Broken Glass - Taekook

4

The moment I wake up, my attention is caught by the sound of quiet conversation, and a nagging hunger that tugs at my stomach, like a child trying to get their mother's attention. I can't quite make out the words, can't quite figure out what's going on, because it's too quiet for me to pick up individual words, and then I remember yesterday. The dream. My conversation with Taehyung.

I sit up, slowly, carefully, rubbing the tiredness out of my eyes and trying to fix the blurriness of my vision in the process. The house is bright and welcoming now, flooded with some of the light from the early morning sun, despite the fact that the doors are closed. 

The pigs are snorting and snuffling next door, seeming to almost converse with each other in a language I couldn't hope to understand. A small fire crackles in the hearth, and the family is gathered round it, discussing something that I can't quite hear, eating food out of small wooden bowls. They glance over when I shift a little on the straw of the bed I sleep on, and the wood creaks. Hyejin takes a bowl and spoon from a small container I didn't notice, spoons food into the bowl, and passes both to her husband, who walks over to check on me. 

"Morning, Jungkook," Seunghyun says cheerfully, the dark circles under his eyes more prominent than before, a barely noticeable lethargy attached to his every movement. "How are you feeling today?"
"A lot better, thank you," I respond honestly, and he smiles properly, seeming almost relieved by that.

"Any issues, other than the interrupted sleep?" I tilt my head at that, and he jolts his head towards his son, who's sat eating his own breakfast next to the fire. "Taehyung told us you woke up in the middle of the night?"
"Oh yeah, well, it was a weird dream, that's all." Seunghyun hands me a spoon, so I can begin to eat, and I do so quietly, thanking him quietly. 

"But no cough, nothing messing up with your throat, no chest pain?" he checks again, and I shake my head, still chewing. "That's good. Your time in the river could've caused some real issues, but it doesn't seem to have had a lasting effect on your lungs. The cold can do that, you see. But if you're alright, that's a good sign."

As I eat my breakfast, I glance round the room again, trying to pick up on why Seunghyun looks so tired. Taehyung and Hyejin, now that I pay attention to them properly, are having an intense but subdued debate, through mouthfuls of food. They both look completely exhausted, as if they've been awake for hours. 

Namjoon sits beside them, his face drawn with worry, listening to the debate and occasionally offering a point of view. Yoongi sits on his left, their joined hands resting on Namjoon's thigh. To Yoongi's left, Jin sits, his arm wrapped around Yoongi's waist. The two companions listen without comment, but their concerned expressions are clear to see. 

Once I've eaten, I shuffle forward in the little heightened area I sit on, so that I can clean the bowl I've been using. Before I can drop down, however, Seunghyun hurries forward, though, and takes it from me. 

"Don't worry yourself, Jungkook," he says quickly. "I don't know if you're ready to stand up without help yet. We've not tried it, and I don't want you to hurt yourself." I start to protest, but he's already moving."Maybe it will be good for him to try," Hyejin suggests, from her spot in the corner. "If he is who we think he is, he'll need to." Seunghyun pauses, considers her words. 

"I suppose you're right. But we need to help him, at least to start with." Hyejin doesn't reply, looking troubled, and her husband sighs. "Love, we found him half drowned in a river yesterday, unconscious, and it took him hours to be in a stable enough condition to talk with us. If he pushes himself too quickly, he's going to suffer. It doesn't matter who someone is, or what support they get, they should be allowed to heal before fighting their next battle."

"Who's fighting battles?" I chime in, thoroughly confused, and that's when Yoongi raises his hand.
"Maybe we should tell him what's going on, instead of acting like idiots," he suggests bluntly, "because he's gonna need to know this stuff in the end anyway. If he even is the Saviour. Could just be another random kid, for all we know."