You've made a mess again Seokjin...

You've failed again...

Why couldn't you have just let things be?

Let them run their course?

Seokjin cried out and collapsed up against the wall of his cell in defeat, the voices echoing and swirling round his head, never ceasing their taunting.

For the first time in as long as he could remember, he cried.

Grim reapers weren't supposed to cry... but then again - normal grim reapers didn't usually become attached to their humans.

After leaving the final paper, he had been summoned to headquarters, where he had found his boss looking furious.

One red name on your list was your first warning. If you failed to kill one human, you had only one chance left. Once two names appeared red on your list and their death dates had passed, you were placed in punishment quarters.

He was confined for 3 days, for the non-reaping of Park Jimin and Min Yoongi. One more person and he would be stripped of his apprenticeship and lose all chances of becoming a full fledged reaper. One more person... and he would be sent to hell.

The room in which he had been confined to was empty - simply four walls, a floor and a ceiling, with a chain connected from one wall to his ankle. That stopped him from teleporting out of the cell.

He was a mess.

He wondered what Tae was doing. He wondered if he would be able to sort things out and find a way to fix the mess he had gotten himself into...

Only time would tell...

————-

Yoongi and Jungkook both fell asleep shortly after Jimin's departure. Namjoon laid on his back, trying to get some rest, but he couldn't help but notice Tae, who was sat up against the wall, knees tucked into his chest.

"What do you think would be more terrifying?" Namjoon asked, looking down at the younger man. "Forgetting your past, or knowing your future?"

There was a deafening pause, and silence echoed around the alley until Taehyung's voice shattered it.

"I've done both. Neither are terrifying, just excruciatingly painful..."

Taehyung looked up at his friend, biting his lip nervously.

"Hyung..." He murmured. "There is something I have been meaning to tell you..."

The boy went silent, looking down at his feet and playing with his shoelaces.

"If this is about the newspapers, you don't need to be upset. I'm not mad." Namjoon lied. He was mad, but he could tell Tae was broken about something... He hated the thought that he could have made him worry...

"You are mad... but it isn't that..." Tae murmured, closing his eyes. "Just leave it... it's fine."

It wasn't fine - not even a little - but he just didn't know how to explain everything in one go...

Namjoon sighed, sitting up and throwing a pebble at him. It hit the boy on the head and Tae whined, raising his hand to the point of impact.

"What was that for?" He asked, annoyed.

"You were being depressing." Namjoon explained simply.

"And... throwing a rock at my head is going to help?"

"Yes - and it was not a rock." The older answered.

Namjoon stood up and walked over to him, sitting down quietly. He turned his head to look at his friend and sighed.

"Come on - spill." He encouraged. "Stop hiding things. You never used to be like this."

Tae looked away, playing with a pulled thread on his jumper.

After a lot of gentle coaxing and encouragement, Namjoon managed to get him to tell the story. The whole story.

Everything that had happened in the past month or so: all the lies and all of the secrets.

"Let me see." Namjoon asked, holding out his hand.

The younger reaches into his pocket and took out the folded front page of newspaper.

As Namjoon's eyes skimmed over the words, everything Tae had said sunk in and his eyes began to water.

"I won't let it happen Taetae." He said, trying to appear strong. "I won't. I promise. I'll protect you."

He pulled the younger close, holding his skinny, shaking body into his arms.

The situation brought back memories of that night he saved the baby in the alley. He remembered holding the tiny version of Tae in his arms and comforting him; he remembered being afraid because he thought if he hugged him too tightly he would break.

If he hadn't saved Tae that night, he certainly would have died. Now the story had repeated itself. The wheel had turned and nothing was ever new.

But he had saved him once. He promised himself he could do it again. No - that he WOULD do it again.

Tae nuzzled closer into his chest and the older felt a damp patch where his tears were soaking into his shirt.

"I'm here Taetae." He whispered. "I'm here..."

They fell asleep like that, and as the night progressed, the storm eased off.

When Tae awoke, Namjoon and Jungkook had already left for work. The younger had invested in a face mask to hide the slash on his face, and they had left together to raise money for dinner.

A foul smell made Tae scrunch up his nose in disgust and look around to try and find the source.

"Finally awake, huh?" Yoongi asked in a deep voice, taking another puff from the cigarette he was holding. "About time too."

"Can you put that out please?" The younger coughed, covering his nose with his sleeve.

Rolling his eyes, Yoongi stubbed out the glowing tip and tossed it onto the ground. Tae made a mental note to throw it away later when the man wasn't looking.

"Kim told me to take care of you." The addict smirked. "I came all this way to effing baby sit."

"I'm not a baby!" Tae pouted.

"Fine. Let's make a deal -" Yoongi said quickly. "I go find a place to smoke, you go and do something you want and when Namjoon gets back we tell him we spent the day sat here talking and fanboying about Kpop. Got it?"

"Got it."

Before the younger could change his mind, Yoongi was gone in a poof of haste.

Tae sighed and thrust his hands in his pockets. What to do now?

Just at that moment, his phone pinged in his pocket and he took it out. There was a message from Hoseok asking where he had been.

Pressing the call button, he held the phone to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Taehyung?" The jockey's voice said down the phone line. "Where have you been? I missed you yesterday and you didn't answer your phone all day!"

Tae sighed. He had forgotten to tell him about the den and Yoongi...

"Can I come today? There is so much to tell you." He said softly.

"Sure!" Hobi said brightly. "I'll be waiting."

And so that is where Tae ended up - sitting with Hoseok outside Hope's stable cleaning tack and telling the older everything that had happened.

"So... Jungkook took drugs?"

"Accidentally." Tae added. "There was a mix up. But he is fine now - and Suga is staying with us! It's amazing!"

Hoseok seemed unsure.

"Be careful." He warned. "Men like that... You have to keep an eye on them."

"Come on -You drank with him at the bar! You know as well as I do that he is a nice guy. Now come on - there is more tack to clean." The younger said, dismissing Hoseok's useless concern.

The rest of the day passed by in what seemed like only an hour, and the sun set before Tae got home. As he was jogging through the alley leading up to the ramen shop, he heard a thud and someone was yelling.

"YOU'RE CRAZY!"

He sprinted into the den to see Namjoon pinning Yoongi to the wall, gripping his hair.

"How could you let him go?! Do you know how dangerous it is for a kid of his age to be going around alone? Especially-"

"JOON!" Tae cried out, running in and pulling the men apart. "What are you doing?"

Namjoon immediately looked Tae up and down, checking for injuries of any kind.

"AreYouOkayDidAnythingHappenDoYouNeedMeToDoSomethingForYo-"

"SHUT UP!" Tae laughed, hitting him. "I just went to the bathroom. Me and Suga have been here all day! Stop being such a mum and leave him alone!"

Yoongi shot him a grateful glance behind Namjoon's back and Tae winked discreetly.

Eventually, they convinced Joon and he relented, going to sit down.

"I bought us some chicken but it will be stone cold by now." He sighed. "At least it's cooked."

Yoongi eyed up the box he was holding, licking his lips. To his pleasure, Tae encouraged him to join them and all three began to eat.

When Jungkook made it home, he practically dived on the food, having not eaten all day.

Tae enjoyed the company.

Before, it had just been him and Joon - now he had Yoongi and Jungkook and Hoseok and even the one and only Park Jimin! How had he managed to become so popular?

Then the memory of the last newspaper came flooding back to him and that depressed feeling washed over his mind. Why couldn't he just be left to enjoy his new found bliss?

Jungkook noticed his friend's frown and nudged him, turning a small chicken wing into a fake aeroplane and zooming it towards Tae's lips.

"Here comes the aeroplane!" He smirked, trying to make his friend smile.

Tae accepted the chicken and couldn't help a grin spreading over his face at the younger's cuteness.

He decided in that moment that he would cherish what he had while he had it. Sure - he would try and stop his death from happening - but if he couldn't stop it, then the least he could ask for was happiness and euphoria.

Namjoon knew what Tae was thinking about... He wanted with all his heart to go and wrap the by in his arms - to hug him and tell him everything was going to be okay, but then the others would find out about the papers and that was their little secret.

A loud ping from Tae's phone snapped all of them out of their thoughts and the boy apologised, going to check it.

JIMIN:
I've managed to book the plane tickets! They should be posted to my address within a few days and I will get them to you ASAP. Don't worry - Hyung has you covered ;)

Tae text back quickly.

TAE:
Aye Aye! Where am I headed captain?

JIMIN:
It's a plane Tae - not a boat. I booked you a little hotel in Quebec in Canada to chill off for a fortnight. How does that sound?

TAE:
Quebec? Are you joking?! That must have cost a fortune! You just promised to get me out for a couple of days to avoid the deadline! (No pun intended)

JIMIN:
I decided to treat you - also, don't think I am not coming too! I love Quebec! You can't shake me! Me, Namjoon, Kookie and you can make a holiday out of it.

Tae:
Woah... Do you own a bank or something? How are you so rich?!

JIMIN:
Idol life, Kid. Idol life. It has its downsides but there is always an upside.

Tae thanked the boy profusely before turning off his phone and smiling.

Quebec...

Wow...

Things sure had flipped around fast!

He wouldn't tell the others though - not till Jimin came with the tickets. It would be his chance to surprise them.