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Hoseok is back and going over a plan. Apparently there's a plane leaving in two days for London, and he bought us all tickets to it."

The way his eyes are distant has you sighing, leaning against your wall. His gaze goes to the pistol sitting on your desk, you furrowing your brows. "What do you really want to talk about?" you ask.

"Um..."

"Ariel?"

"Yeah."

"She's coming with us. I'm glad you stopped her from going with Namjoon and Jin, but she needs to come with us now. We can't shelter her forever and we can't just leave her here on her own. Or leave her here with you. This time we really need you." You pause. "I do too. I want you by my side when we face Madam Avasa."

Jimin smiles, coming a bit closer. "Princess, that's not what I'm here for." You tilt your head. "I, um, I want to ask you to do a favor for me. I would do it myself, but truthfully, I don't want to. It'll break my heart."

"Okay, what is it."

The man goes for his waistband, pulling out his spare pistol. Not just any spare; it's the first pistol he ever got. The pistol you gave him when he first joined. He's always kept it on him for good luck, but also in case he got into trouble. Now, he's handing it to you. And to say you're confused is an understatement.

"Jimin, what-"

"Give her that and teach her how to shoot." At your silence, he runs a hand through his hair. "Please. I can't handle teaching a little girl to shoot, there's only so much I can..." He cuts off to sigh. "There's only so much I can take. Please do this. I'll rest easy knowing the kid can protect herself more. She deserves it."

You keep your stares on each other, then, you grab the pistol and bring it to your chest. "I won't let you down, Mr. Park."

His eye smile comes out, him embracing you. You laugh and return the hug, snuggling up in his arms. "I know you won't. Thank you, princess. I'll leave you to mope now."

He leaves as soon as he came, you left alone to truly fall into your thoughts. But you don't have much time. You only have two days to teach a kid how to shoot. So, two minutes later, you find yourself tracking down Ariel. It's easy to find her since there's only three places she could be: with Jimin, in Jimin's room, or in her own room. She's in her own room, reading one of those comic books Jimin got her.

When you creak the door open, she peeks up. She doesn't speak, but she motions for you to come in. You don't bother shutting the door. "Come here," you say. Ariel, although confused as hell, does. She stops in front of you seconds later, you handing Jimin's pistol to her.

"What's this?" she asks with furrowed brows.

"Old man's spare pistol. The one I gave him. He wants you to have it, and he wants me to teach you how to shoot."

"What? Are we talking about the same Jimin?"

"We are. Come on, let me show you how to shoot. I'll set up outside and we can shoot some bottles, okay? We're in the middle of no where, so don't worry about the noise."

She agrees, still a bit hesitant, but your confidence convinces her. By the time you're out back, you glance around and grunt. "How are you gonna make a shooting range?" she asks, peering up at you.

"Not sure. Got any bottles?"

"Jimin would know."

"Damn right he would. There you go kid, you're learning." You go to the elevated parts of the clearing, eyeing the tree stumps. "Okay, so we have some stumps. Not many, only three, but it'll due. Do you have any-"

"I have bottles."

Both you and Ariel turn to see Yoongi there, a smile resting on his lips with his hair drenched in water. He's changed, but his hair is still wet as fuck, the little droplets pitter-pattering against the blades of grass. "Yoons, were you spying on us?" you ask, attempting to mask your smirk.

"Depends on if you'll say you liked it or not." He comes over, waving the bottles around before setting them on the stumps. They're empty water bottles, so they aren't very sturdy, but it isn't windy out today. Hopefully they'll hold. 

Yoongi finishes setting up a few moments later, strolling over to your side. "I'll hold her ears, you teach?"

"Hold my ears? I've heard gunshots before, I'm not sensitive to it anymore," Ariel says.

"Still," you say, adjusting her grip on the pistol, "you have a lot to learn. Whether you grew up mafia or not, your ears are sensitive. You're young. Let's try and keep it that way."

"I don't want to end up like the old man," she says with a sly smile, raising her pistol.

You chuckle as she aims, Yoongi coming over. You hold up your hand. "Wrong."

"Wrong?" she asks.

"Safety's on."

"Shit." She turns it off, keeping her eyes on the target ahead of her. "Anything else, or am I good to shoot?"

"Plant your feet a bit more, keep your weight center. You're small, you might feel a larger kickback than the rest of us. Make sure you have a good grip." She obeys, adjusting surprisingly well. Poor girl must've felt obliged to watch how you and the others held weapons. No girl should have to grow up like that.

Yoongi covers her ears when she's ready, and you give her the go ahead. She fires, missing the target and jumping. A laugh sounds off from her throat, and she tries again, this time coming closer and skimming the log. 

After some additional adjustments, she knocks the bottle off the log. The process repeats itself for a good twenty minutes, Yoongi doing a lot of the work as you're not speaking as much. Not because Ariel's doing good or bad, or because you don't want to speak.

It's because you can't.

Watching Ariel shoot and hit targets, her eyes so focused? It terrifies you. You don't see Ariel. You see yourself, your father behind you, turning your elbows and showing you the basics. His voice tickles your skin, tapping against your spine as it hits your eardrums. "Stop," you whisper, Yoongi freezing and taking his hands off Ariel's ears.

She's pretty confident in herself after the training session, her getting a hang of it more every minute. But now it feels different. "What's wrong?" Ariel asks, lowering the pistol. Seeing Jimin's pistol in her tiny hands has your body trembling, Yoongi noticing and sighing.

"You did great. Wanna go tell Jimin about it? I'm sure he'll freak out and never let you touch a gun again," Yoongi says.

"Worth. It." Ariel runs off, probably sensing that an adult conversation is incoming. You appreciate that about her. She seems to know when to speak and when to not. It's a trait you wish you had. But you can't change yourself yet. Not until you complete your goal.

"Memories?" Yoongi asks.

"Memories," you say, taking his hand. Yoongi comes closer, kissing your forehead before pulling you up against his chest. You sniffle despite yourself, rubbing his back. "I love you, Yoons," you murmur, your voice cracking. "And if something happens while we're in London, I... there's a good chance we'll die."

"Shh, shh. I love you too. No matter what, I won't let anything happen to you. Do you trust me?"

You pull back and place both of your hands on his face, shaking your head. "I trust you more than anyone, even me."

Yoongi brushes your hair out of your face, his lips coming closer. You pull him in, the kiss passionate, but not hungry. It's more of a loving kiss, the two of you rubbing your bodies together. Your hand reaches his hair, tugging on his locks while he laps at your lips. When your tongues meet, all your worries fade away. They fall into an abyss you didn't know was there, your eyes shut and your skin quivering from the proximity.

He continues the kiss, nibbling on your lips in classic Yoongi fashion. The two of you part to chuckle at his antics, closing the distance a few ticks later. His lips press on yours again, the passion oozing into it. Yoongi holds you so close, your body feels smooshed against his. Not that you'd complain about that, though. He doesn't either. The kiss carries on despite a few bumps in the road, you and Yoongi forgetting everything for a minute.

At the end of the minute, the kiss truly ends, you and Yoongi staring at each other. "We have to stop Madam. The longer she's around, the more likely more kids like Ariel will suffer. Not anymore. I can't, Yoons. I... I can't," you say.

Yoongi takes your hand, pressing his lips against the back of it. The gummy smile that follows has your heart melting, your hands clamming up.

"We'll solve it, angel." He brushes some hair out of your face, giving you a nod. "Together."