a thief's origin✨ || bts • kth - bonus epilogue
"you're afraid I won't wait."
"I'm afraid you will."
a criminal and a doctor should be as different as the sun and the moon - but unexpected things happened every day. like him finding his safe haven in her.
© 2024 | eleni_cherie
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masterlist: here
— genre: thief au, gangster comedy, adventure, romcom, humour, angst, fluff, sexual tensiON, slowburn, mutual pining, strangers to friends to lovers s2f2l
ALTERNATIVE UNIVERSE. CHARACTERS NOT NECESSARILY LIKE THE REAL PERSONS. ALSO VERY UNREALISTIC PLOT LOL - JUST PRETEND READING A MANGA/COMIC OR WATCHING A FILM, REALLY.
SUGGESTIVE THEMES. MENTIONS OF VIOLENCE & BLOOD (BUT NOTHING TOO GRAPHIC, IT'S STILL A COMEDY!)
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The car came to a halt in front of the building with the fainting yellow paint. It'd only been a few hours since Taehyung had asked Cassandra for help and by now it was late evening. The sun had set on the drive back there, its lingering glow still leaving dark orange specks contrasting the emerging deep blue of the night. Soon the sky would be stitched with stars.
He turned the ignition off by habit, because despite Arabella having persisted for him to stay with Cassandra and not return to their hide-out for the rest of the night, he wasn't certain he'd actually follow on that.
His heart obviously yearned for her presence, but considering Jimin's injury and that he expected his ex-fiancée to cuss him out any minute now - and being surprised she hadn't already - he wasn't sure it'd be a good idea to stay.
Besides, he could tell she was still hurt. Even with all the time apart, he still knew Cassandra like the back of his hand. Taehyung never considered his insight into human nature as good as Jimin's, but when it came to her it was easy. She wore her heart on her sleeve, even if she was good in faking a smile if she wanted to. He'd always see through that by having seen her real one, her genuine smile, countless of times. The smile she used to give only him.
After breaking up with someone, you were left with all this knowledge about the other and most people would choose to get rid of it, cleanse it out, deem it as useless. But he'd never be able to. He still remembered all of her small quirks and habits. How she mumbled to herself when confused, how she noted everything down as there was always so much on her mind, how she looked when bursting out of joy, the gleaming frown when being upset.. and how she looked when she didn't know how to act in front of someone. He could witness it right in that moment. Her avoiding eyes and her unusual reserved demeanor said it all.
The silence between them was heavy with unspoken words, turning the atmosphere thicker than it already was from the heat of the ending day. And he hated it. Yet, he couldn't help but find some kind of solace by sitting there in the car beside her gain after so much time. And for a moment it felt like in the old days. It was more than he could've asked for.
"So.. that was Arabella I assume?"
Taehyung was surprised Cassandra was the first one to muster up the courage and speak. Then again he always felt that she had more guts than him. She was the braver one out of them, always had been.
"Uh yeah, that was her."
She hummed, a small smile ghosting over her lips, crimson from her chewing on them during the ride. "She's pretty. I can see why Jimin would be so whipped for her."
He couldn't help but huff, choosing not to comment on that. In the past he'd complained to Cassandra enough times about his friend constantly making a fool of himself for a woman who kept betraying them. However, after the events of the past day, he wasn't so certain in his negative opinion of Arabella anymore. His view on her strange and unusual relationship with Jimin having changed.
"Perhaps she isn't as bad as I thought she was.." he admitted with an annoyed undertone that Cassandra easily recognised. And it comforted her heart, the way she still picked up and remembered all these small details about him like the various tones of his dark honey voice depending on his mood, like the way his nostrils flared when thinking of something upsetting, the way he bit his tongue and grinned when doing something mischievous or how he licked his lips and pursed them when concentrating.
"Mh, I can't say much as I only met her briefly but.." Cassandra mused for a moment. "The look in her eyes, it was genuine," she simply said then with a firm nod, "She was scared. She cares for him. I could tell."
Of course she'd recognise it, she'd already seen this look in the eyes of family members and partners when having to talk with them over a hard diagnosis. And Taehyung knew what she meant, he'd seen it as well after all. That's why he didn't even try to object like he'd have normally done in the past. Instead he only hummed, daring to take a brief glance at her before resting his eyes on the steering wheel in front of him.
She hadn't changed at all. She still looked and sounded like the Cassandra he knew, the Cassandra he loved. Still did. Perhaps it'd have been easier if she had changed. If she was a completely different person. If she despised him, ignored him, acted coldly towards him. But she didn't even if having all the right to.
"Thank you. I know you'll say it was your duty, but still. Thank you for saving my best friend's life."
Cassandra only shook her head vigorously with a frown. "Even if it wasn't, I'd have done it either way. He was - is - my friend, too, after all." She paused before continuing with a much firmer voice. "No matter.. no matter what happened between us, you and the guys can always come to me if you need my help."
He swallowed.
Yeah, still the same woman he knew and loved.
"It's - it was nice seeing you again, despite the circumstances," he eventually said, a small smile tugging on his lips. He was proud of himself for mustering up the courage letting her know. He was done acting as if their unexpected meeting left him unbothered. Internally he was a wreck. All he wanted was to touch her and it took everything in him not to.
Cassandra's eyes widened and she glanced at him. His side-profile, his appearance, his presence. She hated how much it still influenced and messed up with her cardiac rate even after all this time apart. It sounded exaggerated but when seeing him at her doorstep earlier and even just looking at him now, it simply rejoiced her heart. Lifting a weight that she'd been used to pressing it down for the past year and a half.
She shuddered.
She hated corny lines like this, but Taehyung had always managed coaxing the most sentimental and poetic thoughts and emotions out of her. And to her dismay, this hadn't changed. But she didn't want to fight it or deny it, seeing him again and sensing him so close to her, brought back all the burried feelings, undying despite the time and distractions.
She sighed then. Her brown irises falling to her fingers fiddling with the handles of the medical kit. "It was nice seeing you, too," she responded quietly before adding with a small giggle to lighten the mood, "Even if you look a bit different."
Understanding her intention he played along, scratching shyly the back of his neck. "Ah yeah. Started working out a bit more."
She hummed, nodding. Yeah, she had noticed. Except the shorter than usual hair, his physique had slightly changed. His fuller face where a bloody graze and smaler cuts decorated his smooth skin and the stronger upper arms peaking from the partially torn sleeves. Making her wonder what kind of adventure he and his friends had got themselves into again.
"I already liked the way you looked." The mumble was directed to herself but he couldn't help and hear it as well. Biting back a chuckle.
"I needed the distraction though."
She almost didn't dare to ask further, but her ego pressed. "Distraction from what?"
"You of course."
He said it so matter-of-factly, so casually, so unapologetically. It made her swallow, suppressing the tripping of her heart.
"And did it work?"
Truth was, he'd never planned to reveal that after their seperation he naturally tried filling the heart-shaped hole in his chest with distractions, any kind of distractions. Including working out for hours until being too exhausted to think about her.
Taehyung faced her with a lopsided smile that was more sad than anything else.
"Sometimes, but usually no."
And the physician understood only too well. After all, she'd done the same by moving across the Atlantic ocean and focusing on work to the point of not having any personal life whatsoever. And it was comforting knowing she wasn't the only one needing all kinds of coping mechanisms to get over the other.
And it led to her next question, even though she was certain of knowing the answer already. But she had to ask. It was the most obvious question of all and curious or not, anyone would. It was the elephant in the room.
"How did you know I was here in Havana?"
Taehyung had expected, anticipated even, this question to come up sooner or later. He was only surprised it took her so long, had expected it from the beginning. But when picking her up earlier, their only thought had been to get to their injured friend as fast as possible. The distress and fear hadn't allowed for any other thought.
"I just knew."
She gave him a wry look. "Tae.."
He sighed in defeat, there was no point in lying. She was too smart. "Did you expect I'd just leave you unprotected? Of course I kept an eye on you, Cas. I had to make sure what happened back then.. that it wouldn't repeat itself."
Her eyes closed and she swallowed. "So I'm still the chink in your armour."
A gentle smile tugged onto his lips. "You'll always be my weakness, Cas, nothing will change that. I only tried lowering the danger for you."
Anew silence settled between them. No matter how much they tried dancing around it, it was obvious how their feelings for each other hadn't changed. Neither one could hide it.
"I -"
"I miss you." She took a deep breath and before her courage left her again, continued with that adorable furrow of her brows, "I miss you so much."
He paused, processing her unexpected confession. "You do?"
She faked offense with a huff when seeing his bewildered look. "Of course! I even kept all the postcards you've sent me." Her expression soften again as she smiled to herself and looked away. "I kept everything you ever gave to me, you know.. It's in a box under my bed. I can't bring myself to look at it but I also can't bring myself to get rid of it. After all, everything inside there.. it's all you."
He hadn't expected for her to be this frank.
Arabella was right, they needed to talk. They had to talk. He didn't know if Cassandra would want to but he'd have to try. Despite his doubts earlier, hearing that she hadn't tossed away all the memories of him but instead had kept them all this time, did things to his mind and soul.
He was still madly in love with Cassandra. He'd already admitted that to himself the moment she'd opened the door that afternoon.
"I miss you, too, angel," he sighed, "There's not a day I don't."
Her heart skipped. She'd almost forgotten the sound of that name coming from his lips.
"Really?" Her voice unintentionally came out as an insecure whisper, as if she couldn't allow herself to believe his words with no hesitation, fearing of getting ahead of herself. Fearing of getting her heart broken once again by the same man.
But when her eyes hesitately wandered to him and caught sight of that charming smile of his she'd yearned for so dearly, she knew he meant it. Like he always did. And even if not, if she got her heart broken, she didn't want it to be by anyone else but that gunman.
"Of course!" It was his turn to scoff in mock-offense. "You've got no idea how hard it is to get over someone like you, Cassandra. How often I had to catch myself, to keep myself away from reaching out to you." His expression fell. "Life's been pretty boring and dull without you in it.." He paused, searching for her gaze and holding it intently. As to ensure the feeling his words tried to convey indeed reached her. It was funny in a way. In the past he could've never imagined speaking out his thoughts and feelings so openly, but she'd taught him the necessity of it.".. and no amount of treasures, art and fancy places could change that."
Cassandra's fingers curled around the handles of the bag. Her jaw pressed together. A poor attempt to prevent the lurking feelings to escape her lips.
She didn't want to delude herself, she knew despite him confessing of still having feelings for her, too, that he was also just as stubborn as her. He wouldn't change his mind. If he entered her life again, he'd bring danger along with it and he'd never want that. And this time, she would accept it.
He heard her suddenly rummage in her medical kit, not thinking much. Until a light sting bolted through his temple and he tensed. Maybe it was out of her work routine, maybe out of habit of treating him so often in the past, but she had pressed a pledge with ointment onto the graze on his cheek. Their eyes met and for a moment they remained still.
She was so close, if he bent just a little bit, he could've felt her breath on his lips. The heat of her skin on his face. He swallowed, his eyes glued to her. Taking in her every feature to redraw the image engraved in his memory.
"Put a bandaid on to speed up the healing," she whispered then.
Right, a bandaid did that. The only bandaid helping him all this time was knowing her safe.
Cassandra was about to draw back, but in a weak moment of getting lost in his dark eyes, she leaned in instead. Placing a tender kiss on his cheek, besides the graze. And she smiled softly when seeing his stunned face, although the smile didn't quite reach her eyes.
"Goodbye, cool guy."
And without waiting for his response, she opened the car door and darted out into the dark streets. Running as fast as her feet allowed her to the entrance door, before the tears which had welled up in her eyes and threatened to roll down, escaped for good. Thankfully one of the neighbors had left the entrance door open
No, she couldn't cry in front of him. Not now, not anymore.
Seeing him again had torn open the still not healed wounds. Like a CPRS - a chronic pain and circulation disruption, hindering them from closing up.
Her skin was tiggling.
However, being so close to him without being able to be with him, was unbearable. Suffocating.
Her jaw clenched as she fumbled with the keys to her apartment door.
Not yet, just a second longer, she told herself while feeling the first tear rolling down.
Eventually, the door shut behind her with a loud thud and she couldn't care less in that moment.
She was burning, she was freezing, she wanted to scream. Pressing her back against the wood behind her, she slowly slid down. Bringing her knees to her chest and hugging them tightly as she buried her face in them. The tears wouldn't stop, it was like a dam had broken.
All she'd ever wanted was for him to stand in front of her door again. And today he had. She was unbelievable happy to see and be so close to him again, but at the same time she was devasted. How was she supposed to get over him like this? Part of her wished she'd never seen him again for the rest of her life, but the other part, the part that enjoyed the suffering, the lavishing, was glad he'd returned even if it was only for one evening.
Poor Jimin had to get shot for this to finally happen, she thought with a bitter smile when reminding herself of the unfortunate circumstances.
"Hey, Jimin, look at me!" she demanded while tapping the cheek of the injured thief in front of her. "You have to stay conscious otherwise I can't treat you properly."
Chuckling under his breath, Jimin's eyes blinked open. They looked tired. "Trying my best, Doc."
"Just talk to me," she smiled as she continued cleaning the wounds. It calmed her that there wasn't any excessive blood extravaseting, indicating no big arteries had taken damage. The wounds were also penetrating and rather superficial and external, lowering the risk of having hit any organs.
"How does it look, bad?"
She shook her head. "No, not at all. You were lucky. But I can't completely rule out any internal bleedings." Dragging a sigh, she opened another pack of sterile compresses. "They really should've driven you to ER.."
A weak smirk grazed his lips. His eyes briefly closing before opening again. "You know they couldn't.."
She huffed upset, pressing the compress on the freshly desinfected wound, covering the hydrocolloid patch. "This is ridiculous. You got two gunshot wounds after all! What even happened?"
He observed her silently and how a crease formed between her brows while focusing on treating his wounds. Last time he'd seen her was that day in Bangkok, when Taehyung had broken up with her. He remembered him and Yoongi trying everything to cheer their friend up. But he had only asked to be left alone which they'd respected.
However, he now realised none of them ever made the effort to check on Cassandra. And considering she was there in Havana now instead of Barcelona, she most likely hadn't been coping too well either.
"He still loves you, you know. Still.. moons over you.."
His random statement took her off-guard and she stilled in her movements. A lump formed in her throat, which she swallowed down before resuming the treatment.
"Don't- don't change subjects.." she mumbled.
"You told me to talk though," he grinned tiredly and she laughed under her breath at how he turned her words against her. She had tried keeping a conversation up with him to prevent him from fainting, but she hadn't expected for him to bring up her ex-fiancé instead who was next door.
As she fixated the compresses by winding gauze around them, she peeked at his half-lidded eyes. Making sure he was still conscious.
"I'm sure he's over me by now. He only needed my help now, that's wh-"
"Nonsense." The thief couldn't keep his eyes open anymore. "How do you think he even knew you were here? He's miserable."
Cassandra gulped, not wanting for his words to affect her as much as they did. But even in his condition Jimin knew his insight didn't betray him and he grinned self-assured.
"Just talk. You.. you guys need to talk."
Jimin's words from earlier still echoed in her mind when a sudden knock interrupted the memory. Her tears abruptly stopped and she stilled, holding her breath to ensure she hadn't imagined the sound.
Another knock. This time firmer.
"Cas, please open the door."
Taehyung.
He wasn't thinking when following her out. He only listened to his gut feeling, every fibre of his body telling him to run after her. Telling him not to let her slip away from his fingers. Not again. Not like this.
When her lips had met his skin, any little self-control that had remained till then, completely vanished. And now he was standing in front of her door once again. Hearing her muffled crying through the poorly soundproven wood. And his heart ached even more.
Pressing his forehead against the painted wood, he closed his eyes and swallowed. His hand laying flat on the surface.
He needed to see her. To hold her. And if he needed to use his skills and pick the lock, he'd do that. He didn't care, he couldn't bare the thought of that door separating them and him being the reason she cried there all alone.
His fist raised to attempt another knock when the door slowly gave in underneath his forehead. Cassandra's big doe eyes greeted him from the other side, shining from all the moisture, Cheeks flushed and tear-strained. She didn't bother trying to hide it, it'd have been pointless anyway.
Seconds passed with none of them saying a word, only holding each other's gaze. Chests raising and falling in the loud silence as their breaths picked up. Without a warning, Taehyung stepped in then, caging her puffy cheeks between his calloused palms. His lips capturing her salty tasting ones, molding and moving against them.
The unexpeched force caused Cassandra to stumble backwards until she was pressed against the wall. Her fingers finding their way to his neck as her body instinctively reacted to his every move, his every touch. Kissing him back with just as much need to the point she forgot to breath. How often she'd dreamt of feeling him on her skin again.. it almost felt like a delusion to hold him like this.
She pulled back eventually, forced to catch her breath and looked up at the streaks of raven hair falling into his dark eyes. Catching him already staring at her swollen lips.
He swallowed then, his gaze wandering up to her chocolate irises. And he inhaled deeply when feeling an odd yet familiar serenity spreading inside him. It was the kind of peace only Cassandra could bring him and no one else.
"Tell me to stop," he whispered as he drew closer. His lips only a breath away when his eyes flickered between hers.
He needed her to ask him to stop, needed her to expel him because otherwise he wouldn't quit. He couldn't. Any self-control having left him now that he was holding her again, he didn't want to ever let go.
One of his hands untangled itself from her hair then and he ever so gently brushed away a coppery curl that got stuck on her wet cheek. Wiping away the remaining tears that hadn't dried off yet as he waited for her to answer.
But she didn't. She couldn't. And frankly, she didn't want to.
She only stared into his beautiful almond eyes, the glint of a dare in her stare when she pulled him in by his neck. Closing the narrow gap, she sensed him grin against her lips which only made her deepen the kiss. Trying to make up for all the missed kisses and lost touches in the past eighteen months.
And as he held her securely in his arms, with his body against hers, both knew there was no point of return anymore.
They belonged together.
THE END
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hope you enjoyed this lil random bonus chapter! i couldn't help but imagine how their conversation would've looked like after leaving the gang in the main story hehe
if you wanna know how Tae x Cas's story continues, make sure to read the main story "among thieves" and the sequel "a thief's end" ;)
💜check out the whole "thieves collection" series or my main bts masterlist for other members' stories in this universe or in general💜
Don't forget to like, comment & leave feedback!♡ It motivates me to keep writing :)
taglist: @lilanyxta @naoolammao345 @memna234 @tetehion @myblacklilame
