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“Your future has a golden shimmer to it.”
The man sitting on the other side of the round table shifts, an excited smile tugging at his lips as he listens to Taehyung's words.
“Something great is awaiting you,” Taehyung continues, keeping his gaze directed at the foggy insides of the crystal ball in the middle of the table. With one hand he reaches below the table, feeling around until he recognizes the familiar shape of an amulet. “All you have to do is grasp it.”
Across from him, the man nods enthusiastically, completely pulled into Taehyung's spell. He almost lets a small smirk slip but quickly composes himself again. Instead, Taehyung puts the golden amulet down on the silk tablecloth.
“To make sure you will be able to acquire all of the good energy coming your way I recommend an amulet like this one that can channel those positive energies,” Taehyung explains, putting the amulet in the palm of the man's hand.
Judging from the dazed expression on his face Taehyung won't be having much trouble with him.
“In a case like yours, with so much on the line,” Taehyung lays it on thick now, closing the man’s hand around the pricy amulet, “It is an absolute necessity to be able to catch it all. It does… cost though.”
Without hesitation the man walks right into his trap, “I will take it!”
Exhausted, Taehyung falls back into his chair when the last client of the day has finally left and he’s heard the front door of the small shop fall shut.
He rubs his hands down his face, a little of the golden makeup he usually applies rubbing off on them. His head is as heavy as a bunch of bricks and the almost assaulting scent of incense in the air doesn’t make the pounding behind his eyes any more comfortable.
It only takes a moment longer until someone pokes their head through the thick, beaded curtain separating the front and back of the store from each other.
“You okay?” Jimin asks — a truly concerned friend if Taehyung didn’t notice the amused undertone of his voice.
For a moment he contemplates flipping his best friend off but decides against it since it'd be just too much effort. He settles on groaning in exhaustion instead, getting louder the moment he hears Jimin starting to giggle.
“I'm just making sure,” The other laughs, “You know I have that —”
“That date,” Taehyung interrupts him and finally manages to pull himself out of his chair. He ducks a bit under the ornaments and beads that dangle from the ceiling as he leaves the stuffy backroom.
“I didn't forget,” He continues, “You can go, I'm fine. I'll lock up alone.”
“I love you so much,” Jimin calls over his shoulder, already halfway out of the shop.
Taehyung just waves his hand in defeat, mumbling a quick ‘yeah, yeah’ under his breath. He stretches his arms over his head, wincing a bit as his spine pops in multiple places.
When he started this business he didn't know how tiring it could get. But well, it’s fine. At least he has this job and with it, a steady income he could have only dreamt of a few years ago.
Initially, Taehyung moved to Seoul because he was scouted by a small talent agency. He trained for a while, living off of pennies, and in the end, he never made it further than two extras in two different movies. His dream of acting was soon collecting dust somewhere in the back of his mind.
The only positive thing Seoul did bring him was a best friend. And Jimin is the bestest best friend anyone could ever ask for.
It was his idea.
Kind of.
He put the thought into Taehyung’s head when they were watching K-Dramas and had one too many bottles of soju downed.
At first, they didn't take this seriously at all. It was a way to make a quick buck.
Fortune telling.
Taehyung built this whole fortune teller character, using the years he trained to be an actor to his advantage, and Jimin — well, with his pretty face, sweet voice, and cunning personality he is the perfect salesman.
Together it seemed easy to make gullible people believe Taehyung was truly able to see their future inside of a crystal ball or could tell them whatever they wanted to hear from the lines of their hands. With the small shop selling ‘mystique’ items in the front and Taehyung promoting these items and telling people their fortune in the back, it became easier and easier for them to pull money out of people's unsuspecting pockets.
Seriously, sometimes Taehyung thinks it's too easy.
Some people are simply made to be scammed. That's not his fault.
He finishes putting all of the stuff in the back away and has already changed back into his normal clothing, the makeup wiped off his face when he walks out into the front of the store. Mentally, he's already at home in bed. He’s just doing the last check behind the counter, crouching on the ground to collect the coins he accidentally dropped when the bell above the door suddenly rings.
Immediately, Taehyung’s stomach plummets to the ground and he flinches, snapping his head up which just makes him bump into the edge of the opened register. Hard.
“Fuck,” He curses under his breath, his heart pounding in his throat.
Taehyung could have sworn he had locked the door right after Jimin left. He always does, so situations like these don’t happen and random people wouldn't just walk in when he’s all alone.
One never knows what kind of shady people roam this kind of deserted neighborhood at night.
“Hello?” A voice tentatively calls out and Taehyung gulps.
Is this it? Will this be the time he will finally be robbed for the first time? No. He shakes his head. Why would a robber call out for someone first? That's weird. It is, right?
A little unsure, Taehyung gets up on his feet, rubbing the throbbing spot on top of his head.
“Uh — I’m really sorry,” He apologizes, “We’re already closed.”
His eyes meet the intense gaze of a man dressed all in black standing at the entrance of the shop. Somehow — Taehyung's stomach sinks and he quickly averts his gaze again, trying to get rid of this strange sensation all over his body.
What the fuck?
He glances back at the man. Young. Probably around his age. His hair is a little bit messy, dark strands a stark contrast to his pale skin. He’s smiling. And he's pretty. Like really pretty.
But Taehyung's skin crawls despite that. Something feels weird and he can’t quite tell what makes him think like that.
“Sorry,” The man apologizes and steps closer, wringing his hands, and ah — Taehyung recognizes that expression from a mile away. Someone who is quite desperate for the services Taehyung provides. “Is there any way you can see me now? I came all this way and I fear this is my only chance to —”
Oh, whatever. The painkiller he took a while ago is starting to work on his headache and Taehyung is always down to make a little extra money. That man doesn’t look dangerous or suspicious at all so he's not going to turn down free money.
Almost immediately, he switches to his best service smile and waves the man closer.
“Okay,” Taehyung closes the register and draws the beaded curtain back, “Don’t worry, really. Come back with me, please. What is your name?”
For a moment, the man seems surprised Taehyung was so easily convinced but then he follows enthusiastically.
“You can call me Yoongi.”
Taehyung hums, pulling out a chair for him and uncovering the crystal ball on the round table. “I’m Taehyung.”
While he's setting up, Yoongi is looking around the small room curiously, his eyes wide in awe. Taehyung's chest swells a bit with pride and he swallows the smile that threatens to break out on his lips. He's really proud of this small fantasy he's built back here.
The vibe of the room, almost more like a tent with all the different colored and patterned fabric draped over the walls and the ceiling, sells the whole fortune-telling business quite well. It’s filled with all kinds of things Taehyung dug out from second-hand stores or off the street. Every candle, every leather-bound book, and every small curiosity only makes this more realistic. Well, right now the illusion would be even better if he hadn’t already changed out of his costume but it’s okay.
When he’s done preparing he reaches across the table, puts his hands down palms up, and searches for Yoongi’s eyes. “Please give me your hands,” He asks the other man.
They’re soft. Yoongi’s hands. A little bigger than his own and just as pale as the rest of him. Taehyung runs the tip of his finger along the lines of his palm, wearing a concentrated expression as he pretends any of these folds in his skin tell him anything.
“I feel there might be something troubling you,” Taehyung says — a classic opener. The more nervous a person seems the more likely it is they're here for some kind of supernatural trouble they think they have.
“Is that why you came to see me?”
“It is,” Yoongi replies, impressed, “You’re really good. There’s this — feeling that’s been plaguing me for the past two weeks. I’ve been getting more and more disturbing nightmares and I just don't know what to do anymore. It keeps getting worse.”
Taehyung hums, nodding in understanding.
“I see,” He reaches for the pack of tarot cards on the table, “Should we consult the cards about your —”
“No!”
Taehyung flinches, almost breaking character at the sudden outburst. Yoongi seems just as surprised by his sudden loud voice as Taehyung. He’s blushing bright red, his head a bit low in shame.
“Sorry. No,” He mumbles “I would like you to take a look at my future. I think this might be a warning. I want to know what is going to happen to me so I can prepare.”
Taehyung is still a bit rattled by the interruption but quickly catches himself. “Oh, okay.”
He pushes the crystal ball into the center of the table. “With your help, I may be able to see what you need to look out for,” He explains, taking Yoongi’s hands and putting them on the cool glass before covering them with his own. “You need to think really hard of the feeling that’s been troubling you. Try to only think about that, forget everything else.”
When Yoongi nods he closes his eyes.
Now, it’s all about acting and convincing the client in front of him of something Taehyung is making up on the spot. Usually, he’s good at telling what his clients want to hear so he’s not worried about this part of his job at all.
He takes a few deep breaths, furrowing his brows to really sell the story about telling the future when a strange image suddenly passes through his mind.
It's quick but still makes Taehyung falter and his eyes open of their own accord.
Yoongi is already staring right at him.
“Hm?”
Taehyung just shakes his head and smiles. “Everything is fine — I just need a moment longer.” And he closes his eyes again.
What the hell was that just now?
As soon as he calms again that image is back. This time it doesn’t just flash through his mind but fills it entirely, pushing everything else out of the way, and even though Taehyung tries to open his eyes again to get rid of it, he can't.
Like an echo it jumps through his mind, raining down on him from all directions.
There's a dark alleyway. Flickering neon lights. The sound of a cat meowing somewhere far away echoes in his mind. Taehyung is looking through the eyes of someone else. And he's looking — at himself.
His heart stutters in his chest when he's looking at his own terrified face. He's running. And whoever's eyes Taehyung is looking through is chasing him.
Blood rushes in his ears and his chest gets tighter and tighter. The shadows in the image he sees grow bigger. Darker. The lights flicker until they all go out. And still, he can see himself struggling to run away clearly.
That street — he knows it!
That's the small alleyway leading to his home. What is going on?
Dread is unfurling its long, cold fingers in the pit of his stomach, slowly reaching through his entire body.
Then, suddenly, the image is black before a deafening cry of his own voice ricochets inside of his skull. Taehyung flinches, covering his ears protectively on instinct though that doesn't help at all.
The last thing he sees before he finally manages to pry his eyes open is the image of his own, cold face, blood splattered everywhere.
He's gasping for air, momentarily forgetting he isn't alone. The shock of what just happened is simply too great. His hands are trembling and his lungs hurt as if he were really just running away from something.
“Everything alright?”
Taehyung glances up at Yoongi who’s looking at him with concern reflected in his eyes. Suddenly, the same feeling as before overcomes him again.
This strange — sensation when he looked at Yoongi for the first time. As if there's something wrong. Something he's not seeing, something he doesn't understand but his senses are still able to somehow pick up.
Fear is curling up in the bottom of his chest and he's suddenly much more aware of the fact that Yoongi is sitting between him and the only exit.
He coughs a bit, trying to ease the awkward tension as he shifts in his seat.
“Uh, yeah… yeah,” Taehyung says, trying to force a smile on his lips. It’s fine, he tells himself, everything is fine. “It’s just — it’s been a long day with many clients and this is not exactly, uh, relaxing work.” He hopes Yoongi will buy it.
For a moment longer, the man stares at him with those unreadable eyes before he smiles all bright and innocent again. “Of course, I understand,” He nods enthusiastically, “I can only imagine how exhausting it must be for you to use your powers. I’m really sorry for bothering you so late in the night already. Really.”
“It’s no problem,” Taehyung says with a bit of a lighter tone, his voice doesn’t shake anymore. Everything is fine. It must be the fact he hasn’t slept well the past few nights. Whatever this was, it was — a coincidence. Just, some weird occurrence that has nothing to do with the man in front of him.
Instead of worrying about it unnecessarily, Taehyung decides to wrap this up quickly so he can go home and properly get to sleep. Hopefully. He might close the shop tomorrow so he can rest. There’s no way he would want anything like what just happened to happen again.
Taehyung doesn’t remember what exactly he told Yoongi then, like a broken record, he just repeated a mix of the things he usually tells his clients to make them happy to pay him. It doesn’t really matter what it is, the most important thing right now is that he gets rid of this Yoongi guy as quickly as possible.
“Thank you so much.”
Yoongi holds tightly onto his hand when he thanks him after everything is over and he’s put down enough money. It is an unusually long handshake and Taehyung would like nothing more than to rip his hand away but those long, pale fingers wouldn’t let go of him.
“Ah, it was my pleasure,” He says, smiling awkwardly as he takes a step back but Yoongi just closes the distance again.
He puts his free hand on Taehyung’s shoulder, squeezing once as he smiles brightly and for a moment, this strange expression is flashing in his eyes again. “Be careful.” Taehyung’s stomach sinks and his heart stutters in his chest. “The night is dark.”
At last, Yoongi finally lets go of his hand and Taehyung feels as though he can finally breathe again. Still, his words have chilled him to the bone. Carefully, he cradles his hand against his chest, the phantom touch of the strange man still lingering on his skin.
“Yeah…” Taehyung forces himself to smile, “I’ll be — fine.”
Yoongi smiles as well and then turns to walk away. Finally. Taehyung doesn't move until he can't see Yoongi out there anymore, making sure he truly sees him walking in the opposite direction he needs to take to get home.
Then, quickly, Taehyung locks up, and with the sensation of eyes watching him from the shadows he hurries into the darkness of the night.
He's missed the last bus in his direction so he turns to the familiar path through alleyways and the occasional bigger street.
So many times has he taken this route. Many dark nights. Too many to count. And Taehyung has never felt scared. But there is something in the air tonight.
Every shadow looks darker than usual. These streets are usually pretty deserted at this time but tonight it feels strange — no, wrong to only hear the echo of his own footsteps.
Taehyung eyes restlessly jump from left to right. His heart is pounding in his throat and every few steps he turns to look over his shoulder, making sure none of the shadows follow him. He feels a bit stupid being so paranoid but the dread in his stomach is coiling tighter with every minute he has left until he reaches the safety of his home.
The wind whispers sharply behind every corner. Soon, Taehyung has switched from a fast pace to almost running. Again, he glances over his shoulder and stops dead in his tracks.
Someone is there.
It's impossible but someone is there.
His ears are ringing and fear roots him to the ground. There, in a large, dancing shadow — someone is hiding in there.
Taehyung feels their eyes on him. Heavy and dark. Predatory. Cold sweat breaks out all over his body and his mind is yelling at him to just move but he can't.
The shadow is dancing but when Taehyung looks for its source he doesn't find anything that seems to be fluttering in the wind.
Just then, the shadow starts moving along the wall, toward him. As impossible as it sounds. The atmosphere around him turns ice-cold and adrenaline rushes through his system. A primal fear takes hold of him and his survival instinct finally kicks in.
Taehyung can't even scream, he just turns and runs.
His lungs are on fire as are his thighs when he finally sees his apartment building behind a flickering street lamp. This overwhelming presence he felt before has come closer and closer. It’s almost as if it’s breathing down his neck. He’s gasping for air, climbing the stairs up to the second floor and his hands tremble violently as he fumbles with his keys.
Taehyung glances over his shoulder. The lights above the other doors down the walkway are starting to flicker. Like tumbling dominos, they go black one after the other, rushing toward Taehyung and his door.
Faster. His hands are sweaty but at last, he manages to unlock his door in time, slamming it shut behind him. He takes a trembling step back, staring at the closed door.
The light outside is flickering and then — a shadow.
Someone’s standing right outside.
Cold sweat clings to his skin and just as Taehyung reaches for his phone to call — anyone really, the shadow disappears. Immediately, Taehyung drops to his knees, gasping for air.
“Okay,” He mumbles to himself, “What the fuck was that?”
His heart is racing in his throat, blood rushing loudly in his ears. This has got to be some sick kind of joke. It couldn’t be real. Someone’s playing a very cruel prank on him or something. That’s gotta be it.
He tries to calm himself a bit, whispering to himself as he approaches his door. For a moment, he hesitates but this is ridiculous. There’s nothing to be scared of. There can’t be. So, Taehyung takes a last, decisive step and looks through the peephole.
Just as he suspected.
There’s no one outside.
“This is stupid,” He mumbles. Whatever freaked him out was nothing — serious. Maybe it’s the lack of sleep or that strange fucking encounter with this Yoongi guy but Taehyung must have been seeing things. Yeah, this was just — well, weird.
Nothing else.
He’ll probably forget about it by tomorrow. He just needs a good night’s rest and then everything will be fine again. Yeah. It’s all fine.
Taehyung takes a few deep breaths before he allows himself one last peek out of his kitchen window. It faces the street below. Taehyung hides in the shadows, not having turned on any light yet, and scans the outside. His heart lurches in his chest.
Across the street, there’s a strange shadow halfway hidden in the alleyway he came from before. It somehow seems — darker than the others. Taehyung gulps. Somehow, the shadow suspiciously looks like the shape of a person.
He can’t help the way his mind instantly jumps to the strange guy. Could Yoongi have followed him after all? Is it him? He had such a creepy aura surrounding him and something did feel off about him. Did he really follow him after all? But why would he do something like that? That’s ridiculous.
Taehyung stares at the shadow for a moment longer before drawing the curtains shut tightly. He shakes his head. “What the fuck….”
Quickly, he closes the curtains on every single one of his windows and then goes back to his front door to make sure it’s properly locked. For good measure, he rattles the knob a few times. Only then is he satisfied and able to retreat to his bedroom.
The strange feeling of being watched, of something being there doesn’t lessen though as he gets himself ready for bed. Washing his face, brushing his teeth, and changing his clothes — it’s all done quicker, with an unusual sense of urgency.
Taehyung has just turned on the lamp on his bedside table when the light suddenly starts flickering. Usually, something like that wouldn’t freak him out but tonight nothing has been as usual.
“This is fine…” He says slowly, calmly, trying to convince himself when the light suddenly completely goes out. It’s pitch black now and Taehyung’s stomach is churning painfully. “I’m fine. This is — normal. Power outage. Normal. Everything is fine.” But his voice shakes in fear and he quickly hurries under his covers, protectively drawing them around himself as if he could hide from the darkness like this.
His hand clenches tightly around the small nail scissors he took from the bathroom. They’re tiny but sharp and somehow, they give him a tiny sense of security. He holds tightly onto them as he wills himself to fall asleep quickly, trying not to think about the way shadows dance over the walls of his bedroom.
-o-
Nothing more happened that night but Taehyung can’t shake the strange feeling, the uncomfortable pressure in the pit of his stomach that reminds him of did happened. And pretty soon, he notices other things around him.
They may seem like small accidents at first but since that night, Taehyung can’t look at anything normally anymore. He’s dropped one too many glasses and pricked himself on the shards one too many times despite being careful for it all to be just an accident. He sees shadows moving a little too much and that feeling of constantly being under observation starts to make his head hurt.
It goes from small things like this, tripping, hearing things that aren’t there, and so on to more and more extreme stuff. His toaster catches on fire which he may have found funny a week ago but now it just scares him. On his way to work a flowerpot fell off a balcony and missed his head just barely. A bike nearly ran him over. And this extreme anxiety is gnawing at his insides without mercy.
Taehyung doesn’t sleep properly anymore and every single time he walks home, he can’t get these images he saw out of his head. These images of his own death. Right there. On the very street, he walks home every single night. He saw his own death right there. In front of his house.
It’s starting to seriously affect his work and he’s not sure what to do anymore.
“Are you sure you’re fine?” Jimin asks when Taehyung once again comes out of the backroom with a huge sigh after his last client left rather – unsatisfied with his performance. “You look like you haven’t slept at all last night. Or, the last few nights.”
There’s not much else Taehyung can do than chuckle because true, he basically hasn’t slept the last few nights. Once again, like he did so many times already, he contemplates telling Jimin about everything that is going on but then he would need to admit that he thinks something strange is going on. Something, he feels can’t quite be natural and he’s just not ready to do that yet.
So, he just chuckles.
“I’m fine,” He lies almost a little too easily, “It’s just — been kinda weird. Nothing to worry about.”
But Taehyung is not fine. And there is definitely a lot to worry about.
Later that night, Taehyung walks home from the bus stop. He’s been trying to avoid the particular alleyway he saw all those nights ago after all these strange things kept happening so he’s been making sure to leave work on time. And still, he can’t help but worry. His mind is wandering once again as he halfheartedly looks left and right before going to cross a street.
The car comes out of nowhere.
Suddenly, its bright headlights are right there and Taehyung doesn’t have any time to react. All he can do is close his eyes and wait for the impact but it doesn’t come. Someone grabs the back of his jacket and pulls him back onto the sidewalk at the last second.
Taehyung’s heart is racing and it takes him a moment to recognize the person holding onto both of his arms now, a smile on their lips.
“Oh, it’s the fortune teller.” Yoongi. It’s Yoongi. That freaky dude Yoongi. Fuck. “You’re a little clumsy,” Yoongi laughs and without really meaning to, Taehyung tries to smile along with him.
Goosebumps are breaking out all over his skin and he would really love to take a step back and put some distance between them but Yoongi’s grip on his arms is worryingly strong.
“Haha, yeah,” Taehyung awkwardly agrees, trying to look anywhere but the intense gaze boring into his eyes, “Thanks for that — uh, saving me, I mean.”
“No problem,” Yoongi smiles. His hands linger for a moment longer and then he finally releases him. Taehyung immediately takes a step back — the strange feeling remains. In his mind, the strange shadow that keeps following him pops up again and again.
Could it really be… Is it possible for it to just be a human? Or is it… is it possible the reason why he's felt so uneasy around Yoongi, why he suddenly had this — vision, is because the man in front of him may not be human after all?
Taehyung gulps.
He's never believed in ghosts or monsters. Not since he was a child. But the past few days have put these childish fears and beliefs straight back into his head. And the more stuff happens, the harder it becomes for him to deny them.
“You should be a bit more careful.”
Taehyung's blood freezes in his veins at the words Yoongi says.
They're normal. Understandable. Appropriate for the situation and still they make his heart lurch in fear.
He just nods and hurries back home quickly.
He spots Yoongi a few more times.
There he suddenly is, in the coffee shop across the street, on his phone at the intersection where Taehyung's bus waits at the red light, petting a stray cat at the edge of the park Taehyung walks by when he buys groceries. And when Taehyung peeks out of his kitchen window at night the dark shadow across the street is always waiting for him.
It's more than just suspicious.
Whoever — whatever this Yoongi guy is, he must have something to do with all of this.
Why else would he suddenly be everywhere? Why else did everything start after he came into the shop?
It must be him. The reason all of this is happening to him. Taehyung just doesn't understand why.
A few more days pass and the shadow crawls closer and closer. Sometimes waiting right outside of his door.
That morning when Taehyung arrives in front of the shop he finds a piece of paper taped to the front door. His stomach sinks.
It looks like a talisman. As if he doesn’t have enough to worry about already. Without saying a word to Jimin, Taehyung rips it off and throws it away in the trash.
This is getting too ridiculous. He has to figure something out or he’d soon have to be hospitalized for sleep deprivation.
With his eyes slipping shut every other second, Taehyung locks up the shop for the night. He’s yawning, stretching his arms above his head when he turns around and comes face to face with the man of his nightmares.
“Fucking —” Taehyung curses, his knees giving in as he throws himself back against the door. How does he always appear out of thin air? It’s creepy as hell.
Taehyung can't hear anything but the rapid pounding of his heartbeat, gasping for air as he tries to gather himself. This is insane. He must have totally lost it already.
It doesn't seem like Yoongi is much concerned or interested in his reaction. He's just looking at the door.
“You took it off,” He says and it doesn't take Taehyung long to figure out what the hell he's talking about.
The stupid talisman.
Carefully to not get caught, he feels around in the pocket of his jacket until he finds his keys, grabbing them tightly and letting them peek through his knuckles.
Just in case.
When Taehyung doesn't reply, Yoongi clarifies, “The talisman. It was here this morning. Why did you take it off?”
Weird. Weird — this is so weird. And scary.
The night is dark and Yoongi looks kind of intimidating with the biting neon lightning peeking over his shoulders and outlining his silhouette. Taehyung pushes himself sideways, trying to get out of this trapping situation.
“I’m so sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” He lies, breathing a sigh of relief when Yoongi stays put and he’s no longer trapped between him and the door. “I’m in a hurry so — I’ll have to go. Sorry.”
Yoongi doesn’t say anything to that and Taehyung is not going to wait around until he changes his mind so he just darts off. He chooses the quickest path, away from the main streets which would mean he would have had to go right past Yoongi.
This brings him back to the small alleyways he’s been trying to avoid but well, some sacrifices have to be made, right?
He glances over his shoulders multiple times but Yoongi is only watching him leave, seemingly with no intention to follow him. Good. That’s good.
Again, Taehyung can't help but lightly jog through the alleyways, hurrying home. The more time he spends in here, the tighter the hands of fear grip his body, pushing their sharp nails under his skin and lodging themselves into his flesh. His heart is hammering in his chest and his stomach churns, coiling tighter and tighter with each step he takes.
Somehow, the night seems darker than usual.
But there it is. Only one more corner to round and he would already see his apartment building at the end of the alleyway.
Taehyung almost starts smiling in relief when something clatters behind him.
He stops.
He's not sure why. He should keep going. He shouldn’t look back. No. He should start running.
But he can't.
The cry of a cat echoes through the night and the blood freezes in his veins. This is just like the vision he had.
And still, Taehyung suddenly can't seem to move his legs at all. The hairs all over his body start rising, a numbing sensation spreading through his legs and almost making his knees buckle under his weight.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Taehyung can't breathe. His hands tremble by his sides.
Steps. Those are steps.
Behind him. Someone is behind him.
His mind has gone entirely blank, blood loudly rushing in his ears. They're coming closer. The footsteps. Right behind him.
Taehyung doesn't want to but he looks back over his shoulder anyway.
There it is. Avoiding the flickering lights of the street lamps. The shadow. Only that it isn't quite as formless anymore as it used to be. Its shape is distinctively human now.
That is a person.
Or at least something person-shaped.
As soon as Taehyung has turned his head the shadow charges at him and Taehyung finally tears himself out of his paralysis, running. A sharp, cold gust of wind seems to be reaching for him from behind as the world around him begins to darken.
But Taehyung doesn’t stop running.
Tears cling to his lashes and the primal instinct to survive has taken over his body entirely. He can hear it coming. Right behind him. It's right behind him.
He stumbles up the metal stairs, ignoring the pain from bumping into the corners. Sprinting down the short hallway he reaches the safety of his front door. His vision is blurry and he can’t seem to find the right key immediately. His hands tremble so much he has trouble holding them at all.
Panicked, he glances at the stairway just as the shadow reaches the walkway. It seems to grow the longer Taehyung looks at it. Arms and legs reach far into the walkway before it has even taken a single step.
He can't make out a face.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Taehyung whispers-yells, looking down as he fumbles with his key, trying to get it into the lock but his hands are trembling too much.
Something presses against him from behind.
A scream gets stuck in his throat when hands reach around him, taking the keys. His door opens and he's pushed inside rather unruly. It doesn’t matter.
Taehyung scrambles further into his apartment on his hands and knees. He’s reaching for anything to defend himself with, pulling down his appliances from the kitchen counters in his panicked state. His heartbeat is echoing in his head.
His hand clenches around the knife he used this morning. It’s quite dull but Taehyung doesn’t even notice in his panic.
He whirls around, holding the knife up as if it could truly protect him, and finds a familiar person standing in his entryway.
“You?!” Taehyung yells, “I fucking knew it was you! Get the fuck out of my apartment!”
Yoongi.
It’s fucking Yoongi.
“What do you think you could do to me with a tiny knife like that?” Yoongi asks with a small chuckle as he walks further into the apartment. Taehyung unintentionally stumbles back when Yoongi enters the kitchen area, quickly starting to open random cupboards.
“Where’s your salt?” He asks and Taehyung can't even comprehend the question properly.
“What the fuck?”
Yoongi finds the small container the moment the front door starts rattling. Taehyung gasps in fear — the shadow. He can see it from under the door where it's blocking the light from outside.
It's still there.
It's still out there and it's not Yoongi.
The light starts flickering and Yoongi hurries to the front door, pouring a line of salt onto the ground before he pulls Taehyung further into the apartment. He puts more salt down on the window sills and lastly in front of the bedroom door after he's pulled it shut behind them.
“That should do it for now.”
Taehyung just stares at him. His grip on the small knife has loosened and he simply can not comprehend what just happened. In the background, he still hears the rattling and insistent knocking on his front door.
When Yoongi turns to look at him the words just spill over his lips, “Who the fuck are you?”
“The person that is trying to save your life.”
There's not a single word that can express what Taehyung is feeling or thinking right now. His mouth is trying to desperately find one but not a sound travels over his lips. All he can manage is to look like a fish out of the water with how much his mouth is opening and closing.
This is incredibly ridiculous and Taehyung desperately needs it to be nothing more than a bad dream.
“Take your time, it’s fine,” Yoongi winks and something snaps within Taehyung.
“What the fuck!” He yells, surprised at himself with how much he’s finding himself cursing, “What the fuck is going on here!? You’re behind it all, right? I knew something was off with you. Oh my god —”
“You felt it with your special fortune-telling powers?” Yoongi interrupts him with a laugh.
Taehyung's body is alight, his skin burning and if he didn’t feel the primal fear from before still stuck deep within his bones he would have at least tried landing a punch on that smug face of Yoongi.
“Fuck you! You know that’s fake,” He argues, throwing everything to the wind, “What the hell is your deal? Tell me what’s going on or I, I —”
The smile on Yoongi's face is widening with every word Taehyung is hurling at him and it just pisses him off more and more. This sensation of being looked down upon, of being the butt of some kind of joke he wasn't aware of agitates him more and more.
“You will stab me with your little butter knife?” Yoongi muses and once again, Taehyung finds himself so consumed by his racing feelings and thoughts that he can only gasp for air instead of retorting something witting.
“Anyway,” Yoongi moves toward him and Taehyung instinctively stumbles back until he hits the edge of his bed. His knees buckle and he finds himself staring up at the strange man. “I am truly here to save you. You could consider me, maybe, a — colleague — of sorts.”
Everything is happening a bit too fast for him to comprehend. This must be a dream. He's decided that for now, though everything feels a bit too real.
It's fine. Dreams often feel strangely real. That must be it. It's just a strange dream.
Caught off guard by the hand suddenly offering him something Taehyung accepts the small piece of paper without hesitation. His eyes scan the letters printed on the card and he almost laughs.
“You’re… a — shaman?”
Yoongi nods at his question and now Taehyung really lets a small, airy laugh escape his lips.
Is he kidding right now? A shaman? Does he expect Taehyung to believe that? Yoongi is just a scammer like him.
But if that's true, a small voice in the back of his head pipes up, How do you explain everything that's been going on?
Taehyung would rather not think about that.
“Yeah, so we’re pretty similar, right? I mean,” Yoongi winks at him again before he sits down on the bed next to him, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. Taehyung moves away so that their thighs aren’t touching anymore. “Apart from the fact that you are a scam artist and I am an actual shaman with connections to the supernatural.”
“Bullshit.”
The word is out before Taehyung even realized it left his mouth.
Something behind the locked bedroom door crashes and Taehyung's blood runs cold, panic thrumming deep within his chest again.
“You can ask the vengeful spirit that just made it past the first salt line,” Yoongi shrugs and stretches his arms above his head.
“Bull-fucking-shit…” Taehyung mumbles, the previous bite lacking from his now fear-stricken voice, “You’re fucking with me.”
Something sparks in Yoongi's eyes and suddenly, Taehyung feels entirely bare under his gaze.
“Has anyone ever told you that you have a really foul mouth?” The man asks him and for a second longer, he holds the intense eye contact before breaking out into laughter, “Not that I have anything against that.”
Taehyung is still trying to get himself to focus properly when the lights start flickering again. His bedroom door rattles, the hinges screaming for mercy and his grip on the butter knife tightens again.
His heart is hammering in his throat. A cold wave of dread washes over him and he instinctively ducks behind Yoongi.
The other man doesn’t seem frightened at all and for the love of everything, Taehyung can not understand why. If this is truly a spirit haunting him Yoongi should be freaking out as much as he is — right?
But there's still a small smile on his lips. “It seems you have scammed the wrong person and now there’s someone out to get you.”
“... a vengeful spirit is out to get me?”
“Uh-huh.”
Just then, there's another loud bang and the lights go out. Taehyung flinches violently. Somehow, his free hand has found comfort in grasping onto the back of Yoongi's shirt as tight as possible.
“What are we going to do?” He wails, “You! You have to do something!”
“Oh, so now you want my help,” Yoongi chuckles, prying Taehyung's cold, sweaty hand off him, “I thought I was behind all of this? How am I supposed to help?”
In the darkness, the little light spilling under the crack of the door obviously shows someone standing right outside. Taehyung can't tear his gaze away. His hands are trembling and a chill runs down his spine.
When his breath suddenly comes out in short, sharp bursts of white and goosebumps rise over his skin from the sudden freezing temperatures around them his vision blurs with unshed tears.
That's all it takes for Yoongi to lose the cocky smile he's worn all this time.
At last, he seems to take pity on Taehyung's terrified state.
Taehyung swears through the haze he even sees a tiny bit of concern in his dark eyes.
Hands grab his cheeks and their warmth is a stark contrast to the coldness around them. Taehyung manages to draw in a shaky breath that is a bit calmer than the one before.
“Okay, relax — I am here to help you,” Yoongi says, trying to keep Taehyung’s gaze on him instead of letting it stray to the rattling door. And somehow, for a small moment, Taehyung actually feels comforted, even a bit safe with Yoongi.
As if it could be fine. As if everything could turn out fine if Yoongi handles it.
“There are many ways to temporarily stop a vengeful spirit,” Yoongi explains and at that moment Taehyung still has hope but that changes the second Yoongi continues talking, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth again, “Most effective one is having sex.”
The words hit him like a sucker punch to the gut.
For a moment, Taehyung can't even feel terrified anymore because his entire mind and body have just frozen at Yoongi’s words. He must have misheard him… Right? He must have.
But he didn't.
Sadly, he didn't.
The burning in his chest is back.
“Se — what?!” Taehyung sputters, “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying, the spirit is attracted to your Yin energy that stems from darkness. Your fear, for example. It feeds off it. The more Yin energy you have the stronger the spirit will become by feeding off it.”
“Okay?” Taehyung is not entirely sure what the fuck Yoongi is trying to explain to him right now but there are more pressing matters. “How is — sex — going to help that?”
“It releases your Yin energy and encourages Yang energy, and that is what we need right now,” Yoongi explains it in a tone as if he’s speaking to a toddler, looking at Taehyung as though he should have known all of this already, “So, sex is one of the best ways to get rid of it temporarily and deplete its strength.”
In theory, maybe, Taehyung kind of grasps what Yoongi is saying but it’s just…
“Sex?” He asks again, just to make sure, and then warily looks between the two of them, “...Us?”
“Do you see someone else?” Yoongi laughs, “You can always just masturbate too, though that’s not as effective as sex but —”
Taehyung interrupts him with a screech, leaping off the bed, and somewhere behind him, the butter knife clatters to the ground. “How would anyone be able to think about sex in a situation like this?”
“I mean, I can,” Yoongi shrugs entirely unphased, “We should do it quickly, salt lines are only really effective on pretty weak spirits anyway and yours has been feeding off you for a while already so…”
There is no way this isn’t just a really bad dream that is trying its damn hardest to be funny. No way. Because what the fuck?
“I’m not having sex with you right here,” Taehyung states dryly.
“Okay, how about a little hand action then?” Yoongi mimics the movement with his hand and it takes everything in Taehyung not to scream at him in embarrassment. “It would be better than nothing.”
Before Taehyung can decide whether to yell at him again or if he seriously has to get physical, a shadow peeks through under the door. It stretches into the room like the searching fingers of a hand.
Yoongi throws a handful of salt down and the shadow retracts as if being burned. But it's still right outside. Taehyung's heart is beating in his throat.
“It’s still quite weak and can’t keep its shape for long,” Yoongi says, grabbing Taehyung by the shoulders and shaking him out of his frozen, panicked state. “How do you feel about kissing?”
Oh, please, someone help him.
Taehyung can’t believe he’s actually starting to give in to what Yoongi is telling him. If it weren’t for the fear scurrying under his skin like a million mites that buried their way inside he wouldn't even entertain a single word that pseudo shaman is saying.
But right now, he can only hope that Yoongi is telling the truth. That he is able to help him because even if that spirit out there might still be weak, Taehyung wouldn’t want to face it either way.
So, he looks at Yoongi's face once more, reminding himself that the other is quite easy on the eyes and a kiss — Taehyung can do that. A kiss should be fine.
To save his life? It should be fine.
“Would that be enough?”
Yoongi nods and Taehyung only hesitates for a short moment longer before taking a deep breath and putting himself into Yoongi's hands.
“Just try to follow my lead,” Yoongi says, and before Taehyung can nod there are lips against his already.
He doesn’t have time to appreciate their softness before Yoongi pushes him back, back, further back. The tightly curled snake of fear in the pit of his stomach roars to life when Taehyung realizes Yoongi is pushing him toward the door. He tries to struggle but Yoongi doesn't even let him breathe.
Despite his slightly smaller frame, Yoongi is much stronger than Taehyung.
Their teeth clash as Taehyung hits the door, feeling it violently rattle against his back and it's like winter itself creeps into his body this close to the spirit. His mind freezes the same way his body does, seizing up in fear.
“Just look at me,” Yoongi says, his eyes like an anchor in the darkness of the room, “Concentrate only on the kiss.”
This time, Yoongi crashes their mouths together a bit more forcefully, pushing Taehyung against the door with all his strength. He goes rigid, heat rising to his cheeks when Yoongi pushes his tongue past his lips. The sensation of the kiss — one of the very few Taehyung experienced during his life, though he'd never admit that out loud, especially to the man in front of him — overwhelms his senses much easier than he thought it would.
It's not too difficult for Taehyung to follow Yoongi's orders, not when he keeps kissing him like this. Taehyung hates to admit it but Yoongi is an amazing kisser, stealing his breath away and replacing the cold dread in the bottom of his chest with an interested heat.
The more Yoongi kisses him the smaller Taehyung's world starts to shrink until he forgets why they're even kissing in the first place.
That’s how good it feels.
When Yoongi pulls back Taehyung unconsciously follows his lips, the slight daze around him only lifting slowly. His eyes are focused on Yoongi's reddened, spit-slicked lips and it’s hard for him to think about looking away again. There's a tingle under his skin he's never quite felt before.
“It's gone,” Yoongi's voice breaks through the haze.
A little confused, Taehyung wipes at the corner of his mouth, finding it wet with saliva. “...what?” He asks and his strained voice and disoriented gaze make Yoongi's pinkish lips pull into a small smirk again.
“The spirit,” Yoongi chuckles, laughing even more when Taehyung’s eyes widen and he finally entirely comes back to reality, “You should be able to sleep well for tonight.”
Heat floods his cheeks and he can't decide whether the burning in his chest is because of anger or embarrassment. Suddenly, it's much harder to even look in Yoongi's direction. Taehyung is much too aware of the fact that he let himself be swept away like this with a simple kiss.
So, instead of looking at Yoongi and facing the impact of their kiss, Taehyung steps back from the door and warily musters it.
It's not rattling anymore. His breath doesn't come out in a white fog and the goosebumps have disappeared from his skin. The light is also back on.
And still, there's still the remains of dread in the pit of his stomach and he finds himself forcing out a question he'd rather not ask.
He doesn’t face Yoongi on purpose when he asks him, “Will you… stay?”
Despite that, he can picture the expression on his face perfectly. A smug smirk. He can hear it in his voice. Almost gloating.
“I can't refuse if you wanna share your bed with me so badly.”
Taehyung makes a face. “On second thought, I'd rather be alone.”
But he really wouldn't. And Yoongi doesn't leave him alone anyway. He stays.
Even though Taehyung made the attempt to convince Yoongi to sleep on the couch he only did so half-heartedly. Having the shaman close to him kind of makes him feel a little bit safer even though for now, it really does seem as though the spirit has left for the night. But Taehyung would rather be safe than sorry.
Still, he insists on the small wall of pillows he puts up between them on the bed and skillfully ignores Yoongi’s comment about them not needing those since they already swapped spit anyway.
He falls asleep quite easily. And for the first time in a while, he is not plagued by nightmares.
-o-
Taehyung wakes up well-rested for the first time in quite a while and with the smell of food in the air.
He pries his eyes open carefully, still groggy as his mind is slowly catching up to everything that happened last night. Slightly alarmed, he sits up straight and finds Yoongi next to him on the bed, wide awake.
The other man is eating out of Taehyung's favorite bowl and he looks so different from last night that Taehyung is almost convinced there’s a complete stranger in his apartment. Not that Yoongi is much more than just a stranger as well.
In the light of day, Yoongi looks much less scary and much less threatening than he did before. The word ‘pretty’ floats through Taehyung's head for a second before he's able to throw it out again. It was just a second but the damage is done. That single word brings back the memories of the kiss — kisses — they shared last night and Taehyung kind of wishes he could just fall right back to sleep and forget about everything.
He groans slightly and Yoongi finally notices he's awake. He's a messy eater. There's already a stain on his — wait.
Taehyung sits up straighter and really looks at Yoongi and at what he's wearing.
“Is that… my shirt?” Taehyung asks warily. He's not even sure why he's asking because that is definitely his shirt but he's just not sure how else to go about the situation.
Yoongi is entirely unbothered by his question, only nodding with a large smile while he stuffs his face with more food. His hair is slightly damp. Did he shower?
Wait, that's not important. Taehyung's eyes wander down his body and startle to a stop once more.
“And my pants?”
“Yup,” Yoongi replies, popping the ‘p’ almost a little too aggressively. Taehyung is about to complain, not sure whether it's about Yoongi wearing his clothes or about him not asking permission when a familiar scent suddenly enters his nose.
“Are you — did you use my shampoo?”
“Yeah, it's pretty nice,” Yoongi ruffles his freshly washed hair, “Makes it so soft. I love it.”
Okay. Cool. Very cool.
Taehyung has no idea how to react to any of this. It's just — strange. It's strange, isn't it? Okay, he may have asked Yoongi to stay but he did not invite him to act as though he were at home here. They're still basically strangers.
Strangers who kissed, a small voice reminds him that he silences almost immediately again.
Anyway, strangers. It's weird for Yoongi to just help himself to whatever he wants in Taehyung's house, right? But then, from what he's seen of him so far, Taehyung would not call Yoongi anything else than strange and weird.
So, maybe he should have expected something like this.
He's still trying to gather his thoughts when his eyes almost on instinct, follow Yoongi's hand as he reaches under the shirt he's wearing to scratch at his stomach. That's when he sees a very familiar piece of fabric peeking over the waistband of Yoongi’s pants.
Is he serious?
“Is that my fucking underwear?”
And for the first time, Yoongi reacts with more than just a self-satisfied smile. “What?” He complains with a small undertone of teasing, “You wanted me to go commando?” He leans closer to Taehyung when he asks, wriggling his eyebrows suggestively and Taehyung is starting to regret asking him to stay last night. “I mean, you can always take these off me.”
Red flushes his cheeks but Taehyung tries to pretend he doesn't imagine what Yoongi just insinuated.
He rolls his eyes and gets off the bed, stretching a bit and relishing in the satisfying pop of his spine. “I meant to ask, are you always like this?”
“Only when I like what I see,” Yoongi winks and Taehyung quickly turns away to hide his expression.
What the hell is wrong with Yoongi? Does he have a screw loose? Is Taehyung really alright with having him here? Trusting him to help?
Well, it's not like he has much of a choice but still… There might be someone more sane out there that could help him. But Taehyung knows finding someone else would come close to a miracle so for now, he just has to settle for Yoongi and his questionable sense of — humor.
“Anyway…” He clears his throat, glossing over Yoongi's last words as if they meant nothing, “Thank you — for last night. For saving me. Again.”
To his luck, Yoongi doesn't mention his sudden change in the topic at all but he does wear a mischievous smile on his lips as he puts his empty bowl down and leans back on his hands. Taehyung tries not to look at him too much but it feels almost impossible.
As if something is drawing him in.
Maybe Yoongi did put some kind of spell on him and he's just pretending to be of help. Or maybe, it's just these stupid, stupid memories of how it felt to be kissed by him that have Taehyung's eyes travel back to his stupidly pinkish lips every single time.
And why did Yoongi have to pick one of the shirts out of his closet that is even oversized on Taehyung? It's really distracting when the collar keeps sliding to the side, almost slipping off his shoulder.
It is distracting in the most annoying way.
And that's definitely also how Taehyung is looking at him. Annoyed. Definitely not in a different way.
When the silence lasts too long and the tension becomes almost unbearable Taehyung just blurts something out. “But uh, what do we do now? About the spirit I mean.”
That wipes the mischievous expression off Yoongi's face and turns it into a somewhat serious one. Even the tone of his voice becomes more serious.
“Well, the longer it stays in this world the stronger it's going to get. Its hatred for you is keeping it here. I guess it probably blames you for its death —”
“I'm not responsible for anyone's death!” Taehyung interrupts him in panic. This is ridiculous. As if he ever wanted anyone to die! It was only about the money. All he wanted was a bit of money.
“Not directly maybe,” Yoongi continues, “Most spirits like these have committed suicide because of someone, wanting to take revenge on them by haunting them after death. I mean, a scam artist should somehow think about possibilities like these…”
“Getting haunted?” Taehyung screeches. How could Yoongi imply he is at fault for something like this? He never went too far with his acts, never promised something outrageous. All he did was pocket a bit of money from people who had some to spare. Is it a crime — okay, it might be a crime but that doesn’t mean he signed up to get haunted.
He never did anything that would make someone want to kill themselves. And he definitely never meant to grab the attention of a vengeful spirit.
Taehyung cries, burying his face in his hands as he groans. Who would ever think of getting haunted because of a small scam? “I never thought something like this could happen!”
“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Yoongi tries to calm him down but that nonchalant look in his eyes only serves to do the exact opposite. Yoongi is trying to reassure him — at least, Taehyung thinks it’s meant to be reassuring but he’s not really sure. He can’t place Yoongi. Can’t read him well. One moment he looks at Taehyung as though he sees everything, every little corner of his mind, his soul, and the next, he is as unserious as one can be. And now, he’s trying to reassure him in his own, strange way. “The spirit haunting you is still relatively weak so we'll be mostly fine for now.”
There’s just no way to get him to speak clearly, right?
Taehyung gulps. “For now?” Unsure whether to laugh or to cry, Taehyung opts, for laughing as he mumbles to himself, “I can’t believe this is happening to me…”
And while he laments about how fucked up this whole situation is, Yoongi, once again, says something that hits him like a punch out of nowhere. “I’m a good fuck.”
Again, just like last night, Yoongi's words force all the air out of Taehyung's lungs at once.
He chokes. Shakes his head because surely, he misheard. Looks at Yoongi, realizes he didn't mishear a single thing, and then takes a deep, deep breath.
It does not calm him at all.
Every single time he opens his mouth, Taehyung is surprised again and again by how much more unhinged Yoongi can get. The more he talks, the more bizarre his words get. If the situation weren’t so dire he would probably even burst out laughing. But since it is his life they’re playing with right now, he can not find humor in Yoongi’s words.
“How —” He starts but has to stop himself for a second or he might start yelling. He continues in a low whisper, “How —” Taehyung cuts himself off with a sharp inhale. It’s fine, he tells himself. He’s fine. Everything is fine. He holds his breath for a moment before releasing it slowly, trying his best to stay calm. This time, his voice comes out a bit quieter but not less sharp than before, though, in the middle of his sentence, his words just burst out of him with all their angry and confused might, “How is that in any way relevant — to a fucking ghost wanting to end me!?”
Yelling at Yoongi would be much more satisfying if the other would actually react to it. Like this, it’s like trying to reason with a wall.
It seems as if it simply doesn’t matter what Taehyung says, Yoongi isn’t phased by anything at all.
“Spirit,” He corrects him most unhelpfully before he shrugs, letting himself fall back against Taehyung’s pillows while stretching his arms above his head, “I’m just saying. Kissing won't cut it at some point anymore. Until we get rid of it we need to make sure to release all of your Yin energy regularly so the spirit won't be able to affect you too much. We can do a test run if you don’t want to have your first time in front of a haunting audience.”
Taehyung massages his temples. “Can you shut up for one moment, please?”
But no. Yoongi can’t.
-o-
Yoongi stays with him throughout the rest of the day. It's the first time Taehyung feels kind of safe at his own place in quite some time but he keeps that small detail to himself.
There's no reason for Yoongi to get any weird ideas — like, that Taehyung just trusts him that easily. He's still on guard though he doesn't have much of a choice but to trust what Yoongi said. He's right about the spirit, knows a lot more than him, and protects him.
He doesn't want to think about what might have happened if he were alone last night. Just the thought of it sends a shiver down Taehyung's spine. It's just that he doesn't want to put yet another smug smile on Yoongi's face so he keeps the extent of his gratitude to himself.
They spend the rest of the day on Taehyung's couch with Yoongi trying to answer every single question Taehyung has while also explaining the situation as best as possible.
At the end of the day, Taehyung only wants to drown his sorrows in alcohol and hit the bed. And he's not exactly much smarter than before either.
But this is what he did gather from everything Yoongi told him. Vengeful spirits attach themselves to the person they blame for their death or want to take revenge on. They do so by feeding off their Yin energy which attracts all those uncomfortable feelings one has. It keeps the spirit strong, keeps it growing. The more they manage to draw out emotions that boost their victim's Yin energy, the closer they come to getting an entirely physical form back. And once they have a body again, it’s mostly game over for their victim.
But that small detail about the physical body is why Taehyung only felt something watching him before. There was nothing to see yet. But the more uneasy he felt, the more stressed and scared, the stronger his vengeful spirit grew until it had the loose shape of a shadow. And now recently, the shadowy figure is starting to resemble a human body more and more.
Which is, not a good thing. Taehyung understood that much.
No matter how many times Taehyung asked, Yoongi said he couldn't simply exorcise the sprint like that.
“Some shaman you are…” Taehyung had mumbled then and got a soft kick against his chest in retaliation. It may have been slightly deserved. Yoongi doesn’t have to help him after all. He chose to. Of his own free will.
“Why are you even doing this?” Taehyung asks him then but Yoongi never gives him a clear answer.
“I'm interested in you.”
“Interested?”
There it is again. That strange expression on his face that Taehyung couldn’t quite place. A look in his eyes that makes his stomach sink and curl up in tiny, tight knots.
It's the same way he looked at him the first time they met. And even if Taehyung can't put his finger on what it is, there is something about Yoongi in those moments that scares him so much he can barely breathe. His instincts are telling him to get away, go save himself but he just can’t tell why.
And then, this feeling is gone almost as quickly as it came.
So, he lets it be.
So far, Yoongi seems to want to help him and nothing else. And Taehyung doesn't exactly have a reason to distrust him apart from these short moments but he can't exactly tell Yoongi that.
Well, Taehyung tries not to think too much about this. That proves easier than he initially thought once Yoongi explains what they need to do in order to get rid of the spirit.
“To make completely sure, we need to burn its body, bones and all. So there's nothing left behind in this world.”
Oh, if that's all, Taehyung had almost laughed thinking Yoongi was telling a joke.
But he didn't.
It's just that he said it with a small smile and a tone so nonchalant it's as if he's talking about this as if it were as easy as cooking instant ramen or something. When it’s not. Definitely not. Yeah, no. They have no idea who this spirit might have been when it was alive and now they're supposed to find its dead body. How would that be easy in any way?
But maybe, Taehyung could go through the register they keep of all their clients in case they return. It helps him with keeping up the illusion, always being well informed of return customers — makes it a lot easier to make his skills seem legit.
That's where they ended up once the day was over. There's really nothing more they can do right now. Taehyung just hopes he does stumble upon a name or a few that could possibly lead them to the identity of the spirit.
For now, they decide to let Yoongi stay at his place so he can help out whenever he needs to. Which opens up many different opportunities for the shaman to offer a kind of help Taehyung still can’t quite believe is supposed to work against a spirit.
But Taheunyg draws a clear line. Is it ideal to make out with Yoongi to keep the spirit at bay? No. Is it enjoyable? Yes. So, Taehyung accepts it. (And enjoys it in the secrecy of his own mind though he thinks he may not fool Yoongi into thinking he is all nonchalant about their make-out sessions but that’s a problem he’d rather ignore.)
Going further than kissing though — despite the many offers Yoongi has, mostly in a joking, teasing tone, made — is something Taehyung is staying away from. That doesn’t deter Yoongi though. It may even fire him up more. And if he doesn’t proposition him, he’s nagging him to solve the problem on his own.
“Are you jerking off?” Yoongi’s voice echoes through the closed bathroom door.
Taehyung slips on the wet tiles of the shower, almost landing on his bare ass if he didn’t manage to grab the rail in time. His heart is pounding in his throat from the scare and he can feel himself flush already.
“No! What the fuck?” He yells back loudly, washing the last bit of shampoo out of his hair while keeping close to the wall in case Yoongi is going to say something insane again and he needs to grab onto the safety of the rail once more.
“You should,” Yoongi says and Taehyung suppresses a deep sigh — oh, how often did they have this type of conversation now? Too many times to count. “The spirit is taking shape more and more and we still don't have a name.”
Taehyung steps out of the shower, goosebumps rising all over his skin as he starts to towel himself dry. At least this time he actually remembered to properly lock the door, otherwise Yoongi would have just popped up behind him in the shower like that one time. Just thinking back to it makes Taehyung unconsciously rub against the side of his hip where he had a nasty bruise from slipping and falling.
Yoongi doesn’t seem to know any kind of boundaries.
“I'm not jerking off when I know you're listening,” He calls back to the other and he can easily imagine the face Yoongi is making right now.
To his horror, it almost makes him smile. Must be some kind of Stockholm syndrome. He’s gotten so used to Yoongi’s weirdness that he’s actually starting to find him funny.
“But you are considering it.”
Taehyung just ignores that and dries his hair quickly. Ah. He left his change of clothes outside. A rookie mistake.
“I can do it too if that would make it easier,” Yoongi offers and Taehyung is already kind of familiar with this course of action. He can see the mischievous smile on Yoongi’s lips in front of his eyes, can hear the teasing undertone in his voice clear as day. “We can even do it together.”
Quickly, Taehyung wraps the towel tightly around his waist. He tries to hide the way his mouth wants to curl up into a smile so he can keep up the act of only being annoyed before opening the bathroom door. “You know what —” But whatever he was going to say is suddenly gone from his mouth, not a word left on his tongue.
His clothes. Yoongi is wearing his clothes again though he’s brought plenty of his own when he started staying here. But he’s wearing Taehyung’s clothes. And not just any clothes. It’s the same shirt he wore the last time they made out.
That time Taehyung almost let his hands slip under that very shirt. He can still remember the heat that almost met the tips of his fingers. Still remembers how the fabric of the shirt felt against his skin and how hot Yoongi’s tongue was, how warm his breath was, and how much he tried to swallow all those little noises Taehyung had learned to elicit from him after kissing him so many times before.
He shouldn’t be remembering this. It’s not good. Not good at all.
His stomach churns but it’s not uncomfortable. Quite the opposite.
Oh, this is stupid. This is dumb. But Taehyung can’t stop his mouth. The words were out before he even registered them.
“Okay,” He says. Okay. Just — okay.
And for a moment, the usual smirk on Yoongi’s face fades. His eyes widen and he seems at a loss for words. Something Taehyung thought was impossible.
“...Okay?” The shaman asks slowly.
He might regret this. But he doesn’t care.
“Okay,” Taehyung confirms, licking his suddenly very dry lips, “Let's do it together then.”
It takes another moment for the words to fully register in Yoongi’s mind. As if he’s waiting for Taehyung to say he was joking or something but when he doesn’t, the mischievous grin returns to Yoongi’s lips. Bright and wide.
“Alright then,” Yoongi says and promptly pulls Taehyung’s towel down in one go. His first instinct is to cover himself but Yoongi grabs his hands before he can. He’s not looking him in the eyes and Taehyung can feel his blush spread from his face all the way down to his chest.
The usual smirk is plastered on Yoongi’s lips when he does glance up at him again. “Nice,” is all he says, and Taehyung kind of wants to disappear into the ground just as much as he wants to know what it would be like to be touched by someone else.
-o-
Though Taehyung did not plan to get closer physically — or emotionally — to Yoongi, he ends up doing just that.
He guesses living together, sharing very heated make-out sessions, the occasional hand job, and a near-death experience just do that. Bringing them closer even if that's not their intention. Or at least not Taehyung’s. He’s not sure if Yoongi even has any intentions or if he does everything on a whim.
It's fine though. Taehyung isn't exactly complaining about the whole thing. He quite enjoys a few aspects of the strange relationship he formed with Yoongi. And of course, he is grateful that he's not facing the spirit alone anymore.
The dark alleyways, his empty apartment, the dancing shadows on the walls — they all feel a lot less threatening with the shaman by his side.
Yoongi accompanies him to work in the morning and Taehyung can see him on the other side of the street at least half an hour before they're closing every day. When Yoongi goes with him he's not as terrified of the moving shadows that follow him or of the person he swears is watching him from the shadows.
The only slight problem they ran into was that Jimin got a bit mad at him for not telling him he got a boyfriend. (As if. And even if he did, Taehyung would not choose Yoongi either way.) At first, Taehyung thought about trying to explain the situation to him but it felt far too complicated so he simply let him believe they were dating. Jimin's assumption doesn't bother him as much as he thought it would so it's fine for now. (He will have to look into the reason for that at a later date when he's not currently fearing for his life.)
Thankfully, it didn't take them more than two weeks to come up with a small list of names that could potentially have become a vengeful spirit. Researching their current whereabouts and whether they committed suicide or not feels like a much more achievable feat than looking for a specific name among hundreds.
And still, Taehyung grows more and more worried each day.
When Yoongi is with him, the spirit seems much more cautious to approach him but it's still there. Always just there and there's not really much they can do against it growing stronger.
Of course, Yoongi keeps pushing him to release his Yin energy as often as possible but they're both noticing that their small escapades are starting to become less and less effective.
At some point, they will have to come up with a different plan.
Taehyung just hopes that before it comes to that, they have identified the spirit and could work on locating its grave so they can get rid of it once and for all.
But right now, he's sticking close to Yoongi, sharing his bed and body heat with him as much as he can. This evening as well, his lips still tingle when he wakes up in the middle of the night from how much he's been kissing Yoongi before they went to sleep. It’s ridiculous. He didn’t know kissing could be this enjoyable. It’s almost an addiction at this point.
Thinking back on it, it was a little embarrassing. In the moment, Taehyung often gets completely lost in pleasure — it's not his fault Yoongi is such a great kisser — and finds himself much more desperate, much more pushy than Yoongi.
It is embarrassing.
Oh, and when the shaman smirks at him the moment he has to pull away to catch his breath Taehyung could just — ugh. He wishes Yoongi would lose his composure at least once as well.
He's fantasizing about what that would look like while getting out of bed. Yoongi is still dead asleep and Taehyung is stumbling through the darkness of his bedroom with immense pressure on his bladder. He's half asleep, goosebumps rising all over his skin as he already misses the warmth of his bed — especially since Yoongi is like a freaking furnace. It's like having an oven under the covers.
Because of that, Taehyung actually enjoys sharing his bed. But right now he really, really has to pee.
He's quick with it, relieving himself before getting stuck by the sink for a bit. His eyes keep slipping shut again and he can't bring himself to move quicker. The cold of the night is creeping in and he shivers, rubbing his legs and feet against each other.
In his half-asleep state, he first doesn't even realize someone is calling out to him. And even as he does, he can't understand a word.
“What?” Taehyung calls out sleepily, slowly washing his hands while suppressing a yawn, “Can you wait a secon’? I'm almost back.” Whatever Yoongi wants from him, it can’t be that urgent. Not in the middle of the night.
The water is ice cold. No matter how much Taehyung twists the knob, it doesn’t get warmer.
He sighs annoyed. He will have to call the Landlord for this tomorrow. He can’t forget. There’s always some stupid issue with this apartment.
Again, Yoongi's dull voice echoes through the bathroom door and even though he's more awake now, Taehyung still doesn't understand what he wants from him.
With a small groan, he dries his hands quickly, stomping toward the door and throwing it open. “What do you —”
The words get stuck in his throat.
As if a bucket of cold water has been dumped over his head Taehyung freezes.
That's not Yoongi standing in front of the door.
Again, that strange sound. It wasn't Yoongi calling for him. It was this.
Taehyung's heart is racing in his throat. His breath comes out white and it's like a mist of ice settles all over his skin.
“You —” Again, that thing is trying to talk to him. The spirit. It must be. It looks much more human now than it did before. Where its shape wasn’t able to keep hold before are defined lines now. A real body.
But Taehyung can't see its face.
“You —” It says, its voice like a mangled mess of a hundred different voices trying to speak all at once. Fear grips tightly onto his throat. “Your fault. It's all — your — fault.”
A mask is covering the spirit's face.
Taehyung can't tell who it is.
He needs to do something. Run away. Yell. Anything. But he can’t even bring his eyes to leave the darkness behind the holes in the mask. The nothingness hiding behind scares him the most. Two black holes that seem to suck him in, suck the life force out of him with a simple glance.
His lungs are so tight he can barely breathe. All his muscles tensed so much that he started trembling without even noticing.
Yoongi is right there. A few steps away, asleep in bed. He's right there. Taehyung only needs to call out to him but he can’t. His lips won’t move. His eyes don’t even blink.
He can't do anything.
“This is all your fault,” The spirit repeats and the voice is like nails on a chalkboard. Taehyung recoils on instinct, stumbling back into the bathroom but the spirit only follows.
“It should have been you.”
The spirit's presence is suffocating and it quickly fills the small bathroom. Taehyung is gasping for every bit of air. A cold hand seems to have settled around his throat, squeezing tightly. He’s getting lightheaded.
“You did this to me.”
Taehyung shakes his head. Tears brim at his eyes. “I… didn't… I…”
“You did this to me,” The spirit repeats louder, angrier. It crowds against Taehyung and he chokes on his breath. “You promised luck to be on my side — it is your fault I took those chances! It is all your fault!”
He can't breathe. He really can't breathe anymore.
Panic thrums in his veins, the sound of his desperately pounding heart so loud in his ears that it's the only thing he hears.
He's going to suffocate. He's going to die.
His head is empty as his lungs start to burn more and more. The spirit is above him, talking again but Taehyung can't hear anything over the sound of his rushing blood. His vision is getting fuzzy, darkening at the edges when the pressure suddenly lessens.
He coughs, saliva dripping from his lips to the ground as he's on his hands and knees, greedily gulping down air.
His vision is still hazy but he can make out Yoongi somewhere behind him with the spirit. While he's fighting for air, the shaman seems to be trying to get rid of the shadowy figure. Taehyung's arms buckle under his weight and he finds himself on the ground, his cheek pressed to the cold tiles.
It could have been mere minutes or long hours — Taehyung can’t tell — until the suffocating cold leaves the bathroom and a warm hand settles on his face. Taehyung has to blink a few times before he can make Yoongi out above him.
“You okay?” The shaman asks with worry reflected in his eyes and Taehyug tries to sit.
He feels a little like he got run over by a truck or something. His lungs are still ice cold but he can breathe easier now.
Taehyung nods once and accepts Yoongi's hand to help pull him to his feet. They don't exchange any more words until they're both back in bed and Yoongi has settled next to him.
“You sure you’re okay?” He asks again and Taehyung nods a lot quicker this time. Warmth is returning to his body though his heart is still racing and his stomach is still tied in tight knots. But he’s okay. It’s fine. He’s fine.
“Okay,” Yoongi whispers and his expression seems conflicted when he glances at him again, “I know you probably don’t feel like it but we should really release all the Yin energy that your body just produced…”
Right… Taehyung takes a deep breath. Since Yoongi told him about these energies he often thinks he can feel them filling his body.
Yang energy is the warmth in his chest, the lightness in his step, and so on. But Yin energy. Of course, it has a place within him but when it gets off balance and starts to take over it’s like it’s clogging his veins and lungs. Everything becomes heavier and harder to move.
Right now, Taehyung is overwhelmed by a surplus of Yin energy and he just wants to get rid of it.
“I'm fine,” He says quietly, reaching for Yoongi in the dark. For his warmth, for the strange comfort of his touch. “Kiss me.”
For once, Yoongi just does as he's told without arguing and without any kind of joking or teasing remark. He only holds onto Taehyung's hands, drawing soothing circles into his palms as he warms them up again.
Taehyung shuts the entire rest of the world out when Yoongi softly presses their lips together. The kiss is nothing more than an innocent touch, a whisper shared just between the two of them. So different from what their kisses are usually like.
This one is a small promise, a promise of comfort — a warm embrace that tells Taehyung he's safe.
-o-
There is one good thing that came from the most recent and most violent attack of the spirit and that is a memory. A memory of a client.
Of course, that is not enough to be sure that this could be the person who turned into a vengeful spirit but it’s a kind of lead they didn't have before. This is their best bet right now.
It was this one particular word that set off a bell in the back of Taehyung's mind.
Luck.
He promised luck.
Taehyung promises that quite often but it's not the thing most people get hung up on. But there was this one client who kept going on and on about how to increase his luck, how to receive more of it, and how to find it anywhere. It was almost like he was possessed by it. Taehyung only remembers because it struck him as slightly odd.
If only he could remember the name right away. However, with this in mind, finding this particular client among the lists Taehyung and Jimin keep shouldn’t be too hard.
“It's gambling,” Yoongi says when they’re sitting together after closing time inside the shop. Jimin had left earlier to meet up with his new boyfriend and Yoongi came in as soon as the other left. They've found the name they were looking for in the records and Yoongi had been looking the man up online to find out everything they could about that person.
“Gambling?”
Yoongi hums and slides his phone over to Taehyung so he can see the screen too.
“Gambled every last penny away and seemed to have gotten into the hands of pretty nasty loansharks,” He explains, tapping on the police report he somehow managed to get his hands on. (Taehyung wouldn't ask how he did it, being honestly a little afraid of the answer.) “They ruled it suicide. A classic. Suicides like these often birth vengeful spirits.”
“So…” Taehyung starts, “He's saying it's my fault he gambled everything away because I told him he'd be lucky?”
Yoongi shrugs. “Doesn't matter,” He says, “What's important now is to find out where they buried his body.”
After everything, finding the burial site was the easiest to do. It takes them roughly three days to come up with a game plan.
Taehyung feels extremely uneasy and guilty when the night arrives and they scale the fence of the locked-down graveyard. It’s large and to their luck, the grave they’re looking for is far away from the lights of the street and the small guard house at the entrance.
Once they arrive at the right headstone Yoongi suddenly grabs onto Taehyung’s shoulders. Their eyes meet and he recognizes the look on Yoongi’s face immediately.
“Again?” Taehyung asks, a bit unsure about the whole thing.
It’d be weird, right? To do this kind of stuff in a dark graveyard of all places. Not just weird but a little inappropriate as well, right? Not that Yoongi would be one to care but Taehyung does. Kind of.
“Just to be sure,” Yoongi says, a smile tugging at his lips that are still slightly swollen from certain activities they’ve done before coming here. “Just a bit of kissing. We don't want the spirit to spoil the party, right?”
“Right,” Taehyung can't help but start grinning a little as well.
Sure, he feels weird because of the place but that's all. Anyone would feel a bit weirded out, right? (Oh, he can’t believe Yoongi is rubbing off on him like this.)
The atmosphere isn't really one that would get him into the mood of making out with someone else but he knows that would change the moment their lips meet. It’s always like that. Also, despite everything they've done before, Taehyung can already feel the way his Yin energy is building up within his body again.
It's because of the whole situation.
The dark graveyard, the only light coming from the stars and the moon above. Large shadows are lurking around every corner and the sight of all those headstones is enough for him to become scared even if he didn’t also have to worry about a murderous spirit suddenly popping up out of nowhere.
Anyone’s Yin energy would unnaturally rise in a situation like this.
He just needs all of this to finally be over.
So, despite the slightly weird feeling in the pit of his stomach he closes his eyes and leans into Yoongi's touch. And just like he said, once their lips meet, his uncertainty disappears fairly quickly since all he can suddenly focus on is the warmth of Yoongi's lips and the taste of his tongue.
Heat drips into his chest and runs lower, starting to gather in the pit of his stomach. Taehyung's hands tightly thread into the hair at the back of Yoongi's head, refusing to let the other pull away even for the slightest breath.
Once he starts squirming in place, his lips throbbing from how hard they've been pushing against each other, their teeth clashing on multiple occasions, Yoongi finally pulls himself free.
A thin thread of saliva connects them for a moment longer.
Taehyung is dazed, still caught in the haze of pleasure when Yoongi thrusts one of the shovels they brought into his hands with a large grin.
“We should start digging,” He chuckles, “Don't have the whole night, right? When we’re done here, we can kiss all we want.”
Taehyung can only nod, not even acknowledging Yoongi’s last remark. He's still stuck on the sensations of the kiss when he starts digging. His body feels lighter, the heavy pressure of the accumulated Yin energy relieved.
They’re digging together and the earth is thankfully quite soft. If it were later in the year, the ground would already start to freeze overnight and this would be a lot harder then. But like this, they make progress quite quickly.
And still, Taehyung is sweating after a few minutes, his breath coming out shorter as his muscles slowly start to ache.
The hole is already quite deep when Taehyung's shovel finally hits something solid. He freezes, his eyes finding Yoongi whose face has also become sweaty. They share a look before continuing to dig until the entire coffin is laid bare in the deep hole.
Taehyung wipes his forehead with the bottom of his shirt, catching his breath while Yoongi climbs out of the hole again to get all the stuff they need for the fire. Because it can’t just be any fire. That would be too easy.
A little warily Taehyung looks at the coffin and he's once again hit with how seriously insane this is. Digging up a dead person's body to burn it. If anyone caught them like this they'd get sent to prison for sure.
Taehyung is swallowing a nervous chuckle when a sudden pressure starts to surround him. His blood freezes in his veins. The spirit. He snaps his head up, searching for its shadowy figure but all he sees is Yoongi staring down at him.
The shaman stands with his backpack in one hand, unmoving. His eyes bore through his skill like ice-cold daggers.
This feeling has become something familiar to Taehyung too though it hasn’t happened that often. It's just like that time when he met Yoongi for the first time.
There's something about the way Yoongi sometimes looks at him that makes his stomach squirm uncomfortably. In moments like these, Taehyung has the haunting thought that Yoongi is not what he seems but then the other is suddenly back to normal, and Taehyung excuses his own weird fears with the heightened stress and anxiety he experiences because of the threat of the spirit.
But deep down, this small question remains. A sliver of doubt. Of fear. Fear of Yoongi.
This time too, it feels like hours but could have only been a few seconds until Yoongi is suddenly smiling again and climbs down into the hole to him.
Taehyung gulps, pressing down on his chest where he feels his racing heart.
It's fine. Yoongi is just a bit — strange — sometimes. That's all. If it's just this, Taehyung can overlook it as long as the shaman truly helps him get rid of the spirit.
Yoongi dumps the contents of his backpack into the small space next to the coffin. For a moment, he's just staring at the closed lid before he's glancing at Taehyung hesitantly.
“There's still something else we need,” He says slowly and Taehyung can't hide his shocked gasp because what?
There's something they're still missing and Yoongi brings it up after they've already dug up the freaking body? This could not be true.
“Why are you remembering that just now?” He asks exasperated and Yoongi just shrugs.
Taehyung wants to scream but he also does not want to alert anyone to their presence. As if anyone was still around here. The graveyard closed and they’re pretty far away from the entrance and the street passing by. But still, he has to bite his tongue to keep himself from releasing a cry of frustration.
How could he have thought anything would ever just go smoothly?
Yoongi wrings his hands, seeming a bit nervous but then he just blurts it out. “We need some virgin blood to burn the body correctly.” Well, now Taehyung is burning. He can literally feel the way his cheeks go up in flames the longer and the harder Yoongi just stares at him. “You… you don’t happen to know someone…”
This is only getting worse and worse.
“Not. A word. About this,” Taehyung hisses through his teeth.
For his own benefit, Yoongi actually doesn’t say anything. For once. He mimes zipping his mouth shut while trying to suppress the grin that is threatening to split his lips.
It doesn’t take much time to prepare for the fire. Yoongi manages to break the coffin open without much help from Taehyung. Once the lid slides off they both recoil, Taehyung instantly covers his mouth at the foul stench. His stomach turns and bile rises in his throat but he just manages to keep himself from throwing up.
The insides of the coffin aren't a pretty sight but it's not like he expected anything different.
While Taehyung is concentrating on keeping the contents of his stomach where they belong, Yoongi is prepping the inside of the coffin for the fire. Lastly, he takes Taehyung's hand and pricks one of his fingers with the sharp tip of a small knife.
It's just a tiny pinch. Nothing more than one or two drops of blood, that fall down on the white sheet covering the body.
“When this is all over I’m having so much sex, I swear,” Taehyung murmurs a little more to himself than to anyone else in particular but of course, Yoongi is immediately all ears.
“Oh?” He grins at him. Wide and suggestive.
“Not with you,” Taehyung groans, half trying to suppress the chuckle rising in his chest, “Oh my god. Do you ever think about something else?”
There’s a small pout on Yoongi’s lips at the accusations thrown at him. He crosses his arms in front of his chest and tries his best to look offended. “Sometimes I also think about kissing,” He says, his expression falling apart to make way for another wide grin, “And genuine love.”
Taehyung can't help but break out into laughter. At least Yoongi always knows how to lighten the mood.
A feeling close to relief slowly spreads through Taehyung's chest and he climbs out of the hole they dug with hope blooming on his face. All of this will be over soon. He was pretty sceptical at first but he trusts Yoongi now. The uneasiness he felt before from being in the graveyard and doing something like this has faded due to his excitement of finally being able to live a normal life again. He can’t wait to get rid of the spirit.
He stands next to Yoongi, watching with bated breath as the shaman drops a lit match down into the coffin.
In the blink of an eye, flames climb high into the sky, lighting up the night.
His heart is beating in his throat and he finds himself smiling without even realizing it. Just as he turns his head to thank Yoongi the sudden heat of the fire disappears and an overwhelming wave of coldness washes over him.
Taehyung's stomach drops. He doesn’t have to turn around to know he’s here. The spirit.
Fear grips his lungs tightly and his knees buckle under his weight. Faintly, Taehyung hears Yoongi calling out his name but he can't quite make out his voice over the thundering of his heartbeat.
It's just like that night in his bathroom.
He can't breathe.
Not at all.
His head feels as though it's about to explode.
Taehyung can't do anything but lay there, all extremities cramping as he tries to force air into his lungs to no avail.
It's worse.
It's worse than that night.
The spirit isn't talking to him this time — a million voices are screeching in pain and anger. And Taehyung can see the dark figure standing above him, parts of it on fire just like the remains of its physical body. The shadow is reaching out for him, its cold, clammy hands around his throat, and Taehyung’s vision blurs.
That's when Yoongi grabs onto his shoulders, shaking him until Taehyung's eyes focus on him.
“Look at me!” Yoongi yells but his voice sounds far away, muted by the desperate cries of the spirit, “You just need to hold on for a moment! We almost made it — just focus on me! Look at me!”
And Taehyung tries. He really does but he's getting dizzy. The sense that he's dying is so overwhelming his mind can't focus on anything else but trying to keep him alive.
Yoongi is holding onto his face, forcing him to remain in the same position but his eyes stray to the spirit above him again. Once Yoongi had touched him the hands of the spirit have retracted but it’s still close, still trying to reach for him but it seems to be held back by some kind of invisible wall. Its body is fraying at the edges and the screeches are getting more deafening by the second. But still, Taehyung can’t seem to take a single breath.
Just when he is about to pass out entirely the flames finally engulf the spirit entirely and as the shadows vanish so does the overwhelming pressure on his lungs.
Taehyung coughs desperately, gulping down air as tears run down his cheeks from the sheer exhaustion of the entire ordeal.
He looks up at the right moment to watch the mask fall from the spirit's face and for a second, beyond the frayed shadows, he could see a glimpse of the human face. Of the person this shadow once was. And then, the spirit is gone. Leaving nothing but the mask behind.
And just as suddenly as the spirit vanished, the coldness and pressure were gone as well. In an instant. Like the snap of a finger, everything is normal again. Taehyung doesn't even feel the after-effects of his near-death experience like he did that night in his apartment.
Even the slight sensation of his accumulated Yin energy is suddenly gone.
With wobbly knees and trembling hands, he pushes himself up. Yoongi steadies him before bending down and taking the cat-shaped mask the spirit left behind. He throws it into the fire still devouring the remains of the coffin.
“Are you good?”
Taehyung still can't quite believe what just happened. His heart is racing in his throat and this sudden rush of adrenaline pumping through his veins makes him dizzy. A smile spreads his lips and he kind of wants to scream out just to get all of these things he's feeling right now out.
“I'm — amazing,” He says instead, his voice much calmer than his insides.
Yoongi bursts out laughing and Taehyung can't help but join in. It's over. The spirit is gone. It's all over.
Taehyung is a little overwhelmed with the whole situation and the amount of different feelings flooding his chest. And then there's still his racing heartbeat and the adrenaline pumping through his veins. It’s all a little much and he doesn’t know where to go with all this energy. He looks at Yoongi, the orange glow of the fire dancing over his skin, and oh — He's about to say something stupid.
Before he can open his mouth though, both of their attention gets drawn to three flashing lights in the distance.
The security guards. They must have seen the light of the fire.
Yoongi curses under his breath and takes Taehyung by the hand. “Let's get out of here,” He hisses and pulls him along.
Taehyung is out of breath. His thighs are burning and he hit his knee pretty hard when they were scaling the fence again. But he can't stop smiling.
They run, hand in hand, down the dark streets until they've left the graveyard behind and once they stop, catching their breath, Taehyung can’t stop himself from giggling. He holding himself up on the wall, his whole body tingling when he meets Yoongi's eyes. It finally sets in.
“Oh my god…” He laughs, “Did we… did we do it?”
Yoongi just nods. “Yup.” He pops the ‘p’ again in the same way Taehyung always found a bit obnoxious but now it's just endearing.
“Thank you so much,” Taehyung gasps, the words tumbling over each other in their rush to leave his lips. And with his entire body still tingling, nerves buzzing under his skin from everything that just went down he grabs Yoongi’s cheeks and pulls him into the clumsiest kiss the two of them have shared so far.
It’s not something great. It’s not meant to relieve any type of energy. It’s just a way for Taehyung to get rid of this intense feeling of gratefulness that fills his chest to the brim. Yoongi is perplexed for a moment, eyes wide and frozen in place before he recovers from the slight ache of their teeth clashing together and kisses Taehyung back just as hard.
They’re both grinning a bit stupidly when they separate, both a little out of breath.
“Oh?” Yoongi’s hands run down Taehyung’s arms until they arrive at his hands, casually playing with his fingers as he looks up at him with a slight smirk, “Anything else you wanna do to thank me?”
Taehyung shoves Yoongi away from him with a laugh and the other breaks out into a genuine smile as well — not one of those grins or smirks he usually wears. A real, genuine smile that makes Taehyung’s stomach flutter.
“Shut up,” He laughs and his eyes can’t seem to look away from the way Yoongi is smiling. Everything feels so — light right now. It’s the first time in weeks he’s standing outside in the darkness without even a little bit of fear left within him. This level of calmness almost feels foreign to him. He almost forgot what it’s like to not be terrified of something preying on him every second of every day.
And the only reason he can feel like a normal person again is because Yoongi decided to help him even if he didn’t have to. Even if he could have just ignored the problem. “I'm actually really grateful you decided to help me. For whatever reason. You could have just let me be but you didn't,” Taehyung smiles at him, “You're a really good person.”
Oh.
That’s a new expression.
Yoongi’s cheeks are blooming red and he actually looks shy for a moment before he groans loudly, a nervous laugh falling from his lips as he hides his face. Through his fingers, he bashfully glances at Taehyung, smiling guiltily. “Now I feel bad for lying about the virgin blood,” He admits, “It was just a joke.”
Ah.
Wait.
What?
No…
“What?” Taehyung screeches, “I cut —”
“You pricked your finger! It wasn't that bad!” Yoongi immediately interrupts him, pulling him into a tight embrace no matter how hard Taehyung pretends to try to shove him away.
“Still!” he argues but there’s not much else he can say.
From an outsider’s point of view, they probably look like two drunkards in the street, hugging tight and laughing almost maniacally without being able to calm down but Taehyung doesn’t care about any of that. Yoongi is warm against his body, his laughter vibrates against his chest, and he doesn’t want to let him go.
So, maybe Taehyung takes Yoongi home that night too and maybe they make sure that Yoongi will never be able to pull the same prank with the virgin blood again in the future.
Just maybe.
-o-
Jimin overslept a little and no, it is not because his boyfriend slept over. And it’s also not because that boyfriend may still be in his bed without his shirt on and a deep morning voice. No, that definitely did not hold him back from catching his usual bus. Let’s not talk about this further.
He’s late. Because of — unforeseen circumstances. Nothing more.
That’s why he bursts into the shop a little out of breath and with a damp forehead from sprinting down the alleyway but the moment he pushes the beaded curtain to the side to apologize to Taehyung in the backroom he kind of wishes he would have just stayed in bed this morning.
“Good morning?” The greeting comes out high-pitched and way more like a question than a statement.
Jimin is frozen in the doorway, cheeks burning up as he watches the two men in front of him scrambling apart. Oh, he knew it. Taehyung didn’t exactly confirm it but he knew the guy who was always waiting for him after work was his boyfriend.
What a sneaky little shit — the shop is literally open for customers and what is the oh-so-great fortune teller doing? Making out with his boyfriend in the backroom. Jimin can only shake his head and he has to swallow a chuckle when he sees the embarrassment flood his best friend’s face. Oh, he so knows he will never ever live this down again.
“Jimin —” Taehyung at least has the decency to look embarrassed but his boyfriend? Well, he’s not even really moving from where he was pressed into the decorative pillows before, not a change in his expression. He looks rather annoyed at being interrupted. Not that Jimin wanted to.
“You must be the pretty salesman of this whole scam,” The boyfriend says and Jimin can’t quite tell whether he said it in a joking manner or a serious one. It’s a little strange. The man is smiling but it just feels — off.
Jimin squirms a bit in place. Uncomfortable.
The slight tension is broken when Taehyung walks up to him and slings an arm around his shoulder. He coughs a bit awkwardly before introducing them, “Uh, this is Min Yoongi.” Taehyung glances between him and that Min Yoongi guy, pulling Jimin a little bit closer and forcing him to meet his eyes. “What do you think about broadening our clientele and adding a shaman into the mix?”
Shaman? Yet another hoax. It would definitely fit right in with their usual customers and the kind of shop they have though.
Jimin looks at Yoongi, the so-called shaman, and suddenly, his stomach sinks. Like a wave, a strange sensation washes over him and he finds it hard to breathe. The claws of primal fear slowly bore themselves into his insides as goosebumps rise all over his skin.
Suddenly, Jimin feels like a deer caught in the headlights. Scared. Cold. As if something is just waiting to attack him, to devour him whole. And he knows exactly where this strange fear is suddenly coming from.
It’s something about the way Yoongi is looking.
Not at him — but at Taehyung.
Jimin gulps.