Chapter Text
The different scrolls were spread out across Taehyung's vast library. He sighed. That was how he spent his free time: reading and reading. Sometimes he liked to go back to the scrolls that he had had for several millennia, others were the hardcover books, and other the stories that he found in his memory of a time that he heard a human tell.
"Reading again, Tae?" His friend's melodious voice was heard all over the place. Taehyung smiled.
"I don't have much to do, Min." He turned to look at him. “Most of my tasks have already been done.”
"Always so efficient." He stroked his long hair tenderly. “The Boss has told me that the skies have been somewhat calm.”
Taehyung smirked.
"Yeah, there's not much I can do with my army, you know," he laughed. "Instead you must be full of work."
"You can tell," he sighed. “But Yoongi and Seokjin helped me a bit.”
The blonde looked at him.
"Jimin, did you cheat?" The other's green eyes widened.
“Of course not! It's just that I was a bit overwhelmed” his chubby cheeks turned pink and his friend couldn't help but giving a little laugh. “Yah! You don't know how hard it is to be the heavenly messenger.”
“I can imagine.”
The redhead grunted, agreeing with his friend. He was about to say something else when the sound of a bell echoed through the library.
"Uh, I hate when that happens while you visit" Taehyung complained.
"Well, my free minutes are up." He smirked. Jimin spread his wings and rose a little above the ground, still looking at his friend. “Someday I'll ask for a vacation.”
"As if those things happened," his friend teased before receiving a little push from the wind given by Jimin's wings. “Go now, the Boss is waiting.”
With a wave of hands and a few air kisses, the redhead left, leaving the other angel alone again.
He didn't have much to do, if he was honest. Every day, every seven hours, he would check the humans and return, finding it unnecessary to enlist his troops with some banal earthly problem.
But sometimes, when no one saw him, not even the Boss of Heaven himself, he would escape to that place between Heaven, Earth and Hell. That place where he could enjoy the pleasures that he didn’t need to feel in Heaven, but that he wanted to experience when he accidentally stumbled and fell there.
Oh, everything had started to bloom so suddenly that he didn't quite know how to control it. They were overwhelming sensations, almost demonic, if you allowed him to compare. So, on his next return after such a stumble, he decided that it was a good idea to find someone from that banal world who might be able to explain and help him with what he felt at that time.
It was there when he saw Jungkook.
---
"I swear to God, Jeon Jungkook!" He heard his friend say as he chopped firewood from a large log. "I think I'll make her my wife."
The tall man hid a grimace at those words. Oh, if only he knew how much they hurt.
"You saw her, didn't you?" The brunet spoke again. "She is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my life."
"But, Namjoon hyung," he finally intervened, "you've only seen her twice."
"So?" He asked defensively. "It was love at first sight. She would give me the best children any man could wish for.”
Jeon Jungkook was unhappy, very unhappy.
"Then I'm happy for you, Namjoon hyung," he forced a smile. “But can I ask you something?”
"Sure, Jeon Jungkook."
"I don't mean to offend you, far from it, but what could you offer to the daughter of the owner of the ranch where you work?" He formulated with a cautious tone. “She already has it all, and I don't think Master Jung would agree with you proposing to his cherished eldest daughter.”
The field was silent. Only the light machetes of other boys in the distance could be heard between the two young men.
The older one scratched his head.
"We can… we can run away together." Jungkook grimaced, this time showing his hyung how far-fetched that idea was. “Once away from here, no one will stop our love.”
Jungkook pursed his lips. As much as he disliked hearing the incoherent babbling of the person he loved -or believed he loved based on the little he knew about that feeling-, at that moment he wanted to bring him to his senses, not because he didn’t want to see him with the newly proclaimed love of his life, but didn't want to know that his hyung was beheaded for doing something crazy that would dishonour his master.
"I think you have to think things through very well, Namjoon hyung," he advised shyly. “You don't even know if Miss Jung will reciprocate your feelings.”
The taller one snorted.
"Of course she will!" He exclaimed and then cut a piece of wood in two again. "We are destined to be together."
Jeon Jungkook would sometimes rethink the decisions of others around him. Were they sane? Or was he the one who was completely out of his mind?
"Namjoon hyung, I'm just saying that you should, you know, test the waters before setting sail for the sea," he said as he bent down to pick up the pile of pieces of wood and place them on the wagon to his left. “It is always best to study the battlefield before commanding the soldiers. Or so they say.”
Namjoon looked at him doubtfully. Since when had that boy grown so mature?
"I can't believe you're talking like a man already." He ruffled his hair. “I still remember when your family joined the ranch.” He laughed. “But you're right, I guess. I'll take your advice, Jeon Jungkook. I will first study my possibilities and then I will make a move.”
The youngest nodded.
"But you will see that Jung Jinwoo will be my wife."
"If you say so, Namjoon hyung," he half smiled. “I wish you all the luck that God can bring you.”
“So be it. You will see.”
Jeon Jungkook was a very unhappy 22-year-old.
His life was based on getting up, milking cows, chopping wood, feeding chickens, fantasising about his Namjoon hyung, avoiding his mother's questions about a possible wife, and going back to sleep.
Nothing special.
Jeon Jungkook wasn't a very interesting person either.
He considered himself boring and somewhat inept. He might even say he didn't even fit in there, or anywhere else.
His thoughts sometimes, if not always, went in another direction from that of those close to him. One of the things that tormented him the most was watching men and women kiss each other. It struck him as a repulsive act, if he had to admit it. Why would a man have the desire to kiss a woman? Yes, they were beautiful, and very patient and loving, but for him they were just that and that's it.
Instead, men like his Namjoon hyung did deserve to be kissed and admired as women are supposed to be. On more than one occasion he imagined bowing down to his hyung and giving him one of those messy kisses that couples would sneakily give each other in stables when they thought no one was seeing them.
But Jeon Jungkook only saw men and women showing such affection, never two men, or two women, so he kept his wishes just for himself.
Perhaps no one was doing it because they could take them to the torture plaza, the young man could find no other explanation.
"I think that was all the logs for today, Jeon Jungkook," Namjoon smirked as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. “You can go for a swim in the lake, I'll take this, maybe I can think of strategies to get closer to Miss Jung.” He winked before lifting the cart.
"Be careful with young Jung, hyung," the younger joked. “You don't want Jung Hoseok to shoot an arrow through your chest.”
"Thank you for your good wishes, Jeon Jungkook!" He laughed "See you there!" And left, leaving the guy with a tasteless mouth.
---
Taehyung was looking in the distance at the young man who was submerging from time to time in the clear waters of the small lake.
The angel found it fascinating. He didn’t radiate light, but his skin was smooth, although he could perceive certain white marks on his back. He would like to take a closer look to find out what they were.
He held his breath as the human dove and the waters stilled. Where was he? He was about to meet him when the pretty human stuck his head out and squirted out a small stream of water.
The angel breathed again. His eyes still fixed on the movements the human made in the water.
He had never touched water. He had never had his body submerged in water like that boy had. What would it feel like? Would it be the same as when you experienced all of that in the dark place in limbo?
Someday he would like to know.
He watched the human submerge over and over again until he decided to come out completely. Taehyung opened his eyes.
He had never seen the naked body of a human, it was not so different from his, if he started to compare. Maybe a little smaller and without the halo of light around it, but he liked it, at least that boy's.
He had a narrow waist, Taehyung was sure he could wrap his hands around him completely. His legs looked hard and toned. His back was broad and strong, and the white markings only made the angel even more curious to look closely.
He made his decision. That would be the human who would explain all those feelings to him and help him satisfy all that he felt in that dark place of limbo.
"Tonight you will be mine, pretty human" he whispered to himself, experiencing those strange thoughts and tensions in his body again.
He couldn’t wait.