With You (TaeJin Short Stories)

The Beginning and the End

This is a one-shot. I wanted to write it since one month, but was afraid of the AU it is placed in. I was also afraid of how my stories will be received.

After the way my last books were loved, I had enough courage to write this and post it.

Sorry. Love. ❤

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The evening siren has set itself off. People hurriedly run back to their shelters. The shopkeepers try to make last minute sales. A woman adjusts her hat in the winter wind as she counts her children before she tugs all of them into a lane.

The siren continues to ring for fifteen more minutes. By then, the streets turn deserted except for the starved street dogs. That is when the first shot of the gun goes off. It is followed by the sounds of horse hooves and wheels.

The dust rises up into the air with dried leaves and debris of broken wood and glass, as the horses gallop through the street. The soldiers atop the horses get down and survey the street for anyone still lurking around. Their usual targets were the poor and the homeless.

From the upper most window of the dark basement, a boy tries to look at the soldiers and their horses. He has always been fascinated with the horses and promises himself that one day, he'll become friends with one and then ride the horse.

"Taehyung-ie", he hears his Hyung whisper. "Stay far from the window. What if they see you?"

Taehyung replies as he steps down the rickety ladder, "Hyung, the black maned horse is here. It is so pretty!"

Seokjin clamps his hand on Taehyung's mouth, who kisses it and giggles silently.

"Don't be loud. Namjoon said that they are taking away young men even if they aren't twenty one yet.", Seokjin whispers as he takes Taehyung away from the window. He doesn't know if it is true, but he also heard that the men are being put to work other than the military – as sex slaves to the soldiers. He doesn't tell anything of that to Taehyung.

They sit on a pile of rice sacks. Taehyung nibbles on his lower lip and asks, "Will they take you away next year, then?"

Seokjin shrugs, "Not if we lie low. If the war gets over before that, we'll be free."

"I'll get to have a horse then, right?", Taehyung says happily.

"Yep. You can go everywhere with your horse.", Seokjin replies as he tucks Taehyung's hair behind his ears.

Taehyung leans forward and pecks Jin's lips, "I'll take you with me. We'll go and see the world together, hyung."

Seokjin smiles, "I'll make strawberry cakes for you."

"Really?", Taehyung asks.

"Yep. Everyday. We'll go on your horse and pluck strawberries in the morning. Then, I'll bake for you.", Seokjin says as Taehyung settles in his arms.

"You can be a baker.", Taehyung says. "You can make those – croissy – cross ants."

Seokjin chuckles low, "Croissants. Do you like them?"

"A lot. Yoongi-hyung and I gobbled them. Remember when we stole a few last Christmas?", Taehyung asks. "I wish we could have something nice for this Christmas too."

Seokjin hugs him tighter, and says, "I wish we could see the others. Just once."

"Did you reply to Namjoon-hyung's letter? Are they safe?", Taehyung asks. "Are they all together?"

"Of course, they are all safe.", Seokjin lies easily. "Jungkook and Jimin can't wait to meet us."

Taehyung frowns in his arms, "Why did they go away, hyung? We could've all stayed here."