A strong breeze pushed long curtains into a dance, swaying them as they lifted into the air.

The room was stale. Remnants of old water bottles laid scattered over open notebooks and unread papers. Feet pushed past the soft sheets over the bed, a low grumble murmured from pink lips.

Jeongguk laid over his bed, drifted into a deep sleep. Brows furrowed, distressed huffing.

"I'd be doing you a favor. Helping you become a man."

Jeongguk stirred, body shifted to the side in one quick motion.

"Let's have fun, Jeongguk."

His arms clutched tightly over the pillow he hugged close to him, hands squeezing into fists over his palm while he gasped out a breath.

"Don't worry. I'll give you a taste of manhood, m'kay?"

The boy's eyes shot open, chest heaving in pants. He reached up to wipe sweat from his forehead that had mixed into strands over his bangs, sticking them to his skin like stubborn paste.

He looked up. It was morning.

Jeongguk hadn't been aware of any precise moment he could've possibly fallen asleep last night. And perhaps that was why the dream he had just seen all felt so... real.

A dream.

Except that was no dream. No, it was a memory. A memory that he had quickly pushed back down to his subconsciousness, refused to face it head on.

When he lifted his body to sit up, a sudden alarm went off, and that was when he realized he'd woken up just in time to get ready for the day. Because, yes, he still had classes to attend. As it turns out, being taken under custody of a criminal organization doesn't halt his education. No, he still had tests to study for, projects to turn in, grades to keep up.

So he hauled his body up, and went through the every day motions of prepping for school. Except this time, when he had reached the downstairs exit from his building, he saw his two friends awaiting him by the door as usual.

"You guys... You're walking me to campus again?" Jeongguk huffed out, grasping onto his bag strap as he continued down the gravel pathing.

"Are you kidding me? What if someone tries to kidnap you again?" Jimin quickly scolded the boy, while Hoseok aggressively nodded in agreement beside him.

"Yeah—there's no way we'll let you be on your own after that shit Acre pulled," the red haired added.

"Right, but... I'm not a little kid. I think I know what to look out for now, and all.." Jeongguk mumbled. "Plus if Acre wanted to take me back to custody, don't you think they would've done it by now? It's been three days."

"They haven't because they can't," Jimin locked their arms together, pushing the trio forward down the sidewalk. "Not when we're around."

"Exactly. Just deal with it for now," Hoseok grinned.

Jeongguk let out a sigh in defeat and let his friends guide him toward school grounds, quickly accepting his fate.

"Speaking of things to look out for.." The blond boy perked up. "Jeongguk's been making some bad decisions lately. I mean, really, you're talking to both Seojun and Taehyung again? Both men are bad news, you know."

Hoseok turned to look at the younger. "You forgave them both?" He scrunched up his nose, a worried furrow to his brows. "You're too nice for your own good, Ggukie. You should really be careful with who you hang around right now.."

"Oh stop it.." Jeongguk mumbled. "You guys knew Seojun for a while—you know he's not a bad guy. And he seemed like he was really sorry about everything.." He grasped onto Jimin's arm tighter. "Besides it's not like we're getting back together or anything. As for Taehyung, well... He saved me."

"And whose fault do you think it is that you even got captured in the first place?" Jimin scoffed.

Jeongguk looked down, teeth grazing his lip while the breeze blew a frosty chill over his skin. "It wasn't really his fault.. Plus you should've seen him. He handled everything so well, even gave me his bulletproof vest—something he needed way more than I did, and he took on all those guys all on his own."

Jimin blinked at his best friend, then turned to glance over at Hoseok. "Don't tell me this kid's really gushing over a psychopath."

"That's not nice, Jimin," Hoseok gave him a gentle shove before chuckling.

"What, don't tell me you're going to defend that man just because he's a higher ranking captain than you. Are you really that loyal to that jerkface?"

The red haired man's smirk gradually faded. He looked back up ahead of them, where they were approaching the school. "Listen, I've known Taehyung for a while now and he tends to be a scary man. As expected from a feared gang captain, no?" He gave a quiet clear of his throat. "But even with all the crazy shit he can get into, he's still a nice guy.."

Jeongguk lifted his head, ears attentive to the words the older man was saying. The trio fell silent while they approached the school gates, and Jeongguk laid his eyes on a string of smoke lifting into the air, its source a slim cigarette settled between someone's lips.

Someone being, Taehyung himself, who was waiting with one foot up against the gate, leaning back against the metal poles. The man's dim eyes took sight of the three guys, and he slowly lowered his foot back down, pulled the blunt from his mouth.

"Speak of the devil.." Jimin murmured, retreating his arms back from the hold over his two friends. They all gazed at each other with a hint of uncertainty in their glances, and after the curt silence, Hoseok was the first to speak.

"Good morning, Tae." His usual cheery smile spread over his lips. Taehyung raised a hand and waved at him.

"Morning." His piercing eyes shifted toward Jeongguk. "I was waiting for you."

Jeongguk blinked at him with widened eyes. "W-Waiting for me...? What for?"

"To walk you to your class," Taehyung responded simply, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Jimin cut in, narrowed eyes nearly threatening the older man. "Why on earth would you walk him to class? We're already doing that, so you can go ahead and walk yourself to your own studies."

Just then, it seemed the blond had forgotten just how dreadful it was to have Kim Taehyung staring directly at you, a gaze that only ever made one fear for their own life. It almost made him regret even opening his mouth in the first place. Almost.

"You walked him to school, so you've already done enough. I'll take it from here." He reached to take a drag from his cigarette. "After all, I've been assigned to do a protection service for Jeon here."

Jimin's brow rose. "Protection service? Like what Yoongi's doing for Misun?"

"Correct. Except I'll be looking after him in case Acre tries anything again."

Hoseok spoke up again. "With all due respect, I thought you weren't allowed to do protection services.."

Taehyung cracked a small grin. "And as it turns out, this is my punishment for disobeying direct orders from our fearful leader."

The red haired gaped at him, blinked repeatedly as he seemingly processed the situation. And though he came to understand the man's reasoning, something about it still left him hesitant to hand over his precious friend to the gang captain.

The two stared each other down, almost as though a battle were taking place with just their gazes. But Taehyung wasn't one to lose such confrontation, in fact Hoseok was quick to feel intimidated by the predatory look the male was giving him, almost as though he were threatening him to back off his property.

Truthfully, the red haired was quick to accept that he had lost this battle before it even began.

"Ah... Well, uhm.." He turned his head until he and Jimin made eye contact. "He's all yours. I'll check in on him later, if that's alright."

Jimin opened his mouth to retaliate against the decision, but Hoseok quickly shut him down with a serious 'don't talk back' look.

Taehyung merely chuckled. "Of course it's alright. I'm only supposed to ensure his safety, not stop him from doing his every day activities."

"Right, yes." Hoseok cleared his throat. "Now c'mon, Jimin. Let's go to our lecture."

"But—!"

Before the blond could utter another word, Hoseok grabbed him gently by the arm and began to pull him off to the side, walking off towards the other gate. Jeongguk gulped quietly as he watched his friends disappear inside school grounds; and he dreadfully looked up at Taehyung, who was staring directly at him, cigarette nested between two fingers.

The two were quiet for a moment, and Taehyung eventually slipped a hand into his pocket and smiled at the younger.

"Hey." He spoke softly. "I missed you."

Jeongguk timidly looked away, making small steps to proceed past the gate beside them. Taehyung began to follow shortly behind him.

"Jeongguk?"

The boy nearly stopped at the sound of that deep, husky voice uttering his name.

"Y-Yes?"

"You're not looking at me. Did I do something wrong?"

Jeongguk stopped walking, slowly turned to face the older. He watched as Taehyung, too, came to a full stop, and blinked innocently back at him. They stared at each other for what felt like eons, Taehyung's head tilting gradually to the side in a curious motion; and Jeongguk came to a slow realization.

"T-Taehyung..?" He whispered, the word coming out in a skeptical inquiry.

The older huffed out a bemused laugh. "Yes, darling. What is it? What's the matter?"

Jeongguk suddenly exhaled loudly, not having been aware that he'd been holding his breath that entire time. Taehyung then watched as the younger's shoulders relaxed, and Jeongguk let out a low whine while pushing his bangs back.

"I, uhm.. I t-thought you were V.." He chuckled nervously.

Taehyung grinned in amusement. "Yeah?"

"Y-Yeah.." Jeongguk's ears were bright red, head lowered in an attempt to avoid the older's gaze. "I-I don't know, you two kind of talk.... similarly, sometimes. L-Like you both call m-me Jeon.. And as far as I know y-you two are the only smokers.."

Taehyung glanced at his cigarette and lowered it. "Hm. You're quite observant."

Jeongguk clasped his fingers together and continued to walk forward, letting Taehyung walk beside him now.

"You're right—V and I are the most similar. In mannerisms, I suppose.." Taehyung looked up at the sky, letting nicotine residue emit as smoke into the air, from his lips. "Sorry if I scared you."

"N-No that's okay, I'm not—..." Jeongguk paused. "I j-just... still get nervous around him sometimes, that's all.."

"I see," Taehyung gave a short nod and looked at the younger. There was a silent moment before the man felt he had to elaborate a little. "I tend to... call others by their family name. Just to avoid attachment. Y'know, using one's given name is just a bit more intimate, so I suppose V picked up the habit to do the same... To blend in a little better. If our habits seem consistent, then no one would suspect anything about our disorder, after all."

Jeongguk finally turned to meet the other's gaze, doe eyes looking at him in adorable surprise. "O-Oh... That, uhm... That makes sense, actually. S-Sorry.."

"Why are you apologizing?" Taehyung laughed softly. "If you got us confused then it means we're doing a good job being consistent." He tossed the cigarette to the floor and stepped over it. "How about this? I'll call you just Jeongguk from now on. No more 'Jeon'. That way you know it's me."

Jeongguk blinked back at him.

"That okay with you?"

He looked away, attempting to hide the small smile threatening the corner of his lips. "Y-Yes.. That sounds g-good.."

"Good."

The two continued their walk, the younger's cheeks stained a pinkish hue. Taehyung's presence was too prominent on him, he could always feel it tugging at his heartbeat, whenever the man would get too close. Such a thing made him all the more dangerous and yet, Jeongguk found that he was addicted to this feeling. Obsessed with the way Taehyung made him feel.

Even after all this time, the boy still craved for him and he knew it. He couldn't quite pin an explanation over it, he just knew it to be true.

Taehyung truly was as kind, handsome and irresistible as he was before he even knew there were five of him. Though that was only natural—he had only ever been himself.

"Jeongguk."

The boy snapped out of his thoughts, head springing up to look at the other male. He squeaked out a quiet hum, and Taehyung continued.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. For the whole thing with Acre.." He spoke quietly. "I entrusted V to save you, I mean.. If anyone can solo that shit, it would be him."

Jeongguk bit his lip, withholding his smile. "You did the right thing. And V did well.." he mumbled. "I'm grateful for the two of you."

Taehyung held his breath, eyes stuck on the younger. "Yes, but... Even so, we weren't able to save you from-..." He paused, swallowed harshly as his fists clenched up. "The, uhm-... You know.."

Jeongguk rose a brow, head tilted slightly to the side as he blinked up innocently at him. Taehyung fell silent, observing the look in the younger's eyes.

"Do you not—"

Jeongguk quickly interrupted him. "Did, um... D-Did V actually get punished for disobeying Joon? Or were you just looking for an excuse to talk to me alone?"

Taehyung's lips pressed firmly together, watching the teasing smile that had appeared over Jeongguk's pretty lips. He nearly frowned in bewilderment.

"Ah, well-.." He cleared his throat. "It wasn't actually a lie. The only reason we're not allowed to do protection services is because V wouldn't waste his time following people around, just for their safety. He's much too selfish for that."

Jeongguk scoffed out a small laugh. "Makes sense."

"Mhm. But if he's being punished by our leader over disobeying gang matters... Well, he's forced to listen. Besides if he protected you once, he'll do it again. So in this case, it works."

The boy gave a nod and looked away, hoping his cheeks didn't seem even redder now than they did before. Just then they reached the building Jeongguk's class took place in, and it wasn't long before they stood in front of the classroom door, above the marbled flooring over the empty hall.

"You didn't have to escort me all the way to the room, you know.." Jeongguk mumbled. He looked down at his feet and prepped himself to hear Taehyung's immensely deep voice answer him, but when no reply came he curiously lifted his head to look at the older.

Taehyung was staring back at him, his eyes seemingly dazed, teeth digging into his bottom lip almost desperately.

"Hyung..?" Jeongguk pouted, hand reaching to touch his own warm cheek. "I-Is there something on my face...?"

Taehyung quickly looked away, seemingly embarrassed that he had gotten caught staring.

"Mm, no. Sorry." He gave a light chuckle. "I just missed talking to you like this. And, well... you look incredibly cute today. Even more than usual, that is."

Jeongguk's eyes widened, mouth dropping open to protest some kind of remark but the words got caught in his throat. Hell, he couldn't even muster up a single coherent thought with the way his heart rate had quickly sped up.

When Taehyung took notice of his adorable flustered demeanor, he lifted a hand and patted the boy's head lovingly. "Well, have a good class, bun. I'll be waiting for you."

"T-T-Thanks.." Jeongguk stammered, unable to come up with much of anything else to say before Taehyung shot him a smirk and turned to walk down the hall.

Jeongguk stared for a while, watching the man's broad back get further and further away, his tomato face not making an effort to fade away. He gave off a loud sigh and reached his scarf up in hopes it would cover his reddened skin, and finally carried on into the classroom.

※ ※

He didn't learn a single thing in class that day.

No, Jeongguk's mind had been too focused on other things. Other things like Taehyung's smile, his laugh, the way he uttered his name in his perfect, manly voice.

He'd never felt so needy for someone's presence before. But ever since he's met Taehyung, he'll admit he'd have trouble forcing himself to stop thinking about him.

Taehyung was a magician, it seemed. Everywhere he went he casted spells upon others, pulled them towards him, succumbed them to his will. Made them malleable to his desires.

He had thought, after the three months they spent not talking to each other, that he had finally broken free from this spell Taehyung had hurled over him. That with more time, with enough time, it was possible to get over those feelings of love he had expressed, only for them to get shot down.

But here he was, rekindling things with the man. Only to realize that his feelings had never really diminished. Not even in the slightest. No, instead Taehyung had the power to light them up, set them ablaze like a chain reaction, a fire that would spread across Jeongguk's veins, consume his heart.

He was far too gone. Escaping the man's charm was simply impossible.

Jeongguk had learned that the very moment his class had ended, and he had walked down the halls with a fluttery chest, longing, longing to see him again.

He learned it the moment he had stepped outside, jogged past the campus fountain, towards the east gate where Taehyung had said he'd be waiting for him after class.

Learned it the very moment he saw the man standing there, as promised, cigarette propped between his fingers again much like this morning, his long bangs perfectly adorning his eyes and his brows and those perfect lips of his.

And he learned it the moment he saw the pretty girl standing beside him, chatting away over something he couldn't hear. Something that had apparently been so amusing that it made Taehyung laugh, and although he couldn't hear it he knew his laugh must've sounded like an angel's kiss.

The woman next to Taehyung was slim, pretty. She had long brown hair, a cute braided style. Her lipstick shade was an appealing pink, and her dimpled smile rang lovely to the eye. She was incredible cute, and it made Jeongguk's stomach swivel.

Because, yes, Taehyung was much like a sorcerer. Enchanted others everywhere he went and charmed them with a simple smile. Not like it was his fault, really. The man was just incredibly alluring.

"Uhm.. H-Hey, hyung..." Jeongguk approached the two, making apprehensive steps forward. "My class is o-over.."

The two's chatter died down, and their heads turned to look at him. Taehyung cracked a gentle smile and pulled away from the gate, moved closer towards Jeongguk.

"Hey," he lowered his cigarette. "How'd it go?"

"Uh.. G-Good."

"Ready to go home?"

"Y-... Yes.."

"Okay." Taehyung gazed at him fondly, then turned towards the pretty girl pulsing an odd feeling into Jeongguk's chest with just her presence. "See you around, yeah?"

"Yep! Bye oppa!" The girl gave a wave and bowed toward Jeongguk before scurrying off past the fountain. Taehyung looked back at the boy, watched how he kept his head down while he began to exit school premises.

"You alright?" The man inquired, moving past the gate to walk beside him.

"Yeah," Jeongguk nearly scoffed, stopped himself from rolling his eyes. "Isn't this like your thousandth cigarette today?"

Taehyung glanced between the burning blunt in his hand and the pretty pout over Jeongguk's lips.

"It's my third," he chuckled. "Does that bother you?"

Jeongguk grabbed onto his bag strap and flicked his thumb over its edge. "Who was that girl?"

Taehyung blinked. "What?"

"T-The girl just now. With the pretty braided h-hair. Who was she?"

Taehyung gawked at the younger, surprised by the erratic question.

"She's my dongsaeng. From photography club," he answered slowly, seemingly confused as to why the boy had even brought up such a mundane question. "I have photos I need developed, so.. I asked her if the list to use the studio for this week was full or not."

Jeongguk listened in silence, the seconds that followed allowed an immense feeling of embarrassment to suddenly wash over him.

"Jeon Jeongguk.." Taehyung hummed out, head peering over to catch a glimpse of the boy's lowered face. "Are you, perhaps... jealous?"

Jeongguk's head shot up, hands grasping the man's arms instinctively. "N-N-No! I j-just—!"

The boy stopped himself once he watched Taehyung's head fling back, loud laughter belting out from him. He grabbed onto the man tighter to stop him from tumbling backwards, Taehyung's musky scent quickly filled his nose in their proximity.

"S-Stop laughing a-at me!" Jeongguk whined with flushed cheeks, giving a light slap at Taehyung's shoulder, whose laughter had quieted down to mere chuckles.

"Awh, baby.. I'm sorry, darling," Taehyung cooed, hand placing itself over Jeongguk's, which had remained at his bulged arm. "You're just so cute when you're jealous."

"I-I'm not jealous! I n-never said I was jealous, I was just—... a-asking.."

Taehyung fell silent, his gentle gaze settled over the flustered boy. "Don't worry, Jeongguk.." His tone was surprisingly sincere, and Jeongguk couldn't help but shiver at the softness in his voice. "I told you already, I'm in love with you." He let his hand graze over the younger's. "I only have eyes for one pretty boy."

Jeongguk's lip quivered, though he'd blame that on the cold wind that had brushed past them in that moment. He avoided Taehyung's firm gaze on him, afraid that it would devour him whole.

"Understand?"

The boy nodded his head meekly, a pout returning to his lips. Taehyung greatly resisted the urge to kiss it away.

"Pretty boy.. I like verbal responses so I know for sure that you heard me." He whispered. "So, again.. I only have eyes for you. Do you understand?"

Jeongguk gulped down his saliva. "Y-Yes.."

Taehyung grinned. "That's my good baby boy. Thank you for answering me, like I asked."

The boy released his hold on Taehyung's arm, feeling his heart pulse at the praise. He resisted the urge to run away and scream incoherently—anything to express this bursting feeling the man had instilled within him.

But before he could make things awkward, Taehyung pulled them back to a more natural flow.

"So I'll be taking you home now, is that okay?" The man asked, tapped a hand over his shoulder to signal for him to follow after him. Jeongguk obediently complied, head still lowered in a shy manner.

"Y-Yeah, you're s-supposed to keep an eye on me and a-all, so..."

"Sure, but that's not quite what I mean," Taehyung suddenly halted, stood still as they approached the sidewalk. Jeongguk stopped and looked up at him curiously. "Before, I... didn't want to know where you live. 'Cause if I know, then V also knows too. And I didn't want him to get any funny ideas and go bother you where it's not welcome."

Jeongguk inhaled a sharp breath. "O-Oh... Right."

Taehyung continued. "If I take you home now, V's gonna know for sure. And so will the other alters. So if you prefer to keep that private I can call Yerin right now and ask her to—"

"It's okay," Jeongguk cut in. "V told me that I'm... safe. With him. That as long as he's there, no harm can reach me, and I... I believe him. I've felt that way about you, too. Before. S-So... I believe in you guys.."

Taehyung gazed back at him, hesitant to accept such an answer. Because all this time he'd been cautious. Been hyperaware of making sure Jeongguk felt as comfortable as possible with what his alters do and don't know. Their boundaries.

But the determined look on Jeongguk's face made him sure of it.

Things weren't the same as back then, after all. So with a gentle smile at his lips, he gestured ahead of them.

"Very well, then.." He spoke, a glimmer evident in his eyes. "Lead the way."

✱