Bargain (Not Met) (JungHope)

Deal with a Demon: Exposed

Hoseok froze at the sight of Taehyung's head lolling limply against Jungkook's shoulder. He gasped when he noticed Taehyung panting faintly. He rushed forward when he saw a feverish flush invade Taehyung's face.

"What happened?!" Hoseok demanded as he hovered his hands listlessly over Taehyung's body.

"Hoseok...!" Jungkook choked out. Hoseok was momentarily startled by Jungkook's outburst, but he soon realized that the demon must have been worried sick ever since his disappearance in the Hellmouth.

"Jungkook, what the fuck do you think you're doing bringing humans down here?" Yoongi hissed as he approached from behind Hoseok. He pushed past Hoseok's shoulder to stand toe-to-toe to Jungkook and fixed him with a stern glare. "You know what's gonna happen to you once the boss finds out, right?" he continued, jabbing a finger squarely against Jungkook's chest. "And now you're trying to drag me into your bullshit?"

"Hyung!" Jungkook blurted, having been teeming with impatience during Yoongi's lecture. "Hyung, I—we—really don't have time for this. Can't you see that Taehyung's already been affected?" He motioned Taehyung's entire body toward Yoongi as if to prove his point.

Yoongi faltered upon the acknowledgment of Taehyung's existence, eyes flickering down to Taehyung's sagging body. He seemed to weigh his options mentally before huffing and turning back toward the living room, saying over his shoulder, "Bring him to the bedroom."

Hoseok pressed himself against the wall as Jungkook stampeded past, hesitantly following the demons after closing and locking the front door. He was on edge after hearing Yoongi say they were breaking protocol for merely bringing him to Hell, and after seeing Taehyung's weak condition, Hoseok had a funny feeling that the two tied in together.

There was a shuffle-bang from down an off-branch hall, and Hoseok followed after Jungkook as the demon peered into the room it had sounded from. Yoongi's hand slowly crept out the open doorway to beckon them both in. Hoseok trudged in behind Jungkook, and he watched as Jungkook gently laid Taehyung onto a noticeably recently-cleaned bed. The sheets were rumbled, and the pillows sat flattened and unappealing at the headboard. Scattered objects of all shapes and purposes littered the small aisle between the desk and the bed, and Hoseok could take a wild guess and say that Yoongi didn't know what a desk was actually for.

Yoongi pulled the office chair out from underneath the desk and rolled it to the bedside. He sat upon it with an air of trepidation and observed Taehyung's sleeping face quietly. "Did you manage to get two clients this time?" Yoongi asked after a moment.

Jungkook startled from beside Hoseok and shook his head hastily. "No, Hoseokie's the only one I've made a deal with." He placed a hand onto Hoseok's shoulder and squeezed it tightly like if he were to let go, he would lose Hoseok again. "Taehyung's..." Jungkook hesitated, eyes wandering the bedroom's bare walls as he searched for the right words. "Taehyung's the bait," he settled on while glancing toward Hoseok to gauge his reaction.

Hoseok didn't really have anything to say on the matter. He was well aware of Taehyung's position in their little deal. How could he possibly forget? It was a hard pill to swallow every time it was brought up, but with the recent discovery of Taehyung's past consuming their schedules for the past month, it was quick to slip his mind.

"A human bait, huh?" Yoongi said faintly. Hoseok watched as Yoongi seemed to observe Taehyung's sleeping form with mild curiosity. Like Taehyung was an object on display, exotic and full of hidden marvel.

It was quiet, the light was faint and cast the room in stark shadows, but Hoseok could see the shift in Yoongi's gaze. His eyes went dark with hidden emotion, but they had yet to stray from Taehyung's body. He looked like he was staring at an incomplete puzzle, shattered and missing one too many pieces for the mind to fill in the obscured image.