Take Me to the Sky | BTS+

Trial

"But wait, how did you decide to turn me? Over anyone else?" The edge was starting to fade just a bit in Jungkook's voice, replaced with genuine curiosity.

Lilith sighed carefully and her eyes looked sad. "For the reasons already said, but also because you're just... you're so loyal, Kookie. In serving Noon Mool, your friends, Namjoon. It's your blessing and your curse. But in this case, we also thought it could be a blessing. It'd make turning you perhaps less painful on you than, say, Tae."

Jungkook's arm curled in even tighter for a moment, defensively, around Tae's neck.

Hoseok went on, "And man, I really am sorry we had to scare you guys in the arena like that. But if you knew it wasn't real, then your Gwangju Ai side would never have surfaced, and the whole point would have been lost! But getting to that point... yeah, that really sucked. You can definitely kick my ass later and I won't judge you for it."

Jungkook scowled. "Planned on it."

Lilith held up her hand to get everyone's attention. "Alright, this reconciling is great and all, but before we go any further here I think we need to deal with Tae."

"And with what the hell happened to you two," Hoseok added. "I mean someone doesn't just go from dead to...not...."

Jungkook tightened his arm that was slung around Tae's neck and said defensively, "Well there's nothing to deal with. He's ok now. Killing Kiara and Dai Yu wasn't really...his own doing. But. He and I are both...normal now."

Jin muttered incredulously under his breath, "The hell does he mean about Tae killing them? I thought Joon was the one who...." Whenever no one else looked surprised at this notion, Jin gave a heavy sigh, resigned to the defeat of his own ignorance for the rest of this shuttle ride.

Then Jungkook proceeded to explain what exactly had happened to him and Taehyung, what Kookie had learned through their telepathic exchange, while Tae continued to fiddle silently with his hands.

When Jungkook's story concluded, Lilith found herself sliding into Jin's lap. Jin thought it might be because she wanted something, but the shocked look on Lilith's face said otherwise. Jin's hands pulled at her waist and he let her wrap one arm around the back of his neck and lean into his chest. Then Jin and Lilith exchanged meaningful looks with each other.

Jung Hoseok wriggled himself out of his seat and stepped cautiously up to Jungkook and Tae.

Tae's bashful eyes flickered up from his hands and into Hobi's face.

Hoseok reached out a hand, slapped it hard against one of Tae's shoulders--and then all at once pulled Tae into a forceful hug. There were no words as the two young men held each other and let slip tears of remorse, each for the other. Time seemed to stop all over again as the two of them poured out their grief for the hurt that they had caused one another.

There was a kind of relief that washed over everyone as a result. Even Chimin and Jungkook looked across the cockpit at each other with softened eyes.

Hoseok whispered into Taehyung's shoulder, "I'm so sorry, Tae."

"Me too, Hobi." Tae wiped at his face with the back of his hands, half frowning and half smiling. "Me too."

As Hoseok pulled out of the hug, he gave Tae's head a not-too-rough downward shove, ruffling Tae's hair.

Then Hoseok stopped.

"What the heck happened to your hair anyway, Tae?"

It was only then that everyone seemed to properly notice that it had faded from it's classic auburn, to a streaked grey color. It was crimped and fluttery. It made him look a bit like a fairy, or an alien.