They ran into the other side of the woods with fire chasing after them...

~~

Taehyung doesn't know how long he'll be able to run. The chief's men, all dressed in dark cloaks, don't look like they'll slow down or stop any time soon.

But he forces himself to keep going. He'll go until his legs give up. All he thought to himself was, 'I have to keep Seokjin safe.'

He plans to go to Namjoon's cabin that's near the border of the village. But doing that seems difficult right now because he can't lose the men behind him and Seokjin.

He begins to stumble but kept a firm hold on Seokjin's hand. Not wanting to trip on anything else, he didn't look back. That was until Seokjin falls.

He stops, thinking that the latter tripped over some roots, and bends down to help him but Seokjin gives a yelp. Panting hard from running, Taehyung takes a look at Seokjin's leg.

His heart almost stopped.

A dart is in Seokjin's calf. He looks back to see the chief's men closing the gap between them. He doesn't know what is in the dart and prayed that there wasn't any poison, "Please, please be alright."

Since Seokjin couldn't get up, Taehyung places him on his back and carries him that way. He is obviously slowed down from exhaustion and the extra weight. That doesn't stop him from giving up hope.

Because his main focus is to get as far away from the chief's men, Taehyung didn't notice how Seokjin's hold begins to loosen and his body starts to become limp. Through clenched teeth, Taehyung grunts as a rough branch scratches his arm.

Then the worst came.

Taehyung was forced to stop when suddenly, more of the cloaked men appeared in front of him. He's confused; did they send more men?!Did they split up into smaller groups?!

Turning to his left, he's met with more men and when he tries the right, the same sight greets him. His heart sank as he realizes that he and Seokjin has been surrounded.

It was then that he feels Seokjin's motionless body on his back. Panic rushes in when he saw his lover's face; he's eyes were closed.

Quickly, he takes him off and settled down on the ground. Poison?! He couldn't even check if Seokjin was breathing because one man yanks him back, separating him from the unconscious man.

"Seokjin!" Taehyung growls like a madman, "Let go of me!" With so many men, Taehyung was completely outnumbered. Anger possesses him when Seokjin was thrown over someone's shoulder like he's some kind of non living object.

He felt useless.

"What about his boyfriend?" one man asked another. "Leave him. We were ordered to only take Kim Seokjin," came the reply.

Taehyung couldn't believe what he was hearing. No, no.

With that being said, the chief's men began leaving with Seokjin still dangling like a rag doll. Taehyung threw a fight, refusing to let them take the love of his life.

"Don't take him!!!" he hollers, "I need to know where he's hurt!"

He punches the man on his left, breaking his nose. That resulted in him getting beaten until he almost out.

Taehyung was thrown to the ground, coughing and chocking for air. His lip was bloodied from a cut. Someone pushes his face into the ground for a minute before finally leaving.

Tears spill endlessly as Taehyung lay still on the cold ground, watching the glow of the torches disappear into the distance.

They took Seokjin. They took Seokjin. They took Seokjin...

How is it possible? One moment he's cherishing the time he spends with Seokjin happily and in a flash, his prince had been removed from his arms.

His vision begins to get blurry as the tears continue to pour out of his eyes. The last glow vanishes.

"Seokjin..."

~~

Hoseok had reached the rest of the group and told them what happened. Namjoon understood why Taehyung had asked Hoseok to get him and begins to pack a few items. He had Yoongi pack a few things too, since he can also help.

"Yoongi and I will go to the cabin. The rest of you guys will stay here in case anything else happens," he clarified before exiting.

Soon, Jimin perks up. The night is being taken over by morning but the sun hasn't rose yet. Because it's still dark, the glowing of torches caught Jimin's attention.

He rushes to the window and let out a loud gasp, which alerted Jungkook.

"What is it?" the maknae asked. Jimin's gasp made him wonder what is outside.

Hoseok was fast asleep after drinking a ton of water. He had been so burnt out that once his head hit the pillow, he's snoring in no time.

"Jimin, is that..." Jungkook couldn't finish. His eyes were wide open as he tried to convince himself that what he saw wasn't real.

Jimin runs out the door without a word, leaving it open. Jungkook slid down the wall, still shocked.

"Seokjin can't be-" he stops. He doesn't dare to say the word.

'Dead.'

~~

Jimin runs along the stone path, passing many houses. Like Jimin, the chief's men had caught the attention of many villagers. They point to a body hanging from a man's shoulder.

"It's the mute boy."

"I'm glad they caught that murderer."

Ignoring all the comments, Jimin finally made it through the first gate; his small body was able to fit through the bars. He goes in front of one man.

"Excuse me, where are you taking Seokjin?" he asks. The man pushes him away, "You can't be in here. How did you get past the gate?"

Jimin skips the question, "Is he alright? He's not hurt badly, is he?"

"He's been tranquilized. Now move it," he keeps pushing Jimin until he's out of the gated area. He was shocked and infuriated.

"Why is he tranquilized?! He's not an animal!" Jimin holds the bars, ready to squeeze between them again but thought, 'What's the point?'

He sighs in dejection before trudging back to Namjoon and Yoongi's home. His eyes burn and threaten to water. He felt a bit relieved that Seokjin is alive. He just hopes that nothing else will hurt him.

~~

Namjoon and Yoongi were worried when they didn't find Taehyung and Seokjin at the cabin. So, Yoongi decides to go find them, telling Namjoon to stay in case they happen to arrive at the cabin.

After Yoongi left, Namjoon unpacks some of the things. He warms the small cabin with the fireplace then sits at the window, praying that his friends are together and alright.

~~

The pale man searched through the woods, calling out their names repeatedly. Besides the echo of his own voice, only silence followed after his calls. After almost an hour, he finally turns back towards the cabin, rechecking the area as he went.

"Help..."

Yoongi froze, looking around him. He knows that deep voice. The only thing that's different is the hoarseness in the man's voice.

"Taehyung?" he calls hesitantly.

When the faint voice returns again, he rushes towards it. Sticks snapped and leaves crunched as he steps on them.

He then finds Taehyung laying on the ground, shivering. Or trembling.

"What happened?!" he said sternly. Immediately, he covers Taehyung with the blanket Namjoon had packed. He tries to warm the latter up.

"Can you stand? Where's Seokjin?" Yoongi kept asking so many questions. He's even thinking about setting off to find the other man, thinking that he's here somewhere.

Taehyung looked like all emotions had abandoned him and that stops Yoongi from talking any further.

He then understood what happened to Seokjin.

"Come on," he says softly and takes him to the cabin.

~~

For the next few days, Taehyung didn't speak at all. His friends would have to force him to eat. The only time he'll speak is when someone mentions Seokjin. He'd react differently each time, ranging from furious to sobbing.

Seokjin has been locked up for now, nothing else is said.

This maddens Taehyung more. He couldn't believe how there was barely any public information about Seokjin.

Hoseok couldn't stand it anymore, so he called for a group meeting one afternoon. Even Taehyung was brought to it.

They all sat in a circle; it isn't a perfect circle but they're able to see everyone. When everyone is present, Hoseok starts.

"Taehyung, I hate seeing you like this. I'm sure we all do," he sighs. It's true. Taehyung is like a family member so to see how upset he is, it hurts his friends too. Hoseok clears his throat, "So I want to propose something."

Taehyung wasn't paying much attention, still zoning out with a blank expression. He's been doing that a lot lately and it worries his friends since they can see any expression.

"I say we go save Seokjin," Hoseok declares.

Taehyung leaped into his feet, startling the boys near him with his sudden movement, "Yes! We need to save him!"

"Woah, woah, woah," Jungkook stops Taehyung from going anywhere, "How?"

"That's why we're having this meeting," Hoseok shrugs, "So, any ideas?"

Namjoon raises his hand, "This isn't an idea but are we sure this is the right thing to do? I mean, we're talking about sneaking a person out of jail-"

"Because he didn't do anything wrong," Jimin interrupts, "And I know this because the chief has nothing to prove Seokjin guilty. All they have right now is a witness who could be lying. I believe Seokjin's been framed!"

Namjoon looks down. "I guess you're right," he mumbles.

"I have something," all heads turn to Yoongi, "I have an idea and we can improvise it."

~~

Seokjin wakes up when he hears a key unlocking the metal door. His body aches from sleeping on the uneven cement floor. He has no idea how many days has gone by since the night he tried to run away with Taehyung.

The door slams shut and is locked again. Seokjin looks over by the door where a tray of food is.

At first, when he had just arrived, he refused to eat. But he thought about how much he wants to see Taehyung again so he began taking the food in.

He had already tried to find ways out of this cell but it's impossible. The only way in and out is the one metal door that will only open to bring him food. There weren't any bars, so Seokjin can't see anything else besides the four beige walls surrounding him.

Afraid and lonely, Seokjin sleeps most of the time; it takes him to dreamland. Sometimes he'll dream of being back home cooking or shopping for food. Other times, he'll dream about being around his friends. Then there'll be times where he dreams about being saved by Taehyung...

But the good dreams would end when Seokjin wakes up to see a beige wall staring back at him, mocking and laughing at him.

Sometimes Seokjin feels like he's going to go crazy, literally, due to isolation and endless...nothing. There's not much to do but wait. For what? To be saved? To be executed? Even Seokjin doesn't know what he's waiting for.

He finishes his food and slides it back towards the door. The tiny window shines light into Seokjin's eyes. He raises his hand as if he's touching the light beam.

'I want to leave this place.'

Seokjin crawls back to the corner where a thin blanket is spread out. He tries to find the best position to sleep in, hugging himself.

He yearns for the warmth of Taehyung's body.

~~

As much as Taehyung wants to save Seokjin now, he couldn't. Not yet. It drives him crazy but even he himself knows better than to rush the process.

Yoongi's plan seem to be the most reliable one and the rest of them added some things. So far, it's going well.

Yoongi has mentioned that there is help wanted for the chief; some guards. After talking about it, they all decided to have Jungkook, Namjoon, Yoongi, and Taehyung to sign up for it.

It has been a couple of days since then and one day, letters arrived. Only 3 letters. Jungkook, Namjoon, and Yoongi were accepted and will be training the very next day. As for Taehyung, the whole village knows about him and Seokjin so the chief suspects that he'd try to do something.

Taehyung fumed with anger but they already have a backup if this happened. He'd help in another way.

The three young men went to train with other villagers who were also accepted and then assigned to different locations and areas. Jungkook is to be guarding outside, mainly the front entrance since he is more muscular. Namjoon will guard the inside of the building and the garden. The garden is outside but is fenced; the only entrance and exit is from inside the building. As for Yoongi, he's been placed to guard in the dungeon. Perfect.

When they have officially started their jobs, they blended in well. They need some time to know the place well before they continue.

Yoongi was in the dungeon but only in the front area until another guard left the job. That then moved him near the back where he can actually see prisoners. Well, a little bit because there's only a small window on each door containing the prisoners.

Going with the plan, he goes to find Seokjin without raising suspicions. There were too many cells though, so Yoongi has to find another way.

~~

Seokjin fell sick; the thin blanket with him is not enough to give him warmth at night. His throat is itchy and dry, causing him to cough often. He depended on the food to make him feel better but they come cold, not helping much.

Speaking of the food he gets, Seokjin hears the door open to give him his "dinner." He was a usual routine so he didn't bother to look back until-

"Seokjin," a voice whispered. He whipped around and saw Yoongi! Is he going to be saved?!

He leaped up, almost falling down due to his sleeping feet. He embraces Yoongi tightly. Finally! A face he's familiar with!

"Thank god I've found you," Yoongi sighs, "But listen." Seokjin hears how serious he is and nods.

"We can't take you today but we're on it. I promise you that you'll be out of here as soon as possible," he explains quickly, "I can't stay for long but it's good to see you again."

He gives a small smile to Seokjin, handing his tray to him, "Enjoy dessert."

Dessert? Dessert?

Yoongi slips back out, locking the door again. When Seokjin looks down at his tray, he gasps.

A big blueberry muffin sat next to his dull food, outshine them all. He almost cried at how fluffy the muffin is.

Saving the best for last, Seokjin tried not to wolf down his food. His mouth watered when he finally gets to the muffin.

He takes a huge bite when-

He feels something inside. Biting the top off, Seokjin finds a rolled up piece of paper. Curious, he takes it out and unrolls it:

'Seokjin. If you see this, please know that I will find a way to be with you again. It pains me everyday when you're not with me. Our friends are already helping and please, please, be safe.

I love you,
Taehyung'

Seokjin covers his mouth, clutching the small note. Oh, how he misses Taehyung.

~~

When Yoongi, Jungkook, and Namjoon know the place well enough, the plan continues. Nobody suspects the new guards of anything.

Jungkook sent a map of the place to Hoseok, who then showed it to Taehyung and Jimin. They studied it carefully, eyes trailing every detail.

Going over their plan once more, they finalized the steps. This is it. They'll just need an "okay" from Jungkook, Namjoon, and Yoongi before they can go.

~~

The next night, Jungkook stands still, along with other guards outside of the chief's place. He stares at the main gate from the corner of his eye, waiting for a certain person to make his entrance.

Soon enough, he sees some rustling. Then a head pops out; Jimin. He makes eye contact with the latter. Jungkook nods slightly and Jimin steps away from his hiding place.

Like before, he squeezes through the gate, alerting one guard. When he passes through, he taunts at some of the guards before making a mad sprint in the other direction.

Jungkook acts bewildered, "Everyone, catch the intruder!"

The few guards with him chases after Jimin, including Jungkook. But he slows down and runs back to the front gate. He opened the gate and whistled.

~~

Yoongi stands outside Seokjin's cell, counting how many guards are with him. He peeks into the window of the cell door and Seokjin looks back at him.

Seokjin sits right next to the door, ready to leave at any moment. He reads the small note that Taehyung has given him again, coughing into his fist.

~~

Jimin has came close to being caught but he's pretty fast, which is why this role is for him. Memorizing the map, he makes his way to the garden.

He squeezes through the fenced area too, leaving the guards furious on the other side. Jimin laughs at them until a hand grabs him from behind.

"Is this an intruder?" Namjoon asks the other guards. They answered yes, and Namjoon replied with, "Go back to your positions. I can handle this from here."

~~

Taehyung and Hoseok jumped from their own hiding spot, entering before anyone sees them.

Jungkook escorts them inside the building using a door with no people around. They hid except for Jungkook until Namjoon came along with Jimin.

They swapped quickly; Taehyung and Hoseok went with Namjoon while Jungkook takes Jimin.

Jungkook leads Jimin to the front gate again (the other guards hasn't come back yet) and when Jimin is on the other side, he says, "I'll get the carriage ready."

"Hurry," Jungkook says in a hushed voice before they went their separate ways.

Just as Jungkook gets back to his original spot, the other guards returned.

~~

Namjoon, Taehyung, and Hoseok went down a long set of spiral stairs to the dungeon. The guards up front asks if the two men with him were prisoners.

Right at that moment, Hoseok made a scene and punches Namjoon before "fleeing" down the dungeon hall.

Namjoon hisses with pain as the dungeon guards went after him. About half of the guards remain, making their plan a bit difficult. They didn't expect this much to stay.

"Let him in," Namjoon grumbles as he holds his jaw. Taehyung steps inside with Namjoon. The smell of mold doesn't bother Taehyung as he was pushed farther into the area.

With the other guards' back to them, Namjoon nudges Taehyung with his arm, a silent signal.

~~

Hoseok ran all the way until the hall makes a right turn. But after he turned, he saw more guards coming his way.

This wasn't suppose to happen.

Looking around for another way out, he spots a window up near the ceiling. With all his might, he think no more and jumps up high.

Luckily, he got a hold of the windowsill and heaved himself up right out of the guards grasp.

He crawls out and runs to the wall bordering the place before jumping over. His flexible body and stamina handled this very well.

~~

Yoongi perks up when he hears loud yells and crashes, "That must be them."

He leaves Seokjin's cell and runs towards the sounds.

Meanwhile, Seokjin starts to get a bit dizzy and lightheaded. Breathing through his nose had become difficult so he pants out from his mouth. The cold isn't getting any better.

~~

Namjoon is pinned down while Taehyung is fighting against two other dungeon guards. The rest had been knocked out cold. Taehyung is starting to get exhausted.

He makes another blow at one man, leaving him on the hard ground. The second one behind him raised his arms, holding a metal baton.

Taehyung turns around and expects to be struck hard but the guard's body fell down, revealing Yoongi behind him.

"Yoongi," Taehyung pants out, "I-"

"Thank me later. We're running out of time," Yoongi doesn't miss a beat and the guard pinning Namjoon surrenders.

~~

Seokjin sniffs and breathes hard. His head is starting to sweat and his entire body feels cold yet hot.

He was going to close his eyes but the click of the door unlocking halts him.

"Seokjin!"

Taehyung picks him up and wraps his arms around him tightly. Seokjin did the same, except not as tight since he didn't have anymore energy.

Seokjin cries as he tries to snuggle closer to the younger man. He had longed for this moment. He had missed the smell, touch, and more of Taehyung so much that he felt like he couldn't let go or he'll disappear.

But Taehyung noticed something, "Seokjin, are you sick?" He feels Seokjin's forehead.

"You are!" he exclaims, "Yoongi, where's the way out?"

Yoongi takes them to the emergency exit near the end of the building. Taehyung carries Seokjin on his back since the latter couldn't walk without toppling over.

Even though Taehyung has given his jacket to Seokjin, he still shivers from the cold.

After exiting, Taehyung turns to Yoongi and Namjoon, "Thanks Namjoon-hyung, Yoongi-hyung."

He couldn't believe how much they had helped him, along with the others.

"Your welcome. But now you have to go. You can be out now but we don't know when the chief is going to hear about this," Namjoon explains.

Taehyung wanted to speak more but knew that Namjoon is right. So without further ado, he turns and walks out of the chief's place.

~~

"Hoseok, get the horses ready! They're here!" Jimin shakes his friend.

Taehyung reaches the carriage and went inside with Seokjin. Wasting no time, the carriage took off.

"I want to see how Seokjin's doing," Jimin peers over his shoulder. He's worried about the man.

"Give him some time with Taehyung first. I'm sure they'd want that," Hoseok says and Jimin turns forward again.

"You're right."

~~

"Are you sure you're alright?" Taehyung asks again. He's been asking over and over and over. Seokjin answers the same question again.

He's fine. He's sick but fine. He thinks.

"I promise you I'll find some medicine," Taehyung leans in for a kiss.

Seokjin stops him, afraid that he could get sick too. Taehyung didn't care.

"I don't care if I get sick. I just don't want you to be I'll," he says, caressing Seokjin's face.

"Look at how thin you've got," he tears up, "If only I could have kept you safe before." He looks away, ashamed of himself.

Seokjin turns his face back to look at him. Taehyung should feel like this.

He then remembered something and pulls out the small scroll from the blueberry muffin.

Taehyung's eyes sparkled, "You got my message?"

Seokjin nods, smiling softly. His headache had toned down.

"Was my muffin alright?" Taehyung asks. To be completely honest, it was the best one Seokjin has ever had so far. Maybe it was because he missed eating sweets.

Taehyung laughs, "You don't know how much trouble I went through to get it perfect."

They became silent for a bit until Taehyung spoke again, "I hope they find the person that should be punished. What they did to you was wrong. They didn't hurt you, did they?"

Seokjin shakes his head. They only kept him locked up until the chief knows what to do with him.

"I'm glad you're with me now," Taehyung kisses each of Seokjin's fingers.

"Can I kiss you?"

Even though he is sick, he does miss Taehyung's lips on his. He nods, giving him permission.

Taehyung kisses him so deeply, it made Seokjin blush intensely. But he kisses back with one hand in Taehyung's hair.

Though they are already in love-

Their love bloomed radiantly.