pastel [3]

sixteen

Jungkook's point of view

How could it feel like I was falling when everything around me was completely solid? There were hands holding me grounded, desirous words of hope I couldn't hear. Instead all I could feel was that endless plummet, screams of wind that sought to destroy me.

He's alive?

He has a brother?

Why is he alive?!

Each overwhelming question felt like being rolled inside a crashing car, whiplash through the tumultuous thoughts of relief, outrage and denial.

"No... No. I saw him die... He..." I chanted into the roaring wind, fingers tearing into my hair to pull myself from the fall. "He's dead!" I cried louder, looking around at the three sullen faces that had encircled me. That horrendous new person staring expectantly that had my gut twisting. "I saw him fall..." I crashed to a whisper, through the blur of emotion I stared at the man, Daehyun. With the haze of his details I saw Taehyung.

Pretty golden hair, sharp eyes, love, abuser

If he was back... if he was here, what did he want? Had he come back to finish the job? To tear me apart to satiate his psychotic need to control everyone in his life?!

No, this was a lie, a cruel trick. Taehyung never had a brother, never mentioned one. This was some doppelganger who was trying to toy with me, a man sent by the gods to continue their sick game of torture.

"Jimin! He's lying!" I finally cried, jolting up to tackle the intruder who was trying to deceive my emotions. "You fucking liar!" I continued to scream, nearly landing on him before Seokjin and Jimin were pulling on my arms and pinning me to the couch.

"Jungkook, he's not lying." Seokjin began with a desperate sense of promise, bringing my hand to his and squeezing tight. It was all too much, it felt like I was going to faint, breaths sharp and erratic as I gasped out and fell back to the couch, proceeding to insistently shake my head out of this hopeful spiral.

"No... no he has to be, it's been ten years! He left me! He is dead, he has to be dead... if he's not..." vignettes closed in around my eyes, slipping in and out of consciousness as an unidentifiable hand pressed gently to where my chest was burning.

"Kook, something happened to him but he is alive, I have spoken to him. It's good, right, that he's alive?" I couldn't answer, even if I wanted to, knots of unclear feelings thrashing for purchase on the words I spoke.

"He's been dead for ten years." I repeated in desperate attempt to convince everyone of what had to be true. It had to be. If it isn't, what am I supposed to do?

"No, he's been gone for ten years. But he's back now. And he needs you."

"He needs you now." Seokjin spoke up, emphasising the urgency of his words as he pulled away from me to check his phone. Through the blur of my surroundings I watched Daehyun scramble over to read whatever it was Seokjin had just read.

"What?" I choked out, trying to move but unable to lift my own arms with the syncope that threatened my body. "What's happening?"

"Those useless idiots!" Daehyun screamed the moment he finished reading the message and within the time it took for me to blink back tears he was gone, as if he had never been here to begin with. Just like Venus...

"What is happening?" I repeated more urgently, finally managing to tear my body back into my control and stumble to my feet. The moment leading into me nearly crashing forward, caught by Jimin who brought me to his side.