Finnish | adjective

♦ threatening, ominous

 

---

 

"Did you know," Taehyung murmurs where he's resting his head on Jeongguk's steadily rising and falling chest, eyes closed to the feeling of a hand gently carding through his hair, "that butterflies are physically unable to see their own wings?"

The hand in his hair pauses for a moment before starting to twirl some of the long strands around clever fingers.

"Are butterflies like, birds? Or more insects?"

"I, wait." Taehyung makes grabby hands in the general direction of his bag. "Can you get me my phone?"

He barely ended the question when there is already a thin water stream stretching out. Seconds later, his phone gets dropped into his open palm by the wet tendril. Taehyung has never been happier about his investment in a water-proof phone case. He unlocks the device and shows some pictures to the mer, of peacock butterflies, swallow-tails, monarchs, common Jezebels, Ulysses butterflies and more.

As so often, things get a little out of hand, and so they spend the next hour marvelling at photographs and videos of the most beautiful butterflies in the world.

"Pretty," Jeongguk whispers on more than one occasion, his hand hovering over the phone screen as if he could touch the delicate creatures if he just tried hard enough. 

Taehyung nods. True that.

He leaves his phone in the mer's care, opting to fiddle with those darn tantalising silver chains instead. Jeongguk knows his way around Taehyung's smartphone by now, so there is nothing to worry about.

"They look so fragile," he mutters with low voice. "Like they could break from the slightest touch."

Taehyung hums. Tugs at one of Jeongguk's lose strands and starts to braid it around one of the chains for funsies. "They are. Most of them are also tiny. Like, smaller than your palm."

The mer, of course, lifts his other hand at that and quizzically stares at it. "Huh. Do they have any way to defend themselves?"

An expected question from someone who is a born apex predator and doesn't need to fear anything. Taehyung's eyes flick to Jeongguk's sharp nails where the nail polish is beginning to come off - he'll have to redo them soon - before he gets back to braiding.

"I think some of them might be poisonous. But aside from that... no? I mean, their wing patterns are usually either coloured in a way to blend in with their surroundings or in an attempt to scare predators away, but that's really it."

"I see."

Jeongguk keeps looking at pictures for a bit more before he carefully puts the phone aside and resumes running gentle fingers through Taehyung's hair, sometimes scratching or massaging his nape and scalp too. A few times he gets stuck with his new ring, but honestly, Taehyung is more delighted than anything by the slight twinge. Not because he likes pain - he doesn't - but because he knows exactly what caused it. And so instead of whining, he grins giddily every time it happens, and tells the mer to shut up as soon as he starts apologising.

Eventually, Jeongguk nudges his nose against Taehyung's temple, following it up with a peck. 

"Why did you tell me about butterflies all of a sudden?"

And, oh, right.

Taehyung de-tangles the braid he worked on, setting the silver chain free in the process, then shuffles around until he lays pressed against Jeongguk's side, their faces only a breath apart. It's not before long that Jeongguk lifts his tail and splays it over Taehyung's legs, large fins fanning out around them as the familiar weight settles on top of Taehyung.

He stretches out a hand to trace the tiny stars under the mer's eyes, thumb brushing over his cheek.

"Because of their wings, baby."

Jeongguk's eyes go half-lidded at the pet name. A secretive smile tugs at his lips. It makes Taehyung wonder if he didn't call Jeongguk by that name often enough lately. Well. That's an easily fixable issue. He leans forward to give a few pecks right onto that pretty smile before he continues. Jeongguk's grip on Taehyung tightens in response, and they both let out a content hum.

"They can't see their wings. Some say, a butterfly's wings are the prettiest sight in the world." He scoffs. "Obviously they haven't seen you yet, but, I mean. You get the idea."

Jeongguk lets out a pearly laugh and Taehyung once again thinks it's the prettiest sound in the whole world. He clears his throat and tries to remember the point he was trying to make. Ah, yes. Butterflies.

"...Yet they can't see them. heir wings, I mean. Only everybody else. Everyone can see how stunning they are except for themselves."

He gives Jeongguk a long look. Tries to get his message across.

The mer huffs out another laugh. "Are you trying to compare me to a butterfly now, little star?"

Taehyung's inside turn to mush. This will never not be lethal. He is so weak for that stupid mer, he swears.

"W-well, yeah. That's the point."

With a coo, Jeongguk cups one of Taehyung's burning cheeks. 

"You're cute. But I'm not half as innocent as you think. I'm far from being that harmless, you know."

Taehyung pouts. "Did you forget that some of them are poisonous?"

"That's only a problem for their hunters after they've already been eaten, though."

Taehyung's pout intensifies. "Meanie." He flicks Jeongguk's forehead, and the mer lets out a dramatic wail that has Taehyung chuckle before he even knows it. He quickly turns serious again, however. "Still. You are not a monster, babe. You aren't the nightmare they want you to be."

Jeongguk's eyes close at those words and a slight crease forms at his forehead. As if it pains him to hear them, or he doesn't know what to do with them. He remains silent, though. Let's Taehyung caress his face and even leans into the touch.

Taehyung showers his face with kisses before he continues.

"And even if - if, maybe at some point - you were, you aren't anymore. I know you, Gguk, better than you might realise." He splays out his hands until he almost completely holds the mer's head in his hands. "You are the gentlest soul I've ever met. It only takes you some time to trust someone. But aside from that, you are so, so sweet. And it really kills me that you don't see it yourself."

His voice cracks embarrassingly at the last words. Jeongguk's eyes immediately snap open and go wide in alarm. He hushes Taehyung and pulls him impossibly closer.

 

•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•

 

They stay like this for a long time, with Jeongguk whispering assuring words right into Taehyung's ear, and Taehyung clinging to him while he keeps muttering stubbornly that Jeongguk is not a monster, goshdammit!

At some point the mer stops fighting it and just hums along. He doesn't want to upset his precious Taehyung. But the poor thing really doesn't know what he's talking about. Had he asked the right questions, then he surely wouldn't be so adamant about his stance. Even though Jeongguk isn't doing anything, it still feels like he's lying to Taehyung.

He has to at least try to make things fair.

"So you really don't want to ask me anything else? You spoke of three devastating floods and ruled out two of them as my doing. Don't you want to know about the third?"

Taehyung doesn't even hesitate for a heartbeat. "Nope."

He trails a finger up Jeongguk's neck, over his gills, and the mer has to clamp his mouth tightly shut to not sneeze straight into Taehyung's face. The latter grins as if he knows exactly what Jeongguk is struggling with. Then he shrugs.

"I mean. Of course I'm curious, don't get me wrong. But I want you to tell me when you are ready. When you want to talk about it of your own accord, and not because I'm holding an interrogation."

"I am ready, you know."

Taehyung gives him an endeared smile. "No, you're not. Not when you need me to ask the right questions to start talking. But that's okay, baby. I can wait."

Maybe Jeongguk is tearing up a little. "You are too good for me."

But Taehyung just laughs. "I'm really not. This is called human decency."

Jeongguk wants to argue about that matter further, he really does, because he still feels like he hasn't told Taehyung anything at all. But then he notices a shift in the sea. It's strained, with how far away from Nakseongdae they are. And with Taehyung resting in his arms, the mer hasn't paid close attention to the ongoings at the shore.

Now, however, as he feels several intrusions stir up the water surface, he can't  ignore it any longer. With his arms carefully wrapped around Taehyung who has started dozing off in his hold, Jeongguk slowly lifts his tail off the human. Is equally careful with how he manoeuvres them closer to the pond's edge. Near-silent, he lets his tail glide into the water.

It's like a veil has been lifted. With the larger contact to his beloved sea, the movements at Nakseongdae's shore become that much clearer. Of course a single tip of his fin is not enough to get all the informations the waves report back to him. This, now, this is better.

And also that much more unnerving. Because five boats stirring awake and getting ready to sail at once is highly unusual. He can also sense several people creeping up and down the pier. A few of them sneak into the old huts at the pier's head, the wooden posts shivering from their movement before settling again. 

Jeongguk has a bad feeling about this.

Hesitantly, he wakes up Taehyung. Twists his upper body so he can reach as much of his lovely partner as possible without pulling back out of the water, then leans down to pepper feather-light kisses everywhere he can reach.

It doesn't take long for Taehyung to stir. That is to say, he doesn't wake up right away either. Instead, his body reacts to the affectionate touches with snuggling even closer to Jeongguk, smacking lips, sleepy mumbles of nonsense words and fluttering eyelashes.

Jeongguk sighs. He could watch this forever. 

But not now. They don't have time, sad as it is. So he trails a hand up and down Taehyung's arm, and gets a bit more insistent with his kisses.

With a huff and a little hiccup, Taehyung wakes up at last.

Jeongguk smiles down at him, forever besotted by his antics. "Hello, sleepy-head."

Taehyung just grunts, puckers his lips, and gives him a pleading look.

And who is Jeongguk to deny him?

The kiss they share is lazy and sloppy, with Taehyung still having a foot in dreamland. The mer cherishes it all the same. Takes everything Taehyung is willing to give. Who knows when they will be able to meet again? With how frantic the villagers are right now, they surely won't let him go anytime soon.

Which is another reason why Jeongguk absolutely loathes to bring him back. What if they lock him up, or maybe worse? But Taehyung can't stay here forever. The little mountain of food he brought is already dwindling. And he got all his belongings back in the house of that one fisherman.

With a deep scowl, Jeongguk pulls away. Taehyung chases him with a whine, and he gives in once, twice, before breaking their kiss for good.

Another needy whine is his answer.

"Whyyy?"

In an attempt to soothe him, the mer takes Taehyung's hands in his own and kisses every knuckle while his thumbs draw tender circles on the back of Taehyung's hands. At the finger with the twin ring to Jeongguk's own, he falters, and almost abandons his entire plan of bringing Taehyung back.

New waves lap into his cave and tell him of three trawlers heading for the open sea, with giant nets spread between them.

He pulls away further, until only his head is poking out of the water - and his hands, where he is still holding onto Taehyung.

"We have to go, pearl."

 

•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•

 

Taehyung feels half-tempted to stomp his heels in the ground and refuse to move one bit. But then he looks at Jeongguk and sees that he dislikes the whole concept of him going back just as much as he does. Which helps a little. 

He pouts the entire time it takes for him to gather his belongings and slip into the sea, where the mer is already waiting for him with outstretched arms, the water luke-warm as if they were on a tropical peninsula. Jeongguk has been scowling for the past ten minutes at last. So Taehyung tries to play the role of the reasonable one and repeats all the reasons why he does indeed have to return to Nakseongdae.

"You know I dislike it just as much as you."

The mer's arms wind around him, and one of those strange yet pretty berries with gold veins is already precariously stuck between his teeth. Taehyung is not sure if he finds the sight cute, or silly. Maybe a little bit of everything. Jeongguk hums quietly, and waits for Taehyung to finish.

Taehyung sighs heavily.

"I guess I really have to go. If I keep missing any longer, Jimin is gonna mobilise the entire village to find me and rescue me out of 'the monster's vile claws' or whatever. From what you said, it sounds like he already begun."

Jeongguk leans forward then, and has Taehyung pry the berry out of his mouth with his tongue. He over his lips, frown still very much in place. 

"I don't like this at all. What if he does something to you just to get a hold of me? With how that guy has been stalking you lately, I feel like his hatred against me is turning into an obsession." He shortly lets go of Taehyung, just to gingerly grasp his face with both hands. There is nothing but worry in his eyes. "Please be very careful, Taehyung."

Taehyung grasps the mer's hands where they are still holding him, and squeezes them lightly. "I will. Promise. But you have to promise me the same, alright?" It's a little difficult to talk around the berry in his mouth but he thinks he manages, somehow.

Jeongguk reluctantly nods.

Taehyung waits until the other mutters "I promise". Only then does he chew and swallow the berry. 

Moments later, the world around him turns blue and green.

 

The sight when they come back up for air confuses Taehyung for a moment. Jeongguk didn't bring him to the rock staircase. Instead, they are back at their beach. A place they haven't visited in months.

"What-"

"There were too many boats in the other direction," Jeongguk explains. "And with your friend tailing you, I couldn't be sure if he saw you taking that new hiking route. It's safer this way."

Taehyung nods slowly. Because, well. Be it as it may, this place is not only the safer option at the moment. It is also by far the furthest away from Nakseongdae. If Jeongguk brings him up the cliff right here, it's almost one hour to walk back to Nakseongdae. And the dark grey clouds hanging deep and heavy in the sky don't look all too reassuring either.

Alas, they seem to be out of options.

So all Taehyung can really do, is accept his fate with an "Alright".

And so it doesn't take long for a familiar wave - albeit a bit less spectacular than usual, given that the motto of the hour is stealth - to carry the both of them up the steep cliff. At least Jeongguk doesn't let him walk the entire way back alone. They try to have some light talk on their stroll through the gloomy forest. Taehyung only gets side-tracked staring at the mer's side profile twice, and trips on wet leaves covering the ground just as often. On the entire way, they don't let go of each other even once.

It is involuntary, how they part ways at the forest edge, their hearts still tender for each other and their souls longing for each other's company. Taehyung gets stuck with his ring in Jeongguk's hair, looks from his ring to Jeongguk's, and almost cries on the spot. This is much harder than he thought. Gosh, he hates partings. And with how the mer acts, it feels even the more as if they won't be able to meet each other for a long while. Taehyung loathes the mere thought of it.

He takes one last lingering look at Jeongguk, one more kiss, one tight hug, then steps past the trees. And doesn't dare turning back. His poor resolve would surely crumble on the spot. 

An unexpected yet welcome comfort is the faint fog trailing after him. Taehyung waits just outside the first street of Nakseongdae until it catches up with him, and gently runs his fingers through the thickening cloud. He knows by now that this strange phenomenon is nothing else but Jeongguk being on the lookout for him. This, and this alone, is the reason why he does not bolt at the sight of that fog now seeping into every corner of Nakseongdae like the most unnatural cloud of poison in a horror movie. Instead, he lets himself be engulfed by it completely. Finds comfort in its presence as he makes his way towards his temporary home.

It should be strange, he supposes, how everyone who notices the thick fog breaks out into alarmed shouts yet here he is, being completely at peace with the abnormal phenomenon. Because he knows it's just Jeongguk. It's just his lover making sure he gets home safely. The fog is so thick around him now, that his hands leave visible streaks with each movement. Taehyung curls his fingers into the cloud with a little smile, and he swears there are foggy tendrils weaving through them, almost like a caress.

He reaches the doorstep of Jimin's and Yoongi's house without any incident and waits there. The fog lingers for a bit longer and then, with one final waft around him, slowly dissolves until nothing but the extremely wet air can prove it's ever been there in the first place.

 

That moment of solace lasts only as long as Taehyung is still outside. Because as soon as he opens the door, he is faced with a Jimin who looks on the wrong side of impatient. The first thing he hears is a loud and ugly screech from where Jimin runs his whetstone along one of three (?!) daggers laid out on the table. The second thing is a high-pitched yell, and the next moment Taehyung has got an armful of his landlord who doesn't even waste his breath for a welcoming.

"Where have you been?!" he demands to know with shrill voice. Then holds up a hand for Taehyung to shut up as if he didn't just ask him a question, digs the other hand in his pocket to get out his phone and makes a very quick call to whoever, simply saying "He's back" before cutting it off and proceeding to glare at Taehyung.

Taehyung does not like him being like this. Being this accusing from the get-go, and the entire lack of welcoming hugs or questions of "How have you been". Only Where were you, What did you do, Why are you so late. 

So it should not come as a surprise, that Jimin's foul mood rubs off of him. And that instead of a cheery "I'm home", Taehyung snaps, "Why don't you take a wild ing guess if you know me that well?"

Jimin only blinks at him, not even puzzled at his uncharacteristic demeanour.

"You- wait, you were with that thing all the time? Are you for real?!"

Taehyung pushes away from him with a scoff and crosses his arms, can't even stand to look at the accusation in his landlord's eyes. And proceeds to lie through his teeth, if only to spite Jimin and have him stop talking about Jeongguk like that. With each word dripping venom where the mer is concerned.

"No, duh? I was getting sick of all the toxicity here and went somewhere I could be on my ing own for a bit. It's called mental self-care."

It's not even a lie. Only the very first word is, but that one happens to be the single most important one to Jimin, and Taehyung knows it all too well.

The fisherman arches an eyebrow, still sceptical. "And where the hell, pray-tell, was that, hm?"

"As if I'd tell you. Next time I wanna go there, you're gonna pop up there too, like a persistent chewing gum on the sole of my shoe. Not gonna happen."

And Jimin for once looks offended enough to stop with the questions for today.

Taehyung does not apologise for his words.

He does not say a single sentence for the rest of the day, at least not to Jimin, as he goes to hole up in his room. The makeshift rope he made to climb out of the window is gone, and his room looks suspiciously tidy, as if a hotel room service was here. Taehyung squints at the straightened bedlinen. This doesn't feel quite right.

And then, before he knows it, he locks the door and scrambles for the star piece he hid at the bottom of his trunk. His hands are shaking a little by the time he unwraps all the silk and sees the unassuming rock still where it should be. Taehyung very carefully puts it back, tugs it even further into the trunk, then gets up to do a tally on all the precious gifts he has gotten from Jeongguk. Has a look on all his notebooks too, checks to see if any pages have been ripped out. He also looks through the small pile of gifts he hasn't given to Jeongguk yet.

His worry does end up reasonable. Because there is exactly one thing missing.

He turns the entire room upside-down twice. But no matter how much he looks, the beautiful dagger Jeongguk gave him is gone. And Taehyung knows it has been here when he left.

A bitter taste spreads in his mouth.

Jimin took his dagger. Jimin actually stole one of Jeongguk's gifts from him.

The edge of his vision turns fuzzy as he tries to keep his breath controlled. His palms become cold and sweaty at the same time where he is digging his fingers in his thighs.

This is not okay.

He is not okay with this.

 

Taehyung doesn't leave the house for the next few days.

Funnily enough, it is Yoongi, not Jimin, who keeps tabs on Taehyung's well-being during that time. Knocks against his door every now and then to ask if he has eaten already, and crosses his path with a quiet "You okay, kid" whenever Taehyung does leave his room. Jimin on the other hand doesn't talk to him at all, unless when he tries to squeeze more answers out of him. So naturally, Taehyung begins to avoid him like the plague. He is grateful for the quiet, unobtrusive comfort Yoongi offers, be it in the form of a grunted "Guess you can borrow the cat for a day if ya want" or a steaming cup of tea placed next to his door together with a note that says there are leftovers for him in the fridge if he wants any.

He also hears quite a lot fighting going on in the room next-door.

And one night when Taehyung waddles downstairs for a midnight snack in place of the dinner he has been skipping for obvious reasons (obvious reasons being Jimin's existence at the dinner table), he can spot a lump on the couch when he sneaks past the living room. One step further into the dim moonlight that filters through the dirty window has him confirm that it is indeed Jimin who got banned out of his bedroom. As quiet as possible Taehyung goes back, not keen to wake him up. In his humble opinion, Jimin can sleep a night or two on the couch. He's been enough of a douche lately for Taehyung to only feel the tiniest pang of sympathy towards him.

Cold leftovers in one hand, and a glass of water in the other, he makes his way back upstairs where he slips into his bed and huddles into the blanket. As he spiritlessly eats away on the food, he keeps looking out his window at the almost full moon. It's got a prominent halo tonight where it hangs deep and yellow in the sky. Taehyung wonders if Jeongguk is looking at the same moon right now too.

Gosh. He misses Jeongguk.

His skin crawls more with each day spent inside. But by now he knows for sure he's got many eyes on his back the very second he steps a foot outside. Jimin too has stayed a suspicious amount of time in the house instead of going to work. And quite frankly, he is not sure if he can climb out the window for a second time without getting caught.

So he stays in his room. Browses the internet and orders a few more things that he thinks the mer would like, and perfects the art of bolting to the entrance door as soon as it rings with a new delivery. When he isn't surfing on his phone, he fumbles around with some of Jeongguk's pearls in an attempt to turn them into pretty little trinkets. Jots down some more lyrics, hones the ones he already wrote, and tries his hands on the basics of producing some of them. More than half of the new lyrics sound like love letters, which is exactly what they are. Not that the other songs weren't, but with those new lines it seems to be a lot more obvious. Or maybe that's just Taehyung's mind playing tricks. Maybe that's just him missing his better half so damn much.

What he does not expect, is his almost non-existent libido. A few weeks ago Taehyung surely would have spent the better part of all the time holed up in his room with his hands down his pants and a mixture of memories and vivid imagination. The current situation, however, is easily uncomfortable enough for him to not feel in the mood for anything at all.

Day fades into night and back into a new day, different yet similar tones of watery grey bleeding into each other and he just feels... trapped. It's not like Jimin locked him in and threw the key away. Yet he got a hunch that it wouldn't make much of a difference.

One day when it's not pouring down for once - he thinks it might be mid-november now, but he could be totally wrong, not that he cares - Taehyung decides to test the waters. Literally. As usual there is a small towel tucked into his bag, together with a few other things he might need for his next visit with Jeongguk.

He doesn't get close to the sea that day.

Jimin tails him from the very minute he steps outside. Isn't even trying to hide that he's eyeing Taehyung like a hawk. And whenever Taehyung gets within reach of the steel-grey sea, there is just something getting in the way. Be it a mobile market stall that suddenly pops up out of nowhere right between the water and him (he's never even seen a mart take place in Nakseongdae, where does this thing come from?!?), a bunch of teens running up to him and tugging him in the opposite direction to play something, or one of the elders from the bench pulling him closer with a cane around his ankle. It's as if the entire village is committed to keep him far, far away from shore.

And to make things worse, some of the fishermen he passes call him "fish boy" instead of "city boy" now. 

The first time he hears it, Taehyung thinks maybe he misheard. The second time, he deems it a bit strange. By the third time it happens, he's giving Jimin a massive stink eye where the other is walking next to him without a care. Who else could have possibly told them? His landlord just shrugs sheepishly. He wouldn't be able to talk himself out of this anyway.

 

By the end of the day, Taehyung is fed up enough with the entire situation to go and knock on Yoongi's door after checking that the older is alone. Jimin has been camping out on the couch for almost a week now. His formerly not-so-favourite landlord opens the door with a grunt and lets Taehyung inside, no questions asked.

Taehyung knows what he is about to do is risky. Yoongi is still very much part of the village that has decided to discriminate merfolk for whatever shabby reason. He has known Jimin a lot longer than Taehyung, too. The two are boyfriends, for crying out loud.

But Taehyung has also heard the yelling that's been going on for a few times now. Has on some rare occasions seen the way Yoongi refuses to meet Jimin's eyes. And he sepped up twice when Jimin tried to rope Taehyung into yet another interrogation. Told him to shut up before before either of them could start throwing hands.

So maybe his chances are not that bad, after all. Maybe he can dare it. And if not, if he really did miscalculate... well, he'll find out soon enough, he guesses.

Taehyung takes a seat at the very edge of the only bed in the room. He doesn't want to intrude. But at this point he is desperate to go for drastic measures. And those drastic measures are, to put his trust in Yoongi - fingers crossed.

"So, uh."

Taehyung does not quite know where to look. The sheer amount of weaponry displayed in the small room is unsettling him. Though maybe at this point things started to look like weapons to him when they really aren't - like the old fisher net hanging from the ceiling. He wets his lips. 

Yoongi sits on an office chair in a little corner that easily is by far the most high-tech place in the entire house. There are several devices Taehyung recognises from the recording studio he spent so much time in. Seems like Yoongi wasn't lying when he said he fools around with music production in his free time. The sight has Taehyung breathing a bit easier. It's an unexpected familiarity in an otherwise foreign space.

He tries again.

"I, uhm, I suppose at this point it's not really a secret anymore what I've been doing since I came here."

Yoongi, bless him, gives him the benefit of doubt.

"Not sure whatcha mean. The only thing I can tell for certain is that you've gotten some much-needed rest from life. Yer looking a lot more lively than back when we met. Well, maybe not right now, but, ya know."

One hand scratching on some stubbles, the cashier gestures vaguely in Taehyung's general direction.

Taehyung huffs out a laugh. "Thank you."

And decides that he can't keep tip-toeing around the elephant in the room if he genuinely wants to get some help.

"But I was talking about the mer I'm seeing."

"Ah," Yoongi nods, then looks away. "That. Uh, yeah. That too, I guess."

It's a bit funny how they are both so uncomfortable to talk about it. But at least Yoongi didn't scrunch his nose at the mere mention of merfolk. Taehyung takes that as a good sign. He squares up.

"Jimin is not going to let me outside alone anytime soon, is he?"

At that, the other does cross his arms, followed by an annoyed huff. "Nah, doubt it."

Taehyung nods. He didn't really expect anything else at this point.

"So, uhm. I was wondering... if you could maybe... I mean, if you could help me. To get out without him knowing, I mean."

Yoongi doesn't laugh at him. Neither does he call him dumb, or reckless, or anything of the sort. He just raises an eyebrow, gives him an appraising and asks,

"Just out, or also back in?"

Taehyung contemplates for a moment.

"I like breathing," he then decides, which earns him an amused snort.

"Out and back it is, then. Gotcha. But first you gotta tell me how good you are with dark, tight spaces, yeah?"

Taehyung shrugs. "They exist."

"They sure do. Much closer than ya think. Wanna leave right now, or?"

Taehyung doesn't even need to think twice before he is already nodding eagerly.

His landlord gives him an eye-roll, albeit fond. "Yah, calm yer . And change into stuff that can get torn and wet."

"I, uh, torn?" Brows furrowed, Taehyung tries to picture his wardrobe and all the available pieces he brought here.

There is another snort from Yoongi, followed by a muttered "Kids these days, I swear."

And then, before he knows it, Taehyung gets hit by a dark, lumpy something. He is still in the process of figuring out that it is an old, dirty, formerly black hoodie with several holes here and there, when a second, grumpy green heap also lands in his lap.

"Here, ya can take these for now. And keep it, I guess, for all I care."

Taehyung is a bit late to react as he keeps looking at the clothes, then at Yoongi, and back again, trying to figure out if something his older yet decidedly shorter landlord has worn could ever fit him. It could work, probably. The big hoodie and wide denim trousers might just be oversized enough for him.

Yoongi notices his hesitation, because of course he does.

"Yer getting changed, or what? Think I've never seen before?"

Spluttering, Taehyung turns around to do as told. Behind him, Yoongi cackles. Taehyung belatedly realises that at no time of changing his clothes his most sensitive body part has been on display at all. Because, well. Underwear exists for a reason. The sudden thought that Yoongi is full of crosses his mind, together with the insight that he doesn't know his landlord half as well as he assumed. 

The clothes fit. Barely. And Taehyung almost feels ready to role-play as fisherman or construction worker. 

"Okaaaay," Yoongi drawls, then pats the space next to him. He's got a sheet of paper spread out in front of him and keeps scribbling a few more things on it. By the time Taehyung has sidled up to him, the rough blueprint of the house is done. "So, we are here," he points at the room that's labelled ' 'n' sleep cave' and Taehyung almost chokes. "And you want to get... here, or something." He pats at the space to the left from the sheet, then looks up. "Ya probably noticed we live in an old but not ancient house thing, yeah?"

Taehyung nods.

"Good. Neat. Now the fun thing about old but not ancient houses is, they are full of unnecessary stuff. Except that, sometimes it does become necessary. Tonight we apparently have a blue moon, which means we're going to go pay a visit to the completely needless tunnel that connects this house with a stinking bunker from the last war."

Taehyung, who has been gaping halfway through the statement, now frowns. "But... I don't wanna go to a bunker?"

"Yeah, well, if ya'd let me finish ma sentences then ya'd know our tunnel is not the only one leading there - and that some of the houses at the end of those other tunnels don't exist anymore."

"Ohhh."

"Mhm, yeah."

"That's... kinda really cool."

Yoongi preens. "I know."

"And Jimin doesn't know about this?"

"Ah, about that." The cashier tabs at his nose and gives Taehyung a sly smile. "He knows that the tunnels exist, but not where they end. 'Kay? Ya need a torch, or two? Also just so we're clear, you didn't hear this from me."

"I-" Taehyung blinks- "I, ah, a... torch?"

"As in, electric."

"Oh. Oh, yeah, I'm. Sure?"

Yoongi shuffles around and then hands him one of the most clunky flash-lights he's ever seen. It looks like it could be straight out of a Narnia movie.

"Did that come as a set with the tunnel?" he can't help but ask, and cashes in a smack on his head.

"Yah, it does the trick, okay? Don't get picky now. Go get your stuff, we are going on an adventure."

With a little grumble of his own, Taehyung thinks to himself that Martin Freeman sounded a lot more excited when he said the same thing. But then again, one Min Yoongi is also very much not the type to happily jump through grassy hills. Or solve riddles with a creature who happens to suffer from schizoid personality disorder. Or get offended by someone who scrubs their shoes in the wrong place.

 

Ten minutes later, after he swapped numbers with Yoongi just in case (and for the return protocol, so the latter could tell him if it were safe to get back), Taehyung finds himself climbing through the floor of a broom cupboard. Or at least that's what he thought was behind the narrow, unassuming door at the far end of the first floor. But after Yoongi unceremoniously took the cleaning utensils and what else has been stored there out of the tiny room, a trapdoor indeed came into view.

Yoongi kindly enough lifts the heavy-looking trapdoor for him with one hand. It's the first time Taehyung notices the bulging veins and muscles on his arm. It hits him only then, that, damn, back when they first met and Yoongi looked more than ready to kick him out, he wouldn't have had any trouble at all with throwing Taehyung into a wall. Taehyung should probably be real glad in hindsight that he's never gotten on Yoongi's bad side so far.

"Here ya go, kid."

Before Taehyung can complain that he is not a kid, thank you very much, the trapdoor is already falling shut above him with a dull thud. The blackness that seeps in from everywhere is almost tangible. And, yeah, okay, it also smells mouldy. Taehyung supposes he should not spend longer than possible in this forsaken part of the house.

Torch stuck in the hoodie pocket and bag slung over both shoulders, he makes his descend into the darkness. And tries his very best not to think about what the slimy thing he just touched could be. Only at the bottom of the cold and slippery stairs does he dare to turn on the torch.

The silence of his surroundings somehow weighs even heavier with the sharp light now cutting through the darkness ahead. Here, at the end of a forgotten escape tunnel, he is, in every sense of the word, alone. The folded piece of paper with a chicken-scratch map of the tunnel system Yoongi drew for him rustles in the pocket when Taehyung tugs his empty hand in there.

With a deep inhale, he begins his march through the tunnel.

 

Taehyung has zero idea how much time he spends in the dark, wet tunnels. All he knows is that he's glad enough to whisper a dozen prayers mixed with some of his favourite curse words as soon as he steps out into fresh air. Just like Yoongi promised, not much more than half an overgrown wall and way too many bramble bushes remained from the house that must've formerly been here. And, also like Yoongi promised, the shrub Taehyung crawls out of is only a few steps away from the old pier.

He hastily turns off the torch and then, after waiting for his eyes to accommodate to the much dimmer moonlight, makes sure to memorise the spot so he finds his way back later.

Then he is at the pier, creeping more than anything, and looking back every few metres to make sure nobody saw him. But nothing moves. Nobody sounds the alarm, or comes rushing over to drag him away. Nakseongdae keeps sleeping, with its inhabitants being none the wiser except for one.