#code of silence

Big Kim thought it would be best to make it harder to target both of you at once, so until things die down, you’re crashing at Taehyung’s parent’s house, and Yoongi remains at your apartment. And it's killing you. You miss your husband; sleeping beside him and waking up to his soft snores, his arms wrapped around you. Just when you finally started to feel like you and Yoongi had things figured out, of course something had to come and ruin it. You didn’t even get to spend your first Christmas morning together…

You just ate dinner with Taehyung’s parents, locked up in their house. Despite being here, you really haven’t seen Taehyung much at all. He’s always off somewhere being, well, Taehyung, and since you can’t go with him… Yoongi was extremely adamant about not letting you go anywhere until things settle down a bit, but now you’re restless,  relaxing on your bed in the guest room, and texting Yoongi every bored thought you’ve had throughout the day; the latest of which being what you ate. 

You (7:32 pm): Samgyeopsal. Yoongi (7:34 pm): Was it good? You (7:34 pm): Not as good as it would’ve been with you Yoongi (7:34 pm): Y/N… You (7:35 pm): Yoongi Yoongi (7:35 pm): We’ve been over this. You (7:36 pm): Doesn’t make it suck any less… Yoongi (7:37 pm): I know, my love, I miss you too

You smile at his message, your heart still fluttering when he calls you that. You sigh, resting your phone on your chest as you stare up at the ceiling, wishing more than anything to be in his arms, when an idea pops into your head. 

You (7:40 pm): What if we go away for the new year? Yoongi (7:42 pm): Away? You (7:42 pm): Yeah, you know. Like on vacation Yoongi (7:43 pm): Hmm, a vacation? You (7:43 pm): Your dad and Big Kim have everything handled right now anyway You (7:43 pm): Why not take advantage of it? You (7:44 pm): We never really *did* get a honeymoon… Yoongi (7:45 pm): Where? You (7:45 pm): Anywhere that’s not here!!

Your phone goes silent for a few minutes and you wonder if he’s going to say no. You sit up as your phone buzzes again. 

Yoongi (7:55 pm): I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning at 10. Yoongi (7:55 pm): Let me know anything specific you want packed You (7:56 pm): Where are we going?? Yoongi (7:57 pm): It’s a surprise. I’ll see you then, love.

Your heart thunks with excitement. You’re going away with Yoongi! The first time since he came back into your life that you get to really, truly be alone with him. No family, no worries, no pressure; just you and him together. You run downstairs to alert Big Kim to the sudden change in plans before heading to take a shower, wanting to wash all of the stress and boredom off of your body for a fresh start in the morning. After your shower, you watch a movie before reading a book until you fall asleep, thrilled at what tomorrow is going to bring you. 

.

When you wake up to your alarm, you quickly get dressed and head downstairs, eating a simple breakfast as you wait for the car. Yoongi sends Seokjin to pick you up, and when he arrives you grab your things and make your way out to him, greeting him quickly before jumping in the car.

You and Seokjin chat casually as he drives you to the airport, but when he arrives, he pulls off to a separate side terminal instead of the usual passenger terminal. He drives you down a side road to a secondary hangar where a private plane sits; Yoongi standing in front of it as he waits for your arrival. 

Seokjin wishes you a good flight and you jump out, running over to Yoongi where he quickly wraps you in his arms. 

“Hello my love.” He whispers into your hair, giving you a squeeze.

“Yoongi, what…?”

“All part of the surprise.” He smiles before taking your hand and leading you up the stairs of the plane. 

It’s small, but oh so luxurious. You take your seat and Yoongi sits across from you, leaning his head on his hand as he watches you take in your surroundings. It takes no time at all for the plane to take off, and soon enough, you’re cruising through the air, sipping on champagne the flight attendant brought you. 

“So are you going to tell me where we’re going yet?” You ask as Yoongi takes a swig from his glass. 

He shakes his head. “I told you, it’s a surprise.”

You lean across the table and lay your hand out, silently asking him to grab it. He obliges without a word and your heart warms. “I’m glad we finally get to spend some time together away from everything.”

“Me too.” He smiles at you, giving your hand a squeeze. 

“How long until we get there?”

“About three hours.” He answers. “So just relax.”

You release his hand and lean back in your seat, looking out the window to your left and watching the clouds float past you. Honestly, you already feel relaxed. In fact, you haven’t felt this relaxed in over a year. Part of you is happy to leave everything behind you for a while. The other part of you is terrified of what might happen in Yoongi’s absence. You can only hope everything will be okay.

You pick at the snack given to you before dozing off in your chair, only waking when you hear the ding of the intercom and faintly hear the captain say something.

You open your eyes to find Yoongi’s gaze on you, the corner of his lips turned up as he watches you wake up, stretching as the blanket wrapped around you falls into your lap. He must’ve put that on you after you fell asleep. “How long was I out?”

“We should be landing here shortly.” He muses. 

You sit up and look out the window to see the airport from above, surrounded by water, a light snow dusting the ground. It takes no time at all before the plane is on the ground. You both quickly gather your things, thanking the flight crew, before stepping off onto the tarmac where a sleek black car is waiting for you. Yoongi opens the car door for you and you slide in, watching him go around to the driver’s side and hop in before starting the car and turning out onto the road.

Your eyes are peeled, looking for any sort of sign or clue as to where you are, it isn’t until you start seeing signs, directing you to the highways where you finally see “Tokyo - 60 km”.

“Tokyo??” You squeal in excitement. “Are we really in Japan?”

“I know you’ve always wanted to come.”

You clap your hands together. “I’m so excited!”

Yoongi smiles brightly at your excitement. “I’ll show you the itinerary when we get to the hotel.” He lets go of the steering wheel with his right hand and grabs your thigh, giving it a squeeze. “First stop, Tokyo city.”

.

You spend the first three days in Tokyo, enjoying the scenery and visiting everywhere you can. You visit a few parks before walking to Harajuku and Omotesando, before ending the first day. The next day is spent in Shibuya and Shinjuku, getting lost in Shibuya station before Yoongi follows you around as you go shopping. You head up to Shibuya Sky, looking out over the vastness of Tokyo, and feeling relaxed despite your slight fear of heights. Surprisingly, it doesn’t seem to bother you as you watch the busy streets below. 

Next stop is Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, where you and Yoongi take a long stroll along the pathways before ending the night at a fancy restaurant for some dinner and drinks. Day three is Akihabara, Ueno Park, and Asakusa, where you stop by Tokyo Skytree. This one has your nerves a bit more on edge, and you decide to simply admire it from the ground. 

The next day is spent at Lake Kawaguchi, admiring the beauty of Mt. Fuji. You both choose to relax this day, having been on the move since you arrived in Japan, it’s nice to have a day to rest in between all the traveling and sightseeing. Yoongi treats you to a luxurious spa day, which works out, as it turns into a very snowy afternoon anyway. You have dinner at the hotel restaurant and a few drinks later, you and Yoongi are tumbling into bed, exhausted from the energy you spent the last few days. 

On day six, you travel to Kyoto for New Year’s. Bright and early you visit the torii gates at Fushimi Inari Taisha, heading to a famous temple afterwards. When you’re finished at the temple, you stroll around the shopping district, collecting some souvenirs and street food that sends your taste buds soaring, and unfortunately being so tired you fall asleep before midnight, with Yoongi waking you just for a sweet New year’s kiss. 

Day seven is spent at the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, walking through the towering bamboo grove. It soothes you. Listening to the soft sounds of the bamboo bending in the light breeze. Snow crunching beneath your footsteps.  Afterward you visit a monkey park, but you spent so much time wandering the bamboo earlier, that you run out of time to do anything else. The next day you spend on the scenic railway, taking a train tour through some of the most beautiful scenery you’ve ever seen. You head to your next destination around dinner time, hopping on another train and then riding to the hotel of your last destination: Osaka.

Your last two days in Japan are spent in Osaka. You do everything you can; visit Osaka Castle, towers, shrines, Osaka Aquarium, you even check out the cup noodles museum before heading to the Suntory Whiskey Distillery. And of course, your favorite part of Osaka was the night market. The food alone made you want to pack up your life and move there. 

On the final evening, you bid goodbye as you make your way to the airport, sad that the trip is over already, but Yoongi needs to get back, and you don’t want to stay without him. 

As you wait for the plane to take off, you flip through the pictures you took, smiling at the memories you’ve made. Japan amazed you more every minute, and yet it filled your heart with a sense of longing. You don’t remember your life in the states, and besides visiting Seoul on occasion, and Jeju every summer, you’ve never really been out of Daegu, so this trip made you feel something you’ve never been able to feel.

Freedom.

It made you wish for a different life. A life where you and Yoongi could just be you and Yoongi, not worrying about what new tragedy might be waiting at home for you. Not worrying about always watching your back every second of every day. Not worrying about who you can trust, or who might try to kill you if you say the wrong thing. God, sometimes you just wish you could be anyone else. 

Yoongi smiles at you from where he sits across the table and your heart aches. This man; who has given you everything you could ever want, whom you love more than you could ever express; has shown you a taste of the normal life you crave so desperately, and he knows it. But at the same time, you both understand that it’s something you can never have. You know that’s why he did it. To show you exactly why neither of you can escape your destiny. 

Because the only people left that matter to either of you, are all part of your family already. 

One family that you would do anything for…

You check your messages with Taehyung to see he still hasn’t responded to any of the texts or photos you sent him. Well that’s frustrating. You see the faint grey text under your last message: “Read Yesterday”. What’s wrong with him?

Yoongi reaches out his hand and takes yours where it rests on the table, squeezing it, the warmth of his skin against yours instantly comforting you. 

“Did you enjoy the trip my love?” He gazes up at you from under those beautiful long lashes of his.

“I did.” You nod, squeezing back, your fingers automatically finding the ring on his left hand and tracing along the edge of it, as if reminding you that he’s yours. “It was incredible.” Your eyes meet his and your body is flushed with a warmth that fills you from head to toe. 

He kisses the back of your hand and the contact has your cheeks heating up. You realize that while you enjoyed the trip, you and Yoongi were so busy and tired that you never enjoyed, well… each other, and you haven’t since before the fire. Wasn’t that the whole point of a honeymoon?

You shake your head, pushing the heat away. You’ll have plenty of time for that when you’re back home. You don’t feel particularly inclined to join the mile high club at this moment. You both tend to take your time with each other when you can, and with it having been so long, you know neither of you will be satisfied with anything rushed like fucking in an airplane bathroom.

.

When you arrive back at Daegu airport, it’s already the early hours of the morning, but you smile at Jin as he greets you both warmly. He shuffles you both into the back of the car before starting the drive. As you pull up in front of Taehyung’s parents house, you see the silhouette of Big Kim waiting for you in the driveway and sigh, having thought you were going home. Yoongi sees the disappointment grace your features and whispers to you.

“It’s only for a little while longer, I promise.” He places a lingering kiss on your forehead, mumbling how much he loves you against your skin before allowing you to get out of the car.

Big Kim grabs your bags before quickly ushering you into the house toward the guest room where you’ve been staying. You’re surprised Taehyung isn’t there to greet you, but Big Kim explains he’s been staying out late the last few nights. You nod, thanking him before he leaves and you crawl into bed, letting exhaustion overtake you as you’re pulled into sleep.

When you wake up the next morning, it’s already well into the afternoon. You didn’t realize how tired the trip had made you. You stretch and check your phone seeing only a single message from Yoongi.

Yoongi (8:47 am): I had so much fun with you my love, hopefully by the end of the week I can have you back here with me.

You can’t help the smile that pokes at your lips. You didn’t realize Yoongi was such a romantic when you were first put together, but he always seems to know how to make your heart skip a beat.

You (1:13 pm): I love you You (1:13 pm): I’ll see you tonight when I stop by the club?

He responds almost immediately.

Yoongi (1:13 pm): I can’t wait baby

You close your messages and stand up, quickly changing into some clean shorts and a t-shirt before walking out into the living room, seeing Taehyung sitting across the way in the kitchen eating something. 

“Well, if it isn’t Kim Taehyung.” You say as you walk behind him, seeming to startle him out of staring at his phone. 

“What the- when did you get back?” He asks, turning to watch you as you open the fridge.

“Early this morning.” You grab a yogurt and shut the door again before walking over to the coffee pot, seeing it’s still warm. You silently thank Auntie Kim as you pour yourself a cup. “Do I want to know where you were that early?”

Taehyung shakes his head. “Here and there.”

“Uh huh. Your dad said you’ve been out late the last few nights too.”

Taehyung rolls his eyes. “I’m here now, aren’t I?”

“Okay sasshole, turn it down please.” You scold. “Why are you so defensive, it’s just me?”

Taehyung runs his hands through his hair, a sign that he’s frustrated with something. “Sorry, just tired.”

“Tae,” You walk over and take a seat next to him. “What’s going on?”

He sighs. “Promise you won’t be mad at me?”

“No, but I'll at least listen first.” You repeat the phrase you always do when he does something he shouldn't. 

He takes a deep breath. “I’ve kind of been-”

“Afternoon you two!” Taehyung’s mom cheers as she walks into the kitchen.

Taehyung immediately clams up, putting on the usual front for his mother. “Hi Auntie.” You greet back. 

“What are you both up to today?” She asks, pouring herself some coffee. 

“Nothing much, I’m probably going to the club later tonight to help Yoongi with some things.”

“Just can’t stay away from him, can you?” She giggles. “I knew you two were a perfect match.”

“Just have to catch up on work after the vacation.” You laugh with her. “You know how it is.”

“Alright, well have fun. I’ll see you both for dinner.” She smiles as she walks out of the room. 

You immediately turn back to Taehyung as he stands up. “You were saying?”

“Come on, let’s go upstairs.”

You nod, following him up to his room, sitting down on his bed as he shuts the door and leans against the door frame before sinking down to the floor. You study him as he types something out on his phone, smiling to himself. He’s wearing an old overused t-shirt he’s had since high school, his blonde hair messy from sleep, or probably lack there of. You notice his roots are starting to come in. Strange, usually he’s on top of his hair appointments… As you study his face, he looks tired. More than he usually does, the bags under his eyes are puffier than usual as he flicks the hair out of his face and looks up at you. 

“What?” He questions when he sees you staring. 

“Nothing, I just feel like I haven’t seen you in forever.”

He lets out a soft chuckle. “It’s only been like… three weeks?” He starts counting on his fingers. “Yeah, since Christmas.”

“Three weeks? Tae, when was the last time we went three weeks without even speaking? You didn’t respond to any of my texts. Since when do you leave me on read? What’s going on with you?”

He leans his head back against the door and sighs, closing his eyes. “Nothing… How was Japan?”

“Don’t change the subject.”

“I’m not,” he groans. “Please, just tell me about the trip.”

You purse your lips, unwilling to give in, but when you see the look in his eyes, you realize he’s changing the subject to distract himself, not you. Something happened, and he wants to forget about it. This time it’s you that sighs, giving up and telling him all the details about your trip and how amazing it was; showing him all the pictures you took of places that you visited and foods that you ate, explaining everything as you go. 

When you’re done, you’re sprawled out on the bed, but he remains in his seat up against the door. 

“Sounds like it was good for you.”

“Yeah,” you nod, tossing your phone on the bed next to you. “It helped me forget… For a little while, anyway.”

“Forget?” This word gets Taehyung’s attention. 

“Forget that I’ll never have a normal life.”

Taehyung scoffs at this. “Why not?”

“What do you mean ‘why not’? Because of this, because of who we are, our families, what we do, what we live and deal with every day. Nothing will ever be normal for us Tae, you know that. We’ve been stuck in the same place for seventeen years, and we can’t move on, always looking over our shoulders.”

“I know… You’ve always wanted more, Y/N. That’s one of the things I love about you.”

“Did you just call me by my government name? Not ‘doll’? Seriously, do you need a doctor? Should we go to the hospital?” You tease. 

He laughs at this, his smile finally returning to his face before his expression lights up with an idea. “Why can’t we be normal though?”

“What do you mean?”

“What’s stopping us?” He asks, finally standing up.

“Well, I mean-”

“No, not who we are, or the people we know. What’s really stopping us?”

“What are you getting at?” You sit up on your elbows as you stare up at him. 

“Get dressed, we’re going out.”

“Tae-”

“Come on,” He grabs your arm and starts pulling you up. “I’m serious. I’m going to show you.”

.

Fifteen minutes later, you and Taehyung are climbing into his car and pulling out of the driveway. He quickly merges onto the freeway and heads south, about thirty minutes into the drive you give up asking questions. After an hour you doze off, watching the landscape fly by you. 

When you wake up, you check the time, it’s almost 5pm already, you slept for about an hour. You look up, trying to place where you are, not able to determine much from the landscape. After a few minutes some signs appear overhead and your heart thunks with fear in your chest. “Busan Station” With an arrow pointing the direction you’re traveling. 

“Taehyung…”

“Hm?” He seems oblivious to your impending panic.

“Did that sign just say Busan?”

He simply shrugs. Soon enough you start seeing signs for Haeundae, one of the most popular beaches in Busan, and before you know it, you have the city to your left, and the ocean to your right as Taehyung drives down the road, seemingly carefree. After another minute or so, Taehyung pulls into a lot and parks, and sure enough, you see Haeundae beach directly in front of you. It’s sparse, being January it’s not exactly prime beach weather, but a few people are still out walking along the shore here and there.

“Taehyung, what the fuck are we doing here?”

“Proving a point.” He states, turning off the car and moving to open the door before you quickly grab his arm to stop him. 

“This is your plan? Downtown Busan? Taehyung, they could have people anywhere, everywhere. They know what I look like, they could-”

“Y/N!” Taehyung interrupts you. “Come on,” he nods toward the beach. “Let me show you. Nothing is going to happen to us.”

“Tae…”

He shrugs. “Or stay here and be a sitting target.” And with that he gets out of the car and you scurry out your own door after him. 

You take out your phone and open your messages with Yoongi, wanting to tell him where you are, but you know if you do, he’ll send an entire army to get you back to Daegu, so you settle for something where he won’t ask questions. 

You (5:39 pm): Change of plans. Going out with Tae tonight, so I’ll see you at the club tomorrow!

He responds quickly.

Yoongi (5:40 pm): Be safe, see you tomorrow love 

Taehyung leads you down the street, around a corner, and up to a traditional open market, the smell of food overwhelming your senses.  You stick close to Taehyung’s side, constantly looking over your shoulder. Taehyung stops at a few stalls, buying you both some snacks like fish cakes and seed hotteok, and looking through the various goods laid out for purchase. When you come to the end of the street, a strange feeling comes over you, like you’re being watched. You look through the crowd, but can’t seem to find the source. 

“Tae, can we go home?”

“Not yet.” He smiles at you, walking back toward the beach. 

“Yah, Kim Taehyung, will you tell me what’s going on?”

Taehyung doesn't answer, he simply keeps walking until you come to a wooden bench looking out over the beach, and he takes a seat on it. You sit next to him, pulling your coat tighter around you as you wait for an explanation. 

He sighs. “This is where I've been coming.”

“What?”

“The reason you haven’t seen me. I come here almost every night.”

“Why?” You question. “That’s a long drive to make.”

“It started as an experiment.” He begins. “I wanted to see if I could come here undetected. I didn’t want to do anything, I just wanted to get away from… Well, everything. I was so tired of the family, and my parents. I just wanted to see what it was really like here. With no strings attached.”

“And you’ve been fine?”

He nods, looking out at the setting sun. ”I’ve been fine.”

You sigh, knowing the point Taehyung is trying to prove, but it’s not enough. “Taehyung, I know. There’s more to Busan than the people running the city, just like Daegu. There’s so much that people like us don’t get to see, because we’re always behind the scenes, making sure things are safe, but this?” You gesture to the city behind you. “We shouldn’t be here. It doesn’t matter if nothing happens to us now, if word gets out; if one of them sees us? It’ll get back to their leader in no time, and who knows what they’ll do next.”

“But-”

“Taehyung, they killed my dad. They burnt down my parents house; they tried to kill me; hell, they almost killed Yoongi…”

“I just wish things were different.”

“I know… I know you want things to be different. I want them to be different too, but for us, it never will be, and there's nothing we can do to change that.”

 “Yeah…”

It’s silent for a long moment, the only sound being that of the waves lapping at the shore, and the city noise behind you, until you remember something.

“So is that it? What you wanted to tell me without me getting mad?”

“Ah, that’s part of it.”

“Okay, and? What’s the rest?”

“Well, around my third trip here I sort of…” Taehyung looks down at the ground, unable to meet your gaze. “Well, I um… I ran into someone…”

“Who? We don’t know anyone here.”

That’s when you hear someone shout in the distance. “Taehyung!”

You both turn toward the voice, and Taehyung’s face suddenly lights up as he stands, walking over to meet the person jogging toward you. You watch as he wraps his arms around the mysterious figure and then leans down to kiss them. 

“What the fuck..” You mumble to yourself. Is he really dating someone from Busan? No wonder he keeps coming here. Taehyung grabs the person’s hand and drags them over to you, it isn’t until they’re in front of you that you recognize their face from the pictures you’ve seen on Taehyung’s phone and your stomach churns, a sudden bout of unease filling you with anxiety.

“Y/N-ah,” he sighs. “I’ve been… seeing-”

“Jimin??!” Your mouth drops open, so stunned that you can’t formulate words. It’s silent for a few moments until the initial shock wears off and you can speak again. “Tae-”

“I know!” He interrupts you. “Believe me there’s nothing you can say that I haven’t already said to myself.”

“Tae, I just… I don’t… I don’t understand.” You state, remembering just how fucked up he was after the breakup. 

“I know… But we ran into each other one night when I was here and we talked about things and everything’s-”

Taehyung stops talking when you stand up, watching you closely as you march up to Jimin, his expression turning to one of horror as you raise a hand and slap Jimin clean across the face as hard as you can, his glasses flying off into the sand.

“Y/N, what the fuck?” Taehyung squeaks.

“That,” You huff. “Is for breaking my best friend’s heart.”

Taehyung and Jimin both stare at you in disbelief. “Why-”

“Do you not remember what he did to you? How badly he hurt you?” You’re on the verge of yelling now. “How many times did you come over to my house crying because of him? And you went back to him?!”

“Y/N-”

“You’re going to regret that.” Jimin hisses, dusting the sand off his glasses. 

“Fuck you. If I ever see you again, it’s on sight, you hear me?” You spit, poking Jimin in the chest. “Taehyung,” You turn to face him, ignoring the tears falling from his eyes. “Give me the keys, I’m going home.”

“But-”

“Do you want me to call my husband instead? I’m sure he’d be thrilled to know where we are.”

Taehyung rolls his eyes, fishing in his pockets for the car keys before tossing them at you. “Y/N, please…”

“This is probably one of the biggest mistakes I've ever seen you make, Tae. I’ll see you when you get back.” You turn to leave before remembering something. “And don’t let him anywhere near your parents house. I don’t trust him. You know my gut is never wrong.”

And with that you storm away, back up the beach to Taehyung’s car where you hop in the driver’s seat, start the car up and immediately pull out on the road, making your way back home, back to where you feel safe. 

You cry silently to yourself as you drive, having never really fought with Taehyung before, it hurts your heart and you feel as though you’ve betrayed him, but something about Jimin in person makes your skin crawl and you can’t ignore that feeling, even for Taehyung.

When you get back to Taehyung’s parents house, you park the car, sighing as you turn off the ignition, but not getting out of the car yet, you need a few minutes to decompress before going inside. You don’t see any lights on, so hopefully you can sneak in and just go straight to your room. 

You finally get out of the car, locking it before heading inside the house. You can hear the tv in the living room and sigh to yourself. Sure enough, when you turn the corner, Taehyung’s mom is seated on the couch, watching some game show as she sews something. 

“Y/N-ah, hi honey.” She smiles as you come in. “Are you hungry?” You shake your head, depositing Taehyung’s car keys on the kitchen counter on your way past. “Where’s Taehyung-ah?”

You sigh. “He’s… with a friend.”

She makes one of those ‘all knowing mom’ sounds, but doesn’t pry. “Ah, I see. Going to bed?”

You nod, making up an excuse. “Still a little tired from the trip.”

“Goodnight honey.”

“Goodnight, Auntie Kim.”

You make your way back to your borrowed room, shutting the door behind you. You undress and shower before laying down for the night. You stare at the ceiling for a while, wondering how badly you fucked up your friendship with Taehyung. You can’t help but wonder if you’re just looking for an excuse to distance yourself from him; knowing that anyone that gets too close to you gets hurt… 

You’ll have to worry about that tomorrow. 

For now, you close your eyes, and fall into an uneasy sleep. 

.

You wake up the next morning and immediately sigh, remembering the events of the day before. You wonder if he even came home last night. You get up and dress yourself, walking out to the kitchen to see Taehyung’s shoes at the front door. Good. You think. At least he’s home.

You make yourself a simple breakfast before sitting down to watch tv. You know you need to apologize, but you don’t know what time he got home last night, so you’re going to let him sleep. After a few hours you hear the shower upstairs kick on and realize he must be awake. You wait for a few minutes after he’s done, letting him get dressed before you make your way up to his room and knocking lightly.

“Yeah?” You hear from the other side.

“Tae?” Your voice cracks, so you clear your throat and try again. “Tae, it’s me. Can we talk?”

It’s silent for a minute until the door opens before you and Taehyung nods at you before walking back over to his bed.

You enter and shut the door behind you, standing awkwardly and shuffling your feet as you try to find the words to say. “I just… I wanted to apologize. I’m sorry for yesterday, the way I acted was unacceptable.”

“No, it’s exactly how I expected you to react.” He states, looking up at you from where he sits on the bed. “Down to the slap. But I thought you’d slap me.”

“I’m just worried about you, Tae.”

“I know.”

“He really hurt you.”

“I know…” He nods, flopping down against the mattress. “I just can’t help myself… Not all of us get to take cute little trips to Japan with our perfect husband.”

“You of all people know how long it took Yoongi and me to get to where we are now. And we’re still far from perfect.” You remind him. “Listen, I don’t give a fuck about Jimin or what you do with him, you can do whatever you want together, it’s not my business.” You pause. “I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

“I don’t really know…” Taehyung admits with a small huff of laughter. “I don’t think I am. It really feels like he’s using me. Did you really get a bad feeling from him?”

You nod as you sit down next to him on the bed. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but purely based on that answer and nothing else, Taehyung, I think you need to end it. For good this time.”

He sighs again, rubbing his hand over his face. “You’re right… It just sucks.”

“I know.”

He picks up his phone and types away for a few moments before closing it again. “Done. And Blocked.”

“Good. And no more trips to Busan. If your dad found out he’d kill you before they would.”

He smiles up at you. “I know, I won’t. I promise.”

“I’m proud of you.”

“Thanks, for always being there for me.”

“Of course, what are best friends for? You and me, Tae. Till the world caves in. Always.”

“Till the world caves in, doll. You and me.”

.

You spend the rest of the afternoon with Taehyung in an attempt to cheer him up and get his mind off of things; laughing, watching movies, and silly videos. At one point during a dance scene in a movie, he pulls you up off the bed and sways you along with the music, making you cackle with laughter, happy to have your best friend back to his normal self.

After dinner, you get dressed and Taehyung drives you over to the club. You walk in the back entrance, waving hello to everyone as you walk past and head up the stairs to Yoongi’s office. His door is closed, so you knock lightly.

“Come in.” He calls from the other side, probably assuming you’re someone else here to bother him about something. You poke your head in to see him bent over his desk, nose deep in paperwork. You smile at the familiar sight as you enter, shutting the door behind you. 

“Evening, boss.” You coo at him. 

His head shoots up at the sound of your voice, his face softening the moment he lays eyes on you. “Y/N-ah, what? I wasn’t expecting you until close.” He smiles, walking around the desk to wrap his arms around your waist, placing a kiss on your cheek. 

“I got bored at Tae’s house.” You state. “I wanted to see you.”

“You miss me already?” He smirks, his hands rest on your hips. 

“I always miss you when you’re not with me.” You admit. “Figured you might need some help catching up on things too. Did anything happen while we were gone?”

“Thankfully, no.” Yoongi lets go of you and walks back over to his desk, taking a seat in his chair. “But the autopsy report on Moon Jongin came back.”

“Ah… What did it say? Smoke inhalation or burning?”

“Neither.”

”No? Then what…?”

Yoongi sighs. “The cause of death was drowning.”

“Drowning?” You walk over to him and he hands you the report. “How is that…”

“Apparently he was submerged and brought back to life several times judging from the injuries to his ribs, before he was finally put under for good.”

You back up and sit on the chair opposite Yoongi, shocked and terrified. “But isn’t that-”

“The Busan leader’s M.O.? Yes… It is.”

“Are we in danger, Yoongi?”

He scoffs. “We’re always in danger, love, it’s part of our life.”

“You know what I mean.”

Yoongi runs a hand through his hair. “As far as we know, they haven’t tried anything yet, but they definitely have a head start on us if they do want to try something. We also haven’t tried to infiltrate from the inside since Choi was… Well, it could’ve been sloppy planning on my part.”

“Yoongi, I…”

“Y/N-ah,” Yoongi sees the worried expression on your face and gets up, walking around his desk to kneel in front of you. “I won’t ever let anything happen to you.”

You nod in agreement without even thinking about it. Of course he won’t. He loves you, but that’s not why you’re nervous. “I know, but…”

“But what?” He tilts his head in confusion.

You should tell him. You need to tell him. If you don’t tell him, he’s probably going to find out anyway, so it’s best if he hears it from you. No matter how pissed he might be when he knows. “Taehyung and I, w-we went to Busan last night.” You blurt. Well, that’s one way to do it.

“W… What?” He chuckles, clearly thinking that you’re joking, but when he sees the look on your face, his own expression darkens. “What do you mean you went to Busan last night?” He spits the word at you. 

You take a deep breath before you relay to him the events of the previous night, watching his brow crease more and more as you go on. “And so I slapped him across the face, and then, well, then I left…” You pause, watching him process your words. “Yoongi, if I had known that’s where he was taking me, I never would’ve gone I swear.”

Yoongi grabs you and pulls you into a tight embrace. “Y/N, you know how dangerous that is. You should’ve told me where you were.”

“I know, I’m sorry, I just… I didn’t want you to worry.”

“Worry? I-” He moves to say something, but stops himself, shaking the thought out of his head. “I’m just glad you’re safe.” He presses a kiss to your temple. “Please, promise me you’ll never go there again, okay?”

“I promise.” You nod. “I’m apprehensive about Jimin though… Something about him really made me uneasy. And when he said ‘you’ll regret that’. It definitely felt like a threat.” You look back up to see Yoongi studying your face. “Am I… Do you think I’m thinking too much into it?”

“Do you know anything else about him?”

You shake your head. “Just that I guess he lives in Busan, but I know that’s not necessarily enough to make him a bad person.”

He reaches a hand up and brushes a stray hair from your face, sighing softly. “No matter what happens, I’ll always protect you, you know that, right?”

“I know.” His sincerity makes you smile. “I love you, Yoongi.”

“I love you, Y/N.” He leans forward and presses the sweetest of kisses to your lips. 

“Is there anything that you need help with?” You ask, though Yoongi’s lips are still hovering over yours, waiting for something. 

“Now that you mention it,” Yoongi smirks, lifting your chin with his finger so you meet his gaze. “I can think of one thing.”

“Oh? What’s that?” You question, though judging by the shift in his eyes, you think you already know the answer.

Yoongi stands, walking over to his door and flicking the lock shut before strutting back over to you. “Something I believe you’ve been wanting too.”

You grab the end of his tie and pull him toward you so that he’s leaning over you, his lips brushing yours again. “That’s definitely something I can help you with.”

“Good.” Yoongi seals his words with another kiss, and this time, his lips stay pressed to yours. 

You let all of the bad thoughts in your mind float away for the time being, wanting nothing but Yoongi to be on your mind during this moment, and his mouth always does a fantastic job of letting you forget everything except for him. It’s only a few moments before Yoongi is flicking his tongue against your lips, begging for access, to which you give in whole-heartedly. His hand comes up to hold your neck, lightly squeezing it as he tilts his head, kissing you deeply, desperately, as if nothing else matters but the taste of you against his tongue. His other hand rests on your thigh, slowly sliding up your jeans to your waist. 

You lace a hand in Yoongi’s hair, tugging gently at the base of his head and earning a soft groan from deep in his chest, the sound rumbling through you all the way down to your bones. Yoongi breaks from you and begins to trail soft kisses across your jaw to your neck, down your throat and along your collarbone, nipping occasionally at your skin and blowing cold air against the wet spots, making you shiver with delight. As he bites down on the spot beneath your ear, his fingers make quick work of the clasp of your jeans, popping the button open and tugging the zipper down before using both hands to grab the waistband and tug them down your legs with your underwear, leaving you in just your t-shirt and bra. 

Before you can react, Yoongi grabs your thighs and pushes them back into your chest, revealing your core to him, his eyes raking in the sight of your wetness. 

“God, I’ll never get tired of seeing you like this.” He groans.

“Y-Yoongi-”

In lieu of a response, he ducks his head down between your thighs and slides his tongue into your folds. The sensation is instantly gratifying, somehow Yoongi already knows your body well enough to get you worked up quickly and easily. His tongue circles your clit with seemingly practiced ease as his thumb rubs gently against your entrance, making you wiggle against him, whining for more. He teases for only a few moments longer before dragging the muscle across your sweet spot, making you throw your head back at the feeling, trying your best not to be too loud. You don’t want anyone to come knocking and interrupt this moment. 

Yoongi ravishes you so well that you’re already panting, flicking and dragging and sucking and licking everything he can before ever so slowly sliding two fingers deep inside of your core, angling them just so to rub against that spot inside you that has your head spinning in ecstasy.  You don’t know if it’s his oral expertise, or the fact that it’s been weeks since you’ve been touched, but you’re already teetering on the edge, and with one more wrap of his lips around your bud, your flung into a brief but hard orgasm that has you gasping for breath, toes curling as your eyes squeeze shut. Yoongi’s tongue remains in place, letting you ride out the high before gently letting go with a pop. You watch him slip his fingers into his mouth, cleaning your juices off of them before smiling up at you. 

“When you come home,” he begins, letting your thighs go and standing up as he starts undoing his belt. “I’m going to spend all day with my face between your thighs.”

You stand, albeit on shaky legs, but you don’t need them to be strong as you press your body against his. “Is that a promise?” You ask, your lips brushing his.

He smirks. “It’s a threat.”

You latch your lips back to his as you loosen his tie and toss it on his desk, working your fingers along the buttons of his shirt. When you get the last one undone, you allow your hands to explore the expanse of his exposed skin while your tongues tangle. You follow the lines of his body down to his waist, nearly ripping the clasp of his pants off before tugging on them and his boxers, letting both pool on the floor around his feet before dropping to your knees. 

“Y-Y/N, what are-”

“It’s your turn.” You state simply, grabbing hold of his already hard length and stroking it as you stare up at him. “You’re not the only one good with your mouth.”

“F-fuck…” He leans against his desk for support as he watches you take him in your mouth for the first time. 

The salty taste of his precum is already present on your tongue as you wrap your lips around his head, sucking gently on the tip as you stroke the rest. You don’t know what he likes, with this being the first time you’ve gone down on him, so you’ll have to give him a little bit of everything. You lick long stripes up the underside of his cock, flashing him a wink which has his face flush red, before you put him back in your mouth and begin to work your way down.

You’re obsessed with the way he seems to fit perfectly between your lips, rubbing your tongue against him as you go deeper and deeper before you finally take a breath through your nose and sink as far down on him as your throat will allow. You can’t stay down long, it’s been a while since you’ve done this, but after a few more tries, you’re able to hold Yoongi’s length deep in the back of your throat with ease for a long moment, listening to the curses falling from Yoongi’s lips as you pull off, saliva still connecting your mouth to him as you look up at him.

You’ve never seen Yoongi look so fucked out before. His hair is messy from running his hand through it, his chest heaving with each breath, his whole torso and face flushed a bright pink. You grab him again and dip your thumb into his slit, watching the way he reacts to your touches, relishing in the softest moans that fall from his mouth. You take him in again, this time digging your tongue into the spot just under his ridge, looking up just in time to watch his eyes roll back. So that’s where he’s sensitive… You lower your lips so they sit just below his ridge before hollowing out your cheeks and sucking hard, stroking the rest of him with your hand. 

“Ohh fuck~ Love, please…” He pushes you off of him just before he cums, pulling you to your feet and planting his lips on yours, panting heavily into your mouth as he reaches down and grabs your ass roughly before sliding down to your thighs and picking you up, walking you over to the wall and slamming your back against the cold surface before using one of his hands to grab his length, quickly lining it up with your entrance and holding it there. “Do you want me?” He breathes, his lips still brushing yours.

“Yes, god, Yoongi please…” You whimper. 

You feel instant relief as his cock fills you up, letting your head thunk against the wall behind you as you gasp, overwhelmed with pleasure after not having him for so long. You wrap your arms tightly around his neck, holding on the best you can as he fucks up into you, peppering your neck with sloppy kisses. He feels so good inside you, it isn’t long before your head starts spinning. You forget that you’re supposed to be quiet as small moans begin slipping from your lips, too caught up in the feeling. Yoongi attempts to silence you by pressing his mouth back to yours, but it isn’t enough, your whimpers are still slipping through.

“You wanna be loud?” Yoongi grunts, slipping out of you and carrying you over to his desk where he sets you back on your feet, ignoring your whines of protest before reaching for something behind you; his tie.

Anticipation rolls through your nerves with what he might be thinking as you watch his fingers deftly fold the fabric up. He spins you around, bending you over his desk before slamming back into your core. You can’t help the moan that falls from your lips, but then you feel Yoongi’s hand reach around and grab your chin, opening your mouth and shoving the fabric of his tie inside, muffling your noises. 

“Now you can be loud.” He groans, grabbing your hips tightly before he begins pounding you into his desk. He’s right though, the fabric does a great job of muting your sounds of satisfaction. 

You whimper at the feeling between your legs, scattering papers all over the floor as you attempt to grab hold of the edge of his desk, trying to ground yourself to this plane of existence as euphoria floods your senses. One of Yoongi’s hands lets go of your waist and comes down hard on your ass, leaving a sharp sting behind that he rubs over with his palm. 

“You look good like this baby.” He pants, his hand now trailing up your spine. “You know how much I love this ass, goddamn. Look at how it bounces.” Another smack comes down hard on your skin and you push back into his hand, the filth spewing from his lips only making you want more. He quickly gets the message and picks up the pace, slamming into you harder and harder, chasing highs for the both of you. 

Until there’s a knock on the door.

“What?” Yoongi barks in response as you whimper beneath him in a panic. Why did you do this at work of all places? You can’t even hear the person on the other side of the door, too wrapped up in Yoongi’s length as he buries himself deep inside you before he answers them. “I'll look at it tomorrow, Jin. I’m busy.”

You hear the footsteps receding and relax again as Yoongi massages the flesh of your ass. He can feel your center squeezing him, and he knows you’re close. He adjusts his hips, thrusting more purposefully as he finds your spot, and pushing hard against it to bring you over the edge with him.

You moan low in your chest around the fabric, dazed as your orgasm washes over you and threatens to swallow you whole. Your legs shake as your grip on his desk tightens, trying to hold yourself up as waves of bliss fill you over and over. You hear Yoongi’s breathing quicken behind you as he fills you to the hilt with one last push of his hips, and then his release paints your walls in hot, sporadic bursts. 

He rests against your back for a few moments, pressing kisses to your slightly sweaty skin before he stands up and pulls out, groaning as he watches his cum start to dribble out of you. 

“Shit…” He mumbles, but you’re not sure if it’s because he likes the look of you like this, or if he’s kicking himself for not pulling out again. Before you can stand up you feel his fingers against your center as he slowly dips them inside you, gathering the mixture of your releases and dragging it through your over-sensitive folds, making your legs quiver as you whimper. 

Without warning, Yoongi flips you over so you’re facing him before lifting you to sit on the edge of his desk, dropping to his knees in front of you and spreading your legs. His tongue is on you almost immediately, flicking deep into your center as he swipes up the evidence of your tryst. His nose keeps bumping against your clit, sending shockwaves of pain and pleasure through your body. Even though you try, Yoongi doesn’t let you close your legs, instead, tilting his head to move his nose, and slowing the movement of his tongue until your hips start pushing back against his face, suddenly searching for more instead of less, to which he relents. 

Yoongi groans against your center, licking you clean before focusing back on your sensitive bud. He slips three fingers in and immediately angles them up, causing you to throw your head back as he rubs them into your spot, your breathing ragged. He sucks hard, swirling his tongue around it and quickly sending you into your third orgasm, making your entire body shake, your toes curling from the sheer feeling of bliss flooding you. Yoongi’s mouth is already there, ready to lap everything up as you cum hard on his tongue.

When he deems you clean, he stands up, licking remnants of his lips and fingers before he settles himself between your thighs, smiling as he taps your jaw, signaling you to open your mouth before he tugs the wet fabric out, allowing you to speak again. 

“Fuck… Yoongi~” You whine. 

He shrugs before leaning in to kiss you softly. “I couldn’t just let you walk around with cum running down your legs for the rest of the night.”

You both chuckle as he helps you down from his desk, moving you to a chair as he gathers your clothes. “Ah, sorry about your desk.” You mumble as you take in the sight, a large wet spot where you were just sitting; a sweaty, but fading outline of your body and breasts across the polished glass top; as well as most of the previously neatly stacked and organized papers and folders sprawled all over the floor around it.

Yoongi simply shakes his head, kneeling down in front of you to slide your underwear back up your legs. “Worth every second. Are you alright?” He asks, pressing a kiss to your forehead before helping you into your jeans. “I didn’t go too far, did I?”

You shake your head. “Not at all,” you assure him. “I liked it.”

He looks you over, smiling softly as his eyes follow the curves of your body before handing you your shirt. “Good.”

The two of you get dressed and then attempt to reorganize all of the things you knocked off of his desk, laughing and chatting as you do until you look at the clock and realize it’s already time to close. You say goodnight to everyone left in the building before Yoongi leads you out to his car, ushering you into the passenger seat before he climbs into the drivers side and heads toward Taehyung’s house. 

Yoongi’s hand sits firmly on your thigh as he drives, his thumb rubbing your leg through your jeans. As he pulls into the driveway he smiles and turns to you. “Have a good night, my love.”

“You too.” You sigh as you lean over and kiss him goodnight. “I’ll see you soon.”

“Soon.” He nods, finally letting go of your leg as you get out of the car, waving goodbye to him as you hurry up the driveway and into the house for the night.

.

Yoongi (9:20 pm): Get your things, It’s time for you to come home.

It’s Friday night, and your phone buzzes on the bed next to you, drawing your attention from the movie you and Taehyung are currently watching. You open your phone and a thrill runs through you when you see the message, quickly jumping up off the couch and running to the guest room to do what he says. 

Taehyung follows behind you, watching you pack your things. “I assume this means you’re going back to the apartment?”

You nod happily. “Yoongi just texted me.”

“Good, doll, I’m glad.” He helps you gather your belongings strewn throughout the room, backing them away into your bag before dragging the bag to the front door for you. Yoongi arrives about ten minutes later and you throw on your coat and shoes before heading to the car. Taehyung puts your bag in the trunk and you hug him goodbye, reminding him to tell his parents that you’ve headed back in the morning before climbing into the car with Yoongi, waving as you drive away. 

When you arrive back at the apartment you sigh contentedly in the entryway, having missed your home. You kick your shoes off and head into the living room, but stop dead when something catches your eye. Something that wasn’t there before. 

Sitting on the far side of the living room, is a Steinway grand piano. Your legs immediately carry you over to it with curiosity, forgetting about your bag as it falls to the floor. Could it be? You lift the music stand upright to see that this is not just any grand piano. There, carved into the black of the wood, is your mother’s name, put there by your father after he bought it for her. Your hand moves to cover your mouth as you gasp, astounded that this instrument is sitting here in front of you. Your eyes become watery as you look over at Yoongi, who’s watching you closely from across the room.

“H-how…?” You ask, your fingers rubbing over the carving. “I thought the fire… I-I thought it was gone.”

Yoongi shakes his head as he walks over to you. “I’d like to say I’d planned it, but it was a lucky coincidence. I had been moving some things out of your parents house and into storage to keep them safe for you, and this just so happened to be one of the last things I moved.”

“Wait, what?” Did you hear him right? “There’s more?”

He nods. “Not all of it, just some of your parents' more important things; photo albums, jewelry, some furniture, and of course, this.” He places his hand on the piano as he sits on the bench next to you. “With you staying at Taehyung's house, I was able to move everything over here without you getting suspicious of what I was doing.”

“Yoongi, you have no idea how much this means to me… Thank you.” You wrap your arms around his neck and hold him tight, burying your face in his neck as you sniffle. 

“Of course.” He kisses the side of your head. 

You pull back and cup his cheek, wondering just how you got lucky enough to have someone like him in your life. “It’s yours.” You nod at the piano.

He tilts his head in confusion. “What do you mean?”

You giggle at his cute expression. “I had planned to give it to you for Christmas, but then the fire… I thought I’d lost it.”

“You… you were going to give me the piano?”

You nod. “I was talking to your mom one day, and she reminded me that you used to play, and I thought back to our wedding night, when you showed me your room, and I started thinking about how much you used to love music, so I thought I'd give you something to help you remember that.”

“It’s perfect.” He pulls you back toward him, placing a kiss against your forehead. “You’re perfect… Thank you, so much.”

“Will you play me something?” You ask, lightly squeezing his thigh. 

“Ah, I’m a little rusty.” He admits, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“That’s okay, I don’t mind.” 

“You sure?”

You nod, standing and walking over to the couch, taking a seat so that you can see him and waiting patiently. Yoongi looks at you once more before he turns toward the piano, he adjusts his sitting position before resting his hands delicately on the keys, plunking out a few notes to get familiarity back before the muscle memory kicks in, and a low, beautiful melody begins. You sit, enraptured by the way Yoongi plays, his hands gliding effortlessly from note to note, chord to chord, amazed at this new, secret side of him that he’s allowing you to glimpse. 

When he’s finished, the last notes ring out before he rests his hands back in his lap and looks over at you. You break into a wide smile and start clapping for him, telling him how beautiful it was, that you can’t even think of words to describe it. He rolls his eyes playfully at you, closing the lid over the keys before walking over to where you sit and sweeping you up, making you giggle as he whisks you away to bed with him, making good on the promise he made you on Monday by spending all night between your thighs. 

.

A week has gone by since your trip to Busan, and today, Sunday, is the one year anniversary of your father’s passing. You get up early, before the sun, unable to sleep. You have this horrid feeling in the back of your mind that something is going to happen today, but with nothing to back it up, you have to continue as normal. You look out the window as you sip some coffee. It’s snowing lightly, dusting the city around you and absorbing all the sound, dampening the early hour noises into nothing. You hear a noise next to you and turn to see Yoongi stumbling out of the bedroom. 

“Y/N-ah?” He rubs the sleep from his eyes. “What are you doing so early?”

“Couldn’t sleep.” You mumble, turning back to look out the window. 

“Mm.” Is all Yoongi says as he walks over to you, resting a hand on your shoulder in understanding. He knows exactly what day it is; he was there. The memory burdens his mind like a plague, replaying the scene in his head over and over. He gives your shoulder a squeeze before pouring himself a cup of coffee. 

As he drinks his, you return to the bedroom, dressing warmly. You don’t know how long you’ll be there today. Yoongi joins you shortly, throwing on his usual work attire before you both slip on your shoes and head out to the car.

Yoongi drives you to the early market where you both buy flower bouquets before you head to the cemetery outside the city. He pulls into the lot and parks, turning the car off, but saying nothing as he waits for you to be ready. It takes a minute. You forgot how hard this is. You take a few deep breaths before nodding and popping the door open. 

The chill of the early morning wind greets you, your hair and the falling snowflakes dancing around your face. You begin walking, and Yoongi quickly falls in step beside you, grabbing your free hand for support. 

You finally reach their aisle, their row, and then… them. You brush the collected snow off of their headstones, the marble chilled by the weather makes your fingers numb. You place one of the bouquets against your mother’s headstone, before taking the other one from Yoongi and resting it against your father’s. 

Yoongi mumbles a few quick words before kissing you on the cheek and walking to the end of the aisle to wait for you, giving you some privacy. You kneel down into the snow covered grass. You haven’t been here since October, and you feel terrible for not visiting them as much as you want to, so you apologize to them first. You tell them about how things are going; about Yoongi’s injury, but mostly you tell them how your father was right. 

“I thought you were crazy, I really did.” You whisper. “But he really loves me, abeoji. And I… I love him too. I love him so much that it hurts sometimes.” You look over at your husband as he gazes up at the falling snow. “You were right.” You giggle. “You always had to be right, didn’t you.” You sigh, the wind gently caressing your face. You tell them about the horrible fire, and how grateful you are that Yoongi managed to save so many of their things. You tell them about Taehyung, and how you slapped Jimin, and how proud they would be of you for trusting your instincts. You tell them other odds and ends, updating them on everyone before you bow your head in thanks. “I miss you both so much…” You sniffle, trying to force back your tears. “I’ll come visit again soon, I promise.”

And with that, you stand, your body nearly frozen solid, snow piling up around you as a few sun beams break over the horizon, illuminating their headstones with the early morning glow. You didn’t realize how long you had been sitting there, but from the ache in your legs, you can tell it was a while. Yoongi looks up from his phone when he hears your footsteps, smiling as you walk back over to him. 

“Ready?” He asks as he cups your cheek, brushing away a stray tear. You nod, taking his hand and walking back to the car just as the sun has finished coming up over the mountains, showing the fog of your breath in the air as you reach the parking lot.

After you climb back in the car and crank the heat, Yoongi drives you to a small cafe that sits on the way back into the city. You both get a nice warm coffee as well as a selection of pastries and breads before climbing back into the car and heading home.

You both change into something comfortable when you arrive before sitting on the couch together, turning on a movie as you indulge in your pastries. When you’re finished eating, you throw a blanket over both of your laps and snuggle up against Yoongi’s side, and before you know it, your eyelids become too heavy to keep open, and you fall asleep in Yoongi’s embrace.

.

You wake up a few hours later, Yoongi’s arms still wrapped around you as he dozes quietly next to you. You carefully untangle yourself from his limbs, trying not to disturb him, but it proves useless when his phone begins ringing on the table next to you. Yoongi’s eyes spring open as he immediately sits up, giving your waist a squeeze as he reaches for his phone.

“Hello?” His voice is still laced with sleepiness as he answers. “Mhm… yeah.” He nods along in agreement to the mumbled voice on the line. “Okay, no problem, I can do it. Sure. Mhm.” And with that he quickly hangs up. 

“What’s up?” You ask as you stretch. 

“Ah, nothing, they just messed up the schedule. They thought I’d be in today, and wanted to know if I could come look at a few things. I was planning on going over closer to close anyway; less people to ask questions, but I guess they need me sooner.”

You pout, Yoongi’s been working late all week, and you’ve barely seen him except for this morning. You were hoping to spend a little more time with him today. “Can I come with you?”

“You want to?” A smile pokes at the corners of his lips.

You nod. “I have a few more things to do for the valentine’s banquet, and I could use the distraction today. And some lunch.”

He chuckles when his stomach growls, as if on cue. “Apparently I could too. Let’s go then, yeah?”

You both get up, getting dressed once more before heading over to the club. Yoongi parks around back as per usual before grabbing your hand as you walk across the parking lot and into the building. You follow him up to his office, grabbing a stack of invitation designs and other assorted paperwork off of his desk before you give him a kiss and go your separate ways, heading back downstairs to the dining room. 

You order some lunch and manage to get a few things done before it arrives. You’re in the middle of a catering phone call when you see a tuft of blonde hair enter the room out of the corner of your eye before it makes a beeline for your table.

“Hey doll.” Taehyung takes a seat next to you and you hold up your finger to tell him to wait before pointing to your phone. He waits patiently until you’re finished.

“Great, that would be perfect. Of course, I’ll talk to you soon. Thank you!” You hang up, writing down the confirmation number they gave you before turning to Taehyung. “Hey Tae.”

“Busy?” He questions, noticing the stack of papers in front of you.

You shake your head. “Not necessarily. Just trying to get a jump on the valentine’s banquet. What’s up?”

“Nothing, was bored at the house.”

You eye him suspiciously. “Uh huh, sure.”

“What?” He feigns ignorance. “It definitely has nothing to do with the fact that I called your husband to check in on you to make sure that you’re okay on the anniversary of your father’s death and he told me you were here doing things.”

“There it is.”

“I’m just being a good friend.” He assures you. “Are you okay, though?”

“Surprisingly, yes.” You pause, putting your pen down. “We went and visited them this morning and I feel… okay. Right now.”

“Hmm. Are you sure throwing yourself into work is the best thing to do?”

“It’s the only thing I can do.” You state. “I need the distraction, if I think about it too much…” You trail off, not wanting to think about it at all. 

Just then, the head chef, Seunghan, brings your lunch out to you.

“Here you are,” he states, placing the plate down in front of you.

“Ah, perfect.” You push the paperwork aside before thanking him and then looking up at Taehyung. “Now either order something, or leave me alone.”

Taehyung rolls his eyes before looking up at Seunghan. “My usual please, Seunghan.”

“Coming right up, Little Kim.” He ruffles Taehyung’s hair before heading back to the kitchen after which Taehyung turns back to you. “Do you think he’s ever going to retire?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean… He’s been head chef since we were kids. He’s got to be set by now, with what you guys pay him. Not that I mind, his cooking is the best in town.”

“He’s comfortable here.” You shrug. “He doesn’t really have anyone else. He never got married as far as I know. We’re his family.”

“We’re everyone’s family.” Taehyung reminds you.

“I know, Tae.”

The two of you continue to chat casually as you wait for Taehyung’s lunch to arrive. When it does, you ask Seunghan to bring Yoongi up a plate, and to make sure he actually eats it. You and Taehyung eat together, continuing to talk, and after you eat, he helps you with a few things until people start saying goodbye for the night. You don’t realize how late it is until you check the clock to see it’s already almost six, closing time on Sundays. You’ve been at this for four hours already. What a great distraction.

You gather all your paperwork and take it up to Yoongi’s office, Taehyung trailing close behind. Yoongi’s office door is open, and you walk in, putting the stack back in its place, happy when you look over and see Yoongi’s empty lunch plate.

“I’ll be down in a second. Is anyone still here?” Yoongi asks.

“The kitchen’s cleaning up, and I think Iseul has to count the registers still.”

“Alright, tell her to go home, I’ll do the count tonight.”

You nod. “We’ll get it started.”

You head back down to the bar area and tell Iseul to head home for the night, she thanks you repeatedly before grabbing her things and heading out the front door. As you pop open the first register, the kitchen staff is quick to follow Iseul, waving goodbye to you and Taehyung before heading out the back entrance. Taehyung immediately turns up the music on the overhead speakers as you begin counting. You’ve just finished the second register when Yoongi comes around the corner. 

“Alright, I’ve locked the back.” He states, walking up behind you and wrapping his arms around your waist. “How’s it going?”

“Good.” You nod as he looks over your shoulder. “The first two are even, just need to do the bar register and put everything in the safe.”

“I’ll do that one, you go sit.” He gives you a quick kiss on the shoulder before gently ushering you out of the way. You finish bagging the first two registers as Yoongi walks up to the center of the bar and opens the third drawer. 

“We should grab dinner after this,” you suggest. “Tae you want to come?”

“Free dinner? I’m in.”

You shake your head with a soft chuckle, and as you zip the money bag closed, a familiar tune comes over the speakers, Set Me Free by Taeyeon.

“Oh, hell yes.” Taehyung cheers, immediately walking around the bar and pulling you toward him as he begins to sway you both to the music.

“Tae,” You giggle. “What are you doing?”

“We are dancing!”

“But this is a slow song… Why do I feel like we’ve danced to this before.”

“We have.” He confirms. “We danced to this at your wedding.”

“We did?”

“You don’t remember?”

You try to think back, but you might’ve had too much to drink that night. “I had a lot of champagne…”

“Then you don’t remember this?” Taehyung dips you down to the floor behind where Yoongi’s standing, but he goes a little too low and drops you to the ground before falling on top of you. The two of you collapse on the floor, nearly in tears from laughing as Yoongi rolls his eyes at you both, smirking as he writes down a few numbers.

You smack Taehyung’s arm for dropping you, and are about to stand up when suddenly Yoongi holds out his hand to the two of you, signaling you to stay down. Your heart skips a beat at the gesture and you look up to see Yoongi’s eyes tracking something, and then you hear the bells above the front door jingle as someone opens it. Did you forget to lock that…?

“I’m sorry, we’re closed for the night.” Yoongi states. 

“Ah, sorry. I didn’t know you closed so early on Sundays.” The mysterious voice says. Something about it sounds familiar. 

“That’s okay, have a nice-”

“I’m actually looking for Min Y/N. Is she here?” The stranger cuts Yoongi off, and your chest thunks at the mention of your name. You weren’t expecting anyone.

“I’m afraid she isn’t.” Yoongi states, remaining calm as he faces the stranger, but his hand, the same one that told you to stay down, taps the underside of the bar twice signaling for you to grab the gun taped to the inside of the shelf next to you. As quietly as you can, you grab the gun from its holster, feeling the weight of the metal in your hand, not nearly as heavy as the air around you has become. You steady your breathing; remembering when your father taught you that the only thing more dangerous than a gun, is one in the hands of someone who is nervous. 

Taehyung quietly moves between you and Yoongi, grabbing the gun out of the safe beneath his feet. Yoongi’s still a good ten feet from the both of you. He’s exposed, and worse, he’s unarmed. 

“And you are…?” The stranger asks. 

“Her husband.” Yoongi states, walking down to the end of the bar, trying to draw the stranger toward him, and away from you. No…

“Ah, it’s Yoongi, right?” The voice sounds like it’s smiling, but it also changes, just enough for you to finally recognize it. You've heard it before, and you know it’s one that Taehyung is unfortunately a little too familiar with. “Sorry we have to meet under such circumstances.” A distinct Busan satoori begins to leak through his words. “He might not be happy about this, but I suppose,” A sigh. “You will have to do.”

There’s a pause. A breath. Only the shortest moment before-

“Yoongi get down!” Taehyung shouts as suddenly everything around you begins to happen in slow motion. 

Bang.

Yoongi presses the alert button under the counter as a gunshot rings through the air, countered only by the blaring sound of the emergency alarms going off. You watch Taehyung launch himself toward Yoongi at the same time, jumping in front of your husband, and subsequently, the bullet fired at him. You can see the moment it hits Taehyung, the force pushing him backward into Yoongi’s chest. 

“No!!” You screech, shooting to your feet, aiming without a second thought. The stranger barely has time to face you before you fire two shots off. 

Bang.

Bang.

The assailant across the room crumples to the floor, the pistol falling from his hand. You feel like you’re moving through syrup as you leap over the bar. You begin to hear sirens as you carefully walk over to the stranger’s body, gun drawn.

“Yoongi!” Your own voice rings in your ears through the sound of the alarm.

“I’m okay.” He calls back. 

You were right. You hate when you’re right.

Jimin’s body… It lies there, his empty eyes wide open, with two gaping bullet holes in his forehead. You kick the gun away from him before crying out. 

“Tae?” Nothing. “Tae??” 

“Y/N-ah…” Yoongi yells to get your attention, you whip your head around to see Taehyung in Yoongi’s arms. 

“Shit!” You run back to the bar, fighting the air, thick as honey, grabbing a towel on your way down as you drop to your knees in front of them both and time finally resumes as normal. “Taehyung??” You whimper. Yoongi helps you roll Taehyung toward you, and that’s when you see the blood stain on the left side of his shirt.

“Hey doll…” Taehyung finally wheezes, blood dripping from his lips.

You rip his shirt open to see the bullet hole in his chest and quickly move to press the bar towel into it, making him wince as you apply pressure. “Don’t you dare leave me Kim Taehyung.”

“Y/N-ah…” He smiles weakly.

“Is the um… The guy…?” Yoongi questions. You can only nod, focusing on trying to save Taehyung. 

“I didn’t get a good look at him, but it was Jimin, wasn’t it?” Taehyung asks.

You sigh. “It was…”

“That’s my bad then.” He jokes. Even like this, he’s joking. “I can’t believe I didn’t see it.”

It’s silent for a minute, the only noises being the sound of Taehyung’s labored breathing and the alarm, until Yoongi breaks the silence.

“Taehyung-ah, why did you do that?” Yoongi’s voice cracks as he asks. 

“Just doing my job boss.”

“No!” You scold him. “Your job is to stay here. With me.”

Taehyung cracks a smile. “Thank you doll. For being the best friend I could’ve ever asked for.”

“Stop it!” You can't hold back your tears as you yell at him. “I know what you’re doing, stop!”

“Tell my parents… Tell them I’m sorry…” Taehyung coughs, blood coating his lips. “And that I love them.”

“You can tell them yourself!” You hiss. “You’re not going anywhere!”

“Y/N-ah,” Taehyung puts his hand on top of yours where you’re holding the towel in place against his wound. Flashing red and blue lights begin to shine through the front door as you hear yelling outside. “You know I love you, right?” 

“I know…” You break, beginning to sob as you watch the light start to leave his eyes. “I love you too, Tae. Please… Please don’t-”

“Yoongi, take good care of our girl, okay?”

“Of course… Little Kim.” Yoongi puts his hand on top of yours and Taehyung’s in comfort. Taehyung smiles once more at the nickname, his body beginning to shake as the front door jingles. The police are here.

“Tae, please, don’t go.” You whimper, but you know it’s useless. From the amount of blood pooling around your feet, you know he’s lost too much of it. 

“I’ll always be with you doll… Till the world caves in, right? You and me.”

You nod, your tears slipping down your cheeks. “You and me… Always.”

“Thanks for dancing with me… One… One last t-time.” He coughs again, his breath stutters as he lets it out, and then finally, his body goes still.

“Tae…? Taehyung… Taehyung!” A wave of crushing emotion crashes into you as your brain attempts to register what just happened. You cry and you scream, throwing yourself across the body of your best friend as you weep for him. Yoongi joins you, tears silently slipping down his cheeks as the police approach the bar. He holds a hand up, signaling them to wait as he sits with you.

You curse Taehyung’s name, staring down at his beautiful face through the blur of your tears; the face that always had your back, the face that could always make you smile, always knew what to say, always knew exactly what you needed. 

The face that’s been with you for twenty years, now lies empty; his bright blonde hair that you loved so much, coated with his blood; his sparkling brown eyes now lifeless, gazing eternally at nothing. He’ll never be there to comfort you, or drink hot chocolate with you, or watch tv with you. You’ll never feel his arms around you, never smell his cologne on your clothes after leaving his house, never laugh until you can’t breathe at something stupid with him. 

You’ll never see the way his eyes crinkle up when he thinks something is hysterical.

You’ll never hear his voice, or his laugh again. 

You’ll never dance with him again.

And you’ll never see his smile…

Never again…

.

.