✔ || Save Me [[SEQUEL to DISTRACT ME]]

Chapter 22

Taehyung's heart was about to come out of his chest. "W-what is this, sir?"

Raphael frowned at him. He was flanked by two soldiers, both much larger than Taehyung, and the archangel's eyes glinted with something that resembled malice. "Your crimes have been found out, little one. Please come with me."

My crimes?

Confused, Taehyung allowed the two soldiers to grab his arms and haul him out of the observatory.

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Taehyung frowned at the page, eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Runes dating back from before the first language of man lay in a jumbled mess, but Taehyung was an angel, which meant he was supposed to be able to speak any language. So why was this one giving him difficulties?

Raphael had told him this book would give them the answer to their struggles. That in its yellowed and burnt pages would be the key to Taehyung's immortality. He just had to find it.

He supposed he understood why Raphael himself couldn't do it. He was an archangel, after all, and he had more important things to take care of. So Taehyung worked alone, laboring over the worn parchment for hours in between watching over his wards and practicing pederasty with the archangel. He hadn't seen Eden in well over a month, too busy trying to learn how to read the foreign language.

It had been a month since Raphael first discovered the book, and all Taehyung could understand so far was that the process to achieve immortality involved blood - lots of it - and fire. When he squinted harder, focusing on one word in particular, he found that it also involved a human heart. The thought made his blood curdle in his veins, but he reminded himself that this was for Raphael. He should feel honored that the archangel wanted to keep him forever.

Raphael stepped into the room, clicking the door quietly shut behind him. Taehyung looked up, blinking, and then smiled brightly. "Hello."

"Any progress?" Raphael purred, crossing to Taehyung and wrapping his arms around the boy's slim waist.

Taehyung sighed, "Not really."

"Hmm," Raphael's voice became predatory, and he leaned close to Taehyung's ear to growl, "I'm getting impatient, little one. Do you not want this?"

"I do!" Taehyung quickly assured him. "I'm trying very hard. I don't really understand the language."

"That's because it's hell's language," the archangel said easily.

Taehyung froze. "This book - this is from hell?"

"All dark magic is."

"But," Taehyung wetted his lips nervously. He didn't want to make Raphael mad. "But we can't -"

"Taehyung," the boy flinched at Raphael's dark tone. "Don't be a coward. I want you, and I will have you."

The boy shuddered fearfully. "I-I'm sorry."

"Sorry, what?" Raphael snarled.

"I'm sorry, sir," Taehyung mumbled.

And then, Raphael kissed his temple. "That's my good little one." He slapped Taehyung's asscheek. Hard. Almost as if he were punishing the younger. "Keep it up. You'll figure it out."

Taehyung pouted, unable to help himself. "Why can't we work together, though, sir? I'm sure you could figure it out faster."

"I could," Raphael agreed. "But you want to do this for me, don't you?"

Submissive, Taehyung nodded.

A few days later, Taehyung still couldn't figure it out. He spent every waking moment at it, lamenting over the book like his life depended on it because, in a way, it did.

Raphael grew impatient. Eden, when Taehyung visited her, grew worried. His wards grew weak without the constant attention of their guardian, though he tried to give them as much time as he possibly could. That is, until Raphael forbade him from spending any time on things that didn't pertain to the task at hand: making himself immortal.

So he threw his all into trying to figure it out. He didn't eat, didn't sleep, didn't rest from staring at the god-forsaken pages of that dark book.

But in the end, even with all that hard work, things didn't work out.

In the end, they were caught, though Taehyung couldn't even begin to fathom how. After he fell, he'd tell you that maybe Raphael got sick of waiting and decided that he was too much of a failure to keep around any longer.

He didn't even get to say goodbye to Eden. Not before Raphael came into the observatory with those two soldiers and took him into custody.

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"You do realize that it has to be you?" Raphael said, his voice almost gentle.

Taehyung glared to him. He hadn't gotten up from the cot when the archangel walked into the cell, intent on showing Raphael that they were finished. "Do I?"

"Little one -"

"Don't call me that," Taehyung snapped. Then, softer, "You've broken my heart enough."

Raphael wrinkled his nose. "I've broken your heart? I thought you wanted to be mine forever, little one. I thought you could do this for me. But you couldn't. If anyone here has had their heart broken by the other, it's me."

"I tried!" Taehyung cried. "I had no idea what I was doing, and still I tried!"

"Well," Raphael shook his head, turning to leave, "it wasn't enough, was it? Your trial is in the morning."

"Trial?" Taehyung squeaked, stumbling to his feet. "For what?"

"Oh my sweet, sweet little one," Raphael said, gazing at him pityingly from the doorway. "To decide whether or not you shall fall."

Panic wrapped around Taehyung's throat in a choke-hold. "What about you?"

Raphael blinked lazily. "What about me?"

"You did it too!" Taehyung pointed out, his voice a little manic. "Will you be punished?"

"Little one," Raphael shook his head. "I've done nothing, remember? It was all you. You found that book in my observatory."

Finally understanding, Taehyung began to shudder. "No, Raph..."

"Yes, little one. You found that book in my observatory, and then you decided to try to become immortal. You forgot your place, and now it is time to decide if you will fall." Raphael sighed, "For what it's worth, little one, this was never the plan."

"It's not worth anything," Taehyung growled, a sickening mixture of disgust, anger, and terror swirling around in his gut.

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{Raphael is a prick, if you haven't already guessed that

In other news, stalk me on Instagram and Twitter, my username is @queenramsia on both. My DMs are always open to talk about life, BTS (what's the difference honestly), and whatever else.}