✔️ Unconditionally [Book 2] | Jeon Jungkook

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A split second before he was captured, Jungkook was jolted awake, almost as if his body were shocked by electricity. It was the second time since the night began that he awoke clamoring for air and feeling his heart beating wildly in his chest.

It was the same dream. He stood in a field of wildflowers just like the one near his grandparents' cottage looking up at an old Ferris wheel curiously place in the middle of the endless natural garden. Just looking at it sparked happy nostalgia but just when a smile tugged at his lips, the presence of another made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.

He turned around to see a man standing in the distance, his face covered by the hoodie he wore. His identity was unknown but seeing him filled Jungkook with fear, and one step in his direction sent Jungkook fleeing from the wheel and the figure alike.

No matter how much he tried, how hard he pushed, he couldn't move nearly as fast as he normally could. Just like when he first woke up from his coma, he felt bogged down, his muscles heavy as lead and difficult to control. Each look behind him brought the figure closer and the exertion combined with the weight of dread made breathing equally impossible. Closer and closer it came, running at full sprint, its identity concealed by the hood until it flipped off mid-stride, revealing...

Himself. Or at least, another version.
And he was angry.

He exhaled more shaky breaths and looked to his right with blurred vision.
She was still there, sleeping peacefully. Her presence made him exhale another breath, this one in relief.

Parched, he reached for the bottle of water he normally kept filled on his nightstand to find the contents gone. He had drank the rest of it at the conclusion of his last nightmare. His thirst was too strong to ignore, so he put on his glasses and dragged himself from the warmth and comfort of their bed.

He trudged through the halls, his body and head feeling as heavy as it did in the dream and his mind in a dense fog. Walking in a straight line was hard, as was finding the correct cupboard that contained the glasses. He mumbled a string of curses at himself for not being able to find them in the first place and drank down two full glasses before his thirst was quenched.

Not too long ago he could remember parts of his past life that he wasn't able to before. Parts of conversations, moments of laughter, painting a nursery, and cramming into a photo booth. The burst of recollection proved to be temporary, however, and he could barely remember what he'd eaten the day prior or where his mother kept the cups. It was like he'd taken a step back. A huge one.

With steadier steps, he went back upstairs and stopped in the bathroom to steal one of Hyun-Ji's hair ties from the counter. His damp hair was beginning to annoy him and he was tired of pushing it out of his eyes for one night only for it to cling to his skin. After some effort, he managed to gather it into a messy ponytail that made him look similar to a bean sprout. Maybe he should finally listen to his mother's nagging and get a haircut. He could consider it in the morning. Right now, he was exhausted.

His glasses were silently placed back on the nightstand and he again crawled into bed. Almost immediately, his eyes closed, and he opened them seconds later to find he was in the field of flowers again.

He ran with the same speed that one does while underwater, meanwhile, his alternate self was quickly closing in. A rough hand on his shoulder spun him around, and now Jungkook was close enough to see the hatred in his counterpart's eyes.

The next instant, his eyes opened again. He was back in his bedroom, back in his bed, still beside her sleeping form. He quickly turned over and wrapped his arm around her waist, burying his head into her soft chest and inhaling traces of vanilla, peonies, and comfort. A long inhale told him she roused by a fraction.