YOUMIN

"Taehyung?"

His eyes flash open from under the darkness of his cap. I blink at him, while he pushes his hat down lower.

"Are you okay?"

And he seems more loose, too. I'd almost got him twice— during the last hour we'd been training. And it was impossible to usually catch him off like that.

"Yeah. Focus."

I stop worrying by the time he knocks me off my feet again.

"Ah."

"Up." He motions, and I can't help but notice the shadows under his deep set eyes— only get deeper. "You lost your balance."

I plant my feet into the ground.

We exchange a few hits back and forth, but he sweeps my legs out from underneath me and I go toppling on the mat.

"You're not concentrating, Youmin. Concentrate."

I can't concentrate because of him.

"Y-Yeah, sorry."

And I'm about to shuffle back up the most unexpected thing happens.

He collapses onto me.

His eyes look completely unfocused now as he catches himself heavily on the ground. And my mouth just drops open in shock to how close we are.

"Fuck."

His body crumples on mine. And I just stay there, frozen like a deer caught in headlights as I swallow. He'd fainted— fainted.

"Hey!" I yelp, quickly scrambling out from under him and sitting up on the floor.

"Taehyung!"

My heart racing, I hurry to check his pulse and breaths liked I'd learned in class.

My forehead creases in confusion.

It's slow.

Shouldn't it be...fast? It should be faster than what I'm feeling right now, because he'd lost consciousness. I didn't understand.

I need to find a medic.

But I can't just leave him alone in the training room, because something could easily happen. And there was no way I could get him there either.

"Hello?!"

I cup my hands around my lips.

"Help—"

But then I stop. Fear starts to climb up in the back of my throat, and I peek my head out the door.

There's no one in the halls, being almost nine at night.

And I don't know what to do.

"Hello!" I call again, glancing nervously back at Taehyung. He's still motionless, and I yell louder.

"Youmin..."

"Stop the damn yelling, please."

A furious blush coats my cheeks as I scramble back over to him. His eyes are slit open, face paler than usual.

"Are you okay?"

He gives me a bitter look. "If only you'd let me sleep last night. This wouldn't have happened then."

....what?

I blink.

"What?"

"Never mind." Then he starts to get to his feet, and I bite my lip uncertainly. I'm still thinking— had I done anything last night?

Oh.

I slept on his bed.

"Maybe we should, uh, stop?" I suggest, blushing when he glances over at me. "It's not that I don't want to, I promise. But I think you should get some sleep, and..."

My cheeks get redder.

"And I promise not to do what I did again. Promise...?"

He looks like he's barely holding himself up right now.

So I'm thankful that he gives in, disappears to leave for his room. And I half heartedly stay behind, because I didn't feel that sleepy after crashing so hard last night.

My legs hurt.

Chewing on my lip, I sit down to start massaging them when my eyes catch on something dark on the floor.

It's Taehyung's bandanna.

I recognize the dark color, and quickly pick it up. Did it slip from him when he collapsed?

And I pause for a long second.

I had to give it back to him, but I'd just told him to go rest comfortably. And Taehyung had exceptional hearing— wouldn't he wake up if I came in?

But he'd looked so tired.

Clutching the cloth in my hand, I get to my feet and make my way to his room.

The door's closed.

Just be silent.

My heart racing a bit faster, I squeeze my eyes shut and carefully push the door open. It swings open without a creak, and I peek up.

He's there.

And he must have been more exhausted than I'd thought, because he hadn't even bothered with the covers.

Quiet.

Swallowing my breaths, I put the strip of dark cloth on the stand next to his bed and turn to tiptoe back out.

I shiver.

It was unbelievably cold in here. I'd felt the drop in temperature the moment I'd come in the room— something I hadn't felt last night.

You're pushing it.

But hesitantly, I turn back around and start fixing the covers over Taehyung.

And when I come out of the room, I'm still surprised that I'd done it. I'd been terrified and even preparing what I might say if he woke up because of me.

It was relieving that he hadn't, because I'd come up with nothing.

Adjusting my sleeves over my hands, I shuffle back to my room all the way on the other side of the base.

This.

This was the problem.

I didn't know if they did this on purpose, but my room was just so far away from everything. And it really got me pissed off sometimes—

"Poor little girl. Imagine how she'd react when she sees us."

My hand stops on the doorknob.

A quiet voice follows, and I freeze all the way down to my toes.

"It doesn't matter. He wants her, so we're taking her whether she wants it or not."

Me.

They're talking about me.

There's people in my room.

My mind flashing with panic, I turn and run all the way across headquarters. I'm alone— I barely saw people here, because they were always on missions.

Taehyung.

I just needed to be around someone.

Not even feeling the pain from my sore, bruised legs, I don't stop running until I get back to the front of his room.

My hand presses tight against the door.

He's here.

The halls are empty— cold, and dark from the night. And it's giving me paranoid thoughts.

What if they heard me run away?

What if—

Shaking, I push the door open and close it behind me. And only then do I feel truly safe, because no one could get to me while he was here.

I sink down to the floor with my back against the wall.

He wants her.

How did they know that I was a girl? I'd told only few other than Taehyung, and I was pretty sure most people here thought I was a male.

How did they know my room number?

Now I'm trembling.

Is this what paranoia feels like? But that— I wasn't dreaming. There had been people, and I wasn't imagining what they'd said.

I keep looking up at Taehyung.

Just calm down. You're with him.

My breaths stuttering, I bury my face into my knees and forcefully blink back the tears.

All I wanted was to hug him.

But he was sleeping, and I can't take away his rest time any more than I've already done. Even if the air is too cold— even if I was this scared.

I'm so scared.

Why do you even train if all you're going to do is just run away in the end?

When you're just going to be scared like a little baby.

I curl up harder into myself.