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Jeongguk doesn't know if he remembers a time where he had the safety net of a mother's love - and he doesn't know if Taehyung does either. It only became more and more clear as the night carried on and Taehyung's grip on Jeongguk's hand only got tighter and tighter, his tone getting softer with every word he spoke. Little tales of his time in this world - Midgard, Jeongguk reminded himself - and anecdotes of the people he now calls family.
He talked about Yoongi, and Frigg smiled as she listened to the stories of the man who has known Taehyung the longest, stood by him the closest, loved and protected him the fiercest. A man of iron and bone, he says. Built from the desire for freedom and the blood of lions in his veins. He talked of Namjoon and the incomparable wisdom he gave, becoming a beacon of knowledge through the ages.
Jeongguk listened as he talked of Hoseok and the small healing miracles he performed, little bursts of magic that made Frigg's eyes twinkle. How Jimin carries a strength beyond compare and a love deeper than the seat, and Taehyung laughed as he compared Jimin to the masts of a ship - sturdy and steady.
Then of Seokjin and how he weaved webs of secrets and how he learned the language of the body before he learned the words of the mouth and Frigg and Jeongguk's hearts both seem to ache. How he akins himself to a spider, eyes watching, fangs waiting. Ready to defend their home shoulder to shoulder with the rest of them.
Joengguk and Frigg listened to Taehyung's pretty words and somber tone, and Jeongguk thought about how this... this was Taehyung's family.
And Frigg seemed to realize that as well.
When she finally rose to leave, giving them both one last hug that Jeongguk feels sink into his very bones, she leaves with a kiss to Taehyung's cheek and a promise. "You will be happy," she had whispered, and Taehyung's face had cracked as she turned towards the door. They had stood there in silence as it shut behind her, hands still tangled tightly together between them.
"...Your mom seems nice," Jeongguk had finally said, breaking the ice, and Taehyung could only choke out a laugh, nodding.
"Yeah, she really is."
The air felt lighter then and Jeongguk had watched as Taehyung shuffled around his kitchen, claiming to be a pretty good cook. They ate together with smiles on their faces and lounged around Taehyung's apartment until the sun began to make its way back down in the sky, the TV the evening's soundtrack.
Eventually, though, Jeongguk had to go home and he pouted as he and Taehyung stared at each other in the entryway.
"You need to take me out on a date to make up for the last one," he claimed, and Taehyung's eyes burned as he smiled. "Even fancier."
"'Fancier'? Aren't you asking for a lot?" Taehyung teased and Jeongguk only pretended to huff.
"Aren't you some ancient god?" He retorted, ignoring how strange the word still felt to admit, and Taehyung's smile only grew. Jeongguk held the pose for a second and then quickly dropped the attitude, stepping forward into Taehyung's arms. "I'm just kidding. Do you want to come over tomorrow? I can make dinner."
Taehyung's lips curled into a soft smile and Jeongguk hummed as they kissed, inked fingers clenching around Taehyung's shirt. "Sounds perfect," he had said into the kiss and Jeongguk gave another one, lips smacking with a giggle. "Yoongi will drive you home."
"I thought he's supposed to be your bodyguard," Jeongguk's brows raised as he teased and he stepped back, finally slipping his shoes on before stepping into the hall.
Taehyung had only waved a hand. "You are more important," he argues and Jeongguk didn't know if his heart had ever felt so full. "Text me when you get home?" He asked, and Jeongguk nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow, sweetheart."
"See you tomorrow, Tae," Jeongguk smiled, and it didn't fade for the entire ride back home. He didn't even care about the loud laugh Yoongi let out when he crawled in, or the sneaky look Jimin shot when Jeongguk realized the man's husband was in the passenger seat. He's on cloud nine and he doesn't know when he'll ever come back down.
And then Jeongguk gets home.
He climbs the stairs to his apartment and he sees the broken lock, the splintered plaster. He grabs for his phone only to freeze as he remembers it's still sitting on his bedside table, waiting for him to send a text to Taehyung that he had made it home. Forgotten in Jeongguk's hurry to get back to Taehyung.
Something heavy settles in his gut and he takes a shaky step forward, wondering if it's too late to turn and run back to where Yoongi might still be sitting in the parking lot.
He gets two steps from the door before there's something clocking hard against his skull, his vision going black as Jeongguk slumps to the floor.
And when he finally comes to, Jeongguk groans as the bright light overhead drills into his eyes, a burning building in his temples and making the room spin. There's a foul taste in his mouth and he licks over his teeth, cringing at the tang of blood on his tongue. Might have knocked a tooth loose, he slowly pieces together. He looks around, taking in the rather bare room he's found himself in.
The room is dark but he can pick out a few details. It looks like it might have been an office at one point, the carpeting worn under him and a few power bars still left in the walls beside him, but now it's bare of all furniture as far as he can see. Jeongguk slowly pushes himself to his feet, eyes fluttering as his vision swims. Maybe the hit to his head did more damage than I thought, he thinks as he catches himself on the wall.
There's a few heavy curtains across the room and Jeongguk drags himself close to the slivers of light dragging across the floor. He grips at the heavy fabric, grunting as he shoves it aside. Sunlight spills into the room and Jeongguk squints as he takes in the landscape, a sense of confusion building as he sees the familiar sight of Seoul's skyscrapers.
They didn't take me very far, is all he's able to piece together-
And then he hears the click of a lock and his head whips around to see a door on the far side of the room, invisible in the darkness, swings open.
Jeongguk's breath catches as an unfamiliar man walks in, heavy fabric wrapped tight over his eyes. Dark hair obscures his features and Jeongguk's fingers clench around the curtains, heart rate picking up.
"Oh," the man stops, head tipping up. Jeongguk watches silently as he seems to scan the room, one hand still on the doorknob. "Are you awake?" He asks, his accent unfamiliar to Jeongguk's ears. "I am afraid I cannot see you, you will have to speak up."
Jeongguk wonders what sort of sick irony it is that a blind man holds him captive, speaking to him in such a gentle voice as he does now. He looks back out the window, eyes spotting an all too familiar tower in the distance. How terrible that he can see Taehyung's workplace from his new prison.
"...I am," he finally says, turning back towards the door and the man's face seems to brighten. The door closes behind him and Jeongguk feels a chill sweep over the room. "Who are you? Why am I here?"
The man's smile is soft as he approaches, clasping his hands together at the waist. His demeanor and his smile are familiar. Like Frigg, Jeongguk's brain suddenly connects. They look nothing alike but Jeongguk has learned by now how deceiving looks can be in the world he's suddenly found himself in.
"My name is Hodr," he greets and Jeongguk tries desperately to think of why that name sounds so familiar. "I am Loki's brother."
"Oh." Jeongguk's body tenses, resisting the urge to make a run for the door. He's not lasted this long being stupid, and even he knows a blind god is leagues above his puny human body. Then the name suddenly clicks as Hodr brushes his hair from his eyes, tucking a single, thin braid behind his ear. "The god of darkness?"
Hodr's brow furrows, lips pursing. "Among other things," he says slowly and Jeongguk isn't deaf to the subtle pain in his voice. "Our domains are not so easily defined, as I am sure you are aware." Jeongguk isn't, but he doesn't interrupt. "I have been mistaken for many things, among which is darkness and the coming winter." Hodr's expression breaks for a moment, a wry smile playing at his lips. "A fact Loki is quite familiar with. Being mistaken."
"I'm sure you know so much about him," Jeongguk says without thinking, heart stopping as he registers the words once they've left his mouth. His breath catches in his chest but Hodr only grins, laughing a little. It's soft, as if he's genuinely amused by Jeongguk's snap.
"We have many siblings but Loki was never particularly close with any of them - myself included."
"Why are you telling me this?" So far Hodr hasn't said anything about why Jeongguk is here, why he was taken, why he's being held in an empty office overlooking Seoul only miles from Taehyung.
Hodr's face tips down towards the floor and Jeongguk's grip on the curtain eases, arms crossing protectively across his chest. "I am... curious," he finally says. "I am all too familiar with how it feels to be tossed aside based on usefulness. I am curious to see how my brother of fire has been on Midgard. I want to know how he has fared all these years."
Jeongguk would be hard pressed to admit that he's sympathetic but he finds himself taking a small step closer regardless, his tongue loosening ever so slightly. "He's happy," is what he says first, and he knows it's true. He's seen the emotion as clear as day in the fire in Taehyung's eyes, has felt it in his touch and heard it in the soft voice he uses purely for Jeongguk's ears.
Against all odds Hodr actually seems pleased about that, lips curling into a soft smile at Jeongguk's words. He nods, hands smoothing over the fabric of his loose pants. "That is all I wish."
And it's then that the door opens again and Hodr's posture changes in an instant. His expression flattens, back straightening. Jeongguk's blood runs cold at the shift and his eyes snap up to where a new figure steps inside. The room almost seems to brighten at their entrance and Jeongguk finds himself having to squint a little as they walk close. Hodr steps closer to the wall, silent.
"You didn't tell me our guest was awake, bróðir," the man says and Jeongguk immediately feels his hair stand on end at his voice. His eyes jump between them, hyper focused in the way he spots the similarities between them. They're almost direct mirrors of each other, opposing spectrums. From the way they dress to which side of their face their braid sits on, to even just the palor of their skin. Complete opposites.
"My apologies Baldr," Hodr murmurs and Jeongguk's heart skips, wide eyes turning to where Baldr laughs, waving a hand. "He only just woke up."
I know that name, he thinks. Baldr. It's a name that comes up frequently if you type in "Loki" into any search bar like an amateur. A name that pops up in the most famous legend regarding the god of mischief and trickery.
"No worries," Baldr says and he steps even closer, holding out a hand. "What a coincidence that the boy I bumped into at the train would show up again, hm?" Jeongguk's lips part silently, brows furrowing. "Oh, it's alright if you don't remember," he grabs at Jeongguk's hand, giving it a shake with a blindingly bright grin. "Let's talk for a minute, shall we? I have many questions for you, Jeon Jeongguk."
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