Let It Burn

25. If We Live Fast Let Us Die Young

Tayeon was exhausted, but picked herself up, and ran over to where her boyfriends was lying at the edge of the forest.

"Yoongi! Jimin-ah!" She exclaimed, her fear for them evident in her voice.

She dropped down beside them, and moved her hands to Jimin's face, breathing out heavily upon seeing that his eyes were open. He was completely drenched from the water, and covered in several cuts and scratches, but that was just his visible injuries. Yoongi wasn't fairing much better, his eyes had been closed but they blinked open as Tayeon laid a hand on his face, and tilted it towards her. She felt a tear escape her eye, and run away down her cheek.

"I'm so sorry Yoongi," she cried. "I didn't want to hurt you! I'm sorry!"

"It's okay," he breathed, blinking up at her slowly. "You tried to warn me. I didn't listen."

"Tayeonie, it's okay, it's not your fault," Jimin raised a hand to connect with hers that still laid against his cheek.

"Yoongi, please don't do that to me again," she whimpered, collapsing on top of the two of them and trying to hold on to them tightly. "I saw you just lying there... I thought I'd..."

"No, don't say it," he interrupted her, laying a finger over her lips. "I'm okay. That wasn't your fault, it was mine."

Tayeon only shook her head, laying her head on his chest, feeling more tears escape as she blinked up at Jimin.

"I love you," she mumbled. "I love you both with all my heart. Please don't die. Ever."

Jimin breathed in sharply, and squeezed her hand he was still holding onto. Yoongi was quiet for a moment, before his arms moved up to encircle her body gently.

"I love you too," he responded, in a quiet voice. "And I'm sorry."

~.~.~.~

All eight occupants of the valley were quiet for some time after the incident at the river. Tayeon, after her emotional confession of love to her boyfriends, had begun to avoid Yoongi, withdrawing into herself, and pulling her shield tightly around her like a tortoise in its shell. Hobi had to spend considerable time healing both Yoongi and Jimin - Jimin had broken a bone in his leg, and cracked his head open, after being tossed violently against a tree, and Yoongi had a cracked rib again.

"I hate to sound like a hypocrite, hyung, but we really need you three to work together like you always do," said Hobi quietly, as he focussed on healing his rib. "Today more than ever. If what Jisoo said is right, we're going to be attacked later today, and we need to be ready for it."

"I know," Yoongi muttered, wishing he could look away from his friend, but the healing process demanded his full attention. "I feel so bad, Hobi. I was just trying to help her."

"I guess you just need to trust that she knows her own limitations," said Jimin softly, slipping his hand silently into Yoongi's. "She's never rejected your help before, you know."

Yoongi shook his head silently.

"Why was today any different from last time?" Hobi wondered. "I know she was using all the rest of our powers, but we'd all withdrawn when it happened."

"It's because she was sourcing extra power from the lake," Yoongi explained. "It made her stronger, but a lot harder to handle. I should have just listened to her. And now she's mad at me."

"I don't think she's mad," Jimin shook his head calmly. "She's just trying to process what happened."

"I agree with you, Jiminie," said Hobi, "She's not mad, she's scared. I imagine it's pretty terrifying to know you've hurt the two people you love most in the world."