Taehyung's P. O. V.

Just as I drive in to reach that tall detestable building where Axel's overlord waited for me my eyes caught an unknown masked figure hurrying out to swiftly get lost into the crowd. Questions pop up in my head as I gathered the package I was supposed to deliver, however all thoughts withered away as I reached the penthouse.

Something isn't right...

It was early in the morning but I saw Kai roaring around the place with a glass of bourbon in hand, Sunmi was on the phone as she kept warning the loud man to settle down while an unbothered Byun was perched on the couch with a laptop, busy in working.

I set down the package on the table before the silver haired man and took a seat away from him, trying not to meddle with any of them.

Despite the fact that working for them boils my blood and drives my rage and anguish to the point where I feel like killing myself would be the only possible solution, my heart still hopes for freedom. A salvation which could be provided by the one soul. My only remedy...

I inhaled deeply letting my eyes out of the large glass window to peer over a still groggy city as my mind leapt and bound to retrace the ecstasy of having Seokjin in my arms, his comforting touch and tempting warmth.

Him, only him and all of him, that's all I need to make through this torment.
I press my eyes close reminiscing about his affectionate soft brown eyes. I can withstand all the pain and cruelty the world throws at me if at the end of each day I can melt in that gaze. I had tried being tough but who am I kidding,  if he had really fled I'd totally loose my shit and go insane!

Yes! I'm selfish in my need for you!

"We got some work to do" Byun's calm voice shook me awake "Kai wants me to show you around, get you accustomed to how things work around here".

Huh! Like it's that hard to guess.

His eyes briefly meet mine before skipping aside to fix behind me when I felt a hand on my head.

"Kid" Kai's voice was stern as he petted my head making me tense "it's time you climb out of your little crib of inhibitions and learn the real stuff, with your potential I can see you being a great soldier".

I jerked away at his words and stood up, those words felt like hot iron branding and charring my skin "what do you want? I already got you the packages" my nails buried into my palm as I tried to restrain my enraged fists.

"Come now, let's try and be civil. I've had enough of tolerating one brat for today, so don't piss me off again" he smiled shakily but I could see anger brewing in his eyes.

"Don't make me get on your bad side V, it's gonna push me to do what I don't want to". With those words I felt my insides contract in fear and pressed my lips to a line. I know how powerless I am, it never was a deal on equal terms and I know what they can make me do.

He pushes his hands into his pockets and comes to stand by my side, shoulder to shoulder. "You keep your promise to do whatever I tell you to, and I'll make sure I keep mine".

My eyes lower to the ground as fear, anger and guilt build up to make me stare helplessly at my powerless state.

I'm nothing but a pitiful puppet in his cruel hands!

Third person's P. O. V.

After the days' bustle died down to crawl deeper into the night, the nocturnes set out to hunt.

At an abandoned warehouse about an hour away from the city, that's where a car came to a halt as two dark silhouettes stepped out and stealthily made their way in.

*Click*

Shrill wails and pleas suddenly pierced through the still darkness before things went dreadfully silent again.

Mere minuets later one slender silhouette walked out carrying a briefcase in hand, his silver-hair momentarily glistening under the muffled moonlight before he got in the car.

*Click*

Another silhouette soon walked out of the warehouse, thick blood glistening over his clothes as he rubbed the side of his face over his shoulder and got inside the car.

The camera somehow lost focus this time and failed to capture a shot of this blood-drenched man because the one who had secretly hidden himself behind the pile of scraps suddenly stood frozen, trepidation and betrayal clasped at his heart.

The car sped away while the boy slumped down unable to believe what he had just witnessed, unable to accept the gruesome cruelty the person he trusted is capable of. This wasn't what he had expected to see, he wanted to get proof of murderers forcing Taehyung to commit heinous crimes!

Although fearful the boy edged closer to the side of the warehouse in curiosity but more to pacify his raging mind, desperately praying that it was another instance of ruthless torture.

But damn was he wrong.

It was not torture or scaring someone. Taehyung had actually killed someone with his own hands! Not one but three people!

The boy felt sick at the sight of three bodies hanging lifelessly with their throats slit and emptied the contents of his stomach at the scene. He hasn't realized that he was crying but tears just kept spilling out incessantly and he had to put a hand over his mouth so that he wouldn't wail loudly.

He bawled his eyes out as realizations hit him one after another, this cannot be the man he had felt so comfortable with, this cannot be the soul he had wanted to care for, such cruelty cannot be deserving of love, no way, there is simply no way Seokjin could over look this side of him.

Seokjin's P. O. V.

Am I being stupid in trying to meddle with such stuff?

He had said that he had no other choice, and that he couldn't lose any loved ones anymore...

And he expects me to just sit back and watch him become a monster in the eyes of the world?!

Or have they actually succeeded in turning him to become one of them?

In the next couple days I secretly followed around the members of the gang I had come to recognize by now. Even from miles away I can tell when it's Tae, from the way he walks, how his shoulders flex when he is agitated and how his head snaps in rage and frustration. Then there's that silver-haired man I had seen that night with Taehyung, who mostly accompanies him. The man's calm expression, piercing eyes and intimidating aura makes chills run through my blood.

Sometimes only in a flash, I could see a head of long auburn hair and pretty stilettos swiftly dissipate among other faces around, and there's another one who goes around in all black clothes and timberlands, I had seen him only one time with that lady as I hid away to get more clicks of gruesome tortures and inhumane deaths in the hands of Axel's newest assassin while my faith in him keep getting more n more brittle.

"Hey! What took you so long?" Jimin asks the moment I walk through the door to the apartment. "Yeah..umm...Just got caught up with something" I reply avoiding to look at him on the couch quite engrossed with the recent news of the blast at the airport flashing on the TV screen.

My breath hitched as I remembered what I had witnessed awhile ago, how threatening the boom of the explosion had been and how I had fled to take cover.

I had followed Taehyung and the silver-haired man to reach the airport, had casually followed them to the underground basement but was utterly confused when I found only the man in the car with no Tae.

Minutes passed away to reach an hour when the car started moving again and staying alert I followed it out to notice Tae get back in the car. But what troubled me was that it halted again after a minutes' drive. That was when the blood-curdling sound of the explosion tore through the air and soon enough wails, pleas and the sound of sirens flooded in.

Panic-stricken I hid by an alley, too stunned to know where to run and it was only after my shock subsided did I realize that I was alone in the middle of nowhere!

"I had ordered japchae, should I heat some up for you?" He asks not looking away from the screen. "It's ok Chim, I'm not hungry" without another word I shut the door to my room and plop down on the floor, not having any more strength in me to pull through with this act of being strong.

Why is it so hard to accept that this is who Taehyung is now? But how can he be this cruel? No! This cannot be him! I don't want him to be this!

I weep into my hands and lean my head onto the bed, letting the mattress soak up my tears.

Broken gold streaks of light dance nimbly over the crescent water as the sun ascends the sky, flickers of colored plumes fluttering around, dipping close and soaring above. The chilled air ran tousling my hair and bristling my skin, bare feet pushed into the frozen moss which turned dewy with every warm step.

I turn around to let my eyes gloss over to reach a glowing honey-gold face, starkly bright against the boorish woods adorned in a darker shade of green. He smiles and a gleeful echo spreads through my heart, a heavy rumble grows within as I feel his arms snake around me and his warm mouth press possessively at my primeval soul to come closer and never leave.

I need you Seokjin...help me...

My eyes snap open with those words still echoing inside my head as I glance unsurely around the dimly lit room, my senses clear and I realized I had probably cried myself to sleep.

Brushing away the pain due to the odd position I had fallen asleep in I stand up and decide to freshen up although it was still quite early. As I let the water glide down, my tired body revitalized and my thoughts ran haywire, the explosion, the gruesome bloody scenes, the dream, his pleadings all crash at me with their own ebb and flow but can I really give him another chance?

It's always better to get some more proof and then take a decision. I saved the photos in a chip and hid it away in my cupboard.

According to the list I had spied on Kook's laptop Axel was everywhere, festering peace all around with their diseased grip over the entire place. Almost everyday they had plans to be somewhere, acquire something or eradicate someone. The more I delve into this Axel seems to become a hundred-headed hydra, the abominable Kraken hiding away and waiting to strike.

In comparison to such a power I am but a mere nothing, oh well call me crazy but I'm gonna try revealing their shitty plans anyway!

Jimin left for a couple weeks to visit his family,actually to surprise his sister on her birthday and my world felt lonelier, as situations felt heavier and the need to keep things to myself wore my heart down.

Kook and Hobi would often stop by and tonight we've planned on a sleepover. We spent the evening strolling around the streets grubbing on fish cakes and lamb skewers. I was a bit restless since I had somewhere else to be to see what those murderous scumbags are up to for tonight but realized there was no good excuse I could tell them to make them not follow me!

Thus, when finally the chill of the night reached to our bones we raked through the convenience store to grab some beer, shrimp chips and spicy instant noodles, and headed home. "Oh don't ask, he has been slumped with work these days! Been going for night shifts the whole week. It's draining him and stressing him out but guess he'd always work harder to give more than he can" Hobi says chewing on the chips, being the usual considerate soul even in his complaints.

"Here you go, three spicy noodles" Kook placed the steaming cups down "the perfect side for a good beer and great night" and joins in on our rant with the TV playing some shit in the background. The hour walks ahead with our bubbling laughter and loud voices to slowly ease into difficult terrains of emotion to ultimately end with me breaking down and sobbing on their shoulders.

With the troubles I've been dealing with by myself crying my heart out felt too good to resist, although I still don't have the guts to tell them about my plans.

Both their phones rang out suddenly and I pulled myself up to restrict my sniffles to see them share a glance with a frown.

"What's going on?" I ask in confusion as they stared at their screens. "It's from the investigation office, there's an emergency" Kook says in a slow serious tone. "Gotta go, we could take you but trust me this shit is hella' boring" Hobi voices and Kook turns to ask "are you gonna be okay all by yourself?"

"Sure" I voice not so sure. "We're gonna see if we can make it back soon" Hobi says grabbing their stuff. "I'm just gonna go to sleep I guess, don't worry".

They leave in a hurry and for awhile I just sit there listening to the dull ticking of the wall clock, grab a beer can as I silently go over the thought of handing to the investigation office the evidences I had acquired but somehow that little voice in my head keeps telling me not to, tells me to give it a bit more thought and gather a tad more proof. The proof would not only reveal Taehyung but several more, although I do believe there's only a handful of them who control the entire thing.

I get busy in cleaning up the empty cups and bags of chips, put away the beers Kook n Hobi had left unopened, fixed the cushions on the couch and head for my room when a knock on the door resonated throughout the empty apartment.

"Back alrea-" "Can I come in?" My heart sank and breath hitched to see a masked Taehyung draped in a heavy black over-coat stand there. He edged closer pushing back the door with one hand and my trance finally snapped "I'm busy".

"Seokjin" his voice is pleading but I don't move to let him in , I'm not sure if it's ok to let a murderer enter my home.

"Please let me in" he says taking a step closer as he runs the back of his hand along my face and as foolish as I am the action makes me melt away.

I shut the door avoiding to look at him as my tension begins to pick up when I feel him grab me in a hug and nuzzle into the crook of my neck. "Better" he breathes loudly "so much better" his words come out muffled as he squeezes me tighter to himself, and I just stand there hesitant to even put my arms around him.

He runs his nose against my cheek, probably urging me to break out of this stiffness and react.

"Were you busy in drinking?"

He pulls back to look at me and I try to gulp down the uneasiness that has gripped me.

"Can I join? I could really use some soju or beer, whatever you got" "uh..um, I am sleepy" I blatantly lie "we can do that later". The moment the words leave my mouth I see his brows  slightly furrow.

"Can I stay over?" He leans in to put his head on mine and I involuntarily stiffen, "Please..." his voice had the same plea like the night he had asked me to help him and I can feel myself giving in.

"Okay" I wonder why my words come out in just above a whisper, am I sympathetic or scared?

"I really need a shower" he says and gets busy to get rid of his long coat "and need one those extra sweatpants".

In the next moment I received the shock of my life as I watched him pull off the coat to reveal a bloodied shirt with tiny traces of of its original purple tint.

And suddenly, all I could see in him was the ruthless murderer with death dripping down his hands.

I desperately push away from him as fear, shock and revulsion rush through me all at once. "Get out!! GET OUT! LEAVE!"

"Hey Hey hey...sorry, I'm sorry, does this upset you that much?" I keep backing away, upset me?? It's someone else's blood on you! Oh God! Has he lost his mind?!

"I'm gonna have a shower, it's gonna go away" he assures breathlessly and in a rush pulls the shirt off of him as well, edging closer still as he tries to console me, but ends up heightening my panic in the process.

"Don't come any closer, you're disgusting! I'm gonna call the police! I swear...I swear" and I lunge for the cordless phone in the living room but before I can  reach it, his hand snakes around my waist and I can feel myself being carried away, my fear spikes higher and I resort to my only other option.

"Aahhhhh! Let go! Hel-" His other hand instantly presses onto my mouth as he carries me inside my room and into the shower.

Tears threaten to spill out and my heart booms in my ears when he starts the shower letting the warm water run down the two of us, and making sure nobody hears me if I try to yell again. His hand around my waist still restraining me from moving away.

For a few minutes we just stay like that and the only sounds are the hiss of the shower and my sniffles.

I felt him lean his head on me as his bare chest pressed against my back "you cannot hate me Seokjin" I feel his lips at my nape and whimper into his palm.

"You are not allowed to hate me".

His hand lowers from my mouth to coil around my neck as his lips graze over the side to reach my ear. "I'll leave if you want me to, just don't" I'm slowly turned around to face him and despite the running water I could see streaks of tears run down his cheeks "don't you push me away".

And that's all it takes as I break down in a fit of sobs against his chest not knowing how to hate him for the crimes I had seen him commit, not knowing how to push him away and accuse him, not knowing how to not see the pain coursing in him.

"Promise me" I weep out "promise me you won't kill...won't kill anyone anymore".

He grabs my face and leans closer. "Promise me you'll stop being this, or I swear I will learn to hate yo-" he shuts me up by pressing his lips on mine and suddenly all my rage and rancor is put out as I let myself feel him speaking to me beyond the limitation of words.

The kiss is not hungry or rushed but lulling and sweet as our passions crash in waves at the enlivening touch, pouring over us with boundless cravings and urging us to drown ourselves in each other.

I push my tongue into his mouth as I wrap my arms around his neck and feel the rush of lust flood in as his hands get tighter around my jaw and he pushes me back into the wall to wrap his tongue with mine.

Our breathing gets laboured  as groans spill out, it is as if we can't get enough of each other as we voraciously kiss.

Breathlessly he pulls back "I promise" he pants out on my lips and kisses me back, my mouth instantly latching onto his as we lose ourselves in each other with renewed vigor. "I promise" he says again pulling away a second time as we gasp to catch our breath "please, please don't fear me Jin. I will never hurt you."

I can feel his hot rapid breath on my lips, and softly press my lips on his, letting it just stay there as my brain revels in the easy glow he sets throughout my body.

"I love you" I spoke into his mouth not even aware that those were the words I had wanted to tell him and marveling at how naturally he had sucked them out of me.

Then the words struck me, the weight of my own confession startled me to realize what I had just done! We aren't even dating, or are we? I screwed up, didn't I? He must totally think I'm running low on brain cells to call him disgusting one minute and confessing how I love him the next! I'm such a fucking mess!!!

I pull away from him and look at his dilated dark eyes, he stiffens for a bit but I feel his arms protectively wrap around me as he realises what I had just confessed, his gaze keenly fixed onto mine as he continues reading my eyes.

A soft smile etches on his lips and grows to make my fretful heart trip  into overdrive.

á na márië

[A/N] writing this story takes me through such a rollercoaster, I'm thankful for all your love and support through this!

Borahae💜