Perpetual Rain ✓

Tae

Fresh out of the shower, Taehyung had opted to offer you the room and wait for you downstairs. He was giving you space and privacy since the room he had gotten wasn't the largest in size. It was barely bigger than your bedroom back home. Though, to you, it held a bit of rustic charm. Maybe it was just because you were seeing a side of a different country that you hadn't explored nearly enough. Still, you silently appreciated the space Taehyung was giving since you couldn't say all was forgiven just yet. He had offered to go get you some new clothes, still clad in the pajamas you had left the country in. But you explained you'd be fine, much to his confusion. 

You used the little trick Jimin had taught you to put yourself in some normal attire. This time, you decided to leave your appearance untouched by flashy hair colors or some grand make-up. You picked something simple. A plain white t-shirt matched with blue-jeans with holes in the knees and a light, forest green jean style jacket. Simple white sneakers covered your feet as you combed your fingers through your hair, managing it to the best of your abilities. But the rain really did cause it to frizz and the hot water from the shower caused your brunette locks to have a faint curl to the last few inches. 

You gave yourself a once over before heading for the door. You had long since stopped caring about wandering eyes like you used to, you were aware no one outside of Taehyung, Jimin and maybe that little girl on the bus could see you. So, what was the point of worrying over judgment anymore? Jogging down the flight of stairs, you hit the lobby and were quick to burst out of the front doors of the hotel. You found Taehyung leaning against the wall just a few feet away, waiting patiently as he stared at the people passing by him on the sidewalk. 

"Can they see you?" You decided to ask. You'd never really bothered to question it before. You stalked closer, hands stuffed into the pockets of your jacket as you made your way to his side. 

"Hm?" He said, raising his head up and quickly snapping it in your direction as he realized you had finally made it down. "Oh. Sometimes. It depends on if I let them or not." 

"Perks of being a reaper?" You questioned, tossing your head to the side. 

Taehyung's brow perked at the term, as if he had heard it before but questioned where you had gotten that line from. 

"I met up with Jimin a while back." You explained before he could question you. "He let me in on a few 'secrets,' if you want to call them that." 

"Well, that explains how you learned to change clothes." Taehyung said as his eyes bounced over your frame from head to toe before settling on your eyes. "Is he trying to steal my job now?" 

"And, what's your job exactly?" Your brow cocked this time, questioning his motives. You had already made it crystal clear before that you had no intention of going to the 'other side', and you still didn't. 

"Ha... Right." Taehyung reached up, scratching the back of his neck with his long fingers as he averted his gaze. 

You tried to just let the comment pass, not wanting to build any more awkward tension than there already was. You glanced across the street, seeing a vendor selling food just across the busy road.  You raised your neck, trying to get a better view of what it was they were selling and using it as a means to change the subject. 

"There's a Yakitori vendor over there." You pointed out as you tossed your gaze back to him. "Why don't we get something to eat?" An offer you hoped he'd latch onto you in attempts to avert the subject. He raised his head, lowering his hand back to his side and seeming to take the bait you were offering. 

"Alright." He agreed, pushing himself off the wall that he was using to brace his tall frame. 

You stepped past him, starting to lead the way to the crosswalk on the corner when Taehyung called out to you. 

"Wait." He said, causing you to turn back around in question. "Here." he held his hand out, extending his palm to you. "Give me your hand." 

"I think I'm past that stage in my life where I need to hold someone's hand crossing the street." You said in rejection. 

"Just trust me, give me your hand?" 

What was he getting at? A physical connection between you and him had always been something a bit awkward, or at least it was for you. You stared at his offered up hand, debating on once again rejecting the offer but... 

With a sigh, you slapped your hand into his and did as he asked. You were trying to get past the awkwardness, remember? And maybe you felt as though you owed him for last night, at least to some extent. 

He let his grip on your palm tighten, giving your arm a good yank that tugged you unexpectedly forward, nearly tripping on your feet as he brought you within inches of his chest. Your eyes flashed up at him in surprise, but he just smiled. You traced the Cupid's bow of his lips with your eyes, feeling this dangerously close to him sent your heart rate into an unwilling spike that instantly made you uncomfortable and nervous. His sunkissed skin, flawless with not a blemish in sight, almost beamed compared to the contrast of the clouded sky. You let go of his hand, taking a large step back that nearly caused you to bump into a street sign on the sidewalk, but it pulled you out of your trance and allowed you to look around. 

You were standing right beside the street vendor now, across the busy intersection. It was within arm's reach, yet you didn't recall crossing the street. You flashed your questionable gaze back to Taehyung, who just held onto that cheesy grin of his. 

"Guess Jimin didn't show you that little trick, huh?" His words were laced with cockiness as his smirk only spread wider with your surprise. 

"No one likes a show-off, Tae." You grumbled, rolling your eyes at his confidence as you quickly turned to the side, avoiding his triumphant gaze. 

You could hear that pretentious laugh come from deep within his throat as he began to step up to the street vendor as he reached for his back pocket. You followed along at his side, returning your hands to your jacket in attempts to keep them from his reach. 

Despite knowing fully well he could manifest whatever he wanted in the fraction of a second, he seemed to prefer to manually walk up and pay for the food in person. The smell of the chicken skewers filled your nostrils and made your stomach growl with hunger. You weren't even alive, how is it you could feel hunger? Guess that was another question you'd have to get the answer to later. 

Taehyung held up two fingers, asking for two of the kabob-like foods. To your surprise, he began to speak in what appeared to be fluent Japanese without a single mistake. You cocked your head to the side, raising a brow as you questioned him. You had only ever heard him speak English. He took the offered food and politely thanked the man as he returned his change back to him. You were able to tell Taehyung to leave the man a nice tip before remembering that wasn't a cultural thing here in Japan, half the time it could come off as insulting. 

"Tell him you hope he has a great day." You said, whispering to Taehyung as if anyone could even hear you in the first place. 

Taehyung's eyes shifted toward you, looking you in the eye despite being completely conscious of the people around you right now. His lids opened slowly, releasing deep pools of dark honey brown, staring at you - as if staring into your very core -  in silence. The notion quickly caused you to back down, avert your gaze, and try and process why such a simple action caused your blood pressure to suddenly rise. You spun around, turning your back to the street stand. What the hell was wrong with you? 

Taehyung said something more to the vendor, though now you were no longer paying attention as to whether or not he followed your demand. You were too busy trying to understand your inner turmoil before he finally stepped back into your view, holding two meat skewers up in front of your face.

Quickly, you snatched one from his fingers and stuffed one end of the skewer into your mouth, using the food as a situation deterrent. His eyes, however, felt as though they were burning holes into the top of your head as you bit into the chicken and quickly started to walk down the street, expecting him to follow, not that you had any idea of where you were heading.