CHAPTER 13 - INNER CHILD

Taehyung felt more passion for Y/n each passing day. Speaking of, two days had passed. They managed to find another river, but this one was the farthest away from the beach as they could get. It wasn't the one near the center of the island, the one they went to last time. This one was smaller, and there were little signs of wildlife around. They were hydrated, but starvation would catch up with them eventually. Taehyung prayed it wouldn't come to that.

His mind often replayed words his best friend told him before the trip. Be safe. Those two words were iconic for Jimin. The man would say them whenever Tae so much as drove down the street. His desire to see Jimin shot through the roof. Taehyung would do anything to see one last eye smile. Or maybe he'd do anything for one last hug. Jimin was known for his hugs. They made Tae feel safe. At home. Jimin was his home, and now he was worrying the shit out of that man.

Of course, it didn't help that the island had dangerous fauna and a tribe probably hunting them. Well, that wasn't true. The tribe most likely knew the ins and outs of this place. They would've found them by now. Taehyung was guessing they were waiting by the beach still, hoping for a rescue. Taehyung again prayed they wouldn't have to fight for a spot on the boat, or helicopter, or plane, or whatever the fuck else came to get them.

Y/n was sitting across from him, and his thoughts were interrupted by a soft groan from her. She was in immense pain from cramps, which was nothing new. She had her face scrunched up, the dimness of the night sky cloaking her in a light that made her seem ethereal. Dammit, Taehyung was falling for her already. He pondered if she returned those feelings. It was hard to believe considering her personality, but Y/n also inspired him to continue his optimist ways. So that was what he did.

She stared up at the sky she adored so much, Taehyung watching her side profile the entire time. No eye contact was made. She kept her gaze in one direction, either not noticing Tae's wandering eyes, or not having the energy to match it. He didn't care no matter what the answer was. Y/n was as mentally drained as him, if not more because of her period. Taehyung didn't need sappy eye contact and hugs and kisses. But he did need to talk. He needed a release from this feeling festering inside the pits of his core. And there was one way to do it.

"I miss Jimin," Tae said, garnering Y/n's attention. She shifted her glance to him, and the eye contact he didn't think he needed was made. All at once, it felt as though the mucky terrain fell out from underneath him. The scariest part was he was fine with that. "He's my best friend for life. He made me promise him to come home safely. Not just this trip, but every trip I take. Even just a drive to the store. Jimin's one of those people who'd put the health of a mouse who bit him over himself."

"So a sweetheart?" she asked, a hint of amusement mixed with admiration in her tone.

"Yeah, a sweetheart. He's the greatest guy I know, and a lot of my personality comes from him. I wish I could describe him in a better way, I don't think I'm doing him much justice."

"No actually, I think you're doing a great job."

He didn't believe her, but he also didn't have the energy to protest either. So he opted to shut his mouth, peeping up at the sky Y/n was just staring at. Then, out of curiosity, he opened said mouth again.

"Are you okay?"

"Of course. Are you? Wait, actually, why am I asking that? I already know that you're not."

"Is that meant to be an insult?"

"I don't think so. Was it?" She came closer, and Taehyung leaned back, allowing her in his personal space. Much to his surprise, she crawled on his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. It was safe to say his heart was thumping against his rib cage. His heart pounded so much, he thought he'd break a bone inside his body. "It's just a fact, and facts aren't supposed to be insults. To be fair, you'd say the same thing about yourself."

"I don't feel comfortable replying to that," he said, twirling a strand of her hair. "But you may be right."

"May be? Did I not just say I was speaking facts?"

Taehyung snickered, kissing her forehead before pulling her closer to his body. The woman snuggled there, and he let out soft breaths that sounded like 'shh' noises. She relished each one, leaning up to hear more of the vibrations. He shared the sentiment, cherishing each second he was with her.

There was one thing Tae could say about Y/n. Well, much more than one thing, but he narrowed it to one central thing. She knew how to handle information. Alright, Taehyung admitted that seemed lame to say. However, it was high praise. Especially coming from him, someone who thought Y/n wouldn't be worth his time not too long ago.

What he meant was Y/n could absorb new information quickly and effectively. She applied it to her surroundings and made adjustments based on it. It amazed him how she began as this cold, maybe even ruthless person. Now she had that sense of coldness, but also a beam of light showing him she could learn too. And it was beyond attractive when a person was willing to learn. Taehyung wished he had that trait. Maybe he did and he was self-doubting himself. Regardless, he wished he had a higher capacity for learning. A higher desire for it.

"You're deeper in thought than normal. Something going on?" she asked, coming a bit closer than before.

"No, I'm okay. Actually, I may be better than okay. I'm here with you, not to sound cheesy or anything."

"Too late. You sound cheesy as hell."

"Dammit, I tried okay?" he said with a pout, rubbing his fingers along the sides of her hips and hoping it brought her consolation. She kissed his cheek and stroked the back of his hands, their skin touching and bringing tingles to his mind. "I just want to go home." His voice was a mere whisper, and she frowned upon hearing it, not that he could blame her.

"I feel the same. But, Tae, we have so much more to do still," she replied, moving her hand up presumably to touch her hair, but she halted at the last minute. Her body froze, and Tae nuzzled his brows together. Y/n's face went as pale as it could go, her lower lip quivering as her irises dilated.

"Y/n?" he asked, his posture mimicking hers after a moment.

A twig snapped, and Tae whipped around in time to see a man standing there. It was the same man from before, the same one who Tae spoke with. Ezekiel. The same one who kidnapped them. And in a flash, Tae was in front of his woman, holding up his fists and preparing to fight the stranger who could beat him to a pulp. But what kind of man would Tae be if he didn't try?

"How the hell did you find us?" Tae asked.

Ezekiel pat the air as if he were killing a fly. However, he didn't move forward. In fact, he didn't move at all. 

Y/n was quick on her feet and checked their surroundings, keeping her fists together in case of an ambush. She kept her eyes on the back, and Tae kept his eyes on the front. They were a team. For the first time since they landed on this island, he felt as though they were complete. He wanted to go home, and he'd do anything to achieve that goal, but he was okay with this feeling for now. The sensation that he had someone by his side. Taehyung wasn't alone. And maybe he never would be again.

"I'm more surprised it took this long, to be honest. I thought we would've found you in a matter of minutes. Better late than never, right?" he replied.

"Not in this case. We don't need to do this. You live on your side of the island, we live on ours. Is it really that hard? We don't want to hurt you. Actually, we don't even want to interact with you," Tae said, and Ezekiel shook him off right away. That was until Y/n stepped forward.

"May I propose an alternative?" she asked, and the man tilted his head. "For starters, I think it's only fair you tell us exactly why you're chasing us. Why not let us go? What do we offer to you that could possibly make your lives better?"

"Entertainment."

"I'm sure. Now here's my alternative. Why don't you keep your entertainment on the wildlife, and not two other people who have survived. I understand times are rough and it's easy to lose our humanity in situations such as these. However, this is not the place for us to tear each other's heads off. What do you gain other than maybe a few minutes of a high? Is that worth taking two innocent lives? Have you lost yourself so much that you're willing to do such violent acts for a brief spike of adrenaline? Bored or not, we have rescuers who could be here at any moment, and you'd rather chase us like we were some animals than focus on the idea of escape."

Y/n paused, her eyes narrowed on the man. "Like it or not, one day your life will go back to normal. And when it does, I'll make damn sure you see my face every time you close your eyes. You'll regret this. And deep down, you know that you will," she said.

The man gazed at the two of them, Y/n refusing to back down. Taehyung let his stare flicker between the two. They were both still. They were as stiff as they could be, Y/n's shoulders a bit looser than Ezekiel's. And it was no surprise when the savage leaned on the backs of his feet and crossed his arms over his chest.

"What makes you so sure?" he asked.

"Because you were a person once. Now you're nothing more than a monster. When you go back to your normal life, you'll see the errors of your way. You'll regret every single fucking second of it. So here's your chance to walk away before you do something you'll regret."

The silence that followed had Taehyung holding his breath without realizing it. His skin was littered in goosebumps, but Y/n's straight and relaxed posture eased him by a bit. Only a bit. The man, Ezekiel, kept his dragon-like eyes on the woman standing in front of Tae. It felt like time was stopped. And what happened next brought tears to Taehyung's eyes.

Ezekiel clenched his hands into fists...

~~~

A/N: Hey everyone, sorry this took so long. Time has been flying so fast and I keep saying 'oh I updated Everlast like a week and a half ago, right?' but nope, it's been almost a month. Seriously, I apologize for that, I haven't been very consistent with this story despite my best efforts to. Anyway, this story doesn't have many chapters left, so I hope you enjoyed this one. I'll see you in the next update (that will hopefully come much sooner). Bye bye!

~ Jiminbiasnim (Raven)