I need you (to keep on surviving).

24

A rush of air reached his lungs, causing his eyes to open wide and he jerked up before realising he was surrounded by total darkness.

"Taehyung?"

He tried to stand up but there was a pool of water beneath him and his bare feet slipped as he tried to hold onto his legs.

"Hey? Is anyone here?" He couldn't remember how he got into that situation, couldn't remember what had happened before total darkness engulfed him and for the first time in months, his thoughts were silent, null.

He looked around several times as he tried to get up in every way, but the substance - the water? he wasn't sure - became more and more slippery, causing him to fall.

He tried to hold on to his hands and get up slowly, but the water became solid, causing him to slip and fall again.

He decided to crawl until he found a wall to lean against, but everything looked the same.

Completely submerged in emptiness, he felt the water gradually rise, firstly below his knees, then above, finally it grazed his arm and reached his chin.

He called Taehyung's name several times, but no one answered and he was once again surrounded by total silence.

Tired of the forced movements because of the water, he sat down crossing his legs and sighed.

Was Taehyung in the same situation? Was he in danger too? What was happening?

And again, there were more questions and no answers.

He did not know how much time had passed in the meantime but the more he focused his gaze into the darkness, the heavier his eyes became.

"Only for five minutes." He told himself, before closing his eyes once more.

V had disappeared at the exact moment Taehyung had started screaming and crying Jungkook's name in the most desperate way possible.

His mental suffering was causing the branches on his back to react aggressively by becoming longer and longer, harder and more painful.

His voice had lost it by now and his eyes would not leave the one man he wanted to protect from all that mess.

"Taehyung." Namjoon's voice came to him distantly as if he was speaking to him from the phone.

He did not turn his gaze and did not answer either.

"You're still on time, you know. But you must hurry."

"He can't do that! He would hate us all afterwards." Screamed Soyeon in a tone hoarse from tears.

But Namjoon ignored her and squeezed his cousin's shoulder with the look of someone who did not understand that kind of pain but would do anything to help him.

"Listen to me." He stepped in front of his figure and took one of the hands still resting on Jungkook's chest, close to his heart.

"He's still warm, he's still here. But you must do it now if you want to save him."

"Namjoon hyung..."

"I know. But you have to make a choice Tae." sighed the elder.

"If you want to save him, you'll have to lose a part of yourself that could never return, but you would still have him by your side. If you want to let him go, everything about you would be gone and only V would be left, with no one to stop him." He continued.

He squeezed Taehyung's hand tightly in his own and tried to convey all the strength he needed.
"You need him. You have always needed him. Don't let him go for fear that he might hate you."