[3] Code: REBIRTH || KTH

Ch27: As Real As They Can Be

"I knew you'd forget the fucking eggs." Yoongi walks out of the kitchen with crossed arms and a scowl on his face.

Taehyung sighs warily, shutting the apartment door behind him and contemplating for a second turning back around so he doesn't have to deal with Yoongi's nagging.

"You could've sent me a text to remind me."

"Your phone is broken, smartass. You need to get that shit fixed," He says as he walks towards the TV and starts flipping channels somewhat angrily.

"Oh." Taehyung completely forgot his phone hasn't been working since he chucked it at the wall a couple of days earlier. It's not like he needs it that much nowadays anyway. There's seldom someone to call.

A wave of dizziness washes over Taehyung, so he shuts his eyes close until his head stops spinning and when he opens them, Yoongi is looking at him with concern.

"I need to lay down a bit," Taehyung says as he makes his way to his bedroom.

Yoongi says something but he doesn't catch it, and he doesn't really care. He closes his door, sits on the bed and grabs the silver bracelet from his nightstand, wondering when this will all end.

"Grandma?"

The sun had started setting into the horizon, painting the sky a lovely pink with purple clouds. The orange sunlight seeped through the curtain, casting a glow on Taehyung's cup of tea that had gone cold. The bitter aftertaste lingered in his mouth, but little Taehyung would drink more than just bitter tea if his grandma wanted.

"When we die, where do we go?" He asked.

She had looked at him for a long time, her eyes distant as she contemplated an answer. Taehyung had wondered why it had taken her so long to answer him; she had had the quickest answers that made the most sense but for some reason, this question needed some thinking.

"Somewhere far and beautiful." She simply said.

Taehyung tilted his head in wonder. "Like the sea?"

"Like the sun setting into the sea at night."

Taehyung scrunched his nose is disagreement. "But the sun comes back in the morning. And you said dead people don't come back. Like mom."

"Just because they don't come back doesn't mean they don't exist. Your mother may not be here, but her love is, and you carry it in your heart. When I die, too, you may forget what I look like and you may forget what my voice sounds like, but you'll never forget how loved my hugs made you feel. I will be there with you, Taehyung, but only in the memories you'll carry with you, and memories are as real as they can be."

But the memories Taehyung's mind ever seem to remember are of a dark street and a blood-stained baby blue dress, and they overshadow all the other memories like a storm cloud. Maybe he's meant to remember nothing but her limp body in his arms until the day he dies as punishment for the sinful life he lived. Maybe he doesn't deserve to remember the warmth of her hug.

Too tired to change his clothes or even get under the covers, Taehyung throws himself back on the bed, letting fatigue heavy his eyelids as he drifts to sleep.

---

"Get up, you're gonna be late for work."

Taehyung gingerly opens his eyes to find Yoongi at his bedroom door.

"Fuck work," He manages to reply before he falls asleep again.

Yoongi stands silently in his spot for a while longer, staring at Taehyung's sleeping form. It's been a few days since Taehyung had left the house that day to visit his grandma's grave, and he has done nothing but sleep since then. It's been a cycle of Yoongi getting up in the morning, making sure Taehyung's still breathing while letting out a relieved breath of his own, then going on about his day, pretending as if he doesn't care but fuck did it scare the shit out of him when Taehyung had slept for fifteen hours straight the day before.

Yoongi can't help but feel like unluckiest man alive. In the span of one year, he managed to lose a best friend and roommate who turned out to be some psychopathic terrorist, his sister, and now his new friend who doesn't mind his wicked sense of humour or his shitty cooking. But he hates to make this about him, so he pushes all these thoughts to the back of his head and with a sigh, Yoongi leaves and shuts the door.