Perpetual Rain ✓

Time

"I need time." Shaking your heard, you took a step back from him, needing to increase the distance between the two of you. 

"Please, Y/N." Taehyung begged, his hands coming up as he tried to step forward to you. You could see the desperation in his eyes like light flecks of milk chocolate on a hazelnut canvas.  

"No!" A hand flew up and raised between the two of you, you faced your palm toward his chest, not wanting him to come any closer. Despite your strong approach, your hands were shaking and any attempt to tighten your muscles to get it to stop was a failure.  

"I just want to help you..." He begged once more, keeping his arms open toward you, wanting you to accept his compassion, maybe even run into his arms but all you wanted was to run far from this porch. 

What in life did you do to end up here? Locked in a staring contest with a reaper begging you not to leave him, when you were the one that was dead. 

"You're a reaper, Taehyung." You rattled your head again, lowering your gaze toward the floorboards of the porch as your brunette locks shadowed your eyes from sight. "I know what that means, at least stereotypically." You took in a deep breath, letting the cool, misty air attempt to calm your nerves.  "And, I'm not ready to go with you..." 

"Y/N, I--" 

"I said, no. Taehyung." 

"I don't want to send you away!" 

"...What?" You questioned as you raised your head up, staring at him from under your lashes. He had raised his voice again, and he almost seemed out of breath just trying to speak. The strings of your heart tugged at the distraught expression he displayed. You powered your defenses, putting down your hand as you tried to understand. 

"You're right... My job is to help people find their peace and help them to move on from this world but... I don't want to do that with you." His hands slowly lowered back to his sides, there was a slump in his shoulders. The reflection of his eyes seemed hopeless, yet desperate to get you to listen.

But you just stared at him in confusion. What is it he wants with you if it's not to fulfill his duty to his profession? 

"It's going against all my laws but... I'm not ready to let you go either." His sharp jaw clenched, trying to bite back his words that were desperate to escape, but he knew he had to say something or else you'd walk away. 

"No." Your fingers curled into themselves, digging into the skin of your palm as you tossed your head to the side. "I can't..." You pursed your lips closed, now struggling to stay true to your own convictions. You wanted so badly to believe him, you wanted to let him continue to be a comfort to you in such an uncertain time but...  "I'm sorry. I just... I can't trust your word right now. For all I know this could be some kind of manipulation that gets me to disappear. I'm not buying it." You replied back harshly. You couldn't let go of your logic, of the rational side of your mind that served to protect you from the unknown, the uncertain. 

"Y/N, Please. Fuck my 'job'. Screw what I am. I don't care about any of that. I care about you!" Without hesitation, he lunged forward. Reaching out for your hands he took them into his own and engulfed them in his warmth. His iron grip helped to stop the shaking. "I don't want what we had to stop, I want to keep having adventures with you, I want to know more, I want to show you everything." He raised your clasped hands between the two of you, trying to draw your eyes to his face but when you refused to turn your head back, he squeezed a little harder. You could feel your own pulse in the palm of your hand. 

"I said I need time." You whispered begrudgingly as you kept your eyes on the falling rain just outside the confines of your porch's awning. Biting the inside of your cheek, you prayed he wouldn't make this any harder than he already was.