Sanctuary (✔)

Chapter Sixteen

By the time YN gathers her wits enough to climb back upright and chase after him, the wolf is long done, wet, icy footprints all that are left of him. Jimin hadn't closed the door when he ran blindly into the night, giving YN no barrier in chasing after him.

"Jimin!" she shouts into the night, eyes wide and panicked, breath turning into smoke as soon as it leaves her lips, "Park Jimin!"

The night is silent, the cold chilling her exposed skin to the bone. She hardly notices at all, the sound of the complete silence deadening all her senses. She breaks into a run down the street, picking a random direction and hoping that she'll be able to catch up to him.

YN isn't sure how long she's out in the freezing temperatures, calling for Jimin fruitlessly, but she almost jumps out of her skin when a pair of warm hands land on her shoulder. With a startled scream, YN pulls away, turning towards her apparent attacker. Kim Taehyung stands there, hands raised in a sign of good intent.

"Woah, woah, woah, YN! Calm down, it's just me,"

"Taehyung?" YN asks, beginning to notice the chill finally as the man snaps her out of her hysteria, "What are you doing here?"

Her friend looks bewildered.

"What am I doing here? I rushed over as soon as our call cut off and - but nevermind, let's get you inside! It's literally snowing out here and you're practically wearing nothing. Your lips are blue,"

Gently, Taehyung leads her back to her house, her front door standing open and small drifts of snow taking up space in the doorway. The man kicks out what he can with the sole of his boot, shutting the door while YN stands shivering right beside her couch.

"Jesus, YN, what happened? Why are you running around like a madwoman in the middle of winter? Where's Jimin?"

Almost instantly, the girl collapses into the startled Taehyung's arms, tears slipping down her freezing cheeks and stinging as she desperately attempts to draw breaths in. Her body isn't listening to her it seems, as she continues to cry loudly, clinging onto Taehyung like a lifeline.

Although he's confused and slightly frightened, Taehyung holds the girls closely, patting her gently like he's seen in the movies. When her cries finally calm down slightly, morphing into ugly hiccups, her leads her to the plush sofa, sitting her down gently and tossing the throw she keeps on the furniture over her goosebumped legs, rubbing them quickly over the fleece.

YN rubs at her temple, a headache already making herself from her sudden fit.

"What happened, YN? What's going on?"

"I - Jimin - he," she pauses, sucking in a large gulp of air and taking several deep, slow breaths, "I had Jimin soaking in ice water when you called me. I slipped away to answer you, and then we had our conversation. But he must have slipped out of the water, hormones or whatever, and then the next thing I knew he was hugging me from behind. I was startled, and I dropped and broke my phone,"

The girl grows quiet for a moment, as if she's processing her story as if she wasn't the one who was telling it.

"I suggested your solution. It was dumb, I was dumb, but I was frightened of him. You frightened me with all of your possibilities because it seemed like things were going as you said they would ... that maybe I would wake up one day in a vice grip I couldn't escape from. But I should have known better. I should have known better,"

She's shaking herself, arguing with herself it seems.

"You don't him, Taehyung. I do. I know Jimin. I know he wouldn't have done anything. I knew, really I did. But I was afraid, so I asked him. You should have seen his face. You should have seen it, Taehyung!"