Afterglow | K.TH

Not Even Her

TAEHYUNG

"Should I kill her?"

Sleep leaves me in a second. My eyes fly open, and my throat seizes up into silence when I see her bend down to touch a pale finger on Rieul's cheek.

Her red eyes are burning.

"I should, I should." She muses, voice cold. "She took you, Taehyung. She's trying to steal what's mine."

".....Don't."

But I sound so broken.

Rieul's asleep against me, and I bite down harshly on my bottom lip when her hand travels down to her exposed neck.

"I said don't."

Her scarlet eyes flash when I wrap a hand around her wrist and fling it away, wrapping my arm tighter around Rieul's shoulder. My heart crashes against my chest.

"Don't touch her. Don't."

A harsh smile tears on her lips, but I stare back at her with a narrowed gaze, pressing Rieul closer until she's hidden in the covers. She breathes quietly, still asleep.

"Oh, you're going against me now."

I twist my head away when she shifts from Rieul to me, curling her fingers around the neckline of my shirt. And then she pulls, her expression darker.

"Sleeping next to her won't keep me away, Taehyung."

"It'll just make me angrier."

________________________

RIEUL

Taehyung.

He's shaking, breathing in stuttered gasps. His golden eyes are completely dark, head thrown back harshly into the pillow.

"No— no."

I scrabble up on the bed, pressing my hands against his cheeks as I look around furiously. He's seizing so hard— even harder than last time.

"Kim Taehyung!"

Pushing down on his shoulders, I climb on top of him and struggle to pull his hands away from his neck. I don't even care that I'm practically straddling him right now.

He's hurting himself.

When I finally pull his hands away, I tuck them into my chest and bury myself in his trembling body as hard as I can. He resists in his sleep, but I'm holding on like I'm holding on for life.

Taehyung, wake up.

Wake up.

He sucks in a harsh breath. My eyes go wide when he bursts awake, his expression something I'd never seen before.

He looks terrified out of his mind.

"You— need to go." He rasps, coughing. I wrap my arms tighter around his shoulder and waist, but his voice gets louder, harsher.

"Didn't you hear me? I said to leave, Rieul!"

I shake my head.

His fingertips press against my back. He's pressing so hard it hurts, but I forget all about the pain when I feel him crying.

"She's going to kill you."

"No, she isn't." I say firmly, burying his face into my shoulder. "I'm not getting hurt, I'm not getting killed. I'm not going anywhere."