pastel [3]

twenty six

Taehyung's point of view

It was weird coming back to this place that was now my home. I'd only really lived here for two days, spending the last 24 hours at Seokjin's place. The sun had completely set by the time we arrived back, and considering how tired I had been before dinner, now I felt ready to collapse into a twelve year sleep. Daehyun supported me to my room, dropping down on the bed whilst I looked through my wardrobe for a set of clothes I could wear as pyjamas. The street lamps shone in off the street, lighting up the blue room in a warm white glow.

When I found a set of pyjamas I turned back to find Daehyun sprawled out on my bed, pretending to snore obnoxiously. The sight brought a smile to my face despite my desire to keep the entertainment hidden. He caught the change in expression from under his eyelids, smirking at his success.

"Don't make yourself too comfortable, this is my home not yours." He poked his tongue out and spread his limbs to starfish across the rest of the mattress.

"What's yours is mine my darling brother." I rolled my eyes, pulling on my pyjamas and removing the bandages from over each of my limbs to let the scabs have some relief from being enclosed all day. 

"Not how that works anymore." I couldn't help but laugh at his dramatic pout as he sat up on the edge of the bed. Seeing his carefree mischief brought a pang of more serious thought, approaching him with a curious questioning, "Why'd you be so cheesy today?"

"Because I wanted to." Was his blunt reply, I knitted my eyebrows together, stopping by the edge of the bed. When he didn't move I let my body lean forward until I toppled on top of him and sent him tumbling back to the bed. With the upper hand I climbed up and sat on top of him, grinning in victory at immobilising the mighty guardian.

"That's a dumb reason," I quipped, leaning down to rest my ear to his chest to listen to the emptiness of his soul. "Why express all of that to me now?" My voice dropped from playful to a more mellow exploration, dampened by the silence of his heart that no longer beat.

"I just, wanted to apologise."

"Hmm, you've already done that a million times."

"And a million times isn't enough." I sighed, pulling at his soft hair and pushing it back and cradling each of his cheeks with my palms. It was a contrasting touch to the feelings that were simmering inside.

"I don't know that I forgive you Daehyun. But I am willing to accept that you're sorry for what you did." It was clear in the way he was pushing for a reconciliation between Jungkook and I that he wanted to change the way he saw things. Whilst I knew a part of his job when apart of my curse was to protect me, it still didn't excuse the way he had hurt everyone I'd ever felt a connection with. "I still want you to prove it to me." The smirk that sparked across his charming face had my stomach plummeting, and before I could protest Daehyun had taken hold of my waist and flipped our positions, nearly winding me as I was shoved to the pillows. "You ass! Don't do that!" I yelled angrily with a gasp that tried to relieve the hammering of my heart at the sudden rush to my head.

"Mmm. You need to sleep Taehyungie, you're still sick remember."

"I'm not." I protested, pushing him away as he tried to pinch my cheek. "And stop treating me like a child."

"But you are one." I ignored him for the rest of the night...

---

Whilst the parasite of a guardian had left me alone to sleep over night, he was right back the moment I had opened my bedroom door, finding him sitting on my dining room table with glowing streaks of gold circling around him as he played with the strings of light. It was mesmerising to watch, and I stayed there for awhile to bask in the joy it brought to see him smile. Knowing he was dead but still able to feel some sense of life brought me comfort, because he could still be his own version of human despite never being able to fully connect with what the world had left.