Hye walked barefoot through the tavern trying to find Taehyung, but there were too many in the tavern sheltering from the storm for her to find someone. Let alone someone who didn't want to be found. 

She knew she couldn't draw attention to herself, and usually, she was good at picking a face out of the crowd. Every step she took hurt, but she knew it would hurt more if she had stayed and got treated and Taehyung had gotten himself injured or imprisoned. 

After searching the tavern, floating around tables, and studying the faces of the men and women sat around them, she had decided that he must've gone out into the storm. She opened the door to the tavern and stood in the doorway for a few seconds causing a few disgruntled calls from the tavern-goers inside who were closest to the door and therefore taking the brunt of the cold weather. Hye took a step out, the cold and wet cobble beneath her feet almost soothing against the wounds. She jumped when she heard the tavern door slam behind her and now she was left to the elements in nothing but already damp clothes. 

The wind blew harshly against her wet and matted hair atop her head, the rain already dripping down her face and neck. Hye had every right mind to kill Taehyung when she saw him next, if he had gone out in this he had a clear death wish anyway. 

The soft sounds of her feet hitting the wet cobble with every step she took filled the empty streets, the only people outside were the ones who couldn't afford to be inside. Even those were few and far between. 

"Taehyung? I swear to god I'm going to kill you when I find you." Her teeth chattered together, the cold was starting to seep through her skin and reach her bones. But Hye continued on, walking around the empty streets trying to find any sign of Taehyung. "Taehyung?" She called out. 

No response. Hye sighed softly, her arms wrapped around herself, and at this point, she was that cold that she couldn't be bothered by the wounds on the soles of her feet now.

"Now what's a pretty girl like you doing outside?" A voice taunted from behind her, she continued walking, increasing her pace a bit. She turned a corner and realised she had actually lost her way back to the tavern. 

"Fuck." She muttered under her breath, turning another corner and realising that she had turned into a dead end. Hye turned on the spot, the flesh of the soles of her feet tearing against the rough cobble underneath them. She turned and saw a group of males stood at the opening to the street.

"You've cornered yourself now little mouse." One of them stepped forwards towards her, her shivering stopped and was replaced by her body trembling in fear. "There's no point in running now, you might as well make this easy on yourself and just give in to us." They, as a group, started walking towards Hye, who took steps backward to try and distance herself from them. 

"Please don't..." She whispered softly. "Please..."

"Begging will just make it worse for you." One of them smirked. Hye's blood ran cold, she wanted to continue her journey with the boys, she wanted to continue living and dancing and cooking over a campfire. She wanted to continue to learn how to wield a sword and hunt. She didn't want it all to end here.

"I suggest you leave the lady alone." A voice that caused her blood to run warm once more filled the alleyway. "And I won't ask you again." 

"Is this your boyfriend?" One of them lunged for Hye, and her eyes widened as they grabbed her and they parted to expose a male whose stature she knew far too well stood under the lantern in the street. "Should we beat him up and make you watch or should we have our fun with you and make him watch?"

Hye squirmed about in the man's arms, tears rolled down her cheeks that she was too engrossed in trying to break free to even notice they were there. 

"Don't say I didn't warn you." The voice turned into a snarl, and Hye stiffened. She had never heard that tone come out of Taehyung before. Within seconds two of the men were on the floor, and Hye was tossed alongside them by her hair by the man holding her. Pain reverberated through her body from when she made contact with the cold floor. Hye could barely make out Taehyung and the other man in the heavy rain, without the light from the street it made the conditions worse to see. 

Hye flinched every time she heard a groan come from one of the men, every time she heard skin collide with skin. Once the pain had subsided, she slowly pushed herself to her knees. 

"Don't." The voice that was venomous just moments earlier was soft and kind now. "You're hurt. You left a bloody trail to the alley." Hye lifted her head, the rain and tears mixing together. 

"T-Taehyung..." She spoke shakily. Taehyung simply knelt on the floor beside her and pulled her into a hug. 

"You're okay. I've got you." Taehyung whispered softly. "I've got you. Nobody will lay a finger on you again, okay?"

"Thank you..." She whispered softly. 

"Let's get you back to the tavern before you catch your death out here." He gently scooped her up. Hye held onto him, the anger she had at him possibly being outside had subsided. Now she was thankful he was outside. "What were you even doing out here alone anyway?"

"I was looking for you, I couldn't see you inside so I thought you had come outside." Hye spoke quietly, the heavy rain starting to ease off. 

"I didn't come outside, I didn't plan on catching my death out here. I was sat at the bar and I saw you go outside. When you didn't come back after a few minutes, I followed you out."

The rest of the walk was almost silent, apart from the occasional words of comfort from Taehyung. 

When they got to the tavern and to their room, he settled her on the floor in front of the fire whilst he prepared a hot tub for her. The boys all gathered around Hye, asking what had happened. But she had simply shaken her head and kept quiet, wincing when Yoongi prodded at her feet and began to heal them.

Hoseok made eye contact with Taehyung when he left the bathroom to come to collect Hye, and a knowing look was shared between them.

Hye relaxed in the hot tub for a while, the warm water soothing the ache in her muscles and the aches in her bones. It chased the chill out from inside of her and replaced it with warmth. Hye was in bliss. It was rare for her to have a warm wash since she had joined the boys, as they used whatever fresh bodies of water they could find to clean themselves and rarely bathed at taverns, most of the time they were too tired to wash that they slept through the night.

When Hye had walked out of the bathroom, she was greeted by an empty main room. Or almost empty main room.

Taehyung was sat on a chair by the fire, his hair now only slightly damp against his forehead, and he was in dry clothes.

"Did you enjoy that?" He asked quietly, Hye nodded and walked into the room in dry clothes of her own, and sat beside him.

"Thank you." Hye whispered, the quiet crackle of the fire background noise. 

"Why are you thanking me?"

"Because you saved me." She pulled her legs onto the chair and leant into him.

"Don't worry about it." Taehyung wrapped an arm around her shoulder and she lifted her head, looking up at him. "I'd do it all again if I needed to."

Hye's breath caught in her throat, and she met his eyes. She didn't realise they were both leaning in until their lips brushed. Taehyung hesitated as if to see if she'd move away. When she didn't, he leant in that little bit further to connect their lips properly.