A World of our Own | K.TH *COMPLETED*

Worthless

When my voice echoes quietly, I feel his head tilting back to trade meaningful looks with me. His eyes are ringed with exhaustion— he'd probably gotten not a wink of sleep since I'd gone.

"What?" He mouths numbly. His eyes are glazed with something— something that's making him unfocused and dazed. I'm guessing that he did hear me, but he couldn't understand— or he just wanted to hear it again.

"I said," I whisper, pressing both of my palms to the burning sides of his face. He closes his eyes at my gesture, probably relishing the moment of freedom from the unrelenting chains of fever. "That I don't care if you're mute, if you're deaf, and if you have— I don't know, a bunch of disorders on top of that. I would still love you the same."

He doesn't reply, but is it that his cheeks have grown slightly warmer since the beginning? I couldn't tell— most probably because I was heating up like a tomato as well.

"I don't deserve you," He writes, something breaking in his dark eyes. "You could do so much better—"

"No," I snatch the notepad away, incredulous that he would even dare to think that way. "How could you say that? There is no one on the surface of this planet that could compare to you. Don't you see? Other people— people who's lived a perfectly good life, had perfectly normal relationships— they could never understand me— or you. I don't want our relationship to be normal,"

"I love it just the way it is."

I meet his gaze without hesitation, trying to show him that I really, really meant it. I didn't want a normal person with a normal life. I wanted V and V only— and nothing could ever change that.

Then he softly takes the notepad back from me, his lips pursed close. I only see him write a few words before he drops the pad to the bed, showing the message for me to read.

"I give up."

Huh?

Then his body twists under my hold, his hand shooting out to pin me onto the wide bed. I'm struck with numbness and surprise as he hovers over my body, eyes dark with desire. When I blink at him, any control he might've had over himself shatters into nothing.

Tilting my head up with a single finger, he presses his lips against mine. There's an urgency in the way he kisses me— like he was afraid that this could only happen for a short period of time.

But when I loosely sling my arms around his neck, he lowers himself down even closer— his lips never leaving mine. I can feel his fingers dig into my hair, deeper and rougher with every passing second.

My heartbeat escalates dangerously when he gives me a chance to breathe, only to move his lips down to my neck. His kisses are light and strictly butterfly— he knows better than to leave a mark on me, no matter how much he wants to.

Gasping for breath, I'm starting to feel dangerously feverish myself when a sharp knock breaks the two of us out of our reverie. In an instant, V points to the concealed side of the bed— motioning for me to lie low once I do so.

After another knock, the door opens to reveal a nurse. She's carrying a tray filled with food, undoubtedly meant for V. When I scoot a little bit to the side, I find that I can view the scene more clearly.

She's tall, beautiful, and willowy, and as she sets the tray down next to V, I realize that she's aiming to talk to him. The moment the tray is out of her hand, she does— making something spark in my heart.

I think it's jealousy, but I wouldn't admit that until the day I die.

V remains stiff as a tree as she leans closer to him. "Is everything alright? Do you need something?" My own face burns when I see her eyelashes flutter flirtatiously, her plumping her lips.

But honestly, looking at V right now is like looking at some anime character straight out of fiction. I don't blame her for trying to look her best— it was an unconscious mindset when you were five feet range from him.

V's features harden into stone as he shakes his head, lips firmly pressed against each other. His expression is colder than ice as he motions toward the door. What he wants is crystal clear to me, but apparently the nurse doesn't get it because she giggles.

"It's alright— I closed the door."

My face burns even hotter at the comment, and I press my own palms to my cheeks in an attempt to calm the uncontrollable color down. When I look up again, I see V's skin flush with annoyance and anger.

I'd back off if I were you.

When she reaches for him, obviously taking the flush in his face caused by embarrassment, not fiery anger, V grips his fingers around her wrist and flings her hand away from him. Then he points to the door, firmer this time.

The dense nurse finally gets the point, and her pale face goes crimson with embarrassment and outright humiliation. A hiss escapes her lips, vicious and obviously unhappy that she'd gotten rejected— it probably didn't happen too much, considering how pretty she was.

"Fine. Have it your way— nobody would love you for real. Who cares if you're good looking— you're just a worthless mute."

Once I hear her, my fist automatically clenches besides my body— and the pity I'd held for her rushes out of my blood, replaced with hot anger. And when I see pain twist V's beautiful features, I just can't hold back anymore.

But then a hand comes out of absolutely nowhere as it claps my lips shut. With myself silenced, I watch in disappointment as the stupid nurse stalks out of the room, shutting the door behind her with a loud slam.

Immediately, I move his hand off of my mouth and climb back onto the bed. His eyes are a heavy downcast, and to my dismay, I know that he'd taken the cruel nurse's words to heart.

With pain still stretching his face, he slides a written note to me. It reads words that makes my heart drop— I couldn't bear with him thinking like this. I couldn't have him thinking like this.

"You know it's true."

"No, it's not! You are not some worthless mute, Kim Taehyung." I hiss, my back arching over his body protectively. Hands cupping his face, I add on. "And I'm a living proof."

When confusion masks the pain in his face, I look down and start playing with his fingers. "Do you think I could've been this way if you hadn't showed up in my life? You saved me, V. So unless you think that's worthless, than you're not worthless."

A faint smile flickers in his face as he leans closer to me, until our noses are centimeters away from each other's. Then he turns my face to the side so I can feel his lips brush my earlobe.

The light gesture almost gives me a heart attack, but even more so as he whispers the faintest of words into my ear. His voice is strained and quiet— nearly bordering silence— but he's speaking. He's talking.

"I love you."