Hoseok: That's why they call me Master, sweetheart. Now it's your turn. Say it.
Yoongi: If you want my help that badly, you need to give me something in return. Something I can't get anywhere else...
Namjoon: If they want to take you back, they have...
There were no bodies, but there was a sunset service.
"We buried the men where they were," Hoseok had told Yoongi. "It seemed right."
Hoseok looked as if he had aged 10 years overnight. His eyes were heavy and glossed over, his skin gray. Everyone gathered at the edge of the river near the camp training grounds, hands crossed in front of them, heads bowed. The wind was smooth and warm, trying to soothe the troubled souls in the field as Hoseok lit candles on five small wooden boats.
Five candles for five bodies.
Four men with severed limbs.
Three injured and ill from the battle. Alive, they said, only because Taehyung had sacrificed himself for them.
And you... with nothing but the remnants of some sore muscles.
You bowed your head in shame.
There was complete silence as the small boats of single candles drifted out on the water. You and the men watched as the boats took to the current and floated away. As they started to fade out of sight, you lifted your eyes to look at Hoseok. The set of his jaw was firmer than you had ever seen, his eyes darker than the shadows. His breath was deep, controlled.
Too controlled.
Hoseok's eyes shot over to you, then turned to the ground. He pulled his shoulders back and stepped away from the crowd. You stepped forward to follow him, but a hand came in front of you. Yoongi didn't look at you as he slowly pulled his hand back.
You watched Hoseok disappear into the forest.
The men left in small groups, until only you and Yoongi were left. You didn't feel like you had the right to leave before everyone else.
Not again.
"You would have been one of those candles if you had stayed," Yoongi said. "I trained my men to protect. They did just that."
You grinded your teeth together, tears stinging your eyes.
"You've been trained," he continued, "but that doesn't mean your life should be in danger."
"You want me to sit silently from a distance?" you muttered.
He turned his head towards you, his eyes soft but serious.
"Yes," he said. "I want you as far away from us as possible. I won't watch a sword go through you."
His eyes flickered in pain as he turned his head away.
It was the same pain you saw when he called you Yujin.
Without realizing what you were doing, your hand reached for his. You squeezed it.
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"If a sword goes through me," you replied, "it was because I wanted to fight beside you."
His eyes drifted to your hands together. He shook his head and pulled away.
