Dark Paradise | Jungkook

Chapter 5 - Til' Death Do Us Part - Crimson

Dark Paradise - Chapter 5 - Til' Death Do Us Part - Crimson

Your eyes enlarge, so wide that they are in fact squeezing against the soft socket of your lids, you feel the sour touch of vomit curdling, whisking its way up your stomach as you groan in horror. "M-Mark?" you reach for his face, his eyes are shut, lashes fanning out as perfect as always, his hair is just the way he had left it, a tousled style you had grown to adore as a signature token of him. You call his name once more, raising the tempo of your voice. Your fingers reach for his neck – a pulse. It's faint, disappearing, but as of that moment he is still with you, a tear breaks the surface tension of your shattering orbs at long last, running across your cheek as you plant a kiss to his forehead, your gaze halting at a gushing wine treacle seeping from his stomach. You feel consciousness threaten to vacate your soul for a moment before you snap back to reality, removing the flannel from your shoulders and holding it with just enough pressure at the wound. You feel him wince, a moan of agony leaving his lips as his jaw clenches, teeth chattering dryly. "I love you Mark." You repeat the phrase, it was like a daisy amongst a field, the farthest from alien, but in this moment, it felt so much more importance – the flicker of never seeing him again burning at the edges of your heart.

You dash for his hand, gripping it so tightly you thought it might drop off, eyes closing in hope as you feel him tug back, he's staring up at you now, teary-eyed and with all of his might, he dampens the dry cracks of his lips, whispering slowly. "I love you." You choke over your tears, chuckling innocently as you pepper kisses over his face, you apologise sincerely, dreaming away the situation as if it were a nightmare. A sudden tick rams at your frame, flipping you over and out of the car, your spine slamming against the freezing concrete. You feel a gunshot sizzle between the folds of your brain as he crawls over top of you, his hands roping your neck, demonically. "I thought I'd let you see him one last time before I finish the job." You hurl a puddle of spit on your tongue, launching it between his eyes as he lifts you by the skull, bashing your head harder into the ground. You notice he's wearing a pair of gloves, the familiar feeling of latex pressing into the softness of your skin, memories of the dentist you'd see as a child, the euphoric feeling of a sticker reward cancelling out the sterile state of scent amongst the gloomy waiting rooms.

You lift your fingers toward his concentrated eyes, piercing them with all of your strength, but he already has the firm grip of his palms cutting into your wrists, slamming them beside your body. Jungkook is pleased with himself, he's proven worthy, he thinks. All of those horrific times they'd leave him out at family dinners at a boy, when the kids at school would lock him in bathroom stalls, finding anything and everything to dump over his screeching frame. He wonders, if only they could see him now – the man he'd become. Strong, powerful, he was a knight in shining armour, a gladiator in the ring and all for you – all for your love. He leans closer, smirking devilishly, a ring of fire burning within his iris. "I'm not going to hurt you love, I promise." You cry out, mumbling words of hatred as you struggle beneath him, your legs crushed by his top-heavy weight. It couldn't end like this, it just couldn't. You lift your knee to his stomach, striking it over and over again, only when you feel his grip weaken significantly do you reach for the keys that had been rattling from his belt, jabbing them deeply into his hand. He lets out a ferocious roar, but you're already pacing your exit, your feet like lightning, soaring across the sky.

"Not so fast sweetheart." He's clawing at your ankles, bringing you to a crashing drop. You wriggle with every inch of strength in your body, but it's no use, you are a field mouse, awaiting the tiger, he has you now - and he knows it. He flips you over like a tent, his nail digging deeply into the bare blades of your shoulders as he reaches out for something, his lips twirling into a golden smile. "I'll make it all better, I promise." The last encounter you have is with the jagged edge of a rock, scraping the gloved palms of his hands as he attacks your temple – knocking you out cold. You awake with a throbbing headache, a broken pulse, cold droplets of sweat residing between your fingers. You call out a greeting, your throat is missing a few layers – you can tell due to the timid tone of your 'Hello?' You roll to your side, the sound of static bedsheets and a plaster colliding, causing your head to tick with pain. You hear a sift of footsteps, the weight of them more apparent as they neared your location. "You're awake, how are you feeling?" You shift awkwardly, choking on your words as you take in the man before you – He is out of a movie, features fit for a god – pure perfection. "I- Where am I? Who are you?" You stutter, watching him move forward cautiously, his hands moving to your shoulders ever so lightly as his eyes grow into a pit of earnest emotion.

"I'm so sorry this happened to you, angel." An emotion of some sort flashes over his features as you continue to carefully palm at your frame. "It was just supposed to be a fun trip, but he attacked us, he attacked you." A tear rolls down his supple cheek as you lunge forward, his head fitting the crevice of your neck perfectly. "I don't understand, who are you?" You pull backward, shielding yourself subconsciously. He wipes at his water stained skin, bringing his thumb to your chin gently. "I'm your boyfriend, buttercup. We were on holiday when this lunatic attacked us, I don't know what he did but it knocked every memory from your mind, all but the basic information, so it seems." You feel your orbs enlarge, sand dunes drying at a quicker pace as you put the pieces together, the nickname, the story, it was alien to you but it seemed, rather uncanny – like he was speaking the truth. "I know it'll be hard, but I will take care of you okay? I know it will take time for you to remember me but-" He pauses, gazing into your eyes with a sincere glow. "I love you, buttercup." You feel rain rise in your chest, woven between the gaps of your rib-cage as it adorns your heart.

"I love you."

You stay tucked together for a few moments before he leads you to a table, carrying you down the stairs of what you assumed was your home before the horrific ordeal, his strengthened arms placing you gently - opposite his place on the table as he fiddles with a couple of plates. "I made us dinner." He smiles, chuckling slightly as you thank him. At last he removes the shiny silver basin, a few cherry tomatoes surround the grilled steak, honey roasted potatoes edging onto your plate before he cuts into the meat, the serrated blades of the knife gliding through as if it where butter, he places it onto your cutlery – his margin concocting a twisted twitch of a smirk. "Enjoy your meal, love." He brings a piece to his lips, you watch as he swirls it on his tongue, his eyes closing as pleasure seeps into his features. You take a miniscule bite at first, it's tough – yet soft. A kick of some sort, it was strange; you'd never encountered the vast flavour, warm texture, it was undoubtedly delicious, yet lacked nothing less of a sudden peculiarity. The both of you continue eating in silence, it's eerie at first – unfamiliar, but soon becomes a normality, the both of you finally finishing.

He questions your state, asking if you were still quenched with hunger before bringing a pretty white pill to your lips, a glass of water meeting the burning damage of your throat, cooling it like an oasis. - It's for the pain, he tells you. You tumble back to bed, peering over the covers as you notice the crimson marks adorning his tanned skin, you gasp animatedly, back hitting the headboard in shock. "What's wrong honey?" His knees plant into the soft, pearly pink of your shared duvet, you reach out, fingertips tracing over the scabbed wound across his bare bicep. "D-Did he do this to you?" He wraps his fingers around your wrist, tugging on it gently as he pulls you to nuzzle against his chest, hand raking through your hair soothingly. "He did, but he's gone now darling." He pulls rearwards slightly, his coffee shaded optics never leaving yours. "He's never coming back." You nod, pressing your lips against his forehead, a sigh of weakness leaving your frame as you feel him lay beside you, his arms wrapping you, resembling a teddy bear, cuddling the oversized T you assumed belonged to him, sitting comfortably on your body.

He turns out the light, the gloss of his eyes still prominent amongst the charcoal darkness. You feel your eyes flutter shut, sleep drowning beneath your bones, suffocating you. He presses closer, the warmth of his breath pattering across the exposed skin of your collar bone. "I have you my darling petal, Jungkook will protect you, you can rest now." He voices his name for the first time, the call of your soulmate – your lover.

"Until death do, we part, sweetheart."