BURDEN ✔

[Chapter 23]

The feeling came again. Seokjin thought that maybe, after crying his heart out on the day before he would feel better, but he didn't. 

He woke up, staring up at the familiar ceiling that he missed the most. He could hear Yoongi's soft snores, he could see the day is starting to wake up, the sunshine made its way through the curtains and filling the room with golden light.

He sighed. He felt like his body became one with the bed. He couldn't move, but he knew that he can. He curled his fingers and that was it, he felt like it was taking all of the energy on his body, leaving almost zero percent of his strength.

He really wanted to get out of the bed, but he couldn't. His body felt numb, his chest felt suffocated, and his mind was empty. He looked up blankly at the ceiling, sighing once in a while. He could feel that his body was still feverish, and his nose was a bit runny, but he made no effort to get rid of it. It was like he had become one with the bed.

He didn't know if a minute or maybe an hour had passed when he heard a soft yawn from the other bed. He heard a low groan after that, then a sound of a blanket being yanked off. He knew that Yoongi is waking up.

Soft footsteps echoed throughout their bedroom then stopped. He could feel Yoongi's gaze on him, but he couldn't make his head turns toward the rapper.

"Hyung, are you awake?" Yoongi's raspy voice asked him, but he felt like Yoongi's wasn't there. He felt like the younger's rapper's voice were coming from somewhere else, echoed and muffled.

"Hyung?" Yoongi walked towards his hyung, rubbing his eye with a deep frown on his face. He was sure that Seokjin was awake, his eyes were open, but glued to the ceiling.

"Hyung, are you okay?" Yoongi asked him carefully, kneeling beside his hyung's head. He waited for any response, but there was none.

"Seokjin hyung, are you okay?" Yoongi asked again softer, afraid that he may somehow hurt the older with his voice. Seokjin sighed. He wanted to say yes, but his head shook weakly against his will.

"Are you okay?" Yoongi placed the back of his palm on the older's forehead and cringed, "you're warmer than last night."

Seokjin stayed silent. He was trying to focus on Yoongi's hand on his forehead and the raspy morning voice of the younger, but he could feel his mind and body slipped into the darkness.

"Do you want to get up and go out? It will make you feel better," Yoongi suggested, looking at the older in concern, but Seokjin didn't give any response.

Then it fell, the first tear from Seokjin's eyes. Yoongi's face softened as he wiped the older's tear gently

"Let's move outside, okay? It will make you feel better, hyung, I promise," Yoongi told him, but Seokjin was still silent, more tears coming out from his eyes but his face gave no emotion.

Yoongi stood up and walked outside, came back a few seconds later with a sleepy Namjoon. But the leader soon was out from his sleepy state once he saw his oldest hyung and immediately, wordlessly, helped Seokjin to sit. The eldest let his dongsaengs help him to get on his feet, immediately catching him when he swayed

Namjoon wiped the tears on Seokjin's face that were thankfully already stopped falling. He put his arms around the oldest's waist, another hand grabbed his hyung's shoulder to keep him steady.

They helped the oldest sat on the couch, but Seokjin refused and walked out from their hold softly.

"I need to prepare breakfast."

Namjoon almost winced at the flat and emotionless voice of his eldest hyung. "Are you okay, hyung? You don't have to if you can't."

"I have to," Seokjin looked at him, staring at the leader's eyes with his empty one. He sighed and lowered his head. "I-I need to distract myself."