Bird of Paradise • taekook

Eight

It was a mistake to check his crappy disposable phone that morning.

In Taehyung's defense, it was around 9:30, morning sun slanting through the tiny window facing the water, and his brain was still groggy from the lack of coffee.

Taehyung was wiggling into his grey swim trunks when his gaze flitted towards the backpack on the floor. It was easier to ignore the impulse, but his thoughts linger for a moment too long, and with a sigh, he finds himself picking up the backpack and fishing out the phone.

There's only one precarious bar of battery left, and one simple message awaiting him: an emoji, of a silly discombobulated face, crooked eyes and tongue sticking out.

It's not Hoseok, that Taehyung can tell, but who else could it be. He hesitates, but types up a response eventually: hi.

Taehyung waits for a beat, and is just about to stash the phone away when it rings, startling him. He clears his throat and picks up, "Hello."

"Oh good, I was starting to think I texted the wrong phone. Does it usually take you three days to respond to a message?" The voice is bright and teasing.

Taehyung clicks his tongue, "Name please or I'm hanging up."

"Really, V? You can't tell who this is? Wow, I'm hurt, I really am."

Taehyung sighs and waits, until the voice adds hurriedly, "Ok ok, don't hang up. It's Loey, remember? Your genius partner in crime, the other half of your successful mission?"

A grumble, "I've never heard your voice before. Also, it's against policy for you to track me down and call me, so I'm still hanging up."

"C'mon, would you do that to a good friend? I thought we understood each other now? You know, now that we are partners and all?"

"We did one mission together, by assignment."

"Yeah but isn't that fate? Isn't it amazing we finished he whole thing in one day? And there were other missions before, I mean you always stuck with Victoria but -"

Taehyung cuts him off sharply, "What do you want? Get to it before the whole agency hears about you breaching protocols and tracking me down."

A high pitched chuckle reverberates down the phone line, making Taehyung shiver, "Silly V, of course I scrambled the call. I'll clean up the record afterwards too, I stole my dad's level zero clearance, even higher than Helios', surprise! Nobody will know a thing about this."

Sloppy, sloppy, dropping identification traces like that. Taehyung hums but doesn't respond.

Loey continues, "So, how's vacay? Nice and tropical, never coming back to the mainland?"

"Loey..."

"Ok ok, getting to the point, yes, jeez. Do you want to stay on your vacation forever? Do you want to be free? There, is that to the point enough, hehe."

Taehyung freezes at the words. This has got to be a trap. He answers carefully, "I don't know what you're talking about, if there's nothing urgent, I gotta go."

"Aww V, don't play coy with me. Nobody else will hear this call, remember? I know Victoria and you never wanted to be a part of this agency, that it's pretty much the opposite of what you stand for."

Taehyung frowns, "Stop bringing that name into the conversation, she's - she's no longer around, why do you keep bringing her up."

"Because, I know she matters to you, still does." Loey's voice turns quieter, the air of silliness dissipating, "We all have people that matter to us, there's no need to hide that, or pretend it's not so. I know I'm probably the last person you would listen to, but what if I tell you I'm on your side, what if I can help you out?"