Part 2
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He didn't get far though as someone stepped into his way right in front of him. Taehyung came to an abrupt halt, silently swearing at himself for not just taking a taxi back to his place. It would have been a way smarter decision.
"Hey, wait a second." The guy brought his hands up almost reassuringly, but then someone suddenly wrapped his arms around Taehyung, pressing a knife to his throat.
"Don't move." This guy's voice sounded a lot less friendly.
Taehyung could feel his heart start to race in his chest. This must have been the movement he had noticed earlier... he should have run then. Gotten out of there. But as usual he had written it off as him just being a little jumpy at night.
Sometimes it really was better to follow your gut feeling, huh.
"You can take my wallet and phone. They are in my pockets." Taehyung lifted his arms up, signalling them he wasn't going to fight back. He wasn't going to risk his life over a little money. He could lock his credit card and just get a new phone.
His life was more important right now.
"Thanks, bud." The guy in front of him pulled his wallet from his pocket, while the guy behind him was still pressing the knife to his throat. Taehyung's heart was racing but he had to stay calm right now. The last thing he wanted was for the guy holding the knife to his throat to panic.
He watched as the guy in front of him opened his wallet, skimming through the contents, whistling.
"Jackpot."
Taehyung couldn't help rolling his eyes, but he just pressed his lips into a thin line when he felt the guy behind him get on his tiptoes and lean against his back as he tried to get a look at Taehyung's wallet too. The knife against his throat was applying a worrisome amount of pressure.
"Please be careful. I doubt you guys actually want to commit murder, do you?"
To Taehyung's relief the knife on his neck actually moved away a little.
"Are we just going to let him go now?" The man behind him asked the one holding his phone and wallet. Taehyung just stayed still, hoping the answer would be yes. He just wanted to get away from there.
The guy in front of him gave him one last once over, probably checking if something else caught his eyes, before shaking his head. "Leave him. He can't call the police anyway." He held up Taehyung's phone, waving it around.
Taehyung nodded slowly, careful not to startle the guy behind him. "I just want to get home."
Relief washed over Taehyung when the guy with the knife finally pulled away. This was going to be over soon. They would leave and then Taehyung would go home and lock his credit card using his online access or something.
But all those plans went out the window when the guy in front of him just dropped to the ground. There was another thud behind him and Taehyung didn't even have to turn around to know the guy who had pressed the knife to his throat was lying on the floor as well.
Not that he had any intention of doing so, not when a couple of meters down the street Jungkook had popped up out of nowhere.
Without saying a word he walked closer and Taehyung could feel himself tense up, this was the moment of truth. If Jungkook had just come here to kill him he was going to die... even if he doubted it. He'd gotten to know Jungkook well enough to be pretty sure it wouldn't happen. But a year was a long time. A lot could have happened in that year.
Jungkook was looking completely normal though. Jeans, a wide, dark green jacket and timberlands... in a way an unexpected style, but Taehyung liked it. It suited Jungkook well.
Neither of them said anything. Taehyung mainly because he didn't know what to say. A simple 'hi' didn't feel right after everything that had happened and how long they hadn't seen one another. When he was just a meter away Jungkook crouched down to the guy lying in front of Taehyung.
For a second Taehyung thought he was going to see if he was still alive. Check his pulse or something. But Jungkook simply picked up the wallet and the phone that had fallen to the ground before getting up again.
When he looked back at Taehyung he almost seemed awkward as he held the items out for Taehyung to take. "I think you lost something."
Taehyung looked down at the wallet and his phone and then back at Jungkook. Maybe he was crazy for being happy right now, even when these two guys had just died... but Jungkook had come back to him. "Did I?" He couldn't help the smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
Jungkook seemed relieved as he smiled back. "I think you did."
Taehyung glanced down at the bodies at his feet. "I swear, wherever you go there is death." He should have felt bad, but these guys had threatened his life a few minutes earlier. So it wasn't as bad as it could have been.
"I know it's hard to believe, but usually it's not that way." Jungkook stated, watching as Taehyung grabbed his phone from his hand before adding. "Let's get away from here though. We shouldn't be seen near these bodies."
Taehyung nodded, looking back down one last time. It was hard to believe these guys were dead. They didn't look like it. It was like they were sleeping. No wounds, no unnaturally pale skin. They had just dropped to the floor and were never going to get up again.
He followed after Jungkook as he led him down one of the paths in the park. "How did you find me?"
He should have been careful around Jungkook. The only thing that gave Taehyung any reason to trust Jungkook so far was that he hadn't killed him yet. But Taehyung didn't care. He had missed Jungkook and wasn't going to let him slip through his fingers again.
Even if that meant he had to take some sort of risk. But Taehyung believed that he was rather good at reading people and Jungkook really didn't make him feel like he had to worry.
"I've known where you are for a while now. I found out pretty soon after the whole incident, but I didn't want to approach you because I was worried you were under surveillance after being the only survivor." They reached the street and Jungkook grabbed his hand as they quickly crossed it at a spot without a crosswalk. There weren't that many cars though, so it wasn't really dangerous.
"So you wanted to wait a little longer?" Taehyung asked and Jungkook nodded. He was taking Taehyung somewhere but Taehyung had no idea where. Still, he just followed Jungkook as he led him through random alleys. "Actually I've been wanting to approach you for a couple of weeks now, but I kept chickening out. I was worried you'd get scared of me now that you had enough time to think."
Taehyung nodded. It was pretty reasonable. He was probably crazy for feeling safe, even though Jungkook could have been leading him anywhere. On the other hand... Jungkook could just kill him in the blink of an eye, so why go through these lengths just to kill him?
"Are you?" This time Jungkook sounded a little nervous.
Taehyung squeezed his hand. "I'm probably insane but no. I think spending so many hours just talking to you and being with you while you were behind that glass... I don't know... made me build up a false sense of safety and security. I feel safe around you right now, which is probably stupid, but it's just the way it is."
Jungkook shook his head. "It's not stupid. I'll keep you safe." Taehyung couldn't help but smile.
"Thanks for helping me earlier." This certainly was a bit of a unique situation, but Taehyung found himself not minding. He had waited for Jungkook to return for quite some time and he was glad he had come back... even if they had been off to a bit of a rough start.
He knew he was safe around Jungkook for the mere reason that Jungkook hadn't killed him yet... which certainly counted for something, given he had killed everyone else in that laboratory.
Jungkook sighed. "I didn't do as much as I could have. I was already there when these guys showed up and I wanted to step in then, but I was scared that if I startled them the one holding the knife would accidentally hurt you. Same if I had killed them right away." They turned around another corner. "You did pretty well yourself. I'm impressed with how calm you were."
Taehyung chuckled. "Panicking is the last thing that helps in these types of situations. It was also pretty obvious that they were just after money and they can have my money for all I care. Won't fight for that and risk my life."
He watched as Jungkook shook his head, clearly amused. "You're really weird. The fact alone that you're this chill about me showing up again. Last time we saw each other I killed a whole laboratory full of people."
They came to a halt in front of a restaurant with bright neon lighting. If Taehyung knew one thing it was that this wasn't a very populated area. Of course, it was late, but there was nothing around here but normal apartment buildings.
The bright writing was probably there to attract the few customers it could reach.
"Is this where we were going?"
Jungkook nodded, pulling Taehyung through the door into the building.
And the second they made it through the door the atmosphere seemed to shift. While outside it had almost seemed like Taehyung would have to worry about someone attempting to steal his wallet again, the place felt oddly warm.
And full. Really full. Most of the tables had people sitting around them, chatting, laughing and some also smoking. The place didn't exactly seem expensive, but it had a homey feel in an odd type of way. The atmosphere was just lighthearted.
Taehyung found himself being led to one of the tables in the far back, Jungkook's hand on his back.
"This place has amazing ramen. I tend to come here a lot, at least when I'm not broke." Jungkook explained as they sat down, handing Taehyung the menu. This was weird. Not because the situation itself was weird, but because of how normal it was.
Jungkook was behaving like a completely normal person who hadn't just killed two guys on the street like it was absolutely nothing.
But then again, Jungkook had told Taehyung about how he did live a pretty normal life. Taehyung simply had always had a hard time imagining it being this normal. After all, everyone had talked about and treated Jungkook like he was a monster back at the laboratory.
"What's your favorite here?" Taehyung asked, deciding he was just going to go with whatever Jungkook liked. He was curious.
"Kitakata Ramen is great. I won't order it for myself today since I just came here three days ago with Jimin, but it's really good."
Taehyung smiled. This was weird but he liked it. Oddly domestic in a way. Although it wasn't really surprising he felt comfortable around Jungkook after all the time they had already spent together... just with a wall of glass between them, but that didn't change anything about how easy talking with each other seemed to be.
"Then I'll try that. And about what you said earlier..." He closed the menu. "...I spent a lot of time thinking about you maybe coming back this last year. I probably should have felt a little scared when you showed up, but it was what I have been hoping for for a while so..." He searched for the right words before finally giving up. "I just missed you." It was rather blunt, but the smile on Jungkook's lips when he said it was worth it.
"Glad I left a positive impression even after all that." Jungkook made a vague hand gesture that was probably supposed to include all that had happened back at the laboratory. "And that you do seem to like me more than a typical patient." Jungkook wiggled his eyebrows and Taehyung couldn't help but chuckle.
The waiter came and took their orders and Taehyung continued when he had left. "I know it's really weird, but talking to you all the time was really relaxing in a way. And now I still feel relaxed and calm even with all the shit that happened. Conditioning sure is a weird thing." Taehyung chuckled, but then he shook his head.
"I'm glad you haven't run out on me yet..." Jungkook leaned back. "Which, by the way, would be okay. Like, I wouldn't be pissed. I don't want to make you uncomfortable or make you feel like you have to talk to me... it's... that's not my intention."
That was nice. Really nice. And Taehyung felt even more assured in his belief that he wouldn't have to worry about Jungkook. "I don't intend to. I'm glad we met again."
Jungkook groaned, throwing his head back. "I swear, you can't imagine how nervous I was about this whole thing. As I said, I've been around for a while now but I was a fucking coward because I imaged me popping up to say hi and you running away screamin like a white girl in a horror movie and I was not ready for that kind of rejection."
Taehyung couldn't help but smile. He watched as the waiter came back to place their drinks in front of them and left again. "I mean, I did kind of accept your kiss back then in the laboratory. I'm such a unprofessional therapist by the way. Kissing my client." He shook his head in dramatic disapproval as if that had been the only issue with the situation and there hadn't been bodies lying around everywhere.
"Just because you didn't reject me back there doesn't mean you actually accept me. You could have been worried about me killing you and only done it because of that." Jungkook declared, taking a sip from his drink. "But we're here now and I'm glad it somehow worked out."
Taehyung nodded. He had no clue about the future. How this was going to work out, but he was sure about one thing and that was that he didn't want Jungkook to leave again. Taehyung wanted to have Jungkook in his life and then they could slowly work through all the issues that were very prominent the more you thought about it.
But right now all he wanted was to be right here and eat ramen with Jungkook. Because it was nice and calm and domestic... all the things he had enjoyed about spending time with Jungkook back at the laboratory.
The weird closeness was still there after all this time.
"So... tell me more about you now that you're out of that place and, I assume, are able to be more open." Taehyung suggested.
"I'm a university student. Officially twenty three years old. Before this whole thing happened I shared an apartment with my two best friends. Now I live on my own since they got a new roommate while I was gone. Explaining to them why I was gone was a pain in the ass but I bullshitted my way through." Jungkook chuckled and Taehyung felt himself smile again.
"Did they believe you?"
Jungkook clicked his tongue. "I don't think they actually believe my lies but they like me enough to decide to believe them." The way Jungkook's eyes seemed to light up as he talked about them made Taehyung happy somehow.
Back then Jungkook had always seemed lonely, even when Taehyung had been there to talk to him. But now that he was back out here he almost seemed to glow. Although no experiments for a year probably had had a pretty good effect too.
"They sound like great friends."
Jungkook nodded and right at that moment the waiter came back and brought their food. "They are. I like them a lot." He thanked the waiter, who smiled before leaving again. Then Jungkook expectantly looked at Taehyung, clearly waiting for him to try his ramen.
He did and it was really amazing. Especially considering the prices he had seen on the menu before. It was pretty cheap but tasted like it could be served at a luxury restaurant.
"How is it?"
Taehyung gave Jungkook a thumbs up, mouth full of noodles. For a couple of minutes Jungkook talked about how he had found this place a while ago and how he had probably tried everything on the menu while Taehyung silently ate his soup. He enjoyed listening to Jungkook. Locked in he had always been so quiet and reserved, but now he seemed to be full of energy again and happy.
Of course he was. Being restrained and locked up in a cell was awful. It made sense for him not to have been quite himself.
"I'm assuming you want to hear more about what I am as well and what I do outside of being a basic uni student fighting to somehow make it through the year?" He asked after Taehyung had made it maybe halfway through his bowl of ramen.
He nodded. "If you're comfortable telling me at least. But I am curious, since I really don't know anything about you."
"So first, I can't give you a better explanation of what I am than the one you already have. Humans don't actually have a word for what I am that would just explain it all. I'm just a creature that coexists with humans in ways that humans probably aren't too happy about." Jungkook stated, sucking a few noodles into his mouth.
"I told you about how I live off of human lives before. But it really is my only way to survive. Killing someone gives me five years max and if I'm careless it can last a lot shorter than that. If I don't kill I die. That's the harsh reality I live in."
Taehyung nodded slowly. "And why act human and go to university? I mean... do you feel the urge to live as a human or is it just because it's less difficult?"
This time Jungkook took a few seconds to answer, seemingly contemplating the question. "I enjoy living as a human. I could live without acting like one, but that would be risky. I could get caught again and I don't have nearly enough spare lives to risk that."
"Do you really not feel any guilt while killing people? It seems a little weird to me... that you just kill random people while you're making friends in your 'normal' life." Taehyung tilted the bowl with the ramen to get easier access to the rest of the soup.
"I used to feel guilty, but not so much anymore. But I also try to avoid killing just anyone. I don't hunt anymore like I used to. Instead, when I see shit like what happened to you today happening I go after those people. They probably have a life of their own too, but I have to kill someone and it's better them than some small girl. I do have emotions." Jungkook drank the rest of his soup in one big gulp before focusing back on Taehyung.
"Don't misunderstand. I have done shitty things in the past, but I've been... better since I started living with humans."
Taehyung nodded. This was honestly better than what he had assumed to be the reality. The fact that Jungkook went after bad guys was okay. And those deaths were relatively painless too. Of course it wasn't right, but Taehyung's standards weren't too high right now.
"I'm... decently okay with that. If we continue to meet each other I can live with knowing you do that." Taehyung declared. "I have one question. How did you kill them? And the security guard too. Because back at the laboratory, that was a bloodbath, but the security guard just dropped dead to the ground and those guys earlier too. What did you do?"
Taehyung was done with his bowl of ramen and really full, but in a comfortable way.
"I told you, I steal lives. For the most part literally, although killing someone with my own hands is just as effective. I need to be close enough to take someone's life, but as long as they are within my reach I don't need to lift a finger." Jungkook downed his drink, clearing his throat. "You saved my life back there... if you hadn't entered the security guard wouldn't have either and I'd be dead now."
While Taehyung wasn't too happy about that guy's death being his fault, the selfish part of his brain was glad it had been that guy and not Jungkook. After all the pain Jungkook had gone through he hadn't deserve to die like that. He deserved the freedom he had right now...
"I'm glad you survived... although I still don't understand why you didn't try to kill me. Before the security guard entered you just accepted you were going to die."
Taehyung had gotten the short version along the lines of 'Jungkook is a monster but not a dick' back at the laboratory, but he still didn't get it entirely. So far Jungkook clearly hadn't shown much remorse regarding the people he killed and Taehyung understood that, in a way, they had been friends at the time, but it was still weird for Jungkook to pick Taehyung's life over his.
"First off, you came in there very well aware of how dangerous I was and just didn't care because you saw that I was dying... I was moved, okay?" Jungkook chuckled. "Second, I really like you, otherwise I wouldn't have taken you here on what could be a date if you want it to be, which is why I really didn't want to kill you. Getting out of there but you no longer being around would have been awful."
The waiter came to pick up their bowls and asked how they had liked the food. Jungkook only continued once he was out of hearing range.
"And third, I didn't want to break your trust, which is kind of stupid because you wouldn't even have realized you're dying, but I just really didn't want to for a bunch of reasons." Taehyung watched as Jungkook's eyes slowly wandered to the ceiling.
He felt oddly warm and tingly all over. Jungkook not wanting to kill him shouldn't have made him feel this content, since that should have been basic decency, but in that situation it really meant something.
"And then the security guard entered and my head went like 'Thank god I don't have to die here.'" Jungkook giggled. "So no, I'm not suicidal. I just actually kind of care for you."
Taehyung couldn't help but smile back. "Me too."
When Jungkook's fingers interlaced with his on the table it felt oddly right. Taehyung felt safe right there at that moment, even with one of the most dangerous creatures he had ever met sitting across from him. Because he knew he could trust Jungkook.
And he really hoped this would go somewhere because he liked Jungkook. A lot more than he was willing to admit.
A/N
Last part following next week!
Also warning... I already wrote a message on my message board so those who follow me should have seen it, but this story took a turn I hadn't planned skskszvejs
So once smut comes up... I might have turned this into another tentacle story😖
Yeah I know what you all are thinking... AGAIN?!
And yes... again. My boyfriend made a stupid joke about smoke tentacles... and I took it as a joke until suddenly I didn't anymore skskswgdksn
So yeah... the sex is mainly normal but there will be tentacles kinda so be prepared.
What did you guys think of this chapter?😖💕