Each other's destiny

19.

Natty's POV;
I wake up in an unfamiliar territory.

Am I where I think I am?
Well for Suga's sake I sure do hope not.
My left foot is propped on a pillow. I slowly get up and grab my casted leg and carefully put it on the floor.
I get up with great strain and drag myself to the door but before I can reach it I trip on a crinkled fold on the carpet and fall trying to support myself on a shelf.
Darn.
Taehyung rushes into the room.
" What happened?...why are you moving?
Your ankle is still fragile" he says as he picks me up. He effortlessly swoops me back to the bed.
"Why did you bring me here... I have a home"I sulk.
Just then Kai walks in.
"You are in on this?" I ask Kai angrily.

" Look Natty,I love you  but you need to put your stubbornness on a shelf for just this once ok? Everyone is already worried about you. Your mom and dad,your uncle,me,your whole family. These guys are too!They are my friends and they're good people. Let them take care of you until you heal. It's either this or your parents book the first flight from London. So just shut up ok? Just shut up and cut the drama" he says.

I know this face,he's tired.Not physical exhaustion,well that too,but mostly emotional.He's drained. He's up against the wall and quite frankly... so am I.
I'm tired of fighting.Tired of resisting.

Taehyung's POV;

I feel very awkward right at this moment...being in the middle of this.
She looks down and says meekly
"Ok"
She lies back down facing the other side.I pull the covers over her, up to her shoulders.
She looks so tired,so emotionally defeated.
On one hand I'm glad she's finally letting us help but on the other it hurts me to see her in this state. She's usually so vibrant and happy and eager.
"Will you have dinner?"I ask
" No"
I don't want to force her.
I look at Kai, hoping he sees my plea.
"You need to have something Natty,the painkillers you had are very strong." Kai says catching my drift.
"Ok" she says.
I get up and go to the kitchen.
"How is she?" Suga asks.
"Ok,I guess. She is no longer resisting. I think that's some progress."I answer him.

"With that lecture Kai gave,even a mule would have submitted" J-hope says.
"You guys heard all that? I ask
"Yeah,he was pretty loud" Jungkook says.
I'm not sure why I feel embarrassed for Natty.
...awkward silence.
I fill a bowl with chicken noodle soup  and fill a glass with freshly squeezed mango juice.I put everything on a tray and go back to her room. Kai is seated on the bed,holding her in an embrace. She's crying.
"I'm really sorry about all this,I'm sorry" she says amid sobs.
I haven't seen her cry before,even with a dislocated ankle she was pretty strong.

"Sshh..its not your fault..just don't be too stubborn ,you'll make things harder than they need to be" Kai pacifies her.

He spots me in the doorway just as I was about to go back to the kitchen.
" Maybe I should come back later...?"I ask or state,I'm not sure.
"No it's ok" Kai says,gently breaking from their embrace.
She doesn't look up. She is wiping at her tears her eyes looking down at her blanket before her.
Kai gets up and pats her on her back one more time.
"Be a good sport,ok cousin?"
She nods,her eyes still cast low.
"It's ok to cry sometimes and it's ok to let people in" he says as he leaves.
let...people...in...hmm...

He closes the door behind him as I walk to her bedside table. I place the tray on it and sit on the bed.

Her eyes are still looking down.
I reach out and grab her hands.
" How are you feeling?"
A tear rolls down her left cheek.
"I'm ok,I've got this"she says forcing a smile. Her eyes never looking up.
I raise her face up to look at me with my right hand.
"I asked,how are you doing Natasha?" Her lips quiver and more tears fall down her cheeks.

"I've never felt so powerless. I feel like a burden to you,my uncle... everyone.My family has always treated me like fragile merchandise  and all my life I fought so hard to prove to them that I'm strong and capable and now look what happened. I haven't even been in the country for a full week and I already have strangers looking after me" she cries.
There's that word again. Strangers.
So we're still strangers to her.
I'm still a stranger to her.
I pull her in for a hug and she doesn't resist.
"Its ok,let it all out" I say in the most gentle way I can.