#tttp

Historical simmers could probably better tell you how limiting EA content is when it comes to period pieces, so, rather than time-accurate attire, Vlad and Elle have what I like to call "vaguely historical maxis chic." Perhaps they hail from the EAteen hundreds. What time period is that? Who's to say. 😉 (On the other hand, Inna's fashion is simply a bit old fashioned and reserved.) All three have fleshed out likes and dislikes, but no sexual orientation preferences. I did not change their original traits or aspirations.

Outfit previews from left to right: Inna, Elle, Vlad.

Packs used:

Get to Work, Get Together, City Living, Seasons, Get Famous, Discover University, Eco Lifestyle, Cottage Living, High School Years, Spa Day, Vampires, Parenthood, Realm of Magic, Journey to Batuu, My Wedding Stories, Werewolves, Luxury Party, Spooky Stuff, Romantic Garden, Vintage Glamour, Laundry Day, Paranormal, Moonlight Chic.

DOWNLOAD: tray files @ sfs (no ads) mirror: patreon (always free)

Children most often inherit their intellect from their parents. Regardless of whether that may be a coveted outcome or an undesirable one; it's really a matter of luck and is simply an occurrence that is entirely out of the child's hands. Of course, more fortunate children inherit their parents' towering wealth. The less fortunate inherit their endless debt. But Kim Taehyung inherits something far greater than analytical intellect and trust funds. He inherits his father's ability to time travel.

It's an ability that has been passed on by his father's side of the family for years. A special lineage that Taehyung is now a part of. An ability, a trait, a curse, a blessing—every time traveler has his different views of their special skill. But Taehyung is someone who thinks it is a miracle.

He wants to know everything. Future college acceptances, first kiss, first girlfriend, the hardest classes at university (so he can drop them)... and last but not least, his future wife. Against his father's judgment, Taehyung loves to travel to the future to meet her. She's the loveliest woman he's ever met in his whole life. Funny, smart, caring—all the traits cumulate to make up her beautiful looks—even including the strange scar across her forehead.

"I'm back, Tae!" you cry, shoving open the front door of your cozy apartment room to greet your husband with open arms.

Taehyung—who'd just traveled six years into the future—is waiting on the couch, his fingers scratching at his stubble. He's been working to grow out a beard back in his present but to no avail. But it makes him extremely happy to know that it is possible for him to grow legitimate facial hair in the future. "Y/N??" Taehyung calls, a smile spreading across his lips. "So, how was therapy?"

You just glance at your shoulder and smile. "It went great! You shouldn't worry, babe."

"All right, all right," Taehyung says. But he still worries. You don't really like to talk about your accident. You hate it when Taehyung mentions your scar. You even hate it when he tries to ask you about your physical therapy, something you're getting four years after the incident. At least your recent rotator cuff surgery had gone fairly well. Even so, Taehyung worries.

"Do you want me to fix up lunch?" you ask. You begin to head to the kitchen but gasp when you realize that Taehyung had already ordered takeout. "Tae! We need to save up—"

The man just shrugs. "I didn't want you moving around too much to cook," he confesses. "We took years saving up for the surgery. I don't think it'd be a good idea for you to put stress on your arm again."

You can't say anything else because he's right. It's the little ways in which you know that Taehyung cares a lot about you. The thought makes you smile to yourself. You've married the right man.

Meanwhile, Taehyung decides it's time to jump ahead at least three more years into the future. Maybe three years after your marriage you would be willing to tell him the details of your accident. When you finally divulge him of the incident, he can go back in time and fix it; Taehyung's seen how much the moment has put a toll on your physical and mental health. He wants you to be happy—wants you to be free of financial worries of hospital bills.

Taehyung lands in the same house as before, his fingers habitually flying to his chin to find an actual beard. A grin stretches his lips. "Y/N??" he calls your name.

"I'm here!" you call from the bedroom.

Taehyung finds you stretched across a king-sized bed—that definitely wasn't there before—flipping through your wedding photos. You insisted a flowery circlet be placed on your head the whole day, effectively concealing the scar on your forehead. When you look up to glance at your husband, Taehyung sees that you've barely aged. In fact, you look even more beautiful than before—your eyes look deeper, holding more weight in them (wisdom, maybe?), and you absolutely glow with happiness.

"Back from work?" you say, absentmindedly flipping another page of the photo book.

"Mhm," Taehyung says, sitting down on the bed. Instantly, you lean into your husband for support, giggling when he fondly kisses your cheek.

"That beard of yours is startling to tickle me every time you kiss me," you mumble. "I like it."

Taehyung laughs, nuzzling your face to prove your point. "Looking back at our wedding?"

"Mhm. I loved the moment too much," you say dreamily. You gingerly run your fingers across one particular laminated photo. The one where you're in your pink wedding gown and Taehyung's in his snazzy suit with a pink tie. The one where your flower circlet becomes askew from Taehyung insisting he holds you in his arms, bridal style.

"Your scar is beautiful, you know," Taehyung whispers.

Your cheeks heat up, fingers reaching up to skim the scarred skin. "I never did tell you about how I got this..."

Taehyung's eyes sparkle. This is it. This is the moment he's been waiting for. The moment he skipped years and years to find.

"It was a car accident," you say, shaking your head. "It's just... it's a little hard for me to talk about. I shouldn't have survived it. I mean, I was barely alive when they got me in the ambulance. I... um, I can't really... I just... I didn't mean to hit her."

"A car accident?" Taehyung wants to know more details. When it happened. How. But he notices you struggling to come up with more words to say.

"I can't believe it was seven years ago," you say, laughing to yourself. "Remember that long road next to that seriously fancy restaurant and the really steep hill?"

Taehyung knows exactly what you're talking about, and his hands shake at the thought. The news had reported three deaths that day. The accident had left the car behind yours to swerve off the road, tumbling down the steep hill at rapid speed, killing the innocent couple inside. It'd also left the pedestrian who had tried to cross the busy road at the wrong time dead on the scene. There must've been legal trouble. One where you're trying to recover from your severe injuries all the while battling the pedestrian's family in court. The guilt must've inundated you.

"That was you??" Taehyung gawks. "Oh, Y/N..."

You shake your head, laughing nervously. "Yeah... That was me. I just figured I should tell you now, you know? When I'm finally ready." Looking down at the photo book, you smile sadly, fingers encircling your revealed scar pasted on the page. "Now you know."

Indeed he does. Taehyung's enlightened inside. Yes. Yes, this is it! Now he can go back in time, guide you in the right direction so you never get in the accident in the first place! He can finally help you, his one true love, get rid of everything that has hurt you in the past.

"But I wouldn't have changed this experience for the world," you say in a small voice.

"What??"

"I know, I know," you sigh. "It sounds crazy. But then I wouldn't have met you, you know?"

Ah, right. The first meeting. How could Taehyung forget? You'd been wandering around after your hospital discharge, taking in the fresh air and the vastness of the city. After spending so much time in an enclosed, white-walled room, the bustling crowds had confused you, scared you. You'd felt lost. But that's how you'd bumped into Taehyung. A man who helped you find your way. Literally. He'd kindly directed you back to the address in which you were to meet your friends. A relationship had blossomed from there.

Taehyung's first meeting with you is a moment he'd ingrained in his mind—it runs terribly vividly through his head. Like a motion picture film. Like it had already happened in Taehyung's timeline. Except it didn't yet. You and he meet at age 23. But Taehyung's 21 now, posing as a mature thirty-year-old man.

"You're right," Taehyung smiles. He'd forgotten how much the world can shift with one little change in the past. The butterfly effect. He'd been stupid to even conjure up the idea to prevent your accident from happening. Such an amateur time traveler mistake. "We wouldn't even have fallen in love."

"I don't want to thank my accident," you sniff. Taehyung notices your emotional distress and wraps you in his arms. "But I felt so... so helpless afterward. And you're the one who helped me find my purpose again. I wouldn't have needed your help if I was never hurt. ...Wait, that sounded so goddamn awful," you sigh. "I'm sorry... I shouldn't be saying these things. That accident was serious. I'm lucky that I even made it out alive..."

"It's okay. I get what you mean, Y/N," Taehyung says. He carefully pulls your head down to kiss the scar on your forehead. "You don't have to feel sorry. Thank you for telling me, all right?"

You nod, trying to hold in your tears. "Tae," you whisper as the man pesters you with soft kisses all over your face.

"Hm?"

"You're tickling me," you breathe out weakly. "I don't want to laugh. Not right now."

Taehyung quickly pulls away, pressing his warm palm against your cheek. He marvels at your beauty, your resilience. You lean in his hand, staring at him with softened eyes from under your lashes. Taehyung doesn't think he can wait to meet you in the correct timeline.

Two years go by too slowly for a time traveler. Taehyung counts down the days until he can meet you officially. Of course, it wouldn't be the first time he's seen you, but it would technically be your first time seeing him. He's nervous—even concerned—that he won't make the right impression. From the stories you've told him, though, Taehyung knows that he has to act kindly, warmly and most of all helpfully.

He'd visited you just last night on your wedding day to calm down his jittery nerves. You'd told him over the white cake and red wine that your love for him is unconditional—that you won't doubt for a second that if you ever lost all memory of your relationship with him, you'd still miraculously find your way into his heart. It's a moment that helps Taehyung get through his nervosity.

Now, it's today. The special day. There's a phantom throbbing in his right leg, forcing Taehyung to limp around the bustling city, waiting for you. He feels faint, nearly woozy—like he's going to collapse any second. For years he'd examined his relationship with you in the future. He'd been by your side knowing that you were already together. Already madly in love. But this would be different. This would be your first impression of him, and this would be Taehyung's only chance to catch your eye. Of course, if things went horribly wrong, he could always travel back in time... Yet as every wise time traveler acknowledges, time-traveling to the future is simple and has little to no consequence. Time-traveling to the past, however, is much too simple for the atrocities it can cause.

The pain in Taehyung's leg grows stronger. Perhaps it's indicative of his growing anxiousness?

You're supposed to be here by now. So where are you??

Taehyung glances at his old watch, looking almost frantically around the vicinity. Did he miss you? Did you walk straight past him? Is the future going to change now? Where are you? Did your hospital discharge take longer than he'd anticipated? A thousand thoughts fly through Taehyung's head. He wanders aimlessly around the location, feeling lost and fearful at the same time. When the pain in his leg becomes almost unbearable, Taehyung decides to make a time jump into the future.

Maybe he got the details wrong. Maybe this wasn't the place you and he first met.

He moves through time, shifting past glimpses of memories and moments to find what he is looking for. He's really looking for you. He searches for the wedding night, the one-year wedding anniversary, the first kiss you two had shared in front of your doorstep... But it's gone. You're gone. In each moment that Taehyung swears he spent with you, he's the only one there. Alone. Taehyung grips his pained leg, opting to do a more meticulous search through the timeline. You have to be somewhere. You can't just... cease to exist like this. He tries not to panic, but his leg is absolutely killing him, and he remembers his father telling him that time-traveling, unfortunately, amplifies pain. With you missing, and his leg throbbing along with his whirling head, Taehyung collapses.

The world stills. And when Taehyung finally looks up, he realizes he's in a cemetery. His shaking eyes settle on the tombstone in front of him. A morbid gasp leaves his lips when he reads the name etched on the rock.

"Y/N??" he shrieks, scrambling closer to the tombstone. "What... What on earth??"

Taehyung's blood runs cold. So you're dead. You have been dead. For years. And he didn't even know.

Chills run down his spine. What the hell had happened?? Why did you die on the day of your car crash? You were supposed to survive that. What wasn't adding up?

Taehyung pulls out his phone from his pocket with shaking hands; it threatens to slip out from the sweat accumulating on his fingers, but he persists to look up the crash in the news. An incoherent string of curses leaves his mouth when the headline of the article reads, "Four people dead from a motor vehicle accident."

Four?? It was supposed to be three.

He doesn't know what the fuck is going on. Why are you dead? What had happened that hadn't happened before? You were supposed to survive this... You were supposed to meet him, fall in love, be with him.

No. Taehyung grits his teeth. He'll have to do the unthinkable. He's traveling to the past to save you.

A time traveler has the greatest advantage any man could have in the universe. He has the ability to withhold surprises, spoiling them for himself by directly walking into the future. He may also be the master of the past. What others forget, he can easily relive with just a simple visit back in time. A time traveler can sit on his imaginary throne and pretend he rules over the world with his special ability. A time traveler should never feel nervous, never deal with the uncomfortable twisting of his stomach or the unsettling feeling creeping into his gut. But it seems that Taehyung is the anomaly.

Your death had taken him by surprise. And now, even with his special ability, he feels anxious. Scared. Uncertain. Which is something not many time travelers tend to experience.

Taehyung believes that he must be vigilant. He must quickly observe the scene first before taking action, for any change to the past can quite largely affect the future. The young time traveler lands on the road right across from the restaurant. It's so strange how everything feels so calm. No one in this timeline knows yet that a disastrous car crash is just a few seconds shy from happening.

His watch ticks. Then, it strikes 4:43 p.m.

A pedestrian darts off the street, completely ignoring the gleaming red signaling device for the crosswalk. Taehyung's eyes widen in horror as he sees a red car—your car—speed by. You didn't do anything wrong—just pressed your foot on the gas as any normal vehicle driver would do if the traffic signal glowed green. But the next thing he knows, your car hits the pedestrian. There's a loud thud, a scream, a crack. The car behind yours swerves, trying to avoid the calamitous incident, but it flings violently to the side and crashes down the hill.

Taehyung's watch reads 4:44 p.m. And by that time, all four people are dead on the scene. Just like it said on the news. There's thick, red blood oozing across the asphalt, and your airbag is concealing most of your face in the car, but Taehyung can see that your neck has been displaced in the most inhumane position. He has to look away.

Anger settles in, accompanied by horrification and grief. You were supposed to survive that. There were only supposed to be three casualties.

Taehyung grits his teeth. But now that he knows what has taken place, he can effectively fix it. He just has to turn back time.

It seems like these days, everyone's in a rush. Time travelers, of course, can bend time at their own will—they see no need to hurry, to go about their days in haste. They can afford to take the scenic route, walk through the flowering pasture of daisies, enjoying life and the little moments that cherish their hours here on Earth. But not everyone is a time traveler. And not everyone has this privilege of rewinding time for the pure enjoyment of smelling the roses.

Taehyung understands that. So when he sees the pedestrian, rocking on the balls of her feet, glancing at her watch every few seconds while glaring at the red pedestrian light, he feels a bit of pity. He understands. She must be one of those people. Those who hate wasting time. Those who hate to dilly-dally on the trivial moments, opting to snatch away the best parts without experiencing the minute details. But her life is on the line and so is yours.

"Excuse me?" he calls.

The pedestrian jerks her head towards him. She looks at him strangely, as if to wonder why the hell a stranger would want to talk to her. Almost as if to say, 'Can't you see I have places to be? Things to do??'

"Um," Taehyung stammers. "Can you... You should try to walk safely."

The woman gives him another strange look. "Sorry... But I'm um, I'm a little busy. My fiancé, I mean, my boyfriend... I think he's going to propose tonight... God, I can't be late."

Everyone has a story—a backstory—a reason that guides their following actions. And right now, Taehyung can see her's. A fast-paced, efficient woman who is in love and anticipating a proposal. A woman who has no idea that fate has different plans for her. He wants to stop her. For her sake and yours. But before he can do anything, she leaps forward.

"Wait!!!" Taehyung shrieks, nearly stepping out onto the road to follow after her. It's too late.

There's that deafening noise again. There's screaming, people getting out of their cars to witness the scene. Just like clockwork, too easily, it'd happened again.

You're dead.

For the second time, indistinguishable emotions rush through the time traveler's head. He'll just try harder. Convince the pedestrian. Do something more. With a deep breath, Taehyung rewinds back in time again.

Some things just aren't meant to be. Like chasing after a career pathway that one has absolutely no drop of talent in. Or chasing after a lover who will never ever love the other back. Or maybe even pursuing a fantasy dream life all the while living in unpleasant reality. Most people give up fairly quickly when they recognize that they will inevitably never get what they want. Slightly more resilient people will attempt to push over the hedges and the obstacles that plague their track; yet, even they will quit when their loved ones coax them that their arduous journey isn't worth their precious time. But time travelers have all the time in the whole goddamn world.

When Taehyung lands in his present, he collapses on his bed, wearied. Feeling defeated. He'd tried everything he could possibly think of. He spent over fifty times trying to reason with the pedestrian. He'd bribed her, begged her, even threatened her at one point not to cross that street. He'd tried different intonations, different ways to greet her. But maybe it was meant to be. Because every time, she ignores Taehyung and his best wishes and walks straight into your car, killing you both.

So Taehyung had come up with new strategies. Ones that involved false traffic cones, trying to get you to take a long-winded detour. He tried making street signs. Tried even closing up the whole street. But the police hadn't been quite amused about that. He attempted every scenario more than thirty times, for even the slightest change in a single traffic cone placement could alter everything. It could save your life. Or at least he hoped it would. However, all of his attempts proved futile.

Taehyung did everything that he could think of. But it came down to nothing because you always, always die in the end.

An exhausted sigh escapes his lips. He must've spent something like a week's worth of time continuously rewinding and attempting to prevent your death. But Taehyung knows he can't give up now. He forces his tired, heavy body to sit up, and his head lolls to the side, his eyes threatening to close.

That's when it hits him.

Taehyung's eyes double in size, and he scrambles up from his bed to grab a random, black leather notebook. Opening up to the first page and scouring his desk to find a working pen, Taehyung begins to write furiously.

Initially, he was dead set against any sort of contact with you. He had feared ripping a hole in the space-time continuum or whatever the fuck sci-fi film scripts tend to say these days. Taehyung's definitely not an expert on science and the theory of time, but he is astute enough to know that seeing people in the past that he isn't supposed to meet until later can be detrimental in one way or another. It's not like him to mess around with what was destined to be. Yet... Yet the recent turn of events leaves him no choice. He's going to have to talk to you to save you.

Taehyung leans back in his chair, slightly breathless. He stares at the eight steps he'd scribbled onto the lined paper bound to the journal. All he has to do is use it to convince you to not get in your car.

Step one. Tell her to stop whatever she's doing.

"Stop!!"

You gasp, nearly falling over at the intensity of Taehyung's voice. "Stop??" you ask, eyes wide and hands tightly gripping the door of your open car.

"You have to stop!"

Taehyung's heart breaks when you slowly back into the driver's seat, eyes squinted and hands reaching back for support. "Um... I uh... actually have somewhere to go..." You look nervous, scared even. It suddenly occurs to Taehyung that he's a stranger to you. That you have every right not to stop if your subconscious tells you to be vigilant.

He lets you go that time. He'll get it right the next.

Step two. Tell her to listen to what the time traveler has to say.

"Please, you have to listen to me," Taehyung pleads. The notebook tucked under his arm fuels just a little bit of his confidence.

You turn your head to look at the man, already a bit peeved that he's interfering with your plans. "Listen? Can I ask listen to what?"

"Hold up, don't get in that car," Taehyung says, warily eyeing the red vehicle.

Your eyebrows narrow in subsequent suspicion.

Step three. Gauge her reaction. Refusal? Tell her again. Acceptance?... Don't know. Never gotten that far.

"Okay."

"What??"

"Okay," you repeat, crossing your arms over your chest. "I'll wait if you have anything interesting to say."

This had been the 389th time Taehyung had restarted to get past the third step. Maybe a single strand of misplaced hair on his head made him look more attractive than before—enough for you to give him a chance. Or maybe it was the intonation in which he spoke his lines. Maybe it was pleading enough for you to feel pity and listen. But Taehyung doesn't have ample time to analyze what he'd done differently for you to answer this way. All he can do is move on. There's not even a second to waste.

Step four. Make her trust you. (Don't get right into business. Ease into it.)

"Okay... Well,” Taehyung starts awkwardly, scratching his head. He looks around frantically to come up with a talking point—anything to divert your attention from how jittery he really is. “Well,” he says again, “um, to start, you have a nice ride.” He gestures over to your sparkling red car.

"Huh,” you say, raising your eyebrows. “Thanks," you grin, shrugging. "It was actually a graduation gift from my parents. Always wanted one of these since I was young." You pat the top of your car affectionately before turning to face the man in front of you. "Did you want to go around on a spin?" you ask boldly, eyebrow arching in question.

When Taehyung struggles to invent an answer that doesn't sound borderline creepy or stalker-like, you laugh.

"Don't worry. I was just joking. But you wouldn't be the first guy who's asked me about my car. What do you want? A date?" you giggle. "I'm really sorry but I've promised to meet my friends so I have to get going. If you want my number or something—"

Step five. Don't let her leave your sight. (She might do something that you'll regret.)

"It's not really your number that I want," Taehyung quickly interrupts. If he could close his eyes, he could practically see his own handwriting, scrawled on the now wrinkled pages of his notebook. He's so close. Practically halfway through.

You pause, your body midway into the driver's seat. "It's not? Then what do you want, mysterious stranger?" You smile, raising your eyebrows as if to challenge the peculiar man.

If the circumstances weren't so dire, Taehyung would've gone right along with your mischievous tone. "Your company," he replies quickly. "Your immediate company."

"Oh, so you're asking me to ditch my friends?" you laugh. "Sorry, stranger, but not today." And there you go, seating yourself in your car and just about the slam the door shut.

Step six. Tell her to stop again.

"Stop!" Taehyung cries.

You ignore him, shutting the door anyways. But the windows are rolled down and you can still see the unfiltered looks on Taehyung's face. A flash of confusion washes over your face before you train your eyes to the front, your hand settling over the button to start the engine.

Step seven. If she never listens, tell her you love her.

"Wait, stop! I love you!" Taehyung cries desperately. "Y/N, please!"

You're completely frozen. Taehyung wonders if he'd made a big mistake. Then, slowly, so painfully slowly, you turn your head to gaze at the man. "What did you say?"

"I love you..." Taehyung whispers. "Don't leave, Y/N. You'll regret it. I'll regret it."

"How the hell do you know my name?" You're frowning, two hands tightly gripping the wheel of your car.

Taehyung isn't blessed with mind-reading—though he thinks that some people out there must be—but he can sense exactly what you're thinking about him now. You think he's a creep. A stalker. A serial killer, perhaps?

He has no other choice.

Step seven. Tell Y/N her future.

"I'm from the future."

You scoff, slapping your hand on the wheel. "Oh yeah? And I'm the President of Neverland."

"No, Y/N, really. I'm from the future." Taehyung grips the precious notebook in his hands. "You have to listen to me. You're going to die if you get in that car to meet your friends. There's going to be a huge car accident, and you're going to be killed. But you can't. You know why, Y/N? Because I'm your future husband."

"You're... You're delusional!" you exclaim, shaking your head. "That... I mean, you... I can't... I can't possibly—I don't even know you!"

"Of course you don't," Taehyung says. He takes a step closer to you and your car. "We aren't supposed to meet this early in this particular timeline. But I had to save your life, Y/N."

"Why? Because for some goddamn reason you think that I'm your future wife??"

"I don't think that, Y/N. I know it! We had a wedding! In the fifth grade, you promised your best friend that you'd wear a pink wedding dress and have matching pastel rose gowns for your bridesmaids. It came true, Y/N—"

"How the hell did you...?"

"You told me this in the future," Taehyung says. "I wouldn't be standing here trying to save your life if I didn't truly love you."

"But... But I just..." You can't seem to finish your sentences. "You can always find another wife. Do I, I mean, did I matter to you that much?"

Taehyung doesn't understand. You'd told him that you'd love him unconditionally. In whatever circumstance that life happened to throw at the two of you. Had that all just been simple love talk?

"Of course you matter to me..." he says, eyes softening. "I didn't spend 389 times turning back time to save you for nothing, you know."

You shake your head. "But see? 389 times... Maybe I'm just meant to die."

The hair on Taehyung's neck stands straight, and he can barely control his tone as he spits out rapidly, "How can you say that?? Y/N, you were alive before. I saw you. In my future. Please... Just get out of that car... Or stay there, I don't care. Just please don't drive away. You can sacrifice meeting your friends to save your life, right?"

You're biting your lip, fingers drumming on the wheel of your car as you think. Finally, you look up to meet Taehyung's eyes. "Can you come closer?"

His breath hitches. "Why?"

"I just wanna see if I've seen you somewhere," you hum thoughtfully. "Maybe you're right. Maybe you are from the future. Maybe I'll have to save your face into my memory," you laugh. "Hmm..." Your eyes meet Taehyung's large, warm ones, and you visibly relax behind your wheel. "You know, you're not exactly supposed to tell me about my future. What have the time-traveling movies taught you?"

Taehyung turns away to scoff lightly. He'd been proud of himself for that last step. And no matter how stupid you think it is, it's saving your life now.

"I do think it'd be a waste to die right now," you say. "I am pretty young... But my friends have been expecting to meet up for half a year. Hmph. You owe me! But fine. I won't go. I'm a little pissed, but I won't go. I'll drive home. I promise."

There has never been a happier happiness in Taehyung's life. "You promise, okay? You promised! You can't go, all right?"

"I won't," you say definitively. "Look, I'll even shake your hand to seal the deal." Through your rolled-down windows, you jut out your hand. After staring a bit, Taehyung takes your hand and gives it a firm shake. "Well, that's it, right?" you say. "We're going to meet again in the future?"

"Yeah. I guess this is it."

There's this mischievous grin plastered on your face. The mischief is what Taehyung notices must've gone away after being involved in such a tragic accident. He wonders what life would've been like if you were still this playful. But it also looks like he'll find out in a few minutes.

"Then I guess I'll see you later, future husband." You wink at him. And all too soon, you're driving away, leaving no evidence behind that you were ever here. It feels like a fever dream.

Taehyung's hands shake as he brings his notebook to his chest, embracing it. There are happy tears welling in his eyes. He'll be able to see you now. The you who loves him dearly.

Time travelers come in all different shapes, sizes and characters. There exist some who are cynical of their talents, those who rarely use it for the fear of touching something that wasn't meant to be touched. Then, there are others who use their abilities moderately. Those who might rewind time a little to get in a bit of extra sleep or study for a big final. Then, there are those time travelers who wield time so frequently, so fervently that they are rarely ever in their correct timeline.

Taehyung is one of these time travelers.

After spending weeks in the past, he doesn't travel to the present. Instead, he visits farther into the future, hoping to see you. Hoping to be able to flip through your wedding photos with you again and marvel at your beauty as you bask in his compliments. He hopes that you don't have your scar anymore—not that he never liked it. But you always thought you'd looked better without it. And he wants you to be happy.

"Y/N!" Taehyung calls, shaking with excitement as he lands feet first on new ground, seven years later. "Y/N!! Where are you?"

But the apartment in front of him is unrecognizable. It should have pulled up a red flag in Taehyung's mind, yet he ignores it. The butterfly effect. Somehow, since your accident hadn't taken place, the sequence of events had shifted and led to you suggesting to buy another apartment. It's quite conceivable.

"Y/N?"

Taehyung carefully rounds the corner of the living room, navigating his way through the foreign apartment. Not once does he see you or anything that would've belonged to you. The world becomes much darker again when he realizes that in the future, you and he aren't together.

The time traveler slips his phone out of his pocket—the latest model of a device that has yet to come out yet in his timeline—and he searches through his contacts. It's a possibility that you and he are still friends. Maybe the fact that he'd told you the two of you would wed in the future prevented the two of you from getting into a serious relationship. Yet after scouring his whole phone for hours, Taehyung finds no traces of you.

There is little hope left in his heart when he searches up the date of the cursed automobile accident. And the last of the light from his eyes dim when he sees, "Four dead from a tragic car crash."

His head spins with thoughts and weighs heavily with frustration. Only one question circles through his mind: why? He'd done everything in his power to help you. He'd had to watch you die more than three hundred consecutive times. He'd had the same goddamn conversation with you to try to convince you out of your own demise. But why hadn't it worked? Taehyung thought that the 389th time would do it. What had gone wrong?

A deep, empty pit settles in his stomach. Maybe you're right. Maybe you are supposed to die.

Taehyung scoffs, glaring at his little black journal. "You're fucking useless," he tells it, spite dripping in his every word. The eight steps he'd created one day out of pure inspiration are completely worthless to him now.

He wants to get rid of it. He wants to give up. Never see your face again. Maybe if he stops thinking about you now, it'll be easier on him in the future.

But...

Taehyung doesn't think. He just leaps, traveling alongside time, closing his eyes and landing just where he subconsciously desires. Taehyung glances at his watch.

4:43 p.m.

He notices the busy pedestrian just seconds away from her walk of death, his own feet hanging dangerously off the sidewalk. But instead of falling back to safety, he jumps—straight into the traffic—even before the pedestrian can move. Taehyung sees the familiar red car speeding up to him, and instinctively, he hurls his notebook straight at your windshield. It lands right at your line of vision with a loud thump! and he can hear your scream as you crash your foot on the brakes. Your head slams against your car wheel, blood trickling down your face, but you're not dead. The car behind you, however, swerves to avoid hitting you, tumbling down the hill for the 390th time. Strangely, they never survive; it must be their ill-fated destiny. Or maybe in some parallel universe, they fare much better. Either way, Taehyung can't save everyone, which makes sense because he's by no means a hero. He just wants things to turn back to normal.

But you. Unlike the couple behind your car, your destiny is not death from an unfortunate auto accident. You should've never died in the first place. Finally, you've been given the justice you deserve. You're alive.

Still, Taehyung has little to no time to celebrate. He needs to bolt out of the scene, for he doesn't want you to see him at all. Doesn't want you to recognize him in fear that things won't be the same—not as he's used to. So, he runs. Bystanders are starting to gather around the scene, and Taehyung panics inwardly, scrambling away so hastily that he trips over a curve. His ankle twists uncomfortably but he has no time to dwell on the sudden shoot of pain traveling up his leg. The adrenaline rush allows him to run. His head reels and he feels like he's going to pass out. But Taehyung pushes on. He wanders through time, searching to return back to his timeline. Wanting anything to finally see your face.

He lands right on his feet, though much more wobbly than before. The city is bustling, crowds of people moving left and right, up and down. Taehyung's leg is killing him. It might as well be a sprain, and the pain of it had been amplified through time travel. The world is spinning. Taehyung can barely catch his breath.

That's when he inadvertently bumps into someone.

"Oh, I'm sorr—" He freezes.

It's you.

It's really you.

Taehyung's eyes enlarge as he looks over your face in shock, awe, happiness—whatever emotions that flood through him. A little scar sits upon your forehead. Unlike other times, you haven't covered it up with concealer. His world becomes bright again.

Your eyes light up when you see his face. And to Taehyung's utmost surprise, you smile at him. He stares, falling back. The pain in his leg is gone in this moment—he'd forgotten it completely—too entranced by your presence to care. He doesn't know if you know him... if you'd caught a glimpse of him throwing his playbook at you... if you remember him at all.

But that's when his eyes trail down and catch a glimpse of you holding something tightly in your hands. It's small, heavily tattered, textured, black and almost looks... run over. Taehyung's lips part as he looks up to your face. Your smile shines brightly, and you look like you have so much to say just at the tip of your tongue. With your eyes glittering and your lips spread into a brilliant grin, you look positively radiant.

You're finally here, with him. Not in the future. Not stuck in the past either. But in the present.

Taehyung smiles. "Hello. I believe you have something of mine?"

I just think Miss Hell deserves to be a Creature™. (Note: if you download her from the gallery her name will be changed to "Miss Hellena," due to gallery restrictions.) All three have fleshed out likes and dislikes, but no sexual orientation preferences. I did not change their original traits or aspirations. Markus' dark form was removed because it was exactly the same as his normal one.

EDIT: Markus' eyes have been edited to not be so big. Outfit previews from left to right: Kat, Markus, Miss Hell, Miss Hell's dark form.

Packs used:

Get to Work, Get Together, City Living, Cats & Dogs, Seasons, Get Famous, Island Living, Discover University, Eco Lifestyle, Snowy Escape, High School Years, Outdoor Retreat, Spa Day, Vampires, Jungle Adventure, Strangerville, Realm of Magic, My Wedding Stories, Werewolves, Luxury Party, Perfect Patio, Spooky Stuff, Movie Hangout, Romantic Garden, Vintage Glamour, Fitness, Moschino, Incheon Arrivals, Moonlight Chic.

DOWNLOAD: tray files @ sfs (no ads) mirror: patreon (always free)