Briar Rose - Taekook

Chapter 26

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XXVI: Jungkook

The first thing I realize when I wake up is that I'm not in my bedroom. The decorations in this room are different, and even though it's still the middle of night, I can see that the wallpaper is unlike the one in my room. I sit up, blinking the sleep out of my eyes as I take in my surroundings.

Everything here smells of Taehyung. The bedsheets, the pillows, even the air. It's a comforting scent, like woodsmoke and honey. I inhale it, snuggling into the sheets. There's no one sleeping beside me, and I feel a pang of disappointment as I recall Taehyung's warm arms which encircled me the night before. I'm sure that he was here, but he must have left before I woke up. But why would he just go and leave without waking me up?

Then it hits me.

It's today.

The war.

The day that Shadow Valley and Sirius will go head to head in London.

The knowledge sends me bolting out of the covers, my body shivering in the cool night air. I have to find Taehyung. I have to get to him before he leaves for London. Throwing open the door, I look to my right, then my left, desperately trying to figure out where I am. The reading room is just on my left, which means that the kitchen is one flight below. Hurrying down the marble staircase, I slow down when I see two familiar figures up ahead, talking in hushed voices. As I get closer, I can make out their forms.

Taehyung and Yoongi.

"Tae!" I run towards him, relief coursing through me with the knowledge that he hasn't left yet. He hasn't left me alone. "Tae―"

He turns, and I stop in my tracks, shock rippling through me like a wave.

For it isn't Taehyung's face that stares back at me. It's the silver mask I had seen in his memory and my dreams. It covers the whole of his face except for his lips, and seems to glow beneath the moonlight flowing in from a nearby window. Even though it is only silver, it seems to hold much more malice than it should, enveloping his face like a small shroud.

When Taehyung sees me back away from him uncertainly, his whole body stiffens. He mutters something to Yoongi, who in turn glances at me. Before I can take a step forward, Taehyung gives me a curt nod, then turns towards the doorway, not sending me another glance.

His coldness is like a door slamming in my face. Just up until yesterday, he was so kind and loving. Now, he seemed like a completely different person. What had I done? Was it the mask? Had it changed him?

"No!" The word explodes from me and I grab onto his sleeve, holding his gaze when he looks down in surprise. "Don't leave yet. Why are you so cold to me? Whatever I did, I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you. Please. Just don't act so distant from me."

He looks shocked for a second, before bringing his fingers up to brush my cheek for an all-too-brief moment. His eyes soften, and I briefly see the Taehyung that I was used to seeing. The one that treats me like an angel. "Forgive me, my love. You did nothing wrong. I understand your disgust, but it's only for today. After that, I'll never wear this wretched thing again." It takes me a moment to realize that he's talking about the mask. Had he seen me back away? Did he think that I was afraid of him? But before I can ask, the kitchen doors swing open and we walk in, me still clutching onto Taehyung's sleeve.

Everyone I know is gathered in the room, dripping with weaponry and armor. I catch Jimin's eye and he winks at me, though his hands finger his scim nervously. Yoongi goes to stand next to him, murmuring something in his ear that makes Jimin blush. Yoongi smirks.