Hilde | Kim Taehyung fanfiction ✓

arya

19

After Taehyung left the room, my mind became a storm of thoughts, swirling around and fueling my anger, which only led to more tears—like I hadn't shed enough already.

He had a point. Letting emotions take over would be our downfall. But I couldn't shake the feeling that my father had somehow weaseled his way back into Edith's and my life. Or was it accidental? And did he change so much that Edith didn't recognize him? Questions flooded my mind, but I pushed them aside, focusing instead on trying to calm down.

I knew I should have gone talk to Edith, reassure her that I wasn't angry and that, at least, we were safe and away from my father. But I couldn't bring myself to do it.

So, I stayed on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, lost in thoughts about how Taehyung looked in the dim light, how he subconsciously brushed away raindrops from his face with the back of his hand, how his voice sounded, and how his eyes seemed to sparkle with every flash of lightning, how anger seemed to alter his features for the better.

He was hot. That's what I'm trying to say.

So, let's recap what went down that day: I pulled an all-nighter, bought some donuts that only Taehyung ate when he unexpectedly showed up at our doorstep with a flight ticket for me. Then, just like that, he was gone, only to return moments later, telling me to call Edith and pack our bags pronto, before taking us to who-knows-where like we were castaways. And then Edith drops the bomb about the mysterious guy from the grocery store, the same guy who turns out to be my dad this whole time. And there we were, stuck in the middle of it all.

Oh, yes. I forgot to bring the plane ticket with me. Oops, I guess.

The big question nagging at me: Why did Taehyung whisk us away from New Haven? It couldn't have been Novikov; he was on the other side of the country.

Could it be his boss? Seems unlikely. He said his boss would just send someone for him if he needed to, his employer would not bother do things himself if he had puppets who could do the job for him.

That left one possibility: my dad. Maybe Taehyung spotted him talking to Edith.

Which meant Taehyung knew my dad and how dangerous he could be.

Novikov and my father knew each other very well, maybe he was the one to put the hit on Novikov.

I wanted to ask Taehyung, to confirm my suspicions, but who's to say Taehyung would be honest with me? I knew if I asked him anything, he would reply with 'not your business' or 'you do your part and I do mine.'

Sometime in the afternoon, exhaustion finally caught up with me, and I drifted off to sleep after nearly twenty-four hours of being awake. When I woke up, it felt like dinnertime, though the sky outside was still painted with dark clouds and the rain continued to pour. The absence of clocks in the room made it impossible to know what time it was.

My stomach growled loudly, and I struggled to move my limbs as I dragged myself out of bed. It had been one wild ride, a rollercoaster of emotions that left me feeling strangely empty, like a piece of myself was missing.

Shaking off the drowsiness, I made my way to the living room where I found Edith sitting on the couch, an untouched plastic food container beside her. As I entered, she turned to glance at me, but her eyes quickly averted, unable to meet mine.

"You haven't eaten," I pointed out.

"Neither have you," she replied softly. "I was just about to warm up your lunch and bring it to you," she continued, gazing down at the box she held in her lap, "but I couldn't bring myself to do it."

"Why not?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

"I can't bear to look at you right now. Not after this, I'm sorry," she confessed.

We sat in an uncomfortable silence until I decided to break it. "Let's eat, then," I suggested, moving closer to her. I took the box from her hands and the one still on the couch, then headed to the kitchen to warm them up. Once the food was ready, I returned to the living room, seating myself on the floor in front of Edith. I handed her the plastic container.

"I'm not mad at you, you know?" I assured her. "Just him. I'm mad at my father," I admitted, hearing her sniffle as she opened the plastic container. We ate in silence, the gentle patter of rain against the windows behind Edith providing a soothing surrounding.

"If I had known it was him..." she began, her voice trembling.

"But you didn't, and that's okay. We managed to get away from him before anything happened, so there's no point dwelling on it," I said, offering her a smile. "I want you to know that it's okay," I reassured her. She responded with a faint smile and a nod.

After finishing our meal, I asked Edith if she knew where Taehyung was. "He left a few hours ago. Didn't say where he was going," she informed me. "Maybe he went out to get us something for dinner."

"Okay," I responded, rising to collect the empty containers and toss them in the garbage can.

"Arya," Edith said, standing up and gently taking hold of my hand, "what's going on? Why are we here?" Her eyes searched mine, full of concern.

"Edith, things will go back to normal soon. I promise I'll explain everything," I reassured her, though I didn't know what to explain: I was in the dark, almost as much as her.

"I want to know, now," she insisted, her tone firm.

"I can't tell you everything just yet. Please, trust me," I implored. "Do you trust me?" I asked, searching her eyes.

"I do, but I'm not sure if I should," she admitted, fear and uncertainty shaping her features.