Taehyung is awoken by the sound of his phone ringing.
It's peculiar, and he acknowledges this even as he struggles to free his arms from the blankets so that he can snag the buzzing, chirping device off the nightstand, because of the medication he's been prescribed for his leg and the suppressant detox. The stuff knocks him out so hard, he could sleep through an earthquake. But even though he would've slipped back into unconsciousness the second he closed his eyes again, Taehyung fumbles to answer his phone, mumbling a very groggy, almost unintelligible h'llo? into the receiver. There aren't too many people who would call him in the middle of the night, especially knowing his current condition.
A blast of noise comes through the speaker, posing a serious challenge to his foggy brain to figure out what the hell is going on.
—yunng? Taaaeeee..."
It's Jeongguk's voice. It has to be. "'Gguk?" he rasps. "What... It's ass o'clock, why're you calling?"
"Wanna... talk t' Minie, but he's... not here." Jeongguk is barely audible over the background noise. He must be at a club, which explains the heavy slur coloring his voice. "Wanna see 'im, Tae."
Mini? Minnie? Minie? Does he mean Jimin? "Jimin? I don't—Jeongguk, where are you?"
"'M out. Wanna see Minie... but he's not here."
Taehyung starts to push off the covers so that he can get out of bed. If Jimin is at the hotel, he can just— "Where's Jimin? Is he here?"
"N-No. No, he's gone, he's fucking gone, I dunno... dunno where he is. Left. Ran off. Fuck, Tae..."
The urgency of the situation hits Taehyung's stomach like a load of bricks. Jeongguk is out somewhere, heavily intoxicated, saying that Jimin left him. Taehyung glances down at his bum leg and curses. He can't drive anywhere to collect Jeongguk, so he'll have to rely on someone else. "Jeongguk, you're gonna have to tell me where you are."
"Tae... Tae-Tae..."
"Jeon Jeongguk, where are you?"
Heavy breathing crackles through the speaker. "Mm... d-downtown. At a club."
"Which club?"
"Deca... Decalcomania. Mm, I think."
"Don't leave," Taehyung barks. "Stay there, okay? Don't go anywhere. I'm gonna call somebody and ask them to pick you up."
"T-Tae..." Jeongguk honestly sounds close to tears. Or maybe he's already crying. "Tae, d-don't leave... P-Please... Please, don't leave me..."
"Ggukie, I'm not gonna, okay? But I need you to stay at the club—do you hear me? Stay—"
The line suddenly goes dead.
It's only when Taehyung lowers his phone that he notices his hands are trembling. Why, why now? The one time when he's ready and willing to cast everything aside to help, he physically can't. This must be punishment for all the times he sat by, silently watching Jeongguk circle the drain.
Now, even just waiting for Zodiac to answer his phone is torture.
"Kim Taehyung. I didn't think I'd be hearing from you again so soon."
"Fuck off," is the first thing Taehyung says. "Where are you? Jeongguk is at Decalcomania downtown and he sounds like shit. You need to go get him."
Zodiac laughs like the total fucking psychopath he is. "I'd love to help, but I can't. I'm in New York with Dutch and Jimin."
Dutch and Jimin? Taehyung swallows thickly, not liking where this is going. "Why are you—You know what, never-fucking-mind. If you can't help, never mind."
