"Good. You're awake."

Your head snaps up to the source of the voice. In the semi-darkness of the room, you see the outline of...

"Taehyung!"

Relief floods your veins, flushing the panic out.

"How are you feeling?" Taehyung asks you, as if he wasn't the one who was just in a near-catatonic sta--- You shake your head. No use dwelling on the horrible events of the past couple of days.

"No? What kind of answer is that?" Taehyung prods, taking a step towards you, forcing you to crane your neck to look up at him.

"Tae... you're... you're talking to me," you tell him, astonished.

Taehyung quirks a brow.

"Still not an answer to my question," he comments, "And yes, I am talking to you, I'm very much aware of that. I'm the one doing the talking after all."

You scowl up at him.

"I can't believe you're joking about this!"

Taehyung barks out a laugh.

"Well you're lively," he remarks, "I guess that answers my question." He tilts his head, smiling at you with a mix of fondness and amusement. "Are you feeling up for a little... excursion?"

You regard him suspiciously.

"What do you have in mind?" you ask, cautious.

Taehyung's lips stretch into a smile that's both mysterious and mischievous. It makes your heart skip a beat.

"You'll see."

You narrow your eyes. Something... something is different.

You gaze at Taehyung in wonder, as if seeing him for the first time. Your heart starts pounding wildly in your chest, a fierce rhythm. There's a loud rushing in your ears. It suddenly hits you that, for the first time, your brain isn't automatically attempting to make the distinction of whether the Hybrid before you is your Taetae or V.

"Wear something cute for me, will you, [Y/N]ie? Well, cute and warm."

For the first time, you feel like...

'He's both.'

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"Wow," you exclaim, taking in the view of the city lights sparkling in the distance, reflected on the dark river below you, "a place with this view of the city exists?" You turn to Taehyung. "How did you discover this?"

"I just stumbled upon it during one of my night runs," he says, also taking in the scenery.

You look out at the breathtaking vista once more.

"Pretty," you mutter.

"Yes," you hear Taehyung say, "Pretty."

You look up at him, only to find that he's looking not at the cityscape... but at you.

You quickly avert your gaze, cheeks flaming. You clear your throat in an attempt to fill the silence, wracking your brain for a conversation starter. You can still feel his eyes on you, burning holes into your skin.

'But no... aren't I tired of running away?'

You look back at Taehyung, determinedly meeting his gaze head on. But...

'Why does he have to look at me that way? Like... like...'

You give up and look down at your feet.

"S-so, why did you bring me here?" you ask, looking stupidly like you're asking your feet.

"I wanted to tell you something."

This wrenches your gaze back up. You lift your eyebrows, incredulous.

"And you couldn't just tell me at home?"

Taehyung pouts at you and waves a hand towards the river.

"You're complaining about this view?"

"No," you say, "but maybe I'm complaining about the cold."

"If you wanted me to come warm you up," Taehyung says, voice suddenly dropping, "you should've just said so."

"Wh-what? N-no!" you cry, taking an involuntary step back, "I was just kidding. Sheesh." You wrap your jacket tightly around you. "Anyway, what did you want to tell me?"

In a flash, Taehyung's playful expression smooths itself into a serious one.

"I've... regained my memories."

You gasp, unconsciously springing forward to grip his arm.

"Wha--- That's great, Tae! I'm so happy! That's... Wow." Then, you realize how tightly you're gripping Taehyung, and release your hold. "Sorry. Uhh, what... What do you remember?"

"Everything," he answers simply, as if it's not the most life-altering thing ever.

Your eyes widen, but in the face of Taehyung's calmness, you decide to reign in your emotions .

"Oh. H-how are you feeling?" you manage to ask evenly.

"I don't know." Taehyung shrugs. "I'm still kind of processing things."

"Of course," you rush to reassure him, "I'm sure it's a lot. You probably feel overwhelmed."

Taehyung smiles down at you softly.

"Yeah, but knowing I have you... and everyone else," he says, "it's not so bad." His smile widens into a grin. "You make me stronger, you know?"

You find this so incredibly touching that all you can say is, "Taetae..." You mentally gird yourself. You can let yourself be in your feelings later on, for now you're eager to learn as much as you can. "What... What do you think caused your memories to resurface?"

"It was a combination of everything, I guess," Taehyung says, "Going back to my hometown, meeting Yoongi-hyung again, going to the farm, all the familiar scents I picked up in there, my mother's journal..."

"That's right!" you exclaim, "The journal! You've read it?"

"I have," Taehyung confirms, "I read it while you were asleep."

You twist your hands together nervously.

"I also... read your mother's journal." You screw your eyes shut. "P-please don't be mad!"

"Why would I be mad?"

You open your eyes, and Taehyung's expression isn't angry, as you feared it would be. He just looks faintly puzzled.

"I don't know... I read the journal without your permission. It's like..." You chew on your lip. "...an invasion of privacy, right?"

"It's my mom's journal, not mine," Taehyung says, "Besides, I know you had a good reason for reading it."

You nod.

"I thought... I thought something in there would help us find you, but..." you trail off, once again recalling that horrible night, when you almost lost---

"It doesn't matter," Taehyung says sharply, bringing your attention back to the present moment, back to the Hybrid in front of you. "I came back, didn't I? I found my way back to you."

Tears prickle at your eyes. Taehyung's right.

'He came back to me. He's here. That's all that matters.'

Suddenly, Taehyung turns and walks towards the river's edge, just before the levee. You follow tentatively, leaving some space between the two of you.

"My mother..." he says, "might be alive, you know?"

You gasp.

"What? Really???"

"Maybe, but she could also be... dead." Taehyung pauses, and by the way the silence settles heavy, you know the next words are difficult for him to speak out. "I'm pretty sure my father is." He takes a deep, bracing breath. "When my mother returned to the farm, she was alone." You notice that Taehyung's hands are balled into tight fists. "She never spoke a word about my father since then, almost as if... she refused to even acknowledge that he ever existed."

You walk towards the levee as well, pausing beside Taehyung.

"I'm so sorry, Tae..." you whisper, looking at him with tear-filled eyes. His, however, have a faraway look in them.

"She took me away from my grandparents, said she wanted the two of us to have a fresh start, now that we're under a new government... one that doesn't want us dead. We went to Busan, where I met Jungkook. It took a while, but we were able to slowly build a life for ourselves there. A simple one, but it was... happy, almost. But then, just as we were finally settling into that life, they found us..." Taehyung's features suddenly twist in anger, in remembered pain. "Helix." He almost spat the word out. "Mother was right about no longer having to worry about the government hunting us. Unfortunately, she forgot that it wasn't just the government we had to watch out for." Taehyung's jaw clenches. "Helix managed to capture me." You can see his jaw working, and you know he's grappling with emotions brought up by these newly unearthed memories. You can't even imagine the horrors he had to endure in captivity. "I don't know what happened to my mother. That was the last I saw of her."

For a while, the two of you simply stand there, each lost in your own thoughts, listening to the river rushing below you, to the distant sounds of a city that remains awake through the night.

Then, you find the courage to ask, "Do you... want to try to find her?"

"Honestly?" You wait with bated breath for Taehyung's answer. "No."

Your eyes widen, and Taehyung chuckles at your evident surprise. He has the grace to look sheepish.

"I don't really feel like I need her in my life, you know?" Then, he sighs. "In fact, as it turns out, she wasn't even the one who gave me that photo."

"Eh???" you cry. This night doesn't seem to run out of surprises. "Who was it, then?"

"My grandma!" Taehyung answers, giggling, "She says she gave it to me so that it's like I still have my parents with me all the time. Besides..." Taehyung stops giggling, smile turning softer. "I already have my family. My chosen family. I don't feel like there's anything missing from my life now. I feel... complete. Whole."

To your utter mortification, big fat tears start rolling down your cheeks. Taehyung simply chortles and pulls you in, patting your head.

"I'm going to assume these are happy tears?" he murmurs into your hair. You nod against his chest.

"Very, very happy," you confirm.

"Good. Me too," Taehyung says in that low, soothing voice that nearly makes your knees melt, "I'm very, very, very happy." He pulls back just enough for him to tilt your face up to his. "You make me so happy, my heart feels like it'll burst at the seams." His eyes look deep into yours, and you want nothing more at that moment than to drown in their golden depths. "When I was a kid, I had this keen fascination with lightning. I dreamt of catching lightning, capturing its magic in my hands, but the grown-ups told me it was impossible. And somehow, that was how I felt my entire life, like I'm constantly chasing after an elusive dream, one that's always just beyond my grasp." Taehyung's smile quivers, his eyes glistening. "Until you breezed into the orphanage, out of nowhere, and completely changed my life." His long, graceful fingers reach up to gently brush against your cheek, and you realize that he's brushing away tears. "You're my lightning in a bottle, [Y/N]."

"Taehyung, I... I'm nothing special."

Your statement wipes the smile off of Taehyung's face, and you instantly wish you could take it back.

"Now you listen to me, little one," he chides, "After everything that happened, I can't believe you're still saying that. Do you even realize what you've done? Not just for me, but for everyone else. You brought us all together, [Y/N]. You made a family out of 7 very different boys, every single one of which adores you, and who will stop at nothing to make you see yourself the way we all see you."

By this point, your cheeks are fully wet.

"Taetae... You're just making me cry even more!"

Taehyung pulls you back into his embrace, and you sink into it, blissfully. One hand strokes your hair, while the other settles over your back, pulling you close. A pleasant warmth buzzes just beneath your skin, comfortable, yet strangely electric at the same time.

"Hey, Tae?" you say, lifting your head slightly to peer up at Taehyung from beneath your lashes.

"Hm?" he hums, eyes half-lidded, a lazy smile on his face.

"You're... my lightning in a bottle, too."

Taehyung responds by hugging you tighter.

Above, the stars twinkle down at you, two figures in the dark, wrapped up in one another.

'At long last, we're home.'

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A/N: We're nearing the end! Who's getting emotional???

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