"Were you ever going to tell me?" he asks quietly, face closed off.

"Erm, tell you what?" JungKook clears his throat, suddenly worried but trying to come off as nonchalant.

Taehyung pulls away from him and sits on his feet.

JungKook echoes his moves, sitting up to lean on his arm.

"That you're a demon. An Incubus I guess?" Taehyung says it with much more confidence than he is actually feeling.

"I-I-I..." Speechless is added to the list of things that JungKook never does unless he is with Taehyung.

"That means that you know I'm an Angel, right? I guess that also means that you've just gotten what you came here for..." He hangs his head and JungKook knows even less what to say.

He is still in the middle of coming up with a suitable response when the least expected thing happens.

Taehyung kisses him and says: "Thank you." The two little words laden with infinite possible meanings.

He turns away but before he can get up, JungKook grabs his wrist.

"Wh-What, you knew?"

Taehyung considers his answer for a long moment.

"I guess I kind of did, in one way or another, you merely confirmed my doubts just now when I saw your eyes." He speaks quietly, not really looking at JungKook.

"You knew... and you still..." he waves his hand across the bed as if the simple move could possibly encompass the profound thing that just happened between them. "You knew...and you still did this?!"

JungKook's voice rises the more significant the feeling of horror billows inside him and he doesn't quite understand why -after all, he won, he got what he wanted... he should be overjoyed.

Which is why the black, deep ache in his heart doesn't make any sense.

Regret.

Taehyung smiles. It is simultaneously the happiest and the saddest thing JungKook has ever seen and it burns the backs of his eyelids.

Taehyung leans down to JungKook and cups his cheeks. Looking directly into his soul (JungKook wonders if he still even has one after what he's done) Taehyung kisses him, gently, sweetly, with love and says:

"I have no regrets. Not one. Come." He pulls JungKook's toward the bathroom by the wrist.

"I really, really need a wash."

Even his giggle sounds tinted with sadness.

They carry on as if the revelation hasn't changed anything -but of course it has.

Taehyung is happy, curious, wants to know everything there is to know about everything -be it outside in the world or inside, with his body.

But there are those brief moments of sadness that stab JungKook's heart and he wishes more than anything that he could take them away, to make Taehyung happy, like he was when they first met, only a handful of days ago.

On their final night, Taehyung hardly speaks. JungKook doesn't know what to say either so he just sits with Taehyung, holding him, not saying a word, both of them just staring at the screen at a yet another film neither of them will ever remember. It's stupid really, to waste time on that but the silence is just too painful.

"What do you think will happen?" Taehyung says, quietly, not even scared, just talking for the sake of talking, resigned to his fate, whatever it is.

"I don't know. I..." JungKook wants to apologise but doesn't know how to. He's never apologised to anyone before.

Taehyung turns over, resting his face on JungKook's chest, wrapping his arms around his torso, telling himself to remember what this feels like.

"Please, there's no need to apologise. I didn't do anything I didn't want to. I wanted to be with you, I wanted to feel while I still could, before... before I go back to, I don't know, wherever I'm going to go back to..." Taehyung's voice cracks a little, despite putting on a brave face.

There is nothing left to say so they decide to let their bodies do the talking, holding hands on the way to the bedroom.

It's different this time.

During the days between their first time and now, they have been busy exploring each other's bodies in mutual ecstasy, but this time they know it'll be the last time.

So it's hardly surprising that this moment is fused with a sense of desperation, with a need to touch everything, to taste everything, with the hopes that this moment might last forever if they just try hard enough.

There is not a single inch of Taehyung's body that JungKook hasn't kissed or caressed, not a single place he hasn't tasted or explored with his hands, his mouth.

He owns all of it now because Taehyung has offered it to him, willingly. Now it's all JungKook wants, nothing else will do, his need for Taehyung is strong and so, so deep.

When Taehyung sits straddled across JungKook's hips, embracing him, he just stares into the redly tinted darkness staring back at him, wanting to tell JungKook of his feelings -but when he remembers the fleeting nature of their moment, he decides against it.

Instead he just locks them away in his heart, hoping that they will still mean something when he is where he can't feel them.

While their bodies move, slowly, with purpose, revelling in the need, the desire, the connection between them, there is a moment in between moments where JungKook understands what Taehyung wants to say because he feels the same. Without any words actually being said, the love between them is obvious and burns bright.

The gasps of their climax suffocate in the fierce tangle of their tongues and the only reason why they pull apart is because breathing is necessary to maintain life.

Not knowing exactly when the transition back is going to happen, they go and wash up, dressing in t-shirts and shorts before they curl up on the bed, in a tightest possible tangle: arms around each other, legs hooking around legs.

Despite wanting to stay awake to stay together for a moment longer, they eventually fall asleep, breathing as one.

"Unbelievable." Hoseok says.

"A fucking disgrace." Yoongi replies.

In the dim bedroom, they stare at the sleeping figures entwined so tightly that a locksmith wouldn't unlock them if they tried. Taehyung's face is buried entirely into JungKook's chest, JungKook's face in Taehyung's hair and there is not an inch of space between them.

"They look so cute." The high pitch coo from the brightly smiling Angel makes the grumpy Demon rolls his eyes.

"Cute? I don't know about Heaven's rules but according to Hell's they're probably breaking at least a dozen of them right now and heaven knows (he grins at the choice of words) what else they have been up to while we weren't looking?!"

"Hoseok?" A tiny, rough voice rises from somewhere in the depths of JungKook.

A messy head of hair with swollen eyes lifts up and blinks at the strange figures standing at the end of the bed.

"Nice to see you. What are you doing here?" Taehyung smiles and makes normal conversation as if he weren't in the arms of an Incubus in a bed of all places. Then he remembers and his face falls.

"Hi Kid, I've come back for you... but it seems you're a little bit busy at the moment..." The smile is bright and it confuses Taehyung -this is not the kind of reception he was expecting considering what he has just been up to for the past seven days.

Taehyung looks at JungKook but can't bring himself to leave his embrace just yet. Despite the company, he runs a nose along JungKook's cheek "JungKook? Hey, wake up." Nothing.

"Sorry, he's a really heavy sleeper." The affectionate and familiar way Taehyung says that makes Hoseok and Yoongi exchange glances.

Taehyung pats on the cheek gently but when that doesn't make any difference, he squeezes the cheeks together until his lips pout in the most adorable way.

He can't help but to giggle. "JungKook-ah, JungKookie... wakey wakey..." he squeezes and giggles some more when a groan indicates that he is waking up.

The arms around Taehyung's waist tighten and with a deep hum, JungKook pushes into the crook of Taehyung's neck and kisses on the column of it.

"Ohh... JungKook, we have company." Finally Taehyung's voice sounds serious enough that JungKook's head pops up, his face etched with confusion.

"Yoongi?" JungKook blinks and rubs his eyes, blinks again.

The state of JungKook's hair is a source of amusement for everyone else in the room.

"Number One Incubus in the whole of Hell..." He shakes his head and Taehyung's mouth turns into a disbelieving O shape at the revelation. "and here you are in cahoots with an Angel -a pretty high ranking one too, from what I gather?" He looks at Hoseok who nods in confirmation, smiling proudly.

Perhaps finally fully understanding the gravity of their situation, Taehyung and JungKook sit up, leaning against the headboard, eyes wide, holding hands -something most definitely not missed by neither Hoseok nor Yoongi.

"Sooo... would you like to explain yourselves?" Yoongi asks with a stern face, read eyes gleaming brightly enough to make Taehyung tremble a little. JungKook immediately throws his arm around the Angel, pulling him closer in an obvious protective gesture.

"It was my fault, I made him do it, I forced him." Taehyung's voice is loud and fearless.

"Wh -at?" JungKook sits up and looks at Taehyung, confused, his mouth hanging open, wordless.

"So he hasn't done anything wrong!" Taehyung pushes JungKook's chest so that he leans back against the bedhead and keeps his thoughts to himself.

"No, that's not true, it was me, I seduced him -there's no way he could have resisted my skills, you know that Yoongi!" JungKook argues passionately.

Yoongi doesn't mention about the fact that he knows JungKook hasn't used his powers not once during his time here, he just nods his head, listening.

"These two are something else, huh?" Hoseok says to Yoongi.

"Yup, they sure are... you ever before seen an angel defend a demon and vice versa?" the disbelief in both of their voices is unmistakeable.

Taehyung is confused as to why no one is angry, why no one is being told off yet.

"So, what's going to happen now?" Taehyung asks, unable to wait in the dark any longer, desperate to know the end result of their conduct.

"Well... it sort of..." Hoseok starts.

"...depends entirely on you." Yoongi finishes the sentence for him.

The lovers on the bed sit and stare, dumbfounded, eyes flicking from each other to the dark and light characters standing at the end of the bed.

"Damn, I was hoping to win this time." Hoseok punches Yoongi on the shoulder hard enough that he wobbles sideways.

"Well, the odds were pretty steep to be honest, I never would have guessed these two would get it on ..."

"Win?" Taehyung interrupts without effect, more and more confused.

"I sent my best man for the job and there is no way in a million years I would have thought JungKook would have succumbed to this one's charms..." Yoongi turns just to speak to Hoseok -as if the two on the bed are not even in the room- waving his hand in the general direction of Taehyung.

"Exactly! Taehyung is the last angel in Heaven who I'd expect to do something like this. He was totally my strongest choice, with the best odds... guess we both lost, huh?"

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?" Taehyung loses it and shouts loud enough that Hoseok jumps, furrowing his brows at the disrespectful tone.

"We made a bet. We both lost, well, more or less. I might have gotten the events right but my day was off by six so I might as well not have bet on anything!" Hoseok rolled his eyes.

"A bet? Are you fucking kidding me!?" Taehyung shouts, Hoseok actually gasping and covering his mouth at the language. Yoongi just chuckles. "Is this some kind of a joke to you? How dare you play with our lives! Hoseok, you of all the people, I would not have thought an angel capable of something like this..."

"Hey, hey! The challenge was genuine, the task was real and, we just chose who to send down here and put money down on who'd be the first to crumble... had you completed the mission as per agreed, you'd be on your merry way to the Higher Courts, alas... we didn't really meddle with anything, just placed bets on the outcome, that's all." At least Hoseok has the decency to look a little sheepish and embarrassed over being caught.

"The question is, do you think anything would have played out any differently had we not placed the bets? No, of course not. The only influence was regarding who was coming and the final decision to come was your own, right?" Yoongi's dark, beady eyes stare through Taehyung and then JungKook.

"Well not for me!? I was forced." Taehyung grumbles.

"Taehyung, you always had a choice of not going. You decided to come." Hoseok corrects, still looking a little embarrassed.