Fused

H

"-parents sign the permission slips, please!"

But Taehyung wasn't listening to his teacher as he quickly grabbed his things and ran out of the room. He had texted Jungkook a few times but the boy hadn't responded, and Taehyung was worried something had happened.

He found his brother waiting for him by his car in the parking lot, playing on his phone.

"Jinnie, can you take me to Kook's place?" He begged, tossing his bag into the backseat.

Seokjin looked up from his phone. "Why? You have two legs."

"He's not answering me and I'm worried." Taehyung said, climbing into the car.

Seokjin got in as well. "I know he's your crush but just because he doesn't text back right way doesn't mean he's dead."

"Please?" Taehyung pouted, giving him puppy dog eyes.

Seokjin sighed, starting the car. "Fiiiiine. But you have to do my science homework."

-

"Fuck..." Seokjin slowed the car when they saw the yellow tape surrounding Jungkook's house. "I shouldn't have said 'dead'..."

Taehyung's heart jumped into his throat.

Seokjin parked across the street. "Maybe the house is just being fumigated?"

"That's police tape! Crime scene tape! A crime happened in Jungkook's house and now he's not answering me!" Taehyung started to panic. He tried to get out of the car but Seokjin locked the doors.

"Tae, wait, just try calling him again," the older boy reasoned. "Maybe it was just a break in, is all."

Taehyung wiped the rapidly growing tears away. He pulled out his phone and dialed Jungkook's number once again.

It rang a few times, and Taehyung's imagination ran wild at all the horrific possibilities that could have happened.

And then finally, on the last ring, Jungkook picked up.

"Tae?"

The boys voice was tired, cracked and heavy with emotion.

"Kook!" Taehyung cried out, grabbing his chest. "Oh my god, what happened? Are you okay? You weren't in school yesterday and you weren't replying to my texts and your house is all boarded up and and and-"

"I'm sorry," Jungkook mumbled. "I didn't mean to scare you, I just haven't been on my phone for a while."

"Are you sick?" Taehyung asked. "You sound...different."

"I'm...it's Yoongi."

"Yoongi?" Taehyung looked to Seokjin in confusion.

"He...he's dead."

Taehyung froze, not knowing what to say.

Seokjin looked at him, confused. "What did he say?"

"Jungkook...how- who- what?" Taehyung was in shock. He stared at his older brother. "Yoongi...died..."

He had always thought Yoongi was so cool, to hear he was gone without being able to say goodbye was like a punch right to the heart.

Seokjin blinked. "If anything, I would have thought Yoongi would have been the murderer instead of being the one who was murdered."

"I gotta go, Tae. I'll try to text you later." Jungkook said.

"Yeah no problem, take your time." Taehyung said. "I'll always be here for you Kook."

Jungkook hung up and Taehyung stared out the window, still trying to wrap his mind around this.

Seokjin started the car and they drove home, neither saying another word.

It was only when Taehyung was laying in bed that night in the dark, staring at his ceiling, that it hit him.

Why did Seokjin assume Yoongi was murdered, when Taehyung had only said the boy died?