✔️ 𝐈𝐧𝐤𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐞 | 𝐓𝐚𝐞𝐠𝐠𝐮𝐤

Chapter Fourteen.

Taehyung

It was late.

Taehyung saw the clock flashing 03:28 at him, and he wished he were asleep. The night terrors kept him awake, and he was afraid to fall asleep. He'd have to tell Dr. Yeon later.

Because he was tired of laying there, listening to Jimin and Jeongguk's soft snores, he sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. He wanted to go somewhere, wherever that may be. Taehyung knew he wouldn't be able to get very far by himself; he needed something to support his weight.

By some luck, Taehyung found a pair of crutches stored beneath his bed, so he pulled them out as quietly as possible and clutched them in his clammy hands. He determined they were sturdy enough and relatively the correct height. He then shifted his wait off the bed and onto the crutches, placing the top pads in his armpits.

And off he went.

As he moved, he was surprised that the two boys continued to sleep through the crutches clacking across the floor.

Once safely outside the room, Taehyung was greeted by rolling white tiles illuminated by rows of fluorescent lights. He wondered if they had ever turned the lights off.

He had no idea where he was going, but something in him was telling him to go. He decided to go right, and as he clack, clack, clacked down the hallway, everything was eerily quiet. The hustle and bustle of the hospital in the usual hours had been dimmed, and he now saw nobody. He felt as if he were completely alone now.

Eventually, when he reached the elevators, Taehyung got inside and stared at the circular buttons that continued for a few rows. He was on 2, he knew that. He pressed 5 on an impulse. The elevator shot up, faster than Taehyung anticipated, and he was on the fifth floor in seconds.

When the door opened, he noticed some immediate differences. The hallways were a little bit darker, but the same pristine look still appeared on this floor. Taehyung exited the elevator and allowed the door to shut behind him.

Psychology Ward, a sign greeted him.

Taehyung eyed the sign and continued past the nurses station, crutching down a hallway that looked similar to his own downstairs.

This hallway, however, seemed to go on forever. Taehyung wasn't sure how far he got when he had to stop, panting, wondering if he was really this out of shape. He didn't want to turn around just yet, so he clacked forward a few steps to turn down another hallway.

That's when he collided with someone.

Taehyung fell backwards, his crutches hitting the floor with a clatter.

"Sorry," Taehyung said, rubbing his head. He looked up at the person, and, yet again, those eyes were staring back at him.

"Namjoon?" he gaped, trying to push down the immediate panic he felt.

The tall, spindly figure looked down at him, unsmiling. "Taehyung."

Everything in Taehyung's body told him to run, and he could hear his heartbeat pounding in his ears, but he definitely couldn't act upon his instincts with his leg. He had to stay here and talk to Namjoon.

"Wh-what're you d-doing here?" Taehyung stuttered. He hadn't talked to Namjoon in years, and he found himself at a loss for words.

"I'm on the psych ward, and I look like shit. You do the math," Namjoon said, but his voice was empty and flat. He had lost his bright demeanor, and his arms and legs were littered with bruises of varying sizes and colors. Taehyung didn't dare ask why.