Midas Touch ➸ Taekook

- Thirty-ninth -

When they arrived at the address given in the message, they found themselves in a narrow alleyway with few passageways. In short, out of sight. They spotted some silhouettes, and as they approached, they immediately recognised Logan, Yoongi... and a third man.

"Was it him?" Taehyung asked, stopping in front of them.

The two X-Men moved aside at the sound of his voice, then nodded. Taehyung was thus able to get a better idea of the stranger's appearance: a man of average height, with a body so lean that every bone in his body was visible. His skin was pale, even translucent, giving him a sickly, almost cadaverous appearance. His long, black hair was greasy and his bulging eyes were bloodshot. Blackish smoke surrounded his body, preventing him from moving, and it had also entered his mouth and nostrils: in this way, the smoke suffocated him while letting a little air through. He wasn't dying, but he was constantly suffocating.

He recognised the power of Yoongi.

"What the hell have you done?"

"We caught him, can't you tell?" Logan replied as if it were obvious.

Taehyung sighed.

"Yes, I asked you to catch him, not torture him."

Logan frowned as Yoongi, his arms folded across his chest, rolled his eyes.

"So why did you send us? If you wanted to catch him and give him sweets, you should have sent Hobi."

Hoseok smiled in amusement, precisely because he did indeed have some sweets in his pocket. Taehyung shook his head.

"Anyway, he needs to be questioned."

Yoongi released the man, who collapsed to the ground, his knees hitting the pavement hard. A hoarse cough rose into the cold air of the alleyway as he tried desperately to catch his breath. Taehyung, impassive, crouched in front of him, his dark eyes riveted on those of the stranger.

"Let's get straight to the point, if you don't mind. Are you responsible for Bella Dona's resurrection?" he asked in a low but sharp voice.

The man didn't answer immediately. His jerky breathing, his trembling hands, everything about him showed a visceral fear, and he was still catching his breath from the long minutes of suffocation. But Taehyung didn't move, letting the silence hang over him like a threat.

"I... I..." the man finally stammered before pausing to take a gulp of air.

Logan, annoyed, had no patience. In one fluid movement, he grabbed him by the collar and dug one of his claws lightly into the fine flesh of his neck. A thin red line beaded on the translucent skin.

"Answer," he growled, "or this will go further."

Taehyung looked away, his fists clenched. He could have intervened, used his power to get answers straight away. But ever since that incident with Jungkook, he'd refused to take the easy way out, this monstrosity that was costing him sleepless nights. Just looking at this man, he didn't want to enter his mind. It wasn't like Jin's or Professor Xavier's power. Taehyung couldn't keep a distance from the memories he was seeing, or even choose them. For the duration of the contact, he became that person, found himself in their body, feeling and seeing the same things as them.

"Speak." insisted Logan, and this time his voice was tinged with a cold, almost animal anger.

The man trembled violently under Logan's pressure. He opened his mouth, his lips trembling as he tried to formulate an answer. Finally, the words came, choppy, almost inaudible.

"Y-Yes... it's me. I... I brought this woman to life..."

Taehyung watched his face carefully, looking for clues in his expressions. He had no doubt that the man was telling the truth, but part of him couldn't believe that someone so wretched could have managed such a feat.