Amentia - K.NJ.

Nine

I woke up to a little bit of sun going through my eyelids to create a dark, glowing orange color. Soft breaths hit my neck, a head buried in my skin. The pair of arms were gentle, holding me close. I felt myself smile. Last night wasn't a dream. It was real. Namjoon came back to sleep beside me.

I opened my eyes gently, getting blinded by the sunlight that shone through a window, but I didn't seem to care. I moved a little, burying myself deeper into the sheets and into Namjoon. A small sigh came out of me. I didn't want to get up. I wanted to keep myself like this for a long time.

Namjoon groaned slightly, his face burying into my neck more. His fingers around my waist tightened. A few moments later, I heard him say, "Is it morning already?"

I gave a hum of agreement. I could hear the disappointment in his voice. I could tell he wanted to sleep more, to keep cuddling with me. He was in desperate need of doing so. It felt like forever where we had this moment together, just to relax and hold on to a moment of time that didn't seem to change.

"I don't want to get up," he corrected my suspicions. "I had a rough night last night before I came here. I don't want to face the day like yesterday. I'm scared to see everything fall apart like always."

I thought to myself for a moment, then slowly turned around to face him. Namjoon released me, our faces becoming dangerously close as we met each other's eyes. I gave a tired smile, seeing his face. He still had circles under his eyes, but they weren't as heavy as before. He had gotten some good sleep in the time his mind turned off.

I reached my arms up, cupping my hands on the back of his neck. I kept smiling, almost like something reassuring. "Do you know how strong you are? You've kept yourself up for days at a time, protected all of us, keeping us on a schedule. You've done so much. I know you're scared to go out there again, but you know I'll be right by your side the whole way. All of us will."

Namjoon gave a small smile back, his pretty brown eyes smiling in the process, a sparkle shining within them. "I don't know why you put up with me. I don't even know why you followed me along this path, but thank you. Thank you for keeping an eye on the kids and keeping them protected. Thank you for taking care of the guys, especially me. You're always going to be something special to me, no matter what."

I felt a hint of joy rise in me. "You're so sweet. That's what I love so much about you. You always find a way to compliment me, even in the darkest of time. You mean the whole universe to me. I don't know why I would ever leave you or the kids."

"You were brave yesterday," he said. I could hear a hint of pride in his voice. "You kept yourself calm. You kept yourself safe and the reporter. I'm sorry I couldn't get to you as fast as I could have. I shouldn't have let you gone alone. I always say that being alone is dangerous, but I should have thought of that before."

"It's okay," I murmured. I ran a thumb along his hairline gently. "I'm okay now. I was a bit stunned yesterday, but I'm fine. I'm just thankful you got to me in time."

I watched as Namjoon closed the gap between our faces, his lips falling onto mine with gentleness and kindness. I felt his hands place themselves on my hips, keeping them there with care, making sure to keep the atmosphere calm.

I kissed him back, keeping the kiss sweet and long. There was only short moments like this where I had the chance to do this with him. I felt like the world we lived in now was holding us away from each other, but there was always moments that wouldn't hold us back. We were free to be ourselves in these moments, even if it wasn't as long as I hoped.

After a minute or so, he pulled away, leaning his forehead against mine. I felt myself smile, but I could also imagine his bright smile on his face. These were the moments I cherished. These were the moments I was happier than I ever been.

"I love you," he murmured, his breath tickling my heated lips.

"Love you too," I said back, trailing my hands up to his hair.

We suddenly heard a knock on our door. I pulled my face away from his, seeming to be a bit curious. Usually the kids would just barge in, hopping on the bed then on top of us. This was strange.

I sat up from the bed, reaching a hand up to my messy hair that was put in a ponytail, running it across the top of it. "Come in."

I saw a head peek in. I was surprised to see Seokjin standing there. I could tell something was wrong from the look on his face. He had a frown on, some sort of panic was in his eyes. His black hair was messy from sleep it seemed like.

"Do you need something?" Namjoon said, sitting up on the bed with me.

Seokjin opened his mouth for a second, determining what to say. Finally, words started to spill from his mouth. "Jinkyong found Tae in the interrogation trailer last night."