Bad Boy (Jin x BTS)

~41~

Taehyung's entire body was on fire. His lungs were on fire and he could see blood dripping down his arms and cuts opening from scratches on his feet with every step he took. He was running, hospital gown wrapped tightly around him. It felt like paper on his skin, far too thin and even Taehyung, who was used to baring all to strangers, felt so exposed. It was odd to feel so lost. He was surrounded by cars, people, smells, shops. It was all so overwhelming but still Taehyung continued onward, clutching at the middle of his gown and hoping against hope that it wouldn't tear and force him to run naked in the streets. While that was something Taehyung had thought about it most definitely wouldn't help his current situation.

Taehyung had no phone, no contacts, no safety net. He had no clue how long he had been away from the other members. All he had was a safehouse location and he prayed he wasn't leading more people to his gang. However, Taehyung was also lost, hurt, and in need of some real clothes. He hadn't been paying too close of attention when he had ran from the hospital, he had just started sprinting as fast as his aching body would allow. He tripped over his own feet, cursing at himself and regaining balance, checking over his shoulder to make sure he wasn't being followed. There was no way to actually tell. He was surrounded by pedestrians and they were all giving him funny looks – some more concerning than others. Taehyung supposed he had to stand out but he kept running.

Taehyung turned a corner. He was close to the meeting place. He knew the hotel and he knew the room number. It had all been set up and Taehyung was rather good at remembering instructions, faces, names, places, and whatever he was told to commit to memory. He let himself smile as his eyes finally landed on a skyscraper that represented his growing hope. He was close. All he had to do was walk through the sliding glass doors of the hotel and into an elevator and he's be home free.

"Are you sure you want to go that way?" a hand latched onto Taehyung's arm and the gangster swallowed a squeal of pain. The hand was tight and the fingers dug into some of his cuts. A searing pain spread out through Taehyung's arm and he almost dropped to the ground. But he halted instead, biting his lip and grimacing, trying to pull his gown tighter around himself, "You'd be better off going with me, instead."

 The man who had grabbed Taehyung was rather nondescript in an oversized black coat and fedora pulled down over his face. Still, Taehyung could see puffy lips set in a thoughtful frown and if he tilted his head just right, a man with a narrower face and dark brown eyes. The one thing that truly caught Taehyung's attention were the little whispers of ink etched into the man's skin – tattoos that barely poked out from the collar of his coat and the sleeves of his white undershirt.

"Let go!" it was more of a yell than anything and Taehyung was greeted by the throng of bustling people around him giving him looks of concern or surprise. Taehyung ignored it. Let them look. He tried to pull his arm away and yipped when the hand around his bicep did nothing but tighten.

"Keep you fucking voice down." The stranger's own voice was low and his left hand had wandered into the pocket of his coat. He lifted whatever was in his pocket until it was barely poking out at Taehyung.

A 9mm Glock stared Taehyung back from the folds of the man's coat but it was gone just as quickly. It was in that moment Taehyung understood. He wasn't dealing with a strange passerby who was concerned for his wellbeing and wanted to send him back to a hospital.

"Who are you?" Taehyung complied, but his voice was still at a normal volume. But there was too much noise in the city. No one would hear him unless he was screaming, anyway, and as it was, he didn't feel like being shot in the streets.

There was a smile then and the fedora was pulled impossibly lower, "Someone who is curious about a friend of yours." The smile faded and the stranger yanked Taehyung forward until they were moving with the bustling crowd around them, "Tell me, where are all of your friends? I thought they would have come to get you by now."