TAEHYUNG

"Ten, nine, eight..."

My eyes flash open. I instantly sit up from the blankets, my heart racing as I scan the insides of the little house.

I'd heard something.

But I'm alone.

What the hell.

My fingers twisting together, I force myself to lie back down. It was probably just one of my hallucinations again, messing with my mind.

I press the side of my face into Rieul's pillow, shutting my eyes back together.

"Seven, six..."

My body runs cold. I push my back into the hard floor underneath, pressing harder into the pillow so I don't hear it.

But it does nothing. Absolutely nothing.

"Five....four...."

Cursing, I open my eyes again. Everything's the same— bookshelves against the walls, nothing different from the house I'd seen just a few seconds ago.

It's all in your fucking mind.

I slam my back down onto the pile of blankets. It's a mess now, all rumpled and creased because of me.

"Three."

"Shut the hell up."

A chilling laughter echoes in my ears. Coldness grips my body, but I keep my eyes closed. It wouldn't matter if I'd opened it quick enough or not.

"Two."

My breathing starts to get rough. It had never done anything like this before— counting. Counting down to what?

There's a silence, before the last number.

But the emptiness messes with me even more. My heart's now crashing into my chest, and I start panicking as the silence presses down on me, drawing my arms over my face and back.

It's not real.

"One."

My eyes fly open. A strangled gasp explodes from my lips when I see her, red gaze fixed straight at me from above.

I panic.

She laughs when I instantly turn my face, scrambling out of the blankets. I've never felt terror like this before when I feel her— her cold hand grasping at my neck.

My shoulder crashes harshly against something, but I barely feel it.

"You can't run."

Her fingers wrap completely around my neck. I press down a cry when her touch climbs to my jaw, dragging roughly against my cheek and through my hair.

"I'm always with you, you know." She hisses, other hand crushing against my throat. "Did you really think sleeping where she slept would keep you safe?"

I can't breathe.

"Because that's pathetic."

_______________________

RIEUL

"Jungkook! Chew before swallowing!"

He takes out another candy from the bag, nodding at me as he unwraps it and starts to move his lips.

His cheeks puff up.

"Noona, Noona. I can't chew. It's too hard." He whines, and I laugh. But then I scold him again when he swallows the entire thing whole for the second time.

He coughs.

"Jeon Jungkook!"

I'm about to smack his backside when he looks up mischievously, sucking on his bottom lip. "I'm fine, fine. Can I have another one?"

I raise an eyebrow. "Well, what are you going to do?"

He blinks. Then he puts his hands together, cupping them towards me with an adorable smile on his face.

"Please~"

"Nope, wrong answer." I say to his widened eyes, tapping at my lips. "No swallowing this time. You might choke on it, for real."

He grins.

We're right in front of the house when he suddenly yelps, pointing at something with an excited expression.

A pair of rabbits.

"Look! Look!" He exclaims, dropping to the ground. I watch him with a smile when he shows his palms to the bunnies, his voice all soft.

"Come on, little bunny." He hums, and I click open the door. I keep glancing towards Jungkook, never looking away completely as I poke my head inside to check on Tae.

What could he be doing? There shouldn't be much to do in the first—

My eyes widen.

"Kim Taehyung!"

I run into the house, stepping all over the blankets crumpled on the floor as I rush in front of him. His body's seizing against the wall, back slamming repeatedly into the surface.

His eyes are closed. The rest of his features are twisted horribly.

"Taehyung— Taehyung."

Nightmare?

Hallucination?

And then he wakes. I can feel it, even though I can't see his eyes because I'm clinging onto him like a desperate koala.

A shudder runs through his entire body.

"You're okay." I whisper, voice breaking a bit. I hurriedly reach for his hand, pressing the palm to my heart. "Breathe. Taehyung, breathe."

He touches his neck. He touches there frantically for several moments, before letting his hand fall back down to his side.

And he breathes.

"You're safe." I murmur one last time, my body slacking against his as I feel him try to match his pulse to mine. I wait until his rough, harsh gasps get better, more even.

His large hand wraps heavily around the curve of my shoulders.

I'm holding him when I hear the door timidly creak open, and a soft animal purr. Jungkook steps in, his eyes almost circles with his hands cupping a small bunny.

"Noona—"

"....hyung?"

__________________________

Taehyung doesn't even look at the tea I put down in front of him.

Instead he has his dark eyes flat on the tabletop, stripped of all emotion whatsoever. He looks blank— empty, worse than before.

Jungkook plays with his hands nervously besides me.

Finally I break the silence.

"Taehyung." I whisper, motioning at the tea. "Drink it. I promise it'll help you relax a bit more."

"No."

He shivers, pulling at the sleeves of his shirt. "No, it won't. I've tried everything already— nothing would help."

But then his shaken gaze shifts up to me.

"Except for you, Rieul."

"Come live with me."

I pause. I can feel Jungkook stop too, next to me. He instantly quits moving his fingers, eyes widening at his palms.

Taehyung lifts his head. And I don't know what to say— because I just couldn't. How could I? I couldn't just leave Jungkook, with all that I'd promised just an hour ago—

"Noona, can we talk...talk for a little?"

Jungkook suddenly pulls me to my feet, his eyes flickering back and forth. He tugs me towards the bathroom, and closes the door behind us before I can even say a single thing.

"Jungkook." I speak up first, licking my lips. "Don't worry. I won't break—"

"I want y-you to go with hyung."

My mouth drops open. But when I look up, his expression is determined. He clasps his hands together, voice firmer.

"I'm not blind, Noona. Hyung needs you more than I do. Besides, I have Jiminie hyung to take care of me."

"Jungkook."

My voice is worried now. We'd never been apart, ever since that day. I'd always come home to him, and he'd always come home to me.

But then he puts a messy kiss on my forehead, flashing me a cute smile.

"I'll be okey, no worrying. You've taken care of me for a long time, right? So now you can care for hyung."

I almost cry then and there.

And Jungkook notices, his childish features creasing in worry. He taps at my half-scrunched eyes, blinking quickly.

"Noona, don't cry."

"I'm not c-crying." I say, rubbing up and down on my face. Then I tackle my younger angel of a brother in a hug, squeezing tight on his shoulders.

"You've just— grown more than I thought."