“ Grey hoodie… grey hoodie… ” The boy chanted in the silence of his mind, eyes locked onto its target as legs walked briskly along the street, stalking the other. It was an easy chase at first, none really moving quicker than the average pedestrian. But the comfort didn’t last long, perhaps his target really was guilty ; pace was suddenly accelerated as Taehyung observed the other disappearing from his vision, movements entirely nimble while he navigated through the sea of people, not colliding into a single soul. Surely he had had some experience in this. But the boy wouldn’t give up, not when he had so much to lose — identification cards aside, there were precious memories sandwiched between those slots, movie tickets, photos and the like. He would have alerted the pedestrians nearby, would have shouted for the culprit to stop, but parted lips produced nothing but shallow gasps of air. He’d have to up his game now.
Speed increased to a run, Taehyung pursued after his target. Oh the movies were all wrong ; chasing after a thief didn’t make you look like a hero at all. The boy’s throat was parched dry, his lungs were burning and his legs ached terribly with fatigue. He was sure he looked like a crazed gaping goldfish — brown strands he was positive, were flying in all directions while lips remained parted in a desperate attempt to gulp in the oxygen his muscles were demanding. But he noticed that they were nearing the apartment complex and a smug smile he let curl at his lips ; being well acquainted with the area, he assumed he had the upper hand. Perhaps he had been complacent, for the grey hoodie vanished from sight. Pupils were now dilated with newfound panic as he paced around the entrance of the complex for a good thirty seconds. “ — Damn it. ” Taehyung spat into the air, still very much reluctant to give up the chase, but nothing could be done now that the other had lost him, only a police report remained. Sighing, the boy stumbled into the lift lobby, shoulders hunched with defeat before he noticed the closing doors. Not wanting to have to wait for another cycle, he mustered his remaining strength and dashed towards it, a foot he’d managed to use to keep the doors open. Bowing in apology for his seemingly rude actions, he quickly turned to face the front, oblivious to the identity of the other.
Fuck. He muttered a silent curse under his breath as he quickly shuffled to the corner of the elevator with an obvious forced smile on his lips, instinctively moving to hide the wallet behind his back, his eyes glued to his feet. Seconds passed like years and the elevator came to a stop-- he perked up and lifted his head, but a frown grew on his lips once his eyes scanned over the number two, along with someone stepping in; he had one more level to go, so he kept his gaze down again, nervously licking at his lips before swallowing thickly.
And after what felt like eternity the elevator came to another stop, this time at Ilhoon’s floor. With big strides he stepped out as casually as he could, slowly shifting the wallet from his back to his front to hide it from the others’ sights, exhaling a little too loudly as soon as he was in front of the first door. Just a few more steps, he breathed in and started shuffling to his own apartment, his legs tired from running as his muscles ached, his grip on the wallet tightening while he wiped his sweaty palm along his jeans.
There he finally stood in front of his door, and with shaky fingers he quickly punched the number combination in, a soft hiss slipping from his lips as he slowed down some but not too much, making sure he’d get the correct combination before rousing any suspicion. His door clicked opened and he only managed to step in with one foot before feeling a hand on his shoulder. He gulped, his other hand gripping at his door tightly, his eyes glued to his bed that was so close, but yet so damn far.
