Click.

My heart seems to break with relief as the call goes through, and V's rich voice fills my ear as I smash my phone to the side of my face.

"Tzuyu?"

I really don't deserve him. He's too good for me, and he should know that. But he'd still chosen to answer my call, and at least I'd hold that to my heart if I fell and died.

Which could happen any moment, any second.

"V— help me, please."

His voice goes silent for a moment before I hear a flurry of footsteps on the other side of the line, the door opening and closing as he rushes out of it.

When I hold the phone back up to my ear, he sounds more panicked than I am.

"W-where are you?!"

"I think Southside Park," I try to calm my rapid breathing as I tangle my feet in with the branches, hoping if I did suddenly faint it might catch me. "I'm up in a tree."

"What?!"

"I'm sorry!" I exclaim, tears spilling down my cheeks when I feel another wave of dizziness wash over me. "I'm sorry I said all that to you, V. I'm sorry that—"

"Tzuyu—"

"No!" I yell, and I can sense him practically flinch on the other side. "You hear me out. If I die, I want to die having apologized properly to you, okay?!"

I'm sure this is driving me insane, about to faint while being stuck up 45 feet in the air.

His breathing goes still.

"You're about to faint," He realizes, and I nod, even though he can't see me. His voice trembles violently, and I can hear the rapid sound of feet hitting pavement. "Tzuyu, don't let go."

"Of course not!" I yelp, not bothering to tell him I'd already had two dizzy spasms. "But listen— I don't think your disorders are stupid! And I know you just meant well for me, and I—"

"Tzuyu?"

My voice shakes.

"Yeah?"

"Shut up," The line crackles on the other side as he sucks in a breath. And only then do I realize that he's stopped running.

"Because you're not going to die."

________________________

He's here.

But the problem is that I can't exactly see him with my vision blurring, my eyes tearing up as darkness slowly clouds my mind.

So I can't even tell if he's that figure on the bottom, or the blob right next to me.

At least he knows I didn't mean all those horrible things I said. And I could tell he wasn't angry anymore, which relieved me more than him picking up the phone.

Then my right leg wobbles, and I gasp as I nearly lose my grip. My hands frantically clasp around the branch as I tremble, knowing I didn't have much time left.

My right leg wobbles again before it gives out completely, and a startled scream bursts from my lips when my foothold slips for the second time.

I'm really going to—

"You're not going to die."

Something firm snakes around my waist the second my legs collapse underneath me. V immediately pulls me to his chest, and I sag into the relieving warmth of his body.

He smells so nice.

"I'm sorry." I repeat over and over again until my tongue feels so thick to mutter out another syllable. "I'm really, really sorry, V."

And I think I can see a ghost of a smile dances on his lips as everything finally descends into darkness.

_______________________

V's POV

I can guess what had made her climb the second I see the man passed out on the ground, his back clearly broken. With Tzuyu strapped to my back, I search for the man's phone and dial 911.

"State your emergency—"

"There's a man in Southside Park with the lower half of his spine fractured— come quick, if you don't want the paralysis to spread to his right leg, too. Paraplegia."

And then I hang up, already having used up my kindness for the day. Besides, he'd nearly killed Tzuyu— I would've left him to die hadn't she kept pinching me the entire time I was coming down.

The fainting spell, this time, had only lasted a minute.

"Thanks, V." Her soft voice echoes right next to my ear, and then I can't remember what I'd been so angry about the past hour.

She was so precious— muttered apologies while unconscious, tugging on my shirt and continuing to say sorry for a reason I can no longer remember. I would've never forgiven myself if I hadn't answered her call.

It's the only good thing I've done today.

________________________

His warmth is amazing. Even though I should be chattering and shivering in the chill, I feel warmer than I've ever felt holding onto V and playing with his hair.

"Thanks for coming for me," I whisper, burying my face into where his neck and shoulder meets. Now that the rush of adrenaline had faded away, my entire body felt slack and loose— like I hadn't just slept for sixteen hours straight.

"Always."

He mutters, and a hidden blush climbs up my neck. Then my head hangs in shame, my fingers tightening around his sleeve.

"Jimin and Jungkook, too— I kept them up during the night. How are they going to teach during class?"

He laughs, a sound that makes my heart flutter.

"Tomorrow's Saturday."

_____________________________

"Did you guys climb a tree or something?"

It's the first thing Jimin asks when he sees us, and we both gape at him. Awe reflects in both mine and V's eyes as the man yawns, running his fingers through his messy hair.

"It's not that hard to tell— you have splinters all over your hands. Better get that taken care of before you catch tetanus, yeah?"

We'd returned from their apartment this morning, even though Jimin had insisted we stay. We literally had a house right across from
them— and had deemed it improper to stay even a minute longer.

And Jimin walks through the door at exactly seven o' clock, with two bottles of medicine clutched in his hands.

I'd been just about to make breakfast, an unbroken egg still clutched in my fingers when Jungkook follows. The maknae still looks sleepy as he crashes onto the couch, mumbling something about lamb skewers.

Jimin shoots a stunned V a devilish smile as he slumps down on the couch next to Jungkook, patting the maknae's head a bit too hard to be soothing. It's a miracle that he doesn't wake up and beat the life out of Jimin.

"So— Jungkook kind of burned down the kitchen today." He says, with an awkward laugh. "The entire house smells like smoke— you don't mind if we stay here for a day or two until it gets fixed?"

"Today?" V asks in disbelief. We'd literally left them an hour ago, and I had thought they were going to sleep, not burn down the house while doing so.

"He," Jimin giggles when Jungkook's eyes slit open. "Has bit of a sleepwalking issue. But it's okay, Kook. You're still adorable."

"Yeah— so thanks for paying for the renovation, hyung. You can do that for your adorable roommate, right?"

The smile disappears off of Jimin's face, and I laugh as I add a few more eggs to the omelet mix. I'd have to cook more of the bacon— and I'd seen these two eat before.

I was pretty sure if they could, they'd honestly finish an entire cow by themselves.

"Hold on," I say, whipping around with a shocked expression on my face. "If Jungkook can burn down a kitchen while he's asleep—"

"Forgot to give him his medicine," Jimin laughs nervously, and Jungkook shoots him
a wide-eyed look. "But it's all fine now, isn't it? And we get to take a break from instant noodles."

I'd honestly left a stack of vegetables and meat in their refrigerator when I'd first seen them, literally empty except for tubes of medicine that Jimin had claimed necessary to keep cool.

I remember being stunned to hear that they stored medicine in their fridge instead of food, and terrified when I'd found cups of instant ramen and microwaveable rice in their cupboards.

And Jimin was a doctor.

"You didn't use the stuff I left you?" I ask incredulously, recalling I'd left enough to feed them for a month.

"Jin hyung wasn't available— got booked by Namjoon hyung already." Jungkook explains, and I don't know how to feel about the fact that they booked their only professor that knew how to cook.

"I mean, I tried." Jungkook mutters softly, and Jimin glances at him before glancing back at us with a carefree smile.

"Just telling you, his sleepwalking wasn't the only thing that set the kitchen up on fire."

"Heavens," I whisper as I set down plates of bacon and eggs, rushing back to the kitchen to grab toasts and jars of jam. Usually all V and I needed was just a toast with jam, but that clearly wasn't going to cut it anymore.

"Milk for the babies," Jimin says as he sets down two cups of milk in front of me and Jungkook. And then he proceeds to clink his coffee with V, somehow managing to look calm with Jungkook staring daggers at his coffee cup. "And coffee for the adults."

"We're eighteen!"

"Fine, then." But then the two both collapse in laughter when we immediately run for the sink to rinse out the bitter taste in our mouths, faces twisted with disgust.

When I return from the kitchen, my eyes catch V's as his eyes slit into an amused smile.

"Baby princess."