YOOJUNG LEE

"Are you sure you'll be fine?"

Jimin nods, finishing the cup of chamomile tea he'd brewed himself. He looks so relaxed I almost just let him go without even an argument.

"I don't think I'll have any tonight." He nods, and I chew on my lip in worry. "Because I drank this. Last night I didn't, you know."

But even with all his convincing, I still hesitate as I walk towards the guest room. The ends of my pajama pants drag on the floor, and I turn back again.

Jimin's watching me.

When my eyes meet his for the second time, he bursts out in soft laughter and waves his hands.

"Noona!"

"Fine, fine." I murmur, sighing as I shuffle inside of the guest room. Soon I hear the lights click off, and Jimin's soft taps as he goes upstairs to his own room.

Chamomile tea, infused with passionflower, was strong enough to put almost anyone into comfortable sleep for a long time.

But I'd seen him last night, and it made me uncertain.

It made me uncomfortable to leave him alone, because I didn't know if the effects of the tea were strong enough to hold back his nightmares.

__________________________

JIMIN

"Did you try to push me away?"

My eyes snap open, my skin turning cold the moment I see a pair of red eyes in the dark. A frightened whimper escapes my lips.

It's here. It's here.

"Go away." I beg, panicked tears already spilling down my cheeks as I close my eyes back shut. "Please. Please."

Then my sobs catch in my throat in a harsh gasp when I feel cold fingertips touch the tender skin of my ankle.

"Did you really think some tea could make me leave you alone, love? I don't like how you're getting closer to someone else other than me."

I start crying silently, trembling when I feel it take hold of my ankle.

It's never touched me before.

"Noona...." I gasp out, forcing my lips open to scream her name when I feel the icy touch climb up to my thigh. "Yoojung No—"

Then I choke when it slams its hand down on my lips. Terrified tears pour from my eyes when I close them shut, trying not to see its red eyes.

"Oh, Jimin." She says, chuckling lowly under her breath. Her nails dig painfully into my cheeks, and my head goes dizzy with the fear.

"Don't scream."

Noona. Noona. Why hadn't I slept with her tonight? I'd been so stupid— acting like I could handle it with a cup of tea. It was all useless.... so useless....

"Why are you crying, love?" She says silkily, and it makes me just cry harder. Her pale, cold hand is still pressed right against the lower half of my face. "You know I don't like to see you cry."

"I can't breathe...."

Her red eyes are suddenly inches in front of me. She's beautiful, but I hate it. I absolutely hate it, when she tilts her head at me. I want Noona.

Her eyes were always a soft brown.

"Do you promise not to scream, Jimin?" She says, and I nod hurriedly. But the moment she shifts her hand off, I yell as loud as I can.

"Noona! Help me—"

The hand crashes back onto my mouth. A stuttered cry escapes my blocked lips when she presses me down to the bed, red eyes wide with anger.

"Oh, Jimin." She says, and my mind goes white with terror when I feel her other hand wrap around my neck. "Did you lie to me?"

"Pretty Jimin, lying to me?"

"P-Please stop." I plead, voice so torn with tears. But she presses down harder, making me gasp. My body arches violently against the bed.

I can't breathe.

And then the ice suddenly turns to warmth, the red to brown.

__________________________

YOOJUNG

He cries in my arms.

His entire body's shaking with it, wracking with sobs that's harsh enough to leave him exhausted. And all I can do is try comfort him, murmuring sweetly and tightening my hold.

The only thing that I can think of is the sentence he'd weakly choked out when I'd first come.

"Noona. She's trying to kill me."

"Jimin." I whisper as he clings onto me firmly, curled into a tight ball against my body. The only sounds that fill the room are his broken tears.

"S-She touched me." He says, finally looking up at me with glazed eyes. "She can't do that. I-It's not allowed."

He shuts his eyes tight, hiding his face behind his hands. And my eyes widen in shock when I understand what he'd just said.

She? Touch?

"Come with me." I say, caressing his tearstained cheeks as I quickly lead him out of the room. The inside of his room just somehow doesn't feel right— I didn't want to stay in there.

And I was certain he didn't either.

"Let me get you some—"

Then I open the cabinets, surprised to find that there's no more of the chamomile. There's still passionflower, but the jar that had been containing the other herb is empty.

Jimin's keep looking behind himself.

"Don't worry." I say, wrapping my arm around his waist. I just end up brewing him a passionflower, but I bite my lip when I don't see his anxiety relax back.

"Jimin."

He looks up at me from staring at the mug of tea, which is barely sipped. The effects weren't strong enough to calm him down— and he was used to chamomile, not this.

"Come on." I lead him to the guest room, where my blankets are rumpled from getting up so quickly. He curls up against the headboard, but his eyes are wide open.

He blinks at me.

"Noona. I don't really want to go back to sleep."

"It's fine." I laugh softly, slipping into the blankets beside him and leaning slightly into his side. "I'll stay awake with you."

His eyes get wider. "Noona, you don't have to do that."

"I want to, promise." 

A small smile flashes on my lips when I look at his expression, all flustered and blushing next.

There's a silence after that, but it doesn't feel awkward at all. I just lean further into him, can't helping but to blink sleepily with his warmth.

He breathes.

"You smell so calming, Noona."

His body's relaxed a lot from before, and I realize I probably smelled like tea. So I laugh, feeling his chin touch against the top of my head.

Then he goes still.

He's asleep.

It makes me smile, thinking about how he'd been wanting to stay awake the entire night and how easily he'd fallen back asleep just now. It made me happy, how I calmed him down.

Softly, I tilt my face up and press my lips against his cheek.

"Sweet dreams, Jimin."

*END