Strike A Match ✓

THIRTEEN

Taehyung bites on his tongue, trying to keep himself together which fails miserably when he breaks out in a bunch of giggles and laughter.

"T─that was hilarious!" He clutches his stomach, toppling over.

The devil stares at him, unbeknownst of his own smile lingering on his lips at the sight.

"Hey, look. Even Johnny is quietly laughing." He points, after picking up on it.

Taehyung wipes his eyes, his smile widening noticing that it is true.

"Those other boys are going to be losing their braincells wondering about how a magical, invisible force managed to push them. They're gonna think they've been cursed!" The angel keeps giggling, seemingly not being able to stop.

"If so, they're going to want holy water. Wait, is that even a real thing?" Jeongguk quirks up an eyebrow.

Taehyung hums, nodding. "Oh, yeah. We make it by grabbing a giant pot of regular water and we just boil the Hell out of it." He points at the sky, starting to laugh again after reading the other male's expression.

Jeongguk sits there in surprise, a wide grin on his face as he watches the other joke away without a care in the world.

"Oh you think that was funny, hm?" He chuckles, a laugh of his own escaping his throat when the angel start nodding during his hysterical laughter.

"Y─you should've seen your face!" Taehyung slowly quiets down, a big smile still present on his face when he stares right back at the devil.

The tension in the atmosphere shifts.

The longer they keep their eyes locked, the fiercer their hearts start to beat. It seems to become warmer and warmer, the air thicker. It's as if they're silently communicating, yet neither of them understands how it ever managed to come to this.

"If you keep looking at me like that, angel, I might interpret it wrong." The devil whispers lowly, orbs mischievously shining and falling to the boy's lips.

"Right back at you, devil. You might give me the wrong idea." The angel mumbles back, eyes scanning every little detail of his face with a fiercely racing, beating organ.

Jeongguk scoffs, a bigger smirk plastering itself on his lips.

"And what would that idea be, pretty?"

Taehyung's eyes are big and a deep blush spreads all over his face. He feels as if his blood is boiling in his veins, electricity jabs at him causing shocks to go up his spine.

His feelings are a whirlwind. He finds himself on forbidden, dangerous territory and yet he can't help but overstep another boundary as he answers,

"That you desire me in a way I'd be outcasted for."

The devil leans back, tilts his head causing his locks to slightly fall in front of his eyes.

"You see, little angel, what I want doesn't even matter since in Hell, we don't care about such things as laws. The only way for you to be cast out, is if you were to reciprocate." He taunts.

"Well then maybe that's the problem," Taehyung's eyes fall upon his lips.

"What I want matters in a way that's suffocating me."

Their eyes shift between their lips and their faces, and the angel feels himself start to tremble.

Jeongguk stands up, steps closer towards him and bends forward to whisper in his ear,

"If you are to be send down to Hell for giving in to that desire, know that the devil will be awaiting you to do what he does best─ punish."

His lips ever so softly come in contact with his skin and Taehyung can feel himself start to cave in.

He shudders, biting back a weak moan.

Jeongguk pulls back slightly, watching as Taehyung's fingers ever so slowly reach out to his hand on the table.

He has to refrain himself, everything within him itching to close any sorts of gaps between them.

"Nah─ah, pretty. Not just yet," The devil pulls back entirely, internally screaming seeing the angel's secretly disappointed face.

Taehyung shuts his eyes tight, yelling on the inside.

"Think twice before you make a move, darling. Because once I have you, I will never let you go." The male husks at last.

When the white haired reopens his eyes, Jeongguk is gone.

There he sits, all alone in a cafetaria in a school he is not familiar with─ realising he had managed to lose sight of his assigned human as well.

Which certainly isn't going to score him any extra points.

Once again, he fucked up. Lately that seems to be the only thing he does.

With an annoyed groan, he exits the building and with a strong gush of his wings he finds himself back up in the sky, heading back home.

The moment he arrived back at the gate, he stumbles upon an awaiting Jimin.

"Taehyung! Where have you been? What have you been doing? I went to check my own rank and I saw you've downgraded again. I had to check twice!" The blonde almost yells out, shocked to the core.

"I─I was on duty─" The boy tries to explain.

"Good gravy, Taehyung-ah, I used to look up to you. I used to wish to become as good as you, but what has happened to you?" The other exclaims, and suddenly Taehyung feels like crying.

"I'm sorry!" He sniffles, bursting out in tears. "My head has been so occupied with other things, lately, I just started slacking off and─"

"What kind of other things, Tae?" Jimin worries, frowning deeply.

Taehyung bites on his tongue, staring at the clouds beneath his feet whilst he keeps silent.

Spending time with the devil, talking to him, laughing with him, for Heaven's sake he has been dreaming about the guy,  crushing on him. He can't get him out of his head, and it appears he can't keep him out of his duties either.

But he cannot say that.

He just can't.

He feels like the worst sinner in the world, and truth to be told, that isn't that far off from the truth.

"I see.." Jimin nods, realising he wasn't going to get any other answer than silence.

"Listen Tae, you're my friend. But whatever it is that you're doing, I don't want any part of it. I─I can't be around you when you're like this."

And with that the blonde walks away.