It was dark. So dark, in fact, that Jeongguk could close his eyes and he would see the same sight as having them opened. A complete consumption of darkness.

He couldn't see the space around him. No, all he could hear was the loud shuffles of footsteps belonging to himself, Taehyung, and the group that had entered the labyrinth room with them. As expected, the guide woman had stayed behind, and the group of eight were left to experience the horror maze all on their own.

When Vante had suggested they do this haunted escape, Jeongguk wasn't expecting it to be quite like this. After all, they were currently strolling down a narrow pathway, engulfed in total darkness, the sound of ambiguous ambience in the distance the only thing guiding them forward. Jeongguk was clutching onto Taehyung for dear life, praying he wouldn't lose his touch. If the two got detached now, the boy was sure he would easily get lost.

"How the hell are we supposed to find our way back in complete darkness?" He heard a woman's voice complain from his rear, falling behind the rest of them. "At least give us flashlights, or... some sort of tiny light source.."

"Mm, I don't know, it's kind of exciting not being able to see anything!" A man's voice perked up this time. "Really sets the mood for this maze."

"Yeah, um... No, I don't see how we're supposed to find our way out of a maze if we can't even keep track of where we are."

A new voice spoke up. "Didn't the guide lady say there's dudes dressed as monsters lurking in the corner? Maybe we'll get some sort of hint once they appear."

"Oh fuck no... I'd rather not come into contact with those weirdoes."

"Guys." Taehyung's deep voice suddenly filled the dark hall, silencing the group. "Be quiet. I can't hear the ambience noise."

Jeongguk's grip on the man tightened, a light wave of relief washing over him. It seems Vante was into these kind of spooky things, therefore he probably had a knack for figuring out what to do. All he had to do was stick with him because, as always, Taehyung and all the alters made him feel safe, wherever he was.

The group of young adults treaded along quietly, and a light growling noise began to vibrate from the tight walls around them.

"What—What was that?!" One of the guys called in a trembling voice. "Did you guys hear that?"

"Yes we did, now hush!" The woman scolded, and Jeongguk heard all footsteps come to a halt. It seemed everyone knew to stop and listen, once the noise began to grow louder, and echo from all sides.

The group stood there, unable to see each other, a dreadful silence swallowing the atmosphere. It was so quiet that Jeongguk could hear everyone's careful lowered breaths.

And then suddenly, speedy red lights began to flash all around them repeatedly, illuminating the dark room they were now in for only half a second between each flash. The growling noise from before now blasted all around them, in unison with the sudden blaring lights, and the group of eight were shitting themselves in sheer fright of the jump-scare.

Within seconds, the large room was filled with shrieks of horror. Everyone began to scatter around, running from only the sounds that filled the air around them. Jeongguk felt his heart nearly leap from his chest, and as he looked around the room to try and observe everyone, someone pushed into him accidentally, causing him to stumble back a few feet.

That's when all the flashing lights came to a halt, and darkness was quick to fall upon them once again. Jeongguk's feet were frozen to the floor in horror, heartbeat accelerated, not quite knowing what to do. Taehyung had disappeared from his side, and he could hear some of the people from the group murmuring things with scared voices in the distance. He gulped quietly, weak voice attempting to call for Taehyung, but no one had heard him. After a string of seconds rolled by, Jeongguk decided if he didn't want to end up alone, he had to take action fast.

So he took off toward the sound of someone's voice coming from his right side. While the red lights were flashing earlier, everyone seemed to get a glimpse of a few narrow paths that divided the large room they had walked into—but no one really had the time to coordinate a plan to stick together.

Meaning, the group would split off.

"Is someone there?" Jeongguk called out timidly, hand reaching out in the darkness until it touched something that felt like a shoulder.

"Yes, it's me, um.. Kaila. And, um-.."

"The name's Yang." A male voice called from behind Jeongguk, who shivered while he stepped to the side in hopes to find a wall. Upon lifting his hand up, indeed came a sturdy surface for him to grip onto. "Looks like the 'monsters' split us up without even showing their faces."

"Phew.." The woman let out a long sigh before gasping in a breath. "That shit was so scary, you guys.. What do we do now?"

"New guy," the man, Yang, spoke up, "What's your name?"

Jeongguk placed his hands to his chest and held it in tight fists. His teeth dug into his bottom lip, a wave of anxiousness settling over him with Taehyung's absence beside him.

"J-Jeongguk."

"Alright Jeongguk and Kaila," a shuffle of foosteps, "All we have to do is keep following the path forward."

"But where? It's so dark, I-... don't know which way is which."

There was a low sigh, and then Jeongguk felt his wrist being grabbed onto.

"Let's hold hands then," said Yang. "There was a small laser line back at the big room, which I can barely see on the ceiling back there. If we follow it we'll be going back to where we started, so... That means we need to go the opposite way."

Jeongguk ignored the pumping in his chest while he stretched his fingers out, searching for Kaila's hand in the dark. Once they found each other, the three proceeded to walk in complete darkness, trusting Yang to take the lead on the narrow path. Time felt relatively long in the deafening silence, but after a while of treading along, the trio heard faraway screaming from the walls on their left.

They froze. Jeongguk squeezed his grip on both his hands, afraid to let go of either of the strangers he had ended up with.

And then Yang's amused laugh cut through the silence. "Looks like the people who took the path left of us ran into a couple monsters."

He heard Kaila's shivered breath behind him. "Holy shit.."

The man in front then pulled Jeongguk along, and the boy merely complied, hoping there wasn't much left of this mess of a maze.

※ ※

"Jeongguk!!" Taehyung's feet skid quickly down a narrow hall, even in darkness. "Where are you!?" Despite having heard a couple people here and there, he'd been calling his lover's name constantly, in hopes he'd hear his gentle voice call back to him in response.

But to no avail, his own voice only echoed back within the slim walls beside him, and Taehyung was slowly coming to terms with the fact Jeongguk must've ended up in a path far from the one he was in. Not to mention, all the running around had separated Taehyung from the group altogether, and he had ended up alone in his quest.

His rushed footsteps came to a stop, fingers digging frantically into his hair. The lack of light around him was beginning to suffocate him, vision hindered entirely by the pitch blackness engulfing his vision.

And through his scattered thoughts, he couldn't help but remember the man that had been in their group of eight. The one in the blue jacket.

Why was he staring so intently at Jeongguk, back at the ice rink?

And why was he conveniently here with them as well?

His stomach churned, thoughts spiraling until they sank deeper into pools of anxiety.

Had the man ended up with Jeongguk in the dark? Were they alone? Was he plotting to do something to the boy?

Taehyung's nails scratched deep at his scalp.

Now all he could think of was Jeongguk's face, full of tears, flushed skin and a look of devastation over his features. All he could think of was the expression the boy wore, back when V had found him inside Acre's base, tied to a metal pole.

How Choi Eunha had been plopped over him, taking advantage of his body.

V had been too late that day. Too late to prevent such a thing from happening to Jeongguk. Sure, he had managed to save him from enemy territory, despite having charged in there with no backup.

But he had failed to protect him.

Had Jeongguk needed him, he didn't want to be late again. Not this time. He couldn't prevent what had happened in the past entirely, but he could prevent something from happening in the future. And V absolutely despised repeating any past mistakes he could control.

So in a desperate resolve, the alter pushed into consciousness, forcibly taking over Taehyung's body and clenching at his teeth. He squeezed his hands into fists, then charged forward through the dark, not bothering to care for this measly maze any longer.

His head was full of one thing, and one thing only—retrieving Jeon Jeongguk. He wouldn't let him out of his sight now. Not again.

As he stomped down the flooring below him, the man used the echoes of his footsteps to determine the layout of the walls surrounding him. But at some point he grew tired of the dark, and dug into his pocket to pull out his phone, hoping to use the device as some form of light.

Except, he found his pockets to be empty, and quickly made the conclusion that everyone was cleared of the belongings before entering the maze. Not that he remembered much of that moment.

Taehyung huffed out a frustrated grunt, then watched as sudden red lights began to flash in his path, revealing another large room in front of him. Sounds of growling began to blast from some form of speakers hidden in the walls, and when he looked up he saw a shadow of someone darting towards him.

He narrowed his eyes, blinking repeatedly until he realized that the person approaching him was a staff member in a monster costume. His brow twitched, and he made quick movement to reach the other guy and grab his costume by the collar.

"Well, hello there." His piercing eyes settled over the man, while his free hand reached to unmask him. "I've grown real tired of this shitty maze. So would you be so kind as to tell me where the rest of the group is?"

The staff guy's jaw dropped, eyes bulging at the sight of the other man. He never once had a customer be the one hunting him, after all.

"W-Wha-, I... I don't know, sir. They're all split up somewhere. You can't just stop the game halfway through.."

Taehyung gave a loud scoff and shoved him back, the red lights casting over his stoic face, and giving him a menacing demeanor. The staff man thought it was wonderfully ironic, how he was the one in the monster costume and yet this guy was a million times more horrifying to encounter.

"How many different paths are there?" Taehyung's voice boomed past the still air.

"F-Four.."

"Which lane are we in?"

"The second one.."

Taehyung's eyes scanned the large room through the flashing lights, spotting three possible entryways he could continue the maze from. His analytical brain got to work, processed all kinds of info he'd taken notice of from his time observing Vante's previous pathing.

Jeongguk was with him up until the first large room. Since Vante called for him endlessly after that, Jeongguk didn't respond—meaning he's in a further lane. However, they still were able to hear muffled shrieks from the rest of the group.

Vante himself made a run toward the second lane, out of four. So theoretically, Jeongguk would be in the furthest lane, where they wouldn't be able to hear each other.

Lane four.

Perfect. Who knew being a top ranking captain in a prominent gang would come in handy for a silly little fair maze?

"Do you have a flashlight?"

The staff member gaped back at him. "What? U-Um.. Yes, but.."

"Give it to me."

"But I need—"

"Now."

The guy gulped down his saliva, dug frantically through his costume pouch, pulled a flashlight and handed it obediently to the other without further questions.

※ ※

"Does-... anyone else hear that?"

Jeongguk's head perked up in the darkness at the sound of Kaila's voice coming from behind him. Following her question came Yang's lower toned voice.

"You mean the growling sounds?"

"Y-Yeah, they're getting louder again too and—..."

"Shh."

The women fell quiet, and the monstrous sound effects blasted at a louder volume, repeated flashes of lights taking over once more. With the red glares bouncing off the walls, the three found themselves in a large room with three separate paths again; and much like the first time the group became scattered, a speedy moving figure began to dash directly towards them.

Jeongguk heard Kaila's scream harmonize with the growl sounds, and naturally the three split off to avoid the 'monster' now chasing them. With an accelerated heartbeat, Jeongguk made a run for the dividing paths when he suddenly felt his arm being grabbed onto.

"Over here!"

He turned to see Yang, who was pulling him into the hall all the way to the right, and the boy didn't ask questions while quickly following after the man. Though in the back of his head he wondered if it was really okay to have left Kaila there by herself. Still, they weren't exactly given much time to have reacted, and just like that he had found himself alone with this stranger in a blue jacket.

"We got split off again... Damn it.." Yang muttered beneath his breath, and Jeongguk felt a small sense of panic when he felt the man let go of him, only to realize this new hallway was lined with low red lighting on the floor.

"S-Should we go back for Kaila..?" He spoke in a small voice, unsure of what to do now. To be frank, he was growing tired of this endless labyrinth, and wished desperately to return to Taehyung's side. Yet knowing his boyfriend, the older may have just already cleared the maze by now.

"Hm, well it's-... too risky to go back.." Yang responded in a hesitant tone. "This place is set up so that you'll be relatively fine as long as you go forward. There's no telling what would happen if we retrace our steps now."

Jeongguk let out an exasperated huff. "Agh, then let's-...!" He sighed loudly, a pout forming on his lips. "I just want to get out of here already...! Coming here was all my boyfriend's idea anyway, and now he's nowhere to be found."

There was a pause of silence, their feet carrying them forward where the dotted red lights guided them. And then Yang let out somewhat of a chuckle.

"So that guy you were with.. That's really your boyfriend?"

Jeongguk's head turned to look at the other, though he couldn't see much of him in the dark. His brow quirked. "Uh.. Yeah.."

"Hm. You're both good looking dudes.." The man continued. "To be honest I... saw you guys back at the ice rink. And I couldn't help but watch you two for a while. At first I thought maybe you were a girl, because of your costume and all, but... Then I realized."

"O-Oh.." Jeongguk laughed bashfully, hand reaching to scratch the back of his neck. "Y-Yeah, I... don't usually dress like this, it's just-.."

"No, I... think it looks good on you."

Jeongguk's lips pressed firmly together. He turned back to face ahead, though they had yet to reach the end of the long darkened path they tread through.

And Yang spoke again. "I hope this doesn't come across as weird, but... Well, honestly this may sound really weird. But I'm actually, uh... I'm kind of bicurious at the moment."

The boy's brows lifted.

"I've been observing guys from afar... seeing how I feel about them, trying to figure out if maybe girls aren't the only thing that peak my interest. And I think you've made me realize in a short time span that I... may just like boys like you, Jeongguk."

Jeongguk's lips slowly parted, processing the confession being spoken to him all of a sudden.

"Um, not in a weird way. You have a boyfriend and he's... clearly a million times better looking than me, so—"

Jeongguk let out a soft giggle. "It's okay... I get what you're saying. Even though it's a little embarrassing, but... Either way I'm flattered."

Yang cracked a light smile, and before he could continue the conversation, the lighting in the room suddenly became a bit clearer, though there was still a blood red hue to the luminescence. Jeongguk looked around, brows lowering, expecting to hear the sound of growling followed by a stream of flashing lights. The usual pattern these rooms have been following.

But instead he heard a faint sound coming from the distance.

"-on..!"

"Do you hear that?" Yang voiced out the question Jeongguk had been thinking in his head, and the boy gave a slow nod in response. "I think someone's calling you.."

"Jeon!"

Jeongguk's eyes widened. The sound of footsteps began to reach them quickly, and only a few seconds later did the boy turn to watch someone jog from a pathway toward their left, into the larger area.

That someone being, Taehyung himself, who had burst in holding a flashlight into the dimmed room, only to see the two guys gaping back at him.

"Jeon.." He let out quietly, muscles relaxing upon seeing that the boy looked okay. That he hadn't been too late this time. And then his eyes settled toward the man directly to Jeongguk's right.

The man who wore a blue jacket.

Taehyung—or rather V's eye twitched, and something in him immediately snapped. In that moment he had lost control of his logic, and ran the short distance from where he was, to the stranger in the blue jacket.

Without much second thought, Taehyung lifted his fist and swung at the man with great strength, his fist connecting and pushing powerfully across Yang's face. The man's head snapped harshly to the side, body hurled straight toward the floor.

Jeongguk's jaw dropped, eyes bulging at the man's sudden attack. He looked back at Taehyung, the action having quickly confirmed his suspicions of V having switched in.

"W-What's wrong with you?!" Jeongguk screeched out, body flinching once Yang made a loud coughing noise and reached to wipe blood that had oozed from his nose. "Why on earth did you punch a stranger?!"

Taehyung calmly retreated his fist and stretched out his fingers.

"I'm protecting you.." He simply answered, face deadpanned.

Jeongguk blinked at him incredulously. "Wh-... Protecting me...? From what, exactly?"

Taehyung's head tilted gradually to the side, glancing between Jeongguk and the blue jacket man. Memories of the boy in danger flashed through his head—scenarios, of events that occurred when he'd been too careless.

Things like Jeongguk being kidnapped, into enemy territory. Of him being taken advantage of, by the enemy. It had all been his fault.

This time, though, he had made it in time.

The blue jacket man was alone with Jeongguk, just as he had feared. But the alter had arrived before things could escalate.

He had protected him.

Taehyung met the younger's eyes, a glisten of confusion flashing his gaze as though he couldn't understand why Jeongguk was scolding him for ensuring his safety.

"What are you talking about..?" His fists unclenched. "Protecting you from him. Obviously. I wouldn't be surprised if that fucker's in a rivaling gang either. One that followed us all the way out here."

Jeongguk let out a short scoff, eyes still wide in disbelief. "Rivaling gang.." He mumbled before raising his voice. "Who put those thoughts in your head? Yang-ssi's just a regular guy!"

The two were silent for a moment, upholding attentive eye contact. The more the seconds went on, the more Taehyung was becoming baffled at how keen Jeongguk was on defending some stranger.

Even after all the worrying he had done, trying to prevent a future in which Jeongguk was in real danger because of him. Because of some stranger.

"You've got to be fucking joking..." Taehyung mumbled. Then suddenly, the lights clicked on and the dark room was quickly illuminated by bright, regular lighting. The three men froze in place once they heard a group of assertive footsteps approaching, and four security staff showed up in the spacious room.

"Excuse me, sir.." One of the bulked men spoke up sternly. "No fighting in the premises. We're going to have to ask you to leave. Immediately."

"Seriously?" Taehyung huffed. "This man here was the real danger." He made a signaling gesture towards Yang, who remained on the floor clutching his jaw. "Gave me the creeps before we even got to this shitty maze. He was oogling my boy all the way from the fucking skating rink."

Jeongguk turned to look at the alter, a concerned furrow in his brows. He let out a quiet sigh, and gently reached to grasp at Taehyung's arm.

"Hyung, let's just go.." He let out in a whisper, gently coaxing him toward the security men. "We've already disturbed everyone's game, so... Let's take our leave and let the rest of the group continue."

"Bullshit... This is such bullshit.." Taehyung grunted to himself, then let himself be guided by the younger across the room. One of the security guys then began to escort the two out to the exit, while the others stayed back with Yang, perhaps to get him medical help.

Once the two were finally out from the booth altogether, Jeongguk removed his hold on the older and glanced toward the crowd of people moving between the different stands, a slight shiver running through him from the cool breeze.

There was a long pause between the two, while Jeongguk hugged himself for some warmth.

"Seriously, V.." He then sighed out in a lowered breath, breaking the silence. "Why'd you have to go cause a scene...? The guy told me he was just bicurious. He didn't mean any harm. You can't just jump to conclusions like that.."

The man came to a complete stop in front of him, hands in pockets while he slowly turned to face him.

"Are you fucking serious right now..?" The older muttered. "You're really going to pin blame on me? Were you hoping to flirt with that fuckface for a while longer or some shit—alone in the dark, where no one could disturb you? Guess that's my bad, for ruining your shitty plans."

"What..?" Jeongguk lifted his head, brows rising in disbelief. "Now what are you talking about? I'm criticizing you for resorting to violence so quickly, not—"

"No." Taehyung's voice became frigid, stale of any emotions. "I ran in there to save you from that man's malicious intentions, and you.." His eyes darkened, feet beginning to approach the younger. "You, were flaunting yourself to defend him. Practically begging him to shove his dick in you. Make you feel like the stupid little whore that you are."

Jeongguk's jaw lowered, gazing back at the older with dilated pupils.

"That's right." Taehyung continued. "A fucking whore. That's precisely what you are."

Jeongguk slowly shook his head, lip trembling before he opened his mouth to speak. "V... I wasn't e-even—"

"Shut the fuck up. I don't want to hear your pathetic fucking voice, not even a second longer."

With that, the man turned to walk off, away from the booth, and away from Jeongguk, whose heart fell apart, completely shattered at the words spoken toward him with such vile menace. His eyes began to water, the tears forming helplessly, and then he forced himself to calm his emotions.

That darkened, obscure look in his eyes. And those words laced in pure, concentrated venom. It was clear that Taehyung, or rather V, had let this situation escalate to one of his unreasonable outbursts.

Jeongguk had read up on the man's disorder. How his surge of anger had no logic to it. How it was best not to fuel into those negative emotions, but rather try to diffuse them.

He was sure that if he were to speak to him with gentle words, V would calm from his anger episode before it could get any worse. Thankfully all he's done so far were spit a couple hurtful words. But Jeongguk could deal with that. After all, he's been through much worse.

So with a newfound determination, the boy wiped at his face and began to follow after the alter, hurrying to reach his side.

"W-Wait up, V!" He called. "Where are you even going?"

The man didn't utter a response, and continued to stomp past the dirt path they had walked off toward, away from the crowd moving from booth to booth. But Jeongguk was intent on grasping his attention, and managed to appear directly in front of the older, causing him to finally look at him.

Taehyung quirked a brow in sheer annoyance. "Thought I told you to be quiet. You're a lot prettier when you're not fucking speaking."

Jeongguk exhaled a quiet breath, trying hard to ignore the rather hurtful statement. After all, the alter wasn't in complete control of his logic. No, his disorder was only hindering him.

"I-I'm sorry.. O-Okay?" The boy blurted out, desperate to divert any fault the man felt in himself, in hopes he could redirect his anger. "I was w-wrong. There was no telling what could've happened, and.. You were in the right for coming to my rescue, hyung, s-so... I want to thank you for that.."

Taehyung stared back at him with those empty eyes that dug needles into every inch of Jeongguk's skin. The longer he held eye contact with him, the more the young one felt he could crumble any second now.

The silence that drew out between them lasted much longer than Jeongguk's weak heart could take, and then finally the older spoke.

"Get out of my way, Jeon.." His deep voice was eerily quiet. "Just how many times... will you make me fucking repeat myself, hm? Don't fuck with me. You know I hate that shit."

Jeongguk began to feel his own body tremble, that familiar rush of fear crawling at the edges of his skin, whenever the man would look at him with that murderous stare.

But he refused to give up on him.

"G-Get out of your way..?" His feeble voice left his lips. "Wherever it is you're going, I'm-... coming with you, right..?" He opened his sweaty palms beside him. "We're o-on a date after all, hyung.."

Taehyung merely blinked back at him, and reached a hand to run it through his own dark locks. He huffed a puff of air out and stepped one foot forward.

"Holy shit, Jeon, you're real fucking annoying, you know that?" He took another step closer to the boy, grabbed on to his arm harshly. "You're a desperate whore, yeah? If you really want to be fucked that badly go flaunt your tight little hole at some other guy and scream their name like the worthless bitch that you are."

He shoved Jeongguk back harshly, pushing him to the side to walk directly past him. The strong force caused the boy to barge into a pole behind him, which his arm sprung back from and led him to tumble straight to the ground. Jeongguk wailed out a soft cry of pain, felt his eyes quickly gloss over with tears.

Not so much at the physical impact of his fall, but rather the sting of the older's words.

Well truthfully, this all felt familiar. Being spoken to in words laced with poison, and being cast off to the ground. It was something that didn't surprise him this time around.

Yet Jeongguk lifted both hands and began to wipe furiously at his eyes, only for new tears to pool at his waterline. He sniffled, feeling the cold dirt ground sink into his skin before he forcibly hauled himself back up.

When he turned towards the direction Taehyung fled to, he could no longer see where the man was—had lost sight of him completely. A sense of alarm rang off in his body, not quite knowing what to do now that he'd been left behind.

Should he wait for him? Chase after him again? Follow at a distance?

The thoughts circled his head like rapidfire. But after a long moment of contemplation, battling back and forth between his choices, and breaking through his indecisiveness, Jeongguk finally dragged his feet past the dirt, and turned to walk off towards the opposite direction.

※ ※

As it turns out, Jeongguk had concluded he couldn't stop V. Let alone predict his actions.

So he considered the date over, and decided to head back to their hotel and call it a night. The sky had darkened drastically, in comparison to when they had first arrived. Jeongguk would've liked to have had a proper meal, maybe find a nice enough restaurant and end the date with a romantic candlelit dinner.

But he decided not to linger too much on those thoughts. Because he knew that if he did, he would only disappoint himself.

The cab ride back was even shorter this time around, and Jeongguk felt a thousand times heavier merely walking inside the hotel premise, carrying his exhausted body through the motions of reaching their room. He figured, eventually V's elevated emotions would have to relax, and when they do, he'd come to his senses and return back to the hotel as well.

There was just no telling when that would happen.

The man could return in a few minutes, or maybe in the middle of the night, while Jeongguk was asleep.

Part of him even thought he wouldn't come back at all. But then he remembered their train back to Seoul was early in the afternoon tomorrow, and surely V wasn't quite that careless.

So Jeongguk decided to just not think about it. Instead, he reached their hotel room and let himself plop over the cushioned mattress. While laid over the large bed, eyes settled toward the ceiling, his accelerated heartbeat couldn't find any means to calm down since the moment he met V's fierce shrilling gaze.

He sighed quietly, shifted to his side while pulling the blond wig from his head and tossing it somewhere. He was far too low on energy to even bother changing from the rest of his costume, as the ache in his heart distracted him from his desire to do anything other than lay there and let the tears sneak down his cheeks.

His body gently trembled, lowered sniffling jolting in his nostrils. He closed his eyes, sobbed quietly over the pillow below him.

He didn't want to admit it, but he had let V's actions and words hurt him this time around, too. Even though he knew he shouldn't blame him. At least, not entirely. But there was still a part of him that wished something could've been different this time around.

Maybe it was his fault, for not studying V's disorder enough. For not learning how to handle it properly. If he had done better, he could've gotten the alter to calm down.

With those thoughts, Jeongguk laid there for a while. His head scrambled with thoughts and regrets of today, an ache prominent inside his chest. He wasn't sure how long he had drifted in and out of the deep emotions that had drawn tears from him, but just like that the time had passed him by.

And before he knew it, he heard sudden shuffling outside the hotel room.

The boy's eyes shot wide open, heart plummeting past his stomach, a ringing in his ear. He quickly scrambled to sit up on the bed, large eyes attentive to the sound of the door down the hall creaking open.

A feeling of numbness overcame his body until he didn't feel quite present in the room, and as the sound of footsteps began to near him, so did a dreadful feeling.

Step. Step. Step.

And then.

Taehyung. Well V, to be exact, was standing there, beside the the tall lamp adorning the hotel room entrance. Their eyes met naturally, and Jeongguk held his breath, fingers digging into the bedsheets to stop them from trembling.

He watched the man cautiously. Waited for him to do something, or say something. Anything.

But the room remained silent, void of the words stored in the root of their thoughts.

Eventually the man looked away, and Jeongguk felt the air return to his lungs. He traced the lining of the silk sheets anxiously while Taehyung moved further into the room and removed his blazer. The boy continued to observe him intently, unsure of what he should say. If speaking to him was even a good idea.

He quickly decided that it wasn't, and that he would let the alter initiate conversation if he so desired it.

After all, he had told him back at the fair that he didn't want to hear his 'pathetic' voice any longer.

Yet, no matter how many seconds Jeongguk let roll by, Taehyung remained silent. And his lingering fear of the man approaching him where he laid was quickly calmed when he saw that Taehyung moved toward the desk beside the television.

He pulled the chair from the table and sat backwards with his legs straddled over it, arms resting on the chair top.

Then, the silence persisted. Almost deafening.

Taehyung gazed at him again, though the sinister look in his eyes from earlier seemed to have subsided, leaving him with that of lifelessness. Still, Jeongguk didn't completely let his guard down, and withstood eye contact with the calm male.

The two watched each other in complete silence, an intensity growing in the atmosphere, and at some point Taehyung tilted his head moderately to the right and exhaled inaudibly. Jeongguk grinded his teeth together, weary eyes blinking slowly. He reached to wipe at the dry tears over his face, and retreated back against the bed frame. Taehyung merely blinked in return, relaxed his arm muscles.

The two may not have been speaking out loud, but they were communicating solely with their eyes. They were testing the waters—reading each other's emotions. Reading the air, to get a feel for how to proceed with the tension they had built up. And lord, could they cut the tension with a knife.

It was only with time that the two were eventually able to calm their heightened senses, once they realized they've both been cautious of each other, when neither of them meant any harm.

Taehyung waited until the younger slowly pushed his feet out over the mattress, to finally rise from the chair and approach him carefully. Jeongguk found himself clutching his chest again, still wary of what the man's intentions were. But Taehyung merely settled at the edge of the bed beside him, and looked down toward his own lap.

Jeongguk waited another few seconds, and for a moment he thought Taehyung was finally going to speak.

But he didn't. Instead, the man gazed out the window in the distance and basked in the silence between them, the only difference being he was sat closer to him this time. Jeongguk kept his gaze on him, slowly relaxing once he realized that V was trying to ease his presence into him. It seemed that the man knew Jeongguk would be fearful of him after his outburst, and was trying to communicate to him that he had calmed down since then.

So Jeongguk crossed his legs and scooted himself closer to him, only slightly. Yet the movement was enough for Taehyung to lift his head and look at him once again, his large hand settling only inches from the boy's thigh. He sucked in an airy breath, then carefully shuffled closer toward Jeongguk to finally close in the small distance between them.

He reached one hand up, placed it over the back of the boy's neck with attentive caution.

And with a slight lean forward, Taehyung finally pressed his forehead gently against Jeongguk's, eyes slowly falling closed.

The boy let out a quiet exhale, the warm brushing the older's cheeks, caressing it with a tentative touch. Taehyung nuzzled the tip of his nose over Jeongguk's, his long fingers digging to the back of the younger's hair.

Jeongguk let his eyes close, too. He knew by now, that the alter had a way of communicating with the tender press of their foreheads. So he listened to the patterns of his breaths, and the warmth of his touch on his skin, deciphering the message V was trying to convey to him.

It seemed, with the careful way in which Taehyung rubbed the pads of his fingers beside his neck, his burning touch pushing into his skin, making the hairs on his neck rise, that the man felt some form of remorse. And the gentle caresses told him, that he regretted the aggressiveness he had taken out on him just hours ago.

Taehyung's hand slipped from the back of Jeongguk's neck, and moved to cup the boy's face. But before the palm of his hand could reach the younger's cheek, Jeongguk flinched, instinctively pulling back from the older in a jolt.

A quiet breath left Taehyung's lips, and he slowly lifted his gaze to look at Jeongguk, who was staring back at him with alerted eyes. He inhaled sharply, swallowed his saliva.

And finally cut through the sharpened air around them.

"I knew it.." He whispered beneath his breath, his hand lowering beside him on the mattress. "Deep inside, you really are..." A short pause. "Scared of me... aren't you?"

Jeongguk simply gazed back at him. The pulsing in his heart was beginning to make it difficult for him to breathe, but somehow the words spoken by the older made his brows lower in somewhat of a frown.

And well, it wasn't as though V could blame him, if that were the case. He had given Jeongguk every reason to fear him—he wouldn't deny that.

But it wasn't ideal for Taehyung and the others to have a lover that was scared of them. No, that wasn't how love should be.

Yet, the damage had already been done. He wasn't confident he could undo the sense of fear he'd installed in the younger's heart. And before he could get to warn the boy of that exact thing, the alter's thoughts were cut short by Jeongguk suddenly reaching to grab his hand.

Their gazes met once more. Taehyung could see the determination glistening in Jeongguk's shimmery eyes, and a hint of a cute pout on his lips. Jeongguk moved the older's larger hand and guided it back towards his cheek, where Taehyung's palm finally pressed over his flushed skin, and Jeongguk held it there, their warmths seeping into each other.

The older stared back at him with dilated pupils, and somehow the two found themselves holding their breaths at one another's touch, in close proximity.

It was all a rush. How they couldn't concentrate with the hurried beats of their hearts, and yet it all felt so... calming. As though it were natural, for that static feeling to zap at their veins, swarm their bloodstreams with each other's touch.

Taehyung's thumb flicked a small caress over the younger's cheek, an unknown force pulling his face closer toward him. And the next thing they knew, the older was pressing a light kiss on Jeongguk's pink dewy lips, no longer able to hold himself back from having a taste.

That taste. That modest, delicate sweetness. A flavor that could only be found in Jeongguk's lips. One that Taehyung would savor every single time, for he didn't take such things for granted.

The only thing that could ever compare, was the shaking meek breath Jeongguk let out in response, his hand faltering from grabbing the older's, and instead reaching to rest at Taehyung's shoulder. So utterly delicious.

Just like that Jeongguk gave himself to the man completely. Because, how could he possibly fight it? Taehyung's lips were his command.

His lungs ached for him. Wanted to breathe him in entirely. Taste him. Cherish him. With one simple kiss Taehyung could penetrate his emotions, ignite him, swarm him with a fire only he could tame.

For, of course, it was so painfully true. They belonged to no one else.

No one but each other.

✱