~*~

It was late at night when Taehyung wandered out of his apartment.

The young male had been up all night, thinking and thinking about Hoseok. Tomorrow would be his last trial day and then it would up to Taehyung’s heart to decide whether or not to take him back. Taehyung would be lying if he said that he didn’t miss Hoseok, especially at night and early in the mornings. He would be lying if he said he didn’t miss hanging out at the shop where Jimin, Jin, Jungkook, Namjoon, Yoongi and Hoseok spend their afternoon’s in. he missed waking up next to Hoseok and he missed kissing him now more than ever. It had been a habit waking up next to the older, to kiss him early in the mornings and eat delicious home-made waffles or pancakes provided by Hoseok. But now he only saw him a few hours and that wasn’t good enough. Not that he wanted to sound clingy or anything…

He wanted him back, but that was his heart talking. There were still times late at night when he would cry himself to sleep, the image of Hoseok with her floating about in his mind like a bubble that burned his eyes when he thought about it, causing tears to form. He even cried happily other times, times when he remembered Hoseok’s smile, when he remembered everything beautiful Hoseok did for him, to him, to win his heart and to take it back.

Maybe he should take him back. Maybe he should give him this last chance because they both knew they couldn’t live without one another.

Or maybe he should just let him go because if he took him back now, he would never get used to being without him.

But then that would’ve meant he led him on without giving him anything but a broken heart in return.

Complicated things like this are what motivated him to walk outside, into the cold air. He wasn’t even sleepy, not three hours ago when Hoseok had dropped him off at 9:00 and not now, at midnight, when the streets were barren and bitter. He looked about before crossing the streets, his mind clouded with his ex-boyfriend (or is that even what they were now?) Hoseok.

School could’ve never taught him how to deal with this. No math problem could help him calculate the equation of how to find any sort of answer to any answer to life. No biology class could ever explain properly how the heart worked to him. No geography class could teach him about the world and expect him not to travel to the stars and explore his mind, which he didn’t really have to explore much to dig up memories of Hoseok.

It was kind of sad the way everything about him revolved around Hoseok.

Taehyung sighed, stuffing his hands into his pockets as the cold air grazed his skin rather roughly, causing him to shiver. He should’ve probably worn a jacket out today or something.

He walked and walked, unconsciously ending up a few blocks away from Hoseok’s and Namjoon’s music shop. Taehyung had his head down most of the time, only looking up when he crossed the street or sometimes when he felt a strong gaze on him.

V shivered when he noticed two strong-looking guys around the corner. They were staring at him, so the younger male began feeling uneasy. Their stare was cold, almost mischievous. One of them wore a bandana around his wrist—he was taller than the other and he wore a simple denim jacket and jeans. Taehyung didn’t really get a look at his face, though, too scared to glance for too long. The other had a hoody on and dark colored jeans, the same cold stare n his slightly manlier face.

Taehyung wanted to turn away, but he knew that if he did, they would surely follow. So he ducked his gaze, gulping a bit too loudly. He felt his legs buck under his weight, suddenly feeling so light-headed. He knew they weren’t anything but trouble-makers, so he walked a bit faster.

He heard a low chuckle and he felt his head become so light he was tempted to drift away then, but all he did was bite his bottom lip, stopping dead in his tracks, muscles tensing.

“Going somewhere?” One of them hissed. He sounded close, so close Taehyung could no longer feel the warmth in his body but the warmth of another human being. His mind was racing, heart thumping loudly. He didn’t know if he should run or just ignore them and keep walking, so while his mind tried to process everything, he just stayed still, far too terrified to move a muscle.

“I asked you a question,” the taller one spat bitterly, inching just a bit closer to the brown-haired boy. Taehyung swallowed.

Knowing better than to keep quiet, Taehyung spoke silently. “Yeah.”

His eyes went wide, color draining from his face, back arching when he felt a sharp, cold, pointy object brush against his back, making his heart skip a few beats before racing to the finish line, which seemed to be out of his ribcage. Everything spun and suddenly, he wanted nothing more than to be in Hoseok’s protecting grasp.

“Be a good boy,” the husky stranger growled into Taehyung’s ear, holding the blade tighter, “and nobody gets hurt.”

~*~

Hoseok put the next box away, tucking it safely above another box in the small closet in the shop. Namjoon stepped up beside him, crossing his arms with a smile on his face. “I can’t believe you’re working at night. I mean, what are you, a vampire?” the younger male joked.

Hoseok smiled. It was true; all this week, he had been coming it at night to do inventory, help Namjoon with taxes and clean around the shop. He didn’t really have the days off when he went on dates with Taehyung, so he made up for it at night, not even minding he would often miss many hours of sleep because Taehyung was more important than resting.

“Ah, seems like it, huh?” He smiled tiredly. “Got anything else for me to do?”

“Two things, actually,” Namjoon stated almost embarrassed.

“What is it?” Hoseok asked, stacking another box above the one he had just stacked.

“Well,” Namjoon began, scratching the back of his neck, “You can go pick up the mail.” He could’ve done it himself, but their mailbox, along with the other shop’s in the street, was located somewhere in the end of the block and nobody went there because it was said trouble-makers hung out there, so they picked their mail up in the day. “And you can go throw the trash away.” He didn’t go there either because when he went there once, he thought he saw a rat, which was just a damned bird, but no, he wouldn’t listen so that was just something Hoseok had to do.

Hoseok chuckled, something that made the other rapper pout. “Okay, okay. I’ll go get the mail first. You can put the trash you want me to pick up at the door and I’ll be back to get it, okay?”

Namjoon smiled gratefully, more than pleased that he didn’t have to do any of those terrifying tasks himself. “You’re the best, hyung!”

Hoseok chuckled. “Or so I’ve been told,” he said with a cocky smile.

~*~

He grumbled when he crossed the street, sighing softly when he ran a hand through his hair. It was really cold outside today, Hoseok noted, he should’ve brought a bigger jacket than his thin hoody.

He rounded the corner, eyes narrowing when he saw two big guys around a little one. He frowned a bit, getting a bad vibe from the whole situation itself. He walked a bit faster, not really knowing why, but he felt the sudden urge to do something about this seemingly bad situation.

Hoseok his lips, a shiver dashing down his spine when the boy between both of the males seemed utterly terrified. The moonlight slapped off the metal item in one of the male’s hands, reflecting back in Hoseok’s eyes in a sparkle. His eyes narrowed and then, all at once, reality came in like a pile of bricks—painful and overwhelming.

That wasn’t just some kid¸ that was Kim Taehyung. His Kim Taehyung. He was the one with the horrified expression, with every last inch of color drained from his body. Taehyung was the one being mugged by two strangers. Taehyung was the one with a blade pointed at him. Taehyung, the love of his life, was being hurt before his very eyes and there he was, standing still, when he should be over there, helping him out.

Fear was the last thing on his mind when his heart acted as his brain then, pushing him towards the crime scene. “HEY!” he shouted, not really sure why. Taehyung, recognizing that voice, suddenly gasped a sigh of relief. Hoseok would save him. He would protect him and—what if he got hurt in the process?

Hoseok ran towards them, stopping when one of those two guys smirked at him, as if pleased with the whole scene going on before him. Taehyung shook his head, warning him to stay away. He might need help, he might want more than anything to be left alone, with Hoseok, but he didn’t want Hoseok to get hurt because of him, for him.

One of the guys pulled Taehyung back, making the young boy yelp in pain because of his iron grasp. Hoseok growled low in his throat, stepping forward. Only then did he realize the other guy was almost twice his size—with this in mind, he continued stepping forward until they were at a threatening distance. Everything was numb, everything but his aching heart.

“Back the off. Or else,” Hoseok warned between teeth, frowning at the stranger. He knew the consequences of something like this, oh he knew, but he’d at least give Taehyung the distraction to run the hell out of there.

The bulkier one chuckled. “Or else what?”

It was clear that trying to intimidate him was futile. He was the one with the blade, he was the one with amazing body strength, and he was the older more experienced one. This surely would not be his first, or his last, time beating someone up.  Hoseok gulped, trying to get rid of his dry throat. He tried to keep his cold gaze, tried not to look over this guy’s shoulder to see what the other male was doing to his beloved, and he, luckily, succeeded.

“H-hyung! Please d—” Taehyung’s warning was cut short when the male behind him kneed him behind his leg, throwing him onto the ground because of the force applied.

Maybe it was the fact that the yelp Taehyung shouted was filled with pain. Maybe it was that the sound broke his heart, literally. Maybe it was that the stupid guy behind V chuckled in delight when Taehyung went face-first into the cold, hard floor. Maybe it was the guy before him chuckled along. Maybe it was that Taehyung’s voice sounded so afraid when he spoke. Whatever it was, Hoseok went towards the guy that had hurt Taehyung, glared, and, before anybody knew it, that guy was on the floor.

Shocked, the bulkiest male there hummed, looking at the state his friend was in, and shook his head. The male on the floor rubbed his sore jaw, glaring up at Hoseok. “You shouldn’t have done that,” the smaller one stated.

Hoseok didn’t care. He went over to where his injured lover was, picking him up, whispering soothing words into his ear. “Are you alright? How bad is it?” he whispered softly, his hand gently caressing his leg.

Taehyung blushed, somehow forgetting there were two convicts before them, holding a blade and glaring. “H-hyung. Go. I-it’s me they’re after. I—“

Hoseok shook his head. He didn’t like the fearful voice Taehyung used, and he didn’t like that his eyes glistened in raw tears. “No. I’m not leaving you here. I—“

He couldn’t even finish his sentence before the bulkier male picked him up by the collar so easily it made him look like a ragdoll and nothing more. Taehyung’s eyes went wide and before he knew it, Hoseok was tossed into the floor as if he were dirt.

The smaller guy, the one with the small cut on his jaw, went over to Hoseok, taking advantage that he was weak to pick the blade up, smirking evilly. “You’re gonna regret hitting me, you know?” he almost cooed, his deep voice ringing in Taehyung’s voice.

Hoseok, who had hit his head on the fall, heard everything in a buzz. All he could make out were blurry shapes and colorful figures, his eyelids heavy. He heard V yelling at him to get up, to do something, but Hoseok’s head was pounding. His body failed him, refusing to move. All that seemed to work were his lungs because from what he knew, he was still breathing. He turned his head to the side, a tear slipping his eyes when he saw Taehyung sobbing, shouting frantically for help, for anybody to be brave enough to help, but there was no response.

Taehyung tried to move, but when he got on his knees to attempt to stand, his leg bucked painfully under his weight, pulling him down again. He had never felt so useless in his life. The man was now less than a foot away from Hoseok’s fragile body and there he was, able to do so much but not moving at all. He tried crawling there, but the bulkier male went over and, as punishment for trying to be the hero, kicked him roughly in the lungs. All Hoseok heard was a small whimper, along with a victorious laugh and the ringing in his ears.

He turned to his side once more, ignoring the pain that was about to come with the blade as he looked at Taehyung’s small frame on the floor. The younger male looked up at him, this time whispering things that Hoseok couldn’t hear, only saw his beautiful lips move.

With a swift movement, there were tears shed. There were so many tears shed and Hoseok didn’t shed any of them. All that he did was groan as the harsh, cold, tough blade cut him open, entering him without permission, wounding him. With the blade gone, the blade that held all his blood inside of him like the way a dam held water, all that was left on Hoseok’s body was the feeling of hot, sticky blood. The crimson liquid, once he splayed it on his fingers, just to make sure that he had actually stabbed him because he didn’t feel anything, painted his fingers.

Hoseok went numb way before that. All that he remembered was Taehyung shouting and crying and… hurting before his vision became so blurred it might as well have been gone. There was an eerie shout of pain, one that would forever haunt his nightmares, when the blade entered him.

~*~

Taehyung crawled his way over to Hoseok, hot, angry tears running down his face. He ignored the blistering feeling in his stomach, overlooked the fact that his leg could’ve been broken, and did his best to get closer to Hoseok.

It all happened in a blur. He didn’t black out, but he did pause everything. His body went completely numb and his tears stayed frozen on his face, everything going in slow motion. He wanted to shout or call for help, but his body wouldn’t do anything besides spill tear after tear.

“H-hyung?” he called hoarsely, hoping that he would respond. When all he received was silence, Taehyung gasped. He felt dizzy, so dizzy he wanted to pass out. But he couldn’t leave Hoseok alone, so he stayed there, crying at the sight of his hyung bleeding out. His hands were trembling as he reached out to touch Hoseok. He sat beside him, bringing his head onto his lap. He sniffled “Hyung?” he tried again, voice a bit steadier this time. He tried to call him awake, hoping more than anything that, just like any morning when they were together, his eyes would flutter open and he would smile his dazzling, breath-taking smile.

Hoseok didn’t respond, making the younger boy lose hope. Reality was… reality was scary. He hoped, he prayed that this would not be the end. This couldn’t be the end. He loved him too much. Hoseok loved him too much. Hyung couldn’t leave him alone, could he? He couldn’t be so selfish as to leave Taehyung alone, to let him die alone because V was more than sure if by some cruel twist of fate, J-Hope did leave him, he would never love someone the way he loved Hoseok, or at all.

Taehyung was trembling uncontrollably. “Please, hyung.” He pleaded, his voice shivering as well. He shook the other’s body a bit, wincing when he saw the blood that drenched his thin hoodie. Without a second thought, V ripped a piece from his shirt, using it as a makeshift cloth to clean some of the blood, as well as stop some in the process. He pressed it tightly there, but not tight enough to hurt him even more.

V shook him again, his heart doing all sorts of flips when Hoseok mumbled something. He smiled, a light, half-heartedly smile. “H-hyung?” he called again, a new hope pumping through his veins.

Hoseok, very slowly, opened his eyes, squinting them a bit as if trying to see V better. When he saw his smile, he felt as if he weren’t dying, something that amazingly enough, his smile always did for him. Even if he did feel like the definition of , even when he felt dizzy, woozy, something like expired milk, he still managed a soft smirk, something to keep those tears from spilling from V’s cheeks. “Yeah?” he choked out. He tried to move his head, but when he felt a blistering pain on the side, he stopped, wincing.

“Don’t move,” V whispered softly, tears still clouding his vision.

Hoseok let his head softly fall back onto his lap, sighing. “Call a doctor,” he demanded softly. “I-I”, he coughed, startling V. “I can’t hold on m-much longer.”

After hearing this, V choked on his own breath. He shook his head, trying to rid his mind of those words that slipped from J-Hope’s mouth, pretending as if they weren’t true. “No. D-don’t talk like th-that. You’ll make I-it through this. I-I promise.”

Hoseok shook his head, swallowing, trying to clear his raspy throat. “I know you don’t w-want to hear that, but I can’t lie to you.”

Taehyung sniffled, knowing that he was right but not wanting to believe it himself. He pulled out his phone, dialing 911 as well as he could with his trembling fingers. Once the lady behind the operator answered, he hiccupped, trying to speak fluently without sniffling too much. “I-I… My boyfriend h-he’s hurt. Th-this guy s-stabbed him an-and—“the lady behind the operator whispered soothing things, trying to tell him to slow down. “W-well we’re in Bangtan street, a-and he’s bleeding out. W-we need help now!”

He put his phone away, resting his head on Hoseok’s. Tears splashed onto Hoseok’s face, but he didn’t mind, all that mattered was that V was providing him with the warmth that he was losing. “Please,” V whimpered, “Don’t leave me.”

Hoseok tried his best. When his eyelids became too heavy, he focused on V, his source of life. He couldn’t leave him. He couldn’t let him continue without him. There were so many promises they had yet to fulfill, so many things they could still discover together, and so many places they could go to. He patted V’s head softly, kissing his forehead with his trembling lips. “I won’t. But…” V looked up at him, sobbing. “There’s a light.” Hoseok whispered. “I-it’s so beautiful.”

Taehyung hiccupped. “Don’t touch it, hyung.”

Hoseok looked at him. “I won’t.” He promised, something new he had to fulfill. “But o-only because I want to stay here, with you, because you’re more beautiful than that light.”

Taehyung smiled a bit at the confession. “Stay. If you really love me, don’t go, okay? So tomorrow when you wake up from the hospital, I’ll be there to kiss you. But I’ll only kiss y-you if you’re still there.”

That would be breaking the rule and they both knew it. Tomorrow would also be the last day of Hoseok’s trial, but as V saw it, the fact that he had gotten wounded just to protect him showed him that yes, he still loved him. It proved to him that despite the fact that he made that mistake, he still wanted to be with Taehyung. Breaking the rule wouldn’t even be a sacrifice because Hoseok deserved that and more.

Hoseok smiled. “That would be a treat I’d love to be here for.” He looked up at V. “I love you.”

Taehyung opened his mouth to say it too, but there was the screeching sound of sirens, which made V whip his head around. “Help is coming, hyung.” He whispered. “Just hang in there.”

~*~

A/N: JUST KIDDING! This chapter is too short so I’ll write more

~*~

Jimin and Yoongi, along with Namjoon, came in first. Yoongi’s apartment, in which Jimin had been staying at most nights now, was closer to the hospital V and J-Hope were in, so once Namjoon asked them to pick him up, after informing them on what had happened, they rushed over. Jimin went dashing in, Yoongi and Namjoon both in tow.

The younger male ran up to the receptionist, panting. “Kim Taehyung and Jung Hoseok!” he practically shouted, too restless to stay put there when he should be checking up on his friends. Yoongi patted his shoulder, trying to tell him to calm down, something Jimin ignored. “I need a number, woman! Where are they?!”

She raised a brow. “Mr. Jung is in surgery now.” Jimin gasped, tears clouding his vision already. Yoongi stood beside him, rubbing his shoulders. Namjoon, like a man, turned, ducked his gaze, and then started to cry. “And Mr. Kim is sitting in the waiting room. He’s over—“she turned to look in the direction he was sitting in, but it was already too late for Jimin was already pushing against people in search of his friend. Yoongi nodded apologetically to the lady before following his lover, Namjoon not far behind him.

Once Jimin had tracked Taehyung down, he ran towards the sobbing male. V had his head down, sniffling a bit, his leg wrapped in a thin bandage. “Taehyung!” Jimin shouted almost joyfully, running over to the younger male. V perked up the slightest bit when his friend wrapped his arms around him, secretly disappointed that it wasn’t Jungkook. Jimin pulled away from the hug, sobbing a bit himself. “How are you? How is he?”

V bit his bottom lip, looking down. When he looked back up, he took notice of Yoongi, who seemed just as down as Jimin, and then at Namjoon, who wouldn’t meet his gaze either. “W-well all I got was a sprained knee, a bruised rib and…” he swallowed. He realized that compared to what Hoseok had received from the attack, all he got was a ing tickle and for this, he felt guilty. “And Hoseok h-he…” tears slipped down faster from his face. “He needs surgery. He lost a lot of blood and the doctor said he was lucky that the guy didn’t hit any major organs or anything like that because then it would’ve been a real tragedy.” He shook his head. “He also said that it was a miracle he managed to survive after losing that much blood.” He sniffled.

Being Hoseok’s closest friend, Namjoon knew that Hoseok wouldn’t like to see V like this. They were both in pain. They both dearly loved Hoseok, so Namjoon also loved Taehyung the way he loved J-Hope. Because of this, Namjoon sat beside V and embraced him tightly. He felt V stain his shirt with tears, his hands clawing at his back. Namjoon pet his hair soothingly, tearing up silently on his shoulder as well. “It’s not your fault, V. I know that’s what you’re thinking right now and it’s not your fault.” Namjoon whispered softly, patting his back. “I should’ve never let him go out that late at night but if I hadn’t, you might not be here. Sure, what hyung got was terrible too, but I don’t think he would’ve been able to live with himself if you would’ve gotten hurt. He would’ve felt guilty and if you were alone, God knows what those guys might’ve done to you. But Hoseok is your prince. He’s invincible. You’re his angel, Tae, because without you being there, for him, he would’ve never made it here. And for that, I thank you.”

Jimin was hugging Yoongi tightly, touched by Namjoon’s words. Even if Yoongi wasn’t crying, he still hurt just as badly as the others. He just hid it better. But Jimin knew him too well. Jimin knew he wanted to cry, but he was just being the rock to try and comfort him, believing that if Jimin saw him brave, he wouldn’t cry. He was so sweet.

V gripped onto Namjoon’s shirt tighter. “Thank you for sending hyung over to me. I-I realize that I could’ve died if he wouldn’t have showed up…” he sniffled. “B-but he’s still hurt.” He choked on air. “I wish I would’ve reacted sooner.”

Namjoon hushed him softly. “There’s nothing you could’ve done. I also wish I would’ve known, but I knew I couldn’t have done anything myself. All I’m grateful for is that you woke up in time to save him. Thank you. I know I don’t tell you, but I love you like a brother, Tae, both you and Hoseok alike. I even love Yoongi and Jimin, Jungkook and Jin. Whenever you guys are in pain I—“he shook his head. “All that matters is that he survived, okay? Be happy with that. He’s a strong person, and with you there as motivation, there’s no doubt in my mind Hoseok will get better.”

V smiled a bit. “Yeah, hyung is strong,” he repeated. They finally pulled away, and for once V could see that Namjoon was also crying.

There was less than a minute of silence before there was an all too familiar voice shouting out a terrified, “Hyung!”

All men turned to see Jungkook running towards Taehyung. His cheeks stained in tears. Jin was close behind, sharing the same state as the younger male. Jungkook went up to V and hugged him tightly, kissing his forehead in a comforting way. “How is Hoseok-hyung? I-I heard that h-he got stabbed,” he wailed, crying into V’s shoulder. “I-is it true?”

V nodded, trying to be strong for his ‘younger brother’. “Y-yes, Kookie. I-it’s true.” He swallowed. “Hyung l-lost a lot of b-blood and the Doctor said it was a miracle he survived. I-I…”

Jungkook hushed him softly, patting his back. “It’s okay, h-hyung. I just wanted to know it Hoseok-hyung was alive. I-I don’t want to see you crying, okay?” he pulled away, wiping a few tears from V’s face. “Smile, hyung. I mean, nothing bad happened, right? Hyung is still here, and all you got was this,” he pointed to the bandage on his knee. “Hoseok is still alive, thanks to you.”

“Thanks to me?” Taehyung repeated, raising a brow. His tears were almost gone now, all that was left was the dry feeling of water on his face and the slight hiccup. “What do you mean?”

Jungkook cracked a soft smile. “You’re like his angel.”

~*~

Jin pulled V aside when Jungkook fell asleep, expressing how sorry he was, hugging him. He explained that he worried for Hoseok, but then he told him that he wished his leg got better too. He also told him that he only wanted the best for them both. After another hug, V thanked him for his support and continued resting his head on Jungkook’s shoulder, his crying having tired him out.

~*~

“Doctor, Mr. Jung is awake. He keeps calling for Mr. Kim. Can we send him in?” the nurse asked silently, flipping through her pages to fill in new information on the rapper.

The doctor hummed. “Is he stable?”

She scanned over the notes before nodding. “For now. He’s been out of it for almost twelve hours.” She paused. “There’s something off about him.”

The doctor gave her a pointed look. “With that you mean…?” he gestured for her to continue.

She simply smiled. “Well, there is literally a one out of a thousand chance that a human being can survive that long with so little fluids. And by the time we received the call, the patient should’ve already been dead. I mean… this is literally inhumanly possible. How do you think he did it?” she whispered the last part.

The doctor smiled. “Some things are stronger than science, my dear.” He smiled. “I think we should just leave it at that.”

~*~

The nurse swayed her hips a bit as she walked over to the pile of boys, smiling fondly when she saw how they were all stacked together; Jin rested his head above Jungkook’s, intertwining their fingers in their sleep. Jimin rested his head on Yoongi’s hair, while the boy, who was awake, played with his hair. Namjoon and Taehyung rested their heads above one another’s, too tired to move and the chairs too hard and cold to rest their heads there.

Yoongi looked up at the nurse, wordlessly shaking Jimin awake. Jimin then patted V’s thigh, waking him up. Somehow, they all ended up awake, all foggy eyed, yawning. “Yes?” V asked, rubbing his eyes.

The nurse smiled. “Mr. Jung is calling for you.”

~*~

A/N: I know it’s mean to leave you guys there. Also, I’m on spring break and I’ve just been chilling! That last chapter I began on like Saturday and I didn’t finish it until Wednesday. Oh well! YOLO! Also, THE END IS NEAR! While I love writing this story for you guys, I can’t just make it 100 chapters. There is going to be like 5 or less chapters and then… It’s goodbye! But, you know, just start subscribing and up-voting if you want a sequel. :,)

I know… I cried too…

Oh, and Lindylinn… Nothing, I just wanted to put you on this chapter to see what your response would be.

I don’t know if the people I’m about to dedicate this chapter to would like something with their name on it to be so sad, but I’m dedicating it anyways because I haven’t done that yet so…

DEDICATIONS:

dyodyodobi

blackmelody

yoonmined

thatmoment

& candyflip.