There are things that have always been, and there are things that have never been.
Death by kiss is an Always Been. Death by touch is a Never Been.
Even worse, slow death by touch. The kind that gnaws at your bones and messes with your head until you're completely consumed by it. It's the only thing you think about, the only thing you know. This kind of pain doesn't forgive and doesn't forget.
"Will you pass me the remote?" Freya asks him as they sit side by side in bed, watching some movie they found in Taehyung's apartment. Taehyung ganders at the frailness of Freya's body now, two months after she first started getting migraines. She's not much more than skin and bones, all the fat she once had obsolete as a result of her inability to hold much food down. Sometimes she looks so ghostly he needs to physically touch her to make sure she isn't dead yet.
They've talked about taking her to a medical facility, but what could doctors do for her? The two of them knew the inevitable was going to happen. It was just a matter of when.
So here they are, waiting out the days and savoring every moment like its Freya's last. Taehyung's moved in, sort of, with Irene and Freya. He and Irene take turns watching over Freya during the day, and at night the two of them sit outside in silence just - mourning.
"Taehyung."
Taehyung looks up, startled, and finds Freya reaching for the remote herself. He immediately grabs the remote from his side of the bed, handing it to her. "Sorry. I was lost in thought."
If Freya had a hunch of what he was thinking, she doesn't mention it. She smiles at him instead, turning off the television and shifting to face him. The curtains are drawn, darkening the room despite it being noon outside.
She looks intangible in this lighting.
When Freya's arms snake around him in an embrace and her lips against his neck send goosebumps rising on his skin, Taehyung never wants to let go.
"Take a picture of me." she whispers into him, so softly it may have never happened.
"What?"
"You said those Freya's in your pictures died. Well - I'm dying."
Freya tells him to smile for the picture. Smile when you think of me, she said. They snap more than enough shots, and when they're done, there are photos scattered across their duvet.
"I like this one." she says, handing him a photo. It's the one Taehyung took of her when she wasn't looking, one where Freya's grinning down at another picture they just took. "Put it up."
"No, Freya. You're still here."
"I know. But - when. Put that one up." she says, eyes suddenly lighting up. "Wait." she says, grabbing a sharpie out of her bedside drawer. She scribbles something down on the photo, then hands it to him.
It's not a curse, it's been a blessing :) , it writes. Don't miss me too much!
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It's 4:00 AM on a serene Friday morning when Freya kisses Taehyung.
He's asleep beside her, blankets tangled in his limbs and pillow mussing his hair. Freya kneels before him, taking in his peaceful expression. She wonders how he'll feel when he wakes the next morning.
"I'm sorry." she breathes, choking as she weeps. "You're going to hate me, probably. But it's not your fault, okay? I want you to know that you didn't kill me, Taehyung. I'm want to do this."
Then she leans forward and presses her lips featherlight against his own. His lips are dry, chapped, and Freya thinks she can taste salt as she cries. When she pulls away a lifetime later, Taehyung doesn't budge.
"I love you." she whispers, pushing a strand of hair out of his face then proceeding to wipe her own tears away. "See you soon, Tae."
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AND THATS a wrap ladies and gents!!
i may write a epilogue to this if im feeling it, but otherwise, eternal is FINISHED! can u believe i wanted to delete this story in the beginning like this. is. my. baby.
