"I could never hate you," He smiles, "I promise,"

"Fucking liar," Luna frowns, aggressively packing her laptop bag for the day. Taehyung has been avidly avoiding her, which is infuriating her even more. How did all of this become so complicated?

First, she tells him about her past and Jungkook stabs him. Then, after processing this information he decides he doesn't want to date a killer. Two weeks later he finally returns to university and says he regrets breaking up with her. She just wants to stay friends, so he doesn't get hurt again, only for him to flirt with her. The cherry on top is his belief that she can't become a lawyer because she is a reformed criminal.

She is honestly not surprised that he said that in the hospital, but to double down on it after she said it hurt was too much for her.

But that's not all.

He then follows this up by trying to talk to her about it so he can explain his realistic and firm reasoning for this belief, only to then proceed to ignore her and avoid her for over a week. She doesn't even know why he was so firm with this opinion. Now she is the one trying to corner him so they can talk.

How did it get like this?

This crazy rollercoaster of events and emotions is driving her insane. But, on the plus side, it's the last week of term. She has one more assessment to hand in and two exams this week. That also leaves her with a lot of extra time. She doesn't have to attend the classes that are finished for the term, giving her little study periods between her last 3 classes. She has been focusing on them mostly. But, she has today and tomorrow to do all this, then it is holiday time.

She finishes collecting her things and heads out into the living room, finding Jimin sitting uncomfortably at the kitchen bench. He must have already had breakfast waiting for her. He tenses as soon as she enters, avoiding eye contact with her. But this isn't new. He has been like this ever since last week. He does look like he's getting more and more nervous as the term slowly comes to an end, but that might be exam nerves. She has been meaning to ask him about it, but she has been stressed and busy.

"Good morning," Luna smiles, "Nervous?"

Jimin looks up, suddenly startled by her words.

"Nervous? Huh? Why would I be nervous?" He laughs awkwardly, sliding off the stool and moving towards the foyer, "Anyway, you ready to go?"

Luna cocks her eyebrow and folds her arms, looking him up and down. This seems to make him more nervous as he continues to avoid eye contact.

"Why are you acting like that? I thought you were nervous because of exams," She mutters. His eyes widen as he starts chuckling maniacally.

"Oh! Ha! Of course! Exams!" He continues to laugh, "Yes, that's right, I have so many exams today,"

"Right," She frowns, "But I thought hospitality finished their exams last week?"

"Huh?" He blinks, his mind reeling, "Did we?"

"I don't know, shouldn't you know that?" She smirks, moving towards him. He gulps, his eyes darting everywhere.

"Yeah, I have one more left," He mumbles.

"Jimin, what are you not telling me?" She asks firmly.

"What? I don't know what you're talking about," He clears his throat, "Anyway, let's go to school,"

As fast as lightning, he rushes out the front door, leaving her stunned in the living room. She rolls her eyes and follows him.

She should have been paying more attention to him. He is hiding something from her.

Today, her sole purpose is to find out what that is.

They make their way to the University. Luna spends the entire time harassing Jimin, begging him to tell her what's wrong. He is very firmly sticking with his initial reason: exams. The more she questions him, the more she is starting to find a certain theme that makes him nervous. Taehyung. This has something to do with him.

As soon as they enter the front gates of the school, they spot Taehyung. He is sitting on a bench nearby, scrolling through his phone. His hair is hanging over his face as he slumps forward. Luna grins, looking at Jimin mischievously.

"Well, if you're not going to tell me, I'm going to ask Tae," Luna smirks.

"W-What? Why would you ask him?" Jimin demands.

Luna starts moving towards Taehyung, but Jimin grabs her arm and pulls her back.

"Please... just leave it," He begs.

"Ah, so it does involve Tae?" Luna cocks her eyebrow as she pulls from his grip. Grimly, he nods.

"He won't tell you," Jimin retorts, "So just leave it alone, okay?"

"No," Luna snaps, "I don't like secrets, and this is a big one,"

She spins around, storming towards Taehyung. Jimin makes a few more attempts to stop her, but it doesn't work. By the time they reach Taehyung, and he looks up at them, Jimin is aggressively trying to drag Luna away.

"Just leave it, Luna!" Jimin snaps, giving Taehyung a pleading look. Taehyung goes from confused, to expressionless, to angry. Jimin and Luna stop wrestling with each other, Jimin becoming frustrated and Luna looking haughty.

"Is it true?" Luna asks quickly. Taehyung's jaw jumps to attention as he turns his gaze to Jimin.

"You told her?" He demands.

"No, I..." Jimin starts but Luna shoves him.

"Yes," Luna snaps, "He told me everything,"

Taehyung sighs, closing his eyes briefly. When he opens them again, Luna is shocked by what she finds. He looks guilty and hurt.

"It'll be a good opportunity," Taehyung begins, "I know it'll be a long time, but... wouldn't it be better if you could just hate me? It'll be easier," He pleads.

"Wait... what?" Luna frowns.

"Didn't... didn't he tell you?" Taehyung frowns.

"No, you idiot!" Jimin snaps, "I've been struggling to keep this secret for a week now and you break from such a simple psychology trick? Seriously?" He groans with frustration, "Fine! Whatever, I did my part. You guys need to talk,"

At this, Jimin storms away, his bright yellow bag bouncing happily, juxtaposed to his reddening ears and neck from the built-up anger.

Taehyung watches him leave sadly before turning his eyes back to Luna. She is folding her arms, her head tilted as she watches him, waiting for an explanation. He sighs and pats the seat beside him, his shoulders slumping forward in defeat.

She takes the seat hesitantly, her confusion mounting with each passing second.

It was not hard for her to figure out Taehyung was the cause of Jimin's anxiety and nervousness. All she had to do was ask all the right questions. Once she saw him sitting on this bench, she knew exactly how she was going to get the truth out of him. But she wasn't expecting this. 

She thought it was going to be something like a new girlfriend, or Taehyung struggling because of the old wound. She was expecting him to become angry or frustrated. She was not expecting Taehyung to look so broken and depressed. This isn't just a little secret Jimin was trying to keep for Taehyung, this is a huge secret. All her annoyance at him has flown out the window. She doesn't care if he doesn't want her to be a Lawyer. This is bigger than that.

"What happened?" Luna asks nervously. Taehyung takes a deep breath and shuffles, so he is facing her properly. He looks up at her, his eyes deepening with his resolve. What's got him so upset?

"I am going to be studying in America," Taehyung says firmly.

Lune frowns, unsure what is so bad about that.

"Okay...?" She mutters, "Congratulations?"

"It'll be a good opportunity," He mutters, "But I'll be away for 5 years,"

"5 years?" Luna blinks, "That's a long time..."

"That's why I have been avoiding you," Taehyung confesses, "I leave on the weekend... I thought it would be easier for you if you just hated me,"

Luna considers this for a moment before chuckling. He doesn't know her very well, does he?

"Actually, that would be worse," She smirks, "If you had left before I could talk to you, I'd just hunt you down," She shrugs.

His eyes widen, teetering on the edge of fear and concern.

"You'd... hunt me down?" He repeats, "Like... kill me?"

"No," Luna laughs, "I'd find you, very easily, and force you to talk to me,"

"Oh," He nods, "That makes more sense,"

"Why were you so worried about telling me?" Luna asks, "Lots of people do exchange programs and stuff. Why would that be bad?"

"Because... we'd be unable to stay friends..." Taehyung mutters.

"Oh..." Luna nods, "Okay, I see what you mean now,"

In an instant, Luna finally realises Taehyung's fear about this. He will move away, for 5 years. They will be unable to talk often because of the time differences, she won't be able to visit him – for his safety more than anything – and he won't be able to visit her as a broke student in a foreign country. Their relationship would disintegrate.

"I guess... I see why you're worried," Luna starts, "But I'm glad I'm finding out now, rather than after you're gone,"

"Why?" Taehyung frowns.

Quickly, she flicks him on the forehead, startling him. His hand shoots to his face, his eyes widening.

"W-What was that for?" He stammers, pouting a little. She giggles before lightly rubbing the spot she hit.

"That's for not telling me," Luna smirks, "And for what you said about me being a lawyer,"

"Ah, about that," Taehyung starts, "I have been told that I need to explain myself,"

Taehyung proceeds to explain what he meant when he said that. About how he was worried people from her past would take advantage of her in a legal position and blackmail her.

"So, you see," Taehyung sighs, "It was just a misunderstanding,"

"You..." Luna takes a deep breath in, "You need to work on your speaking skills,"

"Why?" Taehyung frowns.

"Because you are terrible at communicating," Luna smirks.

"So are you," He gestures, "You just manipulated me into confessing something I didn't want to say!"

"Well, if you hadn't lied, I wouldn't have done that," Luna points out.

"Urgh, whatever," Taehyung rolls his eyes, "It doesn't matter,"

"You know, we could still be friends," Luna suggests, her heart racing.

"How? We can barely maintain a friendship living in the same building, attending the same school," Taehyung mutters.

"But... this is a bit cruel," Luna pouts, "You didn't even give me enough time to be mad at you... what day do you go?"

"Saturday morning," Taehyung mumbles uncomfortably, looking down at his lap.

"So... we only have today and tomorrow," Luna frowns, "That's not a lot of time,"

"Or, we have nothing," Taehyung shrugs, "We could just end this here and leave it alone,"

"Why?" Luna snaps.

"Because there is no point," Taehyung retorts, "5 years is a really long time,"

Luna's heart races painfully in her chest. Her emotions are finally catching up with the news. She feels hurt, betrayed, heartbroken, angry... so many emotions all building and simmering in her mind. She wants to punch him, threaten him, or beg him not to leave. But, instead, she sits still. All these things shuffle and jostle just behind her eyes, unsure how to present themselves.

What is she going to do? What can she do?

"So, that's it then?" Luna snaps, her jaw quivering from the emotional barrage, "Just waltz into my life, fuck with my feelings, and leave? Is that it?"

"Luna..." Taehyung sighs.

"Not even going to try? Not going to see if it'll work? Nothing? Just give up?" Luna retorts. She can feel the anger rearing up.

"What else can I do?!" Taehyung yells, "You don't want me, so why are you so adamant about keeping me around?"

She folds her arms, glaring at him. That's not fair.

"You think this is on me?" Luna mutters darkly, "You're the one who left. You're the one who convinced me that it wouldn't work, you're the one who broke it off, cruelly,"

"You think I'm cruel?" He scoffs, "You're a walking advertisement for mood stabilisers. You've been just as cruel to me,"

"Fuck off," Luna stands up, her hands shaking, "You want to know what's cruel? Making promises you can't keep,"

Taehyung frowns, looking up at her with confusion.

"What fucking promises?" he retorts.

"You promised you'd never hate me," Luna mutters, "And within 24 hours you broke it without a thought,"

She turns, ready to walk away from this conversation, but she stops. She turns to look at him one last time.

"You're right," She spits, "This never worked, isn't working, and will never work,"

"Wait," He grabs her hand, "I didn't... break my promise..."

Luna scoffs before roughly pulling from his grasp, glaring down at him.

"Have a good life, Tae," She mumbles before turning and storming away.

She doesn't stop to look back, nor does she want to. Maybe if she did, she might have seen the heart and soul of that man shatter in front of her. Maybe her will would've cracked a little. Would she have turned and returned to him if she stopped to watch him slump forward, clutching his chest in pain? Would she have cared if she could see his tears?

She will never know. Neither will he.

. . . . .

Saturday morning...

Taehyung pauses at the security gate, looking back at the entrance one last time, hoping for a glimpse of her. He has his bag on his back, his laptop and essentials inside. He is planning on doing some work during the flight.

He glances down at his phone, looking at the unopened messages he has sent her.

Thursday

TAE: I'm sorry, I didn't realise you thought I hated you.

TAE: I could never hate you. I never broke my promise.

TAE: Are you avoiding me? Where are you?

Friday

TAE: Are you not coming today?

TAE: The teacher said you handed your assessment in early...

TAE: Did you do that on purpose?

TAE: Can I see you tonight?

TAE: Please, Luna...

TAE: My plane leaves at 7 am. Please, see me off. As a friend.

Of course, he really looks like a hypocrite in this situation. How can he beg her to talk to him, when she was just begging him for the same thing? Why do they keep going in these circles? One talks, one ignores, and then they switch. Don't they know how to communicate with each other, or are they just stubborn?

Now that she knows, he was hoping she would want to see him one last time. 5 years is a long time.

He writes one last message to her, hoping she will open this one.

TAE: I'm about to leave... will I see you today?

"I don't think she's coming," Taehyung looks up to find Jimin watching him warily.

"I know," Taehyung murmurs, sliding his phone into his pocket, "I just thought that maybe..."

"She's really mad," Jimin chuckles, "She won't even talk to me,"

"Oh wow, she's really mad," Taehyung laughs.

They stand like this for a moment, stewing in the silence of their friendship. They were not friends for long, but Taehyung feels a strange bond with Jimin. Sure, he's not like Luna. She left the crime world, whereas he still lives and breathes it. But Taehyung enjoys his company. They hung out a lot during the time Jimin was keeping Taehyung's secret. Taehyung is still absolutely terrified of him, but he feels comfortable and safe around him. He won't actually kill him – hopefully.

He just wishes he spent more time with him.

I'm not good at friendships, am I?

"Anyway, your flight's going to be departing in a bit," Jimin gestures to the screen above them, "So I should probably leave you to head in,"

Taehyung nods, looking up at Jimin firmly.

"Can you promise me something?" Taehyung asks suddenly.

"Sure, what's up?" Jimin asks.

"Can you make sure Luna keeps doing what she's doing?" Taehyung replies, "You know... the normal life,"

"You mean, make sure she doesn't return to being an assassin?" Jimin smirks, "Like me?"

Taehyung nods timidly, worried that Jimin is going to take offence to this request.

"Of course," Jimin smiles, "I'll look after her, make sure she takes the righteous road or whatever like I always have,"

Taehyung rolls his eyes, stepping towards Jimin. He pulls him in for a hug, patting his back roughly.

"Thank you for being my friend, Jimin," Taehyung mumbles.

"No problem," Jimin replies, patting his back just as roughly, "Now, off you go,"

He pulls away and gestures towards the gate. Taehyung smiles, waves, and heads towards the security line. Jimin watches him for a moment, smiles, and turns towards the exit, his hands deep in his pockets.

Taehyung looks back at him one more time and smiles. Jimin will look after her, he knows that. It has been the responsibility he has shouldered for a long time.

Please, wait for me, Luna.

I promise I'll be back. 

(A/N) The End...

Just Kidding, see ya tomorrow!

🫰🫰🫰