Taekook Oneshots

Wait For Me

The meanest dog you'll ever meet
he ain't the hound dog in the street
he bares some teeth and tears some skin
but brother that's the worst of him

the dog you've really gotta dread
is the one that howls inside your head
it's him whose howling drives men mad
and the mind to its undoing 

When my heartbeat roars in my ears, forgotten war drums waking up to make themselves known once more, I know better than to ignore it. When the rays of a morning sun cast cold ice onto my bones, I know better than to believe it's merely a result of a hard winter. When the light fades, and I'm left staring at my own reflection in the darkness of dusk, I know better than to think that I have any power over the Fates. 

Time flows like a sheet in the wind, unfurling without control. The storms rise, and our moments are numbered by the threads in endless tapestries, by each individual fibre. The daughters of the night, weaving their patterns into existence, decide when we live or die. If we try to cheat them, the penalty is said to be worse than death. 

Standing on the edge of the Styx, staring out into the underworld, the Fates feel closer than ever. The three women who choose when I will die, when I will cross this famous river, pass a golden coin to the ferryman on the way as a fare for the passageway into the world of the dead. From here, it feels like they wait on the other side. One with her large ball of yarn, unwinding the events. One with a measuring stick, indicating where the end will be. And one with her shears, cutting the yarn and finalising the end. 

This is no place for the living. 

A tall figure emerges from the shadows, face hidden behind a traditional helmet, body covered by a black suit. "You should not be here, Jeon Jungkook." His voice is deep, a sound that's raked through coals and then thrown into Tartaros. I turn, meet the eyes that burn behind the metal covering them. 

"Hades." He tilts his head, in greeting. 
"Jungkook. What's your deal? I told you before, stay out of here. You may be my son, but that does not give you licence to explore my kingdom." His gaze flickers from mine, fixes on a point somewhere over the river. "Cerberus would tear you limb from limb. You know that." Somewhere in the distance, in the world of the dead, a dog begins to howl, a hellish sound that reverberates within my ears, somewhere between feral and insane.

"You let him die." It's not question, but Hades nods anyway. 
"I do not control the balance of life and death, I merely maintain it. I am the King of the Dead, but not the cause." The burning of his eyes loses some intensity, as he shrugs. "It was his time, my son. There is nothing to be done. He walks the fields now, with the shades. The man you loved is a shadow. Do not chase it down. You will go mad." 

I sigh, blinking away the tears. "I can't even say goodbye, can I?" I murmur. "He wouldn't even remember who I am. Who he is, either."

In a rare moment of sympathy, Hades turns, removes his helmet. His pale face is apologetic, and the usual fires of his eyes dies down to a deep dark purple. "If the dead knew themselves, would they be happy? It is better to smile and forget, than grieve and remember. At least a part of him lives on, down here." 

I shake my head, cheeks damp from grief. "The man I love is gone. He didn't even deserve to die. He was so kind, so caring, so loving. And he ended up in Ashpodel?" I take a deep breath, trying to control myself. "What did he do wrong?" Hades doesn't answer, and I step forward, grabbing him on the arm, trying to force him to pay attention to me. "What did he do so wrong, that he doesn't even get to know what he is anymore?" 

"No liars, no cheats, are welcome in the Isles of the Blessed." I freeze, staring at the figure in front of me. 
"No liars, no cheats?" I repeat, in a whisper. "What do you know that I don't?" The god steps away from me, towards the river. "What do you know?" I call to him, in a shout, my voice breaking on the last word. 
"He wasn't as honest as you believe. Go home, my son. You will not find solace here, merely sorrow."