Mabsuli Blood || txt

Twenty-Eight: Despite It All

Beomgyu was avoiding him, and it was obvious.

It wasn't just Taehyun he was avoiding. He was avoiding literally everyone in the castle besides Yoongi and Hobak (which Taehyun found unfair because he was definitely cuter than a damn cat, but at the same time understood because Hobak was amazing). That didn't mean it hurt any less. Just a few days ago, they were happy, spending as much time as they could in each other's company, in each other's arms, lips pressed together and hands woven through each other's hair. But those days were gone faster than they had come, and it was all Taehyun's fault.

The only person Taehyun had met outside of Mabsulle who wasn't afraid of Mabsuli bloods now was, all because he hadn't at least tried to stop his family from going through with their murder plan. That's what it was. Murder. Seulgi was about to murder Soobin, Beomgyu's older brother, right in front of his eyes. And they were gonna kill him too.

How could he have thought that was okay?

He wished there was a time traveling spell so he could go back in time and stop himself from agreeing, stop his family from even thinking about killing off the Akabi bloods. But no such spell existed, so his only option was to watch every day as Beomgyu ran away from him before he could get a good look at the boy he had somehow fallen for. The boy who had also somehow fallen for him.

Past tense. Because Taehyun didn't know how Beomgyu could possibly still like him after what he did.

~~~~

Beomgyu still liked Taehyun after what he did.

And that was the most frustrating part of the whole situation.

He was given a room in the guest wing, far away from the royals and servants with Yoongi right next door. Every night, he would lock the door and pray to the Crystal to keep him safe. Then he'd curl on the bed, hold Yeonbin to his chest, and cry.

He missed Akabri. He missed Yeonjun and Soobin. He missed his mom. He missed Hoseok, Namjoon, and Seokjin. He even missed King Choi, funnily enough.

And he missed Taehyun.

He missed the Grass Therapy and the cookie heists. He missed the smiles and the laughs. He missed the stargazing and the warmth of their bodies beside each other. He missed the electrifying feeling of their lips moving together.

And it nearly drove him insane because he was about to kill Soobin. He was about to kill him and his entire family. He shouldn't be missing him. He shouldn't still like him. But he does.

And he hated it.

So he tried to make the feelings go away by only spending time with Yoongi and the Kangs' cat. Hobak gave nice cuddles. Yoongi was Yoongi. Everyone else was a threat.

The staff only talked to him through Yoongi since he refused to talk or take anything from them. Yoongi brought him his meals. He'd spend most of the day locked in his room, Yoongi and Hobak popping in for company. When that got boring, he'd wander around the castle. It was beautiful, he had to admit, intricate silver spirals decorating the carpet and walls that seemed to shimmer. Magic floated all around him, sparkling and flickering like the embers of a campfire. Sunlight streamed in through the stained glass windows, casting warm shadows on the floor, and Beomgyu would relax and everything would seem okay again.

But then he'd see someone. Whether a staff or a royal, coming down the corridor towards him or rounding the corner. And he'd panic, immediately turning and running in the opposite direction, back to his room. They never chased him. But he could feel their eyes watching him flee.

He hated this cowardice, but he couldn't help it. Protection act or not, he still couldn't shake the memory of Seulgi standing over Soobin, ready to deliver the death spell with no mercy as her entire family watched on with glee.