Lunacy and Other Fairytales ; tk | ym

19.

sorry for the wait, yoonmin week on twitter came in between and i was also very sick!!

~

They stay on the meadow in front of the factory for another while. Hoseok is crying against Namjoon's shoulder while Namjoon himself tries to hold back his own tears. Yoongi is still standing, staring at Seokjin's remains. Eventually, he turns away and looks a little lost before he finds Jimin and approaches him.

Taehyung still doesn't feel real. He sits there, unknowingly rubbing and pinching his skin while his breathing fastens; only when he feels Jeongguk's hand on his shoulder does he snap out of it and calm for the moment.

Slowly, they make their way back through the forest and to the cars. They will have to go to the hospital; Jimin can hardly walk because he twisted his ankle and there are nasty bruises around his neck. Yoongi's temple is still bleeding and so is Jeongguk's arm.

Taehyung feels like there is something inside of him, something pent up, like a lump in his throat that will eventually make him throw up, and his chest feels tight and his stomach clenches. He follows the group a little lost.

We're going to the cars, he repeats in his head, I'm safe. We're all safe. We're going home. I'm not dreaming. We're going to the cars.

Right now, the adrenaline is still rushing through his veins, but he can already feel the slight exhaustion in his muscles and his head. He has trouble focusing; once they reach the cars, it takes Jeongguk three attempts to get him to listen. Once he sees the lost look in Taehyung's eyes, he wordlessly pulls him close and holds him tight for a moment.

As to not raise too much suspicion they decide to go to different hospitals, so they all say their goodbyes then and there. Taehyung doesn't realize much of what happens. He feels Jimin tremble terribly in his arms and Yoongi seems to be in a similarly distant state as him.

Jeongguk decides to drive without asking any questions. Once inside the car, Taehyung just slumps against the door and squeezes his eyes shut.

We're in the car. Jeongguk is beside me. We're going to the hospital. We're safe.

The lump in his throat tightens.

We're in the car. Jeongguk is beside me. We're going to the hospital. We—

He tells Jeongguk to pull over without fully realizing it. Once the car stops, he opens the door and stumbles to edge of the forest, doubles over and vomits. There is nothing in his stomach and all that comes up is watery gastric acid. His throat burns terribly and his stomach seizes.

At some point, Jeongguk stands beside him and caresses his back, but Taehyung hardly feels it.

Once they're back in the car, neither of them says anything until they reach the hospital. Taehyung feels like he is in a trance.
When asked about he cause of the deep cut, Jeongguk says he had a bike accident and fell against a fence. The nurse eyes him suspiciously but doesn't question it any further.

At some point, she approaches Taehyung and asks him if he's alright. He must look horrible because she seems very worried. He just brushes it off.

Jeongguk's wound has to get stitched. It doesn't take long. When they're back in the car, Taehyung feels himself coming back a little bit. Jeongguk puts his hand on his knee and Taehyung grips it tightly.

Only when they are in the comfort of their home again does Taehyung feel like he can truly breathe again. While before, he felt like he wasn't in his own body anymore, he now returns to it with a force that makes him feel like he could sink into the floor.

They both head for the bedroom right away despite knowing that they won't be able to sleep. Just as Taehyung gets rid of his clothes, he remembers something.

"I have to work today," he says, his voice hoarse. Jeongguk stands there, thoughtfully looking at him.

"Don't go," he says after a while, "Stay here. Call them and tell them it's an emergency."

Taehyung chuckles dryly. "Wouldn't even be a lie."

Then, as if a dam breaks, he starts to sob uncontrollably, thick tears running down his dirty cheeks. Jeongguk kneels in front of him within a second, pulling him close. He lifts him up, settling against the headboard with Taehyung on his lap, then he runs his fingers through his hair, whispering sweet and soothing words of comfort into his ear.

Taehyung wonders if they are meant for himself, too, if Jeongguk is hurting as well. He clutches his shirt as tightly as possible as he presses his face to his neck.

Everything hurts. Everything hurts so much and when he closes his eyes, he sees all the horrible things they experienced, but he can't keep his eyes open either.

"I love you," Jeongguk whispers, "You're so strong."

"You are, too," Taehyung cries, "You're strong, too."

"Everything is going to be alright."

Taehyung gasps for air.

"We're going to be fine. We're safe here."

He lifts one hand up to cup Jeongguk's cheek and registers that the younger is crying, too. Taehyung presses himself closer to him, wrapping both arms around him to hug him as tightly as possible.

"Yeah," he breathes, "We're safe here."

Then, they unabashedly cry while holding each other. Around them, the apartment is quiet. Everything is calm.

It's all over. It almost seems like it never happened, really.

an.:  only the epilogue is missing :)