where hearts are made | taekook

13;; botanical gardens hold all the answers

13;; botanical
gardens hold
all the answer

A month or so passed, leading into the cold and frosted nights of December. On earth, humans wrapped up in coats and scarves, their fireplaces burning at high temperatures as their families huddled around the flames.

In Hell, all Jungkook could do was stare out the window, embers replacing snowflakes, falling down and skimming the ground as the flames still burned consistently. He wanted to feel the icy cold against his skin, make out the tiny snowflakes against his arms and hands.

He just wanted to be home.

"Any progress?" Hoseok asked Taehyung, the pair taking a small stroll within the burning pits, one of the many gardens scattered across the palace grounds. "With Jungkook I mean."

Taehyung sighed, glancing up at the boy's window, shaking his head. "I don't know what else to do. I gave him the shoes and... I don't know." He rubbed the back of his neck. "It's not even for me anymore. This boy deserves a life, Hoseok. And we've taken it from him."

"For a good cause. You know the boy would only die if we left him there on earth." Hoseok rubbed the back of his neck, an agitated look on his features as he spoke again. "Archangels have been found, their heads ripped from their torsos."

Taehyung flinched, his mind not even being able to imagine what the archangels looked like - their heads decapitated, wings lifeless and drenched in crimson. It was barely believable, hearing the words spill from Hoseok's mouth.

"That's not a good sign."

"No, it's really not. It could mean war, Taehyung. Another war on earth. Jungkook is safe here." Hoseok attempted to reassure the prince, frowning when he simply nodded his head, turning away from the other. "Please, just trust me. Hades won't hurt the boy, not when your future is in his hands."

The pair stopped their stroll near a bench, Taehyung deciding to sit down and rest his feet for a moment. Taehyung wanted Jungkook to feel comfortable, not just around him, but around everything that Hell has to offer. BUt he knew it would take time - time Taehyung didn't have.

Hoseok stood in front of Taehyung, a crease line between his eyebrows from frowning so much. All Jungkook had done was bring stress into his life, and he certainly wasn't pleased. But in some ways, Hoseok held a soft spot for the mortal but not in the way Taehyung did.

"We should ask him what he wants." Hoseok suggested, glancing round at the botanical garden. "Maybe you should bring him here? Show him that life is in Hell."

Taehyung bit his lip. Would Jungkook appreciate knowing that things in Hell are alive too? That a bunch of plants, just like him, required oxygen to live? Would it show him that death isn't the only thing that parades the streets of Hell?

"I don't know. It's not exactly welcoming, being compared to a plant."

"I don't think Jungkook feels welcome in any sense. At least now you're trying."

The prince said nothing, standing from the bench and nodding his head. "I'll try." Was all he said before walking off, leaving Hoseok to stare at the cobblestone path, a sigh leaving his lips.

♡ ♡ ♡

"What do you mean you've found another three?" Hades boomed throughout the congress room, the guardians holding their heads down low, the king smacking his hand down onto the armrest of his throne.

"They were just outside Lust's bar. I don't know if the ones who have done this know about us, but they definitely know about the existence of the archangels." A guardian spoke up, revealing a set of pictures, passing them over to him. "We took these as evidence and it allows us more insight into how and why they are being killed."