Taehyung opened his eyes slowly to Namjoon shaking him awake with an enormous smile. He had always loved Joon's dimples the most and no matter how long they had been together, those tiny dips on each cheek had never failed to make his heart flutter. Taehyung couldn't help but smile back, bringing the back of his hand up to rub the sleep from his eyes. Before he could do so, Namjoon quickly grabbed his hand with a worried look in his eyes. 

"Tae, what is this? Why would you do this to yourself?" Namjoon whispered, "Is this a bite mark?"

      Taehyung, still trying to wake up, just stared at him in confusion. Looking down he noticed a ring of cuts on the back of his hand and dried blood that at one point last night had run down his arm. Slowly, he remembered the odd dream he had last night, if you could consider it a dream, but chose not to repeat it to Namjoon when he saw the blood on the other man's hands and pants.

"Oh no, I'm bleeding all over you," Taehyung gasped, "Let me go get cleaned up."

      Namjoon said nothing, but at the mention of his bloody clothes had stiffened up and turned a sickly shade of green. Feeling uneasy, but assuming Joon was just worried about his hand, Tae walked into the bathroom and shut the door. Turning on the light, Taehyung looked down at his hand and realized that it felt much worse than it actually was. The teeth marks were already beginning to scab over and after running his hand under the faucet water, he realized that all of the dried blood had been from hours ago. He was no longer bleeding. Tae struggled to bandage his hands, dropping the gauze multiple times because he couldn't stop shaking. Five minutes later, his hand was finally bandaged. He had managed to slide down the door and sit on the ground, trying to calm himself down. 

      Namjoon had seemed fine when he shook Tae awake. He hadn't seemed hurt at all, and to be honest, had seemed happier than he had in months. Taehyung was positive that Joon hadn't come home with any more injuries, but if that was the case, and Tae's hand had stopped bleeding hours ago, whose blood was that drying on Namjoon's clothes?

-----

"Hey Tae, are you alright in there?" Namjoon asked, "I don't want to bother you, but you've been in there for an hour."

      Taehyung stood up, still leaning against the door for support. Sighing, he walked to the sink and splashed cold water on his face.

"I'll be out in a second." He choked out, "I'm just washing my face."

      He listened to Namjoon walk away and heard the bed springs squeak as he sat down. Tae wanted more than anything to walk into the bedroom and just lay with Namjoon. He felt as though they hadn't actually held each other in months. He didn't understand how they had grown so distant. After turning off the faucet and drying his face, Taehyung flung open the door and ran over to Namjoon. Jumping onto the bed, Tae wrapped his arms tightly around his boyfriend. He heard Namjoon chuckle and couldn't help but smile when he felt Joon's arms wrap protectively around him as well. None of the things he had been going through mattered now that Tae was safe in Namjoon's arms. Laying his head on Joon's chest, Tae closed his eyes, needing no other reminder as to how he fell in love with this man in the first place. Namjoon quickly resituated Tae's head, trying to relieve some pressure from the gash he had recieved only yesterday. It seemed as though it had happened forever ago. A lifetime ago.

"I know you're trying to avoid this conversation, but I've finally found it" Namjoon murmured, rubbing small circles into Tae's back.

      Tae felt the vibrations in Namjoon's chest as he spoke and suddently felt very tired. Joon's voice was like his own personal lullaby, every word he said combining to make a song just for him. Tae could listen to it forever but right now he knew that Joon would rather show him the fountain he had spent so much time searching for. Time that they could have spent together instead. Sitting up, Tae grabbed Joon's hand and helped him out of bed.

"Well let's go!" Taehyung said cheerfully, "You want to take me there right?"

      Tae loved the way Namjoon's face lit up as he walked to the door and threw on his jacket, but in the back of his mind all he could think about was the fact that, after tonight, he would finally have Joon to himself again. He couldn't wait to spend the rest of their lives together, without this obsession pushing them further apart. 

-----

      Taehyung was now blindfolded and holding onto Namjoon's shoulders for dear life as the other man quickly climbed up what he assumed was a very rocky and difficult mountain to climb. They had driven for hours before Joon had pulled up to a beautiful mountain with trees so thick and tangled it seemed almost impossible to enter. As they got closer, Tae noticed that the roots tangled together on the forest floor, catching dead leaves and any other debris unlucky enough to be blown into the mountain. It was a very dangerous place to walk, with the risk of taking the wrong step and breaking an ankle or leg. The forest gave off a challenging air, daring anyone to enter.

      Namjoon had stopped Taehyung not even ten steps in, put on the blindfold, and told him to hop on his back. Joon had said something along the lines of the rest of the way being a surprise and he could take off the blindfold when they got to the cave. Taehyung suspected there was another reason for being blindfolded but didn't complain when he realized that if he looked directly down, he could still see part of the ground. He had been worried that Namjoon might fall with the extra weight, but had actually seemed more confident and sure-footed with Tae safely on his back.

"We're almost there!" Namjoon said, practically shaking with excitement.

      Despite himself, Tae was getting excited too and had been watching the path Joon had been taking through the small gap in his blindfold. He felt the muscles in Namjoon's back stiffen as he tried to step over something in the middle of the path. Time seemed to slow down when Tae saw two legs directly beneath him. It looked as though someone was casually laying down on the path, but Tae knew that wasn't it. The shoes seemed familiar, and Tae realized that they belonged to the man that had picked up Joon last nght at the apartment. The man that Tae had been jealous about. Suddenly the blood on Namjoon made much more sense.

      Tae had stiffened as well and he was sure Joon had noticed. He felt more than heard Namjoon sigh and was caught of guard when he felt his feet gently touched the ground. Tae reached up to pull of the blindfold, scared of what he might see. They were a few feet into the opening of a cave, meaning that Tae didn't need time to adjust his eyes. Though he could see everything clearly, the only light they had was coming from the opening of the cave. Squinting towards it he could still make out the man laying there. 

      Gently, Namjoon grabbed his hand, leading him farther back into the cave. Taehyung assumed that the man's body was something they wouldn't be talking about. Silently, Joon his flashlight, tightening the grip on Tae's hand. Tae flinched, worried that the wound on his hand would reopen, but didn't pull away. Taehyung was anxious, trying to push away any negative thoughts. He was beginning to worry that Namjoon had brought him down here with no intentions of bringing him back. He had read about theories on the Fountain of Youth and many talked of death much more than they mentioned eternal life.

      They couldn't have been walking for more than fifteen minutes before they were standing at the opening of a large room. Taehyung couldn't believe his eyes. In the center of the room was the pool of water he had been dreaming of for months. Not only was the pond itself real, but the odd urge he had to submerge himself in it was too. It was more than real. Taehyung almost felt suffocated by the desire. 

"It's beautiful isn't it?" Namjoon said, lighting up two lanterns that had been attached to both sides of the room. "Of course it's not as beautiful as you."

"It really is beautiful." Taehyung whispered, not even catching the compliment. 

      Taehyung must have been staring at the water for a while because they next thing he knew, Namjoon's hand was on his shoulder and he was being led to a picnic blanket decorated with flowers and delicious looking food. 

      Joon helped Tae sit down before grabbing two older looking bowls and walking towards two streams of water that Taehyung hadn't noticed until now, too consumed by the pool of water. After filling them both up, Joon walked back to the blanket, sitting the first bowl in front of Tae and the second in front of himself.

"Okay, let's eat." Namjoon said, grabbing Tae's hand that had already started reaching for his bowl, "Not yet."

      Taehyung pulled his hand back, grabbing a spoon instead. After enjoying the seaweed soup Namjoon had made for them and eating until they were both practically sick, Taehyung found himself in Joon's arms once again. Although he still felt the pool of water calling for him, being in Namjoon's arms seemed to drown everything else out. His desire for Joon would always be stronger than anything else, and Tae felt happy knowing that he had found the only thing in this world worth living for. He felt even happier knowing that after they each drank out of their bowls, Tae would not only have Namjoon to himself again, but he would have him for the rest of eternity. 

"Can we drink it yet?" Taehyung asked, wanting to get this over with and go home.

      Namjoon hesitated but nodded, retrieving the bowls from the blanket and bringing them over to Taehyung.

"Let's drink it together." Namjoon said with a smile.

      Taehyung nodded, taking the bowl from Joon and bringing it to his mouth. Namjoon continued smiling, both dimples visible on each side of his bowl as he brought it up to his mouth as well. Joon counted down on his fingers from five, giving a thumbs up when he reached one and drinking  the contents of the bowl at the same time as Taehyung. Flinging the bowl down on the blanket, Tae gave Joon a wide, rectangular smile. 

"Okay we're immortal now," Taehyung teased, "Good job, well done, let's go home now."

      Namjoon was still smiling but now that Taehyung wasn't so impatient to drink the water and go home, he could see unshed tears in his eyes.

"Taehyung all I want for you is to be happy. I just wanted you safe and I wanted to be able to protect you," Namjoon said softly, "Even if I have to leave you to do so."

      Taehyung had been so excited to get this over with and return home that he hadn't considered the consequences of what they were trying to do. As he stood there staring into the love of his life's eyes, he listened to Namjoon explain the price of the fountain. While eternal youth would be granted to anyone who drank from the stream, it demanded another life to be sacrificed by drinking out of the stream next to it. 

      Taehyung watched as Namjoon grew duller, years of his life slowly draining from his body and painting him black.

"Taehyung you're glowing." Namjoon whispered, falling down on his knees.

      Taehyung fell down on his knee's in front of Namjoon, trying to make sense of what was happening. Joon continued to fade and Taehyung swore he could actually see through him now. Namjoon hadn't been lying, Taehyung was glowing, though the light radiating off of him was almost blinding now. 

"Anything you want, any dreams you have," Namjoon said, his voice hoarse, "you have all the time in the world to make them yours."

      Taehyung wiped the tears from his eyes, noticing the the wound on his hand was completely healed. 

"Any dreams I had, anything I thought I wanted," Taehyung sobbed, "You just made it all impossible for me. All of my dreams were with you, the only thing I ever wanted was you. You may think you've given me eternal life, but you're killing me, Joon. You've killed me."

      Taehyung watched Namjoon's eyes widen, realizing in his last moments what he had done. But it was too late and in the end there was no goodbye or words of love before Taehyung was on his knees alone in the cave, grief just barely stronger than the pull he felt to the water behind him.

-----

      Taehyung wasn't sure how long Namjoon had been gone. He had been alone in the cave for days, months, maybe years. He wasn't sure and he didn't care. The pain he felt from losing Joon continued to grow stronger, sometimes he felt it through anger or terrible grief. As the pain grew stronger as did the desire he had to give up and let in. He knew that doing so would go against everything Namjoon would want for him but he also couldn't help but think about how maybe, just maybe, they could be reunited. A life living alone in a cave wasn't a life at all, but he wasn't willing to leave and face a life without Joon.

      Taehyung had his back to the water now. Looking at the last place he had touched Namjoon, been held by him. The blanket was molded now, with stains from the food that had rotted and been washed away a long time ago. Tae's heart ached when he thought back to how excited he had been to drink and go home. How excited he had been to take Namjoon's life. Taehyung knew what came next. He had watched it happen many times in his dreams. All he had to do was tip back and be done with it. Slowly his body fell through the air, allowing Taehyung to let go of all of his grief and anger. He was excited for the nothingness that would come once he hit the water.

      But that wasn't what happened. Taehyung was still awake when he hit the surface of the water and broke through it. He was still awake as he sank down to the bottom, invisible hands restraining him and making sure he couldn't move. He was still awake when he couldn't hold his breath anymore, lungs straining for oxygen. But as he took in his second breath of water, he didn't feel as awake. Everything felt warm, as though he was once again in his bed, head tucked under Namjoon's chin. Taehyung was content with the warmth the cold water now had to offer. Leaning back, he thought he felt Joon's hand rubbing small circles on his back. Taehyung smiled, finally closing his eyes.

"Hyung, I missed you."