In This House // BTS Mafia au

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Bright lights were shining on him, but they were blocked by a circular shadow.

"He's awake! He's awake!"

Everything was echoing. He could barely make it out. It was blurry and dim and hard to see. 

"Jungkook!"

There were still voices? After dying? Jungkook had heard sometimes people's lives flashed before their eyes. Or was this a dream? Was death just a dream, over and over and over....

Or was he in heaven?

"Help me get him up!"

Or hell?

"You get her, we got him."

"Take him out to the alley!"

Jungkook never believed in afterlife stuff like heaven or hell. If those were real, that meant he was fucked. He would land in hell for sure.

It was better to tell himself they weren't real.

But then who were the voices?

"Quickly, she's bleeding!"

There had to be a way to know if he was in a dream or truly in some afterlife. 

Oh, wait.

"We're right behind you, keep going!"

If Jimin answered him, he was in heaven. If heaven was real, Jimin would be there.

"Jimin...."

"He's talking!"

"What's he saying?"

"I can't hear!"

Echoes. He couldn't make the out well. But none of them were Jimin's voice. 

"Jimiiiiin....."

"He's...."

"He's what?"

"Just get out to the alley, I'll tell you there."

The echoes sounded like his friends, though. But the rest of Bangtan wasn't dead. That meant it really was a dream.

The blurry lights in from of him suddenly became blinding. It hurt to look at them. 

Hurt? It hurt? How did it hurt if he was dead?

Why did it hurt?

"Lay him down, right next to her."

"Careful! Letchner could have broken his ribcage."

"Is he breathing well enough?"

"Give me a second, I'll listen."

Something warm touched his chest. Something soft...hair.....was grazing his chin. He recognized the feeling. 

His mind cut dreamily to the feeling of Miyeon's head under his chin, hugging her the day Jimin passed away. 

He missed her already.

"He's breathing, but it's barely there."

"You said he's talking?"

"Yeah."

"Can he hear?"

He missed everyone already.

"Jungkook! Hey, Jungkook! Can you hear me?"

A loud echo, this time a little more clear, shouting his name. The shadow looming over him was back. Something wet was petting his cheek. Fingertips. They were fingertips. 

I'm Jungkook. He's talking to me.

What dream was this? Jungkook didn't remember any of this happening in real life. What was he even remembering?

"Who are you?"

"He answered! Jungkook, it's me, Hoseok!"

Hoseok. Jungkook's imagination was playing games on him. He could almost make out the shape of Hoseok's face in the shadow above him. As if it was Hoseok's hand tapping his cheek...or his hair brushing his chin....

Wait a second.

Jungkook blinked hard a few times. The light was bright, but now the figure was clearer. 

"Jungkook! Can you see me? Can you? Are you awake?"

The sun. The bright, brutal light was the sun.

The sun!

"Hoseok? That's you?"

"Yeah! Monster, he's with us!"

Hoseok was looming over him. Holy fuck. 

It was real. Not a dream, not heaven, not hell. Real.

The pain was settling in on his shoulders and his chest. He suddenly became conscious of his breathing, which was a lot harder to do now. His head felt light and empty. 

He turned his head to the side to look around and see where was, but he saw something else.

"Miyeon."

Jungkook thought he saw her smile. His faded vision made it hard to see completely--that, and the blood and the dirt and the bruises across her face--but he thought he saw it.

"We're not....dead?"

"No, I don't think so." 

Jungkook's words came out in a whisper. His eyes turned to stared back up at the sky. He felt so weak. It took energy just to turn to the side and look at her.

"I really thought I was dead."

"I would never let you die, Jungkook."

Jungkook saw the clouds. The boys were touching him, feeling around his ribcage and squeezing his shoulder to bandage it. Voices were swirling around in echoes again, but he heard Miyeon clearly.

"Are you okay, Miyeon?"

"I don't know."

"You're hurt."

"You are, too."

"I'll kill Letchner for what he did to you."

"You won't have to."

Jungkook turned is head to the side again to see her, but she was gazing up at the sky. Young was on the other side of her, preparing an alcohol cloth.

"What do you mean?"

"I did it."

"What?"

"I killed Letchner."

Jungkook suddenly remembered the gunshot, the feeling of breath leave his body as Letchner's foot finally stepped off of his lungs. By then it was too late, but he remembered it.

That was Miyeon. She had shot him, and he had died. 

Jungkook managed a small sigh. Miyeon's hand was sitting on the ground next to her body. He reached for it with the energy he had left. 

The sun was shining bright in the blue sky. His shoulder hurt like he wanted to rip it off. He was wheezing with every breath. Miyeon was bleeding on the ground next to him. 

But it was over. Letchner was dead. Miyeon was alive. They had won.

The war was over.